Enemy

They both froze. Each of them pointing a gun at the others heart. Both were breathing heavily after the fight that they just had. They were both strong and very powerful. But even with all her strength, he was more advanced. Eyes locked on each others, neither of them made a move to finish it. They studied each other. Both composed, unafraid. Then to her astonishment, he smiled. A slow, sad smile that appeared faintly on his lips. He lowered his gun.

“Ladies first” he spoke softly.

She gazed at him for a very long time.

“Don’t…don’t you dare…” she said as her eyes started to fill with tears.

“You coward! Don’t back off now!” she shouted at him but he didn’t respond. He continued watching her. She was beautiful. Tears flooded her eyes and slowly fell down her cheeks. Without thinking of the consequences or the meaning of what he was doing, he moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms. For a moment, she stood there rigidly in his arms and then with a quiet sob, he felt her body sag. The gun dropped from her hand and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She let him hold her and she cried. Silent tears full of anguish, misery, and grief. It was a long time before she stopped and even a longer time before either of them spoke.

“Why didn’t you do it?” he asked her gently.

“Why didn’t you?” she replied evenly.

“I didn’t because I like you. It sounds ridiculous but there is something about you. Maybe it’s the fact that when I’m fighting you, it feels like I’m against an equal. I haven’t felt that in a very long time.” he said.

“I’m not your equal” she replied softly, “you are much stronger than me”

There was a small pause before he said.

“No. maybe I am in some aspects but don’t forget, I have had a lot of years to develop these skills and powers, where as you, you have only had a few years but you are still much more powerful than the majority of them.”

Another small pause where there was no sound except for their breathing.

“You know, this doesn’t change anything. I still hate you” she said.

“So what are you doing in my arms” he asked with amusement.

As soon as these words left his lips, she pulled away. She bent down and picked up the gun. Holding it in both hands, she studied it with thought.

“Why do we hate each other so much?” she asked with sadness in her voice.

He didn’t answer. She looked up at him taking in his every feature. He was very handsome. He was looking into her eyes as if searching for something.

“I love you” he said simply.

“I know” she answered gently. Then, with out hesitation, she lifted the gun and shot him three times in the chest.

“I love you too” she whispered.

At first, nothing happened. He didn’t move, didn’t utter a sound. Still looking at her, he lifted his hand to his chest. A confused expression came into his eyes as he saw that it came away covered in blood. The confusion quickly turned into surprise, and then the surprise to understanding. He fell to his knees, blood pouring out of his chest wounds. He fell gracefully. He fell in a manner in which a fighter would fall…with a great amount of dignity. He was smiling.

She watched it happening as if in slow motion. She wanted to run to him and take him into her arms. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry. She wanted to get him help. But she didn’t do any of those things. She stood still and watched as the life slowly drained out of him. His breathing had become shallow and rapid, and even from where she stood, she could see that his pupils had dilated. Except for his breathing, he seemed calm, under control, and he was still smiling up at her. The smile clutched at her heart and she had to bite her lip hard to avoid losing her composure. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something. He seemed to be struggling to get the words out. She waited but nothing was said. The smile vanished, the spark in his eyes started to disappear, and she knew that he was nearly gone. Suddenly he sighed…a deep sigh that seemed to come from within, and then he was still. She knew that his sigh would always haunt her. The silence that followed was deafening. She closed her eyes as another tear fell down her cheek. Putting the gun away, she slowly made her way towards his body. She gazed down at him for a very long time. Then, she turned around and walked away.