~Enemies to... Lovers?~

(Keefe's POV)

I sprinted out of the cave. But when I did, Sophie was nowhere in sight.

"No no no no no..." I muttered. As I leaped to Eternalia, I gasped.

As I walked up and down the streets of the city, thousands, maybe millions of people laid on the floor, writhing in pain or laughing as their faces looked panicked.

Sophie had definitely been here. Because I could feel a very strong tornado of emotion up ahead.

When I turned the corner, I saw Sophie, levitating in her maroon dress as she inflicted on another building. She was still muttering emotions under her breath, and her eyes flashed different colors by the second. Every time she inflicted an emotion, she just became less human and more Empathy. Just like Elwin said.

I hailed Elwin on my Imparter. When it was answered, I saw Elwin's face. I explained things, but when I turned the Imparter to show him Sophie's form, he collapsed, writhing in pain.

"Elwin!" I shouted. But it was no use.

Just the sight of Sophie was so strong that people would be inflicted on. So then why wasn't I writhing in pain as I studied her?

Suddenly, it clicked. I was an Empath. Only Empaths could handle that many emotions inflicted through the air. We dealt with it all the time. Me, especially. I was always around Sophie. I could handle anything she threw at me.

I smiled at the thought.

Then I sprinted towards her, shouting, "Foster!"

Her rainbow eyes scanned me and didn't even hesitate. "Fear!" She shouted.

I stood there, completely fine, and she growled. "It doesn't work on me." I said.

Her eyes narrowed. Then she pulled out a throwing star. "You never learned like I did." She hissed.

"I'm still better." I teased. Then I paused. The problem was... I couldn't hurt Foster, even though she was just emotion, slowly fading out of human. But she wouldn't hesitate to hurt me. That moment of hesitation gave Sophie just enough time to fling a throwing star at my head.

I barely ducked before it flew over me.

Suddenly, her eyes glowed brighter. When she spoke, the only thing that came out was a blast of emotion. Her eyes widened. Now that she couldn't speak normally, she was losing herself even more.

"Sophie, look at me." I said firmly. My tone made her obey. "You are not emotion." She scowled like an animal, but I kept going. "You are the most wonderful girl I've ever met, and you can't leave me, okay?" Although my tone was the tone I'd use to speak to a puppy, the words were empathetic. "You can't let the Empathy win. I learned that a while ago. I didn't think I needed to know that until I met you. But you can't let it take over your life. Please." I begged. "I can't do anything without you."

Her eyes flickered brown for a second. Then they returned to rainbow. She was flickering in and out of emotions.

"Team Foster-Keefe, remember?" I whispered. Brown. Rainbow.

"We can do it together."

Brown.

Rainbow.

Brown.

Rainbow.

"I love you."

Brown.

Rainbow.

Brown.

Gray.

Wait. Gray?

She suddenly collapsed from her levitation and started to fall 50 feet from the air. I sprinted towards her as fast as I could, and somehow caught her. I eased her to the ground. Her eyelids fluttered open. Brown. No more rainbow.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Blood splattered her face. And now it was on me. "No problem. But, um, don't you think we should get you to Elwin-"

Suddenly, I realized the blood was coming from her chest.

"How did you get this?" I asked, my voice panicked as I tried to cover up the wound. Then I realized... Everyone but me and Sophie had been knocked out cold.

"Throwing star... From the Neverseen... I couldn't sense the pain when I was an Empathy cannon, so-" She winced as I grabbed some of my cloak and ripped it off to make bandages.

"We just have to get you to the Healing Center, and then-"

A tear rolled down my face and landed on Sophie's blood soaked tunic.

She wiped it from my cheek. "Keefe, this is where I say goodbye."

"No." I said stubbornly. "You can't go. You just can't."

Her breathing became ragged. "I love you, Keefe, but you have to know when it's over."

"It's not over." I insisted. I wrapped her bandages tighter to keep pressure on the wound and scooped her up.

"You're too weak to light leap..." He realized. "And you're too weak to teleport us..."

"Keefe, please listen to me." She whispered.

"What?" I snapped. "You want me to accept that the love of my life is gone and it's my fault? I can't do that. I can't just-"

"It's not your fault." She said quietly. "But you have to realize... Even if we got there and fixed my wound, the Empathy would still kill me."

That was the truth I was trying to hide from. And now it had found me.

"Well, it gives you more time." I decided. "Even if I can't fix it, I can make it better."

"Keefe, you can't travel halfway across the world in time." Sophie argued.

"You're right." I channeled all of my mental strength and shouted, "Silveny!"

In seconds, Silveny and Greyfell were at our side. Hurt?

"Yeah. We need to get her to Foxfire." I explained. After teleporting, I thanked the alicorns, told them to be safe, and sprinted Sophie into the Healing Center.

I decided that if I used Sophie's enhancing, I could inflict happiness to counter Elwin's fear, and then he would be back to normal and he could fix her.

I set Sophie on a cot and put a salve on the large cut running down her stomach. It was pretty deep. She looked exhausted. But she was still beautiful. I brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her on the forehead, earning me a weak smile from her.

"Your dad was right. Our stubbornness makes us perfect for each other." She whispered. I smirked.

Then I grabbed her hand and touched Elwin at the same time, sending a breeze into his head. He woke with a start, eyes wide.

Then he focused on Sophie, and his eyes got wider. "Now I see..." He muttered.

He grabbed an exilir from the shelves and handed it to me. I poured it in Sophie's mouth. Take that, Fitzy!

Instantly, I watched as the cut turned into a thin scar. She sighed with relief.

"Thank you." She whispered. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep.

But we weren't out of danger yet.

*Guess you'll find out the danger later!

Bible verse for todaaay: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." Romans 8:11.

Have an amazing day besties!

TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE FOR THE WIN!

-SilvenySlays :)