His Kryptonite

The stone was small, jagged and glowing green. I found it amongst the rocks as I was playing and eyed it cautiously. The exact shade seemed familiar but it wasn't like anything I had ever seen on the farm. It wasn't a fresh green like the corn fields that surrounded me nor was it a deep green like the emerald necklace my mother sometimes wore. In the pit of my stomach churned a deep primal fear but it was outweighed by my childish curiosity. Against all better judgement I reached out and my tiny fingers brushed the jagged surface.

I was blinded by a flash of intense green light followed by a flood of searing pain. It was as so every molecule in my body repelled the green light that engulfed me. I felt as though I was being tore apart. My small body was suddenly possessed by uncontrollable convulsions and again, and again my fragile skin tore against the jagged rocks. For the first time in my life a stream of crimson trickled out of my body to stain the rocks below me. I was paralysed by fear. The only sounds that I could hear were my own shrill screams. They seemed so loud I was sure my eardrums would burst, Finally my vision blurred and the pain started to subside as I succumb to the darkness.

Suddenly I felt myself held up by strong arms. I opened my eyes and was blinded by the strong August sun. "It's okay son you're safe now," my father whispered softly to me. My bottom lip trembled and my eyes soon filled with tears. I started to cry and I didn't stop. That night I sobbed myself into exhaustion, soothed by the comforting scent of sweet cherries and flour with one child-sized hand tangled in my mother's soft auburn hair.

If there is one thing I've learnt in my life it is that everyone has a weakness. I discovered mine that day in the Cornfield. Our weakness is not something we like to share, It is often hid away and protected at all costs, because we know if it was turned against us it could destroy us.

For a long time Lex Luthor was a complete mystery to me. He seemed almost as though he had no real weakness, In time I discovered that Lex was a more complex man than I had ever given him credit for. His weakness was hidden by endless walls of paranoia and distrust. His weakness was intangible, unlike mine, but in a way it was more powerful and dangerous.

Our final battle was in its climatic moments and it was every bit as legendary as Lex had always promised. I found it almost poetic that we were back in Smallville were we had shared so much history. We had a past were the line between truth and lies had become indistinguishable. I guess we were doomed right from the start when I pulled him from the sinking car and gave him a second chance at life. He always told me it was destiny, but I struggle to see how the fates could be so cruel as to give us this ending.

The Luthor mansion was coated by a thick layer of dust, it had been deserted for many years. The dim glow of candlelight barely lit the corners of the room. The dim flames flickered continually sending a flurry of leering shadows dancing along the walls. Despite being uncared for, for so long, it still struck a deceptively grand appearance. I guess some things can't be changed by time.

Lex Luthor stood in the centre of the room completely consumed by his own darkness. In so many ways he reminded me if the young idealistic man he had once been; handsome and arrogant, motivated and strong. But that man that stood before me was a pale imitation, he was a complete stranger to me; cold and hollow, callous and unforgiving, the only thing that motivated him was greed. He wasn't the Lex I knew and he could never be again, he had became exactly what he was always scared of becoming,

I stepped forward with the idea of tackling him. His pale hands drifted down and his thin lips curled into a smirk, as from a lead sheath he pulled a sword. The green blade glistened dangerously in the light, and he swirled it wildly passing it from hand to hand painting an invisible artwork in the air. He handled the sword well, no doubt from years of practice with his warped father who was long deceased after meeting an end at Lex's hands.

Every molecule of my body reacted against the Kryptonite, my head span and dropped to my knees. He advanced on me and I felt as though every cell in my body was tearing in two. I couldn't help but cry out in pain and fall further. I laid on my back unable to control my shuddering body. I bit down on my lip until the metallic taste of blood flowed into my mouth, slowly choking me.

Lex seemed drunk on my pain; his body swayed madly and his eyes rolled back in his head as he threw back his head and laughed manically. The hollow sound cut painfully through my head.

He crouched down and placed his legs on either side of my hips, effectively pinning me down. In that moment that strangest thought entered my head 'he still smells like scotch, ink and peppermint.' The heavy flood of familiarity hurt more than any blade ever could.

His pale hands gripped the ornate silver handle almost lovingly. A triumphant grin plastered his face, similar to when he used to beat me at snooker. His muscles twitched, he was about to bring the sword down. For the first time that night I looked into his cold green eyes.

"I love you Lex," I was surprised at how easy the words slipped from my lips.

His eyes widened slightly and I saw something akin to emotion flicker in them. He hesitated, it was just for a second but it was long enough.

In my hands I clutched a revolver. Without hesitation I squeezed the cold metallic trigger. The bullet ripped violently from the barrel with a deafening boom that made my heart skip a beat. With a quiet thud that seemed so much louder it broke through his body, leaving a trail of blood and a sickening feeling in my stomach.

I shot just the once... right through the heart.

It seemed to take forever for the life to leave him. He was pushed back in momentum with the bullet and then he fell forwards the ghost of a smile still captured on his face. The sword fell to the floor with an echoing clang. It was over.

Rolling him off of me I struggled to my knees and looked on the empty body in sadness. His eyes were wide, glassy, dead and staring right at me. With a lurching feeling of guilt in my stomach I pushed close his eyelids and traced his face with my fingers. "Why?" I whispered in a strangled voice. "Why?" It was then that I caught site of my hands covered in blood. The blood of a man who had once been as close to me as a brother.

The relentless prickling sensation of the tears that I was holding back burned my eyes. I buried my face in my hands as a few stray droplets rolled out leaving a shimmering trail down my cheeks. I roughly wiped away the tears with the back of my hand, I knew I had no right to cry. Lex tried to kill me with my weakness but I destroyed him with his. I guess in the end neither of us won.

I caught sight of the sword lying abandoned on the floor.

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