A Moment
Seventeen-year-old Kyra sat at the edge of the wooden path above the ocean water, watching the sun slowly climb down on the horizon. The sunset at Kilika was the most amazing thing, she thought. And she was one of the luckiest people in Spira to be able to watch it day after day.
The sky grew darker, and turned a brilliant array of orange, pink, and purple.
"Beautiful, isn't it." That was Jakar, the man she loved. He was a year older than her, but age didn't matter. They were in love.
"Yes."
He sat next to her. "It's not as beautiful as you."
Her cheeks grew hot. She lifted her brown eyes and looked into his blue ones through her long, thick lashes.
He smiled. "I've talked to your father about this, but now I want to ask you." Suddenly, he felt nervous and awkward. "I love you, and... well... I always wished... that... someday... we would spend our lives together. Forever. What I mean.... is... Will you marry me?"
Tears rose to her eyes. "Yes!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck.
He returned the embrace and kissed her hair, heart soaring. She'd accepted him. "I love you, so much..." He said softly in her ear.
She leaned back. "I love you, too."
"If all we had was this one moment to live, what would you do?" Jakar asked.
"I would throw my arms around you and tell you how much I love you." Kyra replied.
"And I would kiss you and tell you I loved you the same." He said.
She smiled. "And if we were to die, we would be sent to the Farplane together, right?"
"Always. I'll never leave you. I promise." He said.
"Tell me you love me." She said, staring into his eyes.
"I love you..."
She smiled. "Again."
"I love you more than my life. If it would save you, I would die." He said sincerely. He meant it with every molecule in his body. He took her into his arms and held her tight against him. "I love you... I love you..." He whispered.
"I love you, too." She said.
He kissed her deep, with passion. She returned the kiss. Two young adults, hopelessly in love, sat together on the wooden planks that held the Village of Kilika above the sea.
A shadow rose from the water, blocking the light from the sun.
They broke apart and looked up, and terror filled their minds.
Sin.
Jakar knew he had to save Kyra. He got up and pulled her with him. Together they ran.
"Sin!" Someone cried.
People screamed in terror, running toward the forest beyond the beach.
Jakar knew that they were too far away to make it. He looked back, and he saw it coming.
"In here!" He cried, pulling her into a building. He had seconds to spare. "Get down!" He pulled her to the floor and covered her body with his own.
Tears were in her eyes. "What do we do!?"
"I love you."
The shock wave struck then, shaking the entire building. Another one followed, and then a third.
The roof of the small bungalow they were in was ripped off, and the boards beneath them shook. Pain shot through Jakar's back. He winced. The pain grew worse. A sharp wooden plank had driven itself into his left shoulder.
He knew then that he was going to die.
"Jakar!" Kyra cried, seeing the look on his face. "Jakar, no!"
A single tear formed in his eye. "I... love... you..." He said weakly.
Several more times the shock waves struck, and then it was over.
Mothers were crying for their children. Children were crying for their mothers. Everything had gone wrong.
What had started out as the best night of her life, had become Kyra's worst nightmare.
Jakar fell limp over her, and she knew then that he was gone. She rolled him over, clinging to hope that maybe he'd only passed out. His eyes were closed, and his pulse had stopped. A wooden plank had stabbed him through his back.
He had died to save her.
Sobs shook her body, and she cried out in misery with the rest of the mourning people.
Somewhere, a young girl sang softly the hymn of the fayth.
"Ieyui, nobomenu. Renmiri, yojuyogo. Hasatekanae, kutamae."
The one memory that would never leave her, was those few moments. A single moment had changed everything. And now she was alone.
Pyreflies floated to the sky where Jakar's body had been. All that remained was a plank of wood, stained with blood.
There was a stain of the floor, in the shape of a heart.
Author's Notes: I was in a weird mood, and just decided on a whim that I would write this. Reviews much appreciated, thank you.