In that moment,
time stood still.
When I…saw you,
facing me, it was as if nothing else existed in that moment…
…Apart from you and
me.
I gave nothing
away, as I walked towards you, each step resounding with the caution of my
impassive demeanour. There was…so much I could do. I could have ran towards
you, demanded, asked a thousand questions of you, take you into a heartrending
embrace, never to let go.
But I did nothing
of it, except pouring all the intensity of the moment into my eyes.
I stood a passable
distance from you. Not for an instant did your gaze break, nor for a moment did
the breeze stop flowing. But it was for an eternity that my soul made its
transition to the past…
…To the time when
we saw each other for the first time, ready to fight. The clash of swords
didn’t diminish our smiles at all. Love at first sight was a concept we never
knew yet we felt it as strongly as we could.
…To the time when,
hand in hand, we walked upon the plains, gazing across the moonlit horizon,
assured that we would be by each other’s side for as long as we live.
An assurance that
was broken as soon as it was made.
…To the time, when
you… left me, for good. An embrace on your part, a tear on my part and our
final greetings were said. You never turned back to glance and I stood there as
long as I could see you, hands clutching the part where my heart lay, wishing
that I could rip it apart.
That was our story.
It had ended that night itself, with your departure.
But it didn’t. It
was endless, up till now.
Now I’m going to
put an end to this tale of love and affection, hurt and betrayal, and finally,
sacrifice.
We are facing each
other now, as enemies. There can be no leniency now.
I draw my sword.
You don’t speak, but your eyes say a thousand words. They are questions, many
questions, but you are asking them to someone whom you loved before.
I’m not the same
anymore. To your questions I only say one thing in response.
‘”Love is
irrelevant in a battle.”
To which you say.
“Do you have the courage to raise the sword against me?”
I almost choke at
my next statement but say it aloud. “As a warrior, it is my duty,” I recite my
oath.
“…to kill my
opponent, or be killed myself.”
There is no time
for words as our swords clash in what could be termed as the final fight of our
lives. There was no telling who will live through this clash.
Move and
countermove, each strike of one weapon opposed powerfully by another weapon;
the world around us is silent except for the clanging sound of metal and our
heaving breaths.
As our blades
collide once again we leap back to the same places where we had earlier stood.
Gazes meet, swords raised to sky, our lips move to utter the final words…
The following
strike may bestow the blessing as well as the curse of demise on whomsoever.
With that, the
moment I would never forget till my very last breath culminated, right before
my eyes…
…Right before my
eyes, you lay impaled by my sword, in my arms. You were favoured by the gods
and I was left to pick up pieces of my shattered heart.
There’s nothing I
can do, nothing ever to change this moment.
All feelings vanish like the glow in your eyes. It is only emptiness I feel.
In that moment,
time stood still. I only wish I could will it back to life.
..........................................................................................................
Needless to say, it's Ashura and Yasha again. Can be read as a stand-alone, though.
