The Rising Phoenix // Vani Fanfiction

#60. Pain

Bani just watched everyone she had called family engulfed into flames. Veer. Sam. Vanshika. Aishwarya. Amar. Mayank. In a moment, everything that she had was gone. She fell down at the shock of it. Kushal held her.

"Dadu... w..woh...." Bani didn't know what to say. Everything was up in flames. Kushal held her close to him as tears fell down his eyes. Bani just couldn't accept that all of them were gone in the flames.

Right as she was watching, all of it was taken up into flames. It was bad as a forest fire. Aditi had already collapsed. Shreya was still in shock. All of her children were gone. She had already lost a son before. Now, her other son and daughter were gone. Tears fell down her face. All she had was intense pain.

Yet, none of them compared to what Bani had felt. The love of her life was gone. The one she had come to love as her own brother was gone. Her sister was gone. Her aunt was gone. Her uncle was gone.

"Dadu..." Kushal just held Bani. She almost tried to get herself free and ran ahead into the fire.

"Nahi, baccha, nahi...." Kushal stopped.

"Dadu, mera toh sabh kuch jal chuka hai. Abh main bhi jal jaau toh kya fark padega?" Bani shouted. Bela didn't even know what to say. The naagmani could be taken back once the flames were doused because even that intense heat wouldn't do anything to naagmani. Yet, here the loss was too much.

"Bani..." Bani turned around to see Tapish, Balwant, Pawan and Ponky.

"Tapish bhai... w...woh Veer...." Bani just broke into tears. Tapish walked to her.

"Jaanta hun, Bani." He hugged her. Bani broke into tears as he hugged her. He caressed her hair.

"Tapish bhai, please. Mujhe bhi jaane dijiye..." Bani cried.

"Nahi, Bani, nahi... Veer kabhi nahi chahega ki tum aisa kuch karo." Tapish stopped.

"Veer hi nahi hai toh uski baton ka koi matlab nahi hai." She complained.

"Chalo..." Tapish started taking her back. Bani kept trying to struggle and get to Veer but Tapish held her tight. All the way back, she just kept crying. All the Singhanias were sad. There was pain and breaking on the inside but the cheel inside them was more accepting to death. The truth of the life that one who has been born has to die someday. That truth is taught to them everyday in the burning grounds. But to Bani? No. That wasn't how she grew up. Balwant turned around to see her.

He had seen her in such rage that it would shake the grounds itself. He had seen her covered in blood. He had seen her show her power and dominance. He had seen her courage and temper. This Bani wasn't someone he thought he'd see. She was crying, broken down. That image of flames taking over the place at once wouldn't wipe out of her eyes.

"Bas, Bani. Stop crying." Balwant told her.

There were tears earlier as well. When she thought she was losing Veer, she was crying but it wasn't the same. She still had grace while crying. Now, she had broken down completely. Tapish didn't say anything but just let Bani cry on his shoulder. She just couldn't gather herself together. She couldn't stand as the proud Adi-Naagin. In a flash, all of her pride was wiped away. All the way back to Cheel Mansion, Bani had been crying. She passed out with crying.

Tapish picked her up. Meera had already shown up at the Mansion when Tapish called her. Tapish put Bani in her room.

"Tapish?"

"Meera, Bani ke kapde change kar dogi. Wahan cupboard mein hai."

Meera nodded. Tapish went out and let Meera change Bani's clothes.