𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬 - 𝐀𝐫𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐡

𝙶̷𝚊̷𝚗̷𝚐̷𝚜̷𝚝̷𝚎̷𝚛̷ 𝙰̷𝚄̷ - 𝟻̷

𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐮 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞...

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Aiden looked at the moon wistfully, Aru was curled on his lap already asleep.

As the days passed by he seemed to love her more and more...

When people are protecting something truly special to them, they truly can become as strong as they can be."  Hanuman had said

He still had no idea what Hanuman meant by that...

Aru was starting to drool on Aiden's lap and he laughed silently as he stroked her hair...

He looked down to see if Brynne was watching all this but then he remembered that Brynne was gone...

His smile faded as he sat back, remembering the horrible events that had occurred that day..

Aiden, Brynne and the girl with the braid, who Aiden now knew was called Aru had walked through the forest, keeping their eyes on the map that Hanuman had sent them.

"Couldn't he just send us the location via Google Maps?" Aru had grumbled, it was supposed to have been a funny joke but as Aiden turned back to look at her, he saw that her eyes were red and puffy and her fists were clenched.

'She must be upset about Mini' Aiden thought as Brynne put an arm on her shoulder, her eyes red and puffy too.

They followed the map until they came near a small river bank which led to a bunch of trees at the end of the forest.

"Ohh-kay...I'm gonna go and get some trees to build a raft while you two can sharpen your knives or something..." Brynne said looking at both of them before walking away.

Aru and Aiden looked at each other awkwardly for a minute. Their last encounter was...not so pleasant...

Aru broke eye contact and sat on a rock while Aiden's attention went to the river.

"So erm...how exactly are you, Mini and Brynne sisters?" Aiden had said finally breaking the silence.

Aru had looked at him for a few minutes before turning away.

"All of us were orphans" She said sadly "we grew up in the same orphanage and we became like sisters and as the years passed by it stuck. After we turned sixteen we were taken by Uravashi and she asked us to join her clan or die. We had no choice and well...now we're here" She finished

" Oh..." Aiden said, at a loss for words

He HAD underestimated them, he had absolutely no idea how strong these women were...and now he felt like a idiot.

"Look...i'm sorry for being such a snob and all...you and your sisters are amazing at fighting and are really strong"

Aru looked at him clearly, her eyes fully on his.

Aiden suddenly winced, his arm hurting.

" Ah oops... sorry about that" Aru said as if she had only just remembered that she had shot him in the arm on their first encounter.

Before Aiden could speak, a horn sounded.

Aiden and Aru got up to see Brynne being hauled by two people fully clothed in black. She was tied up to a tree binded head to toe.
Judging by the raging sounds, constant wriggling and scars on her face, she had tried to put up a fight.

"Brynne!" Aru said. She tossed Aiden's gun to him as the guys in black started running.

"Apology accepted" She said to him " Now let's save Brynne before those guys run away with her"

The only sounds that could be heard over the next few hours were gunshots, knives clashing and Brynne's angry grunts.

Finally the two of them were dead. Aiden rushed over to untie Brynne when-

"Aiden!" Aru had said at the same time Aiden heard a knife graze the same arm Aru had shot.

He fell back staggering, his arm bleeding and
Brynne gone.

Time was a blur at that time, he remembered Aru bandaging his arm trying not to cry while Aiden comforted her.

Later they decided to sleep in a tree for a while taking turns to keep watch every few hours.

"Have you ever wondered how your life would be like if you hadn't joined Hanuman's clan?" Aru had asked him

Aiden thought carefully, he had thought about this for a long time.

As annoying and demanding Hanuman was, he had helped him and his mom in the past and for that he was grateful to him... especially since...no...he could not bring himself to remember what all he had been through before he joined the clan...

"I would want to go back home and spend time with my mom" He said finally

Aru smiled at him " I would like to buy a condo and then when I'm legal I can free my younger sisters Nikita and Sheela from the orphanage and then we can all live together" Aru said as if it was a dream that she desperately wished for but was out of reach.

He had no idea how long the both of them had sat there and talked, looking for ways to rescue Mini and Brynne and then finally Aru had fallen asleep.

Aiden came out of his thoughts and sighed, looking at the moon. Suddenly he felt Aru stir in his lap.

"Is it my turn to watch yet?" She asked

By that time Aiden was always feeling drowsy, the pain in his arm didn't help. He immediately slumped on to Aru's shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Aru said staring at him.

Aiden felt his eyes close, the events of today flashing before his eyes.

They had won the battle but lost the war.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯