MIRAGE OF HEARTSTRINGS

AFFIX THE WAY

Looking at the darkness outside yet the rain is still pouring heavily, the Pandavas get out of their room immediately facing each other as they look at each other with shock before chuckling when they realised their timing matched until bhima mutter out.

"hmm, someone is cooking curry?"

The others sniffed a little before making a confuse expression when they the aroma of food enters their nose as they look at each other, finding everyone here before tiptoeing downstairs to the kitchen only to get shocked when they saw duryodhana cooking.

---------------------------------------------

Sniffing the aroma of spices coming from curry, duryodhana nod lightly, before feeling presence behind himself as he turn around only to find Pandavas standing there dumbstruck making him raise an eyebrow in question which seems to take them out of shock as they cleared their throat..........obviously fakely while going back towards the hall.

Rolling his eyes, duryodhana went to cooking as he blow out the fire before putting the wok down with the shelf of cloth, he took few chapatis for himself which he had cooked earlier, leaving the extra dough covered before serving himself curry as he went ou of the kitchen with his food, finding Pandavas standing there looking here and there, obviously in awkward position but who cares about that?..............Duryodhana? Never!!

Closing the door of his room, duryodhana sat down on his bed, eating his warm food as he hear the noise from downstairs, already knowing they are cook chapatis from the leftover dough. Though he only wanted to cook for himself but he is not that much of bastard beside what's matter most is he was hungry that's why he cooked.........not because of them, cause he was hungry so he decided to cook and do some mercy on them by cooking for them too............though it will be last time. Beside his cooking skills are quite perfect due to continuous cooking for his younger brothers as he learned it from his mother from young age.

After a while when his food finished, the sound from the downstairs also lessened as he sighs, drinking water before looking at the rain that is still pouring in the darkness. Sighing he decided to lay down to sleep only to start coughing as his chest pained making him bite his lips to stop himself from coughing. He thought about going down to drink water to stop coughing but refused to see their face again as he just grabbed the sheet, biting his lips to stop making cough noise while closing his eyes, desperately begging the sleep to come.

NEXT DAY

Waking up with the chest pain might be the most painful thing a person could experience but for duryodhana, it has become normal from past few years but this time there is more. His body is burning like it has been put on fire, eyelids feels heavy that he can't even open his eyes, the throbbing pain in head and chest like someone is hammering on it while his senses completely numb and all above, this is second time he is experiencing all this after his first time in childhood when he got sick badly and Mata Gandhari has to take care of him................Maybe he did got sick today. What a worst luck!!

Knowing his eyes won't open nor his body is going to move soon, duryodhana just played in his position as he is until different voices enter his ears.

"his body is still burning"

"cold water will be good"

"hmm, I will bring it"

"I will lit up the fire to make the room warm"

"hmm"

There are sounds of fading footsteps while increasing ones too until he felt a hand running through his hair, gently. It might be because he is sick but the hands are cold and he can't help but lean in more into it until he hear a light gasp from near yet the hands didn't stopped and that's what he wants. The cold and soothing feeling was enough to lull him to sleep again.