MIRAGE OF HEARTSTRINGS

TURMOILED EMOTIONS

Brushing past all the memories of that dark palace, duryodhana walk through the forest, stumbling, only to stop when his chest pains or he has to cough badly as he hears the sound of wild animals growling and howling but not even a single one encountered, which is good definitely good, thinking what if an animal came in front of him when his chest is paining? Dying like that would be awful so, it is better for now beside his health has gotten more worse after getting sick.

Looking around towards the trees near, duryodhana sighed tiredly "where are you karna?" feeling fear crawling inside.

Never in his life duryodhana ever thought he would feel fear but in reality he never noticed that he has felt fear from the childhood, the fear of losing his parents, fear of having his parents humiliated or broken when his mamashree said that his five new brothers are here to get the throne and to throw duryodhana and his family out of Hastinapur, the fear of losing his brothers everytime when he heard about his brothers being injured cause of bhima.

And that childhood fear which he couldn't been able to recognise, he recognised it in adulthood when he got to know about his father's expectations, citizens expectations and trust in him, brother's trust him, it is all nice yet scary at the same time.

The fear that came in front visible when he met his best friends from the first time, starting with debt yet they get to know each other, the way they just looked into his soul like it is an open book when no one till now has been able to read inside him and that scared him, it scared him so much but at the same time he found himself opening his heart more in front of his best friends who cared about it.

He talk bravely that nothing can affect him but honestly, everything affected him from childhood till now, from small to big, each one of the thing affected him and this is not good...........not for him. He should not feel this but he does not feel anything other than this.

The way his heart dropped in stomach when he realised that Pandavas, his enemies, the five person he hates more than anything, the five people who made duryodhana feel fear for the first time in his life, got to know about his vulnerability when he was sick................it made him nauseous. It is sick how he let them get to know about his vulnerability and if he didn't wished to never wake up that day.

Crazy to say that his ego has no bound cause it really never had even in the first place as he might know what he did wrong and might realise it to himself but he would never accept it, maybe in front of his best friends but not in front of any other ones, Never!! And that's why, the time he found himself getting opened like a book, he left the palace immediately, his memory might have gotten weak but his body remembers many things and that's why he knew how to land on the ground from that height without injuring himself further....................By the way this Angavastram tied on his arm, he has to give it back to which he has no problem since it will be done by his brothers or his best friends but definitely not by him-

Coming out of his thoughts by sudden fierce rain, duryodhana glared at the dark sky before going under a tree until he realised it could get him sick again as he walk forward, finding a good place to rest only to see a cave in their making him sigh in relief. Duryodhana went inside the cave, towards the corner as he open his wet hair for the second time to get it dry while ruffling it to get the excess water out until eyes opened more when he see someone entering the cave or rather than someone it is............

"Bhima!!"

Duryodhana exclaimed as he watch bhima looking up at him with a blank expression before he lunged forward, immediately attacking duryodhana who defenses by steeping aside, not letting bhima taking any chance of catching him before asking "what are you doing?" only to have bhima yell "you are clearly a really annoying person who ran away cowardly-"

[PUNCH]

Before bhima could finish his sentence duryodhana stepped forward, punching him on jaw painfully making bhima more angry as they both started fighting each other by grabbing each other's throat until bhima found himself laying on top of duryodhana on the ground. Kicking on the abdomen of bhima, duryodhana freed up himself as he coughs, stopping bhima on dead track who was ready to attack again while sighing, looking at duryodhana.

"why did you started the fight?"

"you [COUGH] started It! [COUGH]"

"I didn't attacked you, you punched me!!"

"and you deserve it for calling me coward" Duryodhana says, calming down from the coughs as he laid down on the ground before he found bhima laying down beside him too while saying "you literally ran away for nothing" making duryodhana confuse asking.

"what do you mean nothing? I am here to find mitr and that's what I am doing beside the rain has stopped and why should I stay with you all?"

"very grateful of you" Bhima mutter in the silence sarcastically as duryodhana says "were you finding me?" making bhima exclaim with an irritated sigh "we all were and other four must be still trying to find you. There was blood in the garden and it is none of us. If something happened to you then everyone would had came to us, so get rid of this 'running away' habit of yours and just cooperate like we are doing, ok?"

"I can take care of myself and I was not afraid that you are calling it running away" Duryodhana whispered, hiding his eyes by his arms on his face as bhima look at him for a while before sighing "fear is a part of life, a mortal has to fear in their life even if once, that's what Gurudev said to us"

"so do you have any fear?" Duryodhana asked after a moment of silence only to have his eyes widen when bhima nodded "I do, I have fear of losing my family, not being able of protecting them and disappointing the people who has faith in me"

"you have everyone on your side" Duryodhana highlighted only to have bhima shook his head making duryodhana confuse but he let it go as they both laid down on the ground in a silence but this time rather than awkward or comfortable, it is a tired one, like they both are tired with whatever going on their life and desperately wants a reality escape from all this but can't.

After a very long silence, the footsteps of more than one person entered inside their cave making duryodhana alert but upon finding bhima nonchalant, he groaned rubbing his face exhausted while muttering "I will ask again, why did you all have to find me? Leave me alone"

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