A Sew Through Time [Bandbudh And Budbak]

16: School Reunion

The ground beneath Budh was pooling with blood, purpling the soft grey grass.

A pair of glowing, diamond pupils cut through the clearing fog. With a slow smile curving along her lips, Yuvati breathed,

"Ah"

There stood Badri, his ears still ringing from the hollow wooden sound. Wretchedness was piling in his stomach.

The bright little girl bounce closer to his body, peering curiously then gasping,
"You actually did it!"

The bat flinched.

"Wooowww! Have you always hated him this much?"

"Chup kar!" he shut his eyes, avoiding the bright liquid soaking his shoes.

"Ohh dear..."

Badri opened them.

"You're so unpredictable!" Yuvati beamed, hands clasping behind with a tilting head, "Though that's something I reaaally like about you~"

He breathed sharply, "What the hell do you want?"

"Hmmm, good question" she hummed, tapping her cheek and looking sideways. Before she spoke, her bright lovely ballerinas squelched forward.

The rippling pool gliding to the ends with calm endurance.

Another foot stepped in the wet ground.

"Hey!" Badri shouted, clenching the bat tightly.

"You can feel it" She spoke sympathetically, "Your face tells me you're not scared either- you're just waaayyy too confused"

"You talk too much" He stepped back haphazardly, ignoring the sound without dropping below. Regaining balance, he gazed at her with pitiless eyes.

"You are the one who hit him didn't you?" She swayed from side to side, "You chose to do that, as if wanting something in return"

He let out a dry breath.

"Makes me wonder what it could be?"

"Heh, why should you know everything?" Badri's face ascended, "You're not even human"

Yuvati stopped swaying.

"I've seen you now. Your power, your control. I bet you can do a lot of things on your own: count the number of stars in the sky, fight off a gang, dance with the music and ride a cycle without help. But... is that all?"

"Why do you say so?"

"A machine never feels the frustration of knowing nothing" he twirled the bat callously, "The anger from slight inconveniences, the desire to be loved and to be horny, losing and carrying on, and most importantly," he stopped, "Being a work of art"

"You make it sound like that's something special! When you kill your own kind to be that art"

His eyes flickered on his reflection.

"Your unconditional love is a product of distraction. Relationships riveted in factories, as you dwell in towns filled with mass- produced silences. Now you're older, now you know it all; yet you claim brutality to be a work of art? Wish upon your beating heart and tell me with your human honesty," Yuvati grinned maliciously,

"Who really is the impostor? You? Or me?"

"If my love was really a product of distraction, it wouldn't had brought me this far and teaching a machine about art" Badri grinned, "Look at me, stupid girl: my existence is a work of art itself"

Yuvati laughed, "Why not let me propose something to rekindle your sense of art?"

He smirked, "What about it?"

"Hide and seek!" She clapped and rested her cheek on them, "Nine rounds, three minutes, three sets. Afterall! It wouldn't be nice of me not to share the school playground with you!"

Settling the bat down, Badri began to think.

"You'll hide, and I will seek. If you win, I'll let your past versions return home"

"And if you win?" His brows arched up, "Are you gonna kill meee, shawty?"

"That would be too simple silly!" Yuvati chuckled, vertically waving her hand, "If I win, you and your friends stay in this world forever- waking up in these corridors and laughing at your regressing jokes, living your episodic existence till death does its part"

"Accepted" Badri smiled, for he was now beyond the machinations of death.

"Aaand for your cute little sister-"

His smile faded.

"She will never return home again" declared the ruthless robot, "Think before you act budbak!"

Despite startled by the weight of her words, Badri felt that a game of hide and seek was a bit too easy for a grown up like him. He was confident that he would win easily, no matter how much this kid would gamble for his defeat.

Yet on the other hand, he was aware that this was the monster who had hurt his little sister. If this thing could make their timeline collapse, it was capable of hurting him in incomprehensible ways.

But that would only be when he would lose. And Badri was not a loser.

"Tell me" the child beamed, "Manzoor hai?"

"Haan. Manzoor hai"

"You're so fun to play with that it makes me go yippee!" and saying so, she spun around on a heel with covered eyes, slowly stopping and facing behind, "Oooonne!"

Badri looked around.

"Twooooooo!"

He dashed towards the school garden.

"Threeeeeee!" Her lenses opened, "I'm coming for you!"