Our Own Battles

Chapter 5

Anika was literally holding her heart in her hands. She walked aimlessly and then she heard the music. She followed the music to that that tree on the hill. When did it become so dark she wondered, she began to panic but then she saw the lights hanging from the tree. She followed the music, she knew that was her "friend". Anika walked up the hill and took her place on the other side of the tree. She leaned against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. It was like a movie was playing, the images of all her memories of Shivaay and herself flowed with the music. She began to sob more loudly, well suddenly it got too much, she was so overwhelmed it felt like her heart would stop and she just screamed "Shivaay".

Mahi on the other side of the tree was shocked. He seen his friend come up the hill. This had become his happy place now, so he hang up some lights to help chase away the darkness. He had made a friend on his hill. He did not know when he would see her again, but he would always have this memory and this treasured place. He played his melody he knew she was crying. You could almost feel the pain radiating off her. That is way he let her be and continued to play as she had once told him, his music brought her some peace. But when she screamed, it's like his world stopped, she screamed Shivaay. He rushed to her side and shocked, actually shocked was an understatement – he had no words to describe what he felt when he saw Anika aka Question Kumari in that condition.

Anika screamed Shivaay again. Mahi dropped to his knees in front of her. Anika had her eyes but kept shouting Shivaay, her voice was laced with pain. Mahi was in a flat panic now, had something happened to his brother? Was his brother okay? Why was his Bhabhi crying so much? Is his friend his Bhabhi? Mahi tried calling her name, but she kept sobbing. He had to get her to calm down. Mahi didn't want to touch her but there was no way to stop her.

"Friend, it's me, please stop crying. Please friend. Do you want me play you something, please stop crying" pleaded Mahi.

Mahi grabbed her shoulders and shook her "Anika" he shouted.

Anika froze, that voice, she looked up and saw Shivaay's face but Mahi's deep black eyes. She started to cry some more. Fate is definitely cruel. She almost laughed at her fate. She slowly placed her head on Mahi's chest, still holding her mangal sutra and cried for the joke fate had just played her. Her friend was her husband's twin. The must be the universe's way of punishing her. The universe had a wicked sense of humour. Well played God.

Mahi did not know what to do. He was not used to these situations. He never comforted or even touched anyone let alone a girl and this was his Bhabhi. What was he to do? He felt his shirt get wet. He clenched is fingers into fists at his side. He had to make her stop she was going to get sick. Slowly he picked his right hand up and tentatively touched the top of head. Slowly tapping it like you would to calm a child. Anika's sobbing began to get a little slower.

On the other side the Oberoi family did not know what hit them. Jhanvi very calmly explained that she is indeed Omkara's mothers, when she had got burnt Omkara, Rudra and herself had blood tests done. Tia did not think she needed to tell the whole family that Dai maa was forced to by her mother to say that, Tia assured daadi, Jhanvi, Om and Ru that the video was fake. Om and Ru could not understand anything, they knew their Bhabhi and they knew she was faking everything but why? Tia said she promised Anika and she was sorry she couldn't tell them anything else and left.

Shivaay did not want to listen to any explanation, as soon as he closed the door on her face. He could not move. He stood there, he could not look into her eyes. His heart hurt. It was like an icy hand was squeezing it slowly. Om and Ru helped him to the room. Their room. He sat there now. It has been hours. No one knocked at his door, not that he would have noticed. Why did she do this? He was going to tell her today that he loved her with everything he is. That he is no longer Shivaay Singh Oberoi but just Shivaay her Shivaay. Why? He still could not understand. He looked around, maybe she had left him something. Maybe this was a joke, maybe she was planning something. She has been acting weirdly these past few days, she is Jhansi ki Rani, and maybe she is in trouble. He got up and began searching the room but he found nothing. Not a single trace that she lived in this room? Did he imagine her? He was beginning to doubt his sanity. He opened the cupboards and remembered her hiding in there. Silly girl, he smiled sadly. Nothing, all of her clothes was gone. He opened the bathroom, her toiletries was gone. Her sindoor "dibbi" everything. He rushed to the bed and buried his face in her pillow like he did just this morning, her smell was gone. Was he going mad? He rushed out the room and collided with Om and Ru who was standing out his room, he pushed pass them. Om and Ru run behind Shivaay who stopped in the kitchen.