Arjun FF : T1 : Enigma Revised (Ch 8 - pg 76) *new* - Page 48

"Oh NO..." Sikandar swore and picked her up... he wrapped her in a towel and pressed her stomach to bring out the fluid... water escaped her mouth... there was barely any heartbeat... he placed his palms on her sternum and pumped hard to revive her heartbeat... he needed her to be alive... to prove her that he still is the guy she had loved... he may be a don... he may be something the world feared... but it had always been out of his love for her... and to avenge what he lost...

If Ingrov died... he was afraid that he would die too... out of guilt... there had been no other emotion as powerful as regret and guilt... Ingrov had stopped breathing...

He parted her lips and placed his own mouth on hers... blowing air into her lungs... he pumped her chest for the last time that she coughed and spluttered out water... he rubbed her back till she choked out the water...

"Ssh..." he hummed while she held on weakly to his arms and coughed out the water...

"Ah... you..." she focused her blurry eyes on a hassled and worried Sikandar... her jaws stiffened... what more did he want now?

She tried to push him away... but alas... she had no strength left in her... tears fell of her eyes as he picked her up and placed her on the bed...

She just sat mum... quiet... staring at this man as he dipped little antiseptic near her wounds... she closed her eyes when he touched her...

What had happened to him that he turned into a samaritan all of a sudden... that caring for her became the ultimate priority of his...

Too weak to voice her thoughts she just observed him putting the antiseptic on the corner of her mouth... then gently on her neck... as his hands went lower she looked aside... she felt disgusted and repelled by every touch but then his touch was soothing... oh why did he even save her?

SIkandar stopped by seeing her slightly flinch away...

"This will heal your wounds..." he whispered... that caught her attention... she looked towards him and raised an eyebrow...

"Heal my wounds?" her voice croaked out... "Which wounds Sikandar?" her green eyes flared in anger... she sighed... "Which wounds..."

He fidgeted with the antiseptic cotton... he looked down...

"Can this fix my tarnished body and soul... can this remove the memories of his vicious hands and tongue on my body... can this remove my helplessness... can this give me back my honor and dignity... oh wait... what did you say... I am a prostitute... I am used to being stripped off right..." she repeated his vile words... SIkandar just clenched the cotton...

"Can this remove the tag of being a prostitute on me... can this give me respect in people's eyes... can this give me a man who would love me for the person that I am... can this give me back acceptance in the society..." Ingrov flared at him...

"I am trying... to fix things..." Sikandar replied...

"Would this give me back my virginity? Which was torn away from me at the age of 15? Huh?" Ingrov blasted at him...

"What are you trying to do... on its own would the wounds be fixed... you can go away... or throw me back to the Russian Mafia... am used as a toy... I have a tag on me... pump into me for how much ever you want... no girl wants to be such a prostitute Sikandar... it was forced on me... I didn't even know what was happening to me..." Ingrov broke into tears...

"You think I like this... anyone comes and claims me as their own... I have turned numb to feelings... and emotions... but you were different... you were a man who respected woman... who said that a woman is not made for relief... she's for love, devotion... what happened to all that?" Ingrov sobbed...

"I am blo**y sorry Ingrov!" Sikandar flared at her... he threw the cotton away...

"I wont' be scared by your anger anymore SIkandar! You are nothing but a weak man... thank God your lover isn't alive... you would have done the same thing to her right!" Ingrov blasted...

"Shut Up!" SIkandar screamed and kept his gun on her forehead...

To his shock she kept her finger on the trigger... "Please do the only good thing for me... just kill me... kill me please..." she said and with that she pressed the trigger...

Blood drained out of Sikandar's face...

Arjun stared at the hoodie, it was Sakshi's! He gulped and started following the road ahead. His heart hammered in his chest, she had to be safe.

Somewhere

"O Teri!" Verma spluttered as water was thrown over. Sakshi spluttered a bit and looked at the men in front, staring at her.

"Am I kidnapped?" Sakshi asked them "You are pretty smart sweetheart!" One of them smiled and cupped her cheeks. "Saale itni sweet mat keh, khud diabetes se marr jayega!" Verma spat in anger.

"Koi toh ayega yaha mujhe bachaane... koi toh... hmm kahin toh kahin toh hogi woh... duniya kahe jo mere paas hai..."Verma started to sing and the others stared in disbelief.

"Are you singing?" they asked "Haan... kyun?" Verma replied.

"Aren't you scared?" one of them asked. Sakshi eased her shoulders and looked at them "Nope! Kehte hai na ... Darr ke aage, Sakshi hai!" Sakshi blew her hair while they looked confused "Arrey mera naam Sakshi hai... Jeet nahi... toh instead of Darr ke aage Jeet hai I put it as Darr ke aage Sakshi hai! Samjhe ya Samjhaaun?" Sakshi blew her hair in the air to be slapped right across her face. "Dude! This isn't fair! Hey bhagwan kya tera kaya... yahi teri moh yahi teri maya!" Verma pouted.

"Are you Sakshi Verma?" One asked. "Yop!"Finally mujhe footage mili!" Verma looked at the rusty ceiling above!

"Nautanki saala!" Sakshi chuckled at herself.

"I just hope Romeo jaldi se aa jaye aur tujhe chura ke le jaaye... aur uske upar at the moment you are drunk as well... wah wah... Sakshi mata ki jai ho!" Verma shook the head.

"Shut up!Pehle toh Arjun mera Romeo nahi hai... but I hope he figures out where I am!" Sakshi mumbled.

"Oye... sach sahc bata, Arjun ko kaisi jaanti hai... give us whatever information you have sweetheart, otherwise I am afraid that I would have to dump the beautiful little body in such a place where you next ten generations wouldn't be able to find out!" one man glared at Sakshi.

"Umm can I ask a question please?" Verma looked at the man "What?" "If Sakshi is dead, how would her next generation come?" Verma raised an eyebrow while to vent out his anger the man punched Verma... and that hurt.

"Enough of your bullsh*t!" Tell me straight... who is Arjun?

"Is your number 0091********" Sakshi asked, smirking at the men.

"Yeah... so?" the man mentally lauded the guts of the puny woman in front of him, even though she was bleeding from quite a few places she seemed unaffected, was she indeed a bar dancer... Sikandar had to be informed that this woman was nothing ordinary.

But before the grey cells of the man could get into proper working Sakshi smirked "3...2...1 Bang Bang!" and then the little mobile off the man's exploded into bits.

Sameer wracked his head on the history of Sikandar... his information was protected, this meant that indirectly many top notch officials were in touch with Sikandar. But then killing SIkandar would never be enough.

Thus he made a separate plan, to nab all the connection and roots of Sikandar, cause once Sikandar is killed, no one would spare them either. Such a strange loyalty to a don!

He chalked out the various key points of Sikandar, he needn't have to worry about the underworld cause the internal turmoils would kill over half of the underworld as they would fight to take Sikanda'r s place. What mattered were the politicians and the police.

Sameer opened his file and went through the details of all of them. He sent the khabris to nab them off. Enough of waiting for Justice, killing all of them would be the perfect job now. As far a receiving information is required, for that he would hire the best technical assistants ever.

Sameer smiled at the little plan he made, before Arjun would reach Sikandar, every lead and strength of Sikandar would already be crippled. Sikandar would be as good as powerless.

Excellent! But what surprised Sameer was the input of information he was receiving. The person never gave its identity to anyone. Sameer tried very hard to find out who was helping him when suddenly a creak in the door caught his attention. Sameer pretended to have not noticed it.

His mind began it's own calculations, there had been one person who suddenly disappeared from his life, to cause havoc as well as help him out silently, was she his secret helper?

Sameer gulped, then why was he surrounded with lies? Why did she lie to him? Was he a mere ladder for her?

Sameer took the bottle of water and helped himself out. He made sure the person behind him did not suspect anything.

And within a flash of second Sameer pounced on the person behind him and flattened the person on the floor.

"Ah! We meet again Ruby... urf Nadiya urf Miss Ayesha Kapoor?" Sameer snapped at the her.

"Sakshi!" Arjun's heart stopped as he heard a little blast. He ran towards the house, obviously with his ammunition in his pockets. He landed to see a few dead bodies there and an injured Sakshi lying on the ground.

Oh thank heavens! But then... she wasn't moving... what the hell!

A cough caught his attention and he walked closed to Sakshi... he gently touched her blackened cheeks. "Uff... yaar uss bomb ka range thoda zyaada ho gaya lagta hai..." she muttered and opened her eyes to see Arjun staring at her...

Wait... Arjun...

"Saala main seedha heaven aa gaya kya?" Sakshi muttered as Arjun gingerly held her face. Sakshi... ankhein kholo... please..." he mumbled and she coughed a little more.

She opened her eyes and it surprised her to be in Arjun's arms. She nodded and spoke "Arjun...yy... yy... yaha kuch information hai... tt.. tteesri kamre mm.. main..." Sakshi rest her head against the pillar as Arjun nodded.

Arjun banged open to see an empty room with a few chips and devices. Strange. He shoved them into his pockets, his instinct told him that he would receive some valuable information from here.

He walked back to Sakshi, as the smoke cleared now he realised the actual state of hers. "My God..." he muttered and immediately picked her up in his arms. She was groaning in pain. Her face and body was slightly blackened by the blast.

Her body went rigid the moment he picked her up, "It's me..." he muttered and she relaxed instantly, keeping her head on his shoulder she passed out as he brought her back home.

It was 3 at night when Arjun and Sakshi reached garage. A local pharmacist agreed to check her wounds, most of them were surface wounds, thus simple antiseptic would help out. "Sir yeh lo, betadine solution - it would treat all the gashes." the man instructed as Arjun nodded.

After having bought a few painkillers and gauze he took her back home - the garage. He lifted a semi unconscious Sakshi in his arms and laid her on the bed. His heart sunk on looking her unconscious state. He brushed away the little tendrils of hair on her blackened face.

He brought a bowl of warm water and dettol, he gently wiped her face, neck and arms.

Sakshi came back to consciousness as her wounds stung. "Uff..." she murmured and got up while her head throbbed. "Relax." he instructed,she smiled at his gruff voice - for her his little concern meant the most.

He held her hand and made her sit on a stool in washroom, washing her with Dettol diluted in water. Sakshi half smiled as he tended her wounds. "Tum jao main naha lungi..." she whispered and he nodded. He stood near the door, with his back towards her - he wasn't leaving her, simple.

He heard her groan in pain as the dettol stung her wounds, he passed her a towel and she wrapped herself around the towel. He passed her one of his loose shirts and she slipped into those, she walked gingerly out of the bathroom and he picked her up in his arms again.

Her eyes were locked with his while he looked straight ahead. He laid her on the bed and wiped her wounds with Betadine. He frowned at the slap mark on her cheek. However he barely let any emotion surface out as he wiped her little wounds. The skin near her collarbone was burnt due to the blast.

He looked at her and motioned her to speak, in little broken words Sakshi explained everything. Arjun turned furious as this women almost committed a suicide mission!

"I hear an almost..." Sakshi whispered and found Arjun glaring at her "Injuries do nothing to reduce your sardonicism eh?" he growled at her. Sakshi rolled her eyes "Arjun leave, I got to put betadine elsewhere too..." she said.

Arjun left, fisting his palms. He really felt like knocking that nut brain of hers and pouring in common sense! But no! Madam has to be a Mission Impossible Tom Cruise, else her reputation would be down the drain. He chalked out his final mission, of course which had Sakshi's inputs and scratched his head, everything was going fine till he heard her groan.

He opened the door and found he struggling to place the Betadine dipped cotton on her bare back, did she even remember the fact that her elbows were injured too?

For a flick of a second the silhouette of a bare back sent titillating emotions right down his spine. And he chided himself for that, he chided himself for the sudden flush of cheeks and the reminder of the fact that he is a man. He walked up to her and took the cotton from her palms making her gasp, she immediately collected the bedsheet near her chest as he roughly dabbed at the scar on her back.

"Why do you even try to do everything yourself?" he growled, however Sakshi was beyond answering anything. "I can manage, it's just bleeding right?" Sakshi murmured softly, hissing as he roughly swiped the bare cotton on her spine.

"Sorry..." he murmured and wiped off the trickling blood on her spine "Is this where they hit you?" he asked "Yep... knocking my head would make me unconscious but hitting my spine would make me incapable, guess they wanted that... aaa" Sakshi bit her lips as fresh Betadine stung on her bag.

"Hmm... they seem to be smart... oh sorry..." Arjun mumbled... he hesitantly blew on her spine and Sakshi's eyes shot open... she started shivering at the fact of him being so sensuously close to her... Shut up Sakshi Shut up Sakshi Shut up Sakshi...

She chanted repeatedly, but as he blew again Sakshi turned around immediately and ushered him to go away... "Jj.. jao... mm. main theek hoon..." she murmured and took in deep breaths. "You shouldn't have turned this side Sakshi..." Arjun groaned at her, the sight of her looking at him with only a sheet covering her up front made it look... he left the words incomplete.

Sakshi gulped hard, knowing what he meant. Even though she was covered with a sheet of blanket, it looked strange... seductively strange.

Arjun controlled himself with great difficulty, it wasn't lust booming into his system - a fierce need of protection rushed in his blood. He didn't want her involved in all this. If only he had no chains attached to him then he would have taken her into his arms and accept her as a part of his own. He wasn't a fool to be oblivious of what they felt.

"What did they ask?" Arjun asked "ABout you... the more I ignored the more the hit and punched. Sikandar knows that you are upto something..." Sakshi replied. He looked into her face "Why did you keep quiet?" he thought but then he knew the answer as well, he would do just the same. But then the fact that she was injured because of him sent a guilty pang near his heart.

"You make me feel more helpless Sakshi..." he muttered while Sakshi looked at him "Arjun you helped me, saved me, tended to every scar I had on my body and now you are speaking that you are helpless? Pray explain me how is that being helpless?" Sakshi spat at him, enough of him being the Man in Misery.

"I was always helpless, even when Roshni..." Arjun was interrupted by Sakshi "Enough with you being like this! You were chained with iron belts while Roshni was killed... how the fudge were you helpless? How the fricking fugde were you helpless!" Sakshi shouted with an intensity that shocked him.

"You know what's being helpless? Oh yeah, being in one of those Salle De Plaisir and having someone slice into your abdomen while with the intent of doing something worse to your body and you realise you have no back up! That's being helpless, when someone's undercover stint goes terribly wrong... that's being helpless you idiot!" Sakshi shouted at him again.

"Being helpless is when you have to keep on lying that everything is cool when it's killing you inside..." Sakshi told him, hot tears making their way out - burning the little wound on her cheek.

"You didn't have to lie to me Sakshi..." Arjun looked at her teary face "The last thing I would want from you is sympathy, and I didn't want anyone to know who my bro is... was. Please, you were considerate to me only after you got to know who my brother was and my parents were... right?" Sakshi snapped at him. He turned aside.

He settled on the bed next to Sakshi, wiping off the little tears "Arjun... you want to know what is actual helplessness?" she looked into his blazing eyes. "It is when you have sent your brother to the factory, to know he's going to get assassinated. It is when you are desperately trying to contact him but you don't get through..."

"It's when one sits at a corner, perfectly capable and unharmed, hiding behind boxes watching her brother getting beaten, stabbed, poured acid on... and she does nothing because... she simply couldn't move in shock. Your brother is being beaten in front of you but you do nothing... you walk out of the building and just a few seconds later the building bursts when you thought you just saved your brother - this is helplessness Arjun! This is helplessness!" Sakshi buried her face in her palms.

"When you are being accused of being the cause of your brother's death by the person you loved the most, and the worst part is that it is true - this is helplessness!" Sakshi broke into sobs as Arjun just stared at the shaking woman in front...

"Bhai..." Sakshi howled, emptying the anguish in her heart. She looked up to find Arjun at a loss of words, there was moisture near his eyes. With trembling hands he caught her shoulders to steady her... "Over that loving a person who will reciprocate nothing... this is helplessness... it is the last straw for me Arjun... the day I avenge everything I just want to get done with myself... I just don't want to live anymore..." Sakshi muffled her sobs, the gale outside was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Arjun gulped at the last sentence and a feeling surged into his heart, he pulled her right against him and hugged her tight. She stiffened for two seconds, disbelieving the hug... she turned her teary face towards his. He didn't know what came over him, he brushed away the loose tendrils of her hair and rubbed his lips on her forehead - making her gasp. She held on to his shoulders as he held her gently.

The night had stilled to a deathly calmness, Arjun stared at her as the moonlight highlighted the contours of her face, he never really noticed her before. He cupped her cheeks and wiped the little tears "Don't love me Sakshi... please..." he whispered and she held the collar of his shirt "Impossible, I love the destroyed man, I love the man who can say nothing, I love the man who only loves his beloved... I don't need you to love me back Arjun... me loving you - it doesn't become a rule that you must love me too..." Sakshi spoke gently, rubbing her dainty fingers near his throbbing temples.

Arjun was stupefied with her answer... he didn't know what to say. He looked at the bruised face of the second most loveliest woman on earth and sighed, what did he ever do to get two woman in his life who loved him beyond anything. What did he do to get a woman who loved him for being the most imperfect man on this world?

"Why?" Arjun managed to voice out, his palms still were holding her bare shoulders - keeping her steady. "What why? There doesn't need to be a reason for me to love you... should there be?" Sakshi looked into his perplexed eyes. "There are various reasons to not love me, I am broken, I am filled with anguish..." he was interrupted as she shut his mouth "Am I any better Arjun? At this moment I am nothing better than a woman full of bruises and gashes and burns not only internally but externally as well..." she looked aside, the gash across her cheek made her feel ugly.

Arjun's eyes flashed in rage as she perceived herself to be so "No... you are beautiful... very beautiful... you deserved to be loved irrespective..." he rubbed his thumb in a soothing caress against her gash. "Why do you want me to feel healed and beautiful Arjun?" Sakshi asked him softly. Arjun was at a loss of words, he knew it was due to a feeling throbbing in his heart which he could never voice out... it didn't feel right yet it felt beautiful.

Sakshi half smiled and cupped his cheek, getting back his attention on her "It's due to that you always seem handsome and perfect for my eyes... it's for that same reason that I wish to heal you.. it's for the same reason why I feel that however you may perceive yourself to be, you are always gorgeous and wonderful. And it's not the fact that I am overlooking your flaws, it's the fact that I know how beautiful the man beneath is..." Sakshi pressed a trembling kiss on his cheek.

Dumbstruck would be an understatement. He started to shake as the knowledge of her love seeped in him, he looked at the tears pooling near the edge of her lashes and wiped them before they threatened to leak down. Hesitantly he pressed his lips on hers - more as an act of gratefulness and overwhelming emotions.

She closed her eyes and fisted her hand into his hair. He gently wrapped her on the sheet and slid beside her. They did nothing much. Just their lips touched slightly every now and then, stirring a whirlpool of emotions.

All they wanted was the presence of each other... he wrapped an arm protectively over her bare back and dozed off as she rested her head against his heartbeats.

Precap : "Arjun I trusted you! Why didn't you help me out! Kaise chor diye tumne!" She yelled at him...