RiKara SS - Pretty Little Liars - interlude pg 13 (11/5/17) - Page 6

This is where my AU thing comes into operation and things - hopefully - get interesting! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

To let out

One night, 13 years ago

"Hello Demon!" The rushing wind carried her voice to him, and then her ringing laughter. The girl had short hair, cut to resemble a boy, she could have been fifteen or sixteen at the very last. He watched with fascination as her boney brown hands secured a wire around the belt she wore on her waist. She looked up and grinned at him, her eyes brighter than the stars dotting the sky canopy ahead.

"Hello back Angel," he replied, as she tossed another cable at him. "What exactly am I supposed to do with this?" He turned the wire in his hand, examining it from every angle. "What are we doing here?"

"Ah, trust a demon to spoil the adventure!" She clicked her tongue, pulling it at him. "Obviously, we're gonna jump!"

"From here?"

"Tell me Demon -" her voice cooed. "Are you afraid?"

He swallowed, fisting his hands that were sweaty. For a minute his mind back at home - Rudra would be back from school now and Shivay, he was always worried for him, always trying to look out for him. Unknown to him, she had stepped closer, on the ledge of the building they were both standing on she walked like a ballerina waving her hands elegantly. Her fingertips brushed through his short hair, as her palms rested against his warm cheeks. Her eyes bored into his, glittering in the moonlight.

"I have your air," she whispered softly before waving her fingers through the gaps in his. It had been her, who taught him what that phrase meant. It was something like I've got you, in a much more poetic manner. "Remember what I said," she continued. "Only something you're afraid of can kill you. After we do this," she looked at him pointedly, you'll no longer fear of heights and nor will you try to kill yourself by jumping off."

He took a tattered breath in.

"Why do you care so much?"

She shrugged.

"Can't watch a friend die," her tone was cranky. "Besides, I can't always be around to pull you up, now can I?"

"Angel I -"

"Are you buckled up?" She cut in, before he completed his sentence. "Okay, on the count of three then."

"What? NO!"

"One!"

"Listen - I' can't"

She grinned.

"Two!"

"Angel I don't have a good feeling about this -"

"Three!"

The air slapped against them, as the ground lost contact with their feet. They fell, down and down, to the shadows below and away from the stars. The only thing that remained constant was her warm hand tightly clasped in his, he could no longer hear her laugher against the whoosh of the wind.

"Open your eyes Demon!" She shouted against the wind. "And behold the world below!"

They jerked into a stop, suspended in the air by the cables and he opened his eyes. But he never saw the world she intended him to see, instead his attention was focused on her eyes. Those pools of caramel brown, with swirls of dark chocolate, flecked with gold and shimmering in jest and moonlight. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. His best friend - his only friend - his angel.

**

His soul itself was on fire, plunged in the darkness of unconsciousness and the bitter ache in his bones, Omkara twitched biting the inside of his cheek. For a minute back there, spinning between sense and oblivion, he had been certain that he was dead. Those eyes reminded him of someone, he hadn't recalled in a decade. There was no way he would see her, unless of cause the death claimed him too. The metallic taste of guilt sharp in his mouth, he opened his eyes, to the streaming sunlight. Who the hell - he covered his eyes clumsily with a hand - had opened the blinds?

For a moment he was taken aback by the view that came to his focus. Those eyes were staring at him from above - only - now they were framed by two wire rimmed glasses. The lenses magnified the golden flecks in their depths, highlighting the swirls of dark brown against the lighter shades. Omkara drew in a sharp breath trying to gather his wits and sat bolt upright, rubbing his eyes.

The owner of those eyes leant back, still watching him curiously and a little cautiously. He had to physically restrain himself from reaching out, it was not the girl from his memories but a young boy, possibly in his late teens.

"Who are you?" He asked, massaging his sore throat with an unconscious hand. The boy shrugged and held him a glass of water, Omkara eyed him suspiciously. "And what are you doing inside my room?"

"Well," his tone sounded artificially deepened, as if he was trying to sound older than he was, or perhaps it was the sarcasm tainting it. "Good afternoon to you too sir, and I assure you the water will by far the healthiest thing you had in a while."

Omkara blinked at him. It was refreshing really, to have someone give him back in the same coin, but he was nowhere near letting the boy know that. With the dull ache in his head all he wanted was to be alone for sometime. But that seemed to be a luxury he could not afford at the moment. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Shakti entered the room, snapping the door shut behind him, soundlessly.

"Oh," he clapped his hands briskly. "So you two already met. Om, this is Chulbul, your new assistant."

"My nanny you mean?" His tone was bitter. "How many times should I tell you, Chote papa, I don't like being baby sit - ed."

Shakti gripped one of Chulbul's shoulders and gave him a look. Omkara would have returned it if his eyes weren't watering from the brightness in the room.

"As long as you behave like a baby Om, you're gonna be treated like one." His tone was meaningfully deep. "I can't afford to lose you! Had it not been for Chulbul back there, you'd have killed yourself."

"No," he cut off distractedly. "It wasn't you in the terrace," he looked at the boy - uh - Chulbul. "You weren't the one saving me."

"No it was Mata Rani herself," the boy rolled his eyes. "Of cause you were too," he made a hand gesture to elaborate his point. "To realize, who it was!"

"Chulbul," Shakti chided him mildly. "I don't like your tone, so keep it down okay?" Another roll of eye in response.

"Fine," Shakti was back to business as Omkara's brooding look returned. "I have a few errands to run to, Chulbul, don't leave Omkara sir for a minute you understand? Keep me reported."

In a flash of navy blue and white he was gone. Chulbul still stood there watching him. Omkara looked at her - him - he corrected himself and pondered. What had he been thinking? Of cause it was Chulbul, there was no way she could be there right? Unless -

"What do you want?" He snapped at him, collapsing back to the bed and snuggling against his pillows. "Get lost will you?"

The boy had not managed to take more than two steps when another voice boomed in the silence.

"Omkara Singh Oberoi!"

"What the -?" He was on his feet before anyone said anymore, running a hand through his messy hair. Before he could do more than glare at Chulbul, the door was thrown open and entered a young man, who was seething in anger. Chulbul backed away, staring back and forth between his master who had suddenly gone icily calm and the young man who entered looking like a bull ready to pounce, smoke literally issuing from his ears.

"Rudra," Omkara said with a tilt of his messy head, his tone soft and slippery. "How nice of you to drop in."

"Where is Bhabhi?" Rudra gritted his teeth, furious enough to strangle the brother in front of him that he kept his hands balled into fists - just in case he lost his remaining cool.

"I beg your pardon little brother?" His icy tone dripped with sarcasm.

Rudra inhaled deeply, closing his eyes briefly and reopening them.

"What did you do with Annika Bhabhi, O? Where is she?"

"Whatever suggested you I would know?"

It happened in a flash that no one actually saw Rudra launching at Omkara, when the scene settled, he was holding a fist full of the latter's collar. Omkara didn't even move a muscle, instead he looked at that fist and then back at his brother pointedly.
"I don't know where she is Rudra," his tone was still eerily calm. "And as a reasonable man I'd suggest you save your energy to search for her, instead of, he flicked his collar free and stepped back. "Pouncing at innocent people, who've had a rough night."

Rudra too, stepped away, eyeing his brother with a mixture of bitter fury and disappointment.

"What have you done to yourself O?" His tone was grim. "Why did you turn into this person, how could you -"

Omkara held out a dismissive hand.

"Please don't start on what a wonderful time we had together and how I betrayed those who loved me so much -" his tone was mocking. "I grew up Ruddy, unfortunately you're still stuck there. Now if you'll excuse me - I have a packed schedule today." Casually he walked to his wardrobe and picked up few fresh clothing items, before giving his brother another look over his shoulder. "In case you're not hoping to find Annika under my bed, you better leave Rudra and you -" he rounded on Chulbul, who was jerked back to reality. "What part of get lost is so hard to grasp?"

**

So technically this isn't the 1^st meeting, or is it?

Share your views, I'm dying to know your take.

Thanks for reading!

Sorry for any disappointments.

Lots of love,

Sakura