Chapter 3: PART 2
Khushi quickly stuffed all the notes in the little pouch and made a bee-line for the door. She had to make arrangements for the cremation AND find shelter for her, not to forget, she had to move all her belongings to wherever that shelter would be!!! As soon as she stepped out of the house, she froze momentarily. She looked to her left,...and then slowly to her right, all the while her eyes were searching for something. What that something was, even she did not know. She felt it getting weaker by the passing seconds, and then slowly that feeling just vanished. She was puzzled, to say the least.
She ignored it and ventured out to tackle her list of nerve-wrecking tasks. After her fathers body was cremated, Khushi slowly wandered back, like the lost soul she was. Her eyes were red and swollen from all the tears she had wept. She was spent. There were no more tears left in her to shed, just a hollow feeling of loss and never ending grief. Even though she was in such a sorrowful state, her beauty still outweighed any other.
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As the fast emptying streets started to fade in the eerie glow of the setting sun, Khushi half walked and half ran to the house. She had the creepy feeling that someone was folllowing her and she couldn't shake it off. However, everytime she turned around to have a quick look, she found no one following her. She increased her pace. She saw a group of drunkards littered in her upcoming path. She stopped and descided to take the alternate route home to avoid the man, but it was too late. They had seen her, and with lustful eyes, they started to head for her. Khushi's heart jumped into her throat. She turned and ran. She heard footsteps behind her, they were trying to close in on her. She increased her pace, blindly taking any quick turns that came her way, and reached the exterior of her village. Seeing the little forest which divided the two villages, she ran straight into it, desciding to take refuge there from her pursuers. She kept on running till she was sure she couldn't hear anymore footsteps.
She stopped and gulped for fresh air. Just as her pulse had started to return to normal, a different kind of bone-chilling fear broke out on her. The forest had gone deathly still. Her guts told her to bolt but her tired limbs refused to cooperate. All her senses stood on full alert as she scrutinized her surroundings. A fresh surge of terror flowed through her like an electric current, breaking her limbs out from their frozen reverie. She started to run like a woman possessed, like she had never run before. She took a cursory glance back while she ran and she glimpsed a figure dash towards her at a frightening speed. She started to scream when she realized that the fast approaching figure will soon catch her.
"Heeelp!!!...HELP!!!..."HELP!!!" she yelled.
She looked ahead, trying to find her sanctuary. It was then that she spotted those chocolate brown eyes. They were looking right at her. For some reason she felt that the owner of those eyes was her well-wisher. She didn't know why, but she just did. She ran straight towards him. Dashing between trees, trying to reach HIM, just as he was rapidly moving towards her. All of a sudden she slammed into something hard and warm. She looked up in fear and saw the same enchanting eyes that had shown her hope. How did He reach me so fast, its impossible for anyone to run that fast, she thought. She looked up and gazed into his eyes. <rabba ve>
She felt she was home, as if her long search was finally over. She hugged him, pressing her body tightly into his form. Almost as though she was physically trying to act out what her heart was chanting to her "Don't Let Go, Never ever let go. Please take me with you, I was yours, am yours and will only be yours ever" (thats what her heart was chanting)
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Just then, she noticed he was holding two swords. One in each hand and he was angrily looking at whatever that had dared to terrorise her. She turned around to face her predator.
She was surprised to see that she was being followed by not one, but several deformed creatures. Her protector, stepped infront of her, shielding her from any attacks that may harm her. The vampires started throwing themselves at her saviour. He, in turn ruthlessly wielded his magnificient sword, butchering them mercilessly. The creatures screeched in anger as they saw their counterparts dying. More blood thirsty creatures started appearing, answering their comrades call for vengence. They became surrounded. For a ceasing moment, they all stopped attacking, each trying to gauge its preys weakness. They hungrily looked at Khushi and at her valiant rescuer. No one moved a single muscle, as pin-drop silence shrouded the forest once again.
All of a sudden, one of the creatures lunged for Khushi. She screamed and her Liberator quickly turned around to kill the menace that dared to harm her. And that was His first mistake. All the creatures thrusted themselves at him, covering his unprotected back and limbs. He tried to shake them off but he was being weighed down heavily. Suddenly, one of the creatures bit into his neck, lapping up his precious warm blood. He uttered a piercing cry, as the other creatures copied their mates act and started drinking his holy blood.
"NNNOOo ...NO!!! NO!!!" screamed Khushi. "NO!!!!"
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And with that scream, Khushi fell out of her bed!!! She was drenched in sweat. She got up to have a drink of water. As she sipped the glass of water, she looked at her surrounding appreciatively. She liked this house, even though its owner was wierd. She smiled as she recalled how her Bhaiya had come to her aid on her way back.
<FLASHBACK>
As Khushi sadly wandered back towards the Landlords house, from the cemetary, a drunk man purposely bumped into Khushi, trying to grope her breasts and her perfectly rounded bottom. Khushi flinched with disgust. She tried to push the drunken filth off her, but was unable to. The man was considerably bigger in size than her and a lot heavier. Her breathe hitched in her throat as she began to feel dirtied. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands came out from nowhere and hurled the intoxicated mass off her.
"Are you okay?" questioned the concerned stranger.
"Yes, thank you, it was very kind of you to intrude", replied Khushi. The so-called stranger gazed at Khushi's mesmerising beauty. He had been following her for the last half hour and he knew one thing for sure. She was going to be his. He wanted her. Khushi looked at the handsome stranger, his toned physique a testamony to his strength and personality.
"Hi, I am Kishore, Nand Kishore. NK for short. And you are?" quizzed the man named NK, extending his hands for a handshake.
"Namastey, I am Khushi", answered Khushi as she brought together her palms.
"Khushiji, if you want I can accompany you to wherever you are going, so that you are safe... you know...", suggested Nk, shoving his unshaken hands into his pockets.
"Really? Thats so nice of you NK Bhaiya", replied Khushi cleverly, not trusting any man, she knew the smart thing to do was form a brotherly relationship with the stranger hence putting a stop to his bad intentions, if he had any that is.
NK was gut-wrenched, to say the least. "Man!!! What's with this beautiful girl calling me "Bhaiya" straightaway...SHIT...Damn...and I wanted her...Double Damn!!!...No NK control yourself...now you cannot think of her in such a way...better help her out and take a hike after that...Shit"Bhaiya"...Me???...really?" thought NK, not letting Khushi know how her use of just that one word may have saved her from his hunger.
And he had so badly wanted to taste her blood.
Now, NK wanted to get as far away from her as possible, since if some other vampire crossed her path and descided to have her, then NK would have to defend her (since she had called him "Bhaiya"), which would put him on the wrong side of the other vampires. He already had trouble blending in with the other creatures as he refused to attack anyone whom he had known in his mortal life. He knew he was a beast now, and he couldn't help it, but he made sure his family stayed safe from such harm. Now he had to add another name to his list of "protected" people, and he was furious with himself.
"Hell, "Bhaiya" really?...Why couldn't she call me an Uncle or just a "Babu" would have been fine...but nooo...she has to go on and make me her "bhaiya" ... damn," thought NK aloud to himself.
As NK walked along with Khushi, she asked him if he knew of any places available for renting and a place where she could get a job.
"Hmm...how about "Sitapur Gao" the neighbouring village?...I used to live there before, but...uhh...because of the nature of my work...I have to stay away most of the time. As for jobs, I am sorry I can't help you in that field. I have a house there that is vacant, you can stay in it but I have a few conditions...," he said.
"Conditions?" asked a surprised Khushi, seriously hoping that he still didnot harbour any ill intentions towards her, esp after she already called him "Bhaiya".
"Yes conditions," he replied. "Firstly, instead of paying me money, I expect you to look after the house; secondly, as soon as the sun is about to set, you are to keep the doors and wondows to the house locked; Third, and most important of all, you will never, and I repeat, never open the door or the window regardles of what you hear. Be it even someone crying for help, or a cat meowing for milk, be it even me; Fouth and Final condition is you are not to let any person stay in the house or even come into the house at any time of the day, you will not allow anyone in!!! These are my conditions, either you adhere to them or you stop calling me "bhaiya"...I don't want to feel responsible for you if something should happen...so what will it be?" asked NK.
Khushi agreed to his conditions immediately, she needed a place before sunset and she was sure once she was settled into the new place, she could change her "Bhaiya's" mind. NK helped Khushi move all her stuff to his house and after that he left, still grumbling to himself about being called "Bhaiya" by the astonishing beauty!!!
<END FLASHBACK>
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By the time He had finished devising his plan of drawing out the vampires from their hideouts, for an easy kill, it was dark. He descided to head over to the house where his "charge" was and have a look at her, hoping to put an end to her poignant sobs, which was still bothering him. Upon reaching the greedy Landlords house, he found it empty. He swiftly transformed himself into a human and walked to the Landlords door. He tapped on the door several times before the lazy Landlord opened the door!
"Hello...I was looking for Khushi...I am her friend and came to help her with her difficult times", said Arnav truthfully. The Landlord grumpily told Arnav of Khushi's new address and slammed the door shut in his face. Arnav then transformed to his real form and vanished into thin air.
When he came to, Khushi was already in deep sleep. He approached her sleeping form slowly. As soon as he had come close enough to get a glimpse of her face, Khushi turned over in her slumber, with her back facing him. Exasperated, Arnav slowly tried to walk over to the other side of her bed, to see her face. Just then Khushi flung her arm over her face in her sleep. Arnav could not believe it!!! Here he was, trying to get a quick glimpse of her face so he could get back to his friends, and this girl was playing hide n seek in her sleep with him!!!
He just stood there, helpless that he couldnot use his powers just this once for his own gain. He was fast loosing his patience. Just as he descided that he had wasted enough time waiting for her to turn in her sleep, and that he should actually leave, Khushi chose that moment to turn back in her sleep.
The earth stood still in that moment, for Arnav. The purity and innocence of her soul bathed her body in its own glow. She was devine. A beauty beyond compare and here she lay, totally unaware of the fact that she had just become The Uncontested Queen to this Angel's heart.
"Damn Sid and his stupid ideas!!! How is THIS going to cure ME?!!! Arnav questioned himself. What will he do now that he had already lost the War, even before he had got the chance to defend himself? After what seemed to be a life threatening effort, Arnav left to carry out his mission.
However, Arnav was totally unaware of the fact that when he had been gazing at Khushi's beauty, at that exact moment, Khushi too had been staring at him, in her dream.
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There you all go, Part 2 of Chapter 3, as promised. I am expecting a large dose of your loving comments as Part 2 took quite a toll on me. I really love reading each of your suggestions and questions, and thanks a million for supporting my work. Love you guys heaps...mmmuuuaaahhh...
Please don't forget to comment...if I don't see a good response then...then what?...I don't know...maybe I will go for a vacation or something and forget about this FF...lol...yeah right!!! like that is possible...Please forgive my ranting, I suppose I am just happy that I managed to finished Part2...Oh and don't forget to press "Like" silent readers...ciao...
Edited by s-576 - 13 years ago
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