Walking to the sun; yes, it did seem like that. It rose like a warm ball of fur and he stretched his arms.
They had been walking for minutes now. Silently, of course.
She didn't bother him with questions, he had his own set of them anyway. Questions, there were many. But he had stopped listening to them a long back. He looked back at her. She was walking all engulfed in surroundings. She looked carefree, off guard. An unknown weight got added to his heart.

She didn't know where he was heading her. She didn't know why she was trusting him. All she knew was that she didn't want to return, not at least that time. She realized how she was walking in forbidden territories. She knew where all this could lead her and him. She hadn't any intention to walk off or escape, she was capable to face what her parents had done. It's just she needed a space where she could think, a period where she could feel what her heart says.

Sound of water drew her attention. She looked around but he was nowhere to be seen. She hurriedly walked on track she was following.
There stood a magnificent waterfall in front of her. Sound of it was sweet yet intense. Admiring it for a few seconds, she again looked for him.

Was he gone?
No, he couldn't be.
How would it matter if he was gone even?
No, it won't matter at all.

A sound of splash alerted her. She walked beyond giant rock and saw him rinsing his wounds in stream.

A guilt took over as soon as that slight relief of finding him subsided. She had almost forgotten in her anger to ask about his wounds.

"Are they still bleeding?" She asked Manik.

He looked at her instantly as if he didn't realize when she reached there.

"They are fine," he replied while undoing the Satan grip on his forehead.
It was her handkerchief. Blood red mixed in milky peach of it, he washed it thoroughly with water.

"Leave it," she said, "Let me help you with wound on head."

She tried to reach him carefully. He was sitting between rocks and water was mild.

He stopped her showing his palm and said, "I am better alone. You are not needed."

Rude, again that blunt rude, she stiffened listening him. She reminded herself how any of her help was not appreciated, especially by him.

She turned around and sat on a rock. Her back was facing him.

_________________________________

Entire military was on alert. It was dawn and they all were about to leave for search mission. Though, finding Nandini wasn't any of state concerns but they needed minister and his wife's support. Deputy was instructing troops about sensitivity of issue.

"I don't care about that boy. But we need Ms Murthy back at any cost," he said.

Aryan was standing beside him, listening to all.

"If we don't find Ms Murthy in next 6 hours, news would spread like fire," he added.

Though, they had the statement ready in case news got leaked but still, they needed to be careful.

Those who had hit Manik and had seen Nandini discharging him, were suspended and grounded.
Common word had been fed to everyone else how a local boy had kidnapped daughter of minister in order to ensure a safe escape.
___________________________

"Why did you agree to help me?" She asked him while still not facing him.

As expected, there wasn't any answer. She sighed and cursed her again for trying to talk to that non social animal.

"Why did you want me to help you?" He asked after a pause.

She immediately turned around to see him still indulged with his wounds.
She was bewildered with the question and he didn't seem to pay any heed.

"I never expected you to help me," she replied acutely.

He looked at her, finally. And it was sheer vehemence. That sore he had in his eyes could only instigate ire or else pain.

"Oh really," he mocked raising his brow.

"I never asked you to accompany me. I even asked you to go your own way," she said contently.

He left the cloth in his hand in stream and stood up.
She saw her handkerchief flowing towards the cascade.
He walked towards her. His eyes spoke of menace. Nandini, unknowingly put a step back in muddy land.
"Then I must have lead a ghost all this way," he quipped.

There was this dreading silence. Both didn't know what to say. She holding hem of her overcoat and he keeping hands on his waist, both looked in opposite ends.

"But I asked first, why are you helping me?" She said while trying to come closer and she slipped a bit.

Immediately, a pair of hands held her from forearm as her own hands reached his forearms for support.
"Maybe because of this 'highness' qualities of yours," he mocked while eyeing her stuck gumboots in dregs.

She looked down and saw herself all stuck in sediment.
He tried to move her out of it and lost his balance as well.

She chuckled and looked away trying not to ridicule him.

"What's so funny? Huh?" He asked and held her arm even tighter.

She stopped laughing and looked at him all innocently.

"I was never helping you. I was just walking myself out of this forest and let you accompany me," he blurted.

She made this disgusted face listening to him and said, "you are one thankless man."

He slowly climbed on adjacent rock and grabbed her as well.

"Save the thanks for later," saying this he jumped into water.

She saw him swimming towards cascade. She yelled at him for walking her out of rocks. He didn't bother and kept swimming. She was furious.

"I, no more, am interested in taking your help, Mister," she shouted as he swum into cascade.

And he disappeared in water. She frowned. Before irrationality could take over, she turned around to make her way towards bank. Carefully, stepping on each rock she found her way to safe land.
She turned around to see him and saw a contour standing in fall. He was holding her handkerchief. He dived in again and swum back to the bank.

"Take this along. You may need to wipe tears in case they are coming," he said ruthlessly.

She fisted her hand and barely controlled her ire before stomping out of there.

"Such arrogance, I never needed him. I never should have let him lead me. I was more than capable. Thankless idiot. Instead of thanking me for saving his life, he is posing to be great. Such a loser...." She kept mumbling while walking away from that place.
___________________________

"Whatever it takes, I want my daughter back," Mrs Murthy said firmly.

"You must have talked to my husband as well. She is only reason for which we would cooperate in any of your plans," she added.

Deputy listened to her carefully and then smiled slyly.

"We are more than in need of your help with state, we would do everything to find Nandini," he said while trying to look convincing.

A man walked Mrs Murthy to her tent.
Aryan seeing the right opportunity tried to talk about Manik.

"That boy, sire. He didn't do anything beyond hitting one officer," he said cautiously, "he didn't kidnap Ms Murthy."

"Bootlicker, since when you have started to tell me things," Deputy growled.

"I wasn't, sire. I was just curious," Aryan said.

"Keep your curiosity level down, boy. Else, you never know I can find another pet," Deputy said while clutching his shoulder.

Aryan looked apologetic.

"Boy will die," he said and walked out.

Aryan stood there shocked and numb.

"Manik will die," he murmured trying to register it all.
__________________________

Roaring sky and almost gone daylight, she was walking on risky edges all by herself. It's been hours now when she had walked away from Manik and he didn't even bother following her.

She didn't feel an ounce of terror till the sky had started to roar. She looked up and a heavy drop slapped her face. It was about to rain. She looked around only to realize she was still nowhere near human colonies.

Lightening sound and she trembled a little.

"It is bad bad timing," she murmured and ran towards a dense tree as soon as sky had started to pour heavily.

It had turned dark before usual time. Clouds were dense to make it look like night.

She stood firm near tree, almost covering herself in overcoat.

She waited for it to stop as it had hardly rained continuously in past few days.

_______________________________

"I guess, you should just go to Aunt for few days, Aashi," Aryan said while eating the dinner.

"Manik is missing, Aryan," she replied in utter frustration.

Aryan stopped eating and tried to leave for bed saying he was tired.

"Did you talk to them about Manik?" She asked before he could enter his room.

He halted and froze in moment. Seeing him not move, Aashi walked towards him. A loud lightening illuminated the house and they both looked out.

"It would rain bad," said Aryan.

Thunderbolt echoed in silence while terror had taken over Aashi.

"They are out in such a bad weather," she murmured while walking to window.

Aryan was more restless till that moment. He entered his room and locked it.

He heard Aashi's sobs as he stood with his back glued to door.

"He would die sooner or later, Aashi," he murmured, "Since childhood his actions vouch for that."

_______________________________

Murmuring a song she had written in last summers, she held hem of her coat even tighter. It didn't stop raining. Thick tree was finally giving shelter to rain as well. She felt her cloths getting drenched. She did everything possible to distract herself.

"Why every decision backfires? I shouldn't have left like that. I shouldn't have decided to stay back in forest," she murmured while recognizing first quiver in her body.

Winds went a little crazy and she could see it converting into storm.

She remembered how lost in storms never make their way back home. A terror struck her.

A heavy splash of floating rain touched her face, leaving her all wet and shaking.
She turned around and faced tree.
Her back getting lashes of cold water as she closed her eyes to reserve her sanity.

And then there was nothing, next moment. She felt nothing. Had rain stopped or was she losing conscious? She opened her eyes and turned around.

A contour standing in front of her like a rock, her eyes opened wide. She wasn't afraid. Maybe she knew who he was. She just kept looking at dark face until thunderbolt bestowed some light on his face.

"Manik"

She murmured and lightening struck somewhere nearby. She jumped in her place but he stood still. Water flowing down his face, he was only in his vest. Same dirty vest which always had gained all her attention along with his dirty shoes.

Downpour thickened and he moved a little closer to her. Both his arms encircled her in a way that nothing could touch her, not rain, not even him.
Rain wasn't reaching her anymore, at least not flurries.
She could feel his warmth reaching her, even if he stood few inches away. She didn't know where to look.

His breaths; they were uneven. She could hear them. His body didn't tremble but with each rain flurry, his breath hitched.

"You don't need to do this for me," she said in low tone.

He didn't say a word. He just stood like how he was.
Downpour wasn't slowing down a bit. She prayed to rain Gods to withdraw the wrath.
A branch came sliding through tree and they both moved a little closer. Her trembling body, she quivered more each time he shook a bit.

"You'll get sick, Manik," she murmured, "you don't even have single woolen piece of cloth on you. Move aside."

"I am addicted to it," he said briefly.

He hovered her more as rain thickened. A single drop wasn't touching her directly. A few slid down his body and touched her flesh. They felt warm.
His face adjacent to her face, still far enough. She could feel herself absorbing his heat. It was like channel. Their heats mingled and both stood in each other's warmth.
Standing there like that for minutes, they didn't realize how much they had taken. Water was flowing through their feet in form of streams going downhill.

He was trembling now. He was cold.
She touched his shoulder with trembling hand. He was cold.

"Move aside, Manik. Come to shelter of tree," she pleaded.

He nodded in refusal.

"Why you need to be so stubborn?" She said with lump in throat.
She tried to move out of his safe embrace but he didn't move his arms.

"Please move in. Come beside me," she pleaded again.

"I am.... Fine," he said in breaking voice.

"You are not," she yelled.

Her sobs were mixing with rain.
He touched her hair with his cheek and she rubbed against it deliberately. He sought warmth.

"Listen," she murmured quivering, "I have enough of guilt on my shoulders. A lot of people have suffered so that I remain protected. I can't take it anymore."

She broke down in tears and he didn't even stop.

"I can't take one more suffering on my head," she added and enclosed him in arms.

Rubbing his cold flesh with her palm, she said, "Don't make me suffer in guilt. Move aside, Manik."

She heard him open his mouth to say something as his breath were more audible to her. He moved his face and faced her.

He looked into her teary eyes and then moved to bark of tree. He leaned on it. He was tired.
She took off her overcoat and put it on him. He grabbed her hand and made her stand close to him.

"You know, why I wanted to help you back then?" He asked.

She looked at him all amused.

"Because you help me every time I see you," he answered.

She didn't know what he meant. She wanted to ask because his answer had filled her heart with this unexplainable warmth. But she didn't. Because She couldn't.

She was busy in her thoughts when he wrapped her overcoat around her.

"I am better," he said.

He still didn't leave her hand. She didn't want him to let go either.

It was still wrath raining. They were still getting slapped. But then they didn't mind. They stood side by side, in quiet, cold yet warm.