A/N: A small chapter but I felt like writing something for Rakshabandhan

"Shivani, rakhiyaan rakh li?" Anika asked while pinning the dupatta on Shivani's kurta.

"Haan Mumma."

"Ansh, gifts rakh liye?"

"Haan Mumma." Ansh replied while lying upside down on Shivani's bed.

"Good good good. Shivani, dupatte ki length dekh lo."

Shivani looked in the mirror and gave a grin and thumbs up to Anika.

"Achha raat ko tum dono waheen rukoge ya main lene aaoon?" Anika asked.

"Mumma hum apne aa-"

"Rukoge ya lene aaoon?" Anika asked once more, crossing her arms.

Shivani huffed and gave in. "Aap shaam ko lene aa jaana."

"Okay, Miss Super Independent." Anika teased and lightly pulled Shivani's cheek, making her nose scrunch.

Ding!

Anika picked up her phone and opened a message from Sahil.

Sahil 👶

Received with thanks 🙏🫶

Anika smiled and was glad her custom-made Rakhi reached Sahil on time. She picked up her bag and ushered Ansh and Shivani towards the door.

Just as they were about leave, a delivery person was at the door, about to ring the bell.

"Ms Anika Trivedi?" The delivery person asked.

"Jee haan." Anika replied.

The delivery person handed her a box from CaratLane and a clipboard. "Ma'am yahaan sign kar dijiye."

Anika signed on the space assigned and returned the clipboard.

"Thank you ma'am. Happy Rakshabandhan." The delivery person greeted and left.

"Mumma kya hain ismein?" Ansh asked.

"Pata nahi likin car mein dekhte hain. Tum dono nahi pahunche toh tumhare bhai-behen bhookhe reh jaayenge." Anika said and the three went down.

In the car, Anika opened the packet which contained a small box and a card.

The card read "phoolon ka taaron ka sabka kehna hain, ek hazaaron mein Sahil ki behena hain". Anika giggled slightly and opened the box.

"Wow!" The three gasped. Shivani took the box to see the earrings up close.

"These are so beautiful! Mumma please let me borrow these sometime."

"Didi pehle Mumma ko pehenne do." Ansh reminded.

Ring! Call from Sahil baby emoji

Anika's Siri announced, making the user flinch and kids laugh. She swore she turned that announcement setting off but apparently it didn't happen. She received the call, making a mental note to disble that setting later.

"Haan Sahil."

"Happy Rakhi Didi. Gift mil gaya aapko apna gift mil gaya?"

"Happy Rakhi, gift toh mil gaya likin itna mehenga gift khareedne kya zaroorat thi?" Anika scolded.

"Didi aap bhool jaate ho aapka bhi Saharanpur ka Assistant Collector hain. Main toh kamaata hi kharch karne ke liye hoon!"

"Haaye yeh ladka! Achha thank you, yeh bahot sundar hain."

"Ah I'm so glad aapko pasand aaye. 3 mahine se perfect design dhoondh raha tha main."

"Kya kar rahe ho aaj?"

"Naha dho ke Rakhi bandh loonga, breakfast karoonga aur din mein TV pe Phokat Raja aane wali hain, woh dekhoonga."

"Shaabaash! Yeh hui na baat! Chal main phone rakhti hoon. Bye bye!"

"Bye Didi!"

Anika hung up the call, a nostalgic playing on her lips as she remembered the last Rakshabandhan they spent together.

Flashback
7 Years Ago
Oberoi Mansion

Anika did Sahil's aarti, tied the Rakhi and fed him Mithai, for which she had to go up on her toes as Sahil grew taller as he turned 17. Sahil gave her a bag and an envelope.

"Pehle bag, phir envelope." Sahil said and while Anika raised her eyebrows slightly, looked into the bag first. Inside it was an white and beige striped A-line mid-length dress, a style Anika started wearing recently.

"Sahil! Yeh bahot sundar hain!" Anika gasped.

"Karuna helped me choose it. Itna sahi bargain kiya na maine, aap dekhte toh khush ho jaate!" Sahil boasted and lifted his imaginary collar.

Anika kept the bag aside then opened the envelope. Upon reading the letter, Anika screamed, drawing all attention to her as she jumped and hugged Sahil.

"Oh..oh...Oh bete ki! Yeh sach hain?!" Anika exclaimed, then face-palmed. "Sach hoga tabhi toh tu lifafe mein daal ke de raha hain. Congratulations!"

"Kya hua? Tum chillayi kyoon?" Shivaay asked, coming up to the siblings with OmRiRiVya after hearing Anika scream.

Sahil took the letter from Anika and gave it to Shivaay. "I got admission in St Stephan's College, Delhi."

The five screamed as well, hugging and congratulating him.

"Yaar, matlab...matlab tu Delhi chala jaayega?" Rudra asked, even though the answer was known.

The mood became a little gloomy as the Oberois realised it was time for their chirpy little bird to leave to the nest.

"Arey, aap log itna senti kyoon ho rahe ho? Main aata rahoonga aur aap bhi summer vacations mein Delhi aa jaana. Chandni Chowk mein Chhole Bhature khaayenge." Sahil suggested in an attempt to lighten the mood, which was a success. Mostly.

Anika cupped Sahil's face. "I am so proud of you Sahil." She pulled him into a hug, a few tears escaping from her eyes. Not because her Sahil had to leave for a different city but because this wasn't the home he would be coming back to. Shivaay and her divorce proceedings had begun.

Flashback ends

Sahil spent many festivals with her and she visited him as often as she could but they could never celebrate Rakhi together. Initially they celebrated earlier or later than the actual date but as Sahil started training and working, it became hard for him to get leaves and for Anika to travel to meet him during the festival. Hence, they decided to mail their Rakhis and gifts.

Once they reached Oberoi Mansion, Anika ensured her kids took everything they needed and hugged them goodbye, waiting for them to go inside the house before leaving.

As soon as Shivani and Ansh, they were attacked with hug by Rishi and Rubina and dragged towards the hall.

"Didi hum kabse aapka wait kar rahe the! Jaldi se Rakhi bandh dijiye, bahot bhookh lagi hain." Rsishi insisted, only to get smacked on the head by Raahil.

"Badon ko wish karne do."

As if on cue, the elders rushed towards the siblings and wished them.

"I missed you bachha party!"

"Prinku bua, I was so excited to meet you!" Shivani exclaimed as she hugged Priyanka.

"Me too, kiddos." Priyanka said.

"Hum bhi bahot excited hain. Prinku ke saath humari first Rakhi hain in...what, 15 years?!" Rudra asked, bewildered at how long it had been.

"Baccha party, tumri maa kahaan aaj?" Gauri asked, wishfully thinking if her sister would come over today.

"Office mein." Ansh replied.

"Aaj office?" Shivaay asked and suddenly all eyes were on him. He cleared his throat before adding, "I mean, aaj toh sabki chutti hoti hain na."

"Yes, you're right. Mumma ke saare staff ke chutti hain likin woh khud chutti le lein, aisa thodi hi ho sakta hain." Shivani informed them.

This was news for Shivaay. Since when did Anika start working on Rakshabandhan? She loved holidays. He remembers.

"Kal meri chutti hain. Kal poora din Baagad Bille shakal nahi dekhni padegi."

"I see her point. Saahil bhi Saharanpur mein hain toh woh ghar pe bhi bore hi ho jaati." Om shared.

"Bhabhi smart hain, kam se kam staff ko toh chutti di hain. Warna koi toh hain jo chutti ke din online meetings laga dete hain." Rudra retorted, eying Shivaay.

"Sab aa gaye hain toh Rasm shuru karein?" Shivaay suggested, and dodged Rudra's topic.

Bhavya took a headcount and asked, "Priyanka, Saanvi kahaan hain?"

"Jet lagged. Subah ke 4 baje sone gayi hain. Usko sone dete hain, bacchon shuru karne dete hain."

Gauri and Bhavya handed Shivani and Rubina their prepared thaalis as Raahil, Ansh and Rishi stood side by side. Shivani first did the aarti, tied Rakhi and fed mithai to her brothers, then Rubina did the same. The three gave them their gifts together. Shivani kept hers near her bag but Rubina as already busy opening Rishi's. Rishi came up with the genius idea of giving his sisters a 4-piece canvas painting, one canvas on each occasion. Rubina received her final canvas today and was very excited to finally have the complete artwork on her wall. Ansh and Raahil, even though very talented, stuck to more traditional gifts. (Raahil once tried gifting his sisters poetry which didn't go as planned when he had to explain every stanza to them.)

"Shivani, tum bhi gifts khol sakti ho." Om suggested.

"It's okay, Om Chachu, main baad mein khol loongi." Shivani said, making Om smile. Shivani was considerate, like her parents.

"So sorry, I'm late."

Saanvi jogged up to them, greeting the KiddOs with a quick hug.

"Saanvi, I thought you were sleeping." Priyanka asked.

"No, I..*yawn* been up for h.. *yawn* hours." Saanvi replied while Priyanka nodded with pursed lips, trying not to laugh.

"Saanvi, you're right on time. Tie Rakhis to these three boys then you can attack the breakfast." Rudra told her.

"Me?!" Saanvi exclaimed.

"Why not? You're our sister too." Raahil encouraged.

"But I've never done it."

"First time for everything." Shivani handed her a thaali and explained her on what to do.

Priyanka got teary eyed seeing the KiddOs bonding with Saanvi and making her feel included despite rarely meeting. Once Saanvi had tied all 3 Rakhi's, she was about to pass the thaali to Priku but Gauri stopped her

"Ek minute!" Gauri took an envelope and put a bundle of notes in it. She made the three boys touch it then handed it to Saanvi. "This is your gift for now. They will give you real gift a little later, okay?"

"Gauri Mami, I can't-"

"No-no, no saying "no". It is you Rakhi gift. Now go, eat breakfast." Gauri said and the six immediately attacked the breakfast feast prepared by Shivaay.

"Prinku humein bhi fatafat Rakhi baandh de, bahot bhook lagu hain aur yeh baccha party humare pahonchne se pehle hi sab safachat kar degi." Rudra complained, earning a "Shut Up Rudra" from ShivOm.

Priyanka took the thaali and tied the Rakhi to her brother, for the first time in 15 years, making the four of them cry a little. They hugged each other, pulling RiVya in too (wishing another person was present with them as well).

The six of them joined the KiddOs and Senior Oberois at the table. (Roop died in the psychiatric hospital 5 years ago. Tej and Shakti did not miss having Rakhis tied to them.)

"Prinku beta, bahot achha lag raha hain jo toh is baar Rakhi par ho. Ghar mein alag hi raunak chhayi hui hain." Shakti expressed, reaching for an Aloo Paratha but Pinky slapped his hand away, serving a Besan Chila instead.

"Mujhe bhi bahot achha lag raha Chhote Papa. Bahot miss kiya maine aap sabko." Priyanka confessed.

"Mujhe yaad hain, Prinku ke saath jo last Rakhi humne celebrates ki thi, woh game khela tha humne. By God, mazza toh bahot aaya tha!" Pinky recalled.

Priyanka looked towards Rudra, thought for a second then with mischievous smiles, the two suggested, "Phirse khelein?"

"NO!"

"Arey bhaiya, mummy papas, don't be spoilt sport. Khelte hain, mazza aayega, is baar toh Prinku breakfast kebaad khila rahi hain." Rudra told them, earning a punch on the shoulder by Prinku in the process.

"Khelo what? I'm not following." Sanvi informed.

"Same." chorused the KiddOs and RiVya.

"Basically, chits pe sab family members ke naam likhe hote hain and sabko ek chit draw karni hoti. Jisne jis member ka naam draw kiya, use us memeber ki tarah act karna hoga." Om explained.

"That sounds so interesting! Let's play!" Shivani exclaimed.

"Shivi, Prinku, itne short notice pe costumes kaise arrange karenge?" Shivaay questioned.

"Bina costumes ke khelte hain, sirf acting." Rubina suggested and almost everyone agreed. For those who didn't, Rubi's Puppy Eyes charmed them into agreement.

After breakfast, each member wrote their names on a chit, put them in a bowl, and picked one out.

"Before we start, anyone has any questions or suggestions?" Priyanka asked, and Rubina raised her hand.

"Aap bata nahi sakte aapko kaun mila hain, aap acting karoge aur baaki sab guess karenge. Ab chits kholte hain."

As soon as the chits were opened, the room was filled with cheers and groans.

"This is impossible!" Shivaay exclaimed.

"Oh please, aapke liye kuch impossible nahi, yeh toh bas ek game hain." Shivani encouraged, a slight raise in her pitch indicating she got a member she was excited to enact. "Let's start from Bade Dadaji, oldest to youngest."

"You girls are very lucky that I love you, otherwise Tej Singh Oberoi is childish game mein kabhi participate nahi karta." Tej stated.

"Dadaji, children ke saath khelenge toh childish game hi hoga na." Rubi explained, only to earn a glare from RaaShi.

"Shut up Rubi."

Tej cleared his throat and adjusted his coat. He made the gesture of picking up a call. "Verma, construction work ke saare permits aa chuka. The work should start immediately with no hiccups."

Pinky clapped. "Easy, Shi-"

But Tej wasn't done yet. After putting his phone down, he dramatically put a hand to his head. "Bhavyaaaaa! (Bhavya flinched hearing her father-in-law call out to her in a tone he never, ever used. He was in character, she had to remind herself.) Itna kaam! Itna stress! Mujhe gym jaane ka bhi time nahi mil raha hain! Mere biceps poore 2 inch kam ho gaye hain!"

"RUDY!" Everyone chorused and gave a thundering round of applause, shocked at how perfectly Tej enacted Rudy. Shocked not because he was able to but because he was willing to.

Jhanvi thought for a moment before asking, "Shivani ki chit kisko mili hain?"

"NO!" The KiddOs protested. "That's cheating."

"Arey it's not cheating. I have a great idea. Trust me." Jhanvi defended. Shakti told her he had Shivani's chit, which was great since it was his turn next. Jhanvi whispered something in Shakti's ear but whatever it was, it made both of them grin and high-five. Tej and Pinky were keenly observing their respective spouses.

Shakti stood in the centre and did the action of putting earbuds on and taking the starting position for dancing. Keeping his health and age, he didn't actually dance but did enough to resemble his granddaughter. Jhnavi approached him, a wide grin and bounce in her steps.

"Shivi didi, Shivi didi, aap kitna achha dance karte ho, kitne smart ho, kitni pretty ho! Tu es très belle!" Jhanvi complimented and everyone immediately knew who she was playing.

Shakti did the action of removing earbuds before asking, "Kya chahiye Rubi?"

"Strawberries ko French mein kya bolte hain?" Jhanvi asked.

"Les fraise."

"La phrase?"

"Les fraise. Dekho French bolna bahot easy hain. Bas yoon baat karo jaise gale mein khraash ho."

The room erupted into laughter while Shivani hid her face behind her hand.

As Pinky stood up for turn, Shivaay reminisced that last time they switched roles with family members.

"Anika nahi, hum kanji aakhon wale ACP Bhavya Pratap Rathore hain. Aur aap is waqt under arrest hain."

"Main toh Protien Shake pee raha tha, maine kya?"

"Aapki gunha yeh hain... ki aapne humara dil chura liya hain. Aur ab aapko iski saza milega."

"Earth to Papa, Earth to Papa." Ansh snapped in front Shivaay.

"Huh?" Shivaay blinked.

"Bade Papa, aapki turn." Raahil informed.

As Shivaay tried to think of a way to enact the family member assigned to him, Gauri asked Pinky "Chhoti Maaji, aapko sa... shaayari kahaan se mili?"

"Beta ek baar Om ne bas baton-baton mein bol di thi, mujhe acchi lagi toh phones mein writes kar li." Pinky informed, earning a smile from Om.

'Oh, mom got Om and recited his shaayari.' Shivaay thought to himself.

"Come on Big Papa, you can do it!" Rubi encouraged and clapped, others following suit but the problem was... Shivaay couldn't think of anything characteristic of this person. How does he behave, what does he do, what does he say...

"Bhaisahab please!"

"SHAKTI!" TejVi yelled and high-fived.

Between the sea of laughter, Shakti asked, "Beta Shivaay, tumhe apne baap ke liye iske alava kuch soojha?"

"Shivaay aur kare bhi toh kya Shakti. Tum yeh ek hi cheez hi toh bolte ho."

"Bhaisahab please 😳"

"Case in point!" Tej pointed out and the laughter doubled.

Shivaay meekly sat near Shakti. "Dad, sorry but in the moment jo yaad aaya woh hi bol diya."

Shakti laughed and patted Shivaay's shoulder. "Arey beta, baat dil pe mat lo. Main bas mazzak kar raha tha. Waise sahi tha, do shabdon mein sabne guess kar liya."

"Bade Papa, your turn." Rubi informed and pulled Om towards the centre. Om, too, was thinking hard about how to enact this family member but Shivaay's representation gave him an idea.

Om crossed his arms and frowned. "Hum har baar Disneyland kyoon jaate hain? Aap log lambi-lambi lines aur $20 dollar ki ek ice-cream khaa ke bore nahi ho gaye ho? Humein na Hawaii jaana chahiye. Wahaan bahot badi observatory hain! Ya NASA Headquarters!"

"Is that Ansh?" Bhavya asked and Om gave a thumbs up, earning a round of applause.

"Toh kya hum is baar NASA jaa sakte hain?" Ansh asked expectantly, looking at Shivaay with a big grin.

"We'll think about it." Came Shivaay's replied and Ansh frowned and crossed his hands, exactly the way Om had portrayed.

For her turn, Bhavya sat on in her place, crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees. With a relaxed expression, she said, "Relax Pinky. Shivaay ke baare mein itne tension mat lo, he's a grown up. Come on, let's go for a walk in the garden, mind clear ho jaayega."

"Oh my Mata Jethaniji! Your bahu knows you so wells!" Pinky exclaimed and shook Jhanvi's shoulder.

Rudra ran towards the centre and frantically yelled, "Hey Sankarji, yeh bacche bhi na! Raahil, chalo yeh sabji khattam karo, Rishi roti se khelna band karo! Omkaraji aapki kala-krita aadha ghanta ruk sakti hain, yeh Chintu-Mintu aadha ghanta late nahi sakte!"

Gauri's dupatta came in very handy as she hid her face in it while others laughed until it was her turn.

"Yeh kya hain?! Mujhe kya karna hain jaan ke ki kaunse state mein kaunse paudhe aur jaanvar hain!? Upar se yeh geography homework khattam nahi ho raha, science kab karoonga? Hindi kab padhoonga? Excersie kab karoonga? Waannnn 😭 Mujhse nahi ho raha, main sanyaas le raha hoon!" Gauri whined and complained, and it was Raahil's turn to hide behind his face behind his hand.

"Main aise nahi karta hoon." Raahil defended.

"Tum/aap aise hi karte ho!" The KiddOs snapped.

"Momzie, your turn." Saanvi told Priyanka, the latter having slight smirk on her face.

Priyanka took a minute to get in character before excitedly announcing, "Momzie, Momzie, Momzie! I got the tutoring job and it pays $15.50 an hour! I just had one teeny-tiny request... Can I borrow $650 to get the textbooks and materials required for this job?"

"Hey! I did it pack... within two months!" Saanvi tried to vindicate herself as the Oberoi siblings laughed.

"Nevermind, I'm gonna get revenge." Saanvi thought to herself as she cleared her throat.

"Dal Rice is sustenance enough. You want something fancy, be my chef. Now carry on, I got 150 poorly cited papers to grade." Saanvi acted out and Rudra had a hearty laugh poking fun at his sister.

"But it is true! There are 50 sites for citations yet my Freshmen cannot use them correctly." Prinku grumbled.

"Mujhe karna padega?" Raahil asked, hoping to get away with not having to act.

"HAAN!" The whole family yelled, startling the boy

"Okay-okay!" Raahil adjusted his kurta and shook his shoulders to relax himself.

"Mumma, mujhe ne half-yearly exams ke baad chhota-sa get-together karna hain with my friends. Bas Karan, Arjun, Kanav, Gaurav, Manya, Tanya, Raj, Sartaj, Shruti, Stuti aur Taj. Nahi nahi, bas yeh nahi, mere baaki sections, art class aur dance class ke friends ki list alag hain."

"Ab mere 4 se zyaada friends hain toh ismein meri kya galti hain? Main kisi ek ko nahi bulaoonga toh woh unhe bad feel hoga." Rishi pouted.

"Of course, kuch galat baat nahi hain." Om assured Rishi and ruffled his hair. "Shivani, your turn."

Shivani, who had a grin on her face till now, donned a poker straight face. She put one hand in an imaginary pocket, walked a few steps, then flicked her hair in a way only one other person did.

"SHIVAAY!"

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Shivani giggled as Shivaay wondered was really one move enough for everyone to guess Shivani was enacting him.

"Yeh toh kamaal ho gaya! Bete ko 2 shabd bolne pade sabko pata chalne ki liye ki woh apne baap ki acting kar raha hain. Aur beti ko ek shabd bhi bolna nahi pada!" Shakti pointed and Ansh did logic sign, agreeing with him.

"Chalo, jisne game suggest kiya tha, finally uski turn aa gayi. Rubi, we have high expectations." Tej told his granddaughter.

"Ansh, idhar aana, I need you be my supporting actor." Rubi requested (read: ordered) Ansh and dragged him with her.

"Mujhe karna kya hain?" Ansh asked.

"Bas khade raho." Rubi instructed and closed her eyes for a few seconds to get in character. Rubi pulled Ansh's cheeks and loudly exclaimed, "Oh my Mata! Mera sarva-gun samparn Heera grandsons! AAte hi saara homeworks finish kar liya! Haaye! Din mein laenterns le ke dhoondhne jaaoge toh bhi mere heere jaisa grandsons nahi milega likin yeh kya?! *dramatic gasps* Sookh ke kaanta ho gaya bilkul. Ramesh, Smita; is ghar ka saara staffs pata nahi kahaan soya padha hain.

Shivaay nearly fell from his seat while Raahil had to hold up Shivani so she didn't fall while laughing so hard. The others, too, were laughing and clapping loudly. Rubina did prove that she was theatre kid.

"Okays, chalo, enoughs, Ansh ki turns hain, let him acts." Pinky infomed, throwing her dupatta over her shoulder.

Ansh, in a higher pitch than his normal voice, scolded Rubina. "Offo Rubi! Abhi tak homework finish kiya? Ansh se kuch seekhon. School se aati saara homework finish kar liya."

"Hey! Ansh, aur Mumma, main apna saara kaam time se finish kar leti hoon!" Rubina defended and crossed her arms.

"Arey Ansh, tu bas finger guns bana deta, hum sab samaj jaate." Rudra suggested and Ansh nodded, doing a logic sign.

"Okay, yeh toh bahot easy hain." Rishi came up to centre. He made a frown, raised one eyebrow, widened his eyes and in voice much deeper than his normally is, declared, "This security... is... a joke!"

"PAPA!" RuPri exclaimed as the hall once again erupted into laughter.

A/N: So the short chapter turned out to be long 😅
But hope you enjoyed reading it
Do comment your views and questions

And as many of you are wondering, what happened between ShivIka?
Their past will be revealed over the course of the next few chapters

Stay tuned!