'Be an illusion, accomplished in all qualities'

Kirati looked at her sister then said: so out of all curiosity, how come you ended up marrying Omkara jeej? You've only been in the human world for a couple of days.

Gauri: he was supposed to marry another woman, his wretched childhood sweetheart Ishana.

Kirati: so you killed her then married him?

Gauri: no! I only came to this human world to kill Shivali di's murderers, no one else.

Kirati: urgh you are so boring. 

Gauri sighed and then said: anyway I was told to give Ishana some jewellery and I saw the note on the bed and the window was opened so she pretty much eloped with her lover. Dadi came, saw the note and asked me to marry Omkara. 

Kirati: wow amazing story, really. Would have been nice if you killed Ishana. 

Gauri: Kirati...

Kirati: what? Look my darling twin sister, since the beginning of time, naaglok and humans don't get along. They have never gotten along and that's just the way things are. They try to kill us so we kill them. Now unless these humans have that magic powder or some other magical thing, they are technically weak and we can easily kill them. Now how did you kill the first murderer?

Gauri: I killed Arjun by making sure he was alone. He was constantly after me so I made it work to my advantage and I ripped his heart out.

Kirati: ripped his heart out? Heart ripping...no other naagin or naag has this power not even Shivanya or Sheesha then how did you get this power?

Gauri: pata nahi, it's....

She was about to say something when some distant memory suddenly came back in her head. A  little girl.....her. She recognised her little self walking in the woods....

She then saw herself changing her clothes with a click of her fingers and making her jewellery disappear. Hmm she looked like a normal kid expect normal kids didn't have magic.

Gauri then saw her younger self turning to see the back of a little boy coming up to her. She saw her little self hugging that little boy and then the memory went away.

Kirati: kya hua? Why did you stop talking?

Gauri: kuch nahi. I should go back to the Oberois.

Kirati: theek hai but let me give you some advice. Though we don't often see eye to eye, I am still giving you advice...don't fall in love with Omkara jeej. I don't care if he is a nice man, if you fall in love with him then maybe you will forget the reason why you are in that stupid human world in the first place.

Gauri: don't worry, I won't fall in love with him. Now bye, tell Nani that I miss her.

Kirati just gave a nod as Gauri closed her eyes to transform into her snake form...she slithered across the ground, leaving the woods and entering the old mansion via the mouse hole. Kirati watched her twin sister as she slithered away. 

Kirati: Devi, Devi, Devi....I know that you won't be able to get the Naagmani, tumse na ho payega.....waise bhi why should you have everything? Since childhood, only you could shape-shift, since childhood you could already use your powers. It's not fair that you should be queen when you find the Naagmani.

She smirked to herself. It was time for her to plot a plan...a plan that would benefit her.

...

Gauri was back in her and Om's room now. She looked at Om who was still asleep on the sofa.

Gauri: I'm sorry

She said softly as she looked at him.

Gauri: I know that I should have told you the truth about Ishana but...I couldn't. Though I wasn't fond of her, I was praying that she wouldn't hurt you..if I told you then you wouldn't even believed me because you were madly in love with her but I'm sorry. Everyone else in the mansion treated me like a lowlife and you and dadi....you both treated me like I was not from a poor background and I couldn't even have told you the truth.

Gauri noticed that he didn't have a blanket on him. She looked around to see a blanket folded up neatly on a chair. She picked it up and unfolded it, then kept it on top of Om before she went to the bathroom to got off the jewellery that was on her. Once she kept the jewellery to a side, she took the veil off and folded it. She went out of the bathroom and kept the folded up veil on the bed before sitting on bed herself. Gauri couldn't sleep that night, at one point she'd find herself thinking about Om, then at another point she would find herself thinking about how would she find the next murderer, and then at another point she would find herself thinking about where the Naagmani was.

After a long night, the daybreak brought glimmers of warmth. The golden light softly caressed the land and ignited the birds into a chorus of melodies.

Gauri was still awake, hardly tired whilst Om was still asleep on the sofa. She didn't know what to do until someone knocked on the door. She got up and opened the door revealing Dadi at the door.

Gauri: good morning Dadi.

Dadi: good morning puttar. I have brought you your sari, a pot of sindoor aur I want you to know that today we go back to our Oberoi Mansion.

Gauri: thank you Dadi and also thanks for letting me know.

Dadi: is that lazy idiot still sleeping?

Gauri: Dadi, he isn't an idiot.

Dadi: if you insist.

She saw that Om was sleeping on the sofa.

Dadi: how come he is sleeping on the sofa?

Gauri: vow Dadi, he was upset with me because I didn't tell him Ishana's truth earlier and I think he slept on the sofa to give me space because none of us planned to marry each other.

Dadi: now you are his wife and I know that he will love you more than he loved Ishana and I know that you will give him more love than Ishana ever gave him.

Gauri: how do you know?

Dadi: all I will say is that you and him are soulmates.

Gauri gave Dadi a look but she was smiling as she gave that look.

Dadi: you may not believe in soulmates, but one day you will when you realise that this sleeping idiot on the sofa is your soulmate. Also wake him up.

With that said, she smiled at Gauri and she walked away from the room. The last words she said to Gauri made Gauri think....would the day come that she would believe in soulmates? Was Om really her soulmate?

Why was she thinking about soulmates? She didn't believe in soulmates, to be honest she wasn't a fan of love. There was no reason why, it's just she never felt that love was an important part in her life.

Gauri kept the sari and pot on the bed before coming up to Om. Was he still mad? Would he act salty towards her?

Gauri: Omkara...Dadi told me to wake up so please wake up.

Om: let me sleep yaar.

Gauri: please wake up.

Om: theek hai.

Om opened his eyes and saw Gauri. He sat up and saw that he had a blanket on him. He was about to ask Gauri when Gauri said: voh I kept the blanket on you last night.

Om: Gauri, I want to say sorry.

Gauri: sorry for what?

Om: last night I had a go at you and I know I shouldn't have. I was hurt by Ishana's betrayal and I still am, I didn't show it to anyone. I never expected her to do such a thing. I know that she could act like a brat then and now and she sometimes was a bit distant but I never thought she'd cheat. Waise bhi I heard your apology last night.

Gauri: you weren't sleeping?

Om: half asleep. Look Gauri, in this marriage, I can promise you respect, honesty and loyalty...I know due to majboori, you married me and if you want a divorce, then I will respect your decision.

Gauri: don't talk about divorce now. You just go and get ready for the day. I'll get ready after you.

Om: are you sure? You can get ready first.

Gauri: pehle aap. Don't argue with me, just get ready quickly.

Om got up and went into the bathroom. Gauri watched as he went in then said to herself: when I kill my sister's murderers and get the Naagmani, then I will divorce you.

She waited for Om to get ready. Suddenly Om asked from the bathroom: Gauri, is it okay if you can pass me a towel?

Gauri: kaha hai towel?

Om: in the cupboard.

Gauri went into the cupboard and took out a towel. She then went to the washroom entrance, extending her arm, saying: here. Your towel.

Om: thank you.

He said as he took the towel from her hand. Gauri decided that she would start brushing her hair whilst she waited for Om. As she brushed her hair, Om then spoke from the washroom: I am so sorry but please can you pass me my shirt?

Gauri: kaunsa shirt?

Om: the black one.

Gauri went into the cupboard and saw a lot of black shirts.

Gauri: how many black shirts can one person own? Now which shirt do I give him?

She looked through some of the shirts and picked up one. She'll give Om this shirt. She walked away from the cupboard and went to the entrance of the bathroom.

Gauri: here, your shirt.

She extended her arm out to give Om his shirt. Om took the shirt but he didn't just take the shirt...he took Gauri in the shower too. In Om's defence, he didn't know that he would have accidentally pulled Gauri in the shower too. Gauri was surprised too. The moment he accidentally pulled her in, her back touched the shower button and that was when the shower head started to pour water once more, making Om and Gauri wet.

Gauri and Om looked at each other, they looked in each other's eyes. When Om looked into Gauri's eyes, he realised that they had the same warmth in them, the same softness in them...he had seen the warmth and softness in someone else's eyes before when he was little. He remembered that person, that little girl...she had the prettiest eyes in the world, the prettiest smile, she was his best friend at the time and then one day she couldn't even recognise him and that was the day his heart cried for the first time.

Gauri looked in his eyes and a flashback came back, she saw her little self running in the forest laughing and she saw the back of a little boy chasing after her. The flashback immediately ended. Why was she getting these flashbacks of memories that definitely didn't happen?

She looked away from Om's eyes and her eyes for some reason looked down at his shirtless torso. His body looked like it was scultuped by God, she felt her cheeks heating up....she looked back at his eyes before these unsanskari thoughts cluttered her brain.

Om: sorry, I didn't mean to pull you in.

Gauri: it's fine. It's just an accident.

She turned around and then pressed on the shower button making the shower head stop pouring.

Om: I'm going out. Do you want me to give you your sari?

Gauri: if you don't mind. It's on the bed. Also the sindoor pot.

Om nodded as he went out to get her sari and the pot. He gave her the sari and the pot seconds later. She thanked him and closed the bathroom door. With her magic, her hair quickly dried and then she freshened up before changing into the sari Dadi brought for her....a beautiful blush rose sari decorated with floral motifs completed with an embroidered off-shoulder blouse. She looked at the sindoor pot in her hand....due to the shower, the sindoor disappeared. She was debating whether to put the sindoor on or not. Sindoor...one pinch had a lot of value.

Om from outside: Gauri, Dadi is calling us.

Gauri: ji coming.

She looked in the mirror and dipped her thumb in the sindoor before keeping the sindoor on her maag. She kept the sindoor pot to a side, wiped the sindoor off her thumb then went out of the bathroom, smiling shyly at Om whilst Om also smiled shyly back at her.

It was quite clear that the two were thinking about the shower incident earlier....

Precap: the second murderer

Yeah so I was going to write about Gauri being the Oberoi bahu but long story short, it's been a long day and I'm tired.

All wondering who the second murderer is?