"You wouldn't believe how excited I am, Raja Sugriv!" Ram laughed. "And glad too. We were all so worried, not just Lakshman-" they all glanced at Lakshman again, who was, at this point, hiding under the tables from attention-shyness. "-about how you were, where you were. We were preparing to lead a raid of some sort to recover you. Jal and Neel were the only ones optimistic about everything still. Honestly, you're a pillar to our strength, Maharaj. Good to have you back." Sugriv bowed, blushing from ear to ear.

"Honestly, Raja Sugriv," Hanuman piped up. "Not only are you King, but you can fly, and you're a great fighter! It would have been impossible to go on without you fighting in our army! Surely, the world has seen very, very few kings as wonderful as you!" Sugriv scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh don't be shy! It's very true!" And with that, Hanuman crossed his arms, having successfully made his king the most flattered one ever.

Ram nudged Lakshman, who nudged Neel, who nudged Nal, who nudged Jambavan, who finally spoke Maharaj. "I don't have anything else to say. We were all scared, but I think angrier than anything that we could have allowed you to be taken away. You should have killed Kumbhakaran right then and there, Raja Sugriv, or at least torn up his ear or something. It's true, Jal was helping Angad get by. He was the most scared, but he also first proposed the raid." Sugriv's eyes darted between Jal and Angad, but he didn't say anything. Not a single thing. (COME ON, I AM BEING VERY OBVIOUS HERE! SOMEONE FIGURE IT OUT!)

"Our Maharaj!" Nal yelled excitedly. "The hero!" They all barrelled into Sugriv like little children, and Ram just watched sadly. This was how they behaved with their own father whenever he came back from a long trip; they ran towards him with Bollywood shaming hugs and Maa Kaushalya often chided that some day, they may break their father's back. Ram didn't know about back, but he did know that he had broken his father's heart.

It was a disturbing train of thought to which Ram would have bought a ticket to if Lakshman hadn't interrupted his thoughts with a squeeze of the arm and a new pessimistic thought to put them all on edge again. "Yes, this is all good and all, and we're truly very very glad, but this means that Kumbhakaran is still very much alive, and dare I say, angrier than ever? We're still in danger, more danger than we were before."

Vibhishan sat up from where he was brewing his cup of tea, and Sugriv was brought the old cigar to take a long whiff from again. "What concerns me," Vibhishan began. "Is that Kumbhakaran has not returned to the field yet. He should have-" A loud thumping echoed throughout the battlefield, and Ram swore, with a wince, that he could hear the Earth split into two again. What strain Bhoomi Mata must go under, to hold the burden of not only them, but Kumbhakaran himself. "Nevermind," Vibhishan mumbled, setting down his tea.

Lakshman stood up again, gripping his bow tightly, but Ram pushed him down once more. "We'll all go," he said. And so Lakshman stood up again, thinking he must be included in this 'all'. But to his surprise, he was pushed down again. "Except you. You stay here." And with that Ram and the entire general legion marched out, though Angad, Nal and Neel glanced back with pity and turned back around with fright as Lakshman pierced them with such a glare that they would have gotten their tails lit on fire.

-----O-----

"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS-" Ravan roared. The entire palace shook with the power of his voice, and yet he did not flinch, stomping down from his resting place and walking out to the balcony again, where Kumbhakaran stared at him with his furry, bristly eyebrows knit together, not in worry or shame, or even astonishment, but with equal anger. "THIS MEANS THAT-" he took a deep breath as the palace shook again, and the balcony rattled. "This means that Sugriv is still alive, Kumbhakaran. This means that-"

Kumbhakaran interrupted, his fists clenched. "This means that the king of the monkeys still paces our fields, bhrata! This means that I still need to kill this enemy, who must be stronger than ever now, energized with rage and what-else. But bhrata, why do you worry? I captured him with as little effort as perceivably possible. It should not take much more to kill a puny little ape, now will it?" Ravan nodded along, exhaling a breath of hope.

"Go again, out Kumbhakaran." Ravan growled. "It is still late afternoon, and the day still drones on. Go out, and kill whomever you can, anyone and everyone. Any death will weaken them further. They are driven by their rage, and we're driven by purpose!" He waved his hand angrily, and Kumbhakaran joined his hands together, bowing his head slightly, before turning around and stepping away, drawing up tornadoes of dust as he made his way.

------O------

Kumbhakaran entered the blood soaked Earth once more in full form, and this time, there weren't puny little apes poised to meet a giant, or a thousand mice to perturb a tusker. It was an equal. Hanuman stood there, a thousand times his normal size, or rather, one to match Kumbhakaran's, rolling his shoulders and stepping from foot to foot, shaking out his hands and carefully tracking Kumbhakaran's pathway down the battlefield.

Kumbhakaran was poised to start his normal act of trying to eliminate thousands of the preliminary warriors to weaken the enemy, when his ears were filled with a loud, almost feral sounding roar. He looked up from the earth, where ant-sized warriors stood, fighting with regular old rakshasas, and to where a giant, finally of his size, stood. It was a giant ape, nonetheless, but Kumbhakaran finally sighed a breath of relief, his neck muscles relaxed after a long day of looking down.

"Finally!" he laughed. "Finally, in what my nephew called the entire world's population of apes, the useless generals, leaders, and how can I not mention a useless King, have found someone of my size! Though, you must not, of course, be of my prowess, it shall at least not be so boring it's almost tiring to fight with you!" Kumbhakaran excitedly flexed his arms, and for a moment, with a flash of sharp pain in his chest, Ram was reminded of Shatrughan.

In moments, with some sort of mutual understanding, they ran towards each other, taking the position of Indian wrestlers, and wrapped their hands together, pushing each other around the battlefield, kicking up bouts of dust and toxifying the air with thick Earth that caused many to cough up clumps of dirt. They didn't seem to notice however, these two fighters, one with well oiled muscles, the other with dirt caked, and yet still somehow shining fur. It was some otherworldly moment, and even the generals, for a moment, stopped their fighting, and watched, in awe, as the two greats wrestled as if in a private ring.

Ram was the first to get over the awe, nodding in great appeasement before drawing fifteen arrows and releasing them all at once. Where the sky was once blue and light, Ram's arrows now dominated, turning the blue of the sky black and gold with his assaults. Left, right, up and down, rakshasas looked one way, and the next second, they were dead or dying, lying moaning and begging with Yama on the ground.

Finally, Hanuman shoved Kumbhakaran away, and he skidded to a stop, still somehow on his feet though he wasn't nimble enough to not stumble or trip. Kumbhakaran rushed towards him again, and Hanuman grabbed his arms, whirling him around his body like an amusement park ride might, before throwing him into a large mountain on the side. Thinking he must have been crushed by something, Hanuman stepped back for a moment, breathing heavily, as a small cheer, then a larger one went up from the vanar sena.

Kumbhakaran was dead! And yet, he wasn't, for the moment Hanuman turned his back, Kumbhakaran exited from the rubble of the mountain, the fog rising from the destruction giving everyone only a look at his enormous silhouette. "Hanuman! Look!" Angad shouted hoarsely. Hanuman whirled around, only to be pushed away and into the Earth. Kumbhakaran huffed, catching his breath as Hanuman got up, holding his arm. But before they could start their brawl again, Angad, Nal, and Neel decided to start a one way mountain-fight with Kumhakaran.

Nal tossed a mountain to Neel, who tossed it to Angad, who often tried to toss it on top of Kumbhakaran's head, but usually just managed to reach his chest. Soon, Kumbhakaran managed to injure some of them enough to get the healers to call them back, but he did not go unharmed himself. Kumbhakaran touched his chest lightly, wincing as he put a hand to his heart, and inhaled sharply, feeling as if maybe he had broken or misplaced a rib.

-----O-----

Lakshman had now had freaking enough. It was depressing enough to have to sit in the tent with nothing to do, but it was even more terrible when everyone else was fighting, and he, the one who was probably the most excited and prepared to fight out of all of them, second only to Ram bhaiyya (as everyone was, obviously), it just wasn't fair! Was bhaiyya suddenly feeling overprotective of him? Well, this was certainly not the time! It was a war, and he knew how to fight, and thus he should fight.

Ram bhaiyya was eternally and always correct, right, and truthful without question (and whoever questioned it would get a sound beating around the head via Lakshman), but maybe, here, he had another motive? Yes, that was it! Lakshman sat up. "Of course!' he cried. "Ram bhaiyya wanted me to get angry, so I would be even more lethal on the battlefield!" And so Lakshman eagerly grabbed his bow and snuck out of the tent as the Healing vanar who was supposed to be keeping watch over him was called away to treat the injured.

So now Lakshman was calmly walking down the battlefield, holding a sword at his side and leaving a steady trail of dead bodies behind him as he whistled. As soon as he noticed a mass of rakshasas troubling the vanars, he would take out his bow, and with a loud twang unleash his wrath through a multiplying arrow which would render them eternally passed out, looking as if they were only tired little darling stopping for a rest in the wrong place.

Ram noticed one of these dead masses, and in the middle of his air assault (via arrows, not airplanes, what do you think we're in, KalYug?), and whirled around, watching with widened eyes as his brother hummed something to himself while calmly fending off a vicious rakshas, who was, in moments, gutted and dying on the ground, left to suffer as Lakshman moved on. Ram's eyes practically popped, before returning back to normal. "Fine," he muttered. "I guess he would be an asset." With that, Ram turned away.

-----O-----

In moments, Lakshman had noticed the wild Kumbhakaran in its natural habitat, and decided that this species needed to be eliminated. Stat. In moments, he was standing in the pathway of Kumbhakaran, and released a single arrow. It pierced Kumbhakaran's skin like a needle, and he noticed it, but just laughed, picking the arrow out like it was a simple splinter, and snapping it in half like a carrot. "You think this little slice of wood will hurt me?" he boomed. "Me? Kumbhakaran? The feared? Not on your life, it won't! Listen, kid. Run away before I kill you. I don't like killing kids." God knows why everyone thought that an at least twenty year old Lakshman was a kid.

And then Lakshman 'the kid' released a thousand arrows, and all at once, Kumbharan's arms were pierced by a thousand needles. For humans, a single needle hurts. Now imagine what a thousand needles must feel like. Though drenched in his own blood, which was falling out of the little pinpricks like thin streams, Kumbhakaran lost absolutely none of his arrogance, not even as Lakshman raised an eyebrow and aimed for his feet instead. "A thousand of your needles or wood pieces won't hurt me!" Kumbhakaran laughed. "Because I am Kumbhakaran! And nothing can hurt me! I am a giant, behold!"

"That's pretty obvious!" Lakshman returned. "More than a giant, however, you're a dumbo!" Ram turned around at the use of his own phrase, and set down his bow, wishing to watch the fight. "And real dumbos don't know when to run!" Kumbhakaran must have been the King of dumbos, because he did not run even when flaming arrows flew towards his face. His eyeballs only grew narrower and narrower and more together as he watched the flaming arrows meet their mark; straight smack dab on his nose.

Kumbhakaran's nose was on fire. He tried to smother the fire by patting it, but that only pushed the coals more into his nose. And so, Kumbhakaran leaned down towards Lakshman, ready to have a serious chat with a killer with a flaming nose. "Look," he began. "You're a good warrior. However, it is my purpose to send your brother to the Yamlok first, and then I can come back for you if you wish?"

Lakshman didn't know who he was trying to fool with a flaming nose, but decided that Kumbhakaran must be the God of the Dumbos, and calmly stepped aside for Ram, who had picked up his bow again once appeased that neither his brother nor others would die.

A/N-RAWWWWWRRRR-Stupid chapters! This was supposed to be done in 2 chapters! Like for God's sakes, someone save me, this is only going to be done, in, like, six. Well, actually, it isn't, because however much I could stop here and elongate the next chapter, I won't, because I've had enough of writing about Kumbhakaran. Kumbhakaran is dumb to write about.

Ram picked up that large bow of his and slung his endless quiver around himself once more, before walking up towards Kumbhakaran. "Well hello there, blue man!" Kumbhakaran began, before bursting into growly laughter. "Today, I shall wrench your head off your body and show it to Lankesh and go back to sleep! I shall be hailed as the hero of Lanka! Prepare for your death, Ram! This fight should be short! I was expecting something a bit more of the leader of the vanar sena, but I suppose you're just a stupid hermit like Bhrata Ravan told me. "

If one thing Kumbhakaran was right about in that sentence, it was that the fight was a short one. Rams delayed for a few seconds, before one single arrow of his cut off Kumbhakaran's right arm. Then the left arm too was gone. Armless, Kumbhakaran stared at Ram with wide eyes, watching as his legs were sliced clean off as well. And then finally, Ram's icy blue eyes pierced into his own, the last thing he saw as Kumbhakaran was beheaded with Ram's single divine arrow, a mere splinter he had called it, and flew through Lanka, displayed for all to see, showering the city of gold with bright red blood.

-----O-----

Sita sat under the tree, spinning a deep green leaf by its stem between her index finger and thumb. Her hair was covered, and yet she felt as if it was blowing in the heavy wind, as if she was defying her own depression and rising to a new anger. She looked up as Trijata approached, as she heard footsteps, fearing they were Ravan's. But it was only Trijata once more, running towards her with her eyes crazed and hair matted. "What is it, Trijata?" she asked softly, hoping for good news.

She got it. "Kumbhakaran, the giant brother of Ravan, whom he had sent into the battlefield to kill the vanar sena and Shri Ram and Lakshman, has been killed! His head has been soaring through the large city of Lanka for minutes now! Lankesh is rumored to be devastated, and our buildings are coated with blood! Sita , child, your husband has done what was fabled to be impossible! Lanka's end is nearer than ever!"

A/N-It's DONE! Oh my goodness, it's done! Thank the lord(s) and whoever else is shining their blessings upon me (no, just the God(s)). It's finally done. God save the king queen and rajkumari, because it's finally DONE! mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn-

So, now I'm not very sure how to proceed, seeing as, for a few days before Yudh Kand, I was actually planning to end this story right after Kumbhakaran's death. Rest assured, I am NOT ending this right after Kumbhakaran's death, but I'll be doing some research on the Ramayan, which may take a day or two. Let's do alternate day updates now, shall we?
For some reason, I feel like you all are older than me. WHY? Maybe you are. 

Oh! I passed my exams too after 1 whole year of virtual learning (trust me, I was scared), and I have maintained my good GPA, plus my vacation is starting soon, so I'm in a great mood!

---

Soooo, yesterday, I rewatched Baahubali (1 and 2), and I realized that you know the full-sleeves Amarendra Baahubali wears in the second movie? 

That's what I picture Ram wearing, all the time, these dignified blue sleeves and the king's crown which Bhallaldev had worn, except larger. Like I know he's terrible, but his costumes are fire!

 And then I picture Bharat wearing full sleeves and no crown, or one of those caps in Baahubali 1, you know what I'm talking about hopefully.

Lakshman wears the angavastram thing that Bhallaldev sports in Baahubali 2 (when he's young, and refuses the palace, bow, and elephants), and the chain mail crown of the senapati, which is a killer look, as you can imagine, how do you expect Urmila to have fallen in love with him?

Just the crown, not the armor. Lakshman doesn't go around in armor. 

Shatrughan with a smaller King's crown and the same angavastram, with the extra cloth he can whip around dramatically! 

Sadly, I couldn't find any images of Bhallaldev's angavastram (people don't appreciate style), so you'll just have to remember that. 

tldr, the wardrobe for this entire story is inspired from Baahubali! LIKE DUH!

CAN YOU JUST PICTURE THIS THOUGH? Ram with a large king's crown and those full sleeves, Bharat with a cap and full sleeves, Lakshman with the senapati crown and Bhallaldev's angavastram, and Shatrughan with a crown and Bhallaldev's angavastram, which he flips around a lot! 

Bhallaldev was a terrible person, but you've got to admit, he's got styyyyylleee. 

This is my new headcannon!

Sorry for taking your time.