Kumbhakaran blinked away his sleep lazily, and looked around at all the rotting food, wincing from the smell before fully sitting up. The Earth shook under his weight as he got up, pushing aside his covers. "I have woken after only five months in the stead of six," Kumbhakaran grumbled, though his voice rattled the entire room. "And you place in front of me rotting food fit not even for the dogs who draw sleds across the sands? Have you gone mad? Who has done this? At least let me enjoy my sleep!"

Devantak was about to walk in front of Kumbhakaran, but instead of him, Dhanyamalini went, for she believed that Kumbhakaran was in no mood to hear the harsh, sharp, and probably unwelcome words of her son. "Rajkumar," she began gently, before her voice became firm. "Lankesh himself has ordered us to wake you up. Your greatness wasn't awakening when we placed platters full of food fit to entice even the Gods in front of you, so we had to resort to these..." she trailed off. "Banana peels and wormy apples instead."

Kumbhakaran nodded as they stepped back. He removed his legs carefully from the bed, and exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment, adjusting to the light. Finally, in walked in Ravan, brimming with excitement and pride. He craned his neck to look at Kumbhakaran, who joined his hands together. "Bhrata Ravan," he began. "It's nice to see you after five months. How has it been? Where is Prahast, who comes to welcome me?"

Ravan swallowed. "Kumbhakaran. I am glad to see you at last." he paused once more. "The truth is, we didn't want to wake you. I didn't want to disturb you and-by Gods, you've only grown, someone get my flying chariot!" Ravan's servants pushed the Pushpaka Vishaka (forgot the name, was the closest I could think of), towards him, and Ravan climbed on, floating in front of Kumbhakaran's face. "As I was saying, we didn't want to disturb you, however-"

Ravan looked down at his hands for a second as he sat cross legged on his floating chariot, but looked back up at Kumbhakaran. "A lot has happened over the past few months, as you were sleeping, Kumbhakaran. Good things, of course, many good things, and bad thing as well. I regret to say that many have died." Ravan paused. "Over the last few months, I found a woman named Sita, a woman so beautiful Kumbhakaran, that I couldn't help myself. She is heavenly, Kumbhakaran, like an apsara. She puts the mere ideals of beauty to shame."

Kumbhakaran gaped at Ravan. "DIdn't you say that about Mandodari as well, bhrata? The chief queen of Lanka, Mandodari? And then you felt the same way about Dhanyamalini, Manodari's younger sister. And then there were the five thousand concubines whom you turned into little wives. And probably thousands more at this point. Do tell me bhrata, why do you bother telling me about Sita?"

Ravan exhaled. "Sita is divine. I captured her, bringing her to the Ashok Vatika, because she refused to become my wife, can you believe it Kumbhakaran? I am RAVAN!" he thundered, spreading his arms out like an eagle. "And she refused to marry me? Vibhishan told me to release her, release her, and so then I kicked him out of his court, the traitor, him and his lackeys!" Kumbhakaran inhaled sharply; he had always doted upon Vibhishan. "Then, her husband and his good-for-nothing brother declared war on me and showed up with this army of monkeys who crossed the ocean, and apparently monkeys are good at fighting, because-"

"Wait, what?" Kumbhakaran asked, exasperated, as Ravan took a deep breath. "Monkeys? Crossing the ocean? Monkeys cannot fly, bhrata! And what's this, she has a husband? Bhrata, you'll have to explain some more. My sleep muddled brain can't understand the head or tail of this monkey infestation. That is what it is, right?"

Grumbling, Ravan shook his head. "No." he paused, pacing on his Pushpaka Vishaka. "It's no monkey infestation, Kumbhakaran, it's something much, much, much worse. Her husband and her brother, two useless hermits, allied with Vali's younger brother, Sugriv, who is now the King of Kishkindha, and apparently has his tight hold over the world's vanar population. They have, with some great blessing from Lord Varun, crossed the Indian Ocean, and after many offenses to us, had declared war on us. Imagine! Two hermits and the monkeys! It's like a children's book title!"

He paused again, as if deeply thinking (which everyone knew he did not have the capacity to do, but it was a good act nonetheless). "So they declared war, Kumbhakaran, and I was so sure. I was so confident, because truly, it was like a children's book, two hermits and a few monkeys. But these monkeys, they were unpredictable. They fought with boulders and rocks, and trees, and goodness knows what else. They were a shock, a surprise. We had gone in without expecting anything."

"They're good warriors. Even if the main population might not be, the army generals are good warriors. But ours are excellent! WIth some hidden unfair magic, they killed our soldiers, our generals, Akampana, Vajradamshtra, Dhumraksh...." Ravan trailed off, before shaking his head quickly and continuing. "Kumbhakaran, they killed Prahast!" Ravan inhaled a deep breath, His fingers trembled with the pressure, but Kumbhakaran just watched, with wide eyes, as for the first time, his brother seemed weak, almost having lost the spark that he had seen since they grew up.

"So, bhaiyya," Kumbhakaran treaded carefully, not entirely unsure that his brother wouldn't kill him too, after banishing Vibhishan. "If the trouble is all the dead warriors, then why can't we just return Sita? Won't the enemy retreat, and won't everything be alright? Not only will we be rid of the sin we have committed, taking someone else's wife, but the war will also be over, now won't it?"

He was the only one who had opted to the 'Reasonable' function that day. Ravan still went for his regular. 'Ego so high, it was taller than Lakshman'. "Are you kidding me?" Ravan roared, his eyes bloodshot all over, the nerves, bright red and worm like, crawling over the whites of his eyes. "That would be a direct insult to my pride! One more proposition like Kumbhakaran, and you sound like Vibhishan. Are you willing, Kumbhakaran, to fight for our side? Are you willing to defend Lanka from this siege?"

Kumbhakaran sat up. His eyes, too blazed. He had always been the one who looked up to Ravan when Surpanakha was up to her own exploits, and Vibhishan loitered around, often tailing their father. Kumbhakaran listened to Ravan, did everything he said, and they were the closest of the four, the power brothers, crafty and brawny. There would never be a day, the villagers and ashram dwellers said, that he would disobey his brother's command. Well, that day hadn't quite come yet.

"I am readier than I ever was, bhrata. Bhrata, I exist only to serve you, and this mighty city of Lanka, this mighty land blessed, even, by the Gods. If even one speck on this shining city of gold has been tarnished, one tiny fleck, then I shall rise, and the wrath of Kumbhakaran will swallow and destroy anything which has dared touch this place! I am your dutiful brother, warrior, and defender, bhrata!" Kumbhakaran stood up, and the floor shook, but kept steady.

"Two hermits have done it, have they? Two hermits, and the entire monkey population of the world? Well, bhrata, soon, you shall be roasting their flesh over the largest bonfire Lanka has ever seen, soon you shall be pouring their blood into silver goblets. Just, tell me bhrata, what are their names?"
Ravan exhaled, his fangs shimmering in the lazy evening light, as finally, the words he had been yearning to hear for so long reached his ears. "Ram, and Lakshman."

-----O-----

"Prabhu Shri Ram!" Ram woke up with a jolt, rubbing his eyes. Finally, he had gotten some sleep after the meeting, and it was broken, though not unwelcomely. His breath was still unsteady, and his heart still beat out of his chest from the dream, and he quickly sat up, sprinkling some of the water he kept in a pot beside him, on his face, to rid himself of the memories. Sita was getting captured all over again, and he could see her hanging above a boiling pot, flames sparking under the copper base, as rakshasas around her cheered.

"Raghav!" she had shrieked, struggling around in the rope which held her above the bubbling water, rising higher by the minute. "Save me!" Ram could not get in. He felt as if he too stood in the room, waving his arms, trying to get her down, but his presence was not there. No one else saw him, and Sita hadn't either. He was helpless. He couldn't do anything. All he could yell was 'Sitae!' as if that would help anything.

He was pulled out of his memories after another call of "Prabhu Shri RAAAM-" by a newly insistent Angad. Ram's eyelids drooped, but still, he set aside his straw mat, even though it was barely one o' clock in the morning. With a sigh, he looked at the straw mat beside him, thinking he should wake up Lakshman too, except there was no Lakshman, and there was no straw mat, and more importantly, yet again, there was no Lakshman.

Ram grumblingly trudged towards where the lantern blinked alive, the sparks dancing in the faint light of the bluish, shivering morning. Flicking open the flaps to the tent, he came to a halt as all the monkey generals sat there, gathering around the table, Vibhishan right at the middle. Suddenly, he was awake, wrapping his quiver around his chest and grasping his bow. "I'm here," he began, his voice still throaty from the early morning, but strong.

Hanuman looked up, and quickly gestured for Ram to sit down as they all stood up with respect. "Prabhu!" he cried. "Vibhishan sir has brought us both good news and bad. We are eternally apologetic for waking you up in the middle of the morning, but...." he trailed off, glancing at Vibhishan, and flexing his wrists. "Vibhishan sir said that it was very important. Nothing that I cannot eliminate though!" Sugriv slapped his back encouragingly.

"It's just that, nothing we haven't considered before, but how should we defeat Kumbhakaran?" Vibhishan wondered, his face even paler in the light, his voice faint as the lantern flickered some more, as if unsure if it should stay lit as silence followed his words. "And if we can, how can we prepare ourselves? Kumbhakaran will storm the fields tomorrow, unless Ravan releases one of his sons instead, like a pig to the slaughter. We cannot forever avoid the inevitable. The truth is, Kumbhakaran can, and will crush us, just like a teabag."

Angad and Sugriv exchanged a glance. Jal suddenly looked slightly ill at the prospect of losing her brother, her king, her crown prince, and her betrothed all at once, and Nal rubbed her back, gritting his teeth, as Neel put his head in his hands. The air was, more than tense, helpless. It was as if they were marching towards their own death.

Any female vanars who had tagged along (which were not many, for unless they were unmarried, they had elders and children to take care of), clapped their hands to their mouths. They had everything to lose, not only their own lives, but their entire families, their breadwinners, their fathers, hubands, brothers, everyone. Ram stared at this scene, and something didn't sit well with him, this hopelessness.

Finally, he sensed that comforting presence of Lakshman beside him after feeling empty for a long while, and realized that he was the only one who could save this atmosphere. "Look," Ram began. "Kumbhakaran is large. But weren't all the rakshasas whom we defeated? What about all the elephants and horsemen? What of the army? It was large, but we killed so many, didn't we? If Kumbhakaran's strength is in mass, then ours is in numbers!"

Hanuman suddenly stood up, schooching his potato sack behind him. "I don't understand how we can just lose hope so easily!" he cried, waving his arms around. "If anything, we have me, and I can change sizes, unless you didn't realize, and besides! We have Prabhu Shri Ram! Who defeated Ravan, and will most certainly do it again! And imagine, if we, the army who has defeated Prahast, Akampana, Vajradamshtra, are quivering, then imagine how the rakshas army would be doing!"

Angad grinned, thumping his fist on the table and standing up himself. "Kumbhakaran is nothing compared to us! Absolutely nothing! He'll be as drop-jawed as ever when he sees the single ant turn into a swarm, crawling up his body and puncturing his heart! A bullet ant's sting hurts more than a sword cutting a limb!"

Sugriv, gritting his teeth, stood up again, taking the floor. "HOW DARE ALL YOU underestimate yourselves?!" he roared. "Do you know the sheer amount of demons we've defeated? There is one giant, but there are thousands of us! Thousands!"

"And once this is all done," Neel piped up excitedly, squeezing Nal's shoulder. "I could tell a long story about it to someone."

Ram grinned at Lakshman, who found it somewhere, in his highly guarded heart, to smile slightly, nodding along. Everything would be okay.

Bonus Scene

Lakshman just returned from bringing wood from the forest. As he entered the tent, the hospital tent also backing up as the meeting tent, dust and small pebbles rained down as the wood rattled. He glanced up at the roof confusedly as Nal walked up, grabbing the logs he had taken. "Lakshman bhaiyya," he began. "Why do you work so much? We have thousands of volunteers to help. Of course, we're not complaining, you bring more wood in one go then ten of them do combined, but...." he trailed off.

Lakshman laughed, on the inside. "You've killed thousands of rakshasas! You're probably weary and tired and hungry, and angry. I've barely done anything, though I spent my entire childhood preparing for some great war, except eliminating the preliminary rakshasas, and Virupaksh at the beginning. When I don't fight, I figured the chores are mine to take on, right?" Nal paused. "Oh don't worry, Maa Sumitra always insisted that I should help Shatru with his chores even if it was his turn, and he never helped me."

Nal pursed his lips as Neel approached, grabbing half of the logs. "He's never helped me this much before. He helped, but not nearly as much." Nal said, pointing towards where Neel walked away, setting the wood against the wall and walking back to help him again, his tail bouncing this way and that. "Love changes you, I guess."

Lakshman hummed. Flashes of Urmila's face passed through his mind. "Yes, he murmured. "I guess it does."

A/N-It is I! Mochi the great! Back with slowburning! Okay, promise, this will be OVER in 3 chapters! The next chapter, Kumbhakaran dies! DIES! Promise! (insert depressed face). 

By the way, you all thought that Angad was truly third wheeling. You took Lakshman's word for it....Interesting....