Hanuman soared like an eagle. He flew and leapt and pounced in midair. He reached heights no vanar had ever reached before. The giant mountain in his building arms stayed steady as he wound through clouds and around the birds who ventured north. The thin air started to thicken, and Hanuman inhaled desperately. "Finally, a breath of air that isn't diet. Diet air, I wonder who invented that."

The Sanjeevani booti snug in his arms, Hanuman had no reason to pause or stop at anything. The only problem? The sun was already starting to rise. The temperature had been freezing cold just a moment ago, but already he could feel a familiar warmth touch his oiled back, and Hanuman sighed. "Wow, you just have to make this hard for me, don't you Suraj sahb?"

Whirling around, he thrust the mountain into mid air, where it continued flying up. "Gravity, I'm putting my trust in you here," he muttered, before striking a superman pose and racing towards the sun.

The sun, which had just awoken from a deep slumber and knew nothing about what was happening, stretched its arms. "I am back!" Suraj cried. "I am back and I am looking forward to gracing you beings with my rays and-WNJADVDWJLAD what the heck is that?" For the first time in what felt like a very short time, Suraj was seeing Hanuman again, but this time, much bigger.

"You all are not supposed to grow that fast." Suraj grumbled, eying the muscles of the vanar with a slight tinge of nervousness. "But it's no matter, Suraj, just maintain your cool. Wait, is that even possible? Cool? Me?" Swallowing hard, he stood steadfast and continued rising, arms crossed defiantly. "I won't be intimidated by you, vanar!" he cried angrily.

This was very easy to say, unless Hanuman looked as if he was speeding towards you at 12442 miles per hour and looked very ready to punch you out of the sky and into the depths of Yama's abodes. The sun bobbed indecisively for a moment, but the moment Hanuman came within earshot, panicked. "Bad, bad, bad decision." he huffed, sinking back into the mountains and eying Hanuman from below venomously.

"Sorry, Dev Surya!" Hanuman called down into the shadows. "It's really nothing personal. Last time you looked like a fruit, and this time, Lakshman bhaiyya could die. You don't want Lakshman bhaiyya to die, do you? He could replace you with how bright his hair is, and the fierceness of his temper. We're acting in your best interest here. Just, stay there for some time, yeah?"

Without another thought or word, Hanuman started flying in the opposite direction once more. At this point, the mountain which he had thrown into the air had bumped into Mars and chipped off two large pieces (which started orbiting the planet), and was racing back down faster than Hanuman.

Lucky for the vanar, he was a whiz at the laws of physics, and according to eyewitness birds, caught the mountain with a single, unexpected hand before mimicking Clark Kent once more and starting his path back towards Lanka.

----O----

Hanuman flew through the skies at the speed of light. Not the clouds, not the birds, not even the wind itself could move with the speed he did. Lord Pawan was proud, in his heavenly home, as he watched his son fly. He was proud that his pawanputra was going to be a big reason that Shri Ram won the war, and who wouldn't be? Even the Gods, who always seemed to have godly things to do, watched the saga with rapt attention (Ganesh even brought popcorn).

And then, as Hanuman traveled through about the middle of the motherland, a sparkling city caught his eye. It sparkled, with its golden domes and metal-peaked buildings, despite the fact that not even one lantern was lit in it. Hanuman paused for a moment, staring at this city, which seemed so fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. "I wonder," he muttered. "I do wonder." And so, he touched down for a second, staring at the 'Welcome' Sign.

"Welcome to Ayodhya: The True Home of our Rightful King" Hanuman beamed, before flying back up. "Ayodhya has dimmed its lights in anticipation of Shri Ram! Goodness knows, whenever I go somewhere for a long time, Kishkindha doesn't do stuff like that. This is true love for a man! Jeez!"

In his mind, mini-Hanuman cleared his throat. "And while you're sightseeing, Hanuman, the actual Shri Ram is waiting for you. So chop chop like chop suey and get your tail flying again! Or else the lights in this city will never light again, and the sun will never rise and there may or may not be a human apocalypse that will be your fault."

Hanuman quickly rushed to gather up his mountain and soar up into the sky. "No time to travel, Hanuman," he muttered as he began flying again. "Lakshman bhaiyya is waiting for youuuuuu!"

----O----

Bharat, quite unaware of board certified superhumans eager to tour his kingdom, was pacing back and forth in front of the pond (which definitely existed before) worriedly. His bow and arrows were in hand, for he had been practicing. Bharat was always a worry-type of person. He worried about this, he worried about that.

He worried every time Shatrughan would pick up his paints, every time Ram bhaiyya would go out to face a rakshas, every time Lakshman did anything at all, because goodness knew that kid was a hazard to society and society felt the same way about him. But he worried a lot right now, for while Shatrughan slept soundly in his chambers, something kept panging at his heartstrings.

It was the type of feeling he had whenever Lakshman got injured (every week or so), so he thought it was just a common type of thing and didn't consult the palace health books (which would have suggested that the chest pain was probably an assassination attempt or a knife through the chest).

Speaking of rakshasas, they hadn't attacked Ayodhya for some time. Maa Kaushalya liked to say that it was because Ram bhaiyya had left behind a safety spell, but Bharat knew it was because Shatrughan was like a rakshas himself, and even rakshasas knew to respect their superiors.

A blinking red light distracted Bharat from his ever pessimistic thoughts, and his eyes snapped up to the sky, where a helicopter-like flashing bulb drifted. First thing to come to mind: rakshas. Of course. At the mention of the devil!

"WAIT, you DEMON!" Bharat shouted, and lifting his bow and arrow (conveniently there, don't ask). Before even allowing the demon to respond to his query like any polite prince, Bharat shot his arrow. The princes' arrows never missed, and neither did it this time, where it pierced the rakshas's arm and brought him to the ground, tumbling in little whirls like an Olympic diver.

Bharat rushed towards the scene, holding on tightly to the bow in one hand and his other hand clenched in a fist. As he neared the scene, he noticed something weird. Next to the fallen demon was a large mountain with sparkling herbs. He started to slow. Wait, he thought. Are those Sanjeevani herbs? SANJEEVANI? Those are legendary! Wow! I wonder how a demon even found them! They're getting smarter by the day, jeez. I didn't even know common rakshasas could be literate. Maybe they like reading Dickens too. We could start a little book club, and I could reform them into contributing members of the literary community! What a shining idea, Bharat, nothing could possibly go wro-

At this moment, Bharat stopped his geeking out, because he saw that he had shot down not a demon, but a vanar. The vanar, great in size and muscle, rolled around for a moment in agony, holding onto the arrow which pierced him in the bicep, with one hand, and clenching and unclenching the other hand.

"Oh God," Bharat murmured, gently kneeling by the vanar's side. "Forgive me, please forgive me. I thought you were a demon." He brought both hands to his head in remorse. "I'll try and get you treated at the royal infirmary. Goodness, we may have to call a physician, but he's away! And my skills have only degraded. Oh no. Ok, I'll wake up Shatru, maybe I should-no no no, um-"

"It's alright," Hanuman said, smiling. "I am Hanuman, son of Pawan. I shall be fine." WIth a wince, he pulled the arrow out of his arm and discarded it. The flesh immediately healed, and he twisted his arm to make sure it worked. "May I know who you are?" he asked, upon noticing a resemblance to Ram in the shape of eyes that Bharat had.

Bharat drew himself up, helping the vanar. "I am Prince Bharat, second son of Dasharath, from the Raghu clan. This is the Kingdom of Kosala, and you're in the capital city of Ayodhya." At this, Hanuman began to jump up and down rapidly, eyes the size of two round tables. Bharat watched him curiously. "No one's this excited to meet me. May I know what has recommended me to you?"

"You don't happen to have a brother named Ram, do you?" Hanuman asked breathlessly. Bharat nodded, without a word. "Then-then, you must know something about him. Erm-you'd better sit down first." He pushed Bharat down gently, before sitting down himself. "You know the demon king Ravan, right?" Bharat nodded again.

"Ravan had seen Devi Sita in the jungles. He grew to admire her, and captured her like the devil he is."

"Wait, he did WHAT?" Bharat yelled. Hanuman quickly shushed him.

"He kidnapped Devi Sita in his magical flying chariot after distracting Shri Ram and successfully bringing Lakshman bhaiyya away from the hut. He has imprisoned her in the Ashok Vatika of Lanka, where he intends to keep her until she marries him. She has stayed pious and pure, but Shri Ram and Lakshman bhaiyya were distraught. They looked everywhere for her, before coming to ally with the vanars of Kishkindha." Hanuman drew himself up. "That is where I came in. After helping our king, Sugriv, we went to search for Sita Devi. We found her, and asked repeatedly for Lankesh to let her go, but he refused."

"Of course he did," Bharat spat. "Demons are demons, and will remain so. His evils have been in the books forever. My father managed to stop him from entering this mainland, but his stronghold in Lanka is plenty of evil for this world on its own."

"We started a war," Hanuman said grimly. "And though many vanars and bears were slain and slaughtered, we killed many of his men as well. We killed Kumbha and Nikumbha and Atikeya and Kumbhakaran and all his heavenly sons. But Meghnad employed illusions. We are fair fighters, but vanars, bears, and mortals. We cannot match illusions when it comes to one-on-one fighting without being prepared. Not even-"

Hanuman paused, but worried, Bharat ebbed him on. "Not even who? Not even who, I ask?" He paused, fear dawning on him. "Who are you taking those herbs back for, Hanuman? Who? ANSWER ME!"

"Lakshman bhaiyya," Hanuman whispered. "Matched Meghnad up for so long. But a shakti astra always meets its mark. He could not match a shakti astra."

-----O-----

Hanuman was gone for some time, the sparkling red light growing dimmer and dimmer in the sky till it disappeared, but Bharat stayed frozen in the same spot for many more minutes. He stared at the wind which blowed the blades of grass back and forth and felt like ripping them up from the earth and throwing them into the pond. How dare they move and laugh and enjoy each other's company when his Lakshman was dying on a battlefield?

How dare the flowers still bloom and the night still go on and the stars still twinkle when his little brother was fighting for his life? Why did the water still ripple and the crickets still chirp when Lakshman's life was ebbing away? It wasn't right, it wasn't RIGHT, and Bharat, ever eloquent, could not find words.

He supposed he should have been prepared. It had happened so many times. Fate had warned him and his family so many times. But every single moment, Lakshman had gotten right back up. Through the scars and the injuries and the sad tears, Lakshman still stayed the same. How could he have been prepared for the death of a brother? A brother like Lakshman? Ram bhaiyya used to say that brothers like Lakshman should not be expected.

"What do I tell Maa Sumitra?" Bharat whispered, choking slightly on his words. "Who has sacrificed her son to care for Ram bhaiyya and Sita bhabhi? What do I tell Urmila? One more lady of the house wearing white." Bharat did not look up as he walked, and crashed into something.

"What happened?" Mandavi asked. Bharat blinked rapidly. His own wife. He couldn't show weakness right now.

"Gather everyone inside the courtyard," he said quietly. "Quickly." And sensible Mandavi, who always wanted to know, did not ask any questions. Her gaze lingered on his eyes for a moment, as if peering into his soul, before she turned around, and sprinted off. And as he watched his wife depart, Bharat couldn't help but feel that he was always the center of bad news in his family.

Wasn't this, even a little bit, his fault? Shouldn't he have left instead of Lakshman, he, who was the reason for this entire exile happening anyways? He should have left Lakshman to take care of Shatrughan, who slowly withered away in front of his eyes, better than he could have ever. He should have dragged his younger brother back from Chitrakut kicking and screaming and he should have known. Because Bharat knew everything, right?

-----O-----

Shatrughan knew that something terrible had happened. He usually wasn't sensitive to things like this, but he and the rest of the family had been gathered in the courtyard for some time, under the flickering lantern, waiting for Bharat. Bharat was always timely, but as he opened the doors, Shatrughan quickly became more and more worried as to the reason why he was so late. They stared at the man of the family as he shut the door behind him.

Kaushalya was the first to speak. "What is it, son?" she wondered, voice warm and unexpecting. "Something troubling you? Or, perhaps, something good? New additions to the family? Good news heard from Ram, maybe?" Her eyes sparkled as she exchanged an excited glance with Kaikeyi, who exhaled expectantly. "Don't delay, tell us now! You know how much we wish to hear of him."

"It's news," Bharat whispered, voice raw. "The demon king Ravan has captured Sita bhabhi-" Bharat closed his eyes as tiny little gasps met his news. "Ram bhaiyya and Lakshman have started a war on him with vanar soldiers. But Meghnad, son of Ravan, has shot Lakshman down in the battlefield. He's dying."

There was only silence. "Why would my son leave Sita to be captured?" Kaushalya asked, voice angry. "Has he failed his Ram bhaiyya? How could he do such a thing! How could it possibly-has he failed me? He promised never to leave Sita no matter what. No matter if he was about to die! How could he have? What illusion distracted him?"

"STOP IT!" Sumitra cried, standing up. "Lakshman made a promise to me! HE WOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT HER! He would never have! He wou-" here, she started to sob, collapsing back on her chair and running her hands through her hair. Shrutakirti held onto her arm, even as tears prickled the corners of her eyes.

Shatrughan stood up. "Bhaiyya," he said, voice cracking. "Look Urmila didi in her eyes and tell her that you speak the truth." Bharat looked away, but Shatrughan held onto his arms tightly. "DO IT! Look in the eyes of this lady who has waited thirteen years for her husband, and tell her that he is now almost dead! Only then will I believe you. Nothing would make my Lakshman bhaiyya die! NOTHING!"

Bharat stared at Shatrughan with the empty depths of his gray eyes, before looking at Urmila, whose lip quivered slightly. "Lakshman has been hit with the shakti astra." he said, again, shoulders slumped, face sagging as if he had aged years in seconds. "He is dying on the battlefield. He'll be dead by sunrise." Urmila collapsed onto the ground in a moment, eyes blank and unseeing, and shameful, Bharat looked away again.

An inhuman sound escaped Shatrughan's mouth as he stepped back, staring at the ground,and swallowing. He ripped the crown off of his head and threw it on the ground. "I don't care for this kingdom anymore," he sniffled. "I want my Lakshman bhaiyya back, to hold me and tease me and yell at me and chase me." He looked up at Bharat. "I want to go back, bhaiyya. I want to go home." His hands trembled. "Please."

"He won't die," Kaikeyi said, voice angry. She stood up. "Not as long as I live. So he has been exiled from Kosala. So? Kekeya is still alive and strong. And am I still not its princess? Don't I have an army to command? They'll be in Lanka by dawn, fear not! They'll find a way to save him! The brave hearts of my kingdom will do something!"

"Lanka!" Mandavi sobbed. "They're in LANKA! How will they reach by dawn? How?"

"I want-" Shrutakirti said. "I want my devars and my didi back. I won't ever ask for anything ever again. I'll wear commoner's clothes for the rest of my life and donate all of my riches to charity. I want Lakshman bhaiyya to make me pretty little carvings and read stories out to me again. I just want to see this family happy again."

Among them, Urmila sat. Ever silent.

A/N-So I've finally started writing. And then I realized as I started, that I couldn't stop? So the chapter was a little longer than it was supposed to be. But WORRY NOT! There shall be more chapters surrounding Ayodhya! Maybe! I don't know!