Travelling Worlds to Save Us (A Karna-Arjun story)

Disorientation

Pov: Karna from the world of darkness

'I cannot kill you.'

Karna thought he was hardly to blame that he was struck dumb for several minutes after that. It was so out of Arjun's character, he could hardly process it.

"So--" he said finally. "So you finally admit I am better than you. At least your death will not be unexpected."

"Of course you are better than me, jyes--K-King of Anga." 

Arjun seemed flustered. As he attempted to turn his face away, the tip of the arrow almost scratched his cheek.

Karna lowered it just a bit and waited.

"You don't need to fight me to death to prove you are better than me," said Arjun, and brightened. "I will tell everyone I am scared to fight you."

"What--what--is--wrong with you?"

"For heaven's sake put this thing away," said Arjun, waving away the arrow. "How do you expect me to talk with this in my face?"

Scowling, Karna complied. He kept his bow and arrow at the ready in case Arjun tried to flee. Of course Arjun would not flee like a coward.

But then, Arjun was not supposed to say he was afraid to fight Karna either.

Was he hallucinating? wondered Karna.

"Speak, then," he said.

"Yes." Arjun cleared his throat. "Look, I would do anything to stop the war."

"Why the hell would you do something like that?"

"I don't know if you know, King of Anga," said Arjun, looking at his feet. "We are brothers."

Karna was struck dumb yet again.

"Yes, I know," he managed at last.

"Do you think brothers should be killing each other?"

"It does not matter either way to me," said Karna, trying to sound indifferent. "We may be related by blood, but we are not brothers. I did not avoid killing the other four because I care for them in any way--"

Arjun looked up. Karna realized he should probably not have mentioned that he had spared Arjun's brothers' lives on the battlefield.

"Why did you avoid killing them, then?" asked Arjun.

"Because Kunti Maa requested me not to," said Karna stiffly.

Arjun's eyes widened.

"Don't run away with the idea she only requested for the four of them." Karna put as much contempt into his tone as he could. "But the part of the request concerning you was impossible to be granted."

"Not even if I make it known I accept you are superior?" There was something like a plea in Arjun's voice.

"Why would you do that?" said Karna, getting angry.

"I don't want to fight my brother."

"Brother?" shouted Karna, the innocence in his arch-rival's tone making him still madder. "How can you possibly feel we are brothers, Arjun? We have detested each other for years! For decades! What difference does this sudden revelation of our mother's make?"

Arjun blinked and dropped his eyes.

"None of you are my brothers. If anyone is, it is Duryodhan and Dussashan. One of whom your brother killed today like a savage set loose."

"I wish--" Arjun drew in a shaky breath. "I wish--I had been there to stop it."

"You were there! You were there on the same battlefield and you knew perfectly well Bheem was about to murder Dussashan!"