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

Never let you go again

Pov: Arjun from the world of light

For a few minutes, Arjun could only stare at the blood on his brother's body. It was positively covered in blood; he could not imagine what kind of blow could have inflicted such a strange sort of injury.

Arjun took tentative steps forward when he realized Karna was not about to speak.

"Jyesht? Are you all right? What happened to you?"

"You tell me," snarled Karna.

He had never seen his older brother look so mad. His heart sank.

"Why--why are you bleeding so much?" persisted Arjun, too distraught to dwell on Karna's anger. "Didn't your armour protect you?"

"The armour is exactly the thing for which he is bleeding." A voice that mirrored his own--Arjun from this world--had spoken from the chariot. "Your brother had to exchange his armour for that swine Takshak to open the link between the two worlds to sort out the mess you created."

The way the imposter spoke of his brother instantly made Arjun feel jealous. But even more than that--he felt sick with remorse. And nothing would assuage the remorse till his brother stopped glaring at him. 

Taking a calming breath, he decided that apologizing would be the best way out.

"I am sorry, jyesht, I am horribly sorry--I should have listened to you--"

"You're sorry?"

Karna backed away as Arjun reached to hold him, which was when the latter realized he was truly in for it.

"I'm sorry--please don't be mad," Arjun cried. "Please forgive me, jyesht, I promise I will never--"

His voice cracked. He gave up and waited for the storm to break over his head.

Pov: Karna from the world of light

Just before Karna could start shouting, he found that Arjun's chin was trembling, and then the unspoken rebukes died in his throat.

Then he could only concentrate on pulling his brother into his arms and squeezing him close before his tears could fall.

"Jyesht," sobbed Arjun. 

"Don't worry." But Karna could not claim that his voice was steady either.

It felt like a miracle to finally have Arjun, his Arjun in his arms. He had not realized how much he had feared he might never get the privilege again. 

Karna ran his hands over his brother's hair to make sure he was real, and looked into his eyes to make sure this one truly was his own Arjun, who did not look at him with hate or indifference or confusion. He only looked at him with love. The kind of love only family could have for each other. 

Arjun clung to him.

"If you hadn't opened the link, I would have had to fight--to kill--I could never--" he said convulsively. "And Takshak--your armour--it hurt horribly, didn't it, jyesht? Does it hurt horribly?"

"Not all that much," Karna lied point blank.

Arjun kept apologizing over and over, but his words could hardly be made out for tears. Karna rubbed his back, trying to calm him down, murmuring that it was all right, it was all right, that he forgave him and nobody would say anything about this anymore.

"I will never defy you again, jyesht."

Karna realized he was smiling. "Yes, we'll see about that." 

He is such a infernal idiot. 

But he is my idiot to shield from the world.

**************

A/N: Deliberately kept this chapter super short because I didn't want to dilute it.