MIRAGE OF HEARTSTRINGS

SEALED PAGE OF LIFE

There is a pin drop comfortable yet awkward silence in the hall as duryodhana sat on the chair beside yudhishtir while the other four cook the breakfast. Now, as much as duryodhana want this silence, it just can't be so he just look at the glass of water in his hand while yudhishtir look outside the big window towards the garden.

"you really injured yourself just for a reaction"

The is the first sentence that came from yudhishtir's mouth after a while of awkward silence as duryodhana internally sighed before shrugging, saying "thought there could be other ways to get a reaction too" making yudhishtir turn his head towards duryodhana to say "and the only thing you came up with this idea of injuring yourself?"

Rolling his eyes, duryodhana let out a annoyed sigh while saying "it is just a small cut, the blood flow made it look like a big injury"

"your health-"

"my health is fine, it should not concern you and you don't need to worry about it so leave it!!" Duryodhana said, almost yelling but he has doubt if anyone in the rasoighar heard his yell judging by the loud sound of sizzling of vegetables as he left the chair immediately, going upstairs only to find himself cornered to the pillar as yudhishtir's one hand grabbing his own while other on his shoulder. Leaning foward, yudhishtir touched his forehead to duryodhana's ones, wanting to check the temperature as he mutter "your body is burning again"

"leave me!!" Duryodhana grit out, pushing yudhishtir by his chest from his free hand as he stormed towards the garden leaving yudhishtir standing who look at his hand (the one that was grabbing duryodhana's) before going back to his chair to sit down while duryodhana is outside.

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Storming to the garden, duryodhana grabbed the nearest wall of the corner, taking support as he coughs feeling pain in his chest increasing by each cough until blood spurted out from his mouth making him wipe the blood from the corner of his lips before looking at his hand which has his blood, glaring at it.

For real, he does not even know how did he get this disease or is it even a disease, poison or whatever it is? From the time when he got to know about his worse the first thing he did was to go to ved ji for cure but to his astonishment even ved ji couldn't found out what is wrong inside him except the only sentence that his health is getting worse from inside while outside has no reaction to it.

He didn't even told anyone, not even his friends neither his parents nor his brothers and they are the last person he wants to get worried for him but it seems he should had told anyone..........maybe his mamashree as he knows about almost everything, who knows he could had found a cure of it though it seems by now with his condition, it is too late.

Standing for some more time, duryodhana felt the burn and pain in his chest calming down a little while the coughs gone as he look around to clean the blood from his hand until his eyes caught a bucket filled with rainwater, though it is not fully cleaned but still it would work for duryodhana who cleaned his hand with that water before going inside.

"Are you okay?"

Duryodhana hear a voice calling him as soon as he went inside as he look up to find it is Nakula with a plate full of food in his hand while a concerned expression on his face as he look at duryodhana's and the tied injury in his arm, back and forth.......maybe because duryodhana's face has gone pale again after coughing so much blood.

Nodding duryodhana look at the food as nakula says "it is yours, we are going to-"

"thanks but I will take it" Duryodhana muttered taking the plate from nakula's hand before going upstairs to his room to eat after closing the door from inside.

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"what happened to him? What's with that sudden behaviour change?"

"yeah, what was the problem with eating here?"

"maybe he does not want to, his choice"

"yeah but still, we literally helped him and cooked for him"

"he also cooked for us"

"today, sahadeva seems to be determined to support him no matter what"

"it is not like that!"

"yeah - yeah"

"can we just focus on eating right now?"

"shh, don't disturb bhrata bhima"

"No one will say anything"

"nope!"

"You three!"

The four Pandavas bicker among themselves while laughing and eating unknown to their elder brother's dismay.

Yudhishtir glares at his left hand which suddenly grabbed duryodhana's hand to stop him at that time as he pushed duryodhana to the pillar behind by his other hand creating a loud thump sound and he knows, might duryodhana's body is good but his action definitely worsen duryodhana's health more otherwise duryodhana wouldn't had gone to garden instead of his own room.

Why did he even did such an intrusive action in the first place? But one thing is sure, there was an unfamiliar disappointment that came inside him when he found out that duryodhana's health is again getting worse, though after realising his action, he didn't dared to go behind duryodhana who was angry at that time, which definitely didn't affected him but his own action did.

IN AFTERNOON

"I think so too"

"yeah, that was a cool one"

"yup"

The four walk walk through the corridor as the door of their youngest brother and duryodhana is closed making them think they are still resting so they didn't disturbed any of them until they found sahadeva frantically looking for something or more like someone in the hall with a worried expression on his face as arjuna asked gently "what happened sahadeva?" taking sahadeva's attention who look at them while saying "I...it was time to put the medicine as the morning one would be dry by now so......so I went to his room but.......but he is nowhere to be found"

The Pandavas frowned before realising about who sahadeva is talking about as they all also started looking for duryodhana everywhere but couldn't before they again gathered in the hall concerned yet thinking expression on their face making bhima groan who walk towards the garden while exclaiming "why do we need to find me? He is an adult beside it is good that he left-" bhima was about to continue until his eyes caught dried blood on the grass and plant as he asks "-whose blood is this?"

Though bhima is sure he knows the answer of this question and by looking at his brothers expression, it only got confirmed as sighed annoyed already before they all nodded, going outside the palace.

"for God's sake! Why did he even ran away?" Bhima grit out making others nod except yudhishtir while they all walk into the forest.

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