SMARTALECK PRODUCTIONS

Destiny

By arun<arundude1@yahoo.com> <arun2110@sancharnet.in>

Chapter07 <Originally completed on 11/14/2001>
<REVISION #1>

This is a Ranma 1/2 - Sailor Moon crossover with
certain aspects of Ramayana.

Disclaimers:

Rumiko Takahashi and Shogukkan own Ranma and the cast
members of Ranma 1/2. Rumiko Takahashi is one of the
most brilliant people to walk on the face of this
earth. We the fans of the anime world are forever
indebted to her for giving us Ranma and co. Thank you
Rumiko Takahashi for bringing laughter back into our
lives.

Naoko Takeuchi, Toei animation and KODANSHA, owns
sailor Moon and its characters.

I do not own the characters of both these shows, nor
do I even pretend to own them. This work of fiction is
but a tribute to the above anime shows.

Guys:

/.../ indicates Tamil translations and //...//
indicates phonetic translation of the same language.

Author's notes:

Okay, here is the seventh chapter. For those of you
who are looking for Ranma or the Sailors this chapter
is going to be a disappointment to all of you.

This chapter strictly deals with Raja Chola's
childhood and why he wants to destroy everything. And
please don't ask me why there are no senshi. There
aren't any.

The way that I have presented it, Queen Serenity, the
first, waged a civil war to unite the kingdoms of the
solar system and she did it through war and diplomacy.
Now, this means that humans had already colonised the
planets long before the Silver Millennium. And most
importantly, the Silver Millennium was the result of
order establishing itself among the chaos after the
planets had been colonised.

There is more, Chola lived long before the
establishment of the Silver Millenium. In fact, he was
born centuries before the first planet, other than the
Earth, of course, was even colonised. So, there will
be no sailor suited soldiers of justice in this
chapter because there did not exist any.

This chapter is just to show the reason behind Chola's
ambition to destroy everything. The subject will be
fully explained in this chapter and the two
sidestories that are related to his story.

Thank you. As usual C&C are welcome.

Now, on with the story...

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

He was happy. He was happy at last.

There were no more of those terrible slavers chasing
after him to take him back into bondage. The horrors
that he had suffered... he had been beaten, sodomized
and all for what? Why did people judge him by his
caste name? Why?

Was he not like them? Did he not have love, pain,
sadness and hope? Why did they have to treat him so?
Did he not deserve their love? Was he not innocent?

There were countless other questions,, but young
Chandran's mind was too tired. He had been running
from those slavers for nearly two weeks,, after all.
Two weeks during which he had ate once and even then
only little, and slept even less., but finally, he had
thrown them off his tracks and he was happy for that.

There was no way he was going back to his old life.
He'd rather die then let things go back to the way
they had been. And by the look of things, it appeared
that he would die of starvation in the forest. His
limbs were too weak to carry him any further. He was
not saddened by the fact that he was going to die,
though... He had his freedom, after all.

With a little smile that seemed so alien on his dirt
and grime filled face, Chandran pulled the twigs over
himself and waited for the loving embrace of Emma to
welcome him into death's hold.

Light faded and he was barely aware of the sound of
footsteps approaching him. For a minute, he was afraid
that it was the slavers,, but then he decided that it
did not matter anymore. He was going to die, but he
had won in the end. They may have found him, but he
was too far-gone to survive.

With a bright smile, Chandran embraced the loving hug
of Morpheus...

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

Sundar whistled to himself.

It was a wonderful day, he admitted to himself,,
though he would be loath to admit it to anyone else,
least of all, _her_. He had the tough guy image to
nurture,, after all.

He did not mind picking figs when she was with him.
Even the most womanly of tasks looked so manly when
she was near him. True, his friends and guru would
tease him to no end,, but he would bear it all.
Anything for her, he had always told himself, and it
would always be that way till the day he would die.

It was spring, and the trees were in full bloom.
Nature was making love with the sun, it seemed to
one's eyes, and loving every minute of it, if the
multi-colored flowers and fruits were any indication.

It is almost as beautiful as she is, he mused happily
to himself.

*Geetha...*

The day was fast approaching when he would confront
her father for the right for her hands in marriage. He
was sure that her father would agree. He was a most
_agreeable_ man after having downed a peg or two.

Normally, Sundar would have been worried about losing
face if he were to use such a dishonorable method, but
as they said 'All was far in love and war'. He was in
love and God be damned, he would marry the girl that
he was in love with.

Lost in his dreams, he did not sense Geetha
approaching him from behind.

Thwap!

*The girl knows how to use that cane of hers
effectively!* he thought irritatedly.

The irritation did not last long as the sound of her
sweet laughter filled his ears.

/What is it 'undar?/ she asked in that teasing tone of
hers that he found so irresistible. /Cat got your
tongue and your mind?/ she laughed as she dashed into
the woods.

He extended his senses. There was no one near them for
quite some distance. Maybe they could have some time
alone, after all.

He smiled and gave chase.

The girl could run. She had trained in the arts for
ten years and he expected no less from her. She was no
match for him, though, and he was soon at her neck.

She turned around and saw him at her heels. She
laughed, her milk white teeth reflecting the rays of
the sun and increased her speed.

Sundar stumbled and almost fell. Her beautiful face,
he could withstand,, but her ample breasts bouncing up
and down - that, he definitely could not.

Righting himself, he bounced off a tree trunk and
within seconds had his arms around her waist.

She was breathing a little heavily, partly because of
nervousness, and partly because of the run. As soon as
he grabbed her, she could not contain her mirth and
burst out laughing.

With animalistic strength, Sundar turned her around
and pushed her against the tree. Their eyes met and
the world seemed to freeze around them.

/I.../ she begun, but did not finish.

His lips met hers and they kissed in a frenzy borne of
lust and love.   Geetha melt into the kiss, her tongue
melding with his. It lasted for the longest minute
until they parted, gasping for fresh air.

/I love you,/ she mouthed and he smiled gently back,
his eyes telling what his mouth and pride would never
allow him to tell.

Sundar grabbed her hands in his, but she withdrew and
slipped out of the hold.

/Catch me,/ she laughed and ran deeper into the woods.

He was only happy to oblige, chasing her through the
bushes. Once in a while, he would catch up with her
and they would kiss, his hands trailing across the
contours of her body.

/Hahahaha! You.../ she gasped in-between breaths.
/You, Sundar are in so much trouble./

He smiled and turned her around, pulling her back
closer to his body. /Not in as much trouble as you
are,/ he said and kissed her neck, kneading her
breasts through her dress at the same time.

Geetha turned her head around to face him and groaned
into him. With a desperation borne out of the need for
release, he pushed her towards the biggest trunk that
he could lay his eyes on, all the while kissing her
for all he was worth.

Geetha melted into the kiss, her arms circling around
his neck. She almost missed feeling that softness that
she had stepped upon, but the groan did not escape
her. It had not come from the two of them.

She broke the kiss and looked to the ground. The pile
of twigs looked like any she had seen in her life, but
with one major difference - there was a hand sticking
out of it.

/Oh, God!/ she screamed and pointed at the hand. She
felt faint at the sight of it. What kind of monster
would leave a child to die in the middle of the
forest?

Sundar followed her hands and he took a step back in
horror. When the initial shock was gone, he approached
the mound and cleared away the twigs.

It was a boy of about seven years,, though he looked a
lot thinner than that. He felt the boy's neck for a
pulse and was surprised to feel one. He lifted the
half-naked child into his arms and gestured to her.

/He's alive, Geetha,, though I don't know how much
longer he will stay that way. Come on, we have to get
him to the shaman,/ he said, his voice ripe with
urgency.

Geetha nodded. She looked at the boy and her eyes
widened.

/He's... He's a.../

/He's a slave. Yeah! I know, Geetha. Right now, we
don't have time to worry about it. I want you to run
in front and tell the shaman to be ready for us./

Without a second glance, Geetha bounded off into the
woods, her speed greater then it had been before.

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

/He's coming to,/ whispered a voice.

Chandran opened his eyes and then closed it fast. The
light in the hut, though not bright by any standard,
was glaring to his eyes. He could not believe how
incredibly thirsty he was.

//Thanee?// he asked in a hoarse whisper.

/Here you go, little one,/ said a second voice, this
one older then the one he had heard before as a pair
of hands proffered him the drink.

He tried to sit up, but failed miserably, falling back
onto the pillow. A gentle hand lifted his head up and
offered him the water. He drank it greedily.

/Easy there, little one,/ said the second voice.

Chandran opened his eyes a little. The light was not
as glaring this time around. He searched for the face
of the woman who was showing him this much kindness.
His eyes, however, were not still quite accustomed to
the light and had difficulty focusing on anything.

/Where am I?/ he asked between gulps of water.

/You are in the little hamlet of Kulathoor lad. I am
Poornima, the village shaman. You were found near
death three weeks ago in the forest. Mind telling me
how you got there?/

Chandran stared at her blankly as she spoke. His eyes
clouded with fear when she asked him the question
however, as, though he was remembering a nightmare.

/Slavers... I was running away from them,/ he murmured
in reply.

/Good enough. Now, does that beautiful face of yours
come with a name or.../

Chandran argued with himself. He did not want to tell
them his name; it had been the cause of so much pain
to him. *Maybe, they too would hate me if I told them
my name?*

He shook his head in denial. /I do not remember what
my name is,/ he lied.

Poornima nodded.

Chandran tried to rise up, but Poornima held him back.

/Easy, little one. You are still fully recovered. You
should rest till you get all better,/ she said and
pressed a point on his neck. The boy's struggles
ceased and he drifted to sleep.

Poornima rose up and walked out of the hut. Outside, a
wizened old man who was pacing back and forth stopped
when he saw her. /How fares the boy?/ he asked.

/Better... He is strong, that one. I am still
surprised by the speed at which he is pulling
through,/ she replied, walking side by side with him.
/He just gained consciousness,/ she announced.

The man stopped in his tracks and looked at her. /This
soon?/ he asked, making no effort to mask his
surprise. /I would have expected him to be unconscious
for another week at the least,/ he said looking at her
quizzically.

/Don't look at me. I am just as surprised as you are./

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and followed.
/What did he say?/

/He says that he does not remember his name. I could
feel that he was lying,, but I did not press the
issue. He was running away from slavers just as we had
thought, though,/ she said, her eyes narrowing in
concern.

/We have no reason to fear from them. They are fools
and one of our warriors can take out hundreds of them
any given day./

/True, but.../

/But what, Poornima? The 'king' is strong and so is
the kingdom. Do you think that we have anything to
fear from the likes of scum such as them?/ he asked.

The shaman shook her head. /No, I don't.
Nevertheless.../

The old man just shook his head and kept on walking.
No one could ever shake Poornima out of her beliefs
once she had made up her mind. *Much like a young man
I once knew of!* he mused to himself.

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

The next day...

Poornima could not believe her eyes. The boy's
recovery rate was astounding. She doubted whether even
the Gods could recover as fast as he did. He had
scarcely been able to sit upright the day before, and
today there he was playing with the other children in
the village square.

She had been perplexed by his recovery,, but that was
before she had looked into his aura. She had given his
aura an once over before,, but that had been to see
whether the boy's life-force was permanently damaged
by his ordeal or not. She regretted her mistake now.
If only she had known of the boy's potential...

Now, Senthil Kumaran had the boy for his apprentice.
It was a pure waste of potential, she decided. What
was the boy going to do with the knowledge of warfare
anyway? The kingdom hadn't had any enemies for over
three centuries!

So lost in her thoughts was she that she did not
notice the very same Senthil Kumaran siding up to her.

/Remarkable boy, isn't he?/ asked the middle aged
warrior, startling Poornima out of her dreams.

/What did you say?/ she asked, embarrassed that she
had not been paying attention to her surroundings.

Senthil smiled in amusement. He would make sure that
the entire village knew of the shaman's mistake before
the sun set for the day.

/I said that Raja Chola is a remarkable boy,/ he
reiterated, referring to Chandran by the name that the
village elders had given him.

/Yes, he is. What are you looking at?/ she asked
feigning anger at his evident amusement.

/Nothing,/ replied the warrior, though his eyes told a
different tale. The mirth in them was evident. /It's
just that... Oh, boy! I did it again./

*Great Kumara, you managed to set her off once again
for the thirty-seventh, no... The fortieth time this
week!*

It was no secret that the village's premier shaman and
the premier warrior were always at each other's
throats. It provided the inhabitants of the hamlet
with good entertainment and the village elders did not
seem to mind as long as the damage created by their
fights were minimal.

/I look funny, do I?/ roared the shaman, her aura
sparkling to life and assuming the image of a demon
from the deepest pits of hell.

Several of the villagers who had gathered to watch the
spectacle screamed. No matter how many times they had
seen her use that technique, it still scared some out
of their wits.

Senthil Kumaran, premier warrior of the village, son
of Muthuraman, grandson of Veerapan, husband to Sita
and father of two, stood with a detached look on his
face and yawned. He had learnt long ago that focusing
on the shaman during one of her outbursts was not
healthy or good for one's health. He had barely lived
through the week of teasing from every single man and
woman in the village after he had made a run for the
hills when he had focused his attention on her aura
the first time. How as he to know that the aura attack
looked fearsome from a distance, but its true terror
manifested only at close quarters?

The yawn had the effect of snapping Poornima out of
the particular state of mind needed to use the
technique and the demon faded out of existence.

Senthil folded his arms across his chest and struck
out his tongue. /Poorni, you see that little girl over
there, well, you have got a flatter chest then her!/
he announced self-righteously and stuck out his tongue
at her once again for full measure.

Most of the villagers who had been looking at the
fight fell to the ground howling with laughter.

/Pida,/ Senthil added insult to injury with the
tongue.

Before Poornima could rein in her temper and gain
control of her mind, Senthil had kissed her on her
lips and had walked off into the rising sun. Hurt and
humiliated by what had happened, she hefted the
nearest and heaviest object that she could find - the
village priest - and threw him at his disappearing
form.

In the sidelines, Raja Chola looked at his newest
friend, Anita and whispered, /Are they always like
this?/

The girl shook her head and for just a moment, Raja
Chola thought that he was going to lead a normal life.
/No, they are usually much worse./

/Oh!/

Thus, Raja Chola's first day in the tribe was spent.

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

//Yaa-dhum Oor-ay! //Yaa-va-rum Kae-leer! //Thee-dhum
nan-drum pi-ra-dha-ra-vaa-ra //No-dhal-um
tha-ne-thal-um ava-troor-anna //Saa-tha-thal-um
poedu-va-thu an-drae! //Vaal-vil inna-thei-n-ral-um
ella-mae...// he guru continued to teach, his words of
wisdom falling on twenty pairs of deaf ears.

Raja Chola had decided that he could live with school
life after the first day. After all, he had his friend
Anita to keep him company. What more could a boy ask
for, anyway?

/Chola.../ spoke the guru for the tenth time.

/Huh! What did you say, guru?/ asked Chola, slightly
embarrassed that he had been caught daydreaming.

/I asked you to tell in your own words what you think
of the song./

/Oh!/ he replied feebly. *I wasn't paying attention.
You know that as well as I do, so why ask me?* he gave
the guru, _the look_.

The guru waited for another minute, which was filled
with pregnant silence.

/Well _Raja Chola?_/

/Er.../

The guru sighed. /Alright, have it your way. Go and
stand in the sun./

The boy moved into the sun, wishing that the whispers
would die down. They did not.

/Anita?/

/Yes, guru?/

/What do you think of the poem?/ asked the guru.

/I think that the poem is beautiful by virtue of its
meaning and the words used. I think that the idea that
the whole world is our home is wonderful and that the
other truths in the poem.../ she droned on.

Chola did not pay as much attention to her words as he
paid to the way that her lips moved. It was the most
beautiful sight that he had ever seen and it made his
heart beat faster.

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

Kick.

Slash.

Block.

Dodge.

Strike.

Block.

Chola's opponent was fast,, but he was nowhere as fast
as Chola, even, though he was five years Chola's
senior in training and in age. Even at the very young
age of thirteen, Chola was one of the best fighters of
the younger generation in the village. His strategic
and tactical sense was impeccable and he was expected
to be succeed Senthil Kumaran when the older warrior
retired.

Watching from the sidelines, it was apparent to
Senthil who was going to win the fight. Chola's
opponent may have experience on his side, but he was a
league behind Chola in terms of skill and in almost
every other department.

It was also apparent that Chola was playing with him,
rather then striking the finishing blow. The fight was
very similar to a cat playing with its food, namely a
mouse.

Senthil clapped once. The two combatants stopped the
fight and stood in attention before him.

/What have I told you about finishing the fight,
Chola?/ asked the elder warrior.

Chola did not answer. He did not need to answer, for
Senthil knew what he was thinking. The years of
bondage at the hands of the slavers had left lasting
impression on the young fighter., though he practiced
the art and took to it like a fish to water, he was
staunchly against fighting others with the intention
to hurt. Moreover, the boy spoke very little, save for
to the few people who had, through time, succeeded in
breaking the barriers that the boy had erected around
himself.

/Fight me,/ was all the warning Chola got before his
guru attacked him.

The assault looked and felt different from the other
times that Chola had sparred with the older man. This
time, the blows had a sting to them and it was clear
that the older man was not holding back in his
assault.

/Fight me, Chola. Fight me or die!/ warned the older
man as flesh met flesh in brilliant display of skill.

Chola had neither the skill nor the power to defend
himself, and the blows began to rain down on him with
increasing frequency. The boy grunted under the force
of the blows,, but refused to defend himself actively.

/Fight me, God dammit!/ shouted Senthil as he
delivered a particularly brutal kick to the boy's
mid-section.

Chola was launched into the air and flew several feet
before hitting the ground. Senthil had held back his
full strength and speed in fear of hurting the boy too
seriously until then,, but his patience was starting
to wear thin.

The boy got to his feet unsteadily and wiped the blood
from his lips with one hand, while clutching his
stomach with another. His whole body reflected the
pain that he was under, but he still refused to fight
his guru with the intent to hurt.

His defenses were virtually non-existent as Senthil
began to pummel him once more. /Fight, Chola,/ he
screamed.

The boy shook his head in the faintest of gestures.

*What have I got to do to make you fight back?*
thought Senthil. It was clear that beating the boy
senseless would accomplish nothing. He withdrew and
scanned the crowd that had gathered around. He saw
Anita in the crowds and inspiration struck him.

He walked towards her and pulled her out of the crowd
by her arms.

Slap!

Anita's hands went to her cheeks. Her left side of her
face was already reddening from the slap.

Slap!

This time, the blow managed to draw some blood from
her lips. Tears began to brim in her eyes.

*Why isn't the boy responding?* thought Senthil as he
drew back his arm to slap the girl once more. The girl
looked at him with pleading eyes. Not wanting to look
at her, he turned his gaze away from her. The arm came
to rest, poised to strike at a moments notice.

/Leave her alone bastard.../ was all the warning
Senthil got before Chola was upon him, arms and feet
moving at supersonic speeds. A brilliant aura of red
burned around the teenager as he struck, blinded by
anger.

Senthil avoided the blows easily and backhanded the
berserk boy. The boy hit a coconut tree trunk and
drifted into unconsciousness.

/I beg forgiveness for hitting you,/ apologized
Senthil before gathering Chola and walking off towards
the shaman's house. The people gave him a wide berth
and let him pass.

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

That night...

Chola groaned. His body hurt like hell.

The shaman had said that the injuries were
superficial,, but they did not feel superficial to
him. He had a nasty black eye and had difficulty
breathing, no doubt due to the kick aimed at his
midsection that he had tried to dodge.

Knock. Knock.

/Come in,/ he said, half expecting the shaman to come
into the room.

It was Anita. Surprisingly, she had few injuries to
show for the repeated slaps.

/Hi.../ she said.

Chola sat up painfully on the bed, leaning against one
of the pieces of bamboo that stood as supports for the
hut.

/Hi.../ he said and winced in pain.

/Can I come in?/ she asked.

Chola nodded. /Sure. Make yourself at home,/ he said
and pointed towards the mat made of coconut leaves on
the floor beside his.

Anita sat with her legs tucked underneath her. A long
minute of silence followed.

/So... ummm.../ He did not know what to say and the
silence was just killing him.

/I.../ she stopped and looked at him with shy eyes.

/Anita.../ he whispered. She looked so beautiful with
the starlight silhouetting her body.

She saw the look that he was giving her and blushed
all the more.

/I should be going now,/ she said and got up.

/No!/ he shouted. /Don't go,/ he added in a whisper
and caught her by her arm.

She gave a half-hearted tug, trying to get him to
release her arms, but he did not. Realizing that he
would not allow her to go, she assumed her place once
more.

/I... The.../ Again his mind refused to work.

She looked at him.

/Thanks,/ she said.

/Huh!/

/For trying to protect me this afternoon./

/Oh! You are not injured, are you?/ he asked.

She shook her head. /It stung a bit then, but the pain
was gone almost immediately./

/Oh! I am glad... Anita.../

She looked at him.

/I.../ *Love you.* /We are still friends, right?/

*I love you.* Nod.

He breathed in relief.

/Great.../

They spoke through the entire night, speaking in
puzzles and their words meaning little,, but that
night together was the most wonderful time he had ever
had in his entire life. There were more nights
together,, but none were as magical as that, the first
night they spent together.

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

Time passed in the village.

Chola grew, and so did Anita. They were inseparable
now, spending every free second they could get with
each other. It was universally accepted in the village
that they were going to get married when they got a
little older.

Senthil Kumaran, realizing that his student had the
spark that only those meant for greatness in the art
can have, decided to enlist the help of his master.
The two spent many a waking hour teaching their
prot�g� the art, helping him reach levels that were
undreamt of.

Even, though Chola was the best warrior in the village
now, he still remained a student, learning all he
could, and, where others could not teach him, learning
on his own.

About the time he turned nineteen, Senthil decided
that a little trip was necessary to hone his student's
killing instinct better.

The night before the trip...

A full moon was out in the mildly cloudy night sky.
The few stars that remained unobstructed by the clouds
flooded the Earth with their light. The Moon would
hide behind the clouds every once in a while as,
though it were a shy girl of amazing beauty.

A slight breeze from the direction of the sea rustled
the leaves of the coconut trees. The leaves moved
gracefully in the refreshing breeze, undulating like a
Goddess of Dance herself.

Chola and Anita sat under a very old neem tree on a
mound overlooking the coconut groove. They were
encased in each other's arms, with her head resting
lightly on his chest.

Their relationship had gotten closer over the last six
years. About three years back, he had admitted that he
loved her with all his heart. True, he had stuttered
and sweated quite a lot before he had admitted it, but
admit he did much to Anita's joy. From then on things
between them had gotten closer still on a mental and
on a physical level.

They had not gone all the way in the physical scheme
of things, but they were getting there, slowly, but
surely.

/I love you,/ she said and trailed her fingers across
the lean muscles of his exposed chest.

/I love you too,/ he whispered back and kissed her
forehead.

Silence.

/Anita, what is bothering you?/

/I... Do you have to go tomorrow?/

Nod. /You know that I have to. Guru insists that it
will make me a better warrior./

He had long since abandoned his policy of fighting
without intent to hurt or maim. The first time that
his guru had attacked Anita, he had lost his temper
and had refused to attack with the same intent
afterwards. It had taken many a brutal lesson before
he had finally learned to treat his enemies with
cold-hearted aloofness, but he had learnt in the end.

Sigh. /I suppose so./ She snuggled closer to him.

Chola stroked her hair gently. /I will miss you,/ he
stated.

/I will miss you too./

/The sky is beautiful tonight./

/Yes, it is./

/Almost as beautiful as you, I might add./

/Flatterer./

/I assure you, my fair lady, you are more beautiful
then yonder night sky filled with stars./

/Is that so?/

/Why yes, my fair lady? Would I have chosen thee if
you were not as beautiful as I say you are in both
mind and body?/

She did not answer, rather replying him with a
passionate kiss, which he returned with fervor. Time
ceased to flow as the two lovers melted into the magic
of the moment.

Finally, Anita broke the kiss, gasping for air. She
rose up.

/I had better be going home. It's getting late./

Nod. /Take care, my fair lady and sweet dreams./

Anita left, sparing a loving glance towards Chola. He
returned the same and looked at her diminishing figure
long after she had disappeared into the darkness of
the night.

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

Two days after Chola had left the village with Senthil
Kumaran...

Anita hummed a little tune that her mother had sung to
her when she was very little as she did the laundry by
the river that flowed through the forest. The flow was
a trickle as the river was seasonal and it was the end
of summer. It had now been two days since Chola had
left the village and she was missing him already.

She continued humming the little tune as she finished
the laundry and decided to take a bath in the waters.
It would be nice to take one in the blistering heat of
the sun, she surmised.

She removed her half-saree, which was a symbol of her
unmarried status, and stood naked near the pristine,
if stagnant, waters of the river. She hung the
half-saree on one of the low hanging branches of the
one of the younger trees that adorned the water's edge
and waded in.

The cool waters were a welcome change from the hot and
unwelcome embrace of the sun. She swam around, feeling
the cold waters wash away all the weariness that had
crept into her during the morning.

Suddenly, she stopped swimming and stood in the neck
deep water. She was sure that she had heard the rustle
of someone or something by the banks.

/Who are you?/ she asked calmly.

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

His name was Vivek and he was twenty years of age. He
was the son of one of the most respected warriors and
tradesmen in the village, and his pedigree was one of
the best on their side of the village.

He was the expected heir to his fathers business and
he had worked hard to fulfill their expectations., but
the truth was, he was a man very much in love with an
angel called Anita Sri Rama Chandran. He had first
_seen_ her five years back. They had lived in the same
village all their lives,, but he had noticed her five
years before.

They were playmates when he had been young, when she
had been young, and he had seen her before,, but the
first time he had noticed that the tomboy that he
loved to play with was an angel. He had fallen in love
with her right there and then and he had never fallen
out of it.

He had not declared his love to her too, but he was
not bothered with trivial matters. He would do so when
the time was ripe and they would live happily ever
after or so, he deluded himself to believe.

He knew the truth, though. He knew that her heart and
soul belonged to her _dearest Chola_ and would never
be his. Still he hoped... and dreamt. He dreamt of a
life filled with laughter, love and children. He
dreamed of a life with his Anita - a life that he knew
was never meant to be. Love had taken root in his
mind, though, and blinded by love, he had let his
feelings for her grow until it hurt to even think of
her. It was the most pleasant kind of hurt and he
enjoyed it and nurtured it.

There was always resentment in his heart. After all,
it was only natural to feel it when you see the woman
of your dreams walk hand in hand with another man.,
but he did not give into it.

When Chola had left the village for his training, he
had thought that he had gotten his chance. He had been
aching for the last five years to get a chance like
this and his mind had been filled with the wonderful
things that he and Anita would do while Chola was
away. All those wonderful dreams lay shattered around
him now. He had just blown up the first chance that he
had. He had planned to follow her and perhaps if
things were perfect, woo her even, but now, that was
impossible.

Vivek cursed under his breath.

It was by accident that he had stumbled onto her while
she was stripping herself naked. On any other day, he
would have walked away, but it was _her_ and against
his better judgment, he had spied on her. And to
worsen his situation further he had managed to rustle
the twigs underneath his legs.

Anita maybe a village girl, but she did have a level
of training in the art and she heard him. Now that he
was caught, he had to explain himself, but chances of
her trusting him were very slim.

*What do I do?* Clenching his fists tightly, he made
up his mind.

He stepped into the open. /Its me Anita./

She slid a little deeper into the waters and covered
her bosoms with her hands hugging her torso. A look of
relief came to her when she saw him.

/Oh! Its you Vivek. I thought it was some wild animal
or something./ In a way she was right. He was a wild
animal aching for her at heart. /Would you please
throw me my dress?/ she gestured towards the tree
where she had hung her things.

He knew where they were without her telling him. After
all, he had watched her strip out of them. However, he
made a show of looking around.

/These are yours, I suppose./

Nod. Catch.

He had to visibly restrain himself when she caught her
clothes. He had misjudged the distance and she had
stretched herself to catch them. Her breasts were
heavenly to look at with the sunlight reflecting of
them in rays of silver.

/Could you... turn around a bit. I have to get
dressed./

Blink. Turn.

The seconds ticked by.

/You can turn now./

Turn.

Again, he was enthralled by the sight before him. The
water had managed to seep through the already
ultra-thin and semi-transparent material of the
half-saree and he would see every curve in her body.
The sight looked more beautiful then it had been from
the distance. Vivek lost the last vestiges of
self-control. He rushed forward, gathered her into a
hug, and kissed her with wanton passion.

Push.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Slap.

/No, Vivek./

His hands went to the rapidly reddening outline on his
cheek. *Why?* his mind screamed and 'Why?' he asked
even, though he knew the answer.

/I can't. I love Chola and you are like a brother to
me./

His whole world came crashing around him. He had known
it throughout the five years, but this was the first
time he had heard it from her lips.

/No!/ he screamed and ran.

/Vivek.../ she called out to him, but he did not stop.
*I am sorry.*

It was too painful and he had to get out of there
somehow. He ran and he ran, crying all the way.

In the shadows by the creek, a figure broke into a
smile. *Perhaps this interesting development can be
put to good use.*

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

Days passed and so did the weeks and the months.
Finally, as quietly as he had left the village Chola
arrived back with his guru in tow not far behind.

The first thing that he did was rush to Anita's house
to see her. Walking briskly, he crossed the half a
mile distance between their houses in time at all.

/Anita.../ he called.

A few moments passed before his call was answered, not
by her, but by her mother.

/Ah! You are back Chola. How was the training and the
travels?/ she asked with a smile that would have
disarmed an angry God.

Chola smiled back.

/I am fine. I was thinking that I would find Anita
here, is she at home?/

Shake. /She went with her friends to the forest to get
some wood. She will be so happy when she learns that
you are back./

/Thank you mother. I better go looking for her then. I
do not want to keep her waiting, after all./

Nod. /You do that Chola. That daughter of mine was
looking like she would whither and die these past
weeks without you./

/Bye mother./

Before the elderly woman could bid her farewell, Chola
was off and running, jumping from tree to tree with a
dexterity that even the most experienced and skill of
warriors would have found hard to duplicate.

>From tree to tree, he bounded as nimble as a cat if
not nimbler. Soon he had crossed the village
boundaries and entered the jungle. Here too, he kept
the same mind-boggling speed as he slowly extended his
ki senses and tried to triangulate her location.

Before long, he came upon a fresh trail of Anita's ki
and he followed it to where it led to its owner.

As he neared the clearing, he slowed down wanting to
compose himself before meeting her face to face for
the first time in many months.

It was then that he heard the voices. One was
definitely Anita's, but the other he could not quite
place his hands upon.

/Leave me alone,/ she said.

/Answer my question first Anita. Are you willing to
wait all your life for him?/ replied the male voice.

/Yes, I will./

Chola decided to eavesdrop on the conversation to
learn more of what was going on.

/Don't be stupid Anita. He has been gone for seven
months already. The guy's probably dead or something
while training under his _Guru._/ The man spoke the
Guru part with utter contempt. /Do you want to waste
your life over someone who might be dead and rotting
in some corner of the jungle for all we know?/

/Yes, I would. He would have done the same for me.
Now, I must go join my friends. They must be getting
worried about me./

Pause.

/Get out of my way Vivek./ warned Anita.

/I think not,/ replied Vivek in no uncertain terms.

/This is my last warning. Get out of my way or
else.../

/Or else? What can you do, my sweet flower? Burn me
with that look of yours./

Chola decided that it was time he intervened. He
remembered Vivek as one of the chums from the village
he had played with in his childhood years. He had
always thought of the older boy as a friend., but his
views were changing fast. The boy had already
committed the worst thing that he possibly could in
Chola's eyes - he had threatened Anita, which was a
definite no-no in Chola's book.

He took a few calming breaths and walked into the
clearing, humming a little tune that Anita was so fond
of.

Anita turned at the song and saw him. Her eyes lit up
and the weariness and the small amount of fear that
had crept into her face fled. With a cry of joy, she
threw herself at him.

/You are back,/ she said, nestled safely within his
strong arms.

/Yes, I am./ He turned towards Vivek. /How are you
doing _buddy_?/ he asked with a large measure of
hostility.

Vivek looked at him with hateful eyes. /I am doing
fine Chola./ He turned towards Anita. /Take care
princess. Cherish these moments lest they end all of a
sudden./

With that, he fled into the woods.

When the thumping of his feet against the wood of the
trees had died away, Chola took Anita's head in his
arms and turned her face towards him.

/Are you alright?/ he asked with concern.

Shake. /No, I am not alright. He... He has been
threatening me and.../ She burst into tears.

Chola consoled her. He was going to find out
everything that Vivek had been doing to her and he was
going to make the arrogant snob pay.

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

Vivek ran through the forest, his body a blur most of
the time and at times disappearing from sight
altogether. He zigzagged through the foliage taking
care not to leave any visible trail and cloaking his
ki signature as well.

A few months ago, such a feat would have been
impossible for him, but his new friend, the hermit,
had taught him well. In fact, he now believed that he
could challenge the all so mighty Chola himself and
give a good showing; perhaps even win in the end.

Quick as a breeze, he made his way to his friend's
hut. He burst in without preamble and angled his angry
gaze at his friend.

The hermit in turn looked at him with a raised
eyebrow.

/You lied to me,/ shouted Vivek at the top of his
lungs.

His friend raised his eyebrows even higher. /Ah! My
young friend, what ails thee today?/ he asked with
mock seriousness. /Does the lovely damsel still evade
your grasp?/

Vivek snorted. /Don't try to change the subject
Vellacharya. You lied to me about Chola. He is back in
the village./

/Hmmm... That does set back your plans a little, but
don't worry, everything will work out fine in the
end./

/Unnn.../

/Yes, I can see it now. You standing in front of the
holy fire with her hand in yours, joined together in
holy matrimony for all of eternity with Chola standing
in the sidelines, his heart and soul broken beyond
repair./

Vivek grinned. He liked the way it sounded. Perhaps
things were not as beyond hope as they seemed.

Seeing Vivek grin, Vellacharya grinned to himself. The
boy was proving easier to manipulate by the day.

*Soon, very soon, Anita will belong to me to use as I
please,* thought the hermit wickedly.

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

Chola found in a few days, with no small amount of
cajoling, exactly what had been going on ever since he
left. Of course, he wanted to kill the other suitor to
his claim, but Anita stopped him.

She said that doing anything rash would be
counter-productive as Vivek's family was one of the
most powerful in the village. She was right of course.
There were people in the village that still treated
him as a piece of garbage and he knew without the
slightest of doubts that they would not miss even the
slightest opportunity to ostracize him in front of
others.

He had withdrawn himself to the fact that he could do
nothing about the matter until he was a warrior of the
village and the little group of city-states that it
belonged to. The people in the kingdom did not have a
permanent king, but were rather headed by the oldest
and wisest amongst them, the Valluvar.

He kept a wary eye out for Vivek, though determined to
nail him the day he made too serious a mistake. If he
could not get him for bullying Anita, Chola decided
that he would catch the scoundrel doing some minor
offense and make him pay in the village arena.

/Its a pleasant day,/ stated Anandaraghavan, the
village gossip.

Chola looked at the older man as they walked
side-by-side and nodded. Yes, it was a pleasant day.
So pleasant in fact, that he was almost tempted to let
his guard down completely and dance in the drizzle.
The rains were a welcome relief to the sun scorched
earth and mind.

/How is it going with Anita, lad?/ asked
Anandaraghavan, slightly disappointed that his
previous attempt at striking up a conversation had
failed. He was intent on striking up a conversation
with the young warrior in training though. He could
almost taste the tasty little bits of gossip that the
boy had about the outer world. Anandaraghavan wasn't
the one to miss the latest gossips and he sure as hell
wasn't going to miss them for the world.

Chola sighed inwardly. It had been scarcely a week
since he had returned from the training trip and the
older man had been trailing him for most of it. /It's
as well as can be,/ he answered, putting a little
tiredness behind the voice. Maybe the older man would
catch the hint and get lost.

Anandaraghavan did not.

Chola sighed inwardly once more. It was going to be a
pleasant, but a very long day indeed.

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

/Join us in my house to supp someday,/ said
Anandaraghavan as he took his leave.

Chola smiled back amicably and let out a breath of
relief. *Thank you God.* Giving a silent prayer to the
God's above he brooded over a most important and
pressing matter.

He kicked a pebble, which was so obstructing his path,
out of the way and hummed his little ditty as he
finalized the plans that he had made for the evening.
It was going to be the most important one in his life
and he was going to make it a very special one indeed.

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

The night sky was starless and Moonless as a matter of
fact. The clouds from the tropical cyclone that raged
several hundred miles to the east were thick and
opaque to the light, setting quite the opposite mood
for the very special moment that was about to take
place in the life of two very much in love
individuals.

There was a little drizzle and the air was pleasantly
cool, out of character with the climate, which one
would expect on any tropical summer. It was not yet
summer per se, but such things matter not in the
tropics.

The leaves rustled under the refreshingly cool breeze
that blew from the Bay of Bengal and crickets as well
as other winged animals of the insect world made
merry, sending bats and quails quivering with
anticipation of the feast that they were about to
partake.

High above the branch of yonder trees, one could see
the light reflected from the eyes of predators as they
scanned the ground for larger quarry to feast upon.

And what was that smell? It was so pleasant and
enticing to the male sensory organ that it would
definitely attract men like bees, if only there were
any save the two who sat huddled against each other,
partly to conserve body heat and partly as a gesture
of love.

Of the two, one was definitely male and the other
female. The girl was dressed beautifully, with a
myriad of flowers, including blossoms of the sweetest
smelling jasmine adorning her hair. The girl wore a
light blue saree, which was curled around her body
tightly and had an irresistible sensuousness about
her.

/Anita.../

/Hmmm.../ She snuggled even closer to him. His body
was so warm and comforting, so full of love and care.

He took her shoulders in his strong arms and made her
face him.

/Anita, I want to ask you something. I have been
thinking about it for a while and I have decided that
I cannot wait a moment longer./

She stared back into those brown eyes, through which
he had bared his soul to her. She could see every
instance of pain, joy, love, compassion, hate,
jealously, hope and boredom that he had ever endured
reflected through them. *This is the real Chola, the
one that loves me with all his soul,* she realized.

She knew what he was going to say and, though she had
expected the moment for three long years, she was
still overwhelmed by it. She nodded and he continued.

/Anita, will you marry me?/ *There I said it.* It
wasn't as romantic as he had hoped it would be, but he
wouldn't have it any other way and he suspected that
she too wouldn't.

/Yes./ It was barely a whisper. /Yes,/ she repeated
this time loud enough for the whole village to hear.

Then they kissed.

Under the branches of a nearby tree stood another
individual with only one thought in his mind. *No, no,
no, no...*

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

/Mother, I am going to the river to fetch water,/
announced Anita as she daintily picked the 'kuddam'
from its resting place by the wall and walked out.

Two days had passed since the engagement. Two days of
absolute bliss, she added mentally to herself.
Everyone in the village had congratulated her and
Vivek was nowhere to be found. She liked being the
center of attention of all the girls in the village
and she absolutely, one hundred per cent loved not
being Vivek's center of attention.

Her steps had a spring to them and she danced around
the trail while she walked, waving the 'kuddam' around
as, though it was a fan or something.

No wonder then, that it seemed like scarcely an
instant had passed before she had reached the river.
The flow had increased somewhat thanks to the rains
that had fallen the last few days. She set the
'kuddam' aside by the riverbank and washed her hands
and feet as tradition demanded. Then she waded into
the waters and prayed facing the east where the sun
was rising. She thanked the Gods for the blessings
that she had received in her life and prayed that the
joy that she felt now, she would feel until the day
she died.

Her prayers complete she waded out of the waters and
picked up the 'kuddam'. She made little circles with
it on the water and then dipped it a little into the
river. She took it out and rinsed the insides of the
'kuddam' before dipping it into the water again. She
placed the utensil on her hip and adjusted her balance
and begun the walk back home.

Rustle.

Anita paused. She was sure that she heard something
moving by the bushes to her right.

/Is anyone there?/ she asked turning to face the
bushes. If it was any wild animal, she had to stare it
down or it would attack. It was not the first time
that a wild animal had stalked her. It had happened
many times in the past and it would continue to happen
as long as the game of Predator vs. Prey was played in
a never-ending cycle.

Rustle.

This time, the noise came from the bushes to the left.

/Who is it? Show yourself./ Now, she was sure that it
was a not an animal that was stalking her, which left
her with two choices and she did not like the second
choice at all, though she was fairly certain that it
was him.

Rustle.

Again to the right.

/Chola, is that you?/ she asked uncertainly.

Silence.

Splash!

Splash!

Turn. There was nothing in the water. She was sweating
profusely now.

Silence.

Even the crickets stopped. Then the monkeys howled.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

There was nothing on the water that she could see, yet
water was displaced and splashed around with
increasing speed towards her.

Anita screamed and dropped the 'kuddam'.

The 'kuddam' fell slowly and broke into a thousand
pieces against the sand.

Scream.

Hit.

Faint.

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

/NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!/ screamed Chola and sat up. He was
sweating profusely. He had been having a nightmare and
for the life of him, he could not remember what it was
about., but one thing was sure.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. And
he knew that Anita was in the midst of it.

Throwing his dhoti in a katcham around himself, he
sped towards the river and if his instincts were
correct, towards Anita.

The trees, the bushes, the boulders... everything
blurred around him as he pushed his body to its limits
and then some. He had to save her before whatever it
was got hold of her.

He reached the river in record time with a cloud of
dust at his heels. Sand and sand flew as he braked
using his ki to overcome his inertia. Breathing
raggedly, he looked around.

Everything seemed to be fine and he breathed a sigh of
relief. Then he spied the broken 'kuddam'.

The queasiness in his stomach grew. With growing
horror, he approached it and took a big shard in his
hands. With trepidation he scanned its ki and... it
tasted of Anita.

*Oh God!* /NOOOOOOO,/ he screamed. The startled birds
in the trees took of into the air and there was no
sound, but the beating of their wings.

He had lost her.

He was sure of it. And he was sure that it was Vivek
who had taken her from him.

/BASTARD,/ he spat. *I will kill you if that is the
lost thing that I do.*

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

Anita flew threw the air, unconscious and borne and
unseen hands.

To anyone who 'flew' at the same speed as her
everything appeared as blurs of different hues and
brightness.

Stop.

/Vellacharya.../

The hermit came out of his hut with a grin on his
face. When he saw Anita, his grin grew even more.

/I see you have brought her./

The air around Anita flickered and Vivek appeared.

Nod.

/Good work,/ congratulated the hermit.

Vivek did not appear happy. In fact, he appeared to be
very angry with himself.

/She is hurt. I... I hurt her while bringing her
here./

Nod.

The hermit checked the girl. There was a large bruise
on the back of her neck, but it was nothing and it
would not interfere with his plans.

/It's nothing. She will be alright./ He pointed to a
tree. /Put her under it./

Vivek gently laid the girl under the tree and turned
towards the hermit.

/Now.../ Jab.

Faint.

/Fool,/ muttered Vellacharya as he dusted his hands.
With that fool out of the way, the girl and the power
was his for the taking.

Jab.

/Unnnnn... Where am I?/ murmured Anita as she opened
her eyes.

/Right where you have to be,/ answered Vellacharya. He
drew back his hand formed a fist and... Thwap!

Anita screamed. The fist had connected squarely with
her cheekbone.

/Scream little princess. Scream./

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

Pain. That was all she could feel. The physical
assault was brutal beyond description and the pain
flared in every nook and cranny of her body.

/Nah, nah, nah. Open your eyes princess,/ the stranger
said with so much sadistic mirth in his voice that she
shivered.

She tried to speak, but her muscles refused to answer.

/Open them now./ The voice was inhumanly cruel now. It
would have fit the stranger better if he were a
monster.

Slap.

/I said open your eyes./

Afraid of what he would do if she did not, she willed
her eyelids to open through the haze of pain. The
action sapped her remaining strength and she felt
faint from all the pain and exhaustion.

/Do you remember me?/ he asked in an innocent voice.
It was as, though he was a child and she was his
plaything.

Somehow, she found the energy from some corner of her
being to shake her head. No, she did not remember him.

His expression did not change, but it was clear that
his anger increased from the way his eyes ticked.

Spat.

The thick layer of saliva slowly slid down her left
eyebrow.

/There. That is what I think of you and that which is
yours./ Pause. /You, who took away from me, everything
that I held dear to my heart. You, who destroyed my
life. You, who think that the chaos is less powerful
then the light,/ he spat.

She edged away from him, convinced that he was mad. He
let her go and she backed away until she had her back
to the tree and could retreat no more. Then he
advanced towards her.

He pointed her hand at her and was about to speak once
more when Vivek interrupted.

/Touch her again and your life is forfeit,/ snarled
Vivek as he got into a fighting stance.

He had woken up from the assault to see a broken and
bloodied Anita retreating from his friend... no, his
enemy, the hermit Vellacharya. He was still a little
giddy and weak, but he would do everything, including
sacrificing his life to save her.

Vellacharya turned towards him.

/Ah! The clueless buffoon. Get lost boy. You know not
what you are getting yourself into./ he warned.

Vivek did not answer, rather he leapt in for a quick
kill. Vellacharya easily avoided the blow meant to
dislodge his neck and spun around with a kick to
Vivek's solar plexus.

/Oof!/ Vivek was propelled into a tree at blinding
speed and he slumped to the forest floor as soon as he
hit it.

/Stupid little pup,/ spat Vellacharya as he turned
towards Anita. /Now, where were we?/ he asked amicably
and advanced.

Anita pushed back against the tree trunk with horror
stricken eyes. Pain flared in her shoulder and stomach
as she moved her body. She let out a little scream of
pain and fought to hold onto to the last vestiges of
consciousness.

/Ah yes,/ continued Vellacharya, his face twisting
into a mask of hatred. /I remember now... Goddess!/

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

The ki trail was getting fresher and that gave Chola,
as he raced across the forest, a small degree of
comfort. He would catch up with Anita and that
scoundrel soon if he kept the speed up.

The speed at which he was moving was not his fastest
nor was it anywhere even near his top speed. In fact,
his breathing was not even labored as he effortlessly
bounded on top of the trees his senses tuned to
Anita's ki.

There, he felt it again. The first time he had been
concentrating on sensing her ki trail that he had
missed it. It was a pulse of ki and it tasted unlike
anything that he had ever tasted before and it was
Anita's.

He turned towards the woods towards the west of this
position and bounded off, faster then before. The sun
was up heat for the first time in nearly two weeks and
the humidity factor was going to dampen his reflexes
some if he did not hurry.

Minutes later, he entered the clearing and saw...

Anita was lying naked and senseless on the floor.
Vivek was lying unconscious on another corner of the
clearing. And a stranger was lying on top of Anita and
was raping her.

That made his blood boil with anger. Without a sound,
he leapt in for the kill.

His speed tore the ground from underneath his feet and
sent clouds of dust flying. He crossed the distance
and was on Vellacharya in less than the blink of an
eye.


Vellacharya reacted, his mad grin never leaving his
face, as he deflected blows that were powerful enough
to shatter boulders with ease. The clearing thundered
as the sonic barrier was repeatedly broken by a huge
margin and the air pressure from the missed blows
alone uprooted trees, sending dirt and dust sprawling
everywhere.

Finally, Chola withdrew, breathing raggedly as he
focused his internal energies once more. Adopting a
defensive stance, he glared at his opponent who
grinned madly.

/My, aren't we excited today?/ he asked. /What's the
matter boy? Cat got your tongue,/ he continued when
Chola did not answer.

Chola said something in return under his breath.

Vellacharya leaned forward with a hand on his ear and
asked, /What did you say boy? I could not hear you./

Chola spoke louder. /I said, you are going to die./

Vellacharya laughed in return. /That's a laugh. And
what exactly are you going to use to achieve that end
boy, your prick?/ he asked.

Chola almost lost his temper., but before he could
jump into another useless attack, Vivek interrupted.

/Careful Chola, the bastard's sneaky,/ said he.

Chola eyed his erstwhile opponent out of the corner of
his buddy. /I will be. I wanna make the little piece
of shit scream before I kill him./

Vivek smiled. /Maybe we can take turns beating him up
then,/ he said and assumed a fighting stance beside
Chola.

Chola nodded in acceptance.

/This is interesting, the two young pups want to
challenge the master aye! We will see about that. Come
and get it, punks./

Vivek gave a slight nod and the duo split up. They ran
in to attack Vellacharya on both sides. A halo of
iridescent red surrounded their bodies and the ground
melted where they had stepped on it.

As before, Vellacharya met their charge head on. This
time, though the combined skill of the two was too
much for him. Slowly, he yielded ground and as his
reflexes slowed down, blows begun to fall on him.

Block. Slide. Kick. Kick. Hit.

Vellacharya grunted as Chola scored yet another
telling blow on his solar plexus. He wasn't going to
last very long if they kept his up. With a quick burst
of speed, he open palmed his two opponents in their
chests and flipped back for some room space.

Chola righted himself from falling and smirked. /Does
Mr. You can't touch me find us hard to beat?/

Vellacharya spit a little blood and motioned them to
attack him. /Come and beat me then punk,/ he said and
formed a sizeable ball of ki in his hands. /Or perhaps
the two of you value your lady friend enough to save
her,/ he said and released the ki ball, which
ballooned to a huge size at Anita.

Chola, seeing what Vellacharya was about to do tried
to intercept the ball before it reached Anita. He
could have used a ball of ki of his own to deflect the
attack, but there was no guarantee that she would have
survived the resulting blast. He hoped that he would
be fast enough and his shield strong enough to save
her from the ball of death.

*I have to stop it before it reaches her,* he thought
frantically as he pumped energy into his legs and to
his shield. There wasn't time to shore up the shield's
energy enough to counter the attack completely, but he
was sure that he would save her life even, though he
would lose his own in the bargain.

But Vivek got to her first. He was nearer to Anita and
therefore was able to reach her faster. However, he
had that much less time to bring up his shield before
the ki blast hit him.

Chola watched with horror as the ki blast easily
overwhelmed Vivek's shields and vaporized him and
Anita.

Kaboom.

Shards of wood and dirt rained down to the ground as
the explosion tore up everything around its target.

/No,/ Chola whispered and collapsed onto his knees. He
remained there long after the winds had died down,
silently mourning the loss of his beloved and feeding
the anger that threatened to eat his soul away.

/Hahahaha! Don't worry about your loss boy. I will
send you to the same place I sent her in a little
while./

/Why you bastard?/ screamed Chola, throwing punches
faster than ever before.

Vellacharya grinned maniacally as he evaded the blows
with room to spare. His speed and reflexes were so
fast that it was almost as if Chola was telegraphing
his moves.

/Play times over boy,/ he said and stopped moving. He
grabbed a punch meant for his face out of thin air and
twisted Chola's hand.

Seeing that Chola refused to acknowledge the pain as
he dislocated a couple of bones in the process, he
threw back his legs and swung around in a mighty blow
to Chola's thorax.

Chola grunted and bit back the pain. He had felt
multiple snaps as most of the bones in the left side
of the ribcage had caved in. He was not sure how long
he would last in the battle if he received any more
blows like that one. He formed a little ball of ki in
his hands and threw it at the ground near
Vellacharya's feet.

As he had anticipated, his opponent let go of his arm
and put some distance between them. Chola grimly set
right his dislocated bones, gritting back the scream
that naturally came to his mouth as he did so and
assumed a stance. He had to do something or he would
die, leaving Anita's death unavenged. He begun
concentrating and to pool his energies.

Standing under the shadows of one of the trees,
Vellacharya smirked. *So, the little pup is strong.*

/Are you going to stand there all day and hope I get
cramps in my legs boy?/ he taunted.

Chola smirked evilly. /Die,/ he shouted and brought
his hands together in a cup. He began to glow sickly
green and the immediate area surrounding him begun to
darken considerably.

*What is this? He is absorbing energy from the
environment,* thought Vellacharya furiously. The
energy in the ball was greater than the one he had
used to kill the bitch and the other one and he was
not sure whether he was strong enough to resist such
an attack.

/See you in hell bastard,/ shouted Chola and released
the energy at Vellacharya. The ball glowed with
blinding white light as it as flew, tore a ditch
through the ground, its scream rendering ears deaf
temporarily.

Vellacharya did not have a chance to move or even form
his barrier before the blast hit him. It did not
explode, rather it burnt a basketball-sized hole
through his chest and continued on in its trajectory
until it hit the ground and exploded in a massive
explosion.

Chola collapsed onto his knees, his energy spent in
pulling off the attack. Breathing raggedly, he had one
thought on his mind. *Oh God! She is dead. How am I
going to live without her?*

Lost in his dreams, he almost did not hear the rustle
of the leaves. He looked up and saw Vellacharya,
standing there, tall, proud and healthy as ever.

/What... You are dead. I killed you,/ said Chola.

Vellacharya laughed. /Killing me is not so easily
done. Gods are much harder to kill then mortals after
all,/ he scoffed.

Before Chola could reply, the air around Vellacharya
glowed briefly and disappeared. And Chola found
himself staring at a God.

*How?* was all he had time to think before Vellacharya
descended upon him. The blows fell faster than he
could hope to dodge or even block and with each hit,
he felt a bone crack or shatter. His aura flickered
out as soon as the first punch hit home and he was
buffeted around in the unrelenting storm that was
Vellacharya's attack.

A right fist here, a hook there, a kick to the
sternum, a knee to the kidney... the sheer amount of
attacks used in the assault was mind-boggling. And not
even once did Vellacharya use the same attack twice as
he proceeded at his own pace to beat Chola within an
inch of his life.

Punch.

/Did you think that you can stand up to me?/

Kick. Vomit.

/Did you? You are a thousand... a hundred thousand
years too young to beat me, weakling./

Slap. Gurgle.

/What made you think that you can beat me? You, who
cannot even defend the one you love?/

Palm strike. Snap.

/I like the sound of your bones breaking, don't you?
By the way, there are now three-dozen bones that are
broken in multiple locations in your body,/ he
announced gleefully.

Chola could only gurgle in reply. He was a bloody mass
now, a broken and bloody mass to be exact. Blood
dripped from his mouth and congealed on the forest
floor.

/Pathetic,/ said Vellacharya and left.

Chola raised his hands as if to call him back and
continue with the fight, but Vellacharya was long gone
by then.

His lost thoughts were those of hatred and remorse.
The world would pay for the pain that he was feeling,
he swore. They had abandoned her to a terrible fate
and he would enjoy seeing the same fate befall them.
He would make every God, every animal, every living
thing pay for what those bastards had let happen to
him and Anita. It had been a God who had done this to
them and the other Gods had not interfered. He
promised himself that he would tear the heart out of
every God in the universe and since all living things
would side with them, they were his enemies too. After
all, if the enemy of my enemy is my friend than is not
the friend of my enemy my enemy as well, he reasoned.

*They will pay dearly Anita. They will pay for what
happened to us. They will pay for having done nothing
to stop the bastard. All the anguish I feel, I swear,
they will feel... I will make them feel it a thousand
fold and they will rue forever, the day they abandoned
us,* he swore again, this time on his love for her and
on his honor.

His hand fell to the ground and he drifted into
unconsciousness...

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

Present...

Raja Chola clutched his knuckles until they were white
and blood was seeping through the wounds his nails had
made on his palm.

He had come so far since that day. Hate had driven him
and he had mastered the art and he had mastered ki so
much so that making it obey him was comparable to
moving his hands.

And yet, he had realized that all his skills and
powers were not enough in his quest for vengeance. By
a quirk of fate, the same Gods that he had grown to
hate so much had granted him the powers and the
weapons that he would need to see his oath through.
*Too bad that they will die at the hands of the very
army they created.*

Like a coiled cobra, he had waited - watched for his
chance to get his revenge and when it had come, when
he had gotten his boons, he had struck. By sheer luck,
his enemies had won that day, but they would not do so
again.

He will make sure that the Sailor Senshi have fallen
before unleashing Armageddon upon his hated foes. The
day when he would squeeze their souls out of their
bodies was close and he could almost the sweet flavor
of victory and revenge.

The Gods had not given up hope. Their new weapon was a
testament to that fact., but he was not afraid. He had
experience, age, power, wisdom... He had everything
that mattered in the battle royale to come and he
would have his revenge in the end. He was going
everything crimson with the blood of his enemies.

He clapped his hands. Immediately two Ashuras appeared
before him.

"I want you two to relieve that fool Chitan and take
his place. I want you to observe Shankara's progress
and keep me updated. They will be in the city the
mortals call Tokyo. I am sure that you buffoons can
track them down. Can you?"

Dravid, the leader of the two nodded.

"Good. And remember, under no circumstances are you to
interfere in the battle that is to take place. Is that
clear?"

"Yes My Lord."

"Now leave me alone. I have much to think about."

"As you wish My Lord," they chorused and disappeared
into the corridors.

*Where do you live, you whom they have created to
destroy me?*

He sighed. There really was much to think about.

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

Okay, the acknowledgements:

The Tamil poem that I have used in this story was
orginally written by 'Thirumoolar'. His name means
'blessed brain' in today's version of Tamil, atleast.
Don't ask me how he got the name, I sure as heck don't
know.

Anyways, the first two verses of the poem are hung in
the walls of the CIA HQ or the White House... If I am
wrong, you can blame it all on the talented gossip
machines that abound in India.

The poem preaches about world peace and the global
village as well as the nuances of life. The part about
world peace and the global village is amazing as
Thirumoolar lived nearly a millennia ago... again this
info is from my dad. So, don't beat me to a pulp if I
am wrong. I am just a poor little story writer.

Finally...

I would like to take this oppurtunity to prostrate
myself in front of my pre-readers. Thank you, guys!
This couldn't have been possible without all of you:
jakub [jpilecki@poczta.onet.pl] Kaz
[kazblah945@aol.com] Madcat [madcat08@hotmail.com]
Brain [bmccullough@nucles.com] James Merritt
[j.merritt1@home.com] Philip Penty
[plainswaker@hotmail.com] Nathan Shuker
[rezantis@hotmail.com] Zero [shinzero@home.com]
Alexander Cheezam[cheezeA@CLEMSON.EDU]

Hints for you readers from the author:

Hint #1: Arun doesnot write to a schedule, he really
has to spend a lot of time with his psychiatrist.

Hint #2: (for those out standing critics out
there[;)])Call Arun anything you want in your mail
provided (though he won't) he has the right to call
you by these same names. Arun appreciates constructive
negative comments and he really loves the positive
comments. Its the 'Go to hell you mother F***ing Freak
of nature' and such that he hates. Please send me your
negative comments though I would be most grateful if
you would tone down the I hate you part a little.

Hint #3: The truth is out there, hey, don't ask me
where but is out there since Fox 'spooky' Mulder says
so.

Hint #4: There is no hint #4.

Hint #5: Read the author's rants section if there is
one. It would clear some of yer questions as well as
create some totally unrelated ones.



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