Chapter 10: The Truth (Part-2)

RAJAT's Room -

ABHIJEET comes back in the room to take the file. While he was taking the file RAJAT asked him: What about the statement?'

ABHIJEET looked at him and said: if you feel better to do.'

RAJAT: I am all fine.'

ABHIJEET: ok.'

ABHIJEET records as RAJAT tells him everything how he got kidnapped and found himself at an old mill with the wrong kidnappers. And then how he escaped with PURVI into the jungle.

ABHIJEET asked: so you haven't seen Mr. X's face?'

RAJAT: I saw him but it was really dark so I exactly don't remember how he looked.'

ABHIJEET: anything else that can get us a lead to Mr. X.'

RAJAT: what about his henchmen in the jungle?'

ABHIJEET: five of them were hired just for the kidnapping and their leader RAJESH escaped from the scene. So we couldn't get much information from them about Mr. X.'

RAJAT: Mr. X must have gone underground by now but it won't be hard to track him down once you find out why he kidnapped your sister?'

ABHIJEET: what do you mean?'

RAJAT: I don't think Mr. X would take a risk of kidnapping a CID officer's sister all by his own unless there is someone very powerful behind him.'

ABHIJEET: do you mean that there is someone else behind my sister's kidnapping?'

RAJAT nodded his head: yes. Mr. X must be just a contractor or middle men to this kidnapping.'

ABHIJEET asked: Why do you think so?'

RAJAT looking at ABHIJEET said: When Mr. X found me in your sister's place, he was freaked out and knowing that you must be on your way to get them, he vacated the whole place within few minutes. He used defensive strategy than attacking unlike Mr. Z whose target was my sister. That says your sister wasn't their target but just their shield. It was more like a professional deal than personal for Mr. X. It may be something related to your work.'

ABHIJEET thoughtfully said: your theory makes sense.' ABHIJEET looking at RAJAT said: he wanted me to do something for him. But are you sure it wasn't Mr. X but someone else?'

RAJAT remembered when he tried to escape from the old mill, he mistakenly ended up in a room instead of exit and a shadowed figure within a moment seized him knocking him against a table where a laptop and few things were lying. The room belonged to the boss of the gang, Mr. X.

RAJAT said to ABHIJEET: Although Mr. X was really skillful to be the boss of the gang but he doesn't seem like a threat and all of his men were bunch of fools. I would have escaped a lot earlier from there only if I hadn't ended up in Mr. X's room than exit. I am sure there is someone else behind all this.'

ABHIJEET looking at him said: Now when I think about it I wonder, were they really a bunch of fools or you over smart them.'

RAJAT looked at him confused.

ABHIJEET: All right, I will look in to it. Thank you.' RAJAT nodded.

But before leaving ABHIJEET looked at RAJAT and asked: can I ask you something?'

RAJAT looked at him: sure.'

ABHIJEET remembered when he was dragging furious TARIKA out of the room, he has saw RAJAT was smiling looking at his sister. And it was an adoring smile.

ABHIJEET asked RAJAT: I saw you smiling when I was dragging your angry sister out of the room. You don't hate your sister, right?'

RAJAT giving him a look said: Why should I hate my sister?'

ABHIJEET smiled: that means you really don't hate her. Then why do you infuriate her like that?'

RAJAT looking at oblivion said: it is better sometime to let someone angry on you then seeing them in pain because of you.'

ABHIJEET never expected such an answer from him as he looked at him.

RAJAT looking at ABHIJEET said: it becomes easy that way… It's easy to bear someone's anger than their pain. There were tears in her eyes that I had never seen before. Not even at the news of our father's death. I don't want to see her hurt because of me. She has already suffered a lot because of me and my mother.'

ABHIJEET: it's not the truth.'

RAJAT: Still you can't change the truth I have.'

There was a silence as ABHIJEET doesn't had anything to say after that as he sighed and said: Take care of your-self.'

RAJAT smiled and nodded.

TARIKA who was standing out of the room overheard their conversation. She quickly moved away from there before ABHIJEET could see her.

RAJAT'S Room -

A little while later TARIKA enters to his room. RAJAT who was sitting on his bed saw TARIKA entering his room but he doesn't say anything.

TARIKA silently sits at the chair near his bed staring the wall in an awkward atmosphere and asked him: Do you know what's it today?'

RAJAT simply answered without looking at her: I even don't know what the day is today?'

TARIKA said in oblivion: you know, having someone my own all this while, I lived my life all alone. And it's been too late after I realized you are the only family I have.'

RAJAT kept staring down at his fidgeting hands as she continued: Then someone told me, it's never too late to begin something.'

TARIKA looked up at him and asked: If I ask you to forgive me, will you be able to forgive me?'

RAJAT finally looked at her and said: How could I forgive you, when you didn't do anything to ask for forgiveness.'

TARIKA looked at him: Do you hate me that much?'

RAJAT asked back: do you hate me?'

TARIKA with a pause said: I hated your mother but couldn't do to you.'

RAJAT: you couldn't hate me then why do you think I should hate you?'

TARIKA: there are lots of reasons…'

RAJAT cut her in mid: it doesn't matters.'

TARIKA: Why?' With a pause she asked: Why you don't hate me?'

RAJAT looked at her and remembered the flashback of yesterday morning before he gain conscious.

Flashback –

After running out of the waiting room, TARIKA went to the rest room to clear her mind. Reflecting upon all the happenings, she walked towards RAJAT'S room and collecting a lot of courage she entered his room.

She saw him lying unconscious on his bed and went near him taking the seat beside his bed, she stared him for a while.

She took his hand in her and whispered: please, wake up. You have to wake up for me to apologize to you for all the things I have done wrong to you.'

Tears went down her eyes as she silently cried on with her head on his hand she held: Please wake up.'

RAJAT faintly saw his sister and before he could move TARIKA'S phone vibrates and she goes out of the room to pick up the call. RAJAT vaguely saw her walking out of the room.

Flashback ends.

RAJAT asked her: Do you remember the day I gave you mother's day card and you got angry on me?'

TARIKA with a slight smile at the memory said: how can I forget that? I thought you really left the home that day.'

RAJAT: that day I saw you at the park walking back to home. I followed you to the home and at the door I saw you picking up the torn pieces of the cards and also the one you throw in the dustbin. You glued the torn pieces and kept that in your drawer.'

TARIKA don't know how to look at her brother.

RAJAT continued: and my friend told me, you also beat up the boy breaking his one or two teeth after I went to the boarding school.'

TARIKA reasoned: he was bullying your junior friend again that's why I beat him. Your friend told me how that guy bullied your friend and talked ill about me and you got into a fight with him.'

RAJAT said: I even saw you at my boarding school. You didn't meet me but you come to check on me if I am doing well there.'

TARIKA: why are you saying all this now?'

RAJAT: I am saying all this now because I want tell you… May be I am not your brother but you're my sister. No matter what, you will always be my sister.'

A tear drop from her eyes as a smile crept up on her lips. She looked at him asking: Can we live like a family again?'

RAJAT remained silent for a second and asked doubtedly: Can we?'

TARIKA: let's try it.'

Though it was uncomfortable but the two siblings couldn't resist smiling at each other.

TARIKA: I have something for you?'

RAJAT looked at her as she stood up taking out her gun. RAJAT's expression changes to shock as the first thought crossed his mind 'Does she wants to shoot me?' but to his relief she put the gun on the table taking out a handcuff from her jeans as RAJAT wondered 'or want to arrest me?'

One by one TARIKA took out her ID, phone, and wallet as RAJAT kept looking in panic. Finally she took out a small pouch from her jeans and RAJAT took a sigh of relief as it wasn't something as dangerous as he had expected.

But what come out of the pouch almost gave a heart attack to RAJAT.

TARIKA taking out a RAKHI from the pouch looked at RAJAT as he asked: What are you going to do with that?'

TARIKA: There will be no nice day than this for us to start afresh. Today is RAKSHABANDHAN.'

RAJAT: you never did that before.'

TARIKA: That's why I want to do it now.' RAJAT stared her blank.

TARIKA: why are you staring me like that?'

RAJAT: you are making me uncomfortable.'

TARIKA: my brother wasn't this rude before.'

RAJAT: my sister wasn't this senti before.'

TARIKA: Give me your hand.' RAJAT didn't respond.

TARIKA looking at him asked: What happened?'

RAJAT: Isn't it for TARUN?'

TARIKA: I have already lost a lot before but not anymore. Because of the past I don't want to lose what I have now.'

She took his hand by her-self and remembered a little flashback.

Flashback-

A 10 year old TARIKA, after tying RAKHI to his brother TARUN she asked him: My gift?' Her brother showing himself chirped: I am your gift.' TARIKA's eyes narrowed as he continued: And as a brother I will always protect you.'

TARIKA's face fall as she looked at her parents and then said to her brother: Dad will protect me. You just give me my gift.'

TARUN teasing his sister a little more said: Then I promise when I will grow up, I will become a CID officer like dad and always protect you. Is that ok?'

TARIKA looked annoyed: No. That's not fair.'

Before TARIKA get angry TARUN took out the gift and gave her. TARIKA happily took the gift from him as their parents smiled at them.

Flashback end.

TARIKA sighed at the memory staring the RAKHI in her hand.

RAJAT: you don't have to do it… if it's hard.'

TARIKA smiled at him: I don't like easy things either.'

RAJAT stared her dumbfounded. She is not like his sister he used to know. Her face was always stern; eyes fierce, tongue sharp and the anger was always used to be on the top of her nose. He liked his that sister more who always use to scold him.

TARIKA while tying the RAKHI in his wrist without looking at him said: I know I am looking crazy to you now. It's not easy to change your mind overnight. I need something to hold on to you to make myself believe that I am related to you. I believe this thread will help me to do that.'

Finishing the knot she looked at him and found him extending his other hand to her with close fist. She looked confused at him.

RAJAT: Right now I don't have anything to give you except this.'

He kept the thing on her palm and when she looked at it, it was a micro SD card.

TARIKA looking at the micro chip asked: what's it?'

RAJAT: I don't know?'

TARIKA: you don't know what you are giving me?'

RAJAT: I didn't get the time to see what's in it.'

TARIKA: then why you are giving me this?'

RAJAT: I got that chip from Mr. X's table when I was trying to escape from there. I needed something to pay them back so I picked it up then.'

TARIKA looked at him unbelievably.

RAJAT: I think nothing will be a best gift to give a CID officer than this. May be it come out useful to you.'

TARIKA: why didn't you give it to Officer ABHIJEET then?'

RAJAT: I wasn't sure I have it or not after all that chaos. So I asked the lady nurse to check it with my stuffs. She found it and gave me just a while ago after the officer left. Check it if you find anything against Mr. X.'

TARIKA looked at the microchip and said: I will check it.' RAJAT nodded.

TARIKA: I have some unfinished works to do. I will see you the evening.'

RAJAT nodded and she walked out but stopped at the door and turning around at RAJAT, she said: Thank you for the gift.'

RAJAT smiled as she left.

Note:

Basically the story was a Rakshabandhan special on Rajat and Tarika but as my imagination grew wider, the story went deeper. That's why it's Rajat-Tarika centric.

For now Abhijeet and Purvi don't have any sad or past story. They just have a happy present.

And I will try to add hindi wherever it fits.

Thank you for liking the story.