*I am nothing without her!

"Ouch! Be a little gentle! It hurts! Slower...."

"Then, say 'Please... be gentle.' If so I might consider..."

"I would rather die than plead to you! HUMP!!"

"Oh! Is that so.... Then here we go!"

"AHHH!" Ira was screaming like hell.

Finally after a few minutes he finished treating her wounds.

"She would rather die than plead? Oh what an oddly stupid one.... But strangely I want to tease her more...."

"What the hell! He dares to call himself a medic!! I am perfectly fine with pleading... but somehow I don't want to lose to him!" As she said Ira was roaming in front of the house.

The house was a little run down and it was small, but enough for two people to stay in. It was located a little far from the village. One cannot call it as an isolated place, as people come and go.

'Oh... He actually treats them for free...'

"Sire... thankyou for your kindness.... If not for you I wouldn't have known what would have happened to my son!" An lady around 30 years, thanked him on her knees as she addressed him in an respectable manner.

'Sire?? Isn't that a very respectable form of addressing someone with high social status?? Is he someone big?'

"Oh... please don't thank me... I am only doing my job." Abhinav sounded so modest.

'He might be a good guy after all...'

"How long are you going to peek? Am I that handsome, that you are not able to look away?" He was brimming with the aura of narcissism from head to toe.

"I admit I was wrong! You are just too stupid!" As she said, Ira hit her head with her palm.

"Oh... you must be that lady, sire saved that day! You are quite a beauty!" A grandma interrupted them.

"Oh my! Thanks a lot grandma. At least you have good eyes."

"Grandma... here have this medicine which will help with your cough. Take it after food and make sure to get enough sleep." Abhinav handed over a small pouch with medicine to the grandma and helped her get up.

"Thankyou for your kindness sire. I don't have anything good to give you more than this. Please accept my meagre gift." The grandma passes him a small portion of wheat, that she had harvested earlier that day.

"No need for any gifts. I am just doing my job. Your heart is all that counts." Abhinav politely tried to refuse the gift. But the grandma was so stubborn that in the end she won.

"That was the last patient for the day. I am running a little low on medicines. Maybe I should go to the market to buy some."

"Oh, are you going to the market now? Take me with you! I will get ready in a minute."

"No.... Wai... She just doesn't listen to people does she?" He sighed a little.

'I am not sure why but think narcissistic guy somehow makes me feel safe. Even if I run into the enemy, he will protect me right? I wonder if Shiv is still searching for me..... Its been 5 days since I last saw him. I wonder how he is doing....'

"I am ready. Let's go!"

"Wait a second... come her." He covers her gently with his black cloak.

"Now ready to go!"

Ira was a little confused with his action, "Why did you cover me with this cloak?"

"I am not sure about your situation. But when I found you, it looked like you escaped from a kidnapper or something. So just to be safe, wear that and be sure to cover your face." He explained Ira thoroughly.

....

"Shiv, how are you feeling? Does your wound hurt? If it hurts anywhere, be sure to tell me ok?" Aditya was so worried about Shiv, that he dared to let him out of his sight.

Shiv slightly nodded his head and went back to his thoughts. He looked so pale as a ghost. Its been 5 days since Ira went missing. For all these days Shiv barely ate or slept.

He and his men stayed at that village which was burnt by those men and helped the people. They could not help but feel guilty. The peasants daily life was destroyed because of them. If only they didn't come take this route, these people wouldn't have lost their loved ones.

From time to time Shiv roamed around in the nearby villages, with the intent of finding Ira. But he always failed.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to Champa market. I am planning to find her by using those thugs. I will stay there for 2 days and return. Don't worry about me." Shiv got dressed and was ready to take-off.

"Woah there! Where do you think you are going with your body in this condition??" Aditya tried to stop him from leaving.

If Shiv made up his mind once, he will never listen to others, "I will search and find her even if I have to drag myself around. She is someone very important to me than my life. I am nothing without her."