“Hey Ravi, wait for a second....” came a female voice from behind.

Agent Scar turned back for a moment and when he saw it was Shreya, he ignored her and continued walking towards Sudheer’s house.

Finally Shreya did catch up with Ravi and panting said, “Why didn’t you stop when I called....”

“I don’t want to talk to you...go away...” said Ravi.

“Don’t act like a girl....I came to give you this....” said she and thrust into Ravi’s hand a small cover.

“I don’t want anything...leave me alone...” said Ravi and continued walking.

“Hey I know it was your birthday day before yesterday... I just can’t seem to forget you...” said Shreya.

“Well then try harder... I like Pooja and stop disturbing us OK?” said Ravi and was about to throw that cover away but Shreya stopped him and said “At least have one look at it....”

Ravi just kept that in his pocket and went away leaving Shreya to softly shed tears in silence...


Ravi reached Sudheer’s house and saw that it was a duplex house and when he rang the door bell a middle aged women came and opened the door.

“Is Sudheer at home?” asked Ravi.

“He is in his room upstairs...you can go directly there through those steps...” said she pointing towards a staircase.

Ravi thanked her and went directly upstairs.

He knocked on a locked door...no reply for a few minutes... he knocked again. Then he heard a few sounds and when door opened he was surprised to see a very messy haired boy with shabby clothes drinking cola.

"Sudheer, what happened?" asked Ravi.

"Why are you asking that man?" said Sudheer equally surprised by that question.

"I mean, look at you...this is not how you usually are at school..." said Ravi.

"That is school and this is my arena...and currently I am gaming and I like to comfortable while doing so...by the way come on in..." said Sudheer.

Ravi was a little amazed by that room...it had a large high definition TV which was on and displayed the start screen Street Fighter and Sudheer went and sat in front of it still sipping cola... Ravi also went and sat beside him.

Sudheer said,"Hey Ravi remember I told you about this fighting game...want to play?"

"Umm, yes but I don't know how to..." said Ravi a little embarrassed.

"It's no rocket science...just tap a few buttons and the aim of the game is to reduce the life points of your opponent to zero before the stipulated time..." said Sudheer

Then they started playing and Ravi lost badly against Sudheer's Ken...a little while later Ravi got bored of street fighter because it didn't allow him to fight the way he wanted but had to fight how the game was designed...

Sudheer said,"Hey Ravi there are limitations to this game...now you can't fight as you want...but in the next game you can drive as you wish... do you have a Need for Speed?"

Ravi said Ok...as he had nothing better to do and another hour of intense graphic filled round of racing virtually took place.

Sudheer's mom then came and gave some snacks but Ravi refused to take it and was getting ready to leave...just before he left he asked Sudheer,"Hey what do you think is a nice gift for a girl friend?"

Sudheer was a bit shocked and said,"You have a girl friend?"

"That is not the point...give me some advice on what to buy..." said Ravi seriously.

"Well it depends...did you first propose her or she proposed you?" asked Sudheer.

"Whats that got to do with gifting?" asked Ravi a little puzzled.

"Well, if the girl proposed you first...she would have lots of feelings for you and would accept anything from you but if you had proposed first...well its better if you know the tastes of your girl better?"said Sudheer in a style that was reminiscent of Gurus who impart wisdom.

"Aren't there any gifts that are you know...universally liked by girls?" asked Ravi.

Sudheer thought for a while and said ,"Well most girls like puppies or something cuddly..."

An idea struck Agent Scar's mind the moment he heard the word "Puppies" and got a huge smile over his face.

Ravi said,"One last question...who is this Spider-Man?"

Sudheer was shocked again and said,"What are you man... some kind of Last Warrior from Another Planet?...you don't know Street Fighter, you don't know Spider-Man...what is it that you know then?"

"If only I could tell you Sudheer..." said Ravi slowly.

"Anyway...Spider Man is one of my favourite super heroes of all time...its a story of how a teenager gets bitten by radioactive spider and gains its abilities and uses them to fight evil..." said Sudheer as a matter of factly.

"Tell me long story short...why do you like it so much..." asked Ravi.

Thinking deeply Sudheer said,"With great power comes great responsibility...those are the words of Ben Parker...the uncle of Spider-Man and that is kind of my motto...anything else you want to ask me?"

"No...thanks again...bye" said Ravi and left the place.

While he was walking Agent Scar called a secret no. from his inhibitor cum watch and said,"Requesting a Blood Fang" and cut the call.

As he was going he had too many thoughts on his mind and to clear them he decided to take a walk...Assassin Style and quickly climbed a rooftop and started running over rooftops...cool wind blowing through his messy hair...looking down during the little jumps he had to make while crossing from one building to another...he liked that feeling.

As he was crossing one alley he could hear the screams of one man who was saying something like ,"Please don't rob me...Its very tough for me to feed my kids...please don't take my money."

Ignoring those pleas for help he continued running thinking its the duty of the police to nab thieves but even after running for a little distance he could hear the screams of that person with his enhanced hearing and after a few minutes of pondering he went back and directly jumped into that narrow alley landing exactly on the robber who was threatening that poor man with a knife and that robber died as all of his bones had broken due to the impact from the fall. But that boy who jumped showed no signs of distress...he was perfectly normal though he jumped down from over 5 stories.

The poor man was extremely surprised by the turn of events and before he could thank that messy haired boy whose face he could not see clearly that messy haired boy had ran away. Suddenly a police vehicle came and saw the crime scene and were equally baffled by the story that poor man told them.

Then back at Agent Scar's place his heart was beating at an extremely fast rate...that was not because of the running or jumping but the simple fact that he made use of his Assassin Abilities to help one person gave him some kind of satisfaction he had never experienced before.

Then the words ,"With great power comes great responsibility" started rotating in his head and he said to himself,"Thank you Spider-Man, because of you, I saved one human today." and at that point he decided to help other humans who were in trouble...

The next day at school he was disturbed by thoughts of Pooja and how she was having an impact on him…

“Unless other people point out I am not able to notice but slowly but surely I am changing and I don’t want that to be happening…why can’t I just kidnap her father and take him to the King so that King can get all the info he wants…” were the thoughts running through his head…

Pavan came early too that day and he sat beside Ravi..

Pavan said,”Hey Ravi, I wrote a few chapters for my new book…the funny part is…I still didn’t name the book”

“Ohh Ok, hey can I ask you something…” said Ravi feeling a little shy.

“Ya sure anything…” said Pavan casually.

“What do you think is a good gift for a girl…” asked Ravi.

“A friend who is a girl or a girl friend?” taunted Pavan.

“Hmm a girl friend only….” Said Ravi sheepishly.

“Hey who is it…tell me man, I can keep a secret…” requested Pavan.

“Later…just give me some advice man…” said Ravi.

After thinking for a few moments Pavan said, “Actually it totally depends on the girl…if you at least tell me what kind of girl she is…I can give you a better choice…”

Ravi too thought for some time and said “Well, she likes books, horror movies, music and chocolates…”

“You can always give personalized DVDs with her all her fav songs or movies.” Said Pavan

“I thought of giving her a box of assorted chocolates” said Ravi.

“The chocolates will soon finish and be forgotten, the DVDs too will get boring after a while... give her something lasting man...give her a memory...” said Pavan

“What do you mean by that...” said Ravi.

“Think about it yourself...” said Pavan winking...

“Anyway thanks...” said Ravi.

“Something long lasting and it shouldn’t even get boring after a while... but she gave me a stupid stuffed toy and a musical card...what should I give her... arghh this is too tough for an assassin.” Were the thoughts running in Agent Scar’s head.

Then he noticed that Pooja hadn’t come to school that day.

After the school was over Pavan went near Ravi and asked him,”Hey Ravi, I need to take a few books from someone...want to come along?”

Agent Scar had no reason to go anywhere but still replied,”Whose house?”

“Pooja’s...she took a few books I need for the coaching institute and it will be boring if I go alone...” said Pavan.

Ravi was elated within but hiding his excitement he said,” Ya sure....lets go”

After walking for 12 min from the school they reached the apartments where Pooja lived.

Pavan said,”She lives in the first floor only...”

The door bell rang and Pooja’s mother went to open the door only to find a messy haired boy in School uniform...before she and the messy haired kid could say anything Pavan came from behind and said, “Aunty...how are you?”

“Ohh Pavan, it’s you...after a long time...how are your parents?” asked Pooja’s mother.

“Everyone is fine...I just needed to take some books...” said Pavan.

“Who is the new boy...never seen him before...” asked Pooja’s mother.

“My name is Ravi and I am a foreign exchange student...” said Ravi.

Pooja who was trying to sleep in her room was kind of shocked by hearing the voice of someone whom she never expected to hear in her house.

She got up with a jolt and was about to come outside but her mother had said that Pooja was in her room and the boys were just about to enter her room and suddenly Pooja and Ravi collided and when Pooja was about to fall down...Agent Scar with his lightning fast reflexes caught her and broke her fall.

“Cool reflexes Ravi...” said Pavan amazed.

Ravi got back to his senses...”Normal humans don’t react so quickly” were his thoughts.

Pooja ushered the boys into her room and she said,”Hey sorry, the room is kind of messy...”

“It’s Ok Pooja, just came back to take that book on Quadratic Equations.” Said Pavan.

“It must be here somewhere.” Said Pooja and started searching for that book from a pile that was present on her study table.

Pooja’s mom went into kitchen to get some snacks for the guests and Pavan followed her when she asked him something about a few relatives.

Ravi and Pooja were alone in the room.

Pooja said, “Ravi I never thought that one day you would be in my room that too when my mom is present...”

“Why didn’t you come to school and what’s wrong with your voice.” Said Ravi thinking about her sweet voice.

“Achoo...I caught a cold Ravi, I always get them whenever I play in rain...didn’t you get a cold?” asked she.

“How can I tell her that medinites in me never make me sick” thought Agent Scar but he simply said,”I take my vitamin C everyday...so...”

“I don’t think I will be able to come to school tomorrow also, Ravi, I feel feverish...” said Pooja sneezing again.

Ravi slowly moved his hand towards her arm and gently squeezed it....this action alarmed Pooja.

“What will happen if mom sees us like this....?” were the thoughts running through her mind but she couldn’t utter a word.

“Pooja, your body temperature is 4 degrees above normal....” said Ravi casually.

“You hold a girl’s hand and this is what you say” were the words she wanted to say but simply said,”Oh Ok, how do you know? Doctor Ravi.”

Agent Scar never thought about the concept of prolonging one’s life or anything like that but being addressed as doctor made him think for that single moment “How would life be if I was not an assassin”

But he brushed away those thoughts and said,"Your voice sounds so good when its normal...."

Pooja said,"I like my voice this way Ravi...I don't like being that perfect girl and stuff..."

Agent Scar thought ,"What kind of strange girl is she...maybe people get tired of being perfect and things like that."

He got back to his senses when he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door.

The door opened and Pavan followed by Pooja’s mom came into the room holding a few snacks.

Ravi said,” No thank you madam...we need to get going...”

“Oh you don’t have to be so formal Ravi...” said Pooja’s mother.

“What do your parents do?” was the second question and this time there was no quick answer and suddenly the room became silent.

After a few seconds it was Pooja who spoke up and said, “Mom, his parents died last year...”

“I am sorry Ravi, there is one last thing I want to ask you...I have seen you somewhere before, just not remembering where...do you know? Asked her mother.

Agent Scar remembered about the picture which Pooja’s sister Shruthi took when he and Pooja were working in the park but simply said, “Don’t know...we are meeting for the first time...”

Pavan said,”OK aunty, meet you later...bye.”

Ravi also said bye and left the place.

“Poor kid, loosing parents at such an important phase...must be tough for him...” said Pooja’s mother slowly.

Pooja with her hoarse voice said, “His parents left him a huge fortune...he is like super rich...”

“Money is nothing compared to family....you can never understand that....he seemed like a good kid except for his hair though....” said her mother remembering his messy hairdo.

“Really, you liked him?” said Pooja getting somewhat excited.

“What are you getting excited about?” asked her mother.

Pooja suddenly coughed and said “Nothing”....she continued, “Mom I don’t feel too good, I think I will take a little nap...”

“Go, play in the rain...you even want ice-cream? See what happened...when will you learn to take care of your own health Pooja” said her mom a little annoyed with the childish behaviour of her daughter.

“If something happens, you are there to take care of everything right???” said Pooja and turned and closed her eyes as if asleep.

Her mom left the room after tucking Pooja under her favourite blanket and Pooja’s mind became hyperactive and her thoughts continued ,”Yay... mom liked Ravi and I was breaking my head to think of various plans to introduce him....Thanks Pavan without you that wouldn’t have been possible...

While walking Pavan said,"Hey Ravi, Sudheer's house is also nearby...want to visit his house?"

Ravi had no work that evening and thought it would be fun to hang out with that guy who knew a little bit of Japanese and said ,"OK Pavan, will you also come?"

"No man, i need to hurry to Verma coaching...meet you tomorrow." said Pavan and went away after giving the directions to Sudheer's house.

Ryu opened his eyes not knowing how long he had been asleep and he saw blinding light from the sun which was hanging just above his head.

Suddenly the cute and innocent face of Emiko who was Hanaka’s younger sister came just over his face and this startled Ryu…

The little girl screamed, “Dad, mom…Ryu is awake…”

Then Ryu sat up and he found himself lying in the house of Hanaka or at least what remained of it after last night’s battle. Then he came out and saw that most of the houses were completely razed and the few that survived were badly damaged.

The village chief entered the room and said ,”Thank god Ryu…You survived…we had limited sources and didn’t know if we could save you or not…”

“I am extremely sorry…about your village” said Ryu with guilt filling up his heart again.

“No Ryu don’t be sorry, if you hadn’t been there we all could have died…” said the village chief hiding his sadness.

“But it’s because of me that those brutes attacked your village…” said Ryu.

“Actually Ryu they didn’t know you were here…our village has been getting kidnapping threats from that Kagekami since a long time and it was only a matter of time before he attacked…” said Hanaka’s father.

“But all your flowers have been destroyed, how will you make medicines…” asked Ryu with concern…

“Ohh don’t worry about that… flowers we can grow again but if someone’s life had been lost that would have caused us so much more pain….” Said The Village Chief.

“One last question…any idea where I can find at least one Black Rose plant?” asked Ryu longingly.

The village chief thought for a while and said “Well I have heard rumors that Black Roses grow wild near the Castle of No return but that would mean complete suicide now because that rogue has taken over it…”

“Just one more reason why I should go there now….” Said Ryu casually.

“Ryu, you have gone blind with revenge…you are not able to think straight…your walking right into the trap laid by that Kagekami…” said The village chief now worried about Ryu.

“I don’t care about myself anymore…just tell me instructions how to go there…” said Ryu now a little serious.

“I am not understanding how to make you stop from going there Ryu…it’s just too dangerous for you to perform another magical move in this condition…Its pure luck that you survived this time…” said Hanaka’s father.

“I don’t need another time…one battle with that Kagemaru and I will be satisfied…” said Ryu with oozing confidence.

The village chief gave in to Ryu’s demands and told him the instructions how to get to the Castle but requested him to take a few medicines which might be of little help to Ryu on his travels…

Just then Hanaka came into the room and said, “Dad, I want to go with him…”
Both Ryu and her father out rightly rejected her offer.

Then she pleaded a lot with her father and Ryu but still they were not convinced…

Then she said, “Dad, if Ryu needs the potion of black rose… it needs to be made on the spot and consumed and as you I am very good at such things…”

“But Hanaka it’s too dangerous…” said her father.

After another round of argument between finally Hanaka’s father agreed to send his daughter along with Ryu but Ryu told him “I can’t guarantee you anything Chief Medico…”

This kind of scared Hanaka’s Mother but her father was sure that Ryu would take good care of her.

Finally in the evening it was time to say goodbyes and Hanaka’s mom was emotional…tears flowed down her cheeks and this saddened Hanaka. Her father though was very proud of his daughter because she was now getting ready to face the world…

Ryu just hung in there with his grim expression. Emiko came to Ryu and said,”Ryu kun please take good care of Onee san (elder sister)”

Ryu just gave a weak smile and said to Hanaka,”If you are finished, we need to get going.”

Then still waving back to her parents she started walking backwards and just then tripped on a small stone and was about to fall down but Ryu was quick to react and with his sheathed sword he prevented her from falling.

This small gesture was enough to satisfy Hanaka’s parents that he would care for her.

As they were walking through thick forests sometimes even encountering dangerous creatures which were no match for Ryu’s Shadow Katana, Hanaka was going on and on about various trivial things which ranged from her favorite fruit to the history of her family.

Like that they walked for almost 3 days taking rest only for small intervals of time mostly because of Hanaka who had to rest, sleep, and eat at correct times.

They reached the half way point and again Hanaka said she wanted to rest. But this time Ryu became cautious because he sensed a strong presence in the vicinity and told Hanaka to be close to him and removed his sword from its sheath and uttered the words “Shadow Katana Activate”

“Ryu, what is wrong…” said Hanaka quietly with a slight tinge of fear in her voice.
“Just be silent and let me focus here.” Said Ryu.
Then he closed his eyes and after a few moments he went and struck a nearby tree cutting it in half.

Suddenly the tree became an icy glass like form of a man and melted away.

Hanaka sighed and said, “Phew, that was close, how did you know Ryu?”

“Don’t get too excited, he is not gone yet.” Said Ryu.

Suddenly from behind the trees appeared a Blonde haired, tall, well built muscular boy.

“Who are you, why were you spying on us?” were the first words that escaped Ryu.

“I am really sorry if I had shocked you…you are pretty good you know…it’s just that I needed some money and wanted to challenge worthy fighters who could see through my basic magic.” Said the blonde boy in his dreamy voice.

“What makes you think I want to fight you…” said Ryu and was getting ready to leave.

But he was stopped by Hanaka who said,”Ryu, we need some money to buy a few ingredients for your potion in the next village…finish him off quickly so we can go.”

“Even your friend wants you to fight…why don’t we start or are you too scared that you would lose to me.” Said that blonde boy.

Ryu had never been in an official competitive duel…all his duels were death matches.

After thinking for a few minutes Ryu said, “Fine…I agree to your challenge”

“Good choice…allow me to introduce myself…my name is Nouvel Von Hrolfer…I am the leader of the Great wolf clan from Norway.” Said Nouvel.

“But your Japanese is very good.” Said Hanaka suddenly.

“I always learn the language of the country I am travelling to…” said Nouvel.

“My name is Ryu…let’s begin our duel.” Said Ryu.

“That’s it…your introduction…no clan name and all that…” asked Nouvel.

“You came here to talk or to fight?” asked Ryu and Nouvel became silent.

“By the order of Odin…I will win this duel…Icy Wolf fang attack” bellowed Nouvel and suddenly his staff gathered water vapor from air and converted it into solid ice and that ice was projected in the direction of Ryu at extreme speed.

The chief of the Flower Village was awestruck when he saw that Ryu was cursed by the Black lightening.

“Who did this to you?” were the first words he said when he got back his senses.

“I think his name was Rai or something like that…. And I have been living with this curse since 4 years.” Said Ryu.

“4 Years!!! That’s too long…you should have been dead by now…I am sorry but no one has ever lived for more than 2 years…” said The Village chief in complete disbelief.

“Well, I have the spirit of the Eternal Shadow Dragon inside me, but you know more than that what is keeping me alive?”

“What?” asked the village chief curiously.

“My thirst for revenge against those who have killed my family members.” Said Ryu filling up with rage just by thinking about his uncle.

“Ryu, you have a lot of years ahead of you…don’t succumb to revenge, it’s bad…remember Ryu if we go on killing each other for different reasons, there will not be any humans left on the face of earth…” said The village chief with a lot of wisdom in his words.

“Ok leave that…do you have a cure for the black lightening or not…” asked Ryu.

“We Medicos don’t side with any warrior clans but I think I can make a little exception…You saved my daughter…” said The village chief thinking.

Then he got up, went to the library and started referring many ancient scrolls and after some time came back and said,”Ryu, you are in for luck…the main ingredient for the potion to cure your condition is the oil extracted from the petals of a Black Rose and they bloom every 5 years…this is the fifth year and they might bloom any day now.”

Ryu was happy that for the first time in so many years something was happening just like he wanted to but his happiness was short lived…

Something totally unexpected happened his blade started glowing…something it hadn’t done in 4 years.

Ryu was totally shocked and he lifted his sword and muttered the words “I seek Vengeance”

As if the sword got life the sword moved and pointed in a certain direction. Ryu’s hopes were all gone and the glowing became brighter with every passing moment.

“What are you doing?” asked the Village chief.

“No time to explain…take everyone you can and go to a safe place…hurry…” said Ryu

“Why, tell me.” Asked The Chief anxiously.

“Look, you all will die if you stay here…now leave.” Urged Ryu further.

The village chief woke up his family and took them to a safe place which was underground.

There he signaled other medicos to come into their hiding place.

Ryu shrugged his shoulders, picked up his sword and went to entrance of the house and just as he opened it a huge boulder came hurtling towards him at super speed.

But because of Ryu’s extreme physical training he was able to dodge it just in time and when he looked up he saw a whole army of people, undead ninjas, warriors made slaves, and different kinds of human- animal hybrids.

Ryu slowly said the words ,”Shadow Katana Activate” and his sword went up in black flames….he got ready to make the first move but he was suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard the cold voice of Kagekami who came on a horse.

“Hello Ryu, my my, you have grown so much… I give you one last chance…join me and I will make you the Commander in Chief of my Army and together we can conquer the world…” said Kagekami.

“I don’t join hands with the likes of you…Kagemaru…” said Ryu extremely angry.

“How many times should I tell you dumb kid…Kagemaru died long ago…now I am Kagekami, the God of Shadows…” said Kagekami.

“One who steals other warrior’s moves and eternal animal spirits is nothing but a pile of dirt…” said Ryu remembering how the Eternal Spirit of the Sunshine Dragon had been extracted from his adoptive father Mr.Taiyoukou.

“Let’s hear the same words after my army is done dealing with you….” Said Kagekami.
As soon as he finished his sentence his vast army started the attack on Ryu…destroying everything in the way.

The undead ninjas were the first to come near Ryu and just as one of them was about to land his sickle on Ryu…Ryu vanished from his place… The undead ninjas were confused for a moment and it took everyone a while to realize that Ryu had moved extremely fast from his place and through hordes of people and was directly aiming his attack on Kagekami.

“Shadow Reaver…..” bellowed Ryu and was about to strike Kagekami but he couldn’t because of some kind of force field. That force field was strong enough to repel Ryu over some distance.

When Ryu got up he felt kind of dazed….he thought “What was that?”

Kagekami said in his cold voice ,”That’s the Turtle Back Shield….had to personally kill the leader of the Turtle clan to extract it…but it was worth it…your weak Shadow Clan Attacks are no match for it…”

Ryu stood up but a kind of weakness gripped him…he felt weak and thought he would fall down if he hadn’t taken the support of his sword to remain standing….

Kagekami saw Ryu’s condition and said,”This Force field not only blocks attacks but also sucks out chakra from its attackers as long as they remain in contact with it….Didn’t I tell you…this is the perfect defense…”

Ryu thought,”I really feel weak…how can I attack someone who keeps sucking my energy every time I attack.”

As Ryu was still preoccupied with all these thoughts…Kagekami now ordered his army to attack and destroy the entire village….

“What to do…Body bear with me for a while longer….” Thought Ryu and as if his inner soul listened he was suddenly filled with a renewed energy…He slowly said,”Thanks Dragon….”

All the mixed bag of soldiers both alive and dead attacked the village at once and Ryu knew he had no choice but use the one attack which he never thought he would use…he didn’t have enough time or opportunities to practice that attack… he didn’t know even if he would survive the curse after using up so much energy but for that one moment he didn’t care…he just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt… He stood up looking even more serious than usual..He felt a slight trickle of blood come from his cut forehead…

Ryu bellowed the words,”Shadow Clan’s Forbidden Attack - Black Inferno….”

Saying those words Ryu struck his sword into the ground…for a few seconds nothing happened it was like a lull before the storm and hordes and hordes of people were coming to attack him and the village and suddenly the ground started shaking violently and some fissures were formed and from those fissures black flames erupted as if they were erupting volcanoes.

A ring of fire had formed around Ryu and black flames continued coming up in various places totally annihilating everything in its path to nothingness.

But Ryu knew that he couldn’t keep this up for long because this attack uses a lot of chakra and he couldn’t afford that now…he felt that attack was weakening and he already started feeling giddy again but said “Dragon, one more time, help me out now…”

And he felt he could use some more energy and the attack became active again…
Ryu screamed and the radius and intensity of the attack magnified several times and this time it was enough to even engulf Kagekami and his generals and his entire army…
The generals of Kagekami had just enough time to enter the Turtle Shield but his minions were not so lucky and most of them perished in the unforgiving black flames.
After it was over Ryu felt the branches of lightening spread further over his chest and arms and felt as if they were tightening the grip over his body…he was unable to breathe properly…his vision was blurring.

The last visuals he had were that of Kagekami coming close to him and saying, “Never expected you to do that Ryu, now I am even more inclined to fight you…come to the Castle of No Return if you truly seek revenge…and I don’t think you will be needing any of these flowers…”

Just as Ryu was about to say, “NO….”

Kagekami raised his hand and waved it and the entire floral gardens including the Black Rose one were engulfed in flames and were reduced to ash in a matter of moments….

Ryu’s hopes were crushed again… and as he was too weak even stay awake and he fainted.

“Hanaka, be careful when you are alone in the woods….you never know what may attack you” said Hanaka’s father who had a lot of apprehensions of his daughter going out alone at night

To that Hanaka said, “Dad, how will I become a good medico if I don’t start getting practical experience… the Night Jasmines bloom only at night and they are essential for the medicine I am currently working on”

“What is the use Hanaka, why do you want to start so early..you are only 17 years old…” said her father with concern.

“But dad weren’t you able to perform even the most complicated surgery at my age…” said Hanaka.

“Those times were different…there were constant wars and we needed lots of good medicos but now times have changed…” said her father thinking about the times of war, when he was at his prime…

“Bye dad I am going…” saying that Hanaka ran off.

In the forest at night the shadows can seem very different and that had an effect on Hanaka.

She thought, “Maybe dad was right.. I shouldn’t have come here all alone and those night jasmines don’t even grow near the entrance of the forest..I have to go so much deeper.”

After venturing deep into the forest she found the flowers she was looking for and that removed all the fear from her.

She was busy working with her flowers..extracting the oil delicately from the flower petals without harming them.

She smelled a change in the fragrance in the air…

She smelled cheap toddy in the air…. And after a few minutes she started hearing harsh voices of drunk men… They saw her and she got very scared…she started running and they started chasing her…

There were nearly 5 men on her trail and she just didn’t know what to do…all thoughts of her family and friends started doing rounds in her mind…she thought, “I can’t die so soon…god please help from this situation and I promise I won’t eat ice candy for a month…”
She hid behind a tree and continued doing her prayer…

Just as her little prayer came to an end she spotted a old damaged temple…she ran into it to take cover.

The men stopped chasing her for a moment and started hurling abuses at her…
They said,”Hey flower girl...it is better you come outside…if we come inside you can’t even imagine what we are going to do to you…”

“Ohh God, please do something…please save me from those men.”

Then the men said, “Now we are really angry, we are going to come one by one and ….”
Even before they could complete the sentence one of them entered inside and found Hanaka huddled near a wall and he gave a very evil smile which showed his mottled teeth.

As he was coming closer to her he heard the screams of his fellow drunkards… and turned back to see what had happened but just as he turned back his head got cut and rolled on the ground….

The last words he had heard were “Shadow Clan’s Forbidden Move Shadow Reaver”
Blood spilled on the wall where Hanaka was huddled and she had closed her eyes.

When she opened them she saw in the moon light a pale skinned frail boy holding a black sword.

“Are they all gone?” were the first words that came out of her mouth.

“Yes, and they won’t be coming back anytime soon.” Said that boy.

“Thanks a lot…what is your name…” asked Hanaka

“Thank god, that I was passing through these woods and I need to go to the flower village, where is it?” said he.

“That’s our village…I am the village chief’s daughter…my name is Hanaka…whats yours.” Said she.

“My name is Ryu..Kage Ryu…can we go now.” Said Ryu

But just as she stood up and started walking..she tripped over something and when she saw that it was the severed head of the man who had come inside…she gave a big scream and fainted.

Ryu thought, ” What burdens..”

Then he carried away from there and laid her by a tree.
After a few moments when she woke up…she was really scared of Ryu and asked if he had killed all of them.

To that Ryu said,”That was the only way to save you from those low lives.”

“But killing is bad Ryu…you shouldn’t do that…” said Hanaka as a matter of factly.

“Would you have told the same thing to me… if I hadn’t come in time?” asked Ryu.

Hanaka thought for a few moments and said ,”No, but still remember Ryu killing is evil and I know you are not evil."

“What do you know about me?” said Ryu seriously and continued walking.

“You saved a girl in trouble…that shows your goodness.” Said Hanaka brightly.

“Do me a favor and stop trying to know me…I want to meet your father.” Said Ryu serious as always.

“As you wish…anyway forgot to ask you…what brings you to our village.” Asked Hanaka curiously.

“I have no need to tell you… I want to speak to the village chief.” Said Ryu brashly.

“How arrogant he is…” thought Hanaka.

After walking for some time they came to the entrance of the village. And Hanaka showed her house which was the largest in the entire village.

As they were about to entire a young girl jumped onto Hanaka and gave her a huge hug… and started crying…

“Emiko, it’s ok I am back… don’t worry.” Said Hanaka to her crying younger sister Emiko.

Emiko still continued crying for a few seconds until she saw that Hanaka was with someone new.

Emiko said in her little kiddish voice ,”Onee san (Elder sister), who is this?”

“Ohh this is Ryu… he came to meet father.” Said Hanaka.

Then even their father came out and said ,”Hanaka where have you been, we all were worried sick.”

“Sorry dad, I ran into some trouble while in woods… and Ryu here saved me.” Said Hanaka.

“Thanks a lot Ryu, you don’t know how important Hanaka is for all of us…What can I do for you.” Said Her father the chief of the village.

“I need to speak to you in private.” Said Ryu.

“Your work can wait Ryu… you have brought my daughter back safely… first have the special dinner and then we can discuss your problems.” Said The Village chief.

“No, its alright…I am in a little bit of hurry…” said Ryu getting impatient.

“Anything can wait Ryu…don’t worry…whatever problem you have we can cure…” assured the Village chief.

Then Ryu along with rest of the family members of Hanaka were led into a large dining hall where a huge feast was laid on the table there.

Ryu had no inclination to eat or something like that but everyone else forced him… Looking at them he remembered his family and that made his heart ache a little.
He saw how much everyone cared for Hanaka and how happy they were for safe returning.
Hanaka recounted the events of that night….

And her mother scolded her for not taking along the poison ivy bomb or the pepper bomb to which Hanaka simply said that she had forgot.

Ryu thought,”How innocent and carefree she is…”

After the feast…everyone went to bed except for Ryu and the village chief.
The village chief said ,”So Ryu, what can I do for you.”

“My name is Kage Ryu; I am the last surviving member of the Shadow Dragon Clan.”

On hearing Ryu’s Clan name…The village chief’s mouth opened wide.

Then Ryu removed his shirt to reveal the branches of lightening over his pale body which shocked the village chief even further and said ,”I have been cursed by the Black Lightening.”

4 Years later…..

“Grandpa, I am going out to meet Ryu….” Said a girl getting ready to leave her house.

“To meet Ryu you say, take some food along with you Kaiya, God knows when was the last time that kid had eaten well.” Said Kaiya’s Grandfather who was the trusted servant of The Sunshine and the Shadow Clan years ago.

“Ya I know that….packed a few of his favorite dishes.” Said Kaiya.

Then she rushed off into the nearby bamboo forest where Ryu was spending most of his time after that fateful night.

While Kaiya was on the way her mind was filled with various thoughts of Ryu. She thought how much he had changed in the past four years not just physically but even his character.

“I still remember him as the little boy who could do no magic but still had the heart of a true warrior”

“These days I don’t even see him properly…he is training all the while” those were some of the thoughts running through her head.

She reached the bamboo forest and began searching for him but she didn’t have to do it for long as she could see smoke coming from a distance and she headed there.
In a small clearing, she saw him his back facing her, he was holding a sword whose blade was as black as the shadow itself and had dark fire emanating from it.

He bellowed the words ‘Shadow Clan’s Forbidden Move…Shadow Reaver’ and cut through the shadows of some trees nearby and after a few seconds the trees themselves fell down as if they had been cut with a real blade.

Kaiya didn’t have to call him, Ryu could now sense presence of people within certain radius and his back still facing her,
He said in a cold voice,” What do you want?”

“Well that’s really impressive Ryu but you know what I want….I want you to eat this…eat them while they are still hot.” Said Kaiya in her gentle and sweet tone.

“Leave them over there and go, now I have to train.” He said.

“Oh you always train Ryu… I am not going to move till you eat this.” Said Kaiya a little defiantly.

Realizing the she was adamant, he deactivated his magic and his Katana returned back to shining silver color.

“Look how thin you have become Ryu…why do you train so hard…” asked Kaiya in a caring voice.

Ryu who hadn’t spoken a lot till then slowly said “The longer and harder I train now…the longer I am going to live…that’s the only way to test the limits of my body.”

“Ryu, I have a doubt, you now possess the soul of the Shadow Dragon right?... why doesn’t it cure you of that curse on your body.” Asked Kaiya innocently.

Ryu put his hand on his chest and he could feel his heart beat, then he looked at his pale chest through the gap in his kimono and could see black lightening like markings covering his body.

Then he remembered the incidents that happened on that night.
A few hours after Ryu had passed out his trusted servant the real old man came into the Sunshine dojo along with the local medico and was shell shocked to find so many bodies of Sunshine Clan members badly mutilated.

He and the medico searched for any signs of life and were not surprised to find any…They were about to leave but just then they heard a low moan of pain coming from one of the corpses.

They rushed to find it was Ryu who was barely breathing and was making low monotonous sounds.

The medico ripped apart the upper part of Ryu’s now tattered Kimono, the medico’s eyes widened on what he saw….

The old man asked “Lee san what are these black markings…..”

Medico Lee was too dumbfounded to say anything for a few moments. But when he got back his breath he said,” This boy has been cursed”

“What do you mean cursed? Do something quick” said The old man.

The next thing Ryu remembered was waking up in the hospital 2 days later and he couldn’t move a muscle.

The old man came in and said “This is not the right time to ask this but do you remember what was the last thing that hit you?”

Ryu sat up with great effort and all those horrible events played in front of his eyes.

After a few moments he said ,” Black Lightening or something like that.”

Medico Lee entered just then and with a straight serious face he said,”Ryu, you have been cursed by the Black Lightening. It is one of the most dangerous curses with a very few known users and no one survived the curse for more than a year.”

The old man got shocked on what he had just heard and quickly said,”Doctor Lee, Young master Ryu regained his consciousness just now…couldn’t you have waited a little longer.”

“No, he has to know what is wrong with him…the earlier he does the better.” Said Lee.

In between all this conversation Ryu asked slowly, “What are the effects…and how long do I have.”

Lee took out some old scrolls from his reading shelf and referred them again and again….Then he said,” Ryu, it is a strange type of curse which affects all parts of the body…The more you use your magical powers the more the curse spreads over the body. It is called Curse of The Black Lightening because when it spreads it leaves lightening like marks over the body… It is something like slow death…eventually you die if you use your magical moves or if you don’t use your magical moves… Your opponents kill you in battle. Finally when it spreads throughout…all your blood vessels get filled with poison and you die.”

“Something to look forward to…. Where is my Shadow Katana” said Ryu.

“What do you want that for…you not going to use it anymore…you will die Ryu.” Said The old man.

“Well you didn’t expect me to just lie here… I am a warrior and I am going to kill that Kagemaru….that I will.” said Ryu.

Lee said,”You shouldn’t strain your body Ryu…You will just get yourself killed faster…”

“Death is inevitable…why not embrace it doing something you like….”said Ryu with wisdom beyond his years…

The old man said,”Ryu, you don’t worry there has to be a cure somewhere or the other…”

Then Doctor Lee said,”I have heard about a village of medicos who use the mystic power of flowers to cure any kind of malady… If we go there maybe we might get something…”

“I will go right away… just give me the map Doctor Lee...” said the old man.

After taking the map from Lee...The old man left for the Flower Village the next day leaving his orphaned Grand Daughter to take care of Ryu

Then after that…it took Ryu 3 months to heal properly and nearly a year to be able to perform another magic attack but after that there was no looking back…he trained throughout the day for four long years.

“Ryu, grandpa returned 2 days ago…when are you coming to meet him…” said Kaiya to a dreamy Ryu.

“Even I was planning on coming soon….” Said Ryu.

Then Kaiya watched as Ryu ate a proper lunch after many days.

After Kaiya left….Ryu too packed his things and first went to the river that flowed through the forest... He bathed himself because he was covered in blood, mud and sweat.

Tidying himself and wearing a new pair of clothes he went to see Kaiya’s Grandfather who was Ryu’s only hope of finding a cure to his curse.

At Kaiya’s house, her grandfather was waiting for Ryu.

The first thing the old man said was ,”Ryu, who are you…been a long time since I have seen you…”

Ryu bluntly said, “What about the cure? Found anything?”

The old man said “Ryu, I have found the ‘Flower Village’ and the flower needed to cure you of the curse is the Black Rose….but the problem with it is…it bears flowers only once every five years and the medicine should be made from its petals instantly and consumed…”

“Give me the directions, I will leave right away.” Said Ryu excited.

“Ryu, the journey is too dangerous, the forests are infested with creatures and bandits who are worse than monsters.” Said the old man with concern.

“Just give them to me…I have waited too long for my revenge…now the time is right.” Said Ryu seriously.

The old man tried to talk Ryu out of revenge and all that but seeing that it was of no use…. The old man just gave Ryu the map and the directions.

That night Ryu was getting ready to leave the village…Ryu told the old man,”Hey, if I don’t come back in a few months…take good care of the village…”

“Master Ryu, don’t say such things...we will all be waiting…” said the old man and gave him a bag of gold for use on the journey.

Kaiya came running towards Ryu and said,”Ryu don’t leave…I don’t want to loose you too…Ryu ever thought of forgiving your uncle.”

On hearing the last words Ryu’s blood began to boil…. He said,”Kaiya, because your name means forgiveness maybe you can even forgive the person who murdered your parents but I can’t…I am a warrior and I need to avenge my family for what that jerk did to them….And don’t ever call him my uncle again…I am the last surviving member of The Shadow Dragon Clan and I can’t let him live any longer…..”

Tears were swelling up in Kaiya's eyes and she said,”Atleast take me with you Ryu…I don’t want you to go alone…”

Ryu didn’t want anyone to walk the path of revenge along with him and said,”Kaiya, if you come with me…you will be nothing but a burden to me…”

Kaiya started crying and ignoring her…Ryu went off into the dark forest on a moonless night all alone to seek revenge.

In the facility....Location unknown...

“Welcome back Agent Scar” said the Scientist whose worn out lab coat said a lot about his experience...

“Why did you call me Dr. David?” said Agent Scar seriously.

“To give you a little birthday present.” Said Dr. David with a wink....

Agent Scar was in no mood for fun and he just looked at the doctor with a serious face....

“OK no jokes...show me your inhibitor...” asked the Doctor.

Scar stretched his left hand and David connected a cable from a nearby computer to Agent Scar’s Watch and after a few seconds all the info about the inhibitor was displayed on the screen.

“It’s an old version but don’t worry we will upgrade it in no time...” said the doctor cheerfully.

“First we need to inject you with an anaesthetic... Timothy, get an anaesthetic quickly” said David calling out to his assistant.

Timothy was a fresh college graduate and as he was new to work in the weapons facility he was naturally excited.

Timothy got the anaesthetic and gave it to David and the doctor asked him to administer it to the assassin.

When Scar lifted up his sleeve, Timothy was dumbfounded for a few seconds...

“You are Agent Scar Right??? I mean you are the youngest person to achieve the Legendry level status..I have read so much about you... I never thought I would meet you in person....”

Doctor David was a little annoyed and said, “Timothy, if your done with the star gazing shall we get down to work...”


Timothy got back to his senses and administered the anaesthetic and within a few moments Agent Scar went into deep slumber oblivious to what was going on around him or what they were doing to him....

After what seemed like hours to Agent Scar but in reality was less than 30 min. He woke up with a slight headache.

“What did you do doc...feel kinda different...” said Scar holding his forehead.

“Ohh nothing just upgraded the versions of all your nanites ... your optinites have been modified a little bit and now you don’t have to close one of your eyes when you activate the Eye of the Assassin...” said David.

“Then how am I going to choose between the two variations in it?” asked Scar a little doubtful.

“That’s simple...your inhibitor is now supersensitive to your voice commands...Eye of the Assassin Type 1 is the slow time one and Type 2 shows the altered perspective.” Said the doctor.

The Doctor continued...”We have upgraded even your medinites and now you heal twice as fast as you did earlier and finally your birthday present...we have kept a new type of nanites in you...the Arachnites”

“What do they do?” asked Scar a little curious.

“Ever heard of Spider-Man? “ asked Timothy.

“No who is he...” said Scar a little embarrassed.

“Well that’s not important...let me demonstrate it to you...put your hand on a wall and say the words Arachnites activate” said David.

Agent Scar followed the instructions and when he placed his hand on the wall and said those words suddenly he felt his hand tingle and a few moments later his hand was stuck to the wall.... It was a new experience for Agent Scar and he panicked a bit.

“Say the words Arachnites deactivate to return back your hand to normal.” Said the doctor happy that his new invention was working out properly.

Agent Scar quickly said those words and examined his hands and touched them again and again but they were not sticky at all.

Agent Scar asked “How does it work doctor?... I mean my hands feel normal.”

“Do you really want to know...you won’t understand it anyway” said Doctor David his ego filling him up.

Sensing that Scar was in no mood for fun the doctor continued “Actually I have designed those nanites in such a way that they lie just below the first layer of skin in your palms and as you know every atom is a magnet with two poles...these nanites emit small electrical charges and convert the atoms of the surface in this case a wall into the opposite poles and that makes the surface attractive to your palm....did you understand anything?”

“Ya somewhat....” said Scar.

Scar continued “ I have one more doubt... I always wondered how that slow time thing worked...it has saved me many times and its only natural that I would want to learn more about it...”

“You are in a chatty mood today Scar..what’s the news... you seem a little bit changed since the last time we met... I hope being with that girl hasn’t had an impact on you...” said David a little seriously.


“Nothing like that...was being a little curious thats all....” said Scar.

“Then it’s Ok...Timothy here will clarify all your doubts..I am kind of busy here...” said David and got immersed in his work.

Timothy came forward excitedly and said “Agent Scar I have researched a lot upon the Eye of the Assassin...its a complex biological process but I will put it in the simplest terms possible...The human brain can process images at a certain rate...but when agitated the body secretes some hormones and because of it the brain processes the images a faster rate and because of that an effect of slow time is achieved...”

“So what you are saying is that one second is still one second only but the way we perceive it is different...we feel it like more than a second...” said Scar trying to understand it.

“Exactly and these optinites allow you to secrete those hormones in larger quantities for an extended period of time...and as you are physically at peak human levels you can react very fast and for others it appears as if you are teleporting when you are just moving quickly.” Said Timothy.

“So how long can I be in this altered perception of time?” asked Scar.

Timothy thought for a while and said “ I think the maximum time you can be in that state continuously is 9 seconds...that should be more than enough to dodge bullets and sudden attacks.”

“Hmm yeah but anything else I need to know about my new eyes” asked Scar.

“ It might seem very useful but these optinites have a backdrop... they strain your eyes a lot.. I guess you already know that by now.... as you can use it with both eyes now...the duration is doubled and at the same time even the strain is doubled....and if you use them too much there is a chance of you going blind permanently...” said Timothy thoughtfully.

“So what you are saying is the Eye of the Assassin is like a double edged knife...it can be used to one’s advantage but at the same time it also causes disadvantage to the user....” said Scar with a wicked grin on his face.

Scar continued ,”Thanks Timothy, you were of good help.”

Timothy couldn’t believe his ears he said “Really was I helpful to you...I never expected you to be so nice...from what I have heard...you were nothing like that...I guess your reputation precedes you.”

Scar became serious again and Timothy became silent.

Scar thought,”What am I doing...is having a wish to talk a sin? But earlier I was never interested in talking to all these humans...Pooja are you really changing me... No, I cannot change... my name is Agent Scar and I am an Assassin.” He kept reminding himself.

Just then Dr. David came in and said “Scar, I need to run a few tests on you...to check if the Eye is working properly or not...”

Agent Scar accompanied by Timothy went into a new room where there was a glass chamber which had a gun like thing.

Agent Scar was instructed to go into the chamber and then Dr. David said,”Scar, we will fire extremely fast projectiles at you..Use your Eye of the Assassin Type 1...Ok...the test begins in 5 seconds.”

Scar’s mind was still disturbed with thoughts about him changing and all that.
He closed his eyes and just then the test began.

The first few projectiles he could dodge easily because of his acute sense of hearing but he had to try out his “new” eyes....

He muttered the words “Eye of the Assassin Type 1” into his inhibitor and opened them just to see the world go slow around him...the projectiles seemed so slow he could actually walk through them... and he was enjoying this feeling... but his happiness didn’t last long.

A few moments later he felt his eyes all burning up and his head felt like it was going to split into two...his eyes literally bled and he collapsed.

The test was terminated and David rushed to attend Scar.

After a few hours when Scar finally woke up for a few seconds he was not able to see anything and for a tiny instance he felt as if he had gone blind.

Then suddenly the world became clearer and heard the doctor say ,”The optinites haven’t had much testing...we had no one to test them on...” he continued “Don’t worry we have fixed them but my advice to you would be not to use them much...”

Agent Scar got up and was getting ready to leave the lab but Timothy caught hold of his hand and said ,”Hey you can’t leave now...we still need to run some more tests on you.”

“Leave me, I need to go, I have school tomorrow.” Said Scar seriously and left.

Dr. David said to Timothy “He is just a kid at heart...I think this mission is really letting him understand his human side a little more.”

Slowly but surely 6 P.M. did arrive and in Pooja’s house everyone were getting ready to go to a party and Shruti said,”Hey Po...wear that Pink Chudhidar of yours...really suits you....” admiring herself in the mirror wearing a new dress herself....

Pooja said, “No sis I am not coming...got a lot of school work to do......you people enjoy.”

“Mom, Pooja says she is not gonna come....” said Shruti.

Their Mother entered and asked why and Pooja said the same thing.

Her mother thought for a few seconds and said, “It’s not a really important thing anyway...you can stay but don’t waste your time.....we will be late so don’t wait for us...have dinner and sleep....lock the door from inside.....we have a spare key.....”

Pooja wanted to say,”Mom how old do you think I am.”


But didn’t say anything cause she was too happy she was getting extra time to spend with her Beggar Prince.

A few minutes later their parents and sister went away and after waiting for another 15 min to see if they are coming back.....she raced off to Friends Park along with her gifts and a card.

She was out of breath by the time she reached the park. She went to their usual meeting spot and found Ravi sitting on the bench all alone.

“Really Sorry Ravi.....I had to wait till my parents left......” said she panting.

“It’s OK Pooja....just glad that you came.” said Ravi.

“I would have come earlier if my family had left earlier but because of Shruthi, they got late.” Said Pooja thinking about her sister who always takes a lot of time to get ready.

“Who is this Shruthi?” asked Ravi.

“She is my elder sister....Ravi this is what I wanted to talk about....” said Pooja.

“You wanted to talk about your sister?” said Ravi.

“No....what I meant was you don’t know anything about me Ravi.....” said Pooja.

“But I feel I know enough about you.” Said Ravi somewhat confidently.

Pooja suddenly felt a sense of contentment filling her up. She thought “He thinks a lot like me.”

But keeping the thoughts to herself she asked him Teju’s question “How much is enough Ravi?”

Ravi was kinda surprised by that question and thought for a while....he tried to recollect if any movie had that scene.

After a few moments of silence he said “Pooja, I know you love me isn’t that enough to reciprocate the feeling.”

Pooja blushed after listening to that answer but said “No Ravi that isn’t enough, you need to know about my family background etc. Etc.”

“I don’t know.... I love you and that’s it.....” said Ravi defiantly.

“Why Ravi why.....why do you like me so much?” asked Pooja seriously.

Agent Scar didn’t know what to say to that girl....

“Come on think....you are an assassin you came out of many tricky situations....this shouldn’t be a problem for you.” Were the thoughts racing in his mind.

But he didn’t know what to say.....he thought for a while and decided to say what was in his heart all along and slowly said,” Because of the Theory of Inductive Resonance.”

“What!!!!!.” Pooja exclaimed.....she continued “Ravi what is the relation between that physics concept and love?”

“Pooja, just like the frequency of a body increases when some sound are applied....my heart rate also increases whenever I listen to your voice.” Said Ravi innocently.....he continued “This phenomenon I observed from the first time you offered me biscuits on the first day of school.”

Pooja was highly impressed by that answer and couldn’t contain her words she said, “Ravi, I wanna hug you now.....”

Agent Scar looked at her with some kind of strange expression of surprise and Pooja felt embarrassed...she quickly said, “I can’t do it here....anyway I have something for you.....Here’s your gift B’day boy.”

She gave him the package she brought.

Ravi opened the cover and found a soft teddy which was holding a heart on which “Te Quiero” was written.

Then there was a greeting card which was a small one but produced the “Happy Birthday” tune melodiously whenever opened.

Agent Scar was surprised on seeing the card...he opened and closed it many times observing it very curiously. He didn’t understand what to do with the soft toy and ignored it completely playing only with the card.

Pooja thought “This Ravi behaves like an overly mature person sometimes and a little kid the other time..... Don’t know who the real one is.”
She cleared her throat and said “Ravi did you like your gifts?”

“They are really nice Pooja, specially this card...I liked it a lot....” said Ravi excitedly.

“Why Ravi, didn’t anyone give you a musical card before?” asked Pooja.

“No, actually no one has ever given me anything on my birthday till now.....you are the first one to ever do this.....Thank you Pooja.” Said Ravi emotionally.

Pooja was filled with sympathy for her little childish lover and wanted to hug him just to make him feel better but didn’t do anything like that.

She had forgot about the personalization factor and said “Ravi, forgot to give you this.”

Then she removed an old pair of specs which were slightly bent and gave it to Ravi.

“What are these for?” asked Ravi confused.

“These are my first pair of specs....one of my most cherished treasures.....I have so many memories with them....but now I want you to have it.” Said Pooja recollecting her memories.

“Why Pooja, if you like them so much why give it to me?” asked Ravi still confused.

“Ravi once give me that teddy and those specs.....” said Pooja.

Then she kept her old specs on the teddy and it fit correctly.

Pooja proudly showed her creation and Agent Scar still couldn’t understand.

So she only took the initiative and continued...”Ravi, say hi to Mini Pooja...whenever you want to talk to me and I am not there talk to mini Pooja.”

Ravi said, “Does this thing have some microphone or anything like that with which you can hear what I am talking.”

“No Ravi, what do you think I am, some kind of Female Spy?” said Pooja.

“Then you can’t hear what I am saying right?” asked Ravi once more.

“No, but imagine as if I am right there and if your feeling is really strong maybe I can hear...” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Agent Scar couldn’t understand what she was trying to convey but still played along.....

Then he asked “Hey Pooja, know what Te Quiero means....”

“No I don’t” she said innocently.

“Without knowing, why did you give it to me...” said Ravi seriously

“Is it something bad.” Asked Pooja a little nervous.

“It means I Love You in French....” said Ravi mischievously.......

“Wow Ravi you scared me....” said Pooja relieved.

Ravi then looked at his watch and said ”Pooja your one hour is almost over...”

“Don’t worry about that....my family has gone out and won’t be coming till late night.” Said Pooja confidently.

“Ok fine...you said you wanted to talk about something” asked Ravi curiously.

“Ya I forgot, hey Ravi remember rule no.2 of our relationship?” said Pooja.

“Of course...what about it...” said Ravi.

“Ravi acc. To that rule, you should know everything about me and vice versa....your turn to interview me....start...” said Pooja.

“Why all this so suddenly.....anyway what should I ask you...” asked Ravi in confusion.

“Your wish...ask anything you want to know....” said Pooja getting ready.

“Ohh Ok what is your favourite colour?” asked Ravi.

“Purple and Black.....and sometimes even Pink” said Pooja

“Favourite food?” said Ravi.

“Well in vegetarian I like Potato Fry and Mango Dal and Non-veg I like first Fish Fry and then Chicken Fry....” said Pooja salivating thinking about her most preferred dishes.

“Favourite Pastime......” asked Ravi.

“Well I really like reading all kinds of books specially fantasy novels....and watching movies and my most fav genre is Horror......and ya sometimes even romantic ones are fine with me...”

And then Ravi asked Pooja some more trivial things to which she answered but felt somewhat awkward...

Pooja said ”Phew...that was some quiz Ravi...now my turn....”

But before she could ask any question it started to rain and as it was the monsoon season in India...it soon became a heavy downpour.....

“Arghh Pooja come quickly, let’s find some shelter.....” and grabbing hold of Pooja’s slender arm he ran to find cover....


But just as they reached shelter Pooja broke free of Ravi’s tight grip and said “What are you doing?”

“Hey if you get wet you will catch a cold...” said Ravi blankly.

“I know that but I like playing in the rain.....” said Pooja sheepishly.

Leaving Ravi in the shelter she ran out....swirled, twirled, jumped and made wavy motions with her arms....in short she was dancing with pure ecstasy...No skill no talent but just the joy of dancing....


Ravi looked at her with awe and thought “A girl who appears so serious and studious has such a playful nature in her...I can never understand humans completely.”

“Ravi come on...don’t be shy...join me it’s so much fun...” screamed Pooja.

He too stepped outside the cover and as it was still raining heavily he got completely drenched in a few moments....

”What is fun in this...you just get yourself wet and sick” thought he.

“Hey isn’t it fun Ravi...come on you too dance...” she said playfully.

“No Pooja I can’t...I don’t know how to.” Said Ravi shyly.

“Who is a trained classical dancer here? Just enjoy the feel of cool water over your head and move your body....” said Pooja continuing her dance.

Then suddenly Ravi’s watch beeped and the message flashed “Come over quickly...”

“Umm Pooja, I need to go...got some urgent work...” said Ravi getting ready to leave.

“Ravi, everyday you ask me to wait a little longer and I can’t. Today I have a lot of time but your leaving why?” asked Pooja longingly.

“Really sorry, I just remembered I had to do something important....” said Ravi.

“More important than even me????” asked Pooja a little enviously.

“Don’t be silly Pooja....you know I have to attend some boring board meetings and all that...” said Ravi a little angrily. He continued “Shall I call a car of mine...how are you going to go home....”

“On my cycle only....hey Ravi can I ask you something....” said Pooja

“Anything....” said he.

“Will you drop me on my cycle to my house.....I always had that wish.....” said Pooja shyly.

“OK fine....” said Ravi and without thinking much

And both of them jumped onto Pooja’s old pink bicycle and Ravi started pedalling fast while Pooja while holding her umbrella trying to protect them.


On the way...Pooja said to Ravi, “You know what...you didn’t even give me a chocolate for your birthday....”

“Tomorrow definitely one large bar of chocolate with extra nuts will be waiting for you...” said Ravi dropping her off near her house and quickly hurrying away in the rain.