BROKEN BONDS

Akshara left the house. Kairav welcomed him in and assured her all the comfort and support she needed. The elder Goenkas hurriedly approached her but as soon as she met their faces she remembered how they had become the reason of Aarohi's woes, how unwillingly they had widened the gap between the sisters much more over the years.

"Akshu- beta tu theek hai na? Aur Aaru, kaisi hai woh-?"
Her eyes turned moist on listening Aarohi's name. She didn't know whether it was a genuine concern or a façade, if they loved her then why? And if they didn't, then why not?

This was the first time she replied to her blest Bade Papa with a straight face, "She's fine, no need to worry about her, I am okay, we're together this time", without waiting for any replies she fled off to her room, Kairav supporting her.

She sat on her bed, broken, vulnerable, not speaking a thing, her face as clear and as fragile as glass.
"Akshu, beta talk, please?", Kairav said in his fatherly soft voice.

But the girl didn't speak a word.

"Kya tu bhi abb Aaru ki tarah apna dard chhupaayegi?"

Her face looked up to him in an instant and she spoke, "Yo- you knew? You knew how broken she was?"

"Of course I knew, Akshu. You are both my little baby sisters, how can I not? That is why I always tried giving my best to reconcile you both, because I knew, not only you but even she needed you, I knew you both craved for each other. She never said anything, but then again, there were some days of susceptibility for her heart, when she gave in, when she shared her heart out, to me and Vansh Bhaiya, AG, or Mumma Papa."

Akshara fell silent for a second and said, "Bu- but never me..."

"Akshu..."

Before he could complete, she flung herself into her brother's arms, the man who took care of her, who cocooned her from the pain of the exterior world.
"I- I'm so- so sorry, Bhaiya. I'm sorry, I couldn't understand her, I'm sorry I couldn't mend my relationship with her. You kept on trying and trying, all these years. You were just as broken as us with Mumma Papa leaving us and yet you just took care of us. You needed help too, but you just kept on helping us. You devoted your life to both of us, but we fail- failed, we failed you, we failed our parents, we're so sorry-"

"Akshu, tune ek aur baar sorry bola na, main Aaru se daant lagwa dunga tujhe"

"Arre bhaiya na-"

"Akshu, sometimes things aren't in our hand-"

"Bhaiya but we've all been misunderstanding her, and that's what is hurting the most. She always said that she isn't loved like I am, even if she was wrong, we should have tried to talk to her, we should have tried to know why she felt such a terrible thing, bu- but we just left her-"

"Akshu, you were a kid too, just as vulnerable and hurt as her, you couldn't have-"

"But our family could have."

"Akshu-"

"I know, I know Bade Papa, Badi Mumma and everyone would have been devasted watching their own children to-", she sighed. 
"But Bhaiya, it doesn't mean they would just sideline that poor girl because she seemed strong to us. No one thought that she was in pain too after losing her sister, everyone just pointed out her mistakes, scolded her and it just hurt and raged her more and more. I am not blaming them, but Aaru has been wronged, Bhaiya."

Kairav hugged Akshu and said, "Iss duniya mein shayad hi kisi ke paas itni understanding behen hogi."
"Akshu, you can't take all the blame on your shoulders. The rift started with blame only, now when it has sufficed, don't burden yourself with all these negative thoughts again, don't worry about all this now."