Intertwined Fates -- An IPKKND FanFic

Why is it always you?

"You can wait here," Officer Kashyup said to the trio of Raizadas and Arosh, leading them to an empty investigation room.

"How long will it take?" Arnav growled.

"I'll contact the lawyer now," the officer replied coolly. "And I'll send in Arosh's caretaker; once you're convinced, everyone can go their way."

A few minutes after she left them, a nun walked into a room. "Sister Mary?" Aarav perked up and jumping off the chair, running to hug her.

"Oh beta, I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're okay," she said as she hugged back.

"What's going on?" Arnav asked. "Aarav, how do you know this woman?"

"Mr. Raizada, I raised Arosh."

Next to Arnav, Anjali drew in a sharp breath.

"But that means..." Akash trailed off.

He didn't need to finish. All three of them knew that it meant Sheetal was a liar. Which meant that she may very well have kidnapped Aarav.

***

One day, Lavanya's terseness was going to drive Khushi insane. She'd called twenty minutes earlier, and Khushi had expected news on what happened with Sheetal. Instead, Lavanya had said, "There's been a complication. You need to get down to the station, now." Then she hung up.

What did complication mean? True to form, Lavanya didn't pick up when Khushi called back. So an anxious Khushi got into a Rickshaw and high-tailed it to the station. Walking as fast as she could without running, she made a beeline to Lavanya's desk.

Ignoring her questions, Lavanya simply got up and led her to one of the rooms. "They're waiting in there. Talk to them."

Khushi didn't even have time to wonder who they were before Lavanya opened the door and pretty much shoved her inside.

She gulped when she saw who they were. Why, she wondered, does this keep happening to me?

***

He wanted to kill Sheetal. He was going to kill Sheetal. How could he have misjudged her so badly?

In stunned silence, he listened as the woman from the orphanage described the former corrupt director. How fourteen teenage girls and Arosh disappeared under his watch and he wouldn't let anyone report to the police. Finally, when Sister Mary couldn't bear it any longer, she'd gone and reported them herself, at the risk of losing her job.

But Officer Kashyup had taken her seriously. Within days, the man was arrested and as the new director, Sister Mary asked Deepali Kaur's firm to represent them. They couldn't afford the fees, but Deepali Kaur did a lot of pro bono work and agreed to take them on.

She'd sent them a lawyer from her firm and it was this lawyer that had led them to Arosh.

The door opened and in walked the last person that Arnav expected or wanted to see.

"And there she is now," Sister Mary beamed. "Our lawyer, Khushi Kumari Gupta."

There was a beat of silence.

Arnav pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why is it always you?"

"What a coincidence," Khushi said dryly. "I was just wondering the same thing." She smiled at the boy. "Hi, Arosh. It's nice to meet you."

He gave her a distrusting look before moving away from Sister Mary and taking Anjali's hand again.

He's already attached, Khushi thought. Anjali clasped Arosh's hand tightly and pulled him closer. And so is she.