Warning:  Reader's discretion! Contains abuse and violence.

|AUTHOR|

Life is easy for some people on the other hand it's difficult for most people. Some people get things handed to them on the platter. In contrast, the others need to fight for it. They have to fight for every single thing, every single day, and sometimes every second of their lives. 

Anurag who was merely ten years old ran as fast as he could. It was raining and cold. He panted as he felt the ice-cold water piercing through his skin. His feet splashed over the puddles as he ran across a series of houses in the slum area of Bangalore.

He winced when a sharp stone pierced through his feet but still kept running. His father drank today as usual and came home completely intoxicated. When his mother refused to give him the money for more alcohol that he wanted to buy he bashed her head against the glass cabinet. The glass shattered and cut through her body. 

He wanted to scream, tears streamed down his face. If only he and his fraternal twin, Aarav, had been at home, they might have been able to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, it had occurred while they were away, and there wasn't anything either of them could do to stop it.

When they returned from school, all they could see was a pool of blood with their mother lying in it. The house had been trashed. The money she had painstakingly saved from working tirelessly as a housemaid to cover their school fees was gone, and her earrings and bangles were missing too.

They tried to stop the bleeding by holding a towel against the wound but the blood just kept flowing and flowing, soaking the towel thoroughly. They tried to wake her up but she didn't respond.  Anurag being the older twin asked Aarav to stay with their mother as he hurried out to get a doctor.

There was a clinic about two kilometers from their house. The clinic was run by Dr. Ram Khatri. He was a kind-hearted man who provided free treatment to all the underprivileged people.

Dr. Ram always had his suspicions about the atrocities of his father. He even urged them to get help numerous times but the situation was already complicated. His father was involved with the wrong people. If they took one misstep they would all be dead. Not to mention all the various threats that his father constantly threw at their mother had shaken her completely. Only for the sake of them, their mother continued living with that monster. 

"Help me! Please help me!" Anurag sobbed and entered his clinic. He was drenched in his mother's blood and shivering. Dr. Ram rushed towards him and tried consoling him. "Breathe Anurag, breathe." He guided Anurag to take deep breaths. Dr. Ram's wife Dr. Revathi Khatri who worked in the clinic along with her husband rushed towards Anurag. 

He panted and narrated the entire incident. Dr. Revathi gasped and tears filled her eyes. They called for an ambulance and immediately grabbed the first aid kit before driving towards Anurag's home on their bike.

Aarav came out of the house sobbing, soaked in blood. Their mother's blood but he also had a gash on his forehead. Dr. Ram and Revathi were already inside the house and started checking on their mother. "H-he came back and stomped on ma's stomach. I tried to stop him, Anurag. I tried to stop him but he pushed me."

Anurag's eyes filled with tears as they tried to save his mother. His mother Komal was a kind-hearted woman. The only mistake she ever made was to fall in love with this monster. Her parents disowned her when she married him against their wishes.

"She has lost too much blood, Ram. Her pulse is very faint. There's severe bruising on her abdomen." Her abdomen was utterly bruised and blue. 

"She's bleeding internally Revathi." Dr. Ram replied. All of a sudden Komal gasped and her eyes opened. Revathi held her shoulders to support her. "We have to get her to a hospital soon. Come on." Dr. Ram stood up. The ambulance should be reaching the house soon.

Anurag and Aarav stood next to each other clutching their hands together. "A-arav, A-anurag c-come h-here." Komal extended her bloody hands towards her kids calling them towards her.

"Maa!" They sobbed and kneeled next to her. "No matter what happens the both of you should never leave each other. Never give up on life. Always be strong and support each other, remember that my blessings are with you both at all times." Komal shuddered and caressed their cheeks, Revathi cried silently. How can someone be so cruel? How can they do this to their wife and kids?

She glanced at her husband who had the same broken expression on his face. They had the same thoughts. Even if they reached the hospital on time, it was highly unlikely that she was going to survive. Her ribs are broken and her lungs are likely punctured. She bleeding internally too severely.

"P-please take care of them. Keep them away from that vile Palesh." She looked at Dr. Ram and let out one last breath. The ambulance sound was blaring outside. There was no point now. She was already gone. Revathi checked her pulse and shook her head. There was no pulse. Tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Ma, please get up! Please! Don't leave us. I promise to protect you. Please please get up." Anurag shook her shoulder and hugged her. He sobbed and sobbed. Aarav muttered no continuously and screeched loudly. 

Anurag held his brother's hand and tried to calm him down. Although his mind was a mess and his heart was in shambles he didn't want to lose his brother too. "Aarav!" Anurag screamed as Aarav passed out on the floor.

Dr. Ram rushed towards him. His heartbeat was normal but he passed out because of shock and panic. "Anurag, he'll be fine. Don't worry. Come on. Let's go."  He tried to tug Anurag's hand but he didn't budge. He was staring blankly at his mother's corpse and holding on to Aarav's hand tightly until someone from the ambulance bought a stretcher. He watched them pick up Komal's body and carry her away. 

Anurag's vision blurred and within seconds everything turned black for him. "Anurag!" Revathi shouted and caught hold of him when he fell. "Ram! We need another stretcher!"

Quickly a couple more emergency nurses appeared and picked them up onto the stretcher. Revathi sat next to each of them and instructed the ambulance driver to hurry up. Ram called the police and informed them about what had taken place.

That bastard Palesh had fled. The police searched for him everywhere. The horrible bar where he was always high on alcohol and gambled away money. The dingy restaurant where he previously worked as a waiter and a few other spots where he indulged in his horrible habits. But they couldn't find him anywhere. For now, it was undetermined as to when they'll find him.

In the hospital, Anurag and Aarav were placed in the same room. Both of them were still unconscious but the doctor there had assured Revathi what she already knew, they were going to be okay. Revathi wiped her tears and ruffled their hair.

"Hey, they're going to be fine." Dr. Payal assured her. "I haven't seen anyone so protective as this little boy here." Payal pointed at Anurag who was still holding Aarav's hand in a tight grip.

"These poor kids. I hope they get the help they need  and recover soon." The nurse muttered she made sure the drip was in place and walked away after saying a silent prayer. A few minutes later the police barged into the room along with Dr. Ram.

When they saw the kids still unconscious on the beds they turned to Revathi to get her statement. She told them everything that had happened. The lead inspector of this case Officer Kadeem recorded the confessions and also asked a few more routine questions.

"Dr. Ram, Dr. Revathi the two of you have saved two innocent lives today. I'm sorry that you couldn't save the mother. We have the autopsy reports. A strong case will be made against Palesh. He will be punished. We'll take it on from here. We tried contacting their relatives but none of them want to take responsibility for these kids. We'll make sure that Anurag and Aarav get the best care, we'll send them to the best orphanage here in Bangalore once they both recover."

Revathi looked at the kids and shook her head. She glanced at her husband Ram with teary eyes. How can they possibly leave these two here? After everything they had been through today. How can they leave them in a stranger's care? Ram had promised Komal that he would take care of them. The haunted and devastated eyes of Komal right before she passed away flashed in Ram's mind. 

"That won't be necessary officer," Ram declared. The officer frowned. "We're adopting Anurag and Aarav. We'll get the paperwork started right away." Revathi nodded acknowledging her husband and wiped her tears. No way in hell were they going to leave these kids behind.

"Okay, Dr. Ram and Revathi. I'll be back after a few hours to take the kid's statements." Officer Kadeem walked away.

An hour later Anurag began trashing. He screamed out loudly for his mother and opened his eyes wide. Ram and Revathi explained to him why he was in the hospital. He cried and cried as Revathi held him trying to console him. Aarav was in the same state. Not once did they leave their hands. They clutched onto each other. Like they had promised their mother they are never going to leave each other. No matter what, Anurag and Aarav will have each other's back and they will protect each other. 

The next day they were discharged. When Ram and Revathi informed them that they had adopted them, Anurag and Aarav barely responded. They just nodded and blankly stared at the walls.

Anurag knew that something in him was broken forever now. There was not enough love and care that would be able to mend this broken part. He clenched his fists and his eyes were fierce. Anger was already oozing out of him. He wanted to destroy everything. If anyone dared to mess with him or his brother, he would shred them to pieces. No matter what happens he was going to keep his mother's promise. 

That day a new Anurag was born!

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A/N: I know! That was heartbreaking. I teared up while writing it. 

Hope you guys liked the prologue! Please do vote and comment I would love to know what you guys think!