"This is so boring!" Suman groaned, dragging himself on the grassy and rocky path behind Savitri. He let his bow trail along the dirt with him, creating a small, canyon-like path that probably only ants could use.

"We're not even halfway up the mountain," Savitri snapped at him. "Can you quit complaining? Or am I going to have to suffer through this for the entire trip?"

"Probably the entire trip. Depends if you can feed me or not."

"You're a big boy." Savitri stopped to pat his head. "You can feed yourself."

"I meant to say if you had more food." Suman looked sadly at his half-eaten banana. "But if you're offering to feed me..."

"No."

"Okay, fair enough."

"Can you honestly not find anything on this mountain to entertain yourself?" Savitri exasperatedly asked. "The rocks? The trees? The flowers? The snow?"

"Mm...I could." Suman grinned. "But annoying you is more fun."

"Ugh," Savitri groaned. "How could I ever fall in love with you?"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! It was a hypothetical." Savitri slapped her cheek gently. "Stop talking like that, young lady!" She scolded herself.

"You're only two feet away from me," Suman sighed. "I can hear you."

"You heard nothing."

"Sure, I didn't."

"Suddenly, I think the rocks make better partners than monkey's do."

"I am not a monkey.

"You certainly act like one."

"Says you."

"Indeed." Savitri, despite the argument, found herself smiling. "Hey, Suman?"

"Yes?" Came the irritated reply.

"Do you know how to get to Naraka?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"It was your idea to go to Kailash," she answered. "You said that heaven and hell connect here. So, where do they connect?"

"I have no idea," Suman shrugged. "But hopefully if we keep walking, we'll find a clue - ooh!" He woke up suddenly and dashed to a bush of what Savitri guessed were flowers. "These are so colorful! Maybe I can add some to my bow..."

"Later, Suman." Savitri craned her neck to be able to look up the vast mountain that they had left to climb, with no sure way as to where they were going. "Come on. Let's keep moving."

"Fun spoiler," Suman grumbled. He dropped some of the flowers and tucked the rest in his quiver (which was slowly becoming more like a basket of flowers).

"You can have all the fun you want later," Savitri said. "We're in the home stretch."

"Certainly seems that way," Suman muttered under his breath. He stopped to fix his sword so that it would stop hitting against his leg, and for the first time in their trek up Kailash, he got a really good look at how high they were presumably going to be climbing and almost fainted.

"Suman?" When she didn't see his shadow, Savitri paused. "What happened?"

"We're...we're walking that high?" A shaky finger rose towards the foggy tops of Kailash.

"No." Savitri walked back down to Suman. "That would be Lord Shiva's realm, and I doubt that we can get that far up before being struck down by some barrier. We probably only have a little way up to go. Come on." She tucked her fingers into the warm crevice of his elbow. "I'm right next to you. Nothing will happen."

"How are you so sure?" Suman began to trot. "Have you ever climbed a mountain before? Have you ever fallen off one?"

"Well...no, but what are the chances that we fall off a mountain?"

"Oh, there are chances." Suman patted his back, searching haphazardly for his bow. Savitri pulled it from his arm and gave it to him. She was going to get an arrow next - maybe some practice shots would help him calm down - but Suman shook his head and began to pick fervently at the top, scratching out some of the letters in pyaar that he had inscribed onto the bow.

"Don't ruin your handiwork," Savitri reminded him. "Your handwriting is quite pretty."

"Well, I practiced on it." Suman seemed to shrivel up when they reached a small hill to climb. "My...my teachers made sure that I perfected it..."

"Hm, well it certainly paid off." Savitri kept him talking and made sure that his eyes were solely on her as they climbed the small hill. His legs trembled with every step that he took, but Suman managed to make it to the top safely.

They continued to walk a little further, stopping only for quick bathroom breaks or to snack on some fruits. Savitri wanted to stop and admire the scenery a few times, especially since it wasn't very often that one would be able to see sheets of ice or glaciers, but Suman kept her moving.

A rest-stop came in the form of a blockade. Just above another small hill was a thick, large log that blocked the continuation of the path. A well-built man in scrappy clothes and an assortment of broken weapons sat underneath the shade of a nearby tree. His eyes opened at Savitri and Suman's arrival, revealing spring-like green orbs.

"Travelers," he murmured, standing. He offered a hand to Savitri. "My name is Mahaviraya. And you are?"

"Savitri." Savitri gripped his hand firmly and shook it. "My...um, my friend is Suman." She gestured behind her to the cowering warrior whose dark eyes were fixated with horror on the winding, rocky pale path that they had left to travel.

"A pleasure to meet you both," Mahaviraya replied. "Are you on a pilgrimage?"

"Yes. We're trying to find the double gates of heaven and hell, actually," Savitri explained. She glanced at the log, then towards the tree that Mahaviraya had been resting on. Behind the wide, ripply trunk was a thin, almost zig-zag like path that left its destination ambiguous. Suman followed her gaze and gulped.

"We're...not going down there, are we?" He stammered.

"No, we have to go past this log..." Savitri gazed thoughtfully at the barricade. "Do you know how this got here, Mahaviraya?

"No, I do not." Mahaviraya picked up some of his broken tools and showed them to Savitri. "I've been trying to remove it for hours. I haven't gotten much luck in doing so." He examined Suman. "Why don't you try, young warrior? You seem quite fit. Perhaps you will be able to lift it?"

"Lift...to go up..." if they could get any wider, Savitri was sure that Suman's eyes would be on the ground instead of on his face. Like a ghost, he wandered to the log and Mahaviraya stepped aside, putting his hand on the side of the log to support himself. Placing both of his hands under the bottom of the log, Suman crouched and pulled with all of his might to lift the log up.

"You can do it, Suman!" Savitri cheered him on. Mahaviraya regarded her out of the corner of his eye, a small smile playing on his lips at her encouragement.

"Your friend is certainly giving it his best," he noted, studying Suman as the boy strained against the fallen log. Dark blue veins pulled against his biceps with every pull that he gave.

"He is," Savitri agreed. "He's very strong."

"He has managed to get it up a little bit. More than I was able to on my own."

"Could any of you be so kind as to help me?" Suman gasped and his knees buckled under the heavy weight that seemed to hover above him. "Mahaviraya?"

"I'm sorry." Mahaviraya sent him a placid smile, something that Suman couldn't see being that he was unable to turn his head. "I am a bit tired at the moment from all the lifting that I have done."

"What? Why am I doing this on my own then?" Rage filtered through Suman's voice. "Can't anyone help me? Why must everything that I do be done on my own?!"

"But you have help," Mahaviraya seemed to be teasing him now. "You have a young lady with you on your journey."

"Savitri...help..." Suman groaned. He looked like he was holding the sky and couldn't let go.

Savitri narrowed her eyes. She looked from Suman, to Mahaviraya, to the hand that he had placed on his shoulder. At first, she thought that he was just balancing himself due to the limp that he walked with. But when the sun reflected on his eyes and turned the color into a cerulean blue, she knew that he wasn't just some ordinary man.

He could either be a God or a rakshasa, Savitri thought. She glanced at Suman, who continued to struggle fruitlessly, and her lips pursed. Only one way to find out.

She picked the heavier parts of her bottoms up and bent down delicately on her knees. She folded her hands into a prayer and closed her eyes.

"Does now look like a good time to pray to the Gods?" Suman nearly shouted.

"God is right in front of me," Savitri replied, staring squarely at Mahaviraya. "Is that not right, Lord Hanuman?"

"What?!" Suman exclaimed. "Savitri, did you hit your head on something when you tripped back there or-!"

"She is right." Mahaviraya began to glow (why is it that all gods glowed when they changed forms? Savitri never knew the answer). "Rise, Savitri."

Hanuman, in all of his pride and glory, hovered before her. Dressed in golden and ruby robes and in his finest jewelry, the monkey god and Lord Rama's companion lifted the log from Suman's trembling arms and snapped his fingers, causing the log to disappear in a pop of sparkles. Suman, who didn't expect the sudden removal of weight, stumbled and rolled onto the ground.

"Oh, my head," he groaned.

"You will be fine," Hanuman assured him.

"L-Lord Hanuman!" Suman scrambled to his knees and bowed. "I'm sorry...what I said...I didn't mean it...I...well, I suppose that did mean it, but not towards you, I-I was just agitated, and a bit afraid, that's all..."

Hanuman chuckled. "Rise, Suman," he ordered gently. "I am not mad. I understand the struggles that you have been through...all of them." His face darkened. "But that is not why I am here. I apologize for the brutal tactic that I have used to halt your journey, but-!"

"Wait, you purposefully stopped us?" Savitri interrupted, ignoring the shake of Suman's head "Why?"

"You are entering the realm of the gods," Hanuman responded, unaffected. "It is not a place for humans like you. It requires hours of meditation and connections with your soul."

"I have done my prayers, Lord Hanuman." Ripples of irritation vibrated throughout Savitri's heart. Her eyebrows crossed and she set her jaw tightly. "I have done everything that the gods have asked of me. I do not know about Suman..." she hesitated. "But I have suffered enough, and I am rightfully taking back what was stolen from me."

"Which was what?" Hanuman asked.

Savitri didn't answer, and that was probably in part because she didn't know the answer herself. She was so sure of her mission before, but Sarfa's voice kept echoing in the back of her mind, making her question herself and doubt her responses would be convincing enough. But she couldn't go back. And be what? A failure? She had already earned that title at least five times so far.

She pulled her bow out from behind her. "Let us go," she ordered calmly.

"Savitri!" Suman hissed. He rushed over to her and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? He's a god! He'll obliterate us before that arrow can even be released!"

"Let him, then" Savitri said. "We'll reach our goal quicker."

"Maybe you!" Suman said. "But I'm too young to die! I have so many more things that I want to do! Places I want to see!"

"You're so dramatic, Suman."

"A talent of mine."

"Charming relationship you both have," Hanuman noted, his eyes penetrating Savitri, giving her the same look that Sarfa had. Discomfort slithered in her stomach. "Fine. There is a river you must cross. The bridge is suspended and may not be completely trustable, but I presume that it should be fine, considering that it is not winter yet." He shrugged. "There will be a cave that you will see after the bridge. That is the entrance to Yama's realm. But I must warn you." He put one hand on Savitri's shoulder and one on Suman, and Savitri swore that for a moment she saw the whole universe flash before her. "There will be many temptations. There will be many vivid scenes of suffering and seldom of joy, unless you happen to see those who have been granted access to heaven. Whatever you do, keep your eyes directly on the goal. Do you understand?" Hanuman's eyes widened with emphasis. "Directly on your goal."

"Y-Yes, Lord," both Savitri and Suman replied. Hanuman studied them for a moment, as if memorizing their faces for the last time.

"Good." Hanuman stepped away from them and looked up at the sky. He glanced at Savitri's bow. "Did you make that?"

"No..." She reached for it. "Suman did."

"Ah, this is quite nice," Hanuman murmured. Suman blushed. "Sturdy grip, excellent choice of wood...the trajectory of the arrow would be very on point..." his thumb brushed the belly of the bow, right over Suman's inscription, and he smiled. "Keep this in good condition." He handed the weapon back to her, but not before his glowing hand touched the tip.

Odd, Savitri thought, but she wasn't about to push her luck.

Hanuman rolled his shoulders and grew to his full, towering height. "Good luck on your quest!" He called down to them. "And let us hope that you find your goal."

~***~

"Another bridge?!" Suman whined. He threw his head back and dropped dramatically on his knees. "Why does the world do this to me? This is not fair!"

"Lord Hanuman told us about the bridge, Suman," Savitri sighed. "You've known about it for the past thirty minutes." She took his arm and pulled him up. "Come on. We can do this...again."

Together, after Savitri managed to finally coax Suman onto his feet, they took the sturdier bridge one step at a time, just as they had done with the last bridge. With his eyes open and with Savitri right behind him, Suman was more confident than with the last bridge. He kept his gaze on the land in front of him and his steps were sturdier.

"Thank you for the help," he said when they reached the other side. Instead of letting her remove her hand from his, he tightened his grip around it, drawing a surprised mouth-drop from Savitri. A sincere smile pulled his lips. "You know," he sighed. "When I was younger...there was an accident."

"Oh?" Savitri allowed their hands to swing as they continued walking. Intrigue swamped her mind. Was he really, finally opening up? "What happened?"

"I...I don't remember very clearly," Suman said. "But there was either a bridge or a cliff...I don't know which one it was, and I almost fell over it...well, I did." He shrugged. "I survived, miraculously...not that anyone cared." He lifted his head and let the wind sift through his hair. "When you asked me why I wasn't afraid of death...that was why."

"Why?"

"I had already escaped it once. I could escape it again, and again, and again if I had to until my time truly came to an end."

"Oh." Savitri had nothing to say. What was she supposed to say, anyway? Pity him? Isolate him just as everyone else had done? She took a different approach. When a wide clearing ran towards them, opening up to a circle of flowery bushes and a large, dark cave with numerous tally marks scraped on the shell, she pulled him into a tight embrace. The side of her head pressed against his chest, allowing her to feel his heart beat rapidly pick up. Tentatively, two soft hands fell on her - one on the nape of her neck, the other on her head.

"What's this for?" He asked quietly.

"Just...just because," Savitri replied softly. "Because...I'm sorry."

"That I almost died?" Suman laughed. "It was a long time ago, don't worry about it. I was hardly five."

"No...that nobody cared." Suman stiffened and Savitri smirked. "Yes, I heard that part too. Why do you think that nobody cares about you?"

Suman turned his head and stepped away gracefully from Savitri. "Because it's the truth," he muttered. "Why else would I believe it?"

"Well, I think that's a lie," Savitri said.

"Whatever you'd like to believe," Suman said. He noticed the cave. "Oh, we're here already?"

"Yes," Savitri gulped. "The entrance to Naraka."