I wonder who we have today 😌. If you guess Zubair you are right.

Finally. I AM SO EXCITED.

I know you all. I know. I feel so hyped and everything while writing.

One detail in this story is right after Tauheed's and Sarah wedding. So you might want to rewind the "Aima" part.

Anyhow, Zubair appeared in many stories before his own. So, don't be confused. He is just a fresher here. Nothing more.

++++++++

Samandar sa beh kar tu chalta hi gaya

Teri marzi poori ki, tune har dafaa

Tu hi tera mujrim bandeya

Aye khuda, gir gaya, gir gaya

Main jo tujhse door hua

Lutt gaya, lutt gaya

+-+-+-+-+

Zubair takes a long swing of his cigarette as he continues to watch the waves crashing against the wall, not reaching him. Sometimes he hopes that a sudden wave takes him away with it. That he can drown and be gone.

You're weak.

The voices nagged him throughout his life even when he put it to rest with his hands. The voice didn't call him weak because he wish for this worthless life to end, no, it says that because he didn't have the power to do so.

There was this one thing. This one voice he heard every single time he has a death wish.

The sound of the call to prayer starts ending his thoughts in the process. As much as the voice calls out to him. Promises him things. Promises his peace. He just never get to go across and have it. Maybe because he thinks he didn't deserve it.

He had killed. No secrets. He had done sins after sins falling deep into the neverending circle of crimes. One after another he continues to find people, situations and things that continue to darken his soul. The fun fact was that at the end of each story, he finds people.

Bad people and innocent people. He wonders how someone as sinful as him can determine who is bad and good. Can he be a judge? He has killed those he believes are evil. But who is his death? Who will be the one who manages to take his soul away from him?

He throws the burnt cigarette on the beach with the many that lay there before. This addiction to cigarettes and it's promise to help relax him has been a constant part of his life. He chuckle bitterly that he can trust a human-made cigarette to help him yet the one who made the world calls him throughout the day and he never went to him.

Coward.

He wasn't anything short. His mind was wired in a strange way that even he can't understand. Five minutes just five minutes to eternal peace yet he can never go to a mosque. People waste more time on media outlets but those few minutes seems a burden. Or, it is made a burden. Because no one teaches Islam so we can fall in love with it, they teach a bit of Islam with more of culture that burden the soul. Something he realizes.

He might not know Islam as a whole. But he knows that people before him loved it. They know it and cherish it. How is it that now one can't even care to spend a couple of minutes with it? How is it that we all want solidarity yet we can't spend a few minutes alone with a book that only speaks to us?

Because our brain is wired. We are compelled to resist. Our culture creates problems and we are solely focused on them. We are brainwashed to believe that what elders said was true and what they taught is Islam. But is it? How can the elder be a representative of a book? We do mistakes all the time how do we expect that elders will know the book without misinterpreting it?

And the best part is that we don't want to learn. Many will argue. But no one wants to learn the true Islam. Everyone just wants to believe what the media shows. Why is it that non-muslims who decide to learn Islam on their own always revert? Why not learn from media, google and such?

Manipulation.

Everyone only says what they find right and what they want people to follow. And everyone blindly follows. The fact that we do sins and indulge others to do it too is disturbing. We have forgotten everything hence we are just lost soul surfing until death visits us.

"Why is that Tauheed demanded my presence?" He asked, sitting on Yazeed couch as he takes the magazine that was on the table

When he didn't get a reply from Yazeed he turns to find the grown man anxiously looking outside of the terrace-like his lifeline is hanging there. He saw how his eyes darted between his watch and the terrace.

He shakes his head throwing the magazine at him. It hits his head as he groans glaring at him which didn't faze him.

"I asked why is that I have to join you at your little party with Tauheed? You know he irks me". He snapped

Yazeed snicker, "Only because you matches his soul".

"What is that supposed to mean?" He said agitated, "That man is-is I don't know but have you seen him with his wife?"

"He is in love with her. What is so wrong about it?"

"He looks at her like she is his world".

"Because she is. She looks at him the same way. They are each other worlds".

"That doesn't make sense. How can a person be someone world?"

Yazeed sighs, looking at the terrace one last time and heading to sit in front of him.

"Just because you don't understand and see things doesn't mean they don't exist, Zubair". Yazeed said, sarcastic, "A woman was made for a man. We all know the history. She (Hawa) was someone made especially for a man (Adam) because only she can bring him that missing piece of him. Women were called a blessing because they can turn the devil into an angel. They are given value, priority and rights because they are someone we can never be".

"Not all women are good".

"Just like not all men are good". Yazeed said shrugging, "But that doesn't stop the possibility that there are souls out there who are pure and a simple blessing. If there were no bad people won't have anything to do. If all men and women were angels what will be the role of the devil? He has to exist just like the angels"

"So you are saying that love exist?"

"In various forms, yes".

He shakes his head, not believing, "I am not attending this meeting or whatever with Tauheed".

"Why not, kid?" He heard the devil himself and he stilled, "Scared you will lose to me?"

His eyes hardened, "I will never lose to you".

Zaheer joins in laughing, as he pats Tauheed shoulder, "Your match".

Tauheed pushes Zaheer hand away, scowling at him.

"So, which one of you will speak?" Zaheer asks and he knows even when he goofs around Tauheed, he was similar to Tauheed

He purses his lips because it sure isn't going to be him. He has no reason to explain anyways. All he knows is that he has a panic call from Yazeed about a possible innocent girl being sold and it wasn't really something that's not common but he went in like he always does.

As much as he hates the fact that women are being taken and sold for nothing but paper (money). He feels sick that men think they can overpower someone. He hates the fact that they are not even human anymore. Maybe he still has the human trail as Yazeed teases him about it whenever he jumps into a mission even leaving his business at a time.

For this mission, he didn't even get to at least kill one of them. He craves their blood to be on his hands. Those monsters blood pleases him. He wants to hear them scream for all those innocent cries that went unheard by these monsters.

But, Zaheer and Tauheed appeared before he could do any damage. He knows in their presence they won't let him do much. He knows that they might just do worse than him. He had heard the stories of their torture and that is something he did respect them for. He won't show them that though.

Besides, last night, in that chaos. In that voices were screaming at him to get the blood of those men at his hands. When he was stumbling the block after they (Zaheer&Tauheed) pushed him away. He stumbles right into someone. Not just someone he remembers those eyes. They were shining even when there was terror in them. They were round and a soft brown colour that even when common has imprinted in his soul. The softness behind it rails him.

When she spoke with nothing short of sarcasm and just barely a few words, he felt the force hit him square on his chest. He almost thought of running after her to cage her in his castle. The wings she was flying within that dirty side of the city he wanted to protect any dirt smudging it.

Those eyes are still running in his mind as he has tried to find all Aima in the country. But, God, there are so many Aima's. He almost thought of going to all those Aima and asking them to change their damn name so he can narrow the list. Why do people always keep common names? Well, he wouldn't know, he basically named himself.

"Is he daydreaming?" Tauheed said as he blinks and finds his face in front of him

He pushes him back, slightly breathing hard from the shock.

"What is wrong with you?" He snapped because this man is honestly testing him

Tauheed raises his eyebrows at his obvious disrespect. But Tauheed doesn't understand that he can't function normally. Normal is the last thing on his mind. There are memories, dark and bad memories that shake at any given time and they shake with his every breath.

Tauheed clicks his tongue to his left cheeks, his eyes observing the familiar glint in his eyes.

"Want to go on a hunt with me, kid?" Tauheed suggested watching as his eyes access his suggestion, obviously doubting him, "What? I can help with your needs".

"Tauheed". Zaheer said trying to stop his manhunt and take a kid with him, "Don't".

"What?" Tauheed said, chuckling, "He believes he is a King or something who can handle the dirt of the city". He added, looking at him, "Why? Scared you are not all that you show?"

He took a sharp breath, "I will show you. You don't know me so don't even think about judging me".

Tauheed snickers, "I don't judge. I don't tolerate disrespect. The place where you are rising to is a place I have been to. If I can adjust to the fact that there is someone out there who can do better than me. So can you".

He bites down his jaw to reframe from the fire exploding. He clenches his jaw as he looks at the challenge in his eyes and that mocking. It was judging, obviously, he knows that Tauheed sees right through him. And he understands that Tauheed wants to know. For what reasons? He doesn't know.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

He can feel the thick tension in the air. Even when Zaheer is to Tauheed level he didn't say another word watching the hunk look into Tauheed's eyes. Yazeed didn't even utter a single word in their exchange. Because he does value his life.

For him, he doesn't care. Caring about people has made him what he is today. He just does what he wants and leaves. That's it.

He doesn't want someone unwanted and annoying attention to him. He didn't want anyone to uncover his secrets. Even Yazeed doesn't know he just understands that something haunts him.

But, Tauheed, he knows. He knows and he (Zubair) knows. He can feel it too. The familiarity. Like he was a man he can lean into to speak about his devil because they both will probably have a devil party together.

Their devil might rejoice to be united and maybe they will calm down. But, for Tauheed his devil is already calm. His wife brings that to him.

Maybe that's why he is interfering in Zubair's life. To calm his devil before it destroys him.

"I heard there is an underground tunnel which leads to some of the mafias". Tauheed said, as calm as an ocean, "They are said to be smuggling drugs to children as young as ten. They mix it first and once the children are addicted they ruin them. The police can't get them because of the pressure".

"They will turn blind eyes on our intervention?"

Tauheed smirks, "Because even if you don't want to acknowledge. I rule this city. I don't tolerate shit coming in. Even if the police tries I never leave behind any signs that lead to me". He pauses, looking at him, "Most importantly I have a family. The one that believes in me. The one I need to protect from this world. I will not have any of my enemies ever touch a hair of the two women I love the most".

"Two?"

"I found my younger sister".

"Found?"

Tauheed shrugged, "Devil play. Now she is with me and believe in me. Don't want to let that little angel down".

A sister? Has he ever formed a bond as such? Watching how Tauheed cold eyes turn soft at the mentioning of these two women in his life, he can feel the emotions he has hidden. Will he ever have such things? People?

He bites the corner of his mouth, deep in thought, as he decides once his devil decided that blood is what he needs right now and he will have it.

"I accept the challenge".