Himalayan Mountains
**Date: 18.10.22 (Previous Day)**
**Day 2 (Night)**
In the depths of the trees, we saw a small wooden cabin, though it was poorly constructed. One could say it was the work of an amateur. But it was the only thing glowing yellow amidst the silvery surroundings.
Inside the cabin, we saw a figure lying on the floor, with a fire burning in front of him. Beside him, a woman was tending to the fire, cooking something.
The woman had beautiful facial features; by appearance, she seemed to be in her thirties or forties. Her long black hair, though once lustrous, had become rough and dull due to neglect. Her hair covered most of her face, especially the left side, hiding it from view.
In the room, two sets of clothes were drying by the fire. The boy was covered only by a towel around his lower body, while the woman wore a blanket draped like a robe, concealing her body except for her hands.
---
**Woman's POV**
"It's been an hour, and there's still no movement in his body," she said with concern and anxiety in her voice.
She kept changing the wet cloth on his forehead, dipping it in water.
"Who is he? How did he get here?"
---
The boy lying on the floor was none other than Aashwit, unconscious.
---
**Woman's POV**
"What should I do...? I have to act quickly. His temperature is dropping too fast!" she said, her tone anxious.
"I'm almost out of firewood. I couldn't carry any with me when I brought him here. If I had known this would happen, I would have found a way to bring some. But what can I do now?" she said frantically.
"The herbs aren't working; his body is getting colder and colder..."
"Oh God, what do you want from me now?"
"I guess I have no other choice," she said with hesitation.
"No, I have to do this," she said with renewed determination.
---
**Date: 19.10.22**
**Day 3**
The sun began to rise, and birds started their morning melody. Soft rays of sunlight began to envelop the forest.
Inside the small cabin, the sunlight streamed through a small hole, gradually falling on the forehead of the sleeping figure on the floor. As the light reached his eyes, the figure stirred, turning his head to the side before slowly opening his eyes.
As Aashwit tried to compose himself and understand his situation, he felt a weight on his chest. When he moved the blanket slightly to see what was going on, he stopped, his mouth shut in surprise.
His eyes filled with confusion.
After looking around the room and piecing things together, he noticed something under the blanket—there was a woman lying on his chest, clinging tightly to him.
He moved the blanket a bit more to see her face. As he did, his eyes widened in shock. The woman, who appeared to be in her thirties, had long, dull black hair. But it wasn't just her appearance that startled him. Her entire left face was severely burned, the skin gone, leaving only scars. Her body, too, was covered with scars and burn marks, as if she had endured unimaginable pain.
A chill ran down Aashwit's spine as he thought about the suffering she must have endured. His heart filled with sympathy and pity. Just as he was about to reach out to wake her, the woman's eyes twitched, and suddenly, she bolted upright, grabbing a towel and kneeling before him.
"S-s-sorry... I-I can explain! This isn't what you think!" she stammered, her voice filled with fear and sorrow.
Before she could say anything more, Aashwit came close, held her hand tightly.
"Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me," he said with genuine gratitude.
Hesitant, the woman covered herself more properly with the blanket, hiding her scars.
"But... don't you find it disgusting that the first thing you saw this morning was an ugly old woman lying on your chest?" she asked, her voice trembling, laced with a faint hope.
"Who said you're ugly? You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen," Aashwit replied sincerely.
A small smile of relief and happiness appeared on her face.
"You don't have to console me. I know you're just grateful and lying to spare my feelings," she said, pulling away from him.
"No, I'm telling the truth. You're far more beautiful than any woman who is rotten on the inside," he insisted.
"Let's just drop this topic for another day," the woman said, clearly not believing his words.
"Could you... please step outside? I need to get dressed," she asked, still clutching the towel tightly around her body.
Aashwit, wearing only his shorts and towel, stood up and left the cabin with his clothes.
---
Inside the cabin, the woman began to dress herself.
**Sigh... Why am I covering myself so much? It's not like he wants to see me anyway. He seems like a nice person... Maybe if we were the same age and had met when I was younger, we could've been friends.**
---
**Outside the Cabin**
As Aashwit dressed, he thought, **What should I do now? My powers aren't working... I need to meditate and regenerate energy. Should I head back and gather information and a plan? But... where am I, exactly?**
"You can come in," the woman shouted from inside.
Aashwit entered the cabin and sat silently in front of her, observing her carefully. She was now dressed in an old, worn-out outfit with cuts and holes. Her left face was hidden behind her long black hair, and her sleeves covered the scars on her arms.
After a moment of silence, the woman spoke.
"So... who are you? And why are you here in the forest?"
"My name is Aashwit Bidyut. I'm here for reasons I can't explain right now," he said apologetically.
"My name is..." she hesitated, then continued, "My name is Sakura."
"Can you tell me where you lived before you came here?" Aashwit asked.
"Sorry, but please don't ask anything about my past."
"Okay," he nodded, understanding that it was fair since he hadn't fully explained himself either.
"You should rest. I'll cook something for us," Sakura said.
"I can cook too; I can help you," Aashwit offered.
"No, you need to rest. Your internal organs are damaged, and your muscles are torn. The herbs I gave you are keeping you from feeling pain right now," she said firmly.
"Alright, but is there anything I can do to help you?" Aashwit asked.
"You're a gentle kid," she smiled. "But no, for now, there's nothing you need to do. Just rest. Once the herbs' effects wear off, it's going to hurt a lot."
"If that happens, can you give me more of that medicine?"
"No, I can't. The herbs slow down recovery. To heal completely, you'll have to endure the pain."
After a brief silence, Aashwit asked, "Can I ask you something else?"
"Go ahead."
"Why do you cover your face with your hair?"
"I... I... so you don't feel disgusted looking at me," she said softly.
Aashwit remained silent, knowing that saying anything more would only fuel her feelings of inferiority. He decided to change the subject.
"How do you get food in this deep forest? There must be dangerous animals out there."
"Oh, there's a small vegetable farm behind the cabin. Didn't you see it? And for meat and fish, I use traps and nets that my grandma left behind."
"Your grandma?"
"Yes, she was an old monk I lived with. She taught me about herbs and medicines. She passed away a few years ago," Sakura said with a sad expression.
"How many years ago?" Aashwit asked.
"I'm not sure exactly... maybe seven or ten years ago," she replied.
**That's not 'a few years,'** Aashwit thought, realizing her sense of time was probably warped from living alone in the forest for so long.
"What are you going to do after you recover?" she asked hesitantly.
**Sigh... Why am I asking this? I know he'll leave eventually. He can't stay in the middle of the forest with someone like me.**
"Oh, nothing. I'm here for a bit of an adventure. You could say I'll be staying for a while," Aashwit replied.
"Really?" she jumped in excitement.
**He's staying! He's staying!**
"Yes, really," Aashwit reassured her.
Aashwit suspected that the burns on her face might have come from an accident, but he couldn't believe all the scars, which looked like they were caused by torture, were the result of one. He knew that her experiences had likely traumatized her, but she was still holding herself together. He didn't want to hurt the woman who had been so kind to him, even sacrificing her dignity to keep him warm through the cold night.
With a careful, hesitant voice, he asked, "Are you sure you're okay talking about your grandma? Because this also—"
"No, you don't have to worry. Grandma isn't part of my past; she's still part of my present," Sakura said calmly.
"Are you sad because of her death?" Aashwit asked.
—
**Sakura's POV**
"If I said no, it would be a lie. But if I said yes, that would also be a lie," Sakura said, her voice soft and thoughtful.
Aashwit furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
Sakura smiled faintly, glancing toward the small fire burning in the hearth. The flickering light cast gentle shadows on her scarred face.
"My grandma always told me not to let grief consume me," she began, her voice steady but tinged with sadness. "She said that even when someone we love passes away, they never truly leave us. Their teachings, their love, and their memories stay with us. In a way... she's still here with me, guiding me through every step I take."
---
Aashwit nodded, listening intently. He could see how much Sakura revered her grandmother and how deeply the old woman's wisdom had influenced her. There was strength in her words, a kind of resilience that had kept her alive and sane in this remote wilderness.
"That's... a comforting thought," Aashwit said quietly, feeling a warmth in his chest that had little to do with the fire.
then out of nowhere she asked- " can I trust you?"
" you can, take my words i will never do anything harmful to my saviour,"
Sakura's gaze softened, and she looked at Aashwit with a sense of understanding. "You remind me of her, you know."
Aashwit raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Me? How so?"
She chuckled softly, a sound that seemed rare and almost foreign, like she hadn't laughed in years. "You have this... gentle energy about you. Just like her. that makes a sense of trust when I am talking to you,When you speak, it's as if you're not only listening to me but feeling what I'm saying. Most people—if they even bother to listen—don't understand like that."
Aashwit wasn't sure how to respond to such a heartfelt compliment, so he simply smiled and said, "I think it's important to understand people, not just their words but their emotions too."
Sakura looked at him for a long moment, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "I've never had anyone around to understand me... at least, not since grandma." Her voice trailed off, and she hesitated before continuing. "People used to say I was cursed, you know? After what happened to me... the burns, the scars... they said I was paying for something. A sin in a past life, perhaps."
Aashwit's expression hardened, his fists clenching slightly. "That's cruel," he said, his voice low. "You don't deserve to be treated like that."
Sakura shrugged, trying to mask the pain in her eyes. "It's just the way people are. They fear what they don't understand. My scars were a reminder of something terrible, so they preferred to turn away from me. I've learned to live with it... even to embrace it. But," she glanced at him, her voice softening, "I won't lie. It still hurts sometimes."
Aashwit felt a knot form in his chest. He could see that despite her strength, despite her ability to keep moving forward, there was still a part of her that longed for the connection she had lost, the acceptance she had been denied.
"You shouldn't have to live like this," he said gently. "You deserve to be seen for who you are, not just for your scars."
Sakura smiled again, though this time it was tinged with sadness. "Maybe... but the world doesn't work that way."
Aashwit leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers. "It doesn't have to. You said your grandma taught you to see things differently, to hold onto the present and let go of the past. Maybe it's time to take that advice for yourself."
Sakura was silent for a long time, the fire crackling softly between them. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't even know if I could... after all these years. The isolation, the fear of being seen again... it's all I've known."
"Then let me help you," Aashwit said firmly. "You saved my life. It's the least I can do."
She looked at him with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what he was saying. "You... you'd do that? But why?"
"Because no one should have to carry that kind of burden alone," Aashwit replied, his voice steady with resolve. "And because... I believe everyone deserves a second chance, Sakura. Even you."
Sakura felt her throat tighten. She had spent so many years convincing herself that she was beyond help, that the world had forgotten her. But now, here was someone offering her hope—real, genuine hope. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she didn't feel alone.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know what I've done to deserve your kindness, but... thank you."
Aashwit smiled warmly. "You don't need to earn kindness. It's something we all deserve, just by being who we are."
For a moment, the air between them was filled with a deep, unspoken understanding. Two souls who had found each other in the most unlikely of places, sharing a moment of connection that neither had expected but both desperately needed.
Sakura glanced out the small window, where the sun was rising higher into the sky, casting its light over the snowy forest. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace settle over her that she hadn't felt in years.
"Maybe..." she said softly, "maybe it's time for me to start living again."
" when you live,could,...could you perhaps,... let me come along with you."
" ofcourse, I own you my life , you don't have to ask this"
" th..thank you" she bit her tounge.
Aashwit smiled at her words, knowing that this was just the beginning of her healing. Together, they sat in the warmth of the cabin, the fire still crackling softly as the world outside came to life once more.