Beauty and the Beast

29

As Chenchita watched the couple return towards the Penta, she felt the presence of Narayana behind her.

The anklets on his feet chimed as he walked towards her. The sounded just as sarcastic as his facial expressions.

"I..." Chenchita knew he had heard every word. That meant he even heard the part where she admitted to remembering about herself being Mahalakshmi.

"No. No. Of course. I totally understand..." He sighed dramatically. "Of course. I'm the cruel one who ignores you..."

"I..." Chenchita tried to explain but that grin made its way on her face. She struggled terribly to hide it.

"Yes. Urgh... Who else is there in this creation who is far more cruel lover than me? I play dumb with you and do all sorts of game playing. You're the sweetest and most innocent one." He dramatically exclaimed. Sarcasm overflowing from the tone.

"In my defence, you roared at me. Me." She defended herself. "I have every right to be offended."

"Oh. No. Don't play that with me. You..." He took one more step at her and Chenchita shot off running. Her laughter rang through the trees around. Narayana chased behind her. She ran around the trees with him chasing her. "Yes, yes. Laugh away now but you, Sri, are going to pay for this."

"Oh. Don't worry. I'm quite capable of paying. Goddess of Aishwarya." She stuck out her tongue at him and ran around.

"Yes, yes, weigh your husband with your rocks. I'm as light as a feather."

The two almost ran all over the forest and reached the lake. Finally, when she was within grab, he grabbed her by her waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Don't you dare... I know what you're thinking." She warned him. But what threat was valid against Keshava? He threw her in the lake and stood at the banks. When she recovered and retained her footing, she glared at him.

"Abboo... I am so scared. See, I am shivering with fear." He sarcastically exclaimed.

"You..." She jumped at him but he instantly disappeared from the place. Reappearing over the tree branch above her head. "Get down now."

This time he stuck out his tongue at him. She wanted to get angry at him but he was way too beautiful to be able to retain any anger for throwing her into the waters. Especially when he rested on the branch in the typical Narayana way. His leg from knee down dangled off the branch. Supporting himself on his elbow. He started eating a berry from the tree.

"It's all your fault. I can't even get angry at you..." She complained.

"Well, bold enough to assume I am allowed to get angry around you." He teased her and threw the half eaten berry at her. She looked at him, sat down at the root of the tree and ate the half eaten berry. The sweetest berry she had ever eaten.

"I guess I just felt annoyed. Like I always feel this distance always troubling me. Whatever form I take, there is no peace untill I am near you but you seem so content within yourself. Sometime I worry that maybe you don't really need me to be there at all. I was worrying about it. Then you were so angry as Narasimha. Even I felt so scared to reach out to you in that moment. I felt so angry at myself for being scared of you. I wanted to be right next to you but then there was also fear. I had never even known you like that. The always loving, smiling, laughing, teasing, and peaceful Hari suddenly becoming so scary. Then when I finally gathered the courage, you growled at me." She started to talk looking at the seed.

Narayana hopped off the branch and got on the ground with the grace of a leopard. He sat down before her.

"You are a part of me. My very heart. Sure. I am independent on my own. I am complete on my own. I am full and complete. But your worry that you aren't important to be is honestly the most ignorant thought you can have. For someone who has mastered Vedas, you should be knowing that I always give back love in equal measure. If you are Vaikuntheshwari then that itself tells your place. If you are confident that you love me far more than anything, then isn't it obvious that I give you back the same? That is exactly how bhakti is."