Where: Shatrughan and Urmila use Lakshman to resolve an argument.

It was a fine day in Ayodhya when loud screeches and shouts were heard. No one needed to know what, why, or who, because it was already obvious. These shrieks and shouts, and probably a couple curses thrown in there too, belonged to the voices of Shatrughan, and Urmila. Lakshman rubbed his temples as Shrutakirti shook her head. Bharat set down his painting and Mandavi her quilting, and they glanced at each other for a moment, before both groaning simultaneously.

"Ah, the blissful carefreeness of children!" Ram exclaimed, happy as always, setting down whatever he was doing (just a cover for his blatant staring at Sita), and looking up into the dining hall where Urmila and Shatrughan undoubtedly were. "They fight about small things now, and yet, later, when they face the real hardships, then they will know, and then these matters will not matter a single thing to them!" With that, Ram stood up. "Let's go Sita, and tell them that fighting is not the right thing to do."

Sita took his arm graciously, and together, like two perfect ponies, they pranced off towards the palace. There was silence, where Mandavi continued quilting, squinting her eyes as if she didn't care about anything around her, fighting, poetry, or otherwise. Finally, Lakshman cleared his throat, standing up himself. "Do we follow them, or...." he trailed off, folding his arms behind his back confusedly, and turned around towards Shrutakirti, who sighed.

"We should trust that our elder brothers and sisters know what to do," she paused. "But you can never trust anyone in terms of Urmila didi and Shatrughan. It's impossible." She stood up as well, and not wanting to be left behind, Mandavi and Bharat dropped their individual activities like hot potatoes and trotted after Lakshman and Shrutakirti curiously (#Bharmaarenothorses).

And so, led by the peaceful duo of Ram and Sita, followed by a not-so-peaceful Lakshman, a very trusting Shrutakirti, and a merely curious pair of ponies also known as Mandavi and Bharat, the rest of the brothers and sisters made their way into the palace, where, as promised, Urmila and Shatrughan stood in the dining room, both looking very agitated. Or at least, Urmila did, and she seemed even angrier once the rest of them entered the room.

"That was a terrible prank!" she shrieked, and everyone but Lakshman (who was used to his wife's anger issues, and had ones of his own), covered their ears. "You're a big fat dumbo with no sense of humor! Your mind must still be left in Maa Sumitra's womb! Or worse yet, your twin brother got all of it, which makes me question how much he had in the beginning, because he's just as dumb as you!" Lakshman rubbed his eyes exhaustedly.

"Do NOT compare me to that abomination!" Shatrughan roared, removing his crown and rubbing a hand through his hair as Lakshman rubbed his temples once more. "We are not from the same mother! I keep trying to tell everyone that he's adopted from the Kingdom of Asmaka, but no one listens! And it was a genius prank, thank you very much! Flies in everyone's food, I mean, totally great! Right, Bharat bhaiyya?" He turned towards Bharat, who looked away immediately to avoid his dangerously cute puppy eyes.

"Well actually, what flies do is that they rest upon food, and often eat it," Shrutakirti and Mandavi gagged at the same time, but Sita, who believed in equal treatment for everyone except rakshasas, sniffed delicately. "And after they eat it, they walk all over the food with their contaminated legs from resting in trash and human waste-" Urmila suddenly looked green. "And, they throw up the food they ate onto your food, so-"

"It was a terrible prank!" Urmila affirmed, nodding furiously, crossing her arms across her chest and calmly flicking her foot-length hair over her shoulder as Sita jumped from the loud noise. "Dumbest thing I've ever seen. Honestly! You'd have dead insects puke all over our food, infected dead insects puke all over our food, just so that you could watch a prank taking place! Despicable human being!" She shook her fist angrily.

"Why don't you two just sort it out with something mutual?" Bharat asked innocently. "Something that you both share. Like, if me and, say, Shrutakirti had an argument, not saying that we do-" Shrutakirti huffed. "-we'd solve it by having a simple art session. Not caring about which is better. We both like delicate and fine art, right? So we'd both try something like paper quilling, and we wouldn't fight over that!"

"You're so naive, Bharat!" Mandavi sighed. "You're lucky you have me, or else your social life would not exist. Aside from dear Kirti, the younger half are very violent. Lakshman bhaiyya doesn't need to be spoken for, but Urmila and Shatrughan should settle this the old fashioned way. With their fists." She brought out a referee's whistle from her multipurpose moccasins. "Aaaaand-the match starts now! Opponents, get into a wrestling position!"

Before Urmila and Shatrughan could actually start fighting, Ram got in the middle. "Stop, stop stop." he said desperately. "Not everything needs to be settled with violence. We can solve this easily. I think what Bharat said is good. Something mutual, that you both like. It's not very realistic-" he eyed the two fighters uneasily. "That they should get along, but anything can happen if it's for the good. I'm sure of it!"

"Besides," Lakshman added. "Mila, you cannot fight in a lehenga. If you should have an equal chance as Shatru, you should change into a palooza or something. And Shatru, remove your sword for God's sakes. And no, Mila, you cannot use your nails to scratch his face, that'll be both traumatic for his face, which is his only asset, and against the rules. Shatru, take off that dagger at once and return it to me, it's mine. No, I can assure you, it's mine. See the L engraved into it? Yes, Shatru, it's not a straight, weirdly drawn S, it's an L. No weapons on the mat. Do you idiots know nothing about wrestli-"

He paused once he realized everyone was staring at him. "No-" Shatrughan said, his voice careful. "I think we can come to a compromise between both ways. We can fight over something mutual!"

Before Ram's eyes could pop, and he could shout a "NO-", Shatrughan and Urmila each grabbed the arm of Lakshman. "We can fight over Lakshman!" Urmila declared excitedly. "He's your brother and my husband, it's about as even in terms of mutual relationship as we can get, isn't it Sita didi?"

"No, Urmi, that's not a good idea-" Sita began cautiously.

"Please don't." Bharat begged.

"Absolutely not! Where do you all get such creative ideas?!" Ram cried, affronted that the person who obviously most belonged to him should be fought over by these two uneducated peasants (but imagine he was thinking that in a nice, godly sort of way).

"Not Laksh bhaiyya!" Shrutakirti shrieked.

"DO IT! I DARE YOU!" Mandavi roared.

"So it's decided!" Shatrughan declared, still gripping tightly onto Lakshman's hand. "We're fighting over my dear Lakshu!"

"NO!" Lakshman yelled, seeming to register what was happening a few seconds later than everybody else, still trying to get over the fact that his twin and his wife were suddenly being so affectionate with him. "Maa?" he asked Sumitra, who was watching everything with a twinkle in her eye, which she had inherited from Ram. "Aren't they technically also mutually related to you?"

Before he could speak further, Sumitra had disappeared in the educated defense of her life, and Lakshman pouted. "So it's decided then!" Shatrughan continued. "In order to figure out who wins this battle, we shall fight over Lakshman! My dear brother." And everybody else was left watching as the fighting began again.

----O----

It was late morning, the crickets had long since stopped chirping, and the sun was high up in the sky, and Lakshman took his bow and arrow out of the weapons room. Somewhere in time, he and Urmila had come to an agreement. If he started in the late morning, he should end early afternoon, so they could spend mornings and afternoons together. Clearing his throat, he beckoned lightly for the servant to set the target where it was.

At some point in time, when Lakshman had started archery with actual, sharp, killable arrows, (Age Twelve), the servant quivered and shook as he made sure the target stood steady. He even tried to get Lakshman to stop archery, by making the targets go missing, and putting oil on the string of his bow.

After five years of that, five years of Lakshman hitting the bull's eye, the servant didn't worry nearly as much anymore. (He had tried to sabotage the prince a few times, but he never faltered, though sparing him a sharp glare)
3...Lakshman placed the edge of the arrow within the string. 2....He wrapped his fingers around the hold of the bow and raised it up. 1....he pulled the string way back. "GO!" Startling, Lakshman released the arrow the wrong way and into a passing asura's rear end.

Before Lakshman could admonish whoever had ruined his record, a loud aww was head from behind him. He whirled around in fury, only to find Urmila, and relaxed. "You'll get it next time-" she said. "I'm sure of it!"

"Well-" Shatrughan said, walking up and taking his position on the other side of Lakshman. "I'm surer of it." He slung a familiar arm onto Lakshman's shoulder which only startled the poor, touch-starved prince even more.

"Yeah?" Urmila huffed, putting her arm around his shoulder as well. "Well I'm surerer! I'm surest! Come on, tell him that I'm surest Lakshu!"

"Lakshu?" Shatrughan gasped. "Only I can call him that you place-stealing buffoon! Come on, tell her that I'm surer than her, and that-"

"One thing I'm sure about?" Lakshman asked. "That if you two don't stop, the next butt this arrow is going into will be yours, Shatru."

-----O-----

From then on, it seemed, the fight only intensified a thousand times. They'd get the magical name out of him eventually, and the rest of the family could only watch as the two bulls clashed horns over, well, the bigger bull. "You think this'll ever stop?" Bharat hissed towards a thoroughly entertained Mandavi. "I don't like to see the two fighting, honestly. They should be such good friends! Besides, I don't think Lakshman will break that easily." There was a pause. "So? Do you think they'll stop fighting?"

"Yeah." Mandavi sighed, slumping in her chaise longue. "And that day will be the saddest day of my life. Eh Falak! Bring some popcorn nah? I've run out of chicken wings."

The thing was taking a toll on poor Ram as well. "Sitei," he asked one fine morning, watching as Lakshman ran, being chased by Urmila and Shatrughan, each carrying a hefty amount of flower garlands. "You think he'll be okay?"

"Lakshman?" Sita asked softly. "Yeah. He'll be fine. Don't worry, he won't lose his temper on those two. He's a strong man, my devar."

"No-" Ram sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Do you think he'll break and actually say whom he likes more out of the two?" Sita glanced at him alarmedly.

----O----

One week passed of handing poor Lakshman flowers and weapons and ornaments and foods and careful attempts to make him spill whom he liked more; his wife or his twin brother, and it had all amounted to this single moment.

They sat at the dinner table, and Dasharath looked around uneasily. The King always had one shining trait; being able to assess situations, moods, and scenes. This made him not only a great warrior, a shining star on the battlefield, but a wonderful fight-mediator, like a peacemaker or a referee. Perhaps in everys single situation except this particular one.

Urmila and Shatrughan were each trying to push a bowl of Kheer Jamuns towards Lakshman (which he didn't even like). Shrutakirti and Mandavi followed the sweets with their eyes like tennis players, swallowing their drool down. Ram and Sita ate quietly, having given up on the situation. Bharat still held up hope, trying to pull the sweets away. And Lakshman, in particular, was furiously gnawing on the bone of a chicken leg, sucking the bone marrow out violently.

"You know-" began Dasharath. "You needn't use Lakshman as a way to win your fight." Urmila and Shatrughan both looked up. "You can use something else mutual. Like pranking-"

"NO!" Sita shrieked. "I mean that might not be very wise, Papa. That is a wonderful idea, but it would end up destroying the palace, and probably killing a few of us. I have full faith in Shatrughan and Urmila, however, we must consider realistic circumstances. Unless, of course, I am mistaken."

"Yes, yes, you are quite right," Dasharath murmured, muttering incomprehensibly under his breath. "Hmm-how about we deal with the root problem?"

"You mean, whether putting flies in food was a good prank idea or not?" Bharat asked.

"Well, strictly speaking, it was a good prank idea, technically, but a terrible idea when you consider factors such as flies, food, hygiene, gag factor, disgust, regular human emotions, and other such things." Lakshman said quietly.

"What?" Mandavi asked loudly. "Speak up."
"He's saying-" Bharat said. "That it was both good and bad."

"Well," Urmila retorted sniffily, "I can live with that. I suppose it was a decent sort of prank idea. Please don't do it again, however."

"And I guess-" Shatrughan added sheepishly. "I wouldn't want flies in my food either. Sorry about that. I guess I was mistaken."

There was silence, and then an incredulous "THAT'S IT?!" Ram cried, standing up. "I'm so glad that's done! I wouldn't want to see anything happening to the close relationships of our family, oh absolutely not! Thank god!" He joined his hands together and positively beamed, to which Sita promptly fainted in lovestruckness. "Because Lakshman obviously likes me out of all of us the most!"

"YAH-" "HEY-" "Absolutely not-" "Actually, that's probably correc-" "SHUT UP BHARAT!"

A/N- Guess who's baaack? That's right, it's Mochu, it's Mochu, it's Mochu *does funny little jig*

Annyeonghaseo amigos. How are all of you? Well, I hope. Before I get into the depressing writing which is the Shakti Saga, thank you for reading this, I hope to get back to WRITING, and if I have not replied to comments/messages/etc., then it's because I was on a three week emergency travel break. There was no ready wifi there, and I think I was only able to access network once, SO NO IT IS NOT BECAUSE I HAVE ABANDONED YOU-cough, Apukar, Chandru, cough-Nonetheless, I am back.

AND-@lakshmila4ardi, mah dear Chandru-I PLAN TO READ AND CATCH UP ON YOUR, AND EVERYONE ELSE'S UPDATES, I PROMISE, SO PLEASE DO NOT CURSE AT ME IN YOUR SLEEP. MUCH APPRECIATED.