Adam watched the TV idly, with a cup of Milo in his hand and the sounds of three Rookie Digimon grappling playfully in the background.
It was now Saturday morning, three days after the final battle against the Puaka Generals. It was a free day, as the previous Saturday had been a club and society meeting day, and Adam planned to use the free day to just unwind. He'd planned to go to the hospital to visit his comatose sister during the afternoon, and JD had offered to accompany him the previous day. Liu Ying would be helping her mother at her salon, Manny was going to see a movie with his family and Gayathri was visiting an aunt.
Adam smiled as he remembered what happened after their return from the Digital World. Jackie had informed that they had the Thursday free, courtesy of the principal, but all of them were required to stay back at school on Friday to catch up with their missed days. The school principal – Mrs. Khadijah Basri - had also been made known of the fact that they were DigiWira, and she had taken it upon herself to monitor their extra lessons herself. Granted, she hadn't had to worry about Adam, Liu Ying and Gayathri as the three of them had spotless school records (Adam had been late to school once, but that was all). The school principal had checked the school transcript from Manny's previous school and found out that the boy had caused no troubles as well. Her only concern had been JD, who had been known to skip detentions during the last two years he had been in the school, so the principal wanted to be sure that the blonde would at least get some work done. Nevertheless all DigiWira had stayed back to get their missed assignments and lab works from their respective teachers and the principal had seen their works and was satisfied. They still had tons of homework to be done during the weekend and Adam had spent the better half of the previous night doing them.
Salamon and Gatomon had wanted to follow Adam back home, and Adam was somewhat glad that he'd consented in bringing them along. Their childish antiques cheered up Adam a great deal and they had distracted him from thinking about his comatose sister too much. It was like having little siblings to be watched over. He however pitied Patamon, who always found himself being bullied by the two other Rookies.
As he watched the cartoon on TV, the phone rang. Looking at the time, it was 9.00a.m. Who'd be calling this time of day?
"Hello?"
"Hello…Adam? Is that you?"
A smile crept Adam's face. "Pakcik!" He could hear the person on the other side of the phone groan in mock-frustration and chuckled.
"I told you not to call me that."
"Alright, Zul. Sorry."
Zul was Adam's first cousin once removed from his home town at Kelantan – a northern east-coast state of Peninsular Malaysia. More correctly, Zul was the cousin of Adam's late father. So that technically made Zul some sort of uncle to Adam, despite them being the same age. Being that, Adam sometimes used the nickname 'Pakcik' – which meant uncle – just to irritate Zul.
"How are you doing, Adam?"
Adam smiled. After his parents' and Aizad's demise, Adam had stayed with Zul and his family until Alisha had gotten a steady job with solid income. Being the same age, they had gotten along well prior to the accident. After the accident, Adam had become very withdrawn, but Zul had been instrumental in cheering him up when he was at his worst mood.
Adam took a seat - this phone conversation would be long. Zul seldom called, but when he did they could talk for as long as an hour. "I'm doing fine…" Adam hesitated; he hadn't told his relatives about Alisha being in coma yet. There hadn't been time. Remembering the Puaka Generals, Adam was thankful that he hadn't mentioned to anyone about 'Aizad's' reappearance.
He decided not to worry his cousin about it. "How about you, Zul? It has been a while."
"I'm great! But listen…the reason I called is that…well…it's Tuk Awang…"
Adam straightened up. "What about Tuk Awang? Is he alright?"
Tuk Awang was Zul's grandfather, and Adam's great-grandfather. He was a forbidding ninety-year-old and was very stern. Adam had heard that a dispute Tuk Awang had with his eldest son – Adam's granduncle whom he had never met before – had caused the latter to flee the house and never returned. The story had been that this granduncle had fallen in love with a British woman during Malaysia's pre-independence era, and Tuk Awang had disapproved when the granduncle had voiced his intention to marry his foreigner sweetheart. As a result, the granduncle had gone ahead to marry the woman, and Tuk Awang in his fit of anger had chased him out of the house.
That was as far as the story went, according to Adam's late father and Zul's father – Adam's youngest granduncle. The story had become some sort of legend in the family, but no one dared to speak about it in front of Tuk Awang. However, it was said that after his eldest son's elopement Tuk Awang had mellowed considerably. As far as Adam had known, Tuk Awang was a doting great-grandfather who was as strong as an ox. And that comparison was meant literally – Adam had once seen him straining a bull that was chasing him and Aizad.
"Tuk Awang has passed away last Monday, Adam. Heart stroke and diabetes, among other things," Zul informed. "Sorry to inform you this late…I tried calling you yesterday and two days ago but nobody picked up the phone. Figured I try again today…"
"Tuk Awang's dead?" Adam whispered in disbelief. He blinked rapidly.
"It's his time, Adam. At least, he's passed away in his sleep. He passed in peace."
"I know, Zul…doesn't mean it has to be easy…" Adam murmured. There was a stinging feeling in his heart.
Zul became quiet. He knew that Adam was rather sensitive with death news, after losing his parents and brother to a fatal accident.
"Anyway...Tuk Awang's death is finally making Ayah Long coming back home…after what, 50 years?"
"Hmm…?" Then, it dawned to Adam that Zul was referring to Tuk Awang's son who had eloped and ran away from home – that man would be Zul's first uncle. "Oh, right. I wonder how he's like. This will be the first time you'll be meeting him, right?"
"Yeah. I heard he's bringing his wife as well. They'll be here in three days; I think they're arriving tomorrow night. Truth be told – I'm anxious! I've never met a foreigner before! I don't even speak English much."
Adam chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it. Hmm…he's your Ayah Long, does that mean he's my Tuk Long?" (Ayah Long – Eldest Uncle; Tuk Long – Eldest Granduncle)
"Having living overseas all these years, he probably prefers Grandpa," Zul snickered.
"I think it'll be an interesting experience for you," Adam said. "Wow…Ayah Su must be really excited now, isn't he? His brother's coming home." Ayah Su was how Adam referred to Zul's father. (Ayah Su – Youngest Uncle)
"He can't stop talking about it, although when Ayah Long ran away forty years ago he was barely two years old," Zul said. "That's all we've been hearing these past two days. But I'm glad Ayah Long's coming back. According to Ayah, he's returning here to patch things up after all these times. He'll be staying with his son at KL for a day or two before coming here."
"Oh. I don't know we have relatives here?" Adam asked.
"So did I. I heard that they're from Australia. Ayah Long's son is a head pilot for Malaysian Airlines now, which is why he and his family came here about three years ago. I don't know exactly where they live though – I'll check it out and get back to you later. Maybe you and Kak Lisha can meet them."
Adam bit his lip upon the mention of his sister's name. He took a deep breath and said, "I never thought that we'd have foreign relatives."
"Right. Anyway…let's leave that to that for now. So what have you been up to lately? I haven't talked to you for like…more than a month!"
Adam thought about what had happened the past one month. A little bit more than a month ago, he wasn't even a DigiWira. So many things had happened to him, and he felt bad for not being able to tell all of them to Zul. Zul was like Hakim; a close confidante prior to him being a DigiWira.
"Made any more new friends?"
At this inquiry, Adam smiled. The memory of his four fellow DigiWira comforting him by the Green Meadow Lake that night after they had beaten Puaka Generals was heartwarming.
"Well…I've made another one best friend and four very, very good ones…"
xxx
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WIRA DIGITAL
Chapter 35 – Silver Lining
xxx
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Mr. Johan Awaludin and Mrs. Leeanna Abdullah looked at each other before gazing back at their youngest son's face.
"Are you sure that's what you want, Josh?" Johan asked skeptically.
"Sure I'm sure," JD said, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the soft sofa. "I've thought about it these past couple of days. That is, if it's okay with you…"
"We don't object on this," Leeanna assured her son. "It's just…well…this is a big thing, you know. If we are to agree with this we need to know whether you're willing to compensate a few things to make it work. You can't change your mind halfway. It isn't like getting a new videogame or a basketball…"
JD snorted. "I know that!" he snapped, but quickly he gave his parents an apologetic look for his shortness.
Johan waved it away and exchanged another look with his wife. The two of them had gotten along better these past few days. The three days they had spent worrying about their youngest son's wellbeing had rekindled some of their withered bond. They hadn't been fighting but they were not affectionate to each other much either. However, both had agreed to get help for them to deal with the problem with their marriage. At least, in front of their children, they would refrain from verbally fighting each other.
The discovery of their youngest son being one of those chosen children partnered with Digimon was like a huge blow for the couple. They did see changes in their son's behavior for the past one month. He had gotten surlier and had always kept himself in the bedroom, and had been downright hostile to everyone except for Bibik. Granted, Josh's behavior was not really what one would have wished for a son – they had just recovered from the shock that their son had been smoking – but after doing some deep thinking they saw that their negligence was what could have precipitated the coldness their son had displayed towards them.
An online research had pointed out that their son's disobedience, the smoking and the rudeness were all signs of him wanting to rebel against them. And the rebelling act was, in all actuality, something that had precipitated from the desire of any form of attention. And it didn't help that the husband and wife themselves were having trouble with their marriage – their busy jobs and desires had distanced them. Johan's job as one of the head pilots of Malaysia Airlines flight company coupled with his love to travel to places all over the world, and Leeanna being a very influenced and active direct products seller-cum-promoter with very hectic schedule of coaching those who were starting up as well as giving speeches to many places in Malaysia – that had placed a wedge in their relationship. Whenever they did meet, it would always be during nights when both were tired and irritable, which eventually led to constant verbal fighting and tongue lashing. Their obsessions with their interests were diminishing the spark that they used to have when they had fallen in love and the early years of their marriage.
Both Johan and Leeanna had agreed to take a break from their busy schedules in order to work on their failing marriage. Their son's constant disappearance and the discovery that Josh would rather endanger his life in a foreign world rather than being with his family had given them the wake-up call that they had needed for long. They soon saw that Josh was not the only one who had shown signs of loathing towards them – Jade and Jas also had shown them, although they had hidden their discontent better than their youngest brother.
After returning from the Digital World with the T-Rex miniature called Agumon, the couple had observed some changes in their youngest son. He didn't rebel as much, and often he would have that thoughtful look fixed on his face, like he was thinking about something really serious. They had tried coaxing Bibik for information, knowing that their housemaid was closer to their son than any of them, but Bibik was just as baffled. Josh looked perfectly healthy, but he seemed different.
For the past three years, they never had taken the initiative to find out what was really troubling Josh. Now, that would change.
Both of them asked their son about it the previous night, after explaining that they would get help for their marriage and that they would try not to fight so much. They had noticed the slight spark in their son's hazel eyes. And with coaxing from Agumon, Josh finally relented and told them what he'd been thinking about.
Now, they knew why. And they were surprised with it.
But it wasn't really difficult a decision. Their elder son and daughter were not living with them for the time being. Agumon seemed pretty content with anything Josh had arranged for him. As for the two of them, it wouldn't be a problem. Perhaps it would be a reminder for them not to fight too much. That they had discussed with each other with mild amusement.
"Tell us, son, what makes you want to do this?" Johan asked.
JD shrugged. "It just feels right. Besides…I owed him. And he's my friend. I told him I'd help him."
Their son spoke about this friend of his with a certain intensity that both Johan and Leeanna found intriguing. This was because Josh had never mentioned anyone as 'friends' before, ever since their moving to Malaysia three-odd years ago. And after returning from the Digital World they had heard him referring to at least FOUR people as being his friends. Not to mention, Josh was also a partner to Agumon. Before this, Josh usually would refer to the people he hung out with as 'some kids from school' or something to that effect.
And now…friends? Partner?
"Josh, you do know that while we have to meet him first before making any final decision," Leeanna said.
JD nodded. "He's at his apartment right now. It's not even far from here. Why don't we go meet him? I'm sure he's awake now."
Once again, Johan and Leeanna exchanged confused looks.
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Adam was just about to settle down to watch TV when the doorbell to his house rang. He looked at the clock – it was half past ten. He didn't expect anyone to come.
"Come on; break it off, you three. We have company," he said to the three mock-scuffling Digimon. Instantly they obeyed and leaped onto the sofas and froze, pretending to be stuffed toys.
Adam peered through the peek hole and saw a familiar person. He opened the door and met JD's grinning face.
"Hey," the taller teen said. He looked nervous.
"Hi." Then Adam frowned. "Didn't you say that you'll be here in the afternoon?"
"Change of plans," JD said, sounding somewhat tensed. Adam then saw that JD wasn't alone as two more people appeared by the stairs. He looked at JD, confused. Why would JD be bringing his parents with him? He shook their hands politely before inviting all three of them in, beckoning for the living room. JD's parents stared at the three 'toys' with interest.
"Enough with the stuffed toys act, you three," JD said. "My folks know about Digimon."
Immediately Patamon, Salamon and Gatomon blinked. JD chuckled and took out his red Juara Digivice and said, "Agumon, Access!"
The Digivice glowed and from the screen a ray of light emerged. Agumon materialized from the light.
After returning from the Digital World, the DigiWira had found their Digimon contained within the Digivices. At first, all of them had panicked and tried to get them out. It was Gayathri who had unwittingly let Floramon out first by modifying the call that was used for them to merge with their partners. The Digimon were a little shaken at first, but after thinking about it they all had agreed that being in the Digivices were rather comfortable and they were able to retain their Rookie forms whilst inside as the environment inside the Digivice was similar to the Digital World. Being in the Human World would weaken them usually, which was why they all had been in their In-Trainings before.
Jackie had said that around the world, each DigiDestined's D-3 Digivices had been upgraded with a new function: Digitizer. The name had also been changed into D-4, an idea from one DigiDestined called Koushirou Izumi of Odaiba, Japan. The upgrade was initiated due to the increasing number of human-Digimon partnership all over the world, and the Chosen with big-sized or foreboding-looking Digimon partners usually had problems in traveling around. Thus, the Digivices were upgraded to include the ability to digitize the Digimon into the Digivices.
However the patterns of the D-4 Digivices were exactly the same as the D-3s, while the Juara Digivices looked completely different. That was something nobody had the answers, and the DigiWira had decided to leave it as it is.
"How about you four go play in my room?" Adam suggested as he carried a tray with cups and jug out from the kitchen. The Digimon scampered away and Adam placed the tray carefully on the living room's table. "I hope iced tea is fine…I didn't have time to boil some water and I didn't want to keep you waiting."
"It's alright, Adam. Please, sit down," Leeanna said. She was looking around the house, impressed of having seen everything to be in perfect order. The CDs and DVDs were placed in the DVD tower nicely, the floor spotless, the cushions arranged acceptably (a little mess had been made by the Digimon) and the tea she was served actually tasted nice. The New Zealander woman was a stickler to primness and she was amazed of seeing how Adam seemed to be able to take care of himself. She mentally grimaced upon remembering her son's messy room – the only place that was not messed up was the bed of her eldest son. Then her eyes saw a framed picture of Adam and his sister, and frowned. Both of them reminded her of someone. They somehow looked quite familiar. She could have sworn she had seen those pair of gray eyes before.
She exchanged a look with his husband, who was sipping the iced tea. She nodded when her husband caught her eyes – Adam was very polite and neat. And there was something else that was drawing her attention to him, but she couldn't figure out what. But it was all good – in fact, Leeanna was surprised to see how her seemingly rough-attitude son managed to acquire such a decorous friend. She was willing to bet that the other DigiWira were also different from her son as well.
Johan nodded back to his wife and glanced at the dark-haired boy, who seemed to be mildly confused. "Adam, Josh has told us what's been going on," he said. "We think we might have a solution to your problem."
Adam blinked. "You do?" he asked, not really aware of what JD's father had meant.
"Adam," JD began, drawing the younger boy's attention towards him. He seemed to be struggling with words, before letting out, "We're friends, right?"
Adam nodded, confused. "Yes. We're friends. Why do you ask?" He gave JD an assuring smile to emphasize his confirmation, noticing that JD was anxious for some reason.
JD grinned slightly, but it was a nervous grin. He took a deep breath before continuing, "Friends help each other out, don't they?"
"They do," Adam said, still not seeing where JD was going with his questions. "Umm…JD, why…"
JD held up his hand. "In that case, how do you feel about… coming over and stay at my house? Until your sister wakes up and recovers from the accident?" He stopped and observed as Adam's confused face turned into a surprised look.
Adam was speechless; he didn't see that one coming. The offer was really generous. He was instantly reminded of the time when the other DigiWira were all comforting him after the battle with the Puaka Generals. JD had said with determined intensity that he'd think of something. Adam didn't think that he would go this far. It was totally unexpected.
Without his sister, Adam was somewhat lonely in his apartment. Sure, he had Patamon, Gatomon and Salamon to keep him company…but it wasn't quite the same as a human's company. Furthermore, that only reinforced his longing for his sister to be home. It didn't look like Alisha was going to wake up any time soon, and Adam found himself not really looking forward for days ahead in the apartment without his sister. Who would prepare him food? Adam's cooking skill was less than spectacular, and they had been living off instant foods for the past few days. Who would remind him to pray, or to take his evening shower, or to go to bed, or that he'd have enough TVs for one day? And those were just the tip of the iceberg; Adam had received far more worrying news, such as bills of the car's monthly installments, electricity, water and phone. His sister had kept sufficient funds in her bank account and Adam knew well enough how to withdraw them, but he lacked all the experiences to settle all those tasks. And speaking of the car, which was wrecked beyond repair, shouldn't there be insurance claim? Adam knew that his sister had insurances; he had heard her speaking about it without really understanding it, but now he had no idea how to make queries about it.
He turned to look at JD's parents, and saw them waiting for his answer. "I don't want to impose," he said softly, finally finding his voice back. He really wanted to accept the offer – it would be so relieving to have some adults who could mentor him in doing all those payment stuffs that he had no idea about. But Adam meant what he had said too; he didn't want to impose.
JD stared at Adam, who looked torn between two decisions. 'He didn't say no…that's relieving. But why reject it?' He looked at his father for help.
"It won't be an imposition," Johan assured, catching his son's eyes. Then he decided not to make it easy for his son, and added, "Besides, we think you might be a good influence on our son."
That earned a gape from JD. 'What the…'
"But, seriously speaking, we'd love to have you stay over with us as long as you needed to. Josh's brother and sister are both staying in their university dorms. You can room in with Josh, and use Jade's bed. That's our eldest – and he won't mind," Johan continued.
"Maybe you can convince Josh to keep his room neat as you've done to your apartment," Leeanna added. That only caused JD to sweatdrop. "He can really be a slob, unfortunately," she said with a small smile as she shook her head – there was a teasing tone that JD hadn't heard for a very long time.
"Speaking of which, you could have the guest room if you want to, but Josh's grandparents are coming for a visit from Australia, and we've prepared the room for them," Johan said. "There was a recent death in the family and they will be here for a while before going back to my father's kampong…you can stay in the guest room after that if you can't cope with the messiness our son usually causes in his room." He then threw an amused smirk at their gaping son.
JD couldn't believe it. His parents ganging up against him? When did that start? Nevertheless, he felt an excited flutter in his stomach.
"What do you think?" JD asked, stifling his impatience. He gazed at the boy, remembering that Adam's fear was to be alone. Somewhere down the line, he'd have to thank Tapirmon for feeding him Adam's nightmare. And Adam had admitted that night after the battle with the Puaka Generals that he was really scared of what was going to happen to him.
Adam thought about it. He had just gotten to know JD, and they had patched things up after the whole thing with the Dark Ocean. They were good friends despite being the exact opposite of each other and despite their bad start. They were teammates. And…although Adam would never admit it out loud, JD was so similar to his late brother that it scared him.
The phone suddenly rang. Adam gave his guests an apologizing look before picking up the phone.
"Adam, it's me again. Listen, I've got the details about those relatives of ours in KL. Turns out –"
"Umm…Zul? I have guests here," Adam informed.
"Just jot this down; Ayah says that you actually live not that far off from them. Ayah Long's name is Awaludin, and his son is Johan. Ring any bell to you?"
Adam froze upon hearing the names. His eyes darted towards JD's father. 'Great God…can it be?'
"Hello, Adam? You're still there?"
"Yes…yes, I'm here. Zul…do you know anything else about them?" Adam wanted to be very sure.
"As a matter of fact, yeah. Ayah Long's wife is named Kathryn Sutherland or Nurul Kathryn Sutherland Abdullah after she married Ayah Long. Their son Johan married a stewardess he'd met, a woman from New Zealand…and I think they have three kids. One of them should be around our age. Can't remember his name exactly…they all have similar initials…those modern mixed-blood kinds of names where they merge English and Malay names together. The one who is close to our age is …ummm…John? James? Jack?"
"Josh," Adam supplied, earning a surprised gaze from JD. He held his breath as he elaborated, "Joshua."
"YEAH! That's it. Joshua. Joshua, Jasmine and Jaden. Nice patterns. How'd you know that?"
Adam gasped softly. He didn't see this coming at all.
"Okay, never mind. I'll be off now. You have guests. I'll talk to you again soon ok? Salam, Adam…"
Adam replied the parting greeting back and placed the receiver back on its place. He then took his seat beside JD, and looked at JD's dad.
"Uncle…" he began.
Johan smiled easily, but he wondered why Adam looked so stunned. Perhaps something from the phone conversation had shaken him slightly. "Yes, Adam?"
Adam's thought raced as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to confirm the news Zul had just relayed to him. An idea hit him. "You mentioned just now that there is a recent death in your family."
"Yes, I did," Mr. Johan said, wondering why Adam had asked that particular question. His wife and son both looked baffled.
"By any chance…is it your grandfather who has passed away?"
Johan was surprised upon hearing the question. "Yes. It is my grandfather…but how did you know that, Adam? I didn't mention that, did I?"
"No…my cousin did. He was the one who called just now, and he had called earlier this morning to inform that Tuk Awang has passed away due to heart stroke and diabetes…"
Johan inhaled sharply. "Awang? That is my grandfather's name…and he died recently due to stroke and diabetes. Adam, who is this Tuk Awang to you?"
Adam looked at JD, then at JD's mom before returning his gaze towards the dark-haired man in front of him. "Tuk Awang is my great-grandfather."
"Oh, my God!" Johan exclaimed in disbelief. He looked at Adam in a mixture of awe and disbelief. His brown eyes lit with gradual recognition. He remembered that computer teacher whom had explained to them about the Digimon, the Digital World and the DigiWira. He had mentioned Adam by his full name while making the DigiWira's introduction. He hadn't paid the name much thought – it was a rather common name for Malay boys, but now… "How could I forget? Mohammed Adam bin Ahmad Ariff…you're that baby…you're Ariff's and Aleza's youngest son!" he rasped.
Adam shivered slightly upon hearing his parents' names. "Uncle…you knew my Ayah and Ibu?"
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(Flashback)
Johan scooped his sleepy three-years-old son Josh with one arm, while lugging the trolley-luggage with his right hand. Behind him, his wife Leeanna followed with a smaller luggage as they exited the arrival door of Subang International Airport, Malaysia. The three of them came from Australia, and they were now in Malaysia for a brief vacation as well as meeting some of their distant relatives. Johan was a pilot and after learning that his next destination was to fly to Malaysia, Johan's father had arranged for them to be picked up by his grandnephew. He had brought along his wife and their youngest son for the trip, as their other children Jaden and Jasmine had school to attend to.
It dawned to Johan and Leeanna that neither of them knew how Johan's cousin looked like. But their worries were alleviated when a moderate-height young man with black hair and moustache approached them with a warm smile. He was wearing a light blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dark pants. Beside him was a young woman, presumably his wife as she was cradling an infant. The woman had a sweet face, with fair skin and she wore a light pink headscarf which matched her dark pink baju kurung.
"Salam," the man greeted. "You're Johan?"
Hearing this, Johan answered the greeting and was relieved. He nodded. "Ariff?"
"That's what they call me," the man said with a smile. He gestured at the woman beside him. "My wife, Aleza. And my youngest son, Adam. He simply refused to part with his mother, that's why we brought him with us." The man chuckled and glanced at his wife. "Or is it the other way around?"
Ariff's friendliness immediately wiped out any doubt that Johan and Leeanna had about visiting Malaysia. Despite Johan being half-Malaysian himself, he had never stepped foot on his father's home country until this day.
"This is Leeanna, my wife. And Josh, my youngest," Johan introduced. Leeanna smiled, while Josh buried his face on his father's chest, refusing to meet the strangers.
"My, he is quite a handsome little boy," Aleza cooed, teasing the dishwater-blonde boy.
"He's usually not this shy," Leeanna supplied. "You should've seen him when he disturbs his brother and sister."
"Oh. Are they here too?" Aleza asked. She looked around, but saw no signs of two Caucasian children other than Josh.
"No…Jade and Jas are staying with their grandparents right now, as they still have school to attend," Leeanna answered.
"We've to leave Alisha and Aizad back at Kelantan as well. Aizad is down with the flu, and Alisha wants to follow her cousins to the beach," Aleza said. "And I can't leave Adam home with Aizad having the fever and all, and Adam is still breastfeeding." Baby Adam watched Leeanna in wonder with his round, gray eyes. He gurgled and smiled at his aunt.
"Oh, he's a darling!" Leeanna cooed, peering to look at the less-than-a-year-old Adam. "How old is he?"
Aleza beamed as she stroked Adam's small tufts of dark hair. "He's entering eleven months old soon."
"Can I hold him?" Leeanna requested.
"Sure."
The baby was passed to the Caucasian woman and she cradled it towards Johan and Josh. "Josh, say hi to your cousin."
The toddler Joshua Daniel Kamaruzaman immediately lifted his head and peered at the infant curiously. His father held him closer to the baby his wife was holding, and Josh pointed a tentative finger towards the baby. He then gasped when his finger was clasped by the baby Adam, who then crowed with delight at having something new to play with. Josh looked around nervously as the baby attempted to put his finger in his mouth.
"I think he likes you," Aleza said with a smile.
Josh returned his gaze towards the baby. He curled his finger slightly to stop the baby from putting it in his mouth. "Hello, baby…" he said softly.
Johan and his family were then taken to the hotel where Ariff had arranged for them to stay at while they were at Malaysia. Ariff and his family were currently staying with another relative somewhere not far from the city, and he had rented a spacious, comfortable minivan for them to travel around Kuala Lumpur. Johan was amazed at his cousin's hospitality – he had a foreboding expectation about his father's side of the family upon hearing his father's story of how he was chased out of the house by his father – Johan's grandfather – upon him voicing out his decision to marry his British mother.
"That was pre-independence time," Ariff said as they lounged at the hotel's living room. "That was during 1955, right? Now it's 1992. A lot of things have changed…Tuk Awang has mellowed down since the death of Mek Nah." Mek Nah was Tuk Awang's late wife.
"That's good to hear. Maybe Dad will come back here one day," Johan said.
Suddenly a loud wail was heard coming from the bedroom where Josh was at, and where the sleeping baby was at. Their wives, who were preparing a small dinner at the kitchen both rushed to the room as well. They stepped inside the bedroom and saw…
A wailing Adam and a stunned Josh with his red shirt covered with white liquid that looked like vomit. The toddler looked like he was about cry as well.
"What happened?" Johan asked, looking at his son amusedly.
"Baby…almost fall…from bed…" Josh said, amidst baby Adam's wailing. "I carry him…and…and…baby sick…" He then sniffled.
"There, there, don't cry," Aleza immediately comforted the sad looking Josh as Leeanna went to get a change of cloth for her son. "You did well, you know? You're a hero."
Josh blinked. "I am?"
"Let's get you changed," Aleza said and pulled up the vomit-covered shirt from her nephew. "You know, maybe you and Adam will become best friends one day," she said thoughtfully as Ariff comforted his crying son.
"We will?" Josh asked.
Aleza nodded encouragingly. "My little cousin once threw up on me too, and we ended up being so close we might as well be sisters," she said smilingly. She doubted that the three-year-old would understand what she was talking about, but she said it out loud anyway.
Johan and his family's visit to Malaysia weren't long as he was on a work trip on behalf of the airline company he was working at currently. After four days, they were back at the airport, with his cousin and family following them to give them a proper sending off.
"We'll miss you," Aleza said, hugging Leeanna. "Don't forget to write."
The brown haired woman nodded. "I will, Aleza. Thank you for everything. We won't forget you."
Johan and Ariff shook hands, and embraced each other. "We should do this more often," Ariff said. "Maybe next time, when you have the time, you could come and visit our kampong. Send my regards to Ayah Long, will you?"
"I will," Johan said, and looked at Josh who was silently staring at baby Adam. "Josh, do you want to give a proper goodbye to your little cousin?"
The blonde tyke nodded and Johan lowered his son down. Aleza knelt down so that Josh could peer at Adam close. Josh smiled at the wide-eyed baby, before bending down and gave his little cousin a brief peck on the cheek. "Bye-bye, baby…" he murmured, and Adam gurgled at him smilingly. "I'll miss you."
"Wait, Josh," Ariff said and took out his large camera. "Sit at that chair now…okay…do you want to hold Adam?"
Josh nodded eagerly and climbed on the seat. Aleza then placed the baby Adam carefully in front of the tyke, and Josh clasped his arms around the squealing baby securely. And then, as if knowing what to do, Adam stopped struggling so much and gave a somewhat-toothless grin to his father, who was holding a camera. Leeanna also took out their camera and both pointed the cameras towards the two small children.
"Say cheese!"
(End Flashback)
xxx
xxx
"We've never got the chance to meet again when all of us became busy with our commitments and works…but we did keep in touch every now and then. Naturally, as years gone by we didn't get to send each others news so often, but at least twice a year, letters or emails were exchanged. Then, we heard about the accident a year after we moved here…"
Johan rose from his seat and took Adam's hand. He pulled him gently back towards the three seat sofa where he and his wife were seating, and had Adam sat beside him as he looked closer at the young teenager. "All these while…you're practically next door," Johan murmured. "You look a lot like your mother."
"I carried you a couple of times when you were a baby," Leeanna said, smiling. "Has it been that long? How time flies…"
"He…he's family?" JD said, perplexed. He had no memory of their first encounter at all. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his mouth hung open slightly. "Adam's our family?"
Johan nodded. "You two are second-cousins, to be precise." He tilted Adam's chin up. "I should have made more effort to find out more about you back then. As far as I've been made known, your sister had taken you in and you two are living in KL. I never knew that you two are staying here in Subang Jaya. I never expected you and Josh go to the same school. How long have you two known each other?"
"Only about a month, but we saw each other often," JD said, eyes boring at his newfound cousin. Kinship. That was how JD had felt for Adam before. He never really understood why he cared about Adam before. And now, upon learning that they were cousins...it all made sense now in a weird sort of way.
All these times, he'd been drawn to his own family. He'd been looking out for his family. They had even met before, more than a decade ago.
A smile cracked on JD's face.
"That…that's AWESOME!"
JD's enthusiastic declaration caused Adam to smile slightly. Then, he stood up politely and went towards a cabinet. He took out a photo album and browsed through them. He saw what he was looking for and brought the album to his relatives. Inside was a picture of a baby Adam held close by a blonde child. Baby Adam looked happily nestled at his cousin, and the blonde was looking partially at him while grinningly pointing towards the camera. It was a very endearing picture labeled 'Adam and Josh – October 1992.'
"I've forgotten about this picture," Adam murmured, looking at the picture and then at JD. He immediately saw the similarities.
"Didn't we also have this pic, Mom?" Leeanna nodded absently at her son's query as her thoughts sailed back to the one-time meeting she had with Adam's parents. She was saddened upon realizing that she wouldn't be able to meet them again, and her heart went for Adam. Whatever doubt she once had to allow Adam to stay at her house had all evaporated – this was her husband's family, which made Adam her family too.
"Adam, now that I know that you are my family, it is more important for me to make sure that you're well-taken cared off," Johan said intensely. "I can't have you living here on your own. You have to come and stay with us…at least, until your sister is well."
Adam had shed tears of sadness this past one week, and the only time when he had cried out of happiness was due to a horrible lie. He dared not believe his luck of having a family once again. It was not what he had expected, nor had he seen that coming…but this time, his heart told him that this was the real thing. He could practically hear his heart urging him to accept the offer.
Blinking back tears, Adam nodded twice with a thin smile.
"Is that a yes, Adam?" Leeanna asked. JD was grinning ear-to-ear now.
"I'll come." Adam nodded again, with a single tear drop escaping his eyes. "I'll stay with you, uncle, aunty, JD…thank you."
xxx
xxx
'HUH?'
Gayathri nearly dropped her pink cell phone in surprise upon receiving an SMS signed by both Adam and JD. Amidst the rowdy chattering of her aunt's house, she sat there on the single couch, unblinking and mouth slightly opened, not really believing what had been stated in the message. She certainly didn't see that coming and punched in the keypads of her phone rapidly. 'You two, explain, now.'
'Adam and JD are cousins?'
Gayathri's thought was mirrored by Liu Ying, who was helping her mother out at their family's hair salon. Business was good that day and Liu Ying constantly was shorthanded in the kitchen behind the salon, fixing Chinese herbal teas for the customers of the salon. But that didn't stop her from checking the new SMS. As the result, she was so surprised that she had accidentally poured more boiling water in the cup, causing it to flow out into the saucer and onto the table before she realized her folly. But then a smile crept on her face. 'Good for you, you two,' she thought, typing it out as a reply. 'Tell me the details.'
In the meantime, Manny was concentrating on the movie he and his family was watching at the cinema when his cell phone blared up its SMS alert tone, earning him irritated hisses from the fellow patrons of the cinema. He had forgotten to switch off the phone or set it in silent mode, and grimaced as he heard annoyed muttering from the person sitting beside him as he fumbled with his phone. He scanned the short message and was stunned upon the revelation. 'Wow…cousins, huh?' Manny found himself unable to concentrate on the rest of the movie.
xxx
xxx
"Wow," Adam murmured as JD switched on the bedroom light. "Your room is big."
His eyes examined the bedroom with rapt interest. It was a spacious rectangular room with two handsome wooden double-sized beds of similar design. The bed at the center of the bedroom had crimson plain bedspread, while the one set by the wall was white with gray and black abstract designs. Both beds had two pillows and a bolster, and they were set apart by two brown bedside cabinets. A dark green carpet covered a portion of the parquet floor beside the crimson bed and pre-installed cream-colored cabinets lined the walls six feet from the crimson bed, extending all the way to the ceiling. Six feet across the crimson bed was a TV cabinet, with a 21-inch television, a DVD player and a Playstation-2 videogame console. Across the white bed was a long L-shaped table – a study table with drawers adjoining a computer table. Two black steel chairs with red cushions were pushed under the tables. A computer was seen, the CPU tucked in nicely beneath the computer table. Wired to the computer were two moderate-sized speakers with subwoofers. Bookshelves were affixed on the walls overlooking the tables, and above the TV cabinet. The study table had several stacked notebooks and a black study lamp. Adam could see various PMR study books – all seemingly used, lining the book shelf by the study table. Many other books, some used SPM mock-examination books and a plethora collection of comics dominated the shelf above the TV cabinet. The floor between the table and the beds were covered with dark green carpet as well, and in front of the TV cabinet was a large cushion. There was a window with dark green curtains, and above the window was the air-conditioner which kept the room cool. Four white spotlights lined the four corners of the room's plaster ceilings.
JD chuckled as he pulled Adam's luggage bag inside the room. "Our room," he said with a grin as he plopped down on the crimson bed, lying on his back easily with his arms spread.
Adam smiled quietly and placed his schoolbag at the corner of the door, where a bucket for worn clothes was placed. He sat down tentatively on the white-sheet bed.
"What if your brother comes home?" Adam asked. "Will he mind me sleeping on his bed?"
"Don't worry your head about it, Adam. He rarely comes home because he's so busy with his practical trainings he rarely has time to come back. Even if he does return, it doesn't matter. Jade always sleeps in the guestroom whenever he comes back," JD said. "He doesn't like being distracted whenever he's dating those huge textbooks of his, and I can be very distracting with the video games or the computer or the TV," he added with a smirk.
"Oh…"
Both of them became silence as Adam took in the bedroom's appearance, while JD was lost in deep thought. After the revelation of them being cousins, JD was happy, but that was slightly marred due to an uneasy fact which had been bothering his mind. He'd been good at hiding it, but now it was troubling him again. He thought that they had it settled – Adam had said that he had forgiven him then.
"Something's bothering you?" Adam asked, apparently noticing his cousin's troubled look. "You look like you have the world's problem burdened on your shoulders."
JD snorted and rolled on his side, plopping a hand to support his head.
"I was just thinking…about my ShadoWira days."
Adam observed JD quietly, he himself was reminded of their several encounters when JD was the Red ShadoWira – and all of them had not been good. Several attempted killings, one kidnapping, several beating-ups, and cruel trickeries…Adam had been on the receiving ends of possessed-JD's never-ending onslaughts back then. Adam admitted that up to the point until their meeting at the Dark Ocean, he'd loathed the blonde teenager greatly. That changed when JD stuck up with him against Dragomon, and did all he could to save him from the demonic sea creature, at the cost of his own life.
And now he saw the blonde looking so ashamed of himself. Obviously, JD was also thinking the same thing Adam was.
"To think that I've almost killed my own flesh and blood…"
Adam sighed. "JD…are you still at it again? I've told you…"
"Adam, obviously it's not ok. I've tried forgetting about it, but it just kept coming back these past few days, especially after your seeming death. Now, after knowing that you're my family, I've been thinking a lot these past few hours…what if I actually killed you back then…at the Megalith Coliseum, or at Shadow Realm, or during that final fight…aghhh!! Damn that Karatenmon and SkullSatamon!" JD rose from the bed and stared at Adam. "How can you forget those kinds of things, especially when it's you who've been on the receiving ends of all those stuffs I've done to you?"
Admittedly, Adam never had forgotten any of that. But he'd learned to separate the fact that the Red ShadoWira and JD were two different people. It was hard, and he hadn't still gotten the chance to get to know JD well. While the other DigiWira had gotten themselves acquainted with the eldest DigiWira, Adam had been preoccupied by the Puaka Generals. Other than their Dark Ocean experience, they hadn't had the chance to get to know each other more, and Adam didn't know whether he should count out the brief friendship they had when JD was the Red ShadoWira.
Nevertheless, now that they know that they were a family, this would be the perfect time for them to bond, not only as friends but also as family.
"One person I know once told me, that it's not wise to dwell in thoughts of what might have happened," Adam said with a firm, but soft, voice. "Because it will only eat you alive. Trust me…I know. What's important is that you didn't do it with your own free will, and that you were prevented from doing much worse. It's best if you just let it go. Besides, Karatenmon is gone, and one day, SkullSatamon will be too." The dark-haired DigiWira smiled warmly. "And…I don't blame you. Nor should you."
JD stared at Adam, moved by the words uttered by his younger cousin. Despite his young features, Adam's eyes looked beyond his years.
"Thanks, Adam." The blonde then gave him a crooked grin. "You sound like the older, wiser one between the two of us. I thought I should be that for us?"
Adam looked like he was trying to suppress a wide grin as he tilted his head sideways ever-so-slightly. "Don't worry. You're still older…"
JD blinked. He didn't know that Adam could be witty as well. Then, he laughed and gestured with his head for Adam to sit by him, and the boy obliged. "You've told us about the Lost Mountain and your meetings with the three lady Digimon staying there. But what happened before that?"
Adam leaned his back against the bed's railing. "Let's just say I've had some turning-point experience."
"Nuh-uh. Not good enough," JD said, wiggling his index finger left and right. "Details."
And so, Adam told JD about his encounter with Grademon and his past demons. He hadn't told it to anyone yet, not even his sister, for he didn't want it to be dismissed as a dream. Because, it had been so real for him, all the pain and all the sadness, followed by a feeling of a heavy burden being lifted from his shoulders, and Grademon's advices constantly ringing in his mind…that all had to be real, Adam thought. He described everything to JD, who listened to his cousin intently, realizing that he was now receiving the answers to some things that he'd been wondering.
Half an hour later, Adam finished his story after telling about his parting with Grademon. He smiled slightly. "Sorry if I bored you."
"What? No way," JD said. "Those are pretty powerful stuffs you've experienced, Adam."
"You believed me?"
"Hey, if you said that it's real, then it's real."
"You don't think that it's so hard to believe?"
JD gave Adam his lopsided grin. "Well, maybe. But so is a talking hamster and baby T-rex, or humans merging with those two animals to become…say…an angelic knight and a dragon knight. But, they're real, as you and I know. To top it off, someone I know has miraculously come back from an apparent death, so…nope, it's not so hard to believe."
Adam smiled gratefully. "Thanks, JD."
"No prob, cousin."
They were quiet for a brief few minutes. Then Adam spoke up.
"How come you're so nice to me and the other DigiWira, but with people at school, you're…uh…"
"Rotten? Bad-tempered? Just plain nasty?" JD asked.
Adam frowned. "I was going to say 'not so nice'…but you're not that far off…"
JD plopped down on the mattress, looking at the ceiling. "It's kinda hard being different from everyone, y'know. At first there were the nicer ones of the lot, but then there were the shitty ones…all because I look different. After a while I just decided not to let anyone in. And it didn't really help that these few years had been rough for me, but I'm glad that it's changing."
"I don't understand."
JD then explained about his family's situation, and he elaborated more on it from the explanation he'd given Manny a few days ago, seeing that Adam was a part of the family and now that he was staying with them, it would be best for the boy to have some insight about the family's situation so that he would not end up confused should he saw things that didn't seem fit.
"You know…" JD said, after spending about half an hour explaining. "I'm glad that the Red DigiSphere chose me to be its wielder…sans the ShadoWira part, in a way. But somehow, that too, worked in a mysterious way. It helped Mom and Dad to become closer to each other again. It led me to you, and the others."
Adam smiled. "Everything does happen for a reason."
"It does, doesn't it?"
Several minutes more passed in companionable silence, before their Juara Digivices beeped.
"Can we come out now, Adam?" Patamon's voice rang out from Adam's Juara Digivice.
"Out. Want out…" Salamon and Gatomon chanted pleadingly.
"Josh…?" Agumon asked inquiringly from JD's Juara Digivice.
The cousins laughed and released the Digimon from the Juara Digivices. The Digimon – sans Agumon – stared wide-eyed around the room. Salamon and Gatomon quickly made their way onto the bed where Adam would be sleeping at and snuggled against the pillows, earning an indignant huff from Patamon. Agumon merely sat on the large cushion in front of the TV cabinet.
"Make yourself at home, like you should," JD said as he rose up sharply. He reached for a red towel hung on the towel-dryer beside his bed. "I'm gonna take a shower, and then we'll figure out what to do after that. Maybe watch a movie, or play some videogames, or if you want I can help you unpack. Sounds good to you?"
Adam nodded. He had just showered back at his apartment when they went back there to collect all the stuffs he'd need to have while staying with JD.
"Ok, JD."
"Great." JD went towards the door and was about to pull up his shirt when he paused. He turned back, and said to Adam, "Josh."
"Hmm?"
"You're family. Call me Josh."
"Alright…Josh." Adam saw a satisfied look crossed the older teen's face before the blonde exited the room, and the shirt Josh was wearing went flying from outside the room, landing carelessly on the sides of the worn-clothes basket. Adam shook his head and smiled wistfully as he was reminded of what his Aunt Leeanna had mentioned about JD's messiness. He went to the bed he was supposed to sleep at.
Feeling slightly tired, he rested his head on the pillow and let his thoughts flowed freely in his head. 'So it's true what they say; every cloud has a silver lining…'
When JD had finished with his shower, he saw that his cousin was already asleep peacefully, surrounded by three slumbering Rookies. Agumon was the only one who was still awake.
"The four of them have been asleep for about fifteen minutes," Agumon said.
JD shook his head, slightly amused as he ran a hand on his damp hair. He looked at his cousin and smiled wistfully. "Sleep tight, cuz." Then, he grinned to no one in particular. 'I wonder how the others reacted when they got our SMS.'
JD was about to make way for the cupboard when he noticed something blinking silently on the desk. It couldn't be his cell phone, because he didn't own one – the one he had was destroyed by the MetalPhantomon when he infiltrated the Shadow Realm. It must be Adam's phone. Quickly he went by the desk and answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"…Can I speak to Adam Ariff, please?"
The voice belonged to an unfamiliar adult male. JD looked at his slumbering cousin. "He's sleeping. I'm his cousin; who's this?" He smirked slightly at his introduction to the caller.
The voice on the other end of the line paused, as if slightly taken aback by Josh's blunt directness. That person then cleared his throat and said primly, "I'm Dr. Abu, Alisha Ariff's doctor. I'm calling about your cousin."
JD stiffened and gazed at Adam once again. It was hard to determine whether this Dr. Abu was bringing good news or bad news. The doctor's voice was kept neutral, and JD thought that his brother Jade had also begun to sound like it. "How is she?" he asked. He listened to the doctor's explanation, his eyes widened briefly. "Oh…" He nodded. "I'll tell him."
xxx
xxx
In the Digital World, something sinister was about to take place.
In the middle of a bleak forest with dark-leaved vegetations, there stood a massive black step pyramid. Similar to the Cave of Solitude, the Shadow Realm and the Blackmoore Bastion, this place was generally avoided by many for its history. Three centuries ago, it had been the gathering place of five of the most fearsome villains of all other than SkullSatamon. It had been said that while they were SkullSatamon's generals, their powers were one that SkullSatamon himself was wary upon, for they worked as one and thus, were the most difficult to defeat.
The Darkshadow Brethren was formed after the downfall of the Mage and Dryad Generals – the first two generals who were successfully sealed by Grademon. Individually, Grademon with aid of his mystical DigiSpheres was said to be very powerful compared to any general. Therefore, the remaining generals had decided that it would be best if they formed a coven.
Mephistomon and Phelesmon were said to have been belonged in the coven of darkened Digimon as well, but had diverged upon having somehow attained the ability to become a Mega Digimon via DNA Digivolution – a feat the other Darkshadow Brethren members were unable to reach at the time. Proud of their newfound power, the two dark Digimon denounced their coven and worked as two individuals, focusing on trouncing those bearing the power of light. After successfully defeating the Saintly Siblings, they corrupted the two heavenly beings into their fallen forms of NeoDevimon and LadyDevimon, and used them as decoys. When Grademon had gotten hold of news about the Puaka Generals, Mephistomon and Phelesmon had made sure that their titles would point towards the corrupted Saintly Siblings instead of them. That led to the siblings being imprisoned first. After that the real Puaka Generals engaged Grademon in a titanic battle which lasted for two days before Grademon proved to be the victor. Overpowered by the mighty warrior, the Puaka Generals assumed their unstable DNA-Mega form of Gulfmon to fight against Grademon, but were trounced when Grademon turned the tables upon them. Using his DigiSpheres, he too ascended to Mega level and was able to force Gulfmon to dedigivolve into his composite selves before imprisoning them.
Seeing that Grademon was able to digivolve into Mega form, and into a powerful one at that, the rest of the Darkshadow Brethren grew worried. However their leader, the Hellion General, possessed power strong enough to eclipse a normal Mega. It was said that the Hellion General had come across into an artifact which had given him the additional power. Thus Grademon changed his tactic and attacked the other brethrens, sealing them one by one in four separate places. To counter the Hellion General, Grademon once again assumed his Mega form and managed to cut the artifact which was powering the Hellion General into half. The Hellion General lost his profound power, and by being only an Ultimate Digimon, Grademon was able to seal him. However, before he was doomed into eternal imprisonment the Hellion General managed to retrieve half of the destroyed artifact and took it with him. Grademon then took the other half, and upon seeing that it was colored the purest of white, he gave it the name Ivory Gem and purified it with the White DigiSphere's power of light.
Then came the final battle with SkullSatamon, where both Grademon and his enemy assumed their Mega forms to fight each other out. Grademon's Mega form was not enough to counter SkullSatamon's Mega form, but with the additional power of the Ivory Gem Grademon's Mega form underwent a transformation and he was able to force his enemy back into his usual Ultimate form and back into the Horror Hall. Using the power he had, he then erected an impenetrable barrier around the castle, dooming SkullSatamon into an eternal live containment.
Four humanoid figures climbed the stairs of the step pyramid in silent anticipation, with Sorcerymon and Shutumon following them quietly from behind. The two servants of SkullSatamon couldn't shake the feeling of awe they were having over the sight of the powerful generals that they had released this past few days, after the Puaka Generals' defeat. SkullSatamon had then directed them to the location where the Hellion General was imprisoned, and from the Hellion General they had gotten the locations of the other four generals who had worked alongside the Hellion General three centuries ago, before they were sealed by Grademon.
"I can't believe it, Shutumon!" Sorcerymon whispered gleefully. "The Darkshadow Brethren! They're going to take the matters on their own hands."
"I know…" Shutumon returned, looking at the nearest general warily as they reached the top of the step pyramid.
Walking quietly into the pyramid, Sorcerymon and Shutumon saw that the Hellion General was standing in the middle of the hall behind the entrance. Two columns of light were seen, housing the Rookie forms of the Puaka Generals.
"My brethrens…" the Hellion General said, expanding his arms wide in welcoming his guests. "It has been TOO long. I see that everyone is here…"
"Majin General…" the Hellion General said, eyeing a demon in dark pin-striped suit with long white hair and a black manteau. He was wielding a machinegun.
"Kappa General…" The Hellion General observed a peculiar humanoid in white garb underneath green scaled armors with blue hair and small yellow beak as his mouth.
"Shaman General…" The said general was a humanoid fox with purple fur garbed in light gray Taoist monk robe.
"And last, but certainly not least, Virago General." A lynx woman with long fiery red hair sauntered frontward, in front of the other general. She was scantily clad in nothing more than a pair of scarlet metallic breast-clasps and light yellow pants.
"Not forgetting, of course, our renegade brethrens the Puaka Generals," the Hellion General said snidely as he cocked his head towards the beam which held Renamon. He flicked his blond hair haughtily as a wild sneer escaped his violet-painted lips. "Defeated by the Wira Digital, they have been reduced to Rookies. This proves that those five children are powerful opponents indeed." His ice blue eyes glinted as he flexed his angelic and demonic wings. "They are now resting back at their home world…and for now, we let them be. We will gather back all of our forces – our imprisoned brutes and those who have followed us centuries ago."
The Majin, Kappa, Shaman and Virago Generals murmured their agreements. The Hellion General's blue eyes glinted malevolently as he pumped his fist upwards. "And then, we will invade their world and lay waste to where they are weakest. When we are finished, there will be no love and happiness! Only greed, jealousy, anger and CHAOS!" The Hellion General's voice increased as he finished his sentence. "To the Darkshadow Brethren and to the Master!" he exclaimed with valor.
"To the Darkshadow Brethren and to the Master!" the other generals shouted.
The Hellion General smiled and set his eyes towards the entrance, where two Champion Digimon were standing. "Sorcerymon, Shutumon, we will give you two weeks to free all of the imprisoned Digimon. Set them free and have them gather at our Onyx Pyramid."
xxx
xxx
"You got any plans for today?" JD asked his cousin that Sunday morning, during breakfast.
Adam shook his head silently – his mind elsewhere as he idly stirred the spoon inside his cup of iced Milo. His thoughts were always about his sister. And apparently, it was very obvious.
"Thinking about your sister?" JD asked before spooning a generous amount of fried noodles into his mouth.
Adam nodded, now idly reaching for the fried noodles Bibik had prepared for them that morning. He didn't quite have an appetite.
JD was reminded of what Dr. Abu had told him the previous night. He wondered what would be the best way to inform the news to his cousin.
"I'll accompany you to visit Kak Lisha again today," JD offered. With them being cousin, it was only appropriate for him to address Adam's sister as 'Kak Lisha' despite the fact that he called his own older siblings by their names. But then again, Alisha was older than any of them and that was how Adam addressed his sister, so JD would go with that.
"Thanks, Josh," the offer finally prompted Adam to speak again after a brief moment of silent.
JD didn't blame Adam for his silence. He knew that it was awkward for Adam to adjust himself to his new surroundings. That coupled with his ongoing anxiety about his sister's condition bound to make someone who was usually lively to be downhearted and fairly inhibited.
Since both Johan and Leeanna were not home that morning – it was their second meeting with their marriage counselor – Adam and JD went to the hospital by taxi, alongside the three Digimon which they contained in their Juara Digivices. JD followed Adam quietly as the boy navigated the corridors of the fairly crowded private hospital of the town with apparent ease – noting that Adam would have no trouble finding his way to search for Alisha's ward blindfolded. JD also noticed the somewhat lackluster mood that Adam had – he didn't seem to be rushing, as if preparing himself to see the unresponsive body of his sister again today, like any other day.
They reached the single room ward where Alisha was registered, and Adam pushed the door quietly. JD heard a soft gasp coming from Adam, and went into the ward with a sigh. He saw a pristine white room, but nobody was around. The room was empty. From the looks of it, the room had just been cleaned up – the faint smell of floor soap was still evident.
"Where…where is Kak Lisha?" Adam said, shivering. "She…she can't move…she's unconscious…what if she…"
Adam lost his voice as he thought of the worst possible thing that could've happened. What if his sister had passed away? His vision blurred and he buried his head onto the pristine white-sheeted mattress.
"Adam…" JD said, feeling guilty instantly for keeping the news from his cousin. He didn't expect it to be this way. The door opened quietly again.
Adam sobbed softly onto the bed when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He ignored it, thinking that it was JD. Then he froze upon hearing a familiar voice.
"Adam, why are you crying?"
He whipped his head up and saw the smiling face of his sister. She was sitting on a wheelchair, and was garbed in a white patient gown and a light pink headscarf loosely pinned on her head, and underneath the headscarf Adam could see that her head was bandaged. Her left leg was bandaged and her right leg plastered.
Despite that, she was alive, and was now smiling softly at Adam. Behind her was the black-haired doctor with a small unshaven stub of beard on his chin. Dr. Abu – and he was navigating Alisha's wheelchair.
"Kak Lisha!" Adam said, surprised. "You…you're alive! Oh, thank God…" He made a motion to embrace his sister when Dr. Abu stopped him.
"I don't think it's a good idea to do that, Adam," he said apologetically. "Your sister's rib bones are healing, so I won't advice any hugging for the time being."
At that, Adam abruptly stopped. Alisha then took Adam's hands and grasped them tight.
"How are you, Adam? Dr. Abu says that you're here almost everyday, waiting for me to wake up…" Alisha said, concerned more about her brother's well-being than her own. "I'm sorry to worry you…it must've been horrible for you…" She stared into his brother's eyes, knowing that Adam must have been feeling terrified. Their parents and brother had passed away due to a fatal accident, and now she too was involved in a car accident that had left her in coma for more than a week.
She glanced towards the blond-haired teen that was accompanying Adam, and thought that he looked vaguely familiar as she saw the teen looking nervous all of a sudden.
Adam thought about what had happened – the Puaka Generals' cruel trickery in impersonating their late brother Aizad. He thought that there was no use worrying his sister about it, as the Puaka Generals were already deleted. Besides, Dr. Abu was with them and he didn't know about the Digimon.
"I…I'm ok. What matters is that you've finally woken up," Adam finally said happily. He then looked at Dr. Abu wonderingly. "I thought you said you're going to call…?"
Dr. Abu looked mildly surprised. "I did call you. Last night…you were asleep and your cousin answered the phone. I've told him that your sister has woken up last night."
At this, Adam glared at JD, who smiled sheepishly. He stood up and marched quickly towards JD. "You…you…jerk!!" Adam said, pounding JD's arm once. "You should've told me! I was so worried!" His face was red and his eyes shining.
"Heh…heh…surprise?" JD grinned, while wincing inwardly as his cousin's punch was a little bit more forceful than he'd anticipated. Well, he deserved it. Adam groaned in frustration.
"Cousin?" Alisha asked, confused. She stared at JD, wondering how in the world the Caucasian-looking teen would be related to them.
Seeing his sister alive and recovering however caused Adam's brief frustration at JD's antic to evaporate. He returned to his sister and beckoned for JD to come sit by him. Dr. Abu sensed that this was going to be a family moment and excused himself.
Adam took a deep breath, feeling very happy after a long period of sadness. "Kak Lisha, we've got a lot of catching up to do…"
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Author's Notes:
Quite a surprising chapter, is it not? The idea of making Adam and JD cousins stemmed from a real life occurrence I saw somewhat recently – where two friends of mine, who were merely acquaintances with one another, suddenly realized that they somehow shared one common ancestry. They had the same great-great grandparents or something like that. Having seen this made me decide to think up of a plot which ties Adam and JD as second cousins. Luckily I have never expanded on JD's history prior to this chapter, despite his mixed heritage provides for an interesting back story. Now there's a bit of drama I suppose for the story.
Prior to Malaysia's independence in 1957, the locals' impression of foreigners were not good. That continued for years after the country reached independence, but has simmered down considerably as time passed by. Mixed marriages during those times were generally quite frowned upon, although some accepted it.
And that thing about JD being puked-on by baby Adam – the same thing happened to me with a baby cousin of mine, years ago.
Here's a basic guideline to Adam-JD familial relationship.
Adam, Alisha – JD's second cousins
JD, Jade, Jas – Adam and Alisha's second cousins
Tuk Awang – Both Adam and JD's great-grandfather.
Awaludin – JD's grandfather, Adam's granduncle, Tuk Awang's eldest son.
Johan – JD's father, Adam's cousin-once-removed, Ariff's cousin
Ariff – Adam's father, JD's cousin-once-removed, Johan's cousin
Zul – Both Adam and JD's cousin-once-removed. Zul is their fathers' cousin, but is the same age as Adam.
Ariff and Aleza – Adam's deceased parents
Johan and Leeanna – JD's parents
Five generals have been revealed and I'm sure you'd be aware of their identities by now. Anyhow, guess away.
Glossary:
MAS – Abbreviation for Malaysia Airlines.
Subang International Airport – Subang International Airport was Malaysia's international airport until Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) opened later in 1998.
I've made a drawing of the younger versions of Adam and JD, but with a slightly different rendition from the description in this chapter. You can check it out at my Photobucket site, the link is there at my profile. Thanks. :D