Black irises stared at hazel eyes irritably.
"What are you doing here?" Liu Ying questioned, upon meeting JD's smirking face right after arriving at the Forest Sanctum. JD had his arms folded and was leaning against the wall near the fountain. He was observing her with a rather amused expression, which unnerved her.
"Umm…let's see." JD raised one finger, the smirk turning into a lopsided grin. "I'm a DigiWira too, now." He pulled up a second finger. "And I got the warning signal just as you did."
Liu Ying looked around the somewhat empty sanctum, expecting a larger crowd that that she was currently seeing. There was TobuCatmon, perched on top of the table. Agumon was standing near the table; apparently they were conversing prior to Liu Ying's arrival. And there was Labramon who stood by her. And of course, JD was there too, standing quite a distance away from the Digimon. But there were no sign of the others.
"Where are the others?"
"Today's Sunday, so Manny's got church to attend to," JD answered. "Gayathri's gonna buy the whole Midvalley Megamall with her two friends, and Adam's somewhere with that brother of his."
"How do you know all that?"
"Simple. I chatted with them online last night. Well, except for Adam, and you. You haven't even approved my 'add contact' request on YM. Anyway, they told me their plans, and since they're not here…" JD jerked his eyebrows up, letting his sentence unfinished. "And I assume since Adam's sister is still at the hospital and his brother apparently returned from the dead…" he said that with a slight distaste in his voice, "…that Adam might be spending time with him at the hospital, or somewhere else."
"Oh." Liu Ying turned towards TobuCatmon and eyed him critically. "TobuCatmon, what seems to be the problem?"
TobuCatmon beckoned towards the sun staff, which was displaying an unfamiliar blue insect Digimon, before meeting Liu Ying's gaze. "I'll let KoKabuterimon explain his situation to you."
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A domed obsidian structure with four dark spires erected at four sides was seen amidst a barren region. The building was tall; easily reaching 30-feet in height, and the spires were even higher. The sky above and behind the building was dark purple, with light gray clouds. Lightning crackled at the four tips of the spires, transferring thunderbolt from one spire to another continuously. No traces of vegetations could be seen at all.
Sorcerymon and Shutumon walked slowly towards the entrance of the building. Said entrance was a stone door about four times their heights. When they arrived by the door, rumblings could be heard and the heavy stone door moved sideways by an unknown mechanism. Gulping, the two servants of SkullSatamon walked inside. Behind the door was a straight passage, completely dark if it weren't for the candles hung on the walls every few meters apart. The flames let out eerie greenish-yellow light and a faint stinging smell.
They soon reached a hall nearly void of light, where amidst the shadows stood two tall figures. Menacing scarlet eyes could be seen glowing from within the shadows, but the rest of their figures were hidden by the darkness. Seeing the two coming, the Puaka Generals, lurking within the shadows, stepped out from it, giving the servants a good look at their forbidding figures.
One was clearly feminine, judging by her curves, long legs and cascading pale gray hair. She was dressed in tattered black leathers, and her face was masked on the upper half. Her wings blended nicely with her choice of attire – tattered and leathery as well.
The other was male, and stood in a hunched posture. His arms were long and thick, and his face obscured by a glinting metallic facemask. What was prominent on him was instead of a pair of glowing red eyes like his companion, he had three pairs. A horn jutted out from each side of his head, and large wings let out a squashy sound as he moved. Similar to the first figure, he was also clothed in leathers, more amply so than the female.
"You've returned," the male stated in his gruff voice. "What plans do you have today?"
"We've met the Queen of Insects last night," Shutumon explained. "She is more than willing to do the job for us today."
"Ah, excellent," the female simpered. "The DigiWira have proven to be strong opponents. It took two of them only to finish off Cerberumon. To counter Zudomon and MarineDevimon, it took three DigiWira and one human with a Digimon. It will be interesting to see how they fare today against the Queen of Insects and her insectoid minions."
"The power we've placed inside your staff works perfectly, haven't it?" the male noted, looking pointedly at Sorcerymon.
"Oh, yes, general…Tapirmon was able to digivolve into Ultimate, and so were that Ikkakumon and those Gomamon when we shot them with that Blast Digivolution beam," Sorcerymon supplied.
"Good." The Puaka Generals then turned to look at Shutumon. "And you? What news do you have about the boy…?
"We've detected him wandering around the Digital World with a young man he'd met recently. He's in a perfect position to be attacked," the bird-woman said primly.
"No, leave the boy and his companion be for the time being," the gruff male said. "The Master has been specific. We have particular plans for him, but for now, let him be. Besides, do you NOT know that his light is a bane against us Puaka Generals?"
"Of course, generals," Shutumon said. "But you don't have to lift a finger to get rid of that White DigiSphere-wielding boy. Why, we would be happy to do that for you! Him and the rest of the DigiWira pests…"
"Do not abuse the power we've bestowed upon you, Shutumon, Sorcerymon," the female warned with a foreboding tone. "The Blast Digivolution works only once. Should you waste it on impertinent matters…" She swished her clawed hands over the air, slicing the air with a clear slashing sound. "There will be hell to pay."
Both Shutumon and Sorcerymon gulped. "Of course. Of course, generals."
"Now leave us," the male instructed. "Report back to us of today's progress… or failure. It doesn't matter which way it works. We're just curious of the results."
xxx
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WIRA DIGITAL
Chapter 27 – Opposites Attract
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"Hey, KoKabuterimon, how much further?" JD called out, checking out his watch. "We've been walking for an hour now."
"Not that far anymore. We just need to go to Evergreen Jungle, which I think is only another mile away," KoKabuterimon answered, which elicited a loud groan from the blond.
Liu Ying merely snorted at JD's exaggerated response. "What's the matter? Tired?"
"No; I'm going to miss my favorite show!"
"And what would that be?"
"Charmed reruns."
"On Sunday mornings?"
JD shrugged. "No way better to start a Sunday morning than a dose of some hot chicks."
Liu Ying rolled her eyes. "Figures."
"Of course, I don't mind present company as well," JD snickered. "In fact, all the better."
Liu Ying's cheeks colored; it was lucky that she was walking in front of JD – she'd avoided walking beside JD ever since they got out from the Forest Sanctum. Then she realized how she'd responded and let out an irritated 'humph', and walked further towards KoKabuterimon. Somehow, JD had kept his distance from the Rookie insect Digimon. Liu Ying wondered why, but if that was what it took for her to steer clear from JD, then she'd even hold hands with the blue scarab insect.
Labramon and Agumon exchanged glances, confused at their partners exchanged. However, both weren't alluded to the hidden intone of JD's last comment.
True to what JD had said to KoKabuterimon, the five of them had been walking for nearly an hour ever since their departure from Forest Sanctum. KoKabuterimon had come with grave news from the Insecta Kingdom. According to KoKabuterimon, their current queen was an oppressive, tyrannical Digimon who'd imprisoned the rightful ruler of their kingdom. She was a powerful Ultimate Digimon and none was able to defeat her. Hearing of the DigiWira's exploits, KoKabuterimon thought that they would be able to help.
They had agreed. JD seemed to have his reservations, but after Liu Ying had confirmed that she'd going he'd reluctantly agreed to go along.
JD looked at Liu Ying, noting the fact that otherwise necessary or to give retorts, Liu Ying would generally avoid him. It was amusing at first, but after a while it did get to JD, although he didn't show it. He knew exactly why Liu Ying behaved the way she was, although to the other DigiWira it was weird.
The previous day's computer club meeting came in mind. Adam had been absent, which left the two of them sharing the computer that was normally occupied by the three of them. Adam had been seated at the middle, and without him they'd have to sit with each other. JD didn't mind it, but Liu Ying had been obviously chagrined during the whole club meeting. Especially, when there was no Adam to help simplify the instructions given by Jackie, or that he was absent to play mediator like he had been before. All their attempts had been unsuccessful in creating a half-decent webpage. Although it had been the same case for most of the students, it didn't bode well with Liu Ying, as during their previous meetings Adam had always managed to create something that was on-par or better compared to other students. Hadn't it been for Manny, who decided to help them at the last minute, it would've been a blow-up between the two elder DigiWira. In the DigiWira team, Adam and Manny had the most sound computer knowledge; Manny due to his interest and Adam due to his sister's profession.
The DigiWira meeting thereafter was called by Jackie, who'd been most surprised when he found out that JD was the ominous Red ShadoWira. He hadn't the chance to meet JD after his turnover to the side of good, because JD had been suspended from attending school. Then, the meeting steered to the fact that Adam's brother had returned from apparent death. The girls had simply dismissed that JD had been mistaken; that Adam's brother probably survived the accident. That had led to an argument between JD and Liu Ying, while Manny chose to keep silence and Gayathri attempted to play peacemaker. Gayathri's attempt had worked primarily because JD had actually met Aizad, as Liu Ying had pointed out. The argument ended with a truce, but the animosity between the two eldest DigiWira had remained. At least, on Liu Ying's part and it wasn't solely because of the argument.
Shaking his head, he jogged to catch up with Liu Ying. "Hey, wait up!"
"Not my fault you're slow," Liu Ying snapped without looking back at him.
"Hey, what's with the attitude?" JD asked. "I thought you said that since we're a team, we might as well be friends."
"No, I didn't say that," Liu Ying said, whipping her head back, eyeing JD across her shoulder. "I said we might as well get along. I didn't say that we should be friends."
"We don't even get along from where I'm standing." JD paused from his walk and folded his arms over his chest. "And why can't we be friends?"
Liu Ying stopped and turned around, placing her hands on her hips. She raised an eyebrow. "Do you even have to ask?"
"I won't know if you don't tell me!" JD responded hotly.
Labramon and Agumon slowly walked past the arguing DigiWira, towards KoKabuterimon who looked like he was regretting his decision to ask for the DigiWira's help.
"Maybe a short ten minutes break is due," the Rookie insect muttered, and sat down on the patchy grassy field they were currently at.
"I think that's a good idea," Agumon said slowly.
"Agreed." Labramon joined the other Rookies, and watched as the argument between Liu Ying and JD grew more heated.
"If you're irked because of the comment I made just now…I was merely teasing you, y'know. You don't have to be mad at me because of that," JD said.
"I wasn't mad at that," Liu Ying retorted.
JD flashed his trademark lopsided grin. "No? So you actually liked that comment, huh?"
Liu Ying's mouth twitched slightly, as if she was about to retort again but restrained from doing it. She let out a breath and looked at JD coolly. "Whatever." Then, a triumphant look crossed her face and she stared at JD's questioning face, and said with a cool voice, "Just drop that flirting attitude; you're not that hot." Then she turned away quickly and walked towards the Digimon.
'WHAAA----?' JD's eyes widened in surprise. 'Where did THAT come from?'
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"There's an alert from TobuCatmon," Adam noted as he read his D-Terminal.
"What does it say?" Aizad asked, from Adam's back. They were currently riding on Sagittarimon (normal mode), with Piddomon flying over them.
"I'm needed," Adam murmured, summarizing the whole content.
Aizad reached out for Adam's D-Terminal, which Adam let go willingly. He snapped it shut, and kept it back on its compartment on Adam's belt. He was grinning at Adam's questioning face.
"Hey, come on now. Your friends can handle it. We missed out two years; I want to spend this whole Sunday with my little brother. Besides, didn't you say that you want to show me a beautiful lake side region with forests and mountains and all that we've seen from TV commercials? I haven't had the chance to go to such place these past two years. And besides…" the man shook a small basket he was holding on his right hand, and grinned at Adam tauntingly, "If you go, I'll eat all the nasi lemak myself; I've been craving for these for two years now…"
"Not a chance!" Adam laughed.
"Then come on," Aizad urged. "Sagittarimon, how much further until we're there?"
"About half an hour I think," the armored centaur deduced. "I still can't understand why you don't just let Adam teleport all of us there? It'll be easier."
"It's a beautiful morning," Aizad pointed towards the sky. He looked up towards the flying angel Digimon at the sky. "Ain't that so, Piddomon?" he called. His voice was amplified with his left hand, placed over his thumb beside the left-side corner of his mouth.
Piddomon swooped down towards Aizad, flapping his wings once for balance when he was near the humans and the centaur. "No sign that it's going to rain," the angel Digimon reported.
"Just what I wanted to hear," Aizad said. "It's a beautiful Sunday morning and I'd like to enjoy the scenery. Teleportation will just ruin all the fun."
Adam nodded. He had no complaints of all Aizad's suggestion. Besides, hadn't he told the DigiWira that he wouldn't be able to join in the DigiWira duties for a while? There was a slight voice nagging in his heart, saying that he ought to at least ask whether the DigiWira would need their help, but that was soon quenched upon meeting his brother's grinning face. Instantly he'd forgotten about his doubt. It had been surreal, meeting his brother again after two years of thinking that he was dead. Now, Adam wanted to spend all his time with Aizad, and justified it as a way to make up for those lost years. It was Aizad's point, actually, which Adam agreed wholeheartedly.
They had spent the early morning at the hospital, visiting Alisha. There was no progress of her current condition. No improvement. Normally, it would break Adam's heart. But now, while still sad, at least he had his brother to turn to for comfort. Looking at his brother, Adam knew that Aizad was disconcerted as well; he just hid it better than Adam. It was he who had insisted that they spent the whole Sunday at the Digital World, and he'd asked Adam for any interesting places that he knew for picnic and hanging out. Adam was instantly reminded of the lake beyond the mountains, home to the late Wizardmon.
"It's half past ten already," Aizad said, seizing Adam's left arm to look at the time. He let it go and patted Sagittarimon. "So giddy-up!"
"Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of mere horse or a mule from your home world!" Sagittarimon snapped irritably. As much as he liked Adam's brother, Aizad could be quite a pain to be with sometimes, as he had come to realize after knowing him these past few days.
"Sorry, oh-great-armored-centaur." Aizad and Piddomon exchanged knowing glance and the man grabbed hold on Adam's shoulder as Sagittarimon picked up speed.
Adam laughed heartily upon his brother's antics. This would definitely be a great day.
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They had been walking in brusque pace for the past hour in silence. The silence had given JD ample time to think, and he'd come out with several reasons that the willowy raven-haired girl to be mad at him. With that figured out, the blonde felt that he should break the silence. KoKabuterimon had indicated that they'd be arriving in ten minutes, tops.
"Hey, Liu Ying?"
"…What?"
"I think I've figured out why you're mad at me."
Liu Ying turned to face JD. "Took you long enough."
JD scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable upon meeting the blazing gaze Liu Ying was giving him. 'Does she have to be so cold at me?' he pondered as he cleared his throat. "Was it because of that time we first met?"
Liu Ying's gaze faltered, and it was she who now appeared uncomfortable…more than before.
"You're mad that I want to tell about it to the others?"
The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You've told them?"
JD raised both hands defensively. "I haven't. There was no time…with Adam's sister caught in an accident, Adam's grieving, and all. It wasn't appropriate."
"Since when does that bother you?"
'Ouch…sheesh, what's with her today? Is it that time of the month or something? She's rather PMS-sy…' But then JD realized that Liu Ying did have a valid point. JD wasn't one that would let rules dictate his life. He was grounded now, and still he found a way to disobey the punishment that was enforced on him. Of course, that was done when he was sure that his folks wouldn't be at the house until nightfall…as they usually would.
"Look, I do know my boundaries, and I respect Adam," JD said. "If it bothers you so much, then I won't tell anybody. Or at least, I'll leave out some things…"
"Is it so hard for you not to tell anyone about that?"
"I've never told anyone."
"But you were planning to."
"You should've said don't."
"You should've known better!" Liu Ying said shrilly.
"You're still bothered about that?" JD said exasperatedly. "It was different then. You were different then than you are now. If I did that to you now, you'd have slapped me hard like you did once at Adam's apartment complex last week."
Liu Ying whipped her head up, her cheeks reddened slightly. Then suddenly something unexpected happened. She frowned, and twitched her eyebrows, narrowing her eyes piercingly. She was frustrated; that would happen when she was tensed. What she didn't expect that suddenly something lashed out from her eyes…her mind…and it threw JD off his feet. The boy yelped and was sent flying towards the ground on his back with a loud thud, sliding a couple of meters back before losing momentum. Liu Ying gasped.
"Damn…" JD groaned while attempting to sit up. He glared at Liu Ying angrily.
"JD…I…" she rushed forward to help the boy up. She held out her hand.
JD slapped her hand away and stood up on his own. His reddening face had an infuriated look, which was barely kept in check.
"That was low, using your power on me like that, during a petty argument!" he hissed. Before Liu Ying could respond, JD brushed past her and indicated for the Digimon to get a move on.
Once again, KoKabuterimon looked like he was regretting calling for these particular two DigiWira to help him out of a crisis involving his whole kingdom.
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(Flashback)
Thirteen-year-old Liu Ying smiled proudly as she donned her prefect badge for the first time. She stared at the mirror, and saw a fresh-faced girl with black hair tied down in a neat ponytail. The crisp light green shirt fitted her body just nice. The same was true for her dark green skirt and tie. She was now a prefect, and today was her first day of duty.
Walking out of the school canteen, she saw a group of people huddling underneath a tree near the school field. She stared at the group, noticing something that looked like smokes amidst the scanty morning light. 'Well, here goes…' she thought, inhaling deeply as she marched towards the group, full of determination.
There were seven boys there. Three were bigger, four were smaller. Liu Ying only recognized them by reputation; she'd heard Form One Ho Tin Kong mentioning to her earlier that his older brother, the current assistant head prefect, had been having a hard time preventing this particular group from disobeying the school rules. The seven would do anything ranging from cutting school, smoking, harassing other students, amongst other things.
At present, their choice of spot for smoking that early morning had been secluded. Nobody would notice them from the school building. But Liu Ying had been inside the canteen, which gave her a clear view of the vast school field. She wondered whether she was up for this now. 'Relax, Ying…what would Papa do in times like this?' Thinking about her late father made her heart sting, but it had been a year and Liu Ying had moved on. She shook her head, and cleared her throat.
"Oh look, it's a prefect," one of the bigger guys sneered.
"A newbie, no doubt," the second of the bigger guys added. He winked at her. "Hey, cutie."
Liu Ying held her head up high, ignoring the comment. "You shouldn't smoke here. It's against the school rules!" There, she had said it with the sternest voice she could muster.
The group of boys laughed heartily. "What would you do if we smoke, little girl? Huh? Write our names?" the third bigger guy taunted.
Liu Ying frowned and took out her new, small notebook. She'd seen the other prefects carrying similar notebooks in their pockets, along with a pen.
"Heh, heh, look, she's gonna write our names! Quick guys, hide our nametags…oops, we're not even wearing our nametags!" the first bigger guy mocked, followed by a round of laughter by the other boys. "How are you going to write our names, huh? Bet you don't know our names, right? Tough cookie. Heh, heh."
"Actually, I do know your names," Liu Ying said coolly. Her eyes fell on a boy who stood out immediately from the others. He was a blonde boy with greenish-blue eyes, and he was one of the smaller four boys. He hadn't been speaking; he just sat there, observing her while holding a half-smoked cigarette. Liu Ying knew this boy immediately; this was JD Kamaruzaman, Form One. She proceeded to write their names, starting with JD.
"Oh, look, she's gonna write our names – she's gonna report us to Singh!" the third bigger boy said. "Looks like she's starting with you, JD!"
JD snorted, and stood up, placing a placating hand on the third bigger boy's shoulder. "Relax. I'll handle her." With the cigarette still in his hand, JD slinked towards Liu Ying with a grin.
"Woot!! Go JD!"
Liu Ying looked at JD suspiciously, undaunted. He was no bigger than her; they stood near-equal in height. But to her surprise, the blonde snatched away her notebook and pen. With a sneer, he tore all the pages away and snapped her pen in half. Then he puffed his cigarette, and blew the smokes towards Liu Ying, who coughed violently upon catching the foul tobacco smell. Her eyes began to blink rapidly; she hadn't expected this to happen on her first day of duty. The laughter from the other guys stung in her eyes.
JD however, wasn't laughing. His expression was unreadable. "Just go away," he said, and patted her right cheek twice with a sneer. "You're not up to this. Just go."
Liu Ying realized that JD was insulting her. She froze. A tear fell from her right eye. Another cascaded down her left eye. Choking a sob, she turned around and fled.
From that day on, she loathed JD Kamaruzaman.
(End Flashback)
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They reached Evergreen Jungle in awkward silence. Liu Ying had wanted to apologize for accidentally lashing out at JD telekinetically, but upon seeing JD ignoring her, she gave up. As the memory of their first encounter invaded her mind over and over again, Liu Ying began to feel that her action was justifying what JD had put her through. That first encounter hadn't been their only encounter, but it had taken Liu Ying another year before she managed to convince herself to face JD – and that time around they had been an equal match. JD hadn't bothered her again, but occasionally he'd make remarks that would annoy Liu Ying, but nowhere near insulting as it had been the first time around. Sometimes, however, when she'd caught him alone, he'd even smile at her but she'd just scowl in return and saunter away far from the annoying blonde teenager.
'Fine,' she thought. 'If he's not talking to me, then all the better. It's not like I want to talk to him either.'
"We're here," KoKabuterimon announced when they were almost at the center of the jungle, it seemed. They were standing in front of an old-looking cave entrance which was leading them underground. The insectoid Rookie kept looking at the two feuding teenagers from one to another. Then he looked at their partners helplessly.
Labramon looked up at Liu Ying. "It is important that you two set aside your differences for now and work together as a team."
Agumon approached JD. "Labramon's right, Josh…"
JD caught Liu Ying's eyes, and his hazel irises darkened. "Fine." He took out his Digivice and Red DigiSphere. Together with Agumon, they fused to become Satriamon.
Liu Ying followed suit and with Labramon, they became Xianamon. "Lead the way, KoKabuterimon."
They went inside the cave, which was damp, stale and appeared to be deserted. The entrance was big enough, but as they walked the pathway became wider and wider, until they reached a clearing that could easily be as big as the Green Meadow. The walls were dark blue in color, and the inside of the cave was illuminated by the lights that seemed to be radiating from the stone ceilings. It wasn't bright, but it was better than nothing. Many parts of the walls were obscured still, but the center was illuminated.
"It seems deserted," Satriamon commented.
"Maybe a closer look…" Xianamon murmured, when footsteps suddenly came from multiple directions, all around them.
Swarms of large spiders flowed out suddenly from out of nowhere. They came from right, left, up, front, even down. Hisses could be heard and in a matter of five seconds the DigiWira found themselves surrounded by no less than twenty spiders.
"Spiders!" Satriamon gasped. "I hate spiders…" he muttered.
The Wira Digital braced themselves, but simultaneously the spiders let out silky webs from their mouths, with one unified shout of "Poison Thread!!"
KoKabuterimon quickly rolled out of the way, while Satriamon and Xianamon attempted to cut the spider webs with their clawed gauntlet and staff. Their efforts were in vain as the poison threads kept on coming at them, poisoning them at first before coiling their legs, arms, and finally body with cocoons of webs. Then finally the two bounded Digimon were further tied against each other's bodies tight in a bigger cocoon, which left only their heads visible. They looked like a giant oval ball of white yarn with two heads sticking out from it when the spiders were finished with them.
"Excellent…KoKabuterimoooon," a female voice hissed amidst the darkness. The two Wira Digital whipped their heads towards the source, and saw a bigger spider like being lurking amidst the darkness. "You've done wellllll. Just like we've always plannnnnned…" The other spiders seemed to be bowing in reverence to the female. She began to step up towards the light.
"Shit…" Satriamon muttered when the female spider came into view. His face paled evidently and his body shook.
Xianamon, whose head was nestled on the taller Satriamon's crook between the shoulder and the neck, only managed to get a little view of the female spider. She could see thick legs with pointed gray lower tips. Those legs were red, with decaying white bandages wrapped around it. The rest she saw was Satriamon's head, but she noticed that he had gotten pale. The fact that they were now bound together made her feel the shakiness that Satriamon was giving out.
'Why is he scared all of a sudden?' Xianamon wondered. 'It is just spiders…Unless…'
Satriamon in the meantime, got a clear view of the spider woman. She was large, nearly fifteen feet tall in both height and width. Her body was like a woman; red dress clasped tight on her body. The abdomen however was bound to a spider's legs and body, which had the same color as her dress. Her round face was grotesquely ugly; two round eyes that looked somewhat crazed stared at them with a look of triumph and pleasure. Long scraggly dirty white-gray hair fell down her back and the sides of her face. Two horns grew out from the sides of her head, vertically and then bent upwards, like a bull's.
"Queen Arachnemon!!" KoKabuterimon said reverently. He bowed towards the spider woman. "I've brought you the DigiWira and their Digimon, as you've asked!"
"Only twooooo?" Arachnemon asked in her drawling, slightly wheezing kind of voice. "I thought they are fffiiiiiiivve?"
"It's all a trick?!" Satriamon shouted angrily. "I can't believe we fell for it!"
KoKabuterimon turned around. "You were so busy fighting each other…I think it's kind of a poetic justice that you're going to spend the rest of your lives together, bound tight!!"
"You lying bast…"
"Enough talkinnnnnggg," Arachnemon snapped. "Put them on my weeeebbbb. Then go and lure the othersssss heerrrreee. The Puaka Generals will be so pleeeeasseeed."
'Puaka Generals?' Both Wira Digital thought at the same time. The word general set off their danger alarms. 'A new general…generals….'
KoKabuterimon scooped the cocooned Wira Digital with his long horn, and threw them up towards the ceiling. They soared until both Wira Digital thought that they'd collide with the hard ceiling, but then gravity took effect and they began to fall. However it was a short fall; they found themselves bouncing on a thick white web. Soon the web on their bodies stuck onto the spider web and they remained there unmoving. Both Wira Digital flushed momentarily as they were in a very awkward position; Satriamon was lying on his back and Xianamon was on top of his body.
"Could this get any more awkward?" Xianamon muttered. The human half within her was causing her to blush as red as Satriamon's armor.
"Let us prepare for another ambuuuussshhhh while KoKabuterimon lure the otthhhheeeeerrrrrsss here," Arachnemon ordered. She and the other spiders then tottered away back from where they'd been hiding from, leaving the two Wira Digital alone. The cave became deathly quiet.
"Apparently it can," Satriamon replied dryly.
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(Flashback)
He hadn't meant to scare her off like that.
He didn't mean to make her cry.
It was the only thing he could've think of doing to drive her away.
It was for her own good.
Fourteen-year-old JD Kamaruzaman sighed resolutely before putting back his poker face, and turned around to join his laughing friends.
(/Flashback)
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An hour passed in silence; neither wanted to talk to each other. The Digimon halves of Satriamon and Xianamon were forced to keep silent as well, sensing the turmoil in their human halves. The DigiWira's problems became their own. Sensing that this was something JD and Liu Ying needed to resolve on their own, the Digimon within the Wira Digital waited.
Satriamon was deep in thought. Or rather, JD was deep in thought; Agumon was accompanying him in silence. He knew exactly why Liu Ying was angry at him. What he'd done to her that day they first met…it would've left a lasting impression on the girl. He just didn't think that she'd retaliate that badly…up to the point of using her special ability. He wondered whether he should just apologize…no, he'd been thinking for her own good that day. Why should he apologize? He knew his method hadn't been the best, but it had worked. He didn't have to explain to her. He didn't care what she thought of him.
'Do you really, Josh?'
'Agumon! Don't sneak up on me like that!'
'Sorry, Josh. I'm just wondering…why don't you explain your real reason to her? Maybe all these arguments are caused from a misunderstanding?'
Xianamon too, was lost in her own thought. Liu Ying was the one who was thinking, Labramon kept her human partner in accompanied in silence. Her mind reeled back to that time when she first met JD. She had been scarred, emotionally. For days, she struggled to let it go before she could perform her prefect duties properly again. Then she thought about how she'd lashed out with her telekinetic power. It was uncalled for, Liu Ying knew. But somehow, her tongue seemed to be sewn tight in her mouth when she attempted to apologize. Besides, JD had been so mad at her. His mood had changed drastically – he was teasing her, tolerating her moods, even flirting at some point…but when she used her power, she'd caused him to become so angry that he'd refused to talk to her. Since when did JD refuse to talk to her, even when she was the one who was ignoring him?
'It is really bothering you, is it not?'
'I don't know, Labramon. I simply don't know.'
'It's always never too late to admit that you are wrong, regardless of the situation. He might have wronged you before, but what you did to him today…despite it being an accident, was something uncalled for. You might want to clear that up with him first.'
A moment of silence passed. Then…
"Sorry."
Both of them muttered it at the same time. They blinked, and eyed each other. It wasn't the easiest job, since they were bound to each other so close that all Xianamon could see was Satriamon's neck and chiseled jaw, drawing her head higher would make her mouth dangerously close to his. That was something she didn't want to risk.
Satriamon in the meantime, could only see the golden yellow fox face mask Xianamon was wearing, and her silky jet black hair. The eye parts of the mask were black – they were actually visors and eyeing them closely, Satriamon thought that he could see Xianamon's eyes…but he wasn't sure.
"Uh…ladies first," he said.
"Gallantry won't get you…uh…sorry," Xianamon said, resisting the automatic snappish reply quickly. She took a deep breath and said to his neck, "I'm sorry for using my power against you earlier. It was an accident…I lashed out suddenly…"
Satriamon nodded; him doing so made his jaw brushed against the facemask. "It's ok. And…I'm sorry for being a jerk."
Somehow, hearing the apologies made them feel warm. Another moment of silence passed, before Xianamon broke it.
"I cannot believe I didn't think of this before!" she said, to nobody in particular.
"Uh…think what?" Satriamon asked, puzzled.
"This. Diamond World Mandala!!"
Waves of indigo and golden lights burst out from Xianamon's body, tearing against the cocoon that was binding them together. The waves further tore through the spider web, and both of them then fall onto the ground. Xianamon, capable of flight, immediately regained her stance, and quickly she used her telekinetic power to slow down the flight-challenged Satriamon's fall.
"You could've done that a long time ago and you waited after we said sorry to each other?" Satriamon called out in surprise.
Xianamon looked down at the dragon-man with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Uh…oops?"
"Heh," Satriamon said with a triumphant grin. "Maybe you just want to feel how it's like…"
"You have just apologized; don't act like a jerk again," Xianamon quickly cut him in.
"Touchy…" Satriamon muttered, but there was no sullenness in his tone. In fact, he was grinning.
Hisses suddenly echoed the dim cave. Hordes of spiders flushed out from the many small tunnels that led to the cavern. They were then followed by Arachnemon.
"What issss thhhiiisssss? How have you….?"
"Sorry, no mood to explain!" Satriamon said, jumping backward awkwardly when he saw Arachnemon. He looked up at Xianamon. "How about we finish this off once and for all?"
Xianamon nodded and descended towards Satriamon so that they were standing side by side. She eyed her fellow Wira Digital, noticing that he was somewhat…fidgety? 'Is he afraid of spiders?'
Arachnemon hissed angrily, seeing that her two opponents had escaped. She heaved back, before spitting out "Acid Mist!!"
Xianamon pointed her palm forward and called forth, "Diamond World Mandala!"
And Satriamon wouldn't let Xianamon hog all the fun. Shuddering slightly upon witnessing Arachnemon's face contorting as she resisted Xianamon's attack, Satriamon decided to weaken the spider queen. He pointed his arms forward and summoned, "Dark Rage!"
Arachnemon shrieked as the two attacks pushed her backward. Xianamon retracted her arm but beckoned for Satriamon to continue firing his Dark Rage. She spun in midair gracefully and swung her fly whisk towards Arachnemon, releasing hundreds of poisonous needles at close range. The spider queen screamed even louder as the poisons from Xianamon's Jade Needles counteracted with her own poison. Seeing that the attack took effect, Xianamon flicked her hands simultaneously, and Arachnemon was instantly immobilized. The sorceress then pointed her left palm towards the unmoving spider queen and one arm was lifted towards the cave ceiling.
"Gaia Retaliation!!"
A beam of yellow light was blasted towards the ceiling and instantly the whole cavern rumbled ferociously. Cracks began to form on the ceiling, and the walls. Explosion soon ensued as stones burst out from the ceiling, the ground and the walls. Arachnemon and her spider minions were stunned, as the stones hit all the spiders one by one, two or three at one time.
"Satriamon, come on. We have to get out of here!" Xianamon shouted.
Satriamon retracted his hands and leaped towards the entrance. "You don't have to tell me twice! Let's go!"
Satriamon however didn't realize that one massive stone was falling his way. Xianamon saw it, and quickly deflected it with her telekinesis, causing the stone to slam against Arachnemon who was attempting to escape.
"Woah! That was too close!" Satriamon said, realizing what had just happened. "Thanks, Xianamon."
"Are you alright?"
"Why…I believe you're worried about me!"
"Humph! Surely you jest!" The two Wira Digital stepped into the hallway that would lead them out of the cave. Before leaving however, Xianamon wanted to make sure that she'd done what she was supposed to do. The spider queen had mentioned 'Puaka Generals' and that couldn't mean anything good. So she focused her power on her right palm and released,
"Diamond World Mandala!!"
Her focused magical powers were blasted against the shrieking Arachnemon, whom upon contact with the waves of golden and indigo, burst into data particles. She then followed Satriamon, feeling her vision blurring slightly. Then she felt her body being lifted by Satriamon as the dragon man made a jump for it towards the exit – just before the whole structure of the cave collapsed behind them. They rolled onto the ground and devolved back into their composite selves, and Liu Ying saw someone shielding her from the smokes and stone chips that burst from the cave entrance. The ground shook, and they saw the entrance crumbled, closed in by stones.
The cave full of spiders was sealed.
The smokes cleared gradually and JD began to move. "Are you alright?" he asked Liu Ying.
Liu Ying was silent, and then decided to lighten the mood by asking the question that JD had asked her back at the cave, "Why…I believe you're worried about me?" Strangely, she received no reply from the blond teenager. He merely gazed at her momentarily, before looking around for Agumon and Labramon. Liu Ying felt blush creeping on her cheeks once again. 'What's with me today? I'm blushing so often this day alone than the rest of my whole lives.'
After making sure that both Digimon partners were alright (they were in fact, in perfect health) JD stood up. "Just wait till I get my hands on that KoKabuterimon…"
"He's probably on his way to Forest Sanctum, hoping to fool the others," Liu Ying said. "We better go back to stop him."
"How about…" Labramon stepped in front of Liu Ying, preventing her from moving. "You let us hunt that cretin? Digivolve us into Champion forms and we shall go."
"What she says," Agumon nodded.
JD looked at Liu Ying, seeking her agreement. "I don't see why not," the girl said.
They then watched Flarelizamon and Youkomon left the Evergreen Jungle in pursuit of the mendacious KoKabuterimon. Liu Ying found a stone and sat on it, feeling absolutely tired. JD was standing a safe distance away from her, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He had a dazed look on his face.
They were like that for the next ten minutes, unsure of what to say. There was no need of rushing back anymore; Youkomon and Flarelizamon had been adamant enough to pursue KoKabuterimon, and they doubted that the Rookie Digimon could make it at Forest Sanctum without being intercepted by their Champion-level partners.
JD finally sighed, and looked at Liu Ying. "What a day, huh?"
"What a day," Liu Ying agreed. Then they were silent again.
"I have one question," JD stated.
"I won't know about it unless you ask," Liu Ying said.
"Do you hate me?" JD asked her, directly looking at Liu Ying into her eyes. "Be honest."
Liu Ying was stunned. She took a deep breath and thought about it carefully, biting her tongue lest she'd retort with something she didn't actually want to say. 'Do I hate him? I thought I do…but now…after today, I'm not so sure…I don't think so…' She shook her head. "I used to."
"Used to." It was a statement, not an inquiry.
Nevertheless, Liu Ying felt she'd take Labramon's advice and elaborate. "Used to. You can't blame me for hating you…after that day…" The memory came back at her and pain stung her heart once again. "It was my first day as a prefect, and you…literally crushed my confidence. I felt…humiliated. It took me a while to recover from that day…but from that day onwards, I hated you."
JD nodded. "I see." He then sighed desolately and slid down against the tree bark and onto the ground. "I have a confession to make."
Liu Ying nodded once wordlessly; a sign for JD to continue.
"What I did that day…I was only thinking to drive you away…before the other guys did. You know how our school was back then. You know those guys, don't you?" JD sighed, and looked deep into Liu Ying's eyes. "They'd have done a lot worse if I didn't stop them…if I weren't the one who stepped in to push you away instead…" He saw Liu Ying looking absolutely stunned, and raised his hand, stopping her from speaking. "In order to make them not going after you, I had to put up a believable act. I tore your notebook so that they'd see that you had nothing to write on. I…humiliated you so that they'd see…that I had crushed you, broken your spirit…and I know my plan worked."
Liu Ying stared at the blonde teen unblinkingly. She didn't even think about it that way. Indeed, JD's friends didn't go after her at all for witnessing them smoking at the school compound. They'd made fun of her, but they'd never lay a finger on her. Liu Ying knew those guys; the three bigger guys weren't the most gentlemanly of all. Her being a girl wouldn't deter them.
'Is it true…?'
"And…I'm glad, in a way, seeing that they didn't go after you. Despite the cost…" JD grinned at her weakly.
Hearing those last three words erased all the doubts that Liu Ying had. 'It's true.'
Liu Ying then saw the renowned school troublemaker in a new light. This was a completely different person. Just hours ago, she wouldn't even feel comfortable being alone with him inside a secluded jungle. Now, she felt as if she could actually trust JD not to do anything to her. After all, they'd been bound together for more than an hour, (despite being in their fused Wira Digital form) and he did nothing to her, other than occasional jokingly made remarks, which were harmless.
"I…don't know what to say…" she said, shuddering slightly, and it was not because of the fact that the jungle was cold. Their suits were made to withstand such minor coolness.
"Don't say anything, then. I'm just glad that I've got it out of my chest."
"No…I guess I owe you an apology…and thank you."
"No apologies needed…" He stared again at Liu Ying, before flashing her a slight smile. "And you're welcome."
"What you did that day…actually…it kind of helped me a lot," Liu Ying admitted. "It toughened me up considerably. You made me not to think of being a prefect as easy. You made me work hard to become what I am." She smiled. "I never thought of it like this…but I guess I owe you a lot too."
JD waved his hand and grinned. "Heh…hence, now you're the second assistant to the head prefect."
There was that silence again. But it now lacked the awkwardness that it had before.
"And you know what?" JD broke it after a couple of minutes. "If you want me not to tell our back story to the others, I won't."
"I don't know…" Liu Ying said, "I don't think I'd mind anymore, if it's only to Gayathri, Adam and Manny…after all you've promised them. Besides, now that I know the truth, it doesn't seem so bad at all." She paused, smiling slightly at JD's somewhat surprised look. "It's…like something from the storybook." 'Romantic, but definitely NOT mushy…' Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud.
JD smiled. "How about we tell them together, to make sure I don't mess up the facts?"
"I know you won't."
"And…" JD approached her. She tensed slightly; an automated reaction. "I'd like to start over. We're in one team, so we might as well be friends." He held out his right hand. "Friends?"
Liu Ying didn't hesitate, and shook JD's hand with a warm smile. "Friends."
xxx
xxx
Adam rubbed his left temple, frowning, as he took another sip of the iced lemon tea from the flask.
"Something wrong, Adam?" Aizad asked, looking at his brother curiously.
"I don't know…I've been getting these headaches lately," Adam complained, feeling his vision blurring. "It makes me want to sleep…"
"Me too," Patamon said. He plopped down on the long white tablecloth that they had brought along from the apartment to serve as a picnic mat.
Aizad took Adam's arm to look at his watch. "Then lie down for a while. We've got plenty of time, we've eaten, and it's a nice breezy afternoon, perfect for afternoon napping." He cleared out a space for his brother and Patamon. "In fact, I think I'll do that too. You two lie down over here. I'll clean these up and join you guys later."
"Ok…"
Adam lied down on his back, feeling his eyelids becoming heavy instantly as his head reached the tablecloth. He felt a soft pressure on his shoulder; Patamon had drawn himself close to him. The soft breezes from the mountain blew gently past his face, sending his bangs fluttering. Adam thought that it felt nice. Within a couple of minutes, he was fast asleep.
Aizad and Tsukaimon looked at each other with knowing expressions. A glint sparked from Tsukaimon's eyes, and Aizad grinned.
"How long do you think they'll get knocked out this time around?" the Rookie Digimon asked.
"Probably two, three hours," Aizad replied. "More than enough time for us to do what we have to."
"Let's get to it, then."
xxx
xxx
"We've got to stop meeting each other like this," JD smirked. It had been two hours after their return from the Digital World, and JD had gotten restless for not having anything else to do. So he sneaked out of the house and went to Taipan, a nearby center of shops and business centers of the town. He then unexpectedly bumped into a very familiar face.
Liu Ying eyed JD, who was standing in front of her with his arms folded, curiously. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing much. Just having a look around. You?"
The girl held up two storybooks which she was holding with her left hand. "I'm going to return these at that bookshop, and borrow another couple of storybooks."
The blond teen made a face, and took one book from Liu Ying. "R.L. Stine, Fear Street…" He flipped the pages with a bored expression. "How can you read this? There's no picture."
Liu Ying snatched the book back. "Well, some people use their imaginations."
"Never thought you're the imaginative type."
"You'll be surprised." Liu Ying raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me pass?"
"Hmm? Oh, sure." JD then brightened. "Or better, I can tag along. Do you mind?"
"If you don't have anything better to do…sure."
Ten minutes later, the two teenagers exited the bookshop with Liu Ying holding two storybooks and JD a couple of comics.
"So where are you going right now?" JD asked.
Liu Ying looked around the moderately busy area of Taipan USJ. It was Sunday afternoon and the business area was less busy than usual. The weather was moderately sunny; Liu Ying was thankful that she was wearing a light cotton T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. She eyed JD and saw that apparently the boy had thought that the day was warm as well – he'd chosen a loose dark red sleeveless T-shirt and a black Bermudas. Her eyes fell on the straight vertical scar on JD's right arm.
"I don't know. I only planned to get these books and head home."
"You're in a hurry?" JD asked, running his hand subconsciously over his scar, noticing that Liu Ying was observing it.
"Not really. That scar…" She knew exactly where JD had gotten it, and she had seen it on Monday when JD revealed that he was the Red ShadoWira.
"Souvenir of a dark past," JD said quickly. "You know why."
Liu Ying nodded. "I do. You seem comfortable flaunting it around."
"Hey, it does look cool. Besides, it'll make people think twice before they want to mess with me."
"Why would people want to mess with you?"
"Uh…good question. Ok, how about, it'll make people think that I'm tough, having this kind of scar…"
Liu Ying smiled amusedly. "I don't know…maybe you ought to not show it to Adam though." It was Adam who had inflicted the scar on JD, in self defense.
JD shrugged. "He's seen it a couple of times…but good point. He did look uncomfortable whenever he saw it."
"I think TobuCatmon has some scar-removing ointment back at Forest Sanctum…"
"Nah…I think I'll keep it. But thanks anyway."
The two teens were silent. JD decided to speak up before Liu Ying decided to go back home. His eyes fell on the joke shop across the road.
"Hey, a joke shop. Let's go check it out."
Liu Ying was stunned of the sudden turnover of their conversation, but decided to follow JD. After all, they were friends now…there was no harm in doing so. They went into the shops and as JD began pondering around the crude masks depicting grotesque creatures and prominently the masked-murderer from the Scream movies, Liu Ying's eyes fell on the nearest display from her. There were a lot of fake insects which looked so real. Gingerly, she took one fake black tarantula, and was reminded of JD/Satriamon's reaction during the battle with Arachnemon.
She had her suspicion, and grinning deviously, she balanced the big fake spider on her free hand, grimacing upon feeling its squishy, slightly sticky texture.
"JD, look at this…doesn't it look real?"
JD turned around, and jumped upon seeing the fake spider which Liu Ying was holding at him. His eyes widened. "Hey…put it away," he said, pushing Liu Ying's hand away.
"What's the matter? Scared? It's just a fake spider…"
JD grumbled. "I hate bugs."
"Hate?" Liu Ying asked back. "By hate…do you mean…scared?"
"Whatever, just put it away."
Chuckling, Liu Ying obliged, and picked up a fake black cockroach instead. JD recoiled upon seeing it, and scowled upon meeting Liu Ying's gleeful eyes.
"Very funny. Put that away too… I hate cockroaches…the most disgusting, vilest, loathsome, damned little bastards…"
"Hey, alright…you don't have to cuss."
"Roaches freak me out, that's all." He glared at Liu Ying.
"I kind of figured it out…although I thought it was spiders at first because I saw your reaction when we were at the spider cave this morning."
'Great…first Gayathri…now Liu Ying knows about it…'
"I hate insects in general, period. Cockroaches however freak me out more than the rest…don't ask why."
"Roach-phobia?" Liu Ying propped her chin on two fingers. "I'll have to look that up on the internet."
"Whatever, let's get out of here."
Liu Ying trailed the blond teen from behind. "Maybe I'll get one of these…now I know how exactly to keep you in line at school."
JD whipped his head back, glaring at the amused girl. "Never knew that you're quite a comedian."
"Alright… Sorry. Come on, let's get out of here."
They went next door and both froze in front of the shop. Liu Ying then giggled, beckoning at the large superhero poster pasted in front of the shop's glass door. "Do you like Spiderman?" she asked, and JD scowled back at her.
"I like Spiderman fine," he snapped, and they walked away from the shop.
After several minutes passed in companionable silence, Liu Ying looked at JD thoughtfully. "You know, you really could use a haircut."
JD ran a hand on his stick-straight, hard-gelled, messy-styled dishwater blond hair. "Huh? What's wrong with my hair? I like it just fine as it is."
"It's too long! If you're going to come back to school tomorrow, it'll help a lot if you give the teachers a good impression," Liu Ying pointed out.
JD grumbled. "It's not that long," he said stubbornly. He winced as Liu Ying pulled the front bang down, reaching past his eyebrows.
"According to the school rule, it's too long," she replied. She eyed the sideburns, and the back of JD's head, and clicked her tongue distastefully. "You know what, just follow me."
JD perked up. "Where to?"
"Just come." Liu Ying led JD to a busy street, turned right at a junction to a row of even more shops. They walked past a few cafes, bakery, stationary shop, a 7-Eleven, before reaching a tinted glass door. Pictures of men and women of various hairstyles and hair colors adorned the glass door and walls.
"Oh, no…no, no, NO!" JD started backing away.
Liu Ying grabbed JD's wrist as she pushed the door open. "You're not going anywhere but inside! This is my mama's salon. She'll know what to do with you!"
xxx
xxx
Author's Notes:
Wow, probably the shortest chapter I've written as of late (less than 10 000 words) and also…the warmest, fuzziest one. It just made me smile as I write about this. I've had only basic idea of what to write when I got to this chapter – Liu Ying and JD's history was hard to write; that was the reason why instead on Chapter 25, it appears in this chapter instead. Their back story deserves a whole chapter dedicated to it alone. Their history just flowed to my head as I type this story. So were the fight and banters, and finally the fuzzy friendship end part. This is indeed a JD-Liu Ying chapter.
The battle with Arachnemon (Arukenimon/Archnemon – I just like the supposedly-real spelling better) is only added to make this chapter has a Digimon battle, but it doesn't dominate the chapter as it actually serves more as a JD's bonding with his teammates chapter. The Dark Ocean part bonds him with Adam, Chapter 25 with Gayathri, Chapter 26 with Manny, and finally Chapter 27 with Liu Ying. Now that that's all settled, I'll be able to get to the main plot.
The Puaka Generals have been revealed…slightly.