Slowly, his visions became clearer, though he was having a hard time moving his body. Something seemed to be compressed around his body, and the pain he had felt before was subsiding. It was there still, but no longer hurting him. Somebody had treated him, he realized.
"Where…where am I?"
He was unable to raise his body up. Apparently he was too stout that he wouldn't be able to lift his own body up unless assisted by someone.
He saw his puffy white feathery body, bandaged and gauzed. Pain still came from underneath the bandages, but they were relatively milder compared to how he'd felt when he first woke up, seemingly some time ago. He tried looking around, and took in his surroundings.
He was lying on a soft cushiony surface, and at the moment was staring at a white ceiling with soft yellow lights emanating from the four corners of the ceiling. The place – room, he'd gathered – where he was in was somewhat cool, comfortably. He was not out in the rains anymore, though from the soft spatters of waters against hard surfaces he knew that it was still raining, outside the place where he was at right now.
Footsteps approached him, dancing with excitement. An excited squeal followed, and he saw a human girl's face looming over him. She had expressive russet-brown eyes, and dark brown hair tied in pigtails. He thought that she looked familiar; hadn't he seen her before?
"Yay! You're awake!" The girl's eyes shone with relief and happiness. "I was wondering when you'd get up!"
He blinked at her exuberance. "Where…am…I?"
The girl tilted his head adorably. "My house," she said. "You fell down in front of our house. I saw you, and managed to convince daddy to take you in. You might catch pne…pne…umm…" The girl frowned, rubbing her chin, seemingly trying to recall on something before shrugging her attempt to remember what she was trying to say. "You might get sick under the rains…and besides I think you really look like Penguinmon. Maybe you're his brother or sister or something? I think you're a guy. You sound like a guy…"
Amidst the girl's excited chattering, memory clicked inside his mind. He had seen this girl just before he was unconscious. For once, he was glad that he was able to recall something. Anything he could recall was valuable to him, for he couldn't remember anything else prior his first awakening. His name, his identity, about his injuries – he hadn't a single clue of those. But he did remember waking up in the rains, in the human world, and being so hungry.
Speaking of which… a loud growl came from his stomach. He saw the girl giggling, before a man appeared behind the girl, holding a bowl of something he couldn't see, but his mouth watered upon catching the smell of whatever that was inside the bowl. The aroma indicated something hot, pleasant and delicious.
"Did you disturb that Penguinmon look-alike from his sleep, Debbie?" asked the man. He sounded affectionate instead of angry, despite his question.
"No I didn't, daddy, honest! He woke up by himself!" the girl – Debbie – said instantly. "And I heard his stomach growling, he must be really hungry!"
The man looked amused. "Well, it's a good thing that I've prepared this then. Until mommy and Abang come back from the funeral, looks like all of us are going to have cream mushroom soup for lunch." With that said, he placed the bowl beside the bed where he'd placed the orange-feathered Penguinmon, and gazed at the confused bird. "Are you alright, little guy? Here, let me help you get up. Penguinmon always have trouble getting up whenever he's lying down on his back."
"Thank you…" the orange Penguinmon said softly, allowing the man to lift him up, and placed him in a sitting position. A sharp pain suddenly rose from his chest, and he yelped. "OWW!!"
"Whoa…sorry there, little guy." The man gazed at the Digimon with alarm and pity at the same time. "Where does it hurt?"
"It's alright…" the Digimon said, rubbing his chest. He was touched of this man's concern. "It's not so bad…"
"Good to hear that. So," the man said, gazing at the Digimon. "What should we call you, little guy?"
The orange Penguinmon looked down, his eyes downcast. "I…don't know. I don't remember." He looked up sadly. "I can't remember anything. My name. Who I am. Who I was. How do I get these injuries…I can't remember anything. The only thing I remember is waking up under the rains, somewhere not too far from here. Then I fell down, and the next thing I know, I'm here."
The man and his daughter exchanged a look. "Amnesia," the man said finally. "Loss of memory," he explained to his young daughter, as well as to the avian Digimon before him.
Debbie took a moment to register what her father had told her, before she gazed at the bird with pity. "Oh, poor you! Maybe Abang or Penguinmon know your name; we can ask them when they got back home." She grinned at the Digimon, her eyes shining with wonder. "I'm gonna call you Opie until then."
"Opie?" the man, and the Digimon, both asked simultaneously.
"Yup! O.P.," said Debbie, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Stands for Orange Penguinmon. It's like Abang's friend, Abang J.D. Don't remember his full name, but he calls himself JD. Until we know Opie's real name, I'm gonna call him as that."
The man – Mr. Abah Jintoni – smiled. "Shouldn't you ask him first whether he likes that name?"
The Digimon, just christened Opie by the two humans, thought about it as his eyes lingered on the bowl of soup. He had no names, no identity. This father and daughter had taken him in, nursed his wounds and were now feeding him. He liked them, and he liked the girl's upbeat, adorable attitude. If she wanted to call him Opie…why not? At least, he had a name now.
"I like it," he said. "Opie…" he repeated to himself, making sure that he wouldn't forget this important information.
"Yay! He likes it!" Debbie enthused. She proceeded by shaking the Digimon's wing. "I hope we can be best friends, like Abang and Penguinmon. Can we, Opie?"
Opie blinked. His cheeks, despite his orange coloration, blushed. The girl wanted to be his friend? Best friend? He couldn't remember having one before. "Sure," he said finally. Why not? He added mentally. He now had an identity, and someone offering to be his friend. Perhaps he could start a new life here, with them. "I'd be honored."
"Debbie and Opie…Debbie and Opie…" Debbie said in a singsong voice, while Opie observed her with growing interest. "Boy, won't Abang and Penguinmon be so surprised!"
"It does have a nice ring to it," said Abah Jintoni, grinning at his daughter and at Opie, before standing up just as the sound of a car being driven into the driveway was heard. "And speaking of your Abang and Penguinmon, they're back now. Hopefully with lunch as well," he added to himself before the sound of an opening door was heard.
"We're back," a woman's voice called out. She gave her husband a brief peck on the cheek, having to actually stand on her toes to do so, before her eyes fell on Opie. They widened in surprise. "Penguinmon? What happened to you? You're all…" She searched for an adjective to describe Opie, but couldn't find the right word, and said, "…orange."
"Penguinmon?" Manny stepped in the house, nodding at his father. "He's still inside my Digivice, I haven't…oh…"
Abah Jintoni grinned. "Kim, Manny, meet Opie. The orange Penguinmon, or as Debbie calls him…O.P."
Manny blinked in confusion as his six-year-old sister took his hand.
"He's gonna be my best friend, like Penguinmon's best friend to you, Abang!" Debbie declared happily. "Isn't it super?"
"Whoa…" Not knowing what else to say, Manny immediately took out his Juara Digivice from his trousers pocket. "Penguinmon, Access."
"What the…" Penguinmon blinked twice as he materialized before Opie. Opie clearly looked shocked as he saw Penguinmon, as Penguinmon was upon seeing him. He raised one wing, Opie did the same thing. He tilted his head, Opie followed with the same action. He blinked, Opie blinked as well.
"I know you," Penguinmon said finally. "You're a Muchomon!"
"Muchomon?" Opie repeated. The name sounded so foreign to him, yet at the same time, he couldn't shake off a sense of familiarity upon seeing Penguinmon and Manny. Something about them was familiar to him…and his heart thumped faster. He realized that for some reason, he was scared at them. He backed away slightly, not understanding why his whole body was shivering all of a sudden.
"Muchomon?" Debbie made a face. "I like Opie better. And don't go scaring Opie like that, Penguinmon. He's not feeling well."
"Opie? Sounds more like dopey to me." Penguinmon snorted. "Where did that come from?"
"Orange Penguinmon," Debbie said simply.
Penguinmon's jaw slacked.
Manny shot his partner an amused look before looking at his sister.
"That's pretty creative, Debbie. Where did you find him?"
Debbie beamed upon hearing the compliment from her big brother, while Penguinmon rolled his eyes. She proceeded to answer her brother, as Manny and Penguinmon listened.
Penguinmon shot the alarmed Opie strange looks, wondering why the Muchomon seemed to be frightened of them. It was somewhat strange, the DigiWira pair noted, of how Opie appeared with injuries and amnesia, right by their footstep. Something sounded amiss here, but they didn't know exactly what. Penguinmon had a feeling that he shouldn't trust this Muchomon just yet. Injured Digimon didn't appear out of nowhere – he must have been involved with a fight of some sort. But for a Rookie Digimon to be this injured, Penguinmon estimated that nobody stronger than a Champion could have caused it – Opie would have been deleted if the one who'd wounded him was an Ultimate or a Mega.
For Manny, he had thought that it was strange as well for Opie to turn up at their doorstep with grave wounds and amnesia, but he soon grew sorry for the Muchomon. While Penguinmon looked somewhat suspicious of the Muchomon, Manny couldn't help feeling worried for his sister.
What if this Muchomon ended up being Debbie's partner? Recent events in his neighborhood and involving his girlfriend had made him grew increasingly worried.
The late Belinda Foo had been partnered to D'Arcmon, and both ended up being killed by Astamon just last Wednesday. Manny now feared for his sister's safety, and prayed that Debbie would be spared from being partnered with this Muchomon. Yet he also knew that the partnership between a Digimon and a human was destiny – it was why the partner humans were called DigiDestined in the first place.
And it didn't really help that Opie greatly resembled Penguinmon. With the exception of his orange coloring, he was a dead-ringer for Manny's own partner. They could pass off as siblings easily, which made his heart squirmy in dread. He and Debbie were siblings – and now Penguinmon's carbon copy had appeared, and had apparently struck a friendship with Debbie, making the path for them being partners even more defined.
What should I do? Manny thought silently, watching as his sister affectionately began to feed Opie with the soup from the bowl that had been by the sofa where he was lying on. Gazing at Penguinmon, he found the blue penguin staring at the orange penguin with an unreadable expression.
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WIRA DIGITAL
Chapter 59 – Things Not Said
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Manny sighed as he opened the gate of his house that Sunday morning. He had mixed feelings about having Opie in the house, and they stemmed from the nightmare he had the previous night.
He'd dreamt about Debbie and Opie becoming partners, and they'd been used as leverage by Shawujinmon against Samudramon in a battle. This was what Manny had been so afraid about since the previous day. Penguinmon strangely didn't seem too keen with Opie as well, although he'd reserved the reason to himself. Manny simply didn't know why he was having a foreboding feeling when Opie was concerned; the Digimon was polite and cordial once he was used to the family, which made him a rather pleasant addition to the family.
He pushed back those thoughts upon seeing Gayathri stepping out from her house. Immediately he straightened up; his girlfriend was heading towards his house. He thought that she looked better than the previous day. Granted, she still appeared forlorn, which was understandable. But she wasn't crying either. Whatever Liu Ying managed to do or say to her yesterday, it must have worked.
He noted that Gayathri was dressed as if she was going away for a while. For a mere stroll to his house, he'd usually seen her in T-shirts and shorts or skirts, but so seldom in a blouse and long jeans, as well as a jeans jacket over her blouse. She had also chosen dark tones for her outfit – the jeans were both dark blue, and her blouse was gray. They were a far cry from her usual tendency to dress in pink tones, but Manny supposed she was still grieving. Moving on wasn't easy, but Manny was glad to see that Gayathri was beginning to cope. She hardly speak to anybody for the past few days, even to him or her family, so he was surprised to see her walking towards his house, regardless it was still too early for a Sunday.
"Hi," Gayathri said, softly. Her voice lacked her usual exuberance, but it was to be expected. At least, she wasn't crying anymore. Manny took it as a good sign.
"Hey, Gayathri." He took in her appearance once more, despite having done so earlier. "Going out somewhere?"
Gayathri gave him a gloomy look, followed by a sigh and a nod. "My parents think I might need some time away from…everything, after all that have happened recently. We're going to Cameron Highlands for a few days, along with Mak Mirah and Anding as well. I suppose that means I'm not going to school either for the next few days."
"I think that's a great idea, Gayathri. After all that has happened to you, you need some time away to sort things out. And a peaceful place like Cameron Highlands, away from the hustle and bustle of the city is something the doctor's ordered." Manny smiled at his attempt for humor, wondering whether Gayathri would smile at it. Usually it was her who'd spew out amusing quotes while he listened, adoringly, but a change of role wasn't a bad idea, he thought.
Gayathri considered it, before nodding. No smile, however. "I think so too. I'm just worried, if…"
"Don't worry about a thing, Gayathri," Manny said, taking both of his girlfriend's hands, grasping them softly. He saw that she looked a little flustered at his somewhat bold move, but she didn't exactly pull away. Perhaps it was a good thing – it would show her that people around her really cared for her. "You need this. Whatever that will happen, we'll manage, okay? So don't worry."
Gayathri looked down, particularly at their intertwined fingers, studying them as if they were the most interesting sight in the world. A dark gray Jeep slowed down before his house, and Manny saw Gayathri's family inside of it. Anding was driving, his mother in the passenger seat, while Gayathri's own parents were seating behind. It was a car Gayathri's family had rented, until the damage on their own car was fixed. The tinted window on the back seat slid down, and Gayathri's mother's face was seen by it. She smiled at Manny, and gave her own daughter a perceptible nod.
Again flustered, she let go of their hands, but gave her boyfriend an apologetic look. A glimmer of a smile soon followed. "I'll call you when I reach there."
Manny smiled back. "I'll wait for it."
He thought that he'd heard a hint of elatedness in her voice. Was that a smile I see on her? He wasn't sure, especially when Gayathri was quick to turn around as her mother opened the backseat's door for her from the inside. She climbed in and closed the door, waving at him through the open window as the Jeep drove off. It made a turn towards the main road before disappearing out of sight. Manny sighed to himself, hoping that Gayathri would find peace of mind, in order to really move on.
He also hoped that nothing would wreck Gayathri's trip, which was why he'd kept Opie's presence in his household a secret from Gayathri. That would only remind her of the friend she had lost, who was also for a very brief period, an Honorary DigiWira. Debbie being an Honorary was not confirmed yet, but from the way she clung to Opie, it would seem very likely. He remembered Gayathri mentioning that both Lalamon and Lopmon had taken a liking on Dina and Bel, respectively, several days prior to the accident. The Saintly Siblings both wanted to be with Alisha and Abu for weeks before they regained their latent memories and officially became partnered to the affianced couple.
Same patterns, Manny thought with unease.
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Astamon powered up as Shawujinmon watched on. The Majin General was glowing with black and purple aura which rippled about him as he slowly rose towards the sky. The dark aura soon consumed the general before a digivolution sphere surrounded him wholly. Shawujinmon saw something new, despite having seen this advancement before. Usually, the digivolved form of Astamon would emerge as a dark leathered, wingless demon lord, but this time there were several remarkable differences.
A single pair of black, feathery wings first erupted from the digivolution sphere this time around, before the sphere dissipated and the digivolved Astamon, or rather, Beelzemon, appeared. Besides the wings that gave him the appearance of a fallen angel rather than just a biker demon, Beelzemon also possessed a new weapon embedded on his right arm. Another notable difference was his eyes; Shawujinmon thought that Beelzemon possessed three red eyes, but this time they were green with evil.
"I did it!" Beelzemon proclaimed proudly. "I've managed to siphon the data I absorbed from that angel bitch, and the results are these babies."
Beelzemon flapped his large wings once, and several feathers escaped the wings and flew amidst the winds. He raised his powerful blaster, eyeing them with interest. His long reptilian tail swished in excitement as he realized the degree of power he now possessed with this new weapon, and the regained flight ability. His previous mode had lacked the wings and the weapon, and though he was fairly a powerful demon lord, Lucemon had been able to beat him. Now, however, he wasn't so sure. D'Arcmon's powers were surprisingly vast for a mere Champion.
"Admit it, they're wicked!" he said upon descending over his comrade. A smug grin escaped his mouth.
"It is quite an advancement," Shawujinmon agreed, sounding as he usually was – bored. Or apparently sounded like that; Shawujinmon knew that while Beelzemon would take the comment as it was, he couldn't fool himself into thinking that he wasn't the least impressed with Beelzemon's new power up. Beelzemon had complained a lot when he lost his wings upon digivolving to Mega, thus losing his ability to fly, but so what? At least he didn't have to be a giant crocodile. Not that Shawujinmon was complaining; Leviamon packed even more power than his current form or JumboGamemon, the form he and his comrade had shared once via DNA digivolving together.
"With these power ups, I can handle all the Wira Digital by myself!" Beelzemon declared. He pointed his blaster towards an oval structure that was barely visible from the distance. "Watch me destroy the Megalith Coliseum, which I'd say is about… forty to fifty miles from here. Death Slinger!"
The blaster on Beelzemon's right arm generated a purple energy sphere, and with one inclined gesture of his arm, the sphere was launched at top speed towards the Megalith Coliseum. A few seconds went by, before the sphere made contact with the building. The sky seemed to blacken just a fraction of second before the whole coliseum exploded.
"Ha! Love this baby," Beelzemon said, laughing heartily.
At this, Shawujinmon frowned. "Don't get cocky. Your power might have elevated to a real demon lord's status, but Belphemon and Daemon had both been powerful. I reckon your power now stands at equal ground with any of them."
"Ah, I don't intend to fight them anyway. Just Puspamon, seeing that she's managed to gather that much power to blast us away that day," said Beelzemon. Suddenly his body convulsed, and his wings vanished, followed by his blaster. His green eyes turned blood red. "Crap! Blasted bitch," he muttered, as a woman's voice echoed in his head.
'Don't even think that I'm going to let you use my power so freely!'
His body started again, and he devolved back into Astamon. "Why don't you just act dead like you're supposed to?!" he yelled.
'Oh, but I'm not dead! Far from it. You'll be sorry you did this to me!'
Shawujinmon clucked his beak. "Looks like until you've got her under full control, we're going to have to stay back."
"I'll get it right soon," growled Astamon. He winced, as the voice in his mind practically screamed at him.
'Don't be too sure. You've killed my partner, demon! I might not be alive anymore, but by doing this you've given me an opportunity to thwart your evil attempt against the Wira Digital!'
Noting Astamon's struggle, Shawujinmon frowned again. Astamon had confided to him earlier about D'Arcmon's will lingering within him, at times restricting his own resolve.
"Maybe you should seek Lucemon's help for that," he suggested. "He does have psychic power, and your problem seems to be related with the mind. I've always thought of it being too troublesome, absorbing deleted Digimon's data – it's like a problematic DNA digivolution, only much worse."
"Don't remind me," grumbled Astamon. He inclined his chin up slightly, away from Shawujinmon's gaze. "Ya hear that?" No reply; he'd spoken to the voice in his head. He relished upon the sudden silence of the voice in his mind. Turning his eyes back to his friend, he grinned. "I might do just that, Shawujinmon. Thanks for the idea."
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Valdurmon watched as the Megalith Coliseum exploded. Smokes and debris ensued, but he was at a safe distance high up over the sky. Turning his head back he observed the retreating Majin and Kappa Generals, narrowing his eyes.
Four days have passed, Valdurmon thought, watching as the smokes underneath clearing, and no sign of Valkyrimon anywhere. Is he really dead?
It couldn't be, he concluded. Valkyrimon was strong, even when he was an Ultimate. It would take more than one Mega and two Ultimates to take him down. But not a fire-based Digimon, and that explosion I saw the other day was no Ultimate's attack. But Aldiyamon doesn't have fire-based power, or have we been misinformed? Yet, his signal…
He had picked up a very faint trace from his comrade that day, after the explosion. It was an ability they both shared – the ability to sense each other's presence. Valkyrimon's signal was weak after the explosion, so weak that Valdurmon had almost missed it, after the explosion. He'd thought that Valkyrimon had simply chosen to retreat to the Digital World, but upon arriving here the signal had vanished completely. He had searched high and low for Valkyrimon, but without a link to the humanoid Avian Shine, his search was fruitless. He hadn't had the chance to return to the human's world just yet, but after four days of failed searching, he was willing to give it another go.
"I suppose you've searched enough," said a wizened voice, which made Valdurmon turned around in surprise. He hadn't expected, nor had he heard, the other Digimon's presence behind him.
"Shaman General," he acknowledged, bowing slightly at the smaller being before him. It might look ridiculous, but Valdurmon had seen Doumon's truest Mega form, and it was a form that would be able to bring his fall without much effort. "I've searched high and low for Valkyrimon, but couldn't find him yet," he admitted, feeling more at ease. Doumon gave him the impression of being willing to listen, as opposed to Astamon and Shawujinmon who were more interested in what the Avian Shines had to offer.
"Maybe he has indeed passed on," suggested Doumon.
"I don't believe he is gone," said Valdurmon. "I knew I've sensed him that day. Back at the human's world, the signal was faint, but it was there. Here, it's gone completely."
"So, you're saying that you want to return to the human's world?"
"I…" Valdurmon narrowed his eyes. Doumon sounded as if he wanted to assist, which made him suspicious. What would this general want in return? He had to know. "What's the catch?"
"Simple," said Doumon. "The Avian Shines have always held my interest, even from way back to three hundred years ago. It amazes me still of how those buffoons were able to locate you, and they were also able – foolishly, I suppose, but able nonetheless – to empower you to Mega form, at the risk of their own powers which have by now recovered. My end of this simple bargain is in fact, very simple." He eyed Valdurmon knowingly. "Need I speak of this out loud?"
That's all? Well, better he than those two. Valdurmon got the message. "You want us to serve you instead of them?"
"I've always known the Avian Shines to be as smart as they are powerful," answered Doumon cryptically, as with a wave of his hand, a giant paintbrush jutted out from within his long sleeves. He grasped the shaft of the brush tight, and with one elegant gesture and a call of "Demon Gate Escape!" an oval portal was created. "Go now, and return as my servants."
It didn't take Valdurmon long to consider the offer. He flapped his wings, and flew into the portal, thus sealing the deal.
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"Wait, let me get this straight," said JD, as he leaned across the back of the chair. He gazed at Manny who was sitting opposite of him with incredulity and amusement both at the same time, "your sister actually named him based from me? From orange Penguinmon she got Opie?"
"She says it herself," Manny answered, tearing a piece of flatbread – the roti canai – in his plate, dipped it in the small bowl of dhal curry which accompanied the dish, before placing it in his mouth.
He had called the other DigiWira for a small meeting after coming back from church, wanting to discuss about Opie's sudden arrival at his household the previous day. They had chosen to meet at a famous modernized mamak café which was situated rather close by Liu Ying's family's hair salon, so that the girl would be able to join them for the meet, having helping her mother at the busy salon on every Sunday. When he'd arrived there Liu Ying was already waiting for him. JD arrived just ten minutes after he'd arrived, while Adam couldn't make it, having agreed to follow his sister and future brother-in-law for a lunch meeting with Abu's family at one restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.
Both Manny and Liu Ying saw that JD was in quite a good mood this afternoon. Quite a good mood meant that he wasn't dark and brooding as they had always seen him at school lately. Manny knew perfectly the reason why, but Liu Ying was still in the dark. And JD must have noticed them wondering, before gesturing at his crimson jersey, remarking that it was a parting gift from Adam when he moved out from his house, adding that wearing it placated his dark mannerism. If the other two DigiWira thought that it was odd reasoning, they didn't question it.
"What I don't get is why you sounded so worried about this Opie joining your family," said JD. "Since he's a dead ringer for Penguinmon, who knows, maybe your sister will end up being partnered to him."
Manny swallowed his food before answering JD. A troubled look crossed his face. "That's what I'm afraid of. It's not that I don't like Opie, although Penguinmon seems to hate him…but after what's happened with Bel and D'Arcmon…" It was then that he was glad that neither Gayathri nor Dina was here with them; the remark he'd made would accidentally set them off – they'd be crying again.
"And…?" Liu Ying asked, and sipped her iced lemon tea while tilting her head slightly, having seated beside Manny.
"I'm just worried that the same thing might happen to Debbie."
The girl raised her eyebrow. "Why did you come up with such conclusion?"
"Yeah," said JD. "Isn't it too early for that?"
"It's not just because of that," admitted Manny. "Debbie's still so young. She's only six. I can't have her joining Digimon battles like us."
"Point number one," JD agreed. "But you're forgetting one thing – your sister isn't even chosen, yet. She hasn't got a Digivice, which means she's not a DigiWira. For all we know, that Opie guy might just like to stick around at your house, free food and all. Heard your mom's a good cook?"
"Not the point," Liu Ying cut in. "But, JD's right about the first thing he's said. Debbie hasn't been chosen."
"Isn't there any way I can be sure that they won't be partnered, instead of waiting for it to happen?"
Silence, with the exception of the various conversations from the café's other patrons, which couldn't account for their current moment to be silence.
"Well," said JD, finishing up his first roti canai and now was tearing a piece from his second one, "you can always murder Opie. Then it's a done deal," he remarked casually.
"JD!" Liu Ying practically gasped in shock. "What a morbid idea!"
The blonde shrugged. "Chill. I'm just saying, okay. Still, that's one way to confirm it."
"Not gonna happen, though," said Manny glumly. "Debbie's fond of Opie. I can't do that to her. Not that I want to, either. Opie's quite okay…"
"So stop worrying," snapped JD, beginning to sound impatient. "What's so hard about it? If she's partnered to that Opie, you can always look out for 'em. Just cross the bridge when you get there." While saying that, his face had darkened considerably. He saw Liu Ying staring at him, and grunted before focusing his attention back on his meal.
Manny however got the message. JD wasn't only talking about Debbie and Opie. Manny could practically feel the frustration that was beginning to radiate from JD.
It was then he noticed that JD wasn't in a good mood at all – he had cleverly masked it, and had diverted their attention by making Manny talk about Opie. The slow-burning anger that he could see from the way JD's chest heaved up and down, as well as the way his eyes were contorted, sorely reminded him that by now JD only have two weeks left before the cursed tattoo would take its effect.
JD's worried about the death curse on him, and I'm dumping him my worries over a decent visitor to our house, Manny thought, feeling awful. No wonder he's irked.
"Am I missing something here?" asked Liu Ying, shifting her gazes between the two boys. She rolled her eyes when none replied to her.
The girl had clearly seen JD's shift of mood, and how Manny seemed as if he understood what was going on. It was obvious that something was bothering JD, and her attempts to make JD tell her of his problem was always being brushed off. She recalled how JD had told her not to ask any other DigiWira about what could be troubling him. She'd thought that perhaps Adam knew about it, but from the way Manny reacted, it was clear to her now.
Manny knows something, she decided, no doubt about that.
"Nothing." JD stood up, and looked down upon his two teammates. "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Manny…" He merely glared down at the spike-haired boy, watching the boy squirmed slightly. His one word was enough to convey what he really wanted to say, without having to say it. Then, with a grunt he walked towards the counter to pay for his tab.
Liu Ying looked at Manny, clearly confused. "What was that all about?"
"You…you tell me." Manny didn't dare look directly into Liu Ying's eyes, fearing that the girl might know that he was lying.
Liu Ying regarded him for a moment, seeing through his lie but chose not to call for it. She didn't have the chance to, however, when a familiar squawk echoed the sky outside. That instantly caused people to shot up from their seats, no longer relaxed, and those who were sitting outside scrambled in, panicked.
That sounds awfully familiar, Liu Ying thought, having heard the same squawk just days before.
A couple of panicking people bumped into JD, earning a rude remark from the blonde. While other people ran inside the café, he pushed past them to get outside. The other two DigiWira abandoned their unfinished meals to join JD outside, while the café owner was too terrified to ask them to come inside, fearing for her own life. A few workers called out for them to come inside, but they paid no heed for them. Then the café was closed – the rails were pulled from above, blocking the entrance before they slammed onto the floor. This was echoed by the nearby shops.
The people of this town had perhaps grown accustomed to Digimon attack; there was barely anyone outside save for the three DigiWira. But to be safe, they made their way towards an isolated path in-between two blocks of building, glancing up as a huge shadow passed over them.
With no one around the nearby vicinity, the DigiWira released their Digimon partners.
"Valdurmon doesn't seem to be attacking," Labramon noted, observing as the Avian Shine flew over the buildings peculiarly. He was flying away from the buildings and circled over houses. Cars skidded to a halt and people screamed, but Valdurmon didn't attack them.
"It looks like he is searching for something," said Agumon, watching the bird's action curiously. "I wonder what?"
JD snorted. "Who cares what he's doing! He's a threat, and we need to stop 'em!"
They quickly Digital Accessed into their Wira Digital forms, and chased after Valdurmon, with Xianamon in the lead for she was the flight-capable one. She managed to slow down Valdurmon by deploying her Magical Stasis, but the Avian Shine shook it off quite easily before screeching in anger.
"You!" He glared at his three opponents, and flapped his wings which glowed with white light. "Purge Shine!"
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"It's a good thing you decided to come to me," said Lucemon, eyeing the somewhat strained Astamon. A cold smirk crossed his face as he folded his arms over his chest. "I've sensed dual presences in your mind since you got back that day, but you never told any of us of the reason. I thought you've got it under control."
There was sarcasm masked under those words, but Astamon paid no heed to it. At least, now he wasn't going to be bothered with D'Arcmon's essence inside of his mind. It had been one hour since he'd come to Lucemon for assistance, and whatever Lucemon had done to him, it had left him thoroughly wiped out.
"What did you do, actually?"
"Simple," said Lucemon. "I've erected a series of psychic barriers in your mind to block D'Arcmon. That should stop her from…haunting you."
"Can't you just destroy her? That'll be a surefire way to get rid of her for good."
"The only way for you to be rid of her permanently is by releasing her data out, so that she could be reconfigured. That's the messy part of data absorption, especially when it was done unwillingly. Just be grateful that you're at a level higher than her; should a Rookie absorbed her," Lucemon's eyes flashed, "she would dominate its mind, and it would lose its sanity."
"Release her data? Not a chance. She's a strong one, and pretty compatible. I've got wings and a cool blaster because of her!"
"Then just be thankful that I've done what I've done to you," Lucemon returned coldly. "The psychic barriers would stop her from harassing you verbally, but with her inside of you, you'll still be able to channel her powers. It's the best deal you could've got. And now, leave me be. I've got other pressing matters to attend to."
Astamon was about to pay heed to Lucemon's advice, when he noticed that inside the large underground chamber of the Onyx Pyramid where they were at right now, they weren't alone. He was sure that Doumon, Shawujinmon and Persiamon weren't there with them – he had encountered them while on his way to look for Lucemon down there. He felt several other presences inside the dark hall, and could have sworn that he saw four pairs of chillingly dark eyes staring at him from within the shadows. Hardly anyone than the master could make him squirm, but Astamon soon found some other exceptions.
Shivering, he left the underground hall as quickly as he could. Whatever Lucemon was up to, he felt that it was better off for him not knowing.
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Valdurmon observed his foes fell towards the ground upon being slammed with the force of his Aurora Undulation. Really, he thought. How could these three weaklings hope that they could defeat him? They might have the advantage in numbers, but he wielded powers greater than any of them. He watched as the sole female enemy of his replicated herself, forming a blue-clad twin, and charged together towards him. Remembering them being a force to be reckoned with while together, he struck them with a heavy blow of Aurora Undulation once again, enjoying in seeing the blue-clad female vanished in burst of data, while the golden one was pushed back towards the ground. The less-armored male in blue then charged, forming water pillars which did no harm against him for he could easily avoid them, but when two azure thunderbolts charged upon him Valdurmon counter-struck with a blast of focused light. The thunder powers didn't stand a chance. Squawking in anger, his concentration on finding his comrade disrupted, Valdurmon decided to make quick work out of this merman.
"Aurora Undulation!" The blast slammed upon the merman's chest, and he fell towards the ground. He didn't crash-land; the sorceress had managed to slow down his fall.
The signal is close, Valdurmon thought, finally locking in the signal he was searching for. It was faint, but it was there. Wherever he was, Valkyrimon was certainly close by. Valdurmon didn't, and couldn't, understand why the signal was very weak. He must be gravely injured.
A ferocious snarl as well as the increasing temperature alerted him that he was not yet done with the Wira Digital. He saw a fiery red dragon and a blazing black serpent coiling towards him, coming from the ground below. He flared with multicolored radiance before charging towards the dragon and serpent, slashing them with his talons before blasting the warrior in red with another Aurora Undulation.
He didn't expect however, when Satriamon pushed through the blast of light, body fully ignited with raw flames. From the flames a dragon unlike the one he'd seen before – larger, more ferocious, more powerful – snaked past the fiery Wira Digital and clawed upon him squarely on his chest. The Avian Shine let out a shriek in pain, the pristine white feathers on his chest scorched to black, before it was torn by three sharp daggers – the claws of Satriamon's gauntlet. Snarling, he aimed to kick Satriamon, before another thought crossed his mind. Instead, he grabbed hold on the fire warrior with his talons, and watched as Satriamon screamed in rage, while he charged up his Aurora Undulation.
A focused, point-blank Aurora Undulation will strip him off his power for sure, he thought evilly, and unleashed his attack.
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Samudramon and Xianamon saw what was about to happen to Satriamon, and let out a unified scream in fear of their friend. They were both injured, but none had been at a point-blank range of Valdurmon's most powerful technique. Satriamon was in grave danger. A blinding ensued and Satriamon's howl echoed.
It was at that time, that both of them snapped. They quickly rose back to their feet, and without thinking they called up every bit of strength they had left. Blue and golden aura coalesced around them as they felt something pulling them away from the ground. They hovered a few meters from it, and saw two shadows, bigger and more impressive, flew past their bodies. Thunders like Samudramon had never seen before was unleashed by the shadow wrapped in blue aura, while a storm of magical power with thousands of jewelry-based projectiles was released from the long-haired, lithe shadow that was hidden within the golden aura; Xianamon thought that this attack was even more potent than the Diamond Matrix Mandala.
The attacks streamed together side-by-side before blasting Valdurmon away towards the sky, pushing him higher and higher towards the heavens before a deafening explosion ensued.
The shadows vanished. Xianamon rushed past Samudramon upon noticing two figures falling from the sky. Generating her telekinetic power she balanced both the unconscious JD and Agumon, and grabbed hold on them. The two of them were evidently injured, but it was nothing that she couldn't fix. She headed towards an abandoned playground, where the trees and shrubs were able to conceal them from others. Samudramon propelled himself with his waters, following her.
As she laid them on the ground, her eyes landed on a mysterious tattoo on JD's chest – his shirt was half-ripped, body wounded in blisters, all fortunately were superficial. Yet the tattoo intrigued her; she hadn't seen it before. JD stirred, and winced in pain as Xianamon saw the eyes of the cat tattoo flared in crimson. She saw JD writhing in pain, and shot up, eyes wild and terrified both. She was about to assure JD that he was alright, but was dumbstruck when JD's writhing only grew worse.
"Oh, no…" She looked behind, and saw Samudramon mouth-opened, staring fearfully at JD.
"Diamond World Mandala," she whispered, placing a firm hand on JD's chest, over the tattoo. To her surprise, while the wounds on JD's body healed, a sharp feline yowl was heard and a ghostly apparition of a cat took form, and slashed her hand, forcing her to draw it away. As she did that the cat dissolved into smokes, and the tattoo glowed crimson as it absorbed the smokes. Her magical healing power managed to heal the scratch mark on her hand, as well as the rest of the wound on JD's body, but the tattoo remained intact. JD's writhing stopped, and his breaths evened as sweat poured out from his face and body profusely. To Xianamon's relief, he opened his eyes again.
JD saw Xianamon looking at him with concern, and Samudramon standing behind the kneeling sorceress. Shit…she saw everything!
"JD, what's that?" Xianamon asked, her voice quivering. This is it, she thought, her heart racing as she put two and two together, this is the thing that's been causing him pain. I'm sure of it. But…what is it?
JD pulled away from Xianamon, and realized that his secret was out. He then looked down at his ripped jersey. His face hardened, darkening into slow-burning fury. "Ah, crap! Adam gave me this jersey! What the hell am I going to say to him now that it's ripped! Blasted birdbrain…"
"Don't change the subject, JD. Out with it. What is that tattoo doing on your body?"
JD considered the question, and looked at Samudramon. "She saw everything," the merman said quietly as he devolved into Manny and Penguinmon. Manny hesitated, before telling him, "I think…maybe you should tell her." The last bit of his words sounded like he was pleading.
"No kidding." There was no escaping Xianamon's question this time, he thought. "Fine," he said. "It's a cursed tattoo that Persiamon gave me."
Xianamon let out a soft gasp. "Cursed? What…what does it do?"
"And I thought you're observant," muttered JD. Xianamon scowled. JD would have smiled, if it weren't for his current situation. "It causes me pain whenever I exert myself too much."
Everything clicked together to Xianamon, as she devolved into her composite selves. They remembered the bouts of pain JD displayed whenever the fight got too intense for him. "When did you get it?" Liu Ying croaked. In her surprise, she couldn't recall the first time she'd seen JD in pain.
"After the fight at the hospital, when Adam was admitted there after that bitch made me injure him." JD practically snarled the answer out. That was still a sore spot in his mind, having hurt his cousin-cum-sworn little brother. It was why Karatenmon and Persiamon were both at the top of his hate-list – they had made him injure Adam. Karatenmon had been killed, and he'd make sure that Persiamon would suffer as well. If it's the last thing I ever do.
"That long ago? Why didn't you tell us?" Liu Ying then realized that Manny knew about it. Did anyone else know about it too? Was she the only one who'd been in the dark about this? "How come Manny knows about it?"
Manny looked surprised at this inquiry, especially when JD shot him a deadly look. "I didn't tell anyone, despite how much I want to," he said. JD considered it, before looking back at Liu Ying.
"Don't feel too special about it. Knowing this would be a burden to you. This is precisely why I didn't tell anybody else, except TobuCatmon and the three ladies. And Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat."
"That doesn't sound like 'not telling anybody' to me!" Liu Ying shot Manny a look. "How come he knows?"
"By accident, just like you did," said JD evenly. "That was when you, Gayathri and Adam were sent back to the 1500s."
"Why did you choose to tell TobuCatmon, the ladies, and Tuah and Jebat…but not us?" She glared at JD, her eyes glazed with what looked like hurt.
JD scowled. "I told TobuCatmon because I thought that his usual healing potion would take the tattoo off my chest! I told the ladies because Ophanimon had healing powers far greater than you when you're Xianamon, and still she failed to take this thing off me! Rosemon confirmed that it was a deadly poison, and D'Arcmon predicted its outcome via her premonition power! I went to Tuah and Jebat because they had that weird meditative healing skill, and Tuah managed to inhibit the tattoo from causing me pain…until that goat-dragon freak took that away, hence the pains again!"
"So…so you're saying that you're cursed with this permanently?" Liu Ying gazed at JD's eyes – she saw them anguished more than angry. "Forever?"
JD gave them a hollow laugh. "Forever? I'd give anything for forever, even in pain!" His laugh turned bitter that it was scaring Liu Ying and Manny. Abruptly, his laughs stopped, and he looked forlorn again. "Forever doesn't last longer than two weeks," he said in a defeated voice.
Liu Ying's eyes widened. "What? What did you mean by that?"
"It means that in two week's time, when the full moon appears again," he paused, gazing at the now-clear sky, "I'll be dead."
"What? No…" Liu Ying blinked back tears as the deadliness of JD's condition struck her hard. "How come…how could you say that knowing this would be a burden to us, JD?" she demanded. "You're our friend. I know you personally think of Adam as your own brother, but…all of us, we've been through a lot, we're practically a family…like siblings..."
"You're the last person I want to consider as my sibling," JD said flatly.
Liu Ying was taken aback by that harsh comment, but soon saw the hidden meaning of it. For a moment, she was at loss of words. She took a deep breath, trying to alleviate her rapidly-beating heart, and persisted, "Still, don't you think we deserved to know about it?"
JD looked away. "I stand by what I've said – I don't want to burden you."
"He means the cure for the curse…." Manny stopped when JD shot him a deadly glare. Liu Ying however looked at him questioningly.
"Manny, enough."
"Cure? There's a cure for the curse?"
Manny didn't see the point of concealing the secret about the tattoo anymore. He'd felt long ago that every DigiWira should be made known about JD's condition. It was a heavy weight on his shoulders, having to carry this secret alone. He'd longed for the time when he could discuss the curse with the others.
He ignored JD's glare. "I found out about it when I traveled to the alternate dimension. There I asked the good Persiamon about it, and she said…"
"The only way to cure this curse is by making another receive it, thus dying in my place!" JD interrupted harshly.
Silence prevailed. Liu Ying paled upon hearing it. She looked down for a moment, her thoughts racing.
"I…maybe I can talk to…the Deputy Prime Minister about it," she stuttered. She didn't like suggesting this, but she wanted to save JD. She couldn't let JD die like this. "We can get a convict facing death sentence…to take your place. We'll tell him we're the Wira Digital…he'll help us, surely…"
At this, JD's face turned wistful. "You don't want to do that, Liu Ying."
"I want to save you!"
"It's not that simple. That won't work."
"But…you've said…."
"The receiver must be willing to take the curse. If there's just one bit of hesitance in him or her, the curse won't be transferred," said Manny, reciting what the alternate Persiamon had said. Then he sighed, looking at JD. The blonde resignedly nodded, seeing that there was no use in keeping this hidden any more. "And…it must be done out of love so unconditional, that the person's ready to take the curse for the one that's cursed, despite knowing what the curse would do to him or her. Another part to seal the deal is that…the one who agrees to do it must know about it. It won't work in accidental attempts."
"Now you see why I don't want to tell anyone about it?" JD said softly at both Manny and Liu Ying. "Now you know…it's a heavy burden to know about this. The curse's practically unbreakable."
A tear escaped Liu Ying's eyes. "Isn't there any other way to…?"
"Believe me, if there is another way, I'll be the first who'll go chase it down."
"Won't…won't killing Persiamon lift the curse? It always works like that…"
"In fairytales, yes," JD said grimly, inclining his head towards Manny.
Manny's eyes were glistening as well. "I've asked good Persiamon that, too. She said it would probably only give the cursed person a sense of peace before he died. Nothing more. She knows of no other way to lift the curse completely, without inflicting death on the cursed or the one who'd take his place."
"It's not fair…" A sob escaped Liu Ying's throat.
"Life's not fair sometimes, I've come to know that personally," said JD, his tone low. Then he gazed at both Liu Ying and Manny, his intense eyes burning into theirs. "Secrets seem to have ways to get leaked, but I beg of you, spare Adam and my family from this info. They're the direct people I could think off that would fit the curse-transfer's requirement – the only thing that's keeping them off from doing so is by not knowing about it. Please."
JD's head hung down. Manny and Liu Ying gasped softly when the blond looked back up; a tear escaped his own eyes. Their brash, cocky friend…was shedding a tear? This showed how much JD was affected by this. Liu Ying's quiet sobs increased, yet remained soft as she'd clasped her hand before her mouth. Manny drew a deep breath and looked down. Agumon was slumped on the ground, shedding a tear as well for his partner's predicament. The other Digimon watched in silence.
"I love them," said JD quietly. "I don't want them to die because of me." He then regarded his two friends and his Digimon partner closely, eyeing them with intent. "And I don't want any of you to die for me as well. Can you promise me that?"
"Promises can be broken," Liu Ying choked out.
"You're not making this any easier," said JD, sounding almost affectionate.
The only time Manny or Liu Ying had ever heard JD using that tone was when he conversed with Adam. That only broke their hearts even more. They had both seen how JD reformed, from being a recluse, near-delinquent, to a more stable, somewhat-likable guy though still annoying at times. The thought of losing him soon pained them.
"I'm not giving up on you," said Liu Ying, wiping her tears.
"We're not giving up," Manny concurred. "There must be something we've missed. It's too early to give up."
JD nodded. "I know you won't. That means a lot to me. But, should things don't go our way, remember this…" He squeezed their shoulders. His green-blue eyes twinkled. "I don't blame you."
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"Josh?" asked Agumon as his partner closed the door of his room, locking it after doing so.
JD turned around. "Yeah, Agumon?"
Agumon gazed at his human partner as he sat down on his cushion by the bed. "I've been thinking of what you've said, back at the park, with the others." He swallowed some saliva nervously. "I'll do it, if no cure's found for you. I'll take your place, so that you can live."
JD's heart skipped a beat. Did he hear the dino right? "Agumon…"
"Wait, Josh. Please listen to me."
JD sat down at the edge of his bed, pulling off his tattered jersey in the process. He saw Agumon winced upon looking at the tattoo, but at the same time, couldn't take his eyes off it. He waited, but the dino showed no sign of talking. JD supposed that he needed some prompting, and cleared his throat.
"Something you want to say, Agumon?"
Agumon blinked, before gazing at his partner's face. "Josh, do you know that wild Digimon are practically immortals?"
"Yeah. So?"
"They can live a long life, and when they got deleted, they'll be reconfigured back into DigiEggs. And the cycle goes on. The reconfigured Digimon, if they're lucky, might regain memories of their previous life," said Agumon, not pulling his eyes off his partner's. "The same however, doesn't apply to us partners."
JD frowned. "What do you mean?"
"All Digimon partners live only as long as their human partners. When the humans die, we also cease to exist," said Agumon, inhaling deeply. "So you see, Josh, should things don't go the way we want…when you die, I'll die too. That's why…if you agree to this, I'll take the curse tattoo in your behalf."
"What? No!" JD gazed at his Digimon partner. "You can't do that."
"Either way, I'll die, Josh," Agumon reiterated. "But my death will be more meaningful, if it's for saving your life."
"But...it needs love, unconditional love, and you..."
Agumon smiled. "That actually is the easy part. You see, Josh; not only your parents, your siblings, Adam, even Bibik when you think about it, love you so much. I too, have unconditional love for you, as all Digimon partners have for their humans. Becoming a partner Digimon is something that many Digimon would say as their true purpose of life. In exchange for the shortened lifespan, our lives will become much more meaningful with a human partner at our side. We'll do anything for our partners, even if it means putting our lives on the line."
"Agumon…"
"I fit the bill, Josh," said Agumon, "probably even better than your family and loved ones. Because unlike humans, we Digimon have a chance to be reconfigured."
The Rookie Digimon stopped, searching for a reaction from his partner. JD seemed interested – he was listening. Agumon continued, "So even if I die, with you still alive there's a glimmer of hope that I'll be reconfigured. Patamon and the Saintly Siblings have been reconfigured, and they regained their past memories." At this, the dino smiled. "Who's to say that I won't get the same chance? I believe, if you want me to come back for you, then I will be back. Maybe not immediately, maybe it'll take years…but we'll be reunited for sure."
JD had never thought about it that way. What Agumon said made perfect sense. Yet, Agumon gave him the impression that this was not a hundred-percent surety. He didn't believe in hopes and dreams, not that much, so it troubled him when his partner was so positive that he'd get reconfigured.
Nonetheless, he was touched that his Digimon partner would put his life in line, just for him. He'd always known Agumon to be so loyal to him, despite his many flaws. Sometimes he wondered why the Digimon stuck with him. He treated his Digimon decently, but he never paid much attention to him. Not as much as Adam doted on Patamon. To him, Agumon was his Digimon partner. To a certain extent, a friend, and a way for him to become Satriamon, but he never really considered Agumon much more than that.
Bending down, he lifted Agumon from his customary spot and placed him at his side, at the edge of the bed. Then, somewhat awkwardly, he embraced his partner, ignoring the dino's surprised gasp, and the fact that his shoulders became damp all of a sudden. The dino was so touched to a point that he was actually crying. He then pulled away, gazing into the dino's green eyes.
"I don't want to lose you, Agumon. I can't lose you. You're important to me. I'll think about what you've said."
"I want to do this, Josh. For you. If there's no other way…" Agumon's snout was gently closed by JD, who smiled at him.
"If there's no other way," JD repeated; his tone final.
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She watched as the two partners embraced, and smirked in a way that a cat would do. They didn't notice her, but she'd been following them since from the park. She'd relished upon hearing how depressed the boy was about the curse she'd bestowed upon him, and was elated even more when his friends were as affected as he was.
So I'll have to take care of this Agumon and that white kitten Adam. Not a problem, she thought while jumping from the rails, landing on her feet on the driveway of JD's house.
In her guise as a black cat, Persiamon knew she blended well in this human world. She crossed the road, and went behind a tree before transforming back to her true self. Long red hair flowed down her back, yellow trousers resembling an Arabian dancer's appeared and a skimpy leotard wrapped around her torso. She stretched, her tails twitched, causing the rings adorning them to jingle.
"If I take Agumon away from him, then I won't have to worry about anything." She sneered to no one in particular. "Especially when he's so afraid of hurting his dear little cousin…"
She snapped her finger, and an oval gateway formed behind her. With a snicker, she stepped inside the portal.
I'll be back.
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Author's Notes:
This chapter goes way off from the way I intended for it to be. I didn't expect the explanations to lengthen, but seeing as the word count has passed ten thousand already, I feel that I probably should stop here. Lots of things however have been covered; now you know the full gist about the cursed tattoo. And I manage to feature all five Darkshadow generals, as well as foreshadowing a few things that will come later. And it's confirmed; Astamon will become Beelzemon, and Shawujinmon's mega form is Leviamon. I don't know whether this ruins the surprise or not, but most people have guessed their mega forms right. As for that thing with 'Opie'…I think you'll be able to guess of who he really is.
Of course, more explanation in my blog.
As this chapter doesn't work out the way I originally intended it to be, I had to look for a new chapter title. Things Not Said is an episode of Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, as well as related to some other sayings. The PR episode showcases a secret that's been kept from the protagonists for a long time. This chapter deals with some secrets, so I suppose it's quite a fitting chapter title.
Edit: I changed the retreat place from Fraser's Hill to Cameron Highlands. The reason? It's because I can recall more details about Cameron than Fraser's and I don't want to risk wrong information about these famous Malaysian holiday retreat! It's also for a scene for next chapter.