The heavy temple doors opened, prompting Liu Ying, JD, Manny and Penguinmon to bend down beside the stone staircases. They heard footsteps, and multiple shadows marching out from the door before realizing that those were the Duskmon grunts.
"One, two, three," counted JD, braving himself to have a look. "Five. Five of them."
"We'll take care of this," said Manny. "Those Duskmon can't stand water."
"Makes me wonder why the Darkshadows bothered sending them in the first place," muttered JD, "when we have a water guy in the team."
"Hold on," said Liu Ying, before Manny and Penguinmon could execute the Juara Access. A larger shadow loomed over the Duskmon and even from where they were hiding they could see a tall armored Digimon with purple wings attached to the arms. "Who is that?"
"Ravemon," supplied Manny. "Looks like they're expecting us."
"No, they're expecting you," said Liu Ying, "Doumon had us thrown over the cliff. He wouldn't be expecting us, but he must have seen your signal."
"So there's no point hiding any longer," said Penguinmon. "I say we go kick their butts!"
Manny nodded. "We'll hold them off while you go inside to take your Digivices and rescue..."
"Yeah, yeah, just go already," said JD, making a shooing motion with his hand.
Manny let out a small smile at JD before taking off. JD and Liu Ying saw a flash of blue light, followed by a thunderous commotion. Then they saw Samudramon Juara Mode soaring towards the sky and launched a grand wave of water towards the temple. Ravemon chased Samudramon who was luring him away, allowing them to go inside the temple. They trudged the wet steps carefully, where the incapacitated Duskmon were left scattered around.
They exchanged glances. "You're thinking what I'm thinking?" asked JD.
Liu Ying nodded. "We better finish them off before they cause any trouble."
JD charged his fist with flaring crimson energy before punching one Duskmon right over the eye part of its armor. Liu Ying used her power to levitate two Duskmon, slammed them together before throwing them over the temple's walls. Seeing that they didn't get deleted, she sighed and telekinetically wielded their bladed arms, closed her eyes, and willed them to run their blades over the eyes. The combustion sound that followed told her that the Duskmon were destroyed. JD in the meantime went for the fourth Duskmon after making quick work of the first one, while Liu Ying eyed the last of the enemy grunts. Since Samudramon had already drowned the Duskmon, they didn't encounter any resistance from the last two as well.
"That wasn't too hard," said JD, wiping dusts off his hands.
Liu Ying smiled. "Glad to see you're enjoying yourself. Come on, we better move in before anybody sees us."
They went into the temple's barren courtyard. An even larger structure with an elaborate door stood there; what they had seen before was only the gates surrounding the temple. Thunders rumbled over the sky as Samudramon and Ravemon both pit their strength. They would have to do it quickly; Samudramon was only holding out against the ferocious Ravemon because they needed time to get inside the temple. If he had retaliated against Ravemon some of his attacks would strayed past the birdman and hit them.
"Obviously there's a welcoming committee behind that door," said JD. "I say we make a new one right over there." He gestured towards the edge of the temple.
They ran quietly away from the door and made a turn towards the end. As they passed under the window, they could hear sound of laughter.
"Looks like Samudramon's here to rescue you," said the voice, unfamiliar but radiated evil all the same. "Ravemon will make short work out of them. Aldiyamon I believe is pretty…preoccupied, at this time. We don't have to worry about him crashing in. And as for that wretched girl and that prey of dear Persiamon…we won't have to worry about them too."
JD growled. "Voice's changed, but that's gotta be Doumon," he hissed, "and what the hell did he mean that Aldiyamon is preoccupied?"
"What did you do to them?!" a girl screamed. She sounded like she was angry and tearing up at the same time.
"Gayathri," whispered Liu Ying. She gave JD a meaningful look after sidestepping the question concerning Adam, and tapped the wall lightly. "Let's do it."
JD charged his fist with his psionic power. Liu Ying noted that it seemed that JD was very in tune with his new power; anger had been the trigger for this and it seemed that JD had no problem channeling that emotion into his fist. He delivered a forceful punch on the wall, causing a crack to form before a hole appeared. It wasn't large enough to admit anyone.
"Man, that wall is strong," muttered JD, drawing back his fist. There was a mild commotion going on inside. "Your turn."
Liu Ying squinted to focus her telekinetic power. An invisible force slammed upon the weakened wall, blasting it away. The opening was now large enough for them to walk in, and JD entered first.
"Well, we heard there's a kind of cookout around here," he announced, "and we're pretty bummed we're not invited! So we decided to crash it!"
"WE?" snarled the wicked voice they had heard. JD stepped aside, allowing her to enter. "YOU?! Impossible!"
It was the demonic wizard she had seen in her dreams. This was Doumon, digivolved to Mega. She was sure of it. With him was three more Duskmon, all standing by the doors.
"Ying!" called Shaomon. "You made it!"
"Liu Ying! JD!" cried Gayathri, sounding relieved. "Be careful guys, it's a trap!"
"Hey, who are you, ugly?" said JD cockily. "We were expecting Doumon but here we see an even uglier butthead in his place."
"Barbamon," said Liu Ying, recalling the name from the Digimon Analyzer. "So you have digivolved, Doumon."
"He's that fox face?" asked JD, surprised. "Damn."
Barbamon, surprise evident from his face, looked back and forth between her and JD. His gaze landed on JD. "You're even more trouble than you're worth, boy!" he snarled. "Even in a brink of death you still manage to foil my plan. I'll take great pleasure in seeing you die when the Virago General's curse takes effect one week from now."
JD laughed. "Don't be a sore loser. So I beat the damn curse you placed on her. How about that?"
"Ah, but you can't find a way to beat the curse on you," sneered Barbamon. JD swore in response. "That's right. And, girl…" He shifted his gaze towards Liu Ying. "I can't believe that he's your first true love. Can't you find anybody who's going to be alive for a much longer time?"
Liu Ying's confidence faltered. "What…what did you mean by that?"
"He's messing with you," warned JD. "Don't listen to him."
"How interesting. So the boy broke the curse but he had no idea how?" Barbamon laughed. "Well, let me enlighten you. You see, the Dream Manipulation Charm puts you in a sleep that's almost impossible to wake up from, because you will be in a perfect world made so real. Your deepest wishes are granted there. After all, there's a saying that a dream is a wish your heart makes. It's hard enough to have to want to leave; another condition for the charm to be broken is that…you will have to be kissed by your first true love. I know, it's sappy, it's not even my kind of curse…but I never thought that you two are involved. Even if you are, after studying your cultures I'd never have thought that you two would even go there…"
The explanation froze both Liu Ying and JD, and they could hear Gayathri gasp in surprise. Liu Ying however was quick to recover as anger flared within her. Gritting her teeth she swung one arm towards a Duskmon, sending it crashing against the wall. Another swing of the arm and the second Duskmon was sent flying towards the roof, and before it fell from the roof she had targeted the third one, sending it slamming upon Barbamon.
"Angry now, aren't you?" said Barbamon smoothly, brushing away the Duskmon that had been sent his way. He remained composed, unfazed by the Duskmon.
Liu Ying didn't reply. She had caught sight of three devices hovering not too far from Barbamon. With a squint and a curt sideways nod of her head the three Juara Digivices went flying towards her and JD. She caught hers, while JD caught his and Gayathri's. She concentrated her power, trying to blast Barbamon with her telekinesis, but Barbamon was unfazed.
"Your power alone can't hurt me," said Barbamon. "Not when I have your powers too."
Barbamon made a flick of his hand, and both Liu Ying and JD were flung across the hall. They crashed against the wall and crumpled down towards the floor.
"Guys!!" screamed Gayathri.
JD groaned as he tried to stand up. He swore quietly towards Barbamon. "Did that geezer even have telekinesis before?"
"Not that I know of," muttered Liu Ying, pulling herself up as well.
"That's right," said Barbamon, sneering as he held up a wooden staff that had a skull perched on top of it, with a red orb inside the skull's mouth. The red orb glinted eerily. "I now have all your powers as Xianamon. The charm might have failed towards the end, but I still received the powers I wanted. And now, to tie up loose ends…"
"What the hell!" JD found himself hovering in midair, flailing about.
"JD!"
"Despite foiling my plan, I have no intention of getting on the Virago General's bad side," said Barbamon, "so you're staying inside that barrier with your other friend. Try not to kiss her too, will you?" he added sarcastically, before with a flick of his hand a portion of the bubble barrier was opened and JD was thrown inside of it. Then it closed again.
JD landed beside Gayathri, and despite his aching back he quickly got up. He slammed his fist onto the barrier's wall. "LET US GO!"
"And as for you, girl," said Barbamon, and Liu Ying found herself levitating, "It's foolish of you to come here when you can actually run away to safety. I was expecting only Samudramon or perhaps Aldiyamon too, but certainly not you and your first love here."
Liu Ying tried using her power on Barbamon, but the demonic wizard was unaffected. Instead, he laughed at her attempts.
"I suppose I should be thankful, because now I can finish you off with my own hands."
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WIRA DIGITAL
Chapter 69 – Love Hurts
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"Raikou Issen no Tsuki!!"
"Lightning attack?" muttered Samudramon, as purple lightning spiraled out from Ravemon towards him. "Zeus Ex Thunderstrike!"
Purple and blue thunderbolts streaked over the air from opposite directions, before colliding with a resounding clash. They streaked all over the sky, jumping from one cloud to another.
Samudramon's mouth was set thin. "Let's see if he has the same immunity Leviamon had," he muttered, and waved his trident towards Ravemon who was coming at him. "Grand Wave Tsunami!"
From out of nowhere, walls of raging ocean waves appeared behind Samudramon. He harnessed its power by willing a portion of the wave to spiral around his body from bottoms-up, until they were focused at the tips of his trident. A brilliant sapphire sphere was formed, and with one rapid forward slash he sent the sphere streaking towards Ravemon. The raging waves followed, obeying the command of their master.
Ravemon was struck by the energy sphere and was hurled backward. He was further drowned by the waves, and seeing the birdman all drenched Samudramon prepared to launch an attack. He wasn't going to take any chances; Ravemon had beaten Puspamon Juara Mode, Rosemon and Valkyrimon. He'd have to go with his strongest thunder attack.
"Double Dragon Thunderblades!!"
Twin electricity dragons streaked out from his trident and slammed upon the drenched Ravemon. To Samudramon's delight, Ravemon apparently had no immunity against lightning attack while he was drenched. The birdman was electrocuted severely as the thunder dragons coiled around his body, crushing him without mercy. Ravemon decreased in size, becoming slightly shorter than Samudramon. His pristine white armor was blackened by the dragons, his sash torn to bits. The dragons slowly dissipated, but Ravemon remained intact.
Samudramon created a circle of blue aura before him, and launched the Depth Bombers towards the plummeting Ravemon. Several pellets slammed upon Ravemon while the others rained upon the temple. Samudramon immediately ceased fire; his friends were inside the temple and could be injured should the roof took the fall due to his pellets.
However, Ravemon crashed through the temple's roof, which made his worry somewhat pointless. Samudramon quickly flew towards the temple to check on his friends.
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"Don't worry," said Barbamon, raising his skull staff which flared with unholy flames, "your death will be very swift."
"BASTARD!!" shouted JD, slamming his fist onto the barrier. "If you hurt her, I swear…"
"Oh, don't you worry, boy," Barbamon sneered. "You'll be joining her soon enough. In one week, perhaps?" He laughed, and JD swore at him.
Liu Ying refused to show weakness before the demon that had caused her much grief. First he had orchestrated her kidnapping, by the hands of those indirectly involved in the killing of her father, in order to lure her friends to her so that he could kill them all together. And now, he had almost killed her, had absorbed her power, and was still threatening the safety of her friends. She squinted, but Barbamon was unaffected. She tried again with no results.
"Death…"
Suddenly a loud crashing sound came from the roof, causing it to fall almost over Barbamon. The temple shook slightly before Ravemon crashed through the roof and towards the corner of the temple, looking worse for wear. Barbamon managed to stop debris from knocking over him, but made no such attempt to save Ravemon.
"What in the world?" Barbamon shifted his attention from her, looking over Ravemon who was shivering violently. Small crackles of lightning were still evident from his drenched body. "Samudramon," he muttered, looking up towards the sky from the gaping hole on the roof. "Hmm…" He shifted his eyes back to Liu Ying. "I'll deal with you later. First I have a fish to catch."
Barbamon sailed through the open gap, and Liu Ying felt the force that was suspending her vanish. She used her power to keep herself afloat before descending slowly.
"Back away!" shouted JD, charging his fist. "I'm gonna break this damned barrier down!"
"JD, no!" cried Liu Ying, but she was too late. JD, clouded by anger, had slammed his psionic-charged fist through the barrier. The barrier crackled madly with electricity when JD's fist made contact with it, but to everyone's surprise a fist-shaped bend was formed on where JD's fist was at. The barrier retaliated by lashing several electric bolts upon JD, causing him to scream in pain. Nevertheless he didn't show any sign of relenting.
"JD, let go! LET GO!" screamed Gayathri in panic, when JD howled in pain and his free hand clutched his chest.
JD found that he couldn't pull away his fist. It was as if it was glued onto the barrier. And the electricity was lashing at him and all over the inner side of the barrier. He could hear Gayathri, Floramon and Shaomon screaming in fear as they avoided the barrier's lashings. His fist tingled. He knew he needed help, fast. And the first person he could think of, who possibly could be the only one who could get him out of this fix, was someone who was not there. ADAM!
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Adam's eyes snapped open, gasping. He could have sworn that he had heard his cousin calling out to him. Josh?
"I didn't tell you to stop concentrating," said Lucemon, eyeing him sharply.
Adam, help!
Lucemon frowned, but didn't mention anything. The demon-angel merely closed his eyes, and from the way he looked at him Adam knew that he was expected to do the same. But how could he, when he knew that something was definitely wrong? Josh…? What's going on?
His right hand tingled, as if he had been mildly jolted by electricity. And he gasped; a dull pain was felt over his heart.
He closed his eyes, trying to picture JD. Waves of foreign emotions invaded him; pain and desperation practically screaming at him in his mind. His temples throbbed; it was as if Lucemon was sneering at him telepathically like before, only he wasn't doing it now. Adam resisted the urge to lash out, but the throbbing intensified as the emotions echoed in his mind. He felt a burning pain over his right hand, and the pain he was feeling at his heart had gone past ignorable.
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Lucemon, in the meantime, managed to visit the astral plane that was Adam's mind once again. And what he saw made him frown.
The empathic window had been raised. The opening was bigger, now a quarter of the whole window while it was formerly just a fifth of the window. He was sure of that. He could hear JD's voice echoing in the astral plane, calling out for Adam. What is going on here?
Lucemon opened his eyes and saw Adam, eyes still closed and sitting down in the meditative posture, gleaming in a thin coat of silver white light.
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"JD! Let go! LET GO!!" screamed Liu Ying. "It'll kill you!"
"I can't…move my hand," grunted JD painfully.
A strange phenomenon suddenly took place. His right fist suddenly burst with soothing white light. The light coated his fist and the barrier that formed around it. For a moment he marveled upon the sudden appearance of the light, before the barrier suddenly shook as the light radiated to an even wider range. Before long the whole barrier was coated with the radiant light, briefly obscuring the prisoners inside from the outside world.
Then the barrier exploded in a shower of the ever-familiar light orbs.
"Whoa," he said, withdrawing his fist. He looked around in bewilderment. Adam? Did you do that?
Liu Ying approached him, looking as confused as he was. "What…just happened?"
"I don't know," said JD, gathering his breath. "But it looks like…"
"Adam's power," said Gayathri, joining them. "I know those light orbs anywhere. But since when does Adam explode things?"
"Is he around here?" Floramon, carrying Shaomon with her, looked around.
"I don't see him," said Penguinmon.
"No, Adam's not here." JD massaged his sweaty forehead, frowning. "For a minute there I could…" He stopped. What did I feel?
"Could what?" asked Liu Ying.
"I…dunno. It was as if he's…somewhere, and he can't join us. It doesn't make sense."
"Is he in danger?" asked Gayathri, worried. "That could explain why we can't detect his Digivice signal anywhere."
"No…" JD answered, but he wasn't sure. It did seem that Adam wasn't in any danger, but for some reason he couldn't come to them as well. "But I think…that you're right, Gayathri. I was calling out for him, when I couldn't retract my fist from the barrier. And somehow I heard him calling out back." He frowned, trying to process through what he did get. It was hard to decipher, considering he was in pain at the time. "He wanted to help me, but he couldn't come here. Something…no, someone is keeping him at where he's at. But I don't feel any threat." He sighed. "Man, this is weird."
He didn't know what else to think. Somehow he had channeled Adam's power. He would have to ask Adam about it later. But for now…
Thank you, Adam, he said silently.
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That was certainly odd, thought Liu Ying as she eyed JD. The boy seemed to be lost in thought as he traced the flesh of his right index finger with his thumb. She could spot a small scar there.
Suddenly Samudramon crashed through the roof, unholy green flames burning his cape. His trident soon followed, and it was heading straight towards Samudramon. If he didn't move away the trident would impale his abdomen.
Quickly Liu Ying threw one arm out, and the trident was diverted towards one of the Duskmon. It struck him right over the armor's eye, deleting it instantly. She heaved a relieved breath, as Samudramon devolved back into Manny and Penguinmon. Quickly she used her power to bring them to her, and retrieved Shaomon from Floramon.
Upon contact with her hands, Shaomon glimmered with golden aura and digivolved back to Labramon.
"How did you escape?" demanded Barbamon as he descended from the roof. He swung his staff and glared at them. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I'll destroy you all myself!"
"NO!" exclaimed Liu Ying. "Not now, not ever."
Liu Ying's Juara Digivice let out a burst of golden aura that pushed Barbamon away. She felt a newfound comprehension flowing in her mind, feeding her knowledge, confidence and power.
"Floramon and I can still Juara Access," said Gayathri. "We'll help you out, Liu Ying."
"No," said Liu Ying with a hard tone. Gayathri was evidently taken aback by this, and was about to protest, but she quickly said, "Please. Barbamon has done something that I can never forget. This battle is personal."
Gayathri still appeared unsatisfied, but when JD placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and discreetly shook his head, Gayathri considered it and nodded.
"Be careful," Gayathri whispered.
"Kick his ass for me," said JD, giving her a thumb-up. Manny simply gave her an encouraging nod.
Liu Ying nodded, before turning back to face Barbamon. "I should have finished you off last time," she said, after Barbamon managed to fend off the golden aura with a wave of his staff. "That way you wouldn't have the chance to mess with my head. But I didn't, and you did it again." She raised her Juara Digivice up. "I won't make that mistake again this time."
Juara Access Digivolution!
In a column of golden light Liu Ying and Labramon vanished, replaced by Xianamon.
"That cannot help you," Barbamon sneered. "I have your powers added into mine!"
"This won't," agreed Xianamon, as the pillar's light became more intense instead of fading as it usually would, "but this will."
She made a graceful turn as ribbons of energy with sparkling magical stars swirled around her form, increasing her height to match her other Juara Mode compatriots. Her outfit morphed into pristine white bodysuit with periwinkle-blue linings that lined the center of her abdomen and the bikini lines. The outfit covered her whole body, arms and legs. Golden armor fitted over her chest down to a few inches below her breasts. Her shoulder pauldrons were double-layered; the lower layer was white with gold linings, the upper was gold with white linings. Each pauldron bore the symbol of yin and yang. A cape billowed down to her ankles, lilac on the inside and white on the outside. A thick copper-colored belt was clasped around her slim waist and the clasp was gold, patterned to shape like a fox's head. Her high-heeled boots and forearm guards were both dark yellow with lilac linings, each embedded with a rhombus-shaped diamond. Her hands were gloved with a strangely leather-like silver material. Her face was covered by the same fox-shaped gold mask, but her sleek black hair was no longer tied. The bangs framed her helmeted face.
Her golden fly whisk appeared, but it burst into data particles before reforming as a long white ribbon with a golden spherical bell attached to each end. The ribbon seemed to radiate with faint yellow hue as it draped around her left arm, formed an arch over her head before spiraling down her right arm, so that the bells settled inside her palms. She made one more graceful turn and showers of magical stars escaped her newly digivolved form.
Xianamon, Juara Mode!
"Whoa!" said JD, amazed. "They digivolved…"
"Straight to Mega!" gasped Gayathri.
"Amazing!" said Manny.
Xianamon Juara Mode landed on the floor, a distinctive chiming sound was heard from the bells she was holding. She looked back, smiling at them as well as noticing JD staring at her. The blond boy blinked when he realized that he'd been caught, but she merely smiled at that.
"Stay safe," she said in an ethereally captivating voice. She raised her gloved hands, which glowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She uncrossed them and a thin rectangular shaped barrier was formed, glowing with a myriad shade of colors. "Elegant Barrier!"
Barbamon laughed as he landed on the floor. "So you have digivolved to Mega after all. I never thought that you could do it."
Xianamon didn't reply. She extended her right hand forward, and the bell was sent flying, pulling along the ribbon which it was attached to. Strangely, the ribbon that remained arched over Xianamon didn't show any sign of shortening as the bell that was sent towards Barbamon grew longer.
"Silly tricks won't deter me!" Barbamon attempted to catch the bell. To his surprise the bell bounced towards his right wrist, striking it lightly. Nevertheless the wrist numbed, causing him to involuntarily let go of his staff. "What is this?"
Xianamon flicked her hand, and the bell followed her movement as it began to head towards Barbamon's right elbow. Barbamon made an attempt to seize the bell with his left hand, but unexpectedly the bell jumped and struck his left elbow, and Barbamon grunted once more as his left elbow was numbed.
It dawned to everyone now that Xianamon was wielding the ribbon telekinetically, but her purpose remained a mystery.
"What is she doing?" asked Gayathri, bewildered.
"I don't know, but this reminds me of those Chinese martial-arts series I used to watch on TV," said Manny, equally bewildered. "JD? What do you think?"
"Hmm…what?" JD asked, as if he had just woken up. His face looked a bit dazed, and he had been staring at Xianamon.
"Uh…never mind," said Manny, exchanging one look with Gayathri. If it weren't for the fact that their friend had a doomed fate, they would have laughed. Their blond friend was clearly smitten with Xianamon, or rather, Liu Ying.
Xianamon suddenly made her move. Her ribbon flared with pale yellow lights as she withdrew it from Barbamon, its chiming sound echoed all over the temple. Then she released both bells simultaneously, wielding them with her hands as she made the bells slam on various points on Barbamon's body. Barbamon however was impervious to the technique already, and was able to knock the bells away. Then he bent down and picked up his staff.
"Death Lure!" He made a thrust towards Xianamon. The eyes of the skull blazed with evil flames.
Xianamon never faltered; she thrust one hand and let her ribbon sail towards the center of Barbamon's forehead. "Maiden Finesse – Refined Grace!"
Barbamon cursed and was forced to bend down; he wasn't going to risk being hit by Xianamon's attack when he had yet to understand its nature. Xianamon retracted her hand slightly, before pushing it forward with a swift palm gesture. An apparition of a glowing sword appeared in place of the ribbon and it impaled Barbamon's body as the bell hit the center of his chest. He gasped; despite the fact that his body was unharmed by the attack, the pain he felt was real enough to make him believe that a sword had indeed been thrust into his chest.
"A phantom pain," he grunted, staggering back, before recovering his senses and launched a different attack. "Pandemonium Lost!"
The skull on his staff let out red hot pellets towards Xianamon, but she brought up her gloved hands which glimmered with pale yellow light. The pellets slowed down upon reaching her, hovered before her momentarily before they skewered haphazardly. The remaining Duskmon were hit and deleted, while a couple of pellets caused a portion of the roof to collapse near Ravemon. The commotion woke the birdman up.
"Excellent," snarled Barbamon. "Ravemon! Attack this wretched witch! Strike her on the back now!"
"Coward!" shouted JD, as Ravemon flew towards Xianamon. Xianamon was about to defend herself but Barbamon kept her busy by launching a palm attack towards her.
"This will be your undoing, witch!" snarled Barbamon, as his palms both flared with unholy green flames. A demonic image appeared behind Barbamon; his scarlet wings too radiated with green flames. "JIGOKU NO KAEN!"
Xianamon countered the palm attack with her own palms, trusting that her gloves' durability and her telekinetic barrier would be able to defend her from Barbamon. She tried willing her ribbon to discourage Ravemon from approaching her, but to her surprise Ravemon ignored the bells that were striking his body and slammed his claws over her back, ripping her cape in the process. She gasped as the claws dug through the armor and almost reaching the skin.
"Now you die, witch," said Barbamon with glee.
Inspiration struck Xianamon, and her ribbon came to life once again. The right ribbon wrapped tight around Barbamon's wrists and the left snaked back and coiled around Ravemon's neck.
"Perhaps only in your dreams, Barbamon," she said calmly, and she glimmered with an even brighter aura as she summoned: "Maiden Finesse – Flowing River!"
"What are you doing?" demanded Barbamon, trying to whisk away his hands. To his surprise his palms remained frozen onto Xianamon's. The green flames they were emitting simply flowed into Xianamon's body, her unharmed. The calming sound of a flowing river echoed in his ears before he saw an outburst of his green flames overwhelming Ravemon. A searing pain pricked his own palms and he saw signs of being clawed disfiguring his hands. It was as if Ravemon was attacking him, and him attacking Ravemon. His eyes widened; the Jigoku No Kaen was his strongest attack. Ravemon wouldn't stand a chance.
Ravemon shrieked and burst into data particles, proving Barbamon's suspicion as true. Before he could process what had happened the ribbon that had been seizing Ravemon arched over Xianamon's head like a tranced snake out of a basket, before slamming hard onto his forehead. He could feel a distinctive crack before his mask shattered, revealing his true face – horridly disfigured, as if somebody had splashed him with acid.
Xianamon gasped in shock and broke their palms' contact. With a loud snarl Barbamon pointed his staff upon her and, to her surprise, exclaimed, "Diamond World Mandala!"
She was slammed with her own magical technique, and sprawled onto the floor. Barbamon laughed heartily, like a mad man, before waving his staff.
"Two heads are better than one, is that right Xianamon?" Barbamon seemed to be taunting her. "Perhaps you're familiar with this technique? Duo Focus!"
Barbamon glowed, and a green-robed clone of his was created in split seconds. The clone was complete with a skull staff with a green orb inside the skull's mouth.
"You finish off those human brats and their partners," instructed the real Barbamon, "I'll take care of the witch."
"No problem," said the clone Barbamon in a crotchety voice. Xianamon could have blinked underneath her mask; the demon's clone seemed to be as lighthearted as her own clone had been. Yet she knew that this clone was not to be trifled with, for he mirrored Barbamon's strength and powers as well.
"No!" She attempted to stop the clone, but Barbamon sent out a blast from his staff to stop her.
"Worry about yourself, witch," he sneered. "Pandemonium Lost!"
With her friends in peril she couldn't concentrate on battling Barbamon. She evaded the attack by levitating towards the roof, her attention cast towards her friends. The Elegant Barrier would protect them for now, but she had no doubt that the clone could overpower it with relentless attacks. For her to stop the clone, she would have to stop Barbamon first.
"Pandemonium Lost!"
She raised her hands to deflect the dark-powered pellets. Barbamon snorted, and reeled back in an attempt to deliver a stronger attack.
At the same time she heard screaming. She saw the Elegant Barrier destroyed, her friends sprawled onto the ground, and clone raising his staff high up. A ball of purple electricity took form from the staff. At the same time, Barbamon unleashed a demonic apparition that glowed with intense green flames. Xianamon realized that Barbamon was attempting to finish her off, while the clone would destroy her friends.
What could she do? She needed time; more time to save her friends and more for herself.
"Now die, witch!" Barbamon swung his fiery staff, sending the unholy flames upon her. She could feel the heat searing towards her, and this time she couldn't execute the Flowing River.
Turning back, she saw the electricity ball launched towards the other DigiWira. JD was charging up his fist in an attempt to counter, Manny attempted his own thunderbolt while Gayathri was about to Juara Access with Floramon. They wouldn't make it, she thought. They didn't have enough time. She didn't have enough time.
Drawn by pure instinct she raised her hands as Barbamon began to shout, "JIGOKU NO…"
And instantly, silence ensued. Xianamon saw that everything around her had frozen. The heat from Barbamon's flames was gone, but the flames were there, gaining at her. Frozen flames? She thought incredulously, and studied Barbamon. The demon lord's expression was contorted; mouth wide open in a mid-scream, palms flickering with frozen fire, and was hovering in stasis. He showed no inclination of moving.
It's like someone's pushed the pause button on the remote controller, she thought to herself.
She turned around. The same thing had happened to the others. JD was suspended in midair, one flaring fist raised up. Manny's thunderbolt was about to be launched – streaks of lightning was still connecting his hand to the thunderbolt. Frozen pink lights were spiraling around Gayathri and Floramon as they were about to merge. And the Barbamon clone was looming before them, his unholy dark sphere ready to devour her friends.
A dawning suspicion came to her. Have I just stopped time? She searched her mind for an answer, and found it without difficulty. Temporal Time Stasis, a stronger form of the Magical Stasis. With this, I can actually stop time…only I alone will be unaffected.
"No time to lose," she muttered and smiled slightly at the irony of her statement. She then flew towards her friends and placed herself between them and the clone's energy sphere. Then she telekinetically sent it back towards the clone. It slammed onto the clone, and instantly everything began to move again as the clone was sent flying towards his counterpart.
"…KAEN!!" screamed the real Barbamon, continuing his attack call as if nothing had happened. The clone was caught in the flames instead, and with a loud shriek he exploded into data particles.
She then felt attacks coming her way and deflected away Manny's thunderbolt towards a window while parrying JD's punch, and watched as the pink lights died down as Gayathri gasped in surprise.
"Whoa! Where did you come from?" sputtered JD in surprise as she lowered him towards the floor telekinetically.
"That's a good question," said Gayathri, confused. "One moment you were there, and that demon clone was about to attack us. Then the next thing you're here…"
"No time. I will explain later alright?" said Xianamon urgently, as Barbamon screamed in fury of having his clone deleted. Xianamon knew perfectly why; the Duo Focus only worked once in battle. She then raised the Elegant Barrier so that her friends would be protected from harm.
"I think she just stopped time…" She heard Manny telling the others and had to smile at that as she was about to head back for battle. Trust Manny to come up with the explanation.
Barbamon was infuriated. Not only that Xianamon had cost him Ravemon, she had also somehow caused his clone's deletion. He was on edge for not knowing how she had done that. Everything had been perfectly fine, but in a blink of the eye the situation turned a 180-degree on him. He couldn't comprehend it. Did she stop time? But that's impossible! That's advanced magic…
"You miserable witch," Barbamon snarled.
"Oh yes, how mature; resorting to name calling now are we?" Xianamon retorted sarcastically. With the power to freeze time, despite temporarily, she would have the upper hand on this battle. Her new powers as a Mega Digimon had far surpassed her expectations. But it was probably best not to dog Barbamon out anymore. She should finish this while she had the chance.
Barbamon swept across the hall and pointed his staff towards her. "Pandemonium Lost!"
Recalling her way to stop time earlier, she did so again by flicking her hands once, exclaiming, "Temporal Time Stasis!"
But time didn't freeze. It was unexpected and as the result she was blasted to the floor by the burning pellets. She didn't even have time to deflect them back.
So the time freeze works only once in every battle, she realized. I still have a lot to learn. She saw Barbamon lunging towards her, his staff swung towards her belly. She made a back flip just in time, and resorted to her Maiden Finesse once again to combat Barbamon.
The staff, she thought, noticing how Barbamon was reliant to it. His attacks were mostly from his staff. If she could seize it, Barbamon's prowess would be reduced.
"Maiden Finesse – Refined Grace!"
The ribbon was sent in two directions, the bells chiming amidst the battle noise. They made their way towards the staff, but Barbamon saw through it and withdrew his staff away. He released flaming pellets and they caught the ribbon, tearing the bells from it.
"Your weapon's burning!" Barbamon declared. "And now, so will you! JIGOKU…"
Xianamon willed her telekinetic power, and the ribbon was energized again. It didn't need the bells to function, though with the bells it became weightier and thus was easier for thrusting techniques. Without the bells, she would simply have to rely on her power. And she still had the staff in mind. "Maiden Finesse – Refined Grace!"
In his attempt to deliver his most powerful attack, Barbamon hadn't been quick enough to avoid the incoming ribbon. Coming from two sides, the ribbon wrapped around the staff on two parts – the upper part a few inches below the skull and the lower part, several inches from the bottom tip. With a grunt Xianamon made a flicking motion with both hands.
The staff snapped to half. Only the skull with the red orb remained. Barbamon was so shocked that he had stopped with his attack.
"You…" He snarled, before to Xianamon's surprise, he calmed down. It unnerved her.
He cackled mockingly. "I wonder if you're this strong once that first love of yours meets his doom once the full moon blooms? You fight so fiercely to protect him and your friends…" he taunted.
Xianamon's mouth was set thin. What is he trying to do?
"Father's gone, boyfriend soon to follow…" Barbamon continued.
"Stop it," whispered Xianamon. Against her wishes, she was reminded of the dream world once again, and her hands shivered.
"You should have stayed in that dream I've created for you," said Barbamon, raising the skull. The red orb was shining. "Why don't you let me do you a favor? I can still send you back there."
"Back there?" Xianamon suddenly gritted her teeth, remembering how much emotional pain she had endured after JD brought her back. She looked up, Barbamon was grinning at her evilly. He still thought that she was succumbing to his taunts. She'd show him. Focusing her power, she lashed out with her mind and sent Barbamon flying towards the wall.
Then she recalled the skull to her hand. Staring at its ghastly eye sockets and the red orb that looked like it was filled full with blood, she thought of how Barbamon's attacks seemed to be powered by the skull and the orb. She blasted it towards a nearby wall, watching with pleasure as the skull and orb shattered to data particles.
Waves of yellow aura escaped Barbamon and Xianamon noticed that the demon man had paled considerably. She suddenly remembered JD mentioning about Doumon having a red orb with him when he struck her with the dream charm. The dream charm had supposedly sucked out Liu Ying's life force when she was put into sleep, and if her suspicion was correct the power had been contained in that red orb. And since she had destroyed it, the power Barbamon had gained from her would be gone too.
"Curse you, witch!" screamed Barbamon.
That confirmed it, she thought. There could be only one reason why Barbamon was so riled up now, where he had been nothing but a picture of confidence earlier.
However, she would need a stronger attack to finish off Barbamon. All her attacks worked well as defenses more than offenses. She needed something, anything, perhaps even another weapon!
Casting her hand towards the door subconsciously, she felt something stirring from a distance. She willed for it to come and felt it obeying her. It seemed to come from somewhere across the lake, and it was sailing past the lake now, past the trees and now soaring towards the hills. It was close now. It was now heading towards the temple…towards the main gate and the courtyard…
"Hey, it's my guitar!" said JD, as said instrument flew into the temple through the opening he and Liu Ying had created earlier. The guitar hovered before Xianamon before she took it in her hand.
JD's guitar? What am I going to do with this? She thought, before the guitar shimmered, grew to accommodate her size, and transformed into a rectangular musical instrument with a slightly curved upper side. Strings were attached on it, stretching from one side to the other. It was a beautiful zither, she thought, colored a beautiful sea green with intricate golden carvings, with diamonds decorating it. The strings seemed to be made out of black durable material.
"Hey, what the heck happened to my guitar?" JD called out in surprise.
You got me there. She stared at the zither, bewildered. Was she supposed to play it?
It was absurd. She didn't even sing, let alone play instruments.
But then another inspiration struck her mind. The third essence of her Maiden Finesse, and this was an offensive attack. She would have to try it, like it or not.
She struck the string once, and a beautiful yet melancholic melody escaped it. She could see a faint wave resulted from her awkward attempt to play the zither. She tried again, striking the chords several times, and waves of energy were released from the strings. Barbamon, who was about to stand up, was struck with the faint waves and was pushed towards the wall again. Confidence grew within her, realizing that this could be a deadly weapon when used right. She was channeling her telekinetic energy into the strings, which in return released waves of telekinetic energy towards Barbamon.
Maiden Finesse – Jade Heart Rhapsody!
She parted her mouth and an ethereally beautiful vocalization escaped it. It was slow but echoic, melodious and extremely captivating, increasing gradually with every chord struck. The flicks of her fingers were gentle and subtle, but the force that was imbued into the strings was powerful. She saw the telekinetic waves erupting from the instrument became more and more opaque, almost up to a point where they were a kaleidoscopic shade, like a rainbow after a rain. As she grew at ease with the attack, her mind reflected back to the times she had with her father and how abruptly she had lost him. Then it shifted to her feelings for JD, and how she would lose him soon. Tears flowed out of her mask, down her cheeks, and onto the zither. The zither glimmered with golden light.
Barbamon screamed in pain; the musical onslaught Xianamon was delivering was too much for him to bear. He had at first scorned of how unorthodox her method was, but soon grew to regret it for he had no way to retaliate. The energy waves kept on blasting towards him; he was able to fend off some of the waves with his own acquired telekinetic energy, but soon discovered that he only had the power from the Ultimate-level Xianamon. This was a Mega-level Xianamon, her power far eclipsing her former self. As the telekinetic onslaught blasted onto his hands, body and legs, his mind was invaded by the mournful tone of her vocalization. It was beautiful, yet so melancholic that he found himself emotionally affected. The voice echoed in his mind, almost piercing into his heart. He couldn't understand it – he had taken great pleasure to cause pain and suffering towards the sorceress, but now he was feeling her pain and sorrow? Incomprehensible.
It was the witch. She was toying with his mind! He had to put a stop to it before these emotions drive him insane.
Yet he realized, to his horror, that his body would not abide to his wishes. Something was immobilizing him.
He was completely at her mercy, and Barbamon knew that Xianamon was not going to spare him one.
xxx
xxx
JD stared towards Xianamon with astonishment. It wasn't because of the attack, which he had never seen before. It was the emotions that came with the song. Was she conveying what she was feeling?
"It's so sad," Gayathri said, affected by Xianamon's melancholic vocalization. "The song. I don't know why, but it's…like someone who is mourning…for a lost one."
"How do you know?" Manny whispered, placing an arm around her. He did sense a deep sense of sadness coming from the song, but Gayathri looked like she was going to cry.
"I don't know. I just feel so sad," said Gayathri. "JD? What do you think?"
"I just wish she doesn't have to feel all these…pains," JD whispered back. "I wish I can take the pains away from her."
Manny and Gayathri exchanged one look, before each laid a hand on each of JD's shoulders.
xxx
xxx
It was enlivening, Xianamon thought, to be able to express her feelings in the song. But now it was time to finish this off once and for all.
She continued her vocalization and the flicking of the strings, but began to call up the Refined Grace to aid the Jade Heart Rhapsody. The ribbon flowed out from her back, like snakes heading towards their prey. The telekinetic energy waves continued blasting towards Barbamon before Xianamon willed the ribbon to immobilize Barbamon.
"WITCH! What are you doing?!" demanded Barbamon, when one end of the ribbon tied his arms around his body. "NO! Stop it! STOP!!" he cried, as the other end of the ribbon snaked around his throat, wrapping around it, forming a tight noose.
She closed her eyes, and inclined her head sideways. A sickening crack was heard. She stopped singing and playing with the zither, and opened her eyes just in time to see Barbamon limped lifelessly onto the floor. She called her ribbon back, not wanting to see the distorted angle of Barbamon's neck. She didn't have to avoid it for long; Barbamon's body had begun to decompose into data particles. The Shaman General was truly destroyed this time, and for that she was relieved.
"It's over," she whispered softly. Standing up, she collected the zither. It reverted back to JD's guitar.
With a flick of her hand, she called off the Elegant Barrier and headed towards her friends. Then she reverted to her composite selves.
"That was awesome!" said Gayathri spiritedly. "You beat him on your own!"
"We had to call on our combined attack just to beat Leviamon," said Manny.
"I did have help," Liu Ying said, and smiled towards JD. She handed him back the guitar. "Your guitar."
JD stared at the guitar for a moment, before shaking his head. There was sadness on his face as he pushed the guitar back towards her. "You keep it. You're gonna need it more than I do."
"JD…I can't keep this. It's yours." JD was about to disagree, but she raised her palm and shook her head. It was enough to stop JD from arguing with her.
"Fine. But since our picnic got disrupted, would you…"
She raised a palm once again, making a subtle glance towards Manny and Gayathri, and their partners.
"Ok…we can take a hint," said Gayathri, and dragged Manny out of the semi-destroyed temple. "We're going to wait at the gate." The two waved at them before exiting the door, their conversation could be heard for the next few seconds before they were truly out of the temple. Labramon too headed off for the door, figuring that they would need their privacy.
For a moment, they were quiet. Liu Ying was dreading to tell JD what she was thinking, but she needed to. As Xianamon, while she was executing the Jade Heart Rhapsody, realization struck her mind. She knew that as much as she really liked JD now…
"So," said JD, breaking the silence. "About the picnic, when would you like…"
"JD…" She begun, a tear was already beginning to form at the brim of her eye, "As much as I'd love to, and I really am…but I can't. I'm sorry."
"Oh." JD studied her face, and Liu Ying saw a disappointed look crossing his face. "I understand," he said quietly. "But…can you let me say something first, before you continue?"
She nodded. JD gazed into her eyes once more, and wiped away her tears with his finger.
"Barbamon mentioned about the kiss of your first love being the one waking you up from the dream," he began. "I just want you to know that I feel the same way. Always have been…since that day, when we first met. It was why I drove you away. Although I didn't know about it back then, I realized it thereafter. But you hated me then and I couldn't find a way to say what I truly felt. I ended up giving you the wrong message." He took a deep breath. "Then when I joined the team, I guess I was beating around the bush for so long that this happened, and I realized that if I didn't say this now, I never will."
Liu Ying nodded again dully. Her own feeling for the boy came after they reconciled with one another.
"Liu Ying, I…"
"Don't say it," whispered Liu Ying. "I know what you're going to say, but please don't."
JD looked stunned. "Why?" he asked hoarsely. "Why not?"
"If you say it, I'm afraid that it'll hurt me a lot more when you…when you…" She closed her eyes, and let the tears fall. "Do you know the last thing I've said to my father?"
"No, I don't. What is it?"
She hiccupped once, recalling a painful memory that she had never shared with anyone but her family. "I told him that I loved him, before he stepped out of the house. It was the last thing I ever said to him." She shook her head. "Please understand. I don't know if I can take that much pain anymore, after today. If you say it, then I'll say it, then you…"
"I understand," interrupted JD softly.
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." JD sighed. "Perhaps it's for the best."
Liu Ying looked away. Another tear fell as she observed the sun outside seemed to be sliding down towards the horizon.
JD raised his hand, hesitated momentarily, before adjusting some stray hairs away from her face. "Take care, Liu Ying. I'm glad nonetheless, that you agreed to go out with me today." He walked past her, but stopped midway and turned back to face her. His face looked somewhat composed now, but there was no doubt that his eyes had a hurt look within them. "I'm gonna hitch a ride home with Manny. Are you coming?"
She tried not looking at his face. "You guys go ahead. I…need to get myself together, for a bit."
JD nodded. "Ok. Well…see you."
"JD?" she called out, before he could leave. The blond DigiWira turned his head back, looking at her questioningly. "Thanks…for today. For taking care of me. You…you're really a good guy. I just wished…that somehow things will be better for you."
JD nodded, smiling thinly at her. "Yeah, me too. Don't stay here too long, ok? The others will be worried."
"I won't be long. Bye, JD."
He gazed at her for a moment, before nodding. "See you tomorrow, Liu Ying."
xxx
xxx
Amidst the late afternoon sun, Adam and Sagittarimon made their way out from the Shadow Realm. The training was over for today, and Lucemon had announced that Doumon, or rather Barbamon, had been deleted by Xianamon Juara Mode. He'd felt relieved that nothing bad had happened to his friends, while Lucemon looked disgruntled. SkullSatamon, he noticed, was somewhat impassive and had been quick to dismiss him and Lucemon. He wasn't going to complain; the training to refine his combustion power was strenuous.
He felt a rush of sadness coming from within, and recognized it as his cousin's. Before he knew it a tear escaped his eyes.
"Adam?" asked Sagittarimon, inclining his head back. Apparently he had noticed Adam's change of mood. Upon seeing the tear, he stopped. "What's going on?"
Adam wiped the tear, bewildered. "I feel…something's made Josh very sad. It makes me sad. I sensed that he's keeping it inside of him, but somehow his feelings are projected to me."
"But he's not even here," Sagittarimon pointed out. "Didn't you have to have physical contact with a person in order to read their mind?"
"Yes, but...apparently this doesn't apply to Josh..."
"As much as I hate to admit it," sighed Sagittarimon, "Lucemon's training is definitely going to help here. See that rock over there, Adam?"
Adam followed his partner's gaze and saw the said rock. It was easily as large as Sagittarimon, crude shaped, and nothing extraordinary. Adam knew what he had to do in order to stop feeling the emotions that was not his. He focused on the rock, channeling the emotions to power up his teleportation power.
The rock shimmered with light orbs, before exploded into data particles instead. Adam sighed.
"Feel better?" asked Sagittarimon.
"Not really, but until I know exactly when to teleport and when to combust stuffs…I hope you don't mind me using you as a ride."
"Of course not, Adam. Now rest. I'll wake you up when we find a TV set to make our way home."
xxx
xxx
He was lucky that Lucemon prided himself as his most loyal general and that Adam was exhausted. It was easy to ask them to leave him be when he felt Barbamon's power flowing inside of him. He couldn't risk them seeing him digivolving. Lucemon would become suspicious and would prod him telepathically. He had taken measures to avoid his mind being read by psychics such as his Hellion General, but after all these centuries of waiting, he wouldn't want to take that chance.
Perfect, thought SkullSatamon. Barbamon was deleted while in Mega form. With his power, I can transcend my Diablomon form, and become…
Assured that he was left alone, he channeled the powers he had gotten from the deleted generals and digivolved into Diablomon. His eyes emitted black flames that spiraled around his body before he grew five times his size, hunched down to all fours. His reflection was reflected by the Shield of Waja; he saw himself as a great black and purple spider.Armageddemon!
It's not enough, he thought, reverting back to his SkullSatamon form. But it's perfect for the time being. If Barbamon's data is enough to propel me to a Burst Mode class Mega form, then I have no doubt that the remaining two generals will provide me with the rest of the data I need to unlock a power stronger than Grademon Burst Mode's.
And dear Adam's power is definitely growing. Little does he know that there's a downside of his power of empathy. The stronger he is as an empath, without control he will be vulnerable to act according to the emotions he's feeling. The longer he spends his time around here, the more susceptible Adam becomes to MY whim.
He may not be corruptible, but he can succumb to emotions. And what evil emotions are stronger than mine?
xxx
xxx
It was almost midnight but Liu Ying was still wide awake. Sitting inside her room, on her bed with the nightlights switched on and the radio playing some songs aired by the local radio station, the events inside the dream world and the reality kept playing in her minds alternately. She had just finished writing in her journal to her late father as she would usually do after something big had happened. It had always been her way to convey her emotions as she wouldn't usually confide it to another person. The journal had helped her go through the difficult periods when her father had passed away.
A grunt was heard; she saw Labramon shifting slightly in her makeshift bed, which was a large rattan basket with cushions stuffed inside it. A blanket had been thrown over the slumbering canine.
She took a photo album from the cabinet and got settled on her bed, under the covers and leaning against the wall. Slowly she flipped open the album, and the most recent picture of her father and her. That picture was taken approximately one week before that fateful day. Her eyes moistened once again, but she had moved on and had started to think of Barbamon's dream charm as one of those dreams she'd always had about her father. Barbamon was right; a dream was a wish the heart made.
It was only made difficult because of JD's involvement. As she leaved through the recent pages, pictures of her and the other DigiWira came up. At first it was her and TobuCatmon; she smiled fondly at her late mentor, saddened of his demise but knew that he would someday be reborn. Then there was the picture of her and Labramon. Next was her, Gayathri and Adam as a trio in full uniform. There had never been a picture of the five of them in uniform, but in real life there had been some.
"Sunday is over and Monday has arrived," said the radio deejay with zest, "I hope all listeners have had a lovely weekend."
"Yeah, lovely," muttered Liu Ying, as she leaved to the pages with the most recent pictures of all five of them as a team.
The most recent pictures of them all were taken during Manny's birthday at Sunway Lagoon. It was the time when they all really had fun. The Puaka Generals were thought to be beaten and Adam and JD had found out that they were in fact a family. Her eyes landed on one picture. JD had insisted on having this picture taken; it was the first ever picture of the two of them together. It was a good picture too, of the two of them sitting by the bench with their backs facing the pirate ship. They looked happy; JD looked relaxed and she was smiling.
"To school goers, I appreciate you listening to me till this late but you better go to bed. I don't want to be blamed if you guys accidentally overslept and end up late to school," said the deejay, again with her perkiness, although Liu Ying supposed it came with the job. Who would want to listen to dull deejays anyway?
"And to those who are still wide awake; those who are working late, college students with their assignments, and perhaps even to students who are staying up late preparing for their midterm exams in two weeks…yes, I do know that midterms are near, I was a student too…here's a song to start the day. Let's all hope that it's going to be a beautiful Monday, without any monsters attack. And if there is, let's hope that once again the Wira Digital will be able to take care of it!"
"I hope so too," muttered Liu Ying, appreciating the deejay's faith in them. She leaved the next page, which was the final page, as the tune to a veryfamiliar song began to play. She froze.
Let's just take our time. There's nothing else to do. What better way to spend the night than wasting it with you?
This was the song JD played to her this morning! Yesterday morning, she amended.
She stared at the final page, with closed-up pictures of her and JD. Adam had been in an experimental mood with his sister's digital camera, and had used the multi-shot effect on them. They had ended up with nearly twenty pictures of them, and Adam (or perhaps JD) had four of them printed for her. She smiled as she studied the pictures; they had thought that Adam was done taking their pictures and had begun moving about, before Adam announced about a couple of minutes later that he was still taking some shots of them. He had ended up with several candid shots, and Liu Ying had to admit that the boy was somewhat talented when it came to photographing people. Those shots might be candid, but they were very nice too.
JD had teasingly said after taking that first picture that it would make headline for the school's annual magazine if the editors ever got their hands on it. He had attempted to playfully poke her shoulder and she had evaded. Adam had caught that. The second was she trying to shove JD's hand away. The third was her looking somewhat miffed and JD looking at her worriedly, while the last, perhaps several multi-shots later, was the two of them laughing.
Those pictures were somewhat funny, but looking at them now only reminded her of the events that had happened earlier. She sighed. They looked so happy then; that was impossible now.
Love was kept from me like a secret. And I swore that I was through. Until you...
The lyric struck a chord for her. A tear trickled down.
"I'll miss you, JD."
Author's Notes:
Xianamon Juara Mode is primarily based on Sakuyamon and QueenChessmon; we can say that she is a subspecies of Sakuyamon as they have the same face masks. In terms of powers, I have her telekinetic power play a large role in this as well as a new power – freezing time (or perhaps more correctly, molecular immobilization). Those two are from Charmed since they are witches and Xianamon is a sorceress (witch). As for her attacks, I will explain in detail in my blog. I think her attacks' origin will be an interesting read.
Now that Barbamon's taken cared of, we are now set for the arc that shows us JD's eventual fate as the curse takes full effect.