Chapter 30: Welcome Back
Ilang beses akong napakurap habang nakatingin sa kanya. It's the same face that makes me feel irritated at times and sometimes strengthens me.
Mukha pa rin iyon ni Pentagon at nakangisi siya sa akin ngayon. Hindi ko alam kung paano magre-react. Tila may sariling utak ang nga kamay ko at hinawakan ang kanyang mukha.
I felt his skin. My hands traced his cheeks, his temple, his forehead. It's the same face as Triangle minus the pirate smile and sulking expression.
Bumaba ang kamay ko sa kanyang ilong. I felt his pointed nose, down to his grinning mouth.
At tila may sariling utak nga ang mga kamay ko na kusang kumuyom at sa isang iglap ay dumapo sa ilong niya ang isang malutong na suntok.
"Awww!" daing niya. His hands covered his nose and now I noticed it again, his right arm was artificial. A bionic arm. "Hindi ka pa rin nagbabago, Kitten! Gusto mo pa rin ng cariño brutal! Is that how you're supposed to treat twin bro in the future? Kung gayon ay hindi ko babasbasan ang kasal ninyo!"
He winced as his normal hand wiped away the blood on his nose. Biglang nag-unahan ang mga luha ko sa pag-agos.
Pentagon is back. My Pentagon is back.
Niyakap ko siya nang mahigpit at humagulhol sa dibdib niya. I let out all pain that seems to dwell in my chest for a long time now. Pakiramdam ko ay nakahanap ako ng kakampi. Pakiramdam ko ay nakahanap ako ng taong magiging kasangga ko kahit gaano pa kahirap ang problemang kakaharapin ko.
I pounded his shoulders as my face was buried on his chest. Puto, what took him so long? Why did he show himself just now? Why did he let me alone for quite sometime?
Hindi ba sabi niya best friend niya ako? And that he'll be there for me at parehas kaming tatakbo sa abot ng aming makakaya hanggang sa maayos namin ang bulok na sistema ng Capital? Pusangina why did he let me cry as I thought that he'll be gone forever?
"Puto kang hayop ka bakit bumalik ka pa! Pusangina ka! Bumalik ka pa talaga!" I mumbled on his chest as my tears flow. Hindi pa rin ako tumigil sa pagsapak sa kanya. He hugged me tightly and I felt his chin on top of my head.
"I'm sorry, Kitten. I will never leave you again," he said in a soft voice.
"Pusangina mo!" I shouted at his chest. Hinayaan ko ang mga hikbi na kumawala sa bibig ko. Gusto ko siyang murahin nang sagad. "Puto ka, Pentagon! Puto ka! Puto ka! Puto miss na miss na kitang hayop ka!"
Mukha na akong baliw sa mga sandaling ito. I was shouting, cursing him for returning but in fact, I am very happy right now. Pero pusangina pa rin niya! Tumawa siya at ginulo ang buhok ko. "I missed you too, Kitten. I missed you so much but damn, kailangan mo ba talagang paduguin ang mukha ko?"
I pulled myself from him and looked at him. He's the same Gon who gave us reassuring smile habang nasa bingit ng kamatayan. He's the same Gon who was with me at the JIC as we waited what tomorrow will bring us.
Ngumiti siya nang matamis at hinagod ang isang kamay sa kabilang pisngi ko. "Sorry, Kitten. I only got one normal hand to dry your tears." Itinaas niya ang kanyang kabilang braso na halos kalahati ay gawa sa carbon fiber at kung ano pa. "I lost my limb."
Hinawakan ko ang kanyang braso kung saan nagdugtong ang kanyang balat at ang carbon fiber. "It must have hurt a lot."
"Not as much as the thought of losing everyone I have," sagot niya. Napatingin siya sa paligid kung saan nagkakagulo pa rin ang mga tao. "Those boxes will not explode but let's better flee from this place out."
Tumango ako sa kanya at nakisiksik kami sa kumpol ng mga tao. Dahil nagpa-panic ang bawat isa, I also panicked the second I lost sight of Pentagon. He was just behind me ngunit natatakot ako na baka mawala ulit siya. I grabbed his bionic arm and held on his artificial fingers tightly na para bang ayaw ko siyang mawala ulit. And yes, I really don't want to lose him. Not again.
"Oh, Kitten. Triangle might kill me if he sees this," sabi ni Gon at itinaas ang magkahawak naming kamay.
My eyes formed into thin lines as I looked at him. "No, I'm the one who'll kill your twin."
***
I successfully brought Pentagon back at the Academy. Good thing he's wearing a hoody jacket kaya walang nakiusyoso sa daan nang makita kung sino ang kasama ko. Kaagad ko siyang dinala sa Bldg. L-1485 at hindi pa rin binibitawan ang kanyang kamay.
I gently opened the front door at bumulaga sa amin sina Coco, Megan at KL na nanunuod ng live feeds tungkol sa nangyaring commotion sa Capital Circle. Pentagon removed his hood and smiled widely.
Napatingin ang tatlo sa amin. Coco immediately looked away na tila ba natatakot siya. Megan's forehead creased while KL frowned.
"Mylabs, ano 'yan?! Hoy Grande, ano suntukan ulit? Babasagin ko ba ulit ang mukha mo?" pang-iinis niya kay Gon. He probably thought he's Triangle.
"Who's that ugly guy?" tanong ni Gon sa akin na mas lalo lamang ikinagulat ni Megan. Coco looked confused, too, at maging si KL ay tila natigilan saglit.
"Mylabs, naalog ba utak niyan?"
"Mylabs? What the hell, Kitten? You let someone call you Mylabs? That's too corny," wika ni Pentagon kasabay ng pagsimangot.
Dumating si AndE na may dalang tray na naglalaman ng inumin. Kumawala mula sa pagkakahawak ko si Gon at tumakbo palapit kay AndE.
"AndE!!!" He hugged the robot tight at itinaas ang kanyang artificial na braso. AndE recognized it immediately as high five kaya agad nitong ibinaba ang tray at sinalubong ang high five ni Gon.
"Pentagon," AndE said as her eyes lighted, scanning Gon's whole body. Gon immediately covered his crotch and laughed.
"Hey hey! You might detect something big," natatawang wika niya. "Yow, Coco!"
Tila timang na nakanganga si Coco. He looked at Pentagon unbelievably before he dashed towards him for a tight hug.
Gaya ko ay umiyak din si Coco habang panay asar sa kanya si Gon. He keeps on telling him to grow hair ngunit hikbi lamang ang sagot ng kalbo sa kanya. Even Megan started to cry. I'm sure all of us remembered that tragic night and we remembered how painful it was.
KL looked at me with confusions. "Mylabs, hindi ba 'yan si Triangle?"
"No."
"Ha? Then who the hell is that and why are they crying? Ako lang ba ang naguguluhan?"
"He's Pentagon, Triangle's twin brother," sagot ko.
"Pentagon? What the fuck! What's with their names?" bulalas ni KL.
"Hey dude, I heard that!" Gon said and threw a glare at our direction.
"Don't mind him," sabi ko.
Coco break free from his hug at pinunasan ang kanyang luha. I know Coco values Gon as much as he values himself. Siguro nga si Gon ang pinakapaborito niya sa aming lahat. "Akala ko namamalikmata lang ako habang tinitingnan ko ang interruption sa montage. Kilala ko ang imaheng iyon maliban sa drawing mo."
Yup, we used that hooded shadow before. Kami nina AndE kaya makikila agad namin iyon.
"Well, I just spread some virus on their system and eventually destroying it," sagot ni Pentagon at niyakap si Megan na naiiyak na rin. "Yow Megan, looking pretty as ever."
Megan hugged him tightly. "Is this really you, Gon? And what happened to your nose by the way?" Tinuro ni Megan ang natutuyong dugo sa kanyang ilong.
"Who else exudes amazing aura other than me?" natatawang sagot ni Gon. "And this is a welcome punch from Kitten. Sorry for making you all worried. It was a 50-50 situation."
"Paano nangyari?" naguguluhang tanong ni Coco. "We all saw how those chips exploded in your hands."
Itinaas ni Gon ang kanyang bionic arm. "Yup, that's why I lost a limb. It would have been fatal if Kitten's father didn't help me. He inserted another chip on my body that can minimize the effect of the explosion. Kung wala iyon edi sana patay na talaga ako but it was a gamble. Hindi pa iyon nate-test kaya kailangan kong sumugal. Pinilit ko siya at handa ako kung anuman ang epekto niyon and thankfully it was successful so I'm still alive."
"How about the one in your nape?" tanong ni Megan.
Napahawak si Gon sa kanyang batok. "That exploded, too, and that explains why I was gone so long. Ilang buwan akong na-comatose and when I woke up, I already lost a limb but Sir Mozart made a replacement."
Kung gayon, iyon ang dahilan kung bakit ngayon lang siya nagpakita at kung bakit ngayon lang din sinabi ni Papa sa akin. He only told me about it nang tuluyan nang magising si Pentagon.
Hinawakan ko ang braso ni Pentagon at hinila siya paakyat sa hagdan. "Sorry guys but I have to talk to him alone. You can have him afterwards. And Megan, huwag kang papasok sa kwarto natin."
Megan rolled her eyes ngunit hindi na lamang sumagot pa.
"Hoy, Mylabs, anong gagawin ninyo sa kwarto?" naiinis na sigaw ni KL. Balak niya sanang sumunod ngunit pinigilan siya ni Coco sa pamamagitan ng pagsakay sa likuran niya.
Pentagon grinned like crazy as he waved at them. "Uh uh, Kitten's purring and she wants me alone. Sorry, guys. Catch up later."
I rolled my eyes at hindi na lamang pinansin ang sinabi niya. Nang makapasok kami sa loob ay agad kong ini-lock ang pinto samantalang tumakbo naman siya sa kama at pabirong niyakap ang sarili niya.
"Oh my God, Kitten, no please no. Marami pa akong pangarap sa buhay! You don't deserve my precious body--"
"Pentagon, umayos ka nga."
He grinned again and sat on the bed comfortably. He tapped the space beside him. "Halika nga rito."
Hindi na ako nagdalawang isip na tumabi sa kanya. His artificial arm groped my waist at isinandal niya ang ulo ko sa balikat niya.
"I missed you, Kitten."
I smiled. "Hey, you already said that."
"But I really missed you," sagot niya at ibinalik sa balikat niya ang ulo ko nang tinangka kong lumayo.
"It took you so long," sagot ko sa garalgal na boses. Puto, ayan na naman ang mga luha ko.
"Doesn't matter, I'll never leave again." His voice was full of assurance ngunit alam kong wala pa ring kasiguraduhan ang lahat.
"The wait is so worth it anyway," wika ko. Nag-unahan na naman sa pag-agos ang mga luha ko. The tears were because of joy. Ang saya lang sa pakiramdam. Parang bumalik lahat ng enerhiya ko na nawala dahil sa mga nangyayari lately.
"Was it tough waiting?"
"Very," sinserong sagot ko. "I was close to giving up."
"Hey, that's not the Kitten that I know!"
Mapait na ngumiti ako. Pentagon is really back. If there's someone who truly believes in me and my potential, it's no other than Pentagon Grande Bermudo. Pakiramdam ko ay ako ang pinakamaswerteng tao sa buong Capital dahil meron akong kagaya ni Pentagon na naniniwala sa kakayahan ko.
"The Kitten I know is fierce. Nangangalmot 'yon!"
"Pentagon!"
Tumawa siya nang malakas. His laughter lingered on my ears at puto, it's like a sweet music to me."Gon, Kitten. Gon!"
"You can't stop me from calling you Pentagon."
"Tsk, hardheaded as always."
Umayos ako ng upo at tinitigan siya. I can't believe my eyes right now. Kung sakaling mangyari ulit ang bagay na katulad ng nangyari noon, I won't let him do it again! Pentagon deserves to live!
"Alam mo bang gusto kitang bugbugin ngayon? You made us grieve, for months!" sigaw ko.
"Kitten, I really don't know if your Dad's experiment works." He snapped his fingers. "At tangena, it really did. Tama nga ang sabi ni Daddy sa amin dati. Mozart Gallego is amazing!"
"You remembered everything?" tanong ko na sinagot niya ng iling.
"Not all. There were still gaps." Napasimangot ako nang kinatok niya ang noo ko. "And hey, you didn't recognize me at the train!"
"At the train?!"
"You held on my arm tightly na para bang hawakan ako ng tren!"
My eyes widen. "You're that guy?!"
"Yup."
"Bakit hindi kita nakilala?!"
He scowled at me. "Tanungin mo ang sarili mo, Kitten! Kung ako maaamoy ko pa lang ang utot mo, makikilala na kita pero ikaw?! Humawak ka na't lahat wala pa rin! I'm hurt, Kitten, it really hurts." Napahawak pa siya sa kanyang dibdib at umaktong tila nasasaktan.
Mahinang hinampas ko siya sa balikat. “I was down that day, iyon ang araw na unang inanunsyo ang tungkol sa mandatory death ng mga matatanda. See? Kahit kailan talaga puro bulok at walang kwenta ang pinaggagawa ni Moran!”
“Chill, Kitten,” natatawang sabi niya. “I’m in disguise that day, too, so I understand if you didn’t recognize me.”
“Where were you all this time?”
“Nasa 3rd Ward lang ako, nagpapagaling,” sagot niya. “And recently ko lang rin nalaman ang tungkol sa mandatory death so I took some actions. I also checked the boxes dahil baka kunwari lamang na pinapatay at kini-cremate ang mga matatanda but they are really cremated.”
Totoong kini-cremate sila? “Really? That’s what Trench thinks so, too.”
He snapped happily. “Talaga? Naisip din iyon ni Boy Mariano? Unfortunately, no foul play there. Totoong nagiging abo ang mga matatanda pero kahit ganoon pa man, hindi pa rin ako sang-ayon sa mandatory death na iyan.”
Biglang sumagi sa alaala ko si Nikon. For sometime, I really thought he’s Gon who undergone surgery. “By the way, the Capital has your lost memory.”
“Iyan din ang sabi ng Papa mo nang malaman niya na may P2 na nag-penetrate sa katawan ko noon,” Gon replied. “He said Nebz designed it into something where your thoughts will be controlled at dahil may ibang dugo sa akin, the effect is different kaya nawalan ako ng ilang alaala. Those thoughts were directed to a memory bank at tiyak kong hawak iyon ng Capital but it doesn’t matter now. Wala na ang epekto ng P2 sa katawan ko. I just need the lost memories back.”
Hindi ko maiwasang mapatunganga lamang habang nakatingin sa kanya. I could spend the day just watching him and I couldn’t get enough. Life was tough, I know but life was tougher without him. I stared at him without blinking dahil natatakot ako na baka kapag kumurap ako ay mawala na siya. Pero nagulat na lamang ako nang bigla niyang pinitik ang ilong ko.
“Ay puto!” napamura ako sa gulat. “Ano ba!?”
He giggled like crazy. “Don’t stare at me like that, Kitten, baka mapatay ako ng kapatid ko.” Sinundot-sundot niya ang tagiliran ko gamit ang kanyang normal na daliri. Puto, hindi talaga natuto! Alam niyang ayaw na ayaw ko ang sinusundot! “So what’s the score between you two?”
“Stop it, Pentagon, o baka gusto mong dalawang kamay mo na ang maging bionic arm,” banta ko.
He laughed and keep his both arms on his back. “Violent as always, tsk. So, ano na nga?”
“Your twin has changed.”
“For the better?” tanong niya.
Umiling ako. “For the worst. Inaangkin niya ang research ni Trench!”
Gon made a face at napaisip. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
“Well, not really. Ang ibig kong sabihin, Trench made a research and Triangle was out of himself for months kaya ang ginawa niya ay ipinangalan niya kay Triangle iyon. It was a good one, gaining respect and honor from everyone so the credits goes to Triangle.”
“So basically Boy Mariano did it?”
“Oo pero pinanindigan naman ni Triangle!” naiinis pa rin ako kapag naaalala ko iyon! Ang kapal ng mukha ni Tatsulok!
“Tsk, Boy Mariano still hasn’t changed.”
“And he challenged Trench to a face-off! Now Trench was out of the Royal list!”
Tila na-amazed pa si Pentagon sa narinig. “Twin Bro did that? Whoah! He’s really being serious. Kitten, alam mo bang kahit si Twin Bro ang pinakamatalino sa aming tatlo, we cannot beat Boy Mariano because he’s the one who dedicates his all when doing something. Twin bro’s too lazy to do something seriously pero ngayong natalo niya si Boy Mariano, he’s taking it seriously!” his eyes shine like he was really amazed!
“It’s not the time to fanboy over your twin, dude,” naiinis na wika ko. “That was rude.”
“No,” iling niya. “He challenged him fairly. You said it’s face-off right? Ibig sabihin ay ang mga alumni ang nag-determine sa panalo.”
Napabuntong-hininga ako. Sabagay, may punto si Pentagon. Sabi nga ni Suri dati, all is fair in love, war and face-off. “And h-he r-rejected me.”
Napakunot ang noo niya at hinawakan niya ang mukha ko. Sinipat niya ang bawat sulok niyon at mas lalong napakunot ang kanyang noo. “Talaga? Hay salamat natauhan din si Twin Bro--”
Agad kong tinampal ang kanyang kamay. “You’re not being helpful!”
He laughed like it was something very funny. Tsk, puto kailan ba siya titino sa buhay niya? “Kitten, baka may pinagdadaanan lang. Dalawa lang iyan eh, baka may pinagdadaanan kaya ganyan siya sa ’yo or baka naumpog at natauhan--”
“Shut up, Pentagon.”
Sinagot niya ako ng malutong na tawa at pagkatapos ay ginulo niya ang buhok ko. “Cheer up, Kitten, now that I’m back maybe Twin bro will be back, too.”
Suddenly, we heard loud knocks on the door. Tila gustong sirain ng kumakatok ang pinto kaya agad akong napatayo upang buksan iyon. Hindi ko pa man iyon tuluyang nabubuksan ay marahas na binalibag ng kung sino mang kumakatok ang pinto, causing me to flew on the other side as he dashed inside towards Pentagon. It was Triangle who meet Gon with a fist causing the latter to curse openly.
Uh, that was two punches in a row for today. I guess that’s how we say welcome back.
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