Team Work & Brotherhood

Chapter 18

What happened during the evening could be imagined. When the announcement about their performance at Grand Aston Hotel during the Chinese New Year's Eve and their plan to enroll their team to join the Asian dragon tournament in Kuala Lumpur next March were declared, all the members cheered happily welcoming that announcement.

Three Y used that opportunity to approach 3E and gave them a kind of encouragement. Yet, many and many times when they would approach their three princes, many and many times they were overtaken by 3E's beloved princesses. Again and again 3Y failed to launch their attack that evening.

Five T also cheered happily welcoming that announcement. Five of them seemed to be in their full spirits and they practiced more diligently. They asked so many questions to 3E for their better ability development in the future.

***

The practice went on and on. Three E taught their members new maneuvers in the dragon performance such as monkey maneuver, sleeping on top, M2M, sien feng, and dice maneuver. Five minutes had passed by for them to practice their sleeping on top maneuver when two of nine players made a bit mistake. Consequently, the second and the third poles were nearly out of their hands and hit the people's heads in front of them. Erick Vildy playing the dragon's head stopped the practice for a while.

"What's the matter?" asked Erick Vildy with his serious stare.

"Steve often makes mistakes carrying people on his shoulder, Brother Erick Vildy," uttered Tommy Rido breathlessly. "If I hadn't jumped down quickly, I'd have fallen off just now."

Erick Vildy paid his attention to his dragon players formation once again. Tommy Rido playing the second pole would be carried by Steve Gabriel playing the third pole and Marco Angelo playing the fourth pole. Teddy Revan playing the fifth pole would be carried by Marco Angelo playing the fourth pole and Theo Rafael playing the sixth pole. Meanwhile again, Thomas Robert playing the seventh pole would be carried by Theo Rafael playing the sixth pole and Timothy Ricky playing the eighth pole. And Quentin Farson playing the dragon's tail would hang himself to Timothy Ricky playing the eighth pole.

"Are you alright?" asked Erick Vildy to Steve Gabriel and Tommy Rido.

"I'm alright. Realizing Steve and Marco's bodies shaking when carrying me up, I jumped down instantly," said Tommy Rido.

"I'm okay, Brother Erick Vildy," said Steve Gabriel. "I'll try to concentrate more later on."

"How about Marco?" asked Erick Vildy to Marco Angelo.

"I can do it, Brother. I'll try to concentrate more, Brother Erick Vildy," replied Marco Angelo timidly in his breathless condition.

"Okay. We'll have a break first for 15 minutes. You can have your drink first and after that, we'll continue the practice…" said Erick Vildy.

"But, Brother Erick Vildy… I think we've been stopping many and many times just because there are several persons who keep repeating their mistakes," protested Tommy Rido.

"Yes, Brother Erick Vildy… At least, they must reckon this practice as a real performance. If we keep stopping just because of the same and the same mistake, how about the real performance later on? It's impossible we stop and repeat again the maneuver containing a mistake a moment before?" mumbled Thomas Robert a bit cynically.

"I'm sorry, Friends," said Steve Gabriel who felt being taunted.

"I'm indeed a new boy here and I master the sleeping on top, monkey and M2M maneuvers less than the others. But, I'll try my best…" muttered Marco Angelo.

"Yeah… I'll try to balance with your powers and abilities. I don't want just because of me, the practice will be delayed and we can't move to the next maneuvers," replied Steve Gabriel.

"Just continue the practice, Brother Erick Vildy," replied Quentin Farson. "I realize I also make many mistakes with my dragon's tail. But, I'll try my best to fix them and balance with the others' playing techniques."

"Are you sure?" Erdie Vio replaced his eldest brother asking his members this time.

All nodded their heads steadily. Steve Gabriel, Marco Angelo, and Quentin Farson were less sure, but they also nodded their heads. They thought, however it was, this was a team game. They did not want just because of them, the practice would be delayed and the others could not move to the next maneuvers.

The dragon was again dancing in the air with kuo ciang long maneuver. Erwie Vincent again played the background music. Yet, when they entered the sleeping on top maneuver, again Steve Gabriel and Marco Angelo's bodies were trembling. This time, Tommy Rido had no time to jump down again. He fell off to the floor. His third pole was out of his hand and hit Steve Gabriel's head and Marco Angelo's forehead. The fresh red blood began to flow down.

The practice stopped directly. The background music stopped instantly.

"Steve! Marco!" shouted 3E in one voice.

"Quickly bring them to a room on this first floor!" shouted Melisa and Julia Dewi simultaneously.

"It's alright, Brother… It's okay, Sister… Not a very severe injury," said Steve Gabriel raising his hand up in the air.

"We can still practice, though… We don't want just because of us, the practice will be delayed," said Marco Angelo trying to stand up.

Nevertheless, his head started to turn dizzy because his throbbing pain began to attack his nerve cells. Marco Angelo and Steve Gabriel sagged down feebly and automatically, 5T sustained their bodies from below.

"I'm sorry, Marco, Steve…" said Tommy Rido dropping several pearls of his tears.

"The practice is only until here tonight," continued Timothy Ricky. "We'll continue it again tomorrow evening, Steve, Marco…"

"Tonight, we'll heal your injuries," continued Thomas Robert also with several pearls of his tears, flooding the edge of his eyes.

"We'll bring you into the room," uttered Teddy Revan.

"Quentin! Marco and Steve are very heavy. Could you please help us bring them into the room?" asked Theo Rafael, and this time with his warm smile.

Quentin Farson was seen smiling broadly this time, "Of course I can… I can…"

Three E and their lovers looked at one another for a while. Approximately, 5T had already understood what was meant by team work and brotherhood. They did not have to explain those again.

Three Y noticed a kind of intimacy between 3E and their three lovers. A kind of jealousy rose up in the sea of their minds.

***

Several minutes passed by… Marco Angelo and Steve Gabriel went out from one of the rooms on the first floor.

"Has the bleeding stopped?" asked Erwie Vincent to 5T.

"Stopped already, Brother Erwie Vincent," said Timothy Ricky. "We've stopped their bleedings and smeared some antibiotics as well."

"Okay… Okay…" said Erwie Vincent while showing his thumb to 5T. Thomas Robert and Tommy Rido had Steve Gabriel and Marco Angelo sit down on chairs at the dining room. Sabrina Marcelina served warm sweet tea for both of them and the other members.

"Your knowledge about first aid is good as well, 5T…" mumbled Erdie Vio with his cheerful smile.

"Studying from extracurricular activity at school, Brother Erdie Vio… We're all still in our Senior High Schools. Every Saturday afternoon, we've got the first-aid extracurricular activity, Brother…" muttered Theo Rafael.

"You're all in one school, aren't you?" asked Erick Vildy. This time, Julia Dewi and Melisa Rayadi were seen serving fried chicken and white rice for all of them on the table.

They started to gobble the fried chicken and the white rice with gusto.

"Five of us are at one school. Marco and Steve are at one school. And Quentin is in another school…" said Thomas Robert.

Three E kept nodding their heads listening to Thomas Robert's story.

"Let's eat, Brother…" called Marco Angelo, Steve Gabriel, Quentin Farson and 5T in one voice.

"Okay, let's eat together. Eat first before you go home… Don't hesitate…" said Erick Vildy.

Yenny Mariana was seen wanting to sit beside Erick Vildy.

"Yenny… Sit next to your 2Y. Three E mustn't be disturbed during their meals," said Melisa Rayadi pointing to another table.

"Hah? What do you mean?" Yenny Mariana seemed to be confused.

"You admit as 3E's fan, but you don't know their unique and queer eating styles, particularly when the food is the same," replied Sabrina Marcelina. She put a big plate in front of 3E. There were six pieces of fried chicken, complete with the spice, and three portions of white rice.

Three E began to be seen sharing their food from one same plate. They started to feed one another. Everybody, except 3E's three beloved princesses, was staring at them in amazement.

"Eat then… Just eat… Don't care of our queer eating styles," said Erwie Vincent gulping his passion fruit juice offered by Erdie Vio.

"Don't try this at home, Kids… Besides us, 3E, no other brothers can eat in exactly the same way," said Erdie Vio gulping his Kurnia syrup in melon flavor offered by Erick Vildy.

"Eat then… Just eat… Because of staring at three of us for the whole time, your fried chicken and white rice will turn cool then…" said Erick Vildy gulping his Kurnia syrup in raspberry flavor offered by Erwie Vincent.

Five T were staring at one another for a while. Three Y were also staring at one another for a while. Silver God himself was stunned seeing 3E's queer and unique eating styles. Each of them did not touch their own food, but they fed the food to the other two brothers. Queerly, each of them did not have less or more food in their stomachs.

Teddy Revan got into the kitchen and got out again with a big bowl in his hands.

"What will you do with that big bowl?" asked Yuni Mariany not understanding. Everybody was now staring at 5T with amazement.

All 5T's food was put into the big bowl. Same with 3E, they began to feed one another. Yet, five minutes passed by, and evidently Theo Rafael and Tommy Rido did not get any feeding, Thomas Robert merely got a little feeding, Timothy Ricky and Teddy Revan got the most feeding.

"I didn't get any feeding," whined Theo Rafael out loud.

"I didn't get any either," Tommy Rido also whined.

The whole room, including Silver God, burst out into their laughter.

"Told you, 5T…" said Erwie Vincent with his relaxing smile.

"No other brothers can eat in exactly the same way as we do," continued Erick Vildy.

"Continue your meal with your usual ways please. After meal, who would want to send Marco and Steve home and explain well to their parents about what happens tonight?" muttered Erdie Vio.

Quentin Farson and 5T raised up their hands simultaneously.

"We drive a car, Brother Erdie Vio," said Teddy Revan.

"Let three of them get into our car then," said Timothy Ricky with his broad smile.

Five T, Quentin Farson, Steve Gabriel and Marco Angelo clapped their hands simultaneously. Three E and their three sweethearts were staring at one another. A warm smile was seen blossoming on those six people's pairs of lips.

Silver God also snapped his smile. From a little accident, these senior high school boys learnt what was meant by team work and brotherhood. If only every human in this world had possessed the pure souls like these teenagers had, that would have been very good.

In several minutes, the fried chicken had been finished and had been swallowed into the stomachs. Five T sent Quentin Farson, Marco Angelo, and Steve Gabriel home. There were merely 3E and their beloved sweethearts.

Seeing 3Y start to launch their attack, the three princesses began to defense their three handsome princes. They had talked over about it and had been unanimous that they would maintain their three handsome princes from those three disturbing women.

Three E were seen being separated into three different places.

Erick Vildy was seen taking out their clothes from the car, because tonight they would be staying overnight again in the studio. Erdie Vio was seen tidying up the dragon and its background musical instruments. He carried them all to the second floor. Erwie Vincent was seen washing all the dishes in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mel…?" said Erick Vildy a bit being stunned for a while because Melisa was standing behind him. "Why do you come here? A moment please… I'll send you home later on…"

Out of the blue, Melisa Rayadi hugged her beloved prince from behind. Yenny Mariana, who would approach Erick Vildy, delayed her steps for a while.

"Mel… I'm still sweating you know…" said Erick Vildy bursting out into his laughter.

"No problem… This is better as it should be…" said Melisa and spontaneously she landed an intimate gentle kiss to her sweetheart's lips. What was inside Erick Vildy's hands fell to the ground.

Yenny Mariana was watching that scene furiously. She stomped her foot on the ground once and walked away from that spot.

"Want to go home already, Rin?" asked Erdie Vio with his typical smile, full of enthusiasm and spirit. "Hang on please… After keeping this, I'll send you home…"

Out of a sudden, Sabrina Marcelina hugged his beloved sweetheart tightly. Erdie Vio was stunned for a while.

"Hah…? Hah…? Hah…? Why are you being pampered like this suddenly?" asked Erdie Vio grinning for several seconds.

"Because I've just realized since our first date until now, very seldom have you hugged me like this…" said Sabrina Marcelina still not wanting to release her embrace. Out of the blue, she landed an intimate gentle warm kiss to her beloved prince's lips.

What was inside Erdie Vio's hands fell to the floor and they created such a loud noise. That scene was being watched furiously by Yuni Mariany. She walked away from that place with her entire anger and irritation.

"Hey… Hey… Hey… What's the matter, Jul? It's been two times you hug me while I'm still sweating like this," uttered Erwie Vincent bursting out into his relaxing laughter.

"If I have to wait until you finish your bath, it's already been too late. I want to go home right away. Thus, let's be in the situation like this for several moments, Wie…" said Julia Dewi still drowning her head into her sweetheart's warm embrace.

Erwie Vincent kept quiet. His hands automatically rose up and caressed his beloved princess' head. Out of the blue, Julia Dewi landed a warm and intimate kiss to her prince's lips. Yenty Marlina was watching that scene with her greatest jealousy.

Three E gave up in the natural calls for the men falling in love. Three Y could merely watch those scenes with their full jealousy, and swallow their own love bitterness… A kind of unrequited love…

Silently, Silver God was also observing those three scenes. Love has been like this since the past time… It has the endless suffering… I'm imagining now… What will 3Y do in the future when they start to realize that their loves only clap with one hand? It's obvious that their main motivation of joining this Eternal Solidarity is because they'd love to approach 3E. Will they just walk away?

When 3E finished with their own intimacy, they did not see 3Y anywhere again inside the studio building and its nearby.

***

Medan, 26th January 2019

Unconsciously, Chinese New Year had been drawing to a close. Most of Medan society had already seemed to prepare everything. Supermarkets and department stores began to be packed with shopping women, with teen girls and boys buying new clothes, with shopping men buying some tools and appliances to paint and repair their houses.

Yet, it did not happen in the same way to Black Crow team… The Chinese New Year preparation was absolutely invisible. This morning, Black Crow team was covered by panic and tense.

"Mention first our jobs which have been taken away by Eternal Solidarity!" said Rendy Ibrahim looking sharply at Ahmad Sentosa and his other members.

"At Grand Aston, Novotel, and Grand Liberty, Brother Rendy…" said Ahmad Sentosa a little bit stuttering.

"Enough! Stop it! I don't want to hear it again!" shouted Rendy Ibrahim punching onto the table.

Just now you said you would hear it. When I mentioned them one by one, you instantly shouted and said you wouldn't hear it. I wonder what's happening to this Brother Rendy. Sometimes I don't get what actually this Brother Rendy wants… Ahmad Sentosa sighed his long breath, a signal of his confusion.

"Not only our jobs, but our two girl members have also moved to their team! Have you got your brains? Oh, I'm wrong… Sorry… Sorry… I'm wrong… You've got your brains, but you don't use them, do you?"

Nobody dared to answer. Everybody was silent and threw their faces to another direction.

"Now, it's been very close to Chinese New Year and we don't even get one job in a five-star hotel or famous restaurant! The jobs left for us are at the small cafes and the places which aren't really famous! Shit! So annoying!" said Rendy Ibrahim with his anger reaching the top of his nerve. If his injury had been healed, he would have popped out his power and taught some lessons to these several useless members of his.

Rendy Ibrahim punched onto the table once again, "Get out of my room right now! Get out right now! I don't want to meet anybody today!"

One by one of his members walked out of his room, including Ahmad Sentosa. Nobody dared to argue or ask anything. Shortly afterwards, Rendy Ibrahim's room became quiet, silent and still. There appeared a kind of black smoke inside his room. The black smoke began to puff and finally formed a figure of a human sitting cross-legged in front of him. Black Stone Demon's figure was visible in front of him. Rendy Ibrahim quickly got up from his seat and kowtowed.

"I pay my respect to Black Stone God," said Rendy Ibrahim addressing Black Stone Demon as a god, not a demon.

"Three E have already won again, Rendy. Your plan in the past by sending Stella Kuangdinata to break them apart has failed totally. We even had to get rid of Stella Kuangdinata because she herself had fallen in love with one of Makmur triplets. Even now you and Aldo Morales can't beat those 3E because they've united and assembled. How many times should I tell you, Rendy? They mustn't assemble and unite together, Rendy! They must be separated one after another so that we can face them more easily. But, you absolutely don't want to listen! Do you plan to rebel against me as well?" Black Stone Demon's pounding voice was audible here.

"I don't dare to do that…" said Rendy Ibrahim feeling somewhat afraid.

Black Stone Demon said in his mind. Oh no… Those three lucky stars have gathered together again. I can't take and command them anymore. Their powers are undefeatable when they've gathered together. How is this…? How can I take control all the nature of gods and have Ruby Goddess back if I can't possess the powers of the three lucky stars? Shit…! Shit…! Moreover, my injury hasn't been healed due to that last fight… If only I'd recovered, I wouldn't need this stupid human's help anymore – I could move by my own. But, I absolutely can't pop out my power fully…

Black Stone Demon's mind slowly flew to the past.

Black Stone Demon was flung into the time labyrinth when the dimension quake occurred. He could still see Ruby Goddess' body flung very far away and fresh red blood was squirting from the goddess' mouth. The time labyrinth was closed. Black Stone Demon's whole body was hurt, extraordinarily-painful due to the great turbulence in the time labyrinth. He was flung here and there. Fresh red blood was everywhere, was on his whole body. Yet, Black Stone Demon who was at the boundary between life and death could still try the rest of his full power to reach the three lucky stars in front of him.

"I must obtain the three lucky stars. It's merely them my hope to conquer the whole nature of gods and attain Ruby Goddess back by my side. Wait a moment, Ruby Goddess… Wait a little bit longer… A moment later on, you'll be mine soon…"

The hands were trying and trying to reach forward. Finally, the hands were at last managed to reach the three lucky stars. Unfortunately, and it was very unfortunate for Black Stone Demon at that moment… The three lucky stars gave their self-defenses. Once being touched, three lights began to glow very brightly. The three lights attacked Black Stone Demon at once. Again Black Stone Demon felt an extraordinary pain around his whole body. The time labyrinth was spontaneously opened and Black Stone Demon fell to the human world in the past.

Black Stone Demon looked around him. The three lucky stars were not there, were not beside him. The three lucky stars had already flung into another dimension, another era. There, he merely saw a human being looking at him timidly.

"Help me… Help me… I'll grant any of your wishes if you help me… Help me…"

Rendy Ibrahim, who was still a fifteen-year-old orphan, slowly began to approach Black Stone Demon who was severely hurt. He began to carry Black Stone Demon to a safe place. That was the first introduction between Rendy Ibrahim and Black Stone Demon.

"You must think of the next way how to separate 3E again, Rendy! You must think of the next way so that they can be disunited into different places again. You must help me. Don't forget that everything you have today is everything I've given to you. Don't ever forget that… To repay me, you must help me attain the three lucky stars which are inside Makmur triplets' bodies. You must get them…" shouted Black Stone Demon again.

"But, I used to send Stella Kuangdinata to break them apart and I failed, Black Stone God. Now… Now… Now I don't know why I've lost ideas how to break those 3E apart into three different places again," said Rendy Ibrahim feeling somewhat afraid.

"You think of it on your own… Think by yourself and in a few weeks ahead, I'd love to see 3E be separated in three different places."

Black Stone Demon's figure turned back to a puff of black smoke. The black smoke kept fading and fading and at last it vanished from Rendy Ibrahim's room.

Rendy Ibrahim thought back again of how he got rid of Stella Kuangdinata that late evening.

"I've been figured out, Ren… I don't want to carry on all these lies and evil plans anymore. I think I'll reappear once again in front of 3E, as somebody new, as somebody clean…" Stella's sentences were still flying here and there inside Rendy Ibrahim's ears.

"What did you say? Do you think an orphan and a street-girl like you is worth to be together with one of the wealthy triplets? Do you think they'll still accept you after all of your dramas and lies these times? Don't dream too high, Stella… Don't blame me never reminding you before. Cinderella is only a folk-tale."

"I also possess a little power from Black Stone God, Ren. With that power, I can turn to a new person and reappear in front of 3E again," said Stella with her entire steady heart. "I don't want to be like this forever, without any certainty being a street-girl, Ren. I don't enjoy being like this constantly. I want to live my life as a normal human."

"Stop dreaming!" screamed Rendy Ibrahim with his furious voice. "Accept your destiny… We've already promised Black Stone God to obtain the three lucky stars. By obtaining them, automatically our luck and prosperity will also come to us. You get it, don't you?"

"But, I still think that the luck and prosperity which we get instantly, will also leave us instantly, Ren. What comes quickly, will also leave quickly. Don't you understand that? I've been sick of all of this. I… I… I indeed ever hated my destiny very much all these times. I very much hated myself why I must turn to a street-girl. I very much hated both my parents why they could throw me to the street without any burden and responsibility in their minds. Yet, for the past one recent year, 3E have taught me one thing, Ren. From three of them, I learn one quintessential thing for me. By hating my past, that won't change my future. To change my future, I must start it, must take my first action and step from my present."

Rendy Ibrahim squinted his eyes for a moment, "Evidently… oh… evidently, you've got a crush on one of the triplets, Stella."

Stella shook her head, "I've fallen in love with three of them. I want to have the three of them altogether. Recently, those three lucky stars have reacted to me… Now… Now I know whom I should fight for, Ren… Now I know for whom I should live…"

"Quiet! Shut up! I don't want to hear anything!" screamed Rendy Ibrahim.

One palm of dark magic power was landed by Rendy Ibrahim to Stella Kuangdinata's chest. With her one last final screaming, Stella's body was flung to the wall. With her empty and gaping stare, her body slowly sagged down and was half-lying against the wall. Death took her away instantly at that time.

"You know for whom you should live. Do you know now for what you must die?" tears of anger and hatred were rolling down from Rendy Ibrahim's edge of eyes.

"I won't let you go there again, and report all our secrets to those Makmur triplets. You must die, Stella. Sorry… Sorry… Really really sorry… If you don't die, all of these will come to an end and I'll return to my old days as a street-boy. No! No! No! I can't live those old days anymore!"

"Okay…" out of the blue, Rendy Ibrahim got an idea. "I just throw her body to Eternal Solidarity building, so that 3E will be suspected as the murder. They don't know that I also possess a kind of magical power like they do."

Second by second was passing by. Rendy Ibrahim went back to the reality.

Now I can't send Stella there to break 3E apart anymore… Even Yenny Mariana and Yenty Marlina also leave my team and join their team. It's obvious both of them have also been interested to 3E and decided to join Eternal Solidarity at the first time they saw those Makmur triplets. This life is sometimes very unfair… Very unfair…

But, hang on a moment please… Out of the blue, Rendy Ibrahim got a brilliant idea again. If I'm not mistaken, I hear that 3E come back to Medan together with their girlfriends. Oh yeah… Quite right… Those Makmur triplets have got their own girlfriends. So, it's impossible that Yenny Mariana and Yenty Marlina can obtain easily what they want. Okay… Okay… I've known it right now… The girl who is being heart-broken is the most effective weapon to be used.

A kind of cynical smile was hanging at the edge of Rendy Ibrahim's lips.