Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: In the next chapter the kids will be heading back to Digiworld! The end of this chapter brought me to tears. I swear it's the cutest thing I've ever written. Even the readers who aren't fans of Mimato will be looking for some tissues.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 19: Never Too Far From A Miracle

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Dai entered his house, with DemiEmbermon carefully hidden in his backpack, and was nearly knocked down by Shadow.

"Will you get off!" he shouted, trying to wriggle his leg free from the puppy's grip. He reached down and picked Shadow up, and the dog proceeded to slobber all over him.

"Dumb dog," he said with affection, cuddling Shadow to his chest.

"Can I come out now?" DemiEmbermon whispered from his bag.

"Not yet," Dai whispered back. "I'll let you know when it's safe."

"Dai!"

He let out a startled yelp and was nearly knocked over again, this time by his mother.

"You're okay!" his mother gasped, as if she expected otherwise.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in confusion, and his mother hugged him so tightly that he found himself unable to breath. He felt a sudden rush of panic. There's no way she could possibly know!

"No reason," she said with a shaky laugh. "How was soccer practice?"

"Fine," he mumbled, feeling guilty. He had managed to convince his coach that there had been an emergency, and that was why he had not been able to show up. Since his coach was one of the few teachers at school who actually liked him, he knew that his absence would never get back to his parents. Coach Takaro was usually very understanding, but that did stop him from feeling guilty.

His father came into the room, and Dai gave him an uneasy look. "Is Mom alright? I mean seriously, Dad. She didn't hit her head or something, did she?"

After all, his mother was usually yelling at him, not hugging him!

His father laughed and came over to ruffle his hair. "She's fine. See, Noriko? I told you he was alright."

"Why would you think that I wasn't?" he asked nervously.

His father shrugged. "Your mother just had a bad feeling, that's all. It looks like there was no harm done though."

"Right," he said weakly, fully convinced that his mother could read his mind. He had always suspected...

He set Shadow on the ground and turned to see his aunt, uncle, and older cousin enter the room.

"Hey, Dai. How was your practice?" his Aunt Jun said, giving him a hug.

"Alright," he replied with a grin.

"I hope you're staying out of trouble which is more than I can say for Ema," his Uncle Joe sighed.

Dai laughed, hugged his uncle, and turned to his sixteen year old cousin, Nobunari Kido.

"Hey, Noah," he grinned.

"Hey, Dai. How's my favorite cousin?" Noah asked, his deep brown eyes sparkling.

"Don't let Ami hear you say that!" Dai laughed.

"Too late!" Ami shouted from the kitchen.

Noah rolled his eyes, and Dai found himself being dragged up the stairs by his older cousin.

"Dinner's going to be ready soon, so don't get too comfortable," Jun called up the stairs. Noah's mother had let her hair grow out long, and the fiery determination in her eyes had not cooled off, despite the years. She was the complete opposite of her husband, Joe, who had short blue hair and black eyes which made him look so serious. The fact that Jun was a hair stylist and Joe a docter also had something to do with it.

"I need to talk to you," Noah said, dragging him into his bedroom with Shadow trailing along behind.

Dai was about to answer when he spotted Ema sitting in the center of his bed and let out a startled shout.

"Ema! What are you trying to do, scare me half to death?" he gasped, clutching at his heart. He quickly set his backpack on his desk as far away from Ema and Noah as possible.

Ema crossed her arms and fixed him with a knowing stare. "You weren't at soccer practice," she said bluntly.

"Get out, Ema. Dai and I have to talk," Noah said, sounding impatient.

Ema ignored him and continued to stare at Dai who was starting to feel very uneasy. "How do you know?"

"I don't have any proof, but I know it's the truth," she replied. "Where have you been all this time?"

"At soccer practice, and even if I wasn't, it would still be none of your business," he shot back.

"You weren't at soccer practice," she insisted.

"Prove it," he snorted, fixing her with a glare.

Ema climbed off the bed and gave him a small smile. "I know you're up to something, Dai, and I will find out what it is. If you don't want your parents to find out then you had better start coming up with a good excuse for what's going on."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Dai shouted, growing angry.

"No, I'm only looking out for you," Ema replied.

"Out, Ema!" Noah ordered. When she would not budge, he picked his sister up off the floor and marched her over to the door.

"Hey, let go!" she shouted, hitting Noah with her fists.

Noah promptly threw her out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"That's one less annoyance to deal with!" his older cousin said cheerfully.

"I can't believe I'm being blackmailed by a ten year old!" Dai moaned, flopping onto his bed. "If Ishida knew about this..."

"Forget her," Noah said, flopping onto the bed beside him. "We have more important things to talk about."

"Like what?" Dai asked in confusion, reaching out to scratch Shadow's ears.

"Miya!" Noah moaned, rolling onto his back and staring mournfully at the ceiling. "She knows I like her, so why does she keep pushing me away?"

"Noah, you're three years older than me. You're suppose to know more about this than I am!" Dai said in exasperation. Noah had revealed to him his affection for Miya ages ago, and now he was always getting stuck with having to listen to Noah moan about her.

"True," Noah said thoughtfully. "But still, what is up with her?"

Dai shrugged. "Who knows. Girls are crazy...well...except for Takara," he said with a small smile.

"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," Noah said, rolling onto his stomache and running his hands through his chestnut brown hair. "I gave her some flowers today at the convenience store, and do you know what she did with them? She handed them over to some old lady and said that they were a gift from me."

Dai fell back against the pillow in a fit of laughter, and Noah glared at him. "Yeah, Ami thought it was real funny, too," his cousin muttered. "That old lady thought I was really sweet, and she tried to give me a kiss."

Noah shuddered and buried his face in his hands. "I think I'm going to have nightmares for weeks! The worst part is that Miya's dad saw the whole thing!"

Dai managed to get control of himself and patted his cousin's shoulder in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Noah. If it makes you feel any better, I think Miya does like you, and she's just trying to have some fun with you. Girls do that sort of thing."

"Really?" Noah asked, his whole face lighting up. "So what should I do about it?"

"Give Miya a little taste of her own medicine," Dai smirked. "I think you should pretend to like some other girl and place all of your affections on her, preferably one who's willing to play along with your game. After all, you don't want to hurt some poor girl who doesn't deserve it. When Miya sees that some other girl is horning in on her territory, she's going to change her tune real quick!"

"I bet Shina would do it! She's a friend of mine from school. Thanks, Dai! Hey, for being only thirteen, you sure know a lot about women!"

Dai shrugged. "When you have a sister like Ami, you have to learn and real quick. It's a must if you want to survive living with her. I'm sure you'll find out once Ema gets older!"

Noah laughed and gave him a hug. "See what I mean? This is exactly why I'm glad that you're my cousin!"

Dai smiled, feeling rather flattered. Despite the fact that there was an age gap between them, he and Noah were very close. He was one of the people that Noah always told his secrets to, and Dai always returned the favor.

"Hey, Dai? Were you really at soccer practice today?" Noah asked, sitting up next to him and tickling Shadow's ears.

"No," Dai snorted. "But whatever you do, don't tell my parents."

"Don't worry, I won't," Noah grinned. "And I won't be telling my dear sister either! So where were you then?"

Dai bit his lip and gave his cousin a serious look. "I'm sorry, Noah, but I can't tell you. In fact, you probably wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Don't be too sure about that," Noah said quietly. "Will you tell me eventually when you can?"

"Definitely," Dai replied, giving him a smile.

"Dai! Noah! Supper's ready!" his Uncle Joe called up the stairs.

"You go on. I'll just be a minute," Dai said.

"Okay, see you downstairs," Noah replied, heading for the door.

As soon as he was out of the room, Dai let DemiEmbermon out of his backpack. "I'll bring you something to eat when we're finished, okay?"

"Okay," DemiEmbermon said happily. "Who were all those humans?"

"Those humans are my psychotic family!" Dai laughed. "Don't worry. They're basically harmless. If anyone comes in the room, make sure you hide. Shadow will keep you company. Watch out, though. He drools."

"Oh," DemiEmbermon said, staring at Shadow with wide eyes.

They were both on the bed, and Shadow had just caught sight of DemiEmbermon.

The puppy trotted over to the little digimon and starting licking him which made DemiEmbermon burst into giggles.

Dai laughed and left the room with a smile on his face.

Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Mickey entered the house with Matty right behind him, and they found their parents in the kitchen with Rina.

"You're late!" Rina giggled, swinging her legs and hitting her spoon on the table.

"Yurina Takaishi! What have I told you about making a mess?" their mother said sternly.

Rina pouted at her and promptly dropped the spoon she was holding on the floor.

"Hey, how was Dai's soccer practice?" their dad asked.

Mickey exchanged a look with his twin and gave his father a weak smile. "It was okay."

He bit his lip and quickly looked away. He felt terrible for lying. I've never lied like that to them before. What will they think of me if they ever find out?

Matty must have sensed how he was feeling because his twin slipped an arm around him, and it made him feel a little bit better.

"You two had better start eating or your food's going to get cold," their mother said.

"Okay. We're just going to drop our stuff off in our room," Matty said, and Mickey found himself being dragged away from the table.

When they were alone in their room, Matty gave him a hug and a sympathetic smile. "I know how much it bugs you to have to lie like that, but we don't really have a choice."

"I know," he said quietly into his twin's shoulder. "Thanks for being so understanding."

"Of course," Matty laughed. "You're my twin. You know what, Mickey? I'm so gald that you're nothing like me. Otherwise things would really start to get boring around here! Besides, I don't think I would have been able to stand living with a carbon copy of myself for thirteen years!"

Matty shuddered and made a face.

Mickey burst into laughter and rested his cheek against Matty's. "Well, I think you're pretty amazing," he said softly.

"You'd better!" Matty laughed.

"Besides, I still look like you," he said with amusement.

"Yeah, but that just makes me feel special," Matty said softly. Can you believe we're two completely different people who came from the same egg? Weird, isn't it?"

"Not really," Mickey said quietly. "That's why we're able to understand each other even though our personalities are complete opposites. It's because at one time we were one person who split into two unique people. You see, Matty? You'll always be a special part of me because at one time you were a part of me. That's why I can sense how you feel and why I know you better than I know myself."

"Mickey?" Matty mumbled into his shoulder. "You're the best brother ever."

"I feel the same way about you," he said softly into his twin's ear and hugged Matty close.

"The best part is that you get along!" their father laughed, suddenly coming into the room with their mother and smiling at them.

"In the final stages of pregnancy, most twins tend to end up kicking each other because the womb becomes very crowded. You two were quite content to share the space. Thank heavens for that!" their mother laughed. "It made my life easier!"

Mickey looked into his twin's eyes, which were the exact same shape and colour as his own, and smiled.

Matty reached out to trace the lines of his face and smiled back at him. "Yeah, it's definitely cool," his twin said softly.

Smiling with happiness, he and Matty left the room with their parents and headed back to the kitchen.

Mimi Ishida

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

That night Mimi entered her son's room and leaned against the wall with a smile.

Ryoko lay fast asleep under the covers, and Matt sat next to him against the headboard, stroking their son's golden hair. He was staring thoughtfully out of the window, his sparkling blue gaze lost in some far away place.

"Hey, Matt," she said softly, gazing at the two most important men in her life.

Matt turned to look at her and motioned her towards the bed.

She sat down on their son's other side and leaned over him to kiss Matt gently on the lips.

"Matt," she said quietly, brushing back Ryoko's silky gold hair. "Do you wish we had more children?"

Matt remained silent for a moment and sighed. "I would have loved to have had more children," he murmured, resting his head against hers and giving her a warm smile. "But everytime I look at Ryoko, it makes me grateful everyday for the one that I do have. There's no point dwelling on what might have been."

"You're right," she said quietly. It had been very difficult for her to get pregnant. She and Matt had tried for several years before they had managed to conceive Ryoko. It had been a rough pregnancy, but it had been worth it. Ryoko was her sweet baby boy, and he meant everything to her. Since Ryoko's birth, she and Matt had tried many times to have another child. It had never happened. When she had married Matt at the age of twenty-three, she had longed to be a mother, and she knew how badly Matt had wanted to be a father. Four years later, their dream had finally come true. Since then, she and Matt had been desperately hoping for another child, but it was not meant to be. She and her husband had finally come to terms with the fact that they would probably never have another baby, but it still hurt. Everytime she thought of it, it left a deep sadness in her heart. All she had ever wanted was to give Ryoko a little baby brother or sister. I wonder if Kari, Jun, Yolei, Noriko, and Sora know how lucky they really are...

"Matt," she said suddenly, leaning over Ryoko and giving him a fierce hug. "I'm only forty," she whispered into his shoulder. "I'm not going to give up yet."

Matt's arms went around her waist, and he hugged her tightly.

"There's still time," she said, her voice trembling.

Matt's beautiful blue eyes sparkled with emotion, and he stroked her hair.

"I won't give up either, Mimi, but I don't want you to be disappointed if nothing ever comes of it," he said quietly.

"Matt, do you believe in miracles?" she asked softly.

"I didn't when I was younger, but then I met you guys, and I started to believe," he said with a smile. "Then, when Ryoko was born, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that miracles really do happen."

Mimi kissed his cheek, and held him close. "Then lets cross our fingers and hope for one more," she said softly.

Ryoko suddenly sighed in his sleep between them and rolled onto his side.

She let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Do you remember all of the things we had to go through before we realized how much we loved each other?"

"You mean because I was dating Sora, and Tai was in love with her while you were falling in love with me?"

"Then when you add Jun into the picture..."

"Aren't you glad that everything finally worked out?" Matt laughed.

"Yes," she replied. "Beacause in the end I finally got what I had wanted all along. You."

Matt kissed her softly on the lips and smiled. "Come on, lets get out of here before we wake Ryoko up. He looks like he could use a good night's sleep."

"Where do you think he really was today?" she asked, feeling anxious. If anything happened to her son, her baby boy, she was sure it would probably kill her.

Matt stood up, pulled the blanket over Ryoko's shoulders, and leaned down to kiss their son's cheek which was flushed with sleep. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But I know Ryoko will tell us when the time feels right for him."

"I hope so."

She kissed Ryoko's forehead and gave her son's sleeping form a warm hug. "Good night, my little miracle," she whispered. "Sleep well."

She turned to Matt who smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with love and affection.

Hand in hand they left the room closing the door softly behind them.