Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

"Unwilling slave of darkness, be purified by the light!" -BeoWulfmon (Season Four, Episode 32: My Brother in Spirit)

Chapter 39: The Emperor's Greatest Fear

Ken Ichijouji

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Ken, are you alright?"

Ken Ichijouji stood at the bottom of the stairs with his best friend and glanced anxiously in the direction of the living room. "No," he said quietly. "I'm worried about Sam."

"Why?" Davis asked, giving him a curious look.

"Let's go into the kitchen. I don't want Yolei to overhear us," he murmured, motioning for Davis to follow him.

Davis shrugged and smiled softly. "I guess Yolei and Noriko can wait a little longer."

They sat down next to each other at the table, and Ken turned to gaze thoughtfully out of the window.

"What is it?" Davis asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, to get his attention.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I'm not really sure. It's just...Sam has been acting a little strange lately, and I can't help but feel a little bit concerned about the whole thing. He seems uneasy about something, and he has been rather quiet the last couple of days. It's not like him to be so...distant."

Davis raised an eyebrow and studied his face. "Are you sure that you're not just imagining things?"

"You saw the way that Sam was acting a couple of minutes ago, and I know that you saw the way he tried to lie to me earlier," he said flatly.

"Have you told Yolei any of this?" Davis asked, looking amused.

"No," he muttered, avoiding his friend's eyes.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Davis chuckled.

Ken managed a faint smile and shrugged. "If Yolei knew that Sam was acting like anything other than his usual self, she would never let the poor boy out of her sight! I'm hoping this whole thing will blow over before I have to tell my wife about it!"

Davis started to laugh and crossed his arms. "Trust me, Ken. I'd do the same thing if I was in your shoes. Oh wait! I almost forgot! Noriko's just as bad as Yolei!"

"Besides, I think Yolei suspects something already," he said quietly. "It's only a matter of time before she starts to hassle Sam about his behaviour. If she starts to pester him, it's only going to make him upset, and I don't want our son to be angry at us."

Davis frowned and studied his face. "What are you really worried about?"

"That's how it started with me," he whispered, staring down at the table. "I acted the same way towards my parents after my brother died."

"So that's what's bugging you," Davis said softly, giving him a sad smile. "You're afraid that Sam is going to end up taking the same path that you took when you became the Emperor."

Ken's heart filled with sadness, and he slowly nodded. Miya, Sam, and Nao were his whole heart and soul. After their births, he had made a promise to himself that he would never let them suffer the same horrible fate that he had suffered. He and Yolei were determined to be the best parents that they could possibly be, and he was not about to push any of his kids into being someone that they were not. That was one of the things that had caused him to be the Emperor in the first place, and he was not about to make the same mistake with his children.

"Ken?"

He lifted his eyes to his friend's face, and Davis gave him a very serious look.

"Ken, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Sam is not going to end up becoming another Digimon Emperor. He has a lot of support from you, Yolei, his siblings, the rest of his family, and a great group of friends. You didn't have that when you were the Emperor. Besides, Sam's childhood is completely different from your childhood. I know the memories still haunt you, but Sam has only good memories in his life, so far. He has also never lost someone close to him. Somewhere along the line Sam is going to face some tough challenges in his life, but he's a strong person, and I know that he'll be able to overcome any obstacles that stand in his way. You were able to change your life around, and Sam is your son. There is no reason why he won't be able to do the same thing."

I hope you're right, Davis.

He let out a sigh and gazed up at the ceiling. Miya had always been more like her mother, and that was why he did not often worry about her. He knew that she was going to be just fine. Sam and Nao were a different story. Both of his sons reminded him a lot of himself, and that scared him. He was especially worried about Sam because his older son was now around the same age that he had been when he had become the Emperor. That fact made him very uneasy. His greatest fear was that Sam would end up following the same path of darkness that he had taken. If that happened, he did not know what he would do.

I hope I'm not going to be this stressed out when Nao gets to be Sam's age!

He smiled softly and shook his head. It was hard being a parent, but it had also helped him understand his own mother and father a little bit better.

My past is behind me, but if that's the case, then why do I feel as if it's going to come back to haunt me? Sam might remind me a lot of myself, but he also reminds me of my brother, and that scares me most of all. I couldn't bear it if I lost my son, especially after losing my brother. I can't handle anymore heartache, and losing my son would probably drive me completely insane...

"Ken, we haven't even been to the Digital World in years," Davis said quietly. "I doubt we'll ever go back. The chances of Sam finding out about it are slim, and even if he did, there's no way he could get there. Trust me, Ken. Sam is never going to let darkness consume him."

Oh, Davis. If only I could be as optimistic as you are.

Unfortunately optimism had never been one of his strong points.

"Ken, hey. Look at me," Davis said softly.

Ken felt his friend's hands on his shoulders and slowly looked up.

"I believed in you, and now you have to believe in Sam," his friend whispered.

"Daddy?"

Ken jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see Nao standing in the doorway.

"Daddy, where's Sam?" Nao asked, coming over to his side.

"He's upstairs with Dai."

"Do you think that Dai will mind if I hang out with them?" his son asked, looking a little uncertain.

Ken smiled into Nao's deep blue eyes and pulled his younger son into a hug. "Of course not. He loves spending time with you."

"Yeah. In fact, now that I think about it, even Ryoko's rather fond of you!" Davis laughed, ruffling Nao's hair.

Nao beamed at them, and Ken smiled as his younger son's small arms went around him in a hug.

"Why don't you go upstairs and spend some time with them. Sam's probably wondering where you are."

"Okay," Nao said happily, giving him a big smile.

Ken watched his son leave the room, and he turned to see Davis watching Nao with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his heart filling with sudden fear.

Davis blinked and smiled at him. "Don't worry, Ken. Both Sam and Nao are going to be just fine. It's Dai I'm worried about."

"Me, too," he said softly.

"Do you think I should take him to the hospital, just in case?" Davis asked, looking very uneasy.

Ken placed a reassuring hand on his friend's arm and sighed. "I'm sure Dai will be fine. If he gets any worse, have Joe check him over. That way Noriko won't find out about his condition. You know Joe will keep Dai's secret."

"You're right. I don't want Noriko to be upset over nothing."

"Davis?" he said softly. "Do you believe Sam and Ryoko? Do you really think Dai got injured playing soccer?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"I want to, but I find their explanation hard to believe," he said quietly. "Something's not right. I can feel it."

"Me, too," Davis murmured.

"Why would they lie to us though? It doesn't make any sense," he said, feeling frustrated.

"Good question," Davis muttered.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Yolei said, coming into the room and frowning at them.

"Since you're here, we might as well get the food out," Noriko added, stepping into the kitchen behind Yolei. "Where are Dai and the others?"

"Upstairs. Dai's not feeling too well," Davis replied.

Noriko's forehead wrinkled with worry, and she frowned. "Is he alright?"

Davis stood up and kissed Noriko's cheek. "He'll be fine. Now let's eat. I'm starving!"

Yolei rolled her eyes and smiled at the former Digidestined leader.

"By the way, Ryoko's here, too." Davis added.

"They're not fighting, are they?" Noriko asked, giving her husband a suspicious look.

Ken exchanged a look with Davis and smiled softly. "I wouldn't worry, Noriko. There's hope for those two yet."

"And for Sam," Davis muttered.

Ken sighed softly and leaned over to give Yolei a kiss.

I hope you're right, Davis.

Sam Ichijouji

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Sam sank to the floor and covered his face with both hands. "Did you see the look on my dad's face?" he moaned.

"Yeah," Ryoko said quietly, letting Iramon out of his backpack.

"He's really mad at me."

"He looked more upset than angry," Ryoko replied, pulling DemiEmbermon out of Dai's backpack.

"That's even worse!" Sam wailed.

He sighed and watched Ryoko hand DemiEmbermon over to Dai. The goggle headed leader hugged DemiEmbermon tightly and refused to meet Ryoko's eyes. Ever since Davis had made that comment about Ryoko, the two boys had been doing their best to avoid having to look at each other.

"Don't worry, Sam," DemiEmbermon said cheerfully, snuggling against Dai's chest. "Your dad will be back to his usual self in no time."

"That's right," Iramon said, curling up next to Dai's cheek on the bed.

Ryoko was so busy staring at the floor that he did not even notice the fact that Iramon seemed to be quite fond of Dai.

Sam did, though, and he smiled.

Even their digimon have figured it out before they have!

The door suddenly flew open, and Sam jumped as his brother came into the room.

"Hi, Sam!" Nao said, giving him a big smile.

"Nao! What are you doing in here?" he gasped, glancing anxiously at Ryoko.

Ryoko quickly pulled Dai's blanket over the two digimon and sat down on the edge of the goggle headed leader's bed.

"What? You don't want me in here?" Nao asked, his voice starting to tremble.

"Of course I do," he said softly, pulling his little brother into a hug. "You just surprised me, that's all."

Nao smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Thanks."

"You're really lucky to have Sam and Miya," Ryoko said softly, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "I wish I could have been that lucky."

Nao stared at Ryoko for a moment, and Sam let out a gasp as his younger brother suddenly gave Ryoko a hug. "Don't be sad," Nao said, sounding shy. "You still have all of us."

Wow! My little brother's brave! Ryoko's not the type of person you just walk up to and hug unless you're really close to him!

"Thanks," Ryoko whispered, his sparkling blue eyes filling with sudden emotion.

Sam smiled as Ryoko hugged Nao back.

"Ryoko," he said softly. "You would have made a great older brother."

Ryoko blinked at him, and the blond's face suddenly turned bright pink. "Really? You think so?"

He nodded and placed a hand on his friend's arm. "You're really good with kids. I've seen the way you interact with Tay, Nao, Rina, and the rest of the younger children. They love you, and that's the most important part."

"Yeah, it's too bad I'll never get the chance to be an older brother," Ryoko said sadly, hugging Nao tightly to his chest.

Dai suddenly placed a gentle hand on Ryoko's wrist, and the blond jumped in surprise.

So did Sam. He had thought that the goggle headed leader had fallen asleep.

"Never say never," Dai murmured, gazing into Ryoko's eyes.

"Yeah!" Nao said happily.

Ryoko stared at the other two boys in shock, obviously surprised by their sudden affection.

The door burst open again, and this time Miya and Ami walked into the room.

"What do you want?" Dai grumbled, his eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

"We've been in Ami's room this whole time trying to eavesdrop on you guys!" Miya said cheerfully. "Unfortunately we couldn't hear what you were saying very well. What's going on? Why were my dad and Davis in here earlier?"

"None of your business!" Dai shot back.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop on people," Nao said seriously.

"Have I ever told you that you're the coolest kid I've ever met?" Dai grinned, leaning over to give Nao a hug.

Nao blushed and smiled shyly at the goggle headed leader.

"Dai, are you okay?" Ami asked, sitting down on the bed next to Ryoko. "We heard something about you being hurt."

Sam felt a sudden small stab of fear.

What else did they hear?

"I'm fine. Now go away!" Dai groaned.

Ami gave her brother a worried look and sighed. "You'd better be!"

"Did you really fall off the bleachers?" Miya giggled.

"It wouldn't be the first time that he's made a fool out of himself!" Ryoko smirked.

"Will you get out of my room?" Dai shouted, kicking Ryoko in the side with his foot. "I think you've annoyed me enough for one day! Besides, I'm trying to sleep!"

Ryoko let out a gasp as he fell into Ami, and the two of them tumbled off of the bed.

"Ouch!" Ami shouted, her back hitting the floor. "Ryoko!"

Ryoko had fallen on top of her, and he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"I'm sure you are!" Miya giggled, glancing at Ami and raising her eyebrows.

Ami's face turned bright pink, and she glared at Miya. "If you say even one word, I'll never speak to you again!"

"Whatever!" Miya snorted, rolling her eyes.

Sam frowned at his sister and turned to look at Ami.

What's going on with them?

"Come on, let's go downstairs and have some supper," Ami muttered, squirming out from under Ryoko.

"I'm coming, too," Ryoko said. "If I spend anymore time with Daichi, I'll probably end up hitting him. He's already done a fairly good job of hurting himself already! He doesn't need me here to make it worse!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? You can leave anytime!" Dai snapped.

Ryoko ignored him and frowned. "That reminds me. I'd better call my parents. What about you, Sam? Are you coming?"

"No. I'll stay here and keep Dai company."

There's no way I want to meet up with my dad again so soon! He probably doesn't even want to look at me right now!

He was definitely not looking forward to the conversation that they were going to end up having eventually. He felt terrible just thinking about it.

Well at least Ami and Miya don't appear to be suspicious of us. That's one good thing that has happened today. I guess they weren't able to hear very much of our conversation.

"I'm staying, too," Nao said softly.

"Okay," Ryoko replied, picking up Shadow, who had just entered the room.

Shadow happily licked Ryoko's face, and the blond left the room with Ami and Miya.

"Dumb dog!" Dai shouted after them. "You're suppose to be on my side!"

Sam managed a weak smile and stared anxiously at the ground. Now all he had to worry about was facing his father. Unfortunately the look of disappointment that he had seen in his dad's eyes was the one thing that he was dreading to face most of all.