Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Did you really think I was going to let Mimi suffer? Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

"You're so twisted, it's scary!" -Henry Wong (Season Three, Episode 10: The Icemon Cometh)

Chapter 53: Fallen Angel

Sam Ichijouji

Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World

Sam's eyes slowly opened, and he let out a soft groan. Every bone in his body ached, including the ones he did not even know he had. The ground beneath him felt more like a cement sidewalk than a forest floor, and there was a large rock poking him right between his shoulder blades. He managed to roll onto his side and pushed himself into a sitting position. His head was pounding, and a sudden wave of nausea curdled in his stomache. He waited for the sensation to pass and blinked several times to clear his vision. He did his best to ignore the sharp pains in his forehead and took a moment to study his surroundings. What he saw made his dark blue eyes grow wide with terror. The forest was completely covered in darkness.

Impossible! The sun was shining less than a minute ago! It can't be nighttime already...can it? How long have I been unconscious?

He looked up at the sky and felt his blood run cold. The sun was indeed gone, and there was no moon to take it's place.

There aren't even any stars up there! It's almost as if a blanket of darkness has covered the sky.

He glanced down at his hands and let out a gasp when he realized he could not see them.

This is insane! There aren't any clouds above me, so how can the forest be this dark?

A shiver raced down his spine, and he wiggled his fingers in an effort to make them out in the darkness. He gave up after one attempt and let out a whimper of fear. The darkness around him was so thick he could not even see what was right in front of his face.

"Sam? Sam, is that you?"

"Halomon?" Sam jerked around in surprise and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a small hand touch his shoulder.

"I'm right here," Halomon said softly in his ear.

He felt one of the little rookie's fluffy ears brush his cheek and let out a loud sigh of relief. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that! I almost thought you were an evil digimon!"

"Sorry," Halomon said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay. Where's Mickey?"

"He's lying next to you on the ground, and he won't wake up!" Halomon said anxiously. "I'm really worried about him."

Sam frowned and gave Halomon a comforting hug. "Don't worry. He'll be okay."

"I hope so," Halomon whispered.

"Me, too," Sam muttered. He reached out a hand and slowly felt along the ground until his fingers connected with the smooth skin of Mickey's forearm. The contact of human flesh eased his fears somewhat, and he gave the older twin's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Mickey, wake up," he murmured.

"Please?" Halomon whispered.

Sam leaned over Mickey's unconscious body and gently shook the older twin's shoulder. A soft moan escaped the blond's lips, and Sam felt Mickey's hand touch his face. "Mickey, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Sam, what happened?" Mickey mumbled.

"I'm not sure." He gently helped Mickey into a sitting position and glared at the darkness surrounding them. He was pretty sure it had something to do with them falling unconscious.

"Mickey!" Halomon cried, leaping into the older twin's lap and hugging him tightly. "I was afraid you might be dead!"

"Not yet," Mickey murmured, stroking Halomon's wings.

Sam smiled and wrapped an arm around the older twin. "I'm glad you're okay," he said softly. Although the forest was still dark, his vision had adjusted enough for him to make out Mickey's and Halomon's profiles. Unfortunately the rest of his friends were nowhere in sight. He clapped a hand over his mouth in horror and a muffled gasp escaped between his fingers. Where are they? They have to be around here somewhere...unless...

Sam's heart filled with fear, and he moved closer to Mickey for warmth. What if the darkness has completely consumed them? What if we never see them again?

"Matty," Mickey whispered, glancing frantically around at the trees. "Where's Matty?"

Sam gently pulled Mickey into his arms and squeezed his eyes shut. For the first time since he had regained consciousness, he was glad the forest was dark. He did not think he would have been able to bear seeing the look on Mickey's face. "I'm really sorry, Mickey," he said sadly, gently rubbing the older twin's back.

"No," Mickey whispered, shaking his head in denial. "He has to be around here somewhere. Where is he, Sam? Where's my brother?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Mickey, but I just don't know."

Mickey let out a soft sob, and Sam held the older twin tightly against his chest.

"When I woke up a few minutes ago, you and Sam were the only ones here," Halomon said tearfully, hiding his face against Mickey's back. "I wish I could be of more help, but I don't know anymore than you two do. I hope Celestimon and the others are okay."

Sam gazed helplessly at Mickey and shook his head. The older twin was trembling in his arms and sniffing loudly. He could feel Mickey's tears soaking his shirt, but he did not care. All he wanted to do was comfort his friend, but he did not know how that was going to be possible. Being in close contact with the older twin made him feel a lot better than when he had first regained consciousness, but it did not seem to be helping Mickey at all.

"He promised me he would look out for me, and I promised him the same thing," Mickey choked out. "How can I keep my promise if he disappears on me like this? What if he's gone forever, or worse! What if he's-"

"Stop, Mickey, or I'm going to start crying, too!" Halomon wailed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." Mickey gently pulled Halomon into his arms and sucked in a shaky breath. "What about Dai and my cousins?" the older twin whispered. "I couldn't bear losing any of them anymore than I could bear losing Matty. We have to find them. All of them. I know they must be around here somewhere. They have to be!"

"I agree," Halomon said, snuggling against Mickey's chest.

Mickey absently stroked one of Halomon's fluffy ears and nodded. "They're alive," the older twin said quietly. "I know they are."

Sam smiled at Mickey and pulled the older twin close again. Mickey's cheek came to rest against his shoulder, and he gave the blond a comforting hug. "I'm glad to see you're acting like your old self again," he said softly.

"I have to be strong for Matty's sake," the older twin said softly. "Giving into fear isn't going to help us find him, and it isn't going to help us find Dai and the others either."

Sam pulled his D-Coder out of his pocket and held it out to Mickey. He must have put it away just before he fell unconscious, although he did not remember doing so.

Mickey stared at it in confusion, and Sam laughed. "Matty and the others aren't dead," he said quietly. "Have you forgotten about our D-Coders already? As long as we have them with us, we'll always be able to find our friends again."

"Matty," Mickey said softly, placing a finger on the D-Coder's glowing screen.

"He's not alone," Sam murmured, gazing at the yellow dot that represented Matty. "Ryoko's with him, and you know he would never let anything happen to Matty."

"And Matty will do the same for Ryoko," Mickey replied, his amber eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

"Dai and Kara are together, as well. None of them are really that far away from us. I bet we can catch up to all of them in no time."

"Don't forget about your partner, Sam. We have to find him, too," Mickey said quietly.

Sam glanced up at the purple arrow hovering above his D-Coder and nodded. "I haven't forgotten," he said softly. The arrow was pointing somewhere off to the left, and although he wanted to start off in that direction, more than anything, he knew what he had to do first. "Listen, Mickey. I think we should find the others before we start looking for my partner."

"How come?" Mickey asked.

"The others can't see the purple arrow hovering above my D-Coder, and I don't want them to be attacked while you and I are searching for my partner. We have a better chance of defeating our enemies if we're all together. That's why I think the six of us should be within an arm's length of each other when we go looking for my digimon. Also, we can't guarantee they'll remember the trackers on their D-Coders. They might not have a clue where we are, and if we leave them behind, they might not be able to catch up to us."

"Good point," Halomon said, gazing thoughtfully at the trees. "Which direction should we head in first? It looks like Matty and Ryoko are ahead of us, and Dai and Takara appear to be somewhere off to our right."

Sam turned to look at Mickey and placed a hand on the older twin's shoulder. "Why don't we look for Matty and Ryoko first? That way you won't have to break the promise you made to your brother. I know Dai and Embermon will keep Takara safe until we can reach them."

"I don't know what I would do without Dai for a friend," Mickey said softly. "Come on, Halomon! You better digivolve. I want to be ready in case Vampiramon and her buddies decide to attack us."

"You got it, Mickey! Halomon digivolve to, Gabrielmon!"

"Stay close to me," Gabrielmon said quietly, staring intently at the trees as if he expected them to be attacked at any moment.

The three of them started forward, and Sam made a point of staying close to the angel digimon's side. The arrow hovering above his D-Coder created a small circle of faint, purple light around them, which allowed him to see Mickey's face more clearly. The older twin's amber eyes were dark with fear, and there was a small frown on his face.

"Mickey, what's wrong?"

Mickey bit his lip and glanced anxiously at the forest "How did Dai and the others manage to get so far away from us?" the older twin said slowly. "Matty was standing next to me right before we all fell unconscious."

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we're going to find out," Sam muttered.

Mickey stared at him for a moment and reached out to touch his arm. "Sam, I knew you could feel the darkness as soon as we arrived in the Digital World today," the older twin said quietly. "I could tell by the look on your face, and Matty could, too. Is there something wrong with us?"

Sam wrapped his arm around Mickey's shoulders and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Last night, my dad made me realize something I'm pretty sure I knew all along. I'm a good person, Mickey, and the same goes for you and Matty. He was only confirming what Ryoko had already said. I don't know why this darkness is affecting us, but I do know one thing. You were right about me. I'm not evil, and neither are you."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Mickey sighed and managed a small smile. "Thanks, Sam, I feel much better now."

"No partner of mine could ever be considered evil," Gabrielmon murmured.

Sam was about to reply when Gabrielmon suddenly froze and held up a hand to stop them from moving forward.

"What's wrong?" Mickey asked, sounding anxious.

Sam placed a hand on Gabrielmon's arm in an effort to stop himself from falling on the ground and ended up getting a face full of feathers. He sneezed loudly and made a face. "Gabrielmon, you've really got to watch it with those wings of yours! You could put someone's eye out with those things, and the next time you decide to come to an abrupt stop, warn me, okay? I almost ran right into you!"

"I sense something up ahead," Gabrielmon murmured.

Sam stared at the angel digimon in surprise and frowned. Gabrielmon did not appear to have heard a single word he had said.

"What is it?" Mickey whispered, clutching Gabrielmon's arm.

Gabrielmon shook his head and fluttered his wings in frustration. "I'm not really sure, but I've sensed it before, if only faintly. This time, the feeling is stronger. Whatever I'm sensing is closer than it has ever been before. It's the same feeling I get when I'm with Angelicmon."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Mickey asked, staring at his partner in shock.

Gabrielmon shrugged and gently placed a reassuring hand on Mickey's shoulder. "I didn't think it was all that important. Neither did Angelicmon. That's why we never said anything."

"You mean...Angelicmon has sensed this thing before, as well?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Gabrielmon murmured.

Something suddenly stepped out of the trees, and Sam stumbled backwards in shock when he realized it was an angel digimon.

"Angelicmon?" Mickey whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.

The angel digimon stood just outside their circle of light, but it was still possible to make out Angelicmon's features in the darkness. Sam's stomache clenched, and he slowly backed away from the angel digimon who stood in front of them. Although Angelicmon was still smiling, something about him seemed...wrong.

Why isn't he saying anything?

Sam glanced down at his D-Coder and felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Matty was still a good distance away from them, and he was sure it was pretty safe to assume Angelicmon was with him.

But...if the digimon in front of us isn't Angelicmon, then who is he?

"Angelicmon! I can't believe you're really here!" Mickey gasped, moving forward and reaching out to place a hand on the newcomer's arm. "Where's Matty?"

"Mickey, get back here, right now!" Gabrielmon snapped, pulling the older twin roughly against his chest.

Mickey blinked in surprise and stared up at his partner in confusion. "What's wrong, Gabrielmon? Angelicmon's-"

"That is not Angelicmon," Gabrielmon said quietly, glaring at the other angel digimon and gently stroking Mickey's golden hair.

Sam clutched Gabrielmon's arm and swallowed a lump of fear in his throat. He had just realized something, and it made him feel sick to his stomache. The darkness he had felt earlier was no longer coming from the forest around them. It was coming from the angel digimon standing directly in front of them.

Apparently Mickey had come to the same conclusion because the older twin's face turned pure white, and a low moan escaped his lips.

The digimon stepped into the light, and Sam let out a gasp of horror. "Impossible!" he whispered.

The angel in front of them had long, black hair, black wings, black armor, and black, feathery ears sticking out of his head. His skin was pure white, and his eyes were an intense emerald green. He looked exactly like Angelicmon, but unlike Matty's partner, this digimon was pure evil.

"No," Mickey whispered, tears of horror streaming down his face. "This can't be happening! Angels are symbols of hope, faith, and light! They represent peace and innocence, not darkness!"

"Not always," Gabrielmon said sadly, holding Mickey tightly in a protective embrase.

"They can't be evil!" Mickey sobbed. "They just can't be!"

"All good things can be corrupted by evil if they succumb to the Powers of Darkness. You would do well to remember that, Makiya Takaishi," the fallen angel said softly.

Mickey gasped, his amber eyes filling with fear, and the older twin quickly hid his face against Gabrielmon's chest.

"Who are you?" Sam demanded, glaring at the fallen angel.

"Sam Ichijouji and Makiya Takaishi. I've been waiting for a chance to meet the two of you," the angel said, smiling in amusement. "I have a question for you, Sam. Are you looking for your partner? You are? Good. I'm looking for your partner, as well, and I must say, I'm very anxious to meet him."

Sam shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "Leave my partner alone," he whispered.

"Do you think I'm here to steal you partner?" The fallen angel laughed and shook his head. "Oh no, Sam," he said softly. "I'm not here to capture the little rookie. I'm here to help you find him."