Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Matty's going to have a lot of respect for his brother and Sam once things start happening! (More than he already has, if that's possible!) I'm sorry for the lame chapter. It's one of my worst yet, but it just would not turn out the way I wanted it to. The next one will be better when we get back to Sam and Mickey.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

"This whole place is starting to suck!" -Kazu Shioda (Season Three, Episode 30: The Imperfect Storm)

Chapter 55: Friendship and Sincerity

Masato 'Matty' Takaishi

Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World

"Matty! Matty, wake up!"

"Celestimon, is that you?" Matty mumbled.

"Yes," Celestimon whispered. "I'm standing right next to you. Are you okay?"

"I think so." Matty slowly opened his eyes and spotted the little rookie kneeling next to him on the ground. He could feel his partner's small hand touching his cheek, and even though Celestimon could not see him very well, he still gave the little rookie a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Celestimon. I'm fine."

Celestimon nodded and hugged him tightly around the neck. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"No!" Matty laughed, stroking one of his partner's small wings. "Where are the others?"

"Ryoko's right beside you."

Matty jumped at the sound of Alopemon's voice and felt his heart leap into his throat. "Alopemon, why didn't you say something earlier? If you digimon keep scaring me like this, I'm going to die of a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Alopemon replied, sounding amused.

"Ryoko's the only one here," Celestimon whispered, sounding anxious.

Mickey...

Matty felt a sudden stab of fear in his heart, and he stared at his partner in shock. "That's impossible! Mickey was standing next to me just before I lost consciousness!"

"I know," Alopemon said quietly. "I'm sorry, Matty."

"No," Matty whispered, shaking his head. "My brother has to be around here somewhere!"

Alopemon sighed and shook his head. "I've already searched the forest around us for any sign of the others. They're not-"

"Ryoko!" Matty flung himself at his cousin and started shaking the other boy's shoulders. "Ryoko, wake up!" he cried desperately. "We have to find Mickey and the others before they end up getting themselves killed!"

"Mickey?" Ryoko murmured.

Matty let out a gasp of relief and pulled his cousin up into a sitting position. "Ryoko, are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Mickey, what happened?" Ryoko mumbled, sounding confused. "Where are the others?"

Matty's mouth fell open, and he stared at Ryoko in surprise. I don't believe it! He thinks I'm Mickey!

"I have no idea," Matty replied, smiling slightly. "I guess we must have gotten separated from our friends when this darkness suddenly surrounded us. You, me, Alopemon, and Celestimon are the only ones here."

Ryoko grabbed his arm, and Matty found himself being dragged to his feet. "Ryoko, what-"

"Come on," Ryoko said quietly. "We have to find the others as soon as possible. Who knows what kind of trouble Dai has gotten them into this time!"

"We can't let Vampiramon and her buddies hurt our friends," Celestimon said softly.

"You're right," Matty murmured. "There's only one problem. Where do we start looking?"

"I hadn't even thought of that," Ryoko muttered.

Matty gazed curiously at Ryoko and gently placed a hand on his cousin's arm. "Ryoko, is something wrong?"

Ryoko sighed softly and wrapped his arms around himself. "No," the blond said quietly. "I guess I'm just worried about the others, especially Matty. I still feel really bad about yelling at him earlier."

Alopemon coughed into his hand, and Celestimon started to giggle.

Matty ignored the two digimon and gave his cousin a warm smile. "Don't worry, Ryoko. Matty doesn't hold it against you. You could be the biggest jerk in the world to him, and he'd still care about you."

Ryoko sighed, and a small smile appeared on his face. "You know what, Mickey? I really admire Matty. He's so outgoing and friendly, and he isn't afraid to show other people what he's feeling inside. I wish I could be like that."

Matty's eyes stung with sudden tears, and he pulled Ryoko against him in a hug.

The only reason he's telling me all of this is because he thinks I'm Mickey. He never would have had the courage to tell me otherwise. Wow. I never realized he thought so highly of me.

They had often argued with each other when they were younger, but after what he had just heard, he knew he would never doubt how much Ryoko cared about him ever again.

"Mickey, what's wrong?" Ryoko asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Matty smiled softly and shook his head. "Ryoko, I'm not Mickey," he whispered into his cousin's ear. "I'm Matty."

Ryoko gasped in shock and quickly squirmed away from him. "Matty!" his cousin shouted, sounding thoroughly embarrassed. "You jerk! You tricked me into thinking you were Mickey!"

"Do I look like I'm wearing Mickey's clothes?" Matty laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't realize who I was a long time ago, especially with Celestimon here!"

"It's dark out here!" Ryoko mumbled, sounding defensive. "I can barely see you or your clothes! Besides, you and Mickey sound exactly the same. It's hard to tell your voices apart, and Celestimon being here doesn't mean anything!"

Matty raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "You know something, Ryoko? Most people only mistake me for Mickey if I keep my mouth shut!"

"I could have sworn I was talking to Mickey," Ryoko murmured. "You usually don't sound that-"

"Sensitive?" Matty laughed and gently placed his hands on Ryoko's shoulders. "I can be sensitive when I want to be. Thanks for saying all those nice things about me, even if you weren't actually planning on saying them to my face," he whispered.

"I'm glad I did," Ryoko mumbled, holding him close. "Thanks, Matty. You know what? I'm glad you're here with me."

Matty nodded and gave his cousin a serious look. "I meant what I said before, Ryoko."

"Me, too," Ryoko whispered.

"Guys, we have to find the others," Alopemon gently reminded them.

Fear crept back into Matty's heart, and he slowly nodded. Talking to Ryoko had allowed him to get his emotions under control, but Alopemon's words made him realize that he could no longer ignore the horrible situation they had gotten themselves into. Mickey and the others were missing, and there was a good chance that they were in danger. "Mickey's probably really worried about me," he said softly, his voice trembling with emotion.

"And you're worried about him," Ryoko said in a gentle voice.

Matty turned his back on Ryoko and clenched his hands into fists. "What if something has happened to him? I promised him I would protect him, and now I won't be able to keep that promise. If Jestermon or one of the others tries to hurt him-"

"We'll find him," Ryoko whispered. "I promise."

"What about Dai and the rest of our friends?" he mumbled.

Ryoko placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Don't worry. We'll find them, too!"

"The D-Coders!" Celestimon suddenly gasped, fluttering into the air. "The D-Coders will help us find them!"

"That's right!" Matty gasped. "I almost forgot!" He quickly pulled out his D-Coder and smiled when he spotted the glowing dots that represented his friends. "They're alive, and look. There's Mickey," he whispered, gently placing a finger over his brother's orange dot.

"He's with Sam," Ryoko murmured. "Dai and Kara are together, as well."

"Who should we start looking for first?" Alopemon asked, glancing at Ryoko.

"I think we should catch up with Dai and Kara first," Ryoko mumbled.

"Why?" Matty blurted out.

Ryoko avoided his eyes and shrugged. "It makes sense, doesn't it? If the four of us are together when we meet up with Sam and Mickey, we can start looking for Sam's partner right away without having to waste time searching for the rest of our friends."

"We also have a better chance of defending ourselves when we're all together," Matty added, sighing in defeat.

"I'm sorry, Matty," Ryoko said quietly, his sapphire eyes filling with sympathy.

Matty managed to give his cousin a weak smile and shook his head. "It's okay. You're right. Mickey and Sam will just have to look after each other until we can find them."

"Let's go," Celestimon said softly, fluttering off into the darkness.

They started walking in silence, and Matty glanced nervously at the trees. The darkness around him was so thick he felt like he was suffocating.

What if all this darkness decides to turn on Mickey and Sam? I bet Mickey's really freaking out right about now, and I can't even do anything to comfort him. What if the darkness swallows him up before I have a chance to reach him? My brother and Sam have always been sensitive, and this kind of thing could send them both over the edge if they don't keep their heads on straight. Oh, Mickey. Please stay safe until I can find you again...

"Mickey worries about you a lot," Ryoko suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts.

Matty smiled softly and held his D-Coder tightly against his chest. "He thinks I go looking for trouble. That's why he worries so much."

"Mickey's right. You do go looking for trouble!" Ryoko shot back, smiling slightly. "Dai's the same way."

Matty studied Ryoko's face for a moment, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You really care about Dai, don't you?" he said quietly.

Ryoko blushed and turned away from him. "I know you think I hate Dai, but-"

"You don't," Matty whispered. "You don't dislike him at all! I guess I always sort of knew that, but I still can't help feeling a little surprised."

"So am I," Ryoko murmured.

A sly smile slipped across Matty's face, and he elbowed Ryoko in the ribs. "Can I tell him?"

"Go ahead. He'll never believe you," Ryoko shot back.

Matty gave Ryoko a serious look and shook his head. "You have to tell him eventually."

"I know," Ryoko murmured. "Come on. We have to hurry. Knowing Dai, he'll end up getting himself into trouble before we can reach him just to spite me!"

"You guys better digivolve," Maty said seriously, glancing at his partner who fluttered in the air beside him.

"Okay," Celestimon said softly. "Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

"Alopemon digivolve to, Tirimon!"

"Thanks for reminding us about the D-Coders," Matty said, gently stroking one of Angelicmon's large wings.

"You're welcome," Angelicmon said quietly. "Come on. Let's go find Dai and Kara."

If only we knew where all this darkness was coming from. I can feel it running through my veins and casting a shadow over my heart. It's so thick, and I feel so cold. If it's affecting me this much, I can't even imagine what it's doing to Mickey and Sam. I hope they're okay.

Unfortunately he had a horrible feeling that Mickey and his friends were in a lot of danger, and there was nothing he could do about it.