Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, here's another chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 62: Destiny Unfolds

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Daichi Motomiya fell out of the computer and landed on the floor of Ryoko's room with a grunt of pain. He jumped in surprise when he realized he was lying on top of Matty and nearly sneezed. The younger twin's silky, blond hair was tickling his nose and making it hard for him to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Dai, will you get off? You're crushing my ribs!" Matty shouted, giving him a dirty look.

Why do I always get blamed for everything around here? It's not like I tried to flatten him on purpose!

"I told you we should have put some pillows down ahead of time," he said reasonably.

Matty rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No you didn't!"

"Well, I was going to, but then Ishida caused a huge scene, and I forgot all about the computer!"

"Don't blame me for your own stupidity!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes glittering with anger.

Dai ignored his potential best friend and gave Matty a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"I'm glad you're okay, Dai," Sam said softly, sitting up and giving him a warm smile.

He smiled back at the other boy and climbed off of Matty, taking rather longer than necessary to do so. The younger twin was still glaring at him, and he was determined to teach his friend a lesson.

Of all the nerve! Well, at least he's not as bad as Ryoko!

"I feel the same way about you," he said quietly, gazing directly into Sam's eyes. "I thought for sure Vampiramon was going to come after you and Mickey. Hey! Look at Glowmon!"

"My name is actually Glimmermon now," the little digimon beside Sam said softly. "This is my in-training form."

Glimmermon was a small, round digimon with green skin and large, violet eyes. There was a small antenna sticking out of the top of his head, and it had a glowing bulb attached to it. He basically looked like an insect with a small light bulb hanging just above his eyes. The only thing he lacked was an actual body. A talking head described him more accurately.

"You're even cuter than you were before!" Takara squealed, stroking Glimmermon's head.

Dai stared at his female friend for a moment a smiled slightly. She really is the most amazing girl I know. I wonder if she realizes how pretty she is.

Takara's long, dark hair, hazel eyes, and bright smile were enough to get any guy's heart racing, himself included. The yellow top and jean shorts she had on showed off her slim figure and longs legs, making her look even taller than usual. Funny how he had never noticed those things before. It was only after she had saved his life that he had begun to see her just a little bit differently than he had before...

Don't be dumb. She only saved you because you're her friend. At least...I think that's why she saved me. Wait a minute! Why do I even care? It's not like I have feelings for her or anything...do I?

"I wish Vampiramon had come after us," Mickey whispered, sitting down on Ryoko's bed and holding Palelymon tightly in his arms. "I'd rather face her over DarkAngelicmon any day."

Matty sat down next to his brother and shook his head. "Trust me, Mickey. You don't want to face her either."

I can't argue with that!

Dai crossed his arms and frowned at the twins. They looked like they were going to be alright, but that was not enough to convince him of anything. Something about the expression on Mickey's face made him feel very uneasy.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along again," he said quietly, watching them closely.

Mickey flushed and glanced anxiously at Matty. The younger twin managed a weak smile, but it was obvious he was still worried about his brother.

"We're going to be just fine," Mickey whispered, gazing directly into Matty's eyes.

Matty nodded slowly and nearly fell off the bed in surprise when Mickey suddenly hugged him tightly. The older twin was doing everything he could to make sure Matty understood the depth of their relationship, but Dai could not help wondering if that was going to be enough.

I hope they realize how much they love each other. If they don't, DarkAngelicmon's going to end up tearing them apart.

Mickey and Matty were both very independent people, but they also enjoyed each other's company. They knew when to give each other space and when to give each other support, and that was what made them such a great team. The only thing they could not stand was the thought of losing one another forever. Unfortunately their worst nightmare was going to end up coming true if they continued to let DarkAngelicmon come between them.

"I still can't believe DarkAngelicmon's only a champion," Takara murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sam sat down next to Ryoko on the floor and nodded. "I couldn't believe it either. There has to be more to him than meets the eye. He must be a powerful digimon if Vampiramon and the others are willing to hang out with him."

"I still don't understand why DarkAngelicmon didn't try to steal Glowmon," Ryoko said quietly. "The same goes for the D-Coders. He had a perfect opportunity to get his hands on two of our Digivices, and he didn't take it. Why? What exactly is he planning, and why do I have a feeling he's not working towards the same goal as Vampiramon?"

"I'm surprised he didn't try to destroy Glowmon," Dai muttered, avoiding Ryoko's eyes. He sat down on the blond's other side and frowned at the computer. According to Sam, DarkAngelicmon was an aggressive digimon who would try to eliminate any obstacle standing in the way of his plans, and yet, the fallen angel had not tried to hurt anyone. In fact, Vampiramon was the one who had tried to destroy them, not DarkAngelicmon. Apparently she felt her plans would go a lot more smoothly if they were dead. DarkAngelicmon was a different story. He obviously thought they were more important somehow, and he seemed to think he could use them in his quest to plunge the Digital World into darkness.

DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon might be working towards the same goal, but they have two very different ideas of how to accomplish what they have been sent to do. I wonder which plan their master believes will work the best?

"DarkAngelicmon was worried," Sam whispered. "I could tell by the way he kept glancing around at the forest. Vampiramon wanted to destroy Glowmon. DarkAngelicmon didn't. I think he was afraid of what would happen if Vampiramon discovered he was trying to ruin her plans."

"He's not afraid of anything," Mickey said flatly. "Wary? Yes. Afraid? No. He's not going to let someone like Vampiramon order him around for long. As soon as he sets his plans into motion, Jestermon and the others are history. He's only using them to help him achieve his goal, and once he's done with them, he'll throw them aside like useless trash. I don't think he's even afraid of his master."

Dai blinked in surprise and stared at the older twin with his mouth hanging open. "Um...Mickey? Which plan do you think their master prefers, Vampiramon's plan or DarkAngelicmon's plan?"

Mickey gently stroked Palelymon's ears and shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered. "I wish I did, but I don't."

Dai stretched out on his stomache and turned to gaze at Ryoko. The blond sent him a fearful look, and he gave his friend a reassuring pat on the knee.

If only there was something we could do to help Mickey, but I think this is one thing he's going to have to do on his own.

Apparently Matty felt the same way because the younger twin gazed helplessly at Mickey and shook his head in denial. Obviously he did not like the idea of having to watch his brother suffer, and he definitely did not like the idea of being unable to do anything about it.

"Why did Vampiramon say we couldn't win against her without Sam's partner?" Takara asked, leaning her back against the leg of Ryoko's desk.

"We have a better chance of defeating her when we're all together," DemiEmbermon piped up. "I think that's what she meant. All of us are a lot more powerful when we work together as a team instead of as individuals. We're going to need all of that power in order to defeat Vampiramon and her buddies, and there's no way we can reach our full potential without Glowmon."

"That's why she tried to stop us from finding all of our partners," Sam muttered. "She really is a witch!"

"A very dangerous witch," Dai murmured.

"Vampiramon's a lot easier to figure out than DarkAngelicmon is," Iramon said seriously. The little digimon snuggled against Ryoko's leg and gave his partner a penetrating look.

Ryoko nodded slowly and ran his fingers over Iramon's bushy tail. "We're going to have to be very careful around him."

"He's not the only one who's hard to figure out," Sam mumbled.

Dai exchanged a look with Ryoko and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked, turning to gaze at his raven haired friend.

Sam hesitated and finally shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Sam-"

"Dai, do you think the Digimon Emperor was really evil?" the raven haired Digidestined blurted out.

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. "I think you're going to have to wait until we find Wormmon in order to get an answer to your question."

Sam nodded and let out a sigh. "Centaurumon said I could end up losing someone close to me if I didn't believe this Wormmon he kept talking about. I don't understand. What exactly was he trying to say?"

Glimmermon gave Sam a sympathetic smile and hopped into the raven haired Digidestined's lap. "Don't worry, Sam, everything's going to work out just fine."

"I hope you're right," Sam sighed. "I wonder who Wormmon is. How exactly is he suppose to help me, and who am I going to lose if I refuse to listen to him? Was Centaurumon talking about one of you guys? He made it sound as if Wormmon knew the Emperor very well. Is it just me, or am I ending up with more questions than answers? I thought Centaurumon wanted to help me, but all he has done is make me feel even more confused!"

"There's no point in dwelling on everything," Fluttermon said from her seat next to the computer. "You'll find out what's gong on soon enough."

"Right now we have more important things to worry about," Matty said seriously.

Sam frowned at the younger twin and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? I'd say the Emperor qualifies as being important!"

"The Spirit Chips!" Takara shouted, her hazel eyes glittering with excitement. "Can you believe our digimon are going to be able to digivolve to ultimate?"

"I just hope they'll be strong enough to defeat Vampiramon and the others," Mickey said softly.

Goldmon stroked Mickey's hand with one of his fluffy ears and smiled at the older twin. "Don't worry. We will be."

Dai nodded and grinned at DemiEmbermon. He was anxious to see his partner digivolve to the next level, but he was even more anxious to find out the identities of the original Digidestined.

I hope Veemon can tell us what's going on. He sounds like a pretty cool digimon. He must be if he has a lot of friends. At least, that's what Centaurumon said. Do Veemon and the others really know who the original Digidestined are?

"Dai, do you think those other Digidestined will like us?" Takara asked nervously.

Dai frowned and rested his chin on his arms. "I'm not sure, Kara. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm starting to really hate surprises," Takara muttered.

Ryoko let out a sudden gasp, and Dai turned to look at him. "What's wrong, Ishida?"

"Do you think Veemon might have had a human partner?" Ryoko asked, his sapphire eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. "Maybe that's why Centaurumon wants us to find him! If he can lead us to the other Digidestined, then they can help us find the crests! Didn't Centaurumon say something along those lines?"

Dai blinked at Ryoko and started to laugh. "You're brilliant, Ishida! Of course! That makes perfect sense. Why else would Centaurumon want us to waste time looking for a useless digimon?"

"Apparently he's not so useless after all!" Matty smirked.

Dai nodded in agreement and smiled up at Ryoko. "I guess the same goes for you, Ishida!"

Ryoko gave him a rather shy smile and turned bright red in the face. "Thanks," the blond mumbled, looking both surprised and confused by the sudden compliment.

Okay. It wasn't exactly a compliment, but the part about him being brilliant was!

"Do you think Wormmon might have had a partner, too?" Sam asked, almost stumbling over the words. The raven haired Digidestined sounded as if he did not know whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

"That's definitely a possibility," DemiEmbermon said seriously.

Dai slowly got to his feet and scooped the little digimon into his arms. He turned to face the rest of his friends and stared at each and every one of them before letting his gaze settle on Ryoko. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to go to the Digital World tomorrow, but as soon as the weekend is over, we're going straight to File Island, alright?"

Ryoko got to his feet and nodded. "Alright," the blond said softly.

"I guess we should all head home. It's almost dinnertime, and I don't think we're going to learn much more until we have a chance to talk to Veemon," Matty yawned. "Besides, I'm really tired, and all this useless chatter is putting me to sleep!"

"It wasn't all useless. Ryoko proved that!" Takara shot back, looking amused. "Come on, guys, let's go home."

Dai was about to follow the others out of the room when Ryoko suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What's wrong, Ishida?"

Ryoko hesitated and glanced anxiously towards the stairs. "Daichi, do you think Mickey's going to be okay?"

Dai gazed at Ryoko for a moment and gently placed his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Don't worry, Ishida. Your cousin's a lot tougher than he looks. I know it's hard to believe, but Mickey can be brave when he wants to be. Seriously. Sometimes he makes me look bad!"

"What about Sam?" Ryoko whispered.

Dai smiled at his friend and nodded. "The same goes for Sam." he whispered back.

For a moment, he could have sworn Ryoko was about to hug him, but instead of moving closer to him, the blond suddenly turned away and stared silently at the floor.

"Ishida, what-"

"Thanks, Dai," Ryoko whispered. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Dai frowned and finally nodded. He was reluctant to leave the blond's side at such a critical turning point in their friendship, but he made himself leave the room. As he was closing the front door behind himself, he realized something that made his mouth drop open in utter shock. For the first time since they were toddlers, Ryoko had called him by his nickname.