Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, this will be my last update this week, and with the holiday coming up it'll be a few days before my next one. (Canadian/British holiday) I'll try my best to do two next week, but it may be one. I'll have to see. Anyway, this chapter is a bit short, but there's lots to cover, and I want to make sure I don't leave anyone or anything out. Poor Ken...that's all I have to say...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 76: Questions, Answers, and More Questions

Davis Motomiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Davis stared at the bright red digimon in his arms and shook his head in disbelief. He had been open to the fact that Dai and the others might have found out about the Digital World, but nothing could have prepared him for the little in-training digimon who was gazing up at him with big, green eyes.

"Who...are you?" he managed to choke out.

"I'm DemiEmbermon!" the little digimon replied, his emerald eyes sparkling with excitement. "I'm Dai's digimon partner! He's a great human, and his dog likes me, too. Do you think we could eat supper now? I'm really hungry."

"Thanks a lot, DemiEmbermon! I knew you were going to get me into trouble!" Dai groaned.

Davis slowly turned to look at Matt and realized the blond was staring back at him. "Matt-"

Matt held up his hand for silence and gazed at DemiEmbermon as if he had never seen a digimon before. The blond's face was very pale, and he looked like he was in shock.

Davis frowned and gave his friend an anxious look. "Matt, are you okay?"

"Your digimon partner?" Matt asked, his sapphire eyes coming to rest on Dai's face. "DemiEmbermon is your digimon partner?"

Dai flinched and avoided Matt's eyes. "Um...yes. I met him in the Digital World about a week ago."

Davis stared at his son in shock and almost lost his grip on DemiEmbermon. All of a sudden everything was starting to make sense. His son, and his son's friends, had started acting really strange around the same time DemiEmbermon had come into the picture. In fact, he was pretty sure he could pinpoint the exact day his son and the others had made their first trip to the Digital World. It was the day Dai had decided to skip his soccer practice.

I can't believe it. My son is a Digidestined, and so are his friends! Ryoko and the others have to be, as well. Dai would never go to the Digital World by himself, and that would explain why Kara and Ryoko were absent from Taysuke's soccer game. It also explains Sam and the twins. Those three were late for supper that day, as well, and now I know why. The secret our kids have been keeping from us is the same secret we've been keeping from them. They've been to the Digital World, and they have digimon partners. They're Digidestined, and I have a feeling they know exactly what happened to my friends and I twenty-five years ago. Why else would Dai be calmly speaking to Matt and myself about digimon as if we're already supposed to know what he's talking about?

"You know about us, don't you," he sighed, gazing into his son's dark eyes.

Dai lifted his chin and slowly nodded. "Yes, we know. Actually, we just found out. My friends and I were in Primary Village this afternoon, and a digimon named Elecmon helped us out. You remember Elecmon, don't you, Matt?"

Matt's eyes began to sparkle with anger, and his face turned an unpleasant shade of red. "Daichi, you and your friends had better get into the living room, right now! And yes, Noah, I'm talking to you, too, so don't give me that look! Ryoko and his friends aren't the only ones who have been keeping secrets from us. All of you have a lot of explaining to do!"

"What do you mean us?" Ami shouted, glaring angrily at Matt. She pointed at DemiEmbermon and stared at the little digimon in amazement. "I've never seen that thing before in my life! What is it?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it talked!" Taniko gasped.

Rina rolled her bright blue eyes and scrambled into Mickey's arms. "You guys are dumb! It's a digimon! What does it look like?"

Davis glanced at Rina and smiled slightly. I was right. Mickey and Matty told Rina about the Digital World, and that's the secret she has been keeping for them!

"Rina!" Mickey smiled in amusement and held his little sister tightly in his arms. "You don't exactly know that much about digimon either!"

"I know more than they do!"

"Still..."

Rina wrapped her arms around Mickey's neck and gave him a brilliant smile. "Don't worry, Mickey. I never told anyone your secret, unlike some people!"

"Hey! It's not like I told the others Dai skipped practice on purpose!" Taysuke said defensively.

Matty grinned and wrapped an arm around his younger cousin's shoulders. "It's okay, Tay. There aren't any secrets left anymore, and I have a feeling we're all going to be in trouble no matter what we say from now on!"

"Only you would find this situation humorous," Mickey said, giving his twin a fond smile.

Davis gently stroked DemiEmbermon's head and glanced anxiously at Matt. The blond looked like he was ready to explode.

Dai and the others had better get into the living room before Matt really gets angry, but first there's something I need to know for certain...

"Dai, your friends are Digidestined, too, aren't they," he said seriously, stepping forward and placing a hand on his son's shoulder. He held DemiEmbermon tightly in his left arm and gazed into Dai's dark eyes. His son was obviously trying to avoid having to look at him, but he was not going to let the new leader of the Digidestined get off that easily.

He has to be the new leader. After all, he has the goggles...

Dai finally looked at him and nodded. "Yes. Ryoko, Kara, Sam, and the twins are all Digidestined, too."

"That's right," Takara piped up, stepping forward and clutching the back of Dai's bright red shirt.

"I thought so. You would never have gone to the Digital World by yourself. You're my son, Dai, and I know you have more sense than that in spite of what Yolei says about me and my obvious lack of brains!"

Dai laughed and sent him a very hesitant smile. "Trust me, Dad, Yolei has no idea what she's talking about!"

I don't need to yell at my son. Matt has always been kind enough to do that job for me!

"Dai, you and your friends might as well come into the living room and tell us what's going on," he said after a tense moment of silence. "Now that I think about it, this room isn't big enough to to hold us all."

"Dai, your mom's going to murder you!" Ema smirked.

"Shut up, Ema! You're nothing but a-"

"We told all of you to get into the living room, now move it!" Matt snapped, interrupting Dai in the middle of what had to have been a rather nasty insult directed at Ema. "I'm not going to repeat myself again, and no more jokes, Matty! You and your friends are in serious trouble, do you understand me?"

"Why? It's not like you and your friends ever bothered to tell us about the Digital World!" Ryoko shouted.

Matt glared at his son and pointed towards the kitchen door. "I mean it, Ryoko," he said coldly. "Get your butt in there right now or you can forget about hanging out with your friends for at least a month! Do I make myself clear?"

The entire room went quiet again, and Davis winced at the expression on Ryoko's face. The golden haired Digidestined looked like he had been hit in the face.

"Well?" Matt demanded.

"Fine, but we're not the only ones who have a lot of explaining to do!" Ryoko snapped back. The blond pushed past his father and stalked into the living room with his head held high and tears in his eyes.

Matt's blue gaze sparkled with sudden hurt, and Davis sent his friend a sympathetic smile. He did not think he would ever forget the expression that had been on Matt's face when Dai had announced Ryoko was a Digidestined.

I know exactly how you feel, Matt. Our children are never going to forgive us for keeping the Digital World a secret from them. Sora was right. We should have told them...

He had never seen Matt and Ryoko fight before, and it made his heart ache with sadness.

What if Dai and I end up like that?

"What is this Digital World you guys keep talking about, and what is a Digidestined? I'm really confused. What kind of secrets have you guys been keeping from us all these years?" Noah asked quietly. "Obviously Dai and his friends know what you're talking about, but the rest of us don't. What's going on?"

"I guess this means we're not going to be having supper any time soon," DemiEmbermon said, looking extremely disappointed.

Davis gave the little digimon a sympathetic hug and handed him back to Dai. "Don't worry, little guy, we'll get you something to eat eventually. Trust me, I haven't forgotten how large a digimon's appetite can be!"

DemiEmbermon's spirits lifted immediately, and the little digimon beamed at him. "Thanks, Davis. Dai's lucky to have a dad like you."

"Why do digimon have a habit of saying the most embarrassing things at the worst possible moments?" Dai groaned.

Davis glanced at his son and turned to smile softly at DemiEmbermon. "Thanks, I'm glad you think so. A digimon's opinion is not something to be taken lightly. They have this ability to see the good in everyone, and they're great judges of character. That's the best compliment I've ever received from anyone, human or digimon."

"You're welcome!"

"Excuse me while I go dig myself a hole to crawl into and never come out of!" Dai grumbled.

"Uncle Davis..."

Davis turned towards his nephew and sighed. "Don't worry, Noah, Dai and I will explain everything. Come on, guys, let's go into the living room."

"No! I'm not going to go in there if we're just going to get yelled at!" Rina cried, and promptly burst into tears.

Matt made his way over to Mickey's side and gently took Rina in his arms. "It's alright, sweetheart, no one's going to yell at you," the blond murmured, giving his niece a comforting hug.

"No, but you're all going to yell at us!" Matty complained.

Matt raised his golden eyebrows and frowned. "I think there's a reason why everyone calls you Matty, after all. Now for the last time, everyone in the living room or I might have to start yelling again!"

Davis was about to follow the others when he noticed Sam was not making any effort to leave the kitchen. The raven haired boy remained in his seat at the table with his face in his hands, and his shoulders were trembling badly.

Davis felt his heart leap into his throat, and he almost threw up right on the table. Oh no. Sam knows about our past. Does that mean he knows about Ken, too?

"Sam, are you coming?" he asked quietly.

Sam slowly lifted his head and wrapped his arms around himself. "I don't want to go in there. I don't want to know!" the raven haired boy said tearfully.

"Oh, Sam!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes glittering with pain and sadness. The older twin had paused at the door with Nao and Miya, and all three of them were gazing anxiously at Sam.

Davis glanced frantically at Matt, and the blond stared back at him in horror.

Sam can't know about Ken, can he?

"Come on, Sam." Davis gently pulled his best friend's son out of the chair and lead the raven haired boy towards the door. He entered the living room with his arms around the younger Digidestined and turned to see Ryoko sitting on the loveseat between Mimi and T.K. The blond's face was hidden against his mother's shoulder, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Mimi gasped, wrapping her arms protectively around her son. "Why won't you say anything?"

T.K. gently rubbed his nephew's back in a soothing gesture and frowned. "Davis, Matt, what's going on? What was all the yelling about?"

"Sam, are you okay?" Yolei shrieked, leaping up and throwing her arms around her son. "What is it, honey? Why are you so upset?"

Sam shook his head and started to cry.

Davis quickly let go of the raven haired boy before Yolei could trample him and spotted Dai and the rest of the kids huddling against the wall. Rina was still sobbing into Matt's shoulder, and her tears created a wet patch on the blond's navy blue, long-sleeved shirt.

"Yurina Takaishi! What has gotten into you?" Kari gasped, staring at her daughter in astonishment.

"Sam," Ken whispered, his violet eyes sparkling with fear. He looked like he wanted to hug his son as tightly as he could, but he made no attempt to move from his seat on the couch.

"Have all of you gone completely crazy? Somebody better say something and quick!" Tai shouted over the noise.

Davis pulled Dai towards the centre of the room and motioned for Takara and the others to move closer, as well. "Show them," he said quietly, gazing directly into his son's eyes.

"Show us what?" Noriko asked, glancing suspiciously at Dai.

Dai had been hiding DemiEmbermon behind his back, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly held the little digimon out at arm's-length. "This is DemiEmbermon," the new leader of the Digidestined announced. "He's my digimon partner."

At those words, Ken promptly ran out of the living room and threw up in the kitchen sink.