Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! I actually like the chapter that comes after this one better, (which is already written and will be posted hopefully next week) but this one is definitely important. I'll be updating MBFG next because it's coming to an end soon, and that way I'll be able to focus on this story without worrying about poor Matt, and poor Tai, and...wait a sec. I'm worrying about them in this one, too! Anyway, enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 77: In the Valley of the Shadow

Ken Ichijouji

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Ken, are you okay?"

Ken rinsed his mouth out with water from the tap and leaned against the kitchen counter for support. He had never felt so dizzy in his life, and it was all he could do not to start throwing up again. His whole world was falling apart right in front of him, and he did not know what to do about it.

Sam knows about the Digital World, and that can mean only one thing. He knows about the Emperor, and he's never going to forgive me...

"Ken?"

Ken slowly opened his eyes and turned to stare at his best friend. Davis was leaning against the door to the living room, and there was a sad smile on the former Digidestined leader's face.

"Ken, talk to me. I know what you're thinking, but you shouldn't get upset until you've had a chance to talk to Sam. It might not be as bad as you think."

Ken felt his eyes begin to sting with hot tears, and he shook his head. "No, Davis, it's worse than I could have ever imagined. Did you see the look on Sam's face? My worst nightmare is coming true, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. My kids are going to hate me for the rest of their lives. I've lost them forever..."

"Maybe not."

"Davis, your son is a Digidestined, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the rest of the story," Ken said flatly, gazing miserably at the floor. He felt his friend's arms go around him, and he buried his face against the former Digidestined leader's shoulder.

"I guess I'm not the only one who has figured out the truth," Davis said quietly.

Ken flinched and glanced anxiously towards the living room. "Sam and the rest of Dai's friends have to be Digidestined, as well. That's the secret they've been keeping from us, isn't it?"

Davis sighed and finally nodded. "Yeah, I came to the same conclusion earlier, and I was right. Dai told me he's a Digidestined, and so are his friends. Besides, it's the only explanation that makes sense. How else could Dai have a digimon partner?"

"Where...are the rest of their partners?" Ken whispered.

Davis smiled at him and shrugged. "That's what I intend to find out. Somehow I don't think Sam and the others are carrying books in their backpacks, if you know what I mean. Come on, let's head back to the living room before our kids start to get really suspicious of us."

Ken quickly backed away from the former leader and shook his head.

"Why not?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion.

Ken leaned against the counter again and buried his face in his hands. "Sam," he whispered. "He's never going to forgive me for lying to him, and he's never going to forgive me for being the Emperor either. How am I going to be able to face him again after this, and what about Nao and Miya? Sam's going to tell them about the Emperor, and then they'll hate me, too!"

"Ken, Sam is your son. He loves you, and I know he'll eventually understand why you became a victim of the Powers of Darkness in the first place if you just give him time," Davis said firmly. "Besides, I don't think Sam knows the whole story yet."

What's that supposed to mean? Did Sam say something to Davis about the Emperor earlier?

Ken slowly looked up and gazed at his friend in horror. His whole body was trembling with fear, and he felt like he was going to be sick again. "Davis, did...did Sam mention the Emperor?"

Davis frowned and stared at the floor. There was a thoughtful expression on the former Digidestined leader's face, but it was quickly replaced by a small smile. "No, he didn't."

"What-"

"Sam didn't say a word about the Emperor. Ken, your son is upset about something, but I don't think it has anything to do with you. At least, I don't think it does. Not yet anyway. I asked him to come into the living room with us, but he said he didn't want to because he's afraid to find out what's going on. He said he didn't want to know. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Ken took a deep breath and shook his head. It was hard for him to think straight because he could not stop himself from imagining what life was going to be like without his kids. They would still be with him, but they would not love him, and that was something he knew he could never endure.

How will I be able to stand seeing the looks of hatred in their eyes every time they glance in my direction? I can't do it, and I don't want to try. I knew something like this was going to happen eventually, and now I'm going to pay for all the horrible things I did as the Digimon Emperor...

"No, Davis, I have no idea what you're going on about," he said dully, feeling defeated. "Please, enlighten me."

Davis rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Ken, you're supposed to be the genius here, not me! Do you remember what I just said? Sam knows about the Digimon Emperor, but he doesn't know about you! You saw him a few minutes ago. He was crying, and I think it's because of the Emperor, but if that's the case then why wasn't he shouting and screaming at you? He never even looked in your direction! Don't you get it? Sam doesn't know the Emperor's true identity!"

Ken's mouth dropped open, and he stared at his friend in astonishment. "Impossible!" he gasped. "Sam has to know! It's obvious my son and his friends are aware of the fact that they're not the only humans out there with digimon partners. Dai talked about DemiEmbermon as if he expected us to understand what was going on right away. They know we're Digidestined, which means they know about the Emperor. How could they not know?"

"Good question. I'm not sure, but I know I'm right," Davis said quietly. "Come on, Ken, let's go talk to Dai and the others. I want to know how they became Digidestined in the first place."

Ken frowned and reluctantly allowed Davis to pull him towards the door. "Sam has to know about my past. Why else would he be upset about the Digimon Emperor?"

Davis avoided his eyes and shrugged. "The Emperor did some pretty terrible things. Can you blame your son for being upset?"

No, I guess I can't. Sam has always been a sensitive person. The things I did as the Emperor are enough to make anyone upset.

"I'm sorry, Ken. I didn't mean to make you feel bad," Davis said quickly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know we don't hold your actions against you. I forgave you a long time ago, and the same goes for the rest of our friends."

Ken stared at the former Digidestined leader for a moment and managed a sad smile. "I know, Davis. The Emperor's true identity doesn't matter. At least, not when it comes to Kimeramon, the Control Spires, and all the other horrible things I did. Sam would have been upset about those things no matter whose brilliant idea it was to try and take over the Digital World."

"Exactly!" Davis laughed, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Who knows? Maybe Sam isn't even upset about the Digimon Emperor. That was only my first guess, and I could be way off."

Ken felt a small spark of hope in his heart and managed a weak smile. Maybe Sam doesn't hate me after all...

"Ken! Honey, are you okay?"

Ken jumped at the sound of his wife's voice and realized Davis had somehow managed to drag him back into the living room without him realizing it. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

"No, you're not!" Yolei handed their son over to Rosa and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Her eyes were glittering with tears, and she looked like she was going to start crying at any moment. "Oh, Ken, he doesn't know. He can't know!" she whispered in his ear. "What are we going to do?"

Ken glanced over her shoulder and stared silently at his son. Sam's whole body was trembling in Rosa's arms, and he was sniffing back tears.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Miya gasped, coming over to his side and placing a hand on his arm.

Ken wrapped his arms around his daughter and buried his face in her long, dark hair. Sam hates me. I know it...

"Dad?"

Ken looked up in surprise and realized his son was watching him closely. Sam sounded extremely upset, but his eyes were filled with curiosity instead of hatred.

Does he know, or not?

"Sam...I..."

Sam slowly came towards him, and he felt his son's arms go around his waist. "Dad, why are you so upset?"

I can't believe it! He doesn't know I'm the Emperor! Davis was right!

Ken almost sobbed in relief and hugged his son as tightly as he could. "Sam, I love you and your siblings so much," he choked out, resting his cheek against his son's raven head.

"Mommy, has Daddy gone crazy?" Nao asked, tugging on Yolei's skirt.

Yolei started to laugh through her tears, and she lifted Nao into her arms. "Not yet, honey. I think I'll go crazy before Daddy does!"

"Dad, say something. You're scaring me," Sam mumbled into his chest.

Ken gently ruffled his son's hair and avoided Yolei's eyes. He could feel his wife watching him, and he was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was thinking.

How am I going to stop Sam from finding out about the Digimon Emperor? He doesn't know about me yet, but that could change real quick. I bet he has tons of questions about the Emperor, and there's no way I can answer them without causing a lot of damage. I know I should tell him the truth, but I can't. I love all three of my children, and there's no way I can risk losing any of them. They're one of the reasons why I've tried so hard to put my past behind me, and I won't jeopardize my relationship with them. Somehow Yolei, Davis, and the rest of my friends are just going to have to accept that and help me keep my secret. I guess the past never really stays in the past. Somehow it always comes back to haunt you at the worst possible moments...

He had always had a feeling his happiness would not last, and now it looked like he was finally going to pay for every single crime he had ever committed...

"Dad-"

"Don't worry, Sam," he said quietly. "As long as you and your siblings are here with me, I'll be just fine."

I'm sure Sam knows about the Emperor, and that's why he's upset. Unfortunately he's going to be even more upset when he finds out the Emperor's true identity...

"Oh, Ken," Kari said sadly.

Ken looked up and realized his friends were all staring at their kids in astonishment and sending him sympathetic looks. Apparently they understood because no one said a word about the Emperor.

"Come on, Ken, let's sit down," Yolei urged.

Ken reluctantly sat down on the couch between Miya and Sam, and Yolei sat down on Sam's other side. Nao scrambled into his lap, and he gently stroked his younger son's lavender hair. He could feel the warmth of Nao's small body in his arms, and it gave him strength. He would not lose his kids no matter what anyone said about the Emperor.

Besides, I'm not going to let Sam find out, no matter what!

"Thanks, Rosa," he said, giving the Mexican Digidestined a shaky smile. "You, too, Cody."

Rosa and her husband had given up their seats on the couch, and the two of them were currently making themselves comfortable on the floor next to Noriko's armchair instead. "You're welcome," Rosa replied.

"Impossible," Izzy gasped, staring at DemiEmbermon with his mouth hanging open. "The gates to the Digital World are closed!"

"Not anymore," Mickey said softly, sitting down on the floor next to his mother.

Matty plopped down next to Mickey and made a face at the goggle headed leader. "You better start talking, Dai. You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place!"

"Hey, you guys didn't have to come to the computer room with me!"

"Oh sure, blame us!" Ryoko snapped.

"Besides, you told me to come!" Matty grumbled.

"The computer room?" Cody asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Daichi, Matty's right. You'd better start talking," Tai said quietly, staring at DemiEmbermon with a frown on his face.

Sora had a hand clapped over her mouth, and she was gazing at the little digimon with fear in her eyes. Mimi looked like she was ready to faint, and T.K. appeared unable to decide whether or not he should be angry, shocked, upset, or amused. Jun was obviously trying not to laugh, and Mina had a stunned expression on her face.

Ken shook his head and managed a small smile. The rest of his friends weren't doing much better. Izzy's brain had gone into overdrive, and Kari had her face hidden in her hands. Cody and Rosa were staring at one another in disbelief, and Noriko looked like she was going to burst into tears. Matt's face was very pale, and his eyes were sparkling with emotion. He was sitting on the ground with Rina in his lap, and his head was resting against Mimi's knee. Every so often he would reach up and squeeze his wife's hand in a comforting gesture and send her an anxious look. He was obviously worried about her, and the baby, and for some reason he kept avoiding Ryoko's eyes.

Oh, Matt. I know you're angry, but you can't let Ryoko drift away from you. If you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life...

"This must be some sort of a nightmare," Joe muttered to himself, his face a mask of shock.

"I wish," Yolei moaned, bursting into tears and sobbing all over Sam.

Davis was the only one who appeared the least bit calm, and Ken could not help admiring his friend's composure.

I wish I had even a quarter of his strength. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so helpless...

"Well, Dai? Aren't you going to say something? I think you've caused enough trouble already," Ema smirked.

Dai ignored his cousin and let out a loud sigh. "Alright. Dad, do you remember Gennai?"

Davis sat down on the floor next to Cody and smiled slightly. "How could I forget?"

"Well, according to him, Ryoko, Kara, Sam, Mickey, Matty, and myself are the new Digidestined. Everyone keeps saying I'm the new leader, so I guess it must be true," Dai mumbled, staring at his feet.

Tai glanced at Kara, who had sat down next to Sora with Taysuke, and sighed. "I should have known."

"No," Sora moaned, hugging her daughter tightly.

"Why?" Yolei wailed.

Kari and T.K. merely stared at their twin boys in shock and did not say a word.

"Ryoko, why didn't you say something?" Mimi said tearfully, holding her son tightly in her arms.

Ryoko bit his lip and did not reply.

"Daichi Motomiya, you're in so much trouble I can't even think up a suitable punishment!" Noriko cried.

"Dai, please continue," Davis said gently.

Dai slowly nodded and hugged DemiEmbermon tightly against his chest. "I'm going to tell you guys everything, but first I want all of you to meet the rest of our digimon partners and a friend who has agreed to help me explain what is going on. He says I have to be the new leader because I have the goggles, and I guess I finally understand what that means."

"Yes, I think you do," Davis replied, a sudden smile coming to his face.

Dai turned to gaze at his friends and grinned at each and every one of them. "Well, guys? What are you waiting for? It's time our parents got a chance to meet DemiEmbermon's friends."