Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another chapter! I will be switching out of Davis' POV eventually once all the talk is finished. Next chapter we finish up with Ryoko and head to Mickey and Matty. I might only get one update up next week, but we'll see if I can pull off a miracle! I cried my eyes out when I wrote the parts with Ryoko and Matt. On that note, please enjoy! And as always, please review!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 80: Matt's Worst Nightmare
Davis Motomiya
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
"According to Gennai, we need the crests in order to digivolve to the next level, and you guys are the only ones who can help us find them," Dai said urgently. "I know it's hard to believe, but everything I've said is true. The crests still exist, and if we don't get them back from whoever stole them, the entire Digital World will be doomed."
"Daichi's right," Ryoko sighed, his sapphire eyes narrowing into a frown. "Centaurumon said the Spirit Chips won't work unless they've been fused together with the crests. I guess we shouldn't really be surprised. The Digital World always has to make things more complicated than necessary. It's like some sort of rule or something."
"That's for sure. Centaurumon also said we won't be able to find the Spirit Chips without the crests, and that's another reason why we have to get our hands on them as soon as possible. We think Vampiramon and her buddies might have stolen them, but the good news is we still have our D-Coders," Matty said quietly, reaching out and gently placing his yellow Digivice in T.K.'s hands. "Apparently the crests aren't enough. We also need our D-Coders in order to find the Spirit Chips, and I have a feeling Vampiramon and the others may have realized that, too. Why else would they be trying to steal our Digivices all the time?"
"They have to know about the Spirit Chips," Takara said slowly. "No other explanation makes sense, and that would explain why they stole the crests."
"If, in fact, they were the ones who stole the crests in the first place," Jun muttered.
"Dai and his friends have done a great job of keeping Vampiramon and her buddies from covering the Digital World in darkness," DemiVeemon said enthusiastically. "You agree with me, don't you, Davis?"
Davis sat in stunned silence and gazed at Dai and the rest of the new Digidestined in horror. After a brief hesitation, he reached out a trembling hand and pulled up his son's shirt. Dai's back and chest looked a lot better than they had a few days ago, but there was still enough evidence for Noriko and the others to make out exactly what BlackWidowmon had done.
"You told your father you got injured on the bleachers at the soccer field! Oh, Dai, how could you have lied to us like that?" Noriko sobbed. She pulled the goggle headed leader into a hug and gently ran her hand over the bruises on his back. There were tears running down her face, and she looked like she was just barely hanging onto her sanity. Unfortunately Davis had a feeling things were only going to get worse, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Noriko already had enough things to worry about. She did not need him causing her even more stress.
"Mom-"
"Oh, my poor baby! You could have died! When I get my hands on that evil spider digimon she's going to wish she'd never-"
"Mom, I'm fine!" Dai interrupted, looking embarrassed. "Listen, I'm sorry I lied to you and Dad, but I didn't want you guys to worry about me. Besides, I didn't know the two of you were Digidestined back then, and I thought you would try to stop me from going to the Digital World if you knew about DemiEmbermon. Seriously, if you guys had bothered to tell me about your past a long time ago, I wouldn't have tried to stop you from finding out about BlackWidowmon and Vampiramon in the first place!"
"Yeah right!" Ema snorted. "If you had known Uncle Davis and Aunt Noriko were Digidestined before you got that message from Gennai, I bet you would have tried even harder to stop them from discovering your secret because they would have had even more reasons to prevent you from going to the Digital World!"
Dai blushed and quickly stared at his hands. "Um...yeah...I hadn't even thought of that."
"Why do you think we're so upset?" Noriko cried, gazing tearfully at the yellow bruises on Dai's chest. "We know how dangerous the Digital World can be, and that's why we're angry you didn't tell us you and your friends were Digidestined a long time ago! Oh, Dai, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Vampiramon would have killed you if Dovemon hadn't digivolved to Ibismon, and don't even get me started on BlackWidowmon again!"
Dai quickly scrambled away from his mom and yanked his shirt back down. "I'm fine, Mom. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a little kid anymore."
"You don't look fine to me!" Jun gasped, her dark eyes growing wide with horror.
Ami nodded in agreement and gave her brother a tight hug. "Dai, you're such an idiot!" she said tearfully. "Mom's right. You could have died! What would I do without you in my life? I wouldn't have anyone to boss around anymore, and you know I care about you even if I don't always act like I do."
Davis dragged his eyes away from his son and turned to look at the others. His friends were staring at Dai with expressions of pure terror on their faces, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what they were thinking. Ken and the others were obviously worried about Dai, but they were also worried about their own children, as well. Mickey, Matty, Takara, Ryoko, and Sam had all been in danger at one time or another, thanks to Vampiramon and her buddies, but so far the five of them had managed to escape without getting hurt. Unfortunately there were still plenty of chances for someone to end up getting seriously injured, or worse, in the future, and he wanted to make sure that did not happen.
How am I going to stop my son and his friends from putting themselves in danger? I know they'll always be there to help each other out when things get tough, but sooner or later their luck is going to run out, and then we're all going to end up suffering...
"Well, at least you guys don't have to worry about whether or not your kids are keeping secrets from you anymore," DemiVeemon said weakly.
"There aren't any more secrets, Dad," Dai said quietly, his deep brown eyes sparkling with sudden anger. "DemiVeemon and I didn't leave anything out, but the same can't be said for you and your friends. Oh, by the way, I didn't tell you I fell off the bleachers. Sam and Ryoko were the ones who came up with that brilliant idea!"
"If you hadn't acted like such an idiot, we wouldn't have had to lie for you in the first place!" Ryoko snapped. "You're lucky Ken caught you when he did otherwise you would have ended up falling flat on your face! Honestly, Daichi, you couldn't have been more obvious if you'd tried!"
Davis wrapped his arms around Dai and turned to gaze at Ryoko. "You saved my son," he whispered. "I...I don't know what to say..."
Ryoko's face turned bright red, and the blond stared at his feet. "Daichi's my friend. I had to save him."
No, Ryoko. You didn't have to save my son's life, but you did because you care about him more than you will ever admit. I know it doesn't always seem like it, but Dai feels the same way about you, and one day I hope you'll realize that. Besides, I think my daughter has a crush on you, and it'll be a lot easier for me to keep an eye on her if the guy she's chasing is close friends with her brother! It'll also be a lot easier for me to keep an eye on you and those Ishida/Tachikawa good looks you've inherited!
"You only became friends with me because you had to?" Dai said flatly.
"I didn't say that! Quit twisting my words around!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes glittering with anger.
Dai crossed his arms and glared at the blond. "You only saved me because you had to? What kind of an answer is that?"
"You know what I mean," Ryoko mumbled, looking embarrassed.
Davis got to his feet and headed towards the loveseat where Ryoko was sitting with his parents. He pulled the blond into a tight hug, and after several minutes of silence he managed to find his voice. "Thank you for everything, and don't worry. Dai cares about you more than you think," he said softly in the golden haired Digidestined's ear.
"How do you know?" Ryoko mumbled.
"Trust me, I know."
"Will you guys be quiet already?" Dai shouted. "I know you're talking about me."
"What's going on?" Matt asked quietly, his voice trembling with obvious fear.
Davis gave his blond friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder and shrugged. "Nothing important."
I can't believe Matt still doesn't know about Dai and Ryoko. How can he not see what's going on between them? I know Ryoko usually tries to avoid having a conversation with Dai when his parents are around, but that's still no excuse. Matt and Mimi should have realized the truth by now, especially considering the way Ryoko was acting a few minutes ago.
"Ryoko's not the only one who saved Dai's life," Noriko said tearfully, scrambling forward and throwing her arms around Takara. "Oh, Kara, thank you for saving my baby. Vampiramon would have killed him if Dovemon hadn't digivolved."
"I'd never let anything bad happen to Dai," Fluttermon said firmly.
Noriko managed a shaky laugh and hugged the little digimon tightly in her arms. "I know. You're amazing, Fluttermon, and so are you, Kara."
Takara's face turned pink, and she gently kissed Noriko's cheek. "Thank you. I know Dai gets himself into trouble a lot, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. My friends and I will always be around to make sure he stays in one piece!"
"Hey, I'm not that bad! Thanks a lot, Kara!"
Davis laughed and slowly pulled away from Ryoko. He sat down on the floor next to Matty and pulled the younger twin into a hug. "You, too, Matty. BlackWidowmon would have killed Dai if you hadn't been there to help him."
Matty beamed at him and sent Dai a warm smile. "I wanted to save him."
"Sure, make me look bad!" Ryoko muttered, his face turning pink with guilt.
"Ryoko, what are you talking about?" Matt said sharply, looking uneasy.
I wonder if Ryoko will ever tell his parents the truth...
"You guys were a great help, too," Noriko said softly, her dark eyes coming to rest on Mickey and Sam. Both boys blushed and smiled shyly at her in return.
Davis nodded in agreement and leaned over to give Kara a kiss on the cheek. "Let's not forget about the digimon. They're the real heroes."
"Our job is to protect our human partners," Iramon said seriously. "We will not fail Gennai, and we will not fail our friends either."
Davis stroked the little digimon's blue fir and quickly got to his feet. He made his way back over to his wife's side and wrapped his trembling arms around Dai. "I know. Thank you, Iramon. I needed to hear that. You, too, DemiEmbermon. Thank you for protecting my son."
"You're welcome!" DemiEmbermon replied, beaming at the praise.
Dai rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. "You worry too much, Dad."
How can I not? I love you so much, and I'd never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you. After all, I've been keeping the Digital World a secret from you for years. If you had ended up dying, it would have been all my fault for not warning you about the danger that comes with being a Digidestined.
"Ryoko, you saved Dai, and I'm not saying what you did was wrong, but do you realize how many times you came within an inch of losing your life?" Matt snapped, his cold, blue eyes glittering with emotion.
Ryoko glared at his father and leaped angrily to his feet. "I can't believe you, Dad! Daichi could have died! If you think I'm just going to stand back and do nothing when my friends are in danger, think again! You have the Crest of Friendship! I thought you would understand, but obviously you don't!"
"That's more like it," Dai said, nodding his head in satisfaction.
Mimi's eyes filled with bright tears, and she shook her head in denial. "Oh, Ryoko, you're the one who doesn't understand. If you knew the truth-"
"What truth? What are you talking about?" Ryoko shouted. "Haven't the two of you kept enough secrets from me already?"
"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that!" Matt snapped, his sapphire eyes blazing with sudden anger. "You might think you can get away with that kind of behaviour around me, but you know very well your mother doesn't need any extra stress right now. She has enough problems to deal with at the moment, thanks to you, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't keep trying to make things worse!"
Ryoko froze and stared at his dad as if he had never seen the man before. "Excuse me for being such an inconvenience," the blond said quietly, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sudden tears. "I never realized you considered me to be nothing but a nuisance before. Why didn't you just leave me on the steps of an orphanage somewhere right from the beginning, and then you never would have had to worry about me ruining your life all the time!"
Mimi let out a gasp of horror, and Matt's mouth dropped open in utter shock. The two of them stared at Ryoko in disbelief, but the golden haired Digidestined refused to look at them.
"Ryoko!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes growing dark with sadness and despair. "Oh, Ryoko, you know your parents love you more than anything else in the world. You're not an inconvenience to them, and you never will be! Please don't say things like that. I know you don't want to hurt your mom and dad, but if you keep accusing them of things that aren't true, you're not only going to end up hurting them, you're going to end up hurting yourself, too."
Davis winced at the looks on Matt's and Mimi's faces and glanced anxiously at Tai. If the original Digidestined leader did not do something quick, Matt and Ryoko were never going to speak to each other again.
Poor Matt, and Mimi, too. They look like they've been struck by lightning or something.
Words could not even begin to describe the expression on the former musician's face. Losing Ryoko was Matt's worst nightmare, and it was obvious his son's accusations against him were eating him up inside.
Quick, Tai! Do something!
Tai suddenly jumped to his feet, and Davis blinked in surprise. It was almost as if the original Digidestined leader had read his mind.
I hope he knows what he's doing...
Tai pulled Ryoko into his arms and gazed calmly at Matt over the boy's golden head. "Matt, listen to me. It's obvious you're upset, but you and I both know Ryoko did the right thing. You care about Dai a lot, and I know you're proud of Ryoko for putting his own life on the line to save a friend. Besides, everything your son has learned about friendship he has learned from you and Mimi. Gabumon's right. Your son is a lot like you. I know because you would have done the same for me if I had been in Dai's place. In fact, you already have. Have you forgotten so quickly? I know it was twenty-nine years ago, but I still remember, and I won't let you forget what it means to be the Child of Friendship."
"I haven't forgotten," Matt whispered, gazing directly into the former Digidestined leader's dark eyes.
Ryoko wrapped his arms around Tai's waist and glared angrily at his father. "Then why are you acting like I've done something wrong?"
"Because I love you, and I don't want you to die!"
Ryoko stared silently at his father and promptly burst into tears. Without a word, he scrambled out of Tai's arms and collapsed against his dad's chest in a sobbing heap.
"Ryoko, I think you're the one who needs to listen to me, not the other way around," Iramon said sadly.
Matt held his son tightly in his arms and hid his face against the golden haired Digidestined's shoulder. There were tears in the former musician's eyes, and the look he gave Ryoko was filled with nothing but love and affection.
"I'm sorry," Ryoko sobbed, his tear stained cheek coming to rest against the top of his dad's head. "I didn't mean what I said before. I love you and Mom, and I know you guys love me, too."
"No," Matt choked out, his sapphire eyes glittering with pain and sadness. "No, Ryoko. I'm the one who's sorry. I should have told you everything right from the beginning. Besides, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
Mimi threw her arms around her son and gently kissed his cheek. "Sweetheart, your father and I waited a long time to have you. Do you honestly believe we would have given you up?"
"No," Ryoko said quickly.
Mimi's cinnamon eyes sparkled with fierce determination, and she slowly wiped a fresh load of tears off her cheeks. "Your father and I would die before we would ever let anyone take you away from us."
"You will never be an inconvenience to me," Matt whispered, gazing deeply into his son's sapphire eyes. "Ryoko, you're the main reason why I gave up a chance to be the lead singer of one of the most popular bands in the world. You're everything to me. I've always put you first, and I always will. I love you more than you'll ever know, and even though I might get angry sometimes that doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you. You know that, don't you?"
Ryoko wrapped his arms around his dad's neck and smiled through his tears. "I do now."
"Ryoko, I might be having another baby, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about you," Mimi said softly. "You and your sibling both have your own special places in our hearts, and that's the way it's always going to be. Trust me, honey, no one's ever going to take your place."
Ryoko kissed his mother's cheek and smiled fondly at her stomach. "Mom, I want to have a sibling, and I know you and dad will love both of us equally. I was never worried about that. I was upset because I thought you guys were going to be really disappointed in me. I...I really am sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you before about the Digital World. Do...do you think you could forgive me?"
"Of course we can forgive you," Mimi said quietly. "Do...um...do you think you could forgive us for keeping such a huge secret from you?"
Ryoko squeezed her hand and snuggled against his dad's chest. "I think so, but-"
"I'm scared, Ryoko," Matt choked out, his voice trembling with emotion. "BlackWidowmon and Crystalmon could have killed you. Why do you think we didn't tell you about the Digital World in the first place? We were trying to protect you. My friends and I all agreed our kids were probably never going to become Digidestined, but despite common sense a small part of us still believed there was a slim chance you and your friends would end up having digimon partners of your own. We didn't want any of you to put yourselves in danger, and I guess we figured that was less likely to happen if we kept the Digital World a secret. After all, how could any of you be attacked by digimon if you didn't even know the Digital World existed? Besides, the gates were closed, and the chances of some digimon attacking the human world again were slim to none. I realize now what a huge mistake we made. If anything we put you guys in even more danger. I'm so sorry, Ryoko. If Crystalmon had killed you, it would have been all my fault..."
"And mine," Mimi whispered.
Iramon snuggled against Mimi's stomach and shook his head. "No way. Besides, I'll never let anything happen to Ryoko. He'll always be safe with me."
Matt lifted Iramon into his arms and smiled through his tears. "Iramon, can you promise me you'll always protect my son?"
Iramon lifted his chin and nodded. "I will protect him with my life, and you know Palmon and Gabumon will, too."
"You're right. Thank you, Iramon. Your words mean a lot to me."
"Does that mean you're not going to yell at us anymore?" Matty asked hopefully.
Matt gently handed Ryoko over to his wife and sat down on the floor next to Matty. He pulled his twin nephews into a hug and held them tightly against his chest. "Thank you, Mickey," he whispered softly in the older twin's ear. "You saved my son. I'll never be able to repay you for what you've done."
Mickey blushed and smiled shyly at his uncle. "You don't have to thank me. Ryoko's like a second brother to me. I'd never let anything bad happen to him."
"Yeah, haven't you heard? We've officially adopted him as our triplet," Matty said solemnly.
Matt burst into laughter and gave his nephews a fond smile. "I love you both. No wonder my little brother's so proud of you."
Davis glanced at T.K. and frowned. The twin's father did not appear to be listening to the conversation at all. Instead he was gazing at his sons with a look of horror on his face, and his hands were clenched into fists. He looked like he had spotted some horrible apparition hovering above his sons' heads, but unfortunately it was a demon only he could see.
Oh no. DarkAngelicmon...
Davis glanced nervously at Matt and realized the former musician was shaking his head and gazing sadly at T.K.
It looks like I'm not the only one who's worried about T.K...
T.K. had finally told him about Devimon after they had managed to repair their friendship many years ago, and he had felt nothing but sympathy for his blond friend ever since. He knew exactly what T.K. was thinking, and it made his blood run cold. DarkAngelicmon was a lot like Devimon, and if they did not do something soon Mickey, Matty, and Sam were all going to end up suffering at the hands of yet another fallen angel...
Poor T.K. I bet he blames himself for what's happening to Mickey and Matty...
"Thank you for saving my son, Palelymon," Matt said quietly, glancing nervously at T.K.
"You're welcome. Don't worry, Matt, Ryoko's safe with us!"
Matt nodded and turned to look at Dai. "My son would have died if you hadn't stopped Crystalmon. I want to thank you, but I don't think I can find the words to express how grateful I am. Ryoko's not the only one who carries a part of me with him. You do, too, just like your dad, and I hope you'll always remember how important friendship really is. Tai has never once given up on me, and I hope you'll do the same for my son."
Davis stared at the former musician in shock and shook his head in disbelief. Maybe Matt suspects something after all...
Dai's face turned bright red, and he gave Matt a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't."
"What?" Ryoko gasped, his sapphire eyes growing wide with shock.
Matt pulled the goggle headed leader into a hug and nodded. "You're just like your dad, Dai. You're too stubborn for your own good, but sometimes that's the only way to make things happen."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Tai said dryly. "Seriously, Dai, how do you think I managed to sucker Matt into being my best friend?"
"You wish!" Matt snorted.
The two of them smiled at each other, and Davis sent the former musician a dirty look.
Thanks a lot, Matt! What about Yolei? She's way worse than I am when it comes to being stubborn!
"Um...Ryoko? I'm glad you're okay, and thanks for saving Dai," Ami said shyly.
Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and he smiled back at her. "You're welcome."
Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to watch those two!
Dai glanced hopefully in Ryoko's direction, but the blond refused to meet his eyes. Obviously the golden haired Digidestined did not understand what Dai had been trying to say earlier because he looked confused.
"Um...Dad? Can I ask you something?"
Matt turned to look at his son and frowned. "What is it?"
Ryoko hesitated, and after a brief moment of silence he managed to lift his head. "Dad, Gabumon was the one who told me to ask you about a digimon named Cherrymon, and he also mentioned something about a dark cave. Will...will you answer my questions? Please, Dad? I don't want there to be any more secrets between us. I...I need to know the truth."
"Ryoko..."
Ryoko gazed directly into his dad's eyes and slowly lifted his chin. "Your friendship with Tai started in the Digital World, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Crest of Friendship. Tell me, Dad. I think it's time I learned exactly what your crest is all about..."