Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the wait. Okay, there are three more chapters (counting this one) and then everyone gets out of the living room. The next chapter's in Ken's POV, and then back to Daichi. I'm sorry if it's getting a bit boring, but a story needs the meat or it won't make sense. I'll get back to the action soon, and then Glowmon will digivolve. Please enjoy the new (and short, unfortunately) chapter. There are a lot more to come!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 82: Out of Reach

Davis Motomiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Davis stared at the older twin with is mouth hanging open and slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Mickey, how..."

"I know," Mickey said stubbornly, his amber eyes glittering with emotion. "He wants Matty, and he won't leave us alone until he gets exactly what he wants."

"Mickey, you don't know that for sure," Matty protested. "I know he wants to fight my digimon, but-"

"Stop it, Matty! You know I'm right! You don't understand because you weren't there! He wouldn't stop talking about you when Sam and I ran into him in the forest, and he kept bringing you into the conversation."

"Matty, your brother's right," Sam said quietly, getting up and sitting back down on the couch. "Now that I think about it, DarkAngelicmon did seem rather interested in you."

T.K. gazed at Sam in horror and wrapped his arms protectively around Matty's smaller body. "Are...are you sure?"

"That's impossible," Matty interrupted. "Mickey and Sam are the ones-"

"No, Matty," Mickey whispered, gazing tearfully into his brother's eyes, "I'm not the one he's after. He wants you, and Sam, but most of all he wants to use you to hurt me!"

Matty scrambled out of his father's arms and reached out a hand towards his brother, but Mickey quickly pushed the younger twin away. "No, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please just leave me alone!"

"Okay, if that's what you really want," Matty said quietly, his voice trembling with pain and sadness.

Kari pulled the younger twin into a comforting hug and sent Mickey a sympathetic smile. "Honey, your brother wants to help you, and so do the rest of us. I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but if you keep pushing people away-"

"If Matty wants to help me he can start by staying away from DarkAngelicmon!" Mickey shouted.

Matty flinched at the anger in his brother's voice, and Sam threw one of the blue pillows from the couch straight at Mickey's head.

"Stop being an idiot, Mickey!" the raven-haired Digidestined snapped. "DarkAngelicmon's not going to hurt me, or Matty, and you know it! We're not going to give up, and we know you'll be there when we need you. Why are you acting as if DarkAngelicmon has already won? He won't win, Mickey! You won't let him!"

"Stop!" Rina sobbed into Matty's arm. "Please stop yelling! I don't want all of you to hate each other!"

Ryoko lifted the sobbing girl into his arms and gave Mickey a sad smile. "Mickey, I'm the one who's supposed to be causing problems, not you."

"Maybe we should talk about something else," Takara said nervously.

Mickey hung his head and made a point of avoiding Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "Why don't any of you believe me?"

"We do," Sam said softly. "At least, I do."

"And you know I do, too," Dai said simply.

T.K. slipped his arms around Mickey's shoulders and gently stroked the older twin's golden hair. "Mickey, look what DarkAngelicmon is doing to you. I know he's the reason why you and Matty have been avoiding each other at home, and I can't just sit here and watch the two of you hurt each other over and over again. If you don't let Matty help you, you're going to regret it, and the same goes for Sam and the rest of your friends."

"But-"

"I'm not going to let DarkAngelicmon come anywhere near you or Matty ever again. Do you understand me?" T.K. snapped.

Mickey blinked in surprise, and his eyes filled with tears again. "Dad, you don't-"

"Yes, he does, Mickey," Matt interrupted, gazing directly into T.K.'s eyes. "Your father understands better than anyone else, and I think you should listen to him. He understands how you feel about DarkAngelicmon, and Matty, and so do I. Remember, your dad also has a brother, and his brother worried about him just as much as you worry about Matty."

T.K. let go of his son, and without a word he wrapped his arms around Matt and buried his face against his brother's shoulder.

"It must be tough being a human," Palelymon said solemnly.

"Matt-"

"They're going to be fine," Matt murmured softly in his brother's ear.

"He's right," Mimi said, leaning over and kissing the back of her husband's golden head. "Sora and I are never going to let anything happen to our nephews."

Sora nodded in agreement, and the two women smiled at each other. They were both very happy about the fact that they shared the same niece and nephews, and neither of them were ever going to let an evil digimon hurt anyone they cared about.

"T.K., Palelymon and I are not going to let DarkAngelicmon come after either one of your sons. It doesn't matter which one he wants," Goldmon said urgently.

T.K. took a deep breath and slowly nodded. He pulled Mickey into his arms again and gently rubbed his son's back, but the older twin refused to be comforted.

"I don't want to lose anyone," Mickey said tearfully.

Matty's amber eyes filled with sympathy, but he made no attempt to reach out to his brother. "Mickey, you're not going to lose me, and you're not going to lose any of our friends either."

"You don't know that for sure!" Mickey snapped, his face turning red with sudden anger. "You're like...like Dai, Matty! You're always getting yourself into trouble, and one of these days it's going to get you killed."

"Hey, what kind of a leader do you think I am?" Dai shouted, looking extremely insulted.

Matty's eyes began to sparkle with tears, and he stared at his brother in shock. "You told me I'm a good person even though I get into trouble sometimes. You said it didn't matter. Why-"

"It does matter when you're being stalked by an evil digimon who wants to kill you! He will try to hurt you eventually, and I have a feeling it's going to be sooner rather than later. If you think I'm going to let him take you away from me, forget it, Matty. I will die before I ever let that happen."

Matty grabbed his brother by the shirt and pulled the older twin towards him. He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching and gazed directly into Mickey's eyes. "Mickey, I know you better than you know yourself, and I can tell you're hiding something from me. What are you afraid of? Please tell me the truth. There's something else. I can feel it, and you know you're a terrible liar. You might as well-"

"You're wrong, Matty. There...there's nothing else," Mickey mumbled, his cheeks turning bright pink. The older twin jerked away from his brother and scrambled back into the safety of his dad's arms. Every so often he would sneak a peek at the younger twin before hiding his face against his father's shoulder again.

"Fine, don't tell me," Matty said flatly, his amber eyes burning with emotion. "It doesn't matter anyway. I will find out eventually. I always do."

T.K. and Kari gazed helplessly at each other and slowly shook their heads. Their sons had never acted so hostile towards each other before, and it was obvious neither one of them had a clue what to do.

Matty's right. Mickey's definitely hiding something, and I have a feeling it involves DarkAngelicmon. I wonder what he's not telling us...

"Um...why does DarkAngelicmon want Matty?" Miya asked, frowning in confusion.

"I have no idea. The only thing I know for sure is the fact that he wants to use Matty to hurt me," Mickey muttered.

Ami raised her eyebrows and sent Mickey a nervous smile. "I guess that means he does want you, too, but whatever he has planned for Matty and Sam is different from what he has planned for you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me as long as Matty is safe," Mickey replied, his amber eyes flashing with determination.

"Dad, who was Devimon, and what's the Dark Ocean?" Matty asked quietly, gazing directly into his father's eyes.

T.K.'s face turned pure white, and he pressed his cheek against Mickey's forehead. "Matty, I...not now, okay? We have other things we need to talk-"

"We know Devimon has something to do with you," Matty snapped. "Patamon couldn't have been more obvious if he'd tried! Did you really think we wouldn't ask you about your evil digimon buddy and the Dark Ocean?"

"Please, Dad?" Mickey whispered. "You have to tell us. I have a feeling your story might be connected to what's going on with DarkAngelicmon, and I know we're going to need your help to defeat him. You keep telling me not to push my friends and family away, but you're doing the same thing! The only way you can help me is by giving me some answers. What happened to you when you were a Digidestined? If you don't tell us, Matty might not survive."

"No, Mickey, you're the one who's going to end up dying because you always want to protect everyone!" Matty cried, his amber eyes filling with tears again.

"Dad, um...did you ever go to the Dark Ocean?" Mickey asked, ignoring his brother.

"You did, didn't you!" Matty snapped.

"Matty, your father's not the only one who has had to deal with the Dark Ocean," Kari said gently.

"But-"

"Like Gatomon said, the Dark Ocean is a place where dark thoughts come to life," T.K. whispered, gazing at the ceiling without really seeing it. "There was a lighthouse. It shone with black light. It's always the same. The World of Darkness is full of evil and if you're not strong enough to fight it it will swallow your soul, and you'll become nothing but a shadow of what you once were."

Matty stared at his father with his mouth hanging open, and Davis shivered. He had never been to the Dark Ocean, but that did not mean he was unable to understand what T.K. was talking about. MaloMyotismon had given him a glimpse of what the Digital World would look like if it was ever covered in darkness, and he was going to make sure that did not happen no matter how long it took to defeat Vampiramon and her buddies.

Don't worry, T.K., we're going to make sure Mickey, Matty, and Sam never find out exactly what the World of Darkness is like. They're strong, and I know Dai will keep them safe. He didn't become the leader of the Digidestined by accident, and he's going to show everyone exactly why he was chosen to lead his team to victory in the first place.

"Dark...thoughts?" Mickey gasped, his eyes growing wide with horror. "Dad-"

"We'll talk later," T.K. interrupted, avoiding his son's eyes.

Matty shook his head and glared at his father. "No way, Dad! We want answers now!"

"Matty, I really don't think now is a good time," Kari said quietly.

"Mom, I can't believe you're-"

"Alright, but you guys had better tell us what's going on before it's too late," Mickey interrupted, his voice trembling with emotion. "Oh, and we want to know about LadyDevimon, too."

"Of course you do," Kari sighed.

Matty crossed his arms and gave his brother a dirty look. "Maybe you should take your own advice, Mickey. If you think I'm going to let you off the hook that easily, forget it! We'll talk later, and hopefully you'll have managed to come to your senses by then!"

"Not likely!" Ryoko muttered.

Mickey blushed furiously and quickly turned his back on his brother and cousin. Obviously he did not want to talk to his twin about DarkAngelicmon, but it did not look as if Matty was giving him a choice anymore.

Davis turned to look at T.K., and he gave his blond friend a reassuring smile. "T.K., we'll defeat DarkAngelicmon."

"He's right," Tai said quietly, his dark eyes coming to rest on T.K.'s face. "You were able to stop Devimon, and with our help, your sons will put an end to DarkAngelicmon's reign of terror, as well."

"You'd better be right because my son is not a trophy!" T.K. snapped. He wrapped his arms around Matty and held his son tightly against his chest, but Matty did not appear to notice. The younger twin looked like he was in shock, and Davis had a feeling it was because of what T.K. had said about the Dark Ocean.

"Well, I guess there's no use asking you about SkullGreymon," Takara sighed, turning to face her father.

Sora glanced anxiously at her husband, and Tai avoided his daughter's eyes. "Um...maybe some other time," the original Digidestined leader mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Taysuke frowned and stared at his family in confusion. "Who's SkullGreymon?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Takara muttered.

Both Tai and Sora pretended not to hear their daughter, and Davis rolled his eyes. Takara was not about to give up that easily, and sooner or later Tai was going to have to tell her exactly what had happened to Agumon, whether he wanted to or not.

"No!" Sam cried desperately, his voice trembling with sudden fear. The raven-haired Digidestined gazed deeply into his father's eyes and clung tightly to the former Emperor's black, short-sleeved sportshirt. "Dad, I can't wait anymore. I have to know now! Wormmon wouldn't tell me anything, but I know you can give me some answers. Your digimon partner and his friends were the ones who told us to ask you and the others about the Emperor and the Dark Ocean in the first place! If you don't tell me right now, I'm going to go crazy! Please, Dad? Who was the Digimon Emperor, and why does everyone keep comparing me to him?"