Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, in this chapter Mickey mentions a dream Matty had when the two of them were six. If you'd like to know more about this dream then please read (if you haven't already) my one-shot fic called 'Inner Glow' which focuses on Matty's dream. This topic hasn't come up yet, (I'm surprised it hasn't) but I will also get around to explaining Ryoko's 'girly' name for all the hard core Japanese fans before someone decides to tell me I'm an idiot. (I'm not. I'm well aware of the conflict with his name) Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 85: The Hand of Evil

Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Mickey huddled under his deep green blankets and gazed miserably at the dark ceiling in his bedroom. He had been trying to fall asleep for over four hours now, but so far he had been unsuccessful. All he could think about was DarkAngelicmon and what that evil angel was planning to do to his brother and his friends, and he had a feeling his thoughts were going to end up driving him crazy before the night was over.

"Mickey, are you still thinking about DarkAngelicmon?"

Mickey gave his little digimon a weak smile and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it. He scares me, and ...I..."

"You're worried about Matty, aren't you," Palelymon said quietly, his fluffy ears drooping with concern.

Mickey glanced at his brother's bed and realized his eyes were stinging with tears. "I can't help it, Palelymon. He just doesn't understand. What am I going to do? How am I going to make him realize just how dangerous DarkAngelicmon really is?"

Palelymon let out a sigh and shook his head. "I don't know, Mickey, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Goldmon and I will protect him."

Maybe, but what if DarkAngelicmon's too powerful for both you and Goldmon combined? I know DemiEmbermon and the others will help you, too, but they're not going to be able to stop him either if he gets Vampiramon and her buddies to help him.

"Mickey, Patamon and Gatomon will watch out for Matty, as well. We all will, and you know your mom and dad won't let anything happen to him. Trust me. He's going to be just fine."

Mickey pressed his cheek against his digimon's fluffy ears and squeezed his eyes shut. He was glad his parents were helping them out, but unfortunately he did not think even they would be able to stop DarkAngelicmon. At least they weren't angry at him anymore, and he was no longer upset with them. He finally understood why they had not told him about the Digital World, and that made all the difference in the world.

I probably wouldn't have told my kids either, if I were them.

"Mickey, are you going to be okay?"

No, Palelymon. I won't be okay until I know for sure Matty's safe.

Matty suddenly let out a soft sigh, and Mickey turned to gaze silently at his twin's back. He could hear the steady rhythm of his brother's deep breaths, and the sound made his heart ache with sadness. How could he protect his brother and his friends if he did not even know exactly what DarkAngelicmon was planning to do to them?

"Mickey, where are you going?"

Mickey pulled the little digimon into his arms and quickly scrambled out of his bed. He glanced at Matty's bed, which was only a few steps away from him, and after a brief hesitation he slowly moved forward and sat down beside his brother's sleeping form. He leaned back against the headboard with a sigh and set Palelymon on the bed next to Goldmon. Matty's partner mumbled something in his sleep, and Mickey smiled fondly at the two digimon.

"Mickey, I'm really worried about you," Palelymon mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.

It must be nice being a digimon. They never have trouble getting to sleep.

"I'm fine, Palelymon. Why don't you curl up next to Goldmon and get some rest? You're going to need it in order to digivolve tomorrow."

"Only if you get some rest, too," Palelymon said stubbornly. The little digimon settled himself on Goldmon's pillow and wrapped his fluffy ears around his fellow angel. Goldmon never even woke up, and soon both digimon were fast asleep.

I'm sorry, Palelymon. I know I should listen to your advice, but there's no way I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. How can I when I can't stop thinking about DarkAngelicmon?

Matty suddenly shifted restlessly in his sleep, and Mickey gently placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You're upset because of me, aren't you."

Matty, of course, did not answer, and Mickey could not help letting out a small sigh of relief. He wanted to talk to his twin about DarkAngelicmon, but he was afraid his brother would not take him seriously, and that was why he had refused to say anything earlier.

Matty's never going to believe me. I know he won't. He'll just think I'm overreacting. Why can't he see how much danger he's in?

"Matty, do you remember that dream you had when we were only six?" he said softly to his brother's back. Matty was facing away from him so he could not see his brother's expression, but that did not stop him from saying what was on his mind. He had to speak to Matty, even though his twin could not hear him, because he knew he would go crazy if he kept silent. As much as he did not want to admit it, he was actually glad Matty was still asleep because that way he would not have to answer any unwanted questions. "You told me something was chasing you in your dream. Do you remember how scared you were? I bet Mom and Dad have forgotten, but I haven't. I...I think the monster in your dream was DarkAngelicmon. That would explain why you were alone and surrounded by darkness, and it also explains why you were so scared. You have to believe me, Matty. You had that dream for a reason, and if you ignore all the warnings then DarkAngelicmon will hurt you. Do you honestly know how much you mean to me? I know I wasn't being very nice to you earlier, but it's because I care about you, and I'm terrified you're going to end up dying. What would I do without you in my life?"

Matty rolled over onto his stomach, and Mickey gently pulled the green blankets over his twin's shoulders. He hugged one of his brother's pillows tightly against his chest and managed a tearful smile. "Dai would be lost without you, you know. You understand him better than anyone else in our group, and he needs you to help him realize what a great friendship he could have with Ryoko if he'd quit being so stubborn all the time. Your friends need you, Matty. Look at Sam. He needs all the support he can get right now, and so does Ryoko. Then there's Kara. She needs you, too, and so do our parents and Rina. There are so many people out there who love you, and you just don't seem to get it. How can you be so blind?"

Matty's golden eyebrows narrowed into a frown, and a soft sound of distress escaped the younger twin's lips.

Mickey shifted closer to his brother for warmth, and after a painful moment of silence he managed a shaky laugh. "Besides, I need you to help me save Sam because I don't think I can do it alone."

"No! Go away! Leave my friends alone!" Matty suddenly mumbled in his sleep.

Poor Matty. He must be having a nightmare about DarkAngelicmon again. I guess we were chosen to be Digidestined right from the very beginning. Why else would Matty have dreamed about an evil digimon long before he'd even had a chance to go to the Digital World?

Mickey leaned over and wrapped his arms protectively around his brother's back. He rested his cheek against his twin's shoulder blade and a soft sob escaped his mouth before he had a chance to suppress it. "Do you really want to know the truth? Do you really want to know why I'm so scared? He wants to turn you evil, Matty. He...he wants to make you like him, and I can't even warn you because I know you won't believe me. Now do you understand why I'm so upset? I bet you anything he thinks he can use you to his advantage because Angelicmon's your partner. I know what he's planning to do. At least...I think I do. He's going to try and manipulate you with the Powers of Darkness, and in the end his efforts are going to kill you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

He felt Matty's whole body begin to relax, and he managed a relieved smile when he realized his twin's nightmare must have ended.

Don't worry, Matty, I won't let him hurt you, and I won't let him hurt Sam either.

He knew his mom and dad would help him keep his brother safe, but even their efforts would be useless unless Matty decided to take DarkAngelicmon seriously.

Please believe me, Matty. I know you're stronger than DarkAngelicmon, but you won't stand a chance against him unless you listen to me.

He leaned back against the headboard again and stuffed one of Matty's pillows behind his back to make himself more comfortable. He felt cold, but he did not dare move from his position on the bed. He was determined to watch over his brother's sleeping form all night if he had to because you could never be too sure when, or where, an evil digimon would show up, and he knew digimon were more than capable of causing trouble in the real world. A shiver raced down his spine, but the warmth of Matty's shoulder resting against his thigh made him feel slightly better than he had when he had first come over to his brother's side. He would not let anyone hurt his twin, and he would not let anyone hurt Sam either, especially DarkAngelicmon.

I might not be as brave as Dai, but I'll do my best to protect you and Sam, and I'll make sure DarkAngelicmon ends up regretting his decision to come after two people I care about. When I'm through with him, he's going to wish he'd never heard the name Makiya Takaishi, and you know what else, Matty? My name is one thing he's never going to forget, and neither will the rest of Vampiramon's evil buddies!

Matty suddenly smiled in his sleep, and Mickey gently wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders. He did not know if Matty could hear him or not, but a part of him felt comforted by the fact that there was a chance his twin had somehow managed to pick up on what he was saying.

Maybe he does understand. I hope so. Then again, that might not be such a good thing after all. The truth might put him in even more danger. Great, now I'm starting to confuse myself. Maybe I should follow Palelymon's example and get some sleep otherwise I'll never be able to function properly tomorrow.

He fought desperately to keep his eyes open, but in the end his weariness overcame him and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

DarkAngelicmon

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

"Hey, handsome, Jestermon told me you wanted to speak to me, and I must say, you've definitely caught my interest. Well? Don't just stand there grinning at me like a fool. You'd better tell me what's going on or I might start to lose my interest!"

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly at the two digimon who had just stepped into the dark, narrow corridor. The tunnel they were currently standing in led to the dungeons, which were several feet below ground. The air was damp and musty, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of mould growing along the bases of the stone walls. The smell was even worse in the actual dungeons themselves where Gennai had been relocated after yet another attempt to stop them from finding out about the Spirit Chips. Thankfully he did not have to stay down there very long because he had had enough sense, unlike others, to post a guard on that insufferable Digidestined lover.

"Well? Shame on you to keep a girl waiting! I have other things to do with my time, you know!"

DarkAngelicmon glanced at the female digimon, who stood next to Jestermon, and gave her a warm smile. "Welcome, Luciamon. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough, obviously," she replied, her pale blue eyes dancing with amusement.

Jestermon muttered something under his breath and glared at the female angel, but he did not bother to voice his opinion.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the fool and waved his hand towards the dungeons. "Actually, I require your assistance. Gennai has been very uncooperative, and you know how much I dislike having to waste a lot of time dragging information out of my enemies. Usually I can be very persuasive, but he's stubborn, which means I'm going to have to alter my plans a little. I have Devidramon and SkullSatamon watching over him, but you know how tricky he can be. He'll find a way to escape if we don't watch him closely."

"You want me to help guard Gennai?" Luciamon asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

DarkAngelicmon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "No. I have plenty of other guards to watch Gennai. This place is swarming with useless digimon who need to be stationed somewhere in the fort in order to protect our master."

He glared at a group of Bakemon hovering nearby, and the trio immediately stopped arguing and floated off down the hallway at a speed he had not known they were capable of.

"Okay, now I'm interested. What exactly do you want me to do?"

DarkAngelicmon smiled at the female digimon and tugged lightly on one of her large, feathery wings. "I want you to help me capture the Digidestined."

"Are you out of your mind?" Jestermon exploded, his ruby eyes glittering with anger. "We have to destroy them, and you know it, angel boy! When I get my hands on that Mickey kid he's-"

DarkAngelicmon slammed his fellow digimon up against the stone wall and gazed calmly into the fool's angry, red eyes. "No, you won't," he said coldly. "Makiya and Masato Takaishi belong to me, and I won't have you threatening Daichi and the others either. They are more important than you think, and our master will not be pleased if you end up ruining my plans. You don't want to face his wrath, do you?"

Jestermon winced and gazed sullenly at the floor. "What about Vampiramon? She's not going to be very happy with you, you know."

"Vampiramon has her own orders from our master, and so do the rest of us, but every leader needs a sidekick. I'm just helping her out a little. Don't worry, my friend, she knows what's going on."

"Are you sure?" Jestermon asked doubtfully.

DarkAngelicmon sighed and shook his head in amusement. He really is a fool. As much as he hates Vampiramon, he's still willing to follow her. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised, although my job would certainly be a lot easier if I wasn't surrounded by complete idiots.

"Can we destroy them after our master is through with them?" Jestermon said hopefully.

DarkAngelicmon patted the fool's shoulder and nodded. "That's the plan, but only if our master is satisfied with our performance. Think of it as being a reward."

"What do you mean Mickey and Matty belong to you?" Luciamon asked curiously.

Jestermon glanced at her in surprise, and she winked at the fool. "Oh, I know all about the Digidestined. Who doesn't? Word of them has even spread to the Northern Hemisphere already."

"Stupid humans," Jestermon grumbled.

DarkAngelicmon stepped away from the fool and wrapped his arm around Luciamon's slim waist. "Let's just say our master has plans for all the Digidestined, not just Mickey and Matty."

"Don't you mean you?" Jestermon muttered, looking extremely suspicious.

DarkAngelicmon ignored the fool and quickly led Luciamon away from the dungeons. They past a group of loitering Vilemon, who immediately snapped to attention and pretended to make it look like they were doing something useful, before heading up a set of rough stone steps.

"Alright, handsome, how exactly are we going to capture the Digidestined?" Luciamon asked, straightening her skimpy toga. She seemed pleased by the fact that Jestermon had been left behind to vent his anger on the guards, and the look of anticipation on her face made him smile.

"It's simple, really. Why don't we find someplace more private to talk and I'll tell you exactly how we're going to get our hands on the Digidestined and the Spirit Chips. While I'm at it, I might as well tell you what I have in store for that pathetic excuse for a human, Ken Ichijouji..."