Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: the next chapter will be longer, and that's when this part of the story will really start moving.
Chapter 91: Digital Connections
T.K. Takaishi
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
T.K. Takaishi slowly looked up and stared at the female angel in surprise. "You mean...you can take us directly to the place where Vampiramon and her evil buddies are keeping Gennai and our crests captive?"
Luciamon beamed at him and nodded. "That's right. It's still pretty far away from us on foot, but if you guys fly there on Dragermon you'll arrive on Vampiramon's doorstep in no time at all."
"What do you think, Dragermon?" Dai asked, glancing up at his partner.
Dragermon lowered his large head and gently nuzzled Dai's cheek. "I think that's a great idea. There's only one problem. How are we going to get inside without the guards spotting us?"
"Oh, that'll be easy," Luciamon said mysteriously, her pale blue eyes sparkling in the sunshine. "I've been watching the place, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sneak you guys in without anyone noticing. What do you say?"
"I say let's do it," Matty piped up. "We'll never have a better opportunity to get the crests back."
T.K. frowned at his son and slowly shook his head. He wanted to find the crests just as much as everyone else, but for some reason he had an uneasy feeling about Luciamon's plan.
Something doesn't feel right, but it's not like we have any other options. It's just...Luciamon's plan seems a little bit too easy. Can we really just walk into Vampiramon's base and get the crests back without having to fight our way through a bunch of guards? I find that very hard to believe.
"We must be cautious," Angemon suddenly murmured in his ear. "Do not let your guard down or we will end up fighting for our lives."
T.K. gently stroked one of his partner's feathery wings and glanced uneasily at Mickey's pale face. Angemon must have had similar thoughts because the angel looked a bit skeptical, and he was not the only one. Mickey also appeared to be a bit nervous about agreeing to go along with Luciamon's plan.
"Matty, don't you think we should come up with a plan first before we go rushing off to fight Vampiramon without any idea of what we're doing?" the older twin asked anxiously.
T.K. watched his sons exchange one of their signature twin looks, and after a moment of tense silence Matty let out a soft sigh.
"Yea, I guess you're right. Sorry, Mickey. I tend to get carried away sometimes, don't I."
"Yes, you do," Mickey replied, smiling softly at his brother.
Even when they're fighting they still take time to show each other they care. Maybe their situation isn't so hopeless after all. At least that would be the case if DarkAngelicmon would just leave them alone.
He believed Mickey was right about DarkAngelicmon wanting to come after Matty, but he also believed Matty was right, too. He did not know why he felt so sure, but for some reason he just knew the fallen angel wanted both of his sons, and he would do everything in his power to make sure that sorry excuse for an angel digimon did not follow in the footsteps of Devimon.
Devimon tried to kill me and my partner, and I'm not going to let DarkAngelicmon try to do the same thing to my sons! LadyDevimon was no better. She tried to hurt Kari and Angewomon, and that's another reason why we have to be careful. Evil digimon have a lot of followers. How do we know the digimon guarding the castle are the only ones we need to worry about?
"T.K., Mickey and Matty are safe with us. They have strong partners, and you know I will do my best to protect them and their digimon," Angemon said quietly, glancing quickly at the others to make sure no one could overhear what they were saying. "DarkAngelicmon will succeed no more than Devimon did. You have the Crest of Hope. If there was ever a time in your life when you really needed to believe in not only yourself but your family and your friends as well then now is that time. Mickey and Matty carry a small part of you and Kari with them, and the same goes for their digimon. The powers of hope and light will triumph over evil, just as they always have, and DarkAngelicmon will find himself suffering the same fate as many dark digimon before him. Have hope, T.K. In the end you will see I am right."
T.K.'s mouth fell open, and he stared at his digimon in astonishment. "How did you know what I was thinking?"
"I am your partner," Angemon said simply. "I always know what you're thinking."
T.K. slowly nodded and glanced uneasily at Ken. "What about Sam?"
"Sam will be fine. How can he let himself become corrupted by darkness with friends like Mickey and Matty? I know what Ken's afraid of, but he has no reason to be scared. Sam will never become another Digimon Emperor. There is too much good in his life for him to ever give in to darkness."
"You're right. Thanks, Angemon, I feel much better now. I take it you approve of Angelicmon and Gabrielmon?"
Angemon sent the two angel digimon an admiring look and smiled when both of them jumped and glanced self-consciously at the ground. Now that they were no longer in battle the two new angel digimon appeared to have lost some of their nerve and grown a bit shy around the more experienced angel.
"They're brave digimon, but more importantly they're perfect for Mickey and Matty."
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Angemon suddenly pulled a long, white feather out of his right wing and held it out with a smile on his face. "Here. Take it."
T.K. slowly curled his fingers around it and held it tightly against his chest. "Why?" he asked, feeling confused.
Angemon gently placed a hand against his cheek and pointed at the feather. "I am always here with you, T.K. We will fight together and save your sons."
T.K. was about to answer when his nephew's loud voice suddenly interrupted him before he had a chance to say a single word.
"No way, Daichi! You're not going anywhere without me!"
"Look, Ishida, if you care that much about me, why don't you just say so already?" Dai snapped, his cheeks turning pink with anger.
Ryoko blushed bright red and glared at the goggle-headed leader. "You're an idiot, Daichi. I don't-"
"Really, if I'm such an idiot then why are you still here? No one forced you to go along with my plans, and yet you still followed them anyway! If anyone's an idiot around here it's you!"
Ryoko grabbed Dai by the shirt and tried to punch the goggle-headed leader in the stomach, but Davis managed to get between the two of them and kept a firm grip on Ryoko's arm. "Will you two cut it out? If I have to break up one more fight then I'm sending both of you back to Izzy! Do you understand me?"
Dai glanced impatiently at his father and sent Ryoko a dirty look. "See, Dad? I told you Ishida's the one who's always picking fights, but Mom always blames me! Well, now you know the truth. Wait until Matt finds out his precious little boy isn't the perfect model son after all!"
"I am going to have grey hair before I'm forty," Davis muttered, shaking his head.
"Now you know how Yolei felt when you would fight with T.K.!" Ken said, smiling slightly.
T.K. raised his eyebrows and glanced at the former Digidestined leader, and Davis smiled back at him.
"Hey, T.K., we were never as bad as Ryoko and Dai, were we?"
"Of course not. Our disagreements were handled with a lot more maturity. Wouldn't you agree, Davis?"
Matty snorted loudly, and Mickey started to laugh.
"As if we would ever believe that, Uncle T.K.!" Takara giggled.
T.K. gave his niece an affectionate hug and turned to look at Ryoko. "Sorry, I must have missed something. Why are you angry at Dai?"
Ryoko gave Dai a murderous look and opened his mouth to say something, but Davis quickly clapped a hand over the blond's lips and made a face. "And Yolei tells me I never pay attention. Dai thinks we should split up when we get inside the castle because the guards will be more likely to spot us if we stroll through their base in a large group, but Ryoko doesn't agree."
"Of course I don't agree!" Ryoko exploded, his blue eyes flashing. "What if we end up losing someone?"
"You should be flattered!" Dai shouted. "I chose you to be one of the group leaders, didn't I?"
T.K. glanced between the two younger Digidestined and slowly turned to look at Davis. "What do you think? I don't like the idea of splitting up, but sometimes we don't have a choice."
"Well...we would have more of a chance of finding the crests if we weren't all looking in the same place at once."
"You can't be serious!" Ryoko gasped, tugging anxiously on the former leader's arm.
Davis gently ruffled Ryoko's golden hair and shrugged. "It's just a thought. What do you suggest we do?"
"Come on, Ishida, we're waiting," Dai smirked.
"At least I'm willing to use my brain instead of rushing into danger all the time!"
"You really are a jerk, you know that?" Dai shouted.
"They so obviously care about each other. Why do boys always have to be so stubborn all the time?" Takara muttered.
T.K. hid a smile and motioned for his nephew to join him. "Come here, Ryoko, before Davis goes through with his threat and sends you back to Izzy."
Ryoko quickly hurried over to him, and he wrapped his arms around the younger Digidestined's trembling shoulders. "Quit trying to add fuel to the fire, alright?"
"Stupid Dai. He just doesn't understand," Ryoko mumbled against his chest.
T.K. gently stroked his nephew's golden hair and nodded. "I know. That's why you have to make him understand."
He felt Ryoko stiffen in his arms, and the boy slowly looked up at him. "You...know?"
"Ryoko, I think Dai might be the only person who doesn't know. Even your mother and father look like they've finally clued into what's going on. I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but Dai cares just as much as you do. In fact, I believe he might understand more than we think he does."
Ryoko sighed softly and snuggled closer to him. "Thanks, Uncle T.K., I'll keep that in mind."
"Look," Dai said finally, after a brief moment of silence, "why don't we at least take a look at the castle and then we can decide what to do from there. Dragermon will have no trouble carrying all of us, and once we've had a chance to study the place it'll be easier for us to come up with a plan that doesn't involve as many risks. What do you guys think?"
"I think that's a great idea," Sam said firmly. "We should get going before Vampiramon has a chance to capture any more innocent digimon."
"Well, that only took forever. You humans have very bad tempers!" Luciamon giggled. "Are we ready to go?"
They all quickly scrambled onto Dragermon, and following Luciamon's directions the large champion flew off over the forest. Angemon and the other flying digimon followed behind them, and T.K. made himself comfortable next to his slightly older son. "Hey, Mickey, how are you feeling?"
Mickey smiled shyly at him and snuggled against his side. "I'm okay. Angemon's a really amazing digimon. I think Gabrielmon's slightly in awe of him."
"I guess I'm not the only one who noticed. Angemon will be happy to know you like him so much. What does Matty think?"
Mickey glanced at his brother, who was talking quietly to Kara, and his smile faded. "Matty thinks he's really cool. Dad...I..."
T.K. sighed and held his son close. "Mickey, you know your mother and I would never let anything happen to Matty. We'll keep him safe. I promise."
"You won't break your promise...will you?"
"Never."
T.K. suddenly realized he was still holding Angemon's feather in his hand, and he held it out to his son. "Here, Mickey, I want you to keep this."
"Really? But...why?" Mickey gasped, gazing at the feather as if it were a fragile piece of glass capable of breaking at the slightest touch.
T.K. placed the feather in his son's hand and gently kissed the older twin's forehead. "Consider it a little piece of hope from me to you."
Not that you really need it. Matty has more than enough for both of you.
"ExVeemon is awesome!" Dai said enthusiastically, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced over his son's golden head and smiled at the goggle-headed leader who was beaming at ExVeemon.
"I know," Davis said, gazing proudly at his digimon.
ExVeemon flew over to Dai's side and ruffled the goggle-headed leader's hair.
Dai grinned at the digimon and turned to look at Sam. "Hey, Sam, what do you think of Stingmon?"
Sam glanced at his dad's digimon, and his whole face lit up in a bright smile. "He's a great digimon. I can see why Glowmon wants to be just like him."
"Do you want me to be like him?" Glowmon asked quietly.
Sam glanced over his shoulder at his father, who was sitting behind him, and slowly nodded. "Yes, Glowmon, I think I would like that."
Ken leaned forward and hugged his son tightly. The former Emperor never said a word, but the look on his face showed clearly just how much Sam's words had affected him.
"We're getting closer," Luciamon called out, waving her hand to get their attention.
"I wonder if DarkAngelicmon will be inside," Mickey mumbled. The older twin pressed Angemon's feather against his cheek and gazed silently at the serious look on his brother's face.
Matty whispered something in Takara's ear and frowned at Mickey, his amber eyes growing dark and stormy.
T.K. was about to answer, but at that moment he happened to look down and a gasp escaped his mouth when he realized Mickey's Digivice was glowing. "Mickey, look at your D-Coder!"
Mickey held it up, and T.K. realized the colour of the light coming from its surface was alternating between yellow, orange, and pink.
"Look, mine's glowing, too!" Matty cried, holding up his D-Coder, which was flashing pink and yellow.
The twins were not the only ones whose Digivices had started to glow. Dai, Ryoko, Sam, and Kara were all holding glowing Digivices, but the biggest surprise was the D-3 Davis held in his hand. Although the former leader had never had a crest, his Digivice had started to glow, as well.