Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done, and I'll tell you one thing. Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon are not going to make it easy for Daichi and his friends to escape!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 109: Walking Through Walls

Kari Takaishi

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Hey, Kari, do you...do you really think Sam and the others will make it out of there without getting captured?" Yolei whispered, glancing anxiously at the computer. "They're still in the crest room, and their dots aren't moving anymore."

Kari let out a soft sigh and gently wrapped her arm around the lavender-haired Digidestined's shoulders. She wished she had an answer for her friend, but unfortunately she had no clue whether or not T.K. and the others were even in a position to try and escape from the castle after their last attempt.

I don't want them to put themselves in any unnecessary danger. And then there's Mickey. Why is he standing so far away from the others? Why did they leave him all alone? Could DarkAngelicmon have finally found a way to capture one of my sons? That thought horrified her so much, it was all she could do to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. She let go of Yolei and held Rina tightly in her arms in an effort to calm herself, but the feel of her daughter's small cheek pressed against her heart only made her want to cry even more.

"What's going on?" Noah demanded, shaking his dark head and looking extremely confused. "Why did they stop?"

"What do you mean?" Nao asked anxiously.

Miya frowned and gently patted her little brother's shoulder. "Sam and the others were heading towards the weak point earlier, but for some reason they suddenly stopped and turned back towards the middle of the room. Something must have happened."

"You don't think Luciamon really did tell DarkAngelicmon about the weak points, do you?" Taysuke gasped.

Kari gently pulled her nephew close and stroked his carrot-coloured hair. "Izzy-"

"I'm not sure what's going on, Kari, but I wouldn't worry just yet, if I were you. I think the fact that they're still in the crest room is actually a good sign because it means they've somehow avoided getting themselves locked up in the dungeons, and that will definitely work in their favour. It means they still have a chance to escape."

"They're still going to end up in the dungeons anyways because they insist on rescuing Gennai," Ami muttered.

Taniko crossed her arms and glared at the older girl. "Are you saying they should just leave Gennai behind?"

"No! I was just pointing out the fact that they're going to go to the dungeons whether they're captured or not!"

Kari glanced back at the computer screen and bit her lip. "But...what about Mickey?"

"Kari, I'm sure Mickey's just fine. T.K. and Matty would never let anything happen to him, and neither would Ryoko," Mimi said firmly.

"Dai, too," Noriko added.

Kari held both Rina and Taysuke tightly in her arms and squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to believe them, but it was hard. What if T.K. and the others were tied up or stuck in some other unpleasant situation that left them unable to help Mickey? What if they were unconscious, or worse...

"Mommy, look! Mickey's not alone. Daddy just went over to him," Rina said softly, interrupting her thoughts. "See? He's pulling Mickey further away from the middle of the room."

T.K.

Kari hesitated, and after a long moment of tense silence, she finally looked up and let out a sigh of relief when she realized Rina was right. The dots representing Mickey and her husband were standing close together, and the other dots were slowly edging towards them, as well, including the one representing Matty.

"I told you Mickey would be okay," Mimi said confidently, her cinnamon eyes following Ryoko's every move on the screen.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mimi. I should have listened to you, but...it's hard..."

"Don't worry about it. Trust me, I understand."

"Look, their dots are moving again, and they're heading towards the weak point!" Nao suddenly gasped, pointing towards the computer screen and beaming at his mother.

Kari jerked her head up and almost sobbed in relief when the yellow dot on the screen suddenly darted forward and began to pull the older twin towards the weak point. Matty was obviously making sure his brother did not end up getting left behind, and Kari smiled as her twin sons joined Dai and the others and proceeded to run down the right-hand side of the hallway towards a four-way intersection Izzy had mentioned earlier.

"They did it!" Miya cheered, pumping her fist in the air and letting out a squeal of delight. She pulled Ami into an enthusiastic hug and sent the computer screen a triumphant look. "Take that, DarkAngelicmon!"

"Save your energy for later, Miya. Dai and the others still have a long way to go before they make it out of the castle, and Gennai still needs to be rescued," Izzy warned, his dark eyes narrowing into a frown.

Taniko rolled her eyes at her father and made a face. "Thanks a lot, Dad. Like we're not worried enough as it is!"

"Well, it's true. I'm just trying to keep everything in perspective. There's no use in getting your hopes up only to have them come crashing back down again. We have to be prepared for anything and everything!"

"Yes, well nobody asked you, did they!" Yolei snapped, glaring at the computer expert. "Honestly, Izzy, from now on keep your opinions to yourself or else I really will make use of your laptop as a club!"

You'd think Izzy would have learned by now that Yolei can be really touchy when she's frightened!

"Mommy, are Mickey and Matty coming home soon?" Rina asked hopefully. "I miss them, and I miss Daddy, too. They've been gone for a really long time now, and I bet Halomon and Celestimon are getting hungry."

Kari gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek and managed a weak smile. "Don't worry, honey, they'll be back before you know it."

Please hurry, T.K., I don't know how much longer I can stand waiting...

She watched the group of glowing dots approach the four-way intersection, and each radiant beacon proceeded to make its way down the left-hand corridor. The red dot, which could only be Daichi, reached the weak point first, and the entire group quickly followed the goggle-headed leader into the stairwell Izzy had chosen in order to get them back down to the fourth floor. They paused at the bottom of the staircase, and a moment later an e-mail from T.K. popped up onto the screen.

"Out of the way!" Yolei shouted, pushing Izzy aside and squinting anxiously at the message.

Kari quickly hurried over to her friend's side, nearly dropping Rina in the process, and leaned over the lavender-haired Digidestined's shoulder for a better look. The e-mail said:

Izzy,

We've managed to escape from the crest room, but I bet you probably already know that by now. I don't have time to give you the details, but a lot of what happened back there has to do with Luciamon. It turns out she wasn't really evil after all, and...well...I'm sure Dai and the others will tell you everything as soon as we get home. Angelicmon managed to stop Spritemon and her gang of nasty digimon from following us, for now, and so far we haven't run into any other guards, but there are a lot of evil digimon in this castle who could catch up to us at any moment, and I don't want to be standing around out in the open when they do! I'm pretty sure Spritemon and the others didn't see us leave through the weak point, and I also know for a fact Luciamon didn't inform DarkAngelicmon about the existence of the weak points, but it's best not to take any chances. Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and give us the location of the next weak point. Gennai won't wait forever, you know!

T.K.

P.S. Kari, I know what you're thinkng, but there's no reason for you to be worried. Mickey's just fine. In fact, he's standing right beside me, and he wants me to tell you your crest is one of the most amazing things he's ever seen. Matty and I will look after him. Take care of Rina, and tell her Daddy loves her!

"Daddy wrote down my name!" Rina squealed, pointing excitedly at the screen. "What did he say, Mommy?"

Kari let out a small sigh of relief and smiled softly at the curious look on her daughter's face. Rina was still in the process of learning how to read, but she was catching on quick, and Kari had a feeling her daughter had figured out some of the less difficult words already. "Daddy says he loves you, and he says he thinks he and the others are going to be coming home soon."

"Well, in that case, Izzy, what are you waiting for? You'd better give T.K. directions for the next weak point before DarkAngelicmon and the others catch up to them!" Mimi sniffed.

"Hurry up and start typing!" Yolei shouted, shoving Izzy back into his chair again and motioning for the computer expert to hurry up. Izzy managed to stifle a sigh and quickly started typing out a message before Yolei could make due with her threat and hit him over the head with his laptop.

Be careful, T.K. I love you.

Kari pulled her nephew close again and rested her cheek against his carrot-coloured hair. It was comforting to know T.K. had understood what she was thinking, but despite her sense of relief, she knew she would not feel quite like her old self again until Mickey and Matty were safely back in her arms and T.K. and the others had come home without sustaining any major injuries, or worse...

Spritemon

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

Spritemon slowly picked herself up off the ground from the place where she had fallen and glanced frantically around the room for the Digidestined. She looked first to her right and then to her left, but unfortunately they were nowhere in sight.

Impossible! Where could they have gone? Curse Angelicmon and his stupid light attack! Now what are we going to do?

"My eyes feel like they're on fire! Those Digidestined are nothing but trouble!" BlackGatomon complained, her tail twitching angrily against the stone floor.

Spritemon ignored her and turned to face DarkAngelicmon with her hands on her hips. "Where are they?"

"Gone, I expect. They were trying to escape, as I recall, or did you happen to miss that rather important little detail? I hope Angelicmon's attack hasn't fried your brain or addled your senses, Spritemon. I would hate to think the Digidestined had caused you to suffer such an unfortunate fate."

"Right. Forgive me, DarkAngelicmon, but is there anything you don't find amusing?"

"Death. I dislike having to waste time killing my enemies. It's rather tedious work, don't you agree?"

Spritemon crossed her arms and let out a loud snort. As much as she wanted to scream at the fallen angel for his role in helping the Digidestined escape, she managed to restrain herself from doing so because she was relieved to see him once again acting like his usual insufferable self. For a moment there, she had been worried he really would join up with the Digidestined and desert their master, but luckily he had gained control of his wits before he had had a chance to do something drastic, and for that she was grateful. He had his moments of foolishness, but she liked his sense of humour, and she still trusted him more than she trusted some of the others. "If you say so. It's good to see you've regained some of your senses, at least. You dare to accuse me of having a brain malfunction? What was with that stunt you pulled earlier? The Digidestined are our enemies! If you don't know that by now then answer me this. Where have you been for the last several days?"

DarkAngelicmon tossed his spear aside in disgust and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, if you had been paying attention to me earlier, you would have realized what I was trying to do. Do you not remember me telling you about how I wanted the Digidestined to trust me? I was so close, and you had to go and ruin everything! You heard young Makiya Takaishi. He offered to be my friend, and it was only a matter of time before Daichi and the others proceeded to follow his example. If you had kept your big mouth shut, the Digidestined would have already been in the dungeons by now! Pity isn't necessarily always a bad thing. Sometimes it can work in your favour."

"Are you saying the whole thing with Mickey and Luciamon was just an act?"

"Yes, what did you think it was?"

Spritemon tugged unconsciously on her long, green hair and made a face at the fallen angel. He sounded sincere enough, but despite the logical explanation he had given her, she still could not bring herself to believe him completely. Maybe that had been his original intention, at first, but something about the look that had been in his eyes when Mickey had asked him for help made her think there was more to the story than he was willing to admit. "Really, well, what about T.K.? What was that-"

"Do not speak his name in my presence!" the fallen angel snapped, his green eyes flashing with sudden anger. "That one has caused enough trouble today, I think, and I would appreciate it if you would focus on the problem at hand!"

"Luciamon had to die. You do understand that, don't you?"

DarkAngelicmon stared silently at her for a moment and slowly nodded. "I do. Rest easy, Spritemon. Lucemon shall suffer the same fate, but you would do well to remember my next words. I will be the one who kills him, not you."

"Fair enough."

If Lucemon is anything like Luciamon, which I don't doubt now that he is, then we had better dispose of him quickly. I don't want him to pick up where Luciamon left off!

She had never gotten to know Lucemon or Luciamon very well because the two angel digimon had disappeared only several weeks after she had joined Vampiramon and the others to become a servant of the Ruler of Darkness. When DarkAngelicmon's friends had left, she, along with the others, including DarkAngelicmon himself, had merely assumed their master had sent the two angels on a secret mission to help him carry out his plan to take over the Digital World, but obviously that wasn't the case. Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon had never trusted Luciamon or Lucemon to begin with, and as much as she hated to admit it, her two companions had been right all along.

There's still one thing I don't understand. Why didn't our master tell us Luciamon and Lucemon had betrayed us?

Maybe he didn't know, or maybe he had not thought it was necessary. Her master did have an unfortunate habit of withholding information from his servants, especially if he considered the words to be much too important for unreliable ears. There was no way he would want any valuable information to be spread around by the many incompetent fools who served him.

Wait a miunte, does that mean he considers me to be an incompetent fool?

"Excuse me, but shouldn't we be trying to stop the Digidestined from trying to escape from the castle?" DarkAngelicmon asked, his lips twitching into a small smile.

Spritemon felt her face turn red, and without a word she grabbed the fallen angel's arm and dragged him towards the door. The large group of evil digimon she had summoned earlier were waiting restlessly out in the hallway, and they quickly crowded around her as soon as she approached them.

"What's going on?" a Woodmon standing on her left asked anxiously.

Spritemon held up a hand for silence and gazed coldly at the group of digimon standing before her. "Did any of you see the Digidestined come through this door?"

"No, my lady," a digimon named Minotarumon said quietly. "The Digidestined did not pass through this way. What's going on? We heard the sounds of a battle taking place, and there was a bright flash of light, but that is all we know. Have the Digidestined escaped?"

"They have, but we're not exactly sure how."

"Strange," Ivymon murmured, stepping up beside DarkAngelicmon with BlackGatomon on her heels. "There is only one door into this room. How could they have left without anyone spotting them?"

"Who knows. Maybe the Digidestined have learned how to walk through walls," BlackGatomon snorted.

DarkAngelicmon gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment and fluttered his dark wings. "I believe this castle holds many secrets we are only now just beginning to discover. Apparently not everything is as it seems, my friends. Walking through walls, indeed, but where else could they have gone? Wait a minute! That fool Etemon and his ridiculous pyramid! I remember hearing the story once. You don't think..."

Spritemon's mouth fell open, and she stared at the fallen angel in astonishment. All of a sudden, she understood. Tai Kamiya and his pathetic little friends had snuck into Etemon's pyramid using a set of what they had called weak points in the walls...

"Clever," DarkAngelicmon laughed, his green eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. "How very clever of them! I do believe the Digidestined, and Luciamon, of course, are a match for my brilliance after all!"

For some reason the fallen angel looked positively delighted over the fact that he had been outdone by the Digidestined, and the smile on his face was enough to make Spritemon wish she had let him join the Digidestined, after all. At least then she wouldn't have to put up with his mysterious riddles and pathetic games all the time.

So that's why they were running towards the wall earlier. Curse those Digidestined! Curse them for all eternity! When I get my hands on Takara Kamiya and her vile human friends, I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born!

"Everyone gather around and listen closely," DarkAngelicmon suddenly called out, his strong, clear voice echoing down the hallway. The guards, who were clearly confused about what was going on, immediately stopped talking and surrounded the fallen angel like a pack of eager wolves. DarkAngelicmon smiled at them and placed his hand on Ivymon's shoulder. "All of you are to blame for the Digidestineds' successful attempt to gain access to the interior of the castle, but this is your chance to redeem yourselves. The Digidestined are still somewhere inside these walls, and we must not allow them to escape. I want every single stretch of hallway and every single exit from the castle guarded, and if you see the Digidestined, you are to inform either myself or Spritemon immediately. Remember, the Digidestined can walk through walls. You know what that means, don't you? I want the entire outside perimeter of the castle watched, and make sure you pass on my message to the few guards I'm assuming Spritemon left behind to stand watch. The Digidestined are to be presented to me alive and unharmed, and if anyone disobeys my orders, the penalty is death. Do I make myself clear?"

"What about their digimon partners?" a timid Vilemon asked anxiously.

DarkAngelicmon wrinkled his nose and dismissed Embermon and the others with a wave of his hand. "Kill them. I would've liked to have destroyed MagnaAngemon and some of the others myself, but I don't have time for fun and games at the moment. Spritemon and I will be on the castle's top balcony if you need us."

"Don't worry, my lord, the Digidestined will be yours," Minotarumon murmured, bowing slightly and motioning for the others to follow him.

Ivymon and BlackGatomon were about to follow the crowd, but DarkAngelicmon put out a hand to stop them and motioned them back into the crest room.

"What is it, my lord?" Ivymon asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"I have a different job for you two. The other guards can watch the castle while you two help SkullSatamon and Devidramon."

Spritemon jumped and poked the fallen angel in the ribs. "You don't actually believe the Digidestined are going to risk getting themselves captured again by trying to rescue Gennai, do you?"

"They lack some sense, but they more than make up for it in courage. I wouldn't put it past them to waste time rescuing Gennai when they could be escaping from the castle. For some reason the Digidestined seem to have this funny idea that friends are worth more than their own lives. Imagine that. Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Don't worry, DarkAngelicmon, we'll have the Digidestined locked away in the dungeons before you know it! If they have gone to rescue Gennai, then they're certainly in the right place!" BlackGatomon smirked, winking at the fallen angel. "It's like walking right into a trap. If the Digidestined are down there, we'll let you know right away. Come on, Ivymon, let's go."

The two virus digimon quickly left the room, and as soon as they were gone, Spritemon sent the fallen angel a dirty look. "And just why are we going to the top balcony?"

"Spritemon, will you please use your brain at least once in a while? We're going there because it's right on top of the castle and we can see everything from up there. There's no use going to the dungeons with Ivymon and BlackGatomon, especially if the Digidestined manage to escape again. If we set up a watch on the top balcony, we'll be able to spot them no matter what wall or exit they use to escape from the castle, and that's only if the guards don't catch them first, which I'm sure they will. They've screwed up so many times already, they're bound to do something right eventually."

"Fine, but if that fool SkullSatamon allows the Digidestined to rescue Gennai then our master's going to have your head on a silver platter."

"And I'm sure you'll have the honour of presenting it to him. You'd like that, wouldn't you. Come. We've delayed long enough already. It's time to finish what we started, without Luciamon."

Spritemon quickly followed the fallen angel out of the room and clenched her hands into fists. She still had no clue whether or not she could trust DarkAngelicmon, but sooner or later she was going to find out, and when she did, she hoped she did not end up killing the fallen angel for the sake of their master.