Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I have to say, this is actually one of my most favorite chapters, and it doesn't even have Mickey in it! Imagine that! But, if you are a fan of Takara (or Sora for that matter) you are definitely going to like this chapter. One more chapter and then we get to the Ishida family. The truth about the Emperor is coming, just so you all know. And DarkAngelicmon...well, I wonder how he's going to talk his way out of this one! A little note to Kingdom Hearts fans, chapter three of 'The Way to the Heart' will be coming next week. (Hopefully) Keep your fingers crossed! And yes! The next chapter of Trinity is coming in July!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 123: The Strength of the Heart

DarkAngelicmon

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

DarkAngelicmon stood silently on the South Tower balcony with his chin resting in his hands and wrinkled his nose at the dark sky looming menacingly above him. His black wings were fluttering slightly in the cool breeze blowing gently across the Western Hemisphere, and the sound of the trees rustling in the forest nearby brought a frown to his face.

Where are you, Lucemon? You may no longer care for me, but your hatred will not save you from the fate Luciamon suffered. After everything I did to protect you from Daemon, this is how you repay me?

Lucemon had been so frightened of what would happen if Daemon ever broke free from the Dark Ocean and rose to power, but that threat had been eliminated, so why was the rookie angel being so stubborn?

He truly believed Daemon was a fool, and yet he, himself, is lacking almost as much common sense as the very demon digimon the two of us tried so hard to eliminate. I remember that much, even if I can't remember everything...

DarkAngelicmon shook his head in confusion and let out a deep sigh. Although he could no longer feel Azulongmon's light tingling through his body, he had a feeling the Digicore's power was still affecting him in a way he was unable to understand. The implications of that made him feel a little uneasy, but he chose not to dwell on such foolish thoughts. At the moment, his mind was focused on something much more important.

Now that Daichi and the rest of the Digidestined know about Lucemon, I have no doubts they're going to do everything in their power to find my traitorous friend, and if that happens, there's no telling what kind of information Lucemon might reveal to them. I do believe he'll end up growing quite fond of Mickey and Matty, if he manages to meet up with them, and that could be a problem. Somehow I have to find Lucemon before the Digidestined do. This is all your fault, Makiya Takaishi! If only you didn't remind me so much of...of him...

"DarkAngelicmon? The Ruler of Darkness has returned. He wants to see you."

DarkAngelicmon blinked at the sound of a meek voice coming from somewhere behind him and turned to see Spritemon and a little rookie named Gazimon standing behind him. Gazimon was the one who had spoken, and although the little digimon had a smile on his face, his ears were twitching nervously above his head. Spritemon stood silently in the shadows with her arms crossed over her chest, and judging from the expression on her face, she clearly wasn't looking forward to having a chat with the Ruler of Darkness.

I suppose I can't exactly hold it against her, but still, after all this time you'd think she would have learned to trust me by now. So much for that idea. I'd rather spend my time coming up with a way to get my hands on Lucemon instead of wasting the next few hours receiving punishment from my master, but unfortunately I don't really have a choice. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I won't have to endure any kind of punishment for very long.

"DarkAngelicmon? Did...did you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you." DarkAngelicmon slowly moved away from the railing he had been using as an armrest and frowned at Spritemon before turning to the little rookie whose anxious words had caught his attention. "Did the Ruler of Darkness send you himself?"

The little Gazimon bowed his head and nervously shuffled his feet. "Yes, I was under Vampiramon's command in the forest earlier this afternoon, but...things didn't turn out exactly the way they were supposed to..."

"Yes, I figured as much."

"The Ruler of Darkness sent me to look for you and Spritemon as soon as we got back to the castle. He wishes to speak with the two of you right away."

"I thought he might. I apologize for being so hard to find. Please do lead the way. I must admit, I would like this conversation to be over with as soon as possible."

The little Gazimon blinked in surprise, beamed at him, and promptly scampered back through the South Tower door. DarkAngelicmon followed at a much slower pace and smiled slightly as Spritemon fell in beside him.

"We're in serious trouble, you know that, don't you?"

"Not if I can help it. You worry too much, Spritemon. Our master is more generous than he seems, at least when it comes to me."

Spritemon stared at him as if he were crazy and elbowed him in the ribs. "You've got to be kidding me! Will you wake up and open your eyes? You might think you can talk your way you of this one, but I disagree. If you ask me, we'll be lucky to leave our master's presence with our data still intact!"

"We're no worse off than Vampiramon and the others. As long as you keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking, we'll be just fine."

Spritemon glared at him, but instead of coming up with a creative insult, she merely grabbed onto his arm and proceeded to hover anxiously over his shoulder as they made their way down the corridor. They reached the room where the crests used to be in silence, and DarkAngelicmon frowned at the sight of Persiamon and Phelesmon standing on either side of the door. Phelesmon look up at the sound of their footsteps, and a nasty smile slipped across the fallen angel's face. "Well, well, what do we have here? Greetings, DarkAngelicmon. Our master's not very happy with you at the moment."

"The Ruler of Darkness wishes to speak with Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon. May we please enter the room?" Gazimon interrupted, his tail twitching nervously against the floor.

Phelesmon glared at the little rookie and clenched his right hand into a fist, but Persiamon grabbed the fallen angel's arm before he could hit Gazimon in the face and waved her paw-like hand towards the door. "Go ahead. Vampiramon and the others are already in there, but if I were you, I would proceed with caution."

DarkAngelicmon smiled slightly and bowed to the feline digimon. "Thank you, Persiamon, I'll keep that in mind. Come, Spritemon, we must not keep our master waiting."

"In that case, you go first!"

DarkAngelicmon moved quickly towards the door, but before he could enter the room, Phelesmon suddenly grabbed one of his wings and yanked him close in a tight grip. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and attempted to free his wing from the fallen angel's clutches, but unfortunately his efforts were unsuccessful. "What do you want, Phelesmon?"

"Your time will come, DarkAngelicmon. You know, I've never trusted you right from the very moment I first joined forces with the Ruler of Darkness, and nothing you've done so far has convinced me to change my mind. I do hope our master will let me turn you into data. I'd love to be given the opportunity to destroy you."

"I'll kill you first before that ever happens."

Phelesmon let out a snarl of rage and moved to block the door, but once again Persiamon intervened and pushed the fallen angel out of the way before a fight could break out. "Calm yourself, Phelesmon, our master does not like to be kept waiting."

"As if you would know," Spritemon snorted.

Persiamon ignored the other female digimon and settled herself in the shadows to resume her watch. Clearly Spritemon wasn't used to being ignored because she glared at the feline digimon and sent Phelesmon a rather suspicious look.

So many fools. None of this would have happened if Lucemon and Luciamon hadn't betrayed me. The three of us together would have made an unstoppable team...

"Come on, DarkAngelicmon, let's get this over with," Spritemon mumbled, reaching out and once again latching onto his right arm.

DarkAngelicmon slipped smoothly past Phelesmon, and ignoring the seductive look Persiamon sent in his direction, he entered the crest room with Spritemon on his heels.

He had never been fond of fallen angel digimon, besides himself, and Phelesmon was a perfect example as to why.

The two of them stopped several feet in front of the Ruler of Darkness, and DarkAngelicmon quickly lowered his eyes to the stone floor. Despite the regretful look on his face, he did not feel at all sorry for what had happened. Spritemon, too, seemed a little bit preoccupied because she kept glaring suspiciously at the door, or more accurately, at the wall where Persiamon was keeping watch on the other side of the door.

"Hey, angel boy. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. The fool has his limits, you know, and being stuck with Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon all day almost sent me over the edge. I hope you had a better day than I did, but judging from the rumours going around the castle, I'd say that's highly unlikely."

DarkAngelicmon glanced up at the sound of Jestermon's voice and spotted the fool standing off to the side with Vampiramon, BlackWidowmon, and Gazimon.

BlackWidowmon stared silently at the floor and refused to look at him, but Vampiramon was a different story. Instead of avoiding his eyes, she looked directly at him, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a rather unpleasant smile. She didn't say anything, but no words were needed in order to tell exactly what she was thinking.

She wants the Ruler of Darkness to punish me, and clearly she's hoping he'll turn me into data and dispose of me so she can carry on with her plans to destroy the Digidestined. Too bad I'm going to have to disappoint her. I won't let her kill Daichi and the others before I put my plan into action, and if that means I have to destroy her, then so be it.

"DarkAngelicmon, Spritemon, how nice of you to join us," the Ruler of Darkness murmured, the hem of his robe brushing slightly against the floor as he moved towards them.

DarkAngelicmon found himself gazing into his master's deep violet eyes and plastered what he hoped was a sweet smile on his face. "You wish to speak to us, master?"

The Ruler of Darkness hit him hard across the face, and he tumbled to the floor on his hands and knees. Caught off guard, he tried to raise his head and winced when his master suddenly grabbed onto one of the dark, ear-like feathers sticking out of the top of his head and gave it a hard yank.

"Master!" Spritemon gasped, flinging herself to the floor and burying her face against the hem of his robe.

The Ruler of Darkness ignored her, and because of his grip on the feathers sprouting from DarkAngelicmon's long, black hair, the fallen angel had no choice but to look his master directly in the eyes. "Master, I-"

"Quiet, fool! You, my dear servant, have a lot of explaining to do."

Sora Kamiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Sora moved slowly down the sidewalk with her daughter by her side and ran her fingers lightly over the Crest of Love's shiny, red surface. She had been holding the small object in her hand ever since she had left the Motomiya residence, and its comforting presence brought a warm smile to her face. Her husband was walking a little ways ahead of her with Mimi, Palmon, Matt, Ryoko, Iramon, and Taysuke, and she could hear the former leader telling the other six about the fire he had helped put out earlier in great detail. Matt was shaking his head and muttering to himself, and Ryoko looked a little amused about something, but Taysuke was too busy soaking up his father's story to notice. The younger boy was beaming proudly at his dad, and every so often he would glance rather shyly in Ryoko's direction. As for Mimi, she was too busy catching up with Palmon to pay much attention to anything but her digimon partner.

Sora smiled in amusement and shook her head. As much as she loved Tai, she was glad he was a little preoccupied at the moment because it gave her a perfect opportunity to speak to her daughter. "Is something wrong, Kara? You seem a little more quiet than usual. I hope you're not worrying too much about what's going on in the Digital World."

"No, I...Mom, about that conversation we were having before, I..."

"You really like Dai, don't you."

Takara gazed miserably at her feet, and Sora quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. The two of them continued down the sidewalk without speaking, and after a moment of silence, Takara was finally able to find her voice. "You think I'm too young, right? I know I'm only thirteen, but I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone before. It's stupid, but I...I can't help it..."

Neither could I.

Sora gently ran her fingers thorugh Takara's dark ponytail, and reaching out, she dropped the Crest of Love into her daughter's hand and nodded her head in Tai's direction. "You know, Kara, I've always been very fond of your father, even when we were kids, but I also loved your Uncle Matt, too, and it wasn't until I finally faced the truth inside my heart that I was able to make a decision about who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. My feelings for Matt were real, and very strong, but over time they began to fade away without me even realizing it and my feelings for your father stayed the same. That's how I knew I was making the right decision. Don't get me wrong, I will always love your Uncle Matt, just not in the same way I love your father. It's strange, but I think I really did love your dad even when we were kids, but I didn't realize what my feelings meant at the time."

Takara beamed at her and managed a shy smile. "You're really lucky, Mom, but...what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Kara, when it comes to love, age doesn't matter. There are adults out there who are over fifty years old and they still have not learned what it truly means to love someone in a romantic way, and yet, at the same time, there are couples out there who married very young, and over fifteen years later they're still standing strong. That's not always the case, though. Sometimes it might be the other way around. Your ability to love is determined by the strength of your heart, not your age. Some hearts mature when they're young, some when they're older, and sadly enough, some never learn the true meaning of love at all. Imagine spending your whole life without having ever learned to truly care for someone, whether it's love for family, a friend, or love for that special person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Takara's eyes filled with sudden tears, and Sora felt her daughter's arms tighten around her waist. "That's so...sad..."

"It is, but the world is far from being perfect, so we have to do whatever we can to spread our light as far as it will go. You might not realize it now, Kara, but I believe you're one of those people who truly learned to love long before you ever learned to walk."

"Does that mean you don't think I'm being dumb about...about Dai?"

Sora placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead and wrapped the female Digidestined's fingers around the Crest of Love. "Let me put it this way. If, say eight or ten years from now, you still feel the same way about Dai, then you will know what you feel is very real, and if that happens, I know your heart will make sure you don't give up on what might very well be the best thing that'll ever happen to you. I don't know exactly how Dai feels, although I have my suspicions, but if his heart is as strong as yours, he won't let you go without doing everything he can to make sure you know how much he cares about you. Until then, enjoy every moment you spend with him, cherish his friendship, and give him time to discover just exactly what his feelings for you really are. Sometimes it takes boys a little longer to make peace with their hearts, but eventually they get there, if you give them a little time and space."

Takara smiled slightly and nodded. "Thanks, Mom. I'll keep that in mind."

"I trust you, Kara. I know you'll do the right thing. The Crest of Love isn't just a part of me, you know. It's a part of every single person who has ever been chosen to be a Digidestined, and even some who weren't. You know what that means, don't you?"

"It's a part of me, too."

"Exactly."

"I'll do the right thing, Mom. I'll make you proud of me."

Sora smiled fondly at her daughter and nodded her head towards Tai. "I'm already proud of you and so is your dad."

"You...you don't think Dad will mind, do you?" Takara asked, glancing nervously in her father's direction.

"Don't worry, honey, your father will probably threaten never to let Dai come anywhere near your room ever again, but I don't think he'll mind too much. Besides, I'm not worried, and that's all that matters. You're still very young, and I know you have more sense than that. Your heart will keep you on the right track, just like mine did."

"Mom! Keep your voice down!" Takara squealed, blushing furiously.

Sora laughed at the horrified look on her daughter's face and reached out to stroke Fluttermon's head. "What do you think about all of this?"

Fluttermon smiled sleepily at her and cuddled against Kara's heart. "I think humans are very confusing, but I don't mind because they make life much more interesting. Takara might act really funny around Dai, but she does have a huge heart, and that's what makes her such a great person."

"Thanks, Fluttermon, now I really feel like a fool!" Takara groaned.

Sora smiled softly to herself and squeezed her daughter's hand. "I love you, Kara."

"I love you too, Mom, and thanks again for everything. I'm glad I get to learn from the best."

"I think we'd better hurry up before Taysuke and the others leave us behind. DemiEmbermon's not the only one who needs some food!" Fluttermon grumbled.

Kara quickly hurried over to her Aunt Mimi's side, and Sora was left to catch up to the others on her own. She picked up her pace a little, and smiling at her daughter's back, she turned to gaze at the Crest of Love, which Kara had dropped into her hand before taking off. It was glowing softly, and she knew this time it wasn't because of anything she had done. Don't worry, Kara. I think Dai might be closer to the truth than you think...