Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I apologize a hundred times over for the lateness of this chapter, but I do have an excellent excuse! The computer totally crashed, but now that it's fixed, I finally have this chapter posted! The next chapter will introduce Lucemon. For more info, check out my forum. (Only not just yet, I will be writing that after I post this.) I will post the Lucemon chapter next week. (Keep your fingers crossed!) After that I'm posting a Kingdom Hearts chapter and possibly one for Trinity, and then we'll get to a great Matt and Ryoko chapter! I hope everyone had a great Canada Day weekend, (if you're from Canada, like me) and if you're from the United States, I hope you all had a great Independence Day!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 125: A Tale of Friendship

Mimi Ishida

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Is there something on your mind, Mimi? You look so serious all of a sudden. I hope you're not worrying about Ryoko too much. Alopemon will look out for him, even when the two of us can't be there."

Mimi slowly lowered the fashion magazine she'd been flipping through, without having ever really seen what was displayed on the pages, and let out a soft sigh. Beside her, Matt was sleeping peacefully on his left side, and his golden hair was sparkling softly in the dim glow coming from the lamp on the nightstand. There were shadows lurking in all four corners of the master bedroom, but Mimi barely even noticed them. At the moment, her husband had his back turned towards her, but she could still see the side of his face, and it looked like there was a gentle smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

I bet he's thinking about Gabumon. And I'm sure he's thinking about Ryoko and our new baby, too. I don't know why some people have trouble coming up with names for their children. Matt and I were able to agree on a boy's name and a girl's name easily enough. Okay, so we argued a little bit, but we definitely weren't as bad as some people!

"Mimi, what's wrong? Why won't you answer me?"

Mimi turned her attention to Palmon and gently slipped her arms around the little rookie in a warm hug. "I'm sorry, Palmon. I didn't mean to ignore you. I just...have a lot on my mind lately."

"You're not the only one. I wonder if we'll ever be able to find Lucemon. Luciamon said he was somewhere on Server, but that doesn't mean he's still there now."

"I'm sure we will. You know Dai. He won't give us any other choice. If you want to know the truth, I'm actually more worried about Mickey and Sam than I am about Ryoko. Sam's going to find out about Ken's past eventually, and I don't think I want to be around when that happens."

"I know what you mean. I don't think that's something I want to see either."

"And then there are Mickey and Kari. I wonder what those two were talking about earlier?"

"Mickey will tell us when he's ready."

And if he doesn't, I bet Kari will.

Mimi leaned back against the fluffy pillows she was currently using to prop herself up with and snuggled deeper beneath the pale green blankets covering her body. She turned to look at Palmon, who was sitting next to her on the bed, and a small smile slipped across her face. "What do you think, Palmon?"

Palmon snuggled against her side and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I'm not really sure yet, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do! By the way, Mimi, there's no use trying to hide your feelings from me. I know you're worried about Ryoko!"

Mimi tossed her fashion magazine onto the nightstand and smiled sheepishly at her digimon partner. "I'm always worried about Ryoko. He is my son, after all, but I'm not letting it get to me because I know he'll be fine as long as you, Alopemon, Gabumon, and all of the others are around to protect him. There is one thing that's bugging me, though. I never realized Dai and Ryoko were having so many problems concerning their friendship until recently, and if they don't find a way to work things out soon, their feelings for each other could end up affecting what happens in the Digital World."

"Just like Matt and Tai. That whole situation nearly ended in disaster. Luckily they were able to work things out before the Dark Masters could take over the Digital World by using the fight between Matt and Tai to their advantage."

"Palmon? Do you...do you think I'm a bad mother? I should have realized what was going on with Ryoko a lot sooner, but I didn't..."

Mimi felt Palmon's roots slip around her neck in a hug, and she buried her face against her digimon's shoulder. "No way, Mimi! You're a great mom! It isn't always easy to tell what Matt's thinking either, is it? Ryoko's a lot like his dad in that sense. He's very good at hiding things when he doesn't want anyone to know what he's thinking."

Mimi slowly nodded and frowned at the ceiling. "You're right. I bet Matt feels the same way I do. I don't think he realized something was up until recently either."

"Matt probably feels a little bit guilty, but he doesn't seem worried, does he?"

"Well...no. Not really."

"I bet it's because he knows Dai and Ryoko will be able to work things out on their own. I really don't think he wants to interfere. Friendships are best left to develop on their own."

Mimi stared at her digimon in surprise and slowly nodded. "I guess that makes sense. You can't force people to become friends with each other. It has to happen naturally."

"Exactly. Matt understands that better than anyone else, and that's probably why he hasn't been getting on Ryoko's case about Dai. Do you really think Matt would allow his son to treat Dai with such disrespect if there wasn't a reason for it? Ryoko and Dai have something special, and I think Matt realizes Ryoko needs to discover that on his own."

Mimi smiled and gently brushed her fingers over the petals on Palmon's head. "Thanks, Palmon. You're right, as usual. Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."

"Really? What is it, Mimi?"

Mimi hesitated and managed a weak smile. "Palmon, are you sure you're okay with the fact that I can't help you fight in the Digital World? What if the others need us..."

"Mimi, my place is wherever you are. There's a lot we can do to help the others fight, even if we're not right there with them. Besides, I have a feeling we might end up going to the Digital World whether we want to or not. We might have no other choice. And if that happens, I'll be right by your side to protect you and your new baby."

Mimi beamed at her digimon partner and hugged the little rookie as tightly as she could. "I know you will."

"Matt will understand," Palmon said quietly, glancing at the sleeping blond.

Mimi poked her husband playfully in the shoulder and shook her head in amusement. "You had to get me pregnant now, didn't you. Why couldn't you have gotten the job done nine months ago?"

Matt shifted slightly at her touch and sighed in his sleep, but he did not wake up.

"Figures," Palmon muttered.

Mimi was about to reply when a soft sound at the door made her look up in surprise. She spotted her son standing hesitantly in the doorway, and smiling softly, she motioned for him to enter the room. "Ryoko, you should have been asleep in your bed a long time ago. How come you're awake at this hour of the night?"

Ryoko gave her a hesitant smile, and after a moment of silence, he made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed. She stared quietly at him, waiting for an answer, but instead of saying something, he lowered his eyes to the ground and began to fiddle nervously with the hem of his blue, plaid sleep pants.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...couldn't get to sleep."

"Why not?"

Ryoko blushed and glanced almost shyly at his father before turning to look at her. "No reason. How come you're still awake?"

"Mimi couldn't sleep either," Palmon said cheerfully.

Mimi rolled her eyes and crossed her legs in order to give Ryoko a little more room on the bed. He quickly squirmed over to sit in front of her, and she gently ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry about me, Ryoko. I just...have a lot of things on my mind. Actually, now that you're here, there's something I want to tell you. This is as good a time as any, I guess. Your father and I were talking earlier, and after only a little bit of arguing, we were able to decide on a couple of names for your new sibling, but we want your approval first before we make our decision final."

"Really?" Ryoko's whole face lit up, and he beamed at her. "Thanks, Mom. So...what are they?"

"Well, I picked a boy's name and your father picked a girl's name. That way we'll be prepared no matter what the baby's sex is. For a boy, I picked the name Ronin, and for a girl, your father picked the name Nanami."

"Ronin Ishida or Nanami Ishida. If the baby turns out to be a girl, we could call her Nami for short, and if it's a boy..."

"Then my two sons will be called Ryoko and Ronin. I thought that would sound kind of nice. What do you think?"

Ryoko laughed and threw his arms around her in a hug. "I think both names are great. I wouldn't change them if I were you."

"I'm glad you like them. I'll let your father know you approve. Ryoko...there's a reason why you came in here, isn't there?"

Ryoko glanced at his father again, and his cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red than they had before. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you want to speak to your father?"

"What? No! I...it's not important..."

"Are you sure?"

"I...I don't want to wake him up. He looks like he could use some sleep, especially since he'll be going to the Digital World tomorrow..."

"Ryoko, I'm not asleep."

Ryoko let out a gasp at the sound of his dad's voice, and Mimi turned to look at her husband in surprise. "Matt! How long have you been awake? I thought you were fast asleep!"

Matt rolled over onto his back and gave her a dirty look. "Hey, at least I did get the job done! Well...eventually. I've been awake ever since you poked me in the shoulder, which means you have no one to blame but yourself!"

"You tricked me into thinking you were still asleep!"

"No, I didn't. I just wanted to...forget it."

He wanted to know whether or not Ryoko's strange behaviour has something to do with him...

Mimi smiled softly to herself and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. "In that case, I've decided I'm not going to get mad at you."

"Why would you be mad at me?"

"For eavesdropping. Actually, I'm glad you were listening because that means you already know Ryoko approves of the baby names we picked."

Matt slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, and his bright blue eyes came to rest on Ryoko's anxious face. The two of them stared at each other for a minute, but Ryoko refused to say a word.

I wonder why Ryoko's so nervous all of a sudden. He usually gets along really well with his father, and he always comes to me or Matt when there's something on his mind, especially if it involves someone he really cares about. At least, that's what I used to think...

Matt must have been having similar thoughts because he shoved a pillow behind his back for comfort and frowned at his son. "I thought you would like the names we chose. What's on your mind, Ryoko? You usually don't come wandering in here in the middle of the night unless there's a good reason for it. And where's Iramon?"

"He's asleep, and I..."

"What is it?"

Ryoko twisted his hands together and gazed uncertainly at his feet. "Dad, you...you said you would tell me about Cherrymon, the dark cave, and your friendship with Tai when we had a chance to be alone together. Well...we're alone now. Do you think maybe you could...um..."

So that's why he came in here. I should have known...

Mimi smiled in amusement and gently rested her cheek against Matt's shoulder. "Matt, do you want me to leave?"

"What? No, of course not! I...I think this is something we need to discuss as a family. When I said I wanted to tell Ryoko without everyone else hanging around, I automatically assumed you would be by my side for moral support. Palmon can stay, too. I wouldn't dream of excluding her."

Mimi raised her eyebrows and poked her husband in the shoulder. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Thanks, Matt!" Palmon said, smiling happily at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Ryoko perked up immediately and he gave his father a hopeful look. "Does that mean you're going to tell me?"

Matt held out his arm and Ryoko quickly moved over to sit next to his father. Mimi shifted over so Ryoko could sit between them, and the golden-haired Digidestined snuggled against his dad's side. Matt slipped his arm around Ryoko's shoulders, and closing his eyes, he rested his cheek against the top of his son's golden head. Mimi could tell her husband was nervous, but she had seen the determination sparkling in his sapphire eyes just before he had squeezed them shut, and she knew he would tell Ryoko everything, even if it meant he could lose his son's respect.

"I'm ready, Dad," Ryoko said softly.

Matt took a deep breath and managed a weak smile. "I don't really know where to begin, but since it all kind of started with Tai and T.K., I guess I should probably start at the beginning..."