Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I know it's a pretty short chapter, but there will be a really long one coming soon. Oh, and FallenArchangel has started an FTFOD fanart section on my forum where he and Miss. Anonymous have posted their work. Check it out, and if you have your own FTFOD fanart, don't hesitate to post the link and let us all see it! That's it for now.

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 130: What the Heart Hides

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Wow, Ryoko, your parents have such good taste! Ronin is a great name for a boy, and I love the name Nanami for a girl. It's so pretty!" Takara squealed, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined and wrapping her arm around Ami's shoulder.

Daichi rolled his eyes as the two girls began to giggle about something, and turning his attention to Ryoko, he gave his blond friend a curious look. "So, what else did you want to tell us?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Ryoko, you can trust us," Taysuke said eagerly, beaming at the older boy and sticking to his side like glue.

Ryoko hesitated, and glancing around to make sure no one else on the street was listening, he motioned them all to come a bit closer and lowered his voice. "It's about my dad."

"What about him?" Sam whispered, his dark blue eyes widening to twice their normal size.

"You're kidding! He finally told you about Cherrymon and the dark cave?" Matty gasped, excitement sparkling in his amber eyes.

Ryoko frowned and finally nodded. "He told me last night. I asked him this morning if I could tell you guys and he said that was fine. I think he kind of wants everyone to know what happened."

"Well, aren't you going to tell us?" Miya asked, smiling in amusement.

Noah elbowed her lightly in the ribs and gave Ryoko a warm smile. "Ignore her. You can tell us when you're ready."

"If you're going to tell us now then you'd better hurry up about it. You won't have a chance once we get to school. We're probably going to be late as it is, and you know what Mrs. Hanari's like. She's been looking for an excuse to get Daichi into trouble ever since his last detention," Ema snorted.

Dai glared at his cousin and poked her sharply between the shoulder blades. "Like I need to be reminded of that. Just because your teacher hardly gets anyone into trouble, even when they're late, that doesn't mean you have to rub it in."

"Yeah, shut up, Ema, we want to hear what Ryoko has to say," Ami said impatiently.

Blushing furiously, Ryoko avoided Ami's eyes and quickly told them the story his father had recited to him the night before. When he had finished, there was a long moment of silence. Somehow Sam managed to find his voice, and when he spoke his tone was filled with shock and disbelief. "All of that stuff actually happened to...to your dad? He...he almost broke up the entire team! And for him to end up in...in that cave...in the World of Darkness..."

"So?" Ryoko snapped, glaring at Sam. "He made up for it, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but...for him to let himself become so consumed by darkness..."

Ryoko came to a dead stop, and looking absolutely furious, he turned to gaze directly into Sam's deep blue eyes. "There are other people out there who have fallen even deeper into darkness than my dad did. Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to forgive them either?"

"What? Wait! I didn't mean...it's not like that!" Sam's cheeks turned bright red and he grabbed Ryoko's arm to stop the golden-haired Digidestined from hurrying off down the street. "Ryoko, I wasn't trying to say anything bad about your dad. I just-"

"Everyone deserves a second chance! What would you do if you were in my place, disown your own father? Would you never speak to him again? Huh, Sam? Is that what you would do?"

"What are you talking about? Ryoko, why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not acting weird!"

"Stop!" Mickey cried, leaping between the two of them and trying to push them apart. "You guys are supposed to be friends!"

"Tell that to Ryoko, not me!" Sam shouted, looking thoroughly upset.

Dai frowned thoughtfully to himself and grabbed Ryoko's sleeve to prevent the golden-haired Digidestined from reaching Sam. He quickly pulled Ryoko out of Mickey's grip and the two of them stared at each other. "Ishida, what in the Digiworld has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Ryoko muttered, avoiding Sam's eyes.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in which nobody spoke and the air was so thick with tension it was almost unbearable. From the looks of things, Mickey and the others seemed to be having a rather difficult time meeting either Sam's or Ryoko's eyes, but somehow Matty persevered where the others could not, and plastering a weak smile on his face, the younger twin patted Ryoko gently on the shoulder. "Your dad might have made a few mistakes, but he did a lot of good things, too. Doesn't that sort of make up for the bad things?"

Ryoko stared at his cousin in surprise and managed a shaky smile. "Thanks, Matty."

"Don't mention it. Besides, Gabumon believes in Uncle Matt, and that's good enough for me. In my opinion, digimon are better judges of character than humans are."

"That's right!" Mickey agreed, beaming at his twin. "Uncle Matt probably feels really bad about what he did. Why should we make him feel even worse? If you ask me, I think he's learned his lesson."

"Yeah, no one's perfect, not even Mickey," Ema interrupted, grinning at the older twin.

Mickey blushed and smiled shyly at Ryoko. "Matt has always been a really great uncle, and to me that makes up for a lot of things. We might not know all of the things our parents had to go through during their adventures in the Digital World, but we do know one thing. All of them experienced some sort of darkness, some more obvious than others, and all of them were able to overcome their fears and resist the temptation to give in to evil. Why should we forgive some and not others?"

"Anyone can lose their way and become blinded by evil, but not everyone can find their way back," Noah said quietly. "It's not about how many mistakes you make. It's about whether or not you're able to overcome them."

"My dad was partly to blame for what happened," Takara said thoughtfully, a slight smile playing across her lips. "He could have been a little bit more understanding at times."

Kenzo nodded in agreement and gave Ryoko a nervous smile. "It's not always easy to do the right thing. As my dad always says, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing."

"I think Uncle Matt was amazing," Taysuke said enthusiastically, gazing up at Ryoko with an awed sort of look on his face. "He could have left Tai and the others for good, but he came back, didn't he? I bet you would have done the same thing for us."

Somewhere along the line Ryoko's face had turned a handsome shade of red, and for some reason he was having trouble meeting the eyes of his fellow Digidestined. Clearly he hadn't been expecting such a unanimous display of support and forgiveness. With the exception of Sam, everyone else was filled with nothing but praise.

"Matt should be proud of himself. Even though he had plenty of chances to walk away, he never once gave up on his friends. Now that's what I call loyalty," Ami said cheerfully, winking at Ryoko.

Dai didn't think it was possible, but somehow Ryoko's face turned an even darker shade of red. The blond quickly ruffled Taysuke's hair, and leaning over, he whispered something in the younger boy's ear. Whatever he said made Taysuke flush and beam with happiness.

"What do you think, Dai?" Miya asked curiously, glancing at him before turning to look at Ryoko with new respect.

Dai felt Ryoko's gaze on him, and lifting his head, he found himself staring directly into the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes. Ryoko appeared to be a bit nervous, but Dai pretended not to notice. Instead, he smiled and shook his blond friend gently by the shoulders. "Ishida, in some ways you're a lot like your dad. If we were to ever turn our backs on him, then that would be like turning our backs on you, and you know we would never do that."

Ryoko's mouth dropped open, and the blond stared at him as if he had gone insane. "You...you really think that?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it."

Ryoko's bottom lip was trembling, but somehow he managed to smile and nod his head. "Thanks, Daichi."

"Sam, what's wrong?" Mickey suddenly gasped, moving over to stand next to the raven-haired Digidestined.

Sam's whole body was trembling, and there was an extremely guilty look on his face. For some reason he seemed unable to take his eyes off Ryoko, and he kept swallowing hard, as if there was a lump in his throat he couldn't quite get rid of.

"Changed your mind, have you?" Ryoko said coolly, his expression neutral. On the outside, the golden-haired Digidestined did not look the least bit concerned about what had happened earlier, but Dai could tell Sam's behaviour had really shaken him up, even if he was doing his best to hide it.

Sam's whole face crumpled and he gazed miserably at his feet. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. You're...you're not mad at me, are you?"

"Should I be?"

"I didn't mean to be rude," Sam whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

Ryoko's face suddenly softened into a sad smile, and reaching out, he slipped his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I just...Sam, don't dwell on the bad things so much that you end up forgetting what's really important. Every Digidestined has some good in them. We wouldn't have been chosen if we didn't."

Sam sniffed and managed a shaky smile. "I know."

"We should get going otherwise we're going to be really late," Kenzo mumbled.

Mickey quickly attached himself to Sam's side and began to pull the raven-haired Digidestined down the street. Matty followed after them, and even though the twins still occasionally had trouble meeting each other's eyes, they seemed to have come to some sort of unspoken agreement with regards to helping Sam. No matter how many problems they had, they were clearly willing to work together for Sam's sake.

Mickey, Ami, and the rest of the group proceeded to talk excitedly about the names Matt and Mimi had chosen for their new baby, but Daichi did not join in on the conversation. Instead, he pulled Ryoko away from the others, and the two of them fell to the back of the group without anyone noticing.

"What do you want?" Ryoko mumbled, glancing anxiously at the others, as if afraid they might be overheard.

Dai quickly put a smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders. "You must be really excited now that your parents have picked out some baby names. Kara's always talking about how Matt and Mimi have really great taste, and I have to agree. The names they picked are really cool."

"I guess."

Dai frowned indignantly at the blond, who was clearly ignoring him, and turned to see what Ryoko was looking at. The golden-haired Digidestined's eyes were glued to Sam's back, and there was a funny expression on his face. His sapphire eyes held no emotion, but they were burning so brightly it was obvious he was trying to hide something. It was strange, but Dai had an odd feeling Ryoko was attempting to read Sam's mind and failing miserably.

"Ishida, is something wrong?"

A flicker of fear and anxiety flashed across Ryoko's face, but it was quickly suppressed. "No, why would anything be wrong?"

Dai hesitated and slowly bent his head closer to Ryoko's. "You can laugh all you want but I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am. I know something is wrong. Come on, Ishida, you can tell me."

Ryoko stared at him.

"Does this have something to do with Sam?"

"No!" Ryoko said sharply, glancing nervously at Sam. "Why would you think that?"

Dai let out a sigh and put his hands on Ryoko's shoulders. "If none of this has anything to do with Sam, you wouldn't be treating him the way you treat me."

Ryoko blushed and gazed self-consciously at his feet. "I don't...I'm not..."

"Tell me. I won't tell anyone, if that's what you really want. I can keep secrets, you know I can."

"For some people, maybe..."

Dai felt his face turn red with anger and he glared at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Why is it so hard for you to tell me things? Just once can't you at least act like I'm your friend? You never tell me anything! I always have to hear it from someone else, never you! Why is it that you can tell everyone else stuff but you can't tell me? You know what? Forget I said anything. If you want to get swallowed up by your own misery then be my guest, but just so you know, I might not be there the next time you need some help."

"I never asked for help, did I?"

Dai turned his back on Ryoko, intending to leave the blond behind, but before he could move away, the golden-haired Digidestined grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Up ahead, Matty was staring back at them with his mouth hanging open, but Dai pretended not to notice. The younger twin was definitely his closest friend, and probably the one who understood him the best, but in his opinion you couldn't really feel complete unless you had at least two or three best friends, maybe even more. After all, Mickey and Matty were best friends, as well as brothers, and because of that he had had to share Matty with Mickey ever since the day he was born. The same was true for the rest of his friends. He didn't mind sharing Matty one bit with someone else, and he was sure Matty wouldn't mind sharing him with Ryoko. At least, he hoped so...

Not that it matters because at this rate Ryoko and I will never become really good friends. He's been trying to ruin everything right from the very beginning. And Matty says I'm stubborn.

As far as he could tell, it look like Matty was going to have to share Mickey with Sam, and the younger twin didn't seemed too upset about it. Earlier Matty had pretty much been encouraging Mickey to become better friends with Sam. That was one of the things he admired most about Mickey and Matty. They were so sure of their feelings for each other that they never felt threatened by anyone else.

At least, that used to be the case...

"Dai, wait!" Ryoko whispered urgently in his ear.

Dai crossed his arms and gave the blond a dirty look. "Why should I?"

"Look, it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just..."

Ryoko broke off, and to Dai's complete astonishment, tears began to form in the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes.

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Dai slid his arm around Ryoko's shoulders and pulled him close in a one-armed hug. "Hey, come on, Ishida, I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's...it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I..."

"It's about Sam, isn't it. I know it is. I saw the way you were looking at him."

Ryoko didn't answer. Dai turned to face the golden-haired Digidestined and jumped in surprise when Ryoko suddenly grabbed him by the front of his red shirt and dragged him even further away from the others. Glancing fearfully over his shoulder, Ryoko sucked in a deep breath and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. "If I tell you, will you promise me you won't say a word to any of the others, especially Sam?"

Dai stared at the tragic look on Ryoko's face and slowly nodded. There was an air of helplessness and deep sorrow hovering around the golden-haired Digidestined that was so strong it made Dai's heart ache with sadness. "I promise."

Ryoko let out a sound that was half a sob and leaned closer to whisper quietly in his ear. "Daichi, I think...I think Sam's father might be the-"

"Daichi Motomiya! Do you realize how close you are to being late?"

Dai jerked away from Ryoko in surprise and turned to see Mrs. Hanari standing on the steps of the school. There was an unpleasant smile on her thin face, and her dark eyes were sparkling dangerously beneath her finely shaped eyebrows. She looked a little disappointed about something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was putting her in such a nasty mood. Clearly she had been looking forward to dealing out some punishment, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. "If you had been one minute later I would have had to stick you and the rest of your friends in detention."

"We'll see you guys later," Taysuke mumbled, glancing fearfully at Mrs. Hanari.

Even Ema looked a little anxious. Without sticking around to see what might happen, Taysuke and his three friends quickly scurried up the steps into the school, casting uneasy looks over their shoulders.

Daichi gave Mrs. Hanari a brilliant smile and made his way leisurely up the steps. "Better luck next time, I guess."

Mrs. Hanari scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I haven't see you or Masato in detention lately. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Matty said innocently, trying desperately not to smile.

Mrs. Hanari peered suspiciously at him and let her sharp eyes travel across each of their faces. "I know you six are up to something, and when I find out what it is, you're in serious trouble. Makiya, I would have expected better from you at least!"

Dai rolled his eyes and bent his head close to Sam's ear. "What's she going to do, tell our parents? They already know!"

Sam clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, and smiling innocently at Mrs. Hanari, Dai proceeded to drag a guilty looking Mickey down the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder at Ryoko, but the golden-haired Digidestined refused to look at him. Mrs. Hanari's presence seemed to have caused Ryoko to lose his nerve, and judging by the look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face, Dai was pretty sure he had just lost his one chance at getting Ryoko to tell him what was wrong.

This is all Mrs. Hanari's fault! Why does she always have to show up at the worst possible moments? I just don't understand, what does Sam's father have to do with anything, and why is Ryoko acting like it's such a big secret? I hate it when stuff like this happens. Come on, Ryoko, what are you hiding?