Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: So, before I say anything else, I'm going to apologize for such a long wait. I'm normally quicker when it comes to updating, but as you can see I have no intention of giving up on this story! Like that would ever happen!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 150: The Truth Comes Out
Masato 'Matty' Takaishi
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Ignoring the gasps of shock rising into the air around him, Masato Takaishi continued to gaze into his twin's amber eyes, unable to believe what he had already managed to figure out just seconds before Dai had uttered the words he knew his brother had been trying to tell him. Mickey's eyes were very expressive, and Matty could read them as easily as if he were trying to read his own mind. That was the reason why he just knew there was something else Mickey wasn't telling him, something that involved the Emperor's true identity.
"You know, Matty," Mickey whispered softly in his ear. "I know you know. We all knew. The truth was right there in front of our faces, but we couldn't see it. We didn't want to see it..."
Sam. It all has something to do with Sam...
"You...you know?" Tai choked out, gazing at Dai in utter disbelief. "But...how? That's impossible! We never...it doesn't make any sense. How could you possibly know?"
"So much for keeping your promise not to tell anyone. Thanks a lot, Daichi," Ryoko said sarcastically, regaining some of his usual composure.
The golden-haired Digidestined lifted his head long enough to glare at Dai, but the goggle-headed leader refused to be intimidated. Instead, he lifted his chin and gazed directly into Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it isn't going to work, Ishida. Don't you remember what I said when you couldn't decide whether or not we should tell Mickey the truth about the Emperor? Things are different now. If Sam didn't know the truth, I would have kept my promise, but since he does know, there's no point in keeping what we know a secret from everyone else. Matty and Kara are going to find out the truth eventually, whether we tell them or not, and the same is true for Ami and the rest of the gang. As for our parents, what's the point of hiding anything from them? They're not stupid. They'd eventually figure out we know the truth about the Emperor. Most of us aren't exactly very good liars. Besides, if Sam decides to...you know...confront his parents, you can be sure they'd tell our parents. I'm sorry, Ishida, but now that Sam knows, everyone is going to know. He'll make sure of that, whether he realizes it or not."
"Sam...knows?" Sora gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.
Ryoko nodded and buried his face against his father's chest. "Yes, he...he knows..."
"Which means I'm right about telling the others," Dai said bluntly.
"I know," Ryoko mumbled, gazing miserably at his feet. "I...I'm sorry."
The apology was quite a surprise considering how Ryoko usually treated Dai, but Matty didn't take the time to dwell on the subtle change of attitude that seemed to have taken place between his two friends. Instead, he turned to look at his brother, and the expression on Mickey's face made his heart skip a beat. "The Emperor...who is he?"
Mickey quickly pulled him off to the side and gently squeezed his shoulders. "Think, Matty! Why would Sam be so upset about the Emperor's true identity? Why would it affect him so deeply?"
Matty scratched his golden hair and frowned thoughtfully at his twin. "I don't know. I guess because it's someone he knows."
"Yes, but it's not just anyone he knows. That wouldn't be enough to make him this upset."
"Oh, well...I guess it would be someone he really cares about then, wouldn't it?"
Mickey smiled sadly at him and slowly nodded. "Who are the people Sam cares about more than anyone else in the world?"
"His family and friends, I guess."
"We've already ruled out Sam's friends," Mickey whispered, his face a mask of sorrow. "None of us are old enough to have been the Emperor, and the Emperor would have had to have been a Digidestined at the time otherwise he wouldn't have been able to come to the Digital World."
Matty jerked his head up in surprise and stared at his brother in astonishment. "That's right! I'd almost forgotten!"
"Now that you remember, who does that leave left?"
Matty stood there gazing at the tortured look on his brother's face, and suddenly he knew. It was so obvious, he couldn't understand why he had never figured out the truth a long time ago. "It's Ken, isn't it. Sam's father was the Digimon Emperor."
That has to be the answer. Like Mickey said, none of Sam's friends are old enough to have been Digidestined at the time, and some of them, like Noah and the others, aren't even Digidestined at all. That only leaves the adults, but most of them, though almost like family, aren't related by blood. If I understand Mickey correctly, then that leaves only Yolei and Ken. His siblings aren't old enough, nor are they Digidestined, and his grandparents, aunts, and uncles were never Digidestined either. Neither are his cousins. Like the rest of us kids, Ren, Taka, and the others aren't old enough to have been the Emperor twenty-five years ago. We are all the people Sam cares about the most, and with only Yolei and Ken left to choose from, the answer is clear. Ken's name always came up when someone mentioned the Emperor. Wormmon's secrecy, the Crest of Kindness, Ken's absence from the team for so long, his connection to the World of Darkness, it all fits, including the fact that the Emperor would have had to have been a Digidestined.
"Do you see now why Sam is so upset?" Mickey said tearfully.
Poor Sam. Will he ever be able to forgive Ken? How would I have felt if I had been in his place? The Emperor could have easily been someone else. It could have been my dad. It could have even been my mom. I don't know all the details, but it sounds like both of them had their moments where they could have easily given in to the darkness. What would I have done if the Emperor had been one of them instead?
"Matty? Matty, are you okay?" Mickey asked anxiously.
Matty slowly sank to his knees, and he felt rather than saw Mickey sit down beside him. He knew his brother was really worried about Sam, and unfortunately he could relate. Sam was one of his closest friends, and it hurt a lot to know there was little he could do to ease his friend's pain. "I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I never thought it would be this bad."
"Matty, you don't think Ken...I mean, it's not what Sam believes. It can't be..."
Matty gazed at his brother for a moment, and after a brief hesitation he managed a faint smile. "I don't really know what to think, but I do know one thing. We can't let Sam alienate his father. They care about each other too much for us to let something like that happen. I know what you want to do. I'm not sure I'll be of much use, but I promise I'll do everything I can to help you stop Sam from hurting both himself and his father."
Mickey beamed at him, and he felt his brother's right arm slip around him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Matty, I knew I could count on you."
Matty squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face against his brother's shoulder, unable to ignore a sudden stab of pain in his heart. There was still something not quite right between them, and even though he had a bad feeling it was going to cause major problems later on, right now he needed to focus on Sam.
"Who is it?" Takara whispered, clinging tightly to Dai's arms and gazing anxiously into the goggle-headed leader's eyes. "The Emperor, who is he?"
Dai gazed sadly at his female friend for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "Kara, it's Ken. It's Sam's father."
Instead of replying, Takara let out a soft moan and buried her face against the goggle-headed leader's neck. Even though she hadn't responded to Dai's news about Ken, Matty could tell she believed every word.
"Well, there's no way around it, they definitely know the truth," Izzy sighed, shaking his head in defeat and turning to look at Tai. "It was bound to happen eventually."
"Sam must be completely devastated," Mina said quietly.
Tai stared at the younger couple for a moment, and although Matty couldn't tell for sure, he had a feeling his uncle was starting to regret keeping the truth about the Emperor a secret for so long. His suspicions were confirmed when Tai suddenly turned to look at his wife and he gave the female Digidestined a weak smile. "You and T.K. were right, as usual. We should have told Sam the truth about the Emperor and everything else we tried to hide about the Digital World. It probably would have been better for him if he had found out from us instead of...wait, how did he manage to figure out the truth? Did someone tell him or did he just figure it out on his own?"
Sora took the former leader's hands in her own and turned to gaze uneasily at Dai. "Someone told him. He wouldn't have wanted to believe it on his own."
"Dai, I think you'd better tell us what's going on," Izzy said firmly.
Matty listened in silent disbelief as Dai told them all about DarkAngelicmon, the forest, the ocean, the D-Coders, and Ryoko's suspicions about Ken, and when he was finished, no one seemed to know quite what to say. Finally, after a long moment of quiet reflection, Matty was somehow able to find his voice. "So...DarkAngelicmon finally got his chance after all. We should have known he would try again after his first failed attempt to tell Sam the truth about the Emperor."
"Izzy, was Sam really trapped inside the World of Darkness?" Mickey asked quietly. "That was the conclusion the rest of us came to, but I wanted to ask you just to make sure."
Izzy gazed thoughtfully at the trees for a moment and slowly nodded his head. "I believe you're right, Mickey. It's really the only theory we have that makes any kind of sense."
I don't understand you, Sam. Why would you want to go to the Dark Ocean? Why would you want to run away from us?
"The Dark Ocean," Celestimon said sadly, fluttering onto Gabrielmon's shoulder and pointing at the water just barely visible between the tops of the trees. "Sam could feel it calling to him. He shouldn't have listened. He should have stayed with us."
"You mean...that really was the Dark Ocean?" Mickey squeaked, staring at Celestimon with his mouth hanging open.
"What else could it have been?" Matt said shortly.
"Poor Sam," Mina murmured. "As much as I hate to admit it, unfortunately there's not much we can do for him right now. If only you guys could have been in the forest with him."
"It's my fault," Ryoko mumbled. "I was the one wasting time."
Matty glanced uncertainly at his cousin, but it was Dai who blurted out what he was sure everyone else was thinking. "Don't even think about blaming yourself, Ishida. Like everyone else, I too want to know exactly what went on in the forest between DarkAngelicmon and Sam, but I doubt we'll have to wait long to get some answers. Sam will tell us eventually no matter how upset and angry he is. He won't be able to help himself."
"Ryoko, why do you seem so much more upset than everyone else?" Matt asked quietly, frowning at his son. "I know you feel bad for Sam, but that doesn't explain why you've been acting a little more unusual than Dai and the rest of your friends."
"Sam told Ryoko he hated him," Gabrielmon said bluntly, shaking his head. "It is one thing to be upset about the Emperor, but it is another thing entirely to push away the people who care about you the most. If he continues down this path, he will suffer greatly."
Matt winced and took a few steps back so he could look directly into his son's eyes. "Ryoko..."
"Sam hates me," Ryoko mumbled, fresh tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. "He thinks I betrayed him, but I didn't. I wanted to tell him, I really did..."
"No, Ryoko, Sam doesn't hate you."
Ryoko stared at his father in surprise and scrubbed vigorously at his cheeks. "What do you mean?"
"You and Sam have spent your whole lives together. That's not something he can just throw away, and neither can you. I don't doubt he probably wants to hate you, but there's no way he'll ever be able to manage it. Trust me, I know that better than anyone. If you really care about someone, it's not so easy to just cast them aside and forget how much they mean to you.."
"He's right," Dai said firmly, his dark eyes studying Ryoko's pale face. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"
Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and Matty raised his eyebrows at the embarrassed look on his cousin's face. He still couldn't believe Ryoko had told Dai, of all people, about the Emperor's true identity, but the more he thought about it, the more he believed their conversation had been more meaningful than either one of them would be willing to admit.
"I'm sorry, Ryoko, it's my fault really," Matt muttered, clearly disgusted with his own lack of caution. "I was the one who got you thinking about the Emperor last night. If I hadn't been so careless..."
Ryoko quickly shook his head and gazed miserably at his feet. "No, Dad, I would have figured it out on my own eventually, even if you had never said anything."
"The same is probably true for the rest of us," Mickey said quietly, "with the possible exception of Sam, but that's only because he wouldn't have let himself believe the truth. From the sounds of it, DarkAngelicmon didn't really give him a choice."
"We should have known Ryoko would be the first one to figure it out," Sora said, smiling slightly.
Ryoko turned to look at Sora and he wrinkled his nose in confusion. "How come?"
"You've always been good at picking up on things other people tend to miss," Matt said proudly, beaming at his son.
Ryoko flushed and shrugged his shoulders. "I just got lucky, or unlucky I should say."
"Maybe not. Besides, no matter what you say, I'm still partly to blame for Sam's feelings towards you. If we had just told all of you the truth right from the very beginning..."
"You wanted to protect Ken. We can't blame you for that," Takara whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "If Sam had been the Emperor, we would have done the same thing."
"Well, there is one good thing about all of this," Tai said cheerfully.
"What's that?" Matt asked, gazing suspiciously at his best friend.
"At least Ken can blame you now instead of me!"
"Tai!" Sora scolded.
"Thanks, how generous of you," Matt said sarcastically, slipping a comforting arm around his son and glaring at the former leader.
But...what about DarkAngelicmon?
Glancing almost shyly at Mickey, Matty hesitated and nervously placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Um...Mickey? Why...why does DarkAngelicmon think you hate him? He must have a reason for saying all of those things."
Mickey shrugged his shoulders and turned to gaze miserably at the forest. "I don't know. It must be because of something that happened in the forest, but I have no clue what that might have been. Something just...doesn't feel right."
"Do you hate him?"
"Do you?" Mickey countered, turning away from the forest and watching him closely.
Matty blushed and quickly looked away from his twin. "I...I don't really know how I feel, especially after everything that's happened."
"He used Angelicmon's attack. How could he possibly do that unless there was a chance he could turn away from evil? If the darkness really had complete control over him then there's no way he could have performed an attack like that."
"He can make light, just like me!" Celestimon said happily, gazing in awe at the trees as if he could sense DarkAngelicmon's light streaming down into the forest.
Matty ignored his partner and frowned uncertainly at his twin. "I don't know, Mickey... what if it was some sort of a trap? He could just be trying to trick us into thinking he's not really evil."
"Do you really believe that?" Mickey asked, looking disappointed. "What about everything Luciamon said? She made it sound like he wasn't always an evil digimon."
"What if he was only pretending back then, too? I just don't trust him. Not yet, anyway. He's tried so many times to manipulate all of us, I just don't see how you can believe anything he says so easily."
"But, Matty...he's never lied to us. Isn't what just happened with Sam proof enough of that?"
"He tried to hurt Sam, and it looks like he's succeeded! I can't forgive him for that! Come on, Mickey, you can't seriously believe he might eventually come over to our side. That's crazy!"
Mickey's whole face suddenly crumbled, and Matty blinked in surprise when his twin suddenly turned away from him. "Matty, if you don't know how I really feel by now then maybe you don't know me as well as I thought you did."
"What?"
"If you can't see it then you can't help me," Mickey whispered.
What does he mean by that?
Feeling both hurt and confused, Matty turned to look at his partner and blushed when he realized Celestimon and Gabrielmon were staring at him and exchanging meaningful looks. Not only that, but everyone else was glancing between himself and Mickey, as well, and the stunned expressions on their faces made him feel suddenly angry. "What are you all looking at, huh?"
"Don't!" Matt snapped, glaring at him and sending Mickey a disapproving look. "Don't you two even start. I don't know what's going on with either of you right now, but you're both being selfish and it isn't fair to Sam. Our focus should be on him right now and nothing else."
"You're right. I'm sorry, Uncle," Mickey mumbled, gazing shamefully at his feet.
Tai put a sympathetic arm around Mickey's shoulders and turned to face Dai. "Well, what should we do now?"
"I don't know, you think of something."
Matty stared at the goggle-headed leader with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he had just heard. Never before had he seen Dai looking so helpless before, and although he would never admit it to anyone, it scared him. Other than Kara, normally Dai was the one they could always count on to remain stable, even in times of trouble, so to see him looking so depressed made the situation seem utterly hopeless.
"We must leave this place," WarGreymon suddenly announced, stepping up behind Tai and glancing left and right at the landscape to make sure they were still alone.
"He's right," MegaKabuterimon agreed, "Vampiramon and the others may still be trying to follow us, and considering our current state, I don't think we could take on four mega digimon at once."
"Many of us don't have the energy to digivolve again," Dovemon said anxiously.
"Me included," Biyomon moaned.
"Our digimon are right and besides, we should get back before Sam does something really crazy," Izzy added.
"Like confront Ken and Yolei?" MetalGarurumon asked.
"I think it's already too late to prevent that and maybe it's just as well," Matt muttered, hopping onto his partner's back. "Let's get going."
"We should go through the gate that Sam seems to be heading towards. It is, after all, the closest one to our current position," Candlemon suggested.
Ryoko quickly jumped onto Tirimon's back and the two of them moved over to join Matt and MetalGarurumon. Izzy, Mina, and Candlemon hopped onto MegaKabuterimon's back, and the rest of them gathered around Dai and Embermon.
"You ready?" Dai asked, holding out his D-Coder.
"You bet. Embermon digivolve to, Dragermon!"
Holding Celestimon tightly in his arms, Matty quickly climbed onto Dragermon's back and settled himself next to his Uncle Tai. Once everyone was seated, Dragermon and MegaKabuterimon quickly leaped into the air and Tirimon and MetalGarurumon ran ahead, taking the lead and watching for enemies on the ground. WarGreymon and Gabrielmon circled around the two larger digimon in the air, keeping an eye out for Vampiramon's group, but Matty barely even noticed them. His gaze was focused on Mickey, who was sitting as far away from him as was possible next to Dai, and the painful look on his twin's face made him wince. Their problems were far from being over, and if what had happened to Sam was anything to go by, then things were only going to get worse...
Lucemon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Lucemon landed lightly on the beach at the very edge of the water and he felt his toes sink deeply into the white sand beneath his bare feet. The beach stretched out for miles along the coast, and he could hear the water lapping gently against the shore, the sound of the waves a source of comfort from the uncertain future weighing heavily on his shoulders. In the west, the sun had sunk so low, it was merely a sliver of light hovering at the edge of the horizon, and the long, thin shadows spreading out from the trees at the edge of the forest were beginning to creep across the sand towards the water. The sky had turned a deep shade of purple, and the beach was dark, its sandy coast completely void of life. It looked peaceful, and right now, that was exactly what Lucemon needed.
"Look, we finally made it!" MarineAngemon said happily, lowering himself onto the ground and letting out a small sigh of relief. "I'm exhausted. That was quite a long journey."
Smiling softly, Lucemon closed his eyes and let the breeze blow gently through the feathers sprouting from the top of his golden head. His wings were very tired, but he knew that how he felt was nothing compared to how MarineAngemon must feel. "It's so beautiful here on File Island. This place holds much of the Digital World's history, and I can't help feeling a sense of awe every time I come here. I've always loved this place. It is my home, but I have not had much time to spend here lately."
"It is very pretty," MarineAngemon said enthusiastically, burying himself in the sand and happily wiggling himself into a more comfortable position. "I'm glad I finally got a chance to come back here. I've lived on Server all my life, and until you sent me to the Western Hemisphere, I'd never left my home before. I know I was born on File Island, but that was so long ago I can hardly remember when I left Primary Village or when I set out on my journey to reach Server. I've heard so much about this place, it's nice to finally have a chance to explore it for myself."
The Island of Prophecy. I can feel both the light and the darkness hovering around me. It is here where the legendary Wall of Fire thrives, and it is here where all of our fates will be decided...
"Is he still here, Lucemon? Can you feel him?"
"He has gone back to the Western Hemisphere for now, but he will be back. That much I am sure of."
"But...what about the Digidestined?"
Lucemon gently scooped MarineAngemon into his arms and gave the little mega a warm smile. "Don't worry, MarineAngemon, I do not believe DarkAngelicmon has managed to steal any of the Spirit Chips yet, and I'm sure the Digidestined are fine. You heard Daichi and his friends talking on Cyber, didn't you? They said DarkAngelicmon was reluctant to cause them any harm because he feels they are necessary in order for the Ruler of Darkness to get his hands on the Spirit Chips. They may have gone back to the human world by now, with or without a Spirit Chip, but it doesn't really matter whether they have or not. We will just keep on searching for them until we find them."
"Will we stay here on File Island?"
"Of course. File Island is the most important land mass here in the Digital World. They are bound to come back here eventually, maybe even sooner than we might think. Once I come into contact with Angelicmon and Gabrielmon, it will be easier for us to keep our eyes on them and to follow them no matter where they go in the Digital World. Well, that is if I can establish a close relationship with them right away. I do not necessarily need to speak to them to do so. I just need to be close to them. At least, I hope so. It will depend on how they feel about me and how they feel about the way I abandoned my friends. At the moment, it will be hard for me to distinguish them from other celestial digimon, since I've never met them before, but that was to be expected. In any case, before we do anything else, we must first overcome that hurtle first."
"Does that mean you've finally decided to meet up with the Digidestined?" MarineAngemon asked eagerly.
Lucemon let out a soft sigh and turned to gaze at the setting sun. "I want to, more than anything, but...I don't know if I'm ready yet. If Luciamon had managed to bring Gennai and the Digidestined back to the Eastern Hemisphere as planned, I would have done so without hesitation, but...things have changed since then. Daichi and his friends deserve to know the truth about DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness, but at the moment, that might not be a wise thing to do, especially since I suspect the Ruler of Darkness has ordered DarkAngelicmon to capture me. You said it yourself, MarineAngemon, you heard the Digidestined say DarkAngelicmon wants to find me. He would have told the Ruler of Darkness about my betrayal. Not that it would matter. The Ruler of Darkness already knew I betrayed him, right from the moment Luciamon and I first left his service. He obviously didn't tell his servants, though, including DarkAngelicmon. How much to you want to bet he's sent DarkAngelicmon on a quest to bring me back?"
"But...if that's true then why is DarkAngelicmon keeping his distance?"
"Good question, MarineAngemon. I would like to know the answer myself."
Could it be because he still cares about me, even though he thinks I betrayed him?
"Lucemon, before I left the Western Hemisphere, you told me Luciamon overheard Gennai calling Mickey the 'Child of Innocence.' It happened before Vampiramon captured Gennai. What do you think he meant by that?" MarineAngemon asked shyly.
Lucemon glanced at the little mega in his arms and let out a soft sigh. "I do not know for sure, but I believe it has something to do with the Spirit Chips. From the little you heard from Dai, they appear to be a lot like the crests, and if that is true then the Digidestined are our only hope if we want to save DarkAngelicmon. I can't do it alone, but maybe with help from Mickey and Matty, we might be able to change the course of the future."
"Why them?" MarineAngemon asked curiously.
"They are the children of light and hope, and if what Gennai said about Mickey is true, then there is hope for all of us. I believe Matty may also hold just as much power as Mickey, and that can only work in our favour. It's just this feeling I have. Without them, DarkAngelicmon will never be able to find his way back to the light. I am not enough to save him. I know it in my heart. I wish I knew more about the Spirit Chips, but that is where DarkAngelicmon has the advantage."
"What do you mean?"
"Before Gennai went to see Piximon, he had a top secret conversation with Azulongmon about the crests, Spirit Chips, and D-Coders. According to you, Luciamon told the Digidestined no one knew exactly what that conversation was about, but that's not technically true. We knew a little bit, but DarkAngelicmon knew even more. I believe she altered the truth slightly because she didn't want DarkAngelicmon to know how much we actually knew, and she also didn't want him to know we knew he'd also been spying on Gennai at the exact same time."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense..."
"You see, at the time, we knew the Ruler of Darkness was also trying to figure out what Gennai was planning so we figured he would send one of his dark digimon to spy on Gennai. Luciamon and I both believed he would send DarkAngelicmon, and because of that we knew we could not go spy on Gennai ourselves or DarkAngelicmon would know we had betrayed both him and the Ruler of Darkness. Though, of course the Ruler of Darkness already knew about us, but we figured he wouldn't tell DarkAngelicmon."
"And you were right. He didn't say a word to DarkAngelicmon."
"No, he didn't. Because of the situation, DarkAngelicmon would have been able to sense us easily, so instead we sent some of our spies to watch Gennai in our place. Since we didn't want DarkAngelicmon to spot them either, because that would mean he would know there was someone working against him, Luciamon ordered them to keep their distance, and as a result, they missed many of the more finer details, including a lot of information that would have been useful to us. They basically only managed to figure out the conversation was about the crests, D-Coders, and Spirit Chips. That's not the case with DarkAngelicmon, though. He heard the entire conversation and reported everything he had learned to the Ruler of Darkness. On top of that, Vampiramon managed to capture Gennai, and against his will he was able to tell DarkAngelicmon and the others even more about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders. That's probably where they learned the majority of their information about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders, though obviously they didn't learn everything. From what you've told me, there's still so much DarkAngelicmon and his allies need to learn about the Spirit Chips, though that may no longer be the case anymore, depending on what has happened here in the Digital World today. The point is, DarkAngelicmon knows more than we do about the Spirit Chips and that could prove to be a huge disadvantage. If only we had known they were planning to capture Gennai. If we had, we could have saved him, but by the time we came to that conclusion, it was already too late. Also, for the record, we didn't know about the Digicores. Our spies didn't hear anything at all. We just knew that conversation had taken place and that Gennai and his counterparts were given something.."
"That still doesn't explain Mickey."
"Well, during Gennai's conversation with Azulongmon, Luciamon and I stayed as far away from their meeting place as possible because we could sense DarkAngelicmon's presence on Server and we figured he had gone to spy on Gennai. I have no doubt he felt our presence, as well, but since he didn't know we had betrayed the Ruler of Darkness at that time, he probably didn't think we were much of a threat. In fact, he probably just thought the Ruler of Darkness had also sent us on some sort of mission. After DarkAngelicmon had figured out all he needed to know, our spies quickly met up with us to give their report. They told us DarkAngelicmon had left and proceeded to give us an account of what little they had managed to overhear, which turned out to be almost nothing. Since DarkAngelicmon was on his way back to the Western Hemisphere, Luciamon decided to go see Gennai and Azulongmon for herself. She caught up to them just as they were saying their goodbyes, and that's when she heard Gennai call Mickey the 'Child of Innocence.' He must have said something along those lines during his conversation with Azulongmon, as well, because DarkAngelicmon seems to know more about Mickey than we do."
"I know what you mean," MarineAngemon grumbled.
"It's funny, according to what the Digidestined were saying on Cyber, Spritemon accused Luciamon of working for Azulongmon, but she couldn't have been further from the truth. I won't deny we had every intention of working with Azulongmon, which is why I've been trying to find him for so long, but we never got a chance to because he seems to have gone into hiding."
"Maybe, but maybe not," MarineAngemon said thoughtfully. "He works with Gennai, doesn't he? Maybe he has his own plans for helping the Digidestined, plans he no doubt worked on with Gennai. Cheer up, Lucemon, we may get to work with him yet."
"Perhaps. We know so little, MarineAngemon. Even the Digidestined probably know more about the Spirit Chips now than we do. Gennai did say he would tell them everything and that's why they met up with him here on File Island today."
"Yes, he said that on Cyber. I bet they're well on their way to finding the Spirit Chips by now."
"We must find out what they know. If only I hadn't taken so long to come to a decision about whether or not to come here today. If I had come sooner, I probably would have been able to hear their conversation. I bet DarkAngelicmon overheard what they were saying."
"Why don't you just ask them?" MarineAngemon asked hesitantly.
Lucemon smiled sadly and shook his head. "I was sure meeting them was the right thing to do, but now that we're here, I'm beginning to have second thoughts."
"In other words, you intend to keep your distance."
"For now, but I know I cannot hide forever. They must learn the truth about DarkAngelicmon and the Ruler of Darkness, and I am the only one left who can tell them. I am well aware of the consequences, MarineAngemon. If I remain silent, the Digital World will be lost."
"What about DarkAngelicmon?"
"It pains me to say this, but for the moment we must avoid him at all costs. To confront him now would be foolish, especially since it seems the Ruler of Darkness is determined to find me. Even if I could miraculously change DarkAngelicmon's mind on my own, at this point in time it would not help us. If anything, it would only put him in grave danger, and I would never forgive myself if I allowed that to happen. Our hope lies with the Digidestined, MarineAngemon. There is no other way."
MarineAngemon smiled at him and snuggled against his chest. "I understand. For now we must focus on finding the Digidestined and figuring out what it is they know about the Spirit Chips that we don't know. That way, when the time comes, we'll be better prepared to tell them what they need to know. Only then will we be able to move forward and find a way to help DarkAngelicmon, and also to help the Digidestined save the Digital World."
"To confront the Digidestined now would enrage DarkAngelicmon. We must wait for the right moment. To act too soon could mean the destruction of the Digital World."
"I know, but I just can't help wanting to meet them. They seem really nice," MarineAngemon said shyly.
Will they even want to meet me after the way I abandoned one of my closest friends?
Shaking his head at his own depressing thoughts, Lucemon slowly moved towards the edge of the forest and turned to gaze at the small television nestled in the sand about fifty feet away from him. It was a gate to the human world and it looked somehow lonely sitting there all by itself.
Just like me. Only...I'm not alone. At least I have MarineAngemon with me. A new friend is always a good source of comfort.
A sudden cry and the sound of a small pair of wings beating furiously against the wind suddenly caught his attention, but before he could figure out where most of the noise was coming from, MarineAngemon suddenly fluttered out of his arms and started nudging him towards the forest, the little mega's small body hurtling against his back, right between the shoulder blades. "Hurry, someone is coming. We have to hide!"
Trusting MarineAngemon's judgment, Lucemon quickly fluttered into the trees and knelt behind a large clump of bushes while still making sure he had a clear view of the beach. MarineAngemon huddled next to him, and the two of them waited in silence, the sound of their own breathing ringing in their ears. A moment later, two shadowy figures suddenly raced around the edge of the forest and collapsed on the beach next to the small television nestled in the sand. One was a small firefly digimon, who looked completely exhausted, and the other figure was similar in form and structure to Gennai, only he was smaller and looked completely different.
It's...it's a human!
Lucemon stared at the young boy in astonishment, unable to believe what he was seeing. He had never met a human before, but he knew they looked similar to Gennai, and because of that he knew the young boy with the firefly digimon could not be anything else. "A human! He's a human, isn't he?"
They don't look so different from me, except for the lack of wings.
"It's Sam!" MarineAngemon gasped. "It's Sam Ichijouji!"
"The former Emperor's son?"
"Yes, he looks a lot like his father."
Lucemon studied the boy's face for a moment, and although it was hard to tell, it looked as if Sam's cheeks were covered in tears. "Look, MarineAngemon, he seems so sad. I wonder what's wrong."
"I don't know, but I'm worried. Where are the rest of the Digidestined? Shouldn't they be with Sam?"
"Indeed, it's dangerous for him to be alone."
I've always loved the story about the Digimon Emperor. For Ken to have found a way to break free from the darkness is truly remarkable, and it's all thanks to his friends. If he could do it, then why not DarkAngelicmon? Only he can't do it alone. He needs his friends, too. And what about me? Is there a way for me to change my fate? Ken was able to alter the path that led to him being the Emperor. I must be strong like him. I must find a way to alter my destiny. Sam is so lucky to have someone like Ken to guide him, so why is he so upset?
"Poor Sam," MarineAngemon whispered. "Something must have happened."
Lucemon reached out his hand towards the boy and let it fall limply back to his side. He wanted desperately to provide some sort of comfort, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He did not understand what was happening, but for some reason Sam's obvious pain and sorrow were hurting him so much, he felt like there was a fist clenched around his heart.
Suddenly, without warning, Sam glanced in the direction of the forest, and Lucemon held his breath, afraid he might have been spotted. The young boy seemed to be searching for something, but whatever he was looking for appeared to be eluding him.
"Come on, Sam, let's go home," the little firefly digimon said sadly.
Thanks to MarineAngemon, Lucemon knew the little digimon's name was Glowmon, and even from just those few words alone, Lucemon could tell the little rookie was an excellent choice for a digimon partner.
Instead of responding, Sam merely held out his Digivice and pointed it at the television screen. There was a flash of purple light, and a moment later both Sam and Glowmon disappeared into the television.
Sitting there in silence, Lucemon was surprised to discover that his own cheeks were wet with tears. He didn't know why, but for some reason Sam's pain seemed to have affected him very deeply.
"Someone has hurt him," MarineAngemon said sadly. "We must find out what has happened."
Sam...