Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, so...trying to think of something to say, but...nope, I got nothing. Although it's getting to be that time again when I have to start thinking about new digivolution stages...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 152: The Rift Between Brothers

Masato 'Matty' Takaishi

File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Masato Takaishi sat huddled on Dragermon's scarlet back with his arms wrapped around his knees, and every so often he would glance anxiously in his twin brother's direction, hoping for some sort of a reaction out of Mickey, but instead of responding to his mental request for some communication between them, Mickey merely ignored him and continued to act as if he didn't even exist. The older twin's behaviour came as a bit of a shock, since Mickey wasn't usually in the habit of acting so disrespectful towards other people, and although it made Matty angry to be treated like some sort of criminal, deep down inside, what he truly felt was an overwhelming sense of hurt and confusion.

What's happening to us? We used to get along so well, but lately I feel like we've been drifting away from each other, just a little bit more with each passing day. It's almost like we've become strangers, and I bet it's probably all my fault. Does Mickey really believe I don't understand what he's feeling right now? Does he honestly believe I've never understood him right from the very beginning? Well, maybe he's right. I don't see how he could possibly trust DarkAngelicmon, but he obviously does. What is it I'm missing? What is it he can see that I can't see?

"Matty, you've been really quiet lately. Is there something wrong?" Celestimon asked quietly, leaning into his embrace and curling up tightly against his chest.

Matty rested his cheek against the top of his partner's head and let out a deep sigh. "Why am I even here, Celestimon? I'm useless compared to everyone else."

"Matty!"

"Well, it's true. Everyone else has been trying so hard to help Sam, and they're doing everything they can to save the Digital World, but not me. I've just sort of been hanging around in the back round doing nothing while everyone else has been struggling to find their way through the darkness that seems to be hovering all around us. All of our friends have some sort of issue with at least one other member of our group, and there's nothing I can do to help any of them. Think about it, Celestimon, there's Dai and Kara, Dai and Ryoko, Mickey and Sam, Sam and Ryoko..."

"You and Mickey, or have you forgotten already?"

Matty blushed and gave his partner a dirty look. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are very sad right now, Matty, and I don't like it," Celestimon mumbled into his shoulder. "Are you upset because of Mickey?"

"Mickey doesn't need me. He has Sam, and the others all have someone, too. Dai has Ryoko, and Ryoko has Dai. Kara has both Dai and Ryoko, and Sam has Mickey. No one needs me. They all have each other, so why would any of them want my help? I'm pretty much useless."

Celestimon jerked up in surprise and stared at him in shock. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Well..."

"Matty, Mickey's upset because he feels like you're not trying hard enough to understand how he's feeling right now. It's obvious he's disappointed in you, and right now so am I."

Matty lifted his head and glared indignantly at his partner, unable to believe what he was hearing. "What did I do?"

"Listen to what you're saying, Matty! How can you just give up on yourself so easily?"

"But-"

"Mickey would be lost without you, and you would be lost without him," Celestimon said sadly, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "The same is true for your other friends. The six of you all need to rely on each other, not just on two or three members of the group, because if you don't, we won't be able to save the Digital World."

"You're right, Celestimon. I'm sorry, I just..."

"Do you feel left out?" Celestimon asked softly.

He knows me too well, but that's what's so great about having a digimon partner. I never have to try and explain my feelings to him. He always just knows, sort of like how Mickey always knows, or used to anyway, and I'm glad. At least I know I'll always be able to count on him.

Celestimon must have read his mind because the little rookie suddenly leaned close to him and gently touched his cheek. "You're never alone, Matty. I'm always going to be by your side, even after the gates eventually become inaccessible, and nothing is ever going to change that. I don't want the gates to close, but that's what's going to happen because we will save the Digital World. I know we will, but even that won't change anything between us. You will always be my partner, and when the time comes for us to go our separate ways, I know it won't be forever. I will be waiting for you always no matter what."

Matty's eyes filled with tears, and flinging his arms around Celestimon, he buried his face against the little rookie's soft, fluffy ears. "Thank you, Celestimon. I think my friends and I have all wondered the same thing at some point in time about what will happen to you guys after we save the Digital World, but no one has had the courage to mention it yet. After all, our parents had to leave their digimon behind, so I think it's pretty safe to assume that the same thing will happen to us, only...now I don't have to worry about it anymore. I know you're always going to be with me no matter how far apart we are. Even being separated by two different worlds isn't going to affect our friendship. Of course, none of this is going to happen if we can't find a way to save the Digital World."

"We will," Celestimon said firmly. "Remember, Matty, time and space do not matter. It is the strength of our friendship and the faith we have in each other that will ultimately keep us together. I will never leave you and neither will Mickey and the rest of your friends."

"But...how can you be so sure of that?"

"You only think you're alone, Matty. Even after everything that has happened, including Sam's current problems, if you open your eyes, you will see that nothing has really changed. Deep down inside, your friends are still the same people they've always been and they need your help. Sam needs you, Mickey needs you, they all need you. Will you give up on them so easily?"

Matty glanced uncertainly at his twin and nearly let out a loud gasp when he realized Mickey was staring back at him. It was the first time Mickey had even looked in his direction since the two of them had climbed onto Dragermon's back, and the intensity of his gaze created a lump in Matty's throat. He knew his brother was trying to tell him something, and the meaningful look on the older twin's face made him want desperately to understand exactly what it was he was missing.

Sam is one of my closest friends and I want to help him more than anything, but what can I do to make him change his mind about Ken? Well, even if Mickey has given up on me, that doesn't mean I have to give up on either him or Sam. I'll help them both, even if they don't want my help. If I do, maybe it will help me understand what Mickey's been going through lately, and it might even help me strengthen my friendship with Sam. I think I would like that...

A sudden thought struck him, and turning to his partner, he gave the little rookie a searching look. "Um...Celestimon? What do you think of DarkAngelicmon?"

"Me? I do not think you give him enough credit, Matty."

"Huh?"

Celestimon smiled and turned to gaze quietly at the dark sky looming above their heads. Millions of tiny stars twinkled within its dark purple depths, but Celestimon did not appear to notice them. Instead, he seemed to be looking at something beyond the stars, and Matty had a feeling it was something only his digimon partner could see. "Like you, I don't know what happened in the forest earlier, but despite the terrible news DarkAngelicmon gave Sam, I do not think he is working against us at the moment. You saw the light, Matty. He has not given himself up to the darkness completely, and there must be a reason for it. Someone, probably the Ruler of Darkness, is trying to make him forget who he is, but he is fighting back. We cannot lose hope, Matty, not now when there is still a chance he can be saved."

"Then...you believe he wasn't always evil. You really think he used to be a good digimon?"

"You must understand, Matty," Celestimon said quietly, "it could just have easily been me instead of him."

Matty stared at the little rookie with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what he was hearing. Unlike his champion form of Angelicmon, Celestimon was normally energetic, silly, mischievous, and almost childish in some ways, so it was quite unnerving to see him acting so serious all of a sudden. As strange as Celestimon's behaviour was, though, it didn't affect Matty as much as the words that had come out of his partner's mouth had.

Celestimon could have ended up like...like DarkAngelicmon? But...but that's not possible! Or is it? Are we really all so vulnerable to the Powers of Darkness? And what about me? What would happen to Celestimon if I ever let myself become corrupted by evil? Could he remain pure like Wormmon or...

There was a sudden rustle of wings behind Matty, and he turned just in time to see Gabrielmon land on Dragermon's back. The celestial digimon quickly moved towards them, and Matty felt his face turn pink, his embarrassment concerning the fears he had just shared with Celestimon earlier showing plainly on his face. Although he had no proof, he had a feeling Gabrielmon had heard every word of that conversation and the implications of that made him feel slightly uneasy. What if Gabrielmon decided to tell Mickey everything he had overheard? It was a possibility, and it made Matty want to kick himself for his own foolishness. He knew he should have been paying more attention to his twin's digimon partner, but unfortunately it was too late to do anything about Gabrielmon now. For all he knew, the celestial champion could have been hovering in the air behind him the whole time, but he had been so wrapped up in his own misery that he had forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings.

"Hello, Gabrielmon!" Celestimon said happily, wiggling his ears and beaming at his fellow angel digimon.

Gabrielmon gave the little rookie a warm smile, and Celestimon quickly hopped onto the impressive champion's shoulder, his small hand gently clutching the right ear-like, feathery wing sprouting from Gabrielmon's head for balance and support. After making sure Celestimon was settled, Gabrielmon quickly lowered himself into a crouching position on Dragermon's back and turned to gaze thoughtfully at his human partner, his face almost completely void of emotion. Mickey was too busy talking to Dai to notice his partner's gaze on him, but Matty noticed Gabrielmon's expression right away, and he frowned curiously at the angel digimon. Unlike Mickey, Gabrielmon must have sensed he was being watched because the celestial digimon suddenly turned to look at him and Matty quickly ducked his head, trying desperately to hide the blush on his cheeks. "What?"

"You have a lot on your mind, Matty," Gabrielmon said softly, his words carrying nothing but sympathy and understanding. "You are uncertain of how you feel, and more importantly, of what is still to come, but it does not do you any good to dwell on your fears, for if you do, they will consume you. Your eyes are windows to your soul, and they reveal more than you realize, especially to Mickey."

"If that's what you believe than you don't know as much as you think you do! And for your information, I don't care what Mickey sees in me! He can just go right ahead and-"

"You don't believe that anymore than I do," Gabrielmon said flatly.

"You think you know everything all the time, but you don't!"

"Matty!" Celestimon scolded, frowning in disapproval.

Ignoring the insult, Gabrielmon stared at the dark sky for a moment before shaking his head and letting out a soft sigh. "I am no more wise than you are, Matty. The only difference is that I have come to accept what you do not want to see. Besides, you have something that is just as important, if not more so in some cases, than all the wisdom in the world put together, and that is why your friends need you."

"R-really? What would that be?"

"You will see."

Matty rolled his eyes and let out a loud snort. "Whatever you say, Gabrielmon."

"What is on your mind, Matty? You do not usually speak so ill of Mickey, and it has me quite concerned."

Unable to prevent fresh tears from welling up in his eyes, Matty quickly buried his face against his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around his legs. "Mickey hates me."

"Excuse me?"

Gabrielmon sounded so surprised and startled, it was enough to bring a faint smile to Matty's lips. Lifting his head, he looked up just in time to see the angel digimon almost upset Celestimon's perch on his shoulder. Somehow the little rookie managed to prevent himself from falling backwards, but Matty barely even noticed his partner's attempts to remain upright. His gaze was focused on Gabrielmon, and he flushed at the look of disbelief on the celestial digimon's face. "You know it's true! You heard him earlier."

"Matty, you are his brother, his twin. Why would he ever hate you? Honestly, I do not understand where you humans come up with such ridiculous ideas from. It does not make any sense to me."

Matty smiled softly at Gabrielmon and reached out to stroke the angel digimon's soft wings. "That's what I love about digimon. Everything is so simple with you guys. And you know what? Sometimes that might not be a bad thing. In fact, I think digimon may have a better understanding of what's really important than humans do."

"I do not know if that is true, but I do know you don't give yourself enough credit, Matty. No matter how angry or upset Mickey might be, he will never give up on you."

"Are you sure?"

I used to think I understood Mickey, but now I feel like I don't know anything anymore.

Matty felt Gabrielmon's strong arm slip around his shoulders, and jumping in surprise, he found himself gazing into the celestial digimon's sparkling blue eyes. At the edge of his vision, he could see Mickey watching them closely, and surprisingly enough the older twin was making no effort to hide the fact that he was interested in what they were saying. Caught off guard, Matty glanced in his twin's direction, but as soon as their eyes met, Mickey quickly turned away, clearly embarrassed to be caught staring, and proceeded to gaze uncertainly at his hands.

"Of course I'm sure. Mickey is my partner. We understand each other as well as the two of you understand each other, only I do not choose to ignore what is plainly in front of my face."

"Hey!"

Gabrielmon let out a soft laugh, a rather odd sound considering the angel digimon was usually so serious and humble, his celestial form radiating both dignity and confidence, and the sound brought a faint smile to Matty's lips. He felt Gabrielmon's hand come to rest on his golden head, and lifting his gaze, he gave the angel digimon a curious look. Gabrielmon pulled his hand away, and Matty felt the angel digimon's fingers slip beneath his chin, forcing him to look directly into the champion's bright blue eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and smiling softly, Gabrielmon pulled him close in a comforting hug.

"Matty, your brother thinks very highly of you. He would not have asked for your help if he didn't believe you would be of any use. I know you're worried about him, but right now you need to focus on Sam. His heart has been filled with darkness and he cannot see the light. If he continues to doubt himself and everything he believes in, there is no telling what may happen in the future. All I know is that his future will indeed be black and full of sorrow. You do not want him to follow the path Ken took twenty-five years ago, do you?"

"No! I will never let Sam suffer that much pain. Never!"

I know what you're planning, Sam. You're going to do everything you can to drift away from us, but we're not going to let that happen. Go ahead and try, but you're going to find you have some pretty stubborn friends who are never going to leave you alone until you listen to us!

"It is good to hear you sounding more like the Matty I know and admire," Gabrielmon said softly. "We cannot afford to lose you in dark times like the one we are currently experiencing."

"Please stay strong, Matty, and listen to Gabrielmon. I don't want to have to worry about you, too," Celestimon said sadly.

Matty scooped Celestimon into his arms and gave the little rookie a fierce hug. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be more positive from now on, but I can't make any promises."

"As long as you don't forget what's really important," Celestimon mumbled into his shoulder.

"We're almost there! I can see the gate from here!" Dai suddenly shouted, causing Matty to jump in surprise.

Setting Celestimon down on Dragermon's back, Matty quickly moved closer to the goggle-headed leader, ignoring his twin, who was sitting on Dai's other side, and spotted a small television nestled in the sand at the edge of the beach. It looked lonely sitting there all by itself in the darkness, and shivering slightly, Matty quickly turned his back on the gate and rejoined his partner.

"Good, I am glad we're almost-" Gabrielmon suddenly fell silent, leaving his sentence unfinished, and leaping to his feet, the angel digimon glanced sharply at the edge of the forest, his sapphire eyes narrowing in concentration. Beside him, Celestimon was also staring at the forest, and Matty was shocked by the intensity of his partner's green gaze. The little rookie had even gone so far as to flutter into the air so he could see the trees a little bit better. "Uh...guys... is something wrong?"

Gabrielmon frowned thoughtfully at the trees and turned slowly to look at him. "I thought I felt...something, but perhaps it was just my imagination."

"No!" Celestimon protested, pointing at the forest. "It's still-"

Gabrielmon sent the little rookie a sharp look and Celestimon immediately fell silent. Feeling suddenly nervous, Matty crossed his arms over his chest and glared suspiciously at the two digimon. "What was that all about?"

"It's nothing, Matty, don't worry about it," Celestimon said cheerfully, attempting to smile and failing miserably.

Matty glanced uncertainly in his brother's direction, and he wasn't the least bit surprised to find that his twin was staring back at him again. Even though it was obvious Mickey wasn't going to say anything, Matty could tell his brother had witnessed the strange behaviour of their digimon, and he was sure Mickey, too, suspected both Celestimon and Gabrielmon were hiding something.

"The forest hides many things," Gabrielmon murmured, leaping into the air and fluttering off to join WarGreymon, "but there are also those who do not want to hide but feel they do not have a choice. There is another way, but we shall see what happens."

Matty watched Gabrielmon disappear into the darkness, his tall, lean body merely a shadow up ahead, and shook his head in confusion. Mickey's digimon partner had always been a bit of a riddle, but lately the celestial champion had been acting even more odd than usual and it was making Matty feel extremely nervous. What was even more unsettling was the fact that Dai, Kara, Tai, Sora, and the rest of the digimon riding on Dragermon hadn't even appeared to notice a thing, and that made Gabrielmon and Celestimon's behaviour seem even more ominous.

Is there someone hiding in the forest? It can't be DarkAngelicmon. Gabrielmon and Celestimon would have said something if he were still around.

Turning slightly to gaze at the trees, Matty was surprised to find that he did not feel frightened. The taint of darkness he had felt earlier in the forest no longer lingered in the air around him. Instead, the forest felt peaceful, and it made him smile.

If there is someone down there, he, or she, is not our enemy. That much I can tell for sure. I just...feel it...

"Well, we're here," Tai said reluctantly, interrupting the younger twin's thoughts. "Let's get back to the human world before we get ourselves into even more trouble."

"I'm almost afraid to go back," Sora sighed.

Me, too.

Dragermon and MegaKabuterimon landed next to the gate, and sliding to the ground, Matty quickly followed the others over to the television. He was the last one to go through the gate, Embermon and Tentomon having slipped just ahead of him, and just as he held up his D-Coder, he turned back towards the forest for one last look at the trees. Frowning slightly, he thought he saw a flash of white and gold, and he was sure he had glimpsed movement in the bushes, but before he could take a closer look, the gate swallowed him up and took him back to the human world.