Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys, but I finally have another chapter done! I know the title might seem a little confusing, but think about it long enough and I know you'll all get its meaning. That's it from me! I know I said this would be up last week, but I had computer problems so I couldn't post. Sorry!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 175: Smoke and Mirrors

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Groaning softly, Daichi slowly opened his eyes, and reluctantly lifting his head he glanced around in confusion, trying unsuccessfully to make sense of what had just happened. He remembered the darkness surrounding him earlier, but other than that his memory was a complete blank.

Where am I, and why am I lying on the ground? My head feels kind of funny...

"Dai? Dai, are you okay?" his mother's voice suddenly murmured softly in his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

Lying sprawled out on his stomach, Dai managed to wave his hand weakly in reply, and pulling himself into a sitting position, he gingerly rubbed his forehead. "Ouch, my head is killing me! I must have smacked my forehead on a rock or something."

"You're not the only one," Embermon groaned, sitting up beside him. "I think my brain is all scrambled."

Smiling fondly at his partner, Dai gave the little rookie a sympathetic pat on the knee and turning to the golden-haired Digidestined lying unconscious on his left he murmured, "Come on, Ishida, wake up!"

Ryoko groaned in response, and rolling his eyes, Daichi gave the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder a gentle shake.

Can't he ever make anything easy for me?

"Wake up, Ryoko!" Embermon suddenly shouted loudly in the golden-haired Digidestined's ear, his emerald green eyes sparkling mischievously in the afternoon sunshine.

Letting out a yelp of surprise, Ryoko quickly sat up with a start, and glaring at the little rookie he snapped, "You don't have to shout in my ear like that!"

"But...I was really worried about you," Embermon said innocently, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Dai snorted loudly, but before he could comment on his partner's behaviour, Alopemon suddenly sat up next to Ryoko, and judging from the scowl on his face he didn't look too pleased about something.

"What's wrong, Alopemon?" Embermon asked curiously, catching sight of the angry expression on the little fox digimon's face.

"Someone's crushing my tail!"

Raising his eyebrows, Dai glanced over at his father, who was just pulling himself into a sitting position behind Alopemon, and realizing all at once that he was the culprit, the former leader quickly scurried backwards, instantly releasing the little rookie's tail from where it had rested trapped beneath his legs. "Sorry about that, Alopemon."

Muttering to himself, Alopemon gave the former leader a dirty look. "My tail can be very sensitive, you know."

"I said I was sorry! No offence, Alopemon, but sometimes you're as bad as your partner!"

"Hey!" Ryoko shouted, smacking the former leader hard in the chest.

Blinking in surprise, Dai gaped at the golden-haired Digidestined, but instead of getting angry, his father merely ruffled Ryoko's shiny blond tresses, his lips twitching into a small smile.

Wow, I have to give Ryoko credit, he's really got some nerve. Everyone keeps telling me I'm the one who's brave, but I don't think I could ever find the nerve to smack Matt the way he just hit my dad!

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dai turned to look at his mother, and wrapping an arm around her waist he said softly, "Hey, Mom, what about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dai, don't worry about me. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Are you sure?"

His mother smiled at him, and leaning over she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"I hope you never change, my little black sheep," she said softly in his ear, hugging him closely.

"Mom!"

"Is everyone okay?" Kari called out, sitting up next to her sons and glancing around to make sure the rest of the group was slowly starting to regain consciousness.

Mickey and Matty glanced at each other and together they said quietly, "We're okay."

"My head feels like it's going to explode," Sam complained, wrinkling his nose and resting his forehead gingerly against his knees.

Cuddling himself against Sam's side, Glowmon nodded his head in agreement, and wings drooping slightly he said meekly, "I feel like I've lost some of my energy. I hope I can still digivolve..."

"That attack of DarkAngelicmon's is quite powerful," Joe said thoughtfully, smiling sheepishly at his partner. "We were unconscious before we even knew what hit us."

"He caught us off guard!" Gomamon protested, sticking his nose in the air. "If we had been ready for him there's no way he would have been able to pull a stunt like that on us!"

"We'll get him next time," Veemon said confidently.

"But...my partner!" Dovemon whimpered, hiding her face against Tai's chest.

Frowning in confusion, Dai stared at the little rookie curled up in Tai's arms, wondering what in the Digiworld she was talking about, but then all of a sudden it hit him.

Takara had been captured by DarkAngelicmon!

"Kara, no!"

Leaping to his feet, Dai glanced frantically at the deep blue sky hovering above the beautiful scenery surrounding Infinity Mountain, but unfortunately his female friend was nowhere to be seen and neither was the fallen angel who has whisked her away like a feather caught in a whirling tornado.

Why? Why did he take Kara? I don't understand...

Desperate to catch a glimpse of his friend, Dai leaned over the side of the cliff, his gaze scanning the landscape below for any sign of Kara and the fallen angel, nearly losing his balance in the process, but before he could teeter over the edge, Matt caught his arm, stopping his momentum just seconds before he would have fallen over the edge.

"Let me go!"

"Dai, she's gone," Matt said quietly, the pain in his eyes betraying his calm words and the serene expression on his face.

Dai winced, the golden-haired Digidestined's words slicing through his heart like a knife through butter, and lowering his eyes to the ground he tried unsuccessfully to pull his arm away.

"It's dangerous here," Gabumon interrupted, nodding his head towards the edge of the cliff. "We should move back a bit further."

"The last thing we need is someone falling off the side of Infinity Mountain," Penguinmon agreed, glancing anxiously at his partner.

Despite the sudden stab of fear he felt welling up inside of him, Dai was unable to prevent himself from noticing the look of relief on his father's face and the grateful smile his mother sent Matt's digimon partner, and for some odd reason he couldn't quite explain, their reactions made him feel suddenly both annoyed and angry.

"Come on, Dai, you should move back a bit," Agumon said hesitantly, exchanging a look with Gabumon.

"No! I want to see Kara!"

"Wishful thinking alone cannot bring her back, Dai," Gabrielmon said gently, shaking his head.

"Well then why didn't you guys go after him!"

"If we had approached him, he would have just used his attack immediately, without bothering to give a speech, and then he would have flown away before we could reach him," Angelicmon said sympathetically, shaking his head. "You know this to be true, Dai."

"If you want to save Kara, you must focus on what it is we need to do next," Angewomon agreed, holding out a hand to Angelicmon and quickly pulling the less experienced angel to his feet.

Dai glared at the celestial digimon, and turning to Matt he snapped, "I told you to let go of me!"

"No. Not unless you want to fall to your death. I wouldn't recommend it, though. You can't help Kara if you're dead."

"Dai, please?" Embermon pleaded, his forked tail flicking against the hard, rocky ground.

Instead of responding, Dai blatantly ignored his partner, and struggling violently in Matt's grip he made yet another attempt to pull his arm away, but unfortunately for him, the golden-haired Digidestined had reached the end of his patience. Letting go of his arm, Matt suddenly grabbed him around the waist from behind, catching him by surprise, and before he could let out even a squeak of protest, he found himself being dragged away from the edge of the cliff.

Kara...

Twisting in Matt's grip, he tried unsuccessfully to push the golden-haired Digidestined away, but seeing as how the former musician had a firm grip on his waist, he gave up in despair, his whole body growing limp against Matt's chest.

"I don't get it, how did they find out about Kara?" Joe asked slowly, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "They couldn't have been spying on us earlier. If they had been, Gabrielmon, Angelicmon, and Angewomon would have known."

"DarkAngelicmon was on Infinity Mountain when we discovered Takara's connection to the Spirit Chip of Bravery," Angelicmon said quietly, dismissing the golden spear he held with a sharp flick of his wrist. "At the time, we were all still crowded around the gate. They couldn't have been spying on us."

"What about some of the others?" Agumon countered. "Remember what we were talking about earlier? They probably have a scout of their own. Just because DarkAngelicmon was on Infinity Mountain, that doesn't mean the rest of them were."

"No," Gabrielmon murmured, shaking his head in denial. "They couldn't have been spying on us. You heard Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon. From the way they were talking, it sounds like they've been waiting for us on Infinity Mountain for quite a while. I cannot say for sure, but I believe they've been stationed here since even before we arrived in the Digital World."

"Which means they must have somehow slipped past Gomamon and the others without being detected," Embermon grumbled. "Just like we suspected earlier."

"Hey!" Gomamon shouted, glaring at the reptile digimon.

"Most likely they got past Gomamon and the others by climbing the opposite side of the mountain," Angewomon said shortly, tossing her head. "The side Gomamon and the rest of our friends couldn't see."

"As we suspected," Alopemon agreed.

"But...if they weren't spying on us then how did they find out about Kara?" Mickey asked hesitantly.

"They didn't," Tai said flatly, his sudden words causing everyone to jump in surprise.

Whirling around in astonishment, Dai turned to gaze apprehensively at the former leader, and catching sight of the expression on Tai's face, he felt a fist clench around his heart.

It's all my fault. I should have done something to save Kara, but I...

"Tai?" Kari said hesitantly, moving over to her brother's side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, Tai?" Joe asked slowly, gazing nervously at the former leader.

Frowning at the rocky ground beneath his feet, Tai said quietly, almost to himself, "DarkAngelicmon didn't capture Kara because of her D-Coder. He did it for...another reason..."

"What reason?" Veemon asked curiously, ignoring Agumon's warning look.

Frowning slightly, Dai glanced uncertainly at his dad, but despite the reassuring smile on his father's face, he could tell his dad was also worried about Tai.

Just like me...

"Tai," Gabrielmon said slowly, twirling his sceptre nervously in his hands. "What exactly are you-"

"Just forget it," the former leader interrupted, turning his face away. "Look, what's important now is finding Kara. We can worry about why they captured her later."

"But, the reason they captured her might be important," Mickey protested, gazing wide-eyed at his uncle. "We can't just ignore something that might help us get Takara back safely."

"You're right, Mickey, but until we meet up with DarkAngelicmon and his allies again, there's no point in worrying about something we can only make a guess at," Kari countered, regretfully shaking her head. "I doubt we'll even see DarkAngelicmon or Vampiramon a second time, at least until we reach the top of Infinity Mountain. You heard what DarkAngelicmon said. That's where they're keeping Kara hostage, right where the Spirit Chip is, which is why we need to focus on what's really important at the moment. They're obviously using the information they overheard from our conversation with Gennai earlier to their advantage, which means we need to be extremely careful. I bet we won't even see DarkAngelicmon's other allies until we reach our destination, as well, and if we're lucky maybe then they'll tell us why they chose Kara, but I wouldn't count on it."

"In other words, Mickey, what your mother is trying to say right now is that our priority is making it safely to the top of Infinity Mountain without any problems," Matt said firmly, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead. "Once we do that, then we can focus on rescuing Kara. The only way we're going to find out the real reason why they captured her is if we meet them face to face, and if their information turns out to be useful, we'll use it to our advantage, but first we need to find Kara. Until we do, we're pretty much in the dark about what's really going on."

Growing impatient, Dai crossed his arms over his chest, and glaring at the former musician, who still had a firm grip on his arm, he snapped, "Well, then what are we all doing standing around here for? Let's find her already!"

"It might not be that easy," Embermon warned, his large emerald eyes growing dark and serious. "I know DarkAngelicmon said he'd be waiting for us on the top of Infinity Mountain, but what if he was lying? What if they've taken Kara somewhere else? Someplace far away?"

"They haven't," Sam mumbled, holding out his purple D-Coder Digivice. "Look, Kara's signal is definitely coming from the top of Infinity Mountain."

Gazing at the raven-haired Digidestined in surprise, Dai felt a sudden spark of excitement in his chest, and pulling out his own D-Coder Digivice he gazed eagerly at its glowing screen. "You're right, Sam!"

I can't believe I almost forgot about my D-Coder again!

Beside him his mother smiled, and reaching out to give him a quick hug she said, "It's a start at least."

"But is it enough?" Penguinmon asked anxiously, to no one in particular.

Ignoring the little rookie, Dai turned to gaze at Sam, and beaming at the raven-haired Digidestined he said gratefully, "Thanks, Sam."

"I wasn't doing it for you!" the raven-haired Digidestined protested, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red. "I did it for Kara."

Like I'm going to believe that!

Instead of replying, Dai gave the raven-haired Digidestined a brilliant smile, and turning to look at his father he said impatiently, "Well, can we go now?"

"Dai..."

"Listen, Dai, I doubt reaching the top of Infinity Mountain is going to be as easy as you think," Tai said shortly, his gaze focusing on something far off in the distance. "They're plotting something, and I don't know for sure what's going on, but I have a feeling whatever it is they're planning might not be what we think it is. I'd be very surprised if they didn't have a few tricks up their sleeves, which means we could be in for a pretty rough climb."

Pulling away from Matt and stalking towards the former leader, he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying we need to be cautious, even if it means we have to move a little bit more slowly."

"How can you say that, Tai? I know DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon said they wouldn't kill Kara, but that doesn't mean they won't still hurt her! And besides, just because they say they won't kill her that doesn't mean it's true! If they get desperate enough, who knows what might happen! And the same goes for the rest of us. They say they need us alive for our Spirit Chips, but I don't trust them to keep their word. I'll be the first one to admit DarkAngelicmon has kept his word so far, but the same can't be said for Vampiramon and the rest of his evil digimon allies! Vampiramon is clearly the leader of their current operation, which means even if DarkAngelicmon doesn't want to hurt Kara, I doubt the others will listen to him!"

"I'm well aware of that, thanks," Tai said a bit stiffly, his expression growing neutral.

Feeling suddenly angry, Dai glared at the former leader, and clutching his D-Coder tightly in his hand he shouted, "Then why aren't we hurrying to rescue Kara?"

"This mountain is dangerous, Dai, especially if Vampiramon decides to leave behind a few surprises. Also, I doubt they've left us on our own completely. We're probably being watched. Not by DarkAngelicmon, obviously, Gabrielmon and the other angel digimon can vouch for that, but by one of his other allies, which means we need to be on our guard. If we don't do what they want us to do, we could be attacked. Remember, they have a few scouts of their own, just like we do."

"You're right, Uncle Tai," Ryoko groaned, making a face. "I didn't even think of that, but what you said makes sense. Takara's D-Coder won't be enough for them. If their plan is to work, they're going to need somebody watching us."

As one, everyone turned to gaze apprehensively at their surroundings, but at the moment there wasn't a single evil digimon in sight.

"Don't worry," Angelicmon said after a tense moment of silence, "we will remain on the lookout for any of DarkAngelicmon's allies. The rest of you must focus on protecting Kara. If we are being watched, it can't be helped. We'll just have to do what we can to keep ourselves out of danger and our plans out of earshot."

"Everyone stay on your guard," Tai warned, motioning for Agumon to follow him. "From here on in we're going to have to be extremely careful."

Dai grabbed the former leader's arm, pulling him to a stop, and angrily lifting his chin he shouted, "Kara's in danger, Tai! You can't expect-"

"Don't you think I know that?" Tai snapped, his dark brown eyes sparkling with sudden emotion. "This is my daughter we're talking about!"

A sudden uncomfortable silence descended over the group, and blushing a deep shade of red, Dai quickly lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to look the former leader directly in the eyes. "Sorry, I..."

"Look, let's just get going," Tai muttered, his words taking on a more subdued tone.

Huh?

Lifting his head, Dai stared at the former leader in surprise, and realizing all of a sudden that Tai was watching him, he felt his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red. "What?"

"I don't get it," Tai said quietly, studying him closely. "Doesn't DarkAngelicmon realize just how much his plan could backfire on him?"

"What...what do you mean?"

"Tai," Matt suddenly interrupted, giving the former leader a warning look.

Dai turned to gaze uncertainly at his father, but instead of giving him a reassuring smile his dad merely shrugged before turning to frown thoughtfully at Tai.

"It's nothing, Dai, don't worry about it," Tai sighed, shaking his head.

Moving over to stand next to his best friend, Matt slipped his arm around Tai's shoulders, and gazing quietly at the former leader he said softly, "Come on, Tai, Kara's waiting for us."

In response, Tai squeezed his eyes shut, and taking a deep breath the former leader mumbled, "You're right. Let's go."

Tai...

Making a face, Dai quickly fell in line behind Matt and Tai, and scowling at the former leader's back he proceeded to stew angrily over his stormy thoughts.

I can't believe this! While we're taking a nice leisurely stroll up the side of the mountain, Kara could be in serious trouble!

"Dai?"

Dai suddenly felt Embermon's small hand tugging anxiously on the leg of his jeans and glancing down at his partner he said irritably, "What is it, Embermon?"

"Um, Dai? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"But..."

Ignoring his partner, Dai turned once more to gaze at the former leader, and shaking his head he let out a deep sigh. Although he felt a little guilty over accusing Tai earlier of not caring about Takara's well being, the part of him that was still angry with the former leader refused to admit defeat.

Kara, please be okay...I know you told me to be strong, but how can I find the Spirit Chip of Bravery if I can't even protect you? One of my closest friends?