Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Hello everyone! Well, here's another chapter, and before you read it, I must apologize for its lameness, and of course its short length. Unfortunately, when I wrote this chapter, I was having a weird case of writer's block, (I knew what I wanted to write, I just didn't know how to write it and therefore it was hard to put down in writing.) and this lame filler chapter is the result of that. I promise the next chapter will be longer again, and it will definitely be much more interesting. A big thank you to everyone for your reviews, and also a big thank you to all of my new readers who are doing their best to catch up! All of your ideas, and of course your feedback, is much appreciated!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 180: Watching from the Sidelines

Izzy Izumi

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Shaking his head in denial, Izzy stared silently at the computer screen in front of him, his face a mask of shock and utter disbelief. The message Kari had just sent to him from her D-Terminal was displayed on the monitor where anyone in the room could read it, given half a chance, and he felt, rather than saw, Sora step up behind him, her fingers clutching the back of his chair so hard he was sure her knuckles were probably turning white. Despite what Kari had written in her email, Izzy didn't even try to stop Sora from seeing the words on the screen. After all, the female Digidestined had a right to know that her daughter's life was in danger, and yet despite what had happened to Takara, he had a feeling Sora's fear most likely reached beyond just Kara, including Daichi and his sudden disappearance, as well.

"No, it can't be!" Mimi cried, covering her face with her hands. "Kara..."

Beside Mimi, Taysuke's face had turned almost pure white, and staring at the computer screen he whispered, "No..."

"I can't believe it," T.K. groaned, slapping a hand against forehead. "How could we have been so stupid? Of course Kara would have a connection to the Crest of Courage. How could we have missed something so obvious?"

"Can you blame us?" Rosa countered, making a face. "I mean, we were so worried about Ryoko and Dai..."

"How?" Ema wailed, tugging viciously on her spiky pigtails. "How, though? How could Vampiramon have found out about Kara? Unless...unless they were able to see what we couldn't see..."

Frowning slightly, Izzy turned in his seat to face Ema, and shaking his head he said, "No, I don't think that's the problem. I highly doubt they know anything about Kara, but of course I have no way of knowing that for sure. It's just a feeling I have."

"But...if they don't know about Kara then why would they bother capturing her?" Ami asked hesitantly, scratching her dark hair in confusion.

"I can't say for sure, but I think they must have had a different reason for going after Kara. Even if they do know about her connection to the Crest of Courage, I doubt that was their reason for capturing her, but again I can't say that for sure. We'll just have to wait until Kari and the others tell us the whole story before we can determine whether or not my theory is correct."

"But you must have some reason for coming up with such a crazy theory in the first place," Jun protested.

Crazy theory?

Izzy frowned at the dark-haired female, and crossing his arms over his chest he said indignantly, "Have you forgotten that my theories are almost always correct? I think, like us, DarkAngelicmon and his allies believe Daichi is most likely the proud owner of the Spirit Chip of Bravery, which means they must have had another reason for capturing Kara. If I'm right, then her connection to the Crest of Courage is really of no importance to them. Their main concern is Daichi, even over Ryoko I think."

"Well, if you know that much then why do you think they captured Takara when Dai is their main target?" Miya demanded, her hands clenching into tight fists.

"It's because of Dai," Sora said quietly, a slight tremor in her voice. "They stole my daughter because they want to hurt Dai."

"What do you mean?" Taniko gasped, her dark eyes growing wide with fear.

"They know. They know how much Dai cares about my daughter, and they're trying to use his feelings against him. Don't you see? They're testing him. They're using him to get the Spirit Chip."

"If that's true then it looks like they've succeeded," Miya murmured.

"I knew it!" Ami cried. "I knew he cared!"

"Why didn't he tell me?" Noah suddenly said quietly, looking both hurt and a little bit confused. "Especially after I told him about..."

"About what?" Miya asked hesitantly, her cheeks suddenly turning a deep shade of red.

"I...nothing."

"Oh, of course," Ami snorted, smiling in amusement.

Noah glared at his cousin, and elbowing her sharply in the ribs he mumbled, "Shut up, Ami."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ema asked curiously, frowning suspiciously at her brother.

"Nothing," Ami said cheerfully, dismissing the younger female's concerns with a wave of her hand.

Thinking back on Dai's recent behaviour while in Takara's presence, Izzy found himself unable to disagree with Sora's interpretation of the recent kidnapping involving her only daughter.

But even if they did capture Kara because Dai has feelings for her, there's still one thing I don't understand. I thought they wanted Dai to remain free from the darkness, at least for the moment. Don't they realize that capturing Kara could potentially have the opposite effect? In fact, losing Kara could potentially cause Dai to become a victim of the darkness in his own heart. There must be something I'm missing. Like Sora said, they must be testing him, but why do so when there's a chance he could fail?

"Izzy, are you okay?" Patamon asked anxiously, hovering nervously in the air next to T.K.'s shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not particularly. Sora's theory is definitely a possibility, but again, until we find out the whole story, we have no way of knowing for sure what's really going on."

"Can you believe Dai?" Ami moaned, covering her face with her hands. "How many times have I told him not to do anything stupid, but does he listen to me? No! Instead he goes running of to play hero to Kara, forgetting all about his own safety. What an idiot. I swear, he has to be the most annoying little brother on the face of the earth!"

"I don't know about that. At the moment, I think it's a tie between him and Sam," Miya murmured, smiling despite the seriousness of the situation.

"You...you guys don't think they've hurt Kara, do you?" Taysuke mumbled, his voice trembling with fear.

Mimi quickly slipped her arms around the youngest member of the Kamiya family, and hugging him tightly against her chest she said softly in his ear, "I'm sure Kara's just fine. Your dad would never let anything bad happen to her."

"But-"

"Tay, I've known your dad a long time, and if there's one thing I've learned about him, it's the fact that no matter who you are or where you're from, if your life is in danger, he will do everything he can to protect you. If Tai can put his own life on the line for someone whom he's just met, or even a complete stranger, do you really think he's going to give up on his own daughter?"

"But Dai..."

"Dai will be fine, Tay. Your dad isn't going to let anything bad happen to him either."

Taysuke nodded slowly in agreement, and burying his face against the rosy-haired Digidestined's shoulder he mumbled, "I know, but I'm still worried."

"So am I," T.K. said quietly, his golden eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown.

"Me too! I want my cousin back!" Rina wailed, bursting into tears.

Giving his friend a gentle pat on the back, Nao said softly, "It'll be okay, Rina. Sam and the others will save her."

"I don't blame Dai for wanting to save Kara, but if he loses his focus while chasing after her, he could end up in a lot of trouble," T.K. sighed, wrapping his arms around Rina and giving her a quick kiss.

"Especially if Vampiramon knows he's coming," Palmon added, glancing anxiously at the computer screen.

"Palmon, you don't think Vampiramon might have seen something, do you?" Ami gasped, gazing at the female rookie in disbelief.

"There's only one way to find out!"

Hawkmon!

Turning swiftly towards the computer, having already disposed of the email Kari had sent him, Izzy stared at the screen and said, "Hawkmon, are you there?"

Almost immediately, Hawkmon's face appeared on the screen, and judging from the fear and apprehension in his eyes, it looked as if he had indeed seen something unusual. "You called, Izzy?"

"Yes, we have a bit of a problem on our hands."

Quickly, Izzy told the little rookie about Kari's email, and glancing over his shoulder, Hawkmon turned to gaze at what Izzy presumed to be the peak of Infinity Mountain. "Well, if Dai has left the group like Kari stated in her email, which I have no doubt he did, then that would certainly explain a few things."

"I should have known something like this would happen!" Gotsumon groaned, appearing suddenly on the screen next to Hawkmon.

Does this mean they did see something strange happening on Infinity Mountain?

Frowning slightly, Izzy stared at the two digimon on the screen and said, "You didn't see anything, did you?"

"Well, at this distance it's a little hard to tell, but I thought I saw something red hovering briefly in the sky before it disappeared around the other side of the mountain, and I'm pretty sure I also saw something that looked almost like a flash of fire in the sky," Hawkmon said slowly, obviously choosing his words carefully. "I can't say for sure, but I think what I saw must have been Dragermon."

"You don't think Vampiramon would have seen Dragermon, do you?"

"I highly doubt it. If what I saw was indeed Dragermon, then he is much further down the mountain from where I presume Vampiramon is waiting for Dai at the peak."

"That's certainly true. According to Kari's email, Vampiramon and DarkAngelicmon did say they would be waiting for Dai and the others at the peak of Infinity Mountain..."

"Don't worry, Izzy, because Vampiramon is waiting at the top, she has a different view of the mountain than we do," Armadillomon said reasonably, coming into view on Hawkmon's other side. "She'd have to be hanging over the side of the cliff to see anything, and even then only luck would have aloud her to spot Dragermon. Then again, I just thought of something. It might not even matter if they saw Dragermon or not. Kara has her D-Coder with her, and if Vampiramon takes advantage of it, she could use it to track Dai easily."

A sudden tense silence fell, and gazing hopefully at the computer screen Gotsumon said, "Well, at least we know now that all five of the Ruler's minions are on Infinity Mountain. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"Of all the things to say!" Hawkmon scolded, using one of his small wings to smack the little rookie on the back of the head.

"Uh, Gotsumon, you're not making us feel any better here," Rosa said dryly, smiling in amusement.

"Yes, Daichi could be in a lot of danger," Hawkmon agreed, nodding his head for emphasis. "He could be walking right into a trap."

"What if they ambush him while he's trying to rescue Kara?" Taysuke wailed, his arms tightening around Mimi's neck.

Shaking his head, Izzy slowly sat back in his chair, and crossing his arms over his chest he murmured, "I don't get it. By upsetting Dai, they could be jeopardizing their own plans. I mean, essentially, their plan could work if Dai responds to their challenge according to plan, but even if that's true, it seems like they're taking a big risk. At this point in time, it could go either way. It will all depend on how Dai responds to the flood of emotions in his heart. He could end up harnessing the power of his Spirit Chip to rescue Kara, or..."

"He could end up becoming a victim of the Powers of Darkness," T.K. said slowly, his bright blue eyes growing dark and serious. "It will depend on how he chooses to unleash the power he holds within himself. I don't get it either, Izzy. Why? Why would Vampiramon...no, why would DarkAngelicmon take such a huge risk? It doesn't make any sense. They could end up costing themselves the Spirit Chip of Bravery."

"Isn't it obvious?" Sora said quietly, her words just barely above a whisper. "Don't you see it? It's because DarkAngelicmon believes Dai will do the right thing, just like we do. That's why he's willing to take such a big risk."

"But...what about Vampiramon?" Tentomon protested. "I doubt she'd be willing to rely on the strength of Dai's heart for an important mission such as stealing the Spirit Chips. I'll admit DarkAngelicmon seems a bit more open-minded towards Dai and his friends, but..."

"Most likely DarkAngelicmon persuaded Vampiramon and the rest of his allies to go along with his plans," Mina explained, gazing thoughtfully at her hands. "He seems to have quite a hold on them, even though he is not their leader."

"Well, whatever the case, everything we know now is merely speculation, and until we find out what's really going on, I think maybe we should keep our theories to a minimum," Taniko warned, sitting back in her chair and letting out a soft sigh.

Izzy glanced at his daughter in surprise, and reaching out to ruffle her dark hair he said, "You're right, Taniko. Sorry about that. I get a little carried away sometimes."

"I know. That's why you have me."

Taniko...I don't know what I'd do without you anymore...

Giving his daughter a quick hug and turning to gaze uneasily at Sora, he said, "You're worried about Tai, too, aren't you."

"Izzy, do you remember what happened with the Crest of Courage?" Sora murmured, her voice sounding hollow and strangely subdued.

"I remember."

"We can't let the same thing happen to Dai."

"I know."

"I...I can't even imagine how Tai must be feeling right now."

"Me either."

"Do you realize what must be going through his head right at this very moment?"

Izzy let out a deep sigh, and avoiding the female Digidestined's eyes he said quietly, "I know. Trust me, I know."

"I want my daughter back."

"She'll be fine, Sora. You said it yourself, everyone in this room trusts Dai and we know he'll do the right thing."

Sora's eyes filled with tears, and hugging herself she mumbled, "We have to save both of them. I couldn't stand losing Dai any more than I could stand losing Kara."

Once again pulling up a map of Infinity Mountain, Izzy gazed helplessly at the large cluster of colourful dots all scrunched together on the small spot marking the location of Infinity Mountain, and out the corner of his eyes he spotted T.K. behind him just as the golden-haired Digidestined wrapped his arms around Sora in a comforting hug. The situation on Infinity Mountain didn't look good, and without the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the chances of Dai's group making it back to the human world in one piece were not very encouraging.

Come on, Tai. If ever we needed you, now is definitely the time...