Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: And another chapter is here! Sorry about the wait, but once again thanks to all of you for your patience! So, without further ado, here is the next chapter. (And if you're wondering, yes, Tai will get around to the whole telling Kara thing, but that will be in a few chapters. I have not forgotten that part!)
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 200: Cryptic Words
Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
Trying unsuccessfully not to open his eyes, Dai let out a gasp as he landed on the floor of the room his parents used for an office with a loud thump, and groaning softly, he rolled over just in time to get a face full of Shadow's fur as the little puppy began to lick his nose. "Yuck! Shadow, get off!"
"What do you expect?" Ami scolded, helping him into a sitting position and whacking him on the back of the head for good measure. "He's just happy to see you in one piece, as are the rest of us. Don't you know how worried I was? Of all the little brothers I could have ended up with, I get stuck with the idiot one who doesn't have any brains!"
"Hey!"
"What were you thinking running away from everyone like that? You could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse! You could have died!"
For a moment, Dai merely stared at his sister, surprised by her sudden outburst, and lowering his eyes to the ground he mumbled, "Relax, would you? I'm still here. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" DemiEmbermon said firmly, leaping onto Shadow's back and gazing defiantly at everyone in the room, daring them to disagree.
"I know, but this still stinks!" Ami shouted, ignoring DemiEmbermon and stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm your big sister. I'm supposed to be the one looking out for you! But no! You keep getting yourself into trouble and there's nothing I can do..."
Ami...
Contrary to what Vampiramon might think, Dai wasn't stupid. He knew his sister cared about him, despite the fact that she went out of her way to annoy him on a daily basis, but for her to lose her cool like this, it was obvious she had been more worried about him then he would have given her credit for in the past.
I guess I can't really blame her. I would have felt the same way if she had been the one in danger instead of me.
"Um...Ami, you're not mad, are you?" DemiEmbermon asked hesitantly, glancing back and forth between the two of them.
"Of course I am! Of all the stupid things to do..."
Dai rolled his eyes, and staring at Ami he did the only thing he could think of. He returned his sister's favour and gave her an enthusiastic whack on the back of the head.
"Ouch! What was the for?" Ami shouted, glaring at him and gingerly rubbing the tender spot on her skull.
"For being an idiot."
"Oh...Sorry."
Realizing how comical the situation must look to everyone else in the room, Dai started laughing, and pulling his sister into a tight hug, he mumbled, "Thanks for caring, Sis."
"As if I wouldn't," she snorted, hugging him back and giving him a playful punch in the ribs.
"Hey, careful! I'm still injured you know. Watch the tender spots!"
"Oops. Sorry!"
Shaking his head, Dai turned to look for Kara, and spotting her in Sora's arms, he smiled, relieved to see the two of them reunited once again. At the moment, neither of them was speaking, and as far as Dai could tell, they seemed quite content to just hug each other and let their actions do the talking for them.
"Sorry about the scare," Tai said sheepishly, giving his wife a quick kiss on the cheek.
Sora looked up at her husband, and shaking her head, she said softly, "It wasn't anyone's fault. I'm just glad you're all safe."
"Kara, are you sure you're okay?" Taysuke asked anxiously, slipping an arm around his sister's shoulders. "I was really worried about you."
"I'm fine, Tay. My head hurts a little bit where it hit the back of the pedestal, but the other than that I wasn't hurt."
"Are you sure?" Sora asked softly, hugging her daughter protectively against her chest. "You might have a concussion and not even know it."
"I'm pretty sure I'm-"
"There's no harm in getting checked out if it will make your parents feel better," Joe interrupted, motioning for Kara to come sit beside him. "I'm sure you're fine, but it'll probably be best if you let me take a look."
"Joe's the best at what he does," Gomamon said confidently, gazing proudly at his partner. "If there's a problem, he'll figure it out."
"Okay, I get it."
Takara rolled her eyes, and quickly untangling herself from her mother, she moved across the room to sit next to Joe. Exhibiting an excellent amount of patience, she sat quietly as Joe began to gently examine the back of her head.
Now that Kara was sitting closer to him, Dai could feel his face turning red, and glancing uncertainly at Sora he jumped when he realized the female Digidestined was watching him. Without a word, Sora moved across the room to kneel next to him and putting her arms around him in a warm hug, she said quietly in his ear, "Thank you."
"But...but I...It could have ended differently. It could have gone so wrong, all because of me..."
"But it didn't. Kara's safe and so are you. That's what matters most to me."
"Really?"
Sora smiled at him, and resting her cheek against the top of his head, she said softly, "I knew you would find your way. I never stopped believing in you. Even though I was worried, even though I was scared, even though I knew there was a chance you could lose yourself to the darkness in your heart, I never stopped believing."
In response to Sora's words, Dai felt a sudden lump in his throat, and hugging the female Digidestined tightly around the waist, he mumbled, "Thanks, Sora."
"You seem to be fine," Joe interrupted, giving Kara a warm smile. "That bump on the back of your head might stick around for a while, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. You don't appear to have a concussion either, so I think you're in the clear."
"See? I told you!" Kara laughed, turning to make a silly face at her mother.
"I'm so glad you're safe," Sora said gently, motioning for her daughter to join her again. "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Kara replied, hugging her mother close again.
Due to the fact that Sora still had her arms wrapped around him, somehow Dai ended up being incorporated into the hug, and conscious of the fact that he could feel Takara's cheek resting against the back of his head, he felt his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red. Thankfully, his face was mostly obscured by Sora's shoulder, but even so he could still feel his sister and his friends grinning like idiots behind his back.
"Next time, you'd better be more careful, Kara," Taysuke scolded, giving his sister a disapproving look.
"It's not like I had any choice. DarkAngelicmon just kind of scooped me up out of nowhere! How was I supposed to prepare myself for something like that?"
"Speaking of what happened," Izzy interrupted before Taysuke could respond, "for those of us who stayed behind, we still don't know all the details. We only know what happened up until the point where you all split up. Thanks to Matty, we also know Dragermon was able to digivolve to the ultimate level, but that's about all we know. Why don't you all start by telling us the rest of the story. I'm curious to know exactly what happened on Infinity Mountain."
"Yes, please, do tell," Hawkmon called out from the computer screen, where he was still in the Digital World with Armadillomon and Gotsumon. "The nerve of you, Daichi, rushing back through the gate without even telling us what happened up there!"
"The rest of you aren't hurt or anything, are you?" Taniko asked anxiously, glancing at Sam and the twins.
"We're fine," Mickey reassured the dark-haired female, giving her a warm smile.
"Are you positive about that? I mean...um...Matty, you look a little...er...ruffled."
"You mean, beat up?" Ryoko snorted, smirking at the younger twin.
Glaring at his cousin, Matty quickly ducked his head and mumbled, "I'm fine."
No thanks to me...
Dai could tell Taniko didn't believe Matty, but right now that was the least of his problems. There were so many things he needed to tell them, and it looked like now was the time to do so.
"Well..." Tai began, glancing meaningfully at Matt. "You see..."
"Let me explain what happened."
"Huh?"
Tai looked at him in surprise, and ducking his head when he realized everyone was staring at him, Dai mumbled, "There's...a lot I want to tell you guys."
"Then what are you waiting for?" his father asked, slipping an arm around him.
Dai beamed at his father, and taking a deep breath, he quickly told the others about everything that had happened to him after he had left the group, and he quickly filled in Izzy and the rest of the gang who stayed behind about what had happened at the peak. Staying true to his words, he did his best to leave nothing out. He told them about DemiDevimon and his insecurities about the Spirit Chip, and when he was done, Mickey and Davis explained what had been going on in their two groups while everyone had been separated. The only thing he didn't tell them was Tai's story because he knew Tai would want to tell Kara himself. That way Kara could be the one to tell everyone else, too.
"So, DemiDevimon...he's gone," Mickey said quietly, clearly saddened by this unfortunate piece of news.
Feeling ashamed of himself, Dai avoided Mickey's eyes and mumbled wearily," Yeah, he...I was really stupid. He didn't even do anything to me, but...I didn't trust him, you know. I thought...I couldn't forget what had happened to Tai and his friends. I thought this DemiDevimon was trying to trick me. I thought he was just like that other DemiDevimon, but in a lot of ways he was telling the truth. He tried to explain, but...I wouldn't give him a chance. I didn't even try to make sense of what he was saying. Instead, I ordered Dragermon to get rid of him. It was such a cowardly act. I mean, he was so defenceless..."
"What's done is done, Dai," Mickey said gently, giving his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "The only thing left to do now is to move on from your mistakes. If you don't, DemiDevimon's death won't mean anything."
"Mickey...you must think I'm a really horrible person."
For a long moment, Mickey merely stared at him and then shaking his head, the older twin said firmly, "No, Dai. Actually, I think you're pretty amazing. To come back from all that you were going through, to be able to overcome your fears at such a critical moment...that takes real courage. If you weren't my friend, I don't know what I would do. I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to help you a little bit more."
"But you did. All of you did. That's one of the reasons why I was able to get my Spirit Chip. I was thinking about all of you and I knew I wasn't alone. Even though you guys weren't awake, well...other than Kara, I knew you were all there with me. That gave me courage."
"Oh, Dai," Takara whispered, giving him a brilliant smile.
"You...you jerk!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, leaping up and whacking him hard in the chest.
"Ouch! Ishida!"
"Idiot," Ryoko mumbled into his shoulder, pulling him into a very uncharacteristic one-armed hug.
Glancing around Ryoko's golden head, Dai could see Sam watching him, but instead of attempting to say anything, the raven-haired Digidestined merely smiled at him, and he smiled back at his friend.
From that smile alone, Dai could tell that all had been forgiven between them.
But...what about Matty?
Sitting a few feet away from him, Dai could tell Matty was also watching him, but unlike the rest of his friends, the younger twin's face was hard to read.
"You should talk to him," Mickey said quietly, nodding his head towards Matty.
"Don't worry, I plan on it."
During his story, he had informed the others that he and Matty had fought, but he hadn't gone into the details. Some of them, like Ryoko and Tai, already knew, but to him the details weren't important. There was no excuse. He had treated Matty terribly and now it was time for him to undo the horrible things he had said and done.
If Matty would let him.
"You know, guys...I should have known. The Spirit Chip was red. It matched my D-Coder. And the symbol on the Spirit Chip...it matched the symbol that was carved onto Embermon's pedestal. It was all right there in front of me, and yet...I still couldn't believe it. I still doubted myself."
"It's not surprising," Ryoko said briskly, avoiding his eyes. "The evidence might all have been there, but sometimes that's still not enough. Sometimes...sometimes it takes something really special to make you believe..."
Ryoko...
"There's still one thing I don't understand," Mickey said slowly, a frown on his handsome face. "DarkAngelicmon...He kept insisting he needed the Spirit Chip, and he was adamant that we all make it there, but...when we did finally get there, he didn't even show up, let alone try to steal the Spirit Chip. Why not? I mean, where was he that whole time?"
"Oh, he was there," Gatomon said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"He was?" Matty said stupidly, speaking for the first time since coming back from the Digiworld and looking just a little bit confused.
"Yes, we could sense him," Goldmon replied, wiggling his large ears. "He arrived on the scene just after Davis' group reached the peak. He was there the whole time, doing nothing but watching and staying out of sight. We think he was a little further down, but still close enough to hear what was going on."
"As to why he didn't show himself, we don't know," Palelymon said quietly, clearly distressed. "He was watching us when we left the peak, too."
"That explains why you guys kept looking back," Kari commented, a thoughtful look on her face.
"That is a good question, though," T.K. interrupted, gazing intently at his hands. "Why didn't he attack you guys? Why didn't he help Vampiramon? Why didn't he attempt to steal the Spirit Chip? None of it makes any sense."
Giving T.K. an apologetic look, Palelymon said helplessly, "I wish we had an answer for you, but we don't."
"Sometimes in order to reach the light, you must first find your way through the darkness," Mickey murmured quietly, quoting DarkAngelicmon's earlier words. "I wonder what he meant by that."
"Goldmon, what happened between you and DarkAngelicmon?" T.K. asked curiously, frowning at the little digimon. "Your story is the only one we haven't heard yet."
Blushing a deep shade of red, Goldmon hid his face against Matty's stomach and from that small gesture alone, Dai could tell the little digimon was hiding something.
I wonder what it could be...
"You promised you would tell," Matty reminded his partner. "If you don't, it means I don't have to keep my end of the bargain."
"What bargain?" Ryoko demanded.
"It's nothing," Tai replied before Matty could answer, smiling at the younger twin in amusement.
"It's kind of hard to explain," Goldmon said softly, turning slightly so he could look at everyone. "When we confronted each other, he wasn't acting like his usual self."
"How so?" Rosa asked curiously, encouraging the little digimon to continue.
"At first, he wanted to know if I'd come to challenge him, but when I denied the accusation, he got really weird."
"Weird?" Mickey echoed, clearly confused.
"I told him to stay away from Matty and for some reason that made him pretty mad. But...instead of yelling at me, he told me maybe I should stay away from Matty, unless I wanted to end up like him."
"What?" Matty gasped in horror. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know. I told him I wasn't like him, but...he said we're all like him and that's the reason why we've gotten ourselves into this mess in the first place, whatever that means."
"Strange," Kari murmured, almost to herself. "Very strange."
"I then asked him why he kept avoiding going after Lucemon, but he wouldn't answer me directly. Somehow that led to a conversation about his past and he...he told me he couldn't remember."
"Remember what?" Mina spoke up, glancing quickly at her husband.
"His past. He kept insisting he couldn't remember his past, and something about not being able to remember seemed to have frightened him. He...he told me he hated me."
"Oh, he didn't!" Palelymon gasped, covering his face with his large ears.
"He did. I asked him why, and he told me he hates me for everything that I am. For everything that he is not. That...really confused me, so I asked him if it was because he hated me for everything he could be and isn't, but he told me no, he hates me for everything that he used to be."
"Wait," Sam said slowly, "does that mean he really did use to be a good digimon?"
"I don't know, it's hard to say. A lot of the things he told me didn't make a lot of sense, like...he said Mickey was his and he wasn't going to let us interfere."
"Over my dead body!" Matty snapped, looking bound and determined to take out the fallen angel himself if he had to.
"That's not all, Matty. He told me you were going to help him claim his prize. He pretty much said you were going to help him get to Mickey."
Instead of responding, Matty slowly turned to stare at his brother and for a moment the two of them merely gazed at each other in silence, both of them clearly uncertain as to who should make the first move.
"Matty, DarkAngelicmon said you might end up being the most important player in whatever game he's playing!" Goldmon cried, clearly distressed. "He said you were every bit as important as Mickey and that he has a use for you, too!"
"Is that all?" Matty said coldly, his amber eyes never straying from his brother's oddly calm face.
"No! I told him not to hurt you guys, but he said you were the ones hurting him, not the other way around. I don't understand any of this and it scares me!"
"It's okay, Goldmon, we'll figure it out!" Palelymon insisted, leaping into Matty's lap to join his little friend.
"I know, but...Mickey, he also had a message for you."
Tearing his eyes away from his twin, Mickey looked at the little digimon and said quietly, "What is it?"
"I don't really understand it, but...he told me to tell you it isn't very wise to be stealing his feathers."
Mickey quickly pulled the black feather in question out of his backpack and holding it out in his hands, he said slowly, "How did he know?"
"If Lucemon dies, you die," Goldmon quoted softly, huddling against Palelymon's side. "That's what he said to me. Don't you see? I'm not sure exactly what all DarkAngelicmon wants from us, but one thing he did make pretty clear. He wants us to protect Lucemon!"
"Then that's what we'll do," Palelymon said firmly.
"So, you're saying he doesn't really want to capture Lucemon?" T.K. asked, attempting to clarify Goldmon's words.
"Exactly. He doesn't really want to bring Lucemon to the Ruler of Darkness. He doesn't want to hurt his old friend, but he has his orders and he's powerless to do anything to change Lucemon's fate. That's one of the reasons why he needs us. He wants us to protect Lucemon in his place! I'm sure of it!"
"And we will," Mickey said firmly, turning to look first at his parents and then at Matty. "Right?"
"Right," Matty agreed, avoiding his brother's eyes.
"Of course!" Kari insisted.
"Definitely," T.K. agreed.
"No way we're going to let the bad guys get Lucemon!" Rina shouted enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in excitement.
Watching the twins, who were still sneaking looks at each other, Dai said shortly, "Stop with the looks. We're all in this together and we're all going to make sure we get out of this in one piece. It's like that voice said..."
"What voice?" Noah asked curiously, frowning in confusion.
For a moment, Dai wasn't sure if he should respond, since the voice both he and Kara had heard happened a while ago and they had agreed to wait until everyone was present to tell their story, but despite his uncertainties he knew the voice could be important, and glancing at his female friend, he gave her a questioning look. In response, she smiled back at him and right away he knew that was her way of telling him he should continue. Now was the time. There was never going to be a better opportunity.
"Dai?" Mimi insisted, clearly eager to hear what he had to say.
"Well...do you guys remember when we went to rescue Gennai? After we left the castle, I...When we were waiting for Benjamin and the rest of our friends to catch up with us...I heard this voice. It almost sounded like it was a part of the wind and I felt this weird sensation, like it was calling out to me. It told me to...to hold onto my friends."
"I heard the same voice," Takara said quietly, reaching out to give his hand an encouraging squeeze. "It happened on the same day, just after we managed to escape from the castle on Cyber. Hold onto your dreams. Your dreams and your friends. That's what the voice said to me."
"That's why you seemed so distracted when we were trying to escape," Ryoko interrupted, a thoughtful frown appearing suddenly on his face. "I had to remind you to pay attention."
"That's right. Both Dai and I were sure the voice we heard was the same one. It was a deep voice, definitely male, and...it sounded kind of sad. But...at the same time, the voice also sounded hopeful."
"The voice of the wind?" Ema asked skeptically, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.
"No..." Cody said quietly, shaking his head. "The voice of Oikawa."
The voice of...Oikawa?
This was certainly news to Dai and it startled him so much that he turned to gaze at Cody with his mouth hanging open. "What do you mean 'the voice of Oikawa?'"
"Those were the last words Yukio Oikawa spoke to me before he died," Cody explained, smiling sadly at the memory. "I think maybe what you were hearing was the sound of his spirit, which still protects the Digital World to this day."
"That's right," T.K. said quietly, exchanging a smile with the younger man. "Oikawa gave up his life to protect the Digital World and as long as he's watching over our digimon partners and their world, he will always remain alive within our hearts. I think...he knows about all of you, and I believe he's doing what he can to protect you in the Digital World, just as much as we, your parents, try to protect you everyday."
Oikawa...Thanks. If I'd listened to you earlier, I never would have almost lost Kara and my Spirit Chip, but I understand now. I'll make you proud. I'll protect the Digital World and my friends, and I'm never going to let the Ruler of Darkness take away my dreams!
"Dai, are you okay?" Miya suddenly shouted in his ear, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. "You look a little lost."
Despite Miya's rude awakening, he wasn't the only one who looked lost in thought. Everyone appeared to be reflecting on Oikawa's words, clearly wondering if their hearts were strong enough to fulfill his expectations. In his own heart, Dai believed he could, but that wouldn't have been the case earlier and he was humbled by the words of a dead man, whose memory would always live on.
Ryoko, Kara, Sam, Mickey, Matty...We can do this, I know we can!
Though nobody actually looked in his direction, it was almost as if his friends had heard his thoughts because they all suddenly sat up straight, and Sam said calmly, "We have one Spirit Chip, but there are still five more we need to find. The question is, where do we start looking?"
"Sam's right," Ryoko said firmly, glancing at each person in the room with a look on his face that suggested he was measuring their strength and courage. "One Spirit Chip isn't going to make much of a difference if we can't find the other five, which leads us to the most important question of all. Where are they? Where do we start our search? How do we go about finding them before the Ruler of Darkness does?"