Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. For the (over) two hundredth time!

A/N: I have a sneaking suspicion I might have missed some mistakes in this one, so I will make sure to check it over again as soon as I get a chance! Thank you to everyone for your great reviews and I hope you enjoy this new chapter. It's short, but it helps to lead into a few good scenes before we're off to find the next Spirit Chip. For you Harry Potter and Kingdom Hearts fans, I am planning to update my KH story Sunset Dreams again, as I will be starting the next chapter on paper soon, and for all you Potter fans, I've just finished another oneshot called Winter Wonderland, that I hope to post next week. It's kind of a sequel to The Pride of Slytherin and focuses on Christmas holidays at Malfoy Manor. Enjoy, everyone!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 202: Dream Within a Dream

Sam Ichijouji

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Watching the late afternoon sunshine play across the faces of his friends, Sam once again felt like he was living inside a dream, but unlike the dream he'd had about his uncle the night before, this time he was awake and he knew his friends expected him to explain exactly what had happened in the dream about his uncle.

He was happy to oblige. Though he was still a bit nervous, even just the thought of telling his friends made him feel as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He took his time, wanting to be careful not to leave anything out, and when he was done, he merely stared at his friends, waiting to analyse their reactions.

At first, no one spoke, indicating that Dai and the others were clearly shocked by this sudden turn of events and just when Sam thought the silence might go on forever, Mickey bowed his head and said quietly, "The World of Darkness. He was trying to warn you."

"What?"

"Don't you see, Sam?" Takara said gently, giving him a sad smile. "If you continue to allow yourself to be filled with hatred, if you continue to allow yourself to give in to the pain and sadness inside your heart, you will ultimately lose yourself to the darkness you despise so much. When it comes right down to it, that's what your uncle was trying to tell you."

"I know, but..."

"You really heard him?" Matty interrupted, gazing at him in awe. "You really heard his voice?"

Sam tried his best to remain composed, but despite his efforts, the memory of his uncle speaking to him on the shore of the beach in the World of Darkness brought tears to his eyes. "I keep trying to tell myself it couldn't have been real, but I can't quite bring myself to believe that it was all for nothing, that it was just a dream. The way he spoke to me...He knew. He knew who I was. He called me by my name. He...he called me his nephew."

"But how do we know you really heard his voice?" Ryoko asked bluntly, ever the practical and sensible one. "I mean, you never met him, right? He passed away long before you were born. How do you know if what you were hearing was really his voice? Maybe your subconscious merely gave him a voice to compensate for the loss of something you've never heard before."

Uncle...could Ryoko be right? Did I really hear your voice, or...

Sam knew Ryoko wasn't trying to offend him, and because of that he wasn't upset by the golden-haired Digidestined's words, but even so he found himself hesitant to speak. After all, there was a chance Ryoko could be right and he was grateful that the golden-haired Digidestined was trying to eliminate all the possibilities that might be able to explain his bizarre dream and give him some answers.

There was a chance that a rational explanation could explain the presence of his uncle sitting on the shores of the beach in the World of Darkness and he could tell Ryoko cared enough about him to make sure he didn't get his hopes up if that turned out to be the case.

"Are you sure you've never heard your uncle's voice before?" Dai insisted, glancing meaningfully at Ryoko before once again turning his attention back to the conversation at hand.

Sam frowned in concentration, trying his best to remember, and sifting through all the memories inside his head he quickly nodded in confirmation, confident that he was right about his earlier suspicions. "We have lots of photos, but that's about it. We don't have any old tapes or anything like that, so there's no way I could have heard his voice before. My grandparents might have some tapes or something, but if they do I've never see them."

"Then there's only one way to find out," Ryoko said simply, a slight smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Ask your dad. He would know, and if he can't describe the voice very well, get him to pick up a memento from your grandparents. If they have anything, that is. Considering how much they praised him all he time, they must have something."

"Ask...my dad?"

Ryoko was right, of course, but even the thought of speaking to his father brought a lump to his throat, and he found himself unable to look at any of his friends.

"Sam, you have to speak to your father eventually," Takara said gently, clearly sensing his thoughts, "but if you can't bring yourself to do it right now, then ask your mom. She's on great terms with your grandma and grandpa Ichijouji. I'm sure they'd be happy to hand over a memento of your uncle, especially if it's for you."

Kara's right. Grandma and Grandpa were really pleased when my mom and dad named me after my uncle. I'm sure they'd be happy to know I'm interested in learning more about him.

"'Kindness and compassion will show you the way,'" Mickey quoted softly, gazing thoughtfully at his hands. "You guys don't think..."

"The Spirit Chip of Compassion," Matty finished, gazing meaningfully at his twin.

Wait...they think the Spirit Chip might belong to me over Ryoko?

Sam was shocked, to say the least, and turning to look at Ryoko, he stammered, "W-what do you think?"

It can't really be mine, can it? I haven't exactly been very compassionate lately, and besides, it suits Ryoko just as much as it suits me. He might seem a little cold on the outside at times, but I know him better than that. On the inside, he might be the most caring out of all of us, even over Mickey...

"We'll find out tomorrow, I guess," Ryoko said simply, avoiding his eyes. "Personally, I hope it belongs to you."

"Ryoko..."

Sam could feel a lump building in his throat and reaching out he placed a hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder, forcing Ryoko to look at him. "Ryoko, listen, I...I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you and Dai like that. I know you were just worried about me, and I'm not mad at you anymore or anything like that. I understand that you were just trying to help me...and...you know...I..."

"What?" Ryoko asked bluntly, gazing directly into his eyes.

Sam had to look away, and feeling ashamed of himself he managed to whisper, "I don't hate you."

"Sam..."

"You're too important to me to let something as stupid as this stop me from being your friend. You and Dai. I know I acted like a jerk, but if you can find a way to forgive me, I promise I'll do my best not to make the same mistake again. I-"

"Sam," Ryoko interrupted, shaking him gently by the shoulders, "there's nothing to forgive."

"He's right," Dai agreed, nodding his head for emphasis.

"But-"

"People say things they don't mean," Ryoko insisted, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "I think that's been the case with a lot of us lately."

"Maybe."

"We really are a bunch of idiots," Dai muttered, shaking his head in amusement.

"I don't think so," DemiEmbermon contradicted, poking his head out of the goggle-headed leader's backpack. "You humans are just too stubborn for you own good sometimes."

"Very true," Fluttermon agreed, smiling at her partner.

Uncle...was it really just a dream or were you trying to tell me something important? Does the Spirit Chip of Compassion really belong to me?

Sam didn't know, but he did know he wanted his friends back, and smiling hesitantly at Ryoko, he said shyly, "Can we go back to how things used to be between us?"

For a long moment Ryoko didn't say anything, and just when Sam was starting to feel a little bit uneasy, the golden-haired Digidestined sighed and said softly, almost to himself, "All of you drive me nuts, but...where would I be without you?"

"Ryoko?"

"Consider it done, Sam. Only...I don't really want things to be exactly like they were before."

"What do you mean?"

Leaning close to him, Ryoko said softly in his ear, "I want things to be even better."

So do I...

A day ago, Sam was convinced he'd never be able to smile again, but to his surprise he found himself beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined, and slipping an arm around Ryoko's shoulders he turned to Dai and said, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Dai snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're my friend, plain and simple. What else is there to say? Sure you were angry, but that was just a minor inconvenience. It never stopped us from being friends. It never will. You know I'll always have your back no matter how many stupid things you do. Like I'm one to talk. It's not like I haven't done enough stupid things myself. I think today wad proof enough of that."

"Oh, Dai," Takara sighed, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.

Ryoko, too, looked like he wanted to have his say, but before the golden-haired Digidestined could even open his mouth, Dai glared at him and said playfully, "No comments from you, Ishida. I've heard enough out of you already today."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Ryoko said innocently, smirking at the goggle-headed leader.

"Very convincing. Just you wait until it's your turn."

Sam expected Ryoko to reply with some sort of clever insult, but instead the golden-haired Digidestined merely stared at his feet in silence, and unreadable expression on his face. Though he didn't appear to be upset, something about the look in his sapphire eyes made Sam feel a little bit uneasy.

He does want to find his Spirit Chip, doesn't he?

Or maybe, was there something Ryoko wasn't telling them?

"Are you going to be okay now, Sam?" Mickey asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm not sure. Mickey, what do you really think of my dream? Was it just a dream or something more?"

"I think...it's had to explain, but I really do believe your uncle was trying to give you an important message, and maybe a dream was the only way he could do so. I know you would never lie about something like this or make it out to be more than it is."

"So...then you believe it was something more than just a dream?"

"I do, but you already knew that," Mickey said simply, his voice quiet, but firm. "I'm not blind, Sam. You know me better than you think you do."

"See, Sam?" Glimmermon said softly from is backpack. "I told you it would be easy. You know your friends would never let you down."

Maybe, but is that true for all of them?

It was a good question, and remembering how uncertain he'd been about Matty earlier, he turned to look at the younger twin and said hesitantly, "What do you think?"

What do you really believe, Matty?

"Isn't it obvious what I think?" Matty replied, avoiding his eyes. "Mickey's usually right about these kinds of things so I don't see why this time should be any different. No matter how impossible something might seem, sometimes you just have to believe. If you can't do that then you might as well give up. What's the point of having any faith at all if you can't find meaning in everything you see and do? Whether or not your dream was real or a figment of your imagination, it doesn't really matter. If you were able to find some kind of meaning in that dream, and a sense of purpose, that's what really matters. That's what your uncle would have really wanted if he were alive today. Your dream was real to you and that's what counts."

Sam tried to speak, but despite his efforts he found himself unable to utter a sound. Matty's speech had moved him so much, it caused tears to form in his eyes.

"I believe in you," Matty said quietly, humbly bowing his head. "Even if you don't believe in yourself."

Just like I believe in my dad, even if he doesn't always believe in himself.

It was a comforting thought, and slipping his arm around Matty's shoulders, he managed a watery smile. "Thanks, Matty."

"What now?" Iramon asked, getting back to business as usual.

"Now I think it's time to go home," Takara replied.

"You guys go ahead, Matty and I will catch up," Dai insisted, glancing calmly at the younger twin, a no nonsense look on his face. "You don't mind, do you, Mickey?"

Sam almost smiled. As if Mickey would mind.

"Not at all," Mickey said softly, reaching out to give his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'll see you back at home, Matty."

Poor Matty. Dai's never going to let him get out of this now!

And apparently Matty realized the same thing because the younger twin let out a deep sigh while trying unsuccessfully not to look in Dai's direction.

"Come on, Sam, I'll walk with you a bit of the way," Mickey murmured in his ear, giving him a warm smile.

"Thanks, Mickey."

He wants to make sure I'll be okay facing my dad. I guess I really am lucky. Not very many people have friends like I do.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Takara said cheerfully. "Let's go, Ryoko."

"Definitely. I think we could all use a good night's rest."

Sam had to agree, and as he watched his friends, minus Mickey, wander off in different directions he felt suddenly weary and anxious to hop into bed himself.

But first I'll have to face my dad...