Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: And we finally get to the Digital World! Things will start to move forward now and some of my favorite chapters are coming up after this one!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 212: The Second Act
Ken Ichijouji
Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Ken took a few moments to regain his composure, the hurtful words Sam had uttered earlier just before entering the Digital World having wounded him deeply, and slowly opening his eyes he found himself standing with the rest of the Digidestined on the shores of Server, a slight breeze rippling off the ocean, blowing the dark hair off his forehead. The sky was gray and cloudy, and it looked like it might rain at any given moment, which suited Ken just fine.
It resembled his mood. Dark, shadowy, and full of doubt.
"Yolei!" a voice cried from the water's edge, audible even over the sound of the waves.
Ken turned to see Hawkmon, who had spoken, Gotsumon, and Armadillomon sitting comfortably on the sand several metres away from the television set, and letting out a shriek of joy, Yolei raced over to the group of rookies and scooped Hawkmon into her arms, nearly crushing him with the force of her hug.
"Oh, Hawkmon! I've missed you so much! You have no idea how good it is to see you again!"
"Yolei, I need to breath!"
Yolei pulled back slightly, and smiling apologetically at her partner, she said softly, "Sorry, Hawkmon, I do get carried away a bit sometimes, don't I."
"Indeed you do," Hawkmon agreed, shaking his head in amusement, "but this time I suppose I'll let it slide. After all, I'm just as happy to see you as you are to see me, I'm sure."
"We all can't help being excited," Rosa laughed, cuddling Gotsumon tightly in her arms. "It's so good to see you again, Gotsumon."
"Same to you, Rosa. I've really missed you."
"I've missed you, too, but now that I'm here, you and I can experience the Digital World together. The one time I was here, MaloMyotismon tried to take over both worlds. My time in this world didn't last very long and we didn't get to do much together."
"Yes, this time it'll be different, and I know together we'll find a way to help our friends stop the Ruler of Darkness."
Will we? I'm not so sure anymore...
It was a depressing thought, but Ken couldn't help feeling a little bit on the hopeless side. Without his son's love and respect, everything seemed hopeless.
T.K. would be ashamed of me if he knew...
"I hope I didn't interrupt your nap," Cody said gently to his partner, beaming at Armadillomon and pulling the little rookie into a hug.
"It's okay, Cody. A nap isn't the same without you here anyways. Are we ready to go and visit Gennai?"
"I think we're more than ready," Mimi replied, exchanging a smile with Palmon and pointing to a path leading towards a valley of tall grass up ahead. "Lead the way, Izzy."
"Gennai's house is this way and it's located...well, you'll have to see the lake for yourself. It's a bit of a long walk, though, so everyone stick together. You know what the Ruler of Darkness and his minions are like. They could be anywhere, so keep an eye out for them."
"How are you doing, Mimi?" Matt asked quietly, speaking softly into the rosy-haired Digidestined's ear as they made their way towards the valley. "Everything okay?"
"I'm fine and so is the baby. We'll get through this, Matt."
"Nothing bad will happen to Mimi or the baby," Palmon insisted. "You can count on me, Matt!"
"I know I can. It's Vampiramon and her flunkies I don't trust."
"If they try anything we'll take care of them," Gabumon said firmly, exchanging a meaningful look with Palmon.
If only I could be so confident...
Ken glanced at his son, who was walking near the head of the group with Ryoko, and letting out a deep sigh, he held Wormmon tightly against his chest, feeling somewhat comforted by his partner's small body.
Why could he not work up the courage to speak to Sam? This was his son, his flesh and blood who meant everything to him. Sam was one of his three greatest accomplishments in life, Miya and Nao being the other two, and yet he could not bring himself to speak. The words were there, but they would not come, and the longer he remained silent, the more he felt as though the darkness was seeping into his heart, driving away all the light his family and friends had poured into him for so many years.
Radiant light that had caused his own light to burst into flames again, but now that light inside of him felt like it was flickering and dying, becoming so fragile a mere breeze would be enough to extinguish it. And if that happened, what then would he do?
"It won't be like this forever, Ken," Yolei suddenly said fiercely in his ear, as if reading his mind.
Since leaving the shore, Yolei had been content to walk next to him in silence, but now it looked as if she was ready to have her say. After all, as Ken had found out rather quickly in the days of the Emperor, Yolei was not the type of person to remain quiet for very long.
"Yolei, I...I feel so lost."
"I know you do. I feel the same way, but you can't give up on Sam. If you keep trying to get through to him, I know he'll respond."
"Sam's not the one I'm giving up on."
"Ken..."
Ken could feel Yolei watching him, and turning to look at his wife, he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Yolei. I know you expect better of me, but I..."
"Ken, listen to me. You've been through this kind of pain before and look how you were able to come back from all the sadness building up inside your heart. You did it once, and I know you can do it again. I believe in you, so don't you dare give up on yourself. If you do, you'll not only feel like a failure to yourself, but also to Sam, and if that happens you might lose your son forever, and I know that's not what you want."
"Yolei, if Sam doesn't...if he..."
"Sam might seem angry, and he might be putting on a good show of hating you, but you and I both know that's not how he really feels. He's hurting, Ken, because he feels like we didn't trust him enough to tell him about the Digital World. Can you imagine how that feels? We've been lying to him for thirteen years. I've failed him just as much as you have. Yes, he's still talking to me, but it's not because I"m any less guilty. It's just easier because I didn't have as big a role to play as you did."
"I know, but..."
"Sam can pretend all he wants," Yolei interrupted, gazing directly into his eyes, "but he can't hide how much he loves you no matter how hard he tries. I can still see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you. That's not something anybody can fake. He still believes in you, Ken. I think...he just wants you to believe in yourself."
How can I, though, when Sam won't even look at me? At least not that I've ever seen, despite what Yolei just said...
"I believe in you, Ken," Wormmon suddenly said quietly in his arms, looking both worried and anxious. "Not just in you, but I believe in Sam, too. Somehow I know everything will work out, but it's like Yolei said. You can't give up. You have to keep trying, even if it's the last thing you want to do."
"Don't wait too long, though," Hawkmon advised, giving him a meaningful look. "If you do, it might be too late."
Maybe it already is too late...
Lucemon
Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"Do you really think Gennai will be home and that the Digidestined will come here?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, gazing at the lake in the distance, where Gennai's house lay hidden deep beneath the surface, a slightly skeptical look on his face. "I don't know..."
"Well...I cannot say for sure whether or not the Digidestined will come here, but like us they too need to find out the location of the next Spirit Chip, and who better to give them that information than Gennai?"
"Yes, but-"
"I don't think we have any choice but to remain here for now, MarineAngemon, at least until Gennai gives us a clue as to what out next move should be. Also, the fact that Leomon and Piximon arrived here earlier this morning makes me think something must be going on."
"So...you think something big is going to happen soon?"
"I believe something will happen. I can't say for sure, but to me it feels like they're waiting for someone to arrive."
"Not just someone, but a whole bunch of people. The Digidestined, right?"
"It certainly feels that way to me. Regardless of whether they come or not, though, we'll have to stick to Gennai like glue until he reveals the exact location of the next Spirit Chip. Without Gennai, we cannot see the road ahead of us."
"And that would be bad. We won't be of much help if we can't even keep track of the Spirit Chip and the Digidestined."
"Indeed."
"Hey, Lucemon?" MarineAngemon asked quietly, his tone indicating he was a bit hesitant to speak. "Do you think DarkAngelicmon and his allies know where the location of the next Spirit Chip is?"
Lucemon slowly lifted his pale blue eyes to the gray sky above Server, and pointing at a dark speck high in the air, he said, "The Ruler of Darkness has many servants to do his bidding. They will know. And it seems they, too, suspect the Digidestined will arrive here today."
"Vampiramon!" MarineAngemon gasped, gazing wide-eyed at the tiny bat in the distance. "They're not just guessing about the Digidestined! They know!"
"It helps to have a great many servants. When you have eyes everywhere, nothing remains a secret for very long."
"What if she sees us?"
Glancing at the little digimon hovering next to his shoulder, Lucemon couldn't help smiling in amusement. "We are well hidden, MarineAngemon, and if there is one thing I am good at, it's knowing how to stay out of sight."
"You're good at other things, too!"
"It's nice of you to say so, but I am well aware of the fact that I seem to be an utter failure at most things, if my past and present are any indication."
"Lucemon..."
Lucemon smiled at the tiny mega, doing his best to comfort his surprisingly loyal companion. "You are very special, MarineAngemon, my friend. So different from other MarineAngemon I've met in the past."
"Really? You think so?"
"Well...like I said, you speak for one thing."
"My fellow digimon talk!" MarineAngemon protested, blushing in embarrassment. "We just have our own kind of language."
"And yet you choose to speak to me in a way that allows me to fully understand you. And not just me, the Digidestined, as well."
"MarineAngemon are shy digimon; we always have been," the little mega said softly, humbly bowing his head. "But meeting you...it has helped me to step out of my shell, and the Digidestined...they make me feel the way you make me feel. That's something I don't ever want to lose."
"MarineAngemon..."
"I guess this means we're stuck having to wait again?" MarineAngemon inquired, quickly changing the subject.
"It appears so, but the same is also true for Vampiramon."
"Speaking of which, if she's here, where do you think DarkAngelicmon is? I expect he didn't come because he doesn't want the Digidestined to feel his presence."
"It appears so. As much as I suspect he would have liked to come here himself, it seems he's being cautious. What that means...I don't believe I can really say at this point."
Where are you, my old friend? Hiding in the shadows? Or are you waiting at the place where the Spirit Chip lies hidden? I feel you out there, not close but here on Server. I know you're there. The Ruler of Darkness moves quickly, it seems.
But whether or not the Ruler of Darkness moved quickly enough still remained to be seen.
Spritemon
Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"You have got to be kidding me! The Spirit Chip of Compassion is somewhere in here?" BlackWidowmon snorted in disgust, pulling her left foot free for at least the third or fourth time from a sticky patch of mud oozing beneath the heavy canopy of leaves overhead.
In the distance, the swamp seemed to stretch for miles, with large clumps of foliage weaving a path through the murky water and damp earth, and pulling her own foot free from a particularly disgusting patch of foul mud, Spritemon felt for perhaps the first time in her life a small spark of sympathy for BlackWidowmon, since she was entirely in agreement with her fellow mega.
This was not going to be a particularly fun mission, that was for sure.
"According to Phelesmon and Persiamom, it is," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly, his handsome face void of expression.
"And how exactly do they expect us to find it?" Jestermon demanded, making a face. "This swamp is huge. It could take us all day, if not all week. The fool is not pleased, angel boy."
"I don't know why Persiamon and Phelesmon didn't just follow Gennai's group to the exact location of the Spirit Chip," BlackWidowmon grumbled.
"They didn't want to risk being seen, obviously," DarkAngelicmon replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, we don't really need to know exactly where it is. I expect the Digidestined will lead us right to it. It's enough that we know it's somewhere in this swamp. Once the Digidestined arrive, they'll do the rest of the work for us."
"They'll have a guide," Jestermon warned, gazing meaningfully at the fallen angel. "Someone from Gennai's party who helped discover its location. We need to be careful."
Yes...the Digidestined won't waste all day looking for the Spirit Chip. Gennai will make sure they have someone with them who'll be able to guide them right to it. We'll have to remain alert and ready to follow.
"Do you think Vampiramon's having any luck?" BlackWidowmon asked curiously, looking to DarkAngelicmon for an answer.
"Persiamon and Phelesmon did say Gennai intended to have the Digidestined pay him a visit before starting off on their journey. Weren't you paying attention to our last minute instructions at all before leaving?"
"If they weren't lying, that is," Jestermon complained, glaring at the slippery earth beneath his feet. "You know as well as I do how they feel about us, especially Phelesmon. They think they're so superior, being our master's handpicked guards."
"It's more me he doesn't fancy than any of you, I think," DarkAngelicmon replied, smiling faintly. "As much as I am in agreement with you, Jestermon, I don't think there is any reason to worry. Persiamon and Phelesmon would never do anything to jeopardize our master's plans. Lying to us would serve no purpose. It would only get them into serious trouble with the Ruler of Darkness."
"So, the Digidestined should be arriving at Gennai's place hopefully any time now?" BlackWidowmon interrupted, an eager smile turning up the corners of her thin mouth.
"Indeed, and with Vampiramon in position, we'll be following the Digidestined sooner than you think," DarkAngelicmon agreed, smiling pleasantly at the spider digimon. "Let us hope she can manage to pick up on anything they may say that could be useful to us."
Indeed, but will she? That is the question.
Spritemon wasn't so sure, but there was one thing she did know. The sooner they found the Spirit Chip, the better, because she was really not a fan of swamps.
And if I step into one more stinky pile of mud, I think I'm going to scream.
"You know, if it bothers you that much you could just fly," DarkAngelicmon pointed out, as if reading her mind.
For a moment, Spritemon just looked at him, and blushing a deep shade of red she proceeded to launch herself into the air, putting as much distance between herself and that insufferable fallen angel digimon as possible.