Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Finally back with another chapter! More chapters to come in the near future. There's a small part in this chapter involving Mimi that's a bit of a tribute to my story called My Best Friend's Girlfriend, where a sort of similar conversation involving her foot attire takes place. Enjoy!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 216: Sinking Deeper

Sam Ichijouji

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Sam glanced anxiously at his surroundings, his sapphire gaze wandering over first the moist earth beneath his feet and then at the surrounding trees, unsure of whether or not venturing into the swamp was, in fact, a very good idea after all, especially since the sky had grown noticeably darker and the clouds looked as if they were threatening to burst, no doubt causing a heavy downpour of rain.

They had only just entered the swamp, and as a result they were still not much further from the edge than when they had first arrived, as they had decided to take a short break from their trek across the rich and interesting landscape of Server before moving deeper into the gloomy atmosphere of the swamp. Already, though they hadn't come very far, Sam felt a deep urge to turn around and run straight back to Gennai's residence as fast as his legs could carry him, but unfortunately he didn't have the option of doing so, thanks to the rest of the Digidestined.

As Leomon had informed them earlier, the swamp did appear to be vast, and the environment could abruptly change in the blink of an eye if you were not watching your progress through the mud, dirt, and grime very carefully. One minute you could be walking through a thick expanse of trees, almost like a forest, where the squelching mud was sticky but bearable, and the next minute you could be walking through a huge plain, where the ground was so watery it felt like moving sluggishly through a fast moving stream. The surrounding foliage could hide you nicely from enemies on the ground, but not so well from any that might be stalking you from the air. Not only that, but the mud could become so sticky if felt almost like trudging through quicksand, and in some places the murky water had pooled together to form small ponds, which were so dirty they definitely weren't ideal for swimming or washing purposes. On top of the mud, the air was thick, moist, and very humid, and Sam had to admit as he brushed sticky strands of raven hair off his forehead, incredibly uncomfortable.

"This place is...disgusting," Takara commented, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're telling me! Look at my designer boots!" Mimi moaned, reluctantly pulling her left foot free from a particularly squelchy patch of mud. "They're probably ruined thanks to this stupid swamp."

At this sudden outburst, Matt raised his eyebrows, his lips twitching in amusement. "Some things never change, I see. What ever possessed you to wear those things in the first place? They're not exactly ideal for taking a stroll through a swamp."

"How was I supposed to know we were going to be trekking through a swamp? It would have been nice if Gennai had warned us ahead of time before we came to the Digital World."

"You know Gennai," Izzy replied absently, without looking at Mimi. "He's always had his own way of doing things. That's just how he is."

"Which way, Leomon?" Cody asked wearily, turning to the champion lounging next to him on a fallen tree branch.

"We'll keep heading north, and watch out for any sinkholes. If you disappear in one of those, there's little the rest of us can do to help if we don't manage to pull you out in time."

"Thanks, Leomon. Like we really needed to hear that," Mimi complained, rolling her eyes. "Yuck, look what the humidity is doing to my hair. If it wasn't for the Spirit Chip, I think I would have definitely sat this one out."

"Don't give up now, Mimi, we've only just started," Palmon encouraged, tugging lightly on her partner's short, pink skirt. "It'll be worth it once we find the Spirit Chip."

"For the sake of my hair, I'm not so sure I agree with you, Palmon."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Matt snorted, giving his wife a rather exasperated look. "You're still incredibly gorgeous regardless of what your hair looks like. What's the big deal?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Matt. Though...I do appreciate the sentiment."

"Must be the hormones kicking in," Rosa joked, trying not to smile. "Goes along with the whole being pregnant thing."

"I don't know about that," Yolei teased, laughing softly. "If I recall, this is Mimi on a normal day. Give it another couple weeks and then we'll be running for cover!"

"Yeah, remember to duck when you see her coming, Matt," Rosa giggled. "I still haven't forgotten the last time she was pregnant!"

"You two are supposed to be on my side here," Mimi interrupted before her husband could answer. "And both of you should be spending more time worrying about your own hair than my attitude. The state of a woman's hair, especially when it comes to three attractive women like us, should not under any circumstances be taken lightly."

"Of course not," Rosa agreed, her voice solemn and her eyes dancing with amusement. "We're taking the state of our hair very seriously. Seriously."

Mimi, having missed the sarcasm in that last statement completely, turned to her son and said, "How are you holding up, Ryoko?"

"I'm fine, but I have to admit, this place is pretty gross."

"See? At least my son can sympathize with me," Mimi said dramatically, smiling fondly at Ryoko, who was busy fanning himself and tugging at his shirt, which was sticking to his chest from the humidity.

"I'm not cut out for this kind of weather," Alopemon grumbled. "It's making my fur itchy."

"What are you talking about? The weather feels great!" Embermon said cheerfully, bouncing down from the branches of a tall and rather wilted looking tree, where he had been keeping watch for any sign of their enemies.

"Maybe for you," Dai muttered, glaring indignantly at his partner. "Come on, guys, let's get going."

At Dai's words, Sam slowly stood up, giving his own fallen tree stump that he'd been using for a perch a wistful look, and falling into step beside Mickey, who looked a little on the wilted side himself, he glanced anxiously at his father, who was walking near the front of the group. The former Emperor looked exhausted, and Sam felt a small pang of sympathy somewhere deep inside his chest.

It's not just from the heat and the weather. It's mostly because of me. Come on, Dad, you need to hang on at least until we reach the Spirit Chip...

"If you're so worried you can always go over there and talk to him," Glowmon whispered quietly in his arms, a hopeful look resonating from within the little rookie's deep violet eyes.

Sam could feel himself blushing, and frowning at his partner, he shook his head in denial. "I get the feeling that probably wouldn't be a very good idea right now...especially after the way I acted at Gennai's house earlier."

"Why not?" Mickey interrupted, leaning close to ensure they wouldn't be overheard by the rest of the group.

"You're just being stubborn," Halomon added, looking quite proud of himself for having come to such an obvious conclusion.

Sam could only stare at Halomon and the older twin, shocked by their words. He hadn't thought they'd been paying any attention to either him or Glowmon, but apparently he was wrong in that regard. "You two shouldn't eavesdrop on other people. It's not very nice."

At this, Mickey raised his eyebrows and said quietly, "Sam, you're walking right next to me. I couldn't help overhearing you. And...do you want to know what I think?"

"Not really."

If he had said those words to Matty, the younger twin probably would have been slightly offended by what could have been considered a rather rude reply, but since this was Mickey and not Matty whom he was speaking to, instead of getting upset the older twin merely tilted his head to the side and said curiously, "Why do you say that?"

"Because...whatever you have to say, I probably don't want to hear it."

"Why not?"

Sam let out a soft sigh, a slight smile on his face. "Because you're always right and you always make me feel guilty, even when you're not trying to. And...you're going to tell me anyways, aren't you."

"I think you're just making excuses. You want to talk to your dad, I know you do."

And here comes the guilt...

"Mickey..."

"Stop trying to ignore the feelings in your heart," Mickey said quietly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know you feel terrible for hurting your dad, but the truth is, as much as you've hurt him, you're hurting yourself even more, and I'm worried."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because...Sam, I don't know how much more of this you can take..."

Sam swallowed a hard lump in his throat, unable to look at his golden-haired friend. "I'm fine, and besides, I think you need to worry more about your brother than you do about me. I know something happened between you guys last night."

He thought his sudden outburst would surprise Mickey, but instead the older twin merely shook his head, a slight frown on his face. "One problem at a time, Sam. Let's just focus on you for now, since it's your Spirit Chip we're looking for, whether you want to admit it or not. We can worry about Matty later."

"But-"

"Quit trying to change the subject," Mickey scolded, cutting Sam off before he could argue.

"Halomon's right, you're just being stubborn," Glowmon added, ruffling his small transparent wings. "I thought Dai was supposed to be the stubborn one, but you've been a lot worse than him lately."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true!"

Sam frowned at his partner, and turning to gaze at the tall figures of his parents up ahead, he let out another deep sigh, confused by the feelings in his heart. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Are you going to tell your parents about your uncle and the dream you had?" Mickey whispered in his ear, glancing around quickly to make sure they were still alone at the back of the group.

"I want to, but..."

"Your dad, right?"

"I'm just not ready to tell him yet."

"I understand, but...don't forget, Sam. If you wait too long, the moment might pass you by without you even realizing it."

"I know. I...I'll be careful."

Mickey nodded, but he didn't look convinced. "I want to believe you, Sam, but you're not making it easy for me."

Mickey, I'm sorry for being such a failure.

"Okay, that's it," Matt suddenly groaned, running a hand through his golden hair and startling Sam out of his thoughts. "I take back what I said about the hair. I almost wish it would rain just so we can cool off a bit, even if I hate the thought of getting wet."

"I really don't like the thought of wet fur, but better that than the humidity," Gabumon sighed, agreeing wholeheartedly with his partner. The little rookie was shuffling along a lot slower than what was normal for him, and with a thick hide of fur covering his body, it was obvious he wasn't cut out for the heat and humidy of the swamp.

"My petals are wilting," Palmon complained, shaking her head in despair. "It's a good thing there's a lot of water here otherwise I'd be done for."

"I knew you'd all see it my way," Mimi teased, gazing meaningfully at her husband.

Ryoko made a face and glaring at his mother, he grumbled, "Give it a rest, Mom. You can gloat later. Right now we need to keep moving because if we stop, even for a few minutes, we might not have the motivation to keep going."

"Leomon?" Celestimon called out, fluttering around the large champion before settling himself comfortably on the lion digimon's shoulder.

Leomon frowned slightly, and hacking away at the stubborn foliage in their path with his sword, he said, "We'll probably have to camp out in the swamp tonight, and from there it'll be another day's walk to the town of Modem."

"You have got to be kidding me," Mimi moaned, slapping a hand against her forehead. "I'm going to have to sleep on the muddy ground?"

"What a shame," Takara murmured, her lips twitching into a small smile.

Glancing at Takara, Sam had to laugh. Though the female Digidestined had agreed with Mimi that the swamp was rather disgusting, he knew she didn't have a problem with sleeping on the muddy ground if she had to. Takara was definitely a tomboy, and though she did have excellent taste in fashion and enjoyed going shopping with her female friends from their class at school, she wasn't afraid to get dirty, and half the time she could be more daring than all her male friends combined.

It was no wonder she could sympathize with males and females alike, and it was plainly clear why she had undoubtedly captured Dai's attention.

For his part, Sam thought the swamp had a kind of mysterious beauty to it, and though he wasn't exactly fond of the weather or the sticky ground beneath his feet, he liked the fact that swamp was quiet and peaceful.

Well, when Mimi wasn't complaining, that is.

"It will only be for one night," Leomon assured the rosy-haired Digidestined, also looking as if he were trying not to smile. "We can spend the following night in Modem before moving on to the location of the Spirit Chip."

"Again, it's a good thing we came prepared and that it's the weekend," Izzy commented, clutching his laptop tightly to his chest. "This is going to take longer than even I thought it would."

"It wouldn't if you guys would just let me digivolve to Dragermon," Embermon complained, giving his partner a meaningful look.

"How many times do we have to tell you, we're trying to be discreet here," Matty snorted, rolling his eyes.

"As much as I agree with you, Embermon, Matty's right," Yolei sighed, lifting her long, lavender braid off her neck and fanning herself with her left hand. "I also agree with Mimi. If this humidity doesn't ease up soon, I think I'm gonna scream. Can you imagine if Joe were here? He'd probably be complaining about how the moist air is causing his allergies to act up or something."

Sam smiled, and he was relieved to see that even his father had managed to crack a faint smile at his mother's remark.

"This place is definitely not a vacation paradise, that's for sure," Tentomon agreed, buzzing along next to Izzy's shoulder. "Remind me never to recommend it to our digimon friends back on File Island."

"It's not so bad. The mud just slides right off my shell," Armadillomon said mildly.

Next to the little rookie, Cody pulled his foot free from the mud, and examining the bottom of his shoe, he muttered, "Lucky you."

"Izzy, next time you'd better make sure you get all the details from Gennai before we go to the Digital World or I'm stealing your laptop and you're never going to see it again!" Yolei ranted, her hands landing on her hips as she whirled around in mid step to glare at the computer expert.

Izzy looked properly frightened by Yolei's threat, clutching his laptop once more protectively to his chest, and the lavender-haired Digidestined smiled in satisfaction, pleased to see that Izzy was taking her threats seriously.

Sam had to admit, his mother could be very scary when she wanted to be.

"Yolei, please calm down," Hawkmon sighed, shaking his head at his partner.

"I will not calm down until we're out of this swamp!"

"It's going to be a while then," Gotsumon muttered.

Thankfully, Yolei didn't hear his words, and Sam let out a sigh of relief. Yes, his mother was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

His father, on the other hand...

A sudden screech split the air, making Sam jump in surprise, and pushing past the twins he wriggled his way to the front of the group to see what was going on. What he saw made his jaw drop open in surprise, and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

Apparently Takara had inadvertently stepped into one of the sinkholes Leomon had warned them about earlier, and it was like quicksand for the unfortunate Takara, who appeared to be sinking slowly into the mud.

"Kara!" Dovemon cried, latching onto the female Digidestined's shirt with her claws and trying desperately to pull her partner out, with no results.

"Kara!" Mimi shrieked, falling down onto her knees and reaching out a hand for the younger female to latch onto.

"Careful!" Matt snapped, grabbing his wife around the waist and pulling her back slightly from the edge. "Keep that up and you're going to end up in there with Kara."

"Kara, stop struggling or you're going to make yourself sink even faster!" Izzy cried, losing his head completely and beginning to panic, which was an extremely un-Izzy like thing to do. He even dropped his laptop, which fortunately (or unfortunately if you were Yolei or Mimi) missed landing in the mud and ended up falling into a clump of bushes nearby. As a general rule, Izzy was normally an expert at keeping his cool in dangerous situations, but not today it seemed.

"That's all you've got to say?" Takara wailed, glaring at Izzy. "How about trying to help?"

Leomon immediately leaped into action, but before he could reach Takara, Dai had already made it to the edge of the sinkhole, his fingers clutching Takara's hand in a firm grip.

"Hang on, I've got you!" the goggle-headed leader panted, pulling with all of his strength.

Before Sam could register what was happening, his father was suddenly kneeling next to Dai, a determined look on his face. Without a word, the former Emperor caught Takara's other hand, and together the two of them began to haul Takara towards the edge of the sinkhole, grunting and sweating from the effort to keep her from disappearing beneath the surface.

With Leomon's help, who had managed to catch the back of Takara's shirt, the female Digidestined was pulled free from the mud with a loud squelch, and she collapsed on top of Dai with a moan, her face burying itself against his chest.

"Kara, are you okay?" Dovemon cried, nuzzling the female Digidestined's side with her beak.

"She's fine, Dovemon, thank goodness," Mimi replied, sighing in relief. "That's more than we can say for her clothes though. Shame, I loved that outfit. Kara looks so pretty in it."

Ryoko, who was kneeling on the ground next to his mother, gave the rosy-haired Digidestined an incredulous look before slapping a hand against his forehead, and Matt burst into a fit of laughter, which immediately eased the tension in the air and brought smiles to all their faces.

"Kara, are you sure you're okay?" the former Emperor murmured, gently rubbing her back in a soothing gesture.

Sam almost jumped at the sound of his father's voice. It had been a while since the man had spoken even a single word, and it came as a bit of a shock to hear him now after such a long silence.

"No, I'm not!" Takara cried, her arms tightening around Dai's neck. "This is turning out to be the worst day ever!"

Join the club, Kara...

"I did say to be careful," Leomon pointed out, trying and failing miserably not to smile.

"For a moment there I thought we were gonna have to digivolve," Wormmon added, glancing meaningfully at his partner.

"Which you guys don't want us to do, seeing as how we're supposed to be saving our energy for when it really counts," Palmon butted in, completing Wormmon's unfinished thought.

"Um...Kara," Dai managed to stutter, his cheeks turning an interesting shade of red.

Takara didn't appear to notice, though, and hugging the goggle-headed leader even tighter, she said indignantly, "I'm going to murder Gennai for this!"

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Matty muttered, glancing warily at his cousin.

"Why couldn't the Spirit Chip be in a nice city, or a cute little valley, or even a forest? But no, it has to be in a...a..."

"A stinky, dirty bog?" Mimi supplied, giving the younger female a sympathetic look.

Takara let out a deep sigh, her hand coming up to rub a streak of mud off her right cheek. "Yeah, that."

"Oh, I'm sure the Spirit Chips are horrified at the thought of inconveniencing you two in any way," Matt said with a perfectly straight face, which was spoiled by the twitch of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes.

Takara glared at her 'uncle', and then turned her fierce expression on Ryoko, who was smirking at her expense.

"Men," Mimi snorted in disgust, dismissing her husband and son with a wave of her hand. "Ignore them, Kara. They just don't understand."

"Huh?" Ryoko replied.

"Say what now?" Matty asked curiously, glancing at his twin for an explanation.

"Forget it, boys," Matt interrupted, shaking his head in amusement. "We definitely lost this round."

Ryoko merely stared at his father before shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention back to Dai and Takara.

"Uh...Kara," Dai tried again, his cheeks now a brilliant shade bordering on purple.

Takara once again failed to notice, and spontaneously kissing the goggle-headed leader on the nose, she shrieked, "Dai, you saved my life! And after I said I'd only give you the one chance to do it!"

"Er..."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you," Takara moaned, kissing Dai's cheek and once again flinging her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

By this time, the female Digidestined was curled up comfortably in Dai's lap, and thanks to her earlier predicament, not only was she covered in mud, but she had managed to get it all over Dai as well, though the goggle-headed leader certainly wasn't complaining.

It was obvious he was incredibly embarrassed over Takara's sudden odd behaviour, but at the same time he also seemed pleased that she was paying so much attention to him.

Gee, I wonder why...

Somehow the goggle-headed leader managed to regain control of his composure enough to mumble, "It was nothing really, and besides, I did have some help."

"True," Takara agreed, giving the goggle-headed leader a warm smile. "Oh...I'm getting you all dirty, aren't I. Sorry about that."

Dai shrugged in response, and he blushed again as Takara attempted to clean off his shirt a bit. "It's no big deal. It's just a little mud."

"More like a lot."

"Kara..."

"What?"

The two of them stared at each other, or more accurately Kara was staring at Dai, who in turn was trying to avoid his friend's hazel eyes, and it was like a light bulb clicked on over the female Digidestined's head as she finally understood the message Dai was trying to get across.

Her arms circled tightly around his neck, Takara was still sprawled in the goggle-headed leader's lap, and their faces were inches apart, close enough that they each could feel the other's warm breath on their faces. Dai's arms had slipped around Takara's waist to prevent her from knocking them over backwards in her excitement, and realizing the position they were in, Takara's cheeks turned a shade of red that matched Dai's entire face before she managed to scramble out of the goggle-headed leader's embrace.

"I...oh...um...thank you, Ken. And you too, Leomon," Takara managed to stammer, turning to her other two rescuers, who were slowly picking themselves off the ground.

Sam watched his father smile softly, and pulling Takara into a gentle hug, ignoring the fact that she was getting mud all over him, the former Emperor said softly, "Any time, Kara. Next time, try to be a little more careful, though."

"It was our pleasure," Leomon added, bowing at the waist and placing a gentle hand on Takara's dark hair.

And that was when Sam felt it, deep inside his heart. It was something he hadn't quite experienced before with regards to his friends or even his siblings, but there was no denying the feeling as he watched his father hugging Takara as if she were his own, like Miya. It was fleeting, but it was still there. A tiny painful stab of jealously deep within his heart. As much as he wanted to deny it, he kenw there was no way for him to do so. He wanted to be right where Takara was now, where he belonged, but because of his own stupidity he could no longer indulge in such a privilage.

"Now that all the excitement is over, we should keep moving," Ryoko announced, smirking at both Dai and Takara, who immediately glared back at him. "It'll be best if we can cover enough ground as possible before nightfall."

"Agreed," Leomon replied, moving quickly to the front of the group. "Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the enemy."

"Yeah..." Halomon mumbled, looking a tad bit distracted as he turned to squint into the trees a ways back.

Celestimon also glanced in the same direction, and Sam frowned, slightly irritated by the way the two celestial rookies kept acting so mysteriously.

What's up with them?

He sighed and turned to glance back at his father, who no longer had his arms around Takara, and he jerked in surprise when he realized the former Emperor was gazing back at him.

He looked thoughtful, and Sam had an uneasy feeling that his father knew exactly what he'd been thinking earlier, making him blush in embarrassment.

But...I can't lie to myself. I am jealous. I don't want to be on the outside anymore, but...how do you fix something that was your fault to begin with? Maybe...Mickey's right. Maybe...maybe I should do something soon because I don't know how much more of this I can take...