Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter done. I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone for your nice comments and a special thank you to Devil of Fate for the many reviews! I've had a lot of fun reading them. Now, I just want to say that some of the credit for these scenes with the springs goes to Namco Bandai. Namco's Tales Series often features a hot spring, and the inspiration for these chapters is thanks mostly in part to them. If you've never played a Tales games I highly suggest you do as the Tales series is one of the best RPG franchises out there! (And you North Americans have plenty of opportunity. March 13th Tales of Graces f for the PS3 and Feb 14th Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS! (Which Europe already has.) I'm so excited! Er...yes. Back to Digimon...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 223: Peeping Tom

Takara 'Kara' Kamiya

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

"Hey, you two enjoying yourselves?" Takara asked, smiling at her newest bathing companions.

Halomon replied by leaping into her arms with a splash, a wide smile lighting up his adorable face. "I like it here! It's so pretty, and playing in the water is so much fun!"

"Especially when you get to splash everyone!" Celestimon laughed, earning himself a look of disapproval from Hawkmon, who had just become Celestimon's latest victim.

Takara gave the little rookie in her arms a quick hug in return, ignoring the fact that he was making her even more wet, and setting him on the rocks at the edge of the water she shook out her hair, a sigh escaping her lips.

Now that her hair was no longer in a ponytail, Takara could feel the dried mud coating the ends of her dark tresses scratching uncomfortably against her spine, and sinking down into the pool she let her head fall back against the rocks, allowing the cool water to wash away the stiff mud tangled in the dark strands of her hair.

A glance at the screen, where she could hear the boys talking quietly to each other, made her blush, the memory of how Dai had saved her from a horrible fate still floating around in her mind, and covering her face with her hands she let out a soft groan.

I can't believe I just jumped him like that. He probably thinks I've gone crazy or something. Then again...he didn't really complain about it. That has to be a good sign, right?

Truthfully Takara didn't know either way, and as much as she wanted to take the time to sort out what had happened during the sinkhole incident inside her head, with Sam suffering so much she knew now was not the time to be worrying about her love life. As much as it disappointed her she knew her feelings for Dai were just going to have to wait. Helping Sam was going to have to come first, and rightfully so. She knew Sam needed her, and even if he didn't want her help, or the help of anyone else for that matter, that didn't mean she couldn't make herself useful.

Discreetly, of course.

Poor Sam. I just don't know what to do, and Dai's pretty much had enough of his attitude. He made that painfully clear with the whole fist in the face fiasco. And then there's Mickey...He wants so badly to help Sam, and I can tell its killing him to have to watch Sam suffering...

Takara promptly stood up in the water, and scrubbing vigorously at her arms to get the mud off she glanced at the trees, huffing slightly at the injustice of it all.

Matty and Ryoko too...Everyone is suffering and I just...it makes me want to scream. Ugh...boys. Why can't they ever just talk things through sensibly? It's a nightmare...

"Kara, are you okay?" Dovemon asked quietly, splashing next to her in the water, though her movements were a little less playful and vigorous compared to earlier.

"I'm fine, I'm just..."

"Worried?" Palmon finished, disappearing beneath the water before popping back up again, a contented look on her face. "We're all worried, Kara."

"I know."

"Just don't think about it too much," Gotsumon advised, his feet kicking up water from where he sat at the edge of the spring. "If you do, you'll only end up driving yourself crazy, and that's not going to help anything."

Takara sighed, and reaching up she wrapped her hands around her wet hair, wringing out as much of the water as she could. "I keep telling myself the same thing, but I still can't help worrying..."

"Kara?" Dai's voice suddenly called hesitantly from the other side of the cream-coloured screen separating the two springs.

Takara turned towards the screen, moving closer so she wouldn't have to speak so loudly to be heard, and spotting Dai's dark silhouette she blushed a bit in embarrassment, knowing he was every bit as naked as she was on the other side. Judging by the dark shape of his body, he seemed to be lying half out of the spring, his arms resting on the rocks. It was the same position he'd been in earlier, and Takara once again copied his position, which resulted in their faces ending up only about five feet apart. The screen stood halfway between their two pools of water, and Takara felt her cheeks turn a darker shade of red when she realized Dai could probably see her dark silhouette every bit as much as she could see his, thanks to the two outside lights shining on each of the two pools. "What is it, Dai?"

The goggle-headed leader's silhouette shifted slightly, indicating he wasn't quite sure how to reply. "You okay over there?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. You just...went a bit quiet over there all of a sudden, that's all. Maybe you should have asked Mimi or one of the other girls to come with you. I don't like the thought of you being over there by yourself."

Takara smiled at this, her heart fluttering happily in her chest. "I'm not alone. The digimon are here with me. I'll be fine."

"I know, but...it still makes me nervous."

Not caring suddenly one bit that she was naked, Takara pulled herself further out of the spring, water streaming down her bare back and chest, and reaching towards the screen she gently placed her hand against it, a soft smile beginning to turn up the corners of her mouth. A moment later she felt Dai's hand touch hers on the other side of the coarse material, their damp hands leaving a wet patch on the screen. Despite the thick cloth between them, Takara could feel the warmth of Dai's hand soaking into her palm, which sent a shock of electricity shooting up her arm and down her spine. "I'll be okay. Besides, if something does happen I know you guys are close by if I need some help."

"Well, if you're sure," Dai replied, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Hey!" Matty suddenly shouted in outrage, his voice carrying through the screen. "What are you doing, Dai? Back up a bit, would you? As much as I just love a nice view of your naked butt, you're too close to that screen for my taste."

"Would you give it a rest already?" Dai groaned in reply, sounding rather embarrassed. "I'm just talking!"

"Talk back a bit further then!"

"Matty," Mickey scolded, sounding as if he were trying very hard not to laugh. "Give Dai a break, would you?"

"Only if he stays in the water and quits exposing himself to Kara!"

"What!" Dai yelped, falling backwards with a splash. "I'm not exposing myself to anyone! I wasn't even that far out of the water, and even if I was there's a screen between us!"

"That doesn't matter! I mean look at it! It's practically transparent!"

"N-no it's not!"

"You better not have seen any-"

Matty's rant came to an abrupt halt as Dai suddenly knocked him under the water, creating a large splash, and Takara, having heard the exchange, burst into giggles before falling back into her own pool, her heart feeling suddenly lighter at the playful banter taking place on the other side of the screen. "You guys."

"Ouch, that hurt," Matty grumbled, his dark silhouette moving to give Dai a push. "You don't have to be so rough."

"Quit making stuff up then!"

"Boys," Palmon muttered, shaking her head.

Takara smiled in response, and moving away from the screen she waded over to the trees on the north side of the spring, her hazel eyes scanning the deep darkness within.

She hadn't expected to come across anything lurking in the undergrowth, but to her surprise she thought she saw something shifting in the darkness, and it made her freeze, her hazel eyes narrowing in suspicion.

What was that?

Takara took a quick look over her shoulder at the digimon, none of whom were paying the slightest bit of attention to her as Halomon and Celestimon had begun splashing the others again, and climbing slowly out of the water she crept closer to the trees, trying valiantly to see through the darkness.

Now that she was out of the water the air suddenly felt chilly, and she wrapped her arms around her naked body, rubbing her arms to gain back some warmth.

For some reason she suddenly felt like she was being watched, which made her feel very exposed and vulnerable, and keeping her arms crossed over her naked chest she crouched at the edge of the trees, jumping when whatever she had seen earlier moved again, its small body shifting in the darkness.

Whatever it was, the thing must have sensed her presence because it turned suddenly and Takara found herself staring into a pair of eyes that were glowing softly in the darkness.

Staring back at the thing, Takara did the only thing that came to mind. She opened her mouth and let loose an echoing scream at the top of her lungs.

Sam Ichijouji

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Sam watched with a raised eyebrow as Matty attempted to exact revenge on Dai by pulling the goggle-headed leader beneath the surface of the water, much in the same fashion as Dai had done to him mere moments ago, and shaking his head he wearily rubbed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the noise his friends were making.

What he really wanted to do was go inside and get some rest, but somehow he didn't think Mickey and the others would be very happy with him if he started acting antisocial again. But...if he left now, the others probably wouldn't even notice.

They're too busy having fun to pay much attention to me. If I could just get away without Mickey noticing...

"Will you two cut it out?" Ryoko complained, glaring at both Dai and Matty, who had inadvertently splashed him while trying to dunk each other.

Sam half rose out of the water, chancing a quick look at Mickey, who was busy watching Dai and Ryoko, but before he could climb out of the pool a shrill scream split the air, freezing him in his tracks.

A scream that sounded suspiciously like Takara.

Kara!

Immediately Dai and Matty quit splashing one other, and giving each other horrified looks they quickly clamoured out of the pool in a rush, both of them calling out Takara's name.

Ryoko and Mickey were quick to follow, and Sam, having finally come to his senses, climbed out as well, reaching swiftly for his towel and wrapping it securely around his waist.

Matty, Mickey, and Ryoko also dived for their towels, scrambling to cover themselves, but Dai, in a state of panic, forgot all about his towel and went racing towards the trees, ignoring Ryoko's shout of, "Daichi, wait! You forgot your-"

As soon as Dai reached the edge of the undergrowth he ducked around the gap between the trees and the screen to the other side, desperately calling their female friend's name. "Kara!"

There was another scream and a splash, along with a loud yelp from Dai, and still holding the goggle-headed leader's towel in his hands, Ryoko let out a sigh and said, "Towel."

Sam raised his eyebrows as Dai immediately came back around the corner, and clutching the side of his head he slumped onto the rocks, his face the colour of a tomato. With a groan escaping his lips, he muttered, "Right...towel...ouch."

"Smooth, Daichi," Ryoko smirked, crouching next to Dai and dropping the towel into his friend's lap to cover up the goggle-headed leader's nakedness. "You might want to put that on this time."

Dai glared at the golden-haired Digidestined, and muttering to himself he quickly wrapped the towel tightly around his waist before allowing Ryoko to take his hand and pull him to his feet.

"Daichi Motomiya, what were you thinking?" Takara screeched from the other side of the screen, her tone filled with obvious embarrassment.

"Well excuse me for wanting to help!" Dai shot back, sounding slightly irritated. "I thought you were in trouble!"

"Did you see anything?" Takara wailed, ignoring Dai's words completely. "If you saw anything..."

"No! You were already in the water when I came around! You saw way more of me than I saw of you!" Dai said hotly, his face turning an even deeper shade of red when he realized what he had just said.

There was a moment of embarrassed silence, and then Takara's voice called out meekly, "Dai?"

"What?" Dai grumbled, wincing as he rubbed the side of his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What did she do?" Ryoko asked nonchalantly, looking very amused.

"She threw a rock at my head! It really hurt too..."

"I didn't mean to!" Takara cried, sounding quite distressed. "You just took me by surprise."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw stuff at me!"

"Serves you right!" Matty scolded, glaring at the goggle-headed leader. "What do you think you're doing flashing my cousin like that?"

Dai gaped at the younger twin, his face turning a rather alarming shade of purple. "I wasn't trying to flash anyone! I was trying to help!"

Matty looked about to reply, but before he could open his mouth Mickey gently pushed his younger twin aside and reached out to place a sympathetic hand on Dai's shoulder. "It's okay, calm down. Accidents happen. I'm sure Kara didn't mean to hurt you."

"I didn't," Takara called back meekly from her side of the screen.

Dai tried to protest, but Mickey quickly cut him off, a smile beginning to form on the older twin's face. "She only reacted instinctively out of shock when she saw you. It wasn't personal."

"The rest of us probably would have gotten an even more violent reaction," Ryoko muttered, causing Dai to stare at him in confusion.

"What's all the fuss about?" Alopemon demanded, crossing his arms over his furry chest. "I don't get it."

Mickey smiled at the little rookie before turning back to the screen, and immediately his eyes narrowed into a deep frown. "Kara, why did you scream?"

"I...um..."

"Are you decent?" Mickey called softly to his cousin, concern in his voice. "Can we come over and see you now?"

There was a pause and then Takara called back, "Yes, I'm covered. You guys can come over now if you want."

I wonder what's going on. Kara wouldn't scream for no reason...

Sam glanced warily at the screen and making sure his towel was secure, since he most definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of a blunt object flying towards his head, he proceeded to follow the rest of his male friends and their digimon around the corner of the screen, his heart beating frantically in his chest.

Sam was sure he'd seen something in the trees earlier. Could Kara have seen the same thing?

Glancing around Ryoko's wet shoulder Sam spotted Kara huddling near the edge of the spring, a towel wrapped around her slim frame and her long dark hair dripping onto her shoulders, and blushing a bit he quickly averted his gaze to give her some privacy, becoming suddenly aware of the fact that he too was wearing practically nothing, his exposed chest falling victim to the cool breeze. He was only thirteen, and as a result he'd never been in the position to see a girl in a towel before, other than his mother and Miya, who were both family and didn't count, so naturally it was a bit embarrassing for him, though he tried not to show it.

Dai, who was trying very hard not to stare, looked as if he wanted to make a break for the forest while Ryoko merely stood there looking unimpressed, as cool and calm as could be as his eyes flickered once towards Takara before returning to study the trees. Matty had taken it upon himself to jump in front of Takara, doing his best to hide her from view, and Mickey, kneeling next to the female Digidestined, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, his amber eyes growing cloudy as he gently encouraged her to speak. "Why did you scream, Kara? Did something happen?"

Takara blinked once, her hazel eyes finally focusing on Mickey's face, and latching onto his arm she pointed a shaky finger at the trees, her hand trembling with fear. "I...I thought I saw something. There, in the trees."

"What do you think it was?"

"I don't know, but...whatever it was I think it was watching me. I thought I could see its eyes..."

"What?" Dai shouted indignantly, glaring furiously at the trees. "There better not be somebody out there cause if there is they're gonna get a taste of my fist!"

"Give it up already, would you?" Ryoko snorted, dropping onto the rocks and lowering his head to look into the foliage beneath the trees. "I don't see anything."

"Did you guys see anything?" Matty asked, turning to Celestimon and Halomon.

Both rookies shook their heads, and exchanging a look with Gotsumon, Hawkmon said, "We didn't realize there was anything amiss until Takara screamed just now."

"I didn't see anything," Dovemon said quietly, glancing anxiously at her partner.

"Neither did I," Palmon added.

Takara let out a soft sound of distress, and Mickey gently rubbed her back in a soothing gesture, murmuring softly in her ear to get her to calm down a bit.

I knew it! She must have seen the same thing I saw earlier, but...what could it have been? Who could it have been? The thing had eyes...

Sam slowly made his way over to the trees, and crouching next to Ryoko he stared into the darkness, squinting to see through the trunks of the trees. There was nothing there, and feeling slightly uneasy Sam spoke without meaning to, the words slipping unconsciously from his mouth. "Maybe we should have some of our digimon take up watch back here just in case."

Both Ryoko and Dai stared at him, and frowning the goggle-headed leader said, "Why? With everything that's happened today I'm sure Kara was probably just seeing things. I think we've all gotten a little bit on the paranoid side lately. Besides, if Vampiramon and the others were trailing us they wouldn't have wanted to be seen, would they? And if they did want to be seen they would have shown themselves by now. They wouldn't be hiding out in the forest doing nothing, and I doubt they'd be careless enough to let us spot them if they were simply just spying on us."

"Maybe, but...we should still be careful. Just in case."

"Sam's right," Ryoko said calmly, climbing to his feet and reaching down to brush the stray twigs off his bare legs and ankles. "We should probably have a couple of our digimon stand watch back here for the night."

Dai shrugged, but he didn't disagree. Instead he turned to Kara, trying not to look at her, and mumbled, "You okay?"

Takara stared at him for a moment, her eyes wandering over his bare chest before she blushed and quickly looked away again, and getting to her feet, she said, "I'm fine. It's been a long day, and after almost dying in that sinkhole I have to admit I'm pretty tired. I was probably just seeing things."

I don't think so, Kara. I saw it too...

"We should probably all wash up and get back inside," Ryoko announced, brushing wet strands of golden hair out of his eyes. "I bet our parents are getting impatient by this time to have their turn. You'll be okay over here now, Kara?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"We'll have our digimon stay with you just in case and we'll meet you back inside, okay?"

Takara nodded, avoiding Ryoko's gaze, and throwing caution to the wind she lifted her chin and walked up to Dai, her arms going around his neck and her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Dai. I never meant to hurt you. You just surprised me."

Dai, whose face had begun to resemble the burning red glow of a stoplight, hesitantly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, his hands coming up to rest on her lower back. "Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I didn't think and...sorry."

Takara pulled back a bit, a soft smile on her face. "No, you were just worried about me, and I appreciate that."

Dai, acting every bit the gentleman, keeping his dark eyes fixed firmly on her face and not on the towel she wore, smiled in return, his hand coming up once again to rub the side of his head. "Next time just try not to aim for my head, okay?"

"What do you mean next time?" Matty shouted indignantly, grabbing onto his brother's wrist and stomping over to the goggle-headed leader, dragging a stumbling Mickey along behind him.

Dai, realizing what he'd said, went pink in the face again, and letting out a yelp he quickly ducked back around the screen, an outraged Matty chasing after him.

Takara watched them go with a smile on her face, and shaking his head Ryoko slowly followed after the two boys, Mickey trailing along behind him.

Sam, glancing once more at Takara with a frown on his face, reluctantly hurried after Mickey, relieved that Ryoko had told their digimon to stay behind.

There was something out there, and he had a feeling whatever it was it had something to do with him...