Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, after a terribly long wait, the newest chapter is finally here! (Feel free to blame me. I was on vacation for two weeks, but before that even though I was busy, my only real excuse was trying to get motivated. And that motivation is back!) So, now things are getting interesting again! This story is gonna be moving right along now with the main plot, so I hope you all like this chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 228: Chance Encounter

DarkAngelicmon

Sever, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

"We're back!" Spritemon called out, appearing suddenly out of the trees and landing gracefully next to a startled Jestermon. In response to her sudden appearance, the fool inadvertently dropped the glowing spheres he had been juggling, but despite his huff of irritation he made no attempt to pick them up.

With a sigh, DarkAngelicmon turned his gaze away from the forest in the distance that bordered the town of Modem, his brilliant green eyes coming to rest on the small sprite digimon who had just emerged from the trees into the clearing.

A moment later Vampiramoin came into view, and stepping up next to BlackWidowmon, she gave Spritemon an annoyed look before turning her attention to the group as a whole. "The Vilemon weren't lying. It seems our efforts to break Sam have proved to be successful so far."

"What do you mean exactly?" BlackWidowmon asked, her hands coming up to rest upon her hips. "And where are Ivymon and the Vilemon?"

"I've left them stationed a little bit closer to town, in case we need to move quickly. I wasn't all that inclined to put too much faith in them, you know what Vilemon are like, but the report they gave us last night was surprisingly accurate. The Emperor's son is not himself, and that of course bodes well for us."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon murmured to himself, his emerald gaze once again turning to the forest in the distance. He could feel Lucemon's presence shining like a beacon through the trees, and there was no doubt the rookie angel was also watching the town of Modem. Vampiramon and Spritemon had just returned from the very same forest, and though their close proximity to Lucemon had somewhat concerned him, he could tell by the serene feel of Lucemon's presence that his old friend had not inadvertently encountered the two female megas. That at least was a relief, but even so DarkAngelicmon still felt on edge, and he could not seem to stop thinking about the conversation he had shared with Lucemon the night before.

Takahiro Kuroki...Why can't I remember?

When the Vilemon had returned to camp the previous evening, they had given a full report on their encounter with Sam, but Vampiramon had been skeptical of their words. Wanting to see the results for herself, she had taken Ivymon, Spritemon, and the Vilemon with her to spy on the Digidestined, and they had remained only long enough to see the Digidestined reach the village before Vampiramon had apparently left Ivymon and the Vilemon behind before making her way back to their temporary camp.

And here they were now, discussing what had happened and plotting the downfall of the Emperor's son.

Sam...

"Hey, angel boy. You with us, or what?"

At the sound of Jestermon's dry tone, DarkAngelicmon reluctantly dragged his gaze away from the forest, and focusing his attention on the four megas who were gazing impatiently at him, he smiled and said, "Pardon me, I needed a moment to savor our victory and my obvious brilliance. You were saying?"

Spritemon snorted loudly at this, and poking him in the chest, she said, "The only thing you have going for you is a ridiculous amount of luck, not brains. Pay attention or we'll send you packing back to the Ruler of Darkness."

"And watch as the entire mission fails without my guiding expertise? Please. Is this your attempt at humour, Spritemon?"

The little pixie promptly smacked him upside the head, and glaring at the two of them, Vampiramon snapped, "Quiet, you fools. I would prefer to give my report in peace, thank you."

"Fighting is counter productive!" Jestermon sang out, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"That's rich coming from you of all digimon," Spritemon retorted.

Jestermon sent her a reproachful look before bending to retrieve his fallen orbs, and realizing he could just summon them again without physically needing to pick them up, he stopped and gave himself a shake before summoning the orbs into his hands again and resuming his juggling.

"Go on, Vampiramon. Explain to us why the Vilemons' mission was a success," BlackWidowmon urged.

Vampiramon was silent for a moment, and lifting her face to the sky, she said slowly, "The Emperor's son is not himself. He teeters on the brink of darkness, for he recognizes there is some truth in the Vilemons' words, even if he did not fully trust them. Apparently the Vilemon were rather convincing according to Ivymon, and for that they will be rewarded."

"So we have the little Emperor right where we want him," Jestermon cackled, the bells on his hat jingling in time with the bobbing of his head. "He doesn't trust his father, and the darkness is drawing ever closer."

"Tell us the whole story," BlackWidowmon demanded, her crimson eyes burning with an intense fire.

Vampiramon nodded, and giving them an account of the Digidestineds' journey through the swamp, she ended with their arrival in the town of Modem.

Apparently the village elder and the old crone he called a wife were like hawks when it came to watching the village, so Vampiramon and her companions hadn't tried to get too close. Instead, they had merely stayed long enough to see the Digidestined entering the trees leading into the village before slipping away and trudging back to camp while Ivymon maintained a lookout post halfway between.

"So, the Digidestined have reached the village," Jestermon muttered, tossing aside his glowing orbs and plopping down onto his backside. Crossing his legs and resting his wrinkled green hands on his knobbly ankles, he shook his head and said, "That means they should reach the Spirit Chip by midday tomorrow."

"It's almost time for us to make our grand entrance," BlackWidowmon smirked. "We'll need to be ready, and this time there will be no holding back."

"We'll need to be careful, though," Vampiramon warned, a slight frown on her face. "The Emperor and those Takaishi twins have become wary of the change in Sam's demeanor. I could tell just from the way they were looking at him. They're suspicious and they can tell there's something going on. We'll have to watch them."

"Yeah, we can't have them interfering in our plans for the Emperor's son," Spritemon agreed.

DarkAngelicmon smiled to himself, and crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "That was to be expected. I already anticipated this would be the case, since the Emperor and the Takaishi boys have a unique ability to feel the Powers of Darkness. As long as we keep that in mind, I don't think they will be a problem."

"They will be if they get to the little Emperor too early," Jestermon pointed out.

"That won't happen. I shall see to that personally myself."

"What are you planning?" Vampiramon asked, looking at him suspiciously.

DarkAngelicmon glanced at her, and without blinking, he said, "Have you forgotten the Ruler of Darkness put me in charge? I am not going to let the Emperor or a bunch of children spoil my plans."

"But-"

"Keep Ivymon and the Vilemon stationed where they are. Spritemon, you are to join them again for the night. We'll be moving out tomorrow as soon as you and your group spot the Digidestined leaving Modem."

At least that's when all of you will be leaving. I shall be leaving tonight much sooner than that.

"So, I'm to come back here and tell you guys as soon as the Digidestined have left the forest?" Spritemon asked.

"Exactly. Regardless of what happens between now and then, all of you must stick to the plan. You move out as soon as you see the Digidestined. Understand?"

"You really are planning something, aren't you," Vampiramon demanded, her cold gaze studying him closely.

Turning his back on the group, he said quietly, "You will do as I say. That's all you need to know."

And with that he slipped away into the trees, his mind once again traveling back into the past. And in his wake he left four mega digimon staring after him in stunned silence.

Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Mickey sat quietly upon the grass with Halomon curled up in his lap, his amber gaze focusing on the central square that made up the centre of Modem. The square was where most of the town's business and leisure took place, so calling it the town's source for entertainment wasn't what one would call a bad description. It was a circular patch of greenery that sort of sat smack in the middle of town, and it was the place where all the dirt roads leading into Modem connected to form a circle. There were shops and stands set up along the circular road surrounding the green patch in the middle, and sitting upon that grassy surface was Daichi Motomiya, who was currently surrounded by a large group of excited rookie digimon.

Dai and Embermon were in the middle of telling the digimon a story about their journey as the Digidestined so far, and they were no doubt embellishing and exaggerating parts of it here and there. Thanks to his charismatic personality and talent for storytelling, Daichi had the group of digimon completely enthralled with his tale.

On the other side of the circle, Matty, Ryoko, Alopemon, and Celestimon were helping a group of Woodmon set up a vegetable stand, and in a small field off to the left between a series of small huts, Takara and Dovemon were playing a game of soccer with what looked like the entire population of baby digimon in the town.

As far as Mickey knew, Jijimon was still hiding out in his hut, but further down the street he could see Babamon sitting out on the front lawn in a wicker rocking chair, her unseen eyes keeping careful watch over the town.

Leomon, the adult Digidestined, and their partner digimon were all chatting with a bunch of champion digimon in front of a small hut belonging to a Pumpkinmon nearby, and sitting all by himself beneath the shadow of a large tree down the street with only Glowmon for company was Sam, his shadowy gaze fixed on something only he could see.

Mickey was still very much concerned about his raven-haired friend, even more so now after what Jijimon had said, but unfortunately he didn't think there was anything he could do about it right now.

It was clear Sam wanted to be left alone for the moment, and Mickey had reluctantly decided to honour his friend's wishes, even if he didn't think it was a very good idea.

What can I do? I feel so helpless...

"Mickey, you look so sad," Halomon said in a somber tone, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Halomon. I'm just...worried about Sam."

Halomon glanced at Sam, and ears drooping, he said wistfully, "Poor Sam."

"Yeah..."

"We'll help him, Mickey. We'll find a way," Halomon insisted. "Cheer up."

"But the darkness...Can you feel it, too?"

Halomon nodded slowly, concern on his face. "The darkness coming from Sam is strong. We have to do something."

"I know...but what can we do?"

Mickey wasn't surprised to discover that Halomon could feel the darkness from Sam, and most likely Celestimon could feel it too. Which meant Celestimon was bound to say something to Matty, whom Mickey suspected already knew. Because of that Celestimon would only be confirming what he already believed, if the little rookie did decide to say something in the end.

"Mickey, why don't we go take a walk?" Halomon suggested, giving him a warm smile.

Mickey was reluctant to let Sam out of his sight, but he couldn't deny that getting a chance to clear his head a bit would probably do him some good. "Okay. Why don't we take a walk around town?"

Halomon agreed, and getting to his feet Mickey made his way across the square past Dai, Halomon fluttering along beside him. Celestimon saw them approaching, and fluttering over, he said curiously, "Where are you two going?"

"We're going for a walk!" Halomon said happily, fluttering around Celestimon and beaming at his fellow angel. "Did you want to come with us?"

"Can I?" Celestimon asked eagerly, his green eyes growing wide.

Mickey laughed, and reaching out to scratch Celestimon behind the ears, he said, "Of course you can."

Celestimon quickly hurried back over to Matty, and tugging on his partner's hoodie, he said, "Matty, I'm going for a walk with Mickey and Halomon. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Matty replied, turning to regard his partner. "You don't need to ask me."

"Okay!"

Mickey held out his arms as Celestimon fluttered back over to him, and looking up, Matty said in amusement, "Keep him out of trouble for me. Okay, Mickey?"

"I will."

"Although...I think I should be more worried about you."

Mickey laughed at this, and giving his brother an affectionate smile he turned and headed off further into the village.

"Matty's worried about you," Clestimon said softly, cuddling in his arms and exchanging a meaningful look with Halomon.

"Of course he is..."

"Come on, Mickey, there's a small field of flowers behind those huts over there. Let's go and visit!" Halomon said, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

Mickey shrugged in response, and following Halomon he proceeded to head towards the group of huts nearby. Slipping between them with Celestimon still in his arms, he let Halomon flutter on ahead.

Halomon had almost reached the opening between two of the huts when something small suddenly fluttered around the corner heading towards them. It was going so fast it didn't see Halomon in time, thus Halomon didn't have time to get out of the way. As a result, the thing flew right into the little rookie. Halomon let out a gasp of surprise as the two of them ended up tumbling through the air together, and with a thump they landed on the dirt path in a tangled heap, with Halomon being the unfortunate one who had landed on the bottom.

At least, Mickey thought his partner was on the bottom as he watched the other digimon slowly sit up and give itself a small shake. He couldn't be sure, though, because to his astonishment he discovered the thing that had run into Halomon was in fact actually another Halomon.