Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively.

A/N: Another chapter is here! Good news! After this chapter...well, let's just say that's when the real fun starts! A little bit of new info for you guys to take in as you continue trying to connect the dots between the past, present, and what will come in the future!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 230: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Masato 'Matty' Takaishi

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Matty simply stared at the celestial rookie, who was now standing on the ground between Halomon and Celestimon, and raising his eyebrows, he said, "You're really Kenji Iwamoto's partner?"

"That's right!" the new Halomon responded, studying him curiously. "You look exactly like Mickey! That's common for digimon, but I've never seen two humans look the same before."

Matty smiled at this, and crouching in front of Kenji's partner, he said, "I'm Masato Takaishi, but you can call me Matty. I'm Mickey's brother. In the human world two siblings who are the same age and look exactly the same are referred to as identical twins. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does the result you get is what you see here with myself and my brother."

"I'm not sure I get it," Kenji's Halomon replied, scratching his head in confusion.

"It's like this," Mickey explained, smiling slightly. "When digimon are born, they come from an egg, right? Well, humans do too, only the egg doesn't hatch. It grows inside the mother and forms into a human baby. Sometimes though, the egg can split and separate into two eggs, which grow into two babies instead of just one. That's what happened with myself and Matty. Since we originally came from the same egg, our human DNA is very similar, and that's why we look the same."

"Oh, I see! So...it's like how your Halomon and I look the same, though we came from different eggs, but even though you guys look similar you and Matty are really different from each other!"

"That's right," Mickey agreed, his smile growing wider.

Matty chanced a quick glance at his brother, and realizing Mickey had turned to regard him with a soft smile, he sheepishly scratched his head and smiled hesitantly in return before turning his attention back to Kenji's partner.

Matty knew he should probably feel at least a little bit of surprise at this unexpected turn of events, but strangely enough it didn't even really faze him to come across what was clearly a link to the Digital World's past. It seemed the more they continued to pursue the Spirit Chips, the more he was beginning to realize that some of the events occurring now had to be directly linked to the past somehow. DarkAngelicmon, the Ruler of Darkness, GranDracmon, Luciamon, Lucemon, the original Digidestined, and now Kenji's digimon partner. It couldn't all be a coincidence. Matty was sure all of the answers were right there in front of his eyes, if he could only put the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, though, he had a feeling there were still some pieces missing, but once those missing parts finally fell into place, Matty was sure the answer would be so obvious they would feel embarrassed not to have recognized the truth a lot sooner.

Everything is all somehow related, and now it's coming back full circle. There must be a reason, and somewhere along the line there must be an end to it...

"Halomon, what are you doing here?" Takara asked gently, her expression portraying her obvious shock and astonishment.

"And why are you here all by yourself?" Izzy added, frowning in confusion.

Kenji's Halomon turned to smile at Izzy, and fluttering his ears, he said, "I'm not alone! Kibomon and all of my other friends are here, too. Mickey said we're going to share stories, but we should wait until all of you meet the others."

Izzy glanced at Mickey, and giving the older twin an approving nod, he said, "That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Would you be so kind as to take us to your friends?"

"Sure!" Kenji's Halomon said happily, beaming at Izzy. "They're over in the flower field!"

"Lead the way then," Tentomon encouraged, his wings buzzing as he took flight.

Now that everyone appeared to have gotten over their surprise at coming across a digimon from the past, it seemed they were eager to follow Kenji's partner and meet the rest of the original crew. Reaching out to his two celestial friends, Kenji's Halomon was quick to take the lead, and together the three angel digimon took off in the direction of the flower field. Hurrying after them with Mickey and his uncle Matt following on either side, Matty shook his head and muttered, "Crazy..."

"But not really unexpected," Matt murmured in response, overhearing him and making him jump in surprise.

"Uncle, you think so too?"

Matt returned his gaze, and shrugging, the former musician said, "When you think about it, it was bound to happen sometime."

"This isn't just a coincidence," Rosa spoke up from behind them. "Everything in the Digital World happens for a reason, and I don't see why that would be any different this time."

"Now we just need to figure out what that reason is," Yolei sighed, making a face.

Matty glanced back to look at Sam, and he was shocked to see that the raven-haired Digidestined's skin had turned quite pale. Not only that, but Sam's sapphire eyes were empty, and the expression on his face was completely blank. It was like looking at a manikin or a robot.

Something that lived without a soul.

Apparently, on top of looking like an empty shell, Sam was also having trouble concentrating because he hadn't even moved when Kenji's Halomon had shouted for all of them to come visit the flower field. Ryoko actually had to grab his hand and pull him along just to get him walking, and that did not bode well for Sam's mental state of mind. Even now, Ryoko was still holding the raven-haired Digidestined's hand and leading him along like a small child who had lost his way.

Sam wasn't like this yesterday. Something must have happened since then, but what? He's been with us the whole time and I don't remember anything happening to upset him. But something obviously has, and he's closing himself off from the rest of us to hide from the pain and the truth he doesn't want to face.

Matty shivered at the thought, and unable to do anything about Sam at the moment he proceeded to hurry after the three celestial digimon in miserable silence.

Making their way through a gap in the buildings, Kenji's Halomon came to a stop at the edge of a beautiful field full of strange white flowers, a type Matty had never before seen in the human world.

And there, chattering adamantly to one another in the centre of the flower field, were four digimon, who by the look of them could only be Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, and Gessmon.

"This...is just so awesome," Dai said, staring at the digimon with his mouth hanging open, a slightly awed look on his face.

"Come on!" Kenji's Halomon said happily, beckoning them forward while he fluttered on ahead.

As they slowly made their approach, Matty could hear the four digimon arguing with one another, and sounding impatient, Kibomon said, "Where did he go? It shouldn't take this long to tell Jijimon and the old crone we're leaving tonight."

Unfortunately for Kibomon, Halomon overheard his complaint, and puffing himself up the little rookie fluttered over to his outspoken friend and promptly bopped Kibomon over the head with his small fist.

"Ouch! What was that for!?" Kibomon shouted, turning to glare at his fellow rookie.

"You shouldn't talk about Babamon like that. It's rude!"

"But Jijimon himself does it!"

"That's different," Halomon sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And for your information I got stopped along the way by Mickey."

"Who?" Kibomon asked, scratching his head in confusion.

It was then that Halomon's friends finally became aware of the group of humans and digimon approaching them, and fluttering into the air for a better look, Aiwemon said, "Now there's a sight you don't see everyday."

"Huh?" Kibomon turned to see what his friends were looking at, and catching sight of the group, he leaped back in surprise and said, "Whoa, humans!"

"Humans!" Velinemon echoed in excitement.

"Humans!" Gessmon squeaked, growing shy and quickly hiding himself behind Velinemon.

It reminded Matty of his brother's partner, and unable to stop himself he smiled in amusement.

"Hey there!" Dai called out with a smile, coming to a stop in front of the small group of digimon.

Matty placed himself next to Dai, and as the others gathered around, Kibomon gave Embermon the once over, sizing him up, before turning his attention to the goggle-headed leader who had greeted them. "Who are you?"

Matty was pretty sure Kibomon already knew the answer to that question, since his gaze had settled on Dai's goggles, and though Dai seemed to be aware of this as well, he ignored it and said, "My name is Daichi Motomiya. Dai, for short. I'm the current leader of the Digidestined."

There were gasps from Velinemon and Gessmon, but Aiwemon stayed silent and Kibomon's sharp gaze never wavered. In fact, Kibomon once again glanced at Embermon, this time with a knowing look, before simply saying, "You already know who I am."

"Yeah, I do," Dai agreed, plopping down into the flowers and making himself comfortable. "You're Kibomon. You're Tal Kuroki's digimon partner."

"Did Halomon tell you that?" Kibomon demanded.

"No," Izzy replied, also taking a seat. "And even if he had, it wouldn't have been news to us. Gennai himself was the one who originally told us."

At the mention of Gennai, Kibomon seemed to relax slightly, his expression immediately becoming much more friendly and less suspicious. "If you guys are here then..."

"The Digital World is in quite a bit of trouble right now," Izzy explained, gazing intently at Kibomon. "And if you're willing we could probably use your help."

"We would be honoured to help the Digidestined," Aiwemon said without hesitation, settling himself next to Kibomon. "May I ask you your names?"

Izzy quickly made introductions, and once everyone was settled, Celestimon said to Kibomon, "Your Halomon told us a bit about what you guys are up to. He said you're planning to leave tonight to investigate the source of the purple light in the woods outside of Modem?"

"That's right!" Kibomon said proudly, his gaze somewhat distracted as his brilliant eyes shifted to glance at Mickey's partner. "Another Halomon? One was already more than enough."

This comment earned him another whack over the head from Kenji's Halomon, and smiling shyly, Gessmon said, "I've never seen a Celestimon before. You look a lot like the Halomon species of digimon."

Celestimon shrugged, and beaming at the two Halomons sitting on either side of him, he said, "I don't mind."

"I bet you guys know what that purple light is, don't you," Velinemon said, giving them a knowing look.

Izzy nodded and said, "That purple light is one of six Spirit Chips that were created by Gennai and his counterparts, with help from the entity that watches over the Digital World, of course. Each one belongs to one of the six new members of the Digidestined team, and they are used to help with the digivolving process. They are designed to help Embermon, Dovemon, Alopemon, Glowmon, Celestimon, and Halomon digivolve to the ultimate level."

"So...they work like the Data Cores," Aiwemon responded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Data Cores..." Mimi said slowly, glancing meaningfully at her husband. "Gennai mentioned them before."

"That's right," Matt agreed, frowning slightly. "He's mentioned them twice now."

"He said they were also a tool to help in the digivolving process," Izzy added. "Valour, integrity, insight, spirit, and optimism. They helped the five of you to digivolve into ultimates."

"That's right," Kenji's Halomon confirmed, smiling at Izzy.

"Gennai said that the Data Cores are currently acting as a barrier of sorts," Cody said slowly, watching Kibomon and his friends closely. "What did he mean by that?"

"Oh that," Velinemon snorted, waving her paw in a dismissive sort of gesture. "It means exactly what he said. Mai and the others had to give up the power of their Data Cores in order to seal away GranDracmon's data. You know, to stop him from ever trying to come back. Basically to prevent him from being given the opportunity to be reconfigured."

"But...if he's never given the chance to be reconfigured then...he won't ever have the opportunity to redeem himself!" Mickey protested, obviously upset over this current piece of news.

"Myotismon had the chance, and look what happened with him," Kenji's Halomon said softly, his deep blue gaze sparkling with emotion. "GranDracmon is the same. You don't know what it was like back then. He was evil, pure evil. Worse even than MaloMyotismon. If he were to come back, no good would come of it. He said as much himself."

"We had no choice," Aiwemon said simply, shaking his head with regret. "He refused to give us one."

Matty thought about that for a moment, and running a hand through his blond hair, he said, "So...if you guys sealed him away with the Data Cores then...where is he now?"

"His data is sealed away beneath the castle he made for himself in the World of Darkness," Velinemon said with a shrug.

This statement was greeted with stunned silence, and somehow managing to find her voice, Takara said, "W-what?"

"That's the reason we can't use the power of the Data Cores to digivolve to ultimate anymore," Aiwemon explained. "It's because that power is being used to seal away GranDracmon in the World of Darkness."

"And that's the reason why Gennai is sure that the Ruler of Darkness we're dealing with now can't be GranDracmon!" Izzy interrupted, his face lighting up with excitement. "It's because of the Data Cores! If GranDracmon were free again, the Data Cores would have been returned to the Digital World."

"And they haven't been," Ken said softly. "Which means the seal around GranDracmon hasn't been broken."

"Um...what are you guys talking about?" Kibomon asked, looking rather lost.

Izzy straightened his shoulders, and turning to the six partners of the original Digidestined, he began to tell them the entire story of what had happened since he himself had become a Digidestined, right up to the present and their current mission to find the Spirit Chip of Compassion.

The six digimon listened with obvious interest, and when Izzy was done they sat for a moment in silence, trying their best to absorb everything they had taken in.

Once they were able to wrap their heads around the situation, Aiwemon said, "So...this new Ruler of Darkness is emulating GranDracmon. He must have either known GranDracmon personally or he admires GranDracmon for his vision."

"Whatever the case there's definitely a connection there," Kenji's Halomon agreed.

"That's what Gennai seemed to think as well," Rosa added. "We don't know exactly what's going on, but it's becoming more obvious every day that the past and present are somehow connected."

"And because of that this is where you five come in," Matt said quietly, watching the group of original digimon intently. "Now that you've heard our story, would you allow us to hear yours? The more we know about the past, the more we may be able to figure out about the present."

There was a moment of silence where the five digimon exchanged meaningful looks, and speaking quietly, Aiwemon said, "We would be happy to tell you our story, but...we think it would be better if you guys heard the story from Tal and the others yourselves. I think they would be able to explain much better than we can."

"What? That's not fair!" Embermon protested. "We told you our story!"

Kenji's Halomon gave Embermon a sympathetic look, and turning to Mickey, he said softly, "I'm sorry, Mickey. I know we said we would exchange stories, but I agree with Aiwemon. I think it would make more sense if Kenji and the others told you."

"It's okay," Mickey said gently, giving the little rookie's ears an affectionate scratch. "I get what you're saying, and I understand where you're coming from. I guess this just means we'll have to ask Kenji and his friends ourselves, right?"

"You know Tal and the others?" Kibomon asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with sudden interest.

"We know of them," Alopemon corrected. "We've never met them in person. At least, not yet."

"But apparently Gessmon's partner Seta is the principal at Odaiba Elementary, where Daichi and his friends go to school," Hawkmon added helpfully. "We were thinking of paying him a visit once we get back to the human world. And if we're lucky we'll meet the others too."

"Oh!" Gessmon gasped, his beady eyes lighting up with excitement. "You're going to go visit Seta? And maybe even the others? Will you take us with you?"

"Please?" Aiwemon asked politely.

"Pretty please?" Velinemon begged.

Matty raised his eyebrows at this, and glancing at his twin, he said, "You knew this was coming I bet."

"Actually, that's one of the things Kenji's partner wanted me to ask you guys," Mickey replied, smiling sheepishly. "They haven't seen their partners since the day MaloMyotismon was defeated. It's only natural they would want to see them again. That was something I wanted to ask Dai."

"Well, I don't see why we can't take them with us," Dai replied, turning to Izzy. "What do you think?"

Izzy was silent for a moment before saying, "It may actually do us some good to take them with us. I think our chances of meeting Kenji and the others through Seta will improve if we have their digimon with us to back up our story. And as Mickey said, it has been a long while since they've seen their partners. I don't see any harm in taking them with us."

"So that means we can go back with you to the human world to see our partners?" Kenji's Halomon asked eagerly.

"Of course," Izzy replied, smiling at the little rookie. "But in turn would you guys mind doing something for us?"

"Whatever you want," Kibomon said without hesitation. "Name your price."

"Since all of you were planning to investigate the Spirit Chip on your own to begin with, would you mind holding off on going there tonight and joining forces with us instead? I think if we're all working together our chances of retrieving the Spirit Chip before Vampiramon and her allies get their hands on it will greatly increase."

"I agree," Aiwemon replied. "If we all stick together the mission will have a greater chance of success."

"Then it's settled," Dai said, making a fist. "Tomorrow morning we'll head out to find the Spirit Chip!"

There was a general chorus of assent, and once everyone had quieted down a bit, Velinemon said thoughtfully, "This DarkAngelicmon you guys talked about. He seems...I don't know, different from the other bad guys you mentioned."

"I thought so too," Kenji's Halomon agreed. "It's like...he can't decide whether he's supposed to be a bad guy or a good guy."

Matty glanced quickly at his brother, whose expression was carefully neutral, and speaking quietly, he said, "Maybe like us he's still trying to figure things out."

"Poor Luciamon," Gessmon said sadly, shaking his head. "And poor Lucemon, too. He must be so lonely now that his friends have all left him."

At Gessmon's words, Celestimon and Mickey's Halomon suddenly glanced towards the trees in the distance, and watching them Matty frowned in confusion.

What was that all about?

"I wonder if we'll ever meet Lucemon," Glowmon said sadly, his face a mask of sorrow. "Where is he? And what is he doing now? I bet he could answer a lot of our questions."

"It's almost like he doesn't want to be found," Gabumon said slowly.

"Maybe he's taking a long nap," Armadillomon suggested.

"Or maybe he's afraid to meet us," Gotsumon piped up.

"Why would he be afraid of us?" Palmon asked skeptically. "That's just silly."

"He probably doesn't have any idea we're even here," Dovemon said reasonably.

Wormmon shook his head at that, and glancing at his partner, he said, "I'm pretty sure he knows we're here. A lot of digimon in the Digital World seem to know what's going on. News travels fast here. We've seen that for ourselves. He must have heard by now, wherever he is."

"It doesn't matter," Mickey's Halomon said quietly, his blue eyes shining with emotion. "None of that matters. The only thing that does is finding Lucemon. We can't forget Luciamon's words to Mickey. 'Find Lucemon.' That's what she said. He knows the truth about DarkAngelicmon. That's what Luciamon was trying to tell us. For her sake, and our own, we have to find Lucemon."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and reaching down to place his hand on the little rookie's head, Matty said, "You're right. We haven't forgotten, Halomon. During our search for the Spirit Chips, we'll keep our eyes out for him. I promise you."

"And he'll watch over us in return," Halomon said softly, his gaze once again returning to the forest.

Matty wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but before he could come up with a reply, Sam spoke, his words sounding eerie and unnatural in the sunshine. "The World of Darkness. He's there in the World of Darkness."

"Sam?" Ken asked uncertainly, reaching out to place a hand on his son's shoulder.

Sam didn't even flinch like he would have just a day ago, though Ken did at the contact. Instead, he continued to gaze at nothing, his mind lost in some unseen world.

"Sam?" Yolei pressed a little more urgently.

"GranDracmon, the darkness, DarkAngelicmon, the Emperor, Uncle...all there in the World of Darkness. All there. I can't see. I can't see anything..."

"What?" Ken said sharply, leaning closer so he could hear better. "What was that about your uncle?"

"All there," Sam whispered, his face expressionless. "Uncle, father, where am I? Father, Uncle...Sam..."

"I think maybe it's time we all headed back to Jijimon's house," Ryoko interrupted, his expression daring anyone to argue with him. "It's getting towards evening now. We should probably eat and get some rest."

"Going to bed early sounds like a good idea," Takara agreed, glancing fearfully at Sam.

Ryoko turned back to Sam, and reaching out to take his friend's hand again, he said quietly, "Come on, Sam, let's go back."

Sam followed meekly without comment, his grip loose in Ryoko's hand, and the rest of the group followed without comment. Matty could tell Ken and Yolei were extremely worried, and Glowmon looked positively terrified for his partner.

But they weren't the only ones who were worried. He, like Ken, could feel the darkness emanating from Sam. That was the reason Ken had flinched just from touching Sam, and Matty knew without a doubt that Mickey could feel the darkness as well. Something was seriously wrong with Sam, and if they didn't find a way to help soon, Matty was afraid they might lose him permanently to the darkness.

No! We can't let that happen. I won't let it happen!

Walking quietly near the back of the group, Matty saw Kenji's Halomon reach out and hesitantly touch Sam's shoulder, and letting out a small gasp, the little rookie jerked back and quickly fluttered away out of reach. He looked a little confused for a moment, and then realizing he was being watched, he quickly fluttered away from Sam. Matty didn't resist as the little rookie quickly flew into the safety of his arms, and cuddling him close, he whispered, "What's wrong?"

"The darkness," Kenji's Halomon mumbled, hiding his face. "I feel the darkness. It's strong inside of him. Something bad is going to happen, Matty. Something very bad."