Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: We're starting to get through Sam's Spirit Chip arc now, so I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! I had quite a lot of fun writing it!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 239: The Bonds of Family

Sam Ichijouji

Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

Sam could barely see through the veil of tears clouding his eyes, but even though his vision was slightly obscured he knew he didn't have much time left. The shadows were rapidly closing in on them, and though Angelicmon and the other digimon were putting up a good fight it was only a matter of time before the residents of the Dark Ocean would eventually overwhelm them. It wasn't that the digimon weren't defeating any of the shadows, as far as Sam was able to tell. A ton of dark forms had already succumbed to the blasts of light that had engulfed them, so it wasn't an issue of not being able to defeat the enemy. The real problem was the fact that more and more of the shadows kept coming out of the water and streaming out of the cave on the beach. It looked like a never ending barrage of darkness, and it scared Sam more than he was willing to admit.

There was no way Angelicmon and the other digimon could keep fighting the shadows off forever. Sooner or later they would use up all of their energy and revert back to their rookie forms, and when that happened the shadows would descend upon both human and digimon alike.

And he would lose his father to the darkness.

I want to forgive him! I want to let go! But how? How can I be expected to forget the past when even the digimon of this world can't forget the Digimon Emperor? If none of the digimon here trust him how am I supposed to trust him? How do I trust myself? How do you break free from the darkness when it's trying so hard to cling to you?

"Sam, please," his father said gently, the former Emperor's voice cutting through the fear in his heart. "Don't do this to yourself."

Ignoring his father, Sam quickly glanced around at his surroundings, wincing at the blasts of energy that were erupting closer and closer to where he was standing. The protective circle of digimon around them was growing smaller and smaller, and the light from their attacks hurt his eyes. He needed to get his dad out of there, but how? How was he going to protect his father when he couldn't even protect himself?

What do I do?

"The shadows are going to get us soon," Matty said calmly, throwing Yolei's D-Terminal back to her, which she caught smoothly in the air. "You could stop them if you really wanted to."

Sam was more than willing to respond with a rather nasty retort, but movement at the corner of his eye suddenly caught his attention. He let out a yelp as JewelBeemon suddenly dived over his head out of nowhere to attack a shadow that had almost reached his mother, and clapping his hands over his ears, he said instead, "I don't understand. I don't know what you mean!"

"Those shadows first appeared because of you!" Matty shot back, pointing an accusing finger at him. "They're manifestations of darkness that came from your own heart. If you want them gone then make them go away yourself!"

Sam blinked at the golden-haired Digidestined in surprise, feeling suddenly hurt inside. Why was Matty being so mean to him all of a sudden? The younger twin had been attacking him ever since coming to the World of Darkness. Why? What did Matty hope to gain from it?

Why is he being so rude to me? Doesn't he...like me anymore?

"There's not much time left," Angelicmon warned, landing next to Matty and giving his partner a meaningful look.

"You must hurry," DarkAngelicmon insisted, breathing heavily as he landed beside Angelicmon.

Matty stared at the fallen angel in shock, and sputtering to get the words out, he stammered, "How did you..."

DarkAngelicmon didn't answer. He simply touched Matty's heart, completely ignoring the D-Coder that was visible in the younger twin's hand before leaping back into the air to assist Gabrielmon with an oncoming onslaught of shadows. Angelicmon didn't say anything at all. He simply followed the fallen angel, a thoughtful look on his handsome face.

What was that all about? What's going on?

"You keep telling us to leave," Matty said, his voice tight with anger as his attention drifted back to the problem at hand. "This is all your fault, and you know it! You just don't want to face the truth!"

Sam stumbled backwards, shocked by Matty's words. The younger twin had never spoken to him like that before, and the words stung him more sharply than he had been prepared for. Fresh tears sprung in his eyes, and gazing at the golden-haired Digidestined, he whispered, "Do you hate me now?"

"No," Matty said bluntly, snorting at the very idea. "You hate yourself. That's the real problem here. If you believe so strongly that this is all your fault then do something about it! Fix it before we all end up dead or lost to the darkness forever!"

Sam could feel his shoulders shaking, and he was now sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. It was all he could do to hang onto Glowmon, who was gazing sympathetically at him. Deep down inside he knew the younger twin was right, but knowing and acting upon his feelings were two different things. He could barely see Matty through his tears, and though he wanted to speak his voice came out in a whisper. "I don't know how."

"You're making excuses!" Matty snapped, holding out his yellow D-Coder. "If you would just believe in yourself then all of this would go away. It's as simple as that, Sam!"

"But-"

"If I can do it then so can you!" Matty shouted, the fire in his amber eyes flashing with an intensity that Sam had never seen before.

He was about to protest when the D-Coder in Matty's hand suddenly erupted with light.

W-what's happening?

The brilliant glow proceeded to envelop Matty's whole body, and then it began to spread out away from him in a large, glowing circle. The rays of light coming from his D-Coder somehow disintegrated the closest shadows as soon as it touched them, and they disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Almost immediately the screams from the shadows began to fill the air, and all of their Digimon quickly backed up to watch what was happening. The light didn't kill all the shadows, but it got a huge bulk of them, giving their digimon time to regroup.

"Matty!" Mickey gasped, catching his brother as Matty swayed slightly, his knees giving out on him. "What did you do?"

"I'm not...exactly sure," Matty mumbled, leaning against his twin as Mickey helped him into a sitting position. "Sorry, I'm a bit dizzy."

Matty's body was still glowing faintly with light, and as soon as Mickey had touched him it seemed to also seep into the older twin. Mickey was staring at his hands as the light proceeded to travel up through his arms, and the expression on his face changed to a look that was filled with both shock and amazement. "I can feel it!"

Matty smiled briefly at his twin before turning his gaze to DarkAngelicmon, who was holding his head and wincing in pain nearby. "Sorry about that."

The fallen angel lifted his head to gaze at Matty, and giving a brief nod, he said, "It's fine. I am not harmed."

"But it hurt, didn't it," Matty replied, watching the fallen angel closely.

"It only touched me briefly. I was able to back away in time to avoid the worst of it."

"You didn't want to, though."

DarkAngelicmon turned his back on the younger twin, and leaping into the air, he said, "Your heart is strong, Masato Takaishi, and the strength you possess is indeed impressive. Use it well, and use it wisely."

Matty did not respond, and gazing at the younger twin in awe, Sam managed to choke out, "H-how did you do that?"

The light was so strong and bright. Where did he get that kind of power?

"You can do it too," Matty said simply.

Sam glanced back at his father, who was still watching him, and all of a sudden the words he had wanted to say so many times before came spilling out of him in a rush of jumbled phrases. "You have no idea how much I want to believe you. You have no idea how much I'd love to trust you again! But...how can I, Dad? How can I put any kind of faith in you anymore when the ones you hurt refuse to forgive you?"

"You said something similar to that before," his father replied, studying him closely. "What exactly do you mean? Please, help me to understand."

"The shadows are growing stronger again!" Gabrielmon warned, blasting a group of them with his sceptre.

"Please, Sam," his father insisted, his voice gentle. "We don't have much time."

Sam hugged Glowmon tightly to his chest, unable to stop the tears from falling. "You hurt so many digimon here. They trusted us, the humans. They trusted the Digidestined. They trusted us, and you hurt them. Even now, so many years later, they haven't forgotten. They remember what you did to them, and because of that they'll never be able to fully trust you. There's always going to be doubt now when there are humans involved in their business. You ruined something that was precious! How can I forgive you when the past still haunts them? How can I let go when they can't let go? How could I betray them like that? How do I forgive you when they can't forgive you? How do I break free from all of this?"

His father was silent for a moment, and bowing his head, the former Emperor murmured, "I will not deny that many digimon suffered at my hands. Why do you think I've spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it? You're right, Sam. Perhaps there are digimon out there who cannot forgive me for what I did. In fact, I'm sure there are, which is why I will continue to fight for them and keep them safe. I can't change the past, and maybe I can never make up for what I did, but I have to try. I can't give up, and neither can you."

"But what if I do end up like you? What then?"

What if I do lose my heart to the darkness?

His father's sapphire eyes were fierce as he spoke. "You won't, and even if you did do you think for one second I would let you suffer the same fate I did? I would do anything for you, Sam. I would fight to bring you back to us even at the cost of my own life. I would never let the darkness take you. I would never let you carry the burden of watching digimon suffer at your own hands. I would die before I would ever let the path of the Emperor be your destiny!"

"Sam, you also have to remember that there are millions of digimon in this world, most of whom have never even had a chance to meet your father in person," his mother insisted, coming closer to crouch in front of him. "It's easy to see why they might not trust your father if they've never had a chance to meet him. But for all of the digimon who have had a chance to get to know your father since he gave up being the Emperor...they have come to trust him. Think of all the digimon you've met. Our partners, Leomon, Piximon, Ogremon, Centarumon, Whamon, and the list goes on and on. All of them trust your father and would be willing to give their lives for him. Do you not understand what that means, Sam?"

"I...I..."

"It means the longer your father travels the Digital World, his chances of meeting more of its occupants increases. And the more digimon your father meets, the more they will come to trust him. You have to remember, Sam, most of those digimon don't know your father the way you and your friends do."'

"And tell us, Sam. How have you always seen your dad?" Matty demanded, getting to his feet.

Sam watched his father through his tears, the words slipping out of him in a choked whisper. "Kind, loving, caring, and always understanding. He's always willing to lend an ear to listen, and he always helps us when we're in trouble. He's always there when I need him, even when I don't deserve it."

The former Emperor's expression changed to one that was so powerful and full of emotion that Sam had to look away. It made his heart ache, and it was making it hard for him to cling to all of his uncertainties.

"Then you know what you have to do," Matty said, tugging him roughly to his feet. "If you can still say things like that, even if it's against your own will, then stand up and face your father and tell him how you really feel!"

"But I-"

"No excuses!" Matty snapped. "You know your dad better than anyone, and he needs your help to show the digimon of this world how much he's changed. They need to see the Ken Ichijouji we all know. The real Ken! If we can make them see the loving father and awesome person that we see everyday, then the digimon of this world will come to trust him."

"And if meeting as many digimon in this world as I can is what it takes to make up for the past then I'll travel as long as I have to," his father said quietly. "I will meet as many as I can and show them what a difference it makes to have friends and family who love and support you."

Sam glanced widely at Matty, and tugging on his friend's arm, he cried, "But what about me?"

Can the digimon of this world trust me?

"You heard your parents," Matty snorted, completely unsympathetic. "You're not the Emperor! You're not your father! You're you! You're Sam! Or at least you were. The Sam I'm looking at now? That's not the Sam I know! The Sam I knew was kind and compassionate. The Sam I knew had a decent backbone. The Sam I knew trusted his friends and family! The Sam I knew wasn't a coward or a whiner! What happened to him, huh? What happened to the Sam I admire? What happened to the Sam who was one of my best friends? What happened to the Sam who trusted me and cared about me?"

"Matty-"

"The Sam I see now isn't any of those things!" Matty shouted, his face turning red with anger. "The Sam I see now deserves a good fist in the face!"

Sam stared at Matty with his mouth hanging open, and growing angry himself, he cried, "You have no idea what it's like! Those Vilemon-"

"What Vilemon?" Matty interrupted, frowning at him. "You mean the ones that were with Vampiramon?"

Sam stared at the golden-haired Digidestined, completely baffled. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Matty asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sam countered, growing uneasy.

"I'm talking about the group of Vilemon that showed up with Vampiramon and her buddies just before we came to the World of Darkness," Matty explained, raising his eyebrows. "There was like maybe twelve of them, I think? A whole group."

No. No way. It can't be...

Sam sank to his knees again, and speaking slowly, he said dully, "Do you remember when Kara said she thought she saw something watching her in the woods the night we stayed at the old cabin?"

"I remember," Matty said softly, his tone growing more gentle. "What about it?"

"She wasn't imagining things. It was a group of Vilemon that had been watching her. A group of twelve Vilemon. I snuck out of bed and met with them that night. They told me they knew my father and that they couldn't bring themselves to forgive him. They said that many digimon in the Digital World were unable to trust him."

"Sam," his father whispered, his sapphire eyes sparkling with sorrow.

Sam didn't need anyone to say it. He understood completely. He had been tricked. All that time those Vilemon had been working for Vampiramon, and he had let himself be deceived. He had allowed them to convince him that the digimon all hated and mistrusted his father when in fact many actually believed in him or had never been given the opportunity to meet him.

They hadn't yet had the chance to trust him.

I'm such a fool. I'm such an idiot!

Turning his gaze to DarkAngelicmon, who had resorted to fighting with his spear now, he called out, "It's true, isn't it."

"Indeed," DarkAngelicmon managed to respond while attempting to hold off the enemy with ground attacks. "Those Vilemon work for us. You may not understand now, but one day you will."

Sam couldn't even bring himself to hate the fallen angel. Right now, the only person he hated was himself.

How could I have fallen for such an obvious trick? How could I have been so stupid?

"So let me get this straight," Matty said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were willing to trust a bunch of suspicious digimon who had been spying on my cousin, spying on all of us most likely, but you wouldn't trust your father or your friends who have known you since the beginning? You were willing to trust a bunch of strange digimon, but you weren't willing to trust the people you know you can trust? The people who have never yet betrayed you? The people who have never given you a reason not to trust them? I don't even have to say anything, Sam. You know exactly what I'm thinking right now."

It was true. The look of disappointment on Matty's face said it all, and reaching out a hand, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Matty snapped. "Apologize to your dad!"

Not only was Matty mad at him, but the look on Mickey's face made him want to dig himself a hole in the sand and never crawl out again. And his parents. Disappointed, but their eyes still so full of love for him, even after he had failed them.

He had failed everybody, but most of all he had failed himself.

I'm not the Emperor. I'm my own person. I always have been. And even when the darkness haunts me there's always going to be somebody to help pull me back. That's why everyone is here right now. That's why they came for me.

A sudden thought occurred to him, and breath stuck in his throat, he said swiftly, "Dai and the others?"

"They're risking their lives out there for you," Matty said stiffly, turning away from him. "They're fighting against powerful megas who are stronger than they are, all to give us a chance to come here and bring you back. The D-Coders and other Digivices can only tell us so much. We have no way of knowing if they're hurt or not, or if they're even still alive. And it was all for you, Sam. We risked everything for you because we care!"

They're fighting for me because they believe in me, even though I don't believe in myself. They could be dead because of me, and I have only myself to blame. So many people I care about. So many people I love. All hurting because of me. All risking themselves for me.

People like his father. He had given up on his father, but his father had never given up on him. Were those the actions of a Digimon Emperor? An Emperor that no longer existed? No, they were the actions of a man who had fought his way through the darkness and conquered the shadows surrounding his heart. They were the actions of a man who had earned the trust and respect of all those who had crossed his path. Friends, strangers, and even enemies alike.

That was the man he admired.

Dad...

This was the father he trusted. This was the man he wanted to be like. The one he still wanted to be like. This was the father he would always love, no matter who tried to tear them apart.

"Next time I suggest you have a little more faith in us," Matty said shortly, his amber eyes growing hard and lacking in sympathy.

And then the golden-haired Digidestined turned his back on him and walked away.

Faith. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to believe in others, or even in myself. Matty does it so easily. It must be the strength of his power. Even when he feels lost and alone, he can't bring himself to give up on the people he cares about. He can't let himself distrust them or allow himself to fully lose his faith in them...

A sudden scream split the air, and Sam jerked his head up in surprise at the sound, his sapphire eyes growing wide at the scene taking place before him. Several of the shadows had somehow managed to grab his mother, and he realized with a spark of fear in his heart that the scream had come from her. They had her by the arms and they were dragging her away from his father. And he didn't need an explanation as to why.

Several had also gotten their hands on Matty. They had managed to knock him to the ground, and they were holding him in place so he couldn't come after the former Emperor. Mickey was in the same boat as his brother, and Sam could see the shadows advancing on his father.

"We can't hold them back anymore!" Aquilamon shouted. "There are just too many and they won't stop coming!"

"We need to get out of here!" JewelBeemon replied.

"It's too late," DarkAngelicmon said calmly, holding out his arms. "They've slipped through. Come, Angelicmon!"

Angelicmon was by his side in an instance, and together the two of them shouted, "Zenith Point!"

Fourteen rays of light descended upon the shadows, and Gabrielmon's Heavenly Vortex attack swallowed several more. But it wasn't enough. The shadows were so thick Sam could barely discern one from the other.

"Sam, look out!" Glowmon cried.

Sam screeched as several shadows grabbed him and pushed him down, making him cough and sneeze as the grains of sand on the beach tickled his nose. Glowmon tumbled out of his arms, and the shadows snatched him up to prevent the little rookie from escaping. They also had Kenji's partner, who was struggling wildly in their dark arms.

This time was different, though. This time Sam could tell the shadows weren't holding him or his friends and mother to steal their powers. Instead the shadows were merely trapping them so they could get to his father without any outside interference.

Dad, no!

Sam watched in horror as the shadows descended upon his father, and something inside of him seemed to snap.

The kindness in his heart and the faith he had in his family and friends that had been missing from him for so long seemed to burst out of him in a wave of fear. The compassion he felt for all those who had suffered, both digimon and humans alike, surged out so strongly that it almost overwhelmed him. And most of all, the love and forgiveness he felt for his father erupted and sent the shadows building around his heart scattering to the very corners of his mind.

With a strength he did not know he possessed, he wrenched himself free from the shadows holding him and raced towards his father.

Screaming for his dad, he flung himself onto the shadows that were engulfing his father, and his Digivice exploded with the light that was burning deep inside of him. It seemed to burst out of his body in a dazzling blast of colour, engulfing him in its strong, warm glow, and he watched in shock as it descended upon the shadows with a vengeance. All across the beach the shadows screamed and shrieked in pain as they disintegrated into vapour, and even the shadows that were still climbing out of the ocean were unable to survive its brilliance. The light was everywhere, and there was no way to escape it.

Sam caught a glimpse of Angelicmon, who was close by, and squinting through the light he let out a gasp at the sight before him. The celestial digimon had shoved DarkAngelicmon into the sand, and shielding him with his own body, Angelicmon said, "I'm not quite sure you're yet ready for this kind of power, my fallen friend."

Surprisingly DarkAngelicmon didn't argue. He merely ducked his head and let the other angel shield him.

It's so strong. Is this...because of me?

Sam watched in shock as the light somehow managed to rip a hole in the sky, and he thought he caught a glimpse of the Digital World on the other side.

Did I...do that?

Eventually the angry screams faded and the light died away, leaving Sam stretched out on the sand and panting to catch his breath. His father was lying sprawled next to him, and the raven-haired man's eyes were filled with shock and wonder as they stared at each other. Sam could feel himself tingling as he gazed back at his father, the light continuing to pulse softly through his body.

All around them there was silence, and not a single shadow remained.

What happened?

Sam lifted his gaze to the hole that had split the sky open, and all of a sudden he was overcome with the sensation that the World of Darkness looked just a little bit brighter than it had before.

There were tears in his eyes, and as he turned on his side he thought he caught a faint glimpse of his uncle standing near the edge of the water. The late Sam Ichijouji was smiling at him, and he appeared to give a gentle nod before he turned and disappeared into the waters of the ocean.