Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Back with a new chapter! Going to be some interesting stuff coming up in the story, so I hope you're all excited for it!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 245: Looking Ahead

Sam Ichijouji

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

"Are you serious?" Dai asked, his dark eyes widening with obvious surprise. "Lucemon actually showed up?"

Sam nodded in confirmation, the solemn look on his face indicating that he was telling the truth. He had never been a liar by nature, and his goggle-headed leader knew that. "I almost couldn't believe it myself. I thought maybe at first I was hallucinating or that the darkness was playing tricks on me, but that wasn't the case at all. It really was him in the flesh."

"What did he look like?" Kari asked, the expression on her face indicating that she didn't doubt him for a minute.

Those eyes...so full of loneliness...

Sam thought about it for a moment, and shaking his head in despair, he said, "The best way to describe him would be to say that he looked like a male version of Luciamon. Same blue eyes and blond hair, though his hair was short and his eyes were sad. He wore a male version of her outfit, and he had the same clunky gold bands around his wrists and ankles. He had the same wings and the same pale skin, and like Luciamon he looked so young, like a human barely older than us."

"I can picture him in my head," Mickey said softly, his amber gaze lost in some far away place. "He must be so lonely."

Sam nodded in agreement, sympathizing with Mickey's reaction. "That was my impression as well. He looked lost and lonely, and like I said there was a great sadness in his eyes."

"What did he say to you?" Matty asked curiously, his expression every bit as somber as the look Sam knew was on his own face.

So wise, and yet so unsure of himself.

Sam could sill remember vividly his conversation with the elusive angel digimon, and shaking his head, he said, "Well, first of all he wasn't alone. He had a friend with him named MarineAngemon. Apparently MarineAngemon is a mega digimon, but he's really tiny."

"He sounds so cute!" Rina giggled, clapping her hands together in delight. "I bet he's really cute!"

Sam smiled at Rina, who was sitting across from him, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I guess that would be the most accurate way to describe him. Despite his name, though, I don't think he's a celestial digimon. I would say he's more of the aquatic type."

"Kind of like an angel fish maybe?" Ryoko speculated, his nose wrinkling in concentration. "Same sort of deal?"

"Could be. Anyways, both Lucemon and MarineAngemon knew my name before I had a chance to tell them what it was, which only confirms Luciamon's story about herself, Lucemon, and the past."

"But why?" Takara asked in confusion. "Why now all of a sudden did he finally decide to contact us?"

Why indeed.

Sam bowed his head, and to Takara, he said, "Judging from the things he said, he knows what has been going on with us this whole time, but we know he hasn't had any contact with anyone who's been involved in this mess since Luciamon left him behind to join DarkAngelicmon at the castle on Cyber. The only information he could have received would had to have come from DarkAngelicmon, and I think by now it's fairly obvious that isn't the case, which brings us to only one conclusion."

"Lucemon has been following us," Izzy finished, nodding his head for emphasis. "Just like Vampiramon and her subordinates. There's no other way he could know all the small details about what's been going on with us here in the Digital World."

Sam wasn't surprised that Izzy had guessed his train of thought, and lifting his head to stare at the two celestial in-training digimon, who were huddled in the arms of Mickey and Matty, he said, "Exactly, and I think there are those in this room who can confirm my suspicions."

It was like something clicked in the minds of his family and friends because everyone turned almost simultaneously to gaze at Palelymon and Goldmon. When the two digimon realized that everyone was watching them they both turned bright red in the face, and exchanging a look with one another, Goldmon finally let out a soft sigh and said apologetically, "Lucemon has been following us on several occasions ever since around the time when Sam found out that Ken was the Digimon Emperor."

"So...all this time you knew," Mickey said slowly, a frown marring his handsome features. "I could tell there was something going on with you two. I had even suspected maybe an angel digimon at one point, but..."

"The thought had crossed my mind about Lucemon, but I never thought I'd actually be right," Matty snorted, shaking his head in amusement. "I can't believe this. I knew you guys were hidiing something, but wow...Just wow."

"We're really sorry, please don't be mad!" Palelymon wailed, hiding his eyes behind his fluffy ears. "Patamon and Gatomon knew about him too!"

"Hey, don't bring us into this mess," Gatomon said indignantly, cracking open one eye to glare at Palelymon.

"Sorry," Patamon said, smiling sheepishly at his partner.

"Why?" T.K. asked, gazing curiously at the little rookie. "Why would you keep something like that a secret from us?"

It was Goldmon who answered, and when he spoke his tone was solemn. "Every time Lucemon has taken it upon himself to follow us, he has always remained hidden. He has purposely tried to stay out of sight to remain undiscovered, and as I'm sure you guys know there is no reason why anyone would do that unless they did not want to be found."

"We're pretty sure Lucemon must have known we could feel him, but despite that he did not try to hide his presence from other angel digimon by staying away," Palelymon said softly. "A celestial digimon who does not want to be seen, but he was bold enough to follow us despite the fact that he knew we were aware of him. There's only one reason why he would do such a thing."

"He trusted us," Goldmon said simply, looking up at his partner. "He believed that we would keep his secret for him. How could we have betrayed his trust by making him lose his faith in us? If we had, I doubt he would have ever shown himself."

"But because you kept his secret he felt like he could trust you," Mickey finished. "And thus when he felt the time was right he revealed himself to Sam."

"Exactly!" Palelymon agreed, beaming at his partner. "We wanted to tell you guys, we really did, but we couldn't betray Lucemon like that."

"We really are sorry that we kept something so important from you guys," Goldmon mumbled, hiding his face in Matty's stomach.

The younger twin smiled in amusement, and petting his partner's fluffy ears, he said, "Don't worry about it. We're not angry. You definitely had your reasons for staying quiet, and in the end it was probably for the best."

"You two know how much we value being able to trusts others," Mickey said to the two little digimon in a soothing voice. "Even if we do feel a little put out for not being in the loop, you guys did the right thing. If you had done any different Lucemon probably never would have revealed himself to Sam, and if that were the case then there might have been a chance that we'd never get to meet him at all."

"And there's no question we need to meet with Lucemon," Kari interrupted, her expression serious. "Chances are he holds the keys to many of our unanswered questions. He may very well be able to clear up a lot of the mystery surrounding the Ruler of Darkness and the past, which needs to happen if we have any hope at all of saving the Digital World."

"So you guys forgive us?" Palelymon asked, smiling hopefully around the room.

"Of course we do!" Sora laughed, giving the little rookie a reassuring pat on the head. "Under the circumstances your decision to stay quiet was probably very wise."

"And now that Lucemon has revealed himself, you guys don't have to stay quiet anymore!" Taysuke added, grinning at Palelymon. "So everything worked out in the end."

"Which is a relief," Gatomon muttered, wrinkling her nose. "I don't like keeping secrets."

"Back to what we were talking about before," Ryoko interrupted, waving a hand for silence. "Sam, what exactly did Lucemon say to you?"

Sam let out a deep sigh, and thinking back on his conversation with the celestial mega, he said, "For one thing DarkAngelicmon wasn't surprised to see him, which leads me to believe that he too has known all this time that Lucemon has been following us."

"Makes sense," Takara agreed, a thoughtful look on her face.

Sam nodded, and frowning to himself, he said, "Though many of the shadows came from the darkness in my own heart, I don't believe all of them were manifestations of the terrible things plaguing my mind. Those shadows wanted Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon as well, not just me. Even in my terrified state I could see that for myself."

"Nobody is safe," Matt said quietly, his blue eyes growing dark and stormy. "No matter who you are."

Sam was quiet for a moment, and reflecting upon Lucemon's words, he said, "Like all of you he tried to warn me against the darkness in my heart."

He knew, just like all of you, what it would take to save me.

Sam went on to tell the group everything Lucemon had said to him, and when he was done, there was an air of solemn silence about the room.

"Lucemon," Matty finally whispered, his amber eyes wide with disbelief. "He called DarkAngelicmon..."

"Angelicmon," Sam confirmed, gazing meaningfully at the Takashi twins. "Which suggests that at one point in time, our fallen angel friend must have once gone by a different name."

"So there really is a chance that he wasn't always a dark dgimon?" Rosa asked, turning to gaze expectantly at Izzy.

The computer expert quickly rose to the challenge, and straightening up, he said, "Logically speaking, that appears to be the case."

"Reach inside yourself and find the past you have forgotten," Sam quoted, smiling at the group. "Those were Lucemon's words to DarkAngelicmon."

"A past that Lucemon may be able to help us understand," Izzy agreed, his eyes beginning to sparkle with the usual excitement he had for anything Digital World related. "And now that he has decided to converse with us, he may be able to give us some answers with regards to DarkAngelicmon."

"Not just him," Halomon murmured, looking lost in thought.

Mickey glanced at Kenji's partner, and raising his eyebrows, he said, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Halomon said quietly, shaking his head. "Or rather there's someone else who may be able to explain better than I can."

"Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon fought together to keep you safe, Sam. That must have been some fight," Tai grinned, smiling in amusement. "Wish I could have been there to witness it."

"It was," Sam agreed, smiling in return. "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it. Their skills and their teamwork...It was breathtaking to say the least. And the way they interacted with one another...I believe from what I saw that there is still hope for them."

"That's good," Matty said softly, his amber eyes sparkling with happiness. "I'm glad."

"And we'll do what we can to make them see it, too," Mickey agreed firmly, a look of determination in his amber gaze.

"Sam, now that you've told us about Lucemon, why don't you explain to the others what happened at the gate?" Izzy suggested, nodding for him to continue speaking.

The prophecy of File Island...

Sam quickly agreed, and taking a deep breath he told them about how DarkAngelicmon had followed them with an urgent message that for whatever reason he felt they needed to know. He then told them about the prophecy, and true to his word Mickey was able to repeat DarkAngelicmon's lines in their entirety. When Sam had finished his tale everyone was gazing at one another in silence, unsure of what to make of the story.

"Lucemon is right about one thing," Izzy informed them, a frank expression on his face. "The prophecies of File Island do not lie. We've experienced that for ourselves, and I very much doubt that this time is any different."

"GranDracmon, the Seven Demon Lords...what does it all mean?" Cody wondered, putting his thoughts into words.

It was then that Kibomon spoke, and glancing around the room, he said, "We might not be able to answer all of your questions now, but my partner and his friends may be able to shed a little light on at least a part of that prophecy. I can't make any promises, but we'll do what we can to help."

"We saw an old video of you guys at Gennai's house earlier," Izzy said in reply, watching Kibomon closely. "It was before we met all of you in Modem. In the video your human partners spoke of the Data Cores, and Tal mentioned a Belphemon. He called this digimon the 'Demon of Sloth.' He also mentioned Belphemon's master, a digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness. A digimon whose real name was GranDracmon. He was a digimon who came from behind the Wall of Fire. Gennai mentioned that GranDracmon was trying to fulfill a dark prophecy that had existed since the dawn of the Digital World. I assume the prophecy DarkAngelicmon related to us is the same prophecy GranDracmon was so interested in?"

"Tal will be able to explain everything," Kibomon said simply, shaking his head. "And Gennai really needs to learn to mind his own business sometimes!"

"It would be fun to see yourself on TV," Gessmon squeaked, smiling happily. "Too bad we missed it."

"I remember that moment well," Aiwemon insisted, smiling at the memory. "How much Kenji has grown since then."

"I assume they'll be able to explain more about the Data Cores as well?" Izzy asked.

"Yes, we told you a little back when we met you, but they'll be able to explain more in detail," Aiwemon said pleasantly.

"And maybe about DarkAngelicmon, too," Halomon said sadly, an odd expression on his small face.

Everybody looked at him, and frowning, Sam said, "Huh?"

"You'll see," Halomon replied, refusing to elaborate.

"By the way, Gatomon," Izzy spoke up, turning to face the feline digimon and her partner, "Gennai would like it if you and Kari came to the Digital World on our next trip. He would like to make use of your tail ring again."

"I assume he wants it to allow us to DNA digivolve again?" Kari asked, smiling at Izzy.

"Precisely, and no doubt we can use all the help we can get. Is that okay with you, Gatomon?"

"It will have to be, won't it," Gatomon replied, glancing at her partner. "I want to defeat the Ruler of Darkness just as much as everyone else in this room, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Before Izzy could respond the computer suddenly clicked to life again, and Gennai's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Greetings, Digidestined. I was hoping you would all be back by now. Have you given Kari and Gatomon my message yet?"

"I just did," Izzy replied, smiling at the robed figure. "Good to see you again, Gennai."

"And you as well, Izzy. Am I to assume now that you're back in the human world that your mission to retrieve the Spirit Chip was a success?"

Izzy quickly gave Gennai a brief account of what had happened, and Gennai listened quietly with interest. Once Izzy was done, the robed figure said, "So one of their numbers has fallen and you've managed to acquire some interesting digital friends. Good to see you again, Kibomon."

"You too," Kibomon replied, nodding to Gennai.

"I must say things have certainly gotten interesting. I was hoping something like his would happen, and now that it has I'm very excited. I would very much like to know how your conversation with the first Digidestined goes when you have a chance to speak with them."

"We will inform you of the details as soon as we have a chance," Izzy reassured the robed figure.

"Excellent! I'm curious to see how the pieces of our little puzzle will fit together," Gennai informed them. "No doubt it will be the key to saving the Digital World."

"Is there something you needed to tell us?" Izzy asked. "As much as we enjoy your company I'm going to assume this isn't a casual visit?"

"Indeed, you are most correct," Gennai replied, his expression growing more serious. "I made contact to inform you all that we have not yet located the third Spirit Chip. We shall continue to search for it, but it may be a while before we come across anything of note. Until then I suggest perhaps that you take the time to visit Seta and his friends. The more prepared we are, the better chance we have of finding all six Spirit Chips without The Ruler of Darkness tracking us."

"Has Leomon joined you yet?" Yolei asked.

"Not yet, but I'm sure he'll be with us again within the next few days."

"That's good. We wanted to let Jijimon and Babamon know what happened."

"Oh, did you have a chance to meet them in Modem then?" Gennai asked, his blue eyes lighting up. "They are quite an interesting pair, are they not?"

"That's one way to put it," Dai laughed, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Ryoko.

"Indeed. I'll send someone to speak to them and inform them of the tale."

"Leomon said you would," Takara laughed, smiling at him.

Gennai smiled in return. "He knows me well."

"Since we have school tomorrow why don't we speak to Mr. Sugiyama after class?" Ryoko suggested. "He'll be able to lead us to the others."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Gennai said mildly, nodding in agreement. "And now I must be off. I shall think on all you have told me about Lucemon and the current situation and see if I can make sense of it all. I should be in contact with you again once we've discovered the location of the third Spirit Chip. Unless Izzy decides to contact me before then about your endeavors in the human world. Until then I bid you farewell. Good luck with your next task, my friends, though I do not think you will need it."

Everybody said their goodbyes to Gennai, and once he was gone they all stared at each other in silence, unsure of what to do next.

After a long pause Matty spoke, and when he did his tone was hesitant. "Do you really think Mr. S and the others will be willing to tell us anything?"

Sam laughed, and taking Glimmermon back into his arms, he said, "There's only one way to find out. Tonight I think we should all get to bed early. We're going to have an interesting day ahead of us tomorrow, and it's best to be prepared for this sort of thing."

I know they'll help us. They're Digidestined, just like us.

There were murmurs of agreement, and everyone began to make their way towards the stairs.

Sam was the first to step out into the sunshine with his family, and gazing up at the deep blue sky he smiled to himself. He felt like a new person, and it was truly a wonderful feeling. He had no idea what was going to happen tomorrow, but with his newly found inner peace he knew somehow that they would have their answers, for better or for worse.