Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: So we finally get to meet the first Digidestined! I hope you all enjoy the next few chapters as I'm going to have so much fun writing them! Thank you to my readers for pointing out my bloopers. I will try to catch any I missed as soon as I can!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 248: The Principal's Office

Masato 'Matty' Takaishi

Odaiba, Japan, Earth

Masato Takaishi sat cross-legged on the floor of the computer room at Odiaba Elementary, and there was a hoard of hungry digimon surrounding him. He was feeding them the snacks that Takara had brought along with her earlier in the morning, and considering how hungry the digimon were he was surprised they hadn't yet taken off a couple of his fingers. Six in-training digimon and five rookies were scrambling to have their fair share, and laughing Matty had to tell them in a stern voice to be patient and wait their turn.

Not that he could blame them. All of their digimon were still recovering their energy from the events of yesterday, so it was understandable that they'd be a little impatient to chow down on some good food.

At the moment, Matty was the only human in the room, and he was enjoying the time he had to himself while it lasted. It had been a quiet Monday morning, but now that school had finished he could hear the chattering crowd of students out in the hallway, all of whom were on their way home. Unfortunately for Matty he couldn't quite leave yet, as he still had a mission to attend to with his friends.

Since the others had not yet arrived, he was content to think on what Mickey had told the group just before class started. As a result of error in judgment from Sam, DarkAngelicmon was convinced that Mickey didn't like him, and as an extension of that Matty was sure the fallen angel thought the same thing about him. Though he didn't blame Sam, he still felt bad for Mickey. Matty knew his twin had suffered a lot thanks to DarkAngelicmon's recent behaviour, and it made him angry. How could the fallen angel not see how concerned they were for him?

If he hurts Mickey as a result of this, I will never forgive him.

Matty knew Taniko was giving him the credit for saving Sam, but he wasn't so sure about that. And if the same thing happened to Mickey, would he be able to do it again? That was the real question. If Mickey ever did end up in serious trouble, he wasn't so sure he would be strong enough to save his twin, and that scared him.

If DarkAngelicmon tries something, what will I do? I don't want to end up hurting him any more than I want to end up hurting Mickey...

Sooner or later something major was going to happen, and when it did there would be no turning back from the results. And when that time came, would he be ready? Even now, he still did not have an answer for that.

Please, Mickey. Whatever you do, please be careful...

As he was contemplating his brother's safety the door opened, and he looked up to see who had finally decided to show up.

It's almost like he knows when I'm thinking about him...

The intruder turned out to be his twin, and giving him a startled look, Mickey said, "There you are! I was wondering what happened to you!"

"Somebody has to feed the digimon," Matty relied, smiling at his twin.

He was hoping Mickey wouldn't notice the concern on his face, but he should have known that wouldn't be the case. Mickey stood with his hand on the doorknob, and giving him a long look, his brother said, "I'm okay, Matty. Really, I am."

"So you say," Matty replied in a light tone, getting to his feet. "I guess I'll believe you for now. Where are the others?"

As if on cue, Takara, Sam, Taniko, Kenzo, Taysuke, and Ema came piling through the door, almost knocking Mickey over, and glancing irritably about the room, Ema said in exasperation, "Where's Dai? Don't tell me he's late again!"

"Ryoko's not here yet either," Takara interrupted, frowning slightly. "I wonder what's holding them up?"

Nobody seemed to know, and moving into the room the others settled themselves into chairs as well.

They too had been surprised at what Sam had said to DarkAngelicmon, but like Mickey none of them had held it against the raven-haired Digidestined. Matty had expected nothing less of them, and it made him happy to know that he had friends he could count on.

And as Sam had told Mickey, there was still hope. The fact that the raven-haired Digidestined's words had affected DarkAngelicmon so deeply was certainly a thought to be reflected upon.

Well, at least we now know. The good news is maybe the next time we head to the Digital World we can do something about it.

"Wherever those two are they'd better hurry up," Sam warned, looking a tad concerned. "Mr. Sugiyama will probably be leaving sometime within the hour. We need to catch him before he goes home for the day."

"How much do you want to bet that Dai got himself caught in detention again?" Ema grumbled, making a face.

"I did not!" a sudden voice shouted just as the door flew open again, revealing Daichi and Ryoko on the other side.

"Where were you guys?" Taniko asked curiously, exchanging an amused look with Taysuke.

"I got stopped by Mrs. Hanari," Dai complained, seating himself on one of the desks. "I don't know if you guys have noticed, but she seems kind of suspicious of us. She kept asking me questions about where I was going and stuff."

"Luckily I was there to stop him from saying anything stupid," Ryoko smirked, leaning on the desk next to where Dai was sitting. "But like Daichi said, she does seem suspicious about what we're up to. We'd better be extra careful around her from now on."

"Plus, I ran into my coach," Dai said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "He said I'd better be at soccer practice tomorrow, or else."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kenzo replied. "It'll probably be at least another day or so before Gennai gets back to us."

"So now that we're all here, what's the plan?" Taysuke asked eagerly.

"Well, for one thing we have too many digimon with us," Takara said simply, turning to look at her brother. "Even with most of the students having gone home now there are still people in the building. It'll look too suspicious to have this many 'stuffed animals' in our arms and bags."

"And the only one we really need now is Gessmon," Sam finished, gesturing at the little rookie, who was now gazing at him with wide eyes.

Gessmon had spent the night at the Takaishi residence with Halomon in place of Mickey and Palelymon, and both looked refreshed from a good night of sleep. Aiwemon had stayed with Takara and Taysuke while Kibomon had remained at the Motomiya residence. Velinemon had gone with Ryoko for the night, but now all five of them were together again.

"The most logical thing to do would be to leave the others here for now and take only Gessmon with us," Ryoko concluded, moving over to sit next to Taysuke. "Tay, would you, Ema, Kenzo, and Taniko mind staying here to look after our digimon while we go and talk to Mr. Sugiyama?"

"But I want to come with!" Ema protested.

"If everything goes well you'll have plenty of opportunity to meet him later," Dai said somewhat impatiently, dismissing his cousin with a wave of his hand. "We should hurry."

"Ema aside, we don't mind," Taysuke quickly reassured them, moving from his spot were he had been sitting with the digimon.

Matty handed him the bag of food, and getting to his feet, he said, "We shouldn't be gone too long."

"Good luck!" Iramon called out.

"Make sure he agrees to let us see our partners!" Kibomon said firmly.

"As if he wouldn't!" Gessmon shouted, showing a bit of spunk compared to his usual shy nature.

The rest of the digimon were quick to voice their encouragement as well, and taking Gessmon into his arms, Matty made his way towards the door with his fellow Digidestined.

Gessmon looked nervous, and speaking up, he said, "I hope Seta will be happy to see me."

"Of course he will be," Mickey soothed, smiling warmly at the little rookie. "I hope you don't mind being stuck in a backpack for now."

Gessmon shook his head, and Matty gently placed the little rookie in his bag before stepping out into the hall. It had taken a lot of work to get so many digimon smuggled into the school, but with help from Taysuke and his friends they had somehow been able to manage it. They had worked out a basic plan to go about seeing Mr. Sugiyama in the morning just before class started, but now that they were actually putting their plan into action Matty had to admit he was a bit nervous. And judging from the faces of his friends he wasn't the only one. They were all quiet as they made their way towards the principal's office, which was located near the front entrance of the school, and stopping just outside the door, Dai took a deep breath and said, "Ready?"

They all nodded, and bracing himself for the confrontation, Dai knocked sharply on the door that was labeled 'Principal's Office Mr. Sugiyama.'

There was a quick reply of, "come in" and then Dai opened the door and stepped inside, Matty and the others shuffling in behind him.

There, sitting at the desk with his head bent over some paperwork, was Odaiba Elementary's principal, Mr. Seta Sugiyama. Just that morning Izzy had done some research on the man, and Taniko had been quick to pass on the information. Apparently Seta was forty-one years old and married with two children. He had gained the position of principal at the school fifteen years ago, when he was just twenty-six years old. Now, at forty-one years of age, he still had the same post and seemed to enjoy his job. He was the type of principal who enjoyed working with students, and he seemed to know every students' name regardless of how new to the school they were. There were hardly any complaints about him from the students behind his back, and as a general rule he seemed to be well liked. He was known to be easygoing and fair in his judgments, but he could also be very strict if you were intent on disobeying the rules.

Matty had been in his office on numerous occasions, and he had never once held his fate against the man. Mr. Sugiyama had always been nice to him, and he had never once felt uncomfortable in the man's presence.

But now that he knew Mr. Sugiyama was a Digidestined, suddenly he was seeing his principal in a brand new light. And he had to admit, for the first time around Mr. Sugiyayma he was feeling a bit shy.

I wonder what he's going to think...

At the sound of footsteps in his office, Seta looked up, and Matty was quick to notice the startled expression on the man's face before it was replaced with a warm smile.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Mr. Sugiyama asked pleasantly, setting his paperwork aside and folding his hands together neatly on the desk. "A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Motomiya. Now that I think on it, it's been a while since you've visited me in my office. I must admit, I was starting to feel a tad bit worried."

Dai let out a laugh at the obvious amusement in Seta's voice, and sheepishly scratching the back of his head, he said, "Yeah, well there's a reason for that. How's it going, Mr. S?"

"Very well, thank you," Seta replied, his smiled becoming even more amused. "You're looking quite well yourself. What brings you to my office today?"

Seta Sugiyama was a tall man, and with his handsome face and warm smile, his appearance alone was enough to put you at ease in his office. He had thick, dark brown hair that was greying at the temples and warm brown eyes surrounded by fine lines. At the moment he was wearing black slacks and a burgundy coloured dress shirt, with a matching black and burgundy tie, and it suited his dark features nicely. His presence seemed to radiate warmth, and his nature almost seemed to scream 'I'm a Digidestined.' How Matty had failed to notice this before was beyond him. Then again, he hadn't exactly been a Digidestined for all that long himself yet, so there was much that was still new to him. With laugh lines to match the crinkles around his eyes, Matty couldn't help smiling back at the man, the atmosphere of the office instantly putting him at ease.

"If you don't mind there's something we'd like to talk to you about," Di said bluntly, lifting his head and giving Seta a very determined look.

Mr. Sugiyama gazed back at the goggle-headed leader for a moment, and then Matty jumped when the man's eyes suddenly turned on him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Takaishi. I've seen you in my office on many an occasion, but it is rare for me to see your brother in here with you. The same is true for Mr. Ishida, Miss Kamiya, and Mr. Ichijouji. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? It must be quite important for all of you to have taken the time to come and visit me."

Matty blushed at the reminder of his past misbehaving deeds, and turning to Dai, he said quickly, "Show him."

Dai stepped forward, and pulling out his D-Coder Digivice he set in on the desk, his gaze watching Seta's face for any sign of recognition.

The result was almost instantaneous. The smile on Seta's face faded, and sitting back in his chair he let out a deep sigh before turning his gaze back to Dai. His expression did not register any surprise, and curiously enough there was no fear in his dark eyes either. He appeared merely resigned to the truth, but at the same time he also looked almost proud of them, as if he had been waiting a long time for this moment. And now that the moment had come he seemed pleased with the results.

At least that was how it appeared to Matty, though he could not be entirely sure. And even though the D-Coder looked different than Seta's old Digivice Matty could tell the man had figured out exactly what it was.

"So, you have taken after your parents after all," Seta finally said, breaking the silence.

"You know our parents?" Ryoko asked, looking a big confused. "I thought you had never met them personally."

Seta shook is head, and smiling softly, he said, "I know of your parents. Gennai told us much about them on that day twenty-five years ago when Digidestined from all over the world worked together to stop MaloMyotismon from covering both worlds in darkness. I assume you know who Gennai is? We saw your parents that day, but it was from a distance. We never had a chance to meet them personally or congratulate them on their efforts. Since then, I only know some of your parents to speak with them on the phone or through brief meetings when a couple of you have gotten yourselves into a bit of trouble."

Matty blushed again at the teasing jibe, and so did Dai, who muttered, "My mother is so embarrassing."

Seta laughed at this, and smiling at the goggle-headed leader, he said, "Quite the contrary, Mr. Motomiya. I find your mother to be a remarkable woman. I also happen to know she thinks very highly of you."

"Enough about her," Dai interrupted, blushing furiously. "We're talking about digimon!"

Seta gazed fondly at each of them in turn, and speaking softly, he murmured, "From the moment all of you and your siblings entered my school, I have kept a close eye on you. Even back then, I could tell there was something very special about all of you, and it seems now that I have not been mistaken. I had often wondered if you might end up following the same footsteps as your parents, but nothing ever came of it. Until now, it seems."

"Really? All this time?" Mickey asked, gazing at their principal with wide eyes.

Seta nodded, and leaning forward in his chair again, he said, "All this time. Just the other day on Friday Mrs. Hanari came to my office with some concerns about the six of you. The thought had crossed my mind that it might be Digital World related, but since you all seemed healthy and in good spirits I was prepared to dismiss those thoughts. Only now it looks as if my suspicions were correct after all."

"You couldn't have been more right," Sam agreed.

"What's this about Mrs. Hanari?" Ryoko demanded, looking uneasy. "She came to you about us?"

"She was concerned," Seta replied, giving Dai a look. "She had noticed several changes in all of you lately, and it had her worried. She had insisted that all of you were behaving a little strangely."

"Are you serious?" Dai groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "See? I told you guys she's always trying to get me into trouble!"

"No, Dai," Seta replied, his manner of speech shifting to become more personal. ''She was worried, and rightfully so. I shouldn't really be telling you this, but you are her favorite student. Naturally she would be upset over this."

Dai's mouth fell open, and Matty had to blink a few times in surprise. Dai was Mrs. Hanari's favorite student? That was definitely news to him!

She never acts like she likes him. Then again, I guess if I really took the time to think about it...

"I was actually intending to have a word with all of you, but it seems like you beat me to it," Seta continued, smiling at them. "And the fact that all of you are being so open about this and that you were willing to show me one of your Digivices without any hesitation leads me to believe that I'm correct in saying that someone told you about my history."

"You can thank Gennai for that," Mickey said shyly, smiling at Seta.

"Of course," Seta replied, shaking his head with a smile. "How is Gennai by the way? It's been so long since I've seen him."

"Fine," Ryoko mumbled, making a face.

Seta seemed to understand Ryoko's reaction because he gave the golden-haired Digidestined a sympathetic smile. "I am going to assume there's a reason why you all decided to tell me your secret today? It couldn't have been easy for you to trust me so lightly. That being said, what can I do for all of you? If I was going to make an educated guess, I would say that you are in need of my assistance."

Takara nodded in agreement, and clapping her hands together, she said, "Yes, we need your help. And if it's not too much trouble, we'd like the help of your friends as well."

"Do you think we'd be able to meet them?" Sam asked, his tone hopeful.

Seta gazed thoughtfully at them across the desk, and nodding slowly, he said, "I suppose that could be arranged. Would this evening suit you?"

"It would, but...there are a lot of us who would like to meet you guys, our parents included," Dai replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "We're a big crowd, so we would have to meet somewhere that can hold a lot of people."

"I see," Seta relied, giving the goggle-headed leader a reassuring smile. "I think I know just the place then. My friends Kenji and Mai Iwamoto live at the Highton View Terrace complex with their four children. The grounds there are large, and since the weather is nice it would make an excellent meeting spot."

"And nobody would be suspicious of us?" Ryoko asked.

"Not likely. They'd just think we were holding a family reunion or a friendly get-together, or something of that nature. There are even picnic tables there, and if we bring a potluck dinner it'll look convincing enough."

"That sounds great!" Mickey said, beaming at the principal.

Seta pulled out a piece of paper, and writing something down on it he handed it to Dai, "This is the number of Kenji's apartment. If you go up to meet him he will lead you to our meeting spot. I will make sure to contact all of my friends and have them meet us there at six this evening. Does that suit all of you?"

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Dai agreed, grinning enthusiastically. "Oh, but there's just one more thing."

"What is it?" Seta asked pleasantly.

"Well, we brought a friend along just in case we needed to convince you of how important it is that we talk to you and your friends, but it looks like you didn't need any convincing after all."

"We should have known," Ryoko said softly, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"But now that he's here we might as well hand him over," Dai finished, shrugging his shoulders.

Catching the hint Matty quickly opened his backpack, and Gessmon leaped out onto the desk, nearly knocking Seta's belongings all over the floor.

Without hesitation the little digimon flung himself into Seta's arms, and snuggling against his partner, he cried, "Seta, I've missed you so much!"

For a moment Seta looked shocked, and then he was hugging the little rookie fiercely to his chest. "Gessmon! I can't believe it's really you!"

"You look a lot older than the last time I saw you, but you're definitely still you," Gessmon said shyly, snuggling closer. "It's so good to see you again!"

"You too," Seta replied, smiling fondly at his partner.

Matty was starting to feel a little choked up at the reunion himself, and trying to keep himself distracted, he said, "Ema and her friends are looking after our digimon right now, but we'll bring them along tonight so you guys can meet them. We also have the partners of your friends with us."

Seta looked up at him, and smiling despite what looked suspiciously like tears in his eyes, he said, "I would like that. And thank you. I can't even tell you how much this means to me."

"Keep him with you," Dai said firmly. "Like Matty said, we have Kibomon and the others, too. You guys all deserve to have some time with your partners while the gates are open."

Seta nodded his thanks again, and rising from his chair, he said, "I'll contact my friends now and tell them what's going on. Kenji will be expecting you later this evening. Sound good?"

"Sounds awesome!" Dai cheered.

"Thank you for all your help Mr. Sugiyama. We really appreciate it," Takara said happily.

"It is my pleasure to be of service," Seta replied, smiling at the female Digidestined. "Now go on, all of you. You will need to contact your families and let them know what's going on."

"Of course," Ryoko replied. "We'll see you this evening then!"

They all exchanged goodbyes, and then they were heading back to the computer room with smiles on their faces. Their confrontation with Seta had gone much better than Matty was hoping for. Now, only one question remained. Would Kenji and the others be just as wiling to help?

There was no way to know until they all met up at Highton View Terrace, but even though the future was uncertain, Matty had a feeling only good things would come from it. The irony of their meeting place was not lost on Matty, and together he knew they would all find a way to shed some light on the past.