Following the Footsteps of Destiny

by Broken Angel01

It's not an easy road to follow the path of a legacy that spans over several generations of Digidestined, but when those who are innocent succumb to the darkness, that is when the pages of history reveal themselves in the prophecies of File Island. Their numbers are growing, and the time has come for Daichi Motomiya and his friends to harness the true strength of their hearts.

278. Priceless

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: And finally another chapter done. The last few chapters and the few still to come I think are the hardest chapters I've written to date so far. This Spirit Chip arc hasn't been an easy road for me, but I am determined to struggle through it. If you have a spare moment on your hands I would appreciate a little feedback. I can definitely use a little bit of motivation to carry me through these next few chapters. I hope you all enjoy. We're almost there for this Spirit Chip arc!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 278: Priceless

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Net, Northern Hemisphere, Digital World

Daichi Motomiya probably should have felt a little more frightened by the malevolent dark shadows that were rising up out of the black pit surrounding the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but surprisingly he was actually more angry than afraid. While their situation was indeed very bad, as he had indicated to Matty only moments ago, to him the shadows were more of an annoyance than an actual threat. That wasn't to say he was being careless, though. There was no denying the shadows were definitely dangerous, which he had no intention of arguing, but at the moment there was something else that required his immediate attention, and it was something he considered much more important than the shadows.

And that something was Ryoko Ishida.

At this point, Dai really didn't care how much the golden-haired Digidestined might dislike him. The truth was right there for anyone in the cave to see. Ryoko needed him, and although he hated to admit it, the darkness was standing in the way of what needed to be said between them, regardless of the outcome. It was something that should have been said a long time ago, but he had been too much of a coward to take that first step. There was no denying that he'd had plenty of opportunities in the past to confess, but because of his fear of being rejected he had allowed each one of those opportunities to pass him by.

While on the surface that might not seem like much, Dai had an uneasy feeling that the terrible consequences of his cowardly actions were far greater than even he could possibly understand, and because of that he couldn't help wondering if there might have been more he could have to done to change the outcome of whatever it was that had happened to Ryoko the night before.

If I had just been a little nicer to him, would things be different now? If I hadn't been such a wimp and just told him the truth about how I feel, would that have changed anything? I've always just assumed it wouldn't matter either way because he wouldn't accept my friendship regardless of what I did, but...what if I was wrong? There's no way to know for sure unless I just suck it up and say something...

He had promised Matty he would help the younger twin save Ryoko, and there was no way he was going to let a bunch of stupid shadows get in his way. That was why they weren't his main priority. The real problem was Ryoko. If he could help Matty save Ryoko, the shadows would disappear and then their digimon wouldn't have to fight. Concentrating on the shadows alone wasn't going to help them. They needed to stop the darkness at its source, and the source of all that terrible power was Ryoko.

Which means there's only one thing left I can do, but the question is...am I brave enough to do it? I wonder...Is this what Matty wanted from me when he begged me to help him? I mean, what else can I do for Ryoko? Considering how much he seems to dislike me, it's not like I'm going to be a whole lot of help. As much as I hate to say it, I'm really not much use for anything when it comes to Ryoko. The only thing I can really do to help Matty is to tell Ryoko the truth about my feelings, but I dunno what kind of good that will do, especially if he doesn't feel the same way. I might just end up making things worse...

Which left another question that proceeded to weigh heavily on his mind. Was he willing to risk possibly making things worse, especially when the stakes were so high?

Matty seems pretty confident in me, but I have no idea why. He knows Ryoko and I don't get along very well, so why, of all people, would he be asking me for help? Is there another reason, or does he really think my feelings will help? Because the only way that would make sense would be if Matty suspected the truth about how much Ryoko really means to me. Something I've never really admitted to anyone, not even to myself...

Thinking on it now, Dai realized it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Matty did know. After all, they were best friends. If anyone was going to figure out the truth about his feelings for Ryoko, it would be Matty.

Unless there's something else Matty wants me to help with, and like usual I'm being an idiot about the whole thing. I'm probably feeling a bit paranoid that everybody can see right through me because I'm so nervous about what's going on with Ryoko. That has to be it. I'm just getting ahead of myself, that's all. I mean, I didn't think I was that obvious...

Or was he? And if he wasn't, then that brought up another whole issue for him to dwell on.

If it was something else that Matty wanted from him, then Dai knew he would be useless, and that wasn't an exaggeration on his part. In his heart, he was well aware of the fact that at this point the truth was all he had to offer Ryoko, but while to others that might not seem like much, to him the truth was worth more than all the gold in the human world combined. It was more precious than any diamond and more valuable than the oldest antiques in existence, and it was the one thing he had kept hidden deep inside his soul from almost the very first moment he was born. The strength of the feelings in his heart wasn't something anyone could put a price on, and while the value of those emotions might be worthless to Ryoko, to him they were the greatest hidden treasure known to man. The truth was all he had.

And somehow it was going to have to be enough.

But first, before anything else, I have to at least get Ryoko talking again...

Which was exactly what he intended to do, whether the darkness wanted him to or not.

But to do that, first I need to get these dumb shadows out of my face!

In a burst of anger, Dai twisted around to confront the hoard of shadows, and giving the one that was closest to him a satisfactory kick in the face, he scrambled to his feet and pulled out his Digivice, unwilling to stand there doing nothing. "Back off, you creeps. I'm not afraid of you!"

There was a blast of red light from his D-Coder, and as he watched with a triumphant grin on his face, the crimson beam hit the shadow he had kicked right between the eyes with enough force to send it sprawling backwards. It let out a shriek that was a mix of pain and rage before disappearing in a puff of smoke, and glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Matty staring at him in utter shock, the threat of the shadows momentarily forgotten. "What?"

"How did you do that?" the younger twin asked, blinking stupidly at him. "I-I mean...the light. How were you able to control it like that? Most of the time when our D-Coders react to the darkness, it just sort of happens."

Dai shrugged, and gazing into his friend's amber eyes, he said, "Isn't that kind of what happened here? I didn't think about it or anything like that. I just did it. Sometimes, if you want something badly enough, all it takes is a little bit of backbone, you know what I'm saying?"

"Maybe," Matty murmured, a faint smile appearing suddenly on his handsome face as he shook his head in what looked like a flash of amusement.

"And besides, I don't think it just happens, like you said. From what I can tell, the light seems to react to the strength of our hearts. If you feel strongly enough about something, the Digivice will come to your aid. At least, that's what it looks like to me."

"You might have a point there," Matty replied, his smile growing wider.

A flash of understanding seemed to pass between them, but the comfortable atmosphere their words had created didn't last for very long. As Dai was about to make a joke, one of the shadows got dangerously close to Matty, and the younger twin winced as Tirimon took down the dark creature with a warning growl before it could do any damage.

Unfortunately, there was no way the frosty champion would be able to take all of the shadows down on his own, especially since he didn't have any light attacks at his disposal, and once again getting down to business, his tone becoming much more brisk and self-assured, Dai gave Matty a stern look and said, "You'd better have Celestimon digivolve to his champion form. His attacks will be a lot more effective against the shadows, and Tirimon could definitely use the help."

Matty glanced at his partner, who was hovering close by and doing his best to keep the shadows at bay with his Celestial Sun Ray attack, and giving the younger twin an encouraging smile, the little rookie said, "I want to help Ryoko, too. Fighting these shadows is something I can do. For him and for you guys. It'll give you time to try and get through to him."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Dai asked, raising his eyebrows when Matty didn't immediately answer his partner.

The younger twin straightened his shoulders, as if coming to some sort of an important decision, and looking him directly in the eyes, Matty said calmly, "If Ryoko can help Alopemon digivolve in the state that he's in, then it shouldn't be a problem for me."

"Ryoko needs us," Celestimon said softly, blasting another shadow before fluttering down to the golden-haired Digidestined's level and putting his small arms around the unconscious boy's tousled blond head. The simple gesture was surprisingly warm and affectionate, especially since Ryoko wasn't his partner. "We can't let him down."

Dai nodded in agreement, and waving Celestimon away, he said softly, "Get to it then. We don't have any time to waste."

Matty quickly pulled out his D-Coder, and pointing it at Celestimon, he said, "Go help Tirimon. We need to hold those shadows off at least until Ryoko wakes up or the others get here to help us."

"Right, I'll do my best! Celestimon digivolve to, Angelicmon!"

The celestial champion immediately summoned his golden spear, and leaping into the midst of the dark hoard, his lean muscular form almost disappearing from sight in the thick, violet mist, he felled several shadows with a single swipe of his glowing weapon, which was accompanied by a giant burst of brilliant light.

Tirimon quickly leaped into the black mass of dark figures to assist Angelicmon, and glancing over his shoulder, the celestial champion's green eyes settled on DarkAngelicmon, who was gazing back at him with interest.

"Planning on giving us a hand?" Angelicmon said dryly, looking both amused and a little curious at how the fallen angel would respond.

DarkAngelicmon was quick to answer the challenge, and summoning his own spear and twirling it lightly in his hand, he said with an air of sophistication, "Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can assist you."

Angelicmon responded by destroying several more shadows with his Celestial Star attack as Tirimon knocked several more back into the pit using his Frozen Specter move, and brushing a stray strand of golden hair out of his emerald eyes, the celestial champion said, "Really now? You didn't seem all that enthusiastic about helping us before."

"There are some things I cannot help with even if I would like to," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his green gaze growing suddenly dark and serious. "Fortunately for you, though, this is something I can help with."

With that, the fallen angel let loose is own Celestial Star attack, and it took out the group of shadows that Tirimon had attacked only moments ago, who were attempting to pull themselves free from the pit again.

Daichi was used to DarkAngelicmon using attacks he shouldn't have been able to perform in his current state by now, and thus he didn't bother to show any interest. Instead, he proceeded to focus his attention on Matty, and though the younger twin was right beside him, he still had to squint through the purple mist to get a good look at the other boy's expression. Matty's troubled eyes were focused on his cousin, and catching the younger twin's arm, Dai murmured, "Come on. Help me pull him back from the pit a bit further. He might calm down a little if we get him away from the shadows. Er...if he wakes up, that is."

Matty nodded silently in agreement, and together they each grabbed one of Ryoko's arms and proceeded to drag him away from the edge of the pit. As they got further away from the chasm, the violet mist grew less dense, and eventually Dai was able to see the younger twin fairly clearly, though he could still feel the taint of the purple fog in the air all around them. From their new vantage point, the shadows looked like haunting wraiths lurching up out of the pit into the deadly mist, and it was harder to make out the three digimon that were trying to hold the dark forms back. Despite that, though, Dai could still see the bursts of light from their attacks, and he could just make out their silhouettes enough to tell who was who in the battle.

Though they weren't exactly gentle, Ryoko didn't wake up from being pulled across the ice, and now that they were a safe distance away from the fight, Matty quickly put his arms around the golden-haired Digidestined again and held him close in a protective embrace.

Sometime during Dai's initial outburst, when he had finally lost his patience and put his boot in the face of a particularly annoying shadow, Ryoko had suddenly stopped screaming, and instead of putting up a fight like he had earlier, the golden-haired Digidestined had gone limp in Matty's arms, his sapphire eyes falling closed as he lost the energy and the will to fight off his cousin. From there, the blond had ended up falling unconscious in Matty's grip, which was why they had been forced to drag him to safety. Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, though, and Ryoko was safely back in Matty's arms, Dai was hoping the blond would settle down and become coherent again once he woke up.

If he woke up.

Dai took a quick look at Ryoko's face, and what he saw there made his heart sink. On the surface, it looked as if the golden-haired Digidestined was merely sleeping, his thoughts lost in some dream world where nobody could follow him, but on closer inspection, it was obvious that there was something very wrong with him. Ryoko's complexion was extremely pale, and his breathing was dangerously shallow. For a moment, all Dai could feel was a deep sense of helplessness threatening to overwhelm him, and watching the blond silently, he felt a piece of his soul that was so personal even he often had trouble acknowledging it twist painfully inside his heart.

There was a part of him that felt like everything that had happened up until now was somehow all his fault, and he knew he needed to do something quick if he wanted to have any hope at all of saving Ryoko. There was no way the golden-haired Digidestined could lose his heart to the darkness. That simply wasn't an option. Somehow, Dai knew he had to bring Ryoko out of his misery, and he needed to do it before it was too late to reverse the effects of the darkness.

Because if he didn't, Matty would never forgive him.

And I would never forgive myself...

"Dai, is something wrong?"

Dai frowned, and glancing quickly at the battle taking place near the edge of the cliff, he said slowly, "Look, I know now isn't exactly an ideal time to talk about this sort of thing, but I think you'd better tell me what's going on. I have my suspicions, but I don't doubt there's a lot I'm missing. I'm not exactly going to be a whole lot of help to you if you keep leaving me in the dark about everything. Ryoko's heart might depend on it."

"I know. It's just...It's a long story, and we don't have a whole lot of time," Matty replied, indicating the battle taking place nearby, his amber eyes watchful for any stray shadows that might manage to slip unseen past their digimon and make a grab for Ryoko.

"You think I don't know that? I'm not a complete idiot, you know. Sure, those shadows could attack us at any moment, but what does it matter if we can't save Ryoko? If you want them to disappear so badly, the only way to do that is to fix whatever is wrong with your cousin."

"But-"

"Matty, I can't help you make things right again if you won't tell me what's going on."

Matty's amber eyes were dark and full of sorrow, and tightening his arms around Ryoko's shoulders, the younger twin rested his cheek against his cousin's golden head and said quietly, "You're right, I know that. It's just...I'm not really all that good at explaining this sort of stuff. This is more the kind of thing that falls into Izzy's territory. He's the expert on the Digital World, not me."

Dai quickly dropped to the ice in front of Matty, and giving the younger twin a slight smile, he said, "Try me."

"Well...you saw that creepy portal by the lake, right?" Matty asked, once again glancing anxiously across the chamber at his partner before continuing. "That thing is a direct gateway to the World of Darkness, like the portal Tal and his friends used to reach GranDracmon's castle way back long before we were born. It was leaking some kind of creepy purple liquid, which you must have noticed, and it looked like the stuff we saw coming from the shadow we ran into back at the castle on Cyber. This whole time that yucky goo has been dripping out of the portal into the lake, and from there the underground network of channels is carrying it all over the Ice Caverns."

Dai nodded slowly, and scratching his dark hair, he said, "I'm with you so far. What you're saying is that the gross purple stuff we saw coming from the portal is spreading the darkness all over the Ice Caverns? And it can do that because the underground channels that run all over these tunnels are all connected to the lake where the portal is?"

"Exactly," Matty murmured, letting out a deep sigh. "And it's all the darkness coming from that stupid portal that's powering the crystal mirrors, except there's a catch to it."

"A catch?"

Matty made a face, and looking down at his cousin's unconscious body, he said quietly, "As a general rule, the crystal mirrors usually remain...dormant, I guess you could say? Ugh, where's Izzy when I need him. Anyways, even when the darkness is flowing into them, that doesn't mean they're dangerous. They're not harmful for the most part, if you have a strong heart and a good head on your shoulders. They only become activated if someone who's in the cave loses their heart to the darkness. When that happens, the heart that's become vulnerable acts as trigger, which brings the mirrors to life. Once the mirrors have been activated, anybody in the caves who has some strong doubts lingering in their heart will begin to feel the effects of the darkness in the mirrors, including the person who originally activated them."

Dai was silent for a long moment, and studying Ryoko's pale complexion, the flashes of the fierce battle taking place lighting up the gloomy mist behind him, he said slowly, "So if I'm understanding this right, you think Ryoko was the one who originally activated the mirrors? That's what you said earlier."

"I don't think, I know," Matty said shortly, refusing to look at him. "And in case you haven't figured it out yet, that's a huge problem."

"How so exactly?"

Matty let out a soft snort, and turning to squint through the mist at his celestial partner, he muttered, "You said it yourself. All the darkness here in the Ice Caverns isn't going to leave us alone until Ryoko manages to free his heart from the darkness, and at this point I don't think he can do that without our help."

Dai felt a sudden strong urge to wake the golden-haired Digidestined, but he held back. Somehow he didn't think Ryoko would appreciate any sympathy from him, and he didn't want to cause the blond to start freaking out again.

Now that Ryoko had screamed himself into a catatonic state, the rush of shadows climbing out of the giant chasm surrounding the Spirit Chip seemed to be dwindling, and though Dai should have been relieved, all he felt was a deep sense of regret. How badly he would have given anything to comfort Ryoko the way Matty was doing right at that moment, but unfortunately that was a luxury he had never been able to indulge in.

Did the younger twin even realize how lucky he was?

The few times I've ever tried something like that, it hasn't ended well for me. Usually we end up fighting, or I end up getting a fist in the face or something. That's not the way it is for Matty, though. He doesn't have to wonder how Ryoko feels about him. He already knows, and he's free to reach out to Ryoko whenever he wants with no strings attached. That's something I'll never have, no matter how much I want it...

But what about those extremely rare occasions when Ryoko had responded favourably to him?

Like this morning when didn't seem to want to let go of me...

While he had every right to feel a twinge of jealously towards Matty, something nobody could really blame him for, Dai merely felt a sense of longing and despair at the friendship he was missing out on. He was happy that Matty and Ryoko were so close to each other, even if they might not realize just how strong their bond was for themselves, but at the same time, it was something he wanted for himself.

But if that was never meant to be then he at least wanted Matty and Ryoko to get past the small rift that had somehow grown between them.

A problem he was only just now starting to see for himself.

How did I not notice it before?

Over the last four weeks, it was true that Dai had been struggling with the way Ryoko kept avoiding him for reasons he still didn't understand, but after witnessing the awkwardness between Matty and the golden-haired Digidestined that had also been playing out over the course of a month, something he had not consciously been aware of until now, all of a sudden he was able to view the past from an entirely different perspective. Now that he had witnessed the tension between Matty and Ryoko with his own eyes, thanks to Ryoko's odd behaviour at the mere mention of his cousin, he realized upon looking back that it wasn't something new that had just happened overnight between his two friends. Since gaining possession of the Spirit Chip of Compassion, Ryoko had also started to distance himself from Matty, which meant Dai wasn't the only one who was probably feeling a sense of abandonment and neglect. On the surface, it was a shocking revelation to take in, but at the same time it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Because of that, Dai was ashamed to admit he hadn't noticed the subtle difference in the relationship between Matty and Ryoko until now, which was something he should have picked up on right from the beginning. It was only after Ryoko had started acting weird that morning, especially when Matty's name was mentioned, that he had started to become suspicious. But even then he hadn't truly understood what was going on until this very moment, and that was only because Matty's words had forced him to look back on the last four weeks from a different viewpoint, allowing him to pick up on the little things he had missed seeing earlier. Perhaps he had been aware of the strain between Matty and Ryoko on a subconscious level, but that was no excuse for ignoring his own instincts. Ryoko's actions over the last month had made Matty grow more quiet and withdrawn, and clearly the golden-haired Digidestined's behaviour had greatly upset the younger twin.

It was so obvious now, especially with the way Ryoko had acted towards Matty right before the shadows had started climbing up out of the pit, and because of that Dai felt pretty stupid for having been so clueless. How could he have been so foolish not to have seen the cracks in the relationship between Matty and Ryoko, which may have been there even before their last trip to the Digital World?

But why? What in the Digiworld could have gone wrong between them? What dumb reasons do they have that would make them act like a couple of stupid idiots?

That was the one thing Dai still didn't understand. As far as he knew, the relationship between Matty and Ryoko had always been pretty solid. What could have happened to make them drift away from each other in such a short time?

I get it with Ryoko and I. The tension between us has always been there, but that's not the case for Matty and Ryoko. I don't understand...

And if he hadn't been acting like a selfish jerk and worrying so much about his own problems with Ryoko, maybe he might have picked up on the growing tension between the golden-haired Digidestined and Matty a lot sooner. And if he had, he might have been able to do something about it.

But no. Instead, I wasted all that time worrying about something I've never been able to change instead of making myself useful. If things go badly between Ryoko and Matty, it'll be partly my fault. I could have done something to help, but instead I focused only on myself. Because of that, now look what's happened...

"Dai?" Matty said, the sound of his voice shattering the uneasy silence that had fallen between them.

Dai blinked in surprise, and focusing his attention back on the younger twin, who was watching him closely, he said, "So...what exactly happens to the person who triggers the mirrors once they've been activated?"

"The same thing that happens to anyone who has the potential to suffer from the effects of the mirrors once they've been activated," Matty said quietly, blushing for some reason. "If you focus too closely on them, they'll show you a reflection of the greatest fears lurking inside your heart. When that happens, those feelings can take on the shape of those shadowy figures that are coming up out of the pit even as we speak."

"Which are the same as the shadow that we saw in the castle on Cyber, and they're also the same as the ones that attacked Sam in the World of Darkness."

"They might not always look identical to the shadows we've all seen recently, the ones that my mother encountered, which had red eyes instead of purple, being a perfect example, but no matter what they look like, they're essentially all the same thing," Matty explained, his expression growing even more serious. "Those shadows come from the World of Darkness, and their entire existence depends upon our lack of faith. They're able gain strength and grow in numbers from the darkness in our hearts. The stronger the darkness, the more dangerous they become. You remember the stories are parents told us about the Dark Ocean, right? Those things are physical manifestations of the darkness lurking in our hearts, and the form they take depends entirely on the hearts of those who have succumbed to their own weaknesses. We're the ones who give them shape and substance. They exist because of us, and when we falter in the darkness, we give them life."

"And that's why it doesn't matter what they look like. They're all just a product of the darkness that exists inside every heart, and the World of Darkness is able to take that darkness we carry within us and turn it into something physical that we can see."

"That's right," Matty agreed, looking at him with a hint of new respect in his amber eyes. "You get it."

Dai nodded, and crossing his arms over his chest, he wrinkled his nose at the concentration of violet mist in the air and said, "Sure I get it, but what exactly does that have to do with Ryoko and the mirrors?"

Matty paused for a moment, and unable to look at him, the younger twin said softly, "When your heart has become affected by the darkness within, the shadows will begin to manifest inside the mirrors, and the reason they can do that is because of the darkness that's flowing into the crystals from the lake. Even then, that wouldn't be a problem if you ignored the crystals, but if you allow yourself to focus too closely on the mirrors, the shadows lurking inside them will grow in strength and numbers. Once that happens, they can take on shape and substance, and at that point, if you continue to pay attention to them, they will change into the form of whatever you fear the most inside your heart. The greatest fears that exist deep inside your soul will then become your biggest nightmare in physical form, and once you've fallen into that trap...well, look at Ryoko. That pretty much sums it up, I guess."

"Huh, okay. I think I get it. That was a pretty good job you did of explaining the situation. Izzy would be proud."

Matty looked surprised by the sudden compliment, and cheeks turning pink, he mumbled, "It was nothing really. I'm just repeating what I heard before."

Dai couldn't help smiling at the younger twin's obvious embarrassment, and as Matty's words finally sank in, a thought suddenly occurred to him that piqued his curiosity. "Wait a minute. About what you just said...You're only repeating what you heard before? What does that mean, and come to think of it...How do you know all of this?"

Matty slowly looked up at him again, and shrugging his shoulders, the younger twin said calmly, "Lucemon told me."

That caught Dai completely off guard, and staring stupidly at his blond friend, he said, "Huh?"

"That's where I was before DarkAngelicmon came to get me," Matty explained, smiling slightly at the reaction his words had caused. "Remember you asked me earlier about what happened last night? I was in the cavern where the lake is with Lucemon. He told me a lot of interesting things about these caves, and he mentioned...some other things too."

Dai nodded slowly, and staring at Ryoko's unconscious form, he said slowly, "Other things? Like what?"

"That's not important right now. I'll tell you later once all of us are together again, since there are some things I think everyone needs to hear. The only reason I'm telling you this part is because it has to do with Ryoko, and like you said, you need to know what's going on if we're going to have any hope of saving him."

Dai watched the battle taking place for a moment, and though he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, he was pretty certain now that the mad rush of shadows really was starting to dwindle a bit. Even the mist didn't seem quite as thick as before, and Dai could make out Tirimon and the two celestial digimon a lot more easily than he would have been able to even just ten minutes ago. He knew Matty was still worried about taking too much time to explain things, in case something in the battle went wrong or Ryoko started freaking out again, but the bit the younger twin had revealed to him did make the situation a little easier for Dai to understand, which was a necessary risk that up until this point had paid off for both of them. Without any kind of explanation, there was no way Dai would have been able to effectively help Matty purge the darkness from Ryoko's heart, but while he was glad the younger twin had recognized the significance of keeping him informed, there was still a small voice inside his head that was telling him he was missing something important.

But what could it be?

That was when Dai realized the younger twin was avoiding his gaze again, and raising his eyebrows, he said slowly, "There's something else, isn't there."

Matty refused to look at him, and holding onto Ryoko like the golden-haired Digidestined was a shield he could use to protect himself, he said, "Lucemon isn't the only reason why I know kind of how the Ice Caverns work now. It's also because I had a similar experience with the mirrors myself."

"You mean...a similar experience to whatever happened with Ryoko? Something with the shadows?"

"That's right," Matty agreed, still unable to look at him. "I know exactly what Ryoko's going through at the moment because I sort of went through the same thing myself last night."

Dai shook his head in denial, and frowning at Matty, he said, "But that's impossible. If you were having trouble with the mirrors then that means you would have let yourself become a victim of the darkness in your heart..."

Matty finally looked at him, the younger twin's amber eyes sparkling with shame and regret, and Dai stared back at his friend in confusion, unable to comprehend what was going on.

That's just...not possible. I know Matty can feel the darkness pretty easily a lot of the time, but that doesn't make him weak. He's always been strong enough to stand up against the darkness and fight back. At least, that's how it always seemed to me. I've never once seen him let it affect his heart before...

As the two of them continued to stare at one other, Dai said quietly, "No way. That's not...Why would you ever let the darkness affect you? That's just stupid. You've got your friends and family, and Mickey, and...you've also got me..."

Something that was so powerful it almost took Dai's breath away flashed deep within Matty's amber gaze, and reaching out to place a hand on his arm, the younger twin said gently, "Listen, Dai, you know how I said the shadows can take on the form of whatever the greatest fears are that exist inside your heart? One of the things that allows them to do is to take on the appearance of the people you care about. That's what happened to Ryoko last night."

"You mean the bruises?" Dai said slowly, momentarily distracted by the sudden change in subject.

Wait a minute...

Perhaps it had been Matty's intention to manipulate the conversation, but regardless Dai found himself thinking back on the half-formed thoughts that his brain had conjured up earlier, which had resulted in Tirimon scolding him for his farfetched theories. "Wait, so I was right? Then...it really was you who caused those bruises, but somehow not you?"

Matty nodded, his gaze focusing on his cousin's face, which looked troubled even in his unconscious state, and letting out a deep sigh, the younger twin said, "Ryoko keeps insisting that I hurt him, but you and I both know that's ridiculous and completely untrue."

"And yet he's adamant that it was you."

"That's because while it might not have actually been me who attacked him, something that looked exactly like me did," Matty said, rubbing wearily at his tired eyes. "One of the shadows in the mirrors must have taken on my shape and form, and then it must have gone after Ryoko during the night while you were sleeping."

Dai gave the younger twin a look, and adjusting the goggles on his head, he said, "So you're telling me Ryoko couldn't tell the difference between you and a dumb looking shadow?"

"It's not that easy," Matty insisted, sounding a tad bit impatient. "And I know that for a fact because I've seen what those shadows look like when they change shape for myself. They're doppelgangers, Dai. Exact copies of us. The shadow that attacked Ryoko would have looked and felt exactly like I do. The only difference between them and the real thing is that you can feel a terrible sense of darkness radiating from their bodies."

Dai hesitated a moment, and glancing at Ryoko, he said slowly, "But..."

"It's not the same," Matty said quickly, sensing his train of thought and pulling the golden-haired Digidestined closer in defiance. "This is definitely the real Ryoko. The darkness we can feel coming from his heart isn't the same malicious darkness that the shadows produce. It's simply the pain of a person who's hurting very badly right now."

Dai felt a fist clench tightly around his heart at those words, and unable to look at the unconscious boy, he said quietly, "But how could Ryoko mistake the darkness those shadows give off for you? You would never feel that kind of hatred towards him."

"No, of course I wouldn't," Matty murmured, his chin resting on Ryoko's golden head. "And Ryoko knows that. Normally, he would never believe such a thing. He would never fall for such an obvious trick unless something happened to give him a reason to think I would want to hurt him. He would never behave like this unless he thought he did something to make me angry."

"Huh?"

A strange look appeared in Matty's eyes, and unable to decipher it, Dai let out a snort and said, "Even so, Ryoko's not that dumb. You're his cousin. No matter what he did to you, you guys wouldn't let it come between you. He knows you would never hurt him no matter how mad you are."

"That's because I never gave him a reason to believe otherwise, until now."

"What?"

Matty impatiently shook his head, and rubbing a hand across his eyes, he said shortly, "Listen, the most important thing right now is finding out what caused Ryoko to activate the mirrors in the first place. If we can figure out what the root of the problem is, we might be able to free his heart from the darkness."

Dai nodded to show he understood, and feeling as if he was on the verge of discovering something vitally important, he said nonchalantly, "And you have a theory about what that something might be?"

"More than a theory," Matty replied, glancing anxiously at the battle still taking place.

The shadows had definitely dwindled by this point, that much was now plainly obvious, and the mist had mostly dissipated, allowing them to fully see what was going on, but even though it looked like the battle was going well, Dai wasn't convinced it would mean a victory for their digimon. As much as he wanted to believe they now had the situation under control, he had a feeling the break in the number of shadows was only the calm before the storm.

Matty seemed to share the same sentiment as he did, and unwilling to allow the younger twin to become distracted, he said, "You sound pretty sure of yourself. If it's not a theory, then what is it? What are you hiding from me?"

Matty suddenly looked extremely embarrassed again, and blushing a deep shade of red, the younger twin said, "We now know Ryoko was being hunted by the shadows that originate from the World of Darkness, and it's there where the darkness in our hearts allows the shadows to manifest into physical form. Once they become strong enough, they're able to move freely between the two worlds, and that gives them the opportunity to harass us while we're at our lowest point. Without a doubt, the gateway to the World of Darkness is the source of all the darkness that's flowing through the Ice Caverns, which is why this place is so dangerous. It's the perfect breeding ground for someone to lose their heart to the darkness, and that's exactly what happened to Ryoko. Why? Well, that's easy enough to figure out. It's because there was something troubling his heart and mind that made him vulnerable to the darkness, and whatever that something is, that's what's causing the shadows to hunt him."

"So, in other words, he really is an idiot?"

"Like you're one to talk," Matty shot back, smiling slightly. "If I recall, you weren't exactly doing a great job of standing up to the darkness yourself when we were looking for your Spirit Chip."

Dai placed a hand against his heart, and pretending to look hurt, he said, "Ouch, you wound me."

"You deserve it," Matty scolded. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Okay, I get it. No having fun allowed right now. Anyways, so back to Ryoko?"

"Whatever that something is that's weighing on his mind, it's affecting him so much that it gave the darkness here in the Ice Caverns the perfect opportunity to get inside his soul," Matty continued, his expression once again growing serious. "That, in turn, allowed the darkness that already exists deep inside his heart to grow in strength, and eventually the force of his emotions activated the crystal mirrors. As the darkness began to flow through them, it started to affect the minds of everyone in the Ice Caverns whose hearts might be wavering in the darkness. That includes DarkAngelicmon, Lucemon, and myself for sure, but that doesn't mean we're the only ones. I think it might also have possibly affected Mickey, and maybe even some of others who came with us for all I know."

"Matty..."

We're supposed to be talking about Ryoko, and yet he keeps coming back to himself. Why? If what he's saying really happened to him, then that means... all this time he's been hurting, and I didn't even notice. But...if that's true, then what could have hurt him so much to make the shadows come after him?

The younger twin dismissed his concern with a quick shake of his head and said, "Save your sympathy for later. I'm not done yet."

"But-"

"Once the mirrors were activated, anyone whose heart was wavering in the darkness became a target, and if they focused too closely on the crystals then the shadows from the World of Darkness would appear inside the mirrors and take on the form of whatever was troubling them the most inside their heart," Matty continued, ignoring his protest. "From my experience, the shadows took on the forms of all the people I love who were involved in what was bothering me so much, and once the shadows became strong enough to act outside the mirrors, they started to harass me and play tricks on my mind."

"By pretending to be something they're not."

"Exactly," Matty agreed, looking troubled. "Only in my case, it wasn't something, it was someone. More than one person actually. It was a whole lot of people for me. I doubt it was exactly the same with Ryoko, since we don't share the same fears, but like with me, the shadows for him must have taken on the forms of the people who are involved in whatever it is that's causing him so much pain. I know I'm one of those people for sure, since evidently a shadow that was pretending to be me attacked him during the night, but I'm pretty sure there must have been at least one other doppelganger he would have caught a glimpse of at some point during our mission to recover the Spirit Chip of Loyalty."

Dai strongly suspected he really didn't want to know the answer to who that other person might be, and knowing he would probably regret it later, he took a deep breath and said, "Really? And who might you be referring to?"

Matty looked him directly in the eyes, no longer embarrassed by the sensitive topic of their conversation, and amber gaze glittering with emotion, the younger twin whispered, "You."

Dai had known instinctively in his heart what was coming, but even so, the painful truth of Matty's sudden revelation still hit him pretty hard. For a moment his brain was unable to comprehend the significance of the younger twin's words, and unsure of how to respond, he said stupidly, "Me?"

"It was you who finally made me figure out the truth," Matty said, shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe it himself. "When you started talking about Ryoko possibly being attacked by something that looked like me, that was when I realized he must have been hunted by the shadows."

"Well, I was really only guessing. I never thought I'd actually be right. I didn't realize...a doppelganger of you? I mean, don't get me wrong, I was expecting something bizarre, but my brain hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Or that weird yet."

"You know, you're a lot smarter than you often give yourself credit for," Matty replied, smiling faintly.

Now it was Dai's turn to feel slightly embarrassed, and sheepishly scratching the back of his head, he said, "I don't know about that. I mean, I get what's going on now, but that doesn't mean I'm not still really confused about what you're telling me. For one thing, what does any of this have to do with me?"

"More than you know," Matty murmured, his expression growing dark again.

At this point, Dai was starting to lose his patience, and frowning at the younger twin, he said rather briskly, "What are you going on about? After everything that's happened now, I think I have a right to know what's really going on here, especially since whatever you're talking about seems to have something to do with me."

Matty took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for what he was about to reveal, and gazing at him with regret, the younger twin said, "I really need to apologize to you, Dai."

"Huh? What for?"

"Do you...remember what I said to you before?"

Dai frowned, thinking back on their earlier conversation when Matty had apologized for doubting him, and nodding slowly, he said, "Yeah, I remember. You were trying to apologize to me earlier. Something about doubting me?"

"That's right," Matty mumbled, trying and failing miserably to hide behind Ryoko's mop of golden hair. "You definitely deserve an apology from me."

Dai was quiet for a moment, and watching the flashing lights of the dwindling battle, he said quietly, "I asked you what happened last night, but you wouldn't tell me before. That's when you saw Lucemon, right? And just now...you said you were affected by the mirrors, just like Ryoko. Does that mean..."

"Now do you see why I called myself an idiot?" Matty said dryly, looking both amused and a little annoyed with himself.

"But...that would mean you let the darkness in your heart gain control of your emotions."

"That's right," Matty agreed, watching him closely.

"You let this place affect you, which means there was something wrong. And whatever that something was, it made the shadows come after you."

"Yes, there was something wrong. There were doubts in my heart, and I let them get to me," Matty said softly, refusing to look away from him.

Dai was unable to look away himself, and not trusting his own emotions or his courage to speak on the matter just yet, he said instead, "You mentioned before that you experienced something similar to what happened to Ryoko. Was that also last night?"

"You're catching on," Matty said quietly, nodding in approval. "It happened before I met up with Lucemon."

Dai fell silent again, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and as recognition slowly dawned on him, he let out a gasp and said in astonishment, "You mean to tell me that last night you were also attacked by shadows that looked like your friends?"

"Bingo," Matty said simply, his determined gaze never wavering. "And in case you haven't figured it out yet, you were one of those shadows."

Me?

Moments ago, he had almost felt as if Matty was testing him, and the puzzle the younger twin had presented him with was a part of that test. His instincts were telling him he had passed, but the results of his score weren't exactly all that pleasant. If one of the shadows had taken on his form, then that meant he was a part of the problem.

It means I've done something to hurt Matty...

But if that was true, what was it he could have possibly done to upset Matty? Or was there some other explanation? Either way, he needed to know for sure.

And the only way to find out was to ask.

Matty...

Dai stared at the younger twin, at a complete loss for words, and as something painful seemed to burst inside his heart, he said calmly, "You said something would have triggered Ryoko to activate the mirrors, and whatever that something was it provoked the shadows to come after him. What about you then? You might not have been the one to originally activate the mirrors, but the shadows didn't attack you for no reason. So what's your excuse? Why did you become a victim of the darkness?"

"You," Matty whispered, his face falling. "You and Ryoko."

Dai knew he appeared relatively calm on the outside, but on the inside his heart was a tangled mass of emotions. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't even know where to start. Matty had just confirmed his suspicions, and now there was no turning back from the painful confession he was mostly likely going to hear from the younger twin, whether he wanted to accept it or not.

But if I don't hear what he has to say, I'll never know what it is I've done to hurt him. And not knowing would be even worse. I can't makes things better between us if I don't even know what I've done wrong.

Dai took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and moving over to sit directly across from the younger twin, almost forgetting about the battle taking place entirely, he placed his hand on Matty's shoulder and said calmly, "Tell me."

"At the beach. Do you remember?" Matty said softly, gazing almost shyly at him in return.

"The beach...You mentioned that earlier. What about it?"

"Do you remember what I said exactly?"

Dai thought back to their earlier conversation again, and nodding slowly, he said, "You mentioned how I said I'd never stop being your friend when we were at the beach together."

"Yeah, that's it," Matty whispered.

Dai looked away in embarrassment, which wasn't something he normally struggled with, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "You were going on about how you should have believed me. What was that about?"

"Do you remember what I said next?" Matty asked, evading the question.

Dai nodded, and studying the younger twin a little more closely, he said, "You were rambling something about how things are different now?"

Matty gave him a playful whack on the shoulder, and making a face, the younger twin said, "You idiot, I was being sincere! Things are different now. It's like I said then, I'm okay with it now. You and Ryoko."

I still don't get it...

Dai didn't hesitate to let his confusion show, and shaking his head in bewilderment, he said, "Me? Ryoko? What about us?"

"About the two of you being friends," Matty said bluntly, his amber eyes suddenly sparkling with fierce emotion. "I'm okay with it now. Don't you remember what I said to you on the beach? I know I'm not your only best friend. I don't really think I ever was. I was just a fool who didn't want to see what was right in front of my face, but my eyes are open now, and everything is clear to me. And I'm okay with that. I'm more than okay actually. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'm excited about what this could mean for all three of us."

Dai was so startled by the unexpected response that for a moment all he could do was stare, and then for some reason his heart started to pound painfully in his chest. Although he still didn't quite get what Matty was saying, the words affected him deeply, and struggling to keep his cool, he said, "You've lost me now. What are you getting at exactly?"

"If anyone can handle having two best friends, it's you, Dai," Matty said softly, giving him a hesitant smile. "That's something you're good at. Friendship. And even though he won't admit it, Ryoko's the same. Nobody understands it the way you two do."

Dai jerked his hand away in surprise, and though he was sure on a subconscious level he knew exactly what Matty was trying to tell him, there was still a small part of him that was unable to accept or comprehend what he was hearing. It was all happening so fast, and his mind was having a hard time keeping up.

He thinks...Ryoko and I...

The thought was so personal and so deeply rooted in the furthest corner of his heart that he couldn't even let the words form fully within his own mind, and staring at Matty in disbelief, he said, "H-hey, hold it! Back up a bit here! What are you talking about? Two best friends? Last I checked, Ryoko didn't want to have anything to do with me. He's not my best friend."

"No, but you want him to be," Matty shot back, looking suddenly pleased with himself.

Dai knew he was stuttering, and feeling his face turn red, he said, "B-but he hates me! And you're my best friend!"

"Of course I am," Matty cheerfully agreed, looking as if he were about to laugh.

"Then what in the Digiworld? What's wrong with you!"

"Nothing," Matty said warmly, his amber eyes softening into a genuine smile. "At least, not anymore."

Dai suddenly felt a small spark of fear in his chest, and growing a bit worried, he said quickly, "Then why would you say something like that? Don't you want to be my best friend anymore?"

"Of course I do, you dummy," Matty scolded, touching him gently on the shoulder. "That's something I'll never give up."

"Then what..."

"Don't you get it?" Matty asked, his smile growing wider.

Dai had trouble answering because he couldn't get over the look on Matty's face. Though they had always been pretty open about their feelings towards one another, he had never seen the younger twin looking at him with so much affection before. There was a deep fondness in Matty's gaze that made him grow suddenly warm inside, and feeling a little stupid, he said, "I must be missing something here because I'm totally lost."

"Aren't you the one who's always preaching about how it's possible to have more than one best friend?" Matty said dryly, raising his eyebrows. "Wasn't that what you were trying to say to me on the beach?"

Dai remembered that conversation like it was yesterday, and looking back, he didn't regret those words. Friendship was a powerful thing, and in his heart he truly believed it was something that could be shared by everyone.

Which is why I haven't been able to give up on Ryoko, even after all these years, and it's why Matty's so important to me...

"Well?" Matty asked, clearly expecting an answer.

Dai straightened his shoulders, and returning the younger twin's steady gaze, he said with more confidence, "Well, it's true. Lots of people have done it before."

"And digimon," Matty said softly, his eyes turning to the fallen angel, who had just stepped in front of Angelicmon to block an attack that would have hit the celestial digimon right in the chest if he had not intervened. "DarkAngelicmon, Lucemon, and Luciamon were able to do it, so why not us?"

"What do you mean us?"

"You, me, and Ryoko," Matty explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Dai smiled at that, and watching the fallen angel himself, he said, "They made it look pretty easy, don't you think?"

"Yeah, they did," Matty agreed, smiling softly to himself.

Dai continued to watch the battle for a moment, and glancing sideways at the younger twin, he said, "You were worried about our friendship. That's why one of the shadows took on my form."

"You really do get it now."

"Matty, I..."

"Do you know why I was worried about our friendship, though?"

Dai thought back to the conversation he'd had with Matty on the beach, which seemed like a lifetime ago now, and all of a sudden it was like a light bulb turned on in his head. With astonishing clarity, he was able to see their conversation by the water from a whole new perspective, and what it revealed to him was a truth that was so shocking, it stunned him into silence. Thanks to his sudden enlightenment, he was able to make sense of the meaning behind Matty's uncertainty by the ocean, and now that he understood the conversation more clearly, he felt Matty's confession stir even more deeply within his heart. Even though that night on the beach was over a month ago, the younger twin hadn't forgotten. All that time, Matty had been worrying abut their friendship, and Dai was ashamed to admit he'd been stupid enough not to take the conversation as seriously as he should have.

And the reason as to why Matty had been worrying so much? Well, that was plainly obvious now.

It was because of Ryoko.

Matty, of all people, afraid of losing out to his own cousin? And for what? Nothing. Ryoko can't even stand me. And besides, I'm not that special...

And yet, Matty had hinted at the truth more than once, and he hadn't even noticed until now. All that time, he'd been so busy with his own problems that he had failed to noticed how much his best friend was hurting.

I just assumed he was fine because I took the strength of his heart for granted. Since we've never had any issues with our friendship before, I just kind of figured things would always be that way between us. I never once stopped to think that even the strongest of us sometimes falter and need a little bit of reassurance...

What kind of person was he to have been so insensitive? Just when Matty had needed him most, he had failed the younger twin. Not only had he ignored the pain in Matty's heart, he had taken the the blond's friendship for granted as well. No wonder the thought of him being friends with Ryoko would have upset Matty. How could the younger twin not have questioned their friendship when he had made himself come across as a guy who was looking to replace Matty with someone else?

But if Matty actually believed that was possible then that means he really does know how I truly feel about Ryoko...

Which meant he had been right about his suspicions after all.

And funny enough, he was strangely okay with that.

Matty had always been very good at reading him, much to his embarrassment, but that was one of the things that made best friends so awesome and so annoying at the same time. You couldn't hide anything from then, whether you wanted to or not.

Since Matty would have known about my real feelings all this time, then that explains why he would have seen a shadow version of Ryoko. It all makes sense now...

On a subconscious level, Dai was sure his brain had registered the truth about Matty's feelings towards Ryoko a while ago, but he hadn't wanted to think about it because of the amount of conflict and pain it would inflict on all three of them if their feelings were ever brought to the surface. All that suffering would have been too much to take in all at once, but now that he had been forced to admit the truth to himself, he felt guilty for having neglected Matty and his fears.

Me, good at understanding friendship? If anything, I've been a lousy friend. To both Matty and Ryoko...

"That day at the beach, I wanted so badly to believe what you were saying, but my heart was weak," Matty murmured, unable to look at him anymore. "At first, after we talked that day, I was fine for the most part. I actually felt pretty good the rest of the evening, but when I woke up the next morning...I started to doubt myself again. And because I started to doubt myself, I started to doubt your words, too. My confidence became almost nonexistent, and eventually my fear grew to the point where I started to lose my ability to think rationally about the situation I was in. All sense of logic and reason began to fail me, and it was then that I let my fears drift beyond just you and our friendship. Without me even noticing, I became a victim of the darkness in my own heart, and I got so paranoid that I started to believe everyone I cared about was trying to leave me behind."

Ignoring Ryoko for a moment, though the blond was kind of in the way, Dai put his arms around Matty without any reservations, and hugging the younger twin close to his chest, he said fondly, "You idiot. Nobody would ever leave you behind, least of all me. And you know Mickey would never do that to you either."

"I don't know exactly what Ryoko experienced last night, but I saw the shadow versions of everyone I care about taunting me and wanting me to disappear forever," Matty whispered, hugging him back with one arm while using the other to support Ryoko's unconscious form. "And it all started because I doubted your promise to me on the beach. I think my fears about our friendship have been inside me for quite a while, but I didn't allow myself to dwell on them until we fought that day when you were trying to save Kara. That seemed to be what finally brought them to the surface, and that was why I might have seemed like I was acting so weird when we were at the beach. Maybe you've already figured it out by now, but I was starting to think you didn't want to be my best friend anymore, and those thoughts frightened me. I guess...subconsciously I always felt like maybe you would prefer to have Ryoko as your best friend over me, if he was ever willing to let you into his heart, and if that ever happened, I...well, things would be different between us. All this time, that was my biggest fear I guess. Somewhere in my heart I was worried you were going to replace me with Ryoko."

Replace Matty with...Ryoko? Wait, what? No!

Dai was so startled by the younger twin's confession that he jerked away in surprise, and giving his friend an incredulous look, he said indignantly, "Are you crazy? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You know I would never do something like that!"

"I know that now," Matty reassured him, smiling slightly. "Back then, though, I wasn't so sure, and for that I owe you an apology. It was pretty insulting of me to think you, of all people, would do something like that. It shows my lack of faith in you, and there are no excuses for that. I won't try to defend myself because there's nothing I can say that would make up for how I treated you. I was the one who was wrong, and if all of my fears had turned out to be real, I would have deserved losing you for being a lousy friend."

"Matty..."

"I won't lie about it, Dai," Matty said quietly, his amber gaze steady, "At the time, I was pretty worried. In fact, I was so worried about being right that I started to grow jealous of Ryoko because my mind had convinced me that he was eventually going to take my place as your best friend. It was a fear I couldn't get rid of, and the more I thought about it, the more it added to my misery, which made me even more vulnerable to the darkness."

"And then the shadows attacked."

"Because my heart had grown weak," Matty sighed, shaking his head in disgust. "Listen, Dai...I know it's a lot to take in, but does it all make sense to you now?"

Dai let his gaze wander back towards the chasm, and smiling slightly, he said, "Your fears about me becoming friends with Ryoko and forgetting about you, that's what caused the darkness to grow inside your heart, and it's the reason the shadows made you their target. You were the one who summoned them from the World of Darkness, and because of that you let the darkness in the Ice Caverns get inside your heart, further fueling the darkness that already exists inside you. And then, on top of that, your growing apprehension about everybody else you love only made things even worse."

"I knew you would understand, once I found the courage to tell you," Matty said shyly, beaming at him.

"You've already said your experience must be similar to whatever happened to Ryoko last night, but there's one major difference."

"There is?"

Matty look confused by his words, and watching the younger twin closely, he said, "Unlike Ryoko, you were able to get over your fears and recognize the truth."

"True," Matty murmured, his face falling at the mention of his cousin's troubled heart.

Dai was happy that the younger twin had managed to put his fears behind him, but it also made him curious. While he knew Matty was a strong person, there was no denying that the darkness flowing through the Ice Caverns was a formidable foe. Ryoko was a perfect example of just how persuasive it could be.

Which made him wonder. If Ryoko was having so much trouble pushing away the darkness in his heart, then how had Matty been able to overcome such a powerful opponent? From the sounds of it, Matty's fear had been every bit as strong a whatever was causing Ryoko to experience so much pain, but somehow the younger twin had managed to overcome his insecurities. That wasn't exactly an easy task, but somehow Matty had persevered while Ryoko was still suffering.

It was an interesting thought, and fully aware of the emotions stirring inside his heart, Dai turned back to the younger twin, the intensity in his dark gaze seeking an answer to his question. "How?"

"You have Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon to thank for that," Matty replied, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

"That's it? You're not going to tell me why?"

"I'll wait till we're back home. It's a conversation everyone needs to hear anyways, for more reasons than just one."

Dai made a face at the younger twin's cryptic response, but instead of arguing, he placed his hands on Matty's shoulders and said seriously, "You kept wanting to apologize to me, but you deserve an apology too. I called you dumb for thinking I would ever abandon you, but I'm just as much of an idiot for not realizing a long time ago that there was something wrong with you. That doesn't exactly make me a very good best friend, and for that, I'm sorry."

Matty shook his head in denial, and letting out a soft sound of protest, the younger twin said, "No, you're the most amazing best friend I could have ever asked for, and...no matter how jealous and uncertain I might have been, I still love Ryoko. I'm never going to stop caring about him no matter what happens between all of us. I also happen to think he's a really great person. Why wouldn't you want to grow closer to him? Why wouldn't you want to be good friends with him? Of course you would want that. He's just as amazing as you are. And the way you were always talking about him...was it any wonder that I was worried? That's no excuse, though. You had every right to feel that way. I was just reading my own interpretation into your words, and because of that I was hearing things that were never there to begin with. It's understandable that you would worry about him. I've been worrying about him, too."

"I...what are you saying?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Matty asked, raising his blond eyebrows.

If he's saying what I think he's saying...

Dai tightened his grip on Matty's shoulders, and barely able to speak, he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and said slowly, "So if I'm understanding this right...you're saying if I did want to be closer to Ryoko then that would be fine with you?"

"You tell me," Matty replied, giving him a small smile.

"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't okay with you. I couldn't do it."

"I know," Matty whispered, avoiding his eyes. "And if I truly consider myself your best friend, then I would never force you to make a decision like that. It would be selfish of me to put you into that kind of position."

"Matty, I-"

"I couldn't make you suffer like that, and if I were to deny you a chance at happiness then I have no right to call myself your best friend."

Dai didn't want to jump to conclusions about Matty's feelings, and watching the younger twin, he said slowly, "So you're saying everything is okay between us now?"

Matty pulled him back into a hug, and speaking quietly in his ear, the younger twin said, "On one condition."

"Which would be?"

"You make sure you treat my cousin well," Matty warned, though there was a touch of fondness in his tone. "He deserves it."

Dai nodded, but as a sense of warmth began to fill is heart, Matty's words suddenly hit him hard, the impact of what the younger twin was implying nearly ripping his soul to pieces. Unable to stop the pain from building in his chest, his smile faded, and he said slowly, "That's great and all, but there's only one problem with what you said."

"Problem?" Matty asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Matty, I..."

"What?"

Dai let out a deep sigh, and turning his face away, he said, "I'm glad that everything's good between us now and that you trust me again, but...about what you just said, I don't think that's going to be possible. Ryoko doesn't want...I mean, I'm happy you want him to be closer to me, but even if you didn't want that, it wouldn't really matter in the end. In case you failed to notice, I don't think Ryoko's interested in being friends with me."

"You're wrong," Matty shot back, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Huh?"

Matty's conviction caught him completely off guard, and gazing at the younger twin, he could see the determination in his friend's amber eyes. Matty held him out at arm's length, and looking directly into his eyes, the younger twin said firmly, "You're wrong about Ryoko. I know my cousin. I know him very well. You only think you're seeing the truth, but you're not. Remember the photo I showed you at the beach? With Ryoko, you have to look deeper than the surface. You know that, Dai. I know you know him better than that."

"But-"

"We all know how you really feel about Ryoko," Matty continued, refusing to look away or to let him speak. "You've tried to hide it, but you should know by now that you can't keep anything a secret from your friends and family. Even now, you haven't once called Ryoko by his last name, like you always do to his face. In your heart, he's Ryoko. He always has been."

"You-"

"And as for Ryoko himself, he's just like you. He's always trying to hide his feelings, but we know him too well to fall for that sort of thing."

"That's-"

"You care about Ryoko just as much as you care about the rest of us," Matty said bluntly. "And there's no use trying to deny it. You can't hide it from me because I've seen it for myself. But even though you feel that way about him, it isn't going to do you any good. At least, it's not going to do you any good if you refuse to speak up about it."

Dai was speechless at this point and a little overwhelmed, and struggling to find his voice, he stuttered, "W-what do you mean?"

"The only person who doesn't realize how you really feel about Ryoko is Ryoko himself," Matty insisted. "And it doesn't matter how many times the rest of us try to convince him that you care. He's never going to believe it until he hears the words from you himself."

Dai wanted to believe what Matty was saying, but it wasn't easy after so many years of being treated like he wasn't good enough to be Ryoko's friend. That made it hard for him to accept the possibility of a different outcome, since it was a future he had rarely let himself dream about. "But Matty, it's not like he-"

"You think he hates you, but he doesn't," Matty interrupted, refusing to be distracted. "Besides, I want to grow closer to Ryoko too, and I...I think that's something we can do together."

"But how can you be so sure of that?"

"Because Ryoko looks at you the way I do," Matty said softly, his words sounding a bit shy. "He's my cousin. I'd know that look on his face anywhere because it's the same look I have in my eyes when I think off you. I want to believe that the three of us are pretty special, like DarkAngelicmon, Lucemon, and Luciamon. We belong together, the three of us as friends, and I want to experience that feeling with both you and Ryoko. And I know that's what you really want too, no matter how stubborn you are about admitting it."

Dai immediately felt a warm glow in his heart at those words, and smiling, he said, "You really are a softy underneath, just like Mickey."

Matty blushed, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Ryoko's not just my cousin, he's my friend and brother too, but I haven't been a very good friend lately, to him or to you. I need to make amends for that."

But if he wants to make amends, then that must mean he knows what caused Ryoko to activate the crystal mirrors.

Which meant that Matty would know the real reason why Ryoko ended up losing his heart to the darkness.

He knows the truth.

Dai froze, his heart nearly bursting through his ribcage, and staring at Matty with a touch of uneasiness, he said, "You know then. You know exactly what's wrong with Ryoko. What happened? What caused him to fall into darkness and activate the crystals?"

Matty refused to let go of him, and holding him close, the younger twin let out a soft sigh and whispered in his ear, "Isn't it obvious by now? You know the reason, Dai. It's been in your heart this whole time."

My heart...

Dai could feel the darkness radiating off the body that was sort of sandwiched between them, but he ignored the sensation and returned Matty's embrace with everything he had. It frightened him to know how close he had come to losing the younger twin, and because of that, he was having a hard time really grasping the situation. "Tell me. Please, I can't do this anymore."

"With Ryoko, you mean," Matty replied, his tone so gentle and full of sympathy that the words pierced Dai's soul right to its very core. "You can't hide your feelings anymore."

"Please."

Matty's arms tightened around him, and looking serious, the younger twin said, "I'm not a hundred percent sure, obviously, since that would be impossible, but I think I have a pretty good idea what's going on."

"A theory then? Like Izzy?"

"You could say that, although...I'm pretty confident I'm right. Whether or not you choose to believe that is entirely up to you, since only Ryoko can really know for sure at this point what the problem is."

Dai nodded, fully aware of the emotions stirring within his chest, and looking at his knees, he said, "Are you going to tell me?"

Matty gently shook his head, and giving him a warm smile, the younger twin said, "I'm not going to tell you because I know you already know the answer. Like I said, it's been right there inside your heart this whole time. And besides, I think this is something you need to hear directly from Ryoko himself. Once you know the truth, though, I hope you won't be too mad at him. He was only trying to protect me after all. His heart's in the right place, and he's got good intentions, even if he didn't exactly make all the greatest decisions or go about expressing his feelings in the best way."

"What do you mean?"

"Dai, take a moment to go over everything we've been talking about just now. You've pretty much admitted the problem already," Matty insisted, shaking him gently by the shoulders. "Think about it, and when Ryoko finally wakes up, let him speak. Listen to his words for once instead of trying to talk over him. If you just take the time to read between the lines, you'll be surprised at what you find."

"What if...it's bad?"

Instead of responding, Matty hugged him fiercely, ignoring the fact that Ryoko was getting a bit squished by this point, and speaking softly in his ear, the younger twin said, "Dai, I know it's hard for you to express your feelings to Ryoko when it seems almost inevitable that he'll reject those feelings, but regardless of the outcome, he needs to hear the truth from you."

"That's easier said than done," Dai snorted, feeling slightly embarrassed at the way Matty could read him so easily.

Had he really been that obvious all this time, and if so, how could Ryoko have been the only who failed to notice?

Maybe it's because he didn't want to see it, since he doesn't want to accept my friendship...

"Of course it won't be easy, but Dai, you have the Spirit Chip of Bravery," Matty said gently, his tone once again full of affection. "Courage is the backbone of who you are, and it resonates in everything you do and every decision you make. Draw strength from that courage now and tell Ryoko how you feel. That's the real Dai I know. That's the Dai who chose me for a best friend to begin with."

"But I-"

"If you do this for me, I'll be in your debt forever," Matty said softly, refusing to let go of him.

Dai slowly lifted his head, and gazing at the younger twin, he said, "You sound so sure of yourself."

"Dai, if you can do this for me, I think it might be the key to saving Ryoko," Matty said firmly, a flash of determination in the younger twin's amber eyes. "It's like I said before, I can't do this alone. I need your help. If you can find the courage to admit you care about him, it might just save his life."

Huh, me?

Dai still didn't really know what was going on, but Matty sounded so certain, and if there was a chance to save Ryoko, then there was no way he could let that chance slip away.

Courage. Matty's right, though. Even if he rejects my friendship, I'll at least know I gave it everything I had and that I never held anything back. If I don't tell him the truth and something were to happen to him...If he were to leave this world without ever knowing how I felt, I would regret not having told him for the rest of my life. That's not something I can live with, which gives me only one other option...

"Dai," Matty said softly, looking nervous all of a sudden. "Please, for me?"

Matty, how could I ever say no to you?

Dai was unable to look away from the younger twin, and coming to a decision, he somehow managed a small smile and said, "For you? Anything."

Matty's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile, and they both ducked their heads as a blinding flash of light suddenly lit up the cavern with enough force to momentarily push the gloomy atmosphere to the farthest corners of the large chamber. Angelicmon and DarkAngelicmon had both just used their Zenith Point attacks at the exact same time, and the resulting impact left Daichi unable to see what was going on. Not only that, but the force of the blast was so powerful, he could feel his own skin tingling with a faint buzz of electricity.

This feeling...This is the power of light.

"Angelicmon!" Matty cried, looking up and blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

"I'm fine, Matty," the celestial digimon replied, landing on the ground next to DarkAngelicmon and letting his spear dissipate into thin air. "The shadows have calmed themselves for the moment, but I do not think it will last forever. We must save Ryoko's heart from the darkness, and we must do so quickly before we are once again overwhelmed by the shadows."

"The shadows are watching us," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his emerald eyes studying the deep chasm surrounding the Spirit Chip. "They're waiting for us to fail."

"They can keep on waiting then because that's not going to happen!" Matty snapped, his amber eyes flashing with a hint of defiance. "There's no way we're going to let Ryoko lose his heart to the darkness!"

"I believe you," Tirimon said quietly, his concerned gaze studying his partner's sleeping face. "And you, Dai. You'll help us."

Dai stared back at the champion level digimon, surprised at how confident Tirimon seemed in the strength of his ability to make a difference, and not wanting to disappoint the frosty digimon, he took a deep breath and said, "I promised Matty, didn't I?"

"Dai..."

The name was almost a whisper, and turning to the one who had spoken, Dai placed a hand on the younger twin's shoulder, and said, "That's what best friends do for each other, am I right?"

"Right," Matty agreed, beaming at him.

"And they never give up on each other, no matter how bad things get."

"Never."

Dai smiled in response, and hugging Matty tightly to his cheat, he whispered, "Best friends forever, right?"

"Best friends forever," Matty repeated in his ear. "You, me, and Ryoko."

All three of us...

Dai let out a gasp as a sudden flash of yellow light erupted from the pocket of Matty's coat, and it slammed into him with enough force to send him falling onto his backside. At the same time, a flash of red light shot out of his own pocket, and it hit Matty square in the chest, causing the younger twin to cry out in surprise.

What...is this?

It took Dai a moment to realize the glow was coming from their D-Coder Digivices, and as the warmth of the yellow light completely surrounded him, he could feel the strength of Matty's feelings towards him. The sincerity and sheer power of the younger twin's emotions was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he smiled when he realized his friend could probably feel the same from him in return.

"I can...feel you," Matty gasped, looking both shocked and a little embarrassed by the intensity of the emotions flowing into him through the beam of solid red light. "What's going on?"

Though Dai had fallen backwards, he hadn't lost his grip on Matty's arm, and being careful not to break the contact between them, he forced the younger twin to look directly into his eyes and said calmly, "You feel that, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Matty replied, smiling despite his embarrassment.

"That's the strength of our friendship."

"Yeah," Matty murmured, his amber eyes sparkling with sudden happiness.

"It's funny, though."

"What is?"

Dai glanced at the unconscious blond resting against Matty's shoulder, and sensing a subtle change in his heart, he said, "I had a similar experience with Ryoko earlier on our way here. The light from our Digivices connected, and I..."

"What did you feel?" Matty asked gently, looking as if he already knew the answer.

Dai hesitated, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I could feel...something."

"Something good," Matty whispered, pulling him back into a warm embrace. "You could feel his heart beating next to your own, and underneath all of that uncertainty you feel in your soul, and despite all the pain and bitterness that surrounds you two, there was something there. Something warm and caring. Something that was meant just for you."

Dai had to look away then, and as the red and gold light mixed together around their bodies, he reached out to put a hesitant hand on Ryoko's shoulder and said slowly, "You think so?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Matty said quietly, putting a hand over top of his. "You have to believe it for yourself. Have faith in Ryoko, and let those feelings be the strength of your courage."

Dai nodded, and smiling softly, he said, "How do you do that?"

Matty shrugged, and looking a bit sheepish, he said, "Sometimes, at moments like this, you just know the right thing to say."

"Yeah, you're pretty good at that."

"Don't give up on him, Dai," Matty insisted, his amber eyes refusing to hold back any of the emotions in his heart. "Don't give up on his friendship."

Dai felt that small change inside of him grow in strength, and straightening his shoulders, he gave Ryoko's shoulder a firm squeeze and said, "Don't worry, I wont. Not ever, no matter what he does to me."

Matty was about to respond when the glowing light swirling around their bodies began to flow directly into their hands, which were still resting on top of one another. From there, the light began to seep into Ryoko's shoulder, and even though the blond was unconsious, they could feel the darkness swirling inside him. Unfortunately, though, the tangle of emotions pulsing deep within the golden-haired Digidestined had become so intertwined it was hard to decipher any one individual feeling from the twisted knot that was pushing against the fragile edges of his heart.

The darkness is so strong, but underneath it, the light feels even stronger. He's still in there, and if I can just reach that part of him, I might be able to bring him back...

Both the red and the yellow light continued to flow into Ryoko's body, and unable to pull away, Dai jumped as he suddenly felt the golden-haired Digidestined's heart start to beat right along side Matty's deep within his own chest. The sensation was almost overwhelming, and as the sound of their three hearts pulsing in sync filled his ears, a sense of heightened awareness began to grow deep within his mind.

It's not just the two of us anymore. All three of us are connected now.

"Ryoko?" Matty whispered, gently shaking the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder.

Dai was sure the younger twin was experiencing the same sensations that he was struggling with on the inside, and as their eyes met, a flash of mutual understanding passed between them.

There's something there, waiting to be set free from the darkness.

To Dai's complete surprise, Ryoko's eyes slowly fluttered open, and blinking up at his cousin, the blond murmured, "Matty?"

"I'm here," the younger twin replied, holding the other boy close. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ryoko seemed confused by the light surrounding his body, and sensing another presence invading his heart, he glanced around for the source of the intruder. Dai held his breath as their eyes met, and frowning as if he couldn't quite figure out where he was, Ryoko reached out as if to touch his arm and said quietly, "Dai?"

It was the second time that day that Ryoko had referred to him by his nickname, and this time he couldn't hide the way it made his heart rate speed up. He knew both Matty and Ryoko could feel the sudden change affecting their own hearts, and giving the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder a gentle squeeze, he said softly, "I'm here, too."

"We've been here the whole time," Matty reassured his cousin, trying his best to smile.

Ryoko let out a soft sigh, as if content to remain were he was, but as his brain finally began to work out the significance of the light, his eyes suddenly widened in horror, and he jerked back towards Matty with a fearful gasp, the sound carrying across the pit.

Dai watched calmly as the hand Ryoko had been reaching towards him was snatched back before it could make contact, and sensing the connection all three of them shared through the two Digivices, the golden-haired Digidestined looked fearfully at Matty, the expression on his pale face suggesting he was horrified at the thought that he had been caught in the act of doing something wrong.

The force of Ryoko's sudden movement caused Dai to drop his own hand, and with the loss of physical contact between the two of them, the red light disappeared. As a result, the golden light from Matty's D-Coder also faded from view, which effectively took away their only source of comfort. Immediately, Dai felt the connection sever between them, and he almost cried out in pain as the feeling of the rapid increase in their synchronized heartbeats was suddenly wrenched away from him, leaving a void that was so large and empty, it took his breath away and left him gasping for air.

"You," Ryoko whispered, his sapphire eyes growing hard as he also struggled to catch his breath. "I told you to stay away from me."

The words stung, but remembering his promise to Matty, Dai held his ground and quickly began to construct a protective barrier around his own heart to provide a buffer against the golden-haired Digidestined's harsh words. He knew exactly what was coming, and it was going to hurt, but despite what he was about to endure, he needed to stay strong. He had to force himself to ignore Ryoko's painful words if he was ever going to find a way to get inside the blond's stubborn heart. "What if I don't want to?"

"I don't...I can't..." Ryoko stammered, looking momentarily confused with himself. "Just stay back."

"No."

Dai made a move towards the golden-haired Digidestined, and jerking himself roughly out of Matty's arms, Ryoko scrambled to his feet and snapped, "Don't touch me!"

"Ryoko, stop," Matty pleaded, also getting to his feet. "Just stop and listen to him!"

Dai slowly picked himself up off the ground, and refusing to look away from the golden-haired Digidestined, he said calmly, "And what are you going to do if I choose not to listen to you?"

Ryoko was about to respond when there was a flash of movement at the door, and turning Dai had to suppress a loud groan as Vampiramon boldly came striding into the room with a crowd of tied up Digidestined and digimon marching along in single file behind her. Spritemon was hovering over the middle of the group, and every once in a while she would give one of the humans or their partners a sharp jab if she felt like they were moving too slowly for her taste. Jestermon brought up the rear, and watching the ugly green mega, Dai didn't like the triumphant smile on the fool's face one little bit.

"Mickey!" Matty gasped, momentarily forgetting about Ryoko's rude behaviour as he stared at his twin in utter disbelief.

Mickey's amber eyes were full of concern as he desperately tried to silently communicate his feelings to Matty, and while the younger twin seemed to understand the anxious look on Mickey's face, Dai didn't need to understand to know exactly what had happened.

He had been hoping his dad and the others would manage to see through Vampiramon's trap, but unfortunately it looked as if his hopes had been in vain.

She must have ambushed them and caught them off guard, just like she intended...

Dai could see Embermon gazing at him with both relief and worry in his green eyes, and hoping to ease the little rookie's fear somewhat, he gave his partner a reassuring smile.

"Right on time, I see," DarkAngelicmon announced, smiling in approval as he stepped away from Angelicmon to greet the newcomers.

"What do you want done with them?" Vampiramon asked shortly, glaring at the fallen angel in distaste.

DarkAngelicmon pointed to a spot about thirty feet from the edge of the chasm, and ignoring the female mega's unpleasant expression, he then pointed at the crowd of Digidestined and said, "Have them sit quietly over there out of the way for now, except for those three."

"Which three?" Spritemon demanded, making a face.

DarkAngelicmon pointed first at Matt, and then to Mimi and Joe, and speaking calmly, he said, "Bring those three to me, and it would be nice if you would join me as well, Vampiramon."

"What about us?" Jestermon asked, his crimson eyes dancing with excitement.

"You and Spritemon shall remain standing with the other humans and digimon for the time being, and see that they don't cause any trouble."

"As you command," Spritemon teased, giving him a playful salute before herding the main group of Digidestined towards the spot DarkAngelicmon had indicated only moments ago.

Vampiramon had Matt and Joe by the elbows, and dragging them over to DarkAngelicmon, she dropped them roughly at his feet. Chances were she had every intention of doing the same thing to Mimi, but before she could do so, DarkAngelicmon waved a hand at her to stay with the two men and went over to collect Mimi himself. Unlike the vampire digimon, DarkAngelicmon was a lot more gentle, and picking Mimi up in his arms, he carefully placed her down on the stone floor next to Matt, who glanced at the fallen angel with a hint of surprise and a flash of what looked like approval in his eyes.

Though Dai was sure his partner and fellow Digidestined probably had plenty to say, nobody was talking thanks to the fact that all of them, along with the other digimon, had been bound and gagged with some kind of glowing red rope.

Dai could see Palmon, Gomamon, and Gabumon struggling agaist the crimson ropes circling their bodies, clearly anxious to reach their partners, but their bonds looked unbreakable as far as he could tell.

The rest of the humans and digimon, including Embermon, were sitting quietly in the shadows of the two megas hovering over them, and while you would think they would have been a bit more concerned about being tied up, none of them were focusing on their bonds at all. Instead, they were all staring intently at Ryoko, including Joe and the blond's parents, who had been separated from the rest of the group.

"What's this about?" Matty demanded, looking suddenly furious, his amber eyes flashing as he turned to glare at DarkAngelicmon. "I thought you said we were going to help Ryoko."

"We are," DarkAngelicmon said smoothly, looking amused. "Have patience, Masato Takaishi. This is all part of the plan."

"See, Daichi? I told you something like this would happen!" Ryoko suddenly snapped, his blue eyes sparkling with anger as he clenched his hands into tight fists. "I told you, and now look where we are!"

Dai stood a bit taller at the accusation, and straightening his shoulders, he glared back at the golden-haired Digidestined in defiance. "So are you telling me we shouldn't have gone after Matty then?"

"You're a jerk," Ryoko whispered, a flash of pain appearing suddenly in the golden-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes.

Dai could tell the rest of the Digidestined were watching the exchange with apprehension, but he refused to back down. Instead, he turned to look at DarkAngelicmon, and sensing his gaze, the fallen angel met his eyes and said with a smile, "Are you going to let him speak to you like that?"

"You planned this all, didn't you."

DarkAngelicmon pointed to the dark pit, where Dai could hear the restless movements of the shadows as they began to grow in strength and numbers again, and watching him closely, the fallen angel said quietly, "The stage is yours, Daichi Motomiya. It's time for you to give the performance of a lifetime."