I don't own Digimon.

A/N: So excited for the upcoming chapters. Lots of good things to come!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 331: Switching Places

Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi

Net, Northern Hemisphere, Digital World

As dead silence filled the room, Makiya Takaishi found himself unable to process the words coming from his brother's mouth, and apparently he wasn't the only one. Every other human and digimon in the room appeared just as shocked as he was, and though he wanted to respond, the words just wouldn't come. Instead, he simply sat there staring at Matty with obvious fear sparkling in his amber eyes and a sense of terrible dread building in his chest. What he had just heard was almost incomprehensible, and listening to the sound of his own heartbeat pounding painfully in his ears, he finally managed to whisper, "No. No way. Absolutely not."

"Are you for real?" Dai butted in, the disbelief in his voice indicating just exactly what he thought of the younger twin's proposal.

Matty's cheeks immediately turned red, and looking impatient, the younger twin said hotly, "How about you listen to what I have to say first before you all just straight up turn me down?"

No...I can't. I can't let you do this...

Sensing his thoughts, Sam suddenly reached out to wrap an arm around his trembling shoulders, and attempting to respond in a reasonable manner, Mickey gasped, "I know what you're trying to do, and I won't let you."

"Whatever plan you have building inside your head, are you sure it's...wise?" their father asked quietly, his tone indicating he didn't want to upset the younger twin.

Unfortunately, despite the older man's efforts, Matty immediately looked offended, and crossing his arms over his chest, the younger twin said loudly, "I have thought about this, you know. Seriously, can you all just let me talk without interrupting every five seconds?"

At this outburst, Izzy let out a deep sigh before saying, "I know everyone has their concerns, but let's at least hear him out before passing any sort of judgment. I would say that's a fair trade off. Wouldn't you agree, Mickey?"

No, I don't agree at all!

Despite the somewhat childish outburst floating around in his head, Mickey meekly nodded in agreement, and moving towards the centre of the group so he could be seen and heard by everyone, Matty took a deep breath and said in what was a surprisingly calm voice considering his earlier behaviour, "I meant what I said before. I have thought about this, and I really do think it could work."

The only thing you're going to accomplish is putting yourself in danger and you know it...

Now that the younger twin was no longer sitting close beside him, Mickey felt a little like he was going to throw up, and once again Sam was quick to offer his support. This time, both the raven-haired Digidestined's arms went around his torso, and holding back a gasp of despair, Mickey allowed himself to sink into the warmth of the other boy's comforting embrace. The loss of Matty's presence was enough to make him feel cold and alone, but luckily Sam's closeness was helping to dull the chill in his bones. It was also helping to make him feel less lonely and afraid.

Oh, Sam...What would I do without you?

"Since you seem pretty set on having your say, what does this clever plan of yours involve?" Ryoko asked quietly, his deep blue eyes indicating he was not at all in agreement with whatever the younger twin was scheming.

I could tell Matty's had something on his mind for a while now. He must have been forming this plan since he found out the Spirit Chip belongs to me, even if it just started as a fleeting thought. The longer he's had to think about it, the more he's worked himself up to this moment.

Mickey knew he needed to keep quiet, but it was all he could do not to wail at the top of his lungs in despair. Anything that put his brother at risk was not a good plan as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, Matty didn't seem to feel the same way, and mouth set in a determined line, the younger twin said firmly, "No matter how much it scares me that Mickey's the main focus for our enemies this time around, that in itself actually means he's probably the safest out of all of us. Well, I guess I should say safest out of everyone other than me since I don't have my Spirit Chip yet either. Technically, Mickey and I are the least at risk because they still need us, unlike the rest of you, and in this case that actually works perfectly with what I was thinking we could do. I know Mickey's mental health is at risk due to the fact that he has to face the darkness in his heart, but if I pretend to be him, maybe we can mitigate that somewhat and buy him some more time to come to terms with his emotions before those insecurities create a life or death situation like what happened with Dai and Kara."

While Matty's reasoning was sound, Mickey still wasn't convinced. He had a strange feeling things weren't going to go exactly as the younger twin seemed to think they would, and something was telling him that DarkAngelicmon would likely play a role in upsetting the balance of who was most at risk.

In theory, Matty's definitely right. The Ruler of Darkness can't let his servants physically hurt either one of us in any way that would be considered life-threatening until after we break the remaining seals on the last two Spirit Chips. At least, not if the Ruler of Darkness wants any hope of stealing them. That would technically also hold true for any of the adults whose crests are still relevant for the seals.

And yet...

Even so, I can't shake this feeling that Matty is still in danger, both physically and mentally. I can't deny the mental side is the main problem for me, hence the reason why Matty wants to take my place and mitigate the effects as much as he can, but in his case I'm certain both the mental and physical side of things are going to be an issue. There's no doubt in my mind that DarkAngelicmon plans to mess with Matty's head, and even if he might not want to, I can see him also hurting Matty physically. Whatever DarkAngelicmon's ultimate goal is, I know he wouldn't hesitate to put Matty's life at risk if it means keeping Lucemon safe...

Which was why he didn't want Matty to take his place. When it came to the relationship between Lucemon and DarkAngelicmon, Mickey was sure their story held more of a connection to Matty than to himself.

"Okay, I'll admit that sounds reasonable on paper, but I still don't think it's a good idea," Dai said bluntly, catching the entire group off guard.

"Why not?" Matty demanded, sounding offended.

"Because while you and Mickey might look exactly the same, you don't act anything alike," Ryoko explained, his firm tone indicating he agreed with the goggle-headed leader. "Do you really think our enemies aren't going to notice that?"

Maybe not...

"They won't," Matty insisted. "Granted, it might take a lot of effort on our part to fool DarkAngelicmon, but the others won't be a problem. If I had to make a guess, they're all digimon, other than YukiOnnamon, who've never met us before. They won't know the difference of how Mickey and I are supposed to act, and YukiOnnamon has made no effort to really understand any of us, which was true even when she was Vampiramon. I doubt she would ever pick up on anything suspicious. As for DarkAngelicmon, I think we could pull it off. I can be quieter and emulate Mickey when I need to, and I know Mickey can be assertive when he needs to be."

Mickey blushed at the unexpected compliment, and glancing at Sam, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the raven-haired Digidestined's continued silence. So far, Sam hadn't made any attempts to contribute to the conversation, which did make him feel somewhat uneasy.

I can't even tell if he agrees or disagrees with Matty's line of thinking...

"What about your digimon partners?" Cody asked, his dark eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "Won't that be a problem?"

Matty quickly shook his head, and crossing his arms over his chest, the younger twin said easily, "We'll switch partners, too. As long as Mickey and I are in the same vicinity, we can still fake digivolving if we make sure our partners are always digivolving at the exact same time. They won't know the difference of which D-Coder or human is attached to which digimon."

That was also true, but even so Mickey wanted to protest. Could he really allow Matty to go through with such a crazy plan?

If something happens to him, I'd never forgive myself for agreeing to go along with any of this...

A quick look at the two digimon sitting comfortably in his lap made him pause, and to his surprise, Celestimon said boldly, "If Mickey and Matty do switch places, I'll protect Mickey every bit as much as if he really was my partner."

"And I would do the same for Matty," Halomon added without any hesitation.

Celestimon...Halomon...

Mickey felt a sudden warmth fill his heart, and hugging the two rookies close to his chest, he whispered, "Thank you. Both of you."

"Any more complaints?" Matty asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're right in one sense," Hawkmon said reluctantly, his feathers glittering in the light from the lanterns. "If by chance the enemy were to discover the truth that you are not actually Mickey, it might annoy them considerably, but it's doubtful they would put your life in danger. A setback to be sure, but still salvageable if need be."

"Don't encourage him, Hawkmon," Yolei grumbled, glaring at her partner.

Mickey felt inclined to agree, and finally finding the nerve to look his twin in the eyes, he said in a trembling voice, "You do realise all of this is possible only if they behave the way we expect them to? No matter what you say or how much sense you make, you still can't guarantee that for whatever reason they might react differently this time, especially because they clearly have new digimon with them whose actions we can't predict."

"I know that," Matty argued, refusing to back down. "But even if that's true, I still think us switching places is the best shot we have at reaching your Spirit Chip with minimal risk involved."

"And what happens if we do get separated? If Celestimon is with me and Halomon is with you, neither one of them will be able to digivolve."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Matty stubbornly replied.

When he gets like this it's almost impossible to change his mind. Am I really going to have to go through with this?

The thought was enough to make him hold back tears, and shaking his head, he mumbled, "That's not a solution."

"And the D-Coders?" Takara asked quietly, her hazel eyes growing serious. "Although, I think I already know what you're going to say to that."

"Exactly," Matty agreed, his abrupt answer indicating he had no intention of acknowledging the obvious flaw in his plan. "Both of our D-Coders glow when they're in range of the Spirit Chip, so switching Digivices won't be a problem either. It won't give us away."

That's also true. Other than the fact that us getting separated could potentially cause a serious problem, he's really thought this through...

"I can't believe I'm even saying this, but if we do everything we can to make sure Mickey and Matty don't end up getting separated at any point on our journey, we might actually be able to pull this off," Rosa interjected, albeit reluctantly. "What do you think, Izzy?"

"I don't know if it's really my place to decide," Izzy pointed out. "If any of us adults have a say, it should be T.K. and Kari."

There's no way my parents would ever agree to this, would they?

Mickey glanced anxiously at his mother, who had also remained unusually quiet throughout the whole exchange, and reaching out to take his father's hand, the female Digidestined said softly, "As much as I would like to have the final say, it really is up to Mickey and Matty."

"No matter which route we take, there are risks involved," his father said quietly. "Both of my son's lives are precious to me, and I know Kari feels the same. How could we ever place one over the other? We can't and that's not up for debate. They need to decide together what's best for them and what course of action allows for the least amount of danger to themselves and the people they love."

Mom...Dad...

That was a huge responsibility to undertake, and once again locking eyes with his twin, Mickey wasn't sure how to respond. The reality of what Matty was trying to do was only too obvious to him, but maybe that could actually work in his favour?

Despite what he says, Matty truly believes I'm in danger, both physically and mentally, and by allowing himself to act as the bait in my place he thinks he'll be able to protect me from the worst effects of the darkness and the threat of our enemies. He can't fool me, though. I know exactly what's in his heart, and no matter how much he thinks I'm in danger, I don't agree with him on that. It's because it's my Spirit Chip that he's in the most danger. They're going to come after him, and once they do, I wouldn't put it past them to put Matty's life at risk. Even if I am wrong about DarkAngelicmon, I meant what I said earlier. We have no idea how these new evil digimon will behave, and I wouldn't put it past them to hurt Matty.

No matter how Matty tried to explain the situation, one thing remained very clear.

If he truly believed I was safe, he wouldn't have volunteered to take my place. He's only doing it because he's feels certain I'm in danger and he's determined to protect me even if it means putting his own life at risk.

Without even realising the situation could actually be the other way around.

If I'm right and they are planning to come after Matty because of me and my Spirit Chip, then it might work in my favour if I pretend to be him. That way, they'll unknowingly come after me instead, and that will give me the chance I need to protect my brother. I'll be the one in danger then, but I'm okay with that if it means I can save Matty...

"What's with the silent treatment all of a sudden?" Matty demanded, sounding suspicious. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

No matter what, I have to keep Matty safe, even if it means going through with this plan. I can't let him know that, though. If he suspects what I'm really trying to do, he'll definitely back out and change his mind. I can't let that happen, which means I'm just going to have to keep pretending I'm not okay with his plan. I still have my reservations, but I can see how us switching identities might work, just not in the way Matty intended...

"Well?" Matty insisted.

Mickey quickly ducked his head, and avoiding the younger twin's eyes, he said quietly, "I want you to know I'm not okay with this. Not even a little bit. Not even if it works out exactly as you planned it, but if I were to agree with your plan, you have to promise me we won't allow ourselves to get separated at any time for any reason."

I know you'll keep your promise, but if I'm right and they really are after you instead of me, I can't guarantee I'll be able to do the same...

For a moment, Matty looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and then lips turning up in a tentative smile, the younger twin said hopefully, "Does that mean you'll go along with my plan?"

"It means I'll follow your lead against my better judgement, but if for any reason things start to get messy, I won't hesitate to reveal my true identity if I have to. Can you at least meet me halfway on that much?"

"I guess that's fair," Matty grumbled, though he was still smiling. "If that's what it takes to make you feel better, I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen then, won't I."

"Exactly."

Though he wasn't looking in that direction, Mickey could sense Sam's watchful gaze studying him closely, and feeling his heart skip a beat, he did his best to ignore the deep blue eyes drilling into his soul. He had an uneasy feeling that the raven-haired Digidestined knew exactly what he was up to, and the unpleasant guilt swirling around in his stomach was a good indication that he was going to find himself on the receiving end of a fierce interrogation once the two of them were finally able to share a moment alone together.

I bet he knows exactly what both Matty and I are thinking. That's why he hasn't said a word through this whole conversation...

"I guess that means everything's settled then?" Embermon asked, exchanging a look with his partner.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this plan, but I do trust Mickey's judgement," Ken sighed, his hand reaching out to stroke Wormmon's soft head.

"Hey, but you don't trust mine!?" Matty shouted in outrage.

Looking amused, the dark-haired man replied, "I never said that."

"Well, I guess Izzy and I will just have to do what we can to make this worthwhile," Mina spoke up, turning to her husband. "We've got our work cut out for us."

"That we do," the computer expert agreed, his words ending in a yawn. "Mickey and Matty will have to switch not only their partners and D-Coders, but also their clothing and personalities as best they can. That can wait until the morning, though. I'll also make sure to formulate a more clear course of action and where we'll go next once they've done that. While there is definitely some risk involved, it is a fairly decent plan that could work in our favour if we play our cards right. That, at least, Matty and I can agree on."

"Thanks Izzy," Matty butted in, beaming at the computer expert.

"Don't let it go to your head," Tentomon scolded, giving the younger twin what Mickey could only assume was a warning look.

"In the meantime, we should probably at least try to get a little more sleep before morning comes," Dovemon announced. "We'll need all the energy we can get."

"Very true," Yolei agreed. "Come now, all of you back into your sleeping bags. We can talk more about all of this in the morning."

There was a series of grumbled complaints, but despite everyone's reluctance to go back to bed, they eventually settled down before turning out the lanterns. Frigimon called out a whispered goodnight with a promise to wake them all in the morning before leaving the room to take up watch at the back, and glancing over at his parents, Mickey couldn't help anxiously biting his lip. Though they hadn't said much, he could feel how worried his parents were, and the way both of them were whispering to Gatomon and Patamon made him feel even more suspicious. A minute later, the four were joined by Ken, Yolei, Hawkmon, and Wormmon, and after another round of whispering, the two groups switched off for watch duty. All around him, the others had once again settled down for the night, and glancing at Matty, who was sitting up in his sleeping bag on Sam's other side, he whispered, "Going to sleep?"

For a moment, Matty simply gazed at him, and speaking in a low tone, the younger twin murmured, "Are you mad at me?"

Matty...

Doing his best to ignore Sam, who was lying between them with his eyes closed, Mickey said softly, "No, I'm just really worried. I won't pretend I like your plan, and I definitely don't agree with it, but...I know you care about me. I also know if I don't let you do this, you'll probably just try something even more crazy."

Matty smiled at that, and reaching over Sam to hug him tightly around the neck, the younger twin said easily, "You really do know me so well. I'm not totally dumb, though. I promise I'll be careful, but you have to promise the same."

"You both have to promise," Halomon insisted.

"Yeah," Celestimon agreed.

Instead of going back to sleep with the rest of the digimon, the two angel rookies had decided to crowd themselves into Matty's sleeping bag in an effort to remain close, and smiling at the trio, Mickey said, "I promise."

I will be careful. I have to be if I want to protect you. If they do try to separate us, it'll be because they want to take you away from me. I won't let that happen, though. Whether they want me or don't want me, it's me they're going to get.

His words seemed to satisfy the trio, and as one by one they drifted back to sleep, Mickey quickly curled himself into his sleeping bag to ward off some of the chill. For a long time, the room remained dark and silent, and just before he was about to drift off, Sam shifted beside him and said quietly in the darkness, "You only agreed to Matty's plan because you don't believe they want to come after you. You think they want Matty, and if you pretend to be him, they'll take you instead."

Clearly, Sam had been waiting for Matty to fall asleep before having his say, and realising the raven-haired Digidestined had been awake the whole time, Mickey let out a gasp before quickly falling silent again.

So I was right. He could tell exactly what I was thinking the whole time...

Unable to stop his heart from racing, he said in a trembling voice, "Are you going to give me away?"

"No, I won't," Sam murmured, the words ending in a soft sigh. "If I did, I doubt it would do us any good."

"Why's that?"

"Because I agree with you. I fully believe Matty's their target, not you."

For a moment, they simply stared at each other in the darkness, and clutching the folds of his sleeping bag tightly to his chest, Mickey whispered, "You know what that means, don't you?"

"If you pretend to be Matty, you're going to be the one in serious danger," Sam finished, his deep blue eyes flashing in the darkness.

"Even knowing that, you're not going to stop me?"

Reaching out to take his hand, Sam said firmly, "It just means I'll have to protect you even more."

"Sam..."

Mickey felt his heart swell with warmth, and squeezing his fingers, Sam said easily, "I won't let you out of my sight, even for a minute."

"But..."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Sam insisted. "Matty's important to me, too. If he knew what you were really thinking and planning, he would give up on this plan of his in an instant, and that's exactly why I'm not going to tell him what's really going on. If for some reason they do try to separate Matty from the group, they'll end up taking you instead thinking that you're Matty. If that happens, I'm going to make sure they take me with you, and that way I can protect you while Matty remains safe with the group. I promised him I would keep you safe, and I'm not going to break that promise."

Mickey could feel tears forming in his eyes, and returning the squeeze, he said quietly, "Just like you promised me you would keep Matty safe."

"And I'm not going to break that promise either," Sam reassured him.

"Do you think...anyone else suspects the truth about what I'm really trying to do?"

"Matty himself definitely doesn't. That much I can tell, and while I can't guarantee anything, I'm pretty sure none of the others do either. You were pretty convincing with your acting skills. If I wasn't so...close to you, I might not have picked up on anything either. If anyone does suspect anything, though, it would be your parents. I think they're the only ones you'll have to be super careful about."

Close...to me? What does that mean?

Mickey had suspected he might need to be careful around his parents, but at the moment he was finding it difficult to worry about them possibly knowing something. Sam's abrupt confession was enough to distract him completely, and fully aware of the warm hand that was still circling his own, he mumbled, "You mean...cause we know each other so well?"

"Matty knows you just as well as I know you, and the others know you almost as well," Sam said nonchalantly, averting his eyes. "I just...I always try to keep myself open to your feelings so I'm there when you need me. I just have a little extra...awareness, I guess."

Extra awareness? Does that mean he's picked up on more than just my plan to protect Matty? If he can see through me that easily, has he also become aware of my feelings for him? If he has, is that good or bad? Right now, he's very much acting like I'm the most important thing in the world to him...

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, Mickey wasn't quite sure how to respond, and refusing to give himself false hope, he stammered, "T-that's good, right?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?" Sam murmured, raising his eyebrows.

As they lay facing each other in the darkness, Mickey whispered, "You know the answer is yes."

"Just wanted to make sure," Sam replied, closing his eyes. "You should get to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day, and you need to keep your strength up."

Mickey nodded, and closing his eyes, he allowed his body to relax in the darkness. It wasn't lost on him that Sam hadn't let go of his hand, and deciding it was safe to continuing holding on, he gave it another squeeze before shuffling closer. Though a part of him was still freaking out about Matty, it did help to know he had Sam's support.

And hopefully the raven-haired Digidestined's words and behaviour meant exactly what he hoped they did.