Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This is actually going to be one of the shortest chapters I've written in a long time, but you'll understand why that is once you get to the end. We're starting to get into the heart of Mickey's Spirit Chip now. I hope everybody finds it interesting!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 337: Call of the Shadows

Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi

Net, Northern Hemisphere, Digital World

Blinking rapidly as the harsh wind continued to blow sleet in his face, Makiya Takaishi winced as the back of his head began to throb painfully despite the snowy ground cushioning his skull. The heavy blow had caught him completely by surprise, and knowing he was likely to develop a dull headache the moment he sat up, he closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself.

What was that? It came from out of nowhere. A chunk of ice maybe?

Surely whatever it was had to have been an inanimate object. Perhaps a rock or a small branch torn loose by the wind. It couldn't possibly have been a person or a digimon.

I didn't see anyone, but it was so fast...

Only a short distance away, he could hear voices shouting, desperately trying to be heard over the storm, but he couldn't make out any words or phrases. Were they calling out for him? At least one of the voices sounded painfully familiar, despite the howling winds, but even then he couldn't be sure.

Is that you, Matty? It sounds like you. That's right. When I fell in the snow, I lost my grip on your hand...

Feeling disoriented, Mickey carefully rolled over onto his back, a decision he immediately regretted. Uncertain if it was safe for him to move, he slowly opened his eyes, and when his vision finally cleared, a gasp escaped his throat. Three pairs of violet eyes were gazing down at him in the snow, their hungry stares taking his breath away. All he could do was return their gazes with as much confidence as he could muster, knowing even in his current state that it was vitally important he didn't allow himself to succumb to their curiosity and their eagerness to get close to him.

I don't understand. Even though they're barely inches away from me, they're still not making any attempts to steal my light. They're more watchful than they are threatening, and they shouldn't be that way. I'm not that strong, especially not after the way I've been treating Sam and my brother...

"Matty! Hey, Matty!"

That's right. I'm supposed to be Matty. Wait, I know that voice. Of course I know it. I could never forget such a lovely tone...

This particular voice sounded closer than the others, and that was when he realised his bother's hand wasn't the only hand he'd been holding earlier.

Sam!

Sitting up, Mickey winced as the pain in the back of his head moved to his amber eyes, and blinking in confusion, he looked down at the gloved fingers that were still clasped tightly inside his palm. Miraculously, Sam Ichijouji had somehow managed to hang onto his hand despite his earlier face plant in the snow, and that grip hadn't broken even when he had rolled over onto his back. How the raven-haired boy had performed such an unlikely feat completely eluded him, but at the moment he didn't have the energy to try and figure out the finer details of his situation.

Or so he thought.

He must have stepped over me before I rolled away from him. How did I not notice? Probably because of the pain and shadows...

"Matty, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Realising the shadows had backed away to give him some space, he said slowly, "My head hurts, but...I think I'm fine."

They have us surrounded, and yet they're not doing anything. They're just sitting there in a big circle watching us.

"You don't sound fine to me," Sam replied, the obvious worry in his tone indicating his true feelings on the matter. "That must have been a pretty hard blow to the back of your head for you to fall over like that. You could have a concussion, which definitely isn't a good thing, especially not in this weather."

Even though the raven-haired Digidestined was speaking directly into his ear, Mickey was having a hard time hearing the other boy over the sound of the storm, and once again attempting to speak somewhat coherently, he mumbled, "Did you see what hit me?"

"No," Sam sighed, shaking his head. "It happened so fast I didn't see a thing, but enough of that right now. We need to join up with the others. I thought I heard your brother earlier, but now it seems almost too quiet..."

Huh?

Straining his ears to listen, Mickey realised he could no longer hear the sound of other voices shouting to be heard over the wind. Had the rest of the group really managed to drift that far away from them in such a short amount of time?

Something doesn't seem right here...

"I can still sense Halomon fairly close by," an unexpected voice suddenly informed them, causing him to jump in surprise. "Maybe you guys should check your Digivices and see if you can locate the others?"

Celestimon!

Mickey quickly glanced to his left, and spotting a pair of emerald green eyes gazing at him through the snow, he held out his free arm and cried, "You're here! I'm so sorry, Celestimon. I didn't mean to forget about you!"

"It's okay," the little rookie responded, fluttering over to snuggle on his lap. "The important thing is I didn't forget about you."

"Neither did I," Glowmon added, peeking over Sam's shoulder to gaze at him with worried eyes. "Sam's right, though. That did look like a painful hit to your head. You should take it easy and be careful...is what I would like to say, but we do need to catch up with the others."

Mickey had to agree, and holding out his hand to take the offered D-Coder that Celestimon had been holding for him, he glanced at its screen, uncertain about what to expect. All of the glowing coloured lights were located a short distance to the south, including the light of his own Digivice that Matty was holding onto for him.

That doesn't make sense though. I know I dropped his hand, but Matty should have still been right here beside me...

"They're definitely still close, but not as close as I would have expected. Especially Matty," Sam sighed, as if reading his mind. "Maybe they got disoriented in the storm and ended up drifting further away from us then they've realised yet."

Matty and Halomon would have known, wouldn't they?

As much as he wanted to believe that, he couldn't deny the ease in which one could find themselves completely lost in bad weather conditions, and allowing his small body to glow as bright as he was able to, Glowmon said, "Nothing we can do about it now. Let's just focus on catching up to them as fast as we can. Remember, our enemies are still close by and we have no idea what they're planning to do to us. Best not to let them have the advantage."

"They're close alright," Celestimon agreed. "I can definitely feel DarkAngelicmon and the other two fallen angels nearby. In fact, when Mickey fell over, one of those two unknown angels was really close to us."

Could that angel have had something to do with the blow to the back of my head?

Sam must have thought so because instead of replying, the raven-haired Digidestined tugged urgently on his hand and said quietly, "Come on, let's keep moving towards the others. If we stay here, we'll become easy targets."

You mean I'll become an easy target. That's what you're really worried about.

Mickey wanted to honour the raven-haired Digidestined's wishes, but before he could do so he found himself growing distracted by the shadows. Earlier they had seemed content to simply crouch in a circle while watching the current scene unfold, but now they were beginning to behave rather oddly. Some of the shadows were starting to sway back and forth, and several of them lifted their lanky arms to point north towards something he could only assume was hiding in the distance beyond the harsh winds and blowing snow.

Is there something there? Do they want me to follow them?

"Matty, what is it?" Sam asked, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. "Is something wrong?"

Unable to answer, Mickey continued to watch the shadows in silence. They were definitely trying to tell him something, but whatever that something was, it continued to elude him.

Anytime we've listened to the shadows, it hasn't ended well for us. I should just ignore them, but...

One by the one the shadows slowly climbed to their feet, and without so much as even a whisper, they started to head in the direction they had clearly indicated he was meant to traverse. That in itself was strange, since not only were they leaving him to his own devices if he chose to ignore them, but also because they had nothing to say about it. He had expected at least a few taunts circling inside his head, but instead his mind was clear.

I don't understand. Earlier, they were watching me so closely and now they've turned their backs on me...

There had to be a good reason for it, and squinting through the storm, he wasn't able to detect anything out of the ordinary. Despite that, though, he felt like it was important to follow the shadows, and climbing to his feet, he quickly pulled his hand free from Sam's tight grip and proceeded to head north towards whatever had caught the interest of his dark entourage.

"Hey, where are you going?" Celestimon cried, immediately fluttering after him. "Our friends are the other way!"

Mickey chose to dismiss that comment, and shoving Matty's D-Coder into his pocket, he proceeded to hurry after the shadows. Deep within his heart, a small part of him was screaming that he needed to go back, but a stronger voice was telling him to press on. He needed to know, and the strange force that was driving him forward was simply too powerful to ignore.

There must be something they want to show me.

Without warning, a hand suddenly grabbed him roughly by the arm, and speaking sharply in his ear, Sam said, "I don't think so. You're not going anywhere. Not without me, you aren't."

"But, I have to-"

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but we're going back to find the others," the raven-haired Digidestined said harshly, letting go of his arm to tug on his hand. "Come on."

"Please?" Glowmon pleaded, cowering slightly in the wind. "I'm sure your brother is very worried about you."

Matty...

That was probably true, but even so he couldn't ignore the shadows. They were definitely trying to tell him something important, and there was only way to find out what that something was. He needed to follow them, and he had to be quick about it if he didn't want to lose track of them in the storm.

"Listen to me," Sam insisted, grabbing his other hand and forcing him to make eye contact. "If we don't hurry, it's going to get a lot harder for us to catch up to the others in this storm. The last thing we want is to end up separated from the main group. That's just asking for trouble."

The raven-haired Digidestined was right, but none of that seemed to matter at the moment. The shadows were getting away and he needed to follow them.

"Well? Are you coming or-hey!"

Pulling his hands out of Sam's grip, Mickey quickly raced after the shadows, his breath coming out in harsh gasps. The dark beings were maintaining a steady pace, and knowing the raven-haired Digidestined was right on his heels, he proceeded to stumble through the snow as fast as he could. Up ahead, he thought he caught a glimpse of something dark that looked different from the shadows, and whatever the thing was, it was moving straight towards him.

"No!" Celestimon cried from somewhere further behind as he attempted to keep up with Glowmon. "You can't go that way! You mustn't! It's him! He's right in front of us!"

Who?

Before Mickey could comprehend the little rookie's desperate words, the dark shape that definitely wasn't one of the shadows suddenly materialised out of the storm right in front of him. The abrupt confrontation was enough to make him cry out in fear, and he stumbled as Sam's accidentally ran right into his back. The force of his friend's momentum sent him sprawling directly into the newcomer's arms, and gazing down at him, DarkAngelicmon said quietly, "And here I thought you would have learned your lesson from the Ice Caverns. I must say...I'm very disappointed in you, Masato Takaishi."

Masato 'Matty' Takaishi

Net, Northern Hemisphere, Digital World

Crouching on his knees, Masato Takaishi gazed at his own hand as if he had never seen it before, and unable to comprehend what had just happened, he continued to stare stupidly at his palm as if expecting it to give him an answer. His voice was still hoarse from shouting his own name in the hopes that his brother would answer the obvious ploy to protect their switched identities, but unfortunately a reply had never come.

We were trying to reach the eastern path by the river. I was holding onto Mickey's hand, and then...

"Mickey, are you okay?" a shrill voice cried, remembering to call him by his brother's name despite the sudden commotion, which had dissolved into complete chaos. All around him he could hear voices shouting through the storm, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. The only words that were clear to him came from the rookie angel who had demanded to know if he was hurt, and sensing Halomon hovering by his shoulder, he managed to say, "Yeah, I'm good, but-"

"I know. We need to find Matty," the little rookie cut in, continuing to hold up the charade. "We haven't gone very far. He should be around here somewhere. I can sense Celestimon nearby."

After he let go of my hand, I slipped and slid down that hill near the path to the river. I must have rolled for quite a distance with Halomon in my arms. If I could get back up the snowdrifts...

Before he could stop himself, Matty murmured, "Something hit him and he stumbled away from me. I didn't see anybody, though. It all happened so fast..."

"It was that fallen angel," Halomon promptly replied, catching him off guard. "I'm sure of it. That presence I felt...It was so close. As close as Celestimon."

So it wasn't something set loose in the wind...

At that moment, the truth of what was really going on hit him like a tsunami, and realising the older twin was likely in a lot of danger, he scrambled to his feet and gasped, "We have to find my brother before that angel does!"

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" Halomon replied, motioning for him to follow. "If I concentrate on Celestimon, I should be able to locate him easily. You might want to pull out your D-Coder as backup just to be on the safe side."

They're trying to separate us. I just know it. This is exactly what Mickey was afraid of...

Matty quickly did as he was told, but before he could study his brother's Digivice with a critical eye, something suddenly leaped out of the blowing snow and tackled him roughly to the ground. The force of his momentum knocked the wind out of his lungs, but before he could get his breath back, the thing went for Halomon. Crying out in pain as he tumbled through the air, the celestial digimon ended up careening into an icy snowbank nearby, his small body sending up a cloud of white flakes that blended into the storm.

Izzy warned us this could happen and he was right. At least Mickey will be safe, but...if that's true then why did they try to knock him out? Is it because they didn't want him to stop them from coming after me? That would make sense. They think he's me. I wonder what they're planning now that they've got me alone. Whatever it is, it's what they were originally hoping to do to my brother...

The thought alone was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach, and struggling to get to his feet, he immediately slipped and fell onto his backside. The heavy landing was enough to cause him another round of pain, and resigning himself to the inevitable, he proceeded to crawl towards Halomon on his stomach. It was a slow and awkward process, and by the time he reached the little rookie he was completely out of breath again.

Where is everybody? I don't know if I can do this alone...

"Okay, that definitely hurt," Halomon groaned, his head popping out of the snowdrift.

As the little rookie proceeded to shake the white flakes out of his fluffy ears, Matty managed to say, "Was it that fallen angel again?"

"No...Whatever that thing was, I didn't sense it coming at all. It's definitely not an angel digimon. That much I can tell you."

Sitting on the freezing cold ground with his back against the snowdrift, Matty wheezed, "It's trying to stop us from reaching my brother."

If they can separate us, it'll be a lot easier for them to attack Mickey's heart. That's not going to happen, though. The heart they're going after is mine, and whatever horrible things they had in store for my brother, those same things aren't going to work on me. As long as they believe he's me, Mickey will be fine. I have to keep believing that...

"I got that feeling, as well," Halomon informed him, wiggling out of the snowdrift. "Which makes it even more important that we keep moving."

Don't slip up, Mickey. Please act like you're me...

As much as he wanted to mull the situation over in his head, there wasn't any time for that, and using the snowdrift as leverage to stand up, he muttered, "If we don't find him, it's seriously going to inhibit our ability to digivolve."

"He did try to warn you," Halomon pointed out, giving him a look. "Well, no use in worrying about it now. Can you stand?"

Truthfully, Matty wasn't quite sure if he could, but before he could respond, he suddenly heard voices calling his name. Two of them definitely sounded like his parents, and responding to the call, he shouted, "Over here! Hurry up, we have to find Matty!"

Without waiting for a response, he pushed himself away from the snowbank, but before he'd gone more than a few feet, something collided with his back, sending him face first first into the snow. As a groan escaped his lips, a heavy object that felt like a foot pressed heavily into the small of his back, and what sounded like an unfamiliar female voice said smoothly, "Oh no, you aren't going anywhere, my dear boy. You're staying right where with me, and the two of us are going to have a nice little chat."