Clouds. Kari could see clouds floating above her. Kari noticed that the blue of the sky was actually black. But the clouds floating there were gray. No colour. Kari sat up, she had been lying on the ground. She stood. She felt something strange, she was shorter than she should be. Kari looked down, the gloves she normally wore were gone, and she was wearing the yellow shirt she hadn't worn in years. Around her neck she felt the pink scarf she wore when she went to the Digiworld the first time. She had a whistle around her neck, not a camera. Somehow, she was four years younger.

Kari's heart began to beat faster, she was scared. When she looked up again she was not outside, but in the bowels of some stone fortress. She began walking around, looking for a way out, a familiar face, something. Kari could hear her footsteps echoing around the huge quiet place, then she heard something else. Footfalls, heavy ones. Someone else was there! Kari broke into a run.

She ran far, fast, and furious. Her legs hurt, her lungs felt like fire, and she was dead tired. She stopped to get her breath, and again heard the footsteps. Louder, closer. Now there was another sound. Laughing, evil laughing. Kari's heart jumped again, and her adrenaline gave her the strength to run some more.

Why was she here? Where was she? Who is that? Kari's head kept pounding out the questions, while her feet kept pounding the ground.

"Tai! TK! Gatomon!" Kari screamed. If any one of the three responded she'd be happy. She felt safe around those three souls. Her brother, her lover, and her best friend. But no sound came back, at least no comforting one.

Kari kept running. She was scared to death. Every fiber of her being told her that if she let that laugh and those footsteps catch her, she'd die.

The hallway stopped, and opened in to an entry chamber, just inside an entrance. She saw the large door at the top of a few steps.

She took the steps three at a time. Kari grabbed the handle, and pulled. The door creaked open loudly. She chanced a look behind her. She couldn't see any details, just a silhouette of whatever it was. At least three meters tall, with wide shoulders. That was more than she wanted to know. She slammed the door shut, turned, and ran some more.

Her little legs did not carry her as fast as she'd like. But it didn't matter. She didn't have far to go. She found herself on a large balcony. Looking over the edge, she saw she was almost two hundred meters above the ground. It dawned on her, this was Piedmon's castle on Spiral Mountain. She almost died here once before. Thinking for a second history might repeat itself, she looked for the basket of rope, it was not there.

Kari's mind raced. Looking for any way of escape. Then she smelled something she did not expect. Blood.

She turned in the direction she thought the smell came from. Kari's hand went to her mouth, she gasped, and went white.

On a small table, sat three objects. A bloody set of goggles, one glass shattered. The other missing. A big green hat, with a dried line of blood around the left side. And finally a pair of cat-claw gloves. The pair of gloves with blood and tufts of white fur clinging to it.

"Gatomon......" Kari reached out for the gloves, and the door exploded. She whipped around, and saw Piedmon. He just shattered the door and was staring at her. She stopped and stood her ground.

"What have you done with my friends?" Kari was angry now, like a cornered animal.

"Child, can't you tell? I thought these trophies I collected would clue you in. Here, have another." Piedmon tossed something at her. Slowly and arcing, easy for her to catch. She did, and immediately felt the familiar sticky feeling of blood. She opened her fingers to see a twisted, broken and bloody harmonica.

"Why?" Now Kari was starting to cry. This was hopeless. How could she get out of this?

"You Digidestined children interfere with our plans. And as much as I'd love to continue, I must finish my work."

"What work?"

"Come now. Think. Eight digimon and seven humans destroyed. Those numbers are a bit lopsided. But I can fix that easy enough." Piedmon smiled and pulled out his swords. A pair in each hand. Kari was shocked. This was the end. He took a swing at her, but she ducked it and ran to the edge of the balcony. He threw two at her, one missed and the other clipped her arm. Her other hand went to the wound, and came away with the now too familiar red liquid.

She looked up at Piedmon just in time to see the last to swords coming at her. One hit her knee, tripping her, the other hit its mark.

Kari could feel the cold metal pass through her heart. She looked down to see the sword handle and only a few centimeters of the meter long sword in her chest. Reaching behind her, she could feel the rest protruding from her. Kari couldn't breathe. Her lungs refused to respond to inhale or exhale commands. She felt numb, light-headed. Kari sputtered for a second, and fell over. Her last sight was that of a small trail of her own blood winding away from her on the uneven stones. She closed her eyes and died.

Kari sat up in her bed. She was breathing hard, and she could hear her own heart. Her nightgown and bed sheets were almost soaked with her own perspiration. Kari noticed her hand were gripping the wooden sides of her bed, while her knuckles where white. It took some effort to release her fingers; they must have been gripping a long time. Her finger tips felt sore. She looked at them to see small chunks of wood under a few nails. She had been gripping hard enough to rip the tight pine fibers.

Kari looked down to the foot of her bed. A small curled white cat was sleeping. Two pairs of gloves where hanging on the side, her's and Gatomon's. Kari leaned over the side of the bed. She looked down to the bottom half of the bunk bed she shared with her brother. He was right where he should be. A small puddle of drool on his pillow, and breathing softly. She smiled and reached for the D-Terminal within easy reach. She sent and email marked as emergency. That would make the receiving terminal beep until it was answered.

It only took a minute for the reply to come back.

I'm fine Kari, so is Patamon. What's wrong?

Kari responed saying she'd see him in the morning.

She suddenly felt very emotional. Kari reached down and picked up Gatomon.

"Kari? What's going on?" The little cat was confused and tired. Kari said nothing, just took Gatomon in her arms and starting crying. Releasing the pent up emotional stream. Gatomon didn't talk. She knew Kari just needed to be close to her, she could find out what was wrong later. Kari was her best friend, and she'd do anything for her. Even give up her cat naps just to be hugged.

Kari was thinking. What was that nightmare for? She usually only had them as warnings about coming danger. But that was the most intense, frightening nightmare she had. It was also the only one where she was brutally killed.

Kari continued to squeeze Gatomon. Gatomon just purred to comfort her friend.