I don't own Digimon.

Well guys it's Friday and here's the new chapter. Things have begun to escalate for the DigiDestined and they're faced with beings that they can't possible defeat as they are now. Piedmon's story isn't done and we will see a continuation of if in this chapter as well as the next. But this chapter also focuses on Tai's return.

Enjoy.

Once A Leader….

Chapter 14: The War Begins…

It was long after sunset that Tai had managed to carry Kari over to the nearest Digiport. Agumon was too tired to Digivolve and Tai was in a similar state. He hadn't realized it before but being in that world had drained him physically as well as mentally. There were several times that he almost fell down while carrying his sister.

"Tai…I'm hungry…" Agumon told him for the umpteenth time that hour. He was carrying Salamon on his back and he was clearly weighed down by fatigue.

"I know pal…me too." Tai reached behind him and grabbed his D3. "When we get home, I'm sure that mom will have had dinner ready."

"I'm so hungry that I could eat a Mammothmon…" Agumon said as he set Salamon down beside him.

Chuckling lightly, Tai turned his attention to the Digiport and opened the portal back to the real world. They arrived back in their dad's office and Tai was surprised that the house was quiet. Opening the door, Tai saw that it was indeed empty. The lights were still on from when Tai had left in a hurry earlier that day. It seemed strange that everything he had been through had only taken less than a day to accomplish.

"Tai?" Turning toward his partner, Tai saw that Agumon had turned back into Koromon. "Can we eat now?"

"Yea, let me just put Kari on the couch…"

Tai placed his sister gently on the couch and then placed Salamon by her legs. Lastly he picked up his partner and took him over to the kitchen and placed him on the counter. He rummaged thru the fridge and found some left over cake that his mom had made. He took the plate and placed it in front of Koromon, knowing that he'd eat the whole thing.

While Koromon ate his fill, Tai went over to this phone and picked it up. As tired as he was, he needed to let the others know that he was back. Dialing a number that he long since memorized, Tai waited as it rung.

"Tai? Is that you?" Sora's voice came from the other line.

"Yea…it's me…"

"Are you okay? You sound so tired! What happened?" She sounded so worried about him that it brought a smile to his face.

"I'm fine…just exhausted. Got Kari back…listen, I want everyone to meet up at Gennai's tomorrow at noon…" Tai told her. He was beginning to fall asleep where he stood and he knew that he wouldn't be able to remain awake for much longer.

"Tai…we can't go to the digital world…at least not yet." Sora's tone had changed and Tai knew that something had happened. "Tai…he's back…"

"Who?" Tai asked. Something in the back of his mind began to cackle maniacally as if it were trying to give him a hint.

"Piedmon…"

Tai was no longer feeling sleepy. His mind was alert and running a million miles a second. A million questions burst into his head. What, when, where, why, and how had Piedmon come back? It was impossible!

"Tai?" Sora's voice had gone back to concerned when Tai had gone silent.

"Sora…can you come over?" This was something that needed to be discussed in person and not over the phone.

"I'll be right over." Sora said, sounding determined. "And Tai, I'm glad your back. You and Kari."

"Thanks…I'll see you soon." Tai waited until he heard the other line hang up before he set down the phone. Looking over at his partner, he watched as Koromon happily ate the final crumbs from the cake. Within moments Koromon licked the plate clean and he was eagerly looking for seconds. "Hang on…I'll see what else is in there."

"What's the matter, Tai? Did something happen?" Koromon asked once he noticed the expression on Tai's face.

"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. Here, eat up buddy." Tai said as he placed a bowl of leftover lasagna from the night before.

As Koromon munched away, Tai grabbed a fork and took a few bites for himself. He was hungry as well but with the news that Piedmon was back it made it a little hard to focus on eating. And his mom's cooking wasn't helping either.

/\(-\/-)/\

Piedmon looked over his handiwork. The desert had been scorched and turned into glass for as far as the eye could see. The once proud temple now lay in ruins and no other Digimon seemed to have survived.

"Well that takes care of that." With a wave of his hand the large black blade vanished into thin air. "Now onto the main event!"

Piedmon made his way toward the ruins of the once great temple and created a gust of wind to blast away the rubble from the entrance. All he had to do now was go down the ancient passageway that would take him to the gates that led into the Dark Area. Many evil Digimon were held there and he wondered idly if he'd see some familiar faces down there.

/\(-\/-)/\

Tai sighed as Sora finished telling him how Piedmon had returned. He should've known that T.K. would let his hatred cloud his judgment. But even then it wasn't T.K.'s fault that Piedmon came back. None of them could've ever predicted that he'd return.

"What are we gonna do?" Sora finally asked after a long moment of silence.

Tai looked up and simply stared at his best friend. He honestly couldn't care about the Digital World at the moment. His head was so full from the day's events that he had stopped caring all together. If he tried to come up with a plan, Tai was sure that his head would explode.

So instead of coming up with a plan and making his head hurt even more than it already did, Tai simply stared into Sora's eyes and allowed himself to get lost in them. He was staring so longingly at her that Sora's cheeks began to feel warm and a rosy blush soon appeared.

"Tai…?" She asked once more only this time wondering what was on his mind.

"You're so beautiful…" He finally said. He gave her a weak smile and placed his hand on top of hers. "Have I told you that yet?"

This made Sora blush even more and she felt her ears get hot. "N-No…" Without meaning to she began to stutter which caused Tai to chuckle.

"Well you are…" He pulled her close, bringing his face close to hers. "So beautiful…" He closed the distance between them and placed his lips on top of hers.

It was a simple kiss, one that Tai meant to convey his feelings for her. He wanted to tell her that he didn't want to deal with the pressure of being a leader right now. That he wanted to simply forget about being a DigiDestined and having to save both worlds. He was asking her to help him forget and just be there with him. To hold him and allow him to forget his troubles.

"Oh Tai…" She whispered as they parted briefly.

Then before either of them knew what was going on, they began to kiss once more, this time more passionately. There was a hunger in each other's eye and a need that needed to be satisfied. For Tai it was need to reclaim a sense of normalcy and inner peace. He felt calm when he was next to Sora, she grounded him when things became too complicated.

For Sora it was a need to reaffirm that Tai had indeed come back and come back whole. She had been terrified that he had lost a part of himself in the Dark Ocean. She had worried that he would lose himself and never come back. And seeing him there, having him kiss her like his life depended on it, it helped her because it told her that he had indeed come back to her.

They were still young and their kisses were still inexperienced so they let their instincts take over. They were sitting on the couch, Tai had moved Kari over to her bed and both of their Digimon had been put to sleep as well. Sora pushed against Tai, causing him to lean back on the armrest, and let her hands roam across his chest. She wasn't sure what she was doing but she knew that she liked it.

Tai had always been athletic and as she felt his tone and lean body, she knew that Tai was in great shape. But what caught her off guard was the way Tai's skin seemed to heat up at her lightest touch. The warmth from his body was radiant and she felt completely at ease, finally knowing that Tai had indeed come back to her.

Tai was surprised by Sora's forwardness. He had simply wanted to hold her in his arms but when she pushed him back against the armrest, he knew that she needed a bit more. He felt her hands explore his chest from underneath his shirt and he felt his body respond to her touch. Wherever her fingers traced, a tingling sensation would follow and his skin would heat up as if someone had turned on a furnace.

Not wanting to be left out, Tai moved his hands from her waist to her stomach. She gasped lightly as his hands paused at her sides, silently asking for permission. And to answer her question, Sora took his hand and moved it up to just below her chest. Then she resumed their make out session as she continued to explore the rest of his body. Tai, while curious, explored her stomach first, feeling every muscle and rib. Sora had played sports alongside him for many years until an old soccer injury stopped her from playing full time. In order to keep in shape, Sora switched over to tennis and had been doing it ever since. And Tai could feel that she was using a different set of muscle than the ones she used in soccer. Toned and lean like him, Sora's skin was smooth to the touch and he found that she too was warm to the touch.

Her body responded to his and she unconsciously moaned into his mouth, telling him that she was enjoying his touch. Slowly, his hands made their way up and he could feel Sora tense up slightly. He could tell that she was nervous about where things were headed and he decided to stop things before they went too far. He pulled his hands out from under her shirt and wrapped them around her waist, bringing her in close. Surprised, Sora eyed him with an unasked question.

"As much as I'm enjoying our alone time…would it be alright if we just cuddled for a bit?" He asked her, answering her question at the same time. He knew that she would never admit it but she was nervous about their relationship since they were both so inexperienced. Tai didn't want to mess things up by rushing them and he would be patient and let things move at their own pace. "I'm kind of tired…"

Sora couldn't help but smile warmly at the boy beneath her. Without a word, she lowered herself slightly on top of him and held him close. While she wanted more, she knew that Tai had made the right move. There would be time to explore later when things were more peaceful. Right now it was enough to simply hold him in her arms.

/\(-\/-)/\

Piedmon walked past the dissolving Strikedramon that had been guarding the gates of the Digital Underworld. Those pathetic insects thought they could stop him from reaching his goals and they paid for their insolence.

Pushing open the doors, Piedmon eyed the vast Dark Area that was surprisingly not very dark. As far as the eye could see, a massive forest seemed to engulf the landscape. In the distance, Piedmon could see an ancient castle that he knew belonged to GranDracmon. Closing the doors behind him, Piedmon made his way down a seemingly random direction.

The forest was full of eerie lights and glowing eyes but none of it bothered Piedmon. He knew that the Digimon lurking in the shadows knew who he was and that they wouldn't dare confront him. As he continued down his path, the forest began to thin out and he reached a clearing with a stone slab surrounded by six pillars. Walking toward the stone, Piedmon saw that a single paper seal was placed on top of it.

"So this is how they kept you imprisoned…" Piedmon mused to himself. He made to touch the paper seal when a transparent energy field stopped his advance. "Interesting…"

Pulling out his sword, Piedmon brought the tip of the blade down with as much force as he could, piercing the paper seal all the way through to the stone. The ground shook and the stone slab began to crack and crumble as a white light broke thru the cracks. Within moments, a figure rose up from the light. The Digimon had the appearance of a small child with blond hair. It also had eight white feathered wings as well as two more on its head. It wore white robes that went over his right shoulder, leaving his left bare. It also wore a holy band on its arms and legs. And the Digimon also had purple markings on its body like a tattoo of some sort.

Piedmon watched as the Digimon stumbled forward and fell down on the grassy underbrush. The Digimon looked disoriented and it didn't seem to know what was going on. "Lucemon…" Its ears perked up at the sound of the name. "Yes, that's your name. Do you know who I am?"

"N-No…" The Digimon said in a slightly scared voice.

This caused Piedmon's smile to widen. "Well my dear fellow, allow me to introduce myself. I am Piedmon, leader of the Dark Masters. And I have come to this place to free you from this hell."

"B-But why was I in here?" Lucemon asked. He looked around and saw the evil that lurked around this place. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You didn't do anything, my friend." Piedmon lied. "You were sealed away by the Digimon Sovereign because they feared your power. They feared that one day you would over throw them and rule the Digital World in their place."

"But why would they fear me?" Lucemon looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe that anyone would want him punished. Wasn't he the good guy?

"Because, my dear child, you were destined to rule the Digital World." Piedmon knelt down beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It was foretold long ago that you would bring peace between good and bad Digimon alike. That you would bridge the gap that had been created by the Sovereign. For you see, child, you have both light and darkness within you."

Lucemon gasped, his eyes widening at the news. "I do?"

"Oh yes…you have the potential to do great things…terrible things…but also good things." Piedmon expertly wove his tale of deceit by sprinkling in as much truth as he could. "Follow me and I will take you back to the Digital World where you can see the sunlight. I will protect you from those who would seek to harm you."

"You promise?" Lucemon's voice was timid. He stared up into Piedmon's eyes, trying to look for any form of deception but he could find none. He was willing to put his all of his faith him and Piedmon could see it in Lucemon's eyes.

"I promise." Piedmon's smile couldn't have gone wider if he tried.

"Where are we going now?" Lucemon asked as Piedmon helped him up.

"We're going to free a few more of my friends and then we'll go and set the Sovereign free." Piedmon told him. "We're going to start a war that will change the fate of this world and then you will bring ever lasting peace to it."

Piedmon then moved forward and hid his devilish grin from Lucemon's sight. Everything was going according to plan and soon he would have all the pieces into place. The only question now was who to release next. Decisions…decisions…

End of chapter.

Well I'm pretty sure that some of you will be able to guess that Piedmon is going to release the Demon Lords from the Dark Area. With Daemon already out, will the others join Piedmon or betray him?

Now that Tai's back, it's up to him come up with a plan. The last time they faced off, Tai and WarGreymon were no match. Will it be the same thing in round two now that they're both older and stronger? Will Tai be able to help Agumon Warp Digivolve again? Also Kari is back but will she be okay? Find out in the next episode of Digimon! lol.

Till next time guys.

R&R.