I don't own Digimon.

Well guys here's the next chapter and things are speeding up. I'll probably post the next chapter next Saturday because things are starting to get good as the next arc begins. I reread the chapters that I wrote months ago and I can't believe I forgot what happens next. Now I'm actually excited to post regularly again. So long as we keep getting reviews this story will keep coming.

Enjoy!

Once A Leader…

Chapter 34: Dimming Light

Kari groaned as she struggled to regain awareness of her surroundings. There was a loud ringing noise in her ears and everything else sounded muffled. Shaking her head weakly, Kari pushed off the ground and tried to stand up. But as she did, Kari fell back down to her knees from an intense pain in her chest. Coughing, Kari opened her eyes and saw that she was kneeling in a sand dune with a shadow looming over her. Looking up, Kari saw that the shadow belonged to the last being she expected to see and she froze.

Piedmon was looking down at her with a malevolent spark in his eye and a smile on his face.

Earlier…

Kari follow Angewomon out of the temple as LadyDevimon led them outside. The fight inside would be handled by Tai and the others. LadyDevimon stopped some distance away and turned to face them.

"It's been awhile since we last fought, Angewomon." LadyDevimon said as she eyed them both. "It seems that time has not been kind to you."

"What are you talking, Witch?"

"In the last four years, you've let yourself grown content with the level you had. Peace has made you soft so much so that even newly hatched rookie Digimon are even more powerful than you." LadyDevimon smirked as she raised a long slender finger and pointed at her. "You've grown weak while I, on the other hand, have grown stronger. My time in the Dark Area hasn't been for naught."

"I beat you once and I can do it again!" Angewomon said as she summoned her bow and aimed her arrow. "Celestial Arrow!"

LadyDevimon smirked once more as she easily dodged the arrow of holy energy. She hadn't been bragging when she said that her power had grown over the last few years. Now it was time to see just how much her powers had grown.

"Evil Wing!" Dozens of bat-like creatures of dark energy were shot out from her spread out wings. The energy blasts struck Angewomon and sent her crashing into the sand below.

"Angewomon!" Kari couldn't believe her eyes. Her partner had been taken down with one shot and she had felt Angewomon's pain thru their bond. "Are you okay?"

Angewomon was slow to rise, wincing from the numerous burn marks that she received thanks to LadyDevimon's attack. Despite being an angel type Digimon, it seemed that Angewomon was at a huge disadvantage.

"Damn…" She steadied herself and glared at LadyDevimon who remained floating in the sky with a smug look on her face. "Damn her…"

Taking flight, Angewomon summoned her bow once more and fired off a barrage of arrows at LadyDevimon. But the evil Digimon seemed to vanish in the air as she dodged each arrow with ease. With each arrow she evaded, LadyDevimon closed the gap between them. As she dodged the final arrow, LadyDevimon caught Angewomon's wrist and hurled her down into the sand below once more.

But as Angewomon was falling, LadyDevimon raised her left arm and it transformed into a long spear. With deadly precision, LadyDevimon dived down toward Angewomon, her left arm cocked and ready to strike once she was close enough. But Angewomon righted herself mid fall and turned to face LadyDevimon.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon fired her attack almost point blank at LadyDevimon, unleashing a cross shaped ray of pink light. The attack was full of beauty and affection and it had been the move that finished off LadyDevimon in their first encounter.

LadyDevimon was able to raise her arms to shield herself but that did little to stop the attack from doing its damage. She screamed in pain as she was sent flying back from the force of the attack and she crash landed several yards away.

"Alright, you did it Angewomon!" Kari cheered as her partner landed a few yards in front of her.

"It's not over." Angewomon told her.

And she was right as not a moment later LadyDevimon exploded from her crater with the force of a bomb and shot toward Angewomon at full speed. Before she could even react, LadyDevimon delivered a devastating haymaker to the face that split her helm clean in two. Angewomon was sent spiraling backwards from the force of the punch and she came to a halt buried within a sand dune over a hundred yards away.

Kari couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at the spot where her partner stood moments before. It was unreal, the amount of strength needed to do something like that was unimaginable. Yet she had seen just that right before her very eyes.

LadyDevimon stood panting a few yards ahead of her where Angewomon had stood, her arm was extended and her fist still vacated the space where Angewomon's head used to be. The two pieces of Angewomon's helm lay at her feet half buried in the sand. It was clear that Angewomon's last attack had done considerable damage to LadyDevimon. There were cuts and burns all over her body and half of her hair had been burned off. Her lip was bleeding and her right eye was closed shut. Her left arm was held close to her body and it was obviously damaged from the way she held it. But most of all, the way LadyDevimon nearly stumbled after she turned to face Kari told her that Angewomon's attack came close to destroying her again.

"Y-You're next, girlie…" LadyDevimon said as she took a shaky step toward her.

Kari hesitated for a split second before trying to runaway but as she took a step back, she lost her footing in the sand and fell on her butt. LadyDevimon lunged down and grabbed a fistful of Kari's shirt before lifting her up to face level. But as LadyDevimon prepared to speak, Kari threw her right hand up into the Digimon's face and unleashed the fistful of sand. The sand went into LadyDevimon's eyes, mouth, and cuts. She cried out in pain as she released Kari's shirt and stumbled backward in pain.

While she was blinded, Kari scrambled to pick herself up from the sand and ran behind LadyDevimon. Kari picked up the two pieces of Angewomon's helm that were partially buried in the sand and turned back around to face LadyDevimon. Still blinded, LadyDevimon could do nothing as Kari jumped up and drop-kicked the back of her left knee which was the more damaged of the two. LadyDevimon screamed in agony and surprise as her leg was knocked out beneath her and she fell face first into the sand. But as she fell, she involuntarily tried to brace herself and she used her left arm. LadyDevimon shrieked as new levels of pain shot throughout her body as she threw herself on her back to get off of her left arm.

Kari then ran over to LadyDevimon's head and before the Digimon could do anything, the DigiDestined of Light stabbed Angewomon's helm where it was split in two into LadyDevimon's right eye. Her injured eye.

LadyDevimon shrieked once more as she lashed out wildly with her right arm, striking Kari in the chest with the back of her hand. Kari felt the wind knocked out of her as she was lifted off the ground and sent flying several yards away where she hit the top of a sand dune and rolled down its side several more yards below.

Piedmon stood several yards away from LadyDevimon was currently writhing in pain. As helpful as a pawn as she was, she had already outlived her usefulness and Piedmon had no need for worthless trash. Paying her no more mind, Piedmon made his way over to where the DigiDestined of Light landed moments before. In he was being honest, Piedmon was genuinely surprised that Kari had managed to pull a stunt like that off. He could see her brother doing something like that or even that boy who died but Kari? During their first adventure when Piedmon monitored their progress, Kari had always been a gentle child. But now it seemed that the Child of Light had a bit of a Courageous streak inside of her.

Looking down below, Piedmon saw that Kari was barely beginning to regain awareness. That too, surprised him. A blow like that should've killed her but miraculously she survived.

Turning to look behind him, Piedmon said. "Look Lucemon, that's why we're here…"

A small winged child with blond hair hovered a few feet behind the Dark Master and he eyed the desert land with eyes full of wonder. When he heard Piedmon speak, the boy named Lucemon turned eagerly in the direction that Piedmon pointed. "Is she the one who stole my light, Mr. Piedmon?" Lucemon asked.

"Yes, my child." Piedmon nodded. He bade Lucemon to follow him down the sand dune toward Kari who was struggling to stand. "After the Sovereign sealed you away, they robbed you of your powers and gave this child the power of Light. She tried to use them against me but since that power doesn't belong to her she can't use them properly."

"Why? Is she evil?" Lucemon asked.

"She's the worst kind of evil…" Piedmon told him. "She does evil in the name of good without realizing it. Her friends have committed countless atrocities against Digimon kind for years and no one has been able to stop them."

The expression on the innocent child's face changed from questioning to sadness to anger. "I won't let her hurt any more defenseless Digimon with my powers any longer." He said.

"Good. That's why I brought you here." Piedmon stopped in front of Kari and looked down at the DigiDestined of Light. She hadn't realized that he was there yet and as she looked up to see who's shadow loomed over her, Piedmon smiled. His plans were coming along perfectly.

Kari couldn't believe her eyes. She forgot how to breathe, how to blink, Kari couldn't even think. Nothing she could do would help her against the Digimon that towered over her. She was alone and no one would be coming to her aid. And for the first time since BlackWarGreymon appeared, Kari saw her life flash before her eyes. Tears began to form and fall from her eyes as she stared up silently at the Dark Master, completely oblivious to the Digimon that stood beside him that was glaring at her.

Piedmon, smile ever present, got down to one knee and placed a single finger against Kari's cheek, wiping away some of her tears. "I'm not going to kill you, child…" He said, speaking softly. "No, I'm just going to take from you the one thing you value most…" Piedmon then placed his hand over Kari's chest. "I'm taking your Light…"

And the last thing Kari saw before darkness claimed her was Piedmon's smile widening.

End of chapter.