Hello peeples, the freak is in the house. I decided to take a break from writing Daikari fics to write a... well, you'll find out soon enough. Suffice it to say, its a Tamers fic. I hope you all enjoy it and DON'T flame me... much.

Gogglehead

by SuPeRfReAk

The boy ran forward. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. The digimon looked at the boy cruelly.

"Very well. I'll kill you instead. TERRA DESTROYER!" The ball of energy flew forward and hit the boy, knocking him to the ground, where he stayed. A shattered pair of goggles slid over to a young girl's feet, and she bent to pick them up. She ran over to the boy and lifted his head.

"Please, please don't leave me," she sobbed, holding him tight.

"I.. I'm sorry Rika..." His voice trailed off, and he went limp.

"Takato! No!" Rika shouted, sitting bolt upright in her bed. Her sheets were sweat-soaked, even though it was a cool night. She shivered, wrapping herself in one of her blankets. "Why do I keep dreaming about that gogglehead Takato? Could I..." She shook her head disdainfully. "No. There's no way. Gogglehead's just a friend." She laid back, satisfied, though still unable to sleep.

"What's wrong, Rika?" Renamon said, appearing out of the darkness.

"It's, uh, nothing Renamon," Rika replied.

"I know you better then that, Rika. Trust me, you can tell me what's wrong."

"I think I might like Takato. You know, as more than a friend."

"I was aware of what you meant. So you've got the hots for Guilmon's tamer, hmm? Interesting."

"Somehow I don't like the sound of that. Please don't tell anyone." Renamon chuckled and disappeared into the shadows. "Renamon-"

"I won't tell anyone, Rika. I promise." Rika smiled, then slowly drifted off to sleep.

*****

"Dammit, I can't sleep," Takato murmured, getting up and out of his bet. He quietly dropped to the floor, then slowly made his way downstairs to his parent's bakery. Even though it was almost two a.m., his parents were both still working. Takato though about it for a minute, then remembered that they had a large order to fill for the next day.

"Hey Mom? I'm starved," Takato said, walking into the kitchen.

"Really? You ate enough for six at dinner," his mother replied, smiling.

"I know. I can't sleep, and I thought maybe a snack would help."

"Alright, you can have something small."

"Thanks Mom." Before going back up to his room, Takato grabbed two apple danishes and a can of soda. He polished off the snack in no time, then laid back. "Why can't I stop thinking about Rika?" he wondered aloud, thinking back to the first time he'd laid eyes on th girl. It had been in a dream, just before he'd met Guilmon. Ever since, he'd felt squeamish around the girl, and she was a constant figure in his dreams.

'Maybe... maybe I really AM in love with her,' he thought, thinking back to a comment Kazu had made earlier in the day.

~*FLASHBACK*~

"I wonder what Rika's doing," Takato said. He, Kazu, Henry, Guilmon, and Terriermon were sitting in the hideout playing cards.

"Boy Takato, you sure talk about Rika alot," Henry said. "What's up with that?"

"I can answer that one," Kazu replied. "Goggle boy's fallen for her."

"You're crazy, Kazu," Takato protested. "I don't love Rika."

"Obsession and denial. Two classic symptoms of 'love sickness'," Kazu said. "No point in denying it, chumly. We already know the truth."

"Yup. It's love alright," Henry said.

"IT IS NOT!!"

~*END FLASHBACK*~

"Oh god, what am I going to do," Takato muttered. "If I tell Rika I love her, she'll kill me. Or worse. I'm in deep sludge." A familiar red snout poked in through the open window.

"Takatomon?" Guilmon's voice said. "I'm hungry."

"Guilmon? What are you doing here?"

"I already told you, I'm hungry." Takato sighed.

"I'll go get you something. You might as well stay here for the night." Guilmon looked puzzled.

"Takatomon, what's wrong? You look sad."

"It's Rika."

"Renamon's tamer? What about her?"

"I like her, Guilmon. A lot." Guilmon nodded.

"I know. Kazu told me earlier."

"Don't say anything to anyone, okay?"

"About what?" Guilmon replied innocently, a smile appearing on his face.

"Good boy. I'll go get you some bread now." Guilmon nodded, then curled up on the floor. Takato slipped down to the bakery and grabbed an armload of day-old bread and snuck up to his room.

"Go to sleep, Takato," his parents' collective voice said. Takato sweatdropped then rushed into his room and slammed the door.

*****

Rika poked at her breakfast sullenly. "What's the matter dear?" her grandmother asked. "Aren't you hungry?" Rika wasn't, but she took a bite anyway, so as not to worry her grandmother.

"I'm fine, Grandma. May I ask you something?" Rika asked, blushing slightly.

"Certainly dear. What is it?"

"It's kind of embarassing."

"It's about boys, isn't it?" Rika nodded, looking even more embarassed. "I knew this day would come eventually. What's the problem?"

"Well, I kinda like a guy I know, and I was wondering how I could find out if he felt the same way."

"Well, you could ask him."

"That's not really an option," Rika replied.

"Well then, just watch how he acts around you. Listen to how he talks, and if he avoids eye-contact, he most definately likes you." Rika nodded, then smiled.

"Thanks, Grandma. You've been a lot of help," Rika said, kissing her grandmother on the cheek as she ran out the door. "I'll see you after school."

*****

Takato sat at his kitchen table, poking at his scrambled eggs. "Do I like eggs? Even I can't remember."

"I know it's been awhile," his mother said, "but Mrs. Otami brought them for us, and we don't need them, so it's eggs for breakfast."

"Fair enough," Takato said, "but in the future, I'd personally rather have an omelet." He pushed his plate away. "I'm going to head over to the park," he said. "I'm supposed to meet Henry there before school."

"You've got lots of time, Takato," his father said from behind a paper. "There's no need to rush. Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, exactly. Wierd, but not wrong." His father folded up the paper and smiled.

"Let me guess. You're having problems with a girl, right?"

"How did you do that?"

"Parents are psychic," Takato's mother replied.

"Well, Takato, I knew this day would come," his father said. "What's your problem?"

"I think I like a girl that I know, but I'm afraid she'll kill me if I say anything. What should I do?"

"How about you just tell her how you feel and risk the consequences?"

"Funny dad. Is there any other way?"

"Not really. Just wait for a good time and tell her how you feel."

"You've been a bundle of help," Takato said sarcastically. "Can I go now?"

"We'll see you after school son," both parents said as he left. He grabbed another armload of day-old bread to take to Guilmon, so he wouldn't show up in the middle of the night again, on his way out.

*****

Rika went a ways out of her way to stop by the hideout on her way to school. As usual, Henry was sitting there, waiting for Takato to show up. Guilmon and Terriermon were playing a few metres away, and Henry was watching the pair contently. "Good morning," Rika said, sitting down beside the boy.

"Oh, hi Rika," he said. "Taking the long way to school, huh?"

"Well, I came here because I wanted to talk to you."

"Really? About what?"

"Takato."

"Look, he may seem a little out of it at times, but he's still a great tamer. Give him a break for once!"

"I like him, okay? I just wanted to find out if he ever talks about me."

"Yeah, sometimes." Rika looked thoughtful for a moment. She shook her head, then glanced down to her watch.

"I gotta get going. Whatever you do, don't tell Gogglehead what I told you, or else I may have to impede your ability to ever have children."

"Okay, Rika. I promise I won't tell him." Rika smiled, then disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. "Wierd," Henry murmured. It was only a couple of minutes before Takato appeared. "Morning Takato," Henry said. Takato, obviously deep in thought, didn't seem to notice. "Hey, Takato? Earth to Takato!"

"Huh? Wha? Oh, hi Henry," Takato said, a shadow of a smile crossing his face. "Hey, can I talk to you about something?"

"Any time, man," Henry replied. "What's the matter?"

"Well, remember yesterday when you and Kazu were making fun of me about liking Rika?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, um, I wasn't exactly telling the truth when I said I didn't like her."

"What are you saying Takato?"

"I think I'm in love, Henry. That's what I'm saying. Do you think I have a chance with her?"

"Maybe," Henry replied, keeping his promise to Rika in mind. "Why don't you just ask her?"

"Are you nuts? She'd probably rip me apart and feed me to Guilmon."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Henry lied. "But you should still take a shot at it. Maybe she'll surprise you."

"Yeah, maybe. Come on, we're gonna be late for school. And don't say anything to Rika, okay?"

"Alright, Takato. I promise I won't tell anyone that you like Rika."

"Thanks bud."

*****

Rika had never been happier to get out of school. Although she was somewhat excited at the thought of seeing Takato, she was also kind of worried. 'What if I let it slip that I like him?' she thought, slumping down on the bench at a bus stop. 'I hope Henry didn't tell him. If he did, I swear...' Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Renamon.

"Rika? You should have been home by now. Or did you forget that we're supposed to meet Takato and Henry in the park in fifteen minutes?" Rika grinned, patting her backpack.

"Don't worry, I have everything we need right here." A few minutes later, Rika was running toward the park, having changed into what Takato called her taming clothes. Henry, Takato, and their respective digimon were at the hideout, waiting for the girl to appear. Rika decided to hang back for a few minutes, just to see how Takato would react.

*****

"Where is she?" Takato asked, pacing back and forth. "She's almost fifteen minutes late. Maybe we should go look for her."

"Relax, Takato," Henry said. "She'll be here. Don't worry."

"That's easy for you to say. You know how I feel about her, so I'll worry if I want." Rika, from her vantage point in the bushes, smiled.

"Did you hear that Renamon?" Rika said, a grin on her face. "He likes me too. Come on, let's get down there. I've got to tell Takato how I feel."

"Rika and Takato, sittin' in a tree..." Renamon began.

"Quiet you," Rika said, giggling.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

*****

Takato was never so glad to see Rika as he was when she emerged from the bushes. He decided that, rather than tell her how glad he was that she was okay, he would pretend he was angry at her. "Rika!" he shouted. "You were supposed to be here almost twenty minutes ago! Don't you take your duties as a Tamer seriously?"

"Sorry Takato. Um... may I talk to you for a minute? You know, in private?"

"D.. did you just apologize to me?"

"Yeah. So can we talk or are you going to stand there like a moron all day?"

"Sure, we can talk," Takato said. The two of them walked a short distance away from Henry and the digimon. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, Takato I... wanted you to know that... that-" Rika was cut short by the appearance of a digital field in their immediate vicinity. "What? Where did the digital field come from?" Rika asked.

"I don't know," Takato said, glancing at his D-Power, "but whatever it is, it's powerful." At that instant, a digimon took form. "Oh no," Takato said. "It's Black Wargreymon! He's a mega-level digimon, and extremely powerful! This could be bad."

"And that could be the understatement of the decade." At that moment, Henry and the digimon entered.

"You guys look like you could use a hand," Henry said. "This guy is more powerful than any other digimon we've ever faced. Both of you had better be careful."

"Less chat, more splat," Takato shouted, whipping a card out of his pocket. "Digi Modify! Digivolution Activate!" Guilmon digivolved to Growlmon, stepping up to the plate. After a short battle, Guilmon was lying on the ground, barely able to move.

"Sorry Takatomon," Guilmon said. "He's too strong for me." Takato dragged Guilmon to safety and sat there, watching the battle.

"You're next, Terriermon," Henry shouted. "Digi Modify! Digivolution Activate!" Terriermon digivolved to Gargomon, and he managed to hold out a little bit longer than Guilmon did, although Black Wargreymon had little trouble defeating him. Soon enough Henry was over beside Takato, holding an unconscious Terriermon in his arms.

"It's all up to us now, Renamon," Rika said. "Let's do it! Digi Modify! Digivolution Activate!"

"I won't let you down," Kyubimon said, staring down Black Wargreymon.

"Out of my way," Black Wargreymon said. "I have come for the girl."

"Over my dead body! Foxtail Inferno!"

"Terra Destroyer!" Both attacks hit, but Black Wargreymon emerged unscathed. Kyubimon, on the other hand, was unconscious. "Now, Tamer, you shall die." Takato jumped to his feet and ran out to stand in front of Rika.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted. Black Wargreymon looked down at him cruelly.

"Very well. I'll kill you instead. TERRA DESTROYER!" The blast hit Takato head on, knocking him to the ground, where he stayed. Black Wargreymon pulled the goggles from Takato's head and tossed them on the ground. He then stomped them and kicked the remains over to Rika. She bent down to pick them upand rushed over to Takato's side.

"Takato? Takato, wake up! Please, please don't leave me," she sobbed, lifting his head.

"I.. I'm sorry Rika..." His voice trailed off when he went limp

"No..."Rika whispered, stunned. "No! Takato! Come back! I love you!" Rika stood up and stared at Black Wargreymon. "You! It's your fault he's gone! I swear, you'll pay for this!" Rika screamed, whipping out every modify card she had. "I'll defeat you! I swear you'll pay for what you did to him... and to me..." RIka dropped to her knees, sobbing. "Everyone I love leaves me... I just wish that I could bring Takato back." A beam of white light shot out of her D-Power and hit Takato. At the same time, a golden digiegg appeared in her hand.

"Kyubimon, armour digivolve to... Infernomon, the warrior of Love and Miracles!" Rika could only stare at the new digimon.

"Wow..." she murmured. "Do it, Infernomon! You can beat him!"

"Flames of Destiny!" Infernomon shouted. The beam his Black Wargreymon dead on, and the digimon was vaporized. Henry and Rika only celebrated for a moment, then their thoughts went back to their fallen commrade. The light from Rika's digivice faded, and Takato shot up to a sitting position.

"Rika! Are you alright?" Rika ran over to him and swept him up in a passionate kiss. "Wha?" was all Takato could say.

"You came back," she said. "I love you, Takato."

"Wow..." was all Takato could think of to say. "I love you too, Rika. I have since I first laid eyes on you."

"Shut up, Gogglehead," Rika whispered, smiling and kissing Takato again.


A/N: Good lord, that was quite possibly the sappiest fic I've ever written. Oh well, read and review. Let me know if I should write more.