Mai: Yeah! I made another chapter! Congratulate me!

(Sound of an owl was heard)

Mai: Blast them audience. Anyway, this continued from where I left you guys. Good news, you prepare yourself. Bad news, this isn't Tanabata yet.

Mai: Oh and before I completely forgot, to that guy (drat, I forgot the name.........I'm getting amnesia everyday, so sue me) who told me to get my lazy ass on a computer, don't worry, I gave you what you want.

Mai: Oh, and A.M., you're not talking anymore. Where are you? Please continue your stories too! Bloody hell, I have been writing the fic, but to no luck.

Mai: Well, that's done. I don't own Digimon Tamers, and I'll never do. If I do, you know what will happen. For the grammar: I'M TIRED. I finished writing this chapter by 10:22 P.M. and the last thing I need is someone pestering me of the grammar!

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CHAPTER VIII: PERSPECTIVE

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~~ 8:40 P.M. ~~

Rika blinked, rubbed her eyes, and stared at the message. 'Ryo Akiyama is asking me out on a date.........Ryo Akiyama is asking me out on a date. I can't believe it.........' She shakes her head. 'No, it can't be.........Ryo is just my friend, why is he acting like.........'

"Argh!" she threw her hands up in frustration. She stormed out of the house. 'I need air. Fresh air might be the medicine I'll need.'

She walked around aimlessly and found herself at the hideout. 'Funny how instincts tell my body how to act.' She sat down at the stairs, and sighed. 'How can he ask me such a question.........' Her voice was barely audible, as she encircles her arms around her legs, and her head hangs down. "Ryo, you are one big idiot..........."

~~ 8:33 P.M. ~~

Ryo looked up at the ceiling of his room. 'She must've read my message already. I wonder what will be her reply.........anything, Rika, anything but a 'no''. He sat up, and heaved a sigh. 'Man, I must have it that bad for her.........who could've thought I'd fell this hard.'

He glanced out the window, where he could see the leaves going with the wind. 'Come to think of it, anyone could've thought that way.........like Jeri or Henry, but no one could've predicted that this would happen.'

He wears the jacket over his red sweater and head out for some thinking. 'I think it's going to be a cold night, but then, who knows?'

"Ryo, where're you going?" his dad called out from the kitchen. "It's already late."

"I'm just going for a walk, dad." He responded, going to the door and putting his shoes on. "I'll be back in a bit." Monodramon bounced out of the kitchen. Ryo looked at his partner. "Um, Monodramon, just stay here with dad, okay? Don't cause trouble now."

"Okay, Ryo." The digimon went back to the kitchen. "I got those.............*clank* *clank*" And immediately, a crashing sound was heard.

Ryo chuckled, slightly envisioning his dad and Monodramon in the kitchen. 'I guess that is plate number 32 now...........'

~~ 9:30 P.M. ~~

Rika sighed for what appeared to be the fifteenth time. 'Talking to myself for almost an hour is not doing any good,' she deduced. 'Then again, if I burst out in front of him, I might do something that I'll regret.'

The wind started to get chilly, and the redhead already regretted not taking her jacket with her. 'Ryo, what the hell are you trying to tell me? Is there something else I need to know?'

She admitted to herself for a few times that she had feelings for Ryo that is far from simple friendship. But in order for that friendship not to turn into dust, she kept her emotions to herself. Although Ryo flirted with her, she knew deep inside that he was just having fun.

She blinked as she realized that Renamon wasn't around. 'That's strange.' She thought. 'I haven't seen her since noon.........where could she be?'

She was too much buried in thought that she didn't notice the presence of a boy coming towards her.

"Is that you, Rika?" he asked, his voice taking Rika out of her reverie. Rika looked up, recognizing the voice and the face of Ryo Akiyama. When the boy confirmed his suspicions, he walked to her. "Rika, what are you doing here?"

'I'm sitting here, thinking about you, you moron.' "I need fresh air." She responded. "And you?"

"Probably the same answer you had." He replied, smiling. "Can I join you?"

"Go ahead." 'Ass. You don't even ask permission to me most of the time, why now?'

Ryo sat down next to the girl. Both were warped in their thoughts for a while until he sensed that his companion is slightly shivering, although he felt she didn't want to show it to him. He smiled, and removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. Rika looked at him, muttering a small thank you before taking the thick clothing and wrapping it around her body.

This action only caused the tension to rise between the two. Had not Ryo decided to start a conversation, both might have burst out from the pressure.

"You know what?" Ryo said, breaking the ice. "Sometimes I think that maybe there is a purpose why people are living here." Rika was silent, as she doesn't know how to respond. "I may have spend my entire life in the Digital World, and not come back here, if it hadn't for been you guys who went there for Calumon. Although I could've rejected the offer to going back for my family, you gave me reason enough to come back.

"My purpose as a Digimon Tamer continues until now, as I have Monodramon, and my purpose as a son to my dad persists because of my decision to go back. But my purpose as someone in this world is not yet assured.........do you understand what I'm talking about?"

He turned to Rika, who actually was confused. 'What are you talking about, Ryo?' But her instincts wanted her to talk, and so did her heart. "Every creature has a purpose of living. But I negate my purpose completely. I didn't treat Renamon well, I just talk back to my mom, and I feel like the world has closed its doors on me. It kind of feels good when I met the Tamers, and all the things I've missed as a child and as a teenager came to me."

"Once you get in contact with what the world is trying to say, your emotions open up........." he looked at her.

She finally returned the gaze. ".........And you begin understanding other people........."

".........And you now find ways to stay with them, because you don't want to feel lonely anymore."

'Why does this feel like a damn novel?' she thought, looking at Ryo. Mutated butterflies were already flying around in her stomach. She looked away. 'And why the heck do we think almost the same?'

"Ryo?" she asked, her voice a bit louder than a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you think that I still have a bad spot for you?" she asked. Ryo blinked.

'So she had read the message.........' he realized. "I just had to make an excuse to ask you........."

Rika felt the wind growing cold. She wrapped the jacket tighter around her, the familiar scent of Ryo's cologne enticing her nose. "Ryo, I accept your invitation."

Ryo looked at Rika with a befuddled expression. When he realized what she was talking about, he beamed at her. "You will?"

Unable to repeat what she said, Rika only nodded. The next thing that happened completely placed her in shock. Although Ryo hugged her for God knows how many times, this one differs from all others. Those embraces came either from concern or pity, but this time, this embrace warmed her inside. This one made her felt that she was loved.

'Rika, thank you for this.' Ryo thought, holding Rika close to him. 'You don't know how much this means to me. I wish I could tell you right now how I feel.........'

After what seems to be a lifetime, he released his hold on her, and just gazed at her, who was doing the same. When the tension suddenly rises again from the arm and eye contact, Rika wakes up from shock, and suddenly stands up.

"It's getting late........." she said. 'Although I allowed myself to go with you, it still doesn't mean you can have me that easily. Point is, Ryo, you're going too fast.'

Ryo seemed to have read her mind, and stand up. "I'm sorry, Rika, I shouldn't have pushed it." He gave her a hand. "I'll take you home. Your mom and grandmother might be worried."

Rika nodded, and took the hand. She silently realized that it was already past ten, and sleep is already overriding her mind. 'Sleep.'

As they walked, Ryo noticed that she was having a battle with her mind and sleep. He smiled, and stopped. Rika bumped on his back incidentally.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked sleepily.

He released her hand, knelt down on one knee and gestured to Rika. "I'll carry you."

"Huh?"

"C'mon. I'll wake you when we'll get there, okay?"

Rika was too sleepy to argue, so she climbed onto Ryo's back. Securing herself by wrapping her arms around his neck, she mumbled another thank you before falling asleep.

'Sweet dreams, pumpkin.' He said, as he started to walk for Rika's house.

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Mai: My exam is tomorrow.........and well.........I gave myself a good reason to stop school. But then, oh well. R & R