Author's Notes- Yes, there are going to be GreenDay references in nearly every chapter. Got a problem with that? If anyone flames me about GreenDay, I'll reply with a message to the effect of "Fuck you, man." I have to change the K+ rating...

Disclaimer- Don't own digimon, and, just in case I decide to write about them again, I don't own GreenDay, either. Or the muffin man.

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Over the three years proceding the ball, Rika and Ryo became good friends. And, though they shared many walks in the royal gardens, and even more 'plutonic sleepovers' that Ryo hoped would one day turn out to be more than plutonic, everything between them was plutonic... On the outside.(I use the word 'plutonic' a lot)

But inside, Ryo longed for more than friendship, though he knew that Rika was much too young. And much too unwilling.

Though she still refused to open up to him, Rika wanted more than friendship, too- but it was such a secret feeling that not even she knew about it. It came out in the awkward moments when they had almost kissed, but pulled away, nervously laughing. To her, it was all good the way it was- plutonic.

In fact, anyone who insinuated that it wasn't plutonic got a knickle sandwich, ala Rika. Ayone who did the same to Ryo got an I wish kind of look.

But anyway, we find our two young lovebirds on one such walk in the gardens, after one such almost-kiss.

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Rika was still blushing, thirty seconds after their semi-passionate moment. It was a good thing that it was dark out. She looked at Ryo to see that he, too was blushing. "Look," he said, a serious look on his face. "We keep doing that." She knew that he was talking about their near lip-lock. "Maybe we should just... Give in." He was completely serious.

"Are you nuts?" she said. "We're ten and eleven years old, not to mention a prince and a peasant." He frowned. She knew that he hated it when anyone called her a peasant, even if it was herself doing it. She continued. "Kids our age don't- People of our statures don't, especially with each oth-" But her words were cut short by Ryo putting his lips on hers.

Her face turned the color of her mother's lipstick(or maybe a firetruck, if you have no imagination) as she deepened the kiss. Oh, Ryo thought, If only she were a bit older and a bit more hormonal...

He had a look of triumph on his face when they seperated. She was still a deep scarlet color. "I- You just- But-" She let her shoulders slump in defeat. "I suppose we're more than friends now?" she asked.

Ryo shrugged. "We don't have to be. If you're more comfortable just being buds, I'm fine with it too, but..."

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "But what?"

He had some serious thinking to do here. He could confess his feelings for her, and risk blowing what little(friendship seemed so very little compared to what he really felt for her) they had together; or he could shrug her hand off and say "Nothing." He refused to except the latter as a possible answer.

He decided that he wouldn't tell her his feelings; just some of his intentions. "Look; Rika..." he began. This was going to be hard.

"Ever since we met, I've liked you... Like, 'more than usual' liked you. And I didn't even like girls back then! It felt crazy when we were younger." Here, he took both her hands and looked into the beautiful, violet orbs that she understated by calling eyes.

"But... We're a bit older, now, and I think I know what I want, at least. I really don't know how to verbalize how I feel as of yet, but I know what I want."

Rika was crying now. But, Ryo observed, she was smiling, too. Her smiles were so rare that they could be called an oddity, yet they made angels look like dog crap. "What is it that you want?" she asked.

He laughed. "You."

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Author's Notes- Well, I took the short yet very mushy path on this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. And what do you know, I didn't write about GreenDay! Oh my God, it's a sign of the apocalypse! To the underwater shelters!