Hello all! I have some bad news L. It's regarding my other story, Mistaken Tragedy. The entire thing got deleted off my computer! So if any of you are reading that story then I'm sorry but it's being discontinued… L I know, sad isn't it. But have no fear because I'm replacing it with another even better one. Very dark and, of course, it's a RA/RN. I just don't like the other couples; they're all so immature. You may notice that Kaede isn't making any snide remarks…it's because she's on holiday in Hawaii, without me! Stupid split personality! Oh well, I guess I get to write some more then!

Chapter 17

Confessions of the Teenage Prodigies

Ryo looked around the room as Cyberdramon stepped inside before him. The entire place looked twice or maybe three times as large as the small corridor would allow but right now Ryo was far too tired to ask questions. The rich, royal blue carpet beneath his feet was soft and walking on it felt like floating. There were two, queen size four posters in the room made out of mahogany and red wood that was so well polished you could see your face in the posts. Deep purple-blue, silk hangings were pulled back from the posts to reveal huge, goose down comforters of only slightly lighter colouring. A Victorian dresser, big enough for two peoples' clothing, stood against one wall of the room, beside which hung a beautiful tapestry. Another mahogany door like the one leading in and out of the room was set in the wall opposite the dresser. This door, Ryo discovered, lead to the massive bathroom that had both an inset, swimming pool of a bath and shower with sandblasted glass walls.

When Ryo walked back into the room he set his shoes down at the edge of one of the beds and removed his jacket. The comforter had already been pulled back and he had to marvel at the fact that this was very much like a five star hotel. The instant his head touched the pillow all four of the lamps in the room dimmed, giving the entire room a peaceful glow. Pulling the blanket over himself, Ryo fell instantly asleep. Perhaps the long journey, rigorous battles and constant fear for Rika's life had finally caught up with him, but Ryo had a very strange dream that night…one he wouldn't understand for a while to come.

The corridor was dark ahead of him but as he walked torches suddenly flared into life. He was walking, strangely enough, with Alice and Renamon and he was talking to Alice about the weirdest thing: Himself.

"It's not like that between us and I wish people would stop assuming it was!" Ryo heard himself say in a voice that, although familiar, wasn't his own.

"Well, you two are awfully close. It kind of promotes the idea," Alice said as she bent over to inspect an intricately designed, blue China Vase. It was standing on a mahogany table in front of a huge brass framed mirror. Ryo stopped walking and looked into the mirror and, had he had control over them, his eyes would have widened. But they weren't his eyes at all. They were, in fact, the bright, icy violet eyes of Rika Nonaka. As Ryo stared at her (or his) reflection he noticed that Rika looked irritated, tired and…scared? What on earth was she afraid of? He felt a shiver run up his…er, her spine and Rika turned away from the mirror as if the idea of looking at herself anymore terrified her.

"Ryo's my best friend, no more than that." Her voice was firm but Ryo couldn't help but wonder how truthful she was being. Personally he would have loved nothing more than for their relationship to develop into something different but Rika was a difficult girl to pursue. She was either oblivious to his attraction to her or she was just unwilling to respond. Either way, Ryo wasn't sure he could handle being 'just her friend' for very much longer. He wanted more…so much more.

"What does Ryo think of that?" Alice asked mischievously, standing up to look at Rika, who had now opened one of the many doors lining the corridor. It led to a weapons storage room and she seemed too interested in a golden crossbow to answer Alice's prying. Stepping into the room she picked up the bow and turned it over in her hands. The silver arrows were lying in their leather quiver against a black sword sheath that held a glimmering silver sword.

"I wonder if we'll use these while we're training…" she said thoughtfully. Alice placed her hands on her hips in an annoyed gesture.

"Quit changing the subject. Why won't you let anyone in, Rika?" Rika put the crossbow down again and turned to Alice, her face holding a closed expression.

"I did. I let all of you in and look what it got you. Because of me, you're all being chased by the sovereign and their stupid cronies!" She turned away and folded her arms across her chest in a classis self-defense. "The last thing I need is someone important to me to be killed. Even if Ryo does like me like that, which I doubt because he's made no move in that direction, I don't think I'd be able to accept him. If we did start…dating, the sovereign would find out how much he means to me and kill him first!" She suddenly bit her lip tightly, horrified that she'd broken her resolve not to say anything and blurted out all of her most intimate secrets to someone she barely knew. Alice was staring at her as if she were assessing her, which was making Rika feel rather uncomfortable.

"If the circumstances were different, if you weren't afraid he would die…would you accept him?" She asked slowly. Rika turned away and bit her lip. Ryo was waiting with baited breath, which he thought silly since it was only a dream…right? God, if she said yes!

"I…I don't know. Maybe. I can't really say for sure." Looking down the corridor Rika suddenly felt desperate for a shower and a warm bed. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." She moved down the corridor but paused when she was half way. "Hey Alice."

"Yeah?"

"If you tell anyone what I just told you, the sovereign will seem like harmless bunnies compared to me!" With that she walked away, Renamon trailing behind her.

Ryo sat up and looked around. Had that dream been real? It couldn't have…right? After all, Rika was the one with the weird psychic abilities, not him. Shaking his head he swung himself out of bed, but just as soon as he'd gotten up, his fatigue caught up with him and Ryo was forced to sit back down. Yawning widely and running his fingers through his hair he looked towards the door, wondering absently if Rika was really on her way to the room for a shower and some sleep. Just as he was about to lie back down he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Light, fast footsteps that reminded him of the quick step of Rika Nonaka. The sound stopped outside the door and he heard an irritated sigh before the door swung open to reveal none other than Rika. He stared at her as she walked into the room, Renamon appearing beside her. The door swung shut of it's own accord and Rika looked over at Ryo.

"I suppose you're quite pleased with the sleeping arrangements," she said tightly. Ryo smiled wanly and shrugged.

"I'm not disappointed if that's what you're saying." She snorted at him and stalked into the bathroom, clearly not in a good mood. He took this and the fact that she had come for a shower and some sleep (just as he had predicted) as a sign that his dream had been real.

"I don't know what you're planning on wearing after your shower, Pumpkin, because there's nothing in that armoire," he called after her. The door stopped halfway from being shut and Rika poked her head out to look at him.

"How'd you know I was gonna…"

"Never mind," he said hastily before changing the subject. "Unless you're planning on traipsing around naked…which isn't such a bad thing." She frowned at his mischievous grin. "Then you better find something clean to wear before you go in there." Giving a frustrated groan she walked back into the room and over to the armoire. Flinging the doors open she was met with a cupboard full of nothing.

"I told you they were empty," Ryo said standing up and walking over. Rika gave an angry sort of silent scream before slamming the doors shut.

"God! All I want to do is take a shower and go to-"

"Sleep," Ryo finished.

"Uh…right," Rika said, looking at him awkwardly. How had he known? Deciding to ignore him for now she looked back at the armoire and slammed her fist against the wood in angry frustration. There was a rustling sound and the quiet sort of 'chink' of metal on metal that came from within the armoire and Rika and Ryo looked at each other before Ryo reached out to open the cupboard again. This time, the open doors revealed to rows of clothing, male and female in design.

"I'm not even going to ask how that happened," Ryo said with a laugh. Rika reached out, her eyes wide with confusion, and pulled out a midnight blue training robe with the letters R.A.N stitched onto the breast in silver.

"R.A.N?" Ryo said curiously. "Who's that?"

"Uh…that would be me," Rika said, stuffing the garment back into the armoire before pulling out a violet night frock that would fit her perfectly. Turning to walk away Rika felt her self being stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned back to look at Ryo who was grinning wickedly at her.

"What does it stand for? You never told me you had a middle name, Wildcat."

"If I tell you will you let me go?" She asked, wanting nothing more than to run away before she lost herself in his sapphire eyes.

"You have my word."

"Fine then. Those are my initials. They stand for Rika Asuka Nonaka. Happy now big stuff?" She gave him a withering look but he only grinned wider.

"Asuka?"

"Yes, it was my great grandma's name. Now if you're done playing twenty questions with me I'd like to go take that shower." She tried to walk away but he only gripped her shoulder tighter.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a middle name? It's cute." He smiled down at her but she only shook her head.

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that…for your sake as well as mine. As for why I never said anything, well…you never asked. Is that all?" She was getting highly annoyed with him now and he laughed.

"Almost. Just one more question." He said, coming to a steadfast and somewhat risky decision. He couldn't stand being this close to her and not doing something, especially when they were alone since Renamon and Cyberdramon had disappeared like they were wont to do whenever he and Rika were together. Everything between them was riding on her answer…or more accurately, her reaction.

"And what would that be?" Smiling down at her, Ryo gently pulled the night frock from her hands and dropped it on the bed stand beside him. Rika looked down at it then back up at him, her eyes holding so many emotions it was hard to see what they all were. He noted confusion, apprehension and two others that contradicted these but he was too afraid to place. If he did and he was wrong the consequences would be cataclysmic! But chance without risk wasn't chance at all and if he didn't do this now he never would. Dropping his hand from her shoulder he let it fall to her waist where he gently pulled, bringing her closer to him. He raised his other hand and caressed his fingers across her cheek, marveling at how easy this was and how natural it felt. He was, after all, a seventeen-year-old boy and he had hormones just like anyone else. Why not want this from a girl – although he planned to stay far away from that forbidden line (hope that made sense).

Rika seemed to be struggling with herself as Ryo's hands sailed smoothly across her silky skin, leaving a tingling trail on her cheek. She knew this shouldn't be happening, it was too dangerous! But it felt so tantalizingly good that all she did was stand there, staring up at him with almost fearful eyes – almost.

"You never asked me your question," she whispered with a surprising amount of courage considering she had never done anything like this before. Ryo smiled and pulled her closer still, moving his hand up to brush his fingers through her hair, carefully easing it out of the spiky ponytail she always wore it in.

"How long have we been friends, Rika?" He asked his smile become tenderer at the memory of their first few meetings in the Digital World. The card game they had played so long ago meant nothing between them anymore.

"Ever since we fought the D-Reaper," she replied. He nodded and leaned a little closer to her.

"Right, which means about two years."

"Almost," she said, nodding slowly.

"That's quite a long time," he said, smiling at the way she released a shuddering sigh as his fingers lightly raked her hair. Her eyes drifted shut and she lowered her face, a light smile on her lips. He would have to remember this…it seemed like she liked it a lot more than he had hoped.

"Yeah, it is."

"Well then," he murmured, tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him again. "Would it scare you if I did this?" And he lowered his face to hers, his lips slanting over hers in a light, tender kiss. She had known it was coming, had told herself to move before he managed to do it, but for all that she was worth Rika couldn't pull herself away. The instant his lips were on hers her back stiffened and stayed that way until he pulled back again. She hadn't returned the kiss but hadn't pulled away either and she felt so confused that her head actually ached. Ryo was gazing down at her expectantly and she bit her lip, unable to say anything to him; for the first time in her life she was afraid of him. When she tried to pull away he held her more tightly, successfully pulling her so close that they were chest to chest.

"Ryo please, I…" The look in his eyes hurt so much that she looked away, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides where they had remained the entire time he had kissed her. Both his arms were wrapped around her waist now.

"Rika, look at me." She did and when their eyes met she found herself unable to look away. He searched her swirling pools of amethyst and found everything he wanted there, but there was so much hidden fear and apprehension holding her back from her own feelings that he feared he may never get it.

"You're scared," he said after a long silence that had seemed so hot and tense that Rika had felt like she were drowning in it.

"I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt for that matter. Don't you get it? The sovereign are after me. If they knew about…about this then…"

"I'd be the first to go. I know. But that won't happen, Rika. Not while I'm around."

"But if they kill you, you won't be around! Christ, Ryo! I want this more than anything but I don't want you to die because of me, like my grandmother did!" She pushed herself out of his arms and turned away, crossing her arms and shutting her eyes tightly. All she could think of now was that horrifying night when she had found Seiko lying in a pool of her own blood, surrounded by useless onlookers and a police system just as inept. When Ryo spoke next his words were stern to the point of anger.

"We've been through this. That wasn't your fault! Stop torturing yourself for it dammit! Don't you get it? The more you blame yourself the more afraid you'll be of ever letting anyone in again. I won't let you do that to yourself again, Rika. I know you weren't the way you were before because your dad left, you're stronger than that. And it wasn't because of all the shit that happened on your birthdays because that was just rotten luck. But it doesn't matter why you did it because it's not gonna happen again. I'll see to that." He closed the small distance she had put between them and wrapped her in his arms again, holding her more tightly than before. She was shivering against him when he turned her around and forced her to look at him. If she had known that the evening would turn out like this then she never would have come back to the room. Never in her life had she cried before anyone, except on the night of her grandmother's death. Now she wondered if she would have the will power to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Why was he making her hurt so much? It wasn't fair!

"Please, Rika. Don't do this to yourself. You're hurting yourself and it's not necessary," he whispered, his voice suddenly soft and gentle. She tried to turn her face away but he tilted her chin back up and lowered his face to hers again. This time, when his lips pressed against hers she responded, weakly lifting her arms to his neck thus deepening the kiss when she pressed her lips into his. When at last he pulled away again. She leaned her head into the hollow of his neck and buried her face into his chest. Exhausted from the conversation they'd had (if you could call it that) the shower she had wanted suddenly didn't seem so appealing.

"I want to go to sleep," she murmured and he nodded, knowing that she would reach out to him when she was ready. Letting her go he watched as she quietly retrieved her night frock and walked into the bathroom to change. In the short time that it took for her to change Ryo had removed his shirt and slipped back into his bed, lying on his side to make sure Rika was alright. When she climbed into the other bed and rolled over so that her back was to him he sighed and shut his eyes. He had finally gotten what he wanted but it wasn't complete yet. Rika knew how he felt and she had said all to clearly that she felt the same but until she got over her fear they wouldn't be able to move any further than they already had. He wondered sadly why she had responded to their last kiss if she wasn't sure about her intentions. Perhaps she had been looking for comfort, albeit in the wrong places. Sighing softly Ryo let his eyes drift shut, his last conscious thought being that he would wait for her as long as she needed to adjust to the idea of such a big jump in their relationship. He just hoped she didn't need too long.

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long for me to write this pathetically short chapter but I've been busy with exams and some hospital affairs that needed taking care of (like two tonsillectomies for my cousins J). Not to mention I've spent half of my holiday at my gran's house and the rest of the time has been put into artwork and university applications. I promise to try and write faster and I give you my word that I won't be discontinuing. I like this story…it's fun to write :-). Anywho, Kaede hasn't come back yet so I'm free to stop writing now. Toodles until the next chapter! Hope you liked this one because it was the first official Ryuki and it won't be the last ;-)

BYE!!!