Okay, I know I have a story going on already, but I just had to write this. It wouldn't stop bothering me, and it's a one shot. Sorry if it's a bit angsty and tragic, I just thought of it as a good idea, but that will be for you to decide. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Year's Smile

Rika missed the happiness she used to feel. She remembered being happy before, but forgot how true happiness felt. She longed for a smile to be on her lips, and begged that one day the tears would stop falling out of her tired eyes. It never stopped. She cried just as much as the day it happened.

It had been a year since the happiness she had left her, a year since something inside her broke. Now, all she felt was sadness, pain, and anger. She was worse to her mother than ever before, and when Kazu said that she had no heart, it was almost as if he wasn't joking anymore.

Rika couldn't let anyone know that what happened affected her this much. She never spoke a word about it to anyone, not even her grandma. She didn't want people to know that she cried herself to sleep every night. She could always protect herself, she thought she didn't need help.

Rumiko, her mother, saw that there was no life left in Rika Nonaka's eyes. Her once exotic violet eyes had seemed to be closer to be a lifeless gray color.

She didn't talk to her friends as much as she used to, and she thought it was all her fault. Her fault for allowing herself to become friends with him. For letting him hold her hand when she cried about her grandmother's death.

Even her grandmother's death didn't affect her this much. She was still happy times after her grandma's death, so why had his death done this to her?

Why had Ryo Akiyama's death killed her on the inside as well?

When she first met Ryo, she as ten, and he was twelve. He had defeated her a the Digimon card tournament. He was the only person that ever beat her. Since Ryo beat her, she was annoyance at the very thought of him. She hated him so much that when he smiled, she wanted to do nothing more than smack that grin off of his face.

Then when she was twelve, and Ryo as fourteen, he'd risked his life for her. Before she had thought his flirting with her was just his way to amuse himself, but when Ryo was willing to die to protect her, she realized that she only thought she hated him because she didn't know what to do about the feeling she had in her heart. It was a feeling that was so indescribable that she thought it was abhoration.

Rika was wrong. It was love that she felt for Ryo.

When she became aware of this, Rika wanted nothing less than to become more than friends with Ryo. Something that Ryo had been waiting for since he met her in the Digital World.

At first, Ryo got the idea that is was wrong for him, a 14-year-old, to become the boyfriend of Rika, who was 12. That feeling soon faded around the time he was 15 and she was 13. It was when he figured out that age didn't matter, just the feelings he had for Rika.

Ryo wasn't like most boys his age, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rika. If Kazu, one of his best friends, knew he'd probably laugh at Ryo for his plans for the future. Plans that would never happen because of Ryo's untimely death.

Soon, Rika grew to love Ryo so intensely that the two were inseparable. This brought Rika to remember the time when Ryo paid her an unexpected visit.

*Flashback*

He had climbed all the way to her second story window, and he jumped on to her balcony, tapping on her sliding door enthusiastically and demanding that she open the sliding door. Rika opened the door and tried to frown, but couldn't help but smile from the look on his face.

"Ryo, what are you doing here?" she had asked him, she truly was surprised that he had come to her house in the middle of the night. It was, unexpected, to say the least.

Ryo flashed her a brilliant smile and began to speak, "Rika, I need to tell you something. It's really important!" he had said so seriously that from that point she was a bit worried.

She narrowed her eyes, making sure they didn't leave his face, "What is it?" She sounded a bit annoyed, but still intent on knowing what he had to say.

Ryo's grin grew even larger before he began to talk, "I love you," he said to her with his eyes shining from the moonlight.

Rika was very surprised. Ryo had come to her house in the middle of the night just to say that he loved her. She was speechless at this. The words she had wanted to hear come out of his mouth since the day she met him were finally being said to her.

Rika's eyes began to water as she gazed into his eyes, "Ryo, I-I love you too," she had stuttered. Was she dreaming? Everything just seemed so perfect. It was as if Ryo declaring his love for her was the most beautiful thing in the world.

His eyes never left hers as he leaned towards her and planted a soft, but loving kiss upon her lips. With that kiss, she knew that Ryo was telling the truth when he said he loved her.

*End of Flashback*

Everything was perfect. Until one day when Rika received a call from the hospital when she was 19.

They told her that Ryo had been a car crash. It had damaged him so much, that the only thing that kept him alive was life support. She rushed to the hospital, and was beside Ryo's hospital bed in no less than 20 minutes.

She couldn't believe what the doctors told her. He suffered from three broken ribs and internal bleeding to a few of his important body organs. To be more specific, it was his liver and stomach. The doctors told her that they did everything they could, but it just wasn't enough. Rika sat at his bedside wondering why had Ryo have to die so young. 21 years of age, which was very young.

"Rika?" Ryo smiled weakly at her as he opened his eyes. Rika wiped her own tears, "Ryo, I-I'm so sorry," she said while looking away from him. She just couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. Eyes that she knew would be in eternal slumber by the end of the hour.

"My love, don't be sorry," he said, still donning his charming smile. Tears just continued to pour out of Rika's eyes, "I could have been there. It could have been me instead!"

Ryo widened his eyes at her, "Please," he began, "don't say that. Don't feel guilty, but you know Rika, I have always loved you. I always have, and I promise you that I always will. With you saying tha you'd prefer to be laying in this hospital be, instead of me, it breaks my heart. You're the only thing i hae, the only thing that keeps me alive. Without you, I'd just be some other person, not knowing the meaning of life. You only realize what your life is about in your last moments. My life was meant for love, unconditional love for you, " the words sounded strained, as if he struggled to just speak. The heart monitor was slowing down, and Rika knew that Ryo didn't have much time left.

Ryo smiled at her reassuringly, "well I guess this is goodbye. Maybe I'll see you again someday, Wildcat." Finally, Ryo closed his magnificent blue eyes for the last time, and took his last breath.

Rika knew it was all over when the heart monitor stopped beeping, and let out that long noise that only a heart monitor makes, signaling that a patients heart had indeed stopped. That noise that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The doctors ran in the room, trying to resuscitate him, but there was no hope. "We're sorry," the doctor began to say, "he has something in his hand. It looks like a paper with writing on it." Just as the doctor finished saying this, Rika's eyes glanced at Ryo's hand, where there was a paper.

She gently took the paper from his hold, and began to read it.

Dear Rika,

I'm sorry that things are turning out the way they are. This was really unexpected, and I know that if you're reading this, I've already passed away. I just want to remind you that I love you, and don't do anything reckless. I know I shouldn't be talking, because I do reckless stuff all the time, but I'm sure you know what I mean. Don't do something you'll regret.

I' told you that I love you so many times that I've lost count, but i only say it so much to remind. words can't describe how much I love you, and I don't think you will eer know how much I do. The love we share is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the stings remain forever.

That was just part of my wedding vows I was planning on reading to you one day. I've written them down one this letter so you can know how much I care for you.

Rika, I've never been one to believe in love at first sight, but the moment I saw you, I knew you would be the one I spent my life with. The only problem was that I thought you didn't feel the same way about me. I tried shrugging it off, and two years passed. a miracle happened and I saw you again.

I was heart-broken. You said rude things to me and I swore you hated my guts. When you told me that you liked me the way I liked you, I was the happiest boy alive. I was given the one thing I wanted more tan anything else; for you to love me.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. I see us going through the years holding hands, having children, sharing time alone together, and gazing into each others eyes. I understand why a mother loves to watch her child sleep. Nothing is more perfect than watching the one you love dream.

I want to grow old with you, to be there with you through the years. The thick and the thin. I want to be able to look back on my life on my dying day, remembering my life, and only seeing you.

You are my life. You are the definition of my existence.

The car accident I was in happened on my way to your house. I was thinking about how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I was actually on my way to propose to you. The ring is in that little black box on the night stand. The box has 'Queen' written on the cover, and the gold part of the ring has Rika and Ryo engraved on it. I was surprised that the ring wasn't damaged at all.

Even though I never got to asking you to marry me, I want you to keep the ring so you could always know how much I love you. You know how when people get married they say, 'till death do us part? Well this way, Rika, not even death will do us part.

Love,

Ryo Akiyama

Rika grabbed the little black bow and opened it, revealing a beautiful engagement ring. Rika cried as she slipped the ring on her finger. She slowly let go of Ryo's hand and whispered, "Ryo, I'll wear this ring for the rest of my life. I promise."

She smiled for the first time in a year as she finished reading the letter again. She smiled remembering the promise she made to the person she would love until the end of time. One day she knew she'd see him again, and she would wait no matter how long it would take.

Did you enjoy it? Sorry for the dramatic sadness. I was kinda in the mood to write it.