Lionheart

He sat outside her window, letting the moonlight wash over him, and thinking. Some instinctive part of him knew that this was the way it should be, and yet it wasn't. Who was this little chit of a girl that could make him feel this way? This desire to protect her, to never leave her side, confused him. True, he did his best to help and protect all he came in contact with, but something was profoundly different about this one.

"Leomon?"

He turned slightly to see his partner - even in his thoughts the word sounded strange! - climbing onto the balcony to sit with him. She sat down next to him, but couldn't seem to meet his eyes. "Yes?" he prompted.

Slowly, the girl revealed what she had been holding and offered it to him shyly. "I - um..." she stammered, "I brought you some juice." The glass that had been rather large in her hands seemed so tiny in his. But he drank it, to please her.
However, she did not seem pleased at all. On the contrary, she gripped the ends of her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white. "What is it?" he asked gently. He couldn't bear to see her so distressed.

For a moment, it didn't seem like she was going to answer. Then, in a voice so small he could barely hear it, she whispered, "I just hope I live up to your expectations as your partner." She seemed to shrink into herself as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Sometimes I think I'm not good enough..."

His anger flared. Not good enough? Who had dared to insinuate such a thing? His chosen partner was kind and generous, and she never let anything stop her from helping others. To her there were no problems, only challenges to be met with a smile. And her power! Hidden as it was by her frail exterior, few could tell that she had the power and ability to overcome any obstacle set in her path, but it was true. She was brave, clever, and wise beyond her years. She was...
She was exactly the same as him.

Suddenly, he understood. He understood why they were brought together, why they were perfect for each other. He now understood what the word "partner" meant.

He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her she was perfect in every way, but the words would not come. He had never felt this way before. He could only give her the greatest compliment that could be given from someone like him, a simple statement that was true in every sense of the word.

"You're such a little thing, but... you have a lion's heart."

And the sight of her smile was enough to light up the world.