Soon a small group from the guild - with Michael and Kristin included - moved their friendship to neomail and chatrooms.
And after that the two would log on, every day, to "playfight" and "talk stupid drama related to these (guilds)" never divulging their real names to each other.
"For a long time [Michael] didn't use his real name and went by 'Doctor'," Kristin said.
The frenemies would move their online connection to AIM instant messaging and started asking each other about personal aspects of their lives.
"We went from silly rivalry to talking about school and life," Kristin added. "It took a long time from having talked pretty much daily when we were younger teens when he finally sent me pictures of himself and we would sneak phone calls."
And while Kristin's feelings for Michael grew stronger, he had difficulty sharing his close pal with his parents.
"He was afraid that if he told his parents about me, they would tell him he can't talk to strangers online," Kristin added.
During their "secret phone chat" an at-the-time junior Kristin "confessed feelings" for Michael.
The couple had been sending casual "love you" messages to each other before leaving for school in the morning.
One day, Kristin asked "Do you really mean that about me?" when Michael said "love you" and the two cemented their feelings.
And when Michael was 17, he started looking at colleges near Kristin, setting his eyes on a liberal arts school called Hendrix College.
When they first met, Kristin "was dressed super cute" and brought her mum along for a date at a local restaurant.
Kristin recalled running away without speaking to Michael when she first saw him because she was so overwhelmed.
"My mum said he was watching me so intently he tripped over a curb," Kristin said. "She thought it was really silly."
And after Michael enrolled in college and the couple began a relationship, he proposed to Kristin in 2014.
Kristin believes that talking at such a young age, really prepared the couple for a healthy relationship.
"We learned growing up as kids talking to somebody on the internet that you got to know how to communicate — otherwise you won't have a friend," she said.
While Kristin recovered from spine injury in September, she rejoined Neopets and is now part of a community of adults who are on the site.
"It's incredibly sweet to see all these grown people go back to something so innocent," she said.
"You can make real friends and have real relationships."
