I don't own Rune Factory, or it's characters!

Happy 4th of July! :DD

I hope you all enjoy plenty of fireworks, and have a nice time!

I, the wonderful Sir Lukas, don't know what bothers me more... the fact that Rosetta still hadn't realized how strong my love had come to, or the new woman in town. She was like a rock; I don't think she even knows how to express emotion! Every time I see her, she's just standing there, as if she's observing the people that walk by her. Oh, oh, right! I'm talking about Lynette by the way! She came to live with Mist after some war was avoided... I don't know, I barely paid attention to that stuff. After all, it seemed under control, and what could I do anyways? I'm just a poet! Err... not that I don't have manly skills like Raguna or anything! I could take down an army any day!

Back to the matter at hand.

I'd been trying to get this woman to smile, just once! But every time I crack a joke or something, she just stands there and makes a weird humming noise, like I'm some kind of bug under a microscope! I mean, seriously, is it normal for someone to be so... I can't even think of a word for it. Ahem! So, I shall continue on with my goal! No matter what, and no matter how, I will get Lynette to smile, laugh, or something!

Oh! I know... I wonder what she's doing for the fireworks festival this Sunday?

"I don't see why I should come see these fireworks with you. What's so interesting about them?" It had taken quite a bit of nagging to get Lynette to even answer me, but after my tenth time of asking her to come to the beach with me, she at least opened her mouth. Was this the first time I'd heard her voice? It didn't sound as you'd expect... She actually seemed to have a bit of a girlie voice!

Ahem, not that she doesn't look like a girl or anything... her hair is pink, after all.

"Because, it'll be fun! Come, Lynette, you barely ever participate in any of the festivals!" I reached out to grip her shoulders, in a persuasive manner, but she pulled back, avoiding my grasp. I got a bit of a childish look of annoyance, but didn't advance any further. This woman was a lieutenant, after all, and I was a bit afraid that she'd bring those fighting skills out on me if I pushed this too far. Still, I had no intention of giving up. Plastering on a puppy-dog face, I whimpered slightly. "Please?"

Lynette examined me for a moment, her only visible eye tracing me up and down, like she was one of those haters in the halls of a school building. After a moment, a small sigh passed between her lips, but she made no sign of answering. However, the look on her face told me clearly she still hadn't given in to my tactics. This could be quite troublesome! Puffing my bottom lip out a bit, I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to imitate how a female would bat their eyelashes. She scowled in response, shooting down my chances, once again.

Fed up, I threw my hands into the air, careful not to knock my wonderful hat off my head. "Oh, dear! Your quite the stubborn one, aren't you? Well, I've decided; I'm going to take you to that festival, even if I have to drag you there!" I had a sense of dignity and determination in my voice, and I could detect the faintest hint of surprise rippling across her usually emotionless features. Before she could attempt a remark, I scurried away from the small corner near the town's center, and immediately began to head towards Rosetta's shop.

I needed supplies!

However, I froze half-way down the steps, blinking a few times in oblivious innocence. "...Do they even sale fireworks there?" Without answering my own question, I shrugged, continuing my descent down the steps. Once reaching the bottom, I took a quick turn to the right, entering the first building to grace my presence. My eyes searched the area around me - first, I saw a flash of movement in the back, and figured it was Rosetta's father. Taking care of the counter, was that sweet woman herself! Smiling brightly, I made my way up to the structure, leaning my elbow on it lightly. "Rosetta, my love!"

The blond girl cringed at the sound of my voice, but I didn't notice, and simply kept a flirtatious eye on her. Turning to face me, she twitched slightly, raising her eyebrow in a questioning manner. "Lukas... what do you want?"

"Ah, that's the type of greeting I get? Come now, just admit your happy to see me, my love!" I cooed slightly, letting out a small chuckle. It just struck me, that by taking Lynette to the Fireworks Festival, I was leaving poor Rosetta out of the picture. Now that I thought about it, what if she got the wrong idea!? If only I'd worried about this sooner - but I intended to show that crabby woman just how beautiful fireworks could be.

"I'd rather not. Now, let me repeat, what do you want? Don't make me ask Raguna to come hit you with his hoe!" Rosetta's eyes flashed dangerously. She'd been mentioning that farmer quite a few times in our conversations, and I was beginning to wonder about it, actually. Even though he'd been making googly eyes at Mist, I was thinking maybe my sweet love might have a crush on him. How dreadful...

"Do you sell fireworks here, love?" I perked my interested up, a genuinely curious smile arching across my features. Rosetta blinked a few times, as if I'd said something stupid, but then turned away and went to go to the back, exchanging a few words with her father. Afterwards, she came out with a few sparklers in her hands, along with a large container of the very explosive objects. Setting them down on the counter, she pressed a few buttons on the cash-register, then looked back at me.

"That would add up to one-thousand... can you pay that?" She seemed to be examining me in a questioning manner, but I just smirked and passed her the needed amount of money, gripping the newly obtained fireworks in my hands. As I turned to leave, I heard her groan in annoyance. "Your not trying to get me to go with you again, right? I've already told you-"

"No, no, no! Actually, I'll be accompanying Miss Lynette this year." I turned back and shot her a bright smile, oblivious to the joy I actually felt from that fact. It was odd... I figured I'd be moping around about something like this, but I was actually quite excited. A flicker of surprise ran across Rosetta's face, and for a moment, I thought I might have actually seen a bit of annoyance, too. Was she unhappy that I'd not asked her? It's not like I had given up on her! "Don't worry, love! I'll definitely take you next year!"

With those few words, she let out an annoyed squeak and shook her head. "No way! Stick with Lynette!"

I laughed under my breath, perfectly aware she was trying not to be a bit obvious. Was my hard work paying off? Sneaking out of the General Store, I quickly began my walk across the concrete, making my way over to the Beach. I didn't notice a pink-haired woman watching me from up the steps, her visible eye examining me with great interest. Glancing up at the sky, I was a little surprised to realize how fast the day had gone by. It was already getting dark, and I needed to hurry up with getting things in place.

As I stepped onto the sandy shores, I noticed a few other people had already lined up with their dates, or friends, preparing their own fireworks for the evening. Raguna, as expected, was some-what to the side with Mist. I couldn't help but wonder if that was why Rosetta had decided not to come this year. Letting out a curious hum, I set my supplies down, spreading the sparklers apart from the actual entertainment. Glancing back at the farmer, I put on a bright smile and laughed, getting up to run over to him. The other villagers smiled at me as I passed, but ultimately kept to their own business. Setting all the fireworks off at once would create quite the beautiful arrangement.

"Raguna!" I stopped in front of the brunette male, and he turned to face me, blinking at the sound of his name. He seemed to be quiet for a moment, then suddenly burst into a bright smile, tilting his head.

"Lukas! Are you here with Rosetta this year?" I didn't answer, and merely let out a small laugh; he'd probably be surprised to see who I'd come with. Turning to the point, I took my hand and focused on the matches nearby, sighing.

"I forgot something to light my fireworks with... think I could use a few of those?"

Raguna turned to follow me gaze, then nodded, quickly grabbing a stray box of matches and handing them to me. Mist looked up from where she was playing with a sparkler, giggling as she caught sight of me. She offered a quick wave before continuing to twirl in circles, watching as the pretty sparks flew around her, creating dazzling pictures in the air. The farmer watched her for a moment, then took his gaze back to me, smiling softly.

"Thanks," I murmured, somewhat surprised by how calm he'd gotten the girl to be. Not that twirling in intense, fast circles could be considered the most gentle thing in the world, but it was a down-grade from her usual activities. We exchanged quick goodbyes, and I returned to my stack of fireworks, placing the matches beside them. "All that's left it to get Lynette!" I smiled and turned towards the entrance, but froze as I saw the woman already approaching me, still with her ever-bland expression.

"Lukas," she greeted calmly, coming to stand next to me.

"You came!" I must have looked extremely happy just then, because I certainly felt like I was going to fly up into the air and explode, myself. Resisting the urge to greet her with some poem, I tried to keep it a bit normal... even I had moments when I knew to behave. "Your going to love the fireworks! I just know it!" I reached down to grab a sparkler, quickly handing it over to her. She looked down at it like the thing was a toy, but I grabbed a match and quickly lit the end. "C'mon! Have fun!" I took my own, lit it, then began to spin in circles like Mist had, laughing a bit.

Lynette blinked a few times, then began to spin as well, yet her expression didn't change. I was beginning to think maybe this woman was a rock... We continued spinning and spinning until the lights in our sparklers eventually ran out, and it was without a single success of getting even a small smile to light up on her face. As tiresome as it was, I refused to give up just yet! There had to be some way to get her to laugh, or something.

Once I glanced over at the other villagers, I noticed that they had begun to light the actual fireworks. I'd gone on without realizing how dark it had gotten. "Okay, I know for sure! Your going to love it, Lynette!" I smiled brightly and ran over to our pile of fireworks, snatching up the matches. I heard her let out a groan behind me, but she stayed positioned in spot, watching as some of the others fireworks began to explode in the sky.

I would definitely get her to smile now!

Lighting the match, I carefully placed the fireworks in place, going down to set it off. Once it'd been lit, I listened to the fireworks crackle for a moment, quickly taking a step back. In a moment, a small whistling sound was heard, and it shot off into the sky, letting it sparkle with intense lighting up red, white, and blue. Mixed with Raguna's, whom had shot his off at the same time, it really did quite the light dance. Eyes widening, I let out a shriek of joy - though I didn't detect anything from Lynette.

Looking over at her, I was just about to speak before I felt a hot pressure on my arm. Glancing to the side, I noticed Ceci just below me, her sparkler flying around my arm and hitting me with it's fiery wrath. "E-E-Eeeeek!" I jumped suddenly gripping my arm in minor pain as I strode around in circles. In all the tension, I didn't notice Lynette advancing towards me. A light pressure on my shoulder hit me, and I went tumbling forward, landing in the ocean.

My burn was immediately soothed, but when I looked up, I realized I was now completely... soaked. "W-Wha...?" I trailed off, noticing the pink-haired woman that stood before me, her lips spread into a very amused smile. She covered her mouth suddenly, and burst into laughter - I swear I saw tears forming in her visible eye from the sudden amount of giggling she was doing.

I knew then and there, I'd finally accomplished my goal! The heartless, brick-wall I'd been trying to make show emotion for however long had finally done something to prove she was human! Smiling brightly, I couldn't help but forget I was soaking wet. Who cares? I'd finally done something right in my life! Take that, Rosetta! Ahem...

"Y-You were right!" Lynette bent down slightly, holding her hand out to help me up. "Fireworks really are fun!"

Eh.... maybe.... I would hold off one more year on taking Rosetta to this particular festival. Lynette was more fun.

It's not as long as most of my others... but, whatever. xD I just wanted to post something for the holiday!

And - a few notes:

One: I'm quite aware that Rosetta probably wouldn't sell fireworks in her shop. xD That was there for story-telling purposes. I also know there was no fireworks festival in Rune Factory, but since they were in the Harvest Moon games, I improvised.

Two: Sorry if the characters were a bit OOC D: I tried to keep them in character as much as possible.

Three: Again, Happy 4th of July!! :D