AN: Hey, it's been awhile since I've posted any stories...I'm not very good at romance stories but I thought I'd give one a try. I got the idea for this story from a picture I drew.
Disclaimer: Luigi belongs to Nintendo. Emi, Chas & Jenni belong to me.
..…...
Cherry Blossom Picnic
By EAParakeet
It was spring time and the Mushroom Kingdom was covered in beautiful flowers. In Toad Town everyone was enjoying the Flower Festival, which took place when the Cherry Blossom trees were at their peak. Then at the end of the week there would be a small carnival and a fireworks show.
Even though everyone enjoys the Flower Festival, it was mostly popular with couples who liked to walk hand in hand viewing the flowers and having romantic picnics under the Cherry Blossom trees.
This year one girl in particular is hoping to spend the festival sharing a lunch and viewing the flowers with a guy that she really liked a lot.
...On a farm outside of Toad Town...
Emi smiled as she looked over the meal she just finished preparing. It was just simple things like: meatballs, omelets, onigiri and those little octopus shaped wieners. But still, she was very pleased with how it all turned out none the less.
"Hmm, not too bad. I ain't the best cook in the world, but I think it all turned out ok." She broke off a small piece of one of the omelets and tasted it. "Hmm, yep! Not too bad at all!"
She had been working in the kitchen all morning on this lunch and now that it was finished, she was ready to pack it up and head out. Emi began placing the food into a picnic basket, humming as she thought about the guy that this lunch was for.
...I just hope he likes it...Though, I might've made too much...Eh, he's a guy so he'll probably eat a lot anyway...
She thought as she packed up the last bit of food. "There we go all done!" With that said, Emi grabbed the picnic basket and headed out the door.
She hadn't taken no more then a few steps pass the tool shed when she was stopped by her friend Chas. "Hey where you goin'?" She asked folding her arms and leaning against the door frame.
"Ah!" Emi jumped a bit. "H-hey there Chas...I-I'm just ya know, goin' out...for...a...walk...yeah."
"Mmm hmm dressed like that?" Chas nodded at the blue sun-dress Emi was wearing.
This caused Emi to blush, she didn't really like to wear skirts or dresses unless she had too, she was really more of a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. But today was a special occasion so she felt it would be better to wear a dress instead of her usual shirt and jeans.
Besides you're suppose to dress up for a date right?
"Uh, w-well I thought I'd try wearin' somthin' different that's all..." She said fidgeting a little.
"Riiight...Hey what's this?" Chas smirked when she noticed the picnic basket and snatched it from Emi before she could do anything.
"Heeey! Give that back!" Emi tried to take the picnic basket back, but since Chas is so much taller then her, she held it up just out of reach. "Chas!"
"He heh..." Smirking Chas, just for the fun of it, turned over a near by bucket and stood on it taking Emi's picnic basket even farther out of her reach. "Awww, what's the matter? Can't Booboo reach the pic-a-nic basket?"
"Grrr! Don't call me Booboo!" Emi whined as she tried, unsuccessfully, to get her basket back from Chas. "C'mon give it back!"
It didn't do any good. Chas would hold the picnic basket down just enough to tantalize her so that when she'd try to jump for it, her friend would just laugh and quickly yank it up out of reach again. It went on like that for a while until Jenni, who was around back heard the commotion and ran over to see what was going on.
"Aww, c'mon! You can do better than that!" Chas cackles as she pulls the basket out of Emi's reach again. "C'mon jump, you almos-"
"Hey!" Jenni comes charging around the side of the tool shed, startling both girls and almost causing Chas to drop the basket. "What's goin' on here?"
She put her hands on her hips and glared at the other two. "Well!?"
Emi's the first to speak up. "Jeeennniii! Chas is bein' mean to me again!"
"What the!? No I ain't!" She glared at Emi, who stuck her tongue out at her.
"Uh huh! Jenni, Chas took my picnic basket and won't give it back!" She points at Chas, who just stands there trying to look innocent.
"Hmm?" Jenni perked up when she noticed the basket Chas was holding. "Oh picnic basket! Did'ja make us a lunch? Are we all goin' flower viewing together? Are we? Huh huh huh!?"
"Um...weeell..." Emi blushed and shook her head no.
"Oh, so this ain't for us?"Asked Chas as she hopped off the bucket, but continued holding the basket up so Emi couldn't get it. "Then who's it for?"
Emi blushed even more and looked away, if she were to tell them who that lunch was for, they'd tease her for sure.
...Maybe I should let'm keep the lunch box and just go on to the park anyway. I mean, I'll probably bump into him there and we'll hang out just like last year. But I did work really hard to make him that lunch...
When she didn't reply, Jenni and Chas shared a knowing grin with each other, it didn't take them long to figure out who this lunch was for. Smirking Chas handed the picnic basket back to Emi, who looked at the other two surprised.
They were just going to let her leave without asking who she made the lunch for? They weren't going to tease her or anything? She could just go?
"T-thanks guys..." Smiling she turned and headed for the gate, if she hurried, she might be able to catch him before he left his house.
Emi was barely out the gate when Jenni called to her from behind. "Bye, Emi have fun on your date with..." Chas joined in and they both sung the last part. "Luuuiiiigi!"
Flustered Emi almost tripped up while her two friends just laughed at her. So much for them not teasing her.
…...In a mansion outside of Toad Town...
"Whew, all-a done." Luigi sighed as he flopped down in his favorite chair. He had just finished cleaning his mansion, well all of the rooms on the first floor anyway and now he was ready for a break.
"Hmm, I wonder what-a time it is?" He looked up at the mushroom shaped wall clock and saw that it read: 12:45. As if on cue, his stomach started to growl. "Oh, I guess it's-a time to eat then..."
He got up and made his way to the kitchen. Upon entering, he began rummaging through the pantry, then he checked the refrigerator and even though his kitchen was pretty well stocked, Luigi just couldn't seem to fine anything to eat.
He sighed as he drummed his fingers on the table. "Well, I don't-a really feel like fixing any-a thing...Maybe I'll-a go into town and get something to eat there...Oh! But then this-a week for flower viewing..."
Luigi frowned slightly, if he went out then he'd have to walk pass all those happy couples, being all lovey dovey and sharing picnic lunches with each other. It wasn't really something he was looking forward to facing.
It's not that he didn't like the Flower Festival, he actually enjoyed looking at the flowers and the end of the week Carnival was always fun, so was the Fireworks Show. He just didn't like to enjoy them alone. He was sure the Festival would be more fun if he had a girlfriend to spend it with.
...Yeah that-a be nice...but what-a girl would ever want to go out with-a Luigi...
He sat there for awhile mulling over whether or not he should stay in and fix something or go out to eat. In the end his growling stomach got the better of him and he decided to go into town anyway.
Besides, even if he didn't have a cute girlfriend to view flowers with or make him a tasty lunch, there was no reason why he couldn't still walk around and enjoy the lovely spring day by himself.
After checking to make sure that he hadn't left anything on–the last thing he wanted was to come home and find it burning to the ground–Luigi grabbed his hat and made sure he'd locked the door before starting off down the road.
…...
"So much for them not makin' fun of me..." Sighed Emi as she walked down the road towards the mansion that her friend Luigi–who also happened to be the guy she liked–lived. "Well at least they didn't pester me bout it too much."
...Though I wonder if it's ok that I just show up at his door and ask him if he'd like to share this with me?...
She suddenly felt very nervous. It hadn't occurred to her that Luigi might be too busy to go view the flowers or if he'd even want too spend the day with her. Just as she was thinking about turning around and heading back home, she spotted him walking not that far ahead.
"Oh, there he is! Ah, I can't just turn back now, not after all the work I put into makin' this lunch!" She cast an annoyed look towards her home. "Sides if I head back now, Jenni and Chas'll never let me hear the end of it."
"Well...here's goes nothin'!" Taking deep breath to calm herself, she hurried off after Luigi.
…...
Luigi sighed as he walked down the road towards Toad Town. He hadn't gone very far when he heard someone calling out to him. "Luigi! Hey Luigi wait up!"
A quick peak over his shoulder revealed that it was his friend and neighbor Emi. She ran a small farm a little ways down the road from his mansion and the two of them would often hang out together.
He smiled and slowed down so that she could catch up with him. "Oh hey Emi, come stai?"
"I'm doin' pretty good. How bout you?" She smiled at him and he couldn't help but blush a little, after she was pretty cute. He noticed that she was holding something behind her back, it looked like a picnic basket but he couldn't really be sure, it might just be his hunger playing tricks on him.
...Wow, she's-a so cute especially in that blue-a sun dress...She rarely gets-a dressed up, must be going flower viewing with the girls...Why else would she have a pic-a-nic basket?...I, mean why would any-a girl let alone Emi want to waste their-a morning getting all dressed up and make-a box lunch for me?...Besides I'm sure she just-a see me as a friend...
"Um, oh! I'm-a fine...Um, so what've you-a have, I mean, what's-a that..."He blushed as he stumbled over his words, but he quickly recovered and tried again. "Er...So um, a-are you and the girls going to view-a the flowers today?" He nodded at the basket she was holding.
Emi looked a little confused at first. "Huh?...Oh! Ya mean this?" She pulled the picnic basket out from behind her back. "Um, no...no um, t-they're to busy with workin' on farm stuff to uh, to do that...v-view the flowers I mean..."
...Actually they ain't...But I can't just come right out and say that I made this lunch just for him and that I'm hopin' we could share it...Can I?...
"Oh, I-I see..." Luigi rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground, not really sure what to say next.
"Hey, um, Luigi..." He looked up at Emi and noticed that she looked nervous for some reason. He wondered why. "Um...I was w-wonderin'...Um, if...if, um well, ah...have...have ya eat yet by any chance?"
Luigi looked a little surprised but shook his head. "Oh, uh no...I just on my-a way to town to get-a something though." Suddenly his stomach growled loudly causing him to blush and both of them laugh. "Heh heh, um, I'm-a sorry about that..."
...Wow, I guess this means I have good timin' cos' from the sound of that, he must be pretty hungry...I reckon now's as good a time as any to ask...
"Heh heh heh...Um, that's ok..." Emi giggled and blushed a bit as she gathered up her courage to ask him. "H-hey would you maybe like to...um...share this lunch w-with me and then m-maybe um, take a walk a-and look at the flowers together? Maybe?"
Luigi just stood there dumbfounded. Did Emi really just ask him out? "R-really? Oh wow! I-a mean sure I'd like that very-a much!" He was pretty sure he had a big goofy grin on his face, but he was too happy to care.
Emi couldn't help but grin too, she had been hoping that he'd say yes. "That's great! So let's go and find us a place to eat then!" She began walking off while Luigi just stood there, big goofy grin still plastered on his face.
...Oh wow! This-a must be a dream!...I've actually got-a date!...Wait this-a date? Right?...
"Uh, Luigi?" The sound of Emi calling his name snapped him out of his thoughts. Noticing that she had walked on ahead he hurried to catch up.
"Oh, hey! I uh, k-know where this-a very nice spot in the park...um, it's-a out on the lake..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. If this really was a date, then he should try to do something romantic and a boat ride on the lake's romantic right? "I-I could-a row us out there...I-if you...you want..."
Emi blushed and nodded her head. "Mmm, s-sure. That sounds like it'd be fun..."
"R-really?!" He squeaked, his voice a couple octaves higher then usual, he quickly cleared his throat, hoping she hadn't noticed. "Ahem, I mean that's-a great! Because there's-a little island with-a pretty Cherry Tree on it out in the middle of the lake. It would be a very-a nice spot for a pic-a-nic...Don't you think?"
"Mmm-hmm..." They were walking kind of close to each other, so she lightly bumped into him, causing him to blush. "I know...the Cherry Tree Island right? I've took some pictures of it, but I've never been out to it...So that sounds like a good plan to me."
Luigi smiled, very happy that she liked his idea. "Then I'll-a be more then glad to-a take you there!"
"Really? That's great!" She returned the smile and shifted the weight of the picnic basket to her other hand. She didn't think it was too heavy when she first started out, but now her arms were beginning to get tired.
Luigi happened to notice this. "Um, Emi if that pic-a-nic basket's too heavy for you...Then I'd-a be happy to carry it if you want..."
...Aww, carryin' the basket and takin' me on a boat ride, he's so sweet...
She giggled and handed the basket over to him. "Aww, thanks..."
"It's-a no problem!" Their hands momentary touched as he took the basket from her, causing him blush slightly and go into one of his weird daydream modes.
...My hand! My hand! She-a touched my hand! Squeee! I'm-a in heaven!...Ok that-a settles it! This-a most definitely a date!...
"Uh, Luigi what're doin'?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized that Emi had once again walked ahead of him.
"Oh, uh, sorry! Heh heh...I'm-a coming!" Chuckling sheepishly, he quickly ran to catch up with her.
…...Two Hours Later...
"Well, here we are." Luigi exclaimed when they had finally reached the lake.
It had taken them a bit longer to get to the park then it should have. Mainly because they both kept getting distracted in some way or another.
Though it was mostly because Emi, who had brought her camera with her, kept stopping to take pictures. Of course Luigi's weird habit of getting caught up in his daydreams and making poses in the street didn't help to speed things along either.
But they had made it and much to Luigi's disappointment, there were already quite a few couples rowing out on the lake. "Hmm, gee, I guess I'm-a not the only guy to have this-a idea...I'm-a sorry Emi, I could try and find us another spot if you want."
Emi shook her head. "Naw, it's ok. See..." She motions to the other couples then took out her phone and checked the time. "...It's already 2:55, past lunch time, so everbody here is pretty much just wonderin' round and enjoyin' themselves. Besides there ain't anybody out on the island, so we can still go and eat lunch there...Though I guess this kinda more supper then lunch now."
"Heh heh, I guess-a so!" He chuckled–glad that she was taking this well–when their stomachs growled at the same time causing both of them to burst out laughing.
"Heh, I guess we're both pretty hungry huh?" Emi giggled. "We'd better head on out to the island and eat."
"Okey-doky!" They walked down to the dock and Luigi rented a boat. He figured that since Emi had went through the trouble of making them lunch, then it was only right that he payed for the boat.
"Be-a careful, watch your step." He helped her climb into a boat that looked similar to a gondola and handed her the picnic basket before climbing in himself.
"Um, Luigi...Are ya sure you should be standin' up in the boat? And were are the oars?" Emi looked at him confused as he untied the boat from dock and picked up a long pole.
Luigi chuckled lightly as he prepared to cast off. "Oh, there-a no oars for this-a boat, I'll-a pilot it gondolier style. So you just-a sit back and relax, I'll-a get us to the island no problem."
"Ok..." Emi settled into her seat, ready to enjoy the ride as Luigi cast off and began steering the boat towards the small island. As he steered the boat, he begin to hum softly, which slowly turned into singing.
Emi couldn't help but stare at him as she listened. She had never heard him sing before, so it was kind of a surprise. Since he was singing in Italian, she couldn't understand the words, but she still thought it sounded pretty though.
She would have enjoyed listening to his singing more if they weren't about to crash into the dock. "Uh, Luigi!? DOCK!"
"Huh? Duck?" He stopped singing and looked around. "Where? I no see-a duck."
"No! Not a duck! THE DOCK!" Emi pointed past him at the platform they were headed towards.
"Oh! Whoa whoa!" Startled, Luigi quickly thrust out the pole he was steering the boat with against the dock and stopped them just inches way from crashing. "Whew! Mama-mia that was-a close..."
Luigi felt like kicking himself, he had got so caught up in the moment that he forgot to watch were he going and almost caused the both of them to end up in the water. The date had barely gotten started and already he had almost ruined it.
...Urgh! Way to go Luigi you almost-a crashed and ruin every-a thing!...Oh Emi's probably thinks I'm-a big dork now!...
"Um, Emi...you-a ok?" He glanced back at her.
She looked a little stunned, but other wise alright, she nodded at him. "Uh, er...Yeah...Fine...I'm fine..."
"Oh, that's-a good...Well, that all-a most happened huh?" Emi just stared at him blankly, he chuckled nervously and rubbed his arm, great another awkward moment.
"Um, I'll-a just um, dock the-a boat now..." Luigi sighed as he carefully maneuvered the boat up to the island dock and tied it off. Then he set the picnic basket on the dock before hopping on to it himself. "Er, this-a dock, it's-a little taller then the one over-a there, so let me help you ok..."
He offered her his hand and helped her climb out of the boat. As she stepped up on the dock, she stumbled and fell forward into his arms.
...Oh, mama-mia!...Wow, she's-a even cuter up close...
...Oh my goodness!...Dang, he's so close...Almost close enough that we could...
They both stood there frozen for a few minutes staring at each other, before Emi quickly jumped back from him and grabbed the picnic basket.
"Ah...Heh heh heh...Um, hey let's head on over there and start eating huh?" Blushing furiously she hurried over to the Cherry Tree, leaving Luigi standing there looking confused.
"Uuuhhh..."He shook himself out of his daze and joined her at the tree. "W-wait I'll-a help!"
After they had spread out the blanket and got settled down on it, Emi opened the basket and set the food out. When she was finished, she smiled and clapped her hands together. "Well, lets eat!"
Luigi stared at the meal in wonder, it looked delicious and he couldn't believe that it was for him.
...Wow!...That-a looks so good and Emi made it all for me!...I'm-a so lucky!...I wonder what I should-a eat first?...Mmm those meat-a balls look yummy!...
He picked up one of the meatballs and popped it in his mouth. His eyes widened. The meatball, it didn't just look good, it tasted really good too. He couldn't help but hum with satisfaction as he chewed and reached for another.
Emi giggled as she watched him happily munching away. "So whatta ya think? Is it good?"
Luigi nodded as he swallowed the last bite of his meatball. "Mmm hmm, si e delizioso! Oh! But I should-a probably try something else..." He looked over the rest of the food trying to decide what to eat next.
"Tee hee, looks like I guessed right then." She giggled as she picked up a onigiri.
He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What-a you mean?"
"Hmm well..." She tilted her head and smiled at him. "I was wonderin' which one you'd try first and I thought it might be the meatballs. Looks like I was right."
"Oh really? Heh...Well, they-a really good, malto bene!" He started for another one before remembering that he was going to try a different dish.
"I'm glad you like'm, I mean, I'm not really all that good at cookin' so Kayla had to help me with those...my first try didn't exactly turn...out...all...that...well..." She rubbed her head embarrassed that she could only make simple things and still needed help cooking.
Luigi smiled as he chose the omelet and took a bite of it. He was aware of her cooking skills, actually between the two of them he was the better cook, but the fact that she went through the trouble of making this lunch for him was really sweet.
"Mmm! This-a good too!" He finished off the omelet and picked up one of the octopus hotdogs. "Heh heh, this-a cute. I mean, sure it's-a simple, but it's-a very tasty too. Even though you had-a little help, you still did-a very good job on this-a meal."
Emi blushed, but didn't say anything as she nibbled on the onigiri, though she was very happy that Luigi liked her food.
The two of them sat underneath the Cherry tree enjoying the late noon breeze and each others company as they shared the box lunch. Pretty soon they had finished eating and were ready to pack up.
While Luigi was helping Emi clean up and put away the leftovers, he noticed a cherry blossom petal float down and land on her.
He stared at her for a moment–she was so busy packing that she didn't noticed–before he reached out and plucked it from her hair. Startled, she looked up at him one eye brow raised.
"Uh, um...Y-you-a had something in your hair...I was-a just um...See, it was-a this..." He blushed as he held out his hand revealing the petal.
"Hmm...?" Smiling she took the petal from him and looked at it. "A cherry blossom, it's pretty..."
Smiling a little Luigi took his off hat and found a couple more petals on top. "Si bello ciliegio fiorire..." He picked up a napkin and wrapped the petals up in it, then placed it in his pocket.
Emi finished packing up the remains of their lunch and he helped her fold up the blanket. Then she placed it back in the basket and together they walked back to dock.
…...One boat ride later...
After returning to the other side of the lake, the two of them walked around the park for awhile looking at the flowers. Every now and then Luigi would point out a bird or some flowers that he thought looked pretty and Emi would stop to take a picture of it.
As they walked along enjoying the flowers, Luigi noticed that they were walking pretty close to each other, close enough that he could reach out and hold her hand.
...Oh, but should I?...I-a want too, but I-a don't want to seem to forward either...
While he was mulling over this, Emi was wondering about the same thing, but wasn't sure if she should.
...I mean, I was the one who asked him out, so does that mean that I should make the first move and hold his hand? Because I'd like too...
She glanced over at him, he looked like he thinking about something, was he wondering about the same thing?
...Oh, this-a ridiculous!...I just-a want to hold her hand!...Why this-a so hard!?...Come on-a Luigi, just-a go for it!...
"Hmm?" Luigi snapped out of his thoughts and looked down. At some point during his fretting about the whole thing, he had reached out and grabbed her hand.
At first he wasn't sure if he should have or not, but she didn't seem to bothered that he was holding her hand. If anything he thought that she looked a little relieved. So did that mean that she had been worrying about the same thing?
Emi was a little surprised and relieved that he took hold of her hand first, because she had been worrying about whether she should make the first move or not. So she was glad that he had wanted to hold her hand too.
Luigi relaxed when he felt her hand close around his, so that meant that she wanted to hold hands with him too. They shared a shy smile with each other and continued walking though the park hand in hand.
By the time they left the park it was dark out and the street lamps were starting to come on. As they walked though town, they would pause to window shop at the few stores that were still open.
One of the places that was still open was the local arcade. "What-a you think? Want to play-a few games?" Luigi asked as they neared the Game Zone.
"Hmm..." Emi looked at the arcade, it looked crowded and she wasn't very good with crowded places. Then she looked over at Luigi–he smiled at her and gave her hand a small squeeze–she blushed a little, she had forgot that they were holding hands.
But it helped make up her mind, if he was with her then she should be alright in there. "Y-yeah, that sounds like...like it'd be f-fun."
"Really?...Um, I know that it's-a little loud in there, so um, if it-a start to get too much for you...let-a me know and we'll leave...ok?" He smiled at her reassuringly and gave her hand another squeeze.
"A-alright..." She returned the smile and gripped his hand a little tighter as they entered the arcade.
Emi ended having a pretty good time, despite the fact that the place was a little crowded. Luigi had enjoyed himself too and he didn't really want the date to end. But it was starting to get late and he knew that they would have to go home soon.
...This-a day, it's-a been so great!...Oh, but I guess we have to-a go soon...Besides if I keep Emi out-a to late, Jenni might get-a mad at me and she's-a pretty scarey when she's angry...Oh and I might get-a lecture from Mario too...I no-a want that...
"I win!" Luigi blinked and looked at the score board. Sure enough the score read: 3 to 2, Emi had just beat him at the air hockey game they had been playing. When did that happen?
"Heh heh, hey that's-a great!" He grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "You really-a kicked my butt huh?"
"Heh heh, yep!" Emi smiled as she collected the tickets that the game spit out and added them to the big bunch she already had from playing other games. He was kinda impressed that she had won so many, who knew that she was so good at arcade games. "But then, you put up a pretty good fight too!...So how many tokens ya got left?"
"Oh, uh..." He checked the cup he was carrying his tokens in and saw that he just had 3 left. "I've-a got three..."
"I've got two left..." She looked around the arcade until she spotted the Storm-Chaser game. "I think what I'll do is play that game over there and then get my tickets changed. How bout you?"
Luigi thought for a moment. "I think that's-a good idea, I mean it's-a getting late so we should probably leave soon huh?"
Emi nodded in agreement, truth was the crowd and the loud noise was beginning to get to her, so she couldn't wait to leave. They made their way over to the game and used the rest of their tokens on it.
Then Luigi got a surprise when he hit the Jackpot with his last token. "Whoa!"
"Wow you hit the jackpot!" Emi grabbed his arm and shook him a little. "Way to go Luigi!"
"Heh heh, oh yeah!" He grinned as he spun around and finished with a pose. "Luigi's number-a one!"
"Man, that's a lot of tickets..." She stared in awe at the huge mess of tickets that were piling on the floor. "And look at it go...it's still spitin' them out."
"Yeah..." He began gathering them up. "Um, how many do you think I've-a got?"
Emi looked at the blinking sign underneath the word JACKPOT! "...It say's here that you've won 500 tickets! That's pretty cool..."
They ran their huge haul through the ticket counter and headed over to the prize booth to look over the prizes they could choose from. Some of the stuff was lame but there were also some pretty good ones too.
"Hello! Thank you for playing at Game Zone today!" Chirped the friendly Mushroom girl running the counter. "Have you decided what you'd like or are you still looking?"
"Uh, we're-a just looking right now..." Luigi told her.
"Ok then, let me know when you're ready!" The Mushroom girl flashed them a smile and went to help another costumer.
As they checked out the prizes Luigi spotted a few Power Up items that he has a enough tickets for. He quickly glanced at Emi and noticed that she was looking at the little Yoshi dolls that were in the 200 points area. Then on the shelf above the smaller dolls he spoted a big Yoshi doll that was worth a 1000 points.
He got a idea and quickly did the math in his head.
...Let's-a see, if Emi has 980 points and I-a have 530 points then together...Yeah that should be-a enough!...
"Um, hey Emi..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I-a was wondering...if maybe, you want to combine our-a points?"
"Huh?" She gave a little shrug. "Hmm, sure...I guess..."
"Great! Um, scusi?" Before Emi can say anything else, he waves the girl running the booth over and hands her the slips of paper with their points on them. "Um, we-a going to share these-a points."
"Alright then..." The Mushroom girl takes the slips of paper and scans them. "You've got 980 points and 530 points together that gives you 1510 points. Have you decided what you want?"
Luigi nods and points to the Yoshi doll. "Si, I would-a like that big Yoshi doll please!"
"The big Yoshi? Ok, I'll get it for you" While the Mushroom girl went off to find a step ladder to get the doll down, Luigi went back to looking at the prizes. If his math was right, then he had enough points left for a couple of Power Ups.
Emi looked at him curiously. Why out of all the things he could choose from, did he choose that? But before she could ask Luigi, the girl comes back with the doll and hands it to him.
"Thank you very-a much!" Smiling he turned to Emi and handed it to her. "Here this-a for you!"
Blushing she took the doll from him and gave it a little squeeze. It was very soft and plush. "Wow...Thanks Luigi..."
...Oh, that's why!...He wanted to get the big doll for me...Aww, he's such a sweetheart!...
"Ok, that leaves you with 510 points. Do you see anything else that you'd like?" Asked the counter girl as Luigi looked over the Power Up items that were in his point range. He used the last of their points on a Super Leaf and a Mushroom.
With no more points to spend, they left the arcade and continued on with their walk. Pretty soon the town was behind them as they headed down the road towards their homes. They took their time enjoying the cool night air and looking at the stars as they slowly walked along.
Pretty soon they were getting close to Luigi's mansion and at first he couldn't help but wonder if their date would end there or if he should continue walking with her back to her farm. Because as much fun as he'd had today, he still wasn't sure if this was a date or not.
If today wasn't a date, then does that mean that when they got to his road, they'd just say their good nights to each other and that would be that?
But no, even if today hadn't been a date he would still walk her home. After all Emi was his friend, besides it was dark out and she had things to carry back with her, he didn't want her trip and hurt herself trying to get home in the dark.
Though if today was a date, then did that mean that he might get a kiss? That's what usually happened after a date right?
...Ok that-a settles it!...If I get-a kiss then today was-a date and if not...then I guess it wasn't...though it'd be nice if it was-a date and I do get-a kiss...yeah that-a be nice...
As he thought about this, he couldn't help but feel more nervous about it the closer they got to her house. Luigi was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when they turned off onto the path leading to Emi's house until she spoke up.
"Luigi? Hey Luigi!" She waved her hand in front of his face until she finally got his attention.
Oh no! Had she been talking to him this whole time? He hadn't even been paying attention, what a rude thing to do, he suddenly felt like such a jerk. "Oh uh...I-I'm-a sorry...I, uh..."
"Sorry bout what?" Emi raised an eye brow and poked him lightly in the arm. "I was just gonna tell ya thanks for walking me home."
"Oh...heh heh..." He blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I um, no problem..."
They stood there in awkward silence for awhile, neither of them really sure what to do next.
Finally Luigi's nerves got the better of him and he blurted out: "Wasthis-adate!?"
Emi just stared at him, surprised at his sudden out burst. Luckily he said it to fast for her to understand, but it still embarrassed him and he quickly turned away only smack into the porch post.
"Ow ow ow!" He groaned as he rubbed his forehead, feeling very embarrassed and stupid.
"Luigi!" Emi quickly went over to him. "Are you ok?"
He just whimpered in reply.
"Um, well, here..." She took his arm and lead him over to the porch swing. "Why don't you sit down while I go get some ice, ok?"
Luigi nodded and waited as she hurried inside for some ice. He felt like an idiot and he was sure that Emi thought that he was one after what just happened.
...So much for-a getting kissed...I'm-a such idiot...
…...
Emi sighed and shook her head as she fixed an ice pack for Luigi. She hoped he was alright, because it looked like he bumped his head pretty hard and taking him to the E.R didn't exactly seem like the best way to end their date.
But she was feeling nervous too. After all this was her first date with Luigi so she couldn't help but be nervous about the whole kissing thing...Kissing...Now that she thought about it, they almost kissed on the dock earlier didn't they?
...I wonder if his mustache will tickle...
She quickly shook her the thought from her head. She didn't need to be thinking about things like that right now! Blushing, she grabbed the ice pack and hurried back out to Luigi.
…...
"Erm, here ya go...sorry I took so long..." She sat down next to him and handed him the ice pack.
"Oh, uh no that-a's ok...grazie..." Luigi smiled a little as he took the pack from her and pressed it against his head. Truth was, his head wasn't really hurting him too much, but she didn't need to know that.
They sat together on the swing, both feeling a little down, this wasn't how either of them thought the date would turn out. After sitting there in silence for awhile Emi finally spoke up. "So um, how ya feelin'?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm-a fine..." She looked at him doubtfully and he quickly waved his hands in front of him. "No really I'm-a ok! The ice, it-a helped really!...So no worries ok?" He smiled at her taking her hand in his and giving it a little squeeze.
"Alright if ya say so..." She smiled and shook her head, before standing up and walking over to the door. "So...um, you want to...try again?"
Luigi stared at her confused before he finally realized what was going on. He quickly hopped up and went over to her, almost tripping in the process.
Luckily he didn't fall this time. He grinned sheepishly at her and rubbed the back of his head. Emi just rolled her eyes and giggled, but she was glad he was feeling better.
"Hmm, so anyways..." She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, she suddenly felt very shy. "Thanks for walking me home...and for getting me that big Yoshi doll, even though ya didn't have to that..."
Luigi chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no, it's-a no problem! Heh..." He scratched the side of his face and looked down. He was starting to feel nervous and the last thing he wanted to do was blurt out something stupid and make a fool out of himself again.
"Um, thank you...for the lunch, I-a really enjoyed it..." He looked back up at Emi and was it just his imagination or was she standing a lot closer to him then she was a few moments ago. "And...um, I had-a really great time today..."
"I'm glad to hear that, I had fun too..." She blushed as she inched closer and stood up on her tip-toes–he was taller then her after all–and slowly leaned in towards him.
...Oh boy! I'm-a gonna get-a kiss! I'm-a gonna get-a kiss!...
Was all Luigi could think as he leaned down to meet her. He couldn't help trembling with excitement as the distance between them closed. Then right as they were about to kiss, a loud whistle followed by a even louder BANG went off, causing them both to jump back and look around startled.
"Mama mia! Want was-a that!?" Exclaimed Luigi as he looked around in a daze, that scared him.
"Huh...?" Emi stood there stunned for a minute when the sound of another loud BANG followed by laughter and some shouting caught her attention.
Going over to the edge of the porch, she noticed to the outline of two people lighting something out in the field. She watched as the thing zoomed up into the air with a loud whistle only to explode loudly into bright colors...Fireworks...
"Woo yeah! Let's light up some more! Woo!" That was Chas's voice.
"Yay! Again! Again! This is sooo much fun!" And the giggly voice was Jenni's.
Emi glared at them as they sat off more fireworks. She was just about to have her first kiss and they ruined it.
...Gee, thanks a lot you guys!...
"Uh, what's-a going on?" Luigi asked walking up beside her just as another firework went up. "Oh...that's-a pretty..."
"Yeah..." As annoyed at those two as she was, Emi had to agree with him, the fireworks were pretty.
But as nice as it would be to stand there and watch them, she just didn't feel like it. The day had been fun, but now it starting to catch up her and she was beginning to feel tired.
"Um..." She took Luigi's hand in her's and watched as a couple more bottle rockets went off before finally speaking up. "Hey Luigi..."
He turned his attention away from the light show and smiled at Emi. His heart was still pounding from earlier, first from the near kiss and then from be startled by the firecrackers. But he was hoping that she was willing to try again.
A kiss while fireworks were going off in the background would be great. The only thing that would make it more romantic was if there was an oldie song playing along as well.
Luigi inched closer to her ready to try for the kiss again. Emi smiled and leaned in, but instead of a kiss, she gave him a hug.
"Huh?" He was little confused but he hugged her back anyway. When she pulled away, he thought that she looked a little a tired.
"I'm sorry Luigi, but it's getting late and after all we did today I'm kind of worn out..." She went over to the door and opened it. "I had a really fun time though..."
"Yeah, I-a did too..." He smiled a little and rubbed his arm, feeling a little disappointed. "Um, well...buona notte then..." He tipped his hat and turned to leave.
"Hmm, night..." She started to go inside but changed her mind. "Um, Luigi..."
"Huh?" As he turned around; Emi came over and to his surprise gave him a quick peck on his cheek before heading inside and slowly closing the door.
He stood there dazed for a few moments, one hand on his cheek as he slowly took in what just happened. Then it was as if a firecracker had been set off under his feet as he suddenly jumped up in the air shouting happily. "OH YEAH!"
Cheek burning and beaming from ear to ear, Luigi jubilantly bounded back to his mansion. He couldn't wait to write about this in his diary.
…...
Hearing the loud yell, Emi looked out her window in time to see Luigi dancing around happily before taking off towards his mansion.
Giggling, she flopped down on her bed and hugged the big Yoshi doll he had got her. Chas and Jenni were probably going to tease her tomorrow but she was to happy to care.
Emi yawned as she happily snuggled up under the covers and let a sweet dream filled sleep take over.
…...
After writing in his diary about his day and getting yelled at by a very annoyed Mario for calling him so late, Luigi crawled underneath his covers and fell asleep dreaming sweet dreams.
The End.
…...
AN: Well, there it is my first attempt at a short story that I was actually able to finish. I hope you all enjoyed reading it, I know I had fun writing it^^