Zavier looked at his calendar and took in a deep breath. Today was the day. The Spring Festival; the day he'd finally tell Mist his true feelings. As long as Raguna didn't barge in again to woo her some more, like he'd been doing ever since he arrived in town.

"Stupid Raguna and his stupid charms," Zavier muttered, turning from the calendar in disgust. "Well, I'll show him!" Zavier declared quietly to himself, his fists clenched in determination.

He marched to his kitchen with his head held high, grabbed the cookie he'd made the night before, and set off to find Mist. "Alright, where does Mist usually go…" Zavier asked himself, looking up and down the walkway outside his home. "She usually hangs out at Raguna's… But today is a festival. Still…I'd better check, make sure he's not putting the moves on her!"

Zavier walked hurriedly towards Raguna's farm, his mind racing about what could was even going to say. Half of his reason for wanting to go was to make sure Mist wasn't there, and then he also just wanted to warn Raguna to back off. When Zavier's foot met that last step, though, he knew exactly what he was going to say. "Hey!" he shouted towards Raguna, who was watering what looked to be some flowers. 'What a priss, how can Mist like this guy? I'm a totally strong adventurer!' Zavier thought to himself, laughing at the idea of losing Mist to Raguna.

"Oh, hey, Zavier. What's up?" Raguna greeted, a polite smile plastered on hs face, as always.

"I…well…" Zavier coughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling smaller now that he was standing before the surprisingly strong farmer. He'd managed to get farther into Carmite cave in only eighteen days than Zavier had gotten in years. "You…"

"I...?"

"Are you giving anyone a cookie today?" Zavier quickly asked, the words shooting out from his mouth before he could even think about it. 'Damn it, that wasn't a threat at all!'

"Yeah, I am," Raguna admitted, blushing slightly, "Are you?"

"Y-yeah! Of course! Who are you giving yours too?" Zavier pressed, readying himself mentally to pounce on Raguna if his answer was the beautiful blonde who lived next door to him.

"I'm not sure I should tell you…" Raguna looked back down at his plants, his face flushing deeper.

"And why not?" Zavier demanded, hands on his hips in a girly manner. "Why can't I know?"

"It'd be awkward," Raguna explained, looking back up at Zavier.

"Tell me!" Zavier insisted, "I won't care!" 'Unless it's Mist…' Zavier added in his head.

"Well…" Raguna thought briefly, "I don't know."

'Damn it, I don't have time for this!' "Just tell me already!" When Raguna continued to be silent and only shake his head back and forth, Zavier took in a deep breath. "I-Is it Mist?"

"What?!" Raguna's face filled with shock, his eyes growing wide. "No! No, no, no! She's…really not my type," Raguna explained, rubbing his temples as if he had a slight headache.

"Then who? And what's wrong with Mist?!" Zavier asked in bewilderment, wondering how anyone could not like the beautiful, but ditzy, woman.

"She's just…not the brightest," Raguna sighed out.

"So, you like smart girls…" Zavier thought hard, trying to gather up who all the smart girls in town were. 'Let's see…Rosetta, Felicity, obviously Tori, and Tabatha seems pretty cultured…but he said it'd be awkward. Wait a minute…the only way it'd be awkward…' "You like my sister?!" Zavier screeched, his face one of horror. "B-but why?"

"She's just so cute, smart, and I don't know, I guess I like that she's a little shy," Raguna replied calmly, a smile playing on his lips as he thought of Zavier's sister.

"No way, dude! I don't approve!" Zavier snapped, forcing Raguna out of his thoughts. "You can't be with her, you're my rival! Pick someone else!"

"What do you mean I'm your 'rival'? And no, I won't," Raguna ended sternly.

"Well, we're both adventurers! One of us has to beat the other," Zavier explained, rolling his eyes at Raguna's naive ways.

"But what does that have to do with your sister?"

"How can we be rivals if you're dating my sister?! That's just weird! Then I can't even complain about you at home!" Zavier snapped.

"You complain about me? What did I do to you?" Raguna asked, puzzled. 'I don't think I'll ever understand this kid,' Raguna thought as he looked Zavier up and down, deciding whether he should even listen to his ranting or not. All he wanted to do was go give Tori her cookie and go on with his day, yet here was Zavier, the only obstacle in his way.

"W-well," Zavier blushed slightly, embarrassed to have admitted that Raguna bothered him enough to talk about him at home. "Don't feel so special!" Zavier said quickly, his blush deepening. "I don't care, do whatever you want! Just stay away from my sister!" And with that, he turned on his heel and stomped away, headed straight for the beach. When he arrived, he spotted Mist instantly, her striking blonde hair and sky blue dress looking perfect for a setting at the beach; she was a true beauty.

Zavier approached her cautiously, his heart still racing from his confrontation with Raguna, and now racing even more at the sight of Mist. "H-h-hey, Mist," Zavier stuttered out, feeling like his sister for a brief moment.

"Oh, hey, Zavier," Mist replied, her voice as soothing as ever to the adventurer. "What's up?"

"I…and then you…and the festival thing…and the…yeah…" Zavier stammered out, his words quiet and barely audible.

"What?" Mist cocked her head to the side, "What did you say?"

Zavier cleared his throat purposefully, straightening himself as he did so. "I have something for you." Zavier finally stated, his voice as emotionless and straight forward as if he were a courier delivering a message.

"Is it from Raguna?" Mist's eyes brightened as she mentioned the farmer, her cheeks turning a light pink. "Was he too embarrassed to give me a cookie, so he sent you? Is that it?" Mist continued on, her voice becoming more and more cheerful.

"Wh-what?" Zavier took a step back, his heart clenching in pain. "Uh, erm, no! Never mind! See you later!" Quickly, he turned around and high tailed it towards home, ready to scream into his pillow due to his frustration.

As he was about to enter the Inn, he spotted his sister in the corner of his eye. 'First, I've got to warn Tori,' Zavier told himself, dutifully approaching her. "Hey, Tori. I need to tell you something."

Tori turned to him with glazed over eyes and a dopey smile, looking like a school girl with too big of a crush. "Yes?"

"What's wrong with you?" Zavier laughed out, finding his sister's expression humorous. "You look like a wooly or somethin'."

"Sh-shut up!" Tori blushed slightly, "I'm just happy is all."

"About what?"

"Well…" Tori blushed again, "Raguna invited me to his house tonight."

"What?!" Zavier screeched, drawing attention from several of the other villagers around him. "Wh-what do you mean? You can't go! I'm going with you! You hear me?"

Tori looked at her brother, a bit confused. "Wait, can I go or not? You said I couldn't then you said-"

"Whatever! I'm going, okay? If he does anything funny, he'll really get it!" Zavier growled. "When are you going?"

"Around 6, but won't it be awkward? It is the Spring Festival…shouldn't you…bring a, uh, date?" Tori asked, feeling odd towards the thought of basically going out on a double date with her brother.

"Dang it…fine, I'll bring someone." Zavier sighed out, looking back towards the beach. "I'll see you there, don't leave home without me," Zavier warned, wagging his finger at her. "I don't want you getting there before me, who knows what he'll do!" Before she could reply, Zavier jogged back towards the beach, a new found hope filling him. Now he knew just how to get Mist. . .

"Mist!" Zavier greeted again, running up the dock. "I've got some bad news," Zavier put on his best sympathetic face. "Raguna likes someone else. In fact, he has a date with them tonight."

"What?" Mist looked crestfallen at the news.

"Yup. If you want, I can help you get him from her.." Zavier offered, baiting his dream girl.

"I don't know, is that the right thing to do?"

"It sure is!" Zavier gave her a thumbs up and a comforting grin, "Besides, it's my sister. I can't let her date him anyways. She probably only agreed to go because she didn't want to hurt his feelings or something. You don't want Raguna getting hurt, do you?"

"I guess not…alright, but how do we do it?"

"Well, we could tag along on their date together. A-as in you be m-my date, you know? Like a double date…"

"But, then I'd be with you..not Raguna," Mist replied, curiosity filling her big blue eyes.

"That's the point, though! He'd see us together and get jealous! Then he'd want to be with you instead of my boring ol' sis. Sounds smart, huh?" Zavier boasted, hands on his hips once more, this time in pride.

"I guess," Mist sighed out, "I hope it works," she smiled at him sweetly, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Y-yeah, me too," Zavier laughed awkwardly, looking around at the others on the beach, anywhere but those pretty eyes that he had just lied to. "Well, be in front of his house by 6, see ya there!"

"See ya!" Mist waved as Zavier walked away, a smile still on her lips. "What a nice friend," she whispered to herself.

** 6:30 PM - RAGUNA'S HOUSE**

They all stood around awkwardly; Raguna by Tori's side, facing Zavier who stood by Mist. Mist stared longingly at Raguna, along with Tori, while Raguna and Zavier glared at each other, silent challenges being passed to each other in their own personal conversation.

'You really don't want me with your sister, huh?' Raguna mentally screamed out, glancing briefly at Tori so Zavier could get his message.

Zavier nodded his head curtly, his lips a thin line, 'You bet.'

Raguna rolled his eyes in response, 'Whatever. You can't stop me anyways,' he smirked slightly, crossing his arms in defiance.

Zavier gasped aloud, drawing attention from the ladies in the room (for once). "What did you say? I don't think I got that right! At least, I better not have.." Zavier explained in a rushed tone, worry on his face.

Raguna leaned in to voice his words in a quiet whisper. "What'd you think I say?" he asked when he was done repeating himself.

Zavier blushed slightly, leaning in to whisper what he had gotten out of the challenge. "You know how sometimes people do things to spite other people? Like…you know…"

Raguna blushed as well at the thought, earning himself a punch on the shoulder.

"Don't think about it!" Zavier snapped.

"Sorry," Raguna muttered.

"Uh, what are you two talking about?" Mist inquired, her eyes resting on Zavier, practically screaming 'I'm gonna beat you with all the radishes I have if you don't make this freaking work already. And believe me, that's a lot of radishes!'

Zavier frowned at his feisty love, assuring her 'Relax, I got this,' with a comforting but worried smile.

"Well, Tori, want to go up to the mountain? It's a great view," Raguna invited, slipping his hand into Tori's.

Tori blushed deeply, "S-sure…"

"She knows it's a great view!" Zavier cut in, "She doesn't need to go see it!"

"Zavier, stop. I already agreed to go," Tori whispered harshly to her brother, though her eyes were pleading.

"F-fine…but I'm going," Zavier said sternly, making every over-protective father in the country proud.

Tori sighed in defeat, nodding her okay. "L-let's go then…Raguna," she stammered out as always, her shyness creeping in as she addressed someone other than her brother.

"Right," Raguna replied, squeezing her hand gently.

Mist glared daggers at Zavier, who tried to mimic Raguna's actions and hold Mist's hand as well. As they were walking, Tori and Raguna leading the way, Zavier leaned in to whisper "Come on, he won't be jealous if you're all over him!"

Mist blushed slightly, knowing that Zavier was right. "Alright, fine," she whispered back, reaching out now to hold Zavier's hand.

Zavier gulped at the touch, his heart skipping a beat. 'I'm. Holding. Her. Hand.' he thought to himself, fear, excitement, and adoration rushing through him all at once. As they reached the top of the mountain, both couples still joined at the hands, Zavier felt as if he'd die from shortness of breath. And not at all due to the height they were at. 'Holdingherhandholdingherhand holdingherhand - Oh God I'm actually touching Mist!' he thought giddily, looking down at their hands in disbelief, then back up to Mist's face. She wore a soft smile, and was actually looking back at Zavier - finally not at Raguna.

"This is actually kind of nice," Mist whispered, afraid she'd ruin the moment if she spoke too loudly.

"Y-you think so?" Zavier whispered, his voice shaking.

"Yeah. I mean, I do like Raguna…but it's not so bad being around you."

'Good enough!' Zavier gushed out a wide grin, his cheeks flaring up at the somewhat compliment.

Meanwhile, as he was love-dazed, he was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. But at the mention of the word 'kiss', he was back to full-alert Dad mode.

"Can I kiss you?" Raguna whispered, scared of Tori's reply.

"I…I d-don't know…it's kind of sudden…"

'You bet it's sudden! You go Tori! Tell him!' Zavier silently cheered on, giving the young couple his full attention.

"But…I-I g-guess…" Tori whispered back when she saw Raguna's slightly hurt expression.

"R-Really? O-okay," Raguna blushed deeply. Then, as if everything were in slow motion, Raguna leaned in to kiss Tori, both their eyes drifting shut as they leaned in towards each other. Mist, seeing what was happening as well, felt her face go red with anger.

Zavier, however, chose a different course of action rather than being passively angry. "Awh, Hell no!" Zavier shouted, coming in between them, Raguna's lips smashing onto his own now instead of Tori's.

Both men in shock, they stayed that way for several moments, lips locked, eyes wide in shock and staring into one another's. Finally, Raguna pulled away, stuttering out "You…and the…what? You…you're h-here with Mi-Mist! Go kiss her!"

"No way!" Zavier shouted, then realizing what he said, turned back to Mist. "Wait, no, I mean, uh, I love you? Sorry? Hey, don't go! Both of you! Come back!"

As the two girls were about to storm down the rocky pathway, Mist turned around to shout back "Forget the both of you! I can't believe you tricked me! This was all about you not me!"

"And I c-can't believe you stole my d-date!" Tori joined in, her voice slightly shaky but still coming off quite angry. She was never one to show her anger, but to have her own date stolen by her brother…well, that can do things to a girl.

"Awh, come on, it wasn't like that! Come back!" Zavier shouted, though the girls paid him no mind and continued down the path.

"Well, thanks a lot. Now I really don't have a chance with your sister…due to the fact she thinks I'm gay now! What is wrong with you?" Raguna asked, ready to whack Zavier upside the head.

"Oh, like I wanted to kiss you! Besides, now Mist thinks I used her to make you jealous for me!"

Raguna sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe this happened. And you know Mist will blab to Rosetta, right? Who will tell her father and Lukas, being the stalker he is, will probably overhear. And eventually the whole town is going to know."

"Yup. Hey, look on the bright side," Zavier smiled devilishly and looked at Raguna, who gave him a look as if to say 'What bright side?'. "There's no way my sister would go out with you now."

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I figured this festival is kind of like Valentine's Day so...yeah! :3
Also, sorry Zavier is a bit OOC, this is my first time writing as him. But thanks for reading!