Author's Note: ) Hi world! It's me again, deciding to go ahead and write chapter two even though I've only received one review. Do you know why? Because I can't keep my stupendously awesome readers waiting. With that said, I want to give a special shout-out to one particular reader – though I love all you guys SO much – because she's really been a top supporter of my stuff, whether she realizes it or not. So, here's a special thank-you to Daisy-and-Luigi!! You rock, so hard!
A quick note about the chapter title is needed. It's supposed to be a joke, just in case you didn't pick up on that. Not really a good one, but, whatever … yeah. So, now you're free to enjoy the chapter!!
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Chapter Two: Wanted: Single, Flawless, Hot Male (preferably human)!
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Daisy sighed, ready to fall flat on the little cutesy café table she sat at all by herself. "I vow never, ever, EVER to put up an add in the 'Personal' section of the Mushroom Gazette again. Never again." The Sarasaland princess couldn't believe the responses she'd been getting. The entire week they'd come in, and each and every one had disappointed her in some way, shape or form. They were either two dorky, too buff, too shy, too jerky, too … too wrong. Just plain wrong. Part of her questioned all of her negative feelings towards these men; had Peach been right in accusing her of being too picky? 'No.' She thought determinedly, 'I'm not picky! I just want to find the perfect guy for me, that's all. Really.' Daisy was starting to doubt this, though. Maybe she was being too picky, after all.
The clock chimed six 'o' clock on the café wall, and she felt herself jump slightly in her seat. Her date – the last one on the list, thankfully – was supposed to meet her here at six. She had lost hope of him being 'the one', but nevertheless, she'd found her optimistic side too overpowering to ignore it; and here she was, sitting at one of the back tables of the Cornerstone Café. 'This time, I won't pre-judge him.' Daisy thought, determined not to be picky this time. She had to face the fact that whoever it was that would walk in that door, it was impossible for him to be 'perfect'. 'But I want him to be perfect.' She argued mentally, 'I don't want to end up with someone who doesn't live up to my expectations.' A pause – a pause of consideration. 'No. I pledge to myself that whoever walks through that door, I will stay seated until the end of the date. Period. No ifs, ands or buts about it!'
The irony of the scene that followed was priceless. If you had come up to Daisy at that exact moment, and told her just who, exactly, her mystery date was, she probably would have just glared at you and informed you of your sick, sick sense of humor. But perhaps, just perhaps, it was indeed the workings of a sick, sick sense of humor that had brought Waluigi through that door, at that moment, on that day; Fate's sense of humor, that is to say.
'Don't worry, Daisy,' She told herself, feeling panic rise in her like a swarm of wasps. 'He's just here to … um … sulk. Yeah. Sulk. Or whatever the heck he does with his freetime.' So, then, why was he headed straight her way?
As she watched, horror stricken, she searched for any sign of comfort she could find. 'Well, at least he's wearing something different, that's good.' She thought, and stuck with that idea. 'A pinstripe suit and a deep violet tie … wow, I didn't know he had that good of a taste in fashion! And I wonder why he wears that stupid hat all the time. Now that he has It off, he doesn't look even nearly as creepy. And his hair looks kinda cute, the way it's all unkempt and –' She cut her train of thought to an end. The fact that she had just thought of him as attractive? That scared her. 'He's a solemn little freak. Get ahold of yourself, Daisy! You're not that desperate!'
"You should wear that sort of thing more often." His voice sounded slightly amused, in a way that irked Daisy. She didn't even know why. Was he mocking her? She had worn a less dressy ensomble for this occasion, as she had with the rest of the dates. It was composed of a rather sporty yellow halter top, a vibrant orange skirt that stopped a little above the knees, white stockings and a pair of white knee-high boots. Around her neck was a cute orange neckribbon, adding a sweet flair to the outfit.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She snapped, and had Waluigi not been used to her doing this, he would have surprised at her sudden flare of bitter feelings towards him.
"What the hell else would it mean? It looks nice on you. That's all." He stated flatly, almost to the point of boredly. 'Gee, I'm sure that really helps attract the ladies.' Was the rather cynical thought that came to Daisy's mind. 'Show a little excitement once in awhile, will ya?'
In an attempt to change the subject, she asked, "So, out of pure curiosity, why were you scrounging around in the 'Personals' section of the Mushroom Gazette?" She hadn't meant for that snide tone to creep into her voice, but it just … had. The answer she received surprised her slightly.
"I wasn't."
"… What do you mean, you weren't? Then why did you – how did you –"
"Do you honestly think that I want anything to do with all this romance crap?" He replied, his dull gray eyes shifting toward her smoothly. Daisy couldn't believe what she had just heard. Giving a frustrated chuckle, one that came more out of bemused confusion than anything else, she questioned his reply.
"Ok, so let me get this straight: you hate this 'romance crap', as you so aptly put it, but you went ahead and replied to my add? Isn't that just a little bit … pointless?"
"Wrong again, dear. I didn't reply to your add." Her frustration only grew at this. She already had a low tolerance level for this man, and now, he was telling her that he didn't even reply to her add?
"Ok, look here. First of all, please, for the sake of all things good and holy, do not call me 'dear' again. Ever. And secondly," She paused here to take note of his amused half-smile. Jeeze, he was weird. "if you didn't reply to my add, then why are you sitting here, with me, at the exact time of the date I was scheduled to have, and in … dare I say it … stylish clothes, none the less?"
Waluigi sighed, letting his gaze tear from hers for a moment. Gawd, she was pretty. And feisty. So why on earth did she have to be so nosy? After a moment of awkward silence, he replied, "Because I am supposed to meet you here, it's just that I wasn't the one who agreed to it. Wario did. He wants me 'preoccupied' while that ditz Mona is staying over at the castle, so naturally, he had to be a complete jerk about it and set this up behind my back." Daisy sat quietly for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed now. She hadn't realized that he didn't even want to be there; she'd always thought he was completely obsessed with her, which had tended to creep her out. But now, despite a little voice telling her not to be in the back of her mind, she found herself sympathizing with him. Letting her more friendly nature take over for her, she pursued this.
"Oh, I see. Sorry, I guess I didn't really realize that. So … who's this Mona chick?" She let slip a small smile, and watched as he did the same. She hadn't seen him smile like that before. She kind of liked it.
"Wario's girlfriend. Soon to be fiancé." He chuckled, watching as Daisy cringed slightly in disgust. "Yeah, disturbing, isn't it?" Daisy was surprised to hear Waluigi saying this, though she agreed completely. He noticed the slightly surprised edge in her expression, and added, "I find him just as disturbing as the rest of the world. It's just that I'm able to tolerate it more than everyone else. Of course, Mona's still got me beat in that respect." Daisy heard herself give a quiet laugh, and felt herself relax more. Wow, this was weird; she couldn't believe the fact that she was actually enjoying Waluigi's company. "So, what are you doing with an add in the 'Peronals' section?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I was under the impression that you and that stupid pansy were an item."
The smile that had been gracing her face disappeared instantly as she heard this. "First of all, no, I'm single, thank you very much. And secondly, do you have to be so derogatory when you're talking about Luigi? I honestly don't get what you have against him; he's a sweet, caring kinda guy!"
Now it was Waluigi's turn to scowl, letting the silence seep in for a moment before getting back to his feet. "I don't even know why I bothered showing up tonight."
"Wait, what are you talking about? Don't go!" Waluigi smirked. Daisy gasped slightly. What had she just said … ?
"… Admit it, you don't hate my guts."
"I … I never said I did! But I never said I didn't, either!" Daisy fumed, the fact that he was enjoying this only fueled her anger. What right did he have to … to … to … why on earth was she so angry, anyway? It was a good question. One that helped her calm down a bit. Though she still couldn't believe how much he was enjoying her embarrassment.
"Now then, you were saying …?" He slunk back into the chair, willing to let that little outburst slip – for now, at least.
"I was just wondering what on earth you had against Luigi that made you hate him so much." Daisy asked, her voice quieter than usual. She didn't want to be nosy, but it was a question that she'd been wondering about for awhile now. Waluigi was silent for a moment, surveying her face as he tried to decide whether or not it was worth it to tell her. He wasn't the most open of people, but he had always liked Daisy, for some reason. She had something about her that he had always found himself admiring from afar; was it her ambition? Her strong, outgoing personality? Whatever it was, he liked it enough to go ahead and answer her question.
"Because he's always been the center of attention. Him and that stupid, show-off of a brother of his." His voice was solemn, just as the expression on his face was. Daisy was silent. She didn't really know what to say; she hadn't been expecting an actual answer from him.
"Well, what can I get you two?" The waiter's voice cut into the silence like a knife, a very cheery one at that. Waluigi simply replied, as if the little toad hadn't interrupted their conversation so abruptly.
"I'll take a coffee. Black." Daisy examined his normally cold, gray eyes as he spoke, not bothering to look at the waiter as she gave her order.
"Tea would be nice. Decaf, preferably." The waiter gave a little nod before scuffling back off into the kitchen. Daisy continued to stare into his eyes. She'd never seen this side of him before.
"What?" He questioned, causing the Sarasaland princess to blush and immediately turn her gaze away.
"Oh, um, it's nothing. Really." Giving a nervous chuckle, she quickly added, "So … you and him … you're related, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Cousins." His voice was cold again. And she didn't know why she had brought the topic up again.
"It must have been tough, growing up in their shadow. But you had support from your immediate family, didn't you?" Waluigi gave a small chuckle.
"Naw, not really. I've always been the outcast of the family, the blacksheep, if you will. Even Wario was somewhat accepted." He paused, then – "Hey, look, I'll pay for the tab, alright?"
"Um, ok. Thanks." Daisy replied, still a bit taken aback. She had had no idea of this, all those years … it was no wonder he was such a loner, with a past like that. She let the subject slip, deciding it would be best to let go of it. And for some reason, Daisy felt truly comfortable with a guy, for the first time in a long time.
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The clock struck 11 o' clock as Waluigi waltzed into the foreboding yet unbelievably flashy home that was, technically, his brother's. He felt like a million bucks, for the first time in a long time; there was a feeling so grand that welled up inside of him that words simply weren't enough to describe it. And so, his strides were filled with confidence, even as he entered the flamboyant fortress in which resided the two people he simply did not want to see at the moment. Nothing could knock him down, absolutely nothing!
"YAHOO!" He couldn't hold it in, he just couldn't. He leaped high into the air, pumping his fist up into the atmosphere, as he let out that grand exclamation. 'Well, that felt good.' He thought bemusedly. 'Strange, but good.' Part of him wanted to smack himself for looking so idiotic; even with no one else around, it felt unnatural to be so happy for once. Once he had managed this excitement, however, he made his way upstairs, his mind wandering elsewhere. 'I can't believe this. Daisy actually agreed to a second date!' The giddiness of a small child was just about equivalent to how Waluigi felt right then. Unfortunatly, this giddiness was met at the top of the stairs with a blast of raging irritation from none other than his stouter, shorter brother.
"What the hell was that?!" Wario snarled, skidding to a stop just in front of Waluigi as he neared the top of the stairs.
"That was the sound of success. Now if you'll excuse me, I –" But he had no such luck in getting past Wario.
"Success? What happened, did you –"
"Don't even say it. And no, I didn't." He shuddered slightly, knowing exactly what his brother was thinking. Wario honestly looked confused at this.
"Well, if it wasn't that, then why are you so excited? I think I preffered your usual, somewhat quiet, mopy self." Waluigi decided to ignore the last bit of that statement.
"None of your business. You know, you and Mona can go back to sucking each others' faces off now. Don't bother humoring me with your false concern." And with that, he shoved past his shocked brother and headed down the corridor for a good night's sleep.
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"So, no luck last night?" Peach asked her friend, as they conversed in the warm, sunny gardens of her castle. Daisy had been oddly quiet the entire time, something that surprised Peach to no end. She could only guess that her fellow princess had found yet another no-go on the date last night, as she observed the glazed-over look on her face. The answer she received, however, was not what she expected.
"No, actually, that's the problem." Daisy said, observing the lovely flowers all around them. For some reason, her eyes kept darting back to the lovely patch of violets in the corner.
"Um, what do you mean, 'that's the problem'?" Peach asked hesitantly.
"I … I don't know why I'm so attracted to him, Peach. I don't know why. He's a complete and utter jerk most of the time, and even last night, he kept making the most inconsiderate, snide remarks, and yet … I agreed to go on another date with him."
"Who, dear?" Peach questioned, now even more concerned than before.
"Oh, just … just somebody." Daisy replied, not wanting to tell her friend yet for fear of her reaction. Peach gave an unamused chuckle.
"Daisy, snap out of it. This isn't funny. Now, tell me what's bothering you; I'm all ears."
"Well … y'see, he's really got a terribly sad past. I know most people in the Mushroom Kingdom hate him, but something about last night … he just felt so right. And, what's even scarier is the fact that he actually looked, and I can't believe I'm saying this, handsome in that suit!"
"Daisy, please, tell me who you're talking about!" Peach exclaimed, as a rather negative feeling began to well up inside her. This guy sounded like bad news to her. Daisy just looked into her friends eyes, as silence reigned for a moment. Then, it just sort of … came out.
"It's Waluigi, Peach. He's 'who'."
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Author's Note: So ends Chapter Two! I think that this fic is going to be done in shorter installments than my other, but I hope you all still enjoy it. Also, I know that these two are getting involved seemingly pretty fast, but A.) it's been about a week's worth of time since the last chapter, in the story at least and B.) There's still quite a bit I have planned for this, don't worry. Yeah, so, I think that's just about it … as always, reviews and the like are luffed! And thanks for reading, guys; I hope you continue doing so as this thing gets more fully developed.
