Night struck ACDC Town as many of the residents were preparing to go to bed. However, for one man, it was time to close his shop. This shop, one of the first ones of its kind, was owned, opened and run by, of all people, a former terrorist.
Inside, the owner of the shop walked over to the door. He was tall, thin, had an odd hairstyle and wore a pair of glasses.
Higsby sighed as he turned over the 'open' sign on the front door, changing it to read 'closed'. While he was at the front door, he looked outside. Despite the fact that it was winter, there wasn't a speck of snow on the ground.
"What's wrong, Higsby?" A voice called from the counter of the Chip Shop.
"Oh, nothing." Higsby replied as he walked over to the counter and picked up the unusual-looking device on it.
"You're lying, pal." The green figure with glowing eyes and a dome on his head on the other side pointed out. "Ever since you left the WWW, you're always depressed around this time of year."
Higsby, realizing his navi had him, sighed again. "Valentine's Day is in a few days, Numberman."
Numberman suddenly caught on to what was wrong. "You don't have anyone to spend time with on that day, do you?" He asked.
"No. I mean, who would want to spend time with me?" Higsby asked. "I'm probably the biggest nerd ever."
"Oh, come on, Higsby! Don't say that!" Numberman insisted. "You're a great guy to be around! Lan and the others love you!"
"Because I'm a freak for rare chips." Higsby replied. "I like the kids and all, but they like to talk to me because we have the same interests."
Higsby sighed as he placed his PET, containing Numberman, back on the counter, on an angle so they could see each other. "What I'm saying is that there's no woman in the world that would want to spend time with me, let alone on Valentine's Day." He grabbed a cup of water from the counter and took a sip out of it.
"What about Ms. Mari?"
Higsby's water was promptly sprayed across the counter.
"What!" Higsby asked, staring directly at his PET.
"Let's face it, Higs." Numberman said as he folded his arms on the small screen. "You're nuts about her."
Higsby stood in silence for a few seconds before leaning his hands against the counter and lowering his head. "Is it that obvious?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah." Numberman nodded. "You daydream about her all the time when it's not busy here."
Higsby's face turned red in embarrassment.
"Look, why don't you ask her out for Valentine's Day?" Numberman suggested. "She doesn't have a boyfriend, you know."
"Are you out of your MIND!" Higsby cried. "The first time we met, I knocked her out and tied her up in the school's storage room!"
"And?"
"She won't want to go out with me!" Higsby insisted, waving his arms around in the air. "She's a gorgeous teacher and I'm a pathetic nerd! She deserves more than me!"
"Higsby, she deserves YOU." Numberman replied as Higsby grabbed his coat. "Ever since you left WWW, you've become one of the nicest people I know."
Higsby sighed and picked Numberman off the counter. "Let's go home, Numberman."
Numberman stayed quiet during Higsby's trek home. He was merely trying to come up with a plan to hook Higsby and Mari up. Numberman was so wrapped up in his thinking he didn't realize Higsby had soon arrived at his small house.
Sooner than later, Higsby was fast asleep in his bed. While he was, Numberman paced back and forth inside his little 'room' inside his PET, which was sitting on a nearby dresser, plugged into a computer.
Numberman stopped pacing and looked outside of his PET, at Higsby's sleeping figure. Then and there, the green navi made his decision.
"You are NOT going to spend the rest of your life single, Higsby." Numberman said determinedly as he walked over to the side of his 'room' and walked out into the network of Higsby's compter.
It took Numberman a good few minutes, but he arrived at his destination: the network of Lan Hikari.
"You up, Megaman?" Numberman called out.
"Duh." The familiar blue navi walked into view. "None of us navis sleep."
Numberman rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah. I guess it WAS a stupid question."
"Well, what is it you want?" Megaman asked.
"I need you to call a meeting, Megaman." Numberman said.
Megaman nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem." He said. "I'll get the others to meet in Higsby's network in ten minutes."
Numberman nodded back. "Thanks, Megaman. I owe you one."
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"Thank you all for coming." Megaman said as he looked at the group of navis that had gathered in Higsby's network: Numberman, Roll, Gutsman and Glyde.
"So what's the point of this meeting, Megaman?" Roll asked.
"I don't know. Numberman was the one that wanted me to call it." Megaman shrugged. "You had something you wanted to tell us, Numberman?"
"Thanks, Megaman." Numberman as he stepped forward and faced the others, which Megaman joined. "Okay, you all know that Valentine's Day is coming up soon, right?"
The others nodded, although unsure of what Numberman was getting at.
"Okay. Now, who here is aware that Higsby has a crush on Ms. Mari?"
Four hands were instantly raised into the air.
"I thought so." Numberman nodded. "Okay. Higsby's been feeling down because he doesn't have anyone to spend time with on Valentine's Day." He explained. "My plan is to get Higsby and Ms. Mari together."
"Shouldn't be too hard." Roll shrugged. "Ms. Mari has a crush on Higsby herself."
Numberman waved his hands in front of his face. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean that she actually likes him back?" He asked. "Why didn't anyone freaking tell me about this!"
"You didn't ask." Gutsman pointed out simply.
"Okay. Well, since they both like each other, this'll be easier than I thought." Numberman said.
"Well, what do we do?" Glyde asked.
"I've got a plan already." Numberman explained.
"We owe it to Higsby." Gutsman said.
"Yeah. We got so many chips off of him that without them we'd all be toast by now." Roll agreed.
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The next day, right after school has ended, most of the students quickly piled out of Lan's classroom. The only exceptions were Lan, Mayl, Dex and Yai, all of which had been told of this plan their own navis had brewed up. Ms. Mari, the beautiful teacher, hummed a cheerful tune as she gathered her books.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Lan asked. "Ms. Mari isn't stupid, you know."
"Hey, it's to help both her and Higsby." Mayl said. "I'm willing to take that risk."
"Me too. Besides, I've always wanted to play matchmaker." Yai said, rubbing her hands together.
"Well, let's do this, then." Dex sighed to relax himself.
The four kids turned and walked over to Ms. Mari together. She looked up from her books and saw them coming.
Ms. Mari smiled at her four students. "Hi, kids." She greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"Well…" Lan rubbed the back of his head. "This is going to sound a little odd, Ms. Mari, but you aren't doing anything for Valentine's Day yet, are you?"
Ms. Mari raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"
"Because we know this guy that wants to take you out to dinner." Mayl replied. "He wanted us to give you this letter."
With that, Mayl handed Ms. Mari a folded letter. Ms. Mari slowly opened it and read it. After reading it, she looked at her four students again. "Why couldn't he just come here in person to ask me?"
Sweat ran down Lan's face. Megaman hadn't mentioned what to reply to a question like that. "Well…Uh…"
"He's really shy." Dex replied. "He's just so nervous that if he came here to ask you such a big question, he'd collapse to the floor!"
Lan sighed in relief. (Well, it sounds like something Higsby really WOULD do, so I guess it's not a total lie.) He thought.
Ms. Mari rubbed her chin in thought. After a few seconds, she smiled. "Okay. I'll do it."
After hearing this, all four of the kids jumped into the air in excitement.
"So where am I meeting this 'secret admirer', anyway?" Ms. Mari asked.
"The Silver Rose in Dencity." Yai explained.
"That's a pretty fancy restaurant." Ms. Mari's eyes widened in amazement.
Yai nodded. "Don't worry about it. He'll be able to afford it."
"Well, okay. Tell your friend I'll meet him there at seven." Ms. Mari said with a smile.
"We will, Ms. Mari!" Lan said as the four kids flew out the door.
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Higsby whistled a tune as he flipped through a newspaper. So far, his shop hadn't been that busy and he was trying to find something to pass the time.
"Well, this day isn't going as I had hoped." Higsby sighed. "I was hoping it would be busier than this."
"Just wait for the kids to come in, Higsby. It'll get busier." Numberman said from the PET sitting on the counter.
Suddenly, the front door swung open as Lan, Mayl, Dex and Yai flew into the store. They all looked extremely excited about something. Higsby smiled as he put the paper away.
"Hey, kids." Higsby greeted, placing his hands on the counter. "You guys looking for something specific?"
"Not today, thanks." Lan replied. "We're actually here because we want to tell you something important."
"I see." Higsby said, a little disappointed that the kids weren't there to shop. "So wat is it you want to tell me?"
The four kids looked at each other, back at Higsby and gave their answer as one.
"We set you up on a date with Ms. Mari!"
Higsby, surprised by the sudden outburst, fell onto his back. The thin man quickly got to his feet and stared at the kids with wide eyes. "What!"
"We set you and Ms. Mari up on a date for Valentine's Day!" Dex replied.
"But how could…" A thought suddenly occurred to Higsby as he faced his PET. "Numberman, you didn't!"
"I did." Numberman nodded. "I even got Mayl to write a fake note."
Higsby held his head. "Oh, this is just great! Now Mari won't ever wanna talk to me again!"
"Higsby, she accepted!" Mayl said.
Higsby froze, then faced the kids. "Come again?"
"She said she'd go on the date!" Mayl replied.
Higsby stood in silence for a few seconds. "So…This is really happening, is it?" He thought aloud. "I've actually got a date for Valentine's Day?"
"Yep. At the Silver Rose." Yai said with a nod.
"Wait. The Silver Rose? I can't afford that!" Higsby said.
"Already taken care of Higsby." Yai insisted. "I booked reservations for two there at seven." She pulled some money from her purse and handed it to Higsby. "Here's 150 bucks. That should pay for the two of you plus the tip to the waiter."
Higsby looked back and forth between the four kids and Numberman. "Well…Thank you all…" He said after a few seconds. "I never thought anyone would do this for me."
"You kidding?" Lan asked. "We owed it to you, Higs!"
A few more minutes of talking later and the four kids bid farewell to the shop owner and left, leaving Higsby and Numberman alone once again.
"Well Higsby, this is it." Numberman said. "You've actually got a date with the girl of your dreams."
Higsby, still in a state of shock, gave a slight smile. "I owe you, Numberman. This was your idea, wasn't it?"
"You know it."
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The next few days went by extremely slowly for Higsby. He felt like he waited an eternity for Valentine's Day to arrive. When it finally did, Higsby wanted to make sure he didn't screw up on this date, as this may be his only chance with Ms. Mari.
After taking a bit to decide, Higsby chose what to wear. He had chosen a black tuxedo that his father had worn in the past. After a bit of ironing, the suit looked as good as new, and Higsby was ready to go.
Once the appropriate time came, Higsby bid farewell to Numberman and left his house, starting his trek to the subway station to go to Dencity. Once he arrived at the station, Higsby quickly boarded the subway and was on his way.
Soon, Higsby had arrived at Dencity. Stepping out of the station, he looked around, trying to find the quickest way to the Silver Rose. After wandering around for a bit, Higsby found the restaurant. Strangely, it was a warmer night out, so Higsby could stand outside the restaurant and wait for Ms. Mari to arrive.
Higsby waited fifteen minutes outside the restaurant for Ms. Mari to show up. He was starting to get afraid that she forgot about it and wasn't coming.
"Hello, Higsby."
Okay. Maybe not.
Higsby turned around, and once he did, his eyes widened. Ms. Mari was approaching him, dressed in a floor-length, sleeveless, blue dress. She wore a pair of earrings that sparkled in the moonlight, as did the necklace she wore.
"Uh…H-Hey, Mari…" Higsby said, incredibly nervous. "Y-You look beautiful."
Mari chuckled. "Thanks, Higsby. You look great yourself."
"Th-Thanks." Higsby said.
"So, should we go inside now?" Mari asked.
"S-Sure." Higsby nodded as he opened the door to the restaurant for Mari. Lan's teacher smiled at Higsby as she went inside, Higsby going in after her.
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Later that night, after dinner, the two got back on the subway together and arrived back at ACDC Town. Higsby had offered to walk Ms. Mari home, and she had accepted. Currently, the two were talking to each other as they walked towards Mari's home.
Eventually, they arrived at Mari's doorstep. The beautiful teacher smiled at Higsby. "Thank you so much for the wonderful evening, Higsby." She said. "I had a great time."
Higsby chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Uh…No problem, Mari. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
Mari blushed. "It feels a little odd, but I'm really glad it was you I was dating tonight."
"Really?" Higsby asked. "Why's that?"
"Well, to be honest, I've grown feelings for you, Higsby." Mari replied. "I have to admit that I've had a crush on you ever since you reformed."
This time it was Higsby's turn to blush. "R-Really?" He asked.
Mari nodded. "I just…I feel real safe around you Higsby." She said.
"But…That time when we first met…" Higsby said.
"Wasn't your fault." Mari interrupted. "You said you were following the WWW's orders, so I didn't hold it against you."
Higsby sighed. "Actually, there's something I never told you about that day."
"What?" Mari asked as her smile faded.
"When I was ordered to take over the school, Wily didn't want you interfering." Higsby explained. "But he didn't order me to knock you out. He ordered me to kill you."
Mari's eyes snapped opened. "R-Really?" She asked.
Higsby nodded. "I didn't want to kill you, Mari. I couldn't. So instead, I knocked you out and locked you in the storage room." He looked down. "I'm just glad that it wasn't any of the other operators to get the job. If it was anyone else, they would have killed you without a second thought."
Mari stood in silence for a few seconds before lunging at Higsby and wrapping her arms around him.
Higsby's eyes widened in surprise. "M-Mari?"
"I-I never knew…" Mari said, shaking. "Y-You had saved my life and I never knew it…"
"It's okay, Mari." Higsby comforted. "If it would be to save your life, I'd do it."
Mari pulled away from Higsby and smiled at him. Then, much to his surprise, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Th-Thank you, Higsby." Mari said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Don't worry, Mari." Higsby said. He then decided that it would probably be a good time to change the subject. "Um…Do you want to go out again…Sometime?" He asked hopefully.
Mari nodded. "I'd like that, Higsby. Very much." She said. "Thank you again for such a wonderful evening."
"No problem, Mari." Higsby said.
"Well…Goodnight." Mari said as she opened the door to her house.
"Yeah…Goodnight." Higsby said as Mari vanished into her home.
Mari shut the door behind her, and once she did, Higsby slowly turned around and walked the rest of the way back to his place, staring off into space.
Eventually, he arrived back at his house. Higsby twisted the doorknob and opened the front door. He paused as he continued staring off into space.
"I'm in love with Ms. Mari and she loves me back." Higsby whispered in amazement. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
With that, Higsby went into his house, shut the door, locked it behind him, and went up to bed.
To Higsby, Valentine's Day was now a great day.
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END
Author's notes: Have you guys ever noticed that it is hinted at in the games themselves that Higsby likes Ms. Mari, and yet there haven't been any fics around about the pairing? It's always been Lan x Mayl or Chaud x Mayl. I just thought that this pairing needed sme attention, so I wrote this fic. Please read and review!