Chapter 5: Flowers Speak the Unspoken

Tomoyo looked her finished messages triumphantly. She was just about to email her work to her editor when she heard a knock on her door. "Señorita Daidouji?"

She recognized the voice immediately. Sighing, she stood up and opened the door. Sure enough, Eriol was standing in front of her, smiling pleasantly.

"Good morning, Señorita," he greeted. "I hope you won't mind if I take you out for a cup of coffee."

"We have instant coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself," she said. She was about to slam the door shut when he inserted his body between the door of the room.

"I'm after your company, not the coffee," he said.

She pushed the door more. "Well, tough luck. I'm too busy to spend time with unimportant activities."

He started to wince in pain. The pressure of the door was starting to crush his body. "U-Unimportant? Well, Señorita, I'll tell you what. I won't leave until you say you'll go with me."

"Suit yourself," she said. She pushed the door harder.

"I-I m-mean it.."

"So do I."

Eriol shut his eyes tight. Is this woman serious? Is she really going to press him to death?

He then opened his eyes when he felt the pressure vanish. He blinked when he saw Tomoyo open the door wide open.

"You never give up, do you?" she asked, sighing.

"Nope. I need a positive answer from you first," he said, rubbing his sore muscles.

To his surprise, she assisted him, almost worriedly. "I admire your spirit though." She stood up. "I'll be back, Hiiragizawa-kun." She went out of the room.

Eriol blinked repeatedly. "H-He called me..'Hiiragizawa-kun'."

He looked around Tomoyo's room and smiled. The surroundings were pretty much organized and neat: very Tomoyo-like. He then noticed the words on her computer. He read the messages and smiled. Greeting cards messages -some touching, some funny.

"It was raining the day you were born, but it's not really just rain. The heaven was crying because it lost its most beautiful angel," he read.

"Hey!"

He looked up and saw Tomoyo frowning at him. "H-Hey!"

"Do I have to chain you just to make sure you won't do something really stupid like snooping around?" She turned her computer off.

"You write very well."

"And you think that would lessen my fury at you?" She knelt down beside him and started to roll the sleeves of his shirt up. She took her painkiller out and started to rub his arm and shoulder.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you can write," he said gently.

"And I wasn't kidding when I said I would chain you," she shot back. She froze when she felt his hand on hers.

"I don't think you would. You are too kind." He smiled. "Take what you're doing now for instance. It was my persistent attitude that made me all sore, but still you're nursing me."

"Don't flatter yourself too much. I'm doing this because this is the right and moral thing to do."

"Check!" he said, saluting her.

Her mouth twitched. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Unfortunately, I don't. The Señora went to Barcelona to visit her relatives so I am left without a companion. So then, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. I thought to myself, 'Hey wait, Hiiragizawa! Why don't you ask the Señorita out on a date?' So that's why I'm here."

She nodded. "A date? Uh-huh. And of course, you expect me to say 'yes'."

"Of course!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you but I'm not in the mood to go out today." She rolled his sleeves down again and stood up. "I prefer to be on my own."

But Eriol didn't look disheartened. "You're not in the mood today but perhaps tomorrow…"

"We'll see." She looked at him inquisitively. "Why are you so interested in me anyway?"

"Well, for one thing, you look like you're in dire need of a friend. You are also Sakura and Kaho's friend, that's why I want to make sure that I will make their friend happy," he replied.

Tomoyo smiled a bit. "Happy?"

Eriol chuckled. "And I thought you already forgot how to smile."

Eriol was long gone but still Tomoyo couldn't go back to her work. "Did I already forgot how to smile?" She sighed and looked at her mother's picture. "Okaasan, was I really punishing myself by promising to never smile again?" A tear streaked down her cheek. "But why else should I smile? For whom should I smile now that you left me already?"

She opened her computer and began to type.

I will be brave

Even if you have left me

I will still smile

I will not cry

Because I know that when I weep

Every teardrop that will fall

You shall catch with an eye of a needle

One by One

Eriol was walking around the shops when he noticed a small flower shop called Nadeshiko. Curious, he entered the store.

"Buenos Tardes, Señor!" greeted the clerk. "Flowers?"

"Obviously," he said, voice laced with amusement.

The clerk laughed. "Oh, you're new here! Everyone knows that this is more than just a flower shop. We give personalized service here. We offer love notes, chocolates, stationeries, singing telegram, good singers when you wish to court somebody…"

He chuckled. "Wow! So is business good?"

"Very, Señor. People dig our business," winked the man.

"The person owning this shop must be a hopeless romantic," he said.

"Well..not really. I don't think she even has a love life. But she does enjoy listening to the tales of other people in love. I guess that's where she derives those cute messages we print on our cards for sale."

"She writes the messages?" he asked in interest.

"Yes. She's really good at it."

Eriol smiled. "Maybe I'll try your service. Can you recommend me something to give to a girl who is not very..well..talkative. She's really quiet..and aloof."

The clerk laughed. "Why, she's just like our boss!"

"Striking coincidence, huh?"

Tomoyo stretched as she paused from her garden work. She then felt a palm cover her eyes.

"W-What.."

Eriol removed his hand and smiled at her. "You're working too hard!"

She groaned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to kill your plants," he kidded.

She raised a brow. "That is, if I don't kill you first. I love these roses more than my own life."

"Well, in that case, I'll change my reason for going here." He handed her a bouquet of white roses. "For you."

She blinked.

"There's a card attached to it."

She looked at him.

"The message is good," he added. "Really good. I'm sure you'll feel less lonely after reading it."

She smiled after reading the message.

"I told you, you'll feel much better after reading it," he said. "Trust me, I read it, and I did feel good."

"I'm…speechless. Do you really think it's good?"

"Of course!"

"Where did you get this?"

"In a flower shop." He smiled. "The store's cool. One-of-a-kind."

"Let me guess. It's a shop that offers personalized service in romance line."

"Yeah! Have you been there?"

She laughed. "Si. I own it."

His eyes widened. "So the message..it was you who wrote it?" He looked at the card attached to the bouquet.

"Yes."

He laughed. "Oh, God!"

She joined in his laughter.

"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?" he asked in between laughter.

Her eyes softened. "Si."

"And at least I managed to cheer you up." He grinned. "I'll personally recommend your business. It's very effective."

Tomoyo hugged the flowers closer to her heart. "Thank you, Señor."

"Do me a favor, please? Don't call me that. I feel like I'm so old," he kidded.

"How do you want me to call you?"

"Querido?"

She raised a brow.

"Just kidding!" he said quickly, afraid that her good mood would evaporate. "Call me 'Hiiragizawa-kun', just like when we were in Japan."

She nodded.

"And I will call you..?" he asked.

"Anything you want."

"Will 'Tomoyo-san' be fine with you?"

She nodded again.

"At least we won't have problems anymore when we work on the set. We're friends now, aren't we?" he asked hopefully.

"Hai."

He smiled. "I knew there was still the old Tomoyo within you!"

She smiled back.

It had been ages since she did this. It felt so good to finally smile again.

Tsuzuku

Totally worthless chapter, huh? I just had to upload a chapter while I wait for my friend to translate a song for me, the song to be used in this fic. Well, at least you gained some insight on Tomoyo's life, right?