Plight
Chapter 4

The Rose Part 1

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The aroma emitting from the indoor flower patch was heavenly.

Noticing it among many artificial smells, courtesy of other patrons, Tsukino leaned closer to the flowers and sniffed the fragrance. Her face visibly relaxed, leaving her looking serene and innocent and pretty and…. Wait… what?

Azuma shook his head. His wandering mind almost leaded him to a particular taboo type of thoughts.

"Wow… what is this?" Tsukino asked, pointing to a white. She looked at the counter. The waitress wasn't there.

The answer to her question came from an unexpected source.

"It's a violet," Azuma said. "Though, the proper name for it is 'Viola.'" He ran his hand through his hair and, for the first time today, noticed that he wasn't wearing his headband. Somehow, for some peculiar reason, his head felt naked. "Violets are part of the Violaceae family. Like many other flowers, certain types of violets have a symbolic meaning. Blue violets represent faithfulness. That white one over there represents modesty." He looked at Tsukino, and soon after, cocked his head.

Had Tsukino been a manga character, her eyes would have been bug-eyed, sweat drops of enormous size would be cascading down her head, and her lips would have been quivering at an unbelievable rate, after listening to Azuma's lecture.

"How… how…" She was stammering.

"I came from a farming area," Azuma answered, in anticipation to her question. "There were a lot of flower fields over there. Some girls I've known in the past were in love with the flowers grown there and they really wanted to learn everything about flowers. I overheard them talking several times during class."

"Oh…." Tsukino resisted the urge to ask him if there was any other girl that she would like to know about. But, considering Azuma's usual train of thought, she knew it couldn't be worth it. "How about this one?" she asked, pointing a purple flower.

"That's a heliotropium arborescens, or simply a Garden Heliotrope; and, as you can tell by its name, its part of the Heliotropium family. They originated from Peru; and this type of flower has become a popular garden plant due to its vanilla-like fragrance. I think it represents devotion." Tsukino flinched. Devotion… she is devoted to a particular some; but how long can the devotion last if he never notices!

"Umm…" She blushed; looking at a couple at a nearby table. They're certainly devoted to each other! "What's this?" She reached out into a cluster of flowers and caressed a pink and pointed petal flower.

"That flower is a dahlia and… umm…. sorry Tsukino; I forgot its family name." Quite frankly, she didn't care.

"It's okay."

"Well, dahlias originally came from Mexico; and this type of flower is also the city flower of Seattle. It represents elegance and dignity." Azuma thought about this. "It's like you."

Going from pink to crimson, he blush soon consumed her face. "Thank you." She looked away, extremely abashed. As her head turned, she caught sight of specific blossom. "I… I think I know this one." Tsukino pointed to it. "It's a tickseed."

Azuma scratched his head. "Well, you're right; it's a tickseed, but its actual name is coreopsis. It symbolizes 'always cheerful.'"

"Like you," Tsukino said.

Azuma was caught off guard. 'Always cheerful?' Sure, he might be optimistic, but always cheerful? "No…" he pointed out. Recollection of his problem came up in his mind. "I guess you can say I'm 'always cheerful,' but rarely did you ever see me sad!"

The whole restaurant became silent.

"That's not true!" Tsukino was aghast to hear what he was saying. "I… I… I know that you think I'm… not… that I don't…" Her voice was barely audible.

"What?" Azuma's spoke in a very confused tone. He didn't mean to retort in an angry manner; but, what was the girl trying to say because of it.

"I… Maybe you don't notice it… but I… I am always watching you when you are near me. I… I can tell when you're sad… and when you're truly happy. It's just that… most of the time… it's just a front… or." She stood up suddenly, and bowed with tears coming down her cheek. "I'm sorry!" Her sudden movements brought glances from everyone in the restaurant.

Her eyes were closed; but that didn't prevent her from hearing a chair sliding against the floor.

"Tsukino…" She looked up and saw Azuma holding a flower. She was familiar with this type of flower. It was a snowdrop, consolation. "Sorry… I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"…" Tsukino said nothing. Wiping her tears, she reached over, without looking, and plucked up a flower. She held it in front of her and turned away. In her mind she pictured a yellow and slightly red rose in her hand; yellow and red, friendship… and falling in love.

"Uhh…" was his response. The snowdrop fell from his hand.

Tsukino, feeling a tad confused at Azuma's reply, looked up and found out why. "Uhh…" She too dropped the flower on top of the table. It was a rose alright, but by no means was it yellow or red. It was orange; and it is often used to symbolize passion. But… as of late… it had a different meaning. Carnal Desires.

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END