He had to do it.

He was pretty much resigned to the fact that it would turn out just
like every other time -- she'd take his gift, thank him for it, then
obliviously walk away without even realizing how he felt.

But still, he had to do it.  

When he was wandering lost in the Canadian Prairies, he had found
large patches of a certain type of plant growing.  It had clusters of
small yellow flowers which somehow enchanted him, although he didn't
exactly know why.

So, he had picked them for her, and had somehow managed to keep them
from wilting too badly on the way back.

Finally, he had made his way back to Nerima.  There she was, walking
home from school, with her two friends.  It was now or never.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Akane, I...   I...   I...." 

Great.  This was turning out just the way that it always did.

"Eeeeeek!  Rape!" Akane shreiked, pummeling him with all manner of
objects, some of which were within easy reach, others of which she
would have had to go to Australia to get.  That done, she burst into
tears, horribly betrayed, and ran off.

Well, maybe this wasn't turning out just the way it always did.  That,
however, wasn't exactly a positive thing....

"But, it wasn't rape," he muttered desperately.

"It was canola."

=======================================================================

Sheesh.  Just when I think that the FFML can't possibly come up with a
more brain-dead spam thread....

Anyways, for those who might not know, rapeseed is an oilseed crop.
The vines that it grows on produce clusters of tiny yellow flowers.
Canola is a genetically modified version of rapeseed, which is very
similar in appearance.  The difference is that some toxins present in
rapeseed have been bred out of it, making canola oil suitable for
human consumption.  It also has a more politically correct name.  :)

-- 
  -Sean Connor  (sec@konatsu.dhs.org)
                (sec@cableregina.com)         ,,,,
                (sec@softhome.net)        ,-^^,--/
                                  _--_  .' ,-'  /    ()
                              *,,'    '/  /--------------.
   O]=========================| >     <> (           (o)  )
                              *'`,    ,\  \--------------'
                                  ^--^  '. '-,  \
                                          '-__'--\
                                              ````