you were just doing it wrong. He wants to verify your procedure!

refuses! You owe him a crate of fresh tomatoes!

not giving up his precious tomatoes until he sees that you were trying your very best and showering them with love and passion through

your words!

-did- try, dammit! Keep up your side of the deal! >:I

not until he sees proof! His tomatoes are far too precious!

"You already have enough tomatoes to feed an entire country! You owe me a crate!"

"Every single tomato is very special to me! No crate until I know you're telling the truth about your flowers!"

sighs, frowning as he grasps Antonio's wrist and leads him to his garden. "Fine, come here!"

happily stumbles behind Arthur into the garden. Finally, let's see that proof!

shows him where the roses are. "These are regularly grown English roses..." He then gestures to another portion, and adds, "And these are

the ones I talked to. They look -exactly the same-."

frowns, confused. "But...they're right beside each other! How do you know the first group wasn't hearing you?"

"Then the whole garden should've been more beautiful, idiot!"

shrugs. "Yeah, of course! And if you did it right, then it probably -is- more beautiful!"

frowns, crossing his arms. "I -did- do it right, and nothing has changed. Now, my tomatoes?"

pouts. "But I don't know what your garden looked like before! Maybe it -is- more beautiful and you didn't notice because you're always

around it! Show me how you did it, or no tomatoes!"

scowls a little, unamused. He clears his throat nevertheless, embarrassed as he turns to the English roses. "A-Ah... well, today I've a

friend with me... he's the one who advised me to talk to you..."

stops observing Arthur only for a moment. "Hola~! I'm Antonio! It's nice to finally meet you!"

stares at the flowers, really feeling stupid. Of course they wouldn't reply... "They still look the same."

shakes his head. "But you weren't passionate at all! Of course they still look the same! You need more energy in your words!"

doesn't look amused. "...This is stupid. Just give me my tomatoes, will you?"

stubborn when it comes to his tomatoes. "But you're not even trying!"

huffs. "I -did- try! What do you want me to do, serenade them?"

shrugs. "I don't see why not..." Then he sighs. "But it's not that! It's just that you have to speak with a little more enthusiasm!"

turns back to the flowers, exasperated. In a -completely- mocking tone, he says, "Hola~! I'm Arthur!"

doesn't quite catch the mockery. "They already know who you are, Arthur! But you're getting there~ I'm sure they love your Spanish!"

sighs. "...I will not speak Spanish to them."

blinks, confused. "But you just said hello to them in Spanish!"

"I was mocking you!"

scratches the back of his head and looks away. "O-oh..."

just shakes his head again. "...In any case, you still owe me tomatoes. Or you can come over and cook for me for an entire month."

still going to protest because neither option is very nice. "But you weren't doing it right! And when I try teaching you, you just mock me!"

"I -was- doing it right! You just told me to talk to them!"

whines. "The way you talk to them doesn't work because you're missing enthusiasm! That's not my fault!"

huffs. "Well, I give plenty of enthusiasm when you're not here!"

defend his tomatoes to the death! "Well then just show me that enthusiasm right now!"

"No! I tried and it didn't work, dammit! Just give me the tomatoes!"

"Not until you can prove to me that you tried your very best!" There's no way talking to the flowers wouldn't work!

shakes his head, just walking away from the garden. "No. I'm going to get the tomatoes from your house."

panics. "N-NOO! WAIT!!" He grasps Arthur's wrist to stop him. "Let me try! Give me one of your flowers for a while!"

looks at him, doubtful. "...But I'm hungry. I haven't eaten yet because of these flowers, you know."

looks at Arthur with concern. "What? Ay, pobre! No wonder you're so insistent on my tomatoes!" Though he's still not going to give up

his tomatoes easily.

tries to tug his hand away. "Yes, so if you'd kindly let me go so I can go get them..."

holds on tight. "Wait!" He sighs. "If you're that hungry, I can make you a bocadillo..." Anything to keep his tomatoes as far away

from Arthur's kitchen as possible!

huffs, unrelenting. "Either you give me my crate of tomatoes, or you cook for me for a month."

shakes his head. "No! Not when you weren't even doing it right!"

just continues to try and get to Spain's house, then.

does not let go of that wrist. His tomatoes are very, very special to him and he won't let Arthur steal them!

"Let me go, Antonio! I'm telling you, it's either the tomatoes or the food!"

"Nooo! I can make you a bocadillo today if you want, but not for a month!" They're going around in circles, aren't they.

shakes his head, and starts dragging Antonio a little. "I'm not going to offer you any other choices!"

tries to resist as much as possible. "But why do I have to choose? It's not my fault that your flowers aren't prettier! And I was just

trying to help! I don't owe you anything!" He can't afford to owe anything, especially not with the current state of his economy!

scowls, pulling even harder. "You agreed to it before I started this thing, idiot! Now keep your end of the deal!"

starting to be dragged by the force of Arthur's pulls. "But you didn't keep your end of the deal! You didn't try your best!"

rolls his eyes. "I did! Now shut up and come quietly, Antonio!"

continues to protest, but it looks like Arthur is being successful with the dragging. "No, you didn't! You didn't have enthusiasm!"

drags more and more and more. "I had enough enthusiasm, thank you very much! I also want some more of that paella while I collect the

tomatoes."

looks at Arthur in disbelief. "Eeeeeh? That wasn't even part of the deal at all!!"

shrugs. "But I want it now."

pouts. "That's not fair at all!"

"Well, that's too bad. We're almost at your house."

panics when he sees his house in the distance. "Noooo!!"

just drags Antonio even more. "Stop being so overdramatic, dammit!"

keeps on whining to the very end. "B-but my tomatoes! My poor tomatoes!" They're going to suffer such a horrible fate if this keeps up!

twitched. "What the hell do you mean by 'horrible fate'? I'm a bloody good cook!"

too busy frantically repeating the words "Mis pobres tomatitos!" over and over again to answer Arthur.

sighed, finally letting go of Antonio to head towards his house faster. "If you don't unlock the door, I'll just have to break the lock."

can't afford a new lock, not with the current state of his economy! "Ay Arthur, por favor!!"

stood in front of the door, looking just slightly impatient. "Open the door, Antonio."

hesitates...no, his boss would kill him if he let Arthur break his lock! He reluctantly walks over to the door and sloooowly unlocks it.

huffed; finally. He pushes the door open and steps in, immediately heading towards the gardens.

mopes around at first. Those poor tomatoes...ending up in Arthur's kitchen...d-destroyed...N-NO! He won't let that happen! He's the

Country of Passion, and he's going to passionately protect his beautiful tomatoes until the end! He goes to a nearby closet,

pulls out his big old axe, and leans on the door, waiting.

looks around, and collects a crate load of tomatoes. Satisfied, he heads out, only to pause at what he sees. "...Antonio. Put that away."

straightens when Arthur comes into view. "Why should I? It's really pretty...just like my precious tomatoes. But a little more deadly." He

looks at the blade and smiles. "I need to take care of all my pretty things. I think I've neglected this pretty axe for far too long~"

frowned. "...You have -got- to be kidding me. You're going to use that because you lost a crate of tomatoes?!"

takes a step closer to Arthur. "I take care of my tomatoes like I take care of my henchmen. I shower them with love and watch them grow. And

I protect them from annoying nations who try to take them away from me. That's why they're always so delicious~"

took a step back. "...Antonio, put that -down-. Do you have any idea what sort of international controversy you'll be causing?"

takes another step forward. "Put that crate of tomatoes down and we won't have any international controversies whatsoever!" He smiles.

scowled. "No! I won this fairly. If you want to cause a dispute, then fine; but I'm going to leave with this crate."

shakes his head. "You didn't win it fairly. You refused to let me show you the right way to talk to your flowers, and then you expect me to

give you tomatoes because it didn't work! And then you drag me to my house, force me to let you in, take my tomatoes, and above all, you

tell me to give you paella! You're not leaving with that crate."

smirked, taking a tomato. "Watch me," he replied, biting into it. It was, as expected, very, very delicious. "You forget who bested you time

after time at sea all those years ago."

glares at Arthur. "That was a long time ago. Now you're weaponless. We're not at sea. And you picked a tomato that wasn't even RIPE YET!!!"

That does it! Spain is NOT happy!

didn't even notice. "It tastes good regardless! Calm down!"

does calm down a little with that compliment, but still holds his axe steady. "I suppose the unripe tomatoes you picked can still be saved

if I make gazpacho with them..." He sighs dejectedly. Those tomatoes had so much potential!