Flower

I could never fathom the reasons for which I decided to follow him that next day.. It was as if I was being played like a puppet, doing something with no regard to the outcome or the reasons for doing it. When I awoke, early that morning, my dad was already gone doing something at the market(he left a note), and that same guy with orange hair was waiting outside. He was slouched up against the RV as if he was irritated and I'd made him wait for a long time. And I, a bit ticked off by his glare at me, said nothing. And automatically, I followed him when he turned and headed for the circus tent. Why was I...Why was I moving? Why can't I stop walking? Following? Why?

He stayed ahead the whole time. He didn't look back; he didn't look at me. Just leading me forward, I tried to ask things like, "where are we going" and "So about Yesterday.." But he never really answers. answered.. So as we drew along the path I was beginning to think he wasn't going to lead me anywhere and this was all just a tease when he stopped.

"We had no saying from the beginning who would be the hunter and who the flower, And neither which flower or hunter would become our partners but..." He began, "I am truly sorry. And to express that I will let you know, even though it's not customary, what they are about to do to you."

I learned, then, that hunters and flowers are born with their partners already chosen for them. As soon as they are together(most likely when they are born in the lab), the flowers are linked to an item which the hunter can activate in order to bring forth the flower's energy or power. The process of linking..Is excruciatingly painful. And it takes about an hour. But after the linking is finished our powers and they type of flower we are will be revealed in a most miraculous way.

"If it helps to understand; my girlfriend and a few others settled on it kind of feeling like having a child. Painful, but worth it in the end." He said.

Are you a clueless idiot? How is that supposed to make me feel better? I already understand. I should be...Running. Right? No one wants to go through pain..No one! So..Why am I still following? Why is it that I'm crying out to my legs to stop moving and I want to say something but I can't. And then my eyes widened.

"You've figured it out by now, right. I drugged you before I put in front of the RV so that in the morning you wouldn't resist even if I told you the truth. I...I don't want a flower for this reason...But," He slows his pace down to where it seems like he'll stop. But he continues, "But it's like being a child and not wanting to grow up, right? It just..Happens."

I want to say that it's not like that. He can save me! But then I'm being stupid. Why would he? Someone he doesn't even know...What if, there are bad consequences for saving me? Why would..Why would he help someone he doesn't know. So am I asking to much to have a way out..I feel like I'm being forced into something that's completely unexplainable. That's..not right..That goes against everything I know. So then might guess...

It's scary.

Why...Why me? I think, while shrieking until my voice can't anymore. Why is it that's I'm who I am. Why am I...A flower.

And as I remember everything..Those memories...I watch the seal of linking on my arm. And even though it resembles a bracelet slowly forming around it, it feels as though I'm being carved with a knife and, in the same wound, the knife was twisted and jerked around, before scraping along. Sometimes, I thought I felt the knife edging away at my bone. And, although I couldn't see it, I could feel it, more links where being made. In my other arm, my neck, and both my legs. They cried, my limbs, as they shook violently from all the strain. I let out one more gasp of a scream as I sat alone in the black room. The only light was the binding circle that looked like dark witchcraft spread along the floor; the only source of light, was also what was carving away at my being...

Where is dad now? How is..How is all this happening without him even knowing..How is it that I... Can't seem to see anyone in my mind..No one..But him.

All I can hear now are my sobs through to endless darkness. Everything has blurred together and I'm not even sure I'm in a room anymore. It's just...Black. I can't scream, I don't have the voice. But I can still feel the faint pain. It's ok though, because I've numbed it out. I'm not focusing on it..I'm just focusing on remembering. And I'm wondering if something will happen to me after I remember..Will I have a complete personality change? What will happen. Never the less, the memories keep coming. And it's hard to figure out which ones happened in my past lives, or this one.

Memory 1

I was...Looking down on some people. No..I was watching them. Five people..All guys and one girl.

"This is it.." Someone said, "The demons are taking over.."

"As if we can do anything about it!" I heard the girl say.

"Damn it! Science has got to have a way to help!" another guy began.

"Nothing can stop them..And before we know it they'll only be one of us left. Hell! That one person might be the last human on earth.." The girl said.

"Do they scare you?" A man asked. And they all turned to him.

"No director. But we can't possibly stand by and do nothing. This is an organization dedicated to healing and helping. I didn't..I didn't join to watch people die! And I know no one else here did either! We started with 400 members. Now we're all that's left." another guy said.

And suddenly it dawns on me, what was going on...This was..A memory given to me to explain what and why I was created. It was implanted in order to help me. The scientists did it. And then that's why I know and I can understand what's going on.

In the beginning, the red cross was dedicated to what it was said to be. Health, Healing, Happiness, and Help to all. And then, demons came. They where, unlike today's demons. They took on the appearances of monsters. Kill and eating anything. That includes, humans. As time passed. However, humans began to fight back. So the demons became more crafty. And they inserted themselves in the dead bodies of those they ate. Then from there, a poor man could easily be supposed dirty from not bathing when in reality it was the stench of his corps rotting away, the demon waiting quiet for another victim to become his vessel. And Finally, the association dedicated to helping could help no more.

But not one wants to be powerless. And that's why they created us. The generation of super humans that would slay the demons. And sense then, humans have been the leading species in this world thanks to the organized killers known as the hunters. Though as time passed, they hunters seemed to die at young ages. Sometimes one died at 6 or 7 for no apparent reason. And this was because, although they where invincible, they where still humans, and they hand an energy limit. That limit would normally be exceeded after 80 years, if, all they did in life was sit behind a desk. But they ran out of energy in a mere 20 years at best.

So then, a new generation was created. One which excelled in energy. Few of these super humans could fight, therefor they where called flowers. Although they did have primitive powers that they could use to protect themselves, they where not permitted to use them because it would waist their energy. The energy that rightfully belonged to the hunters. So all that was left, was figuring out how to transfer that energy to the hunters. At the same time these where created, the demons where then given a less suspicious name and one that did not strike any fear, Hearts. But the popular term still remained demon among the people.

And after along time, they figured it out. People can extract things from items. Energy from fruits and other foods right? Well then, if an item without energy where given energy, couldn't we harness that as well? And that's where the idea came from. Energy was stored in things like hats and instruments, and the minute the hunter did a specific action with the item, energy was drawn out from the flower. But, some flowers did not want to be just items, they wanted to fight as well.

The flowers, mostly just killed themselves trying to fight with their primitive powers. And if they survived or even killed a demon, they would loose massive amounts of energy because they did not possess endurance. Therefor they where destroyed and a new flower was brought in. For such waist not to occur, the flowers' powers would also be sealed within the item of the hunter and released at their command.

The flowers officially became puppets. Slaves to the master, or hunters, who controlled them.

I saw flashed of things. Blood. A brown creature with leathery skin and red eyes. And a girl curled up naked in a tube filled with green water.

Memory 2

It was..Not really a memory. It seemed like..It was happening right now.

"What item would you like seal her to?" Someone asked. I couldn't quite make out her facial features.

And the I saw the person she was talking to...Orange hair...Mr. Rapist!

"You act so casually, don't you hear her screaming? How can you expect my to choose something at a time like this?" He asked.

"Please be cooperative." The woman replied.

"We might be the mutants but you people are the ones with not hearts," He muttered.

He walks over to the chair beside him and shoves something at the girl.

"Just put it it that. And.."

The woman listens.

"Try not to make her suffer for too long.."

Was this..Happening right now? I couldn't tell...I couldn't say anything. I couldn't move..What was I doing? Where am I?

And suddenly my eyes snap open and I begin to shriek again. I remember now. I am..I feel like I'm dying.. I look at the ring carved into my flesh, it's almost all the way around my arm. And then, I see the strangest thing. From the even red ring of blood, something faintly appears. It looks like..A thread.. What's happening?

Memory 3

"Hey you're..Not going to leave me..Are you?" A girl asked, "I mean, what if something happens and I'm nothing but a burden..." She mutters.

"Look, I couldn't abandon you if I tried," A guy says back, "I mean, look at those huge eyes of yours, they're so adorable that I have to stay by your side."

"I want to be free," She says, "I...I'm not saying I'm not happy by you. But I..I don't want to be a burden to you.."

Why is it..I can't see anything?

"Shh..Save your strength.."

She laughs, "I don't have any. I am only a weight on your shoulders...And I..I don't want to be played like a puppet anymore.."

What is this..Nostalgic feeling?

And then it snaps. Like a movie got it's picture back.

A girl with blond hair and bright green eyes. Blood is drizzling down from her head somewhere. And on her arms are..Not scares..But blinking colors. Was this her link?

"It's flashing right..I can't see anymore, but I can feel it...I'm..dying right?" She asks.

The guy shakes his head and tears start coming down from his eyes.

This is like flipping through the stations on the TV and finding a movie you've seem before. And it's reaching the part you know is the best. Even though you haven't see all of the movie, you still remember what happened up until this point and yet again, like a baby, you cry.

But this isn't a movie. And I haven't seen it before. So then..Why am I crying?

The girl offers her hand up blindly and the guy takes it.

"Even though..We will again meet in different bodies. And even though you will soon die without my energy...Can you please.." She widens her eyes, as if gasping for light, "Set me free..I beg of you. So I can feel alive again."

"Why didn't you..Just tell me you didn't want to be my flower anymore?" He asks.

"You know why," She said comfortingly, "We together for life. I would die if I ever, ever did something as selfish as that. I wished to be freed from you. Even though I was perfectly happy being with you. And I couldn't understand that...Until I realized it wasn't you I wanted to be freed of; it was life. Of my fate which to me over and over again, since my past lives, since birth, that I was made to be an energy drink for someone." Her voice weakened and she grabbed his hand hard.

"Please." She said.

He tilted his hat down slightly and said faintly, "Release." I could see, even though he'd hidden his blue eyes, the tears which spilled so effortlessly from his eyes.

Light enveloped her as her clothing turns into something different in a flash. When the light disappears, she's in a short blue dress and is buried in petals of some sort of flower.

"Ah..I can see..." She said.

He laughed bitterly in the silence of the night.

"What are you crying for you idiot?" She asks, "Can't you just be..Happy?" And I can feel what's coming on next because it feels like a part of me dies.

He breathing stops. And I don't even have to say it's a guess. Because I just know.

"So I guess I got it this time.." He began looking away as the girl blinked away into more white flower petals and flew away in the midnight breeze. "The unrequited love.."

"So then let me as you, Ayame..."

He looks up to the moon with his blue eyes. And suddenly I'm right there. He's staring at me and I'm looking down on him.

"Are you free?"

I can feel the tears coming down and I can't stop them. Was this..My past life? And unable to speak, I just nod, knowing he won't be able to see me.

I look up again at not the pain is gone. My naked body is clothed in a red and black dress. And on the ground is a single rose. I feel an emptiness inside. As if I'm so glad the pain is over. The memories, everything.. I carelessly lift up the tip of my dress. It looked like it was put through the shredder, the way the end of the skirt was so carelessly sliced so that you could see the alternating layers of red a black. Then, the only layer that was not reached by whatever cut this dress up, was black and looked like one of those weird things on the antebellum dressed..You know, the think that makes your butt look big..Although it was only hanging like that, it wasn't fat like that..

I leaned over and cried my eyes out. Because I don't know how I know. But I feel like I have strings around my neck. My feet. My arms. I'm a puppet. I'm a flower that's been cut from the plant. I'm an energy drink...I'm not free. I feel like screaming, but all I can do is cry. It's empty in here. In this room. And now I don't even have myself to comfort me. I belong to another now. And I can't even fathom what happened this morning. Everything just..Happened and now I'm lying here on the ground, crying my eyes out.

I was right, it was like in the movies. I was changed. Oh I was definitely changed, but not because of the memories. Because now I had died inside. I knew, somehow, that my happiness had ended here..

So why am I smiling?

Author's Note:

Woo! That took a bit. So..This story took an unexpected turn for me. I wasn't planning on this at all but I came up with this Idea when I was doodling! Review please!

Reviewers to thank:

Rukes

meggie-moo s

Blueberry Absinth

M.P.W6795

Notice: Ok, so here's the thing. You all seem to really like the story. And I mean really like it. Just..It seems as though I get reviewers on and off like I'll have someone review chapter 1 and them magically they reappear on chapter 3...I like reading the review because I like to hear about your reactions so..If you all could review for each chapter..That'd be great.

Thanks,

~*RukiaRocks*~