Dontcha just loooovvvvveee how cheesy Samdon is? I do. Reviews, please.

Thorns

Kaori laid in her bed for an hour or two, pondering the way she was and why. But she finally got up, deciding she'd try to walk again. She stood up; making sure the bed was closely behind her, so she could fall back onto it if necessary. She was surprised, and happy, to see she didn't fall. Walking was hard, she found out, as she went to the door, but she was standing and that was something at least.

She opened it and began to stumble down the hall, being as quiet as she could. She passed a room in which light escaped from the crack at the bottom. She put her ear to it to see if anybody was inside, and she heard simple silence. She opened the door and cautiously entered.

Her legs almost gave out, but not because they were weak, but because of what she saw. Articles from newspapers and magazines filled the wall, overlapping each other. There were photographs too, among all of the articles. She gasped as she spotted a red dress folded perfectly on a table up against the wall, as well as a matching pair of red heels. There were documents spread out among the few tables in the room. There were file cabinets, titled First Life, Second Life, and Present.

It was all about her, every single speak of it. Every photo, every single piece of paper. She hesitantly walked over to the file cabinet titled First Life. There were bios of every single seed she had sent out to capture heart crystals, and photos from every attempt. The victims had bios too, and an assortment of photos.

She leaned against the wall, and jumped as the door suddenly opened. Dr. Samdon walked in and grinned, "I new you'd find it eventually."

"Your freaky shrine to me?" she snapped.

"I've done years and years of research and searching to get all of this," he looked around proudly, "Do you know the one thing I don't have?"

"What?" she asked, not moving her eyes from him.

"You," he murmured. Then she spat, "I'm not some object you can just use however you want."

"I know, but you can be compared to one," he replied. She cocked an eyebrow, and he continued. "Everybody can be compared to an item or object as you state. For example, you are a rose, "He smiled, as a rose appeared in his hand. He leaned in closer, holding it up, "You have a thorny body, filled with hate, despair and revenge. But inside you there is also, if only the smallest speck, love, hope and excitement. These qualities are found in the petals."

"A flower is an object no matter how you make it seem," she snapped.

"Yes, but unlike others, I do not want to through you in a vase, sit you in the window and use you for some stupid purpose," he said, making the flower levitate just above his hand. "I just wish, one day, your thorns won't prick me."

"Cheesy gimmicks like that won't work on me," Kaori hissed, trying hard to hide the actual flattery she felt.

"I assumed that, but I will reassure you, it's no gimmick. It's the truth."

"Why so fascinated with me?" she asked. He chuckled, "Why not?" She eyed him suspiciously, but half-smiled. "Why did you waste your time bringing me back, if you have no job for me to do, nothing for me to accomplish. Even roses are meant for something."

"Everybody has a purpose. An ant, though small in size, has to feed its family and community, build a home, it has a purpose. Everything has one, and did you ever think yours was to just live? Enjoy life and not focus on what everybody else wants you to do."

"I'm not that valuable," she remarked, "And isn't the catch of life to die? You said everything has a catch, I've already experienced mine, twice."

"A life is not serving others, if you can't serve yourself first."

"Why are you so hooked on what I do, why are you doing so much to secure a life for me, when I'm not even worth it!"

"You see," he said, grabbing a hold on her shoulders, "That's why! You know you're just a person and you know you've served your purpose, and that's someone who deserves to life, especially when their purpose was serving somebody else." Kaori didn't question him again, but glanced around the room again. Samdon, lifted her face with his finger, and she gazed at him, as he her. For a moment they stayed like that. And just as Kaori began to lean in, to feel something, her legs gave and she fell. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, pick her up, hold her, carry her, touch her.

She felt something.