Three

Game

I watch the way Suigintou gazes at her Medium with care and affection. And love. She wants to save this girl so badly. For the first time in my life since I first met her, I pity Suigintou and can, for a moment, forget that she killed me. Perhaps I can feel no hate because tonight, while I was watching Shinku's group, I saw Father.

He spoke to them- Shinku, Suiseiseki and Kanaria. He was there, under the name of Enju. It was actually him. The man who created me, and all the other sisters. My father, Rozen.

But something was wrong. He seemed cold and emotionless as he told my sisters to begin the Game and not to wait a moment longer. Barasuishou was there, which I don't understand. How is it that Father can be in association with her? How can he not care about us? Yes, we all know that he desires Alice. But we all remember him as a kindly loving figure who brought us into the light of life. Is it that he has grown far too impatient to him, and we've become a disappointment to him? Am I a disappointment? After all, I failed. But I am the way he made me, which just means that ultimately, I am not perfect. I was never destined to become Alice. I am unworthy.

But does he still love me? He never even mentioned me, or Hinaichigo, as if we are now irrelevant. He doesn't care.

Is this really the Father I remember?

.

'SUISEISEKI!' I scream, my hands up against the mirror, tears leaking from my eyes for the first time in a long time as I see my dear twin sister frozen in a crystal shard as she attempts to protect Kanaria from Barasuishou. Slowly, to my utter horror, I see a Rosa Mystica appear from the still form of my sister.

No-

-no-

'SUISEISEKI! SUISEISEKI!'

It's useless. I'm dead. There's nothing I can do to save my twin from this. Her Rosa Mystica is about to go to Barasuishou, and the only consolation is that sooner or later either I'll probably be reunited with her as the Alice Game draws to a conclusion.

'NO!' comes a shriek from Kanaria, and she launches forwards, grabbing the Rosa Mystica, preventing it from entering Barasuishou's body.

'It looks like... Kana will protect you now,' Kanaria whispers, her hand pressed against her chest where the Rosa Mystica has entered.

'That doesn't belong to you. Give it to me,' Barasuishou says quietly.

'RUN, KANARIA!' I shout. 'SHE'LL KILL YOU! RUN!'

But of course, no one can hear me.

'I- I'm not afraid of you! I'll protect Suiseiseki's Rosa Mystica no matter what, you hear?! So- so you better just stop right there! This time, I'll be the one to protect everyone, you hear?! I won't let you have her, I'll never let you have her-'

I watch in terror as Kanaria loses the Alice Game to Barasuishou.

.

'You don't have the will to become Alice! Or the will to fight!' Suigintou taunts Shinku. 'If you don't have your sense of duty, your pride as a Rozen Maiden, then BEGONE!'

Shinku grabs Suigintou around the throat and shoots towards the ground, the impact causing a mighty crash with lots of dust rising from a crater they created.

'Look at them!' Shinku hisses, holding Suigintou's chin and forcing her face to turn towards the bodies of Suiseiseki and Kanaria. 'They did not want to fight- neither of them wanted to fight! As sisters- as fellow dolls- they did not want to hate each other. They did not want to hurt each other So why- tell me why?!'

'B-because we're Rozen Maidens, that's why, you fool!' Suigintou gasps.

If only you knew the truth, Shinku, I think. There is a human girl that Suigintou wants to save, and all the Rosa Mysticas could grant her wish.

.

'I... I'm sorry...' Suigintou whispers, lying in Shinku's arms. With a final sigh she closes her eyes and I am finally free. The world around me begins to fade away to white, and I know that Suiseiseki's Rosa Mystica will draw me towards her, meaning that I'll get to see her again, and I know Kanaria will be there too.

I'm now in a strange pale world covered in purple crystals. The sky is a black void and the ground beneath my feet is white marble. None of this matters though... what matters is-

'SOUSEISEKI!'

There she is- the twin that I've missed so badly, the one Rozen Maiden who I had always hoped would become Alice if I were to never get the chance. She rushes up to me and pulls me into a crushing hug, Kanaria standing behind with a large smile on her face, obviously pleased to see the twins reunited.

I can't help it- I'm crying again. I'm so unbelievably overjoyed to see my twin again, that I am unable to keep my emotions from getting the better of me. Suiseiseki is crying too, tears of happiness streaking down her elated face, and I can see tears of joy and celebration welling in Kanaria's eyes as well. She rushes forwards and clings onto our embrace, making it a group hug.

'Puny- dolt-' Suiseiseki sobs at Kanaria, and we all laugh. The Alice Game is something that ripped the sisters apart, and its also something that brought us together again.

.

'I hope Shinku wins, you know,' Kanaria says, curled up against Suiseiseki as the three of us sit on the ground watching what's happening right now in a large crystal acting as the mirror of this world.

'Well of course you do!' Suiseiseki snaps good-naturedly, and I smile. 'After all, it's not as if she'll let that horrible Barasuishou win! So, we'll all soon be in Shinku's N-field. I think that's a nice place, if I remember well enough.'

'It is,' I confirm. 'The tea there is excellent, after all.'

'Argh! We'll get to see Puny Ichigo but we'll have to see Suigintou and Barasuishou! I don't want that at all!' Suiseiseki says, plastering disdain on her face.

'Suigintou's not as evil as you think,' I say quietly.

'Souseiseki! How can you say that?! She stole your Rosa Mystica! As your older twin sister, I find this completely unacceptable! There's no way you should forgive her, you!'

Kanaria laughs, finding Suiseiseki's over-protective nature humorous Big mistake. Suiseiseki claps her around her head and I give an embarrassed smile.

'Suiseiseki... stop that...'

'I so can't forgive Suigintou for everything she's done! Why on earth would you say something like that, Souseiseki?!'

I explain about Suigintou's Medium, Megu, watching Suiseiseki and Kanaria's eyes widen in disbelief and shock.

'So... she wasn't doing this for Father, I guess,' Kanaria murmurs.

.

Barasuishou wins the Alice Game, and as it turns out, she's not actually a true Rozen Maiden. The man who has been asking us to fight is not Father after all, but Father's apprentice, Enju, Barasuishou's creator.

Shinku and Hinaichigo join us and we all watch in confusion as Jun mourns Shinku's death and starts demanding answers from Enju and Barasuishou. We see Barasuishou fall apart and view her and Enju fade away in a burst of bright light where we have to shield our eyes. Jun begins to scream at Father, accusing him of abandoning my sisters and I, and I start to understand properly where Jun's coming from. Why did Father leave us? Make us fight a war that deep down, we wanted no part of?

Then... we're ripped apart again as the Rosa Mysticas drift away once more...