After the End: A New Beginning

Lady Moon-Chan


AN: Okay, I decided which Maiden gets it. Kanaria.

Kana: But...but WHY, kashira?

I already said it; you've outlived your usefulness.

Shinku: But didn't you tell one of the reviewers that you wanted to see myself or Suigintou-

Here, Shinku! Rare Chinese orange tea!

Shinku: (walks away, calmly sipping tea)

Kanaria: Hey!

And now, without further ado, R&R, and remember that I wouldn't have to write this if I owned Rozen Maiden!

Chapter 10: Fall der Violine

Kirakishou snarled as she felt another presence materialize in her N-Field, and sent out ten rose vines to capture the intruder. She watched for their progress, and was surprised to hear the sound of vines being chopped and see a purple glint in darkness of her N-Field. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"You disappoint me, Kirakishou. I thought you'd remember. You lured me in by pretending to be my friend and help me see Father again, then used him as your ticket out of the N-Field, and yet-"

"Barasuishou." Kirakishou growled.

Barasuishou chuckled. "Seems you remember me after all."

"How could I not? You impersonated me, which is why it's simply not possible that Father would have given you a body!" she shot more rose vines at Barasuishou, this time from all directions.

Barasuishou spun, making quick work of the vines with her crystal sword. "Why's that?"

"Because I am the most precious to him of all the Rozen Maidens, and you impersonated me! Forgiving as he is, even he would never forgive such a crime enough to restore your body, which was so rightfully destroyed!" she charged.

Barasuishou summoned a crystal barrier around herself and Kirakishou bounced off, hitting the wall of her N-Field. There was a cracking sound, and her hand hung limply off the rest of her arm.

Kirakishou looked down at the damage, stunned into silence for a moment. Then, she looked up at Barasuishou through her long white hair, solitary golden eye filled with malice. "How dare you..." she said softly. She summoned up more rose vines, these twining together and forming a 'hand' similar to a grab-claw[1.

It lunged at Barasuishou, who successfully dodged. It swooped to the right and she dodged to the left, not seeing it swing around behind her to the space she'd just maneuvered into until it was too late to dodge again. Barasuishou formed a crystal dome shield around herself. The clawed hand grabbed at the dome, applying pressure until the crystal shattered, leaving Barasuishou trapped.

"March of the Soldiers!" Kanaria cried, leaving her hiding spot and beginning to play her violin. Twelve miniature whirlwinds buffeted around Kirakishou's N-Field, picking up and absorbing vines, random broken toys, and furniture pieces. When the attack died down, Kirakishou set another grab-claw made of rose vines after Kanaria, who began another song.

Suiseiseki also emerged from her hiding spot, summoning plants to beat back the rose vine 'hands' from Barasuishou and Kanaria. "Take that, and that, desu!" she shouted.

Suigintou and Shinku were the last to join in, sending waves of black feathers and rose petals at the seventh doll.

Kirakishou summoned a dome-shaped shield around herself made out of rose vines to take all the attacks for her. When they stopped, she emerged, laughing maniacally. "How...convenient! Now I can just pick you all off one at a time, sisters!" she sent thorn covered vines flying at them, binding them, chasing them down until they had done so successfully.

Suigintou lowered her head, manipulating her flames so that they would burn through the vines binding her, and once she was free, she turned her wings into dragons and had them attack the source of the binding vines at Kirakishou's hands. Kirakishou appeared shocked, even hurt. "Nee-sama...even you?" she moved toward Suigintou more quickly than the dark doll could dodge away, kissing her softly.

"It's really a shame..." Kirakishou said as she pulled away from a shocked

Suigintou. "I didn't want to have to kill you, Nee-sama..." she kissed her again, briefly. "But it seems I no longer have a choice!" A rose vine wrapped around her hand, the thorns growing in size until they resembled steak knives, and she made to stab Suigintou's chest.

"Malice Waltz!" Kanaria broke in, and the sound waves blasted Kirakishou against the wall, causing even more damage to her hand than Barasuishou had done already.

Kirakishou stared down at the hand briefly, then looked up at Kanaria, hatred plainly visible in her eyes. "Now you die, you pathetic excuse for a Rozen Maiden."

Kanaria's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger at the words. "I am NOT pathetic, kashira!" she sent a steady wall of sound waves at Kirakishou, who rooted a rose vine to the floor and clung on until the attack was over.

Kirakishou no longer seemed focused on any of the Maidens but Kanaria, binding the others tighter so that they couldn't interfere with her chase of the second Rozen Maiden.

Shinku maneuvered her hands so that she could blast through the vines with her rose petals, moving to go to Kanaria's aid.

Kanaria looked over Kirakishou's shoulder at Shinku and shook her head. "Don't, Shinku. I want to prove myself...to prove that I can fight, without you all having to help me out, kashira..." she played Pizzicato once more, and once more Kirakishou planted a vine and held it, keeping herself in place.

Shinku froze in place, shocked at Kanaria's request. "Kanaria..."

Kanaria smiled sadly, lifting the bow to Pizzicato's strings again. "Duel Waltz." two different sets of sound waves whipped through Kirakishou's N-Field, tearing things apart and forcing the rest of the Rozen Maidens to clutch onto whatever they could to stay in place against the vicious waves.

When things finally calmed down, it was easy to see that Kirakishou was substantially weaker from the powerful attack. Unfortunately, so was Kanaria.

The second Rozen Maiden's small, battered form sat slumped against the wall, head down, Pizzicato clutched only loosely in her hand. She looked up at the other three sane Maidens, plus Barasuishou, and smiled sadly once again. "I think...this is as far as I go, kashira..."

"Kanaria, no..." Shinku whispered, horrified at the prospect of losing yet another sister.

"Shinku...this was unavoidable...kashira...Kirakishou...didn't focus on Mi-chan and I...because she thinks we're the weakest link...and...compared to the rest of you...kashira...that's true..." the sad, resigned smile faded into a look of pain and surprise as a hand covered in rose thorns burst through her chest from behind. For, as Kanaria had stood and walked slowly to her allies, Kirakishou had snuck up behind her to steal her Rosa Mystica...and even Suigintou had failed to notice.

Kanaria's eyes fell shut as she slumped forward, revealing a smirking Kirakishou behind her, holding Kanaria's Rosa Mystica in her good hand. But as the insane doll went to absorb the mystica into her chest, a blast of rose petals knocked her off guard, and Shinku rushed forward, seizing the mystica. She absorbed it with her back to the others.

Then, Shinku stood slowly, Pizzicato appearing in her hands in violin form. With her back still to the group, she spoke softly. "Kirakishou...Kanaria's sacrifice will not be in vain."

She turned, revealing a grim face and deadly serious blue eyes. She prepared to play Pizzicato, and the tears began to fall from her sky blue eyes, though the serious, calm face never wavered. "You'll pay for this."

AN: Ooh, Shinku's mad. What will she do? And will Suigintou, Suiseiseki, and Barasuishou be able to stop her if she goes over the edge with her revenge on Kirakishou? Find out in Chapter 11: Avenging Engel! Tell me what you thought(other than "it's shorter than the last two", that I know).