Kirakishou's lone eye glanced around in bewilderment as she was led through this new world, one which spun tightly around this… academy she had found herself in. Ripples stretched out with every moment, every word. Even in her dilapidated, physical possession housed within a Rozen Maiden body, she could still feel the call of the N-Field stretching and shifting in response. She needed to feel it again, when she had the time. It reminded her of Jun.

Ruby reminded her of Jun, too.

A girl of many colours, branching and fleeting. There was a certain strength of self nestled deep within her, one that none around her possessed. Not truly. A strength that Kirakishou couldn't help admiring and craving. She was a lone, tiny soul, but hers was a soul that seemed to shine beyond the rest.

Yet unlike Jun, unlike the man she had believed her master, Ruby had agreed to bond with her. To be there for her, in Kirakishou's time of need. Kirakishou had reached out, needing, and Ruby had responded in kind. Their hands had joined and she had felt… loved, if only for a moment.

Even now, she could feel their bond, nurturing her Rosa Mystica in a gentle, loving caress. Feeding her seedbed with a radiant, loving light. It was a weak, feeble touch, yet with time even the most pale of flowers could bloom under a dimmed light. Kirakishou herself could attest to this.

She believed that, with time, their connection may blossom into a beauty that even her darling sisters would be envious about, were they apparent in this reality. Finally, after several hundred years of endless stagnation and a sudden, horrid betrayal, Kirakishou could actually become like her older sisters. A living, breathing Rozen Maiden with a true master. One who loved her. One who went beyond acting as a simple seedbed for her pure form, one who could stay with her.

It was everything she desired and more.

There were challenges, of course, in her desires. There always would be such things present within the waking world, such was the nature of choice. But they would not hinder her. She couldn't allow it. Choice could be manipulated. The past, future and present could be bent and taught to follow her grand design. The failure with Jun had taught her to be aware of threats to her beauty. People would resist. But they would fail. They had to fail, so that she may succeed.

She would not allow anything else.

Kirakishou's hand tightened ever-so-slightly in hers. Yet, when she looked over to the girl in question, wondering what the matter was, she was simply staring off into the distance and smiling absently. Ruby couldn't help but wonder at the thoughts that were flowing through the blonde girl's head at the time. She always seemed to possess this serenity, like her head was up in the clouds and gazing down at the world in awe.

It was almost inspiring in a way, to be the very picture of calmness and serenity. She wondered how the blonde truly felt, but just seeing such a relaxed expression had a similar effect on Ruby as well.

Her hand was still unbelievably cold and...boney compared to her own, but Ruby couldn't deny the comforting sensation of walking hand-in-hand with someone. She hadn't something like it in years, not once after Yang had come home holding hands with a boy one day. Suddenly there were rules and all disgusting stuff that, to this day, still made her ears pink when she thought about it.

How was she supposed to know it was some weird sign of affection to hold-hands with someone? Nobody told her! All the boys and girls at school had seemed fine with it, when she asked! Oum. It had been so embarrassing to realise. She just wanted that comforting feeling. Nothing weird about it.

And that was how it was with Kirakishou, or so she kept telling herself. She just wanted to give the girl, who had clearly been through something traumatic, a comforting feeling. Despite the girl's quirks, Ruby had to admit she kind of enjoyed the odd way the girl spoke and her little thoughts about the world around her. When Kira had gotten so… sombre at the garden, it had killed her inside, if only a little.

So, um, yes. That's all she was doing. Comforting.

The leers sent her way by not only Yang but her other classmates certainly didn't help the matter one bit. Oum. She could already imagine the sheer number of questions she'd be getting once all of this was over. But… she didn't mind that. It was all worth it.

Damn that girl and her beautiful face. Ruby thought frustratingly, cheeks pink as she squeezed back, smiling at the cute little confused glance Kirakishou momentarily sent her way.

They approached Beacon Tower. Yang had saw fit to call Professor Goodwitch and explain the situation, where the deputy headmistress had commanded them to bring the 'stowaway' to see Headmaster Ozpin. Why a school headmaster had anything to do with a random girl found at the docks confused her immensely, but she chalked it up to random grown-up stuff that likely didn't exactly matter to her.

As expected, the curt professor was waiting for them beside the elevator, a small ever-present frown still plastered on her face. Truth be told, Professor Goodwitch looked exactly the same as she did on the day that Ruby defended the dust store. All the way down to the frustrated expression.

Honestly, Ruby didn't know whether that was a good sign, or one that spelt doom for her new friend.

"Ah, yes. You must be Kirakishou." the blonde deputy-headmistress stated, sending a calculating gaze their way. "I am Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy. If you would, please follow me."

There was a pause.

"I..." Kirakishou glanced over at Ruby, her expression unsure. "I… I don't..." the blonde trailed off, seemingly conflicted.

To Ruby, it was an expression she knew all too well. "U-uhm, Miss Goodwitch?" she called out hesitantly, trying not to shiver as those coldcoldcold eyes were sent her way. "I think, um, Kira might be a bit more comfortable with me by her side. If that isn't too difficult..."

The radiant smile Kirakishou sent her way was nothing short of heartwarming.

Glynda sighed heavily at the exchange, yet levelled a slow nod in response. "Very well. I trust you both to remain on your best behaviour in the presence of Headmaster Ozpin."

"...Miss, erm, Kira-kishou, thank you for coming." Ozpin spoke, briefly struggling with the name before continuing. "I would imagine your journey this afternoon has been quite the difficult one, yet it is wonderful to see that you made a friend along the way." Ozpin's gaze quickly turned away from the blonde stowaway. "Miss Rose. I see you are becoming quite the social butterfly."

Ruby felt more than a little uncomfortable as the headmaster's sharp gaze was briefly directed towards her, more specifically towards her right hand that was still intertwined with Kirakishou's own hand. She hadn't meant to allow the hand-holding to continue through the school! But… she just couldn't let go. When she had attempted it, the look that Kirakishou had sent her way was nothing short of disheartening.

Her cheeks burned at the reminder of having to walk through Beacon Academy of all places, hand-in-hand with an outsider. The looks that she'd gotten…! Ah, her social life was doomed! Doomed!

Ozpin's smile became a little strained as he watched the whirlpool of emotions flutter on the young Miss Rose's face over a mere conversational quip. In his brief hyperfocus on the current situation, he'd forgotten just how… socially difficult Miss Rose could be at times, despite his prior compliment. Perhaps bringing attention to Miss Rose's particular bond with this unknown entity hadn't been the wisest of moves, he mused.

Kirakishou, for her part, remained almost wholly unaffected by the social faux pas and continued to smile warmly as she look down at their joined hands. The scene would have been sweet, were the two not currently in the middle of an interrogation.

"…Yes, a friend. One to guide and protect a beautiful flower, so that she may blossom. I could not be happier, to be bonded with my maiden of the Red Rose."

Did you REALLY have to phrase it like that?! Ruby thought desperately, face aflame.

Ozpin hummed conversationally, nodding his head along when socially required, though he doubted very much if either girl appreciated or even understood the gesture for what it was. Inwardly, however, he was very much intrigued in her wording. An overall flowery manner of speech, one that fit quite well with the theme that Kirakishou appeared to be displaying, yet conversely did little to hide the meanings behind such words to those who were meant to understand them.

All he needed to do was understand her, so that he may understand her speech. As he had learnt throughout the ages, cultural appropriation and the history of a society was an important factor when attempting to understand the speech of an outsider and pave the way for diplomacy.

And yet her words were completely alien to him. HIM.

Her speech matched none of the four kingdoms. Vale, Vacuo, Atlas or even Mistral. None spoke in the way she did, nor possessed such an impossibly soft voice. Which left only the smaller towns, or the darklands. Neither of the two were culturally developed enough to create their own form of speech. With a network of his size, nothing escaped his guiding sight. Yet, despite the distinct web of connections he had created through his many lives, this girl had slipped through his gaze effortlessly.

All in all, he would need more information. And, likely, a rather serious talk with one particular Branwen. It was, essentially, just another piece of work to pile on to the increasingly complicated predicament of an unannounced outsider who just so happened to show up at one of the most hectic times of the year for him.

"Your arrival caused quite the stir for the port authorities, who I was told were quite upset to hear that a complete unknown had mysteriously been aboard one of their vessels. Were it not for my intervention, I do believe you would be in quite a predicament, young lady."

Kirakishou smiled lowly, the expression seeming almost out of place in the current situation. "... I caused a stir..." she muttered, voice small.

Her smile hadn't changed since he'd mentioned the consequences of her actions. If anything, she seemed almost pleased at the idea.

Seemingly oblivious to the sudden change in her new friend, Ruby quickly flustered at the jab. "It-it wasn't her fault, sir! Kira's, ah, she's just a little overwhelmed by everything. I'm sure she has a, er, reasonable explanation for everything, I'm sure! If you could just listen-"

He quirked an eyebrow at the sudden outburst and Ruby immediately hushed at the gesture, paling rapidly.

"I assure you, Miss Rose, I am listening intently." He levelled a disarming smile Ruby's way as an attempt to lessen her nerves. He turned to the blonde in question. "Please, allow me to assure you as well; you are in no trouble as of this current moment. I am simply attempting to understand what has transpired this afternoon. Security in Vale is paramount in preparation for the upcoming Vytal Festival."

From what he'd been coming to expect from the situation, his words had no immediate visible effect on the young blonde. However, when Ruby's posture slackened at the admission, Kirakishou's own posture had became slightly less stiff.

She doesn't care about what happened to the others. Ozpin realised after a moment of thought. Yet, conversely she was pleased at the idea of 'causing a stir' and appears to care about Miss Rose's wellbeing to some degree. Or was it just simple mimicry? Traumatised victims can exhibit such symptoms...

"If you would be so kind as to share the tale,I am quite curious to hear just how a young woman like yourself would find herself inside a cargo crate on a transport vessel headed to Vale. I would imagine it must be quite the tale indeed."

Ruby frowned slightly, before glancing over to Kirakishou, who had abruptly untangled their conjoined hands at Ozpin's words. Truth be told, she was also really curious as to what had actually happened to leave Kira in her saddened state, but she'd thought it was far too early to ask about yet. It was clear as day that the mere mention of the event had upset her... Not that she doubted Ozpin's wisdom or anything! Just… she was concerned for her friend. Heavily concerned.

"... How? How I arrived... I don't.."

Ruby didn't know what exactly prompted her sudden movement, but she found herself squeezing Kirakishou's shoulder in support, the blonde jumping in surprise at the abrupt gesture.

By dust, she was a little surprised herself. "Please, Kira, it's okay. Please, say what you know. We can help you, but you need to let us. For me. I know it hurts, but remember I'm right here."

Ozpin smiled a jovial and, dare she say it, proud smile. "Well said, Miss Rose."

Kirakishou slowly nodded towards Ruby, before looking down. Ozpin understood the hidden statement that lay behind her minor gestures. Only for Ruby. In this situation, somehow, Ruby held more control over the girl than he did. It was a remarkably odd situation for an interrogator to find himself in, yet he doubted that he would have been able to mine for any useful information in any other conceivable way.

"...My sisters..." she eventually muttered, seemingly unable to form her thoughts into a proper sentence.

In response, Ozpin levelled a questioning glance over to Ruby, who didn't seem the slightest bit surprised to hear the girl had relatives.

"She, ah, Kira mentioned that she had six other sisters when we were walking over here, sir." she supplied helpfully, though her smile was superficial at best.

Six other sisters? Ozpin thought, grimacing inwardly as certain painful memories briefly flooded his mind for the first time in several years. Yikes. Yet… I recall that Jaune boy's transcript mentioning seven sisters… Poor bastard. Ah, but I'm getting off topic...

"And what, pray tell, happened with these sisters?" he questioned intently, leaning forward and refocusing both his thoughts and the current discussion, "Were you with them, prior to the incident?"

Kirakishou gave a slow, broken nod at his words.

"They didn't like me. They insulted my dream. Called me trash. A pitiful illusion. Several came to fight me for my- f-for Jun." She gave a choked, strangled laugh as the name escaped her lips, a laugh that could barely be described as such. "They embarrassed me in front of him. Ruined my arrival. Corrupted him. I could have given him everything he desired. A world where he wouldn't be alone. Why... Why didn't he choose me? Why, of all things, would he choose them!?" her voice became shrill in her desperation, before letting out a hiccuping sob. "Why didn't he help me, when I lay there calling his name?" she whispered.

Ruby somehow doubted that Kirakishou actually desired an answer to those last questions from them, or even realised she'd spoken it out loud.

Ozpin's expression softened considerably as he watched the girl essentially break down in front of him, even as her body remained almost jarringly unnerved and ramrod straight barring her lips moving and tears flowing freely.

He'd experienced similar cases over the course of his lifetime, in children either he himself or those under his command had rescued from isolated environments over the years. They weren't the prettiest of stories and a substantial amount of his time working as various government officials had been devoted to preventing such horrid situations from arising in the first place.

The children had been incapable of showing typical reactions to emotional heights or lows, simply because they didn't know what they were. The poor things had been isolated so severely that they hadn't picked up the proper social cues. They were feral. Little more than the grimm that walked in the darkness.

Some had recovered, through intense therapy and what amounted to pure luck. Most hadn't survived.

Yet, despite the symptoms that she had demonstrated, Kirakishou also displayed not only behaviour reminiscent to these feral children but severe emotional trauma, which should as-of-itself be impossible for one with limited emotional development to fully experience. All in all, it didn't make any kind of sense to the headmaster. How could one who was likely isolated to the point of failing basic social queues, one with an extensive family, successfully develop and then subsequently experience the loss of an emotional bond strong enough to cause such trauma?

"...Can you tell me their names? Of your sisters?" he inquired gently. He was of passing familiarity with the recently-resurfaced Arc bloodline, after all. Their naming conventions were ever-so-slightly differing to the societal norm, yet fit in enough to be culturally appropriate. If his hunch was correct and Kirakishou was an Arc…

Well, suffice to say he would be having words with the young Jaune Arc regarding the young man's abrupt arrival and clearly faked transcript. He had been content to let bygones be bygones for the sake of the man's bloodline and clear potential, but if the man had been fleeing a familial matter than he would have no choice but to dismiss the boy.

Kirakishou faltered slightly, one of the rare full-body reactions he had witnessed outside the ministrations born from Ruby Rose. The young Beacon student gave her a reassuring smile and Kirakishou all but wilted on the spot.

"...In order; Suigintou, Kanaria, Suiseiseki and her twin Souseiseki, Shinku and Hinaichigo. I am the youngest of all. Kirakishou. The final of Father's."

...Well. Ozpin thought, trading a baffled glance with Ruby Rose of all people, Kirakishou certainly isn't of the Arc bloodline. Never in a thousand years would any of the Arc ever name their children such nonsensical names.

Yet the question remained; if Kirakishou wasn't one of the seven Arc sisters, then where exactly was her family? In these modern ages of false peace, rising grimm development and the occasional border skirmish, it was lucky for family members to be blessed with three children, let alone seven. The Arcs, of course, were the exception for this rule. Yet somewhere out there, another family of seven sisters existed; one diverse enough to have a completely warped naming scheme. A nomadic group, mayhaps.

Kirakishou shook her head and wiped her tears, the most humane action Ozpin had seen during the entirety of his discussion with the young girl. "… They're gone now. Away. With him. They will never interfere with me again. They cannot. I should be happy. But, knowing that somewhere out there, he's with… with them… I feel, conflicted. Even after what he did to me."

Ruby breathed a heavy sigh, the weight of everything hitting her intensely. "Oh, Kira..." she whispered. The situation sounded all too familiar to one of the more painful breakups that her big sister Yang had been through when the two of them had been younger. For once, she'd been forced to play the big sister role and help Yang through everything, even when she herself had no clue how relationships even worked in the first place. Yang hadn't been herself for months after that.

There was a moment of silence where neither party opted to say anything, simply allowing Kirakishou to weep whilst the large metal gears above them continued to endlessly turn. Ozpin took a sip from his mug, that had been previously forgotten during the conversation. Ruby hadn't even realised he'd had it with him until that moment.

"I see you've been through quite the predicament, young lady." Ozpin said at last, his voice filled with that very same softness that Ruby had heard when he'd been speaking to her after a certain incident at a dust shop. "I fear, unfortunately, that our actions had dredged up some rather painful and all-too-recent memories and added fuel to the fire, so to speak. For that, you have my apologies. That was not my intention."

Kirakishou remained still, her prior movements seemingly forgotten. "You did what you did, because it was what you would do, were a flower to arrive within this garden. You would question her. Learn of her; because that is what you would do." she stated blankly, staring his direction.

Both Ruby and Ozpin blinked at the phrase, baffled, and silently agreed to ignore the words for now. They doubted that, after the bombshell that Kirakishou had dropped, that it would probably be unwise to press the issue any more than they already had until the major situation regarding her family was resolved.

"Regardless, I can see clearly that you are of no threat to my students." Ozpin stated, much to Ruby's relief. "For now, until we can find out some relevant information on your background, you are welcome to stay within the academy. I believe you'd greatly prefer more open accommodation to any kind of… enclosed space."

A flinch, followed by a brief glare from the girl who sat beside her. The reaction spoke volumes of her displeasure at such a sudden reminder. It was a rather low blow on his side to remind her of what he assumed was a traumatic event, admittedly, but it was necessary evil to understand her trauma. Fear of confinement, he mentally added to his checklist.

He turned to Ruby, who had put an arm around Kirakishou in support and allowed the girl to lean into an impromptu side-hug. "From what I understand, Miss Rose, one of your teammates… Miss Belladonna, had something of a falling out with the young Miss Schnee, when you first met with Kirakishou. I was told it was quite the spectacle."

The glare she'd been giving him behind the blonde's viewpoint lessened into something resembling concern and worry. "Y-Yes, that's, um, one way to put it… but it's no biggie! Just silly girl stuff, you know what I mean! Haha!" she waved her free hand in a dismissing gesture, but the look on her face showed she wasn't entirely convinced by her own words.

Neither was Ozpin. Yet as long as the matter wasn't urgent he could negotiate around the issue with relative ease. "...As it is getting rather late, I would like you to please escort Kirakishou to room 224, which if I remember should be two doors down from your own room." at Ruby's quick nod, he turned to the blonde in question. "I shall send Miss Goodwitch in the morning to discuss what shall proceed in the future."

Kirakishou didn't nod. Or smile. She simply cocked her head to the side and leant further into a blushing Ruby's embrace, ignoring Ozpin's quizzical expression altogether. "...Proceed in the future..." she muttered.

A/N:
I wish to thank you all for your follows and reviews. I'm a rather fleeting writer at the best of times, but it's warming to see that people are enjoying the story for the most parts.

To answer a few questions (looking at you, Student); Weiss acted rather hostile towards Kirakishou at the start, because Weiss is naturally a very distrusting individual. Remember, this is not the brave figure we see in later volumes of the RWBY show. This is early-volume Weiss before a lot of her character development; whom was at the docks specifically to look for competition in the upcoming Vytal festival. Everything quickly escalated outside of her control and she snapped at precisely the worst time.

Secondly, there are all of two figures within the Rozen Maiden-verse that may or may not appear. They are all-knowing, yet they are limited. Can you name them? In regards to the Maidens themselves, they currently believe Kirakishou to be dead. If those two figures decide to, shall we say, drop the bomb, then who knows what can happen. For now, in the very least, Kirakishou is well and truly alone in this world.

Finally, in regards to Kirakishou's purpose... she has none. She's spent her entire life trapped in the N-Field without a body. Now she has a body. Yet, when she had reached out for a Master, she was (in her own eyes) betrayed. She's a warped, twisted fragment of a soul with no real reason for even existing in the world she is currently in. And she knows it. Because that's how Father made her. It's her very being.

Thank you all, again, for your kind words and questions. Until next time.