Disclaimer: I do not own Klonoa, but Kuroi or Ame and OCs are mine. You can't steal them unless you ask. X3

Chapter 14: Maria, the Memories left in Germany

"Anna!" Maria called loudly as she ran towards her little sister. She stopped in her steps when she saw Anna throw up blood that spilled on top of Kira Suishou. She watched in fear and worry as the small girl gripped the sword in her chest. She began to feel tears fill her eyes as she heard a man with the same voice as her father's speak.

"Even after all these years you still haven't learned," He spoke malevolently as Anna began to hack up more blood onto her sister's face.

Maria wanted to call out to her sister so badly, but she was too stunned to even say a simple word. Maria narrowed her eyes as the blade disappeared from Anna's chest and she collapsed on top of the silver haired girl. She watch Kira Suishou whisper into Anna's ear before throwing her off making Anna crash to the floor making her top hat fall off. Maria gasped as she saw her sister panting harshly that soon grew slower and she could see her life force weakening. Maria frowned as tears fell from her eyes when she heard Anna's last word with her last breath.

"Mo...ther..."

Guntz, who was watching, looked down to his hand to see that the rose ring was fading away he gritted his teeth in frustration as it disappeared. He knew what that meant. Anna was officially dead. Ame...

Maria cried hoarsely when she saw Anna fall limp, she wasn't breathing anymore and her eyes were closed. She fell to her knees as a bright light began to glow from Anna's stiff chest. Slowly a sapphire shard began to float out of her chest surrounded by angelic white and green lights. Kira Suishou smiled toothily as she stood and held up her hands towards the Roza Mystica.

"Finally... Shippuu's Roza Mystica..." She smiled maniacally as it began to glow brighter.

Then the worst happened, the blue shard unexpectedly began to crack, soon more cracks appeared, then it blew into a million pieces falling on to Anna's lifeless body. Everyone in the ball room looked in shock as the pieces of the shattered shard fell on the last Rozen maiden. Rozen, who was watching in shock, dropped his mouth as tears began to fall from his eyes as well. Why did it just shatter like that? He looked back to his wife who was watching in shock with her hands over her mouth, as if trying not to let herself scream. The other Rozen maidens were shocked by what they saw, Anna's Roza Mystica just shattered like that... but why? Suddenly, a bluish green orb fell to the floor next to Anna's limp body.

Maria didn't care as she ran up to her dead sister and picked her up into a tight embrace. She began to cry softly, flowing tears falling on top of her sister's face. All these years of worrying about her and being able to convince her to stay alive, to be happy, was now gone just with a stab to the heart. Oh how she wanted to tell Anna so many things, but now that would never happen. Everything she did for such a broken child like Anna was all a waste now. She began to speak in a cracked and painful voice.

"Anna... Anna...! Please wake up... Please... don't go... You taught me and everyone everything. The way to live alone for the sake of everyone... You can't go now and leave everyone. You can't leave me now! After all I did to find you, to tell you, you were finally going to be a big sister... That was all I wanted to say and you're already dead!

"I don't need anything else, not even your friends or our family... I just want to be with you-that's all I wanted to do! I wanted to actually live like the family we ever wanted back in Germany! Never caring about the misfortunes of the world, always laughing with grandfather! Why can't our dream be realized?!" She cried clutching to her sister tightly.

"Maria..." Rozen frowned watching his eldest daughter hug her little sister.

He slowly began walking towards Maria then he did what he wanted to do when he finally saw his first pair of daughter together at once. He gave them both a strong embrace. His wife, Maryann, followed after him and knelt opposite of Maria, caressing Anna's cold face. Tears began to fall from her eyes as well.

"So you finally made it this far, my precious rain." She spoke in a partially cracked voice.

Guntz frowned sadly watching the family mourn over the small girl. He should mourn too, but he couldn't bring himself to. Ame was so certain of herself, before she fought, that she would win this hands down. He felt a hand to his shoulder and he turned around to see Leorina's face her eyes blurred with tears.

"Guntz..." she spoke quietly "I need to tell you something, Ame told me to tell you if anything like this happened..."

Lion had her eyes closed the moment she knew the sword would stab through Anna's chest. Her parents embraced her as tears fell from their eyes. Lolo was crying on top of Klonoa, who was awestricken by what had happened. Why did it end up like this?

Suisouseki had fallen to her knees with narrowed eyes as she watched Anna suffered her last moments. She didn't know that this was so painful to her little sister. And what she heard from Maria made her more surprised, that was Shippuu's, no, Anna's true goal in her life was to let everyone live. In turn she had to suffer for them, for Suisouseki herself.

'Clink'

Maria opened her eyes looking up towards the small sound. Next to Anna was a small music box. No, it was Kaguya's music box! Maria remembered that it was supposed to be in Anna's possession from her death. Maria picked it up and opened it as a lullaby began to play slowly. She widened her eyes by what she saw. It was a circle of four people, made of gold, holding hands together and smiling while spinning in a circle. But those four people were Rozen, Maryann, when she wasn't pregnant, and Anna and Maria when they were twins. The lullaby was Kaguya's lullaby for her children... But certainly it didn't look like this when she last saw it.

She gasped as it began to float out of her grip while it emanated an angelic color that spread through out the whole room. Suddenly, images began to appear within the light. The images showed of Anna from when she was young, to the war, then to now. Her eyes widened in shock, these were Anna's memories. Just as she realized a new lullaby played along with a memory from the World War. She watched intently as the memory began.

--

A young eleven-year-old girl with a long black ponytail was concentrating intently on a doll she was making. So far she was close to finishing the features of the face by seeing how most of the features were done. The small girl was wearing a special pair of glasses that seemed to have different magnifications on it by seeing how long the lenses protruded out of the glasses. Too concentrated in her work, another girl around the same size and age entered the room. She looked just like the other girl the only difference was that her hair was blonde and a few inches shorter than the other girls and it was let loose. She slowly crept next to her twin overlooking her first work. So far it was going well.

"Wow, Anna, its gotten better," she smiled proudly at her sister.

Suddenly, the small black-haired girl jumped making her head hit the shelf and she fell forward on the desk with tools falling on top of her. The blonde girl panicked as she threw off all of the tools and helped her sister up who was frowning, eyebrows twitching, as pain surged through her head.

"D-don't do that again, Maria..." Anna grumbled as blood began to spill from a small cut on her forehead.

"I-I'm sorry..." She stammered sheepishly.

--

Anna sat solemnly, on her forehead a visible bandage, behind the counter of the doll shop she and Maria's grandfather owned. It was a simple shop filled with dolls all made and fashioned by him, not by Anna at all. Anna was day dreaming as rain fell outside while her chin was leaning against the counter. She used to hate rain because it almost rains every two months and business would slow down to the endless fall of small droplets of rain. Her eyes were glazed with thought as the patter of rain against the show case window was all she heard. She didn't even move when the sound of footsteps finally took over the rain patter.

Behind her emerged an old man in his early sixties holding a new doll in his hands. He carefully put it in the display case under the counter near Anna then looked it. He looked up to see his granddaughter spacing out into space and sighed. He grabbed an alchemy book and gently bopped the spine on her head. She didn't react much, only blinked and that was it.

"Is it really okay for us to live without parents?" She asked in a slightly dazed voice.

"I don't know," he replied in his old raspy voice "but I feel really bad for Maria, she doesn't even know that they aren't really dead yet."

"And here you are eleven years later, watching over a doll shop with your twin granddaughters. One an alchemist and refuses to go to school, while the other one is any normal kid. Sometimes I think that there is always something in the world you can't get even if you are so close to it." She frowned sadly.

"There is, you both can't see your parents, my shop will soon turn to ashes, then the world will fall to pieces like the condemned shit they are thanks to that bastard, Hitler."

"You're just pissed because I might go to those stupid camps and end up like all of those Nazis."

"Well, its better off if you stay in the house like you're supposed to. That damn Hitler only wanting people like me and your sister. I should have put you into hiding." He growled half to himself.

"Oh really... then how are you supposed to keep track of your shop and your granddaughter without me, huh? Besides I'd rather fight off those bastards than hide like a coward." She growled herself. The old man looked down to his daughter with a smirk before giving out a good chuckle and patting her a little too roughly.

"Yep, you are my granddaughter! Same personality, same grudge. Maybe we should make an alchemists alliance." He suggested.

"Nah, I don't trust other alchemists that much. But I wish the world would just go back to what it was."

"Yeah... less fights more good laughs and delicious beer."

"Alcoholic," Anna frowned at him.

"Book worm,"

"Aside from the usual name calling, I believe you owe me a detailed story of what happened to my parents. Thanks to me for getting you, the alchemy material for the Philosopher's stone." She smirked at him.

"And I believe that you owe me and Maria a good dinner consisting steak." He grinned at her.

Anna frowned at him resting her chin back on the counter.

"Be lucky I cook better than you."

--

A toothy grin made way to Anna's face as she glared at the sky. It had stopped raining but it was still gloomy outside. Anna was currently on the roof of the house and shop, she seemed to be waiting for something. Suddenly, she saw it, a large plane. Her grin widened when something began to fall from it.

"That's our Sango, always on time." She spoke proudly to herself holding up her hands.

She smiled in pleasure as the thing that fell out of the plane was a package wrapped in brown paper. When she caught it, the weight was a little unexpected making her fall back and into the open door she had used to get on the roof. With a loud thud she crashed at the bottom of the ladder she came up with the package smashed to her face.

"Yep, that's our Sango, always giving too much," She muffled through the package.

--

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I got it!" Anna spoke happily holding up the package in her hands.

"I know, I heard you fall down the ladder...again," he smirked humorously.

"Well, its Sango's fault for giving us doubles of what we order all the time." She frowned shaking the box in her hands.

"Give him a break. He is a soldier for the Japanese militia." He smirked patting her dusty hair.

"You should be happy I'm part Japanese, I get as much stuff imported from my homeland all the time." She spoke with a shrug.

"Yeah, right, well, you better finish up Maria's doll before she finishes school. Then we can work on getting your parents back here." He smirked down to her.

"Yeah, yeah..." She sighed putting the box down.

She was about to turn when her eyes widened as if realizing something.

"Grandpa, isn't there an air raid coming up on the day we make the stone?" She asked inquiringly.

"Yes, I was thinking of sending Maria to the shelters for teenagers and kids. Knowing you, you would be too stubborn to leave." He shrugged.

"Idiot, Maria's staying here!" She scowled angrily.

"NO, it's too dangerous for her. Even if she does know a bit of alchemy she won't make it if she gave her share for the stone with only that amount of energy!" He shot back in the same stone.

"She's apart of this family and she has more rights than anyone besides us to see my parents. Don't forget, she was the reason I started learning alchemy in the first place."

"And the reason why you dropped out of school, besides, it's too risky even on the day of an air raid."

"It'll be easy fending off the attacks with a mere energy shield. I could stand guard out while you and Maria make the stone."

"No, Maria's leaving and that's final, I'm not going to lose another child including you, Anna! You should've learned by now that she was the reason we became this! Tell me this, Anna! Why do you always want to fulfill what Maria wants while you have things you want yourself, huh?! Why can't you do something for yourself besides reading books?"

Anna frowned wide eyed at her grandfather. She looked to the side uneasily as she thought it over. Suddenly, her eyes went blank before closing her eyes and sighing in defeat. Afterwards she left the room in despair.

--

Anna leaned her back against a light post near Maria's middle school, she was heavily clothes and a hat had her hair stuffed in it so no one would see that she was a pure hybrid. Around this era it was dangerous if you were another ethnicity in a certain country. Luckily, Anna had inherited her parents blue eyes and her father's skin tone so she was the lucky type for the race of hybrids. Although she wished that things would go back to normal like four years ago before all this hell started, but this world was filled with idiots, power-hungry idiots.

The young girl sighed as she shifted in her long coat, why did it have to be her to stay undercover? She could have left aboard to Japan and live with her mother's relatives, but no. An air raid already took place and people were dying from intoxication there anyway. Why isn't there a safe place in the world? Ana flinched when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. It was Maria smiling brightly at her.

"My teacher said that I have the whole year off since the air raid will be here to destroy the school anyway." She spoke with a sad smile.

Anna nodded with a cool smile.

"Come on, Anna," Maria smiled taking her little sister's hand "let's go home, I want to have some more of that steak of yours."

"Mmm," Anna smiled sadly gripping her big sister's hand.

As they began their walk home, Maria took the lead walking cheerfully ahead of Anna. Every corner they turn, Maria would look back to see Anna's solemn face looking down with her hand in her coat pocket. The hat on her head concealed her eyes making it hard for Maria to see her sister's eyes. The blonde girl turned around when they were a few blocks away from their home, she looked at Anna sternly only to have the small black-haired girl to bump into her.

"Why'd you stop?" Anna asked blankly.

"What's with that face, you're always cheerful when you see me?" She asked in a pout.

"I am,"

"Then why do you look sad? Did you have a fight with grandfather again?"

Anna hesitated looking to the side blankly before looking at her sister in the face.

"Maria, do you want to be sent to the child shelters?"

"What?!"

"Grandpa and I are going to create the philosopher's stone on the day of the raid. It'll be an opportunity of a life time. But it won't be safe for you here, I wanted you to stay here, but since we're both hybrids I have no choice." Anna told her solemnly.

"But I want to stay here with you! I never wanted to be separated from you and grandfather!" She protested angrily.

"Maria, you're being childish! I don't either, but it's too risky if you stay! We're just doing what we think is right!" Anna shot back.

"Then why don't you go aboard and I stay with grandfather?!"

"Because I'm an alchemist and your not, I'm doing all of this for you and here you are yelling at me acting so childish. You're the oldest you should learn to be more mature and accept your fate!"

Maria dropped her mouth in shock before looked down clenching her fists angrily. She lifted her hand and with a good thrust slapped Anna hard enough to make her fall back along with her hat. Anna looked at her in shock as she held her burning cheek.

"I hate you, Anna! You're a selfish, stupid, and useless jerk and you'll never learn anyone's feelings!" Maria scowled at her little sister as tears fell to the floor.

With that she ran to the shop leaving Anna on the ground caressing her burning cheek. Anna looked down thoughtfully still holding her cheek. After a few moments of thinking she reached and put on her hat carefully hiding her long hair then slowly stood up and patting away all of the dust on her coat. Afterwards she looked towards the direction where Maria ran before sighing helplessly. She turned around opposite of where Maria was going and began walking slowly to who knew where.

--

Anna stood in front of two grave stones in despair. It was hers and Maria's parents' graves. She remembered she used to come here every year with Maria to tell them how well each year went, the good and bad. But ever since the war began, only Maria was able to visit here. This was actually the first time Anna ever visited this place. She sighed as she read the inscriptions on the grave stones.

Maryann Ortus

A sweet mother and radiant daughter

May she watch over us in heaven

Rozen Ortus

A great man of prodigy

May he rest in peace

Anna lifted her hands from her pocket with a small decorative box in her hand. It was a small music box with small scriptures on it as well. It was her mother's words she had learned by heart from her grandfather.

A true alchemist is able to protect his or her people with a golden heart and a flame of hope.

Anna cherished those words just like she did for Maria, but should she now? Anna didn't know, she sighed as she dropped the locket in her pocket then held up her hand again as a blue rose appeared on her palm delicately. She caressed it in her hands, such fragile beauty that could fade away in such a swift movement. She gently settled it between her parents' graves before turning around getting ready to walk back.

But before she could take a step forward, a trio of kids around her age looked at her with fake grins. She noted immediately that they were holding metal canes in there hands, she knew they weren't here to pay their respects to the dead in the graveyard they were in. She frowned looking at them darkly as one of them who were a boy with thick brown speaking in a cheerful tone.

"That was pretty cool when you made that rose appear on your hand, almost like magic, can you teach us how to do it?" He asked in a playful tone.

Anna smirked. She'll have to play along to get out of this.

"Just a pointer, read an alchemy book," She replied in the same tone.

"What's alchemy?" A boy with red hair asked moving a little closer to her.

"Find one and you'll see. Now while you excuse me, I'm going home." She spoke blandly trying to walk past them.

But she stopped in her tracks when a blonde boy held out his cane in front of her to keep her from leaving.

"What's wrong, boy, too much of a wimp to stand up to a few guys?" He smirked toothily at her.

Anna looked at her blankly before giving off a dark chuckle.

"How rude to say that to me, you fucked up bastard." She grinned darkly.

The boy frowned nastily with angry narrowed eyes before seizing Anna by the collar of her coat.

"A wimp like you doesn't have the rights to insult someone as superior as me." He growled at her.

"That's ironic for you to say," She grinned toothily at him.

The boy widened his eyes in anger before lifting up his cane and began to swing it at her head. But after he swung it was stopped cold by Anna. He and the other boys narrowed their eyes in shock as Anna smirked toothily.

"They don't call me a true alchemist for nothing," she grinned as electricity began to crawl around the cane. Immediately, the blond boy yelled in pain as electricity crawled up the arm he was holding with his cane crawl around his body making visible volts of energy surround his body.

"Alfonse!"

The two other boys watched in shock as their friend yelled in pain before finally letting go of Anna. The moment she landed on her feet she swiped the tall boy off of his feet with the cane then spun around swing the cane to hit the other two who were stunned. They both fell on top of one another as the cane made contact with the brown-haired boy. When they were all down, Anna stomped on Alfonse's chest with great force.

"If I find you torturing other people like you tried to do to me today, I'll be sure to send you to a world where hell stays." She threatened him pointing the cane at him.

"S-son of a bitch," He growled "you're a damn freak. I hope you die along with the other losers who'll die in this war." Anna grinned toothily again as she put more pressure on his chest.

"I look forward to seeing you in hell too." She spoke in a low tone.

Behind her, the two boys had recovered from the hit and were lifting up their canes over their heads ready to slash Anna who wasn't even paying attention. Forcefully, they both slammed down on Anna's head and back making her fall to her side losing her hat and music box in the process. Anna grunted as she fell down as Alfonse stood befor her stomping his foot on her rib cage.

"Wait, Alfonse, this guy's a girl!" the brown haired boy protested.

"Shut up, Carl, either way this bitch was trying to kill us, might as well do what she was thinking." He grinned malevolently.

Suddenly, Anna began to cough up blood as she clenched her fists tightly. Carl and the red -haired boy gasped in worry by how much blood she lost.

"Come on, Alfonse, give her a break let's just get out of here before someone sees." The red head pleaded.

"Ugh, Fine!" He growled annoyingly before leaning down and taking Anna's music box "but I'm taking this, this'll probably give us alotta cash."

Anna gritted her teeth as the trio of boys left her on the ground as endless blood began to spill from her mouth. Shakily she got to her feet and reached for her hat. She had to get the music box back that was all she had left of her parents. Anna put a hand to her side where she was stomped on and picked up a cane limping quickly after the boys. No doubt she was going to give them hell.

--

Maria ate stolidly at her steak as she sat at the dinner table with her grandfather. It was already past 7:30 and Anna still hadn't returned. She again looked outside the window to see if Anna was at the door, but again she wasn't there. Maria sighed before taking another bite of her dinner. She looked up at her grandfather who was already wiping his mouth with a napkin and getting ready to put his dirty plate in the sink. She watched him sadly as he did so before finally speaking.

"Grandfather, do you think I was a little hard on her?" Maria asked guiltily looking up to him.

"I don't know... your sister was always the mature type. She spends a lot of her time helping me watch over the shop and take care of you and me. She's very good girl, it's just she's been so secluded with you and me, she became the type where she was left unchanging for a few years, that's why her development as a normal kid is a little below yours." He told her simply as he began washing his dish.

"I see..." She sighed sadly.

The old man smirked as her held Maria's shoulder firmly.

"You know Anna was trying her best to keep you here, she even knew it was risky for you. She loves you a lot she just doesn't show it openly like you do. Give her a chance, Maria." He smirked before the door to the kitchen opened with a slam.

They both looked up to see a tattered, tired, beaten Anna who was panting heavily while holding her side. Her clothes looked torn and splotches of dark blood seemed to mix in with the dark blue color. There was dirt and bruises along Anna's face along with a noticeable cut on her cheek. There were also hints of stained blood below her lip. Maria gasped as she stood up and walked up to her sister quickly.

"Anna, what happened?" She asked worriedly.

Anna looked down, the torn hat on her head concealing them from her sister. With a grunt, she walked or quickly limped past her.

"Nothing, I'm going to bed, I'm not hungry." She replied in a raspy voice.

Maria looked concerned at her sister, but flinched when she heard her grandfather speak.

"You're late, what were you doing, really?" he asked suspiciously as Anna made way to the hall which led upstairs.

"None of your business, old man." She spoke in a tired, annoyed voice.

Maria frowned as she watched her little sister trudge, she about to call her before she heard a hard thud from the hall. She and their Grandfather ran into the dark hall to see Anna lying limply on the wooden floor as a small pool of blood appeared under her. Maria's voice faltered as she cried quickly running up to her unconscious sister and began shaking forcefully.

"Anna, Anna! Wake up, what's wrong?! Answer me!" She yelled shaking her sister.

Suddenly, she heard something fall out of Anna's ripped coat pocket. Maria looked down to it to see that it was the music box, it was covered in blood and dents could be seen on it. She picked it up shakily and opened it to here a broken lullaby. She began to cry despairingly, tears flowing from her eyes and down on her sister's serene face. She leaned down and embraced her sister not caring if the blood would stain on her clothes.

"I'm so sorry, Anna! I'll go aboard for you, it's all my fault you ended up like this, I'm sorry!" she cried as their Grandfather kneeled beside her and patted her back.

"Its okay, Maria, let's get her in bed, she's been through a lot she needs to rest is all." He assured her solemnly.

Maria didn't reply as she continued to cry on top of her precious sister saying again and again about how selfish she was, how mean she was, how childish she was. And it went on like that for a while.

--

Maria looked down to Anna sadly. She was gasping as she moaned in her sleep. She grasped the hand Maria had given her as tight as she could through the fever. Her fever was very high, along with the bad wounds she received from those boys. Her wounds consisted of a few broken ribs, a minor concussion, various cuts all over her arms and legs, a stab to her right side, and a bloody left leg. Now she was covered in white bandages and was resting in her room with incense their grandfather put to help Anna through the fever.

Maria took off the wet flannel she put over her sister's eyes and forehead, and felt it with her cold hand. It was still very hot. Subconsciously, Maria dipped the flannel in the basin beside her then wringed it before placing the cold rag over Anna's closed eyes again.

Her tears stopped falling hours ago, now it was way past midnight. Their grandfather had fallen asleep a few hours ago when Anna's fever was at its highest. Not that it was beginning to cool down he suggested to Maria that he would put ice on it later, but she protested saying she wanted to stay with Anna. Now she was looking at her sister blankly watching every painful, gasping breath she took. Maria sighed as she put her hands around Anna's limp one as she laid her head down next to her sister's.

She watched Anna as her gasps gradually slowed to quick breaths, then to slow breathing. From time to time, Maria checked her temperature to feel it gradually cooling down. With a relieved sigh, Maria finally rested her head sleepily and drifted off into her own sleep.

Nya: I decided to put the chapter I mentioned in the last one I put up after the next two I'm to put up. I thought there was a big whole in this so I just decided to put this in 3rd or omniscient, I don't know... -.- Anyway, have a good weekend. X3