Thanks for the reviews. Sorry if the last chapter wasn't very good, it's hard to concentrate sometimes when life gets hectic and you're trying to snatch any free time you can to type up something. Here is part three of episode 1 - the next chapter should be the end of the first episode. For any Barasuishou fans out there, expect her to play a bigger part in episode 2.

Rozen Maiden: Märchen

EPISODE 1

Dark Covenant

It was almost midnight by the time Nori finally trudged upstairs and headed for bed. She yawned widely, putting her hand in front of her mouth out of habitual politeness. Jun was sitting up in bed, reading. She popped her head into his room and wished him a good night, before making for her own room.

It gladdened her heart to see how much he had changed. He was really starting to grow up now - she noticed he was taller than she seemed to remember, and Tomoe had told her that Jun had started to wonder what he might do when he was older, as a living. He didn't actually have the faintest idea, but he was wondering about it all the same, and that was a good thing. Wasn't it?

And there was Tomoe herself. Jun hadn't had any friends since he'd dropped out of school. Truth be told, he'd never really had many even before then. He definitely seemed to enjoy spending time with Tomoe now though, in that awkward sort of embarrassed way that boys did around girls. He wouldn't admit to being anything but friends with her, yet Nori was sure there was something more there. It helped that Tomoe knew about the dolls - a sure stumbling block in any potential friendship he might form with someone.

Nori stifled another yawn and opened the door to her bedroom. To her surprise the bedside light was already on, and there, sitting on the edge of her bed, was Shinku. The doll regarded Nori with her usual inscrutable expression as she entered.

"Shinku? What's wrong?" Nori asked, worried. She shut the door behind her as Shinku looked away.

"Nori ... I wished to discuss something with you," she said. Nori sat down beside her, trying to imagine what Shinku could possibly want to talk about.

"Sure, what is it?"

Shinku was silent for a while, and she seemed to purposely be facing away from Nori so that she could not see her clearly. "I do not really know how to ask..." she started to say, apparently having difficulty in choosing her words.

"Could you at least look at me, Shinku?" Nori asked, growing more concerned by the doll's behaviour. Reluctantly, Shinku shifted her position around so that Nori could see her, though Shinku did not make eye contact with her. Rather, she stared fixedly at the floor. Nori leaned down a little so she could see Shinku's face a bit better. "What's troubling you?"

Shinku hesitated, as if she were about to reconsider the whole conversation, such as it was. Steeling herself, she pressed on. "I was just wondering ... do you think it possible... " she stopped and sighed. Nori thought she looked depressed.

"What?"

"Do you believe it is possible for a human to truly love a doll?"

Nori was taken aback. And then it hit her. Of course! She should have realised sooner. Shinku was ... Shinku was jealous! Here she was teasing Jun about his growing friendship with Tomoe - a fact that was plain for anyone to see - and she hadn't stopped to consider how Shinku might feel. Of course she knew that Shinku loved Jun very much. It was just ... well, she had to admit that she'd never thought about Jun and Shinku in that way. Shinku was a doll, after all.

Except ... she was much more than that. She was a living doll, with a depth of emotion as real as any human. She was a person. It never occurred to Nori that Shinku's feelings for Jun might be anything but deeply platonic.

"Shinku..." was all Nori managed to say. Shinku slid down off her bed and straightened her dress.

"Forget I said anything, it was a foolish question," she said.

"Wait!" Nori called out, stopping Shinku on her way to the door, "Shinku ... are you saying that you're in love with Jun?"

Shinku said nothing. She stood there, halfway between the bed and the door, with her back to Nori. Nori clasped her hands together and held them close to her chest, as if she could grasp the surge of sympathy she felt for Shinku.

"Then tell him!"

Shinku spun to face Nori, her expression distraught. "I cannot!"

"But why?"

Shinku hesitated again, and again her gaze dropped low. "Because ... I am not human. It is not fair to tell Jun how I feel about him when he has a chance to be with someone ... someone real."

Nori surged off her bed and dropped to her knees beside Shinku, her eyes wide with emotion. "But you are real, Shinku!" she insisted, "Don't you realize how much you mean to him? You've changed his life, you've helped him get well. He's ... he's become a better person since he met you. You've done so much for him, how can you possibly say that you're not real?"

Shinku met Nori's gaze, somewhat taken back by her emphatic assurances, yet her own eyes were tinged with sadness. "There comes a time when one must face facts, Nori. The fact is that I am a doll. A living doll, perhaps, but a doll all the same. I must hide away in this house while Jun goes out each day and lives his life. I cannot go with him. People would not understand. It would create problems for him. It is also true that he is growing up, and someday he must go out into the world, whilst I must remain behind."

Now Nori lowered her gaze, downcast. "I understand what you're saying, but..." she trailed off.

"What kind of life could we have together?" Shinku asked plainly, "I can never be anything more to Jun than I am now. I have tried to ignore that fact, but doing so is childish. I must face reality. I think..." Shinku turned away, tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away angrily, her eyes narrowing in sudden determination, as if she knew what she needed to do - had known for a long time. "I think that perhaps I should consider leaving here before it becomes too difficult for us to part."

Nori couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shinku ... leave? She didn't want to even think it, and she knew Jun would be torn apart if she did leave. Nori reached out and grabbed Shinku by her shoulders, forcing the doll to face her. "What are you saying? How can you even think of leaving?"

"Nori..."

"You said you love Jun, but you're willing to break his heart by running away? And for what? Because you're afraid he'll choose a human girl over you? You won't even ask him! You won't even tell him how you really feel!" Nori shook her head, furious. "If that's what you're going to do I doubt I could stop you, but at the very least you have to tell Jun why, talk to him and find out how he really feels about you. You owe him that."

Shinku considered her words, and then finally nodded. Nori let go of her, slowly and with no small amount of reluctance, as if afraid Shinku might vanish there and then. Shinku quietly bid her goodnight, leaving Nori alone in her room to think over what had just been said. She cried for a while, but it didn't make her feel much better.

Before Shinku had come, Jun had shut himself away in his room and was angry if Nori even said hello to him. She herself had been lonely, because her little brother wanted nothing to do with her, or anyone for that matter. Now? Now Jun was back in school. He helped Nori out with the chores, made tea, he talked with her. He was nice. A large part of that change was because of Shinku, she had no doubt of that. If Shinku left ... she was afraid Jun might snap and go back to the way he had been before. Only this time he would never get better. Did Jun love Shinku the way she loved him? Nori didn't know, but even if he did he might never admit it. Shinku wanted to leave because she saw no future with Jun even if he did return her feelings, but Nori knew that if she did leave, Jun would have no future at all.

She resisted the urge to go to Jun right there and then and have it all out. It was after midnight, she was tired and Jun was surely asleep by now. It would have to wait until morning. With extreme reluctance she climbed into bed and turned out the light. She lay there for a very long time, feeling thoroughly depressed and not a little afraid, before finally drifting off into a troubled sleep.

Normally when one falls asleep they enter a surreal dream state where their perception of time is warped. They might experience a dream that seems to last forever, or wake up the next morning feeling as if they'd only just laid their head down on the pillow. Nori was familiar with the sensation of sleep, which is why she immediately knew something was wrong.

For one thing she felt as if she were wide-awake. It was a distinct difference in awareness that comes from actually being fully conscious. The problem was, she was standing in a vast rose garden with no memory of how she had got there. All of the roses were white, and the sky looked ... odd.

"Umm ... hello?" she called out.

"Hello," said a voice. It was a soft, female voice, and it was directly behind her. Nori spun around and found the person it belonged to. It was a very strange looking girl. She wore a frilly white dress and had long, silvery white hair to go with it. She also had only one eye, which was yellow in colour. Nori could get past that, but in place of the girls other eye was a white rose, which seemed to be growing out of her actual eye socket. It was very disconcerting.

"Who are you?" Nori asked, deciding to stick with the predictable questions on the grounds that they were actually relevant and important.

"My name is Kirakishou," said the girl, "and I am the true seventh Rozen Maiden doll."

A Rozen Maiden? Nori was surprised, and looked it. She was also very confused, and glanced around. "What is this place? How did I get here?"

"I entered your dream world while you slept," Kirakishou explained in a sweet, honey coated voice, "I changed the scenery to something ... more pleasant. You have very ... peculiar dreams."

Nori was actually annoyed now, and put her hands on her hips in an angry posture. "Now just wait a minute, it's very rude to go barging into people's dreams without their permission!"

Kirakishou nodded her assent. "Very rude, yes. I have no choice though. I cannot come and speak to you in person. I am trapped, you see. A prisoner. Entering your dream was the only way I could speak to you, and I have something very important to say."

"Oh?" Nori calmed quickly. A prisoner?

"I believe you are familiar with some of my sisters," the strange doll went on, "including the ones known as Hinaichigo and Souseiseki."

"Yeah, I know them."

"I have something that belongs to them. Their Rosa Mysticas."

"Really?" Nori clapped her hands together in excitement. Whilst she was certainly no expert on Rozen Maiden, she knew enough about them to know what a Rosa Mystica was, and she'd heard everyone talking earlier. They needed to find Hina and Souseiseki's Rosa Mysticas to return them to normal again.

"I will give them to you," said Kirakishou carefully, "in exchange for something."

"What?" asked Nori, "If I have it, it's yours."

Kirakishou smiled. That was one scary smile, thought Nori, but one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, right?

"Swear upon this rose ring," said Kirakishou, extending her hand. Upon one of her fingers was a ring identical to the one that Jun wore. "Enter the covenant with me, and I shall give you Hinaichigo and Souseiseki's Rosa Mystica."

Nori hesitated. "You ... want me to be your medium?"

"Yes. I am so very lonely, Miss Sakurada. If you become my medium then I can be by your side. I won't have to be alone anymore."

Nori wasn't sure, but Jun was Shinku and Suiseiseki's medium, and he was fine wasn't he? And if she could be the one to give Jun the missing Rosa Mysticas it would mean she could finally do something useful for him. Maybe with Hina and Souseiseki back Shinku would reconsider leaving?

"Well, I guess ... okay," she leaned forwards and kissed the ring, just as Jun had said he'd done. There was a brilliant bright light and the next thing she knew her hand was burning. She gripped her wrist and saw a similar light shining brightly on her own hand. The light materialised into a ring, which continued to burn her. The pain grew to a tremendous degree, and Nori fell to her knees and cried out, her ring glowing like a fiery brand.

"Good girl," said Kirakishou. She giggled. "And so gullible."

"It ... hurts," Nori managed to squeeze the words out between clenched teeth. Kirakishou giggled even louder.

"Of course it does - I'm drawing energy from your body. If I keep this up, you'll die."

The pain suddenly and abruptly stopped. Nori sagged to the ground, still clutching her hand. She felt incredibly weak and faint, as if she'd been doing sports for several hours without stop. She started to sob. Kirakishou knelt down and thrust her head close to Nori's, so that their faces were mere inches apart. She really didn't look nice at all.

"Now Miss Sakurada, your life is in my hands. Unless you want to die, listen very, very carefully..."