Rozen Maiden: Märchen
EPISODE 4
Veritas
Suiseiseki set the heavy box down in front of her and breathed a sigh of relief. She wiped the back of her hand across her brow - not because she was sweating (dolls usually didn't), it was simply a natural in-built reaction to physical exertion. Barasuishou emerged from the mirror behind her, clutching a box in her own hands. When she had safely landed Suiseiseki scowled at her.
"There, I helped," she said, "But don't go getting the wrong idea; it's not as if I like you or anything. So just keep your lips to yourself!"
"Thank you," said Barasuishou, setting the box down next to the other. She had gone to her father's shop to collect some things before the place was cleared out, and Suiseiseki had reluctantly agreed to help out.
It was ... strange. Being in the shop. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry, and she hadn't. Instead she merely felt as if she had swallowed a heavy metal sphere, and had to endure it sitting inside her chest the entire time. Looking at Suiseiseki, she envied the doll. At least there was a chance for her to see her father. Barasuishou would never see hers again.
The shop was a place of comforting memories, and despite the pain of loss she felt, she still wished she could stay there. She wondered briefly who would own the place next, and what would happen to all the dolls that still resided there. She almost felt sorry for them, though she'd never really given them a seconds thought when she had been staying there. Now however ... she was worried about them. Her father had made all of those dolls, and she didn't want to see them thrown away like worthless pieces of junk. Perhaps Sakurada would consent to take them in? Then again, perhaps not. It seemed he had more than enough dolls in his home as it was.
Barasuishou rummaged through one of the boxes, searching for something. It didn't take her long to find it, and a moment later she pulled the leather bound book out and held it up for inspection. Suiseiseki watched, curious.
"What's that?"
"A clue."
"Huh?"
Barasuishou didn't elaborate further. She stood and strode out of the storeroom, Suiseiseki trailing behind muttering at her back.
"Fine, don't tell me then. I so don't care anyway, it's not as if it has anything to do with me-" she stopped abruptly, standing in the hallway and staring past Barasuishou towards the foot of the stairs. Jun was there, and so was Shinku.
"Hello Suiseiseki," said Souseiseki.
Souseiseki too.
Barasuishou stood to one side and looked from one twin to the other. To say that Suiseiseki was surprised would be a gross understatement of monumental proportions. A slight breeze would have been sufficient to knock her onto her back at that moment, even someone blowing at her. The silence was so thick between the two Gardener dolls that Suigintou could have chopped it into chunks with her sword if she were present.
Souseiseki took a step towards her stunned sister. To everyone's surprise, Suiseiseki took a corresponding step back from her. Souseiseki frowned.
"Suiseiseki, it's me."
Suiseiseki was visibly trembling now, though no one could tell whether it was from anger or fear or something else. When Souseiseki took another step towards her, Suiseiseki blinked sharply and cried out. She then further surprised everyone by running not into her twin's arms, but straight past her and into the living room without slowing down in the slightest. Everyone watched her vanish through the door, utterly flabbergasted.
"What the heck?" said Jun.
"Not what I was expecting," confessed Shinku, equally as confused. Neither Barasuishou nor Souseiseki were as taken aback by her behaviour though. Souseiseki bowed her head and closed her eyes.
"I was afraid of this."
"I will go and talk with her," said Shinku, moving away from Jun's side and heading for the living room door. Before she got there though, her way was obstructed by Barasuishou, who held a hand up to stop her.
"Wait, Shinku," she said. Shinku blinked with surprise as Barasuishou presented the book she was carrying to her. She took it and read the title; Die Geschichte von Puppe, by Eike Grimm. Jun glanced over Shinku's shoulder and frowned.
"Hey, I know that book. That's the book at the school library, the one with information in it about the Rozen Maidens. I used it to help fix you once."
"The book belonged to my father," Barasuishou explained, "The man who wrote it was a friend of his. It is important that you read it."
"Can it not wait?"
"It's okay Shinku, I'll go to her," Souseiseki said, striding past them both and following after Suiseiseki. Shinku watched her go and then examined the book again. She looked up at Barasuishou with a questioning expression.
"Why is this important?"
"There is information within concerning Alice," Barasuishou answered simply, "To be specific, I believe the book contains a clue as to how one might become Alice without playing the Alice Game."
"You're kidding?" said Jun, sceptical, "And you knew about this all along?"
"Yes."
"Well then why the heck did you have to fight everyone in the Alice Game last year? If you knew of another way-"
Barasuishou shook her head. "My father did not care about Alice, his only desire was to show that I was better than Rozen's creations. That is why I fought. And also ... I do not think he could find the doll it describes."
"Doll?" said Shinku.
"The first doll."
"You mean Suigintou?"
"No, not the first Rozen Maiden. The first living doll ever created."
Suiseiseki had gone out the glass doors in the living room and somehow climbed up onto the roof of the Sakurada house. She sat at the edge of the roof with her knees pulled up close to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Most of her face was hidden behind her knees, and she stared out at the horizon as the sun set, colouring the sky a vivid shade of red. A gentle breeze tugged at her hair and dress.
"There you are," said Souseiseki, crossing the rooftop to sit beside her sister. Suiseiseki didn't move an inch, and showed no outward sign that her twin had just sat down beside her, despite having been the doll equivalent of dead for several months. They were both silent, neither saying a word, just sitting there watching the sun set and the first of the stars come out.
"You're usually more talkative than this," said Souseiseki eventually. Suiseiseki said nothing, prompting Souseiseki to continue, "I always thought I was the quiet one."
"..."
"I take it you're not very happy to see me then."
"..."
"Would you at least tell me why?"
"...!"
"I see. So that's how it is then."
Suiseiseki didn't respond. Souseiseki sighed and closed her eyes. "I can't believe Suigintou gave up my Rosa Mystica. That's not like her at all. She's changed. A lot of things have changed while I've been gone. Shinku and Jun act differently around each other, and I cant help but notice that we seem to have adopted a new sister."
Suiseiseki's pointed silence would have put the deep void of space to shame. Souseiseki opened her miss-matching eyes and turned them on her eminently silent sister. "You've changed too, Suiseiseki. Normally when you're angry at me you yell a lot more than this."
Suiseiseki's head lowered a fraction and she finally spoke with a muffled voice. "What would be the point, you never listen."
"I'm listening now."
"Now is too late."
"It's never too late."
Suiseiseki's leaned her face completely against her knees now, her voice becoming a mere whisper. "You're so wrong..."
"Suiseiseki..." Souseiseki reached out and gently laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. The reaction was immediate and explosive. Suiseiseki shot to her feet and glared at her younger sibling with a look of such fury and hatred that Souseiseki almost fell off the roof in shock. Suiseiseki snarled at her, actually snarled.
"Don't you touch me! You are not allowed to touch me ever again, you hear!"
Souseiseki was completely thrown by the seething anger in her voice. Her own eyes widened with fear and alarm. "What are you saying? Suiseiseki, this isn't like you at all!"
Suiseiseki flailed her arms in frustration. "And how would you know? You said it yourself - I've changed, Souseiseki. You told me I was strong enough to go on without you, and that's exactly what I've done!"
"Suiseiseki!"
"Shut up and leave me alone!" Suiseiseki spun and turned her back on her sister, crossing her trembling arms to keep them from lashing out. Souseiseki got slowly to her feet, dazed by Suiseiseki's enraged behaviour. She'd known she might be upset, but Souseiseki had never once seen her like this before. It was unsettling and frightening. She did the only thing she knew to do - she tried to be strong, like her elder sister.
"No. I won't leave you alone."
Suiseiseki moved with such speed that Souseiseki never saw the slap coming, she only felt it. After a moment of utter shock, she reached up and gingerly touched the red welt on her burning cheek, too stunned for words. Suiseiseki provided them for her.
"You did leave me alone! Why the heck do you think I'm angry at you, you stupid stupid idiot, you!"
Souseiseki had no answer to give her and Suiseiseki saved her the trouble by gathering up the hem of her skirt and storming off, leaving her alone on the rooftop under the starlit sky.
As Jun sat at his computer, he realised that he was being observed. It was Shinku. She was sitting on his bed with that book in her lap, watching him closely. Barasuishou was downstairs sorting through her things, and Hinaichigo was sleeping at Tomoe's house. They were alone in the room. He looked across at her.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I was wondering what you were doing."
"Oh. I'm researching this play the drama club are organising. It's called 'Wicked'."
"I see. And what is it about?"
"Uh ... it's sort of a prequel story to the Wizard of Oz, with the focus on the Wicked Witch before she became ... well, the Wicked Witch. Apparently Kuwata got the idea after I said I was going to move to Osaka. They showed this play there a few years ago and it was a big hit."
Shinku said nothing but she continued to watch him. It was making him nervous and he had trouble concentrating on the online synopsis he was reading. He decided to break the silence, saying, "What about the book? Anything useful yet?"
"No. It is surprisingly detailed in its account of the Rozen Maiden, more so than any other source I have read to date. Thus far though I have not encountered any mention of the doll Barasuishou describes."
The silence returned, and to Jun's dismay he realised that Shinku was still watching him. Why didn't she go back to reading the book? She loved reading, and a detailed book about Rozen Maiden ought to grab her attention like none other. So what was her deal?
When he could stand it no longer, Jun pushed his chair back from the computer and turned to face Shinku directly. "Okay, are you gonna tell me why you've been staring at me for the last five minutes?"
"Is it a problem?"
"Well ... uh, no. I was just wondering why."
"Haven't you ever felt the desire to stare at me?" Shinku asked bluntly, yet soft spoken. Jun went slightly red.
"I ... I guess so."
Now Shinku did look away from him, seeming to turn her attention back to the book on her lap, yet Jun saw her smile. "I simply felt the desire to stare at the boy who confessed his love for me, that is all. If you ever feel the need to stare at me, please feel free to do so."
Jun couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard. He had to run her words past his mind a few times just to make certain he hadn't imagined it. He even found himself jabbing a fingernail into the palm of his hand just to be sure he hadn't fallen asleep at the computer. The stinging pain felt real enough, so Shinku must have said what she'd just said. And he thought...
What the heck do I say to something like that?
"Shinku, about that..."
Shinku looked up at him expectantly. "Yes?"
Oh hell, Jun thought, I can't believe I'm going to say this. You don't have to say this you know, you could say something else. You could say nothing. You could actually say the word 'nothing'. But no, you still remember what it was like when she was gone, and you're going to say this instead...
"You know I meant every word, right?"
Shinku's smile widened a little and a tiny red blush appeared on her cheeks. "That is good to hear, Jun. I hope you know I feel the same way."
Jun couldn't look at her because he was worried his face was mimicking the colour of her dress like a chameleon. He stared at the floor in awkward silence instead, and mercifully Shinku said nothing further. Well there, he'd said it. It was hugely embarrassing to say, but the horrible sense of loss and despair he'd felt when Shinku had left him still lingered in the back of his mind like a sour taste, and he had no desire to feel it ever again. If that meant he had to actually be honest with her and speak his mind, then he would just have to suck it up and do that, no matter how embarrassing it might be.
And besides it did sort of feel good, in a hot, glowing, IcantbelieveIjustsaidthat sort of way.
"Jun!" Shinku said suddenly. Startled, Jun looked back up at her and saw her pouring over the pages of the book, an expression of intense concentration and just a little exhilaration on her face. Jun got up and sat down on the bed beside her, peering at the pages. Unfortunately the book was in German and he couldn't read a word of it.
"What is it?"
"I believe this is the clue that Barasuishou referred to," she said. Knowing full well that Jun couldn't understand a word of German, she read the entry in question out loud for him.
The Pandora Pyxis
Whilst the Rozen Maiden are perhaps the most well-known living creations in doll-lore, they are by no means unique. There is a legend that predates the Rozen Maiden by centuries, a story told by master dollmakers. It speaks of a mythical first doll, that is to say the first living doll ever created.
Her name was Pandora.
Like the Rozen Maiden, Pandora slept in a doll case. Referred to as the 'Pyxis' (Latin for box), it is more commonly known as Pandora's Box, an object of near universal renown. Also like the Rozen Maiden, Pandora possessed an artificial spirit, named Hope. According to the tale, Hope had enormous powers and it was said that it could heal all ills, vanquish all evil and grant ones hearts desire. This element of the legend effectively turned Pandora's Box from the source of all darkness and despair into a virtual Aladdin's Lamp. For that reason the Pyxis has long been sought by treasure hunters privy to this version of the tale, each hoping to make Hope their own.
The current whereabouts of the Pyxis are a complete mystery, if indeed it ever existed. A rumour whispered among certain circles however, claims that the Box was last known to be in the possession of the dollmaker Rozen himself, who it is said acquired it when he was a young boy. If true, then Pandora may have served as a template of sorts, a prototype to the Rozen Maiden dolls.
Shinku stopped there. It was a short entry, but it was enough. Beside her, Jun leaned back and ran his hand through his hair, letting out a low whistle.
"Geez, no wonder Rozen never mentioned this as an alternative to the Alice Game. Pandora's Box. Finding that will be like finding the Ark of the Covenant, or the Chintamani Stone. I don't suppose he still has it ... that would probably be too easy. He must have lost the thing. What do you think? Shinku?"
Shinku had turned the page and was staring at an illustration. It was an artists sketch of what the Pyxis might look like. Jun thought it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Rozen Maiden doll cases, but with one distinct difference. In place of the rose design on the lid, there was a fleur-de-lis. Shinku seemed to fixate on it, her eyes wide, as if it were the single most important thing in all the world.
"What is it?"
She pointed. "This symbol on the box. I recognise it."
"Well yeah, you see it all over the place. Lots of people use it. It's meant to represent the lily isn't it?"
Shinku turned to Jun, her face practically glowing. Jun had never seen her look this way before. She seemed almost entranced. It was a little bit scary.
"Jun ... that symbol holds a special significance to the Rozen Maiden. It is the symbol of our home. The place Father created us. Our birthplace."