Sorry this took so long, I got distracted playing Final Fantasy X-2. Go Gullwings! Seriously though, whatever moron thought that Sphere Break would be a fun mini-game should be eaten alive by zombies.

Not a hugely exciting chapter but I'm just setting things up for some fun later this episode. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled (eww!) as I'm going to try and write up a short Wizard of Oz fic with the Rozen Maiden as the characters.

Rozen Maiden: Märchen

EPISODE EIGHT

Dress Crossing

"All right people, that is it! We've nailed it. I'll see you all tonight, just make sure you don't get drunk, arrested or killed. And be here on time!"

Jun chuckled. Nice pep talk. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. He'd sat through the drama club's final rehearsal for the school play, and he had to admit that it was pretty impressive. Everyone was in costume, too. His costumes, that he designed and helped make. Seeing them up there, on stage, made it all worthwhile. He'd had to put up with more than a few jibes and backhanded remarks from people, but he was used to that by now. Besides, a lot of people were really impressed with his work too, and he'd received a fair amount of praise.

"So, how were we?" Yuna Kuwata asked, giving Jun a twirl so he could get a good look at his handiwork. Yuna was playing the part of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and as such was sporting a suitably black dress and pointed hat. Jun had nevertheless managed to put a lot of subtle detail into the outfit. The same could not be said of her makeup, which was anything but subtle. He was amazed that the unanimously voted most pretty girl in school had volunteered to play a part that required her to have her skin painted bright green.

"You guys were great, good job," he assured them. Them being Yuna and Tomoe. Tomoe stood beside the Wicked Witch and the difference was like night and day. She was playing the part of Yuna's counterpart, the Good Witch Galinda, and the dress Jun had made for that particular role would have been fit for an angel. She positively glowed under the stage lights. Tomoe raised a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

"That really takes a lot out of you," she said, flushed from the rehearsal. Yuna nodded her agreement before clasping her hands together and beaming at Jun.

"Thanks again for helping out, the costumes are fantastic. I don't think anyone could have done them as well as you."

Jun shrugged as if to suggest it was nothing, yet he appreciated the compliment all the same. "No big deal. Besides, it was kinda fun."

Yuna leaned over to Tomoe and giggled loudly. "No big deal! Will you listen to him? He works miracles with materials and says it's nothing."

"That's Jun," Tomoe replied, shrugging back. Yuna giggled again and then waved to them both.

"Well alright then, I'll see you guys tonight. Don't be late, okay?"

Jun and Tomoe watched her leave to get changed, Tomoe in particular staring after her for quite a while. When Yuna was finally out of sight she rounded on Jun, a coy smile on her face. At least Jun thought it was a coy smile, but having never seen such a thing on Tomoe before it was at best a guess. "So," she said in a hushed voice, "do you think she's cute?"

Jun blinked, not quite sure he'd heard her right. Cute? "Huh? You mean Kuwata? Uh ... yeah, I guess so. Why are you asking?" Surely she wasn't trying to get him to hook up with Yuna? For one thing he wasn't interested, and for another Shinku would boil him alive in a vat of tea if he did. Tomoe glanced back at the door she had just left through and sighed.

"I was just wondering ... if she'd ever be interested in someone like me."

Jun stared at Tomoe as if she'd just announced that a tornado had demolished her house. What had she just said? Surely he'd misheard her ... "Huh?" was all he could manage. Tomoe turned back to him and softly clutched his arm, a vague sense of wonder in her eyes.

"Tell me Jun, do you think I'd have a chance with her? Is she out of my league?"

"Chance?" What was she talking about? "Tomoe, are you asking what I think you're asking?"

"Yes!"

"Oh," Jun finished lamely. Huh. Really? Tomoe? Jun slumped down in one of the nearby empty audience chairs and stared off into space for several long moments. Finally he shook his head and turned to Tomoe, who had sat down beside him. "Wait, you know she's a girl, right?"

Tomoe smirked. "Not much gets past you, does it?"

Jun fell silent again, thinking it over. And now that he did, some of the things Suiseiseki kept telling him the past few weeks started to make a little more sense. She would bring Tomoe up in conversation and then start saying really weird things ... he hadn't really paid her much attention as he'd had no idea what she was getting at. In retrospect the Gardener doll had obviously spotted something about Tomoe that Jun had completely missed. His brow creased as something occurred to him.

"Wait a second, I thought you had a crush on me?" he blurted out abruptly. He blushed as he heard what he'd just said, thinking that perhaps he could have worded it better. Too late. Tomoe simply nodded.

"I did. I still sort of do. But Jun, we've been the best of friends our whole lives, and to be fair you're not exactly..." she hesitated and glanced sideways at him, and he could tell she was struggling not to snigger. Jun sagged, knowing exactly what she meant, though he asked all the same.

"Not exactly what?" he said, deadpan. Tomoe stared at the back of the chair in front of her, not meeting his glare.

"When you were little you used to design and make princess dresses for my dolls. Nori's too." She held up her arms as if to indicate the elegant white dress she was wearing now as part of her costume. "You still do."

Jun crossed his own arms and turned his glare to the chair in front of himself, scowling. "That's a witches dress, not a princesses. Besides, that doesn't make me a girl."

Tomoe lowered her arms, smiling faintly. "You live in a house full of dolls," she went on, "that you play and drink tea with. You like dressing up as a girl and you did it so well that only one person in our entire school figured out it was you, and even then she admitted it was a lucky guess. All of your friends are girls, have you noticed? Jun, if it weren't for the fact that you come to school in a boys uniform and happen to be very flat-chested," Tomoe reached across and laid a hand against said chest, prompting Jun to turn a noticeable shade of crimson, "I'd seriously wonder about you."

When Tomoe had removed her hand, Jun leaned his arms on the armrest furthest from her and then slumped his face down onto them, sulking. "You're totally exaggerating things. I mean I'm a guy, okay? Anyone can see that."

Tomoe said nothing, letting her silence speak for itself, much to Jun's annoyance. It was more annoying because she was right, loathe though he was to admit it. She'd neglected as well to outright say that she had a crush on him, yet obviously reserved such feelings for other girls. Meaning that either he was an exception, or ... he sort of wasn't. Probably the latter.

After a while he said, "She's not."

"Not what?"

"Not out of your league. As far as leagues go, you're at the top. I can't say if she's that way inclined, but if she is then you definitely have a chance."

"Thanks ... Jun-chan."

Jun groaned. "Knock that off!"

Tomoe leaned closer to Jun, gripping the armrest nearest her and smiling impishly. "Tell me Jun, did you try on any of the costumes you made for the play?"

"No."

"Did you try on the costume I'm wearing? I bet you did. I bet you looked nice in it," Tomoe teased, her voice as soft and sweet as honey. Jun rounded on her, hoping to mask his obvious embarrassment with anger.

"You know, I'm really trying hard right now not to hit a girl," he snapped. Tomoe didn't buy his attitude for a second; Jun could read her after knowing her for so many years, and likewise she could tell what he was really feeling. Right now, it certainly wasn't anger.

"Actually, it's not so bad for a girl to hit another girl, so feel free."

Jun jumped to his feet and yelled at the top of his voice, "I'M A GUY!" Which caused everyone in the entire hall to stop what they were doing and stare at him. It wasn't packed as most people were on their way home by now, but there was still at least a half dozen drama club members present. Jun wilted under their combined stares and slipped back into his chair, hiding his face behind his hands and wishing fervently that he were dead.

One of the things about being back at school was that when school was finished, Jun, Nori and Tomoe could walk home together. This was something Nori enjoyed a lot, or at least had until just recently (given her behaviour after Suigintou's infamous dinner). When Tomoe waved them goodbye and headed for her house, Nori and Jun walked on in silence. Normally Nori would be quizzing Jun about how his day had been, but not today. He knew why she was silent, and he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to say something to her about it. For now though he wanted to ask her something else.

"Hey Nori..."

His sister jumped, startled. "Umm, yeah?"

"I was just wondering ... do you think I'm too ... too much of a girl?"

Nori seemed momentarily relieved that he wasn't going to mention the thing she'd been dreading. She then frowned as she considered his question. "Of course not, you're my little brother."

Jun put his hands behind his head and leaned his head back against them. "I know, it's just that Tomoe made a pretty convincing case earlier. I have no guy friends I hang out with and I do happen to do a lot of girly stuff."

"Well yeah, but..." Nori struggled to come up with a convincing argument but she couldn't really argue with that. After a while she smiled and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it so much. You're you, you know? Just be yourself and forget about what other people say."

Jun lowered his arms and stared at his sister, feeling vaguely bemused. Nori could be a real ditz sometimes, but she could also say some pretty sensible and reassuring things as well. He smirked and looked ahead as they approached the front door to the Sakurada household. "Yeah, well I bet you'd never catch Rozen wearing a dress..."

It's amazing the effect a few little words can have on reality. Things like 'Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing...' and 'Relax, nothing can go wrong...' can produce disastrous results even if the person would normally have no problems. It's almost as if the universe will bend over backwards just to prove someone wrong in a certain situation. How else could it be explained then, when they opened the front door and found Rozen standing in the hallway.

Wearing a kimono. And makeup.

Cosmic Joker - 1

Jun Sakurada - 0

"Oh hey, you're back!" Rozen grinned and waved to them as if nothing were amiss. He frowned suddenly and held out a hand to catch their attention. "Say, do I have a doll on me?" He spun around and sure enough, Hinaichigo was hanging from the back of his (or rather Nori's) kimono. She quickly climbed up and perched herself atop his head in a familiar fashion, laughing happily as she did. Rozen turned to face them and peered upwards. "Actually, never mind."

Half an hour later Rozen was back in his own clothes and most of the makeup had been wiped away. Jun sat and watched him remove the last of it as Suiseiseki pointed out the bits he missed.

"Seriously," said Jun, "Why?"

Rozen jabbed a thumb at Suiseiseki. "Her idea. She said it was only fair, seeing as I dressed her twin sister up as a boy." He frowned and glanced across the room to where Souseiseki sat whispering to Shinku, "Souseiseki doesn't seem to mind all that much though." He got up suddenly and strolled over to the doll in question. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. Rozen leaned on the table and put his face a few inches away from hers. He was still amazed by the quality of the Maiden dolls and marvelled at how well made they were. Technically this meant that he was gushing over his own work, though he seemed to hold as much affection for them as admiration at his craftsmanship.

Souseiseki blinked and smiled nervously. "What is it, Father? Is something the matter?"

Rozen cupped his chin with his hands and watched her closely. "I was just wondering ... would you rather I made you as a boy?"

Souseiseki gaped at him, stunned by his question. Shinku and Suiseiseki seemed equally as flabbergasted. Rozen decided to clarify. "I mean since I haven't made you yet, who's to say I can't do something different with you when I do get round to it? You don't seem to mind the fact that I made you a boyish doll and gave you boys clothes. If it'd make you happy, I can just make you a boy doll. If that's what you want. Well?"

Souseiseki reeled at the prospect of his offer. She glanced across at Shinku, though if the fifth Rozen Maiden had any opinion on the matter she did not voice it. Souseiseki lowered her gaze and sighed, realizing that it was her own opinion that mattered. And once she thought about it, the answer came to her almost at once. There was nothing to think about, really. She raised her gaze back up to her father's expectant expression and shook her head once.

"No. Thank you for the offer Father, but I'm happy the way I am."

Rozen's face split into a wide grin and he planted both his hands on the table and pushed himself upright. "Good. I like you just the way you are as well."

Suiseiseki abruptly jumped up into Jun's lap, startling him. She smirked, which was never a good sign with her. "I bet you wish someone would make you the same offer, right Jun?" she waved a finger under his nose and giggled, "I can so guess what you'd say..."

Jun snarled and grabbed hold of her, lifting her up. "Hey Rozen, how about you do us all a favour and just skip making this doll altogether?" he suggested. It wasn't a serious suggestion but Suiseiseki looked scandalised all the same.

"How can you say that, you ... you horrible human, you! We have a covenant together, doesn't that mean anything to you?" She swung her legs and managed to land a solid kick on Jun's nose. He promptly dropped her and clutched at it with a cry of pain. Suiseiseki picked herself up and dusted her dress off, scowling at him. "Really now, you're supposed care for me, not arrange for me to stop existing!"

"You hit me you rotten doll! My nose! Dammit that hurts!"

"It so serves you right. You can just - waah!" Suiseiseki stopped mid-sentence as Rozen picked her up from behind. He turned her around and tickled the tip of her nose, chuckling as he did so.

"You've got a right little temper, haven't you?" he said. Jun lowered his hands and revealed a very sore red nose.

"Yeah, no kidding. That doll's a menace," he muttered. Suiseiseki laughed.

"Honestly, my Master is such a big baby. If it weren't for Shinku and me he'd so be dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Whatever," Jun threw himself back in his chair and crossed his arms in a huff. "Have you come up with a plan to get us to Germany yet?"

Rozen carefully set Suiseiseki down and tickled her once more for good measure. Then he bounced upright and dramatically pointed at Jun. "Yes! Well, no ... I have a thing. It's sort of like a plan but ... better. Just wait. First thing tomorrow I'll have us in Lebensbaum. Trust me, I'm a..." he paused and peered up at the ceiling as he thought through all the things he was, which didn't take very long, "Well I'm just a kid, but I'm basically trustworthy, so you can certainly trust me. Take my word for it. It's a good word. It should be, after all it's my word and I'm trustworthy so..." he trailed off as he lost his train of thought. He blinked and then suddenly pointed at the door. They all watched it expectantly, and a few seconds later it was pushed open by Hinaichigo.

"Hey, everyone, guess who's here!"

Jun groaned. "Nothing good ever starts with 'guess who's here'."

It turned out to be Suigintou, who entered behind Hina and cast her gaze about the room until she spotted Rozen. She gasped as she saw him and raised a tightly clasped hand to her chest. "Father?"

Rozen clapped his hands to his cheeks and very nearly squee'd with delight, his emerald eyes sparkling. It reminded Jun of when Nori had first met Shinku. The reaction was practically the same. "Another one! And she has wings! Seriously now, how many kids do I have?"

Suigintou gave Rozen a good look at her wings when she spread them wide and shot across the living room like a doll-shaped bullet. She collided with him and knocked him to the floor. Strands of her long white hair brushed his face as she knelt on his chest, and she gazed into his eyes with such intensity that he was struck speechless. Black feathers rained down about them. Suigintou smiled, as if she had finally found something very precious to her after years of searching. Which wasn't that far from the truth.

"Oh Father ... I am Suigintou, and I am ... your first."