I'm back! I told you all to expect more frequent updates from me, so of course the universe decides to make my computer fry. Again. Funny. So yeah, I haven't been able to post any updates for quite a while. But I have a new computer now and I'm back in business.

I'd like to give a special thanks to Atama Ga Kuru Teru for reviewing every chapter. I'm glad you like my little fic and I hope it continues to be a worthwhile read. Sorry about the yuri, but I'm a big fan of it (and also kinda biased towards it). I doubt there'll be much more of it as I'm on the last few episodes now and things are going to be more plot focused (well, in theory).

I also want to say sorry for taking so long to update this, but it was due to circumstances beyond my control. This chapter may not be very good either, as I'm out of practice (and stressed). There will be one final chapter before I wrap up episode nine, making this the longest episode of Märchen yet. The final three episodes are pretty much planned out though, so I do know what I need to write. I just have to ... y'know, write it.

One final thing (you know you can skip the author notes at the start, right? Go ahead, I do tend to ramble) I am going to update the Wizard of Oz, it's just that I had the next chapter of that written up and I lost it when my computer died. So I have to work up the energy to write it again. I'll probably finish episode nine of this before I get round to that.

Rozen Maiden: Märchen

EPISODE NINE

Raindrops

Tomoe and Nori sat together in the living room drinking tea. Hina was lying flat on the floor drawing pictures with her crayons (on paper this time, as Jun really didn't like it when she drew on the floor itself), humming cheerfully to herself. Nori cradled her cup in her hands, her brow furrowed with worry.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Tomoe assured her. Nori sighed and set her cup down on the table.

"I'm sure you're right." She decided to change the subject to try and cheer herself up. "So I hear the play was a big success. I guess it was a good thing Jun was able to fill in for Yuna at the last minute like he did."

Tomoe hesitated, wondering if she should tell her or not. "Yes ... Jun might want to take a few days off school though."

Nori stared at her, puzzled. "Huh? Why?"

"Umm, well..." Tomoe frowned, trying to carefully phrase her next words, "It's just that some of the people in our class can be a bit cruel, and I think they might say or do something that would hurt him."

"What are you saying? Jun was great in the play and it was a big hit because of him. Why would they want to hurt him for that?"

Tomoe regarded Nori carefully for a long moment, wondering if she really was that naive. Surely she'd heard some of the things people had been saying after last night? She must have some clue. "Think about it Nori; Jun has always been teased for the things he does. He was already getting a lot of attention just for designing and making the costumes for the play, but to actually go out and perform in the part he did ... he dropped out of school for something far less embarrassing than that."

Nori wilted a little, finally understanding her meaning. "I guess ... but Jun's a lot stronger now than he used to be," her eyes narrowed with sudden determination and she looked up and gave Tomoe a firm nod, "In that case we're both just going to have to be extra supportive of him. I wont let him drop out of school again, and if anyone is going to pick on him just because he helped out then I'm going to tell them to shut up!"

Tomoe was taken aback by her firmness, but she fully agreed with her attitude. As it was, the fact that Jun had dressed up and performed as the Wicked Witch might not cause him as much grief as she feared, given the massive Rozen Maiden battle that had occured on stage the same night. As many people were discussing that as they were Jun, and the few people at school that hadn't already checked out Jun's blog were now doing so in order to find out more about the dolls. He had acquired an unfortunate new nickname though, and could expect to be hailed as 'doll boy' at school come Monday. Or worse, 'doll girl'. Tomoe hoped that Nori was right and that Jun was strong enough to cope with the attention he was going to get.

"Oh! Kanaria!" Hinaichigo exclaimed. She jumped up to greet the second Rozen Maiden doll, who strolled in through the glass doors, twirling her parasol. Nori and Tomoe turned in their chairs and waved to her, and she smiled and waved back.

"Hello ladies! Oh, Miss Kashiwaba, I was hoping to find you here. Is Jun here too?"

Tomoe frowned. "Jun? No, he and the others left for a while. We don't know how long they'll be. Why? What is it?"

Kanaria stopped in the middle of the living room and glanced down at Hina's crayon drawings for a moment. "Hmm? Oh, Micchan sent me over to remind the two of you that she has a new fashion shoot set for you both tomorrow. I just offered to deliver the message for her, and maybe see that cute boy who was with Jun earlier."

Tomoe had completely forgotten about the new photo shoot. Whilst she had nothing planned for tomorrow and would be able to do it fine, she wasn't entirely sure if Jun would still be up for it. Or if he even should what with everything that had happened recently. Nori seemed confused by something.

"What boy?" she asked. Kanaria stared at her.

"The one who came to the doll shop with him. Blond, green eyes like yours truly, talks kinda funny. Really really cute, y'know?"

Hinaichigo laughed and waved her hands about. "So you met Father too! Hina is so happy that he's come to visit us."

Kanaria gaped at Hina with a mixture of frank astonishment tinged with a growing sense of horror. Her lip quivered. "W-what was that? F-father? But ... but ... he was just a boy! Father is older than that!"

Hina stared blankly back at her sister and spoke in a low voice as if she were surprised that Kanaria didn't already know. "Yes, but present Father brought past Father to the here and now so he could help Jun find a special doll for us, and past Father is young like Jun is and can speak to us and be with us even though none of us are Alice yet."

Kanaria's eyes were wide now, and her parasol dropped from her currently frozen fingers and landed on the floor behind her. She trembled slightly, her forehead twitching as her much-advertised brain (or whatever she had that passed for one) digested what Hina had just said and realized the full implications of this.

"Umm, Kanaria? Are you okay?" Nori asked, worried by the little doll's behaviour. Kanaria whimpered and spoke in a tiny little strangled voice.

"I told Father to ... to get his hands off me ... I told ... Father ..." she shook her head suddenly, seeming to snap out of whatever mental loop she'd spent the last several seconds locked in, and grabbed Hina by the front of her dress. "WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?" she demanded at the top of her voice, shaking Hina back and forth with such speed that Hina seemed to occupy two places at once. Before Hina could answer, Kanaria released her and pressed her hands to her mouth to suppress another whimper. Hina continued to rock back and forth out of sheer momentum for several seconds before coming to a stop.

"What do I do, what do I do?" Kanaria gripped the side of her head, suddenly frantic, "Think Kana, think! I'm the brainiest Rozen Maiden, I must be able to think of something! That's it!" she punched the air triumphantly, "I will find Father and tell him I'm sorry!" she lowered her hand and searched about, before turning back to Hina and grabbing her once more. "Where is he? Tellmetellmetellmey'hear!"

The dolls were taking the opportunity to explore their former home now that they were here, and Shinku had wandered off on her own through the dark, drafty old building. Memories that had long been hazy and indistinct, so old were they, swam into sharp focus now that she had found herself once more in the place where they had occurred. She would pass by a painting or an ornate set of doors, only to have the grey dreary sight before her eyes transform into the former glory of days past that she recalled. Flashes of her time spent here, with Father and her sisters.

She came to a room on the ground floor. It was as dark and derelict as the rest of the house, but Shinku saw it through past-tinted eyes and felt a surge of emotion as she recognized it. Here. This was the room in which Father had wound her for the very first time. The first time she had ever been wound. Right there on that chair across the room. She had opened her eyes for the first time, and Father was the first sight she had seen.

Shinku had slipped down from the chair and walked to him as he beckoned to her. Her steps had been faltering, jerky. Without any sense of grace or poise. She had yet to learn the lady-like mannerisms that she carried herself with now. Father hadn't minded. He was overjoyed when she stumbled into his waiting arms, and presented her with a single red rose. It was her strongest, most vivid memory of Father if she discounted her recent experiences with his younger self. She always felt warm and safe inside when she recalled it. Over the many, many years she had spent apart from him, if ever she began to doubt his love for her, or hers for him, she would remember that moment here in this room and her doubts would vanish in an instant.

She blinked and found herself in the present once more. The only sound was that of the rain beating relentlessly against the windows, a steady rhythm punctuated by the occasional deep rumble of thunder. Shinku wandered over to one of the windows and stared out across the rain swept gloom of Lebensbaum. Without thinking she pressed a hand against the glass and watched the patterns the rain made as it struck the window pane and dripped down its smooth surface.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" said Suigintou. Shinku saw her reflection in the glass but did not turn to face her. She bobbed her head lightly.

"It does."

"I must say, these past few days have been quite unexpected," Suigintou continued. She moved to stand by Shinku's side and joined her in staring out of the window, "Father appearing to us as a young boy. Bringing us back here after all these years. Helping us to find a way to avert the Alice Game."

Shinku said nothing, though she agreed with her sentiments. It was unexpected and strange, though not entirely unpleasant. She noticed Suigintou glance sideways at her, briefly, before resuming looking out of the window. She seemed to be carefully trying to word a question that was on her mind.

"Shinku ... what do you think will happen? To us, I mean. The Rozen Maidens. And Alice. How do you think ... how do you think it will all end?"

Shinku was surprised to hear Suigintou ask such a question. The Suigintou she had known for centuries would never ask such a thing, and if asked it herself would arrogantly proclaim that it would all end with herself winning the Alice Game in triumph. That she had asked was merely another sign of how much she had changed these past few months. It was ... nice. Shinku was glad for the change.

"I do not know," she confessed after several moments contemplation. She lowered her hand and turned to her sister, "Whilst I do think that Father still wishes to be with Alice, I no longer believe he wishes us to fight one another to achieve that end. Why else would he tell me to search for an alternative to the Alice Game?"

Suigintou considered her response silently, her brow furrowed. Shinku got the impression that something was bothering her, and asked what it might be. Suigintou folded her arms. "Laplace told me that Alice would be born soon," she explained, "That this was the final era for the Rozen Maidens."

"I see. And do you believe him?"

Suigintou hesitated. Well? It was difficult to say. Laplace was so enigmatic it was impossible to guess at his motivations, if he even had any. Therefore it was equally impossible to tell if he had any reason to lie or mislead. Shinku watched her carefully and could see the uncertainty in her features.

"If it troubles you so, give it no further thought," she said, "Laplace no Ma is a trickster rabbit who spins riddles and plays word games purely to frustrate and obfuscate. Nothing he has to say is worth listening to."

Which was probably true, Suigintou reflected sourly, yet she still wasn't entirely convinced. The Alice Game had been going on for several hundred years now. It had to end some time. And now the true seventh doll had appeared, not to mention this business with Pandora's Box ... the end truly did seem closer now than it ever had before. And that scared her. Loathe though she was to admit it even to herself, the prospect of the game ending frightened her more than anything else ever had.

Once again Shinku seemed to be attuned to her feelings and sensed her thoughts. She regarded her sister intently and gently laid a hand on her arm, startling her somewhat. "Tell me Suigintou; how would you wish everything to end?"

Suigintou blinked at her, completely thrown by such a question. "What? What do you mean?"

"If you could choose the outcome for the Alice Game, if you could determine how events would unfold, what would you wish to happen?" Shinku clarified for her. Suigintou stared at her younger sister, still at a loss for words. When finally she got over her surprise, she unfolded her arms and gave the question some serious thought. How would she like things to end? The answer to that should be obvious, and indeed if asked a year ago she could have rattled off an answer with utter certainty. Now however...

"I'm not sure," she said quietly, her eyes downcast. She frowned. "I want to become Alice, but I would also like it if ... if we could all be with Father. You, I, Megu, even Hinaichigo and that pretentious little Kanaria," she looked up into Shinku's serene blue eyes and found to her own amazement that she was smiling at Shinku, "But most of all Shinku, I ... I would..." she trailed off and abruptly turned away so that Shinku would not see the faint red blush blossoming on her cheeks. I would like to be with you, she had intended to say, yet the words had quite failed her. And no wonder. A small part of her that still retained her old resentments and arrogance balked at the mere thought of those words, even though they were also quite true.

Shinku stared at Suigintou's back in astonishment, as if she had heard the unspoken words all the same. Her expression softened and she clutched a hand to her chest as she felt her Rosa Mystica burn with emotion inside of her. All of this was lost on Suigintou, but she may have got the gist of what Shinku was feeling when the little blond doll embraced her tightly from behind and wrapped her arms around her, her head resting against Suigintou's back.

"Oh, Suigintou..."

Suigintou made various half-formed sounds that may have been a failed attempt at forming coherent words as she floundered about, unsure how to react. When she realized that no one else was here but the two of them and that she didn't have to act her usual haughty self, she relaxed a little and placed her own hands atop Shinku's. She smiled, a sad smile of regret. Regret at all the years of hatred and ill will she'd directed at Shinku. These past few weeks they'd spent being on comparatively good terms with one another had been her ... happiest? Had they? Perhaps so.

The smile soon faded as her old self gave her a reality check and reminded her of a certain Medium, a human boy that enjoyed Shinku's affection in a way she likely never would. Her face contorted into a scowl and she pulled away from Shinku, taking a few steps away. She hung her head and curled her hands into fists, willing the cloud of sadness and frustration that threatened to overwhelm her to disappear.

Before either of them could say anything they heard Souseiseki cry out in alarm. Suigintou glanced up at the doorway, her eyes widening. Something was wrong.

"Father!"

They were all drawn to the main hall by Souseiseki's cries, and found the front doors wide open, admitting a heavy curtain of icy rainfall. Rozen - that was to say the fourteen year old Rozen - stood in the open doorway clutching something to his chest. Jun took one look at him and concluded two significant things.

One; the thing he was clutching was an ebony black doll case not unlike the Rozen Maiden cases, and must surely be Pandora's Box itself, the very thing they'd come to find. And two; Rozen was completely soaked through and couldn't get any wetter or colder if he dived into the ocean. He was dripping a huge amount of water onto the floor and was at the same time swaying slightly, his skin a rather unhealthy shade. He looked ready to collapse at any moment, which was in fact what he then did.

As Jun forced the doors shut against the freezing wind, the dolls all rushed to Rozen's side out of concern. All save Ada, who merely stood several feet away, staring. She seemed shocked.

"He's so cold," Suiseiseki observed, pressing a hand against his damp cheek. Souseiseki knelt before the young boy and gently nudged him, almost on the verge of panic.

"Wake up, Father! Please wake up!" she pleaded, frantic. Jun approached and grabbed the doll case. He set it down to one side and knelt beside Rozen to examine him closer. It didn't take a detective to tell that he was a mess. His clothing was hardly suited for this kind of weather, and it looked as if he'd been out in it for quite some time.

"Oh man, what an idiot," Jun muttered under his breath, "He'll be lucky if he doesn't catch pneumonia or something."

"Well don't just stand there jabbering, do something you no good puny runt, you!" Suiseiseki screamed at him, obviously ignorant of the fact that insulting someone you want to help out isn't the best way to get said help. Jun sighed, not bothering to snap back at her. They really did have to do something or Rozen might actually freeze to death. And if that happened history would probably implode on itself.

"Alright, Suigintou - go and find a fireplace somewhere and get a fire going. Burn the furniture if you have to, just do it," he ordered, and was mildly surprised when she went off to do just that without so much as a scoff or a scowl. But then the dolls always did have a major soft spot for their father. He turned to the twins and jabbed a finger at them. "You guys go and see if you can find some warm blankets and a change of clothes for him."

Souseiseki stood and nodded, regaining some of her composure. Suiseiseki jumped up and barked "Roger!", and the two dolls set off. Jun turned his attention to Ada, who was still silently staring at her brother. He frowned.

"You could help them, you know," he suggested. She blinked and looked at him, before turning and following after the twins. Jun watched her go, and then was startled when he felt something tugging at his trouser leg. He glanced down and was astonished to see that it was Shinku. She was looking up at him and seemed almost frightened.

"What should I do, Jun?" she asked nervously. Jun was momentarily thrown by her uncharacteristic behaviour, but then had to refrain from smiling. Shinku was at a loss, even a little scared. Whilst the situation was hardly amusing, Jun found that just a little sweet. And of course now he got to do something he'd wanted to do ever since Shinku had entered his life. He plastered the most serious expression on his face he could manage and pointed in a random direction.

"Go make a pot of tea!" he commanded. Shinku gaped at him, momentarily torn between her concern for her father and her ingrained sense of etiquette, which insisted that servants do not give orders to their masters. Then she closed her mouth and departed to go and find the kitchen. Jun watched her leave with an immense feeling of satisfaction. Ha! Finally, he had been able to tell her to go and make the tea! Ha!

"Oh right, yeah..." he shook his head to clear out the clouds of smugness gathering there and turned his attention back to the unconscious figure of Rozen, who was currently doing a good impression of a drowned rat. Jun bent down and lifted the dripping boy up, propping him on his shoulder as best he could. Naturally he felt heavy as hell, because his clothes were carrying a fair bit of extra weight in the form of water. He spared a glance for the black doll case on the floor before setting off to find Suigintou, who with any luck would have a nice fire going.

A good fifteen minutes later Rozen stirred, drawn back to a state of wakefulness by the heat of the flames from the extravagant fireplace. He rubbed at his eyes and slowly sat upright, finding himself lying on a surprisingly snug rug and wrapped in several ancient blankets.

"'Bout time you woke up," Jun remarked. He got up from his chair and moved over to Rozen, carefully setting a cup down on the floor beside him. Rozen stared at it. It appeared to contain a liquid that smelled suspiciously like tea of some sort. Possibly. He then noticed that not all of the steam was coming from the tea; he was steaming too, water evaporating from him due to the heat of the fire.

"What happened?" Rozen managed to articulate, his head as foggy as the town outside currently was. Jun sat himself down on the floor and snorted.

"You almost got yourself killed, that's what happened. It certainly wouldn't have killed you to wrap up against the weather before you went outside."

"Oh," said Rozen, his memory reconnecting with his conscious mind and filling in an awful lot of blanks. Yes. After his confrontation with his future self he had decided to go and get Pandora's Box from the clock tower before returning to the others. In hindsight the weather was a bit too harsh to be out and about in without appropriate attire. He just hadn't thought about it, which was stupid really, but he was impulsive like that. He glanced about and frowned slightly. "Where are the others?"

"Looking for more fuel for the fire," Jun answered, "I figured you'd want them out of the way while you got dressed as well," he nodded in the direction of a neatly folded pile of clothes. They were intact, which might seem odd given that they were several centuries old, however they hadn't been in such a fit state when Ada and the twins had found them. It was only thanks to Shinku's time reversal magic and her artificial spirit that they were now whole once more.

"Oh," said Rozen again. He shuffled about and peered under the cocoon of blankets wrapped around himself. His head then jerked upright and he stared straight ahead for several seconds. "Err ... who undressed me?" he asked.

Jun flinched and looked away, blushing slightly. "I did. Your clothes were soaked through, I had to. Sorry."

"That's okay," Rozen said brightly, "At least it wasn't one of my daughters. Although given the way Suigintou looks at me sometimes I'm sure she would have enjoyed doing that." He peered suspiciously at his tea for a moment before scooping the cup up and taking a sip. The hot liquid immediately warmed him up on the inside and as an added bonus was delicious too. Shinku had made it. He didn't know how he knew that, he just did. There was a palpable and awkward silence in the air between the two of them. Rozen sighed and set his cup down. "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"Huh?" Jun tore his gaze away from the fire and glanced at him, "Ask you what?" he said, trying his very best to sound sincere. It didn't work. Rozen stared at him sarcastically (yes, he actually managed to make a stare sarcastic, really) and Jun promptly swallowed. He asked the question he'd been forcing himself not to ask. "Well I was just wondering ... are you a ... uhh, are you a ..." which was to say he tried to ask...

"Am I a girl?"

Jun's cheeks glowed red. "Yeah."

Rozen chuckled and pulled the blankets tighter about himself. "No. Although sometimes I do wonder about myself."

"But..." Jun rubbed the side of his head, obviously puzzled, and Rozen decided to take pity on him and just spell it out.

"The word you're looking for Jun, is 'eunuch'. I am a boy, I'm just ... incomplete. Or broken, some might say. Personally it's never bothered me that much. I was a bit shocked when you told me I had daughters though."

Jun stared back at the fire, his face burning as much from embarrassment as from his proximity to the hot flames. He tried to imagine what that must be like. He wanted to ask how it had happened but he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. He winced just thinking about it. In retrospect it did explain a few things at least.

"Not bother you?" Jun murmured, the firelight reflecting in the lenses of his glasses, "Seriously?"

Rozen nodded. "Seriously. I can get by in life a lot easier than I could without any, say, eyes. Or hands. Just try making it through a day without the use of your hands and tell me I have it bad." He shrugged and picked up his tea once more. "Besides, it has its advantages as well."

Jun scoffed, despite himself. "Yeah sure, maybe if you want to join a choir or something."

Rozen took another long sip of his tea, enjoying the taste. He smiled. "Well apparently I grow up to be an immortal alchemist and master dollmaker, with seven beautiful daughters. It can't have been that much of a hindrance, can it?"

Well that was certainly one way of looking at it. Jun wasn't entirely sure he'd be quite as positive about it if it were him, but then again he and Rozen weren't altogether that different. He slumped forwards and groaned wearily. "At least you managed to find Pandora's Box. Maybe now we can finally get this whole Alice thing sorted out once and for all."

"Speaking of which," Rozen frowned and cast a fresh look around the room, "Where is it?"

A sinister looking black car pulled up at the outskirts of Lebensbaum and the two occupants peered out at the foggy, rain-saturated town. They were both adult men, especially the second one who was so large that there was no possible way he could be mistaken for anything but. He had a shaved head and a thin beard beneath a pair of expensive dark shades. One might assume this was the sign of someone trying to be cool, since the weather hardly called for sunglasses, but it was actually because his eyes were slightly sensitive to the light.

They were both wearing identical dark suits, however they each wore them in a way that highlighted their personalities. The big guy (Sam was his name to those that knew him) wore his suit neat, with the jacket buttoned up and a respectable black tie knotted under his shirt collar. His companion (Max), a smaller, lightly built figure with spiky hair and a facial tattoo, was a tad messier. His jacket was unbuttoned, his shirt untucked, and he wore no tie at all. If the climate were warmer he'd probably have his sleeves rolled up as well. He grimaced at the heavy rainfall thudding against the car windows.

"What the hell are we doing back here, anyway?" he wondered aloud. It was a rhetorical question because he knew the answer already, but he asked it out of simple annoyance all the same.

"We have to find the Box," Sam reminded him, his voice deep like the rumble of thunder outside, "The boss says it's here, so here we are."

Max scowled. "Freakin ghost town, gives me the creeps. I hate this place. We should just go back and say we didn't find it. Save ourselves a huge waste of time. We already looked for the damn thing - it sure as hell 'aint here."

Sam killed the engine (and from the look of him he could probably have destroyed it as well) and removed the keys. Not like anyone was going to make off with the car, this place was lifeless after all. Still. He sighed. "The boss said Rozen's dolls are here looking for it as well. They find it for us, we take it from them. Simple."

"Simple," Max snorted, "I hate fighting dolls. Goddamned creepy things. You remember when that dollmaker guy threatened the boss and you tried to teach him some manners? That freakin doll with the eyepatch nearly killed you, Sam."

"I remember," Sam frowned at the unhappy memory. It was only because the dollmaker had called the thing off he wasn't in the ground right now. He raised one of his generously sized hands and tugged off a black leather glove. There was a dull grey metal ring around one finger. Completely unremarkable, at least in appearance. "That's why the boss gave us these," he murmured, turning his hand this way and that, "Insurance against any hostile intentions on their part."

Max glared at the ring on his own hand. "Magic rings. Magic dolls." He scoffed and pulled something from inside his jacket. "If one of those damn dolls so much as looks at me funny, I'm gonna empty this into them and not even bother to ask questions later." He pulled back the slide of his semiautomatic pistol to check that there was a round in the chamber, before shoving the weapon back in his shoulder holster.