Rozen Maiden: Märchen

EPISODE TWELVE

White Knight

Shinku and Suigintou sailed through the inky blackness of the N-Field hand in hand, doors shooting past them on all sides. If Shinku had an actual heart, she felt certain it would be racing at this point. She was dizzy with feelings she couldn't even begin to describe. Was she really going to do this? Just ... run away together with Suigintou and not look back?

Could she?

It was so very tempting. To just flee from all her responsibilities, from the life she had built. No more pressure, no more expectations. Not having to strive to please anyone but herself. Such a selfish choice, yet an enticing one as well. She flinched at the thought of Jun and Father, though. What would they think of her, if they saw her now? Saw what she was doing? The last time she had run away from Jun he had been devastated. He'd eventually tracked her down on Valentine's Day of all days and professed his love for her.

And Father. She was letting him down. He would be so disappointed in her. Out of seven dolls she was his first choice to be Alice. And here she was turning her back on him.

Shinku squeezed Suigintou's hand, prompting her sister to glance sideways at her. Suigintou could see the pain etched in her features and swiftly brought them both to a stop, rounding on Shinku with evident concern.

"What's wrong?"

Shinku gazed into her eyes, trying to draw strength from them, some kind of assurance that this wasn't a mistake. But that was silly. Of course it was a mistake. A selfish mistake. Yet she could not deny just how strongly she wanted to lose her burdens and curl up in her sister's arms. Why did things have to be so complicated?

"Shinku ..." Suigintou gently laid her hand against Shinku's face, her expression growing soft. "It's not too late to change your mind. You can still go back. I'll understand if you do."

Shinku reached up and wrapped her fingers around Suigintou's hand, taking comfort from the warmth she felt. She smiled. "I have made my choice, Suigintou, and I will not go back on it. I said I wanted to be with you and I meant that with all my heart."

Suigintou searched her expression intently, striving to read every subtle nuance and signal she could to understand how Shinku was feeling. It wasn't difficult to see and reason what was making her little sister so pained. As soon as she did, Suigintou inwardly cursed herself for what she was about to do.

"Oh Shinku, you and I are such fools," she said. She leaned close and kissed Shinku once more, because she could, and because she might not get another chance now. It was such a wonderful feeling. If only they hadn't been at odds for so long. If only things had happened differently. They could have been so very happy together.

If only.

Suigintou took Shinku's hand and pulled her along through the darkness of the N-Field.

Back the way they had come.

"Suigintou!" Shinku cried out, startled by this. "What ... ?"

"We're going back," Suigintou replied firmly, doorways flitting past them at dizzying speeds. Overcoming her initial surprise, Shinku added to her own forward momentum so that she was level with Suigintou once more.

"But why? I meant what I said, Suigintou - I would leave it all behind to be with you."

Suigintou closed her eyes briefly, smiling to herself at Shinku's words. Inside, she was mentally kicking herself in a very severe fashion. "I know Shinku, and that means more to me than you can imagine." She opened her eyes and glanced across at the blond doll, drinking in the sight of Shinku with open and earnest admiration. "But you're a good person at heart, and choosing this course is eating you up inside. It's not fair of me to ask this of you."

The two dolls drew to a stop before a collection of doorways, Shinku's normally composed features wracked with guilt. She clutched her sister's hand tight and gave her a sincerely apologetic look.

"I am sorry, Suigintou."

"Don't be," Suigintou shook her head, dismissing the apology out of hand, "Just promise me something Shinku."

"Anything."

Suigintou squeezed her hands. "Promise me that no matter what happens, we won't fight each other anymore. We're not just sisters, we're friends, and I don't ever want to fight you again."

Feeling as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her heart, Shinku smiled warmly at Suigintou and bobbed her head in assent. "I give you my solemn word, Suigintou."

"SHINKU!"

Both dolls turned their heads in time to see Hinaichigo and Kanaria barrelling towards them at breakneck speed. They screeched to a halt, visibly agitated and on edge. Indeed they seemed almost on the verge of tears, and both began babbling incoherently the second they came to a stop.

"Hinaichigo, Kanaria!" Shinku scolded, "Calm yourselves! Now, take a breath and explain. What has transpired?"

They both exchanged distraught looks, Kanaria fidgeting non-stop and Hinaichigo quivering. They seemed to reach an agreement and Hina went first, her bright green eyes wide with fear.

"It's Tomoe! Tomoe was studying in her room and I was playing, and there was a bright light and Tomoe screamed and then she was gone! Tomoe is gone Shinku! Ohhhh!" Hinaichigo wailed and started to sob. Kanaria chimed in next.

"Yeah, and Micchan is gone too! One second she was on the phone and the next she was just gone! Look!" She extended her hand and uncurled it, revealing several white rose petals. "These were on the ground where she'd been standing, y'know?"

Suigintou groaned. "Kirakishou. She must have taken them."

"W-what? You mean the seventh doll snatched Micchan?" Kanaria asked, alarmed at the prospect. "What do we do?"

"There are countless holes in this world, and many doors that hide them," said a sinister and all-too familiar voice, "Beware of doors that you cannot see, for they are cunningly hidden ..."

Laplace emerged from behind one of the doors littering the darkness, nose twitching as he spoke. His eerie red eyes fixed upon the dolls, whilst Shinku glared back at him. A visit from a trickster rabbit was the last thing they needed right now.

"As usual your presence is stifling," Shinku snapped, whilst Hinaichigo and Kanaria darted behind her and Suigintou, peering out from behind them. "What do you want?"

Laplace gave a theatrical bow that was typical of him. "If you find my presence distasteful, think of it this way; you've dozed off and what you see before you is but a dream."

"So you have said before," Shinku said, growing ever more irritated by his nonsensical remarks, "If you have nothing useful to add then leave us be, we are a bit busy at the moment."

Laplace stood upright and extended a gloved hand. A glowing white light materialised and hovered around him. They recognised it as Rosary - Kirakishou's artificial spirit. That couldn't be a good sign. A moment later the seventh doll's taunting voice echoed from the spirit.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair," it said, before giggling, "Come and see me, if you dare ..."

Suigintou scoffed. "Insolent as ever, I see."

"Gather your kin, it is time for the Alice Game to begin," said Laplace, making Rosary vanish with a simple gesture. "The light of truth shall at last be revealed."

Shinku's hands tightened into fists at her sides, her features taut. They were supposed to be avoiding the Alice Game. That was the whole reason they'd sought out Pandora's Box in the first place. If Kirakishou was invoking the Game, it could only mean she'd given up on the peaceful alternative.

"And what if we do not wish to play?" she challenged the demonic rabbit. Laplace clasped his hands behind his back and smirked at her, or whatever the rabbit equivalent was.

"The wheels of fate are in motion, it is too late for the cogs to protest. Play the game or forfeit the lives of those you hold dear," he said ominously. Shinku balked suddenly, as it occurred to her that if Kirakishou truly wanted to play the Alice Game, the best way for her to force her sisters to fight would be to do just what she was doing - abduct the people they cared about and hold them hostage. She had already taken Tomoe and Micchan, the two humans that Hinaichigo and Kanaria cared most about. What if she didn't stop there? Who else might she kidnap?

Shinku gasped as the realisation hit her.

"Jun!"

Jun Sakurada opened his eyes. It took a moment for his vision to swim into focus, and a moment more for his memory to do the same. He struggled to piece together what had happened to cause him to black out. It was awfully vague. The last thing he remembered he'd been lying on his bed, studying and trying with some difficulty to ignore the fact that he was wearing an extremely cute schoolgirl uniform. Ideas for new outfits and fashion designs kept parading around his head, distracting him from his studies. That, and a desire to giggle at himself in front of a mirror.

And then ... oh, that was it. A single white rose petal had landed on the pages of his textbook. He'd taken a moment to stare at it and wonder what the heck it was doing there, and then ...

He woke up here. Wherever here was. Where was he, exactly? It was quite comfortable, wherever it was. It actually felt like he was lying in bed still. The only thing was ... the ceiling was pink. As girly as Jun could be at times, he drew the line at having a pink bedroom.

He sat up.

"Oh man, I feel sick." Jun clutched a hand to his head as if that might help stop the waves of nausea. After a few seconds the sickness subsided and he began to feel a little better. That was when he noticed that he was wearing glasses again. Opening his eyes and peering down at himself, Jun was startled to see that he was back to his old self. Fourteen years old and wearing trousers and a t-shirt. Huh. Well that was ... good, right?

So where was he anyway? He looked around and felt immediately lost. He was in the most peculiar bedroom he'd ever laid eyes on. It looked as if the room were made from some kind of pinkish hued crystal, polished to a glossy finish. He was lying on a large bed, a soft white light streaming in through the French doors to his left. As Jun got to his feet and peered outside, his breath caught in his throat.

White as far as the eye could see. It was snowing outside, blanketing everything in a uniform milky white. He stared wide-eyed at the sight.

"How long was I out, exactly?" he wondered aloud. Last he remembered it was March. A little early for snow, especially this much. There were no buildings visible outside that he could see either, just an endless white tundra. Where the hell was he? He turned and regarded the room once more, frowning shrewdly.

"N-Field," he said eventually, "Gotta be. Great."

"You're awake!" exclaimed Kirakishou, right next to Jun's ear. He jumped with fright and spun around to see the seventh doll floating beside him. As Jun backed away from the creepy doll, she drifted closer, giggling incessantly.

"What the heck do you want?" Jun demanded. He cried out as he bumped into something and fell over, landing back on the bed he'd awoken on. The next thing he new Kirakishou was straddling him and grinning at him with a deeply disconcerting look upon her face.

"Want? I want you, of course," she said. Jun blushed at both her words and the situation he was in. Why did things like this keep happening to him?

"Oh, err ... gee, I'm flattered, really, but I don't think it'd work out. I'm fourteen, you're ... probably old enough to be my great-great-great-great-great-"

"Grandmother?"

"... yeah," he finished lamely. Kirakishou sniggered and pushed his glasses up slightly with the tip of her finger.

"Now Jun-kun, is that any way to thank the person who restored you to normal?"

"That was you?"

"Mm-hmm." She nodded. Jun swallowed.

"Thanks. I don't suppose there's any chance you'd just let me leave, is there?" he asked tentatively. It was worth a shot. Kirakishou tilted her head and gave him a bemused smile.

"Leave? But Jun-kun, you only just arrived. And I'm so lonely. Aren't you lonely too, Jun-kun?"

Jun swallowed again. Was it just his imagination, or was he being seduced by a doll? If so, then ... why did it have to be the crazy psychotic one?

"Who me?" He shook his head. "Nope. In fact I'm so not lonely I could use some peace and quiet." He wondered what would happen if he tried to shove her away and run for it. Then he remembered how easily she had subdued him on stage at the school play. He wouldn't get five feet, and he'd probably just annoy her in the process. Kirakishou leaned closer to him and lowered her voice to a soft purr.

"Such a shame Father did not make us anatomically correct ... if we were, then we'd be able to have so much fun together, Jun-kun ..."

Jun whimpered. "Don't suppose you have any cotton wool? It's just that if you're going to keep this up I think I'm going to wind up with a nosebleed."

Kirakishou kissed him. It was technically his second actual kiss. His first had been with an unconscious Tomoe, and in that case he had kissed her. So really, this was the first time he had been kissed by someone. It was so surprising that Jun actually forgot himself for a long moment and did nothing about it. At some point he wondered what Shinku was doing, and what she would say if she saw this. She'd probably slap him.

I wish I was kissing Shinku.

"Stop that!" Jun finally grabbed the doll and thrust her away from himself. "Just ... stop! I can't ... not with you."

"Mmmm," the seventh doll moaned dreamily, the expression upon her face borderline obscene. Jun grimaced, unable to believe what had just happened. Maybe Suiseiseki was right, maybe he did have a doll fetish. The rose protruding from Kirakishou's eye socket writhed in a disturbing fashion as the doll regarded him. "Don't feel so guilty," she said sweetly, "Shinku is doing the same thing as we speak."

"What?" Jun felt a jolt of pain. Kirakishou grinned.

"Her and our big sis Suigintou are locking lips even now. I would rather be kissing Suigintou myself, just as you would rather be kissing Shinku. I suppose we are both disappointed." She raised a hand to her mouth and giggled to herself. "Though I quite enjoyed the experience actually ..."

Shinku and ... Suigintou? What? Just ... what? She was lying. She was lying, right? Jun thought about it seriously.

... okay, she might not be lying. He knew Suigintou felt more than mere sisterly love for Shinku, and he wouldn't put it past her to lay one on Shinku. As Rozen had once said to him, there was a thin line between love and hate, and just lately Suigintou had been spending a lot of time on the opposite side of the line than she usually did.

Kirakishou sighed. "That's enough fun for now," she lamented, "Time for business." She clapped her hands together abruptly, and the next thing Jun knew he was falling. He lost his grip on Kirakishou and hit the ground a split second later.

"Ow!"

Jun sat up, wincing as much from the annoyance of it than any actual pain. As he cast a look around he saw that he was no longer in the pink bedroom. He now occupied some kind of eerie dark cavern, though still fashioned from pinkish tinted crystal. All about him was some manner of spider web, made from gleaming crystalline filaments. It was downright creepy. That wasn't nearly as unsettling as what he saw trapped within the crystal web.

"Tomoe!" Jun hurried towards his friend, who hung suspended above the ground in a cocoon of crystal threads. Her arms were folded across her chest and her eyes were shut, as if she were asleep. He tried to free her but she was just out of his reach. As he extended his hand in vain, he caught a glimpse of another figure. It was Micchan. And there, a short distance away was Suigintou's Medium, Megu. And next to her the Shibisakis.

Trapped. They were all wrapped and bound in Kirakishou's crystal web, seemingly lifeless. It didn't take a genius to work out the reason they were all here. Tomoe, Micchan, Megu, Mr and Mrs Shibisaki ... and of course himself. She had gathered up all of the humans her sisters cared for. They were hostages. Or bait.

"They are unharmed ... for now," said Kirakishou. Jun rounded on her, furious that she would stoop so low.

"Let them go!" he demanded. She seemed to consider it for a moment, before fixing him with her one eye whilst smiling in a vaguely demented fashion.

"Let's not."

"If this is about Pandora's Box-" Jun began. He hit a nerve, prompting Kirakishou's expression to twist and contort.

"Shut up!" she snapped, enraged. She took a calming breath before continuing. "I am through chasing that fairytale. No more dreams. My sisters will come to save you and the others. When they do I will rip them all limb from limb and reap their Rosa Mysticas."

Jun glanced about at the trapped people suspended in the web, struggling to think of some way he could help them. For the life of him he couldn't think of a thing to do. Frustrated, he turned back to Kirakishou and desperately tried to reason with her.

"Stop this," he pleaded, "Your father doesn't want you to fight each other. There's another way, it doesn't have to be like this."

The seventh doll sneered at him and floated down onto the ground, landing lightly. "Oh, but it does. And what's more, you are going to assist me. Father showed me that you would."

Jun took a wary step back from her, wondering what she meant by that and not liking the implications one bit. "Forget it, there's no way I'll help you."

She chortled and advanced towards him. "You say that as if you have a choice in the matter." As she drew near to Jun, she raised her arm towards him and he saw a flash of white light. A tiny ring materialised upon one of her fingers, drawing his full attention.

"Now," said Kirakishou with evident relish, "swear upon this rose ring ..."