Rozen Maiden: Märchen
EPISODE TWELVE
First and Last
Hinaichigo lay sprawled on her back, her dress in tatters, her body marked by dozens of tiny holes. Kanaria was no better off. Both dolls were lifeless. Broken. Their Rosa Mysticas taken from them. White rose petals lay everywhere, making it painfully clear what had transpired. Shinku fell to her knees and stared at them both in utter dismay, despair swallowing her up inside.
How had this happened? How had everything gone so completely wrong? Barasuishou certainly had not helped matters. It was shocking to see her again, doubly so to see her joining forces with the very doll she'd defied time and again. Shinku couldn't begin to imagine what had prompted such a change of heart in the Enju doll. It was as if she'd forgotten everything she'd learned since being revived by Rozen. Was that why Father had brought her back in the first place? To help Kirakishou?
Shinku didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore, besides the fact that her sisters had once again fallen victim to the Alice Game, and this time she did not think Father would step in and undo the damage again as he'd done before.
"Damn them!" Suigintou snarled, turning sharply away from the sight of her stricken sisters. Shinku tried to close her eyes, then felt a stab of renewed pain as she remembered that she only had one now. She clutched at the front of her dress and grimaced.
"What of Suiseiseki and Souseiseki ..."
Suigintou exhaled heavily and lifted her gaze upwards. "Gone. Can't you feel it?"
Shinku shook her head solemnly. "I cannot feel anything except despair. What have we done, Suigintou? Father did not want this. Of that I am certain."
The light began to fade as Hinaichigo's N-Field started to shut down. The little broken blond doll sank into a puddle of bright blue-white light until she too was gone, Kanaria following soon after. Within moments Shinku and Suigintou were left standing in utter darkness, the only light remaining cast by a new portal a short distance away, waiting for them to depart.
"Then it falls on us, Shinku," Suigintou whirled around to face her, determination lining her stern features. She narrowed her pinkish eyes, steeling herself for the final confrontation. "It's two against two now. Us against them."
"Us against them," Shinku echoed morosely, giving a humourless chuckle. "Sad that it has come to this. For all that I wished to find another way, it would seem that our fate remains unchanged."
Suigintou said nothing. Her expression softened as she stared at Shinku's back, the fifth doll still kneeling. After a moment of silence Suigintou turned away and gently laid her hand on her abdomen - a part of her she had lacked for the longest time. Father had tried to spare her the pain of playing the Alice Game, of fighting her sisters. He'd left her unfinished for so long, until finally he'd taken pity on her and gave her what she wanted. He gave her a Rosa Mystica, wings, a complete body. He'd brought her back time and time again, because her desire to be with him had been so strong.
And now? She still wanted to be with him, but she didn't want to fight any more. Oh, how ironic. Just a year ago she'd felt the complete opposite. She'd treated Shinku with scorn for wanting another way, for wanting to abandon the Game and be with her sisters. Now here she was, the proud first of the Rozen Maidens, wanting the exact same thing. She was just like Shinku now. If she were to come face to face with her past self, that Suigintou would likely spit in her face now out of disgust.
Suigintou looked up and stared deeply into the dark abyss that surrounded them, not looking at anything in particular as her thoughts drifted towards her father.
"Father ... can't you stop this?" she whispered into the darkness, "Shinku is right, this can't be what you want ... can it?"
No answer. Of course not. How many times had she spoken aloud to Father, hoping that he might be listening and might speak out in return? Still, she had to believe that he was watching over her. Every time she had fallen, he'd been there to bring her back. First when Souseiseki had cut her down, then when Shinku had defeated her. Even when Barasuishou had ... every time he brought her back. Every time.
Would he this time, if she fell again?
Somehow ... she didn't think so. This was truly the end. The end of the Rozen Maidens. Somehow she sensed that this was her last life, and that there would be no second chances. Not anymore. And with that in mind ... what should she do?
"Suigintou."
She turned. Shinku stood facing her, wearing an expression that Suigintou found a little worrying to behold. The fifth doll tossed something at her, something that glinted in the light of the open portal. Suigintou snatched it out of the air and glanced at it. It was the key to Pandora's Box.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked, looking back up at Shinku. Her sister strode over to her, stopped before her and then gazed deeply into her eyes, her expression sorrowful.
"Because I cannot go on."
Suigintou's eyes widened, taken back by her words. What did she mean by that? She reached out and grabbed a hold of the green ribbon on the front of Shinku's dress.
"What are you saying? You're not just giving up, are you?"
"I am."
She couldn't believe it. Shinku ... giving up? Preposterous! In all her years of feuding with her little sister, Suigintou had never known Shinku to admit defeat. Her will was indomitable. Shinku reached up and gently laid her hand upon the one Suigintou used to grasp her ribbon, her features softening.
"I have failed Father," Shinku went on, her voice full of weary resignation, "And I have failed my sisters. I am no longer worthy of becoming Alice."
Unbelievable. Suigintou's face contorted angrily, her grip on Shinku's dress tightening. "Shut up!" she snapped, "You don't know what you're saying!"
"Suigintou-"
"How dare you!" Suigintou cut her off, yanking her sister towards her, "You're the one Father wants, Shinku! You're the one he chose! From the very beginning it was always you!" She stopped for a moment and then released Shinku, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing. "I've always been jealous of you. Deep down some part of me knew you were special, and that I was ..." Suigintou turned her head away, unable to look Shinku in the eye, "I was ... less than you."
"That is not true, Suigintou ..."
She scoffed and regarded Shinku once more. "Isn't it? Despite everything I still feel like a piece of junk. But one thing I'm certain of - if anyone can become Alice, if anyone should become Alice, it's you Shinku."
Shinku actually managed to smile at her, and tilted her head a little to one side. "You underestimate yourself, Suigintou. You have changed so much. You don't see it, do you? You've stopped hating me. You no longer want to harm anyone. When you had the chance to run away, you came back, because you saw how much it pained me to leave everything behind. You have grown from an obsessive, spiteful creature, into a beautiful and caring woman." Shinku reached up with her hand and laid it against the side of Suigintou's face, smiling with genuine warmth. "Suigintou ... you are simply radiant. You're finally ready to prove to everyone that you truly have what it takes to be the perfect girl. And that is why I am giving you my Rosa Mystica."
Suigintou couldn't be more shocked if Detective Kunkun appeared and gave a heartfelt marriage proposal to her. She was struck speechless by Shinku's words, both her praise and her final announcement. She reached up and gently pulled Shinku's hand away as she gaped at her sister.
"What? I don't ... how can you-"
"Shhh," Shinku pressed a silencing finger over Suigintou's lips, "This is my choice to make. It occurs to me now that we never had to fight to become Alice. We could have elected to give ourselves willingly to one of our sisters, so that Alice could be born from an act of selflessness - six sisters sacrificing themselves of their own free will so that one sister might peacefully become Alice. Without fighting. Without bloodshed."
"Shinku-"
"We never needed Pandora's Box. All we ever really needed was to learn to be on good terms with each other, and decide between us who should carry the light of truth. In the end, Alice will be born when our souls are united together as one."
Shinku bowed her head and cupped her hands together. A moment later a dazzling red light shone brightly as her Rosa Mystica emerged from within her. Shinku held it in her hands, admiring the beauty of it, the halo of rainbow coloured lights surrounding the tiny red gemstone. Suigintou remained wordless, completely at a loss by Shinku's decision.
"Suigintou," Shinku smiled earnestly at her, "I freely give you my light. Take it without remorse or regret."
Suigintou shook her head, doubt and uncertainty clouding her features. "No, Shinku, I ..."
"This is what you have always wanted. In all our years fighting one another, never did it occur to me that I could have ended our feud at any time by simply giving you what you wished. The perfect girl must be selfless, Suigintou. I selflessly give you my heart and soul, and you in turn selflessly wish for me to keep them. You are ready to become Alice now, Suigintou."
Before Suigintou could utter another word of protest, Shinku surged forwards and pressed her gleaming Rosa Mystica into Suigintou's torso. The red light faded as it sank into her, filling her with a brilliant shining radiance of her own. As Shinku's empty body dropped, Suigintou shone like a nova, her entire body brimming with an intense, overwhelming warmth.
Shinku's Rosa Mystica. Her thoughts, her feelings, her memories, everything that made her Shinku. Suigintou felt it all fill her body and mind, surging through her like a tidal wave, giving her strength. More than that, she felt Shinku's love for her, for Jun, for their sisters and for Father. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She cupped her hands to her face and gasped, for the first time in her life knowing with utter certainty how Shinku actually felt. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced.
Her aura faded and she closed her eyes for a long moment, standing there alone in the darkness, letting Shinku's essence flow freely through her. A smile of heartfelt gratitude and love spread across her face. Finally she opened her eyes. Shinku's body was gone, but the shimmering portal remained. Suigintou strode purposefully towards it and gave a confident twirl as she stood upon it.
"It's time to end it," she said as she sank down into the portal and vanished.
Kirakishou and Barasuishou were waiting for her in the main hallway of the seventh doll's glittering crystal palace. They stood side by side, waiting for Suigintou and Shinku to come to them. When they saw only the first Rozen Maiden march into the hall, they both exchanged a look.
"Shinku did not come," said Kirakishou.
"She did not," Barasuishou concurred.
"You're wrong," Suigintou called out to them, coming to a stop, "Shinku is here, inside me."
They stared at her, then exchanged another look.
"Interesting ..."
"Very interesting ..."
"I have no wish to fight either of you," Suigintou said flatly, "Yet I suspect I have no choice. If I do not, you will harm the humans you have prisoner."
"We will," said Kirakishou.
"Indeed we will," Barasuishou affirmed. Suigintou sighed, smiling faintly.
"Father instructed that we should never harm humans," she pointed out, "You should have listened to him, sister."
Kirakishou grinned and summoned a crystal sword. "I shall apologise to him," she said, brandishing the weapon, "when I am Alice."
Barasuishou summoned a crystal sword of her own, both dolls now standing ready to fight. Suigintou looked from one to the other, calculating. She was at a disadvantage. Not only was it two against one, each of them had two extra Rosa Mysticas, and Kirakishou had a Medium. No doubt she would also be sharing her Medium's power with Barasuishou given the connection they seemed to have between them.
Outnumbered, outclassed and pretty much outgunned. In theory, Suigintou didn't stand a chance. Nevertheless she wasn't afraid, nor worried overmuch. There was more to victory than just power, she knew that now. And now she had Shinku. If anything she pitied them, because they had no idea what they were up against, and no clue what was about to hit them.
"Watch me, Father," Suigintou whispered, "I shall not disappoint you."
Flexing her hands, she summoned two swords, her wings growing large as she smiled. Kirakishou and Barasuishou hesitated briefly, uncertainty flickering across their faces as they saw the look in Suigintou's eyes. Something about it made them pause, though only for a moment. Regaining their resolve, they attacked.
Blades clashed and rang out as Kirakishou and Barasuishou attacked relentlessly, showing no mercy. Suigintou expected none, and effortlessly fended their attacks off, deflecting their blades with her twin swords. The battle took to the air as all three dolls rocketed about the crystal hallway, attacking, countering, parrying and thrusting. Suigintou turned aside a vicious sideswipe and then cartwheeled around Barasuishou, slipping behind the Enju doll and lashing out. As she spun and blocked the attack, Suigintou made a follow up attack with her second sword, using her first to force Barasuishou's weapon down and away, rendering her defenceless.
It would have worked, had Barasuishou not summoned Souseiseki's gardening shears to block the attack. She disengaged and then launched a flurry of attacks with both weapons, Suigintou's swords dancing in a blur of motion as they fought to keep up with the onslaught. Meanwhile Kirakishou had teleported behind her eldest sister, and bore down on her with the point of her blade. She was stopped short when Suigintou's wings morphed into fierce dragon heads, their wide jaws snapping at her even as Suigintou continued to battle Barasuishou. She was forced to turn her attempted backstab into a flying retreat, the dragon heads giving chase across the hallway, howling at her as they pursued her.
Flying backwards away from them, Kirakishou summoned Kanaria's violin and plucked at the strings, sending a concussive blast of sound at the snapping dragon heads to disorient them. With a wave of her hand she called up a mixture of strawberry and rose vines, snaring them both. As they writhed and thrashed about in an effort to break free, Kirakishou flailed her arms at them, sending a massive wave of white rose petals towards them. It connected and they exploded ... into an equally massive cloud of black feathers, which proceeded to aim themselves at her and then shoot at her like a thousand speeding darts. Flinching, Kirakishou directed all her energy towards shielding herself from the onslaught with a protective barrier.
Back with Barasuishou, the Enju doll lost her crystal blade when Suigintou brought both of her swords around in opposing arcs that connected against Barasuishou's sword and shattered it completely. Barasuishou shot back through the air and conjured Suiseiseki's watering can. Spraying sparkling water about the hallway, Suigintou was forced to dodge about as branches shot out from the walls and floor, threatening to catch her off guard and knock her off balance. As she concentrated on avoiding these, Barasuishou zipped about and tried to snip her wings from her back using the gardening shears. She was thwarted when Suigintou hovered on the spot and spun around and around repeatedly, unleashing wave after wave of red rose petals that tore apart the branches and sent Barasuishou spiralling into the far wall. She crashed into it, cracking the crystal, and lay there, momentarily stunned.
Before she could take advantage of this, Suigintou was forced to defend herself from Kirakishou once more, blocking a jet of white rose petals with a hastily conjured shield. As the seventh doll bore down on her with her crystal blade, Suigintou transformed both of her own swords into black feathers and fired them at Kirakishou. Caught off guard by this, she was forced to twist and dodge to avoid them, and was caught further unawares when Suigintou appeared beside her wielding Shinku's cane. She hooked Kirakishou around the neck with it and then hurled her through the air, where she smacked into Barasuishou just as the Enju doll was in the process of pulling herself out of the wall.
Both dolls plummeted to the floor and hit it heavily, landing in a sprawled heap together. Suigintou landed lightly a short distance away, tossing the cane aside. As her opponents struggled to their feet they were subjected to a shattering impact from Suigintou's wings, which slammed into them both and wrapped around them, squeezing tightly as they lifted the dolls into the air. Kirakishou and Barasuishou writhed in the vice-like grip of Suigintou's black feathers, the Enju doll crying out in pain at one point. Kirakishou shimmered and vanished, teleporting away.
Once Suigintou was satisfied that the seventh doll was not around, she directed her now free second wing towards Barasuishou, engulfing the poor unfortunate doll completely in a cocoon of black feathers. She squeezed and squeezed, intending to crush the doll within altogether. Before she could, a shaft of scorching violet light broke free, and a moment later the tips of Suigintou's wings exploded from a burst of intense energy. Barasuishou floated serenely down, glowing with a bright nimbus of light.
Whereupon Suigintou punched her, sending her careering through a set of double doors. She sailed through the air and landed upon a gleaming crystal dining table. As Barasuishou struggled to her feet, Suigintou sent a combined blast of rose petals and feathers at her, which she barely managed to shield herself from. As the projectiles were scattered though, Barasuishou lowered her hands just in time to see Suigintou shooting towards her, fist first, and took another punch to the face.
She flew into a mirror, shattering it. There she lay in a sprawled heap of broken glass, within a room full of mirrors. Suigintou strode through the empty frame of the broken mirror, calmly picked Barasuishou up and hurled her into another mirror. This time however the Enju doll melted through the reflective surface, vanishing from sight. Suigintou stared at the rippling mirror for a second, then extended her hand. One of the broken shards at her feet shot up into her outstretched hand. She then spun on her heel and hurled the shard like a shuriken.
It buried itself in Barasuishou's forehead, just as she was in the process of sneaking up on Suigintou after emerging from the mirror behind her. The shard severed the string of her eyepatch, which promptly slipped away from her face and fell to the floor. Barasuishou gaped widely for a long moment, then fell back onto the floor and did not get up again.
"That was for the twins," Suigintou muttered, extending her hand to beckon for her sisters stolen Rosa Mystica. The red gemstones floated up from Barasuishou's body and drifted into Suigintou, filling her with warmth as she absorbed them. When their light had faded, she strode away from the fallen doll and stared up at the ceiling.
"Kirakishou!" she called out in challenge, "It's just you and me now. Show yourself!"
Suigintou heard a sound from behind. Turning, she saw that one of the mirrors was glowing with a white light. Taking a deep breath, she took off and sailed into portal, ready to face the final Rozen Maiden doll for the final time.
It was a field of roses, stretching as far as the eye could see. An alternating mixture of white and black roses, beneath a swirling grey sky, lit by the occasional flash of lightning. An accompanying roll of thunder boomed across the field of flowers as Suigintou and Kirakishou faced off against each other.
"The first and last Rozen Maiden dolls," observed Kirakishou, all trace of giggling, grinning humour gone from her now, "Somehow I always knew it would come to this. Are you excited?"
"No," said Suigintou flatly, staring her sister down as white and black rose petals floated in the air between them. Kirakishou narrowed her mismatching eyes.
"No?"
"No. Should I be?"
"I should certainly think so. This is the final battle of the Alice Game, big sis. Whichever one of us wins this fight shall become Alice. Our entire lives, our very existence has lead us to this one moment. After centuries of fighting, we arrive here, now. The End."
Suigintou sighed and took a moment to consider the gravity of the situation. "I suppose then that now is the time to say something profound ..." She frowned and then shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind. Oh well. Are you ready?"
Kirakishou raised her hand and summoned a fresh white crystal blade. "For what it is worth, big sis, I shall miss you when I am Alice."
Suigintou summoned her own sword and pointed the tip at her little sister, giving a wry smile. "For what it is worth, Kirakishou, I appreciate the sentiment."
They stood for a long time, neither moving, each staring the other down. Suigintou couldn't help thinking how overly dramatic the entire thing was, but then it couldn't be helped. It would be hard to imagine the stakes being any higher than they were now.
Kirakishou made the first move. She whipped her free hand around and plucked Kanaria's violin out of the air, before bringing her sword across and drawing the flat of the blade over the strings. This released screeching waves of concussive air, tearing through the roses between her and Suigintou. In response, Suigintou produced Suiseiseki's watering can and drenched the ground at her feet, blocking the sound waves with a wall of branches that sprang forth. As the sound waves blasted the branches apart, Kirakishou leapt through the scattered splinters and shot a mix of strawberry and rose vines from her hand, grappling Suigintou's sword. Suigintou replaced the watering can with the shears and used them to cut the vines snaring her main weapon.
The dolls finally clashed, blade against blade, then sprang apart. White and black rose petals filled the air and thunder boomed overhead. They each sent a surge of glowing rose petals directed at the other, the two blasts impacting together and dispersing.
"Rosary!" Kirakishou cried, summoning her artificial spirit and directing it to attack Suigintou.
"Meimei!" Suigintou replied, hurling her own artificial spirit in counter attack. The two spirits zipped around each other before connecting. The resultant energy release created a shockwave that tore a crater into the ground.
As white and black rose petals and broken stems rained down, the two dolls came at each other again. Kirakishou unleashed a storm of crystal projectiles at her sister, whilst Suigintou replied in kind with a hurricane of black feathers. Projectiles struck projectiles, knocking each other out of the air as the first and last Rozen Maiden dolls crashed together in one final almighty clash of blades.
Everything suddenly became still. Black feathers and white rose petals drifted slowly from the sky, Suigintou and Kirakishou standing before one another with their respective weapons held tight. A much more subdued roll of thunder washed over the combatants. Seconds passed, the two dolls staring into each others eyes.
Kirakishou smiled.
"Got you."
Suigintou glanced down to confirm her worst fears. Kirakishou's crystal blade had pierced her abdomen, impaling her. Her own sword fell from her grasp and clattered to the ground. Her eyes widened at the sudden pain that coursed through her body, made all worse by the horrible irony of the situation. The blow that had cost her the Alice Game had been landed on the very body part that her father had originally left her without.
Oh, that was so very unfunny.
Suigintou looked up once more into her little sister's now ecstatic face. She'd ... lost. After everything, she had ... lost. It was as simple as that. Her life flashed before her eyes, moments of joy, moments of heartache, time she had spent with Father, with Megu, and with Shinku. The times she had hurt her sisters and the times she had helped them. The best and worst moments of her life.
And all of it had been, in the end, for nothing.
Because she had lost.
"No," she said, feeling an odd burst of warmth shoot through her. Kirakishou tilted her head, regarding her oddly.
"No?" She twisted the blade sharply, prompting Suigintou to flinch and cry out.
"No!" Suigintou screamed, suddenly glaring at Kirakishou. She reached out and grabbed a hold of the crystal sword impaling her. "I ... will not let it ... end ... not like this." She gasped and pulled herself further along the blade, shoving it deeper into her abdomen and bringing herself closer to her sister. Kirakishou frowned and tried to tug her weapon free, but by now Suigintou was close enough to reach out and grab a hold of her.
"Let go," Kirakishou commanded. With tears streaming down her face, Suigintou ignored her and gripped her sister tight.
"You!" Suigintou snarled, her entire body trembling now, "All of this is because of you. We were all happy together. If it were not for you, we might have been able to do as Shinku believed we were meant to do. Alice could have been born without ... without fighting."
"Release me!"
"But you ... so selfish, so obsessed ... so like I used to be ..."
"GET OFF!"
"I am Suigintou, proud first of the Rozen Maiden dolls, and I will not let such a wretched, insolent and horrid little sister become Alice!"
Suigintou burst into flames, burning blue fire that engulfed her and - because she was holding tightly onto her - Kirakishou as well. The flames ate at them both, devouring their dresses and hair, scorching their skin, consuming the two dolls with frightening intensity. Kirakishou screamed and tried desperately to free herself, but it was no use. When at last she realised it was futile, she gazed forlornly into Suigintou's eyes and wept.
"I'm sorry, big sis."
"Too late," said Suigintou.
The first and last Rozen Maiden dolls lay together in the middle of a huge crater, surrounded by black feathers and white rose petals, the flickering blue flames spluttering and then dying as the doll that fuelled them ceased to be.
The Rozen Maidens were no more.