Rozen Maiden: Märchen

EPISODE THIRTEEN

Alice

Jun turned away from the spectacle floating above him and rounded on Rozen, waving his arms in a frantic gesture to get his attention. The dollmaker had ceased scowling at the proceedings and now seemed quite calm and laid back about the whole thing. Jun however was anything but.

"Rozen! Aren't you going to do anything?"

He didn't answer. Jun stamped his foot as anger replaced some of the energy he'd so recently lost courtesy of his overtaxed covenant. "We trusted you! You sent us after that damn Box! You even helped us to find it! And for what? So your daughters could fight and die for nothing?"

"Don't be too hard on him, Sakurada," Laplace chided, "I'm sure he believed Pandora would help, just as you did. After all, that was why I started that little fairy tale in the first place."

Jun glared at him. "Fairy tale?"

"That story you read in the book Barasuishou gave you - a book written by Eike Grimm. Who heard the legend from Enju, who in turn heard it from yours truly. A quaint little fairy tale that had everyone hoping and dreaming for their own happily ever after. The thing is," Laplace fixed his eyes upon Jun in an altogether sinister fashion, a wry smile on his face, "Once upon a time fairy tales weren't nearly as nice as they are today ..."

Something was writhing within the crystalline egg suspended in the air, and as the cracks continued to spread light strobed out from them and cast shifting shadows across the length of the chessboard. Any second now the thing would split right open and Alice would emerge. Still angry, Jun rounded on Rozen again, who was actually smirking a little.

"Jun?" he said, speaking at long last. Jun was so thrown off guard that his anger stalled and he stared.

"... yeah?"

"Stop fretting so much."

Jun gaped at him. "How can you say that?"

Rozen stepped onto the board and strolled across the glossy surface of alternating squares, glancing about at his broken dolls and wincing occasionally. He came to a stop a few feet away from Jun and treated him to such a relaxed look that Jun was simply baffled by his behaviour.

"Because," he said, "I've known about all of this for quite some time."

"You have?" Jun said, sounding a little dubious. Rozen nodded.

"Of course. Why do you think I allowed it all to go this far? I'm not as oblivious as Laplace likes to think I am."

"We shall have to agree to disagree on that point, Rozen ..." Laplace murmured. Rozen ignored him.

"I could have taken steps to interfere with his clever little plan, but there was no need. As soon as I realised that he had overlooked something, it seemed to me the best course of action was to do nothing."

"Really," said Jun with a healthy shade of scepticism, "Nothing? That's your big plan? Would ya mind spelling it out for me? You might not be so oblivious but some of us are still in school."

"Yes Rozen, do tell," Laplace chuckled, "What precisely have I overlooked?"

Rozen looked past Jun at the smirking demon, a faint smile of his own playing across his features. "It was staring you in the face and you didn't see it, did you?"

"See what?" asked Jun, still failing to see anything but the strobing lights from the Alice gestalt.

"All the people Kirakishou abducted today. She snatched each and every one of them because they were all people my daughters cared for a great deal. You see Laplace, my daughters may have been good obedient little girls when I first made them, but lately? These last few years they've all been changing. Growing up, I suppose you could say."

Rozen strolled over to the decapitated form of Suiseiseki and knelt down beside her. He placed her severed head back upon her shoulders and made a complex series of gestures over her, movements Jun recognised as the same he used himself when repairing Kohaku and Rosetta. With a flash of golden light the damage was undone and she was whole once more, though without her Rosa Mystica she was still nothing more than an ordinary doll. Rozen reached out and tenderly brushed her cheek, smiling still as he did so.

"If I were to personally order Suiseiseki to strike down Souseiseki, she would refuse. Even though I'm her father, even though I made her. She cares too much for her twin to do something like that."

He stood and moved over to Hinaichigo, standing over the little doll in the pink dress and staring down at her with his hands in his pockets. "And Hina. If I instructed her to harm a hair on Tomoe Kashiwaba's head, do you think she would do it?" Rozen glanced up at Jun, and as their eyes met they both shared a knowing smile. "Of course not," Rozen continued, "She'd throw a tantrum instead."

"Yup," Jun murmured in agreement, knowing only too well how Hina could throw a temper tantrum when asked to do something she didn't want to do. Rozen turned on the spot and gestured to indicate all of the dolls on the board.

"It's the same story with all of them. These past few years they have all grown to love and care for each other, and for people other than their father. They started out as daddy's little girls, but now they each have desires of their own." Rozen stopped and fixed his gaze upon Laplace, who was watching him in uneasy silence, waiting for him to get to the point.

"When I paid them all a visit as a young boy, I gave some of them parting words of wisdom. Can you guess what the most important message I gave was? Not the one to Shinku. Nor the words I gave to Suigintou." Rozen turned to regard the boyish doll lying a short distance away, her hat resting on the black square beside her. "It was the thing I said to Souseiseki. That was the most important thing I ever said to one of my daughters. It's the thing that you overlooked, Laplace, and it's the thing that will be your undoing."

"And what was this message of earth shattering importance?" Laplace asked mockingly, though Jun felt sure he heard a hint of worry creeping into his voice all the same.

"I told her to put her own happiness before mine," Rozen answered simply. Laplace frowned, not understanding.

"I fail to see-" he began. He was interrupted when Rozen pulled a glittering blue diamond from his pocket and tossed it towards him. The demon caught it on reflex and stared at it.

"Recognise it?"

"Should I?"

"I should think so. That's your daughter's little puzzle. The one she gave to me to solve, no doubt as a way to implant the idea of the Rozen Maidens and the Alice Game in my mind when I was young. To perfect the stone, I had to split it into seven fragments, refine each fragment separately, and finally fuse the fragments back together again. Sound familiar?"

Even Jun could see the similarity. "It's the same thing you did with the Rosa Mystica," he said, staring at the blue diamond in Laplace's hand. Rozen leaned forwards and pointed at the stone.

"Take a close look, Laplace. A short while ago I tackled the puzzle again, using the same stone Pandora gave to me all those years ago. Only this time I did something a bit different. Can you tell what it was?"

Laplace peered intently at the blue stone, his gaze penetrating the crystalline depths of the jewel. And then he saw it; faint traces of red veins deep within the diamond, marring the otherwise uniform blue shade of the stone. As soon as Rozen saw that he had spotted them he pulled his hand back and grinned, whilst all trace of smugness had disappeared from Laplace.

"You tainted it," said Laplace flatly.

"I split it into seven fragments again, added a few ... impurities? You could call them that, though I prefer to think of it as flavour. Then I fused the fragments back together. And as you can see, that added 'flavour' of red shows up in the complete stone." Rozen turned to Jun, who was finally starting to comprehend what he was getting at. Rozen voiced his thoughts out loud anyway, eager to paint a clear picture as to just why he had stood by and done nothing throughout Laplace's machinations.

"Alice is formed from the souls of the Rozen Maidens. Everything they were becomes a part of her, including all that disobedience, desire and self-interest my daughters have picked up of late. Shinku said that Alice should be selfless. She should. Selfless, proper, obedient ... a loving, devoted daughter, perfect in every way. Jun?"

Jun stared at Rozen, his eyes wide as he listened to every word. "Yeah?"

Rozen smirked at him. "Does any of that sound like the Rozen Maidens you know?"

Jun couldn't help smiling a little himself. "Not really, no."

Rozen turned to Laplace, who did not seem as remotely confident as he had a minute ago. "Well Laplace, you may have won the Alice Game, but something tells me you haven't won Alice ..."

As if waiting for him to finish, the crystal egg finally chose that moment to hatch, releasing an explosion of light that engulfed everything present. Nevertheless it was a soft light, and did not blind or hurt the eye. Gradually it receded, and as all three of them stared up at the source of that light they were witness to the birth of the ultimate girl.

Alice.

Her reputation didn't do her justice, Jun felt. A wasp could have flown into his open mouth and he wouldn't have noticed at that moment. He didn't believe in angels, but the girl that emerged from the crystal was so much like one she could have claimed to have come from heaven and Jun wouldn't doubt her for a second.

She was no doll, that was for sure. A human (albeit angelic) girl who looked to be physically about the same age as Jun was, Alice had long flowing hair that was white as the purest snow. She wore an equally white dress, with detached bell sleeves and a soft blue corset adorned with blue silk roses. Delicate ballet shoes fitted her white stockinged feet, and a pair of white feathered wings extended from her back.

Alice descended amidst a cloud of glowing white feathers, her entire body giving off a warm aura of light. She landed a short distance away from Jun, and he saw that her face was so indescribably adorable that it made his heart melt in adoration. Then she opened her eyes and he very nearly choked.

She had Shinku's eyes. There was no mistaking it; Jun had gazed into Shinku's eyes often enough to know them as well as his own. More, even. When Alice looked at him, he felt as if Shinku were looking at him.

"Alice," Laplace called out, extending a gloved hand towards her, "Come."

Alice turned to regard the demon, giving off a scent of newly bloomed roses as she did so. Jun felt paralysed by her, mesmerised. It took every ounce of willpower to be able to do anything but stand and gape vacantly at her, and even then he didn't have the faintest idea what to do or say. Amazingly, Rozen seemed to be just as stricken by her, though to be fair he was finally seeing the girl of his dreams in the flesh after centuries of waiting for precisely this moment.

"I know you," said Alice, her voice soft and faintly melodic. It was soothing, comforting, like being immersed in a pool of feathers.

"Of course you do, my dear," said Laplace invitingly, "I am your father."

"Father?"

"That's right. Take my hand, Alice."

Alice reached out towards Laplace's offered hand, startling Jun into action. He took a halting step towards her and cried out.

"No!"

She stopped and turned, casting those painfully familiar blue eyes upon Jun. As she did so, a flicker of recognition crossed her angelic face. She lowered her hand and stared at him.

"I know you as well," she said. Jun said nothing, finding it difficult to do anything but stare into her eyes. Alice seemed to forget about Laplace as she approached Jun instead.

"Alice!" the demon called out. She did not seem to hear, or if she did she paid him no mind. She walked up to Jun and stopped beside him, peering at him closely as if she were struggling to remember where she had seen him before.

"Juuuun," she said uncertainly, drawing out the sound of his name. He swallowed.

"Y-yeah."

"Jun," Alice repeated, saying his name normally this time, "I do know you."

"Do you?"

Alice reached up and gently touched her fingertips to his cheek. Her touch sent shivers down his spine. "Yes," she said, "You made me tea. Brushed my hair. Read me bedtime stories. I would climb atop your head and ride around on you. You protected me. Cared for me."

"Your regard for me has definitely left its impression in here ..."

"Time for a Jun climb!"

"Keep reading, you!"

"Thank you, Jun!"

"You're a good boy, Jun."

"I ..." Jun didn't know what to say. Laplace grew furious, clenching his hands tightly, his face contorting in frustration.

"Alice!"

Alice completely ignored him, instead taking a hold of Jun's hand and brushing her fingers over his own as she stared at the pale patch of skin where normally his rose ring would be.

"You swore upon my ring," she said slowly, "Swore to protect and serve me."

It took enormous effort to pull his hand away from her, his mind numbed by her awing presence. Nevertheless he did pull away, his gaze downcast. "No. I swore to Shinku, and she's ..." he turned and stared at the lifeless form of Shinku lying a short distance away. Alice did likewise.

"Am I not Shinku?" she asked, seemingly confused. Jun shook his head sadly, however Rozen spoke up in disagreement.

"She is Shinku. And Suigintou. Kanaria. Hinaichigo. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki. Kirakishou and Pandora," said Rozen, "She is all of them, and she is Alice. She has their memories, their feelings; their essence are what defines her."

"She is my daughter, and as such she will obey me," Laplace strode onto the chessboard, rapidly losing what little patience he had left. Jun rolled his eyes in annoyance, feeling more irritation at him now than any actual anger. He didn't have enough strength for anger anymore.

"Can't you do anything about him?" he asked Alice as he reached up and rubbed the side of his aching head. She blinked at the approaching demon, seemingly indifferent to Laplace's exasperation.

"What would you like me to do?"

"Someone should really teach him a lesson," Jun remarked wryly, "He's caused nothing but trouble for everyone."

Laplace finally stopped in front of Alice and then made the stupid mistake of reaching out to take a hold of her. Considering the kind of power she had it was perhaps not one of the wisest decisions he'd ever made. A few seconds later Jun bent over and picked him up.

Alice had turned Laplace into a stuffed white rabbit, complete with suit and top hat. Jun couldn't help giving a tired snort of laughter at that. He turned and presented the plushie to Alice with a faint smile on his lips.

"Here's your father."

Alice took the stuffed toy and hugged it. It gave a little squeak, but that was all.

"Thank you."

Rozen finished adjusting Shinku's ribbon and then leaned back. He had repaired the damage to all of the Rozen Maiden dolls, and they sat together in a row upon a gilded and velvet cushioned settee, within an N-Field recreation of their Lebensbaum home. Looking at them now, one wouldn't think they had all recently been involved in the largest and fiercest battle of their lives. They seemed so peaceful.

Of course there was a reason for that. They were no longer living dolls. Without Rosa Mysticas, the Rozen Maidens were now no different from any ordinary dolls. You could wind them up, but without a power source or a consciousness to drive them they would just sit there and do nothing.

"I'm sorry Jun, there's nothing I can do," Rozen lamented, laying a hand upon his shoulder. "I could breath new life into them, but ..."

"It wouldn't be them," Jun finished for him, his voice flat. And if it wasn't the Shinku he knew, what was the point? It might look like her, but it wouldn't be her. Everything that made her who she was, was now a part of Alice. Alice, the perfect girl standing across the room hugging a stuffed white rabbit toy. Her wings and aura were gone now, apparently an effort on her part to try and be less of a distraction. It didn't make much difference though; she could distract you simply through the knowledge of her existence. It was no wonder Rozen had obsessed about her so much.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Jun pleaded with Alice, desperately clutching at straws. The girl stared at him for a long moment and then gave a shake of her head. Jun regarded the lifeless dolls once more and sagged. So this really was it then. He had to go back to his ordinary life, without Shinku, and without any of her sisters. Move on. Try to forget about them. Deal with their loss. There were no more miracles, no more second chances. No amount of Maestro talents or magic fingers could get back what the dolls now lacked. The situation truly was hopeless.

Hope. Hah. After striving for so long to track down that most elusive of things, in the end it had turned out to be nothing but a sham. There was no magic genie in a box ready to put everything right and conjure up a happy ending. Laplace had been right about that after all - fairy tales were not nice, and Hope was the biggest fairy tale of them all.

Wordlessly, Jun strode forwards and picked up Shinku. Holding her in the way she'd taught him to, he turned and walked away.

"Jun, what are you doing?" Rozen called after him. He stopped and turned back, his face lined with sadness, his eyes downcast, heart heavier than it had ever been before.

"I'm going home, and I'm taking Shinku with me."

"Jun," Rozen said kindly, "She's just a doll now. Nothing more."

Just a doll. That's all she was.

"But then, if you lose the Alice Game, what's gonna happen to you?"

"I will either become an ordinary doll, or perhaps ... I will become junk like her."

"What's that supposed to mean? What the hell's this Alice Game, anyway? What's the point in fighting if you could end up like this, huh?"

"You don't understand ..."

He understood now, finally. The Alice Game was over, and now Shinku was just an ordinary doll. But she wasn't a piece of junk, and he'd made a promise to her. He had promised to serve and protect her for the rest of his life.

Even if she was just an ordinary doll now, he aimed to keep that promise.