Rozen Maiden Fan Fiction ❯ Dream of Something Better ❯ Louise ( Chapter 20 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Rozen Maiden. I do, however, own Rikou Daijima, Mirien Daijima, Anira Hanagami/ Rina A. Gamihana, Morielta, Scylla, Lyn, Louise, Joenna's sister and the personality of Joenna.

Chapter 20

Lyn breathed in the fresh morning air. She was standing near the edge of a large skyscraper in the middle of the city. Lyn had brought herself here this morning so that she could see what the view was like.

`This is such a good morning!' She thought to herself, as she yawned. `And you can see just about everything from here! Nothing could beat this!'

Lyn turned around to face the other doll that she had dragged along with her.

`What's up Shinku? Lyn asked. `You haven't said a word since yesterday! What's bothering you?'

`…It's nothing.' Shinku leaned against the wall of a room that contained a stairwell.

`I know something's wrong Shinku!'Lyn said. `You're not complaining as much as you usually do on other mornings!'

`I do not complain!' Shinku said stubbornly.

`Not really complain, I guess…' Lyn thought aloud. `It's just that you're not asking me to bring you tea, and you're not having a go at me because you haven't had any, you're not telling me to fix my language when I say things wrong or swear, and you didn't even say anything when I dragged you up here with me.'

Shinku smiled. `I guess there must be something wrong with me…'

`Of course there is!' Lyn said. `And nothing is going to get any better if you don't tell me what's wrong with you.'

Shinku sighed. `I'm still worried about my sister Suigintou. I want to know if she got out of that safely…'

`Look, the twins, Joenna and her sister were all there to help her. She is probably doing fine.' Lyn shrugged.

`But…' Shinku began. `I had two dreams with her in them while I was in the mansion. In both cases, there was a black form hovering over her. I think that might be why the Tipped Balance reacted the way it did when Suigintou absorbed it. But I don't know, and I don't think anyone else knows either.'

Lyn sighed and turned back towards the view from the skyscraper. `I could take you to where she stays, if that will help.'

`But Lyn, you never went out!' Shinku argued. `How could you possibly know where it is?'

`I visited the apartment once not too long ago.' Lyn said. `I was fighting with Scylla…Over her for some reason…'

Lyn's eyes stared down at the ground. Shinku had realised by then that Lyn did miss her sisters, and hardly mentioned them at all.

Lyn turned and stood in front of Shinku. `Are we going or not?'

`Why are you so eager to go?' Shinku asked.

`We won't have anything else to do if we don't!' Lyn said with a smile.

o:o:o:o:o:o:o

Rikou sighed as he drank from a can of soft drink. It was late on Saturday morning, and considering he had not been to the previous four days of school, he didn't have any homework to do. Even if he had homework to do, he couldn't go into his room and get it.

Suigintou had been sleeping in his room the entire morning, and he had made the mistake of waking her up on three separate occasions. It should have been no surprise that Suigintou was in a very bad mood, and even someone like Rikou knew that it was better to just let her sleep.

Rikou was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the door to the kitchen open.

`Hi Rikou!' Mirien's bubbly voice announced her presence in the kitchen. `What are you doing now? You should be resting after all that you went through! You look tired!'

`I would be resting, but someone else who is in a worse mood than I am is currently resting in my room.' Rikou said with a sigh. `She snaps at me whenever I go in!'

`It's no surprise, she did have a battle to go to and all.' Mirien said.

`A b…battle?' Rikou mumbled. `Why was I never informed?'

`Well, you appeared to be kind of…unconscious.' Mirien tried to explain. `You missed the whole thing!'

`Hey Mirien? Do you have anything interesting in your room that I could do until she wakes up?' Rikou asked.

`Nope. Not for you, anyway.' Mirien said with a smile.

Mirien turned and headed out the door of the kitchen.

Rikou stared at the ceiling. `What am I supposed to do now?'

Before he could answer his question, he heard the kitchen window behind him break. He turned and saw two blonde dolls standing at the windowsill, but he only recognised one.

`You! I've seen you before!' Rikou said, pointing at Lyn.

`Yes, I did once terrorise you, but could you please let that pass?' Lyn said. `I won't harm you again, I promise.'

`But what about your friend over there!' Rikou pointed at Shinku.

Shinku walked over to him and whipped him with her hair. `How dare you name me a threat when I so peacefully came to your home! Hurray along now and make me some tea!'

`Fine, I'll make you tea, but only if you fix the window!' Rikou yelled.

`You have a deal.' Shinku raised her hand, her ring glowed a bright red and the pieces of glass went back into place. `Now, is that tea ready?'

`I'm getting to it! You only asked a few seconds ago!' Rikou began getting Shinku's tea ready.

Shinku stood up. `I'm going to go see my sister. Lyn, you stay here and monitor his progress!'

Shinku turned and walked out of the kitchen.

`What? Is that one of Suigintou's crazy sisters?' Rikou asked Lyn.

`Let me try to explain it to you…' Lyn began with a sigh.

o:o:o:o:o:o:o

After searching the apartment, Shinku found Suigintou in the room furthest down the hallway, sleeping in a bed. From what it seemed, the room belonged to a boy.

`Is this her medium's room?' Shinku thought as she approached the bed.

Suigintou shifted in her sleep. `Rikou, if that's you again, I'm going to slaughter you when I wake up…'

Suigintou could sense that the person was close to the bed, and stuck her hand out in an attempt to swat the person away. But instead of feeling skin, her hand touched porcelain. Suigintou opened her eyes, and almost fainted when she saw who was in front of her.

`Shinku…?' Suigintou whispered.

Suddenly, Suigintou jerked away from Shinku and fled to the furthest corner of the bed.

`What are you doing? You had better have an answer! I haven't forgotten what you did to me in the last era, you know!' Suigintou snapped.

`Suigintou, I did not come here to harm you, I assure you that. There is something I wish to discuss with you, when you feel better.' Shinku said calmly.

`Just do it now.' Suigintou said flatly.

`Well, when I was still in captivity, I had two dreams. In the first, you were being tormented by a black form in some sort of room. In the second, you were in a garden and you were yet again being taunted by a black form. Each time, I had to kill it.'

Suigintou stopped and thought. `That voice! I heard that voice in a room and a garden! Maybe it's the same thing? How else would Shinku know about it?'

`And, I was around when you absorbed the Tipped balance. The Tipped balance is a device that compresses your personality. When your mind was compressed, I believe that the black form saw it's chance to take over you.'

`That's why it said it could feel it's time was coming!' Suigintou said aloud.

Shinku stared at Suigintou.

`Continue' Suigintou mumbled.

`I managed to stop the Tipped Balance, because you were releasing power in gradual amounts. Instead of releasing it over time, I forced you to release all of your power at once. This way, since the form had no power to feed off, it disappeared. Do you feel weak?'

`Yes.' Suigintou replied.

`That's because you are very low on power. ` Shinku explained. `I wanted to see if you were okay, after the Tipped Balance incident. That's why I came here.'

Suigintou moved to the edge of the bed and slid off. `I better see if Rikou is up to making tea.'

`You won't need to.' Shinku said. `I already asked him.'

Shinku flipped her pocket watch open. `And by what the time says, the tea should be ready now. I should warn you though; Lyn is here.'

`WHAT?' Suigintou yelled. `You brought an evil doll here?'

`Lyn is not evil.' Shinku argued. `She was the one who freed me from captivity. Please give her a chance?'

`Fine, I will give her this chance, just for you. If she does something bad, I will deal with her personally.' Suigintou stubbornly retorted.

`Considering your condition, I think you better not deal with her personally.' Shinku commented.

Suigintou grumbled. `Do you want to get thrown out?'

Shinku grabbed Suigintou's wrist and headed out the room, and towards the kitchen.

`What do you think you're doing, Shinku?' Suigintou asked.

`I'm taking you to tea.' Shinku smiled.

The two Rozen Maiden's entered the kitchen, and found Lyn and Rikou deep in conversation.

`So, that was what happened during that big battle thingy?' Rikou said.

`Yep. I told you it was long and complex story.' Lyn replied.

The two of them turned around and saw Shinku leading a half-awake Suigintou through the kitchen.

`Suigintou's medium.' Shinku stated.

`Yea, yea, I'll have your tea ready in a second.' Rikou said.

`Do not say `yea, yea'. The proper way to say it is `yes, yes'.' Shinku corrected him.

`Yes, yes, my lady, your tea will be ready very shortly.' Rikou rolled his eyes.

Shinku whipped him with her hair. `Do not mock me, you are a mere servant. Suigintou, tell him off a bit more and he might be able to do something properly for once!'

`Rikou stop doing what you're doing…'The half asleep Suigintou mumbled.

Lyn smiled. `Shinku is beginning to correct other people's grammar. She must be feeling better than she did this morning.' she thought to herself.

Lyn stared at Suigintou, who was trying not to fall asleep against Shinku, who was still tightly gripping her wrist.

`Suigintou sit down over there. Rikou will make you some tea.' Shinku lead Suigintou over to the couch in front of the coffee table, and sat down in front of it. Lyn followed suit and sat on Shinku's right, while Suigintou was resting against Shinku's left shoulder.

Rikou prepared tea for the three dolls and set the cups out in front of them. `So, from what Lyn tells me you're Suigintou's younger sister?'

`Yes. You finally got something right!' Shinku sipped her tea.

`Shinku?' Suigintou mumbled.

`Yes?' Shinku turned to see Suigintou facing her.

`How did the last era end? You were there right until the end, weren't you?' Suigintou asked.

`No.' Shinku shook her head. `Do you want me to pick up from after you died?'

`That would be nice.' Suigintou told her.

`Well, as you know, you died from using too much power without a medium…'

--------Flashback--------

`Suigintou! Suigintou!' Shinku ran over to where Suigintou's body lay.

She gathered the body in her arms, and began to cry into Suigintou's shoulder. Suigintou began to glow purple, and she expelled her two Mystica's. Shinku took both, and absorbed them, allowing Suigintou's memories to flood through her.

`I helped her die. I killed her.' Shinku thought as she sobbed.

She could here footsteps slowly approach her. Shinku looked up and saw Kirakishou walking slowly towards her.

`No. It's her. She tricked us. But how?' Shinku thought.

`Kirakishou, what are your abilities?' Shinku yelled.

`Why do you want to know?' Kirakishou asked with a smile.

`How did you trick our sisters?' Shinku asked.

`It's only simple.' Although Kirakishou was still in front of her, she had spoken in a voice that could have only been Suigintou's.

Shinku watched in horror as Kirakishou changed her appearance to match that of Suigintou.

`Do you like how I look now Shinku?' Kirakishou twisted one of her Suigintou bangs around her finger.

`Why did you masquerade as Suigintou? What drove you to do this?' Shinku yelled.

`Because I love my Onee-sama.' Kirakishou replied in Suigintou's voice. `If I couldn't be with her, I wanted to BE her.'

`Kirakishou, no matter how much you try, you will never be Suigintou.' Shinku yelled at her.

Kirakishou looked offended. Suddenly she lunged at Shinku and summoned Suigintou's sword. Shinku stepped back and unleashed a shower of rose petals and then she summoned her cane.

Kirakishou's sword met with the cane, and Shinku pushed her back. Kirakishou hit the wall and winced as she found something sticking out of her shoulder.

Before Kirakishou could react, Shinku's Rose petals flew at her, giving her millions of small cuts. Kirakishou wrapped Suigintou's wings around her, but it was too late. Shinku's rose petals turned and hacked into `Suigintou's' wings, stripping them of all the feathers. Kirakishou fell to the floor.

`You don't know how Suigintou makes them grow back.' Shinku stated coldly.

`SHUT UP!' Kirakishou yelled. `Just shut up. All I wanted was to be happy with my Onee-sama. YOU RUINED IT!'

`Why did you kill everyone in the way of getting to Suigintou?' Shinku asked. `Suigintou would have accepted you a lot more if you hadn't done what you did!'

`How do you know?' Kirakishou yelled. `She hates you! She always hated you! So…I hate you too!'

Kirakishou ran at Shinku and hacked into her mercilessly with Suigintou's sword.

`W…Why…?' Shinku muttered as she died.

`SHUT UP!' Kirakishou screamed, stabbing Shinku's chest and ending her life.

Shinku closed her eyes and everything went black.

--------End of Flashback--------

`I don't know whether Kirakishou became Alice or not.' Shinku ended her story.

`So, the legends are true then? About the Alice thing?' Rikou asked.

`Yes.' Shinku said sadly. `However, I was surprised to find myself alive again.'

`I was too.' Suigintou said. `I thought Kirakishou or yourself would have taken the Rosa Mystica.'

`How are the twins?' Shinku asked.

`I don't know. When I regained consciousness, I was here and I don't know what happened to them.'

`Can we visit them?' Shinku asked.

`I think, that in Suigintou's condition, she would be too weak for travelling.' Lyn replied. `Give it another day, and she should be fine.'

`Can't I go with you?' Shinku asked.

`Actually…I've never been to their house, so I don't know where they live.' Lyn mumbled.

Shinku looked slightly disappointed, so Suigintou patted her on the back. `I'm sure they're fine. Don't' worry! Although their medium is very stupid, she is a nice person. If something happened, I'm sure she's looking after them. That reminds me, do you have a medium?'

Shinku stared into her tea. `No. I was mediumless at the time of my capture.'

`Do you need a medium?' Lyn asked. `I've done so much better without mine!'

`A Rozen Maiden needs a medium.' Shinku explained. `That is because if we ever needed to fight in the human world, we won't get tired afterwards. They also supply extra power in the N-Field.'

`So, we need to find Shinku a medium… Someone as stubborn as Shinku would be hard to come by.' Suigintou smirked.

`Suigintou, why don't you go and get some rest.' Shinku said, feeling slightly deflated after Suigintou's comment. `You'll be ready to go in the morning then.'

`Okay…' Suigintou yawned. `I think I'll need some sleep, if I want to survive the day tomorrow…'

Suigintou left the room, and Shinku gave Lyn a confused stare.

`What did she mean by `survive'?' Shinku asked. ` It's not like she's going get strangled or anything…'

o:o:o:o:o:o:o

Suigintou woke up suddenly from the horrible dream she had just had. She turned and stared at the bedside clock that read `3:14pm'.

She sunk back down under the covers. There was no one else in the room, and she always slept with the light off and the curtains drawn.

`Feeling any better, Suigintou?' A voice snickered

`Not you again.' Suigintou thought to herself.

`Who are you? What do you want? Just tell me, so you can get out of my head and be gone!' Suigintou yelled.

`Why would I do that? You'd just mock me.'

`No I wouldn't! You don't know me!' Suigintou said clearly.

`I know you better than anyone else.'

`Why?'

`I can see your thoughts and feelings as they happen! I am the reason you exist!

`You are the reason I exist? How does that work? Father is the reason I exist!' Suigintou said in annoyance.

`…Forget I said that.'

`I'm not going to. For once I want to be able to get an answer for something! All my life I have been asking myself questions I can't answer. For once I want things explained!' Suigintou said stubbornly.

`Only if you agree to make a deal with me.'

`What sort of deal?'

`If I tell you everything, then you will have to allow me to do this one thing. Do we have deal?'

`Can you tell me what sort of `thing' this is?' Suigintou asked.

`I can't. Do we have a deal?'

Suigintou hesitated. This `thing' that the voice wanted to do could have been anything. But Suigintou's curiosity was getting the better of her.

`I agree to the terms.'

A form began to appear next to Suigintou. At first it was only a black shape, but as it got clearer it took on the form of a girl.

The girl was doll height and had dark blue eyes. Her hair was black and came down to her waist. Her clothing consisted of a black and white dress, very similar to Suigintou's except longer, and much more sophisticated and elegant. The crosses were still there, but there were no roses, and the head band and choker consisted of only a black strip. She wore black slippers instead of boots.

Suigintou opened her mouth to speak, but the girl quickly put her index finger against her lips. `I will explain everything. I don't want you to say anything until I'm finished. Understand?'

Suigintou nodded.

`Good.' The girl sat behind Suigintou. `My name is Louise. I was Rozen's second and youngest daughter.'

Suigintou was shocked. `My Father had real children? When? With whom?' She thought.

Suigintou had a sudden urge to bombard Louise with questions, but was silenced when Louise clamped her hand over Suigintou's mouth. `No comments.'

Louise pulled Suigintou so that she was resting against her, and began playing with her hair.

`Anyway, my older sister was called Alice.' Louise continued. `When I was born, our mother died in child birth. Although Rozen tried to be fair between us, it was obvious Alice was the favourite. I think Rozen may have believed that I had killed his wife. We lived happily for a while until Alice caught a life threatening disease and she died.'

Louise began playing with the ribbon that tied Suigintou's choker.

`After that Rozen was upset. He became severely depressed, and began to neglect me. That was when he began making dolls like you. He had always made porcelain dolls for Alice, because she liked them. But, he never finished any of them, and they always ended up on the scrap heap.

I lived in the house all on my own, because Rozen never left his workshop. One day, he actually came out. He cuddled me, and told me to wait for him there. So I did. I waited and waited. But he never came back. I was already quite skinny, because I couldn't feed myself. So, there in the hall in front of the workshop was where I died.'

Louise suddenly pulled on the ribbon ribbon she had been playing with, and it came undone. She cuddled Suigintou and nuzzled at her back.

`As a spirit, I was angry. He had promised that he would come back and he hadn't! So that anger spurred me to take control of the most recent doll he had scrapped and get back at him. That doll was you.'

Louise rested her arms on Suigintou's shoulders an started playing with her hair again.

`You had the potential for life, so I called you awake. You loved Rozen more then I possibly could have. I used that love to my advantage. When someone teased you I would send you into a rage. When someone hurt you, you would try to kill them, when some one talked to you, you would snap at them.

Eventually after pushing you a bit, it was engraved into your subconscious. You didn't need a Rosa Mystica because you already had my soul to power off. But, when you received a Rosa Mystica, you began to feed off the Rosa Mystica's power, so my soul could take it's rest.

I wanted you to become Alice, so that once you did, I could take over you and get my revenge on Rozen.'

Louise removed her hand from Suigintou's mouth. `I'm done.'

Suigintou was still in shock. `This girl is Father's actual daughter! His human daughter!'

Suigintou broke away from Louise and stared at her. `Why have you been taunting me recently?'

Louise shrugged. `Every now and then, you needed a reminder that I existed. I have missed you. Back when you were poor and innocent, you used to visit me a lot. Now you don't even remember who I was…'

Louise pulled Suigintou into a tight hug. Suigintou didn't know whether to return the embrace, or to pull away, so she simply let Louise hug her.

Louise suddenly pulled away. `Now you have to uphold your end of the deal.'

`What do I need to do?' Suigintou asked.

`I want to kill Rozen. I want you to let me do it!' Louise said confidently.

`Why would you kill Father?' Suigintou replied. `Can't you do it yourself?'

`I have explained to you before why I want to kill Rozen! He neglected me!' Louise yelled. `I can't do it myself, because you are always in control of your body now. You have to let me have control, if I want to kill him.'

`But I don't know where he is! How can you kill him if you don't know where he is?' Suigintou replied.

`I'll give you tomorrow to think about it!' Louise said slowly fading away.

`But I've already said no!' Suigintou argued.

Louise had almost faded into nothing. Before she disappeared, she said `You never know…A lot of things can happen in one day.'

`W…Wait…'Suigintou reached out into the blank space where Louise was.

Suigintou began to feel very tired. She wrapped the bedsheets around herself, and tried to get some sleep.

o:o:o:o:o:o:o

A/N

I'm sorry that this chapter took a while! I had to think a bit about how to handle things after last chapter's battle. The next chapter should be a lot faster, since a lot of writing I did for this chapter, I decided to move to the next chapter and end this chapter where I did.

And according to my plan, there are only a few more chapters and it'll be all over! What shall I do then? Oh well, I will deal with that when it comes.