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Gankutsuou Reborn	By : roryheadmav Category: +G to L > Gankutsuou Views: 5812 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gankutsuou, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
DISCLAIMER: This story is a non-commercial
work of fiction based on the anime/manga Gankutsuou. Original copyright
of Gankutsuou belongs to Mahiro Maeda, Gonzo/Media Factory, GDH.
Absolutely no monetary gain has been made with this work.
GANKUTSUOU REBORN

© September 30, 2005 By
Rory V. Pascual

CHAPTER NINE: Secret Rendezvous
Lucien, who had been pacing back
and forth as he listened to Albert's narrative, plopped down into a nearby
chair with a groan.
"Benedetto!" the Chief Secretary
exclaimed aloud. "Why didn't I even think that he might be involved in
this?"
"You've got to hand it to him," Beauchamp
commented with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "He covered his tracks
pretty well. Not only that, he had to show up in the one place where he
is virtually untouchable. Unless he breaks Luna laws or we actually catch
him in the act of committing a crime, we could not arrest him for any of
the crimes he is wanted for in all the four quadrants of the galaxy."
Albert was crestfallen by his friends'
remarks. With his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands together and
pressed his aching forehead against them.
"Then it's hopeless," he said in
bitterness.
"We didn't say that," Lucien hastened
to ease his young friend's sorrow. "It's going to be a bit more difficult,
but we're not giving up. We swore we'd get Etienne out of that damned place
and we will."
Albert breathed in deeply. "You know,"
he quietly admitted, "for the past five nights, I've been watching La Decadenza."
That explains the hollows under his
eyes, mused Beauchamp. "That's very dangerous, Albert," the journalist
chided him, although he was not at all surprised by his friend's reckless
daring. "If Benedetto sees you anywhere near the club, he'd kill you without
hesitation. Next to his parents, he hates you the most."
"But I can't just go through the
motions that everything is normal. Sister Bertrille was asking me why Etienne
did not come to Mass last Sunday. I couldn't tell her what had happened.
I've been monitoring the activities at the club, hoping to catch even a
glimpse of him. I thought I saw him last night at a window on the fourth
floor, but I guess it was just my troubled mind playing tricks on me. I'd
give anything to know that he's all right."
"All we could do is pray and hope
that he is well." Despite the warning glance that Lucien shot at him, Beauchamp
said, "You sound as if you're in love with him."
"Yes, I am. I never thought I would
feel this way about anyone ever again."
"Are you sure it's not because he
looks like the Count?"
Albert saw no reason to lie to the
journalist. "To tell you the truth, I became attracted to him because he
reminded me so much of the Count. I used to tell myself that this is what
he may be like during his youth as Edmond Dantes � warm, loving, kind,
an innocent dreamer. The longer I got to know him, however, I learned to
love Etienne for who he is. It didn't matter to me that he was a prostitute.
Etienne�is special. It is because I love him so much that I will do everything
in my power to free him, and heaven help Benedetto if he should try to
stop me."
"Albert�" Lucien could no longer
stop himself from asking. "The body of the Count of Monte Cristo was never
recovered from the ruins of Champs Elysees. We also know that Gankutsuou
is immortal. What if Etienne�"
"�Is the Count? I asked that question
myself once." Albert gave his friends a determined smile. "Then this means
that the Almighty has given me another chance to save him and, this time,
on my life, I swear that I will take the Count of this mess alive and well."

~~~~~~~~~~~
Etienne finished rehearsing in the
club and was making his way back to the suite when Bruno the bouncer met
him in the hallway.
The bouncer handed the singer a small
brown bag tied with a pink ribbon. "My wife made chocolate chip cookies.
I thought you might like some."
The Nightingale was touched by the
burly man's kindness. In La Decadenza, Bruno was probably the only friend
he had.
Accepting the gift, Etienne said
in sincere gratitude, "I love them! Thank you, Bruno!"
Bruno scratched his head, abashed,
a blush pinking his cheeks. "It's nice to see you smiling again, Etienne."
The singer was at a loss for words,
more so, when Bruno ran a finger over the violet bruise on his cheekbone.
Bruno bent down and quickly whispered,
"If you need a friend, I'm here for you," before walking away.
When the bouncer was gone, Etienne
entered the lift and opened the bag to pull out a cookie. As he nibbled
on it, the tears he was trying to hold trickled down his face.
:Now, now, Etienne. If Monsieur
Bruno sees you like this, he might think that you found his wife's cookies
tasted terrible.:
Etienne wiped away his tears on his
sleeve. :Gankutsuou�I'm afraid. I know you've been taking over my body
when Andrea would bed me. Whatever it is you're doing with him, Andrea
has become more violent. Don't anger him. Please!:
:Why? Do you think he might do
something to us?:
:I'm way past worrying about myself.
It's you I'm concerned with.:
:You're worried about me? Etienne,
I can take care of myself. Benedetto is someone I could handle. Trust me.:
The singer savored the sweetness
of the cookie. :You two seem to know each other.:
Gankutsuou answered cryptically,
:You
might say he and I have a history.:
:Then�: Etienne tentatively
put in. :You also know Albert. Please don't deny it. It is from you
that I first heard Albert called by the name de Morcerf. How do you know
him?:
The entity fell silent, but the singer
could sense a deep feeling of remorse emanating from him. Before Etienne
could pry further, Gankutsuou willed his right hand to rise, pressing the
'Stop' button.
:Gankutsuou! What are you�:
Etienne was unable to complete his question when the door of the lift suddenly
opened into a dark corridor he had never seen before. Looking at the elevator
panel, he saw that the floor numbers were not lighted. By his estimation,
he was between the third and fourth floors.
Curiosity getting the better of him,
the singer took one�two�three tentative steps out of the lift. An angry
curse from the room at the far end nearly caused him to run back inside
the elevator, but the entity stopped him.
:We've come this far,: Gankutsuou
told him. :We might as well see what's going on.:
Etienne quietly tiptoed towards the
door until he was standing right in front of it. Pressing his ear to the
door, he listened closely, identifying the voices of Tintoretto and Andrea
immediately.
"We're ready to ship the next batch
tomorrow midnight," Tintoretto reported. "The ship will be waiting at Aeolus."
"Make sure that there will be no
problems this time," Andrea pointedly reminded him. "I do not want a repeat
of the Aurelius incident."
Aurelius! Hearing that planet's
name prompted the singer to listen harder.
The Italian then said, "We're putting
them through the mind wipe right now. By the time we're through with them,
they won't even remember their own names."
Etienne had to clamp his hands to
his mouth to stifle his cry when a scream reverberated through the corridor.
It was coming from behind a curtain. Although frightened, the singer went
towards it, his heart pounding like a hammer at those bloodcurdling wails.
Pulling the curtain part way to reveal another door, he peered through
the open crack, his mismatched eyes widening at the terrible sight he beheld.
A young man lay strapped to a table,
a metal skullcap placed on top of his head. Etienne was horrified to see
bolts of electricity shooting in and out of the coiled wires attached to
that cap, causing the poor man to twitch violently and scream in agony.
:I've seen enough!: Gankutsuou's
shout was like a shot fired through his brain, that blood at once trickled
from his nostrils. :Get out, Etienne! Out now!:
Etienne was only too happy to comply.
As silently as he could, he raced inside the lift and hurried up to the
fourth floor. It was only when he stumbled inside the suite that he breathed
a sigh of relief.
:Gankutsuou�: he asked the
entity worriedly as he wiped the blood from his nose with a tissue. :Are
you all right? You scared the hell out of me back there.:
:I'm sorry for that outburst,
Etienne.: Gankutsuou reluctantly admitted, :That scene�it brought
back some very bad memories.:
At that unguarded moment, the singer
saw strange scenes flash before his eyes.
A young man in a white sailor's
uniform sitting in a corner of a dark, dank cell, his face pressed to his
raised knees�
The same man now naked and strapped
to a metal cross, steel cables like tentacles reaching out to grab him
as he screamed�
Dark brown eyes that no longer
held any sanity in them�
The flow of images suddenly stopped,
leaving Etienne with a nauseating headache. But the memory of that poor
young man�.
"I must tell Albert about this,"
the singer said firmly.
Gankutsuou countered at once, :No,
you mustn't! Too dangerous!"
"They're condemning innocent young
men and women to a life of filth! I can't let them do that! You saw the
torture they were putting them through to transform them into mindless
sex toys!" Etienne then added with measured deliberateness, "I know you
experienced a similar torment, my friend. Would you let another suffer
the same fate?"
:You try my patience, Etienne.:
However, sensing the resolve in the singer, Gankutsuou exhaled in surrender.
:Very
well. We shall go see Albert. Do you know where to contact him?:
"Sister Bertrille would probably
know. Let's go to the Order."
At these words, Etienne opened the
window. Climbing onto the sill, he carefully pulled the glass back down.
He was about to descend using the drainpipe, but Gankutsuou said, :I'll
get us down.:
The marks suddenly flared up on the
Nightingale's brow as the entity took control of his body. Gankutsuou let
go of the drainpipe, jumping nimbly to the ground below like a cat.
"Gankutsuou, how�" Etienne stared
back up the fourth floor ledge where they had leaped.
:No time to explain. Let's go!:
Using his preternatural speed, Gankutsuou
disappeared into an alley, not noticing the Black woman sitting beside
a window on the second floor, watching his departure.

~~~~~~~~~~
The doors of the church banged open
as a breathless Albert strode inside, his footsteps echoing in the empty
hall. Following close behind him were Lucien and Beauchamp.
"Albert, thank God you're here!"
Sister Bertrille met the young man halfway, giving him a grateful embrace.
"Sister, where is he?" Albert asked
the Mother Superior.
Etienne stood up from the front pew
where he was sitting. "Albert�"
Albert's heart leaped for joy to
see the Nightingale again. He broke into a run to quickly close the distance
between them. With a happy cry, Albert swept Etienne into a tight hug and
gave him a passionate kiss, which the singer returned with equal ardor.
Setting Etienne back down on his
feet, Albert exclaimed, "I thought I'd never see you again!" His handsome
features darkened, however, as his blue eyes focused on the bruise on the
singer's cheek. "Did Andrea do this?"
"This is nothing, Albert," Etienne
reassured him. "There is something more important that I must tell you."
He also looked at Beauchamp and Lucien. "I'm glad you brought your friends
as well." He gripped Albert's arms tightly. "The kidnapped noblemen�Andrea
and Tintoretto are going to ship them out of Luna tomorrow midnight at
Aeolus. I saw one of them. They had him strapped down, so that they could
do a mind wipe on him." The Nightingale shuddered at the memory of that
poor victim. "Oh, Albert! It was horrible! You must save them!"
"And we shall, thanks to you," Lucien
told the singer firmly. "I promise you we'll rescue them."
"This is a reckless thing that you
did, Etienne," put in Beauchamp worriedly. "Couldn't you have simply contacted
Sister Bertrille on the phone instead?"
"I am forbidden to use the club's
telephone. Besides�" A rosy blush colored Etienne's cheeks. "I�I also wanted
to see Albert again."
At that shy answer, Albert embraced
the Nightingale tightly. "But I don't want you getting hurt on my account."
"Albert, I'm fine. I made certain
that no one saw me leave. But�I must be heading back there right now or
else they'll find me gone."
This only made Albert tighten his
hold around the singer. "No, I'm not letting you go!" he exclaimed with
a determined shake of his head. "Andrea had hurt the people who are dear
to me! I won't let him do the same to you!"
"Nothing's going to happen to me.
Besides, it'll only be for a day, because you will come to La Decadenza
and free me once you arrest Tintoretto and Andrea, right?"
"No, I won't let you leave me!"
Albert felt a gentle but firm hand
push him away. As he gazed, begging, at the singer, he thought he saw a
golden glimmer in Etienne's eyes.
"I'll be fine, Albert," the singer
smiled as he straightened up, assuming a carriage that could only be described
as regal. When he turned to Beauchamp and Lucien, the two men realized
in an instant that the young man standing before them was no longer the
Nightingale of Luna.
"Lucien, Beauchamp�" Etienne began,
his voice now deeper, more mature. "If I were you, I would distribute surveillance
teams around Aeolus. Small craters that would be perfect as rocket landing
sites pockmark that part of Luna. Tell your�agent�about this. I'm sure
he would know."
Lucien understood what the younger
man was saying. "I'll do as you say." He laid his hand on Etienne's shoulder
and looked deep into those odd-colored eyes. "You're doing the right thing.
Thank you."
Etienne's answer was a gracious nod.
Turning to Albert one last time, he gave him a kiss filled with longing.
"Come for me, Albert," the singer
whispered. "I'll be waiting for you."
Before Albert could stop him, Etienne
ran out of the church. He whirled angrily at his red-haired friend. "What
was that all about, Lucien? You could've stopped him!"
Lucien, however, merely grinned.
"Trust him, Albert. Believe me when I tell you that Etienne can
take care of himself."
Sister Bertrille, who had been listening
to their discussion, was not convinced. "How can you be so sure, Monsieur
Dupre? You have no idea how worried I am for him."
"You and Albert have nothing to worry
about. The day passes quickly, you'll see. Once tomorrow midnight has passed,
Etienne will be a free man." Beauchamp gave his friend and the nun a cryptic
wink. "Besides, he has a guardian angel watching over him."

~~~~~~~~~~
Like a spider, Gankutsuou easily
climbed up the drainpipe and stepped onto the ledge. Briefly, he sat down
on the sill, feeling the breeze blow through his hair. A stray lock fell
across his face, teasing his slightly parted lips.
Did I really do that? the
entity asked himself, touching his lips with his fingertips. I can't
believe I just kissed young Albert de Morcerf.
:Is something troubling you, my
friend?: Etienne interrupted his thoughts.
:No, it's nothing,: Gankutsuou
shielded his thoughts as he climbed into the suite, closing the window.
:Are you sure?: There was
a teasing tone in the singer's mind voice. :It feels wonderful to kiss
Albert, doesn't it?:
:Hush your mouth, brat! Or I'll�:
Gankutsuou's sharp scent caught a
whiff of something that was disturbingly familiar. Then, there was a bright
flash as something blew up right under his feet and filled the suite with
blue smoke. Before he could think of getting the window open, the entity
was overwhelmed by the sleeping gas and dropped like a light to the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~
When next Gankutsuou opened his eyes,
he was lying on the bed in the lounge, gazing drowsily back at Andrea's
leering face.
"Nice to see you finally awake, my
dear Ruler of the Cavern," Andrea greeted him cheerfully. "And don't bother
hiding inside Etienne's mind. It's useless."
"Benedetto�" The entity tried to
move his body, but for some reason, he was too weak. It seemed as if his
entire form was being weighed down by something very heavy. "What�what
did you do�to me?"
"Oh, feeling weak, are you?" the
rogue declared mockingly. "It's just something that a dear friend from
New Orleans cooked up for me. You see, I've had enough of you taking liberties
upon my person, so with her help, I've decided to show you who is the more
powerful one between us."
Gankutsuou was filled with dread.
"New�Orleans�"
Andrea jerked his right arm up to
reveal the gris-gris, drawn as a grotesque circlet of thorns, around
his wrist. To the entity's horror, similar marks had been painted on his
left wrist, around his neck and both ankles.
The Black woman, who had been listening
to their exchange, emerged from the shadows. "My ancestors had chained
you once, O Dark One. I, their descendant, do the same to you now with
shackles you could never break."
Even with a woman's face, Gankutsuou
recognized those hated features. "LAVEAU!"
"I see you still remember the name
of the man who had caused your imprisonment at Chateau d'If." Andrea waved
a hand to her as he introduced, "I would like you to meet the Great Voodoo
Priestess of New Orleans, Marie Laveau."
"Why have you bespelled me, Benedetto?"
the entity demanded in fury. "For what purpose did you have this done to
me?"
The blond rogue burst into laughter.
"You were always a sharp one, Gankutsuou. The reason why I had dear Marie
here place a gris-gris on you is because you have something that
I desire."
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
"Why, immortality, of course! To
live forever and gain wealth and power, and the added pleasure of seeing
all those I hate suffering and crushed by my hand!" This, Andrea said with
an emphatic shake of his fist.
Gankutsuou was outraged by the young
man's gall. "My immortality is not something that I would give to a man
like you!"
"But you gave a bit of it to a fool
like Edmond Dantes, and he did not deserve it, while I�"
"You do not deserve eternal life!"
Andrea clucked his tongue in disappointment
at the entity residing within his lover's body. "Oh, my dear Gankutsuou!
What must I do to convince you?" He made a 'come hither' gesture with his
hand, and six big men approached the bed. From the singer's memory, Gankutsuou
recognized them immediately as Etienne's most brutal clients. What they
intended to do to him was clearly written on their ugly faces.
Gankutsuou cringed back as the men
slowly approached the bed. He had known despair and fear during those thousand
years that he had been incarcerated at Chateau d'If. This was the first
time that he had felt pure terror.
Etienne must have sensed his turmoil
because he could feel the singer slowly regaining awareness.
:Gankutsuou�what�:
:Go back to sleep, Etienne!:
:But why�:
Both the Nightingale and the entity
were jolted back to the present by a hard push on the bed and hard hands
gripping their wrists and ankles.
Andrea leaned down upon him. "I'm
going to put you in your place. I'll show you who is the new King of the
Cave."
:GANKUTSUOU!: Etienne cried
out in alarm.
:SLEEP!: With the all the
will he could muster, Gankutsuou stomped the singer's mind into deep sleep,
just as his clothing were torn to shreds.
The hours that followed were a sheer
nightmare for the entity. The rogue had said that he would put Gankutsuou
in his place, and he did. Never in his millennia of life had he felt so
battered and broken as he did now.
One by one, Andrea and his men took
advantage of his weakened state to rape him in every way possible. Prone
or supine, they ravaged his channel until it lay open, submissive, torn
and bleeding, waiting for the next hard member to be thrust within. There
was a rancid taste in his mouth from the merciless rods that were forced
between his lips and the bitter ejaculate that was spurted down his throat.
When they tired of this sport, they did more brutal games. He was whipped
and spanked when he dared to scream. An assortment of painful clamps and
other accoutrements were placed on sensitive portions of his anatomy. Objects
of different shapes and sizes were rammed up his sore behind. Many times,
he would be forced to take two to three men at a time.
Gankutsuou thought that he would
not endure, that he would die from the shame.
But then, in the middle of that brutality,
Etienne had awakened, and seeing what was being done to the poor entity,
enfolded Gankutsuou's pain-filled mind with the warmth of his soul.
:No, Etienne!: Gankutsuou
sobbed, feeling the singer's tender mental embrace. :Let me take this!
I don't want you to suffer this agony and shame with me!:
:You and I are in one body, Gankutsuou,:
was
Etienne's firm but gentle reply. :I will not let you suffer through
this alone.:
Weariness and the need for comfort
made the entity lean into the heat of that kind heart. :I'm sorry, Etienne!
I am truly sorry!:
Before he could succumb to the grief,
a hand as warm as sunlight was laid over the glowing marks on his brow.
Both Gankutsuou and Etienne gazed up to see, through tear-filled eyes,
a handsome young man with shoulder length blond hair smiling down upon
them. The light of the wall lamp was like a halo around his head.
Etienne recognized him to be the
man from the church.
But it was Gankutsuou who knew his
name.
:Franz d'Epinay!:
"Sleep now, you two," Franz whispered
to them as he bathed them with a golden aura that washed away all pain
and tears, willing them into slumber. "Tomorrow night, I shall deliver
you from this Hell."

* * * * * * * * * *
- 9
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Gankutsuou Reborn