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Gankutsuou Reborn	By : roryheadmav Category: +G to L > Gankutsuou Views: 5813 -:- 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
- 12
- 13
- 14
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

© October 16, 2005 By Rory
V. Pascual

CHAPTER TWELVE: Return To Paris
"Paris! Paris! PARIS!"
Albert watched in undisguised amusement
as an exuberant Etienne raced down the portable stairs, the small suitcase
containing his meager belongings swinging wildly in his right hand. To
his pleasant surprise, the singer had caught the attention of everyone
in the spaceport. With smiles on their faces, it was all too obvious that
they were wondering who this charming young man in their midst was.
A hard shove sent Albert stumbling
the rest of the way down the stairs. Whirling, he saw Eugenie and Haydee
giggling at the top.
"What's the big idea?" he shouted
at them, waving an angry fist. "I could've broken my neck!"
With her arms akimbo, Eugenie berated
him, "You're such a slow poke, Albert! If you don't hurry up, you're going
to lose him!"
"And who are you to order me around,
woman?" Albert snarled back.
Haydee straightened up, her brows
rising in intimidating. "Should I make it a royal command then, Monsieur
Ambassador?"
Infuriated by the fact that he was
ganged upon by two females, Albert raced after the singer, yelling, "Hey,
Etienne! Wait up, will you?" the laughter of Haydee and Eugenie ringing
in his ears.
Albert found Etienne squatting before
a toy seller, grinning in glee at the wind-up yellow ducklings swimming
in a basin.
"Look, Albert!" Etienne laughed as
he let one toy nibble on his finger with its beak. "Aren't they cute? So
many fascinating things to see in Paris!"
"Etienne�" The young envoy rolled
his eyes upwards. "This is just the rocket port."
The singer pointed to the gigantic
sign hanging above their heads. "What does that say?"
"Paris Intergalactic Airport. But�"
"So this rocket port is still a part
of Paris." Etienne gave his lover a disapproving scowl. "Don't dampen my
good mood, Albert."
"What I meant was there are more
exciting things to see in the city itself, certainly more astounding than
toy ducklings."
"Hmmph!" the singer snorted haughtily,
his nose lifted in the air. To Albert's chagrin, Etienne pulled out a silver
coin from his pocket and bought one toy. Stowing it carefully inside his
suitcase together with his book and the pocket watch, he murmured beaming,
"My previous keepsake from Paris!"
That comment brought a smile to Albert's
lips. His gentle Nightingale was free now. It was not surprising that he
would find joy in the littlest things.
At that moment, Baptistin ran over
to them, very excited. "You know, I was wondering why the rocket port seems
crowded today. They're having a fashion shoot at one of the launch pads.
Want to come watch, Etienne?"
"I don't know." Etienne pouted angrily
in his lover's direction. "He said there's nothing interesting to see in
a rocket port."
"Well, not usually, but it's not
everyday you get to watch a live fashion pictorial." Baptistin grabbed
the singer's hand and started pulling him along before he could argue.
"Come on! Let's go!"
With a shake of his head, Albert
followed close behind him. Arriving at the location, Albert was surprised
to see the Pharaon docked there. The Count's former starship, it was given
as a gift to the son of its original owner. Willowy thin models posed and
preened before the starship while the photographers barked out orders and
took their pictures.
Then, from among the ogling crew
of the Pharaon, Captain Maximilien Morrel stepped forward and ran over
to his young friend.
"Albert, is that you?" Maximilien
shook his hand warmly. "Fancy meeting you here. Aren't you supposed to
be in Luna?"
Albert gave the former military man
a tight hug. "I was, but Ambassador DeQuervain gave me a vacation. What's
going on?"
"The editor of a fashion magazine
contacted me three days ago, asking if he could use the Pharaon as a stylish
backdrop for a fashion spread they were doing. It's money. I couldn't say
no. Besides, the added publicity will do well for business." Maximilien
gazed lovingly at the starship. "The Count took great care of her. I'm
glad."
"True," Albert agreed with him. "The
Count once admitted to me that he took great pride in piloting such an
enormous ship. He was really in love with her."
Maximilien saw the flash of sorrow
on his friend's face. "I'm sorry, Albert. I didn't mean to bring up the
past."
"No harm done. What can memories
do after all?" Still, wanting to change the subject, Albert inquired, "Where's
Valentine, by the way? How is she?"
A timid voice answered behind him,
"I'm quite well, my dear Albert. It's so nice to see you again."
"Valentine!" Albert was pleased to
see Franz's former fiancée as beautiful as ever. His face brightened
even more at the sight of the two red-haired twins tagging along behind
her. "Are these your children?"
Maximilien beamed like the proud
father that he was. Urging the twins forward, he waved to the little girl
first. "This is Clementine." Gesturing to the boy, he introduced, "And
this is Jacques. Children, this is your Uncle Albert. I thought I'd bring
them along to watch the photo shoot."
Jacques' lower lip jutted out in
a sullen pout. "I thought this would be better than those opera shows Mama
and Papa take us to."
"All we've seen are snooty women
as thin as toothpicks posing before noisy photographers," Clementine gave
her own assessment. "Boring as hell!"
"CHILDREN!" Valentine was truly shocked.
"Oh, please forgive them, Albert! They can be such heathens sometimes.
They're always playing with the members of Maximilien's crew. I'm afraid
their roughneck ways are having a bad influence on them."
"I don't think it's that bad," Albert
countered. "At least, they're exposed to different types of people. They
should be free to explore the world."
Valentine nodded in agreement. "Back
then, we were imprisoned by our nobility." She gave her family a fond smile.
"But we thankfully escaped from that trap so we could pursue our own happiness.
If it weren't for Franz, God bless his soul, I wouldn't be with Maximilien
right now, and I wouldn't have had these two wonderful children. And I
must not forget�the Count�"
"The Count? But why?"
Maximilien urged his pretty wife,
"Go on, Valentine. Tell Albert everything that you told me."
"The Count went to the mansion the
evening before Maximilien, Franz and Renaud came to get me. Father was
not at home at that time," Valentine began. "He gave me an antidote for
the poison. I was still very weak then and all I could do was look at his
face. I could never forget those glowing marks on his forehead."
Albert started at the mention of
those facial marks. Gankutsuou!
Valentine continued, "Strangely enough,
I did not feel any fear. There was such kindness in those eyes, and I knew
that he had saved me. When he spoke, it seemed as if there were two voices
coming out of his mouth .He told me that it would take days before I could
recover my strength. What I could not forget were the last words he said
to me."
"What, Valentine?" Albert asked breathlessly.
"What did the Count tell you?"
The young woman closed her eyes as
she remembered that one moment that the enigmatic nobleman had actually
spoken to her. "His cold hand was soothing on my fevered brow as he said,
'Forgive us for not coming to you sooner. We were only told about your
condition this morning, hours after Albert had come to the villa. He was
so concerned for your well being that the poor boy ran through heavy rain
just to seek our help. If there is anyone that you should thank, it is
not we but Albert. There isn't any boon that we will deny Albert."
Us�our�we� Words indicative
of plurality. A clear hint of the two personalities existing within the
Count of Monte Cristo � Edmond Dantes and the demon Gankutsuou. But what
could those words he had spoken to Valentine mean?
It was Maximilien who answered his
silent query. "I concur with Valentine on this. Both of us firmly believe
that the Count, and that includes the being inside him, may not be evil."
Albert was about to say something
when he found himself entangled by eager limbs that made movement difficult.
He grimaced in disgust as his face was smothered by perfumed kisses.
"I knew my eyes were not fooling
me! Oh, Albert! Seven years may have passed, but you are still sooooo handsome!"
Albert's eyes flew wide as the person
holding him lowered large dark sunglasses to reveal a mischievous, pretty
face he had not seen in years. "PEPPO!"
"One and the same!" Peppo exclaimed,
sticking his tongue out playfully. Puckering his lips together, he asked,
"How about a kiss for old times' sake?"
"No way, Peppo!" Albert cried in
panic, searching through the crowd for any sign of Baptistin and his lover.
As he tried in vain to extricate himself from that near choking embrace,
he looked to Maximilien and Valentine for assistance, only to be given
amused smiles. "Peppo, damn it! Let me go! Someone might see us and�"
Too late! Angry, narrowed mismatched
eyes peered over the young envoy's shoulder and a menacing voice inquired,
"Albert�who is�this person�sucking on your face?"
Albert made a long evading jump,
carrying Peppo with him. He turned as white as a sheet to see Etienne scowling
back at him with his arms folded over his chest.
Peppo was momentarily struck silent
before he blurted out, "COUNT!" Even Maximilien and Valentine were just
as stunned. The same could not be said for Jacques and Clementine. The
two children were eagerly waiting for what was about to happen next.
Eugenie, Haydee and Bertuccio happened
to be passing by at that moment. Approaching the small tense group, the
pianist waved to her two friends, "Hi, Valentine, Maximilien!" Seeing the
expression on their faces as they stared at the singer, she realized what
had happened. "No, no! This isn't the Count of Monte Cristo!"
Haydee, however, exchanged knowing
glances with Bertuccio and Baptistin.
Etienne smiled at the couple and
said, "I'm always mistaken for this Count. I am not he." Without saying
anything else, he went back to glaring at Albert and Peppo.
Bertuccio nudged Baptistin, who was
helplessly scratching his head. "What's going on? And what's Peppo doing
here?"
"It looks like a war is about to
break out," Baptistin replied, nodding in the direction of the angry singer.
To his dismay, the twins were cheering,
"CAT FIGHT! CAT FIGHT!" which caused the crew of the Pharaon to hurry over
to them as well.
Feeling trapped between a rock and
a hard place, Albert somehow managed to squeak out an introduction, "Etienne,
I would like you to meet my friends � Captain Maximilien Morrel and his
lovely wife, Valentine. And these are their children, Jacques and Clementine."
Etienne bowed to them graciously.
"I am pleased to meet you." His voice low and threatening, he glared at
the infuriating model dangling around Albert's neck. "I'm going to ask
again, Albert. Who�is this�person?"
Swallowing hard, Albert stammered,
"This is Peppo, also an�old friend of mine. Peppo, I'd like you to meet
Etienne Delacroix."
"Charmed to meet you," Peppo said
icily, as he extended his right hand, expecting that the singer would kiss
it.
Instead, Etienne took his fingertips
as though he were holding a wiggling cockroach and gave it a lame shake.
"I wish I could say the same about you." His frown darkened into a scowl
as Peppo embraced his lover again. "Do you mind getting your tentacles
off my boyfriend?"
"Tentacles?" Peppo gasped out in
grievous affront. "Are you calling moi, one of the highest paid
fashion models in Paris, an octopus?"
"Actually, you look more like a squid
to me. I can't believe Paris' top fashion designers are even paying you
a ducat." Etienne turned to his nervous lover. "Albert, are you telling
me that it is in vogue here in Paris for men to dress as�"
The word "women" was never uttered,
since Baptistin clamped both hands over the singer's mouth and dragged
him away. Still, Etienne managed to grab hold of Peppo's collar that he
too was pulled along.
"Now, now, calm down!" Baptistin
said, trying to placate the two angry figures.
To his shock, pink marks flared on
Etienne's brow as Gankutsuou emerged, his odd-colored eyes ablaze.
"So it is you!" Peppo declared. "But
how�"
"Shut your mouth, fool!" Gankutsuou
hissed, sensing the troubled glances that were being thrown behind his
back. "What is more important�" He decided to blunt. "What the hell
are you doing?"
"Staking my claim," Peppo answered
in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Albert was my first love, remember?"
"Well, he never loved you. He loves
me, so there!"
:You know this exasperating transvestite,
Gankutsuou?: Etienne inquired. The entity could feel that, same as
he, the singer wanted to throttle the living daylight out of the model.
:Unfortunately, yes. And Peppo
was the one person who was never intimidated by me.: Gankutsuou rounded
on the model, "Stay away from Albert, if you know what's good for you!"
"Who are you to order me around?"
Peppo poked his finger in Gankutsuou's eye before sauntering back to Albert's
side. The entity's hands flew to his forehead, crying out more in surprise
than from pain.
"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Gankutsuou
snarled. Thankfully, both Bertuccio and Baptistin hauled him away before
he could inflict bodily harm upon the haughty model.
"Calm down, my lord!" Bertuccio hastily
whispered in his ears. "You don't want them finding out about you!"
With a snort, Gankutsuou glared at
his two bodyguards for a moment and retreated, but not before snatching
the guitar from the hands of the surprised First Mate of the Pharaon, Penelon.
He strode over to a nearby crate and sat down, plucking out a few notes
on the instrument.
Nodding to each other, Jacques and
Clementine approached the singer, wide grins on their young faces.
"What?" Etienne asked, frowning.
"Aren't you two going to fight?"
Jacques inquired in turn.
"A gentleman doesn't fight with a
woman," was the singer's simple reply.
Clementine cocked her head to the
side. "But Peppo's a man. I don't know why people can't see that he isn't
a girl at all."
Etienne patted the little girl's
head. "We share the same sentiments, but I don't want to cause any trouble.
It's my first time here in Paris." He leaned close to the twins. "Listen.
Do you want me to sing to you?"
"It won't be one of those boring
opera songs, right?" Jacques said hopefully.
"Anything but opera!" Clementine
agreed with her brother. "There's this one song though that Papa always
sings to Mama, but he always sings it out of tune. It's called 'O Sole
Mio'. Think you can sing that? For us and for my Mama?"
Jacques frowned. "Isn't that an opera
song?"
Etienne laughed at the little boy's
query. Strumming the opening the notes of the song, he said, "Opera song
or not, I'm sure you're going to enjoy this."

Che bella cosa, 'na Iurnata 'e
sole

N'aria serena doppo 'na tempesta

Pe' ll'aria fresca pare già
'na festa...

Che bella cosa 'na iurnata 'e
sole

Ma n'atu sole cchiù bello,
ohi nè

'o sole mio, sta nfronte a te

'o sole, o sole mio

sta nfronte a te, sta nfronte
a te !
Lùcene 'e llastre d'à
fenesta toia,

'na lavannara canta e se, ne
vanta

e pe' tramente terce, spanne
e canta

lùceno 'e llastre d'à
fenesta toia
Ma n'atu sole cchiù bello,
ohi nè

'o sole mio, sta nfronte a te

'o sole, 'o sole mio

sta nfronte a te, stanfronte
a te !
Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne
scenne,

mme vene quase 'na malincunia

sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria

quanno fa notte e 'o sole se
ne scenne
Ma n'atu sole, cchiù bello,
ohi nè

'o sole mio sta nfronte a te

'o sole, 'o sole mio

sta nfronte a te, sta nfronte
a te !
The singer's lovely voice instantly
caught the attention of Penelon. Ambling towards them, he whispered during
the instrumental break, "Mind if I accompany you, Signore?"
"Why, of course!" Etienne exclaimed.
"I'd be very happy!"
Clearing his throat, the Pharaon's
First Mate sang second voice, blending so beautifully with the Nightingale
that everyone within hearing range stopped. The other crewmembers of the
Pharaon went to the two men, listening avidly to them. Soon, even passengers
who have disembarked from nearby spaceships and those still waiting for
their flights began to gather around the small group.
Ever desirous of attention, this
sudden shift of focus from him to his perceived rival only caused Peppo's
temper to rise. Draping his arm proprietorially around Albert's waist,
he sneered, "You always liked them hot and feisty, didn't you, Albert?
I bet you didn't tell Monsieur Delacroix that you had lost your virginity
to me seven years ago in Luna. I will always claim the distinction of being
Albert's first."
Etienne's ears perked up at that
comment. He was practically pounding on the guitar strings as he declared,
"But certainly never Albert's last. I don't need to dress up like a woman
to make the Ambassador to Luna fall in love with me!"
"Go get him, Etienne!" cheered the
twins in bloodthirsty glee.
"This is getting worse by the minute,"
Eugenie mumbled to Haydee, who could only nod in agreement.
"Oh, really?" Peppo started prancing
and posing around Albert, who was by then sweating profusely. "I don't
think he even has fine assets like mine to keep a man." Albert grunted
as Peppo thrust two perfectly formed mounds at his chest. "Aren't they
wonderful, Albert?" he murmured huskily.
"HAH! He calls that fake cleavage
'assets'? I wonder what he stuffed in there anyway! Probably old socks,
because they smell from waaaaay over here!" All this Etienne sang, astonishingly,
to the tune of the song, causing Penelon to nearly choke with laughter.
Peppo was not about to admit defeat.
Looking at Etienne derisively from head to toe, he grimaced and remarked,
"For heaven's sake, Albert! Where did you find him? Pray tell, what does
a lowborn like him have to offer you anyway? Let me offer you this advice,
my dear. Bedmates are easily discarded once the novelty of the experience
fades away."
That insult proved to be too much
for the singer. "You dare ridicule me?" Etienne snarled. "Let me show you
my true talent then!"
Pausing at the very end of the song,
Etienne took a deep breath. Then, he ripped through the high note with
a vengeance. That one note was so loud and powerful that everyone clapped
their hands over their ears. It was impossible for a man to reach a range
that high, yet Etienne did it effortlessly, even sustaining the note for
a full minute. Such was the power of his voice that the camera lenses of
the photographers broke. Even Peppo's sunglasses shattered.
There was a triumphant smile on Etienne's
lips as he stopped singing. "Tell me, Monsieur Peppo." He said this with
clear emphasis on the word 'monsieur'. "Can your fake assets even compare
with the voice of the Nightingale of Luna?"
At once, startled gasps rose among
the onlookers.
"The Nightingale of Luna?" one woman
exclaimed. "He is the Nightingale of Luna?"
"That talented singer from La Decadenza?"
another man asked his companion.
Albert slapped his hand to his forehead.
"Great! Just great! So much for anonymity!" Already, the crowd was closing
in on them, asking questions and begging for another song from the singer.
Even the photographers had begun taking snapshots of Luna's Nightingale.
Etienne, who was clearly not used to this much attention, was close to
panicking.
A shrill whistle pierced the air,
and little Clementine climbed up on top of the crate beside Etienne. Even
Jacques took his place at the singer's opposite side.
"Mesdames, Messieurs!" Clementine
cried. "Please show some manners! Monsieur Etienne has just arrived in
Paris! Please give him room!"
"If you don't and continue to persist,"
added Jacques, "Monsieur Etienne might not be able to perform at the Opera
House! Singers need space!"
Taking the children's cue, the crew
of the Pharaon formed a protective cordon around the Nightingale.
Maximilien, amazed at his children's
quick thinking, called out to Albert, "Get him out of here! Now!"
Penelon gave Etienne a wink. "You
owe us another song next time, Monsieur Nightingale. Look us up at Morrel
et Fil if you should ever visit Marseille."
Etienne smiled at the First Mate,
as well as the two smart children. "I promise I will. I want to sing with
you again, Signore."
Albert seized the singer's hand and,
with the help of the Pharaon's crew and his friends, was able to break
through the crowd. They dashed into the carriage that Baptistin and Bertuccio
had conveniently rolled up in front of them, and rode off before anyone
could think of giving chase.
Sagging into his seat, Albert breathed
a sigh of relief. "I thought we'd never get out of there." Turning to the
singer, he scolded, "Etienne, I'm surprised at you. Why did you let Peppo
get on your nerves like that? Can't you tell that he was only teasing you?
You had to expose him as a man as well. Can you just imagine the repercussions
that could have on his career?"
Chastened, Etienne lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, Albert. I was just so�jealous, seeing him embracing you like
that. It's just not right. I�my heart just couldn't take it."
"But did you see me embrace
him?"
Albert pulled his lover into a tender hug and gave him a kiss on the lips.
"You know that my embraces and kisses are reserved only for you. You have
absolutely nothing to fear from Peppo. To tell you the truth, it was he
who helped me save Eugenie when she was about to be wedded against her
will to Andrea Cavalcanti."
The singer looked at Albert in surprise.
"I didn't know that. I guess I owe Peppo my apologies then."
"Yes, you do, and you have many opportunities
to do so since you'll be staying with me from now on." Albert laughed lightly.
"God bless that Peppo though. If it wasn't for him, I would never have
known how jealous you could be."
"I'm sorry. I promise I won't let
jealousy overwhelm me again."
"It's all right." Albert gave his
precious Nightingale a meaningful smile. "Now I know how deeply you love
me."
Etienne sighed as he leaned against
his lover. "I'm surprised that you only realized that just now." He traced
a teasing finger down Albert's body, but his lover stopped him before he
could go any lower.
"We shall have enough time for that
in our bedchamber tonight," Albert said, although he can feel his member
stiffening within his trousers. "For now, look out the window. Enjoy the
sights."
That, Etienne did. Like an excited
child, the singer eagerly took in the wonderful sights the city of Paris
had to offer. He marveled at the recently completed Eiffel Tower and the
restored Arc D'Triomphe, asking Albert questions about these structures
as well as the city's colorful history. Etienne was particularly humbled
to behold the Paris Opera House. It had been a dream for him to sing at
that great hall. Now that dream was just right in his grasp.
The carriage turned at Champs-Elysees.
Seeing the newly renovated No. 30, Etienne felt a shiver go up his spine.
"Albert�" the singer pointed to the
manse. "What is that place?"
"It used to be the residence of�a
friend� of mine," Albert answered reluctantly, for he too was pained to
see that stately mansion that once belonged to the man he had first loved.
Etienne noticed the sorrow on Albert's
face and stopped himself from prying any further. However, the busy street
caused the carriage to pull to a halt right in front of No. 30 Champs-Elysees.
At once, images began flooding into the Nightingale's brain like a torrent.
A ruined mansion that lay in an
artificial sea�
A golden eye peering up from the
water�
A chamber of gold containing a
glowing cocoon from which he slumbered�
A frightful awakening�
And a shadowy face leering above
him as he was pulled out from the ground�.
"Etienne! ETIENNE!"
The singer looked at his concerned
lover beside him. It was only then that Etienne realized that he had been
gripping the sides of his head. His face was wet with his tears.
"What happened to you, Etienne?"
Albert asked worriedly. "Did you have another headache? For awhile there,
I thought you were about to go into a seizure."
Etienne pressed his face to Albert's
shirt. "Please get me away from this place, Albert. Please! I don't
know why, but it frightens me!"
"You heard the man, Baptistin! I
think we've had enough sightseeing for today."
Baptistin, luckily, remembered a
shortcut and he urged the horses into the small alley. Albert noticed that,
not once, did Etienne glance back at the mansion that was No. 30 Champs-Elysees.
Strangely enough, all throughout
their brief sightseeing tour of the city of Paris, Gankutsuou had remained
silent.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Gankutsuou Reborn