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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
- 15
- 16
- 17
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

© December 30, 2005 By Rory
V. Pascual

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Star Is Born
A woman sat on the porch of her
modest home overlooking the sea. The winter ocean breeze was rather chilly,
but anger was stoking her blood to the boiling point. All she had to do
was glance at the newspaper on the coffee table before her, which showed
two young men in a torrid kiss, and her temper would rise.
"Madame?" It was her majordomo.
"Did you do what I tell you?"
was her simple query.
"Yes, Madame," he replied. "I
thought it would be impossible at this very late date, but I was able to
secure a ticket for you for the opera this evening."
She stood up at once, donning
a fox fur cloak over her elegant shimmering blue taffeta gown. "Then, we
have no time to waste. Tell the driver to get the car. We leave for Paris
right this minute."

The door to the dressing room opened
and a disheveled Baptistin hurried inside. Before the door could be closed.
Albert heard the angry cries coming from outside the opera house.
"It's getting really ugly out there,
Albert," Baptistin said, breathing heavily. "I had to beat up some guys
who were trying to break in here through the Artist's Entrance. Bertuccio
is also having difficulty securing the other entrances. The guards of this
place are not equipped to handle a riot. Luigi Vampa and his crew would
have handled this more efficiently if they were here."
"The last thing we expected was a
full scale riot," Albert replied, very worried. He was already dressed
in his costume of the Count. "If we had known this was going to happen,
we would've called up Vampa and had him and his men come here."
Bertuccio also came in at that moment,
looking a bit relieved. "Monsieur Dupre has arrived with the police. He
is speaking with Mademoiselle Eugenie right now. He is asking her that
we cancel the performance tonight. We need better security preparations."
"And what did Eugenie say?" Albert
asked, praying that his former fiancée would have the sense to listen
to Lucien's advice.
"I think she's going to agree with
him. We can't risk anyone getting hurt after all."
"Bertuccio�" Etienne began quietly.
"Go to Eugenie and Lucien. Tell them that the performance will not be cancelled."
The three men stared at the singer
in shocked silence.
"Are you insane, Etienne?" Albert
exclaimed. "That's a mob out there!"
The Nightingale, however, smiled
reassuringly as he waved Bertuccio and Baptistin off. "Go on. Tell them."
The two men knew it was their former
master who was commanding them, and they hastened to obey without question.
As Baptistin and Bertuccio left the
dressing room, Albert stood up and approached his lover, who was lightly
dusting his face with powder. "Etienne, you must reconsider. Those people
out there have come specifically for the purpose of destroying you. Verano
has manipulated his admirers too well. The rest of the cast is terrified
to go out on stage. Monsieur Jentes, who will be playing the Count in the
singing scenes, was once Verano's understudy and he knows what the singer's
supporters are capable of."
There was nothing but grave seriousness
on Etienne's face as he turned to look at his lover. "If we cancel the
performance, that is exactly what Verano wants. Do you want to see that
whole month's work of hard work go for naught?"
Albert remembered all those pleasure-filled
days rehearsing those erotic dance scenes with the Nightingale. "Of course
not!" he declared in heated vehemence. Remembering their situation, however,
Albert added hastily, "But I don't want to see you get killed on stage
either."
Etienne laid a caressing hand on
Albert's cheek. "Oh, my dear Albert! I promise nothing's going to happen
to me. Besides, except for those days when I was ill, the Nightingale of
Luna had never canceled a performance, and I'm certainly not about to start
now."
"I do admire your courage, but you
must promise me. Before things get out of hand, promise that you'll get
off that stage and just allow us to reschedule the show on a later date."
"I promise." The Nightingale, however,
added, "But�if there is even one friendly face in that audience who wants
to hear me sing, neither you nor the French army can drag me away while
I'm performing. Is that clear?"
Although there was a pleasant smile
on Etienne's lips, Albert knew that his lover meant every word he said.
Letting out a defeated sigh, the young envoy put in, "If you feel that
strongly about it, then I'll share the stage with you. I won't leave you
alone at the mercy of those animals. If need be, I'll go out there in place
of Monsieur Jentes and sing my heart out."
Etienne quickly waved both hands.
"Oh, please, please! You don't have to do that. We want to make this show
a hit, not a flop."
The Nightingale drew back with a
guilty grimace as his lover shot him a smoldering glare. "Do you have a
problem with my voice, Delacroix?"
"Oh, none at all! None at all!" Etienne
leaped to his feet, grabbing Albert's dress cloak, and all but ran for
the door. "Let's go, Monsieur Herrera! Our audience awaits us!"
"Hey! You come back here! Don't think
I'm letting you get off the hook that easily!"
But as Albert hurried after the singer,
he was disheartened by the angry shouts that grew louder and louder as
they neared the backstage area. Lucien and Beauchamp were waiting for them.
Eugenie was talking to the frightened actors, trying in vain to calm them
down, which was impossible to do with the furious shouts of the crowd in
the galleries and the stomping of feet.
"Vive Verano!" the mob roared.
"Go
back to Luna, you whore!"
Lucien shook his head in dismay.
"I'm sorry. They just barged through the doors en masse, and the police
couldn't stop them."
"Don't tell me that all of those
people out there are Verano's supporters?" Albert was truly crestfallen.
He couldn't muster up the courage to peek into the hall.
"I saw Maximilien, Valentine and
the twins earlier, but I fear they must have gotten caught in the rush,"
Beauchamp answered. "Peppo and Renaud were here as well. I know that a
few of our friends have come to watch, but with that mob, I can't blame
them if they all decided to go home. It's just too dangerous out there."
"Mademoiselle Eugenie, please, you
can't make us perform!" an absolutely terrified Rouald Jentes begged the
pianist. His tears were pouring under the phosphorescent pink lace mask
he wore.
"Don't worry. The police are here
and they will restore order. It'll soon be safe for us to perform, I assure
you." But to her own ears, Eugenie was appalled by how insincere she sounded.
While they were busy talking, unknown
to all, Etienne had walked up on stage and was peeking at the mob through
the curtains. His eyes narrowed in undisguised anger at the sight of the
furious men and women shaking their fists in the air and shouting invectives.
Sitting in the fifth row, pretending to look annoyed at the hecklers but
was obviously enjoying the disturbance, was Guillermo Verano.
It was a very ugly scene, and the
singer was close to agreeing to the show's cancellation.
:Etienne�Look!:
The Nightingale did not need Gankutsuou's
preternatural vision to see the small, but formidable little group marching
down the aisle, led by a dignified old gentleman with a cane. Maximilien
and Valentine had brought along the crew of the Pharaon. If the hecklers
were not silenced by the crewmembers' glares, a fist and a hard knock on
the head courtesy of Penelon's trusty guitar did the trick.
What truly elated Etienne was the
sight of Sister Bertrille and the nuns of the Order. With them are the
children of the orphanage, Jacques and Clementine Morrel among them. The
hecklers certainly did not stand a chance against the orphans' heels of
steel and the angry nuns' iron toes that cracked the nuts of any man who
dared to block their way. They all took their seats in the front row, primly
ignoring the rabble-rousers behind them.
Those friendly faces were all the
encouragement that Etienne and Gankutsuou needed.
:For them?: the entity inquired
as he extended his power to the singer.
:Yes, Gankutsuou. We do it for
them,: Etienne replied, donning Albert's dark cloak, as the pink marks
flared up on his forehead.
In the cacophony of the rioters,
Albert and the others at first did not hear the singer's low humming. But
as Etienne began to sing what was supposed to be the piano intro of the
Count's song "We Were Lovers", Albert whirled instantly.
"Etienne, no!" the young ambassador
called out in horror.
The singer, however, ignored his
lover's warning and, sweeping the curtain aside, strode out onto the stage.
Etienne was instantly greeted by
jeers and insults. One even dared to throw a rotten tomato at him, which
smeared his cloak. But those catcalls were drowned out by the combined
might of the voices of the Nightingale and Gankutsuou, as they poured their
hearts and passions into the song that Eugenie had composed for Albert.

Harsh words were said

and lies were told instead.

I didn't ever mean to make you
cry.

But love can make us weak and
make us strong,

and before too very long.

I was totally in love with you.

I bathed in you.

Lost in you, captivated by you.

Amazed by you, dazed by you.

Nothing can go wrong.

Nothing can go wrong.

Nothing can go wrong.
So tonight I'll sing

a song to all my friends.

Also to those we won't be seeing
again.

To those I knew and those I still
adore

and I want to see once more.

I just pray that you will love
me

and trust me.

Laugh with me and cry with me

spend those silent times with
me.

Love me evermore.

Love me evermore.

Love me evermore.
You and I were lovers.

Our dreams were not soured by
life.

And then my friends' betrayal

meant you never would be my wife.
Harsh words were said

and lies were told instead.

I didn't ever mean to make you
cry.

But love can make us weak and
make us strong,

and before too very long.

I was totally in love with you.

I bathed in you.

Lost in you, captivated by you.

Amazed by you, dazed by you.

Nothing can go wrong.

Nothing can go wrong.

Nothing can go wrong.

The jeering died down towards
the middle of Etienne's song. No one dared to raise a fuss after that.
All listened, mesmerized, to the Nightingale's voice and the touching melody
and lyrics of his song. Eugenie, Lucien and Beauchamp, who had listened
to Etienne sing in the past, were awe-struck. Never had they heard the
singer sing like this.
"Those words�" Beauchamp could not
stop himself from whispering. "It's as if the Count himself were singing
it."
And he was certainly not talking
about the enigmatic Count in Eugenie's opera.
Albert had heard the journalist's
words, and it only caused his blood to be chilled. For although he was
listening to that haunting song, his eyes were focused on the glowing marks
on his lover's forehead.
His hand went up to the lace mask
he wore. No! That can't be a mask! My mask did not glow as brightly
as that the first time I tried it on the dark!
Gankutsuou felt a crawling at the
back of his neck. As he looked out of the corner of his eye, it horrified
him to see the shocked expression on Albert's face.
My marks� The entity realized
the cause of the young envoy's fear. Does he suspect� Even when
the song drew to a tremulous close, he could not avert his eyes from Albert's
startled gaze.
:What's wrong with Albert?:
Gankutsuou heard Etienne inquire. :Why is he staring at us like that?:
What broke their gaze was a bold
voice who spoke from the opposite end of the stage. "Well, now! Do any
of you rabble-rousers still have any complaints about this fantastic performance?"
Stirred by those taunting words,
one small group near the back made to raise a ruckus. A sharp pistol crack
fired through the air stopped them at once. It was Luigi Vampa, Teresa
and their band of merry bandits. With them were Haydee, Renaud and Peppo,
who gave the surprised singer a wink and a thumbs-up.
"If anyone dares to make even a peep,"
Verano called out, cocking his gun menacingly, "the next bullet won't be
a blank."
The man who had spoken earlier went
up on stage. "I'm sure there won't be any more need for firearms, Signore."
He was a jovial, portly gentleman with a thick dark beard and a balding
pate.
"Hmmph!" The bandit holstered his
pistol. "And I thought all Parisiens were civilized patrons of the arts,
Signore Cassals."
"Well, we are," the mysterious man
laughed. "Most of the time."
Lucien recognized the stranger at
once. "Why�that's�"
It was Eugenie who gasped out his
name. "Ludivigo Cassals!"
A distinguished gentleman with short
graying hair joined the opera legend. Four burly security men flanked them.
Everyone in the hall stood up, as
shocked murmurs of "It's the President! It's President Poirrot!"
rose among them.
Etienne fell to one knee as he realized
that he was in the presence of France's two most powerful dignitaries.
"Forgive me, Messrs. Being new to Paris, I'm afraid I did not recognize
you, and I�"
Something was placed around the singer's
neck. Etienne blinked down at the golden star that hung down from his neck
by a crimson ribbon.
"If there is anyone here who deserves
the recognition," the President of France kindly began in a voice that
was loud enough to be heard by all, "it's you, Monsieur Etienne Delacroix."
He turned to the audience, specifically those who had jeered the Nightingale
earlier. "This young man was born to a life that was not his choice. He
had nothing but his voice and his dreams to help him survive a life that
would've left him broken and bitter. Despite this, he assisted the Interior
Ministry in apprehending evil men who would condemn Paris' youth to a life
of unwilling debauchery. This he did with no thought of the dangers to
his life or the possibility that he would never be freed from the hell
he was in. He was not even a French citizen, and yet he risked all for
total strangers." The President's voice boomed as he railed, "And this
is how you honor a hero?"
Cassals trained his heated gaze towards
Verano, who was trying to hide behind the woman in front of him. "Signore
Verano, I think I told you this before when you were still my understudy.
The actions of your supporters are your responsibility. I noticed you sitting
there for quite awhile and you did nothing to stop them. Many Parisiens
have accused the citizens of Luna as being heathens, but what do you call
this scandalous behavior? It shames me tremendously that Paris' artistes
would resort to backbiting and rioting to discourage talents before they
could even prove their worth to the audience. You never expected Monsieur
Delacroix to take up your challenge, did you? He showed great courage by
singing before an angry mob, and he silenced you all with the power of
his voice and the honesty of his heart." The opera star looked at the humble
young man with great pride. "Monsieur Delacroix is a true artiste, someone
whom I had always aspired to be, someone that even a man of a stature and
years of experience knows I could never become."
It was Penelon who began clapping,
followed by Maximilien and Valentine, and his crewmates. The children not
only clapped, but cheered as well. Soon, the entire hall resounded with
the applause and cheers of all. Vampa and his men would have fired their
guns as well in celebration if Haydee, Teresa and Peppo had not thrown
them sharp warning looks. Beauchamp, Eugenie and Lucien were close to tears
as they applauded the singer's success.
Only Albert remained unmoved, still
staring transfixed at those marks on Etienne's brow.
The President then bent down and
helped the Nightingale to his feet. "Welcome to France, Etienne my boy!
You are now a citizen of this fair country. Not only that�" He glanced
at Sister Bertrille and the orphans. "Ambassador DeQuervain had informed
me about the imminent closure of the orphanage in Luna. After speaking
with the Cardinal, we have decided that the Order will be relocated to
a small parish in the heart of Paris. The good nuns shall continue to care
for the unfortunates in this city. As for your little friends, many of
our kind nobles have expressed their desire to adopt them. They will have
homes this new year."
Tears of happiness misted Etienne's
odd-colored eyes as he gazed at Sister Bertrille. Smiling, the Mother Superior
blessed her beloved ward, mouthing two words, "Thank you!" Ambassador DeQuervain,
who had accompanied the nun and the children and was sitting beside them,
acknowledged him with an approving nod.
"Now�" Cassals gave the singer's
hands an encouraging squeeze. "Wow that crowd, son!"
"Yes, Signore!" Etienne was happy
to see Eugenie and the other musicians taking their places in the orchestra
pit. He could hear the bustling of activity behind the curtains.
:Are you ready, Gankutsuou?:
the singer asked, raring to go.
:Just one last thing.:
Gankutsuou whirled in Albert's direction,
smiling. He raised his hand to his brow and gestured as though peeling
off a mask. As he did so, he willed the marks on his forehead to gradually
disappear along with the movement of his hand. As he pretended to tuck
the mask in his trousers pocket, he saw the relief form on his lover's
face.
Giving the President and the opera
legend one final gracious bow as they descended the stage, the Nightingale
of Luna swept his cloak off his shoulders, assuming the role of the valiant
prostitute Aimé.
With arms outstretched, Etienne spoke
the opening line of the first act. "What are you standing around for?
We have customers to entertain!"

~~~~~~~~~~
The next two hours proved to be a
magical experience not only for the audience, but also for the cast as
the tragic love story of the Count and Aimé unfolded on stage. At
the passionate performance of the actors, the audience was swept up in
the searing emotions of the Count's desire for vengeance against those
who had betrayed him, all the while rooting for brave Aimé to veer
him from his path of self-destruction.
Etienne proved himself not only to
be an excellent singer, but a wonderful dancer as well as he performed
the brothel dance sequences with sheer eroticism. Both women and men found
themselves getting aroused by the way the Nightingale swayed and moved
his hips with enticing, alluring grace.
One of the highlights of the opera
was the part wherein Aimé revealed his true feelings for the Count
and seduced him into his bed for a torrid night of passion. Conservative
matrons swooned as Albert swept the Nightingale into a passionate dance,
his hands caressing sundry portions of his lover's anatomy. While everyone
believed it to be a mere act, only a rather irritated Etienne knew that
the daring envoy had, in truth, taken liberties upon his person, much more
than during their rehearsals. It had to take shrewd placements of a thigh
and hand to hide the growing bulge in Albert's trousers.
There were a couple of surprises
for the Nightingale as well. In the scene wherein the mysterious nobleman
led the prostitute into a playful dance in the slums where he lived, the
Morrel twins and the orphans climbed up on stage and sang Eugenie's modernized
arrangement of 'The Beautiful Blue Danube'. It delighted Etienne
and Albert to see Clementine, Jacques and his little friends serenading
them and dancing along with such verve and happiness.
The biggest surprise came during
that heart-wrenching moment in the Count's villa when Aimé was desperately
trying to convince the man he loved to abandon his quest for revenge. At
first, he believed that the actor he was sharing the stage with was Monsieur
Jentes. Great was his surprise when it turned out to be Albert. Unknown
to the singer, Albert had been taking singing lessons so that he could
sing this pivotal duet with his lover.
Lucien revealed during a quick costume
change, "It was DeQuervain who insisted that he take singing lessons. 'Do
that young man proud by learning how to sing well,' he said."
Those were real tears of pride that
poured from Etienne's eyes as he embraced his beloved. "You were wonderful,
Albert," he whispered in the envoy's ears, causing a blush to go up Albert's
cheeks.
Monsieur Jentes was only too happy
to relinquish the stage to Albert in the final scene wherein Aimé
was tragically killed when he placed himself in the path of the bullet
that the Count intended for his mortal foe. Overcome by the emotions of
the scene, Albert poured his heart and soul into his song of guilt and
remorse, causing copious tears to flow from the audience.
The opera ended to the roar and cheers
of the audience, giving a standing ovation to the performers. The greatest
applause was reserved for Etienne who made five curtain calls while confetti
and rose petals rained down upon him from the rafters. He waved to the
French President and Ludivigo Cassals, who were sitting in the upper box,
in gratitude for their kindness. He even gave Guillermo Verano a gracious
bow, which the opera star acknowledged with a bow of his own.
Backstage, hearty congratulations
and embraces were exchanged before the press, with Beauchamp at the fore,
converged upon them.
Somehow, Albert managed to get his
lover away from the milling throng, leading him towards a dark corner near
the sound booth. Laughing, he lifted Etienne up high and gave him a passionate
kiss.
"You were magnificent, my love!"
he told the Nightingale proudly. "You've finally made it! You're a star!"
"And it's all thanks to you, Albert,
my dearest savior!" whispered Etienne as he hugged Albert happily.
So lost were the lovers in the elation
and triumph they shared that they did not notice the figure that was storming
their way in a flurry of crimson fur.
Suddenly, Etienne found himself wrenched
away from Albert's embrace and a devastating slap bestowed upon his face.
Before he knew what was happening, he was pummeled by angry punches from
small fists, that he fell to his knees, covering his head with his hands
to defend himself.
"DAMN YOU!" a woman shrieked in fury.
"WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED? YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"
Etienne was in shock that, at first,
the struggling figure of his lover and the woman did not register to him.
What brought him back to the horrific present was Albert's frantic cry.
"MOTHER, STOP IT! WHAT DO YOU THINK
YOU'RE DOING?" Albert shouted as he held the furious woman back. He was
dismayed to see the small crowd that had gathered behind them at the sudden
commotion.
"Mother�?" the Nightingale gasped
out, as he stared with clouding eyes at the beautiful woman that was his
lover's mother.
Mercedes Herrera pointed an angry
finger at the singer. "What are you doing here? Why did you come back?
Have you returned to torment us? Are you going to ruin my son's life again!?
I will kill you first before you hurt my son, Edmond Dantes!"
"MOTHER, STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Albert led his mother away, but not
before hearing his lover's anguished wail to Eugenie and Lucien who came
to his aid.
"I don't understand!" Etienne
cried, tears streaming down his handsome face. "Who is Edmond Dantes?"

* * * * * * * * * *
- 15
- 16
- 17
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Gankutsuou Reborn