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The Dollmaker	By : roryheadmav Category: +G to L > Gankutsuou Views: 2881 -:- 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
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DISCLAIMER: This story is a non-commercial
work of fiction based on the anime/manga Gankutsuou and the comic
book The Sandman. Original copyright of Gankutsuou belongs
to Mahiro Maeda, Gonzo/Media Factory, GDH. Original copyright of The
Sandman belongs to Neil Gaiman and DC Comics. Absolutely no monetary
gain has been made from this work.
THE DOLLMAKER

©
December 6, 2005 By Rory V. Pascual
CHAPTER THREE
"Edmond� Is something wrong?"
There was an expression of utter
perplexity on Edmond Dantes' face as he stared at the modest red brick
home that Albert had taken him to. Whatever little memories he still possessed
told him that this was not the young man's original home. They were a couple
of miles outside the city's formidable walls. This rustic neighborhood
was surrounded by verdant hills, not at all cluttered with buildings as
Paris was. In the distance, he could see the woods of Auteuil.
"Small�" That single word uttered
from the child man's lips spoke volumes.
"Oh, you mean this place?" Albert
scratched his head, grinning sheepishly as he gazed at his humble residence.
"I forgot that you once visited me at the old family home. The government
repossessed it. I've been traveling a lot over the past five years, and
mother chose to live in Marseilles. It was too expensive to maintain the
place, much more pay the taxes, so� Anyway, I like it. It has a nice, cozy
feel to it. A bit isolated though, but my friends drop by from time to
time to visit and�"
"I'm sorry."
Those two words made Albert look
at the older man. Edmond was stricken by this revelation. He was guiltily
chewing on his lower lip, trying to stop himself from crying. In the end,
a big fat tear rolled down his cheek.
Despite what he had said at Franz's
grave earlier, anger and hatred towards the man before him rose inside
his heart. Yes, you should feel guilty, Albert thought, seething.
It's
because of you that my mother and I lost our home and our dignity. Because
of you, we are treated as outcasts!
But then, Edmond did an unexpected
thing. Still sobbing, he turned around and, with bag in hand, headed straight
down the road with the clear intention of going back to Paris. Albert's
anger faded away in an instant as he ran after him.
"Where are you going, Edmond?"
Albert walked beside the man who was once the Count of Monte Cristo. "I
thought you wanted to stay with me."
"Can't stay," Edmond sniffled
heartbreakingly. "Not welcome here."
"Why do you say that? I told you
that you could stay with me, didn't I?"
"I don't know why. I just�feel�that
I can't stay."
It was Albert's turn to feel guilty.
This was not the Count he had once known. Besides, how could he be angry
with him, knowing that the pain and suffering that his father had inflicted
upon Edmond was far greater than his own.
Stepping before the child man's
path, Albert gripped his arms to halt his steady pace. Whereas before,
he had to look up to gaze into Edmond's eyes, he saw now that he only had
to look directly forward.
I had grown up, Albert
thought in realization. We're the same height.
Cupping Edmond's face in his hands,
Albert brushed away his tears with his thumbs. "If you go back to the monastery,
I'll come and fetch you. I want you to stay with me, Edmond," he insisted.
Seeing that the older man was not convinced, a brilliant thought crossed
his mind. "Unless, of course, you don't like my little house. I know you're
used to living in a big mansion with lots of servants�"
Edmond hastily wiped away his
tears. "Of course not!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I don't care how big
your house is!" A becoming blush colored on his cheeks. "I just want to
be with you, Albert."
Albert's hand closed around Edmond's
wrist. "So what are you standing out here for? Come on! Let's go!"
There were no further remarks
about the size of Albert's humble residence after that, for although it
seemed small outside, it was spacious on the inside. Imitation Victorian
furnishings were positioned so that there was adequate space to move around
without bumping into anything. A long counter of oak wood separated the
living room space from the kitchen and dining area.
Edmond's eyes briefly focused
on the coffee table positioned before the fireplace, narrowing at the papers
strewn on top.
"Messy�" Edmond mumbled as he
slowly bent down to fix them.
Albert quickly jumped and covered
the table with his body, arms outstretched, protecting his treaty drafts.
"Oh no! Don't touch! This table is strictly off-limits!"
Edmond pouted distastefully. Gazing
up at the beautiful portrait of Albert's mother hanging on top of the fireplace,
he squealed, "Albert is a very messy person, Madame Herrera."
"You used to call my mother by
her first name, remember?"
"Not anymore," Edmond countered.
"Not right to call her 'Mercedes' now."
Yes, why do I find that surprising?
Albert
mused. Edmond has long since given up on his love for her after she
had married father.
Before the younger man could say
something, Edmond's eyes alighted upon the door leading to the attic. With
one leap, he pulled on the rope, letting the folding stairs drop. Albert
watched speechless as Edmond raced up the stairs. After a minute's silence,
there was a happy whoop followed by cheers of "I like! I like! Edmond's
room! Edmond's room!"
A grin quirked up Albert's lips
as he scratched his head. "I guess that solves my problem of finding a
place for him to sleep." In truth, Albert's 'bedroom' was nothing more
than a sleeping alcove that on first glance looked like a big cupboard,
which in his opinion, was pretty cramped for two men to occupy.
As he lowered his hand, Albert
groaned, seeing the time on his wristwatch. "I'll be late for my meeting!"
He called out to the man upstairs. "Edmond!"
Edmond's head popped upside down
through the door, his hair hanging down like a shimmering black curtain.
"MY room!" he said emphatically, thinking that Albert was going to prohibit
him from using the attic.
"I'm not taking the attic from
you, Edmond. It's all yours," Albert replied with a grimace. "I was just
going to tell you that I have to go. I have an important meeting today,
and I can't be late."
Hearing this, Edmond swung down
from the attic, not bothering to take the stairs, and instantly embraced
the younger man. "But we just got here," he argued with a choked sob. "Don't
go, Albert! Please!"
"Sorry, Edmond, but I must." Albert
gently pried himself free from Edmond's arms. "I'm not as wealthy as I
used to be. I have to earn money for the two of us now, so we could have
something to eat."
"Then, I'll go with you," the
older man pleaded. "Help you make money. I could do what the brothers are
doing." To demonstrate, he picked up an ashtray and held it out, at the
same time, assuming a pitiful expression on his handsome face.
Albert shook his head. There was
certainly no way in hell that he was going to let Edmond beg in the street.
"Absolutely not! Listen, Edmond. Just take care of the house for me. I've
got a pot of stew on the stove from last night. Do you know how to turn
it on so you can heat it?"
"Uh huh. I did chores back at
the monastery."
"That's good." He brushed away
a stray lock that fell over the former Count's brow. "I don't want to leave
you either, but I have to make a living. I'll try to be back early tonight.
Would you like me to bring you some cake?"
A bright smile was his immediate
reward. "Could you make it chocolate�if it's not too dear?"
Albert was touched by that thoughtfulness.
"Just keep an eye on my house. You can play outside, but don't stray too
far. And don't let anyone inside. The only thing that's off-limits is this
table. Those are important papers that I still need to study."
Edmond listened carefully to Albert's
every word, his face very serious.
Picking up his satchel and helmet,
Albert repeated, "I'll try my best to be home early. I'll see you later."
Before he could don his helmet,
he was surprised by the feathery caress of lips upon his cheek.
Edmond blushed shyly as he averted
his eyes from the younger man's questioning gaze. "Take care of yourself,
Albert."
"I will." Not wanting to say anything
more, Albert went outside, got on his bike and rode away, turning around
briefly to wave to the man whom he was leaving behind.
"Take care, Albert!" Edmond called
and waved after him. "Take care!"
Focusing back on the road ahead,
Albert unconsciously touched his cheek. He did not want to admit it, but
that kiss disturbed him. True, he loved Edmond, a love that he believed
to be the same as that from his youth. Care and admiration for a man he
thought of as father, mentor and friend. But never were those feelings
tainted with the fire of lust. That tender kiss caused a stirring in his
groin that would not abate. And to think that he would actually be living
with him from this day forward � innocent Edmond Dantes possessing the
mind of a child and the unearthly beauty of a siren.
A perfect target for sweet revenge,
as he himself had once been.
Albert shook his head roughly.
No,
I mustn't think this way. Edmond too had suffered from what my father had
done to him. This�inconvenience�is nothing compared to being imprisoned
in a terrible place as the Chateau D'If for over a decade.
Despite this, the raspy voice
of Despair whispered in his ear, "Can you call living in poverty and public
humiliation an inconvenience?"
Pain pierced his heart as though
the barb of a hook had been driven into it.
"No," Albert murmured in growing
resentment. "This hell I am living in now is no mere inconvenience."

~~~~~~~~~~
"Is Albert going to be all right?"
Edmond worriedly asked the Dream King standing beside him.
Dream, who had been observing
the two men since they arrived at the cottage, knew that this child-like
mortal had seen his younger sister squatting on the bike's back seat behind
Albert like a grotesque naked troll.
"He will be fine, Edmond. Albert
is strong. He shall prevail." Strange, thought the Lord of the Dreaming,
that his words were hollow from lack of conviction. Albert had suffered
greatly from Edmond's scheme of vengeance. The grip that Despair had on
his heart was still too strong, even if five years had passed.
Thankfully, those words were enough
reassurance to the child man. With a snappy "Okay!", Edmond skipped back
inside the house, with Dream, like a pale shadow, trailing behind him.
The door closed before the Dream King could enter, but he easily passed
through its substance.
He found Edmond standing in the
middle of the living room, clucking his tongue and muttering, "Really messy!"
Crossing his arms over his chest,
Dream suspiciously asked, "What are you up to, Edmond? You know Albert
told you not to disturb his things."
"I won't do anything bad," Edmond
said defensively. "I'm just going to clean this place up a bit."
As Dream looked on, Edmond clasped
his hands together as if in prayer. Then, intricate marks formed on his
forehead, glowing a bright pink. A light breeze swirled around him, causing
his hair to flutter. Tiny pink lights danced in the wind and slowly spread
throughout the house, absorbing all the dust, dirt and cobwebs.
But Edmond was doing more than
just cleaning the house. The atmosphere within Albert's home seemed to
become lighter, the pervasive aura of negativity gradually dissipating.
Dream, who was supposed to be devoid of all human emotion, for the first
time in his eternal life, felt a joy so pure and profound that it left
no room for doubt or fear. Even Delirium while she was still the aspect
known as Delight never exuded such sheer happiness.
Two bright stars twinkled in the
midnight depths of Dream's eyes as he gazed at the man before him. "Who
are you?" he asked in breathless awe.
The only answer that Edmond gave
him was a simple smile.

~~~~~~~~~~
Albert's day at the Embassy dragged
out longer than he had expected. It was a quarter to nine in the evening
when he trudged wearily inside his house.
"Edmond, I'm home," he yawned
out in greeting, taking care that the box containing chocolate fudge cake
did not tilt as he switched on the living room light.
Albert's jaw dropped in surprise,
seeing his home so spotless. The furnishings and the metal décor
shone with the warm glow of the thoroughly polished. Even the colors on
his mother's painting stood out bright and vibrant, as if it had been restored.
But then, with sudden dread, he remembered his documents. Sure enough,
he groaned at the sight of his papers neatly stacked into five piles on
the coffee table. Albert strode towards the table, fearing that his hard
work had been disturbed beyond salvation. To his amazement, however, he
saw that the documents had been distributed according to the right topics
that he had been trying to figure out for days. Provisions he previously
believed to be best included in the Economics drafts were more appropriate
under the Trade heading. Albert looked at the documents one by one, and
he saw that every page was placed under the heading it was best suited
for.
A soft murmur caught his attention.
Looking over the edge of the table, Albert found Edmond lying in sweet
repose on the floor before a small blaze in the fireplace. Never had he
seen the Count like this � lost in blissful sleep, his handsome face devoid
of all the troubles of the day, a small smile curling up the corners of
his lips.
"Albert�" he mumbled happily,
hugging what looked like a big scrapbook close to his chest.
Albert could not help but smile.
He
looks like an angel.
Desire, who was sitting unseen
in an armchair, was delighted by the intense scrutiny the young man was
giving his slumbering elder. It stood up and slinked over to Albert. With
a manicured fingernail, it traced a long sinuous line starting at the base
of the mortal's neck, descending lower and lower.
"Isn't he beautiful, Albert?"
Desire murmured huskily as it cupped the young man's genitals and fueled
it with a raging fire that left his member straining within the confines
of his trousers. "Come on, boy. I know you want him. It's all right, because
Edmond likes you too. All you have to do is ask. He won't say no to you."
While Albert struggled with the
insidious creature that was stoking his libido to the boiling point, Edmond's
eyelids fluttered open, his mismatched eyes growing round at the sight
of the being that was touching the younger man obscenely. He quickly sat
up and grabbed the ashtray on the table.
"Let him go, you pervert!"
Edmond
shouted as he hurled the ashtray at Desire.
Albert thought he saw the ashtray
glow a bright pink for a second, but instinct made him dodge that approaching
projectile. Desire, on the other hand, was mistaken in believing that the
ashtray would just pass through it. To its shock, the ashtray found its
mark right between its eyes. As Desire vanished back to its realm, so too
did the ashtray.
"Bull's eye!" Edmond giggled,
raising his clenched fist in triumph.
Albert was fuming as he picked
himself up from the floor. "Why did you do that for, Edmond? You almost
hit me!" He looked around him. "And where did that ashtray go?"
"Oh, but I wasn't aiming at you,
Albert," the older man explained. "There's this bad lady who also looks
like a man who's doing something really nasty to you. She was touching
you down there." Edmond pointed directly at the bulge at Albert's crotch.
"You've got a wild imagination,
Edmond," Albert blushed hotly as he hid his erection with the jacket he
had slung over his arm. "Why don't you just admit that you're mad at me
because I came home late?"
"But I'm not! I wanted to stop
that bad lady!"
Albert raised the crumpled box.
"Look what you made me do to the cake!"
Edmond's body started to hitch
with the sobs that were rising up his throat. "You don't believe me. You
think it's me who's been bad!"
Yes, because you've done terrible
things to my family and I! Albert quickly banished that thought from
his mind as the older man burst into tears. Kneeling beside the weeping
figure, he enfolded him in a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry, Edmond. I
did not mean to hurt you. You must have been dreaming that woman."
"No, I wasn't!" Edmond argued,
a drop of mucous peeking out of his left nostril. "There really was a bad
lady!"
At that comical sight, Albert
laughed. "Wipe your nose, will you?"
As Edmond wiped his nose on his
shirtsleeve, Albert was brought back to that one moment five years ago
when Franz returned from Marseilles. It was Albert who had ended their
friendship days earlier, but Franz had forgiven him and welcomed him back
with open arms, causing him to weep for joy.
Franz had said the same thing
to him back then. "Wipe your nose."
Ironic that those same words were
given to the man who had not only caused the near ruination of their friendship,
but had also been the one to take Franz's life.
Edmond noticed the intense stare
that Albert was giving him. "Are you mad at me, Albert? I swear I was only
trying to protect you from that bad lady. I didn't do anything wrong�Oh!"
He stopped at once as his eyes fell upon the papers on the coffee table.
Chewing on his lower lip in guilt, he murmured, "I'm sorry I touched your
things."
"Actually�" Albert had to admit
it. "�You've sorted them out, something that I've been unable to do for
the past five days. Tell me, Edmond. Did you read all these documents?"
"A little bit�" Edmond wrinkled
his nose. "But I couldn't understand what's written. I just placed the
papers in the pile that I felt they should be."
"And how did you know it
should belong it which pile?"
"I don't know. It just felt right
to put it in one pile and not the other." Edmond clapped both hands to
his forehead. "Got a biiiiiig headache afterwards too."
Albert stared at the older man,
unconvinced. Edmond was a shrewd businessman and a cunning politician.
Perhaps even with his mind regressed in age, he still retained even some
measure of that uncanny acumen that he was noted for.
How could he be angry with him
when Edmond may have saved his job?
Reaching out, Albert cupped Edmond's
cheek. "You've been a big help. Thank you."
Edmond pressed his cheek to Albert's
hand, purring happily. "You're welcome, Albert. I'm glad I did something
good for you." He then hastened to stand. "Hold on, all right? I'll heat
up the stew for you."
"No need. I already ate dinner.
How about we eat this cake instead�" Albert winced, seeing the sorry state
of the box. "�Or whatever is left of it."
"I'll go get a knife, plates and
spoons."
As Edmond hurried to the kitchen,
Albert at last saw what his ward had been holding so protectively, lying
on the floor. It was not a scrapbook at all but a photo album.
Noticing the younger man looking
at the album, Edmond explained, "I found it in the attic. May I borrow
it, Albert? Please?"
Albert took the knife, plate and
teaspoon that the older man offered him. "Sure. Found something interesting
in there?"
"Lots! Makes me want to do something
reaaaallly nice! I like the picture of you while Madame Herrera was changing
your diaper." Edmond giggled. "Albert has a big, fat baby butt!"
The young man turned beet red.
Snorting, he mumbled, "Mother should never have put that photo in there."
"But�" Edmond interrupted, frowning
darkly. "There are nasty people in it too."
Not having looked at that particular
photo album in years, Albert could not remember whose photos were inside.
"Let's forget about bad people
tonight." Opening the box, he cut the cake with the knife and placed a
large, unflattened slice on Edmond's plate. "Let's have some cake!"
His mismatched eyes glittering
with joy, Edmond shoveled a big piece of cake inside his mouth, the lower
half of his face, including his goatee, becoming smeared with rich brown
icing.
"Squished cake! Yummy!" Edmond
declared with a contented smack of his lips.

~~~~~~~~~~
Albert had tucked Edmond in a
bedroll he had found in the attic. When the older man was finally asleep,
with his arms hugging the album, he went down to his own alcove for some
much needed shut eye.
Just as he was about to drift
off, a horrendous shriek reverberated throughout the house. The thundering
of bare feet followed. Before Albert could gather his wits, the door to
his alcove burst open.
Absolute terror was etched on
Edmond's face as he cried, "Albert! Space bat! SPACE BAT!"
"Huh? What? HEY, EDMOND!"
But it was too late. With his
precious photo album in tow, Edmond squeezed himself into the tiny space
beside Albert. Seeing the younger man gaping back at him with jaw slack,
Edmond batted his eyelashes, assuming a piteous expression.
"Space bat�" he whined, as though
those two words were plea enough.
Albert let out a defeated groan.
"Oh, all right! You can sleep with me. I hope you are not the type that
tosses and turns around too much at night."
To his chagrin, Edmond took Albert's
arm and draped it over his body, a clear sign that he wanted to be hugged.
Albert's cheeks burned as his fingertips touched the older man's ample
behind. Raising his hand above that trim waist, he drew Edmond close, relishing
the sweet scent of chocolate on his skin. In his heart, he wished he could
have held Edmond like this before.
After all that you did,
Albert mused, bussing the child man in his arms at the top of his head,
why
do I still want to protect you, to love you?
That thought remained inside Albert's
mind until sleep eventually overcame him. Edmond, however, was still awake.
Popping a golden eye open, he was pleased to see his guardian sleeping
soundly, his eyelids sparkling with dream sand that the Dream King had
sprinkled over them.
Leaning forward, he gave Albert
a sweet kiss on the lips.
"I love you, Albert," Edmond whispered
as he too surrendered to slumber, cuddling up to the young man.

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The Dollmaker