Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ Gankutsuou Reborn ❯ The Truth About The Nightingale ( Chapter 16 )
Anime/Manga: Gankutsuou Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Classic | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.22.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Work In Progress
GANKUTSUOU REBORN
© January 22, 2006 By Rory V. Pascual
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Truth About the Nightingale
How could an evening of joy and triumph turn so quickly into a nightmare?
Etienne had locked himself inside his dressing room, keeping out his friends who were frantically knocking on his door and calling out his name, begging to be let in. But he could not muster up the courage to face them all, not when the sorrow and shame were battering his shredded pride.
A tear trickled down his bruised cheek. He had anticipated rejection from Albert's mother, given his unsavory background. But he never expected to be treated with so much hatred.
The angry voices outside his dressing room window only made him sink deeper into the quagmire of misery.
"I never thought you could be such a fool, Albert! How could you allow yourself to be deceived by that man again? Have you forgotten what he had done to your friends, to US?"
"And I told you a thousand times, Mother, he is not Edmond Dantes! Edmond is dead!"
"Unlike you, I am not fooled by his act! Don't forget I was his childhood friend and fiancée! I know, Albert! I know that that man you call your precious Nightingale is truly Edmond Dantes!"
Etienne pressed his palms to his aching temples. He could imagine the fury on Mercedes Herrera's face. It was an expression he never expected to behold in that kind, gentle beauty he had once…
Loved?
The singer shook his head as a fleeting vision flashed through his mind.
Running by the shore with another young man, giving chase to a wayward hat that had been blown away by the ocean wind…
A lovely young girl pouting at their inability to get her hat back which was now drifting away with the sea current…
A promise… "I'll just buy you a new hat, Mercedes."
An expectant smile… "Get me one just like it, Edmond."
That name again…
Edmond Dantes….
Etienne's head went up at the sound of a hard slap.
"Don't be stubborn, Albert! I'll be waiting for you at the Paris Royale Hotel. You're coming back to Marseilles with me!"
"I am not a child that you could still order around! Don't bother waiting for me, because I won't be going to Marseilles. Hurt me all you want, Mother, but I will never forgive you if you dare to lay a finger on Etienne again!"
The quarrel between mother and son proved to be too unbearable for the Nightingale. Before he could run outside, a troubled voice stopped him.
"Etienne…"
Gankutsuou gazed back at him through the mirror, regret etched on his handsome, ageless face. "I don't want to be the cause of your unhappiness. Before any more ugly surprises spring up on you, you must know the truth. I won't keep it from you any longer. And the road to the truth should start with Madame Herrera."
"Does Albert's mother know…"
"She has knowledge of the past."
"Of Edmond Dantes?"
"Yes." Gankutsuou pressed his hand to the glass. "I had wished to spare you from the pain…"
"I've long been prepared for this. No matter how painful it may be, I must know." Etienne laid his hand over the entity's palm. "But I'm not afraid," he added, smiling, "because you'll be there with me."
"Oh, Etienne!" Gankutsuou exclaimed, with a forlorn shake of his head. "Once all this is over, I doubt if my presence would still be welcome to you."
~~~~~~~~~~
A very concerned Haydee immediately met Albert. The Princess cried, "He won't open the door!"
"Bertuccio went to get the key from the manager," said Eugenie. Noticing how her ex-fiancé was looking at the empty hallway, she explained reassuringly, "You don't have to worry about the press. Beauchamp and Lucien had a firm talk with them. None of this will go out in the papers tomorrow. I guess they're also afraid because Etienne has the President's favor."
"I'm very disappointed in my mother," Albert admitted bitterly. "After what happened, I don't know if I could face him. I'm too ashamed."
"I think it's about time you told Etienne about the Count, Albert," Eugenie offered the tentative suggestion. "You can't keep this from him forever."
"What if Etienne thinks that I fell in love with him because he reminded me so much of the Count? No, I can't tell him, Eugenie, especially if it means that I might lose him!"
Haydee and Eugenie exchanged troubled glances. Making up her mind, Haydee took Albert's hand. "Albert…there's something that you should know."
"I've got the key!" Bertuccio hurried up to them before Haydee could continue.
Snatching the key out of Bertuccio's hand, Albert slid it into the lock and swiftly opened the door, only to be dismayed to find the room empty. The open window marked Etienne's escape.
~~~~~~~~~~
Mercedes Herrera sat in pensive silence in her hotel suite, unconsciously wringing her right hand. She was shocked that she had struck her dearest son for the second time in both their lives.
It's because of him, she thought, her face darkening once more in anger. He made my son turn against me! Inwardly, Mercedes felt no shame for her scandalous behavior at the opera house. If it means driving him out of my son's life, then I have no regrets.
A small nagging voice inside her heart suddenly inquired, Are you being true to yourself when you say that?
Before she could silence her berating conscience, there were two soft knocks on her door.
"Albert? Is that you, son?" Mercedes exclaimed in relief, as she ran to the door, flinging it wide open. "Albert!"
A shocked gasp was elicited from her lips, seeing the young man she despised standing outside.
Mercedes was about to slam the door in his face, but Etienne immediately stopped its closure with his hand. "Please, Madame! Don't send me away!" he begged despairingly. "I must speak with you!"
"You and I have nothing to talk about!" Mercedes declared heatedly. "All I want to hear from your lips, Edmond, is that you will leave Albert alone!"
"That's what I want to know, Madame!" the Nightingale insisted, a fat tear rolling down his cheek. "I must know who Edmond Dantes is! Is he also the Count of Monte Cristo? Everyone's been telling me that I look like him." The singer hesitantly revealed, "I…I have no memory of my past. All I know is that my former employer found me barely alive. He never mentioned the exact circumstances of how he had found me. I only assumed that it was in Luna, but… I'm begging you, Madame! I do not wish to cause Albert any more heartbreak, but if I am to comply with your demands, all I ask in exchange is that you give me the truth."
Although suspicious of the young man before her, the urge to see him gone from Albert's life was stronger. Grudgingly, Mercedes let him inside, waving him to the armchair before her. As Etienne settled into his seat, so too did she sit as well, and looked the Nightingale straight in the eyes.
"Edmond Dantes was my fiancé," Mercedes told the attentive Nightingale. "On the day of our engagement, he was arrested for assassinating the prince. In truth, he was innocent of the crime. Three men saw him as a threat to their ambitions, especially since he was privy to a secret document that was entrusted to him by his captain to deliver to someone in Paris. The first was Baron Danglars, Eugenie's father, whom Edmond discovered was embezzling money from the shipping company of Morrel et Fils. The second was Chief Justice Gerard de Villefort, whose name was listed among the conspirators in that secret document. The third was Fernand Mondego, who was a close friend of Edmond's. His reasons were personal. He envied his friend's success and was secretly in love with his fiancée. With Edmond imprisoned, nothing stopped him from rising up the ranks in the military and marrying his friend's fiancée. He took the name of Morcerf, pretending to be of noble birth. Fernand was my husband and Albert our son."
Etienne was stunned by what he was hearing. Timidly, he ventured to ask, "What became of Edmond?"
"Edmond was imprisoned at the Chateau D'If for ten years," was Mercedes solemn reply. "I could only imagine the unspeakable sufferings that he endured in that horrible place. The only thing that drove him to survive was the desire for vengeance. While there, he made a pact with a demon named Gankutsuou. Through this demon's help, Edmond somehow miraculously escaped from the prison and was given immeasurable wealth and power, which he used to plot against those who had caused his torment. He became the man known as the Count of Monte Cristo."
The Nightingale gasped in shock at this disclosure.
"For the next fifteen years, Edmond planned it perfectly. He knew my son would be vacationing in Luna with his best friend, Baron Franz d'Epinay," Mercedes continued. "In order to capture my innocent son's heart, he had Albert kidnapped by a band of bandits and pretended to rescue him. To show his gratitude for his so-called 'savior', Albert invited him to Paris. He took residence at No. 30 Champs-Elysees where he put his elaborate scheme of vengeance into motion."
"Edmond brought about the collapse of Baron Danglars' financial empire. The Baron himself was never found. Although many believed that he had simply escaped from his creditors, I know that Edmond had killed him. Chief Justice Villefort's career was ruined by a horrific scandal. His wife Heloise, you see, had been trying to poison Villefort's daughter by his first wife, Valentine, using a Borgia ring that was a gift to her by Edmond. Villefort made the mistake of confronting Edmond and shooting him, and was later convicted of attempting to assassinate the Count of Monte Cristo. But he never got to serve time in prison. Villefort is presently in an asylum in Paris, made mad by a drug that was injected into his bloodstream by the illegitimate son he had buried alive at birth – Benedetto or Andrea Cavalcanti as he was known back then."
"Benedetto!" Etienne could not stop himself from crying out, surprising Mercedes. Blushing in embarrassment, he admitted to her, "He…It was Benedetto who had found me, Madame. He was my…employer." He clutched the lapel of his shirt, crushing it tightly as he remembered the terrible things that the rogue did to him.
Mercedes gazed at the young man before her, and pity filled her heart, seeing his tense, flustered form. She had read about Etienne's life at the brothel.
"Benedetto…" the singer began, trembling. "He told me that he had violated Eugenie."
"Yes, he had. His own sister, because their mother was Victoria Danglars," Mercedes sadly confirmed. "He almost married Eugenie, if it were not for Peppo's stalling the wedding and Albert's getting her out in time. Lucien had him arrested, but he escaped during the siege of Paris."
"I don't want to cause you pain, Madame, but your husband… What became of Albert's father?"
At that query, her hands closed into tight fists on her lap as she struggled to find the words to continue her story. "I told you that Fernand became a high-ranking general in the army. I never knew that he earned that position by killing the King of Janina and selling his wife and daughter to slavers. Edmond bought Ali Tebelin's daughter Haydee and used her to expose my husband's treachery."
Etienne was aghast by that revelation. "Are you telling me that Haydee knows…"
"Yes, she does, that is why I was surprised that you did not hear this story from her. To continue, Fernand sought to gain power by attacking Paris. When I refused to join him in his quest, he shot me, as well as Albert. Learning that Edmond was the cause of his downfall, he challenged his former friend to a duel at the ruins of the Champs-Elysees mansion. But it was Albert who brought an end to that duel by purging the demon that possessed Edmond. As for Fernand, the guilt of what he had done to his friend and family prompted him to take his own life."
"And Edmond…"
"Albert told me that he too died that day, when the broken tip of Franz's sword that was embedded in his chest, finally plunged into his heart. Franz, you see, took Albert's place in a duel when my son discovered about the Count's treachery. Edmond even made me witness the duel, and I believed that it was Albert being butchered inside that suit of armor. I later discovered that Albert was alive, but still, I could never forget Franz' terrible death. Franz, however, had managed to score a strike that proved fatal to Edmond in the end." Mercedes suddenly exclaimed, "After all the horrible things that had happened, I thought that Edmond was dead. But then you came and I… You can deny it all you want! I know that you are Edmond Dantes! I have known Edmond since childhood. Your voice, your mannerisms, your demeanor… It's exactly the same as his!"
Tears were streaming down Etienne's cheeks. He wanted to deny the woman's accusations, but he too was getting very confused. It certainly did not help any that visions were suddenly flashing through his mind like strobe lights, scenes from the terrible past that Mercedes had just narrated to him.
Mercedes leaped from her seat and gripped Etienne's shoulders, shaking him hard. "Why did you come back? Haven't you ruined my son's life enough? How much suffering do we have to take until you are satisfied?"
"UNHAND ME!"
A strong hand swatted Mercedes' hands away. She gaped in horror at the pink marks that blazed up on the singer's forehead.
"Oh my God!" Mercedes gasped. "The demon! Then you are…"
"You selfish woman!" Gankutsuou could no longer stop himself from railing at her. "All you talk about is your sufferings! Your pain! But have you ever thought about what he went through? I know, Madame, because this so-called 'demon' took all of your Edmond's pain! I tried to heal the darkness inside his heart, tried to steer him away from the path of vengeance! But it's not solely revenge that drove him on. It was you! Edmond loved you, and yet you did not wait for him and, instead, married the man who had betrayed him! I was powerless against a broken heart! If you had only waited for Edmond to return, none of this would've have happened!"
At that tirade, Mercedes found herself sinking down into her seat, guilt-stricken. "I would've waited for Edmond. But I…I was too lonely. His father told me that I should not wait any longer. And Fernand was always there for me. But even if I had married Fernand, Edmond was always in my heart!"
"That may be so, but it does not change the fact that you had betrayed him!" Gankutsuou muttered between gritted teeth, "Did you know that your husband raped Edmond in Auteuil? He may have loved you, but Fernand had been harboring lustful thoughts about Edmond right from the beginning! Even if Edmond was in the guise of the Count, Fernand took advantage of him…because he reminded him so much of the Edmond Dantes he had known in the past!"
Mercedes was shocked by that revelation. Despite herself, detestation filled her heart at the man she had chosen to marry over the one she truly loved. Not only had Fernand destroyed Edmond's life, he had also taken the only precious thing that was left to him.
"What are you going to do with me?" Mercedes asked in resignation. "Do you plan to kill me? Then do it now! But I beg you to spare my son!"
"I did not come to cause any more trouble for you, but I will not lie that it is Albert who is the true reason for my return."
"What do you mean? I don't understand."
"Before Edmond died, he had a wish, a wish that I shared with him, since we were of one body, mind and heart. If it were possible for him to be reborn again, he would want to spend his new life with your son." Seeing those stunned brown eyes staring back at him, Gankutsuou confirmed, "Yes, Madame. Edmond had fallen in love with Albert. In my case, Albert reminded me of someone I had loved deeply a thousand years ago. I only realized recently that your son was my love reborn in this era. Since Edmond and I found it unthinkable to be without Albert, I decided to use my powers to fulfill our wish."
Mercedes' right hand went up to her parted lips as she gasped out, "Then are you saying that you are…"
A kind, albeit weary smile formed on that handsome face which Mercedes had seen many times in the man she once loved. "Yes, Mercedes. I am Edmond Dantes."
~~~~~~~~~~
A furious Albert barged through the door of his mother's hotel suite. He saw her sitting in the parlor, her face buried in her hands.
"Mother! Where's Etienne?" Albert demanded. "And don't you lie to me! The concierge told me that he had been here. What have you done to him?"
Mercedes lifted her head, showing her beautiful face that was drenched with her tears.
"I'm sorry, Albert," Mercedes sobbed. "Please forgive me for what I've done. I've always blamed him for everything that's happened, but it's actually all my fault. How many times do I have to hurt him?"
Albert's heart thundered in his chest as he got down on his knees before his mother. Gripping her arms, he asked, "What are you talking about, Mother? And where's Etienne? Please don't tell me that you drove him away! I…I love him, Mother! I don't know how I could live without him!"
"And he loves you, my son. So much more than when he loved me in the past. Don't make the mistake of losing him, like I had done."
"What are you saying, Mother? You're confusing me! Please tell me where Etienne is!"
Mercedes suddenly cupped Albert's flushed face in her hands. What she said next caused the blood to drain from his cheeks.
"He'll be at No. 30 Champs-Elysees, Albert, waiting for you," his mother whispered tenderly. Your precious Nightingale…Your beloved Count of Monte Cristo…Edmond Dantes…."
~~~~~~~~~~
While mother and son were talking, Etienne had already broken into No. 30 Champs-Elysees and was descending into the bowels of the mansion via the elevator. The door opened and the Nightingale stepped into the golden domain of the Count of Monte Cristo.
With Gankutsuou pointing the way out to him, the singer soon found himself in a portion of the cavernous catacombs that were no longer touched due to the large amount of debris. Climbing over a small hill of brick and dirt, he saw the half-buried remains of a huge golden eye. The eye itself was hollow, its interior lined with remnants of gossamer pink threads.
:Are you ready, Edmond?: the entity asked the singer.
Etienne found it strange and a bit disconcerting to be called by that name. But the exchange between Mercedes Herrera and Gankutsuou already confirmed that he was this enigmatic avenger. The only thing left for him to do was to learn the rest of the truth.
His answer to Gankutsuou's question was a simple nod as he stepped into the eye, curling up into a ball. The pink threads wrapped around his form. The eye shone with a golden light as the memory restoration process was initiated…
A dark bedchamber in a villa located in the remote forest of Auteuil where a poor nobleman had just been violated by the man he once called friend…
Gankutsuou standing on a balcony blanketed by a starry night sky, caressing his lower belly where Fernand Mondego's seed had taken root. Although his present form was that of an amorphous creature, a being of spirit, he possessed the characteristics of both male and female, and self-procreation was something that his ever-mutating cells could accomplish.
A smiling boy's face flashed through the entity's mind. "Let some good come out of the evil that you had sown, Fernand Mondego."
Then, a terrible duel that cut short the life of a brave boy…A sword breaking before it could reach its mark…The entity's futile attempt to seize control of Edmond's mind before that long blade could be buried into the boy's body…
"I'm so sorry, Franz," Gankutsuou wept, his anguish mirroring that of the man whose body he shared, realizing that they had just slaughtered an innocent. "I'm so sorry!"
A bloody hand caressed his face. "I forgive you...Gankutsuou" Was that a smile on Franz's lips? "I promise…I'll be watching over you…Edmond…and Albert…."
Another duel…A bitter confrontation between two former friends that nearly led to the deaths of two more innocents…A wounded but brave Albert berating the conscience of the avenger…
Not wanting a repeat of the earlier tragedy, Gankutsuou used Edmond's momentary indecision to take control.
"Would you kill this boy whom you claim to love with all your heart?" he shouted furiously at the confused avenger.
It was easy to turn around and walk away. But Albert had run after him and blocked his path. As their eyes met, feral mismatched eyes gazing into fear-filled blue orbs, it was only then that Gankutsuou realized that this boy saw him as a monster, but a monster he had learned to love.
"Do you understand my friend's heart?" the entity asked the boy in deep sorrow.
"No, but…" Gankutsuou heard the unspoken continuation to Albert's reply. :…I understand mine.:
It was Albert's loving kiss upon his cheek that drove human and possessor into the very depths of guilt and despair. But vengeance continued to burn inside Edmond's heart even if this desire has left him vulnerable and mortal.
As Edmond raised his pistol one last time, Gankutsuou cried out, "No Edmond! No more!"
Tender mercy came in the form of the tip of Franz's sword that suddenly drove into Edmond's wounded heart. With a scream of agony, Edmond fell to the ground, dying in a pool of his own blood. His ice-cold hand was enfolded in a warm grasp. The pain of seeing Albert's bright blue eyes clouded with tears was too unbearable.
A fervent promise…"For you, even if I am seized by the grip of despair, I will survive as you had done, Count," Albert had sobbed out to him.
"Remember my name…Edmond Dantes," Edmond had told Albert with his dying breath.
Even when Albert had shrouded him with his black cloak, Edmond's consciousness continued to hang on to the remaining dregs of life still left to him.
:I don't want to die, Gankutsuou. It's too soon,: Edmond whispered to the entity he knew still dwelled inside his body. :I don't want to be parted from this dear boy who had brought light back into the darkness of my life.:
:It is in my power to grant your rebirth, Edmond,: Gankutsuou offered then, showing to the lonely mortal the seed he had preserved. :Do you wish to be reborn?
:Yes, do it. But purge me of all the memories and the bitter emotions that had made me the monster that I am now. If it is willed by a Higher Power that I should be reunited with Albert, I want to start anew with him. Can you give me that my friend?:
:Yes, my dear Edmond. I can.:
:Another wish, Gankutsuou. I wish you to be with me. Let the both of us be reborn.: Edmond had given the entity a gentle smile. :I've seen what's inside your heart, good friend, and I know you love Albert as much as I do.:
:I'm afraid I could only grant your first wish. I do not have enough genetic materials to create a body that could lodge two conscious beings.:
A loving kiss upon their lips followed by a shocked gasp caught their waning attention. As if in answer to their unspoken prayers, a voice they never expected to hear whispered, "Edmond, you're still alive, but barely."
:Fernand…:
"Take what you need from me, O Great Ruler of the Cave," Fernand Mondego offered as he raised his gun to his temple. "Let this be my way of making amends." Then, a pistol shot rang out, marking the one true noble sacrifice of a sinner.
It dismayed Edmond that he could no longer shed a tear for his friend.
As the mansion began crumbling all around them, Gankutsuou told the still warm corpse of the general, "Your death shall not be wasted, Fernand Mondego."
The entity gathered all the genetic materials he needed from the bodies of the two friends, encoding it into the seed. Assuming the form of a glowing ball of pink light, he emerged from Edmond's body, bearing the seed with him and carrying it to the fallen golden eye that was to serve as its cradle. To further protect the precious seed, Gankutsuou wrapped it and himself within an elaborate cocoon made of pulsing pink threads. Even when the mansion finally collapsed, the entity and the seed remained safe in their shelter.
With his great powers, Gankutsuou guided the swiftly growing child's physical development. He also nurtured it with the knowledge it would need for the new life ahead, at the same time removing all the bitter memories, storing them as bits of data within the threads of the cocoon. Among the gifts that the entity had specially given to the child were a beautiful singing voice and a name.
"You shall make people happy with your sweet voice," Gankutsuou had whispered to his child, who was now, in three months time, the size and appearance of a nine-year-old boy. "You are my precious Nightingale, Etienne Delacroix."
The care of the growing boy, however, took its toll upon Gankutsuou that, by the beginning of the seventh month, he had succumbed at last to exhaustion. Before he curled up into his now fifteen-year-old child's psyche, he kissed Etienne on the brow and simply ordered, "Wake up!"
At that command, the Nightingale opened his eyes. Realizing to his horror that he had been buried alive, Etienne was seized by panic and he tore out of his cocoon, digging through rock and dirt with his fingers.
"Help!" Etienne would often cry out. "Somebody help me!"
Even when his strength threatened to give up on him, he would not stop digging. He swore he would not die in this accursed place.
When Etienne finally broke through the surface, the first thing he saw was an artificial sky of blue and gold with multi-colored stars. As he reached through the hole he had made, a strong hand seized his wrist and pulled him out of his womb of gold.
Without the entity or his past memories to guide him, the Nightingale had no idea that his savior was a rogue and a plunderer, who would condemn him to a life of debauchery for the next seven years.
The final image was of Andrea Cavalcanti grinning down at him, with lust shining in his eyes. "So you are alive, Count! Or should I say…Edmond Dantes!"
It was near dawn when a despondent figure stumbled out of the gates of No. 30 Champs-Elysees. Edmond Dantes fell to his knees at the weight of the memories that had been restored to him.
"Oh God! It's true!" he began to weep bitterly. "It's all true!"
:I'm so sorry, Edmond,: Gankutsuou apologized profusely. :The last thing I wanted was for you to go through this much pain and sorrow again.:
"What's going to happen to us now, Gankutsuou? After this, Albert will no longer want us."
:If he loves you, Edmond, he will want you back with him. And I have no doubt that he will never betray you as his mother had done. However, he would not want me inside you. He believes me to be the one who had influenced you to pursue vengeance. Don't worry. I've taken the steps necessary to ensure our permanent separation.:
"What are you talking about? What did you do?"
"You made the right decision, Gankutsuou, my friend!"
Edmond whirled to see Andrea Cavalcanti getting down from his car. Sitting inside, waiting, was the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.
:No, Gankutsuou! You didn't! No, I won't allow…:
Gankutsuou, however, silenced Edmond's weary consciousness with the might of his will. :Forgive me, Edmond,: he whispered, feeling Edmond fall into deep slumber.
"Shall we go, Gankutsuou?" Andrea asked invitingly, extending a hand to him.
The entity was about to reach for that hand when a familiar voice made him pause.
"Don't do it, Edmond! Please don't go with him!"
Gankutsuou turned to see Albert standing at the street corner, panting for breath.
"Albert…" the entity whispered his beloved's name. As he looked closely at his lover, superimposing over Albert's form was the image of another young man who looked just like him, but dressed in a white tunic and tight trousers. A man who had loved and protected him in the past.
With a weary sigh, Gankutsuou willed the pink marks to glow on his forehead. It did not surprise him to see the fear form on Albert's face.
"It's all right, Albert. You'll be getting your beloved Edmond back. I promise," Gankutsuou reassured the young man he had learned to love. "I must do this first. I don't want to cause any pain for the two of you anymore." Saying this, he took Andrea's hand.
Albert was jolted into action by that gesture, running towards the car. "No, don't go with him! Please!"
But it was too late. Gankutsuou swiftly got inside the car and Andrea closed the door just as Albert reached them. Albert tried tugging on the door latch, but it was locked on the inside. As the car pulled away from the curb, Albert ran with it, pounding on the glass and shouting, "Don't go! Please don't leave me!"
The car sped up as they wheeled away from the crying figure. Broken-hearted, Gankutsuou could not bear to look back.
"Goodbye, Albert!" the entity whispered, burying his face in his hands as his tears began to flow.
* * * * * * * * * *
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I never thought I'd get over the writer's block caused by all these deadlines, but here is the latest chapter of "Gankutsuou Reborn". If you are new to this story, some of the events mentioned here are from the story "Of Sinners And Innocents". You should read it to understand this chapter. There are also hints here of Gankutsuou's past life. In answer to the question on your minds, yes, I will be writing a prequel to the Gankutsuou anime, which will be entitled "Gankutsuou Alpha". Since this "Reborn" is already nearing its end, I plan on starting "Alpha" very soon so just watch out for it. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story and making the writing of it worthwhile!