Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ Of Sinners And Innocents ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
OF SINNERS AND INNOCENTS
© August 15, 2005 By Rory V. Pascual


My dear friend had been careless. The worst thing that any fool could do right smack in the middle of a nest of vipers that he himself had assembled. Then again, such carelessness was understandable, though not forgivable. It was easy for a person to lose one's guard especially if the woman he loved was within reach, aching to speak with him for even a brief moment due to disturbing emotions that were being aroused inside her heart. Of course, not to be forgotten was the boy, her only son, who was eager to make amends for stumbling upon an interlude of illicitness.

"You remind me of someone I had known, someone whom I had been waiting so many years to see again."

"I thought you were angry with me. I'm so happy that we're still friends. I swear I will not reveal your secret to anyone."

Indeed, so like stars those two are. Two of the brightest stars that twinkle in the blanket of darkness shrouding the decadent city of Paris. Beautiful, but unreachable.

My friend had lost himself in the brilliance of those stars, and as a result, made himself vulnerable to the venomous fangs of two snakes disguised in the finery of aristocrats….

~~~~~~~~~~

The Count nearly stumbled in one of the torch-lit secret passageways of his newly purchased villa in Auteuil. He would've wanted to stay in that accursed chamber and gloat over the distressed forms of Victoria Danglars and her erstwhile lover, Gerard Villefort. Seeing the fury on the Chief Justice's face was worth it, even if he knew a bullet was about to be fired into his skull.

But then, as he was seeing to Madame Danglar's condition, he was suddenly seized by pain so severe that it seemed to squeeze his heart in a vise grip. All he could manage was a quick "Excuse me", and he disappeared into the back room and through the hidden passageway. The Count could barely breathe, sweat trickling down his brow, as he made his way through the dark, dank corridor.

As he emerged into one of the guest suites, the Count's knees at last gave way and he fell face first, gasping for air like a fish out of water, on the dusty carpet.

:Gankutsuou…: he pleaded to the evil entity that had taken permanent residence inside his body. :What…is…wrong…:

:I am rectifying the problem as we speak, but it will take a little time.:
Gankutsuou then added surprisingly, :In the meantime, why don't you let your guest take care of you?:

The entity retreated, and the Count lifted his confused gaze, expecting to see bright blue eyes. "Albert…"

"Count! Are you all right?"

What greeted his shocked mismatch eyes was the face of someone he did not expect to see.

Fernand!

The beseeching hand he had raised was immediately tucked to his aching breast. The Count could not dare to beg for assistance. But the pain in his chest and lack of air made him ask for aid from the man he hated.

"General…de Morcerf…" the Count said between gasps, his fingers reaching out and digging into the other man's strong, hard shoulders as he was raised to a sitting position. "Chest…can't breathe…the pain…"

No sooner had the plea left his lips, he was lifted up by strong arms like a sick babe and pulled close, too uncomfortably close to the General's broad chest. Despite his condition, the Count still caught a whiff of the heavy scent of brandy on the man's coat.

The General gently laid him down on the bed, but not before removing his black coat. Strange, thought the Count, that the man's hands trembled as he did so.

:Gankutsuou…: he called out again, his head falling to the side, his cheek cupped in his clammy right hand. :What is…taking you…so long?:

With only his shirt and his sleek black trousers on, the Count was virtually unaware that de Morcerf was giving him a look that could only be described as ravenous. With his long, flowing mane fanning out on the pristine white sheets behind him like a torn mantle from the cloudy midnight sky and his full lips parted to let in tiny gasps of air, the Count was a tempting feast for the covetous aristocrat.

The Count felt the thundering in his breast as nervous fingers began untying his cravat and, one by one, the golden buttons of his shirt were pulled open.

At that moment, the pressure on his chest was suddenly lifted and he heard Gankutsuou whisper, :There. You are well now. But it will take time for you to recover your strength, so…: And his voice faded away. Was he mistaken to hear that the entity had concluded with :Enjoy yourself:?

The Count reached out his shaky right hand to stop the General from unbuttoning his trousers. "General…there's no need. I'm all right now and…"

To his shock, his wrist was seized and pinned beside his head.

"General de Morcerf…what…"

"Call me by my name…Fernand…"

The pressure of a hard mouth upon his lips stifled the Count's words. His left hand flew up to push the other man away, but it too was seized and pressed down on the bed. Still weak as a kitten, he could do nothing but twitch and squirm underneath the man who was plundering his mouth with his searing lips and tongue.

Wrenching his head to the side to escape that bruising kiss, the Count gasped, "General, why…why are you doing this?"

"I've met many men in my life," Fernand answered, his voice husky with repressed desire. "But none of them were as beautiful as you."

Again, the General leaned down to nibble upon the pulsating artery at his neck. The Count winced in disgust as a slick tongue licked his throat.

"General…"

"Fernand."

"General de Morcerf…I can't…"

"You can't or you won't?"

Hard fingers dug into his cheeks, forcing him to look at the man straddling him. The expression on Fernand's face could not be called sane. And that sharp glint of lust in his eyes. There was no denying the General's desires, desires he knew all too well the other was determined to get at all costs.

The Count shuddered as Fernand caressed his aching cheek, touching the dark bruise that had formed on his pale skin. "Forgive me. It was not my intention to hurt you."

The General's breath was rank with the heady aroma of brandy as he bent down once more and nipped an earlobe, tongue licking the gold stud. "Who are you?" he whispered, nibbling a trail down his graceful neck to a partially bared shoulder. "Rumors among the young ones say that you are vampire. If I bite you here, will you bite me back?"

The Count stiffened as teeth bit down lightly on his throat. "You know who I am."

"Yes." The word was breathed out like a hiss of a snake. "Le Comte de Monte Cristo. Strange, that for a man of your stature, there is no record of you anywhere in all four quadrants of the galaxy. Forgive me, but I had my man do a thorough background check on you."

"Like I told you, I am but an insignificant country nobleman…"

"A 'country nobleman'? What a quaint descriptive!" Fernand's hand slid down to the Count's chest to fondle a tiny nipple. "I've met men like you in the past. Your…beloved patron…must have been more than satisfied with the…services…you had given him, and had bequeathed to you his entire fortune."

"You take me for a whore?" The Count's voice shook in audible rage, fury flashing in his crimson eye. "How dare you make assumptions about me!" He wrenched his right hand from the General's grasp and gave him a stinging slap on the face.

Before he could deliver another blow, the General grabbed both his wrists, flipping him over. With the discarded cravat, he tied the Count's wrists securely behind him. Turning him over once more, Fernand tore off the trousers with a violent tug down his long legs.

The Count lay aghast. He couldn't believe what was happening, just how quickly the tables had been turned against him. Never in his life had he felt so vulnerable, so exposed. Fernand's searing, lustful gaze, raked down his body like a laser beam, tracing the graceful lines of his tattoos. When the General pressed his body down upon him, he could barely contain his shudder. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as Fernand suckled upon his breast.

"You're drunk, General!" the Count gasped out as his upper body was lifted up to that ravenous mouth. "You don't want to do this!"

But Fernand cupped his face with his left hand. "Wine has a way of clearing a man's mind, and I have no doubts. I…want…you!" To emphasize his words, he reached down with his right hand and grasped the limp member, giving it a squeeze.

"You're making a big mistake!" The Count was close to panicking. In his mind, he was screaming to the strangely silent entity, :Gankutsuou! Where the hell are you? For the love of God, help me! Lend me your strength!:

But no answer came from that self-proclaimed Ruler of the Caverns.

In his distress to summon the entity hidden inside him, the Count barely had time to register the lewd liberties that Fernand was taking upon his captive flesh, his mouth and hands delving in places he never dared to explore. When his member was engulfed to the root, the Count's eyes flew wide, a harsh exhalation coming from his lips. His breath came in ragged gasps as a response was being forced out of him with every pressure of that mouth and with every constriction of that throat.

With teeth gritted, the Count thought angrily, Do what you will with me then! You will not get the satisfaction of a response from me!

There was a soft chuckle. :Why fight it? Relax and enjoy!:

:GANKUTSUOU!:

Realizing that he could not get anything from his captive in that way, the General jerked the Count's long legs apart, pushing his hips up. A cry of agony was ripped from the Count's throat, his head falling backwards, as the General entered him with brutal force.

"Tight! So tight!" Fernand laughed as he pummeled the constricted channel mercilessly. "So like a virgin, you are!"

The thrusts came swift and hard, tearing tissues and membranes in the wake of that pistoning rod. And all the Count could do was whimper in pain and cry "No, no, no!" with every plundering motion.

The tears that threatened to leak from his mismatched eyes never fell, as he suddenly remembered…

"Your wife!" the Count exclaimed between pants for air. "Did you do this to her?"

"What…did…you…say?" Fernand grunted, feeling himself on the verge of a mind-blowing climax.

"Mercedes! Did you do to her what you're doing to me now?"

That anguished query caused the General to come in a shuddering release. He pulled out of the Count's battered body, paling at the sight of the blood that pooled between those long legs. Stricken by sudden guilt, he quietly untied his captive's bonds.

Pulling his silk shirt close over his ravaged flesh, the Count turned to his side, facing away from the distressed man, and curled up in a tight ball. His body trembled all over.

The bitterness weighed heavily in his voice as he muttered, "I heard that the General Fernand de Morcerf was a very determined man, that he always gets what he wants. But…I never expected this!"

In his shame, Fernand couldn't look at him. "Count…I…I'm sorry."

"You haven't answered my question, General." The Count's voice was strong and firm. His heart and mind, however, were in turmoil. Tell me, Fernand. Tell me that you had raped her the way you had raped me, that's why she had married you. Please tell me, that I may spare her from my vengeance.

But the General's answer broke his heart. "No, I never…She married me of her own free will."

A tear fell unbidden from the Count's golden left eye, and he bit down on the knuckles of his hand to quell the rise of his sobs. "Why did you do this to me? Why?"

"As you said, I'm a very determined man who always gets what he wants. That first time we met, I was struck by your unnatural beauty. There was…something…about you that struck a chord inside my heart. I felt this way once before…for only one man…"

"If I reminded you of that man from your past, then you must have hated him. You're the only man to have touched me in this loathsome manner!"

The Count felt the sudden movement of the bed as Fernand whirled to look at him. "No, I…don't…hate you. I…I made a mistake. Please forgive me!"

"Could you forgive me," the Count began coldly, "if the same thing were to be done to your only son?"

The General was caught speechless. Reluctantly, he replied, "No. I would even kill the bastard who'd dare…"

"Then you understand my sentiments."

Silence fell between the two men. The General stood up with a resigned sigh, fixing his clothes and putting on his white coat that he had slung over a chair.

With great hesitation, he asked, "What about…our partnership?"

"Will continue. We had a business arrangement and I intend to honor my commitments…for as long as this incident will never be repeated."

"Will you…tell?"

"I will take this…shame…with me to my grave. You're not the only one who could pretend." The Count added softly, "I'm doing this more for Albert's sake than yours. That boy is special, Fernand." It was the first time that he spoke the General's name. "Do not let your ambitions and your desires destroy him."

"I must say the same to you. Hurt Albert in any way, and I will not hesitate to kill you."

There were footsteps heading towards the door, followed by a brief pause. Then, Fernand spoke with certainty, "I don't regret what I did to you, Count. It is enough for me to know that I was the man who claimed your innocence." And with that final word, General Fernand de Morcerf left the suite, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Wincing in pain, the Count slowly sat up. Peeling off the cover from one pillow, he vigorously wiped away the traces of his defilement. To his dismay, however, blood continued to trickle from his ass. Feeling miserable and unclean, he donned his discarded clothing, thankful that the dark color of his trousers would hide the bloodstains. Not wanting to be waylaid by the General in the hallway, the Count decided to go through the secret passageway once more.

As he walked through the corridor with aching slowness, an amused chuckle bubbled inside his head. His anger towards the entity who had abandoned him exploded like a volcano.

"Curse you, Gankutsuou!" the Count shouted in rage. "I needed your help and you ignored my pleas! Why, Gankutsuou? Why did you let Fernand rape me?"

Liquid fire coursed through his body, concentrating on his forehead as an intricate glowing tattoo that seared his brain with indescribable pain. Then, Gankutsuou opened his malevolent eyes, and he surveyed the damage that was inflicted upon his future body.

:Rape, you say? Why do you deny it, my friend?: the Ruler of the Caverns declared, the amusement still apparent in his voice. :Why don't you just admit that you enjoyed having that man's cock slamming inside you and his hefty bullocks slapping against your ass?:

"So it was you who wanted this!" the Count exclaimed in shocked realization. "You let me be raped by the man I hate in order to satisfy your base desires! Then it was also you who caused those terrible chest pains in the first place!"

:To that, I plead not guilty. You have your own carelessness to blame for that.:

"What the hell do you mean?"

:My dear friend, think back,: Gankutsuou advised him patiently, as though he were nothing more than a petulant child. :When your old flame accosted you with her petty fears, you fled from her to avoid a confrontation and hurried back into the dining hall. To calm your quaking nerves, you poured yourself a little water from the pitcher sitting on top of the table with blue flowers.:

At that moment, the secret panel lifted, and the Count stopped at the exit. With a gasp, he muttered, "Blue flowers? But that's…"

:Yesss,: Gankutsuou confirmed. :You gave a poisonous fang to a wily viper, and she unwittingly bit you back. My friend, for an avenger, you are sooo pathetic!:

The Count dropped to his knees, hands pressed to his throbbing forehead. "Shut up! I will not hear another word from you!"

"MY LORD!"

A relieved sigh escaped form the Count's lips, seeing trusty Bertuccio suddenly at his side.

"I've been looking all over for you. What are these marks on your face?" In his urgency to help his master, Bertuccio's hand slipped down, stunned to find the seat of his trousers wet. "My lord! Is this…blood? Tell me who dared…"

The Count pressed his fingertips to his bodyguard's lips, nodding in the direction of the blond-haired youth, listening to them behind the statue.

"Was it…him?" Bertuccio whispered in his ear.

A single nod was the Count's answer.

The burly Black man pulled out a sharp dagger. "Give me the word and I shall…"

"No. A swift end would be too merciful for the likes of him," the Count muttered in turn.

"Then command me, my Lord," Bertuccio urged his beloved master. "Tell me what I must do!"

The Count hesitated for moment. Then, he said, "I am solely to blame for this. I became careless and, as a result, he shamed me. Bertuccio, knowing the weak man that I am…will you follow me?"

Bertuccio grinned, confident with his answer. "I will follow you anywhere and everywhere…Gankutsuou." He helped his master to his feet and escorted him away. A brief backward glance, and he saw Franz d'Epinay emerge from his hiding place. "Did I do well, Master?"

"Yes," the Count smiled weakly in approval. "Let his mind stew on it for awhile."

:I should be careful with that boy if I were you,: Gankutsuou spoke up. :d'Epinay is not as gullible as young Albert de Morcerf.:

The Count was about to order him to silence. However, as he and Bertuccio emerged into the front hall, a frantic Maximilien Morrel immediately met them. His heart stopped, hearing what the good soldier had to say.

"Count, it's Albert!" Maximilien exclaimed. "He collapsed in the garden, and his parents had just left! Valentine is looking after him right now!"

Turning to his trusty aide, the Count commanded, "Bertuccio, the servants' quarters are closest. Prepare a bed and the first aid kit." He looked at the breathless soldier. "Maximilien, please bring Albert inside at once."

A half hour later, Albert lay asleep on the bed, the poison flushed from his system by the antidote the Count had prepared. He had earlier sent Maximilien off to find Franz so that they could inform the de Morcerfs about what happened to their son. He was certain the other guests remaining in the villa would be making inquiries with them. It was a perfect distraction.

The Count gazed down at the sleeping angel, and he found himself remembering what the boy's father had done to him. The temptation, the hatred was eating away at his soul. He could take Albert's innocence right here and now. Being so deeply drugged, he was certain that the boy would not realize that he had been raped. Oh, the pleasure he would derive from the father's reaction if he found out that his only son had been abused!

:Yes, my friend! Why don't you do just that?: Gankutsuou goaded him like the Devil that he was. :Tit for tat, I always say.:

Realizing what he was planning to do, guilt filled the Count's entire being. He sagged wearily into wooden chair beside the bed, mindful of the pain and the wetness in his abused behind. :No, I cannot do that to him. I will not be like his father.:

:And yet you are still intent on vengeance. You are about to commit most unpardonable sins. Why not add rapine to the list?:

:Because, sinner that I am,:
the Count replied with a wry smile, :I had tried to hold on to the only thing that's left to me that was still pure. But Fernand Mondego still stole that last valuable thing away from me. Yes, I will continue on this path of revenge. I will destroy all who had ruined my life. However, I will never take away this boy's dignity as a man. On hope and innocence alone, I believe that he could survive the shambles that I would make of his life. That's the least I could do for him.:

Gankutsuou watched thoughtfully as the Count took Albert's warm right hand in his frigid grasp and kissed the fingertips tenderly. :My friend, that boy is going to be the death of you.:

:I know, Gankutsuou. I know.:

~~~~~~~~~~

I gaze up at the starry sky through the borrowed eyes of my friend, who slumbered in deep, troubled sleep within me. It is only when he is asleep that I could use his body as I wish, to look at this new world that he had taken me to. The midnight sky was majestic, not like the artificial lights of the city below. The artifice of Paris mirrored that of its residents – cold, scheming and cruel.

A perfect haven for a sinner like me.

I lower my right hand to fondly caress my belly. Yes, my poor innocent friend will die at the hands of another innocent. But I have prepared a contingency. Even if my friend were to die, I have the means to live on, thanks to Fernand Mondego.

From my verandah on No. 30 Champs Elysee, I shout to the highest heavens, "Oh, yes! You shall indeed die, Edmond Dantes! But I, Gankutsuou, shall prevail for I am immortal! From the ashes of your mortal remains, like the great phoenix, Gankutsuou shall be reborn."


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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is the prequel to a long continuing tale to come called "Gankutsuou Reborn". Please watch out for it. And as the Count always says, "Wait…and…hope."