Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ The Dollmaker ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

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 TWO

The second cycle of the story was about to begin when Dream received the summons through the breath of the gentle breeze that blew threw his shaggy white hair, causing the ends to stand up even higher.

Dismayed that he would miss the rest of this fascinating tale, the Lord of the Dreaming waved to the alien who was narrating this story to his grandchildren with the power of his mind. The alien was saddened by his friend's sudden departure, but he gave his approving nod, nonetheless. He was but a mere mortal after all, and a lowly servant at that, who held no dominion over the Dream King.

Sand rose up from under Dream's feet as he faded away, going to the place where he was called to go to. Although still far from the rendezvous point, he could already sense the presences of his brothers and sisters. It was a rare occasion for the Endless to gather in one place, and at the summons of their youngest, most mentally unstable sibling. In truth, Dream could have simply ignored the summoning. However, a nagging voice was telling him that this was one gathering that he should not miss.

Apparently, it was a very strong compulsion, for when Dream arrived at the Paris cemetery that was their meeting place, he saw that the others were assembled, and he was always the prompt one among them.

"Yo!" Death greeted her somber younger brother with a wave and a cheerful smile. Same as always, she wore a black tank top and low waist black jeans, the gold ankh around her neck glinting in the sunlight.

The only acknowledgement that the eldest among them gave him was a slight nod. Destiny looked more at home at this place of the dead than Death did, dressed in his dusty monk's habit. Chained to his wrists and held protectively in his arm was the book in which the fates of all living beings were written.

The Twins, Despair and Desire, sat on opposite sides of a marble tomb. While Desire audibly and visibly yawned to convey to all its boredom, Despair was caught in rapt fascination at the rotting human head she held in her hand. Maggots were eating away with gusto what little brain matter remained inside that hollow cavity.

Desire glanced at its twin in annoyance. "Despair, have you no intention to lose weight? At least, don some clothes to hide that hideous flabby body of yours!"

"Have I ever remarked on your questionable choice of wardrobe?" Despair asked in turn, poking at a big fat maggot with the sharp hook protruding from her gold ring.

"At least, I have the body. So why shouldn't I flaunt it?" Indeed, Desire was wearing a tight crimson net T-shirt and silk pants that barely concealed its lithe form.

Multi-colored fireworks popped around Delirium. Her mismatched eyes – one blue, one green – flashed with impatience as she cried, "Aren't you going to listen to me?"

Surprise, surprise! Destruction, attired in traveler's garments, emerged from behind a statue of a weeping angel. "We might as well listen to her," he suggested, looking at his environment with clear discomfort. "I am in a hurry to leave."

"Why did you summon us here, Delirium?" Death asked her youngest sibling, who had fallen into a sulk.

Their attention was drawn toward the lonely young man carrying twelve red roses in his arms. He was dressed in a simple checkered shirt and black jacket, with loose black slacks. The glow of youth had yet to leave his handsome face, but his light blue eyes were clouded by a deep sorrow that time could not heal.

As they watched, he stopped before a well-maintained marble tomb. "Hello, Franz."

Dream knew him to be Albert Herrera, formerly known as the Viscount de Morcerf. The tomb belonged to his best friend, Baron Franz d'Epinay. As was his wont, he laid the red roses on top of the white marble slab.

"I have good news." Albert got down on one knee to speak closely to his friend who lay underneath that slab. "The Ambassador informed me that I'll be working at the Paris Embassy from now on. With the treaties with the Empire finally forged, I don't need to travel around so much. This means, I could visit you more often. I know I had been remiss these past five years. I intend to make up for it."

Removing his glasses, Albert wiped away the tears from his eyes. "I miss you, Franz. With mother in Catalonia and Eugenie engaged to her piano maestro, I've never been more alone. I know I made a promise to you, Father, and most especially the Count, to live, to survive, but it grows more and more difficult with each passing day. It was better while I was traveling and I had my work to keep my mind busy. But now, I feel the loneliness more acutely. Perhaps…if I hadn't acted so rashly…you would still be here with me now." The young man breathed out a heavy sigh. "I won't lie to you, Franz. There are moments when I remember the events of that fateful summer, and I find myself getting angry at the mere memory of the Count. I could never forget how he had killed you. During these moments, I would blame him for your death, and all the terrible things that he did to you and everyone I love. But thinking about it in the end…it was really all my fault, wasn't it?"

"Yessss, I recognize him now," Despair hissed in remembrance. "He visits my realm many times. Grief and guilt profound has a firm grip on his heart."

"Well, release him from time to time, dear sister," Desire suggested with a covetous lick of its lips. "Such a good-looking boy could warm my bed for a year or two."

Delirium wagged her finger as she shook her head. "No, no, no! He's already in love with someone!"

Desire could barely hide its disappointment. "Really? And who's that lucky 'someone'?"

Before he could surrender himself to melancholia, Albert got to his feet, giving Franz's name etched on the gravestone a tender pat. "Why am I depressing you with my problems anyway? Like I said, I'll be visiting you more often, so get used to seeing my ugly face."

The young man offered a short prayer before walking away, eager to leave the somber atmosphere of the cemetery.

"Hello! Good morning! Hey, someone left you pretty flowers again! That's nice. It means someone is visiting you now. Then, you wouldn't be so lonely. But don't you worry. I'll still come here. Hope you'll like this sunflower that I brought you. I reserved the biggest one for you."

The Endless saw Albert freeze instantly, hearing that happy baritone voice. They all turned in the direction of that voice to see a man squatting before Franz's grave. He was wearing a gray shirt and faded slacks held up by suspenders. His lovely waist-length midnight blue hair, tinged with gray color like storm clouds, was lifted by a gentle breeze, rolling along the invisible wind like waves.

"Hey, you!" Albert shouted, fearing that his friend's grave was about to be vandalized. "What're you doing over there?"

At that angry cry, the man stood up and whirled around to face him. What struck the Endless was the man's exquisite beauty. Blue-toned skin, elegantly pointed ears adorned with simple gold ear studs, hand adorned with intricate tattoos… Add expressive mismatched eyes that were so like Delirium's, except that his left eye was green gold and the right crimson, and a lithe body, and you have a truly exotic creature that both women and men would lust after.

Death could only roll her eyes heavenwards, seeing the intense desire (for lack of a better word) on Desire's androgynous face.

The same could not be said for Albert. On the man's face was shock at this unexpected encounter.

"Count…" Albert muttered in shock and disbelief. "But it can't be! You're dead!"

From behind a mausoleum, a breathless monk ran towards the man, who had frozen where he stood. "Here you are! I should've known you'd be here again! Everyone's worried about you!"

"But Brother 'Sephus," the man whined like a child. "I wanted to visit my friends. You know they get very lonely when no one comes to visit them. Especially Franz here. Please let me stay with Franz a little while longer."

"Don't be stubborn! Do you want Friar Mattias to be angry with you again?" Brother Josephus insisted as he took the man's arm and began tugging him back in the direction of the nearby monastery. "Come, Edmond!"

Albert was stunned speechless. Edmond?!

Their tug-of-war led to the man's dropping to the ground the flowers he had carefully gathered. To the monk's dismay, his ward dropped down to his knees and burst into tears.

"Look what you did to my pretty flowers!" the man wailed, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "You ruined them, and I haven't finished giving them to my friends!"

"You can just gather more at the monastery. Please, Edmond! We must go back now!"

Something compelled Albert to approach the two men. Kneeling before the weeping figure, he picked up the flowers one by one and arranged them into a bouquet once more.

"Don't cry," Albert gently told him, laying the bouquet on his lap. "See! I fixed it for you."

Edmond gazed into Albert's face, his odd-colored eyes blinking away his tears. Those eyes that once held kindness as well as deceit, now shone with the pure innocence of a child. A stray tear trickled down his blue-toned cheek, which Albert brushed away with his thumb.

"A handsome man like you shouldn't be crying, Edmond," he remarked with a smile.

A couple of sniffles, and then Edmond's face scrunched up. With a wail, he threw himself into the younger man's embrace, crying, "Albert! Albert! Albert!"

Brother Josephus stared at Albert in shock. "You are THE Albert?" Bowing hastily, he exclaimed, "Monsieur, my apologies for my rudeness, but could you please come with me? I'm sure the Friar would want to speak with you."

Dream turned his twilight eyes towards his youngest sibling. "What is this about, Delirium?"

To his dismay, Delirium did not answer him and, instead, hurried after the three men, trailing corncobs with dragonfly wings behind her. "I want to see some more! Let's go! Let's go!"

~~~~~~~~~~

A half hour later, the Endless were gathered in the monastery's garden. Albert was sitting on a stone bench with Friar Mattias beside him. The child man that was Edmond Dantes was putting up a fuss, crying out Albert's name over and over again while struggling in the arms of the monks who were holding him back.

Something in that plaintive wail struck a chord in Dream's half-human heart. When the monks finally had the poor man sitting under the cherry tree, Dream approached and knelt down before the weeping figure.

Laying his hand on Edmond's head, he said, "You're upsetting Albert, Edmond. He doesn't want to see you crying."

The man sniffled as he gazed into Dream's fathomless eyes. "But…but…I want to be with Albert." He gave the friar a suspicious glance. "Friar Mat-ti-yas…" Edmond spoke each syllable carefully. "He might be telling Albert what a bad boy I've been."

"And have you been a bad boy?"

"No, no!" Edmond countered urgently, fearing punishment. "I've been a very good boy this time! I swear!" A chilly breeze caused him to shiver momentarily. "I feel like…I've done some bad things before. Really bad things! Sometimes, I get bad dreams. I don't want to remember! It might scare Albert away. I don't want Albert to go away again!"

"I promise you, Albert is not going to leave you this time." Bidding the mortal to lay his head down on his lap, Dream wrapped Edmond in his fur-lined white cloak. "Why don't you take a little nap? When you wake up, you'll be with Albert, I promise."

"What if I have a bad dream?"

"Not this time. What would you like to dream about?"

Edmond closed his eyes tight, frowning, as he thought long and hard. "I'd like to be at a nice beach, playing with Albert and Franz," he answered, beaming.

A ghost of a smile formed on Dream's lips as he ran his fingers through the fragile mortal's silky mane. "Your wish is my command."

That act of kindness caught Death's eye. Such concern and tenderness were uncharacteristic of her younger sibling. Then again, this was not the dark King of Dreams that she had known. The Kindly Ones had pursued the first Dream King, Morpheus, to his death. This new aspect had arisen from the child of Lyta Hall, a human infant named Daniel born and raised in the very heart of the Dreaming. True, he resembled Morpheus physically, except for the fact that his hair was snow white and that he favored white garments. He also possessed the same somber personality, but the harshness, the bad temper were gone. He may contradict it to her, but the new Dream was kinder, gentler, and the favor he was showering upon this poor child man was evidence of this fact.

Albert, in the meantime, was relieved to see Edmond finally asleep with his head laid on an upraised root. The Endless, after all, only showed themselves to mortals if they desired to do so.

With Edmond at last silent, Friar Mattias began his narrative. "Brother Edmond had been with us for the past five years," the friar began. "The police found him wandering the streets of Paris following the siege with no memory of who he is or where he came from. He would not speak at all. He was nothing more than a walking corpse. Not knowing what to do with him, the police brought him to us. It took seven months before he awoke from his stupor. When he did, he was as you see him now, like a child, but he still would not speak. Two years ago, while we were making the prayer rounds at the cemetery for All Soul's Day, we did not realize that he had followed us. We found him sitting before the grave of Baron d'Epinay, weeping. It was then that he spoke for the first time. 'Franz is sad. Tell Albert. Edmond says Franz is lonely.' Those were his very words. Since then, he would speak to us, but his mind never progressed beyond that of a seven year old."

It was easy for the Endless to see that Albert was only half-listening to the friar's story, his mind a-whirl with troubled thoughts that delighted Delirium, so much so that tiny pink and blue tornadoes zipped around and around hers and Albert's heads.

Death was sympathetic of the young man's dilemma. There wasn't any doubt in Albert's mind that the child-like beauty napping under the tree was the man he had known as the Count of Monte Cristo. However, during that tragic summer day, five years ago, he had witnessed the Count's transformation into the mortal Edmond Dantes, after banishing the demon that had possessed his body with a loving kiss. Edmond had died soon after, when the broken tip of Franz's sword embedded in his chest pierced his heart.

Indeed, Edmond Dantes should be dead.

But there he lay, sleeping peacefully with his head on her brother's lap. If he were still mortal, he should be possessing sun-kissed brown skin and hair with bright blue eyes. Instead, he retained the exotic features of the Count, a blend of the mortal and the demonic.

If Edmond had died, I should have felt his impending demise coming and I should have been at his side to usher him to the Other Side, Death mused, totally confused. Could this mean that….

Albert arrived at the same question that Death had – Could Edmond Dantes still be possessed by that demon known as Gankutsuou?

Noticing the monk's silence, Albert said, "Father Mattias, I think I know what you're trying to tell me, and I'll be frank with you. That man you know simply as Edmond is actually the Count of Monte Cristo."

Friar Mattias gasped at that revelation, and at the same time, was crestfallen. He knew that it was the Count's nefarious scheme for revenge that nearly led to the destruction of Paris.

"But…" Albert quickly continued, "…Even if he had wreaked havoc in my life as well as in this city, he had just cause to do those things he had committed. Also, I cannot deny that he means something to me. I'm probably the only one close to a family that he'll ever have." To the monk's relief, Albert gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, Father. I will take care of Edmond Dantes from now on."

Saying this, Albert stood up and approached the sleeping figure. A butterfly had nestled in Edmond's hair like a pretty barrette, flapping its wings and dusting his silken tresses with gold pollen.

"Albert's here, Edmond," Dream whispered in the mortal's ear.

Edmond blinked to wakefulness. Sitting up, he looked nervously at the young man standing in front of him.

Albert looked deep into those odd-colored eyes, hoping to catch even a flicker of the demonic presence within. But he could sense nothing – no traces of deceit or guile. Just pure, sweet innocence, as though he were gazing into the pearly orbs of a wee babe. Already, fear of an unknown decision was letting those gentle, mismatched eyes to cloud up with tears.

Kneeling before the apprehensive older man, Albert opened his arms wide and asked, "Would you like to come home with me, Edmond?"

Edmond's handsome face lit up with pure happiness as he threw himself into Albert's embrace.

Suddenly, Destiny's billowing clothing blocked that touching scene. Before his younger siblings could raise a fuss, he transported all of them to the monastery's library upstairs.

"Why'd you do that for? It was just getting so good!" Delirium demanded, only to cower back as her oldest brother towered above her.

"I ask you Dream's question once more, Delirium," Destiny said, his voice hollow and sinister. "What is this about?"

Intimidated, Delirium stammered, "Well, Edmond has been a regular visitor to my realm and I was wondering…I mean, if anyone's interested…I'm open to sharing…."

" ' Share'?" Desire's eyebrows formed a perfect arc. "I WANT him!"

Destruction groaned, realizing that his younger siblings were up to their usual antics. "And I thought this was something important. I'm leaving." Making sure his pack was secured to his back, he started to walk away.

"Leaving so soon?" Delirium's lips puckered into a petulant pout. "But you just got here!"

"This city is still reeling from the effects of a coup led by a power-hungry mad man. My presence here will only incite more bloodshed. I cannot stay here a minute longer."

Without even bothering to listen to his sister's arguments, Destruction walked through a shelf of treatises by Saint Augustine and disappeared.

"I too shall go," Destiny said as well. "I already know the outcome of this little game for it is written here in my Book. If I were you, I will not continue with this folly. You know absolutely nothing about this seemingly hapless being whose life you intend to toy with."

As Destiny turned on his heels, Despair hurled the rotting head at him. The head rolled down his habit, maggots crawling down to the hem. "When have you seen us heed your advice, Brother?"

"That is why you shall forever lose any game that you instigate," Destiny replied as he slowly faded from their sight. "And mark my words, you shall lose, and very badly, in this one."

The Twins and Delirium turned angry eyes towards Death, who waved her hands. "You can count me out. I have to agree with Destiny. There is something just not right about Edmond. I don't think…"

"I'm in."

Death nearly jumped out of her skin, hearing her younger sibling's quiet interjection.

"Good!" Desire exclaimed. Of all its siblings, it was Dream whom it hated the most. Pointing a sharp manicured nail at the Lord of the Dreaming, it declared, "You're going to lose this time, Dream!"

"Do not speak as though you've already triumphed, dear sister," Despair chided her twin. "Even if Dream were to lose, Edmond Dantes could still be won by me or by Delirium, who presently claims ownership of him."

"We shall see, Despair!" Desire smirked, already assured of its victory.

"Oh, goodie!" cheered Delirium, clapping her hands in glee. "The game's afoot! The game's afoot!"

Unable to tolerate her younger siblings any longer, Death took Dream's hand and brought them to the gates of the monastery. Edmond stood impatiently beside a motorcycle with a small pack, filled with his few belongings, slung over his shoulder. Albert was having a few final words with Friar Mattias. Seeing the Dream King and his sister, Edmond smiled and waved to them.

"Why, Dream?" Death asked, waving back at the child man. "You know that Desire only has ill intentions towards you whenever it gets you involved in these silly games."

"It is because of what you said, my dear sister," Dream began, "that is why I chose to join in this game. I agree that there is something not quite right about Edmond." Reluctantly, he admitted, "I must confess that Edmond is very much like me in that we were both…reborn. But while I possess the intellect and memories of my predecessor, Edmond's mind is now nothing more than that of a child, which is probably his doing or that of the being that still occupies his body." Hearing his sister's shocked gasp, he confirmed, "Yes, the entity known as Gankutsuou is still inside him, but I sense no malevolence from it. In fact, Gankutsuou's joy is the same as Edmond's. You could barely separate the two."

Dream gazed fondly at that handsome, happy face. "I know it is not like me. But just this once, I want to accord a mortal with my protection. No, I need to protect him."

Death could not help but give her younger brother a proud smile. "You've changed, Dream, and I like it. I would even like to believe that it's young Daniel inside you who is prompting you to do these kind acts."

"Daniel Hall and I are one and the same. Then again, isn't it a worthy cause to protect a fellow innocent, as I had once been?

"True, so true!"

Seeing that Albert was still speaking with the friar, Edmond ran towards Death and Dream. Handing each a rose, he said, "Thank you very much! Albert is taking me home with him!" He grinned at Death. "You are very pretty."

Death caressed Edmond's cheek, and she gasped as heat went up her arm like joyous sunshine. "You are a very handsome man yourself, Edmond," she whispered truthfully. Never had she felt such pure happiness in all the millennia of her eternal life.

"Be a good boy, Edmond," Dream advised this sweet mortal that was now his ward.

Edmond nodded eagerly. "I promise."

"Edmond!"

"I have to go!" the child man said, as he turned to see Albert waving to him near the motorcycle. "Bye!"

Edmond ran towards Albert, who then placed a helmet over his head. Albert got on the bike, with Edmond sitting behind him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Who were you talking to, Edmond?" Albert inquired. "Do you have a pet squirrel in that tree?"

"No." Edmond sighed as he laid his head on Albert's strong back. "I was just talking to two angels."
 

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