Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ The Dollmaker ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )
Anime/Manga: Gankutsuou Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 12.05.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 375 | Status: Completed
THE DOLLMAKER
© December 6, 2005 By Rory V. Pascual
The days turned into weeks. Albert's work continued at the Embassy by day while his nights were spent with his ward, having long accepted that he will be perpetually sharing his bed with Edmond. As for Edmond, Albert felt more at ease to leave him at home. While the former country nobleman still did the housework, he had something to occupy the rest of the day with other than the domestic. Soon, Albert lost himself in the normalcy of his routine and completely forgot about the incident with Bertuccio.
However, as Edmond toiled in secrecy in the attic, strange things began to happen to people they knew outside their little world…
A lonely model, longing for that elusive one true love, was suddenly sideswiped by a racecar while on a special sports fashion shoot at the tracks.
Although dazed and dizzy at first, vision cleared enough for the model to see a concerned, bespectacled face looking down. That face was so familiar….
"Are you all right? I am so sorry!" the young man exclaimed, truly apologetic. Then, softly, he added only for the model's benefit. "I never knew you were a guy."
Cold dread gripped a pounding heart. "Are…are you going to tell?"
"Of course not!" the young man answered vehemently. Blushing shyly, he confessed, "To tell you the truth, I've always had a crush on you. While Valentine had been my first love, it was you whom I can't get out of my head. From that first time I saw you, I always thought you were very pretty, even if you were a servant at the Morcerfs during that time."
"Oh, yes, I remember you now!" the model gasped in recognition as he was helped to his feet. "You are…"
His hand was claimed and a kiss bestowed upon his fingertips. "Would you please go out with me sometime, Mademoiselle Peppo?"
"I'll be delighted to, Monsieur Renaud," Peppo readily responded to that invitation.
++++++++++
A young couple in Marseilles had been pining for a child to call their own for the past five years. However, the cruel deities continued to deny their heartfelt wish.
One cold night, the woman awoke to a gentle voice whispering in her ear, "Now is the perfect time."
It did not take long for her to rouse her husband in order for them to share a late night of passion. At their tender joining, seed finally took root within her womb.
++++++++++
The orphanage director was escorting a young boy through the pristine white hallway of the Paris Asylum. The boy had been adopted, without his consent, by a couple from Avignon. To the director's trepidation, the child refused to go with his foster parents, not until he had spoken to his mother about it.
As the boy walked sulkily, a nurse ran towards the doctor who was scribbling notes in a patient's medical records at the Nurse's Station. "Doctor, you must come with me! Hurry! It's the patient in Room 410!"
"Mama…" the boy gasped, hearing the number of his mother's room. Breaking free from the director's grasp, he hurried ahead. A small crowd had gathered outside, but he managed to squeeze through. Before he could run towards the disheveled woman sitting on the bed, being examined by the doctor, the boy's arm was seized.
"Let go of me!" the boy cried.
The director only tightened his grip, saying, "I knew it was a mistake to bring you here!"
"UNHAND MY SON THIS INSTANT!"
The director released the boy at once, just as the woman stood, her arms raised.
Smiling to the stunned child, she said, "Come to me, Edouard."
"MAMA!" The boy ran happily into his mother's arms. "Are you all right now, Mama? Please tell me you're well! They're going to send me off to live with other people!"
The wife of the former Paris Chief Justice straightened up as she looked sternly at the director. "You are not going to take my son away from me. I am healed now. These doctors can perform tests on me and you'll see that I speak true. Not only that, I am prepared to answer to the crimes that I had committed in the past."
Edouard gazed up at his mother in awe. "Mama…how…"
"He came to me last night, Edouard. He told me that I was going to lose you if I don't…wake up." She produced the thing that was sitting beside her pillow. It was a doll that looked exactly like her. In its arms, the doll carried a tiny version of Edouard.
Tears filled Heloise Villefort's eyes as she embraced her son tightly. "He gave us this miracle, Edouard. Thanks to him, we will never be apart ever again."
++++++++++
An alien servant sat inside his chamber, reading an ancient scroll that had been passed down his family through the centuries. On that scroll was written the same story he had told his grandchildren weeks back. As he came to one passage, he stopped for a moment to let his arm elongate into a tentacle to reach for a book on his library shelf. Comparing the two notes, he nodded, realizing that he had stumbled upon something of great importance that should be shared with the Lord Shaper, as well as with his princess and her friend back on Earth.
Suddenly, behind him, there was a glowing pink light. Turning, he beheld his master whom he had not seen in five years.
Floating towards the alien, the glowing being handed him a small box. "Would you please give this to Haydee, Bertuccio and Baptistin for me?"
Taking the box, the servant bowed, both in obedience and obeisance.
"This is for you." A doll made in his image was laid on top of the box. It made the servant's eyes tear up, seeing that the toy was dressed in the same clothes he was wearing now. For his master to remember so much about him…
"Thank you very much, Ali, for being so kind to me," his master said in sincere gratitude.
The alien who was only known by that single name gave the box and the toy a warm embrace. That gesture was answer enough for his master, who faded away before his eyes.
After that visitation, Ali immediately sat down at his desk to complete his notes in order for him to send them off posthaste to those who had been closest to his beloved master.
++++++++++
In a small private suite at the very popular Paris nightclub Le Queen, two men were sharing drinks, the quantity of which was a lot more than they were accustomed to imbibing. It was supposed to be a night of revelations, especially for the journalist who shall forever pursue the truth until his dying day. This time, however, he sought to reveal the truth that he had long buried inside his heart to his dashing friend beside him.
Alcohol has a way of loosening up a man's inhibitions. Before he knew he was doing so, the journalist had his friend pinned down on the divan's soft cushion, stripping him of all clothing before the startled man could even say a word of dissent. In the next few hours, he took advantage of his friend, who could only sob and whisper the word "No!" over and over again, an excruciatingly painful thing to be done to one whose prior liaisons were with women, and never with men.
When the dawn came, the journalist's heart was gripped by guilt at the tear-filled, reproachful glare that was granted to him. But he was way past regretting what he had done, despite knowing that his friend had the power to send the nation's entire army down upon him.
"I wish I could say that I am sorry for what I did to you," he told his weeping friend. "I cannot deny what is in my heart any longer. I love you, Lucien! Even if you do not harbor the same feelings for me, please, at least, let me salvage your honor. I will not let you live a shamed life because of what I've done to you."
"Robert…" Lucien Dupre gave the journalist a sad little smile. "Why did you take so long to tell me the truth?" He cupped Robert Beauchamp's face tenderly and bestowed a loving kiss upon his lips, much to the other man's surprise. "You didn't have to do this, my friend. All you had to do was ask."
It was word of this sudden change in the relationship of his two friends that reached Albert Herrera…
"WHAT? YOU ELOPED WITH BEAUCHAMP??"
"Pipe down, will you? No one knows the truth about our sudden decisions to go on vacations."
Albert stared in stunned disbelief at Lucien who was grinning at him, abashed, through the com link in his hotel suite. "How in the hell did this happen? You're supposed to be a gigolo! You were even the lover of Eugenie's mother for heaven's sake!"
"I was only a gigolo out of necessity. You know how little was the salary I received from the government at that time. As for Eugenie's mother, I admit at first I did it for the money. However, after I got to know the Baroness very well, I became quite attached to her. She was a very lonely woman, Albert, with a lot of pain inside her heart. You can't blame her if the Baron was inept as a husband. Even Eugenie was remiss in her duties as her daughter." Rosy color filled Lucien's cheeks. "Of course, even if I did…comfort…the Baroness, there was only one person whom I truly cared for."
"And this 'person' happened to be Beauchamp." Albert leaned back into his armchair, crossed his arms over his chest, and let out an undignified snort. "You certainly have bad taste in men."
"You don't know Beauchamp like I do. I know that you partly blame him for what had happened to your family. But he did not lie when he told you that it had taken a lot of soul-searching on his part before he decided to publish that article. Better that it was written by a writer with integrity such as Beauchamp than someone else who would milk that scandal for everything that it's worth."
Albert had to grudgingly agree with Lucien. Beauchamp had only written that one expose about his father's covert involvement in the Janina affair. He never made a follow-up, even when the media frenzy was at its height.
"Who are you talking to?" Beauchamp himself appeared on the screen, having just come from his bath. "Oh, it's you, Albert! Hi!"
"Yes, it's me Albert." The young man growled at the smug image of his friend. "What did you do to Lucien, you pervert? Did you dope him with one of those libido-inducing drugs they use at Le Queen?"
Beauchamp, who was toweling his hair dry, gaped back at Albert in grievous offense. "Of course I didn't!" He then said reluctantly, "Well…I…uh…kinda got drunk. I…think…I became frustrated at my inability to convey to Lucien how I feel about him, and I ended up…" The journalist turned red in shame. "He may be a gigolo, but I never knew that he was still a virgin in that aspect."
In his shock, Albert exclaimed, "You mean you raped Lucien?"
"To be honest, I was shocked when he pounced me," Lucien confessed. "At first, I was frightened and angry at the same time that he would dare to do that to me. And it hurt like you just wouldn't believe. But when it was all over and Beauchamp said that he would not see me dishonored…" He made a small shrug. "How could I not forgive him when I feel the same way about him?"
Albert sighed in defeat. How could he argue with his two friends when they were obviously in love? "Looks like there is nothing more I can say except that I wish you both happiness." Quickly, he added, "But if you make Lucien unhappy, Beauchamp, I swear I'll take your head!"
Beauchamp walked over to his lover and held his hand. "How could I even think of breaking Lucien's heart?"
Bending down, the journalist gave Lucien a deep, torrid kiss that made Albert's jaw drop.
Shocked by that blatant display of affection, Albert did not notice the figure creeping towards him on hands and knees. He let out a squeal of surprise as Edmond slowly raised his head in front of him to peer, through narrowed eyes, at the passionate scene on the screen.
Edmond stuck out his tongue distastefully. "Ooooh! Beauchamp and Lucien are doing the tongue thing! Yucck!" He raised the two dolls that he had made in the forms of the two men and looked at them quizzically. "I only made it a simple lip peck. I didn't mash their faces like this." Albert was scandalized as the older man pressed the two dolls' faces together hard. Worse, Edmond stared at Lucien and Beauchamp once more and said accusingly, "You're horny again, aren't you?"
Albert quickly covered Edmond's eyes and mouth with his hands. "Edmond Dantes, you are absolutely shameless!"
The lovers broke the kiss as they burst into laughter. "Hello, Count!" Beauchamp greeted. "Albert told us that you were living with him. Is he taking good care of you?"
Edmond broke free from his guardian's hold. "Uh huh!" he replied. Pointing accusingly to the younger man, he exclaimed, "But…Albert NEVER kisses me! I steal kisses from him every night, so I could show him how much he means to me! But I don't know how he feels about me!"
"But Edmond," Albert put in, surprised by that outburst, "I do care a lot about you. I'm just not too…comfortable…with…you know."
There were tears in the older man's eyes as he whirled to face his guardian. "Is a teeny tiny kiss such a hard thing to give me?" At these words, Edmond fled from the living room and hurried back up to the attic.
After a moment's silence, it was Lucien who spoke up. "Edmond loves you, Albert."
"I know," Albert said with a groan. "That's exactly the reason why I could not kiss him. I have to be sure of how I feel for him first. He is like a child starved for affection. I don't want to do something I'll regret in the end."
"Is it that," Lucien began, "or are you still being haunted by the past?" When his friend did not answer, the redhead concluded, "You're right. For you to respond to Edmond's need would only lead to great regret. It's obvious to me that you still haven't forgiven him."
"No, that's not true," Albert readily countered. "I…I forgave him five years ago."
"Really?" Beauchamp looked at him dubiously. "Haydee had told us that you had taken the Count in, something you did not bother to tell us. Makes me wonder why you can tell someone off-planet about this when you had friends on Earth whom you can approach for help."
"Why don't you just spit out what you're trying to say?" Albert could feel his temper rising. "What are you implying anyway?"
"Edmond Dantes, with his child's mind, is easy prey for someone who continues to harbor a grudge. Because he loves you, you could do…ANYTHING…you want with him, and he won't say no. Hurt him, and I'm sure he'll forgive you."
"I'm not the kind of man who would take advantage of an innocent!"
"That's just it, Albert! He is NOT innocent!"
"BEAUCHAMP!" Lucien said sharply.
Shaking his head in frustration, the journalist stalked over to an armchair, plopping down on it with a grunt.
With his lover reduced to sulking silence, Lucien turned to his young friend once more. "There should be no room for uncertainty in one's heart. If you are not sure about how you feel for him, take him back to the monastery."
"I am not taking him back, Lucien," Albert answered firmly. "Regardless of what Beauchamp thinks, I do care about the Count, although not in the way he wants. The only thing I have to do is to make him understand that."
"Well, good luck, Albert. I just hope things work out for the two of you."
Without saying anything else, Lucien cut the link, leaving Albert a tangled mess of nerves. With a heavy sigh, he placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his cupped hands.
"I care about Edmond," Albert mumbled. "I won't do anything to hurt him."
The buzz of his computer alerted the young man to an incoming call. Fixing his appearance to a semblance of order, he turned on the com link once more. At once, Eugenie's grinning face popped up on the screen.
"Hi, Eugenie!" Albert greeted, trying to sound cheerful. "What's up?"
"I have wonderful news to tell you, Albert!" the pretty pianist said excitedly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tears were pouring from Edmond's eyes as he drew a pattern for a new doll on manila paper, the drops spattering on the brown surface. His head ached as he tried to remember the past. But the effort caused his eyes to blur and absolute terror to surge up inside his heart.
"What bad thing did I do to you, Albert, that you couldn't love me?" Edmond sobbed as he let the pencil fall from his hand. "Was I so bad that you couldn't forgive me?"
"It's not that you were bad, Edmond. The fact of the matter is you're not pushing him hard enough."
Edmond turned around to see Desire standing behind him. As the pink marks blazed on his forehead, a pair of sharp scissors rose in the air, pointed menacingly at his uninvited visitor.
Desire raised both its hands. "Now, now! I didn't come here to quarrel with you. I already forgave you for that lump that you gave me. I was listening to your conversation and I felt really sorry for you. I thought I'd help you out."
"You? Help me?" asked Edmond in suspicion. "Why would you want to help me? I thought you wanted Albert. I saw you touching him dirtily."
"I did, before. But now, I want to see you happy, Edmond. You and Albert are made for each other. If you don't act, however, you might end up losing him."
"I'm not going to lose Albert. He…he cares about me."
"But does he love you?" Desire magically lifted the attic door a crack. "Why don't you listen? He's talking to someone right now, and it's not Lucien and Beauchamp anymore."
Despite himself, Edmond found himself crawling toward the door. Peering through the crack, he instantly saw Eugenie Danglars on the computer monitor.
"I'm going to have a baby, Albert," Eugenie announced happily.
"That's wonderful news!" Albert declared. "Does Louis already know?"
"Yes. When he found out, he decided to move up our wedding date."
"That's great! I am so happy for you, Eugenie."
"Thank you, Albert." Eugenie looked at her former fiancé meaningfully. "I'm so sorry that it did not work out for the two of us."
"It's all right," Albert reassured her. "We were really not meant to be, that's all."
"I wish you would let go of the past. I want to see you happy."
"Don't worry. That time will soon come for me. Besides, I have my work to keep me busy. I have no complaints whatsoever."
Eugenie laid her hand over the monitor. "Take care of yourself, Albert. I love you."
"And I love you too, Eugenie," Albert whispered back. "Be happy."
Those three words stung Edmond's heart, and he quietly closed the door. Despite knowing that Desire could not be trusted, his love for his guardian prompted him to make a pact with the devilish sibling of the Endless.
With firm determination reflected on his handsome face, Edmond said, "Tell me what I must do."
Two hours later, Desire was seated in a plush settee in her realm, laughing in glee. She had just finished telling Despair and Delirium what had happened.
"I can see that it pleased you to follow my advice for a change," Despair remarked with a sly grin on her bulbous face.
"Yes, indeed!" Desire answered, grinning. "You are right, sweet sister. Oh, the great opportunities that come your way when you wait!"
~~~~~~~~~~
Albert lay inside his sleeping alcove, waiting for Edmond to sneak inside like he usually did every night. But it was already past eleven o'clock and still no sign of the older man.
I hope I did not hurt his feelings with what I said earlier, Albert mused, suddenly worried.
Climbing out of the alcove, the young man padded towards the stairs. For a moment, he paused with his hand on the rail. He had never invaded Edmond's sanctum sanctorum before, and he was afraid that his ward might get angry with him. However, the need to speak with the older man was greater than the fear of offending any sensibilities. Taking a deep breath, Albert went up to the attic and pushed the door partway open.
His blood ran cold as he heard a soft moan. Fearing that his ward was injured, Albert climbed up into the attic, crying, "Edmond! Are you all right?", only to be greeted by a truly unexpected sight.
Dolls, both completed and unfinished, were scattered all over the floor. The photo album was propped against the wall. Albert realized that the former nobleman was using the pictures of the people inside as his guides for making the toys.
In the middle of that mess, lying on top of his bedroll was Edmond, gloriously naked as though he had just emerged from the womb. His blue-toned skin glistened with a sheen of sweat. Long, graceful fingers traversed his lithe form, fingertips lingering over areas that caused him to moan and gasp in delight. There was no spot that was left unexplored.
Albert could not take his eyes away from that shameless display. What am I doing? The question raced through his mind. Why can't I look away? It's just like that time when I stumbled upon Edmond and Madame Villefort in the greenhouse. But this is…worse…. To his dismay, he could feel himself harden with intense desire for the older man.
Then, Albert realized that those misty, mismatched eyes were gazing back at him with sad longing. Swallowing hard, he could only watch as Edmond's left hand rose to fondle the rose pink jewels on his chest while his right closed around his semi-erect length.
"Albert…" Edmond murmured huskily as he pumped his member with languid strokes. "Albert, please love me."
Albert stomped down hard on the passions that were threatening to overwhelm all reason. Picking up the blanket, he approached his ward. At first, Edmond thought that Albert was going to respond to his entreaty. The younger man, however, eased him up to a sitting position and draped the blanket over his nakedness. This gesture was like a sharp dagger plunged into his heart.
"You don't love me," that choked utterance spilled from Edmond's lips as the tears flowed down his cheeks.
"You're wrong, Edmond." Albert cupped the older man's face with his left hand while his right ran soothingly through that silken mane. "I do love you. But not in this way. Besides, how could you know that this is what you truly want?"
"But I do." Edmond pressed his hand over his heart. "I can feel it in here."
"Perhaps, if you were still your usual self, I would've… I can't do it, Edmond! Forgive me! If I were to…succumb, it would be like taking advantage of a child!"
"Did I do something bad to you, Albert?"
That soft query took Albert by surprise.
"I've been trying so hard to remember, but it's like hitting my head on a brick wall." Edmond took the younger man's hands in his earnest grasp. "Please tell me what happened in the past. What did I do to you? Why is it I feel so angry and yet regretful whenever I look at that picture of those three men in the album? Tell me, Albert, so that I'll do everything I can to show you how sorry I am. So that you could forgive me."
Three men… Albert's blue eyes alighted upon the photo album, and then he remembered. Inside that album was a picture of his father together with Justice Villefort and Baron Danglars. So the anger still persists inside his heart for those three men who have made him suffer for decades….
For a full minute, Albert did not say anything. When his lips parted, the words he spoke were, "The past is long gone. It is best forgotten."
Edmond slowly released his guardian's hands. "It's you who won't forget, and you can't forgive either."
"Edmond…"
Turning his back to the younger man, Edmond settled down onto his bedroll, yanking the blanket over his head. Still, Albert could see his ward's body shaking as he wept. He reached out to touch that heartbroken figure, but in the end, withdrew his hand before he could do so.
"I'm so sorry, Edmond," Albert tried to sound sincere, but even to his own ears, he did not sound convincing. Sighing, he headed back down the stairs when he thought he heard Edmond mumble something. "Uh…what did you say? Forgive me, but I didn't hear you."
"I said I'm jealous!" Edmond repeated, the bitterness heavy in his words. "I'm jealous of all the people to whom you can easily say 'I love you' when you can't say it to me!"
How could Albert respond to such a painful observation? He did not make a single sound as he descended the attic stairs and closed the door.
When the younger man was gone, Edmond rose from his bedroll and put on a shirt. Going to the box where he kept all his sewing materials, he pulled out five unfinished dolls.
Crushing the dolls to his chest, Edmond sobbed, "I'm going to make you love me, Albert. I swear I'll do everything in my power to win your heart again."
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&n bsp;