Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ The Dollmaker ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )
Anime/Manga: Gankutsuou Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 12.05.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 322 | Status: Completed
THE DOLLMAKER
© December 6, 2005 By Rory V. Pascual
CHAPTER SEVEN
A young man stood before a lonely grave, a bouquet of white lilies in his arms.
"I don't know why I came to see you," he told the cold dead corpse lying beneath that hard granite slab. "After all, you never considered me your son. Funny, isn't it, that it's you who's now dead and buried. I wonder if they were able to sew your head back on. In the end, you got what you deserved." Something warm and wet fell on his hand. Wiping away the moisture filling his eyes, "Damn it! Why am I crying over a bastard like you when you never shed a single tear for me?"
"Hey, Benedetto! We can't stay too long! The boys are waiting for us back at the hideout!" It was Salvatore Riondo who had called out to him, the tall, muscular leader of their band of space pirates and his occasional lover.
"Hold on, will you?" Benedetto yelled back with a grimace. "Can't you see I'm paying my respects to my old man?"
"Well, hurry up! Our ugly mugs are plastered all over this city. It won't do our rep any good to be caught so easily. Besides…" A curious frown formed on Riondo's broad brow. "…I thought you hated your father?"
"It's only your mug that's ugly, Salvatore!" the rogue smirked, brushing aside his long blond hair, as the madness distorted his handsome face. "Oh, and you've got a point! Thanks for reminding me!" Benedetto tossed the bouquet on top of Gerard de Villefort's gravestone. "Hope the Devil's making you feel at home down there, Father."
As he turned on his heels to go towards Riondo, something caught Benedetto's eye. Someone was sitting beside a grave, head laid on top of the smooth marble cradled by his folded arms. Because of that long, silky ebony mane, Benedetto at first thought it was a woman. However, as he slowly approached, he discovered that it was not a woman at all, but a man.
Benedetto nudged the dozing figure with the toe of his spit-shined boots. "Hey, are you okay? Why don't you find a nice little mausoleum to sleep in?" A light breeze blew and he shivered. "It's a bit nippy out here. You might catch pneumonia."
Then, a crimson eye popped open followed by a drowsy mumble, "Franz?"
Benedetto jerked back in shock as the man lifted his head. "What the hell?" he gasped out. "You're supposed to be dead!"
The man rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his knuckles and yawned. Mismatched eyes blinked back at the rogue. That handsome face lit up with a bright smile as recognition dawned upon him. Grabbing his backpack, he quickly rummaged inside. Benedetto took a step back as the man suddenly thrust something at him. To his surprise, it was a doll and it looked exactly like him when he was still posing as a marquis. The cute plush toy even had a small red rose in its right hand.
"A doll for Andrea," the man said happily.
"For me?" asked Benedetto in disbelief. No one has ever given him a gift before. "This is really for me?"
The man nodded, beaming. "Uh huh!"
The rogue accepted the gift and held it tenderly. "I…uh…thanks!"
Impatient for his right hand man and lover, Riondo walked up to Benedetto. "Ooh! Benedetto's got himself a cute dolly! You know this looney?" The pirate was pleasantly surprised as he beheld the stranger close up. "Hey, this one's quite a looker for a middle-aged guy." Riondo pinched the man's chin so he could peruse those exquisite features. "What's your name, cutie?"
"Uh…Edmond…"
Benedetto gripped the pirate's wrist. "Get your hand off him, Salvatore! This man is too good for the likes of you!"
Riondo sneered at the younger man. "Why? Are you jealous?"
"Of course not!" Agitated as he was, Benedetto unwittingly revealed the true identity of the man they were with as he inquired, "Are you with Bertuccio or Baptistin, Count? Come! I'll help you look for them."
"But they're in Janina, Andrea," Edmond told the rogue in a child-like tone as he was swiftly hauled to his feet.
Before Benedetto could lead him away, Riondo seized Edmond's other arm and jerked him out of the rogue's grasp and into his tight embrace.
"You're squishing me," Edmond complained as he squirmed in the brawny man's arms.
"Did I just hear you correctly? Did I hear you call him 'Count'?" Riondo asked his startled shipmate. "Are you telling me this pretty gentleman with a child's mind is the famous Count of Monte Cristo? I thought he was dead!" The pirate grinned down at the bewildered man. "You know, Edmond? We were able to retrieve all your gold that fat bastard Baron Danglars stole from you, but those bad policemen took it all away. We could get it all back for you if you'll help us."
"But…" Edmond scratched his head quizzically. "I don't remember owning any gold."
Riondo laughed as he gave the older man's shapely behind two, three pats. "You're funny, Edmond! I think you and I are going to get along just fine!"
Benedetto gaped at the two men. There was no mistaking that leer on the pirate's face. Riondo was determined to bring Edmond with them at all costs. Knowing what the pirate was capable of, Benedetto seriously doubted if his former employer would survive the bastard's 'treatment' unscathed, especially with his mind that innocent. For a moment, the rogue contemplated one scenario after another that could get Edmond out of this predicament.
Riondo, however, must have read the panic on his face that he looked down at his prize once more and asked, "Listen, Edmond. It seems to me you've fallen on a bit of bad luck."
The pirate must have struck a nerve in the older man because his odd-colored eyes misted up with tears. "I did something very bad. Albert got mad at me and he told me that he'll bring me back to the monastery. But I didn't want to trouble him any more, so I ran away instead."
"Albert?" Benedetto found himself blurting out. "You mean Albert de Morcerf?"
"The son of that faker Fernand Mondego?" Riondo asked as well. He hugged Edmond even harder. "Well, well! You certainly know a lot of…interesting…people, Edmond! But that Albert is a terrible person if he drove you away like this. I'll tell you what. Why don't you come along with us? After all, you and Benedetto are good friends. We'll take care of you and treat you like one of the boys!"
Yes, I know how you'll treat him, all right! Benedetto gazed at Edmond, who was waiting for his comment. "Count, I don't think you should."
"You don't like me too, Andrea?" Edmond timidly inquired.
"I don't mean that, but…"
Edmond nearly jumped as a cold, pale hand gripped his shoulder. It was the Dream King, and he was shaking his head.
"Do not go with them, Edmond," Dream advised him sternly. "Even Benedetto is against it."
"But I have no one left, Angel," Edmond told the Lord of the Dreaming. "Even if Andrea doesn't want me to, at least his friend wants me to stay with them. I'm sure Andrea will change his mind."
"You're making a big mistake. If you go with them, I won't be able to protect you. I cannot…interfere."
Edmond smiled at Dream as he gently shrugged away that hand. "I'll be fine. If I can't trust my friends, who can I trust?"
"Who are you talking to, Edmond?"
"Nobody." He looked up to give the burly pirate a charming, hopeful smile. "Could I…really go with you?"
"Why, certainly!" Riondo declared, the triumph obvious in his voice. "And, we'll take good care of you, not like that fake nobleman Albert de Morcerf!"
Edmond's happy cheer saddened Dream immensely. Unseen by the two pirates, he glided towards Benedetto and whispered, "Take care of him."
The rogue whirled at that voice, but the Dream King had already departed. Granting his captain a menacing glare, he said, "He is of no use to us, Salvatore. I mean, just look at him. He's an idiot! He'll just be a burden to us. Let him go."
"Now why should I let go of a gold mine such as this?" asked the pirate, surprised that Benedetto would even dare suggest it. "I've heard that young Morcerf has a high position in the French embassy, and that he has good friends in the Interior Ministry. Edmond here will help us get back the gold that those damned agents took from us."
Benedetto shook his head, dismayed. It was useless arguing with Riondo when greed has taken hold of his entire being. "Once you get your damned gold," Benedetto inquired, "are you going to release him then?"
"For as long as Albert de Morcerf does what I tell him to, of course I will release your dear Count."
Benedetto found that answer very doubtful. Lust shone brightly in the pirate's gray eyes as he gazed at his innocent captive. With the Count's exotic beauty and present child-like demeanor, he was a tempting feast for the perverted Riondo.
"Don't you want me to stay with you, Andrea?" that plaintive baritone voice reached Benedetto's hearing. "Did I do something bad to you too? Sorry, but I don't remember anything. If I did, please forgive me! Please don't send me away! I would rather stay with you than at the monastery. I promise I won't cause you…" He peered up cautiously at Riondo, pointing a finger at the pirate. "…Or the kind gentleman here any trouble."
"Did you hear that, Benedetto? He called me a 'kind gentleman'!" Laughing, Riondo pushed Edmond towards the confused rogue. "Come on, Benedetto! Don't tell me you're going to turn your back on a dear friend. How can you ignore the pleas of a sweet thing like him?"
Saying this, he turned around and headed back to their parked car, his long coat fluttering wide. That movement was deliberate, Benedetto knew, for it gave the rogue a good view of the two large pistols tucked in the pirate's trousers. He had hoped to make a run for it with the Count, but they certainly would be unable to outrun speeding bullets fired at them with dead accuracy.
"Andrea?" Edmond looked at the blond questioningly, moisture limning his expressive eyes.
Benedetto let out a defeated groan, ruffling his long hair in exasperation.
"What are you two standing around for?" Riondo yelled from the car. "Hurry up, will you?"
Exhaling harshly, Benedetto told the older man, "Get your bags."
Whooping in joy, Edmond hastened to comply, getting his two bags near Franz's grave. With bags in hand, he trotted over to Benedetto, who was already walking away.
As they headed towards the car, Benedetto found himself looking at the plush toy that the former nobleman had given him, awed by the effort and intricate detail put into its creation.
"What did I do to deserve this gift?" he muttered, not at all expecting a reply from the man at his side. "I know I caused a lot of trouble for you back then. So why?"
"Hmmm…." Edmond thought long and hard for an answer. "I don't remember everything, but there was this one time. We were in this small room overlooking the ocean. You looked so sad and confused. I said something to you. I can't remember what it was, but it made you smile. Not those really nasty smiles you've been making later, but a genuinely happy smile. You have no idea how very handsome you are when you smile like that. I told myself that, one day, I would like to see that smile again."
Benedetto gave the former noble an evil smirk. "So you liked my dashing smile, eh?"
Pouting, Edmond painfully tapped the point between the younger man's eyes with his finger. "Not like that!"
The rogue growled as he rubbed his aching forehead, only to be surprised to find his mind clear. No violent outburst, no madness. Before, he would have beaten the offender within a hide of his life for a transgression as simple as that.
Then he saw his former employer give him such a warm smile. Benedetto believed that those long years in prison had hardened his heart. Despite himself, a smile curled up the corners of his lips, touched by the gift – this healing could only be called that – the man had given to him.
"I wish I had a mirror so you could see your face right now," said Edmond, grinning.
"But really, Count," Benedetto began, "this is truly an adorable toy. I love it." He hesitated, wondering how he could explain to Edmond his present predicament. "I…I just wish you hadn't agreed to Riondo's offer too soon. Riondo is…"
"He's what?"
"Listen to me, Count," the rogue said in all seriousness. "When we get to our hideout, promise me that you'll stay away from him. No matter what Riondo says, you must stay away from him."
"Well, I don't want him to get mad at me, but…" Edmond answered obediently, "Okay!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Edmond! Why don't you come play with us for a change? We'll show you how to have a real good time!"
Edmond scratched his head. He could no longer count on his hand how many times he was asked that question. It was getting to be very annoying, but he did not want his new friends to be angry with him.
"Sorry," he said in apology as he stuffed more cotton inside the doll's body. "But I really have to finish this."
Benedetto swatted the leering pirate on the face with a rag. To his chagrin, he saw the sweet smile on Edmond's lips, completely innocent of what the man really had in mind.
The rogue squatted down before the industrious older man. "That's Albert, isn't it? Don't put too much cotton. He's not that fat. The last time I saw him, he was a little shrimp."
Edmond giggled at that description. "Oh, but he's grown taller now." He raised the doll and saw that, indeed, the Albert doll had developed a pot belly. Grinning sheepishly, he agreed, "You're right!", and started removing wads of cotton.
"What happened between you and Albert, Count?" Benedetto inquired softly. "Why did you run away?"
Edmond was expecting this question from the rogue ever since he arrived in this dingy warehouse two days ago. He lowered the doll as tears welled up in his expressive eyes. "Bad people were hurting Albert's friends using my dolls. He thought it was me, and he got very angry."
Benedetto frowned at that answer. "Your dolls?"
"Yes. You see, my dolls have magic. I make people happy with them."
"All dolls have some kind of magic in them. Maybe it's because they are made to look cute, that's why they bring joy to people."
"Not my dolls." Edmond did not expound on it more. It was obvious that the older man had difficulty explaining it himself. "I…I don't have much time, Andrea. I can feel it in here." He pointed to his heart. "That's why I'm making this one last doll." Teardrops fell on his hand. "I want to make Albert happy again."
Benedetto was about to offer the child man comforting words when Riondo strode over to them, a letter in his hand.
"I have something very important that I need you to do for me, Benedetto," Riondo ordered. Handing him the letter, the pirate said, "Deliver this letter to this address. Make certain that it is received by the intended recipient."
The rogue frowned as he looked at the sealed envelope. "What's this?"
"It's none of your business. Let's just say we'll be making a lot of money because of that letter."
"Should I wait for a reply?"
"No need. Just knock on the door and leave it on the doorstep. He'll know, believe me."
Shrugging, Benedetto tucked the letter in his pocket. Looking down at Edmond, who was busy sewing again, he invited, "Come on, Count. Let's go out for awhile."
"Don't bring him along," Riondo said firmly. "He'll just be a bother to you. I want this delivery pulled off without a hitch."
The rogue gave the pirate a suspicious gaze. "Riondo…I'll do as you say, but…if you do anything to the Count while I'm gone, I'll…"
"He'll just be here playing," Riondo declared in mock defense. "Can't you see how engrossed he is in making that damned doll of his?"
Benedetto was not convinced. "Count, I do wish you'd come with me."
He was dismayed when Edmond shook his head. "No, I have to finish this doll."
The rogue sighed in defeat. "All right then. I'll hurry back as soon as I can." Giving the older man one last glance, he left the warehouse.
For about an hour, Edmond was left alone, but many times, when he lifted his head from his work to get a pin or some thread, he would see Riondo looking at him with a strange expression on his face from the open door of his room.
It was while he was sewing up the arm to the doll that Riondo got up from his seat and approached him.
"Edmond?" Riondo asked gently. "I did not want to tell you this, but I thought you should know. Albert is looking for you, and he's worried sick about you."
Edmond's head jerked up at that revelation. "Albert's looking for me? But I thought he hates me."
"He said that he's sorry for hurting your feelings and he wants you back."
"But…but…I don't think I should." Edmond broke into sobs. "I only cause trouble for him. I don't know how to make him happy. I've tried everything to make him love me, but…"
In his innocence, the child man did not realize that he had just given the evil pirate the opening that he was looking for.
"Listen to me, Edmond. I'll show you what to do so that Albert will love you. Would you like that?" It was difficult for Riondo to keep his mouth from extending ear to ear.
Edmond blinked up at the pirate, a hopeful expression in his eyes. "It's not going to hurt, is it? Albert, he… But he was angry at that time, and it had hurt a lot. More so in my chest."
Riondo was a bit dismayed by that answer. He had hoped that Edmond would still be a virgin.
"I cannot promise that it's not going to hurt at first. After all, you can't have love without pain. But I'm telling you, once I show you the right way to do it, you'll know how to make Albert feel like he's in seventh heaven." Riondo raised an inviting hand to the innocent man. "Well, Edmond? What do you say?"
Edmond looked at that offering hand for a long time. He remembered Benedetto's stern warning, as well as Dream's. However, his fervent wish for Albert's happiness was foremost in his mind and heart.
Wiping away his tears with the back of his hand, Edmond laid trembling fingers on the pirate's palm. "Okay. Show me how."
When Riondo closed his fingers tightly around his hand, Edmond's eyelids fluttered shut, knowing that there was no turning back from the decision he had made.
~~~~~~~~~~
Benedetto was hiding behind the bushes in the garden of a quaint cottage in the outskirts of Paris, having just accomplished what Riondo had told him to do. Curiosity, however, made him stay for a moment to see the person whom the pirate was dealing with.
Great was his surprise when a haggard Albert Herrera opened the door, looking around for a moment before his weary eyes alighted on the letter. Tearing the envelope open, he heard the younger man gasp as he read the letter inside. Slamming the door shut, he rushed back inside the cottage. Through the window, Benedetto saw Albert push back the thick file he had been reading and swiftly turn on his computer.
Apprehension seized the rogue's heart that he inched close to the window to see what the former Viscount was doing. He was horrified when Riondo appeared on the screen.
"Bonjour, Monsieur de Morcerf!" the pirate greeted the livid young man. "I see that you've finally received my letter!"
"You bastard!" Albert roared at the grinning man on his monitor. "Where's Edmond? I demand that you release him this instant!"
"Not so fast, Monsieur. You're not in any position to make any demands here. You have to follow my instructions if you want your dear Edmond returned to you safe and sound."
Albert's hands clenched into tight fists. "What do you want?"
Riondo was pleased by the young man's capitulation. "You have a friend from the Interior Ministry, am I correct? Tell him to have two of his men deliver the gold contained in Danglars' spaceship to an abandoned warehouse near the wharf at 4 am tomorrow. Absolutely no agents, no police. If you do as I tell you, Edmond will be returned to you."
"How can I be sure that you'll do as you say?" Albert asked. "You haven't shown me any proof that you do have Edmond."
"I knew you'd ask me that." Benedetto felt his heart pounding in his breast at the sight of that all too familiar leer on the pirate's face. "You know, Monsieur de Morcerf. Your Edmond is such a very sweet, innocent thing. He's not the man he used to be, that cunning Count of Monte Cristo. Do you know that his fondest wish was your happiness? He wanted you to love him…and I was only too happy to show him how he could please you."
Albert was gripped by sudden dread. "What did you do to him?" That question came out as a harsh exhalation.
Then, Riondo played a video, and the two men were shocked to silence. The fiendish pirate was feasting upon poor Edmond's innocent flesh in wild abandon. Anguish was written on the former nobleman's face as he bravely tried to endure what was being done to him.
"Please…Monsieur Riondo!" Edmond cried as the pirate thrust again and again inside his battered, bleeding body. "It hurts too much! Please do it slowly!"
"Don't worry, Edmond," Riondo grunted with every pounding motion of his hips. "It'll get better, I'm telling you."
But there was no pleasure, no relief for the poor man. With one devastating thrust, Edmond screamed in agony. Both Albert and Benedetto could see the blood pooling on the bed sheets under his hips.
The video was suddenly cut. Again, Riondo appeared on the screen, grinning triumphantly at the sight of the distraught expression on Albert's face. He waved to the trembling figure on the bed.
"Albert's here, Edmond," the pirate said. "You might want to say something to him."
The computer camera focused on Edmond's broken, battered figure. Only a blood spattered blanket covered his nakedness.
"Hello, Albert," Edmond sniffled. "Monsieur Riondo told me that you were worried sick about me. You see, I'm just fine. He…he taught me…a lot of things. I…If you still want me to come back, I…I could make you happy now, because Monsieur Riondo told me what to do." Edmond's last words broke Albert's heart. "I love you, Albert. I hope I could be able to please you this time."
The transmission ended, but Benedetto did not wait to hear Albert's anguished cry. He roared back to their hideout in his car that he had parked down the road. Kicking the door open, much to the startlement of the other pirates, he rushed inside Riondo's room, but the evil pirate was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Edmond?" he demanded to his crewmates in fury.
One of the pirates gestured to the corner where Edmond was quietly sewing his precious doll. Apprehension made the rogue approach the older man slowly. He was horrified to see the growing blood stain at the seat of Edmond's trousers.
"Edmond…" Benedetto was too afraid to ask, as he sat down beside his former employer.
The Albert doll was wet with shed tears. Edmond lowered his shaking hands, unable to continue.
"Please don't be mad at me, Andrea. I had to know how to do it. I had to know, so that I can make Albert happy, so that he can love me again." Then, Edmond suddenly faced him, the misery clearly reflected in his mismatched eyes. "But…why do I feel I did something terribly wrong?" He clutched the doll hard to his chest. "Why do I feel so dirty?"
There was nothing that Benedetto could say. He had abandoned this poor man to a terrible fate. Weeping just as hard, he took Edmond into a comforting hug, his arms not too confining as to frighten him back into what he had just experienced.
"What the…" the rogue jerked in surprise, as he gazed down at the former nobleman.
Edmond felt like stone in his embrace. He pulled the older man's sleeve up and was horrified to see that his arm was slowly turning into hard, blue crystal. Very soon, even his hands will be transformed into transparent rock.
"Edmond…what is this…what's happening to you?" he asked. "Is it your…illness? Don't you have the pills that Haydee used to give you?"
But Edmond whimpered, "I'm so cold, Andrea. So cold."
There was only one thing left for Benedetto to do. It was up to him to make things right for the Count who had given him the revenge he had sought for seventeen lonely, angry years.
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