Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ Gankutsuou Reborn ❯ Night Flight ( Chapter 10 )

CHAPTER TEN: Night Flight

When Etienne's eyelids fluttered open, night had already fallen. Rain was pouring heavily outside. Seeing the date and time on the clock, he realized he had been asleep for a day and a half.

The singer tried to move, but electricity jolted through the muscles of his arms and his body screamed in pain. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was half-naked, wearing only the tattered remains of his shirt. His body was mottled with an assortment of welts, bites and bruises, a grotesque canvas of the abuse that he and the entity had suffered. Etienne attempted to lower his hands to wipe away the blood and semen crusting his thighs, only to discover that his wrists were shackled to the rail of the headboard.

:Gankutsuou?: Etienne called out to the entity in concern. It was the entity who had taken the full brunt of the abuse. :Gankutsuou, please tell me you're well.:

The answer that the singer received was a choked sob and then worrying silence.

:We'll get out of here, my friend,: Etienne tried to reassure the mysterious being sharing his body. :Albert and his friends will come to save us, you'll see. And that young man with the blond hair said that deliverance is at hand…Franz's spirit.:

:There is no salvation for me! What is happening to us now is because of the terrible sins that I had committed in the past,: Gankutsuou cried in deep remorse. :I had hoped to give you a happier life this time, but because of my greed and selfishness, I dragged you back into Hell again!:

:What are you saying, Gankutsuou? Please be calm. You're not making any sense to me.:

The door squeaked open and a hulking shadow appeared at the doorway. The entity panicked, fearing more abuse. :Please! No more! I can't take it any longer!:

"Etienne?"

:It's all right, Gankutsuou. It's a friend!: The singer wanted to weep in relief at that friendly voice. "Bruno, is that you?" Sure enough, the bouncer hurried towards him with a bunch of keys. As his chains were removed, Etienne exclaimed, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

"No time to talk," said Bruno as he handed the singer a shirt and a pair of trousers. "A friend of yours came to my house earlier, saying that Benedetto was planning to take you to Galileo tonight."

"A friend?" asked Etienne as he quickly put on the clothes.

"Yes, a handsome young blond."

Hearing that description, Gankutsuou peered through Etienne's eyes as the singer lifted his head in surprise. He almost burst into tears at the sight of Franz standing and waving behind Bruno. Then, Franz's spirit seemed to disappear right into the substance of the bouncer.

"Let's go!" Franz spoke through Bruno's lips as he grabbed Etienne's wrist.

But as they emerged into the dark hallway, thugs with guns blocked their way to the lift. Realizing that they were trapped, the bouncer pushed Etienne back inside the lounge, just as the men opened fire. As Bruno locked the door, Etienne was horrified to see that the bouncer had taken a bullet in the leg.

"Bruno! You're hurt!" the singer rushed to the bouncer's aid.

"This is nothing," Bruno reassured the younger man, as he pulled out a pistol from inside his jacket pocket. "I'll hold them off. You climb out the window."

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Etienne, for God's sake, just do as I say!"

The door banged open and the men barged inside. Bruno only had time to shove the singer away before his body was riddled with bullets. Etienne gaped in shock as the bouncer fell right at his feet. Through Gankutsuou's eyes, however, it wasn't Bruno bleeding on the floor but Franz d'Epinay.

Rage gripped his entire being, and those pink marks on his forehead blazed with unholy fire. "YOU KILLED HIM!" Gankutsuou and Etienne roared at the same time. "I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

The men did not stand a chance against the combined fury of the entity and the singer. Like a blur, Gankutsuou threw himself right in their midst, slashing their throats out and gutting their bellies with sharp claws. The entity would not stop until the murderers were nothing more than shredded meat on the floor, his whole form splattered with blood.

Coming back to his senses, Etienne saw the blood that was dripping from his hands. "Oh my God! Gankutsuou, what have we done!"

:Nothing more than what these bastards deserved,: Gankutsuou spat back.

The sound of chanting caught the entity's hearing. It was the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, and she was rattling a necklace made of bones and feathers, from which wispy purple arms extruded, reaching out at lightning speed. Gankutsuou screamed in agony as the tattoos on his wrists, neck and ankles were enveloped by that strange vapor, burning his skin. He could feel his strength slowly being drained from him.

But then, strong hands closed around his wrists, relieving his pain. As he looked to his right, he saw Franz smiling at him. With Franz's spirit blocking the spell, Gankutsuou seized the chance to leap through the window, the glass breaking in his passage, and land in the street below.

The first thing that entered Etienne's mind was to go to Sister Bertrille.

"Not there," a ghostly voice breathed in his ear. "Benedetto's men are sure to lie in wait for you there. The Embassy… Go to Albert…."

Before he could say that he did not know where the Embassy was, golden rays of light shone down upon the street, illuminating it up to the corner before turning left.

:Let's hurry, Etienne!: said Gankutsuou, urging their body into a dash. :Franz will show us the way.:

Using the entity's preternatural sight, Etienne could see Franz running ahead of them.

Thank you, Franz! The singer thought in sincere gratitude as he hurried after the spirit.

After what seemed like an eternity of running, Etienne at last beheld the iron gates of the Paris Embassy. Although his body ached from his ordeal and was weary and shivering from the cold rain, the singer approached the lone guard standing beside the sentry box.

"Monsieur!" Etienne called out to the man. "I'm looking for Albert Herrera, the Paris Ambassador!"

The guard gave him a dubious glance. "The Ambassador left hours ago. If you wish to see him, make an appointment with his secretary."

Etienne shook his head. "You don't understand. I'm a good friend of Albert's! Monsieur, please! If you'll only just call him and tell him that Etienne Delacroix's looking for him…"

"And I told you, Monsieur Herrera is not here! Leave now before I call the police!"

Desperation made the singer grab the guard's raincoat. "I'm begging you! I must see Albert!"

Etienne was knocked down to the wet pavement by a rifle butt. To his dismay, the guard was pointing his gun at him.

"Go away!" the man shouted, cocking his rifle. "Monsieur Herrera does not associate with whores like you!"

"But Monsieur…"

"If you don't leave, I'll shoot you and have you arrested for trespassing!"

Etienne picked himself up from the ground and slowly walked away, the bitter tears pouring down his face being washed away by the rain. Rather than seek shelter from the storm, he curled up against the iron fence, a block away from the gates.

Burying his face in his knees, the Nightingale wept, "Where are you, Albert? Oh please! Save me!"

"I knew I'd find you here!"

Etienne felt his heart sink, beholding Andrea Cavalcanti's angry form towering above him. All he could do was whimper helplessly as the rogue hauled him to his feet.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you so much for giving me a lift, Your Highness!"

Haydee bristled at that lofty address, and she gave the pianist sitting beside her in the carriage a disapproving frown. "Eugenie, you and I are good friends. Never call me 'Your Highness'."

Eugenie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's not everyday that I get to hobnob with Royalty. Anyway, I'm so glad you came to Luna at last, and at the same time that my idiotic manager conceded to my request for a vacation. I can't wait to introduce you to Etienne."

"And I'm eager to meet him as well. Received any word from Albert?"

Hearing her former fiancé's name, the pianist grimaced. "Not a single word. Albert can be so unreliable sometimes."

"Bertuccio admitted to me that Albert had already met Etienne," Haydee revealed, "but he did not say anything else."

"Let me rephrase what I just said. Men can be so unreliable!"

Haydee glanced at her watch. "Do you think Albert might still be at the Embassy? It is rather late."

"Well, Albert is notorious for working up to the wee hours of the morning. That's how he gets an enormous amount of work done quickly. I'm glad to see that all his efforts paid off well in the end."

"True. Albert deserves the success he is enjoying now. If the Count were here, I'm sure he would be very proud of him."

Eugenie gazed thoughtfully at the princess. "Haydee, please tell me. Did the Count truly care about Albert?"

"More than you know. Perhaps if revenge hadn't consumed his heart the way it had, I'm certain that Albert would've redeemed him. It saddened me that things ended the way it had."

"Haydee, don't you think that the Count could've been unduly influenced by Gankutsuou?"

The Princess of Janina paused at that unexpected query. "I used to think that way. But…"

"But what?" Eugenie prodded her.

"I've been playing back in my mind everything that had happened that day. When the Count was completely taken over by Gankutsuou, he could've killed Albert. At that time, Albert had been trying to reason with the Count. He even went so far as to block the Count's path. But Gankutsuou never lifted a finger to hurt him. It was Edmond Dantes who pointed the gun at Albert, never Gankutsuou."

Eugenie frowned at that revelation. Albert never told her what had happened on that fateful day. To hear this observation from the princess….

"Haydee…" the pianist began in uncertainty. "Are you saying that this…this demon…who had possessed Edmond Dantes…."

"…May not be a demon after all?" Haydee concluded her friend's query. "I don't know what he is. But if I were to judge his actions towards Albert, I do not believe that he is evil."

"I find that hard to believe. He was the Ruler of the Cavern. If he wasn't evil, why was he imprisoned in Chateau d'If for a thousand years?"

"I don't know. I am merely voicing out what I think. It was Gankutsuou who saved me once from Benedetto's cruelty. I wanted to believe that it was the Count, but those marks were on his forehead. It was undoubtedly Gankutsuou."

"Gankutsuou? An angel? Haydee, that is just too…"

"EUGENIE!"

The pianist nearly jumped out of her seat at that shout. That voice…she could not be mistaken. It belonged to Franz!

Haydee was surprised when Eugenie yanked the curtain back. "Is something wrong, Eugenie?"

The pianist was shocked at the sight of two men struggling near the iron fence of the Embassy. In the lamplight, she quickly recognized Andrea Cavalcanti.

"STOP THE CARRIAGE!" Eugenie shouted. As the carriage was brought to a sudden stop, the pianist grabbed the pistol she kept inside her purse and jumped down, ignoring the princess' calls. Drawing closer to the two men, she was horrified to see that the other man was Etienne Delacroix, who was trying to break free from Andrea's grasp.

Pointing her gun at the rogue, she yelled over the heavy downpour, "Unhand him, Andrea!"

Andrea whirled to face the pianist, but not relinquishing his hold on the singer. "Well, well! If it isn't my dear sister! It's been a long time, Eugenie."

"I had hoped I wouldn't see your face again!" Eugenie hissed in anger.

Etienne was just as stunned to be reunited with the pianist in this dire situation. "Eugenie!"

"Don't interfere, little sister!" Andrea warned. "I merely came here to claim what belongs to me."

There was a loud pop, and a bleeding cut appeared on the rogue's face. It was Eugenie who had fired. "I will not repeat myself again. LET HIM GO!"

Infuriated by the pianist's audacity to shoot him, Andrea charged at her before she could fire once more. Grabbing her wrist, he gave it a sharp twist, causing her to cry out in pain, and tore the pistol out of her hand.

"EUGENIE!" Etienne made to run to her side, but Andrea yanked him back into his arms.

"Where do you think you're going, my pretty songbird?" asked the blond, pointing the gun he had confiscated at the singer's temple.

Eugenie, who was favoring her aching wrist, shouted in fury, "For God's sake, Andrea! Release him!"

"I think not! I'm taking him far away where neither you nor Albert could find him."

"I'll go with you, Andrea," Etienne cried. "But please don't hurt Eugenie."

"Oh, I won't hurt her. I'm just going to put her out of her misery." To everyone's horror, the rogue aimed the gun right between Eugenie's eyes.

Suddenly, there was a soft whistling sound. Andrea gasped as a sharp blade was buried in his upper arm. His eyes flew wide, seeing the angry figure approaching them.

"YOU!" he hissed in growing rage.

"If you think me to be the weak little girl you knew before," Haydee told the rogue, "you're sadly mistaken."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" Andrea bellowed as he made to shoot the two women.

There was a sharp crack and something long and black coiled around his gun hand. All turned to see Albert walking towards them, his face grim and determined. Transferring the whip's handle to his left hand, he unsheathed the saber hanging at his hip with his right.

"You haven't changed one bit, Benedetto," Albert told the blond. "Still picking on the defenseless."

"So the snotty-nosed little boy is their protector now." The rogue wrapped his arm around Etienne's throat. "Do you want to know who this is you are protecting? He's a monster hiding behind the face of an angel. Did you know that he slaughtered my bouncer in cold blood?"

Etienne was stricken by that remark. Poor Bruno…dead….

"I could never hurt Bruno!" the singer cried, the tears streaming down his face. "It was your men who killed him!"

"Let him go, Benedetto!" Albert then dared the older rogue, "If you call yourself a man, face me instead!"

The opportunity to rid himself of his hated rival was something that Andrea found hard to resist. Shoving the singer aside, he pulled out his own sword.

"Don't mind if I do!" he sneered, as he lunged at Albert. Albert met his charge with a fierce battle cry.

Before their blades could even meet, however, bright lights were suddenly shone upon them. The glare was blinding that they had to shield their eyes.

Someone declared over a megaphone, "Drop your weapons! Benedetto, you're under arrest!"

"Really?" the rogue asked dryly. "On what charge, may I ask? I have done nothing wrong. I am merely here to apprehend the man who had murdered the bouncer at my club."

Lucien got down from a police car. "What about white slavery? We've arrested your men at Aeolus and saved twenty young nobles you had ordered kidnapped. Your man Tintoretto was all too eager to tell us about your operations…after a little persuasion from my agent."

A tall bearded man with a black patch over his right eye and a vertical scar crossing over his left went to the Chief Secretary's side.

"Luigi Vampa?" Albert could barely contain his surprise.

Even the policemen were at a loss on what to do about Luna's Most Wanted Criminal.

It was Beauchamp who came forward. "Have no fear, gentlemen. Monsieur Vampa has been working with the Interior Ministry right from the start and the Luna authorities are aware of this. The reason why he was listed as a criminal was so that he would be able to move around freely in the underground and find information about the white slavery syndicate."

Lucien gave Etienne a reassuring smile. "Oh, and we have another witness. Your bouncer…Bruno is his name, right? He's in the hospital right now. He told us an interesting story about how you planned to send La Decadenza's star to a brothel in Galileo."

Hearing that his friend was alive and well, Etienne's face brightened.

An uncharacteristic smile formed on Vampa's lips as he gazed at Albert. "We're even now, boy."

Albert nodded, giving his former abductor a smile as well. "Indeed, we are. I owe you my thanks, Monsieur Vampa." He turned his attention to the blond rogue. "It's over now, Benedetto! Surrender!"

Andrea was fuming at this sudden turn of events. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marie Laveau standing in the shadows.

With an evil smile, he pointed at Etienne. "Enjoy your freedom while you can, my sweet Nightingale! I swear I'll be back for you!"

Suddenly, four round balls were thrown into their midst. The balls cracked, spewing out thick green smoke that covered the entire area, causing everyone to cough. When the smoke cleared, Andrea Cavalcanti had disappeared.

"He's escaped!" the Chief of Police shouted. "Block all the roads! Monitor all exit points! Make sure that he does not leave Luna!"

As the police set off in hot pursuit of the escapee, Lucien went towards Albert and said, "We shall take our leave for now. We have to see that all these young men and women are returned to their families safely.

"Thanks for all your help, gentlemen," Albert sincerely told his friends.

Beauchamp handed him a letter. "Here. This is from Ambassador DeQuervain in Paris. I think you'll like what he has to tell you. We'll be seeing you, Albert."

Albert waited for Lucien, Beauchamp and Vampa to drive off before turning to Eugenie and Haydee. "You two have a lot of guts, facing Benedetto the way you did. I thought you were Amazons!"

"My greatest regret is that I wasn't able to blast a hole through his head," Eugenie remarked with a pout.

Haydee giggled good-naturedly. "But at least, we were able to draw blood."

"True! So true!"

Etienne watched the pleasant banter of the three friends with a touch of envy. For a moment, he felt out of place, and he contemplated leaving them…until Eugenie nodded in his direction. His breath caught in his throat, seeing Albert staring at him. Before he knew what was happening, Albert was standing right in front of him, the love light shining in his bright blue eyes.

"You're free now, Etienne," Albert told him gently. "You have nothing to fear."

"Albert…" The singer pressed his face to Albert's shoulder as tears of happiness well up in his eyes. "Thank you so much!"

Albert held Etienne, letting the young man release all the stress and pain of his ordeal. However, the Nightingale began to sag in his arms. He caught Etienne before he could drop to the ground in a swoon.

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