nightmare; or, the journey of love and hate (I)

[miyuskye]

Avevo detto che l'avrei fatto. Ebbene. L'HO FATTO BITCHES

Però, per la mia sanità mentale (e quella di tutti, anche dell'illustratore di fgo mannaggia a lui ha deciso di fare di Edmond un french Komaeda), ho deciso di usare i personaggi del drama CD di Edmond (niente crossover con l'opera originale che già povero Dumas si è rigirato fin troppe volte nella tomba let him rest) che, idk bene se contano come universo totalmente a parte o come timeline differente/viaggio nel tempo. Still, ho fatto scambiare Haydèe e Ritsuka che, MA TU GUARDA I CASI DELLA VITA OU, sono identiche tipo e ho raccontato che possibili interazioni avrebbero potuto avere con i loro due Edmond. In questa storia Ritsuka interagisce con l'Edmond del drama CD, una volta che ha trovato l'amore di Haydèe ed è riuscito a dimenticare la sua sete di vendetta e a lasciare andare il suo nome da Conte di Monte Cristo. Nell'altra storia, invece, è Haydèe che va a trovare Edmond in versione Avenger.

Quindi, M7 settima settimana
Prompt: Scambio di universi/personaggi
Fandom: Fate/Grand Order
Pairing(s): Edmond Dantès (Avenger)/Ritsuka ; Edmond Dantès/Haydèe

Ritsuka had never traveled alone from a Rayshift. She never wanted, to be perfectly honest. Apart from the unpleasant sensation the space-time travel inevitably brought to her body, she never knew where she would end up and what enemies she had to confront at the other end of the shift. That time, it was a slightly different situation and the young mage was a bit relieved by that.         

 It had been a peaceful morning when Da Vinci suddenly popped up behind her and almost gave her a scare. Ritsuka didn’t want any of her Servants to think that she was playing favorites, so she tried to treat all of the Heroic Spirits she summoned equally, as to never make anyone feel left out. True, sometimes it was very difficult as certain ones – especially the ones who were spoiled kings from an ancient civilization – didn’t even have in their vocabulary the concept about fair and just treatment. Everything had to be about them and, more often than not, they were highly demanding in the attention department. In addition to that, she was human. And, as such, she couldn’t help but have preferences. She didn’t know why it started – she remembered clearly how, though – nor didn’t she know if something like that could even last. It just happened, very much like all the things that happened to her during the last months. Their story was quite interesting: she met him in a dream – which he insisted on calling it a nightmare; but, to her, being able to stand by his side and fight with him had no terror in it – and she summoned him from the depths of Hell. The man liked to call himself pompous nicknames, like King of the Cavern or, the Count of Monte Cristo, while, on the other hand, being unable to distance himself from the little girl who had accompanied him and followed him during his journey in the Prison Tower. Ritsuka knew there was something inherently wrong in the foundation of their relationship but as soon as her lips were on her favorite Avenger’s ones, she didn’t care. He always tried to put distance between the two of them, but at the same time, he reveled in holding her in his embrace. He was always telling them not to get involved with him, that his flames of revenge would have burned and hurt her. She just didn’t care. She loved every part of him.        

 Regardless of the strong feeling, she was aware to have for her Edmond, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the others – even if she was sure that some of them had been perfectly able to pick up the ever so subtle signals. Da Vinci, for example, responded perfectly to the profile of someone capable of reading other people’s hidden reactions. Ritsuka knew that the self-proclaimed genius could perfectly tell what was going on between her and the Count.            

 That was why the end of that ‘mysterious journey’, as he casually told her, didn’t surprise her.

After Rayshifting, she was in a large room. It was surely from a sumptuous mansion, as the ancient but refined furniture suggested her. As she began wandering in that huge house, she found a room, with dim light coming from within. Suddenly, a voice – a way too familiar voice – reached her ears.

 “Haydèe, my love? Is that you?” Ritsuka had thought that she was able to withstand different emotions, by now. Anxiety, sadness… her quests and trials underwent through the different Singolarities put her through a wide range of emotion and, by far, she was able to withstand every ordeal, thanks to the help of her friend. However, as people often said, love makes you weak. Hearing the voice of her beloved Edmond, calling the name of his previous lover with such sweetness in his voice was a tough hit to her heart. Ever since their first kiss, she had always known. No, it was way before the first romantic time they spent together. Ritsuka had to admit that she had been immediately drawn to the man; ever since she let herself be captured twice in his Chateau d’If prison. But, since their first encounter, she also was painfully aware of the love the man held for his past. He had two women he loved dearly. The first was never his, to begin with, as she was ripped from his arms even before he could marry her; the second was the lady who saved him from the flame and madness of his revenge. She took him through a path beyond love and hate, she was the light of his life. Ritsuka knew Da Vinci and Romani explained his story to her and even Edmond had never made a secret of his feelings for his Haydèe. But she knew better than anyone that what she needed to do was to have hope. Hope in their love, too. 

 One day, the day she finally let him know her feelings for him, he looked her in the eyes so intensely she thought she was going to burn. He had already accepted the fact that she wanted to get involved with him and he called her Haydèe… but immediately corrected himself. Edmond was sure that the woman standing beside him was not his past lover, but Ritsuka Fujimaru, his Master.

However, the man who was now looking bewildered at her didn’t seem to think the same. He was the Count of the past, the one actually belonging to the legend they passed down among generations. From the way his eyes shone to the dim light of the candles in the room and from the love he put in calling his mistress’ name, she could tell that he wasn’t the Edmond she knew. He wasn’t the King of the Cavern anymore. Thanks to Haydèe’s love, he had once again returned Edmond Dantès. After scanning her for a while, the man approached the little girl. He knew she was a mage, but he didn’t sense hostility from her; she was very different from the mages he had met so far. They were just thieves who wanted his treasure for himself and that put his mentor to jail because of their greed. The girl in front of him was emanating an aura far from malicious: she was looking at him as if they knew. Her face resembled a striking similarity to the one of Haydèe, the maiden he loved dearly; regardless, the man knew better that she was not. The word she whispered to him as soon as she saw him, was able to tell him everything.       

 “Count…”

 A name he didn’t want for himself anymore. A name he discarded once he had accepted Haydèe’s love. Why, pray tell, that girl was calling him that?  

 Could it be that, somewhere in a distant future, a fragment of him was still hung up on revenge so much? He knew that his tale was one the people loved and his name would be handed down to the human race. But maybe… just maybe…    

 “You look like her, you resemble the love of my life…” At those words, the little girl’s expression changed into one of distress and sorrow. “However, I can sense that you’re not mine to have. There is a part of me, a remnant of the feelings of revenge that burned in my heart so long ago… a part of me that I wished to forget forever upon discarding it and yet, it was the one people liked the most. Isn’t that right?”

 Ritsuka wanted to cry. Edmond was always so sharp, in every situation the two of them found themselves into. She nodded lightly.          

 “I am so relieved to know that the part of me that lies in a realm beyond love and hate, the Edmond Dantès who could never gain his revenge or love because that’s the way people wanted to remember him… I’m glad he found you. His anger and his thirst for revenge can never be extinguished but… at least, you can ease his pains and sorrows. I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

 As his hand lightly touched her cheeks, Ritsuka knew it. She was so stupid when she allowed her naïve and childish self to doubt about the Count’s feeling.

She agreed to partake with her dream - or, her nightmare, those words held the same meaning in her eyes - his arduous path beyond love and hate; right now, she knew that she would follow him forever.