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Gino Gambino--Peacekeeper of Gaia



Part One: The Time of Grief


Chapter One: Awaken to Tears
Ohhhhhhh...where... Where am I? Am I alive?

Ah...I now remember...I am Gino Gambino. I really am the son of that man...my father, Johnny K. Gambino. He used to be full of himself, but when he had lost the house and all the money... If I had not stopped him, he would've truly killed himself.

Father...these last few months, I've seen a new side of you. I no longer saw the rich egotist you once were. I saw a kind man who wanted nothing more than his son to remember him--and to love him.

I love you, Father. I can honestly say now that I love you... You still have your faults, but that's okay...you're only human. We're only human, after all...

Father... Father...

Lavender eyes fluttered open to see white ceiling tiles. Some sort of machine was beeping steadily, and there were people outside of the room, murmuring on the other side of the door. The young blonde man looked around the room, and quickly realized that he was in a hospital room complete with standard vital-signs-monitering equipment, simple white layout...and just about flooded from wall to wall with flowers, gifts, and semi-rare items. His reaction to the latter? sweatdrop redface

He then remembered something even more important than those who cared for his well-being: When he got his memory back, his father was standing on top of what people have aptly named "The Tower of Gambino", raving like the madman he had apparently become. His father, however, had snapped out of his madness when he realized that his son finally regained his memory.

Their happy reunion and rejoicing, however, was short lived.

The teenager's heart sank all the way down to the floor when he remembered the shot--that ringing shot that forever took away the only family he ever had. As he recalled his sire falling off the tower, reality came crashing around his ear:

Gino Gambino was now an orphan...a complete and utter orphan with no one to turn to for help or guidance.

Tears streamed down his face as his heart slowly yet surely crashed into a thousand pieces. Gino's face sank into his knees.

And everyone outside of his room heard his wails of sorrow and utter loneliness.

((Author's Note: I know that it's hard to figure out what his eye color is, but it seems that the most common one in colored fanart is some shade of purple--which lavender is--so I went with that. Please, comments and critiques, everyone.))

I have a reader!! biggrin

Thank you; it's good to be writing again, to be honest. I kinda missed the joy of writing good stories for my fellow forumers, be they Gaians or otherwise.

Thank you! ^_^ And I'll try to make the next few chapters longer without cluttering it up with unneccesary stuff.

Well, if you want more, I'll happily give you more! biggrin
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Chapter Two: Keeping a Promise

Edmund had remained barely polite to the last customer he shooed out of his store. Once that customer was gone, he closed up for the day, dug through the documents in his safe until he found the one he wanted, relocked the safe, and ran to the hospital like a bat out of hell. All along the way, he heard people talking about the one subject that had caused him to close up shop so early:

Gino Gambino had be found. He was alive--injured, but alive nonetheless.

Edmund took the outside stairs of the hospital three at a time, then bolted through the main doors.

"Whoah! Slow down, Eddy!"

Edmund stopped, a vein starting to show above his left temple. He whirled to meet the speaker: A young woman in a punk-rock outfit. "Moira, I don't have time to speak with you. I must see Gino immediately."

"I'd figured as much that you would show up," Moira quipped. "All the rest of us are here, too." She gestured to the crowd hanging around the large lobby. Mingling among all the worried and weeping Gaians were Leon, Vanessa, Sasha, Ruby with her son--even the two newcomers from Aekea, Liam and Josie.

The high-style man frowned, though, as he tried to find one more person. "Where's Ian?"

"He's talking to the kid right now. He brought his cat with him, saying that it might help calm the kid's nerves, or something like that."

Edmund nodded; that definitely sounded like the owner of Barton Boutique alright. "Well, if you excuse me, I need to speak with Gino's doctor." He then pushed his way through the crown to get to the front desk. "Excuse me, nurse, but could you tell me who is looking after young Mr. Gambino right now?" he asked, giving her a dashing smile.

The old charm worked once again; the nurse blushed rose pink, then shyly returned his smile. "Dr. Karnegan is in charge of Gino Gambino's care," she replied warmly. "He's on the second floor. Would you like me to phone him up?"

"No, that's quite all right. Would he be in the waiting room, trying to console his fan base?"

"Most likely."

Edmund flouridly bowed to the young nurse. "Thank you, my dear," He stated, tossing her a rose corsage and heading towards the elevator.

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"I'm sorry, Mr. Edmund, but someone else is seeing Mr. Gambino at the moment," Dr. Karnegan stated. He was a man in his late 40s with thinning blonde hair, brown eyes, and a chubby look to him. "And there are about 20 or so who would come before you."

"I believe I have a document that might help explain things." Edmund pulled out the piece of paper that he grabbed back home and presented it to the doctor.

"Wh-Wha--is this authentic?"

"It certainly is. Meredith herself signed it as witness, and I assure you that her word is as good as gold."

"Well...well, well!" The doctor muttered in awe. "This certainly explains a lot. Very well; as soon as Mr. Ian is done with his visit, I will let you see young Gino--but only for 10 minutes at the most, mind you."

"Thank you, Dr. Karnegan." Edmund then added, "How is he? What condition is he in?"

"He's surprisingly lucky. All he has is a cracked rib, lots of cuts from the broken glass, and plenty of bruises. He's fortunate to not have any broken limbs, or a serious head concussion. His clothes, I'm afraid, are in worse condition than he is."

Edmund nodded, mentally going through his inventory. "I think I can help him out with his wardrobe--"

It was just then that Ian stepped into the hallway. "Hey, Doctor--do you mind if Rufus stays with Gino?"

"Not at all...unless the boy's allergic to cat hair."

"He doesn't seem to be...ah, Edmund!"

"Ian," Edmund nodded in greeting. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too. I guess you heard?"

Edmund nodded sadly. "Yes...I have. Is he up for any more visitors?"

"As long as it's people he knows, yeah," Ian replied. "Just make sure you don't step on Rufus, okay?"

Edmund chuckled. "I'll watch where I step. You might as well go home, Ian. I'll keep an eye on young Gino."

Ian smiled, looking relieved. "Thanks, Edmund..." He then walked towards the elevator.

"Remember, Mr. Edmund--10 minutes," the doctor reminded him as he led him to Gino's hospital room.

Edmund nodded before entering the room. "Gino, it's me," he stated as he closed the door behind him.

The room was covered from floor to ceiling with 'get-well' gifts, ranging from fresh roses to Fairy Wings. And in the hospital bed sat a young man with blonde hair, lavender eyes, and bandages around his head and hands. He was absently petting a blue-grey cat as he stared out the window, his eyes distant...yet mournful.

Edmund cleared his throat as he approached the only chair that wasn't covered in items. "Good afternoon, Gino."

Gino turned to him, blinking in surprise. "Mr. Edmund?"

"You remember," Edmund stated quietly, though he was inwardly crowing with joy.

"Yes...I do..." Gino then shook his head. "I'm sorry; it's just--"

"I know; I understand how hard it is to deal with the death of a loved one."

Gino smiled sadly. "Thank you. It means a lot, coming from you."

The cat then woke up. "Hmmm...? Oh, it's just you, Edmund..."

"Hello to you, too, Rufus."

Rufus simply flicked his tail at the owner of H. R. Wesley, then curled back up and drifted off, purring contently.

"It's weird," Gino admitted as he began petting the feline again. "I've never had a cat near me before, yet it's really nice to just pet him and let him sleep with me." Tears sprouted in his eyes. "I tried to beg Father to let me have a pet, but he keep insisting that he wouldn't want to risk the idea that I might be allergic to it."

"Johnny was like that sometimes," Edmund agreed.

"He was more than your customer, wasn't he?" Gino asked, looking up at the tall man.

"He was my friend. We knew each other since we were students at the same boarding school. He helped me set up shop here in Durem, and I gave him a premium discount on his purchases. When you were born, however, Johnny did something I thought he would never do." He gave Gino the same document he showed the doctor earlier.

Gino looked confused as he took and read the piece of paper. His eyes then grew nearly twice their size. "...Is this for real?" He half-whispered.

"It certainly is. Meredith was witness, and her word's as good as gold."

"Then...that makes you--"

"Your Godfather, and now your guardian," Edmund finished for him, smiling. "After your mother died, I promised your father that if anything should happen to him, I would take care of you until you got your feet back on the ground. And I intend to keep that promise, Gino."

Gino's smile was like an ocean sunrise on a clear day. "I'm so glad...I'm so glad that I'm not alone anymore. I was so worried that I would be a complete orphan that..." His voice failed him.

"You'll never be alone, Gino," Edmund told him, placing a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder. "If you look hard enough, you'll find friends in unexpected places. Trust me, I'll help you restart your life right."

"Thank you, Mr. Edmund...thank you so much."

Rufus purred even louder.

Thank you, and I hope so, too.

Actually, I would like to have any and all members of Gino's Harem to make a cameo in the next chapter. If any Harem members--be it boy or girl--wish to join, please PM me your profile. Thank you. smile