Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lupin III characters, although I have the feeling that I should be on payroll by now…
Hey, everybody!
You know how if you're making a scrapbook, you usually have leftover bits? Paper scraps, glitter, etc., etc.? Well, these are basically the scraps that have come from the Lupin series I've been writing over the past two years… It's good if you've got a good hold on the characters and their stories before you read these… What this basically is is what would be the second disc of a DVD set… It's the extras that have come from production… It's a series of short stories, ideas I've had floating about but have no idea where to put them. I'm not sure how often this will be updated, or what order it'll be in, or how long it'll be… But I'll be sure to give an explanation at the beginning of each story, so don't worry! Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy!
Story one: Overture for Les Miserables
Summary: The exact events leading up to Ari Lupin's conversion to Leo LeBlanc. It's referred to constantly in the third and forth series, and, well, here's the actual story for the first time, anywhere. This was never included because, well, it'd take up too much time, and it'd even slow down the pace of the story. Plus, the story started out two years after this happened, so the flashbacks would've been a pain to go back and forth to.
Paris:
"I can't believe that we're doing something so juvenile, Ari!" Fuji gave a long chuckle as she looked over the plans. "A bank robbery? That's so beneath both of us!"
Arsène Lupin the Forth looked above his glasses at his sister, and glared, "You have any better ideas, Fuji? This bank's full of jewels—Enough to make even the Queen of England drool…"
"Well, you give the word, and I'll be on it," Ally said with strong confidence to his best friend and only confidant.
"Thank you for your support, Ally," Ari nodded, and turned his attention back to the floor plan. "So Dori goes to opening the safe while Ryoko leads everyone out… Heiji, I want you to give Odori directions as to the exact location of the jewels, okay?"
"You got it, chief," Heiji muttered as he typed away frantically at his computer, as usual.
"What do I do, oh Great One?" Fuji asked teasingly as she poked her brother in the shoulder playfully.
"That's simple—We get the jewels," replied Ari as he rolled up the plans and tossed them to Heiji. At that moment Ryo walked out, dressed as a respectable bank customer, "Hm, Ryo, tardy as usual…."
"Hm, I'll make up for it after school, Teacher," Ryo replied as she wrapped an arm about Ari's waist and kissed him. "I don't think I missed much… I heard you from the bathroom…"
"Good, then it's set—We go in the morning," Ari announced, and then walked out of the Lupin living room with Ryo at his side. "Get a lot of rest, everyone!" he called out to his gang as he walked up the stairs with Ryo.
Later that Night:
Ryo turned in bed, having been woken up by some unknown sound. She winced as she saw a reading light was still on, and she looked up at Ari, who was reading a thick book, as he always did. He wore his reading glasses, which surprised Ryo; he usually tried to avoid wearing them. "Watcha readin' there, Hon?" Ryo asked as she sat up in bed and looked down at the strange foreign language spread on the page.
"Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo," replied Ari.
"Victor, eck… Makes me think of that jackass cousin of yours…" Ryo muttered, "What's it about?"
"A guy who makes a simple mistake, runs away, changes his name and everything, and is still chased to the ends of the earth by a past he can't escape…. It's kinda sad, if you think…"
"Don't do the crime if you ain't willin' to do the time," Ryo replied as she stretched in bed; she was still exhausted, but she wouldn't be able to sleep as long as that reading light was going.
"Well, he did go to jail, but… It's a long story…" replied Ari with a shake of the head. He set the book aside and turned off the reading light, "He even ends up adopting a little girl!"
"Hmm… You're hinting at something again, aren't you?" Ryo asked with a small smile. She gripped onto his hand and looked down at him sincerely, "I'm sorry that we're having such a time getting a baby…."
"It's okay," Ari sighed as he lied down in the bed. "Maybe we aren't ready… We're doing everything right!"
"Heh, my Daddy would kill me if I got pregnant before I was married…" Ryo said with a wry chuckle.
"We're getting married this weekend, I don't think the old man'll complain about days…" replied Ari with a yawn, "He's desperate to get Yukiko married off…"
"Yeah, but that's because she takes after him. She's a heavy drinker, and a smoker—But don't tell Daddy about the smoking part, he'd kill her!"
"You have my word," replied Ari with a yawn. "….I can't sleep…."
"That's funny; you usually sleep like a rock!"
"I know, but I just have this really, really bad feeling about tomorrow…." said Ari worriedly.
"Don't; it'll be okay," Ryo lied down next to him and kissed him on the cheek. "If anything does happen, we'll get through it together…"
"Ryoko, can I tell you something, and you promise you won't tell?" asked Ari in a whisper.
"Sure thing…" Ryo replied.
"I don't think like being a thief… I know it's weird, but I think it's… I don't know; I'm torn on it…"
"You don't know anything else, though, Baby. What would you do if you weren't a thief, huh? Become a butcher?"
"I don't know, I thought about teaching…"
"Heh, your parents would hit the roof; the only way you could shock your dad more is if you came out and said you were gay."
"Well I highly doubt that," Ari laughed, turned his head to Ryo, and kissed her. "How about I look after the kids, huh? I could stay at home, and you could go out and thieve… You love doing that sort of stuff!"
"….Are you sure you aren't adopted?"
"I just don't know sometimes… I feel weird in my family…" Ari admitted with a wry laugh.
"Just try to get some sleep, okay? It'll all work out fine… We're going to get those jewels, we're going to get married, and we're going to start a family, with lots of little Lupins running around everywhere, all right?"
"Yeah," Ari nodded, and tried to fall asleep, but found it to be next to impossible.
The Very Next Day, After the Heist:
The jewel heist had done as poorly as possible. No one said a single word to one another, especially Ari, who was still stunned over the ordeal, and still covered in blood. He reeked of copper.
A guard, he had killed a guard. It had been while he was saving Fuji, true, but he had still killed a man. Odori, Heiji and Fuji all sat in the back seat while Ryo drove home, a pale and shaking Ari next to her. Next to Ari sat Ally, who going through a wide range of emotions as he watched the person who had had secretly looked up to for so long babble like a small child and twitch nervously.
When they arrived home, Ally had to help Ari into the house; Fujiko had sent a vase she had been dusting crashing to the ground when she saw all of the blood staining Ari. She looked at the group questioningly, and Fuji led her mother into the kitchen for privacy. Ryo led Ari into the bathroom, and began to undo his blood-stained clothes. His red jacket now was a deeper crimson. The blood had soaked through, and it was all over his face, his chest… His hands. She turned on the shower, and helped him in. Ari asked Ryo quietly for some privacy, and she nodded, and left, only coming back once to leave a set of pajamas.
"How's he doing?" asked Lupin as Ryo walked down the stairway and into the living room.
"The lights are on, but no one's home," Ryo replied as she seated herself on the couch and looked into the burning fire. She then silently walked up to the bathroom again, and brought down Ari's bloody clothes, and tossed them into the fire while the Lupin the Fourth gang and Lupin and Fujiko watched.
"He just needs some rest… Even Jigen threw up the first time he had to kill someone," Lupin sighed as he looked up at the stairwell.
"Dad, I hope you're right," Fuji said to herself. She heard the shower shut off, and the bathroom door open, and she walked up the stairs to find her brother outside his door, his head against the door. He was staring straight ahead, and what really frightened her was that he had absolutely no expression on his face. Fuji tapped him on the shoulder, and Ari jumped nearly three feet into the air.
"Relax, Ari, it's just me," Fuji said in a reassuring whisper, a rare tone for her. "You just need a nap, okay?"
"Okay," Ari muttered, and shuffled in as Fuji turned on his light and led him into his bedroom. She fluffed his pillows for him, and eased him back into the bed.
"If you need anything, just call…" said Fuji. She put on his radio for him, and exited.
"Dad, he looks bad," said Fuji worriedly as she walked down the stairs and into the living room. She then led her father away from her mother, and said to him in a whisper. "He looks like he could off himself at any moment. I think we should have someone in there all the time, at least for the first few days…"
"Fuji, how the hell bad was it?" asked Lupin.
"That guard's wife and daughter were outside of the scene when we left," replied Fuji. "Ari saw the little girl, and you know how he is with kids…"
"Fuj, it might be that bad, but I don't think we need him on a suicide watch!" Lupin said with a shaky laugh.
"Then where's his gun at? I want to keep it on me," said Fuji. "That and you and I both know he keeps a collection of knives. I think we should lock those away for now…"
"That's going a little far, Fuji… He'll just think that we think he's crazy!"
"Dad, have you looked at him—He's had a total mental breakdown!" snapped Fuji in a scream. Lupin jerked his head back in surprise; his daughter, in twenty-one years, had never, ever yelled at him, especially not in a tone like this. "I know I sound out of character for saying this, but put your pride on the shelf for once! My big brother's up there with a look that makes him look like an extra for a zombie movie!"
"All right…" Lupin grumbled, "I keep first watch, though." He shook his head, and stomped up the stairs, walking into Ari's room. He was nearly floored when he saw Ari for himself; perhaps Fuji was right, after all. He seated himself next to Ari, and put a hand on his son's knee. "Eh, hey there, Champ… Um… I'm going to stay here in case you need anything…"
"You're here to make sure I don't kill myself, aren't you?" Ari said accusingly to his father.
"Um… Let's see if there's any sports on TV!" Lupin took the remote, and turned on the television to the worst possible program; the news. Ari was the main story of the evening. He quickly flipped off the TV and then tossed the remote aside. "How about cards?"
"Dad, I just really want to sleep right now," said Ari, closing his eyes.
"Okay… Yeah, you just rest now…" Lupin sat back in his chair, and closed his own eyes.
Three Days Later:
Ari was now out of bed now, and talking again, but Lupin still thought he was talking crazy talk. He was submitted to more of the maniac raving as Ari stood in front of him in the living room, talking frantically. Jigen and Goemon were there as well, having arrived for the wedding. Next to Jigen sat Ming; Amaya had gone the take care of the children, and Fujiko really didn't want to be there. Zenigata and Natasha could not attend; they were having troubles with their own son, Max. The week before, Max had been pulled out of his rabbinical school, and no one would give details as to why, but Lupin had the feeling it was bad.
"A break? This isn't a job—It's a lifestyle, Ari," Lupin said with a smile which clearly meant he didn't understand his son.
"Well, I want a break from this lifestyle!" Ari snapped, "There's got to be more to life than this!"
"Do you know how many people would friggin' kill for your life?" Lupin shouted, bolting up to his feet angrily.
"Do you know how many people I've friggin' killed for this life?" Ari shouted in retort. Ming looked upward and noticed the chandelier was beginning to shake.
"Kid, it's okay!" Jigen said, tilting up the brim of his fedora, "Happens to the best of us, you know…"
"Stay out of it, you old blind bat! You killed for money! You probably would've killed your own mom if the price were right!" Ari shouted to Jigen. Jigen began to rise, but Ming and Goemon each took an arm, Ming repeating, 'He didn't mean it!'.
"Do you have any idea what your dad's done for years over the years?" Jigen growled, "I was a bastard son of a whore, too, Kid, and let me tell you, I didn't have half the life you did! My sister's in a friggin' wheelchair, my brother was friggin' offed, and I've got to live with that bastard's friggin name every damn day of my life! How in the hell can you be such a damn ingrate?"
Ari shook his head, "Jigen, I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful, I just can't do this anymore, all right? What doesn't anybody understand about this?"
"Ari, it wasn't like you meant to do it," Lupin sighed, his shoulders slumping. "You're acting like you did it in cold blood, when I know you didn't! You're one of the most loving, caring, generous people I know—Nothing like me in other words," Lupin added with a wry laugh. "I'm sure that everyone'll be understanding…"
"Dad, they're calling me a murderer!" Ari snapped, pointing back at the television.
"Well, you can't always listen to those around you," Lupin shrugged.
"And that's exactly what I'm doing now," Ari said, and with that, ran up the stairs. He would make this right his way; he wasn't going to put up with anyone's BS any longer.
"Sometimes you just need to let them spread their wings, Lupin, like I did with Toshiro," said Goemon in his attempt to lighten the mood.
"And the last time you've talked to your son is when?" asked Lupin curtly, causing Goemon to jerk back in surprise. He sighed, and closed his eyes, "…Sorry, Goemon, I didn't mean to…"
"It's all right," Goemon nodded. "Sometimes, in order for one's own heart to grow, you need to break a few in the process."
Ryo found Ari in his room, writing a note at his desk, "Ari? What are you doing?" asked Ryo as she put a hand on his shoulder. Ari quickly took the letter, folded it, put it in his breast pocket and looked upward at Ryo.
"Nothing," Ari shook his head.
"Listen, I… My dress came today… Do you want to see it?" asked Ryo quietly.
"I'd really like that," Ari nodded, and watched she exited and then returned about five minutes later, wearing an ornate white dress and veil.
"My mother is begging to do my makeup, but I don't know," Ryo gave a little laugh at the thought of this. "What do you think?"
"No bracelets; it's weird seeing you without them," said Ari.
"And now about the dress?"
"It's gorgeous," Ari muttered. "You make it look all the better…"
Ryo walked over to him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this? We can put it off for another time, until you're better…"
Ari rose to meet her, and kissed her, "Ryo, I'm not sure about anything, anymore…"
These words scared Ryo, but she didn't say anything to them. Ari's expression, an at peace expression, also frightened her.
The next day:
"I'm sorry, I know I should've been paying closer attention," Ally said with a shake of the head. "Then he probably wouldn't have run away like that…"
"Al, you did your best," Lupin responded, patting the guilty-looking Ally on the shoulder.
"How could he just leave everyone?" Ally asked in a mutter. "God… I thought that guy was like friggin' untouchable, now I see how he really is…"
"He didn't say anything in his note," Fujiko reread it once again. "Just that he's… He's… Lupin, he could be anywhere!" she wept, and Lupin immediately went to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Fujicakes, even Pops is helping us," whispered Lupin.
San Francisco:
"Max, go get me that paper off of the fax," Zenigata said as he looked through the pile of paperwork Lupin had already faxed him. Max shot his father a glare, and handed Zenigata the paper begrudgingly. He failed to take a good look at the paper, which, if he had bothered to glance at, would have shown a picture of Ari Lupin, who he would grow to know very well in years to come.
"If you hate him as much as you do, why do you always help him?" asked Max.
"It's a long story, and you wouldn't understand all of it… Now go finish studying; you start accounting school on Monday."
Max gave a roll of the eyes, grumbled something to himself, and exited the room; it hadn't been a good month for Zenigata, but who did he have to bitch to beside his sister, who was always busy with kids nowadays?
Zenigata spent about two weeks looking through paperwork, and also looking up and down for the Lupin son, but to no avail. Ari had disappeared.
Ari, meanwhile, was in the inner city of Paris. He had taken out a new account, and had changed his name. He was now Leo LeBlanc. He had chosen the name for a combination of reasons. The man he had murdered was named Leo, he had found out through the news. And LeBlanc, well, he was a famous biographer, who had written about the stories of his great-grandfather long ago. The name was somewhat like a car salesman's, but it was his now.
He also now had an apartment of his own. He had done some voiceovers for a small Japanese company, and had gotten paid next to nothing for it, but it had been enough for him to eat and live in a hotel until he got his finances in order.
He had not only taken a new lifestyle, but a new appearance. He usually kept his hair short, but had begun to grow it out. He had changed out the red jacket that he had worn and now opted for a purple one. He also wore the reading glasses Ryo used to tease him about not wearing.
He removed his glasses briefly and polished them, looking up at the old worn building. So this was his future… He'd walked away from a loving fiancée, a wealthy family, world travel… For this… A two-bedroom apartment on the top story of a building that looked like a single strong wind could blow it down. He sighed, and decided to look for work on Monday.
Monday came a lot sooner than Leo had thought it would. He ventured all through the town, and found several potential jobs: working in a fish factory, janitorial work, and voluntary lab testing. He knew he would have a hard time finding a job until his fake papers came in.
"This is the last dishonest thing I'll ever do, I swear," Leo said as a mysterious unmarked packet appeared on his doorstep, stuffed with falsified papers. "I swear this is the last thing, really," he muttered as he seated himself on one of his lone pieces of furniture; a plastic crate he had carried his belongings in.
"Now what could I do?" he wondered to himself. He glanced up as his German dictionary and nearly fell back off of the crate, "Of course! Ari, you moron! You can translate! But who for? I dunno… I'll work out the bugs later… I really need a cat now, so I won't be talking to just myself…."
He rose, and went to cleaning up his apartment, and jumped as he saw a rat run past him, "Jesus! I really do need a cat!"
About a week later, Interpol:
"Where in the hell are we going to find someone who speaks Romanian this late in the game?" shrieked the chief to two detectives. "What kind of losers can't talk to their suspect?"
"Well, we…" one detective muttered to himself.
"Don't we have any translators!" shouted the chief.
"Our last translator hung himself last week…." said the other detective meekly, "We've gotten a few submissions, but I don't know if there's anyone who would be able to come this short notice…"
"Well, get me someone! And give him the job if he can make it!" shouted the chief, storming down the hall, away from the two.
"Hm… How about this one? He actually knows Romanian…" said one detective.
"What's his name?"
"Leo LeBlanc…"
"He looks familiar…" said the detective, "Oh, I know, he looks like that guy from that movie! Jason, Jason… The one where it was like a teen movie, but not…"
"Not Another Teen Movie?"
"Yeah, that!"
"…Moron… Who the hell still wears sideburns, anyway? I don't know… Let's give him a shot…"
About half an hour later, Leo LeBlanc was in the Interpol officers, translating out of Romanian into English while fighting a nasty hangover. He had been having horrible nightmares about the officer he had shot, and he had tried getting drunk to forget about his problem, but instead the room had begun to move, and in the end he ended up hugging onto his toilet for most of the night to keep the room from spinning.
He took notes while he spoke to the convict, and passed them to the detective. He rose, and hobbled out of the room, then. He desperately needed to throw up once again.
"Monsieur LeBlanc!" the chief approached Leo, and shook the sickened man's hand. "Congratulations on your new position with Interpol!"
"Interpol?" Leo muttered. "I'm…"
"Now an employee! Your resume is excellent! Welcome to the team! Would you like me to show you your office?"
"I'd rather you show me the bathroom, Sir… I think I'm going to be sick…" Leo said in a slight moan, and ran to the direction of the bathroom.
A Year Later:
Leo looked up at his calendar; another few weeks until his mother's birthday. He would have to send her flowers. He wondered if she had totally forgiven him, or what she even thought of him anymore. He had a good idea of what his father thought about him; he thought that this was just a stage that he was going through. Leo knew that this was too far advanced to be a stage, though. He couldn't go back to his old way of life now that he had lived like this for a year.
He had eventually gotten the cat, but it had ended up dying on him. So now he lived by himself. He'd go home to his darkened apartment night after night, and day after day he'd report to the same little office in the corner of the Interpol workplace. It was nice, though; private, with windows looking out at the other offices. No natural light, though. That made it a real bitch for growing any sort of potted plant, but somehow the tiny fichus in one corner managed.
After punching out his timecard, he decided to veer from the usual, and head out to a small café. He took a little seat inside, in a corner, and began to read a British newspaper. Fuji was in the news again; she had gone solo, as had everyone else in her group after its breakup. She wasn't doing too bad, but she wasn't pulling off the huge heists that came with being a Lupin.
"You're an American?" Leo looked over his newspaper at the white woman about his age who was staring back at him. She was a little shorter than him, and was a redhead, dressed in casual, if not slightly Bohemian, garb.
"No, but I know English," replied Leo as he folded the paper up and tossed it to a side of his small table. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm new here; can't really make a friend," she replied as she seated herself across from him. "My name's Arlene, what's yours?"
"A—Leonard. I like Leo, though," replied Leo as he sipped his coffee and then pushed up his glasses. "So, what brings you here, Arlene?"
"Trying to get a gig here singing," she replied, glancing down at a guitar at her feet. "Having a rough time with that, too, though. I don't get it; it worked for Hendrix. You like music?"
"Eh, depends," Leo shrugged. "You're staying around here, I take it?"
"Yeah, in whatever stoop I can," Arlene rolled her eyes, and laughed a little. "Someone stole my money… I'm friggin' broke…"
"Really? Hey, I've got an apartment, and—"
Arlene grew angry, and rose, "Forget it, Buddy. I may be broke, but I'm not desperate!"
"Wait, no, no! I don't mean like that!" Leo yelped, and waved his hand in defense. "I've got an extra room—You can crash there until you're back on your feet! Scout's honor!"
Arlene paused, and looked at him sideways before nodding, "Okay… Let's get going, then."
On the walk home, Leo found that having company had been a rare treat, one he had missed more than he had realized. He led Arlene up to his apartment, and she laughed a little at the museum-quality neatness of the home.
"You don't throw a lot of parties, do you?" she asked with a laugh as she ran her fingers over a row of books in Leo's collection.
"Not really. I keep to myself," Leo admitted with a little laugh.
"You don't have any pictures of your family or anything…" she noted.
"We're kinda strained right now," Leo said, placing his hands in his pockets and clearing his throat. "Come on, I'll show you the guest room."
Arlene picked up her backpack and guitar case, and allowed Leo to lead her to the room, which was sparsely populated with furniture, save for a mattress, a chair and a desk.
"I'm planning to do a little more decorating when the time comes," Leo said. "Bathroom's down the hall, if you need."
"Thanks, Leo," said Arlene warmly as she closed the door and left him in the darkened hall.
"I'm crazy," Leo said with a shake of the head as he walked down to his room. "She could be a murderer, an FBI agent, anything! And I let her in without a second thought… I'm friggin' crazy… That, and lonely…"
The Next Morning:
"Good morning, Stranger!" said Arlene with a laugh as she watched Leo stumble out of the bathroom, still tired. He was dressed in a light kimono and his usual glasses, and held a French newspaper in one hand. She herself was busy in the kitchen, making breakfast. "You realize that you keep hardly any food in your fridge, right? I had to go shopping…"
"I don't like to cook," replied Leo with a yawn.
"Hm, I noticed. Well, that's going to change…" Arlene nudged him, and then set a plate of food underneath his nose. "Now eat up! What time do you have to be in for work?"
"I don't work today. But I'm going to translate some documents for this publishing company…" Leo replied.
"Oh, hey, come watch me, then!" said Arlene happily, "I'm playing at a local café!"
"I… Sure…" Leo nodded.
Later, Leo LeBlanc, a man who found himself afraid of public places, was sitting in a crowded café, watching Arlene play older jazz selections. He also hated jazz music, but he would not say this to her. She seemed too much into her music.
After the show, Arlene and Leo walked down the Parisian streets, Arlene still talking happily about the show. She didn't know a word of French, but when she spoke English, she couldn't shut up, it seemed. Leo didn't mind, though. It had been forever since he had talked to someone, and knowing as many languages as he did, it was especially hard for him to go without speaking for long.
"Hey, let's head back to your apartment, what do you say?" Arlene asked as the sun began to set.
"Sounds like a good idea," he nodded in agreement, and they headed back to his apartment. He was more than a little surprised when Arlene kissed him as they reached his door.
"What was that all about!" asked Leo in a shocked choke.
"Well, this is the city of love, and I didn't come here to stay single!" Arlene replied with a laugh.
"I…. God Americans are confusing!" Leo grumbled. "I don't understand you people!"
"What's not to get?" she asked, "I know I've known you for, like, forty-eight hours, but I like you, Leo! I really do!"
"That's… That's nice, Arlene… I don't think you want to fall in love with me, though…"
"Why not?" her smile then fell as she read his expression, "Oh… Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't realize you were gay…"
"Gay?" Leo choked, "I—I'm straight, it's just… I'm neurotic…"
"I call it lovably paranoid."
"I'm a neat freak."
"You're making up excuses," she laughed, and kissed him again. "No more excuses, Mister LeBlanc—You're going to fall in love with me, too, and that's that!"
"You… You don't understand everything…." Leo sputtered.
"Then tell me!"
"I… I can't! It's just not that simple!"
"It's because you make it too, too complicated," she replied, and took his keys out of his pocket. "Let's get inside, now. This hall's too damn cold."
"Yeah," Leo nodded, and stepped into his apartment, Arlene soon following. She dropped her guitar case, placed her arms around his neck, and kissed him, which once more caught him off guard.
"Hmm… You really aren't the type to let people into your personal space, are you? You're extremely flinchy…"
"I am not," Leo grumbled. "Listen, Arlene, you're nice and all, but I'm still getting over someone… Someone I almost married… You'll meet someone very nice, though, I'm sure…"
"I already have…"
"What the hell do you want out of me, anyway?" Leo demanded.
"You out of that atrocious purple sport jacket in two seconds," Arlene replied. "Purple makes you look little Barney." Leo flushed, and turned away from her. She laughed a little, and nudged him. "It's okay… Listen, I've let enough of the good guys get away from me, and I'm making an exception here."
"I…"
"You talk too much, Leo. Just quit thinking for ten seconds; you'll like it, trust me…"
The Next Morning:
"Hey, wake up!" Arlene took a pillow and slapped it across Leo's head. LeBlanc grumbled, and reached up, and took the pillow, tossing it against a wall in his room. "Come on, you'll be late for work…"
"Work? Oh, God, you're right… What time is it?" Leo asked in a moan, putting on his reading glasses and looking at the clock. "I have to translate for a German ambassador…. I'm gonna be friggin' dead!"
"Hey, just tell them you were busy," Arlene said as she sat up in the bed and stretched.
"Heh, yeah, like they'll buy that…" Leo chuckled as he began to ready for the day.
"You have a good day, and I ought to be here when you come home," she told him as she rolled over and quickly fell back to sleep.
Leo smiled, and finished dressing, and then began his usual walk to work. He had finally let someone back into his life, and, as clichéd as it sounded, the world seemed to be a brighter place to him as a result.
"Maybe I should tell her…" Leo said aloud to himself as he reached his office, "If she really does love me, then she'll understand…"
Work passed by much too slowly for him that day. The German diplomat arrived drunk, which made translating the slur more than difficult. Leo would have to say this word for word, even when the German diplomat started calling the French Interpol officials commie bastards. Leo never wanted to be back in his office more than at that moment.
When that very long afternoon ended, Leo headed home, where Arlene had taken the liberty of cleaning his home.
"What's with this red jacket?" Arlene asked later that afternoon as Leo lied on his bed reading through an old French text.
"Oh, I used to wear it," Leo muttered, glancing up at the jacket with some worry.
"That's cool…. What were you, like a bellhop or something?"
"You know it's rude to go through other people's stuff, right? Especially when you don't know them that well…" said Leo, looking up at her once again and pushing up his glasses.
"Well, then tell me about yourself…" Arlene smiled, and sat down on the edge of the bed. She closed Leo's book in front of him, and looked down at him, "How old are you?"
Leo shrugged, "Twenty-one, I think… I don't know, I don't pay attention to my age much…"
"Any siblings?"
"Yeah, one, that I know of. I don't know if there are any others… It's possible; my dad was a real playboy in his day…"
"Complete opposite of you, eh?"
"Oi, yeah…"
"So… How come you know so many languages?"
"I traveled a lot with my family when I was growing up…"
"Really? That's so cool! I would've loved to have traveled! What'd your parents do that allowed them to travel around that much, anyway?"
"They…" Leo sat up in bed, and folded his arms, "Were kind of…Philanthropists…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Arlene, tilting her head to a side.
"Do you believe people can change?" Leo asked, taking in a deep breath.
"Sure!" Arlene smiled widely and laughed, "You should've seen me a year ago—I was working a dead end job as a secretary!"
"Well, I ran away from my past…" Leo gulped dryly. "I wasn't abused or anything. My parents loved me; they still do… My sister, she's a goof, but I love her, all the same… I just wish she'd come around! Why she has to be such a little idiot, I don't know…"
"What's your sister's name?"
"Fujiko, but everyone calls her Fuji," replied Leo. "She's named after my mom… I'm named after my dad…."
"So you're Leo junior? That's cute!" Arlene chuckled.
"It's not Leo. I… I changed my name when I left… My name's Arsène, but everyone called me Ari…"
"Ari… That's cute too…" she chuckled. Her smile then fell as something clicked in her. The red jacket…. Fujiko… Her stomach began to churn uncomfortably as she slowly pieced everything together…
"My father was Arsène the third… I'm the fourth… I'm Lupin the Fourth," Leo bit his lower lip, and looked down at this paper.
"Wha… Oh, you're funny!" Arlene laughed, and pushed him back a little, "You expect me to believe that a little sweetheart like you was some murderous thief?"
"I'm not murderous…" Leo said under his breath. "I can prove I'm Lupin the Fourth…" he said quietly, and rose, slipping off the purple sports jacket and putting on the red one. He removed his glasses, and slicked back his hair, which he had grown out. He watched as Arlene paled in horror and then ran for the door.
"Arlene, wait!" Leo sputtered, running to the door.
"Don't friggin' touch me!" Arlene yelled, slapping him away and opening the door. She then ran into her room, and began to pack hurriedly. "I should've listened to my parents and stayed in the States! It was sure as hell a lot safer!"
"Arlene… I… I'm so sorry… I'm not going to hurt you!"
"You lied about everything else."
"What did you want me to tell you? I didn't even freakin' know you! I can't exactly go around with a big neon sign that says I'm Lupin the Fourth!"
Arlene turned around to face him, "I won't tell anyone about you, Leo… But I don't want you to ever come near me again."
"Arlene, I—" but it was too late; she was gone. Leo later found that she had stolen a watch that has great-grandfather had owned, several rare books, and three hundred dollars he had stored away in one of his drawers. She was nothing more than a little thief… A little hypocrite…
From that point on, Leo became nervous around women, and avoided them at all costs, even if they were interested in him. He became even more introverted, and stuck to his office unless in was absolutely necessary. He was known as the Phantom of the End Office. He stuck to his work while he watched his sister travel the globe and steal, as she had for most of her life, and he began to have more violent flashbacks of the incident with the man. He had thought of seeing a psychologist, but this was impossible… He couldn't trust anyone with his secret.
A year later, he was introduced to a blond inspector, who looked to be a little bit off, although Leo couldn't quite put his finger on why. He looked somewhat angered at being in Interpol.
When he told him his name was Max Zenigata, it all made sense. No wonder he had felt immediately uneased at Zenigata's presence.
Leo knew that now with Max as his partner, he'd have to kiss his sane life good-bye once again.