Goemon sat up, his head
pounding. He held it, letting out a moan.
"Goemon," Jigen
said softly, "Where were you lastnight?"
He glared up at Jigen
in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You weren't here. I
figured you went outside for a while or maybe went to go find Lupin."
"I don't know what
you're talking about," he refuted shakily, "I don't remember
going anywhere."
"Nevermind," Jigen
sighed, choosing to give up. "Anyway, we're going to check the
place out. Are you coming?"
"Sorry, but I'm not
feeling well. I think I'll just stay here."
"'Kay," Jigen
shrugged.
He turned to leave, stopping when he saw something small
and oddly colored laying next to Goemon's futon. "What's that?"
"Hm?" Goemon looked
over as Jigen bent down to pick it up.
"Where did you get
this?"
Goemon wondered the
same thing. "What is it?"
"It's a matchbook...
from a disco? A disco?"
They continued to stare
at it, both getting an unsettling feeling.
"I'm sure it's
nothing," Jigen threw it back down and adjusted his hat. "I'll
see you later."
Goemon nodded slowly.
When he heard the car
leave, he relaxed a little.
It wasn't until then he
noticed he had been subconsciously itching his legs.
"Why are my legs so
itchy?" he grunted in annoyance, the scratching beginning to sting.
He forced himself up,
lifting his pant leg to see the damage.
The image made his
heart race. His eyes widened and his throat tightened as he tried to
tear away his gaze.
He started to breathe
louder and louder, until he gave a deafening scream that seemed to
never stop.
Lupin hurried inside,
feeling instant relief from the heat. Fujiko and Jigen followed
behind.
Fujiko took a deep
breath and exhaled gleefully. "That's much better."
Lupin nodded in
agreement, grinning confidently. "Hey, do you think we should take
something else too? This might be too easy."
"Don't get ahead of
yourself."
"Jigen, you worry too
much," Lupin chuckled, "We're sticking to the plan... for now."
"That's reassuring."
Still grinning, Lupin
started down the hall. "I guess we better go over it with Goemon."
"Goemon," he
called, knocking on the door.
Not recieving an
answer, he shrugged and went inside.
'He's not here...'
He looked around,
spotting Goemon's sword still leaning against the wall.
"Goemon?" he yelled
louder, peeking outside the door.
Looking back into the
room, he saw that the window was open. 'Goemon...'
Lupin was startled by a
hand on his shoulder.
"Something wrong?"
Fujiko asked, noticing his jumpiness.
"Goemon's gone... But
his sword's still here."
Jigen pushed his way
past the two, kneeling down and feeling around the floor.
"It's not here. He
must have taken it with him."
Lupin and Fujiko stood
above him curiously.
"What the hell is
going on here?" he asked himself.
