A/N: Yay, chapter two!!! I wanted to thank my reviewer, Thanks so much, CrystalTears3! Your review brightened my day :)
"Ah, it feels good to be back in a familiar place" Lupin said as he stepped out of his car. "Feels like I haven't been here in forever. I wonder if she's changed much..."
Lupin turned his head as he heard a dog barking from the opposite side of the hill he was currently parked by. He was about to ignore it and get back into his car and drive away, when he heard a laugh.
"Hee hee, Karl, come back here." It felt as if Lupin's heart skipped a beat. He knew that voice. It was the voice that had haunted his dreams since that fateful day he left the area of Cagliostro.
It's her! Lupin thought. I have to see her. I need to know...
Lupin started running up the hill, hoping that it really was Clarisse laughing. As he crested the hill he saw Karl and Clarisse rolling around on the ground playing. He stood there, just thinking of how perfectly innocent she looked and how much he had missed her. He was about to move closer when Karl let out a booming bark.
Clarisse looked up and saw Lupin, and a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh, Mr. Thief! You've come back!" Lupin could hear the pure joy in her voice and that make him smile genuinely back. "I didn't think you'd come back... Why are you back?" Clarisse asked shyly.
"Couldn't stay away, really." Lupin said with all honestly. He really couldn't stay away. Every second away from this lovely young woman made his heart ache with longing.
Karl, suddenly jumped up on him, knocking him down, and licking his face, as if trying to eat him up. Clarisse started laughing as she headed over to Lupin to help him back up. "Karl, let him up."
Karl had other plans though as he quickly jumped on Clarisse, knocking her to the ground right on top of Lupin. Both gasped as their bodies collided. Clarisse blushed a deep red, as she tried to climb off of Lupin. Lupin quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back towards him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Aren't I hurting you? Aren't I heavy?"
"Light as a feather, my dear." Lupin said as he softly stoked her cheek with the back of his hand, loving the silky softness of her skin. He could feel the heat radiating off her as she blushed even darker. "You really are quite adorable when you blush, you know that, right?"
"Oh, Lupin! You are a complete tease! Don't think I've forgotten what Fujiko told me about you. I know you are a lady's man. I won't be such an easy target. I'm older than I was the last time I saw you."
"That, my dear, is exactly what I wanted to hear." With that Lupin quickly leaned up, bring his face closer to hers. Lupin had almost reached his goal, when Clarisse jumped up, giggling.
"You'll have to work harder than that, if you want me, Lupin!" Clarisse said as she began running away, with Karl close to her heels.
Lupin got up quickly, an amused grin spreading over his face. "I'll get you, lovely, you just wait" And with that Lupin gave chase.
It didn't take long before Lupin had almost caught up with Clarisse. He had even stretched out his arm, about to grab her wrist and bring her back to his side, when a figure, shrouded in darkness suddenly popped up in front of him and Clarisse, making Lupin stop in surprise. Clarisse, not seeing the figure, kept running, until she ran right into the figure.
Clarisse let out a scream of pure terror and the figure grabbed her. Lupin felt his heart gripped with fear as she screamed. Lupin turned to the figure, "Let her go!" he ordered, "Who do you think you are?"
"You're worst nightmare, most likely." The dark figure said with an obvious sneer in its voice. "And no, I don't think I'll let her go. Thanks for your concern, but I think I got it covered from here." The voice sounded familiar, almost as if it was someone from his past. All he could do was watch as the figure reached into what Lupin assumed was a pocket. It was hard for him to tell, seeing as the figure was hidden by a black, hooded cloak.
Lupin blanched in terror as he watched the figure pull out a gleaming knife. The figure twirled the knife around for a bit, watching Lupin turn white with worry as he watched the knife's movement. The figure's eyes glowed with unsuppressed malice as he played with his knife as if it was a toy, as if it wasn't something used to kill. It's eyes were the only thing that could be seen, and they sent haunting chills down Lupin's spine.
"What would you do, Lupin, for the one you love?" the figure asked coldly. "Would you change your ways, would you turn into the innocent noble that she so dearly needs. You know that you aren't right for this girl, and yet here you are. You came back to her, even though you knew that you should have never come back. Even that false promise of helping her when she was in need wasn't enough to make you really want to come back. Why are you back now? What is your incentive now?"
Lupin was speechless as he watched the shadowed figure lift the knife up to Clarisse's neck. "Is it her money, her body? It can't be her personality, you barely know this girl. Well..." the figure passed, pressing the sharply carved knife lightly to Clarisse's neck.
This made Clarisse whimper in pain as blood started to slowly trickle down her neck. "Lupin, please, my thief...save me"
The figure pressed the knife harder to her neck, making the blood flow quicker, to shut her up. It continued its speech as if nothing had been said by the girl whimpering in its hold. "Well," it continued, "if it's just lust, then it won't matter if I just take care of this little girl right here and now."
Hearing that, Lupin jumped to action, he started running towards the figure, but he was too slow. Faster than Lupin would have though possible, the figure slashed the knife across Clarisse's neck and jumped away, quickly making its escape.
Lupin cried out in grief and terror as he watched Clarisse fall to the ground. He caught her just before she hit the ground. He heard her draw in a gurgled breath, as she tried to breathe past the blood that was now flowing freely from her neck. "Shh, shh. It will be ok. I've got you know. You don't have to worry. I've got you..." Lupin said as tears streamed down his face.
"Lupin..." Clarisse managed to get out before she started to cough up even more blood.
Lupin was crying freely now, as he held Clarisse tight to his body. "Don't leave, Clarisse. I need you, you don't know how much I need you right now." With that he leaned down and lightly caught her lips in a small kiss. He could taste her blood that was seeping lightly out of her soft parted lips. "Please" he whispered again as he pulled his lips from hers, "please don't leave me."
"Lupin..." Clarisse softly said his name again as he stroked her chilled, yet flushed, cheek.
Lupin heard his name being yelled a distance away. "Lupin! Lupin!"
Lupin tried to drown out the voice as he kept staring at Clarisse as she closed her eyes. He didn't want to look away, even after he heard her breathe her last, ragged breath.
"Lupin, Lupin!" The voice was louder now, as if it was getting closer. Lupin looked around, expecting to see Jigen walk up to him. He could have sworn it was Jigen's voice calling him.
Lupin felt himself being shaken roughly, and he woke up with a start. "What!" he yelled, his heart beating a mile a minute.
"You've been crying and moaning in your sleep. What were you dreaming about, Lupin? I've never seen you this worked up even when you've been awake." Jigen said softly, as he sat down next to Lupin on the bed he had been sleeping on.
Lupin reached up and felt his cheeks. Jigen wasn't lying, his face was wet with his dream inspired tears. Lupin couldn't help but start to cry again as he thought of his dream. He felt Jigen lightly put his arm around his shoulders. "What is it, Lupin? What is making you cry like this?"
All Lupin could do for a while was bury his face into Jigen's shoulder as sobs raked his thin frame. Jigen ran his hand down Lupin's back, trying to comfort and soothe his long time friend. Jigen was worried. He had known Lupin for years and had never seen him cry, let alone sob and cling to someone.
Lupin mumbled nonsensical words for a while, as Jigen held him and tried to comfort him. All Jigen could properly make out was, "I let her down, I couldn't help." He repeated this every few minutes after mumbling something Jigen still couldn't make out.
After a while, Jigen noticed that Lupin's breathing was returning to normal. When he looked at the man in his arms he saw that Lupin's eyes were closed and that he had, in fact, cried himself to sleep. I'll let him sleep for now, but if he thinks he's getting out of telling me what's wrong than he has another thing coming.
Jigen carefully laid Lupin back down in the bed and covered him with a blanket. I'll ask him when he wakes back up. Hopefully he'll be ok by then. Jigen took one last look at his dear friend before he got up and blew out the candle he had lit when he came to check on Lupin. He quietly left the room and shut the door, sitting in a chair near a table, while he waited for his friend to wake up again.
A/N: Ooh, drama. Sorry if Lupin seems a little OOC, but wouldn't you if you had that dream? I wish I had a friend like Jigen :) Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! Please review!