Author's Note
Hello Universe! Today I have for you a sequel! A sequel? That's very unusual! Yes indeed, here's a sequel to my other fic, Ice and Iron. So I suggest you read that story first before this one!
(Yes I'm working on Eternal Wind LOL It'll be done in a few days).
Anyway, enjoy!
I do not own Bleach, and I do not own Lupin III.
Ice and Gunpowder
Lupin was an idiot, Jigen knew this very well.
Had he not known this already, then what the hell would he be doing with his life? Working as a lone hitman? Probably killing a bunch more people than now, which was almost done to none now? He wasn't sure, as he had been through so much crap in his life that trying to tell the future and what could've happened was almost impossible.
That was really the only impossibility with hanging around Lupin. There was absolutely no way to tell what the man was thinking and what exactly was going on in that intellectual yet overly stupid mind of his. And at the time where Jigen could figure out, it ended up in a punching contest between the two that ended in trying to convince Lupin to not doing something stupid.
This had become a repeated process over the years, starting with Lupin and adding on a new addition in the form of, "Not-quite-up-with-the-times" samurai.
Goemon was even less of an idiot, he knew this as well. But when it came to certain morals and ideas, Jigen had to intervene. The man had nearly committed suicide when he lost Zantetsuken once. And as much as he knew how much one weapon meant, Jigen would not kill himself over his Magnum, so Goemon could not kill himself over Zantetsuken.
Regardless, Jigen held respect for the samurai. Unlike Lupin, who had his idiotic tendencies as well as falling for the same backstabbing lies of a certain someone, Goemon had some brains…Scratch that, Goemon would do anything to protect those he deemed innocent, which more than half the time ended up not being that way.
So yes, the samurai could be an idiot. But at least he was a respectable idiot that Jigen could consider his "foxhole buddy."
But the gunman was starting to reconsider the "respectable" part when he heard the sound of the Fiat pulling into the safe house just outside.
Having been a man on the run before, his ears were always on the watch for suspicious noises and sounds. The sound of the Fiat was familiar of course, but it was still suspicious. What had Lupin gone and done this time? If he had gone out, he was hoping he didn't do anything stupid that needed to be cleaned up.
Jigen groaned as he got up and out of bed to get dressed. 'Hoping for anything isn't gonna get me anywhere. It's going to be stupid.'
Putting on his trademark hat and clothing, the gunman stepped outside. His hat almost seemed to reveal his eyes when he saw not just Lupin, but Goemon with him. And the samurai was holding Zantetsuken. With his right arm, which last time he checked, was broken. That he remembered clearly, as he had been the one to bandage it up.
"What the friggen hell is going on?" Jigen grumbled out as he walked over to the other two, catching their attention. "Wasn't your arm shot to hell last time I saw it?"
"You know I didn't even notice that!" Lupin commented, grabbing Goemon's arm and inspecting it. "Wow! It's not even broken anymore!"
"I would appreciate that you do not touch me," Goemon complained.
Glancing at the samurai's arm, the gunman could clearly see how it was free of injuries. No longer in a sling, Goemon's right arm had no noticeable wounds. That was impossible. Jigen had seen with his own eyes how the samurai got shot in the arm and dropped Zantetsuken. So how…
"What did you do? Throw yourself into the magical spring nearby?" Jigen questioned suspiciously, having told Goemon that he shouldn't go to it unless he wanted to aggravate the wound.
"I had it healed," he answered simply.
"Toshiro-chan did that?" Lupin asked in excitement.
Who was Toshiro?
"Ah. However, he said that his healing technique was not one of his finest arts, so I must be careful."
"Oh come on, Goemon! That kid was able to heal bone! It's fine!"
Heal bone?
"Alright, spill. What did you two do while the rest of us were sleeping?" Jigen threatened the two of them.
He looked over at the samurai, expecting answers. Goemon couldn't lie if his life depended on it. That guy may be able to survive large amounts of torture without saying anything, but making up lies was a whole other story. He noticed the samurai begin to mull over something, most likely trying to think of a way to explain his side of the situation, when…
"Goemon met a ghost!" Lupin shouted enthusiastically.
"What?"
"Like a poltergeist, spirit, phantom-"
"I know what a ghost is, Lupin," Jigen stated. "And I don't believe in them."
"Hitsugaya isn't exactly a ghost either," Goemon mentioned to Lupin. "He said he was a Shinigami."
"He's dead Goemon, I think that counts."
Jigen was either asleep or drunk. One of the two. Because there was absolutely no way that both Lupin and Goemon saw a ghost. Ghosts did not exist. Nor will they ever exist. So the believability immediately went down for Jigen. He wished it wasn't so early in the morning.
"Ghosts don't exist," the gunman said.
"This one does!" Lupin exclaimed.
Okay, it was way too early in the morning for this. "I still don't believe this crap. Goemon, can you tell me what happened?"
"You don't trust me Jigen-chan?" Lupin fake-pouted.
In response, the gunman hit him on the head. "I trust him to give me a more reliable answer than something fabricated from your mouth."
"I went out to meditate last night," Goemon began, which immediately ticked off Jigen.
"What happened to sleep?" he asked.
"I could not sleep. So I went out to meditate and clear my impure thoughts. And then…"
"Then what?"
"There was a boy."
Well, this was new. "So a kid showed up while you were meditating," Jigen spoke.
It was definitely something to be concerned about. The fact that some kid was able to find the location of their safe house was bad. Of course, there were many other ones that Lupin had acquired over the years. But losing one safe house because of discovery was never good, as replacing it was hard to do.
"He turned Zantetsuken to me, then fainted as a result of a fever. So I watched over him until he woke up."
Another thing that was concerning. Jigen (and he was pretty sure the rest of the world as well) never heard of Zantetsuken only until recently. For the kid to know what Zantetsuken was and to openly return it was more than just interesting. No, it was a need-to-know basis. And more likely, as well as unfortunately, a need-to-end-the-line basis.
"What's his name?"
"Hitsugaya Toshiro," Goemon answered. "He stated that he was a Shinigami from the afterlife. And he returned Zantetsuken to me after he spoke to him."
"And you believed the kid?!" The gunman yelled.
"You should've seen him, Jigen!" Lupin exclaimed. "He's such a cute kid! White hair, teal eyes, he even dresses like Goemon! Toshiro-chan is a mini-Goemon!"
"He is not!" The samurai shouted, face beginning to flush red. "Just because he carries his own katana and dresses similar to myself does not mean he is like myself."
"Get this Jigen, he got Goemon to laugh! He was laughing, I tell you!"
"I still don't believe this," Jigen groaned.
"I stole his phone too, and Toshiro even chased me around town like Goemon did!"
"Lupin…" the samurai sighed.
"And you wouldn't believe it, but he has a magic sword! He nearly got me when an ice dragon came out of it!"
This was too much for Jigen at this point. "You know what, I'm going back to sleep. It's too early for this crap."
"What, you don't believe us Jigen? Not even one about me getting chased?"
"No, I don't believe you."
"But we even gave him a ride home too! You should've seen him, he fell asleep next to Goemon!"
"Lupin!" Goemon yelled in embarrassment.
Jigen stopped caring at this point. So he decided to go back inside and back to bed. He could deal with Lupin's crap later on. Getting more sleep was a priority at this point. He closed the door to his room and locked it. No one was gonna come in. Not now anyway.
He lied down in his bed, thinking. A random kid decided for some reason to return Zantetsuken and was apparently dead. And also had a magic sword.
'Yeah right. I'll believe it when I see it.'
The gunman just hoped that the kid finding the base wouldn't come back to bite them.
Hitsugaya Toshiro was bored.
The Tenth Division Taicho was currently sitting on the roof of Karakura Town High School, waiting for the rest of the group who came with him to the World of the Living. They needed to talk about the next order of business, and he preferred to do it sooner than later.
He had just recently finished his report for their first few hours in the World of the Living. Having sent the report back to the Soul Society, the white-haired taicho was met with an immediate response. So he needed to call a meeting. After all, the Soutaicho requested that information be passed on to the rest of them.
Unfortunately, no one was showing up.
'Damn it,' Toshiro cursed. 'Why can't any of them listen for once?!'
He somewhat half expected this. Matsumoto was most likely talking with Inoue and other girls and doing who knows what. Ayasegawa and Madarame were a different story and probably didn't want to ask. Abarai was most likely with Kurosaki…
His fist collided with the metal wire fence as he leaned against it. Deciding to skip out on lunch and be on the roof was now a terrible idea. And he couldn't go back and get any now.
'Nothing's going right today…' Toshiro inwardly sighed.
Having not much else to do, the boy pulled out his Denreishinki and decided to look through it. Maybe there was a Hollow nearby that he could use to kill some time. Or some strange reiatsu emitting from somewhere that he could investigate. Or…
'Aizen…'
Mentioning or even thinking of the man sent him into an abyss of negative thoughts. Ever since his defection along with Ichimaru and Tosen, the Soul Society had no other information on him. And this was very concerning. Aizen was a cunning individual, having fooled all of them with his death. Not knowing what he was planning was dangerous.
Everyone had been fooled, even though Toshiro had been suspicious of Ichimaru. The taichos. The fukutaichos…
'Momo…'
She had been fooled too. By both Ichimaru and Aizen. Momo had been tricked to think that he was the one who killed her taicho. So he fought her and had to injure her. And when she saw Aizen alive…
'I couldn't do anything…' Toshiro thought. 'I was cut down so easily. Even with my Bankai. She was hurt because of my ignorance.'
He moved his shoulder slightly. It still ached from time to time, but Unohana had assured him that the pain would go away within a day or so. While that had given him a little hope, the aches and pains only reminded him of his failure. Nothing could change the fact that Toshiro had been defeated.
'Was my training and my promotion to Taicho all for nothing? Can I really not protect-'
His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed something new on his Denreishinki.
'This wasn't here before.'
A texting function. None of the Denreishinki had this. So how and why…?
Toshiro's face flustered in anger. 'You're telling me in that short amount of time, he not only decided to put in two phone numbers, a ringtone, but also a texting service?!'
He also noticed a group texting channel, and he had a feeling about who was in there. The white-haired taicho was angry but also stunned. Forgetting completely about trying to waste time by looking for signs of Hollows, Toshiro looked into it.
Only to become incredibly pissed off.
'WHY THE HELL DID HE NICKNAME ME AS ICEDRAGON10?!'
Forget everything else. Toshiro needed answers.
IceDragon10: What the hell did you do?
Surprisingly, Toshiro got an immediate response.
Lupin4Ever78: Yo! Toshiro-chan! Do you like the new editions I gave to your phone?
IceDragon10: First of all, it's Hitsugaya to you. Second, how the hell did you even do this while we chased you around town?
Lupin4Ever78: Ah! A thief never reveals his secrets!
IceDragon10: I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TEXTING ME!
Ryusei94: I told you he would not like it, Lupin.
'Of course he also added Ishikawa-san on here as well,' Toshiro groaned inwardly. 'He most likely did not agree to it.'
Lupin4Ever78: Aww come on Goemon-chan! He can communicate with us now, shouldn't that be a good thing?
Ryusei94: Hitsugaya still does not like it.
IceDragon10: I don't.
Lupin4Ever78: You're so mean, Toshiro-chan! And I went out of my way to give you all of these gifts!
IceDragon10: I suppose I am...thankful for the way to keep in contact. I appreciate the thought.
Lupin4Ever78: He loves us Goemon!
IceDragon10: I DO NOT!
Toshiro sighed. He had not forgotten the encounter that had occurred the other night. Meeting Ishikawa Goemon the Thirteenth and Lupin the Third had been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he had found someone whom he could relate to and talk to on a normal conversational level. Goemon was very similar to him and had become one of the few people Toshiro could speak to normally.
On the other hand, the curse came in the manner of Lupin the Third. He was an insane individual, and probably more annoying than Kurosaki. Yet, Toshiro held respect for the man. Having been told many stories about his thievery around the world, it could only take a smart and clever person to pull any of it off.
IceDragon10: Have you been found out yet?
Ryusei94: Zenigata has not found us, not even when we came back.
Lupin4Ever78: Pops must be off of his game or something. We usually don't stick around for this long!
IceDragon10: And your arm?
Ryusei94: It is fine and I can use it. But I am using it less so that it may heal.
The Shinigami Taicho bit his lip, remembering how he had mentioned how his skills were lacking in the Kido department. And not to mention overall, considering the situation from the invasion. A possible idea formed in his head. As far as he knew, he was not busy tomorrow night.
IceDragon10: This may be too much to ask but...are you available tomorrow night?
Ryusei94: Why do you ask?
IceDragon10: I...I haven't been feeling too satisfied with my skills. If I'm not imposing…
Lupin4Ever78: Of course you can come over, Toshiro-chan! You're not imposing! Goemon doesn't mind at all!
Ryusei94: I do not mind.
IceDragon10: Thank you. I'll be over tomorrow night.
Lupin4Ever78: I'll tell Fujiko-chan to buy extra cookies! What kind do you like?
IceDragon10: LUPIN-SAN!
The school bell rang, and the white-haired boy hadn't realized that lunch had already ended. So Toshiro sent a message into the group chat.
IceDragon10: I have to go. I will see you tomorrow night.
Ryusei94: I look forward to your visit, Hitsugaya.
He closed out of the Denreishinki and headed back into the building, a small smile on his face.
Three days later, and Jigen was now regretting his words.
For the next week or so, they all had decided to take a break for a while. It wasn't because they needed a vacation (although Jigen would gladly take one). This was mostly because of Goemon, who may or may not have had, keyword "had," a broken arm.
Speaking of which, after getting more sleep, he did get the chance to investigate the samurai's arm. To his surprise, the broken bone had healed. And Jigen couldn't wrap his head as to how and why. Bones did not just instantly heal. It was impossible. If that were the case, then Jigen would've loved to miss out on the frequent doctor and dentist appointments.
Goemon had mentioned once again that it was because of Toshiro that he could use his right arm to an extent. It would still ache somewhat, but it was better than not being able to use it at all. To the samurai, as long as it was usable, then it could be used, no matter what the condition. But Jigen still warned him to take it easy.
He still didn't believe that a ghost healed Goemon. There was just no way. There was absolutely no way that ghosts exist.
Perhaps the kid did exist but wasn't a ghost. That had to be the case. Because even if the kid did have a magic sword and magic healing powers, he was not dead. Jigen refused to believe this to be true.
So when Lupin talked about how they needed to steal away Hitsugaya Toshiro for the third day straight, he had enough of it. He was getting restless. This happened whenever they were on a break. Now it was more of an issue since Zenigata hadn't even caught wind of their location. This in itself was highly unusual.
Normally they would hang around an area for two to three days, perform a heist, Zenigata would find them, and then they would move on to another area. However, they spent over a week in the outskirts of Tokyo, and it was beginning to annoy Jigen. Staying in place for too long was never a good idea.
In a way, he was like Lupin. Both were used to the fact that they needed to travel. Not just to get away from the cops, but to just be free from everything else. Running around the world just made them feel better. More relaxed. The thrill of it all was what made it fun.
But for now, Jigen felt confined. Not in a bad way of course. If he really wanted to, he could go into town, or better yet drive off to who knows where and do whatever he wanted to. But Jigen chose to stay around. Yet he needed to do something.
So, the gunman did what he would always do when he was bored: set up target practice.
BANG! Went his Magnum as it hit the stone placed on the stump of wood. He placed another one on there and shot it. Once again, he hit his mark. This had soon become a repetitive process. Shoot. Hit. Replace. Shoot. Hit. Replace. It continued until Jigen had to put in more bullets. Then it resumed.
The sun was lowering in the sky, and Jigen continued his target practice. It was a waste of bullets, he knew this very well. Getting bullets for his Magnum was not easy. But there was nothing else to do, and he'd rather do this than listen to the nonsense that Lupin was spouting from his mouth. How Goemon was going along with it, Jigen would never know.
Another rock on the stump. He shot and hit his mark once again. Only after a certain amount of time did Jigen realize that he was running out of light. He could shoot in the dark, of course, he's done it before. But was it a wise decision to do it now? It wasn't like there was-
Jigen stiffened suddenly. 'What the hell?'
Something in the air changed, he could feel it. The gunman got up from where he was sitting and forgot about placing another stone on the stump. He could still see slightly in the dark, but not completely, putting him at a disadvantage.
For this specific reason, it had been why he and the rest of the gang had practiced a heist blindfolded once. Well, he, Lupin, and Goemon were blindfolded. Lupin was supposed to throw a fake jewel that would replace the real one. Then Jigen would shoot the real jewel into the air. Goemon was supposed to shoot an arrow with a small bag attached to it so the jewel would be caught. And in the end, the arrow would hit the tree, and the jewel would fall to Fujiko. It seemed perfect.
(The practice was horrible. Jigen remembered attempting to shoot Lupin after he got hit by a rock. And if the gunman had to be honest, he would pay to see Goemon nearly kill Fujiko with an arrow while blindfolded.)
But this was not a practice. This was real. He could feel an ominous presence that was unlike anything he ever felt. It was hard to describe. Almost as if...as if it were…
'Death,' Jigen thought.
A cold touch of death. And if the gunman didn't know any better, he could've sworn that the outside temperature had dropped twenty degrees. Wasn't it supposed to be warm tonight?
Yet this cold temperature felt slightly different. As if it were infused with death itself. He's been to all kinds of cold places across the globe. But this...this was extremely different.
Instinctively, Jigen's hands tightened around his Magnum. One eye was revealed from underneath his hat but soon disappeared. Silence plagued the area, and he thought it was too unusual. His Magnum was loaded, so there was no need to put in any more bullets.
And then, he felt a shift. Jigen turned around and shot.
The gunman missed, and he knew he did when he heard the bullet hit a nearby tree. Lowering his Magnum, Jigen sighed. He was probably being too superstitious. It was getting late after all, and he most likely needed food. But when he was about to turn away, a flash of white caught his eye.
"Oh shit," Jigen muttered in horror.
A boy, almost about a foot and a half shorter than he was, standing in the area where he shot. His hair was white and spiky, with teal eyes adorned on his face. He wore similar clothes to Goemon, with a black shihakusho and a white haori. And there was a sword on his back, as long as he was tall.
It was the very same boy that Lupin and Goemon had been mentioning over and over for the past three days straight. And of course, he had shot at him. From the look in his teal eyes, the boy was not taking it very well.
Jigen dropped his Magnum and shook the boy's shoulder. "Oi, kid!" he yelled, his eyes showing great concern which were now revealed.
A small hand finally moved, grabbing the gunman's left wrist. Teal eyes blinked, now suddenly aware of the situation. Jigen could feel the cold emanating from the boy's hand. It was way too cold for his liking, way too cold for any normal individual. The boy looked up at Jigen.
"Crap, why the hell didn't you say you were there?" he asked.
"I...I thought you couldn't see me…"
There was a scratch on his cheek, a few drops of blood came forth. It looked as if he narrowly avoided the shot. Guilt instantly rose within Jigen, and he managed to get the kid to sit down. He seemed more focused now than a few seconds earlier, which was a good sign.
"I'm sorry that I startled you," the boy apologized.
He became surprised. The boy was apologizing? Shouldn't it be him who should apologize? After all, Jigen was the one who fired the shot.
"No, I should be the one apologizing kid," the gunman spoke.
A whisper of, "I'm not a kid." was heard, and Jigen smirked.
"You're Hitsugaya, aren't you?"
The boy, Hitsugaya Toshiro, seemed to perk up. "How did you…"
"Lupin couldn't stop talking about you for three days straight. It annoyed the hell out of me. Goemon also mentioned you too."
Realization came over Toshiro. "Then you must be Jigen-san."
A sole eye revealed itself from underneath the owner's hat. No wonder Lupin had constantly stated that the kid was a young clone of Goemon. The honorifics. The clothing. Even the damn sword.
"Don't tell me you like elevator music too?" Jigen groaned.
"What?" Toshiro asked.
"Elevator music. You know, that crap Goemon likes."
"Enka," the white-haired boy answered.
"Yeah, that stuff. That's all he listens to. Doesn't have any taste for anything else."
"It is nice-sounding music, I suppose."
Yep. Another Goemon. One was enough. Dealing with two was like herding cats.
"So...you're a ghost," the gunman stated.
"A Shinigami," Toshiro answered. "But yes, I am dead."
"I don't know anything about Japanese traditions, so what exactly does that mean? If you don't mind explaining."
The boy seemed to contemplate whether or not he should tell him information. But eventually, he spoke.
"I don't mind."
Five minutes later...
Toshiro wasn't sure how he felt about Jigen.
Overall, the gunman did not seem to be a bad person. He highly doubted that a person like Lupin would have become friends with Jigen if his personality was different than what he was now. The few encounters with the insane man told him that.
But it wasn't Jigen's personality that bothered him. It was more so the fact that his line of work involved being a gunman. He just knew from their first encounter that Jigen had killed people. If the bullet grazing his cheek didn't give it away, it was the way he hid his eyes, his ready-to-go posture, and the way he held his gun.
With Lupin and Goemon, it was different. Lupin may have killed people, but he doesn't like to do it. He only does it if his friends are in danger. Goemon has also killed people, but it isn't just because he wants to. In his beliefs, it is only honorable to defeat one in battle. But Goemon doesn't do it anymore either, only killing those who harm those he cares about.
Jigen however, was a hitman. Hired for the sake of killing. Paid for the sake of murdering someone. And as much as Toshiro didn't want to say it, he knew that these actions would no doubt have him end up in Hell.
Those who went into Hell were the worst of the worst. Souls who went there were murderers, thieves, and overall were horrible individuals. Would Lupin and Goemon end up there? He wasn't sure, as they appeared to be good-hearted people. But Jigen…
At the moment, the two were still sitting in the middle of the forest, with Toshiro somewhat explaining the role of a Shinigami. Apparently, Jigen didn't believe in ghosts. He could understand, after all the dead were not supposed to interact with the living. More specifically Shinigami.
'But I did,' the white-haired boy unconsciously thought. 'I could have not chosen to return Zantetsuken, but I did so anyway.'
'How many times must I break the rules?'
His eyes flickered to Jigen, who was still processing all of this. In a way, he appeared to be taking this much better than Goemon. The samurai had been much more religious, so it was natural to act in that way.
"Never thought the afterlife would be so boring," Jigen stated. "No offense."
Teal eyes widened. "That wasn't an answer I was expecting," the Shinigami answered.
"I'm sure Lupin feels the same way as I do," Jigen continued. "From the way you make it sound, it doesn't sound too interesting."
"Well…" Toshiro trailed off.
He would have to admit it, the gunman did have a point. There wasn't much that a Shinigami could do. Sure, there were times where they had time off and could do various things, but the Rukongai was overall the same. There were really no places of interest to go to or visit.
And even worse was the time management of the fukutaichos and the taichos. Toshiro couldn't remember a time in which he actually spent time outside of the office by his own choice. Most of it was because Matsumoto refused to do her work. But the rest was just habit. Eat, sleep, paperwork. And fight the occasional Hollow. But as a taicho, he rarely went out.
The only enjoyment he ever got was visiting his Grandmother in the Rukongai. He would go with Momo. But ever since then, they've been growing apart. And with Momo in the Fourth Division…
"When you put it that way, it can get rather boring," Toshiro mentioned.
"Goemon might be satisfied with it, but the rest of us won't be happy," the gunman spoke.
"He took the news worse than you did, actually."
"Heh. Not surprised. Goemon's the most religious of us. For him to hear what you told me most likely wasn't easy. He's just that type of guy, to stick to his beliefs. You're like that too, but not exactly."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Toshiro asked.
"Well, you're here on your own aren't you? Even though you're not supposed to be. Returning Zantetsuken was probably not on your to-do list."
"No, it wasn't."
"But you believed it to be the right thing, so you brought it back to Goemon. Before you came, he was having a fit and would do anything to go back and get it, even with his broken arm. If we didn't convince him, we probably would've had to restrain him. That's how stubborn that stupid samurai is."
"I suppose if you look at it that way…"
Silence plagued the two for mere moments. A question was on the tip of Toshiro's tongue, but he did not want to ask it in fear of the answer. Lupin and Goemon had answered it, and the white-haired boy was satisfied with them. But he was sure this time that the answer wasn't going to be a good one.
"Jigen-san...have you...why do you...kill people?"
The gunman gave him a look, almost as if to say, "You're gonna ask me that one, kid?" He saw him sigh, and Toshiro could see how the man was refraining from grabbing a cigarette from his pocket. Jigen looked down, then answered.
"I don't know," he answered simply.
Toshiro was confused. "What do you mean?"
"My life didn't start good if that means anything. I got involved with gangs and the Mafia, I even was a mercenary at one point. During that time, I only killed those who were part of criminal organizations and rival gangs. All of them were scum. They didn't care how the world ran unless they were able to run it."
"People like that wouldn't think twice about killing innocent people. I did think about it, and I never killed an innocent person. And I never will."
Jigen looked back at Toshiro and saw the confused look on his face. "Not what you were looking for, right?"
"I…" the Shinigami trailed off. "You seem like a good person, and I don't want to see you as a bad person, but…"
"None of us are good people," Jigen answered. "We're thieves. We steal, we take, end up blowing up a few things. Lupin sees it as entertainment. That idiot can turn thievery into entertainment and enjoy it when we fail. I joined along for the ride just for his personality. Goemon-"
"-tried to kill Lupin-san," Toshiro finished.
"All of us tried to kill that bastard at one point," the gunman mentioned. "Goemon's attempt was the closest and the best. That crazy samurai chased him around town while he was in a moving vehicle. And he kept up with it!"
The Shinigami hummed as his response. "Still…"
"Look kid," He noticed the white-haired boy bristle at the word, "kid." "To the world, we're bad people. Zenigata wouldn't be chasing us all around the world if we weren't."
"Then I guess the world would see as a bad person too," Toshiro suddenly blurted out, only to have his eyes widened in shock.
'Damn it, damn it! Why did I say that?!'
Jigen's eyes appeared from underneath his hat. "Hitsugaya…"
The gunman watched as the boy pulled his knees close to his chest. Toshiro sat there frozen as if he hadn't meant to say that. He buried his head in his knees. He couldn't see the concern Jigen wore on his face, but the white-haired boy could feel it. But before Jigen could say anything, he cut him off.
"Does killing someone...make that person bad?" Toshiro asked.
Suddenly, old memories and wounds began to surface, and there was not enough time to brace himself for it. Too much had happened while he was in the Academy. Something that should've never happened. If it hadn't been for him. If only he could've abandoned Hyorinmaru. If only...if only…
"Oi, kid!" Jigen's voice snapped him out of it.
Teal orbs looked at the hat-wearing gunman. Even though his eyes weren't visible now, Toshiro could practically feel the concern radiate off of the older man.
"I don't think killing a person makes you bad," the gunman said. "Killing for fun, just to enjoy it...yeah, that makes you bad. But if you're ordered to do so or do it to protect those you love...well it's still not good, but it's better than the alternative."
Toshiro didn't respond. That was when a thought entered Jigen's mind, and he didn't like the sound of it. Yet he voiced the thought anyway.
"You killed someone before, haven't you?"
A slow nod of the head was what he got.
"I had a feeling when you first asked me a question. You also asked Lupin and Goemon about this too. If you don't want to talk about it-"
He couldn't stop the white-haired boy from going off on a tangent that came on suddenly.
"In the Soul Society, a Shinigami's zanpakuto is unique to its user. There are no exceptions, as they are a part of their wielder's soul. A zanpakuto cannot have the same name as someone else's zanpakuto, nor can they have the same properties. But…"
Hyorinmaru was in his hands. "This zanpakuto was a specific case. My...best friend, also obtained the same zanpakuto as me. We thought it was the greatest thing that we had the same power, the same abilities. I didn't have any friends in the Academy, and at the time we were just getting to know each other. So our bond grew…"
A sad chuckle escaped his throat, one that somewhat made Jigen nervous. "What fools we were."
"Central Forty-Six, you could call them the governing force for the Soul Society, found out about this a few days afterward. They told us we couldn't wield the same zanpakuto, and they never told us why this was such a case. I don't even know how both of us ended up with the same zanpakuto, no one does."
"Because Hyorinmaru is considered to be the strongest ice-type zanpakuto in the Soul Society...they ordered us to fight to the death."
If Jigen had a cigarette in his mouth, it would've fallen out. "Kid…"
"I was prepared to abandon everything, to abandon the other half of my soul that had been calling out to me since I was young. If I were to be exiled, I would've accepted it. After all, to most of the people in the Rukongai, I was a demon because of my looks who deserved to die. I didn't want blood on my hands. Nor did I want to be considered a blood-thirsty demon."
"Yet they wouldn't allow it, so we fought. And well…"
Once again, silence went between the two. Neither of them said anything for mere moments. Toshiro was attempting to figure out why he just told his story with Kusaka. On the other side of things, Jigen was trying to figure out what else to say. But he soon spoke.
"I'm not the type of guy who's good at consulting people, but would he have wanted you to look back on that?"
Toshiro said nothing, so Jigen continued. "I killed one of my previous partners by accident. I wasn't aware that it was him. And every time I think about it, I think of what else I could've done. But I also think of how to move on from it. The way your weird system works is that death isn't really the end right?"
"There is a cycle, yes."
"I'm not that religious or going towards anything like it, but he probably has another life now. Maybe one better than what he had then. But...the best thing I can say is that it wasn't your fault."
"But it is!" Toshiro shouted uncharacteristically. "It feels like everyone I know and care about ends up dying or hurt because of me! My best friend died, and I can't even speak of him because the incident was covered up. My sister got hurt twice. It's like a curse. I'm a bad person because of it."
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes turned to Jigen. There was a smirk on his face, leaving the Shinigami extremely confused.
"Exactly like Goemon," the gunman spoke. "You think everything is your fault and so you hide your feelings. Not everything is your fault. Sometimes, things in your life happen. You're not a bad person. If Lupin speaks so often of you not just to annoy the hell out of me, then he thinks you're a good person, and so do I. And you've seen how he is."
"He is an insane idiot," the white-haired boy mentioned.
"Heh! You stick around him long enough, and you'll see the other half of him."
Somehow, this made him feel somewhat better. Sure, it had been harsh, but it was something he needed to hear. Toshiro stood up and looked out into the forest for a moment.
"Speaking of which, I came here to see Ishikawa-san. Do you know where he is?"
"Probably back at the house, listening to elevator music or meditating," Jigen answered, getting up as well. "I should probably go see what they're up to anyway."
"I'll go with you."
Toshiro decided then and there. Jigen was a good person too.
Fifteen minutes later…
He had to admit, the kid was pretty impressive.
Jigen sat in a chair next to Lupin, watching the spar occurring right in front of him and his partner. The clashing of katanas rang out as the two sparring partners once again collided with each other. Sparks flew, partially lighting up the darkness. The only thing that enabled the audience of two to see the spectacle was the light of the moon.
Nighttime had finally settled in by the point, no longer emanating any presence of the sun. The gunman was very accepting of this, as the day had been notoriously hot. Thankfully autumn was coming soon, so the cool nights would be a more common occurrence.
Dark eyes occasionally made their appearance from underneath his hat as he watched. Jigen had known Goemon for a while. He knew what the young samurai was capable of. Possessing the ability to slice a moving bullet in half. Able to survive the harshest of winters. And most importantly, capable of living through the worst of torture.
Goemon was not a person to be trifled with, this was certain. The gunman had spared with him multiple times, and they often ended with even footing. That was how close of a match it was between the two of them. Nothing else, even when facing enemies, had come close.
But this kid...he looked as if he was on par with the samurai.
Obviously, he wasn't showing his full strength. The gunman had heard from Lupin about the various powers Toshiro possessed. The ability to purify corrupt souls. The skill to heal broken bones to an extent. And, most importantly, the ownership over a spiritual dragon made of ice.
Toshiro showed none of these skills during this spar, however, and Jigen knew why. There were two reasons. One, it would have been unfair to Goemon, who they just discovered can fight people like Toshiro, to fight someone in a spar with little to no experience about how a Shinigami's powers work. Two...the white-haired boy wasn't here to fight to begin with. No, he merely wanted to improve his swordsmanship.
Jigen remembered shooting his samurai companion a look as if to say, "Is this kid crazy?" Of course, there was no response from Goemon. So he decided to ask instead.
"Don't you get practice with that thing every time you kill one of those Hollows?"
Toshiro sighed. "As a Taicho, I'm not put out into the battlefield that often. And when I am, it usually doesn't involve a normal sword fight. Most of the time, I freeze my opponents and then kill them with one blow."
"Your fighting style does not use swordsmanship to a great extent," Goemon noted.
"Ah. While Hyorinmaru is an elemental Ice-type Zanpakuto meant for battle, most of his attacks are range-based, not close combat-based. That is why I wish to train with you, Ishikawa-san, so in case a scenario in which it is required, I won't struggle."
It became clear to Jigen that this was something he did struggle with. Whereas Goemon's strikes flowed smoothly, coming naturally and with great balance, Toshiro's was rather stiff. At least that was how it looked to the gunman. He knew nothing about swordsmanship.
Another interesting thing to see was how much of a teacher Goemon was. It was something that he hardly ever saw. The samurai was more so in the background, hardly ever saying a word. But here, that side was no longer showing, rather revealing the complete opposite.
"What did they teach you?" Goemon asked.
"In the Academy, they taught us Kendo, which becomes part of Zanjutsu, or the fighting style for our zanpakuto," Toshiro answered.
"It does not appear to suit you, or that you may have been taught the wrong stances," the samurai mentioned.
"No one really liked me in the Academy, not even the teachers, despite doing well. So I wouldn't be surprised if they gave me the wrong information just to spite me. But for that to not get noticed by anyone else is odd."
"Perhaps it is because you do not engage in close combat very often, and use range-based abilities."
"Maybe…"
"Kendo requires a great amount of discipline, however, it is also not as restrictive. It depends on how you wish to rely on the motions and how you execute them. Perhaps it may benefit you to learn Jujutsu if you wish to rely on close combat, and various aspects of Kenjutsu and Iaido for attacking an enemy."
"I understand."
Yes, Goemon was already attached to the kid, that much Jigen could tell. It was a subtle thing, but on various occasions, the admiration for the Shinigami showed through that steel exterior of the samurai.
Lupin, however, was completely amazed by the sight and openly showed it. Jigen could tell instantly that he really, really liked the kid. From the way his eyes watched in fascination as the spar continued to his hands that seemed to fidget for wanting to pat the kid on the back for his amazing skills.
The gunman knew this behavior very well. Lupin wanted Toshiro to join them. No, rather he needed Toshiro to join them. And the thief would do anything to steal away the white-haired boy from wherever he came from.
"Jigen," Lupin asked.
He turned his head. "What?"
"What do you think of the kid?"
One eye revealed itself from underneath a hat. Jigen looked from Lupin to the two sword wielders fighting each other, then back again. He could see the serious look on Lupin's face. And it took him a moment to realize.
It had been the same situation when they had first met Goemon. The gunman had been uneasy about Lupin trying to get someone else to join the gang. Fujiko had been first, and while when they first met they got along, over time it got worse. And it was worse by the time they met Goemon, hence Jigen's trust wavering over the samurai joining.
But once he had seen Goemon for himself, who was not only younger than themselves but also very loyal and just a good person to be around, the gunman lightened up to him. Now he had someone whom he could talk to in regards to the insanity of Lupin and Fujiko driving them crazy. And if Jigen had to be honest, if Goemon wasn't around them, life wouldn't be as enjoyable as it was now.
So, what about the kid?
He began to see the enjoyment on the samurai's face as he sparred with Toshiro. In a way, Goemon was to Jigen as Toshiro was to Goemon. The boy was someone he could relate to and talk to. Goemon was not a talkative person, and when he did speak, he spoke in a manner that was way out of touch. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep the kid around. After all, he did tell the gunman some sensitive information, one that could have come out of trust.
Then, for a moment, an instant moment, the gunman swore he saw a smile on both the samurai's face and the shinigami's face. Goemon never smiled. And if the kid was anything like Goemon, that was also probably the case. For this to happen…
Jigen smirked. They were keeping Toshiro.
"I like him," the gunman answered.
"Then can we steal him away, Jigen-chan?" Lupin asked.
From what Toshiro told him about the afterlife, about the militaristic style...it would be a hard job. But with Lupin, stealing anything was possible. Even stealing the Statue of Liberty. This would be one of their most difficult jobs yet. Yet he knew that it could be pulled off. Lupin was the only one who could pull it off.
"Yeah. But you're the one who's gonna have to pay for his meals."
"What?!" yelled Toshiro, and Goemon briefly paused their spar.
"Aww thank you, Jigen!" Lupin exclaimed. "I promise to give him healthy meals and water every day so he can grow up big and strong!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm not a child!"
"Oi, oi, kids shouldn't be using nasty words."
"Like you care! You stole my Dereishinki and put a texting service, a ringtone, and your numbers in there!"
"See Jigen? I can keep watch over him 24/7!"
"You're insane!"
Jigen watched both of them argue. It reminded him of the arguments he sometimes had with Lupin. And this only made him chuckle. He cast a look over at Goemon, who also looked amused by the situation. Lupin had begun to laugh now, with a fuming Toshiro scolding him.
'Yeah. We're keeping him,' the gunman thought, and a smirk grew on his face.
Author's Note
And that's the end of it! I'm considering making my own sort-of universe for this storyline. Once I'm done with the next chapter of Eternal Wind, I'm tempted to write a one-shot featuring Fujiko and Zenigata. I've become obsessed with Lupin and it's not even funny. It's my second favorite series behind One Piece at this point. This is really my first time writing anything with Jigen in it, so forgive me for the OOC moments if they seem to be that way.
I left a few references with the texting names. Lupin4Ever78 is based on the track from The Fuma Conspiracy titled "LUPIN is Forever," and "78" comes from 1978, when Part 2 aired. Ryusei94 comes from Zantetsuken's name in the manga "Ryusei," which means "Shooting Star," and 1994, the year "Burn, Zantetsuken!" aired. IceDragon10 comes from Hyorinmaru's manifestation and that Toshiro is the Tenth Division Taicho.
Anyway, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!
Until next time, See Ya Universe!
Palkia