DISCLAIMER: Property of rightful owners, the lucky shmucks.
Hey!
Chapter ten! I hope you liked the story, guys, because it's starting to wind down. Should I write more? Let me know if you want a continuation or sequel, and give me your ideas on where I should take this! Enjoy!
Chapter Ten
Day Ten: Fire and Rain
'I don't want to spoil the party so I'll go,
I would hate my disappointment to show,
There's nothing for me here,
So I will disappear'
--The Beatles, 'I Don't Want to Spoil the Party'
"Well, I think we should do something at least," said Fujiko as she and the gang sat around the living room table, "It is her last night here, you know."
"How about we throw her a party?" Amaya suggested. She looked back and saw her, Fujiko, and Yukiko's door closed, and she gave a small smile. Yukiko was still asleep, but the others had gotten little sleep. Lupin was still excited, and had jabbered on for hours about Fujiko and the baby and everything in between.
"Hey, we need an excuse to celebrate, anyway! We can do it tomorrow, though, when her dad shows up!" Lupin said cheerily. He had not thought about the bad things that parenthood could bring to him; he now thought of what good it could bring, "Okay, so some of us can go out to get ready for it while one of us babysits, and then we can trade off throughout the day."
"Who goes first?" Jigen inquired.
"I vote Goemon," said Lupin.
"Agreed," the others, excluding Goemon, replied. The samurai looked downward and sighed heavily, but did not object.
So the others went out, leaving Goemon and Yukiko alone in the hotel. Yukiko awoke, and was somewhat confused as to where the others had gone, and asked Goemon, but he quickly changed the subject and suggested they watch The Seven Samurai instead. Yukiko quickly agreed to the film, and she put the movie on while Goemon went into the kitchen.
He came out with a bowl of popcorn, a juice box for Yukiko, and a cup of green tea for himself. He sat down on the couch next to Yukiko, and silently watched the sword fights gleefully while he sipped his tea. He looked downward at Yukiko; she was munching away at the popcorn and drinking her juice box. One more day… Goemon closed his eyes, meditated a few moments, and turned his attention back to the screen.
Meanwhile, the others had gone their own ways throughout Osaka. Lupin and Fujiko hit the mall while Amaya went to the party shop, and Jigen went to go find a cake. Jigen had reassured Goemon that he would be back in a little while to take over for him as babysitter.
"So, we agreed on naming him Arsene?" Lupin asked Fujiko as the two walked down one end of the mall.
"If it's a boy," Fujiko responded, "If it's a girl, I want her to be named Fujiko, after her mother."
"It'll be a boy, don't worry," Lupin replied breezily as he stopped and looked in a store window briefly.
"What makes you so sure?" Fujiko asked, standing back akimbo.
"Just trust me on this one, Fujicakes," Lupin answered, looking back at her, "It's always a boy that's born first."
"First?" this choice of words peaked Fujiko's interest, "Are there more of you?"
"You say that like I'm some sort of plague!" Lupin said with amusement, "Yeah, there probably are somewhere. God knows Dad went all around the world, and had all sorts of girls, you dig?"
"I think so," Fujiko gave a small shudder at the thought of another person like Lupin roaming the earth. Just the one was enough to drive her up a wall at times.
"Hell, Goemon or Jigen could be brothers and I wouldn't even know it!" Lupin laughed, "Maybe even y—"
"I don't want to think about that possibility," Fujiko stopped him short, "Let's just try to find her something, okay?"
"All right, I'm just saying…" Lupin trailed off as he saw the sever look that Fujiko shot at him, and he allowed her to lead him into a children's clothing store.
The hotel:
Goemon looked upward as he heard the door open, and saw Jigen peer in. Goemon looked down at Yukiko, "Yuki, why don't you go pick out another movie?"
"Okay!" Yukiko ran into her room, and Jigen quickly entered the hotel, a cake in one hand a nondescript plastic bag in the other. Goemon took the cake and hid it in the closet of his room, and Jigen put his present to Yukiko under the bed.
"What'd you get her?" Goemon inquired.
"You'll see tomorrow," Jigen replied, rising up onto his feet. He looked over at Goemon, "About the comment you made yesterday, about me being a good liar—"
"I found one!" said Yukiko, jumping into the doorway and surprising both men. She held up the video, and Jigen rolled his eyes; the animated version of The Jungle Book.
"Have fun. Maybe you can sing along," Goemon chuckled as he walked past Jigen. Jigen balled his fists, and let out a small growl as Goemon exited.
"Come on, Jigen!" said Yukiko happily, grabbing him by the arm and leading him into the living room. He sat down on the couch and crossed his legs, and sat back as Yukiko put the video in, "Do you like Disney movies!?" she asked.
"I like movies with at least one good gunfight or car chase. Give me Bullit over Bambi any day," Jigen answered.
"Okay, well, I promise we'll watch one with that stuff in it after!" Yukiko answered with a wide smile.
Back at the mall, Fujiko and Lupin had just about finished shopping, Lupin stuck with most of the baggage. As they walked, Lupin suddenly jumped into a shop, swearing to Fujiko that he would be right back. Fujiko rolled her eyes and shook her, head, and did not even pay attention to the shop Lupin had gone into.
When he did not return after several minutes, Fujiko decided to walk over to the food court. She was drinking a slushie when Lupin returned, smiling widely.
"Where the hell were you?" Fujiko asked in exasperation.
"Sorry," Lupin said innocently, "I just had a hard time making up my mind!"
"Over what?" Fujiko inquired.
"That's for me to know and you to find out tomorrow night," Lupin replied devilishly.
"Why do I have the feeling you're planning this big showy extravaganza?" Fujiko said suspiciously.
"Oh, baby, you know me better than that!" Lupin said with a smile, "Are you feeling okay? Do you want to sit down for a little while? How's—"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Give me another four months and I'll be bitching like a banshee," said Fujiko.
"I have to wait three months for that?" Lupin inquired. Fujiko reached over and smacked him on the side of the head, and Lupin fell out of his chair. Lupin grumbled as he rose and he seated himself in the rickety white plastic chair, "I love you too, Fujicakes."
"Get over yourself. I hope little Lupin or Fujiko doesn't get your ego," Fujiko sighed, shaking her head and taking a sip of her drink.
Five Miles out of Osaka:
It had been a long night for Zenigata. He had wanted to believe that that wasn't Toshiko in the store, but she looked eerily like his wife. And who was the man in the gi she had been with at the time? None of it made any sense to him. He sighed in frustration and set his hat down on the seat next to him. He looked down in surprise as he saw a small piece of paper sticking out of the band of his hat. How long had that been there, and who had put it there? He removed the note from his hat and unfolded it, and read over it quickly.
Dear Pops,
You are cordially invited to a party tomorrow night at the hotel I, Jigen, Fujiko, Goemon, as well as a couple of friends are staying at. There will be cake, and, if you behave and promise not to beat me with the bat, a piñata. I am offering one night without any fighting between either of us. Why, you might be asking yourself? Well, I am a showman, and I do not like to give away my secrets before the show has already started! Well, I'll see you there. There's a map on the other side of this paper.
Sincerely,
L
"Wha—Who the hell does he think he is!?" Zenigata yelled, throwing the paper down. He looked down at the paper, and studied it over once more, and turned the paper over and began to study the map, "I can't believe I'm doing this, but he has to be up to something! And I want to know what… And how the hell did he get in my car!? Damn you, Lupin!"
The Hotel:
The hotel door opened as Jigen was in the process of changing videotapes, and he saw Amaya enter quietly. He quickly removed his glasses, looked down at them, and dropped them onto the ground, "Dammit! Yukiko, help me find my glasses! I can't see a damned thing!"
"Sure," Yukiko walked forward, and began to search for the glasses. By the time she found them, Amaya had escaped into the men's bedroom. She emerged moments later, and flashed a thumbs-up.
"I have to go out again!" Amaya added quickly, and exited before Jigen could tell her it was her turn to take shift. Jigen sighed heavily and resigned himself to the couch, and he put on his glasses and adjusted them as Yukiko passed them to him.
"Where'd Amaya go?" Yukiko inquired.
"I dunno, kid. Probably went to go meet Goemon somewhere," Jigen answered breezily.
"Did Sakura like to watch movies with you?" Yukiko inquired.
"Yeah…" Jigen trailed off, "Musicals especially. The King and I…. Damn, she loved that one!"
"Hey! I—" Yukiko swung her head around to the television as she heard a gunshot, and she became enthralled with the film. The young girl had a somewhat disturbing love for gunfights in movies, but this did not bother Jigen. He found it somewhat amusing, in all actuality.
After the movie, Jigen took Yukiko to the park. This gave everyone else opportunity to go about the apartment as they chose without him having to throw his glasses, hat, or both across the room and have Yukiko fetch them.
"I'm really going to miss you, kid," Jigen said with a smirk as he and Yukiko walked along a lake outside of the hotel.
"Don't worry, Jigen! Lupin said you'll all visit me!" Yukiko said reassuringly.
"I don't know, about that, Yuki," Jigen responded, "I don't think your dad would like us. You know, you were a pretty good spy, for what it's worth. You would've made a good team member, maybe. Who the hell knows?"
"Do you think I can join when I'm older?" asked Yukiko.
"Sure," Jigen shrugged, "If there's a team, that is."
"Huh?" Yukiko tilted her head to a side in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," Jigen replied, shaking his head, "Nice sunset, huh, Yukiko?"
"Yep," Yukiko nodded and smiled, and looked over at Jigen. Her smile grew wider, and she pushed him towards the lake. Jigen nearly lost his balance, and Yukiko broke into an excited run. Jigen tilted his hat forward and began to chase after Yukiko.
Amaya looked out the hotel window and looked down at Jigen and Yukiko, who were playing a sort of strange version of tag. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and quickly spun around to see Goemon looking at her with a look of amusement and confusion across his face.
"Sorry… You… You surprised me…" Amaya admitted as she looked back out at the duo. Yukiko had probably tripped Jigen and caused him to fall into the lake, because he was currently wringing out his jacket while Yukiko laughed. A smile came upon her own face, and she looked over at Goemon.
Goemon leaned over and looked downward, and chuckled, "I think he'll be just as upset over Yukiko leaving as everyone else will. That's strange, seeing him like that. He usually is very distant, but I think this child has brought him out of his shell a little."
"Like she didn't do the same thing for you?" Amaya inquired, "From what I understand, you were even more distant than him."
"I had no reason to be close to anyone before," Goemon responded. Amaya put a hand around his waist, and looked upward at him. He leaned downward towards her, but this moment was disturbed by the sudden presence of Lupin and Fujiko in the hotel room.
"Whoa!" Lupin backed out of the living room a little, "Do you want us to come back in about ten minutes?"
"No, that's all right," Amaya answered, walking away from Goemon to help Lupin with the bags. Goemon shot Lupin a small glare, and Lupin shrugged innocently in response.
"I'll get to wrapping these," said Lupin, "Hey, did you guys see Jigen? Looks like a drowned rat!"
"He's probably going to come down with a cold…." Fujiko muttered.
"Now, now. Don't worry—It's not good for little Lupin," Lupin said with a wink.
"We don't know if it's a boy!" Fujiko yelled as Lupin exited with Amaya into one of the bedrooms.
"It's a boy! Trust me!" Lupin shouted back.
"Him…." Fujiko put a hand on her forehead. She looked upward at Goemon, "Sorry for disturbing you two."
"It's no problem," Goemon replied, "It's for situations like these that movie theaters were invented," Fujiko laughed at this comment, and shook her head as she exited into her own bedroom.
Jigen trudged in tiredly, a still hyper Yukiko leading the way. Goemon could tell that Jigen was tired from running around, and he could not help but smile at this sight, "Have fun, Jigen?"
"I think I'm catching a cold…" Jigen murmured in dismay, rubbing his frozen hands together. He sneezed, and dismissed himself from the living room.
"Goemon, do you want to play?" Yukiko asked excitedly, bouncing upward.
"What did Jigen feed you for dinner?" Goemon inquired.
"Pixie Sticks," Yukiko replied cheerily.
"Holy Shinto, Jigen…" Goemon muttered, putting a hand on his forehead and shaking it.
Later that night, after Goemon too had been worn down by Yukiko's hyper activity, Yukiko had fallen asleep from the sugar rush, Lupin had finished wrapping the gifts, and Fujiko and he had gotten into another argument as to the gender to the gender of the baby, Amaya found she could not sleep. She rose from her cot and wrapped one of her kimonos around herself, and decided on a bowl of soup as a midnight snack. It had become cooler in Osaka over the past week, and fall was quickly approaching. She quietly opened the door of the bedroom and walked out, and was more than a little surprised to see someone at the computer.
After her eyes adjusted, she realized it was just Jigen. He sneezed, cursed at the computer, and lifted his cup of chicken soup to his mouth. Amaya approached him, and Jigen turned around.
"How did you—" Amaya started.
"Your other senses get better when you loose one," Jigen replied wearily, setting the cup of soup down next to the laptop screen.
"What are you trying to do?" inquired Amaya as she pulled up a chair next to him.
"I'm trying to find someone I knew once," Jigen replied.
"Really? Who?" Amaya inquired.
"It's none of your—Could… Could you find her? I can't figure this thing out…" Jigen muttered.
"Sure. Here, let me sit there," Amaya exchanged seats with Jigen, and began to type, "Okay, what's her name?"
"Sakura Yazuki," Jigen replied, followed by another loud sneeze.
"Okay," Amaya typed in the name into the search engine, and came up with several pages of results. After an hour of searching, Amaya had found Sakura's medical records and birth certificate, but little else, "Where are you, Sakura?" Amaya muttered to herself as she continued to type.
"I think I know why we can't find her," Jigen said, closing his eyes.
"Really?" Amaya turned to him, "Why?"
Osaka, Eight Years Ago:
Jigen and Sakura looked over the battlefield with great dismay. The police were there now. It was not supposed to happen like this. It was meant to be a polite verbal argument, but it had into a bloody massacre. Luckily, people had only been injured; no one had been killed. He himself had been grazed in the shoulder.
"Sakura, this isn't a life for you," Jigen said as they began to walk away from the scene. He made sure to put his hat over his eyes and Sakura put her scarf over her hair and her sunglasses over her eyes as they carefully avoided the police.
"What do you mean?" Sakura inquired, turning towards him.
Jigen stopped when they had come to a clearing in the park the gunfire had taken place, "We tried to hide together, but I think it'd be better for you if I left."
"What? No," Sakura put a hand on his arm. She looked downward as she felt something moist and warm, and looked at her hand to see blood leaking for his wound to her hand, "Jigen, don't talk like that! I told you I'd stay with you no matter what, and I'm good on my word!"
"I know," Jigen looked downward and removed her sunglasses from her face, "This is just too dangerous for you. I don't want you to get hurt. They found us once, they'll find us again. And maybe next time one of us would end up getting killed. I'd rather know you were out there, safe, than know that you're six feet under."
"Then don't think like that!" Sakura replied, tears coming to her eyes. She leaned inward to him, and he put an arm on her back, "Don't think like that, and it won't happen. We'll go to America! California! We'll get married, and start a family!"
"Here," Jigen stepped back and removed a packet from his coat.
"What's that?" Sakura inquired, wiping some of her tears away.
"It's your new life… You can start over again. I've arranged everything for you, just in case this happened," Jigen replied, handing her the envelope.
"But—What about you?" Sakura asked shakily.
"I'm going back to the guys. But, if you need anything, try to find us. It's not all that hard if you know where to look," Jigen replied with a reassuring yet hollow smile.
"Jigen, I…" Sakura was cut off as Jigen kissed her, and then began to walk away from her, "Don't go…"
The Present:
"Because I told her to make herself invisible to every bad guy out there, even me," Jigen replied, and rose.
"Don't you want to find her?" Amaya inquired.
"Yeah, I do. But I know if she wanted to, she would find me," Jigen answered, "She's probably started all over again, like I told her to. I don't want to come in and ruin her life. Thanks, though, Amaya."
"No problem," Amaya muttered, exiting out of her program, "Poor guy…." she added under her breath as she turned off the computer and went back towards her bedroom to sleep.
