Disclaimer: I do not own the characters Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata—And maybe Amaya, I don't really know how that would work, but, anyway…
Hi!
How're you guys liking this sequel so far? I know it's a little slow to begin with, but it'll all be worth it—Trust me on this, guys. And, um, by the way—Thank you all so much for the reviews. I was only expecting a couple really; I never in a million years expected a response this good from my two stories, considering The Picture, the Promise and the Protectors was my first shot at fanfiction…. Domo arigato.
Chapter Three
Day Three: Under the Boardwalk
'Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies,
Somebody calls you,
You answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes,'
--The Beatles, 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'
Jigen trudged along the beach alone, kicking up the sand with his shoes. He had rolled up his sleeves, loosened his tie, and had slung his jacket over one of his shoulders. They had arrived in Miami a few hours ago, and Fujiko and Yukiko were both sleeping as a result of jet lag. Lupin was out and about in the city, probably checking to see if there was something worth the taking. Amaya and Goemon had disappeared from the hotel room but had left a note saying they would be back in a few hours.
"Goddamned seagulls," he said to himself as one swooped down and knocked his hat off of his head. He bent down, picked up his hat and dusted off the sand. As he went to put it back on his head, he suddenly stopped dead. One of the women sunning her back on the beach had a large tattoo on her back identical to the one from the Chinese woman he had met in the department store, "It couldn't be…" he muttered, walking over towards her. He looked down at the tattoo, and saw that it was a tattoo of a dragon fighting with a large orange bird.
The young woman seemed to sense his presence, and looked up from her book that she had been enthralled in, "Hi! What are you doing here? This is pretty funny, huh!?"
"Meeting in a grocery store is funny, meeting on a different continent is plain weird," Jigen responded, "What are you doing here?"
"Getting some sun," she replied.
"What about France? They have nice beaches," Jigen asked.
"You sound like you don't want me here," she said with a smile. She tied the top of her bikini together and sat up on her chair, "So, what's your name, anyway?" She asked as she put a long shirt over her bathing suit and then looked upward at Jigen once more with a smile.
"Uh…. Daisuke…" he replied slowly, not wanting to give her the name that his wanted posters called him.
"Daisuke?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow, "Okay…. I'm Ming. Nice to meet you, Daisuke."
"Nice to meet you too, I guess…" Jigen said with a slight tone of suspicion in his voice, "Well, I'll see you around…."
"What? Not quite done with walking along the beach alone?" Ming asked with a smirk. She rose and put a wrap around her waist and a pair of sandals on, "Come on, I'll walk with you. You look really sad out there by yourself. You need some company."
"Really, I—" Jigen started, but Ming had already begun to pull him along with her, "I always find the pushy ones…" he said under his breath as Ming looked back at him with another wide smile, "Fine…" he began to walk next to her
"Hey," Ming stopped and stood in front of him, "Let me see your eyes," she said, reaching up and removing Jigen's sunglasses without waiting for his consent. Jigen squinted a little at the bright sun, but his eyes soon adjusted. She smiled, "They're pretty. You ought to get some contacts, though. See, I have contacts," she added, pointing to her blue eyes.
"Really? Those are contacts?" Jigen asked in surprise.
"Yeah! What'd you think they were—Real!? I wish!" Ming laughed and handed him his glasses. Jigen put them back on and looked at the young girl, and decided she was somewhat insane. She just had to be, Jigen concluded. "Hey, you want to go out for a little while? I can stop at my hotel, get changed, and we'll go to lunch or something."
"Thanks, but—"
"Great! Come on! It's right up here!" she said, and began to break off into a run, still holding onto Jigen's hand.
"Why is it everyone I meet now is just like Lupin?" Jigen muttered to himself as Ming led him into her hotel and went into the elevator with her.
"Why the heck are you so trusting, Lady? Don't you know that isn't safe in Miami? There are druglords and God only knows what else around here!" Jigen said as Ming pressed the buttons for the elevator and stood back.
"Because I always come armed," she replied with a smile.
"Where?" Jigen inquired, looking Ming up and down. Ming laughed at this, and slammed her left sandal down once, revealing a blade in her shoe. Jigen said nothing, but nodded and looked over at the number of the floor they were passing on the doorway, and wondered how long it would take for them to reach her hotel room. He contemplated throwing her out and going back down the elevator by himself for a few seconds, but came to attention as Ming began to move once more.
Ming bent down, and adjusted her sandal, and stood straight up again as the doors opened to her hotel room floor. Jigen slowly followed her to her room, and watched from the opened doorway as Ming vanished into her room, "Come on in!" Ming called, "I don't bite—Well, not often, that is. But come on in and get a drink!"
Jigen slowly walked in, looking around the hotel room as he did so; checking for cameras, traps, guns, policemen, etc., etc. Sure, you made a lot of money stealing things, but it made you very paranoid in return, he thought as he continued to look around at his surroundings. He slowly sat down in his chair and waited for Ming. She came out with her now famous numerous bracelets, a short black skirt, a pink blouse, black and pink socks, and black shoes.
"What do you think?" Ming asked.
"Lady, you look like a sort of rag doll from hell," Jigen admitted.
Ming bent over a little in her laughter, "You're really honest! I like that! Thanks! Hey, I've got to put my makeup on, okay? I'll be quick, I promise."
"Them and their makeup," Jigen muttered, folding his arms and waiting for Ming to come out of her room once more, "Why am I here? I should be in the hotel, watching over Yukiko… Instead, I'm in a hotel room with some sort of spoiled punk kid…"
Ming came back out of her room, now wearing pink and black makeup. Jigen was taken aback with shock as he laid eyes on her black lipstick, "Jesus Christ…" he muttered to himself, "What the hell are you? Some sort of scary clown? Do you try to make children cry with that getup!?"
"Nonsense—All clowns are scary," Ming replied as she picked up her purse and led Jigen out of her hotel room.
"So, what happened to that Indian guy you were with?" Jigen asked as they continued to walk down the Miami streets.
"What Indian guy?" Ming inquired.
"Don't play dumb with me. I know that was you under that sheet. You and she were both wearing the same perfume," Jigen said, stopping Ming and standing in front of her, "What's going on with that?"
"Listen, come with me," Ming said, putting her hands on Jigen's shoulders, "We have to talk about this in private."
"No way, Lady," Jigen responded, taking a step back, "I don't go anywhere alone with people I don't know."
"You'll get to know me better then, I promise!" Ming responded desperately, pulling Jigen forward. Jigen looked down in surprise and saw that this look was no act; she looked genuinely terrified.
"All right," Jigen nodded, and Ming led him back over to a nearby beach. They walked silently at each other's side until Ming found a dock, and sat down under it with him. She held her knees up to her chin, and looked out at the beach.
"My parents died when I was little," Ming started calmly, "I was taken in, and I was educated, and…. Well, when I got older, I found I couldn't leave the man who had taken me in."
"Yeah, but what does it have to do with me and my friends, Lady?" Jigen inquired, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
"I convinced my 'boss' that you were coming here, and I told him I wanted to go to Miami, because you all were here…" she answered.
"You're leaving a lot of holes in this story," Jigen said suspiciously as he took a drag of his cigarette.
"Does it matter!?" Ming asked in a loud tone, turning to Jigen, "I want to get away, but I can't…. Could… Could you help me? I need good bodyguards, and I know you and your friends are the best in the business. I'll pay anything you want, it doesn't matter how much or what it is," Ming said, followed by an uneasy silence from both.
"All right. Damn, I can think of a couple of people who are going to be pissed at me for doing this, but you look like you're for real, Kid…" Jigen replied after a pause, "Okay… I'll do it…"
"Good!" Ming stood, and dusted the sand off of her, "I'm sure we can talk about later."
"Yeah, yeah… Sure…" Jigen muttered as he adjusted his hat, "Listen, I've got to get back to my daughter now, so I'll see you in a little bit. I'll pick you up at your place."
"It's a date," Ming replied happily, "But you still owe me a meal."
"Uh… Yeah…" Jigen replied slowly. Ming waved goodbye to Jigen as he rose from the sand. Jigen let out a heavy sigh, "What the hell is wrong with this picture?" He adjusted his hat, began to walk down the beach, and was almost immediately struck in the head with a Frisbee in mid-flight.
"Sorry!" a child called, running over to Jigen and taking the Frisbee.
"Here," Jigen rose, and threw the Frisbee off over a group of sand dunes.
"You stupid gringo!" the boy shouted. As Jigen rose and picked up his hat, his gun tumbled out. Both he and the boy looked down at the gun for a few moments before the boy began to back up, "Uh… Sorry, Mister... Got to go!"
"Nope, haven't lost my touch…" Jigen muttered as he rose and rubbed his head and picked up his gun from the beach, "Damn! Sand's in this thing! I need to go clean this now… I never get off easy, do I?"
Miami Airport:
"Are you sure they're here, Sir?" Remy asked Zenigata as both picked up their bags from the luggage checkout.
"Hell, yes!" Zenigata snapped back, "We received a tip from Interpol headquarters that Lupin and his gang of thieves were here."
"Did you hear there's a new member?" Remy inquired as the walked out of the airport, "Her name is Amaya—She goes by a single name, like the lot of them. There's also a girl named Yukiko, but no one seems to know who she is. Do you have any guesses, Sir?"
"Not a one. Now shut up while I hail a cab!" Zenigata snapped in response. Remy immediately quieted and stepped back while Zenigata yelled in vain in an attempt to get a cab.
"Mind if I try?" asked Remy, taking a step forward and immediately catching a cab. Zenigata grumbled as he and Remy climbed into the seat together, and Remy smiled to himself as he buckled his seatbelt.
"Where to, my friends?" the cab driver inquired in a distinct Hindi accent.
"Palm Tree Inn, my good man," Remy replied.
"Right away," the cabby answered, nodding and putting the car into drive.
"Jesus I hate bright lights like these…." Zenigata grumbled as they continued to drive onward.
The Hotel of the Lupin Gang:
The door opened, and Lupin quickly rose the couch, "Jigen! I wondered where you went off to! You didn't leave a Goddamned note or anything! Where were you?"
"Out, Mommy. We've got a job. Well, at least I do…" said Jigen as he walked into the main room and sat down on the couch.
"What? What do you mean?" Lupin inquired, jumping down onto the couch next to him.
"A young girl needs some bodyguards. I don't know how long, and I don't even know the full story…. But I know she really needs our help," Jigen replied, crossing his arms and sitting back on the couch.
"What!?" Lupin shrieked, standing up and leaning down to Jigen, putting his face merely inches away from the gunman's.
"Hi, Jigen!" said Yukiko happily, jumping onto the couch and sitting close next to her father, "Did you have a good time? Where did you go? You meet anyone?"
"You were that bored that you have to bombard me with questions?" Jigen smirked, and pushed Lupin back. He picked Yukiko up, and set her on his lap, "I just went out for a little while, Kid. Went to the beach. Oh, hey, I got you this! It's been bugging the hell out of me all day!" he said, and reached into his pocket and pulled out a moderately sized seashell. Yukiko gasped in delight, and embraced her father. Jigen smiled, and Lupin looked on at the two, his hands in his pockets. He hoped that perhaps his child would love him as much as Jigen's girl loved her father, but this was uncertain. It was a family tradition that parents and their children be estranged in the Lupin family, and it frightened him to some extent.
"You want to go look for some more shells tomorrow?" Jigen inquired.
"Sure!" Yukiko replied happily, sitting back and looking at her father with her usual wide smile.
"Okay, we'll do that after I go pick up someone," Jigen said.
"Really? Who?" Yukiko asked.
"Well… It's a girl, who needs to be protected, so we're going to protect her," Jigen replied awkwardly.
"What's her name?" asked Yukiko.
"Ming," Jigen responded.
"Is she nice?"
"Too early to tell," Jigen replied, and removed Yukiko from his lap, "I'll see you in a little bit, Kid. Lupin, take care of her for me."
"Sure thing, Dad…" Lupin answered with a sly smile. Jigen frowned at him, and then exited the hotel.
Little Havana:
"Aren't these excellent, Amaya?" Goemon asked as the duo walked through a Spanish courtyard.
"They're hibiscus flowers," Amaya added as she leaned down and took a closer look at the flowers, "And, yes, they are beautiful." Both rose and continued to walk through the courtyard, but Amaya turned and looked back as she realized Goemon was no longer with her. She saw that he had stopped dead, and was looking upward, "Goemon, what's wrong?" Amaya asked, walking back towards Goemon.
She turned to see what Goemon was looking at, and saw a man on top of a Spanish-tiled home. He was dressed in Indian garb, and wielded a sword. He looked downward at him, and they both noted that he had pale, almost icy, blue eyes.
"You must be Ishikawa Goemon XIII and Amaya Zenigata. I am happy to have the honor to fight you," he said, jumping down and unsheathing a large saber. He swung at Goemon first, but the samurai quickly dodged it with his own sword. Amaya had also drawn out her sword, which she carried hidden away in her kimono, and poised herself ready for attack. The Indian man and Goemon continued the sword fight throughout the courtyard.
"You are a good fighter, I will give you that. But I should show you my true skills now, Goemon," said the opposing man. He raised his sword, and there was a quick flash. Goemon fell back, and held onto his shoulder. He looked down at his hand, and saw it was covered in blood.
"You bastard!" Amaya screamed, and lunged for the stranger. He quickly drew his sword to her, blocking her intended blow.
He looked at Amaya, and smiled, "Do not worry. It is not fatal. This is just a welcoming present to Lupin and his friends. Trust Ravi on this—If I wanted to kill him, I would have a long time ago," he put his sword back in its sheath, and looked downward at Goemon, "But he has great skill, and I do not want to kill off a talent like that yet. It would be a sin to do so," Ravi turned, jumped up onto a balcony, then up onto the roof, and disappeared.
"Goemon!" Amaya turned her attention back to the wounded swordsman, and looked at his wound, "Come on…. We need to get you to a hospital, quick! Oh God, oh God…. That son of a bitch…" She muttered as she helped a dazed Goemon to stand.
"Don't worry. I have had worse," Goemon lied as he trudged along out of the gardens with Amaya, leaving a trail of blood in their path.
Later that Night:
"Where are they? They said they'd be back by eight, and it's eleven!" Lupin said worriedly as he paced back and forth in the living room.
"Lupin, it's not unusual for Goemon to vanish when he feels it's needed," Fujiko sighed as she lounged on the couch and flipped through another book.
"But Amaya doesn't," Lupin answered, "She's just like Pops in the sense she's very analytical. Plus, she has a cell phone that she could've used…" The door opened, and both looked intently, but this was replaced by another form of shock as Jigen came in with Ming.
"What the hell is it?" Lupin murmured to himself as he looked Ming up and down. Ming set her bags down and looked over at Jigen for further instructions.
"I…. Um… Guess I'll take the couch…" Jigen said slowly as he began to pick up Ming's bags.
"Nonsense! Your daughter is in there, too. I'll just get a cot out, and I'll sleep in a corner on the room," Ming replied.
Jigen sputtered, "Yeah, but, I—"
"It's all right," Ming said with a wink, "I won't pull anything funny, I swear. I'm always on my best behavior in front of kids. Besides, I think you're a little old for me, no offense."
"WHAT!? Goddamn—Oh, never mind. I'll, uh, get the cot out then…" Jigen responded, picking up a few of Ming's bags and quickly walking out of the living room.
Ming looked over at Lupin and Fujiko, "Um… Hi, I'm Ming…. You just be Lupin and Fujiko…. Nice to me you… Um, Daisuke told me all about you guys…."
"She calls you by your first name!?" Lupin shouted, storming into Jigen's room. He found Jigen trying to set up a cot in the room, and trying not to pay attention to Lupin, "Jigen, what's going on!? Is she a kid of yours, too!? Why do I have the feeling you've screwed around more than me?"
"She isn't that young, and I'm not that old," Jigen snapped in response as he finished setting up the cot and began to put the sheets on it, "She needed some help, and she even offered to pay us."
"Pay?" this brought Lupin to attention, "Really? What's the rate?"
"I don't know. We haven't gone over it yet," Jigen replied.
"Maybe you should get her to go out with you and call it even," Lupin said with a chuckle, "She says you're not her type, but all it takes is a little convincing."
"What!? No way! I don't want anyone right now; I'm too tired from Yukiko—I don't need a woman to drain me of my energy and wallet," Jigen snapped as he put the finishing touches on the bed and standing straight up once more.
Lupin smirked out of the corner of his mouth, "Did you ever ask her if she would mind another mom? I mean, she has Amaya and Fujiko, and, a little strangely, Goemon, for mother-like figures, but they're only kind of like that…. Have you ever asked her if she wanted a mom?"
"No, and I don't want to. I know the answer to that question," Jigen said as he began to walk away. He turned back to Lupin, "And I know she probably wouldn't mind me hooking up with someone, but I'm not ready for anything like that. Not yet."
Lupin and Jigen exchanged a brief smile of understanding that was interrupted by a gasp of terror that was distinctly Fujiko's. Both ran out and saw Goemon bandaged up around the shoulder and chest, and leaning against a fatigued-looking Amaya.
"What the hell happened?!" Lupin yelped, walking over to the two.
"We were attacked," Amaya responded, "The guy who attacked us called himself 'Ravi', and he did this to Goemon. I wanted to kill that bastard, I and I still do! I could've, if I had just been a little quicker!"
Yukiko, whom had been in the kitchen during this entire series of events, came out and saw the new face of Ming and Goemon's wound, and opened her mouth a little in shock.
"Goemon!?" Yukiko yelped.
"I'm all right, Yukiko," Goemon replied, followed by a groan of pain from his deep gash. He knelt downward, and Yukiko walked over and embraced him gently enough so that she would not cause him more pain than he was already suffering from. Goemon heard her begin to weep, and tried to quiet her and reassure her that he had not been hurt very severely. Finally, after a great deal of convincing that Goemon would live, they managed to tear Yukiko away from him and take her over to the couch, where she still silently cried to herself. Ming looked over at Yukiko, and back at Goemon and Amaya. Amaya was now leading him to their room, Lupin and Jigen trailing behind.
Amaya helped ease Goemon down onto the bed and adjusted the pillows before he laid his head down on them. She kneeled down at the bed next to him, and began to look the wound over, "Are you sure you're all right, Goemon?"
"Amaya, it wasn't that bad," Goemon reassured her.
Amaya sat back on her knees, "I'm going to get that jerk back, don't worry, I don't care if I have to hunt that bastard down…"
"No, please don't go hunting anyone down. If you're that much like Zenigata, I'll never see you again," Goemon said with a wry smile.
Amaya chuckled at this, "Listen, I have to go get some things…. I'll be right back…" she rose and put a hand on his arm briefly before exiting the room. Jigen and Lupin were in a corner of the room, looking back at a resting Goemon. Lupin turned to Jigen and began to speak, but stopped midway, and looked back at Goemon.
"I wonder why that guy did that…." Jigen inquired, "This is pretty Goddamned weird, I think you'll agree. First the shootout, now some guy comes with a sword trying to kill Goemon."
"He didn't want to kill me," Goemon said, looking toward the two.
"What?" Lupin took a step forward, "Why do you think that?"
"I know it because he told me," Goemon replied, "He said that this was just a welcome present for Lupin and his friends…."
Jigen's eyes traveled over to Lupin, and he saw a shadow grow over the thief's face. Jigen cleared his throat, "So, Lupin, what should we do? Do you think we should call this vacation off?"
"No way in hell," Lupin shook his head, "He was probably just some punk…"
"Lupin," Goemon closed his eyes, "I have come across many punks and had to fight them, and I can reassure you that that man was no punk. He had great skill; I think he was a professional swordsman."
"Goemon, don't worry about it. Just rest a little while," Lupin ordered and walked out of the bedroom. Jigen looked over at Goemon once more, and then followed Lupin out with intent to ask him what was going on. He didn't get the chance, however; Yukiko came up to him and wrapped her arms about his waist.
Jigen sighed, rolled his eyes, and kneeled down in front of Yukiko, "Don't worry; we're all taking good care of Goemon—He'll get better, I promise you. He just needs to rest, and for you to be strong, okay?" he said. Yukiko nodded, "Okay, good…" Yukiko leaned forward and embraced him, and Jigen exhaled tiredly and slowly returned the embrace.
Lupin went out to the hotel balcony and looked out at the beaches of Miami, "Damn… I didn't think they'd go that incredibly low! I can't believe them! What the hell is he thinking…" Lupin muttered, "I don't get how he knows where I am, though! What the hell!?" he yelped as he saw a small letter taped to the balcony railing. Lupin tore it off, and read it over.
Dear Lupin,
Like my gift? I thought you would. Ravi's a good swordsman, isn't he? One of the best in the world; he was very excited at getting the chance to face off against your sword-wielding friend…. Samurai Jack didn't cut it though, did he? Ravi cut him…. And my, how deep the cut… Not only to your poor friend's shoulder, but to your pride. Well, have an excellent time at Miami, and be sure to get some cigars while you're down here. They just don't make them like they do in Miami…
Sincerely,
Anonymous
Lupin growled, crumpled the paper in his hand, and threw it out towards the ocean. It didn't quite make, though, but it disappeared into the black abyss of the Miami night.
