DISCLAIMER: Don't own Lupin. But you know that already…..
How the heck ya'll doin'!?
Me too, except I'm also tired, multiplied by ten. How is in that most writers never have enough time to write down their ideas, but those with time to kill waste it? I don't get it. Besides this 'short' (ha ha) fanfic , I'm working on a script, four books, a short story, and a series of articles. Yeah, and I've got a life in there somewhere in there, too. Pardon the cynicism, but I'm just pretty tired right now, and I now already I won't be able to get a nap in in the next few days…. On another not, anyone have any ideas they'd like to see in here? I'm open to anything, really. I've been known to use some of the ideas, too. Well, if you have anything, you guys know where to post. Hope you like the next chapter! Bye for now!
'Cry baby cry,
Make your mother sigh,
She's old enough to know better,
So cry Baby Cry'
--The Beatles, 'Cry baby cry'
Chapter Twenty One
A few Days Later: Strangers in the Night
A baby's screaming interrupted the otherwise quiet nighttime, and all in the Lupin mansion let out a collective groan.
"Someone shut that friggin' kid up before I do!" Jigen yelled.
"I'm goin', I'm goin'," Lupin groaned, trudging out of his room and walking across the hall to the babies' room, "That you again, Ari? Of course it is. It's four A.M.. Fuji won't start for another half an hour…." Lupin muttered, lifting the baby boy out of his blue crib and rocking him back and forth. Ari continued to wail, even after Lupin rocked him, gave him a bottle, and changed him. A half an hour later, Fuji started to wail. Lupin slammed his head against the wall in frustration, and found the phone.
He usually wouldn't do such a thing, but he was desperate. He dialed the number, and waited. An unusually awake-sounding Zenigata answered, "Hello?"
"Hey, Pops? This is Lupin. It's four in the morning, both of my kids are crying their asses off, and I've tried everything I know. I don't know who else to call," Lupin said tiredly, "You're the only guy I know who's ever lived with a baby."
"Have you tried singing to them?" Zenigata asked.
"I did, and then I had Goemon in here, threatening to kill me if I uttered one more note. I guess I'll never have a career in music," Lupin answered in a shrug.
"Do you know anyone who knows how to sing?" Zenigata asked.
"Well?" Lupin inquired.
"Okay," Zenigata sighed heavily, "Go into Jigen's room."
"What?"
"Just trust me," Zenigata sighed.
Later:
"You want me to do what?" Jigen asked tiredly.
"You know Disney songs. Goemon scares children, Ming scares children, children scare Amaya—You sound like Baloo from The Jungle Book. Just please sing to my children. For God's sake, Jigen, just do this for me. Thanks," Lupin replied, closing the door behind the gunman. Lupin walked down the stairs of the house, and walked down the stairs, "Okay, Pops. All taken care of. Now what?"
"Go to the refrigerator and get a very strong drink," Zenigata answered with a wry laugh.
"Now this I can do without any problem," Lupin chuckled, taking a beer from the refrigerator, "Hey, thanks, Zenigata."
"No problem. It's not like I have a job to wake up for anymore," Zenigata replied.
"You want a job, Pops?" asked Lupin as he sat down at the kitchen counter, "I'm looking for a babysitter, for when I'm out of the country, or just out. Plus, you know, Jigen's going to have his own baby soon, and…."
"Are you basically asking me to play nanny while you're out stealing crap?" Zenigata asked suspiciously.
"Well… I suppose you could put it that way…." Lupin responded coyly.
"I'll get back to you," Zenigata replied, "Right now, I've got to get going."
"At five in the morning? Where?" asked Lupin.
"I promised Natasha I would take her out to see France, and I want to be on the road before rush hour," Zenigata answered.
"You really like her, huh?"
"None of your Goddamned business," Zenigata answered.
"Hey, Pops, how'd you know to send in Jigen?" asked Lupin.
"He knows the most songs," Zenigata answered, "I can't tell you how many times over the years I watched him stumble back to your hideout singing."
"Yeah. One thing about Jigen—When he's drunk, you can hear him before you see it," said Lupin, "Well, I guess that's all heart-to-heart that I can stand. I'll know I'll be talking to you later, Zenigata."
"See you around, you little bastard."
"Thanks, Dad," Lupin said absently. Only after he hung up the phone did he realize what he had just done. He cringed, and considered calling Zenigata back, but decided against it. He was too damned tired for explanations. And Pops would probably forget about it, anyway, he concluded.
He rose from his chair, set his beer in the sink, and walked back up the stairs. The light was on in his children's room, and he opened the door and saw a half-awake Jigen rocking the two small children. Jigen's head shot up, and he stood.
"They like Frank Sinatra," said Jigen.
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. A few bars of Fly Me to the Moon and Fuji was out cold," Jigen answered as he passed Ari to Lupin and laid Fuji down in her crib, "Ari's more of the New York, New York type." Lupin set Ari down in his crib, and smiled happily.
"He looks like Fujiko," Lupin said with a smirk.
"Go frickin' figure," Jigen muttered as he tilted his hat upward, "With my luck, my kid'll get my nose."
"Let's just hope to God he's not as hairy as you. The doctors wouldn't be able to tell if it was a baby or a gorilla," Lupin chuckled.
"Shut the hell up," Jigen muttered as he exited the bedroom. He easily walked down the hall back to his room and placed his hand on the doorknob. He counted steps to the different doors of the house, and could easily find his way around the house at nighttime.
Lupin turned off the clown-shaped lamp in the kids' room and closed the door behind himself as he exited. He jumped a little as he saw Jigen in the doorway of his own bedroom, "Holy crap, Jigen! Even after all of these years, you still scare me!"
"I know," Jigen smiled, and went into his bedroom, "G'night, Pops…"
"Daisuke Jigen!" Lupin hissed. Jigen chuckled in satisfaction and closed the door to his room. Lupin shook his head, and walked back into his own room. Fujiko was still asleep—She had been exhausted ever since coming home from the hospital. Most of this could be blamed on the drugs that she had been given.
Later That Day:
A record player had been set in the babies' room, and it currently played a record of Frank Sinatra's greatest hits. Fujiko and Lupin stood in the room, looking down at the babies' cribs in a state of mild awe.
"I don't get it either, Fujicakes," Lupin shrugged as he watched the content children kick in their cribs. He looked back at Fujiko, "You sure these aren't Jigen's kids? I mean, they really seem to like this stuff…."
"No way in hell," Fujiko replied with a confident laugh, "I'd hang myself, first!"
"Hey, it's not so bad," they head. Both turned and saw Ming leaning in the doorway, "I'm sure she's going to like to kick, though."
"You don't really think it'll be a girl, do you?" Lupin asked.
"I'm pretty sure. It would sure as hell make sense. I think Jigen's better suited with girls, ironically enough. Yukiko is daddy's little princess," Ming smirked.
"How much longer until we find out? I mean, I'd like to be able and go swipe something for the baby shower, but I don't know if I have to get it in pink or blue!" said Fujiko.
"Or pink and blue," Lupin muttered, putting a hand to his head.
"Oh, God. Please, no," Ming shuddered, "I'm sorry, but one is enough!"
The three continued talking, while, outside in a park, Toshiro and Yukiko were rocking back and forth on a swing set wordlessly. Yukiko looked over at Toshiro after the long silence between the two, and discontinued swinging. Toshiro followed her lead soon afterward, "What?" he inquired.
"Over there," Yukiko looked over at a group of children around their age playing. The two had been alone for a while in the park, except for Goemon and Amaya, who idled their time in their own ways.
"Oh! Hey, you want to go play with them?" asked Toshiro.
"I—I guess," Yukiko answered cautiously, recalling the last time she had tried to play with other children, "If I go to do something stupid, please stop me."
"Stupid?" Toshiro inquired as he walked over with her to the children, "Uh, hi…" he said in English, hoping that most of the children understood. Yukiko was fluent in English and Japanese thanks to her mother, and had learned French from living in France for a while. She was currently also secretly learning Italian in order to impress her father. Toshiro had spoken Japanese and English, and was currently learning French as well.
The children were about to answer, but suddenly a man walked up to the group, "Excuse me, I'm not a kidnapper or anything, I swear to God. I just want you all to see if you've seen this little girl. She's my daughter. Please, have you seen her? I traveled all the way from Chicago to find her!"
The children, including Yukiko and Toshiro, looked downward at the black and white photo. Yukiko and Toshiro's smiles feel, and Yukiko felt the room begin to spin.
It was her…
The man looked upward at Yukiko and smiled widely, "Yukiko!? Yukiko Yazuki!?"
"Sorry, my name's Jigen," Yukiko answered, grabbing Toshiro and pulling him away by the hand.
"But—" Toshiro sputtered, "Yu—Yukiko, that was you!"
"Goemon, we want to go home!" Yukiko yelled to the samurai. Goemon looked up from the Japanese book he had been reading, and looked at her, puzzled.
"Is that man a parent?" Goemon asked as he viewed the American from his seat next to Amaya.
"No, he's a friggin' psycho. Please go kick his ass," Yukiko answered, cowering behind Toshiro.
"Well… He's leaving now, so I see now harm," Goemon muttered, "Are you two sure you want to leave now?"
"Yes. Please," Yukiko answered sternly.
Later:
"Where are Lupin and Fujiko?" Ming asked quietly as she went to making a sandwich in the kitchen, "It's quiet as hell in here."
Jigen looked over at her and shrugged, "Out with the babies. I know what you mean. And Goemon and Amaya took Yukiko and Toshiro out."
"So… It's just us?" Ming concluded slowly, turning to Jigen.
"Yeah. You know, I know what my mother meant when she told me 'silence is golden'. I see more gold bars and precious treasure than I do peace and quiet!" Jigen said in a somewhat stressed tone, "I tell ya, it ain't always easy. One hell of a ride though!" Ming suddenly jumped towards him, and kissed him. Jigen tensed in surprise, but soon relaxed, and lifted her up onto the kitchen counter. Jigen climbed onto the kitchen counter after her, and would have gone from there, if he had not heard a scream of surprise.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Goemon demanded in shock.
"Goemon!" Jigen rose, lost his balance, and then fell back onto the floor, "Oh, Jesus—My back!" Jigen groaned, sitting up.
Ming rose from the counter and jumped off, and kneeled down next to Jigen, "You didn't throw anything out of place, did you!?"
"No, I'm okay. Just surprised," Jigen grumbled.
"You're not the only one," Amaya muttered, "Thank God Yukiko and Toshiro went to play a video game."
"How long have you guys been in?" Jigen inquired, lifting his hat up from his eyes.
"About three minutes," Goemon replied, "Um… Should we leave you two alone again?"
"No, it's all right," Ming answered as she stood and straightened her shirt. She picked up her sandwich and walked into the living room, Amaya following soon afterward.
"God dammit," Jigen grumbled as he rose off of the floor, and pointed a finger at Goemon, "You couldn't have just left!? Damn!"
"Sorry," Goemon said, "But perhaps you could pick a more inconspicuous spot, next time."
"And perhaps you could refrain from screaming your ass off, next time," Jigen retorted, and exited in a huff. He joined Yukiko, Toshiro, Amaya, and Ming in the living room. Toshiro and Yukiko had taken a break from their video game, and currently Amaya and Ming were in a face off. Amaya, unsurprisingly, was in the lead.
"How the… How the hell did you do that!?" Ming wondered out loud as Amaya killed her player once again.
"Technique, you button-mashing novice," Amaya answered as she killed Ming again.
"Damn!" Ming sighed, sitting back on the couch, "That's the last time I even dare to play with you. Anyone know if there's a type of game this girl is bad at!?"
"Puzzle-solving. I can deduct, but damned if I don't lack the patience for them," Amaya answered, "Jigen, you want to give it a bash?"
"No way. Those things are ten times more addictive than cigarettes could ever hope to be," Jigen answered, putting his hands up in defense, "Thanks, though, but I've kicked most of my habits."
"Like hell you have," Ming muttered, "If you don't have everything in an exact place in the morning, your entire day is screwed up."
"That's not true!"
"I move the toothpaste once, and you bitch me out for it!" Ming answered.
The door rang, and Jigen immediately rose, "I'll get it." He announced as he walked over to the door and opened it. The same Italian man from before was at the doorway, holding his hat in his hands nervously.
"Um… Hello, Sir…. I was wondering if I might talk to you a few moments about Sakura Yazuki," he said.
Jigen looked him up and down suspiciously, "About what?"
"Well," he laughed lightly, and shrugged, "It's sort of hard to explain. May we sit out here a few moments?"
"Sure," Jigen recalled he had at least three guns on him, so he would be safe. The two men sat down on the porch, and Jigen waited for him to speak.
"I, uh, was in Japan eight years ago. I met Sakura there. We, uh, met one another a few times, and, now I have reason to believe that she actually had a daughter by me! Imagine that! Her name's Yukiko," said the man.
Jigen sat there, stunned, "You must have the wrong idea, buddy. You're probably thinking of a separate Sakura. The Sakura I knew would never do anything with a guy she'd met only a few times. She was way too modest. She didn't even like to wear sleeveless shirts in public."
"You knew her personally?"
"I was her fiancée for two years," Jigen replied.
"Oh," he muttered quietly, "I—I had no idea she had a boyfriend! I do recall seeing you before, though."
"You're so friggin' full of yourself… Sakura would never do something like that to anyone! She would never cheat on me!" Jigen shook his head, and rose, "You get the hell out of here now! My buddy's father-in-law in a top police officer, and he'll have your ass in cuffs and out of here before you can turn your head!"
"Fine," the man rose, and glared at Jigen, "You don't believe me!? Do a blood test! I know you as well, Mister Jigen. I've seen you in the papers. You really think, even if you are the paternal parent, a judge would find you capable of raising a child!? Children living with alcoholics are better off."
Jigen grabbed the stranger by the Italian suit, and growled, "Like hell! I'll bet you've never even lived with an alcoholic for a dad! I'm ten times better a parent than any alcoholic!"
The man snarled, and wriggled out of Jigen's grasp, "We'll see. You get that blood test, and give my daughter to me, or I'll go to a judge, and they'll extradite you to the States, and put you away forever. And then your little friends in there'll go next. They'll kill your one friend, Lupin. They believe in punishment for such crimes in Japan. You may also very well be killed."
"You blackmailing bastard!" Jigen yelled as the man exited from the porch.
"I'll be back on Monday," he said, and climbed back into his car, leaving Jigen to his own disbelieving thoughts.
