DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Lupin characters—But, guess what-- I own a car now!!!!

Hey!

How's everyone been? Good over here, too. The usual stress and that, but not that bad…. December's coming up, so that means a little down time. Thanks for the information on the new season, Lealah! Hey, guys, if you haven't heard, they're starting a new Lupin season on Cartoon Network on New Year's Ever. Yeah, I better get started on trying to figure out the mechanics of a VCR. Yes, it will be a Happy New Year's, fellas, an' not just because there's going to be the promise of Sangria!

'He blew his mind out in a car,

he didn't notice that the lights had

changed,

a crowed of people stood and stared,

they'd seen his face before,

nobody was really sure if he was from

the House of Lords,'

--The Beatles, 'A Day in the Life'

Chapter Twenty Four

The next afternoon in an Italian Restaurant: The Night Chicago Died

"Was this the place they used for The Godfather?" Lupin inquired as he looked around the smoky Italian club, which was dimly lit and smelt of cigarettes and expensive Italian wine.

"Hey, watch it," Jigen answered as he closed the door behind himself. He led Goemon and Lupin over to a certain table, where an Italian man in a Versace suit sat by himself, drinking a glass of red wine while wearing a far-off look, "Hiya, Jackie. Long time no see, huh?"

The man nearly spat out his wine and looked upward at Jigen, "A—A—"

"Jigen," Jigen replied as he sat down across from his friend, "It's Jigen now."

"Jigen?" he repeated dimly.

"Yeah. And these are my friends. Goemon Ishikawa and the infamous Lupin the Third," Jigen answered smugly, leaning back in his chair, "So, how've things been? How're the kids? You got kids?"

"Yeah. Two," he answered nervously, "Nine and eleven." He turned to Goemon, and looked down at his sword. He laughed nervously, "Hey, that's a pretty big sword, buddy…. You compensating?" Goemon glared, unsheathed his blade, and held it to Jackie's neck, "Woah! Just joking man, joking! Can't you take joke!?"

"He can't," Lupin answered, "Down, Goemon…" Goemon put his sword away, and leaned back in his chair.

"So, you're Lupin the Third, huh? I always thought you'd be taller," Jackie continued.

"Are you trying to get your ass kicked?" Lupin inquired.

"Hey, man, I've been shot twelve times since I got into this profession—I got more lead in me than a crystal factory. Ask Jigen over here—Two a' them bullets are his!"

"And you earned both of them, Jackie," Jigen replied, "I've got a favor…"

"A favor?" Jackie cringed away nervously.

"One of the Luciano family has my kid. They're somewhere in this city, I know. And I know you know, Jackie. You know everything that goes around here…. You listen in. I friggin' know you do," Jigen replied, rising and looming over Jackie.

"I don't know nothin'!" Jackie answered.

"Hey, didn't your mommy teach you proper English?" Lupin inquired as he removed his gun from his coat pocket.

"Don't you dare mention my mother! She was a saint!" Jackie snapped to Lupin, "Jigen, honestly—I got nothin' for you… I didn't even know you had a kid! We all thought you was a fairy…"

"What!?" Jigen growled.

"It's true! You was always clingin' onto Frenchie over here…." Jackie responded, pointing over to Lupin.

"Enough of that—You tell us what you know about Luciano, Jackie Diamond!" Jigen yelled, slamming his fist onto the bar table.

"You wanna know about Luciano?" they heard. All three turned, and Goemon was the first to be hurled against the wall, followed quickly by Lupin. Jigen followed soon afterward, landing on top of the two. The three looked upward, and saw a muscular mobster looking downward at them.

"Costello?" Jigen raised his head, and smiled, "Costello! You old bastard!"

"Who're—Oh my dear sweet dead mother, it's you!" Costello gaped, "What're you doing here!? And what's with this 'Jigen' B.S.!?"

Jigen rose, and dusted himself off, "Some fellas in the M-A-F-I-A still want to K-I-L-L me."

"Damn! Even after all a' these years!?" Costello laughed, and put an arm over Jigen's shoulders, "Sorry 'bout that, man. No hard feelins'. Hey, you wanna smoke?"

"No, thanks. I haven't smoked in months," Jigen answered.

"You!?" Costello laughed, "If you hadn't had a nickname when you came in, we would've called you smokestack! What the hell happened that made you quit?"

"My daughter," Jigen responded.

"Daughter? Holy crap, you got a kid?" Costello muttered as he took out a cigarette and lit it with a wooden match.

"Yeah. She's seven. And Luciano's got her. My buddies and I are trying to squeeze Diamond for information," Jigen answered, looking back at Jackie, who sat there nervously sipping his red wine.

"Jigen, buddy, you know we've got a code of silence. Omerta-- Don't tell no one about nothin'. Diamond couldn't help you, even if the little scumbag wanted to, which he probably wouldn't," Costello answered.

"Frank, she's my friggin' kid. Please, you gotta help me out here. Come on, Frankie…." Jigen said, lifting his hat upward, "She's my kid. Screw omerta. It's a little girl's life…."

Costello sighed, and bent his head downward, "I got a girl, too, ya know… She's six…."

"I would do it for you, Frankie. I've helped you out over the years…." Jigen added, "I even introduced you to your wife, man!"

Costello paused, "The Gotti Club, downtown. But you didn't here damned thing from me."

"Thanks, Frankie," Jigen said with a smirk, "No hard feelings with the blows…"

"Yeah. Ma always said I should've joined the Cubs!" Costello laughed.

"They'd be even better if you did!" said Jigen.

"Yeah, but we all know I'm handy with a bat, huh?" Costello laughed.

"Frankie the Bat," Jigen nodded, and turned to Lupin and Goemon, "C'mon fellas. Thanks for all the freakin' help, Diamond. I can see why the mob tried to knock off so many times." Jackie said nothing, but quietly continued to sip his wine as Lupin, Goemon, and Jigen left the restaurant.

"You know that gorilla!?" Lupin shrieked as they three walked down the street.

"Frank Costello and I grew up together. He worked with me for a while," Jigen replied.

"He throws a mean curve," Goemon admitted, "What did he mean by being handy with a bat?"

"He beats his double-crossers to death with a bat," Jigen replied coolly. Lupin and Goemon looked at one another briefly, and then back at Jigen, "Hey, it's better than Luciano's weapon…"

"Which is?" Goemon inquired.

Jigen looked back at them, "An ice pick."

The Gotti Club:

"All right, Kid…. Where the hell is it?" Lucky yelled into Yukiko's face angrily.

"My Daddy's a thief—If he knew where it was, don't you think he would've gotten it by now?" Yukiko snapped in response. Lucky drew back, and hit Yukiko on the side of the head. She cringed a little, but did not cry.

"Little bitch. I can't decide what I want to do with you—Sell you to a prossy ring or just kill you," Lucky said as he lit a cigarette.

"That's going to give you cancer," Yukiko warned.

"Go tell it to someone who cares," Luciano turned to his female accomplice, "Michi, you try to talk to her. I'm goin' to get something to eat."

"Okay," Michi nodded, and kneeled in front of Yukiko, "Sweetie, you'd save yourself a lot of trouble if you just told us where the safe was."

"I… Don't… Know…" Yukiko repeated slowly, "I have no clue that the ring had anything to do with any fortune. I thought it was something my dad gave to my mom."

"And your mommy gave it to you, right, Yuki?" Michi nodded.

"Only my family calls me that!" Yukiko snapped.

"Your family?" she inquired, "Like who?"

"Daddy, Ming, Goemon, Amaya, Toshiro, Lupin, Fujiko, Ari, Fuji, Zenigata, and Natasha," Yukiko said as a matter-of-factly, "Lupin's a master thief! He'll get me out of here! Then Goemon, Ming, and Daddy will kick your ass!"

"Where'd you learn language like that?" Michi inquired.

"I—" Yukiko paused, and met Michi's eyes, "You wear Chanel. Like Fujiko does…. Didn't he call you Michi? That's Fujiko's sister's name. Who's in your family?"

Michi shot up, and looked downward at Yukiko, "That's none of your business. I'm trying to save you, Kid! Just help me out! Tell us where it is, please!? I don't want to see a kid get killed!"

"I'm not a kid, and I'm not stupid, and I really don't know where it is!" Yukiko snapped.

"Fine," Michi turned, and slammed the door, "I hope you change your mind, for your own sake!" Michi saw Lucky in the living room of his apartment, walking around and nervously cleaning things, "What are we going to do with her?"

"Going to the Gotti Club, like planned," Lucky answered, "If I can't get it out of her, I know I few guys who can."

"She's just a little girl!" Michi gasped.

"She's a pain in the ass! And she's from the Capone bloodline, to boot! There hasn't been a good member of that family since before the Pope moved into Italy! As far as I know, I'm doing a service to the world by killing them all off! Now get ready! We've got only a few hours!"

"Yes," Michi nodded, and quietly exited the living room and into the bedroom.

A Local Hotel:

"The Gotti Club?" Fujiko repeated.

"Yeah. We're going to need everyone's help in this. If you thought lifting artwork was impressive, you better keep your eyes opened, because you haven't seen anything, yet!" Lupin smirked.

"What's the plan, Lupin?" Toshiro asked.

"I'll write it all out. You're really willing to do anything for Yukiko, Toshiro?" Lupin inquired.

"Definitely!" Toshiro nodded wildly.

"Good," Lupin smirked, and scruffed the young boy's hair, "Let's get this on the road, guys. We've got only a few hours, and then it might even be too late."

"Be okay, Yukiko. Please," Jigen prayed to himself as he opened his suitcase and removed his gun.

Later that Night, the Gotti Club:

"Eat your friggin' chicken strips, Kid!" Lucky snapped to Yukiko.

"I'm not hungry," Yukiko snapped.

"Spoiled brat. You're just like your old man. I'm surprised you don't wear the stupid hat," Lucky muttered.

"I do wear the hat," Yukiko responded, "I like it. It looks good on me."

"You know who your daddy is, you little brat? You know about your dear old daddy who you're willing to defend to the death? He's worse than me. He'd even kill Lupin for the right amount a' money. Hell, he'd even kill you if the price were right."

"You're just lying," Yukiko said quietly.

"He left his family behind. What makes you think he won't leave you?" Lucky asked.

"He said he'd never leave again!" Yukiko screamed defensively.

"Oh, so he already left! Why'd he come back!?"

"Well… We found him…" Yukiko admitted.

"Ah! So, he wouldn't have come back you if he hadn't been tracked down like a dog?" Lucky inquired.

"Shut up. I'm trying to eat," Yukiko snapped.

"He don't give a damn about you, kid. All Capone cares about is money. He don't even care about love. That jerk wouldn't know love if it bit him in his mutt ass."

"He's not a mutt!" Yukiko cried.

"You know, his daddy was the child of a hooker, so was he. So were you—Your mommy was probably a cute little whore, huh? I know your stepmother is," Lucky said with a smirk.

"Ming!? You take that back!" Yukiko yelled.

"Yeah, she was. You want to know how the hell I know, Kid?" Lucky smirked wickedly to a stunned Yukiko.

"Lucky, enough," Michi sighed, "Please, just stop."

"I'm just funnin' the kid, Michi!" Lucky chuckled, and patted Yukiko on the head, "Cute little kid, ain't you? Yeah, I know some Chicago buddies a' mine who'll really like you."

The waiter came over, with a bottle of wine, "On the house, Sir." He said with a smile as he set the wine bottle down, "You need some extra napkins, Miss?" he asked Yukiko, glancing at the young girl briefly and pleadingly.

"Sure," Yukiko muttered, and took the napkins. She laid them over her lap, and her eyes widened in surprise, and she crumpled them up and shot her head upward towards Michi, "I need to use the bathroom."

"Damn… Michi, take the kid," Luciano ordered, "I'd have a freakin' easier time with a dog! At least you can still shoot dogs and get away with it!"

"Come on," Michi sighed, and stood. She took Yukiko by the hand, and led her towards the bathroom. Yukiko turned to the bandleader, dressed in a white and black tuxedo, and gave him the thumbs up. The bandleader winked at her, and continued to set his microphone up.

Lucky watched the bandleader, but quickly came to attention as two Asian girls in matching dresses came to sit over at his table, "Well, well, well… What are you ladies doin' here?" Lucky inquired.

"We are foreign exchange students," one said quietly in broken English.

"We are trying to learn about America," the other added, followed by a small giggle.

"Well, pull yourselves up a seat—Old Lucky'll teach you a thing or two about America, okay?" Lucky smirked.

"Okay," both nodded, and sat in front of the smiling Luciano. Michi and Yukiko returned, and seated themselves next to Lucky.

"Who are they?" Michi inquired suspiciously.

"Two Asian girls wantin' to know about America," Lucky looked downward at Yukiko annoyedly, and then at the bandleader, "Where'd they hire this shmuck!? He doesn't know what the hell he's doin'! He couldn't tell Bizet from a barrel of friggin' monkeys! I ought to blow his brains out for just making me listen to this crap!" he snapped, and put a hand to his gun. Everyone else at the table tensed, but relaxed once again as Lucky put his gun back in its holster, "Forget it. He ain't even worth it!"

The waiter came by once again, this time with an Asian man using a cane and who appeared to be the chef, "Look at this…" Lucky whispered to Michi, "They can't even get an Italian to cook Italian anymore! How freakin' sad is that!?"

The bandleader stepped down from the podium, and stood next to the waiter and chef, "We heard it was the young lady's birthday, Sir," said the waiter, "The bandleader, chef, and I came to sing her a happy birthday!"

"What!?" Lucky yelped, "I—"

"How thoughtful, Lucky!" Michi said with a smile.

"Ur… Yeah… Happy birthday, Doll," Lucky said, a mild tone of confusion in his voice. He examined the three, and quickly rose, "Hey, you! Bandleader! Yeah, you! Put this on!" he tossed the bandleader a fedora, which he caught.

"I—I'm not a big fan of hats," the bandleader chuckled nervously.

"Put the friggin' hat on or I'll blow your brains out," Luciano demanded, drawing out his gun. The bandleader smiled nervously, and put the hat on, "Now tilt it to the side… And… Nah, never mind…" Lucky muttered, and took his hat back, "I thought you reminded me of someone…"

"Really? Who?" the bandleader inquired.

"An S.O.B. from the Capone family," Lucky answered, and by this time noticed that the Gotti Club was empty save him and everyone at his table. Lucky rose, and picked up the fedora, and passed it to the bandleader silently. The bandleader put it on, and tilted it downward and to the side.

"An S.O.B., huh?" Jigen smirked.

"What!?" Lucky jumped back. He turned to Yukiko, and jumped back in surprise as she pulled off what appeared to be a wig and a mask. She was a he! Toshiro quickly grabbed onto his sword, and held it to Lucky's neck.

"Dammit, Michi, do something!" Lucky yelped.

"I would, Doll… If I were my sister, that is," Fujiko answered with laugh.

"Friggin' unbelievable…" Lucky muttered. Jigen lifted Lucky up across the table by his tie, and stared at him a long while.

He briefly kissed Lucky, and threw him back, all while smiling smugly, "The Kiss of Death. You know what that means, Luciano…"

"You can't get me if you're dead," Lucky answered, "You rat bastards took that from my family! I'm only takin' back what's mine!"

"You aren't supposed to let other people know about us, Lucky…. But, all of my buddies—They know all about your plans! You broke the code of silence, Luciano. If some of the bosses get a hold of that, they ain't gonna take too kindly to you being so sloppy… You're as good as friggin' dead…"

"But your grandfather—"

"I could care less about what he did! I was not put here to outdo him! I've got my own friggin' agenda!" Jigen yelled, and drew his gun out. Luciano quickly drew his gun out as well, and the two remained in a Mexican standoff for a few tense moments.

Jigen put his gun down at his side, and sighed heavily. Lucky nodded, and set his firearm down as well. But quickly enough, the guns were up once more, and this time two shots fired. Everyone waited for at least one mobster to fall, but neither did. Instead, the mirrored bar walls of the Gotti had a bullet hole on one wall, and the lighting was broken on the other side of the club.

"You stay the hell away, Luciano," Jigen warned.

"Not until I get what's mine back…."

"Don't worry—I'm destroying the key," Jigen replied.

"What!?" Lupin and Lucky yelled in unison.

"You heard me. It's causing too much trouble. Alchemy's all an old wives' tale, anyway," Jigen replied, and put his gun back in his holster, "See ya around the holidays, Luciano…"

"You bastard," Lucky hissed.

Jigen looked back at Lucky, and smirked, "Love you too, Bambino… Tell you Ma your good buddy said hi!"

"What are we going to do about Luciano?" Goemon inquired. Currently, the group saw flashing red and blue lights from outside the restaurant, and Lupin smirked.

"Tax evasion is not something the government takes kindly to," Lupin answered, "C'mon, fellas! Let's get the hell out of here!"

All of the gang exited out quietly, and Yukiko waited until they were in the van to embrace her father, "Daddy, he was such a jerk! I thought he was going to kill me!"

"Don't worry, Yukiko—We're done with Luciano, and done with whatever my grandfather hid here," Jigen replied.

"So, you are destroying it?" Fujiko inquired as she pulled out of the parking lot with the van.

"You bet," Jigen replied.

"Wait, Jigen," Lupin said suddenly, "We could find it and sell it to Luciano's gang for twice the value!"

"That's very… Bastardly…" Goemon responded slowly, as if carefully choosing his words.

"No way—This thing's caused too much trouble already!" Jigen replied.

"Jigen, we're thieves by profession, or did you forget that?" Lupin inquired.

"No, I didn't…." Jigen answered slowly.

"It could be fun," Toshiro suggested.

"Yeah, you would say that. You weren't the one who had an ice pick dangled in front of her!" Yukiko snapped in response.

"Hey, I helped save you, too!" Toshiro replied.

"Uh-huh," Yukiko rolled her eyes, and then looked over at Ming. "Hey, Ming…"

"Yeah, Yukiko?" Ming inquired.

"I… I need to talk to you later," Yukiko replied quietly.

"'Bout what, Yuki?" Ming inquired.

"I tell you, Lupin, it's probably a wild goose chase!" Jigen snapped.

"Jigen, trust me! It'll be great, and you'll be able to put Yukiko through private high school, prep, college, law, and med school if you want!" Lupin replied.

"But I don't even want to be a doctor…" Yukiko replied.

"Well, you aren't going to get married off by looks, so you might as well get some brains," Toshiro smirked.

"Baka!" Yukiko hissed and hit him on the back of the head.

"Come on, guys… Time to go and get back to Pops and Natasha," Lupin said tiredly, "Jigen, we're going to find that vault, and get that alchemy formula."

"Like hell you are!" Jigen snapped.

"Like hell I'm not," Lupin muttered in response.