DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lupin III. That belongs to Monkey Punch. Arsene Lupin belongs to Maurice LeBlanc. And that Lupin from Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. You think she's a fan?

Uh, that'd be creepy as hell,

Keen observation, Leleah. Anyone who's wondering what I'm talking about, check out a review she posted for Chap. 27. Now, read that, and come back.

I'll wait here…. (singing) Oh, I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, di-dil-li-dum…

Back, okay? Um, I never even realized the Zenigata-Heiji connection, or rather, I didn't remember it until I had posted the chapter. And going back and changing a character's name is a giant pain in any writer's ass. I can reassure everyone that there isn't another cross in the Zenigata-Ishikawa bloodline other than Amaya and Goemon, although, it could be possible, both in the television series and in historical reality. Both the Ishikawa and the Zenigata clans were from the same time period, and there was a real Goemon Ishikawa and a real Zenigata, whose first name was, incidentally, Heiji. Ishikawa was a Japanese Robin Hood whose life ended in a vat of boiling oil (ouch!) and Heiji Zenigata fought crime with the use of coins (how, I don't know, and I've been trying to figure out). Everyone get the coin-collecting joke, now? Okay, enough history—On to the story! By the way, the whole Heiji incident solved a major block I've been working with.

Chapter Twenty Eight

A Few Days Later: Against the Wind

'Help! I need somebody,

Help! Not just anybody,

Help! You know I need someone,

Help!'

--The Beatles, 'Help!'

It was earlier in the morning when Ming woke up to the sound of the television in her room. She yawned, and heard someone suddenly turn.

"Watcha lookin' at, Jigen?" Ming asked, sitting up cross-legged on the bed.

"Old videos," Jigen responded, "Want to make sure that these are the ones Yukiko can watch. I can only imagine Sakura's mom finding our other videos… That's probably why she hates me even more now…"

"Wow. That her?" Ming asked as she saw the Japanese woman on the TV.

"Uh, yeah. She was getting ready for a performance, and I was bugging the hell out of her," Jigen answered. He glanced over at the television, and heard himself from behind the camera.

"C'mon, say something in the English I taught you!" Jigen said excitedly.

"Screw you," Sakura said in a thick Japanese accent.

"Oh, come on! You tell me that one all of the time!" Jigen laughed. Ming smirked, and walked over to the television. She sat down next to Jigen, and continued to watch the video.

The man in the video was almost a stranger, she noted quietly. She could barely recognize the hatless Jigen, who looked much more like a 'art studio' person (a freakin' hippie, ladies and gents). He seemed much happier than the Jigen she was familiar with. Sure, he had a soft side, like many tough guys, but he would try anything to hide it from his friends. He would even still try to hide it from her. There were slight moments, however. Small moments of humanity.

"You okay?" Jigen asked.

"What happened to you?" Ming inquired, "You're in friggin' jeans in this video! And what the hell is that pattern on your shirt!?"

"Paisley. It was a disguise. Kenji was looking for John Dillinger, not Andy Warhol. I ended up hanging out with a lot of actors and artists. Her friends. Their cheery little attitude was contagious," Jigen replied with a small shudder, "I lived in Japan's Greenwich Village with her while waiting for our fake passports to come in."

"They didn't come in on time, I'm guessing?" Ming asked.

"Nope," Jigen shook his head. The camera switched scenes, and it was now during a performance.

"She wore a lot of makeup, too, huh?" Ming smirked as she watched Sakura in a kabuki-style opera, "I see what you found so attractive in me, now. Maybe I should start putting on the thick makeup again…"

"Oh! Yeah friggin' right. You're in Lupin's gang, now! You're lucky if you have enough time to brush your—Uh oh…" Jigen leaned back in his seat, and slouched down.

"What is it?" Ming asked worriedly.

"Lupin's thinking of an idea… I can feel it. He'll bust through the door in ten, nine—"

"Jigen! That's silly! It's four in the morning!"

"Five, four—"

"Please, you may know him well, but know one knows each other that well!"

"Two, one—"

"Jigen!" Lupin burst through the door, "I thought of a new little scheme that'll knock the socks off of you and have good old Grandpa rolling in his grave!"

Ming turned to a smug Jigen, "That's freakish…"

"That's my pal," Jigen responded as he looked back at Lupin, "What's the plan?"

"All right. We'll need some scuba gear, a tool kit, and some Girl Scout uniforms!" Lupin said enthusiastically.

Jigen paused, "It makes me wonder how your mind works, sometimes. Hey, have you told Goemon about this?"

"You bet," Goemon answered from a darkened part of the hall.

"So, what's this big plan?" asked Jigen.

"Well, there's this big pearl in a—Is that you in the video?" Lupin inquired, his eyes traveling towards the screen. Jigen jumped back, and quickly turned off the television, "Was that paisley print? And you make fun of my jackets!?"

"Listen, the green one made you look sick, the red one makes you look like a circus ringmaster, and the pink one made you look like a friggin' Barbie doll!" Jigen snapped.

"Hey, it wasn't pink—It was salmon," Lupin answered, "And at least I bother to change my appearance every once and a while!"

"Can we talk about this later? You'll all wake up Ryo," Ming said in a tired sigh.

"Fine by me," Jigen responded, "Now what's the plan, Lupin?"

"There's a 'community service' group visiting up a local aquarium, but what they don't know is there's a rather large oyster in the aquarium, with a rather large pearl in it," Lupin replied.

"Who fed you that little bit of information?" Jigen asked suspiciously, "I'm not doing any community service if I know there isn't a reward."

"Trust me," Lupin replied.

"Well, who's the group?" Jigen asked.

Lupin shuddered, "That's the part you won't like. It's the Girl Scouts. They're visiting from America, and they're touring the place. If we're with a group, no one will suspect two denparents and their daughters!" Lupin replied.

"Wait. Did I hear you right?" Jigen inquired.

"Ming's going to be security. Amaya's going to be surveying for guards. Fujiko's… Well, Fujiko's being Fujiko… Anyway, I'm going to need you, Goemon, Yukiko, and Toshiro to cooperate with me."

"But, Lupin, Toshiro isn't a little girl," Goemon said.

"Yeah. And you're not Jigen's broad-shouldered wife," Lupin chuckled.

"His WHAT!?" Goemon shrieked.

"Ming can distract the guards. She's attractive, and they're all guys. Somehow, I don't think they'll find you as good-looking…" Lupin answered.

"Well, there was Collin," Ming said.

"Quiet!" Goemon snapped.

"Goemon. We'll need your sword for this operation, and they'll expect two Asian men there, not a man, a somewhat eerie woman, and two kids. Besides, you like children," Lupin said with a smile.

Goemon glared, "You wear the skirt. I'm going."

"Okay…" Lupin said slowly as he watched Goemon storm down the hall, "Uh, a little more sway in your walk, honey! You've got an ass, show it!" Lupin called.

"You're the ass!" Goemon yelled, slamming his bedroom door and awakening all three of the babies.

"Ryoko!" Ming moaned, and walked over to the crib. She removed the baby, and sat down in the rocker. She continued to wail even as Ming rocked her back and forth, "Ryoko! Please, stop crying? Please?"

"I'm in!" Jigen shouted over Ryoko's wailing.

"Great! What about you, Ming!?" Lupin asked.

"Sure!" Ming answered.

"Okay, I'll go now!" Lupin yelled, and exited the room. He closed the door behind himself, and shook his head, "That's the loudest friggin' kid I've ever seen—How do they get some much air into those little lungs!?"

Goemon and Amaya's room:

"Me… Wear the dress…" Goemon fumed as he meditated.

"Goemon, what's wrong?" Amaya muttered as she sat up in bed.

"Nothing," Goemon replied quickly as he returned to meditating. He sighed heavily as he saw this would not work, and took out a set of beads.

"God, not that right now…" Amaya sighed as she lied back on the tatami mat, "You'll be at it, praying for over an hour!"

"I think I need it, and—" Zantensu suddenly caught his eye. It's blade was semi-unsheathed, something he usually never did. He rose, and unsheathed it fully. He gasped in shock as he saw it had a dark shadow over it.

"Goemon, what's wrong?" Amaya asked.

"Zantetsu… There's a shadow," Goemon replied.

Amaya laughed, and began to rise, "Don't be silly, you're probably just seeing—" She stopped as she felt something wrong, and looked down on the mat. There was a small amount of blood on it, "Oh, God… That isn't right…"

"What isn't?" Goemon asked in alarm, and began to walk over to the mat. He looked downward silently, and ran to his door, "Lupin! Get us to the hospital, now!"

Later:

It had been early in the morning when Zenigata had been called. He and Natasha had driven over right away, and all currently sat in the waiting room of the hospital. Goemon was in a corner of the hospital waiting room, sitting Indian-style in a plastic chair while in deep contemplation.

"Goemon, it's your mother," Lupin said, handing him his cell phone, "You give her my number?"

Goemon nodded, took the phone, and walked away from the group, "Hello, Mom?"

"Goemon! Thank goodness! I heard! Is she all right?" his mother asked worriedly.

"We… We don't know yet…" Goemon responded.

"Well, don't worry, I'll be there in the morning!" she said.

"Mom! Wait! No—" Goemon looked down at the phone, and growled as he realized she had hung up on him, "Dammit! She never Goddamned listens to a Goddamned word I have to say!!" he shouted, and threw the phone into the air. In one quick movement the phone came down in two separate pieces, "Sorry, Lupin…" he sighed heavily as he sheathed his sword.

"Don't worry, I understand, Buddy," Lupin answered.

"No, you don't," Goemon snapped in response.

"I know more about this sort of stuff than you might know," Lupin muttered.

Himichi Amaya, Amaya's mother, suddenly burst into the hospital waiting room. Natasha rose to meet her first, and Himichi clung onto her and collapsed in her arms, "God, don't tell me this is really happening. Is she going to be okay?" Himichi asked shakily as she rose again.

"We don't know," Natasha admitted. She gulped, and looked sideways at Himichi, "They—They said it could go either way right now, and—"

"You!" Himichi shrieked, and shoved past Natasha to Goemon. She lifted him up by the collar of his gi, and asked him angrily, "What the hell did you do to her!? Did you beat her!?"

"What!? Of course not! Are you stupid—I would never do such a thing!" Goemon answered with equal ire.

"Himichi," Zenigata slowly rose and began to pull the two apart, "You're just looking for someone to blame. He loves her just as much as you, Himichi… Sit down…"

"Mr. Ishikawa?" someone called. Goemon immediately rose, and walked over to the doctor in the hall, "Are you the husband?"

"Yes!" Goemon replied, "How is she? What happened?"

"There was a little difficulty in the birth," the doctor looked back at Jigen and Ming, "Weren't you two here a little while ago?"

"Birth!? How premature was the baby!?" Goemon asked.

"No, it was right on time…" the doctor replied.

"Wait. Then she was pregnant before the wedding?" Zenigata concluded.

"How's the baby?" Goemon asked.

"Well…" the doctor sighed heavily, and flipped through his charts, "We're looking at 50/50. Don't worry, it wasn't anyone's fault. I know usually people start to point fingers…."

"Fifty-fifty," Goemon muttered numbly, and sat back down in his seat.

"Oh my God, is he all right?" Fujiko gasped.

"He's going into shock," the doctor responded, putting a hand on Goemon's shoulder, "Come on, Mr. Ishikawa, we'll take care of you." Goemon quickly rose, pushed the doctor against a wall, and held Zantetsu to his neck.

"He better live, or you'll have my blade to answer to," Goemon hissed. He pushed the doctor away from the wall, and stormed out of the hospital waiting room.

"I'll go after him!" Jigen said quickly.

"No. Let me," Lupin sighed heavily, and followed Goemon out.

"Quit stalking me, Lupin! I want to be alone!" Goemon shouted as he made his way to the elevator.

"You need someone right now," Lupin answered as he stood next to him in front of the elevator, "Believe me, okay?"

"Why should I? It's rare to get even half of the truth out of you," Goemon responded.

"Because… I wanted someone to be there when my mom O.D.'d," Lupin replied. He and Goemon shared a few tense moments in front of the elevator, until it opened. They stepped in, and Lupin pressed a button absently, "Listen, Amaya will be fine. And the baby—Well, your family's strong, right?"

"Strong… That's why I'm running away like a coward," Goemon snorted.

"Hey, nothing wrong with cowardice," Lupin replied with a shrug, "That is, when you have nothing to lose. But you have a hell of a lot to lose. You should go back in there. Amaya needs you, and, hell I think even Zenigata would appreciate your company right now. Besides chasing after my ass, Toshiko was all he had had. And he gave her up, and now, just when it looked like they were finally, almost there—This… But, that's just the opinion of an idiot savant…"

"It's a damned good one, I hate to admit," Goemon said.

"And don't you forget it," Lupin said as the elevator door opened once more. Goemon stopped, and noted they had not moved. He looked back at Lupin questioningly, and the thief shrugged. Goemon faced-front once more, and walked back into the waiting room, followed by Lupin.

Numerous Hours Later:

Goemon and Toshiro's mother entered the hospital late in the afternoon, nearly in the evening. Fujiko had taken Ari and Fuji home, while Ming drug a tired Ryo, Yukiko, and Toshiro away from the hospital waiting room. Now all that remained were Jigen, who had put his hat over his eyes and was lightly resting, Zenigata, who simply stared downward at the ground, Natasha, who laid out asleep on three chairs with the former inspector's coat draped over her, Himichi, who was canceling all of her appointments for the next two weeks, Lupin, who was flipping through a magazine but not really paying attention to the articles, and Goemon, who was still in deep meditation.

"How is she?" asked Mrs. Ishikawa.

"Better," Goemon responded, "They'll let me see her in another hour or so."

"I'd like to talk to you, in private, if you don't mind," Mrs. Ishikawa said, "I—I know it's a bad time, but you really have to know. It isn't fair to hide it from you…."

"Hide what?" Goemon asked.

"Come out with me a moment," she said quietly, and led him out. Lupin and Zenigata shot their heads up, and Jigen looked out from under his hat. They could see every range of emotion exchanged between the two family members through the window. Mrs. Ishikawa's coyness, Goemon's initial shock, Goemon's quiet questioning, Mrs. Ishikawa's justification a la hand gestures, Goemon's realization, and stern nodding, and turning away from his mother.

"You catch any of that?" Jigen asked.

"Nope," Lupin lied, and went back to his magazine.

Later, in the Hospital Room:

"LET ME SEE MY SON!!" rang throughout the halls of the hospital. Goemon, Himichi, and Zenigata all stopped dead in their tracks. Had that really been Amaya? Goemon was the first to rush in, and saw Amaya in the hospital bed, bickering with one of the nurses over her child.

"Amaya! Are you all right!?" Goemon inquired worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Amaya responded tiredly, "They won't let me see the baby!"

"Don't worry, I'll see what I can do," Goemon answered in reassurance.

"Toshiko, what happened to you?" Himichi asked frantically.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Amaya asked tiredly.

"I took a jet through China," she replied.

"You traveled through Chinese airspace?" Amaya inquired in shock as she realized the danger of this.

"It was worth it, Toshiko," Himichi answered, embracing her daughter, "I'm going to be staying here for the next couple of weeks, to make sure you and the baby are all right."

"Really? But you never take any days off," Amaya muttered tiredly.

"There's a first for everything," Himichi replied.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Amaya inquired, "Dad, I'll be all right. I promise."

"But what about the baby?" Zenigata answered, "Have they said anything to you?"

"I'm as in the dark as you," Amaya responded, "I just want to see the baby…."

"Don't worry. We will," Goemon replied, looking back at her, "I hope…" he added under his breath.

Later, in the Hospital Room:

"And it turned out, the map was really a map of German whorehouses!" Lupin finished with a laugh.

"Why the hell are you telling me about all of these times you dealt with Nazis?" Natasha asked tiredly.

"We fought against them a lot. They had a lot of good crap to steal," Lupin answered with a shrug.

"Oi. I need some coffee…." she muttered, and rose from her seat, "I wonder how Koichi is doing. He's been in there a while with Amaya… Understandably so, but I wish I could go in and check on them… They only allow thee people in at a time, though!" She turned as the doors opened and Zenigata and Goemon walked out.

"I guess it's our turn, then," said Lupin to Natasha.

"It's okay. Jigen, you can go. I have to speak to Koichi," said Natasha.

"You sure?" Jigen inquired.

"Yes," Natasha nodded. Jigen shrugged, rose, and walked into the hospital room with Lupin.

"Are you sure you want to name him that?" asked Zenigata suspiciously as he and Goemon seated themselves.

"Yes," Goemon nodded sternly in response.

"What? You aren't naming him what you planned? I thought you wanted to name him Goemon, though," Natasha said suddenly.

"Certain factors…. Prevented such a thing from happening…"Goemon responded, eyeing his mother with a sense of viciousness briefly. She glanced at the floor downward, and Zenigata looked back at forth at the two in confusion, "Besides, Heiji will be a perfect name. It will bridge our families together once and for all, Zenigata!" said Goemon a little more lightly.

Down a Hospital Hallway:

"So… What exactly did Goemon hear from his mom?" Jigen asked as he and his best friend walked down the corridor to Amaya's room, "I know you heard. I know you too well to have you lie to me."

"You wouldn't believe it," Lupin responded.

"Listen, I found my kid at my front doorstep, and I'm married to a punk from Hong Kong. Try me," Jigen snorted skeptically.

"Let's just say, Goemon was lied to on some levels, and now he's a tad pissed," Lupin responded, "But I'm not going to say anything until we're out of here, because Amaya's been through enough, okay?"

"Point taken," Jigen answered, and opened the door to Amaya's room. Himichi was still there, at her daughter's side, and Amaya looked over at Jigen and Lupin tiredly as they stood next to her.

"How do you feel?" Lupin asked with a weak smile.

Amaya turned to him, and frowned, "How the hell do you think I feel?" she snapped. She sighed, and dropped her eyes towards the floor, "I'm sorry. It's just that a lot has happened, and, well…"

"Please. We're the last people that need to be apologized to for bitching," Jigen said.

"How are the kids?" Amaya inquired.

"Good," Lupin and Jigen answered.

Amaya put a hand over her forehead, "I won't be able to have anymore children. The doctor told me that, but I've been too afraid to tell Goemon. It's just—We planned for a big family, you know? And I feel like some kind of Goddamned failure now!"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it! There was nothing you could do!" Lupin replied.

"I just… I'd like to be alone with my thoughts for a while, if it's all right," Amaya said silently.

"Yeah. Of course," Lupin nodded, and exited with Jigen.

"Mom, that means you, too," said Amaya, turning to her mother.

"Are—Are you sure?" Himichi asked worriedly.

"Yes," Amaya answered. Himichi reluctantly rose, and looked back at her daughter once before exiting.

Amaya looked out the window of her hospital room, and frowned. She would make amends for what she saw as something that had been her fault, and her fault alone. She would prove herself, but she only needed the opportunity.