DISCLAIMER: Don't own Lupin III, dammit!
Hey!
Happy oncoming holidays, dear readers. I wish you all a happy Hannukah, Christmas, New Year's—Whatever holiday you celebrate. And, hey, if you don't celebrate any, take this opportunity to bask in the wonderful discounts they're now offering. Writing may become a little more sporadic than usual with oncoming holidays, exams, and whatnot. I can see that a few of you were concerned over Heiji, and also had theories about the conversation between Mrs. Ishikawa and Goemon. I also see that some of you would like to see a part three (!) of the series, featuring a grown Toshiro, Yukiko, and whatnot. Any ideas for this? I'm open to any.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Three weeks later: The First Cut is the Deepest
'Hold your head up, you silly girl
Look what you've done,
When you find yourself in the thick of it,
Take a look at what's around you,
You silly girl'
The Beatles—'Martha my Dear'
Amaya's mother had been the perfect nursemaid during the weeks when her daughter was home. Between Himichi, Goemon, Goemon's mother, and even Fujiko, the cyber-samurai had been receiving more attention than she knew what to do with. There was also the matter of her father, and her soon-to-be stepmother, Natasha, who constantly worried for her health, as well. Lupin, Jigen, Ming, Toshiro, and Yukiko also tried to help out where possible, although they had barely a clue on how to take care of an ill person. Lupin had nearly broken his neck in a lengthy attempt to use the computer for one of his jobs by himself. At least this proved that they did need her, Amaya thought to herself.
Luckily for Amaya and her sanity, her mother and Mrs. Ishikawa, now good friends, had had to go back to Japan. So at least they were out of the way for a little while.
Heiji Ishikawa was still in the intensive care unit to the hospital, and his outlook for survival had increased during the past few weeks. His father and 'uncle' Toshiro visited him daily in the hospital.
Goemon's attitude towards Toshiro had also begun to change. If it were for the better or not was anyone's guess. Goemon spoke to Toshiro more, and had begun to train him more in sword fighting skills. But the two bickered constantly, and Yukiko usually served as referee for their shouting matches. She cared for both Goemon and for Toshiro, but when they were together, she personally would have rather been forced to sit through a Disney movie marathon with Zenigata than listen to them yelling.
Currently, Goemon was preparing for another Lupin-gang heist, and glanced back at Amaya from time to time out of the side of his eyes as he finished cleaning his sword.
"I'll be all right," Amaya reassured him, "Do not worry, please! I've had it with people worrying about me!" she added, laying back on the bed and thinking back to the daily lunches of miso soup, courtesy of her mother, who had only learned to cook in the past few weeks, and from Ming, who also knew close to nothing about cooking. How they managed to survive sometimes without killing one another was a mystery to her.
Goemon sheathed his sword, and looked back at her, "If you need anything—"
"Press the buzzer and someone will be up," Amaya finished, "I know, Goemon, I know! I really just want to get out and go on another heist with you guys!"
"Not for another week," Goemon responded, "I'll be back soon. Get plenty of rest."
"I'm sick of plenty of rest!" Amaya answered, "I want some stress back in my life."
"Well, when Heiji comes home, we'll have enough stress to fill at least eighteen years," Goemon replied. He walked over to Amaya, kissed her on the forehead briefly, and exited from the room.
He found Jigen in Yukiko's room, watching a musical with the young girl while cradling Ryo in his arms. He handed Ryo off to her big sister, and joined Goemon. Lupin and Fujiko left Ari and Fuji in the care of Zenigata, who had arrived earlier that day. The group of five exited the house, and was soon on the road to their next great robbery.
Toshiro and Yukiko set out to go play in the large mansion, and, hopefully avoid movie time with Natasha and Zenigata. Yukiko suggested they go steal another car, but Toshiro firmly objected to this. Instead, he opted for a game of tag, which allowed them to run up and down all throughout the mansion.
As Yukiko was chasing Toshiro, he quickly decided to hide in a file room in order to avoid being captured. Yukiko was able to run in before he had completely closed the door, though, and tackled him onto the ground.
"Hey! No fair!" Toshiro laughed as he pinned a laughing Yukiko to the floor in an attempt to keep her from pulling at his hair. He knocked over a file box in the process, however, and stopped dead.
"Toshiro?" Yukiko asked quizzically as she read his blank expression, "Toshiro, what's wrong?" She discontinued laughing, and sat up on the ground next to him. She looked down at the pile of papers that he was studying, but apparently he saw something that she couldn't quite understand.
"Huh?" he shot his head up quickly, "Oh, um, nothing… I'm fine… Just a little out of it, I guess," he said with a smirk, "C'mon, we can go play a trick on Zenigata and Natasha!"
"Okay…" Yukiko answered reluctantly, and glanced once more at the papers before walking out of the room with Toshiro. What had caused him to give that weird look? She shrugged it off, however, and ran after Toshiro after he called her once more.
Outside, on a Rooftop:
Amaya smiled as she rested her head on her knees and looked around at the country settings. She had remembered what Goemon told her, but anyone who knew he knew that she did not always follow the rules. Besides, she needed the time out of the house. It was making her stir crazy.
"If I get dressed now, I could leave the house and go for a walk, and be back before anyone knows it," she said to herself. She decided against this, though, for she could already feel a great fatigue sweep over her once again. The doctors weren't kidding when they said she would be tired!
Amaya sighed, rose, and slid down the tiles to a window, where she crawled back into the attic and closed the door behind her. The things she had found in the dusty attic were amazing. Weapons, furniture, old clothes—Numerous green and pink jackets, and even one white one. What the purpose for all of these jackets was exactly was anyone's guess.
Amaya scaled down the ladder of the attic and walked back into her bedroom, and removed her bathrobe and her slippers. She seated herself in front of her vanity, and let her long hair out of its ponytail. She picked up her brush, and was about to start brushing her hair, when she stopped dead.
There was someone else in the room—Someone she didn't know.
The figure, dressed in a black samurai gi, lunged towards her with a sword, but she quickly ducked and watched in horror as the sword shattered the mirror, "Hey, that's seven year's bad luck!" she called out from underneath her vanity.
"Woman, I've traveled a great distance to seek revenge against the man who dishonored my family almost ten years ago!" the samurai shouted to her as he pulled his sword out of the wall, "Bring out Ishikawa Goemon or I'll make sure you'll be the first to perish among the others!"
"Crap. Goemon, what the hell did you do?" Amaya muttered irritably to herself. Zenigata and Natasha would not be able to fight the samurai off—They were watching the children. If she ran down to them, she would be leading the enemy to the children, and if she screamed, she could risk killing anyone in the house.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She had found a way to redeem herself, "O—Okay! Give him five minutes! He'll meet you out there!" Amaya said in a shaky tone.
"You best keep your word, woman," the samurai hissed, "or those children will pay for your folly," the man exited out the window, and Amaya bolted from her hiding place under the desk, and opened her closet.
Five Minutes Later:
The stranger came to his attention as he felt a presence looking downward at him, "Ishikawa Goemon! It took me over a decade to track you down, but I did it! Now I will kill you for what you did to my sister!" he laughed triumphantly as he drew his sword out.
The petite Goemon jumped down from the shingles to a nearby tree, and scaled down to meet his attacker. He drew his sword out as well, and the two went to battle.
Meanwhile, there was a knock on Amaya's door. Natasha banged it once more, and frowned in curiosity. She forced the door open, and called to Amaya, "I brought some soup for you, Amaya!" she said cheerily, "Amaya?" she inquired, looking around the room. Amaya's nightgown was on the floor of the room, and her sword was gone. Natasha dropped her tray of soup as she saw a length of black hair lying amongst a mess of broken glass on the vanity.
"KOICHI!" Natasha shrieked, and ran down the stairs to Zenigata. She ran down, and saw the door was opened. She ran out to Zenigata, who stood mesmerized on the porch.
"Even after all of these years, he's still got it," Zenigata said to Natasha as he watched Goemon nearly behead the opponent, "I could've sworn he went with Lupin! It's a good thing he stayed!"
"He did go with Lupin!" Natasha answered, "That's Amaya!" she added, pointing to the noticeably shorter Goemon.
"WHAT!?" Zenigata yelled, the color draining from his face, "Toshiko! Get out of there!" he called, and ran down to retrieve his daughter. He was almost maimed in the process, though, and found he could not pull her away from the samurai.
"Oh, G-d, pray for her!" Natasha muttered as she removed her gun, a Jericho, from her purse, and tried to aim for the attacker. It was no use, though. They were too fast, even for her trained eyes.
Down the Road:
"Well, that friggin' went well. You get attacked by a monkfish, and Ming and I get our asses beat in by the Girl Scouts," Jigen said to Lupin sarcastically as he adjusted the ice pack over his blackened eye.
"Ming, how're you doing back there?" Lupin asked meekly. Ming glared, and kicked him in the back of the head with her high-heeled boot. She, too, sported a black eye, as well as bite marks on her arms, "Ow! Hey, I already have a headache! Goemon and I were attacked by a school of fish and a monkfish—No thanks to you, Fujiko."
"What?" Fujiko inquired innocently.
"You were too busy picking the pockets of those den mothers to pay attention to Goemon and me!" Lupin screamed, "And when Jigen tried to stop you, they thought he was a thief, and he and Ming got beat up by a bunch of ten-year-olds!"
"Well, at least I got some sushi out of it," Goemon muttered as he looked down at the bag of sliced fish that had tried to attack Lupin and himself, "I told you not to antagonize the ocean-life, Lupin…"
"I wasn't antagonizing, I was—What the hell!?" he yelled in disbelief as he pulled up to the house and watched the two samurai fighters in battle, one who looked remarkably like, "Goemon, is that you!? But how can it be you if you're over there—But you're over there, too! But you can't be because—Dammit, I'm confused!"
"What's new?" Jigen retorted as he leaned forward in his seat, "Hey, the fake Goemon is wearing a mask!"
"How are we sure he's not the real one?" Lupin asked, looking back at Goemon suspiciously.
"Toshiko! STOP!" Zenigata yelled from the front porch.
"Toshiko?" Goemon gasped, "Amaya!" he jumped out of his seat, and ran towards them. But he was too late. The samurai invader lay on the ground, defeated.
"What? Two?" the defeated samurai muttered as he looked upward at the two Goemons.
"Not quite," Amaya answered as she pulled her mask off.
"A woman!" he gaped. He looked over at the real Goemon, "At least I died trying to defend the honor of my clan! Something which you tainted long ago!" he spat before he finally died.
"My God, you did it," Goemon muttered in disbelief as he bent down and felt for a pulse. There was no sign of one anywhere.
He rose, and turned to Amaya. She was about to speak, but was nearly tackled by a frantic Zenigata, who embraced her, "Why'd you go and do that, Toshiko!? You could've been killed!"
"Dad, I know," Amaya sighed, drawing back from her father and sheathing her sword. She glanced over at the group briefly before turning back to her father, "He could've killed you and the children, though. It was worth the risk." Amaya added, "I had to do it, to redeem myself."
"Redeem yourself?" Zenigata reiterated.
"I'm a failure of a mother, and a failure of a wife!" Amaya snapped. She looked downward at the ground, "I just wanted to prove myself. I feel like I'm just a dead weight around here, and just when I thought I had finally done something right… I just had to prove myself."
"It was very brave of you, Amaya. Very idiotic, but that can only be expected with great bravery. You don't need to prove yourself—You've proven your self-worth over and over again," Goemon reassured her, "I know you're upset about Heiji, as I am, but you cannot beat yourself up over it. What will be will be. If it was not meant to be, we can try again."
"That's just it," Amaya choked, "We can't…" she dropped her sword, and then fell to her knees. Natasha and Zenigata looked at one another, and Zenigata scooped Amaya up from the ground while Natasha picked up her sword and trailed behind Zenigata silently.
Goemon looked over at the dead body, and moved towards him. Lupin stood next to Goemon, and looked downward, "You know him?"
"Did," Goemon answered.
"Well, I better get to getting rid of this," Jigen sighed, "I'll go start mixing the cement… Another large rock for the bottom of the lake." He removed his jacket, and began to walk to the back of the mansion, towards the shed.
"Will she be okay?" Ming asked as she and Fujiko stood there, speechless.
"I wish I knew," Fujiko answered as she looked discontentedly at the wallets she had accumulated during the operation. Most false leather, she noted in distaste. How tacky… She and Ming, after deciding that they were no longer needed, exited into the house, leaving Lupin and Goemon alone.
"Jigen will probably need some help," Lupin sighed as he looked down at the body. He turned to Goemon, "You can't keep it all one big secret for long, Pal. It's already starting to catch up with you. Soon he's going to start asking questions."
"I know," Goemon responded, his head downward, "I'll tell him, but not now. Right now I've got a very ill wife whom needs attending to. If you'll excuse me." He walked past Lupin, and stepped into the house. He nearly bumped into Toshiro and Yukiko along the way, and looked downward at the two.
"What happened to Amaya?" asked Yukiko.
"She wore herself out," Goemon replied, and briefly smiled downward at the two, "I'll take you two down to the park later, all right?"
"We want to see Heiji," Toshiro responded.
"I—We'll see," Goemon sighed, and began to walk the stairs.
Zenigata and Natasha were outside when he walked up the stairs to Amaya's door. Goemon was not expecting to be choked by Zenigata as he stood there silently, but in moments, he was up against the wall, dazed. He quickly flipped the old man off of him, and stood over Zenigata, trying desperately to regain his breath.
"You bastard! I told you to protect her!" Zenigata yelled, "She could've been killed!"
"She's not a child! I can't keep watch over her all hours of the day!" Goemon responded, "She did it to protect you and the children! I understand why you're upset, Zenigata, but Amaya did what any good parent would do—She protected the children she loved."
"Don't let that happen again," Zenigata hissed as he rose and came face-to-face with the samurai. He hobbled down the stairway, still smarting from being flipped over onto the floor by Goemon.
Natasha sighed heavily, "I'm sorry. You know how he gets."
"Don't be. He's only showing his devotion to his daughter," Goemon answered, "You have a good husband, Natasha. He'll be a good father."
"I—" Natasha gasped in surprise.
Goemon turned to her, and smirked wryly, "The less open one's mouth is, the more open his ears are," he said as he opened the door and then closed it behind him. Natasha looked ahead at the stairwell remorsefully and then decided to go chase Zenigata down. If she knew her fiancé like she thought she did, he would be depressed for the rest of the day.
Back outside, Toshiro and Yukiko were watching Lupin and Jigen pouring a vat of cement into an old tub. Toshiro realized what they were exactly up to, and led Yukiko away from them. He didn't want her to see what the cement was for. He was content to continue walking through the woods of the property.
"Do you think Heiji will be all right?" Yukiko asked as she jumped onto a log and tried to keep balance on it. Toshiro allowed her to hold onto one of his hands in order to retain balance, and caught her as she nearly fell.
"Watch out! What the hell kind of thief will you be if you can't even keep your balance!?" Toshiro asked jokingly.
"An uncoordinated one," Yukiko replied as she jumped off of the log and stood in front of Toshiro, "And you can be my sidekick."
"Sidekick?" Toshiro snorted, "I doubt it. I work better alone."
"You're full of it," Yukiko said, "One week on your own and you'd have it! You need a partner! You can't just go around stealing things by yourself, you know!"
"Who told you that one?" Toshiro snorted.
"It's an observation!" replied Yukiko.
"When do you plan on starting a family in all of this?" asked Toshiro, "You know you'll have to stay home to raise the children."
"Like hell I will!" Yukiko laughed, "Who said anything about me getting married!?"
"I—" Toshiro let out a small groan of defeat, "Never mind it. Let's head back to the house. Maybe Goemon will take us to see Heiji."
"Hopefully!" Yukiko smiled, and suddenly slapped him on the side of the arm, "Tag! You're it!" she called as she began to run away from him.
"Huh?" Toshiro shot his head upward in surprise, "Not for long!" he added as he began to chase after her.
Back in the house, Goemon and Amaya's Room:
"I'm not mad at you. But it was very dangerous, Amaya," Goemon said as he sat in a cushioned chair in his room.
"Goemon, why was that man here in the first place? What aren't you telling me?" asked Amaya, "Did you know him?"
"I'll tell you when the time is right. But I can't right now…" Goemon answered.
"I have a right to know why someone just tried to kill you!" Amaya said desperately.
Goemon paused, "I'm going to visit Heiji." He rose, and walked out of the room, "Get some rest, Amaya!" he called before he exited.
"Crap," Amaya grumbled as she slowly started to fall back asleep once more, as if nothing had happened. She put her fingers through her hair, which was now shoulder length, and felt a small wave of depression come over her. She had loved having long hair. But giving it up had been worth the sacrifice.
At the Hospital:
Fujiko had remained quiet during the drive to the hospital. Goemon had never been much of a conversationalist. But now he was even more silent than usual, which frightened her to some degree.
"So, how's Amaya?" she asked finally as they drove in the direction of the hospital.
"Good."
"And Heiji?"
"Better."
"Why… Why did you name him that?"
"Does it honestly concern you?" Goemon replied.
"I—I guess not… Sorry…" she answered as she pulled into the hospital parking lot. Goemon rose out of the car, sighed as he looked up at the large foreboding structure he had come to know so well, and began to walk into the hospital. He and Fujiko walked up the receptionist's desk. She simply nodded; she knew them well enough by now. Fujiko followed Goemon up, and they came to the children's ward.
Heiji was kept in a private room, and was attended to by the same pediatrician that Lupin had had. The thief had personally made sure Heiji was well taken by the staff, and had arranged the private room. It was a circus theme, with different pastel animals on the wall. There was also a window in the room, along with a crib, a rocker—And many different machines.
Goemon peeked down into the crib, and saw Heiji hooked up to the machines. He was glad he had stayed with Lupin after all—Heiji would have died in Japan. He kneeled downward, and began to speak to Heiji in his native Japanese. Fujiko stayed in the hallway, looking in at the two. She could barely hear Goemon muttering quietly to Heiji.
This became too much for her. She walked out into the hallway, and put a hand to her mouth. A nurse passing by stopped, and turned to Fujiko in great concern, "Miss? Are you okay?"
"Uh…Yeah… I'll be fine… It's just a friend of mine, his son's in there," Fujiko answered.
"Oh… The Ishikawa boy… I see…" she nodded, "I've watched over him. He's a real sweetheart. I'm positive he'll make it—He's one of the strongest babies I've seen."
"It's genetic," Fujiko answered as she looked into the room again and saw Heiji holding into his father's hand.
Back at the House:
It had been raining for some time when Lupin and Jigen finally came in. Both were soaking wet. Jigen removed his hat, wrung it out once, and then placed it back on his head.
"Hey, I'm getting a drink," he said to Lupin, pointing back to the kitchen. Lupin nodded, and Jigen removed his muddy shoes before making his way through the living room. He stopped as he saw Toshiro and Yukiko in the living room. They were watching a movie on the couch, but Yukiko had fallen asleep, and was leaning against Toshiro, who was watching the movie tiredly.
Jigen was shocked as he saw the two. Part of him wanted to move the two away from one another, but he decided against it. He sighed tiredly as he realized it would be a rough road ahead, and walked into the kitchen.
"Anyone seen Ming?" he called as he removed a bottle of booze from the refrigerator and poured himself a glass.
"Nope," Lupin shook his head as he walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, and began to search for a small snack, "not since Amaya's little stunt."
The door opened, and the two stopped dead as they heard what appeared to be running, and then something similar to barking. There came a mud-encrusted creature running through the living room, waking both Yukiko and Toshiro, and the creature then ran into the kitchen, and tackled Jigen, and began to lick his face.
"What the Goddamned hell!?" Jigen yelled, "Get the hell off of me, you little bastard!" Lupin reached down, and grabbed Jigen's hat.
"Here, boy!" he yelled, throwing the hat into the living room. The dog ran into the living room, and brought it back to Lupin. The dog sat on its back legs, wagged its tail, and sat the hat down in front of itself.
"Stop! Martha! Stop!" Ming yelled, running into the kitchen. She looked down at the muddy Jigen in horror, and then back at the cheery dog, "Jigen! Are you all right!?"
"Do I look all right!?" Jigen yelled, "What the hell is that thing doing in the house!? Where'd you get it!?"
"I found her on the property!" Ming responded, "She's a good girl!"
"She's going to the pound," Jigen added as he rose from the ground and tried to balance himself.
"No! Come on, Jigen!" Ming responded as she bent down and petted Martha on the head, "She's a good girl, and they'll put her to sleep if we take her to the pound!"
"Ming, I—" Jigen was stopped as Yukiko and Toshiro rushed in.
"We got a dog!?" Yukiko squealed in delight, "What's her name!?"
"Euthanasia!" Jigen snapped.
"That's a little long," said Yukiko as she patted Martha on the head.
"Her name's Martha," Ming replied, eyeing Jigen coldly.
"Is she staying?" asked Toshiro.
"Yes. Either she's staying or Jigen's getting his own bedroom," Ming answered as she rose and faced Jigen.
"Hey, I went five years without even vaguely looking at a dame. What makes you think I can't go another five?" Jigen responded confidently.
"You remember last Friday?" Ming smiled, and put an arm around the back of his neck, and leaned inward.
"Uh… Yeah…" Jigen responded as he looked away to his right uncomfortably.
"No more of that, either…" Ming answered.
"Jesus…" Jigen shook his head, pulled away from Ming, and picked up his hat.
"She can stay!?" Yukiko asked hopefully.
"I guess," Jigen answered.
"Yeah!" she yelled happily, "Come on, Toshiro! Let's get her cleaned up!" she said, and grabbed him by the hand. Martha followed up the stairs, leaving the carpet on the stairway muddy. Lupin's head began to hurt as he thought of the price of calling the carpet cleaners.
"Thanks, Daisuke," Ming pulled him downward to her level, and kissed him.
"No problem. But you owe me," Jigen answered.
"Okay. I'll meet you upstairs then," she smiled, and began to walk up the stairs, "Go wash up, okay?"
"You got it," Jigen responded as he wiped his hat off. He turned to a smug-looking Lupin, "What the hell are you looking at!?"
"You're really whipped, you know that?" Lupin chuckled.
"Go to hell!" Jigen snapped.
"So, what's so big about Friday night?" Lupin inquired, "You can tell me. I'm your best friend. I tell you that sort of thing all the time!"
"Unfortunately," Jigen added. He looked upward at Lupin, and put his hat back on, "Dancing."
"What?"
"We went dancing last Friday," Jigen replied, and walked up the stairs after Ming.
"Dancing?" Lupin muttered to himself, "Freakin' dancing!? He can go celibate five years, but he—Goddammit he's screwy," he shook his head, and went to searching for his mop.
