DISCLAIMER: Can't buy me love, can't buy me rights to Lupin…. And currently can't buy me anime DVDs (je suis pauvre…)
Raise your hand if you thought I had fallen off a side of the earth!
Sorry that these are taking so long to come out, guys—It's just that my math skills basically SUCK and I've had to concentrate on them for the past few days. I'm still keeping up with the story, however, although I may take longer to come out with a chapter now. Longer than I usually did. But, hopefully, by summer, I'll be able to churn out chapters more quickly, which will make you happy and me happy, I hope. Oh, by the way, for the Beatles fans—February 7th marked the fortieth anniversary of their landing and performing in America. Oh, and a happy belated Valentine's Day to everyone, whether you have someone special or not. And, if you don't, there's always the Internet, right? Works for some of us, you know…
Chapter Forty One
Two Days Later: Poor Little Fool
'I'm in love for the first time
Don't you know it's going to last
It's a love that lasts forever
It's a love that has no past
Don't let me down,
Don't let me down'
--The Beatles, 'Don't Let me Down'
Amaya was the first to find Toshiro's e-mail that morning. The young boy was still working on his typing skills, but he proved to be slightly more talkative than his father. The cyber samurai made herself a cup of Ramen that morning, and sipped it as she opened the e-mail addressed to her and her husband.
TO: CyberSamurai23 (Amaya Ishikawa)
FROM: YojimboSan (Toshiro Ishikawa)
SUBJECT: Dad needs to get out more…
Amaya
hows everyone doing? good here, too. stole more last night—from pig pawnbroker this time. hope to get more soon. i'll tell you when i get more. dad was more talkative than usual. well, bye for now!
Toshiro
"I'll teach those two to type if it kills me—And it probably will," sighed Amaya as she sent her mail out to Toshiro. She turned away from her laptop, and saw that Goemon had been standing over her the entire time, "If you're going to stare at me eerily while I do something, at least give me a little warning, first," she said with a smirk as she rose from the computer.
"What's wrong with my talking?" asked Goemon.
"You're…. Selective… With your wording…" Amaya answered in a reluctant tone, "You know what I mean?"
"Not really," he admitted, "I'm going to train a little. See you then." He said in his monotone voice, and walked out of the hotel room, "If I started to talk more, they'd only suspect me of wrongdoing," Goemon muttered to himself.
An Apartment in Jerusalem:
Natasha's mother proved to be a stern individual, indeed. She hardly cracked a smile as her daughter entered, although Zenigata knew that she had been happy to see Natasha. When it came to himself, however, she was less than warm to her son-in-law, whom she obviously did not particularly care for. The three currently sat drinking tea in Natasha's mother's living room. Natasha had yet to inform her of her grandchild, and Zenigata was somewhat apprehensive when he thought of Mrs. Yalkzalta's reaction.
"So, Mama, how was Switzerland?" asked Natasha.
"Cold, but overall enjoyable," she admitted, "I'm sure you've grown unaccustomed to how warm Israel is…"
"Yeah, sort of," Natasha answered with a smirk, "We've thought about moving here, Koichi and I."
"He can speak Hebrew?" Natasha's mother asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Um… He's learning…" Natasha answered with a tweak of a smirk. Zenigata simply nodded reassuringly and remained quiet. He knew better than to talk to mother-in-laws.
Back in the City:
"So, you figure anything out yet?" Jigen asked as he and Lupin walked along wide and empty street, "I mean, we know there's a treasure, and Fujita's after it, too. But what would a guy who makes bombs want with a treasure?"
"Career change?" Lupin replied laughingly.
"Ha ha… But seriously—It doesn't make sense, if you ask me."
"Well, it just so happens I wasn't asking you," Lupin retorted.
"Daddy, is it okay if I buy a drink?" Yukiko asked as she ran over to her father and her adoptive uncle.
"Sure thing, kid," Jigen nodded.
"Why pay when you came steal?" Lupin asked her. Jigen slapped his friend upside the head, and glared.
"I'm teaching her to steal for a living. I'd like it if she lived at least part of her life honestly," Jigen snapped.
"I guess I can see where you're coming from," Lupin admitted, "We're professional thieves, not common crooks, is what you're going for."
"Exactly."
"Well that's a warped sense of values," Lupin muttered to himself.
"It seemed to work for you," Jigen retorted, "Hey, I gotta question for you—Father-to-father type thing."
"Yeah, what?" Lupin asked with a smile.
"What are you going to tell your kids when they ask you if you're the bad guy?" asked Jigen. Lupin's smile fell, and he stared at Jigen a few moments in surprise. The statement had totally thrown him off guard. Once again, Jigen had surprised him.
Lupin looked downward at his Italian shoes, and then back up at Jigen, "Well, I'll tell them, I'll tell them—"
"Daddy! Lupin!" Yukiko shrieked. Both men turned to one another, and then broke into a run towards the voice of the young girl.
New York City:
Julia had awoken to find the newspaper on the kitchen table, a fresh pot of coffee brewing, and new emerald tennis bracelet laying on the newspaper. She gasped in shock as she looked downward at it, and held it up to a dim light.
"Do you like it?" a sleepy Toshiro asked with a tired yawn.
"I—You have to return this. I can't take something like this…" Julia replied as she looked down at it.
"You don't like it?" asked Toshiro quietly.
"No! I love it—It's beautiful!" Julia responded quickly, "It's just… It's not mine, you know what I mean? I don't live by those standards, Toshiro…"
"I didn't steal it," Toshiro answered, "A jeweler gave it to me. Some people stole some jewels from him a week ago, so I got them back. He told me I could have anything I wanted in return, so I told him I had a friend who had a birthday today and liked emeralds."
"You…" Julia looked downward at it, and laid it over her wrist. Toshiro walked over to her and clasped it around her wrist.
"There! Perfect fit!" Toshiro said with a smile. Julia looked upward at Toshiro, and realized how tall he was slowly becoming. No doubt he would grow to be very tall someday, she thought, "Happy birthday, Julia!"
"Uh, thanks…" Julia whispered dully as she looked downward at her wrist once more.
"Now you're exactly five years older than me. Who knows, maybe someday I'll catch up to you," said Toshiro.
"When it comes to height, definitely!" Julia laughed as she laid a hand on the top of his forehead, "Stop growing already, dammit!"
"Stop freaking out, then," Toshiro answered as he put a hand to her wrist and set her arm down, "I'm going to get some sleep, but I'll be up in time to set up for your party."
"Party!?" Julia yelped, "Wait, what party?"
"You'll see," Toshiro said in a smirk as he entered his and Julia's bedroom.
"What party, Toshiro?" Julia asked in annoyance.
"I'm getting changed for bed, so, in case you're some sort of nympho, I suggest you not stick around," said Toshiro. Julia sighed, rolled her eyes, and closed the door behind her.
Later, still in New York City:
"I don't know what to tell him!" Julia sighed heavily as she sat across from Kome. The two drank coffee while they chatted about several things, among them Toshiro's behavior, "God, I wish I knew how to deal with taking care of a delinquent."
"Well…" Kome set her coffee down, and looked upward at Julia, "You simply don't bring it up…"
"What, did you see that in some movie?" asked Julia sarcastically.
The sallow-looking Asian woman rose and placed her coffee cup in the sink, "No, I lived it."
"What?" Julia gave a stunned look, "What do you mean?"
Kome smirked, and looked over at Julia, "I dated a thief once. Well, I was almost his wife, actually…"
"Really, how'd you meet?" asked Julia intently.
"My boyfriend at the time hired him to look after me," Kome replied with a sigh and a smile and she folded her arms and closed her eyes. She laughed, "He was quite possibly the scruffiest and crudest thing I had ever seen in my lifetime. He had deplorable habits, cursed like a sailor… And was quite possibly the sweetest man I had ever met…" she turned to Julia, "A bad career choice does not necessarily equal a bad person, Dear. It was simply the only way of life he had known. It was a cruel life, and it made him seem cold."
"But I'm guessing he wasn't cold," Julia smirked.
"Well…" Kome chuckled, "He gave off a cold appearance—He was harder to crack than a coconut, honestly. But there was a good soul in him. It just took a great deal of searching."
"What happened to him?" asked Julia.
"He had to leave," Kome answered, looking down at the tiling, "But, he left me with a precious gift."
"Really? What was it?" Julia inquired.
"A little lily—White as snow," Kome replied as she looked out of a window at the falling snow.
"Ohayo, Kome!" Toshiro greeted the woman as he walked out of his bedroom.
"Ohayo, Toshiro," Kome answered as he walked over to her and he ruffled his shoulder-length black hair.
"You brought the cake?" asked Toshiro intently.
"Sure thing," Kome opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a small birthday cake, "Toshiro told me today was your birthday, so I baked this for you, Julia."
"Me—I," Julia looked down at the cake, stunned.
"The gang sends you their love, and wishes they could be here, too," Toshiro said with a smirk. His smile drooped when he caught wind of Kome's mindless humming as she searched for Julia's silverware. She was humming the same song Yukiko always sang, the song from Sleeping Beauty. The boy tried to shake it off as merely coincidence, and tried to concentrate more on the birthday at hand, but could not notice how much more seemed to make sense when he added several factors together—Several eerie and terrifying factors.
Jerusalem:
"Yukiko!" Jigen shouted over the many voices in the crowd, "Where are you!?"
"Daddy!" Yukiko ran towards her father and Lupin, and jumped into her father's arms.
"What's wrong?" asked Jigen as he laid eyes on his panicked daughter.
"Some guys with guns came at me. I lost them, though," Yukiko huffed in response, "I would've shot, but there were too many! They were trying to kidnap me!"
"How many?" asked Lupin as he reached for his gun.
"I dunno—Five, six?" Yukiko panted, "Daddy, can we just go?" she buried her face in her father's black jacket, "Come on, let's go, before they catch up to me! Please?"
"Yeah," Jigen nodded, "Come on, Lupin."
"No," Lupin shook his head, "Let's get those bastards! They'll only come back, Jigen. We have to show them that we won't stand for them trying to abduct one of our own."
"Can we do it?" asked Yukiko.
"Sure, sweetie," Lupin smirked, "Jigen, you in?"
"I—Sure," Jigen nodded, "We'll get them out of our hair, okay, Yuki?" he looked downward at his frightened daughter.
"You won't let anything happen to me, will you?" asked Yukiko.
Jigen looked downward in surprise and gulped dryly, "No, honey, I won't. Now let's go." He removed his magnum from his holster, and ran with Lupin down the busy street. They ran up with the group who pursued Yukiko down the street, and the mob she had described turned out to be about six men. They were the first to open fire, and Jigen quickly returned the fire. Yukiko regained her courage as she stood next to her father, and jumped out of his arms, and removed her own gun.
She shot twice, and one large mobster fell. Along with him fell a white fedora, which Yukiko looked at briefly, and felt compelled to take. She put it on her own head, and used it to line up her target, much like her father did. She pointed her pistol at one gunman in particular, and shot. A red wound appeared in his chest, right in the place of his heart.
Jigen looked back in shock at the young girl, and just as he turned his head, another shot fired. Yukiko now fell back onto the ground, and Lupin and Jigen both came to a terrifying realization at the same time.
They had just shot Yukiko Jigen.
Jigen turned back to the shooter, and fired at him, while cursing the gunman. Lupin warded off any further attacks from the remaining two gunman with his own pistol, and Jigen concentrated on the single attacker. After he ran out of bullets in his chamber, Jigen reloaded, and shot six more time, leaving Lupin stunned. The demon he had met years before had once again emerged.
Jigen panted as he placed his hot gun back into his holster, and then ran over to Yukiko and Lupin, "Come on! We've got to get her to a hospital, now!"
"Jigen, I'm so sor—"
"Save it!" Jigen growled fiercely, "Get me to a hospital!"
"Yeah," Lupin nodded dumbly as he stumbled towards his vehicle.
"God, don't let someone else leave me now—Please," Jigen begged as he seated himself in the back seat of the Alfa Romeo, "Damn, she's getting pale, fast.." he removed his jacket, and wrapped her in it, hardly giving a thought to the white fedora that tumbled to the floor while he did this.
A local hospital, later:
Yukiko's eyes fluttered open, and she let out a small groan. What had happened, and where was she? She looked to her left, and saw Goemon lying in a bed across from her. Was he sick? No, she was, she realized as she found herself in another hospital bed.
Goemon heard the girl as she let out a small moan, and shot his head towards her, "You're awake?" a rare smile appeared on his face, "Thank the gods you're all right!"
"Goemon, what happened?" asked Yukiko weakly.
"You—Someone shot you," Goemon responded awkwardly.
"Am I all right?" asked Yukiko.
"Yes," Goemon nodded, "You lost a good deal of blood, though. But, thankfully, my type is a universal donor."
"You mean we're doing a blood transfusion?" Yukiko concluded. Goemon simply nodded quietly in response.
"Does this make us related?" asked Yukiko with a weak smile.
"Sort of, I suppose," Goemon answered, "But not so much related you couldn't date Toshiro."
"Thank God," Yukiko sighed in relief. She heard another stirring on the other side of her, and she saw her father and stepmother in chairs, both asleep. Ming awoke first, and blinked in surprise a few times before she came to and found her eyes did not deceive her. Yukiko was awake.
"Yukiko!" Ming rose, and embraced her.
"Hi, Mommy," said Yukiko quietly.
"Jigen, she's awake!" Ming said ecstatically, "Daisuke!"
"Huh?" Jigen lifted his head up, and glanced at Yukiko. His head slowly bowed down again, but then shot up again, "Yukiko!" He cried quickly jumped out of his seat, and embraced her tightly.
"Daddy! You're suffocating me!" Yukiko laughed, "Leggo! Come on!"
"Dammit, I was so worried! God, I was worried!" he kept repeating over and over again as he rocked the young girl back and forth.
"Daddy, I can't breath," Yukiko choked.
"Oh! Right!" Jigen took a few steps back, and looked downward at her, "How're you feeling, kid?"
"Like hell," Yukiko answered with a chuckle.
"Yukiko, you're awake," said Fujiko with a smile as she opened the hospital door. The brunette entered with a large bouquet of flowers, followed by an unusually cautious Lupin, who sported an even more unusual black eye, "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Pretty tired, huh?"
"Yeah," Yukiko nodded, "Lupin, what happened to your eye?"
Lupin glanced up at Jigen, who glared at him icily in response, "I… Let's just say your daddy loves you lots…"
Two days earlier, the hospital waiting room:
"You promised nothing would happen to her!" Jigen screamed to Lupin irately.
"Jigen, I'm sorry! I'm just as worried as you!" Lupin stuttered.
"Everyone who I've ever loved has left me! If she leaves me, too, God help you…" Jigen hissed.
"Jigen, I'm positive she'll pull through…" Lupin started, and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. Jigen, out of instinct, spun around and sent his friend stumbling back. Lupin glared, and looked upward at Jigen coldly. Jigen went to hit him again, but Lupin stopped him. Jigen struggled to worm his way out of his friend's grasp, but found it useless, and let his arms slump at his sides.
"I just… I don't want her too leave me, too…" Jigen choked as he leaned his forehead on Lupin's shoulder.
"She'll pull through, man, don't worry," Lupin answered in a hoarse whisper as he patted his friend on the back.
Back in the Hospital:
Soon after Fujiko set her Chanel-laced bouquet in a proper vase, Natasha and Zenigata entered, with another bouquet, as well as a teddy bear for the young girl.
"So, finally drew your blood for a righteous cause, Goemon?" Natasha inquired lightly as she glanced over at the unusually pale samurai warrior.
"It was a worthy cause," Goemon answered before he felt another wave of dizziness come upon him.
"Amaya's coming with some sugar-filled junkfood for the noble swordsman later," said Natasha.
"Thanks, guys…" Yukiko said quietly, "But all I did was get in the way, really…"
"Nah, kid. Getting shot's a sort of right of passage here…" Jigen sighed, "Welcome to the gang, Yukiko…"
"Uh, thanks, Dad…" Yukiko said with a tone of uneasiness as she read her father's features.
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay?" Jigen said solemnly.
"For what?"
"Getting you in trouble like that. I'll make sure you're safe from now on—Like I should've been doing…" Jigen replied.
"So, I guess this means," Lupin nodded, "I don't blame you…"
"Blame him for what?" asked Yukiko in a puzzled tone.
"Bought a house in Cicero, Yuki. It has a big front lawn, a pool—Big rooms. You ougtha like it," Jigen replied.
"Uh… Yeah," Yukiko replied while trying desperately to hide her true feelings towards the subject. So this was the last heist, after all.
