Disclaimer: I do not own Lupin… Jeeze this is redundant!
Aloha!
Aloha hello, not aloha goodbye. Tee hee…. You're not going to get rid of me that easily… Yeah, I can really identify the packrat thing. A family member of mine actually gave a John & Yoko fanclub calendar he had had—Since 1969! And I've still got that thing hanging on my wall. But I digress…
It seems like a lot of people have mixed feelings about the series ending, and, well, to tell you the truth, you ain't the only ones! I've been working on this series for nearly half a year—It'll be a big change going from one set of characters in the foreground to another set. Well, here's hopin', right!? And if anyone has any ideas as to what to put in this series, or in the next series, please let me know. I'm open to any ideas. Well, bye for now, see ya'll around!
'They'll be over soon they said,
now they've lost themselves instead,
please don't be long please don't you be
very long'
--The Beatles, 'Blue Jay Way'
Chapter Forty Two
Three nights later, Jerusalem: Little Man
"Lupin, are you awake?" the French thief heard early in the morning. He slowly opened his eyes, and squinted until he saw the form of Yukiko appear.
"Yukiko, what's the matter?" he inquired, "What time is it, anyway?"
"Goemon and Amaya wouldn't wake up, and neither would Fujiko… And I can't go to Dad or Ming," said Yukiko, "And it's four in the morning."
"Well, I'm up now, so what's on your mind, Yuki?" asked Lupin as he sat up in bed. He shot his head over towards Fujiko as the brunette let out a long snore, and frowned. That woman could wake the dead if needed.
"Can you talk my dad out of going to Chicago?" asked Yukiko pleadingly.
"What? Why? You saw that house—It's gorgeous!" said Lupin.
"You don't want him to go, and I don't want to leave here," Yukiko responded in a matter-of-factly tone, "Do you think we could come up with a plan, to make him change his mind? Please?"
"Well… Your dad's stubborn, kid, but… I'll see what I can do…"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Lupin nodded, "Now… Can I get a little more sleep? I think I can squeeze in another two hours."
"Sure! Thanks!" she whispered, and embraced him. Lupin rolled his eyes as he allowed the child to hug him. He was going so soft; he wouldn't blame anyone for calling him a pansy and wanting to kick his ass.
"Speaking of kicking Lupin's ass, I better check in with brother dear…" Lupin said to himself as he watched Yukiko slowly exit. He saw a lot of his friend in Jigen's daughter, and that frightened him to some extent. Personally, he did not want the girl to stay in a life of crime—Handling a gun, and her willingness to fire a gun, was almost too natural to her. She got a certain look whenever she fired a gun, the look her father sometimes gave, back in his Mafia days. It was the same that still made him frightened of Jigen sometimes.
He had felt guilty and responsible for her getting shot, but he had at least hoped that perhaps she had learned her lesson in the process, and had become scared of guns. But the injury had only made her more anxious to prove herself to her 'family'.
Lupin reached over to the dresser, where he retrieved his cell phone. Remy would be up at this time of night--Remy usually stayed up during the nights, doing God only knows what.
The thief slowly climbed out of bed and dialed the number, and allowed the phone to ring several times as he paced back and forth around the living room of the large hotel room.
"Allo?" came the voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey, Remy. Uh, how long's it been, huh?"
"Arsene—What do I owe the pleasure?" asked Remy with a tone of sarcasm in his voice.
"Fine… I, I just came to check in…"
Remy gave a suspicious pause, and then spoke, "I see…"
"So, uh, how's England, anyway?"
"Oh, my exile? Cold, damp… But the view's lovely…"
"Really."
"No," Remy answered coldly, "What's on your mind? Tell me already… You only call when something's gone awry."
"Well, I—Remy, I have a call. I'll talk to you later…" Lupin sighed as he clicked over, "Hello?"
"Mr. Lupin, I'm presuming?" said an unfamiliar voice over the line.
"Who is this?" asked Lupin sternly.
"Meet me in an hour outside of the domed building I'm sure you've now familiarized yourself with," said the voice in its husky tone.
"What!?" Lupin yelped, "Who is this—Hel, hello? That bastard!" Lupin turned off his phone and slammed it onto the ground, "I'm going to need backup… But who to pick… Goemon, Jigen, Natasha, and Ming are all out of the question right now… Same goes for Yukiko… Amaya's impossible to wake up before six, and I can't trust Fujiko to anything like this… Oh, crap… I guess this means…" he put a hand over his face as he realized who this left to take.
Later:
"What the hell are we doing out here again, and why am I with you?" asked Zenigata crankily.
"Keep it down, Pops," Lupin snapped in a serious tone of voice, "I have a feeling this is the guy who ordered those goons to kill us—On several occasions…"
"You mean those guys who shot Jigen's kid were working for Fujita, too?" Zenigata inquired. Lupin nodded silently in response as the two walked up to domed structure and waited. Two armed guards at the front door clutched onto the triggers of their guns and glared and the foreigners with detest.
A black-suited man stepped out from behind the building minutes later, his hands in his pockets and a leer on his face. Both Zenigata and Lupin jumped as they laid eyes on him, but Lupin's expression changed after a few moments, and he laughed.
"Hey, l'il fella, you lose your mommy?" asked Lupin as he laid a hand on the short Japanese man's head. Within two seconds, the man had drawn a gun, and Lupin yelped and jumped back right before the small man fired three shots. Lupin fell back into Zenigata, who caught him.
Both stared at the midget in confusion as he put his gun back in his holster and smiled at the two, "I see you've noticed my height, or rather lack of. I thank you for saving me the explanation, Mr. Lupin. But if you do make a joke of my height again, I will be forced to shoot the kneecaps off of those bowed legs of yours."
Lupin looked down at his legs, frowned, and looked back upward at the small man, "Hey, they aren't that bowed…"
"It won't matter when you're dead, anyway," answered the midget.
"So I'm guessing you're Fujita?" Zenigata concluded.
"Very wise, Inspector, or, should I say, former Inspector, Zenigata," Fujita answered in a nod.
"Okay, enough formalities—Let's cut to the chase," Lupin snapped, "What do you want, and why do you want us dead?"
"I want what you want, Mr. Lupin," Fujita smirked, "And, why would I want you dead?" he laughed, "Notoriety, mainly. But I also have some things to settle with Miss Germany, who crashed my computer systems many years ago. I had been working on the greatest invention, yet—A fission bomb. But, with a few strokes of the key, that bitch destroyed my career. Well, I'm sure you know the rest… Mental breakdown, fled to Italy… How very grateful I am that I get to destroy her and get the honor of killing the Lupin the Third gang in one day."
"Your goons shot a kid, you bastard!" Zenigata snapped.
"I had them shoot that child for the good of the world. That girl is a monster-in-training. She kills without fear, and can't wait to get a gun in her hands again, or so I've heard."
"Maybe so, but that doesn't give you the right to natural selection," Lupin said sternly as he reached for his gun. A hand came down on his shoulder, and he looked upward, and felt his blood pool to his feet. The man in the pinstriped suit had to be at least seven feet tall. Lupin turned to Fujita, "As much as you compensate, I can't help but to wonder…"
Fujita clenched his jaw, "I'm giving you…. One last chance… I'll give you twelve hours to get out of the country. I'll still kill you, but I might as well give you the impression that you can escape with your life. It will be more sporting that way."
"Fujita, you have no clue who you're screwing around with," Lupin said as he tore out of the giant's grasp, "I'm Lupin the Third—I don't back down for anything."
"Here's food for thought, Mr. Lupin—If you and your wife die, your father will abduct your children, and your brother will do nothing to stop him. I know all about Lupin the Second. He treated you just as badly as Mr. Jigen's father treated him, if not worse. Neglect is never a good thing… You know that…"
Zenigata looked over at Lupin, who was staring downward at the ground, a raged and hurt look on his face, "Ari and Fuji…" he heard Lupin mutter under his breath.
Lupin shot his head upward, and took a few steps toward Fujita, "You listen here, Fujita—Get out while you still can—You should be fearing for your life. You may have guards, but how loyal are they to you, huh? I'll be back for the treasure, and I'll show you that you can't kill an immortal."
Lupin turned away from Fujita, and stormed down the street. Zenigata snapped his head in Lupin's direction, and ran to catch up with the thief.
"Well, what the hell are you going to do, now, smart guy?" asked Zenigata.
"I'm going to steal whatever is in that dome," Lupin answered with a cool poker face.
"What!?" Zenigata grabbed Lupin by the jacket, and turned the thief to face him, "Didn't you hear him!? He's right about what'll happen to your kids, and you know it!"
"Yeah, they're going to my father, right, Pops?" Lupin smiled slyly. He and Zenigata shared a moment of silence, before Zenigata groaned and pushed Lupin back.
"The only reason I don't strangle you is because I have to be civil to you!" Zenigata yelled, "So don't even go there!"
"Face it, old man—I gave you the adventure of a lifetime, the kind most people only dream of!" Lupin said.
"Yeah, and look where it got me!"
"Let's see—A beautiful blonde wife, a reunion with your daughter, a wealthy family, a place in INTERPOL's wall of fame, a pension to die for, a heart that's twenty years younger than you are—due to all of that exercise I've put you through—You have tons of frequent flyer miles, and you're getting a son in a few months." Lupin said vaguely. He turned to Zenigata, "You're right, I'm a complete bastard, aren't I!?"
"You shut your face," Zenigata growled, "So, what are you going to do about Fujita?"
"Oh, I've got a plan or two up my sleeve…" said Lupin as he clasped his hands together.
Back at the Hotel:
"Yukiko?" Ming knocked softly on the hotel door before she entered and found Yukiko listening to a cassette player. It was loud enough so Ming could hear the music playing—It was Yukiko's mother, Sakura, singing, "Hi, Yuki. I brought some ice cream for you."
"Thank you," Yukiko said quietly as she removed her headphones and took the bowl of ice cream.
"How're you feeling?" asked Ming as she sat on the edge of Yukiko's bed.
"I've been better," Yukiko admitted.
"Just like your dad," Ming chuckled, "Hey, I wanted to ask you… When you woke up, and saw me… I thought you called me 'mom'."
"I did," Yukiko nodded, "Do you want me to not call you that?"
"No, no, it's okay! I just wanted to check," Ming smiled, and rose, "Thanks, Yuki."
"You're welcome," Yukiko responded as she scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth.
Ming wore a wide smile as she walked into the living room of her hotel room, where Jigen was sitting, reading the paper. He looked upward at her, noticed she was smiling, and immediately became suspicious of her, "What are you up to?"
"I'm getting the results back on the gender of the baby two days from now," said Ming.
"Really?" Jigen immediately became attentive, and smiled, "You know it's gonna be a boy, this time, so why bother, huh?"
"I dunno—Feels like another girl, to me," Ming admitted as she laid a hand over her stomach. Jigen frowned, and became pale. There was no way in hell God could possibly be this cruel—No way. But he then thought of his friends, and God did have a sadistic sense of humor when he decided to create them.
"Let's just hope…" Jigen sighed as he opened his newspaper again and found the Lupin gang in the features section, "God, I can have as many kids as I want, but people will always think I'm gay!" he grumbled as he scanned over the article.
New York, New York:
"Can I take a break now, Kome?" asked Toshiro as he stood across from the older woman whom he had been singing with up until his voice had tired.
"Certainly, Toshiro," Kome replied.
"I'm going to check my mail," Toshiro announced as he seated himself at his computer. Both turned as Julia burst through the door, smiling widely.
"I got the gig!" Julia cheered happily as she slammed her door behind her, "I'm the lead role in Cabaret!"
"That's wonderful, Julia," Kome said with a nod.
"Well, this isn't…" Toshiro muttered.
"What isn't?" Julia asked.
"Yukiko," Toshiro answered.
"What—What about her?" Kome asked hesitantly.
"She got hurt in Israel," said Toshiro.
"How badly?" asked Kome.
"She—She was shot…" Toshiro replied, "She's okay, though. She's resting, now."
Kome rose, and sped towards the bathroom, "Kome, are you all right?" asked Julia worriedly.
"I'm FINE!" a near-tears Kome answered as she slammed the door to the bathroom. She slid down against the closed door as she put a hand over her mouth, and made a strange wailing sound. Julia, along with half of the hotel, was puzzled and disturbed by this noise, and briefly thought that Kome had killed herself.
Kome exited twenty minutes later, her eyes red and her hands shaking horribly. Julia and Toshiro looked at one another, neither quite sure who should approach the woman first. In the end, it was quietly decided that Julia would do the talking.
"Uh, Miss Kome… Are you okay?" asked Julia worriedly.
"How much does a ticket for Israel cost?" asked Kome.
"Kome, you don't have enough—" Julia started.
"I have two-hundred grand under my mattress," said Toshiro as he rose from the computer.
"You WHAT!?!?" Julia shrieked as Toshiro walked into their bedroom. She watched in horror as he opened his mattress and pulled out one of the many small stacks of bills in his possession, "Where did you get those!?"
"I charge the rich for my services—The poorer people usually make me take some sort of reward before I go," Toshiro replied as he walked out to Kome and handed her the money, "Is this enough?" he inquired.
"Yes… Plenty," Kome nodded.
"Can I come with you?" asked Toshiro.
"Well, I—"
"Hey, you aren't leaving me alone here! If you go, I go!" Julia snapped, "Even if I don't know what the hell's going on anymore, I'm coming! I'm supposed to look after you, remember!"
"You two probably don't want—" Kome started.
"Yes we do," Toshiro nodded, "Now pack your bags. I made friends with someone in customs—He'll let my sword get by."
"How'd you talk him into it?" asked Julia.
Toshiro shuddered, "I took his daughter to a dance…"
"You're DATING!?" Julia yelled, "Your dad's going to have kittens if he hears about this! He's going to turn me into SUSHI if he finds out I'm letting you go out with girls!"
"Hey, at least it's girls I'm going out with. Besides, it's not like I wanted to. Her face looks like the backside of a mule!" Toshiro snapped, "My friends laughed at me for an entire week!"
"God, that sucks…."
"That isn't the worst part," Toshiro sighed.
"Really?" Julia looked downward at him.
"She still stalks me!" Toshiro said with a shudder, "I think she wants to marry me."
"Well, better dead than wed, if you ask me," Julia sighed as she began to pack her lone suitcase, "What are we going to do with your birds?"
"We can take them with us," Toshiro replied.
"What about quarantine?" inquired Julia.
"I also escorted the customs man's daughter to the movies on several occasions," Toshiro sighed.
"Hey, kid, have you ever heard the word 'gigiglo' before?" asked Julia.
"No," Toshiro admitted.
"Let's just hope your dad hasn't, either," Julia sighed.
Later that evening, Kome, Julia, Toshiro, and three parrots were on a plane headed towards Israel. Julia had found entertainment listening to a CD recording of her lines for her new play, while Toshiro concentrated on meditating. Kome simply stared out the window at the clouds passing her by. This trip could very well kill her, if she were not careful.
"Jigen, why'd you let that happen to her?" Kome muttered almost wordlessly to her reflection, "I thought you were too good a teacher to let anything happen to your pupils…"
Osaka, Japan, about eleven years ago:
"Come on," Jigen nudged Sakura once more, only to have her swat him away once more, "get the hell up already, will ya?"
"Daisuke, what is it?" Sakura groaned as she lifted her head upward, "It's six in the morning! I don't wake up until seven—You know that!"
"Yeah, I know," Jigen nodded, "Now come on and get up."
"Why?" Sakura groaned.
"I'm going to teach you something," said Jigen, "Now get up—C'mon…"
"Well… Dammit, all right," Sakura slowly rose out of bed, grumbling at the hardness of the mattress. Being on the run all of the time sometimes meant that their living conditions would be less than ideal.
Sakura dressed for the morning, and followed Jigen out of the cabin that the two now resided in, on the side of a discrete mountain in Osaka. She yawned as she trudged down the stairs, and looked curiously at the card hanging from a small branch, held there by a clothespin, "What the devil are you up to, now?"
"I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself," Jigen responded as he removed his magnum from his belt, and handed it to her. Sakura's hands lowered slightly as she took the gun; she had had no idea that it was that heavy.
"I can't fire this!" Sakura gasped, "It—It's a gun…"
"I know what it is," Jigen sighed, "Now, aim for the card…"
"I can't do that, and you know it. I'll think it's a person, and I'll become nervous, and miss!" Sakura said pleadingly.
"Shoot, Sakura," Jigen ordered sternly. Sakura looked over at him, bit her lip, and help the gun up towards the card. Her hands shook terribly as she tried in vain to steady the gun, and she paused a few moments before firing it. She tumbled back after the bullet was fired; she had not known that there would be such a reaction.
"God, are you okay!?" Jigen gasped as he kneeled down next to her.
"I, I think so… I had no idea it would… L—Look! Would you look at that!?" Sakura laughed and put a hand to her head. Jigen glanced over, and noticed part of the card missing. He looked back at her, and smirked.
"See, what'd I tell ya!?" Jigen said with a reassuring smirk as he slowly helped her to rise off of the ground, "You're better than you think! Now, what do you say we go for a few more rounds?"
"I'd rather not," Sakura replied as she numbly handed Jigen his gun back and walked up the stairs to the door of the cabin. She grumbled to herself darkly as she noticed the door was locked, and looked back at Jigen, "It's locked."
"I left the key inside," Jigen answered a little too coolly to be left without suspicion.
"Damn," Sakura sighed heavily and reached upward on her tiptoes to retrieve the key above the doorway. She frowned as she came upon something else along with the key, and brought down a small box in addition to the extra key. She cautiously opened the box, and was shocked to see a simple ring in it.
"If you're going to stick around, I might as well teach you to shoot… You'll need it—If you want to stay, that is," said Jigen.
"I…" Sakura trailed off, unable to finish a full sentence, "It's gorgeous…"
"Hey, that's not all," Jigen said proudly as he jumped up the stairs and pulled out another box that had been laying discarded at the side of the doorway. He lifted it up, and passed it to Sakura. She opened it, and was speechless (in a bad or good way, it was not certain) to find it contained a gun.
"I don't want anyone I know to get hurt; not like I have," said Jigen, "As long as you've got me as your teacher, Sakura, I promise you aren't going to get shot up by any idiot."
"Sakura… Sakura Jigen, hn?" she smirked, and looked over at him, "All right. I suppose to first step is how to load it…"
"Come here—I'll show you," said Jigen as he removed some of the bullets from the box and opened the chamber of the gun, "Now watch me, okay?"
"Yeah," Sakura nodded.
The Present:
"Kome, are you all right?" asked Toshiro in a whisper.
"Hn? Oh, yes—Thank you, Toshiro," Kome nodded, "I was just remembering something…. From long ago…"
Israel, the next day:
Goemon's eyes flashed open suddenly, and he broke out of his trance. Amaya, who had been on her computer, looked over at her husband curiously, "Goemon, what's wrong?"
"Someone's coming…" Goemon answered as he rose from his mat and picked up his sword. He slowly crept towards the door and then cautiously turned the knob to open it. He leaned against the back of the wall next to the door as he waited for the 'attacker' to approach.
The door creaked open, and Amaya stood there stunned in position as Goemon swung his blade towards the intruder, missing him by only inches. The intruder yelled in surprise, and Goemon suddenly stopped.
"Lupin?" Goemon asked out loud as he sheathed his sword.
"Half right," Remy Lupin answered as he stood erect and made eye contact with Goemon. The French man was obviously shaken by the attempt made upon his life, and his fears were renewed as Amaya sprang forward and held her sword inches away from his neck.
"Amaya!" Goemon snapped.
"This is the same son of a bitch who tried to kill me… Who tried to kill Lupin's children! You expect me to welcome him!?"
"I expect you to let him explain his purpose for being here…" Goemon responded. Amaya begrudgingly sheathed her sword, and leered at Remy as she turned back towards her computer, "What are you doing here?" asked Goemon.
"Good question," Remy admitted, "It's because of my dear brother, who appears to be out right now… Do you know when he'll be back?"
"That's like asking me when I expect fall to come…" Goemon sighed.
"Right after summer," Remy snapped, "A wise man once said, 'Only fools repeat proverbs'."
"I—" Goemon clenched his jaw, "What do you want?"
"Arsene spoke to me a few days ago—I knew something was wrong when I heard him speak."
"And you, being brother of the year, were concerned and came running to him," Amaya snorted skeptically. Both Goemon and Remy glared at her, and Goemon turned back to Remy.
"I owe it to him. He saved my life once, a life I put on the line because of a stupid bet I made. And I know that whenever he sounds as depressed as he did the day I talked to him, it usually means big trouble."
Goemon nodded, "Wait here for him. We will let Lupin decide if he wants you dead or not. Just stay out of Jigen's way."
Remy nodded, and walked over to the couch, and seated himself on it. He exchanged glances with Amaya briefly, and shuddered. She could give looks as cold as her father, when she put her mind to it.
Meanwhile, just down the street, three more visitors were preparing to make their way into the hotel complex.
"Don't be nervous, Kome! They won't recognize you with your makeup on! You look like my Auntie June with all of that stuff on!" Julia reassured Kome as she, the frightened middle aged woman, and Toshiro all approached the hotel.
"I don't know about this…" said Kome with a dry gulp.
"Oh, c'mon—What's the worst that could happen!?" Julia laughed as she placed her hand on the doorknob. All three fell to the concrete as they heard gunshots come from an apartment window, and then looked upward at the busted windows.
"Why do I have the feeling I just jinxed us all?" Julia moaned.
