DISCLAIMER: Don't own Lupin. Sorry to give you such a shock….
Wilkommen!
A happy early Easter to all of you who celebrate. Glad everyone seems to like Max so far—It's one of my favorite names, too, by the way : ) . And, yeah, I do have this surreal, euphoric feeling about the entire thing ending… But I'm trying to finish this the best way I can while trying to figure out exactly what to call the third series! Any suggestions are welcome, as always. And, now, yet another chapter! Bye!
Chapter Forty Eight
About Two Months Later: And the Cradle Will Rock
'Just like little girls and boys,
Playing with their little toys,'
--The Beatles, 'Real Love'
New York City, New York:
Kome awoke from her sleep early in the morning, as she usually did. This followed by her morning routine, which ran as fine as clockwork. She got dressed, made coffee, and went out to fetch the paper at her doorstep. But when she went to fetch the paper, she found something else, as well. It was a plainly wrapped box, and it left no doubt in her mind as to who it was when she noted the shoddy job done taping it together. She smirked, and brought the box in along with her paper. She set the paper aside, and laid down the box at her table. Kome found a note attached to the box, and gently tore it off, and then opened it.
Thought this would cheer you up. It reminded us of you.
--Julia & Toshiro
"Hn…" Kome thought over the letter a few moments before going to open the box, which she did carefully. The Lord only knew what those strange children had found, Kome thought with a small laugh as she undid the wrappings of the box, and then looked it shock at what it contained. It was a kimono, almost identical to one she had worn to opera performances at one time. She had had a small part at a local charity event at one point and had worn it to an Osaka zoo. She had taken a picture with her then-fiancé in front of the zoo while she had been wearing it. She would have to thank her two precocious neighbors afterwards, she decided to herself as she pulled the kimono out of the box to get a better look at it.
France:
"Ah, is that him, Ms. Zenigata!?" asked one of Natasha's kick-boxing students eagerly in her own form of broken English. Natasha, not one to stay out of the game too long, had come back to the community center only weeks after giving birth to the baby. She had only come to visit on that day, but would soon be back to the work she loved—Showing young girls how to bring grown men to their knees. Essentially, she and Fujiko adored doing the same things.
"Sure is! Looks like me, but he screams like his father," Natasha answered, rolling her eyes and putting a hand to her head.
"Has he had his bris, yet?" inquired another girl.
"Yep," Natasha nodded, "His step-brother Arsene passed out in the synagogue after he realized exactly what a bris was."
"You don't say!" gasped one of her students, "Isn't he the cute one, with the buzz cut?"
"Uh, yeah," Natasha admitted uncomfortably.
"I don't know—That one with the long hair is kinda cute, too," chuckled another girl.
"That guy with the hat has nice eyes—When you can see them!" added another.
"And there's always Natasha's husband!" laughed yet another.
"All right, all right! Jeeze—You all are drooling all over the new wooden floor that the Jacobsons' just donated!" Natasha sighed, "Speaking of my husband, he's got the motor running. So I'll see you girls later, all right? Bye!"
"Bye, Natasha!" they called back to her as Natasha exited out of the gym and strolled to the parking lot, Max still in hand. He began to wail as she opened the car door and began to strap him into his seat, and Natasha sighed heavily in frustration as she seated herself in the passenger seat.
"We're insane for having kids at this age," Natasha mumbled to herself and Zenigata.
"Well, I was declared clinically insane or deranged over the years, so it seems to make sense," Zenigata replied with a shrug, "I think I might even have been Baker-acted at one point… While I was in the U.S."
"Would you being crazy not surprise me? I mean, you sing The Wind Beneath my Wings in your sleep!" Natasha laughed.
"Er… Well, the reason I sing that is a little bit of a different story…." Zenigata chuckled uncomfortably as he began to pull the car out of the parking lot and onto the highway.
"Let's just hope your craziness isn't genetic, Koichi!" Natasha laughed. Max let out another long wail, and both parents shuddered as a result.
"Let's hope he gets tired of doing this soon!" Zenigata added over the screaming.
The Lupin Mansion:
"Damn dog! Get back here with my hat! It's not a chew toy!" Jigen yelled angrily as he chased Martha about the house in wild pursuit of his beloved fedora.
"If it wasn't before, it is now," Goemon muttered as he watched the scene unfold complacently on the stairway. He heard a familiar set of wooden sandals scale down the stairs, and he turned to Amaya as she stood next to him, a small stack of papers in her hands. "What's that?"
"These are the papers we need," Amaya replied, "We go to Korea on Tuesday, to pick her up."
"Are you sure you want this?" Goemon inquired quietly.
"Yep," Amaya nodded, "Her parents will be waiting for us at the airport. We meet briefly, and we get back on the plane to France, and we come back the same day with our new daughter, Odori!"
"Toshiro will have to come to meet her," Goemon said as he looked downward at the single picture of an Asian small girl, younger than Heiji.
"I have the feelings that the Ishikawas single-handed will solve Japan's population decline," a familiar weasely laugh rang in the house.
"Lupin, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Fujiko," said Amaya.
"She started talking psychology to me, and I headed for the hills," Lupin answered, "She thinks I have almost everything except Oedipus Syndrome! I swear… Kleptomania, pyromania—She's a maniac with these manias of hers! I swear… She's going to drive me nuts with all of this talk about how I am nuts!"
"Maybe you need some fresh air," Goemon suggested.
"Nah, I'll just drink my troubles away, like anyone as clinically bonkers as I am would do in such a situation," Lupin shrugged in response, "Well, see you all around!" he waved them off as he exited down the stairway towards the kitchen. As he exited, the door to the front opened, and Ming walked in, her arms full of takeout.
"I'm back!" Ming called.
"Please tell me you remembered the rangoon this time," Amaya said hopefully as she walked down to help Ming the heavy box of food. Ming had befriended people at the local Chinese restaurant, and therefore got the group's meals all at a hefty discount.
Jigen emerged from one of the back rooms, his right hand holding his fedora, and his right leg sporting a limp. Martha followed him out moments later, also sporting a limp. Both looked exhausted from their battle in one of the numerous rooms. In the process of the battle, a precious vase had been broken, but Jigen figured he would tell Lupin this later, after he got an ice pack.
"Food's here! Great, I'm starved!" Jigen sighed in relief as he laid eyes on the large box of Chinese food in Ming's arms.
"Hey, the baby's getting a little toasty from me balancing all of this hot food on my stomach!" said Ming irritably, "Here, you get it for me, okay?"
Jigen frowned as Ming passed the box off to him, "What? I—"
"Daisuki, Daisuke," Ming smiled, and pecked on him the cheek, and then exited, leaving a defeated and somewhat embarrassed Jigen in the living room.
"Daisuki (I love you)?" Amaya laughed, "Daisuke… Daisuki! Oh, that's good! I'm surprised we didn't think of that! That's so cute, Jigen!"
"That's ironic," Goemon smirked.
"Hey, at least the term 'deep fried' doesn't come to mind when people think of my name!" Jigen snapped in defense, "Come on in the kitchen if you plan on eating…"
He walked into the kitchen, and laid the heavy box down on the counter, and began to prepare his plate. By chance alone, he looked upward as he was preparing his food, and noted Ming now looking unusually pale—Even with her white powder on.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Jigen as he sat his plate down on the marble counter and walked over to her.
"My water broke," Ming gulped hoarsely.
"Please tell me you mean water bottle…" Jigen put a hand to his face, and thought a few seconds. He then spun around as he heard Goemon and Amaya, and he snapped at both as he watched them fixing their own meals, "Hey, would you two both stop a second!? She's going into labor!"
"What!?" both shot their heads upward in surprise.
"Someone get the car, get the suitcases—And someone pour some wonton soup into a thermos for me! I'm still hungry!" Jigen called as he hurriedly led Ming out towards the vehicles, "Hurry!"
"I—Okay," Amaya nodded, and turned to get the children ready. Goemon turned in the opposite direction to find the suitcases, and both bumped into one another full speed, Amaya's head ramming into Goemon's nose. The samurai took a step back, stunned, and clutched onto his nose.
"Oh, oh God! Are you okay?" Amaya inquired worriedly.
"I've had worse," Goemon answered painedly, "You must be a Zenigata—Your skull's thick enough."
"Is it bleeding?" asked Amaya.
"Nonsense; I've faced many difficult foes without losing a single drop of blood and…. Get me some paper towels—I think it's broken."
"Oh, my God," Amaya yelped, "Crap… Crap!" She quickly ran over to the other side of the kitchen, and brought back a roll of paper towels. She nervously ripped off several, and passed them to Goemon, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Oh, God, this isn't good…"
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Fujiko as she walked into the kitchen, drawn by the scent of the hot food.
"Ming's going into labor and I think I just broke Goemon's nose with my thick head!" Amaya wailed desperately to Fujiko.
"I… Okay… Calm down… You're hyperventilating!" Fujiko said calmly.
"We're going to pick up Odori… And Ming's in labor… And… Oh, God, I can't take all of this at once!" Amaya gulped, "Mom's right when it all comes down to it, I behave just like Dad! Oh, God, I'm turning into my father!"
"Just get the suitcases, all right?" Fujiko said coolly. Amaya nodded, and ran up the stairway to fetch the suitcases. There was a long wail of a car horn, which drew Lupin out of his hiding in the wine cellar. He climbed up the stairway, a bottle of vintage wine in his hand, and at first came upon the sight of Fujiko and Goemon in the kitchen, Goemon trying to hold back bleeding by holding his head back as far as it would go and stopping up the bleeding with paper towels, and grew puzzled by this sight.
"Um… What?" Lupin frowned.
"Get the kids," Fujiko ordered.
"I—Yeah," Lupin nodded, "Goemon, what—"
"I don't want to talk about it," Goemon grumbled in response.
"Okay," Lupin nodded, and then hurriedly began to round up the children, "Where are we going, anyway?"
"The hospital," answered Fujiko.
"For Goemon?"
"For Ming."
"What's up with Ming?"
"She's going into labor," answered Fujiko coolly.
"Woah! Really!? Holy crap!" Lupin laughed, and threw the bottle of wine over his shoulder and down the dark stairway, "I'll get 'um! This is great—I'm gonna be an uncle—Again!" He ran up the stairs, and he and Yukiko, who had been listening to records in her bedroom, ran back down with Fuji, Ari, Heiji, and Ryo.
"We'll take Ryo with us," said Amaya as she took both the girl and her son.
"And we'll let you drive with us, Yukiko," Lupin added, "Ready, Fujicakes?"
"Yes," Fujiko nodded, "Goemon, will you be all right?"
"Yes. The bleeding's almost stopped," Goemon responded.
"Good—I don't want you to bleed on my upholstery," Amaya sighed with a breath of relief.
"She's turning into her mother," Goemon mumbled to himself as he followed Amaya out to her car. Lupin, Fujiko, and the other children soon followed their lead, and all, once more, were on their way to the hospital.
Later, at the Hospital:
"Didn't I see you all here just two months ago?" the doctor asked with a confused frown as he looked downward at his clipboard and back at the exited group, "Yes, I'm sure of it! You were the one in the delivery room last time, though!" he added, pointing to Natasha with his pen.
"Yeah," Natasha smiled as she bounced Max on her knees.
"How's his grandpa holding up, eh?" asked the doctor with a smile.
"His grandpa's dead," Natasha answered.
"Oh! You mean—" he glanced over at Zenigata, and back at Max, "Oh, I'm sorry, I—"
"Why you—I'm going to kick your ass!" Zenigata growled.
"Well, I better go check on Mrs. Jigen," said the doctor quickly, sliding back into the delivery room.
"That's gotta get old, huh?" Lupin chuckled jovially, "Hey, don't worry! I've got uncles younger than your kid and older than you, Zenigata!"
There was a loud scream on the other side of the doors, and all turned. "Ow! Leggo of my damn arm!" Jigen yelled a moment after the scream.
"You bastard, Daisuke! When I get out of here, I'm going to KILL you for doing this to me AGAIN!" Ming shrieked.
"ME!? You're the one who was all 'Let's have another baby!"
"Well you know I'm the irrational one! You're supposed to keep me from being so stupid!" Ming yelled, followed by another scream of pain.
"It sounds like it's going well…" Lupin said after a long pause of silence.
"I never want kids," Yukiko mumbled, shaking her head.
"Hey, you think I did when I was your age? Hell, no!" Lupin laughed, "I didn't even want kids when I found out I was havin' them!" Fujiko looked over at Lupin coldly, and Ari and Fuji both discontinued their playing, and looked upward at their father silently. "Hey, I—I love you guys, though!" Lupin added nervously.
"I'm sorry, but kids aren't my thing," Yukiko shrugged.
"Your dad told me the same thing," Lupin added. Yukiko looked toward at Lupin in surprise, and he smiled at her in return, "Come on, you want a snack?"
"Sure," she nodded, and walked with the thief out to the vending machine. "Can I call Toshiro?"
"Uh…" Lupin looked down at his watch, "I guess…. Here…" He took out his cell phone, and passed it to the girl. She dialed the number, and waited for someone to pick up the phone. Toshiro groggily answered after the first few rings.
"Hello?" he yawned.
"Toshiro? Hi, it's me," said Yukiko.
"Yuki? Do you know what time it is?" he asked tiredly.
"Sorry," she bit her lip, "Mom's in the delivery room right now—I'm going to be a big sister again! And Goemon and Amaya are flying to Korea in a few days!"
"So we'll both have little siblings to add to our gang in a few days, eh?" Toshiro said quietly, "That's great… Hey, I had a long, long day. I just got to sleep half an hour ago after stealing about three thousand worth of jewelry from some pawnshop for an old widow. I'm going to lie back down now, okay?"
"All right! I'll talk to you later! Bye!" she said, and then turned off the phone, and passed it to Lupin, "Thanks, Lupin."
"Okay, now what do you want?" asked Lupin as he fished in his right jeans pocket for a few pieces of change. Yukiko looked through the window of the vending machine. She pointed to the food with the most sugar content, and Lupin sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Of course. The food that will make you hyper," he said as he put the change into the machine, and pressed the buttons. He waited, and watched in dismay as the vending machine cheated him out of his money by refusing to hand over the sugar-filled candy bar, "What the? It robbed me!" Lupin yelled in disbelief. He shook it a few times, and gave a hard slam to the glass door, but to no avail.
"It's okay, I don't need it. Besides, you're scaring a few of the doctors," Yukiko whispered to him.
Lupin looked back, and noted that a small group of doctors had formed around him, and watched him with a sense of fear and confusion. He slowly backed up from the vending machine, glared at it once more, and then turned back to the waiting room doors. "I'll be back for you…" he muttered under his breath as he walked into the waiting room with Yukiko. He found Jigen sitting in the waiting room, his fedora in the chair next to him and an icepack on his head.
"What happened to you?" asked Lupin.
"She grabbed her IV stand and began to beat me over the head with it. I told her to remember her breathing exercises, and she got pissed!" Jigen replied sorely, "You know, it's okay if she beats on me, but if I were to do that, they'd put me in the slammer!"
"How are you now?" asked Lupin.
"I'm going to go back into there," Jigen replied, "Hopefully they've sedated her by now. For the sake of me and my head…"
"Poor guy…" Lupin mumbled, "Well, why am I pitying him, huh? I mean, you beat on me all the time, Fujicakes!"
"But you usually deserve it," Fujiko answered.
"True," Lupin nodded, "But it stills hurts. Not only physically, but in my heart, as well," Lupin answered. "How about a kiss to make me feel better?"
"And how about you stop our son from falling off of the water fountain?" Fujiko replied coolly.
"Ari!" Lupin yelled frantically, and dashed towards Ari, who, with the help of Fuji, had climbed onto the water fountain, and was preparing to jump off.
"Daddy! I bird, I bird!" Ari yelled as his father lifted him up.
"No, you're going to crack your skull open," Lupin replied, "And don't you go encouraging him, Fuji."
"Sorry," Fuji answered, looking downward at the ground.
"It's all right—Just nothing else dangerous today, okay? I can't take it," Lupin replied, setting Ari on the ground and falling back into his chair, "You're going to make Daddy an old man before his time…"
Fujiko leaned over to Lupin, and plucked a hair off of his head. Lupin winced in pain, and looked over at Fujiko questioningly, "What was that for?"
"It's gray," Fujiko answered as she looked downward at the hair.
Lupin looked downward, and could not deny that it was indeed gray. "Damn," he mumbled, resting both hands on his face and grumbling to himself, "You see, kids, what you're doing to your old man?"
"Daddy old!" Fuji laughed.
"Yeah!" Ari chortled in agreement.
"Can we sell them?" Lupin asked Fujiko.
"Don't say a thing like that!" Fujiko snapped.
"No, really, how much would a kid go for on the black market?" asked Lupin.
"Fifty-thousand American dollars," Goemon answered coldly.
"Oh, I—" Lupin gulped. He had completely forgotten about how Goemon and Amaya were obtaining their new daughter. She was a tradeoff so a family could pay to keep its farm in Korea. Two wanted felons going through the legal system to adopt a child would be a joke to anyone. This was their only option. "I'm so sor—"
"It's all right," Amaya smiled, "Not your fault."
"See you all in a little bit," Jigen said, rising and exiting into the delivery room. All continued to wait patiently, until they heard further news. The news came about an hour later, in the form of all-too-familiar crying. All looked to one another tiredly but happily. They all knew what this noise was.
Daisuke Allen Jigen, Jr., was born that evening, and was warmly greeted by his numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and his two sisters as well. The baby was born with a head of black hair, and had an olive complexion. It was also obvious, young as he was, that he was going to have a profile much like his father's.
Jigen received care for a slight concussion, due to Ming's beating with the IV pole. Goemon also received medical care, but luckily his nose was not broken. Amaya had hit him only hard enough to make his nose bleed.
And a few days later, at the same time Ryoko Jigen flew in from Ise, Japan, to meet her new grandson, Goemon and Amaya took the first flight to South Korea, where, after an uncomfortable and tense flight, they came to the airport. Amaya was the first to spot the sign, reading ISHIKAWA in Korean characters.
She and Goemon met the young couple, already with four children, in the center of the terminal, and exchanged few words. Amaya smiled happily as the baby, wrapped in a simple blanket, was passed on to her. Goemon retrieved a bag from his side, and passed it to the baby's father.
"Take good care of her," the mother said in broken Japanese to the two.
"We will," Amaya replied in the Korean she had been learning, "We have a wonderful home for her."
"Good-bye, and thank you," Goemon bowed to the couple and their children, and then the two turned, and exited back onto the next airplane to France. Odori, formerly of another name, slept all the way through the flight, including during the movie.
"Well, it's all here," Amaya murmured as she opened an envelope and flipped through the papers she had painstakingly made. Birth certificate, passport, falsified medical records—Everything Odori would ever need.
"She's adorable," Amaya said with a bright smile as she looked over at the still-sleeping baby, "Heiji will love her. And so will Toshiro!"
"If he ever comes home," Goemon mumbled, "He wants to stay five more months."
"You're going to let him?" Amaya inquired.
Goemon nodded, "There's so little that makes him happy. If this works, I am glad for him. Besides, he feels at home in New York—I don't know why, but he does. It's best not to question such things."
"I understand," Amaya nodded, "I wish he'd stay more, though. Yukiko still misses him."
"Well, hopefully there will be so many precocious children running around, she won't think much of his absence," Goemon responded.
"You really think that?"
"I can only hope…" Goemon mumbled as he looked out the window, and then back at Odori.
"She looks like a fighter…" Amaya said in deep thought.
"All of the children under our roof do," Goemon added with a hint of cynicism.
