Disclaimer: Don't own the Lupin III characters, although they're rarely in this, to begin with…
Gwaa!
You got me! Thanks first of all, Lealah, for the spelling correction. It was just a really late night and I could not remember how to spell that word for the life of me, and spell check was givin' me nothing. Amikazuki, I have the story posted on Fictionpress.net. There's a link to it on my profile page, and it's under 'A Sniper Named Jack' or something or other, I believe. It's the first chapter. I don't think I could've gotten away with putting the second chapter in a school-wide publication. And Kuwabara, I hope you're happy now that you got to see Jigen and Ming at last. As always, please review. I'm very lonely and need the positive words.
By the way, this might be coming out a little late with thanks to exams. Eck… Wish me luck…
'Tell me that you've got everything you want,
And your bird can sing,
But you don't get me,
You don't get me,'
--The Beatles, 'And Your Bird Can Sing'
Chapter Eight
A Short Time Later: Victim of Love
"I thought you said you wanted to go to dinner… What's with the change in plans?" Yukiko said with confusion as she climbed off out of her friend's car and looked upward at the carnival scene. Hector had met with her at the restaurant, and she had left Toshiro's liberated bike there.
"I thought this would be a little more fun than a stuffy dinner," Hector replied.
"He he… Fun, yeah," Yukiko chuckled weakly as she looked down at her high-heeled shoes, "Anyway, let's get down to business…. I'll help you for about… Hm… How high can you go?"
"How much do you want?" Hector inquired with a smirk.
"I, uh…"
"Well talk about this later. Come on, why don't you try this game?" he asked, stopping by a shooting game.
"Well, okay," Yukiko shrugged, and picked up the play rifle. After paying the man, the carnival worker watched in horror as she shot everyone can off of the wooden plank, each with a clean dent in the center.
"Holy crap, Lady! Some eye you've got there!" laughed the carnival worker, "I'd tell your boyfriend there to watch what he says to you!"
"He's not—"
"We'll pick up the prize later," said Hector, quickly cutting into the conversation.
"Damn you're pushy!" Yukiko grumbled.
"No; you just looked as though you were about to shoot him!" Hector laughed.
"I'm surprised you didn't shoot him after that boyfriend comment. I have a couple of friends who would have," said Yukiko.
"Your friends who get angry over a comment like that ought to have some sense knocked into them. They couldn't be so lucky to have someone as nice as you as a girlfriend. Well, I've said too much now, haven't I?"
"No, not really," Yukiko shook her head, "Keep goin'. I'm startin' to like this."
A Local Restaurant:
"Well, there's Toshiro's ugly-as-sin yellow Vespa," said Fuji as Ryo pulled up to the said restaurant, where Ryo had figured they had gone.
"Ugly?" Toshiro frowned, "She better not have dinged it… Lord help her if she did… She'll pay ever cent it costs to repair it, if she did."
"I'm surprised that it's not in a lake right now," said Ally, "If I had it my way, it would've been!"
"I'm so very sorry I spoke with a woman," Toshiro said with a roll of his eyes, "At least I wasn't taking advantage of a couple of women who couldn't even speak the local language!"
"I wasn't taking advantage of them! I was just buying drinks for them!" Ally countered.
"Seven drinks! A piece! I don't know about you, but that'd leave most people barely able to walk, more-or-less think straight!"
"What are you trying to say?"
"You know what I'm trying to say," Toshiro hissed.
"Will you two knock it off!? As much as I'm just 'loving' this testosterone flare-up, Your sister and your best friend is being played, and we have no idea where in the hell she is!" Fuji snapped.
"You know, there's a carnival downtown," said Ryo as she snapped one of her numerous bracelets out of stress.
"Ryo-san, you're a genius!" Fuji said happily, "Let's get this chariot going, then, m'lady!"
"As you like it," Ryo replied, stepping on the gas of the vehicle.
Back at the Carnival:
"So, you were on the road too, much as a child?" Hector inquired.
"I—Yeah. Can't complain, though," Yukiko shrugged, "I loved it. I still do."
"You never think about perhaps stopping for a rest?"
"Rest is for when you're dead!" Yukiko laughed, "You don't seem to be in any hurry to stop and rest, yourself!"
"I'm not," Hector said with a shake of his head, "Although… I would stop, if I could just meet someone. You know what I mean, Senorita?"
"I… Yeah…" Yukiko looked downward at the ground, "My dad and I just had an argument about that earlier… I love him, but he's always pushing for me not to turn into him. I'm trying not to, but I can't help it!"
"Your father loved Spain, too, right?" Hector concluded.
"Yeah," Yukiko nodded, "I like it, too. I bummed around there for a few years. My grandpa took my dad there, and my dad took us there. It's tradition."
"I have a home there. I just came here to meet you. I've never been to the U.S. before this, actually!"
"You like your visit, though, right? I know a lot of people hate it, but—"
"I love it! But not because of the place—It's the people I've met!"
"Oh, yeah?" a weak smile appeared across Yukiko's face, "Yeah, uh, those guys in the club were really—"
"You and I both know that's not what I'm talking about," said Hector with a smile.
"You, you aren't?" she choked, "Well, then, who--" she would have continued, but she was stopped by Hector, who kissed her briefly, leaving her stunned.
Wow, haven't had that happen in nearly twenty years, she thought with shock.
"Come on. We can leave here," Hector said with a smile, leading her back to his car.
"Did you mean that? For real?" Yukiko asked as she seated herself in the vehicle.
"Of course! Why would I not?" Hector replied, "Come on. I have somewhere else where we can go."
"Really?" Yukiko raised her eyebrows, "Well, lead the way!" She looked over at him, and smiled. Maybe her father was right, after all. Perhaps she just needed to meet someone. Perhaps she had met him.
Across Town, in a Hotel:
"LeBlanc, come on! They just found another Lupin letter, this time at a theater! Tomorrow night's that supposed concert, and we've got to stake out the place! LeBlanc, you hear me!?" Max shouted through the bathroom door to Leo, "Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm not going! Not until you apologize!" Leo shouted back.
"What!? What if I don't speak the language that they do!? Then what am I going to do, then?"
"Sign language!" Leo snapped in response.
Max sighed, and banged his head against the bathroom door, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry…"
"Say it!"
Max rolled his eyes, "Purple isn't a girlie color…"
"And!?"
"You aren't a whiny little monkey-looking brat who lacks fashion sense and had a fear of intimacy with women…." Max grumbled, "There, happy!?"
There was silence, and after a few moments, the doors opened, and Leo exited, "Yes. Now let's get going."
"Don't forget your purse," Max sighed as he exited.
"Oh, don't worry, I— You creep!" Leo yelled as he stormed out after Max, "I ought to hang you for that!"
"You deserve it," Max replied, "Bowlegged monkey!"
"Two-bit hack accountant!" Leo snapped in response, "Blond-headed imbecile! Near-sighted ass!"
"Did you kill Barney for that jacket, Leo?" Max continued as they walked down the stairs of the hotel.
"You kill John Denver for that haircut?" Leo countered.
"John Denver's already dead!"
"Damn it," Leo grumbled, and shoved his hands in his pockets, and stormed out to the vehicle.
On the Road:
"Now, if I were a creepy freak who liked to take advantage of women, where would I be?" Heiji wondered out loud as they returned from the carnival, where they had seen neither hide nor hair of either being.
"Is that a trick question?" Odori inquired as she seated herself in the car.
"Hey, fish-fry, some of us are actually trying to use our brains! Not just our brute force!" Heiji countered.
"Let's see… They could be in a hotel," Fuji suggested.
"What!?" Ally and Toshiro yelped.
"Hey, it's where I'd be by now!" Fuji laughed.
"Well, that's you—Not my sis. She wouldn't do anything like that!" said Ally.
"No, Yukiko would never!" Toshiro added hastily.
"If she were mad enough at some of us, she would," Ryo replied, looking sideways at Toshiro.
"Are you saying she was jealous?" inquired Odori.
"Maybe… But maybe she's just glad that someone's paying attention to her. She isn't always one of the guys, as much as she likes to put on an act and think it. She's a sensitive girl, when it comes down to it. She's not good at showing emotion, but she has them," Ryo replied.
"Thanks for the synopsis, Dr. Jigen," Fuji laughed, "You sound like my mom! I swear she drove my dad crazy by telling him how crazy he was!"
"Your dad is crazy, point blank," Ally replied.
"He was crazy, but he was also smart," Fuji sighed, "I have no clue where they are… I'm out of ideas…"
"Don't say that. A Lupin never runs out of ideas. Just when you think they've lost the game, they pull out that card that they've been hiding all along, and win it hands down," said Ryo. "Now, come on, Fuji. There has to be one place we haven't tried…"
"Well, I… I don't know, Ryo-san! This city's huge, and they can be anywhere!" sighed Fuji in frustration.
"Well, we don't have to find them. We could always follow those two," said Odori, pointing to a car stopped at a traffic light. Fuji darted her head upward, and laughed heartily as she saw it was Leo and Max.
"Well, well, well. Looks like that lucky card you were talking about has just fallen into my lap, Ryoko!" said Fuji.
"Can I call them, or can I call them?" Ryo smirked as she pressed on the gas and worked her way through traffic until they were behind Leo and Max.
"Hey, Max, look behind us…" Leo, the driver, said slowly as he glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Why?" Max inquired.
"Just do me a favor and do it," Leo replied. Max looked back, and his face grew pale as he saw who was following their vehicle, "I'll be damned… What are they doing?"
"I think they're trying to chase us," Leo replied, "But, now, that wouldn't make sense, now, would—"
"Get behind them!" Max ordered suddenly, turning back to Leo.
"What!? How in the world do you expect me to do that!?"
"Then let me!" said Max, reaching for the wheel.
"Hey! Let go of the wheel, already!" Leo yelped, taking back control of the steering wheel, "Now, listen, and calm down. We'll go to the theater. If they're still following us, we'll arrest them there. Just get your handcuffs ready, Tiger."
"Don't worry! I'm already ready!" said Max with a smile as he drew his handcuffs out.
"You know… For not looking like your dad, you sure can look a lot like your dad when you're angry," said Leo, slightly frightened. The two led the Lupin group to the theater, where Max jumped out of his car immediately, before his car had come to a complete halt.
"Hey, Zenigata, LeBlanc, thanks! I couldn't find this place, and they all suck at giving directions!" Fuji laughed as she exited her car and pointed back at her comrades.
"Lupin! You're under arrest!" said Max happily.
Fuji rolled her eyes, and smiled, "Dori, Toshiro?" at her command, the two samurai exited, each with their respective swords drawn.
"Uh, maybe we should get them when they don't have pointy pieces of metal pointed at us, huh, Max?" Leo chuckled, taking a step back towards the car.
"Not after all of the crap I've gone through with them!" Max replied.
"Please!" Fuji laughed, "This is only our second chase, Zenigata! Your dad chased my dad around for almost fifteen years! Why end the fun this soon, huh?"
"Why you—" Max took a step forward, and flung his handcuffs at Fuji. Before they made impact, however, an explosion of smoke appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and when the smoke cleared, they group was gone.
"Where'd they go?" Max inquired, looking about in confusion.
"Maybe they're inside!" Leo suggested.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Max nodded, and ran out from the street into the theater with Leo trailing behind.
"This is almost pathetic," Fuji muttered as she watched the two from the rooftop of the theater.
"Almost?" Odori snorted, "This is pathetic. And barely worth my time."
"Ole' smoke bomb. Gets 'um ever time," Ally said with a laugh as he tossed another smoke ball in his hand, and then stuffed it in his jacket.
"Okay, we've got to infiltrate the theater now, hopefully without anymore disturbances from Heckle and Jeckle down there," said Fuji as she stood and began to walk around the rooftop of the building, looking for an entrance, "Damn… Where's the entrance? Tonight's not my night…"
"There's a hole through there," Toshiro nodded over to a darkened portion of the roof.
"Hey! You're right! Good job, Toshiro!" said Fuji happily.
"I know my rooftops like I know pigeons and Judy Garland songs," said Toshiro with a smirk. All looked at him strangely after the last comment, and he shrugged in response, "What's so wrong about enjoying Judy Garland?"
"Noting, if you're Ari," muttered Heiji as he followed Fuji down the hole of the building. The others soon followed afterward, and all found themselves on a catwalk above the stage. The stage was already set when they arrived, in the theme of a Japanese temple. There was a painting of a temple in the background, and for props, among other things, were a few faux cherry trees in full bloom, a red wooden bridge, and a fake stone bench.
"They doing Flower Drum Song?" Ally wondered out loud as he looked downward at the stages.
"No—Something else. But equally evil," Odori replied as she too looked down at the stage.
Outside:
"What are we doing here?" Yukiko asked as Hector pulled up to an old theater.
"Taking in the sights," Hector replied.
"What's an Alpha Romeo doing here?" Yukiko laughed, "Boy, that looks just like—" she stopped, and paused, "And that other car… Max and Leo… And—" she turned to Hector, "What's going on?!"
"Nothing you'd like to know," Hector answered as he retrieved damp rag and grabbed Yukiko by the neck. He held it to her face, and after some struggling, she passed out, "There, there… Soon, my dear, your mother's greatest fan will have his song, and I will have my revenge. And we will both be happy. Well, at least he and I will. You will be too dead to care."
Hector exited the car, and opened the passenger side, and lifted her out of the vehicle, and then carried her up the steps to the theater.
Yukiko awoke some time later in one of the dressing rooms of the theater, and immediately tried to move, only to find she had been tied to a chair. She turned, and looked in a mirror, only to find, to her shock, that she was dressed in a Japanese opera costume, save for the red rose, which was still in her hair.
"You probably want to know what's going on," she heard, and turned to Hector, who was leaning against a dressing table.
"What I want to know is if you were the one who put me into this getup, you pervert!" Yukiko snapped angrily in response.
Hector simply smirked, and looked back in the shadows, "There is your Sakura…"
"That's not her," said another, more eerie, voice from the shadows.
"She sings just like her mother," Hector reassured the voice, "And she looks like Sakura, too."
"Are you certain she can sing like her?" inquired the voice, which was definitely male in origin.
"Yes," Hector nodded.
"Hey, what's goin' on!? Show yourself!" Yukiko demanded.
"My Dear Sakura… You never paid any attention to me… But I kept a close eye on you, my dear…" said the voice. "I missed you so…"
"I'm not Sakura!" Yukiko snapped, "Oh, just you wait until Lupin gets here!"
"Why should she? You ditched them, remember?" Hector smirked.
Yukiko looked downward, and silently seethed.
"I hate to break it to you, my dear girl, but I already have a love at home… Much like my mother did, when your father killed her," he hissed.
"What?" Yukiko shot her head upward in surprise.
"Yes," Hector nodded, "I was very young when your father murdered her… She gave him the gift of a red rose when they met… I can not believe he never told you of this…"
"He probably did, and I didn't listen," Yukiko grumbled, "Dammit…"
"No matter," Hector shrugged, "You'll sing a pretty little song for my dear comrade here, and then we'll have a little fun…"
"Why do you want Sakura's voice, anyway!? Couldn't you buy a CD?" Yukiko snapped.
"Oh, no… For, you see, many years ago, I locked away a secret key to a treasure… Only Sakura's voice can open it. And it can only be the song she sang to me all of those years ago… Don't you remember the song, Sakura?"
"What song? Who the hell are you?" Yukiko demanded. An incredibly old hand reached forward, and grabbed her kimono collar, and drug her towards him.
"Don't you remember, Sakura!? That beautiful song!?" he asked frantically.
"Let me go!" Yukiko kicked upward, and kicked his arm away. He let out a moan of pain, and drew back.
"Little bitch!" Hector hissed, and went to strike her. The old hand stopped him, however, and Yukiko watched as Hector was forced to stand in front of Yukiko calmly.
"Do not hit her!" ordered the elderly voice, "Don't damage that beautiful face…. I haven't looked at that beautiful face in so many years…"
In the Theater:
"Van Buren?" Fuji repeated.
"Yep. This is his theater," Heiji nodded, "I remember now…. He was like this huge music fanatic… He's still alive, but he's like a million years old now! And a recluse, too. After the disappearance of his favorite singer, he went kind of batty."
"What was the singer's name?" Ryo inquired as they quietly searched the theater.
"Yazuka something," Heiji shrugged.
"Sakura Yazuka…" Fuji and Ryo muttered in unison. Both looked back at Heiji, and Ryo slapped her face, and shook her head in disbelief.
"For being so smart…." Ryo started.
"Do you think Van Buren's up to this, Fuji?" inquired Ally.
"With a little help from his friends…" Fuji responded, "Come on, guys. The wheels are starting to turn up in this thick skull of mine."
"I'm scared," Ryo retorted as they continued through the theater, "Usually when a Lupin comes up with a great idea, it means one of us gets in drag or gets shot!"
"I'm sure now that they have their main attraction, they'll move the show up a day," Fuji smiled, and looked over at Toshiro, "Toshiro-chan, exactly how much time have you spent on stage?"
"Years," Toshiro shrugged, "Why?"
"Perfect!" Fuji smirked, "Just hold on… I need to get all of my facts straight…"
"Like what?" asked Odori.
"Van Buren was a scientist, who worked with sound," explained Fuji, "Heiji's right on the money about him being a music fan…. Right before Sakura died, he was working on some sort of new device."
"A lock that only a certain voice singing a certain song could open!" Heiji added, "That'd be a lot harder than usual voice recognition."
"I'm thinking maybe Van Buren wants to open his lock now," said Fuji with a smirk, "And he needs Sakura to open it…"
"But Sakura's dead!" said Odori. Toshiro flinched ever so slightly, but then nodded his agreement.
"But what would that guy want?" asked Heiji.
"If he's behind this," said Ally.
"He has to be," Fuji shrugged, "I mean, honestly, Ally, how many guys have ever asked your sister out?"
"Well, not many, but—"
"It's weird, Ally. Too weird…" said Fuji, "Toshiro, I'm figuring out a plan, and you're part of it."
"You ask it, I'll do it!" Toshiro said, grasping onto one of his swords.
"That, won't be necessary," said Fuji with a smirk, "Just head back to the props, okay?"
"What?" Toshiro frowned.
"Fuji, what are you thinking, and why don't I have a good feeling about it?" inquired Ryo.
"Hey, footsteps! Let's hide!" Ally whispered as all heard approaching footsteps. All ducked under aisle seats, and waited breathlessly.
"They had to have gone it here! I just don't get it!" Max sighed.
"They weren't in the lobby, or the balcony, or mezzanine," Leo shrugged, "Let's check behind stage!"
"Gentlemen, may I help you?" both turned to see a smiling Hector standing in front of them.
"Yes," Max took a step forward, and retrieved a paper, "We're with Interpol—"
"See? Shiny badges," Leo smiled, revealing his badge.
Max sighed heavily, "Anyway, we received news that Lupin the Fourth was going to infiltrate the facility. We're here to inspect."
"Nonsense! We're simply going to have an opera concert! You gentlemen are welcomed to attend," said Hector.
"We heard about Yazuka singing, and that's another funny thing…" added Max, "Didn't she die?"
"No, no," Hector laughed, "She's just been in hiding many years! But now she is ready to shine once more!"
"Uh-humm…" Max nodded, "I see. Well, perhaps we can stick around and check out this concert…"
Leo gulped, "Max, we—"
Max smiled nervously, elbowed Leo in the chest, and chuckled, "Don't mind him. Knows so many languages, words just spill out of his mouth! Isn't that right, Leo?"
"Si. Hai. Oui. Ya. Ci," replied Leo blandly, folding his arms across his chest in defense.
"Isn't he a laugh?" Max chuckled, putting a hand on one of Leo's shoulders, "Perhaps we can meet Ms. Yazuka. What do you say?"
Hector twitched a smile, and paused a moment before speaking, "Yes. Of course. Follow me, gentlemen." Max and Leo proceeded to follow Hector down the aisle, and out to the main hall. When they had left, the Lupin gang emerged from the beneath the seats of the theater, and continued with their plan to get their friend back. And secretly Fuji also planned to steal the treasure that Van Buren might have.
Meanwhile, beyond all of the frantic searching and arguing, Yukiko had been released from her prison, but was forced to stay with the old man, who proved to be Van Buren. Extremely old, wheelchair bound, and somewhat senile. She had only stayed in order to assure his safety from Hector, some whom up until minutes ago she had trusted. So now as Van Buren wheeled along in his chair along a museum/shrine-like hallway, Yukiko stared in shock at all of the memorabilia he had collected of her mother. Yukiko had only known her mother as a waitress, growing up. She had not known about her other side until many years later.
"Do you remember this concert, Sakura?" sighed Van Buren as he peered in a glass case at a program, written in Japanese, "Please, read it to me—Will you?"
"The renowned opera singer Sakura Yazuka proudly presents her own rendition of Bizet's classic masterpiece, Carmen," Yukiko read aloud, "It was one of her last concerts…"
"I wonder what happened to her…" said Van Buren sadly with a moment of clarity.
"She ran off with somewhat she loved," Yukiko whispered, "Daisuke. They were happy for a few years, until their pasts caught up with them. Then, he left, and she settled in Japan."
"Daisuke," whispered Van Buren, "Ah, that nice mixed boy who came with you all of those years ago! Yes, he was there when you performed for me, and sang that song! The one that opens this!" he said happily, revealing an intricate music box-like device, "It holds my most precious treasure…"
"Wow, really?" Yukiko whispered, "Which song did she—Which song did I – sing for you?"
"You remember, don't you?" Van Buren inquired, "It was so beautiful… I had never heard pitch so perfect in my life!"
Poor fool, Yukiko thought. Hector was simply using him, like he had used her. He would kill her, and probably kill Van Buren and take his treasure after she had finished singing for Van Buren. Twisted psycho… If only I had my gun right now, she thought. I have to help him out….
"Well, Sir, I'll sing for you tonight," said Yukiko.
"You will!? Excellent!" Van Buren smiled, "You can sing that wonderful song again!"
"Yep," Yukiko nodded, and returned his smile.
"Come, then. Let us get out of here, and to the stage! Hector will love to hear you, as well!" said Van Buren, "Confidentially, I think he likes you, Sakura. But don't let your boyfriend know. Mister Jigen is quite jealous, and easy to seek revenge. I heard once where he killed a Spanish dancer who played with his emotions. But you would never do such a thing! Not a sweet angel like you!"
"Nope, I wouldn't," said Yukiko. She would not play with emotions, but she would seek revenge for having her emotions toyed with.