DISCLAIMER: Reading this all in one sitting will make your eyes burn… Oh, and by the way, I don't own Lupin III. : )

Hey!

Not much news as of recent, but a million thanks for everyone's support. The positive feedback and support is the main reason this has been going on so long, as a matter of fact. I'm sorry if I'm sounding like some sort of sad drunk with this sentimentality, but it could be the gross sleep deprivation I'm suffering from right now. I won't worry about the lack of sleep unless I start hallucinating, though. In the meantime, enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen

A Few Weeks Later: Uptown Girl

'Well she was just seventeen,

You know what I mean,

And the way she looked was way beyond compare,'

--The Beatles, 'When I saw her standing there'

New York City, New York:

"Ah, my kind of town," said Toshiro with a content smile as he looked out the penthouse window at the concrete jungle below. He could see his own home from the view provided by the Lupin penthouse, along with quite a few of his familiar stops.

"Wasn't that a song about Chicago, Toshiro?" Fuji smirked as she sat back in an antique retro bright-red chair.

"Hm, I don't care… This city's mine," replied Toshiro as he looked out at the view.

"Yeah, we'll let you show us around the famous pigeon hangouts of New York later, but for now we've gotta get on the road with this little scheme…" said Fuji as she leaned forward and looked over her plans, "Everything ought to be setting up about now…"

The Wardolf Hotel, New York:

"Lisa Walsh, million-dollar heiress and from what I hear million-dollar pain in the ass," said Max to Leo as they both read over the report. They sat in the lobby of the hotel, awaiting their newest assignment. Leo and he sat in the waiting chairs, Leo sporting a white plaster cast on his left arm and a mess of bandaging over his ribs. There was also a brace about one of his knees, making walking a little more difficult than usual, but LeBlanc had insisted he come back to work as soon as possible.

"So, we basically babysit?" Leo concluded.

"Yeah, that and keep her from Lupin. Pretty light since it's your first case back, and you're still in pretty bad shape," explained Max as he looked back to the elevators, "You need anything? Pillow, or more novocaine?"

"No, thanks. I'm trying to hold off acting as giddy as I want to from my pain pills, already. Well, hopefully her reputation precedes her," Leo sighed as he removed his knitting kit and began to work away at a new scarf—A red one that he was convinced his father would love.

"Hey, move it!" both heard, and looked upward at the opened elevator. A dark-haired girl in her later teens exited, wearing a short yellow dress and white-heeled shoes, which matched her belt and headband, and held back her short dark auburn hair. She had a matching yellow leather coat over this ensemble, and a matching yellow and white leather purse. Max approached her first, and cleared his throat as he went to greet her.

"Hello there, Miss Walsh, I'm Maxwell Zenigata, but you can call me Max. Pleasure to serve you," said Max cheerily to her.

"Maxwell?" Leo chortled to himself.

"This is my partner, Leonard LeBlanc, but you can call him Leo," said Max, working his way to Leo.

"Great, a dork and a gimp. Aren't I lucky? I'm sure you can fight off Lupin with your cast," snorted Lisa as she laid eyes of Leo.

"My, aren't you spirited?" Max chuckled lightly, "Now, why don't we go grab lunch?" Before Leo grabs your throat… He thought as he looked at the strange glare that Leo gave the girl. He was not afraid of her—No, she was still rather young, so Leo was not frightened. But this was the first time Max had seen Leo give such a look to anyone, much less a young girl.

"All right, where are we going?" inquired Lisa.

"I thought a nice little diner… I heard they shot a scene of When Harry Met Sally there…" replied Max.

"Isn't that the movie where she…?" Leo ventured to ask, but trailed off as Max went to catch a cab. He got in the front seat, leaving Leo in the back with Lisa.

"What happened to your arm, anyway?" inquired Lisa.

"I got run over by a moving van in Chinatown, San Francisco," replied Leo stiffly.

"Well, that was kinda dumb of you, huh? I'll bet it hurt," said Lisa as she looked outward at the scenery.

Leo stared at her and silently seethed, and Max caught onto this, and suggested he continue his knitting Leo nodded, and removed his knitting needles as well as scarf.

They arrived at the diner, and Max opened the door for the other two, and they found a seat in a booth in the small eating establishment.

"So, what are you getting?" Max asked Leo as they seated themselves, along with Lisa, who sat next to Leo.

"I'm thinking the soup-sandwich special," replied Leo, "You?"

"Hamburger and fries," Max answered quickly. "Lisa, have you decided yet?"

"Chicken salad, light on the mayo… Considering that appears to be the only edible thing on the menu…" sighed Lisa with discontent. Max twitched a small smile, and Leo went to examining the condiments on the table. The three ordered when the waitress came by, and there was a long period of silence from all.

"So… What signs are you guys? You know, on the astrological chart?" inquired Lisa.

"Gemini," Leo replied quickly.

"From what I remember, I'm a Sagittarius…" replied Max.

"Oh my God, that's so neat! I'll bet you two bicker a lot, huh?" Lisa gasped.

"Um… Yeah… How'd you know?" asked a confused Leo.

"My Mommy writes the astrology column that gets published all over the country," replied Lisa, "You two probably get along on some levels, but there's a lot of arguing."

"Well, that's only because some of us are a little too picky," replied Max.

"And some of us like to rush into things too quickly…" retorted Leo.

"And some of us are compassionate even to the enemy!"

"Hey, I saw how close you were to Lupin when I was in the hospital! I may have been in a coma, but I saw what I saw!" said Leo passionately.

"Are you implying I like her?" demanded Max.

"Well, I'm not implying that you don't like her," Leo replied, taking a sip of his iced tea and looking at Max accusingly.

"Yep… Definitely a Gemini-Sagittarius duo…" sighed Lisa, taking a sip of her soda, "I wonder if they're a couple… Ew…"

Back at the Penthouse:

"Linda Walsh is a famous astrologer—She's been consulted on by presidents, top businessmen, celebrities—And she's right about her predictions nearly always. She's the kind of lady I'd like to spend a weekend in Atlantic City with, basically. It's come to light that Walsh may have learned from a certain book once owned by none other than Nostrodamus," said Fuji as she looked over at the photos and various other bits of information collected by unnamed sources. "Walsh herself is a recluse, but her daughter might very well know where the book is… She's supposedly the only other person who does…"

"But why would her daughter help us?" inquired Ryo.

"If it's one think I am that my daddy wasn't, it's a kidnapper," replied Fuji with a smile, "We won't hurt her, but I think we can talk her into agreeing with us."

"Oh, like how? We're going to torture her why Ryo's boring Westerns?" Yukiko asked.

"Those aren't boring!" snapped Ryo in response, "They're classic. From the way you dress, Yuki, you could fool anyone into thinking you loved Westerns."

"Anyway… Dumb and Dumber are back in action, and they're watching after her as we speak," said Fuji. "We attack tonight!"

"Yeah, and we all know our bits," Ally added, "Can we go now? I have some work to do…"

"Have to call your beloved long distance?" Heiji chuckled.

"Hey, at least I've had a girlfriend," snapped Ally, rising and leaving the others, "I've come the closest to getting married!"

"No, what about Toshiro?" inquired Heiji, pointing to his brother.

"Julie and I had decided a long time ago marriage wasn't for us," replied Toshiro.

"Father would die if he knew you had lived in sin…" said Odori with a twitch of a smirk.

"I'm going to go visit Aunt Kome," said Yukiko.

"I'll go with you—Seeing as how I live there," replied Toshiro, rising and walking out with her. He was glad she had been too drunk to remember their encounter weeks before, but felt badly about it all the same. He had not been too drunk to forget…

They traveled down the busy traffic in his Vespa, and Toshiro smiled as he arrived home; his apartment, his pigeons… What, for nearly fifteen years, he had declared his world.

"Come on, these flowers are wilting," said Yukiko, referring to the flowers she had brought to her aunt. Kome was surprised to see the flowers, and even more surprised to see Toshiro with Yukiko at the apartment building.

"Yukiko, Toshiro! It's so wonderful to see you! You don't call nearly as often as you should, you know," said Kome with a smile very reminiscent of Sakura's. She looked much like Yukiko would as she aged, save for Yukiko's olive skin and eyes, which were completely her father's. "Come on in and have some tea!" she said, leading the two into her home, where there were numerous pictures of both Yukiko and Toshiro, as well as the late Julia.

"What have you both been up to, besides managing to get into trouble?" inquired Kome as she seated herself in the living room. The two thieves seated themselves at a couch to Kome's right, and Yukiko went to glancing through a photo album.

"Beyond that, not much," replied Toshiro with a laugh, "How about yourself?"

"Looking after your birds, mainly. That purple one has really learned to get along with the others," Kome answered.

"Oh, Aunt Kome, I wanted to give you something!" Yukiko smiled, and removed two pictures from beneath her fedora, "Some crazy old guy named Van Buren had me sing for him, and he gave me this picture here of you and him. This one's of me and him! I look just like Mom, eh?"

"Exactly like her," Kome replied with quiet surprise, "Thank you, Yukiko… I'll put them in the photo album when I have the opportunity…"

"Yeah, I was just looking through here, and there aren't any pictures of you and Mom together! Not a one!" said Yukiko. Kome cringed, but not noticeably Toshiro and she shared a tense look, but Yukiko quickly broke this as she went to fetch the brewed tea from the kitchen.

"I can't keep doing this…" said Kome quietly to Toshiro, "I… I have to speak with her…"

"She could hate us," replied Toshiro cautiously.

"I must speak with her. Why don't you go to your apartment while I speak with her?" asked Kome.

"Yes," Toshiro nodded, and left Kome's apartment just as Yukiko walked back in.

"Huh. Wonder where he went off to…" said Yukiko as she looked towards the front door.

"Yukiko… Why don't you have a seat?" asked Kome with a smile, "We… We have to talk… About Sakura…"

"Yeah? What about her?" asked Yukiko as she removed her hat, and smiled at Kome. Kome sighed, and leaned inward and embraced her.

"You remind me so much of her…" Kome wept.

Later, Toshiro's Apartment:

Toshiro shot his head upward as he heard his apartment door open, and looked upward to see a somewhat confused Yukiko, "How'd it go?" he inquired.

"Nice… Um, I had no clue, really…" replied Yukiko, scratching the hair under her hat, "It's, all kind of hard to believe, really.."

"I know, it's all very shocking, but trust me, Yukiko, I'm here for you!" said Toshiro hopefully, "If you want to talk, I'm here! Right here!"

"I… I mean, I never had any clue, but it isn't really surprising, when I think of it…" said Yukiko with a shrug, "I never figured…"

"I know… I was surprised, as well," said Toshiro with a sigh.

"I mean, I just can't believe it!" said a stunned Yukiko, "You dressed up as Miss Saigon for a Halloween party!? My God, wouldn't your dad love these pictures Kome gave me!"

"Whay!?" Toshiro yelped, "She told you I—"

"Yeah, and she has pictures, too!" laughed Yukiko, revealing several photos from her jacket pocket, "Dressing up as a woman for kabuki is one thing, what you're doing is plain drag!"

"Oh, God, please don't show my Dad! Oh, God," Toshiro held a hand over his eyes and moaned as he saw the photos, "I can't believe she… Yuki, we're friends, and you'd never show Dad, right? I—I mean, it's bad enough I have an accent, use two swords and dress in suits sometimes—This'll send him over the edge for sure!"

"Well… It all depends…" said Yukiko with a sly smirk, "I think we can come to some agreement…"

"Are you blackmailing me?" he yelped.

"I'm thinking we start with dinner… Nice place—Oh, I could really go for seafood. And not one of those seedy sushi bars they probably know you in…. I'm talking nice," said Yukiko, "One of those joints where a jacket and tie are required, and they have a piano."

"What?"

"Hey, don't worry, Pal! You could always borrow one of my ties!" Yukiko laughed, "I'm going to go raid your minibar. I saw wine of quite a good vintage, if I'm not mistaken…"

"If I didn't consider Kome such a mother-like figure in my life…" Toshiro said to himself as he clenched his fists to the point where he was nearly shaking.

"Hey, where do you keep your wineglasses?" inquired Yukiko.

"Just drink from the bottle! That's what you do half the time, anyway!" Toshiro shouted in return.

"My God, you know me like a book, eh?" Yukiko chuckled as she popped the cork and took a drink from the bottle.

In the Diner:

"Good Lord… She ordered the most expensive thing on the menu," Max said as he looked over the bill, "Hey, should I leave fifteen or twenty percent?"

"If I were talking to you I'd say fifteen," snapped Leo in response, "After all, it took four minutes to get a bottle of ketchup in this place…"

"Are you still upset with me?" Max inquired with a heavy sigh.

"No, I'm ignoring you because I enjoy it! And I'm actually starting to!" replied Leo.

"Could you at least help me out a little? What's fifteen percent of thirty-five?"

"Thirty-five?" Leo choked, "That'd be five dollars and a quarter!"

"All right… How much will you throw in?" asked Max as he pulled out his wallet. Leo humphed, and laid down a quarter, "You can be such a little bitch at times…." Max said towards Leo in a grumble as he laid down a five-dollar bill, "Speaking of people who are annoying me, where's that kid?"

"She went to the bathroom," answered Leo.

"But that was about ten minutes ago," replied Max, looking down at his watch.

"Believe me—Between my mom and my sister, ten minutes in the bathroom was a minimum," replied Leo, "Although… I've got one of those strange feelings…"

"Heartburn? I told you to lay off of the mustard…"

"No… Like everything's going too well, too early on in this case…" replied Leo as he looked into his iced tea.

"Well, we could go check…"

"What? Me, go into a women's restroom?" Leo flushed, "M-Max, you can't be serious!"

"Hey, you told me yourself you grew up with a sister and mother," shrugged Max as he rose, "Let's just go check it out… I'll go in, and you can cover for me, okay?"

"Sounds good," Leo nodded, and rose from the booth with Max. Both made their way towards a small hallway, where the bathrooms were located. Max was the first to go in, sending several screaming women right into an embarrassed Leo.

"Dammit!" Max yelled.

"What's up?" inquired Leo, sheepishly sticking his head in.

"She's gone!" Max yelled, kicking open one of the swinging stall doors, "They got her!"

On the Road:

"You're going to have hell when my Mommy hears of this!" Lisa shouted, "They'll put you all away for good!"

"Can someone duct tape this kid's mouth shut? She's pretty annoying…" Ally muttered.

"Yeah? Well at least I don't look like a mop!" snapped Lisa.

"Miss Walsh, I'd suggest you quiet, or you can rely on Heiji being the one to watch over you…" said Fuji.

"The dork with the thick glasses? Ew," replied Lisa.

"It's my teen years all over again…." sighed a discontented Heiji sorrowfully.

"What do we do with her now, Fuji?" asked Ryo in a whisper.

"Make sure no one kills her… Because these three look ready to do the job," replied Fuji as she looked at the irritated Ally, Odori and Heiji, who all gave death looks to Lisa.

Later that Evening, the Hotel:

Fuji had yet to return with their latest steal, but Yukiko and Toshiro had made a trip home to prepare for the evening, "I can't believe I have to do this… My best friend, blackmailing me! What's this world coming to?" Toshiro asked himself in a sigh as he finished tying his tie in the mirror. He took a few steps back, and pulled his hair back with a rubber band he had brought along, "These shoes are going to kill me…" he grumbled as he walked out of the men's room and into the hall. He knocked on Yukiko's door, and sighed as he looked down at his watch.

"Yukiko, we'll be late…" he said, continuing to knock on the door all the while.

"Well, I'm ready," he heard, and stared in shock as he saw the figure before him.

She had an olive complexion, with dark hair piled upward in an intricate fashion. Along with this, she wore a strapless white evening dress, and matching shoes, with low heels, "Borrowed it from Ryo," she shrugged.

"Wha—What's the occasion?" Toshiro ventured to ask.

"I wanted to prove that I can pull off a dress better than you can," replied Yukiko with a shrug, "C'mon, let's get going…"

"Mission accomplished… You don't wear makeup?"

"Nah—Could never figure out how to put that stuff on…. I'm lucky I can walk in these shoes! Thank God I found a pair with such a low heel!" Yukiko smirked, "Come on, Toshiro. Oh, hey, I wanna go by the neighborhood my dad grew up in when we get time…"

"I always thought Jigen was from Chicago."

"Born in Ise, flew to Chicago, lived there for about a year, moved to New York, went into the military, moved back to Chicago, met up with Lupin, traveled all over, lived in Japan again, then Australia, traveled with Lupin, retired, moved to Cicero, owns a bookstore," replied Yukiko. "We had a lot of kill time waiting for targets when I was growing up," she said with a shrug and a smile, "He told me about a lot of stories when I was little…"

"Oh," Toshiro nodded, "I ought to ask my dad about where he's lived sometime… I know Osaka, for the most part, and Hong Kong for a little while—And Mom lived in Tokyo then Germany then Osaka…"

"Ah, well—The past is the past," Yukiko shrugged, "Let's go hail a cab… No way am I riding in your tin can in this getup."

"You should wear dresses more often," said Toshiro as they walked out to fetch a cab.

"What? That's pretty damn impractical!" Yukiko replied, "I mean, I don't get why Fuji wears a dress all the time—It's probably because she relies on her looks so much… I just rely on a steady trigger finger—And a steady partner to watch my back."

"Me?"

"No, Lou Ferrigno—Of course you!" sighed Yukiko as they walked out onto the streets, "You hail it. You're taller."

"Yo, taxi!" Toshiro shouted, and waved his arm out to catch a cab. One pulled up to them, and Toshiro opened the door up for a surprised Yukiko. They both climbed into the cab, and Toshiro ordered the driver to a restaurant he had heard of in a newspaper.

"Hey, what's that on your finger?" Yukiko inquired, looking downward at his hand.

"The chain broke to it… I used to wear it on one…" replied Toshiro, thinking back to the night when Yukiko had shouted at him in the bar.

"Hey, isn't that the ring I gave you?" she gasped.

"Yes," Toshiro nodded with a smirk, "I'm getting a new chain, soon. I've just been busy."

"Oh," she smiled, "I still have that dagger you gave me. Actually shot a guy in Spain who stole it."

"How bad was he injured?"

"Bad enough to fill a grave plot," Yukiko answered, leaving Toshiro stunned.

At the Hotel:

"Let me go already!" Lisa snapped, breaking out of Heiji's grasp, "I can handle myself, thank you! I don't need your grubby nerd hands all over me! God only knows what you're thinking!"

"I've thinking of shutting your mouth with electrical ape," Heiji grumbled, "I've dealt with world powers less difficult than you!"

"Good to know," said Lisa. Odori opened the door to the women's room, and Heiji shoved her inside. Fuji, Ryo, and Odori followed her in, and Ryo closed the door, giving a pained look to Ally and Heiji before she shut it completely.

"Now what?" Odori inquired as she looked down at Lisa, who now sat glaring up at the others with great disdain.

"We wait," replied Fuji.

"And you plan on keeping me from murdering her… How?" asked Ryo.

"Perhaps we can turn on the television… That may keep her busy…" said Odori, "Hey, where the hell did she go?" she inquired as she realized Lisa has vanished. Ryo and Fuji looked about, and finally found Lisa in a walk in closet.

"Oh my God, this is adorable!" gasped Lisa.

"She's going through my clothes… And I also notice my white dress missing," said Ryo, suspiciously looking towards Fuji.

"I didn't take that! The busts of your dresses are too small, Ryo-san!" replied Fuji.

"Hey, whose hats? They're so Britney Spears!" said Lisa and she poked her head out, one of Yukiko's white fedoras over her eyes.

"Fuji, as my employer, I shall ask for permission to commit honorable suicide," said Odori.

"Permission denied," said Fuji, "Keep the brat busy. I don't care how—Just do it. And try to find out where the hell Yukiko is in the meantime!"

"Where are you going?" Ryo inquired.

"To go find a muzzle that'll fit our guest," Fuji said to herself as she exited the hotel room.

In a New York Restaurant:

"You've only had one glass!" said Toshiro in surprise, "And we're over halfway done with the meal! Are you all right?"

"I know. I actually want to stay sober tonight," said Yukiko as she commenced to cutting up her steak, which lied on her plate along with shrimp and steamed vegetables. Toshiro had gotten a sushi platter, along with Japanese soup.

"You must be ill," said Toshiro with a smirk, "That, or pregnant."

Yukiko choked on her wine, and chuckled, "Yep, bingo. You're an uncle. It's twins."

"You're joking, though, right?"

"Of course," replied Yukiko, "I'd shoot myself in the foot before I had a kid!"

"I said the same thing, you know," said Toshiro.

"Hm… Sorry, I just don't like kids," Yukiko said with a shrug, "Just a matter of personal opinion. You can like them all you want—I don't care! They just annoy the hell out of me!"

"I suppose," Toshiro sighed, and ate the rest of his meal in relative quietness with Yukiko. After dinner, the two found themselves in a cab, with the same relative quietness, and then Toshiro's apartment complex, walking side by side.

"You know… I did have an ulterior motive to what I did…" sighed Yukiko, "I hope you'll understand everything I have to say… Let's get inside, first…"

"Sure," Toshiro nodded, and led her into his apartment, and watched as Yukiko seated herself in the living room. Toshiro seated himself across from her, and smiled. She wanted to speak with him? Perhaps the talk about children had been a ruse, just to scare him. Yukiko enjoyed such things, after all.

"I'm not stupid," Yukiko sighed, and closed her eyes, "And I hope I'm not reading this the wrong way… But… I've got to tell you now, just to get this out of the way…"

"Yes, what?" asked Toshiro, seating himself on the edge of his chair, "What's troubling you, Yukiko?"

"I'm not… I want to be friends."

"But we are, aren't we?"

"Yeah… But I want to keep it as friends… Permanently…" said Yukiko, looking downward.

Toshiro laughed, and sat back in his chair, "You think I?…"

"You don't? Crap, I'm such a friggin' moron! I knew I was reading too much into this!" Yukiko sighed, "I just was hoping you weren't holding onto the image of when we were kids, and you used to kiss me at times. I don't want a relationship now, or in the future, from what I understand."

"Is it because of Hector?" Toshiro ventured to ask. Yukiko's head shot up in surprise, but she chuckled, and shook her head.

"That's part, but it's other things, too," replied Yukiko, "I feel stupid now! Here I was, thinking, and—Ha ha! Guess I wasn't thinking! Well, we'll have that out of the way in case of future reference, eh, Buddy?"

"Yeah," Toshiro nodded.

"I'm going to get back, now, okay?" Yukiko rose from her seat, "I'll see you at the hotel. Bye, Toshiro!"

"Yeah, bye, Yukiko," Toshiro waved her off, and his shoulders drooped as she exited. She had not seen how her words had gone through him like a knife, and he felt like throwing himself out of his balcony—She did not see this because she chose not to, and he did not show this because he chose not to. Toshiro managed this because he was an actor. On the inside he appeared calm, but on the inside, he felt like his best friend, whom had laughed the entire time during the murder, had killed him.