DISCLAIMER: Don't own Lupin III… Oh, now I say something cute, right? Well, forget it! I'm not some sort of puppet put here for the amusement of others!! (Oh wait, hee hee… I am…)

Hi!

Thanks again for the awesome output, everyone—Thanks a million. As usual, I'm glad that the last chapter was enjoyed. What could Max's vision have meant? Hm… Well, let's find out. I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter as much as the last one… Unless you hated the last chapter, then I hope you like this one more… My head hurts from all of that thinking now, ouch…

Chapter Twenty One

The Same Night: Would I Lie to You?

'I'm a loser,

and I've lost someone who's dear to me,

I'm a loser,

I'm not what I appear to be,'

—The Beatles, 'I'm a Loser'

A French Back Yard, about Seventeen years ago:

"Hey, are you all right?" a young Max Zenigata, without glasses and in shorts, inquired. A dark-haired boy a few years older than himself had just fallen out of a tree, and was moaning on the ground.

"No," he replied, sitting up on the ground, "I think I broke my foot!"

"Here, I'll carry you," said Max, lifting him and lying one of his arms across his back, "We'll get you to your dad."

"Thanks, Max," said the dark-haired boy as they both hobbled into the home.

Max awoke, and sat up in bed. Noises had awoken him from his peculiar dream, "Who in the world is that kid!?" he turned as he heard the noises again, and say Leo muttering in his sleep. LeBlanc was having some dream, thought Max as he continued to look onward at Leo. He jumped back in surprise as Leo bolted upward and let out a scream of horror.

"I didn't do it!!" Leo shrieked.

"Hey, hey! LeBlanc! What's going on!?" Max inquired hastily, jumping out of bed and kneeling next to Leo.

Leo seemed dazed, and panted heavily. LeBlanc also suffered from a cold sweat, Max noted, "Leo… You're soaking wet… What the hell were you dreaming about!?"

"I—I can't remember," Leo panted, and rested his arms on his knees. He looked downward, and muttered to Max, "C-Could you please get me a glass of water, Zenigata?"

"Sure," Max nodded, and ran into the bathroom. He filled up a complimentary glass with water and ran back to Leo, who still bore the same dazed expression.

Max seated himself next to Leo, and watched as the fellow inspector drank up the water quickly, and set the glass down on the nightstand, "I'm sorry to have scared you… It's just a side affect of a medication I'm on…" Leo explained.

"Yeah…. Don't worry, I've been having a weird dream, too," Max admitted, "This one where I helped a kid who fell out of a tree into his house… It's so weird… It feels so real!"

Leo knew for a fact that this was real. Max had helped him into the house after he had tried to show off by climbing the tallest tree in his family's back yard. Zenigata had been four; he had been seven. Of course Max wouldn't remember, Leo thought with relief.

"Will you be okay? You want to go to a hospital?" asked Max worriedly.

"Um… No, I'll be fine…" replied Leo, lying back on his bed, "Just a bad dream, you know… I think I just need more rest… I've been pushing myself too hard, lately…"

"You can say that again," Max sighed, and rose. He wondered what Leo's story was, sometimes. What sort of family did he have? How'd he learn so many languages? Why is he so afraid of women? Why are there virtually no medical records on him? What's the connection between him and Lupin? Why has he never laughed?

"You've never really laughed…" Max realized in shock as he looked downward at Leo.

"I what?" Leo turned back and stared at him.

"N-Nothing," Max shook his head, and crawled into his bed, "Just rest, Leo…"

"Okay. G'night, Max," Leo muttered.

"Yeah…. Good night, Leo," Max answered, turning over in his bed but not forgetting his numerous thoughts.

The Next Morning, the Lupin Hideout:

"Hey, Dori, come listen to this!" Heiji whispered, waving his sister over.

"What?" she inquired, walked over and leaning over his laptop. Heiji stuck an earpiece in her right ear, and Odori stood straight up in confusion.

"It's Ally's phone. I'm trying out a new spying device on it," Heiji chuckled, "He's talking to his lovely little royal darling…"

Both remained silenced and listened in on Ally's conversation, but could not hold back laughter as they heard Jigen speak with a foreign sweetness. Ryo wondered what the two were laughing so hard over as she passed. She shrugged her shoulders, and walked away from the laughing duo.

"Oh—Oh my God!" Heiji laughed, "I can't believe this is the mighty squirrel killer, and— Woah, am I the only one who thought that comment was a tad racy to say to royalty?" he inquired to Odori, whose smile had faded with the said comment.

"Hey, Ally—Can I use that? Please, it's an emergency," said Toshiro in the background.

"Sure. One second," Heiji and Odori heard, "Gotta go… Love you. Bye!"

"Hm. Wonder who he's calling," Heiji said with a look of thought upon his features.

"Well, we can find out," replied Odori, "Maybe he wants Kome to put one of his pigeons on the line so he can talk to it…"

"Considering how he can speak pigeon," Heiji sighed as both listened for Toshiro's call.

"Hello? Kome?" Toshiro said into the phone.

"Hello, Toshiro! How are you?" Kome inquired warmly.

"All right…." Toshiro answered, "The phone's not working, so I'm using Ally's. I just had to speak with you about a few things…"

"Such as?"

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Toshiro sighed heavily, "You chickened out, and showed her the pictures of me in drag at that Halloween party…"

"Drag!?" Heiji yelped.

"Wouldn't Dad be pleased?" Odori sighed, "His little boy... A drag queen..."

"Toshiro—I…" Kome gulped, "It's not exactly easy! That girl's grown up thinking her mother's dead! How am I supposed to tell her she's still alive!?"

"WHAT!?" Heiji and Odori yelped, drawing the attention of Ryo, who had been searching for her gun.

"What the hell are you listening to? It can't possibly be Jeff Foxworthy…" said Ryo.

"Here…" Heiji unplugged the earpiece, and allowed the sound to travel around the room.

"Kome, you must tell her! She's old enough!" snapped Toshiro.

"Toshiro… It's not easy…" Kome answered tiredly.

"Like it's easy for me to continually lie to her!?" Toshiro replied belligerently.

"Lie, about what?" Ryo whispered to Heiji and Odori.

All heard the door open, and spun around as they watched Yukiko enter, whistling a showtune to herself.

"I can't keep telling her Sakura is dead when she's alive!" Toshiro said passionately. Yukiko stopped her whistling, and all fell silent.

Ryo glanced down at the computer, and back up at Yukiko, "Yuki, I…"

"My-My mom's alive?" Yukiko choked, and took a step back. "Is that some sort of joke? Because, if it is, it's sick..."

"Fine… I'll tell her soon," sighed Kome, "Please just don't upset me, Toshiro. I'm her mother, I know what I'm doing."

"Turn that damn computer off…" said Yukiko in a hiss. Heiji immediately complied, and watched apprehensively as Yukiko stood in the midst of them, shaking. Yukiko spun around as she saw Fuji enter, smiling, with Lisa in tow.

"Twenty million!? Do you believe it!? And that book, too! But that's small bananas compared to the dough! Jeeze, Lisa, I don't think even my dad loves me that much!" Fuji laughed, "Hey, Yukiko, what's up?"

"I quit," said Yukiko.

"You what? Why?" inquired Fuji.

"Because you're all liars who don't care about anyone!" Yukiko yelled, and stormed out, "Consider this my resignation—Permanently!"

She walked towards the door, and bumped into Toshiro. She looked upward at him, and glared, "You… You're the worst of them…"

"What?" Toshiro frowned.

"You're the one who knew…" said Yukiko, looking downward at the ground. Toshiro watched in surprise as he watched a drop of water, and he realized Yukiko was crying, "I had her there all along… Who else knew that Sakura was alive!?"

"All of the old Lupin gang," replied Toshiro quietly after his initial shock, "Yukiko, let me please explain!" But before he could finish, a knife went zooming towards his head. It pierced the wall Toshiro had been standing behind, and stayed there, mere inches from his face. Yukiko threw the sheath to the blade down onto the ground, and looked upward at Toshiro.

"Here's your damn dagger back!" she yelled, "I guess I killed a guy over nothing! Keep it! I'm leaving, and I never want to see any of you ever again!"

"Yuki, you don't mean that…" Ryo sputtered.

"Just tell Mom and Dad I got killed!" snapped Yukiko as she stormed down the hall and walked towards the elevator. Toshiro ran after her, and stood next to her.

"Yuki, I did it because I cared!" said Toshiro, "Sakura wouldn't let me tell you! She was afraid!"

"I lost years I could've had with my mother! You did exactly what your grandmother did to you! She let you live a lie, and you got angry over it! But now that you've done that to me, it's supposed to be okay?" snapped Yukiko angrily.

"I'm not saying that!" said Toshiro, "Listen… I did it because I—I love you, and I didn't want to see you hurt!"

Yukiko smirked wryly, and looked up at him from under her fedora, "If that's your version of love, I definitely want none of it…" she elevator doors opened, and she stepped in, and closed the doors before Toshiro could enter with her.

Yukiko looked downward, and put a hand over her eyes, "And I really thought he was my friend…Dammit! Can't trust anybody nowadays! And my Dad knew…. And so'd Goemon! Goemon! What the hell's wrong with people?"

Toshiro stepped back, and turned as he felt a set of eyes upon him. It was more like several sets of eyes—A disappointed Odori, an angry Heiji, a confused Fuji, a saddened Ryo, a shocked Ally and a bewildered Lisa.

"What's going on?" Ryo ventured to ask.

"Kome is Yukiko's mom… But I wasn't allowed to tell her…" said Toshiro, "Kome—Sakura—swore that she would leave if I ever told, and the woman was so weak… She would never have survived without Julia and me…"

"See… I told you we should've gone to Atlantic City…" sighed Fuji to Ryo.

The New York City Streets:

"Can't believe it…" Yukiko muttered as she kicked a can out of her way and continued to storm down the streets. She heard a clap of thunder, and a moment later, it began to pour down rain.

"What the hell next!?" Yukiko screamed, looking upward with her arms spread. She drew no attention, because she gave off the aura of just another crazy New Yorker, "C'mon, anything else for me!? Seems you've done everything else! There's gotta be something more!?" she sighed, and laid her arms down at her sides, "There's gotta be something more…" she whispered to herself as she continued to trudge along the streets of the city.

"Well, I better see Mom, before I go," she sighed, and put her hands in her pockets.

"Hey, Lady, you need a cab!?" she heard, and spun around.

"Wait! Yukiko, wait up!" she heard, and saw Toshiro running after her. She blinked in disbelief as he stopped in front of her, panting heavily.

"Hey, are you getting in?" asked the cabby.

"If you let her in I'll chop your friggin' head off!" snapped Toshiro angrily, bending down to see the cabdriver. He stood back upward to face Yukiko, "I know this is going to sound corny, but I really don't want you to leave!"

"You ran the whole way here!?" Yukiko wondered out loud.

"Yeah… I've been chased by enough gang members in my lifetime to not mind it," Toshiro panted, "Although my side's bothering me… I was actually chased by Ally for three blocks… I lost him on Twelfth Avenue… I knocked into a fruit kiosk… He'll probably come home reeking of oranges…"

"That's nice… Now if you excuse me, I have a cab to catch!" said Yukiko angrily.

"Hey, I'm trying to do a good thing, Lady—But my meter's running!" sighed the cabdriver.

"You really want to leave?" Toshiro asked sadly.

"Yeah," Yukiko nodded. As she finished speaking, Toshiro removed one of his swords, and butted her in the stomach with the handle. She fell to her knees, winded, and there was little she could do as Toshiro threw her over his shoulder.

"Let me go, you creep!" Yukiko yelled, pounding on his back angrily.

"No," replied Toshiro sternly, "We've got to sort this out! I'm going to carry you to Kome, so we can speak about this!" He then felt a swift kick to his stomach, and fell down. Yukiko wriggled out of his grasp, and continued running.

"He's such a jerk…" Yukiko wept.

Later, the Lupin gang's hideout:

All sat silently while they awaited a phone call from Lisa's family. Toshiro had not returned, nor had Yukiko. Whereas Toshiro had called, Yukiko had not. She had turned her cell phone off, making her impossible to get in contact with.

"Did I do something bad?" inquired Lisa earnestly as she looked about at the sea of morose faces.

"No… It was a long time coming, I'm afraid," Fuji sighed, lapsing into a rare sense of seriousness, "Their relationship's strained in the recent years… It's got to be hard on them, both… Well, got to get down to business…"

"Hey, is anyone else feeling kind of light-headed?" Heiji inquired.

"Yeah… I just thought it was because I've been drinking…" replied Odori with a blink of confusion.

"Oh, Mommy… Everyone, cover your faces!" ordered Fuji, covering her mouth with her jacket collar. But it was no match for the fumes entering the hotel room through the air vents.

They awoke later, when Toshiro returned. He was quite surprised to see everyone passed out, and Fuji grew outraged at the disappearance of Lisa. "Where could she have gone? Dammit… She can't be that far!" said Fuji angrily as she began to search about the room.

"It was still sunlight out when he fell asleep…" Odori noted, looking out at the waxing moon.

"Crap! Who could have—" Fuji stopped, and looked downward at Odori, "Dori-chan, what's that in your sash?"

"Hm?" Odori looked downward, and saw a slip of paper sticking out of it. She pulled it out, and gasped in surprise, "That son of a bitch!"

"What's it say, Dori?" inquired Ryo.

"Dear Fujiko and company. I have taken the Walsh girl, ha ha—Can you believe that, he actually wrote 'ha ha'…-- I hope you don't mind too much, Fujiko-chan. Don't plan on following, not like you could… Sincerely, your cousin, Victor Lupin. P.S.—Odori, that floral bra looks stunning on you!?" Odori rose, and crumpled the note in her hand, "He is so dead!"

"Odori… Odori, transcend…" said Heiji, rising as she stormed towards the door.

"That jerk can transcend my fist!" yelled Odori passionately.

"Dori, he's right… I want to hurt him just as badly right now, but we've got more important things to do right now," Fuji reminded her. "I'll let you take care of Victor personally later, but until then, let's think of a plan…"

"How could we possibly find him?" inquired Ryo.

"Oh, that's the easy part!" said Heiji proudly, striding over to his computer and opening the screen, "I placed a tracking device on her!"

"How did you get it on her?" inquired Ally.

Heiji blushed, and cleared his throat, "Anyway… She ought to be about here. Look, see, the flashing light!"

"Let's get going, then!" said Fuji, jumping off to the couch and bounding for the door. All exited, and Ally glared as he walked past Toshiro.

"You better watch your ass…" Ally warned, "If there's gunfire, I can make you getting shot look like an accident…" Toshiro gulped, and watched as Jigen storm past him. He soon followed the others out, and hopped on his Vespa, riding alone for the first time in months.

"Please be okay, Yuki…" he said to himself as he started up his vehicle and followed the pinkish-red Alfa Romeo down the street. As Ryo zoomed past the traffic, they caught the eyes of a certain set of officers.

"There they are!" Max shouted joyously, cutting through three lanes of traffic.

"Oh God, don't let me die in Brooklyn!" Leo begged aloud as he clutched onto the handle of the cruiser.

"Hey, company!" Ally yelled back Ryo.

"Great—A family reunion," Fuji smirked, "Let them follow us, Ryo-san… This could be fun…I'd love LeBlanc's excuse for why he looks identical to Victor…" she chuckled.

Later, an Abandoned Bank Building:

"He's in here," said Heiji, "We're almost directly over him now!"

"Cool. Ryo, park the car. Don't bother to leave the motor running," said Fuji.

"Lupin! Get over here!" Max shouted as he jumped out of the cruiser. The stunned Leo was slower to get out, and looked like he had just witnessed the mass murder of small and adorable woodland creatures.

"Well, if it isn't Blondie and his sidekick?" chuckled Fuji, "I was wondering where you were, Zenigata….. You kind of fell off of the radar for a month… You and LeBlanc on a honeymoon?"

"You shut your trap! Everything between Leo and myself in heterosexual!" shouted Max in defense.

"Please—The two of you are about as heterosexual as a Judy Garland tribute concert…" Fuji snorted, "But seriously, you two still haven't made it to third base? Jeeze, I guess you lose the bet, Heiji-chan."

"So, I have to wash your car how many months now?" inquired Heiji.

"Hey, we have more important things to worry about! Like my honor!" snapped Odori, "I must restore it in battle with Lupin!"

"Lupin?" Max and Leo repeated with surprise.

"As in, Victor Lupin," Fuji winked, "See you two on top!"

"Wait! Lupin!" Max shouted, and began to run after her.

"Hey, Zenigata, wait!" Leo called, having apparently fallen again, "My knee!"

"Right," Max walked over to Leo, and began to help LeBlanc up. But Max fell, and his glasses flew off in other direction. Leo quickly picked them up, and hid them in his jacket, and rose.

"I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" inquired Leo worriedly, helping Max to rise.

"Yeah… But I lost my glasses! I can't even make out your face without them!" said Max worriedly.

Perfect, Leo thought. "Come on, I'll be your eyes," Leo said, walking with Max into the bank building.

The Lupin gang found Victor with his hostage on the fourth floor. Victor wore his hair longer than Leo, and it was black—But their facial features were next to identical. Another major difference between the two, on the outside at least, was that Victor opted for a black turtleneck and white pants, along with polished zip-up boots.

"Glad you could show, Fuji," said Victor with a smile as he came into view. Next to him sat Lisa, bound and gagged in a chair, "Odori Ishikawa… Stunning, as usual… Now don't give me that look, Odori… One swoop of that old blade, and this girl gets it. And I mean it."

"Victor, long time, no see…. Not long enough, though," said Fuji.

"You're as charming as ever, Fuji," said Victor with a smirk, "In a certain street walker sort of manner, I mean…"

"Okay, you jerk, what's the deal with you? What are you getting out of this!?" asked Fuji.

"I was in the area… Figured I reunion would be fun… Plus I love the opportunity to make you look like a fool… Thank God there are so many of those!" replied Victor with a laugh, "I can't believe you inherited the name, you big-busted bimbo… How much did you pay for those, again?"

"If you mean what do I pay for having these, they make jogging a little awkward," Fuji said with a sarcastic smile.

"Just as bad as your old man with the corny jokes…" sighed Victor, "Let's see if you're worthy of that name now, Lupin…"

"Freeze!" Max shouted as he and Leo burst out of the stairway. Victor blinked a few times in surprise, as if not believing what he was seeing. Was that really his cousin with the police?

"How rich…" Victor chuckled, and drew out a gun, "Let's see if any of you are faster than a speeding bullet, though…"

"Wait!" Leo yelled, "Victor, stop it! She's innocent!"

"You're all under arrest!" Max shouted.

"Who's the bitch?" inquired Victor.

"That's Ms. Bitch, to you," said Fuji, chuckling.

"Not you—That hack with the dye job!" replied Victor, motioning towards Max.

"Max Zenigata! And this color's natural!" Max shouted.

"Yeah, and so's Fuji's chest…" snorted Victor.

"You're just jealous," said Fuji.

"I've had enough of your crap. I think I'm going to shoot her now…" said Victor with a smile.

"No, don't!" all shouted. A gunshot echoed around the room, and all stood stunned in position.

Toshiro recognized the quick draw style, and smirked as Victor's gun flew across the room. As Victor went to reach for it, Ally kicked him in the jaw, leaving him disabled temporarily, and Odori cut Lisa loose from her bondage.

"Good shot," Toshiro said as he looked over at the familiar white-suited figure.

"Could someone please tell me what the hell just happened!?" Max demanded angrily.

"I know… I learned from my dad… Must've gotten my vision from my mom, though," Yukiko replied as she put her gun back in her holster, "I got her voice, too…"

"And her understanding," Toshiro added, "How did you find us?"

"I saw you zoom past me as I walked out of your complex. I followed by taxi," replied Yukiko as she walked over to him and looked onward at Odori, who was commencing her battery upon Victor.

"I thought you never wanted to speak with me again…" Toshiro added.

"Did a hell of a lot of soul searching," replied Yukiko with a smirk, "And I talked with my mom… She put a lot into perspective for me… What can I say, I get my temper from my dad... Just like you get your sense of values from your crazy grandpa!"

Toshiro shot his head back in horror, but Yukiko chuckled, and punched him in the shoulder, "Big idiot… Anything else you've been hiding from me, eh? Say it now while I'm a too drunk to kill you!"

"Ha, I've finally got you now, Lupin!" Max shouted triumphantly as he threw a set of handcuffs over a set of wrists.

"You're that blind, and they gave you a gun!?" Heiji yelped as he looked downward at his wrist, "Oh, I officially have no respect left for this political system, anymore…"

"I don't care who you are—You're coming with me!" shouted Max.

"Even though I'm your nephew?" Heiji whispered.

"I don't give a damn about that! What you're doing is wrong!" said Max accusingly, "Hey, what'd you do to my wrists?" he inquired as he looked down at his hands.

"I gave you a matching set of bracelets," Heiji chuckled.

"Why, you—" Max took a step forward, but found his feet had been cuffed together, as well, "Ah, what the hell!?" he moaned.

"Guys, I've got LeBlanc tied up, too. Let's get going!" said Fuji.

"I am not funny, Fuji!" Leo shouted as he went to undo his feet, which had also been cuffed together. His broken arm had made escaping more difficult than usual, and he remained there some time with the passed-out Victor and the angered Max while the Lupin gang escaped.

The Next Day, Central Park:

"So, she went home?" Yukiko concluded as she lied on a metal park bench, next to Toshiro, who was busying himself feeding pigeons.

"Yeah," Toshiro sighed.

"You sound depressed about it… You miss her?" inquired Yukiko, her eyes peering up from under her fedora, "Or is it because we didn't get the money or the book?"

"Well, hopefully this taught her a lesson, at least," said Toshiro.

"What lesson would that be, almighty knower?" she ventured to ask, "The taller they are, the easier they are?"

"Um… I suppose… I don't know how Dad did it—I'm awful at this Zen B.S. Maybe it's because I've been corrupted by the city," said Toshiro with a shrug.

"Okay, now I want to know for real—Do you have any other secrets?" inquired Yukiko, "I wanna know… Because you've been scaring me left and right! And you've also been making me want to shoot you...."

"You're the one who walked in on me while I was in the shower," snapped Toshiro in response as he threw another handful of seeds at the birds, who ate it greedily.

"Seriously, Toshiro," said Yukiko sternly.

Toshiro looked back downward at her; there was one secret, but she would never believe it… She would probably be extremely angry, knowing her, and he was lucky she was still friends with him after everything alreayd… She had already told him no, that they would remain as friends… And as long as she thought this, he could not tell her what he really thought of her. While he thought over this secret, he silently sprinkled birdseed on the top of her fedora. He chuckled as a pigeon landing on her head, and began feeding.

"I am so going to kill you if you don't get that damn rat with wings off of me," said Yukiko through gritted teeth.

"It's fabulous accessory," said Toshiro.

"Unless you want your dad to see you dressed up as a woman, half-drunk, I suggest you get it off of me…" said Yukiko. Toshiro let out a small yelp, and removed the pigeon from her head. She rose, and dusted the birdfeed off, and frowned in discontent.

"You want to go do karaoke?" inquired Toshiro with a smile.

"No," snapped Yukiko, "That's only for people who can't sing…"

"Yuki…" Toshiro sighed and looked downward, "There's something I wanted to tell you… Somewhat important… I… Well, it's hard to say, but…"

"I forgive you, already okay?" said Yukiko, "Now, come on. Let's get goin'. Flight leaves in an hour!"

"Wait, it wasn't that!" said Toshiro quickly as she rose and began to walk down the park street.

"Well, let's just keep it at that, okay?" said Yukiko with a smirk, looking back at him briefly and then continuing to walk down the street.

"Damn it…" grumbled Toshiro. He sighed, and threw out the remainder of birdfeed, "Well, it's better than having her mad at me…" he said to himself as he rose off of the bench, and followed Yukiko down the path.