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Que pasa?

School's going good so far—Hopefully I won't be drowned by homework and will be able to keep up on my updating. I won't abandon this thing for an entire month and sporadically update, though, I promise. I'll try my very best to keep updating consistently. Well, with that out of the way, I suppose I should start the chapter now, eh? I know you've read enough of this part where I rant or whatever…. So on with the chapter!

Chapter Twenty Four

Moments Later: Somewhere there's a Someone

' I know this love of mine,

will never die,

and I love her,'

—The Beatles, 'And I love Her'

"Odori, don't!" Toshiro shouted, "You can't!"

"Why can't I!?" Odori returned, "She tried to kill my employer, and she nearly killed our brother in the process! As a samurai and as a sibling, I must defend their honor!"

"No, I promised that you would not kill her!" said Toshiro as he grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her away from the door.

"We can't get in…" Max whispered from the other side of the door, "What are we going to do?"

"Follow me," Leo nodded, and Zenigata and Long out back to a large tree.

"Where have I seen this before?" Max wondered out loud, turning his head to a side, "Talk about déjà vu…"

"What's wrong, Zenigata?" Sharon inquired.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," said Max, shaking his head.

"Follow me!" Leo whispered, jumping up onto the tree and climbing up to the closest window. Max and then Sharon followed upward onto the tree, and followed Leo in through the window. They both stepped dead as they found Leo being held at gunpoint by Yukiko.

"Put down the gun!" Sharon ordered, glaring at Yukiko.

'They both look really serious about this…' Leo thought with a dry gulp as he stared back and forth at the two, 'I can't believe I'm raiding my own home!'

"Sachiko, Yukiko, put down the guns!" they both heard, and turned to see a darkened figure standing in the now-opened doorway, "This house has been torn up enough for one night! I'm going to have to repair a door and replace an original Monet and Lautrec as it is!" The figure stepped out of the shadows, and proved to be none other than Lupin the Third, along with Fuji Lupin at his side. Leo stiffened as he caught sight of Lupin, and the ex-thief smirked as he made eye contact with Leo briefly.

"Lupin…" Sharon whispered, and let her gun hang at her side, "Y-You…"

"Sachiko, Jigen knows," Lupin nodded, "I called him earlier today. He knows everything, and he understands…. And I do, too. And I'm sure everyone else will, too."

"No!" she drew up her gun shakily, "If-If this gets out, I'll be ruined!" All watched as Leo kicked upward and the gun flew out of Sharon's grasp. Max was perhaps the most surprised by this maneuver, and this shock could be read on his already surprised expression, "No… L-Lupin, you, you promised you wouldn't tell anyone! What will my boss say, what will my fiancé say!?"

"Your fiancé?" Max yelped.

"But you went a little too far when you tried to kill my daughter, Sachiko," said Lupin, "I know you've been wanting to protect your secret from your bosses and from your boyfriend, but that's a little bit overkill…"

"You!" Odori burst through the dual Lupins, and drew her sword at Sharon, "You nearly killed my brother! Now you will pay for your sins in blood!"

"Dori!" Toshiro and Ryo ran in, followed by Ally.

"Odori Ishikawa, I command you as your older brother to drop down that blade!" said Toshiro sternly.

"Heiji wouldn't want you to kill anyone, Odori!" said Ally.

"They're right. Drop the sword," said Ryo calmly.

"No!" Odori replied, and went to pierce Sharon, but instead was incapacitated by Ally with a few quick martial arts moves.

"I…I'm so sorry…" Sharon whispered, falling onto her knees and weeping.

"It's all right—You were just doing as you were trained," Lupin whispered, taking a few steps forward and removing his jacket. He laid it over Sharon's shoulders, and lifted her head upward to become eye-level with her, "Now, you calm down now, all right? I'm sure everyone will understand why you did what you did when you explain everything… Ming and Jigen will be so happy to see you, Sachiko!"

"I… They don't even know me! They never looked for me!" Sharon moaned, clinging onto Lupin, "They… They never even…"

"That's because they that you had died a long, long time ago, Baby," said Lupin with a sad smile, "Those people who kidnapped you were very, very good… They bribed everyone into thinking you were dead! They had no idea!"

"Lupin, you're under arrest!" Max snapped suddenly.

"Can it!" Ryo growled, glaring at Max.

'That glare! That's were I've seen it before!' Leo thought with wide-eyed shock, 'But could she really be…?"

"You want to explain what's going on?" asked Yukiko, looking over to Fuji suspiciously, "I have a feeling you're in on this, as usual."

"Sharon Long wasn't always Sharon Long," said Fuji, "Ally, Yuki, Ryo… You remember when Ming had a miscarriage, and swore you all to never to talk about it again? That's why she's so happy to be pregnant again…"

"What does that have to do with this bitch?" Ally snapped.

"Jigen ruined Lucky Liciano's life and career after he tried to claim he was Yukiko's dad—Sent him down the river for life…The Luciano clan got back at the Capone clan by stealing one of their own, and training them to be a Mafia killer… I did some research, and found out that she had left the Lucianos and changed her name to Long, and joined the Interpol police, and began to get her life on track… Then, inevitably, someone found out… She was afraid that I'd spill her little secret, so she tried to off me out of desperation…" Fuji explained with a heavy sigh of exhaustion while Ally, Ryo and Yukiko all looked downward at Sharon in utter shock.

"Wait, but…" Leo started, and looked downward at her. If she had tried to kill Fuji, why had she hugged him?

"Your father was the one who helped me escape from the Lucianos…Fujiko, I so sorry I tried to hurt you… I was just so scared!" Sharon wept, "I had already hidden my identity once with Lupin's help… I just couldn't leave my life again…. I had finally perfected it! Inspector LeBlanc, Inspector Zenigata, arrest me, I beg you… I stole that book with all of the letters… It contained letters, which revealed my identity… I thought once Fuji found it, she'd have concrete proof of who I was, and she'd pass it along to Yukiko and Ryoko and Daisuke… And I'd be known as the sister of three of the worst criminals on Earth!"

"Sister?" Yukiko muttered, shaking her head. This was all too much for one night for her to take.

"There, there, Sachiko. I'm sure that maybe with a few apologies, you'll be in the red again," said Lupin reassuringly, "And I think it'd be a good idea if you sent Heiji some flowers or a balloon, or maybe chocolate… The kid likes to eat…"

"But she stole that book!" Max yelled defensively.

Lupin rose, and smiled, "And as the oldest member of the Lupin clan with political amnesty granted to me by the country of France, it's my property—And I decline to press any charges against Sachiko Jigen."

"B-But you can't do that!" Max yelped, "That isn't fair!"

"Oh, but I can, and it is," said Lupin with a smile as he put his hands in his pockets, "I'm the darling of the government of UN, it seems… The U.S. doesn't love them for it, of course, but what's so new about that? I did save the world from a crazed bomber, and that's why Goemon, Fujicakes, Amaya, Ming, Jigen and myself all live in relative peacefulness, with days full of Poker and soap operas…"

"Crap," Max gritted his teeth together, and clutched his handcuffs in his pocket, "You play a good game, Mr. Lupin."

"That's because I'm the best, Inspector Zenigata. And I'll admit, you play a pretty good game, yourself," said Lupin with a wink, "Hey, since I called your dad 'Pops', should I call you 'Kid'?"

"Only if I can call you 'Pops'," Max retorted, "Sh-Er, Sachiko, will you be all right?" he inquired, looking downward at her.

"Yes," Sharon nodded, "I—I lost, I know…"

'He wouldn't have even arrested her! He was trying to use that as her escape!' Leo realized as he read Max's expression.

"Hey," Ryo kneeled downward in front of her, "You know, you may not like to admit it, but we'll still accept you, if you want. Mom and Dad would love to see you…"

"I just need to take time," Sharon sniffed, "You… You look a lot like a photo of mother that I have… And Daisuke looks a lot like father…"

"LeBlanc, I'm going to go wrap this up in the car… We can't arrest Lupin when she's on this piece of land, as much as it pains me to say to you…. Just like in Cagliostro, Bermuda and Switzerland… Crap…" said Max as he rose from the floor and walked towards the exit.

"All right," Leo nodded, and watched as Max exited out of the door sadly. In truth, Zenigata no longer felt like arresting anyone, for the moment. He was still getting over the shock that Sharon had a fiancé. After everything he had said to her, she was the enemy… And she was eventually going to be married….

"Hey," Leo walked over to Sharon as she rose, "I have a question…" he whispered, "Why did you…?"

"Hug you?" Sharon smirked in a bittersweet way, "Because you too know what it's like to try to hide a past… I knew who you were immediately… You may not act like your father in many ways, but you both share a single trait—You're both very kind. Thank you very much, Inspector LeBlanc. Take good care of your partner; I'm very sorry if I hurt his feelings in way…. I never meant to hurt anyone, honestly…"

"Good luck in life, Sachiko. I hope you do a better job of getting your life together than I did," Leo nodded as he also began to exit the bedroom.

"Oh, Inspector LeBlanc," Lupin called, and Leo turned to face him, "Good luck out there… And stay safe… Your parents probably worry about you every day when you're out there."

"I'm sure they do, Sir," Leo nodded, and exited out of the bedroom and out of the household. He walked out of the house, and looked back once more. He hopped into Max's police cruiser, where a depressed Zenigata sat in the passenger seat.

'That poor son of a gun…' Leo thought sadly as he turned the key to the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I can't believe this…" Max said, shaking his head, "I just can't believe this…."

"Do you… Want to talk about it?" inquired Leo.

"Not really," Max sighed, looking out of the car window as Leo exited the property

Two Weeks Later, Interpol Headquarters:

"Hey, got the cast off?" Max said with a weak attempt at a smile as he watched Leo enter their office, which LeBlanc had formerly resided in by himself, "How does your hand feel?"

"Very relieved," Leo replied as he flexed his arm a few times, "I can only lift so much at a time, though… I won't be weight lifting anytime soon, I'm willing to bet—Unless it's pillows." Leo's smile turned into a frown as he noticed Max's solemn expression, and he sighed and seated himself at the edge of Zenigata's desk, "Still aching?"

"Never was," replied Max as he flipped through an open paper file and highlighted several areas with a yellow marker, "It was unprofessional, I know. One of the worst things to do is get involved with a partner… It just causes complications down the road, and I should have seem that…"

"You can't help feelings, or the fact that you're a natural blonde, and therefore an airhead," Leo shrugged, "I might not seem like it, but I've been down your road, too. Come on, where's that egotistical, big-headed egomaniac who misplaces all of my files and manages to leave coffee rings all over my desk every morning and rants for no apparent reason?"

"He's on vacation…" Max answered in a mumble as he continued to high light. He discontinued his highlighting, however, when two tickets fell upon his file.

"Speaking of vacation…" Leo started, and looked downward with a hopeful smile, "I think we both need a vacation… You can hit the bar, and I can go out by the pool. What do you say?"

"LeBlanc, you know we're too busy with Lupin," Max sighed, "Thanks for the thought, but why don't you take a friend?"

"No--One, because I have no other friends other than you, and two, because you're depressed, and I'm sick of having you moping around the office while we wait to hear more from Lupin… I'm the moper of us—You're taking my job, Max!"

"Well I'm sorry that I have feelings…" Max muttered bitterly.

"You sound so much like your dad…" said Leo with disgust.

Max immediately halted highlighting, and looked over his glasses at Leo, "So… It's a cruise…?"

"Uh-huh… The Greek Isles…" Leo explained, "Maybe you'll make some friends on there, huh?"

"What about you? I thought you hated places with too many people…" Max wondered aloud.

"I do," Max shrugged, "But you looking so pathetic is bothering me more than the people I'll probably meet will…"

"I look that pathetic?" Max chuckled.

"You look awful," replied Leo with a wry smile.

"All right, then… I'll go," Max nodded, and rose, "I'll go get my suitcase packed!"

"Are you still living in that hotel?" Leo inquired as he jumped off of Max's desk and walked with Zenigata.

"Um… Yeah," Max replied, somewhat embarrassed, "I haven't been able to find an apartment in my budget…"

"You know, you should get a place where you could put your stuff somewhere when you're not there, and not worry about a huge rent… Maybe if you moved in with someone who had an extra room he's cleaned up recently and is looking for a roommate to split rent with."

"What? You mean… You? As much as I nag and bicker and henpeck, you're asking me to move in with you?" Max choked.

"Well, if you don't want to…."

"No! I-I mean, I really do want to," Max nodded. In the unsaid truth, the fact was that the people who ran the hotel Max had stayed at were sick of him taking up space and not being able to ever make payment on time, "Why, though?"

"You're my friend, and you'd do it for me," Leo responded, breaking into his walk once more, but now with an even more satisfied smile upon his face. And, in the unsaid truth, the fact was that Leo had seen a nasty note that one of the hotel managers had given Zenigata a few weeks ago, and had felt sorry for him.

"Thanks, Leo…"

"Eh, don't mention it, please!" Leo replied, smiling and chuckling shyly, "It's no problem! As long as you don't play your music too loud, you'll get along the management great!"

"Well, I'll move in tonight, if that's okay," said Max, "All of my stuff's in my car, anyway!" This was because he had been evicted that morning, but he said nothing of this.

"All right," Leo nodded, and watched as Max walked out of the office towards his car, "Well, this is perfect…" Leo smiled, and turned back into his office, "Everything's coming together…. I only could've wished I could've been this good at being a thief…" Leo muttered as he walked back into his office.

Later that Night, Leo's Apartment:

"I can't believe you cook…" said Leo as he sat in his kitchen and watched Max flitter about the kitchen, "I can't even boil water, personally…"

"That's why you have so many TV dinners!" Max nodded in realization as he opened the oven and peered in, "Well, that ought to be done in a little while…" He seated himself across from Leo and set a blue-and-white checkered dishtowel down on the small wooden table in between them in a corner of the old kitchen. "Your kitchen's wonderful…"

"That's because I never use anything in it," replied Leo.

"You never learned how to cook?"

"I never had to," replied Leo, "We had people who cooked for us, growing up."

"So you grew up with maids and butlers?"

"Maids, butlers, chauffeurs, tutors," Leo trailed off, "List goes on and on…. I have to go pick up some books from the store later—I'm trying to learn Dutch…"

"I don't see how you do it… I flunked out of high school Spanish… And I had a Rabbi laugh at me when I spoke to him in Hebrew… He said I sounded like I was a Gentile with gum in my mouth…" Max sighed.

"I'll be back in a little while…" Leo rose, and removed his reading glasses from his pocket, "See you in a little while, Zenigata."

"Yeah—Bye, LeBlanc," Max replied as Leo exited, leaving the door unlocked.

It was about five minutes later when Max heard the door open and close again, "Hey, you're in time!" said Max as he heard someone enter the kitchen, "I'm all finished with the—"

"Hello, Inspector Zenigata…" said Sharon as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

'She's here, and I'm in an apron…' Max thought as he stood there in position, a large baked fish which he had just removed from the oven still in his hands, "Um… Hi… Sharon…"

"Sachiko," she corrected, and sighed, "How are you?"

"Great," he replied as he set the fish on the stove top and turned back to her, "How about yourself?"

"Well, things have been better," she sighed, "I told my fiancé, and my boss… I am now single and unemployed… But I feel better than I did before…"

"Really? So, what are you going to do now?" Max inquired worriedly as he seated himself at the kitchen table. Sachiko seated herself, and looked downward at her hands.

"I'm moving to Chicago… Mom and Da—Li Yan and Daisuke…. Both offered me a job in a store they run…. I'll be starting over again, but I'm starting to believe it's for the best…" she replied with a sigh, "I just wanted to say good-bye before I left…"

"Yeah," Max nodded, "Well, I'll be living here from now on, if you want to send a postcard…"

"So, you'll still speak with me, even after…"

"Just because your parents were one thing, it doesn't mean you have to be it, too," said Max, "I learned that a long, long time ago… You're a good person, and just because your family isn't the best doesn't mean you're not a decent human being…"

"Thank you for your kind words," Sachiko nodded, "I'll always remember them, I promise you."

"Would you like to stay for dinner? I made French bread earlier today… It's pretty good!" said Max hopefully.

"I regret to say that I can't," Sachiko sighed, "My flight leaves in an hour… I just felt wrong about leaving without saying good-bye, first…"

"Well, it's great that you came by," Max smiled sadly, "Keep in touch, all right? And good luck."

"Yes," Sachiko rose, and Max led her out to the front door, "I'll see you around, Inspector Zenigata."

"Max, please," he said with a smile.

"Max," she repeated, and laughed lightly, "See you around, Max…"

"Good-bye…" Max leaned inward, and kissed her. Sachiko smiled and shook her head as she parted, and Max watched as she walked down the hall and down the stairs. As she walked down the stairs, Leo was scaling up the stairs, carrying a few new books in a hand which his good hand carried.

"Have company?" Leo inquired as he stood in front of his doorway and noted Max's expression.

"Yeah," Max nodded, "I did… You know, I hope someday you know what sort of experience I had, LeBlanc."

"Oh, pain, betrayal, heartache… Yeah, me too… It just kills me that you sat around depressed while I had to sit around and be happy with my life!" said Leo, "Why you lucky fella, you!"

Max muttered something unintelligible but more than likely rude, and stepped aside to let Leo pass, "Zenigata, I've known more of what you're going through than you could ever imagine… That's why I helped you out…" Leo said to himself as he walked into his bedroom with his latest haul of books.

The Lupin Mansion:

"You sure this'll work?" Toshiro asked Lupin worriedly as he looked to his left at the thief, who was standing beside him in the darkened hall. Both were looking out at the living room, where Yukiko sat.

"Yep," Lupin nodded, "And if it doesn't, how much can it be than her shooting you down, huh?"

"Well, she could actually shoot me…"

Lupin paused, "I wouldn't hold it against her, considering who her dad is, but all the same… It's worth a shot… You ready?"

"Yeah, I guess," Toshiro replied.

"Then get out there!" said Lupin in a whisper, pushing Toshiro out of the hall and into the living room.

"Yukiko… Hi…." Toshiro smiled awkwardly.

"Hey, what's up?" she inquired, looking over the couch at him, "I was just getting a little sleep…"

"Yeah, I see that," he smirked, and seated himself on the back of the couch, "I wanted to speak with you about…"

"A few weeks ago?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I know that maybe I jumped too fast… And I can't blame you for reacting the way you did…. I'm sorry that I did that… But I would like to talk to you about a similar subject…"

"Oh my God, Toshiro, what's there not to get!?" Yukiko moaned, lying back onto the couch and putting a pillow over her face, "I don't want—"

"Me either," said Toshiro quickly, "Not yet, anyway. But if it were all right, I'd like to perhaps advance the relationship…"

"Wha?"

"Nothing serious, nothing like that!" he said, throwing his hands up defensively, "I just… I want to at least take you out once…."

"Like on a date?"

"Please, just one chance—And if your answer's still no, then we'll keep it at that, and I'll never mention it again! On my honor, I won't!"

"And if my answer's yes?"

"There's a chance it will be yes!?"

"I'm being hypothetical," replied Yukiko.

"Well… Then we'll see where we go from there, I suppose," he shrugged, "Well, what do you say?"

"I, well…" Yukiko scratched the back of her head, and thought a while silently before glancing back upward at Toshiro, "I guess one won't hurt… And the chance that you'll knock this crap off is too good to pass up, so what the hell?"

"Great! I'll go start the Vespa!"

"Woah, what—Now!? You want to go now!?"

"Well, your brother's on the phone, so we might as well, when his guard's down…"

"I guess you have a point there…. He's starting to concern me with the army sniper fortress he's made on the third floor balcony…"

"Fujiko's less than amused…. That's where she entertains," said Toshiro as he rose off of the couch, "Come on, let's get going!"

"All right, all right! Yeesh!" Yukiko grumbled as she rose off of the couch and walked out of the house with him. She boarded his Vespa after he had seated himself, and both rode to a nearby bridge, which overlooked the Seine.

"Wow," Yukiko whistled as she hopped off of the motorcycle and moved the fedora brim over her eyes upward, "This is really something else! I can see the Eiffel Tower from here!"

"Yes," Toshiro nodded as he placed himself next to her, "It's not New York, but it's beautiful…"

"Yeah—This place is sort of like Barcelona, in a lot of ways…" said Yukiko as she looked over to Toshiro, "You still miss New York?"

"Immensely," replied Toshiro, "But I can find other things to make me feel at home, no matter where I am."

"Well, it's good you don't feel homesick," Yukiko chuckled lightly, "I know I miss Chicago sometimes… I'd like to go back, but I know I've got to stay…" She looked back at Toshiro once again, and noted he was much closer to her than before.

"At least I can feel at home sometimes," he said as he embraced her. Yukiko immediately tensed, and looked upward at him nervously. He leaned downward, and set all of his fears aside as he kissed her. Yukiko blinked a few times in surprise, and backed herself against the bridge, and seated herself upon the wide stone ledge.

"Well…" Yukiko cleared her throat. What was she supposed to say to that? She had no witty comment or sarcastic anecdote to add to what he had just done.

"Are you going to be all right?" Toshiro inquired worriedly.

"I, uh… Why don't we get back?" Yukiko asked, tilting her hat upward and twitching a nervous smile.

"Sounds good. I'll buy you a drink," said Toshiro, helping her up from the ledge and walking over to the Vespa with her. Both seated themselves on the vehicle, and drove back to the Lupin residence. Yukiko picked out a good year vintage Chardonnay from the wine cellar below, and retrieved two wineglasses, and walked up the stairs to where Toshiro was in his room. The samurai had seated himself at the table in his bedroom, and looked towards the doorway as she entered.

"I ducked Ally… He's on guard duty," Yukiko said as she slowly shut the door with the heel of her shoe and advanced towards Toshiro, "He's really missing Heiji. Those two bonded on a lot of levels… They were almost like brothers!"

"I'm glad Ally likes someone," Toshiro grumbled, "He still hates me."

"Can you blame him, honestly?" Yukiko inquired as she popped the cork and poured two even glasses, "The little guy doesn't want anyone around his sister! How would you feel if someone acted like you do with Odori?"

"He's called Victor," said Toshiro blatantly.

"Hm, true," Yukiko nodded, and stared into her wine glass, "Ah, what a good year… This is some of the best stuff, ever! I could probably go through the whole damn bottle myself!"

"You're nervous, aren't you?" sighed Toshiro as he sipped his wine and cringed at the strength of it. How did Yukiko manage to drink this stuff!?

"About what?" Yukiko inquired.

"Everything… You, me, work, family, friends…." Toshiro trailed off, "In all honesty, I'm extremely nervous, too… I've fought bank robbers, the Mafia, Triads, ninjas, psychotics, etc., etc… Yes this is probably the most afraid I've ever been. I don't know why, either. It's irrational. You're my friend, and you've been with me through so much…"

"Well, I'm really sorry it's so hard for you," Yukiko shrugged, "But you don't seem to understand that I couldn't give you what you're looking for. I'm sorry, but it's the honest truth… You want a quiet little docile girl, right?"

"No, I want someone who's loud-mouthed, arrogant and smokes and drinks more than she breathes! I had a grandmother who told me everything I wanted for ten years of my life, Yuki—I don't need someone telling me now," said Toshiro, "I know it wouldn't be a normal relationship, and I don't expect you to drop everything so we could start a family!"

"B-But what if I get pregnant, huh? I mean, I won't be able to drink, smoke—I shouldn't really shoot in a condition like that!" said Yukiko.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Toshiro sighed, "I don't even want to think about kids right now…"

"You don't?" Yukiko raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Not in the least," Toshiro shook his head, "We don't have to get married, or buy a house, or a car, or settle somewhere in West Palm Beach. I just want you to be there for me as a guarantee, all of the time!"

Yukiko smiled, rose, and looked downward at him. Toshiro watched as she removed her fedora from her head, and placed it on his own, and looked downward at her handiwork, "It'd be one hell of a kid, I'm sure."

"Where're you going?" Toshiro asked as Yukiko began to walk out of the room.

"I'm goin' to sleep! I'm exhausted!" Yukiko yawned.

"Wait, Yuki!"

"Yeah?" she turned back to face him.

"Yes, or no?"

Yukiko stood back on her heels a little while in contemplation before looking back to him, "Maybe…." she shook her head as she watched his seemingly hurt expression, "But it's not 'no'… Hee hee… Big idiot… Seeya in the morn'!"

"Yeah, seeya," Toshiro nodded numbly, and waited to crack a smile until she exited the room.