DISCLAIMER: I… Um… Own Lupin III… Yeah, had the rights all along. (P.S.: I'm lying).
Bounjourno!
Had quite a scare, in the form of a natural disaster… It missed us though, thank God…. And this chapter's going to those who weren't as lucky as me. This is for you, guys. Well, on another note, still going strong, even though school is now in full swing. I hope to keep the chapters going as they are as is, and I hope to also keep quality value on the high. As always, reviews are graciously accepted.
Chapter Twenty Five
A Little While Later: Shine on you Crazy Diamond
'Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Ah ah,'
–The Beatles, 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'
A Cocktail Party in Amsterdam:
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for my next trick!" said the hypnotist as he stood in front of a large well-to-do crowd on a stage, all eyes fixed upon him, "For this, I will need a member of the audience! You, Sir!"
"Me!?" a man choked, pointing to himself in surprise. The hypnotist nodded, and watched as the man scaled up the stairs on the side of the stage and stood next to him.
"This ought to be interesting…" Max whispered to Leo as both stood in the back of the ballroom and watched from afar, "You believe in this stuff, LeBlanc?"
"It's just a lot of clever mind-work," Leo answered quietly as he watched the hypnotist convince the man that he was a chicken. The audience laughed as he came to and found he had no memory of the incident. The audience clapped, and the hypnotist took a large bow.
"Kind of funny they'd hire a hypnotist," Max smirked as he stretched, "After all, the diamond that they're showing here is said to be able to hypnotist at the right angle… That'd probably why Lupin left a note saying she'd come for it…"
"They don't seem worried…" Leo realized as he looked about at the crowd, "They don't seem worried about her in the least…"
"That's because they know that we're on the job!" Max smiled.
"That's even more unsettling…" Leo muttered as he put his hands in his pockets and stared about.
"You, Sir!" the two snapped their heads in the directions of the hypnotist, "In the purple sports-jacket! Come here, will you?"
"Well, I," Leo looked downward, "I'm a little stage-shy, Sir!" Leo chuckled.
"Nonsense! We will cure you of that instantly!" said the hypnotist, "Now, come, will you?"
"Well, I…"
"Hey, why not? This could be fun!" Max whispered, nudging Leo.
"You just want to see me act like a chicken…" said Leo annoyedly.
"You already do that. This could be fun!" Max said with an excited smile, "Go on ahead!" Leo looked over at Max, and walked up the stage, to where the hypnotist stood.
"There's no way he'll be able to crack me…" Leo muttered as he stood next to the performer, "Dad taught me all about this stuff…."
"Now, Mr…."
"LeBlanc. Leo LeBlanc."
"Yes, Mr. LeBlanc! I want you to stare into this pendulum, and keep your eyes fixed upon it…" said the hypnotist, removing a crystal from his pocket and holding it out in front of Leo, "Now, look into it…"
What a bunch of…. Wow… It's really deep…. Thought Leo as he stared into the crystal, breathless. As the pendulum began to sway back and forth quietly, making low swooping noises, Leo felt himself calm, and fell into a numb sleep-like state.
"Now, as you see, this man is now under my control!" said the hypnotist, "At the sound of my fingers snapping, you will be the celebrity who had the greatest impact upon your life…. Ready? One, two, three!" the hypnotist snapped his fingers, and Leo came to, but had seemed to have totally changed. A large, nearly wicked smile crossed his face as he looked downward at a young woman who was staring back upward at him.
"Hello, there, Sir," said the hypnotist. Leo turned his attention to the hypnotist, and chuckled.
"Hey, can't you see I'm a little busy?" Leo inquired.
"Busy with what, Sir?" inquired the hypnotist.
"Trying to figure out the best angle to look down her dress," Leo chuckled in return. Max's jaw dropped, and the young woman gasped. Leo looked downward, and laughed, "Hey, don't take it the wrong way, Baby. What do you say I take you out for a spin after this? My girl left me again, and I'm feeling a little lonely… What do you say? No? Well, that's okay… A little loneliness never hurt a guy… Just made them a little cranky… Ah, I see something that'll put me in a good mood again!"
Max watched in shock as Leo jumped off of the stage onto a neighboring table, and ran across the table, jumped, and flew over the security of the diamond, "Very nice…. Better looking than you by tenfold, Babe!"
"Hey, that's enough!" Max shouted angrily, and perhaps even a little desperately.
"Very well," the hypnotist sighed, and clapped his hands together, "And right before he was to tell us who he was…"
"W-What am I doing here?" Leo asked in mild confusion as he looked about his surroundings. He was even more surprised as a woman approached him and slapped him across the face, "What in the world?" he wondered aloud as he rubbed his soar cheek.
"Here," Max sighed, helping him out of the security ropes about the diamond.
"Max, what happened?" inquired Leo, "Why did that woman just slap me?"
"It's a long story…" Max sighed, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Leo nodded, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"N-No reason!" replied Max, "Let's keep on patrol… We've had enough fun for one night…"
"Okay," Leo nodded, and walked to the back of the room with Max, who was quite shaken by Leo's performance. Where had he seen such a performance before?
"Wonder why Lupin hasn't shown yet…" Max muttered.
Outside:
"Where in the hell are they!?" Fuji growled, looking over at the others, who shrugged in response, "Every Friday, it's the same thing! They go out Friday and get drunk and come back Saturday with headaches and hangover-induced vomiting!"
"It's all right. We don't really need them, anyway," Ryo sighed, "Let's just get this show on the road, okay?"
"Yeah," Fuji nodded, and looked down at the sewer lid below her feet, "Gentlemen? Ladies?"
"The things I do for a paycheck…" Odori grumbled as she uncovered the manhole and scaled down the steps, followed by Fuji and Ally.
"Is everything else in place, Heiji?" Ryo inquired.
"Yeah," Heiji nodded, "You get to work on Zenigata and Leo's car," he said.
"Uh-huh," she ran off into the night, leaving Ishikawa to his own devices.
Everyone was too surprised by an automobile bursting into flames to notice a hole in the floor, freshly carved by Zantetsu. Ally and Fuji lifted themselves off, and Ally short-circuited the alarm whilst Fuji removed the diamond from its case via glasscutter. They were out by the time anyone bothered to look back.
"Great job, Ryo!" said Heiji through his headphones.
"Hey, that bomb worked like a charm, Heiji!" Ryo answered through the headphones, "Timed perfectly!"
"Fuji, can you hear me?" Heiji inquired.
"Yeah, loud and clear. We're coming back now, a little richer, too!" said Fuji cheerily through her headphones.
"My damn car!" Max shrieked as he and Leo ran out to view their vehicle, "They blew up my damn car! Lupin!"
"'Scuse me, police!" said Leo politely yet hurriedly as he pulled a driver out of a nearby Mercedes Benz and hopped in the driver's seat, "Zenigata! Come on!"
"Great thinking, LeBlanc!" shouted Max and he jumped into the car, "Follow that Alfa Romeo!" he shouted as Fuji and company took off. Leo floored the gas, and the two vehicles went zooming down the nighttime streets.
"Wow, no wonder he won the Monaco Grand Prix when he was only seventeen!" said Ally as he looked in his rearview.
"The sad thing is I'm the one who taught him how to drive like that!" Ryo added.
"Well, we'll see about them…" Ally said as he removed a gun from his belt and fired a shot, blowing away one of their tires and sending both flying into a diner window.
"I… hate… them…." Max muttered to Leo, still dazed.
A street Amsterdam:
"They have wonderful fashion here, don't you think, Yuki?" said Toshiro as he glanced into a shop window and smiled.
"I'm not one for fashion," Yukiko shrugged, "But it ain't half bad… I hear that the fast food here is to die for…"
"Look at this shop," Toshiro said, stopping in front of another large glass window and looking inside. Yukiko looked in horror at the window as she saw it was full of tuxedos and bridal gowns, and quickly lit a cigarette with her shaky hands.
"What's wrong? You're pale! I didn't scare you, did I?" Toshiro laughed, "Sorry… You look good in white, though."
Yukiko nearly swallowed her cigarette at Toshiro's comment, and let out a long, staged, nervous laugh in response, "Er, yeah… Well, it makes me look good!"
"Yes, it does," nodded Toshiro. He turned to her, and put an arm around her waist, drawing her closer. Yukiko quickly managed to squirm out of this hold, however, and lit another cigarette hurriedly.
"Uh, I'm not feeling so good… How about we hit the bars, eh?" she suggested hopefully, "I hear that not only to they have great fast food, they have great booze, too!"
"Yuki—"
"Yeah? What?" Yukiko asked.
"You… You seem really apprehensive…"
"Me!? Ha ha, no way! I'm great, I'm gold!" replied Yukiko, tilting her fedora downward over her eyes, "How about you, huh? You've seemed a little jumpy, yourself!"
"Hm… I think you're right about the booze…" said Toshiro after a pause.
"I'm right? Tee hee, what's new?" Yukiko replied with a laugh, patting him on the back and continuing to walk down the street with her friend.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable again, Yukiko," said Toshiro, looking over at another store, "You don't have to lie—You've been acting strangely ever since France."
"I guess it's still a little weird," Yukiko shrugged, seating herself on a bench.
Toshiro sat next to her, and glanced at her, "I'm guessing it's still a maybe, right?"
"You guessed right," said Yukiko, "I wa—Hey, look on the TV!" she laughed.
"Hm?" Toshiro looked across the street at a television store, where an American awards show was being shown, "What is it?"
"The category's 'Best Broadway Performance'. It's an American arts show," said Yukiko, "The lead guy looks like you!"
"Really? What's his name?" inquired Toshiro, slowly scooting closer towards Yukiko and stretching, allowing one of his arms to fall back against the back of the chair, behind her.
"Um…. Tommy Isaac," replied Yukiko, squinting inward to read the name. Toshiro choked, and nearly fell off of the bench, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I… I'm Tommy Isaac… It-It's a stagename," Toshiro coughed uncomfortably.
"Your nickname is 'Tommy'!?" Yukiko whooped in laughter, "Ha ha HA! Oh, oh my God, I can't friggin' breath!"
"It's all of those damn cigarettes you puff," Toshiro grumbled, "Hey, it's sort of close to Toshiro!"
"Yeah, okay, whatever helps you sleep at night! Tommy, ha ha!" Yukiko laughed as she wiped tears of laughter out of her eyes, "Isaac! Yeah, you look like an Isaac and I look like Jean Harlow!"
"Why don't we make a wager?" Toshiro smirked slyly.
"Hm? A gamble? I'm game…. Okay, what?" asked Yukiko intently.
"If I lose, I go to one of those gun shows you're always trying to drag me to," said Toshiro.
"No—You lose, you eat a plate of chicken," Yukiko smiled widely.
Toshiro shuddered in disgust, "Well, all right…"
"And what if you win? What do I do?" asked Yukiko.
"You allow me to escort you on another date—And you wear a dress to it, this time," said Toshiro.
"Woah, what!?" Yukiko yelped, "Nah-ah. That's just crazy talk, there!"
"Come on, Yukiko Jigen, are you chicken?" Toshiro chuckled, "I think you are!"
"What!? I ain't no chicken! Bet's on!" snapped Yukiko, "And I hope you like your chicken with a side of gravy!"
"And the winner is… The Brooklyn Theater Group's Rendition of Miss Saigon!" proclaimed the announcer.
"That's me. Looks like I win," Toshiro said smugly, turning to a defeated Yukiko.
"Dammit," she grumbled, "Dammit!"
"You know, you'd look really nice in something black…" started Toshiro.
"If you say another word I'll rip your tongue out through your throat," Yukiko grumbled, sitting back on the chair and staring darkly at the television, wishing the announcer dead.
Another hotel, that same evening:
"Why haven't you told me what I did yet?" Leo inquired worriedly while he sat in a castle of books while Max typed up his police report/
"It's nothing important…" Max shrugged, 'It only scared the crap out of me… Who knew you could act like that? What else are you hiding from me, LeBlanc?'
Max sighed, pulled his hair back, and stared at the screen a few moments before rising and walking over to the bed Leo was sitting at and seating himself across from LeBlanc, "I want to tell you something Leo, because I trust you… Okay? I want to tell you because I really feel like I can trust you with anything…"
"Okay, well, what is it, Max?" Leo asked worriedly, removing his reading glasses and looking across at Zenigata intently.
"I… Back at Cagliostro…" Max could feel himself falter as he spoke, "I had a brief encounter with Lupin the Fourth…"
"What? Fuji, you mean?" Leo blinked.
"Yeah, Fuji," Max nodded.
"What happened?"
"I… We were arguing, and I guess I kissed her…. Very briefly though!"
"…Oh, God… Max…"
"I know, I know! Totally wrong—If I had another chance, I would never have done it… But, you know—A pretty girl, a lot of stress…. It just happens!"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I can trust you with anything, and I want you to feel the same away about me," said Max, "We've been through a lot, Buddy. I want you to be able to trust me. So, if you ever want to talk, just let me know… I'm going to go order a wakeup call downstairs now, okay?"
"Yeah," Leo nodded numbly, "See you in a few…" Leo watched as Max rose and exited, and waited until he closed the door shut. Leo then flung every book on his bed across the room and laid his head on his knees.
"How am I supposed to keep living like this?" he wondered out loud, "Poor Zenigata…. I know he wants me to trust him, but he'd never speak to me again if I told him!"
Meanwhile, Max was having thoughts of his own as he strode back up the hotel steps, having ordered a wakeup call, "Poor guy…" Max sighed, "He's so afraid I won't like him anymore if he comes out! Must be a hell of a lonely closet he's in… Well, perhaps I can still help him out in some way… How, though?" He opened the door, and found Leo in a disassembled state of emotions, and seated himself next to LeBlanc, "Leo? There anything you want?"
"Yes," Leo nodded, his voice wavering, "I want to go home… I want to visit my mom and dad! I want to talk with my sister again! I just… I just don't want to live up to his expectations! I'm a failure to my dad, Zenigata! He'll never say it, because he loves me, but when he looks at me I know he's hurt! I said some mean things to him and mom when I left… I never meant to hurt anyone… I just couldn't live the life that they had had in store for me…. But I just want to go home!"
Max blinked in surprise, "Leo isn't really your name, is it?"
"I… I can't tell you…" Leo sputtered, "I'm sorry, I just can't…"
"What is it? Come on, we'll still be friends! What's in a name, really?" Max inquired with a shrug.
"No!" Leo snapped. "I can't! Max, there's a lot I want to tell you, really… But I can't! I'm just too much of a coward, I guess…"
"You're not," Max replied in a low voice, moving closer to Leo slowly, "You just aren't ready… And it's okay, I understand. If you ever want to tell me, though, Leo, you've got someone to talk to. You aren't all alone in the world, Pal."
"Thanks, Max," Leo smiled, "What you say, it means a lot to me… Really…"
"Good night, Leo," said Max as he switched off the bedroom light and readied for bed.
"Good night, Max," Leo answered with a dull smile as he also undressed for bed and lied down to sleep.
The Next Day:
"You want to explain the dress?" Ryo asked as she looked Yukiko up and down. The eldest Jigen child had put away the suit and fedora temporarily and now opted for a black dress and matching purse.
"I lost a bet to 'Tommy'," Yukiko replied with a roll of the eyes. Ryo and Fuji watched as Toshiro walked out, smiling contently.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get this done with already!" grumbled Yukiko, "Take my handbag, will ya?" she ordered, shoving her purse into his chest and storming out.
"Have fun, Toshiro-chan, Yuki-chan! Don't make me an aunt!" Fuji waved, "I'm much too young!"
"Er…" Toshiro blushed, and exited, "We'll do our best, Fuji!"
"Where's Ally?" asked Fuji as she and Ryo watched Toshiro exit.
"Outside…. Practicing," replied Ryo, "He was always good with a gun, but martial arts is his true calling…"
"Just like trying to match my good looks with rare items!" said Fuji as she walked over to a desk and removed the diamond held inside. She undid the midnight blue velvet cloth, which covered it, and laid it out on a table near a window, "It's so pretty!"
Ryo sighed heavily, "We should really have a sit down about your values someday, Fujiko."
Meanwhile, outside, Ally was standing as still as an oak on a breezeless day, taking in all that was around him. His father had helped him learn how to shoot a gun, but he had always had a keen interest for martial arts, which his mother, the Triad Princess of Hong Kong, had taught him long ago.
He struck out quickly, and followed this by several difficult judo movements. After about three minutes nonstop, he halted suddenly, and breathed in heavy pants, "Okay… Concentrate…" he said to himself as he started again. But Ally stopped suddenly, and looked upward at the hotel window, where something caught his eye. Something shining, glimmering… Mesmerizing…
Ally righted himself straight, and began to slowly creep back into the hotel, and up the stairs. He slowly unlocked the hotel, all while in a trance-like state. Both Fuji and Ryo turned their heads as they watched Ally enter.
"Hey, what's up, Ally?" Ryo asked with a smile, "Practice go well?"
"I'm shutting these blinds, Ryoko. The sun's glaring," said Fuji, walking to the window. Ally snapped out of his trance immediately after Fuji shut the blinds, and he jumped in surprise.
"How'd I get here?" Ally asked in confusion.
"Um… You… Walked?" said Ryo slowly.
"Huh…. Weird… I'm, going to go lie down… I need a nap…" said a dazed Ally, stumbling out of the hotel common room and into the men's room, still confused.
"Well, that is going on my list of things that are weird…" Fuji muttered.
"I'll say," Ryo added worriedly, "I hope he's okay…"
Later that Evening:
"A cab? You rented a cab?" Yukiko laughed in disbelief as she exited the restaurant she and Toshiro had eaten at earlier that evening. Out front of the restaurant, a taxi cab sit parked, waiting for Toshiro. He had also driven the two to the restaurant, and had come back around when Toshiro called.
"Yes. I didn't think that the Vespa would be suitable for an evening like this," replied Toshiro with a pleased smile, "Do you like it?"
"Well, it ain't a Cadillac, but it's an upgrade," Yukiko admitted as she seated herself in the cab, "You know about any other hotspots around town?"
"I thought we could go back and talk, actually… You know, maybe just watch TV?" answered Toshiro, "You… You aren't disappointed, are you?"
"No, no! That's okay!" Yukiko patted him on the shoulder, "Sounds like fun! Nothing like a good night of Dutch TV, eh?"
"Yeah," Toshiro looked out the window, and waited until they had returned to the hotel to speak once again, "Here we are!"
"Great! Thanks, Cabby!" said Yukiko as she jumped out of the car and followed Toshiro into the hotel room, "Thanks for dinner, again."
"No problem. My treat, honestly," Toshiro answered as he closed the door and tossed his jacket aside, "Yukiko, are you all right?"
"Huh? Yeah…" she said, jerking her head away from the diamond which had held her gaze for a few moments. The moon shone threw it, making it almost impossible to look away from, "I'm fine… Just a little tired, I guess…" she adding, turning back to him and smiling.
"Are you feeling okay?" Toshiro asked with a gulp, taking a step back, "You… You look a little strange… Maybe you had a little much to drink…"
"I don't think so," she laughed, and stopped in front of him. She put a hand on Toshiro's face, and the samurai immediately tensed, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I… There's something wrong with you… I just know it!" Toshiro choked, taking a few steps away from her, and walking in the direction of the table where the diamond lay.
"Oh, don't worry!" Yukiko laughed, "It's okay! I'm fine. I just feel like I'm actually seeing you for the first time!" Before Toshiro could retort, she leaned inward, and kissed him. This caught Toshiro off-guard, and he fell to the ground, Yukiko tumbling down along with him.
"Woah, you must be drunk!" Toshiro surmised nervously.
"Nonsense! Now quit talking! You just making it harder on yourself!" Yukiko laughed, "I thought I was the one who acted like my dad! What, did you grow up in a convent!? Hm… That's sort of cute, in a way…."
"No!" Toshiro rose, and backed up against the table, "I can't believe I'm actually having this fight with you, in the first place! Now just think about this—You want to just think about this for a few seconds… We're going slower, remember?"
"Oh, so we get married by the time I'm fifty?" Yukiko snorted, "I think not!" she laughed, and leaned in and kissed him once more. Toshiro lost his balance, and fell back onto the table. He was shocked to see Yukiko follow him on onto the table. After some fighting Toshiro managed to subdue her. It was during a period of silence which they heard a cracking noise, and felt the table break underneath their weight. The diamond fell back into the shadows, and both thieves crashed onto the ground.
"Wha, what happened?" Yukiko inquired, holding onto her head.
"You don't remember?" Toshiro blinked in surprise, "You, you were just coming onto me! Pretty strongly, I'll admit…"
"What!? Like hell I was!" said Yukiko defensively.
"No, seriously!" replied Toshiro, "I probably have your lipstick all over me!"
"Oh my God, you do!" Yukiko gasped in horror, "I, I don't even remember! Oh my God, I probably made myself look like at idiot!"
"No, um… Just sort of…. Dominant…" Toshiro coughed, "But it's all right now! You seem okay, and it's over!"
"I can't believe I… And I don't even remember! I wonder what else I did!?" she moaned.
"You were acting all right until I got you in here," Toshiro answered as he rose and helped her up, "Then you started… Hm… Acting, strangely…"
"When did I stop?" inquired Yukiko.
"When you tackled me on the table…. It broke, though…. That's when you started to feel all right once again," replied Toshiro, pointing to the table. Yukiko leaned downward, and lifted up the diamond, which had fallen into the shadows. She felt a swaying sense come over her, but she shook her head, and threw it into the air. She quickly pulled out her gun and shot at it, but both she and Toshiro both had to duck as the bullet ricocheted and flew towards them. And the diamond fell down at their feet, gleaming upward at them mockingly. No one had awoken from this loud sound because unbeknownst to Toshiro and Yukiko, the others had fallen asleep watching an extremely boring yet loud film, and all were unfazed by such sounds as a table crashing or a gun firing.
"It's this thing!" snapped Yukiko, "Don't ask me how I know, but this thing is pure evil… I just have one of those feelings, man."
"Are you sure, though?" Toshiro asked.
"Positive! I just know it! The last thing I remember before falling on the floor was looking into this thing!" replied Yukiko, lifting up the diamond, "I'll bet if Dori took a look at Zantetsu, that there'd be a shadow over it…"
"Yuki, it's just—"
"Toshiro, trust me…. We've got to get rid of this thing!" replied Yukiko sternly.
"Wha—What about Fuji? She went through an awful lot of trouble to get it!"
"There'll be more diamonds, but hopefully none with the vibes I'm getting off of this thing!" replied Yukiko, tossing the diamond into her bag, "I'm going to change, first. I can't destroy this thing in an evening gown!"
"Same. Meet you outside in a few," said Toshiro, parting with Yukiko. After both had changed, and Toshiro had wiped the lipstick off of his face, the two took off, to dispose of the strange device.
The next morning, the rest of the Lupin gang found it odd that they had not returned.