Disclaimer: Je ne pas l'auteur de les dessins de anime Lupin III, mais j'ecrire les 'fanfics' de Lupin….
So…. Tell me about your week…..
Sorry this update comes so late, but someone's contracted food-poisoning and it in the middle of home repair…. Plus, I've had a lot of school work, as of recent…. Oh, as a first warning, look in early January for something quite new—What is it, you ask? Well, that I can not exactly give away now—It'd spoil something very interesting, trust me! Well, enjoy, and I hope to see you all around at another time!
Chapter Thirty Three
That Night: Bad Moon Rising
Fun Fact of Boredom: In DF, PD Amaya drives the same car as Johnny Carson did when he began to drive… '39 green Chrysler… Down to the paint color… This was a fluke, however…. Creepy, huh?
'But now today I find,
you have changed your mind,
treat me like you did,
the night before,'
—The Beatles, 'The Night Before'
A Residential Home:
A doorbell sounded, and a tired and as of late disgruntled man trudged to his window and turned off his lamp, "No candy here tonight, kids!"
He was more than shocked when the door was kicked in, and a young woman dressed as a witch burst through, drawing a sword as she landed. She was followed by a cowgirl and a scantily-clad black cat. These were followed in by a male vampire and werewolf, and then finally a zombie and a woman in a black suit with a skull mask upon her face.
"What…. What are you…."
"Meow…. We aren't here for the candy, as you can see…" said Fuji playfully, winking at the man. She walked over to a table, picked up a red jacket and smiled, "Down to the cologne! I'm disappointed that you didn't dress up tonight! You costume probably would have been pur-fect…."
"Could we get over the puns before I take you out to pasture?" Ryo sighed, adjusting her white cowgirl hat and adjusting her gun in her holster.
"Fine, fine…." Fuji sighed, and turned back to the terrified homeowner, "We'd like the King Tut mask, now, if you don't mind…. It holds a lot of sentimental value for me…. Plus it freaks my dad out; something I always love to do!"
"And you do it so well, too…." Ryo sighed.
"Now, Daniel, if you don't mind…" Fuji said with a wide smile.
"You aren't getting anything until you give me Dakota!" Daniel snapped.
"…We…. We don't have the kid," Fuji said with a shrug.
"What!? I thought for sure it was your group! You guys aren't above kidnapping…."
"I only did that once!" Fuji snapped.
"How do I know you all aren't lying!? I'd give you that damn mask in a second—If you could get me my daughter back!"
"What does this look like, the stock market? I ain't here to trade!" snapped Fuji.
"Then you aren't finding that mask!" snapped Daniel, "It's not in the house, so don't even try to tear up the place to find it! There's no written map—I'm the only one with directions! Now, I think we can still work something out…. I only did this to help out my wife! I'm sure you're not the heartless bitch the media portrays you as, Miss Lupin, so I'm trusting you to help me…."
"Dammit…" Fuji grumbled, "Fine, I'll do it! Just as long as, A., You don't call the cops or B., tell anyone about this…. They'd probably think I was going soft!"
"I'm a thief, too…. Why would I call the cops?" Daniel inquired.
Fuji paused, and grumbled, "This is why I leave thinking to other people who are actually good at it!"
"Come on, Fuji… We've got only a short amount of time before Leo and Max get on our asses, I'm guessing…" Ally said, nodding for them to exit. They all filed out, Fuji stopping Toshiro as he went to leave.
"You stay, watch over father of the year for us…" Fuji ordered.
"What!? Why me?" Toshiro yelped.
"Because…. You're tall… And spooky… And you're more sane than a lot of people here?" Fuji suggested.
"Only if Yukiko comes with me…"
"Hey!" Yukiko snapped, "Just because you're playing babysitter doesn't mean I have to be miserable, too!"
"No, that's a good idea, actually. You two keep guard… And as for you, Mister Impersonator… Make sure that they don't get into anything heavy… You know what I'm saying, right, hee hee…." Fuji winked, and left the two in horror.
There was a long period of silence between the two guards and their captor before Daniel broke the silence, "So… Who wants Halloween candy, huh? I've got Snickers, Baby Ruth, Skittles—"
"Oh, Skittles!" Toshiro's face lit up, and Yukiko rolled her eyes as the samurai ventured into the living room with Daniel, followed behind moments later with a look of disgust still upon her face.
"You and your damn sweet tooth…" Yukiko grumbled.
On the Road:
"So, where does daddy live?" Max asked sweetly enough without strangling an ever-obnoxious Dakota.
"I told you, on a culderac, or whatever…." Dakota grumbled.
"Mister Dictionary, you care to translate?" Max implored of Leo, "… Before I kill her?" he added in a low growl.
"Cul-de-sac…." sighed Leo.
"Yeah, that's it!" Dakota gasped, "At least one of you is smart!" she added, falling back into her seat and glaring at Max.
"Cul-de-sac…. What the hell kind of word is that?" Max mumbled.
"French in origin, Americanized now to mean a dead-ended street where you have the ability to make a complete turn…" replied Leo as he made a sharp turn, "Hey, Dakota, does your daddy live by any buildings?"
"Um…. A supermarket with a giant chicken out front!"
Max snorted, "And he knows exactly where that is… Genius…"
"I'm six! Give me a damn break!" Dakota yelped.
"Actually, I do know where that is…" Leo replied with a chuckle.
"Really!? How?"
"I had a girl who resided here…." Leo explained.
Max chuckled, "Oh, so you were getting some action before you began whoring yourself out to our boss, eh?" Max flew forward as Leo floored the brakes of the vehicle, and hit his head against the windshield as he lurched forward, and was finally flung back into his seat, semi-conscious.
"You…. Son of bitch, LeBlanc…" Max mumbled.
"Ha ha! That was funny! Do it again!" Dakota whooped wildly.
"We'll see…. It all depends on how Uncle Zenigata wants to talk to Uncle LeBlanc…" Leo replied, starting up the car again and driving to Dakota's home with the help of her directions. He gasped as he saw an all-too-familiar vehicle pass him on the opposite side of the road. Ryo, at the same time, saw Leo out of the rearview, and saw Dakota as well. Without a single word of warning, the Lupin getaway driver made a sharp u-turn over a grass divider, and began to chase the inspectors and child.
"Ryo, what in the—Ari!? Max!? Listen, I know you still hold a flame to the guy, but they're the ones who are supposed to be chasing us!" Fuji explained.
"Look at what's in the back seat," Ryo ordered. Fuji gasped in surprise, then moaned and slammed her head against the dashboard of the Romeo.
"No… Not happening…" she mumbled.
"Hey, stop that! You're starting to sound just like your brother!" Ryo snapped.
"What do you suggest we do then, eh, genius?" Fuji snapped.
"We give them a hell of a run for it!" Ryo cackled, flooring the gas of the automobile and making Ally, Odori and Heiji cling on for dear life as she made a sharp turn.
"I think I know what Carmen meant, now…" Ally said with worry as he continued to cling onto the front seat tightly.
Daniel's Residence:
"No way! So, you actually held him at gun point when you were eight!?" Daniel gasped in wonder as Yukiko continued to relay half-sober stories of the old Lupin gang's doings.
"Yep…"
"And what happened then!?"
"Well, we got that drunk out of there, and my dad married my stepmom," replied Yukiko.
"I always wondered where Ming came in… She just mysteriously showed up in an article one day—Just like you! I've seen her and your father in grocery stores, but I'm always sort of shy when it comes to approaching them… The Lupin gang were to me like the Beatles were to all of those screaming fan girls! I can identify with your dad especially now, Yukiko—Being a single father isn't easy…"
"Being the kid of a single father isn't easy…" Yukiko added.
"Digesting this isn't easy…." Toshiro grumbled, popping another Skittle into his mouth—He glared as he looked down at the red Skittle in his hand, and quickly disregarded this into a fish tank while he watched Yukiko and Daniel continue with their conversation.
"And I know you know what it's like for someone to have a sick parent…." Daniel added, "And you know what that's like, too, from what I understand, Mister Ishikawa." Toshiro glowered, rose, and walked out into the back yard.
"He's really touchy about that…" Yukiko explained, "He wasn't there when his dad got sick, and he's still kicking himself over it…"
"Goemon's okay now, though, right?" Daniel asked worriedly.
"As weird as ever," Yukiko chuckled wryly, "Does crosswords over the phone with Jigen and Lupin over the phone all of the time… He still doesn't know a lot about Toshiro, though. A lot of things are still strained between the both of them."
"Understandable! I know all about what happened there…. He thought that she was his mother, and…"
"His real mother turns out to be crazy… And a member of the Rat Clan, to boot!" said Yukiko with a solemn shake of the head, "I'm surprised he hasn't gone crazy yet sometimes…"
"I hope I'm not prying too much, but I hear he also really likes you… And has for years…."
"…How do you know all of this?"
"Well, with a thieving ring as popular as yours, we other thieves can't help but spread gossip," Daniel chuckled absently, "That's how he tracked you down, I'm sure…. Well, my point with the previous subject is, you shouldn't wait too long… You're actually around my wife's age, and I'm around his age… I guess that makes me identify with you all a little more, as silly as it sounds…"
"Hey, Yuki!" Toshiro called, running back inside of the home, "I just saw Zenigata and LeBlanc zooming down the street! Followed by everyone else!"
"What!?" Fuji yelped, scrambling out into the front yard with Daniel. Toshiro, being as tall as he was, had managed to see over the fencing in the front of the house, and then had jumped this in order to join the other two.
"Dakota's in there!" Daniel yelped.
"Toshiro, come on!"
"What?"
"Get on your scooter… Maybe I can get a clear shot and bust out a few of the tires!" Yukiko replied, jumping upon his Vespa and waiting impatiently for him. Toshiro gave a painful glance to Daniel, but then complied. He zoomed off, tailing behind Fuji and company, who were ever-gaining upon Max and Leo.
"Man, this is so screwed up!" Yukiko chortled as she loaded her gun and began to aim at Zenigata and LeBlanc's vehicle.
"You're telling me…." Toshiro sighed as they merged into traffic. He found it easier to guide himself through the heavy traffic, having done this often in New York, and managed to pull up beside the Inspectors' car. Dakota's face brightened, and she waved to the two, and gasped as she watched Yukiko take aim for the tire.
"Cool! She's gonna bust our tire out!" Dakota gasped excitedly.
"Damn it! I missed them!" Leo yelled angrily. He stepped on the gas, and made a U-turn around the group, causing Toshiro to become disoriented and momentarily lose sight of his prey. He quickly caught up to them, but not before Leo made sure to drive up upon the sidewalk. Toshiro gripped onto the handles, and continued to follow the police cruiser with great dedication.
"Yeah, watch out!" Yukiko shrieked as Toshiro swerved out of the way of a tiny café and then out of the path of a dog walker.
"Zenigata, do something, will you!?" Leo yelled. Max nodded, and immediately went to work. He unfastened his safety belt, and rolled down his window. He removed his gun from his jacket, and aimed at the front tire of the Vespa, and shot.
"Bullet resistant, ass!" snapped Toshiro, speeding up next to the police cruiser. Leo looked to his left, and saw Ryo smiling back at him in the Alfa Romeo. And to his right, Yukiko had taken out one of Toshiro's swords and was using it to bust out the glass in the back right window. Leo wondered what on Earth he could do, but smiled as he remembered there was indeed something. Leo LeBlanc slammed on the brakes of the cruiser, hard. The Alfa Romeo continued to zoom off, as did Yukiko and Toshiro.
"Leo, that was friggin' brilliant!" Max gaped.
"Tell me you love me later—Right now, we have to get Dakota to safety," replied Leo sternly.
"Eh?" Max flushed, cleared his throat, and stared forward at the road.
"Oh my God, you are in love with him!" Dakota gasped.
"What!?" both yelped.
"I so am not! I have never thought of Inspector LeBlanc like that!" Max snapped, "So shut up, already! We're trying to save you!"
"Turn here, Leo!" Dakota ordered.
"Gotcha," Leo nodded, and made a sharp right turn into a suburban neighborhood. After a few more rights, all while the Lupin gang chased after them. They pulled up into the home, running over the lawn ornaments which were not limited to gnomes and flamingoes. One of the flamingoes flew up and crashed into the windshield, coming inches from Max's forehead. Leo missed the front of the house by mere inches.
"Daddy!" Dakota shrieked, jumping out of the car and running towards her father.
"Dakota!" Daniel yelled joyfully, running out of the house to embrace his daughter. Max and Leo smiled as they exited their vehicle, but this was quickly interrupted as the Lupin gang pulled up in front of the home.
"You two… Were driving here!?" Fuji growled with gritted teeth, reaching forward and gripping Max's shirt collar, "You were driving HERE!? You creep, why I oughta—"
"Fuji, haven't you heard of a 'quiet moment'?" Ryo inquired, nudging her friend in the direction of Daniel and Dakota, who were in a tight embrace. Fuji looked over at the two, and then looked at Leo, who watched the scene unfold painfully.
"You know we have to arrest him… We can't make exceptions for anyone," Max informed Leo, "He's a thief…"
"Not if he returns what he stole…" Leo answered, "Or if they even knew if it was him…"
"Huh?" Max frowned.
"Listen, Zenigata, LeBlanc, you shouldn't arrest this guy… His daughter has no one else…" Ryo started, taking a step forward to speak to them, "This guy's wife is in the hospital, in a coma…."
"Why should we trust you!?" Max growled, "You're nothing but a—"
"Max, knock it off," Leo started, "How… How do we know you're telling the truth, Jigen?"
"Leo, I'd lie about a lot of things, but not about this… You out of anyone ought to know what she's going through… She just wants her family… She doesn't care if her dad's done something bad—She still loves him, and she just wants him to take care of her!" Ryo hissed to Leo.
"I… I see your point, Ma'am," Leo nodded, "I-If we could arrest you in, in, his stead, I, um…"
Ryo took the back of Leo's head, pushed him forward, and kissed him. She felt a handcuff clasp itself around her wrist, and stared down at it, and the angered Max looking over her shoulder, "I think someone else wants in on the action…" she said with a chuckle.
"Huh, what?" Leo blinked a few times with naiveté, and before he knew it, Ryo had twisted about while Zenigata still held onto the handcuff, moving Max to the foreground, close to Leo. She then placed her undid handcuff around Leo's wrist, clipping LeBlanc to Zenigata. Max gulped dryly, and looked on painfully at Ryo, who chuckled, winked, and walked away from the duo.
"Have fun, boys!" Ryo called as she walked away from the two, being sure to wave amusedly.
"That little bitch… C'mon, LeBlanc!" Max snarled, jerking towards Ryo and dropping Leo to the floor as a result. Leo moaned, and slowly rose again with Max's help.
"First let me get out of these!" grumbled Leo, working himself out of the handcuffs and approaching the Lupin gang, handcuffs drawn and swinging about as he approached Fuji.
"Fujiko Lupin, you're—"
"Very busy… Now, will you give me a moment here, Leo?" Fuji begged, turning to Daniel and smiling, "Now… As for that mask…"
"Okay, I'll tell you…." Daniel said, "I mailed it…"
"YOU WHAT!?" Fuji shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"Two days ago… It ought to be arriving at its destination any moment now," Daniel responded.
"I just chased two police officers through the busy streets of Chicago… I pulled together numerous sources from all around the globe… Just to find out you mailed away the object of my affection! How could you!?"
"Um… Hey, you're the one who wouldn't save a kid…" Daniel replied.
"Grr! Ryoko, let's go out for drinks!" Fuji whined, "This is too much!"
"We just destroyed thousands of American dollars in property to find out we were following a red herring!?" Max yelled angrily.
"It wasn't like it wasn't worth it, Zenigata…." Leo sighed as he looked over at Daniel and Dakota, and then to Fuji, "Now if you excuse me, for have to arrest you…."
"You'll never catch me, copper!" Fuji cackled madly, dashing into the Alfa Romeo with the others. Leo ran to the police cruiser, but then glanced back at the torn up bits of the vehicle's belly strewn upon the street, and resorted to trying to chase them down the street.
"Toshiro, Yukiko, you're under arrest!" Max hissed in the direction of the Vespa riding pair.
"Says you and what army!?" Yukiko laughed.
"Here, Miss Yukiko!" Daniel called, and threw her a small pad of paper, "Please take that, if you will!"
"Okay," Yukiko nodded, and hung on for dear life just as Toshiro started up his vehicle and sped off after the Romeo.
"Crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" Max shouted angrily, and turned to Daniel, panting, "We only have hearsay that you're a thief, so you better watch your ass, before we catch you!" Max warned, pointing a finger to Daniel severely.
"Inspector, you have my word—After tonight, I am a straight man!" Daniel proclaimed as he lifted up Dakota in his arms.
"More than he can say about you, Max!" Dakota chortled.
Max glared, "Why, I—"
"I heard you talking to a girl about it! Amaya, right!?" Dakota continued.
"Honey… Remember when we talked about two different types of speech?" Daniel began.
"Uh, yeah…"
"Well, there's a good example," said Daniel, "Thank you both so much for giving my daughter back to me… She's more precious than anything I could ever hope to steal…"
"Yeah, well, she isn't half bad when she has her mouth shut…" Max muttered uncomfortably, avoiding the piercing stares of Leo in the process.
"I don't know how I'll ever repay you both!"
"Nope, it's not necessary! All in a day's work for two Interpol officers!" Max said proudly.
"Uh, could you call a tow truck?" Leo inquired after a pause, "Unlike him, I don't want to push the car home…"
"I'll go inside and get to it," Daniel replied, walking back into the house with Dakota. While they waited, Leo went to imploring Max.
"What were you talking about with Amaya on the phone?" Leo inquired.
"This girl in the office… I was asking her if those sorts of relationships work or not…" Max replied with a nervous chuckle. Leo leaned forward, and frowned.
"That's one thing about you, Zenigata… You're an awful cleric and accountant, and on top of that, you're a bad liar!"
"Leo, I… It's not important! We'll talk about it later!" replied Max, folding his arms and looking at Leo seriously.
"Tell you what…. This Thursday we sit down and tell one another everything…" Leo cringed a little as he spoke; it would be hard, but it would be the only way to get Max to talk.
"You want to know now, LeBlanc? I'll tell you now, okay?" Max snapped, "I was a nerd, then I was a punk, okay!? I stole, lied, cheated… I was in a Japanese gang…. Then my dad kicked my ass one night to the point he felt so bad he wouldn't talk to me, and my mom got me into a school to become a rabbi… Nothing like having a seventy-year-old man knock you around the block in front of all of the neighbors… There was someone I really liked there, but that was pretty-much unrequited… I got depressed and I flunked out after an incident at a bris… My parents wanted me out anyway when they found out about my little crush… Then they sent me to anger management, and by the time I was nineteen, I was in the police academy… I was damn good at that, but I hated it… I hated it because both of my parents were cops, and the last thing I wanted to be was like them… I then decided to try accounting… I flunked out of that, and then went begging to Interpol for a job as a last resort… And then I ended up here, and I can honestly say this is a low point in my life!"
"…What was the name of the girl you liked…?" Leo inquired.
Max choked, "Jacob… Come on, let's go…"
Leo gaped, "You're…"
Max's face reddened, and he snapped his glace back towards Leo, "Yeah, I'm bi, okay!? Listen, it was a long time ago, so get off of it!" snapped Max angrily, "I don't like talking about it very much…"
"Hey, why's that car slowing down?" Leo wondered, reaching instinctively for his gun. LeBlanc's instincts proved worthy when someone in the back of the heavily tinted car threw a cocktail bomb at the duo. Both officers panicked, and Leo ran forward and kicked the bomb into a backyard, and into a pool. It exploded moments later, sending water flying over the roof of the home and down onto the street. The car circled back around and this time guns were drawn. The guns flew out of the hands of the unknown assailants, however, and Leo and Max looked over to see Yukiko standing on top of Toshiro's Vespa seat, leaving her with a clear shot. Behind them was the Alfa Romeo with the Lupin gang in tow.
"Dori, try to get to the tires!" Fuji ordered. Odori nodded, ran in the opposite direction of the car, and drew out her sword, and then swung. Two of the bottoms of the left tires blew, and the car went barreling in Daniel's yard, crashing into Leo and Max's car and sending both their cruiser and the black car into Daniel's home.
Both inspectors were mere inches from this, and were quite shaken. Leo yelped as he noticed he was clinging onto Max, and quickly let go of his hold upon Zenigata. Max gave a small sigh; he had known from the start that if Leo had known that LeBlanc would have been less comfortable around him. If only he hadn't let his temper get in the way! Well, there was no escaping it, it had been said.
"That was close…" Leo muttered as Max jumped upon the hood of the car and drew his gun.
"Interpol! Get out, or we'll shoot! And you've caught me in a bad mood, so I'd watch your ass! Get the hell out before I shoot the glass!"
"Is he… Always like this?" Ryo inquired.
"Yeah, and I'm the crazy one," Ally snorted, shaking his head.
"Okay, okay… It wasn't us, though… We was workin' for Victor Lupin!" replied the henchman as he exited the vehicle, hands drawn. Daniel and Dakota by this time were out of their home, and Daniel gasped as one of the henchmen scooped Dakota up and held a gun to her head.
"Now, all of you go, before she gets one in the skull!" ordered the henchman. Odori went to draw Zantetsu, but Fuji signaled for her to cease this, and all watched tensely.
"Victor, you bastard… You're relentless…"
"I'm going to get her…" Max said quietly to Leo.
"What!? Max, he's got a gun! They all do, and there's four!" Leo whispered in return.
"At his point, what do I have to lose?" Max said. Leo watched in horror as Max ran forward, knocked the gun out of the kidnapper's hand, swung and delivered a right-hook to his face, and took a terrified Dakota in his arms. The young girl shook horribly as Leo ran forward and tackled another armed lackey, and Toshiro disabled the two with a few blows of the sword.
Fuji stamped upon one of the hands of one of the lackeys as he went to reach for a gun just out of his grasp, "You go back… And tell your boss… That I'm going to pay him back in double for everything he's done… That's a promise!"
The terrified lackey nodded, rose, and ran off down the street, knocking over several stunned trick-or-treaters in the process.
"You okay, kid?" Max asked.
"You saved me…" Dakota gasped, "Thanks…"
"No problem," Max nodded, and allowed her to run back to her father.
"Thanks again…" Daniel said with a tone of awe, "I guess you all really are anti-heroes, huh?" he said quietly.
"Well, happy Halloween—Sorry about your window!" Fuji called, quickly jumping back into the vehicle with the others and once again driving off into the night.
"I guess you guys'll need a cab to your hotel, huh?" Daniel chuckled lightly.
Leo shook his head, "I am so…"
"Don't be… We're moving soon, anyway…" Daniel sighed, "I guess I don't have that dilemma about whether or not to buy new furniture, now… I'll be back… Dakota you say good-bye to them, okay?"
"'Kay, Daddy," Dakota nodded, and looked upward at Max and Leo, "…You ran into my house…."
"Er, yeah… Sorry about that…" Max coughed.
"Thanks for saving me… Max, you're okay… You too, Leo!"
"Good to know I meet the standards of a six-year-old," Zenigata nodded.
"Will you both come and visit me?" Dakota inquired.
"Sure, Sweetie… Whenever we can get a break…" Leo nodded, bending down to become eye-level with her and smiling, "You're a good, good girl, Dakota…"
"I know," Dakota nodded, "You two take care, and don't fight so much! It's not nice, and you two are really good guys!"
"We'll… Work on it…" Zenigata replied, "Come on, Leo, we'll start walking… The cab can pick us up along the way…"
"Okay, I'll tell Daddy!" Dakota started to run, but Max stopped her, and called her over. Her eyes lit up as he revealed a set of handcuffs.
"You don't go using those on anyone when they're moving vehicles, you hear?" Max said with a chuckle, "Maybe I'll show you how to throw those one day…"
"Really!? Thanks!" Dakota said with a smile.
"Yeah, we'll practice on LeBlanc… See you later, Dakota!" Max waved.
"See you later, Max! See you later, Leo!" Dakota waved as the two started their trek out of the neighborhood.
"So… Nice weather, huh?" Leo said after they had been walking for some time in silence.
"Listen, I don't want anything to change between us, okay? I'm not kidding when I'm telling you that you're my only friend…" Max said, "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd think I was going hit on you or something, and I don't want to… I only liked him… The rest were girls…."
"Listen, Max, I don't care if you have a thing for chickens, personally… I still want to be your friend, too… Nothing's changed, Zenigata… I'm still your friend!" Leo said with a reassuring smile.
But Max knew that this was a lie. Although he knew this, Zenigata did not call LeBlanc on the carpet… He was much too tired.
"So, where's Jacob, anyway?" Leo asked.
"Got married to a dentist, moved to San Andreas… Has two kids…" Max replied.
"Jeeze, Zenigata… I'm so sorry…" said Leo in a whisper.
"Aw, it's okay… I've still got my friends…" Max sighed, shaking his head, "I need a drink…"
"Me, too… Sounds good…." Leo said with a smile, "How about we go get Shirley Temples? I'm a really mean drunk…"
"…Sounds like a date to me…"
"Date!? W-Wait, Zenigata! What'd you mean!?" Leo choked.
"You're still jumpy, I see…." Max chuckled, "Did I ever mention you have beautiful eyes?" He continued to laugh at Leo's stunned expression, and the two continued to walk down the emptied suburban streets.
The Jigen Household:
"Ally with Carmen… Heiji with what's-her-face… Yukiko with Toshiro… My ex-fiancé with Zenigata… Yep, it's a good night…" Ryo sighed as she, Odori and Fuji sat upon the couch of the living room, Fuji flipping idly through channels.
"If I see her come down once more time in his kimono I'm going to snap…" mumbled Fuji, "Oh, look, a football game!"
"My money goes on the little green ones…" said Odori.
"What!? You don't know anything about football!" protested Fuji.
"Yes, but I like the color green…." Odori replied, "It signifies life, longevity, and—He missed the damn tackle! C'mon, you lousy son of a—"
"Good to know the world is at piece, huh, Fuji?" Ryo chuckled.
"I guess… I just wish it felt peaceful…" Fuji muttered as she looked down at an envelope sticking out of her jacket pocket.
"Hey, I wonder where that mask ended up…." Ryo said with wonder.
"Who the hell knows… I just know it's not here…" Fuji grumbled.
"What the hell!? Who taught you how to play—A gimpy nun!?" Odori shrieked to the television. Both Ryo and Fuji sighed and shook their heads, and both tensed as Odori drew her sword and pointed it at the television, "As sure as the sun rises and sets, I will not allow you to continue living if you show me failure from my team of choice, television set!"
Rural France:
"Huh… Wonder what this is…." Lupin wondered as he poked at a brown package on his doorstep, "My birthday was in August…."
"Lupin, what's going on?" Fujiko inquired.
"Someone sent me a gift… They even sent a card…" Lupin muttered as he opened the attached card, "Huh… It's from Victor…" He tore open the package, and undid the wrapping, and let out a long shriek as he looked upward at the pharaoh's mask staring back upward at him coldly.