DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lupin III, but I do own my own little alternate universe… And I think I'd die in shock and happiness if this were read by Monkey Punch, and he gave his opinion of it (sighs like schoolgirl).
Happy Hanukah!
Sorry if that wish is coming a little late, but here's wishing that those of you who do celebrate that holiday had a good time. Well, this chapter's out a little sooner, thanks to winter vacation (yay!). That means plenty of well-needed rest for this author. Hopefully I can also get the Christmas special out soon. See you around, dear readers, and happy holidays!
Fun Fact of Boredom: The Beatles' lyrics aren't included in every chapter just for the crap of it, and not just because I know all of the lyrics to the all of the songs (sad, no?), there's actually a purpose for it. The Beatles were a group of four who shocked and dazzled the world with their music and were led by the witty John, and included John's best friend Paul, the quiet George, and tag-along Ringo. The Lupin gang is a group of four who shocked and dazzled the world with their thieving and were led by the witty Lupin, and included Lupin's best friend Jigen, the quiet Goemon, and tag-along Fujiko…. It's sad how much sense that makes, almost.
Chapter Thirty Seven
A few moments later: I'll get You
'I don't like you,
But I love you,
Seems I'm always thinking of you,'
—The Beatles, 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me'
Max and Leo's Hotel:
Max grabbed the jacket from Ryo, and glared upward at her darkly, "What kind of a sick trick are you playing here!? Where's Leo!?"
"I… I don't know… There was blood, too," replied Ryo with a sob.
"…What were you doing talking with him? Was he trying to arrest you?" Max inquired in a deep tone.
"No, we… I can't tell you what we were talking about, Zenigata! He's in trouble, you have to believe me!" Ryo cried. Max grabbed her by the wrist and slapped a handcuff over her left hand, and then her right one, and drug her into the room, slamming the door behind her.
"You lying wench… Now you're going to tell me what's going on! What'd you two talk about!? Tell me or I'll take you down to a jail right now, and they'll hang you by morning!" Max growled.
"You're just being mean because you're worried, aren't you?" said Ryo quietly, "You're scared I did something to him, but I didn't. I would never hurt him."
"And why is that?"
"…Because I still love him…" Ryo said quietly. Max let go of her wrists, and took a few steps back, "And I'm willing to bet you do, too…"
"How far do you two go back?" Max asked.
"Arséne Lupin… The thief who loved me…" Ryo muttered to herself, looking away from Max.
"What'd you just say?" Max demanded, "What's going on, Jigen? You love him!? How the hell long's that been going on? Are you two—"
"Not anymore," Ryo responded, "We used to, though. He was still shy around women, then. I was the one who was able to get through to him."
"How do I know you're not lying!?" snapped Max angrily.
"Get me a computer and I'll show you I'm not," replied Ryo, "Just let me out of these handcuffs."
Max paused, but then nodded, and undid her handcuffs. She exercised her wrists and walked over to a laptop setup in the living area, "A lot of sick people have a lot of sick stuff up on the Internet… Well, not so sick, but creepy. There's a kid in San Fran named Louie who loves the Lupin group… He has a whole bunch of stuff on his website… Videos of heists, pictures of the gang—Even photos from the swimsuit issue your sister did in Germany."
"The WHAT!?" Max choked.
"Anyway, here's the one I want to show you," Ryo said with a small sniff leftover from her tears, "It's new footage from the murder of that guard… The one Lupin the Fourth killed… It's had a digital cleanup… Heiji showed me this one day… Not that I was thrilled to see it." She clicked on the link 'LUPIN4THACCIDENT' and both watched the footage of the film.
Ryo and Heiji were dressed up as customers in a bank. Then, Odori busted in, slashing open the desk of the bank and jumping over it. Ally ran in and disabled the guard, and then the Lupin twins ran in. While Odori went to opening the safe, Heiji glanced through a map of the bank, and Ryo led the crowd outside. Max watched as one guard attempted to attack Fuji, but Ari tried to hold him off. Both Ari and the guard began to fight, Ari trying desperately to hold his gun away from them. A shot fired, and the guard slumped on top of Ari. Ari pushed off the body, rose, and stared down at horror at the body, and then at himself, who was covered in fresh blood. He began to struggle to breath, and fell to the floor. Ally leaned downward and felt for a pulse, and then stood upward grimly, looking down upon the body sadly. Odori went to shut off the cameras while Ryo went and comforted Ari. Fuji simply stared at the body in surprise. Heiji peered out of the safe, and blinked a few times in shock, and he then two wandered outward and joined the group.
Ryo stopped the tape, and closed up on a frame of her and Ari. She cleaned it up, and Max recognized who it was immediately. He gasped, and put a hand to his face, "That's…"
"He left a little while later… He was really emotionally screwed up over it… He probably still has dreams about it…. I remember, after the accident, he did nothing but toss and turn in his sleep, and scream… He always screamed at the end… His mom and dad tried to help, but, what could be done? They even brought my dad over, who had worked as an assassin. That didn't go over well, and, long story short, Ari called Dad a hypocritical old blind bastard. He left a note… I keep a copy with me… It's in his handwriting… You want to read it?"
"No, not right now—Later," said Max, shaking his head, "Right now, we've got to find him. He's in trouble."
"You still want to go and…"
"I can't sit around and let him get hurt… It's my duty as an Interpol officer to retrieve him, and my duty as a friend to return everything he's done for me…" Max said.
"I'll bet I know who it is…" said Jake from the couch, "I'll bet it's the guy your after… My ex…"
"He was your ex?" Max choked.
"Yeah-huh," Jake nodded, "I'll bet he's got Leo, or whoever he is, because he thinks you like him, Sushi Boy… And he wants to get back at you…"
"What? Why me?"
"He liked me. He didn't go to our school, but I worked with him. That's how we met. You drove a spike in between us, and he's never forgiven you. Jeeze, I think I remember why I stick to women, now. They're less complicated…"
"Well, where do we find him?" Max asked intently.
"Probably at the tournament…" Jake said.
"What do we do until then?" asked Ryo.
"Hope your friend lives," Jake replied.
A Few Days Later:
"You ready, Toshi-chan?" asked Fuji with a smile as all sat on of the prep rooms of the arena.
"Yeah," Toshiro nodded, "With thanks to Ally, of course…"
"rHey, um, don't go thanking me! And don't go getting your ass kicked, either!" snapped Ally from his corner, "It'd make me look bad…"
"How'd you get him to improve so much so soon, anyway?" asked Fuji confidentially as she walked over to Ally.
"Oh, our little secret," replied Ally with a smile, "On another note, you hear from Ryo yet?"
"Nope… She just told me she had work to do, and I'll leave it at that… Hey, maybe she met someone nice!" chuckled Fuji in a whisper. Ally glared, and Fuji scruffed his hair, and then walked back to the group, "I love it when you look at me like that, Ally! Makes me feel all warm and special inside… Or maybe that's just the heartburn from the steak I had."
"Good luck, Toshiro. I will keep in mind the story of our ancestor, Ishikawa Goemon, as we watch your battle," said Odori with a deep bow.
"Dori, he was killed…." said Toshiro with worry.
"Hrm… I must find new ancestors to worship, then," said Odori with concentration.
"How about your biological parents' ancestors? They were farmers, right? What's safer than farming?" Heiji said with hope, "You know, you would've been a weird farm girl… But, hey, there're goats on farms, so you probably could've been married off a lot quicker!"
"I'm gonna strangle you, Heiji!" Odori growled, running towards him. Heiji laughed, and took off in a run after her.
"Hey, guys, I wanna talk to the big idiot for a few seconds, okay?" the otherwise quiet Yukiko said.
"Ah, I see…. A few seconds or a few minutes?" asked Fuji with a smile.
"Come on, oh one of perverse ways," said Odori, leading Fuji out by the jacket with the others, and leaving Yukiko and Toshiro alone in the prep room. Yukiko kneeled down in front of Toshiro, who was sitting upon a bench in deep concentration.
"You okay?" Yukiko inquired.
"I'm starting to wonder if you're right, Yukiko… Even if I do defeat this man, I'll still have to live without—"
"Yeah, but you'll feel a hell of a lot better," Yukiko reassured him with a smile, "I have the feeling you'll make it to at least the second round…"
"Thanks for the reassurance," Toshiro snorted. He stared downward at Yukiko, and put his hands upon her shoulders. He leaned inward and kissed her upon the forehead, making her fedora fall to the ground behind her upon her legs.
"You're not quite as brazen as you were a while ago; the message must be getting through to you," Yukiko admitted.
"Hrm?"
"Usually, you would've been a little more daring in your aim," she chuckled.
"I guess I just don't have it in me today," sighed Toshiro, "I'm just worried, is all."
"Well, here…. For good luck, okay?" Yukiko raised upward, and kissed him upon the mouth. Toshiro was speechless as she back away, "Don't you dare read into that, but I just did it so you don't come back as a ghost and bitch at me that I wasn't ever nice to you…"
"Hey, if I win the championship, could I get better than that?" asked Toshiro.
"What do you me—Oh, for the love of!" Yukiko smacked her face with her hand, "Keep dreamin', man, keep dreamin'!" She picked up her fedora, rose, dusted it off, and looked downward at Toshiro, "Good luck." She walked out of the preparation area, and Toshiro gave a small sigh.
"Well, I'm closer than I was a year ago," he said to himself.
Outside, in the arena, the Lupin gang sat in the seats directly behind the judges, and they found themselves sitting next to father and daughter, Amaya Ishikawa and retired Inspector Koichi Zenigata.
"Hey, Grandpa!" Heiji said happily.
"Heiji! Odori, I see you're here, too!" said Zenigata happily, "Where's Toshiro?"
"He's competing," replied Heiji calmly.
"What!?" Zenigata yelped.
"Dad, don't worry; I'm sure he'll do fine!" Amaya reassured him.
"You realize that Natasha trained some of these guys, right?" Zenigata gulped, "That kid's going to get eaten alive…" he muttered to himself with a shake of the head.
"Hey, Totsan (old man), did you know Max is here?" said Fuji with a smile.
"You… Your dad always called me old man, too—I see his disrespect is genetic!" snapped Zenigata.
"You're in the middle of your seventh decade, Zenigata—Not only are you old, you're old as hell!" Fuji chuckled.
"You'll be old too, someday!" called Zenigata.
"You let me know when. You're mean, so you'll probably live forever, and be around to tell me. Mean people always do live longer," replied Fuji as she turned her attention to the arena, "A bunch of shirtless guys working out… God, I love fighting matches!"
"Is she right about Max being here?" asked Zenigata with a whisper to his daughter, "I know lying comes easily to her…"
"She is, Dad… I ran into him a little while ago," admitted Amaya, "and I'm worried about Toshiro… But I know why he's doing this…. There's a member of the Rat Clan here, one who claimed to kill Julia."
"Wow… It's no wonder…" Zenigata said as he looked downward at the judges' bench, where Goemon and Natasha sat next to one another, along with judges from Russia, Brazil, the United States and Korea.
"Hey, it's starting!" said Ally excitedly.
"Hey, there's Zenigata… The blonde one…With his friend… And Ryo…" said Odori as she watched Max, Jake and Ryo burst through the door, several men attempting to hold them back but Max flashing his badge and allowing him and his comrades immediate access into the fight. They could not, however, gain access beyond the point of the arena and seats.
"Zenigata-sama!" Fuji called, and waved to him.
Goemon and Natasha, who were seated next to one another, looked back together at the Lupin gang, and then forward at Max, Jake and Ryo, whom were running towards the gang. Natasha glared as she laid eyes upon Jake.
"Remember the good old days, when the police officers chased after the bad guys, and didn't help them?" Goemon inquired tiredly.
"What's he doing with him?" Natasha wondered.
"Natasha, Goemon, have you see Ari!?" asked Ryo worriedly as they ran to their table.
"What? Why?" asked Natasha.
"Hi Mrs. Zenigata…. I'm afraid I caused some trouble again," said Jake remorsefully.
"What's new?" Natasha snorted, "Max, what's going on? Where's Leo?"
"With Ari," said Max quietly.
"Oh… You know, huh?"
"Yep… But he's still my friend, and I've got to save him! I can't just let that guy kill him!"
"Kill him!?" Natasha and Goemon gasped.
"He was kidnapped," Ryo explained to the two, "And we think the guy who kidnapped him is here, and—"
"Excuse me, we're about to get this underway," whispered one of the referees to the trio.
"Do you mind!?" snapped Max angrily.
"We could look for him with you!" Natasha whispered to them, "We'll hold off the fight!"
"No, then he'll be suspicious. Just act like everything's okay, all right?" Ryo ordered, "Max, Jake, come on—Let's go."
"Goemon, Toshiro's one of the first to fight," Natasha said as she looked down at the schedule, after Ryo had vanished with Max and Jake. The two sat numbly through the opening ceremonies as they commenced, and also when the first two fighters came out. But they did cringe when one fighter had his hand broken within the first five seconds, and both prayed for Toshiro.
Toshiro Ichikawa (a false name Toshiro used so he would be able to compete while his father judged) was in the third set of fighters to come out. He faced off against a Ukrainian man, and Yukiko cringed as Toshiro took a punch to the face, and noted with surprise that Ally also shuddered at the same moment.
Toshiro quickly returned this blow with a kick to the back of the man's neck, and the Ukrainian fell to the ground. Odori frowned, not recognizing this fighting technique. But Yukiko quickly snapped to attention, for she recognized this.
"That's a dance move you modified!" gaped Yukiko as she turned to Ally, "You taught him martial arts with choreography!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Ally shrugged, "The Ukrainian ain't gettin' up anytime soon…"
Toshiro, down in the ring, panted and gulped as he stared down at his opponent, who had come up twice more to fight him only to be knocked down again. He heard the referee count, and then the bell sounded. He had won this match, and he was one step closer to his revenge.
Max, Ryo and Jake, however, were having less success. They had been briefly separated by the cheering crowds as they went to go find Lupin and company, and now were once again together, but still faced the obstacle of getting Fuji and the gang's attention in the swarming crowds. Max, finally, was able to reach them, and wore a hectic look upon his face as he practically crashed into the group, the result of the packed seating.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Zenigata asked worriedly, rising, walking over to Max and taking him by the shoulders, "Why are you so worried?"
"Dad, something bad's going to happen to Ari…" Max replied in a pant.
"What!?" Fuji shrieked, and sprung up from her seat, "You guys keep an eye on Toshiro," she said, turning back to her group, "I'm going to go look with Zenigata!" she quickly took Max by the hand, leaving a stunned group and a worried Zenigata as they wove through the crowds.
The Israeli fighter was somewhat stunned to see a buxom, black-haired Asian girl coming to wish him good luck with flowers as he exited the preparation room, in order to stand in line for his turn in battle. Fuji did not fool him, however.
"I know you're that bastard's sister," snorted the Israeli as he looked down upon Fuji, "And I'm not going to tell you where he is out of the kindness of my heart!"
Fuji looked down at the ground in concentration, and then back up at him, "Fine, then. You like what you see? You can have it, all right? Just tell me where my brother is, and you can have it. I promise. I'll even stay and cuddle, even though I freakin' hate to cuddle."
"No thank you—I already know where I can find plenty of classier whores," replied the Israeli with a snap, "I want Jacob—I want him here so I can kill him. I want to see him die. And after that, I want to kill that blond mutt for stealing Jacob from me in the first place. But before that, I want to kill that yellow bastard's friend in front of him… I want him to know pain…"
"Listen, if it's someone who knows pain, it's Zenigata; I inflict pain upon him all of the time," said Fuji, "I don't see the point in all of this—If you don't tell me where he is, and play it easy with me, I'm going to have to steal him from you. I'm a master thief, after all."
The Israeli grabbed Fuji by the neck, lifted her, and pinned her against the wall, her feet kicking in the air. She gasped for air as he glared at her, but quickly stopped this as a blade shot out from her heel, and scratched him across the thigh. He let out a yell, and Fuji took off running as he let go of his grip.
"You little bitch!" he wailed, "You'll get yours, yet!"
Fuji ran back to the arena seats, where Max was standing, "I managed to get a key off of him!"
"What's that mark on your throat?" Max wondered aloud.
"He, eh, liked to play rough," Fuji responded.
"Oh, no, you didn't—"
"Hell, no!" Fuji yelped, "Listen, we've got to figure out what this key would belong to…"
"How do we know he's where the key is?" asked Max worriedly.
"Because—He wants to put more bodies in there with Leo," said Fuji.
"Don't you mean Ari?" asked Max, "I know, all right, Lupin? You don't have to keep up with the charade… I know who he is, now."
"Oh, God, Zenigata… That's gotta sting…"
"At least he had reason to tell me. Everyone else let me play idiot, and kept me in the dark," responded Max tiredly.
"It was only because we love both of you guys. Now, come on, let's go try to find a match," said Fuji.
They ran back to Heiji, who was watching another round with his brother. Fuji looked down, and saw that Yukiko had gone down to the ring, and was speaking to Toshiro, who had yet to have gone into the second round, this time against a German man. Toshiro looked downward at her in shock; Fuji could tell that she had just relayed the story to her.
"Heiji, do you have your laptop?" inquired Fuji hurriedly.
"Hey, sit down!" yelled a man in the crowd.
"As always!" replied Heiji with a smile, which quickly faded as he laid eyes upon Fuji's stilled-reddened neck, "Hey, what happened to… Who did that to you?"
"It doesn't matter—I need you to find where this key goes to," Fuji said, tossing him a key.
"I said sit down!" growled the same man.
"You shut up, or I'll take you in right now for disturbing the peace!" Max shouted, drawing his gun and badge. The man quickly quieted.
"Hey, the second round's starting!" Ally called to the others, "Come on, Toshiro!"
"That's something I thought I'd never hear him say…" Odori said to herself.
"Here! It's an apartment complex!" Heiji said triumphantly, "Here's the address!"
"Ryo ought to know where that is; she's always here," said Fuji. Fuji bent downward, took the key, and quickly pecked Heiji on the cheek, "Thanks!"
"Heh, no problem…"a slightly surprised Heiji replied. Max and Fuji quickly shuffled out of the crowd once again, and then met up with Ryo and Jake, whom had acquired a car through unknown methods. Ryo drove, using her race car driving skills to swerve in and out of traffic, and they arrived in fifteen minutes at their destination, which was across town.
They ran out of the car, Fuji noting the numbers '371' on the key, and they ran to the third floor, and found the room. Fuji hurriedly unlocked the door, and all entered, Fuji, Ryo and Max with their guns drawn.
They found Leo bound and gagged in a wooden chair in the lone bedroom, which was frigidly cold. He had been beaten, and was either sleeping or unconscious; none were sure, but they did know that, fortunately, he was alive.
Max took a Swiss army knife from his pocket, and undid the gag and the rope bindings, and lifted Leo up. By this time, Leo opened his eyes, and saw the worriedly expression Zenigata wore, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here in no time, Leo! What the hell did that sick bastard do to you, anyway?"
"Huh?" Leo looked upward at Max, and then turned to Fuji, "Mommy? Heh, I knew you and Dad would come and get me…"
"…Ari…" Fuji choked.
"He's running a fever!" announced Ryo as she laid a hand upon his forehead, "We need to rush him to a hospital! Put him in the car!"
"Yeah!" Max nodded, and began to run down the flights with Leo, Ryo, Fuji and Jake coming up close behind him. Max sat in the back seat, along with Fuji, and they spread his body over their laps, "When I find out what this guy did—"
"Hasn't there been enough damn revenge around here!?" Fuji shouted angrily. Max looked at her, stunned. She looked as though she wanted to punch him, or anyone, for that matter, "If it weren't for everyone's damn guilt, damn stupid need for revenge, none of this would've ever happened!"
"I'm worried about him too, Fujiko," Max admitted as Ryo sped through the city streets to the hospital.
Back at the Arena:
"This is the guy here," Yukiko whispered to Zenigata and Amaya as the Israeli took the stage, "You think you can get him, Pops? We can't cause too much of a disturbance—Toshiro and the Rat Clan member are next, and he needs his shot at getting even."
"Kid, I was doing this while you were still the unknown result of a drunken fling!" Zenigata replied with a hearty laugh.
"More than I needed to know…But okay, go for it, Old Man," said Yukiko. Zenigata rose, and a set of handcuffs flew through the air, first around one hand of the Israeli, and then around the other, binding him in the metal bracelets. Ally and Odori then approached him, but both were more than shocked when he busted out of the handcuffs, grabbed Odori by the throat, and flung her into the crowd. The judges rose in horror and looked back at Odori, who had disappeared into the crowd. They then looked back, and watched as Ally was thrown through the exit doors, and out onto the concrete pavilion, where Jigen rolled and then gripped onto his shoulder, letting out a cry of pain.
Toshiro had seen all of this happen, and with a great amount of horror. He watched the Israeli stare down Yukiko as she ran through the audience, jumped and landed on the arena, and also watched as the Rat Clan member took this opportunity to escape out of the back door. He could still catch him and kill him, but the Israeli was quickly approaching Yukiko. She drew her gun, but not quickly enough. The larger man kicked the gun out of her hand, and slapped her to the ground. He held her in place by slamming down on one of her hands with his boot, and Yukiko let out a yell of pain.
"Yukiko, wait!" Toshiro shouted, a pang of pain running through him as he watched the Rat Clan member run away. He ran to Yukiko, and delivered a blow to the Israeli's ear, "Get the hell away from my girlfriend!" Toshiro barked as the Israeli fell to the floor.
Odori, by this time, had wobbled out of the crowd, and shakily made her way to where Toshiro stood in a face-off with the Israeli. Yukiko still lied down upon the ground, but now was freed from her captor.
Toshiro quickly took Odori's sword and unsheathed it, and pointed it at the Israeli.
"Ha! Only cowards hide behind weapons!" the Israeli laughed heartily.
Toshiro smirked, and began to back up slowly. The Israeli continued to laugh and call Toshiro a coward, but was more than a little surprised when Ishikawa ran forward, drove Zantetsuken into the ground, propelled himself from this, and kicked the Israeli in the neck, sending him flying back.
"Yukiko, are you all right?" Toshiro asked worriedly as he bent down to check over Yukiko.
"A three-hundred pound muscle builder stepped on my foot… Yeah, I'm dandy," Yukiko replied with a cough. Toshiro smirked, and raised her up onto his lap, and looked over her injured hand, "I ain't gonna be shooting anything anytime soon…"
"Say, where's Heiji?" Odori inquired as she pulled Zantetsu out of the ground and inspected it for damage.
"I don't know… I wasn't paying attention," Toshiro replied as he helped Yukiko arise from the ground.
"You missed the Rat Clan guy…" said Yukiko.
"I know; you were more important," replied Toshiro, "Preserve the living, remember the dead…"
"You're starting sound like me," Odori quipped, "We need to get everyone under control… Where're Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma?" she asked.
"Not a friggin' clue," admitted Yukiko, "Oh, there they are! Come on, let's follow them out! If they were smart, they went to go check on Ally… I think I heard something crunch on him a little while back…"
They followed the four outside, and much to their surprise, saw Heiji sitting on top of the Rat Clan member, a laptop smashed over the ninja's head and therefore rendering him unconscious, "Merry Christmas, Toshiro!" Heiji said as he rose off of the Rat Clan member, "Sorry I couldn't find a ribbon big enough. Well, he's all yours, now, Bro!"
"Odori, you find a fitting punishment," said Toshiro after a long pause, "I still have the Israeli to attend to."
"Wait, what!?" Odori yelped as she looked down at the passed out ninja, "What in the hell do you want me to do with him!?"
"Kill him, torture him, take him out to dinner… By this point, I don't care," Toshiro admitted tiredly, "Thank you though, Heiji. The gift is truly touching."
"And on that day, he learned the true meaning of Christmas," Heiji chuckled, "Hey, I'm going to check on Ally… I left him in the car… I think he's got a displaced shoulder."
"I'm going to turn this man into the authorities," Odori said after a pause.
"Turn him in!? Why, Dori, Dad would've killed a man this unjust! What are you, adopted?" Heiji asked with amusement as he began the trek to the front of the building, where terrified people were still swarming out in fear. Many cars rammed into one another as they all struggled to leave the parking lot at the same time, and Heiji casually strolled about the parking lot, many of the vehicles nearly missing him as he whistled on his way to the Alfa Romeo, "Ally, you okay?"
"I feel like crap," grumbled Ally, "Did Toshiro get that bastard?"
"He's going inside to finish the job now," replied Heiji as he seated himself in the back seat next to Ally, "So, what do you want me to get you for the holidays?"
"Your brother strung up by the neck on a tree," replied Ally, "Don't you say a damn thing to anyone, but I don't really mind him as much as I did… At least he's better than what Yukiko's been seeing."
"Are you finally coming around?!" Heiji asked with a laugh of disbelief.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm just saying that he's not the goof I thought he was, maybe," replied Ally, "Hey, turn on the radio, the pain's starting to settle in."
Later, a Taiwan Hospital:
"He's sure he doesn't want anyone else in with him?" Natasha asked Ryo worriedly.
"Nope, he just wants five minutes with him. And since the two of them are so close, I figured he could go in and see him after Fuji," said Ryo as she looked back at the white door, which behind it held a fallen thief and his friend.
Max slowly approached Leo, who had been treated for a partially collapsed lung, slight pneumonia, and bruised ribs. He carried with him a bouquet of flowers, as well as what looked to be a red blanket over his right arm. He seated himself in a chair next to the silent Leo, who looked away from Zenigata painfully.
"Max, I'm so sorry," Leo said quietly, closing his eyes, "I should've told you sooner. I just was… I was glad I had someone to talk to… Someone who understood me… I didn't want to lose that… I was just having so much fun; it was almost like having my family back."
"Do you have any idea the pain you must've put your parents through?" Max asked as he laid the bouquet aside on a table and draped the red blanket over Leo. Max cringed as he watched the red fall upon Leo; he looked so much like Lupin the Third, it was unmistakable. So how could he have not seen it? It was simple… He hadn't wanted to, because he had been having a good time, too.
"What's going to happen, now? Are you going to report me? I murdered a man, falsified records, put hundreds of lives in danger… What's going to happen to me?" asked Leo.
"Well, you're going to file your injury," Max started as he tucked Leo in with the blanket, "You're going to recover at your parents' home, eat plenty of soup, and not yell at me if I nag at you for working yourself so hard! And then after that, we go home, you finally put up some pictures of your family, promise to call them at least once a week, and clean up the apartment."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"Well, I can't go home alone!" said Max, "Would you mind being my date?"
"Your… da—"
"Heh, I should've known…. You find out I like boys, and you automatically think I'll take advantage of you as soon as I have the opportunity," Max chortled as he seated himself on the edge of Leo's bed, "Well, it's not true, because you're too damn good for me."
"Um… If I weren't so up on medication, I'd be flattered, Zenigata," said Leo with a small laugh. He tensed as Zenigata reached forward and flattened down some of his hair, and noted the look Max gave him. It was one of respect, but at the same time, more than respect. It was something almost… More…
"I've got to get back out there, but I'm staying in tonight, if that's okay," Max announced quietly, "Get better soon, all right, Ari?"
"I'll try my best, Max," replied Ari. Max rose from the hospital chair, and looked back once at Leo before he exited the hospital room. Ryo came in for her shift a few moments later, also carrying flowers. She immediately bent downward and kissed Leo, and then rose to place the flowers upon his desk.
"I'm ready," she said.
"Huh? Ready for what?" asked Leo imploringly.
"To let go of Ari," she answered. She outstretched her arm to Leo, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Inspector LeBlanc. My name's Ryoko Jigen II, and you're going to be chasing me!"
"I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure, Ryoko," responded Leo as he grabbed hold of her hand and shook it weakly.
On the rooftop:
"How's your hand doing?" asked Toshiro as he and Yukiko sat upon the cold concrete of the building.
"It still hurts… I broke my trigger finder," said answered, shuffling the icepack over her hand a bit and letting out a small grumble, "Nothing booze won't take care of, though!"
"Not with your painkillers. No cigarettes, and no alcohol," Toshiro instructed.
"What?!" Yukiko shrieked, "Then why in the hell am I still alive if I can't do those things?!"
"Hrm, perhaps there's a reason for it," Toshiro suggested.
"And if it has anything to do with that crap of joining two great clans together, I'll puke!" snapped Yukiko.
"I never said that," said Toshiro with surprise.
"It was your dad," replied Yukiko with a roll of the eyes, "He seemed so happy to talk about it, too. He had a gleam in his eye when he was talking with me about it."
"He has many daughters, but I think part of him always wanted you as one," Toshiro said, "I think that'd be a great Christmas present."
"Hey, woah, slow down… I ain't doin' anything that big… I already bought him a big book of crosswords and a Japanese-English dictionary," replied Yukiko quickly, "It's bad enough you called me your girlfriend today."
"It just slipped… Besides, I saved you…"
"Yeah, from ever getting a date here!"
"Like you'd care."
"Good point."
"Well, you're the one who kissed me today," added Toshiro.
"Only for good luck!" snapped Yukiko, "Because you sure as hell needed it!"
"And it worked, didn't it?"
"Eh, yeah… It did… Um, hey, I've gotta pack… We're leaving for France tomorrow, and um, I don't want to forget anything…"
"Okay. I'll get with you tomorrow, Yukiko," Toshiro waved her off, and continued to stare outward at the cold night. Yukiko looked back at him once sadly; he had given up his revenge in order to save her.
"Maybe I should… Nah…" she shook her head, and walked down the stairwell off of the hospital roof, leaving Toshiro to continue his thinking.
"Julie, I know I could've gotten him, but when I finally saw him, I realized it wasn't worth it. I realized that sometimes revenge isn't the best form of treatment," said Toshiro to the wind, "Just please help me now."