DISCLAIMER: It's been 731 days and I'm still no closer to owning Lupin…. Damn…
Happy, happy, happy, anniversary…
Heh, no, that's not the song I'm listening to right now (I'm actually listening to the Countries of the World from Animaniacs… Heh… Education during the summer… I'm surprised my brain hasn't rebelled yet). But it is indeed my second anniversary! Yay, two years of writing and…. Well, I ain't any richer for it, monetary wise, but I sure as heck've gotten a lot out of this in other respects. New friends, experience, confidence… Etc., etc….. You're just here for the chapter… Well, thanks to everyone, and here's wishing for many more years when I can get as much enjoyment out of writing as I have in these past few years.
Fun Fact of Boredom: Jared's name was selected by a long time friend and reader, Yuki, when I was stuck for a name. Thanks again, Yuki!
Chapter Twenty: Birthday
Tokyo, Japan:
"I can't believe we let them get away again…" Leo muttered as he collapsed upon the bed in his and Max's motel room. "Jeeze, is it just me or do our hotel rooms get crappier and crappier?"
"Heh, it reflects their love for us at ICPO," replied Max as he seated himself in the chair opposite the bed and removed his tie and jacket. "How in the hell they even managed to jumpstart that car after that bug killed it is beyond me…."
"Knowing Ryoko she packs jumper cables and they might've used Toshiro's battery to jump it to life…"
"How would they manage to get that bug off, though?"
"With something that wasn't a good electric conductor, like rubber…"
"You know, I used to wonder what kind of freaks watched the Discovery channel…"
"Ha ha ha, Zenigata…" Leo rolled his eyes and then rubbed his face with his hands; for some reason he was more than a little exhausted.
"Would your sister know how to figure that out, though?"
"Sure. Fuji's IQ is higher than mine!"
"….Say what…?"
"She's a clinical genius… She's got an IQ in like the mid-160's…"
"Anything over 130's genius… You mean to tell me…"
"Yup. My sister, the one who gets surprised when ice cream melts in the sun, has had you fooled all along, Chaim."
"My head's starting to hurt at the possibility that Fuji's smarter than I am…"
"It's not a possibility; it's for real…."
"There's just no way I can believe that," Max said with a shake of the head.
A Hotel in Osaka:
"Go figure we're returning this kid in the exact same place where you met Jigen, Yukiko!" said Toshiro with a small laugh as he looked toward the television set, where Heiji, Fuji and Jared were sitting on the floor, watching a broadcast of Jeopardy! Via an illegal satellite Heiji had hooked up to the outside of the hotel window.
"I'll take potpourri," said the contestant in the television.
"You know, as much as they have this category, not a single question about dried flowers!" said Fuji with disappointment.
The host read aloud this question while Heiji stared worriedly at Fuji, "Name Nabakov's most controversial novel, which was later turned into a film by director Stanley Kubrick….."
"Damn, eh…. Spartacus?" Heiji replied, and looked to Jared, who simply shrugged.
"The closest I get to classic lit is Superman back issues," Jared shrugged.
'It's Lolita,' Fuji thought as the stared at the screen.
"Fuji? Any guesses?" Heiji asked, looking to his partner.
"Ummmm….. Nabakov? Didn't he write those Harry Potter books?" Fuji chuckled lightly.
"Oi…." Heiji placed a hand on his head and shook it. He loved Fuji, he had been serious about that, but Lupin still proved to be a headache at times. "I'm gonna go get some ice cream!" she chuckled and rose from the floor, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge.
"…You ever wonder if you made a mistake, Jared?" Heiji inquired as he looked back to Fuji.
"Um…. Like on a test?"
"Eh, not quite," Heiji sighed and smiled at the small boy. "Nevermind… You don't need to be worrying about that stuff yet…"
"What stuff is that?" Jared inquired.
"Eh…. Girlfriend crap," Heiji smirked and quickly brushed this off, turning his attention back to the television.
"You really are afraid to be yourself in front of anybody anymore, aren't you?" Fuji heard in a voice which surprised her and caused her to hit her head on the fridge. Fuji grumbled as she rose rubbing her sore skull, an icepop still in its wrapper dangling from her teeth. Ryo took the Popsicle, undid the wrapping and then began to eat while leaning against the counter of the kitchen.
"What are you talking about?... Damn it, that was the last grape one!" Fuji mumbled sadly. "You're so cruel, Ryo-san…"
"Who likes grape, anyway?" Ryo said as she looked down at the purple frozen treat.
"Well, you always had a thing for anything in purple," Fuji gave a wide innocent smile, and Ryo shot her a glare in return.
"I'm not stupid… I know what you and Heiji did a few nights ago… Mainly each other…." Ryo said with the usual sternness in her voice. "A relationship on lies is never a good one, Fujiko."
"You get that out of that Shakespeare you're always reading?" asked Fuji with a sly smirk.
"No… Just some conventional Jigen wisdom," Ryo answered, licking the Popsicle and then continuing. "He's in love with Lupin the Fourth, not Fuji…"
Fuji bit her lip and then opened the fridge once more.
"Fujiko, are you even listening to me?"
"You know, you're so great at giving advice, but do you ever think of taking any of your own wisdom?" Fuji asked, never taking her eyes off of the floor. She closed the fridge door and then exited into her bedroom. She was on edge with good reason, even though Ryo was unaware of the circumstances, which was unusual. Usually the silent Ryo was also the all-knowing one in the matter pertaining to the Lupin gang. Fuji didn't want Ryo to know this, though… Not until she was positive of the results herself.
Fuji locked her bedroom door and then removed a box from beneath her bed. One-hundred percent accuracy… She had paid good money to find out the truth… Whether the doctors had been wrong all along… As much as she knew it was the end of her freedom if this was so, most of her wanted this to be so.
"Being Lupin the Fourth's great, but I'd like to know I can be more than that…." she said to herself as she opened the package and walked into the bathroom. She emerged from the same bathroom a minute later, and she set her watch.
Unbeknownst to her, or the rest of the group, however, Yukiko Jigen had also purchased a similar test. Currently Yukiko sat staring at the clock in front of her, the second hand ticking and ticking away.
"I wonder if third time's a charm…" she wondered aloud as she looked at the white clock from beneath her fedora and let her foot bounce up and down nervously.
After two minutes passed, Fuji was pacing in the room, looking down at the clock and pulling her hair back. She looked out the window and saw a young mother walking down the street with a little child. Fuji gave way to a small smile, "She seems to love him… Lucky little child…" she turned away from the window, and turned on the television, after a moment of aimlessly flipping through the channels, she fell down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
"What am I going to tell my parents if it comes back positive?" Yukiko asked herself as she sat up and removed her fedora, "What in the hell will I tell Toshiro? Well, knowing that big idiot, he'll probably be thrilled…. What in the hell about me, though? I mean, it's my friggin' body… One more minute…"
"One more minute," Fuji said to herself as she looked at her watch. She looked out of her room window and saw a church. "Well, the woman and the kid, and now a church… Maybe this is just a series of signs… Hm, what would I call it, though? Ari's got Arsène the fifth, already…" Her watch sounded, and she jumped up and walked into the bathroom.
The clock ticked off showing five minutes, and Yukiko walked into the bathroom and scanned over the results. She sat down upon the floor and placed a hand over her eyes, "Oh, son of a…. Friggin' hell!"
Fuji walked into her bathroom and looked downward at the results, and matched them with the box. She gulped dryly and nodded, "Guess not…" she said to herself, and tossed the box into the garbage. She gave a heavy sigh and closed the door behind her, "Well, it's all fate, anyway… Besides, what kind of mom would I have been?... I wish I could've at least had a clue…."
Yukiko and Fuji walked out of their rooms and made eye contact, and both wore similar expressions, but for different reasons. Yukiko walked into the living room and tugged onto Toshiro's kimono sleeve, and muttered something to him. Ishikawa gave a stunned look at his fiancée, and smiled and embraced her. Fuji quickly turned away and grabbed her jacket.
"I'm going out…" Fuji said quietly.
"To where?" Heiji inquired.
"I don't know," and with that, Fuji Lupin closed the door to the hotel.
Later that night, a nightclub:
"You look down… Want me to buy you drink?" Fuji swiveled her chair to a side, and looked at the Asian businessman.
She gave a half-assed smile and nodded, "Sure. Pull up a chair, Buddy."
"Thanks!" he smiled and seated himself next to her, and ordered a few drinks, "So what are you doing here so late?"
"Trying to drink off a stupid idea I had," replied Fuji as she took her drink and sipped it.
"Like what?" the man inquired.
"Nothing important. You?"
"My wife was getting on my nerves," he grumbled. "That bitch and her whining brat…"
"Whining brat, heh?" Fuji sipped her drink indifferently, "There are worse things, you know…."
"Tee hee, like what?" the man inquired. He turned to Fuji, and met with her fist. He went flying off of the bar chair on onto the floor.
"Like a broken nose!" Fuji shouted, tossing her drink upon him.
Later, a local jail:
"There's something so ironic, and somewhat anticlimactic about this…." Max sighed heavily as he and Leo looked past the cell bars and in at Fuji Lupin.
"We can never arrest you, and you get caught for a bar brawl?" Leo asked with a heavy sigh.
"Don't worry! I used a fake name!" Fuji said reassuringly.
"Then they'll trace your fingerprints back to your records!" snapped Max.
"Fake fingerprints," Fuji added. "Never leave home without 'um!"
"Damn it!" Max growled, gripping onto the bars. "It's bad enough you had to kidnap a kid! Leo had to pay for your bail, you ingrate!"
"I'm grateful, Ari, really," said Fuji, looking upward at her brother. "He knows I'll pay him back… Jeeze, Zenigata, you're more tense than unusual. Lupin making you sleep on the couch or something?"
"That's none of your business!" Max shouted, and Leo gave a worried look. Fuji was right; Zenigata had been more high strung than usual, and Leo wasn't sure if it was just the issue of the short honeymoon. Maybe he had been pressuring Max into too much, he thought with a frown.
"Come on…" Leo sighed as Fuji was let out of the small jail and taken in the back of their car, in handcuffs.
"This place is a sty!" Fuji grumbled, "I think I just sat on a fork! You guys are two of the sloppiest gay guys I've ever met!"
"Well, you're more welcome to clean it out if you want, Fuji," Leo sighed as he looked down at her hands, "Seeing that you've already busted out of your metallic prison…"
"Sounds good!" Fuji smiled warmly and began to adjust the back seat, "Ohhh! A receipt for a stroller! What kind is it?"
"You didn't tell me you bought one…" Max said, turning to Leo.
"I didn't think it was important," Leo shrugged.
"You bought anything else?" Max inquired.
"Well, a couple of things…. Listen, Max, it was just a stroller… You don't need to get all up in arms over something simple…"
"I'm not… Why do you always think I get so defensive?"
"Because you do! You blow up over the stupidest crap!" Leo shouted.
Fuji gave a nervous chuckle, "Um, do you guys want me to—"
"No! Stay there!" Leo and Max shouted in unison, and then turned back to once another.
"Okay," Fuji squeaked, and sat back in her seat, watching the argument continue to mount in front of her eyes.
"You sound just like your father when you bitch at me like that, Max!" snapped Leo.
"Don't you dare compare to him, Ari!" Max returned angrily.
"Don't call me Ari."
"Oh, so Ryoko can call you that, but the person who puts up with your B.S. isn't worthy?"
"Please don't start with that…." Leo moaned, "I've told her to stop, too."
"First I find you talking with an ex-girlfriend and now this…."
"Listen, it wasn't my fault! I thought Fuji ran in there!"
"Uh-oh," Fuji muttered beneath her breath. She gave a sigh of relief as Max passed over this detail and continued with his rant. She gave a tired look as she realized that she had no time for her problems with all of the bickering and everything else going on in her family.
Max, at one point, grew so angered he pulled the car over on the shoulder of a small road, got out of the car and slammed the door behind him, while Leo looked onward, stunned. He looked back to Fuji, who was busying herself reading through a magazine she had found in the back seat. Leo sighed, and also exited the car. He knew he'd probably lose Fuji, but he was more worried about losing Max. He found Zenigata sitting atop a round fence post, looking almost like a scarecrow in front of the temple he had stopped at.
"Max, what's going on with you?" Leo asked worriedly, "I know you're usually loud and everything, but even this is out of character for you!"
"I just…" Max placed his head in his hands and gave a heavy sigh, "I can't keep doing all of this…"
"What are you talking about? Do what? Max, tell me and I'll help you!" said Leo; he was growing more concerned with every tense moment that passed between them.
"Chasing Lupin, Dako, another baby, the friggin' pressure from ICPO, the fact that my parents are disappointed in me. I never even wanted kids! What the hell time does that leave for you and me, huh?"
"Well, I—"
"We're getting another kid in a few weeks, and, how are we going to raise a baby with our schedules, Arsène? I mean, honestly…."
"….What do you want to do, then?" asked Leo quietly.
Max hopped off of the fence and looked upward at Leo as he approached him. "You've got a good thing going with that voiceover gig, you make a bundle off of it and you work from home! You could live with the baby and Dako and be okay staying at home!"
"But what about you?" asked Leo as he took a step back from Zenigata.
Max sighed tiredly, "Well, I'll just keep my job at Interpol, I guess…"
"But that'd leave even less time for us."
"Not if there wasn't an 'us'," Max responded. He gulped hard and looked upward at Leo, "Listen, I love you more than I could probably ever show you. But I'm trying to do my best now by doing this. Dako needs a mom, too, and I remember you told me once that Ryoko loved kids. She's perfect for you. Besides, I… I look at you, and I know you're uncomfortable with the whole situation. You deserve a nice, young, happy girl who'll stay by you, cook for you, the whole nine yards…."
"Damn it, no!" Leo shouted, "You're not going to leave me again! Especially with two kids, too! I don't know how we're going to work things out, yet, but we always manage to think of something! Listen, I'm sorry that that happened with Cecilia, I wish I could take it back, I really do. But I mainly friggin' did that for the good of you! I don't want to know I put up with that sick twist of a bitch for a year and a half just so you could walk out on me! Trust me, I've tried women, and every one who wasn't my mother has disappointed me. You may have disappointed Natasha and Zenigata, Max, but you've never disappointed me."
"Heh, yeah, right…"
"I'm being serious!" Leo shouted. 'God please don't let it all end this way… What in the hell am I going to do if he walks out now?'
Fuji sighed as she stood in the distance from the two, "Looks like it's time for me to play Dr. Phil…. Yo, Zenigata-sama! Lupin-sama!" she shouted to gain their attention, "What are you two shouting about now!"
"Fuji, not now," Leo said. He was already on the verge of another breakdown…. The last thing he needed was her butting in.
"It's none of your business," Max said to Fuji sternly.
"Oh, I heard it… I'm sure Amaya will love the fact that you're walking out on your kids for a job… Your dad did the same thing to her, and look how she ended up!" Fuji shrugged.
Max gave Fuji a glare but remained speechless, a little unsure as to how to answer that biting but true comment.
Fuji approached the two, put a hand on the back of either of their heads, and knocked them together.
"OW!" both inspectors moaned, rubbing their foreheads.
"What in the hell was the purpose of that?" asked Leo while he continued to rub his forehead.
"Two check and see if you two were brain-dead or not," said Fuji with a smile. "I guess not, from that response… Zenigata, you've gotta be crazy if you're going to leave right now… If you walk away, you'll be no better than your dad, at least in that sense. I know I'm a good catch, but I'm not worth leaving my brother over! And Dako's such a little sweetheart, but she'd probably hunt you down if you left Leo. No offense, but she's rougher with you, Max. Now I want you two to kiss and make up or I'll call up all of the major papers and give them pictures of me at your guys' wedding."
"…." Max blinked a few times in surprise, and then turned to Leo.
Leo sighed and smiled, "Listen, I know it's going to get hectic for a while, but we'll get it all under control. And Fuji's even agreed to cut down on the thieving for a little while—"
"I WHAT?" Fuji shrieked.
"That or those same papers see all of your chubby pictures…." Leo smirked.
"….You're a rat bastard," said Fuji with a glare.
"And that's why he loves me," Leo chuckled as he put his hands on Max's shoulders. "Now, what do you say? We give it another shot?"
"I… Yeah, okay," Max nodded quietly and walked back to the car with Lupin next to him. As they approached the car, Max took the car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to a puzzled Fuji.
"What in the hell do you want me to do with these?" Fuji inquired.
"Drive to the hotel we're staying at," replied Max.
"Huh?" Leo looked downward at Max with confusion.
"Well, she did a good job of cleaning on the back seat, right?" Max began.
"Yeah," the Lupin twins nodded.
"So that's where we'll be," said Max to Fuji with a smile as he took Leo by the tie.
"Oh, you're kidding," a horrified Fuji muttered. "Can't I go back to jail instead!"
"Nah—This is a worse punishment for you," Max opened the door to the car and pulled Leo into the back with him.
"Ohgod, ohgod…." Fuji said to herself in a worried yelp as she seated herself in the front seat. After looking in the review for three seconds, she pushed it out of her range of vision and started up the car in time to see a shoe fly to the front seat. She gulped dryly and pulled onto the main road, turning on the radio very loud.
It was morning by the time Fuji arrived home, tired, mentally scarred and her hand still hurting from where she had punched the man in the bar. She removed her jacket and heels and fell upon the couch, closing her eyes.
"Thank God I can finally sleep!" she sighed.
"Jared's dad came and picked him up," she heard in the dark recesses of the living room. She yelped, jumped, and fell to the floor in surprise. She looked upward at Odori, who was sitting on a chair in the living room.
"W-What do you mean?" asked Fuji. "He wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow!"
"He came early," Odori shrugged.
"What are you doing up early, anyway?" asked Fuji, raising an eyebrow.
"Meditating," replied Odori.
"I'm not surprised… Well… I'm sleeping now, because I'm tired, because I had a long night…."
"Okay…" there was a pause between the two before Odori spoke again, breaking their silence, "I saw a deer this morning. It was beautiful…"
"Why won't anyone let me sleep?" Fuji asked in a cry as she buried her face into the pillow.
Meanwhile, in another room, Toshiro awoke to a poking, and looked over his shoulder to see Yukiko looking back at him, "You think I should take another test?"
"No…. Yukiko face it, there've been signs, anyway," Toshiro yawned tiredly and rolled over to face her. "You've been eating more, you've been moodier, and you've gained weight. Especially in your stomach and—" he stopped as he saw an unamused look came upon Yukiko's face. "Well, they have…"
"I guess third time's a charm, huh?" she said, "Damn it… I hate karma so much…."
"What do you want to name it, anyway?"
"Duh. Goemon," sighed Yukiko tiredly, followed by a yawn.
"And for a girl?"
"It ain't a girl," she said with a shake of the head. "I know it isn't."
"You willing to bet money on that, Yukiko?"
"What? I'm carrying your friggin' child! You ought to be paying ME!" Yukiko shouted in response.
"It's July, right?" Toshiro asked.
"Yeah…"
"So that baby's going to be born in March… An Aries… With a Sagittarius and a Taurus for parents…."
"My head hurts suddenly," Yukiko rolled over and yawned. "I think I'll try to sleep it off…."
"You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Over twenty years we've known one another and you're still the same idiot," Yukiko said with a chuckle.
"Twenty-two years a few weeks back," Toshiro responded.
"Did you have that on a calendar or something?"
"I'll always remember the first time I saw a girl my age who wasn't on the TV," Toshiro chuckled. "Oh the offhand it's a girl, how about Toshiko?"
"Is that a suckup maneuver towards your mom or you just flashing your vanity?"
"Both," Toshiro admitted. He took hold of one of Yukiko's hands, "Thanks for doing this, again."
"What choice do I have?" Yukiko shrugged, "I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't take care of it. Afterall, I wasn't exactly planned, either…"
"Whoopsie baby's are just God's way of saying 'surprise!'," Toshiro chuckled.
"I guess the joke's on us then, neh?" Yukiko said with a small smirk.
Another part of Japan:
"Fuma? Never heard of them…." said Jared to his 'father'. The Japanese man smirked and took his son by the hand, walking him out of the barber where Jared had just received his first haircut from a professional stylist. He had chosen a buzzcut which gave him a scary resemblance to a long line of thieves which had been previously hidden by his long bangs.
"They're a group I belong to and that you now belong to, too," said the man with a smile. "We fight bad people like Lupin…."
"But the whole Lupin gang's nice!" said Jared sternly, "Especially Fuji, and Ally!"
"Heh, I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this, Jared," the young Asian man in a business suit sighed as he kneeled down in front of Jared.
"Tell me what?" Jared asked.
"Your mom… Didn't run away… Fuji just took you…." said the man sadly.
"No, that can't be right," said Jared with a shake of the head. "Why would she—"
"Because unfortunately some people are good at lying," the man sighed. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way, Jared…"
"No, it's okay," Jared said in an obviously crestfallen tone. "I'm glad you told me…. So I'm part of the Fuma Clan now, too, right?"
"Exactly. Thata boy," he said with a smile, patting Jared on the back. "You'll like this, Jared… You get to go exciting places, and learn all sorts of neat things!"
"Like?"
"Well, I'll show you later. Right now let's just go get you some new clothes…."
"Yeah!" Jared nodded and smiled.
The man returned the smile, but for different reasons. If thievery was genetic, this boy would grow up to be a genius. He was technically Lupin the fifth, after all. Thanks to doctors who worked in the genetics lab Fuji had taken him to, they had managed to switch out the result with this man's DNA. Who was Jared to know that his father was actually in a northern Japanese city, and the man holding his hand was the leader of a clan of ninjas even more dangerous than the Rat Clan.
The Next Day, a flight to Great Britain:
"Well, that's the best picture of him now…." Leo said as he passed Max the photo of a small baby.
"So we have pick him up now?" Max asked as he looked at the photograph, "Damn he looks like you!"
"Yeah… Cecilia took the liberty of naming him, though…." said an annoyed Leo.
"You make that sound like a bad thing…" said Max with some confusion.
"It is…. It isn't Lupin the fifth," Leo said darkly.
"Can't you have it changed?"
"Yeah… It'll take about a month, though…" Leo grumbled.
"What'd she name the kid, anyway?" asked Max worriedly.
"Avery Taylor Lockwood…" said Leo with a shudder.
"Avery? Eww…. She must really not like him, I take it…." said Max.
Leo cleared his throat, and held up a hand like it were a telephone, and imitated a British voice, "I gave birth to it, so pick up your damn brat! Click."
"Jeeze…" Max cringed a little at this, "She's thrilled, eh?"
"She would've made his life a living hell if he'd stayed with her, as much as he looks like me…."
"Black hair, though…." Max shook his head, "He looks more like your dad…. You sure they didn't, eh…?"
"I'm positive," Leo chuckled. "I've shared a lot with my dad, but never women."
"Surprises me," Max muttered, much to Leo's annoyance.
Paris:
"So you're going to be a big sister now, huh, Dako?" said Lupin with a smile as he gave another turn of dial of the safe and waited until it gave a click, sounding its opening.
"Yup," Dako muttered as she held her ear to a twin safe, waiting for it to click. It did, and she smiled in satisfaction. She looked upward at Lupin and smiled as she shut the safe, "Leo would kill you if he knew you were teaching me how to—"
"Well, it's tradition. My grandma taught me how to be a thief, and I'm going to teach you…." Lupin said with a chuckle.
"You're going to teach my brother, too?"
"Of course, when he's old enough," Lupin answered.
"I feel like I'm kind of lying to them…." said Dako worriedly.
"Well, let's put it this way," Lupin lifted up Dako and carried her from the library into couch in the large living room. "Max kept his secrets, and Ari kept his, so why can't you have one or two of your own, huh? Especially if they're not hurting anybody!"
"But I'll hurt Leo if he finds out…." Dako retorted.
"Well, we'll just have to make sure that he doesn't find out, huh?" Lupin kissed her on the top of the head and smiled, "I don't want him mad at me, either, Dako…. But it's important that you know this stuff… Someone's got to carry my family name, damn it!"
"What about Fuji?"
"She doesn't seem like the type to even want kids, Dako," Lupin admitted with a shrug. "And some people are just like that, and that's okay. As long as I get one Lupin the Fifth out of them, I can die happy!" he shouted, rising from the couch.
"Oh, boy… Better save her from this speech while I can…." Fujiko said to herself as she watched Lupin ready himself for a long speech. "Dako, you want to help me with the kitchen?"
"Sure!" Dako quickly left Lupin's side for Fujiko, and Lupin gave a sigh and seated himself on the couch once again.
"Women…. They all leave me for the next best thing…." Lupin muttered to himself tiredly.
"Lupin, did you check the car like I asked you?" Fujiko shouted.
"Time for this thief to make his slick exit," Lupin muttered, rising and slinking into another area of the house.
A Tokyo bath house:
"You mean Ally actually got Heiji into fresh air?" Ryo said with a chuckle.
"I'm just as surprised as you," Odori admitted as she held Namiko just above the water in order to let the little girl's feet splash above the water.
"And Toshiro went, too?" Yukiko asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, that appears to be the weirdest part of the whole story… Well, at least they're bonding…. If not Ally's probably shoved them both into the trunk of the Romeo by now…." Ryo said as she sunk a little lower into the water, "So, Yuki, you find out how far along you are yet?"
"Doctor said about a month," Yukiko answered. "….I'm sorry, Toshiro actually went to a shooting range!"
"Guess he needed to relieve a little stress," Ryo said with a shrug. She looked over to an unusually silent Fuji, who sat quietly sipping her sake from a wooden cup. "Fuji, you okay?" Ryo asked, knowing that on any other day Fuji would've stolen the show by this point.
"Huh? Oh, yeah… This is just some damn good sake!" Fuji said with a small chuckle, "Eh, can you feel it or anything yet, Yukiko?"
"Nah—Hell, it was a friggin' shock to me!" Yukiko admitted with a shrug. "Well, that kid'll have Mr. Jack Daniels to thank… It's the reason he's here!"
"Heh, yeah…. I guess I better lay off the drinking then!" Fuji said nervously, laying down the cup and then swimming towards Odori, "Here, let me hold the kid for a few seconds…"
"…. Fine…. But if she even begins to cry you're a dead woman," Odori responded seriously as she handed the girl to Fuji.
"Well, at least I'll have you and your cousin to spoil now, Nami-chan!" Fuji said with a chuckle.
"Hey, you never know, Fuji, maybe you'll have a change of heart and have a couple with Heiji!" Yukiko said as she leaned back on the wooden rail of the large tub.
"Excuse me?" Odori looked toward Fuji, and then back at Yukiko. "Did they…?"
"Oh, my, look at the time!" Fuji quickly handed Namiko off to Ryo, rose and grabbed a towel. "Gotta run!"
"You took advantage of my brother? Prepare to die, Fujiko Lupin!" Odori grabbed onto her sword and a kimono she had brought, and soon began to chase Fuji down the long corridor.
"Hey, Dori-chan, I didn't know you were part Zenigata!" Fuji laughed as she ducked into a room, jumped out as she realized it was a men's room, and then jumped back in after processing this for a few more moments.
"Get out of there, Fuji!" snapped Odori.
"Make me!" Fuji yelled from behind the paper door.
"Excuse me," Odori turned about and saw a tall, stern looking man staring back up at her, "I think I'll need to escort you out of this section personally…."
Odori's shoulders slumped, and she let out a small series of curses as the man led her down the hall.
A London Hospital:
"Hey there, Ave!" Leo said as he held the child in his arms. "Max, you want to hold him? He's yours, too…."
"Eh, yeah, why not?" Max shrugged and took the sleeping child in his arms, and looked down at him with some uncertainty. This would take some getting used to, that was for sure…
Leo turned around to sign another form while Max cradled the baby, and he looked upward and saw Cecilia storming down the hall, professional looking as usual. She stepped in front of Leo, and spoke harshly to him.
"If you attempt to make contact with me, or if it does, for that matter, I don't care who I have to arrest to do it," she said to Leo sternly. "And if he does get in touch with me, I'll tell him the truth; that the only reason I didn't have him aborted was because the thought of sending you to prison seemed so much nicer."
Leo nodded, "Okay. Thanks for the baby, Cecilia. Did you get the flowers we sent you? They were lilies…"
"The flower of death… Yes it is, yes it is!" Max said to the small baby.
Cecilia gave a sneer, "You two fags have a good life together… You deserve one another, trust me…."
"Your egg donor's such a bitch, Avery," Max said to the baby in a cooing tone. "Uh-huh… A big, British bitch… I'll have to teach you the word in Hebrew so you can tell her yourself when we sue her for child support, yeah!"
Cecilia, having nothing else to say, turned away from the happy family.
"Hey, Cecilia!" Leo called. Cecilia turned about and looked at him angrily, "Why Avery Taylor?"
"Simple," Cecilia shifted her weight onto one foot. "They're both men I caught while I was at Interpol. Thieves…. Thieves that actually got what they deserved…."
"Oh. I just thought you liked cartoons," said Leo with a shrug. "Bye, love ya! Thanks again for the 23 chromosomes!"
Cecilia turned around, and quickly exited the hospital. Leo looked back at Max, "You ready to go?"
"Yeah… Jeeze I'm so glad she decided to bottle feed with this kid… I think she would've eaten her young if we'd waited any longer…." Max nodded, and picked up a baby bag he and Leo had come with, and they made their way out to Max's car, and strapped the baby into the back seat. "I'm glad this kid isn't old enough to know what his parents were doing in this back seat a few weeks ago…"
"And that's how it's going to stay," said Leo as he climbed into the passenger seat. Max started up the car, and gave a small chuckle.
"What's so funny?" asked Leo.
"If he ever asks where he came from I can show him the website that video of you and the she-demon is on!" Max chuckled.
"Ha ha… At least I've been with a girl…"
"Did I ever show you how I decorated his room?" asked Max. "Dako and I did it…."
"Gosh our apartment's getting crowded…." said Leo, "And, no, you didn't….. Why?"
"You'll see…." Max chuckled.
Later that Night, Paris:
"Surpise!" Lupin and Dako shouted as Leo and Max switched on the light to their apartment.
"Wow… A party… How unexpected and yet something I expected from my parents…." Leo said with a sigh as he looked at the party decorations about the living room of the apartment.
"Well, wasn't just us, but I was in charge of anything that required taste…." Lupin said with a chuckle as he pointed over his shoulder to Zenigata, Natasha and Amaya, who sat at the dining room table. Fujiko stood next to her husband, holding a small box, and Dako quickly ran to the small child.
"I want to show him his room!" said Dako.
"Yeah… I want to see this, too…" said Leo with some worry as he walked down the hall and switched on the light, "MAXWELL CHAIM ZENIGATA-LUPIN!" Leo shrieked, "You son of a bitch dumb BASTARD!"
"Wow… That's the same pet talk you use on me, Fujicakes…." Lupin said with a chuckle.
"Hrm, only when you deserve it… Which is always," said Fujiko.
"I'm gonna go check on him…" Max chuckled and walked into the baby room, which was done completely in a Mankii-chan theme, "The studio you give those voice recordings loved the idea, Leo…."
"Yeah, but, but…." Leo sputtered.
"Aw, give it a rest… You'll wake up my brother," Dako sighed as she took the baby and set him in his crib. She turned back around to the two and led them out. "Now let's go get some cake… I've been trying to steal some of the frosting, but Ojiisan Zenigata's like a friggin' hawk…."
"Heh, not much gets past my dad…." Max chuckled.
"Please. He thinks to this day that Jake was a study-buddy of yours…" Leo muttered as they walked back out.
"Heh, yeah… Some secrets are best yet kept just that… Secrets…" said Max as he greeted the smiling faces.
"So, Ari, was the birth difficult?" asked Lupin with a chuckle.
"Yeah… Almost as bad as facing the birthmother," said Leo with a cringe. "I'm just glad she's gone now…"
"And the first time this kid even sounds like her, he's going to a private school!" snapped Max as he walked over to the cake.
"Heh, yeah… And we thought private school would work for you, too," Natasha snorted to a stunned Max. She chuckled, "You still turned out okay, though…" she added with a smile.
"Hey, I got two grandkids out of him, I'm happy," Zenigata said with a shrug.
"And now we're definitely relatives, Zenigata!" Lupin said with a smile.
"What I'm not happy is the fact that my grandson's going to have a smile like this moron!" Zenigata said as he lunged for Lupin.
"Too slow, old man!" Lupin chuckled.
"Yeah, well at least when I dye my hair it looks realistic!" shouted Zenigata.
"Ha! Who says I dye it! This is all natural, baby!" Lupin laughed.
"Heh, yeah, and you're not on Viagra," Zenigata snorted.
"Please let's never turn into them," Leo begged Max.
"You got it," Max nodded as he watched the two continue their chase about the apartment. There was the sound of a crash, and both moaned and looked at the topple bookshelf, and Lupin, who lied beneath it.
"Ha!" Zenigata laughed, "Who's the old man now, candy ass?"
"Did… Dad just say 'candy ass'?" Amaya asked in puzzlement.
"I… Think so…" Natasha replied.
"So," Fujiko turned back around to the cake. "Who wants to cut it?"
"Who wants to get this damn bookshelf off of me?" Lupin shouted.
"Count of three?" Leo asked, turning to Max.
"Count of three," Max nodded, and took one side of the bookshelf while Leo took the other. "One, two, three!"
Leo and Max finally released Lupin from his oak prison, and after cleaning up the broken glass from paperweights and the numerous books, the night passed by as normally as it could for the Lupins and the Zenigatas.