DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lupin, but, um, if anyone who's in charge of production is reading this, I wouldn't mind helping out … coughs
Okay, some-body doesn't like Victor…
More like a whole mess of people! Yeah, I know, he's creepy… Lovably creepy, though. Anyway, about the Jordan question… Yes, I know he hasn't been featured much, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about him! All will be revealed in good time, I promise! (please don't hurt me for all of these cliffhangers—What fun would a story with complete resolution be, anyway!)
Fun Fact of Boredom: Leo and Max's relationship is most closely based on the relationship between the two main characters in Sanami Matoh's FAKE…. Heiji and Fuji's could be said to be based off a of a Jerry Springer episode (joking).
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Gambler
Paris:
"I've never met anyone else who liked Leo Ferre so much," Leo admitted as Thomas looked through his CD collection and pulled out a selected disk.
"He's my favorite nihilist," Thomas replied with a smirk. "I'm just glad that you'll be able to help me understand what he's saying…"
"Heh, yeah, well, that's what I study for!" Leo replied with a sheepish smile, "Why don't we get to work now?"
"You have Billie Holiday? You really are well versed for such a young man… That can be expected though, considering your background, I'm sure," Thomas said as he seated himself in the living room next to Leo on the couch in the center of the room. There were several books on a coffee table in front of them, and Dako looked out at the two briefly as she walked out to pick up the ringing phone.
"Hello? Hey," Dako smiled at her father and his guest. "It's for me; I'm going to take it into my room."
"Okay, sweetie," Leo nodded her off, and turned his attention back to Thomas.
"Dako, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Max asked, puzzled. She almost always gave Leo the phone first, and then she would afterwards talk to Max.
"Hold on," Dako whispered, and waited until she was in her room with her door locked to continue speaking. "I need you to run a background check," Dako said quietly.
"Huh? Why? Do you think another one of your teachers is an ex-Soviet spy again?" Max asked suspiciously. "Because you know that that was a giant waste of time for all of us."
"It's some guy Papa's tutoring," Dako replied, seating herself on the bed.
"A guy? Is… Is he there now?"
"Yeah, they're both on the couch."
"….It… It's just tutoring, right, Dako?"
"Yeah, but still… I don't think you'll find anything, but I don't want to be wrong."
Max gave a sigh, "Dako, you'll be an excellent detective someday."
"That'd get in the way of me wanting to be a veterinarian," Dako replied jokingly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just—"
"I'll fax you the information, but I'll watch after them if you want."
"I'd really appreciate that, Dako," Dako could hear exactly how tired Max had suddenly become with this news, and wondered if she had done the right thing by telling him about Leo's company. "I've got to go, but tell Leo hello for me."
"Can do. See you later," Dako replied, and hung up on her end.
She walked out and saw Leo and Thomas seated next to one another, and she blinked as she saw Leo laugh. Thomas had actually made Leo laugh. She was definitely worried now.
Mexico:
Ryo raised her head and briefly wondered where she was exactly as she looked about the Spanish-themed room. She then remembered as she grew more and more conscious, "Oh, yeah… Mexico…" She yawned, stretched and rose, and rested her arms upon her knees. She saw a pair of black boots in the corner of the room, and smirked. So that hadn't been a dream, either…
She rose and opened Victor's closet, and found a bathrobe, and put on the thick terry material garment, and exited the room, looking for Victor. She was pleasantly surprised to find a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in the bathrobe, and removed the pack and took a single one, placing it in her mouth while she looked about for her host, "Victor?" she called after taking a drag of it.
Silence followed, and Ryo grew even more curious as to what had happened to him. She found him out of the porch on the telephone, leaned back in a lawn chair and dressed in his usual black jeans and shirt. The shirt had been unbuttoned, however, and Victor was barefoot as he smoked and spoke on his cell phone.
The door was cracked, so Ryo made sure to keep herself well hidden and narrowed her eyes, and then leaned against the door as much as possible to hear as much of Victor's talking as she could.
"Yes… She's still here… What! I… Well, yes… Heh, yeah, I guess everyone's got a breaking point…" Victor chuckled and took another drag of his cigarette, "So you'll have it over here before she leaves? I'll try to keep her here as long as I can, in that case. It's of upmost importance that it get here by this evening; my plan can't go through without it. I'll speak with you later, goodbye."
He hung up the phone, and Ryo slowly backed away from the glass doors, putting a hand upon her face. Something about the way he had said it… She hadn't liked it. He was keeping something from her, and she had only just learned to slightly trust Victor. It wasn't a time for him to be keeping secrets.
Victor rose from his chair, and Ryo managed to run over to the kitchen and quickly retrieve some pots and pans, and began to scramble to find suitable breakfast foods to cook.
"Good morning," Victor leaned against bar adjoined to the kitchen counter, and raised his eyebrow and the hamburger meat upon the table. "Isn't it… A little early for beef?"
"Heh, something my mom made!" Ryo said with a nervous smile. "Breakfast burgers."
"….Right…. I was wondering if you could stay the evening, Ryoko," Victor slowly sauntered into the kitchen and stood behind Ryo, slipping his arms about her waist while she began to cook. "I have something I want to give you," he added quietly.
"Um, I think that I… I have a doctor's appointment today," Ryo tried to keep her famous cool attitude, but felt it depleting as she continued to speak to Victor.
"In Texas?" Victor asked with a curious smile, "Somebody's lying…"
"I, Victor…"
"I have some work to do today, and I'd like to ask you to join me. I need a getaway driver," Victor explained. "It's a simple enough job… Just some small trinkets to get rid of this urge I've had to steal something."
'Well, I'll be driving, so I'll be in control…' Ryo was too busy on her thoughts to notice her hand coming in contact with a hot burner. She let out a gasp and placed the finger that had fallen on it and cursed to herself.
"Ouch, those hurt," Victor took her hand and sighed. "Let's get this cleaned up…"
"I'll be fine," Ryo sighed, shaking her left hand. "I use my right hand, anyway."
"That isn't how it was last night," Victor gave a smarmy smile, and quickly changed the subject as he felt Ryo's annoyance with him return. "Come on, let's get this cleaned up; aloe will help it."
Ryo gave a sigh of defeat, and allowed Victor to walk her toward the bathroom.
Texas:
"Aren't you a little worried about your sister going off with Victor?" Toshiro inquired, looking down at the couch where Yukiko lie spread out, her fedora over her eyes and her stomach beginning to show. "Are you even awake?"
"Yeah, I'm awake," Yukiko sighed and sat up on the couch, and looked upward at Toshiro. "She'll be fine! She wouldn't let Victor near her for all of the treasure in Egypt!"
"I'd doubt that," Toshiro muttered and seated himself next to Yukiko.
"Somethin' on your mind?" Yukiko asked, placing a hand upon Toshiro's shoulder and smiling in her usual relaxed way.
"Who was that man there last night? The one who came on to my sister?" asked Toshiro, glancing down at his wife and then straight ahead at the television.
Yukiko took a sigh, and leaned back on the couch, pushing her fedora upward, "I never thought I'd have to explain this to you… I was hoping I wouldn't have to… He was my partner for a while. While you were in New York playing Robin Hood and Mr. Mistofolees."
"I was Rum Tum Tugger… I was too tall for Mistofolees. Anyway, continue."
"He was also my first," she added with a blush.
"First?" Toshiro frowned, and looked over at her. "First what?"
"First… How do I put this without you wanting to friggin' kill him?" Yukiko wondered aloud with a sigh as she scratched the back of her head. "He was my first… Really serious relationship… Really, really serious."
Toshiro's eyes widened as this registered, and he began to rise to reach for his swords. Yukiko quickly pulled him down by the arm and gave him a stern and serious expression, "Don't go killing Jordan, okay?"
"Jordan, that's a nice name," Toshiro snapped.
"Almost as good as Julia," Yukiko shot back with the same iciness. Toshiro had nothing to add after she made this comment. "You shouldn't worry about him, I don't think he'll want a pregnant lady. Besides, he seems more interested in Dori, anyway."
"Yeah, but why?"
"He did the same with me. He likes a challenge, so he approaches the most pissed-off looking woman he can find. They're like friggin' magnets to him!"
"What, is he a moron, too?"
"You did the same thing with me, Pal," Yukiko said with a smirk.
"Yeah, but I already knew what I was in for," Toshiro answered. "I want a word with him, later."
"If we even see him again; that I doubt," Yukiko answered with a shrug and a sigh.
Across town:
Fuji stared through the glass at the tapestry and smiled. For being so old it was gorgeous, and not just because of the price it would go for. It was bright red with numerous Biblical figures upon it. With further inspection and a little knowledge, it was a map to something even more beautiful.
"My favorite part's the depiction of the River Jordan," Fuji smiled at the distinct American voice behind her, and turned about to come face-to-chest with the tall blond whom she had seen at the bar with Odori last night.
"Of course it would be," she chuckled. "My dad's upset that you haven't been calling him; you were one of his better students. You just didn't get along well with Ari. Yukiko-chan, though…"
"I heard Ari's off doing his own thing now," Jordan leaned against a railing in front of the glass and spoke without turning to Fuji. She leaned against the rail as well and looked over at him with a smile.
"If you mean by Zenigata, then, yeah, he is… Why do I have the sinking feeling neither of us are here for the Chinese vase display?"
"You know me too well, Fuji," Jordan smiled and placed his hands behind his head, and looked offward toward the security cameras. "I'm going to have fun with this… I only wish I could see your face when I pull the rug from underneath your pointy little heels."
"My—Ohhh… Too bad you won't have the chance, Jordan," Fuji leaned inward to him and whispered. "By the time you get here I'll already be on the first flight to Pakistan to meet my buyer."
"Pakistan?" Jordan gave a small chuckle, and then placed a hand upon Fuji's shoulder. "Would you mind getting those things away from me? This is a lit-tle uncomfortable."
"Heh, yeah, it'd be like if I was that close to Ari with these babies," said Fuji with a sigh and an amused smile before taking a step back and placing her hands upon her waist. She was near unrecognizable with a pair of wire glasses and her hair pulled tightly back. She opted for a gray pantsuit to add to her attempts to blend into the rest of the crowd. Jordan had done the same, dressing in a pair of khakis and a generic T-shirt, along with a baseball cap.
"I don't think Ari's seen those in a while," said Jordan with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow.
Fuji rolled her eyes and sighed while Jordan laughed, and then her facial features grew foxlike, and she smiled in a cunning matter, "Hm, what do you say to wager?"
"Wager? What could you offer me that I couldn't get on my own?" Jordan asked. He wanted her continue for the sake of making him laugh even more.
"I raise you one samurai warrior," Fuji smiled, and revealed from seemingly nowhere a white card with Odori's name written vertically in Japanese.
"You're kidding, right?" Jordan took the card and continued to look down at it, stunned at this bet. "Would she even agree to this?"
"Probably not, but I know you want a date with her," said Fuji with a goofy Lupin smile. "You know you want it, Jordan. Plus, if you win, you get to wipe this smug smile off of my face!"
"That seals the deal. What if I lose?"
"Well, hrm… I hadn't thought about that, actually," Fuji admitted. "I would be happy enough knowing that I kicked your ass at something."
"Well, then I—"
"But, I can always manage to come up with something. Here, lean in a little, and I'll let you know what you can do for me," Fuji beckoned for him, and Jordan bent down to her level, and jerked back as Fuji unfolded the details of her plans to him.
"Na-ah, I'm out. Bye, and good friggin' luck."
"Come on! What are you, chicken?" Fuji laughed as she watched Jordan begin to walk out of the exhibit. "Come onnnnn…. Chicken!"
"Shut up, Fuji—I'm not going to pretend to be Ari's ex just so you can piss off that cop who's following you around."
"Chi-chi-chicken!"
"Fine, damn it, fine," Jordan threw up his hands and sighed, exasperated. He gave Fuji a glare and pointed to her, "But if I lose, I swear I'll—"
"Yeah, yeah. Have fun meeting Yukiko's husband," Fuji said with flippant wave.
"Her what?"
"You know, the tall red head guy in the dress?"
"You mean she's married to Lurch?" Jordan gasped.
"Yup," Fuji nodded. "And that ain't the best of it…"
"Oh, God, what?"
"She's a mommy," Fuji said with a wide smile.
"I guess I shouldn't have gotten out of touch with her," Jordan muttered.
Later that evening, Texas:
"You did WHAT?" Odori shrieked. It took the combined force of Toshiro and Ally to pull the samurai woman from Fuji, and Toshiro had to hold Odori's hands behind her back while Ally went to hide Zantetsuken from sight.
"Don't worry, Dori, it's in the bag!" Fuji waved it off and smiled. "Besides, he's a nice guy. Yukiko should know."
"But that doesn't mean you have permission to whore me out! If you're so intent on betting, why don't YOU date him?" Odori demanded.
"I can't, and that's a longggg explanation, so I won't go into it," said Fuji with a sigh. "Come on, Odori. Think of this as motivation…. What do you have against this guy, anyway? Are you gay now?"
"I'm only as gay as you," Odori spat.
"Heh. Why don't you relax for three seconds, okay? Just think this over before you kill me. If I win, I'll make sure you get a larger cut than usual, promise."
"I don't care about your dirty money, Fuji. Not in this instance. This is a matter of my honor, and how you've damaged it by putting me up like some sort of prize."
"You sound scarily like your father sometimes, you know that?"
"I can cut as well as he can, too," Odori said in a tone which made Fuji give a shudder.
"O-kay… Well, I'm sorry, Dori-chan, but a deal's a deal, and as a Lupin I'm bound to it. You know, it's like with you and your family. You guys have things you need to uphold, too."
"You make sense with this statement. But be warned that if you do lose, Fuji, not only will you lose your bet, you'll lose your head."
France:
"Really, you didn't have to get me anything, I don't mind doing this!" said Leo with a shake of the head. He and Thomas sat in the living room, as usual, Avery resting upon Leo's knee. Dako was continuing her work as a spy for her other father, and watched the two quietly from the crack opening in her door.
"I insist," Thomas smiled and handed Leo the small bag. Leo opened the bag with his free hand, and pulled out a small wooden box with bronze trim about it. He opened it and listened to the small tune it played.
"It's Leo Ferre," said Thomas in a low tone, "Avec Les Temps… Sad song, I know, but it was the only one I could find of that artist. It was either him or François Hardy, but I wasn't sure if you were keen on her."
"This is… I don't know if I can take this," Leo sputtered. "It must have cost you a fortune!"
"Take it, please. I'd feel insulted if you didn't," Thomas said sternly. Dako tried to suppress a chuckle as she figured out who Thomas reminded her of. It had taken her all day to think of where he had seen his face before, and he looked vaguely like professor Snape from those Harry Potter movies Max always rented for her. So, this made Lupin and Snape. It was too funny not to find humor in, even if it was a serious situation.
"All right," Leo said quietly as he set down the box and adjusted Avery on his lap. The little boy was squirming and gurgling, and Leo chuckled and wiped his son's mouth when he began to drool on his bib. "Thanks again, Thomas."
"His other father's a fool for leaving you here alone," said Thomas quietly.
"…I'd like if you didn't talk about Max like that."
"You… You're right, I'm sorry, it was totally out of line of me," Thomas threw up his hands and sighed ashamedly. "It just seems unfair that he left you alone with two children. It must be lonely."
"Well, yeah," Leo admitted with a sigh. "I mean, less than six years ago I was running around, stealing whatever I pleased. I was the king. And now I'm—"
"The babysitter."
"Well, I… Thomas, I love my children, and I love Max. I love him faults and all. I know he's short tempered and it seems like he doesn't put forth a lot in this relationship, but he's always there for all of us when we need him, and I've never known him not to help me. He's a good man."
"Then why do you look so depressed?" asked Thomas. "I, I'm sorry, I was being out of line again."
"No, it's fine," Leo sighed and shook his head, and tossed Avery into the air, catching him moments later. The little boy loved this, and giggled wildly. "I guess I am, a little. I missed him while he was in Romania, and now I miss him going off to chase Lupin without me."
"Are you going to be all right?" asked Thomas.
"Yeah. I'll be fine," Leo sighed and sat back, and allowed Avery to remove his glasses and gnaw upon one of the arms of the wire-frames briefly before realizing exactly what his son was doing. "Ave, no. Not candy."
"You look much younger without those, I'd consider making that a permanent change," said Thomas as he glanced down at Leo's glasses.
"Eh… Thanks…" said Leo uncomfortably.
"This is bad. Real bad," Dako muttered to herself.
Mexico:
"We're a good team!" Victor shouted as Ryo made another sharp turn and they were out of sight of the police and out of trouble. In the back sat several Aztec weapons, each wrapped up carefully and now residing on the seat of the red Thunderbird. Ryo immediately slowed down to fit in with the flow of traffic, and they were on the way back to Victor's home.
"Have you ever thought about leaving Fujiko?" asked Victor, briefly looking out the rearview just to make sure no one was there.
"I couldn't do that to Fuji, not with everything we've been through," Ryo answered with a shake of the head.
"What about when you get married?"
"I don't plan on it."
"Hrm, as terrific a woman you are, someone's bound to pick you up. Don't think you can run away from love, Ryoko. It'll catch up to you eventually."
"Who said I was running from anything?" Ryo inquired, looking over at Victor and then back at the road. Victor's small smile had fallen; he had gotten all that she had implied within this statement. She gave a heavy sigh and looked about; she quickly changed the subject. "So how do you plan on getting me back through the borders?"
"Underground tunnel. Don't worry about it too much," Victor leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and then smiled. "You're too pretty to be doing something like that."
'If only your voice wasn't so calm all the time… It'd be like him saying it to you… Damn it, Ryoko, no! He's got a family for God's sake! You're a lot of things, but you're not a home wrecker…' Ryo kept repeating in her mind.
"I know about your deal with Fuji, but if you're still single in a few years would you consider me?" asked Victor as Ryo turned out of the city and onto a stretch of desert road.
"I… We'll see," Ryo murmured, trying her best to distance herself away from this conversation and therefore not show any great emotion.
"I'll kill him for you, if you want," said Victor after a pause.
Ryo turned to him, wide-eyed, "Kill who?"
"Zenigata," Victor said with a shrug. "But if you're too upset with Ari, I… Don't look at me like that; I won't make their children orphans. I'm just saying, if you'd be happier with Ari… I'll be happy when you are."
Ryo wasn't exactly sure how to take this. She knew this was Victor's attempt at being affectionate, but the whole concept of him killing someone for her… She was flattered and disgusted all at once.
"You don't need to off anyone, Victor," Ryo sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "I've just got to learn how to get over it. I know Ari said we were finished, but I still feel like there's so much that we haven't finished…" She slowly pulled over the car onto a shoulder of the road and bowed her head. "I just expect him to come through the doors with a plan for a new heist… You know, Fuji and he would be partners again, and he'd feel the same way about me again… About the only way I can cope is by telling myself that he's dead."
Victor sighed and placed an arm over her shoulders, "And you have to run to the enemy for comfort… Poor girl… I'm sorry I can't be him, Ryoko."
Fuji's hotel hideout:
"So you're at the airport?" Fuji laid on her bed, a newspaper spread out in front of her and a chocolate bar in her free hand. She took another bite of it, and pushed up her new reading glasses, which she only recently found out she needed. They were a bright red plastic, with oval frames. Fuji set down the candy bar onto the newspaper and rolled over onto her back. "Heiji-chan, you're a genius…"
"I know," Heiji replied on the other end of the phone. "You better quit talking like that; you're making me blush. Max'll think something's up for sure."
"Heh, I could say things that would leave you bright red, Heiji."
"This I know to be true, Fuji… Hey, got to go, he's out of luggage checkout and he's walking this way. Bye, Fuji, I love you."
"Mm-hm. Bye, Heiji," Fuji replied, and hung up the phone. She sat up and stretched, adjusted her bathrobe and then looked over her plans once again. "Ryo-san better get her bracelet-loving ass back soon if this is going to work…" she muttered as she seated herself at her desk and made a change in the plan with a pencil. The phone rang once again, and she sighed, picking it up quickly, "What'd you forget this time, Sweetie?"
"Sweetie?" a confused Max repeated.
"Zenigata? How'd you get this number!" Fuji choked, "Besides, I thought you were in baggage!"
"How'd you know where I—Nevermind," Max breathed in a heavy sigh; this wouldn't be easy for him. "How I got your number is confidential. I left your boyfriend to pick up his own bags, by the way. He's mistaken if he thinks I'm a damn maid."
"He's not my boyfriend, Zenigata. Now I know you're not calling me for my world-famous casserole recipe, so spill the beans."
"I… Need your help," Max had to practically bite down on his tongue to say this, and Fuji said nothing. She was much too shocked.
"With… What?" she ventured to ask.
"I need a good excuse to get back to France," Max explained uneasily.
"Uh-huhhhh…."
"And, apparently any excuse I can come up with isn't good enough for my superiors. I can't exactly give them the real reason."
"How do I fit in here?"
"If I have you in custody, they'll let me go back to France," said Max, gulping. It was no surprise to him when Fuji, in turn, laughed wildly, and he gave a heavy sigh. "Lupin, please—You know how proud I am, and I'm begging you here."
"Why in the world do you need to go back there so bad, anyway?" asked Fuji, leaning back in her chair and still smirking.
"I think I'm going to get left if I don't go," Max answered with a sigh. Fuji's smile disappeared, and she leaned against her desk and suddenly went into her other, more serious personality.
"Things going that bad?" Fuji asked with true concern.
"That's none of your business!" Max growled.
"Quit with the strong front, Zenigata… If there's one person who can see past you, other than my brother, it's me. Now, how bad are things between you two, exactly?"
"Very," Max admitted. "I feel like this relationship's going down faster than the friggin' Titanic."
"Woah, twenty-three minutes… Now I'll definitely have to do something," Fuji muttered. "Understand that if this is a lie and you're tricking me, I will reign down upon you with the wrath of a thousand ever-burning fires…"
"Where in the hell did you pick up a line like that?"
"Eh, I'm trying my hand at poetry," Fuji replied, looking over the translation in the tapestry where she had pulled out this line. "I'll see you tonight, Max."
"So you'll help me?"
"Hey, what are enemies for? It's a date, Zenigata. Now remember to wear something pretty!" Fuji chirped, and hung up the phone.
Later that night:
Yukiko was in the bathroom when there was a knock upon her hotel room door. There was a wire hung up in the shower, and on the wire several of her fedoras drying out. She sighed heavily and dried her hands, thinking that Toshiro had once again locked himself out as she unlocked it. She blinked with obvious surprise as Jordan stood in the doorway with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand.
"Hey, preggers," said Jordan with a small laugh. "It okay if I come in? I don't want Fuji to see me—We've got this to-the-death bet running right now."
"Sure, I—" Yukiko narrowed her eyes as she let all of this statement sink in. "Who told you?"
"The same person who told me you were married to the Jolly Red Giant…. Where is Rudolph, anyway?"
"He's getting his bike repaired," replied Yukiko as she took the flowers and stepped out of the way for Jordan to enter. She was oblivious to the fact that across the hall Ally had been watching all of these events unfold through the peephole in his hotel door.
"What kind of bike does he drive? Harley, Honda, Cu—"
"Vespa," replied Yukiko with a sigh, setting down the lilies and seating herself in a cushy chair in the living area.
Jordan whistled and shook his head a little, laughing, "Woah, real macho guy, eh?"
"It's his dead girlfriend's."
"And now that makes it all okay."
"Jordan…"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jordan held his hands up in the air and gave a sigh. "I'd like to get to meet this guy sometime… So you know if you're having a boy or a girl yet?"
"Nah, not for another month or two," Yukiko replied with a shrug.
"I hope it's a boy, for your sake. A girl would kill you," said Jordan with a laugh.
"I'd bite your head off for that one if I didn't know that you were right."
While the two continued talking, Toshiro returned, still aching from how much it had cost to repair his bike. He knew he would have to get rid of it in a few months as Yukiko grew larger from the baby, but he wanted to stay with it as long as he could. It was the only thing he had left from his previous life, and the only thing he had to remind him of Julia and the family he had nearly started. He loved Yukiko, but Julia always held a special spot for him. He was broken out of this musing as Ally pulled him into his hotel room, slamming the door behind him.
"What the hell? Ally, I—"
"Shhhh…." Ally placed a hand over Toshiro's mouth and held him in a headlock, the arm holding Toshiro also carrying a high-caliber rifle. Toshiro's eyes went wide, and Ally had his full, undivided attention. "That blond creep went into Yukiko's room."
"What!" Toshiro yelped as Ally removed his hand. "Let in there, then. Let me go, Ally!"
"Not so fast… Any good military tactician knows to first stake out the battlefield," Ally smirked. Yes, ever since rough waters with Carmen, Ally's near psychotic streak was slowly returning. Toshiro would have to figure out some way to get them back together, for his own health's sake.
"Umm…. Okay," Toshiro said with a few blinks, still staring at the gun. "You, you know, Buddy, you should really go visit Carmen in person… I mean, the phone's nice, but it really doesn't give the full effect…"
"Would you be quiet? You talk a lot, you know that?" Ally snapped, "Anyway, Miss Saigon, we've got a lot of work to do."
"What kind of work?" Toshiro ventured to ask, although he was frightened to do so.
"Well, my gut tells me to go in, shoot and then ask questions, but the hotel would probably get curious," Ally answered. "So I figure one of us spies as room service."
"Or I go in there and ask…." Toshiro replied quickly, "Thanks for the offer, Ally, but I'm in the doghouse with my wife enough! I don't need to be spying around on her. I tried that and I got K.O.'d with a trash can lid."
"Fine, your funeral. I tried," Ally threw up his hands in the air and sighed. "Now get out of my room if our business is done, I've got a phone call to make."
"She still isn't picking up?" Toshiro asked worriedly.
"I can't blame her," Ally said with a frown. "I deserve everything she's putting me through. But that doesn't mean I can't try to patch things up."
"If you need anything, let me know, Ally."
"I'd rather file my teeth with a rusty piece of tin than ask you for help, Toshiro."
Toshiro gave a small smirk and exited the room. He opened the hotel room just in time to see Jordan bail out of the back window. Toshiro looked over at an obviously nervous Yukiko and smiled good-humoredly, "I take that was the service elevator."
"Ha ha… Nothing happened," said Yukiko with a worried glance to Toshiro. Toshiro smiled leaned down and kissed her atop the forehead.
"I know," Toshiro answered. "I'm friends with some of my exes, too. Sure I was jealous for a little while, but while you were dating him I was probably off with Julia."
"You would've only had been like eighteen. She would've been twenty-five."
"It was New York, the sky's the limit on possibilities there," answered Toshiro with a shrug and a sigh. "We were dating by that time."
"Hey, I hope you two aren't in the middle of… Well, anyone," said Fuji with a perverse chuckle as she knocked upon the door.
Yukiko gave a groan and rolled her eyes, "What's up, Fuji?"
"We leave in five!" Fuji chirped happily. "See you two then! Love ya!"
"You know, if I read everything she said on paper, not knowing she was twenty-six, I'd swear she was ten," said Toshiro as he rose from Yukiko and walked over to where his swords sat against the wall of the room.
Yukiko retrieved a dry fedora from her bedroom and placed it upon her head, and frowned and stopped halfway, laying a hand upon her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Toshiro asked immediately.
"I just thought I felt it is all," Yukiko muttered. She shrugged and placed her gun in its holster, and they made their way out of the hotel and then onto his bike. Ally was driving the Romeo; Ryo still hadn't shown at this point, and Fuji would no longer wait for her. Fuji sat in the front seat, tapping her fingers and trying to hide the fact that she was annoyed at how empty the car was becoming.
"Toshiro, you all set back there?" Ally asked as he adjusted his headset, the one Ryo usually wore to communicate with Ishikawa.
"You bet," Toshiro replied.
"You got your helmet, Toshi-chan!" Fuji laughed in the background.
"Could we please go? My integrity as we speak is on the line!" snapped Odori, who then looked at Fuji. "It's on the same thin line as your life."
"Eh hee hee," Fuji gave a nervous smile, and Ally started up the car for their destination.
The vehicles were parked a few blocks away, and the gang took off in their separate directions. Ally remained in the Romeo awaiting pickup while Toshiro went to the front entrance and quietly laid down several smoke bombs out of the sight of the guards. As they went off, the guards ran about blindly in a panic while Odori bounded forward, cutting the front doors into several pieces. Fuji and Yukiko followed behind, Yukiko disappearing into a store room while Toshiro disabled the cameras.
Fuji looked at the piece and smiled, "My buyer'll love you, baby… Well, he'll love the fake I give him…. You'll just have to settle for me," Fuji gave a chuckle and leaned inward to work the lock upon the glass. She gave a small sigh of relief as it opened, but this didn't last long.
Just as Yukiko emerged with a forklift to carry out the tapestry, several windows above them busted out, sending glass crashing to the floor. A strong wind then followed, and the tiny Odori had to take hold of a stationary display case in order to keep from flying back.
Fuji watched as several cables swung down, and didn't see a cable with a large hook behind her; she was too busy wondering what in the hell was going on. The blunt side of iron hook made contact with her head, and she moaned as she found herself on the ground.
Yukiko shook her head and sighed, leaning upon the wheel of the forklift. She recognized this style from long ago, and sure enough, Jordan scaled down one of the ropes.
"You bastard!" Fuji shrieked, shaking her fist.
"I guess this means I kinda win, eh?" said Jordan with a smile.
"Not so fast! Interpol! Freeze!" Max shouted.
"Zenigata, I could kiss you," Fuji muttered as she rose and blinked several time to try to rid herself of her double-vision.
"Lupin the Fourth, you're under… Who in the hell is he?" Max muttered and fell out of his tense firing position as he laid eyes upon Jordan.
"No way am I going to let this wager go, not when I'm a prize," Odori muttered, and slowly crept forward and then was able to get decent footing. She ran forward and gripped onto the ropes of one of the hooks which was meant to carry up the tapestry, securing her foot in one while she swung her weight over to Jordan's rope, and cut.
The apposing thief fell to the ground, and fortunately for him his fall was broken by Max. Max looked upward at the young man atop him and Fuji gave a laugh.
"That's not new for you, is it, Zenigata?" said Fuji with a smug smile.
Zenigata growled, knowing that if he made her angry enough their deal would be off. He couldn't help think, though, that there was something indeed familiar about Jordan. He didn't have time to place it though. The tall blond was soon off of him, and now Odori was after Jordan's blood.
"Lupin, you're—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Blondie," Fuji sighed, holding out her wrists to Max. "Just hurry it up, okay?"
"Fuji, what in the hell are you doing?" Yukiko shrieked.
"Don't worry, guys," said Fuji with a wink. She looked at Jordan and smiled. He had barely dodged Odori's last swipe of the blade, and instead an African tribal mask had paid the price, and was now in several pieces on the ground.
"Come on," Zenigata handcuffed her and led her out, Yukiko still stunned and Toshiro attempting to break up the fight between Odori and Jordan.
"Now just wait a second," Jordan managed to grab hold of Odori, and both flushed as they realized exactly when he had placed his hands on his chest. Odori hit Jordan with the back of her elbow, and Jordan rubbed the sore area and laughed a little as she hopped back. With the high winds, though, Odori was off balance, and instead slid back and then crashed into a case of priceless jewelry.
"This is turning into a Three Stooges short," Yukiko muttered tiredly. "Okay, enough 'a this crap." Yukiko stood up on the forklift, one foot just above the control panel and one hand keeping her head in place, and she shot a warning shot at the helicopter, knocking out one of its lights. The copter complied and soon was gone.
"Are you okay?" Jordan asked, bending down in front of Odori, who was working on getting herself off of the ground.
"There was minimal glass," Odori muttered, rising and dusting off her red gi. She shook one of her hands and noticed the blood coming from it, and cursed underneath her breath.
"Eh, here…" Jordan took the ribbon that tied Odori's hair back and gave it a tug, allowing her hair to fall down to its natural length below her waist.
Toshiro stood aside the forklift, and took a step forward to help them, but Yukiko reached out with one of her legs and then looked at him with a smile, and shook her head 'no', "This is kinda cute."
"Yeah, its cute, but we've still got the cops here," snapped Toshiro.
Jordan looked upward at Toshiro and thought a moment, and then smiled. "Do you guys have a getaway vehicle parked anywhere?"
"Yeah, on Twelfth Street North," Yukiko answered. "…Why?"
Jordan looked upward at the broken glass ceiling and then back at the group of three. "I can call that chopper back."
"What, and they won't shoot it?" Yukiko asked. "I say we take plan B."
"That wouldn't be busting out of here with that forklift by any chance, now would it?" Toshiro asked with a smile.
"I love it when people figure out things without me having to explain," said Yukiko with a laugh. "Hop on, everyone. You too, Jordan."
Jordan nodded and climbed onto the forklift, Toshiro grasping onto one of the sides and a pained Odori sitting closely next to him. Yukiko smiled and pulled down her fedora, and the unsuspecting police force watched as a forklift crashed through the museum after a few moments silence. Toshiro tossed out several smoke bombs he still had in his gi, and the police were baffled when, after the smoke cleared, only the forklift remained.
Heiji, meanwhile, sat in the passenger seat of the car sipping his coffee and looking down at his laptop with pure boredom. He spat out the coffee onto his laptop as he watched Fuji in the distance, next to Max… Handcuffed.
"Hiiii, Heiji-chan!" Fuji said with a smile, bending down to Heiji's window.
"What in the world are you doing?" Heiji muttered numbly.
"Helping Zenigata Keibu," Fuji answered, nodding over her shoulder in Max's direction. Max rolled his eyes and opened the back seat for Fuji, and then seated himself in the driver's seat.
"We don't tell anyone about this, agreed, Lupin?" Max adjusted his rearview mirror to get a better look at Fuji, who had already by this time worked her way out of her handcuffs.
"Agreed. Now could we stop at a Dairy Queen or something? I'm starved!" Fuji said, leaning on Max's car seat with her chin.
"Fine," Max said tiredly.
"Are you paying? I left my purse in my car."
Max gave a shudder and grit his teeth, "….Fine…"
"What kind of a deal is this, anyway? And why didn't I know about it?" asked Heiji, looking to Fuji and then to Max.
"Because no one asked you, Ishikawa!" Max growled. "Now get back to work…"
"Ow!" Fuji smacked her neck and rubbed it.
"You okay?" asked Heiji, looking over his shoulder at his and Zenigata's captive.
"Yeah, just a mosquito," replied Fuji with a shrug. "Oh, Max, tell them it's my birthday! They give you free stuff for that!"
"You are so close to sending me over the edge it isn't even funny!" Max shouted.
"Okay, okay… Yeesh, I'll bet you don't talk to my brother like that," Fuji mumbled, sitting back in her seat and pouting. She looked down at the ground for anything interesting and pulled up a book, and then her glasses.
She sat back across the seat of the police vehicle and flipped to a random page, and began to read aloud, "And then John took… Hold on a sec, Pat as in a guy, or a girl?... Zenigata, is this yours?"
"That's none of your business," Max snapped.
"I'm just saying, I didn't know they made gay smut novels is all," Fuji said with a shrug.
"It's not smut!" Max replied quickly. "It's a very deep and powerful novel!"
"Heh, are you kidding, this is more of a 'graphic novel' than all of those Azumanga Daioh manga books I read… Oh, that Chiyo-chan… And poor Miss Sakaki!"
"Hey, read more of it out loud, Fuji," said Heiji with a chuckle.
"Don't…" Max said in a firm warning tone.
"Let's see… Page 69… Kee hee hee…." Fuji began scan through it, and gave a laugh. "Ohhh, woah! Okay, Heiji-chan, listen to this! It was a steamy night not only in the city, but in the apartment of…"
Max drowned Fuji out at this point; although at any other time he would've been mortified on any other occasion, but he only concentrating on returning home at this point and hopefully finding Leo there, and everything as it was.