DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lupin. This space for sale.
Um, have I told you all lately how much I love you?
Heh, ten points on my nerd scale for the Rod Stewart reference. Once again, another chapter I would've liked to see come out earlier, but alas, 'tis the time for cheery holiday candy, which means stuffing my gullet… It's all a little distracting to the writing process. So, what's one to do but eliminate the problem, Hershey kiss by delicious Hershey kiss…. Special thanks to DJ Clawson for once again sparking my creativity and making my week a heck of a lot better. This chapter goes out to you.
Fun Fact of Boredom: There was a point in the creative process in making the Lupin IV gang where I considered making Max's character a girl. What stopped that? The gang would've been overrun with estrogen, with five girl characters and four male character. Plus at the time giving Zenigata another girl seemed too cruel for the old man, although now looking at what I'm putting out Max is even worse than I girl could ever be.
Chapter Twenty Nine: We Can Work it Out
Tokyo, Japan:
"Not 'Dada'… Jordan," Jordan spoke to Namiko with his neck craned down to meet the little girl, who was gripping onto her soft doll tightly.
Namiko laughed and pointed a finger to Jordan, "Dada!"
"Oi…" Jordan moaned and sat back in his seat, and looked over to Odori, but found her not in the main room of the hotel. He rose, lifting the little girl, and walked toward the bedroom.
Odori was in front of the mirror tying her hair up into is usual tight ponytail, and jumped in surprise when she registered Jordan's reflection. She turned about and removed the ribbon she had held in her mouth, and cleared her throat, "I'll be finished momentarily… Is she still…?"
"Yup, and I'm still Dada," Jordan muttered and seated himself upon the edge of the bed, letting Namiko balance on one of his knees and continue to play with her doll. "Eh, it could be worse… At least she doesn't think I'm mommy."
Odori gave a small smile and continued to fiddle with her hair, and gave a confused look when Jordan rose from the bed, allowing Namiko to continue to play with her doll on top of the comfortor, and stood behind her, "Eh, here, I'll help… I'm not girlie or anything, I've just dated a lot of girls with long hair."
"…Like Yukiko."
"Yeah, like her," Jordan answered in a lower voice.
"You still love her like I still love Namiko's father, don't you?"
"Heh, guilty. How can you still love that guy? He practically blackmailed you into giving you the baby, and then called you in the middle of the night wanting you to take it back because she wasn't eating!"
"It wasn't Musashi; it was clan politics," Odori responded. "And I am grateful that he allowed me to take back my daughter… I would have given twenty years of my life and the knowledge that I would never be able to lift a sword again to have her with me."
"Fuji's right, you are a good mom," Jordan said with a laugh.
"How you're related to the whore is beyond me," Odori murmured and turned around as Jordan finished.
"Eh, I wonder sometimes, too… Her and Ari and me… We aren't exactly alike… But, hell, we've also got a priest for a brother, so I guess that anything's possible…. What are you doing your hair so late at night for, anyway? Do you have a date or something?"
"Um… no…" Odori flushed and looked downward at the floor. "I found out that I have a sister in town… One of my biological ones. I haven't visited her in over, a year, so…"
"Do you need a babysitter?"
"Well, I'd much rather prefer company. I don't really feel comfortable in the circles she does," Odori responded, and stepped over to the door. "If you excuse me, I have to change for this evening."
"Yeah, we'll just go play dolls," Jordan lifted up Namiko and tossed her up in the air then caught her, and the little girl laughed in response to this.
The samurai gave a small smile, then turned her attention to her suitcase, and sighed at the outfit she had bought earlier in the morning, "Why do I do these things? Western fashion… Ugh, tasteless… You better appreciate this, Young Lee."
Jordan was still playing when Odori stepped out of her room, in makeup, earrings, and even a skirt. The skirt short and black with a butterfly pattern, and the blouse was white and continued with the butterfly pattern. The blouse like a kimono top with long sleeves and a black obi, and Odori sighed and looked down at the black sandals she had borrowed from Fuji, "…These are big on me…"
"You look fine," Jordan replied, and stood with Namiko in his arms. Odori took the child from him and dressed her for the night, and Jordan gave a laugh as he looked at the two, "You're making me feel like I should get dressed up for this…."
"If you wish," Namiko wriggled in Odori's arms, uncomfortable and unaccustomed to the dress her mother had put her in. Odori felt similar about her outfit, but did not want to disgrace her sister by appearing in her traditional gi. When she and Young Lee had met for the first time, Odori knew that she had found her strange. She did not want a similar occurrence.
"Ready when you are," Jordan buttoned the top button of his shirt and stepped out of his room. Odori averted her eyes, nodded, and they exited the hotel room with Namiko.
Jordan caught the cab for them, and Odori gave directions, letting the clinging Namiko remain on her lap while they made the commute to Shinjuku.
"Ummm…. This is a club," Jordan blinked a few times and he looked upward at the neon sign which the cab had stopped in front of.
"I know," Odori opened her door and stepped out, and looked upward at the sign briefly, then sighed and entered. Jordan followed close behind, looking about the club patrons suspiciously (a habit from his on-the-run lifestyle) and then walked behind Odori to an upstairs room, which was circular with a red couch surrounding it and a window overlooking the partygoers below.
"She ought to be in in a matter of minutes. She's on her last song, I've been told," Odori announced as she looked over her shoulder at the window, and then at the petite Asian girl on stage. She gave a small smile and then turned her attention back to her daughter.
"So… Your sister's a musician… I guess I'm not the only one with unlikely siblings."
Odori gave a nod, and sighed as she looked over the brightly lit stage, "….What she sees in this lifestyle I fail to recognize."
"She probably feels the same way about you and yours," Jordan replied, looking over Odori's shoulder at the club. The tiny woman done up in classic Shinjuku punk attire was soon off the stage and running up the stairs to the private room. She opened the door and embraced Odori tightly.
"Mi Noh!" Young Lee squealed and embraced Odori tightly about the neck. She gasped and looked down at the little girl. "And this must be Namiko!... And who's the hottie?"
"….He's my friend," a flushed Odori muttered, glancing at Jordan briefly and clearing her throat. "How are the business been, Young?"
"It's awesome!" Young Lee answered, glancing out at the crowd. "I'm going on tour with the Pillows and Boa next fall!"
"That's wonderful," Odori smiled, although she had no idea who in the hell either band was, if they were indeed bands. "Do you write to Moon Bin or Yong Si still?"
"Mother and Father? You bet!" Young Lee answered with a wide goofy smile which looked strange, considering how similar she looked to Odori. The same long hair, the same narrow eyes, and the same turned up nose. It was almost eerie; they looked almost like identical twins. Jordan glanced to one woman, and then the other, and wondered if they indeed were twins.
"I still wire them money, and they say you do the same, Mi Noh," Young Lee seated herself upon on of the large cushy couches and continued in her happy line of conversation as Namiko waddled over to her. Namiko looked over at Jordan, and chortled.
"Dada…"
"…I'm going to go get water…." Jordan cleared his throat, placed his hands in his pockets and stepped out, leaving a confused Young Lee and a perturbed Odori.
"So, is he like your boyfriend? He seems nicer than the last guy…. Cuter, too. I just didn't know you had a thing for white guys!"
"I don't…. Well, I… That is to say that his mother was white, and his father is Lupin the Third…"
"Aw, Mi, you're blushing!" Young Lee laughed and lifted Namiko up onto her lap. "I think you know that I didn't call you all of the way over here to make fun of you having a crush."
"It's not a crush…" Odori repeated. "He is just a friend of mine whom I harbor respect for…" she seated herself beside Young Lee and looked to her sister. "So what is the real issue here, Young Lee?"
"You're familiar with the Beatles, right?"
"I live the way of the Bushido, not beneath a rock. Of course I am."
"Well, someone's making false tapes of their recordings, and selling them underground."
"There are surviving members, why don't they come forward?"
"They don't know about it, yet. The tapes sound authentic, but they aren't Mi Noh," said Young Lee with a shake of the head. "Someone's gonna make big bucks off of an auction coming up."
"Fake recordings? That's an awful lot of trouble to go through…"
"Lennon's old car just went for over a hundred grand… I think that a little trouble would be worth it for a payoff like that."
"We'll get on it," Odori rose from her seat. "Any idea where we could start looking?"
"I heard that they're working out of Mexico City."
"Mexico…" Odori muttered. "I wonder if she planned that…"
"Hm?"
"Nothing," Odori turned to the door as it opened and Jordan walked in with a glass of water. "We must be going. It was wonderful seeing you again, Young Lee."
"You, too, Mi Noh," Young Lee smiled and passed Namiko off to her mother. "Don't stay a stranger, and congrats with the blond!"
"….What'd you two talk about?" Jordan wondered aloud. He quickly sipped his drink and tossed the emptied cup into the crowd below and quickened his pace to keep up with Odori. "And why'd she give me these weird looks?"
"She's man crazy, like Lupin…"
"Which one?" Jordan chuckled, but his good-natured smile faded as he realized this joke had fallen flat upon its face. He cleared his throat and continued as they stepped out of the club and to a taxi. "Charley's, please," Jordan ordered the taxi cab driver, passing him several yen coins.
"Charley's?" Odori looked over at Jordan with confusion. "Why aren't we going back to the hotel?"
"Eh, you're dressed too nice to be going straight back to the hotel, so I thought I'd treat you to dinner."
"You don't have to do this," said Odori with a lowered head.
"Hey, no problem. You're a nice girl, so—"
"I'm a woman, not a girl. Girls don't have infants."
"First of, Nami's a toddler, now, and second, I'm sorry if you took that as some sort of short joke, I didn't mean for it to come out like that…. It just looks like it's been a while since you've had a good time."
"….."
"Am I right?"
"I suppose," Odori sighed and looked out the window at the passing by scenery, "Thank you, for this…"
"Like I said, no problem. Now I know you're Goemon's daughter, but try to smile at least once tonight… Who knows, maybe you'll even laugh!" Jordan said with a chuckle.
Paris:
"Here, get me the screwdriver…" Max muttered at he walked into the kitchen of his and Leo's next home. It was a two-story residence with boxes still stacked high throughout the household. Leo was in the middle of stacking away several plates when Max approached him.
"Why, are you actually doing home repair?" Leo snorted and pushed up his glasses.
"No, you know those dolls with the joints? I was trying to have 'the talk' with Dako and now Ken's stuck straddling Billy," Max murmured as he held up the obscenely-positioned dolls. Leo's eyes widened and he blinked a few times, then slowly opened the tool drawer and passed Max the screwdriver.
Leo looked over Max's shoulder as he went to loosening the joints of the doll with the tool, "….Is that even possible?"
"Hm? Eh, I dunno… Maybe you'll have to test it out sometime," Max chuckled. "Ah, there we go! Free… But, yeah, I answered most of her questions…"
"And?"
"She needs to go buy some stuff and she wants you to go with her."
"Stuff? What kind of stuff?"
"Y-you know, like a bra, or, whatever," Max scratched the back of his head and looked downward at the tile floor of the house. "She wants you there for that one…"
"I, um… Well, I've got a free day today. As long as Fuji's quiet, I'm quiet," Leo placed another coffee mug in the cupboard and turned back around to Max.
Later that morning he dressed himself and went out with Dako, leaving Max and Jared to unpack the house and look after Avery. Leo drove her to a local mall, and walked beside her down the path.
"Here," Dako tugged at Leo's jacket sleeve, and Lupin looked to the shop and did a double take as he came into visual contact with the lingerie wearing mannequins in the front of the shop.
"A-aren't those a little m-mature for you?" Leo asked with a sputter. "How about Kid GAP?"
Dako looked upward at him tiredly, "Yeah, if I was eight… Come on." She took Leo by the hand and pulled him into the shop. Leo made it a point to find a worker in the shop and then have her aid his daughter, and then walked about like a lost puppy.
He held up one of the bras, and in a small attempt at humor, asked the woman at the register, "Um, do you have this in my size?" he cleared his throat and set it back on the rack, and then continued to walk about with his hands in his pockets.
"All done," Dako stepped out of the dressing room with several items in her hand. Leo silently paid and looked away as the woman at the register placed Dako's items in the bag, and then walked out with her beside him.
"….So…." Leo cleared his throat and glanced at Dako, "….You…. Get everything you need?"
"…I'm going to get you a drink, you look like you're gonna pass out," muttered Dako, who handed Leo her bag.
Leo waited until Dako was well away from him and in the food court and slowly opened the bag, "B!" he gaped as he read over the label. He closed the bag tightly as she returned, and they continued to walk down the length of the mall.
"So, um, are you seeing anyone right now?" Leo asked before he sipped his smoothie.
"No. Why?" Dako asked with a raised eyebrow as she took her turn sipping her drink.
"Eh… No reason…. Um, well, it's just that, you go from watching cartoons to asking questions about things, so I—"
"Did you not want me to ask them?" Dako asked.
"Eh, no, I'm glad," Leo seated himself on a bench and motioned for Dako to follow him in suite, which she did. "I just want to know if there's like something that brought all of this on, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Dako murmured. "I've just been curious, is all… If you guys would break down and get a satellite, this wouldn't be an issue."
"No, I'd rather go through all of the awkwardness than have you watching porn."
"Didn't you make something like that?"
"….Why? How did you even—Dad!"
"I-it was on his computer and I accidentally opened it!" Dako sputtered, "I was looking for the card games on there! I didn't find it on purpose!"
"Owww….."
"What's wrong?"
"Smoothie headache," Leo lied and rubbed his forehead. "So, you saw that, and that's what started the questions… Now what about the—"
"I didn't see much, I exited out quick, I promise."
"It's all right, Dako, I believe you. I just wish Dad, who is an expert thief and mastermind, would learn to put a LOCK on some files!... Jeeze…."
"And I bought the other stuff because I just wanted to. It's like how you wear a purple jacket and orange tie."
"Hey, this is the style, or it will be, someday…"
"Yeah, when everyone's blind," Dako snorted.
Leo placed an arm around her shoulders and sighed, "I'm glad I get the nice part and Max got to cover all of the difficult biology."
"He was pretty good at explaining it. It's like he's had to do that before."
"Eh, yeah, well, I'm sure he's had a lot of experience in that area."
Mexico:
"You're stealing reel-to-reels?" Ryo chuckled. "Why don't you take an 8-track player while you're at it?"
"These are special though, Ryo-san," Fuji answered with her own confident smile. "These could be worth thousands!"
"Mmm hmm…. Why?"
"They're lost tracks from the Beatles!"
"Didn't they open the vaults and empty them?" asked Toshiro, looking up from the play he was reading. "Yeah, they did that in 95', Fuji…"
"Oi, don't you think I know this!" Fuji sighed heavily, "I've got a copy of the Anthology CDs too, okay!... What I'm saying is they found more tracks, and they're going up for auction!"
"So we're going to steal them?" Yukiko concluded.
"We will; you're going to get your sonogram, mommy. I need to know if I've got to buy pink or blue stuff for your baby shower!"
"I'm not having a baby shower," Yukiko lifted her fedora from her eyes and glared at Fuji. "I don't need one. I'll be fine."
"Na-ah, Yukiko-chan! I need something to spoil! And it probably won't be as expensive as Heiji… Damn I miss him! I wish he'd take time off, or something!" Fuji moaned in a childish manner, "I've been getting lonely, if you know what I mean."
"Eh, I don't wanna," Yukiko answered with a cringe.
"It's only gonna be me, Ryo-san, Ally-chan, and you and Toshiro-chan, Yukiko," Fuji said, continuing her pout.
"Actually…." Ryo bit her lip and gave a weak smirk. "I've got to meet someone for a car part…"
"By car part do you mean you're meeting up with Victor to do that which is so unholy it shall not be named?" Fuji asked with a raised eyebrow, "Damn, I've been talking to Peter too much…"
"Eh, call it what you want, but it'll be dinner, mainly," Ryo answered with a shrug, rose, and picked up her suitcase. "I'll be home in a few days…"
Fuji frowned, "Fine, fine—At least I've got you three, right?"
"Ehhhhh…." Toshiro looked off to Yukiko, and the gunwoman rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat.
"What he's trying to tell you is we're going to have a little downtime up in New York. We've got a house up there, and we still haven't unpacked our crap. So, yeah, we'll probably be up there for the weekend…"
"W-why is everyone telling me this NOW!" Fuji yelped. "Aren't you supposed to give your boss a two week's notice when you go off?"
"Eh, you're more of a team leader than a boss, Fuji," Yukiko explained. "We'll be in New York if you need us."
"Damn it, fine!" Fuji growled. "Everyone's going off to get some except me!... Hmph, it just isn't fair!"
"Eh, I'll help you," Ally sighed. "….I ain't got no one to go to, anyway."
"She still isn't talking to you, Al?" Ryo asked sympathetically. "I'm sorry…"
"Not your fault," Ally shrugged and leaned forward. "You guys have a good time doing whatever—"
"—Whoever—" Fuji was quick to interject.
"—You're doing," said Ally with a slightly annoyed glance to Fuji. Ryo nodded and picked up her suitcase, and was soon gone, and after gathering a few things, Yukiko and Toshiro too had left the hotel room.
"….When did they all get like that?" Fuji wondered quietly, resting her chin on her hand. "Well, looks like it's just you and me now, Ally. What do you say?"
"When do we start?" Ally murmured.
"….Jeeze, try to sound a little more thrilled."
"Sorry, not really in motivation mode right now," Ally shrugged and leaned back in a recliner. "I mean, I feel like a complete loser for not having some excuse to ditch you, too."
"Um, thanks?"
"Yeah, that came out wrong. Sorry 'bout that."
"It's okay, I know exactly where you're coming from. Now let's get those damn reel-to-reels, so we can get down to important business!"
"Important business?"
"Yeah, like hooking you back up with Carmen!"
"Wha…."
Tokyo:
Odori opened her mouth, and actually gave a small laugh. The joke itself hadn't been that funny, nor had she fully understood it, but she still found it amusing. Jordan simply placed his hands his pockets and returned the laughter with a smile.
"See, I knew you had a sense of humor," Jordan lifted up a yawning Namiko and held onto her as they walked down the Tokyo street.
"Perhaps we should get her back to the hotel," Odori eyed the little girl and then looked upward at Jordan. Jordan nodded in return and hailed a cab for them, allowing Odori to seat herself first and then climbing into the leather seat. Odori glanced over at the tall Lupin, and then at her daughter, who was now sleeping in his arms.
"She really likes you," said Odori quietly.
"Eh, well, it's mutual," Jordan answered with a light chuckle. "So is she more like you or her father?"
"It's a little early to tell, but she smiles a lot more than I do, so I think she took on many of Musashi's traits," Odori answered, folding her arms and looking out the cab window at the scenery passing by.
"You still love her dad, don't you?"
"Incredibly so," Odori answered quietly. "To the point where I know I'm foolish for hoping for any sort of relationship with Miyamoto. "It is unfair for her not to have a proper family unit."
"She didn't seem to like it that much if she was behaving the way she was, though," Jordan countered, and Odori nodded quietly. "But I think she just missed you…. Hey, cabbie, this is our stop."
The cab driver nodded and pulled into the hotel parking lot, and the three stepped out and walked up the stairs into the room. Jordan disappeared into the bathroom, and Odori changed Namiko for bed, and laid her down in a playpen she had brought with her. "I'm glad I did not lose you," Odori said to her daughter quietly as she placed a blanket over the young girl and went to unrolling a mat for the night beside the playpen.
"I feel bad for having a lady sleep on the floor," Jordan stood in the doorway of the bathroom, a towel still around his neck from his shower and wearing a pair of sleep pants. Odori looked upward at him and quickly averted her eyes, and flushed.
"It is not a problem, I like this more," Odori admitted, and rose. "Now if you would excuse me, I must change for bed as well. Thank you for dinner tonight."
"Hey, don't forget the carnival. We went to a carnival, too," Jordan added with a chuckle. He heard a phone go off, and quickly walked over to his pants, pulling out his phone from his jean pocket. "Hello? Hey…. You did what? That's terrific… Heh, you know I love you. Good night. It's morning there? Damn… Well, good morning." He hung up the phone, and unbeknownst to him, Odori had overheard this conversation.
"I love you?" Odori muttered beneath her breath as she began to peel away the makeup in front of the bathroom mirror. "I wonder…. Well, that puts him out of the question. I refuse to be someone's side-woman again."
She changed into a white kimono for bed, yawned and lied down upon the floor, adjusting her square pillow and then positioning herself on her tatami mat.
"Hey," Jordan bent down in front of her and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night."
Odori gaped, and pushed him away from her roughly. "Keep away from me!"
"Um, excuse me?" Jordan blinked, seemingly confused by this action.
"I know how those like yourself play, Lupin. You make yourself my friend and then you play me like a bad mahjong game!" Odori snapped.
"Dori, what the heck's your problem? I just…. That was friendly, I didn't mean anything like… What you're thinking…."
"Hrm, do me a favor and save those for the one you love."
"I would, but she's kinda with Clifford the Big Red dork now," Jordan responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Then who was that you were speaking with?"
"…An associate. She found some info on a statue I'm swiping next month. She does that for me…. Most thieves have associates, you know."
"…..She helps you…. But don't you…."
"Gross! She's like fifty!"
"….Oh…. Well, m-my apologies, then."
"Were you listening in on me or something?"
"Not intentionally. It just happened. A lot of things 'just happen' to me," Odori began to lay down once more, looking over at Namiko and her back to Jordan.
"….Are you going to be okay?"
"I am fine. I am just sorry for listening in on your conversation. I did not mean to."
"I…. Okay, then. You know, you looked nice tonight. A lot of women can't pull off makeup, but you really did."
"….Thank you," a stunned Odori answered, blinking a few times. "I…. Hm. Thanks."
"Good night," Jordan smirked and rose, then seated himself on the edge of the bed.
"So you think I'm attractive?" Odori asked in a low voice.
"Yeah," Jordan gave a nod and chuckled. "And why are you asking?"
"No reason. Just to warn you that my daughter comes first," Odori stated sternly.
"Don't worry, I have no intentions of dating you, Odori."
Odori frowned at this comment, "And why the hell not?"
Mexico:
"Out of all of the places, Mexico!" Ally whispered into his headset. "It's hot as a frying pan in the morning and freezing at night… This place can't seem to make up its mind!"
"Hm," Fuji gave a small smirk and lowered herself a little further into the office. "Yeah, this place is funny like that."
"Is something wrong? You're usually the one doing all of the yapping," Ally said with slight worry. "What's up, Fuji?"
"How long's it been, since that thing happened between us?" asked Fuji.
"Gee, I dunno… A month, maybe?" Ally answered, "About a month and a half? Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm late," Fuji answered, "…I'm at the vault."
"Late? For what?" Ally inquired.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Fuji sighed and removed a stethoscope from about her neck, and pressed it against the vault.
"Woah, like you're…. Are you sure?"
"No, not really," Fuji answered with a whisper. "I'm gonna do a test when I get home…. Ah, got the lock! Hee hee, yes!"
"….And it's…. Well, if it is…. It's mine?"
"Yours or Heiji's."
"WHAT? You don't KNOW?"
"Yeow! Ally, would you cool it? Like I said, I'll know soon enough. Hoist me up, will you? I've got what we came for."
"Y-yeah," a shaken Ally answered. "F-Fuji, I'm not ready for anything like that!"
"Like I am? We'll just take it one step at a time," Fuji placed a note within the emptied safe, waved goodbye to the passed out guards on the floor, and then was lifted through a skylight by Ally, who had became reasonably pale. "You need a drink? I've got some water in the back of the Romeo… Come on, I hear the cops." She jumped off of the roof of the building onto a dumpster and then hopped onto the concrete of the alley. Ally followed soon after, and Ally drove to a drug store while Fuji changed in the back seat of the vehicle.
"Does Heiji know?" asked Ally as he parked the car and looked over at the bright light of the store and then to Fuji.
"I left a message with him to call me when he got out of his Interpol meeting," Fuji answered and hopped out of her seat.
"Hey, um, c-could you get me a bottle of something while you're in there?" Ally asked, loosening the collar of his Chinese-style shirt and slouching down in his seat a bit. Fuji nodded, sauntered into the drug store, and arrived back at the car about ten minutes later with a white bag in hand.
It was still dark when they arrived back in the hotel, and Ally took his bottle and Fuji took her box, and both went their separate ways.
"What in the hell am I gonna tell everyone? What if that kid comes out looking Italian? Holy crap…. Well, with hope, she isn't." He turned his head as she stepped out of the bathroom, a white wand in one hand and the empty box in the other.
"It's blue," said Fuji as she seated herself on the edge of Ally's bed.
"Blue… Meaning….?"
"I'm gonna have to switch the wearing kimonos," Fuji answered with a small sigh, tossing the wand into the empty box.
"You mean… You're…"
"Let's not tell anyone yet. I'll find a way to tell Heiji eventually."
"Crap, I know he's a good friend of mine, b-but I didn't want to experience something like THIS with him!" Ally shouted, brushing his hair back. "Now I definitely won't… God damn it!"
"Ally-chan, it's a cheap test. I'll take another one tomorrow, and I'll go to a doctor, too," Fuji said quietly. "….And if it is positive, well, I… We're the only ones who know about it, so—"
Ally's cell phone went off, and he quickly reached into his pocket and turned away from her, "Hello? Hey! I—You what? Well, I…. Honey, it's a real bad time now, I'm in the middle of a job… C-could I call you back? Yeah… I'm glad to hear you say that…" he hung up the phone, and looked upward at Fuji. "That's Carmen."
"Yeah? What's up with her?"
"She… She wants to talk, to hopefully work things out," Ally answered. He gave a small amused chuckle at the irony, but he was soon sitting on the bed, one hand covering his eyes. Fuji was a little frightened by this; she had never seen Ally cry before. And for the first time in her life she felt like a whore.
The following day, New York City:
"The tapes were supposed to be brought here," the auction house director explained to the jet lag weary Leo and Max. Leo had Avery strapped to him in a sort of backpack, and Max was keeping notes on the case.
"So she swiped them in Mexico City… Now how did they get to Mexico, anyway?" asked Leo with a yawn.
"Well, I—"
"Dako! Jared! Put that down!" Max shouted and turned his attention away from his notes and to the two children, who were looking through ancient Australian masks that were to be brought to auction.
"Sorry, we just…" Leo looked over to Max and his children in embarrassment and then back to the director. "It's a big workload sometimes…"
"You're right, he is no fun…" Jared whispered to Dako as Max led them over to two chairs in the large auction house and seated them in them.
"Now stay," Max ordered sternly, and went back to work.
Dako gave a small smile, looked over to Jared, and then to Avery. Jared returned the expression with obvious confusion, and Dako motioned to Avery, and made a few seemingly nonsensical signs. Avery, in turn, giggled, and began to kick his legs wildly. Jared gave a small snort, and Max shot his head over to the boy and girl.
"What? We stayed," said Dako with a shrug.
"You have quite rambunctious children," said the director with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't I know it," Max muttered, and walked over to the two, and then removed his wallet. "Here, here's ten bucks, go… Do something… Go find a DDR game or some crap."
Dako looked down at the money in her hand, she and Jared both realizing that this was a one hundred dollar bill but not questioning this, and ran out of the room.
"There… Problem solved," Max muttered and went back to writing his notes once again.
"So what can we do with that?" Jared asked, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.
"I'm thinking lunch, first," Dako answered. "And we'll see where we go from there…"
"Hey," Jared stopped dead in front of a glass case, and frowned. "…This isn't right…"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"The guy who pretended to be my dad, he had this in his home… But it was the real thing," Jared said, scrutinizing the swords in front of them. "And these can't be the real ones!"
"Well, there's a way to find out if they're legit or not," Dako shoved the money in her pocket and pulled out a paperclip, and went to fidgeting with the lock. Jared was outwardly nervous at this, but said nothing. She slid open the case, and passed him one of the swords. "Can you tell if they're fake or not?"
"Yeah… There should be a mark…" Jared murmured as he clicked off the safety and slid out the sword.
"Dakota! Jared!" Leo, pale with horror, shrieked as he walked out with Max at his side and the director at the other. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"Oh dead lord…" Max muttered and watched Leo race forward and snatch the weapon out of Jared's hands and set it back inside. Max could not remember ever seeing Leo so angry; he looked ready to kill the first thing in his path.
"I-I'm so sorry," Leo sputtered to the curator.
"It's fine… Considering the line they come from, I'd expect no less," the director answered. Max cringed at Leo's outwardly shocked expression, and led the children out of the building.
"What were you two DOING?" Max asked in a snarl.
"It's fake!" Dako answered. "That sword's a fake!"
"Yeah, it should have a mark but it doesn't!" Jared continued.
"I want you both to go back to the hotel, and stay in there. Don't come out unless there's a fire," Max said in a dark and even tone as he hailed a cab for the two and led them into the back seat.
"Ohhhh this isn't good," Jared muttered as Max slammed the door closed and the cabbie took off.
"I've never seen Papa that angry," Dako whispered.
"This is why I don't like cops," Jared muttered.
Meanwhile, back in the main lobby of the auction house, Leo was sitting on a leather bench, hunched over with Avery still giggling.
"Hey, you okay?" Max seated himself beside Leo and placed a hand on his knee. Leo looked upward at Max and shook his head.
"How… How did she even know how to open a lock like that? That's an advanced lock!" Leo said aloud. "…Unless… Oh my God, I think my Dad's been teaching her!"
"Hey, it could've been Jared," Max said quietly. "He was trained as a ninja for a little bit, remember?"
"I hope you're right… What were they thinking, anyway?" Leo yelled aloud.
"They said that that sword was a fake," Max said with a roll of the eyes. Leo sat up and blinked, and looked over his shoulder at the sword.
"….You know a thing or two about weaponry, right?"
"You, you know who my father is, right?"
"Would you be able to tell a forgery from the real thing?"
"Probably, but we'd need something as evidence," Max murmured and shrugged. Leo smiled, reached into Avery's diaper bag, and pulled out a warrant. Max blinked a few times, and glanced at the diaper bag, "Is that like your briefcase now? What the hell else do you keep in there!"
"Trail mix and some pens," Leo answered, rising to his feet and walking over to the case. "Why am I hoping I'm wrong about this?"
"Because we'll both look like mega-jerks if we aren't," replied Max.
Outside of New York City:
"Isn't this a bit masochistic?" Odori asked with a raised eyebrow as Jordan pulled into the driveway. There was already a yellow Vespa parked, and a package for a computer part on the front porch.
"Extremely," Jordan answered, turning into the driveway and killing the engine. He stepped out, as did the samurai, and Odori knocked on the door. There was the sound of laughing from the other side, and Yukiko opened the door still laughing, Toshiro with his arms about her ever-lengthening waist. Her smile faded as she realized who she was in the presence of, and she cleared her throat and pried Toshiro off.
"I… Um… Wasn't expecting you here…" Yukiko murmured.
"Oh thank GOD! Someone who'll make them stop the love fest!" Heiji said with relief as he too came to the door, his Interpol trench coat in his arms. "I guess I don't have to use the BS excuse that I need to take this to the cleaner's now!"
"May we enter, Jigen?" asked Odori.
"It's Jigen-Ishikawa, Dori," Yukiko responded, adjusting her fedora and not noticing Jordan's outward shudder at this. Toshiro, however, noticed, and gave a small frown.
"Come on in, it's freezing out," Yukiko said, opening the door and stepping out of the way in order for them to enter. "You can keep your shoes on if you want, even though Toshiro's a little bit of a stickler about shoes on the new carpet."
"You're Spartan in the way of furniture," Odori concluded as she looked about at the still barren rooms, save for small pieces of furniture liberally placed about the home.
"We're workin' on it," Yukiko answered with a shrug. "Hey, I've got a shooting range and he's got a place to feed his birds, so we're happy."
"You raise birds?" Jordan asked aloud, looking over at the tall redhead. 'She… She left me for this? It's got o be his personality, or… What in the hell did she do leaving me for Woody Woodpecker?'
"Numerous kinds," Toshiro replied. "I'm working on breeding a variation of pigeons now. Would you care to see them?"
"Maybe in a little," Jordan answered, and felt Namiko, who was near his legs, tug on his hand.
"Dada," Namiko said aloud, causing Yukiko to go into a small line of laughter.
"So you two have been busy, huh?" Yukiko asked curiously as she looked down at the pigtailed girl.
"Ehhh…. It's a long story…" Jordan answered nervously.
"Odori lets you touch her?" Heiji frowned. "I didn't even think she liked white people… But, I guess when you're like her, you can't be picky."
"Heiji!" Odori snarled, and reached for her sword. Heiji quickly disappeared into the living room, and she relaxed her position once again.
"So, does that happen a lot?" Jordan asked Odori.
"More often than it should," Odori responded. "Now down to business."
"I'll put on tea; it usually means bad news when she says that," said Toshiro, who soon afterward exited into the recesses of the home.
Jordan looked about the surroundings of the house, and then back to Yukiko, "…..He raises birds?"