DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lupin, but, you know what? You see that cookie over there? All mine. You better believe it.

Hey there, hi there, ho there! (where? Over there! Ha ha, made you look!)

In a more jovial mood now, all things considering! And therefore, more in the mood to write than I have been in months. Now on vacation, and I'd really like to thank everyone for putting up with sporadic updates and my ever-constant excuses and apologies. Hopefully things'll be going smoother now (knock on wood). Enjoy this chapter, and thanks soooo much for the response! I've been actually getting a lot of ideas from it, and who knows what I have in store, bwahaha….

P.S.: Okay, there may be one exception as to why I haven't updated. I live in an are heavily plagued with hurricanes, so if you don't hear much from me, without warning, then, yeah… Let's not think about that, though, 'kay? Enjoy!

P.P.S: This is out later than I thought because a day after I wrote the above forward the shiitake literally hit the fan and there were a few…. Shakespearean-grade dramas. Anyway, enjoy!

Fun Fact of Boredom: When writing for Victor Lupin, one of the main references I used was Pycal, the Magician… And while writing for Mamoru, I used some of Victor's better qualities (And yes, there are a few, although he's by far my most hated character).

Chapter Forty-one: Strange Magic

"He's going to kill you," Ryo said with a small smirk as she passed Leo a set of night-vision goggles and placed her own over her eyes.

"Not if he thinks someone else did it," Leo answered with a mutter, and began to cut the glass.

"Couldn't you have just as easily asked to protect the sheet music, or at least ask to switch it out with a fake?"

"I can't take the chance of someone knowing… I trust you to keep a secret, though, Ryoko."

"Well, I'm good with secrets, for the most part," Ryo admitted. "And you're just as bad… You had me fooled into thinking you were straight for years."

"Do we really have to go into this now?" Leo gave an annoyed sigh as he slipped the goggles on and surveyed the area of where the sheet music lie, towards a door of the museum. The window allowing light in was small, but was just enough for both he and then Ryo to climb through.

"Well, it's not like we see a whole lot of one another any other time," Ryo answered with a shrug. "And, well, it's something I've always been curious about."

"When I was with you…. When we were… Together… I wasn't thinking about Keneau Reeves or anything. It wasn't so much I was in love with a woman, and was in love with you."

"And then years later you fell out of love with me."

"I never said that," Leo completed cutting about the glass, slipped this piece out, and slid through, attached to a rope to help balance along the slick stone walls of the museum. Ryo, during this, remained in a stunned, silent state, until Leo gave a quiet, sharp whistle, and she followed him in, gripping onto him about the waist tightly as they were lowered down.

"So… You mean you still…"

"Ryoko, if we make it out of this alive, I'll buy you dinner, and we'll draw some conclusions then. But, until then… Ah, there it is," Leo smiled and turned on his flashlight, looking over the sheet music. "Beautiful."

"Glad you still think so," Ryo muttered. Leo looked to her a moment, and then both became aware of a burning smell. The two looked upward and saw a darkened figure staring back downward at them, standing on what appeared to be nothing else but air. And there was also the manner of the quickly burning rope.

"Damn, put it out!" Ryo yelped.

"How in the hell am I supposed to—WOAH!" as the rope snapped, Leo fell crashing down into the lap of a Grecian statue, while Ryo landed roughly upon him.

"Ari! Are you okay?" Ryo gasped, looking upward to him with worry after overcoming the shock.

"I landed…. On the car keys…" Leo answered hoarsely, and both shot their heads upward at the sound of sudden deep laughter.

"What happened to people using the back seats of their car for such nonsense?" he asked with a smile as he began to scale down an invisible stairway, his arms folded behind his back.

"Who in the hell are you!" Ryo shouted angrily.

"Just… Someone with a score to settle…" he remained in the shadows as he walked closer to them, now on the marble floor. Leo quickly drew his gun, and the man only smiled and chuckled at this gesture.

"You honestly think that will stop me?" he drew out his hand, and as he pulled forward, Leo's gun went flying, and landed in his hand. "If you two have anything else to say, I'll ask you to make it quick, while I'm in a charitable mood."

"I… I do have some things I want to say," Leo sat up on the statue, Ryo still in his lap. He took Ryo by the shoulders, and looked downward at her. He pressed his face to hers, much to the shock of Ryo, and as he pulled away, she gave a knowing nod, and looked over her shoulder.

"Are you both ready… To meet your end?"

"Eh, I would, but I've got a hair appointment Tuesday," Ryo answered, and with that, she went sailing back, rolling onto the floor shooting while Leo quickly removed his Walther and also began to fire. The figure gave what started as a small chuckle, then escalated into a full-scale cackle as the bullets zoomed though him.

"Damn it, he's a hologram!" Ryo shouted, and rose from the ground. The alarms then sounded, and Leo slid off of the statue and grabbed onto Ryo. "Wait, the music!"

"Aiee…" Leo groaned and ran to the case, quickly busted this with his gun and shoved it in his jacket. "So much for taking the quiet approach!"

"HALT!" the night guards shouted, and bullets began to fly in the air, directed at the two. Leo took off running, followed by Ryo, and the two quickly escaped into the basement of the museum.

"Jesus, too close…" Ryo panted, and looked over as she heard bizarre noises begin to resonate from her right. She looked over to Leo, who had pulled down his tie and was now gasping for air. "Oh, damn it, why now! Leo, calm down!"

"I…. I can't…. We're trapped… Ryoko, I don't want to go back to jail," Leo puffed in between sharp breaths.

"…We won't," Ryo looked upward to a crate that was lying with its top unopened, and smiled. "Just… Calm down…"

"The dust is killing me," Leo muttered, and Ryo felt around until she found a bag, opened it, tossed its contents aside and then handed it to Leo.

"Breathe… Come on, breathe…" Ryo ordered, her eyes widening as she read over to label upon the bag. Leo looked down to it, and gave a yelp as he tossed aside the back labeled, "Exhibit 2A: Civil War Medical Instruments". Leo then went back to his heavy panting, and Ryo moaned, grabbed onto his tie and kissed him. Leo, in response to this, immediately relaxed, and Ryo stood as she wiped her mouth clean and walked over to the box.

"What's there?" Leo stood shakily and looked into the crate.

"Think we can do something with this?"

"Well, I was never really the actor out of us, but I think we can manage," Leo answered, pulling out the samurai helmet and placing it upon his head.

Outside:

"What in the hell's taking them so long?" Ally looked to his watch and then back to the museum.

"They probably just are having a tough time getting through security," Toshiro gave a shrug, and glanced over to the museum. "What's wrong with you? You're on edge…"

"Just… Got a lot on my mind right now," Ally murmured. "And why the hell I should tell you—"

"Drop the tight-ass act, I know that's all it is—An act. Now, what the hell's wrong?"

"I… How in the hell it happened, I dunno, but… I'm gonna be a dad," Ally murmured. "I mean, it's not like I'm Ari! I actually believe in protection!"

Toshiro's face broke into a smile, and he patted Ally upon the shoulder, "Congratulations, I—"

"Save it," Ally muttered. "When Fuji hears, she'll hit the roof."

"But Fuji isn't your wife."

"Yeah, I kinda figured out that much. But haven't you noticed it? We all left her, one by one. Ari went off and started his family, then you and Yuki left her, Ryo, Heiji, Dori… Me. She can't even have kids of her own and… I can't help but feel like I'm throwing it in her face!"

"Well, you know, you gave her one thing none of us did."

"My virginity?" Ally asked plainly.

Toshiro's eyebrows shot up at this leaking of information, and he cleared his throat after recovering from this blow, "Urm, no…. Hope. I mean, you got her pregnant, didn't you?"

"It could've been me or Heiji, we'll never know for sure. But I think that's what finally sent her over the edge. Add in Jurgis' death, and… Well, crap like this starts to go down."

"Well, no one said the life of a thief was an easy one," Toshiro sighed and sat back in his seat, and both men bolted as they heard a distinct sound that could only be described as bloodcurdling screams.

Inside the museum, the once calm and collected guards now ran from what they saw as being angry demons, who clanged and clunked about loudly in heavy samurai armor as smoke filled the air.

"Who has disturbed us!" Leo shouted in Japanese, trying to hold back a laugh. Ryo watched as one guard, clearly a skeptic amongst the bunch, drew his gun and fired. She was quick to dodge this, even in her heavy armor, and jabbed toward him with a spear, missing him by inches.

The two had the guards cornered when there was the sound of screeching tires, and the Romeo crashed through the front doors of the museum, which were glass. Toshiro worked to brushed off the glass while Ally sped forward, and the samurai stood up in the car as Jigen approached the two faux ghosts and took either by the arm, and helped them into the still-moving car.

"Move over!" Ryo tossed aside her helmet and climbed into the front seat beside her brother while Leo looked over the sheets of music he had lifted and wondered how he would ever explain this to Max.

"Don't worry, I'll return these when I'm done with them!" Leo shouted back to the guards, and was nearly struck by a bullet from hostile gunfire. Toshiro quickly drew one of his swords, however, and the bullet was sliced.

"Home?" Ryo called to her teammates.

"Home!" the three men shouted in unison.

"All right," she smiled, shifted gears and spun about, now confusing the guards even moreso by driving straight toward them. They were too busy dodging Ryo's tires to continue to fire, and Jigen-Lupin escaped through the same hole Ally had made in the glass.

A different area of Paris:

"New York? You want me to go with you?" Fuji gasped as she and Mamoru drank coffee early in the morning, after he had walked in from what he referred to as, 'Last minute editing on a track'. Fuji glanced over the tickets in her hand and then looked upward to Mamoru, who only gave a nod and a smile as he placed his arm about her.

"And Japan after that, and Australia after that," he said quietly. "My band's going on tour with a pop singer, Young-Lee. She's a Korean artist who—"

"Oh, yeah, I know her!" Fuji snapped her fingers and smiled. "I haven't seen her in forever, though! Ha ha, this'll be great! You better watch out, we get along like we were sisters!"

"You have? You do? My God, you really are full of surprises," he kissed her and then broke his hold from her, and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. "We'll leave tonight, so, if you want to call anyone to let them know, I—"

"Nope. No one," Fuji answered quickly and sternly as she followed him up the stairs. "I'll call my parents on the plane. They're used to me doing it, after all of these years. What's one more badly timed phone call, right?"

"…If you're really sure about it."

"I'm positive," Fuji gave a sigh and a weak smile to him. "Sorry…. I just…. After everyone's done it to me, let's see how they like it when they're ditched."

"A little bitter, are we?" Mamoru laughed and placed his hands upon her shoulders and smiled. "I'm sure they're good people, but they're just that—People. Don't invest too much faith in a single person, or a group of people. It almost always lead to disappointment, Fuji."

"Hrm?" Fuji looked him over, and chuckled. "Then what about you, huh? Should I not trust you, but go with you to New York, and then Japan, and then Australia after that?"

Mamoru blinked with surprise a moment, and then gave a chuckle, "Well, I said almost no one."

"And why do you think I could invest my trust in you, hrm?"

"Because I love you," Mamoru answered much to a stunned Fuji's surprise, and he added worriedly. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No… I… It's just different, is all," Fuji chuckled. "I guess I…. I guess I love you, too."

Paris:

"Ow…" Leo shuddered as Max applied alcohol to the blood upon the side of his face, where a bullet had struck him. "Ow!"

"Jeeze, don't be such a baby about it," Max sighed and placed the lid upon the bottle, and sat back on the floor. "All done. Makes me wonder where the good old Leo went when I see you cringing over a little cut."

"The good old Leo? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, from what Ally's been telling me you used to kick ass and then take names," Max shrugged and stood. "Even when we were kids I have a couple of memories of you beating up some other guys."

"Eh, probably false memories… Y'know, like how you think things you see on TV are--"

"Leo," Max rolled his eyes and sighed, seating himself beside Leo on the edge of the bed in their hotel room. "I saw a glimpse of him when you killed that guy who was after Dako…"

"The guy who looked like Snape?"

"Erm, yeah… Well, you may have to bring out a little of that again just to survive this guy, if Lupin's right about how powerful he is."

"I'm not crazy at the thought of becoming some blood-thirsty maniac, Max."

"I'm not asking you to!" Max sighed and brushed his hair back. "Just don't…. Don't hesitate if it comes down to killing this guy; it'd be the best for all of us if you did."

"….You're afraid I'm gonna show mercy on him, aren't you?"

"Well, I, um… Listen, just don't hesitate to put that bastard in the dirt. I know if I see him, I won't."

Leo was about to comment upon this, but there are a knock on the door, and Leo sighed and rose, opening the door to the hotel room to see Ryo standing in front of him, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I know it's late, but we made it out of there alive."

"What? Oh… What, now?"

"What's up?" Max craned his head and saw Ryo in the doorway, then looked to Leo with slight questioning.

"I wanted to go over some plans with him… Is it okay if I borrow him for an hour, Max?" Ryo asked, clasping her hands together hopefully. "Think of it as payback."

"Payback? For what?"

"Well, that kiss," Ryo winked and chuckled, and a flustered Max paused a moment, then waved the two off.

"I'm heading to bed. Touch him and you'll never get out of the Taiwanese prison I leave you in," Max murmured.

"I'll make sure he behaves," Ryo answered, pulling Leo by the hand and then shutting the door behind them.

"What in the hell is this about?" a flustered Leo asked, walking beside Ryo down the hallway.

"Well, I…. It's not often I even see you anymore. C'mon, I know a nice diner around here, it'll be a good trip before our flight to New York tomorrow."

"You realize that I'm a marked man, right?"

"Mm-hm. Right here," Ryo placed a finger upon Leo's chest, and flicked his nose after he looked down to his tie. Leo gave a grumble and rubbed his sore nose while Ryo only gave a chuckle. "Looks like you haven't changed at all."

"You're kinda immature for a married woman."

"I could say the same about you," Ryo smirked. "You're the guy who does cartoon voiceovers."

"Because I needed a job!" Leo answered with a huff, and followed her out of the hotel and down the street to a nearby Italian diner, which was open in the dead hours of the Parisian night. "So, what's this all about anyway, Ryoko? I mean, really?"

"I just wanted to have the chance to talk to you… All those years ago you left, and we've never just sat down. Do you even realize how long we've been broken up?" Ryo asked as she seated herself at one of the small wooden tables inside the diner across from Leo.

"Well… I left, then a year passed, and I—"

"Eight years."

"What! It can't be that long, I mean, I—"

"How old's your son?"

"Which one?" Leo chuckled lightly, and then gave this some genuine thought. "Crap, you're right! I got Arlene pregnant, and…"

"Then proceeded to get Cecilia pregnant, and I'm sure one of these days you'll get Max pregnant. You can sneeze near a woman, and she gets pregnant from you," Ryo glanced to her menu, then sighed quietly. "Any of them but me."

"Is this about that again?" Leo moaned. "It's a kind of painful thing for both of us, should you really be dredging it up?"

"I was on birth control."

"What?" Leo blinked and ordered a glass of juice while Ryo opted for tea from the waitress. "Um… Good to know… That usually controls your chance of giving birth."

"I know," Ryo gave a sad smile and glanced to the candle that sat in the middle of the table. "I was just afraid of being a mom at that young an age. I still liked boozing it up, dancing and partying, and you were so excited about a family, so…"

"You never told me," Leo nodded. "Well, I always did kind of wonder…. But, why are you telling me this now?"

"Guilt," Ryo smiled and shrugged. "Fuji had her own miscarriage around that same time, but she was so brave about it. I think the only person who wanted a family more than you was her. Where in the hell that gene came from, I'll never know… I think there's a good chance of her being with this guy because there's a chance that she might finally get what she wants. She's extremely jealous of you, you know."

"Mm…. Bills, having to learn sign language to communicate with my son, wondering if giving him hearing aids is even a good thing to do, stroking Max's ego, making sure Jared's not climbing on anything or Dako's not in a fight… Yeah, that's something to be jealous of."

"But she still loves the idea of it… Proving that she's indeed crazy," their drinks arrived, and Ryo ordered a plate of lasagna while Leo ordered a salad.

"Watching your figure?" Ryo chuckled after Leo had placed his order.

"Yeah, well, I'm gaining weight off of Max's cooking."

"I thought you looked a little fatter," Ryo said plainly, causing Leo to choke upon his juice. "Relax, it's not a bad thing, you look better a little more filled out."

"I just don't wanna turn into freakin' Dom DeLuise," Leo murmured.

"I was wondering…."

"No, he wasn't in The Producers. That was a different fat guy," Leo answered, finishing his drink and setting down the glass. "Trust me, I know that movie well enough…"

"Do you still love me? You kind of hinted at it."

"Ryoko… Don't make me answer that… You know how hard it is."

"Ari, please, if you do nothing else for me…"

"Fine. Yes," Leo answered with a sigh. "Just… I love Max, too. And I love my family, and I love my kids, and I love the bikes on the front lawn, or Max's tantrums, or when he gives me a haircut, or when Jared's painting the walls of the house. I love you, but there's a lot more to love than just saying it. Have I given you what you wanted now? Happy?"

Ryo gave a smile and looked at her drink, "No, actually. Not at all. I feel the same… Still a little hungry, and kind of tired."

"Me, too," Leo muttered, and leaned back in his chair. "Well, at least we got that all out of the way, eh?"

"Hey, Leo… I know I'm taken, but I've still got an opening for a gay shopping buddy. You interested?"

"Me? Shopping? You'd have better luck with Max… I swear to God the biggest mistake I ever made was putting him on my account."

Ryo chuckled and shook her head at this, "Well, you are really cheap. But, would you be interested in being my friend?"

"Obligatory gay friend, neh? Well, I've never been anyone's stereotype, but there's a first for everything," Leo looked upward to her, and then spoke in a lispy, effeminate tone. "You know, if we're gonna be seen in public together, you've simply got to do something about that Speedracer outfit, sweetie."

Ryo laughed loudly and placed a hand over her mouth, "Oh my God! You do that so well!"

"Practice… Max drags me to the Castro whenever he can," Leo shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "So you given any thought to having kids now?"

"With Victor? Mm… Not sure."

"Why not? Does he have trouble…?"

"Victor! Oh! Oh, hell no, that's not an issue," Ryo said with a wave of the hand. "It's just that—Well, hypothetically speaking, if he--"

"Urm, you could always look up some stuff online," Leo shrugged. "Or ask my dad."

The two were quickly interrupted as the restaurant suddenly began to shake lightly, and then more violently after a few moments. The glasses were the first to burst, followed by the lines of wine bottles, and then the light bulbs hanging over the tables. Ryo gave a yelp, and Leo quickly took her by the wrist and ducked beneath the table with her.

"What in the hell's going on!" Ryo shouted over the pandemonium. "An earthquake!"

"Doubtful," Leo muttered and removed his gun, just as Max had advised him, pulling upon it with his teeth and locking a bullet in place.

In the hotel, there was a similar situation. Heiji had been sitting in the same room as Ally when the roaring movement began, and Ally went rolling off of the couch. He quickly crawled beneath this furniture as the lamp burst in their room, leaving them in darkness.

"This isn't right at all!" Heiji shouted as he moved beneath the coffee table, taking his laptop along with him.

"Well, no crap!" Ally said with a growl. A pair of ice skates that had been laying upon the dresser fell, and after a few more moments, these began to move, before levitating off of the ground and digging themselves into a wall.

"Aw, NO! No, no, NO!" Heiji moaned as the computer screen flickered and died. He then looked over to Ally, who was clenching his head tightly. "Ally! What's wrong!"

"Turn off that damn noise!" Ally growled in pain. Heiji stared at the scene about him helplessly, and then, all at once… It stopped. All of the metal that had been flying about the room dropped, and Ally collapsed with exhaustion. Heiji scrambled to his feet, and ran for Toshiro and Yukiko.

"He's got a metal plate in his head," Yukiko explained a short time later, exiting the bedroom and drying her hands from the towel she had placed over Ally's forehead. "And metal wiring from having his jar broken."

"He's like the freakin' tin man," Toshiro exclaimed quietly, and Yukiko only gave a tired glare before turning back to face Heiji.

"Well, is he gonna be all right?" asked Heiji, looking over his shoulder to Ally. Max was in the room beside them, speaking hurried English into his cell phone and then finally falling into silence.

"Ryo's not picking up, and Uncle Jigen never called them," Max explained, walking out of the bedroom into the hall with the other three. "I have no idea where he is!"

"Maybe they're…" Toshiro trailed off and looked upward toward the ceiling tile as Max's expression darkened.

"Leo's a lot of things, but he'd never cheat on me," Max hissed to Toshiro through gritted teeth. "No way, no after everything. He's not like some other people."

"What the hell's that mean?" asked Yukiko, looking above her fedora.

"You're just scoring big with everyone tonight, aren't you, Big Red?" Heiji said with a tired, smug look upon his features.

Toshiro looked to Heiji with a glare, and took a step toward his brother, "You know what, Heiji? You can—"

"Ryoko!" Yukiko shouted and ran to the exhausted figure in the hall. Ryo's clothing was torn, and there was blood seeping from a small wound upon her forehead. She slowly crept down the hall, leaning against a wall for support, and then collapsed. She was on the floor for less than a second before Yukiko caught her and pulled her up, dirtying her own white suit in the process.

"They took him…" Ryo murmured before her head bobbed and she passed out in her sister's arms.

"Take him! Where'd they take him!" Max yelped, jumping toward Ryo, his eyes wide with panic.

"Hey, lay off her, will ya!" Toshiro snapped. "She's fainted! She's gotta get some medical attention!"

"Get the hell off of me!" Max shouted, and pulled off Toshiro's hand, and went to smack the samurai with his other hand, but this blow was taken by the sheath of Toshiro's smaller sword, Izanami.

"Try to hit me again and you'll earn yourself a one-way ticket to hell," Toshiro said warningly.

"Could someone get her! She's heavy!" Yukiko shouted, and Max quickly turned from Toshiro, and helped Yukiko to carry her sister into the bedroom.

"Lay her on the couch," Yukiko ordered, and Max did so, with the help of Toshiro.

Ally opened one eye, and both shot open with recognition as he realized the state of his older sister. "Ryoko!" he shouted, and rose, only to grip his head and fall back onto the bed.

"Wow, relax, Buddy, we've got her," Heiji said in a calming voice, taking Ally by the shoulders and easing him onto the bed.

"I'll call Victor and let him know what happened," Toshiro announced and disappeared into the bathroom with his cell phone.

"Ryo, what happened?" asked Yukiko quietly.

"There was… Like… An earthquake…" Ryo muttered, and turned her head to a side. "Yuki, I'm really sleepy…"

"What?" Yukiko's eyes widened, and she shook Ryo by the shoulders. "Ryo? Ryoko, don't go to sleep, all right! Please don't go to sleep!"

"But, I…"

"Ryoko!"

New York, the afternoon:

Odori looked about the large stage with great worry and took another step forward. Jordan sat leaned back in a seat of the large amphitheatre, his arms across his chest while Namiko sat clapping her hands happily as she watched her mother cross the stage.

"Go, Mama!" Namiko cheered, and Odori drew a nervous smile.

"You'll do great," Jordan reassured her, and rose from his seat, and hopped up onto the stage. "We'll get this done with, and we'll be on a plane for Hawaii before you know it!"

"I never want to wear heels or dye my hair again as long as I may live," Odori murmured. "I should have gotten Fuji to do this… She would have loved this."

"Have you heard from Fuji recently?"

"Urm… No. What purpose would she have to call me? I don't even have a cell phone," Odori admitted.

"Wow, this place is terrific!" both turned their attention to the sound of a squeal, and watched as Fuji walked hand-in-hand with a tired looking man by her side. "Wha….. Dori-chan!"

"Fuji!" Odori spat back in horror, and was totally unprepared as Fuji leapt onto the stage and spun the small woman about. "What in the hell are you doing here!"

"More importantly, how'd you know it was her?" Jordan asked, tilting his head to one side.

"That's easy!" Fuji said with a wide smile after finally letting a dazed Odori set her feet back upon the ground. "Dori-chan's got the bigger chest!"

"I… Uh…" Odori's face reddened, and she cleared her throat, and placed her hands across her chest uncomfortably. "You… You still haven't answered my question!"

"I'm here for a friend of mine," Fuji answered with a smile, and looked over to Mamoru, who remained in the back of the stadium, going over specifications with the lighting designer. "Hey, Mamoru! Come here, I want you to meet some people!"

"What the heck?" Jordan muttered as he heard his cell phone go off, and blinked. "I've got reception?"

"Jeeze, what, is that phone like five years old or something!" Fuji asked with a laugh.

"Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Jordan muttered. "….Forty-seven missed calls… Thirty new voicemail… Text inbox at full capacity… Urm, I've gotta take these calls… This might be a while." He then hopped off of the stage, lifted Namiko in his arms, and then made his way out of the stadium. As Namiko passed Mamoru in the front entrance, she curled against her foster-father protectively, burying her face in his chest and clutching onto her doll. Both Mamoru and Jordan gave puzzled looks at this gesture, and Jordan held the young girl tighter than before as a result.

"This big place scaring you, huh, Nami?" Jordan said with a knowing smile as he bunched in what he thought was his access code to his voicemail.

"Invalid selection… Please try again," the phone answered in its monotone voice.

"What? But…. It's my birthday…" Jordan muttered, and stared at the phone for a moment, "….My birthday is the eleventh, right? ….It's gotta be sometime in July… Maybe the twelfth? Aie… Why couldn't I have just been born on the fourth!" Jordan turned about to head back to Odori, but Namiko only shook her head and clutched onto Jordan tightly. "Fine, we'll stay here," he sighed as he lost the last of his resolve and seated himself on the steps of the front entrance, and continued to type in numbers.

"So…?" Fuji clasped her hands together and smiled. "Do you remember what yesterday was, hrmmm?"

"I believe Lost was on, but it was a rerun," answered Odori with a raised eyebrow.

"You watch it for the Korean guy, don't you?" asked Fuji with a chuckle.

"No—The American with the accent," Odori answered quickly, and then continued. "It was your birthday, wasn't it?"

"Yup! And something else, too!" Fuji smiled and held up her hand, revealing a ring.

"What!" Odori nearly fell out of her heels, and looked over Fuji in wide-eyed shock, 'She's engaged before me! What sort of hell am I in!'

"Hehe… I've met this great guy," Fuji answered with a confident air. "I know, I know… It'll be sad seeing me go off of the market, but I turned twenty-eight yesterday!"

"You must have turned stupid, as well! How long have you known this man!"

"About a week… But that doesn't matter. You're just jealous because all you and Jordan do just about is hold hands," Fuji said with a smirk.

"How did—Nevermind! I am not jealous of you, I'm simply wondering where you left your brain! I'm thinking it's still in baggage!"

"Dori… Hehehe… You're jealous," Fuji shrugged and folded her arms. "And why would I be taking insults from someone who looks like Rainbow Brite, anyway?"

"You'll pay for—" Odori felt about for her sword, but remembered it was still behind stage. "If I had Zantetsuken with me, you wouldn't have to worry about getting your hair cut again, because you wouldn't have a head!"

"Yikes… I come to share good news with you and you're just blowing up at me!"

"Because you're acting like an imbecile!"

"Maybe," Fuji leaned inward. "But I'm happier than I've been in months, Dori, and he's been there for me more in this entire week than you all have been this year."

"….You've made your own grave," said Odori somberly as she turned away from Fuji and directed her attention to the microphone at the head of the stage. Fuji only shrugged this off, and walked back down the stairs to Mamoru.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's all perfect," Fuji muttered.

"I forgot something back at the hotel room, would you mind hanging around here a little longer?" Mamoru took her by the shoulders and faced her with a smile upon his face.

"I, urm…"

"I won't be long," Mamoru added, and kissed her before breaking his embrace with her. "I'll be right back, I promise!"

"Yeah…" Fuji nodded and waved numbly and watched as he hopped down the stairs and to one of the limousines parked out front. "Don't be too long…."

"Fuji!" Jordan shouted in a panic and ran back to the front of the stadium. "Where'd that guy go?"

"Our hotel room," Fuji answered plainly, folding her arm.

"Wait…. You and him…?"

"What, I can't have a serious relationship?"

"Fuji, you've gotta listen to me, he's bad news."

"Oh, God! You, too! Jordan, I think you should be one of the last people giving me relationship advice," Fuji leaned against on of the backs on one of the plastic chairs, and Jordan's expression immediately changed to one of insult.

"What's that mean?"

"You're good at math!"

"Ugh. Listen, anyway, Leo's missing—"

"What!"

"And it gets worse… Ryo's in the hospital," Jordan said with a gulp as Namiko struggled to find a comfortable position in the arms of her step-father.

"H-how bad?"

"Fifty-fifty," Jordan answered, and looked Fuji squarely in the eye. "They think this guy you're seeing's got something to do with it, Fuji."

"Mamoru? Hehe… No way," Fuji shook her head and chuckled. "Not him. No way would he—"

"What makes you so sure!" Jordan shouted, and now the duo was drawing the attention of the people bustling about, preparing for the concert. Namiko cringed, and Jordan sighed and stroked the little girl's hair. "Listen…. How much do you know about him really, Fuji?"

"I know that he's a good person, he's treated me the best I think I've ever been treating, and that there's something really special about him."

"Yeah, specially psychotic!"

SMACK! Fuji heaved her breaths and her fists remained clenched as a stunned Jordan recovered from the blow delivered across his face. Namiko gave a whimper and began to weep quietly, and Fuji's expression softened, and she looked to the little girl with regret.

"Nami, I…"

"No," Namiko scooted away as Fuji reached out to her, and Lupin pulled back, and stormed away from both, headed toward one of the inner recesses of the stadium.

A storage shed, out in a more rural area of town:

"I'm really sorry about this," Mamoru sighed and shrugged after Leo had come to. "I mean… I hear you're a really great guy, but we've all got our obligations. And after this, I'll be free of mine."

"What… What in the hell are you….?"

"Hey, don't talk, I need you alive a little bit longer," said Mamoru reassuringly. "I heard about your friend, and… I'm really sorry about it all. I didn't mean for her to get hurt. I already made sure some of the best doctors in the area are looking after Ryoko."

"We… We don't want anything from you!" Leo hissed.

Mamoru gave a sigh, and stood upright, "I guess you've never been one to listen… Well, from what I heard. Which isn't much, actually. I just know you're a Lupin."

"So you're killing me on those grounds alone?" Leo asked, blinking a few times.

"Well… Not those alone. See, your dad destroyed mine, so I promised him on his deathbed I'd take you out…. Now, you're probably thinking 'why you', right? Well, he told me that it'd be one thing to kill Lupin, but another to kill the son who bears his name. You get where I'm going? Wow, I guess you must wish you were named something else at times, huh?"

"Tried it."

"Yeah… That didn't work out for you…." Mamoru rose and placed his hands in his pockets. "I'll make your death quick because I really respect you, Arsène. I like to think we could've been friends in another life."

"If you're going to refer to me by my birthname, at least call me 'Ari'."

"Heh, all right, I'll bite," Mamoru shrugged as he slowly paced about the room. "So, is there anyone I should send condolences to?"

"Like I'm really going to tell you that," Leo said with a smirk.

"You don't have to," Mamoru revealed from one of his pockets Leo's warn wallet, and began to sift through it. "Jeeze, carry cash, much?" he muttered as he pulled out a large number of euros and American dollars. "Let's see…. Who's this guy, your friend?"

Leo answered plainly, "He's my husband."

Mamoru's eyebrows shot up, and he blinked, looking over the photo once more, and then to Leo, "It's okay, I work in the music business—I'm used to your kind. Who're these three? ….These boys, they look like you. Your children?" Leo only remained silent, and Mamoru glanced upward to him, "I promise I won't bring any harm to them… I love kids. I'm actually thinking of trying with this girl I just met a little while ago. She… She's really something special."

"She must be, if she sees something in you," Leo snapped, and this was greeted by a blow on the back of the head.

"I… Sorry," Mamoru gave an apologetic shrug as Leo cringed from this blow. "I guess I don't know my own strength. I'd offer you some Tylenol, but I don't see the point. You're going to be dead by tomorrow morning."

"Why don't you just kill me know, and get it over with?"

"You know, I would, but… I've heard it's better to mess around with a hostage, first. Men have been known to go mad in your situation, Mr. Lupin."

"Been there, done that," Leo said with a smirk. "And I'll recommend you to a nice asylum once I get out. The one I was at had some terrific food. Tuesday's pizza night!"

"Wonderful…" Mamoru answered plainly, and unlocked the door to the otherwise seamless prison. "I'll see you in the morning, Mr. Lupin… You can bide your time until then, I'm sure. And, if you get out of your restraints, I promise that you still won't be able to escape here. So, I'll give you something to keep yourself busy, if you get a little frustrated." With this said, Mamoru revealed a gun, and set it upon the ground at Leo's feet, "You might as well; why die at the hands of a stranger, when you could go out like a warrior?"

Leo said nothing in response to this, but watched as the heavy door closed behind Mamoru, and then stared downward at the gun.

Later that night:

Mamoru stood overlooking the crowd, and could not hide his apparent nervousness behind his usually calm expression as he peered out from behind the stage. Fuji smiled at him knowingly and placed a hand upon his arm, "I know you'll do great… And tomorrow we'll be outta here, and a month from now I'll never have to hear the name 'Lupin' again, as long as I live."

"Lupin?" Mamoru frowned, and blinked several times; what did that mean, exactly?

"Well, yeah… I, urm…" Fuji smiled sheepishly, and bit her lower lip, "I haven't been that truthful, but… I thought if I told you that you'd just think I wanted something from you. But all I want is for us to be happy, now."

"You're… You…."

"I'm Lupin the Fourth," Fuji answered. "And I'm hoping you don't hold it against me."

Mamoru's mouth hung open in stunned silence, and when he went to speak, he heard his name called, "Fuji, why…"

"Good luck," Fuji kissed him and then took a step back. "Lemme know when you get out of there, all right? I've got some pretty good news for you."

Mamoru heard his name called once again, and turned away from her, his mind reeling over what to do.