Fujiko sat in the armchair, her head hung low. She tapped her foot on the floor in impatience. She had been waiting for an extra hour for Lupin. The sound of footsteps came from outside the door. She shot up from the chair and drew her pistol.

The door flew open, cracking against the wall. Lupin was panting in the doorway, water pouring off his clothes. His eyes were bulging out, and his hair was mussed.

"Lupin!" Fujiko put her gun back in its holster. "I hope you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting." She crossed her arms. "Well? Where's my crown?"

Lupin snarled like an angry wolf. "I lost it. Along with my dignity!"

"What?!" Fujiko slapped him, and water sprayed off his hair. "How could you?!"

He stomped into the room. Dirty water dripped onto the floor. He glared at the couch and chair and then just sat down in the middle of the floor. "It's all their fault," he grumbled. He propped his head up on his right arm.

"The police's fault?" asked Fujiko.

"Hmph. Of course not. You think Zenigata's IQ doubled overnight?" Lupin snarled again. "No. You know whose it really is? Think. Who's supposed to be there to check for those sneaky security cameras?" Lupin suddenly stood up, still glaring at the floor. "Who's supposed to cut down the barriers in my way? Who's supposed to be there for me?!" Lupin ran up to Fujiko, grabbed her by her collar, and shook her back and forth. "Who, Fujiko?!"

She shrieked. "Lupin, stop!" She shoved him back. "You're overreacting again! Now run and dry off, already! I'll chew you out when you're more sane."

Lupin cursed under his breath as he walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later he trudged back into the living room with no clothes on, with a towel wrapped around him. He lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

Fujiko sat down in the armchair, across from him. "Well?"

"How can they do this to me?" Lupin quietly asked. "How can they selfishly dump me like this?"

"I told you, Lupin, you don't have to worry. " Fujiko smiled. "This will all blow over soon. And aren't they really only attracted to women, anyway?"

Lupin closed his eyes. He sighed, and wrapped the towel tighter around himself. "How soon is soon, Fujiko? A few days? Weeks? Months? Even years?" He rolled onto his side, so his head was pressed against the couch cushion. "The sad thing is, I know exactly why this happened. I shouldn't have kept teasing 'em like that. I should have known that the fact that they haven't been laid in years was equivalent to a decade of being stuck in prison."

Fujiko gasped. "Lupin! That's going too far!"

"What? It had to be said." Lupin pushed himself back up to a sitting position. "They even had the nerve to ask me to pick them up from their... date. Do they think I'm their frickin' chauffeur?"

"Lupin... I'm sure everything will be all right."

Lupin got up off the couch. He walked back to the door of his bedroom. "Easy for you to say, Fujiko. You don't have supporting characters like I do. I admit it, I screw up sometimes. But on the rare occasion when that occurs, I'm not supposed to escape from Pops with just my jacket on my back! And it's ruined now, anyway!" Lupin went inside his bedroom to look for new clothes. He stuck his head back out. "So if you want to make yourself useful, get busy thinking of a way to get back at my so-called friends!" He slammed the door.

Fujiko looked away. She sighed.

Misakichou, Ishigaki's entertainment district, was ideal for Jigen and Goemon. The bar scene started late, so even at eleven p.m., they didn't have to endure lots of tourists and drunkards. By one in the morning, Jigen and Goemon had had enough cocktails. They knew Lupin wouldn't bother driving them home at three a.m, and they weren't ones for partying all night anyway.

The main street of Misakichou was just starting to get busy when they left the bar. The sounds of DJs playing bass-heavy music made their heads pound. It didn't help them that they were drunk. Their cheeks were flushed even though it was still humid outside.

Rain was falling, so no enticing bar girls stood outside that night. Aside from the occasional car speeding by, Jigen and Goemon were alone. Goemon had the foresight to bring an umbrella, so he and Jigen wouldn't get wet waiting for Lupin. The umbrella also blocked the headache-inducing light of the neon signage plastered everywhere outside the buildings.

"I don't get it. Why'd they think we'd waste our money on beer if we can get a cocktail for only a hundred yen more?" asked Jigen.

"Could... be imported," Goemon said, sleepily.

The two of them listened to the rain splash to the ground, and to the sound of the water rushing down the street.

"Y'know, it's funny." Jigen looked up at the umbrella, watching how the shadows of the raindrops played with the light from the streetlights overhead. "I used to wanna share an umbrella with somebody 'cause Lupin always did it with the chicks he picks up."

"Used to?"

"Yeah. This has got to be way better." Jigen pulled Goemon closer.

Goemon closed his eyes. "Mm hmm. The women who betrayed you were foolish. I'm very blessed to be here with you."

They were silent, content just to lean against each other. But after about half a minute, it clicked in their minds that Lupin was nowhere nearby gauging their interactions. Goemon blushed deeply and tightened his hold on the umbrella until his knuckles turned pale. Jigen released Goemon and took a step away from him.

"Uh... I-I didn't mean it like that!" Jigen shouted.

"No. It's fine. I am the one who overstepped boundaries."

Jigen frowned. "No, I know you're just acting. Don't be ridiculous. But what I said I meant in a friendly way—I mean, no, wait, I was just acting, too!"

"Right. And I knew you were acting, and I was acting, and I take back what I—I mean, there's nothing to take back, because—"

Jigen looked away. "We're drunk."

Goemon cleared his throat. "Yes. Very, very, drunk."

Water splashed onto the sidewalk as Lupin's yellow Fiat pulled up to them. Lupin had the steering wheel in a crushing grip, and Fujiko was sitting beside him. She stared out her window.

Lupin rolled his window down partway. "Hurry up! We ain't got all day!" he yelled.

"Ah, Lupin, tell us, did you steal the crown of Yonaguni?" Goemon asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Lupin growled. "How long didja make out for? What's that? None of my frickin' business, you son of a bitch?! Well, same to you!"

Jigen and Goemon stared at him.

Fujiko laughed nervously. "Lupin's just been waiting for us to have some alone time. You two understand, don't you?" She winked.

Goemon closes the umbrella, and shakes it dry. He and Jigen get in the car. Immediately, they turn away from each other and only look through their respective windows. In the front seat of the Fiat, Lupin glares at each raindrop that falls down in the hazy drizzle. Fujiko glances at him nervously.

An emotional, seventies' rock ballad plays. The grey scene in the car changes to a melancholy, dimly lit stage, with a matte painting of a stormy beach as backdrop. Jigen stands on the stage, and begins his verse.

JIGEN:

Why do I waste my time with this misery?

Is it 'cause I get to be miserable in his company?

How insanely stupid can I be?

One-sided love's a safe haven,

so why don't I feel secure?

There's a typhoon out at sea,

so how come I'm unhappy here on shore?

I just don't think I can go back,

to the way things were before,

now that I've glimpsed something more.

I need to let the curtain fall and shut this door.

The curtain does fall. The set goes black, fading into the blurry image of a path. The sky is at twilight time, and there are no plants or animals around. Goemon walks onto the path, and he sings.

GOEMON:

I used to walk down my path all alone,

accepting that it was my own,

but now I've lost the fight.

Though I always chase after realization,

I wish I had not realized

that I need his guiding light.

If this is only illusory

why do I hope he cares for me?

As the moon pulls the tide,

honestly, I don't want to leave his side.

Why did this disaster have to be

one I did not foresee?

JIGEN:
I'll stick to my tune.

I know it's for the best.

GOEMON:

This is all a test!

Their verses stop bleeding into each other. The image of Lupin replaces them. He's standing on top of the lighthouse at the tip of Ishigaki island, but nobody is around. He's gazing into the cloudy sky in the middle of the night. He sings mournfully.

LUPIN:

Don't they see they're making me depressed?

I've been left on my own too soon.

Why do I have to live though all this gloom?

I've always been an escape artist,

so why can't I free myself from this?

When I wasn't paying attention,

they stole each other from me.

I should have known they weren't just jealous and jaded.

They both stare all enchanted.

I never should have taken them for granted!

How could I have ever dared?!

These scene at the lighthouse fades away to a shot of Lupin again, but this time, he's back in the hideout. He's laying with his head on the living room table. Fujiko watches him, but she doesn't reach out. She sings quietly, to that Lupin in her thoughts.

FUJIKO:
Why do I feel so scared

when I see the ennui hidden in his eyes?

Why does he sit there so apathetic,

thinking of nary a plan?

I know he's not that kind of man!

The way I'm so worried for him now,

I wonder, is it really a surprise?

Oh, if only I could help somehow,

if there were a magic treasure I could steal,

I'd give it up to him and help his pain to heal.

But...

FUJIKO, JIGEN, AND GOEMON:

It's not my place to tell him this.

These thoughts I must conceal.

This situation is so strange,

how can it be real?

Suddenly, the melody changes. It swells, transforming into a reprise of "Complainin' in the Rain." This time, it has its own character, becoming almost morose. All four thieves sing in their minds, the image of their faces sharing the same scene.

ALL:

Why do I stumble?

And why do I sigh?

Why is it that all

I seem do is deny?

Why has this happened?

Everything fell apart.

It's ever so wrong to feel

this pain in my heart.

Why is there nothing

I can think of to do?

It's because I'm still living,

a life without you.

The music returns to the original melody and quiets down. Lupin and the gang arrive back at the base of Mt. Nosoko, to the entrance of their hideout. Lupin stops the car, and they all get out. They climb into their base in silence. They walk through the living room. Still not saying a word, Jigen and Goemon go back to their shared bedroom. Fujiko sighs. She leans over to Lupin and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Lupin doesn't seem to even care, and she leaves, going back to her own room. Lupin shuts off the light in the living room. He sings again, while walking to his own room.

LUPIN:

I just sit around now,

my mind bathing in regret.

I'm losing the drive,

and the memories

I thought I'd never forget.

Tell me, could this be the breaking

of our thieves' quartet?

With that final verse, Lupin opens the door to his bedroom. He shuts it slowly, letting it creak like a long-forgotten rocking chair.