The Picture, the Promise.. Ch9

Chapter 9: Mommy and Daddy
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DISCLAIMER: Don't own them, fellows. Never have. I wasn't even a thought in 67' when this series first came out. I know, big surprise there. Shocking, huh?
Hello,
We're almost done! I'm sorry, but it's late at night, so I don't have anything especially witty to put in here. Thanks again if you've read this far, and, if you're just skipping ahead to see if you'll like it, or you want to see how it ends ahead of time, please, DON'T! You'll just ruin it for yourself. Okay, enough begging, ur, talking… Enjoy chapter nine!
Chapter Nine
Day Nine: Mommy and Daddy
'He's as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man,
Can you see me at all?'
-The Beatles, 'Nowhere Man'
"I'll be here awhile, why don't you go look around?" Amaya asked, turning to Goemon. Both stood at the counter of an electronics store, waiting for a new computer part that Amaya needed. She had gotten the idea that she should upgrade the computer, and Lupin was all for this. So now the duo stood in a place that was like a second home to Amaya, but somewhat puzzling to Goemon.
"I suppose," Goemon replied absently as he looked around.
"Thanks for coming with me. I know you don't really care for these things," said Amaya.
"It's no problem," Goemon responded, "It's not that I don't care for them, I just don't see what the point is at times…."
"Well, they can help people in a lot of ways," Amaya replied, "They make life less stressful." Both drew their attention towards a frustrated man at the computer repair counter, and both watched in silent shock as he slammed his fists down on the computer over and over again.
"I'm going to go look around," said Goemon.
"Good idea," Amaya replied quickly as Goemon went to look around in the shop.
Amaya busied herself by peering into the glass cases while she waited for the clerk to come back from the back room. She suddenly heard someone walking towards her, and she looked upward, and her blood stopped cold. She could barely recognize him. She stood straight up silently as he placed himself behind her in line.
"Hello, there," Zenigata said with a wide smile and a tip of his hat, "Do you work here?"
"No," Amaya said quietly and shook her head.
"Oh, well, do you know anything about computers?" Zenigata inquired.
"Yes…" Amaya replied. Damn he looked so much older! What had his career done to him? She wanted more than anything to have Goemon with her at that moment, so he could make good on his word of slaying Zenigata. Why did she have to send him away?
"Do you think you could help me out really quick here, then? I don't know a damned thing about electronics, but, from what I understand, they're the best thing to use for my job," said Zenigata.
"You don't say…. Where do you work?" Amaya inquired.
"Interpol," Zenigata replied, "How about yourself? Do you work around here?"
"No," Amaya shook her head, "I—I live in Tokyo…"
"You don't say!" Zenigata said cheerfully, "I'm from Tokyo myself! Don't visit the place much anymore, though."
"Why not?" Amaya inquired. Her real question was 'Why don't you visit me?', but she withheld this. She didn't want to screw up and have Zenigata arrest Goemon, although this was doubtful. Still, it was too soon.
"My job," Zenigata said with a heavy sigh, "I travel all over the world trying to catch this one creep. Such a bastard…"
Yes you are, thought Amaya. But she withheld this interjection as well, "Don't you miss Tokyo?"
"Not really," Zenigata shook his head, "Miss my daughter, though."
"Oh, you have a daughter?" this peaked Amaya's interest.
Zenigata nodded, "She'd be about your age now, I guess. Haven't seen her in years."
"Why not?" asked Amaya.
"Well, I guess I think she'd pretty much hate me. I know her mother does," Zenigata answered, "But why should I bother you with all of this, right!" he burst out into a small stream of somewhat embarrassed laughter, and smiled at Amaya, which Amaya returned, "Sorry about that."
The clerk came to the counter with the computer part for Amaya. Amaya turned her attention to the clerk, and quickly paid and grabbed up her purchase and pulled Goemon out of the store as she exited.
"Wait, Miss Zenigata! You forgot your receipt!" the clerk called. But it was too late; Amaya was already gone. Zenigata shot his head over to the clerk and grabbed the receipt from his hand, "Hey, that's not yours!" said the clerk angrily, reaching back for it. Zenigata pushed the clerk away and looked down at the number on the receipt, and shoved it in his pocket and quickly walked out of the store. He looked around, but there was no sign of Amaya or the man she had come in with.
"That couldn't have been…." Zenigata trailed off as he looked out on the road, "It… No, it couldn't have been…" he shook his head and went back to his car.
Meanwhile, Goemon clung onto his seat while Amaya tore down the road, her eyes tearing up, "Are you sure you're in any condition to be driving!" he inquired. Amaya shot him a quick glare, and Goemon ducked as Amaya made a sharp right turn. When they finally pulled up to the hotel, all noticed Goemon looking sick as he entered the hotel with Amaya.
"Amaya, what happened?" Goemon asked, leaning against the doorframe of her room.
"Zenigata!" Amaya huffed.
"What?" this drew the attention of Fujiko, Lupin, Jigen, and Yukiko, and they began to intently listen.
"He was there…" Amaya sat down in front of the computer and began to disassemble it, "He didn't recognize me…"
"Well, he hasn't seen you in twenty years," Goemon replied, "Did he say anything else to you?"
"He… He misses me, so I guess that's a good thing," Amaya shrugged in faux indifference as she unwrapped the new computer piece and started the replacement procedure. She stopped halfway and put a hand to her face, "It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" Goemon let out a small tired sigh and sat down on the floor next to her. She rested her head on his chest, and Goemon looked upward at Lupin, who was peeking in the doorway. Lupin complied silently and closed the bedroom door.
"Damn," he shook his head and walked back into the living room, "I guess that means old Pop's is getting closer… Oh, well. In another two days, we won't be here, right?"
"Sure. We'll be in jail," Jigen answered curtly.
"Your optimism never fails, you know that?" Lupin said wryly.
"Lupin," Lupin turned his head in Fujiko's direction, "I need to talk to you later, all right?"
"Uh… Sure," Lupin replied. He turned his attention back to Jigen, "Hey, Jigen, I've got a job for you."
"Sorry. Day off," Jigen answered.
"You know…. We recorded the singing," Lupin said breezily. Jigen shot his head upward and sat up on the couch, "Glad I have your attention. I actually have two favors to ask of you, but first things first. I cannot translate this map, and Amaya's only one who knows German, or so I thought. After your little concert yesterday, I have total confidence in you."
"Fine. Lemme see it," Jigen stood and polished his glasses before he sat down at a nearby table where Lupin had spread out the map. He looked it over once or twice, and all looked in confusion as they saw him burst into laughter.
"What's so Goddamned funny!" Lupin demanded.
"Um… I don't know who yours and Kenji's source was, but they're just great," Jigen answered, trying to quell his laughter, "This is one hell of a great little setup…"
"It isn't a real map?" Lupin asked.
"Oh, it is. But not the kind we thought," Jigen answered, turning around in his chair.
"What is it, then?" Lupin demanded.
"It's a map to all of the best whorehouses in Germany," Jigen answered.
"What!" Lupin and Fujiko shrieked.
"Oh, you're kidding, Jigen!" said Fujiko.
"Do you think I could make something like this up? Die Freuer had quite a filthy little mind," Jigen replied.
"You're probably just reading it wrong!" Lupin snapped, grabbing the map from Jigen, "Never trust a guy with thick glasses to read directions right!"
"For as much as I paid for these glasses I hope not," Jigen responded.
"I don't believe this!" Lupin screamed, pounding his fist on the table, "This is such crap! Oh my God! This like some kind of awful comedic twist at my expense!"
"Hey, don't worry. Maybe some of those places are still in business," Jigen responded.
"But he'll never know," Fujiko replied quickly.
"What, you have him whipped?" Jigen inquired.
"Oh, like no one's ever had a collar on you!" Lupin snorted in skepticism.
"No way, man," Jigen answered, leaning back in his chair.
"What about Sakura?" Yukiko called out. Jigen lost balance of his chair and fell back onto the floor, and Lupin and Fujiko looked upward at Yukiko in horror. "What?" Yukiko asked innocently, looking upward at the two.
Jigen rose, and put his hat back on his head, "Just because I talked about her doesn't mean crap! For all you know, she isn't a real person!"
"Yes she is!" Yukiko snapped in response. Fujiko and Lupin looked over at Yukiko nervously, and made signals for her to stop. She did not see them, however, "She was Kenji's girlfriend!"
Jigen looked at her, his mouth half open in shock. His eyes then traveled over to a guilty-looking Lupin and Fujiko, "Why do you think that?"
"Jigen, I—" Lupin stopped as Yukiko began to speak.
"I put the clues together, like a detective! I just listened carefully to you!" Yukiko replied. Fujiko and Lupin let out small sighs of relief, and Jigen still stood there, stunned. Lupin was glad she did not mention him wanting to know about Sakura and Jigen's past together, and what it had to do with Kenji.
"I… Kid, people say a lot of crap that doesn't make sense," Jigen replied, "There's no Sakura, all right? It was probably just some dream I had. I can barely remember it now, you know that? Gone like a flash in a pan or those teenage pop bands."
"Okay," Yukiko nodded innocently.
Jigen had calmed by this time, and looked downward at Yukiko, "How about we go practice some more of that shooting, okay, kid?"
"Yeah!" Yukiko said happily and followed Jigen out after he had collecting everything they would need for the day.
"That liar!" Fujiko fumed as Jigen exited with Yukiko.
"Well, Fujiko, what do you want him to do? Believe me, he has his reasons for everything he does. Just trust him," Lupin replied.
"I can't, though!" Fujiko snapped.
"Come on, I trust you, even after all of the times you almost killed my ass," Lupin said with a brief smile as he remembered a few of the instances.
"That's because you love me," Fujiko replied with a smirk.
"Damned straight!" Lupin answered happily, "Now, there's another open room, and the kids are gone, so what do you say?"
"I say that that's pretty much out of the question about now," Fujiko replied, folding her arms.
"Come on!" Lupin walked over and lifted her up.
Fujiko let out a small scream of surprise, "Put me down! You don't do that to expectant mothers!"
"Expectant…" Lupin's arms fell, along with Fujiko. She hit the floor with a thud and grumbled as she rose and dusted herself off.
"You got it," Fujiko replied.
"No way!" Lupin shook his head, "There is no way you can know you're pregnant that early!" he turned, and saw Jigen had come back into the apartment, and he was looking at the duo in great curiosity. He looked down at the gin he had picked up and set it back in the refrigerator and pulled out the vodka. He also found two or three juice boxes and slowly and silently walked out of the hotel room, never taking his eyes off of the couple as he did.
"Fujiko, you can't be pregnant!" Lupin snapped.
"I can do whatever I want, thank you," Fujiko answered in reply.
"No, I mean…" Lupin scratched the back of his head, "You can't know this early! And how are you so sure, anyway!"
"Intuition," Fujiko replied.
"Intuition! That's it!" Lupin chortled.
"Never underestimate a woman's intuition," Fujiko snapped in response, holding a finger under Lupin's nose.
"I'm just saying—There's no frickin' way I can be a father!" Lupin replied, "I just can't be!"
"Trust me, Lupin," Fujiko answered.
"I want a test done before I'll believe it," Lupin replied.
"Fine," Fujiko picked up her purse and the car keys.
"Where are you going?" Lupin inquired.
"To get a test done," Fujiko answered.
"What! I'm telling you, it's too early!" Lupin replied.
"Not one month ago it wasn't!" Fujiko said.
"One month—" Lupin trailed off and tried to remember what had happened one month ago.
"That diamond at the gallery?" Fujiko said. Lupin still wore a blank look, "The broom closet?"
"Oh! Right, yeah!" Lupin's face brightened as he registered this, "Wait, you don't think—"
"I'll be back later," said Fujiko, waving Lupin goodbye as she exited the hotel.
"I don't believe this!" Lupin said, sitting down on the couch, "Jesus, if she's right, Jigen's going to go insane playing babysitter…"
A ways away from the Hotel:
"Your turn," said Jigen to Yukiko. She could not hear him with her earphones, but she could read lips. She turned and fired, shooting the can off of the fence, "Nice shot, kid!" Jigen yelled, and took his shot. Another can flew off of the fence, and he and Yukiko stopped to reload bullets. Yukiko took off her earphones as she did so, in case Jigen gave her crucial instructions.
"Hey… Kid…." Jigen started as he loaded his gun.
"Yes?" Yukiko looked up at him.
"Don't mention Sakura again, okay?" Jigen said.
"All right," Yukiko nodded as she clumsily loaded the bullets, "Did you like her?"
"I thought I just said—Well, yeah," a small smile appeared on Jigen's face, "So, if you're going to at least mention her, don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Don't worry, you can trust me!" Yukiko replied.
"Good," Jigen aimed his gun as one of the remaining cans.
"Did you marry her?" Yukiko inquired as she loaded the last bullet. Jigen's gun fired off, and he barely made the shot. He looked downward at Yukiko.
"Almost, Yukiko…. Almost," Jigen replied, "But, you know what? That's the past. And there's nothing you can do to change the past. All you can do is try to forget about it."
Later that Night:
Goemon could hear Lupin pacing back and forth in the living room of the hotel, and wondered how long the thief had been going. He was not exactly sure what was going on, but it had greatly disturbed Lupin. Amaya was still resting on him, looking blankly forward. He did not know exactly what to say to her about her ordeal, and decided that she would talk when she was ready.
"What do you think he'll say when he finds out you're my boyfriend?" Amaya inquired.
"I do not think it is any of his concern. It's not like he was there to help you grow up, why should he have any decision as to what you do with your adult years?" Goemon said.
"He's still my father, and he still loves me," Amaya replied.
"Yes, but do you love him?" asked Goemon.
Amaya paused a long while before she spoke, "Yes. I wouldn't be this pissed if I weren't. Sorry for the foul language."
"Foul language is the only language around here," Goemon responded, "Don't worry."
"What am I going to say to him?" asked Amaya.
"How about hello?" Goemon replied.
"For being a samurai, you can be a total smartass when you put your mind to it," Amaya said with a wry laugh.
"It's from living with Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko so long," Goemon replied. The door opened, and they saw Lupin in the doorway.
"I'm sorry, but I have to get my mind off of Fujiko," Lupin said tiredly.
"That's a first," Goemon retorted. His expression stiffened as he noticed Lupin's solemn expression, "What's wrong?"
"I…." Lupin sat down in front of the two at the low table and looked downward, "I don't know how to put this…." The door opened, and Lupin immediately ran to the living room, and was disappointed to find it was just Jigen and Yukiko. His shoulders slumped downward, and he fell back into the couch.
"What's wrong with you?" Jigen inquired, tilting his hat upward, "I know that map was a total disappointment, man, but we've lost more before! Come on, have some vodka. It'll cheer you up, I promise." Jigen removed the half-empty bottle from his jacket and held it out to Lupin.
"No, thanks," Lupin replied dully.
"Would you like to go out there?" Goemon asked Amaya.
"Why not? I can't mope forever," Amaya replied and stood with Goemon. The two walked out and sat down in the living room with Lupin, Jigen, and Yukiko. Yukiko ran over to Goemon and the samurai sat her on his lap. She was quickly falling asleep, he observed.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jigen waved a hand in front of Lupin, "Are you depressed over Fujiko? She screw you out of something?"
"You could say that," Lupin answered tiredly, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He looked over at Yukiko, and quickly looked away. Kids! Him! A father! No way! His grandfather had been ruthless and crass towards his father, and his father had been the same way towards him. He didn't want to turn into his father, was what it boiled down to. But good things might come out of it, too. He was just concentrating so hard on the bad things he couldn't concentrate on the good things.
"She's asleep," said Goemon, breaking the silence and glancing down at Yukiko.
"Come on, I'll help you get her ready for bed…" said Jigen, rising and exiting with Goemon. Amaya stayed in the living room with Lupin, and both occasionally glanced over at one another.
"You know, I've known Pops a while, and he's probably looking for you right now," said Lupin.
Amaya looked upward at Lupin, "You really think so?"
"Believe me, I know so. That guy doesn't let crap go for anything!" Lupin replied, trying to hide his anxiousness with his trademark ultra-hyper personality.
Meanwhile, Goemon and Jigen had just finished getting Yukiko changed and laying her down in bed when Goemon stood next to Jigen and turned to him, "Did you ever think about ever having any of your own?" Goemon inquired in a whisper.
"Me?" Jigen snorted, "The first step to that would be to find a relationship I can stay in."
"I'm sure you will. If I can find someone, so can you," Goemon responded.
"Thanks, I think," said Jigen, "I don't think so, Goemon. You know, some people are just meant to be loners. It's all right, though. I don't mind it."
"You're an awful liar," said Goemon. He turned and exited before Jigen had time to respond. He looked downward at Yukiko and adjusted her blankets, and smirked before he exited. He walked back out, and sat with the other adults. Lupin had gotten his mind of Fujiko, and Amaya seemed in better spirits. As Jigen seated himself, the door to their hotel room opened, and Fujiko walked into the hotel.
Lupin immediately rose and ran over to Fujiko, coming to a dead halt. He smiled in his cocky manner as he read her expression, "Ha! I told you it was too early to tell! You aren't even pregnant, are you!"
"What!" Jigen, Goemon, and Amaya all came to attention.
Fujiko looked upward at Lupin and smiled. Lupin's own smile faded as Fujiko put one of his hand's on her stomach, "Lupin the third, meet Lupin the fourth." She said with a smile.
"Lupin…. The…" Lupin sputtered. Fujiko nodded, and Lupin surprisingly let out a long joyful yell and lifted Fujiko up briefly.
"Well I'll be damned," Jigen said with a smile.
"I'm not doing diaper duty, just to let you know," Goemon added.
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