Digimon Fan Fiction / Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Catch Me If You Can ❯ What's In a Name? ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: DigistarDBZ 
Ken first encounters the mysterious young thief 'Lu-chan'...
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction / Lupin III Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Comedy / Police | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.03.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 4.2K | Status: Completed
Ken first encounters the mysterious young thief 'Lu-chan'...
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction / Lupin III Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Comedy / Police | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.03.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 4.2K | Status: Completed
Catch Me If You Can
by DigistarDBZ
===
Chapter 1: What's In a Name?
===
The only sounds that went down the dark alleyway were the sounds of running- a man running, to be completely precise. Following the running was the sounds of loud buzzing as a winged, green creature followed behind the man closely.
"Stingmon, go around the back, we'll try cornering him!"
With a nod, the creature took to the air before the man even noticed it leave. Drawing his Colt .45 out of his coat, he crept towards the edge of the alley and waited. 'He thinks he can get away, does he?' He thought, his brows furrowing. 'Not while I'm on duty, he's not.'
He had only seen the theif briefly- recently, he had taken his wife out to see the Technology expo that had come to town- the first time in a while he had been able to take his wife out alone to see anything at all since.. well, since before their third child was born, maybe earlier. But he couldn't cloud his mind with fine details- he knew that he had gotten a report about a break-in and that a thief had made off with several thousand dollars worth of experimental and brand-new computer equipment.
He had only seen the thief briefly as he got away- the moonlight bearly caught him, but the man knew that the thief was close. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the thief would leap right onto the ground if he had the mindset that the coast was clear.
A collection of crashes and incredibly loud gunshots caught the man by complete surprise. In a panic, he lept out of the alley with his gun cocked and ready to fire at whoever came into his path.
"FREEZE! You're under arrest!!"
The only reply he got was a figure in the night landing with a loud 'thump' to the ground and bouncing a bit on the pavement before finally skidding to a halt. Once the man relized what had just landed, he re-holstered his gun and ran to the side of whatever had just fallen.
"Wormmon!! What happened?! Are you all right?!"
The chubby green insect was bruised, banged-up completely disoriented as he tried to look for whoever was holding him. Taped to his forehead was a piece of paper with a note scribbled on it.
"I'm sorry, Ken," Wormmon mumbled incoheriently, trying to get the piece of paper off his face. "I tried to corner her, but she had a Digimon with her. He was way too strong.."
The man's attention was immediately turned to the note on Wormmon's forehead. He tore it off (not even paying attention to how hard he did it until he heard the little Digimon yelp in pain from it) and took a look at what was written on it.
Hey, I know you want to arrest me tonight,
But I've got to try out this new software.
A word of advice: Don't quit your day job! <3
-Lu-chan
Needless to say, Detective Ken Ichijouji was nothing short of infuriated as he crushed the note in his shaking fist. He absolutely *hated it* when a criminal got away.
====
"Ichijouji, my office."
Ken sighed as he heard the commissioner's rough voice speak from his deskside intercom. He didn't have any doubts that this would be about last night's getaway and the failure to capture the suspect. He had to try and explain the note- still crumpled up, but smoothed out as best he could by laying a stack of books on top of it.
He took the note out of the pile of books and trudged the walk to Commissioner Takehiro Urameshi's office.
"Ken, I got your coffee- ..Ken?" Wormmon had only just come back from getting coffe for his human partner, just to see him walking away. "What's wrong?"
"Wormmon, stay at my desk, the commissioner wants me. I'll let you know what happened afterwards."
"Is this going to be about the robbery last night?"
"Ichijouji, my office! What's the hold-up?"
"I'll get to you later, Wormmon! Let me talk to the commissioner first."
Not looking behind him as he walked, Ken opened the door to the office and was then asked to take a seat. Normal doors were still in use despite the invention of computer-generated holodoors, more often in older buildings like the police station. But the last thing Ken wanted to think about was doors- all he could think about was how to explain the incident last night.
"Now, Ichijouji," Commissioner Urameshi began, filing the papers on his desk. "Tell me what this whole 'note' business is about and why you couldn't catch this thief."
"The whole force has been trying for weeks to catch him, comissioner," Ken replied, turning his eyes in many places around the room, but still not making direct eye contact with Commissioner Urameshi. "He's illusive, like he's always just a step ahead of us. This was the first time I was put on the case to attempt an arrest, so I wasn't sure what exactly I was getting myself into."
"I understand that, this 'Lu-chan' as the notes state.. he's toying with us, I just know it. Like he's higher than the law." In disgust, Commissioner Urameshi took the cigarette he was smoking and smashed it into his ashtray. "Bah! What man *is* above the law, I ask you! All criminals get their comeuppance in the end and we all know it!"
"I know sir, but-"
"And if he thinks that he can outsmart Commissioner Takehiro Urameshi and the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he's dead wrong!! He'll be in custody and have to face the world for what he's done, that's what!"
"Sir, if I might make a statement-"
"And what could *you* possibly say in this guy's defense, Ichijouji?"
The angry, daring tone in his voice forced Ken to hold his tounge. He would've told the comissioner that all this 'Lu-chan' had been accused of stealing from incredibly rich corporations, the wealthy elite, auction houses and the like, but never was reported to kill, counterfiet or otherwise harm anyone. But he decided that the comissioner's mindset was not one to listen to reason at the moment.
"...No, sir."
"Good, get back to work and leave that note at my desk. If there are any more developments in the case, I want you back here the minute they come in."
"Yes, sir."
Now, while Wormmon was asked to wait at Ken's desk, he just couldn't help himself but to wait outside of the comissioner's office for him- he was always like this for Ken, for as long as he could remember.
"Why didn't you tell him the truth about that 'Lu-chan' person, Ken?" Wormmon's voice surprised Ken out of his stupor, and while he was a little disappointed that his Digimon partner didn't really do what he told him to, Ken realized that by this time, he should know that his safety always ruled over Wormmon's common sense.
"You know how Urameshi gets when he gets into those emotional highs, he's bound to do anything if you push his buttons too hard." Ken sighed as he began the walk over to his desk. "The problem is, even if I know this guy's criminal record, no one has a shred of idea of who this 'Lu-chan' is!"
"Well, they'd be bound by this time to have found out who he really is," Wormmon assured him as the two returned to Ken's desk. Ken slumped into his chair before rubbing his temples. "The only way they would have limited data is if this is a new guy."
"New?" Ken seemed almost insulted that anyone would think of the thief that thwarted him the night before as 'new to thievery'. "He sure didn't act new- Urameshi considers me one of the best detectives on the force!"
"It's well deserved, but.."
"But what?"
"There was also the partner Digimon she had. I don't know how, but the only thing that could knock me out with only a few shots is nothing short of a Mega-level Digimon!"
Ken sat up in astonishment. "Mega? How? Is she a Digidestined, too?"
"I never saw any Digivice, but I do know that the Digimon she had with her Digivolved- I thought it just went to Champion, but the way he defeated me sure told me otherwise!"
Now, by this time, everyone on Earth had their own Digimon partner- that's at least 10 billion Digimon running around, to be exact. But it was incredibly rare for a Mega to show up as a partner- let *alone* one that could _Warp_ Digivolve. The only peoples' Digimon he knew could do that was Tai's, Matt's, T.K.'s, Kari's, and of course, Davis' Veemon and his own Wormmon; DNA-Digivolved, of course.
"He shot me at least three times! And I don't think all the painkillers in the world could get rid of the sore spots."
"I believe you," Ken replied, leaning his head back and putting his hand over his face. "Now I have no idea what we're actually going to be dealing with.."
"You want me to get extra sugar for your coffee?"
"Just get the whole tray of sugar, I need to experiment or something."
====
"Daddy! Daddy's home!!"
Now, compared to the chaos of the field and the police department, hearing the sound of his children was music to his ears. Ken was more than happy to scoop up his 9-year-old son Sam as he ran to greet his father at the door.
"Hey, how's my big man of the house? You do good while I was at work?"
"Uh-huh! I changed Mamohiko's dipers twice today!" Sam said with a grin. "Then I searched all over the house to find all your handcuffs and stuff."
"I helped," a smaller voice said from behind Sam's head as the pinecone-styled body of Sam's little partner Minomon popped out to voice his addition. "He can't get into those small spaces without me."
"'Course not!" Sam replied.
"Daddy!" This time, a girl with long, black-blue hair just like Ken's and glasses ran up to hug her father. A Poromon flapped its small, chubby pink wings to follow her.
"Hey, there's my girl! I was wondering where you were."
"You catch any bad guys today?" She asked, looking up into her father's eyes.
"Not today, they didn't need me for any cases yet."
"Yet? I thought you were done for the day."
"Well, that's what it is to be a lawman, Yui," he replied as the two kids moved off to the side to allow their father to pass through. "But you know I'm with you guys a lot more, right?"
"Yep!" Came the unanimous reply.
He set his bags down on the couch and Wormmon hopped off of his shoulders.
"Yolei! I'm home!"
"With the commotion the kids make, it's never hard to know when you *do* come home," Yolei said with a smile, holding their baby son Mamohiko in her arms as she walked to meet him. "I missed you, like I always do."
"Me, too- it's always good to come home." He lent to give her a quick kiss before kissing Mamohiko's forehead as well. "How's my little guy?" He cooed as he wagged his finger in front of the giggling baby's face. "Yes, you're gonna be a big man just like me someday, aren't you? You are!"
"When are we gonna eat, mom? I'm starving!" Sam said as he tugged on Yolei's orange skirt. "Is Hawkmon done with dinner yet?"
"Give him some time, you know that dinner takes time to make, especially stir-fried shrimp rice. Maybe you should go see if he needs help."
"Okay, momma!" Sam ran off to the kitchen, with Minomon gripping to his shoulders.
"Yui, go help, too."
"Right, momma." Yui replied as she followed her brother. Poromon wanted to follow, but flew into a lamp instead.
With the kids gone into the kitchen, Yolei could now concentrate on talking to her husband about what had happened. "So, Ken.. about that thief you told me about last night-"
Ken sighed as he did his best to bring the topics from the rest of the day to the top of his mind. But he definately knew that even if he did come home to the peace and tranquility of his home--
"Be careful with that, Sam!"
"Oh, no!!"
*CRASH*
--Or at least peace and tranquility compared to his workday.. he would eventually have to face the problem that had been egging at him all day.
"Well, Urameshi went on his thing about how this 'Lu-chan' is a menace to society and the world as we know it and all of that.. but I know that this guy is just a thief- the Interpol records state that much."
"So why can't Interpol stop him if they barely know who he is?"
"Everyone thinks that this guy is new! But I find that incredibly hard to believe, like this guy had been stealing things long before the ICPO ever even laid their eyes on him."
"Well, if you ask me," Yolei replied, adjusting her hold on Mamohiko as she sat down on the edge of the couch. "I think you should try to find out who he is,a sneak thief like that eventually gets his cover blown in the end."
"But what makes you think I could do that?"
"Just try not to think about it tonight- you're home with us and all you should think about is that you're with your family and the only worry is how you're going to clean up the mess the kids just made in the kitchen."
The wink in Yolei's eye made Ken uncomfortable. He hated it when it was his week to clean the kitchen.
===
*The Next Day...*
"Ichijouji! Nice to see you again, man."
"Likewise, now let's get going!"
His reintroduction to his human police partner Katsuhiko Haruhara had to be brief- Ken scrambled into the police car as it started off almost with him not quite inside.
It was just one thing that could get the whole force going: Lu-chan had actually been spotted during the day.
"I hope this is it, Haruhara," Ken started as he kept his eye on the rear-view mirror, making sure that Stingmon and Katsuhiko's partner Digimon Yanmamon were still behind them. "Maybe this time we'll be able to catch him."
"Same here, this whole thing has been just nuts- I mean, Yanmamon got pretty banged up after we tried to confront his Digimon partner. I thought he just went to Champion, but-"
"Hey, I found out the same way."
*"Come in, car 475, this is car 244. Come in Officer Haruhara and Detective Ichijouji."*
With Katsuhiko driving, Ken decided to take the call on the two-way radio. "This is Detective Ichijouji, come in car 244."
*"We spotted a suspect fleeing from the robbery at the Junijirou Auction House, we're going to try to corner the suspect, we need you to go get the suspect into our car range."*
"Roger, Detective Ichijouji out."
====
Ken couldn't help but have a feeling of deja' vu as he rounded over the flowershop around three miles from the auction house. Stingmon backed him up while Katsuhiko went to gather the reinforcements to this location.
"Ken," Stingmon began, whispering. "What if his Digimon digivolves again? If I couldn't take him the last time, there's no telling how this one will turn out."
"I don't want you to engage the Digimon," Ken replied, keeping his Colt .45 drawn. "If anything, to keep them busy while Haruhara gets the others."
"Bait, eh?" Stingmon replied warily, unsure of what exactly Ken was getting at.
"Not 'bait', a diversion. We have to keep him occupied."
A running sound made Stingmon's antennae twitch. "Ken, he's coming!"
"Draw him out here, I'll corner and make the arrest!"
The flight was quick, but Stingmon landed in front of the thief and his Digimon before Ken even realized what had happened- just like he always did.
"This is as far as you go!"
The thief giggled merrily, which was strange to Stingmon because he had never known men to giggle at all.
"Didn't you learn anything from last time, Stingmon?" the thief said sweetly. "If you couldn't beat me and Impmon last time, how can you think you can now?"
"I don't intend to find you or your partner Digimon!"
The thief stepped out of the shadows and Stingmon tensed as he saw who the thief was.
"W.. wait just one minute!! You can't be a--"
"Of course I can!" the thief winked before pointing for his short, purple Digimon in a red bandanna to follow his order. "Get 'im, Impmon."
Impmon grinned as he lept into the air before he vanished into the sunlight's glare.
"Impmon, warp Digivolve to...."
====
A crashing sound alerted Ken to Stingmon's location, he cocked his pistol and ran with it held out in front of him to find his partner.
"STINGMON!" He shouted at the top of his voice, taking off down the alley. "I'm coming, partner!!"
Ken lost his balance as Stingmon flew past him, tumbling onto the sidewalk and hitting his head against a fire hydrant.
He managed to regain his senses enough moments later to see the theif and a towering black figure chasing after Stingmon. Scrambling to his feet, he made a mad dash to catch the chase down the marketplace.
"FREEZE! IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!!"
He fired two shots above their heads, to see if that would make them stop. The thief only paused a moment as her giant Digimon partner continued to chase Stingmon.
Before Ken realized it, he had already made a running leap and tackled the thief to the sidewalk.
"All right, boy! I don't know who you are, but this is as far as you're going!" He dug into his pocket to grab his handcuffs. "You're under arrest for--"
"For your information," Ken was shocked to hear that this thief he had been chasing had an unusually feminine voice. "I'm not quite the 'boy' that you think I am!"
Ken got out of the way and as the thief stood up, he could see 'Lu-chan' in all of his-- or rather as he had just found out, _her_ glory.
She had to be at least Yui's age, maybe older- her black hair was neatly trimmed short with trangle-cut bangs, and the longest her hair grew out was combed in front of her ears. She wore a grey private school girl's uniform with a green sweater and a yellow lapel tie under her collar, high knee socks glued in place and a pair of pink-white strap shoes.
"You... YOU'RE Lu-chan?!"
"You need a picture I.D.?" She asked sweetly, putting her hands behind her back as she bent up to look at the detective. "Of course that's me."
"Who are you." It came out more as a demand than an actual question, but Ken didn't even notice the difference in his furor.
"I already told you, I'm Lu-chan!"
"What kind of a girl is named something like 'Lu-chan'! It has to be short for something!"
The girl sighed, pacing. "Oh, poo. I was hoping not to get you all involved in who I was or at least have someone more *important* find out."
"Just tell me, you little brat! Who are you?!"
"Well, if you're going to get technical, my dad was so distraught that he had a girl after his wife died having me. He thought I was the biggest accident that ever happened to him, but grampa always knows how to improvise- so the line's decided to continue with a girl for once!"
Ken was disgusted at this girl. Not only would she mock him, thwart him and make a completely idiot out of him in front of the whole force, but she had to drag this whole ordeal out like it was some sort of joke!
"Hey, Lu-chan, the reinforcements are coming, we'd better get going," the voice of a young man said from a building top. "You done drawing it out yet?"
Ken looked up and saw four more figures standing there- one was the said young man in a dark green suit and fedora, the other young man was dressed in ninja gear that reminded him of Shurimon. Both of them had what he assumed to be their Digimon partners- a Deputymon and Ninjamon.
"Oh, fine. I'll be right up there, Kei!" Lu-chan huffed as she ran to the base of the building. "Beelzemon, it's time to go! Get your tail over here!"
His response came when Ken saw the battered Wormmon land at his feet, with the same spinning eyes as that night two nights ago. The tall Digimon then grabbed Lu-chan by the waist and tossed her up past the top of the building and she landed neatly between the two young men on the rooftop.
"Hey, pops!" She smirked as her tall, black-clothed Digimon joined her up there, de-digivolving back to his rookie stage as he landed. "Maybe we can play again next time! And if you ever want to get in touch with me.."
They began walking away, and Ken waited on baited breath for the girl to finish her sentence.
It was only as she nearly disappeared from sight, she then finished: "Just look up for Arséne Lupin the 5th!"
Ken's face went wide. He bearly noticed the note fall to the ground at his feet. All he could think of was the name- he knew that name (or something to that extent) from somewhere, perhaps in his studies or the news..
But whatever it was, he knew that he was going to get it and get it in spades from Commissioner Urameshi this time.
"Ichijouji!" Ken turned around to face Katsuhiko and Yanmamon as the reinforcements arrived only seconds too late. "You all right? What happened?"
"..It's a girl," Ken said as his shock began to simmer and bubble into rage. "...It's a freaking *girl*.."
"Girl? Who?"
Ken was silent as he picked up the mumbling Wormmon and made his trek back to the squad car. If this next blunder cost him his job, he wasn't entirely sure what he'd be able to do for his family.
"Katsu, what happened?" Yanmamon asked his partner as the two of them watched Ken get back in the squad car.
"..I think we found out who this 'Lu-chan' person is."
====
"...You're *what?!"
"You heard me, Ichijouji." Commissioner Urameshi said with his hands behind his back, looking out the window. "While that second blunder yesterday would normally get you in a crapload of trouble, your discovery of this mysterious 'Lu-chan' is probably the biggest achievement in your whole damn career."
"But.." Ken twiddled his fingers as the Commissioner continued to pace and puff his cigar. "Are you really sure about this decision? I mean, I'm not sure what Yolei and the kids would think--"
"Screw what they think, you're a man of the law!" the commissioner bellowed, slaping his fist on the table. "And a man of the law puts the *law* first, especially in his own home!"
Ken was silent. He never liked it when he made derrogative comments about his family, but always had to hold his tougne.
"It would make sense that this thief was really a Arséne Lupin descendant, especially with all the chaos worldwide that happened back in the 1970's up to around 18 years ago! Those Frenchmen and their brood, they're nothing but troublemakers!"
Ken rolled his eyes when he was sure that the commissioner wasn't looking. 'This sounds almost exactly what he said the other day..'
"Especially the females! They're even worse then the men! And if _this_ Lupin is young, nimble *and* a master hacker, you're the only man that I could count on to take that job."
"But I'm not familiar with-"
"When you get your first day done there, you'll have access to tools that we could only *dream* of having, the reinforcement of every single police squad in the world at your disposal and everything you could possible hope of having to catch the thief! This.. 'Lupin the 5th' as she's called."
Before Ken could even speak another word, the comissioner decided to finish the conversation, "You're perfect for the job, now go out there and catch that pint-sized French spawn. I expect you to be on that plane to Paris tomorrow with your items."
Wormmon was again waiting outside of the comissioner's office as Ken walked out, his face wide with confusion.
"Ken, is it really true?"
"I don't know, I just don't know what to think about it.." Ken said in a trance-like state. "I mean, I thought for sure I'd be discharged from the force for this, but just because I blow the lid on who 'Lu-chan' really is, he suddenly thinks I'm a superhero made for the big boys of the police.."
"But what will Yolei say? What will the kids say?"
"How am I supposed to know? All I know is that this case is going to be my life until I bring her to justice.. especially since Urameshi did this.."
Ken almost fell over trying to sit down in his chair, since he was so transfixed on the plane tickets, passports and confidential papers that the comissioner had given him:
There was no mistake about it, Ken just realized that he had been re-assigned as an inspector for the International Criminal Police Organization.
===
to be continued..
===
by DigistarDBZ
===
Chapter 1: What's In a Name?
===
The only sounds that went down the dark alleyway were the sounds of running- a man running, to be completely precise. Following the running was the sounds of loud buzzing as a winged, green creature followed behind the man closely.
"Stingmon, go around the back, we'll try cornering him!"
With a nod, the creature took to the air before the man even noticed it leave. Drawing his Colt .45 out of his coat, he crept towards the edge of the alley and waited. 'He thinks he can get away, does he?' He thought, his brows furrowing. 'Not while I'm on duty, he's not.'
He had only seen the theif briefly- recently, he had taken his wife out to see the Technology expo that had come to town- the first time in a while he had been able to take his wife out alone to see anything at all since.. well, since before their third child was born, maybe earlier. But he couldn't cloud his mind with fine details- he knew that he had gotten a report about a break-in and that a thief had made off with several thousand dollars worth of experimental and brand-new computer equipment.
He had only seen the thief briefly as he got away- the moonlight bearly caught him, but the man knew that the thief was close. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the thief would leap right onto the ground if he had the mindset that the coast was clear.
A collection of crashes and incredibly loud gunshots caught the man by complete surprise. In a panic, he lept out of the alley with his gun cocked and ready to fire at whoever came into his path.
"FREEZE! You're under arrest!!"
The only reply he got was a figure in the night landing with a loud 'thump' to the ground and bouncing a bit on the pavement before finally skidding to a halt. Once the man relized what had just landed, he re-holstered his gun and ran to the side of whatever had just fallen.
"Wormmon!! What happened?! Are you all right?!"
The chubby green insect was bruised, banged-up completely disoriented as he tried to look for whoever was holding him. Taped to his forehead was a piece of paper with a note scribbled on it.
"I'm sorry, Ken," Wormmon mumbled incoheriently, trying to get the piece of paper off his face. "I tried to corner her, but she had a Digimon with her. He was way too strong.."
The man's attention was immediately turned to the note on Wormmon's forehead. He tore it off (not even paying attention to how hard he did it until he heard the little Digimon yelp in pain from it) and took a look at what was written on it.
Hey, I know you want to arrest me tonight,
But I've got to try out this new software.
A word of advice: Don't quit your day job! <3
-Lu-chan
Needless to say, Detective Ken Ichijouji was nothing short of infuriated as he crushed the note in his shaking fist. He absolutely *hated it* when a criminal got away.
====
"Ichijouji, my office."
Ken sighed as he heard the commissioner's rough voice speak from his deskside intercom. He didn't have any doubts that this would be about last night's getaway and the failure to capture the suspect. He had to try and explain the note- still crumpled up, but smoothed out as best he could by laying a stack of books on top of it.
He took the note out of the pile of books and trudged the walk to Commissioner Takehiro Urameshi's office.
"Ken, I got your coffee- ..Ken?" Wormmon had only just come back from getting coffe for his human partner, just to see him walking away. "What's wrong?"
"Wormmon, stay at my desk, the commissioner wants me. I'll let you know what happened afterwards."
"Is this going to be about the robbery last night?"
"Ichijouji, my office! What's the hold-up?"
"I'll get to you later, Wormmon! Let me talk to the commissioner first."
Not looking behind him as he walked, Ken opened the door to the office and was then asked to take a seat. Normal doors were still in use despite the invention of computer-generated holodoors, more often in older buildings like the police station. But the last thing Ken wanted to think about was doors- all he could think about was how to explain the incident last night.
"Now, Ichijouji," Commissioner Urameshi began, filing the papers on his desk. "Tell me what this whole 'note' business is about and why you couldn't catch this thief."
"The whole force has been trying for weeks to catch him, comissioner," Ken replied, turning his eyes in many places around the room, but still not making direct eye contact with Commissioner Urameshi. "He's illusive, like he's always just a step ahead of us. This was the first time I was put on the case to attempt an arrest, so I wasn't sure what exactly I was getting myself into."
"I understand that, this 'Lu-chan' as the notes state.. he's toying with us, I just know it. Like he's higher than the law." In disgust, Commissioner Urameshi took the cigarette he was smoking and smashed it into his ashtray. "Bah! What man *is* above the law, I ask you! All criminals get their comeuppance in the end and we all know it!"
"I know sir, but-"
"And if he thinks that he can outsmart Commissioner Takehiro Urameshi and the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he's dead wrong!! He'll be in custody and have to face the world for what he's done, that's what!"
"Sir, if I might make a statement-"
"And what could *you* possibly say in this guy's defense, Ichijouji?"
The angry, daring tone in his voice forced Ken to hold his tounge. He would've told the comissioner that all this 'Lu-chan' had been accused of stealing from incredibly rich corporations, the wealthy elite, auction houses and the like, but never was reported to kill, counterfiet or otherwise harm anyone. But he decided that the comissioner's mindset was not one to listen to reason at the moment.
"...No, sir."
"Good, get back to work and leave that note at my desk. If there are any more developments in the case, I want you back here the minute they come in."
"Yes, sir."
Now, while Wormmon was asked to wait at Ken's desk, he just couldn't help himself but to wait outside of the comissioner's office for him- he was always like this for Ken, for as long as he could remember.
"Why didn't you tell him the truth about that 'Lu-chan' person, Ken?" Wormmon's voice surprised Ken out of his stupor, and while he was a little disappointed that his Digimon partner didn't really do what he told him to, Ken realized that by this time, he should know that his safety always ruled over Wormmon's common sense.
"You know how Urameshi gets when he gets into those emotional highs, he's bound to do anything if you push his buttons too hard." Ken sighed as he began the walk over to his desk. "The problem is, even if I know this guy's criminal record, no one has a shred of idea of who this 'Lu-chan' is!"
"Well, they'd be bound by this time to have found out who he really is," Wormmon assured him as the two returned to Ken's desk. Ken slumped into his chair before rubbing his temples. "The only way they would have limited data is if this is a new guy."
"New?" Ken seemed almost insulted that anyone would think of the thief that thwarted him the night before as 'new to thievery'. "He sure didn't act new- Urameshi considers me one of the best detectives on the force!"
"It's well deserved, but.."
"But what?"
"There was also the partner Digimon she had. I don't know how, but the only thing that could knock me out with only a few shots is nothing short of a Mega-level Digimon!"
Ken sat up in astonishment. "Mega? How? Is she a Digidestined, too?"
"I never saw any Digivice, but I do know that the Digimon she had with her Digivolved- I thought it just went to Champion, but the way he defeated me sure told me otherwise!"
Now, by this time, everyone on Earth had their own Digimon partner- that's at least 10 billion Digimon running around, to be exact. But it was incredibly rare for a Mega to show up as a partner- let *alone* one that could _Warp_ Digivolve. The only peoples' Digimon he knew could do that was Tai's, Matt's, T.K.'s, Kari's, and of course, Davis' Veemon and his own Wormmon; DNA-Digivolved, of course.
"He shot me at least three times! And I don't think all the painkillers in the world could get rid of the sore spots."
"I believe you," Ken replied, leaning his head back and putting his hand over his face. "Now I have no idea what we're actually going to be dealing with.."
"You want me to get extra sugar for your coffee?"
"Just get the whole tray of sugar, I need to experiment or something."
====
"Daddy! Daddy's home!!"
Now, compared to the chaos of the field and the police department, hearing the sound of his children was music to his ears. Ken was more than happy to scoop up his 9-year-old son Sam as he ran to greet his father at the door.
"Hey, how's my big man of the house? You do good while I was at work?"
"Uh-huh! I changed Mamohiko's dipers twice today!" Sam said with a grin. "Then I searched all over the house to find all your handcuffs and stuff."
"I helped," a smaller voice said from behind Sam's head as the pinecone-styled body of Sam's little partner Minomon popped out to voice his addition. "He can't get into those small spaces without me."
"'Course not!" Sam replied.
"Daddy!" This time, a girl with long, black-blue hair just like Ken's and glasses ran up to hug her father. A Poromon flapped its small, chubby pink wings to follow her.
"Hey, there's my girl! I was wondering where you were."
"You catch any bad guys today?" She asked, looking up into her father's eyes.
"Not today, they didn't need me for any cases yet."
"Yet? I thought you were done for the day."
"Well, that's what it is to be a lawman, Yui," he replied as the two kids moved off to the side to allow their father to pass through. "But you know I'm with you guys a lot more, right?"
"Yep!" Came the unanimous reply.
He set his bags down on the couch and Wormmon hopped off of his shoulders.
"Yolei! I'm home!"
"With the commotion the kids make, it's never hard to know when you *do* come home," Yolei said with a smile, holding their baby son Mamohiko in her arms as she walked to meet him. "I missed you, like I always do."
"Me, too- it's always good to come home." He lent to give her a quick kiss before kissing Mamohiko's forehead as well. "How's my little guy?" He cooed as he wagged his finger in front of the giggling baby's face. "Yes, you're gonna be a big man just like me someday, aren't you? You are!"
"When are we gonna eat, mom? I'm starving!" Sam said as he tugged on Yolei's orange skirt. "Is Hawkmon done with dinner yet?"
"Give him some time, you know that dinner takes time to make, especially stir-fried shrimp rice. Maybe you should go see if he needs help."
"Okay, momma!" Sam ran off to the kitchen, with Minomon gripping to his shoulders.
"Yui, go help, too."
"Right, momma." Yui replied as she followed her brother. Poromon wanted to follow, but flew into a lamp instead.
With the kids gone into the kitchen, Yolei could now concentrate on talking to her husband about what had happened. "So, Ken.. about that thief you told me about last night-"
Ken sighed as he did his best to bring the topics from the rest of the day to the top of his mind. But he definately knew that even if he did come home to the peace and tranquility of his home--
"Be careful with that, Sam!"
"Oh, no!!"
*CRASH*
--Or at least peace and tranquility compared to his workday.. he would eventually have to face the problem that had been egging at him all day.
"Well, Urameshi went on his thing about how this 'Lu-chan' is a menace to society and the world as we know it and all of that.. but I know that this guy is just a thief- the Interpol records state that much."
"So why can't Interpol stop him if they barely know who he is?"
"Everyone thinks that this guy is new! But I find that incredibly hard to believe, like this guy had been stealing things long before the ICPO ever even laid their eyes on him."
"Well, if you ask me," Yolei replied, adjusting her hold on Mamohiko as she sat down on the edge of the couch. "I think you should try to find out who he is,a sneak thief like that eventually gets his cover blown in the end."
"But what makes you think I could do that?"
"Just try not to think about it tonight- you're home with us and all you should think about is that you're with your family and the only worry is how you're going to clean up the mess the kids just made in the kitchen."
The wink in Yolei's eye made Ken uncomfortable. He hated it when it was his week to clean the kitchen.
===
*The Next Day...*
"Ichijouji! Nice to see you again, man."
"Likewise, now let's get going!"
His reintroduction to his human police partner Katsuhiko Haruhara had to be brief- Ken scrambled into the police car as it started off almost with him not quite inside.
It was just one thing that could get the whole force going: Lu-chan had actually been spotted during the day.
"I hope this is it, Haruhara," Ken started as he kept his eye on the rear-view mirror, making sure that Stingmon and Katsuhiko's partner Digimon Yanmamon were still behind them. "Maybe this time we'll be able to catch him."
"Same here, this whole thing has been just nuts- I mean, Yanmamon got pretty banged up after we tried to confront his Digimon partner. I thought he just went to Champion, but-"
"Hey, I found out the same way."
*"Come in, car 475, this is car 244. Come in Officer Haruhara and Detective Ichijouji."*
With Katsuhiko driving, Ken decided to take the call on the two-way radio. "This is Detective Ichijouji, come in car 244."
*"We spotted a suspect fleeing from the robbery at the Junijirou Auction House, we're going to try to corner the suspect, we need you to go get the suspect into our car range."*
"Roger, Detective Ichijouji out."
====
Ken couldn't help but have a feeling of deja' vu as he rounded over the flowershop around three miles from the auction house. Stingmon backed him up while Katsuhiko went to gather the reinforcements to this location.
"Ken," Stingmon began, whispering. "What if his Digimon digivolves again? If I couldn't take him the last time, there's no telling how this one will turn out."
"I don't want you to engage the Digimon," Ken replied, keeping his Colt .45 drawn. "If anything, to keep them busy while Haruhara gets the others."
"Bait, eh?" Stingmon replied warily, unsure of what exactly Ken was getting at.
"Not 'bait', a diversion. We have to keep him occupied."
A running sound made Stingmon's antennae twitch. "Ken, he's coming!"
"Draw him out here, I'll corner and make the arrest!"
The flight was quick, but Stingmon landed in front of the thief and his Digimon before Ken even realized what had happened- just like he always did.
"This is as far as you go!"
The thief giggled merrily, which was strange to Stingmon because he had never known men to giggle at all.
"Didn't you learn anything from last time, Stingmon?" the thief said sweetly. "If you couldn't beat me and Impmon last time, how can you think you can now?"
"I don't intend to find you or your partner Digimon!"
The thief stepped out of the shadows and Stingmon tensed as he saw who the thief was.
"W.. wait just one minute!! You can't be a--"
"Of course I can!" the thief winked before pointing for his short, purple Digimon in a red bandanna to follow his order. "Get 'im, Impmon."
Impmon grinned as he lept into the air before he vanished into the sunlight's glare.
"Impmon, warp Digivolve to...."
====
A crashing sound alerted Ken to Stingmon's location, he cocked his pistol and ran with it held out in front of him to find his partner.
"STINGMON!" He shouted at the top of his voice, taking off down the alley. "I'm coming, partner!!"
Ken lost his balance as Stingmon flew past him, tumbling onto the sidewalk and hitting his head against a fire hydrant.
He managed to regain his senses enough moments later to see the theif and a towering black figure chasing after Stingmon. Scrambling to his feet, he made a mad dash to catch the chase down the marketplace.
"FREEZE! IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!!"
He fired two shots above their heads, to see if that would make them stop. The thief only paused a moment as her giant Digimon partner continued to chase Stingmon.
Before Ken realized it, he had already made a running leap and tackled the thief to the sidewalk.
"All right, boy! I don't know who you are, but this is as far as you're going!" He dug into his pocket to grab his handcuffs. "You're under arrest for--"
"For your information," Ken was shocked to hear that this thief he had been chasing had an unusually feminine voice. "I'm not quite the 'boy' that you think I am!"
Ken got out of the way and as the thief stood up, he could see 'Lu-chan' in all of his-- or rather as he had just found out, _her_ glory.
She had to be at least Yui's age, maybe older- her black hair was neatly trimmed short with trangle-cut bangs, and the longest her hair grew out was combed in front of her ears. She wore a grey private school girl's uniform with a green sweater and a yellow lapel tie under her collar, high knee socks glued in place and a pair of pink-white strap shoes.
"You... YOU'RE Lu-chan?!"
"You need a picture I.D.?" She asked sweetly, putting her hands behind her back as she bent up to look at the detective. "Of course that's me."
"Who are you." It came out more as a demand than an actual question, but Ken didn't even notice the difference in his furor.
"I already told you, I'm Lu-chan!"
"What kind of a girl is named something like 'Lu-chan'! It has to be short for something!"
The girl sighed, pacing. "Oh, poo. I was hoping not to get you all involved in who I was or at least have someone more *important* find out."
"Just tell me, you little brat! Who are you?!"
"Well, if you're going to get technical, my dad was so distraught that he had a girl after his wife died having me. He thought I was the biggest accident that ever happened to him, but grampa always knows how to improvise- so the line's decided to continue with a girl for once!"
Ken was disgusted at this girl. Not only would she mock him, thwart him and make a completely idiot out of him in front of the whole force, but she had to drag this whole ordeal out like it was some sort of joke!
"Hey, Lu-chan, the reinforcements are coming, we'd better get going," the voice of a young man said from a building top. "You done drawing it out yet?"
Ken looked up and saw four more figures standing there- one was the said young man in a dark green suit and fedora, the other young man was dressed in ninja gear that reminded him of Shurimon. Both of them had what he assumed to be their Digimon partners- a Deputymon and Ninjamon.
"Oh, fine. I'll be right up there, Kei!" Lu-chan huffed as she ran to the base of the building. "Beelzemon, it's time to go! Get your tail over here!"
His response came when Ken saw the battered Wormmon land at his feet, with the same spinning eyes as that night two nights ago. The tall Digimon then grabbed Lu-chan by the waist and tossed her up past the top of the building and she landed neatly between the two young men on the rooftop.
"Hey, pops!" She smirked as her tall, black-clothed Digimon joined her up there, de-digivolving back to his rookie stage as he landed. "Maybe we can play again next time! And if you ever want to get in touch with me.."
They began walking away, and Ken waited on baited breath for the girl to finish her sentence.
It was only as she nearly disappeared from sight, she then finished: "Just look up for Arséne Lupin the 5th!"
Ken's face went wide. He bearly noticed the note fall to the ground at his feet. All he could think of was the name- he knew that name (or something to that extent) from somewhere, perhaps in his studies or the news..
But whatever it was, he knew that he was going to get it and get it in spades from Commissioner Urameshi this time.
"Ichijouji!" Ken turned around to face Katsuhiko and Yanmamon as the reinforcements arrived only seconds too late. "You all right? What happened?"
"..It's a girl," Ken said as his shock began to simmer and bubble into rage. "...It's a freaking *girl*.."
"Girl? Who?"
Ken was silent as he picked up the mumbling Wormmon and made his trek back to the squad car. If this next blunder cost him his job, he wasn't entirely sure what he'd be able to do for his family.
"Katsu, what happened?" Yanmamon asked his partner as the two of them watched Ken get back in the squad car.
"..I think we found out who this 'Lu-chan' person is."
====
"...You're *what?!"
"You heard me, Ichijouji." Commissioner Urameshi said with his hands behind his back, looking out the window. "While that second blunder yesterday would normally get you in a crapload of trouble, your discovery of this mysterious 'Lu-chan' is probably the biggest achievement in your whole damn career."
"But.." Ken twiddled his fingers as the Commissioner continued to pace and puff his cigar. "Are you really sure about this decision? I mean, I'm not sure what Yolei and the kids would think--"
"Screw what they think, you're a man of the law!" the commissioner bellowed, slaping his fist on the table. "And a man of the law puts the *law* first, especially in his own home!"
Ken was silent. He never liked it when he made derrogative comments about his family, but always had to hold his tougne.
"It would make sense that this thief was really a Arséne Lupin descendant, especially with all the chaos worldwide that happened back in the 1970's up to around 18 years ago! Those Frenchmen and their brood, they're nothing but troublemakers!"
Ken rolled his eyes when he was sure that the commissioner wasn't looking. 'This sounds almost exactly what he said the other day..'
"Especially the females! They're even worse then the men! And if _this_ Lupin is young, nimble *and* a master hacker, you're the only man that I could count on to take that job."
"But I'm not familiar with-"
"When you get your first day done there, you'll have access to tools that we could only *dream* of having, the reinforcement of every single police squad in the world at your disposal and everything you could possible hope of having to catch the thief! This.. 'Lupin the 5th' as she's called."
Before Ken could even speak another word, the comissioner decided to finish the conversation, "You're perfect for the job, now go out there and catch that pint-sized French spawn. I expect you to be on that plane to Paris tomorrow with your items."
Wormmon was again waiting outside of the comissioner's office as Ken walked out, his face wide with confusion.
"Ken, is it really true?"
"I don't know, I just don't know what to think about it.." Ken said in a trance-like state. "I mean, I thought for sure I'd be discharged from the force for this, but just because I blow the lid on who 'Lu-chan' really is, he suddenly thinks I'm a superhero made for the big boys of the police.."
"But what will Yolei say? What will the kids say?"
"How am I supposed to know? All I know is that this case is going to be my life until I bring her to justice.. especially since Urameshi did this.."
Ken almost fell over trying to sit down in his chair, since he was so transfixed on the plane tickets, passports and confidential papers that the comissioner had given him:
There was no mistake about it, Ken just realized that he had been re-assigned as an inspector for the International Criminal Police Organization.
===
to be continued..
===