Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Daddy's Girl ❯ Faux Pas ( Chapter 17 )

Daddy's Girl

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine but I think I may have coined the term Titty Fairy, I'm not sure. Chamberlain realizes a mistake has been made while Jigen and Toshiko talk about her past.)

Part Seventeen: Faux Pas

Chamberlain walked into the factory he had been keeping Fujiko in, waved at his overnight crew and headed for his private office/apartment on the top floor. Once he was there, he sat down at his desk and looked through the paperwork that had been deposited there. On the very top were orders to have seven crates shipped to the other warehouse. He placed it into a basket until he could file them but he had more important matters to take care of before any office work could be done.

He looked toward his private sleeping quarters and wondered if Fujiko was awake yet. He was in the mood to punish her for making a really bad guess on Lupin's move. He should have thought better of acting on the woman's word since she had turned so quickly on her friends. ~Perhaps she told me that knowing full well Lupin would call the police, ~ Chamberlain mused as he got out of his chair and walked towards the bedroom.

He opened the door and smiled, finding the crate he had put Fujiko in was sitting in the middle of the room. He had ordered his most trusted worker with the task of making sure it made it up there and was glad to see the young man had come through once again. He walked over to the crate and smiled, running his hand lightly over the edge. Fujiko was bound to be awake since had only used a small dose of sedatives on her.

" Darling? " Chamberlain purred. " It seems I can't trust you after all. Lupin didn't show up. He called the police on me instead. I figured he would do such a thing so that's why I kept you here. "

" Mr. Chambers! " Someone was knocking at the door of his office and they were shouting very loudly.

Chamberlain growled and strode out of his sleeping quarters, slamming the door behind him. " What is it? " He shouted in return. " I'm right in the middle of something! "

" There are police officers downstairs and they want to speak to you! " It was Chamberlain's most trusted man, Hideki Mizuno. " They won't tell me what they want but they say it's important! "

Chamberlain narrowed his eyes, ~they must have looked up the records on the building. I suppose it is only logical. I'll deal with them then I'll deal with Fujiko. ~

Chamberlain opened the door, noting Hideki was as white as a ghost. " Oh my. Why don't you go get a drink or something? " Chamberlain patted the young man on the shoulder. " You look horrible. "

" Yes sir, " Hideki nodded then scurried off.

Chamberlain walked downstairs and found the police officers Hideki had spoke of. They were very run of the mill looking policemen. " Gentlemen, " Chamberlain bowed. The officers bowed in return.

" Are you Mr. Nicholas Chambers? " The taller of the two officers asked.

" Yes I am, " Chamberlain nodded.

" We have come here to let you know that there was a disturbance at your warehouse this evening, " The tall officer said.

" Oh my goodness! " Chamberlain put a hand over his mouth. " Was anyone hurt? "

" No. There was no one there, " The tall officer glanced at the shorter officer. He then looked at Chamberlain again, " It seems it happened after everyone went home for the night. "

" Oh. I see, " Chamberlain nodded. The factory was in operation around the clock but the warehouse workers all usually went home about six or seven in the evening. The shipments that went out after that time were handled at the factory.

" We are obligated to notify you since you are the owner of the building, " The shorter officer interjected.

" I understand completely, " Chamberlain sighed.

The officers looked at each other then nodded. The taller officer then bowed his head. " However, we are going to have to ask you to close the warehouse down for a day or so while we do an investigation. A woman was found in a shipping crate and we need to see if her kidnapper left any clues. "

Chamberlain felt his stomach fall to his shoe soles. " A woman? " He said. He knew all of the color drained from his face for the policemen became very concerned.

" Are you okay? " The tall officer took a step forward.

" I'm fine, " Chamberlain stated. " It's just such a shock to hear that someone would have the nerve to do that to some poor girl. Is she alive? "

" Yes, " The tall officer said. " She is dehydrated and was going into shock but she'll be fine. "

" Can I see her? " Chamberlain asked. " I would like to apologize for her misfortune. "

" That won't be possible, " The smaller officer said. " She is going to be kept under strict guard until we can find her kidnapper. It's a safety precaution you see. "

" Oh, " Chamberlain nodded. He was dying inside to get back to his office. He was pretty sure it wasn't just any woman they had found in the warehouse and he needed to talk to Hideki.

" You can send her some flowers in care of the police department but that's about all you can do. You cannot send any kind of presents or notes, " The taller officer explained.

" Perhaps I will send her flowers indeed, " Chamberlain nodded as he wrung his hands. " Is there anything else? "

" No. That is about it, " The taller officer bowed then the shorter one bowed. " I would have said have a good evening but I thought better of it because it has been pretty much ruined for you. "

" Yes, " Chamberlain nodded. Once the officers were gone, he turned towards the stairs that led to his office and frowned, " But I know someone who is going to have a much shittier night than I have. "

Chamberlain climbed the stairs and went back to his office. He expected Hideki to be there waiting but there was no sign of the young man. He heard the sound of a crowbar prying at wood in his sleeping quarters and went to see what was going on. He found Hideki breaking open the crate like a madman.

" Hideki! " Chamberlain shouted, the man stopping dead in his tracks.

" I heard what they said! " Hideki panted for breath. " Boss… I don't know how it happened. "

" But it happened, " Chamberlain walked over to the crate and jerked the crowbar away from Hideki. He finished opening the crate and found it was full of mattress covers, sheets and pillowslips. He turned to Hideki, " Where's the woman? "

" I guess she's with the cops now, " Hideki backed up as Chamberlain advanced on him with the crowbar. " The crates got mixed up. I don't know how it happened! "

" I told you not to take your eyes off her crate for a minute! " Chamberlain lifted the crowbar above his head.

" I'm sorry! I had to go to the bathroom! I was only gone for a few minutes! " Hideki put his hands up.

" You fucked everything up! " Chamberlain shouted as he swung the crowbar downward. Hideki dodged out of the way and turned. He put his arms in front of his face as he broke through a window that had been painted black. Chamberlain got to the window just in time to see Hideki fall into the water several stories below.

Chamberlain threw the crowbar down and grabbed his gun then decided against using it. The police were probably still close by and he didn't want to attract their attention or any suspicion. He put The Golden Gun back in his shoulder holster and turned on his heel. He took one of the side panels from the crate and put it against the broken window before sitting down on the bed.

He put his head in his hands as he looked down in the floor. He smiled to himself as he muttered, " My ace may be gone but I still have a few tricks left up my sleeve. "

**

Jigen could hear every little sound as he lay on the futon and stared up at the ceiling. The room was flooded with moonlight but it wasn't the abundance of light or the noises that was keeping him awake. His insomnia was caused by something else. The reason was lying right next to him, her breathing echoing in his ears.

Toshiko's proximity was making him uncomfortable in spite of the fact he had held her earlier in the day. He decided that he was uncomfortable because of what she had told him. He had never imagined that the girl liked him. He thought she'd hate him after he had shot at her but it seemed that didn't matter.

When he had come to bed, she was fast asleep again so he had tried his best not to disturb her as he slipped under the covers. He tried to keep his distance but the futon wasn't very big. He finally gave up and shut his eyes, trying to tune out the crickets and the other noises. ~Pretend you're sleeping alone… like every night for the last two years, ~ Jigen told himself.

He felt like he was finally settling down when Toshiko rolled over in her sleep, one of her arms going around his waist. He was even further unnerved when she pulled closer to him, snuggling into his side. She was lying on his right arm, causing it go numb after a several long unbearable moments. He tried to move his arm out from under her but stopped when it brushed against her chest.

He glanced down, trying to figure out a way to get his arm loose without touching her chest again. His tried to concentrate on his arm but his eyes kept getting drawn to her breasts. Fujiko didn't have to worry about Toshiko giving her any competition in the chest department but she was well endowed for someone her size. Jigen guessed her to be around five foot one at the tallest and a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet.

~ She's a small girl but she was sure blessed well by either her gene pool or The Titty Fairy… ~ Jigen thought as he wiggled his arm loose. He flexed it and his hand until the feeling came back into it. He went to put it back down but wasn't sure where to lay it. He had two options and neither looked good.

His first option was to put his arm over Toshiko's shoulder and down her back. He didn't want to do that because it would pull the girl closer to him. His other option was to lay his arm above the one she had slung around his waist even though it would put the back of his arm practically in her face. He decided the latter was the better of the two and did it.

He sighed in relief and tried to go to sleep again. He was jolted awake again when Toshiko trapped his legs to the floor with her left leg. " Oh that's it… this shit stops now, " He muttered. He moved his right hand to her shoulder and shook her gently.

" Huh? " Toshiko muttered sleepily. She opened her eyes and found she was almost on top of Jigen. " Mr. Jigen! What are you doing here? "

" There was a change to the change in plans, " Jigen sighed. " We decided it would be better if you weren't alone. "

Toshiko frowned, " You guys think I'm going to run away again. "

" From what we know about your past I think it's safe to assume that is a possibility, " Jigen said quietly. " I really don't feel like climbing trees in the dark. "

" I'm not going to run away again. I want to face my problems, " Toshiko muttered as she lay her head on Jigen's chest. " I want to be an adult. "

" Don't grow up any faster than you need to, " Jigen sighed in frustration. He woke the girl to make her move but she hadn't budged an inch. He tried to think of a nice way to ask her to get off but he was afraid of hurting her feelings. " Hey, Toshiko. "

" Yes? " Toshiko lifted her head to look at Jigen.

He thought she looked rather cute with her hair tousled from sleep. His thoughts slipped into unwelcome territory about how she would look from something else that would ruffle her long black locks but he quickly pushed those musings away. He knew he had to get her off of him or he would have a hard time keeping his mind off of how good she felt pressed up against him. It had been awhile, almost too long, since he had anyone as close to him as she was.

" Did you want to ask me something? " Toshiko furrowed her brow.

" Yeah. I'm not being mean but could you please get back on your side? " Jigen tried to sound as sincere as possible. " Goemon might think the wrong thing if he sees us like this. "

" Yeah, he might. Sorry, " Toshiko detached herself from Jigen. " Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. "

" I'm just not used to sleeping with a woman glued to me like that, " Jigen stopped short. He had almost said that he wasn't used to sleeping with a woman glued to him without having sex with her first.

" Oh, " Toshiko said as she propped herself up on her arms so she could look at him. " I move around in my sleep so if I do that again just push me off. "

" I'll keep that in mind, " Jigen said. " I'm glad Goemon didn't end up in here with you. He would have had a coronary if you had done that to him… if he weren't sleeping against the wall and out of your reach anyway. "

" He's really shy around women, huh? "

" He was forbidden from having anything to do with them when he was training so he's a little inexperienced, " Jigen chuckled. " He's a lot of fun to watch sometimes though. "

" Do you like picking on him? "

Jigen sighed, " I can't help it sometimes. He's too easy of a target. "

" Doesn't that sword scare you? I mean it looks awfully sharp, " Toshiko's eyes were wide with inquisitiveness.

" That thing scares me shitless, babe. I think if we weren't friends, he would have sliced me to bits long ago, " Jigen glanced at the ceiling. The more he looked at Toshiko the more he wanted her to latch onto him again and that scared him.

" Oh, " Toshiko muttered. " He seems like a really nice guy though. He's a little old-fashioned but I think that's what makes him cool. "

Jigen propped himself up on his elbows, " Do you think Lupin is cool too? "

" Yeah, " Toshiko nodded. " He was really nice this morning. I figured he'd be pissed I hit him but he wasn't. I was scared that he would try something since we were in the bathroom like that but he was a real gentleman about it. My roommate's brother would have knocked me down and… "

" Whoa, " Jigen sat up and grabbed Toshiko by the shoulders as she looked like she was about to cry again. " No more crying tonight, okay? Big girls don't cry. "

Toshiko gave a strained chuckle as she bowed her head, " Sorry. "

" Has that jerk done that kind of stuff to you before? " Jigen asked. " You don't have to tell me if it's too hard. "

" A few times, " Toshiko sighed. " Someone usually comes in and he stops though. "

Jigen put a hand under Toshiko's chin and lifted her head so he could look at her. " Is that why you ran away this last time? "

Toshiko bit her lip then nodded, " I couldn't stand it any more. My roommate and I were stealing some really great stuff but her brother would be on me any time we were alone together. He's gotten very close to… "

" Raping you? " Jigen finished Toshiko's sentence for her. He could tell he hit the nail on the head when her eyes filled with tears.

Toshiko sniffled, " Yes. "

Jigen wiped away the tears that slipped from Toshiko's eyes with a thumb. " I can see why you were so desperate to find your dad then. Did you think you'd be safe with him? "

" He's the only person I have left to run to. My mom wants me to get along with my stepfather but I just can't, " Toshiko whispered as more tears slipped down her cheeks. She took a shuddering breath, " He's so strict… "

" So I've heard, " Jigen muttered.

" You don't know the half of it, Mr. Jigen. He's a harsh disciplinarian, " Toshiko whispered. " If I did the least thing wrong or didn't clean my room just the way he wanted it, he'd punish me. "

" What would he do? Would he slap you around? " Jigen was afraid to hear the answer. It would have been too much if Toshiko's stepfather had slapped her around but he was scared there was more to it than that.

Toshiko sat up and started to unbutton her pajama top. " Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing? " Jigen grabbed her hands.

Toshiko looked at him, " Just look. "

Jigen let go of her hands then watched silently as she turned her back to him and shrugged her top off. Three huge scars glared out against her pale flesh and the random angles they were at spoke volumes to Jigen. " He did that with his belt, " Toshiko glanced at Jigen over her shoulder.

Jigen reached out and touched one of the scars to make sure he wasn't imagining things. " Christ, " He muttered as he ran his finger the length of the longest of the three scars. " Whatever you did wasn't bad enough to deserve this. "

" You want to know what I did to get them? " Toshiko pulled her top back over her shoulders and turned to face Jigen as she buttoned the buttons. " I'll tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone else. "

" I promise, " Jigen said. " What made him think he was justified to do that to you? "

Toshiko stopped buttoning her top as her hands started to shake. " I left the laundry out on the line and it got rained on, " She whispered. " I also got a low score on a test that day and my room was a mess again. "

" None of those are any excuse to do that to anyone, " Jigen growled. " The laundry could be re-washed and you could have done better on the next test. "

" I thought so too but he didn't. After he beat me, I grabbed everything I could from my room and shoved it into my rucksack. He caught me leaving and that's how I got the smaller ones. He was striking at me as I ran away from him so only the end of the belt was able to touch me. He chased me down the street but he slipped in a puddle and I got away. "

" You can run too? " Jigen arched an eyebrow.

" I can run like the wind if I have to, " Toshiko sniffled as she tried to finish buttoning her top.

Jigen reached over and pushed her hands away, " Let me. "

Toshiko watched as Jigen finished buttoning her top. She looked away from him when he was finished, " I'm sorry about dumping on you like this. I hardly even know you but I feel so comfortable with you. "

" It's better to talk about it babe. If you had kept that shit inside any longer, you would have exploded. You've almost self-destructed a few times I'm guessing. How many times have you tried to off yourself anyway? "

Toshiko glanced at Jigen again, " Three times if you count today. "

" Really now? " Jigen arched an eyebrow. " You really were thinking about killing yourself today? "

Toshiko nodded silently.

Jigen shook his head, " I'm glad I climbed up there then. What about the other times? "

Toshiko shook her left hand out of the long sleeve that had engulfed it and started counting the times she had tried to take her life. " The first time was when I was thirteen. It was before mom married my stepfather. I climbed up a really tall tree but it only had a sparse amount of branches. "

" What happened that time? " Jigen asked.

" I fell between the big branches but my arms got really chewed up from little branches that were sticking out. I broke my right arm and my left leg when I hit the ground, " Toshiko looked down at the futon again. " That's why I said what I did when you told me I could die from falling out of that tree we were in. "

" How about the second time? " Jigen inquired.

Toshiko let out a long sigh, " Tokyo Tower. "

" Yeah, " Jigen nodded.

" Built in 1958, it stands three hundred and thirty three meters tall. There are observation decks at one hundred and fifty meters as well as the two hundred and fifty meter heights, " Toshiko said briskly.

" You sound like a tour guide, " Jigen muttered. " I know all of that about the tower. I want to know why you went there to do it. "

" I had always wanted to climb it and figured it would be the best way to go out with a bang. Would you believe I managed to make it to the three hundred meter mark? " Toshiko gave a tiny smile. " I just knew I was way the hell up there. It was later when I found out how high I had been. "

" Holy fucking shit! " Jigen nearly shouted. " That's fifty meters from the last observation deck! How did you get up there? "

" I climbed up there slowly. Everything looks so tiny from there. I thought I'd take a look around before I died but I got scared when I saw how small everything was. I knew then that if I fell, it would be the end. "

" How did you get down? " Jigen arched an eyebrow.

" Someone spotted me as I was climbing up and had already called the police, " Toshiko started tracing random patterns on the blanket with a fingernail. " They had to bring a ladder up and bring me back down to the second deck. "

" That's why you're in therapy, right? "

" Yup, " Toshiko nodded. " My mom worked out some kind of deal to keep me from going to jail for the trespassing charges. She's a lawyer so she knew what strings to pull. "

Jigen whistled, " Your mother's a lawyer and your father's a cop. What does the jackass do? "

" He's a high school principal, " Toshiko sighed.

" I feel bad for those kids. When did your mother hook up with that asshole? " Jigen said.

" After my first attempt three years ago, " Toshiko said. " The tree I jumped from was just outside the fence of the school he's the principal at. "

" I assume the Tokyo Tower thing was recently? " Jigen was surprised at the things Toshiko had been through.

" The one year anniversary was the night I went after Lupin, " Toshiko replied.

" What about your back? "

" That happened eight months ago. I went to a friend's house and she dressed the wounds. I stayed with her until it was almost healed then I went to another friend's house and finally, my partner asked me to move in with her because she was tired of not knowing where I was living at the time. "

" That could be problematic, " Jigen commented. " Time is a crucial thing in our line of work and trying to hunt down your compadres can waste a lot of it when you don't know where to look. "

" Yeah. I've been with her for three months now; " Toshiko pulled her knees to her chest. " It was all okay until her brother moved back in a month ago. "

" I think you need to find somewhere you'll be safe, " Jigen muttered. He glanced at Toshiko, " Maybe Pops could find you some place safe. "

" But he's in the hospital right now, " Toshiko reminded Jigen.

" Yeah but he probably won't be much longer. He'll need someone to help him out at his place for a while. Why don't you go live with him for however long it takes him to recover? The two of you could catch up on a lot of stuff, " Jigen suggested as he gauged Toshiko's reaction.

Toshiko put her chin on her knees and thought it over. She tightened her grip around her knees as she contemplated it. " How long do you think it will be? " Toshiko muttered.

" If the paper is right about the gunshot and the broken leg, it'll be at least two months. "

" But what if things don't work out? " Toshiko looked at Jigen with apprehension in her eyes. " Where will I go then? "

Jigen sighed and pulled his nightcap off so he could run his hand through his hair. He shut his eyes, " Then we'll just have to see. We'll get you situated if we have to. I'm sure Lupin can pull some strings. "

Toshiko put her chin on her knees again, " What if I want to stay with you guys? "

Jigen opened his eyes, " We don't stay in one spot for very long. We're always moving around. You've got to finish school and get a legitimate job. This is no life for a dame. "

" What about Fujiko? " Toshiko furrowed her brow.

" She's another story entirely, " Jigen shook his head. " I can't figure her out. "

" Oh, " Toshiko sighed. " I wish I had got to talk to her more. She was really nice to me. "

" She can be sometimes, " Jigen admitted begrudgingly.

" If she can do this stuff then why can't I? " Toshiko asked.

Jigen slipped his hand under Toshiko's chin again and made her look him in the eyes, " You've got good skills and you can make a legitimate career out of it. You don't have to be a thief. You're too pretty to go to jail. "

Toshiko scoffed, " I'm not pretty. You're just saying that. "

" No I'm not. I think you're beautiful, " Jigen said quietly.

" Do you really think so? " Toshiko whispered.

" Yes. You're gorgeous, " Jigen moved closer.

" Are you going to kiss me? " Toshiko's voice was barely above a whisper when she asked.

" Do you want me to? " Jigen replied in a bare whisper of his own.

" Uh-huh, " Toshiko nodded slightly. She swallowed hard as he moved within a hair of her.

" Don't be scared, " Jigen muttered. His lips brushed hers a he spoke, " It's just a kiss. "

Toshiko shivered when he brought his lips completely to hers but it wasn't a bad shiver. She hesitated for a second before returning the kiss, her trembling hands going to his shoulders. He pulled back and looked at her. " Why did you stop? " She muttered in a breathless whisper.

" You're shaking, " Jigen moved his hand from her chin to the left side of her face and cradled it. " Are you afraid of something? "

" I've never been kissed before, " Toshiko put her left hand on top of Jigen's.

" If you've never been kissed then you've never gone all the way, am I right? " Jigen wasn't surprised when Toshiko took a sharp breath.

She nodded, " Yes. "

" Then I won't rush you into anything, " Jigen stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. " I'll leave that decision up to you. "

" Okay, " Toshiko said then kissed the heel of his hand.

Jigen put his other hand on her face, " Let's get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. "

" Okay, " Toshiko said. " But… "

" But what? " Jigen arched an eyebrow.

" Can I have one more kiss? " Toshiko gave him the same sad puppy look Zenigata was prone to getting whenever Lupin would guilt trip him except it looked a whole lot cuter on Toshiko.

" You may, " Jigen smirked and kissed her again.