Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Daddy's Girl ❯ Connections ( Chapter 20 )

Daddy's Girl

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. The story continues even though a player exits.)

Part Twenty: Connections

Jigen carefully moved Toshiko off of him for she had clung to him in her sleep yet again and slipped out of the futon. He needed a cigarette and thought about making some coffee if Goemon had it. He stumbled out to the kitchen and went through the cabinets; finally finding a small can of instant coffee. " Better than nothing, " He muttered then looked for a cup.

He put the teakettle in the sink and filled it with water before setting it on the stove. He turned on the flame then went to the radio. " Damn mountain boy, " He grumbled. " What is it going to take for him to get a friggin' television? "

He switched it on and tuned it to a station he liked. " Good Morning, this is the news, " The news reporter's voice sounded loud in the quiet house so he turned it down a little bit. " At four o'clock this morning, a bedding factory in Yokohama blew up… "

Jigen stopped watching the kettle and turned the radio back up. " At this time, there has been several reported injuries and only one death. The explosion occurred on the top floor, which was said to be the factory owner's office and private living quarters. "

" Damn. How does Lupin do it? " Jigen found himself in awe of his friend once again. If it hadn't been Lupin's doing, it was one weird twist of fate.

" In other news, a suspicious man was arrested after breaking into an apartment building in downtown Yokohama. The room he broke into was empty and he was quickly caught. Also, the man suspected of murdering two men and the attempted murder of three others, including the scientist who invented the process of making artificial metals, called Yokohama Police and confessed to his crimes before revealing his identity. "

" The man identified himself as Nicholas Chambers who, incidentally, was the owner of the bedding factory that was blown up this morning. It sounds like an open and shut case for police. Now for the weather… "

Jigen clicked off the radio as everything he had heard swirled around in his mind. He leaned over the sink as he started laughing hard. ~This is so fucking amusing, ~ He thought to himself.

" What's so funny? " Goemon intoned sourly as he walked into the kitchen.

Jigen looked at him and tried to catch his breath, " You should have heard the news on the radio man. Chamberlain's factory was blown up this morning. "

" I see Hideki came through as planned, " Goemon remained nonplused as looked at the teakettle when it started to whistle. " I hope you aren't fixing that paint remover you call coffee in that. "

" No. I'm fixing it in that cup, "Jigen said as he pointed to the mug he had gotten. He looked confused for a second, " Hideki? "

Goemon nodded as he took the kettle off the stove. He poured some of the hot water into the cup Jigen had gotten to fix his coffee in. " Yes. Lupin called him last night. "

" Are you talking about Lupin's contact Hideki Mizuno? " Jigen poured a good amount of the dry coffee into the water and stirred it.

" Yes. He moved to Yokohama about six months ago to work in that bedding factory and was promoted quickly because of his diligence, " Goemon said. " He said he needed legitimate employment to supplement his income, remember? "

" Yeah, " Jigen nodded. " He was dating some girl that liked money. "

" Exactly, " Goemon nodded once. " That is the one. As it turned out, Chamberlain was his boss. "

" Chamberlain's been around these parts for that long? " Jigen arched an eyebrow as he took a tentative sip of his coffee. He poured more powder in and stirred it again.

" Actually no. Hideki said that he traveled quite a bit and would appear periodically. Chamberlain really liked something about him and promoted him to his assistant two months ago. He was in charge of things when Chamberlain had to travel. "

" Ah. So Lupin called him and told him to blow the place up? " Jigen put some more instant coffee in his cup. He smiled because he was getting closer to the way he liked it.

" No. Hideki told Lupin he would blow the place up, " Goemon said. He then frowned, " How can you drink it that strong? "

" It's not strong. You're just a wuss, " Jigen smirked as he put a bit more coffee in then took another drink. He smiled, " Perfect. "

" Back to the subject at hand, " Goemon started making tea. " Lupin then called the Yokohama Police with an uncanny impersonation of Chamberlain and confessed. He waited a few minutes then called the police back and claimed he noticed some strange goings on at the warehouse. He threw in that the man he saw going into the warehouse looked like the man in the newspaper. "

Jigen narrowed his eyes, " So this means I'm exonerated and the police have to eat crow for thinking it was me? "

" They may eat humble pie if they prefer it, " Goemon gave a slight smirk.

" I'll drink to that, " Jigen said and took a long swig of coffee.

" I hope Toshiko doesn't feel bad when she finds out, " Goemon sighed. " I feel that she was looking forward to working with us and it hurts me to think we led her on like that. "

Jigen put down his coffee, " Yeah. She really wanted to help out. What are we going to tell her? "

" The less she knows the better, " Lupin startled Goemon and Jigen. He had walked into the kitchen without either of them noticing.

Jigen looked at Lupin, " You had this planned out for a while, didn't you? "

Lupin chuckled as he walked into the kitchen. " Not really. After Kaoruko traced the call to the factory, I decided to call just to see who would answer the phone. Lo and behold, it was Hideki. After I talked to him for a few minutes, he told me that he had seen Fujiko and he didn't like what Chamberlain was doing to her. "

" I see, " Jigen nodded. " So what did he do? "

" He just told me that he was going to get Fujiko out any way he could before he blew the top floor up. He never said how he was going to do it, " Lupin shrugged. He smiled, " Hideki is a smart guy so I'm sure he came up with something ingenious. "

" How's Fujiko anyway? " Jigen asked as Lupin started to make a cup of coffee for himself. Goemon growled but said nothing. " What's your problem? " Jigen looked at the samurai.

Goemon narrowed his eyes, " From what I could tell, she was glad to be back with Lupin. "

" You didn't stay in the room, did you? " Jigen looked mortified.

" Of course not! " Goemon acted disgusted with what Jigen was implying.

Lupin chuckled, " Nope. Fujiko kissed me once and he headed outside. "

" You did put some clothes on, right? " Jigen asked Goemon.

" I took them with me, " Goemon hissed.

" Settle down, nature boy. It is your house right now so you can sleep in the backyard in your loincloth if you want to, " Lupin put a hand up.

" I slept on the roof, " Goemon said sourly.

" As pissy as you are right now I'd say you fell off, " Jigen chuckled.

" I didn't, thank you very much. I also forgot to thank you for leaving me in Toshiko's room last night. Did the two of you forget I was only in my loincloth? "

Jigen laughed, " Damn. I bet that was awkward. "

" Indeed it was, " Goemon muttered as he started cutting up some vegetables. Jigen and Lupin took a few steps away from him because he was being forceful with the knife, slamming it into the cutting board with each down stroke.

" Sorry about that but we didn't expect Fujiko to show up out of the blue, " Jigen tried to sound apologetic as he pictured both Toshiko and Goemon blushing deeply as they sat with their backs to each other. It was the way he had found them when he went back to Toshiko's room and it was quite a cute picture.

" I'm sure you are, " Goemon glared at Jigen. " Knowing you two, you probably find it very humorous. "

Lupin patted Jigen on the shoulder, " Ignore him. Let's talk about Fujiko. "

" Okay. Did she tell you how she got out of Chamberlain's clutches? " Jigen picked up his coffee and took a drink.

" She said that he stuck her with a needle then she woke up in a crate. The police were tearing the place apart looking for Chamberlain and they came across her. She wants to send flowers to the investigator because he was, as she says, a real gentleman and we could take lessons from him. "

" Jeez, " Jigen rolled his eyes. " Isn't letting her devious little ass live gentlemanly enough? "

" She said Chamberlain put her in that crate buck naked, " Lupin sounded amused. " When the cops broke her out, they all looked at her like they had found the best thing since canned beer. "

" Babe in a box, " Jigen chuckled. " What aisle do you think they'd have that on in the grocery store? "

" They would probably keep them in the back otherwise they'd always be sold out, " Lupin laughed. He looked at Goemon, " But that would be good for some guys who can't get a chick on their own. "

Goemon stopped what he was doing and slowly turned his head, a death glare on his face. " I believe I wasn't involved in your conversation nor do I want to be. I am trying to fix breakfast. "

" How soon will it be ready? " Jigen asked.

" Never if I keep getting interrupted. You two make yourself of some use to me and feed the goldfish, " Goemon reached under the counter and threw the bucket of fish food at Lupin.

Lupin caught it then set it on the counter so he could salute Goemon, " Yes sir! "

" I have half a mind to wake Toshiko up to see the fish but I know she's still knocked out from that medicine Goemon gave her, " Jigen sighed. " Poor girl. I feel bad that you had to hear that stuff last night. "

" It's okay. It gave me a whole new perspective on her situation, " Lupin frowned. He then glanced at Jigen, " I want to take pictures of her back and send them to her mother. "

" You heard Toshiko. Her stepfather will just lie about it, " Jigen shook his head. " It'll be useless and it might make her uncomfortable. "

" But maybe her mother won't believe the guy, " Lupin offered.

Jigen shook his head, " No. I just wouldn't feel right asking her to pose for a topless picture. "

" It's just going to be of her back, " Lupin pointed out.

" True. She'll have to agree to it though and you can't pressure her, " Jigen said.

Goemon gave them a sideways glance, " Do you think we should tell Zenigata about his daughter's treatment? "

" I guess we should, " Jigen scratched his chin. " He is her dad after all. He had a right to know about it. "

" He'll have kittens over it, " Lupin muttered. " He might have a second litter when he realizes we saw her topless even though it's only from the back. "

" Zenigata may be better to tell while he is still on pain medication, " Goemon intoned. " He is too groggy to do anything rash. I would actually venture to say he's acting like he did when he was chasing us the first time. "

" I guess we'll do it then, " Lupin nodded. " We should find out where Toshiko's mother works though. We can't risk sending her letter to her house because the stepfather might get it and destroy it before she gets to see it. "

" She told me her mother is a lawyer, " Jigen offered.

Lupin looked at Jigen, " You're shitting me. "

" Nope. She told me last night… or this morning, however you want to look at it. "

Lupin rubbed his hands together, " Excellent. Good, Good. "

" Are you forgetting something? " Goemon asked.

" What's that? " Jigen looked at the samurai.

" Toshiko has to agree to the pictures. "

Lupin waved his hand, " She'll do it. I'll do my best to talk her into it without making her uncomfortable. "

" Maybe I should do it, " Jigen muttered. " She says she trusts me the most. "

Lupin and Goemon looked at Jigen. " She said what? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" Yeah, " Jigen sighed. " We talked for a while last night. Most of it I won't say anything about out of respect for her privacy but she told me that she trusts me the most. She says she feels comfortable with me. "

" Are you sure you only talked last night? " Lupin gave Jigen a wry grin.

Jigen growled, " We didn't do anything. I'm not like you. "

" Just watch yourself, okay? " Lupin patted Jigen on the shoulder. " You're on some dangerous ground. "

" You don't have to tell me that, " Jigen replied. He finished his coffee then picked up the fish food. " Let's go. I need a cigarette. "

**

Fujiko opened her eyes and found she was alone. She figured Lupin had gotten up for coffee and a cigarette. She stretched then yawned as she sat up. She reached over, picking up her clothes from where they had landed the night before.

Lupin had honored her request just to cuddle because she was tired. She had taken off her clothes to keep them clean since she wouldn't be able to get anything else to wear until she could get back to her apartment. The lady at the safe house had given her a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a pair of sneakers as well as some underwear.

Once she was dressed, she stretched again. She started to detect the inviting aroma of breakfast, realizing she really hadn't had anything to eat since dinner the night after they brought Toshiko in. She walked towards the door then stopped, wondering where the junior Zenigata was. She hadn't seen her when she came in but Lupin had practically carried her to the bedroom and she didn't get to see much of anything.

She slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway. She shut the door behind her then heard another door slide open. She looked to where the sound came from, finding Toshiko looking back at her. She wore a flower print long sleeve top and black jeans, the whole outfit looked very new.

" Good morning, " Fujiko smiled at the girl.

" Good morning to you too, " Toshiko replied. " Jigen told me you showed up. "

" He did? " Fujiko arched an eyebrow. She wondered just how colorful he had been about it. She really didn't think he had the manners to watch his mouth around Toshiko since he never bothered to watch it around her.

" I heard what happened to you, " Toshiko looked down at the floor. " I'm sorry. "

Fujiko shook her head, " Don't be. It's not your fault. How are you doing? "

" I'm okay. The guys have been really great to me, " Toshiko looked down the hall. " Is breakfast ready? "

" I don't know. I just got up too. Do you want to go see? " Fujiko motioned towards the kitchen.

Toshiko nodded, " Sure. "

They walked to the kitchen and found Goemon setting the table. He looked up, blushing slightly. " Good morning ladies. "

" Good morning, " Fujiko greeted him as she wondered why Goemon was blushing. She figured it was because he noticed she was braless but his glance wasn't aimed at her. It had been aimed at Toshiko.

" Did you sleep well Toshiko? " Goemon returned his attention to the table as he spoke.

Fujiko looked at Toshiko and noticed she was blushing as well. " Yes. That medicine you gave me did the trick. I slept better than I have in a long time. "

" What's going on here? " Fujiko asked.

Goemon glanced at Fujiko, " Inspector Zenigata asked me to protect Toshiko from harm when we saw him in the hospital yesterday. "

Fujiko's jaw fell open, " You went to see Pops? Are you insane? "

" I was in disguise but he recognized me right away, " Goemon muttered. " She found out what happened to him when Chamberlain called us and insisted on seeing him. "

" Mr. Lupin showed me the newspaper too, " Toshiko said quietly. " I could have lost him so I decided I had to see him. "

" How did it go? " Fujiko looked at Goemon.

" I think it was a start, " Goemon looked at Toshiko and decided to change the subject because she looked uncomfortable. " Are you ready for breakfast? "

" Where's Lupin and Jigen? " Toshiko looked around. " We shouldn't start without them. "

" They're feeding the fish and smoking like cigarettes are about to be banned, " Goemon glanced out at the backyard. " They both need to get dressed. Jigen is still in his nightshirt and Lupin is running around in his boxers. "

" You like running around in your loincloth so what's the matter with Lupin running around in his boxers? " Fujiko arched an eyebrow.

" Nothing, " Goemon replied. He looked out the window again, " Here they come now. I expect you to behave since you are a guest in my home. "

" Tell that to Jigen, " Fujiko huffed even though she was really nervous inside. She braced herself for a tongue lashing at the very least. Toshiko went to the table and sat down. Fujiko sat down next to her and waited for the inevitable.

" So that's the pond you pushed Goemon into? " Lupin was laughing. " Those things are friggin' huge. "

" You can see why I thought the burn was a fish hickey, " Jigen replied as they walked in the door. He stopped when he saw Toshiko and Fujiko at the table. He looked at Toshiko, " Hey babe. Did you sleep well? "

Toshiko nodded, " Yes. "

" Great, " Jigen gave her a smile.

Fujiko arched an eyebrow when Toshiko blushed again as she returned the smile. She also noted that Jigen was calling her 'babe' in a much different tone than he used with her when he called her the same thing. ~Damn. What happened while I was away? ~

" You two get dressed, " Goemon stepped out of the kitchen with the first couple of plates of food. " You aren't eating breakfast dressed like that with ladies at the table. "

Lupin sighed, " Yes mother. "

" Jigen, " Goemon ignored Lupin.

" Yeah? " Jigen arched an eyebrow.

" I want you to behave. Do you understand? " Goemon's voice had a forceful edge to it.

Jigen looked at Lupin and smirked. " Yes mother. "

" Hey! " Lupin slapped Jigen on the back. " I guess that makes us brothers! "

" Yeah. I guess it does, " Jigen agreed.

" GO! " Goemon shouted. After Jigen and Lupin had left, he growled and walked to the table. " Immature imbeciles, " He muttered as he set the plates down before going back into the kitchen.

Toshiko looked a little puzzled then looked at Fujiko. " Why did Goemon ask you and Jigen to behave? "

Fujiko was surprised by the question. She figured Jigen had bad mouthed her while she was away. She decided to answer it the best way she could. " We don't get along. "

" That is an understatement, " Goemon had returned with two more plates. " My advice to you is to get out of the way if they get into it, Toshiko. "

" Oh dear, " Toshiko gasped. " Is that bad? "

Goemon nodded, " Yes. She likes to throw things. "

Fujiko glared at Goemon, " He's being dramatic. Ignore him. "

Goemon arched an eyebrow but said nothing as he sat down across from Toshiko and looked at her. " About last night, " He then looked down at the table. " I was afraid you were in danger and I apologize. "

" It's okay. It was a shock but you have a job to do so I understand, " Toshiko replied.

Fujiko narrowed her eyes, " What happened? "

" Can I tell her? " Toshiko looked at Goemon.

" I assume she will find out sooner or later, " Goemon muttered as his cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

Toshiko glanced at Fujiko, " I had a nightmare and was screaming in my sleep. He ran into my room wearing nothing but his loincloth. "

Fujiko nodded, " I see. That explains the blushing thing. "

" I was relieved to find out it was only a nightmare, " Goemon noted. " I was afraid it was something else. "

" Have you guys started without us? " Lupin asked as he walked in. He was wearing his white pants and black shirt but had left off the tie and jacket. He sat down next to Fujiko.

Jigen walked into the room. He was wearing his usual black ensemble with a gunmetal blue dress shirt coupled with a white tie. He took a seat at the narrow side of the table so he was sitting next to Toshiko. " They wouldn't do that. Right babe? "

" Right, " Toshiko nodded. She looked at her clothes, " Did you like what Miss Mishi bought for me? "

Jigen looked her over, " It looks good. I like it. "

" She got me a lot of nice stuff, " Toshiko sounded happy. " We can look at it after breakfast if you're not busy, " She added quietly.

Jigen glanced at Lupin then looked at Toshiko; " I was going to say I need to talk to you after breakfast so we can talk while you show me your clothes. "

" Enough talking, " Lupin smiled. " The food's getting cold and I'm starving. "

" Right, " Jigen said.

" We will start with a toast, " Lupin picked up his cup of tea. Everyone followed his lead and he looked at Fujiko. " Here's to Fujiko's safe return. "

" Cheers, " The five of them said.

Lupin set down his glass, " Let's eat! "