Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Daddy's Girl ❯ Beautiful Mess ( Chapter 21 )

Daddy's Girl

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. Jigen asks Toshiko about the pictures and Ranma gets his gift from Fujiko.)

Part Twenty-One: Beautiful Mess

Jigen sat on the floor in the room he had shared with Toshiko as the girl showed him the clothes Mishi had bought her. All of it was beautiful stuff and Jigen wondered just how much the woman had spent. ~She must have changed her mind about divorcing the sandal pitcher, ~ He thought to himself.

Toshiko got to the last bag and blushed slightly. " Um, there's nothing important in this one. "

" It's okay, " Jigen put a hand up. He figured it was the underwear the waitress had bought for the girl. " Mishi went way out of her way and you'll have to thank her. "

" I plan on it, " Toshiko said as she re-packed the bags. " She's a very nice lady. She'll make a great mother. "

Jigen tried not to think about what Mishi's kids would look like. He figured they would either be fat like her and the sandal pitcher or skinny because sometimes the gene pool was just funny that way. " Yeah, probably. "

Toshiko finished putting the clothes away then looked at Jigen. " You said that you had something to talk to me about earlier. What was it? "

Jigen took a deep breath, " I know you said you want to get a letter to your mother and let her know you're okay but Lupin suggested something. You don't have to do it if you don't want to though. "

" What did he suggest? " Toshiko hugged the bags to her like someone would snatch them away at any second.

" I don't know where he gets these ideas from but he said he wants to take pictures of your back and send copies to your mother and your father. He wants them to see what your stepfather's done to you and why you ran away, " Jigen watched Toshiko's expression go from happy to upset in less than what seemed like a few seconds.

" I don't know… " She muttered as she pressed her chin down on top of the bags.

" I figured you wouldn't take to that idea, " Jigen sighed. " I'll tell him you said no and that will be the end of it. "

" I didn't say no, " Toshiko whispered. " I just don't know what to say. I should tell mom and dad but then mom will divorce my stepfather. She really likes him because he's a lot like her. "

" How's that? " Jigen arched an eyebrow. He hoped she hadn't meant her mother was abusive or that would make another problem that had to be dealt with. If what he feared were true, they would have no choice but to keep the girl until Pops could find her some place that was safe.

" She's not as strict but she's organized and precise. She said she thought my dad was cute because he was kind of sloppy and happy-go-lucky but it started grating on her nerves after a while. She also said she hated the fact he was never home. Ryousuke has the ability to drop everything and be there whenever she needs him. She says that matters a lot. "

" Yeah. He's there to beat you up when you don't do just as he pleases, " Jigen scoffed. " She needs to know, Toshiko. I don't think she'd like him quite so much of she knew. "

" But mom is happy! " Toshiko glared at Jigen. " I don't want to take that away from her. She cried herself to sleep so many nights when it was just she and I. She was so sad for so long and I don't want to make her sad again! "

" But wouldn't it make her sad if she had to find out some other way? " Jigen countered, reacting to the tone of her voice and countering it with a harsh tone of his own. " Did you think if you killed yourself that she wouldn't find out? They would have found the scars in the morgue during your autopsy, damn it! "

Toshiko blinked, " They would have? Even if I killed myself, they'd still do one of those? "

" Yeah they would have and you know what would have happened if they became suspicious? " Jigen felt the only way to get through to Toshiko was telling her truth. Some things he could tap dance and bullshit around but this wasn't one of them. He was happy that Goemon was out on an errand for Lupin for he knew the samurai would not approve of his yelling at Toshiko.

" No, " Toshiko shook her head.

" They would have investigated your mom and stepfather. They would have accused them both of abusing you. In the eyes of the law, you're still a friggin' kid and what your stepfather did to you is child abuse. Do you want your mom to get brought up on those charges too? "

Toshiko stared at Jigen with wide eyes then violently shook her head, " No! Mom never abused me! She never even spanked me when I was little! "

" How would the cops know that? " Jigen asked. " If you had killed yourself, there would have been no way for you to speak up for your mother. They would have thought she was guilty too. "

" But she doesn't know, " Toshiko started.

" That's just as bad, " Jigen cut her off. " You're her damn daughter and not knowing what's going on with you is called neglect. Neglect is considered child abuse so she would have been brought up on charges too. "

Toshiko shook her head, " I didn't know… "

" Well I'm telling you so you do know. I'm sure she might have been able to clear herself somehow but her reputation would be ruined. She could lose her career and her integrity over not knowing about it, " Jigen put his hand under Toshiko's chin and made her face him.

" Are you mad at me? " Toshiko's lower lip trembled as tears gathered in her eyes.

" Babe, I'm not mad. Please don't cry, " Jigen tried to calm down. He hadn't meant to yell but he needed to get through to her. " I'm just telling you how it is. "

" Mr. Jigen, " Toshiko whispered. " I don't know what to do. "

" You do what your heart tells you to do. I think it would be for the best so she can understand why you ran off but it's ultimately your decision, " Jigen stroked her chin his thumb. He was fighting the urge to kiss her again but he felt like he needed to do something to make her know everything would be okay.

" But I don't know how it will affect my mother, " Toshiko shut her eyes. " I don't want to make her hate me. "

" She won't hate you. She'll be shocked at first but she'll be glad she found out in the long run. The hardest part will be telling her, " Jigen said gently.

Toshiko flung the bags out of her lap and threw her arms around Jigen. She didn't say anything as she clung to him and cried.

**

Fujiko and Lupin sat out by one of the fishponds watching the fish as they swam around. " I can't believe we didn't get that gun, " Lupin sighed as he threw pebbles into the water.

" It was a piece of shit anyway, " Fujiko leaned back on her hands and let the sun bathe her face. " It was like someone had spray painted Jigen's Magnum gold. "

Lupin growled in frustration, " You mean it was right in front of your face and you didn't take it? "

" I'm sorry but I was a little tied up at that particular moment, " Fujiko narrowed her eyes at Lupin. " He untied my legs but her never untied my arms. He wasn't stupid. "

" Why didn't you grab it with your feet? " Lupin asked. " You're double jointed so it wouldn't have taken too much effort to get it to your hands, right? "

Fujiko growled, " Lupin! I had other things on my mind like staying alive! "

Lupin sighed, " You have a point. "

Fujiko glanced over her shoulder towards the house, " What's wrong with Jigen? He barely even said 'hello' to me this morning and he seems like he's ignoring me. "

" What? Did you really expect him to be happy to see you? " Lupin arched an eyebrow.

" Not really but a 'Hey bitch. I see you're still alive' would have been nice, " Fujiko replied.

Lupin rolled his eyes, " Damn. I will never understand you. "

" I didn't ask you to understand me. I asked you why Jigen hasn't taken a few potshots at me yet, " Fujiko snapped. " It's not like him. He would have insulted me by now. "

" He's got other things on his mind, " Lupin muttered as got out a cigarette and lit it. He took a drag then exhaled as he said, " He and Toshiko bonded yesterday. "

" Bonded? " Fujiko looked at Lupin. " You don't mean he slept with her, right? "

" Hell no, " Lupin waved his hand. " He saved her life. She climbed that big tree in the woods behind my house and got scared. He found her and Goemon brought her down after getting a ladder. "

" The big tree? " Fujiko's eyes went wide in surprise. " How was she able to do that? "

" She's a natural born climber, " Lupin sighed. " I'll have to tell you her whole story later. I just don't feel up to it right now. "

" She's got more problems than we realized, huh? " Fujiko said quietly.

" That's a nice way of putting it, " Lupin looked down at the water. He stuck his index finger just below the surface and let the goldfish nibble at it for a few moments then looked at Fujiko. " She's had a really rough go at life so far. "

" Poor girl, " Fujiko sighed. She's been through so much and now she has to put up with Jigen. "

" Jigen seems like the best thing for her right now, " Lupin looked at the fish again. They had given up on eating his finger so they were just swimming around it.

Fujiko scoffed, " Jigen isn't my first pick for a teenager's role model. He's a pervert, cusses like a sailor, drinks like a fish and chain-smokes. "

" Watch it. He's gotten her to open up and think about dealing with her problems instead of running away from them. He's made a pretty big impact on her and she trusts him. "

" Then you better keep a close eye on him, " Fujiko muttered.

" Why is that? " Lupin arched an eyebrow.

Fujiko smirked, " That's how it always starts between an older man and younger woman. She trusts him then he uses that trust to get into her pants. "

" Jigen wouldn't do that, " Lupin acted appalled at Fujiko's statement.

" How do you know? " Fujiko gave Lupin a sideways glance.

Lupin frowned, " I just do. I've known him long enough to be sure he isn't going to do something like that. "

" Lupin! " Jigen's voice came from the house.

" Yeah? " Lupin called back as he stood up. He helped Fujiko to her feet.

" I need to talk to you… alone. "

Fujiko crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. " Now he acknowledges my existence. That's so typical of him. "

Lupin looked at Fujiko, " It's important and it's private. Stay right here. "

**

" Investigator Tsukino? " A police officer knocked on his office door.

" What is it? " Ranma replied. His face was smeared with sweat and smoke. He was at the hospital with the man that washed up on the shore when the warehouse blew up but hadn't been hurt by the flying debris.

He had talked to Yamamoto about Nicholas Chambers and found out the man had long hair and a beard when the officer had spoke to him. He knew he should have arrested the man when he had went to the warehouse to see if the voice from the telephone and Chambers' voice matched but could do anything until he had matched the tape he had recorded to the confession. If that hadn't been bad enough, he found out that Lucy Demeanor had ran away from the safe house shortly before a man wielding a gun broke into her room.

" There's a delivery for you, " The officer said.

Ranma looked up from the mess of paperwork on his desk and furrowed his brow at the large bouquet of red roses the officer held. " What in the world? " He stood up. " Is there a card? "

The officer looked around and pulled out a small white envelope from between the de-thorned stems. " Here. "

Ranma took the card, " 'Thanks for taking care of my girl Lucy. From one gentleman to another, L.' " He read out loud. " L? Who the hell is L? "

" There's something on the back, " The officer pointed to it.

Ranma flipped it over, his eyes going wide. " Who delivered those flowers? "

" Some guy on a motorcycle with a sidecar, " The officer shrugged. " He looked like a normal delivery guy to me. "

Ranma held the card up, " He wasn't a normal delivery guy. "

The officer went white, " Lupin The Third sent you those roses? "

" Yes, " Ranma nodded. " I guess I know what happened to Miss Demeanor now. "

" She had something to do with Lupin? " The officer acted shocked.

Ranma nodded, " It seems that way. I knew she was putting up a front when she said she had never heard of him. "

" Should we look for her? " The officer asked.

Ranma waved his hand, " No. She's obviously safe and there isn't much use in tracking her down since Mr. Chambers won't need a trial. "

" Yeah. That's true. How is everything else going? " The officer looked at the paperwork on Ranma's desk.

" Could you bring me another pot of coffee? " Ranma said. " It looks like I'm going to be here for a while. "

**

Goemon surveyed the bombing site from atop a nearby building. He was wearing his Spike outfit again not to attract attention. From what he could see through the binoculars, nothing was damaged below the top two floors. Police officers milled around the site as firefighters search for any trapped victims they hadn't found earlier in the morning.

He put the binoculars down and started back towards the ladder down when one of his boots hit something and sent it skittering across the roof. The sunlight glinted of its slightly charred gilded surface and he had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He reached down and picked it up, the weight of it letting him know he had found what had to be The Golden Gun.

He smirked before stuffing it inside of his leather jacket. ~Now all we have to worry ourselves with is Toshiko, ~ He thought as he continued to walk towards the ladder.

**

Lupin opened the front door slowly and took a look around. The house looked like he had left it the night before and he sighed in relief. " My hunch was wrong. That idiot didn't send someone over here. "

Jigen flicked his cigarette into a potted plant, " That's good. "

Lupin glanced at Toshiko and Fujiko as he stepped aside. " Ladies first. "

Fujiko and Toshiko walked inside, Jigen and Lupin following close behind. They were cautious; making sure no one was waiting further inside the house before Fujiko walked to the living room, sitting down in the overstuffed chair as Toshiko took a seat on the couch. Jigen looked at Lupin and they went to the office.

Lupin shut the door, " I still can't believe she agreed to do it. "

" I told her to do what she felt was right. I also made her think about how much it would hurt her mother not to know, " Jigen sighed.

" It's kind of cold to play the 'mommy' card but you had a point to make, " Lupin walked over to one of the cabinets along the back wall. He opened it and took out an instant camera. He found a row of flashbulbs and pressed it into the top. He then got out a film cartridge and put it in the camera. " How many pictures do you want to take? "

Jigen shrugged, " Two I guess. That way we'll have one for her mom and one for Pops. "

" Okay, " Lupin set the camera down on the desk and went to the office door. He opened it a little bit, " Toshiko. "

A moment later, Lupin opened the door completely to let the girl in. Lupin quickly pushed the door, " No. We just need her, Fujiko. It'll take just a minute. "

" She doesn't give up, does she? " Jigen commented as Toshiko stood in the middle of the room clasping her hands. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. " It'll be okay, babe. "

" I'm just nervous, " Toshiko said.

" It'll only be two pictures, " Lupin said gently. " Now, I want you to go kneel on the couch with your back towards us and take off your top. I promise we won't try to look at your front. "

Toshiko nodded and did as she was told. " Is this good? " She asked timidly over her shoulder after she pulled her hair out of the way.

" Yeah. Perfect, " Lupin said.

Jigen felt his mouth go dry at the sight of the bra Toshiko had on. It was a fancy looking purple lace one, the lace made to look like a lot of tiny roses. The shade of purple was really set off by Toshiko's pale skin and her dark hair. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out to calm his nerves.

" Do you need to leave? " Lupin arched an eyebrow.

" No, I'm fine. I just can't believe we're doing this, " Jigen shook his head. He reached into his jacket and got a cigarette.

Lupin picked up the camera and looked at Toshiko through the viewfinder. He frowned, " Do you think you could take off your bra for a minute? The small one on the left side of your back is covered up and I can barely see the one on the right. "

" He's telling you the truth, " Jigen added. " The only one that's visible is the big one. "

Toshiko nodded silently then reached around to unhook her bra. She slid it off her shoulders, holding the loosened garment to her chest with her folded arms. She looked over her shoulder again, " Is that better? "

" Perfect. Keep your head turned this way so they know it's you; " Lupin snapped one picture before laying it on the desk to develop. He took another one, setting it next to the first. " There. We're finished. "

Toshiko put her bra back on and pulled her top on over her head. She pulled her hair out from where it had gotten tucked into her shirt before standing up. She approached the desk warily, " Can I see? "

Lupin looked at the pictures and picked up the first one. It wasn't quite finished developing but it was starting to show a picture. He handed it to Toshiko and she took it carefully. Lupin watched her expression darken as the picture progressed.

" Are you okay? " Jigen asked as he stepped towards the girl.

" I'm okay, " Toshiko whispered. " I've never seen them from this perspective before. "

Lupin took the picture back from Toshiko. " Would you like to write the letter now or later? "

" Can I write it later? " Toshiko sighed. " I would really like to lay down now. "

" You aren't going to climb out the window again are you? " Lupin looked at her. He knew she wouldn't be able to because he had nailed the window shut before he had left for Goemon's.

" No. I really am going to lie down, " Toshiko looked at Jigen. " I promise. "

Jigen patted her on the top of the head, " That's a good girl. I think I'll take a nap in a little bit myself. I'm still worn out from yesterday. "

Lupin walked over to the door and opened it. " You were very brave and I'm proud of you Toshiko, " He said as she walked towards the door.

" I am too, " Jigen said.

Toshiko blushed, " Thank you both. "

Lupin smirked and kissed her on the forehead, " I'll get you when it's time for lunch. "

" That sounds good, " Toshiko said and left the office.

Jigen waited a few moments then flopped down on the couch. " That was tough to put her through. "

" I know, " Lupin looked at the pictures. " I can't let this go though. This just isn't right at all. "

" I know what you mean, " Jigen said then took a long drag from his cigarette. He exhaled the smoke, " If she had done something like tried to blow up the house or sabotage his car, I could understand why he would get that angry. All she did was leave some laundry out in the rain, forget to clean her room and fail a friggin' test. "

Lupin looked up from the pictures and arched an eyebrow, " What did you just say? "

" Oh yeah. I didn't tell you. He beat her like a redheaded stepchild because she failed a test and let some laundry get rained on, " Jigen said. " That and her room was a trash hole I guess. "

" How much did she tell you? " Lupin got out a pen and paper.

" A lot. What are you doing? " Jigen gave Lupin a wary look.

Lupin tapped the pen on the blotter, " I'm going to write her letter for her. "

" Oh no, " Jigen shook his head. " We don't even know what her handwriting looks like. "

" Then I'll write the letter and say she was too distraught to do it herself, " Lupin looked at the paper. " How should I start it? "

" I think going the 'to whom it may concern' route is the best idea, " Jigen muttered.

" I like that, " Lupin nodded and began to write.