Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Daddy's Girl ❯ The Long Way Home ( Chapter 24 )

Daddy's Girl

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. Jigen and Toshiko start home after dropping Zenigata off but get sidetracked… very sidetracked.)

Part Twenty-Four: The Long Way Home

Toshiko looked forward as Jigen guided the car through traffic. They had helped Zenigata into his apartment and made sure he was comfortable before leaving to get back to Lupin's. She glanced up in the rearview mirror and looked over her shoulder just to be sure. " Um, Mr. Jigen? "

" You can call me Jigen. You don't need to use 'Mister' with me, babe. "

" Okay. Jigen? " Toshiko looked over her shoulder again, glancing over the rim of her sunglasses. " I think that car has been behind us since right after you dropped my dad off. "

" Shit, " Jigen looked in the rearview mirror. " Let's see if they're really following us. "

Toshiko watched as Jigen turned down first one street then another, the car remaining behind them without wavering. She put her hand on Jigen's arm, her voice trembling as she said, " They are following us. Who could it be? "

Jigen looked in the rearview mirror and narrowed his eyes. The face looked familiar from somewhere. He wracked his brain as he turned down a few more streets when it finally came to him. " He's a dick. "

" You know him? " Toshiko looked behind them again.

" No, babe. He's a private investigator. Mishi passed up a picture of him when he was nosing around in the ramen shop on a different case, " Jigen glanced at her. " Stop looking behind us. "

" Do you think he's the guy my dad hired? " Toshiko looked forward and pulled the headscarf around her face a little more.

" Can you think of any other reason he's following us? " Jigen said, taking a sharp right as he increased his speed. He didn't feel it was wise to tell Toshiko what he had heard about the private investigator. Mishi had told Lupin the man would kill someone once he found them if the price was right.

Toshiko shook her head, " No. "

The area they were getting to wasn't as full of traffic so Jigen steadily started going faster in hopes of losing the guy. He was keeping up though and it was pissing Jigen off. He glanced around and saw there was another road on the other side of the waterway they had ended up next to. He started looking for the bridge when a gunshot rang out, the bullet cracking the front and back windshields dead center.

" Fucking shit! This guy means business! " Jigen shouted as Toshiko screamed in fright. " Babe! Get down in the floor and don't you come back up until I say so. "

" I can't move, " Toshiko cried. She was bawling and shaking. Another bullet cracked the windshield just as Jigen swerved because he saw the gun aimed at Toshiko. The bullet still passed a hair too close to her to suit Jigen but he had managed to save her from it.

" Damn it! " Jigen reached over and shoved her down to where he had told her to go. " Now he's really pissed me the fuck off! "

Toshiko watched through her tears as Jigen reached behind him and pulled out the Magnum. He looked in the rearview mirror and threw his right arm over the back of the seat. " Cover your head, babe! " He shouted to her.

She put her arms over her face and head as he pulled the trigger. The back windshield finished shattering completely, sending glass all over the back seat and a few shards into the front. He fired two more times and then she heard the sound of screeching tires. A few seconds later, there was an explosion.

Jigen put the Magnum down on the seat. The only sound in the car for a minute or so was Toshiko's crying. Jigen then growled slammed his hand down on the steering wheel, " We have to get rid of the car now. Fuck. "

" Why? " Toshiko looked at him.

" The cops, " Jigen glanced down at her. " Someone's bound to call them. Finally! There's the friggin' bridge. "

Jigen took a sharp left, the taxi barely fitting on the pedestrian bridge but he was able to get across. He stopped and looked around. " Hey. I know where we are. Mishi and the sandal pitcher live within walking distance of this bridge. "

" Sandal pitcher? " Toshiko sniffled.

" It's a long story, " Jigen muttered. He looked around again and didn't see anyone. " Come on. We're ditching the car. "

Toshiko didn't move. " Jigen… "

" What? Get out, " Jigen reached for Toshiko's door then stopped when he looked down and saw her jeans were considerably darker towards the top than they had been. He put his hand on her shoulder " Babe… "

" I was so scared, " Toshiko pulled away from him. " I couldn't help it. "

Jigen sighed, " I thought you said you had been shot at before. "

" I have… " Toshiko pulled herself further away from Jigen. " I was scared every time. "

" Oh, " Jigen put his hand on her face. " It's not a big deal. We can go to Mishi's and she can wash your clothes. I'm sure she'll let you take a shower too. We have to change cars though while there's no one around. "

Toshiko sniffled, " Are you sure? "

" Yeah. Let's go. "

Toshiko reached up and opened her door; double-checking to make sure no one would see her. She stepped out of the car and waited for Jigen to collect his cigarettes as well as the Magnum, reloading it quickly. He retrieved the shell casings from where they had fallen then got out. " All set. "

" Which way? " Toshiko looked at Jigen, her face red with embarrassment.

" It's that house right there, " He pointed to the second house in a long row of white houses that looked very plain. She looked again and realized they were in a part of town known for cheap houses and rampant crime.

" It's dangerous here, " Toshiko commented.

Jigen shrugged, " So? In some parts of the world breathing is dangerous, babe. You're with me so you don't have to worry about anything. "

The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Jigen grabbed Toshiko by the hand and started to run towards Mishi's house. They made it to the door and he knocked on it. To his dismay, the sandal pitcher opened the door. Jigen controlled the urge to deck him for the sandal incident and said, " Is Mishi home? I'm a friend of hers. "

The sandal pitcher looked at Jigen for a moment then opened the door, " Come in. She just came home. "

Jigen was surprised the man had been so hospitable then noticed he had a three quarters empty bottle of sake in his hand. He decided the guy was too drunk to recognize him. " Thanks. "

Jigen and Toshiko walked in, Mishi's husband shutting the door behind them. He coughed then shouted, " Mishi! Company! "

" Who? " Mishi called back as she walked towards the living room. She stopped and looked at Jigen. " I figured as much. Is the explosion your doing? "

" It's a long story, " Jigen waved his hand. " Could you help us out? "

" Us? Did you bring someone with you? " Mishi looked around.

Jigen looked around as well then realized Toshiko had stepped behind him. He stepped aside, " I brought her. "

Toshiko removed her sunglasses and headscarf. Mishi gasped, " So you're the girl! I thought it was you. I told you I would help you, didn't I? "

Toshiko lifted her hand and waved weakly. " Hi. "

Mishi looked at Toshiko's clothes, " Those look nice on you… oh my. "

" Um yeah. Can she wash her clothes and get a shower? " Jigen felt Toshiko tighten her grip on his hand.

" Come to the back with me. We'll talk about it more there. The drunken master over there is getting ready to watch his favorite game show and will throw things if we talk over it, " Mishi motioned to her husband.

" Ah, " Jigen nodded then followed Mishi along with Toshiko. They walked to the rear of the house and Mishi stopped.

" The bathroom is here sweetheart. You just take off your clothes and put them outside the door, " Mishi motioned to the room then got out some newspaper. She spread a few sheets of it by the door, " Set your clothes on that if you could please. "

Toshiko nodded silently, her blush deepening. " Thank you. "

Jigen watched as Toshiko slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. He felt bad for her but there wasn't much he could do. Mishi put one of her chubby hands on his shoulder, " Come on. I'll make you some tea. "

**

Lupin was pacing in front of the fireplace as Fujiko watched him. " Maybe there's a logical explanation, " He muttered. " Maybe they got caught behind a huge car accident. "

" Or his shagging her brains out in some cheap love hotel so we don't know about it, " Fujiko said sharply. " You should have sent Goemon with her to get Pops. "

" He doesn't have a driver's license, " Lupin glared at Fujiko.

" It's never stopped you from sending him out before, " Fujiko pointed out.

Goemon came out of the kitchen, " She has a point. "

Lupin looked at the samurai, " Did you put their share of dinner in the refrigerator? "

" Yes. I cannot believe they are this late. Do you think Fujiko could be right about what she said? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" Satan hasn't come up looking for mittens yet so I would say she's overreacting as usual, " Lupin waved his hand. " Damn! I wish Jigen would call at let us know if they're alive and he's not in jail! "

The phone rang a nanosecond after Lupin stopped speaking. He dashed to the phone, " Hello? " He was too nervous to think of something funny to answer the phone with. " Damn it… where the hell are you two? "

Fujiko and Goemon glanced at each other. " I think it is the wandering children, " Goemon commented.

" You mean the innocent child and the pervert, " Fujiko corrected Goemon.

Lupin glared at them as he listened to the person on the phone. " Then he started shooting at you? Damn. That's a little heavy-handed. "

Lupin nodded, " Yeah. I remember. Mishi said he was a hit man if the price was right. You've got to be shitting me. It was? "

Lupin laughed, " He picked the wrong person to fuck with didn't he? Aw God, I'm so sorry to hear that. Was she really embarrassed? Poor girl. "

Lupin smiled, " I told you Mishi was a good woman. What was that? She's not divorcing him anyway? She bought a new car and some more clothes for Toshiko with the money? That's good. "

Lupin looked at the clock on the wall, " I see. Well, dinner is in the fridge. I'm tired so I might not be up when you get home. Your girlfriend thinks you're at a motel with her. I'll pass that along. Okay. Bye. "

" What did he say? " Goemon said.

" He said that they were attacked by the private eye Ryousuke hired to find Toshiko. It was this guy Mishi told us about. He'll off anyone for the right price and get rid of the body so no one will ever find it. Anyway, he fired at them twice and nearly hit Toshiko. "

" Oh my God! " Fujiko gasped.

" Don't worry. They're safe. Jigen retuned fire and blew the guy to Kingdom Come. The only injury he could report was that Toshiko wet herself because she was so scared but everything else was just fine. Mishi's washing up Toshiko's clothes and then they'll head home once they're sure the guy didn't survive. "

" How will they get back here? " Goemon asked. " I'm sure the car is certainly useless after all of that. "

" Mishi borrowed a car from me a while back so they're going to use that one, " Lupin looked at Fujiko. " Oh yeah. He said that you're one sick bitch and you need to go fuck yourself. "

Fujiko stuck her nose in the air, " I can see it in his eyes when he looks at her. He wants to get into her pants. "

Lupin growled, " How can you say that? You can't even see his eyes half the time! "

" I believe that Jigen only wants to help the girl. There is no hidden agenda when it comes to her, " Goemon said evenly.

" Hey! " Fujiko glared at him. " You were just one my side a minute ago! "

" I was not on your side, " Goemon glared at her. " I was simply entertaining the worst-case scenario. If anyone wants to get into Toshiko's pants around here, it would be Lupin. "

" Hey! That was an accident! " Lupin sounded wounded. " I didn't see anything except for her arms… and maybe a quick peek at her cleavage. "

" Lupin! " Fujiko screeched. " Don't tell me you walked in on her in the bathroom! Isn't that 'Oops! I didn't know!' bullshit getting old? "

" I really didn't know she was in there! " Lupin shouted. " Can we just drop it? "

" It is too much fun using it to make you scream, " Goemon smirked.

Lupin pointed a finger at Goemon, " I know I've said it before but I'll say it again. You need a woman. "

**

Toshiko was huddled up against the door of the small pickup truck as Jigen guided it through the nighttime traffic. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror even though he had watched from Mishi's roof as the firefighters and police pulled the private eye's car from the waterway. He had also watched them pull the man's body from the car. He felt a little relief since no one was around and everyone covered everyone else's ass in the part of town they had ended up in.

He glanced at her, " Babe. "

" Hmm, " Toshiko muttered.

" Sit a little closer to me, " He patted the spot next to him.

Toshiko gave him a sad glance then moved closer. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. She had been rather distant since leaving Mishi's and hadn't really said much of anything after Jigen told her he had got the guy. She also seemed to still be embarrassed by her little accident.

" You still don't feel bad about what happened right? " Jigen put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. " It's not a big deal. "

" Yes it is, " Toshiko murmured. " I shouldn't have come along. This would have never happened if I had just stayed at Lupin's. "

" I wanted to you to see your dad though, " Jigen said. " Besides, Goemon wouldn't have been much help. "

Toshiko sighed, " But it put you in danger. "

" Hey, " Jigen looked at her. " You're the one that almost got shot. If I hadn't swerved when I did, you'd have a bullet in your back. It was my idea so how do you think it makes me feel? "

" I guess it makes you feel pretty bad, " Toshiko sighed.

" Hell yes it does. I don't want you to get hurt and you almost did, " Jigen said. He sighed, " I promise never to put you in that kind of danger again. "

She was quiet for a long while then whispered, " How could he hire someone to kill me though? "

" Maybe he's afraid, " Jigen commented. " He knows if this kind of thing gets out, he'll be sucking down fish heads and rice for a long time. "

" I shouldn't have told anyone, " Toshiko muttered.

" It didn't matter if you told or not. He obviously never saw the letters or the pictures because your father had them. Ryousuke knew what he did to you was wrong and he's probably been sweating like a sumo wrestler in a sauna for the last eight months, " Jigen said. " He knew you wouldn't tell your mother but he probably got scared that either you'd finally tell or you'd be found dead and there would be an investigation. "

" I guess you're right, " Toshiko sighed. " What if he hires someone else? "

" You're going to be in house with the four of us so the next guy he hires won't have a ghost of a chance, " Jigen gave her another squeeze.

" The house is going to be pretty busy now, huh? " Toshiko said.

Jigen sighed, " Yeah. Things will probably get pretty lively once Fujiko gets her strength back. I'm sure Goemon told you that we don't get along. "

" He mentioned that, " Toshiko nodded. " I guess that means we won't spend a whole lot of time together. "

" We can spend all the time together you want babe. A couple of extra people in the house won't change that, " Jigen glanced down at her. He had thought the same thing about their privacy but didn't want to mention it to her. He knew that Fujiko would have her nose up his ass for she didn't seem to like the idea of Toshiko being so close to him.

He frowned, remembering what Lupin had told him. ~That bitch is sick if she thinks I'm going to take Toshiko to some cheap love hotel. ~

He started to imagine such a scenario with Toshiko, her big brown eyes wide with apprehension-tinged desire as she sat in the middle of a big bed wearing nothing. Her long dark hair tumbling down her shoulders to barely cover her breasts and her legs pressed together as she tried to hide herself from him out of shyness. He shut his eyes and shook his head to clear the vision from it before things progressed any further.

" Are you okay? " Toshiko sounded worried.

Jigen opened his eyes and turned down the road that would eventually take them to Lupin's house. " I'm fine. "

" Oh. Okay, " Toshiko yawned. " I'm sleepy. "

" We'll be home soon, babe. I'll wake you up when we get there if you fall asleep, " Jigen kissed the top of her head.

She nodded, rubbing her head against his chest. " Just carry me to my room if you can't wake me up. "

" Will do, " Jigen muttered.