Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Daddy's Girl ❯ Epilogue: When We Meet Again ( Chapter 40 )

Daddy's Girl

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine.  Nearly four years have passed since Jigen saw Toshiko last.  Will it be a disaster when they meet again?)

Epilogue: When We Meet Again

" Lupin, " Jigen muttered around his cigarette.

" What? " Lupin said as he guided the four seater Benz through traffic.  He hadn't driven it in a while but it was running smoothly.  He tried to use it as little as possible considering its track record of getting destroyed.

" Where are we going? " Jigen tilted his hat back a little.

Lupin smiled, " You'll see. "

" He won't answer you, " Fujiko scoffed for the backseat.  " He won't tell any of us. "

" I do not like your little games, Lupin.  I had things to do today, " Goemon intoned sourly.

" I bet those things weren't as important as this.  You all need to lighten up.  I'm sure you'll love this, " Lupin said as he pulled the Benz to a stop in front of a convention hall.

" Are we stealing something here? " Jigen asked as he looked up at the banner across the building.  He frowned, " A Coming Of Age Day ceremony?  Have you lost your mind?  Why would we want to be here? "

Lupin glared at Jigen, " I want you to think really hard. "

" We don't know any twenty year olds, " Jigen countered almost instantly.

" It's probably some pretty young thing Lupin's been flirting with, " Fujiko said then slapped Lupin upside the head.

" We do know a twenty year old and she's not someone I've been flirting with, " Lupin said then looked at Jigen.  " Although someone in this car went a lot further than flirting with her when she was with us. "

Goemon looked at Lupin, " Are you speaking of Toshiko? "

" Ping pong.  Someone give the samurai a cookie, " Lupin said.

Jigen's eyes went wide, " Lupin!  You weren't supposed to say anything about that! "

Fujiko crossed her arms over her chest, " I knew it.  You did screw her.  You are such a pervert. "

" That was almost four years ago so it's pointless to argue about it, " Jigen glared at her.

" Let's go, " Lupin said as he got out of the car.  " The ceremony is about to start. "

" How do we even know she's going to be here? " Goemon asked as he climbed out of his seat.

Lupin smirked, " A source of mine in the ICPO said Zenigata requested today off so where else do you think he would be?  He's never requested a day off since he started chasing me so it has to be something this important, right? "

" I suppose you are correct, " Goemon said as Lupin helped Fujiko out of the car.

The three of them started towards the convention hall before they noticed Jigen wasn't with them.  They turned and found he was still in the front passenger seat, his gaze focused on the dashboard.  " Jigen let's go, " Lupin called.

" I'm staying out here.  She doesn't need to see me, " Jigen replied.

Lupin sighed and rolled his eyes, " You just said the other day you wondered if she hated you or not so this will be a good way to find out. "

" I'd rather not, " Jigen said.  " If she still thinks I'm okay then that's good.  If she hates me I'd rather not know. "

" You will never know unless you go in there, " Goemon intoned evenly.  " It would put your mind at ease either way. "

Jigen scrunched down in the seat a little more, " Nope.  I'm staying right here.  I don't want to know. "

" You're being stubborn, " Fujiko said as she turned her back on the car.  " Let's just let Mr. Grumpy stay out here so we can get this over with. "

Lupin sighed, " Oh alright.  But we'll be towards the back if you decide to come in. "

" I won't, " Jigen growled.  " Have fun. "

Lupin and the others walked away from the car as Jigen put his legs over the edge of the door so he could stretch out.  He flicked his cigarette out onto the sidewalk and nestled down to take a nap.  His was almost asleep when the sound of someone running reached his ears.  From what he could tell, the person was wearing high heels and he could hear the shouts of a crowd.

" Fucking great, " He muttered and pulled his legs back into the car so he could get out as the sounds came closer.  He saw he had guessed correctly, seeing there was a young woman being chased down the sidewalk by a rather large crowd.  He jumped out of the car, catching the young woman around the waist as she passed then quickly darted in a nearby alley.  He hid behind a dumpster, the woman shielded by his body.

The crowd came to a stop at the alley, a few people looking down it but seemed to see nothing at all.  Jigen waited as the crowd continued in the direction of the convention hall before he gave the shivering woman a quick squeeze.  " They're gone, " He whispered.  " You can calm down. "

" Did they go to the hall? " She asked.

" I think so, " Jigen nodded.  " That's the direction they were heading anyway. "

The woman sighed, " At least there's security there and they can keep them beat back.  I had to ditch my car a couple of miles back because I was so scared they'd cause a traffic accident. "

Jigen looked at the woman and furrowed his brow, " Why are they chasing you? "

" I guess it's the price you pay when you design the hottest toys on the market right now, " She replied with a strained chuckle.

" You? " Jigen couldn't believe what he was hearing.  He stepped away from her to get a better look.  She was about five foot seven and probably weighed around one hundred and forty pounds, a good deal of the weight in her chest or so it seemed because of her tailored purple suit that hugged her in all the right places.

" Yes, " The woman nodded as she straightened her suit then looked at Jigen.  Her eyes went wide as she gasped, " Oh my God.  It's you. "

" What do you mean? " Jigen asked before the young woman wrapped her arms around him in a huge hug.  " Whoa… hold on one second babe.  I hardly know you. "

" Daisuke Jigen… you know me better than anyone else in the world, " She said against his shoulder.  " Please don't tell me you've forgotten me. "

Jigen pushed her away and studied her face carefully.  She had a slightly pointed nose and her eyes were shaped just like Zenigata's.  He gasped, " Holy shit, Toshiko.  You've grown since I saw you last.  You've grown a lot. "

" I grew six inches in one year, " Toshiko said and looked down at the ground.  " I hit a big growth spurt right after… "

Jigen looked away, " Um… yeah.  I figured you were working up to one since you were sleeping so much when you were with us. "

" Well I was.  Mom said that it was like I went to bed one night and woke up in the morning too tall for my clothes, " Toshiko said.

" Crap, " Jigen muttered.

" So why are you here? " Toshiko asked.  " You're the last person I expected to see. "

" Lupin drug Fujiko, Goemon and I out here.  He wanted to surprise us and I think he wanted to surprise you too, " Jigen put his hands in his pockets.  He didn't want to tell her that he had refused to go in because he didn't want to know how she felt about him.

Toshiko nodded, " I see.  You sound like you didn't want to come. "

" I wasn't sure you would want to see me, " Jigen said quietly.  " After what I did and was such a coward about it I figured you'd hate my guts. "

Toshiko clasped her hands in front of her and scuffed her foot on the ground.  " I did hate you for a little while because I wanted to stay one more night but I got over it. "

" You did? " Jigen arched an eyebrow. 

" Yeah.  I reread that letter so many times, it fell apart and I had to tape it back together.  I guess it made sense after all, " Toshiko gave him a tiny smile.  " If I had stayed, I wouldn't be where I am today. " 

" You said something about designing toys, " Jigen returned her smile.  " Care to fill me in? "

" I'd love to, " Toshiko said as looked at her watch and gasped.  " Oh my.  I'm going to late… "

Jigen sighed, " I guess we'll have to talk later.  Come on, I'll walk you to the convention hall. "

" Could you? " Toshiko asked, her voice full of hope.

" Of course, " Jigen put his arm out to her.  " We don't want the prettiest twenty year old in Tokyo to be left out of the ceremony, do we? "

Toshiko took his arm and kissed him on the cheek, " Thank you. "

Jigen smirked, " Can I have a real kiss? "

Toshiko blushed, " Um… "

" Come on.  Give me one just for old time's sake, " Jigen hooked a finger under her chin.  " If I remember correctly, you got pretty good at kissing before you went home. "

Toshiko's blush deepened, " If you say so. "

" I say so, " Jigen brought his lips to hers, taking them in a slow gentle kiss.  It reminded him of their second kiss when she had been slightly more brave.  He pulled away and smiled at her, " Okay.  Let's go. "

**

" He's such a jerk, " Fujiko said as she tried to get comfortable in the seat.  Lupin was sitting next to her and Goemon was sitting with one seat between him and Lupin in case Jigen decided to come inside.  " How do you think Toshiko's going to feel if she sees us and he's not here?  He's so concerned about hurting her but doesn't he think that him not being here will hurt her? "

Lupin rolled his eyes, " He's just scared. "

" Jigen?  Scared? " Fujiko arched an eyebrow.  " That's right up there with him giving a damn about me. "

" Yes, " Lupin said sharply.  " Jigen does care about you and he is afraid of what Toshiko might say if she sees him. "

Fujiko snorted, " Then he shouldn't have asked you to drug Toshiko that last night she was with us.  He could have been a big boy and said goodbye instead of pulling such an underhanded trick on her.  I wouldn't be surprised if she hates him considering he slept with her and all. "

" If I had known you were going to do such a thing, I would have watched you more carefully.  Where did you put the sedative? " Goemon asked.

" Remember how Jigen and I insisted on serving dessert? " Lupin smirked.

" I see, " Goemon nodded.  " I thought the two of you were being nice when you did that. "

" Jigen being nice is even more unlikely than him being scared or giving a damn about me, " Fujiko hissed.

Lupin sighed, " There's just no talking to you when it comes to Jigen.  You've already got your mind made up that he's a scumbag and he'll never amount to anything in your eyes. "

Fujiko's eyes narrowed, " Speaking of the devil… " She muttered.

Lupin looked in the direction Fujiko was looking in and found Jigen was standing at the exit, scanning the crowd.  Lupin waved and Jigen nodded before he walked over.  " We saved you a seat, " Lupin motioned to the empty space between Goemon and himself.  " What made you change your mind? "

Jigen sat down, " One of the top mechanical toy designers in Japan. "

Lupin looked at Fujiko then at Goemon.  " Come again? " Lupin said.

Jigen frowned, " You heard me and I'm not going to repeat myself.  Now, shut up.  The ceremony is starting. "

Lupin sat back in his seat, pondering Jigen's words as the year's crop of twenty year olds filed onto the stage, his eyes being drawn to a rather buxom young woman with waist length black hair and familiar looking eyes dressed in a purple suit.  " Wow.  Who's that babe right there? " Lupin whispered.

" Which one? " Jigen whispered back.

" The fifth one from the left with the huge sweater kittens, " Lupin said.

Jigen narrowed his eyes, " She's taken… or did you forget? "

Lupin was confused for a few moments then realized what Jigen was getting at.  " No way.  She can't be.  Her chest was big but not that big and she wasn't that tall… " Lupin was silenced by a glare from Jigen.

" She is and you better stop looking at her or I'll kick your ass.  I don't mess with your woman so don't mess with mine just because she filled out nicely. "

" Your woman? " Lupin said.  " You haven't seen her in four years.  How can she still be your woman? "

Jigen growled, " She my woman because I made her one.  Nothing will ever change that. "

Lupin thought about it and nodded, " I suppose you do have a point there.  I didn't think of it that way. "

Goemon leaned closer to Jigen, " Am I correct in assuming Toshiko is the one five seats from the left? "

Jigen nodded, " Yes.  Thanks for catching up with us. "

" She grew quite a bit, " Goemon muttered then moved so he wasn't leaning so close to Jigen.

" Excuse me, " An usher had walked up while the three men had been talking and they hadn't noticed.  " Could you gentlemen please be quiet? "

Lupin nodded, " Sorry about that.  We'll be quiet. "

**

Zenigata sat in the front row with the other parents, proud of his little girl but sad because of Toshi's absence and the reason for it.  Shortly after Toshi went back to work, she was killed in car accident.  Toshi's death had affected Toshiko but she found some peace in the fact she had gotten to know her mother a little better before it happened.  Shortly afterwards, Zenigata went back to work and Toshiko left for college, knowing that Toshi would have wanted them to carry on with their lives.

He smiled at his daughter when she looked at him then saw her glance towards the back of the convention hall.  His sixth sense started to tingle so he glanced over his shoulder and found out the reason for it.  In the last row by the exit sat Fujiko, Lupin, Jigen and Goemon.  He fought back the urge to arrest them because Toshiko had made him promise not to bother them if they showed up.

She reminded him that if it weren't for them, especially Jigen, she might be dead.  He reluctantly agreed although he was still angry at Lupin for treating him like he didn't have a say in the whole affair.  He still recalled how he had almost completely ignored him the night he brought Toshiko home, opting to pay more attention to Toshi.  Lupin treated Toshi like she had been Toshiko's sole parent.

~She was for a while, ~ He reminded himself.  Toshi had taken care of her for nine years alone before she met Ryousuke.  The man's name sent shivers down Zenigata's spine as he recalled the way he had met his end.  A rival syndicate member was in the same jail as Ryousuke and managed to kill him.  From all reports, it hadn't been pretty.

Zenigata noticed Toshiko was glaring at him and found he had been looking at the back of the auditorium for a little longer than he had thought.  He gave her a sheepish smile and faced the stage.

**

Fujiko stretched as she walked out of the convention hall one and half hours after the ceremony had started.  " I'm glad that's over.  Who would have thought it would have taken so long to introduce all of those people? "

Jigen got a cigarette out of his jacket and lit it.  He took a drag and exhaled, " It wouldn't have taken that long if it weren't for that huge disruption in the middle.  It was fun to see the security team put a stop to it though. "

" Damn, " Lupin said.  " What was with all of those people anyway?  You'd think Toshiko was some sort of pop idol and not a toy designer. "

Jigen shrugged, " You said it yourself back then.  She's talented.  I'm not surprised at all. "

" What did she create to cause such a fervor? " Goemon looked puzzled.

Jigen shrugged, " I didn't get to talk to her about it.  I have to go meet her by the back door here in about five minutes so could you wait for me? "

Lupin smiled, " Why don't we all go?  I'm sure she'd love to see us too. "

Jigen thought about it and nodded, " I guess it wouldn't hurt. "

" What if Zenigata tries to arrest us? " Fujiko said warily.  " Knowing him, he'd see it as a perfect opportunity to pounce on us. "

" He didn't try to in there so maybe he won't, " Lupin shrugged.

Goemon looked at Lupin, " Perhaps Toshiko had something to do with that. "

" 'Oh daddy!  Please don't make a fool of yourself today!  You'll embarrass me if you do!' " Lupin spoke in a fake high-pitched voice but let out startled shout when a very familiar hand fell onto his shoulder.  He turned slowly and found it was Zenigata.  " Uh, hey Pops.  What's up? "

" Actually, she only asked me not to arrest you during the ceremony because it would cause a disruption.  She never said anything about afterwards, " Zenigata said as he pulled out his handcuffs.  " Lupin, you're under arrest! "

" Everyone scatter! " Lupin shouted but found it was unnecessary.  Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko had already vanished.  He felt Zenigata snap one of the handcuffs around his wrist then heard him put the other around his own wrist.

" There we go and ICPO headquarters are just down the street so there's no way you can get away from me now! " Zenigata said gleefully.

Lupin looked over his shoulder at Zenigata.  " Come on, Pops.  Please reconsider.  Thanks to us, you were actually able to see your daughter reach twenty. "

" Shut up, " Zenigata barked.  " That doesn't change the fact that it's my mission in life to arrest you! "

Lupin looked around, " Toshi!  Say something!  Where are you? "  He then looked at Zenigata, " Where is she?  I thought she'd be here too. "

Zenigata's demeanor changed for maniacally happy to very sad.  He looked at the ground and sniffled, " She's gone. "

" Oh, did you piss her off again? " Lupin asked.

Zenigata shook his head and sniffled again, " No.  She's dead.  She died in a car accident right after she went back to work. "

" Oh my God, " Lupin gasped.  " How horrible!  Please let me offer you my condolences Pops.  I thought the two of you had some potential to get back together. "

Zenigata nodded heavily, " Yes.  So did I.  I asked her to re-marry me the day of the accident. "

" Damn.  That must have sucked, " Lupin replied.

Zenigata nodded, " Yes.  It did. "

Lupin pulled out a handkerchief, " Here.  People are staring. "

Zenigata took the handkerchief and found he was wearing both handcuffs instead of one.  He looked at it them for a moment then looked up to find Lupin was already several blocks away.  " Lupin! " He shouted.  " I'll get you for this! "

**

Toshiko looked up and down the alley, wondering what was keeping Jigen.  He had agreed to meet her but she hadn't seen any sign of him.  She wondered if her father had tried to arrest the gang after all.  She was planning on the harsh words she would say to him if he had when she saw something move in the shadows.

Jigen appeared shortly afterwards, " Sorry babe.  Your dad tried to arrest us. "

" I figured as much.  He was getting fidgety during the ceremony, " Toshiko sighed.  " I'm glad you got away. "

" So am I, " Jigen said as he hugged her.  " You handled yourself pretty well during that little disruption. "

Toshiko giggled, " What do you mean?  I climbed the curtains to the catwalk and hid until it was over. "

" I know, " Jigen smirked.  " You made really good time though.  One second you were on the stage and the next I saw you shoot up that curtain like it was nothing at all.  It was all I could do not to laugh. "

Toshiko pulled away and narrowed her eyes, " Why would you laugh at me? "

" I wouldn't, " Jigen smiled as he brushed her bangs out of her face with his fingers.  " I was laughing at the fact those reporters never saw it. "

" Oh, " Toshiko said.  She smiled, " It's kind of nice to be in your arms again… and not just meet you mid-chest like I used to "

Jigen chuckled, " It's nice to have you here again and you know what? "

" What? "

" My neck isn't going to hurt so much when I do this, " He said as he leaned down and took her lips in his.  They kissed for a long time when someone interrupted them.

" Hey!  What do you think you're doing? "

Jigen pulled away and muttered, " Ah shit.  I knew he would show up. "

" Let go of my daughter, Jigen! " Zenigata shouted.  He had a handcuff around his wrist, the other one dangling open like he had just been unlocking them.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he had tried to arrest Lupin but failed.  He was still a good way down the alley so Jigen knew he had time for some parting words before he fled.

" I got to split, " He said quickly.  He gave Toshiko another quick kiss, " Do you still live the same place? "

" No but I remember where you guys live.  I'll be by later, " Toshiko said as she watched her father make his way down the alley between the trash cans.  " You better hurry. "

" Yeah, " Jigen nodded.  " See you. "

" See you, " Toshiko replied and Jigen took off.

Zenigata reached Toshiko after Jigen was too far away for him to catch.  He watched as the gunman vanished around a corner before looking at Toshiko.  He stared at her for a long moment before he said, " Do you mind explaining what was going on here? "

Toshiko tilted her head to the side in thought then smirked, " Yeah.  I do mind, daddy. "

" Don't speak to me like that! " Zenigata puffed up in indignation.

Toshiko tapped the end of Zenigata's nose with her left index finger.  " I told you not to go after Mr. Lupin and his friends so if I don't tell you what was going on here that will make us even. "

Zenigata rolled his eyes, " You're turning into your mother… "

" Is there something wrong with that? " Toshiko arched an eyebrow.  She had expected him to say that since she could vividly remember her mother tapping her father's nose several times when he was recovering from his gunshot wound.

Zenigata smiled, " Not really. "

" I didn't think so, " Toshiko smirked.  " I was afraid I'd turn into you. "

" Hey! " Zenigata frowned.  " Just where do you think you got your mechanical ability from young lady? "

" Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I know, " Toshiko sighed.  She then looked at her father and smiled, " Could you give me a ride home? "

Zenigata shrugged," Sure. "