Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Love Potion Fujiko Mine ❯ Off To The Cave ( Chapter 9 )

Love Potion Fujiko Mine

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. Zenigata and Goemon meet up at the bus stop while Jigen and Lupin hit dry land on the other side of the island.)

Part Nine: Off To The Cave

Zenigata arrived at the bus stop and couldn't believe his eyes at the amount of people that were already milling about. He checked his watch and realized he had taken a lot longer than he expected trying to get information out of people. ~At least I didn't miss the bus. Goemon probably would have left without me. ~

He pushed his way through the crowd as he looked for the samurai; finally spotting him. He had sat down outside of the bus station after purchasing his ticket. Zenigata wasn't surprised that it was on the ground but other people were looking at him like he was weird. As he approached, he said " Hey. "

" Did you find anything? " Goemon asked without opening his eyes.

" Not much, " Zenigata said. " Hold this. "

Goemon opened his eyes to take the item. It was a souvenir canvas bag that he assumed Zenigata had purchased to hold the file folder. He looked inside and saw there was also a pad of paper. " Nice briefcase, " Goemon commented as he put the bag next to his right side.

" I forgot to bring mine, cut me some slack. I'm going to go get my ticket. Don't forget, I said I wanted the window seat. "

" I remember, " Goemon muttered. He heard the bell on the door of the station ring and knew Zenigata had gone inside. He reached into his kimono, taking out Fujiko's passport. ~What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, woman? ~ He thought as he opened it and looked at her picture.

He heard the door open again and quickly tucked the passport away. " Did you find out anything at the hotels? " Zenigata asked as he picked the bag up.

" The hotel I went to said they couldn't tell me anything unless I was related to a guest there but the clerk's reaction when I asked spoke volumes, " Goemon shut his eyes again. " She was visibly shaken. "

" This is starting to look very bad, " Zenigata took a cigarette out of his jacket and lit it. " But we don't even have a name to go on. "

" Those things will kill you, " Goemon muttered.

Zenigata took a drag and held the smoke for a moment before exhaling. " Well, hanging out with Lupin is just as lethal. "

" Not for I, " Goemon rejoined.

" You go right on believing that, " Zenigata replied angrily. " You'll be dead long before I am if you keep running with that wolf. "

" I can make sure that divination doesn't come true, " Goemon reached for Zantetsuken's handle. Zenigata jumped back and reached for his gun as Goemon rose to his feet.

" Are you following me? " Zenigata and Goemon both were startled by the shrill voice of the fat lady. She didn't sound very pleased with seeing Zenigata again and Pat still looked at him like he was a bad man.

" No ma'am. We just seem to run into each other a lot, " Zenigata put his gun away as the woman waddled up to him. Luckily, she was behind Zenigata so she didn't see the weapons. There was no telling what she would do if she saw them… besides scream like a banshee.

Goemon clicked Zantetsuken back into its sheath, " Is this new member of your fan club? " He asked with a hint of sarcasm.

" She was reporting some stolen travelers' cheques when I picked up the folder, " Zenigata gave Goemon a dirty look.

" Why are you telling him that? " The woman looked at Goemon, " Are you his partner? "

" What do you mean by partner? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" Are you a police officer too? " The woman retorted.

Zenigata stepped in, " Why yes. He's one of our other agents from Japan. "

" Oh? " The woman looked at Goemon again. " He has an interesting uniform. "

Zenigata chuckled, " ICPO will let us wear anything we wants as long as we aren't at headquarters. "

" I see, " The woman looked like she wasn't buying the story. She looked down at her child, " Let's go get our tickets, Pat. "

" Yes mommy, " Pat said quietly and let his mother drag him into the ticket office.

Goemon waited until the door was closed before he spoke. " I am to assume that is Ms. Marlene Fitzsimons. "

Zenigata's eyes went as wide as saucers, " How the hell did you know that? " He had glanced at the report as Andrew took it but only was able to decipher the last name.

" I saw the name on the travelers' cheques in that purse, " Goemon shut his eyes. " I thought I would take a guess. "

" Damn. Do you know how much it scares people when you do that? " Zenigata put his hand over his eyes.

" Fear and respect go hand in hand, " Goemon intoned wryly. " And Inspector? "

" What? " Zenigata parted his fingers so he could look at the samurai.

" Don't tell anyone I am a police officer again. Someone else might be intelligent enough to ask for identification, " Goemon finished just as Marlene cam back out of the ticket office.

A speaker attached to the building came to life, " The bus will be here shortly! Please make sure you have your tickets ready and that seating is assigned! Please check your seat number on your tickets now! "

Goemon looked at his ticket, " How appropriate. "

" What's your seat number? " Zenigata asked as he looked at his ticket.

" Thirteen. What is yours? " Goemon looked over at Zenigata's ticket.

" Fifty six, " Zenigata said then looked at Goemon. " How long have you been waiting here? "

" I've been here for a while. I got the information I needed from the first hotel I stopped at or don't you remember? " Goemon reminded Zenigata.

" Oh yeah, " Zenigata nodded. He heard the sound of a large vehicle approaching. " It sounds like the bus is here. "

The speaker crackled to life again, " Everyone please line up according to number and load the bus in an orderly fashion when it arrives. "

" I'll see you at the cave, Inspector. I hope you get the window seat like you wanted, " Goemon said then walked to his place in line as the large tour bus pulled up to the station.

Zenigata waited as more people lined up, counting from Goemon down until his number was almost up. He walked to his place in line when it was his turn. ~I wonder whom I am going to be sitting with? ~ He thought and found out almost instantly.

" Please tell me you aren't number fifty six, " Marlene's grating voice traumatized him once more although he should have been used to it.

" Actually I am, " Zenigata said without looking at her.

" Hmph. Can this trip possibly get any worse? " Marlene huffed.

" Don't think I'm thrilled about this myself, " Zenigata muttered and got on the bus. As he passed by Goemon, he could have sworn the samurai was smiling and trying his best not to laugh. He continued on down the aisle and found his seat… his only comfort being it was the window seat he had hoped for.

**

" So which road do we take to get to Marsalforn? " Lupin asked as Jigen looked at a map of the island.

" Um… " Jigen pointed at the road that went all the way to the town they needed to get to. " This one. "

" Okay, " Lupin checked to make sure no one was coming from either direction before angling the Volkswagen onto the road that ran alongside of the harbour.

" Christophe said he dropped Pops and Goemon off here so they probably aren't too far ahead of us, " Jigen said.

" But did they have a vehicle? " Lupin asked.

" How the hell am I supposed to know? " Jigen replied as he leaned the seat back. " Wake me when we get to Marsalforn. "

" Sure, " Lupin muttered. It wasn't long before he heard Jigen's breathing slow to the pace it usually was at when he slept. He started to think about exactly how they would pull off heisting the love potion loot. They had very little to go on but he hoped Goemon would get at least a little information to them.

~He's going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get a hold of him, ~ Lupin thought as he pulled a bottle of water out from under the backseat. He opened it, took a swig and put it back. ~He should have at least told us what he was going to do before taking off. ~

**

Fujiko woke up, her head swirling a bit from the gas. She took little comfort in the fact that she was clean but at least she wasn't tied up. As she regained her senses, she found she was laying on a chaise lounge and was dressed in a gown made of some diaphanous material. Her wounds had been bandaged then concealed with large gold bracelets and anklets.

She looked around the room and saw other women were in the room but they looked like they were still sleeping. As she sat up, she actually looked at the room she was in. It reminded her of paintings in ancient Greek mythology books. ~I must not be in the cave after all, ~ She thought, realizing that it would have been impossible to have such a thing in a cave.

" Oh! Are you awake? " A young woman's voice startled Fujiko. She thought everyone else was still sleeping.

" Where are you? " Fujiko did another sweep of the room.

A slender hand waved in the air, " I'm over here! "

Fujiko swung her legs over the side of the chaise and stood up. It felt good to walk after being tied up for so long. ~Maybe I can get away. I don't see any guards by any of the doors. ~

" Don't bother looking for a way out, " The young woman was now standing up. Fujiko had to blink a couple of times because the woman looked like she wasn't even eighteen yet. " The doors are painted illusions except for two and those have heavily armed guards on the other side. "

" Damn. That sucks, " Fujiko said. She caught a whiff of food when she got closer to the young woman. " Oh my God. Is there food in here? "

" Yes. It's over there, " The young woman pointed to a long table. " Help yourself. "

" I am starving! " Fujiko said and went to the table. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered at the assortment of the spread before her. " If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up. "

" This isn't a dream. Eat. You'll need your strength, " The young woman came over to the table. " I'm going to eat too. "

Fujiko grabbed a plate and took a little bit of everything. " I'm sorry to look like a pig haven't had anything since yesterday afternoon. "

" It's quite alright, " The young woman gave a faint smile. " I was praying no one else would get captured but it doesn't seem to be helping anything so I might as well help those who get captured. "

Fujiko looked at the other women, " All these women are the ones that have been kidnapped? "

The young lady nodded, " Yes. "

" Oh my, " Fujiko felt her stomach knot at the thought of some many women going through what she had to. " That's horrible. "

" It's not so bad. At least the men who captured us take care of us, " The lady sighed.

Fujiko snorted, " If you call what I've been through being taken care of, I'd like to know how you define abuse. "

" Miguel and Fabian won't touch you again. "

" They better not now my hands are free, " Fujiko huffed.

" If you behave, it will be easier. I don't think we've introduced ourselves, " The young lady seemed to be changing the subject.

Fujiko put her hand out to the girl. " I forgot my manners. I am Megumi Ishikawa. "

" I'm Annalisa Namura, " Annalisa shook Fujiko's hand.

" Namura sounds Japanese, " Fujiko commented.

" It does, doesn't it? " Annalisa chuckled. " I'm one hundred percent Maltese though. "

" Can I ask you something? " Fujiko looked at Annalisa.

" Sure. Anything, " Annalisa replied.

" We aren't in Calypso's Cave are we? " Fujiko said as she did another scan of the room.

" No. We aren't anywhere near the cave. We're miles away from it, " Annalisa looked down at Fujiko's plate of food. " Why don't we sit down and we'll talk while you eat, okay? "

Fujiko nodded, " That sounds good. I really do need to eat. "

**

Zenigata stormed off the bus, looking through the milling crowd for Goemon. He had never been on a worse bus trip in his life. Luckily, Marlene didn't speak to him but she did give him dirty looks the entire ride. Whatever grievance she had with the police didn't have anything to do with him but it seemed she thought all policemen were dogs.

He finally spotted the samurai and strode over to him. " Ah. I see you were able to survive the trip next to that creature, " Goemon commented.

" When we go back, you are sitting next to her. I don't think I can stand being next to her again. Do you know how many times she dug through that enormous purse of hers? " Zenigata tried to remain even tempered. " I saw things in there I didn't even know existed. "

" I believe I will forgo that education, " Goemon answered back. " Besides, you got the window seat you wanted so don't complain. "

Zenigata growled but decided to let it go. If he had known Goemon was going to be a vexing presence, he would have thought twice about teaming up with the samurai. ~I could have conducted this investigation without him. Maybe I still can. ~

" Shall we go? " Goemon took a step towards the cave but stopped when Zenigata didn't follow.

" I think this is where we part ways, Goemon. All your doing is giving me an ulcer, " Zenigata clenched his fists at his sides. " Not only that, you're delighting in every inconvenience I have come across since I met up with you. "

Goemon whipped around, his right hand going for Zantetsuken. " If it weren't for me, you'd still be grasping at straws on the main island. Don't forget who told you about the rumor of the kidnappings. "

" I would have found out about it soon enough. Not only that, you would have never been able to get a hold of the file folder without me! " Zenigata stopped cold realizing he didn't have the file folder.

Goemon smirked; " That is true but it seems you don't have the folder now, do you? "

The airbrakes on the bus released and the behemoth vehicle started to move away from the drop off point. Zenigata's jaw dropped, realizing he had probably left the folder behind. " Damn it! Come back here! " He shouted as he took off in a run after the bus.

" Once again, he has grasped the wrong conclusion, " Goemon muttered as he shrugged off one shoulder of his kimono. He felt the weight of the folder fall into the pocket the back of the garment made and grabbed the handles of the canvas bag. He removed the bag and pulled his kimono back into place. Once he was sure Zenigata wasn't coming back, he headed towards the cave.