Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Love Potion Fujiko Mine ❯ A New Clue ( Chapter 10 )

Love Potion Fujiko Mine

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. Lupin and Jigen get to the cave and start to track their wandering samurai. Goemon explores the cave, Zenigata feels like he's been betrayed and Fujiko learns just where she is.)

Part Ten: A New Clue

" Wake up, Jigen. We're here, " Lupin nudged Jigen's arm as he parked the Volkswagen.

Jigen brought the seat back up as he readjusted his fedora and took a look around. " Are we in Marsalforn? It looks a little… "

" Nah. I skipped going there. We're at the cave. I figured Goemon and Zenigata would be either here or on their way here so I decided to come straight over here instead, " Lupin opened his door and stepped out of the car.

" Oh, " Jigen nodded, getting out of the car as well. " What about Fujiko? I thought we were going after her first. "

" I want to go after Goemon first. We can worry about Fujiko later, " Lupin waved his hand.

" Do you plan on waiting until she's stolen the money or something? " Jigen took out a cigarette and lit it.

" That would be a good idea but no, " Lupin sat down on the hood of the car. " I have to find out what Goemon's up to though. Taking my stuff and coming out here without much explanation just smacks of double cross to me but I'm not going to let that happen. No one double-crosses a Lupin. "

" Yeah, " Jigen scoffed. " No one except for a redhead with huge tits and a tight ass. "

" You're just bitter. You really need to get laid, " Lupin muttered as he got a cigarette of his own and lit it. " Maybe you wouldn't be so uptight then. "

" I don't need to get laid, " Jigen muttered. " Women are nothing but trouble. "

" I'm starting to think you don't like women, " Lupin gave Jigen a sideways glance and smirked. " If you have a secret, you can tell me. We can still be friends even if you are that way. It won't change anything… except maybe that you'll be getting your own room when we get back to the hotel. "

" I'm not that way and you know it! You know what your problem is? You're always thinking about when you're going to get your next fucking piece of ass. If you'd start thinking more with the head on your shoulders instead of the one in your pants maybe we wouldn't get in so many close calls! " Jigen said angrily and loud enough for a group of nuns to turn around and blush before scurrying off.

" Keep your voice down, Jigen. I was just playing. Don't think I don't know about those girlie magazines you keep under the false bottom of your suitcase because I do, " Lupin smirked. " Maybe you should share some of those with Goemon. "

" Stay the hell out of my stuff, " Jigen muttered. " We've got better things to worry about right now… like where YOUR centerfold girl is. "

" We'll find Fujiko soon enough. I have radar for her, " Lupin took a drag from his cigarette.

" More like a divining rod, " Jigen took a long drag from his cigarette.

Lupin narrowed his eyes; " Do you want to know the truth? I am thinking that Goemon will lead us to her. "

Jigen thought for a long moment. " Wait. He knew where she was heading. You don't think she's hired him to mislead us while she makes off with the loot, do you? "

" Bingo, " Lupin nodded. " I mean, what other explanation can you come up with? "

" You have a point. Goemon has a habit of being loyal to the one holding the purse strings; " Jigen flicked some ashes off of his cigarette. " She's probably promised him a big chunk of that booty. "

" Just as long as she didn't promise him HER booty, " Lupin laughed.

Jigen realized what he had said and started laughing as well. " He would have passed out if she had promised him that for payment! "

Lupin flicked his cigarette away as he recovered from laughing, " Okay. It's time to get serious, Jigen. We're going into the cave. "

Jigen stamped out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, " I'm ready when you are. "

**

" Are you sure no bags slid up here after you left? " Zenigata asked the bus driver. After chasing the bus for a bit, the driver realized he was being followed. He stopped and let Zenigata on but the bag he was looking for wasn't on the bus at all.

" Yes sir, " The bus driver nodded vigorously. " Maybe you left it at the station, huh? "

" The station… " Zenigata said slowly. He recalled handing the bag to Goemon but didn't remember getting it back from the samurai. He clenched his fist and growled, " That dirty rat! "

" Sir? " The bus driver asked, sounding a little wary.

" You need to take me back to the cave right now! " Zenigata shouted.

" I can't! I have a schedule to keep, " The bus driver shook his head.

" But I have been robbed, " Zenigata picked the driver up by the shirt. " I'm in the middle of a very important investigation and that bag had the files pertaining to the case! "

" Then walk back! It really isn't hat far. I need to get back to the station or I will be in deep trouble! " The driver said and pushed Zenigata.

The man was a lot stronger than Zenigata had realized and sent him tumbling down the steps. The second Zenigata's rear end hit the ground the driver shut the door and took off as fast as the bus could go. Zenigata got up, rubbing the spot that had hit the ground and muttering curses under his breath as he walked back in the direction of the cave.

~Damn you Goemon. When I get my hands on you, I WILL put you under arrest for being an accomplice to Lupin… ~ He thought and hoped a car would come along.

**

Goemon stepped carefully as he followed the path through the cave. He hadn't seen anything particularly suspicious but decided he would examine every inch of the cavern until he was satisfied. ~There's no way there could be some secret operation going on here. There are no signs of it, ~ He looked everywhere he could for clues but found nothing.

He recalled the strange card he had found in Fujiko's wallet and wondered if it had been a souvenir from the gift shop. He spotted a man selling candles and decided to ask him if he knew anything about it. He approached the man and he instantly smiled. " Sir, would you like to buy a candle for the darker parts of the cave? "

Goemon shook his head, " Perhaps. Can I ask you about something? "

" Yes sir! I'll answer any questions you may have. Would you like me to tell you the history of this beautiful cave? " The man seemed eager to be helpful.

" I know the basics but that isn't what I want to ask you about, " Goemon reached into his kimono and pulled out Fujiko's wallet. He found the card and showed it to the man, " Do you know what this is? "

The man stared at the card, his bright demeanor fading instantly. " I have seen a few of those. You might want to discard it now. "

" Why would that be? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" It is very bad luck, " The man looked around nervously. " All of the men I have seen with that card end up dead. "

" Oh really? " Goemon looked at the card again.

" Yes. Have you not heard of the bodies found at Ggantija? " The man spoke in a hushed tone. " All of them were men who came here first. "

" I found it in some things that belong to this woman, " Goemon pulled out Fujiko's phony passport and opened it. " Have you seen her? "

The man looked at the picture, " No sir. She has not been through here. Women are not safe here either. "

Goemon nodded once before putting the passport and card away, " That I have heard about. I think I have asked you everything I need to. "

" Sir? " The man asked sheepishly.

" Yes? " Goemon had started to turn but stopped when the man spoke again.

" Please do yourself a favor and get rid of that card as soon as possible, " The man pointed to where Goemon had put the card and passport.

" I'm sorry but I cannot do that, " Goemon replied and walked away. ~This may be my key to finding Fujiko. ~

**

" Yeesh, " Lupin said as he looked at the map then around the cave. " There's no style. I wonder how Odysseus and Calypso stood this place for seven years? "

" It's just a story, Lupin. Do you think someone would really stay with a woman in a place like this for that long? " Jigen looked around as well. " I would have been out of here long ago if we weren't looking for Goemon. "

" You're right. Odysseus and Calypso probably spent most of their time on the beach out there, " Lupin commented. He knelt down and out his ear to the ground.

" Do you hear anything at all? " Jigen asked.

" I don't hear anything, " Lupin frowned. " This is supposed to be the lowest level but I haven't seen any sign of anything except for a bunch of lizards and bugs. "

" This is becoming one strange trip, " Jigen muttered as he reached into his jacket and got a cigarette.

Lupin stood up and went to a wall, feeling it carefully for any telltale cracks or inconsistencies. The cracks that scarred the rocks were all natural and nothing sounded hollow as he knocked on the wall. " Are you sure it was Calypso's Cave there were talking about on the shortwave? " Lupin asked as Jigen lit the cigarette.

" Yeah. I was pretty sure that's what I heard. The signal was pretty weak and faded out in a couple of spots but I think I heard it all, " Jigen said as he exhaled the smoke from the first drag.

" It faded in a couple of spots? " Lupin turned around and looked at Jigen.

" Yeah but I don't think it was anything important, " Jigen shrugged. " Why don't we go look for Goemon? He seems to know a lot more than we do. "

" You can say that again, " Lupin muttered.

**

Goemon stepped back out into the sunlight, shielding his eyes from the sun as they readjusted to being outside. He scanned the area and he narrowed his eyes as they settled on a very familiar yellow Volkswagen. He hadn't expected Lupin and Jigen to be this close behind him. ~What are they doing? ~ He thought.

He walked over to the car and put his hand close to the engine. It seemed to be a bit warm but it wasn't hot. ~They must be inside the cave, ~ He glanced over his shoulder towards where he had just been. ~I had best be making my way to Ggantija before they return. ~

He went to the bus stop and went to the ticket window. The young woman behind the glass smiled, " Can I help you? "

" Is there a bus that goes to Ggantija? " Goemon asked.

The young woman looked at a chart on the desk, " Yes sir but it's not running. Ggantija isn't open to the public today. "

" It isn't? " Goemon arched an eyebrow. He had figured it wouldn't be open after what the candle man had told him but perhaps he could get some more information out of the ticket woman.

" No sir. The government has declared it closed to the public. There has been vandalism from what I have heard and it has been closed until they can remedy it, " The woman wouldn't look Goemon in the eye as she spoke.

" I see. Is there a town close to Ggantija? " Goemon asked as he began planning a different approach.

" Yes. It's a village called Xaghra. You can learn a lot about Ggantija there without actually visiting the temple itself. Would you like to go there? " The woman seemed relieved that Goemon wasn't pursuing the reason why the temple was closed.

" Yes, I would. "

The woman typed something into her computer and a ticket started to print. She pulled it off the printer as she said, " That will be three liras. "

Goemon took out Fujiko's wallet and retrieved three one-lira notes and handed them to the lady. She handed him the ticket and smiled. " Thank you, " Goemon muttered.

" You're welcome. The bus will be arriving in about five minutes at the stop in front of the gift shop, " The woman pointed towards where she was talking about.

" I see, " Goemon said and walked towards the bus stop. He got there and glanced in the window of the gift shop. He didn't see anything that looked like the card but decided to go inside and ask the clerk just in case. He couldn't leave any stone unturned.

**

" I think you may have missed something, " Lupin sighed as he and Jigen walked out of the cave. " I think some really important part faded out when the reception got so lousy. "

" I'm thinking that myself, " Jigen replied. " Perhaps this is just a starting point to get to the actual potion. I could have sworn that the parts of what I heard said otherwise. "

" Maybe the people who were broadcasting were afraid someone was listening so they gave out bogus information to throw interlopers off, " Lupin took out a cigarette and lit it.

" If that's so, that potion could be anywhere. It may not even be on this little island at all, " Jigen felt like hitting something but he wasn't quite sure what to hit. He growled, " We came all the way out here for nothing! "

" Not quite, " Lupin said then took a long drag off of his cigarette.

" What do you mean? " Jigen looked over at Lupin.

" The love potion isn't here but I'm pretty sure it's on this island somewhere, " Lupin smiled.

" What makes you say that? " Jigen narrowed his eyes. " Why are you smiling like that? "

" If it weren't close by, why would there be a samurai walking out of the gift shop over there? " Lupin fixed his eyes on what he was talking about.

" A samurai? " Jigen looked to where Lupin was looking. " Hey! There's Goemon! "

They were still a good distance away but Goemon looked right at them as if he heard them talking and he appeared none too happy to see them. He narrowed his eyes and reached for Zantetsuken. " Geez. That's no way to greet us, " Lupin commented.

" It's Goemon. Did you expect him to jump up and down like a schoolgirl? " Jigen shrugged his shoulders. " Do you see Pops anywhere? "

" No. It looks like he's either ditched Zenigata or the other way around, " Lupin scanned the area but didn't see the trademark mustard brown trench coat anywhere around the gift shop. A split second later, he felt a handcuff go around his wrist and someone tug at it hard. " What the hell? "

Jigen followed the chain that led from the handcuff with his eyes and found it was attached to Zenigata. He was still a good twenty meters away but he had a death grip on the chain and pulling at it like the end of the world would come if he didn't catch Lupin. " Jesus Christ! Where does he get these crazy ideas from anyway? "

" I don't know but you need to shoot the chain or he's going to rip my arm off! " Lupin grunted as he tried to hold his ground. " He's got such a grip on it, I can't get loose! It just gets tighter every time I try. "

Jigen pulled out the combat revolver and took aim at the chain as well as aiming at the ground so the bullet would go there once the chain was broke. He fired, sending Lupin and Zenigata both sprawling backwards onto the ground. Zenigata hit the ground hard but Lupin had something… someone to cushion the blow. " Thanks, Jigen but you didn't have to be my landing pad too, " Lupin still had his eyes shut from when he braced himself for the fall.

" Open your eyes, Lupin. I never moved an inch. "

" Huh? " Lupin opened his eyes and looked to see who had protected his posterior. He looked into the eyes of what he could only describe as a raging bull with dyed blonde hair. " Um, hello. What's up? "

" Could you please get off of me? " The woman sounded like she was trying not to yell or to control her temper so she wouldn't throttle Lupin to death.

Lupin scrambled to his feet, " I am so sorry about this. "

" You had better be. How are you going to make this up to me? " The woman shouted. The woman then looked to an androgynous looking child that was standing a few feet away. " Pat! Come here and help mommy up! "

Lupin got an idea, " I know. I'll make this up to you by getting something nice for you and your… um… child. "

" What are you going to get us? " The woman asked as the child helped her up.

" Here, " Lupin reached into his jacket and pulled out a wad of bills. He quickly pulled a few notes off and handed them to the lady. " That should be enough for you two to get something very nice. I really can't think of any other way to say how sorry I am though. "

" Cut it short, Lupin. Pops is back on his feet, " Jigen warned.

Lupin looked over his shoulder in time to see Zenigata running towards them as fast as he could. " And how! Which way did Goemon go? "

" I didn't see, " Jigen looked back towards the gift shop. " When did that bus pull up? "

" It must have been while we were distracted, " Lupin was surprised to see the bus as it pulled away from the gift shop. " It looks like it's leaving now. "

" Lupin! " Zenigata shouted. " You're under arrest! "

The woman was dusting off her rear but still hadn't taken the money. She looked forward to take the money when her eyes fixed on Zenigata. " Damn it! Not him again! "

Lupin and Jigen looked at each other then they grabbed the woman by the shoulders. " Sorry about this, " Lupin said and kissed the woman on the cheek as he stuffed the bills into the front of her dress.

" We got to do what we got to do, " Jigen added as Zenigata closed in. He looked at Lupin, " On three. "

" One… " Lupin started the count.

" And two, " Jigen answered.

" And THREE! " They said together and put the woman right in Zenigata's way.

" Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! " Zenigata tried to stop but ran right into the lady, the both of them tumbling to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.

" Car! " Lupin shouted.

" Gotcha! " Jigen said and they both took off in a dead run for the Volkswagen.

Lupin got in the car first, unlocking Jigen's door as he started the engine. He threw it into reverse and tore out of the parking place like a bat out of hell. " I think we need to follow that bus, " He commented as they zoomed past Zenigata and the woman.

" No joke. Goemon might be on it, " Jigen nodded his head as he pulled out a cigarette.

" Jigen, " Lupin glanced over to him.

" Yeah? " Jigen said as he lit the cigarette.

" Do you have another one? I smoked my last one in the cave, " Lupin put his hand out to Jigen.

Jigen growled, " You already owe me a pack and a half. "

" Oh yeah, " Lupin muttered and ran his hand between the seats and under the backseat. He brought it back with a fresh pack of cigarettes. " Then could you open these while I drive? "

**

Goemon watched through the back window of the bus, waiting for the Volkswagen to come into view. He knew there would be no way the bus could outrun the tiny car so Lupin and Jigen would be catching up soon. ~At least Zenigata doesn't know where I am going, ~ He thought.