Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Love Potion Fujiko Mine ❯ No Respect ( Chapter 12 )

Love Potion Fujiko Mine

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. The Lupin Gang decides what to do or at least tries to and Zenigata arrives at Ggantija.)

Part Twelve: No Respect

" There, " Lupin said as he put the last part of the file back in the folder. " Pops can have this back if he shows up. "

" What do we do with it until then? " Jigen asked around his post lunch cigarette.

" I guess we'll just stow it in the trunk until then, " Lupin switched off his computer and closed it. He picked up the case for it and slid it in. " Now, we have to figure out what we're going to do once we find the people making that potion. "

Goemon looked at Lupin, " We are going to rescue those women, correct? "

Lupin nodded, " Yeah but we'll have to get Fujiko first then the others once she's safe. "

" It will be very tricky to get them out unless we rescue them all at once, " Goemon narrowed his eyes. " If we only get Fujiko out then go back for the rest, we run the risk of something happening to them. "

" I never said anything about that. We have to find her first then we'll get the rest out but it'll be one trip, " Lupin waved his hand. " Besides that, we have to find the money too. "

" Did you ever think about how we're going to get thirteen women out at once? " Jigen leaned forward on the table.

" Um, " Lupin thought for a moment. " Blow a huge hole in a wall and lead them all there? "

Jigen growled, " No, Einstein. I mean how we're going to get them all away from there. You know the car only seats four comfortably. "

" That depends on how you define comfort, " Goemon muttered.

Lupin smiled. " For the last time, you will not catch cooties sitting in the backseat with Fujiko. "

Goemon glared at Lupin, " It is not a matter of catching cooties! It's a matter of having enough legroom so one does not have to put their ankles behind their ears to sit back there. "

" Can you do that? " Jigen smirked. " Maybe we should give up the thieving racket and take you on the road as a side show. "

" If we are not going to be serious about this, I will do it myself. I will take the file and go, " Goemon reached for the canvas bag but Jigen snatched it away.

" Settle down. We're just messing with you, " Jigen said as he put the bag in his lap.

" This is not the time to be doing that, " Goemon appeared to be trying to keep his temper. " We need to be serious. "

Lupin sighed, " You're right. I guess I'll have to find a truck or a bus so we can get everyone out of there once we get the money. "

" I just thought of something, " Jigen smiled. " What if those dames have rewards on them? "

Lupin's face lit up, " Hey! I think I should look into that. Good thinking there, Jigen. "

" Thanks, " Jigen reached into his jacket and got another cigarette.

" You know what else? " Lupin said as he took the computer back out of the carrying case.

" What's that? " Jigen lit the cigarette.

" Damsels in distress are always grateful to their rescuers, " Lupin winked. " I think there's a good chance you might finally get a woman. "

" Would you shut up? " Jigen glared at Lupin. " I can get a woman any time, any where. "

The waitress walked by and Lupin looked at her. " Okay. Pick her up. "

Jigen looked her over. She appeared to be about twenty-five, had waist-length auburn hair and ivory pale skin. She was willowy and tall with an average size bust line. She wore tight jeans that followed the curves of her hips and legs. " I wouldn't mind trying, " He grinned wolfishly at Lupin.

" Then go for it, " Lupin pulled out his money clip. " You get a date with her and I'll pay for lunch. If you don't get a date, you pay for lunch. "

" Fair enough, " Jigen nodded once.

Goemon rolled his eyes, " Feh. We don't have time for this. "

The waitress looked over the table and smiled. It appeared that she was smiling at Jigen. " Did you see that? " Lupin mused. " You've already caught her eye. The ball is in your court. "

Jigen stamped his cigarette out in the ashtray, " Yes it is. This should be a piece of cake. "

Goemon stood up, " I am going to wait in the car while the two of you behave like schoolchildren. "

Goemon walked towards the door but stopped when he sensed someone was approaching. He whipped around, startling the young woman. " Yes? " He said.

" Um… " The young woman blushed. " This is so embarrassing but I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you since you came in with your friends. I was wondering if you were doing anything later? "

" I'm not very certain if I have plans or not. Why do you ask? " Goemon could see Jigen and Lupin out of the corner of his eye. They were both staring, their jaws hanging open.

" You seem… interesting; " She pulled a notepad and pen out of her apron, quickly scribbling something down. She tore the paper off and held it out to Goemon. " I get off at three. Call me when you find out if you're free tonight. "

Goemon felt his face grow warm as he realized the young woman wanted to go out on a date with him. " Err… um… okay, " He stuttered as he took the paper from her. " Excuse me. "

" Wait! What's you name? " The young woman called after Goemon as he dashed out the door.

**

Zenigata was less than happy when he arrived at Ggantija. He had to wait for a police car from Marsalforn to pick him up at Calypso's Cave then take him to the ruins of the temple. Normally, he could have just ridden a tour bus and saved a little time but the buses hadn't been running. He had thought that perhaps Goemon had gone to Ggantija as well but now he was thinking differently.

~Where has that double-crossing samurai gone to? ~ He seethed as he waited for a line of three hearses to go into the ruins just ahead of the car he was in. When they had passed, the driver of the police car turned in and followed them down to the scene.

A dark-haired woman dressed in a pressed and starched blue suit looked up as the police car pulled to a stop. She walked towards the car as Zenigata got out. She pushed her thick glasses up as she stopped in front of him, " You must be Inspector Zenigata from ICPO. "

" Yes I am, " Zenigata looked down because the woman was short. " And you are? "

" I am Investigator Faye Camilleri Parlato, " Faye put her hand out.

Zenigata shook her hand, " Nice to meet you but not under the circumstances. "

Faye nodded, " Yes. This is rather foul. First it was the kidnappings and now this. Do you know how many trips those hearses have made out here today? "

" I dare not to fathom it, " Zenigata reached into his jacket and got out a cigarette. He took out an extra and offered it to Faye, " Do you smoke? "

" No but this case just might drive me to it, " Faye waved her hand in refusal.

Zenigata put the cigarette back and lit his, " It's a terrible habit but it's rather hard to break once you start. "

" Those hearses have made three trips out here today, " Faye glanced at the cars. " They made three trips here yesterday and the day before that as well. It's been the same way for almost two weeks now. "

" And you still haven't caught the perpetrator? " Zenigata asked as he exhaled the smoke from the first drag.

" No. It's like the bodies just magically appear, " Faye shook her head. " We've had men stationed here since the second batch of bodies appeared. "

" I see, " Zenigata nodded. " Whoever is doing this is very cunning. "

Faye looked around, " Actually. Every set of officers we've had out here has been found sleeping. We took disciplinary action against them at first but now we really can't do anything or we won't have much of a police force left. I think the culprits are using some kind of knock out gas. "

" It seems that way, " Zenigata watched as officers milled around the scene, obviously looking for any kind of clues. ' Have you stayed out here on one of the watches? "

" No. I have mountains of paperwork to do on this case. I have coroner's reports to read over and forensic evidence to examine. I spend most of my time either here when the bodies are found or behind my desk, trying to explain how these men died, " Faye shut her eyes.

" Then I will stay out here tonight with your men, " Zenigata stopped. He forgot he had left most of his equipment in Cirkewwa. " I have one request though. "

" What's that? " Faye arched an eyebrow.

" I thought I was coming out here just to investigate these kidnappings so I didn't bring my things. Is there a chance I could go back to my hotel and collect the items I think will be necessary? "

" I don't see why not. Where is your hotel? Is it back in Marsalforn? " Faye took out a cell phone.

" Actually, its back in Cirkewwa, " Zenigata gave a sheepish grin.

Faye rolled her eyes, " I was afraid of that. I will have to call in a helicopter to get you there and back here in time for the rest of your briefing and to get some rest so you can stay up all night. "

" Thank you so much. You won't be disappointed, " Zenigata smiled.

Faye narrowed her eyes, " I've heard about your track record with that Lupin The Third character. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled when I heard you were helping us out. I just hope you are just the opposite on this case. "

Zenigata felt seriously insulted but Faye walked away before he could say anything in his defense. ~How dare she… ~ He thought as he smoked his cigarette. ~I'll show her. ~

**

" Did you see that? " Jigen said in a mocking tone as Lupin looked up each of the names of the kidnapped women. " You've already caught her eye. The ball is in your court… HA! "

" I could have sworn she was looking at you, " Lupin smirked.

" The damn ball bounced over my court! Matter of fact, it never even cast a shadow in my court! " Jigen snapped.

" I'm sorry! " Lupin was trying not to laugh. " I would have never guessed she was looking at Goemon. You still have a chance though. Go tell her how Goemon is about chicks. "

" Sure. What am I supposed to say? Hey doll, my friend is a samurai that's taken a vow of celibacy and the general consensus is that he's still a virgin so why don't you go out with me instead? " Jigen's tone dripped of sarcasm.

" That's a start, " Lupin said as he wrote something down. " Tell her that you can show her a good time, not how many shades of red you can turn in ten seconds before excusing yourself to hide behind a rock... and that's only if he gets the balls to pick up the phone and call her. "

" Isn't he something? " Jigen chuckled. " He doesn't bat an eye at cutting some jackass to ribbons and will run around in his loincloth like it's no big deal but he can't even get the guts up to call a girl. "

" Are you gentlemen ready to pay your bill now? " The young woman's voice startled them. They were so busy talking; they hadn't noticed the waitress in question was walking up.

" Jigen, " Lupin didn't look up from the computer.

" Yeah, sure. How much is it? " Jigen reached inside of his jacket for his wallet.

" Thirty liras, " She said unenthusiastically.

Jigen pulled the money out of his wallet. " What's the tipping rate here? "

" Ten percent, " She said.

" Hey, I'm going to be in town for a few days and I was wondering if you could show me around, " Jigen said as he counted out the bills. He was purposely using small ones to make time to talk to the young woman.

" Sorry, " The young woman said as Jigen handed her the money. " I don't go out with guys who smoke or ones that make fun of their friends. "

" Wait a second… " Jigen tried to stop the young woman as she turned swiftly on her heel. She walked away from the table without a glance back.

" I believe you were just shot down in flames, my friend. Better luck next time, Mr. I Can Get A Woman Any Time Any Where, " Lupin looked up from the computer.

" Wipe that smirk off your face, monkey boy. What's the total reward cash for the girls? "

" There's about one hundred twenty thousand dollars total in rewards waiting for the safe return of a dozen girls, " Lupin shut off the computer and put it back in the case. " Hopefully we're done with this for now. My battery is running low. "

" That's not even half a million, " Jigen did the math in his head. " That's a little cheap, isn't it? "

" That's ten thousand dollars a head, " Lupin sighed. " Some of those girls didn't even have rewards posted on them. I have a feeling their families can't afford it. That's just too bad. "

" For them or for us? " Jigen asked.

" A little bit from column A and a little bit from column B, " Lupin stood up. " Let's go. We still have to work out the rest of the details of the plan. "

**

Goemon had given up on waiting inside of the car and was sitting on the ground in front of it. He was trying to meditate but visions of Fujiko kept creeping into his head. The visions had been steadily getting worse and more improper in nature, which was making Goemon uncomfortable. He even seriously thought about seeing the young woman from the restaurant just to get his mind off of Fujiko.

~I can't think about Fujiko like this. She belongs to Lupin, ~ He thought as he tried to get rid of the latest set of visions. He heard someone approaching and he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see Manu walking down the sidewalk towards him.

" Well hello! " Manu said as he got closer. " I thought that was you but I had to make sure. "

Goemon stood up, " How are you? "

" I just got back into town. I had some errands to run after I dropped you and your friend off in Marsalforn, " Manu looked around. " Where is the inspector? "

" We had a disagreement but I am still going to look for your daughter, " Goemon noticed that Jigen and Lupin were coming out of the restaurant finally. " I am working with two others now. They spoke to your brother this morning and agreed to help. "

" Really? " Manu brightened. " Is the inspector still looking too? "

" More than likely, " Goemon nodded. " Here they are now. "

Lupin walked up as if on cue, " Who's this guy, Goemon? " He asked.

" This is Christophe's brother. He is the one who gave Inspector Zenigata and I the ride into Marsalforn this morning, " Goemon motioned to Lupin. " Manu, this is… "

Lupin bowed, " I am Arsene Lupin The Third. "

" Lupin? " Manu blinked. " I know that name. Haven't we met before? "

" Not that I can recall. You probably met my father or possibly even my grandfather but you look a little young to have known my grandfather, " Lupin tried to gauge Manu's age by looking at him but it wasn't working very well.

" I was just a boy then so it must have been your father, " Manu nodded. " He had me deliver a note to someone after he rescued me from some bullies. I later heard it was an announcement that he would be robbing the man I delivered the note to. I thought he was a good man until I found out he was a thief. "

" Isn't that something? " Lupin smirked. " Not many people can say they've met two Lupins. "

" Then the goddess of luck must be smiling on me, eh? " Manu chuckled.

" If you think meeting two Lupins is lucky, " Jigen said.

Manu looked at the fedora-wearing gunman and frowned. " And who are you? " He asked, a hint of hostility in his voice.

" I am Jigen Daisuke, " Jigen tipped his hat a bit. " I'm Lupin's partner. "

" He looks like mafia, " Manu said to Goemon.

" Your brother thought so too. We're perfectly safe, " Lupin put his hands up.

" That depends on your definition of safe though, " Jigen smirked.

Manu looked over the three men. " I suppose that I can't really choose who saves my Annalisa, can I? "

" I agreed to help and I will not back out, " Jigen said. " Plus, you have the greatest thief in the world on your side, one of the best swordsmen and one of the best gunmen on your side as well. "

" Give us a chance, " Lupin put his arm around Manu. " We'll do everything we can to bring your girl home. "

Manu sighed, " I guess I'll have to believe you. I need to go now but please don't let me down. "

" We won't, " Lupin let Manu go. " You have my word on it and a Lupin's word is worth more than most currencies in the world. "

" If you say so, " Manu said as he walked away. " Goodbye and good luck! "

" So that's her father? " Lupin said once Manu was out of earshot.

Goemon nodded, " Yes. He is quite a character when he hasn't been taken by surprise by the likes of you two. "

" What is that supposed to mean? " Jigen looked over.

" Don't worry about that, Jigen. That man met my father and now he's met me. He can't be let down twice, " Lupin took a step towards the car. " Let's go make some plans. We've got thirteen girls to rescue. "