Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Love Potion Fujiko Mine ❯ Selfish ( Chapter 25 )

Love Potion Fujiko Mine

By Bekka Mouri-Hibiki

(Lupin isn't mine. Lupin and Goemon exchange fisticuffs, Zenigata continues to distract the police and, once the fight is finished, the gang discovers what is left of the van.)

Part Twenty-Five: Selfish

Jigen scrambled out of the car and shoved his seat forward as Goemon forced his way out of the car. Lupin was already out of the car and taking off his jacket. He took the P38 out of his shoulder holster before handing it to Jigen. Goemon shoved Zantetsuken in Fujiko's face as she climbed out of the car.

She looked at the sword for a moment then glared at him, " Could you wait until I get out of the car please? "

Jigen looked at Lupin, " Are you sure you want to do this? "

" Yes, " Lupin nodded as he rolled up his sleeves.

" Here. Take it woman; " Goemon shoved Zantetsuken at Fujiko again after she had straightened her skirt.

Lupin sneered, " Is she so special now that she gets to hold your sword? "

Goemon's eyes flashed with anger, " You had better be happy I agreed to not to use my sword. You would be on the ground by now picking up your guts. "

" I really think that you are blowing this way out of proportion, Lupin. Have you stopped to think that maybe they really didn't do anything at the hotel? " Jigen stepped between Lupin and Goemon. " Do you two really think she is worth fighting over? "

" Hey! " Fujiko shouted, obviously offended at Jigen's words.

" Come on, Lupin. You never get this pissed off when she goes off and sleeps with some guy to get at his money, " Jigen ignored Fujiko.

" Those bastards aren't one of my friends, " Lupin looked over Jigen's shoulder at Goemon. " What the hell happened? I thought you hated Fujiko? "

" The situation is hard to put into words, " Goemon's expression promised death even if he had to die as well. " I wish that the things that have happened had not but there is no changing the past. "

" I was going to let the first time go. I was going to cut you some slack there, Goemon. I even convinced myself to let the second time slide too. You couldn't help it, " Lupin glanced at Fujiko.

Fujiko frowned deeply, " I was messed up from that crap too. "

" Yeah, " Jigen shot back. " It amplified your bitchiness ten fold. "

Fujiko's face went bright red with anger as she raised her left hand, her middle finger shooting up. " Fuck you! "

" How lady-like, " Jigen muttered.

" Indeed, " Goemon commented.

" Shut up; " Lupin returned his focus to Goemon and Jigen. " You know something? No matter what you two think or say, I am always going to love that woman and I will fight for her until I can no longer draw breath into my lungs. "

Fujiko gasped as she let her arm fall to her side, " Lupin… are you telling the truth? "

Lupin nodded, " Yes I am. I love you Fujiko. "

Jigen rolled his eyes, " Damn it Lupin. She's said that thousands of times but she never stays true. What are you going to do? Go beat up every guy she's slept with since the two of you met? "

" No, " Lupin narrowed his eyes at Goemon. " Just him. "

" Why me? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" Because I can, " Lupin balled up his fist and threw a punch but Jigen blocked it.

" Hey! Wait until I'm not in the middle of this! " Jigen gripped Lupin's fist tightly.

Lupin narrowed his eyes at Jigen, " You have five seconds to move or I'm going to hit you too. You've pretty much well earned an ass kicking of your own. "

Jigen looked bewildered, " What the fuck have I done? "

" Where should I start? " Lupin pulled his fist back. " You talk shit about Fujiko all the time knowing it'll piss me off. You insult her to her face and you treat her like garbage. I could also mention you're the one who brought up the idea of doing this job. "

" If we hadn't taken this job, your precious girlfriend would be dead by now, " Jigen growled.

" No way. She would have found a way out, " Lupin shook his head. " Besides, Goemon was coming here and still could have saved her. "

" What if that happened? " Jigen said. " Chances are, they would have still ended up in bed together. "

" At least then I wouldn't have known, " Lupin growled.

" Ignorance is bliss, " Jigen said sarcastically.

Lupin sneered, " Yeah. I'm sure you know a lot about it considering how ignorant you are of how Fujiko really is. "

" She's earned every word I've said about her, " Jigen sneered in return.

" Then you've earned every punch I'm going to land on you, " Lupin grabbed Jigen by the shirt and balled up his fist again.

" Please don't, Lupin! " Fujiko cried out. " I promise to make it up to you if you don't fight them. "

Lupin looked towards Fujiko, " How? "

Fujiko bit her lip as she thought about it. She then smiled and winked at Lupin. She walked over to where the three men were standing and pried Lupin's fingers away from Jigen's shirt. She gave Jigen a nasty look before shoving him away.

" You little bitch, " Jigen said then felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Goemon, " What? "

" I think it would be best if we stepped back, " Goemon said. He narrowed his eyes, " Fujiko. "

Fujiko kept her attention on Lupin as she tossed Zantetsuken to Goemon. She moved Lupin away from them but they were still close enough to hear her as she spoke. " Lupin… I love you so much and I'm so sorry. I promise it's over. "

Lupin hesitantly put his arms around Fujiko. " Baby, you said that the other night but I don't think you kept your promise. "

" Do you think that little of me? " Fujiko sounded hurt.

Lupin put a hand on Fujiko's neck and pushed her hair out of the way. " No but I know a fresh hickey when I see one. "

Fujiko turned around and glared at Goemon but he looked away like he didn't know anything about the mark. She let out a frustrated growl before turning back to Lupin. " It was an accident but I swear it was the last time. We even agreed that we wouldn't do it again. "

Lupin shut his eyes, " How sure can I be that you will keep that promise? "

" Just trust me, " Fujiko said quietly. " Once this job is over, let's forget about everything that happened, okay? "

Lupin cradled the side of Fujiko's face in his left hand, " You said you would make it up to me. "

" Anything you want, " Fujiko purred.

" How about a kiss? " Lupin smiled.

Jigen tugged at Goemon's sleeve. " I sense a disgusting moment approaching. I think we should go for a walk. "

Goemon did not move as Fujiko kissed Lupin, unable to look away. He gripped Zantetsuken tightly as he fought back a lump in his throat. He had tried to tell himself Fujiko belonged with Lupin but seeing her in his arms destroyed all of the convincing he had done. He felt so confused, part of him wanting to hate her again but the other part urging him to snatch her away from Lupin.

~Could it be that I have fallen in love with her after all? ~ He thought. He shut his eyes, ~How could have I? She is the opposite of everything I believe a good person is. ~

" Goemon, " Jigen patted him on the back. " Come on. I think we need to have a talk while those two make up. Knowing them, they're probably going to do it al fresco and that's just something I don't want to see. "

Goemon nodded once and turned to face Jigen, " I wouldn't put it past either of them. Where do you want to walk? "

Jigen looked across the landscape, " Let's go to that rock and come back. "

" That sounds good, " Goemon said.

Once they were a good distance away, Jigen spoke. " So what's up? "

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

" You look like you need to talk to someone, " Jigen jerked his thumb over his shoulder. " I noticed how you were looking at Lupin and Fujiko. "

" I will be alright, " Goemon muttered.

Jigen reached into his jacket and got out a cigarette. He lit it then exhaled the smoke. " So did you two really do something at the hotel? "

" I believe that is obvious, " Goemon sighed. " I had no intention of doing anything with her but one thing led to another. "

" Dames like her are like drugs. You tell yourself you're just going to do a little bit then you're selling everything you own for one more hit, " Jigen said then took a long drag off of the cigarette.

" We decided it was the last time though, " Goemon said.

" Then why did you look like your heart was breaking back there? " Jigen exhaled the smoke.

Goemon opened his mouth to reply but stopped. He sighed, thinking about the reasons behind his reaction. " Perhaps I have become attached to her. "

" You better not be in love with her, Goemon. If you are, you're just setting yourself up for nothing but frustration. She only loves Lupin. One person has only penetrated whatever that shell she has built around her is made from and that's him, " Jigen sighed.

" But what if I do love her and just haven't admitted it to myself entirely? " Goemon arched an eyebrow.

" Then you will have to get over it. Let me tell you a secret, " Jigen took the cigarette out of his mouth and moved closer to Goemon.

" Is this one of those secrets I will regret knowing? " Goemon gave Jigen a wary look.

" No. Now listen, " Jigen looked around to make sure no one was around. It seemed a little redundant in the middle of nowhere but, with Lupin around, even the middle of nowhere wasn't safe. " Way back when I first met Fujiko, I thought I was in love with her too. "

Goemon's eyes went wide, " Really now? "

" Really. I fell for that nice package of tits and ass. We even made out in a couple of broom closets but then she tried to use me. I refused to be her little puppet and we haven't been on good speaking terms since, " Jigen took a drag from his cigarette.

" I see, " Goemon nodded.

" Come on, " Jigen moved back. " Let's go remind Lupin that there are eleven women running around with our money and the wrong idea. "

" All of it? " Goemon asked.

" Except for one bag of cash at the cottage, " Jigen shrugged. " I don't know if it's still there or not. "

" We shall remind Lupin of that then, " Goemon said and turned back in the direction they had come from. Jigen followed and they were just about three meters away from Lupin and Fujiko when the crack of a hard slap echoed through the air.

" LUPIN! " Fujiko shouted. She turned her head and spit some blood out of her mouth. " What the hell did you do that for? "

Goemon turned and saw the blood, fearing that Lupin had slapped Fujiko hard enough to cause her to bleed. " What did you do to her? " He shouted as he ran towards them. " Why did you slap her like that? "

" Cool it, " Lupin said as he rubbed his cheek. " She slapped me, Prince Charming. "

" But why? " Goemon clicked Zantetsuken from its sheath.

" He bit my tongue, " Fujiko said then spit some more blood out.

Jigen looked at Lupin, " I never knew you were into that kind of thing. "

" Are you okay? " Goemon asked Fujiko.

" She'll be fine. It came out like a splinter would come out of a finger, " Lupin waved his hand.

" I am but that's not why I did it, " Lupin said then put his hand to his mouth and spit something out. He held it out for Jigen to see it. " I was getting this thing. "

Goemon, Jigen and Fujiko all looked at the microchip in Lupin's palm. Jigen reached for it but stopped before looking at Lupin. " Lupin, could you clean that thing off? I want a closer look but I really don't feel comfortable touching your spit or Fujiko's blood. "

" Some of Fujiko's spit is in there too, " Lupin muttered as he wiped the chip off on his shirt.

" That makes it even worse, " Jigen replied.

Lupin put the chip back on his palm. Goemon looked at it, " Why was there a microchip in Fujiko's mouth? "

Fujiko put a hand over her mouth. " Oh my God. I totally forgot. "

" Forgot what? " Jigen looked at Fujiko.

" When I was first at the mansion, Fabian told me that a microchip had been implanted in my tongue. At first, it was there to keep me from biting through it so I wouldn't try to kill myself that way. "

" Why would you want to do that? " Jigen asked.

" Because they had me tied up and couldn't do anything else, " Fujiko said quietly. " It was a remote control for wires in the shackles. When I bit down on my tongue, the shackles would shock me. The intensity of the shock was in direct correlation to how hard I was biting my tongue. "

" It's also a transmitter, " Lupin pulled out the receiver. The device was emitting a steady tone because of the proximity of the microchip. " The others are showing… Uh oh. "

" Uh oh what? " Jigen looked at the receiver. He didn't see the cluster of dots that represented the women that had escaped. " Lupin… what happened? "

" I don't know but whatever it is, it can't be good. We had better get to the cottage, get our stuff and go find them, " Lupin said.

" We do need the rest of our stuff but we can't stop for long, " Jigen put a hand on his chin. " I say we only take five minutes there. "

Lupin nodded, " I was thinking about two minutes but five is okay. "

**

The police scoured all the stores and cafés as they searched for Fabian and Miguel. There were officers in the street, stopping every person and asking if they had seen any suspicious looking men in a taxi. Faye and Zenigata watched the activity from the front of the hotel at the opposite end of the street from where Fujiko had been attacked. Zenigata had turned in a written (albeit doctored) report of the desk clerk's statement and didn't say anything about Fujiko or Goemon.

Faye looked at Zenigata and started to speak but her voice squeaked. She looked away and tried to speak again. It looked like she was ashamed of something as she spoke. Zenigata tried not to smile as she said the words he had wanted to hear since her first tongue-lashing when they first met.

" I would like to apologize for thinking you were incompetent. We would probably still be at square one if you had not been so brave back there at the temple. I still do not approve of such gung-ho tactics, " Faye stopped to take a breath. Her gaze went to the ground as she muttered something that Zenigata didn't quite catch.

" What was that? I didn't quite hear you, " He said.

Faye clenched her fists at her sides; " I said that I want to treat you to dinner once the case is solved. It's the least I can do. "

It was all Zenigata could do not to dance around in a circle and shout " Score! " He fought back the broad grin that was threatening to spread across his face and looked at Faye. " I think it won't be a problem with me. Do you think your husband will mind though? "

Faye snapped her head up and looked at Zenigata. She stammered for a moment then said, " I'm not married. "

Zenigata took a good look at Faye. ~Without those hideous glasses and with her hair out of that tight bun, she might just be a fox. ~

" So? Will you? " She said, he voice shaking a bit.

" Sure, Faye. "

**

A steady stream of black smoke rose towards the sky and could be seen from where the Volkswagen was. " I don't like the looks of this, " Lupin muttered around his cigarette as he pushed the gas pedal down.

" Me neither, " Jigen agreed as he watched the smoke wafting upwards. " It looks like the fire is still burning from the amount of smoke. "

" Do you think there was an accident? " Fujiko asked.

" If it's the women, it wasn't an accident. I just pray it isn't them, " Lupin said. He glanced in the rearview mirror. " Fujiko. "

" Yes? " She replied.

" I want you to stay in the car once we get there. I really don't know what we're going to find but it probably won't be good, " Lupin said in a serious tone.

" I've seen all kinds of carnage, Lupin. I can handle it. "

" It's different when it's your friends that ARE the carnage though. Please just stay in the car, " Lupin said.

Fujiko went pale, " Do you think it will be that bad? "

" I'm afraid so, " Jigen turned to look at Fujiko. " Just listen to Lupin on this one. "

Fujiko looked at Goemon but he looked away and shut his eyes. " I have to agree. If Lupin is correct, you should not see it. "

The smoke became thicker, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. Jigen pulled a handkerchief from his jacket, putting it over his mouth and nose. Lupin pulled the car over and did the same as he started to gag. " God! I hate that smell! " He cried out, trying not to wretch.

" I think I'm going to be sick, " Fujiko said as she put her hand over her mouth and nose. Goemon put his arm up, his kimono sleeve acting at a filter. He pulled Fujiko to him, pushing her head down so she could use part of the extra cloth for the same purpose. She clutched the fabric as she coughed, " What is that smell? "

" That smell is gasoline, some kind of accelerant and flesh, " Lupin gasped as he tried to drive away from the wretched odor.

" Flesh? " Fujiko choked out. " You mean like human flesh? "

" Yes, that is what he means. I believe we are too late, " Goemon said gently to Fujiko.

Fujiko scrambled to look out the back window of the car as they passed by the remnants of the van. Goemon tried to pull her away but she pushed his hand back. She felt her blood turn to ice as she saw what looked like bodies through the smoke but they were badly burned. Goemon grabbed her forcefully and yanked her away from the window just as she recognized a couple of charred bags of money.

" Fujiko, " Goemon said. " We told you not to look. "

Fujiko moved her mouth like a fish out of water as the weight of the shock settled down on her. She struggled to speak but only could say two words. " The women… "

Goemon nodded solemnly, " Yes. "

Fujiko began to shake as if she were cold, falling onto Goemon and grasping at his kimono. " No… no… NO!!! "