Lupin III: Flower of Betrayal by JT and Leia

[thedarlingone]

Flower of Betrayal (14525 words) by camshaft22, thedarlingone
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Lupin III
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jigen Daisuke & Mine Fujiko
Characters: Arsène Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke, Ishikawa Goemon XIII, Mine Fujiko, Zenigata Kouichi, Yatagarasu Gorou, Ishikawa Goemon XIII's Grandmother
Additional Tags: Possession, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Lupin III Part 5, background Arsène Lupin III/Mine Fujiko, Ishikawa Goemon II (Lupin III)
Summary: After Lupin steals a sacred artifact of the Ishikawa clan, Goemon is set on his trail.

Chapter 1

The night was hot and the breeze was less than adequate to keep her asleep. She rose, lighting a lantern she didn't actually need but wanted, and left her room. There was something in the summer air that was just out of the norm that it set her on edge. Ishikawa Goemon, Eleventh of her name, scanned the halls, listening with highly trained ears as she looked for the source of her unease.

The slide of doors in her house sharpened her focus and she hurried with her aged body towards the almost silent sound. Sliding the door with a snap, she found a man standing near one of their sacred artifacts, holding it in his hand like a prize. The light caught him like a spotlight, haloing around him. She immediately threw a knife, reflexes still sharp despite her age and he caught it, laughing.

She got into a fighting stance and whistled sharply once. The man moved, fast and light, returning her blade in a sharp attack that left it sitting in her shoulder. His movements were trained, highly so. Like her family's movements.

"Obaa-chan, you are so cute. But you know you can't stop me," he said with a laugh. "I'm Lupin Sansei after all." They started fighting, blow to blow. He was faster but she was more cruel, ignoring her injury. It was then that the house was filled with people, weapons out and ready.

"Capture him! He stole our treasures!" Goemon commanded. Lupin punched her in her shoulder, causing her enough pain that her vision blurred for a moment. It cleared enough for her to see that he used another of their techniques to leave. She was left with the younger members of their clan as the older ones gave chase.

"Shintaro-kun," she said, looking at Shintaro. "Call my grandson," Goemon demanded. "Akane-chan, get the med supplies."

Shintaro, a young man in his early teens, took out his phone and glanced over at the elegant calligraphy scroll on the wall, a simple series of digits. He tapped several buttons on the phone, and in a moment, Goemon the Eleventh heard the sound of ringing from the speaker.

After a few seconds, the ringing stopped, and a familiar but very sleepy voice said "Moshi-moshi?"

Goemon the Eleventh took a deep breath. "Ishikawa Goemon the Thirteenth, you have betrayed the honor of your clan and the trust of our village!" she declared. "You have taught the traditions of the Iga ninjas to an undeserving outsider, a known thief. This Lupin the Third has stolen the oldest and most valuable treasure of our house, the medallion of Goemon the Second, and you are to blame!" A brief, shocked noise came out of the phone, but Goemon the Eleventh was nowhere near done. "He knew what he was looking for. He knew where to find it. He used Iga ninja techniques to fight us and escape. He was told! Someone from this village gave him all the details and prepared him to steal our treasure. There is no other way he could have known."

"I—"

"Did you conspire with this Lupin the Third to rob your own family, Goemon? Why would you do such a thing? Or did you disgracefully allow yourself to be deceived? Have you anything to say for yourself? Speak!"

"I did not conspire with Lupin the Third, Obaa-sama," Goemon the Thirteenth said penitently, addressing her with respect as most revered Grandmother. He sounded confused by the accusation, but appropriately humble. "I… I will avenge this betrayal!"

"See that you do, then," Goemon the Eleventh told him. "Make sure you bring back the medallion of Goemon the Second. I will not say you cannot return to the village until you have it—in fact, unless you have a better lead, you should make haste here and see if your knowledge of his methods provides you with any clues to catching him. However, returning the medallion is of the utmost importance. Do you understand?"

"It will be done, Obaa-sama!" the young samurai promised humbly. "I will contact you as soon as I have a lead."

The Eleventh nodded sharply to Shintaro, and he ended the call.

***

Goemon the Thirteenth's phone beeped cheerfully as the call ended. Goemon exhaled and picked up Zantetsuken. His mind was still reeling from the shock. Did he allow himself to be deceived by Lupin? The man lied constantly but his friendship had been proven true before.

He left his room and found Jigen still on his obnoxious couch. Jigen grunted crossly, stretching his shoulders. "Whassa matter, Goemon?" he asked sleepily. "Lupin call?"

"Where is he?" Goemon asked. "Not the lie he gave you. Where is he?"

Jigen pushed his hair out of his face, swiping at where it was tangled with his beard, and squinted at Goemon in the half-light. "Well, if whatever he told me was a lie, then how the fuck should I know?" he asked in a voice that made it very clear he thought he was being much more reasonable than anybody had any right to require of him at three in the morning.

"You always know," Goemon responded. "I know you." He shook his head, deciding it was useless to get the information he asked. "I also know that you wished to be warned when I will fight Lupin again. He has stolen something sacred to my clan and I will retrieve the item and kill him for this betrayal. This is your warning."

Jigen sat bolt upright. "Fuck, Goemon, can we at least talk to him first?" he asked. "I don't know where he is if he's not with—I mean, where he said he was going." He was hatless, and his eyes glinted nervously as he looked at Zantetsuken. "But I'm sure he had... some kind of a reason for whatever he did." His mouth twisted wryly. They both knew it wouldn't necessarily be a good reason.

Goemon scowled at him. "There is zero reason to steal from the Ishikawa Clan. Only someone as skilled as Lupin could. You're covering for him and I respect your loyalty. But he betrayed me and hurt—" he stopped. "My information is to be trusted."

Jigen's gaze didn't falter. "I swear on my friggin' Magnum, Goemon," he said, "if he lied to me about where he was going, I didn't have any clue. All my instincts are saying he was telling the truth." He hesitated for an instant. "You heard from someone who actually saw him steal whatever it was?" There was the barest thread of hope in his voice, of wanting it to be a mistake, of wanting Goemon to realize and back down.

Goemon forced himself to breathe. "My Grandmother. She would not make such a mistake. We're close enough that he could have gone there." He considered the pain in her voice, the anger and his failure. "He used the things he learned from me."

Jigen nodded, bowed his head for a second. "I... I can't ask you to hold back, then," he said simply. "I don't know what's going on, man. I'm gonna try to find him and ask him. But you should know, if —" His voice cracked for a moment. He raised his chin and set his jaw, his beard bristling, before he spoke again. "If it's something where I stick with him at all, I won't hold back either."

"I would not expect you to. Or to help me. I know… I know you have your own honor to consider. Our fight will be difficult," Goemon told him.

Jigen nodded. "Thanks for the warning," he said, his voice heavy.

Goemon turned and left the room, going to gather his things and return home.

***

The scent of his home filled him with a longing he could hardly put into words. He was returning in utter shame. He put his trust in Lupin of all people. Why was he surprised now? Why was he hurt that Lupin had betrayed him so? He loved it here but his return was filled with despair. How could he have been so foolish?

A clamor of high-pitched voices broke in on his gloomy thoughts. "Onii-chan! Big brother!" cried a group of little children, gathering around his knees. "What did you bring us? Where have you been? Did you bring us presents?"

Goemon smiled at them, pulling out a bundle from his bag. "From my travels. Be sure to share with everyone," he warned, giving the bundle to Kota-kun, who he deemed to be the oldest.

"Yes, onii-san!" Kota promised, bowing deeply, and the children ran off, chattering together.

Goemon watched them go and sighed, knowing that was likely the last warm greeting he would receive. But he had kept Obaa-sama waiting long enough. He walked to the main house, seeing how the adults all dodged his eyes. He walked up the steps and entered the gates, immediately seeing Obaa-sama sitting on the porch and waiting.

That was... unexpected. When one was truly in disgrace, one waited on Obaa-sama's patience, until she deemed that the garden was sufficiently weeded or she had completed whatever other mundane task you had made yourself inferior to.

However, her arm was in a sling, and her shoulder bandaged. Was she so badly injured that she couldn't even show her displeasure in her usual manner?

Goemon set down his bundle and knelt, pressing his forehead to the ground. He waited to be acknowledged.

"You may rise, grandson," she said, voice still hard but at least he was being acknowledged. "Go greet your parents. See what you make of the traces this man left. I will be here, waiting."

"Yes, Obaa-sama," he said, getting up. He went inside, into the main room, and looked at the home altar. It was much larger and fancier than the ones most Japanese families kept. Generally, only the most recently passed generation was commemorated at the home altars—the parents and siblings of the living—while the treasures of the older generations were brought out for Obon, the festival of the dead, who would be honored at the temple mausoleum where their remains were kept.

However, the Ishikawa clan handled things differently. They had come to this village when the infant son of Goemon Ishikawa the bandit was rescued from the family's mass execution. The ninjas of the village had protected the boy—Goemon the Second, as he was called—and raised him in their ninja tradition. Memories of the family's samurai heritage had folded themselves into the Ishikawa history as well. Now the large, elaborate family altar held memories of each generation that had lived out their lives in this village.

Goemon's own parents were represented there, and Grandmother's parents, all the way back to the wooden frame in the very first, central part of the shrine. For as long as Goemon could remember, the golden medallion had gleamed there, part of the legend and the history of the Ishikawa clan. Supposedly, the medallion had a mystical power which had protected the infant Goemon the Second from being boiled alive with his father, long enough for the Iga ninjas to rescue him. The Second had worn it all his life, and when he died peacefully surrounded by his descendants, it had been placed in the family shrine to honor his memory and protect the whole family.

Now, the carefully fitted wooden frame had been wrenched away, hanging splintered and empty. The blankness stared into Goemon's soul like an eye of guilt.

Goemon looked away, around the rest of the room. He saw the slight traces as clearly as if Lupin was in the room with him—where he'd entered, where Obaa-sama had surprised him, the way they'd fought. He saw the disrespectful scuffs of Lupin's shoes on the tatami, saw how the barely-there footmarks betrayed the familiar Iga ninja techniques he'd so often used himself, which Lupin picked up after asking for Goemon to show him. It had once been a cherished memory but sat sour in his mind. He saw how Lupin had left the room as well, more ninja work.

When he was sure he'd seen all there was to see, he went to the altar. He laid his offerings to his parents and lit some incense, praying for guidance and asking for forgiveness. He humbly promised the spirit of Goemon the Second that he would not fail to avenge the offense and return the medallion to its rightful place. Then he rose to his feet and took a steadying breath, ready to return and make his report to Obaa-sama.

When he turned around, she was standing behind him, in the doorway he hadn't heard open again. Her ninja skills were far superior even to his own, since he'd chosen to focus much of his training on the samurai path in order to be worthy of Zantetsuken.

"Obaa-sama," he said. Goemon hurt, feeling the betrayal and knowing he was at fault. It made no sense. Lupin hurt her. How had he missed Lupin's grudge against him? "It had to be him. No one else has the correct skills. But I do not know his reasons."

She nodded slightly. "Do you know where he would take it? How to recover it?"

Goemon considered it. "Not immediately, but I have never failed to uncover him. I will not cease until it is returned and we can rest."

She nodded and cupped his face. "My successor. You won't fail us."

Chapter 2

Jigen sat at the kitchen counter, smoking quietly, and watched the sun rising slowly over the edge of the world, far beyond the city skyline. The french windows onto the balcony stood open. He was wearing the same briefs and socks he'd fallen asleep in, plus his hat.

His third mug of strong coffee sat almost empty in front of him. He stubbed out his cigarette, then finished off the coffee. He'd barely moved from the spot since deciding, Goemon's door-slam still ringing in his ears, that he wasn't getting any more sleep and therefore coffee was called for.

Lupin wasn't back yet. Of course, Lupin's schedule was beyond erratic, but it wasn't unusual for him to bounce through the door around sunrise, waking Jigen up violently.

It occurred to Jigen that, not unlike Goemon, he did in fact own a cell phone. He could call Lupin. Man, he was not hitting on all cylinders if it took him two hours and three cups of coffee to come up with that one. Well... he was rattled. More than a little rattled, if he was honest.

He got up and went looking for his cell phone. After a while, he found it in his discarded trouser pocket. He flipped it open with his thumb and pulled up the contacts—Lupin lost or destroyed his phones often enough that Jigen couldn't be fucked to memorize numbers, he just updated the most current ones in his phone.

Lupin's phone rang several times. Jigen was just about wondering what the fuck he'd say in a voicemail when somebody picked up.

"Hello, Jigen," Fujiko said.

Oh, thank fuck. If Lupin was still at Fujiko's, then she could vouch for his alibi, and maybe—just maybe, they could figure out why the fuck Goemon's grandmother thought he'd been off robbing the Ishikawa clan.

"Hey, Fujiko," Jigen said, probably sounding as relieved as he felt. "I just need to talk to Lupin for a minute."

She made a half-asleep sound. "He's not here. I didn't realize he left his phone. Is he in trouble?"

Fuck. It wasn't until Fujiko made another little questioning noise that Jigen realized he'd spoken aloud. "Fuck," he said again, trying to pull himself together. Words, he could do words. Fall apart later. "He's... Goemon got a call. His grandmother. A couple hours ago, I think."

"Wait, Goemon?" Fujiko asked, sounding more alert. "What did his grandmother want?"

"She's saying Lupin robbed the family dojo," Jigen said heavily. "Stole a precious artifact of theirs."

"The Ishikawa clan has been around for a very long time. Do you know what it could be?" Fujiko asked. "I have an idea what it might be but if you know..."

Jigen shook his head, then remembered that she couldn't see him. "Something sacred to the clan, that's all he said," he explained. "I didn't really feel right asking too much."

"Damn. I was never able to confirm—you know how Goemon is—but it might be Ishikawa Nisei's amulet. The legends say it saved him from boiling alive and the Iga clan was able to hide him. If it's that, then Goemon won't stop at anything to recover it," Fujiko told him.

"Couldn't really blame him," Jigen agreed. "So Lupin... when did he leave you? Did he say anything?"

"Mmm. We went to sleep around 11 or midnight. He didn't say anything about leaving. I honestly expected him to still be here."

"Me too," Jigen admitted. Something... he didn't like how things were adding up. Didn't like it at all. "Yeah, if—if he happens to come back for his phone, maybe let him know that, uh. Goemon sounded pretty damn serious about slicing him in half for real this time?"

Fujiko was so silent that Jigen was afraid he'd lost her for a moment. "I'll leave him a note," she said finally. "Are you still at the hideout?"

"Yeah," Jigen said, not sure what she was thinking.

"I'll be there soon," she told him. "I'd like to join forces. We'll be able to talk them down better if there are two of us."

"I'll be here," Jigen agreed, and Fujiko ended the call.

Jigen went back to the kitchen and fixed himself a fourth mug of coffee, not really seeing anything he was doing. His heart was crumbling to shards inside him. If Lupin... why would he... It didn't make any sense. He had to know. He had to find him, talk to him. Decide... decide where his loyalty lay.

***

Goemon eyed the fence around the airfield with a huff, leaping over the metal enclosure. He landed with less than a whisper and started moving forward. He had tracked Lupin to this place, and now Lupin would die.

In the few days since he left Jigen in the silent apartment, he had lost and regained Lupin's trail. The first time, he had allowed Lupin to depart, mindful of his promise to Jigen. He would allow his once-comrade to stand by Lupin to the last, though they both knew it would mean darkening Zantetsuken's blade with the blood of a friend.

Now, however, Goemon judged that he had allowed more than sufficient time for Jigen to find and ally himself with Lupin... if he chose to do so. Since Lupin was still traveling alone, either Jigen's uncanny ability to locate his partner had finally failed him, or Jigen had for some reason chosen to stand aside. It was no longer Goemon's concern why the gunman was not present. He had a mission to fulfill.

There was Lupin, his garish jacket standing out. The hangar was filled with many small planes, ones Lupin could fly alone, but no other people. That was good—no one else was around to be endangered. Goemon sped into the hangar to confront him.

"Lupin," he said firmly. "Surrender and come with me."

Lupin turned and faced him, smiling grimly. "It took you long enough to track me, samurai."

"I allowed you to leave once, Lupin," Goemon told him. "I will not do so again."

"Your mistake," Lupin said. "Do you have any idea why you've been set on my trail?"

"I am following my Clan Leader's orders," Goemon said. "You stabbed her and stole our precious amulet. Why, Lupin?"

Lupin laughed, not quite the taunting nyehehe Goemon was most familiar with, more disdainful and smug. "Stole?" he said, turning away and heading toward his plane. "I only took what's rightfully mine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

Goemon leapt in front of him and unsheathed Zantetsuken, holding it ready, barring Lupin's way, not yet willing to do more. "Ishikawa Goemon the Eleventh is not someone you can trifle with. No matter what right you think you have to our possessions, you should not have stabbed her. You will return with me and face your punishment."

"Or what?" Lupin asked. "You don't have the will to stop me." He ducked under Zantetsuken's blade and continued on his path. "Don't make threats you can't keep, samurai-chan."

Goemon grabbed the back of his jacket collar and flung him down. "Don't mock me!"

Lupin bounced back up like a rubber ball and sprang away. "Why not? You're nothing. You might as well be carrying a bokken. That sword will wither in your hands before it tastes my blood."

"Bold words for a man who already bears its scar," Goemon replied. He slashed towards Lupin, attacking the rubbery thief's clothing as a warning.

He had meant to undress Lupin down to his boxers, but Lupin moved faster than even Zantetsuken's blade. Only a sleeve of his jacket fluttered to the ground, the shirtsleeve inside it half-sliced but still attached, the rest of the clothes untouched.

Goemon shook his head. He was unfocused. He must commit to his strikes. He attacked again, blocking out all thoughts, and cut Lupin's clothing into tiny pieces.

Lupin looked... almost shocked? That seemed wrong. He looked down at his boxers and froze for a long moment, staring downward. Then he looked up. "You tried to kill me before," he said, gesturing along the diagonal scar across his chest, the mark of Zantetsuken from when Goemon once struck him down. "What's so different now? Why do you falter?"

The very question he was asking himself. The memory was an unhappy one, a time he had been manipulated against Lupin and hurt someone he cared deeply for. His closest friend and sometimes rival. He didn't know why he hesitated, other than not truly wishing to be at odds. "I must recover my clan's amulet and you are the only one who is aware of its location," Goemon said.

Lupin smirked. "At least you take after your Grandmother," he said.

Wait, what? What on earth did Obaa-sama have to do with this? Did Lupin think he was easy to defeat? "Will you stab me as well?" Goemon asked, confused. Lupin didn't generally stab people. He had Goemon for that. Which was another thing that was wrong about this situation.

Lupin snapped his fingers and a knife appeared in his hand. "Do you want me to?"

Goemon felt wrongfooted. Lupin was fast, as ever, but the way he moved was like the Ishikawa clan. "No. I would not."

Lupin's other hand moved swiftly, and a smoke bomb hissed near Goemon's feet. Lupin sprang away and into one of the little planes.

Goemon jumped, bringing his sword down, and the plane fell into pieces. Lupin scuttled away toward another, oddly silent. Goemon rushed to the next, dodging another smoke bomb and the next plane fell apart around Lupin.

"What is wrong with you?" Lupin demanded, still on the move. "You don't need to do this. You could walk away. Be your own person."

Goemon hesitated, not sure he understood. Why would Lupin tell him that? True, personal freedom was one of the things Lupin started declaiming about occasionally, but why now? "I am my own person. Why are you being like this?"

"You're barely even part of the clan. You left when you were smaller than that sword you're so reluctant to use. Your Grandmother didn't want you—you spent your whole life away from her, training. Why should you fetch and carry for her?"

Goemon felt like he had been sucker-punched. Even Lupin's usual blows didn't hurt as badly as this did. "Enough of this!" he demanded, unwilling to follow this conversation further. "Return the amulet and accept your punishment!" He sprang towards Lupin, now trying to strike him in earnest—not to kill him, not until he revealed the medallion's location, but Lupin would be less swift to flee if he lacked one of his feet.

Even with Goemon now fully focused, Lupin was faster. He dodged around another airplane, jumped into one and then out again just before Zantetsuken shredded it. Goemon leapt, trying to get in front of him.

Another smoke bomb caught him square in the chest, and he staggered back, coughing, eyes watering. When he could see again, Lupin was gone. Goemon coughed again, sinking to his knee. For now, he had failed.

***

Yata read over the statements and looked at the calling card for the Gloria Protégé, an ancient belt that was said to protect the wearer. The museum in Belgium hadn’t been quick enough for them to intercept Lupin Sansei but at least they were allowed to investigate. The card was decidedly Lupin. The scrawl was becoming familiar. Yata shouldn’t be happy about that, but he was just glad that he was gaining traction in the world that Zenigata-Keibu resided in.

"Looking over the evidence, Yata?" Zenigata asked, coming up behind him. He sat down on the edge of the desk and put down two cups of coffee, one for himself and one for Yata. "Any interesting conclusions?"

"Yes, Sir!" Yata said. "I'm just trying to understand what his goal is. Also, I'm wondering, where is the rest of his gang?"

"He might just have felt like grabbing something shiny," Zenigata said. "He doesn't always have a plan, but it's always worth looking for one. It's odd that we don't have any trace of Jigen at least on the scene, though. What do you make of that?"

Yata considered it. "Something feels off about it," he hesitated a moment, wondering if he should say something that was mostly gut feelings. "He isn't really into it. It's like he's not actually interested."

"That's a good point," Zenigata said, frowning thoughtfully. "I wonder... I agree. Something feels off. I wonder if he's being coerced? Threatened? Or maybe working with someone who has different priorities?"

"It could be due to Mine-san. She might have asked for a favor and Jigen-san decided to stay out of it with Ishikawa-san," Yata said.

Zenigata facepalmed, shaking his head slightly. "Yata, we've talked about this," he said with a rueful smile. "They're criminals. You don't have to be respectful when you talk about them."

Yata flushed. "Yes, Sir!"

Chapter 3

Colors swirled around him, a rippling of something just strained. The scent of tobacco, sex, and liquor mixed together with a sour tang. Fujiko usually doesn't let him continue like this for very long. He grinned then quickly lost his smile.

This is wrong.

He opened his eyes and looked around. This isn't Fujiko-chan's place! Lupin sat up, still dressed and everything cried wrong wrong wrong. He picked up his— no. Not his. The phone was charged but it wasn't his.

Lupin leapt out of bed, tearing out of his clothes instantly, already in the bathroom and letting the water pour down his body. It was cold but that might be best at this rate. He scrubbed, trying to get clean, and scrubbed some more, why couldn't he get clean?, before rinsing and turning the water off. He needed to get out of here.

He dialed a number, longing and continuous feeling of wrong screaming inside his mind. He needed and wanted nothing more than to hear his partner’s voice.

CLAP!

The phone rang once before he ended the call.

Nothing to worry about.

***

Fujiko pulled her jacket more tightly around her. The ICPO computer room at the Tokyo headquarters was absolutely frigid. She was glad she'd gone for a subtle IT worker look—jeans, sneakers, a casual shirt and a (stolen) ICPO-branded polyfleece jacket—rather than a less bundled-up sexy nerd girl stereotype. "This is the computer that needs the diagnostic program run through it," she said, indicating one of the stacks of machines.

Jigen nodded and pulled his baseball cap further down over his eyes, then crouched down and got to work plugging the laptop into the system. He was wearing an IT jacket from a different company, with the same logo as the cap—a company ICPO often contracted work out to, but having only one of them in an ICPO outfit meant Fujiko had only had to steal one badge.

It probably said a lot about just how worried Jigen was, that he'd barely mentioned the likelihood of her leaving him locked in without a badge if things went sideways. Worried and, in his undemonstrative way, knowing she was worried about Lupin too.

"It'll take a few minutes," he grunted, pausing to shove his wireframe glasses back up his nose, then going back to hooking things up and tapping intermittently at the keyboard.

"I've got nowhere to be," Fujiko assured him. They were mostly just talking to talk, sound like techs who didn't know each other well. As themselves, they were experienced enough at working together that they could have done the whole job without a word spoken.

Jigen's phone rang, and he jumped, nearly dropping the laptop. He shoved it into her arms and yanked his phone out of his pocket, but the first ring had cut off halfway through, and now all the screen showed was a missed call banner.

Jigen flipped open the phone and jabbed at the missed call notification, redialing the number like he was facing down another sharpshooter in a quick-draw duel. He held the phone to his ear, and Fujiko watched the tension grow on his face as it rang and rang.

When the call went to voicemail, Jigen hung up with a savage jab of his thumb and put the phone away again. "Something's really wrong," he said, his voice dull in the locked-down way that usually meant he was actively bleeding out.

"How wrong are we talking?" Fujiko asked. "Is the damage worse than we expected?"

Jigen closed his eyes for a minute, obviously trying to drag himself back into character. His baseball cap didn't hide his face as thoroughly as his normal hat, and she could see the fine lines at the corners of his eyes crease and deepen for a moment before he shook his head slightly and looked up again. "It was him," he said simply. She could see his eyes behind the glasses—he was too wrecked to even try to hide. There was a simple, stunned helplessness there.

It was him. Fujiko didn't doubt the accuracy of Jigen's instincts. Lupin had called, had been cut off, and wasn't answering anymore. And Jigen... Jigen was a hairsbreadth from asking himself, what if he'd moved faster. Been able to answer the phone before it cut off. Would there have been some clue, something…

Thankfully the computer finished its work and she shut the lid, disconnecting the cords. She took her phone out and looked at it as if reading a message, then nodded. "Let's go back. We need to update everyone and figure out our next move." She grabbed his hand, squeezing, and pulled him onto his feet.

Jigen nodded, squeezed her hand back, just enough to acknowledge her lead. He ducked his face behind his cap brim again and let her steer him out of the room.

***

Fujiko lit a cigarette and glanced at the computer as it pulled files and opened them. Another display was showing a map with a pin sticking out of it. Motionless and gray. Nothing responding. He was gone. "He reached out but it cut out. He's still running around."

Jigen was sitting huddled in a corner of the sofa with his arms wrapped around his legs. He was back in his normal clothes, and only the cigarette smoke curling out from under his hat gave evidence of a face under there somewhere. "He was," he said unhappily.

"I think he still is," Fujiko said. "He tried to reach you. These files show that he's still stealing. What we don't know yet is why. Goemon hasn't caught up to him yet."

"Unless he did catch up," Jigen said. "That could be why—" He didn't finish the sentence.

"I don't think so," Fujiko said firmly. "I suspect he'll bring Lupin to face his Grandmother first."

A long, slow, soft inhale and exhale, as controlled as if Jigen's finger were on the trigger of his sniper rifle. "That's true," he admitted quietly.

"She's not likely to suffer Goemon taking Lupin's punishment away from her. That being said, she's also… She's less impulsive if rumors are to be believed. Whatever his reason for this is, she'll at least hear him. There's got to be a reason. We know that."

Jigen rubbed the back of his neck. "Why wouldn't he tell us?" She could hear the not-quite-spoken question hanging in the air between them: why wouldn't he have told Jigen, at the very least? What kind of plan was so urgent, so secret, that Jigen had to be left farther behind than Zenigata?

"It doesn't make sense. I know why he would keep it from me. He knows I love surprises from him. Obviously he's not going to tell Goemon. But you? It doesn't make any sense."

Jigen nodded. The slump of his thin shoulders seemed weary. "There's no reason for him to call me and then hang up. I don't..." He raised his head, and she could see his long throat bob as he swallowed. "Something's wrong. Either he didn't want to call me or he didn't want to hang up." His fingers were gripping his knees fiercely. "And I've got no way to find out which. You don't have anything from the computer?"

Fujiko frowned, wondering. The files just gave them an idea that Lupin was stealing artifacts. Nothing solid. "We're getting closer. Anything that they get, we'll have," Fujiko told him. "We're going to find him and figure out what is actually going on."

***

Years ago…

The wind sang over the nearby rice field, the water moving and the frogs joining its harmony as the two met under the full moon. Two swords glinted under the night air while their holders faced each other. Both ran at each other, katanas clashing.

They leapt apart and sprang towards each other, swords meeting again with no give. There was a shift and their legs met in a sharp strike. The first swordsman grabbed the other's wrist and kicked out, hitting the second in the ribs with a loud crack and a grunt. They retreated and attacked again, swords clashing under the moonlight.

They pressed against each other's swords, reaching out and grabbing each other's wrists again. They struggled until they slid apart, both jumping away. The first swordsman ran towards the second, blade ready, and it went through the second's guard, slashing across their body. Blood sprayed, spreading wide as they fell to the ground.

***

“Jigen,” Fujiko said, looking through a pair of binoculars. “It’s him.”

Lupin's unmistakably rubbery figure was perched on the edge of a skyscraper roof, not too far from the taller one Jigen had chosen. Jigen was still quiet even for him, letting Fujiko take the lead more than he normally would, but a little... not twitchy, exactly? Jigen didn't really get twitchy, ever. But Fujiko could feel his inexplicable Lupin-radar swiveling constantly under his hat, his unseen eyes always measuring sightlines and access points. His alertness was tuned to a fine edge.

And it had paid off. They had Lupin in their metaphorical sights. "What's he doing?" Fujiko asked, handing Jigen the binoculars. "He looks like he's just... sitting there."

“He is just sitting there,” Jigen replied, confused. “He doesn’t do that on a job. He hardly does that off the job,” he said with a grimace.

Fujiko had to laugh a bit at that. "Don't I know it. Do you think we should try to get over there and talk to him, or keep an eye on him from here?"

“Let’s get over there,” Jigen told her. “Lupin being still is a real bad sign.”

Fujiko dug around in her rucksack for a moment and pulled out a heavy grapple gun with a coil of zipline loaded into it. "Let's do it, then," she said, handing the device to Jigen.

***

The police cars pulled to a stop in front of the museum and Zenigata scanned the area, looking for a sign, for Lupin mostly but for something that said the thief was back to normal. The more he stole, the less he seemed to be interested. All items that were said to have protective powers. There was a reason for this but was it something that Lupin wanted or was it something else?

"Yata. Take a team to the roof. I'll start with the inside," Zenigata ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" Yata nodded and waved a few of their officers with him. They all entered the building to start the search.

With the remaining officers, Zenigata led them inside the museum, searching it before setting a guard on the piece. He joined the ones stationed by the artifact, earpiece buzzing with check-ins from his team.

Chapter 4

The roof was sloped oddly, polygons meeting at artistic angles. The access door was on the other side of the roof from where Lupin sat. That might buy them some time when Zenigata or his junior officer, Yata, inevitably came bursting through.

Fujiko took the grapple gun from Jigen and started winding up its cord again, keeping her options open for their escape. There was a flat walkway around the edge of the roof, and she watched as Jigen took a few steps toward where Lupin sat, his legs dangling over the sidewalk far below.

"No closer," Lupin said. He hadn't moved or even turned his head.

Jigen stopped. "Lupin," he said simply, and the single word carried all the emotions he hadn't been expressing earlier—his confusion, his uncertainty, his yearning for Lupin to come back to them or at least be okay. His doubt that he was still welcome.

"Jigen and Fujiko," Lupin said. "Unexpected but interesting," he said, staring out at the horizon. "What are you two up to?"

Jigen's thin shoulders stiffened under his jacket. "What are you up to, Lupin?" he demanded. "What the fuck happened? Why—“ His voice broke, and he took half a step forward—without realizing it, Fujiko thought. "Goemon says he'll kill you. What did you do?"

Fujiko had to bite back a tiny smile. Pathetic, loyal, utterly useless man. Still not confident enough to demand the answers he really needed, like 'why did you abandon me' and 'what the fuck is the plan' and...

There was one question that absolutely needed an answer before this went further, and Jigen wasn't going to be able to ask it. Fujiko took a few steps closer to Lupin, not quite as close as where Jigen stood. She put her hand on Jigen's shoulder to let him know where she was, and to steady him. This was going to hurt him.

"Lupin," she said firmly, "if it's over between you and Jigen, at least have the decency to tell him so. You owe him that much."

She felt Jigen flinch under her hand, but he stayed mostly still, waiting for the answer.

"Goemon isn't going to kill me. He can't," Lupin told them. "As for our partnership…" he huffed. "Where does your loyalty lie, Jigen? If I don't tell you what I'm doing, will you follow me?" Lupin asked, then laughed. "No, I know the answer to that actually. You would. You would hurt everyone else for me. So, no. I'm not done with you."

Jigen didn't react, didn't move, but Fujiko felt the slightest shiver run through him where her hand still rested on his shoulder. She squeezed his shoulder firmly, offering what little comfort she could.

This wasn't Lupin. It was his voice, his face, but... In absolutely no way was this him. Whether that was his body or not, the thing that was Lupin was missing.

Lupin stood and looked at them. His expression was hungry and all of a sudden, he was right by them. Fujiko jumped, her highly honed sense of danger screaming inside her chest. Lupin cupped Jigen's face with a hand. "We're going to do magnificent things together."

A long, shuddering sigh went through Jigen, and he seemed to relax, his shoulders slumping.

Fujiko made herself scarce, disappearing into one of the odd corners of the roof while Lupin, or whatever was using his body, wasn't focused on her. She'd help Jigen later if she could, help them both, but... honestly, until she could figure out a strategy, Jigen was probably happier like this. He'd been so worried.

The access door slammed open, and Fujiko jumped again, staying hidden. She could hear several sets of feet hurrying out onto the walkway around the roof.

"Lupin, Jigen, you're under arrest," called the youthful voice of Zenigata's junior officer, Yatagarasu. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Fujiko could see Jigen from her hiding place, but not the other two. She kept an eye on him while she edged sideways. Without Jigen to help track Lupin for her, she needed to get a real tracer on one or both of the pair.

Jigen turned around to face Yata. He didn't have his hands up, but he turned his palms forward, away from quick-draw position. "You don't want to do this, kid," he said flatly.

Was that... was that Jigen talking, or the puppeteer, whoever he was? Fujiko couldn't tell. The phrasing was familiar, but the dead apathy in the voice—she couldn't tell.

"Zenigata-senpai, Lupin and Jigen are on the roof," Yata said into his mic. "I will bring you both in, Jigen. Stay where you are."

Jigen shook his head, just barely. "You don't know what you're talking about, Yata. Turn around. Take your men back inside and nobody needs to get hurt." He sounded like he was reading the phone book.

"Surrender and no one will get hurt!" Yata ordered. "You will face justice!"

Lupin stepped forward, toward Yata, standing a little behind Jigen and looking over the gunman's shoulder. "You just really don't get it, do you, Yata-chan?" he purred, with the laissez-faire smugness that was almost exactly Lupin's and yet so different. "You're not dealing with the Lupin you thought you knew. These are perilous waters, young crow."

While Lupin was standing still pontificating, Fujiko had a clear shot. She pulled out a tiny tracker gun and fired an almost invisible tracking device onto the back of Lupin's jacket collar, then one onto Jigen's hatband for good measure.

Lupin reached out and ran his knuckles caressingly down Jigen's bearded cheek, drawing that long shudder from him again. "Kill them."

For the scantest fraction of a second, nobody moved. Then a BANG! split the air, and Fujiko almost scrambled from her hiding place trying to see if Yata was down, before she realized Jigen's gun hand was still empty.

"LUPIN, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" Zenigata roared, not in the least winded by however many flights of stairs he'd taken. The door he'd slammed open tried to bounce shut, rebounded off his shoulder, and banged into the side of the building again with less force.

Now Jigen's gun appeared in his hand, but he still didn't fire. Was Lupin's control not complete? Was some part of Jigen's noble nature fighting it? Fujiko wasn't sure what she hoped. Maybe it would be best to get out of the danger zone and pick up the trail later. But...

"Officers, Yata, get back inside," Zenigata ordered. "I'll handle this."

The uniformed officers obeyed immediately. Yata hung back a bit. "I'll stay with you, Keibu," he said.

"No you won't," Zenigata ordered, not unkindly. "Get inside and take over the scene there. I have the situation under control."

"Yes, sir," Yata said, not sounding happy with the order, but he headed inside.

Once they were alone, Zenigata kept his weapon trained on them and focused his full attention on Lupin. "Who is doing this to you?"

Lupin laughed, dark and heavy. "Maybe I'm just tired of playing. We've had a long run but I'm bored of you now."

Zenigata narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. "Who are you, and what have you done with Lupin?" he demanded, apparently in all seriousness. Fujiko covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a nervous laugh. Zenigata was such a unique combination of genuinely brilliant and extremely straightforward.

Lupin tsked. "I'm Lupin Sansei, Inspector Zenigata. Kill him, Jigen-chan. We're done here."

Jigen raised his gun, almost reluctantly, holding it out with both hands like a rookie at a shooting range, aiming at Zenigata. He fired, and —

A sword flashed out. The bullet clattered to the ground, and Goemon stood between Jigen and Zenigata, his pale haori and paler skin gleaming in the faint light. "This is unworthy of you, Jigen," he said, holding Zantetsuken at the ready.

Jigen didn't answer in words, just fired again, then again—five more shots, six in all. Each bullet met its fate on the edge of Zantetsuken.

They all knew that against any other opponent, Goemon could simply have flicked his sword one more time, slicing the empty gun in half, and disposing of his opponent as well if he chose. But he did not. "Reload, Jigen," he said, his voice as steely as his sword. "I promised to face you fairly. Reload, and tell me why you still defend him."

Lupin smirked. "He's not going to play fair with you, samurai-chan. He's mine and he will always be. Just another weapon to be used."

Jigen bowed his head a bit, as if ashamed of the truth of Lupin's words, and lowered his gun, reaching toward his pocket with his left hand for more bullets.

Then, without warning, he moved—Fujiko wasn't even sure where his gun had gone, only that the smiling Lupin was suddenly struggling in Jigen's full-body hold, various limbs locked into place. "Get the cuffs on him, Pops," Jigen ordered, his voice rough with effort, but very obviously his own again. "Listen, you, whatever you are. I don't know what the fuck you've done with Lupin, but he's my friend, you hear me? That's why I protect him. And that's why I'm taking you down."

Zenigata hurriedly started attaching cuffs to Lupin, trying to work around Jigen. "We're all taking you down," he agreed firmly. "Lupin's an asshole, but he doesn't order people killed when he gets bored of them. If he did, I wouldn't rest until he was dead, autopsied, and buried in separate pieces."

Lupin struggled in his grasp and looked furious. Goemon held Zantetsuken against Lupin's throat and waited, looking to Jigen for their next move.

Once Lupin was mostly cuffed up, Jigen let go of him with one hand and felt around the angle of Lupin's jaw, obviously looking for the edge of a mask. "Seems to be him," he said, his mouth twisting. "Possessed or something, I guess. Man, I really hate this crap."

Fujiko cautiously came back out of her hiding place. "Goemon, do you know of any way we could get Lupin back?" she asked. "I'm certain that whoever's... possessing him, is the one who's truly to blame for attacking your family."

"If you're taking him anywhere to be exorcised, I'm coming with," Zenigata announced. "He's my prisoner."

"Yeahhhh... I think Goemon might need to check with the big boss on that one," Jigen said. "His folks are pretty private. I doubt they'd be too happy about him showing up with a cop in tow. No offense."

Goemon winced and pulled out his phone. "I can ask."

Lupin shook his head and laughed. "Fools." He shivered and burst into a shower of Sakura petals, blowing into the wind as the cuffs dropped to the rooftop. Goemon watched, his mouth open in shock.

"Well," Jigen said, staring. "That is not something I've ever seen him do before."

"That is my Mother's technique," Goemon said weakly. "That is not a technique I showed him. It's difficult for me to do, let alone that well…"

Jigen glanced from Goemon to Zenigata, then back again, obviously unsure how much he wanted to say.

Time to step in. Fujiko put her hand on Zenigata's arm and started turning him gently toward the stairs. "How about Inspector Zenigata sends his minions home," she suggested sweetly, "while Goemon finds out how much classified data he can disclose? Then the four of us can find a nice all-night cafe or something, and settle down to share information."

Zenigata smiled and shook his head. "Fujiko-san, you know my number. Let me know when you've gotten there."

"Of course," Fujiko said, walking him to the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Jigen was helping Goemon sit down and taking his cell phone. "See if you can get that sweet young assistant of yours to go home and get some rest, okay? I know they have boundless energy at that age, but I doubt Goemon's... operational security protocols will allow for any more helpers than absolutely necessary."

"I'll do my best," Zenigata agreed. "He's been working very hard." He left them on the roof, and she heard his heavy footsteps heading down the stairs.

She made her way back toward Jigen and Goemon. "Yeah, he's pretty rattled," she heard Jigen saying into the phone. "He said it was his mom's technique, one he never showed Lupin. Something's real fishy here, ma'am."

"Bring him home soon. I will allow you four here so we can determine what has happened to Lupin Sansei," the woman said firmly. "You will be our guests."

"Thank you very much, ma'am," Jigen said politely. "We'll see you sometime in the morning, then."

The call ended. Fujiko crouched down and hugged Goemon tight. "Are you well?"

Goemon clung to her for a few moments and finally nodded. "I'm well. Did he hypnotize you, Jigen?"

Jigen snorted. "He tried. I figured maybe if he thought he had me, he'd take me with him when he left. I'm pretty sure Pops and I could have synchronized me not quite hitting him, but I was a lot happier when you showed up." He wrapped an arm around Goemon's shoulders and hugged him as well. "I know you won't let me hit anybody I don't want to."

Goemon held him. "Forgive me for acting rash. He hurt my Grandmother."

"No, you did exactly right," Jigen said softly. "You couldn't know it wasn't him. Now you do."

"At least I have accomplished part of my mission."

"Yup," Jigen agreed. "And we're going to accomplish the rest. We'll get Lupin back and we'll kick this incorporeal dickwad in the nuts for pulling any of this crap."

Goemon started laughing and nodded. "We will share our experiences and move forward. I hope you enjoy my village."

"I'm sure we will," Fujiko said, petting Goemon's hair gently. She smiled at Jigen, who grinned back smugly, happy to have made Goemon laugh.

***

He had been so close!

So close to them!

It felt like he had a hand over his eyes, forcing his eyelids shut as the string around his throat tightened. He couldn't speak to them. Not truly, not as himself.

The blade of Zantetsuken pressed into the string but it did not cut completely. The string had been rewoven and was tight against his body. If only Goemon had pressed harder! But he was glad that his friend showed restraint. Now the tight string held him like a puppet. It would take effort to untangle.

His role in this show was evil. He felt the slight pressure of the hand keeping him from looking for a way out.

An interesting challenge for Lupin Sansei!

Chapter 5

Jigen kept a sharp watch all around him as the four of them walked up the isolated mountain trail. Goemon went first, then Zenigata almost on his heels, Fujiko following them—in a silk kimono and sandals, with her hair and obi perfect, because whatever else you could say about the woman, she knew how to dress for an occasion—and Jigen bringing up the rear.

The start of the trail had seemed pretty much like any other forest, but as they climbed, the sounds quieted until even the trees swaying in the wind seemed to whisper. High overhead, through scarce gaps in the trees, the sky was blue with scudding white clouds, but the atmosphere deep in the woods was close and silent.

Jigen didn't like it. Their footsteps on the path seemed like the loudest thing for miles, but he kept feeling like he almost heard other footsteps or sounds, hidden under the scuffs of his and Zenigata's boots. He could feel eyes on the back of his neck, but when he glanced around, nothing was there, not even forest animals.

Jigen didn't get jumpy, ever. He couldn't afford to, not with his reflexes. But... well, he just didn't like it, that was all. He kept his focus on Goemon, who didn't seem bothered at all, just striding along with Zantetsuken in his left hand as always, the loudest sound around him the rustling of his hakama.

They passed through a little clearing, where the trees were sparse enough to let some direct sunlight through. Rain was falling lightly, sparkling in the sun's rays, and Fujiko laughed. "The kitsune are having a wedding!"

Goemon and Zenigata both turned and looked back at her, confused. "It isn't nighttime," Goemon said, sounding reasonably certain of the fact.

"Nighttime?" Fujiko asked, now looking confused as well.

Sometimes Jigen just felt very, very American. "What the hell are you all talking about?" he grumbled.

"When it rains while the sun is shining," Fujiko said. "Where I grew up, they called it the kitsune's wedding."

Okay, at least that made some slight amount of sense. "Back in Italy they said it meant the cats were fucking," Jigen said, grinning.

"You are both mistaken," Goemon said solemnly, in that voice where you weren't quite sure if he was making a joke or not. "The kitsune's wedding is the time at night when you see a long row of phantom lights marking the bridal procession."

"That's how I always heard it too," Zenigata agreed. "There were always stories about people following the foxes' wedding lanterns at night, when I was a rookie cop back in Saitama Prefecture."

Fujiko let out a small laugh. "The different things we all share," she said. "Lupin would say 'the devil beats his wife to have crêpes,'" Fujiko told them, imitating him perfectly.

Jigen snorted. "Well, the sooner we get him back so he can keep being weird, the better. How far is it anyway, Goemon?"

"Only a few more steps," Goemon told him. He headed on up the winding path, the others following behind.

Around a bend in the path, the trees opened up more, and a gatelike structure similar to the torii found at Shinto shrines stood across the path. Beyond it lay traditional thatched houses, and around the borders of the village hung clusters of flat wooden planks strung on ropes, clacking together in the wind.

The village seemed completely empty. No one stood working in the gardens or walking along the path, or even sitting in front of the houses.

"Obaa-sama will be waiting for us," Goemon said confidently, and led the way forward again.

The feeling of being watched was stronger than ever. "Friggin' ninjas," Jigen muttered very quietly, and followed the others toward an especially important-looking house.

Goemon stopped at the porch and turned to them. "I must ask you to be patient with me and our formalities." He bowed to them quickly.

Jigen nodded and leaned down to take off his shoes, noting Zenigata doing the same thing. Fujiko and Goemon politely stepped out of their sandals as well.

Goemon slid open the door and made his way through the house, leading them to a large room with a very fancy altar. His Grandmother knelt before it.

"Greet your parents then introduce me to your friends," she ordered.

"Yes, Obaa-sama," he said quietly.

Jigen waited back by the door, along with Fujiko and Zenigata, while Goemon went to the altar and started the ceremony of lighting incense. He'd never seen a Japanese home altar nearly that big or fancy—it looked at least as elaborate as something you'd find in a real temple, not somebody's house.

Zenigata elbowed him, and Jigen looked over indignantly. He didn't think he'd been rubbernecking that bad.

Oh. Zenigata had his big tan hat in one hand, and was giving Jigen's own hat a decided glare. Okay, that was... that was probably fair, this place did seem a lot more like a church than he'd expected. Jigen took his hat off and stood awkwardly, fidgeting with the brim.

Goemon finished and the two of them turned together in that very in-sync way. "Obaa-sama, these are my friends. Jigen Daisuke, Mine Fujiko and Zenigata Koichi."

Jigen waved awkwardly, then realized he was probably supposed to bow and did that instead. Zenigata bowed in the slightly bashful way he did a lot of things, as if he expected furniture to scoot suddenly towards his elbows for the express purpose of being knocked over, and Fujiko turned out a picture-perfect bow complete with the little hand gesture.

"Greetings. I am Ishikawa Goemon the Eleventh. You are welcome in my home," Obaa-sama said and all of a sudden, the eyes that had been watching all turned. "Please, let's go to the tea room and discuss what we have learned."

***

The tea room was welcoming with steaming pots and snacks. Goemon felt a swell of affection fill him. It was informal and easy. Not something that Obaa-sama did lightly. It was an apology and a treat. Goemon knew he was just a child compared to her but it was warm this time. He was very spoiled but very grateful for it. Shintaro paused by him and smiled.

“I’m glad you’re here, Onii-chan,” Shintaro said quietly with a smile. “We’ve all been very worried."

“I have been as well. Thank you for taking care of things while I’ve been gone,” Goemon told him.

“It’s my honor to do so,” Shintaro said. “Rest now, then tell us your plan.”

Goemon nodded and joined the others in the tea room. He settled silently beside Jigen and Fujiko.

“All the objects he’s stolen are said to have protective powers. The ability to survive great disasters and the like,” Zenigata explained, holding a teacup. “Every artifact has been said to help someone survive volcanoes or great amounts of heat. Considering that your amulet was the first thing stolen in that category, it's on purpose. Do you have any idea of what this person would be planning?"

Jigen shifted awkwardly. His kneeling seiza posture was sloppy and a bit lopsided, but Goemon knew he was genuinely trying and appreciated the effort.

"If it was actually Lupin," Jigen said, "he'd be going after some kind of treasure hidden in a volcano or a boiling hot spring, and he'd be collecting enough widgets for all four of us. Maybe one to spare for when Pops inevitably dives in after us." He grinned wryly. "But if it was actually Lupin, he wouldn't—I mean, at least as far as I know, he's never..." Jigen looked uncomfortable. "How do I say this? I could see him getting the idea to jump into a volcano and being in so much of a hurry to test it out that he skipped the asking permission step before quote-unquote 'borrowing' something from a friend like this. But he'd come back very penitent in the morning and offer to split the take as an apology. He wouldn't offend the Ishikawas this way if it was as... planned as the rest of it seems to be?"

Goemon frowned. "He also wouldn't have stabbed you, Obaa-sama. He… he harms but I don't imagine he would harm you."

"It wasn't relevant," Fujiko agreed. "He could have just escaped. If it's not necessary and it's not fun, he doesn't do it. And he doesn't usually stab people for fun."

Obaa-sama frowned and nodded. "He used our techniques. You said he used one of your Mother's?"

"Yes. He turned into Sakura petals and escaped. It was flawless," Goemon told her, looking down at his lap. He'd never truly mastered that technique himself. He did not regret choosing the path of the sword, but...

Jigen reached over and patted Goemon's knee comfortingly. "I know for sure Lupin's never been able to do that before," he said firmly.

"And you said he did it better than you can," Zenigata added. "Which means he didn't learn it from you. So it has to be someone who learned your people's techniques some other way."

"Most likely as one of the villagers here," Fujiko said. "A renegade seeking some kind of revenge? Or do you have a rival shadow village of some sort on the other side of the mountain? If I may ask."

Obaa-sama put down her teacup. "No. No rivals. At least not for some time. But there was one renegade. They weren't suitable for being my successor. Their skill was unrivaled but they weren't suitable for the role. He turned against my successor and murdered them. I… I had to protect their child so I ended his threat. That person… they are dead."

Jigen fiddled unhappily with his teacup. "We don't have any proof that the person who's manipulating Lupin is... alive," he said. "Or human. They—they tried to—I heard them inside my head. Sort of. I don't know if it didn't work because they were going through Lupin, or just because they..." He shrugged. "They didn't get it. They sounded like any other boss who thinks they're buying a self-aiming gun. Lupin knew—" The break in his voice was barely there. Goemon only caught it because he knew Jigen so well. "Knows I'm not that."

Goemon placed his hand silently on Jigen's knee, trying to offer some of the same comfort he'd been given.

"That's actually really important," Fujiko said, lighting up a bit. "It means that whoever they are, whatever they are, they don't have access to Lupin's thoughts and memories. Not completely. They don't know what Jigen is to him."

"They still have access to some of his skills," Zenigata said. "But the thefts have been... different. If it weren't for the calling cards, I almost wouldn't have been sure."

"That person… they were most talented with puppets. Controlling others with strings. I killed him," Obaa-sama said. "I killed him and took him apart so he wouldn't haunt us later. Could I have been so foolish and missed a puppet?"

The grief and rage from so long ago, when she sent him away to be taught, echoed through Goemon’s chest like a hollow sound. He had been so young. He'd lost both his parents—lost them to this other person—and Obaa-sama had sent him away to protect him. Had urged him onto the path of the sword, to take up Zantetsuken and train with the finest masters in the loneliest temples... It hadn’t worked out quite the way she planned, but he could see the intention clearly. She had failed the Twelfth. She could not lose the Thirteenth as well.

“We must restore Lupin to himself," Goemon said firmly. "I doubt he’d allow this person to survive any longer than we would.”

There was a slight shift, the clack of a door sliding shut that rang in Goemon’s mind. The air hummed with danger. He stood, his Grandmother slightly behind him as the glint of something caught his eyes.

Moving, he used Zantetsuken to cut the oncoming attack, wires turning into fluff around him. He felt Jigen stand, Fujiko and Zenigata right behind him, waiting for the next attack. Smoke touched his nose and they moved as one, running outside to see flames blazing high around the village.

Chapter 6

Goemon felt the waves of heat coming from the blaze that threatened his village and horror filled him as his clan started battling the flames, shouts fading as they caught sight of two men standing under the torii at the village entrance, surrounded by the flames.

Both men wore hakama and haori, open at the chest like Goemon's, showing identical diagonal scars across their chests. Goemon recognized the one on Lupin's chest—it was his own work with the Zantetsuken, and a cold chill reminded him of how he'd been manipulated into nearly taking Lupin's life before. Lupin's eyes were clouded now, and a tight wrap of wire was visible around his throat. The other man... he was like seeing an echo. He was an Ishikawa, one Goemon had only ever seen in pictures.

"Setsuna!" Obaa-sama cried out next to him. Ishikawa Setsuna, long believed dead to the Eleventh's blade. The scar across his chest... had that strike killed him? Or had he escaped alive with it and remained hidden, plotting his revenge?

The stolen medallion of the Ishikawa-Nisei, Goemon the Second, hung against Setsuna's scarred chest, gleaming in the fire like a beacon. Clearly it was protecting him as it had been said to do. But Lupin... Goemon caught sight of a golden belt wrapped around Lupin's hips, riding low against the hakama pleats. That must be protecting him from the fire as well.

"Oka-sama," Setsuna greeted the Eleventh. Honored Mother. This was Goemon's uncle, jealous of his adopted brother's place as the Twelfth—who had killed the Twelfth and his wife long ago, and would have killed the young Thirteenth as well. "Young whelp," he continued, nodding to Goemon. "I'm going to enjoy killing you both." His voice was like a whisper in the breeze, sounding close in their ears, not muffled by the crackling of the fire.

Goemon glowered at Setsuna, angry at his disrespect and the sheer amount of trouble he had caused. All out of jealousy for a title that was as much a burden as a gift.

Lupin raised his gun and fired. Goemon cut down the bullets, but his attention was divided, trying to watch Setsuna and cut away any controlling wires he sent out as well. For the wires to be visible, Setsuna must be under great strain—for him to need physical presence to control his puppets, the same. He had been controlling Lupin for days now. Was he tiring?

Lupin took a step, changing his stance, and tripped just slightly over one of the burning logs around his feet. Goemon's focus was all on him for an instant.

Wire wrapped around his throat, and a loud CLAP echoed in his mind.

***

Jigen hurried outside with the others. Lupin! Lupin was there—alive, but surrounded by flames. He was dressed in traditional clothing like Goemon's, and he had wire visibly wrapped around his throat.

Jigen glanced around at the fire, which was spreading along the front of the village, the smoke blowing in the wind. The flames weren't crossing the line defined by the wooden planks that hung in small groups on ropes around the boundary. Some kind of protective ninja magic, then. Made sense, as much as anything magic-related did. A couple groups of villagers were scuttling around fighting the flames. He could leave them to be concerned about that.

There was someone else standing in the flames with Lupin, someone whose resemblance to Grandma Goemon proclaimed him an Ishikawa. He was wearing a bright golden medallion on his scarred chest and seemed just as unbothered by the fire and smoke as Lupin. Probably showing off the matching scars was supposed to make some kind of a point about how both the Goemons present had failed to kill people they were close to.

"Setsuna!" Grandmother cried out. That was the puppet-master's name, then.

When Setsuna spoke, Jigen shuddered inside. It was the same voice he'd heard inside his head, last night on the skyscraper, echoing through his brain behind Lupin's words. He didn't know why he wasn't a wire-wrapped puppet himself now. Maybe his stubborn dedication to Lupin had saved him? He couldn't count on the same thing happening twice.

Lupin drew his Walther and began firing at them. Jigen didn't bother to dodge, letting Goemon cover them. Instead, he drew his gun and sidestepped slightly, winding up next to Grandmother. "It's your call, ma'am," he murmured. "You want Setsuna alive or dead?" He wasn't entirely sure he could kill an entity that could turn into sakura petals, but he could damn well try.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Dead. I want him dead."

Jigen nodded simply and took a long step sideways to get a clear shot. He raised his gun, aimed directly between the man's eyes, and fired.

A familiar crisp flash, and the bullet dropped to the ground. Goemon? Shit. Lupin was no longer shooting at Goemon, and Goemon was now facing Jigen with a puppet-wire wrapped around his own neck.

Damn. If they were down the one person Jigen knew who could slice mystical threads in half, their job had just gotten a whole lot harder. Kill them, the remembered command barely brushed against his mind, and he knew that freeing Lupin and the rest of the village had just taken a very sudden backseat to surviving the next five seconds.

Well... Jigen couldn't beat Goemon. They'd established that the first time they met. He wasn't fast enough to get a bullet past Goemon's guard.

But this wasn't a one-on-one duel. Jigen didn't have to get past Goemon or disarm him. There were three other people standing next to him who... had better have some ideas. And out of the four of them, Jigen did one thing better than anyone else alive.

All this went through his brain in approximately the time it took his revolver cylinder to move and put the next bullet under the hammer. Aiming for center of mass, knowing he couldn't risk letting Goemon ignore any of his shots, Jigen fired again and again. As long as Goemon's attention had to be fully on him, the others might have a little freedom to move.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fujiko start to move, heading toward Lupin, and sensed Lupin's attention turning towards her. Good. Even covered up to the neck in formal kimono, Fujiko had a better chance than anyone else present of getting through to Lupin's hindbrain. That was just common sense.

Zenigata was moving too, and for a moment Jigen wasn't sure why. Then he spotted a flash of red and silver in the man's hand. Of course—knowing they were visiting a village of swordsmen and ninja, Zenigata must have brought his family jitte, the police baton specially designed to block and redirect sword strikes.

Jigen didn't take his focus off Goemon, but internally he had to shake his head in admiration. The sheer balls on that man! Anybody else who tried to use an ordinary (if historical) jitte against the Zantetsuken would be lucky to keep their arm, let alone their weaponry. But Zenigata... well, he had the skills and the confidence. If, if neither Goemon nor his puppetmaster noticed the very large man sneaking around...

Goemon's attention was well and truly held, as long as the bullets in Jigen's pockets held out, but Jigen couldn't spare a glance to check whether Setsuna's gaze was wandering. Best to make sure Jigen was the biggest annoyance on their mind.

"Yo, Satsuma!" he hollered, deliberately mangling the name. "I thought the Ishikawa descendants were supposed to be some sort of badasses. All I've seen you do yet is borrow other people's skills. The Thirteenth here, he's got what it takes. Slices up bullets, lightning, the concept of orbital distance. What about you? Got anything of your own?"

Setsuna flickered, coming to Jigen's side in a flash and leaned in close. "My, my. You are a rude one. But you can be taught, Jigen-chan."

Fuck. The voice, the words, even the movements where he could sense them... Jigen's hands almost faltered in the rhythm of firing and reloading. It was so close. It felt like Lupin. Fuck. Was he... he couldn't be...

No. If he hoped, he'd crack. He'd give in. Even Lupin couldn't reach backward through mind control that way. It had to be... he had to have been... consumed, enough that Setsuna had full access to his knowledge of Jigen's heart.

He couldn't let them take him over. Not now. Not yet. The others were trusting him.

Zenigata was in position. He just needed Goemon to move his arm in a way he could counter, and right now—Goemon might be on the end of Setsuna's string, but it was Jigen's bullets that controlled his movements.

Jigen fired his final bullet, making Goemon extend his sword arm just that tiny extra bit to defend himself. As soon as the bullet was on its way, with a violent wrench of his whole body and mind, he tore himself free of the caressing voice and slammed his left elbow upward with all his remaining strength into Setsuna's chin. Then he dropped heavily to the ground, panting, half-sobbing, completely spent.

***

The darkness and feeling of tight wires wrapping him in a prison went loose with Jigen’s mocking. Lupin laughed in the bleakness, his eyes finally open again. The hand was still there, the wires as well. He was still being controlled, being a puppet. But things were shifting to the way Lupin wanted them. The wires jerked around him, the warmth of Jigen’s Magnum floating over him in the rapid fire of rounds.

He sniffed deep, smelling Fujiko’s sweet perfume. The one she used when she was impressing others. Lupin was going to let her do anything she liked. Again. Always.

***

The Eleventh pulled her katana out, getting in between her son and his focus. She had to protect Jigen and get Setsuna away from him. “Enough! You betrayed us and I cast you out, Setsuna! You’re not welcome in this place!”

“Finally joining us, Oka-sama?” Setsuna asked, pulling out a weapon. This was so close to the last time she'd seen her son. “I can’t wait to make you kill the Thirteenth!” he spat, eyes cold but wild. Her Setsu-kun was gone and it was this moment that she knew he was far from even her reach.

Their blades clashed and she could feel that night so long ago creep up on her skin. The sinking feeling of fighting her clan, her powerlessness. It took her a moment, endlessly long for her and barely perceptible to anyone outside her clan. She huffed.

Setsuna always loved his tricks but she was the one that taught him. She closed her eyes and stopped listening to Setsuna’s prattle, spreading her senses across the battle. The Detective had her grandson held, the two of them struggling with each other. Setsuna attacked and she blocked each one, the two of them matched with an intimacy that still tied them together. She felt rather than actually seeing her heir being overwhelmed and dropped, the Detective pinning him down. One less threat.

“You are my son, my child, but you aren’t my heir and you are no longer worthy of the title you killed for. You are the one that lost the mantle of Ishikawa Goemon and the one that threw it away. Your actions were the reason, nothing else!”

Setsuna roared with rage, emotions rolling over him, driving him. He was always her loudest and held a spark that she had once treasured. She loved him. She loved him still. But he was an enemy now.

A single tear dripped down her wrinkled cheek, the only thing that gave away her immense sorrow at facing her son.

Chapter 7

The hand was loose over his eyes, the grip was weak and he could smell the sweet scent of Fujiko in the air. Lupin laughed again, delighted with this challenge. It was the sort of trap that was only good for a small amount of time. He wondered if Satsuma (he refused to call him by his real name. Jigen’s insult was powerful here.) realized that.

There was heat under his feet, not hurting him, but he could feel the world again. A smell of smoke, a crackling sound. He was returning to life.

Lupin relaxed, pulling his body tight and shrinking within the trap, feeling it hold in the position that he had been in. He laughed and laughed, filling him with strength and then pushed out, spreading wide until he felt it snap. The now stiff wires breaking and dropping. This space was his after all.

The hand was still there but it was useless now. His eyes were open.

Fujiko-chan stood there, beautiful in kimono, smiling mischievously at him and beckoning. Flames flickered between them but could not divide them. She spoke, her voice soft in his mind where Setsuna's voice was no longer. "Lupin, it's time to stop fooling around," she told him, teasing. "I miss you, and you know I hate waiting."

Lupin stepped out of the fire and walked to her. They were so close she could kiss him if she wished.

Time to wake up.

Her slim fingers slipped under the final brittle wires around his throat and snapped them easily. "Snap out of it, will you?" she said, smiling. "I'm bored." One fingertip pressed to her lips and then to his—a kiss, and he was free.

"Ah, Fujiko-chan, I do hate making you bored," Lupin told her, looking at her with love and worship in his eyes. She was so wonderful. "Have I mentioned how much I love seeing you in kimono? I know it's Goemon’s thing but I want to do things to you, looking so impressive and cute." Lupin wiggled his hands, looking at her with his usual lust.

***

Fujiko laughed, delighted. Lupin was back and fully himself again.

"Later," she promised him. "If you make it worth the wait. We need to get Jigen," she told him, relief and happiness from having him back filling her. Lupin gave her his most genuine smile, then got serious.

Lupin moved, going to the side of his partner. "Jigen. C'mon, partner," he said, offering his hand to where Jigen was sitting on the ground, looking wrecked. Fujiko hated Setsuna even more by the moment for fucking with them. "You did such a good job getting through to me."

Jigen took Lupin's hand and yanked him down into a tight hug. "Fuck, man," he breathed, digging his fingers into the back of his partner's jacket. "I thought..." He didn't finish the sentence, just burying his face in Lupin's neck instead.

Lupin wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. “No. Whatever it was, it wasn’t. Thanks, Aibo.” Partner.

"I got you," Jigen said, holding him close. "We got you."

Fujiko crouched down next to them, careful not to get her kimono dirty, and wrapped her arms around both of them. She was so glad they were finally back together.

“You did. You got me back,” Lupin told them. “I’m pretty brilliant but you two… I love it when you work together,” he said with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed both of their cheeks. “We’re still missing someone. If you’ll excuse me?” Lupin slipped out of Jigen’s and Fujiko’s hold and stood.

***

Lupin was glad to be back in the real world. The haori and hakama he’d been dressed in weren't his own clothes, but they were still a grounding presence where they settled against his skin.

Zenigata and Goemon were still on the ground fighting. Zenigata seemed to have the upper hand, Goemon pinned under him and struggling against his judo holds, but Goemon was still fighting and didn't seem likely to stop. Zantetsuken lay to the side, unsheathed, where Zenigata had disarmed Goemon of it.

Lupin swooped in and picked up the legendary sword with a flourish. Taking careful aim, he swung the sword once and severed the string controlling the samurai. Goemon went still, a light brightening his face.

Pops risked a glance at him. "About time you got back," he said, rolling to his feet and letting go of Goemon.

Goemon pulled the loose wire from around his neck and dropped the brittle remnants to the ground as they turned to dust. "Lupin?" He looked Lupin over warily—absolutely checking for any spare wires.

"It's me. Not him," he responded. Lupin grinned, spreading his arms to show off his outfit. "Do you think I could borrow a kiseru? Complete the look?"

“Perhaps when you apologize to Obaa-sama, she’ll only lightly bludgeon you with the one she favors,” Goemon told him, unable to not smile slightly.

“Scary, scary,” Lupin told him, offering a hand to pull him up. Once Goemon was standing, he knelt and presented Zantetsuken with a flourish. Zenigata bowed, the moment not lost on him. “To the current Ishikawa Goemon, Thirteenth of their name.”

Goemon took Zantetsuken and looked better, more complete. Lupin rose, looking at him.

“I will take care of the one who has opposed our family," Goemon decreed.

Lupin nodded once. "Go."

***

Goemon rushed to where his Obaa-sama and Uncle were facing off. It was odd to see their battle, so close and so far from sparring. He wouldn’t waste any more time with this.

Goemon rushed forward, sensing Obaa-sama leaping out of the way. He struck fast, landing and flicking his sword, cleaning it of the blood that it caused and sheathing Zantetsuken with a click.

Setsuna’s head dropped to the ground and his body followed soon after. Blood dripped down from where it exploded from Setsuna’s body and covered Goemon's haori and face from the final death of his disgraced Uncle.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, preparing himself to face what remained of his family, who might be ready to cast him out as well. There was no regret in him for his action but he would understand if she held anger for the very same thing. Goemon turned and faced her, wondering if this would be his last time here.

“I regret that it came to this,” Obaa-sama said, sounding every one of her many years. “I regret that you were forced to finish what I did not. My heir, my hope for our future. You have my apologies for what has passed.”

Goemon looked at her, feeling the pain of the past few weeks hit him. “Accepted,” he said, his voice shaky. Obaa-sama was there, pulling him close as he wept like a child once again.

***

Fujiko pouted prettily at Zenigata, watching him sort through a pile of golden and jeweled artifacts. "Do we really have to return all of them?"

They were all seated once more around the table in the Ishikawa family's tea room. Both Goemons were clean, freshly scrubbed, and dressed in blood-free clothes; Lupin was still in his haori and hakama, smoking a borrowed kiseru.

"Feel free to give them all back, Pops," Lupin said grandly. "That's not really my style of theft."

"Aw, that's so short-sighted, Lupin," Fujiko said, inching her hand toward the golden pile Zenigata was cataloguing and tidying into a bag.

Zenigata rolled his eyes and scooted the pile a bit further away from her. “Theft is theft," he declared solemnly. "You’re lucky I swore an oath in order to be allowed here.”

“My next plan will be more to my tastes, promise!” Lupin declared, completely ignoring Zenigata's words. He inhaled from the tip of the kiseru pipe and let the smoke drift from his mouth.

Fujiko gave up on the treasures, for the moment. "At least we're all back together and I don't have to babysit a mopey Jigen anymore," she teased, smirking across the table.

Jigen, who had completely given up on sitting seiza and was leaning sideways against Lupin, with his hat on and his legs more or less crossed, just smirked back and flipped her off.

Grandmother Goemon glanced at Jigen and looked stern for an instant, but didn't say anything. Fujiko was quite sure she was actively choosing to cut Jigen an absolutely unprecedented amount of slack.

Well, he deserved it, given that he'd somehow twice resisted Setsuna's puppetry—even he didn't seem to know how, and very obviously didn't want to talk or think about it. If Jigen hadn't held the line for them, if he hadn't granted them the openings they needed to strike back, if he'd spent even a couple of seconds firing on them under Setsuna's direction... it didn't bear thinking about.

“What was his plan?” Grandmother asked Lupin instead, looking troubled.

“Are you sure, Obaa-sama?” Lupin asked. “I can tell Goemon," he suggested, gesturing to the rather subdued-looking Thirteenth, who was sitting next to his grandmother, quietly drinking his tea, "and let him report to you later.”

The head of the Ishikawa clan merely shook her head. “I would have the one that my son took tell me his plan. You can spare an old woman from having to wonder what you kept back.”

Lupin laughed, obviously delighted by Obaa-sama, then went very serious. “He was going to take the clan from you. The items that Zenigata-Keibu has recovered were intended to be used to save the ones he could mold to his will. The children, a few adults. Mostly the children. He wished to train them to his standards and unleash them on an unprepared world.”

The Eleventh shook her head. "Foolish boy," she said. "My son was very foolish."

"He planned on ending the Ishikawa Goemon title as well," Lupin said.

She nodded. "I had mentioned, long ago, that I wished to be the last. Setsuna and I spoke of what it would mean to no longer be Ishikawa Goemon. He encouraged me to keep going and to maintain our tradition. I wonder if I was arrogant to do that.”

They all looked quietly at each other for a moment. Goemon the Thirteenth looked deeply troubled.

"I don't think you were, for what that's worth," Zenigata said. "Family tradition is very important."

Obaa-sama nodded. “I suppose the seventh generation of Zenigatas would understand,” she said with a smile. “I wish it hadn’t happened like this. But I am proud of what my Grandson has done.”

"He's a good kid," Jigen said, smiling a little mischievously at Goemon the Thirteenth, his soft dark eyes peeking out from under his hat brim for a second. "What are you two planning for him from here? If I can ask."

“Whatever he wishes,” Obaa-sama said, pulling Goemon close and hugging him. “What are you thinking?”

“Wherever my sword leads me,” Goemon told her.

"Which will hopefully be with us," Lupin said, grinning so wide his smile practically wrapped around his eyes.