The Joker and the Thief (OPEN)

[Jigen]

Jigen walked up the stairs to his aparment while Lupin followed him.

"I still can't believe you shot the dog Boss...it would have been FINE if you had let me deal with it." Jigen grumbled and lit up a cigarrette as he passed two of his friends doors.

"Hold on a sec Boss...I'm supposed to check the mail for these guys."

Jigen stopped infront of apartment 202 and grabbed the mail from off the floor. "Junk...junk...bill...magazine...newspaper. Okay Wolfwood, I guess I'll just put these in the mail slot for you and Vash. You'd THINK the mailman would have better sense...he must be an idiot." Jigen placed the mail in the mail slot of the door and glanced over at Room 203.

Jigen grumbled to himself and saw a small pile of letters and a few magazines outside of Room 203 as well. "Okay JP...let's see what you've got. Magician Extrodinare...junk...junk...bill...Chocolate Express? Man the kid sure does like his chocolate." Jigen smirked and put the letters in the mail slot of JP's door.

Jigen glanced behind him at Lupin and saw the strange look on his face. "The two in Room 202 are good friends of mine and they said they'd be gone today, the kid in Room 203 is one of my...charges."

Jigen walked over to his apartment, Room 201, and unlocked the door. He walked in and noticed that Kisa wasn't home yet. "Must be on her way home..." He thought as he sat down on a chair in front of the coffee table.

"C'mon in Boss. Sit where ever you like." Jigen noticed a stuffed animal tiger laying on the couch armrest.

"We have a lot to talk about Boss..."

Jigen lit a cigarrette as Lupin closed the door behind him.

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

Lupin sighed. "Oh get over it. It was just a tranquilizer. You know I'd never kill it on purpose, even if it DID set me on fire earlier."

As he watched Jigen check the mail, he giggled and leaned on his shoulder. "You've become a regular pedestrian eh? Well it that don't beat all." he said, mimicking a Southern accent. "So no mail for you buddy? Not even any boobie mags? For SHAME Jigen, for SHAME."

Once they got into the apartment, he lounged on the couch and put his feet up on the table. "Charges? You mean like kids? Geez, have I been gone that long? Did you finally meet someone? Let me meet her! I promise I'll behave! Pretty plea - " The serious look on Jigen's face stopped him cold. Getting serious himself, Lupin leaned back on the couch and frowned. "Ok Jigen, spill it. What the hell's going on around here?"

[Jigen]

Jigen stiffened and growled at Lupin's mention of meeting someone.

"Boss...you know my luck with women. They either always die or they end up betraying me. So no...I didn't meet anyone. I...you know Lupin this place is mostly full of children. YOUNG kids...like most only being in their teens...and young teens at that. There's only a handful of adults around here and well...let's just say that the old bodyguard habits kicked in. So I decided I'd take a bunch of kids under my wing. They don't all live with me, but they live near or around me."

He puffed on his cigarrette a few times to let Lupin digest the information.

"Back there in the jail...you mentioned the Fuma Clan right?"

Lupin nodded Jigen cringed again.

"Boss...we dealt with the Fuma Clan about ten years ago. I mean, yeah, over the years Goemon has visited Murasaki countless times but...they've never settled down."

Jigen propped up his own feet on the coffee table. "Seriously Lupin...what's going on? Do you have amnesia? Because ten years is a hell of a lot of stuff to forget. Though I must admit...you do look a little younger than when the last time I saw you. And the last time I saw you, you were falling out of a helicopter after being shot in the heart."

Jigen's eyes widened and he sat up with a start. "DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE A FUCKING GHOST!!!!!!!"

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

"Never woulda picked you for the soccer mom type. But I guess we all have our vices." he said, leaning forward and resting his hand on his hands, with his elbows propped up on his legs.

Lupin froze at that. He leaned back against the couch again, and stretched his arms alongside the back of the couch. "What the hell are you talking about Jigen? That's not possible. We were just trying to get Murasaki back like...a few hours ago."

His eyes widened again. "Dead? Me? THE GREAT LUPIN THE THIRD!?" he said dieing of laughter. "Oh you mean that one time? Don't you remember? That was all a prank to get the money!"

[Jigen]

"I know you've done that whole 'hey let's scare the shit outta everyone and pretend I'm dead' thing before Lupin but this time was different. You FELL from a flying helicopter that was at least a good oh, eight...nine stories from the ground, and you were shot in the chest because you'd given ME your Walter P-38. So...it's my fault you died Boss."

Jigen frowned and lit another cigarrette.

"And no...we didn't just try to rescue Murasaki a few hours ago. It's been almost ten years Boss...ten long years of being chased by Pops and you getting slapped in the face by Fujiko."

Jigen chuckled at Lupin's hurt look about being denied by Fujiko. Then grew serious once again.

"I'm not joking Boss...it's really been almost ten years since that day we fought the Fuma Clan. If Goemon was here he'd confirm it for ya but...well he's not. You know I don't lie about things like this Boss."

Jigen tugged his fedora over his eyes as he looked at Lupin for some kind of response.

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

Lupin frowned. "And I'm not lieing either Jigen. This doesn't make any sense. I know we're not someplace normal, but how the hell are you 'from the future' or whatever. This is nuts."

"Where is Goemon anyway? And Fujiko? Aren't they with you?"

[Jigen]

"I have no idea how I'm technically 'from the future' and you're not but all I know is, is that if what you're saying is true then you were pulled from some time in the past and I was pulled from our present, aka your future."

Jigen shrugged.

"I have no idea where Goemon is. And as for Fujiko...I don't really care, but I know she isn't here. The only people that we know that are here are me, you, and Pops. That's it Boss."

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

Lupin tried to process this. Failing, he sighed. "This is gonna take some getting used to, just to even believe you. Sorry Jigen old bud, but this is...way out there."

Reaching into his pocket, Lupin pulled out a small flask and tried to take a swig. Coming up empty, he frowned and put it back. Smiling, he turned to Jigen. "So, old buddy, old pal - how about breaking out the good stuff for your boss? Eh? Oh, and when do these kids of yours get home? I think I'd like to talk to them."

[Jigen]

Jigen grumbled and made his way over to an antique cabnet. He unlocked it while grabbing a bottle.

"Sorry Boss...about the only thing I have on hand is Whisky, Jack Daniels, and Burbon...and you sure as hell aren't worth the Burbon."

Jigen grabbed the half empty bottle of whiskey and set it on the coffee table while he grabbed two glasses. Filling both glasses halfway he corked the bottle and rose his glass in celebration.

"Well...here's to your 'breaking out of jail' party, our reunion, and our 'coming out of retirement' party!" Jigen and Lupin touched glasses and drank their liquor.

Jigen set his glass on the table.

"Only one of my charges actually lives with me. She's a sweet girl, she's only twelve, maybe thirteen. Anyway, she's quiet but a good kid...from what little I've gotten out of her she was emotionally abused back where she came from...and seriously too. I couldn't ever get her to talk when I first 'adopted' her...but now she'll at least talk with me and my friends in the two rooms across the hall. She might have been physically abused too but...it's hard to say and I'd never ask anyone that kind of thing."

Jigen lit another cigarrette. "She's got a...condition...but she and I can explain it when she gets home. She should be here in a little while, school let out around fifteen minutes ago and she's usually home by now but she might have an after school meeting with a teacher or something."

Jigen cast a glance at Lupin. "And what exactly is it that you want to talk to her about Boss? Like I said, she's a good girl and she's under MY care...so you better not do anything funny."

Jigen glared at his long time friend. He didn't think Lupin would do anything stupid, but he really did care for Kisa and the rest of his charges, they were starting to become something like a family or a tight nit group of friends, much like Jigen and the rest of Lupin's gang were.

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

"Oh gee, thanks Jigen, and after all we've been through together." Lupin said, a little more half-heartedly than normal. "Cheers!" he said going back to his normal perkiness level, and swallowed his glass in one sip.

"A condition huh? So she's sickly? No wonder you fell for her, so to speak. You've always had a soft heart for a gangster Jigen." he said, fingering his glass.

Lupin laughed out loud and flopped all over the couch at Jigen's last comment. "Oh c'mon Jigen, you know my heart belongs to my dear Fujiko! Oh ok, so I might stray when she's being particularly hateful, but I always come back. Besides, you said kid, and I'm not a pedophile you know. I just wanna see what she's like. And...well..."

Sighing, Lupin looked Jigen straight to the eyes and finally got to the point. "Ok, let's face it. We don't belong here Jigen, neither of us. I dunno what kind of strange place this is, but we belong on the run, stealing things like we always do. So I need you to either answer me honestly, or I'll just have to ask her myself - is she willing to go along with that? She'd still be living here, so would you and I, this could be our base. But we'd still be criminals, just like we really are. Could she handle that or would we have to work something else out?"

[Jigen]

Jigen matched Lupin's stare.

"She trusts me Boss...I don't think she'd be particularly happy since while we're gone she'd be a little...lonely but, I think she'd understand."

Jigen chuckled darkly and filled his glass with whiskey and drank it in one gulp. "Hell...she's seen me pissed off before Boss."

At Lupin's puzzled look Jigen chuckled again and puffed on his cigarrette. "One time, she and a few other random kids from around here were kidnapped. I have no idea what those bastards agendas were but...they kidnapped at least two of my charges and a bunch of other kids from the surrounding area. My two friends across the hall and I went to go find the bastards and recuse the kids...we weren't going to kill the kidnappers unless something had happened to the kids. Well...something did happen..."

Jigen snorted and clenched his teeth. "One of the kids, an older girl from what the others told me, had been raped and tortured in a nearby room...then she was killed in front of the rest of the kids. As if that wasn't disgusting enough, those bastards tried to use a few of the children as human shields. Let's just say they didn't get very far like that..."

Jigen adjusted the fedora on his head before julping down another glass of whiskey. "Kisa had to watch me and the other two kill those men. We didn't want her or any of the others to see it but...those guys were going too far. I'm never really guilty about anything Boss...especially in the kind of buisness I've been involved in through the years but just...a kid that young shouldn't have to see something like that, ya know?"

Jigen laughed. "Ah listen to me...I'm sounding all depressed. Anyway, to answer your question Boss yes, we can use this as our base, no...you are not bringing in your next 'Catch of the Day' babe here for serenading, and...I think she'd be all right with it."

Jigen snuffed out his finished cigarrette. "I've told Kisa a...little...about my work and my past...but not every little detail. She knows I'm a criminal, but from all the stories I've told her about you and I and our group; she and my other charges, as well as the two next door, kind of envision us as some new age Robin Hood and Little John. I mean, yes, we're criminals Boss...but we aren't ANYTHING like the rest of these sickos on the streets...especially the ones in this place. It may not look like it but this place seems to be a breeding ground for guys with shady motives and even shadier dealings. We've got plans, goals, honor, we have pride Boss. Yeah, we're in it for money, but we ALWAYS end up taking down the scum we face, and little by little we make the world a better place for it..."

Jigen propped his feet up on the table and lit another cigarrette and smiled. "Even if we ARE thieves...at least we've got a concience."

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

Lupin nodded, frowning. "That's tough Jigen. I...I can't even imagine doing that in front of kids. You know I've always had more of a problem with killing than you, so..." He fell silent, unable to figure out what else to say.

He snorted at Jigens 'Catch of the Day' comment. "Oh, now that's just not fair. A man has GOT to have his ladies you know. Besides, when do any of the women I meet ever turn out to be any trouble?"

Smirking at the last bit, Lupin said "Well, you have a point. I think Pops would be out of a job if he ever FINALLY caught us. How many of the criminals he's caught have we taken down for him? Oh well, if he ever decides to get out of the police biz, he's more than welcome to join our group of merry little travelers."

Finally, looking solemn, Lupin looked directly into Jigen's eyes (or at least where he guessed Jigen's eyes were). "Oh, and about the...me dieing...thing. I really don't think I would have died. I mean, I AM Lupin the 3rd after all! Do you really think that's all it would take to take me down? I mean, did you guys find a body?"

[Jigen]

Jigen smiled grimly. "Yeah Boss...you always have had something of a soft spot when it comes to killing people. I wouldn't exactly call that a bad thing but you have killed your fair share." Jigen chuckled and watched his cigarrette smoke climb upwards. "I won't tell Kisa though all right?"

Jigen puffed on his cigarrette a few times in silence before tilting his fedora up with his finger to look Lupin in the eyes. "Yeah Boss...we found your body. We even had a burial, though only a priest, Goemon, Fujiko, Pops, and I were there. It wasn't a huge or grand event but, you got to be buried on a nice hill over looking the town."

Jigen grit his teeth and puffed on his cigarrette. "After that we were so busy trying to get revenge that we went straight to face those bastards. That's when I ended up here. We were fighting the guys that killed you and we were about to beat them when they sprung a trap on us. We thought we were going to die but the power ran out and the next thing I knew I was here in The Pathways."

[Arsene Lupin the 3rd]

Lupin smirked and giggled maniacly. "I'll drink to that! Erm...or I would if I had a bit more bubbly." he said, holding his glass out to Jigen.

He shook his head. "I just can't believe it. Me, the great Lupin, killed. I know I gotta go sometime, but geez. But maybe now that I know I can change that? Assuming I get back to where I was anyway."

Frowning, Lupin thought for a moment. "Strange...the last thing I can remember myself is the gas bombs going off. You remember I guess, when we were in the Fuma's hideout?"

[Jigen]

Jigen smirked and poured more whiskey into Lupin's glass.

"Yeah I remember the gas going off when we were trying to help Murasaki." Jigen drank some of his own whiskey.

"Hmm...let's see, if that's the last thing you remember then it was a little while after that when the whole damned place started collapsing. ...You do know that once again we didn't have anything to show for our hard work right Boss? Fujiko happened to get one of the pure gold shingles off the roof but the rest of us didn't get anything, though we did rescue Murasaki."

Jigen tapped his fingers on his glass before gulping down the rest of the burning liquid. "Do you know how you got here? I don't remember any bright lights or anything I kinda just found myself here. I wonder why we were brought here, it doesn't make any sense..."