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Tainted Time	By : InspectorZenigata Category: +G to L > Lupin III Views: 3647 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lupin III, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter 12
Adding to the Numbers

A small of covey of quails scattered at the movement. The butterflies left flitting their colorful wings as they ascended into the sky. Even a nearby tortoise made headway back into the dense forest as the dark figure emerged.

Lupin, ever vigilant in his defense of the injured cop, rolled over and chuckled a bit in his sleep.

Scowling at the couple laying on the mossy ground, the man stooped and gathered his weapon from the dirt nearby.

And with deadly aim, Jigen peppered the thief in small stones.

"Get up! Get up you friggin jackass!" Jigen raged, the whipped stones coming with more and more force. "Get your dumbass up! What did I friggin tell you last night?!" The gunman paused to gather more projectiles when his eyes landed on something else.

"Ow! What has your drawers in a bunch?" Lupin whined, rubbing at few of his rock injures. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of Goemo- SONOFABITCH!"

Lupin bellowed, clamping a hand over one eye, the remaining hand snatching up the empty tube of antibiotics that had just tried to make him get into the fashion of wearing an eye patch. "What they hell was that for, you
loony?!"

"What the hell do you think it was for! God damn it, Lupin! I told you to watch him while we were gone! I also believe I mentioned NOT doing anything with him! But noooo.... You're such a damn horny bastard, that you just went right ahead! That's not helping the healing any! And....I Might add..." Lupin backed up as Jigen moved closer, the gunman's eyes not only visible, but glaring. "YOU USED ALL MY NEOSPORIN!"

"There's nothing to be done about it now. The best choice would be to keep moving. We only have two days left." Lupin nodded quickly, looking over the pissed mans shoulder to Goemon as he stepped from the foliage into the clearing.

Jigen sighed, pulling his hat low, form slumping from its ridged state. "You're right Hon. Its just...Sometimes...He�s So..So..Damnit!" Grunting out the last word, he slipped a battered smoke between his lips and lit it as he turned away from the monkey like man. "I'm gonna rouse the cop. You two do whatever, I don't care."

"What�s wrong with him? The guy nearly put my eye out!" Goemon raised an eyebrow to the thief as he bitched.

"You are interfering with his healing...and Jigen�s attempt at making it go faster. One would believe, if you were worried about the Inspectors health, you would let him be for now. No matter..." Then dust billowed slightly as he sat down, legs crossed in front of him.

Lupin blinked and waited. Waited for the sitting man to finish whatever he had been saying. Out of the corner of his ear, he listened to Pops gruff tones and Jigen�s mellower ones as the gunman tended to his wounds. He listened to the birds chirping, the rustle of wildlife in the woods, heard everything but Goemon talk.

"Well?!" He demanded at last, moving in front of the man, casting him in shadow.
Barely opening one eye, Goemon peered up at the stealer of sunlight. "Does the Inspector indeed know the code in which your map is written?"

Lupin snickered, then lapsed into full-blown laughter at the look Goemon was giving him. "Do you really think he knows some code I don't? Please. Besides... There is no code, I only said that to get the baddies to hand him back all the faster."

"I'm sure I know some ICPO shorthand you may not. Plus, I'm on the side of the law, which makes my skills worth more." Lupin froze momentarily, then slowly turned to face the widely grinning Inspector.

"Don't be so surprised, Lupin. You were laughing so loud the entire ICPO payroll could have started camping out here and you would of never noticed." Zenigata teased, leaning heavily on the "crutch" Goemon had cleaved from a passing tree the night before.

The cop was smiling for a change. But it was lost on his drawn and pale features. Even through his face was smiling, Lupin could see the pain that was lurking in his eyes.

"Are you okay Pops?" The thief's cocky manner changed to worry like the picture on a slide show screen. Fast and a little disorienting. "You don't look so good. Are you sure you want to be walking about?"

"I don't have time to worry about that, do I?" Zenigata half smiled. Lupin sighed and chewed his lip. "Goemon, do you mind?" Without a sound, the samurai stood and walked to the far end of the clearing where Jigen was packing up his first aid kit.

Passing an eye over to his partners, as the gunman pulled a few stray pine needles from the Goemon�s hair, Lupin ran a hand through his own tousled mop. "Look Pops... I'm sorry I got you into this...I'm Sorry... I..." The heavy hand on his shoulder drew his eyes back to the cop and off the couple, who had slipped into a sort of play fight.

Or at least Jigen had Goemon�s sword and wasn't giving it back.

"Hey... We both screwed up somewhere...me more then you. But no matter what�s happened, I'm- I'm almost happy. Or maybe I am. It�s hard to tell. It�s been so long since anything but getting you in some cuffs made me feel anything but defeat. Silly, Isn't it?"

"Hey old man...maybe Ill let you get me in cuffs again." Lupin leered broadly, enjoying the flush that ran over the cops face. "Lupin, I-" Zenigata gasped, falling hard to the ground. The crutch bounced a few times on the moss springboard, before laying still.

"Pops? POPS?!" Zenigata gritted his teeth, one hand clutching uselessly, at the clumps of loam beside him, that were grey in color from being dug up last night during their time spent together. The other clawed fitfully at his chest, blood beginning to appear along the stitches as more then a few were ripped from the Inspectors skin as his fingernails caught.

"JIGEN! JIGEN!!" Lupin screamed, his eyes never leaving the older man twitching on the ground. It seemed forever before the gunman was kneeling at the cops� side, but that was only in Lupin�s eyes. He knew that his partner had been swift in answering his panicked cry.

Fire burned in his chest, molten lava through his veins. Gasping, Zenigata could only wait out the pain was his grasping, fighting hands, were pinned down to his sides.

Slowly the agony backed down, allowing the Inspector to slip into pained whimpers and hiccupping sobs. Worse part out of all the pain, the agony, the crippling spasms, was the fear all but pouring off the red-coated thief hanging over him. Hot salt water splashed onto his bare chest, as Lupin�s silent tears flowed, the acidic liquid biting anew in the reopened sections of his wound.

"Pops...old man. Say something. Please...Pops...." Lupin pleaded, adjusting the Inspectors head within his hands, turning it until the cops� hazy eyes were looking towards him again. The solid neck worked like a well-oiled gear, moving far too easily. "Oh god Pops.. If you die-!"

The glazed eyes blinked a few times, the dark pupils expanding as Zenigata fought to focus on the monkeyish visage looming over him. "I would swear I died, but the last time I checked, angels weren't simians." he quipped weakly, smiling as the thief broke into a wonderful mix of tears and laughter.

"Don't do that to me again. I thought you were turning in your badge for the last time." he scolded. "When did you become such a good actor?"

"Amateur hour at the Chuckle Bucket is over folks." Jigen grumbled, pushing Lupin aside. "And, if either of you starts anymore sappy shit, I swear I will just walk away now." The gunman had to bite his lip to hold back the laughter as Lupin stared at him in shock, then flopped, cross legged to the ground, silent as a church mouse.

"Goemon, get me the kit, could ya Hon?" Not even looking up from his study, it was caught one handed as Goemon tossed the small black bag to the man. "Okay, good news and bad news." Jigen stated, wiping blood from his one time rivals chest.

"What�s the bad news?" Lupin queried in a meek voice, as he leaned to one side, dangerously close to tipping over.

"I don't have any antibiotics." Jigen growled, shooting the thief a cold glare. "I cant do shit to avoid infection growing in these gouges and scratches. Don't you think shit through at all?! For Gods Sake Lup-Huh?"

It wasn't Lupin�s fault, he had wanted it, needed it, and if the thief hadn't made the move, used the ointment as they did, Zenigata knew he would have suggested its use himself.

It was harder then he had thought it would be, to catch a criminal by the wrist. He must have been weaker then even he knew. But with effort, the Inspector did just that and grabbed Jigen�s hand. "Its my fault, not his. I did it." He lied, more then willing to take some of the heat off Lupin. "I'm sor-"

"Lupin is right, you are an awful actor and an even worse liar, Inspector." Goemon cut in, standing up from the dusty ground. "Jigen, let it go. You can punish Lupin later for his stupidity. But now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves."

Grumbling to himself, Jigen wrapped an arm around Zenigata, helping to bear the weak man upright. "Fine. Good news is that no matter how painful it was, its nothing that will kill him... I think. Our warped little friend seems to have decided a wake up call was needed in the form of the old mans implant."

"But...but...Why would he do that?! It wastes time, and the longer it takes, the more likely it is that we won't get back his damn piece of rummage sale crap!" Lupin all but yelled, kicking a nearby tree.

Ignoring the thief hopping about in pain behind him, or trying to, Goemon handed Zenigata back his make shift crutch and assisted the man in gaining a firm footing.

"To show us he is still in power." Jigen huffed, fishing yet another smoke from a pack that was so battered it had better-looking brethren on roadsides. "Damn, I need a drink."

"You're not the only one." the cops voice was still heavy with weakness, but still clearer then before. "Come on Lupin, tell us the plan and let�s get this shit over with."

"The plan is simple. You three stay at the hideout, I find the idol." Stemming the chorus of protests with one hand, he continued, "You aren�t going anywhere Pops. I can't put you in danger, and Jigen, the old man will need you to tend him, protect him."

"Not that I'm going to agree with a single bit of that shit you just pulled out of your ass," Jigen started, "But why is Goemon staying behind?"

A snapping of branches, the rustle of greenery, and something stumbled from the woods, getting only a few feet, before collapsing. Reacting instantly, Jigen and Goemon whirled as Lupin darted forward to steady the suddenly unsupported Zenigata.

"Boys, Marge... Marge. Boys." He smiled a grim smile. "Once she comes to, the lady will need help, protecting as well. Because from he looks of it... it seems her boss found out about her "betrayal."

Holstering his gun, as Goemon re sheathed his sword, Jigen was barely aware of his love following behind him. All he was aware of was the prone figure in front of him, getting closer as he walked.

Already, the bottle flies were gathering along the drying and still running blood, dancing on the crimson painting slim limbs, filthy clothes, he slightly curled at the end tresses of brown.

"One can not kill a man more then once, it is a shame of the deepest sense." Goemon hissed, the sudden words startling Jigen.

"Gather her up, we need to go somewhere for some quick planning and few phone calls." Lupin said softly, he and Zenigata heading towards the far side of the clearing. "Revenge will be dished out in large helpings, trust me."
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Tainted Time