Lupin the Third vs. Sly Cooper: Chapter 6

~Two days later~

At Interpol HQ, Carmelita, Zenigata and Walker were in the latter’s office. Walker had introduced himself to Zenigata on the day he arrived and since then, the trio had been working tirelessly, trying to find either Lupin or Sly, but to no avail. Whilst working with Walker, Zenigata felt rather displeased by the penguin’s behaviour. He admitted to himself that Walker was a brilliant inspector and he definitely lived up to his reputation. However, the penguin also lived up to his reputation for being rather sarcastic, smart mouthed and flirtatious, not that women found him charming. The bloodhound often found it frustrating when working with Walker, but somehow managed to keep his cool. Carmelita on the other hand wasn’t too bothered by Walker’s smartass comments and personality, but found his attempts at charming the opposite sex slightly difficult to get used to. He sometimes flirted with the vixen when on the case as well. At the moment, Walker was sitting down, smoking his cigarette as he usually did whilst Carmelita and Zenigata were still stood up.

“Dammit!” Zenigata growled. “It’s been three days and we haven’t caught Lupin yet!”

“Relax Zenigata” Walker said. “Why not just take a break for a little while, it’ll help ya cool down a little”.

“I can’t relax” Zenigata replied. “Not when Lupin is on the loose right here in Paris!”

“Trust me, cooling down will help” Walker advised the bloodhound. “I’ll give ya a cig if it’ll help”.

Zenigata was reluctant to relax, feeling that it was irresponsible to do such a thing whilst trying to catch a thief. But he then thought that maybe relaxing will indeed help him in getting a clear mind in catching Lupin. So he sat down opposite to Walker and accepted the penguin’s offer of a cigarette. Walker looked up to Carmelita, who was still stood up.

“You wanna sit with us Ms. Fox?” he asked the vixen. “I’ve got another cig if ya-”

“No thank you Mr Walker” Carmelita replied, cutting off the penguin. “I don’t smoke anyway”.

“Suit yourself darlin’” Walker said casually, shrugging his shoulders. “So Zenigata, got a family at home?”

Zenigata was slightly caught off guard by the penguin’s question. He didn’t expect Walker to ask him about his family as no one had asked him such a question. But the bloodhound then thought that it wouldn’t be such a problem to tell Walker.

“Well I was married and I have a daughter” Zenigata replied.

“A daughter?” Walker exclaimed. “What’s her name?”

“Toshiko” the bloodhound replied, before a sad look appeared on his face. “But I haven’t seen her in years, since I got divorced”.

Carmelita gave a sympathetic look at Zenigata. After hearing about his relationship with his family, she could see that under his serious and competent attitude, Zenigata was someone who put his devotion to catching Lupin before his family. Walker decided to break the silence that loomed in the room.

“Y’know I had a family too”. Zenigata looked up when he heard what the other inspector said.

“Really?!”

“Yeah, I was married and had two kids” Walker replied. “A daughter and a son, Carrie and David, and I had a pretty good life with them and their mother”.  

The penguin paused for a moment, leaving the two other inspectors hanging. The vixen and bloodhound waited for Walker to continue until he finally spoke up.

“Until the bitch left and took the kids with her.”

Carmelita and Zenigata were surprised when he said this, not just because that his wife and children left, but more by how casually he said it. The penguin didn’t seem to get angry or show any emotion. He just sat there in silence, smoking his cigarette.

“But that’s enough about me” Walker spoke, breaking the silence. “How about you Ms. Fox?”

Carmelita hesitated for a bit. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to tell them about her life. It was full of tragedy and hurt and it pained her even if she thought about it. But then she thought back to when both Zenigata and Walker talked about their pasts only minutes ago. So she plucked up the courage and told them her story.

“Well, my father, Javier Fox, was an inspector at Interpol like myself and for as long as I could remember, I always wanted to grow up to be just like him” Carmelita told them.

“So you loved your old man huh?” Walker asked.

“Yes, I loved him more than anything”. Carmelita paused for a moment when the painful parts of her memories came flowing back. She tried to bury it within her mind but no matter how much she tried, it was no use. The vixen had never told anyone else this, except Sly when they were together.

“But one day, when I was just ten years old-” Carmelita paused for a moment before continuing. “My mother was killed by some gangster who wanted revenge on my father for arresting some of his comrades”.

Zenigata couldn’t believe what he had heard. He felt distraught knowing that Carmelita had lost her own mother at the age of ten, a time when she was so vulnerable. He couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like for her.

“The one who killed her was caught eventually, but the damage had already been done” the vixen continued. “My father went into a deep depression which lasted for months”.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it you don’t have to” Walker interrupted, showing a slight hint of concern in his voice.

“No it’s alright” Carmelita reassured him. “But from then on, I promised myself that I would fight crime so that no one else would have to face what I had faced”.

From hearing this, Zenigata garnered a new found respect for Carmelita. He saw her as a fine inspector ever since he first started working with her. But after hearing her tell him and walker her life story, he saw how she was determined to uphold the law after all she had been through.

“So how’s your father now?” Walker asked.

“He did overcome his depression eventually” Carmelita replied. “He’s now retired from the force and from when I last saw him, he’s doing fine”.

“That’s good to hear” Walker spoke up. “At least he’s doin’ alright”.

Then, all three inspectors heard a soft growling noise in the room.

“Sorry, haven’t eaten in a while” Walker said, confirming that the sound had come from his stomach.

“Well I was going to get something, I’ll bring you back something” Carmelita offered.

“Please do” Walker replied. “As long as it ain’t donuts, I hate the damn things”.

“Will do” Carmelita replied. “You want anything Mr Zenigata?”

“No thanks, I’m not hungry” the bloodhound replied.

“Ok, I’ll be back in a while” Carmelita said before leaving the office.

“See ya in a bit” Walker replied, waving his flipper.

After Carmelita left, Walker turned his gaze to Zenigata who was still seated opposite of him.

“So Zenigata” the penguin spoke up. “Ever came across any pretty ladies in your lifetime?”

~A couple of minutes later~

In the streets of Paris, Carmelita was on the lookout for any nearby shops to get food. The sun was setting in the distance, the night sky was soon to arrive. As she approached a nearby shop, Carmelita noticed at the corner of her eye, she saw a vixen with snow white fur and blonde hair walking across the sidewalk. She was wearing a dress that was coloured blood red. From her features, Carmelita felt that she recognised her from somewhere. That’s when it hit her. It was the same vixen she saw in the Lupin files. The inspector ran towards the white vixen, ready to take out her shock pistol. She turned a corner where the vixen had gone, only for her to not be seen anywhere. Carmelita walked forward, hoping to find any trace of the vixen.

“You know it’s rude to follow people” came a voice from behind the inspector.

Carmelita turned around to come face to face with the white vixen she was pursuing who had a smirk on her face.

“No need to be jumpy, I’m not going to do anything” the white vixen said. “But I think you know who I am, don’t you Inspector Carmelita Fox?”

Carmelita thought to herself about how she knew her name and if she knew that the inspector was following her. One thing she noticed about the white vixen was that her voice was almost seductive. She guessed she was some sort of femme fatale.

“I’m willing to give you some information on Lupin, as long as you don’t arrest me”.

The inspector’s thoughts were interrupted by the white vixen’s comment. If she did have any information on Lupin, she could be an asset. But on the other hand, Carmelita wasn’t too sure if she could really trust her. She has been involved with Lupin and his gang before. She thought about it for a moment and decided to take the risk.

“Okay, I won’t arrest you” Carmelita replied.

“Good” the white vixen said. “By the way, you haven’t answered by question from earlier”.

“About what?” Carmelita asked.

“About you knowing who I am” the white vixen replied.

The inspector knew that she was right. She had read her file and remembered what her name was.

“Yes, I know who you are” Carmelita spoke. “Fujiko Mine”.