What Crooks Love

The Beautiful Twisted Mind Of One Arsène Lupin III

Two months had passed since Lupin's confrontation with his self-proclaimed mother, two months since the day that left him both physically and emotionally scarred. The witch's body was now reduced to ashes, buried forever underneath the burnt remains of what was once his esteemed family mansion. Lupin had hoped that he could have burned down the memories of her alongside it. But the thief knew all too well that wouldn't be the case.

Fake as they may be, Tomoe's implanted memories still lingered deep within Lupin's head. Memories of a mother he never had. Of a childhood he never knew. Of being loved, not for his status as the illusive Gentleman Thief, but for who he truly was.

In days like these, he couldn't help but wonder, would his friends love him all the same if his name wasn't Arsène Lupin III?

The answer in his mind had always been yes. Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko were the best at their craft, and they always expected nothing short of the best from him as well. Lupin never had an issue with that. After all, he expected no less of them himself. The heists they pulled required skills only they possessed, and mistakes were off the table if they hoped to live to see another day. But his friends had proven their love for him on several occasions each. They'd saved him more times than he could count and they even did it hours after he tried to murder them in cold blood.

Lupin still couldn't shake the thought of how close he was to seriously hurting either Jigen or Goemon. 'Some partner I am...'

"Earth to Lupin, you copy?" Jigen's unmistakable voice snapped him out of his daydreaming. He could feel Jigen staring a hole in his back. "I said dinner's ready. Ya know your ass can try cooking too from time to time," he groaned, as he usually did.

Jigen had been quick to notice that Lupin wasn't his normal self as of late. And he had a pretty good idea of why that was. At first, he was worried that perhaps the whole mind control thing would relapse. Was that even possible? He had no idea, but the thought of Lupin snapping at him like that again was enough to keep him vigilant. It was still hard to believe a mind as fortified as his partner's was able to be hijacked, even if only for a few hours.

On the outside Lupin acted like he normally did. Lazily reading his newspaper, constantly on the lookout for the next big score, his never ending energy always radiating from him and his signature shit-eating grin perpetually plastered on his face. But having spent so many years with the guy, Jigen noticed some minuscule changes in his partner, blink and you missed them. How his eyes seemed to lack that sparkle, or how he'd space out several times a day. Jigen knew better than to question the thief about the issue, he was well aware that Lupin wasn't the type of guy to open up to anyone, not even his best friends. He often wondered if he ever opened up to Fujiko while they were engaged. But that was a question best left unanswered.

"Come on man, cut me some slack," Lupin shot back, folding his newspaper and letting out a loud yawn. "It's not my fault you lost the poker game. And it was about time too! Last week you beat me five times in a row! I swear you must be hiding aces up your-"

"Just shut up and come to the table dammit all!" The guy sure could be insufferable when he wanted to. But while his stupid remarks would usually irritate Jigen, he held on to them like a lifeline as of late, offering him some much needed reassurance that his partner was back. At the end of the day, that was all that really mattered.

"So..." Jigen started as he took off his pink apron and the two men sat down to devour the variety of goods the gunman had prepared. "What's our next target? You spent the entire morning reading that newspaper, found anything worth our while?"

Lupin loosened up his yellow tie, on the verge of drooling his eyes fixated on his soon-to-be empty plate. "Nope, not a thing," he announced unenthusiastically. Suffice it to say Jigen was less than pleased with his response. "Well that's just fucking great," he murmured in between bites.