Precious

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1—Someone’s Gunning for Jigen Again

Chapter 2—Gun For Hire

Chapter 3—An Old Score

Chapter 4—Never to Return

Chapter 5—Nice Sounds Nice this Time of Year

Epilogue

 

‘I know nobody knows where it comes, where it goes.  I know it’s everybody’s sin, you’ve got to know how to lose to win.’—lyrics from Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’

‘Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend.  I’ll help you carry on.   For, it  won’t be long ‘til I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.’—lyrics from ‘Lean on Me’ as sung by Bill Withers

‘We’re good men, but we’re not Saints.’—Michael to Elizabeth, Among Wolves

 

A/N:  I do realize that this fanfiction is an awful lot like Jigen’s Gravestone, which was the source of inspiration from it.   With that being said, I hope you’ll enjoy this little fanfic.

 

Chapter 1—Someone’s Gunning for Jigen Again

                It was a gorgeous moonlit evening and Jigen was helping Dominique pick some freshly blossoming roses just because.   She had recently read an email from their daughter, Phoebe, and her dad wondering when they’d return for a reunion.  

                ‘It would be delightful to see how much she’s grown.   She’s so much like you, my beautiful flower.’, Daisuke said, trailing a rose along her skin and tickling her.   Before he could kiss her passionately, a shot rang out and hit Dominique in the shoulder.   It had been meant to eliminate Daisuke, but he caught a glimpse of the hitman from afar off.  

                Goemon shielded Dominique and Jigen started searching the buildings close to their rose garden but only found a fragment of a grey Armani suit. 

                ‘Whoever this bastard is dresses incredibly well.   I need to analyze it.’, Jigen thought to himself.    Quickly, he took the torn suit fragment and put it under the electron microscope that Lupin often used for multiple purposes.    There had been some DNA that sloughed off in the process and it returned a hit on Lupin’s high-speed laptop.

 

Chapter 2—Gun for Hire

                Daisuke nearly broke out into raucous laughter when he discovered to whom the Armani suit belonged.  

                ‘Precious ?  What kind of hitman name is that ?’, Lupin asked, barely able to breathe from laughing so hard.   He nearly choked on his sex on the beach cocktail from his sides splitting.   Dominique had been bound by Fuji, so her arm was unaffected by wear.   She was a little shaken but more concerned for her husband’s wellbeing.  

                ‘Yeah, definitely gives off nerdy LOTR vibes if I ever heard them.   My precious !  It’s mine, give it to me !  Gollum, Gollum !’, Dominique stated, resplendently.    The whole team roared hysterically at Dominique’s humor.  

                ‘He isn’t any laughing matter though.   You see how he almost hit you straight in the heart.   I don’t know how I would be able to make it, let alone our beautiful jewel, Phoebe.’, Jigen stated, nearly crying.   Precious had been a gunman hired by the mob.   He and Daisuke used to be bodyguards on the same team until someone in the gang went rogue and sniped nearly everyone into oblivion.   Precious covered his own butt by leaving before it became too gnarly  but blamed Jigen for not trusting his intuition before everything turned sideways.   He felt it was Jigen’s fault that the boss was turned into Swiss cheese, but actually it was everyone’s problem including his.   

                ‘I have to do something about Precious before he strikes again.  He knows where we live and that’s problematic.’, Daisuke stated.  Dominque grabbed him firmly but lovingly upon his shoulders, knowing he was about to do something impulsive, reckless, and stupid.   

                ‘Please, promise me you’ll come back, Daisuke.’, she implored.   Daisuke could make any vow to his sweetheart, lover, wife and mother to their exceptional daughter, Phoebe.    He assuaged her fear however and held her close.  

                ‘He will pay for wounding you.  No one harms my jewel and gets away with it.’, Jigen vowed before walking off.   

                ‘He’ll be back before you know it.’, Arsene reassured, knowing that his partner could always be counted on, but with Precious’ prowess, Dom wondered who really held the upper hand in the duel. 

 

Chapter 3—An Old Score

                If Jigen knew Precious well enough, and he did, he figured that his old partner and gun for hire would come out in a place where no other people were around, during the dead of night when most sane people were asleep.   

                They had come to parlay about old times and memorable occasions they experienced serving under the same yakuza.  

                ‘I didn’t think Wataru was going to do that.’, Precious said, still beating himself up for not seeing the psychotic break in someone he thought he knew.

                ‘Holding a grudge against yourself is the absolute worst punishment.’, Daisuke said, wisely.   He had seen Goemon do so, and he had been guilty of perfectionism himself.   He had to realize that parts of life were random and to have faith that matters would work out any way they pleased, but he had to admit, the faith his wife had in her God, well, that had been enough for him to pledge fealty even if he hadn’t converted to Protestantism.   

                ‘We made a blood oath…’, Precious stated, the rage in his voice visceral. 

                ‘It shouldn’t mean we die.   Just because he’s dead and gone doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what life we have left, Precious.’, Daisuke retorted.   Jigen didn’t want to engage in a gunfight with Precious.   He was every bit his equal, but Precious had arthritis and a trigger finger that would get locked at the worst times.   He remembered it almost as if it had happened the same night the Boss had been shredded with bullets.   Precious had been the one to try and stop Wataru’s assault, but his trigger finger wouldn’t engage.   Of all the times for his rheumatoid arthritis to act up, it cost the Boss his life.   Others in the gang were all slain, but Daisuke had saved Precious and hit Wataru square between the eyes as the two had stared each other down.   

                ‘I forgot you saved my life that day.’, he said.   Daisuke recalled that Precious still knew where they lived.   Precious could tell his employers where Arsene and his thieves were residing and get that information to Interpol.   They could be within Koichi Zenigata’s grasp easy as pie, but Precious couldn’t do that.    As a member of the yakuza, he had made a vow to the whole Family to protect them at all costs.   

                ‘I can’t simply relinquish my oath as a gangster.   I am a gangster first and a hired gun last.’, he said.   Precious hadn’t even cocked his gun.   Daisuke wasn’t even pointing his barrel when Precious confessed the truth to him.   

                ‘Will we ever cross paths again ?   I don’t want to be a target, and I certainly don’t want my wife to be collateral.’, Daisuke stated, in a heated tone.   Precious knew that his friend was serious.   He had never intended to harm Dominique, but his goal had been to kill Jigen where he stood.   

 

Chapter 4—Never to Return

                ‘No one is left in the gang.  The only employer I have is the one that hired me, and they won’t come looking.   I’m expendable.   Let’s just part ways and pray we never meet again.   Next time it might be our last.’, Precious confided.    Jigen knew that fleeing was his best option.   Besides, he had promised he would reunite with his wife and daughter, hearing rousing Mincier tales around a roaring campfire.    The gang had never done that with him, and hell, they were a part of his family as anyone else was.   

                Without saying two more words to each other, Precious and Jigen parted ways, and both were assumed dead by the world.   The smarter populace who knew Jigen, however, realized he was just lying low, but most people kept their distance if they valued their lives.  

 

Chapter 5—Nice Sounds Nice This Time of Year

                Everyone was delighted to meet Dominique’s family.    Dioval welcomed Arsene and his lot with open arms, knowing that they took care of his little girl and made absolutely certain that no trouble came her way.   Dom had an uncanny ability of finding trouble on her own accord anyway.

                Phoebe had grown considerably.   She had her mother’s gift of storytelling, singing and dancing.   She knew how to cook delectable kebabs that always sold out when she went to the market to sell them.   If her glamorous handmade scarves weren’t selling or enticing buyers, the smell of anything from teriyaki pork to ooshy gooshy dango drew in all potential customers.     She wanted to study culinary arts and have her own ‘food caravan’.   She knew how to brew tea and coffee and had a knack for making the most mouth-watering curry.    She enjoyed giving bento boxes to the less fortunate and even taught the indigent how to fish and grow their own food to be independent.

                It had been decided that Phoebe and Dioval would be coming along on Arsene’s impromptu trip to Nice.   Secretly, it was supposed to be a surprise, but Dominique had easily deduced that was their destination based on all of Lupin’s supposedly ‘subtle’ subtext in chatting with the others in the gang. 

                Nice was positively spectacular.  Being France, of course, it was a bit more liberal and nude bodies weren’t seen as shameful there.    In and of itself, it was a treasure.   After all, the group deserved a much-needed vacation and the City of Lights being not too far away made it the perfect respite before they planned their next heist.

 

Epilogue

                Back in the bungalow, Jigen looked at Dominique peacefully sleeping.   He was a bit shocked  by her resolve and resilience.   She still had the burn on her shoulder from where the bullet had stricken her.    Being so quick in her healing, the bandages and any remaining scars were long-since gone.   

                Quietly, Daisuke lightly pecked his beautiful wife upon her lips and gazed over at the sofa where Phoebe was all splayed out, savoring a lovely reverie.   It would be the last day they would savor her company, for tomorrow, she’d head back to the Romani camp via bicycle.    She had chosen her life, and her mom had done the same, but the two were still close and loved each other immensely, just as Phoebe adored her gunsmith dad. 

 

The End