Naomi and the Gang's first meeting - V2

Hida in early may was a beautiful place, with flowers blooming everywhere and scenic views aplenty. The town was a relatively populated one, as were all cities that weren't lost somewhere deep in the mountains, Naomi had learned. The young woman wasn't quite sure yet why Goemon-sensei had brought her along on this trip; he had only mentioned visiting a local dojo, but nothing more precise. For now they were just strolling casually through the busy streets, rucksacks on their backs and katanas hung at their waists, munching on some onigiri they had bought at a street market earlier. It was a most peaceful afternoon...
Right until the sound of police sirens suddenly started blaring through the streets, accompanied by the screeching sounds of a car chase. Both master and student stopped in their tracks, turning around to see what might have caused such a commotion.

Passers-by were stepping out of the way as a man in a glaringly bright red jacket ran madly down the streets, short hair fluttering in the wind, and a maniacal smile stretching his lips. No police car was visible yet, but Naomi had a hunch that they were going to show up soon. She frowned when the madman suddenly changed direction and came running straight towards them.

"OI, GOEMON!" he shouted, arms flailing around as he tried to attract the attention of the samurai, who had in fact already noticed him, as had everyone else in the street. Goemon didn't seem fazed at all, and when the man stopped dead in front of him, he calmly asked:
"Greetings, Lupin. What are you doing here?"
"Running away from Pops!" the man replied in a cheerful tone. "And you should too if you don't wanna get caught!"
The samurai shook his head.
"What did you do this time?" he muttered.
Naomi was about to ask what the hell was going on and why the man's father was trying to catch him, when a flock of police cars came barrelling down the road, sirens wailing and tires screeching. A man with a tan hat was leaning out of one of the windows, megaphone in hand.

"LUUUPIIIIIIIIIIN!" he yelled, effectively attracting everyone's attention away from the man in the red jacket. The latter scuttered away, and Goemon grabbed his student's arm and pulled her along.
"Run," he ordered her, and followed after the man.

Naomi didn't hesitate for a split second, and followed the two men down the road and into a side street where the cars couldn't follow. The man in the red jacket didn't slow down though, not even when Goemon ran up to his level and casually asked, as if they were just strolling through a park and having a pleasant conversation:
"Jigen isn't with you?"
"He's in the Fiat," the fugitive answered, "he should be here any second. Oh hey, speak of the devil..."

Naomi stored away in a corner of her mind her questions about who the man was, how he knew her professor, and why his friend shared her last name. Instead she turned to the street where a faded yellow Fiat had just come to a screeching halt. A door opened, and the driver, a tanned man in a black suit and fedora, beckoned them inside.
"Hi there, Goemon!" he exclaimed when the samurai climbed in. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. Did you steal that girl on the way, Lupin?"
"Nah, Goemon did."
"I did no such thing," the samurai replied and pulled Naomi into the backseat with him, while the red jacket man - Lupin, apparently - took shotgun. As soon as everyone was inside, and even before the doors were closed, the man in the fedora hit the gas, and the car leaped down the street again.

Faced with the weirdness and apparent urgency of the situation, Naomi elected to stay quiet and not make herself noticed. She tucked her sword, Setsuna, between her leg and the door, and silently took a bite of her onigiri while observing the three men. Goemon-sensei never told her much about his life when he was away from the dojo, but she could easily guess that these two were very close friends of his.

It wasn't long until they heard the sirens blaring again, and the driver cursed under his breath.
"Lupin, take the wheel," he shouted, then without waiting for an answer, he let go of the wheel and stood up on the passenger seat, letting the car slow down and zig-zag madly through the street before his friend squeezed himself into the driver's seat and took control back. Jigen then stood out through the open roof of the Fiat, took out a gun tucked in the back of his trousers, and started shooting row after row at the fast-approaching police cars. Lupin had slowed down the pace to allow the gunman to aim more easily, coincidentally letting the police gain on them. Naomi was twisting her neck to try and see what was going on, while Goemon simply sat cross legged in the seat next to her, unmoving and eyes closed.

"Fuck, they have reinforced tires now," Jigen shouted from above the car.
"I guess they learned their lesson," Lupin replied, still sounding absolutely delighted by the situation.
"Hey Goemon," the gunman called out, "mind giving me a hand up there?"
The samurai opened an eye.
"Sure thing."
He unfolded himself and stood up through the roof, clutching Zantetsuken in his hand.
"Can I help?" Naomi enquired.
"Yes. Stay put," he replied without a glance. She was more than willing to give a hand for whatever was needed, but she had no idea what the hell the samurai was planning to do. Which is why she went wide eyed and nearly slammed her face against the trunk window to see when Goemon suddenly leaped from the roof of the car. He seemed to fly for a second or two, before he landed with a loud thunk on the roof of the nearest police car. From then on, it was just a flurry of swift movements, flashing headlights and shiny metal being cut, Goemon jumping around from roof to roof with seemingly no effort, until every police car was cut into pieces, wheels barrelling down the road and officers screaming and shouting, all safe and sound but a bit sore where they had hit the ground.

"Holy fucking shit!!!" Naomi exclaimed, face squashed against the window, accidentally switching to English in her excitement. "How the hell does he do that?"
"He's great, isn't he?" Lupin replied in the same language, without turning from the driver's seat but with an amused smile on his face.
"Amazing!"
Within seconds, the samurai was again standing on the roof of the Fiat, the gunman helping him down into the car.
"Thanks man."
"Not a problem. Honestly, I sometimes wonder how you two get by without me."
Goemon sat back down next to his apprentice, not noticing her expression of utter amazement when she looked at him.
"We miss you terribly, Goemon-chan," Lupin replies with exaggerated puppy-dog eyes. "Are you staying with us this time?"
"I have my own affairs to attend to," the samurai retorted, but he looked like he was actually considering the offer.
"Oh come on," Jigen chimed in, "we haven't seen you in so long. What the hell are you doing in the mountains all the damn time?"
Lupin shot a suspicious glance at Naomi through the rear-view mirror. He had obviously made the link between the strange young woman and his friend's absence, though what that link was exactly, he wasn't sure yet.

"Hum, I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion," Naomi asked tentatively, switching back to Japanese like the others, "but could someone explain to me why we were being chased by the police?"
Lupin turned towards her, before being slapped on the shoulder by Jigen.
"Eyes on the road, man."
The thief sighed and obeyed.
"It's because we stole this," he said before chucking a small velvet pouch onto the backseat. "Without Goemon's help, I must add."
Naomi opened the bag to reveal three massive diamonds, shining brightly under the sun rays of the late afternoon.
"ICPO wasn't too happy about it, so they sent Pops - I mean, inspector Zenigata after us. That's the guy with a megaphone you saw. I think he has a crush on me."
Naomi nodded. Thieves, then. That made sense with what she knew of her professor.
"And you are?" she insisted.
Lupin pointed at himself.
"I am Lupin the Third," he declared in a dramatic tone, "greatest thief of the century."
"And a certified moron when he's not being a genius," the gunman added.
"This is Jigen Daisuke," the thief continued, pointing at his seat neighbour. "My partner, best shot you'll ever meet, and also a damn annoying bastard. But I still love him. And Pretty Boy in the back usually gives us a hand as well, when he's not busy with some meditative retreat in the mountains. Those have been getting more and more frequent in the last year or so," he added, turning towards the two people in the back, "which I suspect has something to do with you, young lady."

Naomi glanced at her master, looking for instructions. He had obviously not told his friends - business partners? - about her, and she wasn't sure she should announce it without Goemon-sensei's agreement. Unfortunately the samurai was doing nothing more helpful than glaring at the man in the red jacket.
"I already told you not to call me that in public, Arsène," he muttered.
"What's your name, kiddo?" the gunman asked, diverting Naomi away from Lupin's nicknames for the samurai and what they might imply about the nature of their relationship.
"Jigen Naomi," she replied in a proud voice, "and this kiddo is twenty-one years old and can cut you in two if she wants."
"Naomi!" Goemon exclaimed, turning a shocked face towards his student.
"I like her," Jigen smiled.
"Still, that is not an appropriate way to speak to your elders. Especially not allies."
"Apologies, Jigen-san," Naomi said to the gunman with a bow of her head. "I just dislike being patronised."
"I like her too," Lupin chimed in. "I might steal her, after all."
Naomi frowned, and Goemon glared daggers at his friend.
"If you attempt to flirt with her, Lupin, I swear I will cut you."
The thief's eyes went wide, and his mouth formed a perfect O as he glanced at his friend in disbelief.
"The samurai is getting protective... Why didn't you tell us you had a new girlfriend, Goemon?"
"Fujiko is gonna get jealous," Jigen teased.
Naomi nearly chocked on a bite of onigiri, while Goemon angrily stood up, before sitting back down after he hit his head on the low roof of the Fiat.
"She's my pupil, you pea-brained monkey!" he shouted.
Jigen was stifling a laugh, while Lupin looked even more surprised.
"What??? I've been asking you to teach me kendo for years and you've always refused! Since when do you teach?"
"Since I found a brilliant and promising student," Goemon retorted, "which you clearly aren't."
Jigen noticed how Naomi was puffing her chest, and turned towards her with a smile.
"Make the most out of this, he really doesn't praise people often."
Naomi enthusiastically nodded.
"I know," she muttered, hoping only Jigen heard her.
It was true that Goemon-sensei's compliments were rare, but she knew what her professor thought of her. Both because she knew him, a d also because she had accidentally listened in on a few conversations he had had with elders of the dojo.