Chapter 9 – The Fake, the Forger, the New

"Ah, Kura!" Nina exclaimed as she saw him enter the bedroom after all the hours she spent waiting for his return. "You're alright! I'm so glad you're okay!"

In a fit of happiness and relief, the girl ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, all the while blurting out old prayers of thanks to the Old Ones. Even though it was a little too close to him, Kurapika couldn't help but chuckle towards her. It seems that he had made her worry, but she still smiled and didn't show her concerns. Not too much anyway. One more proof they belonged to the same Clan. Showing one's emotions in public was always something one would avoid. In private, however… Nina took notice of her actions and quickly pulled back with a small blush creeping over her face, cutting the young man from his odd line of thought.

"O-Oh, um, I'm sorry, Kura." She apologized, not looking at him. "I-I was just so happy to see you come back in one piece that I wasn't thinking properly."

"Don't worry, Nina. It's alright." Kurapika reassured her with a gentle pat on her head.

Having someone worrying this much about his personal well-being felt rather nice, he had to admit. It was like having a younger sibling, but he'd never tell her this, of course. Upon looking at his form again, the girl noticed that he returned from the mansion empty handed and a curious expression filled her eyes.

"Ah, but I thought you would be coming back with…" the girl couldn't finish her sentence as she held her left fist over her chest.

"Yes, about that…" the blonde looked slightly dejected himself as he rubbed the back of his neck once.

-Flashback-

"Fake!?"

"Indeed. My Dowsing Chain would have already reacted to them if they were real. These 'scarlet eyes' you possess are counterfeit."

"It… It can't be! It can't!" the Capone couldn't believe it. "I paid a whole fortune for all three pairs here, and you come punching your way into my house and you're telling me not a single one of them is real? That I was ripped off, Blondie!?"

"Seems like so."

"Ugh, damn that Forger Ziz. I should have known." The Capone mumbled aloud, unaware that Kurapika could listen as he left. "Next time I visit his store at the Morning Market, I'll show him."

-End Flashback-

"I see…" Nina looked to the side.

"Not everything is lost, though." The Hunter said with a reassuring smile. "The Capone provided with some interesting information that is, at least, worth checking out. We're going to visit this Forger he mumbled about. Maybe he'll have more to tell us."

"Alright. That sounds like a plan." Nina nodded her head before the two went to get some much deserved sleep.

-SV-

"Whoa, this place is huge!" the girl beamed with a happy demeanor as she looked around at all the trinkets, fashion designs and overall pottery.

This place had literally everything, from house items to gardening sections, to even pets and other animals. Not to mention the pretty dresses or dolls. And there were several pieces of tapestry at some point. Everything was gorgeous to her. She also took notice that there were all sorts of people there as well, from wealthy businessmen to poor natives trying to get some scraps. She was simply amazed with all the diversity before her eyes.

"Be careful not to get separated, Nina." Kurapika warned, taking a longer look at one of his notebooks, as he walked towards their destination, his Dowsing Chain in toll.

"Yes, Kura." Nodding her head, Nina was tempted to grab his hand just in case, but knew he probably wouldn't approve of such an action. The tiniest of blushes appeared on her face at that thought, though, but she was able to settle it down.

As they wandered around, Kurapika stopped for a moment to take a closer a look at his notes and access their situation, and Nina was left looking at the nearby shop. It was filled with all sorts of jewelry; long pearl necklaces, beaded purses, shiny earrings and golden wristbands adorned with tiny colorful gems she hadn't seen before. Nina's own eyes seemed to shimmer with all the sparkliness of everything. When she wanted to look at Kura to show him all these wonders, he had disappeared into thin air. The girl automatically straightened up and searched for him. Apparently she had stared at the pretty jewels for too long and he had taken off without noticing her. Nina left the booth and started walking, rushing around, hoping that she would catch him again.

She did not.

Nina held her closed fists against her chest and saw but blurs passing by her. Oh, why did she have to get so distracted with shiny material things? This was a lesson she would not forget so soon. As panic was about to take over her, something else caught her attention. Amongst all the light, there was a smaller, somewhat darker, street that seemed to lead somewhere else. Always one keen to exploration, the girl couldn't help but take that road. The walls on either side were tall, very tall, and were filled with old and new posters and advertising. For some reason, there weren't any people there. After a few steps and a turn, she came to a clearing.

"Whoa…" the girl let out.

When she looked up, the sky was covered by a wooden conjecture of drapes and sticks, so its shade felt cool where she was. When she looked around, Nina saw several stores, but they were all closed. There were nailed boards covering up closed windows and doors. Maybe that was why there weren't any people walking here. No, wait. There was one that was open. Nina walked towards it reluctantly. She saw hanging by the front door several pieces of clothing. Some red, some purple, some yellow-ish white. There were also pots laid about, several bigger than others. As she passed by the front door, she heard a faint bell sound, like one would hear when entering a convenience store. The inside of the place felt a little odd. Her steps echoed to some extent. It was somewhat dark and there wasn't all that much space to walk in, because there were shelves everywhere. Each one had tons of different things that Nina couldn't even decipher. At the counter, however, there was more room to breathe. There were a lot more things one could buy there. Smaller trinkets as well as some more jewelry were displayed under a glass window. Nina just stood there for a moment, watching everything.

"See anything you like, Miss?" a voice suddenly asked with a deep, rough-ish tone of voice.

The girl flinched a step back and saw a tall, dark-skinned bulky man appear from behind a closed drape. He seemed to have been in the back of the store. Where there was supposed to be a door to that area was a dropped dark red drape that was scorched at the edges.

"Ah, n-not yet. I'm just looking." Nina quickly shook her head.

She noticed that the man hadn't looked at her directly ever since he shown himself and sat down. She blinked twice, and unconsciously waved her right hand over his still face. It was then that she saw that he had bright gray, unfocused eyes.

"Yes, I'm blind, but that does not mean I cannot see, Miss." The man chuckled softly.

"Ah, e-eh, I'm sorry, sir." Nina quickly lowered her hand and bowed her head. "I-I meant no offense."

"Ahah, none taken, Miss." The man chuckled once more. "Might I ask what are you doing in a place like this all alone?"

"Oh, um, I got separated from my friend." Nina explained, perceiving a small section in a corner with clothes.

Again, unconsciously, she walked towards it and started browsing the options available. There was mix in region in the clothes. Season as well. The majority of them was rather pretty, but just didn't call out to her. Nina could feel the man gazing in her direction as she examined the garments. She felt somewhat awkward for the hand waving thing, so she was hoping to find something she liked quickly, so she could buy it, so she could—

"You know, you don't have to purchase something just to make me feel better, Miss." Another chuckle was heard.

"O-Oh, I know, I just-" she cut her sentence short. "Ah…"

"Hm? I take it you found something."

"Yes…"

On another side of the Market, a certain blonde Hunter was looking around; calling out "Nina?" in just about every direction he passed. He rubbed the back of his neck with a small frown on his expression and a distressed groan in his voice. If he hadn't stared at his notebooks so much, he wouldn't have lost her in the crowd. And for some reason, his Dowsing Chain wasn't working properly. He suspected it was because there was quite an amount of people outside, and therefore, too many Nen readings. But it didn't really make much sense, because he was always able to find who he wanted, regardless of the quantities of Nen around him. Maybe it was because he was apprehensive, consequently he could not focus accurately?

"Hm, this is troublesome… Where is she?" he thought for himself, still with his frown.

"Kura!~"

With a blink, the blonde looked to the side, towards a somewhat darker alley. He saw Nina running towards him with quite the pleased expression on her face. His frown gone, he was about to smile, or scowl at her, before he noticed something new. Her attire was different. She was holding the overshirt he had previously lent her under her right arm.

"Nina, where were you?" he asked as soon as she got close enough. "I told you not to stray too far."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry." She bowed her head mildly, but then she pointed madly at her clothes. "But look.~ I found some Kurta clothing! I couldn't believe it myself. It was in this little store in the back of the market, really hidden and stuff."

Kurapika looked at her, but barely registered the words she said. Her new clothes were just… indeed, they appeared to be from their clan, but there was something about them he could not point his finger at. She was wearing a new overshirt, dark-blue and much like his in terms of design, pale orange trims whereas his are a pale yellow, but in the back hers were much longer, splitting into two tails, and ending at the same level as her hair. She kept her white undershirt, but now there was a light-blue sash at her waist. Just below was a dark-blue skirt that ended at the middle of her thighs, with also a pale orange, slightly larger, trim. Her legs were covered by beige knee-high stockings and finally, her shoes were the same dark-blue ones as before. As pretty as she might have possibly looked to him…

Fake.

Something in the back of his mind told him so. These clothes were but replicas of the real deal, as close looking as they could be. Maybe this was why he wasn't able to find her before. Wait, if these were copies; that meant she knew where the Forger's location was! She probably wasn't even aware of it herself, though.

"Nina, this is very important." He held her shoulders firmly after putting his previous overshirt away in his bag. "Where did you get these new clothes?"

"Hm? Oh, just over there." Nina looked back to the alley she just came from and pointed towards it. "The sir was really nice to me and even made me a discount."

"… Nina, these clothes are counterfeit. You were most likely fooled by the Forger." He admitted after a moment.

"Eeh? No way!" the girl looked and poked at her attire, not believing it. "But they look so cute and like the real deal…"

"That's because they're supposed to look that way. But don't worry." He reassured her with a small smile. "Just show where this man's shop is, so we can resolve this and other matters."

-SV-

"Afternoon, how can I help you today?" that same kind, bulky man spoke from behind the counter. "I see you've decided to come back, Miss." He made a small chuckle.

"Ah, yes. I brought my friend I told you about." Nina nodded her head with a polite smile.

"Good afternoon. I am here to corroborate some information that was kindly provided to me." Kurapika commented, not waiting for the man's greeting. "Fake, all of them. This is definitely the location." He told himself, looking over some items on a shelf. His Dowsing Chain was barely even budging. "You do know that the items you're selling here are false; do you not, Ziz the Forger?"

"Is that so?" the kindness was gone from the man's voice in the same minute. "And how would you know that, Pipsqueak?"

"I have my ways." Upon lifting his right hand a little, displaying his motionless Chain, the Hunter allowed his eyes to turn Scarlet for a brief moment.

"Ah, Kura-" Nina panicked for an instant.

"Hoho, it is perfectly fine, Miss." A chuckle exited the tall man's throat, his hostility then gone. "I was wondering when I would be able to see a live pair with my own two eyes."

"Then, you know where the others are?" Kurapika asked, putting his chain away.

"Alas, I do not." The man bowed his head slightly in apology. "Some big hotshot businessman brought me a pair one day and paid me to make a copy. The Forger that I am, I made several, of course." He explained, opening a side drawer casually.

"Who was the buyer?" Kurapika watched his every move carefully.

"That, I could not say. But I can tell you where the fake pair went to."

"Where?"

"Heaven's Arena." The Forger searched around some papers for a second, until he found what he was looking for. "Here." He motioned the two to come closer, and showed them a flyer for a certain fighter.

"'The Scarlet Demon, King of the ten floors…'" Nina read aloud. "Kura, he has-"

"Hm." He nodded.

"If I was searching for the next clue, I'd follow that one." Ziz commented, crossing his arms over his bulky chest.

"Thank you, sir. That was very kind of you." Nina beamed at him with a bright grin.

"Indeed. You have our thanks." Kurapika nodded politely with a small smile.

"Don't mention it, kids. Oh, and one more thing." The Forger stood up, made them a hand sign to wait, and went to the back of the store with a quick swish of the dark-red drape. Before they could wonder what the man was going to do, he was back with something in his hand. "Here. This is the real set, Miss. No charge." He gave the girl one last small smile before the two left.

-SV-

"That was kind of the Mister Forger." Nina commented happily, twirling in her new –real– outfit. "Now I have genuine new clothing.~"

"Indeed, it was." Kurapika nodded calmly with a chuckle.

Nina twirled around happily again in her new dress and Kurapika watched her closely this time. He wasn't about to go lose her in the middle of another crowd again. The Hunter wasn't certain if it was because he was examining her in her new garments, but it seemed that the young man was starting to see the girl in a different light. What kind of light it was he didn't quite know just yet. But regardless of what it could be, he wasn't going to dwell on it any further unless it proved necessary.

End of chapter 9