Chapter 3 - The Forger

This was the dodgiest place in the whole of Tokyo. Not a place where many people came voluntarily and definitely not the place to take a few-hundred-thousand-dollar sportscar unless you were a drug dealer.
If you left your car here you would be lucky to find only the tires missing when you returned. Hundreds of cars disappeared here each month. And those that weren't stolen here were most definitely taken here.
Kazuya parked his Porsche in front of a club and got out, still wearing his sunglasses. He caught the attention of five guys lurking in the area. Three were dressed in black suits and guarding the site entrance of the club; one of them disappeared inside when they spotted him. Two other guys, probably professional car thieves, were wearing torn jeans and T-Shirt. They were eying the newcomer in his fine suit carefully, but their attention was mainly on the car.
Kazuya turned towards them. "If I come back and there is so much as a fingerprint on that car, I will find you," he threatened them.
"Who does he think he is?" one of the guys said.
"I am the one who kicks your sorry little asses, if you touch my car."
At this moment the side door of the club opened and the guy who had gone inside reappeared accompanied by a man in a suit that was almost as expensive as Kazuya's.
"Mishima." he said.
"Chu." Kazuya replied flatly, not bothering to take off his sunglasses.
"I know no one else who would be so arrogant to come here alone, with his expensive car, and think he just could walk out again."
"I don't intend to walk out, when I come back I will find my car right there," he said pointing to the spot where he had parked.
Chu laughed. "Why are you so certain?"
"Because that's how it will be. Even those two..." he began, pointing at the two guys lurking in the street, speaking loud enough for them to hear, "are not that stupid to take a car that will be recognized everywhere as mine."
"This time we will let you walk away freely, but next time you come here..." Chu began leaving the rest to everyone's imagination. "Stay in your half of the city."
Kazuya shrugged. "And now you probably expect me to thank you that you don't set your gorillas on me? That's a shame; I could have done with some training."
"So what brings you here?" Chu asked, ignoring Kazuya's arrogance.
"That's none of your business." he replied.
Then he tried walking past them through the back door into the club. One of the guys stopped him.
"Don't touch me." Kazuya said pushing him off. The guy stumbled. "If you ruin my suit it will cost you more than he..." Kazuya nodded into Chu's direction "...will be able to pay you in a year."
The guy caught himself and was ready to attack Kazuya when Chu raised his voice. "Let him through."
"It's hard to find new brain-dead gorillas, isn't it? Especially when my father is looking for some as well. I can understand why you don't want me to break their necks." Then he turned back to the door, finally removed his sunglasses and stepped into the darkness of the club.

He approached a man at the bar. The guy was leaning on his elbows and seemed to be million miles away.
"I thought I might find you here." Kazuya said loud to get his attention.
The man clutched his head. "Quiet." he hissed.
"I've got a job for you." Kazuya whispered to him.
"What is it?" the guy asked.
"Ever heard of the Stone of Eternity?"
"No."
"Well that's a shame; I guess I have to find someone else." Kazuya said, turned around and was about to walk away.
"Wait." the man called nearly losing his voice and then cleared his throat.
"Have a water for a change." Kazuya commented.
"You want me to make a forgery?"
"At least your brain seems to be working."
"How much?"
"I'll tell you what I want and then you tell me how much. And then I will either accept it or kill you."
The guy simply nodded.
"Can we go elsewhere?" Kazuya said looking around at the guys lurking in the corners.
The man nodded again, got up, threw some yen onto the counter and motioned Kazuya to follow him. Kazuya returned to his car and got his notebook out of the trunk.

The guy led Kazuya through the backstreets and towards his garage.
"So what is it you want?" he finally asked.
Kazuya placed his notebook on the table and started it up. He showed him a 3-D animation of the stone. The guy watched it carefully. "I see." he finally said.
"I've got some pictures for you, too. But I wanted you to get a 3-D view of the thing." Kazuya said and got out pictures of the crystal. "There is also a sketch of the stone, very detailed telling you the exact measurement."
"How much time have I got?"
"48 hours."
"1.000.000"
"800.000" Kazuya said.
"Deal."
"In 48 hours here. I expect you want it in cash?" Kazuya said shutting down his computer.
"Certainly."
"Don't be late." he said and then walked out through the door.

When he returned to his car the two guys were still lurking in the area.
"Thanks for guarding my car." Kazuya said to them.
"What?" one of them asked confused.
"Why do you think we haven't touched it." the other said.
Kazuya stretched out his hand towards the car and had almost touched it when the ear-piercing alarm went off. He held up his remote and pressed a button to silence the alarm. "Haven't heard that sound before. Have you?" he stated and got into the car, throwing the notebook onto the passengers seat.

Half an hour later Kazuya stepped into the Mishima office building. A young man with a moustache stepped in his way.
"He has been looking for you."
Kazuya lowered his head to look over his sunglasses and glared at the man. "So?"
The man did not reply.
"Miyoko. Stop bothering me and get out of my way." Kazuya said and walked ahead.
Miyoko stepped aside to avoid the collision. He was working for Heihachi long enough to know not to annoy Kazuya. He was pretty certain that Heihachi's son had something to do with the disappearance of Miyoko's predecessor.

Author's Note on Chapter 3:
Chu is a character I have stolen from one of the tomb raider comics. In Comic #13 Lara is in Tokyo to steal a statue from Chu. He's a Yakuza boss. I had the idea to introduce him to the story when I recently reread my TR Comics. I though it would be cool to let him meet Lara again. And then I thought it would be even cooler when Kazuya annoyed him. Normally no one messes with a Yakuza boss, but I think Kazuya would. He wouldn't worry about the consequences and after all what could Chu do against him?