Author's Note: See second author's note at the bottom, and please note that I have added a footnote to the text. You can just ignore it if you want to. But if you want to have some background knowledge, have a look at it when you have reached the mark: *1

Chapter 46

Hesitantly Nakazo knocked at Heihachi's office door. He was quite nervous and knew his boss wouldn't be happy when he heard that Lara had escaped from the hotel. They knew where she was going; although Kazuya had managed to shake them off and break visual contact he still had the tracer on his car. Miyoko was still out there chasing them through Tokyo. Right now Nakazo wished he was in his place and not here, giving a report to Heihachi. Even following Kazuya and trying to kill the girl seemed easier right now, but Nakazo had one good reason to be glad he was here. He was responsible for the broken rear window on Kazuya's Porsche and he could only guess what Kazuya would do to him when they met again.
"Come in." Heihachi barked. He was very unhappy with the whole situation and he let his men feel it.
Nakazo approached Heihachi's desk. Heihachi stood in front of the massive window, looking down onto the city. He turned around when Nakazo came closer. Nakazo didn't dare to look at Heihachi directly, so he looked down to his feet.
"You have failed in catching her?" Heihachi asked angry.
"She wasn't in her room when we got there." Nakazo explained.
"Then where was she?" Heihachi pressed on. "I thought you were certain, she was in the hotel."
"She was, but they fled when we arrived, they must have been warned."
"And didn't you guard the fucking car?"
"We did that as well but the guards there were attacked... and they got away. We followed them and shot at them but only the car got damaged and he was going to fast for us."
Heihachi slammed his fist onto the table. "You are useless. I hope for both of you that Miyoko manages to catch them. And now get out of here and do your job."
"Yes. Mr. Mishima." Nakazo said and bowed. Then he turned and hurried out through the door.

Kazuya and Lara were sitting in the Italian Restaurant, eating. Both had ordered spaghetti. Lara was busy poking her food with the fork, not eating much. Kazuya looked up at her.
"What's the matter? Do I have to teach you how to eat with a fork?" he joked.
Lara had to grin. "I am surprised that you aren't having any trouble." she said to him.
"No. That's easy." he said, turning his fork in the spaghetti. "So will you tell me what bothers you? Is it still the same thing?"
"That's one part of it. How did they know where to find me?"
"You stayed in the same place for too long. Heihachi has got his sources. So what's the other part?"
"Uhm, forget it." Lara replied getting back to her meal.
"Fine. I can't force you to tell me." he said and picked up his glass to drink.
Lara looked up from her plate. "I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble..."
"You are worth all the trouble."

"Lee Chaolan." Heihachi's voice boomed through the mansion. Lee who was sitting in the dining room with his dinner looked up when he heard his name being called. He knew from the sound of Heihachi's voice that it wasn't a good thing. A moment later the door burst open.
"Ah, here you are. You useless piece of shit. You have been warning your good-for-nothing brother, haven't you?"
Lee looked up with an innocent expression on his face. Heihachi stepped towards his adopted son and grabbed him by the collar pulling him up from his seat and away from the table.
"If you ever help him betraying me again, you can pack your bags, young man. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir. I am sorry."
Heihachi pushed him back and then punched him in the face. Lee went down to the ground. He scrambled to his feet slowly, his head bowed so he wouldn't offend Heihachi any more. Heihachi turned and walked out of the room without looking at Lee again.

After dinner Kazuya and Lara returned to the car.
"Ten minutes from here is a beautiful park." Kazuya spoke to Lara. "How about we take a walk before we get to the ship? It's almost full moon."
"I know." Lara replied. "It's good, we got rid of that stupid crystal. Some things are just more trouble than they are worth."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I'd love to." Lara replied.

Moonlight fell onto the flower beds. Kazuya and Lara were walking through the park. They had just rounded a huge lake. A couple of sleeping ducks were sitting around it, their heads sunken down.
"I hope we are not being followed." Lara suddenly broke the silence.
"For their sake I hope they aren't following..." Kazuya said.
Again Lara noticed the change in his eyes. She probably wouldn't have seen it in the darkness if they didn't start to glow like those of a cat, but in bright red. A strange feeling, fear maybe overcame her and instinctively she took a few steps away from him. Of course this didn't stay unnoticed by Kazuya.
"Oh I'm sorry. I'm doing it again, aren't I? You don't have to be worried, that's quite normal ... I can't help it, whenever I am angry my eyes will reveal a bit of the devil personality. But I am fully in control of things."
"Sorry... I didn't want to... My instincts took over."
"I understand how you feel. You are just reacting the same way I did at first. But unlike you I didn't have the opportunity to move away... "
"May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to... But how did it happen?"
Kazuya was silent.
"Oh, forget I've asked." Lara said quickly.
"No. It's alright... Remember what I have told you about that scar?" Kazuya asked pointing at his chest. "I was eight... I wouldn't have survived without him."*1
Kazuya was quiet again, staring out into the distance and Lara didn't want to press matters by asking more. Instead she quietly laid her hand on his shoulder. His gaze at once returned to her, like she had called him out of the bad memories. Lara withdrew her hand quickly. Now that he was looking at her, she felt silly. He probably wouldn't want to be comforted. He would never admit he needed comfort.
Lara half expected him to be annoyed by her action, but he wasn't. At least he didn't show it. He carefully brought up his hand and caressed her cheek. Then his hand wandered to the back of her head, pulling her face towards his. He kissed her softly on the lips. This kiss was different from the ones he had given her before. She felt that he had opened his soul to her, he had allowed her to look inside of him, if only for a little bit. And now she could kind of understand why he had made this dangerous pact when he was eight. No, eight wasn't the right age for someone to die, and by the hands of ones father was never the right way.
They were caught in this kiss for what seemed like an eternity to both. Lara carefully opened her eyes when he released her. She looked into his eyes, which were now dark again. A part of her was sad about what he had told her, while the other part was happy beyond belief. She couldn't see any display of emotions from him, but then she didn't expect one either. He was probably too used to hiding all emotions that might come close to sadness. Anger was the emotion he was used to. She had seen him angry countless times, she had also seen him happy, if you could call it that... but never had he seemed to be sad. Although his eyes showed a certain kind of sadness right now.
His eyes were fixed on her face and suddenly Lara had to smile. Her happiness was taking over.
"You are beautiful." he whispered. "Especially standing there, in the moonlight, grinning."
She stretched out her hands and touched his hair. Another grin formed on her lips. She let her hands wander to the back of his head, carefully feeling the end of his peaked hairstyle. "You are beautiful too..." she said and with one sudden and totally unexpected move she rubbed through his hair, ruining the styling. Then she jumped away and added. "Especially when your hair style is messed up." Then she began running across the grass towards the lake.
"You will pay for that." he said and ran after her.
After a few meters he had caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm. She stumbled and fell into the grass, Kazuya landing right next to her. He bent over her and began kissing her. She grabbed him, turned him onto his back and sat down on his chest, bending down to kiss him. Then she sat up again grinning, but her smile faded a little bit.
"Ehm, Kazuya, we are being watched."
"What?" he yelled excited, carefully pushed her off and turned around onto his stomach. He came face to face with a duck.
He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Now don't you think you are a little bit too curious? Go and find yourself a duck lady. Shhh." he said to the duck which at the sound of his voice ran away, waking some of his fellow ducks in the process and a moment later the quacking was unbearable.
"Now see what you have done, scaring that poor duckling." Lara said joking.
Kazuya held out his hand to Lara who was still sitting on the ground. "Come on, let's get somewhere else, somewhere without ducks."
She grinned. "That's all your fault, you know." She grabbed his hand and with his help got up. "Where to now?"
"I suggest we cross the lake and get to the other side. There are stepping stones leading there. And there will be no ducks."
"Ok, but promise me not to drop in your phone."
"Careful, or I might choose to drop you in. First you ruin my hairstyle and now you are making fun of me."
They approached the lake; where the row of stones began they stopped.
"Ladies first." Kazuya said.
"I don't think so. I do not trust you, you go first."
"Fine." he replied and stepped onto the first stone. He continued onto the second and turned around towards Lara. "Are you coming? Come on."
Slowly Lara stepped onto the first stone and when she found that it was safe she followed Kazuya who had stepped onto the third and fourth. They had made their way half across when Kazuya suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Lara asked. "Are you suddenly afraid, you might fall in?"
"I have a bad feeling. Let's hurry." he said and quickly continued to the other side.
Lara followed him quickly. "What do you mean, you have a bad feeling?"
"No time to explain." he said and continued stepping from one rock to the next.
Lara had difficulties following him, when suddenly a bullet soared past her head. "Someone is shooting at us." she yelled and crouched down.
"Lara, don't stop, we have no chance here. We are an easy target out on the lake." Kazuya said turning around towards her and then he continued to the other shore.
Lara got up and followed. She ducked again when it suddenly rained bullets. Lara cursed and started looking for an alternative escape route. She scanned both sides of the lake. One was definitely too shallow to swim in. On the other side of the row of stones the water seemed to be much deeper.
"Lara. Come on, don't waste any time." Kazuya called her and then she heard a loud yell coming from him. He must have been hit by a bullet. She turned around quickly just in time to see Kazuya falling to the ground. She could see that he had reached the other shore.
"KAZUYA!" Lara yelled.

There was no reply except another round of bullets fired at her. She made a quick decision and then swan dived into the water. She came up to the surface a moment later and got her bearings. Then she dived down and towards the shore. With three attempts she reached it and climbed out. Luckily she couldn't be seen by her enemies. The moonlight fell onto the lake but not onto the shore she had reached. Huge trees where keeping the light away. Quickly Lara sneaked over to the spot where the stones reached the shore. She found Kazuya there, lying on the ground face down. She turned him around. His eyes were closed. Lara examined him and found that he had been hit by a bullet at the left shoulder, he was bleeding badly. "Kazuya." she called shaking him. He didn't react. She slapped his cheeks and continued calling his name. "Kazuya, wake up." Instinctively she pressed two fingers against his neck. She froze when she found no pulse. "Oh no. Kazuya. Don't be dead." she said her hope sinking. Carfully she retracted her hand from his face. Her cheeks became suddenly really hot and she began hoping that it was all a bad dream. Noises on the other shore indicated that the followers were beginning to make their way across the lake. Quickly she got off her bag pack and searched them for her pistols. She got them out and made sure they were loaded. "What do I do now..." she cursed. "They will be here soon. And there must be at least 4 of them.""
"Hand me one of your guns. I can see better in this darkness."
"Kazuya... You... I thought you were..."
"Right. It takes a bit more than a shot to the shoulder to bring me down."
"But you didn't have any pulse."
"He was trying to take over, I had to push him back. Now give me one of your guns please." he said getting up to his knees and holding out his hand.
"You are bleeding badly." Lara noticed that the wound on his shoulder was not a simple graze wound.
"It's not that bad. We can take care of it later. Now please give me one gun." he replied.
Lara complied. Kazuya aimed at the lake and then gave a single shot. They heard a yell and then someone fell into the water. The others were shouting to each other nervously but still coming closer. Now Lara could see them as well. The moonlight fell onto three figures that were hopping from stone to stone in the middle of the lake. She dared to aim her gun as well and brought down the next, just as the third one fell, hit by a bullet from Kazuya. The remaining figure made a quick decision to retreat and disappeared towards the other shore again. From the lake they heard someone shouting for help.
"Now that was a romantic stroll through the park." Lara commented.
"I don't understand how these idiots have found us." Kazuya said.
Lara shrugged and then fumbled in her back pack.
"What are you looking for?" Kazuya asked.
"We need to bandage your shoulder." she replied while continuing her search.
"Don't be silly. It's just a tiny flesh wound."
"No it's not." Lara said stubbornly. "It needs to be treated."
Kazuya handed her the gun back and started walking around nervously. "Now let's get out of here, there might be more of them."
"First we need to tend to your wound." Lara insisted.
"I said no!" he shouted angry and then walked away.
Lara grabbed her bag and stuffed everything into it. Then she followed him. "Your shirt is completely drenched." she commented.
He ignored her and just walked on. Lara staid silent for the rest of the walk back to the car. She could see that it made no sense to argue with him, since he wasn't listening to anything she said.
They arrived back at the car without another incident and were surprised to find no one guarding it.
"I could have sworn that they would be waiting here for us." Kazuya commented.
"Shall I drive?" Lara offered. "You might have trouble with the gear stick."
Again he just ignored her and climbed into the car. Lara got into the passengers seat. Kazuya started the car and shifted into first gear. Lara noticed that he clenched his teeth in pain but she didn't say anything. But she was really worried about the fact that he'd have to fight against his brother the coming day. She was certain he couldn't win with this wound.

Footnote: *1 Yes, now I am insane, using footnotes. But I have to share this bit of Tekken background with you, if you are interested that is:
The age at which this happened is not certain, I think, but it's for sure that Kazuya was still a child when his father pushed him off the cliff. He got a big wound on his chest, which left the scar. When he was dying the Devil appeared before him and promised him to help him, save his life, and help him in revenge against his father. As you can see he accepted. Now in the later games - Tekken 4 - they are speaking of a Devil Gene, which Kazuya has passed on to his later son Jin Kazama (not important to our story). It is a bit uncertain if Kazuya has had it from birth and that it has been triggered by his near death experience (the same happened later to Jin when Heihachi tried to kill him), or if it was this incident where the devil showed up first and the whole thing started.


2nd Author's note: Again it has taken me a while to update. I tried to make it a bit romantic, but as always I failed. These stupid idiots always show up when we are getting to that part. ;-) But we've got our first corpses, finally! ;-)
Kazuya: Hey Lara, one of your corpses is still alive.
Lara: I think he was yours. But let me take care of him. *bang* Not anymore.