Shadows of the Zaibatsu

Waking up in a strange place had been bad enough without the flood of memories of the night before. Getting on a plane, buying a gun, and shooting at Julia? What the hell had he been thinking?! Hwoarang liked to think it was temporary insanity, but it was hard to use that excuse when he still really wanted to kill her.

There was nothing like a good work out to sharpen the senses in the morning! The G-corp was being surprisingly hospitable, and assuming sleeping with Kazuya hadn't just been a hallucination - which was entirely possible - that was odd behaviour on a Mishima's part as well. It was too hard to believe he got more affection from Kazuya than from Jin, though he didn't remember it too well. Maybe it just seemed like more because he had been so desperate.

He went over to a sink. The room was practically barren save for the sink and a few chairs. He found it hard to believe that was the best place to work out, but maybe the people of the G corp weren't allowed to bring casual guests to wherever their boss worked out. He poured the water until it was cold and then splashed his face with it, using a cup to dump more over his head.

The door opened. "Good morning." That was Baek's voice, and Hwoarang turned to face him. "We need to talk."

Uh oh. Did that mean he was in for a scolding? Hwoarang sighed and shook his hair out as he headed toward his master. Even if he was in trouble, it was good to see that man again. "Good day! You must be tired from your flight. Have you slept?"

"Yes, I have slept." Baek crossed his arms, focusing the redhead a strong gaze. "So. Is Julia your girlfriend?" The older Korean's quirked brow implied he struggled to believe that, but apparently still felt the need to ask.

"Wha..." Hwoarang blinked in surprise as he attempted to figure out where that question came from. Just because he tried to kill her... "No way! If I dated that bitch, I'd have strung myself up in a noose a long time ago... Jesus, Master, how badly do you think I treat my lovers?"

"What a language!" Baek growled angrily, glaring at the younger Korean. "How dare you be this disrespectful?"

Shit! He forgot himself there. He'd blame it on Kazuya for keeping him up too late. Hwoarang knelt down and bowed his head. "Forgive me, I haven't had enough sleep lately. What I meant to say is that Julia Chang has nothing to do with my personal life." He grinned to himself and added, "My girlfriend's a cute blonde. You'd like her."

That seemed to calm Baek down somewhat, but the annoyance was still obvious. "Then tell me, why were you after her, last night?"

"She humiliated and disgraced me in front of my rival. They both had fun at my expense and what they did was unforgivable. I hate them... Being stripped of my dignity so brutally... someone had to pay for it." He sighed and looked up into the older man's eyes. It was hard to figure out how upset the man was.

"Indeed, that must be avenged." Baek's gaze darkened considerably. "I was going to talk to you about you sneaking onto your rival's property, but it seems you will finally get your revenge now. I spoke to Kazuya Mishima about that this morning."

Hwoarang stood up and put a hand on Baek's shoulder. "What do you mean, I'll get my revenge? What did Mishima-san say to you, Master?"

"Mishima-sama told me he had a plan that would help you get your revenge. I am here to let you know he's waiting for you in his office." Baek swallowed, then returned the gesture. "Don't put shame on us now... and don't miss this chance, Hwoarang."

Sounded like those strings attached were about to make themselves known. The young Korean nodded and started out of the room. At the door, he stopped and turned back to the other man. "Hm... I don't know where his office is."

"I'll take you there." Baek walked past him, then led the way through numerous hallways until they finally reached a big door with two guards outside it. "Good luck." He said, then waited for the door to open and led the way inside.

The room was nothing like the throne room. It was big and flashy for an office, but Kazuya was sitting behind a desk with a guard in each corner. Baek walked forward, kneeling down a few feet before the desk. "Mishima-sama," he said reverently, "I thank you for this opportunity you will provide for my student to redeem his honour."

He knew he was expected to show the same respect as his master did, but he didn't want to. Baek was the employee, not him, so rather than mimicking the gestures, he simply sat down in one of the chairs and crossed his arms comfortably over his chest. Hwoarang gazed over the guards and then focused his attention entirely on Kazuya. "Forgive me for being rude, Mishima-san, but I'll decide whether you're deserving of respect or praise after I've heard what this is about."

Baek looked bewildered, drawing his breath, but immediately silenced by a glare from Kazuya. "You. Leave us." He said in an annoyed voice, and the older Korean pushed to his feet with a sigh, sending Hwoarang a glare before leaving the room.

Once Baek had left them, Kazuya pushed to his feet. "Hwoarang." He said firmly. "I have heard you have a long standing rivalry with Jin Kazama. Is that correct?"

"Correct. Though, I don't know how much of a rivalry it is if one side is too busy kissing his own ass to notice, that fucking narcissist." Hwoarang glared at the desk as if it were the one who offended him. Every time he thought about Jin, it made him want to kill Julia more.

"Indeed." Kazuya smirked, not without a hint of distaste. "He's incredibly arrogant, isn't he?" He blinked, then claimed eye contact with the Korean. "Would you like a chance to defeat him once and for all?"

"Hell yeah, I wanna defeat him! Hey, wait a minute..." Fixing the man with a suspicious glare, Hwoarang leaned forward in his seat. "If you have a way to defeat him, why haven't you done it yourself?"

Kazuya shook his head. "Because to defeat him, one needs to actually get to him." His brows furrowed as he walked around the desk, stopping next to Hwoarang. He brought a hand up to gently graze the Korean's cheek with the back of two fingers. "I can't sneak into the Zaibatsu. But I've heard that you can."

That was what all the affection was about? Kazuya wanted him to do his bidding? Well, given the choice of being used by someone he cared about and someone he didn't, he figured the one that hurt less would be the best choice. Hwoarang sighed and lowered his head as he thought about it. "You've heard wrong. I've made many attempts to sneak in and all those attempts landed me in the prison. The only time I actually got to Jin was the other day when he invited me."

"Oh." Kazuya sounded rather disappointed. The Japanese slid his hand up into the red hair and sighed. "That complicates things..." His face turned contemplative, brows furrowed in concentration.

"... For what it's worth, he might let me in again." He sighed and frowned indignantly at the older man. "Your son is a goddamn selfish hedonist. If I play my cards right, maybe he'll want my ass for a second round. Can't get much closer to a target than that."

After thinking for a while, the black-haired man nodded. "I'm willing to take that chance. I have no doubts you'll be able to get back in there." He paused, patting Hwoarang's shoulder lightly with his free hand. "Question is: Do you feel ready for such a mission?"

"I don't even have to think about that. If you had spent years dedicated to defeating one man only to have him take you in, fuck you, and then make a joke out of it, wouldn't you want some heads to roll? That gun I brought to kill Julia would have been for him if I wasn't positive those Tekken Force thugs would kill me on sight if they saw me with a gun. I think the real question is, how you expect me to survive this... Or maybe you're sending me on a suicide mission?"

Kazuya sighed. "It's not a safe mission, Hwoarang, but there are elaborate plans to get you equipped once inside and to get you out of there afterwards. We've worked on this for months. The only thing we can't figure out is how to get someone capable in." He stroked the red hair idly as he added, "but as I said, it isn't safe. If you're caught, I imagine you'd be in really big trouble."

Hwoarang grinned and got up out of the chair to move closer to the Japanese. As he slipped an arm around the older man's waist, he nuzzled the neck. "As long as there's a plan to get me out of there once I finish, I don't mind the risk... If I succeed, what's in it for me, Mishima-san?"

The black-haired man embraced him tightly, then moved his lips to speak calmly into the Korean's ear. "I have the means to make it happen, you have the capabilities. Alone, we can't pull it off, but we have the same goal and can do it together. But I realise you run the risk, so if you require a price for doing your part, name it."

It would probably be inappropriate to ask to have Jin's dead body stuffed and mounted in Hwoarang's home. Baek probably wouldn't approve of that much either. Hwoarang pressed his forehead against the broad shoulder and snickered to himself at the perverse thought. "I can't think of anything I need. Give Master a raise or something."

Lifting a hand to graze his own chin thoughtfully, Kazuya eventually patted Hwoarang's back. "Alright. If you pull it off, Baek Doo San will get a raise and a promotion, and if you want it, his old job will be open for you."

"No thank you. No offense, but I don't intend to ever bow down for a Mishima." The Korean smirked and pulled back a little to gaze at the scarred face. "Kinda weird to be saying that after I've already bent over for one, huh? Alright, give me the details of the mission and I'll do it as soon as I get a chance."

"As you may or may not know, just shooting Jin will not accomplish anything." Kazuya paused, making sure he had the Korean's attention. "But my scientists have finished a sword which will paralyse his defenses. Cut him with it, and until he recovers, a simple bullet can kill him." He drew his breath. "Someone will watch you when you get there. When the time is right, you will be provided with the sword, a means of hiding it, and whatever gun or guns you deem useful and practical."

Hwoarang moved closer up against the Japanese and brought his lips to Kazuya's ear. After placing a kiss on the lobe, he whispered, "We've got a deal. Maybe once this is all over, we can have a little fun again."


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This is a collab, written together with Chlover. You can find her author profile here: http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/authors.php?no=26260