Shadows of the Zaibatsu

There was something bad going on. Jun didn't like the feeling she was getting from the situation one bit. Not only did Doo San and Hwoarang disappear from the country for a short while, but when they returned together, it was strange. She had been at the airport, hoping to speak to the young Korean when he arrived, but as she laid eyes on the two of them, instinct told her to stay back.

All she was trying to do was avoid a life from being taken. One would think others would want to prevent that too, but it seemed like everyone was working against her. Even Julia and Doo San! Well, she couldn't really expect that man to betray his employer, but it made her nervous that Hwoarang was in the states with him. Surely Baek wouldn't have involved his student in that G Corp business, would he? It was hard to believe the two Koreans were in America to go sight-seeing.

Intercepting them wasn't an option. There was nothing she could do to stop them if she didn't know what they were up to. The only offensive action she could take was to keep an eye on Doo San for the time being, and hope Hwoarang knew what he was doing. It was the ultimate test. Just how strong were Hwoarang's ties to his sensei? It truly worried Jun.

~~~~~

Hwoarang was back. Jin wondered what had happened, but figured he'd know soon enough. After the searching and investigation about the woman who met Hwoarang in jail, it was becoming increasingly likely that it was her, his mother, and he had to know. And if she was really alive, he had to meet her.

Jin walked through the hallways to a door to the outside. Since the Korean had asked for him, he figured he'd take a break from the training and have a chat in the warm weather. He had already ordered someone to bring drinks, and sat down comfortably in a soft garden chair.

The redhead showed up with a guard and immediately sped up to go towards Jin. He paused barely a foot away from the chair and then flashed a playful smile. "Did you miss me, your highness?"

Well, there was no point in lying. After fucking, their mutual interest was pretty much out in the open. "Yeah... I took a shower, and when I was done, you were gone. I was looking forward to spend another evening with you, but I guess you had other plans."

Hwoarang shrugged and took a seat. His attention was drifting off toward the sky and it was awhile before he came out with a hesitant response. "I had a bit of an emergency to deal with. I'm sorry, I should have left a note... That shit isn't important now. Can we get something to eat? I'm wasting away here!"

"Sure..." An emergency? Jin couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the woman who could be his mother. "There will be someone here with drinks shortly, we can ask for food when he gets here." He forced a smile and quirked a brow lightly. "Sure you don't want to talk about your emergency? If there's something I can do..."

"Master Baek found out I've been sneaking around here, and he was pissed!" With a sigh, Hwoarang locked eyes with Jin and frowned insistently. "I don't like defying him. I had to wait until he left the country to come back here."

Jin frowned too. "He doesn't approve?" He said with disappointment in his voice. "That's too bad. I didn't think he had any problems with me..." He was interrupted by drinks being served, and he looked over at the guy who came with them. "Wait a moment... my guest here is hungry."

The Korean smiled apologetically at the guy. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like a sandwich, please."

The employee seemed genuinely surprised, which was not much of a shock. Most people Jin had drinks with seemed to consider employees objects. The Japanese himself, though, preferred owning people. They were all his, after all. "Certainly. What kind of sandwich would you like? Shrimp? Ham and cheese? Tuna? Bacon, lettuce, tomato?"

"Ah, a BLT will be perfect, thank you, sir." After a brief nod of his head, Hwoarang's attention drifted back up toward the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

After bowing, the guy walked quickly back inside. Jin gazed over at the redhead, wondering what was up. He could feel his impatience push at bringing up the woman, but somehow the timing didn't seem right. "You asked me what kind of job I would offer you," he said, trying to sound casual, "what kind of job would you want?"

Hwoarang cracked a secretive smile and shook his head. "You know what would be great? If I could work for you, get paid more than anyone else, and not have to refer to you as 'Kazama-sama'. No, even then I wouldn't want to work for you. I don't want to be your inferior, Jin."

Not be his inferior? The Japanese smirked lightly. He should probably have figured that out by himself. "Fair enough." He said, then sighed. Couldn't bear putting it off any longer. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

A moment of silence followed. Hwoarang glanced at him and then reluctantly nodded. "I'm just a guest. What right do I have to allow or refuse a question from the great and powerful King Jin?" He chuckled lightly and then spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Ask anything you want."

King? Well, the heavy duty of punishing people for their moral wrongdoings laid on his shoulders. Of course he deserved a bit of respect and entertainment on the way there. If that made him seem like a king, then so be it. "Who was the woman who visited you in prison?"

"In... Prison? Uh..." Hwoarang licked his lips with a hint of nervousness and then flashed a forced smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. There were a lot of hookers there, but I guarantee you they weren't there for me. The only visitor I got was Baek, and he would not appreciate being called a woman."

"You're lying to me!" Jin snarled. "I have witnesses! I know a woman visited you in prison!" His breath got agitated as he scowled over at the redhead.

Hwoarang returned the scowl and balled his hands into fists. "Don't take that fucking tone with me, Jin. I didn't go to all the trouble of getting into this pretentious hellhole to be interrogated!"

"Where is she, Hwoarang?" Jin pushed to his feet, not caring that he hadn't touched his drink. He didn't want it anymore. "Tell me!" He demanded.

"Tell you where who is?" Hwoarang glared at Jin and leaned back in his seat. The attempt to be casual was ruined by his tense movements. "Leave her alone."

The Japanese crossed his arms in disbelief. "You are telling me to leave her alone?" He panted angrily, trying to avoid exploding completely. "What the fuck makes you think you can do that?"

Without wavering for a second, Hwoarang stared at him as he slowly rose to his feet. "Have you taken a look at yourself lately? You're acting like a fucking Mishima. You're self-centered and you treat people who care about you like fucking worms. She doesn't want to see you, so leave her alone!"

She didn't want to see him? The Korean might be lying, but the thought alone was enough to make him fume. Without sparing that bastard as much as another glance, he turned around, wandering briskly away towards the nearest dojo. He had to punch something. Hard.

~~~~

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