Shadows of the Zaibatsu

Jin Kazama was walking down a hallway. He had just finished a two hour workout session, then showered and gotten dressed. It was time to pay the throne room a visit.

It gave him a strange satisfaction that nobody knew when he'd be available. When he saw it fit, he'd go sit on his throne and handle some affairs, but otherwise, bringing up business with him was illegal unless there was an immediate emergency. Instead he filled his days with what he wanted to do - mostly increasing his power and martial arts skill, but also... a few other things.

For the martial arts training, he had spared no expense getting the most ideal equipment, but much of what he used was actually rather cheap. He was unwilling to sacrifice any effect to show off riches; everyone knew he was incredibly rich anyway, owning the Mishima Zaibatsu and everything.

In addition, he got in a daily martial arts match. He had several employed world class fighters who would have a daily tournament, and the winner got to face Jin head to head. He kept them motivated by great rewards for even reaching the match; they quickly caught on to the fact that they'd never ever be able to beat him, but money solved everything with people like those.

He also let some of his prisoners take part in those tournaments. If they won it and defeated him, he had a standing promise to let them go. It was ridiculous that they thought they could do it, but then again, getting some time outside the Zaibatsu dungeon was probably welcome enough.

As the Japanese pushed the throne room door open, he heard a brief mumble run through the room like a wave. He liked that sound. Soon, all his servants were standing upright, ready to receive orders. A smirk crept upon his face as he walked over to the throne, sitting down and gazing down the middle of the floor, where Yokotami was approaching. Yokotami was the man responsible for keeping track of whoever was waiting in hopes of being allowed to talk to Jin. Not by who had waited the longest, but by whose reception was likely to be most rewarding. Yokotami had a wonderful judgement about that, so Jin was very happy with his work.

When the middle-aged man reached the steps in front of the throne, he knelt down and bowed his head. Jin let him know it was okay for him to speak.

"One of your artists wishes to speak to you, Kazama-sama."

Artists. Jin loved that word. He punished anyone he ever overheard who called his three artists 'whores', 'bitches' or anything of the sort. Their job was to be available for sensual entertainment, something romantic and relaxing, and if Jin wanted it, sex. He could see it pained many of his employees to treat those three with respect, but through his usual means - punishment - they quickly came around to do as he wanted.

As Yokotami went to fetch the person in question, Jin wondered which of the artists it was. His favourite was the Korean, Jangho. He was a tall, slim, black-haired former movie actor, a year older than Jin. He was also the most expensive of the three, and Jin assumed the guy was only saving up to start some kind of extravagant lifestyle. He didn't mind that the slightest.

The second one was Japanese. Keisuke was short, younger, and around 5 foot 7 inches. The guy was the incarnation of cute, and the only one of the three who could bring out a desire to sit close together on a couch, naked, watching a movie.

This time, however, it was the third one, the Irish artist. His long, wavy red hair rested on his shoulders and back, and he had that habitual grin on his face. The redhead was the fun one, and he had a natural talent for the tasks he was given. "Hey Jin!" He shouted from half across the room, and Jin saw Yokotami cringe. He knew the respectful man thought he let his artists get away with too much, and probably was right. But they were much more fun when they were loose and relaxed, so he preferred it that way.

"Hello Paraic." Jin said, meeting the redhead's gaze and watched him start idly scratching his arm nervously. The Japanese liked that too; he wasn't fond of people being too comfortable around him in the throne room. He had suites and recreational areas for relaxing together in a friendly atmosphere; the throne room was the core of the Zaibatsu's power, and deserved respect.

"Ya know, it's silly I have to come in here to ask about these kinds of things," Paraic said with a slight pout, "it takes almost ten minutes to walk from my suite, for crying out loud!" After the complaint, he diverted his eyes to the floor as if he knew that was out of line, but Jin was sure the guy knew he wouldn't be called on it. "Anyway... there's an Irish sports event I'm gonna watch the next few days, but none of our channels have it, so I ordered a new channel subscription. It needs a decoder, and I know how you are with electronics, so I thought I'd just tell you instead of getting in trouble."

Jin smirked. "And since you came here, it's so I can get my men to check it right away, right?" He paused, quirking a brow. "When does the sporting start?"

Apparently, Paraic hadn't expected that. A guilty, insecure smirk met Jin's gaze. "In... forty minutes?" He said apologetically.

With a wave of his hand, Jin attracted the closest guard. "Get that decoder to scanning immediately." He turned his attention to Paraic, licking his lips as his eyes drifted to the guy's backside. "I'll see you tonight..." he hissed softly.

Once the guard and artist had left them, Yokotami came forward again. "Who's next?" Jin asked, "I'll receive one more before I go."

"Lee Chaolan, Kazama-sama," Yokotami said in his usual expressionless voice, "shall I show him in?"

"Yes." Jin watched the middle-aged man walk the long walk back outside, and less than a minute later, the door reopened.

A look of aggravation was the first noticeable thing about Lee Chaolan as he entered the room and made his way across the carpeted floor. As he approached, he cast a flippant glare at Yokotami before the eyes landed firmly on Jin. "It's a wonder you haven't driven the Zaibatsu into the ground with your amazing level of unprofessionalism. I do hope you show a little more respect for other visitors you receive." He cleared his throat and straightened out his cuffs.

Jin closed his eyes, and as he reopened them, he claimed firm eye control. "It seems you don't have proper appreciation for the audience you have been granted, Mr. Chaolan..." He said lazily, wondering what the guy was referring to. Had he stayed overnight?

Lee muttered something under his breath and then bowed his head in almost sarcastic politeness. "Forgive me, I've had a long day. Now let's get straight to business. My creation, the combot, has undergone quite a bit of upgrades and I've made numerous duplicates. I'm here to offer you the services of the combots, and myself."

Normally, such offers would be turned down immediately, but he rarely if ever got offers of that calibre. Whereas neither Lee nor the combots ranked among the top 10 fighters in the Iron Fist Tournament, someone who could even win a single fight in such an event was a rare thing. "Interesting." The raven-haired man said in a serious tone. "What do you expect in return?"

"Yen would be a good start." The subject brought a smile to the man's face. "Should you choose to accept, I'd also appreciate a stable place to stay. I'm a long way from home and I can't stay in a hotel forever. I will be in the city for 48 more hours otherwise, so there is time to think it over."

48 hours? Well, that gave Jin an idea. He made a show of studying the older man for a moment, then nodded. "Have you kept up your martial arts training, Mr. Chaolan?"

"I have. Never know when an important tournament may pop up, so it would be foolish to let my training slip." Lee frowned slightly, seemingly confused by the question. "Why do you ask?"

That was exactly what the Japanese had in mind. It would surely be fun to see Lee compete in his daily household tournaments. "There is a tournament tomorrow, starting at noon. If you can make it to the final, I will accept your offer." He reclaimed eye contact before adding, "the final would be against me. Winning or even fighting it is not a requirement."

After quirking a brow, A small smile grew on the older man's face. He nodded slowly. "I must fight for the job? You are far more creative than your father, Kazama-sama."

"That might be," Jin responded with a raised eyebrow, "but if you can't win the tournament, I can hardly feel confident you'll be able to succeed in missions I might give you."

Lee silently eyed Jin for a moment. His voice came out quiet but decisive as he said, "I will not fail you."

"Good." That sounded promising... there was always a shortage of agents capable of handling difficult missions, especially in places where the only things you could smuggle in were legs and fists. "Then I will expect you here half past eleven tomorrow. I will personally watch your progress through the tournament."

~~~~

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