Shadows of the Zaibatsu

Kazuya grazed his chin in thought. That Chang woman had been extremely jealous of Hwoarang's progress within the Zaibatsu. Was the Korean still loyal, though? It was impossible to say. After doing the day's work, he decided to call a mole. Perhaps things were more obvious from within the Zaibatsu headquarters.

"Good day," the mole answered after the first ring. "To what do I owe the pleasure of receiving this call?"

"What is the latest development on Hwoarang?" Kazuya asked, not bothering to return the greeting. "Is he making any progress?"

There was a short laugh, but it sounded almost cynical in nature. "Sure, I guess. He's being treated like a prisoner," the man didn't sound convinced by his own words, "and everyone seems to buy it."

So what did that mean? Was Hwoarang figured out, or was he doing well? Was that redhead doing deals behind his back? "Everyone... except you?"

"It's strange. That guy has gotten special treatment from the get-go, I mean it wasn't surprising at first, but you'd think after Jin caught him with those weapons, trying to kill him, he'd have at least tossed him into the prison for torture or interrogation, but no, the special treatment has become a little too special. They seem like he's a prisoner, but," the man paused and sighed. He took awhile before figuring out how to continue, "there's something very fishy about it."

"I see." Kazuya pushed to his feet, more than a bit agitated. One or both of those young men were up to something, and he had to know what! "Investigate it, and report details back to me as soon as possible."

~~~~~

'It's not supposed to be like this.'

It seemed Hwoarang had been thinking that a lot lately. Losing everything that made up his life made it hard to get over. It was like being on parole, only this time he had to pretend to be the bad guy instead of proving that he was the good guy. Unlike parole, though, here at the Zaibatsu he couldn't wander around without some annoying guard following him. That was the least of his problems. Here, as a prisoner, he didn't get to see Jin nearly as much as he had been expecting. It was just so much easier in the old days of sneaking around and going home disappointed. It was less frustrating then. Hell, he almost missed the beaten and battered guys in the dungeon that would call him 'Princess'!

Might as well be thankful for the positive parts of being trapped in the Zaibatsu. The sound of heavy boots thumping behind him had become a permenant fixture in his life whenever he left the confines of the personal quarters. As Hwoarang walked down the hallway, he ignored the guard and instead focused on what lay ahead. That positive; lunch with Jin. Even if they wouldn't get to fool around - Jin had been reluctant since that talk with Yokotami - it was still something good to look forward to. Being able to see that hallowed man's face, and the idea that maybe the feeling was mutual, made the whole crappy situation worth it.

A sight suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts and he gawked in surprise. There, strutting down the hallway in a flashy outfit was another Korean. In fact, it was a Korean he recognised very well. Not personally, but Hwoarang had seen that face many times in movies and on TV. His name was Jangho, and quite possibly was the biggest heartthrob of all the young guys in the Korean movie industry. He blinked as he watched the guy for a minute and the scowled suspiciously. "Hey, who the fuck are you?" It didn't matter if he knew the answer already. He figured it was best not to stroke any egos before he knew what was going on.

That triggered an immediate cocky grin on Jangho's face. "Who's asking?" The actor stopped, leaning casually against the wall, apparently greatly amused at being spoken to like that.

"The Blood Talon's asking." Hwoarang sneered and looked the other guy over from head to foot. All he needed was to run into a guy with attitude when he was having such a lousy day.

"Haven't heard of you." The actor said with a smirk. "But that's okay." He returned the gaze, then shrugged. "I'm sorry I don't have a pen with me. I could've given you an autograph."

"That's too bad. I was looking for kindling for a bonfire." After rolling his eyes, Hwoarang took a step toward the other Korean and faked a friendly smile. "So you're a celebrity, huh? What are you doing in the Zaibatsu? Shooting a movie or something?"

With a broader grin, Jangho pushed away from the wall. "I live here." He said simply, then quirked a brow, obviously pretending to be curious. "And you? What are you doing here?"

That was not what he wanted to hear. What the Hell did Jin have a guy like that around for, and why the Hell hadn't he mentioned it? Hwoarang swallowed back the urge to curse at the guy and cleared his throat. "May I ask why you live here? Are you... A friend of Kazama-sama's?"

"Yeah..." The other Korean said in an almost seductive hiss, then played his tongue teasingly over his teeth as he stroked his hair with his hand. "He thinks I'm damn hot, you know..."

The implications of that hit home like a ton of bricks. Hwoarang gritted his teeth and glanced back at the guard, wondering if he could murder them both and get out of the Zaibatsu alive. "Yeah, well, some people like the brainless twink thing. Get the fuck out of my face, whore." That said, he forced himself to start walking once again. Whether it was true or not, he knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe Jin just liked a pretty face around to look at... Then again, he highly doubted Jin was the type to look and not touch.

~~~~

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