Shadows of the Zaibatsu

The flashing lights, the sirens, the shouts, the cuffs... What a pleasant thing to come home to right after being locked up in the Zaibatsu. It had been shocking to be accused of possessing drugs; Hwoarang would never consume illegal substances, especially not with his master in town, and he would never ever leave 'heroin' lying around his house. Where the hell did that stuff come from? As far as he knew, even Paul was smart enough to stay away from that stuff.

He sat in the jail cell, staring at the ceiling. It was different in the police department. Here, he had to share a cell with two prostitutes and a scrawny crack-addict. Most importantly, he knew he'd be locked up here for more than a few hours, so he had better get used to having those annoying roommates.

The door to the jail area opened and one officer walked in, escorting a middle-aged woman. Too bad. Everytime that door opened he had hoped it would be someone who could get him out of there. Like Paul. Unfortunately, so far he hadn't heard from anybody. Shouldn't be too surprised. He didn't think anyone would know he's been locked up yet, unless master checked his messages.

"Hwoarang," the officer said. "You have a guest."

His brows raised in surprise as he got off the cot and made his way over to the bars. It was just that strange woman. Sure, she was pretty, but she was too old for him and he sure as hell had never seen her before. "Hello, ma'am. Can I help you?"

The woman's lips spread into a warm smile. She reached up, despite the officer's protest, and clasped the Korean's hand in her own. "I don't believe you are guilty of the charges laid against you. You'll get out of her soon, but right now I need you to do something for me. My name is Jun Kazama."

Looking at the officer with confusion and uncertainty, he shook his head and eyed the woman skeptically. "Jin's mother? If you're her, you'd be dead..."

"Dead? You mean just as your sensei should be dead?" The woman laughed, but there was nothing teasing about it. Everything about her tone and her body-language was sincerely good-natured. "You don't have to believe me. I simply wish to speak with you about my son."

"Alright. I don't know why you came to me, though. Jin and I aren't exactly close. We're barely even acquaintances, so any problem you're having with him, I doubt I could help." Hwoarang looked down at the hand still clasping his and then nervously made sure the people he was sharing the cell with were a good distance away. They didn't seem to be paying any attention.

Jun's grip on his hand tightened and she stared at him with determination. "I need you to tell me how important Jin is to you."

Was she on something? Maybe those were her drugs! Hwoarang took his hand back and stepped away from the bars, as he felt himself begin to panic. Why was that simple demand troubling him? Maybe it was the knowing tone in her voice. How could she know anything about how he felt? The Korean crossed his arms and shrugged. "Like I said, we barely know each other. I don't give a damn about him..."

"You're lying." It was more of a sad statement than an accusation. Her eyes were encouraging and patient. "I know how badly you yearn for him, Hwoarang. That's not what I'm asking. I want to know how far you would go to get him. What would you do to save his life?"

She knew? That wasn't possible. Hwoarang glared at her and took another step back. "Look, lady. I don't know what the fuck you're babbling about. I wouldn't give that asshole a fucking kidney if I had a dozen of 'em to spare! Whatever you want from me, you ain't getting. Find someone else! I'm sure that Chinese bitch, Xiaoyu, would be happy to help you, so leave me along and go harrass her."

The woman sighed and nodded at the officer. As she was being led away from the cell, she paused and looked back. "We'll discuss this later. I'm running out of time, Hwoarang, so please just think about it."

"There's nothing to think about!" Who did that broad think she was? He cursed in his mother tongue as he went to his cot and laid down again. If some woman he had never met knew, then who else knew?

~~~~~

A cough woke Hwoarang from his slumber. Why couldn't his cell mates stay quiet? As he started trying to go back to sleep, he heard a deep voice. "I got your message." The tone intended a scolding was not far away.

Hwoarang rubbed his eyes and looked over at Baek. Well, at least he came in person. Maybe that meant his master was his ticket out of that dump! He got off the cot and started his way over. He could deal with being scolded for a little while. It was a small price to pay for the familiar face he had been waiting for.

One of the prostitutes grinned as he walked past. "Hey, cherry top! Is that your boyfriend?"

Without thinking, Hwoarang grabbed the woman by the feather boa around her neck. He had to stop himself before he hit her. That would get him into too much unnecessary trouble. In a hiss, he whispered, "Don't talk about my sensei." That said, he released her and continued on toward the bars. "... I didn't do it, Master. Those drugs weren't mine, I swear on my fu-- ... On my life."

"Of course they weren't!" Baek appeared almost insulted that Hwoarang felt a need to point that out, flashing a displeased grimace. "You're being loyal to someone you shouldn't be loyal to! You must know how those drugs ended up in my apartment."

"Loyal...?" Oh no, did Master know about Paul? No, he couldn't possibly. Hwoarang frowned in thought and leaned forward against the bars with his arms resting on the other side. "I don't know who you're talking about. The only person I've allowed in there was my... girlfriend and she doesn't do heroin."

"Then she's hiding it for someone!" Baek was getting angrier now. "Don't play stupid with me, Hwoarang! If you don't know who already, I know you can figure out who it is. By protecting them, you're bringing shame on yourself and you're bringing shame on me!"

How could he respond to that? Hwoarang frowned and tried desperately to think of someone who would be responsible for that. His head dropped in a submissive bow as he quietly responded. "I'm not protecting anyone, Master. I honestly don't think he... she would do something like that. She isn't involved with any bad people either, so she wouldn't hide anything for anyone! If you're so sure you know who did it, then clue me in. I don't have the faintest idea."

"Are you talking back to me, Hwoarang?" Baek frowned and crossed his arms. "You have the only keys to the apartment except mine, which hasn't been used. There was no sign of a break in. Those drugs got in there by the use of one of your keys."

"... She wouldn't..." Hwoarang looked at his master and sighed. "Next time I see her, I'll ask her about it. If this is all her doing, I'll cut her off."

"You do that." Baek fixed him a stern glare, as if he insisted that it was done. "On another note, I hear you've been sneaking into the Zaibatsu. Is that true?"

What, was this some sort of small busy-body community? Word spread too fast for its own good. As much as he wanted to lie - surely lying would save him a whole lot of trouble - he knew his Master would see right through it. "Yes, that is true." The redhead sunk down against the bars until he was on his knees, preparing for another scolding.

"Why are you sneaking in there?" Baek asked, his eyes narrowed skeptically.

Hwoarang cringed. There was no way he could just say it was because he wanted to see Jin. That just wouldn't fly right, he was sure. Maybe he could avoid answering it with a subject change. "How long are they going to keep me in here?"

"I asked you a question." The older Korean said darkly, then drew his breath. "Do you -" He was broken off by a group of five guards in Tekken force uniforms led by an obviously nervous cop.

"Him." One of the guards pointed at Hwoarang, and the cop moved over to the door, nudging Baek away and started fumbling with his keys.

"What the..." Hwoarang stumbled to his feet and moved backwards, away from the door. Sure, he was wanting an interruption, but not like that! "What the fuck do you guys want? I already served my time with you!"

"Jin Kazama has requested your presence." One of the guards said, then turned to the cop. "Hurry up!" He ordered, which seemed to have the opposite of the intended effect, as his fumbling seemed less controlled. Nevertheless, he finally managed to open the door and he walked over towards Hwoarang.

As the officer was cuffing him, Hwoarang blinked in disbelief and looked over at his Master. A guard was blocking him, and the older Korean seemed to be just as clueless about what was happening so Hwoarang looked at the other Tekken forces. "Jin wants to see me? ... Why?"

"He didn't appear to like the idea of you being in jail." As Hwoarang followed the cop back out of the cell, four of the guards ushered him down the hallway, the last remaining back together with the cop and Baek. Some half-hearted, hushed apologies were exchanged behind them.

A slow grin spread across his face. That meant only one thing; Jin was paying attention! He didn't even care how Jin found out, what mattered to Hwoarang was that he was finally going to see that face, and all it took was getting framed for possession of drugs! He looked back over his shoulder. "I'll call you as soon as I get a chance, master!"

When they reached the office part of the building, they stopped, and a guard knocked on a door. It revealed another cop who quirked a brow. "Yes? Who are you, and what do you want?"

The guard gave a quick nod. "I want to tell you that the suspect is innocent and the case is closed."

Not appearing overly convinced, the cop crossed his arms. "Says who?"

"Says the president of Mishima Zaibatsu, Jin Kazama. If you have a problem with it, you are free to apply for an audience. You know where to find the headquarters." Without waiting for an answer, he resumed walking, and the other guards pushed at Hwoarang to follow.

Well that was simple. Hwoarang scowled at the ones pushing at him. Why couldn't they let him just stroll and enjoy the idea that Jin wanted to see him? "Are we gonna ride in a limo?"

"I'm afraid not." The guard responded sarcastically, then led the way through the hallways and eventually out the door to an awaiting armoured car. Always business, apparently.

Okay, he could deal with that. He never expected them to be his pals anyway. With a shrug, he followed them into the car. One got in the front to drive while the others joined him in the back. It wasn't exactly a luxury cruise, there being just two benches on the sides with storage compartments under and a long chest. Who knew what kind of crazy, painful stuff they kept in there. "Do I have to stay cuffed the whole way?"

"Yes." A guard answered quickly, sounding as if he mostly just couldn't be bothered to uncuff him.

The ride was quiet and strained. None of the men seemed willing to chat, and when Hwoarang made attempts, they were as rude as usual. It was still a good chance to think about things to say once he finally did meet with his favourite Japanese, but no matter how many times he went through possibilities, nothing seemed right. It seemed to take forever to get where they were going, but maybe that was just the lack of scenery that made it seem that way. Staring at a group of boring men wasn't the best way to pass the time.

It must have been about a half hour later when they finally pulled to a stop. Maybe longer, maybe shorter. Hwoarang got out of the car along with the guards and they silently led him inside. Walking was better than sitting and waiting. He was keeping his eyes peeled but there was still no sign of the one he wanted to see. When they arrived in Yokotami's office, he was finding it difficult to hide his disappointment. "Did you miss me? So what, am I going to get locked up again?"

"Good evening, Hwoarang." Yokotami smiled and pushed to his feet. "You can get locked up if you want, but Kazama-sama told me to give you the choice of leaving or meeting him, if you should prefer." He started moving over towards the door.

"He'd get me out of jail and just let me go? No strings attached? That doesn't make any sense." Hwoarang scowled and considered it. The sooner he left, the sooner he'd have to resume that lecture with Master Baek. He wasn't exactly thrilled to do that, and it would be stupid to pass up the one chance he got to see Jin. "I want to see him... But do I have to be cuffed?"

Yokotami nodded at the guard who was accompanying the Korean. "Please escort the young man to the Starlight suite."

"Yes, Yokotami-sama." The guard nodded, then held the door for Hwoarang.

"Starlight... Sounds cheesy. Hey, aren't you coming?" Directing a confused frown at the man, Hwoarang reluctantly started toward the door. It was weird; he had expected to be seen in the throne room, but a suite seemed so... personal.

They walked through numerous hallways until finally coming to a big double door. The guard did a brief knock on the door, then opened them, revealing the suite. There were many book shelves, paintings and wall decorations, covering almost every inch of the room. There were two tables with chairs around them, a pool table and a comfortable looking double bed. Two recliners were faced against the roof-to-floor window, with a glass table holding two drinks placed between them.

One of the recliners turned, revealing Jin, who immediately addressed the guard. "Uncuff him and leave us." When the guard did as he was told, he smirked over at Hwoarang. "Hi. Care for a drink? There's always the possibility I didn't drug yours..."

Since when was Kazama a comedian? Hwoarang rolled his eyes and made his way over to drop into the other recliner. Without hesitation, he picked up the drink up and took a long gulp. "Alone in a place like this. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me, your highness."

Jin quirked a brow, but his smirk remained. "I was told you wanted to see me, but not anywhere that could be considered formal." He crossed his legs, making a show of getting comfortable as his gaze wandered over the Korean. "You keep coming back here just to see me, so I figured after so long, you deserved a bit of success. I like perseverance."

"That fucking Yokotami-san and his big mouth..." Hwoarang licked his lips as he stared down into the drink. It wasn't going to be easy to keep his attitude around Jin if the guy already knew that he liked him! "Why did you name this room the 'starlight' suite?"

Taking a slow sip of his drink, the Japanese turned to face the window. "The night sky view from here is better than from anywhere else on the property."

What was with that guy? He was a jerk, a romantic, and a psychotic tyrant all at the same time. There was nothing appealing about that! At least Hwoarang tried to think so. Maybe a little boldness would unnerve his gorgeous rival a little. "I'll bet it's a whole lot better in the dark when you're writhing and screaming in that bed, huh?"

An amused sound passed the Japanese lips. "Oh yes, that bed is great." He paused, then turned to gaze curiously at the redhead. "Speaking of which... that's why you preferred a less formal setting, isn't it?"

"That's right." Hwoarang shrugged and took another gulp of his drink. If Jin still refused to take him seriously, he figured he might as well play along. "All because I wanted to do you. Why? Are you going to bend over for me now, hot stuff?"

"Hmmm...." Jin smirked again, picking the drink up but not moving it to his lips. "There's a few problems with that..." He paused to take another sip, then continued. "First of all, I'm a top. Second, the mere thought of submitting to anyone makes me freak out. And thirdly, being a bottom is likely to make my less hospitable side, the one with the black wings, come out with a vengeance."

"That's too bad. We could have had all sorts of fun." Winking at the man, Hwoarang got up from the recliner and wandered over to the bed. It was his first time being freely within the walls of the Zaibatsu, so he was going to enjoy it while he could. As he laid down across it, he ran his hand over the cover and grinned to himself. This was definitely not a bed for show.

The raven-haired man pushed himself up too, walking casually over to the bed. "Yeah, we could..." he said teasingly, then pulled the zipper of his top down a little. Hwoarang, being on his back, stared in shock as Jin climbed on top of him, pulling the Korean's tank top up from the pants and to bunch around the arms. "Luckily, there's someone else who can bend over..." He panted teasingly.

Was he serious about this? Hwoarang wasn't sure how to react when his fantasies were coming true. Should he be afraid that it was a trick, or just assume he was dreaming, and really he was still in that jail cell, napping. His hand went up to experimentally run over the Japanese shoulder. "If you're not serious, you should get off before I get carried away."

At that, Jin pushed himself up and off him. The Korean rolled his eyes and looked away. Should have known better than to take those come-ons to heart. It was still humiliating to deal with even if he had expected it. Then he felt his running shoes being taken off, and moments later, the Japanese hands were undoing his belt buckle.

Hwoarang propped himself up and stared at Jin with confusion. Well, he wasn't about to argue with whatever logic that man was using! With a quirked brow, he sat up and pulled his shirt off over his head. "I get it, you drugged your drink instead, right?" He chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness.

Jin smirked. "Maybe I did. It's so hard to remember which glass is which." He tugged the black jeans off the Korean's legs, then finished unzipping his top. "I hope you don't mind a whip," he noted casually.

"As long as you don't intend to inflict pain on me with it, you can have whatever the fuck you want." He grinned and moved closer to Jin so he could get to work on the buckle with one hand as his other hand drifted over the soft fabric-clad thigh.

A confused gaze settled on the Japanese's face. "Not inflict pain? What other points are there to a whip?" He sighed, tugging Hwoarang's boxer-briefs off, and then ran his hands over the redheads's thighs and sides. "You're beautiful." He mumbled with a smirk.

A compliment? Well, he supposed the guy had to find him attractive since they already got that far. "I'm glad you approve..." Hwoarang's gaze wandered over the body and he moved up, aiming for those tempting Japanese lips. Before he could claim them, his rival put a hand on his chest and pushed him firmly onto his back. They were going to fuck, but kissing was off limits? Maybe Jin wasn't a romantic after all. The Korean hid his confusion behind a nonchalant shrug and attempted to distract himself by thoughts of what was about to happen.

Shrugging out of the top, Jin lifted himself up to drop the pants and his underwear on the floor as well. He started uncapping a bottle he held in his hand, smirking as his eyes travelled over the Korean body. "Roll over." He panted.

~~~~

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