When Yunho and Changmin arrived in the capital, they were awestruck by the sheer size of the city. Everywhere they looked, the streets were buzzing with activity. They found an inn and got settled in their room, after which they went downstairs to have some dinner.

They were joined by a young scholar, Park Yoochun, who offered to be their guide while they were in the city.

"Yoochun-hyung, I heard the adults in Gwangju talk about a palace made entirely out of jade. Is it true?" Changmin asked eagerly between the huge mouthfuls of chicken.

"Hate to disappoint you, kid. The 'Jade Palace' is a pleasure house turned fight club. Made entirely out of wood."

"I see. Then I guess the gem isn't real either…"

"Oh, it's real alright. That much is true. I can take you there, if you want to see."

"That's not necessary", Yunho stated curtly.

"Yunho-hyung doesn't like gambling or gisaengs", Changmin explained quickly, before turning to his 'brother'. "Please, hyung. We don't have to stay long. I just wanna see the gem. Pleeeeeeeaaase." Changmin his best puppy eyes, knowing it was Yunho's soft spot.

"We can be in and out within an hour", Yoochun helped.

"Not one minute longer", Yunho decided, ending a conversation that had never been to his advantage.

"Yay!" Changmin waved his chicken leg around in some sort of victory gesture. "Can we go tonight?"

"A word of warning, though. This gem is kept safely hidden. Few are invited to the owner's private quarters, and even fewer are allowed to even gaze upon the precious jewel. You might not see it."

Two hours later, Yoochun, Changmin and a highly reluctant Yunho arrived at the Jade Palace, which was a luxurious building in the merchant quarters. When they passed an entertainment room, separated from the world only with curtains of pink silk, Yunho spotted two men inside. Although he couldn't hear what they said, he could tell that one of them, a servant by the quality of his clothes, was trying to persuade the other, gorgeous, man, who in turn seemed crestfallen as he cuddled a kitten.

Ushered by a servant to keep walking, Yunho had to tear his eyes off the beautiful, sad looking young man.

"Hyung, what do you think the gem looks like?" Changmin whispered, unaware of Yunho's discovery. "I think it's ruby, or maybe emerald. Although, then it would be Ruby Palace, or Emerald Palace… Maybe it's jade! I heard one merchant who spoke of a huge jade orb that would glow in the dark. Do you think this gem can glow in the dark?"

"Sure, kiddo. It's probably the most amazing, most precious stone in the whole world."

"Hyung, you don't have to live like this!" Junsu was upset to hear that Youngmin intended to give Jaejoong to the winner. "Let's just run away! If we leave now, we'll be long gone before anyone notices us. We'll go to Jeju, and we'll build an orchard, just like you always wanted, okay?"

Moved by Junsu's pleading tone, Jaejoong had half a mind to listen to his friend. But Youngmin scared him too much. He knew what the man was truly capable of. Junsu did not.

"Sure we could leave. We could even be free for a while. Until he hunts us down. It's not a question of 'if', but 'when'. Master knows everything. And when he comes, he'll kill us. He'll torture us slowly, for days, until we die of pain. It's better if I just stay here and do as he says. Better for both of us." Having already lost hope years ago, Jaejoong cuddled into the soft fur of the kitten in his hands, soaking up the warmth and innocence the little animal provided.

Jaejoong briefly noticed a man with almond eyes staring at him from the other side of the silk curtains, but brushed it off as yet another customer coming here with the hope of gawking at his face.

OoOoO

"So, where is this gem?" Yunho asked as they took their seats on the veranda, overlooking the courtyard where the fighters' stage had been erected. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. In his opinion, fighting for entertainment was the lowest of the low. Martial art was just that, art. A skill that should be treated with reverence, not sold for money.

"They'll reveal it soon. I hear the winner will get to hold the gem tonight", Yoochun said, accepting a cup of rice wine from a gisaeng.

Yunho had barely opened his mouth to ask what the scholar meant, when people started to cheer, as Kim Youngmin himself entered the stage.

"Brave fighters, honoured guests. Welcome!" After a five minute long spiel up to the customers to make them more generous, Kim Youngmin suddenly held up a finger to his lips, requesting silence.

"Today is a happy day. Today, Jade Palace celebrates its ten year anniversary. To commemorate this, I have a gift for the winning fighter. I'm sure you've all heard of my 'gem'…" Youngmin added with a lecherous tone of voice that made Yunho shiver with disgust. Changmin leaned forward in his chair, loathe to miss this sight, as Youngmin beckoned to someone next to the stage.

Yunho and Changmin were mighty confused when instead of a precious stone, a young man, flanked by a servant boy whom Yoochun adoringly called Junsu, as well as three maids, came out and stood next to Youngmin on the stage. Yunho more so than Changmin, since this person was the one he'd accidentally seen upon entering the mansion.

Even though he prided himself with being respectable and morally upright, Yunho couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the other man. He now saw that the man's hair was tinted in a light brown shade to match his golden skin, his eyes skilfully framed with soot, and his loose, black shirt had been opened to reveal his chiselled muscles, part of a tasteful tattoo on his chest disappeared under the fabric, promising more to whoever removed the obstructing item.

"Gentlemen, please welcome my precious jewel: Jaejoong. I have had him for seven years, and he serves me very well. Tonight, I will, for the first time ever, share him with one of you. The fighter who wins the final match will be rewarded with one night in his company. Tell him what you want, and he will give it to you."

Seeing the cold, resigned, soulless expression on Jaejoong's face, and hearing the vile words from the fighters sitting below them, telling of all the horrible things they were going to make the young man do, or wanted to do to him, Yunho clenched his jaws in anger.

"Someone has to do something, hyung", Changmin whispered. The teenager was starting to regret being so persistent in his desire to see the rumoured gem. He too had heard the fighters speak. "Won't you do something?"

"Me?"

"You're the best fighter in the world, everyone says so! And you won't be fighting for sport, even though it looks like it to the crowd. If you win, you'll be saving a life, even for one night."

"I want nothing more than to help him, but how? All the fighters have been decided already."

"Not all", Yoochun said. "Kim Youngmin is cocky and arrogant. He'll invite an audience member to prove the strength of his own fighters. That's your chance."

Jaejoong took his place on the opposite side of the courtyard, where he would be seen at all times, as a way of spurring the fighters on. Looking around the audience, already placing their bets, Jaejoong spotted the man from before, sitting next to a teenager and Yoochun, the scholar who had been unsuccessfully courting Junsu for months. Jaejoong saw that the almond eyes seemed worried as they looked towards him, hurried words whispered in a conversation that was clearly about him.

For one brief second, Jaejoong allowed himself to hope. He hoped that this man would be the salvation he had prayed for all these years. He hoped that the man would volunteer, win everything and take him away from this hell. Then his eyes caught Youngmin's greedy grin, and all hopes disappeared like smoke from a blown-out candle. Kim Youngmin, proprietor of the Jade Palace, his master and owner, would never let him go.

"To prove to you that the matches aren't staged, I would like to invite a member of the audience to test the fighters' strength and courage. Are there any volunteers?" Youngmin grinned.

Since Jaejoong was the winner's prize tonight, there were plenty of volunteers. Jaejoong watched as Yunho hurried down the steps and directly onto the stage, surprising everyone.

"I volunteer!" he said with a commanding voice, glancing towards Jaejoong with what he hoped was reassurance in his eyes.

"So I see. And, might I ask, who are you? A little far from Jeolla, aren't we?" Youngmin teased, having heard Yunho's dialect.

"My name is Jung Yunho."

The master fighter.

Whispers buzzed in the courtyard when the name was uttered. The rumoured master had come. Youngmin's grin faltered briefly, noticeable only to Yunho, who stood the closest. Before two heartbeats had passed, Youngmin found his composure again.

"Well, well, well. I expect a spectacular performance. Since you're the master, I'm sure you won't have a problem fighting all my men?"

"Bring it on, old man", Yunho growled.

Jaejoong-sshi, if you're the prize, I'll be sure to win. I won't let those bastards lay a finger on you.

Yunho locked his gaze on Jaejoong for as long as he dared, hoping to convey his thoughts to the other. If Jaejoong understood, he showed nothing.

A/N

Does this chap make sense? I rewrote some stuff…

Please tell me if there's anything unclear, and I'll explain