A/N: IIII'm back!! This is the longest thing I've written for a long time, to make up for the last chapter. I'm also pretty please with this one, even though there's no action or anything.

Well, enjoy!!

Chapter 4

Reno dropped himself down on his mattress, ignoring the pain in his stomach. He was unable to bend properly, so resorted to gritting his teeth and baring the pain. Breathing shakily, he pulled out the little black book again, and stared at the photograph inside. How he longed to be back there, then maybe he could stop anything happening to his precious family. Maybe then, he wouldn't be in that state.

Unconsciously, he put a hand to his stomach, then drew it back, feeling how wet it was. His whole hand was covered in the blood that was still pouring from the freshly made wound. It was probably going to end up quite serious if the blood flow didn't stop soon, but there was really nothing he could do about it. He could tell that girl, Elena, had been reluctant to leave him in that state, but she seemed the nervous type and probably didn't want to argue with him. He sat with his eyes closed, trying to rid himself of the pain that was wracking his body.

"Reno?" he hadn't even heard the door open, yet standing in front of him was a beautiful, brown-haired girl. Her dark blue eyes were clouded over with concern.

"Tia…" Reno sighed.

"I saw what happened." She said, sitting next to him. "You should get that looked at."

"There's no point." He replied grimly.

"It looks bad."

"Seriously, what am I s'posed to do?" he snapped. "Sorry." He muttered, ashamed he had lost his temper so easily.

"That's alright." She smiled. Reno stared into those kind blue eyes, remembering the time when he had first met Tia. It was only two years ago, but it had felt like a lifetime. They were the complete opposite; she was always smiling, and saw the bright side of everything. Her life wasn't bad, she had a family and a roof over her head, but she was patient with Reno and that meant she meant the world to him, even though at time he felt he didn't deserve someone like her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, bringing him out of his reminiscence.

"Huh?"

"Damien. He's after you now. You should have known not to try and rebel against him" She said, her eyes wide.

"It was hardly rebelling." Reno muttered.

"You answered back more than once, that's the equivalent to him." She told him. "And if you carry on like this, you're not gonna be alive for much longer."

Reno stared at her. The only reason he could tell she was truly concerned was because she was usually so optimistic, it was a vivid contrast in her personality to be so dark about the situation.

"Just don't worry about it, ok?" he said, smiling despite his injuries, "You've got enough to worry about."

"That's the point; I do have enough to worry about. But all that I'm worried about… is you." She looked at him desperately. "Please…"

"I dunno… what am I s'posed to do?" he said. There was a long pause when Tia stared into his eyes, obviously deep in thought.

"What happened earlier?" she asked him suddenly.

"What?"

"Damien didn't kill you. Someone helped you. Who was it?"

"I dunno… I never even got to look at him…"

"I didn't see much of him either, but the thing is, he shot Damien, and he's gonna blame that on you."

"…Which will make my life a hell of a lot harder…" Reno sighed. "Unless I find out who that guy was…"

"That's right. But until you get that sorted, you must make sure you stay out of the open." Tia said seriously. "I've seen all too much what can happen…"

Reno nodded his head, respecting what Tia had said. Although her life wasn't as bad as Reno's, she had been associated with Damien for much longer than he had, and knew where her loyalties had to lie. She had not realised what she was getting herself into when she met Damien in her desperate attempt to make new friends, but now she was in, there was no turning back.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I can look after myself. I've been on my own long enough now…"
"As long as you're sure… and if you don't want to go to hospital with that, can you at least let me have a look?" Tia suggested, "I did a little first aid when I was younger…"

Reno trusted Tia so he lay down on his mattress and shivered as her cold hands lifted his shirt up. He closed his eyes tight, preparing for the pain, but he was surprised how little there was. Tia gentle touch made him feel a lot better.

"That's quite bad…" she said. Then she opened the bag that Reno had just notices slung around her shoulder and pulled out a bottle of something and a cloth. "Sorry about this…" she said nervously. She tipped some of the liquid onto the cloth and pressed it against his stomach. He felt the pain instantly, it stung like nothing he had ever felt before, but he still trusted her, and bit his lip, resisting the pain. He felt her lift the cloth off and wipe it gently across his abdomen.

"There." She said triumphantly, lifting the cloth away. Reno could see that the once white material was now crimson with blood. "That should help."

"Thanks." Reno said gratefully. He pulled his shirt back down and sat up, feeling the soothing relief immediately.

"That's alright." She said, obviously happy to have helped.

"What are you gonna do?" Reno asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Damien is gonna realise you've been comin' to see me… I don't think you can come anymore…"

"If he was really that bothered, he would come anyway. It's not as if he doesn't know where you live."

"I guess you're right… I just don't want you to get into trouble."

"Don't worry about me…" she smiled. "I've known Damien long enough to know where the line is and not to cross it."

Reno smiled at her, with a strange feeling inside. He was exhausted, and felt desperately dizzy and shaky, like he'd just recovered from some terrible illness. Yet for the first time in a long time, he felt comfortable. He wasn't sure if he was slightly delirious, or if it was for real, but two people looking out for him in one day was really quite something.

"I'd better go now." Tia said, smiling at Reno still. "It's getting dark… are you gonna be alright?"

"Well, what would you do if I said I wasn't?" Reno said, smirking.

"Well, I would stay." Tia said. Reno wasn't sure if she was taking him seriously or not.

"Only kidding." Reno said, tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Go on, I'll be fine."

Tia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him warmly before standing up and slinging the bag around her shoulders again.

"I'll see you later." She said, walking out and closing the door behind her. Reno was left alone, and it was strangely quiet without any company, despite the fact he had spent most of his life alone.