Hi. I know this is a short chapter, but I'm trying to work on school and get updates out at the same time. So, the next chapters might be a little shorter than what I normally write. Plus, I have to think of situations that would really make sense. So for now, enjoy this little tidbit and R&R.

The chill of a cold blanket swept across Reno's body, his battered and bruised frame showing the result of a broken spirit and a few aches. Actually, more than a few. Whimpering, Reno turned over onto his stomach, or rather tried to, squeezing his eyes shut very tightly. He wanted to make the world go away, make it stop. It was spinning, and he knew that if it kept whirling like it was, surely it would all spiral too quickly and topple off of the pedestal it was standing on to crash down into a pit of failure. Merely to shatter. He groaned as he felt pain course through his lower body, the chill of the sheets not helping in the least to take away the pain that had been caused to him. He tried to sit up, but found it absolutely impossible at that point in time. Therefore, he just laid his head back on the pillow, the smell of onions still wafting around the bed unpleasantly. Was his torture session over? Was the bastard going to leave him alone? The smell wasn't as strong as it had been, therefore Reno assumed that his tormentor had gotten bored and had left to mess up someone else's life. At least for right then.

Whimpering, Reno pushed himself around on the bed until he was situated on the edge to look at the blinking alarm clock. Four AM? The numbers were getting blurred as he stared at them, wondering what day it was, what was happening. Tears seeped into his line of vision as he stared at the clock, allowing his gaze to drop to stare at the ugly puce carpet. He never thought his life would sink to that point. Sobs racked his body as he laid his head down against the pillow, face-down in it. "Can I die yet?" He whimpered, shifting his body again to try and get to the edge. He felt warm hands catch him, however, the sweet smell of a woman's perfume wafted through the air instead of the harsh smell his 'boss' had.

"No, you can't die. Shush, I gotta take care of you, hun." He recognized it as Tasha, the girl that had helped him to get his composure back in the sector. Had she been there all that time? Reno frowned, his ego seeming to collapse even more than it had already. "You're pretty bad off… Let's get you up and into the bathtub, why don't we?" Tasha reached underneath the blankets, cool hands brushing along his battered skin. "Damn, he cut you up, too." Reno was very embarrassed from the state that he was currently in. Closing his eyes tightly as she pulled him up to his feet, she drug his arm over her shoulder to help him to the bathroom. "Some of the men are going to talk to you today, you know? They're going to explain the ins and outs of the gang and how everything is going to work." Reno sighed softly and nodded, his mane of red hair falling down over his face to hide the blush.

Ooh, but the warm water felt so good. His aches in his muscles and joints seemed to fade a little bit as he sat in the water, though the fresh cuts on his arms, legs, back and face seemed to burn when Tasha ran a wet cloth over them. "You know, this is like a hazing exercise for the boss. He always enjoys this kinda shit. Unless you know how to defend yourself really well, everyone ends up just like you did. Never ever make the boss angry. You'll end up right in the situation you just got out of. If you never piss him off, you won't end up that way again unless he chooses you for his little playmate like he did one of the last men that came through. Least to say, that guy didn't make it out." Reno watched her face as she sort of stared at the wall.

"You must've been close to him?"

"He was a good friend. The boss ripped him up really badly with the switchblade… He's got a thing for blood, if you didn't notice." Reno lifted his arm to display a gash across it. "Yeah, you already knew that, heh."

"Yeah, kinda-sorta. The fucker ripped my back open, I think…" He leaned down a little bit to allow Tasha to see. "I know it hurts like hell."

There was a six-inch-long gash down the middle of his back that was cleanly cut by the switchblade. "Yeah, he cut you up really badly. We'll have to get some medicine on them pretty soon to make 'em heal up before your first job."

"What if I don't wanna do my job?"

"Honey, you have no choice. If you piss him off, he's either going to rape you again or he's going to kill you. I would rather be killed, but he's going to do whichever one he thinks will be more of an asset to him and his little 'business'. I would stay clear of pissing him off. Now let's get you out of this tub and into some clean clothes. I gotta doctor your wounds."

My first night in hell with an angel, eh? The angel of death. So beautiful. I would never accuse her of being a gang member, or doing any types of dealings that have to do with certain death. Oh well… I'd rather be here with a woman than with a man. At least she's a nice lookin' chick. Reno couldn't help but have positive thoughts, despite his pain.

One hour later…

Reno slept peacefully as Tasha applied the bandages to his wounds, the salve underneath helping to sooth the pain. She watched him as he slept, tying knots in the ends of the bandages so that they wouldn't come off easily. "To be so peaceful… An angel in the middle of hell… A red-headed one, at that. So perfect, but yet so corrupted. A fallen, red-headed angel. How ironic." Tasha turned and walked out of the door, leaving him to sleep there until the boss would tell her to get him up.