Horohoro kept running until he thought his legs were going to fall off. He kept running and running, his heart pounding painfully and his breath becoming ragged and uneven. Finally, when he thought he couldn't run anymore, he placed Ren on the ground and collapsed to the floor, panting heavily in an attempt to catch his breath.

"Horohoro? Are you alright?" Ren sat down next to him, looking at him with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "More importantly, are you alright, Ren?"

"My head's spinning a bit...but I'm fine."

"Come on, Ren," Horohoro said, taking the Chinese boy's hand. "I booked us a plane trip to Japan two days ago, our flight is tonight. We'd better hurry or we'll miss it. From there, we'll stay at Yoh's, and then we're going to pay a visit to Hao and tell him to occupy Zan Ching with an assignment or something."

"Hao? But isn't he?"

"Yeah, I know, but he's changed. Hao's not bad these days, you know how Yoh's got a knack for turning shady people into friends, huh?" He laughed, nudging Ren. "Just like what happened to you a really long time ago."

And so, two days later, they found themselves at Yoh's Tokyo apartment.

"Hey, Horo!" Yoh grinned cheerfully. "Come on in." The Ainu nodded cheerfully, removing his shoes and stepping into the apartment. He was followed by Ren. Yoh blinked, and his grin widened. "Hi, Ren! Long time no see, huh?"

"I guess so...and you're still the same grinning idiot," Ren laughed. He was only half-joking.

They plopped down on the couch. "You guys must be tired from all that traveling," Yoh commented as he walked into the kitchen, returning with a can of soda for each of them. He glanced at Ren. "Horohoro told me all about what happened with you and that fat old guy," he continued. "I'm sure Hao would do something to help."

"Then we've got to talk to him right away," Horohoro insisted. "Before Zan Ching tracks us down and hurts Ren again. I'm not going to let that happen. So, where's your brother right now?"

"Oh," Yoh laughed. "I think he's with his gang or something...They usually hang out in that weird old alley behind the bar...I dunno why...but if you're gonna go there, be careful. I don't like the people who hang around there, they're not exactly the friendliest types. But they don't bother Hao, so you'll probably be fine."

"Great. Let's go, Ren."

The two headed down the street, walking quickly, trying not to draw attention.

They finally arrived at the bar Yoh had been talking about. Horohoro knew it had to be the right one, because Hao's name had been grafiitied onto the side. Horohoro turned to look at the people around him. Mostly old drunkards and perverts.

He reached down and grabbed Ren's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Don't let go of my hand, and don't make any eye contact with anyone, you hear me?"

"Yeah." Ren nodded, a little scared. Although he was sure Horohoro would protect him, there was still fear gripping to the edge of his heart.

They slowly began walking down the long, dark alley, manuvering through and past groups of drunkards. Horohoro glared straight ahead, while Ren kept his eyes downcast, following Horohoro. Presently, they could hear a familiar voice coming from around the corner - Hao's voice.

"Ah, long time no see, Zan Ching," they heard Hao say.

Ren's eyes widened and his heart stopped momentarily. So Zan Ching was already here. There was no way they could seek Hao's assistance now. Not daring to speak in fear of being heard, Ren glanced nervously towards Horohoro. The Ainu's eyes were narrowed, there was no doubt that he knew as well.

"Shhh," Horohoro whispered, pulling Ren with him against the wall as to not be seen. "Don't make a sound." They listened closely to the conversation, their hearts pounding painfully. Ren would not be surprised if his heartbeat gave their position away.

"You're a married man now, Zan Ching, I'll give you my congratulations for that," Hao grinned

"You? Married? That's ridiculous? Who'd want to marry an old lard like you?" snorted a female voice. Kanna, from the Hanagumi.

"So," Hao continued, ignoring Kanna, "Who's the lucky bride? Wait...you told me, your bride is a boy, right?"

"Yup."

Ren shuddered at the sound of Zan Ching's voice.

"Who is it? C'mon, tell us."

Zan Ching was obviously enjoying the attention he was recieving from his leader and his teammates. "His name's Tao Ren...he's a pretty kid, I'd say...stubborn, but I've beaten him into submission by now."

"Ah...Tao Ren. Not bad, Zan Ching. Not bad at all."

The fat man laughed loudly, continuing, "He's just like a cute little housewife. He does all the chores. Decent cook...but ah, he's always thinking about someone else...I'm afraid to say the little bitch has no feeling for me, he's rather disloyal. This is his second try running away from me with the same boy."

"I can see why. If it was me, I would have run away too, fatass," scoffed Kanna.

Zan Ching ignored her. "But it's okay, Hao-sama. I don't need your help finding him. You see...he's right over there, trying to hide."