Ren cursed under his breath, and Horohoro instantly tensed. He moved himself in front of Ren in an effort to protect him from what was surely to follow. His prediction on the next events were correct, as Zan Ching, Hao, and Hao's other cronies moved towards their general direction.

"Interesting," Hao commented as he appeared in front of them, wearing an ambiguous smirk on his face. "So, is this the boy your little Ren has constantly been running away with, Zan Ching?" Horohoro's eyes narrowed, but he held his ground.

"Yep, that's the kid, Hao-sama."

Hao laughed. "I never expected it to be Usui Horokeu, of all people. Selfish little brat I remember him to be..."

"Shut up!" Ren snapped. "Don't make judgements on Horohoro, you don't know anything about him!"

"Ah, dearest Ren," Zan Ching grinned, stepping forward. "How long are you going to cower behind your little Ainu lover? Come out from there right now, unless you'd prefer me to drag you out myself." Ren's eyes widened, and he seemed to shrink further behind Horohoro.

"Oh, come on, you little whore," Zan Ching growled. "I'm sick of this. I swear once I get you back I'll have to buy you a collar and a leash or something..." He reached his massive porky hand out towards Ren, only to find Horohoro sinking his teeth into his finger.

Horohoro spat on the ground in disgust. "Do you ever wash your hands, old man?" he demanded. "Like hell I'll let you touch Ren with those dirty hands of yours. Get back or I'll kill you right now."

"You filthy brat," Zan Ching hissed, withdrawing his hand. "You can't do anything to me." With a sudden motion, he lunged forward and siezed Horohoro by the throat. Ren's eyes grew wide as Zan Ching threw him to the floor. The boy skidded across the floor before slamming into opposite building's wall. "You're pathetic," Zan Ching added.

Ren ran to Horohoro's side, screaming his name. He knelt next to him, shaking him and begging him to get up. Blood trickled from a corner of Horohoro's mouth, dripping slowly to the dirty alley's ground. Gritting his teeth, he tried to climb to his knees.

The Chinese boy yelped as Zan Ching's hands descended upon him, dragging him away and pinning him in a chokehold. "No!" he screamed, struggling desperately. "Let me go! Let me go, you fat bastard! Please! Let me go!"

Ignoring Ren's pleas, Zan Ching pinned the boy to the ground, then proceeding to violently rape him, stifling his screams by clamping his hand over his mouth.

"STOP IT!" Horohoro screamed. Furious, he stumbled to his feet, about to attack Zan Ching. However, before he could move any further, he felt Hao's hands snake around him, restraining him. "Now, Horokeu, be reasonable," he insisted. "Calm down, and I'll try to help, okay? We don't want to start any fights, do we?"

"Help my ass!" the Ainu spat. "Get your hands off me!"

Hao's grip did not loosen, but he turned to Zan Ching. "That's enough, Zan Ching," he commanded. "Leave the boy alone."

Grudgingly, Zan Ching stopped his disgusting actions, rising to his feet and kicking Ren hard in the stomach. The boy was huddled on the floor, trembling, with tears of pain and humiliation streaming down his cheeks. Horohoro winced, seeing blood Ren's blood staining the ground.

"I propose a deal," Zan Ching announced, grinning. He turned to Ren. "Come home nice and quiet with me, and no more of these run-away charades. Be obedient from now on, and, in exchange, I won't touch your precious Horohoro again. Do we have a deal?"

"What kind of a deal is that!?" Horohoro yelled. "Ren doesn't get anything out of it at all!"

"It...It's a deal..." Ren managed to stammer. "I'll do everything you ask...just please...Please leave Horohoro alone for the rest of your life..."

Zan Ching's toothy grin widened, mustache twitching in approval. "That's a good boy, Ren. Now get your sorry little Chinese ass of the floor and get over here."

"Ren, are you crazy!?" Horohoro screamed. "How can you accept a 'deal' like that? It only means more pain for you-"

"I know," Ren said quietly, cutting him off as he crawled to his feet. "...But, there will be less pain for you, physically, and me, emotionally, if he doesn't hurt you anymore...so either way, we'll both benefit at least a little."

"No...Ren..."

"Smart kid," Zan Ching grunted. "Now, let's get a move on it. I'm hungry."

Horohoro watched, his heart sinking, as Zan Ching dragged Ren away, disappearing around the corner of the alley and from his sight.

"I swear on my life that I'll kill that fat son of a bitch and save you, Ren."