Jyabura sat in the lounge trying to ignore the enraged yelling coming from the kitchen. They had been fighting furiously over the most mundane things lately. It had the entire group constantly on edge. Not even the creaking sound of his teeth grinding could block it out nor could he meditate with all the noise. He would just have to put up with it … again.
The former assassin cringed at some of the names Lucci was calling the younger man. As much as he wanted to step in he knew, from past experience, it was not the best idea. He still carried the fading bruises. He wished they would settle their fights soon so the household could go back to the way it used to be, but he doubted that was bound to happen any time soon.
A loud crash snapped him out of his train of thoughts. There was more heart wrenching yelling from Kaku begging for Lucci to come back before the front door slammed.
Jyabura got up and quickly moved into the kitchen to check up on Kaku. The young man was kneeling on the floor next to the disarranged table, his face hidden in his hands.
The wolf Zoan crouched beside the redhead just listening to him cry for a short time before he extended his hand, gently touching his shaking shoulder. Kaku jumped away from the touch, noticing the older man's presence for the first time.
Jyabura's heart felt as though it tore in two when the boy looked up at him, eyes glistening with tears.
The first thing he noticed was the large red mark rapidly forming on the side of Kaku's face and the small trickle of blood rolling down his cheek. Jyabura froze, his body violently shaking with rage. The pair had fought before but Lucci had never EVER hit Kaku before.
The older man immediately got to his feet and swiftly made his way to the front door. The same direction Lucci had taken.
"JYA!" Kaku's tortured voice pierced his heart deeply. Despite caring greatly for the youth, he would never show it while Lucci was still in the younger man's life. He stopped a couple of steps short of the door.
"Please … don't, please." The younger Zoan's voice was barely a whisper.
Jyabura made his way back to the young man taking him in his arms. Kaku couldn't hold it in any longer, he broke down completely in his rival's strong embrace. The wolf Zoan held him against his chest and let the boy cry himself into exhaustion, all the while trying to burn a hole in the wall with his hate filled glare.
'Lucci will pay for what he's done!' Jyabura thought wrathfully.
'He WILL pay.'
Kaku's crying eventually died down to the occasional dull sob, though shivers still wrecked his slender frame. It was late, well into the new morning and Kaku was exhausted from the night's events. Soaked shirt and all Jyabura pulled back from the embrace and ran his fingers through the boy's short hair, one of the few hints he ever gave the younger man that showed he truly cared.
"C'mon kid, you're exhausted, let's get you to bed." Kaku didn't reply, he let out a couple of heaving sobs and shaky breaths before nodding in agreement. Jyabura pulled the redhead to his feet and helped him into the bedroom, all the while holding his shacking shoulders tightly. It was all he could do for the boy.
The older man helped Kaku into his large double bed, catching in the process a glimpse of the ugly swollen bruise that was rapidly developing on his cheek. Another wave of anger hit him like a train. He stopped for a moment, forcing himself to calm down and shoved all his fury and malice into a box in the back of his mind, to be later released upon the leopard Zoan. Once Kaku was settled in and somewhat calm Jyabura moved away from the bed towards the door.
"Get some sleep. I'll catch ya in the morning." He waved slightly over his shoulder.
"Jya, wait!" Kaku's panic stricken voice piped up from behind him.
"Please don't go." The boy sobbed.
Jyabura clenched his fist and let out a shaky sigh. Those tear filled eyes were quickly becoming too much for him to handle. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jyabura kicked off his shoes before pulling off his tie and goggles and placing them on the bedside table. He laid down next to the smaller man and held him close.
"I'm not going anywhere, kid." Kaku broke down into a fresh wave of sobs and the older man let his eyelids fall shut, retreating into his own thoughts while the boy cried himself to sleep.
Jyabura snapped out of his meditative state when he heard the front door shut quietly, he slowly moved away from Kaku trying not to wake him and exited the room as quietly as his angered state allowed. With tightly clenched fists, the wolf Zoan entered the kitchen to come face to face with a tall dark haired man.
"Blueno? The fuck are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?" His voice not louder than an agitated whisper. The tall man placed his coat on the table before straightening the disarranged pieces of furniture.
"Califa called. She asked me to come home. What happened?" His deep, whispered tones matching the other man's. Jyabura had been chatting with the woman before the fight had started but she had disappeared into her room the moment the yelling began. He hadn't seen her since.
"Go ask her. I'm going out." Jyabura hissed before heading out the door.
The moment he stepped out the door the cold night air bit at his exposed chest and the freezing pavement stung his bare feet. He didn't feel a thing past the anger and adrenalin coursing through his veins. Jyabura started walking, stalking the streets of Water 7 with no particular direction but one goal in mind; to find Lucci and make him regret what he had done.
The wolf Zoan wondered aimlessly for a good hour or so before he gave up and decided it was time to head back home. He had no clue where Lucci could have gone, he only hoped the other man wouldn't get back before him.
A violent shiver wreaked the man's body as he noticed for the first time the small white snowflakes that had started to float down from the dark sky. Jyabura didn't bother closing his jacket, he just sped his pace a little. Getting sick wouldn't do him much good but his mind wasn't concerned about the near future, it was only focused on his immediate goal: protecting Kaku.
He was hit with a sudden wall of heat as he entered the house, he then realised just how cold he had been.
"Welcome back." Jyabura heard from the kitchen. He followed the low voice into the next room to find Blueno and Califa sipping coffee at the kitchen table.
"Did you find him?" Califa asked in a small concerned voice; she was still visibly shaken from the earlier incident.
Jya hung his head, ashamed that he hadn't yet been able to confront the man. He shook his head slightly before he disappeared into his room.
Once in the dark room Jyabura shed his snow dampened clothes and let down his hair. He ran his fingers through the pitch dark strands and sighed heavily.
"I wonder how the kid is doing?" The wolf Zoan muttered to himself.
Pulling on a dry pair of pants he exited his own room before ducking into Kaku's. His eyes roamed over the sleeping figure of the younger man, lingering over the bruised face, committing single every detail to memory. He would never forget what Lucci had done. Under the cover of darkness Jyabura stalked closer to the bed and sat on the side, just watching the boy. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached out and stroked the sleeping youngster's soft hair. He lifted his legs onto the bed and lay behind the young man, soft blankets beneath him.
"Jya?" Kaku mumbled sleepily.
"Yeah I'm here, go back to sleep." Kaku wriggled closer to the warm body and fell asleep almost immediately. Jyabura would usually have been contempt laying there on top of the blankets, but clad only in a thin pair of pants he soon realised just how cold the winter air was.
Careful not to rouse the younger man, Jyabura slid beneath the covers with him. He moved as close as he could to Kaku and wrapped a strong arm around the slender body. He hoped that the boy wouldn't mind.
Placing a soft, almost nonexistent kiss on the back of the younger Zoan user's head, Jya let his eyes fall shut. He quickly drifted into the world of dreams all the while looking forward to waking up next to the younger man for the first time.