Kate bit down on the man's hand causing him to let go of her completely. She kicked Nash off, and punched the other man in the face, freeing her.
Nash sneered and drunkenly grabbed a gun from his breast pocket.
"SHAVE!"
Kaku appeared and kicked the gun out of Nash's hand, hiding Kate behind him.
"Kaku..?"
The shipwright looked at Kate before marching off towards the brown haired man.
A shiver ran down Kate's spine- she didn't recognize those cold eyes.
Nash started to cackle. "Well if it isn't Pi-"
Blood shot out of Nash's mouth as Kaku's fist made contact with his stomach.
Nash's men made sounds of shock before attempting to flee. In what seemed to be mere seconds- all the men were knocked out except for Nash.
Dragging his body across the floor, Nash desperately tried to get away. He also didn't recognize this man.
Kaku pulled him by the back of his hair, causing him to scream. He was then turned so he was laying on his back. That's when Kate no longer recognized Kaku at all.
He began to punch Nash repeatedly, never pausing for more than a few seconds to let Nash breathe.
"Kaku, stop!" Her voice barely came out as a whisper, as she tried to cover herself up as best she could with her shaking hands.
Blood began to spill from Nash's head.
"Kaku!"
Still nothing. It was as if he were in a trance.
Kate panicked. If she didn't stop him, Nash would surely die.
Kaku replayed the scene in his head as he continued to beat Nash.
What if he hadn't taken that route? Kate didn't stand a chance against all those men….
All those men. Leering and hollering as Kate struggled to get away. He couldn't help but imagine what would have happened had he not shown up.
Sweet Kate. Beautiful Kate. HIS Kate, used as a dumping ground for all those monsters.
He began to think of places to dispose of their bodies... But not until he was finished torturing every single one of them. A small smile began to creep onto Kaku's face, until he was interrupted by shaking arms wrapped around his waist. He stopped and turned to look at Kate who was sobbing.
"Kaku... Please...I...I just want to go home."
Kaku came out of his trance.
What have I done?
He quickly wiped his hands on his pants before making his way to one of Nash's goons.
The man screamed. "P-please don't-"Kaku grabbed him by the collar.
"I suggest you all skidaddle before I change my mind."
He pulled the man in closer and whispered something in his ear that caused him to turn a ghostly white before running off to wake the others.
"Kate!" He made his way over and knelt beside her.
She smiled at him weakly and tried to cover herself with her cardigan using one hand. She was shaking intensely.
"Hey Kaku, you left your key."
Kaku removed his jacket and wrapped it around Kate before carrying her and taking off.
Hard steps hitting the ground followed by large gusts of wind roused Kate from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, but her vision still seemed to be blurred. It was sunset and the sky was painted a mix of purple, yellow, and..
Orange?
She was wrapped in what looked to be an orange cloth.
Before she could examine it better, she passed out again.
Kaku placed her down carefully onto his bed.
One of the reasons why he had chosen this specific hotel room to live in for the past few years was because of its location. It was far away from the city centre, and on a high enough floor that he could sneak in through the window without anyone noticing.
The hotel room was simple. It had a nautical theme to tie in with the nature of the city. The bed was a wooden frame, with navy blue walls, and white furniture.
He closed his closet door, which contained several outfits similar to what he was wearing as well as a few all black outfits..
The way he had wrapped Kate in his jacket was probably not the best way, but with her bare chest exposed—he didn't want to try and fiddle around. He blushed at the thought.
She'll fix it when she wakes up..
He removed his cap before proceeding to strip down to his boxers. He had to wash the blood off of him.
Kaku stood in the shower, the water as hot as he could stand.
He clenched his room key in his hand.
If he weren't so careless, Kate never would have been in that situation. He swore to protect her, and yet he was the one putting her in harm's way.
He grit his teeth.
This is all my fault…
His thoughts were stopped by the sound of rustling from the bed.
Kaku quickly turned off the shower, and changed into black pants and a black t-shirt.
Kate sat up in the bed, holding the blanket against her.
"Kate, how are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you? Anything at all?!" He sat near her on the bed, reaching out a hand to gently stroke her head. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. He had no idea where to start.
Before Kate could reply, Kaku's transponder snail began to ring. It was Paulie on the other line.
"Hey Kid. Listen carefully. Nash told his father about what happened, and the police are looking for you and Kate. They want to charge you both for attempted murder."
Kaku's blood went cold. "Attempted murder?! Do they have any idea what they had tried to do to Kate?!"
Paulie sighed.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do at the moment. Iceberg is talking to them right now, but told me to tell you to meet him at the train station and to stay hidden in the storage closet until he gets there. It may take a few months for this to blow over entirely. Stay safe."
*CLICK*
The shipwright turned to Kate slowly. "Kate…I have some news to tell you."
The space was small and there was no couch, so he took a seat beside her on the bed.
She looked at him…..anxiety started to build up in her as she thought about the earlier events.
This doesn't look good.
"Kate, I don't want to sugar coat anything. The police are looking for you, and so is Nash's family. Paulie called and told me they showed up at Galley La not too long ago. They said they want to put you in for attempted murder."
Angry tears began to well in Kate's eyes. "That's bullshit and you know it! Kaku, he tried to…" She covered herself tighter with the blanket.
Kaku stared at her in awe. He wasn't used to seeing such emotions (if any at all) and while it fascinated him, seeing Kate so distraught made his throat feel uncomfortable.
Dammit, I knew I should have killed those bastards….
"I know. I saw it all.. Iceberg he won't tell them where you are. For now—we've got to hang low until we can get our ducks sorted. Paulie is going to call your family when things calm down a bit."
She shot him a quizzical look, wiping tears away from her face.
"We?"
He nodded.
"Yupp. I'm a wanted man, but not in the way I'd like to be!"
He laughed in his head. One of the world government's highest agent's wanted by the police. He knew he was untouchable if they ever did manage to find him, but Kate wasn't…
Kate cried even harder and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry, Kaku. It's all my fault…I wanna…I'm gonna fucking kill them!" Her body started to convulse with each sob.
Kaku couldn't help but panic. His training taught him how to ignore and erase emotions…not comfort them?! He thought hard, trying to find a similar scenario he could refer to.
He thought to when a child fell in front of the ship yard… the mother comforted the child by rubbing her back…
Kaku cautiously reached towards Kate, and placed a hand on her back. He began to rub it up and down.
She cried harder and buried her face into his chest.
His panic began to grow. Now this was definitely something he never dealt with before.
As if they had a mind of their own, his arms wrapped around Kate in an embrace and he placed his head on top of hers as she cried.
It was a cold night in Water 7, but Kaku felt a new found warmth that he had never felt before, and he didn't want it to end…
Kalifa winced as Lucci threw a glass at the wall.
They were in a hidden base deep within the alleys of Water 7.
"Lucci stop!"
Lucci was so enraged even Hattori had to fly away for the time being.
"That imbecile! How could he get caught up in something so moronic! If he was going to get involved he should have just killed the lot of them, that's what I would have done!" He growled and changed into his full animal form.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses.
"Yes, while I acknowledge that this isn't the most ideal situation—it isn't bad. We've only been here for 3 years…the timeline we have is for 5. Kaku has been through the same training as us. He'll figure things out before our time—"
Lucci sneered at his partner.
"He's had the same training, but he hasn't had the same experience! Have you forgotten how much younger he is? He's only 21 and still has a child's mind." He scratched the wall. "Also, I've seen him interact with that dark haired bimbo…I'm almost certain he.."
Kalifa gasped. "You mean, he's developed feelings for her?" The blonde haired beauty was baffled at the idea. Since day one they were taught to hide all emotions—happiness, sadness, pain….
But Kaku had always been different. She thought back to a time when they were younger. Kalifa had fallen off a training apparatus and began to cry. The instructor then proceeded to beating her not only for failing, but for crying. Kaku stepped in the way to protect Kalifa…. unfortunately, he was sent away for a long time and when he got back all his limbs were in casts. She smiled sadly before quickly correcting herself.
The pigeon ventriloquist changed back to his human form.
"We need to keep tabs on him…he can have his fun for now…but when the time comes—he'd better be ready."
He looked at Kalifa cynically.
"I'll kill the bitch if I have to."