Sanzo’s finger tightened on the trigger as he finished the sordid tale, leaving the red-head to squirm nervously before the loaded gun.

“You hurt Hakkai, you selfish drunkard. Give me one reason I shouldn’t air out your brain with a bullet hole,” the monk snarled, making it painfully clear that this was not an empty threat by thumbing the safety off.

“I- That can’t be true- I couldn’t have!” Gojyo protested.

“What, you think something could actually be beneath you?” The barrel withdrew from his forehead and sunk lower, aiming for the red-head’s crotch. “I think shooting this off would be a better punishment. You seem to use it a lot more than you do your brain,” Sanzo sneered. The half-breed swallowed at the tight lump in his throat, trying in vain to remember doing something like that to his best friend. It was true he’d been angry about what went on that morning but… to rape Hakkai because of it?

“You’re making this up, monk!” he snarled, pushing the gun away and sitting up straighter. There was a peach blur and Gojyo fell back again as Sanzo’s fist connected with his jaw.

“I don’t play sick games, idiot,” the blonde growled, his voice dripping with disgust. He fisted a hand in the unlucky kappa’s shirt and yanked him roughly to eye level. Gojyo winced as his bruised jaw was jostled by the action.

“He told me what happened. But do you know what he said that made me want to puke?” Narrow violet eyes regarded Gojyo as if he weren’t even fit to breathe the same air.

“He defended you.”

Hakkai rubbed the plate with a hand towel until it was dry and set it aside on the kitchen counter. He’d managed to get up before everyone that morning, despite last night’s incident, and make himself presentable. A hot shower rid him of any dried blood, fresh clothing hid the bruises, and a swift tidying up in the living room erased all evidence of what had transpired.

“Hakkai,” a voice came from behind him. The brunette’s shoulders twitched, a cup rattling on the counter top.

“Yes?” he responded, turning around and smiling. Sanzo was sitting at the table, a pair of reading glasses in one hand. He reached for the morning paper while giving Hakkai a quizzical glance.

“Why are you so jumpy?” he muttered. The healer played with his hands for a few seconds before remembering to reach for the coffee pot. Setting a cup before Sanzo, he filled it carefully with hot brown liquid, though his hands shook slightly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hakkai said pleasantly. The priest was still eyeing him as he lifted the drink to his lips. The brunette only smiled and sat down across from him, bridging his fingers.

“We’re leaving as soon as someone wakes the two retards up,” Sanzo grunted, and by ‘someone’ he always meant Hakkai.

“Of course,” the healer replied, picking up the small cup of sake he had poured for himself.

“Did that stupid kappa say anything to you?” Hakkai choked a little at the unexpected question. He fingered the sides of the cup, looking down at the table and trying not to frown.

“We hurt him, Sanzo,” he said softly. The brunette was startled by the sharp slap of paper slamming against wood.

“He will just have to grow up and get over it for once,” Sanzo snarled. “He doesn’t own you.”

Hakkai was not surprised by the monk’s uncaring response; his tone had been the same in answering Gojyo that morning a day ago. He ran a hand through his short brown hair, staring into the sake cup uncomfortably.

“He’s lonely… You could have-”

“Been nice about it? Then where would that have gotten us?” Sanzo cut him off. “The kappa barely knows the word ‘no’ as it is. You have to pound anything into that thick skull of his.”

It would have saved me a lot of trouble, for one, Hakkai thought, but kept silent. He stood up wearily and went to the sink to finish the last of the dishes. Sanzo watched him roll up his sleeves so they wouldn’t get wet when he reached into the soapy water. The monk managed to catch several slight discolorations on the inside of each arm before they disappeared into the foam. Bruises…? Normally, jumping to conclusions was not Sanzo’s style but the suspicion was already there- and too often his hunches were correct. Violet eyes narrowed. There were no recent youkai attacks to explain Hakkai having bruises and the healer wasn’t the type of person that bumped into or fell over things frequently.

Hakkai’s heart nearly stopped when he felt someone’s fingers curl tightly around his arm and yank it from the sink.

“What’s going on?” he yelped, forced to face the monk who was shoving his sleeves up even farther. He tried to struggle, but Sanzo’s grip was as unrelenting as steel chains. There was silence for a few minutes as the blonde’s eyes traveled over each convicting purple blotch, leaving Hakkai to shake and bite his lip in silent shame. Calloused hands pulled down his collar revealing a collection of red bite marks, then lifted up his shirt, baring the rest of the bruises that dotted his back and hips.

Sanzo shoved him away suddenly. Unchecked rage was clear in his expression, pupils dilating in fury. Hakkai opened his mouth to say something- he wasn’t sure what- just anything that would stop this explosion before it happened. But it was far too late- Sanzo’s fuse was lit and nothing would be able to prevent him from tearing a certain unlucky kappa a new asshole.

“He’s dead. That mongrel son-of-a-bitch is dead,” Sanzo promised through clenched teeth. The monk’s hand was already drawing his gun from inside the sleeve of his robe.

“I don’t care. He fucking hurt you and I’m going to use his guts for fishing bait.”

“It wasn’t his fault!” the healer yelped desperately. Sanzo actually stopped in his murderous march towards the stairs, but did not turn around. Neither said anything for a few minutes until Hakkai realized the monk was waiting for him to continue. He swallowed and wrung his hands nervously.

“We…I felt bad for…for what happened… Gojyo was drunk- I could have pushed him away… I…” he stopped, staring at the back of the blonde’s head with a miserable expression.

“You what?” The finger on the trigger was curling.

“I…let him do it.” A shot rang out, killing every other noise, leaving two men standing a few feet apart in absolute crushing silence. There was a smoking hole in the floor by Sanzo’s foot. Without a word, the monk stepped forward and began heading up the stairs. Hakkai sagged against the table, watching him go with a dull look in his eyes.