The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 10
Someone Call a Doctor!

Silence hailed for but a moment before a primitive growl echoed in the empty building. “You sons of bitches, I’m fucking running out of clean shit to wear you know.”

Sanji sweat-dropped at the out of place comment and began to wonder if depending on a moron like that was the best plan. A shout of pain and the sickening crunch of bones being broken came from behind where he was sitting.

“My leg!”

“That’s it you fucker! You’re going down! Sammy let’s smoke this asshole,” the apparent ringleader shouted.

Gunshots rang out, the loud noise deafening as it echoed against the metal walls. The sounds seemed to be coming from all around Sanji, giving him no idea of where anyone was now. Suddenly the chair he was attached to was viciously yanked to the side and the blonde almost tipped forward onto his face with the momentum.

“What the fuck?” Sanji swore as he braced for impact.

“Forgive me for trying to save your ass again, miss.” The man chuckled as he steadied the chair, clearly amused at the frown and crease in the captive’s forehead.

The Dark Knight’s voice was low and rough, obviously altered but nonetheless alluring and seductive as it whispered in his ear. Sanji visibly shivered as his body remembered the way those lips felt against his heated flesh. He swore that he’d get the chance to even the score one of these days, and maybe even take it up a level. Leave it to him to be lusting after someone during a life-threatening situation.

The warmth of the other’s body left swiftly and another cry of pain signaled the defeat of the second criminal. Only two left now. Sanji could hear their whispers, but they were too far in front of him now to be able to decipher what was being said. He could hear faint footsteps leading in opposite directions.

“Aaahhhh!”

Sanji could hear the sounds of rope slipping through pulleys and a heavy object hitting the floor. A creaking noise had him smiling, imagining one of the jerks swinging like a pendulum from the rafters. A single scoundrel remained and the blonde reached out with everything he had trying to sense the man’s whereabouts. His blood ran cold when he felt the cool metal of a blade pressed to the side of his neck.

“We meet again, only this time I have the upper hand. Show yourself, Hero. Or your little girlfriend here...”

“Hey!” Sanji argued at being referred to as a woman for the second time that night. Why the hell has everyone been on a female kick lately? I’m a man, damn it!

“.. will become a little less animated. Whatda ya say?” The attacker from the first encounter shifted nervously behind Sanji as he scanned the darkness for any movement, the lights having been turned off by Zoro the moment he entered.

“Fuck you.” Zoro walked out of the shadows into a patch of moonlight, head bent and one sword resting on his shoulder. The parka gave him more of a cape look as it hung around him almost to his knees. The only parts of his body left visible were his feet and his hand as it tightened on the hilt in a methodic pattern.

Sanji waited impatiently, wishing he could be rid of the damn blindfold so he could see what was going on. He made the mistake of turning his head and the pressure on his neck increased, warning him to keep still.

“Lay down the weapon and come forward. You’re not getting away from me this time.” A slight shake in his voice betrayed his act of sure confidence.

Zoro knew he had to get the knife from Sanji’s throat as soon as possible. If the blonde swallowed too hard it would surely cause just enough pressure to pierce the skin. Sure enough, he watched the Adam’s apple bob and the blonde hissed as the blade drew forth a small drop of blood. Carefully laying Yubashiri on the ground, he took a step to the side, fingering the guard on Sandai Kitetsu’s hilt under the covering of his slicker as he moved. The man motioned him forward and the cloaked figure took slow measured steps towards the pair. He was close enough now that he could probably knick the asshole with his sword if he stretched his arm out, but not close enough to do any damage. Zoro waited patiently as the knife at Sanji’s throat slowly receded. His focus was so fixed on the small piece of metal that he missed the gleam in the thug’s eyes, barely catching the rapid movements in enough time to act.

Sanji heard the gunshot and the grunt of pain from in front of him, followed by a sharp intake of breath from behind. Several click sounds told him that the gun the criminal was holding had run out of ammo. The strong smell of urine wafted up to his senses, making him mentally check himself to see if he was the one to have the accident. Thankful, but concerned at the same time, he listened to every little detail. In this short amount of time, Sanji had gained massive amounts of respect for the blind.

“Don't kill me! Don't kill me, man! Don't kill me! Don't kill me, man!” begged the terrified man.

A voice that would send shivers down the spine of the most vicious of men seemed to blanket the blonde in serene warmth.

“I’m not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me.” With each sentence, another scratch was etched in the man’s neck; a retaliation for marring the smooth pale skin. Zoro kept the blade on the man’s throat as he advanced to bump knees with the still tied up victim. “I may not always be there, but I will find out if any of my friends have been harmed and I will extract my revenge.”

Sanji smiled and sighed in relief as the idiot stammered his willingness to comply with the demands given to him. After listening to him repeat the same words over and over again, he couldn’t help but grin at the sound of a hard fist hitting flesh and the thud that followed. Apparently, his Dark Knight had gotten tired of it too. The sound of a sword being returned to its sheath was the only noise now. Even the whimpering of the other two conscious men had subsided.

“You can untie me now.” Sanji snapped after a few minutes, angry that he had been left to just sit there after the bad guys had been taken care of.

“Maybe I like having you like this.” Zoro leaned forward and nipped at the pouting lips before capturing them in a deep kiss. Their tongues vied against each other, fighting for control. He wove the fingers into soft blonde tresses and yanked back, exposing the pale neck to reveal the slight trickle of blood from where the pocketknife had broken skin. Zoro trailed wet kisses down the soft flesh and licked the wound clean with long slow passes of his tongue. His side began to burn with the position in which he was standing, so he released his hold on Sanji’s hair and stepped back. He gently touched his side and frowned at the amount of blood that covered his hand when he took it away from the wound. “Damn it.”

“What’s the matter shitty-swordsman, feeling a bit of remorse for sexually assaulting a restrained man?”

“It’s not like you said no.”

“You didn’t give me a fucking choice; you just came over and shoved your tongue halfway down my throat!” Sanji’s voice was full of irritation.

“Would you rather I shove something else?” The blonde’s mouth was almost at the perfect level and after saying it that was all the swordsman could think of.

“Only if you want DK to stand for dickless knucklehead.” Sanji spat out.

Chuckling Zoro cut the ties securing the blonde reporter to his chair and bypassed the ones at his wrists and ankles completely. He needed to get Sanji out of here quickly before the police showed up, but he knew if he gave the man a chance he’d do everything in his power to reveal his identity. The burn in his side increased and he tried to figure out what he was going to do, wondering where he had put his cell phone. If all else failed he could call Logan, but that was a last course of action choice. Didn’t Chopper say that his mother was a doctor? If he offered to pay, maybe he could make his way over there and get stitched up without too many problems, but first he needed his sword. Walking carefully, he retrieved the black sword and slid it safely into its sheath.

“Hey bastard, I think you missed a couple ropes here.” Sanji stood up and immediately began to fall over, saved only by a strong pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Easy. I’ll help you.”

Sanji decided to humor the man for a moment and allowed his body to relax, leaning back into the Knight’s hold. He tried to imagine what the Dark Knight’s face looked like again while enjoying the hard muscles in the arms wrapped around his chest from behind. These were the same arms that restrained him just a few nights ago while they tried to hump each other in that dark alley doorway. He could feel himself getting hard at the thought of the Knight’s cock pressing into his hip. With a little grin, he realized if he moved his hands just slightly he could have his hands on that very cock right now.

Zoro buried his nose in the soft golden hair that was brushing his cheek, searching out the faint underlying musk of Sanji’s scent mixed with raspberries and cigarettes; a strange combination for sure, but none the less alluring to his lust driven mind. He remembered how it had felt to run his hands through the tresses that first night, even though they were soaked with rain, and just a moment ago when they had kissed. He needed to get away from the blonde as soon as possible if he wanted to keep his identity safe. Intimacy would require that he remove at least some of his clothing, and certain parts of his body would be dead giveaways to his identity; like the assortment of scars on his chest as well as the fresh wound on his side.

His eyes shot open wide and he barely controlled himself from crying out when his manhood was taken up in a firm hold through his jeans. Fuck being a gentleman; this was a declaration of war. One minute Sanji was happily palming and rubbing a growing cock, and the next he was thrown over a strong shoulder. Zoro stormed out of the warehouse on the opposite side he entered, not realizing his misdirection.

“You fucker! Put me down! Damn it! Who the fuck do you think you are! This is bullshit! I swear I’m gonna kick your fucking ass as soon as I get released from these damn ropes. You’re going to fucking regret this shit, you fucking, perverted, sadistic, egotistical, son of a bitch!”

The sounds of an approaching siren had him scrambling to find cover. He needed to silence the loud, annoying, wiggling body draped over his back. Zoro slapped him quite hard on his ass making the blonde yelp. “My mother was a saint, and it’s not polite to speak ill of the dead.”

That hushed Sanji briefly, but when Zoro kicked a door to see if he could get it to open, it jarred the blonde into anger once more. He wiggled frantically even with Zoro’s hand still on his ass and used the only thing he had left to fight with. It was the Knight’s turn to yelp when teeth bit into his back just below the waistline, only the thickness of his jeans and the slicker protecting him from injury though it did nothing to dull the intense wave of lust that came with the primitive action.

The next door happened to be unlocked and he walked right in. The room was clean and tidy with counters and cabinets everywhere. Only a small amount of light from a far off doorway allowed him to maneuver through the room without tripping. The sirens sounded as if they were just outside the door that he had just kicked shut behind him. He sat the blonde down on one of the countertops and immediately attacked his mouth with feverish kisses, holding his head still with strong hands. He nudged Sanji’s legs apart and forced his way between the blonde’s knees, making sure to keep the bound ankles immobile between his own thighs. Sanji clamped hard at his sides just below the bleeding wound causing the swordsman to hiss and back up.

“Fucker, untie me!” Sanji thrashed around on the countertop. “And take this shitty blindfold off.”

“I kinda like it.” Zoro grabbed the boney hips and pulled him over to the edge so their groins could meet. “I can do whatever I want and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Some would call that rape you know.” Sanji moaned low as Zoro licked at the fresh dot of blood on his neck.

“You can’t rape the willing.” Zoro brought one of his hands around to rub the growing bulge in the dark dress slacks. “And you seem oh, so willing.”

“Oh fuck.” Sanji leaned his head back and hit the solid wood of overhead cabinets.

Zoro’s control was slipping with each inch of hard flesh he felt under the fabric, his own desire quickly growing as well. He recaptured the soft lips, sucking the bottom lip into his mouth and grazing his teeth against the plump flesh as he pulled back. The image the blonde made in the dim light was the most erotic sight Zoro had ever seen. His hair was sticking to his face with sweat, his lips swollen with kisses, and the evidence of his arousal fighting against the confines of his pants. He needed this man like he needed air to breath.

His body shook as he tried to figure a way to safely have what he wanted. Should he just go ahead and let Sanji see him, or leave him restrained and helpless. The idea of the blonde naked and bound was all it took to make up his mind. He stepped back and pulled off the ruined poncho, laying it on the table in the middle of the room. His swords quickly followed, making Sanji cock his head a little more at each sound but no longer trying to get down from the counter.

“I swear if you fucking leave me here like this you’ll never get another chance again.” Sanji’s voice was final, as both a warning and an invitation.

Zoro practically ripped his blood shirt off and was on him again in an instant, settling between the blonde’s thighs as they willingly parted for him. The black shoes were rubbing at his crotch as he let his hands caress every inch they could touch. The meshing of their mouths was more of a battle than a kiss, both wanting the upper hand and neither willing to cave. It didn’t take long for Zoro to work open the belt and zipper of the black slacks, grabbing the hard erection that was released in a firm grasp through silk boxers. They each let out a pleasured moan and Sanji bucked his hips with each stroke. Zoro could feel the blonde’s legs quivering as he fought against the restraints and suddenly the feet between his thighs shoved him back roughly causing him to lose his grip. With a grunt of power, the blonde broke the knot holding the rope tight and freed his legs from their restraints. The long appendages shot out and snaked around his hips yanking him back hard.

“Fuck, yah” the blonde mumbled, apparently much more satisfied with their positions now.

Zoro couldn’t help but agree as he worked one hand under the beautiful gold shirt the cook was wearing, to press their bodies together at every point. He used his other hand to clumsily undo the small buttons as he nudged the blonde’s chin up and attacked his neck, marking him for a second time. Once he had their chests flush against each other, he slid his hands down the back of Sanji’s pants to cup his ass and lift him off the flat surface. The legs immediately tightened and Zoro growled at the pain in his side, though thankful that the blonde hadn’t noticed it yet. He sank his teeth into the silk collar, held tight to keep the cook from falling backwards, and began working the fabric off the slim hips. He chuckled at the yelp of shock when the bare skin of Sanji’s ass met with the cold metal surface.

“Shit! Mother fucker!” He blindly lashed out and sank his teeth into the tanned neck.

The pain from the blonde’s teeth in his flesh had his knees shaking from the surge of lust that came forth. Zoro began pulling frantically at the pants, trying to get them down, but with Sanji’s legs locked around him at the moment, he couldn’t move them any further.

“If you want to keep these I suggest you let go.” He grinned at how quick the blonde responded, toeing off one of his shoes in the process. He grabbed the waistband of both the pants and the boxers and yanked them off the shoe-free foot, not bothering with the other side. Not wanting to waste any more time, he shoved his own pants down to his knees before closing back in and letting their bare skin touch.

It was like playing with fire the way the heat spread through their bodies. Sanji whimpered as he continued to fight with the rope cutting into his wrists. He needed to touch, feel, and regain some amount of control before he lost it. The feel of rough hands caressing his thighs, hips and stomach… everywhere but the one place he needed to be touched was driving him mad. It shamed him how much he had fallen, acting like a slutty whore and spreading his legs so quickly for a man he had never even seen. He cried out as the Knight grabbed both of their cocks and in one hand and began stroking.

“Shitty-bastard, just fuck me!” If he were going to submit, he’d at least act like he was still in control. He could hear the clink of glass and a low chuckle before he was lifted off the counter again and a slick finger entered him. He wrapped his legs around hips again and felt something warm and slick on the Knight’s right side. Before he could begin to wonder what it was, a second finger joined the first and began to stretch him. Suddenly, he felt the Knight turning them around and the fingers slid out as he felt his upper body being lowered. Concerned that he would be dropped, he tightened his lock with his legs around the solid waist.

“Shit! I don’t suggest you do that again or it’s gonna hurt.” The Knights voice was low and slightly threatening.

Sanji was about to snap back when his arms and shoulders touched the metal surface of a lower cabinet or table. He hissed at the cold but tried to relax.

“Maybe if you fucking warn me, shithead! Where the hell are we? This fucking table is freezing my ass off.”

“I guess we’ll just have to fix that.” The knight chuckled and forced his arms under Sanji’s legs to cradle his bent knees in the crook of each arm. His hips were lifted, easing the discomfort of his hands awkwardly pressed into the small of his back and there was no warning before the head of a very large cock pressed through the tight ring of muscles accompanied by a blissful moan.

“Aghh!” For the first time Sanji was thankful for the blindfold as it hid the tear of pain that escaped.

The Knight bent down and kissed him softly, shocking the blonde completely. He hadn’t anticipated such an endearing act from the fighter so it took him a few seconds to register and respond. He used his heels to push against the man’s back to indicate he could proceed. The burn was almost overwhelming as he was completely filled. Still worried that this time would turn out like the others, he prepared himself for the worst.

“Hurry the fuck up and move,” his voice was laced with anxiety as he mumbled against the Knight’s lips.

“Mmmm.” The knight almost purred as he stood back up and began to move in short slow thrusts.

The pain began to subside and soon was replaced with a delicious heat. That was new, and so was the sudden jolt of pleasure that he was sure would have blinded him had he been able to see.

“Fuck!”

As if reading his mind, the Knight began hitting that spot repeatedly. His hips were lowered back to the table, putting pressure on his arms again but he quickly forgot about it when his right leg was pushed up onto a shoulder and his own weeping erection was taken into a firm hold, stroked in time with each rock of their hips. He knew sounds were coming out of his mouth, but none of it could even resemble words. This is exactly what he pictured sex would be like with the Dark Knight; overwhelming pleasure combined with just the right amount of pain.

The Knight leaned in and sank his teeth into his calf, sending him over the edge screaming. He barely heard the answering growl of his name as his lover reached his own climax and released deep inside his body. The arm under his leg was pulled out and his other fell off the sweat-slicked shoulder. As his left leg brushed back up against the Knight’s side, he felt the same warm wet feeling from before.

“What the fuck?” Sanji tried to sit up, and the now soft cock slid out of his ass making them both hiss. He moved his leg again to confirm his suspicions and felt the Knight stiffen at his movements. “Holy shit you’re fucking BLEEDING! You mean he actually hit you? You stupid fuck! Why the hell didn’t you say something? You’ve been shot and all you could think about is sex!”

“Actually, the sex was your idea. I had no plan to take you completely in a place like this.” There was an edge to the Knight’s voice as he backed away.

Sanji sat up carefully, searching for the floor with his feet to gain balance. “If I had known your stupid ass was shot I wouldn’t have said anything. What the fuck were you thinking?”

“You said this was my only chance. You really think I’m going to pass that up?” The Knight was suddenly in front of him again. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I laid eyes on you. Even before I saved you skinny ass.”

Any reply was quickly swallowed by a deep, heated kiss. When they broke apart this time Sanji felt something hard pushed into his palm.

“I need to get out of here before the cops start searching buildings. Be a sweetheart and clean up for me, huh?” Another quick kiss to the lips and the Knight was gone.

“Damn it! Hey! Hey! What the fuck?” Sanji took a few steps forward. The reporter felt strange yelling for someone who had no name, and even more so, no face.

“You fucking shitty swordsman! Bastard! Show yourself, damn it! Get you fucking ass back here you son of a bitch! If you die from that gunshot, I swear I’ll kick your ass myself.” Sanji ranted, not realizing the irony of his statements, nor that the person he was shouting for was in a totally opposite direction than what he was facing. Knowing it was pointless to go running off half-naked and blindfolded, he just stood there, simmering in his humiliation and anger. Turning the object in his hand, he realized it was a knife and began to cut at the hemp holding his arms behind his back. A few passes and the rope started to give way. As soon as it fell, he yanked off the cloth over his eyes and looked around.

He was in a fucking kitchen. Whose he didn’t know, but a kitchen nonetheless. Finding the switch on the wall he turned back around to look at how bad the ‘mess’ might be. There were only a few bloody smudges on the stainless steel counters and a couple droplets on the floor, but the entire inside of his left thigh was covered as well as his pants, jacket and shirt. The knife came from a butcher’s block on the counter, next to which sat an open bottle of Extra Virgin olive oil. Unable to leave the place in such a state, he pulled up his pants and looked around for cleaner and rags. He only hoped that there was no surveillance equipment in the room. Granted it would get him the identity of his hero, but it would also show him doing unspeakable things in a kitchen that didn’t belong to him. He finished removing all evidence of their encounter, pocketing the oil, and walked out into the night, pulling out his cell phone on the way.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Looking out at the main street Zoro could see his mistake in direction. The warehouse and police stood between him and the truck. Backtracking and making sure to avoid the area where he left the blonde, Zoro worked his way towards the parking lot at the apartment. He wrapped the poncho around his swords to help hide them should he be spotted and walked quickly across the street to hop into the oddly unlocked pickup. Dropping his swords and ruined raincoat in the floorboard of the truck, Zoro used the spare blanket to spread across the truck seat. Getting blood out of clothes was hard, but getting it out of upholstery was almost impossible. Logan would surely kill him if that happened.

He turned on the Garmin and brought up recently found address, selecting the one for Chopper’s home. Hopefully the kid wouldn’t be too mad for the late night visit. Maybe his mom would be as compassionate and jolly as he was and understand the need for privacy on the issue. Zoro began cussing when he saw more blue and red lights approaching the sight of the incident. He watched the doors to the apartment building fly open and Ace running down the street through his rear view mirror. He’d be getting a phone call later for sure. More than one if that was an unmarked detective’s speeding down the road ahead of him.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Chopper had just turned off the television when there was a soft knocking at his door. Due to the late hour, he screamed and hid behind the couch instead of answering it. Apparently the person on the other side heard him moving and began to knock a little louder.

“Oi, open the door… Come on Chopper, I need to see your doctor.” Zoro’s voice was muffled and laced with apprehension.

“Go away! We don’t have any money!” The young teen shouted.

“Chopper, what’s going on?” and woman’s voice, rough with age, sounded from the back of the house.

“Doctorine, there’s someone at the door asking for a doctor. No one should be here this late.” Chopper was shaking in fear as he looked up at his guardian.

“Nonsense, if someone needs a doctor then let them in.” Kureha quickly opened the door and glared down at the figure leaning against the doorframe. “They’d just better be willing to pay the price for the service.”

Zoro looked up in shock at the slender wrinkly woman and wondered just how old she really was. There was no way she could be the mother of anyone younger than possibly his grandfather. This hag was ancient!

“I’m Kureha. Chopper here says you need a doctor.”

“You’re his mother?” was the first thing to slip out of his mouth. A heavy fist came down on his head, causing his eyes to water. “What the fuck!”

“Show some respect to your elder’s young man!” Kureha grabbed him by the shell of his ear and pulled him into the house. “Now let’s see just what we have here.”

Zoro found himself being drug into a sterile white kitchen and shoved onto a stool beside the island counter. Not at all gentle, the old woman began turning him around to get a better look at the bloody wound on his side. Hn’ing to herself and nodding her head, she began to make her assessment.

“I can’t help you.” She said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Why the hell not? It just needs stitches. I’ve already looked it over. It’s not really even that deep; I just can’t get it to stop bleeding.” Zoro tried to stand up but was shoved roughly back into his seat.

“You’ve been shot.”

Chopper, who had been hiding just outside the doorway, gasped and stepped into the room. He had recognized Zoro the instant his mother had opened the door; no one else had the same green hair. The teen began to worry at the sight of blood that had soaked the man’s right side and kept close by in order to offer assistance. To know that he had been shot worried the aspiring young doctor. He really like the man, but guns were for criminals and police, both of which his friend was not. Right?

“Hn, it’s just a graze.” Zoro turned his head to look into the face of his classmate and began to regret coming here. Fear and worry were displayed clearly on the other’s face. “I’ll just fix it myself then.”

Another cuff to the head had Zoro seeing stars. “Yamero, kuso-baba! [Stop that, you stupid old hag.]

“Take a better look, sonny. I’m still a young 83.”

“Wakai janee zo!” [Young, my ass.] Zoro grumbled, dodging when another fist came flying at his head.

“With all that green hair and witty Japanese, you must be Yuu’s boy. I should have known. Ungrateful little brat…” She began searching through the cabinets, pulling out random items and handing them to the waiting assistant who still kept his concerned eyes on the wounded man. “Make sure when you see him again, you tell him that he owes me dinner at the least. I’m getting tired of fixing up his boys when they play too rough.”

Zoro sat there wide eyed as the realization hit him of what she asked. The crazy old lady wanted him to set her up on a date with his grandfather. Even scarier, was the idea that his ojii-san would probably agree. A shiver ran down his spine as he pictured the tall skinny woman with his short, perverted grandfather eating dinner and going to the movies.

“You do realize that I’m supposed to report all bullet wounds to the police, right?” She paused to look at Zoro for a response. When he gave her a blank stare, she just sighed heavily and continued. “I could get in a lot of trouble for treating you, not that I care though. I just want you to understand what kind of position you’ve put Chopper and me in. I expect payment.”

“If I had realized that, I wouldn’t have come.” Zoro finally met the worried eyes of the teen and his guilt hit him hard. “Gom- … I’m sorry, Chopper. I don’t mean to get you in trouble.”

“Were you really shot?” Chopper’s voice was shaky, and still high pitched. Zoro wondered if the kid had even fully hit puberty yet. He had wanted to ask earlier in the evening, but never got the opportunity with the others around.

“Aa, I was.” Might as well be honest, he thought.

“Why?”

“I didn’t move fast enough.”

Chopper’s concern left and was replaced with annoyance at Zoro’s evasive answers. He spread the collection of medical items on the counter and joined Kureha at the sink to wash up. They reminded Zoro of surgeons preparing to operate. Gloves were donned and Chopper assisted the woman in tying an apron across her front. Together they assisted the wounded man in removing his shirt and they both stood there gaping at the huge pink scar running across Zoro’s chest and stomach. Fortunately, it deterred them from the purple blemishes on his neck and shoulder.

“I can see that this isn’t the first time you’ve been attacked.” The doctor stated as she began cleaning the blood away from the angry looking gash. “Fortunately, you’re right about how bad this is. It’ll hurt like a bitch for a while, but no permanent damage done. If you stay off of it for a week, it should heal nicely. This means no more fights or whatever it is that you were doing.”

“I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work.” Zoro winced as a needle injected burning liquid into the area around the opening. “Every time I think I have it under control, something happens and I end up right back in the middle of everything again. Fuck that burns!”

Kureha laughed as she sat the syringe down on the counter. “Don’t be a pussy. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Um, Zoro? You weren’t doing anything illegal, were you?” Chopper asked shyly.

Zoro studied the boy and wondered again just how old he was. Innocence wafted off of him almost as thick as the kids in his kendo class. Zoro felt a strong urge to protect the little guy just as much as he would any of his close friends that he had known for years. Again, the idea of a little brother came to mind.

“I only was protecting something…” Zoro gave him a reassuring smile and realized that he had lost his glasses somewhere along the way. Hopefully they were in the truck with the slicker and his swords. He kicked himself for showing this little guy his true image. He could see the way Chopper was studying his scars and decided to try and ease his mind. Zoro began pointing out different marks here and there on his torso. “I got this one at my first kendo competition. This came from my best friend when we were playing around after class one day. These are from the matches I fought in high school. And this one,” he said as he indicated the large scar bisecting his chest and abdomen, “this is the one that sent me here to the US. Tonight’s is from trying to protect someone that is important to me.”

Chopper was about to ask him more when the doctor interrupted them. “OK, Chopper, you do the stitching this time. He should be fairly numb now, so don’t worry about hurting him. This way I don’t have to say I did anything.”

Copper looked back and forth between the two adults in the room, trying to decide if it was really ok to proceed. When Zoro gave him a confident nod, he mirrored it and picked up the curved needle and surgical thread off the counter. Zoro kept perfectly still as the teen began to suture the wound closed. It amazed the green-haired man that someone so young could be this proficient at such a task. He wondered just why the boy was in some of his classes at college instead of still in high school.

“Oi, Chopper? Just how old are you.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m 17. Why?” The teen didn’t even look up from his task as he answered.

“Most people I know at your age would be still in high school rather than in college.” Zoro’s brow furrowed in confusion. “And if you’re studying to be a doctor, why are you taking business classes?”

“I’m a prodigy. I graduated school at 13 and began studying to be a doctor right after. Nami’s the one who made me take Intro to Business Communications. She said she would forget that I owed her if I took it and helped her out. Besides, I’m almost ready to do my residency anyway. I’ll start that next year, I hope. That is if I can find somewhere that will accept me. Most places I’ve talked to don’t want someone so young on their staff.” Chopper’s shoulders slumped a little and his movements slowed, obviously bothered greatly by this hiccup in his life’s plan.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you out. I might be able to pull a few strings for you. It’s the least I can offer for you doing such a good job at patching me up.” Zoro grinned down into the red face of the young man.

“Shut up, you bastard!” he shouted, though he was grinning and blushing like crazy. “I don’t appreciate your help one bit!” With that, Chopper began gathering up all of the supplies and putting them away.

Zoro sat in shock for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Aa, tanuki! I understand completely.” He definitely liked this guy. Zoro took a moment and admired the very neat and precise stitches. It would leave a scar, but nothing like the one on his front. All he had to do was reduce his activities, not rip out the stitches and all would be good.

Still slightly flushed, Chopper taped a large square of gauze over the wound to keep the dirt out, humming slightly as he worked.

“There. I’d stay home from school tomorrow if I were you. You’ll be even sorer in the morning. Now be sure to come back and see me to get the stitches removed. It should take about a week to 10 days before that happens. Of course, I’ll be seeing you between now and then for the assignment from class. From your physique, I can tell you work out. Until I say, no training. It will all depend on how fast you heal to decide when that will be. Even after that, you should be careful and not aggravate it too much. Tell your lover that means no sex for at least a week as well.” Chopper, despite his almost childish appearance, sounded every bit the seasoned doctor and all Zoro could do was nod in agreement until the last order.

“Lover?!” he shouted.

Chopper looked up at him and blinked innocently then looked pointedly at his neck and back up to his face. “Some of those are fresh, not to mention you reek of sex.”

“Oh… um, yah.” Zoro blushed deeply before a frown crossed his face. “I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it happening again for a while anyway. It was kind of a heat of the moment thing. We actually can’t stand each other… and before you even ask it wasn’t Ace. We just work together for Jiji. He only acts like that to fuck with Nami and make her think we’re screwing like rabbits.”

Chopper giggled and nodded, gesturing to the sink for him to clean up. Zoro had just finished washing his hands and arms, much like Chopper and Kureha had done earlier, when the old woman returned to the kitchen. She brought an ugly, faded, and possibly at one time green sweater with two gold cross buttons down the front and three black stripes around the v-neck collar. It looked like something out of the late 60’s. Zoro was reluctant to even touch it, but he did need something to cover up with on his ride home.

“Here, this is one of Hiruluk’s old sweaters. Can’t have you running around half naked now, can we? Sorry but I can’t do anything for the pants, unless of course you want to go around in some raggedy old pink ones.” Kureha gave him an evil smirk before leaving again, cackling to herself.

“Look, Chopper? I’m really sorry to have pulled you into this.” Zoro said softly after the scary old woman left.

“How can you pull me into something I don’t know anything about? You still haven’t said what happened.” Chopper hopped up on the stool next to his new friend. “Um, so what ARE you gonna tell people?”

“I’ll probably tell them I slipped up while working on the traditional Japanese garden I’m building for Jiji. Um, my grandfather.” Zoro corrected himself when he noticed Chopper’s confusion.

“Ok… are you gonna tell them I fixed you?”

“I hadn’t thought about that, but I probably should. After all, it would really help you out with the ladies if I told them what a great surgeon you’re turning out to be.” Zoro broke out in a full smile as the bright red blush again decorated the boy’s cheeks.

“I don’t need your help, asshole. It wouldn’t make me happy at all.” Chopper ducked his head and tried to hide behind his long bangs. At the sound of Zoro’s hearty laugh, he remembered the name, or what he thought was a name, the larger man had used. “So what was that, that you called me earlier? Tan…”

“Tanuki? They’re part of Japanese folklore. Happy little guys who are masters of disguise, but gullible and even absent minded. For some reason you just remind me of them.” Zoro reached out and ruffled the shaggy brown hair affectionately. He had made sure to leave out the animal’s description, worried that it might offend the little guy. So what if the boy reminded him of a cute little cuddly raccoon-dog.

Chopper sat there a moment trying to decide if he should be offended or not. Giving up and just going with it, he gave a crooked grin to Zoro and helped pull the old sweater on over the green-haired man’s head. They both snickered as they took in his appearance. Zoro looked down at the blood and dirt stains on his jeans and decided that maybe this pair would be better off in the trash, along with the slicker currently in the floor of his cousin’s truck.

After promising the young doctor-in-training that he would be back in a week to have the stitches checked, Zoro stumbled out the front door. Chopper stood there watching the tall man fumbling around in the front seat for something before he started the engine and left. The young doctor was full of happiness for the first time in many years. He had finally made a new friend and more than likely a new patient if the scars were anything to go by. He thought it odd that he felt no apprehension towards the powerful man. Maybe it was his kind smile and honest words, but Chopper trusted him immediately. If he could be seen in the presence of a guy like that, surely those bullies would leave him alone, right?

In the background, Kureha smiled down at her adopted son, thankful that he had finally made a new friend at his school. He needed a big brother type to look after him. She had done her best in raising him, but there was only so much a woman could do for a young man trying to find his place in the world. He needed the type of guidance she could no longer offer. That and she really couldn’t expect him to listen to her when it came to the ‘talk’. This man would do just fine for that.

Knowing that Zoro was the grandchild of Yuu, she didn’t worry a bit about the origins of the wound Chopper had just sewn shut. That old man wouldn’t let his family be involved in something illegal unless it was for a good cause. Besides, she could tell that most of the scars on his body were from knives or swords, so she had a good guess as to how it happened. She had been reading the school paper that was left on the table just a few days ago and found the article about the Dark Knight vaguely familiar. Seeing him tonight made her realize why. Oh the memories.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Zoro took time to place his swords back into their case before bringing them into the house. The bloody clothing and blanket were gathered and put aside to burn and his glasses were finally perched back on his nose where they didn’t really belong. He never saw the amused smile of his grandfather peeking around the corner and watching every move he made. Dead tired, Zoro stripped and stumbled on to bed, trying to remember if he was able to shower with the stitches or if he had to take a bath. He hoped the former because he hated taking a bath alone.