The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 18
Past Endeavors

Frank stood from his uncomfortable plastic seat and pulled Shanks to him in a tight embrace. When he had left the message on the man’s answering machine, he had no idea of the redhead would actually show or not. They stood there holding each other for several minutes before the buzzer sounded and luggage started to appear down the chute. Reluctantly, they separated and Frank’s attention was drawn to strange way Shanks had his jacket draped over one shoulder. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, Frank trailed his hand over the shoulder to the upper part of the man’s arm to where it abruptly ended.

“I’m sorry,” was all he managed to choke out.

“Don’t be. Luffy’s a good kid. An arm for a life. I thought it was a pretty good deal for me.” Shanks gave him a cocky grin, knowing that his arm was not what the man was apologizing for. He nodded his head towards the baggage carousel. “Let’s get your things and get out of here. We have a lot to catch up on, and Makino is anxious to see you again.”

“Me? Shit. What does she know?” Frank said, very surprised.

“Hey, they were best friends, so pretty much everything, and she’s jealous as hell.” Shanks slapped him on the back hard and shoved him towards his luggage.

“It figures. Those two never did have secrets.” Frank frowned and shook his head as he thought about his ex-wife and her high school friend. If one knew, the other knew. And sadly, if one had it, the other usually wanted it. “It was honorable of you to marry her.”

“What else could I do? The people we loved were gone from our lives. It’s not a typical marriage, but we love each other in our own way.” There was deep sadness in Shanks’ voice as he watched Frank pick up his green duffle bag. He eyed the military bag with slight disgust, but wiped it from his face before turning his attention back to the man holding it. The sight was so similar to when they had parted last time that he felt tears forming in his eyes all over again, and the memories of their past started to surface.

*flashback*

Business was steady and things were going just fine until Shanks overheard his partner talking to one of the lower guys about wanting to branch off. Apparently, the black market they had been working so hard to establish wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to dabble in more lucrative endeavors, and that idea had to be stopped immediately before things got out of hand.

“What’s this about drugs?” Shanks crossed his arms and frowned at the man sitting across him.

“I just think that we need to be a bit more open in our ideas.” The man scowled back at him.

“I’m not going to be responsible for putting that stuff in the hands of teenagers and children. What we deal with is plenty.”

“And I say it’s not!” The man slammed his fist on the tabletop, sending the papers and magazines flying in all directions. “I’ve already set up a meeting with a man from Cuba tomorrow night. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of my way.”

“I won’t allow this. I-“

“You don’t have a choice! The deal is done, and I will not back out of it.” The angry man leaned over the table and grabbed the front of Shanks’ shirt. “I’m tired of sitting backstage while you get all the glory. I’m running the show now!”

The next night, Shanks stood in the back of the warehouse by the dock watching as the well-armed bodyguards filed out of the car and flanked an important looking man. In total, there were over twenty men on both sides facing each other and the atmosphere was so thick it hurt to breath. As Shanks suspected, the deal went sour and soon there were bullets flying everywhere. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure moving through the shadows. Worried that it might be an ambush, he scrambled after the attacker to try to cut him off. As the battle progressed below, Shanks found himself on the lower catwalk, closing in on the lone man.

Suddenly the man turned and Shanks caught his breath as the shadows played across the lower face of the most exquisite man he had ever seen. Long green hair hung in a low tie at the nape of the man’s neck, while the rest of his head was covered with a black scarf that was attached to a soft black mask . It immediately reminded Shanks of the old Zorro movies. Paralyzed from shock, he could do nothing but watch as the man winked at him and jumped down into the middle of the chaos. With elegant grace, the man brought out a pair of weapons that Shanks had never seen and engaged himself in the war.

The chrome shaft of each was at least a foot long with black leather wrapping in the center for grip. Attached to the top was an eight-inch blade, curved on top yet strait on bottom, and razor sharp on both. It reminded Shanks of the old sickle his grandfather used on the farm, but much deadlier. The ease with which the man moved with them said he had been using them for years.

Bullets seemed to pass right by the masked man as he danced among Shanks’ men towards the foreigners. A few of them looked up to Shanks for any sign that they should attack the newcomer. The redhead shook his head and shrugged his shoulders to let them know he was honestly not sure who the man was. Shanks shouted for Yassop to run when a tower of crates began to fall towards the man. The masked stranger heard the shout and dove onto the unsuspecting man, knocking him out of the way. A blink later, and he was gone again, back into the fray and attempting to take out as many men as possible without killing them. Yassop sat for a second in shock before shouting to a few of the others to back the masked man up.

A bullet ricocheted off a metal brace next to Shanks’ head, jerking him out of his daze. He followed the path and was met with the sight of his partner aiming at him again.

“You did this to me! You ruined everything!” the partner shouted. He pulled the trigger and laughed maniacally as Shanks tried to dodge the shot. “I warned you that you would pay!”

Shanks took off for the stairs leading down to the main floor, praying he would be able to make it out of this mess alive so he could kill that bastard. He didn’t duck in time and a well-aimed bullet managed to send his hat flying off his head. Reaching to catch it, before it fell to the ground and was destroyed, Shanks lost his balance and began to fall. His fingers caught the edge of the railing and he managed to avoid certain death yet again that day, though his hat was sure to suffer the ill fate. He could feel the tips of his fingers brush it briefly before he was forced to use both hands to support his weight.

Shanks could hear that the fighting was nearly at an end, and wondered how well of a target he was making, just hanging there. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself back onto the ledge and turned to see where his shooter had disappeared to now. Seeing him nowhere, Shanks hurried down the stairs to see to the welfare of his remaining men. Bodies of the Cuban’s posse were laying everywhere, some alive but not all. So far, none of his men were in fatal condition, but wounds were needed to be patched up and he was afraid the cops would be arriving any time. A thunderous shout could be heard from across the room along with the click of the hammer on the empty gun, sending the tiny prickles of panic down everyone’s spine. That is everyone but Shanks. He was too pissed off to panic.

“You son of a bitch! You see what your little scheme cost us? The cops will be here any minute and we have men bleeding everywhere. You’re lucky no one was killed or I’d take it out-“ Shanks’ head swung violently to the side as his partner’s heavy fist collided with him. He wasted no time recovering and immediately countered with his own attack. The men that were still able to stand tried to pull the two of them apart.

“This is why I wanted to do this alone. I knew having you here would screw everything up.” The man fought against the hold of the other men. “Let me go, you imbeciles if you know what’s good for you.”

“Release us! We have better things to do than stand here fighting. Get our men to the safe house and have them patched up.” Shanks shook off the two men holding him. Their grips had not been that hard, and he knew that they were trying to decide if they even wanted to restrain him at all. Shanks turned to help where he could and decided to ignore his raging partner for the time being. The gun was empty, and everyone was watching him closely. Shanks knew that everything was under control, at least for the moment.

The angry partner sank back into the shadows, glaring viciously at anyone who dared to come near him. It was as if an invisible barrier had been erected around him and nothing could permeate it. His eyes almost glowed red and his voice was reduced to an animalistic growl. Suddenly he began laughing, a low, sadistic, hysterical laugh that drew silence from everyone left in the building. Sirens could barely be heard in the distance as the laughter increased.

“Let’s go men!” Shanks shouted. “Every able man grab another and let’s run!”

As Shanks waited for the last of his men to exit, he caught sight of the masked man again, waiting up on the catwalk where they had first encountered each other. In the strange man’s hand was his beloved hat. With a flick of the wrist, the straw hat came flying down and landed at Shank’s feet. The masked man grinned, then bowed to him and blew him a kiss before disappearing once again. Completely bewildered, Shanks slowly picked up his ‘treasure’ and stumbled as Yassop grabbed him by the arm to drag him out of the danger.

After that night, rumors began spreading around like wildfire about a masked man that was taking out the major drug gangs. There was no doubt in Shanks’ mind that it had to be his mysterious stranger. He and his partner had barely spoken to each other since the disastrous meeting, and the insane look that had taken over in the man’s eyes began to worry the entire crew. Everyone watched their back as well as each other’s. A separation began and the gang broke apart with most of the men following the promise of mounds of money. A small section of loyal friends stayed with Shanks and the redhead vowed to make it up to them. It was two months after the warehouse incident when life as he knew it would change.

Shanks and his handful of faithful men were sitting in the back few tables of the Oro Jackson when the front doors were thrown open. The bar had been their front for business for many years, and was now being run by the owner’s daughter, Makino. She screamed as several of Shanks’ ex-partner’s followers entered the establishment with guns drawn.

“We’re here for Shanks’ head,” one of them bravely called out.

Not wanting any more injuries like last time, Shanks willingly followed them, assuring his own crew that he would be fine and not to worry. His hands were tied behind his back and he was thrown into the back of a large black car. They drove back down to the same warehouse at the waterfront where the fiasco had originally begun. Shanks scoffed when he saw the ‘throne’ his former friend was seated upon.

“You must really think you’re something.” Shanks spat on the floor to further show his disgust.

“You’re the only thing standing in the way of having it all now. You see, it seems that some of the bigger names out there that will only deal with you, but if I eliminate you, they will have no choice but to see things my way.”

“You’re insane!” Shanks screamed before being forced to his knees.

“Goodbye Shanks.”

“Fuck you Buggy! You’re nothing but a joke! A jester acting as the king in a court of fools. A sorry excuse for even a clown.”

The hammer came back and the barrel rotated, loading the bullet into the chamber. As the spark ignited, there was a sharp pain in Buggy’s arm and he watched as his hand fell away from his arm as if in slow motion; the bullet flying past Shanks’ ear rather than into his head. Buggy’s screams echoed out into the sea air, sending gulls flying away in fear.

Shanks sat there on his knees, wide eyed with shock, as the mysterious stranger stood between him and Buggy, blood dripping off the tips of his Kamas. The masked man appeared out of thin air, capturing Buggy’s arm at the wrist between the deadly blades and pulled in opposite directions, severing the hand completely. He was dressed completely in black, making his long green hair stand out even more in contrast. The bottom half of his face was the only thing left uncovered, showing his thin lips pressed into a hard frown.

“I suggest that you discontinue your plans for now and prepare to have a nice long stay in one of our government run facilities.” His voice was low and smooth, emanating power and authority with every syllable spoken. “The man behind me is now under my protection and any further attempts at his life will result in the forfeit of the man carrying out the order as well as the man who issued it… Do I make myself clear?”

“What are you doing? Shoot him!” Buggy screamed in pain as he tried to find something to stop the blood flow from the stump where his hand used to be.

With feline grace, the masked stranger dodged every bullet and closed the distance between he and the ones holding the guns. Shanks felt like he was watching an intricate dance as the man took down every one of Buggy’s followers. Only the ones who insisted on getting back up after the first attack were dealt critical blows.

Sirens could be heard closing in and Shanks worriedly called out to the man. “Run! The cops are almost here.”

The stranger looked over to him and smiled before securing the wicked looking weapons in leather straps at his hips. “Then I guess I’d better take you with me. You just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”

Shanks nodded numbly and allowed himself to be led out the rear exit just as the first cop car pulled in through the open bay doors. The ropes were cut from his hands and he found himself climbing on to the back of a large motorcycle . The sleek black and chrome fit the stranger’s powerful image, and he barely had enough time to grab a hold of the man’s leather jacket before they sped off into the night.

Buggy’s hand was recovered inside the warehouse and surgically reattached, though it would never work the same again. He and the surviving members of his crew were gathered up and sentenced to various lengths of time depending on their crimes. Buggy swore on the stand that he would get his revenge one day.

DK*DK*DK*DK

At the same time that Shanks was lost in his own bittersweet memories, Frank became lost in his own vision of their past…

Frank pinned the lithe body down to the couch and immediately attacked his neck. Their clothing was thrown across the auto shop’s office with the exception of the black mask concealing his identity. But, tonight he planned to take even that off. They had been screwing each other senseless over the last four months and he felt it was now time that he showed his new lover how much trust he had in him. Without breaking his hold on the tender flesh, he brought Shanks’ hands to the back of his head and placed them over the knotted fabric.

“Take it off,” he whispered huskily between licks and nips to the sensitive neck.

Shanks tried to look up from his position but Frank refused to relinquish his attack on the abused neck. He just nodded, waiting for the impact of his words to sink in. Soon, a slow smile crept over the redhead’s face and he hurried to loosen the knot, while Frank deepened the color of the mark he had started. When the fabric pulled free, he willed his nerves to still and prayed that this wasn’t a mistake. He could feel the tremors of excitement in his lover’s body as he tried to wait patiently for Frank to lean back. Slowly, Frank propped himself up on his forearms and looked down into his lover’s eyes.

Frank hovered there, waiting impatiently for him to say something. Anything. But, Shanks just lay there, studying every feature he could make out in the moonlit room. A tentative hand came up and began tracing his nose, cheekbones, eyebrows, then finally weaving into his thick hair. The leather tie that was holding the long locks in place was removed and the green tresses fell gracefully around his face accentuating his sinfully handsome features. The curious look was replaced with a blushing smile and Shanks leaned up to kiss him softly on his lips.

Their bodies molded together as desire rekindled through them. Frank ground his hips into the man below him and deepened the kiss. He nipped at Shanks’ lips and they opened immediately, allowing his tongue to slip in and taste everything he had to offer. Frank arched his back as blunt nails dug into the hard muscle of his ass and pulled him closer. He broke the kiss to moan deeply.

“Fuck, you feel fantastic. I could stay like this forever,” Shanks trailed his lips across Frank’s jaw and nibbled on his ear.

“Mmmm. I agree.” Frank worked a hand down to a slender thigh and pulled it up so he had better access to the redhead’s ass.

A crash was heard and they both jerked their heads towards the now open door. There stood a beautiful young Japanese woman with tears running down her face. A decoratively wrapped bento lay in ruins on the floor at her feet.

“Haruka…” Frank couldn’t bring himself to look into either of their faces as he slowly stood to face his wife.

Frank kicked himself for being so stupid. The auto shop was where he worked during the day and also where he would come to clean up after any bloody battles. It wasn’t unusual for his wife to bring him something to eat and leave it on the desk when he wouldn’t come home on time. She knew of his secret identity, and supported him in every way she possibly could. The smell of spilled miso soup filled the room.

“I didn’t realize,” she began in a whispered voice. “Is this why you never come home now? I thought you were just out playing hero.”

He could hear Shanks behind him scrambling for his clothes. “I told you when we married that there were things about me that you were better off not knowing. Though, I never meant for you to find out like this.”

“Do you love him?” Haruka’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the small room as she watched him nod slowly. There was a long pause before her words came again, cracked and broken through her tears. “And yet knowing this, I can’t find a way to stop loving you myself.” She took a moment to settle her crying. “I don’t want Zoro raised in a world of distrust… Until I can forgive you, I want you to stay away.”

“I’m not leaving my son.” He raised his head and looked at her tear-streaked face.

“I’m not giving you a choice.” Her voice was firm and yet full of pain. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left.

Strong arms encircled him from behind and soft kisses were placed along his shoulder with whispered apologies. Frank turned and pulled Shanks against him, burying his face in the redhead’s neck to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. Listening to the soft murmurs of comfort from his lover only served to make the severity of his situation set in. If he stayed, he would continue this forbidden relationship, because he honestly did love the man. He probably loved Shanks more than he would ever love Haruka, though she did hold a special place in his heart. Yet if he stayed, the chances of ever being able to see his son would be next to nothing. Lose the one who held his heart, or lose his family. Either way he looked at it, he knew he would end up miserable. He needed to get away and think.

Frank lifted his head and caught up Shanks’ lips in a passionate, soul-shattering kiss. One that conveyed the heartbreaking fact that this would most likely be the last kiss they would share. When they parted, Frank swallowed hard and tried to find his voice. Words refused to come and he could barely grab his clothes before he ran from the building. It was three days before anyone saw him again.

He tried going to Detective Garp and begging the policeman to arrest him so that he could serve some form of penance, but the man angrily refused. Kureha nearly beat him to death when he tried to get her to give him a lethal injection. Zeff kicked him out of the kitchen for asking him to let Frank prepare his own blowfish dinner. He even went to see his sensei, his father-in-law, hoping that if he confessed his wrongdoing the man would instantly kill him. Yuu almost did just that. The little Japanese man came unglued and attacked Frank with earnest until he noticed the man was not fighting back.

In the end, Yuu banished Frank from the dojo with tears rolling down his face. With a heavy heart, Frank handed over his Kamas and vowed to never disobey his superiors again. Frank’s world grew darker with every step he took from his home-away-from-home. The sound of the shoji shutting echoed in his ears and he felt the doors to his heart drawing closed as well. He turned to the only place he knew that would force him to conform to a standard.

It was one week later that Frank stood in line waiting to board the bus for basic training. Haruka had brought Zoro to say goodbye to his daddy, and even gave Frank a soft kiss on the cheek. He had his foot on the first step to the bus when he heard someone calling his name. Frank turned to see Shanks standing there, fury written all over his face and his hands fisted at his sides. The man behind Frank gave him a nudge and the green haired man turned back to the bus without another word to the one person who he had finally given his heart to. A single tear escaped as he heard Shanks screaming at him when the bus drove off.

*end of flashbacks*

The sound of Shank’s voice telling him to come back still rang in his ears as if had just happened. He looked around at the attention they had already drawn and decided it was time to take their reunion somewhere else. Lacing their hands together, he pulled the shorter man along with him and headed for the parking lot. They rounded a corner into an empty corridor and Frank dropped his bag, pulling the redhead in close.

“I know I don’t deserve this, but just let me pretend I never got on that bus, even if it’s only for a moment.” Frank hid his face in Shanks’ neck and squeezed his eyes shut to block out the visual signs that nearly eighteen years had passed. One strong arm circled around his waist, and a fist clenched in the fabric of his jacket.

“Damn I missed you,” Shanks mumbled as he nuzzled into Frank’s chest. They stood there holding each other until a polite cough from a passerby startled them back to the present. Shanks began chuckling and lifted his head enough to speak clearly. “You’re son seems to have the same knack for getting intimate in interesting places.”

“Huh?” Frank’s eyes popped open and he wondered just how the man would know that.

“We were having problems with someone breaking in to the bar so Makino made us install a surveillance camera to catch the burglars in the act. Instead she caught Zoro and his…” Shanks suddenly stopped as he realized that Frank might not know this much about his son.

“Let me guess: A blond-haired, blue-eyed reporter with an incredible ass.” Frank bemoaned.

“So you already knew.” Shanks started laughing again and snuggled deeper into Frank’s arms. “Playing hero and seducing men. He’s more like you than you realize. I have a copy of the tape still if you want to see.”

“HELL NO!” Frank blushed slightly at his horrified outburst. “I have enough problems with terrifying nightmares; I don’t need another image to fuel them.”

Frank felt the man stiffen in his arms and knew that whatever was on his mind would not be good. The cheerful mood was gone, and in its place was the feeling of dread.

“You couldn’t have picked a better… or worse time to show up.” Shanks could feel Frank tense up as he spoke. He pulled away and turned to look out the window to the parking lot. “It’s been eighteen years, but I still remember the night we met, and the first night we spent together. You know, I still have your bike in my garage. You probably need to buy a new helmet though. I start it once a month just so it stays in working condition. I have your leather jacket and pants, too. I used to love the way you looked in them. That green hair of yours really stood out, not to mention your strange weapons. At least Zoro had the brains to cover his head… little good it did though.”

Frank joined him at the window and crossed his arms over his chest. He smiled at the thought of his bike still being around. Maybe they could take a ride on it again together. But first, he had other issues to deal with. “That boy never was good at keeping a low profile, no matter how hard he tried. I guess this means that he’ll be coming back to Okinawa with me.”

“It’s not that simple. Taking him away won’t solve the problem this time.” Shanks closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the cool glass. “Too many people are involved now. If he leaves, that damn clown will just take it out on the people close to him.”

“Clown? You mean…” Frank couldn’t bring himself to say the name, for fear that he might be right. “Please tell me it isn’t…”

“Yuu and the others are expecting us at the dojo around seven. Apparently they have a couple of new boys in town gathering some inside information so we don’t go in blind.” Shanks pulled back and looked up into dark green eyes with concern. “Buggy found out your identity from someone in prison and he’s vowed vengeance. When he found out that you were out of the country, he began rebuilding.”

Frank’s brow furrowed deep in frustration. He sighed heavily and ran his hands over his short, thinning hair. He had not come prepared for this. It was just suppose to be a little trip to talk to his son about life and being responsible for his actions. Ghosts of his past were supposed to stay there, not come back to haunt him. Frank’s heart almost stopped when he heard the rest of the bad news.

“The men Zoro’s been attacking are his. I would have stepped in sooner, but I thought he was just picking on some random punks. There hadn’t been any word of a new power in town and I didn’t even know that Buggy was out until Garp called this morning. He said that Higa’s Dojo was trashed last night; threats written all over the wall in red and green paint. Buggy knows who Zoro is, Frank, and he’s out for blood… All of ours.”

DK*DK*DK*DK

After finally getting Garp to calm down, the meeting disbursed and everyone went on with their daily plans. Messages had been left with the Horsemen to arrive after school let out to help with cleaning up the graffiti and vandalism in the dojo, so Yuu headed over early to remove the worst of the foul language. Zeff called up his protégé, instructing him that there was a large business group meeting in their private dining room and Sanji would be needed to attend to their needs, so he had to get his ass to the Baratie as soon as possible after class. Kureha had a few rounds to make at the hospital, but promised to return later. Garp reluctantly headed to the office to at least put in an appearance, knowing that he would only kill one of his subordinates if he tried to talk to him right now.

Tonight, when everyone had settled, and hopefully their spies had gained some useful knowledge, another meeting would take place. This time, the number of people attending would be much larger, and tension was sure to be thick. None of the men were known to have a good hold on their tempers, and the one person who could always keep the peace was no longer with them. Maybe this time though, it would end for good.

It was early afternoon by the time Yuu was satisfied with his cleaning, and he realized it was time to head to the airport to pick up Johnny and Yosaku. If they were going to use Zoro’s friends in this big scheme, they would need to catch the boys before they had a chance to talk to his grandson. He left a note taped to the door for the boys to wait for their sensei and called a cab to take him to the airport since his beloved wagon was still not working. By the time he arrived, the plane the boys were on had just landed and Yuu quickly found his way over to the corresponding gate to greet them. He felt a twinge of pity at the pathetic look of the pair when they exited the tunnel.

“I take it you had a rough time getting here?” Yuu almost laughed when they both jumped a foot off the ground.

“Hai, Jiji.” Johnny bowed deeply to the elder. “We called Zoro to come get us. You didn’t have to come.”

“But he did hang up on us. We were gonna try again when we got here.” Yosaku joined his boyfriend in showing his respect.

“No need to bother him while he is at school. Besides, I have a favor to ask of you.” Yuu patted each of them on the top of their heads before urging them to stand. He lowered his voice and motioned them to come in close. “As you know Zoro-kun has gotten himself into a bit of a predicament. I need you to gather some information for us, so we know just what we’re dealing with. Things have gotten a bit more complicated than we originally planned for.”

The two young men looked back and forth at each other, confused and very worried. Hesitantly, Yosaku spoke. “Is he in trouble?”

Yuu nodded and Johnny stepped forward, squaring his shoulders. “Anything to help. Tell us what you need.”

Yuu explained the plan to have Johnny and Yosaku go directly to one of the gang’s known hangouts and see if they could strike up a conversation. Both were skilled with a sword, so maybe they could offer their assistance in regards to the problem with the Dark Knight. Above all, they were told to stay safe and no heroics of any sort were to be tolerated. It was a sketchy plan, but they were good at improvising on the fly when necessary. This was for Zoro, so they could not fail. They gave their luggage to Yuu and headed off to the shady side of town.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Zoro scowled as he stomped… yes he was very obviously throwing a tantrum… towards the Student Union to get something to drink before his last class. Neither of his instructors had recognized him, nor did most of the attending students. Because of this, he had drawn a lot more attention to himself than he wanted and therefore had suddenly accumulated a large group of admirers. Zoro couldn’t even go to the bathroom in peace since the men and women facilities were right next to each other. Upon coming out of the restroom, he decided that the heated looks he had received from Sanji really weren’t that good and somebody was having the time of their life laughing their ass off at him right now.

A deep chuckling drew his attention to one of the tables by the fountain in the courtyard. Sanji was lounging in one of the chairs and languidly smoking his cigarette. The blonde cocked his head to the side and smiled seductively at him as he held up a large drink. With a huff of annoyance, Zoro walked over and snatched the cup out of the cook’s hands.

“Bad day, Marimo?”

Zoro refused to answer and settled for scowling at the irritating man as he gulped down the cold tea.

“You seem to have gathered quite a crowd.” Sanji sat up a little straighter and pulled out the chair next to him for Zoro to sit.

Almost growling, Zoro took the offered seat next to the blonde and pulled out his phone. He hit his speed dial for Johnny and frowned when it went immediately to voicemail. Assuming that they were probably on a plane, he tossed his cell onto the table stretched his arms above his head, trying to release some of the tension that had settled in his shoulders. A few tables away, a couple of immature students were pretending to sword fight with rolled up posters. The scene made him think of his Horsemen, which in turn reminded him that he was supposed to head over to the dojo to try to clean up the destruction.

“Can you give me a ride to work after class? I promised Jiji I’d be back to help clean up the mess.” Zoro didn’t take his eyes off the play-fight in front of him.

“You didn’t wreck the place like with Ace, did you?” Sanji snickered as he remembered his neighbor’s detailed account of his first sparring session with Zoro. Of course, he had no idea that Ace’s opponent was the green-haired man at the time.

“No someone did it for us.” Zoro continued to analyze and critique the sloppy moves of the pretend swordsmen, not realizing the anger building up in the man at his side.

“WHAT? Someone trashed the dojo!? Why didn’t you tell me? Do you know who it was? Was anyone hurt? Have you filed a report?” Sanji’s questions flew off his tongue as he ranted.

“Shit… Um…” Zoro was drawn out of his thoughts and realized that he had never told Sanji what happened. “Yah, Jiji took care of the whole police thing. He’s filed a report and everything. No one was there when it happened, so it’s ok. They just broke a few things and painted some bullshit on the walls. I didn’t think it was such a big deal to you.”

“Not a big deal? We’re talking about your granddad and where you work! What if you had been there? I saw the way you fight. If there were a bunch of guys again, you could have been seriously fucked up. I can’t always be there to watch your back for you.”

Zoro was about to snap back that he could easily kick the cook’s scrawny ass any day, when he realized that Sanji wasn’t as angry about not being told as he was worried for Zoro’s safety. Guilt hit him again for hiding so much from his blonde. He hung his head a little and turned away, afraid that he might end up confessing everything right here if he looked into Sanji’s face. He couldn’t handle it much more. Either he would have to come clean with him, or break it off. There was no way he could lead a double life anymore. Maybe if he just stopped being a hero, it would be enough. Squaring his shoulders, Zoro decided to do just that. From this point on, the Dark Knight would cease to exist.

“I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. Other things just came up before we had the chance to talk.”

Sanji thought back to the morning and all of the rollercoaster events that had taken place. It was true that they didn’t have a chance to say anything to each other before the phone call. After that, everything went to hell in a hand basket. He brought up his hand to his face to try to rub at the growing headache in his temples. No matter what anyone said, life with Zoro would never be boring.

“I got called in to work, so I have to head there right after class. You can drive me and then pick me back up when I’m done. We really need to talk this out.” Sanji reached out and grabbed Zoro’s ear, pulling the large man closer.

Zoro was about to protest at the rough treatment when Sanji’s lips covered his own. This time, the kiss was far from chaste and several students began giving wolf-whistles and catcalls in amusement. The fierce scowl on Zoro’s face when they pulled apart did nothing to hide the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Sanji laced their hands together and pulled him up from the table.

“Time for class, Marimo.” Sanji smirked at his still red face and together they headed to the last class for the day.

They entered the lecture hall and argued over where they were planning on sitting, Zoro refusing to be down front where the professor might not recognize him again. Sanji laughed as the sulking man recounted his earlier problems with mistaken identity. Zoro shivered as he caught some of the calculating looks he was given by Nami. She was definitely going to be a major problem.

When Zoro dropped Sanji off at the Baratie, he had to listen to what seemed like an endless lecture on proper driving safety and what he could and could not do with the pristine vehicle. A quick kiss, a grab of a very tight ass, the dodge of a powerful kick and Zoro hopped into the car, pealing out as he left the parking lot. He swore that he could hear Sanji yelling at him for several blocks. He parked at Yuu’s, not wanting to give the vandals another target, and hurriedly grabbed his gym bag. If his boys were left alone for too long, there’s no telling what they might do in his absence.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Johnny and Yosaku arrived at the bowling alley as planned, wondering just how in the world they were going to pull this one off. The decided the best approach was the ‘stupid’ one. In other words, they slammed open the doors arguing with each other, quite loudly, over who was the better swordsman. Seeing the attention of a group of rough looking punks focus intently on them, they bumped it up a notch.

“Yah, right! I’ve seen your scrawny body and I know for a fact that there’s not a mark on it! How can you say that you’ve handled a sword if you don’t have any wounds?” Johnny snorted at the arrogant look on Yosaku’s face.

“Maybe it’s because I’m that good.”

“That or you’re lying out your ass. How can you possibly get that good without losing a few, or even just having an accident?” Johnny crossed his arms and scowled over at the blonde. “I may have a lot of scars, but at least that’s proof that I’ve been fighting and not running away.”

“I do. Not. Run.” Yosaku’s voice was heated as he spat the words out. “Trouble just follows you wherever you go. I don’t consider that a good thing.”

“Gentlemen, please.” A smooth voice called out to them, a short distance away.

Johnny did his best to look calm and uninterested as the odd group approached them. Leading the way was a strange looking man with short white hair and beard, leading a huge white dog . Next to him was a cold looking man with straight, shoulder length black hair, a blue and white checkered scarf, and a sleeveless trench coat. At first, he wanted to laugh out-loud at their comical appearance, but when he noticed the hilt of a sword peeking out from under the man’s coat, he decided it might be best to keep his mouth shut.

“I couldn’t help but over hear your discussion. Is it true that you’re a swordsman?” The dark haired man inquired.

“We’ve had the basic training. We’re not Bruce Lee or anything, but we can hold our own.” Johnny couldn’t help the shiver that crept up his spine at the dangerous tone of the man’s voice.

“Would you be willing to spar with us? It’s been a long time since we’ve had anyone of any skill visit us.”

Yosaku leaned in and whispered into Johnny’s ear that this was the only man to be carrying a sword, but several others had other various weapons hidden in their clothing. The blonde kept his eyes on the white-haired man, uncertain if he held any status or just liked to be center of attention.

“What did you have in mind?” Johnny asked, hoping that his voice did not belie his lack of confidence.

“Just a friendly match. If you win, I’ll give you a thousand dollars.” The white haired man smirked, as if to say he they had no chance in winning.

“And if we lose? There’s no way we can come up with that kind of money on the spot. We’re just wandering around the States on vacation.” Yosaku didn’t bother to hide his skepticism as he tried to figure out the man’s angle. “Besides we don’t even know who you are.”

“Hmm. I guess this is true. Well, I’m Mohji and this here is my wonderful Richie.” Mohji fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck. “He is the most wonderful and obedient doggie in the world.”

You could almost see the men behind him sweat drop as they watched the man love on his white canine.

“My name is Cabaji, and you are?” He held his hand out to Yosaku in greeting.

The hand was taken firmly by Johnny, glaring at the man for daring to touch his lover. “Johnny and this is Yosaku.”

Cabaji’s eyes gleamed with interest at the way Johnny protected the man with him. He filed the information away for future use. He tightened his grip and smirked when Johnny’s hand returned the gesture in kind. “Are you up for the game?”

Johnny’s arm began to shake slightly under the strain, but he kept his eyes locked with the man in front of him. He completely forgot that Yosaku’s question about what was at stake remained unanswered. “I can’t wait.”

Cabaji’s arm was starting to tremble as well, so before anyone noticed, he released the handshake and turned to the side exit, inconspicuously trying to rub feeling back into his throbbing hand. The others followed him without question, nudging Mohji who was still cuddling with Richie as they walked by.

Yosaku tried to get Johnny’s attention, but the man was too far lost in the cause and he was left standing alone. He ran to catch up to the group, searching for his phone on the way. He needed to get a call in to Jiji and let him know that his boyfriend was a moron and had strayed from the plan. He searched his pockets and came up empty, realizing that Johnny was the last one to hold the phone. It must still be in one of his pockets. Yosaku began to panic and increased his pace to catch up with the egotistical man he held so dear in his heart. As soon as he did, he planned on shoving his foot up the other’s ass.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Johnny and Cabaji were already in the center of a group of men in an empty lot behind the bowling alley. The amount of people gathered was significantly larger than the small group that had greeted them inside. It was safe to assume that this was the group Yuu had mentioned. Cabaji drew his katana with one hand and held a long thin dagger in the other. Johnny had been given a sword as well, but it was obvious that it was of poorer quality. In the blink of an eye, Cabaji rushed his opponent and managed to slice a small hole in Johnny’s sleeve leaving a stinging scratch on the man’s bicep.

“You’ll never have a chance if you don’t keep your mind on target.” Cabaji taunted while his men cheered him on.

Johnny growled and turned just in time to block a second lunge. The dagger swiped at his midsection and he managed to arch his back far enough to keep away from the sharp tip. He shoved forward and forced Cabaji to take a step back. Again, Johnny was rushed and swords clashed as he fought to keep his footing. He rotated his body to the left and managed to break the locking of their swords. They met each other blow for blow, with equal force, landing miniscule cuts upon the other’s flesh. A light sheen of sweat appeared on both their foreheads as they circled each other. Johnny feigned an upwards swing and instead thrust towards Cabaji’s thigh, only grazing him as the nimble man jumped agilely out of the way. Boos and hisses were thrown out from the crowd. Suddenly, Cabaji sprang into the air and somersaulted over Johnny’s head. Johnny barely brought his sword over his head to block the heavy blow aimed at his back.

Yosaku screamed as he saw Cabaji’s intention, the dagger in his left hand making its way towards his lover’s kidneys. Yosaku grabbed a random sword from the pile of weapons next to the makeshift arena and tried to charge in. A loud bark was heard directly behind him before he went crashing down to the ground.

“I don’t think so. This fight is between the two of them. If you want an opponent, you’ll have to face us.” Mohji grinned down at him as Richie continued to hold Yosaku down by sitting on him.

“Johnny! Migi!” Yosaku called out. “You son of a bitch! Get this damn mutt off of me.”

At hearing Yosaku’s warning yell, Johnny prayed that he interpreted it correctly and sidestepped left, barely avoiding the crippling stab wound. He took advantage of Cabaji’s shock and countered with a solid fist to the man’s face. Cabaji stumbled back several feet and fell to his knees, dropping his dagger to try to control the blood that was coming from his broken nose. A few men stepped into the circle to avenge their fallen companion, but Cabaji held up his hand to stay them off. Slowly Johnny walked up to him, assuming wrongly that the fight was over. In a cowardly fashion, Cabaji feigned the extent of his injury and gathered up a handful of dirt and sand.

“You should never let your guard down, rookie.”

The dirt was thrown into Johnny’s face and got into his eyes, blinding him. He lashed out aimlessly, having no idea where the cheating bastard had gone off to. The crowd was in an uproar again, and he barely heard Yosaku scream as the cool metal of a blade was pressed against his throat.

“You’re not bad, but not even close to a match for me.” Cabaji chided and slowly removed the weapon. “Even still, you lasted longer than most.”

Johnny wiped at his face with the hem of his shirt, trying to remove as much as possible before trying to open his eyes again. “You fight with no honor.”

“Honor? He who wins is the victor. It needs not matter how he got there.” Cabaji scoffed and returned his sword to his side. “Now there’s the matter of my prize.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to give you anything.” Johnny had cleaned his face as much as he possibly could and tentatively looked around. His eyes burned, but he could at least see a little.

“Ah, but every game has a prize for the winner. If you were not willing to face that then you should not have agreed to play.”

Mohji laughed loudly. “Why don’t we take him to Buggy and see what he wants to do with him.” The others echoed their support of the

Johnny and Yosaku tensed at the name Yuu had warned them about. If they played it right, maybe they could get a little more information out of these men before they hightailed it out of there.

“I have a better idea. We were going to send Sammy back to deal with the reporter, but instead I think that these two would have better luck getting the point across.” Cabaji tapped his chin in thought as he spoke. “That will be my prize.”

Johnny spat the blood and dirt that had gotten in his mouth onto the ground by the man’s feet. “What do you mean ‘deal with’? And who is this reporter.”

“He’s just someone who keeps printing things that are not true. All you have to do is go to his place and search for all of his information on someone called the Dark Knight. If he happens to be there, then you can do whatever you want to get some answers out of him. Tell him if he gives up the Knight, we’ll let him live.”

“Why have us do it?” Johnny was shaking with furry. They needed to move quick if they were to save their friend.

“He doesn’t know your face. You’ll be gone here in a few days, and no one will be the wiser.” Cabaji crossed his arms over his chest and appeared quite pleased with himself.

“I’ll go with them, just to make sure they don’t get lost.” Mohji announced.

“No, we have our own orders. Unless you want to piss Buggy off again.” Cabaji looked down at him where he sat next to Richie, who was still atop the blonde. “If he dies from asphyxiation, he cannot complete his orders.”

Mohji looked up at him blankly. Cabaji shook his head and pointed to Yosaku. Jumping up in surprise, Mohji called to Richie to get off the struggling man. The large white creature stood up at his master’s command and trotted happily to the man’s side. It was still a moment before Yosaku could breathe properly after having such a large weight compressing his chest for so long. He looked to Johnny, who had yet to drop his sword, and praised him for his nerves of steel. On shaky legs, Yosaku joined his lover in front of the black-haired swordsman. The underhanded tactics that the man pulled would definitely be troublesome, but hopefully they could warn the others in plenty of time. Unfortunately, they had no idea what to do about the task they were just given.

“His name is Sanji Black. The boys will give you his address on your way out. Be sure to let him know that Buggy means business.” Cabaji coldly laughed at the disturbed look on their faces.

“You know this isn’t exactly what we had in mind when we started traveling across the States. I think you’ve mistaken us for some wannabe gangsters.” Johnny spat the blood that had collected in his mouth onto the ground at his feet. “Find someone else to do your grunt work.”

“Grunt work? Hmm, well how’s this then. Since you seem so fond of blondes, you can grunt all you want with him.” Mohji laughed at what he thought was the perfect joke. Some of the men laughed with him while the other just rolled their eyes and went back to what they had been doing prior to the entertainment.

Johnny opened his mouth to argue again, but stopped as a hand encircled his wrist and held him back.

“We’ll do this, and then we’ll wash our hands of the entire thing.” Yosaku spoke in an even tone, though his boyfriend could feel him shaking through his grip. Whether it was from fear or fury, he didn’t know.

“Good enough. You have two days. Oh and don’t bother trying to go to the police. We have our own inside man there that will be happy to take care of you should you want to try and press charges.” Cabaji instructed his men to show the two visitors to the exit. “I hope you don’t disappoint us… for your sake. We’ll be watching.”

As soon as they were out of sight, Yosaku pulled Johnny to a nearby table and forced him to sit while the blonde tended to his injuries. He worked in silence since he couldn’t begin to find the words to describe his feelings. When he had deemed that nothing was serious enough to be sent to the hospital for stitches, Yosaku dug the phone out of Johnny’s pocket. It only rang twice before the person on the other end answered.

“There’s a problem.”