The Dark Knight of GLU

AN: a slight note added to ch 1 if you want to go back and read. (PS... mishagirl, if you keep posting drabbles like that on OPY100 you're gonna make us all look bad. -giggles-)

Chapter 2
Last Week of Freedom

Zoro woke Tuesday morning wondering just what it was in his life that he had done so wrong to bring this kind of punishment upon him. It was his last week of freedom before college started and he had planned on staying in bed, or asleep, as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Apocalypse had set in around his bed and the very sanctity of his bedroom had been compromised. Four sets of eyes peered down at him from all sides as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“Sensei, why do you wear glasses? You look better without them.” Brian poked him in the forehead.

“Wow, sensei, you’ve got a lot of scars on your chest. Were you accident prone as a child?” Sam’s eyes widened as he got a good look at the jagged line on Zoro’s chest.

“Are you allergic to something, cause your chest is all swelled up?” Mark’s brow furrowed much like Zoro’s at the moment.

“No stupid, it’s muscle.” Brian rolled his eyes at his friend’s obvious stupidity. “Hey sensei, how come you look so fat in your clothes, but you really have lots of muscles instead?”

“Are you smart? ‘Cause my sister says all guys with muscles are stupid.” Chad propped his chin on his hands as he placed his elbows on the mattress.

“You must be smart, ‘cause your hair is green from eating all those vegetables, right?” Mark nodded thinking he was correct.

“No, it’s green ‘cause he’s like the Hulk. Did you see the way he kicked Ace-sensei’s butt yesterday?” Sam jumped up and punched his fist in the air.

“Oh ya! It was awesome! Hey, are you gonna teach us how to fight like that?” Chad got up and mimicked Sam’s stance.

Monday, a new guy had joined the dojo, and Yuu had his grandson test the man to see what level he should be placed in. Needless to say, Ace proved to be a handful and Zoro had to pull out a few moves he hadn’t expected to use inside his grandfather’s business. The result was a broken wall and several starry-eyed children proclaiming him as their new hero. Yuu offered Ace a job on the spot as the instructor for Judo for all levels and tae kwon do for younger beginner students, then chided both of them on proper treatment of their training grounds and made them fix the broken wall.

Now, Zoro was faced with his four students that never seemed to go home asking him all kinds of questions at…. 0600!?!

“Oi! Uruse, deteike!” [Hey, shut up and get out!] At their confused looks, he remembered English and yelled, “OUT!” sending them scampering for the door.

“Do you want us to fix you breakfast? We can make cereal.”

Zoro could hear one of their stomachs growl and he wondered, not for the first time, if the boys ever got food at home. Somehow over the summer, Yuu and Zoro’s house became a haven for the bored kendo students. Kids would be arriving at the house almost as soon as the sun would rise on most days. Zoro had taken it upon himself to follow them home after practice one day and was shocked at the condition in which they lived. All four of them were in the same rundown apartment complex infested with rats, roaches, and God knew what else. The secretly softhearted young adult made it a point to find odd jobs for the kids to keep them out of trouble, in turn helping get chores done early too. He also learned to keep extra food on hand for times like this.

“I’ll cook. Go get the eggs and bacon out. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Cheers erupted from them and they tore out of the room arguing over who would get what. It was time for Zoro to get up anyway, so the now awake young man climbed out of his bed and searched for clean clothes. Sighing, he realized he would have to do laundry today. Maybe he could con the kids into helping with his chores before today’s kendo class. Next week they would all be starting school and their time together would be reduced significantly. Tuesdays and Thursdays were his short days for college and the only two days he worked during the week at the dojo. Yuu had added him as a fill-in instructor for the mid level class on Thursday since the current sensei had a heart attack and needed time off.

There was an eerie silence in the house, so Zoro quickly pulled on sweatpants and grabbed a shirt to put on along the way. Running into the kitchen, he saw the carton of eggs dropped on the floor and four fingers pointing at each other to place the blame.

He couldn’t help it. He really tried, but try as he might, he couldn’t hold back the laughter that bubbled from deep inside him. Working together they cleaned up the mess and split the last of the pizza left over for a breakfast of champions. Zoro’s grandfather found him half an hour later wrestling with the boys in the kitchen floor over the last slice.

“Zoro-kun, don’t forget to finish the list I gave you. Next week you won’t be here and I need those things done before that time. Have the boys help.” Yuu reached out and plucked the pizza from Zoro’s outstretched hand and took a bite, earning groans of disappointment from the pile of arms and legs.

When time came for the afternoon class, all five of them were worn out. Zoro refused to excuse them completely, but did allow them to skip the warm-up exercises and go straight to spars. Others in the class looked on in envy until they were told what the boys had gone through to earn the privilege. No one opened their mouths after that, afraid that they would be put through the torture of scrubbing and cleaning as these four were. Ace was standing by the door when class ended, looking like a puppy waiting to greet his master at the end of the day. Zoro chuckled at the comical scene and had the urge to pat the bouncing man on the head as he passed.

“Zoro, man, let’s go get a drink! Come on! Please? Pllleeaasseee? I really want to go out, but everyone’s busy tonight and you look like you need it. Huh? Say yes? Please, please, please!”

Zoro quirked his eyebrow at the strangely childish man and shook his head no.

“Damn, why not? Look, I’m not usually this hyper; I just forgot to bring something to drink and took the soda offered to me. How was I to know it was a Jolt cola? I was thirsty!” Ace pleaded with his new associate as he tried to stand still, unsuccessfully.

“Fine.” Zoro rolled his eyes and headed for the showers. “Let me get a shower first.”

“Ya, me too. I have to smell good for all the hot singles out there.” Ace grinned and followed Zoro to the men’s locker room.

When Zoro pulled off his lightweight keikogi and revealed his muscular frame to the new instructor, Ace had to pinch his nose to prevent the blood from flowing. Zoro paid him no mind and continued to undress unaware of the problems his naked body was causing for the horny man behind him. Ace almost passed out when Zoro bent down to pick up his towel that had dropped to the floor. The freckled man groaned and pressed a hand to his waking member.

“Oh, fuck you’ve got a nice ass.” Ace mumbled under his breath as Zoro walked into the shower. Things would be really hard for him if he had to look at that glorious body everyday. Fortunately, Zoro kept it well hidden under bulky and ill-fitting clothes. But why? Ace took a deep breath to steady his waking desire, and divested himself of his own clothes so he could join the hidden treasure currently soaping up his body.

“Is there a reason you don’t show everyone what you really look like?” Ace said as he let the cool water help ease the boiling blood in his veins. “I mean no offense, but you could have any woman out there if you just changed your style a little.”

“Che, I had plenty of women back in Japan. Right now I need to concentrate on my studies. I haven’t studied in English for a long time. It’ll be a pain in the ass to get use to it again.” Zoro finished rinsing and turned off the water. He had an idea that Ace was fishing to see if he was gay, but to be involved with someone he worked with would be a big mistake, especially if his grandfather found out.

Drinks that night were bought at a quaint little bar a few blocks from the dojo. Ace studied the strange appearance of Zoro as the guy nursed his beer. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have never known that Zoro was so hot. Everything he did camouflaged his masculine beauty perfectly. Only if you knew what to look for, could you see past the façade. They chatted for a while about life in the military and the differences in school structure, Zoro pumping Ace for any information he could get about the new college he would be attending in a few days. Ace had his Associates degree but that was it, completely lacking any motivation to further his studies. Now that the hyper buzz had left, Zoro found Ace to be a suitable replacement for his old friends in Japan, just minus the fringe benefits.

The next morning Zoro woke up to silence at a little after 0700. Worried that everyone had been murdered while he slept, he ran out of the room in just his boxers and came face to face with a large man with silver hair, hints of green showing here and there.

“Oi, omae dare da?” [Hey, who the fuck are you?] Zoro growled out at the intruder.

The older man arched his eyebrow and gave Zoro a calculating look from feet to hair. He blinked once and looked away, completely ignoring the upset, half naked man in favor of pouring a cup of coffee.

“You drink coffee, brat? Or did all that time in the orient warp you brain to drinking that weird tea?”

“Oi. Ore o mushishine! Dare da to itto ita hazuda zo!” [Hey, don’t ignore me! I thought I asked who the fuck are you?] Zoro hesitantly walked into the kitchen and joined the man at the counter.

“Che, you did lose your mind. You do realize that you’re back here in the States now, right? Here we speak English. Get used to it or go back.”

“I’d love to, but at the moment I have other obligations, like finding out why a strange guy is in my grandfather’s home at this hour of the morning.” Zoro took the offered cup and sat down at the small breakfast table.

“Strange? You’re the one running around in his underwear talking to people you can’t remember. Sheesh.” The unknown man poured another cup of coffee for himself and joined Zoro. “You really don’t remember, huh? Oh well. It’s not like I really care. Uncle Frank just asked me to keep an eye on you. Says you attract trouble like stink on shit… or something like that.”

Zoro sipped his morning brew for a moment before it clicked. “Logan?”

“So you do have a few brain cells left. But damn, I haven’t been called that in a long time. It’s just Smoker now. How’s life treating you, kid?” Logan Smoker leaned back and took a drink, wincing at the strange flavor of the coffee.

“I’ve been better. What about you? Last I remember you wanted to get into the police force. How’d that go?” Zoro looked at his cousin, or whatever he was with feigned interest. Smoker was the first son of his father’s sister second husband. So they weren’t really blood related, but family all the same.

“Lieutenant now. I just transferred from Mariejoie to here. You should come work for us. We could use a strong guy like you on the force.”

“Not a chance. I’m going to college next week. As soon as I graduate I have everything planned out.” Zoro got up and refilled his cup, leaning against the counter in favor of sitting down again. “How’s Auntie doing? I don’t remember Tou-, Dad talking about her much.”

“Bitching at me to settle down and give her grandkids, but that’ll never happen.” The detective pulled out a cigar and put it in his mouth, knowing that he couldn’t light it in the house, but wanted it all the same. “I can’t stand the little monsters.”

As if on cue, four very loud voices could be heard closing in on the front door. Without any hesitation, the door swung open and let in the daily amusement in the form of the Four Horsemen, or Zoro’s favorite students. Zoro chuckled at his cousin’s irritated growl and tried to escape to his room before being spotted. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side and he was quickly surrounded.

“Hey, sensei, what are you doing today?”

“Good morning, sensei!”

“Why aren’t you dressed?”

“Who’s the old guy?”

Zoro roared with laughter as his guest rose from the table and towered over the not quite innocent children. Four pairs of eyes went wide at the imposing figure and they ran screaming into the backyard. Another day of hard work had them passed out on the grass in the afternoon sun. This was not the way Zoro had planned on spending his last week of freedom before school. He had hoped to maybe have some drinks, maybe go to another club, pick-up some cute bitch for the night, anything other than work his ass off.

His eyes closed and he thought about the blonde he had rescued in the alley last weekend. It was too bad that the guy was into women, he had a great body. Zoro wondered what he was doing right then. A bucket of cold water was dumped on him and he shot up lashing out at the source. Yuu snickered and ran off with the empty bucket singing “You can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man.”

The four kids rolled on the ground laughing at the soaking wet sensei. “Your grandpa is funny.”

Moments after the annoying the boys finally left, Yuu came in with a list of supplies he needed to be picked up at the market. After a quick shower and throwing on dry clothes, Zoro grumbled and got into the old wagon. He couldn’t wait until Monday when classes started. His time might be filled with studies, but it would be of his choice and not a strange list of who knows what that had been given to him by a pain in the ass old man.

Standing at the checkout line, Zoro felt the tiny prickles of anticipation drift down his spine signaling that he should be paying attention to something other than what was right in front of him. Taking a slow look around the room his eyes widened as they rested upon a head of golden hair that had just entered the building. The visible bright blue eye was crinkled up in amusement beneath the strangely curled eyebrow, pink lips open wide to let out the happy laughter he could barely hear. Zoro stared openly for a moment before a polite cough from behind him made him realize it was his turn and Zoro apologized quietly to the elderly woman. After that the old lady wouldn’t shut up about how polite Zoro was and how she wished that more young men would be that way. She even went as far as to ask if he was single and if he would be interested in dating her granddaughter.

Blushing and mumbling all kinds of excuses, Zoro declined and hurried out into the parking lot. Disappointed that he couldn’t see the blonde anymore, Zoro loaded his purchases into the vehicle and drove away. Even if it was only a glimpse, it was more than enough to bring back the image of pale skin on blue sheets. Grinning, Zoro decided that maybe going to the market for his grandpa wasn’t that bad after all.

The next few days were spent trying to finish all the odd jobs on Yuu’s list before the old man lost his free labor. Zoro was able to sneak out for a few hours Friday night and wander around the campus and locate his classes. No one paid any mind to him as he blended in to the background, hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders forcibly slumped.

Saturday was reserved for the Horsemen. Zoro reluctantly agreed to take them out for one last time before they would be reduced to seeing each other only once a week. The boys decided that Go-Karts and pizza would be the perfect plan followed by a movie. Occasionally Zoro let his guard slip and actually smiled a true, full smile, but otherwise his neutral expression remained plastered to his face. The kids had given up trying to figure out why their sensei hid like that, but all kinds of ideas had been thought up. He was in witness protection and had to hide; he had an angry girlfriend that wanted to kill him; he was an assassin for the government and had to keep a low profile; and the favorite was that Zoro was a superhero in training and this was his secret identity.

The Go-Kart attendant was a sweet young girl that just fell in love with the boys immediately. She kept flirting with Zoro, saying how good it was of him to play big brother to them. He played along for appearance sake and stuck her number in his pocket, knowing it would just get washed or thrown away. Zoro made sure they were good and tired before heading out for pizza. Chad fell asleep in his plate and the rest of them had fun putting all kinds of toppings in his hair. Other parents looked on, trying to decide if they should laugh with them or be annoyed at Zoro for not making them mind. Watching Zoro carefully pick everything off of the sleeping boy, but not before taking pictures with his phone, and then carry him out to the car, most of the audience decided it was pretty funny.

The movie consisted of a Kung-Fu marathon with Bruce Lee leading the way. Zoro had to explain that the legendary man was Chinese and not Japanese so therefore he didn’t speak the same language as Zoro. This led to the boys learning to count to 10 in Japanese. At 2100, Zoro was passed out on the couch, leaving the evil little Horsemen to paint his face in mustard and glue. Yuu thought it was great and gave each of them $5 for their creativity.

Sunday, Zoro ran away. When he woke up and couldn’t move his face, Zoro decided it was past time for him to get away by himself. He took a hot shower, hoping that the glue wouldn’t leave strange marks on his face where he had to peel it off, and dressed in really baggy sweats cut off a little below the knee, then a big t-shirt and a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off and running shoes. He packed a backpack with several sandwiches, a few apples, and six bottles of water. That should be enough to last him until he returned. He also grabbed his cell phone and iPod to keep him busy. He ran for as long as he could before hunger started eating at his stomach walls and found himself at a small park. Sitting under a large oak tree he quelled his growling stomach and took a nap. Zoro woke to Ace rummaging through his pack for a snack.

“Oh, hey man. You got anymore sandwiches? That last one barely took the edge off and I’m still starving. Ow!” Ace rubbed his head where the apple had hit. He looked over at his assailant and grinned. Zoro couldn’t help it and they both started laughing.

“How the hell did you find me?” Zoro asked after catching his breath.

“Actually, I wasn’t planning on finding you, I was out here with some friends and saw you all sweet and innocent under this tree so I thought I’d come say hi. But then I could smell the delicious sandwiches and got distracted.” Ace rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying for his best innocent look.

Zoro shook his head and rolled his eyes, before gathering his things. Ace joined him for part of the way on the run back to the house, wishing him luck at college when they turned separate ways. Zoro was about to give up and call his grandpa for directions when he finally spotted a familiar landmark and made his way over to the dojo. The business was only a few blocks from the house, so Zoro knew he could find his way from here.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Sanji lifted his head from the table where he had fallen asleep trying to complete his article for the paper. He glanced up at the clock and cursed, seeing that he had barely an hour before the deadline to get his finished piece turned in. Grabbing his phone he punched in the numbers for the editor in chief and prayed they would answer.

“Hey, Brooke! Look, I need a favor, man. I have this awesome article but I’m running late. Can you hold them up for a few minutes until I get there? I really want this published tonight.” Sanji pleaded as he turned on the shower to start warming.

“Not a problem, since we aren’t printing this week. We gave everyone the week off before classes started again to get any last minute preparations taken care of. Take your time and if it’s good enough it will come out in the first edition of the new semester.” Brooke was amused at Sanji’s disappointed groan. “So is it really that good?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Sanji recounted his encounter with the thugs and his savior’s dashing entrance, sword and all.

“Now you had me until then.” Brooke threw his pen across the room in surrender. “I can see someone saving your sorry ass, but for them to be wielding a sword in this day and age is not plausible.”

“I swear Brooke, seriously. He left me this fucking note too.”

“He left you a note? Did he leave his number or anything? Was it a confession of love?” Brooke rolled his eyes and began flipping through his magazine again, drooling over the busty women in bikinis.

“No he called me a woman.” Sanji muttered. The blonde slapped his phone shut on the mocking laughter that refused to let up on the other end of the line. “Fucker.”

As soon as Sanji put his phone down it rang again, “Hot In Herre” by Nelly filling the air. The ID said Flamer and Sanji was tempted to ignore it, but since it very well could be important, he opened it and waited for the flood of excuses that would follow.

“Hey Ace, what’s up?”

“Sanji, you’re not going to believe this!” Ace shouted out over the sounds of passing traffic.

“I’m sure I won’t. I was about to get in the shower so if you need me to pick you up it’s going to have to wait.” Sanji turned the water back on and started stripping out of his clothes.

“Ya, come get me as soon as you can. I’m down at Joseph and 43rd. It’s my new job!”

“What, you’re a hooker now?” Sanji shouted and almost dropped the phone.

“Ya fuck you, asshole. No I’m working as an instructor at the old dojo downtown. Of course I had to pass the test first and took out a wall, but we fixed it. Just hurry up. I think this is the first real job I’ve had in forever. I wanna go celebrate.”

Ace lived a few apartments down from Sanji for the past year. He got the place with his little brother Luffy when their grandfather kicked them out. Luffy’s dad paid for it as long as the boys kept their noses clean and made the attempt to work or go to school. Ace finding an actual job was a pretty big feat.

“Alright. Give me half an hour, and wait outside.” Sanji closed the phone, not waiting for a response, and got into the steamy shower.

Sure enough, Ace was seated on the bench outside the old, but well-kept dojo. True to his nature, the freckled man was sound asleep, crazy wide brimmed hat covering most of his face as he snored on in ignorant bliss. Sanji honked the horn of his car to wake the guy and laughed when Ace fell off the bench. Pleasant words were exchanged in sweet tones, drawing attention to themselves as Ace told the blonde exactly what he could do with that steering wheel button.

After a few drinks, and light conversation, they both agreed that they needed to return home and sleep. Sanji didn’t mention his encounter for fear of having the same reaction he received from his editor. Back at the apartment complex they bid each other good night and promised to get together again soon.

Tuesday was Sanji’s scheduled day to work at the Baratie. Zeff told him to get there early and plan on spending all night there. Apparently there was a big banquet for a well-to-do family whose daughter just got engaged. They were pouring tons of money into drinks, food and tips for the cute blonde cook that kept them entertained with fancy handwork and sweet words to the women. The residual bruising on his face made for great conversation and major sympathy. Sanji dropped down on his bed fully clothed and completely happy, his ears still ringing with the praise of the wealthy women.

The next day was only a half day at work, Sanji only being scheduled to cover the lunch rush and the prep for dinner. He hummed as he washed his hands and got ready to leave. A familiar dark head peeked around the corner and checked for the head chef before entering the kitchen.

“Hey, Sanji, I’m hungry. Can you fix me something real quick before the old man comes back?” Luffy pleaded with his neighbor. “I’m starved!”

Sanji laughed and dried his hands, but shook his head no. “You know the rules. You’re not a paying customer, so I can’t help you out.” Sanji put his hand on Luffy’s slumped shoulder. “But I could cook for you back at my place. I just need to stop at the market on the way home.”

Joyous shouts could be heard in the dining room and Zeff came out of hiding and threatened to ban Luffy for life from the restaurant. Sanji pulled the sobbing teen from the kitchen and threw him into the car. Soon they pulled in to the parking lot at the local market and parked next to a falling apart wagon. They were still laughing about Luffy’s idea of just who might be driving the piece of junk when they walked through the front doors.

As much as Sanji loved cooking for Baratie, he enjoyed doing so for his friends even more. To see the appreciation on their faces was worth every ounce of effort he put into his meals. But, bills needed to be paid, so Sanji headed back to work again. It wasn’t until Friday that Sanji remembered to get his article to Brooke. Reluctantly, he grabbed the disc and trudged over to the campus. Sanji noticed a man leave the finance building when he pulled into the parking lot. The guy had on loose clothes and a sweatshirt, a little odd for this time of year, wasn’t it? Shrugging it off, Sanji continued to the editor’s office and put on a brave front for the humiliating assault he knew would come. Surprisingly he left with a cheerful look on his face and a bounce in his step. Brooke loved the article and was even contemplating putting it on front page. It was going to be a huge boost for Sanji’s rep if that happened. His dreams that night of beautiful women turned into a dark alley with a lone figure beckoning him at the end.

Saturday, the blonde promised to meet a few ladies for a day of fun at the Putt-Putt course next to the Go-Karts. A group of boys, approximately 8 years old, rushed past him, shouting out apologies as they bumped into people. He watched as they surrounded a sorry looking young man with thick black glasses. He had to be one of the most fashion impaired people Sanji knew, with the ill fitting clothes and horrendous spectacles, and what was with that outlandish color hair? Sanji scoffed as he put his arm around the voluptuous brunette on his left and walked away. The guy did look kinda cute with all the kids worshiping him.

Sanji enjoyed his afternoon, rubbing up against the ladies’ backsides as he helped them with their aim. They made him promise to take them to play miniature golf again soon. Sanji returned home to find a message from Ace saying that they were planning a picnic for tomorrow afternoon and could Sanji please make the food. Sighing, the cook set out what he would need for the morrow and went to bed.

The last day of summer break was beautiful and serene. Luffy, Ace and several other friends gathered in the grass at a local park for the afternoon. When the dark haired brothers fought over the last of the food, Sanji decided it was time to pack it up. He watched Ace take off and meet up with a sleeping figure under a tree on the far side of the little pond. He noticed Ace stealing the man’s food and decided to intervene. He stopped when the man woke and threw something at Ace then started laughing. Soon they stood and took off running together in the opposite direction. Something was extremely familiar about the man, but Sanji just couldn’t place him. He left the park confused and tired. He really needed to get some sleep, without the interference of a shrouded black figure.