The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 6
A Visit from Wonderland

Zoro slid into his seat as quietly as possible. He knew that the chance of anyone seeing past his façade was slim to none, but he was still on edge after Ace finding out the truth. That and Jiji was really acting weird lately. Something was going on and he was afraid of what it could possibly be. That kooky old man had way too much time on his hands to be able to think up some mysteriously demented punishment for Zoro if he ever found out about the late night antics. A late arriving student came running in with the newest paper startling everyone.

“It happened again! The Knight took out a bunch more of the gangsters and saved two more people. It’s amazing!”

Zoro did his best to keep a straight face. Two others with papers came in as well, the three groups shouting back and forth to each other, exclaiming the joy and excitement of the details in each account of heroism. Zoro groaned and laid his head down on the desk, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him. A rolled up paper struck him on the back of the head and he shot up quickly. Ace sat in the chair behind him grinning like the fool he was and holding a copy of the morning news. On the front page in bold letter spelled out Zoro’s doom:

DK Outwits Armed Assailants

“A well known couple, established in the faculty and staff of the local education system, were attacked while on their way back to their vehicle Monday night after a charity even. Frightened and at gunpoint, they were harassed and threatened. From the shadows came a cloaked savior…”

The article continued on to say about the gun and the disarming, leaving out the part of the missing finger. It was actually quite well written, in his mind and as much as it pained him to admit it, he was actually enjoying reading about his escapades. Ace chuckled behind him and gestured to the bottom of the article.

“A web link has been set up in the newspaper’s homepage office to take the letters of anyone who has information regarding our beloved hero. Please bear in mind that we will not be offering a reward, but the knowledge that you give us will be shared with our fellow readers…”

Ace patted him on the back and kissed him on the top of his head before scurrying out of the room, escaping the threats of physical maiming from his friend. Zoro glared at the closed door and turned around only to be faced with Nami’s knowing, or thought she knew, smirk. Playing along, Zoro let a satisfied smile spread across his face and purposely trailed his hand down his chest to his crotch and adjusted himself. Nami’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped at the vulgar display. She spun around in her seat, but not before Zoro caught the bright red color that adorned her cheeks. That should teach her, he thought.

Placing the folded paper into his bag, Zoro began to think that maybe today wouldn’t be that bad after all. It could even be fun if he just relaxed. Besides, only Ace and Logan knew who he was, so all was good. The article just proved that not even the attractive reporter knew much about him. If it was supposed to upset him, it wasn’t working. In all actuality, it had given him more confidence, knowing that his secret was still safe.

In Microeconomics, Zoro chanced looking over to Sanji and was met with a confused blue eye. It occurred to him that he might be one of the few people that had actually seen both sides of Sanji’s features since that soft blonde hair was always styled over half the reporter’s face. Never one to back down from such a forward challenge, Zoro’s gaze didn’t falter as Sanji studied him. Rather than his normal scowl, Zoro used a mask of indifference as he wonders what it would be like to have both eyes staring up at him, darkened with desire and heavy with lust.

A cute young woman on the blonde’s other side leaned in and whispered something to him, causing Sanji to turn his attention to the little brunette. No longer interested, Zoro continued to listen to the professor droll on about the lesson for the day. A shiver ran down his spine and he turned in his seat to see what had caused the uneasy feeling. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the room, just the normal bored students trying to stay awake and take notes. Now slightly on edge, Zoro kept his senses open and only half listened to the remainder of the lecture.

When class ended, he packed up slowly, waiting for the impending attack. What came was nothing at all like he had expected. He had just picked up his bag and started for the door when Sanji called out to him. Not really in the mood, but not wanting to be a complete ass today, he stopped and waited for the blonde to catch up. Before he was within normal speaking range the door slammed open and in flew two oddly dressed people with huge grins on their faces.

“Zoro-aniki!” they shouted in unison standing back to back and throwing their fist into the air.

On one side was a tanned, black haired man with a strange tattoo on his face. He was wearing a pair of white pants and a black t-shirt with a blue zip-up hoodie and narrow black sunglasses. On the other side was a young man with shoulder length wavy blonde hair dressed in yellow plaid board shorts, black shirt, combat boots and a full length green hooded trench coat. The Tweedle-twins were officially in the United States. Zoro was torn between being angry that they interrupted a private moment with his obsession and ecstatic that they had shown up.

“Johnny? Yosaku? naze koko ni?" [What are you doing here?] Zoro walked over to them and crossed his arms, feigning annoyance.

“Ojii-san said we could find you here. What? You not happy to see us?” The two looked shocked as they faced their old friend. The slight twitch at the corner of Zoro’s mouth gave him away. They relaxed and grabbed him in a quick hug, slapping him on the back and laughing.

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor made him turn around. The reporter had turned away and was walking to the doors on the opposite side of the lecture hall. Torn between his friends he missed terribly, and a crush that seemed to almost hate him, Zoro wasn’t sure just what to do. His friends were standing behind him, waiting, but Sanji was getting away.

“Oi, Cook.” Zoro didn’t feel like saying Sanji’s name at the moment, considering he’d been messaging his two friends about his obsession with the guy and they would probably embarrass him horribly if the know this was him.

Sanji turned to him, his curled eyebrow raised in question as the green-haired man walked back over to him again. He didn’t trust his voice to cooperate and not say something stupid so he waited for the other to speak. It would be just his luck to ask if these were his lovers and they turned out to be more cousins.

“What was it you wanted?” Zoro crossed his arms over his chest and waited for his answer.

“Luffy and some of his friends are having a get together this weekend. You’re welcome to show up. I live just a few doors down from him. Bring your friends with you if you want.” Sanji remained nonchalant as he balanced his books in one arm and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips but not lighting it.

“We’ll see. I didn’t even know they were coming in so I don’t know when they’re going back.” Zoro prayed that the pair hadn’t heard, understood, or paid attention to the invite. Unfortunately…

“Yah, we’d love to come! The plane doesn’t leave until Sunday afternoon so we’ll have plenty of time to recover from anything you can throw at us. Besides, it’ll be fun to meet all of Aniki’s friends.” Johnny came up and slid his arm around Zoro’s shoulders possessively. He caught a quick look of Zoro’s face before he had gone after the well dressed man and was instantly jealous. Without a doubt, this was the infamous Sanji. There could only be one guy their age with blonde hair, blue eyes, smokes a cigarette, and wears perfectly tailored suits to a college class he shared with Zoro. There was no way he and Yosaku would turn over their brother to a man they knew nothing about. If Sanji wanted him, he would have to get their approval first.

“A party? Cool! Our first party in the States! Well, unless something else comes up in the mean time.” Yosaku was oblivious to the inner fight going on in his boyfriend’s head. He came up and wrapped his arms around Johnny’s waist and laid his chin on the taller man’s shoulder so he could see who they were talking to. “Oh, I know you. You’re one of Ace’s friends aren’t you?”

Zoro wanted to knock him hard in the face, but right then some of the students for the next class entered and interrupted the thought. He quickly grabbed the two idiots and shoved them in the direction of the opposite doors, calling out to Sanji over his shoulder.

“We’ll see what we can do.”

Sanji stood there wondering what just happened and how in the world they would know he knew Ace. It didn’t really matter, he decided, and instead turned his attention to the group of girls that had just surrounded him asking about the Dark Knight. He gave them all sweet smiles and soft touches to the face, neck and arms as he charmed them completely. It was a huge boost to his masculine ego to have them melt like this in his very hands. After a few minutes, he bid them farewell and headed to his car, needing to hurry to work for the evening.

Only one more year and he’d be done with his degree, then he could focus his time and efforts on his first love, cooking. He had only decided to take the classes to help him in the future when it was time to take Zeff’s place as owner. Not until the old geezer died would he even begin to think of himself as the head chef. As much recognition as he wanted from his teacher he would never begrudge him that place in the Baratie. Sanji may have helped run it, but the Baratie was Zeff’s baby.

Sanji was greeted with the familiar bantering of his fellow chefs as he walked into the restaurant. Carnie and Patty were nose to nose over a plate that to any casual looker was pristine. Only a knowledgeable cook could see the flaws in the culinary dish. Sanji snubbed out his cigarette and grabbed an apron, intent on redoing the dinner himself in hopes of preventing further destruction to the kitchen. If they wanted it done right, he’d do it for them. Humming a soft tune, he busied himself in his work as the fight grew to its peak. It ended the instant he placed the corrected dish between them. With a smirk to their still angry faces he removed the apron and sauntered out to the dining room to greet the dinner guests, the shouts at his back only widening his smile.

It was about halfway through the night when Zeff started in on one his speeches about youth these days and how horrible they dress.

“Seriously, if I ever see you come in here wearing that shit the way that kid was I’ll kick your ass so hard you’ll be tasting the polish of my shoes.” Zeff glared at his young protégé over the center counter while working.

“As if I’d be caught dead in something like that. I have an image to upkeep here, and besides,” Sanji winked at the old man, “I make this suit look good.”

“Keep a lid on that attitude, string-bean,” Zeff scoffed and smacked him across the back of the head.

“At least I’m not looking like this one asshole at school.” Sanji carefully hung his jacket on a peg before rolling up his sleeves and assisting his foster father. “This bastard wears these shitty clothes that have to be at least three times too big for him. I mean, he looks like he’s carrying around an extra fifty pounds or so. Half the time he doesn’t even match or look like he’s even washed half his things. I doubt he even knows what an iron is, let alone know how to use it. I’m willing to bet he only owns two pairs of jeans and those awful kaki cargo pants that have a tear by the left pocket. Oh, and he carries around this navy blue hoodie all the time. It’s like he’s waiting for a blizzard to just show up out of nowhere. That and the combat boots he’s always stomping around in. I saw him come in with a pair of Van’s today and about fell over. I didn’t think he owned anything else. As if the condition of his wardrobe wasn’t bad enough he wears these fucking thick military issued glasses that were old ten years ago. Luffy took them off the other night and I got a look at his face. He’s not that bad when he’s not scowling, but that’s rarely ever. I think the only time I’ve seen him really smile is around Ace. Then again, that was the only time I’ve ever seen him outside of school as well. And that damn green hair! It’s practically the color of seaweed. Maybe I should start calling him Swamp Thing. He’s got the build for it. The guy’s so dense I doubt he’d even get the point though.”

“So when are you asking him out?” Zeff knew about his boy’s sexual preference for years and had come to terms with it quickly. Besides, Pattie and Carne were dating long before they came to work under Zeff. If he had a problem with it, he wouldn’t have let the bickering couple into the restaurant to begin with. He could care less who the boy decided to screw with as long as he was safe and it didn’t interfere with work.

“Like Hell I’m taking out that fucking seaweed, moss, alga…”

“Alright! I get it! Calm down.” Zeff paused in his cooking for a moment and tugged on the thick braids of his moustache in thought. “Just cut it short and call him Marimo.”

“Marimo, huh? So what’s that?” Sanji resumed his work as he waited for a definition of the word that seemed to flow easily off his tongue.

“They are these moss balls found in certain lakes. The Japanese call them Marimo and consider them a rare item. Someone with green hair seems pretty rare to me.” Granted the Japanese also called them a National Treasure, but Zeff didn’t think Sanji needed to know that.

Sanji continued to work in silence, letting the word roll around in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. This weekend, he’d be sure to put it to good use.

When he got home that night, he logged into the account Brooke had set up to take the e-mails and began sifting through them. There were over a hundred letters so far, and that was what his editor in chief hadn’t gotten to yet. Sanji wondered just how many they had gotten total. Due to the time, he only allowed himself an hour to look over the information. After seeing the first ten were only professions of love, lust, disgust or plain idiocy, Sanji was about to give up. Then there came a strange note about how it was impolite and rude to try and identify someone who had asked to remain a mystery. It went on to say that if he continued, he might actually make the hero go away and not offer his assistance anymore. Angry, yet at the same time ashamed, Sanji went to reply to the message only to find the address blocked and encrypted.

How in the world could someone do that? Was it the Knight trying to respond to his desire to uncover his face? Was the hero angry with him now? Damn, did this mean he had lost any chance of finding out who the guy really was? He really should have thought this through a little better. He hadn’t thought of this backfiring on him. Maybe he should try to make it up with a different take on the article next week; that was if there wasn’t another incident to report on. Sanji closed the computer and turned off the lamp. He needed sleep, and being this stressed out it would be hard to come by. As he drifted off into dreamland, he wondered what those two friends of Zoro’s were like. Maybe if he could get close to them, he could find out more about the quiet man.

DK*DK*DK*DK

After Zoro and the Tweedle-twins got outside the classroom he hugged them both tight again, ignoring the strange stares he continued to get from those in his classes that recognized him. Now Johnny and Yosaku weren’t exactly heartthrobs, but they weren’t ugly either. Strangely dressed, yes, but not unattractive in the least. On lookers again began to spread word that the geeky man was cheating on his very hot boyfriend. A few even gave them disgusted looks as they passed, whispering about faggots and how sick it was to see two men acting like that. Yosaku spat after them in Japanese, saying some of the crudest thing Zoro had ever heard to do with a textbook that left all three of them in tears from laughter. A short time later, they found Yuu’s wagon and headed back to the house.

Halfway there, Johnny reached over and pulled up Zoro’s shirt to look at his chest. The owner of said chest protested until he figured out the real reason behind his investigation.

“It looks like it healed up really nice, man. We were so worried about you. Frank-san promised us that you had gotten out of all that though and we wouldn’t have to worry about you getting sliced in half again.” Johnny put his sunglasses back on, missing the guilty look that passed on Zoro’s face, and leaned over to kiss Yosaku who was resting against the back of the front seats between the two of them. Not wanting to leave their aniki out, Yosaku started kissing on Zoro’s neck when he was finally able to pry away from his lover’s dominate kiss. Zoro moaned at the light touches and pulled over into a parking lot, intent on getting at least some of his sexual tension released.

Following his train of thought, Johnny pulled him into a kiss as soon as the vehicle was put in park. He allowed Zoro to pull him almost into his lap as the green-haired man ravished his lips. Yosaku continued to lick and nip at his neck and ears, snaking his hands through the neck of Zoro’s t-shirt to caress his well toned chest and abs. Zoro knew that if he tried to screw either of them right now, they would figure out that he hadn’t gotten any since his arrival in the States. That was a humiliation that he did not want to go through, so he concentrated on keeping his desire down to a manageable point. A few quick gropes and several moans later, he turned to welcome his other friend in the same manner. Pleased with the heated looks he was getting, Zoro smiled and put the car back in gear again. This week would be murder on his control, but at least one thing was certain. He would be getting laid soon, Sanji be damned.

Tuesday, Zoro skipped his classes, sending a note to his instructors regarding his lack of attendance and spent the day showing his friends the wonders of the metropolis called Grand Line. It took most of the day, but Zoro finally convinced them to speak only in English outside the house. He told them it was hard enough for him to remember to speak it and if they kept it up he would only relapse and have to start all over again. With twin looks of sympathy, they agreed and all was well. When it came time for his kendo class that evening, Zoro had a ‘treat’ in store for them.

Johnny and Yosaku stood in the locker room looking at the clothes that had been laid out for them and wondered if it was a joke. When Yuu poked his head in and told them to hurry up and get dressed, they knew they were doomed. Stepping into the practice uniforms with the dojo’s crest on the breast, fate looked down on them and laughed.

“Class, we have a special treat today. A few friends of mine from Okinawa have come over and are going to help me with a demonstration.” The evil glint in Zoro’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed by the Horsemen who were fighting to keep their smiles innocent. “I would like you to welcome Johnny and Yosaku.”

They walked into the center of the mat and took their place beside Zoro and bowed to the students, unsure exactly how they were suppose to address them, this was an American dojo after all. Several shy “hi’s” and “nice to see you’s” were heard. Suddenly four boys stood before them and bowed deeply.

“Konichiwa, Johnny-san, Yosaku-san.”

“Eh?” Both of them looked down on the boys in surprise.

“These are my Horsemen, and my oldest students. They will be your opponents today.” Zoro handed them each a bokken and raised his hand to indicate that they should get in place. “This is going to show you that no matter the size difference, you can still gain the upper hand.”

An hour, several brusies, and two shattered prides later, the boys were lining up to bid their sensei goodnight and say thank you to their guests. Johnny and Yosaku sat on the mat nursing their egos and trying not to wince at the pain in their shins from multiple attacks. Zoro joined them on the mat and gave them a satisfied little smile when they just growled.

“I take it this is for the unannounced visit to school?” Yosaku sighed when he got an affirmative nod. “So why is this the only class you teach? I would think that with your skills you’d be teaching the advanced kids or even the competitive adults. Why play with the beginners instead?”

Ace popped in at that moment interrupting Zoro’s chance to answer for himself.

“Cause he’s too modest for his own good. That and he likes to keep secrets.” Ace dropped to his knees behind his friend and draped his arms over his shoulders. “Hey, sweety, I hope you don’t mind but I’m gonna have to get going tonight so I can’t stay and play. There’s a detective out there just waiting for his chance to arrest me and cuff me to his bed.”

Zoro laughed and bumped his head against Ace’s as a supposed loving gesture towards the raven.

“Be careful. You know he’s not always on duty. I’d hate for someone like Morgan to get to you instead.” Zoro reached up and ruffled Ace’s already messy hair. “This is Johnny and Yosaku, my best friends. Guys, this is Ace, my supposed lover who I’m cheating on with half the male population of the city by now.”

Handshakes were exchanged amidst the laughs.

“Let me guess, you guys went to his school too, huh?” Ace’s eyes sparkled as he pictured all the rumors going around about the poor green-haired man. “Yah, I’ve had the best time teasing him in his first class on Mondays. There’s this redhead in there that is dead sure we’re together. It’s so much fun to mess with her.”

They all laughed and Ace waved to them as he jogged off to the lockers to change. He had plans to see his delectable detective tonight, and he would be damned if anything was going to stop it. A goofy grin spread across his face at the thought of the antics he had planned. If that didn’t get his attention, nothing would. Seriously, who could turn away a guy dressed in only a loincloth? Now if only he could convince his gorgeous detective to wear the same, or less.

The rest of the week went by fairly quick for all of them. Ace popped in a few times to say hi, and even hung out with the bored boys for a while. Zoro did his best to hide his lust from his friends, even when he heard them going at it in the shower one morning after Yuu had left for the dojo. If he didn’t have to go to school he would have demanded to join in the fun. As it was, his pride refused to allow him to reveal how long it had been since he had last indulged in that carnal pleasure. They would only be there a couple of days more, and neither one of them had even suggested that he join in their intimate activities. Other than a few heated kisses here and there, they made no other move towards him. Zoro was beginning to wonder just how much the guys had changed since he left them roughly five months ago.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Sanji had spent his week filtering through all the mail he was receiving on the website. Brooke had agreed to help with a lot of it, but the volume was overwhelming. There were even letters from people outside the community coming in. The reporter was on the verge of giving up when a second letter caught his attention.

Dear Grit,

As much as it pains me to say, I believe that your pursuit for the true identity of your so called ‘Dark Knight’ should be brought to an end. If the people who are responsible find out his identity, he and those close to him will be in grave danger. Proceed with caution on this matter.

Watching,

There was no signature and the wording was completely different from the other letter so he knew it was not the same person. At first he thought that maybe the first one was from Vivi, but after he called her and spoke to the beautiful woman he reconsidered. The same was said for Igaram and Terracotta as well. They even went as far as offering to put up the money for a reward if Sanji thought it would help gain information faster. Politely the reporter declined the suggestion and said that he would not risk the chance of getting false information due to money grubbing idiots.

At the end of the week Sanji began planning Luffy’s party. He still wasn’t sure why his neighbor insisted they have it at his house, but he had to admit that it had been a while since he had entertained in his own home. It would be nice, even if there were some questionable additions to the mix. He thought back on the two men hanging all over Zoro earlier that week. Just what was the story with them? What did they mean by first party in the States? Did that mean they weren’t Americans or something? Well the three of them did have a strange accent at times, and Zoro every so often would use words that Sanji didn’t understand. He had just chalked it up to slang and left it alone, but now that he thought about it, maybe the college student was a transfer from another country. More than likely he was a military brat and spent most of his life overseas. Maybe he could impress him by fixing a dish from somewhere he had previously lived.

Sanji stopped and looked down at his hands currently opening up his favorite book of recipes and wondered just why he felt the need to impress the foreign idiot. He thought about the kiss he had witnessed and found his answer. He wanted to know what it was about the asshole that made him so desirable. Ever since Sanji saw him the first time he felt drawn to the man. First it was a need to befriend him, then just a desire to find out more about him and finally the urge to taste his lips for himself. It frustrated him that he longed for someone so out of his normal dating criteria. Zoro met none of the things on his list of wants in a relationship.

On the top of the list was the physical attractiveness of someone. Zoro was minus several points just there. Next was the ability to carry on an intellectual conversation. Again, minus points were given, but not as many because the man did prove to have some intelligence, just not when he opened his mouth. The fact that he was into men did make him an eligible candidate, but just barely. He had no manners, no class, and no clue. He didn’t even seem to have any hobbies. Then again, Sanji hadn’t taken the time to get to know him either. There might be more to him, but the blonde couldn’t get past his brash exterior and rudeness to begin to look. So why was Sanji so interested? Deciding to pull aside one of the visiting friends tonight, Sanji vowed to get some answers.

DK*DK*DK*DK

The three boys from Okinawa stood in the living room in front of Yuu with equal looks of fear and shock on their faces. The little old man had just given them a speech on safe sex and how to tell if a girl was a prostitute or just easy. He handed each of them a bundle of condoms and patted them on the back as he walked out, Cheshire cat grin firmly in place. Each of them looked at the other and shivered before walking stiffly out to the car. As they drove to the apartment complex, Johnny decided to ask a few questions about the people that would be there.

“So this Luffy kid, he’s the one you kissed last week, right, and he’s Ace’s little brother, but where does Sanji fit into all of this? I know you’re hot for the guy, but how did you meet? Was it through Ace or at school?”

Zoro thought for a moment and decided that maybe he’d better say something just in case the Tweedle-idiots slipped up and mentioned him practicing kendo.

“I rescued him from a couple of attackers with Yubashiri.” He let it sink in for a moment before speaking again. “It was raining and I had my hood up. He doesn’t know it’s me and I plan to keep it that way. If Jiji found out I’d be out on my ass in a second.”

“Damn it!” Yosaku shouted causing Zoro to swerve sharply.

“I told you!” Johnny turned in his seat and pointed at his sulking boyfriend. “See I told you that picture was too close to his sword to deny it. You owe me 10000 ұ, bitch!”

Zoro groaned, realizing that they had searched his room and found the newspapers. Assuming that was probably the reason they had left him alone during the week, he began to try to do damage control and regain the upper hand.

“Oi, knock that shit off. Just try to keep my past a secret. Not even Ace knows the whole truth, and I want to keep it that way.”

With twin grins of pure mischievousness, they all too readily agreed to do as asked. Now nervous, Zoro pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Luffy was standing outside talking to another young man with an absurdly long nose and the beautiful young woman at his side. Upon seeing the male trio, Luffy left the happy couple to run over and welcome them.

“Zoro! You’re here. It’s about time. Sanji wouldn’t let us eat until you got here. He even made me come outside to wait on you.”

Luffy leaped on to the waiting man and wrapped his arms and legs around him tightly. Though it would take some time, Zoro was getting accustomed to the boy’s overzealous greeting. He patted the straw hat atop Luffy’s head and began trying to pry the unusually strong boy off of his person. Johnny and Yosaku just stood by watching and laughing. The other couple joined them in amusement and brief introductions were made. Usopp was Luffy’s best friend and the sweet young woman with him was his fiancé, Kaya. Much to Zoro’s relief, his monkey released his hold and they were all able to proceed up to the third floor for the much anticipated dinner.