Chapter 13: A Match Made in Hell
Starfire looked uneasily at Cyborg and Beastboy. Their fruitless search to find Raven and Robin had led them all over the city. Starfire was extremely worried about her friends. Cyborg and Beastboy were too, they just weren't as concerned. Cause when guys are hungry, they can't think. A scientifically proven point.
"Man, I'd give my left arm for a steak right now!" Cyborg shouted, punching the air with his fist.
"Mmm..." Beastboy said, drooling. "Tofu pizza..."
"Man, how can you eat that stuff? Try some REAL food, like beef, and pork, and chicken, and..." Cyborg started counting off foods on his fingers.
Beastboy growled. "How can you eat meat? You're an animal too! They just aren't as smart as we are!"
Cyborg chuckled. "They aren't as smart as SOME of us...heeheehee."
It took Beastboy a minute to figure out he was being insulted. "Hey! That wasn't nice!"
Starfire also realized that Cyborg was picking on Beastboy. "Friend Cyborg, please stop mistreating our friend Beastboy. He is sensitive. And how can you be thinking about food when our friends Robin and Raven are possibly in danger?"
"Uh..." Cyborg said. "Well...we're really really hungry. Really REALLY hungry." Then he checked the time on a clock built in to his arm. "10:30? Maybe we should go back to the T-tower. It's getting really late. Robin and Raven might be back by now."
"Yeah, lets go. C'mon, Star." Beastboy took her hand and started walking back towads the Tower.
"Well, I suppose..." she murmured.
They walked down a dark alleyway, the moon shining from way above their heads. This section of the city was darker. Not as many streetlights were there, and the ones that did line the streets were greasy and dirty. A few old cars were parked on the sides the road perpendicular to the alleyway the 3 Titans were in. When they walked out onto the street, they saw that it was void of all life. Not a leaf stirred. No people were walking around, no storeowners managing their shops.
Starfire shivered involuntarily. "I do not like this place, friends Cyborg and Beastboy. Can we please make haste to return to our place of residence?"
Beastboy nodded. "Yeah, we'll hurry home, Star. It'll be ok." He squeezed her hand comfortingly and she smiled at him.
Cyborg sighed. 'Ah, young love,' he thought. 'Why don't I have a girlfriend!'
Suddenly a man appeared before them. He didn't magically appear there or anything. It seemed more like he had been there the entire time, and they just hadn't noticed him.
"Remember me?" he said.
Cyborg suddenly recalled where he had heard that voice before. "You're that guy we never saw when we first met Kuro! What was your name? Annie Sock Eew?"
The man was furious. He knew when he was being made fun of. "My name," he answered coldly, "is Anaisaku. Say it right or don't say it at all."
Cyborg wasn't really frightened. "So, are you a bloodsucker like our friend Kuro?"
Anaisaku roared, "I AM NOT A FILTHY BLOODSUCKER! My kind fight against Kuro's kin. They lack morals, they have lost their humanity. They don't deserve to live. Now TELL ME WHERE THE FLEDGLINGS ARE!"
At this, Cyborg started to get a little frightened. If this guy fought against vampires like Kuro, he had to be pretty powerful. "Fledglings? Oh, you mean Robin and Raven. Why do want to know? And, um...what exactly are you?" he asked.
"I am a vampire hunter. My kind call ourselves Lamia-Venatori. (A/N that's latin for vampire-hunter) We hunt those evil creatures that roam this earth. Those hideous beings who are called vampires," Anaisaku growled.
"Hey, watch who you say that to! I have two very good friends who are vampires, and they still have morals!" Beastboy interrupted.
Starfire agreed, "Yes, our friends still know the difference between right and wrong. They were surprised to learn of how heartless Kuro is."
Anaisaku stopped to consider this. "Surely you are mistaken. All vampires are evil. They have no ethics or morals. They are purely wicked and vile creatures," he protested.
Beastboy shook his head. "Man, you have it all wrong. I think you are discriminating against vampires just because SOME of them are bad. You can't commit yourself to the destruction of an entire race, just because SOME of them are bad!"
Cyborg whistled. "I didn't know you were capable of such intellectual thoughts, BB!"
Beastboy shrugged. "I have my moments. I do think, you know."
Anaisaku was getting impatient. "Enough with these foolish interactions! Tell me where the Fledglings are!"
Cyborg shook his head. "We aren't telling you where they are until you stop assuming all vampires are bad. Because we know for a fact that Robin and Raven are still good people inside."
Anaisaku looked carefully at the half-man, half-machine. "You may have a point..." he started to say, then shook his head. "What am I saying! They're all bad! It's what I've been taught since birth! It has to be true! I've commited my life to killing vampires, because I know they're evil! My wife and I enjoy killing them! It's what we live for!"
Beastboy shook his head again. "Man, you need a hobby. Have you ever tried sailing? I've heard it's very relaxing."
Starfire missed the sarcasm in his voice. She said earnestly, "Yes, it could help you manage this unfounded anger you have towards vampires. Having another activity to occupy you may help you on your road to recovery!"
Anaisaku snarled at her. "I have had it with you foolish mortals. No longer will I listen to the stupid things your vampire friends have brainwashed you into saying. No longer will I wait around, searching for answers. I have people to see, places to go, and vampires to kill."
And he left.
"Robin, I don't think they're here!" Raven shouted from down a hallway. Robin heard her from the living room where he was pacing nervously. His acute hearing could have heard her, even if she was whispering.
"Where could they be?" Robin wondered.
Raven shrugged. "They might have gone to go look for us. We were gone a while before we came back." Then she gasped. "Robin, look!"
He looked out the window of the T-tower to where she was pointing. Way across town, down by the water, was a burning ball of flame, rising from the debris of a building. Robin immediatly recognized what building it was.
"I guess The Lady was right when she said we wouldn't ever enter that building again. But she was wrong when she said we'd only ever leave it twice. I don't think she counted on us escaping," Robin said with a smirk.
!DINGDONG!
"Cy, Star, and BB are back! They're safe!" Raven exclaimed. The door opened and the three missing Titans came in.
"RAVEN! ROBIN! We are pleased to see that you are safe and unharmed." Starfire said excitedly. "You will never guess whom we have seen!"
Beastboy jumped into the conversation. "Yeah, we saw Anaisaku again! You know, that guy that was talking at Pier 92 just after we met Kuro? Hahaha! You should have seen his face when Cyborg tried to remember his name. 'What was you name? Annie Sock Eew?'" Beastboy collapsed in laughter.
Cyborg told Robin and Raven everything that had happened. Needless to say, they had a few questions.
"What did he look like?" Robin asked.
Cyborg got a strange look on his face. "I don't really remember. It's like there was something hiding his face. I couldn't ever look straight at him."
Robin nodded absently. His mind was elsewhere, trying to figure out what had gone on between Kuro and that guy, Anaisaku.
Then Raven came to a startling conclusion. "Robin? I think Anaisaku's wife is the Lady!"
Robin's eyes widened. "I think you're right! Oh my gosh!"
Cyborg, Beastboy, and Starfire had blank looks. Robin and Raven sighed and told them what happened at Pier 92.
"So, Kuro's dead?" Cyborg said after hearing what happened.
"I must admit, it's a relief. He had very few morals." Starfire confessed.
"So, this 'Lady' that killed Kuro, you think SHE is the wife of Anaisaku?" Beastboy asked.
Raven nodded. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Two psychopath vampire hunters? They're like a match made in hell."
Robin chuckled. "Yeah, they're perfect for eachother. Hey, do you think instead of kissing, they slice eachother with butcher knives?"
Everyone laughed. Then their faces were serious. Beastboy's eye twitched and he said, "Yoy know, I wouldn't be surprised. Those people are sadistic lunatics."
Raven changed the topic by saying, "I think what is going on is an age-old rivallry between two peoples. And I don't think there's very much we can do to change it."
Beastboy and Starfire, unable to comprehend the seriousness of her statement, started cracking jokes about the previous topic; slicing instead of kissing.
Beastboy sniggered as he said, "Oh, yes sweety! I love you so much I would cut off my left arm just so you could slice off one of my toes."
Starfire was giggling like she was crazy, even though she didn't really know why she found it so funny.
Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Could you guys be serious for a little while?"
Beastboy turned into a monkey and walked out of the room with Starfire, who was still giggling.
Robin sighed. "It's nice having them with us, but sometimes I wonder how they can be so carefree when there are lives at stake? Who knows how many innocent, well, relatively innocent vampires have been killed? Anaisaku and the Lady, as well as all the rest of their kind, are being very cruel. They think we're heartless, but they are the ones who are driven by their blind hatred."
Raven yawned. "Can we talk more in the morning? It's past 11 o'clock now, and I'm tired."
They all said goodnight, and went to their rooms.
