3

"And that's the whole story." Vash said, taking a moment to look over the faces of his hosts. They all sat around a table, each of them pausing over their slices of pizza, looking at him, disbelieving.
"Wow." Beast Boy finally managed to say.
"That is such a sad story, friend Vash." Starfire said. She started to move toward him, and Vash flinched noticeably, fearing another backbreaking hug. Instead Starfire simply placed a hand on his shoulder, and he offered her a friendly smile.
"Another world, huh?" Cyborg asked as he took a sip of his soda.
"Does you're brother really want to wipe out all of humanity?" Raven asked seriously. When Vash nodded, Raven tilted her head curiously. "Why? I mean, they can be a little loud, and obnoxious, and show off too much…" Raven started to drone, her eyes focusing on Beast Boy, who glowered in response.
"I don't know." Vash said, his voice growing a little screechy with emotion. "I don't know why Knives hates people so much. And its not even just humans that he hates. He just…hates." Vash sighed and closed his eyes, bowing his head as if in mourning for his lost brother.
"It is all right, friend Vash. I do not get along with my sibling either." Starfire said, and Vash smiled, seeming to take genuine comfort.
"Well, that explains Legato, and you, but it doesn't explain how you got here." Robin said, breaking the tender moment. "And it doesn't explain why they were attacking the nuclear power plant."
"Oh, that." Vash chuckled, as if he were embarrassed at leaving that detail out of his story. "Well, to tell the truth, I'm a little in the dark about that myself right now. I just remember he tricked me into…doing something I didn't want to do, and there was this really bright light, and when I opened my eyes I was here, on the outskirts of you're city."
"So…we have no idea what Knives is up to?" Beast Boy asked. Vash shook his head.
"I can try to find out just what was stolen from the plant. Maybe that will give us a clue." Robin suggested.
"I can run a scan of the city and see if I can pick up any weird energy signatures, maybe that will clue us in to how you got here." Cyborg added.
"Hey," Vash started to protest, "I can't ask you kids to go out of you're way to help me. Knives is my responsibility. I'll…"
"He may be you're brother, but it's our city." Robin interrupted.
"Besides, if he really is up to something dangerous, we'll have to help you stop him." Raven added.
"Yeah. Don't worry man, its what we do!" Beast Boy said, clapping Vash on the shoulder enthusiastically.
"Yes, friend Vash! Please, be of good spirit. Here, eat you're food!" Starfire said, and with that promptly stuffed a whole slice of pizza right into Vash's mouth. His eyes bulged and he gagged a little as he struggled to chew the huge mouthful he had been force-fed. The other Titan's all could not restrain some laughter as they watched Vash struggle.
This happiness was interrupted by a massive crashing sound. The Titan's and their Vash all swung their heads to look down the street, where the sound, like that of the coming footsteps of a giant, where coming from. They all watched in confusion and astonishment as a mechanical monstrosity that only loosely resembled a giant Doberman rounded the corner and began thromping down the street toward them.
"Hey, Robin!" a new voice shouted, and all head's turned to see Johnny Rancid sitting atop his motorcycle not ten feet away. He gestured toward the monstrous robot and smiled arrogantly, "How do you punks like my new dog?" He reared his head back and laughed maniacally.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, and instantly the Titans all leapt into action, leaving Vash seated alone at the table, pizza sauce and grease still dripping down his chin.
The robot dog raised one of its paws, and the claws at the end launched from its appendage, revealing to be rockets. It also fired a pair of lasers from its eyes, and a burst of flame poured from its mouth.
Cyborg threw himself to the ground, shoulder first, and rolled expertly under the rocket barrage, and then fired a shot of his own which blasted the paw the attack had come from to scrap. The rockets were then surrounded by a black glow and stopped in their tracks, and then turned straight up, soared into the sky and detonated well away from the Titans or anyone else. Starfire hovered up into the sky, dodging the lasers that roared past her, and then threw a pair of green bolts that destroyed the eyes those lasers had emitted from. Robin pulled his cape up over his body, shielding him as the flame roared around him, and then threw a birdarang that flew into the robot's mouth and exploded. Finally, Beast Boy morphed into a massive rhinoceros and charged forward, ramming the robot full force, sending it crashing back against the concrete structure of nearby building.
Johnny sat atop his motorcycle, gaping at the speed with which the Titans had destroyed his new pet. Then he snarled with rage and revved the engine of his bike, ready to engage the Titans himself. Two gunshots later, however, saw the tires of his bike slowly deflating. He sat for a moment, frozen with disbelief, and then looked across the street at where Vash stood, his smoking pistol in hand.
"I don't know who you are, but you are gonna wish you never…" Johnny started to snarl, but was interrupted by a loud bang, and then thrown through the air when a large, metal X slammed into him, knocking his bike over and throwing him through the air, and then through the window of a florist shop behind him.
The Titans all gawked at what had just happened, but Vash brightened. They all turned to see two women come running down the street, one of them holding a very large and intimidating weapon over her shoulder.
"There he is!" the shorter, dark haired one said, pointing at Vash.
"Girls!" Vash said happily, and went running to meet them, open armed. But rather than embrace him in reunion, the dark haired woman floored Vash with a direct blow across the top of his skull, which sent him to the ground with a thud. "What's the big idea?" She shouted down at him, "You left us all alone outside this city, with no idea where we were! Who knows what could have happened to us!"
"Ow." Was Vash's only response.
"Um…these ladies friends of yours Vash?" Beast Boy asked nervously as the Titans all came forward. Vash propped himself up on his elbows, one hand rubbing the top of his head, the other gesturing toward the two women.
"Guys, these are…"
"I am Meryl Stryfe the Bernardelli Insurance Society." The dark haired woman said, and with that produced an identification card that she held up for the Titans to see. "However, in some parts I am better known as 'Derringer Meryl.'"
"And I'm Millie Thompson." The taller, brown haired woman added.
"Greetings!" Starfire said, flying forward eagerly, just as she had earlier when introduced to Vash. "Will you also be my new friends?"
"Sure." Millie replied, enthusiastically.
"Wondrous!" Starfire shouted and threw her arms around Millie. The Titans all flinched, fearing Starfire would break the poor woman in two as she almost had Vash. But instead, Millie giggled and threw her arms around Starfire in an equally powerful embrace.
"Nice to meet you." Robin said as he strode forward and took Meryl's hand. "I'm Robin, and these are the Teen Titans. That's Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and I think you've already met Starfire." He said, gesturing to each of his companions.
"Well, its nice to meet you too cutie." Meryl said, talking to Robin as if he were ten years old.
"Cutie?" Robin muttered, arching an eyebrow.
"Why are you all dressed up, is it a holiday or something?" Millie asked, still embracing Starfire.
"Um…it requires a lot of explaining." Raven said.
"Oh, its always a special day when we meet lovely ladies such as yourself." Beast Boy said, striding forward, pushing Robin out of the way, and putting on his best charming smile. "Tell me, how does a pretty, purple eyed thing like you end up in a place like this?"
"That's what we'd like to know." Meryl said, giving Beast Boy and odd look.
"Hey Vash, who are the kids?" came another new voice. All eyes turned to see a man dressed all in black leaning against a nearby wall, a large, cross shaped object wrapped in a white sheet alongside him. He stepped forward into the streetlight, revealing his ruggedly handsome face and piercing blue eyes.
"We're…" Robin started to say when Raven and Starfire darted past him and stood before the man.
"Hi…I'm Raven…" Raven said, a slight blush in her cheeks, her voice struggling to rise when she felt those eyes lock on her.
"Yes…and I am Starfire…it is very, very nice to meet you." Starfire said, also blushing, her eyes sparkling a little.
"Well, its nice to meet you too, Raven and Starfire." He took their hands, bowed his head and placed a tiny kiss on them, and then offered them a smile that made them both curl their toes inside their shoes. "I'm Wolfwood."
"I'll destroy all of you!" Johnny Rancid growled. They all jumped with surprised, having completely forgotten about him for the past few moments. He stood, breathing heavily, as his two red energy daggers appeared in his hands. "I'll rip you apart! I'll tear you a…" but his words died in his throat when a pair of tiny bullets shattered the daggers right in his hands. All eyes turned to Meryl, who had thrown her coat open to reveal a series of strange cases wrapped around her body. In her hands she held a pair of tiny Derringer pistols. Johnny croaked hoarsely and dropped to his knees, the weight of disbelief pushing him down.
"Hey, you shouldn't be playing with Knives and monsters." Vash said, stepping forward. "You should live a happy life, according to the ideals of love, and peace. Now, repeat after me!" Vash said, his voice growing almost preachy. Meryl groaned and rolled her eyes, as if she had heard this all before. "This land…" Vash shouted.
"Th-this land…" Johnny repeated, his mind struggling to grasp what was going on.
"This land…" Vash boomed, "This land is made of…love and peace!" He thrust his arm forward, the fingers of his hand twisted around each other a strange sort of gesture. "Love and peace!" He repeated, pulling his arm back and then thrusting it back forward.
"Love and peace!" Stafire shouted enthusiastically as she flew up alongside Vash and mimicked his gesture.
"Love and peace!" Beast Boy shouted as well, now standing alongside Vash as well, and also repeating the gesture.
"I don't believe this…" Meryl groaned, shaking her head. "We've only just met them and already they're talking like him." The other Titans and Wolfwood just watched, sweat drops of embarrassment starting to slide down their foreheads.
"Love and peace!" Vash, Starfire, and Beast Boy continued to shout. "Love and peace!"