The basketball slapped against the rooftop court, as Hikaru caught the bounce pass from Beast Boy. Cyborg lunged forward, but Hikaru pivoted around him making the movement seem almost effortless.
"Oh, come on!" Cyborg protested.
Hikaru grinned and passed to Donna, who caught it one-handed before leaping over Robin's attempted block. She landed smoothly and sank the shot.
"Game!" Beast Boy pumped both fists in the air. "And that's how it's done!"
"You guys cheated," Kid Flash accused, hands on his hips. "Donna's literally superhuman."
"So's Cyborg," Hikaru pointed out, walking over to high-five his teammates. "And you're a speedster."
"Yeah, but—"
"Face it, dude," Beast Boy interrupted, transforming briefly into a peacock. "We're just better."
Robin shook his head, though a small smile tugged at his lips. "Rematch tomorrow."
"You're on." Hikaru high-fived Donna, then Beast boy as they celebrated their win.
Off to the side, Raven sat cross-legged on the ground, her nose buried in a leather-bound book. She hadn't looked up once during the entire game.
Hikaru was about to suggest getting some water when movement caught his eye—a streak of silver against the blue sky, small and fast, arcing downward toward the mainland.
"Uh, guys?"
The silver object—clearly some kind of spacecraft—plummeted toward Jump City's downtown district. A moment later, it crashed into the street smoke rising in the distance
"Was that—" Cyborg started.
A massive portal ripped open in the sky above the city, swirling purple pink hole that crackled with energy. Through it emerged a larger ship, vaguely bug shaped. It dove through the portal in pursuit of the first craft.
Raven's book snapped shut. She was on her feet instantly.
"Titans, suit up!" Robin barked, already sprinting toward the roof entrance.
Hikaru had his costume on in seconds, hood settling over his head. His wings erupted from his back, sending him into the air as he caught the wind. The team moved with practiced efficiency.
"Seraph, aerial reconnaissance," Robin ordered. "Report what you see."
Hikaru didn't need to be told twice. He shot into the sky, wings propelling him forward. Kid Flash, Cyborg, and Robin kept to the ground. Raven's dark energy wrapped around herself, Donna, and Beast Boy, teleporting them directly toward the crash site.
As Hikaru approached downtown, he spotted her immediately.
A girl flew through the air between buildings, pursued by a swarm of armored figures. Her skin was bright orange, almost glowing in the afternoon sun, and her long red hair whipped behind her like flames. Even from this distance, he could see her emerald green eyes blazing with determination as she fired brilliant green energy bolts from her hands.
Behind her, roughly a dozen reptilian humanoids gave chase. Each stood at least seven feet tall, covered in green scales and wearing dark armor. Wings extended from their backs, and long tails whipped behind them as they flew in formation.
Yep, that's definitely Starfire, Hikaru thought, watching her barrel-roll to avoid incoming fire. I was wondering if she'd show up.
He landed on a rooftop as the rest of the team converged.
"Guess we're in the big leagues now," Beast Boy said, already transformed into a pterodactyl.
Kid Flash skidded to a stop beside him. "Yeah, we've leveled up from C-list supervillains to alien invaders."
"But which side do we join?" Cyborg asked, his optical implant zooming in on the aerial battle.
Donna turned to stare at him. "Really?"
"Hey, looks can be deceiving." Cyborg held up his hands defensively. "For all we know, she could be the bad guy."
Hikaru's wings spread wide. "My bet's on the side without the numbers advantage."
He launched himself into the air before anyone could respond.
"And the fact that she's hot has nothing to do with it!" Kid Flash called after him.
Hikaru glanced back over his shoulder, grinning beneath his hood. "Hey, I never said it wasn't!"
Robin's voice cut through the moment. "Titans, GO!"
The battle was already in full swing when Hikaru reached them.
Starfire spun through the air, firing starbolts with deadly accuracy. Two of the reptilians dropped from the sky, smoke trailing from their armor. But she was outnumbered and tiring—Hikaru could see it in the way her movements were becoming less precise, more desperate.
One of the aliens lunged from her blind spot, clawed hand reaching for her.
A blast of light intercepted the attack, It shrieked—a horrible, hissing sound—and fell away.
Starfire's eyes widened as Hikaru pulled up beside her, light emitting from his hand.
"Need a hand?" he asked, though he knew she couldn't understand.
She shouted something in a rapid, melodic language he didn't recognize, gesturing wildly. Before he could puzzle it out, three more aliens dove at them.
Hikaru created a light shield, blocking their energy weapons. Starfire took advantage of the opening, launching a barrage of starbolts that sent all three spinning away.
Below them, the rest of the Titans joined the fight.
Beast Boy, now in rhino form, charged into a crowd knocking the group away. Donna caught another mid-flight, her superior strength allowing her to simply hurl it into a building.
Kid Flash ran up the side of a skyscraper, using his momentum to leap and deliver a flying kick to an alien's head. The creature's helmet cracked, and it plummeted.
Raven's soul-self manifested as a massive dark raven, its wings spreading across the sky. It swept through the aliens' formation, scattering them. Robin used the chaos to his advantage, taking down the distracted ones with his escrima sticks.
"Whoo!" Cyborg's sonic cannon roared, the blast wave catching two aliens and sending them careening into each other. "That's what I'm talking about!"
Hikaru and Starfire moved in sync—he created shields that blocked gunfire, and she provided covering fire while he closed the distance for sword strikes. It was messy, improvised, but somehow it worked.
The alien formation broke apart, the survivors retreating toward the portal still swirling overhead.
Starfire grabbed Hikaru's arm, her grip surprisingly strong. She pointed frantically at the portal, speaking rapidly in that same alien language. Her tone was urgent, almost pleading.
The Titans regrouped on a nearby rooftop, all eyes turning skyward.
"Anyone else getting 'close that thing' vibes?" Kid Flash asked.
Robin nodded. "We need to shut down that portal before reinforcements arrive. Anyone got something loud to close that thing?"
Hikaru stepped forward, light already gathering in his palms. "I'm on it."
He launched himself straight up, wings beating hard. The portal loomed above him, swirling with unstable energy. Hikaru brought his hands together, condensing all his energy into a single point.
"Fire in the hole!"
The beam exploded from his palms, a column of pure light that slammed into the portal's center. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the portal erupted.
The explosion was silent but devastating. Space itself seemed to buckle and tear, the purple energy spiraling inward as the portal began to collapse—
—and reverse.
Suddenly, everything below was being pulled upward with immense force. Hikaru felt it immediately, his body yanked toward the imploding portal. Struggling to fly away.
Below, the Titans fought to stay grounded. Robin shot his grappling hook at something attached to ground, clinging to it. Donna grabbed Cyborg and Beast Boy, her Amazonian strength keeping them anchored. Raven teleported a safe distance away. While Kid Flash quickly put distance between him and portals pull.
The remaining aliens weren't so lucky. One by one, they were lifted into the sky and sucked into the portal, their screams cutting off abruptly as they vanished.
Starfire shrieked, her body lifting off the ground as the portal tried to claim her.
Hikaru dove toward her, turning into light as he moved.
He reformed just as his hand closed around her wrist just before she crossed the event horizon.
The pull intensified. He could feel it trying to drag them both through. But his grip didn't falter. He yanked backward with all his strength.
They shot free just as the portal collapsed with a final thunderclap.
Silence fell over Jump City.
Hikaru's wings spread wide, slowing their descent. Starfire had stopped struggling, her body relaxed in his grip. They floated gently back toward the ground where the Titans waited, looking up with expressions ranging from relief to concern.
But Hikaru barely noticed them.
His eyes were locked on Starfire's face, and hers on his. Her emerald gaze was intense, searching, filled with something he couldn't quite name. Gratitude, maybe. Or recognition. Her orange skin was smooth and warm beneath his hand, and up close, he could see the way her red hair seemed to flicker like flames at the tips.
She was beautiful.
And she was still staring at him like he'd lassoed the moon and gave it to her as a present.