The order was placed—pepperoni, veggie supreme, Hawaiian (which Cyborg continued to give Hikaru grief over), black olive and mushroom, and one with anchovies that only Starfire seemed excited about.
While they waited, the team settled into different conversations. Donna was explaining the difference between Greek and Roman mythology to Starfire, who listened with the kind of intense focus she gave everything. Beast Boy and Cyborg were already arguing about toppings again. Raven had her nose in a book she'd pulled from nowhere.
Hikaru watched them all, enjoying the particular brand of chaotic energy that came out when several super-powered teens came together.
The pizzas arrived ten minutes later, and the table's descent into silence was immediate. Beast Boy made a dramatic show of checking every slice for meat contamination. Cyborg stacked three pepperoni slices on top of each other and bit into them like a sandwich. Starfire tried the anchovies, declared them "most delightful," and proceeded to eat an entire pizza by herself.
Hikaru grabbed a slice of Hawaiian, caught Cyborg's judgmental stare, and took an exaggerated bite.
"Traitor," Cyborg muttered.
"It's good!"
"It's an abomination."
Donna laughed, nearly choking on her veggie slice. Raven didn't look up from her book, but Hikaru caught the tiniest smirk tugging at her lips.
The meal was interrupted by a horn blast that cut through the air.
Hikaru's head snapped toward the sound. A bus careened down the street, in the crosswalk, a baby carriage sat alone, the infant's wails rising above the chaos.
Beast Boy gasped. "Oh man—"
Robin was already on his feet. "Titans! Go!"
Chairs scraped. Pizza forgotten. Hikaru's wings erupted from his back as he launched skyward. A sudden sense of deja vu washed over him as he took in the scene. Starfire shot forward as her hair trailed behind her, reaching the carriage and moving it clear of the street. Donna flew toward the bus from the while Cyborg came charging from behind, both halting the bus' movement.
The doors hissed open.
Empty driver's seat.
Hikaru landed beside Cyborg, scanning the surrounding buildings. Something felt wrong.
"Um... don't buses normally have drivers?" Cyborg asked.
Robin approached the carriage, peering inside. He straightened slowly. "And don't baby carriages normally have babies?"
The memory hit Hikaru like ice water. Empty bus. Empty carriage. The setup was too perfect—
"Guys, it's a trap!"
"Took you long enough to figure it out."
The voice came from above. Hikaru's gaze shot upward just as a figure dropped from the building's edge—pink hair made up to look horns, pale skin, purple and black costume. She landed in a crouch, one hand already glowing with magenta energy.
Four more figures emerged. A massive brute with orange-red hair and a black and gold outfit. A small bald kid in green with a jetpack rig. A girl with auburn hair and cargo pants. Another in a white-and-green suit with a single large eye-visor.
"Who are these guys?" Beast Boy asked already shifting into a gorilla.
The small one sneered. "We are the Fearsome Five!"
The giant cracked his knuckles. "Your worst nightmare!"
The pink-haired girl smirked. "And this is Attack Pattern Alpha!"
They moved.
The massive one—Mammoth, Hikaru's memory supplied—charged straight at Cyborg and Donna. The small one's jetpack roared to life as gadgets deployed from his backpack. The girl in cargo pants touched a fire hydrant; and poisonous gas came heading toward Robin and Kid Flash. The one with the eye-visor fired red laser beams that carved through concrete.
And the pink-haired leader locked eyes with Hikaru.
Her hex bolts shot toward him like a comet.
He shifted into light, the attack passing harmlessly through his intangible form. He rematerialized ten feet to the left, wings flared.
"Great," he muttered. "The hot one singles me out."
She paused, looking him up and down with an expression somewhere between amusement and assessment. "You're not so bad yourself." Her fingers traced patterns in the air, more hex energy gathering around her hands. "But you boys always have the same weakness..."
She fired.
The bolt hit ground and somehow triggered an explosion. The pavement exploded upward in a shower of debris and dust.
"You think using anything but your heads," she finished.
Hikaru was already in his light form, shooting through the cloud as pure light. He circled behind her and rematerialized, hands already glowing with light energy.
"Fair warning," he said. "The fact that you're pretty is not going to stop me from taking you down." He shot a light blast that hit her just as she turned around sending her flying backwards. "But I just wanted you to know I noticed."
She recovered quick, already back on her feet. "How sweet. Points for your honesty." Magenta colored energy gather at her fingers. "But you're not really my type, bird boy. I prefer guys who don't ruin my fun."
The hex bolt shot forward.
Hikaru launched skyward, with a single beat of his wings. The bolt hit where he'd been standing and the concrete fractured before it caved in.
He grinned down at her. "Angel, actually."
"Noted."
He shot out several lightbeams forcing her launch into a continuous roll, her movements fluid and practiced. Another hex bolt launched from her palm. He phased through it, and closed the distance before shifting solid again, landing a blow to her stomach knocking her back again. She recovered just before hitting the ground flipping to land on her feet as she skidded backwards across the asphalt.
Around them, chaos had already erupted.