As the team got ready to head home. Robin approached, mask hiding his expression but not the exhaustion in his posture. "Good work," he said quietly. "Both of you."
Terra stood a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself despite the warm night air. Dirt and dust covered her from head to toe, her blonde hair matted with debris. She looked like she'd aged five years in the past hour.
"You saved us," Robin continued, turning to face her directly. "Saved him." He gestured toward Hikaru.
Terra's blue eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her features. "I had to," she said, voice breaking slightly. "He saved me first."
The words hung in the air between them—a truth that transcended tactics or strategy. Hikaru met her gaze and found something fundamental had shifted. The fear that had haunted her expression for weeks had transformed into a fragile hope.
Robin extended his hand. Terra stared at it for a heartbeat before grasping it firmly.
"Welcome to the team," Robin said. "For real this time."
A day later the common room of Titans Tower erupted in chaos.
Cyborg had somehow ordered enough pizza to feed a small army despite the late hour. Beast Boy was already three slices deep, talking animatedly with his mouth full about how "totally awesome" Terra's earthquake attack had been. Starfire floated around distributing drinks with her characteristic enthusiasm, while Kid Flash rapidly recounting the explosion trap he'd narrowly escaped.
Terra stood in the doorway, overwhelmed by the noise and energy. Then Starfire swooped down and pulled her into an enthusiastic hug.
"You were magnificent, friend Terra!"
"I... thanks, Star." Terra's voice was muffled against Starfire's shoulder.
Donna approached next, offering a warrior's forearm clasp. "That sinkhole collapse was impressive. Your power control has improved significantly."
"Couldn't have done it without the training," Terra admitted.
Beast Boy hovered nearby, shifting his weight awkwardly. Their eyes met across the room—a complicated exchange of hurt and understanding and tentative forgiveness that would take time to fully heal. But when he offered her a small smile, Terra returned it.
Raven watched from her corner, teacup in hand. She caught Hikaru's eye and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Hikaru understood her meaning.
She's one of us now.
The celebration continued—Cyborg challenging Kid Flash to another racing game rematch, Starfire teaching Terra the proper way to make a "pizza tower," Robin actually laughing at one of Beast Boy's terrible jokes. The sound of it filled the Tower audible above the music, washing away the past night's violence with something warmer.
Hikaru absorbed the scene—his team—and felt the knot of tension in his chest finally begin to unwind. They'd survived.
But the weight of what he'd almost done still pressed against his thoughts like a bruise that wouldn't fade.
He slipped out quietly, heading for the roof.
The night air tasted clean after the dust and smoke of the battlefield. Hikaru stood at the edge of the Tower's roof, staring out at Jump City's glittering skyline. Dawn was still hours away, but the city never truly slept. Distant sirens wailed. Car horns blared. Life continued, oblivious to how close eight teenagers had come to dying last tonight.
His hand drifted to the scabbard at his side—his father's gift, the blade that had held against promethium, where light constructs would have shattered. He'd been so ready to use it. To end Deathstroke permanently.
The memory of charging that photon blast made his stomach turn.
"You could have killed him."
Hikaru didn't turn around. Raven's voice was soft, lacking her usual monotone edge.
"You saw that?" he asked quietly.
"I felt it." She stepped up beside him, purple cloak rippling in the breeze. "The darkness. The temptation. Then... you let it go."
He finally looked at her. In the dim light, her violet eyes seemed to glow faintly. "How do you do it?" The question emerged rougher than intended. "Push away those feelings?"
Raven was silent for a long moment, contemplating her answer. "I don't," she said finally. "I accept them. The darkness is part of me. Part of you too." Her gaze shifted to meet his. "But it doesn't control us. We control it."
"Is that what you've been learning?" Hikaru thought back to their rooftop conversation months ago—his suggestion that balance might be healthier than total suppression.
A small smile touched Raven's lips, barely visible but genuinely warm. "We're learning together."
They stood in comfortable silence, a half-demon and hald-angel watching over a city that would never know how close it came to having another monster born from violence and vengeance.
"Thanks, Roth," Hikaru said eventually.
"Anytime."
The word carried weight—a promise of understanding between people who shared a similar burden. Hikaru felt something settle in his chest, the self-doubt easing.
"Come on," Raven said, turning back toward the stairwell. "They'll notice we're both missing soon. Beast Boy will assume we're plotting something."
"Aren't we always?" Hikaru grinned.
"Fair point."
They rejoined the celebration together, stepping back into warmth and noise and the chaotic affection that came with Titans. Terra had somehow ended up in an arm-wrestling contest with Donna while the others cheered. Starfire was demonstrating Tamaranean victory dances. Cyborg's speakers blasted music that was definitely too loud for this hour.
Hikaru grabbed a slice of pizza and settled onto the couch between Kid Flash and Beast Boy, letting the moment wash over him. Tomorrow would bring new challenges. Deathstroke would escape eventually—they all knew it. More villains would threaten Jump City. More impossible choices would need to be made.
But tonight, they'd won. And that was enough.
The S.T.A.R. Labs containment transport rumbled along the coastal highway, its reinforced chassis designed to withstand concentrated assault. Inside the secured compartment, Deathstroke remained motionless against the specialized restraints—bindings calculated to hold even metahuman strength.
In the holding cell, Slade Wilson's single visible eye opened. Slade's lips curved into a cold smile beneath his mask.
"Until next time, Titans."
***
Volume One — End
A/N: I will try to make improvements for Volume Two