Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Chapter One XXXXXXX It had been three years since Sasuke had left the village of Konaha, and one of his only regrets was that he wasn't strong enough to face Itachi. His brother was quite a formidable opponent, feared where ever he went. That was one of the many reasons Sasuke had decided to accept Orochimaru's proposal. Orochimaru might of had his own reasons for wanting Sasuke under his tutelage, but Sasuke was confident enough that he could match Orochimaru in power. He had no need to fear the snake's intentions. It was time to leave the compound. Whatever Orochimaru had planned would be better served if Sasuke just left. There was really no need to stick around, the snake wouldn't teach him everything for fear that Sasuke would defeat him. The old bastard had miscalculated. Sasuke enjoyed training in secret, honing his skills for the fateful confrontation between him and his brother.Sasuke looked out over the horizon and sighed deeply. The landscape was pleasant to look at when the dusk was approaching. Trees lit by the dying sun seemed to be on fire from all the reds and oranges in the sky. There was a waterfall in the distance that he could barely make out. It was one of the many places he trained, and he could see some of its mist covering the ground around it. Even with the inner calm he was feeling from the surrounding forest, he didn't miss the slight footsteps heading up the dirt path that laid behind him. It had to of been Kabuto, Sasuke was supposed to meet with him over an hour ago. He didn't feel the need to see the secondary snake lurking among his space in the compound, besides Kabuto might have noticed that none of Sasuke's things were still where they were supposed to be. His few possessions were currently residing in transportation scrolls tucked away safely inside the markings on his arms and legs. It was just easier to carry his things that way, better than packing a bag that might get in the way.When the footsteps stopped behind him, Sasuke didn't bother look just to irk Kabuto. He was satisfied when he heard an annoyed huff."Sasuke, Orochimaru and I have been waiting in the meeting room. Were you planning on joining us anytime soon? Or should I just report back that you had betrayed us to your old comrades?" Kabuto sounded smug, like he had successfully pushed one of Sasuke's buttons.Sasuke stood , then turned to face Kabuto. "The mission ran for longer than expected. The information you provided was outdated and there were quite a few more enemies on patrol near the exit. Thanks to you I had to kill them which was not a part of the mission. So when I speak with Orochimaru I think he would not be pleased to know that his number one spy had messed up and messed up bad." He paused to watch the sweat beading on Kabuto's forehead fall, coating the side of his glasses. "Don't push me, you will lose."The Uchiha pushed passed Kabuto, making sure to brush his shoulder against the other man's front. It was a warning, and Sasuke trusted that Kabuto would heed it. He didn't have time to trade banter with that asshole anyway. Just as soon as he was finished with Orochimaru, he was leaving and never coming back. XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx Sasuke found himself in Orochimaru's work lab. He had tried to find him in the meeting room, the ninja standing guard there had mentioned the work lab so Sasuke went there.It was dark, darker than most of the compound. The snake had once said the reason for the darkness was to prevent his many samples from becoming contaminated by the sun. Sasuke didn't much care about what went on in the lab, so he never asked that many questions about just what the hell went on in there. He would hear horror stories though. Some people was brought in to be test subjects, while others were brought in just for extra body parts. It was really quite gruesome. Sasuke purposely ignored it, for he wasn't there to be anyone's savior. He did keep an eye on some of the subjects though, just in case he would ever need to form a team that would be strong enough to hold off the Akatsuki. If they managed to somehow stop him from confronting his brother, than having other ally's could be useful. The way things were going though, that plan would never have to see the light of day. Sasuke had got word that Itachi had went off on his own away from the Akatsuki, his only companion being Kisame Hoshigaki; one of the seven swords men of the Mist. He was a dangerous foe, but Sasuke had no doubts about leading him away from his partner to finish the job."Ah Sasuke! What a nice surprise you could grace your old teacher with your presence. I had been wondering how you fared against the samurai I sent you to steal from. Do tell me how it went?" The snake's voice was smooth, absolutely no edges to it.
The hair on the back of Sasuke's neck stood on end. He tried not to show any reaction. "You knew about the extra reinforcements." "Well of course I knew! Kabuto filled me in just as soon as you left. How terribly sorry I am that the information wasn't received earlier, but it seems that I was correct in my thinking that you could handle it. So where is that little artifact I sent you to collect?"
Orochimaru still hadn't turned to face Sasuke, but he could tell that the snake had planned for it to happen that way. If Sasuke had to guess, the mission was less about finding the artifact and more about forcing him to kill. It wasn't the first time Orochimaru had set him up this way, and if Sasuke didn't go through with leaving, it wouldn't be the last.Sasuke didn't speak as he approached Orochimaru, and Orochimaru still remained where he was not bothering to look behind him. He reached into his shirt and pulled the small item from a hidden pocket. It wasn't much to look at. The item resembled a small rock with strange ancient writings on it. Sasuke had never taken the time to learn about the ancient languages, but he assumed that Orochimaru had. Still, he wasn't convinced the rock had much importance other than to test Sasuke's ability to retrieve it.The snake was visibly excited to take it from Sasuke's hand, snatching it away and marveling at the inscriptions. He rubbed it several times in circular motions before he placed it beside what looked like a medical instrument."What a wonderful piece, truly worth the price of so many lives. Well done my Sasuke, you always go above and beyond. Now why don't you tell me about the reason you feel to leave my humble estate? Decided you're too good for the likes of my teachings? Or is it you have gone soft? You know as well as I that you are not ready to face your dear older brother."He knew... He must have seen the remains of Sasuke's quarters. Sasuke took a breath to calm the surprise and to slow his heart rate back to normal. Letting his emotions show would not be a good idea. If the snake planned on killing him, then he wouldn't be asking all of those questions."I decided your teachings can no longer further my training. The best thing I can do is go find Itachi to discover just how far he has advanced. Then I can evaluate just how much stronger I need to become. You can't help me with that, so I would ask that you let me leave peacefully. The last thing I want is you for my enemy." His voice was steady. Sasuke wasn't going to budge in his decision.Orochimaru must have heard it in his tone, for he turned from what he had been working on and gave him a sinister smile. "Oh you poor thing, thinking you are strong enough to challenge me. It's sad really, I wanted to wait until you were in peak condition to claim my reward for training you. I guess I'll just have to cash in before you check out." Sasuke didn't have much time to react before Orochimaru lunged forward and wrapped his hands around the Uchiha's throat. He was salivating at the mouth as his hands increased the pressure. Air wasn't making it into Sasuke's lungs and he could feel his heart pounding. If he didn't do something, he was going to pass out. Instead of grabbing the hands around his throat, Sasuke reached for his sword. The sound of his leaving the scabbard was music to his ears as he swung it in an arc attempting to behead the snake. Almost immediately he was released and gasping for air. Sharingan activating with a thought, he waited for Orochimaru's next move.The snake was standing on the other side of the lab table, a grin spreading across his face. His long disgusting tongue moved along the top, then the bottom of his lips. "It would of been nice to end it quickly, but that wouldn't make it any more satisfying when I finally do take over your body. It won't be long though. My jutsu is already in effect, your body will be mine.""Orochimaru, you are delusional if you believe that I will give up my body so easily. I can see through your jutsu and there is just no way that you will be able to match my sharingan. Give up and I will spare you.""Hahahaha! Delusional? We'll just have to see about that when you are watching from the back ground fading into nothing, while I take your body out for a test drive. Not one person I've used this on have survived, so say your prayers little bird." He hissed. XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx Kabuto couldn't stand the Uchiha brat. Everything that he did was a threat to Kabuto's standing with his master Orochimaru. It wouldn't be long before the ritual took place and Sasuke would be nothing more than a vessel for Orochimaru's soul. He had never witnessed anyone overcome the jutsu, so when he walked into the work lab and found Sasuke standing in the middle of the room, his first thought was where had Orochimaru gone? Then he took a closer look and saw the blood. It was everywhere, splattered against the walls, floor, and ceiling. There were parts of a giant white snake littering the floor, cut into small pieces. His heart started pounding, never has he seen the giant snake so cut up. It was no longer moving, but neither was Sasuke. There wasn't any blood or snake parts on his person, and his eyes were still closed. He didn't seem to have any visible injuries, but that didn't mean much. If the ritual had been completed then there was a real possibility that Sasuke Uchiha was no more.The Uchiha's body took a breath before turning to the entrance. His eyes were the same dark color as they had always been, no evidence of an elongated pupil. That didn't mean much either. If the transference had just happened then Orochimaru might still be trying to get oriented. "Is that you Kabuto?" The body asked.Kabuto didn't get a chance to respond before Sasuke's body started moving toward the door. It was eating him up inside not knowing who was in control of the body. He didn't know how to react, or what kind of questions he would be permitted to ask. Finally he worked up the courage with a few deep breaths just as Sasuke passed him and started heading down the hall."Which one are you?" His voice shook at the end.The body stopped and turned his head in Kabuto's direction."Why don't you tell me?" He said.Black eyes turned to red as Kabuto was sucked into the body's head space.He started to witness what he had never seen before. Orochimaru and Sasuke were standing across from each other. Sasuke had his sharingan activated while he listened to Orochimaru rant about taking Sasuke's body. Nothing he said however seemed to get under the Uchiha's skin, for his curse mark flared out and around him consuming the space in darkness.Orochimaru yelled and shouted that it wasn't possible, and Sasuke shouldn't have been able to change his own dimensional head space. The Uchiha didn't listen, and eventually there was nothing left of the snake.Kabuto was gasping for air when he noticed that he was back in the hallway. Orochimaru was gone... Everything that he used to be Sasuke had absorbed. There was no chance for him to come back.His vision began to become blurry as his heart started pounding even faster. He had to of been suffering from a panic attack because Orochimaru was gone! What was he going to do now? The entire Sound Village would dissolve into riots, and Kabuto didn't believe that any of the ninja would follow his leadership. Sasuke was actually their only hope of some form of command. He knew he should say something, but he was frozen in place. Sasuke turned back in the direction he was heading , and calmly left the compound.So much for the immortal Orochimaru, at least he would never have to deal with Sasuke Uchiha ever again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter TwoXXXXXXxxxxxxxThe sun had dipped below the horizon, but there was still red and orange in the sky. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could focus on his revenge.A small orb appeared in the sky where the sun had disappeared. It looked to be moving closer, for its size became larger and larger. Sasuke watched as it moved into position above his head. When it sped down toward him, Sasuke jumped back. He channeled his chakra into his feet, so when he landed the momentum would allow him to jump higher and farther than before. It didn't seem to be quick enough for the orb engulfed him. At first all he could see was black, then he felt a strong pulling sensation. His body protested the strain, his muscles tensing under the pressure. Ears popping, eyes watering, lungs gasping, heart pounding, he almost thought he was going to die. A bright white light shocked his eyes so he closed them, squeezing them as tight as they would go. He could still see white spots behind his eye lids, so he moved his arm up to shield his eyes. His body was tense, he couldn't force himself to relax. At one point the pain became so severe he was sure he screamed, but his ears never picked up any sound.When the pressure let up, he was too disoriented to fall correctly onto a very hard ground. His body splayed as he tried to catch his breath. He swallowed then forced his eyes to open. At first, he couldn't see anything but darkness, then he rubbed them and was able to make out shapes in the distance. It seemed he had fallen in between two very large buildings. He noticed large garbage cans, and debris littering the ground. The alley was dark, but he could see streetlights in the short distance.Sasuke moved his arms so he could rest on his elbows. Every move he made was painful, he had to breathe through his teeth so he wouldn't make any noise. There was a sensation that crawled up his back, it almost felt as if someone was watching him, but as he looked around there wasn't anyone else in the alley. Forcing his protesting body into motion, Sasuke stood and started limping toward the light.When he made it to the opening, he stopped and looked in both directions of the street. There were several people walking along the paths running the full length of the buildings. More than the two buildings he was standing between was large. They towered overhead way into the sky, with lots of lights coming out of the many windows. One building captured his attention.It was placed in the middle of the square in the shape of a triangle. There was one word written across the top.Pizza.Sasuke had never heard of this word before, but he assumed it was a food place for he could smell bread baking on the wind. He wasn't hungry, but he was concerned. Just where the hell was he? How did he get there? Was it another trick of Orochimaru's? Or was it something different?There was a small group of people walking past, so Sasuke limped closer to them so he could ask them some questions."Excuse me? Could I ask you a few questions?" He kept his voice calm and allowed his body to remain unthreatening.The older man stopped to look at him before he ushered the two younger ladies along. They walked quickly to the corner then crossed the street without looking back.Okay, maybe they were intimidated by his sword? Didn't matter, he would find someone else to explain his location. It couldn't be that hard to find someone willing to answer his questions.XXXXXXxxxxxxxSasuke must have walked the entirety of the village, for the sun was rising in the east, and his stomach was starting to make a fuss. At least the stiffness in his body had subsided with the long walk.Not long after he left the many tall buildings, he found a beautiful sandy beach. The water was warm and salty. An ocean or a sea perhaps. There was a tall building shaped into the letter T residing on a small space of land a little way into the water. It was quite the architecture anomaly, so Sasuke was curious as to what it was for. He was tired though, and hungry. His thoughts switched back to finding a decent place to rest. The beach would have been nice for finding some fish, but it would not be ideal for sleeping. Sasuke decided to tap one of the many marks on his arm to bring forth one of his summoning scrolls. A bird would give him the perfect view for finding what he needed.He had refrained from summoning the bird earlier to error on the side of caution. Now he was confident there wasn't anyone around who would be able to challenge him. Sasuke hadn't sensed any chakra signatures, and there didn't seem to be any samurai either. The village must have been full of civilians. It was better this way, less chance of a confrontation if he happened to break any of their laws. He was unfamiliar with their laws and regulations, so staying under the radar was the current plan. If he could manage to find someplace to lay low until he figured out where he was, that would be the most ideal situation."Summoning jutsu," he whispered.White puffs of smoke rose into the air only to dissipate, before a large brown hawk appeared. The bird was very familiar with Sasuke, so he didn't have to greet it in a certain way, before he was scaling the side of it, and taking a seat on its back. Once in position, they took off into the sky.Wind whipped Sasuke's hair in all directions, but with the sharingan he was able to remain focused. He noticed a large, forested area all the way on the other side of the village. Sasuke leaned in the direction of the forest and the bird complied. It only took a few minutes for them to reach the trees. Once there his tapped the hawk on its neck and they started to descend. When the bird reached the ground, Sasuke hopped from its back and patted it on its side."Thank you old friend, until next time."The hawk squawked then disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.Now that he was in the forest, he could get his bearings. Water was the priority, then food and a place to sleep for a few hours. He had some food reserves in his few belongings, but he didn't want to risk using them all without a way to find more. So, he started walking. Where there was water, there would be a source of food.He walked down an incline, knowing that there had to be maybe a creek or a stream. A forest with the amount of density as this one, usually had a river. The trees were a mixture of pines, and what looked to be large oak. If he had to guess, the oak trees must have reached around forty to fifty feet tall. If he could find a source of water, one of these trees would be ideal for posting up to sleep. Their branches looked strong, even way up high. It would also keep him up away from whatever predators lurked around. If he didn't find something better, he would use them.Within a few minutes, Sasuke stopped and listened. Off in the distance he could hear running water. It seemed that his assumption was correct. Being in the forest was calming to him. With his knowledge of different plants and animals, he saw no problem staying within its confides until he was ready to find out where he had ended up. Sasuke was able to make out some small nocturnal creatures hiding under bushes, and eyes peeking out of burrows. There were some animals just waking up and scurrying from their homes. He could see several rabbits running about, looking for food. His sharingan was very effective for seeing the different details that a normal eye would have missed. So not only was he a witness to these creature’s daily lives, but he was also able to see a small creek tucked in behind some brush.He gently moved the bushes out of the way with his hands and eased down onto the bank. Sasuke wasn't concerned about the little amount of mud that attached to his pants, for he could just make out a few little fish swimming in the water. He reached a hand into the water, then brought it to his lips to test for salt. There was none, it was fresh.Sasuke reached into his shirt and brought out a small container. It was hidden in a pocket, protected by seals. Made it less likely to lose. He filled the container with the fresh water, then made sure the cap was tight. A fire would have to be made so he could be sure the water was safe to drink.Leaving the bank, he brushed the mud from his pants and looked for a small opening in the trees for a nice place to light a fire. He didn't have to look for long. There was a large opening at the bottom of the next ravine. It would be well protected from the elements with the hill blocking the wind from one side, and a rock face blocking another. He could place a fire in the center, then put his bedroll against the rock face. So, he spent some time looking for medium sized rocks to create a fire pit. There were several just laying next to the large rock face, so he used those.He would have to find some dry wood next. That would be more of a challenge. From the look of the forest, it had rained just a day before. The bark on the trees were quite moist, and the dead twigs, sticks, and branches on the ground weren't dry enough either. Good news though, if he could get his fire ball jutsu hot enough, the moisture from the wood wouldn't pose that much of a setback. So, he gathered the fallen branches and sticks. He didn't think he would need that much considering the sun was already gracing the sky with its presence. The food problem could wait until he rested a few hours. It would be better to hunt while he wasn't so tired, less likely to make a mistake.Sasuke set the wood he had gathered into the pit, making sure they were spaced correctly for proper air flow. He focused on his chakra flow, then released a stream of fire from his mouth. The concentrated fire heated the wood then caught the flame. He was sure that the fire would spread without any more of his help, so he set about releasing his cooking pot and utensils to heat the water.It was all very serene work, bringing his mind back to the basics. In this setting he didn't have to think about Orochimaru, or Itachi, or the others from the Leaf. He could just focus on his own survival. Sasuke hadn't been so relaxed for a long time; he had almost forgotten what it was like. So, he just continued to let his body work to make this small haven as comfortable as he could. Letting his mind go blank and listening to the little sounds of the forest. He could hear the animals waking up from their slumber, the tiny birds singing some lovely songs. The frogs croaking in the background, giving the birds song a base to steady it. He almost wasn't aware of his eyes drooping, and his head nodding. So, he brought the boiling water from the fire and set it beside the dirt hill. After he awoke it would be cool enough to drink.With that, he made himself comfortable on his bed roll and drifted off to sleep listening to the beautiful song of the forest.XXXXXXXxxxxxxxIt was a beautiful morning. The sun was peeking out over the ocean causing the water to sparkle with reds and orange color. Raven was glad she had woken early so she could get a head start on her meditation. The weather wasn't too warm yet, and it was still a bit humid from the rain they experienced the day before. Perfect conditions to center herself and calm the rage inside that always threatened to consume her.Her friends were still sleeping, so she had no need to stay in her room. She preferred to perform her meditations on the roof of the tower when the weather was so nice.Raven was a few minutes into her ritual when she felt a presence, the likes of which she had never felt before. She opened her eyes and scanned the water.There wasn't anything unusual. She looked to one side of the tower, then the other. On the beach below she spotted a man. He didn't seem to be threatening, he was just walking along the side of the ocean. When he was closer, she could just make out the indication of a staff, or a sword resting on his back. He appeared to be looking up and down the tower, but he stopped walking.She didn't know what to think of him. Yes, she had seen others taking morning strolls along the ocean, but never anyone dressed the way he was. Raven couldn't see much detail, but she could tell that his hair was dark and the outfit he was wearing was light on the top and dark on the bottom.He didn't seem to notice her, for he turned back the way he had come and started walking again. After a few steps, he reached into his shirt and pulled something from it. Raven couldn't see what it was, but seconds later a white puff of smoke erupted from the ground and a large bird appeared.It was quite impressive; Raven had never seen a bird so large before.The man didn't waste any time, for he climbed up the side of the bird and rested on the center of its back. The bird itself seemed to know what was going on because as soon as he was settled, it used its large powerful wingspan to lift them into the sky.Raven watched them soar high above, then circle around and head for the forest. They didn't stop until they reached the tree line. She lost track of them when they lowered below the tree line.She still didn't know what to think of him. Though she found herself to be quite curious. Raven decided she would find out what she could about him, but first things first she had to finish her meditation.XXXXXxxxxxxx

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

XXXXxxxxThe tower was silent. All the other Titans beside Raven was still asleep. Robin was thankful for that, this way he could focus on his messages in peace.First thing he required though was coffee. After the night he just had to suffer with reoccurring nightmares, and several hours of insomnia; he would have a difficult time functioning without that precious caffeine.His hands just went through the motions of filling the machine with water and making sure there was a fresh filter before adding the coffee grounds. Once that was finished, he went ahead and brought out his favorite coffee creamer and set it next to the machine. It was a real challenge trying to keep the other Titans from using that special creamer; so, Robin had created a different label for it. If he didn't then all the Reese's creamer would be gone within the day. Making a different label for it wasn't hard though. Hell, he had a nice computer program that practically did it for him, all he had to do was think up the name (Avocado Delight) and press print. Then bam! A new label that no one else would dare to touch! Robin was aware they probably thought he was taking his health to a whole new strange level, but he was okay with that. The special Reese's creamer never got touched again.Robin brought a hand to his forehead to rub the tension away. His brain was over thinking again, if he didn't find a way to calm his ever-moving mind he was going to go crazy. The lack of sleep alone was weighing on him.The smell of the coffee brewing was so comforting. It was almost soothing enough to force his thoughts to slow. He was reminded of mornings living in Wayne manor, listening to another of Alfred's stories. Nostalgia hit him hard, so he moved from watching the machine and investigated the fridge for a quick meal. If he kept his hands busy, then he wouldn't have to think about that time.Their refrigerator was due for a decent grocery trip. He didn't see any bacon, or eggs, and the milk seemed to be close to empty. Looked like he was taking the last bagel, and the last of the cream cheese. So, he set about placing the bagel in the toaster, and looked for a clean butter knife. Cyborg was on the list to do the dishes for the previous night, but they were still piled high next to the sink. Robin would do something about them just as soon as he finished his breakfast and coffee.He was a bit upset though. What was the point of the list of chores and assignments if no one was going to follow them? He had worked hard on it.Robin sighed, perhaps he was more exhausted than he thought. Normally things like the dishes didn't get under his skin, for he knew the Titans had very busy lives; so, getting to do the dishes had to take a back seat on occasion. He would force his thoughts on other things, like spreading the cream cheese onto his toasted bagel. When that was finished, he heard the coffee machine splutter out the last of the water.He set his breakfast on the breakfast bar, then went and threw away the empty bag and container for the cream cheese and bagel. Robin then made his way over the tall cabinet and brought out his favorite coffee mug. It said, 'Keep Calm Robin is Here,' his friends had got that for him as a joke for Christmas one year, so he couldn't throw it out. Over time it kind of grew on him. Now he preferred it, often it was clean and ready for use.So, he doctored his coffee with the special creamer, and added two spoonfuls of sugar before he put everything away. Once he sat to start in on his meal, he heard the door to the main hallway open. He looked to see which Titan it was.Raven walked threw and headed for the tea kettle.Robin gave a half smile, pleased that it was her instead of one of the others. She was quiet, and at that moment he needed the quiet companionship. He still greeted her with a soft. "Good morning."She walked around the counter to join him with her teacup in hand. "Good morning," she drawled. "I didn't think anyone else was going to be up so early.""Had somewhat of a rough night," he said."I see.""It's no big deal, I figured I'd go ahead and get a head start on my messages. The Justice League was going to send an update on our relations with the Green Lantern Corp. Apparently, they want to send more here to earth. Something about training new recruits.""Sounds important."Robin huffed before answering. "Sure, it's important if you're a part of the Justice League, they just wanted to keep us informed to see if they could get us to become babysitters for the new recruits. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for helping people; but if we sent any of the Titans there to help, I would be concerned about keeping this city protected." He paused to sip his coffee. "I mean Slade is still out there somewhere and finding him should be our first priority. After dealing with the Brotherhood of Evil, I have a feeling he might just want to make an appearance soon."It was a real fear of Robin's. They were never able to find him after everything that went down with Trigon, and then all their focus had to be placed onto the Brotherhood. There was no telling what Slade was up too in all that time. He could have an army waiting to take them any moment, they couldn't spend time training people when he was still at large.Raven was just sipping her tea and listening to him rant.Robin was grateful that she was there. Just her presence made him feel like he could be himself around her and not be judged. She had just as much of a dark past as he did, and with their special bond it was easy to tell that she also valued his company. Raven must have also known about the dreams. With her empathy ability she could probably sense what he wasn't saying.She set her cup down and shifted in her seat to give him her full attention. "If it makes you feel any better, I think you're right." She said it like a fact. Her tone steady, her voice hinting for him to continue.He didn't have much more to say on the subject, but it was nice to know that he wasn't boring her. "Thanks, that means a lot."Robin stood from his chair and brought his things to the sink so he could get started on the mountain of dishes. He didn't look when he heard her stand from the breakfast bar. His peripheral vision tracked her movement when she came to lean against the counter with her tea in hand."I saw something interesting today during my meditation." She spoke."Yeah? What was that?""A man was walking along the beach, and then he summoned a giant bird and flew away."Robin almost dropped the dish he was holding.Was that supposed to be some kind of metaphor?"You're joking right?" He kind of chuckled."I never joke," she deadpanned. He placed the dish back into the soapy water."Wait you're serious..." Robin turned to look at her.Her entire expression was not amused. One of her eyebrows was raised and she was making a 'yes I'm serious you dumbass' look.He didn't know what to think about that. A man just strolling along the beach then summoning a bird?"Did you get a good look at him?" He questioned with something like excitement in his tone."Not really, he was too far away." She paused, then took another sip of her drink. "I did feel energy coming from him. It felt like a very powerful chakra pool, the difference being normally chakras can't be detected that easily. It takes years of practicing and learning about the different chakras in the body before one can manipulate it. But I'm sure that is the energy he used to summon the bird."Robin trusted her explanation. If anyone knew about chakras it would be her.All in all, he would like to meet this guy. It wasn't everyday Robin heard about someone in the city who could summon animals. That was a unique ability, so he was curious to know if the guy had any other talents."Have any idea where he went?""I saw him disappear into the forest on the other side of town. I'm not sure if he is still there, or if he has already moved on."Bummer, that was a real shame. He could have been heading to Gotham city for all they knew. Looked like they would just have to keep their eyes open for the next time he emerged... well if he reemerged.Robin went back to scrubbing dishes, and Raven just stood there offering her silent company. It wouldn't be long before some of the other Titans would awake, and Robin really wanted to get a head start on clearing out his email.After he had completed about half of the mountain, Robin drained the dirty water but didn't bother filling the sink again. He had other things to do, and the dishes were just taking too much time."Raven, do you think you could enlist Starfire's help with groceries later? The fridge is damn near bare."She placed her empty cup beside the remaining dishes, then started heading toward the main hallway. "I'll go wake her now," she paused by the sliding doors. "I'll try to bring the other two with us, maybe give you some more time to wake up."Robin smiled. "Thank you."He was relieved."Don't mention it," she intoned. The doors slid behind her when she disappeared into the hallway.With the promise of extra time, Robin set to work waking the computer system in the living room. He liked to use that computer because of the very large screen. It made it easier to read over the messages.The first email his eyes fell on was one from Batman.It had been some time since last he heard from Bruce, and the prospect of reading what he had to say made Robin feel a bit bleak.Bruce hadn't believed him about the Brotherhood until it was too late. By the time they received assistance, the battle had already been won. It wasn't the first time he had been let down by that man, and it probably wasn't going to be the last.Best get the message out of the way to see what he wanted, so Robin could get on with the other emails.
Robin,

I have received a report from Zantara, stating that our dimension has been breached by an outside source. It appears there has been a rift opened allowing anything, or anyone to come through. The location is directly in the middle of Jump City, I've sent you the coordinates in an attachment. I trust your team will be able to handle the situation.

Good Luck,

B 
A dimensional rift? Robin had learned of them during his studies, but never did he think there could be one in Jump City. The nexus points just didn't have enough energy to open one on their own. There had to be an outside force behind it. He would have to discuss this problem with Raven, once again putting the groceries on hold.Robin saved the attached file to the main server, then closed his email. He would have to clean it out later.Pushing the button to the tower's intercom, Robin summoned the other Titans.He didn't have to wait long for them to join him. They made themselves comfortable on the large sofa and waited for him to start the team meeting. Beast Boy was the last to emerge, he had hair sticking up in all directions, and his clothes looked a bit rumpled. It was obvious he had just gotten out of bed."Titans, it has come to my attention that there has been a disturbance in the middle of our city. Apparently, a dimensional rift has opened, and we have been tasked with closing it." He watched their faces for comprehension.It looked like everyone present was following his explanation just fine, except for Beast Boy. Robin hadn't expected anything less. So, he opened the floor for comments and concerns.Raven spoke first. "Are you sure it is a dimensional rift? There shouldn't be enough spiritual energy in the city for something like this to happen."Robin nodded. "The source I got this information from is solid, I would trust their judgment."Cyborg spoke next. "It's possible something like that could have been opened with advanced technology. I'll have to scan the area to make sure." He placed his hand onto his chin, deep in thought.Robin looked around to make sure there weren't any more comments to be made. The silence hung for a few minutes before he clapped his hands together. "All right then Titans, let's head down to the location and figure this mess out."                  XXXXXxxxxxx  Beast Boy wasn't understanding anything that was going on. When it came to spiritual mumbo jumbo, it just sounded like a bunch of gibberish. The technology aspect of it wasn't any easier.No, Beast Boy's main concern was guard dog duty. Robin had ordered that he watch the portal thingy for anything that might want to get through. It was an important job, but boring. He didn't have much to look at and watching the other Titans work... he just felt left out.Cyborg was busy scanning the thing with some doo dad.Raven was sitting in front of it with her eyes closed.Robin was standing over Cyborg's shoulder offering suggestions and what not.Starfire would occasionally shoot a star bolt through the portal just to see if that would make it change.All in all, he wished he could be elsewhere.Their favorite pizza place was right across the street... it wouldn't take that long for him to pop over and grab a bite before the others noticed him gone.Beast Boy held his breath and waited for his opportunity.There! Robin knelt next to Raven, waving his arms about in excitement.Now was his chance! Beast Boy changed into a mouse and scurried down the alley. He would be less noticed this way, and his little mouse feet were quite swift. It didn't take him long to reach the side of the street. The mouse form wouldn't be needed if he could stay out of sight from the alley. So, he switched back to his human form, and started across the street. There weren't a lot of cars out at this time of day, so he didn't have to dodge many.The smell of pizza on the wind was enough to make his mouth water. He could just picture two slices of veggie pizza dissolving on his tongue, giving life to his hungry body. It was just too good to resist!A blast of red energy sent Beast Boy flying, smacking him into the side of a building. He had to blink several times to clear his vision. When he did, Beast Boy could see one of Slade's robots moving toward him.He scrambled to his feet, holding onto his left side. Pain made him stumble.The weapon aimed at him was charging up for another blast. Before it could be fired off a sword laced with electricity sliced it in half.A man stood behind the robot. His hair was black, framing his face and spiked up in the back. His shirt looked like a white fancy bath robe, tucked into purple and black pants. A large purple rope was tied around his waist, and his feet were covered with some nice-looking black sandals. His eyes were strange. Red with three black commas placed around the center pupil.Beast Boy could almost taste the power charging the air. It made him want to bare his teeth and change into something a bit more capable of fighting. Say a lion, or tiger; but he wanted to watch what would happen between the newcomer and the robot.The robot shifted its torso. Its fist contacted with the stranger's open palm.He used the momentum to twist and throw it to the ground.By that time the other Titans emerged from the alley. Raven came over to Beast Boy to check his injury."Who is this guy?" Beast Boy asked in a whisper.Raven placed her hand over his side and summoned her healing ability. "I'm not sure, but I'm glad he was here." Her tone was quiet, but Beast Boy could hear the faint heat of anger.He would have to apologize for leaving them, but he was too focused on the fight.There were more robots filling the street, and Robin had ordered the other Titans to action.Starfire had taken to the air. She picked off enemies with her star bolts. Her aim was perfect. Robot after robot collapsed onto the ground, twitching and sparking, more kept flowing into the square.Robin had taken up post behind the stranger, keeping the robots from attacking his back. His Bo staff was the perfect weapon for keeping so many enemies at a distance.Cyborg was acting like a shield for Raven and Beast Boy. He would blast whatever got too close with his sonic cannon. "Oh yeah! Take that, and that! Ha, you want a piece of me? BooYa! You ain't getting past me!"   Once Beast Boy's side was healed, he transformed into a raptor and jumped into the fray. He used his teeth and claws to rip robots into pieces. His speed and agility allowed him to fight his way into the center of the street. His goal was to offer support for Robin and the stranger.Raven joined Starfire in the air and unleashed black tendrils of energy into several robots. They fell, but more continued to surround them.The stranger hacked and sliced with his lightening sword, then paused and used one of the enemies as a shield. He discarded it onto the ground then formed a hand sign. "Chidori Stream!"Electricity pulsed out from the stranger's body, shorting the circuits of the robots within twelve feet.Beast Boy was thankful the chain of lightening didn't hit either him or Robin, for he could see the street scorch where it was hit.When the robots fell, there wasn't many more to replace them. So, the Titans took care of the few remaining. Beast Boy thought he saw some of the robots disappear into a few of the alleys; so, he went to make chase, but Robin placed his hand on the back of Beast Boy's head."Let them go, we need to make sure no one was hurt." Robin's voice had that deep authority quality to it, leaving no room for arguments.Beast Boy transformed back into his human form, then brought his hand up for a mock salute. "Sure, thing Robin. I'll get right on that."Robin might have rolled his eyes, but Beast Boy couldn't tell because of his mask.The stranger was over next to the pizza building, helping an older man to his feet. His back was to the Titans, and his sword was back in its place."Thank you young man, my wife would kill me if she found out I was stuck in between a battle of the Teen Titans and robots. Not that she would believe me! No, it's better if I don't mention it at all." He paused to right his clothes. "There wasn't any lasting damage anyhow thanks to you. If it wasn't for you young people out here fighting the good fight, we would be forced to move back to Gotham. Can you believe that? Anyway, good day, but I better be off now."Tall, dark, and mysterious, shook the man's hand and watched him leave.Robin took the opportunity to greet the stranger. "Hi, I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. Thanks for your help back there, those were some pretty sweet moves." He offered his hand to the stranger.The stranger studied him before shaking his hand. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha." His voice was deep and intimidating. His red eyes, faded into black.XXXXXxxxxx

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

XXXXxxxxx
The sun was peeking through the trees assaulting his eyes. Sasuke rubbed them to remove the grit. His body was stiff, but his mind was waking. Sweat was beading on his brow, and his clothes were sticking to him. He would have to stop next to the creek again to freshen up if he was going to go back into the village. His chances of finding information about the strange place would be better if he was able to remain clean.The water from earlier quenched his thirst, adding much needed moisture to his lips and throat. He emptied the container then tucked it into his hidden pocket. All the other items he secured into scrolls. Better to leave his resting place as undisturbed as possible. He might need to come back if he couldn't find a way home.Sasuke didn't waste much time. He found the little creek, refilled his water container, splashed water on his face, and made to change his clothes. How lucky was he that leaving the compound would have prepared him for a solo journey. He finished with his task quickly, wanting to make it into town while the sun was high in the sky. It would give him more time and a better understanding of what it was like.Sword back in place, Sasuke left the forest on foot. With the little bit of scouting, he did the previous night, he remembered the food place located in the center of town. He would start his investigation there. Perhaps he could get a meal and something cool to drink. Sasuke had several coins on him; this would also let him know what kind of currency the village used.He walked to the edge of the forest line, then stopped.The village was bustling. People of all kinds walked the streets, and some kind of carriages moved along the black pavement. He had never seen such things before, but it was certainly intriguing.Sasuke did his best to blend in. Walked slow, kept his eyes forward, hands by his sides. People would still give him a wide berth. The closest anyone came was within five feet. Was it his sword? He didn't notice anyone else carrying a weapon. There had to be people with weapons, how else were they supposed to protect themselves?Didn't matter. He could smell that cooking bread on the wind. His stomach cramped with the scent. It must have been longer than he thought since his last meal. Sometime before his little grapple with Orochimaru. Not long enough to be concerning, just long enough for his body to protest.A flash of red caught his attention from across the street. He activated his sharingan and focused on the figure that was blasted into one of the taller buildings. His thoughts of food dissolved as he drew his sword and ran into the street. One of the carriages swerved and he jumped over another, as soon as his feet hit the pavement he summoned his lightening chakra, igniting his sword in crackling energy. Within seconds he was behind the man opposing the figure still hunched over.The man who attacked was holding a diminutive grey device. Smoke arose from a small hole, where a red light seemed to be charging.Sasuke tracked the man's movement with his eyes and struck the device with his sword, just missing the man's fingers.His adversary turned and threw a punch. Sasuke brought his open palm up to counter. He used the momentum from the punch to throw the guy onto the ground.More enemies emerged from the alley. Citizens started to take cover underneath the building with the word 'Pizza' on top.The man who started the attack, lifted himself off the ground and charged again. Sasuke swung his sword low and hacked off one of his legs. Sparks flew off the injury, but he was still approaching.Sasuke's eyes tracked his opponent's hand as he brought out another grey device and aimed it at Sasuke's head. The Uchiha hesitated, his eyes flicking around looking for a way to subdue his adversary without a fatal blow. In the end he decided to grip his sword tightly and slice through his neck. With the lightening still coursing through there was no resistance.Relief spread through his system when he saw sparks instead of blood shooting out from the fatal wound. The thing collapsed as its head rolled past Sasuke's feet, still sparking. Sasuke took a quick breath and focused on his next target. He sent chakra to his feet and jumped into the air descending upon the victim. His sword slashed another head from shoulders, as he twisted to land on his feet. Head after head rolled across the pavement, but Sasuke was satisfied to see that each one was sparking. If it were up to him there would be no casualties.He heard screams coming from across the street and saw more of the puppets rushing toward what looked like civilians. Sasuke slashed through another enemy and started making his way over to them. The middle of the street is where his forward progress was reduced. Just the mass amount of numbers was enough to slow him. At one point there was a kid offering Sasuke some support from behind. He didn't pay too much attention to him, but he did notice the kid’s skill with a staff. Not one enemy was able to get through the kid’s defense. Good thing, Sasuke was able to continue his forward assault.His body moved through several of his blade dances, hacking and slashing anything that came too close. At one point, his sharingan detected some strange green creature ripping the enemy apart with teeth and claws. Sasuke had never seen such an animal; he would have to ask one of these people about it later.They were still surrounded. Every head sliced from the owner’s shoulders, weren't enough to thin the numbers. Sasuke had to do something. He didn't want to risk using too much of his chakra, but he had to make it through to the other side of the street. The kid using the staff was close enough to him so he would be protected from the jutsu Sasuke planned to use. The creature was directly in his range. He would have to buy some time to gain the type of control needed to be sure his new allies weren't caught up in his jutsu.Sasuke severed his next victim in half, then grabbed a hold of the one behind it. He used it as a shield from the next blast then threw it to the ground. It bought him enough time to summon his charka, and form one hand sign. "Chidori stream!"  A high-pitched bird chirp could be heard, as lightening coursed through Sasuke's body. It radiated outward making their enemies fall and twitch. He was careful to direct his chakra around his allies, his sharingan pinpointing his aim exactly. When his jutsu ended, there weren't many enemies remaining. He counted ten.Sasuke moved to attack the rest as they sprinted toward the alleyways but noticed three other teens already in pursuit. He directed his attention back onto the civilians that had taken shelter underneath the building's overhang.The three women were already standing and making their way down the street. They didn't seem to have any injuries, so Sasuke let them leave.There was an older man, with salt and pepper hair, having a difficult time making it onto his feet. Sasuke crouched down next to him and offered his shoulder for support. The man smiled and let Sasuke help him. He smelled of cologne, and his clothes were made of a fine material that Sasuke was unfamiliar with."Thank you young man, my wife would kill me if she found out I was stuck in between a battle of the Teen Titans and robots. Not that she would believe me! No, it's better if I don't mention it at all." He paused to smooth out some wrinkles in his shirt. "There wasn't any lasting damage anyhow thanks to you. If it wasn't for you young people out here fighting the good fight, we would be forced to move back to Gotham. Can you believe that?" The laugh lines around his eyes crinkled as he chuckled. "Anyway, good day, I better be off now."The man grabbed Sasuke's hand and shook it. He smiled once more then turned and left.Sasuke wasn't sure what to think of him. He was awful cheerful for being in the middle of a battle.He was distracted from his own musings when the kid with the staff approached him. His clothing was quite colorful. Shirt was red with green sleeves, pants the same green color, his gloves also green, the cape had a yellow undertone while the rest was black. He wore a black and white mask that covered his eyes. Sasuke's eyes were sore just from looking at that outfit."Hi, I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. Thanks for your help back there, those were some pretty sweet moves." He extended his hand out in greeting.Sasuke decided it was worth his time to introduce himself. If these teens had such a reputation, then they might be able to help him in his own situation.He let his sharingan fade, then took the offered hand. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha."Robin smiled then waved the rest of his team mates over.They all had strange outfits... much more colorful than any peacekeeper should wear. Sasuke supposed they dressed that way to put their citizens at ease. It reminded him of Naruto. His bright orange outfit misled most of his opponents into thinking he was a push over. They were all wrong of course. Sasuke had never encountered anyone as hardheaded as that blond haired fool. It was almost fitting that he should meet a team of powerful teens who hid their strength behind this innocent facade.The short green one held his attention the most. He was the one that had turned into the strange creature, and Sasuke would like to know more about that unique ability."Are there other creatures that you can morph into?" He asked the green one.The green one's eyes widened, then he looked behind himself and back to Sasuke. "Are you talking to me?" His voice was raspy and high pitched."Yes, unless there is another here who can change themselves into animals."The green one chuckled. "No, I'm the only one. My name is Beast Boy, and I can change into any animal. Say, that lightening attack was awesome! How did you manage not to hit me or Robin?"Sasuke wasn't sure just how much information he should give them about his abilities, so he decided to be vague. "I can control where it goes."There was a woman in a dark blue cloak who spoke next. "Would you know anything about the dimensional rift located in that alley?" Her voice drawled, rolling off her tongue in a dark tone.  Dimensional rift? Was that what had almost crushed him? Sent him here?"Is that something that could take me from my home, and place me somewhere I have never been before?"All the Titans froze. If a strong wind would blow by it would have knocked them all over, they were so stiff.Robin answered first. "Where are you from?""Not anywhere close to here, I think. I've investigated this entire village, and nothing looks familiar."XXXXxxxxxxxHe sounded legit. Robin believed Sasuke was telling the truth. He could see the confusion in the stranger’s eyes. If that was the case however, then he wasn't the one responsible for opening the rift. Robin would have to get this information back to the Justice League, find out if they had any leads."That's okay, would you like to come back to our place? I'm sure we can find something that can help you." Robin gestured with his hand toward Raven. "Raven here knows how to travel through dimensions, if we could get enough information, she might be able to send you home."Sasuke's eyes inspected them before he nodded. "Thank you, that is very generous."With that Raven and Cyborg headed back to the alley.Cyborg threw over his shoulder "It was nice to meet you!"Sasuke just nodded.Robin watched them disappear, before he focused his attention back onto Sasuke. "Right, so how about you accompany Beast Boy and Starfire to the tower? The rest of us will stay here to finish up.""That sounds fine," he replied."Good," Robin paused then waved Beast Boy and Starfire over to them. "Beast Boy, Starfire, will you escort Mr. Uchiha back to the tower?"Starfire clapped her hands and smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" She flew over to Sasuke and looped her arm in his. "Come new friend, I'll make sure to show you the proper earth traditions for sharing hospitality."Robin could see Sasuke's shoulders tense just as soon as she touched him, but he allowed her to drag him away.Beast Boy ran to catch up with them. "Hey Starfire! Wait for me!"     XXXXXxxxxx The footage was grainy, but he was still able to witness his bots destroyed so quickly. Slade felt a rush just thinking about the kind of ability used to thwart his latest distraction.Cinder Block was being held in a special location along with Overload, and Plasmas. He needed those three to complete the first stage of his plan. Now it looked like he would have to get a bit more creative. Perhaps it was time for him to meet this Sasuke Uchiha and learn just where he stood in terms of morals. If he happened to lean more toward violence, then Slade could use that to his advantage. He needed an apprentice after all.More information would have to be gathered."Bring me the thief," he said to the dark room.There was no reply but moments later a door squeaked open. The footsteps echoed throughout the area, and it wasn't long before Slade saw the figure out of the corner of his eye.He wore a white mask with a rather large X running through it, his clothes were black, and his cape was ragged."Are you finally willing to offer me the amount I asked for?" His voice was synthesized, but still held a sense of arrogance."Only if you can bring me the information I seek. This mission won't be easy, I'm afraid even with your unique skills you will be found.""Please the Titans have a lot to be desired when it comes to security. Do you forget? I was the one who was able to break in and steal this lovely suit, it should be a breeze to do a bit of spying."  He placed a hand on his hip and tilted his head back.Slade was sure he had just rolled his eyes at him. It was no matter. Even if Red X were to be caught, Slade would still be able to find what was needed to complete the information he was gathering. It was of no concern to him that this fool might get interrogated by the Titians, for he had no Intel to share that could threaten Slade's operation. It was only a matter of time before his plans came to fruition, and Sasuke Uchiha could be the catalyst he had been looking for.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rain assaulted his body as he moved his hands into position to suspend himself from the roof to see into the Titians living room. Red X was crafty but dealing with the weather was unpleasant to say the least. All he knew was that Slade should be giving him a pay raise for the shit he was currently having to put up with.The rain made clinging to the building difficult, the suction cups kept wanting to slide the further he went. He was thankful for the natural cover though. With the dark clouds and beating rain it made visibility poor. He had modified his suit to reflect light which almost made him appear invisible. Now the wind was a bitch though. Combined with the water and wind he was starting to fear a little bit for his life. One wrong move and he was going to be squish on the rocks below.He tried not to let the height of the building bother him either, he had a perfect view of the room from where he had descended.From what he could see it was empty. The lights were off, and it seemed as if the Titans weren't home. He knew that couldn't be the case however, because there was food on the stove top cooking. He saw the steam rolling from the pot boiling on the burner. Just as he was about to try another window, Robin walked in through the sliding door that led from the hallway to the room. It looked as if he was followed by the newcomer.They looked to be talking as Robin made his way over to the kitchen to return to cooking Red X assumed.Red X couldn't read their lips from where he clung to the window so he reached into his belt and grabbed a small device that would allow him to place it on the window then lean up against it with his ear. Their voices were muffled but he could finally make out what they were saying."... think it would be a good idea." Robin said while he mixed the food in the pot.The newcomer, sat on one of the stools and shrugged. "If you think that will help then I'm not against it. I'm just concerned that your methods are a little different from mine when it comes to stopping people." He paused and looked toward the window Red X was clinging to. "I don't care if people get hurt, and you have made it clear that seriously injuring someone is against your laws."His eyes flashed red and seemed to bore into Red X's own eyes.Red X gulped. He shouldn't be able to see him, not in the current conditions of the weather and his technology. Red X felt a shiver crawl up his spine as Sasuke stood and started approaching the window.He had to act fast! If he was caught, then it was game over for his career with Slade.His device he placed back into his belt, and he reached for his grabbling hook. If he could make it up onto the roof, then he could just teleport out of there. His heart started pounding as Sasuke came closer and closer. He aimed for the ledge and fired. As soon as it connected, he pushed in on his hand with the suction still in place and yanked as hard as he could. It released and he shot up into the air. He landed with a quiet thunk and rolled across the roof coming to rest on his knees. Once he was settled, he punched the button on his belt and disappeared.The door to the roof slammed open and Robin burst through."Are you sure you saw someone?" he asked Sasuke as he made his way onto the roof behind Robin."I'm sure, they wore a white mask with a giant red X in the middle."Robin furrowed his brows and placed his hand on his chin in thought. "That doesn't make much sense, we haven't seen or heard from Red X in months. The last we had seen him he tried to steal some important documents containing our real identities.""That sounds dangerous.""Ha, you have no idea. There are so many villains out there that would love to know our identities. If they had that information they could ruin our lives, the lives of our families. No one we know would be safe. It's why we wear our uniforms; it's why we live by code names." He paused to walk over to the edge and inspected it. He noticed small rings from a suction cup on the very edge. "You were right, he was here."Sasuke came to stand beside him to see where Robin was pointing. Sure, enough, there were boot prints on the top of the window as well. "It sounds like you have many enemies that actually want you dead and yet you insist upon not killing them."Robin sighed and looked up to the sky in annoyance. "I thought I already told you we don't kill people here. It doesn't matter if they try to hurt us or worse, we must be better than them. If we just went around killing everyone who has ever crossed us, then we would be just like the people we are trying to stop."Sasuke watched him closely. This teen was so much different and yet the same as the ones he had grown up with. It was a strange juxtaposition. An interesting concept to allow their enemies to live even with the possible threat to civilians. Sasuke knew that the Leaf Village had him in the Bingo book so to not have these people on a similar list was absurd. Still, it was not a problem Sasuke had to fix, if it was up to him, he would be leaving to his home soon. The dark Titan Raven was already researching possible dimensions that could be his. He just wished he knew more about the portal so it could have been a one-way ticket to freedom.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    XXXXXXxxxxxx The wind was warm as it touched his face. The smell of salt water assaulted his senses, and the sun shone brightly. It was an ideal condition for some training. Sasuke had neglected flexing his charka these past few days, instead he spent his time learning about the Titans.They were a strange bunch of teens. Two of their members weren’t even from planet earth, one was almost completely metal, and then of course there was one with the unmistakable green skin tone. The only one of them not advanced was Robin but even he had issues of his own. Sasuke was interested to find out more from these people and their world.The technologies were quite fascinating. Communication devices that could contact people on the other side of the world were impressive, their weapons were also more dangerous than simple swords and kunai. The weapon’s called guns were interesting. Something as small as a bullet could cause so much damage, Sasuke was thinking of ways to incorporate the idea into his own fighting style. Bigger attacks didn’t always mean more powerful. If he could find a way to condense his lightening chakra into small spikes it would be a very damaging attack. Something to try, perhaps be made for a longer ranged attack.He chose to sit on a flat rock next to the shore. Some of the spray from the ocean misted over his face as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. The sound of the waves lapping at the rocks was soothing, he tried to make his breaths match the timing. The air felt clean in his lungs as he took a deep breath in. He held it for as long as he could then exhaled and pushed the many thoughts in his mind with it. Sasuke repeated the process until his body was fully relaxed. That was when he could feel his chakra. It pulsed with his slow heartbeat keeping the rhythm steady. He felt the strongest concentration near his stomach, so he focused there first. With every breath in he pulled the chakra from the rest of his body to his stomach and on every exhale, he pushed it out and away sending it through every limb. He didn’t stop until he could feel the chakra hovering in his fingers.Sasuke opened his eyes and activated his sharingan. His fingers crackled with lightning. It danced across his fingers one by one until he moved the energy to his palm. His sharingan showed him the smooth transition from fingers to hand. There he worked on keeping the same energy put out but tried to condense the chakra to one point. It sparked then burned his hand with a small jolt.Sasuke shook his hand trying to get the feeling back and cursed. His palm and wrist were red from the back lash. Apparently trying to condense lightening chakra into a small ball was a no go.A new smell entered his senses as he was thinking of a different shape. It was subtle, but the hint of lavender was on the wind.“Mind if I join you?”He recognized the soft monotone. She was Raven, the darkest titan.“Sure,” he answered.Her steps were soft as she approached. The cape she wore floated in the wind when she sat down, until she pulled it close around her shoulders. “It’s a nice morning.”He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before nodding in agreement.The silence settled over them, but it wasn’t awkward. She was watching seagulls fishing in the distance, and he focused his chakra into his other hand.It was strange to have someone near when he was training, but her presence was calming, almost as if they had a special understanding even without words spoken. He could feel her eyes on him when his chakra pooled in his hand again. He remained quiet while he worked.“Shit!” He exclaimed when the chakra exploded again.Now his other hand was burned and throbbing.“Here let me,” she said and reached for his hands.He hesitated. Did she have healing powers? His gaze met hers and he could see her calm expression almost as if she didn’t care either way. He relented and let her hands come up and around his.Raven furrowed her brows in concentration like his earlier expressions, and a blue glow emitted from her hands. Sasuke watched in mild fascination as the burns healed over leaving no marks behind.When the procedure was finished, she looked up at him and gave him a small smile.“There, all better.”He took his time inspecting his hands, turning them this way and that. Strange, even the calloses from hours of training in hand to hand were gone. He had to admit she was impressive.“That’s a unique ability in your world, isn’t it? If you don’t mind me asking, how did you learn healing arts?”She looked away back toward the ocean before answering.“I’m not from here either. I was born in a place called Azarath where it was more valuable to learn healing. My mother was a healer, and with her help I was able to use my ability for that for a short time.”“A short time?” His left brow lifted showing his slight confusion.Raven sighed. “Yes, a short time. When it became apparent to me that I was a danger to my own people I fled to earth.” She paused and looked up to the sky with a bittersweet expression marring her face. “That’s when I met the titans, they weren’t the team at that time, but we all came together to stop a great evil and the rest as they say is history.”Sasuke swallowed then looked back out at the sparkling water. Memories assaulted him from his time with team 7. They were thrown together out of circumstances and yet he still after all this time considered them his most important people. He missed them. The anger that knowledge brought was just a little annoying, but it was the truth which irked him ever more. Of course, now he would probably never see them again.Pain tugged at his heart with the thought. If he made it back somehow Sasuke knew he would have to track down his old teammates. Did they even care about him anymore? It had been so long since he had allowed himself to think about them, the questions continued to attack his mind. Have they found a replacement for the team? Did they think he was dead? Surely the leaf village had found the hideout by now and found the remains of Orochimaru. It wouldn’t be that far fetched to think that the members of the sound had killed him for killing their leader.***She wondered what he was thinking. His expression was blank, but she could sense his inner turmoil. Her heart ached for him. Whatever he had gone through in his life must have been truly tragic. Raven could see the signs of depression clear as day the more time he spent at the tower. He wasn’t much different than herself or Robin. He hid his emotions well, but her empathy was strong. Raven knew he didn’t sleep most nights because of violent nightmares. She wanted to help him, but she was lost in that respect. It was hard to get him to open.Raven decided to use a different method.“You have much control; how long did it take for you to master such a skill with the lightening?”He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he picked up a small rock and started rolling it around his fingers.She waited. It was likely he was trying to find a way to explain without giving too much away too much information.Raven could understand, it was the same reason her team knew nothing of Trigon before he was actively coming for her, but she even left out important details about herself even now. Just the thought of her sweet mother brought her own pain to the surface.“It’s taken three years to achieve this level.”His voice brought her out of her own thoughts, and she was grateful to push her pain back down.“That’s quite some time.”He shrugged his shoulders. “It could have been longer if I had a different trainer. At least Orochimaru was thorough with his explanations.”“Did you have a different trainer before?”He shrugged again, then started launching the rock into the air only to catch it and repeat the motion.It must have been a defense because she asked something personal. It was hard to notice but his emotional state spiked before coming back to how it was before.“Kakashi had first taught me how to use the Chidori, but to my knowledge he never took it any further. I could be wrong, but he was better versed in water and earth chakra.”She was interested to find out who this Kakashi was, because Sasuke was tense while talking about him.“So do you have other abilities besides the lightening?”He hesitated again and threw the rock across the ocean; it skipped several times before it finally sunk beneath the surface. She wondered if he would hesitate with all her questions. It seemed as if he wasn’t used to talking about himself. But she was patient and continued to display nothing but calm and slight disinterest as if his answer was going to be nothing as interesting as a fly landing on garbage.“I have many different techniques that I use, lightning is one of the more advanced moves. I also know some fire jutsu as well as cloning techniques. It’s hard to explain I’ve never attempted to teach someone the different ways to kill.”This time she paused before asking her next question. She knew that he and Robin had a long conversation about laws and killing vs. injuring. Raven knew that Robin was wary of bringing Sasuke along on any of their missions for fear of him going rogue and murdering their opponents.He must have read something on her face for his body tensed further and he picked up another rock, this time using it to flex his grip. “You have a problem with killing too?” He broke the silence with.She sighed. “I know it’s not that simple for you.”“It is just that simple.” Sasuke’s grip on the rock was tight and didn’t look like it was going to let up.Raven wasn’t sure how to proceed with their conversation without it turning into an argument. He didn’t want to show it, but he was too emotionally invested in their discussion, and she knew that if she said the wrong thing that their new budding friendship would be in jeopardy.“I just thought you would try to avoid that outcome if there was a choice.”The grip loosened somewhat on the rock. “Sometimes there is no choice.” He let the sentence hang in the air as he threw this rock across the water as well. It thunked and bounced twice before it disappeared below the surface. Much less smooth than the last throw. XXXXXXXxxxxxx Cyborg didn’t like the new guy. Everyone else was gushing about him being at the tower but he was… cautious to say the least, straight up worried to say the most. It had been about a week since they found him, and he was nothing but polite and clean. The dude even did the dishes without complaining and laundry, he helped pick up the living room, and took out garbage. Cyborg didn’t like to admit he was probably the cleanest out of all of them and he was living with a person like Robin.  Robin who would iron his stupid socks! It was downright unnatural and put him on edge. There was just no way in any universe or dimension that a teenager the same age as Sasuke could be that clean. He was only 15 for Christ’s sake!When they first met Cyborg would have passed him off as at least 18 but when Beast Boy worked up the courage to ask him his age, he was very serious he was only 15 which apparently meant he was an adult in his world. According to Sasuke their life expectancy was lower because they were ninjas and were constantly put into danger.Now Cyborg knew danger, he was a superhero with some good many years of experience under his belt. Robin was the same having started the gig young with Batman as his mentor. Starfire was from a warrior race and Raven was from a different dimension and was half demon. Beast Boy was probably lacking experience since he wasn’t with the doom patrol for long before joining the Titans, but he was still around 14 when he started the gig. When Sasuke said he started training when he was 5, they were all surprised. To start training kids so young was almost outrageous to hear. Then he told them he graduated when he was twelve and started going on actual missions where people had died.He had to remember it was a different world from their own, but Cyborg just wanted to take Sasuke under his wing and teach him how to have some normal fun, that had nothing to do with the job.So that’s how he started his afternoon. Cyborg convinced the stoic teen to join him for a video game promising that it would help increase his hand eye coordination.When Sasuke and Raven had come in from outside it was the perfect time to ask. He remembered at first confusion and then resignation showed on Sasuke’s face before he finally agreed. Cyborg thought the only reason he did was to shut him up about the different games they could play. In the end he settled on his favorite battle game. The same game he played with Atlas.“It’s easy, press A to jump, X to hit, and O to roll. Y is your special ability. Don’t worry about the other buttons, they are only for the campaign level. For switching your gear and stuff, but for 1v1s you won’t need to do that.”Cyborg could almost see the wheels turning in Sasuke’s mind before he nodded that he was ready.“Okay, I’ll go easy these first couple of rounds until you learn the controls but after that it is game on.” He grinned then pressed play. He had already picked his favorite character and showed Sasuke how to pick a character. Of course, he picked the only dude to look like a ninja, with a mask covering the bottom half of his face and a red getup that almost resembled Sasuke’s own outfit.Sasuke picked up the controls quickly and before long Cyborg had to use fancier moves to beat him. Cyborg appreciated the focus with which the Uchiha played, it was such a laser focus that when Beast Boy jostled the couch when flopping onto it, Sasuke was able to play through the distraction just fine.“Man, you’re really good at this, I’m not going to hold back any more though, so you better be ready.”Sasuke scoffed before he rolled his eyes and proceeded to focus even harder. The eye roll is what said it all, so Cyborg frowned and amped up his play style pretending it was Robin who sat next to him instead of Sasuke.It worked for a few matches when he was wiping the floor with the Uchiha, but sometime around the 5th time is when he noticed a difference in Sasuke’s play style. He was dodging more, rolling, and jumping to avoid Cyborg’s special attacks. It was everything Cyborg could do to win that last round. So, when on the next and final round of their game, Sasuke won it was to no surprise to the whole room who had decided to come cheer him on.When they turned to face each other, Cyborg held out his hand going for a handshake while shaking his head. Sasuke met his handshake and smirked in triumph.“Good game man, you’ve got some crazy ass moves for a beginner. And I mean that in a good way.”“Thanks, it was surprisingly fun I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure how it’s supposed to help with hand eye coordination at all.”Beast Boy giggled. “Is that what he told you to get you to play? I wanna play him next!”Red flashing light and a loud noise sounded throughout the tower.They could hear Robin’s voice above the loud alarm. “Trouble!” As he moved over to the computer next to the big screen. He pulled up a map of the city and homed in on the red light that was blinking. It hovered over the bridge.Cyborg felt his stomach drop, anytime they had trouble around the bridge someone usually got hurt. They had almost lost the battle with the moths a few years back even. So, when Robin shouted to be heard over the alarm, “Titans go!” They all hurried to their respective means of travel. Raven chose to ride shot gun while Sasuke and Beast Boy crowded the back. Robin proceeded to lead the charge on his motorcycle and Starfire took to the air.Cyborg was curious on why Robin didn’t have Sasuke sit this one out, after all the arguing he heard this very morning about the law and its regard to killing people. XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 6

Starfire loved the wind in her hair and warmth it brought to her face. They might have been heading toward a battle, but it was not without the feeling of joy compounded by the slight feeling of dread. There were usually a lot of people on the bridge and one wrong move on their part might result in injuries. She would do her best to watch and be mindful of her star bolts and hoped the others would do the same.It didn’t take much time to reach the bridge and see what the problem was.Cinderblock had apparently escaped his imprisonment and was wreaking havoc.Starfire made sure she paid close attention to Robin and his hand gestures. It would have been difficult to hear him from this distance, but they worked so well together that she knew what his raised fist meant. So, she stopped in her forward momentum and waited for his next orders.“Titans our main focus is to stop Cinderblock before he destroys the bridge.” He left his bike and took off his helmet. “Sasuke, I want you getting the civilians out of the way, while the rest of us take on Cinderblock. We’ve handled him before.”Starfire chanced a quick glance at Sasuke to gauge his reaction to being put on the sidelines.His face was blank except for a slight frown marring his lips. He moved forward, however, and started pulling people from their cars to the safety of the road behind them.Starfire was relieved that he didn’t question the order, it would give the rest of the Titans more focus on their enemy instead of the people in the way.“Titans go!” Robin commanded and charged forward with his Bo staff at the ready.She flew toward Cinderblocks back so she could shoot her star bolts and try to distract him from the others. It worked and he turned to look at her before grabbing an empty car and throwing it at her, she dodged just barely missing the fender on the front.By the time she was moving her attention back onto the battle Beast Boy had already moved into position in wolf form and quickly changed into a giant gorilla smashing his fists into Cinderblock’s side. Robin attacked from the other side and between the two of them they were able to force the giant rock toward the other side of the road.Cyborg jumped into the fray next and used his sonic cannon to blast Cinderblock directly on his chest pushing the giant rock back even further.Raven was hovering slightly above where Starfire was watching for her own opening. Starfire wanted to get closer and use her fists against the beast, but her attention landed on Sasuke trying to get a woman and her child out from their vehicle too close to the mayhem for her own comfort. She was just about to fly down to help when a piece of debris flew into the car and caused it to catch fire.Raven must have seen the problem as well for she wasted no time flying toward them with Starfire close on her heels.Before they could reach to help, an explosion from the car had sent Sasuke flying over the bridge and into the water.“No!” Starfire cried and flew over the side of the bridge hoping to catch him.She watched as he flipped through the air and landed on the surface of the water, but he didn’t sink like she expected.He looked up while standing on the water and yelled at her. “I’m okay! Just go help the others!”Starfire was so surprised, so hovered for a moment and then decided to listen to him. He didn’t seem damaged and with his abilities she wasn’t all that concerned about his safety down below.The others had managed to maneuver Cinderblock to the other side of the bridge and were fighting him on solid ground now.She moved to follow them and released more star bolts toward the rock beast’s side causing him to release his hold on a wiggling Beast Boy that had somehow managed to get captured in his grip.Raven used the opening that Starfire had given her and shot black tendrils of energy toward Cinderblock’s other side causing him to stumble onto one knee.Robin ran toward the rock’s body and landed a direct round house kick to the side of his head, followed by a hit with his Bo staff to the other side of his head. His head whipped back, and he lost his balance falling onto his back.Starfire landed next to the downed rock and punched him directly in the temple hoping to knock him out long enough for the police to arrive and take him back to jail. With the force behind her punch Cinderblock was out cold, there were small cracks appearing on his face from the strength behind her attack.She didn’t really want to hurt him, but he was endangering her friends and innocent people, she didn’t regret his injury one bit. Perhaps that is the point Sasuke was trying to make to Robin when they were discussing the advantages of taking out their opponents for good. Starfire could almost see where Sasuke was coming from all the way up until death was on the table. She didn’t believe in killing unless it was during times of war and even then, if she had the choice to save a person, enemy or not she would.Robin walked up to Cinderblock and brought out his grabbling hook and set to tying the rock giant up. Once he was done, he walked over to Starfire and rested a hand on her shoulder.She was so glad to have a friend like Robin, he must have noticed that her thoughts were else where and he was coming to check on her. She loved him so much; her heart was making leaps in her chest at the contact. They didn’t often share much physical affection for each other, but Raven said that was normal for a guy like Robin. Who liked to keep to himself and only interact with people when he deemed it necessary.“Are you okay Star?” His voice was clouded with concern.She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Yes, I’m quite well thank you, why do you ask?” She was genuinely curious what his answer would be. For she didn’t suffer any injuries during the battle.“I heard you scream earlier, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”Oh, Starfire had almost forgotten about Sasuke.“Yes, I’m okay, I was worried about Sasuke, he fell over the bridge, and I couldn’t make it in time to stop it.” She paused when Robin frowned and then quickly went to look over the bridge while firing off question after question.“Is he okay? Did you see where he landed? What happened?”She swallowed suddenly nervous. “Somehow, he landed on the water and was standing on it. He told me to go, that he was okay.”They both looked over the side of the bridge and tried to spot the Uchiha, but he was nowhere to be seen.So, Robin shouted down to see if he could get a response. “Sasuke are you down there? I can send someone to come get you!”There was only silence that greeted them.“I’m going down there.” Robin declared and readied his other grabbling hook.“I can take you.” Starfire said and held out a hand for him to take. She felt disappointed when he completely ignored her hand and grabbed ahold of the side of the bridge instead.“No thanks Star, I need you up here until the police arrive just in case Cinderblock wakes up.” With that he jumped over the railing and shot his hook to where it was wrapped around the rail supporting his weight as he descended.Starfire watched him until he reached the bottom then headed over to make sure the giant rock creature was still down for the count. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being disappointed that Robin hadn’t taken her with him, or that he dismissed her so easily. They were very close friends and at one point she thought that maybe they could be more than just friends, but with his obvious detachment lately she wasn’t quite sure what they were anymore. She would have to have a girl’s night with Raven soon, so she could work out her feelings to her best friend. Until then she would focus on the task at hand and leave all thoughts of Robin behind. ***He was put on civilian duty. Sasuke was annoyed but not surprised that Robin was keeping him out of the fight. It was still irksome. Sasuke could show restraint, if he couldn’t do that much then what kind of ninja would he even be? Control was the number one thing hammered into him from the very beginning.Robin didn’t know that though, he was just a superhero and didn’t possess any chakra or any other abilities besides hand-to-hand combat. Granted the kid was quite skilled but that wasn’t the same as having a special ability. The other Titans were more likely to understand the need for constant control. Having abilities of their own.It wasn’t a problem though; Sasuke took his role seriously. He knew it would take some time for the Titans to trust him thoroughly, so he planned to act with determination.Car after car he dragged people from, getting them to safety while the fight was happening all around him. He jumped from the hood of one car to get to the other side of the bridge where there was a woman who appeared trapped in her vehicle. When he was close enough to peer inside the window, he noticed there was a child in the back. He diverted his attention to the child first and then proceeded to grab the woman. Her seatbelt was stuck so Sasuke used a kunai to cut through the strap holding her down.He saw the relief on her face and felt accomplished, his task was done however as he directed her towards the other civilians on the other side.Debris from the fight hit the car on its side and an explosion pushed him over the edge of the bridge. There was heat and a moment of confusion before Sasuke righted himself to land on the surface of the water. He thought he had heard a yell from Starfire and looked up to see her flying toward him.“I’m okay!” He shouted at her. “Just go help the others!”She listened to him and flew back over the side of the bridge.Sasuke sighed frustrated that he was going to find another way up when he noticed a figure bobbing along in the water. They appeared to be struggling so he moved quickly to aid them. He reached a hand toward them, and they grabbed him. The grip was strong and before Sasuke knew what was going on he was pulled underwater.He activated his sharingan to better see in the murky water and tried to get the hand to release him by twisting his arm and wrist, but the grip was too strong as they pulled him to a vessel hovering under the water.The top of the machine opened, and the guy swam into the hole it provided. The water receded from the small, cramped space allowing them to stand. Sasuke wasted no time throwing a punch in the man’s face and following with a kick to his side. The grip on his wrist was finally released and Sasuke pressed his advantage throwing another punch aiming for the solar plexus this time. The man dodged at the last second and stumbled backwards until he was pressed against the side of the vessel.“Slade a little help here!” he shouted toward the inner door.There was a loud hiss as the door opened to reveal the inside of the under-water ship. It was more spacious than what Sasuke was expecting, one side was lined with several controls while the other was lined with chairs with straps attached to them. It was an interesting ship; one Sasuke had never been on before.There was a figure sitting in front of the controls with his back to them. He turned in his seat and that’s when Sasuke noticed the mask he was wearing. Orange on one side and black on the other, only one eye was visible. He wore black clothing and black combat boots; he crossed his legs at the ankle and reclined into his chair.“Sasuke it is good to finally meet you. I’m sorry our first meeting had to be this way, but with you hanging around the Titans all the time it was really the only way we could talk. Face to face that is.” His tone was deep and held an edge of authority. He was an older man Sasuke would guess approaching his early 40s.Sasuke remembered Robin mentioning this man a few times in retelling past events. His name appeared quite often actually. Every time he was a dangerous opponent for the Titans, so he knew he had to tread lightly here.“I wasn’t aware you were trying to meet with me. What do you want?”“Ah yes, straight to the point I like that. Well, Sasuke the truth is I’m looking for a partner and I’ve heard that your skills would be a perfect match for what I had in mind.” He paused and waved his hand toward the other figure standing next to Sasuke. “This here is Red X; I don’t think you are yet acquainted. He is in my employment and you two would be working together if you chose to come to work for me. The difference being you would be my partner and my equal.” Slade paused briefly before he continued.“I can give you power and prestige, anything you could ever want could be yours.” He paused again and cleared his throat. “Now I know this is a lot to think about, I can give you time before you give me your answer.”Sasuke scoffed at this guy internally. Slade had absolutely no clue what Sasuke wanted and for that matter the Titans didn’t either. He wanted to go home, that was true enough, but his real purpose was to take out his older brother Itachi. Sasuke wouldn’t be able to rest without the knowledge that his family’s murderer was gone from this world… well not this world but his own world. And Slade could probably not get him any closer to his goal. He didn’t want to make Slade his enemy because he honestly didn’t care about his past with the Titans, but he also knew that the Titans were probably his best shot at getting back.“Slade, was it?”Slade nodded.“I don’t know you, and I don’t know what kind of things you think I might want but my main objective is to go home. I don’t belong here, and I have unfinished business elsewhere.”Slade uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his chair. “What kind of unfinished business are you talking about?”Sasuke hesitated; did he tell this person his mission? The only thing that kept him going day to day? It wasn’t about trust, if that was the case, he would have already told Raven the truth. No, he didn’t want to ruin this image the Titans had of him. Robin was a bit cautious about taking him on this mission, and Sasuke knew why. He thought about their earlier conversation about killing and knew that he had scared the poor teen with his answers. Sasuke didn’t know why he wanted to maintain the lie that he was a decent person, he just did. If he sided with this Slade person, then all hope of the Titans helping him was void.Decision made he met the eye of Slade. “Business that is my own. I want to go back now.”Slade chuckled. “If that is what you want then I just ask one thing of you. Just think about my offer and ask yourself the question if these teenagers can help you or if they are just telling you what you want to hear to keep you locked up in a cage.”Sasuke almost flinched at the word cage, but he held fast. Years of service to Orochimaru had done wonders for his nerves and he liked to think of them as steel. A simple word was not going to be enough to change his resolve. The Titans were his best bet.“I must thank you for your time and send you on your way.” Slade drawled and pressed a button on the console of the boat.The door separating them was shut and water started to fill the enclosure. It was cold and rising too quickly.Sasuke held his breath right before he was submerged and the door to the ceiling was opened allowing him to escape. He kicked upward forcing chakra into his feet allowing him to move quicker through the water. His lungs were burning, aching for air, so he forced his arms and legs to propel himself through the water that much quicker. When he reached the surface, he released his breath and started coughing.That was too close for comfort, the vessel was lower than he had remembered, and the swim had almost killed him. Sasuke wondered briefly if that was the plan all along, but quickly shook that thought away. If that was the case, then Slade wouldn’t have bothered to open the entrance in the first place.“Sasuke!” Robin shouted from underneath the bridge waving his arms trying to get his attention. “Are you okay?”Sasuke took a few more breaths before answering. “I’m okay I thought I saw something down below the surface. It must have been an animal.”He pumped chakra into his hands and feet and proceeded to pull himself from the water. Walking across the water he couldn’t help but fight off a smirk as he watched Robin’s face contort into awed fascination. Showing off something as simple as walking on water was surprisingly fun.“Can you get up to the top by yourself?” Robin questioned.Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Of course, go help your team I’ll be fine.”Robin shrugged his shoulders then shot his grabbling hook into the side of the bridge and held on as he flew up to join his friends.Sasuke hopped twice before he proceeded to run up the side to meet the rest of the Titans on the bridge. When he got there, he noticed that the battle was complete and there was nothing left for him to do. All the civilians were safe, the giant rock creature was subdued, and the Titans were heading back to their vehicles having already cleared everything else up with the police.For a fleeting moment, he felt complete. His immediate concerns were taken care of, the only thing he wanted more than anything else was to get back to the tower, have a nice long soak in the bathtub and have an early night for bed. He would bring himself to worry about Slade and his cronies later. Right now, it was time to go home… well his temporary home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 7

The next morning was quiet as Raven made her way into the kitchen to start making her favorite tea. The battle must have taken it out of all the Titans including Sasuke for she could tell they were all still asleep. She almost wished she could have stayed in bed longer than usual, but she had to get in her morning meditation. Tea first, then meditation time.Raven guessed Robin would be the next one awake for he usually was up first.Beast Boy would be last, she knew for he was always the last to wake.She wasn’t going to waste time trying to fix anyone breakfast though, for the very last time she nearly burnt down the kitchen and it was only supposed to be pancakes. The Titans were gracious though, eating the poor burned things they called pancakes, granted a ton of syrup was used… That wasn’t the point however, the point was she was touched that they had even managed to finish them.Everyone was in a good mood when they had gotten home, Sasuke was more quiet than usual, and he didn’t linger for long before he had gone to his room. She wondered what had him so reserved. Granted he wasn’t a very talkative person, but it seemed his mind was in extra turmoil. Perhaps she would ask him about it later, she already had made plans with Starfire for a girl’s day today, but she was confident she would be able to squeeze some time in for Sasuke.Raven was starting to feel like the team therapist with all this team bonding happening.It wasn’t a problem, she just had to make sure she was getting her meditations in on time so she could center herself.With her tea finished she moved into the living room and sat in the middle of the floor. It wasn’t long before she was floating, chanting the same phrase repeatedly. “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…” Her mind was calm, her body relaxed. She could feel a bit of movement from behind her, but she continued. Trusting that the person rummaging through the kitchen knew her well enough to leave her alone during her meditation.Raven wasn’t sure how long she was in position or how long the person was sitting at the kitchen counter, but when she was finished and floating back onto the ground her muscles were a bit stiff. So, she stretched out her legs and raised her arms above her head before climbing onto her feet. When she turned, she met the gaze of Sasuke.He was quietly sipping some of the tea that had been left out.She made her way over to him and sat down next to him. “Good morning.” She nearly whispered, not wanting to break the quiet stillness of the room.He nodded at her and continued with his drink. “Good morning to you.” His tone wasn’t light, but it was close, trying to keep the same level of ease that she was also experiencing.Raven decided to ask him about his night and why he had disappeared before the Titans had even picked a movie to watch, before the pizza had even arrived. “Are you okay? You left us quickly when we all got home last night. Did something happen?”She watched his body tense slightly before his shoulders relaxed once more.“Nothing bad happened, I just miss my home.” There was longing in his voice, if she had been someone else, she would have missed it.“I’m sorry I don’t yet have any leads. Perhaps later today you could come to my room, and we can work on it together?”He nodded at her again. “Sounds like a plan.”Raven smiled faintly, for she detected a bit of eagerness to his tone.“I would say we could work on it now, but Starfire and I have plans first.”“Hmm sounds fun.”“As fun as you can imagine I assure you.” She deadpanned.“Hn,” he kind of chuckled. “You two do seem close though. She told me sometimes you let her in on your meditations?”“Yes, that’s true, you could join us sometime if you feel like it.” she offered.He shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, you usually do them in the mornings?”“In the morning and right before bed.” She replied.“Then I’ll be there.” he said as he tipped his cup up and finished his drink. “Well sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you, I think I’ll get some training in. I’ll be on the roof if you need me.”“Okay, see you later.” Raven watched him get up and leave through the doors just as silently as he had appeared.She was still worried about him, something seemed off about him. Maybe she would find out more tonight when he joined her for meditation.Raven moved from her chair and made her way through the tower in search of Starfire’s room. Might as well wake her up and get started on their girl’s day. Hopefully the villains of the world would leave their villainy ways alone for the day so they could finally get some groceries back in the house.Turns out Starfire was already awake when she knocked, and had already made her bed, and freshened up in the bathroom while Raven was meditating.“Hey Star, ready for our day?”Starfire smiled wide before reaching for Raven and giving her a strong hug. “I have been looking forward to this day since last night!” She exclaimed.“Oof careful Starfire my bones can break you know?” Raven wheezed.Starfire released her and backed away. “I’m so sorry friend Raven I didn’t mean to hurt you.”Raven waved away her friend’s fear and grabbed her hand. “It’s okay I’m fine, let’s go.”*** Their trip to the mall was uneventful. Starfire bought several outfits while seeking approval from Raven on each one. Raven tried to give her honest answers while still being nice. It was difficult but she ended up with an outfit of her own. A cute black button-down dress with white lilies on it. It reached her knees and showed off her arms for it was styled like a tank top. The dress was out of her comfort zone, and she would probably never wear it, but Starfire loved it on her, so she went ahead and purchased it. Starfire’s reasoning was she had to have something from the mall, or it wouldn’t even be a proper trip. Raven liked the lilies.Next were the groceries, they both went a little nuts with their purchases but at least the house would be restocked for a good while. Raven was sure to pick up more of her tea especially if Sasuke was going to start joining her for morning tea.Starfire teased her about all the time they were spending together, but Raven shut that down quickly. There was nothing going on between her and Sasuke. Sure, they got along well, but he was not her type besides she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to open to him about everything that has happened in her past. Especially since Robin and her already shared such a special bond. She surely wasn’t looking for anything romantic however, so she quickly changed the subject back to Starfire.When they were back at the tower unloading all the goodies they had picked up, Raven took the opportunity to start the real conversation.“So, what’s the real reason you called for a girl’s day? I know it has to be more than just the usual shopping trip. What’s wrong?” She kept her tone soft, inviting her friend to tell her secrets.“Oh Raven, I don’t know where to start.” Tears were already forming in her eyes as she turned to her friend and reached for a hug.Raven hugged her back. “Oh Star, it’s okay I’m sure we’ll get this all sorted soon.” She rubbed her back in soothing circles.“It’s just been so confusing lately, between me and Robin. I thought we were going to be together. Especially after all we had shared after our visit to Tokyo, but he had become rather distant. I fear that he just wants to remain being friends and not pursuing a romantic relationship with me.” She paused to sniffle and wipe her eyes, pulling away from her friend. “Am I not worth enough to be his girlfriend?”Raven sighed. “Starfire, your worth is not determined through the actions of another person, and if Robin doesn’t want to pursue a romantic relationship with you that has nothing to do with your worth.” She took a breath and continued while placing her hands on the alien girl’s shoulders. “You are worthy to be loved, and if it’s not Robin then I’m sure another will be there for you. As of right now I think you should go and talk to Robin about the way you are feeling. It might just be a huge misunderstanding.” She reached her arms around Starfire again and gave her another squeeze.“I promise things will work out the way they are supposed to. Even if that doesn’t look like what you want it to.”  Starfire nodded and squeezed her friend back, being mindful of her strength. “I will go talk to him.”“That’s good but let’s get you cleaned up first.” Raven said.“Yes, okay,” Starfire agreed.Her friend’s face was all splotchy and red, evidence of her crying session.Raven couldn’t remember the last time they had a session like this, their last girl’s day had ended in laughter instead of tears.***He was fast! Robin ducked the next blow as quickly as he could, but he could still feel the wind swipe through his hair from Sasuke’s fist. It was a sparring session with no weapons or special abilities and Robin was gasping for air while he avoided the next punch.Sasuke had a constant smirk on his face as he attempted to land a kick on Robin’s side. Robin backflipped away a few paces then regained his stance. His breaths were coming quickly, his heart was beating fast, it was only a matter of time before the fight would end just from stamina alone. Sasuke wasn’t even breathing heavy; he stood those few paces away just smirking and waiting.“Do you need to take a break,” Sasuke teased him lightly.Robin gritted his teeth and took a few deep breaths trying to get himself under control. “You’re so fast I haven’t been able to land a single hit, how do you do that?” he asked genuinely curious.Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t rely on my muscles alone; I remain focused with my inner self. And also, years of practice.”“Could you teach me?” Robin was afraid of rejection with his question. He hadn’t meant for the question to leave his lips he was just very eager to learn. The longer their sparring session lasted the more Robin wanted to learn.“Yeah, I can teach you a few techniques to practice.” Sasuke’s smirk turned into a slight smile instead. “I’m sure you’ll learn quickly; you are quite skilled.”Absolute pride filled Robin’s chest at the compliment. He knew Sasuke wasn’t one to compliment lightly, so hearing it just boosted his confidence. “Thanks Sasuke,” he couldn’t help but show his gratitude.Sasuke shrugged again. “Don’t mention it.” He tilted his head beckoning Robin to stand closer to him so they could get started on the training.It was quite a beautiful day for it, and the top of the tower was the perfect location. Robin steadied himself and listened to Sasuke’s instructions. He was meticulous in correcting Robin’s form and stance. Giving little nudges here and there.“Now remember, it’s not just your strength behind your attacks that matters, you must focus your attention on one specific point and then follow through. When you punch, imagine you are punching through your opponent. Now aim for my hand and control your breathing. Breath is life and with out it your attacks will fall flat every time.” Sasuke took a step back and then raised both hands waiting for Robin to throw his punches.Robin only hesitated a moment before he punched the Uchiha’s hand as fast and hard as he could.“That was an embarrassment, again.”Robin tried again this time breathing through the attack and focusing past his hand.Sasuke’s hand moved this time from the power that was behind his punch. “Better, try again.”Focused, and breathing even Robin threw the next punch with as much speed and power that his body could manage. Throwing in his whole weight behind it by twisting his hips sharply in a quick snap. The crack of the impact could be heard as Sasuke’s hand nearly met his face.Sasuke nodded his head in approval. “Nice job, that’s the quickest I’ve seen you move so far. Let’s continue until all your punches can hold that power and swiftness.”Robin grinned. “You’re not afraid I’ll hurt you? We have practice gloves in the training room.”“I’m not afraid, besides this will help you build up pain tolerance.” Sasuke smirked again. “Unless of course you’re afraid of a little pain?”Robin scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Please I’ve had harder training session than this before. I trained with Batman for years before becoming a Titan.” ***It was around midday when the girls had arrived home, and Robin was eager to see what they had brought with them for groceries. He hoped that they had managed to grab some burgers and hot dogs for that was what he had been craving for the day. His training session with Sasuke was finally over and his entire body felt like it was on fire. He had to replace his outfit with a new one when finished just from sweating too much.Of course, Sasuke didn’t have to change, the guy had freaky endurance. Robin had never seen anything like it. They were out in the sun, for four hours… his arms felt like jello, his feet ached, his hands were still numb, but he was still excited for tomorrow. Sasuke had said they were moving onto kicks.When he made it up to the kitchen, he was happy to see that Raven was still there putting away their haul from the grocery store. Starfire must have just left for there wasn’t much to put away. Robin quickly started making himself useful by grabbing items and putting them in their place.“So how has your day been so far?” He started the conversation with, just to have something to talk about.“It’s been good so far; you know how I feel about the mall, but it wasn’t that bad today. People left us alone which is a bit unusual but not unwelcomed.” She replied with a neutral tone.“That’s good, Sasuke and I got in some sparring earlier. I’m sad to say I have a lot more work to do if I’m ever going to beat him. He is just so fast.” Robin couldn’t stop the excitement from bleeding into his tone.His little sparring session had turned into more of a teaching moment with Sasuke showing him some different techniques. It was quite fun, and Robin hoped that Sasuke would have had just as much fun as he had. One thing was for sure though, he never wanted to have Sasuke as an enemy. Maybe if the whole team took him on, they could win in a fight, but Robin didn’t stand a chance on his own.He would be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge that he was a little intimidated. However, Sasuke was becoming a friend to all of them surely Robin wouldn’t have to worry about him turning on them. Sasuke wanted to go home, and Raven was probably his best bet at achieving that goal.“Robin, are you okay?” Raven said as she waved a hand in front of his face.Robin smiled then flicked her hand away from his face. “I’m fine, just a little lost in thought. Any leads on finding Sasuke’s home?”She shrugged. “I’ve found a few dimensions that could be a match, Sasuke and I are going over my findings tonight to see if one is.”Robin nodded. “Sounds good, just let me know how it goes.”“Sure,” she said as she turned to put the last item away.“Say did you want some lunch? I’m about to fix some burgers and hot dogs.” Robin offered.“No, I’m going to go rest in my room for a few hours before my meeting with Sasuke. You could ask the others though I’m sure they won’t say no.” She paused in the doorway before leaving completely. “Oh, and Robin, Starfire needs to talk to you about something, so perhaps you could make your self available after lunch to discuss her concerns.” Raven informed him before gliding out the door and into the hallway.“Okay, I’ll be sure to see her after lunch.” He replied.She swept out of the room with the door shutting behind her.He wondered what Starfire could want to talk about. To his knowledge things between them were good. Sure, they haven’t been spending a whole lot of time lately but that was mostly due to their busy schedules. Robin was constantly working to better the team, and Starfire had her own things to do throughout the day. He wasn’t avoiding her. Oh well, they would clear the air and get back to normal. Maybe it wasn’t all that important to begin with.Robin started in on making lunch, about halfway through Cyborg had come to join him in the kitchen. His friend was talking to him about the latest game that had just come out, Conan Exiles Ages of War. It honestly sounded like fun. It was a survival game where building was supposed to be important. He would have to check it out after he finished with his work today. He still had paperwork from Bruce to fill out in his study just waiting for him to come get it taken care of. Robin didn’t want to admit he had been avoiding it all day, hence the impromptu training session.“Say Cyborg, would you like to help me with some paperwork later this evening? They’re the files on the new Green Lantern corps we were talking about last week.”“Sure, I can help.” Cyborg didn’t sound too eager but that was okay, Robin knew it wasn’t something anyone would want to spend the rest of their weekend doing.After the last attack on the bridge Robin had felt it necessary to take a little break from the more office-like duties of his job, this was just the consequence of those actions. He should have finished them the night before, but his bed had looked so comfy he couldn’t resist its call. Besides, there were no urgent missions today anyway. He would make up for it tonight.The burgers and hot dogs were finally finished, and Cyborg wasted no time working his way through a triple cheeseburger and three hot dogs. Robin smiled at his friend while shaking his head. It was so typical of his friend that Robin had made sure to make extra food. It was better to have leftovers than to have his team go hungry.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 8
  Sasuke made his way to Raven’s room later that night, hoping that there was a breakthrough in her research. He knew he had to get home soon, for he didn’t know how much time had passed in his home dimension, or if any time at all had passed. Had his old teammates discovered Orochimaru’s body? Did the rest of the Sound Village know that their leader had been killed? If so, then Sasuke wasn’t sure what he would do when he got back.His original plan was to put a team together and start hunting down the Akatsuki. For he knew his brother was a member and it would have been only a matter of time before his brother was sent his way. The Akatsuki were a dangerous bunch, but Sasuke was confident in his skills and the skills of the team that he wanted. If they were still there. Karen, Jugo, and Suigetsu. Sasuke had kept his eye on them for his years with Orochimaru and they were the ones he wanted as his team. He would seek them out just as soon as he made it back, better to have a team than be on his own.Running into either the Leaf Village ninja or any of the other nations ninja would not be ideal, Karen would be his most valued teammate for her sensory abilities alone. Jugo would be his muscle, not many would be able to stand against the man for his strength and speed were something to be feared by any normal ninja. And of course, Suigetsu, he would be his sword. They would need to go retrieve the Executioners blade from the Land of Waves to ensure Suigetsu had his favorite weapon.All those concerns were moot, however, if he couldn’t find a way home, and the longer he stayed the more difficult it would be to leave. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was really starting to like the Titans. They all had such an inner fire that he admired them.Robin was fun to mess with, for he was quite serious all the time. Getting him to focus on his training was easy though, the kid was very eager to learn. He held such anger inside though; Sasuke was curious to what had caused it.Starfire was kind and very endearing. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with her just because she was so sweet it was hard to be around for it was almost too painful. It didn’t seem to bother her though for she seemed focused on Robin more than anything.Cyborg was still wary of him, but it was fun getting to play those video games with him and learn about the different technologies like computers, televisions, radios meant for playing music only, their phones and Titans communicators. It was all quite fascinating.Beast Boy was an interesting kid too. With his ability to turn into any animal Sasuke bet he could be quite the foe if he could just gain some focus. He was kindhearted though and playing games with him was fun as well.Raven, he would consider himself the closest to. She had a darkness in her that the others just didn’t understand, but Sasuke did. It was a similar darkness to his own. She was quiet but such a fierce warrior, her abilities were quite ranged, and she could perform with such raw power. Raven truly was impressive.They all were quite impressive; Sasuke had no need to judge them. They were strong enough on their own to protect an entire city. And they weren’t being controlled by an outside force unless one considered the law to govern them. It was no wonder at all why this Slade guy was trying to gain more allies. He could never beat them on his own, he was smart enough to realize that. So, it made perfect sense for him to come to Sasuke. It was nothing more than an attempt to grab more power.Now Sasuke was no stranger to reaching for more power, but he couldn’t see himself working for a man like Slade. For one he was weaker than him, for another he would have to turn his back on the Titans and his only way home. Sasuke couldn’t stand the thought, he always considered himself to be quite loyal to his team.So, when he knocked on Raven’s door, he had finally come to a decision to tell her about his little conversation with Slade. It would be better to come clean instead of keeping the secret on the slight chance the secret would get out and then all the trust that Sasuke had worked to build between the team and himself would be broken.The door opened in front of him, and Raven stood there with her hood down and cape hanging loosely around her shoulders. She looked relaxed, and yet there was a slight tension on her shoulders as if there were maybe nerves, she was trying to hide.“Ah Sasuke I was wondering when you would show, come in.” She moved aside to let him pass.“I have something to tell you.” He started with right way, he needed to get the Slade thing off his chest.“You can tell me later; we must get started now before the herbs are completely burnt.” She replied.Okay then, he would tell her after they were done.He had never been in her room before, and looking around he wasn’t surprised to see statues of ravens resting on book shelfs filled to the brim with texts. The room was dark with black-out curtains covering the large window. Sasuke noticed the circle in the middle and wondered what it was. If he had to guess it looked like a place to perform rituals. There weren’t any places to sit unless the bed was an option, but Sasuke didn’t feel comfortable sitting on the bed, afraid to send the wrong message.Raven must have sensed his indecision for she moved around him and sat directly in the middle of the circle. She then motioned him to sit in front of her on the other side. “Okay, lets get started.” Raven said as she closed her eyes and started chanting.He was unfamiliar with the words she was saying, but the circle around her started glowing a light blue. It wasn’t long before the light blue light shot up from the floor and met in a point directly above where Raven was sitting. She stopped her chanting and then opened her eyes. Raven had no pupils; her eyes were glowing white with power.Sasuke was impressed and quiet. He didn’t want to disturb her concentration.“Look deep within yourself and tell me what you see in the light,” she intoned lightly.“How do I do that?” He asked.“The same way you would meditate, seek out your inner self and then look into the light. If this is your dimension you should see the people, you were closest to.”“Okay,” he nodded then started to focus. He closed his eyes to feel his chakra move throughout the whole of his body. It wasn’t hard to find his inner focus, when he opened his eyes his sharingan activated and he looked into the blue light.At first, he didn’t see anything, he was still only seeing Raven in the middle of the circle but then his eyes picked up a color. Orange, pink, and dark blue. The shapes slowly turned into people, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. Of course, it would be them, they were the closest thing he had to a family. He closed his eyes and then took a deep breath.“That’s them, I recognize those people. They were my old teammates.” He sucked in another breath fighting a wave of emotion that was threatening to overwhelm him. Sasuke didn’t do emotions; they were the enemy and could get a ninja killed.“I can’t see them, for this isn’t my home dimension. It looks like this was a success.” The power from Raven’s eyes subsided and her pupils returned to normal. “It will take me a few days to get enough ingredients to open the portal completely. But when I do send you back, we will use those people as an anchor point.”“Wait what do you mean anchor point? I thought I would just appear from where I left.” He didn’t want to show the panic that was slowly engulfing his entire body. He couldn’t afford to show up right next to Team 7, they would force him back to the Leaf Village. Also, he knew that he was strong and could take out each of them on their own but if they were together then he would be at a complete disadvantage. He couldn’t go back, the Hokage would never let him see the light of day again, he would never be able to avenge his family. “Is there another way?”Raven frowned. “I’m afraid there isn’t. The only way to travel between the dimensions is to anchor to a person that already resides in that dimension. And the people that you saw you already have an attachment therefore you are already anchored; I just need to open the portal and allow your body to return.”It was no good. “What about if I saw someone else? Would I be able to go to them instead?” He questioned. If that would work, then he would just think about Itachi and appear right before him and then use the surprise as an advantage and then finally kill him.Raven shrugged. “It depends on what sort of attachment you have to that person. If it’s someone you don’t like the link won’t be as stable, you could end up in the world between worlds.”Sasuke furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why? What makes the difference?”“An attachment built on hate could break at any time, the attachment you have with the other people are a more positive link less likely to be severed.” Raven paused. “It’s difficult to explain but the people that you saw are the people you are most attached to. Which equals the most stable link.”Sasuke sighed in frustration and then moved to stand. He started pacing the room careful not to touch the circle. It still didn’t make much sense to him. If he went back right now and confronted Team 7, he would lose and probably end up in jail. He would have to stay longer to find a way around this. He could take the risk and focus on Itachi instead for he knew that his link to his brother was a strong one, built of hate and loathing. There wasn’t much that could stop him from using his brother in this way, now he would have to convince Raven.She wasn’t stupid, she would know if he was seeing his brother. He wouldn’t be able to keep the hate from bleeding into his eyes. Could he convince her that this was the best course of action? Was it time to tell her about his family? He swiped a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to tell any of the Titans about his family, he didn’t want to tell anyone about his family because they might not understand his need for revenge.He was stuck with no way out, his panic deepening, he left the room without saying another word. His mind was in utter turmoil. On the one hand he would return to the Leaf Village with almost no hope of escaping, on the other hand he could be lost forever in the world between worlds; whatever that meant. Sasuke didn’t know what to do. The only good thing was Raven wasn’t following him down to the beach where he could throw jutsu after jutsu out over the water without worry of accidentally destroying something or someone.It felt good to release all the pent-up energy, it had been a few weeks since he allowed himself to go all out. There was sweat forming on his brow and his breath was coming quicker.Sasuke wasn’t sure how long he was on the beach until Raven calmly walked up to him. He had sensed her from when she left the tower but continued throwing his fire balls out across the water. His chakra reserves were lowered, and his limbs felt heavy, his body was ready to take a break, but his mind and thoughts were still racing.“Are you okay?” Raven questioned softly.Was he okay? The quick answer was no, but how could he even tell her everything that was bothering him. Was he doomed to stay here in the Titans world forever?“I’m far from okay…” he finally replied after some minutes had passed.“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked in that same soft tone.He really didn’t. But what could he possibly say that would be productive? So, he remained silent.***Raven was surprised when Sasuke had left her room in such a rush. She wasn’t aware of how the information could have affected him. She had thought he would be relieved to finally be able to go home, she was having a hard time understanding why he left like that. So, she decided to leave him alone for a while until he calmed down. Raven could sense his inner turmoil but wasn’t sure why it was happening.It wasn’t long before giant waves of flames were shooting out across the ocean, and Raven was rushing to her window to open the curtains and observe Sasuke creating said flames. He must have been more upset than what she had originally thought. Some of the flames were so massive they took on the form of a dragon. Raven was so impressed by the display of power that she was sure that she wasn’t the only Titan to witness such raw destructive power.Sure enough, she was getting a knock on her door.Raven moved to open the door; Robin was on the other side.He looked concerned. “Raven, why is Sasuke down there on the beach throwing flames around?”She shrugged nonchalantly. “We found his home and I guess the information wasn’t something that he wanted to hear.” It was an understatement but it’s the best she could come up with. Raven was concerned as well but didn’t know how to proceed.“I’ll go down and talk to him,” Robin said.“No wait,” she said with slight alarm in her voice. “I’ll talk with him, maybe he’ll be able to tell me what’s wrong. You might make things worse.”Robin looked offended as he placed a hand across his chest. “Make things worse? When have I ever done such a thing?”Raven rolled her eyes and pushed passed Robin to enter the hallway. She might as well start her way down to the beach.“Just let me know if you need help, I’ll be waiting in the living room.” Robin notified her.“Sure,” she drawled and continued down the hall.When she finally made it down to the beach, she could feel the heat from the flames across her body. It was making the air dry and warm. Sasuke must have sensed her approach for he stopped throwing the flames from his mouth and just stood there panting in exhaustion.“Are you okay?” she asked softly, not wanting to disturb the quiet that had descended upon them.He hesitated before answering her. “I’m far from okay…” he said after some time had passed.She didn’t want to press the issue, but she did want to offer her help. “Do you want to talk about it?”Sasuke remained quiet while she watched him. He looked tense, and his mind was still running in circles she could sense it through her empathy ability. She wished she knew a way to help him, so she remained silent as well. He would talk when he was ready and there was nothing, she could say that would change that.So, she sat next to him on the beach and waited. Eventually he sat as well, while bringing his knees up to his chest. He looked so young in that position. Raven was reminded that he was only fifteen, still young and learning. What horrors had he must have seen already to hold himself the way that he did. Sasuke was so strong; he had such an inner fire… apparently literally as well. The Titans hadn’t even seen his fire ability before, and it was just as impressive as the lighting ability. She wondered how many more abilities he held within his strong ninja body.Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard him sigh, releasing some of the tension in his body. He rested his chin on his knees and looked out across the water.“I don’t think I can go back.” He finally opened the conversation.She hummed before replying. “Why?”“The people I saw are from the Leaf Village, and the leader of their village would rather see me rot in jail than cause any more publicity stunts. I can’t take them in a fight by myself and there would be no reasoning with them.” He paused and let the information hang in the air before continuing. “The other option would be my elder brother, but you said the connection had to be built on more than just hatred. And the only tie I have left to him is my hatred.”How interesting that his family member would be the least stable connection. “Do you mind me asking why you hate your brother so much?”His body tensed again as he glared out over the water. “He murdered my entire clan, including my parents. I must get back to kill him for everything that he had put me through. And anyone that was involved in the scheme to get rid of the Uchiha. I can’t even think about restoring my clan until he is dead.”To say she was surprised would be an understatement. His own brother killed his family. No wonder he had to grow up so fast.  Raven didn’t know what to say. But she did have an idea. “Well, what if I went back with you to explain the situation about dimension hopping to the Leaf Village people. I could vouch for you.”For the first time during the conversation Sasuke perked up a little and turned his head to face her. “You would do that?”She shrugged her shoulders. “Of course, I would, in fact the other Titans would as well I do believe.” Raven smiled at him. “You’re our friend Sasuke, what else would a friend do. I’m sure we could work something out with them.” She paused and swallowed. “If nothing else we could help you escape from them so you wouldn’t have to go back to the village. We could distract them. Once the portal is opened It wouldn’t take me long to close it. Now that I know which dimension you come from, it wouldn’t be hard to get back to this one.”“That’s asking a lot of you, I don’t know if I could accept that kind of help. And it would put you all in great danger.” Sasuke unwrapped his arms from his legs and stretched out to rest on his elbows, crossing his legs at the ankles. “But I wouldn’t say no.”“Tomorrow, I’ll head to the magic shop in town to gather enough supplies to open the portal. I’ll talk to Robin tonight and fill him in on the plan. I’m sure he’ll be on board. Besides, it’s not everyday we get to visit a different world.”Sasuke just shook his head and smirked. It was the first smile she had seen all night and it caused her heart rate to spike. He truly was beautiful to look at… but her heart already belonged to the Titans, it would do no good to get too attached to Sasuke. For he would be leaving as soon as tomorrow, probably never to be seen in their world again.