So I am finally starting a new fanfic, something I have not written in years. This one has been on my mind for a while, and now I am able to get it off the ground. Just a clarification with this story, it is a Teen Titans/Naruto AU crossover, of what happened if Raven did not go to Jump City when she left Azarath. What if events that caused her to leave was much more than just to stop Trigon? This is my tale on that, and I hope you guys will enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Teen Titans.

Chapter One: A Wandering Lost Soul

If Sabaku no Gaara realized how this night would go before it happened, he never would have believed it. He would take it into consideration, but he would not believe it. Yet, a lot of things had happened recently that he still could not believe. He had his own students, where he could teach them to be great shinobi. Most were still scared of him, but he managed to gain respect from a few. His own siblings were now friendly with him; Temari was very protective of him, and Kankuro made sure he took care of his own wellbeing. Gaara still could not sleep at night, not when the whispering voice of Shukaku—One Tailed—was always in his mind. With the support of his siblings, however, it was more manageable now. All of this made his life so much better, and he had it connected to one person:

Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto was the one who understood his pain, his loneliness. In many ways, they were lost souls, wandering the planes of the earth. They managed to find each other, and it gave him solace that he was not alone in the world. From that moment, he felt it led all to this day. Everything about it seemed normal at first. He spent the morning in the cacti garden he just started, and then he spent midday with his class. Before he knew it, the sky blue skies had now darkened to the color of inky black with millions of stars dazzling among them. He sat on the roof with his pupiless green eyes, outlined in black, staring into the night sky with a calm stare. The light breeze passed through his red hair, cut short and somewhat shaggy like. His pale skin stood out against his red robes, slightly dark in color, with a white sash that crossed over his chest diagonally.

The night was peaceful. There was no warning or sign of a sandstorm, and there was no trouble within the streets of Sunakagure. Before this night, before he met Naruto, he never did truly enjoy this peaceful moment. The only enjoyment that he got was killing people for 'Mother'. Now, he drank it all in. He breathed in deeply and released it with contentment. Then, there were footsteps behind him, but he did not turn to face the person. He already knew who it was.

"I see that it's going to be another all-nighter. Can't you tell that voice in your head to give it a rest?"

A teasing female voice spoke to him from behind him. He did not turn to face her, though his lips twitched upward slightly. "…If it was that simple, Temari," He said, his voice baritone in tone, "then I would be in bed right now."

"But you always enjoy your little stargazing, little brother." The female figure sat down next to him, her right leg crossed over the left. She was a beautiful teenage girl, with sandy blonde hair that was pulled back into four pigtails and teal eyes. Her skin was fair in contrast to her brother's. She wore a simple lavender kimono, tied by a dark purple sash. As she watched him, her own lips curled to a smirk. "Still, this little peaceful look of yours…it's refreshing to see."

Gaara's smile grew slightly. "Even though it has been months since I first met Naruto Uzumaki…all this feels surreal." He admitted. "Yet very satisfying…"

She chuckled slightly before she placed a gentle grasp upon his shoulder. "Well, it's nice to see you like this. No crazy look in your eye, no thirst to kill…I actually have my other little brother." Slowly, her gaze slowly slipped away from him and began to stare at the sky. "Then again, I never helped matters any did I?"

"…Perhaps not…but…that was then, this is now." He slowly responded. "…All three of us needed to redeem ourselves in some way. I think we have; I just need to earn the respect of our people after what I did. And I have my inspiration to learn how to do that." Then, he turned his gaze toward her and gave a soft smile. "And a couple more reasons to keep trying."

She returned the stare and the smile before she patted his shoulder. In a teasing manner, she said, "Alright, this is getting sappy!" Then, she stood up and stretched her arms. "I'm going back inside! Just be careful, alright?"

"…Always."

Gaara watched her walk away with a warm feeling that blossomed inside him. After years of loneliness, it felt…nice that he had his siblings to depend on, to worry for him and his health. Slowly, he turned his gaze back to the stars, watching them dazzle in the sky. In the midst of it all, there was the large moon, in its fullness. It illuminated the village in a gentle blanket of light, and the remaining lights from the windows seemed brighter. His smile grew more at the sight around him before he closed his eyes to immerse himself in the scenery.

…At that moment, he heard a familiar voice inside his mind.

"Such weakness…" It was almost like a growl, sinister and bloodthirsty in nature.

Gaara's eyebrows knitted together, but he remained calm. "So you have said the night before…and the night before that…"

"Won't stop…you will listen!"

"…I will not listen to you. Never again."

"…Oh…you will. YOU WILL! Change…PATHETIC! It won't last!"

"…" Gaara gritted his teeth. The voice ate away at him, and he felt its presence stir within him. It was the same stirring that he felt all his life. The urge to kill arose, but he took a deep breath and focused. "Yes it will. I have reasons to fight. I know I am not alone in this fight against you." He said firmly.

"…You ARE alone…nothing they can do…in sleep…not even you…"

The urge grew stronger, and the Jinchuriki shook his head to remain focus. He tried to think pass the voice, to focus on the people he wanted to fight for. Instantly, three faces merged through the darkness of his mind. Temari…Kankuro…Naruto…he wanted to be strong for them. He did not want to give up on his change, when he had every reason to keep fighting for it. He took in another deep breath to focus more on the faces, which became clearer and clearer within his mind.

"WEAK! Nothing will change…kill again…one day…YOU WILL KILL AND ENJOY!"

However, even as it tried to scream to be heard, the faces became Gaara's main focus; to the point the voice became a whisper. Relief washed over him with a soothing effect, and he released a soft sigh. "…I will never be the monster I once was." He whispered, filled with conviction. He opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, as the breeze touched his pale skin with a gentle touch. Even as he did feel the sting of exhaustion, the urge to sleep, he kept his resolve and went to turn around to return inside.

Suddenly, there was a spike of unknown chakra that caught his attention. His eyes widened by a fraction, and he stopped in his tracks. "Nani…?" He whispered. He kept still, not even moved his eyes, while he tried to figure out the source of power. Something was wrong with it, he could feel it. It was almost like nothing he had sensed before from most shinobi. Only one in recent memory came to mind: Naruto Uzumaki, and the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox that he contained in his own body. The fox itself was demonic, like Shukaku. Confusion bloomed inside him the more he concentrated on it. Is this another Jinchuriki? He queried. Quietly, he closed his eyes to fixate upon the anomaly, before he quickly opened them.

"THERE."

With swiftness fitting of his position as a shinobi, he turned and made a dash toward the source of the energy. He leaped between roofs, with the help of his wind jutsu to enhance his movements. Part of him knew what he was doing was reckless. If he truly sensed a demonic energy, he could be heading toward a trap. It could be an enemy coming to strike his village. Nevertheless, he would fight back without remorse or restraint if it came to it. He would defend his village and his family without hesitation, if the source of the energy was a true threat. As he came closer to the edge of the village, the voice became louder and clearer, as if he was clearly enjoying this new development. Gaara tried to ignore it, but it only grew in volume.

"…YES…this is our chance brat! We can kill again…KILL!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed at his words, but he chose not to say anything this time. He swiftly took in the surroundings as he reached the border of the village. Instantly, he noticed the source of the chakra came from his small garden, which was filled with different sizes of cacti, some with a full bloom flower on top. Once he landed on the ground gently, he took a few steps forward with a glance at every corner of the area. The sand around him rippled slightly from the surge of his own chakra, ready to strike if anything happened. His lips formed a thin line upon his face, without a single ounce of emotion. However, it was that moment when he heard something. He stopped momentarily. A quizzical feeling rose inside him, yet he managed to keep it at bay.

He listened…and he realized what it was.

Crying?

He made no sound. His head turned in each direction with an acute attention on the cry. He carefully moved forward, and he did not stop the sand that rippled all around him.

"A little cry. Pathetic…be sure to have fun with this one."

"Shukaku…ENOUGH." Gaara thought as he kept investigating the area. As he followed the noise, it began to grow in volume. The closer he got, the more he was able to distinguish the details about it. Whoever it was, it was female, and she almost sounded young. Upon this thought, his lips drooped to a slight frown. "Who…?" He mumbled quietly.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Within the cry, he began to hear words, and his frown deepened. His confusion grew more and more. Against his better judgement, he called out, "...Hello?"

The single word passed from his lips, and it resulted in a gasp from the hidden figure. Suddenly, a blur of white passed before his eyes, causing them to widen. "Wait!" He hurried to follow after the figure. When she suddenly tripped and landed on the ground, he stopped behind her and slowly went to kneel down. "…Do not be afraid…" He said, his baritone voice filled with a soothing tone. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

"Worse mistake…"

Gaara shut him out, while his gaze remained fixated on the figure before him. At first, she did not move, not even an attempt to run off again. Silence stood between them like a wall, and the crying that he now knew came from her was quiet. He did not make any sudden movements. He did not want to do anything that would set her off, threat or not. She appeared to wear white robes with a hood attached to it. Sand particles and soot stained the pure color, however, and he thought he caught a scent of smoke. Where did she come from to be in this condition? He thought with a slight arch eyebrow.

Finally, she turned to face him. Automatically, he noticed how young she looked, around the same age as him give or take a few months. Fear was deeply rooted into her amethyst color eyes. Her same color hair reached her shoulders with strands stuck to her slightly pointed face. Sweat covered her face, like she had gone through intense heat or ran for so long. What surprised him the most about her appearance, however, was her skin color. Unlike a normal shade of pale or fair color, her skin was the color of ashen grey, mixed with paleness. Then, he noticed a small red gem, pulsating with chakra, on her forehead.

Bewilderment reflected in his own green eyes, but he managed to remain calm. Slowly, when he took a step forward, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Her body trembled, and she backed away a few inches. "…Stay…Stay away…" She warned, each word quivering from overwhelming emotions.

He quickly stopped. "I won't come close." He reassured her, his hands raised in front of him. "But can you tell me if you are alright?"

"…Why do you want to know…?"

"…Because…" He tried to find the right words to say. Truthfully, he did not know why he was this concern for her. Was it his compassion for another human being? Was this the same type of concern that his own siblings, and even Naruto, exhibit toward him? What would Naruto say? He asked himself, as he imagined the loud shinobi, with his trademark grin. With a surge of confidence, he continued, "No one should be scared as you are now. And you have the scent of smoke. Did you come from a fire?"

She merely stared at him, backing away even more. Gaara frowned, and he calmly took a step toward her. "I truly do not mean you any harm…" He stated.

"Don't come closer!"

At the raw emotion of her shout, a black wave of energy cut them off. It stood between like a solid wall, yet he could still see her outline on the other side. He froze into place with eyes wide in shock…and awe. This was unlike anything he had seen before. To him, it appeared she used raw chakra and manifested a solid object. His initial thought was Kekkei Genkai, but he knew of no clan that possessed such ability. Who is she…? He asked himself.

"A threat…must exterminate…"

"…Thank you…for such a wonderful piece of advice." Gaara sarcastically remarked, before he shook his head. Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and he shook himself out of his stupor. "…My name is Gaara…what is your name?" He asked, kneeling down to be at eye level to the girl.

"…"

"…I gave you my name…it's only polite that I learn yours…" He calmly persuaded, hoping this new tactic would work.

Luckily for him, it did, for she carefully replied, "…R…Raven…"

"…Raven…" He repeated softly, before he allowed his lips to curl upward slightly. "It's…it's nice. Now, can you bring down the barrier? I promise I will not come closer."

Several moments passed by without any movement from Raven. Gaara's breath hitched as he watched her, and he could tell she was pondering it. When another moment passed by, the barrier finally came down, and he could see the wary look in her eyes, mixed in with the fear. He released his breath slowly before he nodded toward her. "Thank you. That was…that was incredible…what was it?"

"…" Raven's eyes flickered to the side as she rubbed her hands together. "…Soul Self…" She whispered.

"Soul…Self?"

She nodded. "My magic. It's what I can do." She simply said.

The word itself was foreign to him, but he kept his confusion to himself. Whatever it meant, she had an ability that she could use, much like the jutsu he and his fellow people could use. His eyes searched her for a moment, and he could see several emotions despite her attempts to mask it with an averted gaze and rubbing her hands together. Fear, sorrow, and loss were the first three he was able to recognize at once. Automatically, he was reminded of himself, before he gave in to the monster inside him. She was like him. She was a lost soul, wandering the planes without anywhere else to go. His gaze softened at the thought, before he slowly raised his hand. The sand around them rippled slightly. It rose from the ground around her, and he willed it to touch her hands gently.

Her eyes widened at the display, a curious child filled with awe with the sight before her. "You can do that?" She asked with a soft gasp.

"I can." He replied with a nod.

Slowly, Raven returned her gaze toward him, almost boring into him. "Are you…like me?"

He blinked at the choice of words. Like her? What exactly did she mean by that? He was not sure how to answer her, and he was sure he looked silly as he sat there with blinking eyes. "Um, well, I'm not the only one with being able to do something similar to that." Gaara said with a slight cough. Maybe she means having abilities…"My brother, for example, can control puppets he created with threads made from chakra." He watched her eyes lit slightly in awe at his words, and he thought he saw her scoot closer to him. "My sister and I can even use wind chakra. I'm the only one who can control the sand, however."

When he noticed that she seemed very intrigued by his words, he took this moment to push himself to his feet. "Can I join you?" He asked gently.

She looked at him in slight surprise, but he made no movement. He waited until she nodded before he slowly walked in front of her. "You appear to be tired. Please, allow me to take you to my home. You can meet my brother and sister, and we can figure out how we can help you."

As the words left his lips, Gaara began to question himself. How WAS he going to help her? He had no clue where Raven came from, nor did he know what happened to her. He was already trying to figure out how he can be a better person, so would he be the best person to help her? Already, he could hear Shukaku's low, merciless chuckle in the deep parts of his mind. With a deep breath, he steeled himself. "I want to help you." He said once more. Despite his doubts, he was not going to back down now.

Raven looked surprise. She appeared to almost back away from him, but relief flooded through him when she did not. "You want to help me?" She asked lowly.

He nodded. "I do…" Slowly, he brought his hand in front of her. "Please, let me help you." Once more, he thought he was waiting eternity for her to make a move. Her gaze fell to his hand, her fear more visible on her face; as if afraid she would get hurt for merely touching his hand. "I will make sure you are not harmed…" He reassured her.

She looked between him and his hand a few more times. Finally, she brought forth her hand and grasped his. Instantly, he thought he felt an overwhelming wave of emotions race through his veins, none of which were his own, but he made no comment. With a smiling look on his face, he helped her to her feet and began to lead her back to his home.

Gaara was once a wandering lost soul. Now, he was leading another wandering lost soul from the life of loneliness, just as he was led away from that life with the help of one person. He could only hope he could be just like Naruto Uzumaki…

There is the first chapter! I am hoping to keep up with the updates on this, and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Read and Review!

God Bless!