Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't own Naruto. I don't own Bleach. End.

Well, uh, I've only watched one episode of Teen Titans so if anything I write is wrong, then keep in mind that this is AU. All my knowledge of the Teen Titans is from various other fanfics. So yeah, that's about it... Also, for those of you who don't read Naruto, read it! Fanfictions of Naruto can be found under the "Anime" section of FanFiction. net

Also, chapter titles are taken from a manga called Bleach by Kubo Tite, which I highly recommend. Bleach fanfiction can also be found at FanFiction. net under "Anime". Sometimes chapter titles won't make sense, but I don't really care...

Enjoy!


The pattering rain and horrendous wind tore relentlessly against the figure huddled in the far corner of the alley. Vaguely, he remembered that he had been running, but from what, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had to get away. Sensing movement, he tilted his head to the right. As his clear blue eyes met fierce yellow ones, he suddenly realized something... it was too late to run.

He couldn't move. The eyes seemed to draw him in. Slowly, he saw them gradually turn red, and as lightning flashed above, his blue eyes widened. The other man's eyes had become blood red, black pupils spinning as madly as the wind.

He stumbled backwards, and felt himself falling down an empty abyss. The rush of wind cut into his back as he looked up, hoping to see anything, anything but the man. Unfortunately, that was not to be. The last thing Naruto saw before he woke up screaming was a man standing atop a humongous snake, his long black hair and bloodied cloak flapping menacingly against the dark of the crying sky.

The Nobility of Failure

Chapter Two: Second Contact (it was outside the scope of our understanding)

Raven found herself walking towards the games room, not because she wanted to sit down and relax with a cup of tea, nor was it because she suddenly felt like watching television, no, it was because she heard a scream. Evidently, she was the only one who had heard it since she was the only one walking there. As she reached the end of the hallway, she slowed down.

As she peered beyond the corner, she heard soft rustling on the other side of the sofa. She pulled her hood down and skillfully glided towards the noise. She deliberately passed the sofa before turning around. What she saw was enough to make her rush forward and telepathically call the remaining Teen Titans.

.................................

Naruto was shivering uncontrollably. As his body lay shaking on the ground, his mind had already drifted elsewhere. He found himself walking down familiar hallways. The painted walls were peeling, and a rotten smell floated lazily towards his nostrils. He wrenched his nose in disgust at the putrid smell and continued to walk forward. He knew this place very well, he had to. After all, he had entered the hallways of his mind.

Struggling against his pounding headache, he gradually made his way to the farthest part of his mind where he kept his darkest secret. He was going to see Kyuubi, and he expected some answers (1).

Naruto looked up at the tiny piece of paper fixed on the metal bar 10 meters above him. It was funny really, how that small piece of paper could keep one of the most feared demons from breaking free. Then again, he had almost been consumed by the demon's power several times before. Naruto shuddered at the thought.

The cage itself was huge. Any other visitor would have been intimidated by the long metal bars that separated them from the feared beast. The flimsy looking seal didn't help much in that aspect either. Naruto, however, was used to this, and it didn't bother him one bit. Sighing, he walked a few steps closer before calling out to the Kyuubi.

"Hey ya big furball, wake up and talk to me!"

Of course, any other person who said that would have been mercilessly killed by one of the Kyuubi's nine tails. Even if he was caged, he retained his power.

"What do you want kid? Leave me alone."

One of his tails lashed out, purposely missing Naruto's head, although just barely. This didn't seem to have an effect on Naruto as his just continued talking.

"You. Answers. Now."

"Ah, to put it simply... shut the hell up and leave me alone. I don't know what happened."

"Fine, you worthless piece of fur. Just do me a favor will ya? Guard this memory for me..."

"Which one?"

"You know which one."

"Fine, but this is only because I want you to LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!! Besides, someone seems to be calling you..."

As Kyuubi's voice faded, Naruto realized that someone was calling him. Soon, he felt himself being drawn out of his mind. It was a pity really; he still hadn't asked Kyuubi about the dream.


The Teen Titans gathered around Naruto's prostrate body. He had stopped shaking a few minutes ago, and a quick checkup had confirmed that he was still alive. His breathing, however, was shallow.

Starfire was, well, she was worried. They had only just accepted him last night, and now he was lying on the floor after screaming in the middle of the night. Despite the situation, Starfire couldn't help but smile.

Before they went to sleep the night before, they had given him the choice of sleeping in the extra bedroom. He had opted for the games room sofa instead. Now, if he had chosen the bedroom, he probably wouldn't have fallen onto the floor, and he probably wouldn't have gotten that nasty bruise from the fall.

Beast Boy was bored. He was forced out of his lovely dream about tofu at 3 am just to take care of him?! It was unthinkable, but it happened. As he stifled a yawn, he saw movement in Naruto's right hand. Finally, maybe they'll let me go back to sleep now...

Raven pulled down her hood. It was frustrating that he had been accepted into the team. It was frustrating that he had been able to heal himself without her help. It was frustrating that they had no idea where he came from. It was frustrating that they had no idea what happened to him.

And the more frustrated she was, the more intrigued did she become.

.................................

He considered going back into his mind, but he reasoned that it was too late for that. He heard people calling him.

As his vision cleared, he saw a blurred image of two lavender eyes staring straight at him. Under normal circumstances, he would have screamed at the sudden close proximity, but as his sight became perfectly clear and Raven's whole face was in his view, his breath caught in his throat (2).

His mind was reeling. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. He saw shoulder-length purple hair. The eyes he saw were no longer lavender, they were white. Pure, white, innocent eyes. He was overwhelmed. He had longed to see those eyes again for so long. And for the first time in a long time, he cried.

Memories came unbidden into his mind. Memories of her.

.................................

"Hinata-chan," Naruto smiled, his face as bright as the sun (3). "Let's go eat ramen! My treat!"

The girl in question was sitting on the swing outside the ninja academy. She turned her face to him and gave him the warmest smile she could. The light of the sun reflected off her short purple hair, which had been swaying with the calm wind. Naruto thought she looked like an angel.

She was with him and he with her. And they were as happy as they could've been.

.................................

Abruptly, the scene shifted. Another memory, another emotion, another sense of dread.

He ran forward, hoping that he would get there in time. As he ran around the last corner, the sight that greeted him was life shattering. On the floor was Hinata, her white ninja gear stained with crimson. She lay in a pool of her own blood. Standing a few meters away, a man stood smirking.

Naruto was enraged. He ran to the prone body of Hinata. She was still alive, but it was clear that she wouldn't last 5 minutes. Gingerly, Naruto placed one arm around her back and pulled her into a tight embrace, silent sobs racking his body. For the moment, he wanted to pretend that she wasn't going to die, and that they would live happily ever after.

His illusion shattered when he heard her speak. Her voice was soft, as usual, but this time, there was a sense of weakness. She was giving up, and he knew it.

The sound of the intense rain pounded against his eardrums, but he was able to hear what she said clearly... "Naruto-kun, I love you."

And with that, Hinata took her last breath. All he could feel was anger. Her last thought had been about him, and he had failed. He condemned himself, didn't he promise to protect all those that he loved? And yet, he was unable to protect her, the one he loved the most.

He was crying freely now, his own tears mingling with the tears of the sky. His beloved Hinata-chan was dead. He was too late. His Hinata-chan was dead. Dead.

He slowly closed her eyelids. Shakily, he stood up and began walking towards the arrogant man who was still smirking at him. He broke into a run, however, just before he reached the man, he found himself bound to the ground with vines. In his despair, he had let his guard down.

The man slowly walked up to Naruto. He could feel the boy's anger, and he decided that he would kill him later. He would let the boy live with the pain, if only for a little while. It was such fun messing with his head. In fact, he was just about to shock the boy once again.

Naruto spat at the man's face. He couldn't see the man's eyes, the dark hood cast a shadow over his face. Naruto glared at the man, daring him to take another life, Naruto's life. But the man didn't comply. Instead, he pulled his hood up, revealing two yellow eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened. He recognized the man immediately.

"Orochimaru..." he whispered, before falling into unconsciousness.

.................................

In an instant, he knew what the purpose of the dream was. Orochimaru wasn't dead yet, and if his intuitions were right, Orochimaru was sent to the same world he was in. The only question was, where exactly was he? And what could Naruto do about it?

Pulling himself together, he shuddered involuntarily. An even bigger problem presented itself. If Orochimaru was in this world, then what could the Teen Titans do about it? Naruto knew that they wouldn't be able to face him. Their worlds were too different. Their fighting standards were too different. They would stand no match against Orochimaru.

And with this newfound knowledge, Naruto slipped into a dreamless sleep.


(1) For those of you who read Naruto, you should know what Kyuubi is. For those of you who don't, you will either figure it out in this chapter, or it will be revealed in a later chapter. Of course, you could just go read Naruto

(2) Seriously, if you wake up and see someone's eyes staring right at you, wouldn't you scream?

(3) Hinata is one of the characters in Naruto. Her picture can be found on the cover of volume 9. Yes, I know Raven and Hinata don't really look alike, but it was (or not) necessary for development of the plot.


Yes, where is Orochimaru? evil cackle

I find the dialogue to be completely unsatisfying. It's so... urgh, never mind. In fact, I find this chapter a bit weird. Of course, this might be a product of my imagination, or maybe an effect of my chronic insomnia. Who knows?

I'm not much of a NaruHina fan, I like different pairings, like NaruTemari... but I thought this might be a bit easier. If anyone objects, then just say so in the review and maybe I can change this chapter to suit your "needs".

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.