Chapter 34

After a long, exhausting day, most of the team collapsed into their beds the moment they got home. But Naruto and his team made their way to Titan Tower, where Raven had been left alone while the others fought.

Naruto had intended to stay up and talk with Kara for a bit, but the strain of chakra exhaustion hit him harder than expected. His body grew heavy, and before he knew it, he was nodding off.

Kushina, ever the doting mother, noticed immediately. Without giving him a choice, she pulled him into her lap and gently ran her fingers through his golden locks.

"You need to rest, my little fox," she whispered.

Too tired to protest, Naruto let himself relax in his mother's embrace.

Then, in a voice filled with warmth and love, Kushina began to sing.

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby

Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay…

As the gentle melody filled the air, Naruto was lulled into sleep, his breathing evening out as he sank into a world of dreams.

What Kushina didn't expect, however, was that Kara—who had been sitting nearby—also found herself pulled into the song's embrace. The combination of Naruto's exhausted state and the soothing lullaby made her eyelids grow heavy.

A few moments later, she, too, had drifted off, curled up beside him on the carpet near the fireplace.

Only Raven and Kushina remained awake.

"You have a beautiful voice," Raven commented, her eyes opening slowly from meditation.

Kushina smiled. "Thank you. Are you not going to sleep?"

Raven shook her head. "It's still too early for me. Besides, I wasn't as active as Naruto today, so I'm not as tired."

With a flick of her fingers, a pair of blankets appeared, floating gently down to cover Naruto and Kara.

Kushina watched with a fond look before turning back to Raven. "Then would you like to keep me company? I still have a lot of energy left, and there's something I want to discuss."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I want to comprehend the concept of space and time, and I could use someone to bounce ideas off of. Also, we can mix in some discussions on fuinjutsu."

That got Raven's full attention. Magic, space-time, and sealing techniques? Now that was something she could get into.

Raven had long since familiarized herself with chakra, as she had trained with martial artists who used it to master their minds and emotions. Seeing Naruto use it so freely, she had been meaning to suggest he visit those monks someday—it might help him achieve greater control.

But for now…

"I'd be happy to help," Raven said, adjusting her seat near the fireplace. "And maybe I'll learn something new, too."

With that, the two women began their discussion, trading knowledge as the fire crackled beside them—while two sleeping figures remained peacefully unaware of the world around them.

"Alright, let's talk space-time concepts first," Kushina said, stretching her arms. "I've studied a lot of sealing techniques, but my knowledge on manipulating space and time is… let's just say, a little outdated."

Raven crossed her arms thoughtfully. "What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Kushina hummed. "Well, for starters, I want to understand the foundations of it. I know that teleportation techniques like the FTG operate on a pre-marked seal system, bending space to create an instant connection between two points. But what I don't fully grasp is the deeper interaction between chakra, dimensions, and time itself."

Raven nodded, intrigued. "That makes sense. The way I use teleportation is through sorcery, where I directly manipulate space using my energy. Chakra-based teleportation seems to rely more on anchors—a marked location, an object, or a specific link. But you want to go beyond just moving through space?"

"Exactly!" Kushina's eyes lit up. "I want to understand how to expand, contract, and stabilize space itself. And if I can combine that with sealing, maybe I can create something similar to those… what were they called? Boom Tubes?"

"Dimensional gateways," Raven supplied. "They function on a similar principle. You essentially open a tear in space-time, allowing for near-instantaneous travel. It's tricky, though. Without proper stabilization, the pathway can collapse—or worse, you might open it into the wrong place entirely."

Kushina laughed. "Yeah, last thing I need is to accidentally end up in some demon realm or, worse, inside the middle of the ocean with no land in sight."

Raven smirked. "That'd be one way to test your survival skills."

As their conversation continued, Kushina introduced Raven to fuinjutsu, explaining how seals could be used to contain, manipulate, and enhance energy.

"Fuinjutsu isn't just about sealing things away," Kushina explained, drawing a simple seal array in the air using her chakra. "It's also about control. You can use seals to reinforce barriers, store energy, even bind concepts together—like time and space."

Raven observed the glowing symbol with interest. "That's not so different from the way we create arcane sigils in sorcery. The only difference is that chakra users need to manually construct their seals, while sorcerers use intent and mana to shape them in real-time."

"Yeah, you magic types sure get to skip the handwriting part of the process," Kushina teased. "Naruto is still horrible at writing seals. Kid has no patience for the details—he'd rather just throw energy at the problem until it works."

Raven chuckled. "That sounds like him."

Kushina glanced at Raven with a knowing smirk. "Speaking of Naruto… you've been spending quite a bit of time with him, haven't you?"

Raven blinked. "…So?"

"Oh, nothing," Kushina sing-songed. "Just making an observation."

Raven gave her a deadpan look. "You're trying to imply something, aren't you?"

"Not at all," Kushina grinned mischievously. "I mean, you did just tuck him in like a worried girlfriend. And don't think I didn't notice how relaxed you are around him."

Raven huffed, crossing her arms. "Naruto has a calming presence. That's all."

Kushina nodded sagely. "Mmm-hmm. Of course, of course. That's definitely all it is."

Raven shot her a glare. "Are you always this nosy?"

"Only when it's this fun," Kushina laughed. "Seriously, though. I'm glad he has people like you looking out for him. Naruto has a big heart, but he can be clueless when it comes to his own feelings. If you ever need me to give him a push, just say the word."

Raven sighed. "He doesn't need a push. He needs time. And besides…" she hesitated for a moment. "I… don't know if I'd ever be good at that kind of relationship."

Kushina's teasing expression softened. "Hey. Love isn't about being perfect at it. It's about finding someone who makes the effort worth it. And Naruto? He's the type to give his all when it comes to the people he cares about."

Raven looked away, her expression unreadable. "I know."

Kushina decided to leave it at that.

For now.

Their conversation continued late into the night, shifting from space-time theory to philosophy, to memories of their respective pasts.

At some point, Kushina stretched and yawned. "Alright, I think we've hit our intellectual limit for the night."

Raven glanced toward Naruto and Kara, still sound asleep. "We should get some rest too."

"Yeah," Kushina agreed. Then, just as Raven stood up, she added playfully, "Sweet dreams~ Maybe you'll dream about a certain blond ninja."

Raven groaned. "I'm never letting you have caffeine before bed again."

Kushina just laughed as they settled in for the night, the fire crackling softly as two brilliant minds—and one very mischievous mother—drifted off into sleep.

Connor and Megan sat atop the mountain, the cool night breeze brushing past them as they stared at the endless expanse of stars. The silence between them wasn't awkward, but it was heavy—filled with unspoken words and emotions that had been left lingering for too long.

Naruto's parting words still echoed in Connor's mind.

"Just follow your heart and take everything out with a bang. What is there to hesitate about? Are you a coward?"

Connor hated to admit it, but that blond menace had a point. He had been holding back, letting doubt and hesitation keep him from what he really wanted.

And what he wanted was right here.

Megan, on the other hand, had been lost in her own thoughts. Raven's warning had shaken her to her core. She had known, deep down, that she was using her powers in ways she shouldn't have—but hearing the dangers out loud, from someone who truly understood the consequences, made it real in a way she had never considered.

"Never do that again. If Naruto hadn't been in control, your mind would have gotten destroyed by Kurama. Keep doing this and you will get the mental illnesses of many of these criminals. I will advise you to keep to the surface thoughts, or you will become insane. Not even Martian dares misuse his power from the fear of losing his mind."

Raven had told her the truth—the terrifying reality that even a Martian like J'onn avoided such deep intrusions into people's minds. And Megan? She had been careless.

She had tried to justify it as necessary. A way to keep her team safe. But the truth was, she had been acting out of fear. Fear of betrayal, fear of losing the people she cared about, fear of failing.

And she had hurt the person she loved most because of it.

So, she had made a decision.

"I'm sorry," Megan finally broke the silence, turning to face Connor. "For everything. For what I did to you, for what I did to others. I'm going to stop using my powers that way, and I'll tell the team what I've done. I'll own up to it."

Connor looked at her, seeing something in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time—true sincerity. This wasn't just another apology, another attempt to smooth things over. This was real.

She took a deep breath and continued, "I… I'm also breaking up with Lagoon Boy."

Connor blinked. "Wait, what?"

Megan smiled sadly. "It was never real, Connor. I was just… trying to move on, but it was never him that I wanted."

His heart clenched at her words. He had felt it, but hearing it confirmed made something deep inside him stir.

"I just hope that you can forgive me," she whispered.

Connor exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he processed everything. Could he forgive her? Could they really go back to the way things were?

When he looked at her, really looked at her, he already knew the answer.

"What about us?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

Megan's breath hitched, eyes widening slightly as Connor reached for her hand.

"Can we really get back?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Connor didn't hesitate. "I love you."

Megan gasped softly, eyes searching his.

"Every moment after our breakup has hurt more than anything," he admitted. "I don't care about what happened in between. This time, we'll fix it together. And I'm never letting go again."

Before she could say anything else, Connor pulled her towards him, capturing her lips in a tender kiss.

Once.

Then again.

And then they were lost to the world—falling into the love dimension, as Naruto would have put it.

The stars above shone brighter that night, as if the universe itself had decided to give them its blessing.

Beast Boy had never been one to let himself get outshined, so while Naruto and the others were off doing their thing, he had made his way back home—where his world was waiting for him.

Terra.

The most beautiful and most frustrating person in his life.

She was stretched out on the couch, leaning against him as they watched some random movie neither of them was really paying attention to. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, her fingers idly playing with a lock of it as she rested against him.

Terra had been a former enemy of the Titans, once manipulated by Slade, but Beast Boy had never given up on her. He had reformed her. Or at least… kind of.

She wasn't exactly the heroic type. She had insane power over the earth—could reshape the very ground beneath their feet—but she had zero interest in being a full-time crime fighter. If she fought, it was either because she felt like it or because BB asked really nicely.

And honestly? That was fine by him.

She might not have been a traditional hero, but she was his.

And that was enough.

Still, after seeing how Naruto and Raven worked so well together, BB had a thought.

"Hey, what if we teamed up more? Like, a crime-fighting duo?"

Terra glanced up at him with a raised brow. "I don't have a problem with it."

BB blinked. "What?"

"I said I don't mind." She smirked, poking his cheek. "Fighting crime as a couple? Sounds fun. Maybe even funny."

Beast Boy grinned. "Oh man, I gotta come up with some awesome combo moves now!"

Terra chuckled. "Isn't that the best part of teamwork?"

"Ah, you're right! So stupid of me." He laughed, lightly smacking his forehead in mock self-scolding.

Her expression softened slightly. "By the way, Raven okay now?"

BB hesitated for a second before nodding. "Yeah, she's doing great. From what I've seen, at least. But, uh… let's not tempt fate. So for now, maybe just, you know… don't meet her?"

Terra snorted, clearly amused. "Oh, don't worry—I definitely don't want to see Death staring me in the face again."

The last time she had been around Raven, she had felt the overwhelming presence of something… dark. Something ancient and terrifying. And she knew that if Raven had wanted her dead, there would have been nothing she could have done to stop it.

Beast Boy just grinned. "Smart girl."

"Duh." She leaned further into him. "Anyway, let's forget about all that serious stuff and relax. The whole day's been a total mess."

BB nodded in agreement. "No kidding. I don't even wanna start talking about it."

Terra rolled her eyes. "Ugh, people were so annoying today. I felt like I should just bury them in an early grave."

BB gave her a look. "What have I told you about burying people?"

She sighed dramatically. "Only bury the zombies and robots."

"Exactly. No burying live people if it'll, you know, kill them." He patted her head in mock approval.

Terra smirked. "Fine, fine."

BB's hand lingered on her head for a moment… then slid down her back… and then down a little further.

She arched a brow. "Your hand is getting naughty."

Beast Boy grinned, leaning in closer. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Terra turned to him with a wicked smile.

"Bury you."

And just like that, the ground beneath BB shifted—and he yelped as he suddenly found himself sinking into the couch as if it had turned into quicksand.

Terra burst out laughing.

"Not fair!" BB whined, flailing as he struggled against the earth-infused cushions.

"Shouldn't have gotten naughty, babe," she teased, winking at him.

Beast Boy just groaned.

Yep. Totally worth it.