Chapter 9: The Return
Nothing changed for the past few minutes. Sasuke kept staring at the time turner in his hand, his demented look, however, sort of vanished. Destiny was now completely unable to determine what exactly he could be thinking of.
"It's settled." He suddenly said and turned his face to the girl. "We will-"
"There is no WE!" Destiny hissed at him. "I am not going to go back with you sixteen years! I am not going to be non-existent for sixteen years! I won't hide, I won't stay with you for SIXTEEN YEARS!"
"You ran from your past. It's time you start to embrace it."
"You let that be my damn decision, do you understand me!" Destiny growled and smacked her hand onto the floor, causing the lamp on the ceiling react to the angered magic; the lightbulb exploded, but neither the noise nor the content of Destiny's speech was shaking Sasuke the least bit.
"I said it's settled." Came his voice with the ever so nonchalant tone.
"Why can you even see the time turner...I thought they would just appear to look like a random necklace to ordinary muggles...thought they were enchanted with muggle-repelling charms..." She uttered to herself but it was nothing Sasuke could answer, or even cared to. "And besides! What do you need ME for?!"
Sasuke glanced at her. "You are are a witch. That's a good thing, just in case. I won't be able to work for money, as you said we will have to live in secrecy. With your magic, you can help getting food and other things that will be difficult to come by."
Destiny glared. Sasuke could tell that this was one of the few things that were forbidden to say to a witch, a taboo, something he shouldn't have done, and he saw it in Destiny's eyes, saw the increasing hatred and anger, saw the detest and disgust in every bit of her living soul.
"You are all the same..." She growled. "Just ask for a witch or wizard, ask them for their magic, and that will solve all of your silly problems..." She murmured with such a low volume that it sounded like she had replaced her voice. "None of you care what it takes, what we have to sacrifice, yeah, because what are sixteen years for a witch, why not take advantage of her on the adventurous journey of altering the past of so many...unable to understand, like all of you, maybe they were right, maybe my father was- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Destiny gasped when Sasuke wanted to begin turning on the necklace.
"How many times do I have to turn it." He demanded but Destiny stared up the ceiling in disbelief, shaking her head. "What part of "SIXTEEN YEARS" did you not understand?! We cannot fast forward the time with that device once we traveled back! Impossible!"
"Fine. I can find out without your help." He spoke swiftly, his eyes swept to the clock and suddenly, he turned the necklace once, despite Destiny's loud gasping. He simply got up and walked out of the room. It obviously did not work. But what was the loud yelling from the kitchen? Sasuke walked closer, he peeped through the kitchen's door.
MOTHERFUCKER! I'M HAVING ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT! LORD JASHIN WILL BE PROUD, SACRIFICING THE LAST UCHIHA AND FINALLY BE RID OF THAT ARROGANCE ALL OF YOU WERE BORN WITH!" He heard Hidan yelling, rushing towards Sasuke, trying to attack, but he saw Destiny running up, hugging around Hidan, talking sense into him.
Sasuke's eyes were widened, he couldn't quite believe this. This is where he was about an hour ago, he carefully glanced up to the clock. Then he remembered. He and Destiny would walk off into his room in a moment, he remembered that she said nobody was allowed to see hi. He quickly moved to the side, into another corridor, seeing how the Sasuke from the past pulled Destiny over into his room, he watched them vanishing from view.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned against the stony wall. This stuff worked. But when was the right time to go back into that room? How would it work? Destiny said that the Sasuke from the past would attack him, especially when knowing he is a shinobi, and naturally suspicious of most things. Destiny mentioned that there have been people dying because they killed their own self from another timeline, said some went mad.
Time was indeed more complex than he had ever thought it to be. Sasuke could only imagine that he had to await the perfect moment to return, and recall what he did before he altered time. What was he doing?
When he used the time turner, he was leaning against the wall. Then he simply walked out of the room...and Destiny, Destiny sat on the floor, angered over everything, she sat there with crossed arms, yes, and tears of grudge in her eyes, Sasuke knows, because he did not care enough to calm her down when she was so against his plans of making his life so much better.
And the way she talked.
Did she even understand what it meant to lose a beloved family. "Everything happens for a reason, nothing goes unseen, the worst results in the best, that's how it's always been, that's how it is, in the world of magic and here alike." She said that one evening when she tried to convince Sasuke of his foolish plan. But he did not listen. Nothing mattered.
What are sacrificing sixteen years compared to what feels like an eternity of pain.
"Sasuke!" Destiny gasped when he walked back through the door later.
"You used it! You used it! You just disappeared and walked back..." Destiny sighed. "That was close. You could've seen yourself!"
"One hour equals one turn." Said Sasuke and sat down but Destiny just glared and said nothing. "You can't turn back sixteen years! How many turns would that be! You can't take a break from turning! Impossible,
I tell you!"
"One turn per second...hmm...86.400..." Sasuke murmured. "8760...24...365..." He continued to whisper and closed his eyes, Destiny frowned as she watched him going on.
"16...that is it...it would take me about two days without a break."
Destiny, frowning, unable to understand how fast he could determine that, couldn't shake off the feeling that he was wrong. It must take him more than two days, surely. Or...was he right? Did he think being a quick shinobi would somehow help him? No way.
"And how are you going to do that? It won't work-"
"I can do it. Leave it to me." He said absentmindedly as he watched the time turner in his hand, and for the first time, at least for the first time Destiny had seen, Sasuke smiled. A generous, sincere and soft smile.
"Look...I..." Destiny frowned and shook her head, starting to get nervous. "You can have the time turner! Fine! Fine! Take it! I couldn't return to where I'm from anyway. I realized a while ago..."
"Why not?"
"You've seen it. You always start where you are. You don't turn back time and simply wake up where you were sixteen years ago. You have to go back yourself, I told you, actively. And I have no clue how to get back to my world. I can't apparate...I tried, to be honest, when you gave me my wand..." She glanced aside. "It doesn't work. I guess that nobody can apparate in an out of spheres that are connected to portals. But let's make this deal! You can have the time turner and...do whatever you want...just you give me back my wand. And leave me out of that plan."
"You are going to come with me." Sasuke said simply and narrowed his eyes with a snort. "Tried to escape. I knew you're not trustworthy."
"I am. Why else should have I told you that? I could've taken it to the grave. I just...Sasuke please..." Destiny suddenly whimpered, unable to fight back the tears. "I ran away for a better life...I don't want to waste sixteen years hiding with someone I can't stand and who can't stand me! You have to see that! Don't be so selfish! What about me? Me and my dreams, my life..." Thick droplets of hot tears streamed down her face. She didn't expect Sasuke to care, she didn't expect anything, but she was surprised when he knelt down to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"You can change the past too, Destiny. You can stop your father from becoming such a danger to your life that you had to run away from it. Just grasp the chance, like I am grasping it! My mother and my brother, you could see them, you showed me things I could've never seen, these things mean something, they want me to go back and change the future, make the mistakes undone. I have to. I am sorry you have no choice."
"I don't even know you..." Destiny whimpered.
"We have sixteen years to get to know each other." Sasuke said simply and that's when Destiny looked up, both of them stared into each other's eyes for a moment.
"I will start turning the time turner now. Don't try to run, Destiny. I have my ways to find you, and I will not hesitate to snap your wand in two. I want you to stay here and be calm. It's decided. You need the energy for something else." Sasuke said with a determined voice as he looked down to her. With a swift move, his thumb carefully brushed away one of Destiny's tears; the girl stared back to him, full of surprise, but Sasuke got up and made a weird hand sign, and there was a living copy of him. Destiny gasped when she saw it, instantly stopping the tears.
"This is a shadow clone. I've filled him with enough of my chakra to last. He will take over turning the time turner when I have to follow natural needs." He explained but Destiny did not quite understand. "And he will keep an eye on you as well." Sasuke added while Destiny turned away from them, sniffling against the wall.
The time passed. Destiny's constant sobbing died out after hours, she did not eat or drink anything that the copy of Sasuke brought her. Sure, she thought about locking herself into the bathroom, but Sasuke's copy merely waved the key in his hand, making sure she couldn't do that. Sasuke ignored her tantrums, ignored her crying, ignored almost anything, but he could not ignore her attempt to attack him and rip the time turner away from him way later. It just took Sasuke's copy a swift move and on an instant, Destiny was nailed down to the floor with her face on the ground as he sat on her back and kept her in place. "Nice try." He merely whispered into her ear from behind. Destiny didn't move for some time, until Sasuke was sure she fell asleep, powerless from all the protesting. The very same process continued the next day. Everything worked out so well, it was only a matter of time until something interrupted Sasuke from his attempt to go back, Destiny had wished for it, and a witch's wishes can sometimes cause sheer miracles. So it was early next morning when Sasuke's eyes started to glisten, his smile turned brighter and brighter the closer he got to his goal, but a loud knock on the door almost caused him to lose track of counting. Almost.
"HEY FAGGOT! LEAVE HER OUT! LEADER WANTS TO TEST HER NOW! IT'S ABOUT TIME WE SEE WHAT SHE'S CAPABLE OF!" Yelled Hidan from behind the door and Destiny eyes widened, then she screamed.
"HIDAN! HELP ME! HE-" but Sasuke's clone wrapped his hand around her mouth, muffling her. Too late. Hidan kicked against the door, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, he counted loudly now, so to not forget, and suddenly the door burst open and Hidan rushed in, looking around, seeing a Sasuke that had one arm wrapped around Destiny's waist, the other around her mouth, keeping her silent with his Kusanagi against her throat, and another Sasuke on the ground close to them in a corner, with a strange necklace in his hand, counting and turning something on it. Fully confused, Hidan narrowed his eyes and, upon believing he saw Destiny in need of help, rushed towards them, his fist connected to Sasuke's face and everything seemed to either happen in slow motion or way too fast, a vortex of white light appeared and they all crashed down in the middle of a lonely field.
"Motherfucker!" Hissed Hidan. "What did you do to the girl! And what the fuck was that white light? WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?!" He yelled but Destiny sat on the grass where she was sure that it was the place where the Akatsuki base would have been built later, she sat there with her eyes wide open, not saying a word. Sasuke smirked, shrugging at Hidan. "Wrong place, wrong time gets a brand new definition thanks to you, Hidan."
"What the fuck! Leader wanted to see her now, we were all waiting in the training hall!"
"Nobody is waiting." Said Sasuke as he got up and dusted himself off. "Because this is sixteen years earlier."