Time is timeless, as time is a human-made construct.

If we truly wanted to, we could mold it like clay in the hands of an expert. We could manifest more–

–and I needed more time. Desperately.

•

My eyes shot open, and for what seemed like eternity, I couldn't move.

I expected to either be dead or in a hospital, but as realization crept upon me in predatory strides, I registered that the ceiling above me was the beige of my room. Hesitantly, I found myself carefully clutching my fingers together in a fist; it was a desperate attempt to prove that I was alive, and it worked.

Suddenly, I jumped off my bed as soon as I could, adrenaline still pumping through my veins. I looked around, only to anti-climatically witness my plain bedroom, void of personality.

Thinking rationally, I decided that the previous "day" was just a dream due to my anxieties of attending the funeral. Despite all my reasonings, however, the burning on the back of my neck told me otherwise.

I grabbed for my phone on the nightstand. It was supposed to be the 3rd of December – the day of Naruto's funeral. When I saw the date on my lock screen, however, my breath hitched in my throat.

It was August 21st.

My door swung open unexpectedly, causing me to flinch. Swinging my head to the side, I saw that it was Itachi.

"Sasuke, why aren't you dressed?" he asked calmly, catching a glimpse at his expensive watch in a bizarre manner. "It would be unfavourable if you were late on your first day of senior year."

This has to be a prank, I thought.

•

I came to the realization that if this was a prank, it was an oddly elaborate one, judging by the fact that all two-hundred-something students of Konoha High and faculty were in on it. As I walked into campus, I witnessed students hurriedly flocking around the display board in the hallways. I already knew that it was supposed to guide us to our homerooms, so I didn't bother checking.

I've already lived this day, I mused thoughtfully. I slyly pulled my hoodie over my head – I knew fully well that I'd get girls giving me awe-stricken looks otherwise.

Checking the time on my phone, I noticed that I had one minute to get to homeroom and began to speed-walk towards my destination. I opened the door in the nick of time.

All heads snapped my way. I sighed quietly as Karin waved at me, "Hi, Sasuke-kun!" Her other friends squealed like a mob of rabid squirrels after her greeting.

I looked at the front of the class and, as expected, Sir Kakashi was late. So far the chain of events appeared to follow what already occurred before.

I entered the classroom, and out of what I suppose was instinct, began to walk towards my original seat in the second last row of the room. Then, I heard a voice – one which stuck out from all the others. It was high-pitched, loud and slightly throaty.

"–but you can't just skip you're senior year, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed through her phone. Her voice suddenly lowered, frowning. "Please... just come today. At least try."

There was a pause as she awaited his answer.

She smiled. "Thank you. The teacher's still not here; maybe you wont get a tardy," she explained, giggling.

What I did next, in retrospect, wasn't fully planned out. Nonetheless, I found my feet taking me towards the pink-haired girl. She looked at me as I neared, eyes widening. I felt the stares of my classmates burning into my body, but at the moment, I couldn't care less.

I sat down next to Sakura, which is when all hell broke loose.

"Sasuke, why are you sitting next to her?!" screeched Ami. All her friends followed in suite, with the exception of Karin, who appeared to be glaring at Sakura.

I noticed Sakura from my peripheral vision. "Look, I don't want any trouble, especially with them," she explained nervously, motioning towards Ami, Karin and the rest of my fan club. "So please just leave."

"No."

"Fine, then I'll leave."

She got up and looked around, only to witness, however, that all the seats were taken, including my previous one. Sighing, she looked at the two chairs free in the same row as me, one next to another, and picked the one furthest from me as if I was a plague.

If I recalled correctly, she had an obvious crush on me in the 9th and 10th grade, but decided to not question it.

There was one chair separating us, and I knew Sakura intended to save it for Naruto. So did I.

I was going to save him this time.

•

Hope you enjoyed this haha. I know there was no real SasuNaru in this chapter and it was really boring but I wanted to use it to set up scenes for future events.

Xoxo,
Jay-spell

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UNEDITED