A time-skipping accident strands Barry Allen and his nemesis Eobard Thawne in the past; specifically 15th Century Japan, which is rife with chaos and warring clans. Barry is saved from outlaws by an early metahuman named Mineko Kaze, a disciple of a...
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Author's Note: Just a fair warning, if anyone hasn't heard of the 'villain' Mxyzptlk, or read the other DC stories I'm doing, then some of this chapter will make no sense whatsoever... Enjoy! XD
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"The balance has been disturbed. This timeline has permanently changed due to your recklessness." Doctor Fate scolded. "This all could have been avoided if you had just kept an eye on Reverse Flash."
Barry stood in front of the helm wearer, biting his lip guiltily and constantly shifting his gaze from the floor to the wall, then back again. Anything that could ensure that he avoided looking at Doctor Fate.
Mineko, who had been waiting there for several seconds, decided that this was the most appropriate time to speak. "Can you not just travel back in time and fix this?"
"It's... not that simple." Barry admitted with a heavy exhale. "Time travel seems like the easy way out, but it never is. It'll only make things worse."
Mineko cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brow. "I do not think I understand."
Barry dared a glimpse at Doctor Fate, who had crossed his arms impatiently but still waited for Barry to provide her with an explanation. "It's... uhh... Well, changing the past creates a sort of tear in time and space. As a result, the universe tries to equalise the instability by altering reality to compensate for the changes. Going back will reopen that tear, and if I fail to change her death, then space-time won't be able to repair itself as seamlessly as before. So, for example, Yan's death may have effected a dozen people this time, but if it happens again it could change hundreds and more severely."
"Then the solution is simple. Do not fail."
"If I somehow manage to save her there's no guarantee that the universe won't try and kill her some other way." Barry tried to explain, but it didn't look like Mineko completely understood. "She wasn't meant to die in our time, but she did. That leaves a mark...a scar. One that affects the future and the past so deeply that even travelling back to before it was made won't fix it."
Mineko shook her head, obviously perplexed by the entire conversation. That's when Barry finally noticed. Her hair was much shorter, so much so that it bobbed around her face whenever she moved. It was, the last time he checked, so long that on the rare occasion that she left it out it scraped across the very top of her thighs.
"H-Hey, when did you cut your hair?" Barry asked off topic.
Mineko was silent as the grave for a few moments before answering with confusion stinging her tone. "What do you mean? It has always been like this."
Doctor Fate shot Barry a very specific glare, one he knew all too well. Mineko's appearance was only one of the things that had been changed due to Yan's death. Not to say that it was a bad thing, her hair being shorter revealed her face more. It was cute.
