No One Stands Alone

Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Tsukki, hurry up!" Hotaru shouted, rushing around the apartment in a frenzy.

The blond was standing at the door, calmly watching the clock across the room. "I've been ready for the past five minutes. It's your fault for waking up so late that you're panicking."

"You could've woken me up when you realized my alarm didn't go off!" Hotaru shouted from the other room.

"I'm not responsible for you. You should know that."

"But it's the day of the final exam!" he protested.

"All the more reason you shouldn't have stayed up late."

The sounds of things being thrown around reached Tsukki's ears as Hotaru continue to shout from his room. "You did too! How are you all ready to go?"

Tsukki glanced at the clock again, watching the second hand make a full circle before starting another lap. He wasn't going to answer his clanmate's question. "You have two more minutes before I'm leaving."

"Ack, no!" A moment of silence passed, and then Hotaru shouted from his room. "Tsukki, do you know where I put my other shoe?"

The blond sighed, "It's probably under your bed. Ninety seconds."

"What about my weapons' pouch?" Hotaru poked his head out of his room, finally having both his shoes on. Tsukki gestured towards the kitchen. "On the counter."

Hotaru rushed to grab it as the blond started to leave. "Don't forget to lock the door, Hotaru."

"Oi, Tsukki!" Hotaru shouted. The sound of pounding feet told Tsukki his roommate was sprinting to catch up to the him.

"Just because it takes five minutes to get to school doesn't mean that we have to leave exactly ten minutes to eight," Hotaru complained, slightly out of breath.

"Did you lock the door?" Tsukki looked over at the boy's silence. "You didn't."

Hotaru flushed with embarrassment, and scrambled to get out his key. "I'll go back!"

Looking over his shoulder, the blond paused to watch his clanmate run back towards their apartment and disappear around the corner. A few seconds later and Hotaru came sprinting back. He fell in step with Tsukki who started walking again. The two lapsed in silence for the entire walk to the Academy, but after the same pattern for almost four years it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.

~*~*~

"Alright class," Iruka addressed the children sitting anxiously before him, "to graduate from the Academy, you'll have to perform the Clone Jutsu and produce two acceptable clones. I'll go in alphabetical order, so please come to the other room when you're called. First up is Shino Aburame."

Hotaru breathed a sigh of relief, and looked over at the blond with a weak smile. "I feel so lucky! I really thought this exam would be like the one our clan made us do to enter the Academy. Or even a written test; I would totally fail that."

"Were you not listening at all?" Tsukki asked, not really surprised. "Iruka told us last week that we only have to demonstrate our understanding of one jutsu we learned."

"Eh?! Really?" the green haired boy shouted, causing the rest of the class to glance his way. Hotaru flushed deep red in embarrassment, and ducked his head.

It suddenly clicked. Tsukki couldn't help but let a small, muffled chuckle escape. "Pff."

Hotaru jerked his head up, his face burning bright red once again in mortification. He learned a long time ago that when the blond laughed at him, it was never actually funny. "What?"