Shooting Straight

Chapter 11

Arrow crossed the threshold of his house as quietly as he could- lit only by the morning light that expanded over the horizon in a beautiful mix of colours dancing across the clouds. He put his keys down on the kitchen table before continuing through to the hallway, attempting to be as stealthy as possible. As he reached his room, he changed out of his dirty clothes and pulled on a fresh black t-shirt and loose ninja pants; he tied some bandages around his hands, in the event he had to punch Naruto or someone of the like. He wrapped them tightly in a long coil that extended up to his shoulders before blending in with the others wrapped around his upper chest, under the soft fabric of his shirt. The feeling of their rough texture on his skin did something to relieve his tension.

He'd noticed the slight chill of the air on his way home- so he pulled a plain dark blue hoodie over himself, pulling the hood over his head to shadow his troubled expression, although he couldn't be sure exactly what was bothering him. He didn't think much of it as he strapped his weapon and supply holsters to his leg and take a second to examine his reflection in the mirror.

Judging that he looked appropriate enough, he made a trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair- taking the extra time to wash his face with a warm towel. His eyes glistened elegantly like tsavorite as sunlight came in through the crack of the window and hit the side of his face.

Ash feigned being asleep to avoid the drilling inquisition that he knew he'd have to face if his brother found him awake- listening carefully as he heard his bedroom door creak open, then silence as he felt Arrow's eyes taking in the sight of Ash's limp shape under the warm sheets of his bed. A few beats passed before Arrow presumably dubbed everything okay and let the door fall shut behind him as he retreated back into the safety of his own bedroom.

~~~

Sasuke and Naruto stood in front of the large doors of the academy as the clock ticked 2:30; Sakura and Arrow had yet to make an appearance, and while Naruto was beginning to grow concerned for Sakura, Sasuke stood eagerly awaiting Arrow's arrival.

Five slow minutes passed before Arrow's appearance was made, tousled hair peeking out from the hood of his cinched sweater as he looked around with an irritated look on his face, looking around for Sakura.

"Where's cotton candy?" His gruff voice was the first to break the silence as he stared at Naruto for an answer.

"She hasn't shown up yet, obviously," Naruto muttered, resulting in a sharp glare and a huff of annoyance.

Sasuke stole a glance at Arrow as the other boy turned to lean against the tree where Naruto was sitting on a swing. Sasuke let out a breath as he watched Arrow's eyes fall closed, arms crossing over his chest as he rested himself. Sasuke couldn't help but look at Arrow, his face was relaxed and content; it was a fleeting expression, as soon after his eyes opened and his face guarded at the arrival of Sakura, scurrying over to them with a false smile. Naruto visibly perked at the sight of the kunoichi- while Sasuke and Arrow both seemingly looked through her, unimpressed with her tardiness. 

"Sakura, you're late," Naruto called to her as she approached, causing her to wince as she glanced around to check the time. A sheepish expression crossed her features, a transparent apology in itself. 

"Sorry, my bad." She mumbled half-heartedly, quickly trying to come up with something to change the topic of conversation to. Her gaze fell onto Arrow, who met it with a stone-cold expression that she couldn't quite decipher. Arrow studied her demeanour, concluding that there was something off about her that he couldn't quite place.

Sakura's minty sights shifted over to Sasuke, who found himself staring at a wall to avoid looking at her- he was preoccupied in his attempt to keep his feelings under wraps, he didn't have the time of day to light Sakura's constant flirting schemes. Still, she offered an unreturned half-smile.