Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
whatevs…
Thanks to Beta: Lynn06
[edited 10:15 pm 8/29/2015]
vvv
"Sakura, are you listening to me?" I asked, sending my friend a stern look.
She shook herself out of that dazed look. "Wha... Sorry. It's just a lot to take in." My friend had such a look of utter panic on her face that I couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Right now, you have a fifteen minute lunch break; you earn five minutes for every year you work here. Most of the time, Sasuke makes you pick something up for him. It's usually a cold turkey sub and strong tea, except on Tuesdays, then it's a thinly sliced roast beef sandwich. No matter what you get him, it has to have tomatoes, otherwise he won't eat it.
"Always dress appealingly, especially when clients stop by to talk with your boss. Take notes. Sasuke prefers them on five by eight index cards, lined both sides, and written in black ink."
Sakura gaped at me. "He really demands what to use when taking notes?!" She asked, dazed.
"Itachi-san does too, so don't whine. Anyway, Sasuke leaves precisely at six o'clock. Call the front desk five minutes ahead, so the valet will have his car ready when he leaves. You must have his coat and hat ready by that time. All the calls must be in and given to him as he heads out the door. Walk him to the car. He might give you notes and reminders for tomorrow. You will come back up to the office and finish whatever work he gave you before he left. Then, you will straighten up the room so that it looks exactly the same as when he came in this morning. You have to keep your phone on at all times, in case he calls you asking about something. Got it?" I finished my quick run through of the requirements of being an assistant and gave her a pointed look.
Sakura looked a little green. "Just let me leave, please just let me go! I'll never snap at you about this job again!"
I grinned, having expected an answer like that "It gets easier as you get used to it."
Sakura gulped, "And how did you do when you first started?"
I rolled my eyes. "Horribly. I was surprised I wasn't fired the first minute. But then, I was sixteen, not twenty-three like you." Sakura sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples. "And to think I used to be one of those kids who teased you about working here. I never realized how crazy you had it."
"You were one of the popular kids, I wasn't. Isn't it an unspoken rule for the popular people to tease the unpopular ones?" I said with a shrug of indifference. Before she could answer, I waved my question away. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. What does matter is, did you get all that?"
My friend twitched. "I kinda zoned out after the note card thing..."
I threw my head back with a groan, frustrated. "Alright, I'll send you notes tonight. Just come to me if you have any questions," I said as I turned away and walked back into Itachi's office.
My dark-haired boss looked up as I closed the door behind me. "How was the debriefing?" He asked coolly, but I could tell he was amused.
"With as many assistants as Sasuke had, I don't know why he doesn't just give them papers instead of sending them to me," I said with a little anger lacing my voice.
Itachi actually smiled, "He says notes don't have your touch."
"Oh, so you actually mentioned the idea to him? I had no clue you were so concerned for me, Itachi-san," I snapped sarcastically, my hands on my hips. It wasn't often that Itachi and I teased each other, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Itachi just smirked, obviously enjoying it too, "No, but it does take away from the time I can order you around. Speaking of which, you still haven't gotten me lunch."
I growled and snatched my jacket off the back of my chair. "Yes, your majesty. I'll get right on that." I left the office just as Sakura slammed out of Sasuke's, grumbling under her breath. A few of the workers cast her amused glances. I don't think they've ever seen anyone who loathed Sasuke, most of his assistants were on Cloud Nine.
Sakura caught sight of me and snapped, "You know what that jerk said to me?"
Before she could go off on a rant, Itachi opened his office, his expression blank again. "Please refrain from shouting," he said flatly and Sakura, to my surprise, blushed.
"S-sorry, Itachi-san..." I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Was it so bad of me to think that it was hilarious that one of the most hot-headed people I knew was cowed by Uchiha Itachi? Someone she hated for simply bearing the Uchiha name?
vvv
I groaned, "Why do you drag me to these things again?"
Itachi rolled his eyes, his chin in his hand, looking like an actual bored human. "Trust me, I have no idea," he hissed back with a dark glare.
"I'm sneezing on you if this meeting doesn't hurry up."
"Do it, and I'll blacklist you." Itachi promised, accompanied by a look that could kill.
"Shut up. You're disrupting the meeting and I'm trying to take notes." It was a complete lie. Itachi and I were masters at having a hissed conversation without looking like we were talking; after seven years of sitting through boring meetings and seminars, we had plenty of practice.
Sakura was nodding off again across the table, her eyelids drooping farther every second, while Sasuke elbowed her harshly in the ribs when her head almost touched the table. Sometimes, I kicked her when Sasuke wasn't paying attention, but it was really only a tap of the foot.
The representative looking for money continued to blather about whatever money he needed it for, I think he was the large-printed-books guy, completely oblivious to the fact that no one was paying attention to him.
"...and that way, we could provide reading material for the hard of seeing. Thank you." Yep large-printed-books guy.
Itachi and Sasuke put on fake smiles that would look real to anyone who didn't know them, and an employee escorted the man out with a promise that Uchiha Corporation would get back to him.
I pillowed my head on my arms and said, "Please say that's the last one."
I could hear Sasuke's smirk as he said, "Ichigo, you're usually more enthusiastic about the charity meetings. What's gotten into you?"
I scowled at him. "Zip the lip, before I zip it for you permanently."
Sakura snickered and Itachi just rolled his eyes. He was used to our antics. "Yes, that was the last one," he answered my original question.
Upon confirmation that the charity meeting was over, I jumped up and grabbed my purse from the back of my chair. "In my opinion, I like the Sign Language lady and the free lawyer guy," I said as I headed out the door.
I practically ran down the steps, and crashed through the doors with a quick goodbye to the front desk receptionist. I hailed a cab, and told him as I climbed in, "354 Shuto Drive." The cab driver, though rude, got me there quickly enough so I paid him a good tip and wished him a good night, before heading into the obviously lived-in little house where he had dropped me off.
A scrawny kid, no more than three or four, answered the door, peering out with too-large eyes. He must be new, since he didn't recognize me. I squatted down to his level. "Hi sweetheart, is your father home?"
The poor little boy pulled his thumb out of his mouth and asked in a tiny lisping voice, "Awe you wif Social Sewvice? Cuz I can't tell you if you awe."
I couldn't help but smile. "No, I'm just here to talk to your father."
A man's voice boomed from the back of the house, "Taka, who's at the door?"
The little boy, Taka, turned around and called back, "A wady. She want talk to you."
I stood as a man lumbered into view, one squalling eight-year-old under his arm and another hanging onto his leg. "Hey Hayaku."
The man's grim mouth split into a grin. "Ichigo! Come in, come in." I grinned and slipped around Hayaku and into the messy house. As a single man with three children it was obviously a challenge to keep the house clean for more than an hour, but I didn't mind.
The girl hanging onto Hayaku's leg detached herself from him and came screaming at me. "Aunt Ichigo! Aunt Ichigo!" She latched her small arms around my own leg and snuggled close. "I missed you!"
I patted her ratty hair, making a mental note to brush it before she went to bed. "I missed you too, Misa-chan. Have you been a good girl?" Misa nodded happily, but I knew from that look Hayaku was giving her that she had been exactly the opposite.
"So what brings my high and mighty sister down to the slums?" Hayaku asked as he poured weak tea into cracked, white mugs.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm just an assistant, Haya-nii."
My brother gave me a look and tugged on my strawberry blonde hair. "To the senior partner of the most successful company in Japan, if not the world."
I sighed, and answered his question, albeit reluctantly. "You know I come here every Friday, dummy, so why don't you stop asking that question?"
My brother smirked, "I will when you admit you love your boss."
"I DO NOT!"
Misa and Umi, the twins and troublemakers, looked up, startled by the shouting. Their movement caused me to glance at my nieces and the little boy. Taka looked like he was about to cry, sitting in between the two girls, being tortured to play their girly games.
Hayaku followed my gaze. "Ah, I remember when our older sisters made us play dress up with them. I was always the baby and you were the snotty neighbor."
"And then Ryuu-nii would come in and demand that they stop torturing us! Yes, I remember too." We both laughed at the memories.
Taka toddled over and tugged on my slacks. "You know Tou-chan?" He asked sweetly and stuck his first knuckle in his mouth. I smiled down at the cutie.
"Yes, I'm his sister and your aunt. My name is Ichigo." I said gently, some of the new kids were sometimes skittish of new people. I had better tread carefully.
"Oh, you the wady wif the candy." Taka stated firmly then pointed at one of the twins, "Umi say you give us candy an' you nice."
I leaned down and tapped him on his upturned nose. "After dinner, sweetie, you'll get your candy." Taka grinned, his little teeth pearly white against his grimy face, before joining his sisters again.
I straightened and glanced at my older brother out of the corner of my eye. "So... where did he come from?" I asked, tilting my head towards the toddler.
Hayaku shrugged, "Came up to my door, looking for food. Apparently, he had been wandering the neighborhood because his parents thought he wasn't worth their time and kicked him out" he cast a quick glance at his kids, his brow puckering in a concerned frown.
I smiled; my brother was one of those people who absolutely loathed it when children were badly treated. It was one of the reasons why he took in any stray and raised him or her as his own. I thought it was sweet when he got worked up over a kid. My brother was an unauthorized adoptive parent, unauthorized because he refused to pay the money the city required to authorize it. He once told me that he didn't need a pretty paper to say he was a parent of some kid, nor did he want to fill the pockets of fat old men who didn't care one wit for a child.
I laid a folded envelope on the counter. "My tribute to your cause," I said teasingly.
Hayaku rolled his eyes and pulled the envelope towards him. His blue eyes widened when he saw the contents. "This is more than usual. I can't take it."
It was my turn to roll my eyes and I took a sip of the watery tea. "Itachi-san gave me a raise. The percentage of my donation to you stays the same, so the money raised." Well it was a bit more than what the twenty percent called for, but Hayaku didn't need to know that. My brother was unemployed, having to be a single dad for kids who weren't even his by blood; so our older brother, Ryuu, and I gave him a portion of our income to keep Hayaku afloat.
Just then, my cell phone buzzed, and I growled. Itachi knew he wasn't supposed to call me when I was with Hayaku! I pulled the phone out and answered it with, "What?"
Sakura didn't so much as offer a hello before she started ranting, "Do you know what Sasuke said after you left? 'I don't think we should do the free lawyer charity because that's what Uchiha Corporation gets profit from!' I mean, really, it's charity, you bozo. Just fork over a couple of hundred dollars and go about your life. I'm so glad Itachi-san actually told him-"
"Sakura? I'm with family now. Can this wait until later?" I asked patiently, but there was an edge to my voice.
Immediately Sakura eeped and said, "Sorry, I forgot it was Friday. See ya tomorrow or sooner!" She hung up quickly.
Hayaku had a hard glint in his eye, apparently he had heard Sakura's side of the conversation. Which wasn't surprising considering how loud she had been. "That... Sasuke really said that?"
I sighed, this was the reason why I never told him about Uchiha Sasuke. He would go off on one of his rants, and wouldn't return for hours. Hayaku never did forgive Sasuke for the way he treated me in school.
"Yes, but from the sound of it, Itachi-san had something to say about it. Now can we drop the subject?"
Hayaku glowered for a few more minutes in silence before asking, "How can you even tolerate the guy?"
"Sasuke? I can't tolerate him, period. Itachi-san? Only when he's not annoying and demanding. I thought I told you to drop the subject."
Instead of giving him a chance to say something, I turned to Umi and asked, "So how are you doing in school?" Umi bragged, "I got a 98 on my test and Misa got an 82."
Misa put in, "But I beat Umi in gym. I won the spelling bee too!" Soon, they were arguing again. Hayaku sent me a dirty look and separated the two before they could come to blows.
"Behave, or you'll both be in your rooms without candy or supper," he said gruffly and both cowered. I just laughed. Despite his soft heart, Hayaku was a grump of the first degree.
^o^
Sorry, I had to give Ichigo a little break from the office, plus you get to see her awesome brother! :D
Flame me and I won't cry!
