She dreaded the dawn and the aftermath of the meeting the day before- but today was also the day that they'd be moving into their new house, sooo…
'It's a real mixed bag. On one hand, I am now a symbol of nepotism or corruption for the village. On the other hand, I move into an ostentatious, customized, and gated castle today with my two very adorable carpet sharks. That's such bad timing, though. Of course the ostentatious house is in the middle of this, in a time where I'm being accused of unearned perks. I mean, fuck them all, I paid for this house with my own money, but still. That's not going to help my case at all.'
She eyed the now-moving piles of blankets to her right and left. They had to be kept apart to prevent night fighting.
'But as of today, separate bedrooms for all. At least there's that.'
Regina took one last lingering morning shower and onsen before meeting the boys in the kitchen. Ikemoto-san, their new housekeeper-cum-parental figure and cook, had already made a full breakfast.
She gave Regina a tired look before gesturing to a placing that included absolutely no fish.
"Thank you very much, Ikemoto-san." Regina bowed lightly, before kneeling on the floor and getting it all down. "Is there anything else you think we need to prepare before moving to the house today?"
Ikemoto Yua obviously thought about it for a moment- the way she tilted her head in the morning light made the streaks in her hair glint like strands of silver.
"You ordered the supplies I asked for?" She asked, mulling over something. "I believe that the futon were delivered, as were many things from the land of Iron. Your father…" she pursed her lips, "sent along some things, I was told."
'Sounds like him. Wonder how suspect those things were to pucker her face like that. She's only worked for us for less than a week- I hope he doesn't chase her away immediately.'
Regina eyed the retired Chuunin that she'd hired. It was early in the stages of their working relationship- she'd hired her based on her honesty and competency, as well as the fact that she didn't seem to have any of the weird bitterness towards one or both of her sons that other people in the village did.
'And how the hell did that happen? The Hokage refuses to tell me, but people have weirdly angry feelings about an eight year old.'
The woman evaluated her back.
"Are your sons still in bed?" She asked, an eyebrow lightly lifting. Regina got the distinct feeling that she was being judged for her three months of parenting ability.
"Perhaps I should check." She eye-smiled and stood up, walking back to the bedroom.
The boys were starting to rustle around for lost socks in their beds like truffle pigs, little hands and feet and knees making odd moving bumps under the ocean of blankets.
She watched as their sock quest inevitably started a small conflict- Naruto went too far over to Sasuke's side (of her bed), and got accidentally kicked in the face.
"Ouch! Teme!" Naruto dove with his little claws out-
'Thank god I made the esthetician clean and trim his nails. He can't do nearly as much damage.'
And Regina separated them, sliding her arms under Naruto's tummy and lifting him up. Sasuke disentangled himself from the blankets and came out ready to throw hands, but paused with wide eyes.
"Good morning." She said, still holding Naruto like a naughty dog. He went limp.
"Good morning." They echoed back, looking rightfully ashamed.
She set Naruto down, but he didn't move away- instead leaning into her leg.
Sasuke huffed. He looked pretty grumpy, actually.
"Well, Ikemoto-san already made breakfast and it's getting cold." She tapped Naruto's shoulder. "So you both should probably get dressed. Is your homework done?"
"Mine is." Sasuke glared at Naruto.
"Mine too!" Naruto chirped, before rushing off to grab his clothes.
Sasuke said something too fast and low for her to catch, but it made Naruto skitter away from him.
'Uh. Should I ask him to repeat that?'
Naruto didn't say anything back, and the fight seemed to be over, so she didn't ask for clarification. It was probably better to let whatever that was die?
'I'm beginning to suspect parenting is a never-ending process of pretending I know what I'm doing and hoping I haven't made a series of horrible mistakes.'
But they got dressed and came to breakfast quickly, so she let it go.
Regina ate her breakfast with a building amount of trepidation. She had to go out in public again- drop off the boys at school with all the clan mothers, go to work with all her coworkers (who had been whispering about her all day yesterday)- leaving early to get all their stuff moved into the new house- and then have her bi-weekly meeting with shishou (who had been involved in that shitshow and not warned her), and then go to tea ceremony class.
'Everything is hard.'
Before she opened the door out of the genkan, she closed her eyes. She visualized her spine, made of steel- the presences that people like Mifune-sama or Tsunade-hime had- and then pushed out into the world with her two kids right behind her.
'I can't let them see me blink. I've never felt so exposed in all my life, but I can't say anything. Just… survive. Eventually they'll forget when new gossip drops, and I can crawl away with some dignity.'
The other mothers stared at her when she dropped the boys off at school. Regina gamely pretended not to notice, smiling at waving at the boys until they were in the building and greeting each woman individually.
She noted the evaluative glances, and the way Yamanaka Yuina smiled a little too tightly and did not go past normal pleasantries.
It was relatively easy to pretend none of that bothered her- she hadn't known most of them to start with. But it hurt a little bit, and didn't bode well at all.
Regina went to the new house to do her fitness routine. It was quiet and cool and farther away from the crowds.
She'd made the fourth floor into her own yoga/dance studio, which was a ridiculous extravagance. But it felt nice, and it was private.
Regina did her stretches and old ballet warm-ups, plies and tendus.
'I don't have pointe shoes again yet.' she reminded herself. 'I'll have to do demi-pointe.'
At least she had socks, so she could do a couple of pirouettes- as ugly as they were with her being more than three years out of practice.
She practiced for as long as she could- taking a cold and bracing shower in the adjoining shower room and rushing to get dressed in her work clothes. Then she practically flew down the flights of stairs to the connection on the second floor, over, and down to the main floor and out of the house.
Regina noted the genin team moving her new massive bed frame and did her best to look dignified.
One of the preteens glared resolutely at the intricately carved wooden post he was carrying and started up the stairs.
'Uh. I'll see if I can throw the Japanese equivalent of a pizza party for that team. I think they've been working on the house the whole time. That might be a bit better for them and for my image at this point. It's about mitigating damage now.'
Doing manual labor for contractors probably didn't give them those good ninja feelings they'd suffered through the Academy for.
She smiled apologetically and made the mental note for later, then swept out the door.
She arrived to work in a breeze of perfume and still-drying hair, which was slightly off-color for Japanese standards.
But nobody seemed to be clocking her hair in their quests to avoid eye contact with her. Keiko walked right back into the staff room, Mizumoto-san suddenly looked incredibly busy with no paperwork on his desk.
'Ouch. I already figured, but it still hurts. Even Keiko- I thought we were friendly.'
Regina silently took her necessary papers off of Keiko's conspicuously deserted desk and out of her box. She ignored the seated line of gawkers waiting outside the Hokage's office and walked into her own, calmly closing the door behind her.
She worked alone for at least an hour, and began to feel nervous bile build up as she gradually finished her current pile of paperwork.
She just stared at the last paper for several minutes before even trying to evaluate the report and recommendations.
'I really don't want to go back out there to drop these off.'
She swallowed and looked up at her closed door. But the Hokage would need briefings on those papers at some point. And it was against both her pride and current strategy to combat the rumors to take too long to do her job.
So Regina steeled herself, read the last report on police trainee evaluations, and wrote in her notes. She stood up and straightened all her folders so that they looked neat and tidy, then left the safety of her office.
Everyone was still studiously avoiding interaction with her- but for Nito-san, who worked under the Jounin Commander. He was sneering at her.
Regina didn't bother to do more than glance at him. Glaring him down wasn't likely to be a good strategy when everyone else seemed to be avoiding her at best.
She went to stand by Keiko-san's desk and waited.
The woman didn't look up.
'She knows I'm here, for sure.' Regina felt her eyes start to roll, but got them back down. 'This is some petty high-school bullshit. Just think happy thoughts, Regina.'
After a long few minutes, Keiko looked up with a blank look on her face.
Regina tried to keep a vacuously pleasant look on her face as well. 'Please just take this shit so I can go.'
"Hokage-sama won't be able to see you today." Keiko said in an apologetic tone. "He's very busy."
'I didn't ask.'
Regina held out the papers. "Thank you so much for checking the schedule, Muramatsu-san, but I only came to deliver these. If I am needed, I will be working in my office."
Keiko's jaw clenched a little bit, but she smiled.
"Of course." She took the papers from Regina's hands. "Thank you."
Regina just looked at her for a moment, then turned on her heel and went back into her office. Behind her, she heard her name- but in sotto. It was definitely a comment at her expense.
She gritted her teeth, smiled again for the benefit of anyone watching, and walked back into her office.
'Eventually they'll get bored, probably. I just have to last them out.'
Barely a minute or two later, someone knocked on the door.
She thought about it.
'I… really don't want to. But I guess it is my job.'
"Jiraiya-hime."
She knew that clipped tenor. 'Hatake.'
"Yes?" She asked politely.
The door edged open about an inch. "Can I come in?"
"Of course." She tried to sound more calm and put-together.
He slid in the doorway and shut the door behind him.
Regina put her elbows on the desk and crossed her fingers. She wasn't in the mental space to play mind games today. Hopefully that wasn't what he was here for today.
"Did you need something, Hatake-san?" She asked. He was only holding one file- probably a mission report.
"Yes." He blinked once. Twice. "What's going on out there?"
She blinked. That was definitely not what she had anticipated. Did he not hear local gossip? She'd even gotten a stink-eye from a civilian this morning when she was walking the kids to school. It wasn't like it was only shinobi.
'Actually, he doesn't seem the type to want that hot goss.'
"What do you mean?" She asked, turning it over in her head. He might not even be talking about the suddenly-unfriendly undercurrent in the office. Regina didn't want to disclose embarrassing info he wasn't even asking about. That would be majorly unfortunate for her.
He looked at her, and his eye narrowed a little bit.
"I mean the office tension." He stated. Regina gestured to the chair in front of her desk, because his hand was hovering above it.
He sat down on the chair, leaning forward.
"There are some…" she breathed in slowly, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. It wasn't like there wasn't merit to the complaints. She didn't think he'd immediately rat her out if she complained, but she honestly didn't know him that well.
'We really don't have that kind of relationship. Plus, this is my hole to dig myself out of.'
"Complaints that have been lodged regarding myself and my position." She settled. She looked at him.
He blinked. "What kinds of complaints?" His voice was friendly, but he was definitely watching her with some intensity. He was definitely after specifics today- she could just get it over with, or suffer. The particular look in his eye meant Hatake-san was never going to accept a lie on this one.
She sighed. "The clan heads lodged a complaint yesterday regarding nepotism in the village- my created position and hiring were among them."
It wasn't like he couldn't find out on his own, anyway.
"Among."
She straightened her spine and put her hands down flat on the desk. "Yes. Among. There were others, but I am the most blatant example." She made eye contact. "Do you have any other questions?"
"Not about how you do your job?" His eye seemed almost amused, but his tone was steely.
She shrugged. "To be fair, no one but the Hokage and I seem to know what I do. So it follows that there are no positive or negative assessments of my work performance." Regina looked down at her folders for her current projects and grimaced.
'Not that it's somehow reduced the amount of work I do, or how hard I'm going to work on it. It's only made the process more unpleasant.'
"All right, then." His eye closed into one of his fake eye-smiles. "Good to know."
She just stared at him.
"I thought you were competent at giving presentations." He offered. "You also have a very good understanding of data-driven decision-making."
Regina blinked, then looked down at her desk again. "Thank you, Hatake-san. I appreciate your feedback." The words felt lodged in her throat.
'I guess he's one of the few very few people that's seen me do anything concrete. Maybe the police officers as well- the elders also did, but they're obviously not going to help me. It's nice to hear.'
"Well, is there anything else I can do for you, Hatake-san?" She asked.
He obviously thought about it, scratching his chin over his mask. "Nope. Thank you." Then he stood up, bowed a little bit, and then hesitated. "Jiraiya-hime, do you like dogs?"
'That's a weird non sequitur. What do I even say to that? I love dogs a whole lot. Do I tell him that?'
She stared at him, thinking.
'Then again, he seems to enjoy it when I tell him baffling things. What the hell, why not?'
She channeled all her real and considerable life confusion into an expression.
"Hatake-san...anou." She bit her lip.
He squinted.
She sucked air in lightly through her teeth.
"...what's... a dog?" She asked, tilting her head, with the biggest puppy-eyes she could manage. Jiraiya had said the face was disconcerting.
'I have no idea if that was a good answer, but I can't think of anything else.'
He shut his eye.
His head tilted back and he seemed to look at the ceiling, obviously attempting to discern whether this was more of her bullshit.
His mouth opened slightly, he might have been mouthing something to himself.
She squinted to try to see what expression he was making, wrinkling her face in effort.
Then his head tilted and he looked back at her and squinted again, examining her body language and face.
Hatake-san's mouth closed. And opened again.
"A dog?" He asked.
"Yes…" she knew she was channeling her best guileless face. Also probably not helpful considering that she had just told him she was accused of probably being too incompetent for her prestigious and unprecedented job. She swallowed. "What is a dog?"
"An animal covered in fur?" He drawled. He was obviously dubious. "Four legs? A tail?"
"Are you talking about a cat?" She asked. "I know cats."
He squinted again. His body language was tense.
"Do you have a cat?" Regina asked, because it looked like he was gearing up to figure this one out. She probably should have just said she knew what dogs were.
'I only have had dogs my entire life until I came here, and had a family friend that ran a dog rescue. Of course I know dogs. Do I want to die on this hill?'
"...yes." The tone of his voice had shifted from skepticism to one with the special twinge of chaos that she liked about him. "I have five cats."
"That's really cool!" She complimented. "I had considered getting a cat. Sasuke likes them a lot." She confided, which was nice. This part was honest. She had to balance her lies with some truth or he'd never buy it. Of all her many bullshit attempts to turn him away, the only one he hadn't shook off almost immediately was the Sandaime's real and inexplicable hobby of obsessive bird watching.
"Saaaaa, it's difficult." He said, watching her but clearly enjoying himself. "I have to walk them every day. Otherwise cats don't get enough exercise."
"Do you use a leash?" she asked. Actually, now she couldn't tell whether he was lying either. Her gut said yes, but… he was a wild card. He might just be playing with her. Or he might adopt five cats for the sheer fuckery of it.
At least it was kind of fun.
He nodded solemnly. "If I don't use a leash, they tend to run up trees and escape. Then I have to spend all day looking for them."
"That's horrible." But also… she couldn't imagine a cat that would actually like being walked. Any cat in that situation would probably attempt a jailbreak. "Oh! Wasn't that why you were late the other day? I hope you found your cat."
"Yes!" He smiled at her. "I did, but it took hours and hours. Unfortunately, I had to miss the Jounin meeting. It's so good to have someone understand. It's very important to find our treasured persons, isn't it?"
"Especially when they're cats." she agreed.
Regina left at the beginning of her lunch, regardless of the fact that the Hokage hadn't called her in all morning.
'I wonder how long that's going to last. I usually spend at least half of the day in the high-level meetings. Maybe he's deciding to distance himself from me?'
She contemplated that as she set out on the ten-minute walk to her new home. The path took her through the street market, where several people glared at her as she passed by. When she stopped into the home goods store to buy matching sets of towels, the clerk ignored her.
'This is going to get real old, real quick.'
Regina cleared her throat lightly and smiled as sunnily as possible. The clerk looked at her, huffed out her nose, and lifted her head.
"Yes." She said, sounding distinctly unhelpful. "Welcome to our store."
"Thank you." Regina tried to sound friendly. "I'd like to purchase these towels, please." She set the overfilled basket on the counter.
The clerk rang them up, punching numbers into the old cash register with punctuated disdain.
'Come on, it might have nothing to do with me.' Regina coached herself. 'I hated retail and customer service. Just be polite and get out.'
The woman gave her the bags with a soulless kind of glare, and didn't walk her to the door, which was more typical here.
"Goodbye." The woman said, putting her nose back down into a magazine.
'Hey, that wasn't so bad.' Regina tried to hype herself up as she readjusted the bags in her arms. 'Probably wasn't about me at all.'
"Out of the way, princess." someone sneered, as they bumped her hard and kept walking.
She looked out into the street. It was basically empty. The man had kept walking, and was now in the middle of the road.
'Yeah, he went out of his way to do that. Never mind the fake positivity, let's just get today over with.'
Regina stalked back to her apartment and let the friendly facade drop, noting that people started to part in front of her like the sea.
She arrived at her newly-finished and furnished home and breathed in the smell of fresh cedar and cleaner.
'Oh, that's therapeutic.' She closed her eyes for a moment. 'It smells safe in here.'
Regina put the bags on the step of the genkan and put away her outside shoes, and put on her slippers.
She walked through the house- the waiting room was lovely and traditional, as promised.
'I'll stop in the kitchen to see Ikemoto-san, then get these towels in the wash so they can be put up in all the bathrooms.'
Ikemoto-san was happily stocking the pantry judging by the clattering. Boxes were neatly stacked by the double doors.
"Is everything going okay in here?" Regina asked, with a genuine smile this time. The kitchen looked good- the black marble floor glimmered in the sunlight, and contrasted nicely with the white and grey marble on the kitchen island.
Ikemoto-san popped out of the pantry with a toothsome smile. "The kitchen is lovely, Rejina-hime. Everything is going well."
"And your rooms, do you like them?" Regina put down the bags by the door. "If they're not sufficient, let me know."
She nodded. "Thank you, Rejina-hime. They're fine- it's quite a bit of private space."
'To be honest, I gave her about as much space as I gave myself with my master bedroom and private bath. I didn't want to be an ass.'
"Thank you for moving in with us." Regina thanked her for what seemed like the millionth time. "You didn't have to do that."
"It's more convenient." Ikemoto-san waved her lightly wrinkled hands at her. "Besides, I lived alone and my apartment was old."
Regina didn't know what to say to that, exactly. It seemed rude to agree or disagree.
"We appreciate it, regardless." She said instead.
Ikemoto-san smiled, and fully emerged from the pantry. "Rejina-hime, have you looked at all the rooms yet?"
"No." Regina shook her head. "I planned to do that now."
"Let us go look together." Ikemoto-san walked past her and back into the hallway, and Regina picked up all of her bags again. She eyed the bags. "Laundry room first?"
"Over here, I think." Regina gestured to the door next to the kitchen. "Next to the dressing room and shower/bath, and the pathway to the onsen."
"Ohh." Something glinted in Ikemoto-san's eyes.
"You can obviously use them whenever you wish." Regina offered. "Though I might like some time alone in them sometimes."
Ikemoto-san hummed.
The laundry room was really basically a hallway with the washing machine at the end, and the double doors to the dressing room. Regina put the bags by the washer, and then opened the french doors into the next room.
It was a soft, velvety room filled with furniture she'd had to import.
'It's expensive to not be a fan of furniture on the floor.' She thought wryly, looking at the chaise lounge and comfy chair.
The long vanity had three places for stools and a wall-length mirror, so that they all could use it. The floor was a very luxurious carpet over wood floors, because reasons.
'Damnnnn, we did a good job designing this.' She complimented herself, knowing damn well that she and Jiraiya were cribbing off well-known onsen design and the series of hgtv shows she'd binged in her own universe.
The bath room was also in marble- there was the full bath in the corner inlaid into the floor, an open shower, and an enclosed toilet. The shelves were lifted and drilled into the study insulated walls.
If she opened the opaque windows, she could see directly out into the traditional-style garden several teams of genin had labored to plant. The runoff from the natural hot spring formed the basis for the water feature, like a little stream winding through the moss and stones.
'Yum. I am going to bathe in this one alllll the time.'
The onsen looked exactly how Jiraiya had designed it- and the sauna was prepped and ready. The coals obviously weren't lit or drenched, but she could do that herself later.
"Quite nice." Ikemoto-san said evaluatively. "Did you design this?"
"I helped my father." Regina replied, musing over how long she'd have to spend out here today. Not long, probably. "Shall we look upstairs?"
The rooms were where she'd had more input. The sunken kotatsu looked nice in the living room, and the windowseat also looked out into the same back garden. The toilet upstairs, unlike the one by the welcoming room, was European-style. Or American-style. She had never studied toilet science.
'I never did get an answer on how the hell they have these. I thought it would just be the squatting ones.'
But to be frank, every time she asked even a cursory question regarding things she knew had never been invented in Japan she just got a massive headache. No one knew why. Or how. Iron had them and they'd been imported. But Iron didn't have trade with outside countries until she'd come. The cultural exchange program had failed.
Also, it was the early 1800s or something. America was barely a country at this point in time, how were there televisions? And movies?
She shook her head. Dangerous thoughts- questions with no answers.
"This room is nice…" Ikemoto-sensei said carefully.
Regina forced herself to pay attention.
'Oh. It's the library. Weird to see one empty.'
"I have not ordered all the books I need to fill it as of yet." She said blandly. "Some are on their way, and some are in the boxes downstairs."
"Ah." Now that that was resolved, Ikemoto-san seemed to harbor no more interest for the room. She turned around and opened the doors to Regina's private office and study.
The walls were also lined with shelves, lowering only for the large windows that looked out in the direction of Konoha. The desk in the center had been carved specifically for her by a tradesperson in Konoha working with some of the dying Hashirama trees in the forest.
'Poetic, that. I'm sure that's why Dad did it.'
But there was also very little in here to look at, so they moved on quickly. They climbed up the winding stairs to the third floor.
Sasuke and Naruto's rooms were side by side, and she peeked in. It looked like their chosen bedding sets and decor had been dropped off earlier and washed- she'd let them decorate how they pleased. They were old enough to make their own beds.
"They will be very happy, I'm sure." Ikemoto-san said, sounding pleased. "Good rooms." She gestured to the one opposite. "Whose is that?"
"Father's." Regina said, lightly opening the door. Boxes were piled up in the center of the room, blocking off the route to the nice bed she'd bought for him.
"He'll be fine." Ikemoto-san said dismissively. "We will finish his room after we all move in. Jiraiya-sama rarely visits Konoha."
"Fair enough." Regina closed the door with a click.
The guest room was also going to be left for later- she didn't know why she'd added one at all except for some lingering sense of Midwestern manners.
'If we don't have a use for it, I'll let the boys stretch in there or play the bongos or something. We'll make it work.'
Her room was way at the end of the hallway. She opened the door with a little bit more of a relish, excited to see her plans realized.
A massive four-post bed with gauzy curtains was the first thing she could see. She stepped onto the soft, cushy carpet and went to the walk-in closet.
'Glorious, glorious. There is a god and she loves me at least a little.'
It was even bigger than she'd imagined- she could store so many outfits in here, even her massive kimono surplus.
"Oh! My bathroom." She had almost forgotten, somehow.
She almost pranced across the room to the other set of french doors and swung them wide open. Regina could hear Ikemoto-san choke back a small laugh.
'Oh, don't tell me you've never wanted a powder room.'
The bath was massive for one person, next to a lacquered wood vanity and yet another chaise lounge with an end table.
The evaluative hum behind her made her smirk. Maybe Ikemoto-san had just never considered the possibilities.
'Do other people not design the houses of their dreams for fun?' She wondered, fingering the silvered tap on the bathtub. 'Maybe not.'
She tabled the thought for later and left the room. "The only things left are my dance studio and showers upstairs, and the fifth floor."
"What is on the fifth floor?" Ikemoto-san looked bemused and a bit shocked.
Regina shrugged. "Nothing. I wanted four floors and the builder said that was unlucky. He was already upset about having red roof tiles and what I chose as the clan insignia, so I left it alone."
"True. Four is a very unlucky number." Ikemoto-san pursed her lips in amusement. "And you have tempted fate into burning your house down in making it red."
"The roof tiles." Regina corrected lightly, staring at her bed. It looked so soft.
Ikemoto-san took it like a champ, barely registering it. "Yes. But what did he find so objectionable regarding your clan insignia?"
Regina looked at her. "Did you notice it on the gate or the tiles?"
Ikemoto-san seemed to think. "I… don't believe so. It was the only home in the area."
"It's the no sign." Regina traced it in the air. A circle with a slash. "I didn't know what to pick- and then I remembered that it's always on Father's… works." She finished grimly. "I thought the meaning was funny. Our clan motto is 'no.'"
'To be honest, I kept thinking about toads, but couldn't make it work. And I don't actually want to live in a house with a toad on it.'
There was silence.
"Anyway, is there anything else you need for me to do?" Regina asked. "If not, I have things I should unpack."
Ikemoto-san seemed to gather herself. "Ah, no."
"Wonderful!" Regina said, following her to the door. "Please let me know if that changes."
Ikemoto-san assured her that she would, and went back downstairs.
Regina immediately pulled out the small stack of storage seals with her wardrobe and began putting things away.
Ikemoto-san left at three to go get the boys from school (she'd insisted, and Regina didn't have the will to fight it out).
Regina noted that the boys arrived at their new home when a series of small excited shrieks rose up through the floor, and there were thunderous noises as they ran up the stairs.
"The television!" She heard Naruto yell. Then there was more running. "What's this room?"
"The library." Sasuke sounded like he was about to wind up into one of his know-it-all spiels.
'Oh no. Naruto hates those. The portents of conflict have arisen.'
Regina walked out of the room and jogged down the stairs. True to form, they were squaring up and posturing.
"You know my rules about not fighting." She said blandly. "Do you two want to see your bedrooms instead?"
Their eyes went wide, and they nearly knocked her over as they ran past her and up the stairs.
She followed them up, just in time to see Naruto tear up and fling himself onto his bed.
"I love it." He said into the mattress, hugging the pillow tight.
"Good." She paused in the doorway and looked over to Sasuke, who was walking through his room and evaluating everything with his sharp little eyes. "Sasuke?"
"It's good." he said quietly, opening a drawer. "But a bit blank."
"You can decorate it however you like." She suggested. "The stuff you picked out is in those boxes."
He grunted and then picked up his sheets.
Naruto was still wiggling on his bed.
"Your sheets and blankets are already washed, you should put them on before bed." She warned. "You want to sleep in here tonight, right?"
He bounced right off the mattress and onto the floor, throwing the sheets onto the bed with abandon.
"How much homework do you have?" She asked, leaning against the doorjamb.
"None." Sasuke replied. "I got mine done during lunch." He looked over in the direction of Naruto's room.
"None!" Naruto said, giving her a smile.
"Liar." Sasuke muttered.
'What?'
"Naruto, do you really have no homework?" She asked, not wanting to accuse him. That would be shitty.
He nodded. "I've been getting it all done."
"I've been doing it." Sasuke snapped quietly, into his sheets. He flapped open the sheet set with unnecessary force.
'This seems like a major problem.'
"... not even in class." Sasuke grumbled. There was something she missed there, but it was a good place to start.
"Sasuke, could you come help me in my room?" She asked as casually as possible. "You're really good at organizing things."
He came happily enough, but looked back to crinkle his nose in the direction of Naruto's room. There was a loud tearing noise that sounded like packaging.
"We may need to vacuum after him once he's done… cleaning." Sasuke said primly, before walking down the hallway. "Which one is yours, kaa-chan?"
"The one at the end of the hallway." She gestured. "The big doors, easy to find."
"What are the other two?" He asked, examining the hallway.
"Ojiichan's room, a guest bedroom, and the bathroom- right there." She pointed. "It's only a toilet and sink. There are showers on the fourth floor and an onsen with a shower and bath on the first floor- but there's a toilet on the first through fourth floors."
"What's the fifth floor? I saw a top floor." Sasuke waited for her to open the door.
'That makes sense. I doubt he was raised to barge into his parents' room. I get the distinct impression that the Uchiha were incredible sticklers for manners after my own heart.'
She opened the doors obligingly, and watched as his eyes went a bit wide.
"The fifth floor is nothing right now." Regina said honestly. "It's just a room. I don't know what to do with it yet."
He hummed. "And what are the doors in here?"
"You're nosy." She huffed with amusement, and ruffled his hair. "I like it. The door over there is to a big closet, the one on the left is my private bath room."
He looked up at her.
"Yeah, you want to see it, before I never let you or Naruto in there again?" She offered. "One-time only offer."
He was curious enough to go.
"It's just a bath and a nice couch." He said disbelievingly.
"It is a private comfortable space where I can spend my time alone bathing for hours or reading books or doing my makeup, hair, and skincare." She pointed out. "Separate from the rest of the house."
He hummed. It sounded less judging this time.
"I like it. That's what matters." She said with confidence. Then she gestured to the chaise lounge. "Sit?"
He did, and smiled a little bit when he felt the soft cushions.
There wasn't really a great segue into this conversation.
"So, I hear you're doing Naruto's homework." She said, sitting down on her stool. "Why is that?"
He looked down at the floor immediately. She could see his cheeks were turning red.
'Didn't he realize I could hear him?'
"You're a really good big brother." She complimented. "And I know you're good at school. Did he ask you for help?"
He shook his head.
'To be fair, I didn't really think Naruto would get over his resentment of not being as good at things and Sasuke's tendency to be… a bit of a know it all… enough to ask.'
"Were you trying to help him yourself?" She asked, puzzling it out. Sasuke was perceptive to things. It was likely he had noted something was wrong and tried to fix it.
He nodded.
"Can you tell me why?" She asked. "I'm not mad. But I do have to make sure Naruto is doing his own homework. Shinobi training isn't something he can fake. It's dangerous."
"I know." he looked up at her. His posture was a little defensive. "I just wanted to help. I know you can't help with everything because you're busy and your Japanese isn't perfect yet."
'Ah. Makes sense. He assumed he was the next authority because I couldn't do it and there wasn't someone else available.'
Except…
"Why not Ebisu-sensei?" She asked. "Naruto has a tutor for a reason. I'm glad you helped him, that was a good thought. But Iruka-sensei or Mizuki-sensei or Ebisu-sensei should be the ones helping him."
"They've tried." Sasuke sounded a bit bitter. "And Ebisu-sensei is already busy with all his other training and his old homework."
'Well, shit.'
"So this is only his new homework." She mused. "Is he having problems understanding?"
He grimaced. "I don't know." he bit out. "Does it matter?"
She recognized that tone.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke." She moved to sit next to him on the lounge. "You deserve your own special attention, but I have to figure this out to help Naruto. Thank you for telling me." She reached out to lightly squeeze his hand. "How is training with Gai-sensei going? He told me the other day that you're really fast."
He lit up at that. "I am! Gai-sensei says I could be really good at taijutsu if I keep practicing. He has me practicing push-ups and other stuff to get strong."
"That's great!" And it was. "Are you learning any flexibility or anything?"
"Gai-sensei says that's not his specialty." Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll need to find someone else to help with that."
'Huh. A thought occurs.'
"I know something about flexibility." She said slowly. "If you or Naruto would like to learn."
He looked her up and down.
"I did a sport for most of my life that required it." She said primly. "I stopped for a few years, but I still have the flexibility. If you want to watch me sometime and decide, you can."
He considered that.
"Anyway, while I do appreciate your help, I think maybe you should get your bedroom ready instead." Regina posited. "We should be eating dinner soon, and I have chadou lessons tonight. Ikemoto-san will make sure the two of you are in bed by nine, as usual."
Sasuke nodded, slipping off the lounge and looking around the room again.
"Just taking it all in." He said, evaluating the vanity. "Since I'll never see it again."
"Don't be so dramatic." She laughed, before chasing him out. "You don't even want it."
He grinned at her before rushing back down the hallway and into his room.