"I think she's great company, Kisame would agree." Sasuke heard Itachi say just as the door was opened for him into his father's office.
His father was glare viciously at Itachi, who turned around to look at him with a devilish grin. It seemed things never changed around here.
"Sasuke!" Itachi got up, opening his arms, Sasuke made a face as his brother hugged him, but he wasn't going to be so stubborn as not at least to embrace him back.
His father didn't stand up but nodded his head toward the empty chair.
"Are you enjoying being back?" Itachi asked, sitting back down.
Sasuke sat down and leaned back. "I have gotten used to the time difference yet."
Itachi smiled. "We are glad to have you back, right, dad?"
Sasuke glanced over to their father, who glared at Itachi.
This might be entertaining. His father and his brother were known for their fights. They were both stubborn. Itachi thought it was a game. His father was too proud to admit defeat. Sometimes it blew up in both of their faces, but it was a better relationship than any of them had with his mother.
"I will deal with you later." His father growled.
Itachi's grin got wider. "What? You don't want Sasuke to know about you and your assistant?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his father. "Your sleeping with your assistant?"
Fugaku closed his eyes and sighed. "No, I am not. She's your age."
Did that mean it was a possibility if he had an older assistant?
"He's torturing her, and he won't tell me why," Itachi explained, sitting back with a grin.
"I wish you would not bring your brother in your silly fantasies." Fugaku rolled his eyes as he started eating.
"He's always been hard on his assistants." Sasuke shrugged.
"Ah, but that is the interesting part. He hasn't fired her."Itachi leaned over to Sasuke. "She's been here for six months. He keeps setting her up to fail, but she's still here."
That peaked Sasuke's attention. "I thought the record was three." Most of his assistants didn't last more than a month since his mother left. Either they got sick of him and quit, or he got sick of them, and they got fired.
"Don't you start," Fugaku growled. "This conversation is over."
Sasuke leaned into his food as his father change the subject. Not what he was expecting to come back to, but it wasn't as interesting to him as Itachi found it. He would just let Itachi figure it out.
"When are you moving back home?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke picked at his food. "I was thinking about getting my own apartment."
"Out of the question." His father snapped. "You will have your own wing of the Uchiha Manor as is tradition. You only got a pass before because you were in a dorm for university in another country."
Sasuke stabbed his food harder.
"You'll have to marry to get out of that one." Itachi chuckled.
"Don't think that just because you are a man now that you don't still have to follow that rules." His father scolded.
If there weren't so many rules, he wouldn't be so interested in breaking them.
Hinata laughed.
"It is close, though," Kisame told her, crouched at her little table. He was nearly so bent over he could lie down and be closer to his food.
"I checked the list so many times. How had I not noticed I got the wrong onion." She laughed more. "It's so strong."
"The rest of it is right, though," Kisame admitted as he ate. "It's good. You got any more furniture to build? I'll trade with you again."
Hinata waved her hands. "I'll bring it in some time for lunch."
Kisame had helped her pick up the second-hand furniture she had found scrolling last night, took it apart, loaded it, unloaded it, and put it back together in her apartment, and all she had to do was make him lunch. It didn't make up for it.
"How's the director treating you?" He wondered about setting down his clean bowl.
"He's stern but fair," Hinata said, covering her mouth with her last big bite. "When he's in a good mood." She added honestly.
Kisame nodded his head to the side. "Itachi thinks that he's got some big plot to be purposely hard on you. He's been pestering his father for weeks, trying to find out what it is."
Hinata blanched at him. "Is that why he keeps getting himself in trouble?" She wiped her mouth.
He nodded. "Don't take that the wrong way. He thinks you're great. Pissing off his dad is just a bonus."
She sighed, resting back on her hands. "I don't understand Uchiha men, it seems."
Kisame snorted. "Wait until you meet Sasuke."
Hinata sighed. "Wonderful."
Hinata got back just in time to meet him in the hall for his meeting. "Status." She read off his items for the rest of the day and the start of tomorrow. She quickly added details about the event that Kisame had relayed to her.
"Sasuke will be moving into his own wing in the manor. I want it redecorated and furnished, and I want him moved in by the end of next week. He will be taking over this project." Fugaku ordered, tossing a folder in her direction, which she quickly picked up for his desk. "Have his team together and ready for his first day. Have his office furnished as well, and I want his schedule during future statuses. Check that he went to his tailor appointment. He's shown up in street clothes to events before. I will not have that."
Hinata nodded. "Yes, sir."
"I want no incidents, understand," Fugaku added in a cold tone.
Hinata stared back into his stern face and nodded.