SEVEN
Sasuke hired her.
He liked fangirls––they were traditionally hard workers––and this made more sense than the Hyuga girl simply wanting to work. It was even better that the woman was a fan of his brother and not him. She'd probably be diligent enough to get the work done in hopes of tagging along for a family dinner or something.
It was rare that assistants became close enough to meet the family, but even Karin had visited his home to drop off contracts from missed meetings, or attended a conference with him and his brother to take notes. Perhaps this Hyuga woman would fulfill her wish to speak to her idol after all.
Not that it affected Sasuke so much. She hadn't even called Itachi her idol, she merely blushed and stuck out her bottom lip––a pout. And her fangirling wasn't for the typical reasons––good looks, status, money––no, hers seemed to be oddly…intellectual. Nonetheless, Sasuke figured she was harmless, and besides, no one else who'd applied had a resume as strong as hers.
She arrived looking shy the next Monday after the rally, wearing a neat blouse and a pair of trousers that bordered on boring. He watched from the glass window of his office as the secretary led her to her desk not too far from his door. She looked nervous as she tucked a strand of that curious indigo hair behind her ear.
"'Sup, teme," Naruto waltzed in. Sasuke closed the blinds and went back to his desk. "I see you hired the new hottie."
"Don't let anyone hear you. We have HR," Sasuke sighed. Naruto could be boisterous and annoying…but his intentions were good. "Now what do you want?"
Naruto ignored him. "Want me to train her?"
"Absolutely not," Sasuke said. "You'll have all my shit fucked up. Now what do you want?"
"Fine, fine, I have enough work to do as it is. Plus, we just got a new client," Naruto dropped a thick file onto Sasuke's desk.
Sasuke flipped through the papers lazily. Sometimes he hated that he had multiple jobs that needed his constant attention and distinctive finesse. He loved being a lawyer––winning cases and helping clients maintain their companies fulfilled him in some ways, but it wasn't like working for the Syndicate. That was all pure adrenaline. Corporate law was a different sort of buzz. It was full of piranhas of a different kind.
"Stakeholder is coming through next week to meet with us," Naruto said. "Says it's not true that the company is non-compliance and––"
"That's what they all say," Sasuke swiped a tired hand across his face.
"Exactly. But they never listen until you're practically shoving the contracts back up their asses. They want to hire us long term, though."
"I don't go on call," Sasuke replied.
"Nobody asked for that, teme," Naruto said on the way out. "Just look at their proposal. Have the new girl send me your notes."
Right, Sasuke thought, watching Naruto leave his office for his own down the bright hallway. The new girl.
-:-
Hinata's new desk was large and situated a few steps away from Uchiha, Sasuke's. The office was in a tall building, on a double-digit floor, all to themselves. Behind her was an expansive window that showed the busy street far down below. When she sat down, she could feel the sun on the back of her neck and shoulders. She'd have to remember to wear sunscreen.
She sat by herself for several minutes, wondering what to do. No one had come and spoken to her. The secretary deposited her there, and had said nothing else. She saw a blonde haired man dip out of an office and look at her, an odd smile on his face, but before she got a chance to stand, bow, and say hello, he was gone.
What a strange place, Hinata thought. Having never been in an office like this before, the quiet of it gave her the creeps. She supposed that meant it would be easier for her to listen. Even headquarters, a place full of agents who thrived on silence, was louder than this place.
Hinata stared at her desk: the expensive laptop that she kept closed, a pile of sticky notes, some pens stuck inside of a pink mug that said "THE BOSS'S FAVORITE HELPER 3" on the side of it. When she opened the drawer, three tubes of red lipstick rolled around alongside a single eyelash, a tampon, and a giftcard to the deli down the street. Hinata's face scrunched in disgust she couldn't hide––they hadn't even cleaned out Karin's desk before hiring her!
"If the desk displeases you so we can buy you a new one," a voice said, above her. "I considered a standing desk, but you did say you were clumsy."
Hinata stood suddenly, teetering on her heels. Ino suggested them for her first day. She bowed slowly, feeling her feathered hair fall over her shoulders and into her face. Everything about what she wore made her uncomfortable. "Uchiha-san, good morning! Thank you so much for––"
"No need to thank me, yet." Sasuke said. He looked casual as he watched her blush and make a fool out of herself. He was calmer than the week before––the rally––and dressed less stuffy, too. A button-down shirt, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Dress pants. Brown shoes. He held out a piece of paper, "This is my lunch order. I take it every Monday from 1:25 pm until 2:25 pm. If anyone calls during this time, take a message. If my father calls, forward it to Naruto. Do not speak to my father, just send it through. If my finacée calls, tell her where I am."
"Okay," Hinata said, blinking. She accepted the paper.
"In the mornings I require a black coffee and a cream-cheese bagel with tomato. You will report on any meetings for the day. Also include in this: deliverables for the day, any meeting notes you may have taken, thorough write-ups on visitors and potential clients, and the daily news. I expect you to keep your desk tidy and for you to arrive before me. I understand that this is a part time position, so these things need to be prepared prior to your off days. I would recommend a recurring coffee and lunch delivery service. Once sorted, coordinate those details out with June, the secretary."
"I'll be here every m-morning," Hinata cut in. She was still blinking rapidly, taking in all the information he'd just given her. "8:30 am to 2:30 pm, sir. I-I just have evening classes."
"Hm? Okay," Sasuke nodded. "That works out then. Moving on, once a week you will be required to schedule a meeting with our paralegal––he's a contractor and rather annoying about it, but you will adjust. You will schedule any and all of my appointments and will be the first line of defense against the press. Absolutely no press calls may come to my desk, is that understood?"
Hinata nodded, eyes wide. She looked down at the empty sack of sticky notes with regret––she should've taken notes on all of this.
"At noon today, you will go down to HR and complete the onboarding paperwork," Sasuke said. "Until then, review these documents from a potential client and make a comprehensive list of deliverables they require from us. I need this done before your appointment; make three copies, one for your records, one for myself, and one for Naruto. Place them on our desks once completed. And let it be known: this is the last time I will be spelling anything out for you."
"Of-of course," Hinata said, rushing to stand and accept the stack of papers. In her haste, she jostled the pink mug, it spun but did not fall. Sasuke stilled it with his free-hand, an amused look in his eye as he set it back down gently on the desk. Silently, blushing, Hinata set the papers on her desk.
"I thought you said your clumsiness wouldn't affect the workplace?"
Ah, he remembered that. Hinata turned even more red from embarrassment. "Nothing was broken, sir."
"Hm," Sasuke merely hummed in acknowledgement, a small tilt lifting the corners of his mouth. He looked at her for a moment and Hinata shifted self-consciously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked back though––channeling Dove, who still lived inside her, who challenged her––even though she was still blushing. She didn't want to be made small here before the day was even over. And in this looking, she saw how determined, tired, and stressed this man seemed to be. What was most apparent were the bags under his eyes. But they were very beautiful eyes––dark, yes, and something more. His bottom eyelashes curled. The light from the window behind her almost made them darker somehow and yet––
"Oh and Hyuga," the man said, turning away, breaking her stare. He looked unaffected as he pulled out his phone and brought it up to his ear. "Stop calling me sir."
Hinata watched him exit as he answered whomever had called. She all but collapsed in her seat, staring in dismay at the stack of paperwork and his weekly Monday lunch order (grilled salmon salad with lemon basil glaze and a side of french fries…odd), before pulling a pen from Karin's mug with determination that was only brought on by pure stress and fear of failure.
She had a lot to learn if she was going to make this whole "being undercover" thing work.
-:-
Ino picked Hinata up promptly at 2:30pm. She wasn't stealthy either; rather flashy as she sat waiting in her red convertible in front of the glass building.
"I approved the shoes but not this blouse," Ino said when she saw Hinata walk out the building. "It's horrible."
Hinata didn't have the energy to blush. Despite it not even being a full day of work, she still felt exhausted by the stacks of paper she'd been forced to read, the legal jargon she had yet to understand, and the unnerving attitude the Uchiha seemed to have every time she knocked on his office door. After extensive research, she learned that good assistants learned to anticipate their boss's every need. She could not begin to understand what Uchiha Sasuke's needs were.
The man was distracting––she hated to admit this to herself. Confident, impassive, striking––yet never giving too much. Always holding just enough back. When she'd come in with his lunch, he didn't look at her at all. When she came in to wish him a good rest of his day at the end of her shift, he stared at her for a long, imploring time, before waving her away and pointing to his phone. Had she done something wrong?
She had done everything he'd asked! She read through the paperwork––three times!––and created a verbose list of expectations and contractual obligations for the Uchiha and his partner. She even included a personal note at the end about what she thought of the deal (doable, with big payoffs and not a lot of work; however, stakeholders might become an issue, they seemed stubborn), though she didn't know if she was overstepping or not.
She'd even prepped her work for the next morning: a list of clients and their backgrounds loaded into her phone, the calendar taking up the majority of her phone's storage at this point. She'd even identified a nearby coffee shop which served rare coffee beans from overseas that Ino had suggested.
And yet, she still felt like this was an impossible task. She knew nothing about law! Sure, she was allegedly a student, but she'd never wanted to know anything about law in the first place! She was more of a literature type of girl. She was so fucking confused at this point, being undercover was liable to make her go insane. Or worse. To get sent to re-training.
Hinata set her teeth as she got into Ino's car. She had to be real with herself––had she ever known who she was? And was this the time to find out?
"You look like you're having an existential crisis," Ino said as Hinata shut the door. How Ino had picked up on such a thing, Hinata did not know. She guessed the woman worked for the Hokage for a reason. "Was your first day that bad, honey?"
"It wasn't bad," Hinata said. "Just draining. I know what to expect for tomorrow, though."
"A better outfit, I hope," Ino said, back onto that subject. She wasn't beating the "vapid" allegations any time soon, but Hinata wanted to find it in her heart to try at a friendship with the woman at the very least. Hinata needed a friend. A friend might just keep her alive during this mission.
"M-maybe after class you can come over and pick one for me?" Hinata suggested meagerly. She watched out of the corner of her eye as a smile split Ino's face in two.
"I'd be happy to," Ino said. "Now, I believe your class today is only an hour long. It's called Topics in Contract Law––it should help you with your job, too."
"I need all the help I can get," Hinata replied tiredly. She thought of her bed––her old one in the small apartment––with all her blankets. Had B6 gotten rid of her things, or did they sit dusty and untouched?
Ino navigated out of the busy city center with ease. It was a hot day in July, and Hinata would be starting her first summer course before fall. It was a good time to start, on a reduced schedule, so that she could get acclimated to the campus. Hinata watched as glass buildings slowly turned to sprawling green land and cobblestone buildings that had a story-book feel to them. Hinata had never been to this side of Konoha before; no missions had taken her there.
She was beginning to realize that she only went where assignments took her, and even then, she did not stop to form opinions on the locations. How isolated had she let her life become?
"Y-you don't have to drive me everywhere, you know." Hinata told Ino as she pulled past the gates to the University of Konoha, and Ino's car joined traffic at one of the few drop-off points. "Prodigy is dropping off my car next week."
"Of course I do," Ino rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to be friends. Friends don't let friends take the subway. And…oh! Look who's coming."
Hinata turned her head to see none-other-than Haruno Sakura walking towards them in knee-high leather boots and a collard green mini-dress. Hinata watched in awe as Sakura effortlessly walked across the cobblestone roads, her long arms reaching into an easy wave as she spotted Ino. Her hair––pinker than Hinata remembered it––was swept into an easy bun, with strands falling into her face. She wore pointy tortoiseshell sunglasses on the tip of her nose.
It weirded Hinata out to think she'd almost killed the woman. Though…if she'd been successful, Hinata probably wouldn't be in this situation. She couldn't tell how to feel. How could she tell? She was just now realizing that she didn't even know who she was!
She pushed that deep inside, for later, once Sakura stepped up to the car with a wide smile.
"Hey Ino," she said, voice full of a familiarity that shocked Hinata. "What are you doing on this side of town? Finally thinkin' about taking up old man Iruka-sensei's offer?"
"Pft. You know I'll never teach," Ino said, laughing easily. "Besides, there's no money in it. Not everybody can do passion projects for the rest of their lives like you, forehead."
"Just as jealous as usual, pig. It's not a good color on you," Sakura said, but she kept grinning like she was enjoying this exchange. After a moment, she finally noticed that Hinata was in the vehicle, and she turned her head to smile. "Oh my gosh, so rude of me. I'm Haruno Sakura."
Hinata just turned pink, knowing full well who the woman was. She shook her hand, "I'm––I'm Hyuga Hinata, nice to meet you. How do you and Ino-chan know each other?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the honorific, but was otherwise unfazed. "Oh, we go way back, practically in diapers together. How do you two know each other?"
Panic went through Hinata. The two of them hadn't discussed that yet. They didn't have a––
"My mom knows Hinata's dad. He lives in Osaka. Hinata and I would hang out when I'd visit for summers sometimes. You know I have cousins out there."
"Ah, okay," Sakura said, nodding. "Well, welcome, Hinata! Are you studying here at the university?"
"Yes, and um, actually I––"
"She's starting the law program today. And she works for Sasuke now, did you know?" Ino cut in, her eyes sharper than Hinata had ever seen them. Hinata got the sense that Ino was playing some other game, so she leaned back in her seat and folded her hands. She looked down at her nails, remembering that she'd need a fill-in soon. "Today was her first day as his new legal assistant!"
"Oh?" Sakura raised her eyebrows, her tone changing subtly. She hadn't known Sasuke was hiring, it seemed. But why would she? "Well I suppose I'll be seeing you around then. Let me know if he gives you any trouble, he can be nasty to deal with when he's frustrated."
Hinata couldn't tell if Sakura was being facetious or not. Instead, she just smiled. "Of––of course! Thank you so much, Sakura-san, this is a huge kindness––though I think I can manage Uchiha-san's frustrations just fine. It's my job."
It appeared that she said the wrong thing. Hinata watched Sakura's eyes narrow half an inch, but then the smile returned. She laughed, but it sounded hollow.
"I see that he's in good hands," Sakura said, which Hinata thought was a weird thing to say though she had no outward reaction. "I'd love to get to know you better, Hinata. Why don't the three of us go out for drinks soon?"
A car behind them honked. The traffic ahead had dispersed.
"Totally," Ino grinned. "Friday?"
"Friday," Sakura confirmed. She waved again, before walking off towards the sea of cars passing the gates.
Ino scoffed as she pressed down on the gas, jerking the car forward. Hinata barely had time to steel herself. "Be careful," Ino said, pressing her hand hard on the car's horn as students threatened to cross the path of her vehicle. They all jumped back––afraid. "Sakura can be a real bitch if you get on her bad side. She'll make your job a living nightmare."
Hinata didn't think that she was the one who had actually antagonized the pink-haired woman, but it was clear that she still had a lot to learn.
She rested her head on the dashboard, not even caring as Ino hit the car horn repeatedly and threatened the gentle makeup of her eardrums. To hell with 'em.
-:-
"I don't really think it's any of your business who I hire, Sakura," Sasuke said into the phone, huffing as he rolled up the bottom of his slacks. He stopped rolling when he got to his knee and looked woefully down at the pond below the engawa. At least it was still hot outside. "You didn't do this with Karin."
"That's because Karin didn't know Yamanaka, Ino," Sakura said through the phone. Sasuke could tell she was gritting her teeth through the phone, her unchecked fury building as they spoke.
"I don't see why it matters," Sasuke sighed, slipping off the engawa. His feet hit the chilly, shallow part of the pond where the sand was grainy and strange under his bare feet. "She's a law student and I think she'll work hard because of it. She's from a good family. Plus, it wouldn't hurt for us to have more connections in Osaka, right?"
He didn't know why he was reasoning with the woman, but perhaps it was his soft heart. That was why he was in one of the God Forsaken Uchiha ponds in the first place. He ventured deeper, letting the water rise to his ankles. Koi fish playfully swam around his feet until he moved again, and they jumped away. He made a mental reminder to toss some food out for them.
He continued: "I didn't even know the Hyuga knew Ino. Besides, her father works in hospitality. Maybe you can get tips from her. Remember your Zodiac-themed Boba tea shop idea?"
Sakura was silent for a few long moments. She'd been in her office at school, and Sasuke heard her frantic typing stop. Finally: "I still wish you would've talked to me first."
Sasuke was beginning to feel annoyed. He waded deeper into the pond until he saw the sun glinting off a shiny object out of the corner of his eye, floating near the surface. He walked in that direction.
"Again, I don't see why it matters," Sasuke repeated. "I've had a long day, and this isn't making it any easier. If you want to have a say in my hiring process, I can get you a position in HR. Is that something you'd like?"
"Don't be an asshole."
"Don't question my business decisions," Sasuke bit back. "You're making a long day even longer. Can I get off the phone now?"
"Bye Sasuke," Sakura said. He heard the phone click off and shook his head. She was pissed. Sasuke didn't have time to deal with that.
He walked deeper into the pond until the water almost reached his knees, where his pants were rolled up. He reached and pulled at a piece of slimy seaweed. It was heavier than normal seaweed. At the end of it, was a perfect, golden bracelet with a green jade pendant hanging from the middle, still intact.
Once back on the engawa he walked it until reaching the other side, where his mother sat facing the setting sun. She was wrapped in an old quilt, a cup of steaming tea beside her. Her eyes sparkled when she saw him and what he held in his hands, "Oh good, you found it."
"Mmhmm," Sasuke said, sitting down beside her. She held out her arm and he clasped it back on, pain racing through him when he realized why she had lost it in the first place. Her wrists were so small now––it probably fell off and dropped into the water.
Mikoto admired it for a second, before taking it back off. She opened Sasuke's hands and put it inside of them, closing them, and giving them a sturdy pat. "You keep it, my son. Give it to the woman you love."
Sasuke's mouth itched at a smile. She would never name Sakura; instead she kept it vague, funny woman. He warmed the bracelet inside of his hands.
"It was my mother's and her mother's before that," she said. "I wore it everyday until I lost it. Now I'd hate to lose it again. And no––don't say you'll give it back when I'm better again. I want you to keep it now."
Sasuke knew he couldn't argue. He simply nodded and slipped the bracelet into his pocket.
"Thank you, mama," he said, using a name for her that he only used when it was just the two of them. It reminded him of being small; it made him forget the realities of being grown. He leaned his head into her frail lap, keeping most of his weight to himself: he was just pretending.
Mikoto smiled and patted his head, gently playing with his hair. He stayed like that until he was called to the Boroughs.
AN. Soft Sasuke is all I want 3 and jealous Sakura is merely entertaining. and Hinata is truly trying her best, poor dear. See u next week lovelies, thanks for all the wonderful comments!3
Just a reminder for all those wondering, my update days are weekly usually between Sunday night and Monday morning. Thanks for being apart of the journey :*
