How did Akiko land the role as Bankotsu's leading lady in "Wayward Ransom"? Well, she took a job interview of course! X) Rated for naughtiness, both actual and implied, and language.

AUTHORESS' NOTE: I'm going to be updating this in tandem with Wayward Ransom. WR is such an intense story that I'm going to need a break of humor now and then, and this is it. You don't have to read WR before you read this. The chapters are going to be uber-short.

NOTE: 12/7/05--I am seriously considering hiring Renkotsu to double-check my numbers (for example, trying to keep track of the number of guys in the room, which I got wrong numerous times in this fanfic, I'm sure there are STILL some bad mathematics here...) AND take care of this stupid uploading-chapters-crap for me. I forgot to upload chapter 13, and now that I've done it, chapters 14, 15, have been bumped up, and now the story is 16 chapters long.

Sooo you might want to reread from chapter 10 on. I am soo sorry! (slaps self)

Original Character Interview.

by artisanrox

CHAPTER 1. INTERVIEWS.

It was an unusually cool, comfortable day. The bright sun and azure blue sky glared brightly in stark contrast to the murky clouds that were usually expected in Band of Seven fanfictions. The guys were almost not used to it and questioned themselves what this beautiful day would bring. Maybe their sake would be especially good or something.

Outside the small building which the leader, Bankotsu, had temporarily rented out for a few days, there was a tall, bald man carefully painting a sign in bright red letters. "NOW INTERVIEWING APPLICANTS". He backed away from the completed sign, turned down his mouth and rolled his eyes.

When finished, the bald man went inside to advise the young, darkly handsome man who was seated on the floor at the head of the group with which he conversed. Bankotsu was flanked on either side by more men sitting with him. The young man was smiling broadly, laughing uproariously with his comrades, and once in a while offered to clink one of his men's sake jugs after someone gave a good punch line to a joke.

"This is ridiculous," said Renkotsu in a low voice as he sat down next to Bankotsu to privately talk to him. The other men were too distracted to listen, as they were loudly joking with one another. "It's shameful for one of us to have taken a role in a fanfiction. We're mercenaries, not freelance actors. And there's no money in it anyway. Think about it...there's also all that red tape...copyright issues, licenses, permissions,-"

"Eh, lighten up," said the the dark young man, casually waving off his older adviser. "The best part about it is the guy at the fanfiction management office said that I can pick my leading lady! And since I'm single, I figured holding interviews would be an interesting way to find juuust the right woman." He looked over to the man in the pink yukata and raised his voice, and the other men were silenced listening as he spoke. "Hey, Jakotsu! Renkotsu here was offering some smart advice about this fanfiction job I've been offered." A thoroughly wicked, teasing grin spread across his face. "You gonna help me pick a beautiful girl to be my leading lady? Maybe even...help me with the love scenes?"

The crossdresser both paled and turned sickeningly green at the thought. He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Yecchh! That'll be the day! Just hearing about the plot from what dear Renkotsu read made want to throw up!"

The rest of the men in the room laughed heartily, clinking their jugs together. With everyone in the group being so used to such occasional playful jabs at each other, they all got over it relatively quickly and continued drinking sake and telling stories.

The dark young man turned to Renkotsu now that he was done poking fun at his friend. "Hey, Renkotsu, what was the name of that fanfic I'm supposed to do again?"

Renkotsu got up and picked up a stack of papers from a nearly low table. "The title is Wayward Ransom."

"Huh. Sounds pretty serious. Do we have any ladies to interview yet?"

Renkotsu shuffled through the paperwork, and his eyes fell upon a scroll fragment that looked a little more ordered than the rest of them. "Yes, I have four on the list here. I have already contacted them through a third party so they will have a good idea what to prepare. They will be here tomorrow."

"Great work, man!" Bankotsu draped his arm nearest to Renkotsu over the larger man's shoulder, then took the jug and shoved it into Renkotsu's chest, offering him a drink. "Here. If ya have enough, maybe it'll help ya ask our interviewees some pretty revealing questions when they arrive," he said, cocking an eyebrow suggestively.

Renkotsu hesitatingly, but smilingly, put the papers down. He took the jug and downed a mouthful of sake, constantly watching Bankotsu out of the corners of his eyes. He returned the jug to Bankotsu. He hmphed out a tiny artificial laugh.