Authoress' note: This is getting to be a lot longer than I originally planned. Also getting finished a lot faster than I planned. But that's OK...I'm having way too much fun with it!

Thanks again to those who reviewed! I appreciate it, and I hope I made you laugh.

Regarding this chapter: Honest to God. Before I caught myself, I did in fact, write "five" here for the guys' head count instead of four. You'll see what I mean.

Original Character Interview

CHAPTER 5. AKIKO.

A tapping at the door sounded, and Bankotsu wanted to groan as he rubbed his aching head. What did he get himself into? Maybe Renkotsu was right. This was ridiculous. By this time, he was ready to have the two big guys throw the next interviewee out at a second's notice. He had been hit up for brats, and attacked by a big-boobed, giggly, smothering idiot. His men had been not only thoroughly confused by an unwelcome intruder, but they had been insulted by another interviewee. One that actually had an appointment.

Seeing their leader in such obvious distress, neither of the two largest men in the room made a move for the door this time, and the room fell to silence. Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu looked at each other briefly. Maybe they shouldn't bother opening the door?

They both looked back toward their leader, who still had his face hidden, rubbing his forehead. The tapping sounded again.

"G...gesh?" Ginkotsu asked the dark young man tentatively, pointing a thumb backwards toward the door.

Bankotsu growled as he sighed. Bringing up a corner of his mouth in pain, which caused his teeth to flash between his lips briefly, he finally whispered, "Yeah. Go ahead, Ginkotsu."

"Gesh!" happily said Ginkotsu, and he slapped his hands together. He left the five men-

"Four men," impatiently said Renkotsu to the authoress. "Seven minus three leaves four."

Oh, yeah. Ahem. Ginkotsu left the four men remaining on the floor as he got up to answer the door.

The authoress is no more good at numbers than that crossdresser, thought Renkotsu as he rolled his eyes.

Kyoukotsu perked up. "Maybe she'll be tasty!"

"Heh. I wouldn't mind slicing her up a bit," Suikotsu said. "Since I...did lose a goddamned month's wages and all..." added Suikotsu beneath his breath. He could have sworn Bankotsu snickered at him for a second.

Ginkotsu slid the door open, and a very tiny young girl, with floor length, orangeish-brown hair and glowing yellow eyes, and conveniently about Bankotsu's age, stood at the door with a pamphlet in her hands.

The huge, heavily armed figure in the door stared down at her, making her a bit unsettled. "Um, hello. The interviews are still going on, right?" she politely began to ask the big, red-haired guy as she turned up the paper and showed it to him. "No one was answering...so...I thought I was late or something..."

"GESH," said Ginkotsu with as much menace as he could muster. He stepped aside and made a signal to the girl that she could enter. At her own risk.

The young girl hid her hands in her sleeves after stepping inside, as this was a habit she had when nervous. She saw four figures in the room, sitting on the floor, almost in a formation. She slowly made her way through them. She noticed how the wild-looking man sneered at her. And the really REALLY big guy, who was bigger than the guy that opened the door for her, licked his lips eerily at her. The intelligent-looking man narrowed his eyes at her.

She saw the young man in the white and blue armor at the head of the others, so she assumed this was the official person to take her interview. His face was concealed by a mass of long, jet-black bangs in front of his lowered face, and he was rubbing his head.

He seemed to be able to feel her presence in front of him without ever looking up. "Renkotsu. Who is this?" the young man snapped.

The young girl was having second thoughts that maybe this interview thing wasn't such a good idea. But...she was the victim of some terrible downsizing, and she needed a job quickly.

"Akiko," snapped back the intelligent-looking man, glaring at her.

The darkly tanned young man stopped rubbing his head suddenly. He looked up at her, staring intently in her eyes, his hand now thoughtfully stroking his mouth a bit. The young girl was immediately entranced. He had a purple cross in the center of his forehead, and deep, dark cobalt eyes. He was indeed very handsome in spite of his deeply furrowed brows and impatiently tensed mouth. Even more so when compared to the rest of the unsettling men in the room.

But his face turned a shade darker the second he saw the girl. "Huh. She's got glowing yellow eyes. That's about as corny as you can get. Ginkotsu, Kyoukotsu, please show her the door." The young man made a motion with his hand and the two big guys each began to take an arm. The young leader got up to his feet and was ready to open the screen to the side, and retire to another room. Akiko noticed he had a long, full braid of black hair reaching well beyond the bottom of his back when he turned around.

The two big guys were about to lift the girl off the floor. Her eyes went wide and she looked at either big guy, and then at the young leader. She unexpectedly called, "W...WAIT! Please!" while she struggled a bit, reaching out a hand toward the man in the white and blue armor, as the two bouncers got a hold of her. She had to try her best. After all, she hadn't been on a real shopping spree in so long!

The leader, ready to open the door, stopped, and turned his head, just the slightest bit. "...yes?" he quietly snapped after a brief pause.

"I didn't even get to sit down with you...to...tell you my qualifications!" she bravely persisted.

A short, uncomfortable silence followed. Realizing she was right, the handsome young man turned around fully, and made a motion to the two big guys to release her. They immediately did. The young man scowled darkly as he leaned up against the screen, his arms folded and legs crossed. "Go ahead. I'm waiting."

She stepped up to the dark young man. "Ah, uh...my name. I'm named after someone besides the authoress. In fact, I'm named in honor of her aunt. I do not have the abilities to read minds or float in mid air, so I can't be too corny of a character. My abilities are reading and writing so far," she waved one of her tiny hands across her, "and that's SO it! I promise! Um...I have a great relationship with my stepfather, and I worked for his business for a long time before it went bankrupt. And I have no outstanding physical abilities. And...see my arms?" She quickly picked up one sleeve and exposed her forearm, her hand in a tense little ball. She put her sleeve back down instantly and crossed them again, hiding them. The young man did in fact show a bit of startlement when he saw how her arm seemed to be ridged with dark red veins. "They look pretty terrible. And," she paused to really rack her brain, "I have some...acting experience!" She figured that as long as the young man didn't ask what kind of experience she had, which pretty much consisted of using sock puppets to entertain her little cousin once in a while, she didn't have to be any more specific than that.

She seemed to make an impression on the young man. He gazed at her, looking her over up and down. His face softening just the slightest bit, his searing eyes finally resting in hers, he quietly said, "I am Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven. And you are Akiko."

"Y-yes." She looked around at the other men, and found it odd that there were only five in the room beside herself. Maybe Bankotsu had miscounted or something? Well, she'd keep quiet about it for now. She needed a job and it wasn't wise to ruffle your interviewer's feathers.

"Huh. So." Still leaning casually against the screen, he narrowed his eyes, and raised an eyebrow. He cocked his head, and allowed himself to smirk. Just the slightest bit. "Can you beat me at anything?"