AUTHORESS' NOTE: 12/7/05--I forgot to upload Chapter 13, so with the addition of the extra stuff, that makes this chapter 16.
Original Character Interview.
by artisanrox
CHAPTER 16. CONSEQUENCES.
Bankotsu growled a bit again as Akiko got off him as daintily as possible. She headed over to the game deck. While putting her things back on, she noticed her reflection in the glass on the front of the box. Guess I have to fix my face now, she thought. She went about wiping off the smeared lipstick on her own mouth.
Bankotsu was so miffed, he scooped up only his white shirt and white trousers to put back on. Holding them in front of himself for a moment, he still had his cobalt eyes set to "glare", even with Akiko's back turned. His cheeks turned bright red again thinking about his defeat. His dirty look was actually a complicated recipe of equal parts of respect, humiliation, admiration, and fury. If that were humanly possible.
When ready, Bankotsu stood by the screen, arms crossed, while Akiko put on the last of her jewelry. While he waited, he turned his eyes to their corners and humphed angrily at the shadows on the screen.
Akiko suddenly appeared aside of him, ready to go out with him into the main room. Bankotsu placed a hand on the screen, and began to open it. He didn't get too far in pushing the screen back when Akiko stepped up closely to him and put a tiny hand on his forearm, stopping him momentarily from opening the door.
"I promise I won't tell anyone too much of what happened here," she whispered to him as she looked up into his cobalt eyes. "...tough guy!" she added, winking and playfully punching him lightly in his rock-solid abdomen.
Bankotsu gasped and stiffened his posture. He opened the screen fully, his heart pounding inside his chest.
Akiko grinned childishly at him, then stepped through the threshold.
Shit! thought Suikotsu, feeling the screen move. He tore himself away from the screen and gestured to the other guys to return to their places.
In half an instant, all four men were exactly where they had been before their leader's competition began. Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu had innocent looks plastered to their faces. Suikotsu grinned devilishly. Renkotsu, however, couldn't ever manage either grinning devilishly or acting innocent, even if his life depended on it. Like, right now, for instance. So he looked positively terrified as the door opened.
The screen was opened fully, and Bankotsu could be seen holding it open in the background. Akiko walked into the main room first, a huge, mischevious grin on her face. Behind her, Bankotsu emerged through the doorway, and closing the screen, shut his eyes.
The men gasped as they took note of their fearless leader. He looked very tired, and positively disheveled-looking. He didn't have anything else on except his pure white shirt and pants, which was rare for him. And even worse, his knee-length hair was...loose!
The men waited with bated breath for their leader to speak.
"The girl...let her...let her sign everything," he said softly, shutting the screen behind his back.
Suikotsu sat, staring wide-eyed at the girl. Kyoukotsu gasped, and Ginkotsu "gessh"ed incredulously.
However, Akiko absolutely beamed. Renkotsu got up from his seated position, and went over to a low cupboard to get some paperwork. "I have the script and a copy of the contract for you here."
Akiko followed Renkotsu, her brownish-orange hair flowing as she walked excitedly over to the desk. Renkotsu went over the fine print with Akiko, then pointed here and there on a document, and Akiko signed the paper in the designated areas.
As Akiko went through the paperwork, Renkotsu noticed something even more odd about Bankotsu. Renkotsu gasped.
Bankotsu's cheeks were bright red! And his mouth...it was once again covered in lipstick!
Renkotsu watched his fearless leader wipe his forehead with his hand.
When Bankotsu brought his hand back down, looked in horror at his sleeve. He had gotten a red stain on his white shirt in the process, he soon realized he had lipstick all over his face. He started wiping his mouth with his sleeve in an effort to take it off.
Renkotsu contracted his eyebrows angrily. How seriously can we take him with lipstick all over him like that? And twice in one day! he thought, as he watched Bankotsu wipe his mouth with his sleeve. I don't care if he's the leader of a comeraderie of ruthless mercenaries...OR handsome...OR young...OR anything! He's such a damned playboy! I would definitely make the best leader here, as I am NOT a playboy!
When Akiko was finished signing in the areas designated by Renkotsu, she handed the scrolls back to the firearms expert.
Renkotsu was even more shocked to notice Bankotsu's hair tie entwined in her fingers! His eyes went wide. What is the story with this girl? Big Brother never lets anyone touch his hair without severe consequences!
Akiko walked happily toward the door, and Ginkotsu followed. He opened the door for her. She began to walk through it, but stopped and turned around. She glared teasingly at Bankotsu. He felt her gaze on him, and stopped wiping his face to return her glare. Their eyes remained locked for a long heated moment before Akiko broke contact first.
"See you guys later!" she said, waving the script and a copy of the contract toward the guys. She disappeared through the doorway, and Ginkotsu shut the screen.
Suikotsu laughed heartily, and got up from his seat. He approached Bankotsu. "Hey, you two were a little too quiet in there!"
Bankotsu flung his forearm away from his mouth, and glared daggers at Suikotsu.
The rest of the men gasped.
Bankotsu threw himself at his comrade, and before Suikotsu knew what hit him, Bankotsu had him by the front of his shirt. With whitened knuckles, he yanked the much larger Suikotsu toward him. "I was going to say the same about you, Suikotsu!" he hissed. "All of you were a bit too quiet out here also!" Yanking him even closer, he added, "And I...wonder...why!"
"Hey, Big Brother...ya-ya know that I-" Suikotsu whimpered as he put up his palms, but try as he might, it was too late to make nice with Bankotsu. With no effort, Bankotsu pushed him backward ever so lightly with the hand that gripped his shirt. The resulting force ended up flinging him clear across the room. Suikotsu spun head-over-heels in the air, and landed in an upside-down heap in a far corner, the force of his impact causing the wall he hit to crack.
The dust cleared. Knocked completely senseless, Suikotsu began punching his fists at the ring around his head of imaginary children playing "Ring-Around-the-Rosie".
The rest of the men couldn't comprehend why Suikotsu allowed himself to get in so much trouble with their leader all the time. He was absolutely loyal, but due to his tendency to do and say the most stupid thing at the most stupid time, he stood in deep doo quite often with Bankotsu. Usually, if anyone ended up thrown against a wall, it was him.
"Does he keep forgetting Big Brother can do that or something?" said Kyoukotsu to Ginkotsu as he scratched his head. Ginkotsu shrugged, lifted his hands, and said "Gesh!" in a "darned-if-I-know!" kinda way.
The rest of the guys were understandably frightened. They all knew that if they said anything else about what they did the last few minutes, they'd be next.
Ginkotsu bent down to look at his brother. Suikotsu seemed to be punching in random directions now. The imaginary children he saw got bored of "Ring-Around-the-Rosie" and were now playing "tag".
"Gessshhhh...and that wasssh...jussssht a light tap!"
Bankotsu punched a meaty fist into his opposing palm. "That girl will probably have to spend a lot of time here. I find a hair on her head out of place, and I'll break some fingers on every last one of you," he said with quiet menace.
He glared sternly at the rest of the guys. "And another thing, before anyone else is stupid enough to make themselves look guilty," he began as he pointed with a thumb to the screen behind him, "that girl also left the weapons room a mess. Get your asses in that room and clean it before Jakotsu gets back here!"
Excepting Suikotsu, they all mumbled affirmatve answers and ran past their fearless leader, into the back room.
THE END!1!oneoneone!
FINAL NOTES: Well, that's it for this story. Thanks to my readers and present and potential reviewers, and I really hope I...uh...left a few undamaged shreds of respect for the Shichinintai (Band of Seven). Moreso, I hope I made you laugh!