The Opposite Of Attraction
– Part Two: The Interview
Aamalie:
Ah, anyway. Sorry for the
late update, but the Log-In area was down when I finished the chapter. And Gaia
is distracting. I hope everyone had a better Halloween than I did and that
everyone has candy to make them happy... Unlike little old
me. ;.; Enjoy...
Disclaimer: Same as
always.
---
The click of an opening
door caused Sango to look up from the novel she had
been flicking through. It was one of those books that seemed to have been
written with the expectation that one would only read it when they were either
bored senseless or couldn't get to sleep at night. If you were bored, it'd at
least give you something semi-productive to do, and possibly inspire you to
find something else to do. If you were having an insomniac moment, the
everlasting dreariness would effectively remedy that by forcibly shutting your
brain down.
A woman, who couldn't be
much older than Sango, strolled in from the other
room. With her bouncy blonde hair and arrogant posture, Sango
wondered just what had happened during her interview (she assumed she had had
one) to make her so overly confident.
She must have been
staring, because a moment later, the girl turned her head and looked her
straight in the eye. Her arrogant step faltered slightly, and she looked a bit
startled. That didn't last long though, for soon enough, Sango
received the dirtiest look she'd ever gotten in her life.
Such animosity!
Someone obviously didn't like
competition.
In the time that it took
for Sango to recover from being glared at in such a
blatantly hostile manner, the blonde had already moved onwards. With a bubbly,
"Thank you very much for the interview!" she had sauntered out of the
suite, arm in arm with her extremely bloated ego.
Before she had the chance
to allow her thoughts to turn murderous, the girl at the desk cleared her
throat, distracting Sango. "Excuse me, Miss Mosouka, but Ms. Kuyamu should be
ready to see you now."
"Oh, all right,"
she said, glancing at the teenaged girl, who had already gone back to browsing
through her magazine while playing with her lopsided ponytail. Shrugging to
herself, Sango rose from her seat and headed towards
the recently vacated office. Somehow, it almost felt like she was walking down
Death Row, and once she crossed that threshold, she'd find herself in some startling new dimension.
That was all ridiculous,
of course.
Instead of a scene that
could have leapt straight out of The Wizard of Oz, Sango
was met by a scarcely furnished room. All that she could see was a filing
cabinet, a desk, and a couple of chairs. And in one of those chairs was seated
a woman who looked up when she entered.
"You are Sango Musouka?" came the immediate inquiry.
"Ah, yes."
"Sit please,"
said the black haired woman, returning to the paperwork laid out in front of
her. "And do shut the door behind you. I'll speak with you
momentarily."
Deciding to roll with the
punches, Sango closed the door and lowered herself
into the nearest chair and waited. Taking it as a blessing in disguise, she
took the opportunity to examine the woman, who she assumed to be the producer
of the show. She was well dressed and regal in a self-assured yet modest
manner. Her black hair was tied back at the base of her neck, and her gray eyes
were raptly trained on the pages she was writing on. She didn't seem at all
bothered by Sango's watchful presence. Eventually,
the producer set down her ballpoint pen and looked at her visitor directly.
"Well then, its nice to see that another candidate was able to make it.
I am Kikyou Kuyamu, the
creator of the reality program you sent in an application for." Kikyou reached a hand out across the desk between them,
which Sango accepted with a polite shake.
"Pleased
to meet you."
Having retracted her hand,
the producer shuffled through her papers until she found what she was looking
for. Lying what she didn't want aside, the page she had selected was placed
face-up where it could be seen. Sango recognized it
as the application she had sent in, mediocre quality picture and all.
"I expect you are
willing to answer a few questions I have for you? They are necessary in order
for me to be able to gauge your personality and such, past what the application
covered."
Was it just Sango, or did this woman seem to be almost intentionally
overly professional? It was as if she was trying to psyche her out, or
something along those lines. Whatever it was, it was undeniably odd. That much
was certain.
'Rolling with the
punches...' Sango reminded herself firmly before
saying, "Yes. Of course."
"Good. Then, let's
start immediately. No sense in wasting time." That said,
Kikyou pulled a notebook and a pen her way, obviously
intending to take notes on Sango's responses to her
inquiries. Just as she had opened her mouth to voice her first question,
however, the door burst open and the teenage girl from the waiting room barged
in.
"Miss Kikyou! We might be having some... ah... slight
complications. M-"
"Rin. Is this really important enough that you have to interrupt
this interview that I'm trying to conduct?" The younger girl nodded
vigorously.
"Yes! Mr. Itsuw-" Her words halted at her lips when Kikyou raised a hand abruptly, signaling for her to be
silent.
"Very
well. Miss Musouka, please excuse us for a minute." Rising from
her seat, she and Rin quickly exited the room, the
door clicking behind them. A few seconds later, the low murmur of voices
drifted into the room, rousing Sango's curiosity. She
leaned back in her seat, trying to force herself to make sense of the
incomprehensible sound. Needless to say, it was a losing battle, and before she
knew it, Kikyou had returned.
"Everything
all right?"
Sango asked as Kikyou
resettled.
"Yes, yes. Just a minor overreaction. Now, shall we return to the
interview?" Sango nodded. "Good. Now, first
off: What are your interests concerning men?"
Whatever Sango had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Her jaw
dropped slightly, and she had to blink several times to clear her thoughts.
"Ah... What?"
Kikyou gave her a rather dry look.
"Need I repeat myself?"
"No," Sango said, recovering with what dignity she could salvage.
"Men... Hmm. Well, I guess I'd like someone who
was sweet, and willing to go out of his way to do things that would make me
smile, or something. Looks aren't that important, though I'd have to
find them attractive. And it'd be nice if I could find one that put some effort
into keeping chivalry alive..." A tad embarrassed, Sango
shrugged.
Kikyou marked a few words onto her
notepad before stating her next question. "Good. And the last time you had
a boyfriend?"
"Well," Sango started, wrinkling her nose as she recalled the
conversation with Kohaku that had started all of
this; "I went to a few dances with one or two guys during high school. Nothing all that serious."
And so it continued for
quite a lengthy bit of time. Sango found herself
being asked questions of all sorts, from her favorite
color to if she ever planned on getting married. When Kikyou
finally set her pen down and told her that she had nothing more, Sango couldn't help but slump back in relief, only to stand
a short second later in order to leave.
"Thank you very much
for your time. We will be making our final casting decisions over the next few
days, and you will receive a phone call in three days to inform you whether you
get in or not. Have a nice day."
A handshake later, Sango was free at last. As she started her car's engine,
she suddenly burst into laughter.
"How
did a woman like that," she wondered, thinking of Kikyou, "come up with a reality TV show like
this?!"
-
Saturdays are weekly
miracles. Without them, life just wouldn't be the same. It's the first day of
the weekend, where anyone with a decent job gets to do what he or she wants to
do instead of going to work. Sango was taking advantage
of the fact it was a Saturday. She was sleeping, as is only sensible to do in
the early hours of a weekend day.
However, it just wasn't
meant to last, as the jolly tone of her cellular phone's ring filled the room.
Groaning, Sango forced herself to roll over and turn on her light,
only to succeed in blinding herself. She squinted against the sudden glare as
she grabbed her phone from her bedside table, answered it, and shoved it to her
ear.
"What?" she
snapped into the receiver.
"Hey! This is Rin Ureshii again. This is Sango Musouka, right?" At Sango's mumbled affirmative, she spoke again. "Great!
I hope I didn't wake you."
Oh, of course not. After
all, who wasn't awake a quarter after five in the morning?
"Ugh... What'd you
call for?" Sango mumbled, her head dropping back
onto her pillow and her eyes closing again. Was it just her, or were these
television people trying to drive her insane?
"Oh! Don't you
remember? Miss Kikyou should have told you that we'd
be calling to let you know whether you've been casted
for the show or not! And, well... You did!"
Sango's eyes popped back open. "I...
Did?"
"Yup! And, if its
alright with you, Miss Kikyou and I would like to
drop by today so that you can sign the contracts and all that fun stuff, okay?
There are a few other things that need to be arranged too, and it'd be easier
if we weren't in a whole stuffy office setting, you know? What do you
think?"
"Ah... Sure..." Sango replied, dazed.
"Great
then! We should
stop by around, oh...
"Yeah. Bye..."
The phoneline
went dead, and Sango tossed the device back onto her
nightstand. Letting her arms drop down on either side of her, she simply stared
at the ceiling. She had gotten onto the show? How... Surreal. She hadn't actually thought that she'd get chosen.
It wasn't that Sango had a bad self image, although
she was modest. She knew she was pretty, had a decent figure,
and her mind, by all means, was not blunt. But, the odds she had beaten...
"They're crazy,"
Sango decided, finally sitting up. "Oh well.
Might as well get up and get ready for them to get here..."
Besides, she had news to
break.
-
"Reality
TV, eh?"
Sango nodded, looking at her father
nervously over her bowl of cereal. She had divulged the entire situation to him
when he had come downstairs on his way to go do a few extra things at his
office. He had listened quite attentively the entire time, and was now, from
all appearances, pondering over what she had disclosed to him.
"Yes. Like I said, it
was sort of a spur of the moment thing," she said, causing the middle-aged
man to laugh.
"Indeed! How unlike you, Sango."
Wasn't that what she had been aiming for? "As your father, I find it a
bit... Unnerving that this thing will require you to spend
two weeks with a strange man. Then again, I do know you." He
chuckled. "Heaven knows, you can take care of yourself. Go for it."
Sango blinked. "That's all?"
"Of
course that's all!" he laughed, before leaning forward. "Sango,
you're an adult now. Even if I said I didn't want you going, you could go if
you wanted to. You don't need my approval to do anything now. Have some fun.
Besides, its not every day you get a chance for a free
vacation, right?"
"Too true," Sango agreed, smiling. "I guess that means I'm going
then?"
"If
you want to.
Now, I should get out of here and go get that paperwork done. I don't want to
waste my entire weekend slaving away for my clients. Do call me if, by some
chance of a miracle, Kohaku decides to get up at a
godly hour today, or if you need some help with the contracts."
"Will
do!"
With that said, Mr. Musouka left, and Sango went
about clearing the dishes. Not five minutes later, however, there was a knock
on the door. Throwing a final fork into the dishwasher and hurriedly toweling
her hands, she rushed to answer it. Who awaited but Kikyou Kuyamu herself, with Rin at her side.
"Hello! Come on
in," Sango said immediately, ushering them into
the house as respectfully as she could. They obliged with equally polite
greetings. Within moments, they were seated around the coffee table, and Kikyou was pulling documents from the briefcase she had
brought along.
"These are the
contracts we need to go over," she explained, setting the slightly thick
stack of papers onto the table before looking at Sango
almost quizzically. "Perhaps you'd like a lawyer present? Most do."
"That's
alright," Sango said, waving it off. "If
worst comes to worse, my father is a family lawyer. No worries."
"Very
well then."
For the next few hours, Sango found herself almost overwhelmed by the series of
contracts. They covered everything from agreeing not to sue if so-and-so
occurred, to not talking to the media, to what would be done if Sango were injured on the set.
All in all, it was a very
trying experience.
It was nearing noon when Kikyou's pager went off, and she excused herself to return
the call outdoors. Sango took the time to stretch.
"So, what do you
think so far?" came the sudden question. A tad
startled, she looked to Rin, who had been watching
the dealings from an oversized recliner, another magazine accompanying her.
"About
what?"
Rin shrugged with a smile. "You
know, about the whole idea of the show. Got any... expectations? Any plans for
when you meet the guy?" She giggled, and Sango
found her face growing a bit warm.
"No,
not really.
I'll figure it out when it happens." Sango
paused. "Wait... Do you know who the guy is that I'll be
there with?"
"Ah..." Rin looked a bit uncomfortable. "I'm not supposed to
talk about that."
"Understandable. But,
can I at least ask you if he's decent? Not some forty-year-old weirdo,
right?" The younger girl visibly relaxed with another giggle.
"No,
of course not.
Miss Kikyou wouldn't do that! I think he's
okay, though, you know... Every guy has his quirks." A mysterious look lit
up her eyes. "You'll see after you meet him."
"If
you say so. Hmm... I'm going to get a soda. Want one?" Sango offered.
"Sure. I'll take
whatever you've got. Can's good." Sango nodded,
wandering off to raid the fridge. Entering the kitchen, she saw that her
brother had beaten her to her destination. "Finally up, I see," she
teased, reaching past him and pulling out two colas.
He grumbled something
unintelligible and grabbed his own soda before yawning his way out of the room.
Kohaku was definitely not a
morning person.
Then again, he was a
teenage boy.
Go figure.
Having poured her own soda
into a glass, Sango belatedly followed him from the
kitchen, wondering how he had gotten downstairs without her noticing. As she
rounded the corner into the living room though, she was struck by an amusing
sight; Kohaku and Rin
staring at each other in a rather stunned sort of way. From the looks of it,
both had forgotten how to blink, and possibly how to breathe as well.
Trying not to smirk
knowingly, Sango inquired, "Did I miss
something?"
It was like shocking the
two teenagers with a lightning bolt.
"No!" was the
unanimous reply, followed by Kohaku's solo, "I'm
gonna go change..." As soon as his footsteps had
died away though, Rin pounced.
"Oh
my God! Sango! Who was that?" she insisted, all formalities
aside.
"That... would be my
brother."
Rin's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Really? What's his name?"
"Why don't you ask
him?" Sango suggested dryly. The teenager's face
lit up.
"Okay!" She was
practically skipping towards the stairs, and Sango quickly
grabbed her by the back of the shirt, shoving the can of soda into her hand.
"...After he's done
changing."
Unfortunately for Rin, Kikyou chose to return from
her call at that moment, ending whatever chance there was for anything to
happen then and there. Under her businesslike eye, the rest of the paperwork
was finished in a timely manner, and Sango found
herself bidding Kikyou and Rin
farewell a while later.
Her trip to 'Paradise' was
a mere week away.
---
Aamalie: Okay! According to my plans,
things will be fun starting next chapter. No more of this "leading up to
the plot" stuff. At least I hope so. I'm so bad at sticking to my plans
already, and it's only chapter two... -killed a scene
in this chapter- Oh well. And, btw, I'm limiting myself to 10 RRs per chapter. Why? Hello. 60?! -dies-
-
Review Responses:
Kaylana- Kohaku's not mean. He's
just older. And teen-ish.
Blame it on the hormones and the fact I've never written him before. And Miroku is always cute.
Chocolatechipp- I'm holding you to that.
Miss Fortune Cookie- Update yourself.
PinkRikku- -flattered-
Kasai to Kasumi- I'm holding you to that too.
Siren
of Erised- Yes. You are a dork. And I need to redownload
MSNIM. Oy.
-noooked harddrive-
Analyzing Neko- I want more of WUNTTE! o.O
Wow. Odd initials. But yeah.
NOW! -hopeful demanding-
Critique 2- Ew. No. Avoiding
nerdy self-conscious Sango. And I used to live
in San Ramon, and felt like putting Sango near there.
Why? Dunno. Felt like it.
Khepri- Muah ha. I am amazing, no? -preens- As for Sess and Kagura... Maybe I'll find a way to lock them in a broom
closet somewhere during this? How fun that would be... :3
FluffyLemonn- Luffles! X.x Sorreh the chapter was late.
Margo procrastinates... And now, to read your stuff! After my
shower. Heh.
-
Aamalie: Again! Another
demand for reviews. You have expectations to fill now. And as for the bribes... Keep trying! Review...