InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Opposite of Attraction ❯ The Interview ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Same as always.

 

 

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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... Half past eight! See ya then!" Rin chirped.

 

"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.