Recruitment Drive

This article, , is the penultimate chapter, following on from the Second Battle of Nishiendo and Changing Loyalties?, which is part of the Braving the Waves arc of Bleach: Cataclysm. This particular chapter follows Riki Nagakura as the POV character, with Hikaru and Anko Amatsuki serving as primary support.

Riki made a point of cracking his knuckles loudly as he paced. Hikaru sat upon the floor in a white-coloured kimono with restraints around his wrists and ankles. He couldn't move more than a few inches in any direction without pulling the chains taught. He seemed to be shifting uncomfortably; Riki could hear the chains clink against the floor as he paced.

“We can do this the hard way or the easy way.” Riki said. “Kentaro told me to be gentle... that I wasn't to torture you, so I won't. But I want a few questions answered.”

“Kentaro is weak... as are you. I heard they started calling you the White Wolf. I see nothing but Kentaro's lap dog!”

“... You where always like that. Insulting others. Trying to bring them down to your level.” Riki got right up into his face. “Guess what? It ain't going to wash with me, Hikaru. Why? Because I know your full of nothing but hot air. So go ahead. Insult me. I don't care. Because I know if push came to shove that I'd kick you in lumps.”

“... Tch.”

“Nothing to say? Holy shit, I'm a miracle worker too. Before I go though let me ask you something: why'd you join up with the Imawashi? I didn't like you growing up but you always used to spout all that justice crap like it was your god-damned creed! What changed?”

“... You wouldn't understand.”

“Yeah, I probably wouldn't. I'm heading out but when I come back I'd like a better answer. I think you owe me one, don't you? I might have nearly killed you that one time... but wasn't it me who also pulled your ass out of the fire?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Be that way then! But I do remember. I recall you leaping off to challenge a group of Soulless who infiltrated Horiwari. Of course... everyone else didn't care. Kentaro turned his back on you, Jinta hated your guts, all your classmates where scared of you, and when we alerted the instructor she told us to stop telling fibs. Do you remember that?”

“... Vaguely...”

“Vaguely my arse! When I saved you that day you told me you where going to start treating people with a little more respect, and to your credit you did. You opened up to people. Hell, you even made friends! You broke up Kentaro and Akane, sure, but you did it for the right reasons. Kentaro wasn't right for her and we both knew it. What happened to that Hikaru?”

“... I believe our conversation is over.” Hikaru whispered.

“... For now, yeah. But I'll be back.”

Anko slaved over her office desk. She sighed in an irritated manner before rubbing her eyes, seemingly exhausted. “Maybe I need some time off?” She thought to herself. ''“Huh. Chance would be a fine thing. My students would be lost without me.”''

She looked out the window and furrowed her forehead.

Darkness had already descended on Grat. Street lamps illuminated the roads leading out of the university grounds and hundreds of individual lights shone in the distance. The car-park was empty save for her own car. How many people where going out to party at this very moment? How many where spending their Friday night doing what she was doing?

“Not many I'd wager.”

Her sigh was heavier this time.

“Well well, this has blown me for six!”

“Who-” Realization donned. She should have expected this. “Ugh, what are you doing here?” Anko asked, slamming her paperwork down on her desk.

The person who spoke was male. His blue-coloured eyes and short-cut blonde hair where shadowed by the darkness of the room itself but Anko knew who this man was. It could only be Riki Nagakura. Only he would barge in without knocking.

“Is that any way to greet me?” Riki asked, stepping forward. “Come on, Anko! Cut me some slack.”

“How did you find me?”

“I never thought I'd find you here of all places!” Riki responded, ignoring her question. “But then I never thought I'd see you again either.” He made a point of riffling through the documents lining the shelves in Anko's office. “We where told you where dead.”

“Yes, well, that was necessary, you dummy. I was being hunted, if you'll recall.” She glared at his back as she tidied the pile of papers on her desk to calm her temper. It didn't work. “And what do you mean by that!?” She demanded. “Is there something wrong with me becoming a teacher?”

He turned to face her and approached her desk.

“I'm just surprised is all. You didn't strike me as the teaching typ- Ow! Hey! What did you hit me for!?”

“Answer my question! How did you find me?”

He threw the strips of clothing she'd used to bind his wounds onto her desk. He then made a point of inhaling sharply through his nose.

“You're the only person I know who wears strong perfume to cover up the smell of chemicals. Did you forget I'm a Forun-juu? My senses can only be compared to that of an animal. Sight, scent, taste. All enhanced. All I had to do was follow my nose.”

“... I was hasty, it seems.”

“And I'm glad you where. You see... I wanna talk to you about you joining me to kick a lot of bad-guy ass.”

“... Are you now? Lovely. I suppose you have some long-winded speech prepared that's supposed to get me all fired up? Yeah, that's not happening.”

Riki's smile was infectious.

“The last time you said that to me ended up being a fun night.”

End.