Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. This story is merely for my own entertainment.
A/N: This is my very first Bleach fanfic. Here's to not messing things up too badly.
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Nanao smoothed out the newly formed wrinkles in her skirt, straightened the collar of her smart suit top (that she'd bought just for this occasion), and then after a few moments reached up and adjusted her glasses so that they sat more comfortably on the bridge of her nose. Fifteen minutes later, she went through the same motions. She wasn't normally this fidgety but this was her very first "real" job interview and so far nothing had gone as she'd expected.
For one thing, she'd been told to show up at precisely nine o'clock to the 8th floor of Building C that was part of the huge complex that was Gotei 13. Nervousness and her almost extreme dislike of being late, for anything, had seen to it that she'd gotten there thirty whole minutes before her appointed time. This was all well and good, because employers generally like punctuality, except for the fact that it was now eleven o'clock and no one had said much of anything to her at all. Nanao was sure she had the day right, not to mention the right time and location. During the last two hours, she'd checked the information written in her small day planner five times, quietly flipped through the same travel magazine three times, coughed politely two times (in case the girl sitting behind the receptionist desk had forgotten about her), and admired the décor of the room once.
The lobby was spacious, littered with comfy chairs and bright bunches of flowers, and on the whole gave off a nice peaceful feeling. Another thing she'd noticed was how quiet the place was. Except for the occasional ring of a telephone, there were no other sounds. She checked her watch, saw that another thirty minutes has somehow passed by and finally decided to do something. After all, nothing was going to happen if she just kept sitting there. She rose from her chair, picked up her purse, and walked purposefully towards the reception desk.
It was at that moment that a door on the far side of the room opened and allowed a tall man to enter the lobby. Correction, a tall man wearing a very pink flowery shirt. He took a slow glance around, saw Nanao and strode towards her.
"Hello! Ms. Nanao Ise, I presume?" he asked cheerfully. She was pleasantly surprised by the low timbre of his voice.
"Yes, sir." She stuck out her hand in greeting. The man took her hand in his and shook it quite vigorously.
"You haven't been waiting long, I hope.", he questioned.
"Well, actually sir, I'v…" was all she could say before he interrupted
"Excellent, then let's get this interview started." He turned around, but not before motioning at her to follow him, and proceeded out the way he'd come in. Nanao, who was grateful that things seemed to be getting underway, had to speed up just a bit in order to keep up with the man's long legged strides.
The difference between the quiet calm that was the lobby and the loud frenzied chaos that existed behind it was almost overwhelming. The large man didn't appear to notice it at all and was skillfully weaving in and out of groups of people, dodging persons loaded down with various sized stacks of paper work, leaving her to fend for herself.
Eventually, after two lefts and a right through a cubicle type maze, they reached the door of a more secluded office. The name Shunsui Kyoraku was neatly embossed on the front of it.
He swung open the door, gestured for her to enter, and said "Make yourself at home."
Though the offer was generous and did a little bit to make her feel more at ease, it proved to be harder than it sounded. For one thing, the room had an odd smell about it. It was musty in there, as if no one had opened a window or even the door in quite some time. The second thing, which was what made it difficult for her to even find a place to sit, was that nearly every available surface was covered with something.
There were piles of books on the desk, as well as a couple of dirty plates, and several very wobbly stacks of paper. These precariously stacked piles weren't limited to just the desk. They were on the seats of chairs, teetering on the edge of several sections of the office's grand bookcase, and had taken over a large portion of the floor. The only place spared of the mess was the trashcan in the corner of the room. It was completely empty and suspiciously shiny.
She elected to stay standing and said, "I'm fine as I am sir."
"Really?" he asked and gave her a look that showed he clearly did not believe her. "Then, please, have a seat for my sake. Looking at you standing there all stiff and forlorn makes me feel uncomfortable." He moved past her, took hold of a chair and tipped it forward so that its contents slid to the floor. Nanao, who was pretty certain she didn't look forlorn, inwardly cringed at the added clutter, and sat down in the offered chair.
The man shifted some things around on the desk so that there was a place for him to sit and said, "Welcome to my office."
"I… your, office?" she said in a voice that she hoped didn't express the shock she was feeling. Perhaps it was the pink shirt that had thrown off her assumptions. She'd pegged him as a fellow employee.
"Yes, and sorry about the mess. I haven't been in here since last week's unfortunate fire sprinkler incident." he said, wrinkling his nose as if he'd just noticed the strange odor.
"I see." which was all she could think of to say.
"Don't worry though, your office was relatively untouched." he continued.
"Mr. Kyoraku?" Maybe she hadn't heard him right.
"Mr. Kyoraku", he shuddered, "that sounds so impersonal. If we're to work together you must call me Shunsui or possibly Captain. Yes, Captain, I like the sound of that."
"So, I've got the job?" She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she'd gone from unemployed to employed in such record time.
"Only if you want it.", her perhaps boss replied sounding very amused.
"But you haven't even asked me any pertinent questions." she said feeling a little lost.
"Such as?"
"For instance, isn't it customary to at some point, ask me where I see myself in five years." That question had shown up a lot in the books and articles she'd studied to get ready for this interview.
"I've always disliked that question." he answered, "I mean, I don't know what I'll be doing five years from now so why should I expect you to?"
That was the end of her objections. She'd come to two possible conclusions. The first, and the most believable, was that this Shunsui Kyoraku person in front of her was crazy. The second was that she'd been set up and was now a victim of one of those horrible reality t.v. shows.
"I see my wonderful proposition has rendered you speechless." he said with a sigh. Shunsui got to his feet and held out a hand to help her get to feet. "As much as I would love to let you sit here until you come to a decision, I'm afraid I've got a rather pressing engagement to attend to."
Nanao ignored the hand in front of her and stood up all on her own.
"So here's what I'll do. I'll give you a couple of days to think things over. If you decide you want the job just give me a call and let me know." He went behind the desk, opened a drawer and pulled from it a box of business cards. "I always forget to pass these things out." he said and handed her three of them.
She accepted the cards and took the time to slip them into a front pocket of her planner. The whole interview had been weird, and she was positive she wasn't going to take him up on his offer, but it was plain rude to reject someone's business card. Determined to put this experience behind her, she expertly made her was back to the lobby. Nanao had always had a good sense of direction. She also made it a point to look for hidden cameras, just in case.
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Next time on 9 to 5: Will she or won't she? Also, what exactly is this 'Unfortunate Fire Sprinkler Incident'? Inquiring minds want to know.