Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU and draws inspiration from The West Wing. Some of the dialogue is almost directly quoted from the show.
Nature Lover
The thing about cheese appointments was you never really knew what to expect. Rangiku sat back in her chair, her eyes on the screen before her. The crew giving her the presentation (two men and a woman) didn't seem all that crazy, but she had learned not to judge a book by its cover when it came to these things.
The man who was the leader of the group smiled at her. "Rangiku, we'd like to tell you the story of Pluie."
"Who's Pluie?"
"I'm glad you asked." He clicked a remote control and a picture of a wolf appeared on the screen.
"That's Pluie," Rangiku raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Pluie's a wolf?"
"Yes, she is."
"And you're going to tell me her story?" Rangiku forced herself to smile.
"Jiro?" The first man said.
The second man continued the presentation. "For four years, scientists have tracked Pluie as she made her way from Banff National Park in Alberta up and down the Rockies. In that time, she's made three round trips between Canada and Wyoming covering forty thousand square miles."
The first man smiled at Rangiku. "We think you'll admit it was a pretty impressive performance for Pluie especially when you consider the impediments of modern life she had to conquer: highways, housing, forest denuded of trees."
"Not to mention the US-Canadian border," the woman added.
Rangiku laughed. "Sure, because no photo I.D."
"I'm sorry?" The woman asked looking at her rather blankly.
"That was a joke."
The first man continued on. "Why does Pluie make the trek? Because wolves have to breed with many packs in order to keep from becoming extinct."
"Really?"
The man nodded. "If they breed among themselves, they'll eventually produce offspring that's genetically weaker, thus endangering their long-term survival."
Rangiku shrugged. "That helps explain Buckingham Palace."
Jiro smiled. "May we tell you what we propose?"
"Sure."
The next slide popped onto the screen. "The wolves-only roadway."
Rangiku blinked. "The wolves-only roadway?"
"Eighteen hundred miles from Yellowstone to the Yukon Territory complete with highway overpasses and no cattle grazing."
They couldn't be serious. "An eighteen hundred mile wolves-only roadway?"
"Pluie, you'll recall, had to-"
Rangiku cut the woman off. "Hang on. How are you going to teach wolves to follow road signs?"
Jiro shrugged. "Our scientists are working on a plan."
Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but in the meantime, Pluie's going to get drunk and wander off the wolves-only road and end up eating my cat."
Their leader scoffed, "We don't think that'll happen."
"I don't think this is going to happen." Rangiku gestured at the screen.
"Perhaps, if we should-"
"First of all, ranchers don't want wolves returned to the West," Rangiku said, cutting Jiro off.
"Ranchers are killers," one of the men said.
Rangiku shook her head. "No, they're not. And anyone who says it should take it back. Ranchers face the following conditions: falling stock prices, rising taxes, prolonged drought, and a country that's eating less beef. Ranchers want to blame something, and because they're ranchers, they want to fight something. I'd rather be a wolf than us, so unless Pluie registers to vote-"
The woman cut her off. "Pluie was shot and killed by a rancher in British Columbia last month."
The three presenters bowed their head.
Rangiku fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"I'm not sure you are," the woman shot back.
Clearing her throat, Rangiku looked back at the screen. "Just out of curiosity, how much would it cost?"
"That's the beauty part." The first man grinned at him. "With contributions and corporate sponsorship, the cost of the taxpayer is only nine hundred million dollars."
She burst into laughter. "No, seriously, how much would it cost?"
Jiro spoke. "Rangiku, if we're going to do this, why not do it right?"
Rangiku shook her head. "We're not going to do it."
"Sure, there are other things we could spend the money on," the first man said.
"You think?"
"I'd like to hear what you think. What's a better way to spend this money?" The woman demanded.
"Nine hundred million dollars?" Rangiku asked.
"Another war plane, another S & L bailout?"
"How about we build the nine best schools in the world?"
Their leader tried to cut the tension. "Let's…let's move on to Bonnie."
A picture of a grizzly bear popped onto the screen. Rangiku sighed.
