The Eve Project
Ichigo is just your average, smart, healthy, young, male college student. Besides having a part-time job and three horny friends who's always after their hot and sexy neighbours, all seems normal. Until the fateful night he decided to help a girl he found naked on a dumpster who insists that she was sent from the future to search for a healthy human male and save the human race.
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach :P (but I want to haha)
Chapter 4: Staying? (Part II)
In the middle of the campus grounds was a fountain and sitting at the edge of that lovely concrete display of waterworks was a pissed little raven haired girl who was seated next to an even more pissed looking orange haired young man. Rukia rolled her eyes and sighed for the nth time. Probably it was the same amount of times her companion cursed at his phone because of whoever he was trying to contact. The petite girl lightly ran her hands over the water flowing from the fountain. It felt nice on her skin and was effective enough to try and keep her mind off of things. They've been waiting here for God knows how long and to think it was her first time to enter the premises of a university. She half expected or more like hoped that Ichigo would give her a tour of the place, however ever since he let go of her hand and brought out his stupid phone, all she ever heard him say were a bunch of foul words and inward growls. She couldn't even find the opportunity to ask for a tour or let alone a little assistance when it came to her mission. The place was bombarded with human males, there has bound to be a perfect donor in one of them. Half of her just wanted to run off while the other half wonders about what kind of idiotic plan the buffoon sitting next to her has in stored for her.
Oh curse her curious nature. She ended up pouting even more.
Suddenly, she was cut off from her reverie of the fountain's water and it's mechanics by Ichigo's sudden change of tone.
"Finally! Where the fuck have you been!? God, we've been waiting here for hours!"
And the statement was followed by another male voice, "I did tell you that I have a class."
Rukia looked up to see who it was that just finally arrived. She blinked her eyes at the sight of a tall young man, as tall as Ichigo, who was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, holding a single book on one hand. He had black hair up to his chin and some of his hair was tied back. The two of them seem to be bickering in Rukia's perspective however the new man was monotonously answering back to Ichigo's outrage as if he'd heard them a thousand times. Rukia tried to listen some more to the conversation from where she was but their voices began to lower down and she couldn't decipher the words no longer. Instead she just observed how this new companion adjusts his glasses after what seemed like a long explanation from Ichigo. The two men then glanced at her before continuing their conversation.
"So you called me all this way... just for that?" Ichigo's companion spoke in a tone which suggests absurdity in the carrot top's reasons.
"What do you mean 'just for that'!?" Ichigo whisper screamed, "We're talking about a mentally unstable girl here, you're the shrink, find out what's wrong with her!" He demanded and received a sigh in return.
"Look Kurosaki, first of all, I'm not a shrink yet, I'm only taking—"
"I know, I know. Then just think of this as training, come on Ishida. I still have an exam in five minutes, I have to go," Ichigo reasoned.
There was a brief pause until Ishida finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I'll do it for her, not for you."
"Great! You're the best!" Ichigo quickly praised and tapped his friend's shoulder for emphasis.
"Yeah, yeah, I have established that a long time ago," the other man murmured.
"What's going on?" The two men quickly turned to the girl who spoke and was now standing next to them.
"Um... were you listening to what we were talking about?" Ichigo asked eyeing the girl suspiciously.
"No, should I be?" She said innocently.
"No," was all that Ichigo could reply until Ishida held out his hand to the girl.
"Hello, I'm Uryu Ishida, Ichigo's colleague."
Rukia looked back and forth at Ishida and his offered hand then smiled back and took it in hers.
"I'm Rukia," She stated as they shook hands.
Ichigo clapped his hands together after the introductions were over.
"Great! Now that you know each other, I'm gonna go now, Ishida you know what to do," he turned to the petite girl, "And Rukia—"
"You're leaving me?" There was something about her tone that made him feel guilty somehow, like she was some sort of child being sold to a stranger.
"I... yeah... I just... I have tests... soo... I gotta go..." He struggled to explain his situation. Nevertheless, she simply looked back at him waiting for comforting words and Ichigo was well aware of what those words are.
He sighed in defeat, "I'll come back for you, okay?"
"Okay. I shall wait for you," She simply answered. They were staring at each other as if waiting for some outer force to break their gaze and soon enough, something did break them from their reverie in the form of Uryu Ishida's words.
"Don't you have tests Ichigo?" He reminded and as if waking up from a dream and hitting reality hard, he cursed and immediately went dashing out of sight.
Rukia watched Ichigo's form from where she stood until her view was suddenly blocked by Ishida's chest. She blinked twice then looked up at the man standing in front of her.
"So Rukia, do you like cake?"
Keen violet eyes examined the scrumptious piece of pastry that was laid down in front of her. Rukia couldn't help but feel speechless at the site of a slice of strawberry cake. It looked like a picture with its faultless structure and perfect little strawberry on top.
"What's wrong? Do you not like strawberry?" The man sitting across her, in the coffee shop, mentioned. She didn't even bother to look up at him when she replied, "I've never had cake before."
Her answer had managed to tap into Ishida's curiosity.
A girl who's never had cake before?
"Really? Are you allergic to sweets?" He asked politely.
"No. There just isn't any in the place I came from," she explained before she decided that it was time to observe the taste of the said dessert. Even her companion placed his cup of coffee down to examine her next move through his glasses.
From where she came from? Was that what Ichigo was talking about? He asked himself with his blue eyes never leaving the petite girl's.
Rukia almost felt bad for taking out a portion of the cake using her fork and completely destroying its representation of perfection. However, once the small fraction was placed in her mouth, sweetness completely enveloped her taste buds. She closed her eyes in an attempt to make the explosion of flavours last. A soft moan escaped her lips and her violet orbs opened to look at the little piece of heaven that made her feel all those sensations.
"I'm guessing, you liked it?" Ishida commented after seeing her react genuinely happy at her first bite of a strawberry cake.
"Yes!" She immediately squealed in delight and took another forkful of cake.
"So Rukia... you mentioned something about not having cake where you came from. Where exactly are you from?" He asked hoping to get back on his task.
"I am not from here and even if I tell you, you won't believe me. You look just as skeptical as Ichigo."
He raised an eyebrow at her statement, "Really? Well, let me correct that by saying that I am more open minded than him so you can tell me anything."
She paused to eye him for a bit feeling doubtful of his predicament but then she sighed in defeat and proceeded with her story.
"I came from the future to save the Earth from being invaded by Xephilins," She began and watched Ishida's eyebrows crease in curiosity.
"And Xephilins are?"
"Aliens," she said as if the word will suffice as an explanation.
"Why were you sent here?"
"Because I am in need of a healthy human male who's willing to donate their genes."
"How are you going to get—"
"Through sex," she answered before he could even finish the question. She seems to be getting used to these kinds of interrogations. Ishida blinked his eyes trying to let the information sink in for a moment.
"Would you like me to find out if you are a compatible donor?" She spoke cutting off his thoughts.
"How do we find out?" His eyebrows creased some more in interest.
"Simple, just sit there and..." Rukia leaned across the table and placed her finger inside his ear hole. She closed her eyes and waited for a few seconds before pulling it back out and looking a bit confused.
"So? What did your findings tell you?" Ishida asked as if she didn't do anything bizarre at all.
She sat back down and explained, "Your health status is 70%. Though that would qualify as a donor, it is only of average value. You don't get too much sleep, do you? It is very important for the mind to rest after a hard day's work."
The young man smirked and adjusted his glasses with his middle finger. "You're right. I don't get enough sleep from reading lots of books in my spare time," He confirmed, "But you said my health status is of... average value?"
"That is correct," She verified.
"So I'm guessing you're looking for someone of higher average," He spoke based on intuition.
"Yes. To ensure success rate," She answered with a smile like they were talking about something so normal similar to the weather.
"So... who sent you on this mission?" Ishida asked trying to gain more information from this fascinating young woman.
"My parents, they used me as a last resort to save the future. Everyone in the resistance is counting on me to succeed," she explained.
"Resistance?"
"They are the last bit of people left on earth who are still uncontrolled by the Xephilins, I wonder how they are now," Her face dropped into that of a lonely and worried expression. From there, Ishida began to formulate some sort of conclusion.
Ichigo made his way towards the two people that were sitting by the fountain. Ishida, upon seeing Ichigo's orange head, stood up to meet his friend half way and excused himself from Rukia in the process before completely walking off.
"So? Is she crazy?" Ichigo let out which made Ishida scowl.
"Crazy is not a term used for someone ill."
He tried to change the question after a quick apology, "Sorry, how did it go?"
"Well, after talking to her for awhile, I think her stories are some sort of self-defence. She must have gone through something so horrible in the past that she's using these stories to lessen the pain of her experience. So far, that's all that I could tell you," Ishida explained as he adjusted his glasses.
"But... how come they sound so believable?"
"Ichigo, if you want someone to believe you, you must believe in it first. She must have told people these stories so many times that she has come to believe them as truth as well."
Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed as he tried analyzing Ishida's words only to be bothered by another question in his head, "Is there a cure?"
"Therapy would help but I am not qualified to give something like that," Ishida cleared out then approached the girl sitting patiently on the fountain.
"I'll be heading off now. It was nice meeting you Rukia," He said with a genuine smile which Rukia gladly returned.
"It's nice to meet you too. Oh! And thanks so much for the cake!" Ishida simply nodded back and took off without another word but Ichigo tried to catch up to him.
"Wait! Wait!" He cried out and lowered his voice once he caught his four eyed friend, "What am I suppose to do then?"
"Nothing," was Ishida's answer.
"What?"
"Look Ichigo, you're not really obligated to do something. You rescued her that was enough. But to go as far as to find her a cure? That's a bit too much don't you think. As mean as it sounds I advise you to stay away from her. This girl has a very dark past... very mysterious. Though she may not look it, she could be very dangerous. Be careful or one day you just might find yourself caught in some sort of trouble because of her. How much are you willing to sacrifice for a stranger?" Ichigo didn't answer.
"I thought so too," And with that, Ishida walked away and Ichigo made no attempt to catch up.
Rukia watched Ichigo run after Ishida. She was left sitting at the edge of the fountain again. Still she wasn't able to look around the campus. The only thing good about being here was probably having eaten cake for the first time. It made her lips quirk up in just its memory.
Maybe she could ask Ichigo to buy cake. She thought and her gaze turned to the two friends who were having a serious conversation from afar. Though she still couldn't hear them, and she wasn't planning on eavesdropping, she did have a gut feeling that it was her that they were talking about. She ended up sighing.
"My, my, that was quite a sigh coming from such a petite young lady."
Her head immediately snapped back towards the man who just spoke. Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of the man who was now standing next to her. He was young—much younger than how she had remembered him and yet his tone was quite the same.
It was definitely him.
"Kisuke..." She let out with eyes as wide as plates.
"At your service ma'am," He replied clearly hearing her soft voice. He bowed his head a little to acknowledge her. Rukia blinked her eyes multiple times and felt her breathing hitch at the gesture. However, as if not minding her reaction, he proceeded to do his chore and sat down on the ground to reach the circuitry at the bottom side of the fountain. Rukia took this opportunity to observe him while he tweaked with the wires using his tools. He wore a purely green jumpsuit with the word "MAINTENANCE" printed at the back. His hair was still blonde and messy and his skin was as pale as how she remembered.
Rukia sat on a cold metal counter as she waited for the blonde man to finish his preparations. She swung her legs that didn't reach the ground, to ease her tension. Once she saw him approach, she tried to disguise the sigh that came out of her mouth.
"My, my, you don't need to hide being nervous Rukia," the elder man scoffed which made her pout.
"I am not. We've done this lots of times before, I can't even feel it anymore," she bragged.
"Is that so?" Of course he could tell that she was lying. She knew that the pain was temporary and that it subsides, however, knowing what was coming just made her all the more anxious.
"Your arm my dear," he asked and without a second thought, she held out her left arm to him.
"Oh so willing. Aren't you going to beg me not to do it?" He teased.
She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I'm not five anymore Kisuke." She could still remember those days, the times when she'd cry her eyes out in an attempt to stop the pain and they all had to hold her down. It made her shiver just thinking about it.
"Ah but that doesn't mean you can't beg," He scoffed again which made her glare at him in return.
"It's not like begging would actually make this unnecessary," She murmured under her breath knowing full well how truthful it is.
"True, ready?"
"Just do it already!" She quipped back at his mocking tone and gave him a kick.
"Ouch! Oh my, such a feisty little girl. You know, I think you spend too much time with Yoruichi." Kisuke, after soothing his aching leg for a bit, set up the syringe that he was holding in a way that the needle was ready to penetrate the girl's skin.
"She teaches me self-defence and I apply them," she spoke as a distraction while she watched the needle pierce her arm. All the while her reaction was stoic as if she couldn't feel a thing.
"Indeed. She is one hell of a teacher," Kisuke agreed at the reminder of a certain woman. He pulled out the needle and began preparing the next one.
"She is," was all that she could say while she got ready for her next shot. Both of them were quiet for a while until the man felt the need to speak.
"Oh and just a few tips on where you're going. Remember, don't tell them that you're from here. We don't want people to see you as someone crazy. You don't want to know what that feels like," He told her with his tone as normal as it could possibly sound.
"I'll... try..." She muttered unsure of how to react when her gaze just focused on the second needle being pulled out of her arm. Then came the third shot. As the liquid entered her arm, Rukia flinched a bit.
"Sorry," Kisuke muttered apologetically.
"I'm fine," she quickly answered to ease his worries and herself.
There's three more to go. She mentally reminded.
"You know why we have to do this," He began to remind her while he prepared the fourth one.
"I know and I'm not complaining."
"You should," he corrected. His words left her in utter shock.
"What?"
Kisuke sighed, "You'll be going in a few days, and all this time, I've never even once heard you complain."
Rukia turned to look at the sides when she spoke, "Because I have nothing to complain about. I know that complaining won't do any good, so why bother with it." This time, she didn't look when the needle penetrated her body, although the pain it sent her served as a reminder of its presence.
"I'm sorry. It was wrong to put such a burden on your shoulder," the blonde man pointed out in a more serious tone and all signs of his previous mocking one gone. She only shook her head.
"I'm not so noble as to say that I want this and I know that none of you wanted this either but if this is the only way to rid of this horrid future, then I don't want to be the burden on your shoulders by failing all of you and putting to waste all your hard work." He gave her the fifth shot and this time she really winced. She didn't even have time to hide it.
"I won't say that I'm scared. I have no time for fear. I will succeed. And I will change this future," She said with full determination. She was shaking and her breath was becoming shallow because of all the foreign liquid that was making its way through her body.
"This is the last one," He pointed out then she nodded at the sight of the dark glowing liquid. She closed her eyes shut knowing full well that the pain of the last one would be worse than the ones before. She waited for the needle to break through her skin. However, instead of a painful sting, her arm was met with a soothing hand. She opened her eyes to look at the man in front of her.
"I haven't thanked you little eve, for growing up to be the person that you are. I was never good at comforting people. However, I give you my word, if ever you need my help just come find me and I will do everything in my power to give you a hand," And just like that the small young woman wrapped her arms around the elder man. Her face was buried in his chest as she began to sob. Kisuke patted the young girl's head as he spoke, "Such a courageous young woman you are. Indeed you deserve a life that is better than this."
"So what's a beautiful young lady such as yourself, doing here sitting all alone?" asked the man in the green jumpsuit.
"I—" Before Rukia could even muster a reply, someone answered for her.
"She's with me. Back off Kisuke," Ichigo spoke now standing in front of Rukia.
"Oh my apologies," the other replied without even glancing up at them and keeping his focus on the circuit board.
"Come on Rukia," the carrot top took hold of the girl's hand once again and pulled her with him as they walked off. All the while, Rukia tried to give Kisuke one last look.
"What's wrong? Did he touch you?" Ichigo asked in concern when he noticed that she kept on looking back.
"N-no," she quickly replied.
He let out a sigh of relief, "Good."
"How was that good?"
"That man has a loose screw, people stay away from him as a precaution," Ichigo explained, nodding towards the maintenance man who was now a few feet away from them.
Rukia shook her head a bit and tried to stir away from the topic, "What did your friend say?"
Ichigo, knowing who she was talking about, simply shrugged, "He... said you were alright."
"He thought I was crazy huh?" she corrected.
"Of course not."
"Don't lie. The whole time he looked at me, I saw doubt in his face," She explained with a sad smile.
"Really? You must have mistaken that for curiosity," he tried to make her feel better however she quickly walked ahead of him and blocked his path, effectively making him stop walking.
"I have something to tell you," she said and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity.
"What?"
She gestured for him to lean closer and when he did, she whispered, "I am a hundred years old."
"Psch, yeah right," he let out in disbelief at what she said and continued walking. She quickly caught up to him.
"See when you said 'what', that is a look of curiosity, and that face you gave just now was a look of doubt. Just like the face you made when you saw Kisuke. I can tell the difference Ichigo. I'm not stupid," She told him and there was a brief pause as if her words struck him for some reason but he tried to shake it off.
"Alright, whatever. I'll just walk you home then head to work," he muttered placing his hands behind his head and suddenly the girl stopped walking.
"What?" She asked and the young man looked back at her.
"I said I'll walk you home before heading to work, unless you know the way back?"
Rukia blinked her eyes a few times as she processed his words. "You're... letting me stay?" She asked remembering that he said something close to only letting her stay for a night. Ichigo began to scratch the back of his head.
"I... I mean... you know... if you don't stay with us, do you have anywhere else to go to?" He reasoned and she shook her head.
"Then you're staying with us obviously. Do you know how dangerous it is around here? You might end up in another dumpster," he lectured and her eyes lit up with joy.
"You're really serious?"
"Yes! Geez and I thought you weren't stupid," he groaned walking ahead. Rukia was about to retort again when she decided not to and just quietly ran to catch up to him. Ichigo kept glancing at her throughout their walk back with Ishida's warning playing again and again in his head like a broken record.
This girl has a very dark past... very mysterious. Though she may not look it, she could be very dangerous. Be careful or one day you just might find yourself caught in some sort of trouble because of her. How much are you willing to sacrifice for a stranger?
He scowled at the answer that bombarded his head.
I... don't know.
A/N: I postponed the interrogation of the jogging boys, I'll put that next chapter. Woah, I am drowning in this story. Okay I kept telling myself that it's a bad idea to update because I have lots of stuff to do especially when my daughter's birthday is coming up buuut I'm fucking stubborn. God, I hate me. I think this is going to be a sad story, I don't know if I'm just getting ahead of myself or what (because I said the same thing about MLIABWI) but if you watched the movie, it's gonna end pretty much the same way so if you don't want to get spoiled, don't watch it? Thank you so much everyone. Please review and I hope you liked the chapter Haha XD ILY guys and God bless :P
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