Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: IS STYLE

by immortal1145

Magic. Is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people! Magic is the only reality in this world, and this is the story of the man who's very magic defined his generation. This is the story of Orimura Ichika, and his little sister, Byakushiki Setsura.. All props go to fujin of shadows.

1. Chapter 1

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: I.S Style

Disclaimer: I don't own IS: Infinite Stratos OR Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei but I own this fiction and my own plot and techniques. All props go to fujin of shadows for writing the original story.

Chapter 1 :

My name is Orimura Ichika and this is my life…

Life…what a funny thing…

I've always thought that my life was worthless…

Time and again, since I could remember, I am drowned in sorrow that it almost made me give up life.

But I didn't, no matter how many times I wanted to just give up; there was something or someone preventing me from just throwing it all away. Mind you, I am very hard to kill in the first place, but I know that I can find a way to kill myself I were serious.

I would have but there is always something that prevents me from ending it all.

(Ichika AGE 6).

When I was 6 years old, life was pretty simple. I have two beautiful sisters that I love dearly…

My older, by three minutes, twin sister, Madoka.

We used to do things together. We were the best of friends, and I'm always with her whenever she needs me. Madoka always have problems in dealing with other people. It's not that she's socially awkward, but she just doesn't know how to deal with people. She's always having difficulty in making friends, and I, being her twin, was always with her.

She also has a very unhealthy inferiority complex towards our elder sister, which I always reminded her to just let it go, although she never listens to me. Even though Madoka and I are twins, Madoka is very identical in the looks department with our elder sister, and that did not do any good. Everything she does was always compared to our elder sister's accomplishments, and even though Madoka is just 6 years old, the achievements of our elder sister when she was in our age was mind boggling.

A six year old girl should not have been sent to war, even if the entire continent was at war and even if she has the talents to fight in it.

Speaking of the eldest daughter of the Orimura family, her name is Chifuyu.

Chifuyu-nee is a very unique being. She's the most talented Magic Technician in her generation, being able to cast multiple B-class spells at the tender age of 6. That itself is worth praise.

Chifuyu-nee, presently fifteen-years old, is a very beautiful young woman. She is known throughout Asia, and some part of the world for her beauty, power, and efficiency in combat. She is the most powerful warrior that the Orimura family had ever produced in her generation.

She is very stern and strict, and somewhat cold, but that is to be expected. After all, she has been exposed to war in such a young age.

I believe wholeheartedly that Chifuyu-nee and I are very close. The rest of the clan, most especially the elders, looks at her as a prize, a possession even, my mother, bless her soul, looks at her as a subordinate, my dad looks at her the same way as the clan elders, she is a commodity, as asset to him, my twin sister looks at her as a rival, while cousin Kana looks at her as a threat. In the clan, I think I'm the only one who looks at her as a sibling, as a human being within the clan, and we get along real well because of that.

I truly adore Chifuyu-nee; I admire her, not because of her power or beauty. Those traits are merely a part of her entire humanity, I admire her because she is Chifuyu-nee, and that's enough for me to love her.

Now my family is a bit complex.

The Orimura Clan is a clan that gained famed and prominence during the third world war. The clan itself is a clan filled with soldiers, in fact, with the family ruled by my grandfather, the great Orimura Ichigo (don't ask), the clan became the most notorious clan in the country when it comes to military strength.

My mother may not be an immediate member of the main family but when she leads the family's forces, when Isane Orimura leads the Orimura clan's military force, the gates of hell will open to those unfortunate enough to stand in her way.

The warriors under my mother's command have enough training to fight and win World War Four if they wanted to. Those warriors are pretty much war veterans with an insane amount of experience and skill. My mother is the brains of the operation, and with her leadership, those men became unstoppable killing machines. My mother's unit is so dangerous that it is deemed by our own government inhumane in deploying them in any war.

My mother's unit is the reason why Japan was untouchable during World War 3.

The less said about my father, the better. Orimura Kurei was a businessman and politician, and he was good at it. He was a powerful magician in his own right, not as talented as mother (his wife), Chifuyu-nee (his daughter) or grandfather (his father), but he can hold his own in a fight. What my father lack in strength, he makes it up with his sharp mind and ability to manipulate anyone with a few well-chosen words.

Regardless of the fact that he is my father, regardless of the fact that I look exactly like him, I never liked him, I never did. Whenever I looked at him, I was always given the expression that he cares more about his status than his own family.

I could not help but chuckle at this. I am the black sheep of the family. Unlike my sisters, my mother, my father, my cousin, and my grandfather, I do not fight. It's not that I can't fight, I can fight, and when it comes to it, I am as dangerous as any member of my family. The reason why I don't fight is because I have an abnormal type of magic, a type of magic that prevents me in using modern magic.

Because of my refusal to fight, the clan elders, since I was five, tried to kick me out of the clan, only to be prevented by my mother and grandfather, my father did not get involve though. For some reason, my mother adores me so much, and my grandfather seems to be interested in me. I sometimes have the feeling that they knew my secret, and they were just waiting for me to show my fangs.

I wonder how patient they are with me.

Still, unlike my family and my clan, I do not want to be a soldier; I want to be a doctor, or an artist, or a musician, or a cook. I'm good at a lot of things that are deemed useless by my clan, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

I am me, and I will go on with my life as I choose.

But still, sometimes, I wonder, if what I said is true. I am holding a major part of what defines me as me, and sometimes, I am afraid that the monster that defines who I am will bursts out someday, and I am afraid for that day to come.

(Ichika Age 7)

Age 7, the roller coaster that is my life started at that age. I can still remember the person that became the catalyst of the beginning of my life.

The catalyst was a girl.

A girl that goes by the name Setsura.

I still remember how we met like it was yesterday.

I was taking a walk around Tokyo, eluding the bodyguards that my mother assigned to protect me. I always loved taking walks around Tokyo Bay during the sunset, and the sky in this particular day was nothing short of marvelous, stunning even.

I look at the sun as it sets, and I am at awe because of its beauty.

But the beauty of the setting sun pales in comparison to the beauty of the little girl that I saw in this particular day, the beauty of the girl that changed my life, forever, was breathtaking.

As I watch the sun set and await the moon to rise, I notice a girl running across the street. I notice that she was slightly bleeding and her dress, which were made out of low quality fabric, were torn.

I frown at this as I decided to intervene. I am slightly mad that my viewing of the setting sun was interrupted but I could not just allow a young girl get hurt by men twice her size.

The one thing I am proud of is my speed, even without magic, I am very fast. I quickly maneuver myself in front of the girl, grabbed her hand, and run as fast as I can while navigating around the buildings near Tokyo Bay to evade those who were chasing the girl.

The girl struggled for a bit, but when he noticed that I mean her no harm, she conceded and allowed me to move her around. Thirty minutes of running, I stopped somewhere near the port of Tokyo. I was slightly gasping for my breath and I could feel the girl was doing the same.

"Are you okay?" I asked her with a slightly worried tone, and that was the first time I ever laid eyes on a living master piece.

Whitish-silvery colored hair that resembled the stars above the night sky, and it was smooth as silk. Gleaming blue eyes that resembled the finest sapphire. Lips as red as a ripe strawberry, and snow white skin as pale as snow itself. As I gazed before her, I could not help but be taken aback at how beautiful this girl before me is.

She must be younger than me by at least a year but she held unrivaled beauty, a beauty that would put Goddesses to shame.

I am an artist, I've painted fictionally women with features that I deem beautiful, but this girl was far more beautiful than anything my mind could ever come up with. I have created portraits of a number of beautiful women that I know, but this girl, I doubt that I could capture the magnitude of her beauty in a simple canvas.

"Thank you!" A melodic, soprano voice said with a weary tone, and I could not help but marvel at her again. A girl with her beauty possessing such an angelic voice!

I must know her name! I told myself in determination.

"Don't mention it, and my name is Ichika." I told her as I extended my hand at her.

"Setsura," The girl answered shyly as she shook my hand shyly.

Byakushiki. I thought suddenly with a smile. Yes, that would be a fitting name for her, Snow White Expression, yes that would be fitting indeed.

I smiled at her again, before noticing that it was already twilight. I looked over the ocean, and marveled at another beautiful sight.

The moon, it was white, pitch white. I have seen the moon being full, I have seen a blue moon, but this is the first time I've seen a white moon, and it is such a marvelous sight.

"Beautiful," I muttered under my breath as I raised my hand to grasped the beautiful moon. "So beautiful," I whispered as my eyes did not leave the gleaming moon that resembled the most beautiful diamond that I have ever seen.

Setsura seems to agree with me as she glanced at the moon herself, a look of awe gracing her angelic smile. "Beautiful," She breathed and I smiled at her.

Regardless of how beautiful the white moon is, she is still many times more beautiful.

There was a minute of solace between the two of us when the men that were chasing her appeared. At the sight of them and the sound of their yelling, Setsura cower behind me, and I growled at the frighten expression that polluted her artistically beautiful face.

"Close your eyes; I don't want you to see this." I told her, and surprisingly, she did as I told her and closed her eyes.

Such a good girl.

I looked at them calmly before taking several steps towards them.

I despised violence, but I hate having to see that beautiful face being contaminated. I approached them, and in matter of seconds, they were unconscious and were thrown to the trashcan.

After I disposed of those men, she opened her eyes and thanked me again, and asked me how she could return the favor. I smiled at this as I told her to wait for me. I quickly run off towards the nearest art shop and hastily brought all the art supplies that I will need to paint a portrait.

After a minute or so, I politely asked her to pose for me for a painting, and she agreed, hesitantly, but she agreed nonetheless.

I asked her to stand in front of the ocean and below the white moon, and Setsura did, and after that, I started painting.

It was a strange feeling, but I swear, as I started painting her, I could see a visage of a beautiful phoenix behind her, smiling at me for some reason. That confused me a little, but regardless, I painted her using every skill that I could muster…

…and the output that I made was nowhere near satisfactory. When she looked at the painting, she was impressed by my work, but I was not. The art that I produced did not give justice to her beauty or the beauty of the white moon above us.

I frowned a bit, but a laughed suddenly distracted me from my disappointment, and when I looked behind me, I was startled to see a woman with the same hair and eyes as Setsura.

"Such a beautiful masterpiece." The woman complimented in a motherly tone, but I frown at this. Her voice, it sounded strong, but with every letter she utters, I could feel her words faltering.

"MOTHER!" Setsura shouted happily as she flung herself towards the woman.

As I watch them embrace each other, my suspicion was confirmed. The two were related, but it still felt strange. True, their auras are identical, but Setsura's Aura is also identical to an Aura that is very familiar to me.

Before I ponder on that thought, Setsura's mother spoke.

"Thank you for saving my daughter." The woman spoke as she held her daughter tightly. "…son of Kurei."

My eyes widen at this as I looked at the woman, only to find her gone…

How did she know my father's name?

Scene change.

After their first meeting, seeing Setsura became a norm to Ichika whenever he went anywhere near Tokyo bay. Whether it be just a quick glimpsed of her, or him begging her to pose for him for another portrait, seeing her always made his day. She became his fourth favorite female, trailing behind his mother and his sisters: Madoka and Chifuyu.

But still, regardless of their growing friendship, he could not help but slightly be suspicious of her. He had seen her mother quite a few times, and he already hates her for some reason, but did not show it to her due to his fondness for Setsura.

He didn't know why, but her mother, whose name he still did not know nor cared to know, gave him a feeling like she is an untruthful and untrustworthy woman. Don't get him wrong, Setsura's mother is a likeable woman, but for some reason, he could not bring myself to like her, or to be even in the same room with her.

And another thing, Setsura's aura is really familiar. True, her aura is near identical to her mother, but there was a hint in her aura that made him weary of her.

He didn't know why but Setsura's Aura really made him jumpy whenever he was near her.

He knew that she has the potential to be a very powerful magician. The aura that surrounds her constantly is evident to that.

Proof of that, the psion light that she constantly emits is massive, equivalent to that of one of his mother's elite soldiers, and that is saying something.

But still, there is this tint, stain in her aura that made him cautious of her, and made him further hate her mother.

He always shrugged that feeling off because of his fondness of her, but that change when he first saw her cast an uncontrolled magic.

Scene change: Ichika point of vue.

"Ichika-kun, you don't look so good." Setsura's mother commented, and truth to her words, I look like I've been through a meat grinder. My clothes were torn; I'm bleeding from eight different places, and fractured several of my bones.

"Of course I don't look so good. I attack the husband of the woman who leads the military unit that can fight and win World War 4." I groaned weakly as I collapsed on one of her sofas.

"You attack your own father?" Setsura's mother exclaimed in surprise.

"I should have killed the bastard." I muttered darkly before throwing an enveloped towards her. "I should kill you as well." I told her while glaring at her. "Shirayuki-hime, the first daughter of the current emperor and the first line, or should I say, the former first line to the throne to the Japanese empire. That is your name and title, right?" I asked her, and my only answer was her smiling at me.

"You not just inherited your father's looks, you also inherited his brains." Setsura's mother said with a fond smile. "You are correct, I am that woman, or to be more precise, I was that woman."

I looked at her critically as I move my body, wincing at the feeling of pain I felt with every sudden movement. "Is Setsura here?" I asked her coolly, and when she shook her head, I sigh in relief as I stood up. I did not want her to listen to this conversation.

"You know, I always found it funny whenever I felt weary of Setsura. I like her so much, and she's a beautiful and wonderful model, but my problem with her is her aura." I spoke casually while Shirayuki-hime merely smiled at me.

"Her aura is familiar, so familiar in fact that it is almost nostalgic, but I never figure it out why her aura is familiar until I saw her lose control of her aura." I narrowed my eyes a bit, feeling relieved that my body was slowly being healed. "Can you tell me why her magic, uncontrolled or not, is similar to my father's and grandfather's magic? Can you tell me why she is capable of using the Orimura Family magic"

"You're a bright and mature child; you know the answer to that."

I growled at this but I remain composed. "Your right I know the answer to my question. Magic is hereditary, and that means one thing, you had an affair with one of the main members of the family." I glared at her harshly at this. "…you had an affair with my old man, am I correct?"

"Yes," She answered with a smile, and that smile made me lost all the composure I had. I thrust my hand towards her, and a black sword flew from my hand towards her in a speed that matches a bullet. It was a simple straight edged sword with a simple crossguard and a round pommel.

Setsura's mother, Shirayuki-hime, did not move an inch as the sword that I hurled at her suddenly disappeared.

"Mirror Magic, the magic that allows the caster to absorb all sorts' external energies and convert it into a useable energy that you Orimura's call [Blaze Luminous]." Shirayuki-hime stated as the sword that I created appeared in her hands. "The only way to use [Blaze Luminous] for spells and attacks is the use of a spell that is, the most basic yet most useful spell for every user of Mirror magic, [Luminous Illuminate], the catalysts of your spells and techniques." she continued while examining the sword, she paused for a moment before she said "[Luminous Illuminate] is a spell that allows an Orimura to project the energy within them and combine it with the energies around them to form a weapon that helps them absorb large quantities of energy and assist them in converting energies into [Blaze Luminous]. [Luminous Illuminate] is also a tool for casting spells, henceforth; why your CAD resembles rosaries, crosses, and bracelets." she kept talking so casually that It took everything in me not to snarl at the bitch.

"The power [Luminous Illuminate] depends on the quality of the construction, and the quality is measured on how metallic it looks. For a seven years old to have a [Luminous Illuminate] that is 35% metalic is beyond prodigious." she finished her little monologue. I was startled by her summarization of my abilities. I know what my abilities are and the nature of my abilities, but I did not expect her to know that much by just merely touching something that I produce out of a whim.

I was so startled by her analyzing my magic so easily, that I did not notice the sword that I made being thrown at me until it pierce my chest. The sword, did not hurt me one bit, as I programed my creations to disperse whenever they touch my body without my permition, but my distraction was enough for Shirayuki-hime to close the distance between the two of us, and point a gun to my head.

"I do hope that you know what my magic is." She said to me with a smile.

"Decomposition," I answered coldly as I face the end of the barrel of her CAD.

"You really did your homework on me; I'm impressed especially that my magic is supposed to be top secret. Even after I faked my own death, my abilities remains to be a national secret." She complimented me as she slowly pressed the gun to my head. "A seven year old knowing a national level secret is truly an impressive feat."

"You can't use your magic anymore, can you?" I stated calmly, not showing any emotions whatsoever

"You want to bet."

I shook my head before taking a step forward, not caring whether the gun is further press to my forehead. "No, my statement was wrong, it's not that you can't use magic anymore, it is more like you won't use magic anymore." I stated confidently. "You are currently suffering from a syndrome known as Nesting Integration. Nesting Integration is a syndrome that slowly kills a magician from the inside-out by causing their own magic to collapse inwardly."

Shirayuki's smile faltered a bit as she lowered her gun. "You really are your father's son."

"I take that as an insult, but considering that you can beat me, I won't say anything else." I mumbled as I collapse back to the couch. "You are dying, you know that, but what impress me the most is the fact that you lasted this long. Most people with NIS tend to die in a week, but you lasted for five years."

"Is that respect I hear from you?" I nodded and she smiled again. "Thank you," Shirayuki-hime said with a curt nod.

There was silence between us as I tried to form question in the top of my mind, and after a minute, I spoke again. "My father, he knows of Setsura's existence, and he did not take responsibility for his actions, am I correct?"

Shirayuki-hime frown as a rueful expression graced her face. "You need to understand…"

"My question is a simple yes or no question, please answer it accordingly."

With another moment of silence, that former princess of the country of Japan let out a sigh. "Yes, and you know the reason why. Illegitimate children are frowned upon by the noble clans of this country."

"But you're the Princess of this country, and the suppose heir to the throne!" I reasoned suspiciously, before my eyes widen in realization. "You demented bitch!"

"You really are a bright boy." She told me, and I tried to restrain myself from attacking her, and proceeded to ask my next question.

"How much time do you have left?" I asked her with a barely contained growled.

"A year, at most." She answered me with a solemn tone.

Scene change Ichika POV.

"You are an idiot." I exclaimed in anger while looking down on Setsura's mother's bleeding body. I was also covered with blood, but none of the blood belongs to me.

Setsura was cradling her mother in her arms while crying hysterical, tears falling down her eyes as she called her mother repeatedly and hysterically.

It has been three months since I confronted her about Setsura's birth, and the two of us became civil with each other, but I still cannot stand her. My relationship with Setsura on the other hand was a strained because of that revelation, but I still regarded her as a close friend. It was not her fault that she was born by an implicit affair by my bastard of a father and her mother.

Still, for some unknown reason, I made it a point to always visit Setsura every day for the past three months, and I did everything within my power to help the two get comfortable with their life.

I am a seven year old boy from the main house of the Orimura clan; I have the resources to take care of a small family without attracting the attention of any of the upper members of the clan.

I was in the way of visiting them, when I felt Setsura's aura in a state of panic. I rushed towards the direction where Setsura currently is, only to see a dozen men attacking them, and Shirayuki-hime fending them off with her magic. True to her reputation as the Pearl of the Rising Sun, even in her weakened state, she was able to take down half of them before she succumbed to her sickness.

I arrived the moment she collapsed and I took over the fight after that, creating a solid sword with my blood, I quickly disposed of the remaining men with ease. As an Orimura, we are required to learn how to use a sword, and with skills that not even my family knew I had, taking care of those men, even though they were magician with just my sword play is easy for me.

Shirayuki-hime, regardless of the fact that she was dying, was smiling at me. "You came," Shirayuki-hime said with a rather blissful tone.

I did not smile at her, and regarded her with a cold gazed. "I did not come here to save you; I came here to save her." I said while pointing at Setsura who was currently crying her eyes off for her mother.

She chuckled while a small amount of blood slipped down from her mouth. "That is good enough for me." She said with a weak tone.

"Shut up," I hissed in irritation before pointing a handgun towards her. The handgun was the only CAD that I ever used because it helps me project my regeneration ability. "I'll heal you, so just shut up and conserve your energy." I then concentrated the necessary amount of psion, which took the form of a spherical yellow energy but before I could pulled the trigger, Shirayuki-hime, regardless of her injured state, was able to cancel my magic with an unknown method.

I narrowed my eyes as I felt my arm going numb. "What are you thinking? I was just about to heal you."

"Don't bother; you'll just be wasting energy in a lost cause." She stated with an accepting tone as a gentle smile graced her lips.

"MAMA, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Setsura shouted desperately as she shook her dying mother lightly. As I watch her, I felt my heart ache in pain.

Shirayuki-hime patted her daughter on the head, her eyes shedding some tears. "Don't cry for me, my dear, I don't deserve those tears."

"Let me heal you, please let me heal you." I begged through gritted teeth. "I don't want to see her like this." I told her as I clenched my chest in pain. I may not consider her as a sister, but she is still my friend, a dear friend.

Shirayuki-hime let out a chuckle at this as her eyes slowly loses their life. "I thought you don't…"

"I STILL DON'T!" I shouted fiercely. "But still, half the blood the flows through my body, flows through her. I'm responsible for her." I stated with a sullen tone, and I felt, for that instant, that I was lying to myself but I ignored it.

"Because she's the sin of your father."

"HER LIFE IS NOT A SIN. THE ACT THAT MADE HER MAYBE A SIN, BUT HER LIFE IS NOT A SIN." I shouted indignantly, disgusted that Setsura's own mother thought of her as a sin. "Life, no matter how it is form, can never be a sin."

"What a wise child." She exclaimed before looking at her daughter with her almost lifeless eyes. "My dear, enough, enough… stop crying and listen to me please, mommy's time is almost up."

"MAMA PLEASE, PLEASE ALLOW ONIISAN TO HEAL YOU." Setsura begged desperately, and I was surprised by this development.

She knows the true extent of our relationship, I did not expect that.

"Shush, my dear, and let me speak." Shirayuki-hime ordered softly, her voice weakening by the second. "I have to go now, dear, and I just want to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm a poor mother, I'm sorry that I couldn't give you the life that you deserve, I'm sorry that I'm only a burden to you, I'm sorry for lying to you." She looked at me with begging and desperate eyes, conveying a message that I understand painfully.

After a moment, I looked at the ground as I held back my tears. "I can't ever see her as my little sister, but I'll take care of her to the best of my abilities without revealing her to any danger. I'll raise her to nr the woman befitting of her pedigree. I, the grandson of the current head of the Orimura Family, swear to you." I assured her passionately.

She smiled at those words as her hands fell to her side, her eyes finally losing their life. "Thank you!" And that was the last words that she had uttered before succumbing to her sickness and dying.

"Mother," Setsura called weakly and desperately, her voice broken which made me strangely want to engulf her in an embrace.

"Mother," She called again, but there was no response.

"Mother, Mother, MOTHER PLEASE, MOTHER PLEASE WAKE, DON'T LEAVE ME." Setsura begged desperately as her cries became louder and more desperate.

I clenched my hands into a fist, so tight that it bled, but it healed quickly because of my secondary ability. "I'm sorry that I was late, Setsura." I apologized sincerely as I stood behind her, not knowing what else to say to her.

There was a tense silence between the two of us, and in a move that I did not expect from her, Setsura let go of the corpse of her dead mother, and threw herself towards my arms.

I embraced her do to reflexes, and I adopted a look of solemn for her misfortune.

Regardless of the fact that I was covered in blood from head to toe, regardless of the fact that I did not like her mother so much, I held her tightly knowing that this is the only thing I can do to comfort her at the moment.

Scene change

"This is some grim shit you got yourself into." Shinono Ryuuin, a man in his late forties, with shaven bald that does not give the impression of age. He usually wears a monk's robe, surprisingly really fitting him and his personality, commented as he and Ichika sat across each other. After the day's grim events, Ichika carried Setsura to a place that he knew she would be safe from danger.

The temple where he learned ninjutsu from.

"Will you shelter her for a while?" he asked his sensei seriously. "I'll take her from your care once I arrange a more permanent home for her, which will take me a month, two months at most."

"And how would you provide for her?"

His answered was in the form of Ichika throwing a book across the table. "Advantage of having parents who are rarely home, and having a clan who doesn't give a damn whether you live or die is that you can disappear for more than a week before they start searching for you." he said with a small smirk.

His sensei looked at the book, and his eyes all but widen. "Are you serious?"

"Somebody has to take responsibility for my father's stupidity, and unfortunately, the one who has to take responsibility is me." answered Ichika.

"And are you willing to sacrifice everything that defines you as you?" his master asked critically, and the answer he got was Ichika taking a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed orange sunglasses with goggle sidings from my pocket and putting them across his face.

"I have a feeling that she would be worth it." repeated Ryuuin mockingly before continuing seriously "And you are going to risk everything for that feeling alone, don't be a fool, Ichika." Ryuuin scolded the young boy harshly. "I know what you are going to do, and I will advise you to not do it. You can fight, you are a natural born fighter, but you are no soldier, you are not your mother. You do not want to fight, you do not have the will to deliver the finishing blow, and you refuse to raise a hand on those weaker than you. You will not last eight minutes in the battle field!"

"I don't care; I am still going to do this for her." Ichika stated, glancing at the room where his little sister was resting. "I owe her this much."

"Your father owes her, you don't owe her anything." Ryuuin stated harshly. "Take her to your grandfather, Orimura-sama will know how to deal with this." Ryuuin instructed him, but Ichika merely shook his head.

"The elders will kill her on the spot, and there is no way the royal family would shelter her. They will not even believe her when she says that she is Shirayuki-hime's daughter." Ichika debated, using the information that he gathered in his investigation to his advantage. "Shirayuki-hime was officially dead six years ago."

"The royal family has Kurazakura."

"The remaining children of the Emperor are currently fighting in a war, and they will not abandon the frontlines just to check on someone claiming to be the daughter of a dead woman." Ichika exclaimed knowingly, having prior knowledge at how the military works because of his mother.

"I promise Shirayuki-hime as she died before me that I will take care of her daughter as well as protect her. Setsura, I don't know whether or not I could see her as a little sister, but she is my friend, a very important friend, and I will be damn if I would allow her to face anything dangerous." Ichika said with determination.

"You are a boy, a seven year old boy. What makes you think that you can face the world as you are right now!?" Ryuuin demanded as he allowed his aura to flare in an attempt to intimidate Ichika.

It did not work as Ichika allowed his own aura to flare. His crimson aura easily overwhelming Ryuuin's aura as the room was flooded by a very thick psion wave. "I can see something beautiful within Setsura, and I will nourish that until she becomes a magnificent work of art. Even if I have to shed my own blood, I will make Setsura shine like a supernova!"

(Age 8)

When I was eight years old, life was still simple, for me anyways.

"What is this?" My mother asked as she examined a gun on corner of my room. My mother looks exactly as Chifuyu-nee and Madoka, only different being is that she has shorter hair and a slightly more boyish look.

"That's supposed to be your birthday gift, mother, I made it myself." An eight year old boy knowing how to use a gun, something is wrong with this family.

"I see," My mother muttered as she examined the black handgun. "Elaborate!"

"The Songstress, a custom 13mm Auto Anti-magic pistol. It fires custom made rounds enough to pierce through a C-level magic shield with ease. 42cm long and 16kg in weight, eight rounds per magazine. The Songstress has more firepower than any ordinary human being, magician or not, can wield or hope to wield."

"And the rounds?"

"13mm explosive shells."

"Casing?"

"Pure Macedonian silver,"

"And the tips? Explosive or mercury?"

"Mercury tips, lace with the poison that you personally instructed me to make." There is something wrong with the family with a son that knows how to create slow acting poison.

My mother looked at the pistol and loaded it with a magazine full of bullets. "It's perfection!" My mother exclaimed in gleefully. "You make me the best gifts!" My mother added as she engulfed me in a tight hug.

I smiled a bit as I patted her on the back. To compensate for my inability to perform Modern Magic, I studied weapon making, both modern and ancient.

Magic can be used to block gunfire in a variety of ways such as altering its trajectory, decreasing its force, or decreasing its speed. However, magic can be overcome with overwhelming force. High-powered rifles were designed such that the rotational force of the bullets and the force they produce are difficult to overcome by most magical methods. I am very good in creating weapons like those.

Suffice to say, my mother was amused and ecstatic to the things that I make, and I personally made her army their rifles. The problem, last year, those weapons, my creations were pointed at me constantly.

Scene change Ichika POV.

"Do we have too?" Madoka complained loudly while she fidgeted with her formal kimono.

"Unfortunately, yes, so stop complaining." Chifuyu-nee scolded her, looking absolutely stunning with the black kimono that she was wearing.

I shook my head at how typical they act around each other, and before they could start another argument, I stepped in between them. "Okay, enough, remember, we need to be at our best behavior." I told them, trying to be the voice of reason, as always. "Remember, this is the annual party for the noble clans of the country, we need to make a good impression." I feel like vomiting at the moment. I cannot stand most of the aristocrats of this country. I am a patriot and I would die for my country in a heartbeat, but that did not change the fact that most of the politicians in the country are corrupt.

I still wondered why the emperor did not just turn the country back to a monarchy. It would be the best for the country to have only one noble man ruling at the current age.

"That's easy for you to say, you actually could stand those boring geezers." Madoka grumbled and I merely smiled at her.

"I need to at least have something to compensate for my poor magic skills, and being a dirty politician is the first thing that came to mind." I don't want to tell them about my other occupation, considering my last run in with Chifuyu-nee's squad.

Those morons almost killed me, and I was doing them a favor for Kami's sake.

Disregarding those thoughts, in the past year, I did have my fair share in dealing with politicians, with and without the family knowing, and it seems that I inherited my father's ability to read people. And with that ability, my grandfather instantly taught me the finer arts of politics.

Being a member of a prominent clan sucks because you are expected to grow up fast.

"You do know that the elders won't antagonize you if you gave them the respect that they deserve." Chifuyu-nee told me, and I merely looked at her with a frown.

I choose not to comment on my sister's words. If only she knew the dealings of those fools outside of the clan.

"Let's just get to the party, and get this over with. I may tolerate those noble pricks, but I don't want to be anywhere near them for a long period of time. I don't want to be a prick like them." I muttered as I stride towards the Matsumoto Castle, the venue of the party.

"Hey, wait for us." Madoka shouted as I heard her running towards me, and when she caught up, she linked her arm with mine and smiled affectionately at me. I returned the smile, when I suddenly felt another person taking my other arm.

"You'll be our date tonight, so be grateful." Chifuyu-nee said with a beautiful smile.

"Of course," I answered with a small blush as the three of us entered the venue of the party together.

There is absolutely one thing to expect in a party hosted by aristocrats, and that is boring as hell.

Men and women flirting with each other and socializing with each other to either increase their political standings or cash. It is a sickening sight, but I guess I shouldn't complain, with the path I choose, I would be one of them in twenty years' time.

I'm already sick just thinking about it.

On one hand, I could lessen the elders' power in the family, and probably give Setsura a much decent life.

Always look at the bright side of things that has always been my motto.

"HEY IKKUN," A loud voice echoed throughout the ballroom, and I cannot help but smile as I wave at the person who yelled one of my few good nicknames. ShinononoTabane, my sister's best friend and one of the few women who I liked outside of my family and Setsura. She and I have a lot of similarities, the most prominent being that we loved our siblings very much.

"HEY IKKUN," Tabane shouted as she rushes towards me. The one thing that distinguishes Tabane from everyone in the room was that she was wearing a western dress modeled from the famous fairytale Alice in Wonderland as opposed to the expensive kimonos that flooded the room. She was given frowns by everyone that sees her but she ignored them, knowing that, in a straight fight, yes she can fight, she can beat anyone in the room, with the exception of Chifuyu-nee, and the emperor's three remaining children.

Tabane instantly engulfed me in a bone crushing hug. Thank Kami-sama for regeneration, while I awkwardly patted her on the shoulder while fighting back the blush that threatened to erupt from my cheeks. I'm an artist, I appreciate beauty in any shape and form, and Tabane is a very beautiful woman, and one of the few that I wanted to create a portrait of.

"It's nice to see you too, but could you let go of me, you're making a scene." I told her as the people around as started to whisper because of our compromising position.

"No, no, not until you show me that program that you made for the improve version of your Loop Cast system."Tabane requested with a cheeky grin.

Another thing that we have in common was our interest in CAD engineering. Tabane is a member of the Shinonono clan, one of the most prominent clan in the country that specializes in weapon manufacturing, which is strange, considering the family is so traditional that I sometimes wonder how such a conventional clan can be so advance when it comes to technology. The Orimura clan and the Shinonono clan have been long term allies since the end of World War Two. In proof of that alliance, the eldest daughters of the two families are best friends, and I am also close friends with the two youngest daughters of the clan.

The less said about the only son of the Shinonono family the better. That twat!

Now, because of the friendship between the clans, Chifuyu-nee, Madoka, and I tend to spend a lot of time with the Shinonono family, and because of that, I discovered my talent in CAD programming. I am not as good as Tabane, the woman has an IQ over 500 and I am not exaggerating, but I at least can think of things that she finds interesting.

For example, Loop Cast System….Loop Cast System is the Activation Sequence that skips the step of restarting each Activation Sequence. If the Magic Sequence is the same, then the CAD no longer has to restart the Activation Sequence each time. This is done by adding a copying power to the Magic Calculation Area's execution mode, adding a copy of the Activation Sequence's last parts to the Activation Sequence itself, so Magicians can endlessly invoke magic within their ability. Although the theory existed in the past, but to calculate the Invocation Sequence and copy the Activation Sequence separately at the same time, no one could do it until I have gotten bored in a particular Saturday night.

…and no, I'm not kidding. I perfected the Loop Cast system that no other CAD engineer and developer because of my boredom.

And because of that, Tabane decided that I should work in her family's company when I graduated college.

Not a chance in seven layers of hell. My other occupation is much more fun regardless of the fact that I felt like a hypocrite every time I go to work.

Getting myself out of Tabane's tight embrace was no small feat but I was able to do it. "So, where's Houki?" I asked curiously, knowing that Tabane is not the type to attend such mundane parties if she is not force or coerce.

"Well, she is with Papa and Mama now." Tabane then looked over her shoulders, and I looked as well, only to see Houki clinging to her father. The patriarch and matriarch of the Shinonono family were currently having a conversation with my parents. I frown when my father and I made eye contact, and I instantly turned away.

"You're still not in good terms with your daddy, huh?"Tabane inquired with a mischievous smile.

"I have my reasons why I'm acting like this."

I understand the reason why, but regardless of the law and dishonor that would befall our family, a man who will not acknowledge his own child, regardless of the circumstances, is trash in my book.

"That fool! If he had acknowledged Setsura, then the clan would have someone leading it in the future."

If there was something about Setsura that is easily noticeable, aside from her beauty, is her talent in magic. Both in the current and past generation, there is no one in this country more talented than Setsura when it comes to magic. Her potential is absolutely endless, and one of the reasons why I took her in is because I want to help cultivate that talent.

I may never looked or treat Setsura as my little sister, but I will not let her talents go to waste. Having her potential wasted is a crime that I will not tolerate.

My musing was cut short when a beautiful music echoed throughout the ballroom, and perked up. I looked at the dance floor and noticed that some couples are starting to waltz, which made me smile.

I love dancing, I absolutely love dancing.

Scene change general POV (Age 9).

Because of World War Three, the old International monetary system had been abolished and changed into a new currency system. Now, instead of a worldwide agreement, the new International monetary system is merely a continental agreement.

In the continent of Asia, the largest currency is the Japanese Yen, the reason why is because they have the most well developed economy, and their military is just scary powerful.

In order for Ichika to support Setsura and his hobbies and research, he became a bounty hunter.

Considering Asia as a whole has been at war with each other for seventeen years now, the after math of World War Three is nowhere near pretty, it is not strange to find child soldiers in the battle field and them hunting bounties for an extra pay is also the norm. Another factor that assisted him in becoming a bounty hunter, a successful one at that, is that his parents were barely home and they rarely worry about him. Well, to be honest, kurei never showed he cared about his son in the first place, and Isane knows that there is no mess that Ichika can't get myself out of, and he prove that over and over by always escaping the watching eyes of her subordinates that have, again, the ability and skills to fight and win World War Four.

His grandfather on the other hand was a bit of a mystery. After his first three months as a bounty hunter, Ichika noticed his grandfather looking at him with suspicious eyes. He might always pretend to be oblivious, but he was worried, very worried.

And after more than one year of being in the bounty hunter business, one question always came to Ichika's mind whenever he hunts: 'Why is it that those who deserve higher bounties only have at least 5-digit bounty, but they have the strength equivalent to a Military class, A-grade magician, but those with 6-digit bounty are crap, well, most of them, why?'

For example, his opponent, a man nicknamed Zebra the sound demon, is an incredibly large and muscular man. He has slicked back dark red hair and eyebrow and a large number of vertical wrinkles on his forehead. Zebra's most distinct feature is his half 'glasgow smile', forming a large ragged tear from his lips all the way to his ear on the left side of his face, exposing all the teeth on that side. Adding to his intimidating appearance, Zebra normally wore a black sleeveless shirt, camouflage-patterned purple pants and brown boots. A mercenay was currently firing compress sound waves, that creates explosions on impact, towards Ichika, and the man has a bounty worth 50,000 thousand yen, while the weak fat excuse of a human being imbecile that he was protecting was worth at least 125,000 thousand yen, but the man has no skill whatsoever.

The paradoxe that Ichika observed in his current carreer is one of his little guilty pleasures. But now is not the time for pleasure, it's business time.

"Hey, Miguel right? You're from the Philippines, right? What do you say you just give that man to me, and we can split the bounty?" Ichika inquired rather hopefully before dodging another sound blast that ravaged the ground. "We don't have to kill each other, that guy's bounty is enough to give you a good life in the Philippines."

"[bastard, go to hell I am no sell out!]" the man replied in his native language.

Great, the man's honorable, just what he feared. While Ichika respects people like him, but in his honest opinion, they should choose their employers more thoroughly.

"[sorry for asking, but don't come crying to me when you regret what I am about to do you.]" Ichika said before stepping from the shadows and revealing himself to his prey. Ichika Is quite tall for his age, tall black hair that is parted in the middle, azure blue eyes and a slim but trained body. His usual outfit is comprised of a charcoal suit, leather riding boots, and a intricately knotted red cravat, covered by a full-length, and red frock overcoat (similar to a duster coat) with cape. He also wears a red fedora with a wide, floppy brim and a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed orange sunglasses with goggle sidings. He also wears a pair of black fingerless gloves. To hide his identity Ichika wore a pitch black face mask to hide the lower part of his face while the glasses had a simple charm that made people look away from them or make people incapable of focusing on his face. He tailored his own clothes so that no one can trace him, but enough about the outfit. Putting his right hand inside his left coat pocket, Ichika pulled an ornamental pistol (coyote stark gun) took aim and shot a simple blue beam that impacted on Zebra's chest and sent him flying away. All the while Ichika simply said "kudou dan (Hollow bullet)". Zebra managed to regain his balancein mid air before he took a deep breath. That was how Zebra's magic opperated, by amplifying and manipulating his own voice, he can use it in different manners, knowing that Ichika did not allow him the time to use his magic and shot another kudou dan (Hollow bullet) this time hitting him in the stomach making the big man lose his breath, he tried to stand up one last time but this time a third beam, this one thiner, more focused than the previous two, pierced straight through him.

The fight ended at that moment as the injury that Ichika gave him was pretty deep, but it wasn't life threatening, Ichika made sure of it.

As Zebra collapsed, Ichika stalk towards my original target who, predictably, ran the moment his final henchmen fell. He thought about the only spell that he used in this fight. The kudou dan (Hollow bullet), an ancient and outdated Orimura clan magic technique, one so ancient that Ichika was certain his grandfather is the only other practitioner of the spell. Basically the practitioner fires a powerful blast of concentrated Orimura magic at the target. The practitioner uses their hands, fingers, and other parts of their bodies. This often requires the user to take on a specific pose, with Ichika and Ichigo being the only recorded exceptions. In fact Ichika made into an art form to create more variations of the Kudou dan (Hollow bullet). Cutting his musings short, the bounty hunter made way towards the lard ass that he was hunting.

"Why do they always run?" Ichika muttered to myself as he lazily took aim with his pistol before shooting two pencil sized holes in the fat ones legs causing the target to not only fall to the ground but also black out due to the pain.

Nothing personal," Ichika told the two of them as black chains made from energy errupted from his back, Ichika created a net out of the chains, threw the net to ensnare his targets, before dragging them away to the nearest government office. As he was on his way he thought about his ward, Setsura.

The time for Setsura to be revealed to the clan has not yet arrived. She may have peerless talents in magic, and a bottomless potential, but she has a weakness that Ichika had yet to solve, and that is her weak body. Setsura is a healthy girl with no history of long-term sickness, so it is very baffling that she has a very weak body, in contrast to her health.

Ichika tried to find what's wrong by conducting weekly check-ups for Setsura, and he still can't figure out what's wrong with her.

Before anybody could debate the young Orimura's capabilities as a medical mage, please note that before Ichika became a bounty hunter, he wanted to become a doctor, and he had several tutors teaching me about medicine. Yes, it is strange for a six year old learning medicine, but again, Ickika is a member of a prominent noble clan, and they are expected to grow up fast. Ichika can hunt down and fight men stronger, faster, more experience, more skilled, and more powerful than him and win, doing a medical check-up for a girl a year younger than me is a piece of cake, especially considering that he has enough knowledge to be consider a Junior Medical student in any University.

Still, fortunately for him, the clan elders expect very little from him because of his low magic skills, and they concentrated every resources at their disposal for Madoka, something that she was very grateful for and him suspicious. But because of that, Ichika can somewhat move around without the worry of anybody from the clan discovering his secrets. Case and point, Ichika became a successful and well known bounty hunter throughout Asia in the span of two years, and he has the bounty over my head to prove it. Half a million, and he got that bounty just before his ninth birthday.

As a bounty hunter, Ichika adopted the code name Sin, for no reason other than it being cool and mysterious. That proves that even walking the battlefields can not take the innocence away from children.

As Sin, the bounty hunter, Ichika is known as a merciful bounty hunter, he never killed his targets regardless of the fact that the bounty can be collected whether the target is dead or alive. Ichika also tends to avoid hurting anyone aside from his targets, even if they are said target's subordinate, he always finds a way to not harm them and still get the target.

As a bounty hunter, Ichika gained both friends, and some enemies as well. Because Japan has become the most beautiful country in Asia and the world, nationalism and patriotism rules and don't tell Ichika he is bias which he might be, it is almost impossible to find criminals with large enough bounty for him to catch and make ends meet inside the country, so Ichika usually hunts abroad, in the middle of the freaking warzone. For example, Ichika is CURRENTLY in Roanapur in southeast Thailand.

Roanapur, the most lawless city in the world, and the common courtesy in this place is to greet everybody with bullets or lethal magic, whichever comes first.

Being the great patriot that he is, every time Ichika hunts, he always tries to help the Japanese troops to finish their missions, which always ends in him sabotaging the enemy, and also running away as the said troops chase him, guns and CAD blazing.

Apparently, Ichika is a notorious criminal because he attacked a prominent member of the Orimura clan, his father, and regardless of the fact that he deserves more than what Ichika did to him, he still has a hit on his head. What's worse, the person who's chasing me is his own sister, Chifuyu, and in fifty different occasion, Ichika was almost got incase in ice. He already lost count on how many times he suffered from frostbite, and if it weren't for his regeneration ability, Ichika is pretty sure that he would have lost an arm and a leg.

Scene change.

"CAN WE NOT DO THIS?" Ichika shouted as he protected a large suitcase that held his pay. Apparently, Chifuyu and her unit, the Independent Magic Battalion, were temporarily in Roanapur to resupply. After he retrieved his pay, our hero accidentally met his sister and some of her friends, Yamada Maya and ShinonoTabane, in the middle of the city. The two of them stared at each other for a second before Ichika bolted, with Chifuyu following, CAD blazing.

"You tried to kill my father, you bastard. Hissatsu hyoso (certain kill ice spears)" Chifuyu shouted at the younger Orimura as she hurled icicle spikes, seven feet large, at him. Ichika dodged every attack that she threw at him as he maneuvered himself to lead her outside of the city. Roanapur is the mafia capital city of the world, and he did not want to face the army with the skills and bloodlust that had fought and won World War Three.

"It was two years ago, and the bastard is still alive." Ichika reasoned weakly before docking his head to avoid a Dragon made out of ice. Shaping an element into different forms requires great control over magic, and Chifuyu creating a Dragon made out of ice speaks volume of her skills. "Come on now, can we not do this now? I'm tired, and I need to buy something for my charge." Ichika saw a very well made and elegant gothic dress that he wanted Setsura to wear it in his next portrait.

Am I the only one who is weirded out by this?

Anyway Ichika continued to run while Chifuyu peppered him with spells like they were going out of fashion until...

"DIE," Chifuyu shouted as dozens of ice dragons flew towards Ichika.

"Screw it," Ichika muttered as he used his CAD, which is in the form of a watch of all things "Amaterasu no josha (servants of the sun Goddesse)!" he muttered loudly. Suddenly all of Ichika's surroundings turned completely dark before twelve gray wolves with red eyes appeared around him. Ichika's wolves clash with the Chifuyu's Ice dragons. The Ice dragons, on impact, incased the wolves in a large prison of ice, resulting into a mountain of ice after all my wolves were decapitated.

Now it might be different than the usual form but Ichika used Mirror magic, and as he himself said earlier people can recognise magical aura, so how was It that Chifuyu, an Orimura prodigy couldn't recognise Orimura clan magic? Well the answer is in the CAD that Ichika uses, you see Ichika's CAD was built with a scrambler inside it that scrambles the magic signature whenever his casts Orimura clan magic. The drawbacks of such a device, is that the potency of his magic is decreased by two ranks whichever spell he uses. For exemple a single Wolf would have been more than enough to bulldoze through Chifuyu's attack. Another drawback is that casting is a bit slugish. But the current scrambles was just a second generation scrambler, and Ichika is sure that the next generation scrambler is gonna adresse the issue with the casting speed. Unfortunately even Ichika's genius can not solve the problem of efficiency.

Well back to the story then. Ichika took several deep breaths, and waited to recover his energy before standing up and carefully making his way back to the city. He need to buy that dress for Setsura after all. Being incase in Ice was a cheap price to pay to see Setsura in that dress.

That sounded perverted; ah what the hell, Ichika is a nine year old bounty hunter, this is normal for him.

Scene change Ichika POV.

"Well, home sweet home I guess." I mumbled to myself as I gazed upon my estate and my mansion, the mansion that I made with my own money and with my own two hands.

One thing you will learn when you become a bounty hunter is to never trust anything that did not came from your own two hands. Poisoning and sabotage is a norm in my line of work.

Seriously, I'm nine; I shouldn't be worrying about these kinds of stuff. I should be worrying about my grades, which are above average considering I use my spare time hunting for criminals with five to six, and sometimes, seven digit bounty, making friends, I have friends but the problem is, most of my friends my age are girls, with one exception, and my male friends are all hardcore scumbags of society…

Yeah, my life sucks but I at least have a mansion of my own. Most of my friends can say the same thing.

As I look up my mansion, I cannot help but smile in pride. My mansion has three floors, and wide enough to cover two football fields. My mansion has many rooms, with thirteen rooms being the main feature of my mansion, I love the number 13. My house has many features that I adore so much:

A library (you guys have no idea how many books I acquired in my two years as a bounty hunter),

A music room complete with every instruments known to man (I spend at least three hours their every time I'm here)

An art room (that room is my pride and enjoy)

An entertainment room (I have every television, radio and stereo created by man, and not to mention a killer sound system)

An enormous game room (I'm nine for Christ sakes, I deserve some childish leisure)

A mini museum (I love artifacts and jewels, and my collection of both is very extensive)

A music recording room (What, I can't resist)

A green house and a farm (I grow my own food, okay)

My own laboratory (Mechanical, chemical, and digital….And those three count as one room)

A ballroom (An entire room made out of crystals! What, I discovered a crystal mine when I was planning the design of my mansion, and I am a very extensive man)

A world-class kitchen (I'm a freaking master chef! Taste my food if you don't believe me)

A tailoring room (I make my own clothes)

And lastly, my very own filming studio (Again, I'm nine, I can do anything childish)

Also, my mansion boasts at least ten bedrooms and a very beautiful garden complete with a diamond fountain.

Oh yeah, I also have a sauna, a hot spring, a swimming pool, and a Jacuzzi…

I also have a collection of wine…and don't get me started about the security system of my mansion…trust me, I can rant on and on for more than an hour to describe how awesome the security of my mansion

I NEED SOMETHING TO DISTRACT ME FROM MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES… DON'T JUDGE ME….

I shook my head as I open the front door of my mansion. The front door is made out of pure silver mineral, AGAIN, DON'T JUDGE ME. I entered the mansion and I smiled when I look at one of the many corridors of my house. The corridor was filled with many flowers (different variety) and painting (some painted by skilled artist I came across in the past and some made by me). I would normally smile in pride at my home before walking towards the musicale room but today It feels off as If I am missing something, call me paranoid but in my line of work when something feels off then It most definitely is off and you should be getting for the mother of all fuck ups.

Scene change general POV.

Inside a limousine, a short, elderly woman with a hunched body, arms folded in front of her body, and visible wrinkles. Her hair is a light shade of purple, tied into two large buns. Her slanted eyes are closed, much like squinting, her attire consists of a loose shirt, which has a short but relatively rounded collar, and a pair of pants, each patterned with a matching floral print and with light-colored cuffs. While her clothing may seem simple when worn by this person it will ooze sofistication and class. This person is none other than Usagi the empressé of Japan and the emperor's second wife.

"I love it when a plan comes together." The Empress whispered under her breath as she went home after having gotten an incredible acquisition in the form of a young man, Orimura Ichika.

The Empress could not help but chuckle mirthlessly at the thought of her plans that she concocted in her mind, plans that will take a decade to come to fruition.

To explain the Empress' plan, let us elaborate the five generations of magic of the great Nation of Japan.

The First Generation was the generation of trials and errors as magic was not yet prominent or well develop, far from today's generation. In the first generation, Magicians were labeled as psychics or espers as the most basic magic today were considered the highest magic possible during the First generation. Magicians were hidden from public, trained in secret, enhance if necessary, experimented when required, and disposed off if defective.

Japan also started breeding magicians via having exceptional magicians impregnate at least two to five women.

The result of the first generation proved to be the stepping stone for the greatness of the next generation of Magicians, the second generation.

The Era of Magicians started the same time Japan's Second Generation of Magic began.

The Second Generation focuses on the development and the categorization of magic as the development of different magic combats and the classification of the different types of magic. This generation utilizes ancient magic, with modern magic still an ongoing theory.

Japan's second generation was arguably the strongest era. The magicians produce during the second generation were the best magicians that the country had ever produced even to this day. The two most prominent magicians of the second generation were Orimura Ichigo, and the current Emperor of Japan, Ryuuya. The two of them alone were, and still are, the equivalent of an entire country's military might.

Japan became a superpower, the strongest nation in Asia during this generation as both Ichigo and Ryuuya led Japan to greatness. They paved an ocean of blood to engrave the military might of Japan to the world.

The Third Generation focuses on the transition from using talismans and staffs to using CADs. This generation is what started the fusion of technology and magic. This generation marks the dawn of magic being enhance and strengthen with technology. In this generation, skills were discovered, developed, proven, and practiced to the point that psion count doesn't anymore equate to an elite magician.

In this generation, the world wide standardization ranking magicians was developed, proven, and then executed.

Japan's third generation magicians were not as strong as the second generation, but they were more skillful compare to the last generation. The two most prominent magicians in this generation were Ayanami Isane, now known as Orimura Isane, and popularly known as Isane the Devil, and lastly, the late great Shirayuki, the White Pearl. These two magicians have very different styles and magic, and they also loathed each other (secretly, every girl hates the other), but they were the best in their generation, and they also equaled the Two Dragons in terms of Combat Prowess, surpassing them in skill but they were inferior in terms of power.

The Fourth Generation is different from the past three generations for this generation focuses more on the development of technology in support of magic. The difference in this generation when compare to the last three generations, especially the third, is the utilization of technology in magic.

In the previous generation, more specifically the third generation, the technology supports the magician. Technology enhances the skills of the magician.

In this generation, it's backwards. The Magician supports the technology. Skills that the magician should have can be covered and/or compensate with a high-end CAD, in other words, technology substitutes crucial skills of a magician, a skill that the magician should have and could use even without the help of technology.

Although the development of Magic skills took a decline in this generation, this generation compensate with the advancement of technology related to Magic.

In this generation, a battle can be determined at how advanced or how well tuned a CAD is.

Japan's fourth generation did not produce any magicians that can surpass the great magicians produced in the two previous generations, but this generation did produce a number of exceptional magicians. Zangetsu, the Heaven Chain; Chifuyu, the Demonic Ice Queen; Kurazakura, the Untouchable Queen; Shiroshiki, the White Storm; Doctor Jackal, Vladilena; Zephyrs, the Universal Shooter; 'Magneto' Schwarzer; the Killer Rabbit, Tabane; Quick Draw, Raphael; ShenLong, the Elemental Fist to name a few.

The Empress considered the fourth generation a failure. True, the fourth generation produced a lot of exception and great magicians compare to the previous generations, but none of them were able to surpass the greats that the previous generations produce. Also, average in the pass two generations are considered elite in the fourth generation.

A generation can only be considered great if and only if it produces somebody that can surpass the best of the previous generation. As far as the Empress could tell, the ten strongest magicians in this generation cannot even touch Isane in combat. Zangetsu has the potential to fight Isane in an equal footing, but the Devil would triumph in that battle in the end.

Still, even though the Fourth Generation is a disappointment, it is still acceptable.

The Fourth Generation is about to end, and Japan's next production will belong to the Fifth Generation.

Basing it in her earliest observation, the Empress deduced that the Fourth Generation is disappointing but at least passable, the next generation would simply suck, no more no less.

It is common knowledge that War is evil, but War will always result to evolution do to man's determination to live, to triumph, to survive, to prove that they are better than the opposition, and of course conquest. Since the Second Generation, Japan has been at war and that resulted in the production of elite magicians.

War can bring out the best in any country, in anyone in particular.

Japan is the strongest country in Asia when it comes to military might because of its high quality magicians and high-end technology, and because of that, Japan did not suffer from World War Three and now even with the conflict still on going, Japan did not suffer from the Great Asian War, and that is a bad thing and a good thing.

It's a good thing because the children did not suffer or experience war.

It's a bad thing because the children that would define and lead Japan's next generation of Magicians were not aware or inform at how cruel the world is or the challenges that they will face in the future.

In the last three generations, the youths were aware that there is war going on outside the country and they were prepared to fight to protect their country. In the Fifth Generation, the majority of the youths were not aware that there is a conflict happening outside of their country.

In the previous generations, magicians were being nurtured at the age of four, with some being deployed in the battlefield at the age of six, five if they were talented enough. In the Fifth Generation, only noble clans would consider, even consider teaching their children about magic, much less how to use magic properly or how to fight with magic. Also, magicians are nurtured at age twelve, middle school, and that is just introduction, the proper training will start in high school

In the previous generations, the youth viewed magic as a tool that is use to protect the country, a tool that should be developed to the best of their ability. In the Fifth generation, the youth viewed magic as a trend, as something similar to a fashion stament, something that should be achieve so that your peers will refer to you as somebody 'cool'.

The very thought of the Fifth Generations of magicians was enough to give the Empress a nightmare.

The difference between the Empress and her husband is that the Emperor is determined to achieve peace; the Empress is determined to maintain the peace.

The Emperor will only see the present, the Empress sees the future.

And the future sucks!

It was supposed to be, but that change because of one boy. The existence of one boy can salvage the Fifth Generation if guided correctly.

The name of that boy is Orimura Ichika.

To understand his significance, we need to elaborate more on his mother, Orimura Isane.

Orimura Isane, formerly known as Ayanami Isane, popularly known as Isane the Devil, was trained by the Second Empress, and she was proud of Isane and it filled her with pride at how strong and skilled Isane became under her tutelage.

Isane is everything a soldier should be; she is the epitome of the ideal warrior. Strong, powerful, cunning, and quick witted, a combat genius among warriors, resourceful, a natural tactician and strategist, to name a few of her attributes as a soldier. She has everything a warrior should have to be great in spades.

Orimura Isane is the greatest soldier Japan had ever produced in its long history.

But regardless of everything, she has one glaring fault.

Orimura Isane does not have morals, or ethics, or a conscience, or a heart. She is incapable of feeling compassion or mercy, whether they be allies or enemies, she will utterly annihilate them.

In words that can be easily understood, she's evil, pure demonic evil compress in the body of a very beautiful woman.

Still, Isane could and would respect her enemies, but that doesn't actually help her enemies because she would still kill them in the most brutal way possible.

Isane is unpredictable, she would follow orders but she would follow it her way. Nobody can accuse her of insubordination or have her court martial because she is the best at what she does. Isane is trouble, but she is a person that is better as an ally than an enemy.

That's the reason why her actions are tolerated, regardless of how twisted they are.

There is only one sure way to control Isane, and that is to provide her with wars and battles to fight. Isane thrive in wars and enjoys battles. Provide her with wars and battles, she would comply.

Isane is married to Orimura Kurei, which made her part of the Orimura Family. Now, this marriage is purely for convenient, no more, no less. There is no love between Kurei and Isane, and the only reason they have sex is to produce a child that has the ability to wield magic, which is their responsibility as magicians. Truth be told, Isane would have preferred going to war than have sex, and she had a number of one nights stands in her days as a soldier in the Asian War, and Kurei can have any girl that he wants in a snap of a finger.

The Empress, being Isane's teacher, was curious about her children.

Isane and Kurei have three children together.

The Eldest was Chifuyu. Chifuyu is talented enough to be recognized as one of the strongest in her generation, second best in her generation in fact, and she also inherited Isane's signature magic, Astral Projection. Though Chifuyu is powerful in her own right and much more magically talented than Isane, Chifuyu is no match against Isane in a straight fight.

Isane is born for war; Chifuyu is not, that distinction alone is enough for the Empress to know that though she has the potential, she will never surpass Isane.

Their middle child was Madoka. Madoka baffled the Empress because she does not have the talent that her mother and sister has in combat. In terms of Magic, Madoka is promising; having inherited the Orimura family magic, but that is it. Setting aside her potential in magic, there is nothing noteworthy about her.

The fact that her trust can easily be gained by a few flattering words and the fact that she can't stomach death was also disheartening.

The youngest and Madoka's twin was Ichika, and the moment he was born, he had already gained the Empress' interest.

When Ichika was born, he did not cry, instead, he laughed like a psychopath. That alone was enough proof for him to be identified as Isane's son. Apparently, Isane was like that when she was born.

When Ichika and Madoka were toddlers, the person who always calmed Madoka down when she was crying was Ichika. Heaven knows Isane won't do anything to calm her daughter down.

Ichika's weird behavior as a toddler earned him the curiosity of the Empress.

The Empress watched Ichika's growth from that moment forward, and his growth baffled her because it was abnormal.

Ichika matured faster than anybody she knew. At age three, he was already capable of advance movement. Age four, his mind was developed enough for him to understand and construct structures. Ichika created his first gun at that age and he was able to construct traps that were so complex that it was enough to neutralize soldiers. At the age of four; Ichika was capable of fighting a fully grown soldier.

That amused Isane enough that it earned him the love of the devil.

As Ichika grew, the Empress and those who knew Isane wondered if he was truly Isane's son. Ichika was the opposite of Isane. Ichika was cultured, very cultured and aristocratic, loathed fighting, and loves his family like nobody else would. In the eyes of the Empress and those who knew his parents, Ichika was more of a parent to his siblings than both Isane and Kurei combine.

Isane did not give a damn about her daughters, and Kurei will not hesitate to marry off any of his daughters to the highest bidder if he was allowed, just to further his political career.

But still, Ichika is still the son of Isane and it showed, if reflected upon the weapons that he creates. The weapons that Ichika creates even in his young age were advance, high-end, and it was design to complement the skill of the user. The user cannot depend on the weapon, but if the user is good enough, the weapon will increase the user's already existing skill by a large margin.

The technology that Ichika develops is the technology that should have existed in the fourth generation, in the Empress' opinion.

Now, when Ichika turned seven, it became harder for the Empress to monitor his growth. At age seven, Ichika started disappearing, and when he disappears, he covers his tracks so well that he leaves no traces. It both impressed and annoyed the Empress.

The Empress did not consider this relevant but at that year, Sin made his first public appearance by attacking Orimura Kurei.

When Ichika was seven to nine, the Empress notice a change in his eyes that somewhat disturbed her. The Empress observed that Ichika was slowly developing the eyes of an experience warrior, which made no sense whatsoever.

Ichika is the opposite of Isane. He would rather cook a five star meal than learn how to fight. He also does not possess any magical talents; he never showed an iota of magic to anyone.

But Ichika's aura, his eyes, his ever growing power that seems to radiate from his body, it did not lie.

When the Empress looked at Ichika when he was seven to nine, she was seeing a soldier in the verge of becoming a warrior.

This year, the year that Ichika was nine years old, the Empress struck gold. Today, she discovered a person that looks similar to the eldest daughter of her late twin sister, her niece. White hair, blue eyes, similar facial features, the young, eight year old girl was like the carbon copy of her niece.

Curiosity overtaking her, she scanned the mind of the young girl, impress with the girl's mental defense before discreetly breaking it, which gave her access to her mind.

What she discovered in that girl's mind made her smile and giddy with joy.

That girl, the eight year old Setsura, gave the Empress Ichika's secret life in great detail, and she knew, right there and then, that she has Ichika.

(Flashback)

"Ichika-sama, welcome home!" The eight year old Setsura greeted her brother enthusiastically as she bowed deeply at the sight of him.

Ichika smiled at this as he patted her head. "Come on Setsura, let's eat dinner. I'm hungry and I want to try this new recipe." Ichika said as he walked passed Setsura.

"Ichika-sama, should you be removing you outfit first?" Setsura asked childishly and Ichika chuckled at this as he turned around to face her.

"Point taken, you want to help me." Ichika offered with a mischievous smile as he found Setsura blushing very cute.

Setsura nodded slowly as she assisted her brother in removing his heavy coat and mask, blushing the whole time, while Ichika undo his gloves.

As Ichika undress, he suddenly blurted out a question. "So how was your day, Setsura?" Ichika asked curiously as he untied his shoes that was covered with blood.

"Nothing of interest, Ichika-sama. The Empress did visit the school."

That off handed statement froze Ichika on the spot as he suddenly stared at Setsura with a startled expression, which surprised the young girl.

"Setsura, did the Empress ever look at you during her visit?" Ichika answered nervously as he bit his thumb, causing it to bleed.

Setsura, unaware of her brother's nervousness, answered. "One time, and it was only a glancing look."

The look of fear then crossed Ichika's face as he spread his senses to encompasse the whole house.

Ichika let out a sigh at this as he shook his head. "We are going to be working on your mental defense in our next lesson." Ichika told her as he suddenly face the door and bowed deeply. "Milady, welcome to my humble home. Please make yourself comfortable."

Setsura was startled by her brother's actions, but realization dawned to her when the Empress of Japan entered the room, her hands clapping softly.

"I always knew you were special." The Empress stated before turning her attention to Setsura. "Hello dear child, I am your grandaunt as well as your step-grandmother."

(End of Flashback)

The first meeting between the siblings and the Empress, the tension was high but it calmed down considerably when the Empress assured the two that she would keep their secret if Ichika would open his mind to her.

Ichika agreed, but told the Empress that he will defend all the secrets that his mind held but would give her full access to everything else. The Empress agreed before she delved into Ichika's mind.

The first thing she discovered was that Ichika's has a formidable mental defense, even better than most of the telepaths that she knew and trained. By her assumption, she deduced that only Isane or Kurazakura could break his mental barriers immediately.

The second thing and the most important thing that she discovered was that Ichika was the perfected version of Isane. Ichika, without being train, has the sum total of all of Isane's skills and talents and more, and he does not have the same weakness that his mother has. Granted, he has more weakness than his mother, but unlike his mother, Ichika can overcome his weaknesses easily.

The third and the most crucial thing that she discovered was that Ichika has a severe case of sister complex. The Empress would go so far and say that Ichika's sister complex is irreversible, but she guess that it was hereditary.

Unknown to the public, Ichigo cheated on his wife with his sister. They didn't have a child in the affair for his sister died in the end of World War 3.

Now, Ichika's sister complex was what delighted the Empress the most. Ichika and Isane is similar in many ways, their combat skills and how they use their magic is mirror image of each other and Ichika, unfortunately, inherited the things that made people consider his mother the devil, but at least it is control.

Now the most glaring difference between them was that Isane cannot be controlled, a person would have more luck winning the lottery seven times in a row than having that devil obey them. Even if you use her son, she will not bow down, and Ichika would escape and capture his captors before gift wrapping them for his mother to play with.

Ichika, on the other hand, can be controlled, and the key is his sisters, more specifically, Setsura.

The Empress realized something when she witnessed how Ichika treated his sisters. He loves them that fact is unquestionable, but the degree of love that he has for his sisters varies.

Madoka, Ichika loves her like an overbearing and protective brother.

Chifuyu, Ichika loves and admires her with an almost unhealthy manner.

Setsura, Ichika loves her more than he loves everything else. Ichika was already in love with her.

Currently, Ichika is still in denial, and still hadn't acknowledged her as his sister.

In his defense, he is nine years old.

After seeing everything she needed, the Empress instantly formulated a plan that started with one sentence:

"Setsura-chan, do you want to live with your mother side of the family?"

The Empress asked Setsura in an act to test the two.

There answers did not disappoint her.

"If Ichika-sama finds me as a burden, only then will I leave his side."

"Setsura is my responsibility, take her, my Empress, then I will strike you down."

Those two answers, those two statements alone were enough for the Empress to determine how devoted they are to each other.

Setsura, plain and simple, already acknowledge her love for his big brother, and would follow him to the ends of the earth, from hell and back. She will do anything for him; he just needed to give the word.

Ichika, though he was still fooling himself, would fight to the dead to keep her. Ichika, as he is right now, may not know this or deny this fact, but the reason why he took care of Setsura when her mother died wasn't because he felt an obligation to her well being, but because he wanted her to be his wife someday. From the moment he took her under his wing, he started training her to be his perfect and ideal wife.

Deep down, Setsura knew her brother's intentions and she did not disappoint him. She became the Goddess that Ichika desired her to be, the Goddess that he wanted to worship and have.

Hearing that answer, the Empress meticulously made plans for the two.

The disappointing Fifth Generation suddenly became less disappointing because of the two. Ichika and Setsura, for the Empress, could singlehandedly salvage the Fifth generation, they just needed to be guided accordingly.

Ichika and Setsura were the perfect pair of magicians that she had ever seen in her life.

Setsura was born to be a magician, a great one at that. Every gift, every talent that would guarantee a magician greatness, she possessed it, and because of Ichika guiding her, her talents and in born abilities did not recede but instead, it were developed to such monstrous level.

Ichika may not be as magically gifted as his half-sister, but he made do with what he had and became great with it.

Ichika, guiding him was easy. He was a bounty hunter and a patriot, like every good Orimura. He was already set in leading the next generation; he just needed to overcome his fear of his own power and get stronger. The Empress will arrange that by giving Ichika targets that would push him to his limits so that he can surpass it.

Setsura, this was a challenge for the Empress because it seems that the young girl was hesitant to learn anything that did not originate from her brother. Still, it was easily resolve as the Empress will give Ichika every resources he needs to further Setsura's lessons.

Ichika, truth be told, only has three definite weakness, his inability to perform any magic outside of his affinity, his fear of embracing his nature as a warrior, and the fact that he still hadn't had his first kill.

His first weakness should not even be considered a weakness. For starters, his Blood Magic can be use in so many ways that it made it irrelevant for Ichika to learn any other magic, and his regeneration made sure that he would be very difficult to kill. Take to account that because of Ichika's genius and curiosity, he made himself versatile by training to be an anti-mage, developing his own unique ninjutsu.

Suffice to say, his first weakness has long been overcome.

His second weakness, can easily be handled, just put Ichika in a difficult situation and make sure that Ichika has no other option but to kill his opponent.

His last weakness, now that's an all different can of worms.

Ichika, like his mother, is born for war. He is one of the rare beings that were created in order to fight in wars. He was born as natural warrior, and that scared Ichika more than anything else that he had ever faced or encountered. Ichika knew, deep down, that if he just embrace his true nature, then he would become a being that would surpass his mother as well as the two dragons in a short period of time, but that would also result in him abandoning his humanity, and that alone was enough for Ichika to shy away from his true potential.

Usagi would not have that, she can't have that, she couldn't afford to have that. Ichika's main weakness was psychological, something that she could fix if given the chance. Alas that is currently impossible. MAYBE in the future if all tails but for now she has a few plans to start Ichika's conditioning.