Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos or Mobile Suit Gundam. Those are private property of their respective owners. I am merely writing this story for fun. Not profit. Because I'll likely put them out of business!
White Shooting Stars
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Orimura Residence
June 15th, 2046
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Chifuyu yawns as she looks at the holographic clock.
The soft, forest green numbers read too damn early for her to be up. Especially after all the things she had to take care already.
With a soft groan and more annoyance than she'll care to admit, Chifuyu gets up. Reaching for and retrieving her robe, she throws it on over her underwear she was sleeping in. Grumbling the whole way through the process, she ties off its sash and goes to see what the noise was that woke her up is all about.
Bad enough a storm had suddenly appeared a couple of days ago. It was making itself quite the nuisance. Sure, no one had been hurt thus far, but businesses were feeling it. Plus, a lot of it was seemingly unnatural as the storm was effecting a lot of places, the largest storm front on record and hitting places in Asia, North America, and Australia with reports of some tendrils reaching all the way to Eastern Europe.
Whatever. As long as it wasn't the end of the world or some nonsense, she didn't care.
A bolt of lightning struck near her house, the force of it enough to shake the whole building and almost throw her off her feet. In moments, it passed and thankfully, her brother was staying at a friend's house tonight. It made this less troublesome.
Pulling blinds back to look outside, she saw nothing. Whatever had awoken her earlier, it felt gone now.
Realizing, belatedly, it was some kind of pressure that only some top tier IS pilots can sense, she frowned as she looked outside the window some more. She could see nothing, other than a crater that would need to be filled in. Did they even have that kind of insu-
The dark outline of an IS suddenly appeared before her. Its mass blocking off sight outside the window. With a surprised yelp, the woman tripped over her own feet and tumbles back.
Hitting the opposite wall, Chifuyu is momentarily dazed. Shaking it off in a hurry, she gets up to call for help, as much as she hates too. Now she wishes she still had an IS on hand. She never thought she would need one this close to Academy though.
As she begins to head back to her room and call for help, she realizes something important...
She's not being pursued. Or shot at. Or... anything.
"Huh?" gently peeking out another window, she can see the IS's form just barely.
Another bolt of lightning overhead lights up the IS briefly. White with black markings... No... Not markings... Scorch marks.
Going to the door and opening it up and stepping outside, ignoring the rain soaking her robe and tank top and panties, she finds the IS leaning against her home. The pilot can be seen as being immobilized and slumped as well.
"Hey, you alright?" she asks and gets no answer.
Walking up to it, she stops. That is still some heat trailing off it. Must have been hit directly or something. Highly unheard of.
It's only when she gets close enough to reach out to touch it, that she realizes how much of a bad idea that is.
She must have hit her head harder than she thought. Now she hears the sizzling of the rain on the armor and can see some burn marks against her home. The paint peeling in some places from the heat and others, boiling slightly. The heat of it is actually making her sweat.
Another close by bolt of thunder and the rain gets suddenly harder. So much harder that steam is flying into the air, as though the heavens themselves are desperate to cool the IS down.
Then it tumbles to its side, leaving a scorched line as it falls.
The wet grass doesn't catch fire, but Chifuyu's breath catches.
By the shock of seeing the outline of a man in the IS.
A man with a strange symbol of two bells, at least what she can see through the scorching on the emblem.
Then a bright light. Chifuyu doesn't blink. Then she is leaning over to check the man. His IS having returned to stand by mode.
And figuring out if she can get him inside so she can call Maya for help.
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IS Academy
Isolation Ward, Infirmary
June 23rd, 2046
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Chifuyu watches as the man eats the meal she had brought him today. He quickly proved to be tired of the Infirmary's food. Not that she blames him. Doctors still can't seem to understand that nutrition can only go so far, before it becomes too bland for repeated consumption.
The man before her, Amuro Ray, CAPTAIN Amuro Ray of the Earth Federation Forces' Londo Bell Task Force, CAG of the Space Battleship EFS Ra Calium.
Quite the background he's got.
First saw combat in the Three Years War, which was just a prelude for a much longer conflict and a series of them no less. He ended up joining the war in the late Fall of Universal Century 0079. Fought for only several months, but had ended up in some of the worse fighting that had come to be since the start of the war. As such, lacking professional training and discipline, he and his shipmates of the Space Carrier, EFS White Base, had burned out rather quickly.
After the Delaz Campaign, a failed uprising the following year, UC 0083, after the end of the Three Years War, and the true end of the First Space War as it was later dubbed, , he became a full time instructor and teacher for cadet pilots in North America for the EFF.
But, a little over four years later, during the Gryps Campaign, he had rejoined the fighting and continued to fight in the Neo-Zeon War of UC 0088 to UC 0089.
After that, in UC 0090, he had joined the newly formed Londo Bell Task Force to replace the defunct Titans Anti-Militant Corps.
He immediately found himself caught up in the Red Comet's Rebellion, where his long time rival and one time Brother-in-Law, Char Anzable, organized a rebellion against the Earth Federation with plans to destroy Earth in order to force people to migrate to live only in 30 kilometer long Space Colonies in the Earth Sphere.
All so they could evolve into a higher form of humanity.
Evolution by Force.
Not a good idea.
Especially given what he had in mind for people. There were so many flaws in just forcing that many people into space, Chifuyu still doesn't know where to begin.
Well… Other than to call the Red Comet a foolish idiot, of course.
Sadly, she has to believe all of this, because Amuro's IS, which he insisted, and was proven, had been a giant robot called a Gundam, has all of the relevant data to back up the latter part of Amuro's story.
Along with a very complex and long list of ships, places, names, and other things such as other 'Mobile Suits' as well.
With a so much evidence, the details and sizes of some ships and Mobile Suits, even the Mobile Armor, stunned even her.
So much wasted by people Amuro had rightly termed, 'Sore Losers.'
Still, what are they going to do with him?
Amuro's Mobile Suit, the RX-93 Nu Gundam had become an IS. Technically, he is the first male IS pilot in the world. And, because of its background and technology, his Nu IS does not have a Tabane Core in it.
The 'T' shaped core could be described as something else altogether.
How are they going to keep him from getting caught up in things beyond his ability to cope with?
He's proving as much trouble as her brother, but oddly… She found him just as sincere and honest as Ichika.
And less dense too.
He also is proving to be nigh immune to her. No matter what she says or declares, he pushes back with surprising strength. It is a welcoming change from people cowing around her. Only Maya doesn't cow, at least not often.
Contrary to Tabane's beliefs, Maya is more the sister than the lover to Chifuyu.
Which has its own heartache she likes to keep hidden. Especially from Ichika. Most especially from Ichika.
"Gotta tell him," Amuro looks at her with that deeper wisdom in his eyes, "It'll hit him more if he doesn't know sooner."
And there is the fact that he has that sixth sense to read her mind.
"Don't need to read a mind," he chuckles lightly to himself, "Just need to read the mood, body language, and how-"
Chifuyu chucks a pillow at him.
How is this one man so easily able to read her?!
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IS Academy
Main Port
May 15th, 2050
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It is one thing to call in favors.
It is an entirely different thing to tap the past on the shoulder.
But tap it Orimura Chifuyu did.
Fortunately, it has a subsidiary in Ireland. Does RnD work for the Irish Defense Forces. Has a couple of contacts in the Irish Government, thank the kami that includes their IS departments too. And finally, has a sub-headquarters in Dublin.
Most importantly, though, Shooting Star Electronics also does work on Infinite Stratos for several nations.
They were the second biggest name in IS development in the United States of America. The company is also permitted to work with the USA's allies as well. That included England, Scotland, and Ireland as well as Germany, Israel, Japan, South Korea, France, and still more nations such as Australia, Canada, Italy, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey among other major and minor names.
It still did not mean, that Chifuyu is happy to see her estranged husband, even if her brother hadn't known until she put her ring back on for the first time in over a year.
Still, all it takes, is for him to step off his private ship, an old Amphibious Assault Ship of all things that he had had converted into a support vessel for military research, and for him to walk up to her for her to admit, that she really does miss him.
He only smiles and gently reaches out and pulls her into a warm and comforting hug that she just lets envelop her. The two are on good terms still, perhaps they will have that fiery passion again. She just hopes...
"Now now, stop thinking fearful thoughts," Amuro Ray states as he gently strokes her hair, her scent just as he remembers it as he breathes it in.
For now it is just the two of them. Nothing else in the world. Just them, alone and together once more. Just as quickly as they came together when he first appeared in her life.
Just them.
In happy peace.
Then a defensive missile from Amuro's research ship shoots down something that had been aimed for the two of them, though more likely, for Amuro.
With that, the moment is, unfortunately, now over as the two break the hug and step back from one another and Amuro looks over at the several girls and two boys in ISA uniforms.
His brown eyes zero in on the dark haired Japanese boy first. Taller than Chifuyu, same hair and eye color, the general likeness in appearance, "So that's Ichika, huh."
Said boy stands up straighter. How the hell did his sister get MARRIED?! Yeah, he'll admit to being one of the densest people on the planet, but come on! How did he miss THAT?!
"A long story I don't feel like getting into right now," Chifuyu states and everyone is taken aback that not only does Chifuyu still has that uncanny ability, but after realizing what Mr. Ray just said, SO DOES HE!
Which only causes the group of teenagers to squirm nervously under their eyes.
The married pair, deciding not to cause the teens undue stress, step over to Ichika first, who can only gulp nervously. Not knowing who is previously unknown brother-in-law is, is impossible. The man only has his face in magazines or on the news once or twice every few weeks with some new development or some great success or simply because of how outspoken he can be about somethings and yet, he's also one of the biggest, if not the leading, contributor to space development and exploration.
Amuro Ray is only THE biggest name for a male in the whole world right now. A man who had gone on to be what many people describe as the Man's Man. A man who fights the new woman dominated world head on and wins. A guy known for his fast rides, high flying escapades, and challenging anything and everything put before him.
He's also one of the most successful business leaders in the world right now. Starting from scratch and appearing from nowhere, his company is one of the largest and most advanced to come into existence in the last three years! From toy robots for kids to advanced military projects, Shooting Star Electronics and its founder and sole owner are listed among the Top Five companies in the world!
Amuro Ray alone was worth an easy several billion dollars in American money! Why the several Lunar Complexes on the Moon are being built according to designs by SSE and the first fully functioning orbital habitat belongs to it as well!
"Huh," Amuro states looking at Ichika, "I can definitely see the family resemblance quite easily enough to pick him out of a crowd and how he is exactly as you described him."
The surprised look the younger Orimura sibling sends his older sister is telling, but then Amuro chuckles a bit, "But he has a good heart and I get the feeling, when he's older, he'll be a sharper tack."
"Oh?" Ichika's harem- girlfriends- FRIENDS who happen to be GIRLS all look at one another. They can... wait... a few more years to get their point across. Maybe.
Chifuyu, surprisingly, playfully punches Amuro in the arm. The three then converse with Amuro wisely avoiding the topics involving how he had come to know Chifuyu, let alone marry her. Though that last one was on EVERY mind as Chifuyu simply didn't seem the type to get a boyfriend, let alone a husband!
"Stop thinking such stupid thoughts!" Chifuyu snaps at everyone thinking that.
Of course, Banagher knows there is more to Amuro Ray. He can feel the pressure. He can also see how Amuro easily avoided an attempt on his life just now. A sharp turn by Chifuyu seems to have made the point as the feeling of someone being... Well... They're gone. That's the part Banagher concentrates on.
And then the two males are standing before one another. Both reaching out wordlessly to shake hands. As soon as they meet, they both see who each other is.
"The one who will close an era," Amuro states with a small grin and a knowing look in his eyes, "And open a new one."
"The White Shooting Star," Banagher feels his eyes go wide as he stands in awe of the easily approachable Captain Amuro Ray, "The Hero of the Federation."
Unlike what he had felt from Full Frontal, Amuro Ray doesn't need a second coming. In fact, Amuro Ray stands as his own man, his person. Free of shackles that would bind him down and, despite the weight of Earth on his body, his soul…
He has not yet felt a soul that can fly so high.
The others looked confuse between each other, as both Maya and Chifuyu quickly realize just WHO Amuro Ray really is.
Other than being the True First Man to pilot an IS.
And the fact that he is on the verge of finally making IS Cores, despite Tabane's best efforts.
And then some.
No. Banagher says it all himself.
"Captain Amuro Ray of the Londo Bell Task Force," causing the others give gasps, "The Hero who saved Earth."
Amuro chuckles, "I wasn't alone," he admits with a small smile, "There were many heroes that day. We all came together to save that which is most precious so that you children can one day grow up and claim it as your own."
Then fingering his Hi-Nu Gundam in Stand-By Mode, revealing it as a dog tag, "If and when we are needed again, we will answer."
And Banagher has no doubt, that in this world where only three men can use Infinite Stratos…
Amuro Ray would lead the charge to several the chains that bind down the world and will set it free if given just that one moment to do so.
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A/N:
Okay, this is just a little something made from parts that me and CasualFictionWriter23 have batted between the two of us.
Both of us wanted to do something more for the stories we both have grown to like. His own works and mine as well. As well as the series that are now infused into these stories that we are both so quite fond of.
Dare say, we might be Otakus for life at this point!
That said… I wanted to do one more chapter before New Years. Which… As I right this A/N, is only 7 minutes away now.
Talk about putting something together. I hope this is up to my usual standard for all of you who will see and read this. Please let me know.
Furthermore, this is a stand-alone One Shot. As such, there will be no more chapters to it.
Six minutes to 2018.
Got to get this posted.
More work will follow in the future. So keep an eye open and ear to the ground, for I will be coming back out strong!
