Disclaimer: I do not own I.S. and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes

#1: For the most part these chapters are only ideas that I thought would be interesting to write about for Infinite Stratos. There is no real theme to the entire collection, which means that eventually it will probably have at least one one-shot that you will like. If you want me to continue writing on any of the ideas, leave a review of which chapters you really liked. If another people show interest in a particular chapter, I'll consider turning the one-shot into an actual fanfiction.

#2: If you wish to use one of the ideas as a basis for a story that you want to write, please shoot me a PM. I can update the chapter to advertise your story so that people can see what you have written. Just make sure to note that you got the story from this collection if you do so that other potential writers who might be interested in other types of chapters or stories can pick up what they might find more interesting among the one-shots.

Title: The Dark Son

Posted: 11/17/2013

Rated: T/M

Genre: Sci-fi/Hurt/Comfort?

Characters: Ichika, Madoka, Chifuyu

Summary: (AU) Chifuyu Orimura, the successor of the Orimura family legacy, abandoned her role. She fled towards the light to live in the sun, and away from the phantoms. In doing so, she wound up becoming the beacon of strength for many. But to the ones she left behind, her beacon of strength also fueled their dark lust for revenge.

Ichika's Perspective

"What's the job, Squall," I said in an annoyed tone as our superior waltzed into our room. It was late, and my sister and I were exhausted. We had just gotten back from our respective training regiments. All we wanted to do was rest for the night, but I knew that that might not be possible given how it was the time for most of our major operations. The only way that either my sister or I were going to get any rest was if we listened to Squall and acted accordingly.

"That's no way to talk to a lady. As the future heir of the organization, you should learn the proper etiquette befitting of a gentleman. Isn't that right, Ichika?" the blonde hair woman said with a light-hearted giggle.

"And as his future subordinate, you should address him properly," Madoka said with an aggravated tone over the fact that our well deserved break was being interrupted by our squad leader.

"Oh do forgive me. Where are my manners?" Squall said rather sarcastically. She was just trying to push my twin's buttons, and she was succeeding. Madoka never was the calm, collected type, which made it really easy for the other members of the organization to ruffle her feathers.

Before Madoka had gathered enough anger to strike at our superior, I raised my arm before her. If it wasn't for the fact that I was her sibling and was still able to keep her on a leash, my attempts at stopping her would have cost me an arm. It also helped in that I still outranked her in the organization. If I wasn't in this with her, she probably would have gotten herself in too many messes, and her attitude would probably have been adjusted through less than humane means.

"Just get straight to the point, Squall. Both my sister and I need to get some rest. It would be in your best interest to do your duty so that we can be alert during the mission," I said with a commanding voice.

"Very well, Summer," the woman said while giving me a curtsy in an attempt to hide her amusement over the fact that I was acting as her boss rather than as her subordinate. She then continued by talking to us in a condescending tone, "As you know, the Mondo Grosso gives us a plethora of opportunities to act without too much fear of drawing in too much unnecessary attention from those that could stop us."

"Get to the chase," I said with a gesture to hurry the woman along.

This woman really knew how to bend people. While I did know how she operated in order to get into other's heads, it still didn't make me immune to whatever annoyance she could be. I hated the fact that she was treating my sister and me as children not because of the fact of that being our state of being, but because she knew it annoyed the hell out of us. Squall was simply enjoying the fact that she could push our buttons. What was worse was that even when I assumed the role of the next head, I couldn't just simply get rid of her. She knew this because she knew that she was both a talented pilot and was able to control her units quite well.

"It's so cute to see just how impatient the two of you are. But I guess I shouldn't keep such a cute boy waiting. M is going to accompany Spring, Autumn, Winter, Tempest, Maelstrom, and myself as we launch a diversionary attack on the Mondo Grosso. In the meantime, you will go and capture all of the VIP members with the aid of two of our men. Other teams will go through different areas to stretch the security thin and delay any backup from getting to you."

"Wait a minute! Phantom Task wants to attack an arena filled with the strongest pilots, and you want my brother to capture the most powerful figure heads of the world?!"

"I thought our missions were supposed to take place in… Oh I don't know… The crippled military bases where most of our resources come from," I said with an unamused expression on my face.

"Well if you have problems, you can always go question the current head. But I wouldn't suggest taking such a course of action. Now I'll leave you two to your precious naptime," Squall said with a snicker before letting herself out of the door to head to her lover's room.

"You think she bought it?" Madoka whispered into my ear?

"Probably, or she just wants to see us on the streets. In either case, I don't think we have to worry about our plan coming out to the open," I responded.

"That's a relief," my nine year old sister mumbled softly before heading off to bed.

I, myself, stayed up a bit later to contemplate about my past, present and future. I was only nine, yet I was already at a point in my life where I had qualms with my very existence and possible futures. It was strange for me to have to assess the entirety of my life. It was as though I were an adult that was regretting the choices made, but how could I not think like that? I belonged to a terrorist organization, and not just some measly one.

I belonged to an organization that simply existed for the sake of existing. We had no rhyme or reason other than to amass what we could and wreak havoc. I was even a fairly high ranking officer and the future heir. If I wasn't messed up in the head yet, then I wasn't catching on to something that I probably should have as a terrorist.

As I spent more time pondering how my life turned out the way it did, I began to regret being born. The more I speculated and analyzed, the more I realized that I was destined to have taken the path that I did. I was born into the role, and there had only been one way for me to not have had to become who I was. There had been only one hope for me to escape the shadows, but she had left me behind.

The woman had abandoned her family and left the burden of our family on her younger siblings. Chifuyu Orimura had deserted us and left the weight on my shoulders. Because of her, I had to endure so much. I had to fill in the void that she left when she left the organization. I was left to fill in a gap that I simply could not fill.

I gritted my teeth as the memory of the woman knotted my stomach and pained my heart. It hurt so much to know that I had been abandoned by the one person that I had respected the most. It hurt even more to know that the care she had shown was so shallow. She had promised me that she would look out for me. Chifuyu had promised to protect her little brother and little sister from harm.

And I trusted her.

I looked at my sleeping twin. She had been hurt as well. I knew that. Madoka had also experienced what it felt like to be abandoned. How could she not have? Chifuyu had made the same promise with her as she had with me.

I got up and walked to my only real family to sit next to her sleeping body. I gently brushed the hair off of her face so that she would be more comfortable. Doing so gave me a full view of her peaceful face.

"I'm sorry, Madoka," I murmured gently and quietly so as not to stir the girl from her sleep.

"Are you two ready?" I asked my comrades as the time for our operation drew closer.

Both gave a silent nod in response. Even though the two men that I had brought along were hardened veterans and had masks concealing their faces, I knew that they were scared of what was about to come. I didn't have to see their expressions or hear their thoughts to know. It was clear through the way they held their bodies. I was nervous as well, but not scared. The others were scared of dying in this conflict; I was just nervous should I fail in my plans.

We all had several more good reasons as to why we were worried. While there were many fairly reasonable explanations for our anxiety, the one that was definitely floating through all our minds was what would we do if we met up with a pilot. We were all hardened fighters and were armed quite heavily, but that didn't matter if we had to fight off an Infinite Stratos.

"Did you two bring your bulletproof armor?" I asked to confirm what my teammates had brought with them.

"It would have just slowed us down, sir. Not much point to having protection when dealing with something that can tear a tank apart," one said rather dryly as he imagined himself dying a horrible death.

"I see. If that's how you feel, then you two can act as my shields. You both obviously have a death wish," I said darkly over how the two were clearly unprepared for the operation.

"But sir_" both tried to say, but stopped before realizing that I had two magnums pointed at their hearts.

"Choose here and now. Die by my hand for insubordination, or risk your lives to make sure that the organization's prized heir does not perish in this godforsaken mission."

With that, both soldiers just gulped and nodded.

"Then be ready for the start. We will only have a minute or two to dispose of all sixteen bodyguards in the hallway. Prioritize killing the women first. It may be possible that they could deploy an I.S. if given an opportunity."

"Yes sir," both responded immediately.

We then waited in silence as the clock ticked closer and closer to our operation time. It was honestly nerve-racking to have to wait for the plan to start since security was going to be difficult to take down. Our escape plan wasn't full proof either, but that was to be expected when the world's strongest and most influential were all gathered in one place.

If it wasn't for the fact that we were Phantom Task, the mission would have just been a fool's errand or suicidal. No, it was still fairly suicidal. It was foolish, but more so for us than the actual diversion teams since we had no means to fight off the Infinite Stratos other than to blow out the pilot's brain before they could deploy the frame.

I looked at my watch in anticipation and noticed that we only had a few seconds remaining before the start. I then motioned the others to quietly creep to the corner so that we could shoot our targets at the very second we needed to.

The whole building soon shook as multiple explosions sounded off in the distance, which signaled us to roll out.

One soldier ran out and began to shoot with a sweeping motion to hit as many targets as he could in the fewest seconds possible. The other remained at the corner and targeted the female bodyguards on the left. I slid on the ground behind my own man, and took care of the women on the right.

Within a matter of seconds, all of the guards were dead. They didn't even have the time to draw out their guns to retaliate.

"You two stand here and guard the corridor as I check the corpses," I said quickly as I ventured into the hallway. Both men listened and entered only as far as the entrance of the corridor before turning around to shoot any security that thought about entering the region.

As I drew closer and closer to the dead bodies, the smell of iron wafted into my nose. I wasn't fazed by the smell though. It wasn't the first time I had to kill people, and I had done it enough that the squelching of the bloody parts under my foot didn't bother me so much anymore.

I didn't even squirm from having to search the dead bodies for survivors and any useful equipment. It was something that I had to do every mission. There were even several times during my searches when I had to mercifully end a life that had been spared. Due to my job and proficiency, whatever innocence I had was gone. I had even become so accustomed to the sight that I was starting to enjoy the crimson colors of the spray that was left over on the walls. The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that I had become accustomed to killing others.

"All clear," I said as I reloaded my magnums.

Both of my men had turned around to aid in securing the VIP members in the room, but both were shot straight through the heart the moment they had seen me. They didn't even have the time to step towards me. Both just died at the entrance to the corridor. Their sudden deaths didn't surprise me though. I was the one that shot them after all.

"All according to plan," I mumbled as I opened the door to the political heads of the world.

Chifuyu's Perspective

"Ms. Orimura, the boy we found with the VIP members is in the next room," a gruff man said with an exhausted look in his eyes.

We were all exhausted. How could we not? Phantom Task had launched a massive attack on the biggest event of the year. Everyone had to fight with everything they had just to survive, and many still perished. Considering the enemy had gotten a hold of seven I.S. cores, we were lucky that the damage had only spread as far as it had. It didn't exactly help our situation when we had to search out for all of the other intruders that were dispersed throughout the entire complex.

I was tired, and felt vindicated that Phantom Task had decided to strike here of all places. I had just won the Mondo Grosso a second time, and my past came back to wave its ugly side in front of my face. It was just a terrible day, but now I had to help with some interrogation because they found some suspicious boy that wouldn't answer anyone's questions.

"Is there anything I should know before I go see him?" I asked irritably.

"He was found carrying these two guns," the investigator said as he drew out the intruders weapons.

What the man laid before me caused my heart to skip a beat. He had brought out two familiar magnums. Both were fairly large and the grips each had something written on them. One had the word Ori written on it, and the other had Mura. They were my guns. No, that was inaccurate now. They had been my guns, but they were the guns of the heir.

I kicked down the door to see if my suspicions were correct. I didn't even care if the people in the room had given me a strange and worried look. I just had to know if the boy was who I thought it was.

"Hello," a rather tired voice said from the boy sitting in the chair.

"Ichika…" I said with a disappointed tone as I saw my greatest failure sit before me in cuffs.

"You know this boy?" the investigator asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"Go on… Tell him," the boy said with a yawn.

"He's… my younger brother," I said dryly.

"Your what?"

"You heard my all-so-powerful sister. I'm her little brother. Now, can you please leave so that I can have my family reunion in peace?"

The investigator just gave the two of us a look. Why wouldn't he? A terrorist attack had just occurred, and the most suspicious person that was captured was related to me. No matter how you looked at it, the two siblings in the room were a definite threat to everyone's safety.

"Let me at least hear him out," I said coldly while taking a seat across from the boy.

It didn't even matter if the investigator was in the room or not. Everything was going to be recorded anyways, and they could still listen from outside of the room. It wasn't like I was going to set my brother free. Even if that were my plan, they couldn't even stop me since I was able to wield an I.S. as the Brunhilde.

"Sure…" the man said before letting himself out.

"So why are you here?" I asked with a frown strewn across my face.

"Can't your little brother drop by and say hi?" Ichika asked with an irritated look.

"No… Why are you here? You never were the type of kid to get involved in such dangerous business. You were always the innocent one."

"Someone had to fill in the gap that you left when you ran away. Turns out they chose me when you left me behind. As a result, I was sent here to capture the VIP," he said with his fist turning red from the amount of force he used to ball up his fists.

"You and I both know that I didn't have a choice in the matter. I couldn't protect you and escape from Phantom Task," I said coldly as I began tapping my arm with some of my fingers.

"You did have a choice, and you ran. You abandoned your family. You promised me that you would look after me. You even went on to become the strongest I.S. pilot on the planet. Why didn't you come back to save your siblings? You obviously had the strength to do so. An even better question, why didn't you come back and change the organization for the better? You were going to be the next head, and no one would have been able to go against you. Why didn't you just put an end to the organization?" the boy yelled with frustration as he slammed the table.

"The world isn't that simple! If it were, why are you here? If they were training you to be the heir, you could have easily escaped. Why didn't you follow your own advice and change Phantom Task for the better?" I responded in a similar fashion.

"Because I'm not like you! I can never be like you! I can't be the perfect prodigy! I don't have the strength to be able to do what you can do! I'm just a boy that got caught up in a world I shouldn't be in! I… can't be as strong as you… Why… Why didn't you come back?" Ichika said passionately, which progressively grew weaker as tears started welling

He was right though. I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Ichika was just lashing out, and he had every right to do so. As his sister and idol, I had promised to protect him. I had promised and failed. I even went so far as to leave him for dead when I could have just changed the organization from the inside. As a result, he became the heir. Ichika was forced to take on a role that he was never truly born into.

It was also unfair for me though. Ichika was simply experiencing the same thing that I had when I had run away. The only difference was that unlike him, I didn't have anyone to confide in. Even still, I had left a burden that I didn't wish to carry any longer onto him. As his older sister, I couldn't help but feel ashamed for abandoning my little brother that had adored me so much in the past. I was justified in my actions, but still felt a new burden for escaping on my own.

"Let's get back on track. Why exactly did you not do as the organization commanded you to do?" I asked with a straight face so as not to reveal the guilt I was feeling.

"You should know that better than anyone else. I just couldn't bear the burden anymore. I didn't want to continue our stupid family legacy just because I was born into our psychopathic bloodline," he sniffled as he tried to regain his composure from his outburst.

"And you left Madoka behind?"

"Unlike me, she wants the position. You know how she always was the type to get excited when a conflict occurred. Though, I can't say she will be too happy that I decided to betray our heritage."

"You hypocrite…" I said with a displeased look on my face over the fact that Ichika was judging me poorly despite doing the same thing that I had done.

"Better than making empty promises," he hissed.

And like a snake, his vehement comment sank pretty deep into my skin. I didn't show it, but I was deeply hurt to see my innocent little brother be changed into something so hollow and angry.

"I think we have talked enough. As it stands, you are probably are going to go away for a long time just for being part of the attack," I said calmly as I began to rise out of my seat.

"What… Going to abandon me again? You know just as well as I do that Phantom Task has agents everywhere," Ichika barked.

"Then you can go back to the family that hasn't betrayed you as of yet," I said angrily and breaking my calm demeanor for the first time during the conversation.

"Not even if I told you that I can activate an I.S.? Would you still send your only brother to be a guinea pig to those butchers? If you have any lingering humanity in you, would you still sentence the one person who saw you as a girl that needed a little bit of love to become another slab of meat?"

What he had said stopped me in my tracks. I could even hear the sound of chairs flipping on the other side of the room from the investigators panicking. Why wouldn't they have not been in a frenzy? The boy was claiming to be able to pilot a weapon that could only be piloted by women. While ridiculous in nature, the fact had to be taken seriously since no one had any background information on him other than me. He could have been telling the truth, and that meant he had the potential to destroy much of this building with a wave of an arm.

"What do you want?" I asked hesitantly as I confronted the thing that had once been my brother.

"I want to be able to go back. I want to see the sister I missed for all these years. I want to be with the one I consider my family, and forget all the things I had to endure in Phantom Task. I want you to be my sister again… Is that still possible?" Ichika said with a sob at the end. His inner child was showing, and I saw that he still had a small glimmer of what he used to be in him. He wasn't completely gone, but whatever innocence he still had was clearly weak.

It drew me in.

I soon found myself embracing my brother in my arms and quietly murmuring how everything was going to be okay. One of my hands was brushing through his black hair as if to comfort him, while my other hand just kept him close. His tears were soon soaking into my dress, but it didn't matter. I was just so glad that my little brother was still here and with me once more.

"Are they going to take me away?" the boy managed to sputter out through all of the sobbing.

"Don't worry. Big sis is going to make sure that everything will be okay. I won't let them take you away."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Ichika's Perspective

I felt myself smiling as my face was buried into my big sister's wet clothing. Why wouldn't I? Everything was going just as planned.