I don't own Infinite Stratos, this is a fanfiction only.

Ichika Orimura was quite the enigma. The Orimura family was a family that had dedicated their entire family structure and rules around the idea of creating the perfect warrior. Many nations had tried to create their version of a super soldier is it through chemistry to body modification through the use of electronics.

The Orimura took it a bit more personal than that. They wanted to create this soldier through a genetic selection program, a breeding program than insured that the next generation of the family would be stronger and better than the previous. They would stop at nothing to achieve this goal. They had even cases where the selected pairs were actually close blood relatives. This was a testament to how much they were willing to do to achieve their goal.

Chifuyu was actually the very first pilot of the forever remembered white Knight incident. To this day she called Tabane an absolute nutcase for simultaneously hacking so many missile silos across multiple nations and causing them all to launch straight towards the Imperial Palace.

Chifuyu managed to shut down every single missile over the ocean and thus avoid making the capital into a disaster zone. After such display of versatility and might, there really was only thing Tabane could have done. She decided to unveil her precious creation on a worldwide conference. If Tabane Shinonono did something it usually means something on a grand scale.

As the IS was unveiled and the world learned that this new vehicle could in fact match and even overpower conventional weapons of war. The United Nations gathered and decided that the Infinite Stratos was too much if a danger to be allowed in open warfare. They decided to use this new powerful suit as a means to resolve things between the nation's of the world in the form of a competition between pilots.

The singular most well-respected pilot to date was one Chifuyu Orimura. She and her brother were abandoned by the family when genetics testing showed they did not exhibit the changes they had expected of them.

The world competition was to be called the Mondo Grosso. It would take too long of a time for the nations of that would compete to develop their own IS for their teams so again Tabane actually had IS made for the competitors of the first Mondo Grosso. It should not be a surprise that Chifuyu managed to win the first ever, Mondo Grosso, causing her to be spotted by the Orimura family and their secret paramilitary organization Phantom Task.

The creator of the IS was a close personal friend of Chifuyu and if truth was to be told she actually had a bit of a crush on her brother. Some girls apparently like younger guys. As a favor to Tabane Ichika agreed to enter the same dojo as her sister. Houki liked him like a dog loves a cat. In order words when Kendo was involved they were natural rivals.

"Damn it Ichika, why can't I beat you. " Ichika didn't like it when Houki used such language so he hit her between her ankles and caused her to fall on her face hard." First off watch the language and second off it is your lack of practice. I have a practice sword in my home to practice when I am away from the dojo. "

The two continued to go to the same dojo for eight years. You would think that after spending so much time together they would become closed, but no they still publicly maintained their rivalry. In competitions, the two were actually reprimanded for excessive brutality.

Chifuyu was also under a lot of pressure to ensure the second victory was one again by Japan. She was having enough trouble trying to evade Phantom Task and the family, she had to go to a complete arena designed and made for this singular event.

Russia was not happy that they lost the first Mondo Grosso and so they decided to get some extra help to ensure that Chifuyu would not win the gold medal yet again. Phantom Task was hired by a nation participating in preventing Chifuyu from obtaining back to back victories. The plan was simple kidnap Ichika and with him as a hostage use him to cause her to miss the finals and losing by default.

The plan was simple except they didn't count on something. Chifuyu heard that her brother was taken as a hostage and about the demands of her throwing the fight as she reached the final fight against her Russian opponent. Her response was not what the kidnappers would imagine it would be. "So he got himself kidnapped, I say this is a perfect chance to teach him some self-reliance. If he can get himself kidnapped let him escape to safety by himself."

The finals was a short fight and Chifuyu was declared the winner of her second Mondo Grosso medal. The Orimura family didn't expect that since she had spent so much time taking care of her little brother. "Well I will say this to her, she is certainly an Orimura since she was willing to sacrifice her kid brother to achieve her own goals."

The matriarch of the family looked at Ichika tied up like he was. "The real question is what shall we do with this thing? He is a reject from our genetics program. I don't imagine we can find any use for this thing." His eldest sister decided to step close to her and looked at him. "We could try to use him as a foot soldier and analyze his D. N. A to determine what made him a failure, to begin with."

The Matriarch had to admit it was a worthy test goal. "Very well but I don't want this thing unsupervised. Have M be his shadow and keep him out of my presence or causing trouble for our organization." His mother smiled and promised it would be as the matriarch wished.

"Come on Ichika stand up, I need to get those chains off you. " Madoka told him as she did as she said what she was going to do." So Chifuyu sent you to rescue me and who are you? " Madoka glared at him as he said these things to her." Let's get a few things straight shall we? I am Madoka Orimura and I had the distinct misfortune of being your twin sister. Chifuyu didn't even try to rescue you. She said that if you were dumb enough to get kidnapped you should be able to escape to safety on your own. "

This was the more heartbreaking thing he had ever experienced to date and for a second Madoka felt pity for her twin brother." Buck up brother, life in the family is not going to be as easy as living with Chifuyu you need to man up or you will not live long. "

From that day on he was simply called I and his constant training partner were called M. The two were quite the duo when it came to stealing rare and expensive IS units. The training they received allowed them to master most forms of combat, stealth, and even interrogation tactics. If Phantom Task wanted an IS stolen they would be the ones they sent for it.

After eight years of training and stealing IS I made his first failure in a mission or so Phantom Task believed. They managed to steal an experimental fire elemental IS that went by the name of Amaterasu. The only problem was that any pilot from Phantom Task that tried to use it was burned to ash. The IS seems simply would kill anyone that the IS didn't approve and it seems she didn't approve of anyone.

"No wonder they didn't have that much security on this freaking thing. I know we are going to catch hell from this I. " He simply looked at the IS in standby mode." How many times have I told you to watch your language M? It is not very ladylike behavior. " M clearly didn't care one bit if he found her not so ladylike.

" Like it matters I. It's not like I love you and I will not be paired with a genetic failure like you anyways. " I had enough of hearing M insult him over the years." I have a better idea, why don't I try to pilot it. If I can then maybe I am not such a failure, but if I can't I don't have to put up with your foul mouth again. I got nothing to lose. "

M for once actually agreed." In any case, I might get a partner that is not a freaking failure like you on the one hand and if you can pilot it I will be able to use my Silent Cypher and avoid getting punished because of your failure. "

Anything was worth getting away from her foul mouth and disrespectful ways. His time as an operative for Phantom Task would have caused major psychological trauma on someone else. Ichika's heart was as dark and cold as to could be as he assimilated the fact that combat was the only life he would ever have, especially after eight years of being constantly reminded how little Chifuyu actually cared about him.

As he stepped closer to the IS the IS began to glow red hot. He didn't care one bit. He touched it and in the span of a second, he learned everything there was about it. It seemed the IS was actually responding to him, if not outright accepting him as her pilot.

"You have got to be kidding me. This monster is actually reacting to you, now that is what I call ironic. " The IS stopped glowing and began to wrap itself around him and it went through the final fitting stage in record time." I guess this means you accept me don't you Amaterasu. Well here is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. "

Their eldest sister came to reprimanded I for his failure and instead she came into the hangar in as I finished getting off the IS and the IS became a blood red bracelet on his right hand." Well, at least you two now have personal IS of your own. This means we can have you hit harder targets from now on. The strange thing why did this thing accept him and not some of our best pilots. "

Amaterasu was not just a simple IS or even a so-called personal IS it was an IS that had a mind and heart of her own. The idea of her being treated as a mere thing made her so angry that it would cause the person who angered her so much to burn to ash. In contrast, I's treatment of her as a person and even a friend was the reason why she actually accepted him as her pilot.

Phantom Task had long given up in doing any more genetics rests on I. The Matriarch herself called further testing of a failure a waste of research funds and resources. They never expected that the actual acceptance by Amaterasu actually caused a fundamental change in I's physical make up. Ichika was not a complete failure as it turns out.

The truth was something did, in fact, burn as he went through the final fitting stage. During the final fitting stage, she noticed that he had a strange growth in a part of his brain. It looked to her as a small tumor. She decided that this tumor was not going to take from her the first and only friend she had so she burned it using microwaves.

The tumor was the thing that caused him to be labeled a genetic failure in the first place. The now awake genetics traits began to manifest more and more as the new pilot was trained in combat using his new IS.

The Amaterasu was nothing short than amazing. It was a multi-target, multi-range IS with long and short range capabilities. It had long range weapons and short range weapons that could deal with multiple enemies. Madoka joking called I was a one man army.

The thing that took them by surprise is that in all the many hours of training he never ran out of shield or weapon energy. It was only by accident that a trainer switched the visual range of her scanner that she discovered the plus ability of the Amaterasu.

When they were in perfect sync the IS could replenish energy by absorbing light. Sunlight turned out to be the optimum light for this. M as she saw him train finally began to regret her treatment of I. It seems he really would have been a wonderful mate but after years of insults and disrespectful treatment, it would take nothing short of a miracle to get him interested in her.

As Ichika Orimura was abandoned Tabane Shinonono became a recluse after Chifuyu chose not to rescue her brother during the second Mondo Grosso. She kept doing research and nothing else for years. It was until her latest IS was stolen that made her smile for the first time in years. It seems the thief of the IS that was stolen was none other than the very person she yearned to see once again.

"My Ichika is alive, after all, this time, and he are alive and what a hunk he has become. Don't you worry my sweet beloved? Now that I know you are alive and with my Amaterasu I will find you. "

Chifuyu used the subsequent Mondo Grosso as the means to get her mind off the guilt she felt about abandoning her baby brother. After so many years she was still tormented by nightmares of him asking her why did she abandon him.

This caused privately Chifuyu to become a cold and distant person. Even though publicly she was now world recognized for having won every single Mondo Grosso to date and so when the position to become the director of an Academy for IS pilots became available. She was the first person to be offered the position.

For years she would always say that she kept participating in all those Mondo Grosso as a means to honor the memory of the brother she lost. This was the standard answer as to what motivated her to fight as hard as she did on every single interview.

She also developed problems sleeping due in large part to the nightmares. She had to be medicated for Insomnia as the situation got worse over time. This caused her to value what little sleep she managed to get. As Chifuyu woke up and checked her cell phone she saw that Tabane was trying to get in touch with her. Tabane had called her dozens of times in the last hour alone.

"She has been avoiding me this long, why does she want to talk to me now? I hope that is not to yell at me again about losing her beloved. I am grateful that she made my Byakushki but sometimes I have to agree with Houki. Tabane sometimes really does act like a complete nutcase. "

She picked up her phone and dial the number of the person she didn't expect would call her." Finally, you call me Chichan. I got major news and you will not believe it is when you hear it. I found him safe and sound, we'll maybe not so safe but definitely sound. " Chifuyu was getting a small headache and she was about to hand up when she heard something that made her speechless.

" I found my beloved Ichika, he is the one that stole my Amaterasu from my Storage Depot. Did you hear me Chifuyu I said my beloved, the man I love more than anything is alive!" Chifuyu took a few seconds to calm down. "Tabane we been through this several times already. Accept it, my baby brother is dead. You really are as crazy as Houki keeps telling me you are."

Tabane was not going to take this from her. "Insane am I? Well, look at the video I sent you and tell me if the man stealing my Amaterasu doesn't look familiar." Tabane hung up and waited for Chifuyu to call her back as soon as she saw how wrong she was. The video was two parts the first was when Ichika stole the IS and the second part was about the registration and final fitting. There was no mistake the pilot was Ichika Orimura in the flesh.

The thing that shocked her was that she saw a woman looking almost like herself. "So the kidnappers were Phantom Task after all. If I remember correctly that woman could not be anyone else other than my sister. It seems Madoka has grown a lot since last I saw her. I don't know what is worse that she is with him or that Ichika is somehow now a member of the organization I hate most. "