FIREFLIES
Chapter One: A BROKEN PASS, A NEW PRESENT
BEFORE YOU READ
Compare to most stories, I wanted to take a different route to the whole canon story of where Ichika is known for being the only male IS pilot and coming to meet and befriend the usual girls within the Academy.
However, I always asked myself, instead of going right from the kidnapping scene and jumping right to the action of going to the Academy after being discovered to be a Male IS pilot, why not turn it around a full 180?.
This story will showcase what would have happen if Ichika was take for a few months and experimented upon, and then be sent to a new home where he get's live a life of comfort and a relatively peaceful life while training under the same company that took him and implanted some special gifts within him.
For the next five years, and more to come. Ichika will meet friends of the common norm, live a common life while training to control and master his powers while trying to find purpose in his life.
I wanted to make a story where Ichika get's the chance to control his life for once instead of being forced upon to follow the life written for him, why not let him write his own destiny with each step he takes...
What will he do in order to protect the people he cares for and the peaceful life he lives now, what of his sisters?, especially Chifuyu. Would he return to them now that he has the chance and power?, will he seek hatred and revenge for her 'betrayal'?. Will he ever come to pilot the IS and use it for his own goals or be subjugated to join the Academy?.
Or perhaps... create something even more powerful and astonishing then the IS?.
Many more questions will come, and a hundred thousands stories will be told with Ichika's new life alone far away from home.
What will Ichika become of now?, with each leaf turn over will his tale be told.
Scene Start
129 days have pass since Ichika has been capture from his home and forcefully brought to a compound in which he had undergone some of the most painful and inhuman forms of torture and live experimentation that had been perform on him each and every single day.
The boy was strapped onto a metal surgical table with straps placed on his arms, wrists, legs, feet, waist and chest. His once short and dark navy blue hair had grown long and faded into a dark grey color from the countless of experiments perform onto him.
His left eye was wrapped up in bandages with blood staining the white fabric.
His clothes consisted of a black t-shirt and black shorts, small holes and tears could be seen within his clothes, having been seated on this table since day one and having been worked on with the multiple sharp tools and gadgets that were meant for surgeries.
It was inevitable that he would be trying to resist while having those sharp tools cut a few pieces of his clothes. However the holes and tears and the multiple scars and stitches that litter his body with the sight of dried blood across his body was the least of his worries.
If anything... he had nothing else to care about now since he had been on this long and terrible faith of his for the longest time now.
Within the first day he was brought here, he had hope and told himself that his sister Chifuyu would have come and rescue him and punish the ones that have kidnapped him.
But his captures had used verbal tricks to trick his way of thinking, each time they would torture him and cut his tender soft skin with a blade while he scream and cried for them to stop, they would shout and tell him, "Where is your big sister now?, that bitch ain't coming for you kid. If anything she sure is living the life knowing that she doesn't have to watch over a little piece of shit cry baby like you. Say... do you know she payed us to fuck you up?, you have been here for more than 2 months and 12 days kid... are you still going to call out her name?, WELL ARE YOU?".
As much as he wanted to ignore their lies, it didn't help disprove the fact that he had been here for months on end with no sign of his sister ever coming to rescue him. They continue to tell lies while putting him thru hell and have him feel pain beyond the human limits to the point it was driving him mad.
Within day 98, Ichika had been mentally broken with his will broken and shatter, the last ray of hope had been turn to cinders and the feeling of hopelessness had been filled within his heart.
His eyes showed no emotion, his face reflected that of a broken will along with his hair that had manage to grow pass his shoulders reached to cover his face.
Within this point, in this long and painful journey, the only thing the young child wanted now... it was for the chance for him to close his eyes, to submit to the darkness and just hope... just hope that he would never have to wake up to this nightmare.
Only then could he be in peace.
The room continue to be in silence until the sound of a door being open could be heard along with the sound of heavy footsteps coming in the room, 3 men dressed in white lab coats came in with the man that came in last carried what appear to be a glass cylinder with a black mass that seem to move around with a mind of it's own.
But also, within his other hand he held what appear to be a ball of light, almost like an IS core but this one seem to spark with blue and yellow electricity.
Ichika didn't show any sign of reaction to their appearance, he simply moved his head to the side, waiting for them to do just what ever they had planned for him today to get it over with.
The three men started to move some of the instruments and tools within the room around while placing the glass cylinder above him on a robotic arm with three fingers as it was holding the glass cylinder in place while the white orb was place on a tripod for the time being before they begun to attach some wires on his chest and forehead.
A face masked was applied to his mouth to provide him with clean fresh oxygen, his shirt was cut open with a pair of scissors before they wiped his chest clean with a few alcohol wipes before using a red marker to marked down a dotted line across this chest down to his stomach.
With everything set, the three man nodded to each other before all but one of them left the room, the third man gave Ichika a sad look to see just how broken Ichika had come to be, it sicken him to know that he was one of 3 people that were responsible for Ichika's current state.
But of course he was simply doing his job with a paycheck that was extremely well but... this.. this was just completely evil in every way he looked at it.
"dear god... Just what good can come from all this... (sigh) well time to get this started... if your lucky... perhaps this might be the last time you will ever have to be here... that's if it doesn't kill you boy". The man said as he press a few buttons on the machine that held the two items in place before it begun to move closer to Ichika, a red dotted light appear on his chest before a stream of red light begun to burn away and cut his skin in a slow pace from the top to the bottom.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH", the heat was so intense that Ichika jerked up while shouting in pain as he felt his skin being burnt to the most intense level of heat possible while blood begun to pour out from the clean cut as it went lower and lower to his stomach.
The man turn to look away, it was bad enough he was the one to turn on the machine but to see it happen right their in front of him with blood spewing out into the air and onto the table and floor was just down right horrible.
"AHHHHHHHHH S-S-STOP IT P-PLEASE, ARGHHHHHHHH", Ichika shook with such force that he could see the table that was bolted to the floor shake while he cried fresh hot tears that ran down his face while the laser was just near done cutting his skin.
After 20 long agonizing seconds, the laser was done cutting his skin open before 6 small and thin arms came down from above before they grab hold of both ends of his cut skin and begun to gently spread them open before revealing his insides, his body had been open before to install a few mechanical parts, so when the arms worked to open his skin, a few pieces tinted with blood could be seen follow by a round piece in his chest.
Next, the machine lower down the core towards his chest, the closer it got to the metal piece inside his chest, sparks of electricity begun to appear as it drew closer and closer before making contact with the metal piece.
In an instant, the room was filled with a blinding light as the orb of light begun to be absorb by the round metal piece as it turn to dust and begun to light up the cables and metal pieces within his body as a pure energy source begun to traverse thru his body.
The power that was surging thru his body caused Ichika to jerk up multiple times in a quick matter that it made him look as if he was having a seizure, but by the time the last few light particles were absorb, and the bright light had dim down to nothingness.
Ichika drop his head back onto the metal table with a loud 'thud' before they heard his breathing begin to faint lower... and lower... and then...
Silence...
His visible organs stop moving and his fingers drew lifeless along with his eyes.
"Beeeeeeeeeeeep", the machine that read his pulse gave the clear sign to the man and the two men outside the room that Ichika Orimura, age 10 has been declare dead.
However, dead or alive, before they could release him from his binding and put him in a body bag, the machine begun to move the glass cylinder down towards Ichika before a thin plastic tub came out from the glass cylinder and made contact with the round piece before the sound of air being depressurize was heard as they watch the black mass withing the glass capsule begun to travel down the tub and into the round metal piece.
It spread thru his body, moving like a living thing that seep deep into his body and begun to spread and cover his entire inside body and outside like a black mass of moving liquid before it faded and begun to disappear from sight.
Seconds passed, 10 to 30 to 50 seconds passed by until they saw his skin begun to pull it'self closer together before closing up and healing the wound.
His skin once white in color begun to look more vivid and full of life before a few fresh cuts scatter across his body begun to disappear and heal as well.
It didn't take long until the machine begun make a repetitive noise signaling that a pulse within Ichika has been found once more.
There was a silence... everyone waited and watch to see if everything was going according to plan, would he wake normally or perhaps be another failure like the rest.
There patience was soon over once they saw Ichika let out a deep breath while slowly opening his eyes and taking a look around his surroundings. He felt exhausted but the pain he felt before was gone, however his mind was in a state of shock, confusion and simply dazed.
He had died not just long ago, and now he was alive once more, the experience for him was... an inhuman experience. It was as if he just went into a dark world where things just... vanished... but then he suddenly open his eyes again to see himself back in the same room he just died.
The whole minute he was dead, it felt as if he took a very long sleep where his previous thoughts and pain had been washed away.
"what... happen... to me?", a voice so silent the man almost had missed it if he hadn't move closer enough to hear his question, the man gave a happy smile knowing the boy had been revive successfully... which was a rare sight for them since all the rest have died and failed to be revive unlike him.
With this, the man begun to remove and dismantle his straps and unbind him to the table that had been keeping him in place for far to long.
The effects were clearly visible, his body along with his legs and arms had lost so much fat and muscle that he looked far to skinny to walk, he was 10 but his appearance made him looked to be around that of a 6 year old.
Once all of the straps were taken off, the man walked over and stood behind Ichika before he placed a hand behind Ichika's head and back before he begun to sit Ichika up right.
He had to move slowly as Ichika gave visible signs that he felt a small sharp pain as he was moved up, Ichika moved his week arms to the sides to help him sit up right before getting a far decent grip to hold himself upright.
"take it easy there, it's been more than a few months since you moved, you have lost more than 50 percent of your own body weight since you came in, it will be somewhat difficult for you to walk at all for the first month. But I've got some good news kid, this test we just did was the last of experiments that we had to perform on you, I am sorry we put you thru so much but their is a reason for all of this, and even more so as to why it had to be 'you', i can't explain everything to you right now but first thing first, we need to get you out of here. That and get you some decent food to eat, how dose it sound to you?".
The man gave Ichika a kind smile while looking at Ichika at his one good eye, his left eye had been sadly remove and lost in an fail experiment that ended poorly and with the loss of his left eye.
He had a bloody white bandage covering that missing eye, perhaps it was time to clean that wound and give him something else to hide that terrible wound with an eye patch.
"ok..."
Ichika said with his same usual tired and weak voice before the man gave the 2 men outside the thumbs up before nodding back before they turn to leave.
Soon after, the man carried Ichika towards another part of the compound before having to take him to a shower to wash up and clean Ichika with warm water.
While Ichika didn't show it on his face, he felt heavenly having to feel something so soothing run across his body and having all the sweet and dried blood of his skin removed after months of being cover in filth.
By the time he was done, Ichika could see himself in the mirror while the man went to fetch his new clean clothes as he sat on a stool.
His body was cover in scars and many visible traces of marks that were visible to the naked eyes. His hair now clean and keep in a ponytail with the use of a blue rubber band. It came in handy considering his hair had reached far below his shoulders and meet somewhere in the middle of his back.
While he saw the changes within the front of his body, behind his back, he might not be able to see it now, but within time he might be able to see that on his back he had what looked like a large tattoo made up of a blue luminescent glow that form the figure of wings with a circle on the top of the wings right beneath his neck that glowed with a yellow light.
As he stare right back at his figure on the mirror, he felt somewhat disturb or uncomfortable looking back at himself within the mirror, it felt like he was staring right back at something else... a monster?, no... a survivor perhaps?. Maybe but then again, what had he become within the end of it all.
He remembered them installing highly expensive looking pieces of machinery and wires within his body, some of then looking biological while others had pieces that move and turn.
That and he felt like he was holding something back, but just couldn't grasp that 'something' that he held within.
Looking down at his chest, he placed his right hand right over his chest before closing his eyes and listen closely to the sound within, hearing the sound of his beating hearth the low humming noise from within.
He could hear it, it was a warm and quite humming noise that beat slowly while emitting a sense of power that felt...
Amazing
He focused once more before he begun to envision that power run thru his chest to his hand. He envision it to be like a golden river in his mind, slowly making it's way from his chest, across his shoulder and onto his arm and then lastly to his hands to the tips of his fingers.
Nothing happen for a solid 40 seconds before he heard the sounds of crackling follow by a white light.
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw lighting spewing out from his hand with the center being a small ball of pure yellow light.
Lighting touch his chest and arms, instead of feeling pain he felt comfort while the lighting seem to dance in his hand and across his body.
"Beautiful..."
With a hush tone Ichika continue to admire the light show within his hand before he heard the door knob moving before he let the lighting die out completely.
"Alright, here are some fresh clean clothes for you. Do you think you can manage to dress yourself or would you like me to help you?".
Looking back at the man, he saw the set of clothes brought to him by the man.
A grey t-shirt, a black sweater, white underwear, black socks, dark grey jeans, black converse shoes, a blue and white checker pattern scarf and lastly... a black color eye patch.
Huh, he was expecting a military uniform but this... this looked nice.
"I... can manage"
Ichika said as he slowly put the effort to get up, he felt his legs wobble for a bit before putting in some more effort to stand up right before he begun to move his legs one at a time before he manage to reach the man and take the clothes from his hands and placed them on the small table on the left.
Moments later, Ichika was dressed up in his new set of clothes, he and the man from before, along with a few others were standing outside the building which was a rather large complex military base with the sight of snow all around.
After having getting dressed and having the chance to finally eat a proper warm and delicious meal for once. Ichika was inform that he will be transfer to a 'new home', somewhere outside of Japan.
He wasn't given the full details but it was told that there he would start a new life, among others 'like' him. Which confused the boy but he was assured that he would be able to live a life in comfort until he was to start in training.
Ichika didn't utter a word of restrain when he was being told all of this, nor did he asked if he could go back to his old home. Funny how he had wanted nothing more than to escape and then hope to die to now just going with whatever they told him to do.
They must have had a reason for this all, and until he found out what it was, and what role he had to play in it, only then would he decided to turn back and make a run for it back home.
So for the time being, he would just play along and just do what they told him until he was in a much better condition and more so experience to handle any possible threat in the future.
He would have to be patient, if spending more than 4 months in a dark room chained to a metal bed wasn't enough to prove his patience then he didn't know what.
Ichika and the man from before had went outside and walked up to a large cargo plane while having to take a step aside as soldiers passed them while pushing and carrying large boxes filled with equipment and other sorts of goods within the boxes onto the cargo plane and on other various cargo trucks and planes.
Taking there time to walk, they made way to a open cargo plane with the back hatch being wide open with a few soldiers rushing in and out, they made there way in before passing thru the solid metal door before turning to the left and entering a room with seats and windows on the sides.
There, Ichika and the man took their seats while a few men dressed in the black and grey military uniforms came in and out of the plane to do some last minute tasks before the plane was to take off.
Ichika stayed silent, keeping his head down he fiddle with his scarf while looking around the room, it was still a surreal experience for him to be here.
Everything was happening so fast that he could hardly even focus on what was going on right now, but he was more than thankful that he was finally out of that room and finally mange to get clean, eat a proper meal and be dressed in something else than a very thing piece of cloth that provided almost no warmth in that cold room.
What more he no longer had any armed guards with guns watching over him, just him seated on a seat with a man next to him who was the main head scientist that had been testing on him for months on end... strange and perhaps disturbing but at this point he couldn't care less.
It didn't take to long before he heard the voice of the pilot on the speakers letting everyone else know that they were just about leave and take off.
The plan fire up it's main engines before it begun to slowly built up speed down the runway and within 40 seconds the plan lifted it'self off the ground and begun to sore thru the air.
After what was 3 minutes flying in the air, reaching a much higher altitude than before, Ichika decided to ask the man just where exactly they were heading.
"So... where are we going... exactly?", Ichika asked as he turn to look towards the window, admiring the view of the forest beneath to be cover in a layer of white snow.
The man dressed in casual winter clothes, wearing glasses and holding a notebook in hand turn to face Ichika, with a small smile he said.
"Like I said before, a new home for you. Now that you have no more testing to do and proven grade A results, their is nothing else for us to do with you but wait and observe and have you train in some of the basics in combat for a few years till you reach the age of 20. Only then will you be needed again, not for testing or experiments but for something more so special. (cough) Anyways, we are heading towards the United States, the state of Washington State to be more precise, there you will live in a house of your own, you will earn an allowance of 2,300 per month to spend on your own, along with papers concerning your new name an identity, you will also be enrolled at a school near you. So don't think you won't have anything to do, besides that you just live your life the way you want to while we have someone train you in basic combat and see how you improve and use your implants and that ZT-935 core that we have given you, you wouldn't imagine how much it cost to put that stuff in you, some of that stuff didn't even come from earth, anyways as the years go on we will see where we will move you up from then on. depending on how your training goes of course".
The man said before looking down and continue to write something on his notebook.
"...live the way I want to... sounds... nice", Ichika said with small smile forming on his face. While he heard that last part, and the word 'others'. He was more so please to hear that he was going to be living a relatively calm life.
Yes he will have to take on training like the man said, but living his way other than being back in that room was far better than arguing over the issue that he might be set up to join them as a soldier, but like he said he would have till the age of 20
However, "What about... my sisters?, should they know?".
The man let out a quick sigh before removing his glasses while running his fingers over the top of his hair.
What should he tell him?, there was more than a few several hundred things he could say in order to prevent Ichika from ever contacting his sisters or make him hate them enough to not want to contact them.
What the hell is he suppose to say?.
"Well... (sigh) I don't think you should contact them at anytime soon, perhaps your twin sister if she is capable of keeping a secret from your older sister... but you know what. Do you know that we had been prepared to defend the compound if your sister had found us and attempted to rescue you?, and yet. 4 whole months have passed and yet... we were surprise that she didn't find us and had taken you by then and yet..."
He knew why she wasn't capable of finding him, because they had plan out the whole thing many years back with the help of someone very special.
Without the help, Ichika wouldn't had been kidnapped and taken somewhere so discreet and to a place near impossible to find, everything had been planned out exactly like it was plan.
Now he just need to say something in order to put a reason within Ichika's head so that he would harbor a bad taste in his older sister. Something that would brew a hateful or terrible feeling that would be enough to hate her and keep him from ever wanting to have any reason to contact her.
His younger sister, Madoka Orimura would be spare form the unwanted hate, if anything he should still consider his twin as his only last family member.
It would help with the whole ordeal, and at least give him a sense of closure knowing that he still had a sister that cared for him.
"and yet... she never came to rescue you, we thought she would have found us in under a month but. 4 months passed and she never even came close to finding you. Almost as if she was... content with you being gone, never even bother to search for you or even go public with the need to get help to look for you. Perhaps you being taken freed herself from having the responsibility with watching over a Male. You have seen what the IS did to the world thanks to that woman, men are seen as nothing else but second class and treated with some form of hate, not everyone of course but there had been a few masses and a few IS pilots who think such a way due to the influence of the IS. She might be living that high life right about now that you are gone, I am sorry Ichika... but i think your sister... only ever cared about the IS more so than you"
The man said with a low voice as he keep his eyes focus on the ground below before he heard the sound of soft crying.
Turning to his left, he saw Ichika leaning forward with his right hand covering his face, he begun to cry softly at first as he mutter in a low voice.
"(sob) why... w-why... Chifuyu... you promised me... that you would (sob)... that you would protect me...(sob) and you left me behind... (sob)... why?".
Tossing himself back he threw his hands to the side as he openly begun to cry out, his cry and the face he made showed just how broken, sad and how terribly betrayed he felt.
So it looks like coming back home was a obvious no to him now, what the two men from before said was true, Chifuyu didn't given an ounce of shit for him, now that he was gone, she didn't have to care about him, she was probably laughing and enjoying a drink out on the beach with her friends while knowing that he was gone.
So many lies had she told him, that she would protect him, that he and Madoka were the only family she had, that she loved them so much that she would do anything to keep them happy, what a terrible lie that was.
With this, Ichika came to realize what betrayal felt like, to be told nothing more than beautiful lies... and to come to realize that they were just words of play for a the time being until he was taken away... and be left forgotten.
Chifuyu never was honest with herself, she never showed that love and affection to him or Madoka anymore once she begun to Pilot that damn IS, she changed so quickly, became so cold and strict, his past gifts were tossed aside or payed back with such little care that it looked as if they meant nothing.
That did it, Chifuyu Orimura... you are no sister of mine, you are nothing to me... just as I was nothing to you... we were strangers to being with, and we will be strangers till the end.
With his resolve, moving to the left, Ichika cover his face with the use of his scarf before crying out in a muffled matter.
The man turn to look away to focus back on his notebook. Damn, what a really horrible thing to happen to the kid, not only did her suffer for so long but to be told a lie that's so true and to see him show that face of a child who has lost all hope in the person he trusted the most... that's just something he won't ever be able to forget.
"Sorry kid... see if you can manage to sleep a bit, its going to be a few hours till we get there. Ill wake you up once we get there, ok?".
With that, the man continued to work on his task within his notebook while Ichika continue to weep for the next few minutes till he had fallen asleep.
7 Hours later...
Upon arriving at the air port, the sky above had turn dark and the city lights brought the land to a glow of light show of colors ranging from the usual yellow, red, green and orange colors.
Ichika and the man walked side by side as they passed the mass of people within the airport.
All around people were going in various different directions, speaking and talking in various languages while the two attempted to pass them.
Ichika for the most of the part was simply following the man from behind while giving a quick glance at the people around them and the many structures and buildings around him.
Compare to Japan, this place was a lot less crowded, sure there was quite a few people in the airport, but when the two stepped outside.
The sight of people became less and less, however the sight of snow was present all around them, on the top of buildings, cars, signs, poles and the hats of men and woman who were rubbing their shoulders with the use of there hands. It was all around them, the snow fell gently down from the heavily dark sky above.
All around the lights were of a warm color, however the lights all around weren't the only things that caught his interest, the sound of music could be heard from across the street.
Turning to face where the music had came from, he could spot an old fashion restaurant design with an old but modern look, with each person coming in and out, he could hear the sound of jazz been played within the restaurant.
People were either dancing within the middle of the restaurant in a calm pace while others were seated in tables enjoying the hot and warm meal with smiles plastered across their faces.
The wonderful smell of food seem to manage to escape pass thru the doors of the restaurant before it invade Ichika's nose which resulted with his stomach letting out a rather loud rumbling noise.
"..."
Ichika said nothing while looking directly at the restaurant, while he was hungry he wasn't sure if the man would have the time or let him have a meal at this very moment.
The man hearing the loud and sudden noise that came from Ichika, he turn around to find Ichika looking at the restaurant from across the street.
Guess he was hungry, it wouldn't be too bad to have something to eat right about now, but he was running on a tight schedule and he had far to much to do.
Perhaps he could order food and have it be delivered to the house in which Ichika was to stay at. Or perhaps cook something up at the house, it would be the best option at best.
"Sorry kid, but we are running late. I'll make something once we get to your new house, besides I am sure tomorrow or the day after you can come back to try the place out. Come on, we still have an hour worth of a trip to go before we get there so just hang on".
Stepping forward, Ichika silently turned and continue to follow the man, but not without giving the restaurant a second glance before his view was soon cover by the man tall bodies of men and woman.
Now on the road, Ichika and the man sat in the back of a yellow cab with the man continuing to write down some notes on his notebook and Ichika looking out the window of the cab.
Within the pass 45 minutes they have been traveling on the dirt road, Ichika had watch as the land before him had turn from concrete and steal to a land of dirt and wood. Hundreds if not thousands of trees could be seen all around the fields of snow, mountains could be seen from the far distance ahead.
A few houses were present on the side of the dirt road, it seems that even far out here he would end up having some neighbors. Not that he cared but at the very least he wasn't going to be out here all alone.
By the time they arrive, they meet a solid black gate with red brick walls stretch across the front along with bushes that were cover in snow. The gate had lanterns hanging on the sides of each door, both having a small flame within to provide light.
Tall trees behind the wall hide whatever stood behind those tall brick walls, but even from here a source of light from within the property seem to shined some light behind the trees.
"well looks like we are finally here kid, alright then, so how much do I owe you?", the man said as he pulled out his wallet to pay the cab driver.
While the man payed for the ride, Ichika open his door and took a step out of the cab while pulling his scarf up to cover his mouth and nose before rubbing his shoulders once the cold air hit him just as the door was open.
God it was freezing cold.
Going around the cab, Ichika walked slowly before reaching the front gates as he placed a hand on the handle before finding a small but sizable white button, giving it a gentle press he watch as the doors begun to open inwards while scraping some of the snow on the ground to the side.
When the doors had fully open, all that Ichika could see was a few 8 or 10 light pols going down a dirt road in a straight away before he saw the dark outline of a house in the back.
"..."
Ichika begun to walk ever so slowly as he took small but quiet steps towards the house, the crunching of the snow beneath his feet along with the sound of moving branches and the wind letting out a 'whisping' noise from on top of the branches could be heard from around him.
Only when he had reached past the 5 light pol after what was 4 minutes of walking, did he now get a good view of his new home.
It was... very homey, while it was big it was but a rather sizable two story home with double doors with a porch and stairs leading to the the front, it had brown wooden walls with the window frames being a dark brown color, the roof was colored black, around the house were small bushes cover in a layer of snow.
Turing to his left he could see a small building with a large door meant to roll up for a vehicle to be placed within, a garage with the same color scheme as the house.
Ichika stood still to admire the house before taking his first step upon the wooden stairs as he begun to walk up onto the porch before standing underneath the roof of the porch and standing at the door.
Reaching out he took hold of the brown metal door knob before giving it a soft twist before giving it a gentle push before opening the unlocked door and entering the house.
It was pitch black
Moving his hand on the wall he looked for a switch to flick on before he meet his fingers with 4 other switches before he swiped his hand up and hitting all 4 switches on.
Instantly, the house lit up with the strings of lights hung all around the porch were lit in a warm orange glow, the strings of lights spread out to the surrounding close trees before reaching out to the dock at the half frozen lake behind the house.
The other switches of lights made the hallway in the front of the house light up before the other made the light bulb outside the top of the doors lit up, and the last one was the stream of lights leading out to the garage.
With all this light, he stepped out again to admire the show of lights all around him, now he could see far more than he could have seen within the darkness.
The strings of lights spread out all across the property, looking towards the dock, he could see that the lights went on and travel far on the shores of the large massive lake before it continue on and on till he saw the entire outline of the lake from afar.
Was this entire property and the lake he saw really all his?, he could see how the lights that travel all across the lake shimmer like the stars above and look but a blur from where he stood.
It was a beautiful sight to the young child, he could only admire the beauty of it as he let out a few puffs of vapor from his mouth that turn to look like gas from the cold air.
"wow...", Ichika could only mutter a word of surprise and astonishment when looking at the display of lights.
"It's really something huh?, just so you know kid, the property of his place is all around with a diameter 3 miles in width and 4 miles in length. So if you want to explore around when you are in a much better state, go right ahead, this place is like a paradise... oh and just wait till the other seasons come around, a different kind of beauty will over take this frozen kingdom. Alright let's head in, I still have to show you around the house".
The man from before said as he tap Ichika on his shoulder before turning to walk back to the house along with each who turn over before giving the lake a quick glance before rushing back to catch up with the man.
Now inside, Ichika was walking around the house as he begun to look upon the many things the were spaced around the house decorating the walls, floor and rooms around the house.
The house smelled of wood and cherries, the air inside was warm and cozy, almost a bit to much that he couldn't help it but let out a suppressed yawn as he felt the weight of his eyes increase and his body losing up a bit as he walked around the house.
He couldn't help it but to reach out and pick up a small wooden sculpture of a bear standing on it's back legs and holding a fish within it's jaws.
He has never seen a bear before, it got him curious to wonder what other animals lived within the land, a few pictures were present within the house. He could only named a few while the rest were but unknown to him.
Hearing footsteps coming down from the stairs above, he turn around to see the man coming down the staircase before peeking over and saying, "Alright kid come on up, your room is all set. I'll make something quick for you while you get used to your room alright". The man said before going down the stairs and heading over to the kitchen before he begun to take some ingredients out from the full stocked fridge and some from the closet next to the stove.
Putting down the small sculpture back on the shelf that rested on top of the fireplace. He made way to the staircase as he went up each step before meeting the second floor, their on the second floor was a hallway that lead straight ahead with a small circle window with a view to the lake outside, two doors to the left and another hallway leading to the right.
Taking his steps forward, he turn to the left and right till he saw that a door had been left open on the right hallway that lead to two more doors, one of the left and one to the right.
The one on the left had been left open with light shinning out the room. So walking up to the open doorway, he had found his room.
It was the size of a master bedroom with a queen size bed with brown and white checker pattern sheets and white pillows, the floor was the same dark brown hardwood floors as the one on the first level.
The wall was a soft white color with a amount of hue of blue, a black rug withing the center of the room, a desk on the left side of the room, an empty 6 count shelf, a closet with two doors, a large rectangular window the stretch all across the wall, giving him an almost full panoramic view of the outside.
A lamp in the small table with two drawers next to the bed was the only source of light in the room, walking in, he could feel just how big the room was, then again he was still small in size, give it a few years and the room would surely feel sizable and small with his grow spurt.
With nothing in his hands, no personal belongings or clothes besides the ones on him. There wasn't much for him to do but to sit idly in his bed.
It was warm and comfortable, resting his head down on the pillow, oh how he had missed this feeling so much.
He ran his hands on the smooth and warm sheets of his bed, feeling the soft texture as he ran his fingers as well to get a better feel to the sheets before his eye sight was cover in his hair that spew across his face.
Moving his hair aside, he sure did grow out his hair rather long, he wasn't bother by it but he carelessly moved his hair out of his face before looking around the room once again as he lay in bed.
This... all of this, it still felt so unreal to him as it once did for him back on that plane. In just under 24 hours he went from that hell hole of place to this wonderful and homey place...
It felt as if he had blinked his eyes and everything had change for the better...
He had remember what the men had said back then, that he would be need back at the age of 20, that they would wait and observe him while taking on training for the next 10 years till he was ready.
Training for what exactly?, from all the stuff they put in his body, the unimaginable amount of pain he went thru, and that moment in the shower room where he spew out lightning from the palm of his hands.
It felt amazing, feeling that sense of power within him while he saw the ball of light dancing in his hand, somehow he knew that this was just but one of the many 'cursed' gifts given to him.
What else was he really capable of?, perhaps with the training that was to be provided to him, it would help him unlocked those hidden features he secretly wields.
But, why did he need all of this anyways?. Such power and such abilities made him somewhere on the equal level as an IS machine, if not a bit higher, what was he suppose to use them for, war?.
Is this why they wanted him to enjoy his life for a whole 10 years?, because he would live a short life?. That honestly worried him...
But who would he be fighting?, small nations or multiple ones at once, or would he be used to fight the IS pilots considering he was a boy with powers and abilities beyond that of a human level.
So then what was his true destiny?, it was something special surely, the man said it before back in the compound, "there is a reason why it had to be 'you'..."
Why did that sounded so...
Terrifying and truthful... as if it spoke nothing but the honest truth and a sense of... dread. Such words felt like it was a journey he will have to take that would bring nothing but hardships.
Why him?, he was just a child who happens to be the younger brother of the most talented and undefeated skilled IS pilot, he was just a ten year old boy, there must be a million hundred more so in this earth that could be told the same thing and they would believe the words of an adult because they knew no better.
Perhaps he will just have to wait and see, watch and see what the road ahead leads him to. If things turn for the worse, he can only hope that he can turn back and runaway and hide away in some place far away from anyone's reach.
"(sigh)... where am I going from here... I wonder what you are doing... Madoka".
And so that's it for chapter one, now this is just over 8k words, i plan on making each chapter after this one more than 10k or up to 16k words depending on just how much material i can fit within one chapter, i could even go past 20k like i did before with one story from before.
Each chapter will detail Ichika's life for the next 5 years here in his new home, who would he meet and what would he come to do with the gifts given to him?, what kind of things will he get himself involve now that he get's to be a kid once more in this new place.
Please leave down a review and make sure to follow for updates, Ill be trying my hardest to see if I can pull another chapter each week if not each week and a half.
Well that's it, I'll see you guys later, peace.