Chapter 2! Man this got out pretty quick since I decided to work on it before SCHOOL starts again...
Kira: Oh great, here we go again.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but original content. I also don't own the Halo franchise.
Anyways, since we got Kira's character established last chapter, now it's time for his quirks! Yaay! So you will see some discrepancies from Kira's 'normal' personality (IE: Rather blunt and snarky), and you'll see more of his hidden/inner side in this chapter. As usual explanation at them end.
Also as a bit of addition from last time, Kira's JetPack details:
Armor Ability: JetPack
Passive use, but can be manually controlled by the user if need be. Once activated it will simply reside on the user's back until it is put away. Can be used simultaneously with other Armor Abilities.
See if you can catch the Code MENT, The Abridging of Haruhi Suzumiya and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann reference in this chapter!
We were met by this green haired woman that apparently is an instructor here despite the fact she looks like a student. Unfortunately Ichika and I don't share a room, which means the poor sap is probably paired up with some girl here. He's room 1025 and I'm in room 953. I personally thought they would've put us as roommates, but I guess I can't complain.
"Oh, your bulk shipment hasn't arrived yet," Yamada-sensei said as she noticed the footlocker at my room's door that had my name on it.
"Nope, this is all I have." I shrugged, checking my pocket for the keys. Ah, there's that familiar jingle sound, "I don't keep a lot of things."
"Well, your uniforms are in the closet in your room, and you'll have to wear them starting tomorrow, and since there's nothing else for you to do, you should get some rest."
"Thank you," I nodded. E, I need you to immediately see if you can hack into the school's network-
And place you in the class with the cute girls?
Shaddup. I need you to find the schematics and floor plan of this dorm area and find the quickest and most subtle way out. We had enough people ogling us as we walked in (Ichika had his uniform on while I still wore normal clothing because I did NOT keep track of time and it helps avoid detection) and I want to keep detection at a minimum.
Alright then… performing scan… Hm… let me poke around in the Dorm Assignments folder.
I entered the room. Ah, kinda cozy actually. Two beds (though E just confirmed I am alone, since as a super advanced AI hacking this school's network is like a chore to her), two computers and damn it's fancy. Plus that means I have a bathroom which I'm glad I don't have to share. Besides, that would be awkward. Though I can see someone trying to get themselves to be my roommate.
Shit, I just realized that there might actually be someone who can do that.
Student council, perhaps?
Okay, again, this is why I am maintaining as low of a profile as humanly possible. I do not need some Student Council member trying to bunk with me by abusing their privileges and stuff by saying I need a bodyguard. That reminds me, I need to have a look around campus to see if someone could actually snipe me in my sleep… I don't trust bulletproof glass when it comes to high enough caliber bullets. Damn, I need to get some simulations running. Eh, I'll think about it later.
After admiring my room, I opened the footlocker. Two changes of clothes (not really needed at this point), a more-than-basic-less-than-advanced medical kit, some gun magazines (along with a note from Romeo saying he stopped Mickey's prank of sending me a porn magazine. God only knows what trouble that could cause), my MP3 player and headphones, PSP case with PSP inside and three games: Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection, God Eater Burst and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, my cellphone, and lastly a spare kukris.
Thanks guys, I'll have to send a letter that thanks them plus I need them to send me the small black box that's next to my bed, it contains something very important to me. Seriously, Mickey and Romeo have always had my backs along with Luke… while he was still alive anyways, ever since the incident.
The incident of which I never speak the details about… but all you need to know is that it is what caused my hatred for woman who abused their role and spot in society. Which lead to me nearly be arrested several times for defending a man who was being abused and fighting back. I don't give a damn whether it's man or woman, when I see that a wrong has been committed in my opinion, I will do my best to right that wrong.
I follow my own rules in life, doing what I believe is right. No one else can tell me what to believe. I can sure as hell accept what they tell me into my beliefs, but they can't force it on me.
Maybe that's why I drew a gun on Doctor Shinonono, since she forced me into something instead of giving me a chance to make an educated choice.
Done. I'll get started on waypoint adding. You might want to take a shower before you head to sleep though.
Crap, you're right. Oh well, shower then sleep time, and I think I deserve it. I'll save the rest of that thinking for another day, I suppose-
BAM BAM BAM!
Who the hell is pounding on my door? "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ichika! Hurry up and open the damn door!" he sounded distressed. And he swears now? Damn this must be a really bad situation.
"Coming," I opened the door and Ichika ran in, looking very tired and stressed. I sensed some killer aura and decided to close and lock the door. I hope he didn't already piss off his roommate.
"What happened?" I asked him with a quirked eyebrow.
One very detailed explanation later, I was laughing my lungs out. Oh hell, am I crying because of how much I've laughed? Geez, what just happened to him… ooooh, man it's just too funny! Could his first day here have possibly gone any worse? I think I'm gonna end up laughing out my… oooh, man it's just so damn funny!
"Laugh all you want, but she's gonna kill me!"
In short, Ichika's roommate is a childhood friend of his. She was pretty much naked from the showers when he came in and he tried to defend himself with a shinai, only to have Houki's (the name of his friend) bra on it. Can his day possibly gone any worse? Okay, don't answer that.
In that situation, I probably would've deadpanned and said to put some damn clothes on. I'm prepared for this, after all, knowing that I was going into an all girl's school was a good bit of information because that gave me a chance to plan out how to escape a situation that dealt with girls in awkward situations. Hopefully Ichika will live.
"So, can I stay here for now?"
"Sure. Besides, one of Murphy's Laws: Cover your buddy so they can cover you." I shrugged, "Well, I'mma take a shower first and go to sleep."
Ichika and I were trying to get to sleep, but I guess we were both, truth be told, nervous.
Well, it may have been him that was nervous about all the girls. I'm more nervous about if any of them were secret extremist agents.
Stop lying to yourself, it's not healthy. If you don't, you'll have to see a psychologist soon enough.
Hey, I was recently attacked, plus during the summer I got fucking ambushed a LOT.
…You don't always have to act like military, guns, and all that is your life. You may have been swept up in a war but you're still a teenager! You've yet to grow up!
I grew up too fast with that war. My inner kid… he's probably wandering somewhere in my mind, lost and afraid… That is a very scary image to have in my mind. And depressing. If I have nightmares it's your fault… man though, it sucks to be the one who always feels alone because no one else is like you.
…I'll be with you. Always. That's a promise. Not that I have much of a choice though, but it's nice that I can look forward to sticking around.
…I still wish you had a human body and stuff so we could be like, human friends and stuff.
Would you take me on a date? I heard E giggle in my mind.
Stop laughing already, it's not funny. Besides… I'm way out of your league.
Oh why you little shithead!
Hold up, I'm going to talk to Ichika now, maybe he's awake.
THAT'S IT YOU LITTLE-
I blotted E's voice out of my thoughts and sighed, "Ichika, you nervous?" I asked, "You know, about tomorrow."
"Oh, you're up too?" he laughed, "I guess we both are. I mean, what are they going to be like, are they going to be nice, will they attack us?"
"That last one is a big question on my list." I chuckled, "I'm guessing it has to do with the attack?"
"Why'd they want to take us out though?"
"Those… were female extremists. The ones that believe in enslaving the race of men-"
"But aren't woman and men of the same race?"
"I don't consider them the same anymore. How can someone treat their own race so terribly?" I shrugged, "Men and woman are of a different race if you ask me in today's day and age. But those extremists take it to a whole new level by pretty much treating men as if they were pigs on a farm."
"…How would you know?"
"Incident with one of them. Don't ask, I don't want to remember it." I snapped, "…Sorry, I'm a bit jumpy about it." I can talk about it, but it's just generally horrifying to people what happened and they never see me the same again. I remember there was one time in our small 'Fight Club' of sorts that was mainly about fighting spirit, almost like in G Gundam and stuff. Seriously, boxing/good ol' fisticuffs are really good for that sort of thing, however determination is a big part as well. But after I explained the incident… no one wanted to fight me. It was a giant pity party when I would get there, so I left. Fight Club was one of the things I loved… and seeing as the incident tore me away from it, I never talk about it anymore.
"I guess you would be… and then you did kill them without breaking a sweat."
"War and other things'll do that to you," I sat up and turned on the lamp, "But what about you? What's your story?"
"Well… I got kidnapped at one point because my sister was going for her second win in the Mondo Grosso, you know what that is, right?"
"A competition run by filthy, greedy corporate slimebags that put people out there to fight against eachother so they can make profits off of the winnings made by bets under the guise of it being a competition of who is the strongest." I snorted. The fact you can beat off a bunch of people doesn't mean you're the strongest. It's not all about firepower or technology, it's about heart and soul in the fight, hotbloodedness in every attack to prove who can truly outlast the others in body, heart, soul, and mind. But that contest turns fighting into a game! Our fight club never did that, our fights had substance. Being the toughest didn't mean just beating everyone else who said they were the toughest, it was about those who backed you up due to your strength and everything! The ambience, just the spirit of fighting dwelling in us all! Not just some beat 'em all up stuff, money making, and titles! Fighting was the way to make friends… after all, we were all a bunch of misfits in society, we didn't know how to communicate with others that well, so we talked with our fists.
"I… never thought of it that way, but I'll continue. She saved me, but it cost her victory as she had to leave the match to rescue me."
"That proves she's the strongest," I saw his confused face, "It takes a lot of strength to put family first when it comes to things you might see as important in your life. I, unfortunately, do not have experience it that." It's true that it does take a lot of strength to put family or close friends first. I've been told that there's a large difference between the number of people that say they'd give themselves up for others and the number of people who really would. I believe that if someone says they'll give themselves up it's because they've decided that that person is worth sacrificing themselves for and will do as said.
"Parents dead?" Ichika looked serious.
"Shipped me off because they didn't want a kid." I scoffed, "Biggest load of bullshit I've ever seen."
"Wow… most people would be upset about it and would be also trying to show off and impress their parents."
"I don't act to impress people, I don't want to impress people. All I want is to be free. To do as I please. It's why I don't follow any moral code but my own."
"So… let me get this straight: You're a cynic when it comes to female treatment of most men and also just a guy who want to be free. But you told me you fight because you want to see equality, even if that is a long fight that you will be chained to. You've contradicted yourself."
"I know," I smiled, "But that's what I like. I chose to be a contradiction and have chosen that I don't have to explain myself to anyone."
"…You have one heck of a mind."
"That I do. What about your parents?"
"Abandoned my sister and I… she did so much work to get us along in life." Ichika clenched his fists, "I have to repay her somehow."
"Then get stronger." I smiled, "She had a lot of strength to put you first. So, in return, put her first before anything else. Family never forgets a broken promise." (1)
"I thought you said-"
"They might've been just friends at first, but Romeo, Mickey, Luke if he was still here on this Earth, and I considered ourselves brothers. But that's not it. I can remember why Romeo acts so stoic all the time. His family, they never kept a promise to him. He got over getting excited about each time they made a promise and just decided to keep a bored face the whole time as not to worry us anymore. But if you know where to look, you'll find out it affects him a lot." (2)
"How so?"
"…There was a notebook he left once. I thought it was mine but it was his. It was filled with dates, times, details… of every promise any of his family members made to him. Past the right hand margin was the column for 'Kept Promise'. Not a single one was checked."
"…Ouch."
"I know I shouldn't tell secrets of my friends but this is as an example." I sighed, "But it's just to show you that you can't forget a promise to family."
"…I will remember that. Thanks, Kira."
"It's no problem… I'm always free to help a bro out." I grinned, "Come on, let's get to bed. Don't want to oversleep for our first day of class."
Ah, sleep is a good friend. I'm up really early too since I can sleep for four hours and be as good as someone who has slept for eight. But I guess I'll just get ready and make breakfast.
E apparently decided to do some more hacking and found out Ichika and I are in the same class. Ichika's lucky that we're the same size uniform since he's too afraid to go back to his room right now. Eh, I'll escort him around for now. Who knew I'd be a bodyguard protecting him from the girls? Nah, should've seen that one coming.
After a quick walk to the classroom, I held back laughter at how nervous Ichika was before we went into the class, since he was shaking in his shoes about entering the classroom. I haven't got much to worry about since E's helping to look after me.
As we sat down and waited, it was quieter than some soldiers waiting to ambush a few guys.
Anyways, Ichika's introduction was enough to make every girl face fault straight into the ground. Which means his introduction could be used as a weapon! We just have to- am I really thinking of weaponizing his introductions? I… think I might need a doctor. Anyways, focus Kira!
Did I mention Yamada-sensei, the one who showed Ichika and myself around on our arrival, is our teacher? She looks more like a student, however… I bet others are thinking that. Introductions (besides Ichika's) aren't really something I paid attention to, and we're just going in seat order. Why couldn't Ichika and I be in the back of the class? I'm glad we're at least up front and not surrounded by girls in the middle though.
"Um, Orthun-kun, if you would…" Yamada-sensei started off nervously.
"Yes, of course. I am Orthun Kira, I lived in the States for a while and generally we didn't have this sort of thing, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I guess I can take questions." I shrugged, "I mean, how bad could it be?
A girl in the back dared to ask, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No." I said flatly, in the tone that meant: No, and I am not looking for one.
Unfortunately this meant that I have suddenly become a target as they started squealing. Well, shit! Damnit, I need to work on my planning!
"Anymore-" I spun around and quickly blocked the notebook that was heading for my head.
Blink, double blink. Identifying… Wait, E, are you cross-referencing with my memories? I see those words on my screen with a loading bar-
Indeed. Give me half a second more.
Holy crap… it's her. The one who fucking cut open my chest.
Identity: Chifuyu Orimura. Apparently she had retired from piloting… but then they asked for her piloting skills for the counterattack to push the Russians out. (This is where canon gets screwed with!)
"Star." I said coldly, remembering that incident.
"Excuse me?" she said just as coldly. Better get a damn parka, cause it's gonna be getting cold here.
"Star," I repeated, "What is the proper countersign for Star?"
There was a quick flash of shock in her eyes which then quickly vanished. E, I hope you were recording that.
I can always tap into your memories for it.
Just as good. Yeah, it's her alright… My other teacher is the same one that sliced me up. Fan-fucking-tastic!
"I'm assuming you're other homeroom teacher, right?" I glared at her with every bit of hatred that I had.
"Yes. I am Orimura Chifuyu." her gaze was a commanding one. One that was yelling at me to bow down and obey her. Fuck no! I will retain my independence! I'll follow instructions, sure, but that's only because I'm polite. But I'll probably screw around with her for a while.
"Oh, so you're that Chi-chan that Tabane mentioned and-" I didn't have time to finish as I leapt back, dodging another notebook strike, "Well, I guess that's how you say hello."
"Sit down." she commanded. Because she managed to actually halve my rechargeable Energy Shield in one blow even if I blocked it, I'm not taking chances…
I sat down, and she decided to introduce herself, ruining part of my hearing in the process as the fangirl horde squealed like no horde has squealed before. Fuck that hurts! ARE WE BEING AMBUSHED?!
Ichika gave me a look of curiosity as the lesson started. I'll tell him later, I suppose.
But the thing is now we're learning about the basic history of the IS. E is pretty much just giving me a quick summation and recording it for later retrieval.
During break, Ichika got dragged off by some brown haired girl whose hair is pretty long. I'm betting that's Houki. I don't even need the Identifier for that one.
Quick scan indicates so.
Poor sap, hopefully he'll live.
Poor sap indeed. E sighed, Hopefully we won't have to take action against Houki in order to preserve Ichika's life.
Uh, not very optimistic about him, are you?
He hasn't had the same amount of… 'training' as you might call it. And have you prepared your cover story on why you can pilot the IS? We can't tell them about the Core in your eye.
I have one… Mwhahaha! YEAH I'M CRAZY PREPARED TO HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT!
Do I need to administer more sedatives? Also seeing a doctor or therapist regularly would be good. Someone that could gauge your mental health if necessary.
I guess so. Anyways, time to answer a load of questions!
By the way, answering questions is kinda fun. It's all basic stuff, anyways.
What's your favorite color? Depends on the environment and mood, but a nice black goes with everything. Plus black is sneaky! Like a ninja!
What's your favorite food? Pizza bagels!
I could list them all, but then I'd just be wasting time.
"How can you pilot an IS?" Oh, there's the killer! I can't see who asked that, but I have the perfect answer. And E, stop laughing. It's not funny. This is serious business here!
"It's because I am that damned determined," I started, "When they first came out with the IS all they said was 'Pilotable by females only'. So males bought it and look where that got them! They're literally lower than a speck of dirt on the food chain of society! But me, I refused to believe that bullshit and decided I would show the world that a man can pilot the IS. And look where I am now!" I pointed a finger into the air as the sun began to shine on me through the window, "I'm beginning to rise up above the other males in this world to prove to them that fighting spirit and sheer willpower combined with the right firepower can get you anywhere in life!"
E is hysterically laughing in my head so loud that it hurts. Would you shut up in there?!
Can't… stop… laughing… at how… absurd your story was… Who'd believe that?! And were TRYING to act like Kamina?
"Wow Kira, that's amazing!" many other variations were said as well.
…Okay, you have just shattered the odds of what I had planned. I thought they'd all call BS on your story.
Never underestimate the power of confidence when telling a lie. Especially one like this.
It wasn't long before Orimura-sensei came back (Ichika and Houki making it back an exact 4.642 seconds before she did), and more boring lessons… When do we get to the hands on stuff? I can't stand History, it's the most boring subject ever. I mean they say we're gonna learn from the mistakes of the past but then we just end up repeating them with variations. History, after all, never repeats itself but it sure does rhyme. I guess I can doze off...
"Ugh, I don't get it…" Ichika groaned as there was another break, his head slamming into his desk as he slouched. Geez that woke me up!
"Ah, can I have a moment?" Hey I recognize that voice! Same one who asked how I could pilot an IS! Oh well, don't care, getting back to reading All The Myriad Ways that I was in the middle of reading a few days ago. Hold on, Ichika, wake up man! Stop dozing off!
I decided just to take a look at her to see who asked me how I could pilot an IS. She was blonde with curly hair. Reading of facial expression gives off a prideful feeling. Like worse than Asuka from Evangelion. That bad. Meh, back to reading. Hopefully Ichika can save himself. I can try to save him if I want-
"Er… yes… I'm listening," Oh well, he's too far for me to save him. I hear a bomb waiting to go off, "Is there something…?"
"Eh?! What's with that response?! You should feel honored I'm talking to you," Oh crap it's one of these 'Females are superior to men in every way because we can pilot a mobile suit thing'. Just as I thought. But try facing soldiers who train for longer amounts of time that are excruciatingly difficult. I still remember when Corporal Xanataos was telling us about his experiences in Boot Camp. And not in those IS things, but in real combat, "You should have a much better attitude than that!"
"Maybe he's just tired. It's been a long day for him," Okay, last chance for a save! Ichika, I can't try to save you forever!
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are…" Ichika said, half asleep now. Stop throwing away your lifelines, damnit! Ah well, I guess I'll throw my life away with his. Not letting a buddy go.
"Neither do I," I resisted the urge to smirk. I'm not letting Ichika go get himself killed by one of these prideful girls. I fact I identified her and am pretending I haven't just makes it more fun. Hoo-ray psy-cho-lo-gi-cal ex-ploi-tation!
"How do you not know me, the great Cecillia Alcott, Representative Pilot of England, and the valedictorian of the entrance exam?!"
"What's a valedictorian?" I can't resist to urge just to rile her up. Seriously, watching people who are prideful and stuff lose their cool is a rare sight.
You can be so cruel sometimes.
Can it, you. Besides, some people just have to be taken down a peg or two.
"Well, Orthun-kun," she started.
"For the love of American pie, it's just Kira." I sighed. That reminds me I want some apple pie… Nah, make that pumpkin pie… with whipped cream… Oh shit, come on, focus!
"I'll call you what I want," she hissed. And now my hunger for pie is replaced with a thirst for BLOOD! Nah, I'm just kidding, "A valedictorian is the one who scored the highest on the exam! I even beat one of the instructors! I'm the only one who did, in fact!"
"Really? I beat one too." Ichika and I said together.
"Whoa, bro sync." I put out a fist, which he punched. Power of the brofist, go! "But how'd you beat yours?"
"Dodged her attack and she crashed into a wall? You?"
"Shot her around for a bit, shot out all the lights, then pulled off a Halo: Reach style assassination with a Shield Pierce kukris. Unfortunately I had to pay for all those replacements."
"Are you serious?" he laughed, "Wow. And I thought that MJOLNIR Mark V you told me about was just for show!"
"Guess I'm not just a Wolverine but also a Spartan." I let out a chuckle, "E was limiting me as well. Only used my kukrises, pistol, and SMG. All rather short ranged weapons when she had a flipping katana, a rifle, and a pistol."
"Wow." Ichika said after letting out a low whistle.
"Plus manual reloading since I'm used to that, and one of my knives has 15 seconds of shield pierce abilities. Not sure what happens if I go over that limit though. I'm suspecting it'll drain my shields since it does have a permanent 75 Shield decrease as long as I have it equipped."
"I suppose so…" Ichika stroked his chin.
"STOP IGNORING ME!" Cecillia screamed, "I refuse to believe that I'm not the only one who has beaten an instructor!" The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Seriously, can't you just see the truth-
~Now I face out, I hold out, I reach out to the truth of my life~ I quickly answered my phone. Strangely that song fits right here, "Yeah, Romeo?"
We had a quick talk about the attackers, and how their bodies have been taken care of. I won't have to worry about any investigators knocking on my door either, thankfully. Well, that lets me get to sleep at night a lot better!
After that next lesson that was about AI, which I paid remote attention to, even though E was giving me a much more detailed explanation of it that I found easier to understand somehow. It was then Orimura-sensei announced something.
"Alright, because interclass tournaments are coming up, we need to pick a representative. You may nominate yourself or someone else."
"I'm nominating Orimura-kun!" several girls cried out. Haha, sucker! Well, he's scre-
"I'd like to nominate Kira-kun!" another girl shouted. FUCK! Not to mention Orimura-sensei probably won't let me back out.
"Hell no!" Cecilia yelled from behind, "I refuse to be represented by a man and be forced to endure this humiliation!"
"You'll have to challenge and beat them then. We will hold the matches in a week-"
"Oh FUCK that," I chuckled, before going deadpan monotone, "I'd normally want my match tomorrow first thing in the morning," There was a stunned silence as I stood up and looked at Cecilia in the eyes, "However I'd like some time to completely familiarize myself with the operation of my IS. It would be suicidal to go and fight without knowing how exactly my IS works." E, we're going to the arena later, train up on our weapons and stuff.
Roger that. I'll fill you in on the details later.
Thanks.
"Very well then…" Orimura-sensei stated, "And Orthun-" I spun around and punched the book she threw at me right out of the fortunately open window, "Use correct language."
I dare you to make me. Now, is it just me or did her glare intensify? It would suck if she could read my mind… Uh… Chocolate covered marshmallow hell in space with demon monkeys… ON A STICK!
Okay, since her glare is all the same and not a confused look, she can't read my mind! Good…
Ichika cornered me at lunch, "So, are you really going to take her on?"
"Of course," I snorted, "I mean, why would I back out? Besides, I can probably use her ego against her. Bah, details. Anyways, I'm going to use my favorite plan!" Which means giving you, E, the mental command to search The Doctor's database. Look for the Cecilia Alcott, I believe was her name, that should give you some basic parameters if you include that she said she was England's rep, "Which is… to have no plan!"
"…You're serious, aren't you?"
"Why of course." E, you done yet?
Extracting all this information can take a while. It should be ready by the end of the day, since there is a LOT of information.
Perfect, I can review before our match and come up with a strategy.
Do you want another challenge?
Let's hear it, since it sounds like fun.
You'll have all the weapons from last time, plus the MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System and the BR55 Battle Rifle. Since most IS models can fly, especially personal units that Reps are given, I'll enable use of the JetPack, which I will be controlling. You can try flying it yourself, but that will make this battle much harder than it has to be.
Ah, that's fine this time. Besides, I'll need to focus on shooting.
So we're going with this challenge? Nice.
Geez, this suit is just made for combat. Then again it's a friggin' MJOLNIR suit we're talking about.
After lunch I could feel Cecilia's death glare trying to burn a hole in the back of my skull. If she thinks that's gonna intimidate me, then she's very much wrong. I'd give her a REAL death glare but then Orimura-sensei'll see me and I think she's still pissed about the 'Star' incident. That reminds me, I didn't explain it to Ichika yet. Damn.
Classes ended pretty quickly, and I retreated back into my room before there were a bajillion more questions.
I'm done with my information extraction, and I've taken out the unnecessary details that include manufacturer of weapons and whatnot, which is what took me a long time to get all of this stuff.. Cecilia's unit is known as Blue Tears, made for long range and support against multiple targets. Your unit is an all arounder, so if you focus on short range, then she'll have trouble against you. She's armed with a sniper rifle, the Starlight Mark III, medium to long range. Her package also includes Interceptor drones, four to be exact, and then 2 missile pods that have target seeking missiles. Hm, I'll give you something from the [Equipment] subtype, the Radar Jammer. It'll be to your advantage since it'll disrupt her drones and missiles, but your motion tracker will be messed up, rendering it useless to you. But since this is a one versus one duel, you won't have to worry about it. The only thing you'll have to worry about in terms of CQC is her knife, but there's no special details on it.
Very well then. I'm going to need a good night's sleep. I'll see you in the morning.
Next day at the Arena
Alright, now that the targets have been set up since holograms are fairly easy to set up, I guess its time for some practice shooting. Just one hundred targets with plenty of cover and me with a battle rifle. How long could this take?
"One hundred targets?" Ichika (having decided to go with me just to watch) asked from the side, "Are you sure this isn't overkill?"
"E, make all the targets moving. Fast."
Suddenly all the holographic images of humanoid figures began moving very quickly that they were almost blurs, moving and rolling to cover like expert spec ops soldiers.
"Uh…" Ichika pointed a finger, "Are you sure you can-"
I heaved my BR over my shoulder and closed my eyes, then pulled the trigger.
Accuracy: 100%, Time: 1.08 Seconds, Targets left: 99, Headshots: 1
The words came up on my Interface, with the timer already counting up.
"Seeya you when I'm done."
Ah, so what's the score, E?
Accuracy: 95.99%, but only because a lot of those holograms took two bullets before vanishing and the third didn't hit anything because there was nothing to hit. Time: 502.89 Seconds or 8 Minutes and 22.89 Seconds. Headshots: 97.
"What. The. HELL DID I JUST WATCH YOU DO?" Ichika yelled in surprise.
"You watched the level of my skill with a weapon. I told you of what happened back during the war, right? I got reaaaaaally good with a gun. Especially sniper rifles." I smirked, "Oh, but I have to try out the aerial combat though… E, let's get cracking on that."
"…" Ichika had a look of pure shock on his face, "A-are you sure? Isn't that enough practice?"
"Nonsense," I laughed, "That was just ground to ground. We still have air to ground, air to air, and then ground to air targeting practice to go through."
"Are you normally this crazy when it comes to this sort of thing?"
"Nah, not really." I deactivated my IS, "Normally I'd probably just go play Team Fortress 2 and call it training."
"Video games constitutes as your training?" Ichika asked incredulously as E decided to pop into her hologram form and walk beside us.
"Ahaha! Damn, I just looked through some of your memories. How does playing MLG in Halo: Reach classify as paintball tournament training?"
"Fuck off, E." I growled, "And besides, it helped! Seriously though, video games have helped me out with that… and it's not just that the fact my IS is based off a video game either…"
"Right…" Ichika had a smile on his face, "It's because you're just that crazy."
"…Maybe E is right about me going to see a psychologist."
E suddenly changed her outfit to a business woman with glasses, "Now, will that be tomorrow at eleven o'clock, Mister Orthun?"
…What the fuck.
Days until Duel of the Fates... I mean Duel against Cecilia: 6
After class…
"Okay Mickey, I need you with the Demoman to move up on the left side of the objective. Romeo, you need to go in with the Spy-"
This is training?
It counts as tactics training, so shut up. Besides, hand-eye coordination, right?
This does not qualify as training! You're going to get owned by Cecilia and what the hell am I saying?
Stuff that is false. Besides, I need a break. I can kill holograms later. Now, please let me play King of Hill in peace?
Fine… but I'm going for a walk, or at least lie down a bit. Ah, someone's knocking on the door, I'll get it.
You can do that- Shit, sniper! Get to cover, get to cover-
Yes, I can. Doctor Shinonono created me with hologram to object interaction in mind. So I'm pretty much like another person here.
Right… anyways, need to take the objective!
"Oh, hi there Ichika."
"Hey E, is Kira in? I didn't see him in the arena where Cecilia's training."
"She's training?" E and I both asked.
"She seems like the type that would be arrogant enough to not be training… E, you wanna do something bang outta order?"
"If you mean showing her up and doing our hundred man challenge, then hell no. We'd be revealing what our capabilities are and therefore allowing her to construct a strategy against us."
"Just what I thought. However E, as much as I'd love for you to hack into the security system, I can't help but think Orimura-sensei is probably watching out for something like that. I guess I'll keep on training here."
"…It's scary how alike you two think." Ichika commented.
"I know." I stopped playing and glared at E, "Why'd you copy me? Hey, stop it! Seriously, it's not funny!"
"Damnit E, stop saying all my lines!"
"W-well, you stop stealing all of mine!"
"…Creepy. Anyways, can I watch you play?" Ichika said, "Looks like fun."
Days until Cecilia Duel: 3
And there goes the last target… again. Seriously, we're trying to have a challenge with the ground to ground/air targets and even two hundred targets are wrapped up in less than fifteen minutes.
It doesn't help that you do have absurdly good aiming skills. Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?
I was in a war with limited ammo everyday. I learned to make every shot count.
Well, I guess that works… but your reflexes are uncanny as well.
I'm putting that one on your amazing scanning abilities, since with your abilities we can pretty much out predict the opponent's strategy and then map out several counters to it. After all, a fighter's skills are limited by the amount of tactical support he has at times.
Aw, gee thanks. But I think we're all set and ready to go against Cecilia. Though Ichika is still trying to wrap his head around the fact that not only are we this prepared but we're already taking on a representative pilot. Pretty good for a first win, eh?
Yeah… let's go kick her ass.
Day of The Duel, roughly 8:52
[Music: Row! Row! Fight The Power!]
"So… you're really gonna fight her." Ichika asked as I stood on the open air part of the launch area, finishing up my last pizza bagel on a paper plate, "Not gonna last minute surrender?"
"Yeah." I shrugged, "It'll be fun. Besides, I don't do surrender. Sending me out with a bang is the only way to go."
The arena was mostly filled, rumors about how one of the new male pilots confidently challenged a Representative Pilot so soon tend to spread quickly and attract attention. Maybe about… half of them were supporting me, and the other half must've thought I was getting WAY in over my head. Maybe I am, but I won't go down without a fight.
"Whelp, I'm gonna go." I raised my arm high and yelled out my new battle cry, "SPARTANS NEVER DIE!"
My old weapons were where they were before, and I could feel the assault rifle on the backside of my waist, and the BR on the JetPack since it was a bit heavier.
"Aren't you gonna throw that plate away?" Ichika raised an eyebrow as my helmet appeared with the golden faceplate.
"Anything can be used as a weapon." I smirked from behind the helmet. E, you're piloting, "Also Ichika, pay attention to how I fight. Knowing is half the battle. The other half is shooting the ever living hell outta your opponent."
Happy Hunting, Spartan.
You're getting soft already.
Don't make me call you Jo-
SHADDUP! Anyways, battle time! Hm, battle music to play… E, hack into the school and play, let's see… Ah, I know, the music that will play whenever I fight will be the MJOLNIR Mix. Let's get started!
"Ladies and uh… right, today's match is between the Representative Pilot of England Alcott Cecilia and one of the new male students, Orthun Kira!"
"IT'S JUST FUCKING KIRA, DAMNIT!" I yelled. Alright, time to kick some ass.
[Music: Halo Theme (MJOLNIR Mix) Slow part at the beginnign lasts until the fight begins]
E flew me over to where I was about level with her on a vertical standpoint, at least 50 feet if we're talking horizontal distance. Also E, I'll have to ask you to maintain a scan on her status.
Copy that. Initializing scan. Placing it on the Neuro Interface.
"This is your last chance," Cecilia called out in that arrogant tone as I slipped the BR into my right hand, "Surrender now and I'll forget this ever happened."
"I don't do surrender." I growled, noticing some blue lines start enveloping her figure on my Interface, "Besides, what is surrender? Oh, I know, something you'll do!"
The color of the lines reflects the damage to that area. The bar on the left side of your Interface is how much shields she has left. You ready?
Always. Timer is counting down… 5, 4, 3, 2-
I threw the paper plate like a Frisbee at her, causing her to duck as the gunshot signaling the start of the match went off. I opened fire on her right away, going for her chest since that has the most amount of targeting area. Damn she's fast though.
Want me to activate the target reticule?
Nah, I'll still aim with the scope.
Ba-ba-blam! Ba-ba-blam! Ba-ba-blam! The triple burst fire of the BR was sweet music to my ears. She started returning fire, "Have you no honor, have you no respect?!"
"I just used what equipment I had on me!" I laughed, still maintaining fire on her while E dodged her shots.
I'm still taking fire though, since our mobility isn't exactly the best. However, I make up for it since I can deal more damage than Cecilia can to me because I have superior marksmanship and fire rate, "And my respect for you as a person is unfortunately for you, quite little."
As the battle played out, I noticed a lot of things. If I unfortunately take a hit it levels us out our shields due to her high damage output, but I'm hitting her more times since my bullets are a lot faster than that slow energy rifle. But that thing is powerful! Just a graze deals a hell of a lot of damage!
"That's it! Take this!" Her four Interceptor drones flew out, opening fire. Shit, taking damage to the Energy Shields, even if it is light damage they're hitting a lot. They're moving too fast for a BR, so I'll swap it out for my assault rifle.
Marking targets with waypoints.
Thanks E. I spun around to shoot one, giving it a face full of automatic hot lead, causing it to explode. Three more… There's another one right above me!
E boosted me up enough that I could grab it, take out my non-SP kukris and stab a hole in it, rendering it unusable… except for when I threw it back at Cecilia.
"Tch, you're annoying!" Cecilia snarled, dodging the improvised weapon.
"I've been told that quite a bit." I chuckled, "But don't expect me to let up." I reloaded my assault rifle and focused fire on her. E, I need you to fly me in close, since I want to try a shotgun strategy.
Uh, you don't have a shotgun…
I know. It's a gaming term from bullet hell games. It means getting really up close to the boss while it's safe and opening fire like crazy. Plus, if we're close and she goes for using those drones, I can probably get her with my Pierce knife.
What about the missiles? Those could be problematic.
Hm, we'll have to get her to use those and activate our Radar Jammer. We shouldn't reveal it until then because she might have a countermeasure and this way we'll catch her off guard.
Good thinking. Let's go in!
E flew us straight at Cecilia, who began opening fire at us, but those shots are rather slow for a laser and are easily evaded when we're flying straight at her. She launched the drones again, which were easily dispatched of with my assault rifle, which I had to reload again.
"Fell for it!" she brought up her missile pods, "Haha! You're finished!"
Damn, we got a radar lock on us!
Activate Equipment: Radar Jammer, NOW!
Deploying!
I saw the motion tracker in the lower right hand go crazy with red dots flying all around it. I see what you mean about it being a double-edged sword since it deploys on me. It was satisfying to see the missiles go crazy and blow up as they hit the ground.
"Haha! You're toast!" she giggled. OW. OW. LASER TO THE FACE, OW. Damn I was not paying attention!
Shields dropping! Damn those lasers are highly charged. They took out your Energy Shield in one go with a direct hit.
"You don't have too much mobility, and I'm going to make full use of that! Just surrender!"
"I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" I roared at her, "I'VE COME TOO FAR!"
Damn, shields at 239 and dropping- Aha, I have a plan.
E, fly us straight above her then drop me. Also, give me Hologram and we'll drop it on her.
You aren't seriously-
I am. Let's do this! It's so crazy it just might work.
E flew us up pretty high then decided to drop the hologram with me after it. There was about a three second difference in between the hologram and myself.
"Damnit, get back down here where I can see you! Eeep!" she flew towards us and squealed as the hologram started closing in on her.
She dodged the hologram falling on her and then shot it, which made it fizz away. Guess she wasn't expecting that.
"W-what?!" in her shock, I fell down right at her and put my assault rifle away.
"CRACKA MUST DIE!" when I was at the right height, I brought both of my fists together and smashed her on the head, taking out the last of her shields since most of them had been wiped away by a lot of gunfire. She might've done more damage per hit, but I was the one who got more shots and damage in.
With her shields gone Absolute Defense should kick in… why did her IS vanish? Wait, don't tell me an Assassination-esque attack would actually leave people to die once they've been hit. I didn't stick long enough to see what happened to that teacher I fought. Oh hell, this height is enough if not kill, severely cripple. My JetPack can't fly us down fast enough and I can't recover from that sort of speed… E, can we Slipstream jump?
We can… but I'm not sure if we should-
Any other way to save her? I don't let other people die! I save everyone I can. Not to mention she won't live to see how strong man is if she dies!
Okay! Uh… we could try falling and catching her? I'll use the JetPack once we catch her to try to slow us down.
Cool. Stop floating with the JetPack and DAMN I fall fast… Okay, just gotta fall fast enough to catch her and- Gotcha!
"O-orthun!"
E, JETPACK, NOW! AS MUCH AS WE CAN POUR INTO IT!
Full thrusters engaged! Damn, we're traveling too fast! Gel layer should absorb most of the impact-
That was the last I heard before blacking out.
Footnotes:
(1): Actually I got that from my priest during his homily. It's very true.
(2): Stepford Stoic? Maybe that should be a new trope. You know, someone who just remains stoic as not to reveal the true feelings they have?
Anyways, nice going Kira, already acting like the Chief.
Kira: Shut up! Besides, WHO'S the one in charge of this? I mean, who writes this crap- *notices shotgun leveled at his head* I mean, yeah I take full responsibility and DON'T SHOOT ME!
Meh, I can always revive you. *pulls trigger* Ah shit, outta ammo. Guess I'll just have to whack you upside the head with it. Anyways, please review!
Time for an explanation about Kira's personality: Yes he was rather serious, but he has his moments of silliness too. As he put it, the 'inner child' in his mind sometimes manages to break free every now and then as he can't really keep it suppressed all too much.
Now, for all of the standard summaries:
Kira finally gets to IS Academy and gets his room. Epic foreshadowing occurs (Can you guess where?). Ichika then comes in chased by 'Killer Aura' known as Houki later on.
As the two try to get to sleep we get a glimpse of Kira's softer side and his past. The 'Incident' is first spoken of, plus the Fight Club he was in that was mainly just about fighting because they didn't know how else to communicate.
Next day Kira meets the person who cut open his chest during the war, his teacher Chifuyu Orimura. This is where I said canon would be screwed with.
Class reps are being voted for, Ichika (Sucker!) and Kira (Fuck!) are chosen. Cecilia will not stand for this (OBJECTION!)
Kira chooses to take his time and train so he'll be prepared to fight despite the fact he is WAAAAAY more than prepared at the point he starts training. He beats Cecilia with just over 200 Shield Points left on him, Halo: Reach air assassination style (Am I picking up a trend?). Cecilia's Absolute Barrier fails for some reason (I wonder if this has anything to do with a certain style of attack), and Kira takes the plunge to save her as she won't be able to regret calling him weak if she's dead plus the fact he doesn't like having people die on him unless they deserved it. Pulling a Halo 3 he crashes into the ground, he gets knocked out while saving Cecilia.
Weapons time: (Note that I take no credit for this. All information is paraphrased off the Halo Wiki)
MA5B Individual Combat System:
Low damage but with high fire rate that hits 15 rounds a second. A short to medium range weapon very much like the SMG but tends to be more effective than the M7 when it comes to medium range shooting. However, due to its lack of accuracy, it tends to be used in short, controlled bursts rather than a long stream of fire. Uses Kira's Interface to have a Targeting Reticule for his weapon due to the concealed iron sights for pure convenience. Can be outfitted with several types of ammo and attachments but Kira has yet to add those special rounds and extra attachments.
BR55 Battle rifle:
Medium damage per 3 round burst with every trigger pull. It is used as a medium to long ranged weapon, which is why E gave it to Kira even if she could've handed him a sniper rifle to fight against Cecilia. Unlike the MA5B, the BR55's accuracy is very high even at long distance, making the only limit to the damage Kira can deal with this weapon its fire rate due to his supreme marksmanship. Has a 2x scope that is usable which Kira likes due to his liking of accuracy.
Equipment (Told you it would be soon!):
Radar Jammer: …Does exactly what it says. However it deploys ON Kira's IS, making it a double edged sword as it can jam radar of everything around him, but messes with his Motion Tracker. He is fine using it in a one on one duel as he doesn't need to worry about multiple opponents if he can keep his in his sights.
And because he's unconscious, I think it's time for MORE SIDEQU-
Kira: Stop joke stealing from HCBailly.
Kill-fucking-joy. And I'm not stealing, I referencing! Anyways, because you're not awake… *shoots Kira with tranquilizer darts*, it's time for flashbacks!
Also, since school is coming up in like a week, once that hits I won't be able to update as frequently. Sorry about that, but summer break's coming to a close… Whyyyyyyyyyyy-
Ichika: Now that's Lione's off in the 'School-Is-Coming-Back Emo Corner', I guess we'll see you guys next chapter- Uh… Lione?
You dare call the Awesome Corner the 'Emo Corner'? *revs chainsaw* NOW, COWER IN FEAR AT THE MIGHT OF MY CHAINSAW! Oh, yeah, seeya guys next chapter. Same for Ichika… if he lives to see next chapter. Stop running!
Kira: *sigh* Please remember to leave a review if you liked the chapter and follow if you really liked the chapter. Have a nice day!
