Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos. Infinite Stratos belongs to Izuru Yumizuru, Okiura, and CHOCO.
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Infinite Stratos
Tomber en Amour: Falling in Love
By Cyberweasel89
Fall 3: Recherchée
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A giggle escaped Charles' mouth as she felt a warm, wet kiss on her ear.
"Mmmmm..." she sighed contentedly, nestling herself into the source of warmth her back was pressed against.
A little lick on her ear lobe, followed by a nibble.
"Oh, la la... Mmm..." she giggled. That felt so good... it gave her fuzzy tingles.
The kisses trailed from her ear to just behind it, moving to her neck.
"Oh, mi amour... Si bon..." she sighed.
The following sucking and nibbling on her neck drew a little, sexual moan from the French girl. Wow... she had a lot of sexual dreams, but this felt so realistic... Maybe because she was only half asleep right now?
And that long, hard, twitching object against her rear... She must've been mostly lucid for it to feel so... so...
She shot up in bed. What? Oh, right... She was... sharing a bed with Ichika. But... was he doing that? She turned to look at the boy, who curled up in on himself once her soft, warm body left him.
"Don't... Don't leave... please..."
He was... still asleep? He sounded... so distressed.
"Mom... Dad... Sis... D-Don't leave me... Please..."
His voice was trembling. Was he... having a nightmare?
Ichika... had told her just last night that he never wanted to see his parents again... But... was that a ruse? One she failed to see through due to the heat of the moment? Had he only said that... to make her feel better? So she... wouldn't worry about him?
It was odd... She could see through him like he was made of glass... But no other girl seemed to be able to do so. Maybe it was because, as Ichika himself was aware... They didn't see him as a person, a human being... He was an object to them. And objects... didn't have feelings. Maybe anyone would be able to read the Japanese boy like a book like she could... if they only tried.
He was shaking all over... Chancing a glance at his crotch, what she had felt as an erection against her ass had quickly shrunken and softened. Looking over at the clock, Charles saw it was still the early morning, long before they had to awaken for class. Ichika... seemed so content, so happy, cuddled against her back... But now that her body had left him...
Swallowing hard, a heavy feeling in her heart, Charles pulled the covers back over herself and her roommate, sidling up against the Japanese boy once again. Instantly, the sleeping boy calmed at her touch, her warmth. And... she couldn't help but feel a glow within herself at the feel of his chiseled body against her soft, feminine, subtle hourglass curves...
She fit into his arms so perfectly... Like a missing puzzle piece... Charles felt complete... for the first time in her life. And just last night, when Ichika told her she could stay here, and he would cover for her, help her... It made her feel wanted... for the first time since her mother died...
Sighing, Charles rolled over to face her roommate, wrapping her arms around him as he did the same in his sleep, burying her face in his muscled chest. She... wasn't quite sure what she was feeling right now... But she was certain...
She'd never felt anything like it before in her life...
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That morning, Ichika awoke with a yawn.
"Bonjour, Ichika!" she greeted, sitting on the bed and placing a tray in front of him. She was using her real voice, and had vowed to herself she would always do so while alone with him.
"Uh... hello to you too, Charles." he answered, a little confused.
"No, no, Ichika. Bonjour! Good morning. Ummm... Ohayou, I believe you say in Japanese?"
"Oh, well... Good morning, Charles. Did you... get me breakfast?"
"Ummm... Sort of, Ichika. I... made it myself, to be honest."
The boy looked down at the meal on his lap. It was a cheese omelet made with corned beef hash as a filling, a glass of milk, two pieces of grape jelly toast, and a stack of blueberry pancakes.
"You... made all this yourself?"
"Oui! I hope you like it, mon ami!"
Using his fork to cut a piece from the soft, tender omelet, Ichika placed the bite in his mouth. Again, he froze, not moving.
"Um... M-Mon ami?" the French girl asked, worried.
"It's... just so good..." he sobbed. "How? How could anything be this delicious? It's like magic! I feel a warmth flooding my mouth and spreading throughout my whole body!"
The boy was openly weeping now. Was this... a normal reaction to her cooking? It'd certainly been similar when he'd tried her ratatouille...
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"Gooood morning!" Ichika called as he entered Class one, Charles walking beside him.
A group of girls seemed to be gathered around one desk, including Cecilia and Rin, having a hushed discussion. They jumped upon hearing Orimura Ichika's voice. Charles leaned in close to them, smiling her pleasant smile.
"So, what are you ladies talking about?" she asked.
The group only laughed nervously, pulling apart and scattering while squealing, leaving only Cecilia and Rin standing there with the French crossdresser.
"Well, I'd better head back to my own class now!" Rin obfuscated, turning and walking away.
"Right. I should go sit down in my own desk. Ta-ta! See you later!" the blonde Brit concurred.
Charles turned to glance at Ichika, quirking an eyebrow at him. She had a feeling she knew what those girls were talking about, but did...?
The look in his eyes... He knew. But it seemed only Charles knew he knew. Because only she saw him as a person with feelings to the point of being able to see through his facade.
"What was that?" the Japanese boy asked, his usual acting skills making it seem like a naturally oblivious question.
Charles, putting on an act of her own, responded with an innocent "Who knows?"
Both noticed, but did not draw attention to, Houki staring at them out of the corner of her eye.
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As the two "boys" walked the halls, Charles stole a glance at Ichika. He seemed... deep in thought. It was a look he probably wouldn't show with anyone but her, the sole person who knew he wasn't as dense as he looked.
"So... I guess it is true... no?" she asked, breaking the silence.
The young man only nodded. "Houki said that if she won the tournament, I'd have to date her... She didn't ask... She didn't make a deal... She just... Said that was how it had to be. Three girls overheard and spread a rumor... And now however wins will be dating me..."
Charles felt herself place her hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn't matter how I feel about it... These girls are even under the impression that I don't know about this... I know that's exactly what I want them to think... But the point is, they're under the impression I don't know I'm a literal prize for winning this tournament... And they're okay with that..."
"Ichika..." the French crossdresser said, just under her breath. His face was... so sad...
"Girls talk about being objectified... But do you think they're ever objectified to the extent I am...?" he mused.
Charles bit her lip. She... needed to change the subject, fast. "So, Ichika... You're going to train today, aren't you?"
"Yeah... There's not much time left before the tournament." He agreed, brightening a bit. "I was hoping to practice with your rifles more, Charles."
"Really? But... Your IS does not have any long range weapons, correct? Why would you need to practice marksmanship, mon ami?"
He turned to look at her as he walked, his bag slung over his shoulder while the French crossdresser herself held hers in both hands at her waist. "Isn't it obvious? If we're ever in a fight together and I'm at a long-range disadvantage, I can just borrow one of your rifles and use it. I mean, that's... okay with you, right?"
Charles... was honestly impressed. She'd always known Ichika was smarter than he let on, but only socially... That was... actually an idea she hadn't even thought of. And actually, it would make them a natural duo in a fight together. "Ichika, that's... ingenious!"
The blush on the boy's face... she couldn't help but find it cute.
"Three representative contenders are having a practice match in the third arena!" A student called out as she ran past the two "boys" with another student. Both paused, gasping.
"Ichika, are you thinking what I am-"
"I am... Dammit!"
Charles couldn't help thinking as she gazed at the Japanese young man's strained expression...
Heavy is the crown...
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Ichika and Charles made their way to Arena Three, finding a small crowd of girls scattered among the stands already. Soon, Houki joined them. Charles looked to see Ichika give her a glance, but... his expression was blank during it. Was he... conflicted... over how Houki started the condition of him being the tournament's trophy?
A tremor shook the arena, stirring up a huge brown cloud of dirt and dust. When it settled, the three IS pilots down below were made clear.
"That is Miss Huang and Miss Alcott!" Charles pointed out.
"And Laura Bodewig!" Houki finished for her.
Ichika's expression intensified. "What are they doing?" he wondered aloud. "They're nuts!"
Rin launched a blast from her above-the-shoulder hovering energy cannons, yelling something too far away to hear. Laura, however, merely smiled confidently, saying something and holding out her right gauntlet-covered hand, projecting some kind of dome-shaped shield from her palm that shifted across the rainbow spectrum like an aurora. The blast from Rin's IS exploded harmlessly against it. Rin looked understandably shocked.
"How did she stop the Ryuhou's attack?!" Ichika exclaimed in disbelief. Genuine disbelief, Charles noted.
"It's an AIC!" the French crossdresser exclaimed.
"Of course. And because she's equipped with one, she didn't even need to attempt to evade the Ryuhou." Houki observed.
"A... I... C?" Ichika repeated, again showing genuine confusion. "What does that mean?"
"AIC stands for Active Inertia Canceller. The Schwarzer Regen's third generation weapon." Charles explained calmly.
"Which as the name implies, cancels all inertia." Houki finished for her.
Ichika turned to gaze back out on the arena, a strained noise coming from his throat.
"You understood that, right?" the buxom Japanese girl asked, turning to glance at him.
The Japanese boy was silent for several moments, his face serious. "I saw it... That's more than enough."
Houki assumed he was too dumb to grasp it, and his groan was from confusion... But Charles knew. He groaned because... he knew exactly what that meant for Cecilia and Rin.
The petite Chinese girl strafed through the air, firing several more Ryuhou blasts at Laura as the one-eyed German strafed along the ground around them, summoning her inertia cancelling shield to stop the last one. This naturally made Rin nervous.
Laura followed up by launching two red cables at the Chinese IS pilot, who flew around to dodge them, but it seemed they could be manipulated remotely. One finally snagged her, wrapping around the leg of her IS and hanging her upside down.
Laura was assaulted with the satellite projectiles from Cecilia's IS, but the one-eyed German easily strafed out of the way of them along the ground of the arena. As she took to the skies, Cecilia shot two rockets at her that seemed to seek her out. She was momentarily caught off guard when the blonde Brit sent her four satellite projectiles directly at her. Laura summoned a spherical A.I.C shield around herself to block them, but had to hold it as these were projectiles that wouldn't disperse or explode upon contact, and could be remotely manipulated.
Laura... didn't seem to be moving as Cecilia summoned a blue scoped rifle and aimed it at the one-eyed German, but then again, neither did the blonde Brit. They both fired at each other at the same time from their rifle and shoulder cannon, the blasts hitting each other at the point between them and causing an explosion.
Laura took that moment to swing the still grapple-hooked Rin into Cecilia, sending the two girls crashing into the arena ground in a plume of dust and dirt. Charles looked at Ichika to see him clearly distressed at the current outcome. Both girls were struggling to pull themselves up from the crater they now found themselves sharing, while Laura flew in to continue her assault, coming to a stop just above the two girls.
Rin seemed to be charging both her Ryuhou's, while Laura remained calm and aimed her own shoulder cannon at the two girls. She fired, hitting Rin's left Ryuhou, but while doing so, Cecilia took a free shot at the one-eyed German with her own rifle, completely catching her off guard and catching her in a huge blast.
Both girls climbed out of the crater and went to stand aside, watching the smoke settle and likely discussing how crazy it was that Cecilia fired off an explosive weapon at point-blank range, Charles was sure. Unfortunately, much to everyone's shock, it seemed Laura was completely unharmed by the blast.
The one-eyed German let loose two red grappling hooks from her IS, wrapping around the necks of both girls, reeling them in. Rin was putting up a fight, but Cecilia had fallen to the ground and was being dragged. Laura simply landed and gave the petite Chinese girl a solid right hook with her AIC gauntlet, then a kick to the blonde brit's side while she was down. She followed with a series of unarmed swings at Rin again, sending her stumbling back with each one while still restrained by the neck with the grappling hook. A final downward blow floored her. Alert boxes, red in color, showed up on the holographic displays of both girls that read 'Warning: Exceeding life support systems.'
"Sacrebleu! The shield energy will not hold out much longer at this rate!" Charles explained, both hands clasped in front of her chest in distress.
Ichika only grit his teeth, an intense expression on his face as he gazed at the display of brutality before him.
"If the damage doesn't stop, the IS mandatory unlocks activate, and in this state that could kill them!" Houki pointed out.
Laura lifted Cecilia up by the grappling hook around her neck, kicking her upward and away with such force that it completely shattered part of her IS. She followed up by lifting Rin next, giving her a gauntlet-clad left jab that sent her to the ground and cracked the petite Chinese girl's arm guard.
Charles looked to Houki, who seemed to have something weighing on her mind, but the French crossdresser jumped when Ichika let out an angry cry and punched the shield protecting the arena from both sides. "Laura! Stop it!" he called as loud as he could. "Stop... it!"
The one-eyed German paused, turning to look at Ichika curiously. Instead of stopping, though, a wicked, sadistic grin spread across her face.
"Damn you..." the Japanese boy cursed under his breath. Taking a few steps back, he raised up his right arm in front of his face, the bracelet there glowing as he summoned his personal IS. Letting out a battle cry, he summoned his sword, already in transformed energy state, much to Charles' shock. She'd only ever seen it in its standard physical state while training. The boy was serious!
Both of his wings extending, Ichika charged directly into the barrier, breaking it down fairly easily with an Ignition Boost and only a few sword swings. Wow... That barrier was meant to specifically guard against attacks like that! Having only seen her roommate in practice battles... was this what it was like if he got serious?
"Ichika..." Charles said breathlessly as she clasped her hands to her tightly bound chest. This... was how far the boy would go for the people he cared about? It didn't matter if they treated him like an object... He would give his all to protect them.
He wasn't the strongest...
He wasn't the fastest...
He wasn't the smartest...
He wasn't the most skilled...
But he had what most men lacked. Hell, he had what most people on this Earth lacked. He'd shown it to her last night in the rawest form possible...
And it was that very thing... That had her own... beating a mile a minute right now.
"Ichika!" Houki called out to him as he landed on the arena grounds with a roll. Finishing the roll on his feet, he took off immediately, flying directly toward the one-eyed German.
"Get your hands off of them, you bitch!" he roared, an unbridled rage the likes of which Charles didn't think he was capable of. No... not unbridled rage... a righteous fury! Like... he had shown her last night... Only this... was many times more intense!
Laura turned around just in time to hold out her right gauntlet, capturing Ichika's charge harmlessly in a spherical AIC barrier and holding him there.
Charles knew the AIC cancelled all inertia... And Ichika definitely wasn't moving... But he certainly was trying. She could see every single one of his many muscles straining, his teeth clenching, his brow furrowed in a concentrated glare at the German girl before him. Luckily, it seemed, now that Laura had found a much more hated opponent, her grapples released the blonde Brit and petite Chinese girl, letting them fall to the arena ground as their IS's dispelled.
Knowing Ichika needed help, Charles summoned her own IS, diving through the hole in the barrier the Japanese young man had made. She heard Laura speak as she summoned two of her rapid-fire rifles and took aim.
"Reckless and too emotional. I've never seen a more perfect example of a fool. Just as I had suspected. You pose no actual thread to me and Schwarzer Regen. You're just another of the helpless masses. Now disappear!"
Laura lowered her shoulder cannon, aimed at Ichika, whose veins were bulging as he strained with all his might against the inertia cancelling barrier. Charles knew more than anyone else in the academy that this boy's heart was bigger than even Laura's cannon... But he couldn't beat science with just his emotional need to protect! Her rifles aimed, the French crossdresser fired a rapid-fire barrage of shots at the one-eyed German, breaking her hold on Ichika and even landing several direct hits.
Diving in with her rifle at the read, Charles let out a cry of "Ichika, get down!", continuing to fire at the hostile German, who escaped her barrage and strafed around the shots.
"Damn you, boy! You are always interfering with me and this pathetic excuse for a man! Must I eliminate you first so I can finally do the same to him?!" Laura growled.
"Ichika, help them!" Charles barked to the Japanese boy.
He naturally understood her meaning, swooping in and picking up both Cecilia and Rin in each arm. "C'mon, ladies!" he told them as he took off.
Laura, continuing to strafe around Charles' shots, aimed her cannon at the boy as he carried the two girls.
Charles could see that Ichika was in the red on shield energy... But if he could sync properly with his IS... He should be able to use a second Ignition Boost! She... had faith in him. She knew he could do it!
The one-eyed German fired, but sure enough, moments before the blast hit, Ichika wasn't even there anymore. Yes! Laura was understandably shocked, and Charles used that opening to strafe to a better position and unleash a barrage at her with two of her rapid-fire green rifles.
She couldn't take her eyes off Laura... But she could trust Ichika to get the blonde Brit and petite Chinese girl to a safe position while she distracted her. Her faith in Ichika was iron-clad... But Laura managed to shoot a grappling hook out and wrap around the French crossdresser's IS's left forearm. She struggled, landing on the ground to give herself some leverage and pulling against it, but the one-eyed German was slowly, if surely, reeling her in. But... she only had one of her arms.
With her right arm, she aimed her rifle and fired a barrage at her, but Laura easily blocked it with her AIC shield.
"Now, fool!" Laura boasted as the bullets were held in place by her aurora-colored shield, falling harmlessly to the ground. "I'll show you the real difference between the generations!" Summoning a violet energy blade, Laura was reeling it back for an attack, only to be halted.
Charles's eyes widened as she saw Orimura-sensei blocking Laura's own attack with some sort of large, technological sword. She wasn't even suited in an IS! How incredible!
Laura gasped, clearly shocked. "Mentor?!"
"Honestly. This is why dealing with children is so damn tiring." Orimura-sensei calmly complained.
"Damn... My sis has still got it." Ichika remarked, standing up straight from where he was bent over Cecilia and Rin sitting against the arena wall.
"You can practice all you want here." Orimura-sensei announced to the girl, boy, and crossdressing girl present, lowering her sword. "However, as a teacher, I can't ignore it when you start destroying the barriers in the arena itself, so this is over, now. I'm ordering you to wait for the upcoming tournament to settle the score of your little match, understood?"
"If those are your orders, mentor..." Laura replied humbly, dispelling her IS and landing on her feet on the ground.
"Orimura, Dunois, you're okay with that too, right?" she asked, looking at Charles, her back turned to her own brother. Charles was starting to wonder, though... If Orimura-sensei's indifference to Ichika... was just as much an act as the boy's own obliviousness to the feelings of the girls around him?
"Uh... yeah, sure." The Japanese young man replied uneasily.
Orimura-sensei turned to glance at her younger brother over her shoulder. "You should say yes to your instructor, blockhead."
"Uhhh, yes ma'am!" Ichika corrected himself nervously.
"That is an acceptable compromise." Charles stated calmly.
"In that case, you are all hereby prohibited from engaging in any personal matches until the tournament! Dismissed!" the Japanese instructor barked to the three of them.
As Laura and Orimura-sensei walked off, Charles dismissed her own IS, Ichika doing the same. She walked over to the Japanese boy, looking into his eyes and noticing... it was there... Beneath his mask... a storm... And beneath that... the pain of loneliness.
She promptly wrapped her arms around his own, shaking him from his thoughts as he gazed down at the shorter French "boy."
"Ichika, mon ami... You know, I think your sister... is just as good of an actor as you, no?"
Ichika only quirked an eyebrow, clearly not understanding her meaning. But that didn't matter. As sharp as he secretly was around the women in his life, he no doubt knew his sister cared about him... He was likely just in denial due to his own grief over the trouble he caused her for what he perceived as his own weakness. Still... she had planted the seed with that simple statement. Hopefully... he would come to realize just how much his sister cared for him on his own in time...
For now, though... She had a diversion to help him with that loneliness.
"Ichika? Shall we visit Cecilia and Rin in the infirmary later?"
A small smile came to the Japanese young man's face. "Charles... you really need to stop doing that." he noted wryly. She only giggled in her real girl's voice at a volume only he could hear.
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Rin and Cecilia were changed in teal hospital gowns, sitting up in side-by-side beds within the school infirmary, parts of them covered in bandages. Rin glared at the two "boys."
"It wasn't necessary for you to help me back there." she claimed.
"We'd surely have won if we'd only been permitted to finish." the blonde Brit concurred indignantly.
Charles walked up, a tray with two mugs of tea on them held in her hands. "In your dreams, maybe." Ichika replied, clearly not believing either of their boasts.
"Stop putting on a front, you two." Charles chuckled boyishly.
"Putting on a front?" Ichika asked, shooting Charles a look like 'what are you doing?' She only winked at him, and he immediately understood. It was... odd how they could communicate without words like this.
"You are embarrassed because someone you like saw you when you were losing." the French crossdresser chided, handing one of the mugs of tea to Rin, then turning to Cecilia. "That is correct, no?"
Ichika, seeing his chance, let out a low, quiet "Huh? What?" in his best clueless voice. He was a natural. Charles smiled to herself, proud of him, as she handed Cecilia her own mug.
The petite Chinese girl's back stiffened. "I promise I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, cross my heart!"
"Uhh... I'm confused as well!" Cecilia concurred, looking away in discomfort. "I mean, I'm not putting on any sort of front, either!"
Both girls sipped their tea simultaneously. Hmm... It seemed Orimura-sensei wasn't the only one who could play these girls. It was easier than Charles thought. But she supposed that was what happened when anywhere from fifty percent to ninety percent of your overall emotions was anger and you always wore that anger on your sleeve.
Charles stole a glance at Ichika, who gave her his own wink. Clearly, he saw an opportunity to continue this two-person comedy bit. "Hold on, how does that connect with you two starting a fight with Laura in the first place?" he asked, convincingly at a loss. The roommates were rewarded with both girls choking on their tea. She's have to give the Japanese young man a pat on the back later.
"Uh... It was... because..." Rin began, still partially choking on tea and unsure of how to continue.
"Well... It's rather... How should I put it..?" Cecilia continued for the petite Chinese girl, but didn't finish.
Charles glanced back at her roommate, the two giving each other satisfied smiles. She could get used to doing this, but was afraid she might turn into a sadist...
"It's basically because she disrespected our... female pride." the blonde Brit finally managed to get out once she stopped choking, an obvious lie if the French crossdresser ever heard one.
"...Huuuh?" Ichika gaped, again flawlessly playing up the role of dense oaf. In a way, Charles noted how similar the boy's facade was to her own as a male, in principle. Both involved a convincing mask and great acting skill.
"Ah ha ha!" Charles laughed, her face brightening. " You mean Ichika is someone who you-"
Rin and Cecilia both jumped her, covering her mouth and tackling her to the bed, much to her surprise. She made a note... Ichika may be able to handle how impulsively physical these girls could be... but Charles herself would need to get used to it. Because when she tried to take the teasing too far, she paid for it.
"You certainly do seem to have a lot to say, don't you?" the petite Chinese girl growled.
"Way too much to say!" the blonde Brit agreed. "I couldn't agree with you more!"
"Now cut it out!" Ichika demanded. He wasn't completely serious, though... Likely because he knew as well as Charles did that she wasn't in any real danger here... right? "You two are moving around way too much for injured people, anyway."
He walked up, rearing up his arms and flexing his wrists. What was he...? The boy thrust his hands forward, giving both girls a single poke-like jab to their shoulder with his index and middle fingers. Cecilia and Rin both stiffened in incredibly rigid-like manners, letting go of the French crossdresser and collapsing in heaps on the bed, trembling in pain and letting out little cries of anguish.
"Yeah, ya see? You're obviously still in major pain. So don't push it. That'd be just foolish."
What... What was that? What did... Ichika just do?
"Who's foolish? Who're you calling foolish, fool!" Rin growled, struggling to pull herself into an upright position.
"You are the biggest fool here, Ichika!" Cecilia concurred.
"Yeah, ya big dummy dumb head!" the petite Chinese girl continued.
Ichika's back stiffened. He was likely grateful, and well aware, that both girls were in too much pain to hit him, but... why were they? He'd only poked them in the shoulder. They seemed perfectly capable of tackling Charles to the bed and holding her down with her mouth covered, so why did a simple poke from Ichika send them writhing into heaps?
"Geez... is this... a girl thing?" the Japanese young man sighed, running his hand through his hair.
A rumbling silenced all four of them, the various medicines on the shelves rattling. After several moments of it, the door to the infirmary burst open, a whole gaggle of girls flooding into the infirmary and filling it to the brim. "Orimura! Dunois!" one of the girls cried, surrounding the two "boys."
"What's... happening?" Ichika wondered aloud, sweeping his dark reddish gaze across the crowd.
"Yes, what is the meaning of this?" Charles concurred.
"Look!" they all said at once, each holding up an identical flyer for the two to read.
"Huh?" Charles reached forward, taking one and giving it a read. "What is this?"
Ichika took one as well, reading it aloud. "In order for us to conduct the most practical simulated matches, all of those participating in this month's IS tournament will be required to form two-member teams. However, for those unable to establish teams on their own, their partners will be chosen by a random drawing. The registration deadline is-"
"You should just team up with me, Orimura-kun!" one of the girls insisted. Did none of these girls care what he wanted?
"Please be my partner, Dunois!" Oh no, now it was starting for her, too!
"Uhhhh..." Charles stammered.
Ichika clapped his hands together, raising them up in what Charles at first thought was prayer, but quickly realized it was in apology. "I'm very sorry, but I'm teaming up with Charles, so forget it!"
That silenced all of them, and made the French crossdresser's face turn scarlet. They all immediately turned and walked out in unison.
"Well, if that's the case!" one girl dismissed haughtily.
"I suppose it's okay if two guys are teaming up..." another mused.
"Actually, I think it's hot!" a third giggled.
Ichika sighed in relief, no doubt glad he had defused that situation so easily and without breaking his dumb oaf facade.
"Hey, listen... Ichika..." Charles began, only to be interrupted by Rin grabbing the Japanese young man's arm and pulling him aside.
"Okay! You've gotta be on my team! We're childhood friends, aren't we?" she insisted.
Ichika's other arm was soon grabbed by Cecilia. "No, he should pick me! He should team with his classmate, right?"
"You can't do that."
Charles recognized that voice. Brassière-sensei! The French crossdresser wasn't sure when she showed up, but there she was, holding a holographic data pad.
"I'm afraid the damage reading on both your IS units is above level C." she explained, glancing at her data pad. "That means you won't be participating in the tournament."
"No, wait! I can fight just fine, Yamada-sensei!" the petite Chinese girl insisted.
"I just don't understand what you're on about!" the blonde Brit agreed.
"I said no, and that is final! Besides, if you don't get those repairs taken care of right away, it's going to lead to even worse problems in the long-run."
Both girls growled.
"On top of that..." the bra-baring instructor continued. "Orimura-kun and Dunois-kun have to pair together. There's no choice in the matter."
"What?!" all four exclaimed at once.
"Hmm... I suppose that's phrasing it improperly. To be more accurate, I guess you could say..." She reached up to adjust her glasses, the sunset light from the window casting a glare on them. "There's no conceivable reason for them not to."
"What do you mean, Yamada-sensei?" Cecilia asked.
"We've been recording and studying each of the boys' lessons, practice sessions, everything. They're... a perfect match."
"I don't get it, perfect match in what way?" Rin pressed.
"Not only do the specialties of their IS units complement each other perfectly... but their IS's can even cover each others' weaknesses, leading to a near-one hundred percent strength to a near-zero percent flaw rating on both their accounts. More importantly, though… These two always seem to be on the same wavelength. They can read each other like books to the point it's almost like they're telepathic. And on top of that... Orimura-kun is reckless and impulsive, which can be good at times, but when it turns out a detriment... Dunois-kun... seems to have an innate ability to sense when and in what way Orimura-kun needs help, and can not only predict when to do so soon enough to make it count, but can do so without fail... It's an ability called 'protective instincts,' and it's an innate skill highly valued in team contact sports, but here... it could honestly save Orimura-kun's life. This is such a bizarre scenario, but we've run test after test, numerous projections, and they all say the same thing... The level of synergy between these two... is so unheard of... there's really no previous recorded precedent for it. In other words, when I say they have to pair together with no choice, I mean... There's really not a single person in this academy they'd make a stronger team with for either of them."
Both "boys" looked at each other, eyes wide. Now that she thought about it... She'd... never noticed any of these things, or at least never thought about them. And looking into the Japanese young man's eyes, she could tell... it was the same with him. Being around him, knowing what he thought, it just seemed so natural, she'd only given it a few passing thoughts.
On the subject of the protective instincts... She did now realize that she had a tendency to shield Ichika from incoming attacks without thinking... Was that what Brassière-sensei was referring to?
Cecilia and Rin seemed to be gazing intently with each other, likely on the same wavelength... Considering how they viewed the Japanese young man, Charles were sure... That they were thinking that since they were out of the picture, Ichika and her had to win the tournament to keep the Japanese young man available for the both of them. In their eyes, he couldn't be a dating prize to himself, after all. Sure enough, after a simultaneous nod to the other, both girls turned around to face the object of their competition.
"Now, listen up, you two! You have to win!" Rin barked. You two? But she was only looking at Ichika!
"I want you both to go out there and give it all you've got! Remember, you're doing it for us, as well!" Cecilia agreed.
"Uh, right... You betcha." Ichika responded nervously. Charles could tell, though... Even though it sounded like they were cheering them on... They had ulterior motives, and both her and the Japanese young man could see through them.
"Yes, of course. And I promise that we shall do our best to meet your expectations." Charles agreed with a pleasant smile on her face, though she honestly didn't think either girl would even acknowledge her presence.
"Ahh! You have such a beautiful friendship!" Brassière-sensei remarked, completely clueless.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Uhhh... I was wondering, Ichika..."
The young man stopped walking, turning to look at his roommate behind him. It was night time now, and the two were walking to their dorm. "Uh-huh?" he inquired, looking at her over his shoulder.
"I, um... know I'm late saying this, but..." Charles was gazing down at the ground, her hands clasped at her waist. But gazing upward into the Japanese young man's dark reddish eyes, a shy smile on her face, she continued in her natural female voice. "Thank you for helping me back there."
Ichika only smiled a warm, true smile, turning around to face his roommate. "Don't mention it, Charles. I knew you were in a tight spot with all those girls around, so I figured I'd bail you out."
"Oui, and... I was just... really happy when you said that..."
"Again, don't mention it. I'd just hate if any of the girls here found out your secret. This should help prevent that from happening by removing any extra risks."
"Mmm... You're so sweet, Ichika."
His smile deepened. "Honestly, though, I should be thanking you... You might just save me yet again if this works out right."
Charles opened her eyes, confused. "Hohn?"
"Whether I like it or not, the winner of this tournament dates me, right? That was before the team up factor was announced, so I just figured I'd win myself. But now that I know I have to partner with someone, that meant even if I still won, I'd have to date my partner. But if I partner with you, and we both win, I can't exactly date a guy, right?"
Again, Charles was astounded by the young man's ingenuity. "You are... surprisingly resourceful, mon ami."
He blushed at that. "Yeah... I guess I am."
Turning, the Japanese young man continued his trek to the dorms, Charles hot on his tail. She had said that, and it was, indeed, an ingenious idea, but... Why did it make her heart ache?
XXXXXXXXXX
Back at Room 1025, Ichika was slipping off his blazer. "You know, I appreciate how you use your real voice when we're alone, but you don't have to speak like a boy, too."
Charles herself was pulling her own blazer off. "Hohn? What do you mean, Ichika?"
"You're using 'boku' to refer to yourself. That's a boy's self-pronoun." the Japanese young man explained, kicking his shoes and pulling his socks off.
"Ah. But prior to arriving here, I was forced to completely memorize the ways males behave and speak to ensure I was not found out, and that included the use of Japanese gender-specific pronouns. I suppose it has, how you say... become a habit I cannot break that easily, no?" the French crossdresser explained, doing the same.
"Is that so?" Ichika mused, slipping his shirt up and over his head.
"Oh! But if you are bothered by it, Ichika, when we are alone together, I suppose I can use a more feminine pronoun for myself." she offered, also slipping her shirt off and tossing it aside, revealing her tightly bound breasts.
"Don't try too hard, okay?" her roommate chuckled, letting his pants drop. She was momentarily captivated by that perfect, peach-shaped ass. Oh, mon Dieu! "I actually find it pretty cute to hear a girl referring to herself with boku." he admitted in a cutely awkward manner.
"C-Cute? Me?" Charles stammered as she let her pants hit the ground, revealing her boy's boxers. "Do you... really mean that?" Of course he did... Ichika was the most sincere boy in the world. She was just... having trouble believing his statement.
Ichika slipped his own boxers off. "I said it, I mean i-Gyeeeeaaaah!"
Charles jumped at his sudden scream. She whirled around to see him backed up, naked, against the wall, his arms raised up as if to shield himself." Mon ami? What is wrong?"
"Please don't nutshot me!" he cried, clearly terrified.
Oh... Of course. Sigh... it was time for another lesson, it seemed.
"Ichika? It does not bother me when you see me naked. Honest."
"Well, it bothers me! Because whenever this happens, I get hit, kicked, beaten, stabbed, slashed-"
"What? What kind of girls have you been associating with, Ichika?"
That gave the young man pause, though his arms were still raised defensively. "Uhhh... My sister... Houki... Rin... Cecilia a bit, too... Laura in a way, I guess... Why?"
Charles sighed. "Ichika... I know those girls have some... violent tendencies... But not all girls do."
Reaching up, Charles undid her bindings, letting her full, perky breasts bounce free. This noticeably caused the Japanese young man to whimper. When she dropped her boxers, he was panting in fright. Walking up, the French girl pressed her bare body against his, particularly her soft breasts against his chiseled chest.
"Ichika-kun?" she asked, adding in the honorific to hopefully put him at ease a bit. "Has there... ever been a girl in your life... who was unconditionally kind, sweet, and gentle to you, mon ami?"
That gave the boy pause. When he didn't respond... That spoke volumes to her. And when she gazed into his face, it confirmed for her what his unspoken statement said... In his eyes... Hurt... Pain... Scars... Rain… Loneliness...
Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around the young man's shoulders, gazing into those dark reddish orbs. "Ichika-kun... You have been hurt before... Scarred... Inside and out... No?"
Ichika said nothing, though he did slowly lower his arms to his side.
"All those years of your life... Never knowing how gentle a girl could be... I suddenly understand... why you have no interest in returning any of these girls' feelings, mon ami... All the girls in your life have done nothing but hurt you... to the point that... you don't know what it's like to feel softness... warmth... from one... or how to handle loving one. Am I wrong, mon ami?"
The young man sighed. "I'd say you could read me like a book... But honestly... I didn't even realize that about myself..." he explained gravely.
She managed a warm smile as she gazed into the boy's face. So much hurt... pain... wounds... scars... some fresh, others... never healed properly. She'd... have to help him with that. It was no wonder he preferred her company so much when he thought she was a boy... She'd prefer the company of the same sex too if every person of the opposite sex she'd ever known in her life had done nothing but hurt her and make her feel like she was walking on broken glass... "Ichika-kun... I do not mind if you see me naked, as we are roommates, but... You do mind, no?"
He merely nodded, even though the look on his face told her enough.
"Then... I shall have to correct that."
"What do you... mean?"
"Ichika-kun... You cannot open your heart to a girl... because the ones in your life have treated you as an object at best, a punching bag at worst, no? So... I shall show you what it is like... To feel unconditional care and gentleness from a girl."
Ichika sighed. "You're not a girl, Charles..." She felt momentarily hurt by that statement. "But... you're not a boy, either. You're not anything. You're... just you. And that's what I like about you. You're genuine. You're unique. There's... not a single person in the world like you."
She wasn't sure why... but she felt like her heart was soaring right now. Why? Why did she feel this way around her roommate? What was this bizarre feeling? So warm... soft... fuzzy... gentle... She wanted to feel more of it.
"Ichika-kun. Let us just stay like this... Not dressed... Let us sit down like this... and have a little chat, oui? And in exchange... I vow, that no matter what happens... I shall never hit you... Never yell at you... Never even get mad at you... Okay?"
The Japanese young man swallowed hard. "I have trouble believing that, but... I suppose... You deserve the benefit of the doubt, considering all you've done for me."
Charles smiled a warm, genuine smile. Leaning up on her tip-toes and pulling the Japanese young man's head lower, she planted a soft, gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Merci beaucoup... mon ami."
XXXXXXXXXX
They spent hours just sitting on Ichika's bed, completely naked, chatting about this and that. Finally, though, Charles realized something she wondered earlier, and asked when a pause came up.
"Oh! Ichika-kun, I could not help but notice... You said Cecilia and Rin were in so much pain from you touching them because they were still injured, but they tackled me to the bed just fine. What happened?"
Ichika... looked a little uncomfortable about that. "Um... Just a, uh... little trick I picked up."
Charles quirked her head to the side. "Hohn?"
"Well... More like a hobby."
"I... do not understand, Ichika-kun."
"Well, since my sister was away in Germany, Rin was back in China, I had no parents, and I wasn't in any after-school clubs, I had a lot of time on my hands..."
"Um... I am with you so far, mon ami."
"So..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I... studied a bit of alternative medicine. I dunno, just something to do."
"Alternative... medicine?"
"Well, not like... herbs or anything, but... I did pick up a little thing called acupressure."
"Acu... pressure? I have... heard of acupuncture, but, erm... is this concept similar, Ichika-kun?"
"Oh, you don't want to hear about that, Charles... it's boring. There's a reason I keep it a secret, after all." the Japanese young man dismissed, turning his head away and rubbing the back of it.
Charles felt herself smile. He was being modest... That was so cute. "No, really. I would love to hear all about it, Ichika-kun!"
He gave her a sideways glance. "You... really mean it?"
She released a light, feminine giggle. "Ichika-kun... You really should know... When people have a hobby they care deeply about, it shows to others they have passion, mon ami."
That seemed to put him at ease. "Okay, well... See, you know the nervous system, the circulatory system, and all that?" She nodded. "Well, there's actually a secret system in the body that flows with pure life energy we call ki in Japan, or chi if you want to use the Chinese term. I tend to use chi, myself. Sure, it technically means blood over here, but I learned it the Chinese way, so I tend to use chi regardless."
"I am with you so far."
"Well, this chi flows just underneath the skin in thin, invisible, intangible veins. Though flowing throughout the body, there are, are in fact, little points dotted all over the skin that act as conduits for that flow. And if you strike them in just the right way at just the right spot, you can either slow, speed, halt, seal, or even unlock the flow of chi for a variety of effects!"
Wow, he was really into this. That was so cute... "Really? What kind of effects are we talking about, Ichika-kun?"
"Well, as you saw from what I did to Cecilia and Rin, just one quick tap, and I had them writhing in pain. Some similar effects I can do are knocking someone out or paralyzing parts of their body, but it's generally hard to do that if they're moving around too much, so not really practical in a fight. Generally, the effect you achieve depends entirely on what pressure point you hit, and in what way. Some, for example, have very exclusive uses, to the point they have names. For one, the Cat's Tongue pressure point can increase skin sensitivity to touch and temperature, whereas the Tokyo Grandpa pressure point vastly increases resistance to high temperatures."
"Um... I can see why the former is called that, mon ami, but... Tokyo... grandpa?"
"It's silly, actually. There's a Japanese stereotype that old men really, really love scalding hot baths, like they have some sort of resistance to boiling hot water. So since that particular pressure point increases heat resistance, well..."
"I see! What else can you do with these things?"
"Well, I'm sure you wondered why I was already so muscular before coming here. By manipulating my own chi flow using acupressure on myself, I was actually able to stimulate muscle growth while I worked out. Not exactly an instant effect, but it sped up the workout process."
'I... actually did wonder a bit why you were so incredibly fit, but just assumed you were working out for many years."
"Well, technically, I did work out a lot prior to coming here, but the acupressure certainly helped. I can also use it to give a really great massage, too."
Charles perked at that. "Eh? You... You can?"
"Oh, yes. Acupressure, if done right, can dull pain, relieve muscle tension, soothe swollen joints, and even induce pleasure. I can do so during a massage in such a subtle manner that it actually looks and feels like a regular massage to the untrained eye."
"You... know this works?"
"Oh, yeah! I practiced it a lot on my best friend back home from middle school, Dan."
"A... boy?"
"Yeah... Why?"
Well... she figured if Ichika was getting his hands that intimate with someone, it would be a boy, considering his intimacy problems with women... which really weren't his fault. She... might request this massage from him once she helped him heal a bit, himself. "Are there… sexual uses?"
That made the Japanese young man stiffen. He coughed, clearly nervous. "Err… Yes. For one, that Cat's Tongue pressure point increases sensitivity to touch in every way. But there are also pressure points existing on the erogenous zones themselves that directly affect them, like inducing an instant erection, calming one, causing immense pleasure, triggering an instant orgasm, delaying an orgasm, or even inducing virginal lactat-"
"Ichika! Mon ami! This is… making me a little uncomfortable. Please, I am sorry I asked." Though she… actually wouldn't mind trying some of those, to be honest.
"Um… Sorry, Charles. Oh! And one last major thing I can do with it is, well... Some people actually have irregular chi flows that... aren't natural. Say, due to childhood trauma, physical or emotional, or just simply from birth. By using the proper strikes, I can actually correct that irregular flow and restore it to its natural state. This essentially unlocks a person's true potential in a few minor ways, but can also induce some extremely subtle bodily changes, like a height increase of a few centimeters and all that. It's not so much improving as it is restoring a person to what they would've been able to be at that point had their flow not been disrupted."
"That... sounds amazing, Ichika-kun! Can you... do that with me?"
"Hm? Actually... yeah. So long as you don't mind me getting a little... hands-on."
She felt a blush come to her cheeks. "N-No... I don't mind at all."
"Well... Okay. Just lie on the bed on your stomach, then, please." She merely nodded and did so, still blushing.
The Japanese young man spent about ten minutes simply gliding his hands over her body. He wasn't touching her, actually... Just holding his hands barely an inch above her skin, palms-down.
"Is... everything alright, mon ami?"
"Hmm? Yeah, just... You seem to be in pretty good order, flow-wise. There are some slight irregularities in your flow, but nothing major, really."
"Oh? Would you... correct them, s'il vous plaît?"
"Are... you sure? I'm not exactly sure what would happen…"
Charles raised her head, looking up into Ichika's eyes, confused. "What do you mean, Ichika-kun? You cannot tell what correcting the flow would do?"
"Well, while inducing an intentional effect is far from an exact science, it's always predictable, but when it comes to correcting irregular flow? Well... There's so many variables in play with that, that if I actually do it, then yeah, even I won't know what the full extent of the effects would be."
That gave Charles some pause. But after a moment, she smiled. "Do it, Ichika. I want to see if this acupressure thing is for real or not."
The young man sighed. "All right, but don't come complaining to me, okay?"
Charles... Wasn't sure what happened next. Ichika gave a simple jab of his index and middle finger to her shoulder, and she felt something burning spread out from that point of contact, only to dull into pleasure. She didn't have time to react fully, though. The Japanese young man followed up with a jab from his other hand to the small of her back, including the same feeling.
"I-Ichika-kun!" she cried, gritting her teeth.
"Sorry, Charles! I forgot to mention that correcting the flow always causes sharp pain, but it's brief, so bear with me, okay?" he explained as he continued to land several fire-inducing jabs to her.
Charles only buried her face in the pillow and grit her teeth. It wasn't just the burn from each jab... she was feeling increasingly warm, even hot. She was sweating all over, and couldn't help but feel like her skin was crawling.
"Last one!" her roommate assured her. She wasn't sure when, but he had flipped her over, and the last jab landed right on her forehead. With a feminine cry, Charles' back shot up, but then she fell back down onto the bed again, panting heavily.
"Um... Charles? Are you okay?" he asked.
The French girl only nodded, her breath returning. She sat up, looking down at herself. "Um... I... do not see anything different, Ichika-kun. You... did it correctly, no?"
"Of course I did!" he stated confidently. "But though intentionally induced effects are always immediate, when it comes to correcting irregular flow, it always takes time for the changes to occur!" he continued, crossing his muscled arms matter-of-factly.
Hmmm... That was... interesting to note. "Do you... need to do this again?
"Errr... Not really? I mean, you really only need to correct the flow once. Since it's, technically, the way the flow was meant to go, the changes, though gradually induced, stick. The body really doesn't want to go back to an unnatural flow, ya know? On the other hand, when it comes to intentionally induced effects, since they're not natural, they wear off after a while since the flow returns to normal via the body's natural healing processes. In fact, some induced effects can only be done once, like the Tokyo Grandpa one I mentioned. Once some effects wear off, the flow becomes naturally resistant to it being induced again since it corrected itself. Kind of like chicken pox, I guess. Anyway, rest assured, you should see some changes within the next week or two, but they'll be extremely subtle, and it could honestly be anything from your concentration, to your physical capabilities, anything. But rest assured, these changes you'll be going through are how your body would've naturally turned out had your flow not been irregular or unnatural, so don't feel bad if you don't like any of the-"
He was silenced by a dainty, petite, feminine finger on his lips.
"Ichika-kun... I honestly love how passionate you are about this... This is a side of you I wish you would show more often, mon ami." He blushed at that. "Now... I am tired, likely from that... So shall we go to bed?" He merely nodded, since her finger was still over his lips.
Reaching up, Charles pulled Ichika down onto the bed, much to his surprise. Cuddling his naked body close to her own equally bare one, she nuzzled her face against his chest, sighing contentedly.
"Bonne nuit, Ichika-kun."
"Uhhh... Good night, Charles."
"I suppose, since you have healed my flow, as you said... It is only right I continue to help heal your view of the opposite sex, no?"
A small smile came to the Japanese boy's face. A genuine one. "Yeah. Thanks, Charles... It's nice to know I have you to rely on."
As Ichika fell asleep, Charles realized something just as her own eyes were drooping shut.
For once in her life, she honestly felt like someone needed her... And she realized for the first time...
It felt good to be needed.
XXXXXXXXXX
"We don't say 'rising into love.' There is in it the idea of the fall. And it goes back, as a matter of fact, to extremely fundamental things. That there is always a curious tie at some point between the fall... and the creation. Taking this ghastly risk is the condition of there being life. You see, for all life is an act of faith... and an act of gamble. The moment you take a step, you do so on an act of faith... because you don't really know that the floor's not going to give under your feet. The moment you take a journey, what an act of faith. The moment you enter into any kind of human undertaking in relationship, what an act of faith. See, you've given yourself up. But this is the most powerful thing that can be done. Surrender. See, and love is an act of surrender to another person. Total abandonment. I give myself to you. Take me. Do anything you like with me."
-Alan Watts
XXXXXXXXXX
Translations
Tomber en Amour = Falling in Love
Recherchée = Wanted
Mi amour = My love
Si bon = So good
Bonjour = Good morning
Oui = Yes
Mon ami = My friend
Sacrebleu = Very old, antiquated French minced oath profanity once used as a general cry of surprise or anger
Brassière = Bra
Mon Dieu = My God
Merci beaucoup = Thank you very much
S'il vous plaît = Please
Bonne nuit = Good night