Infinite Stratos: The Unforgiven and the Forsaken
Author's Note: Hey guys, I made several changes as I saw this chapter was too short to be a chapter, and too long to be a prologue. I don't try to give descriptions of some characters to leave them up to your imagination as I also try my best to give some descriptions to lead you guys in the right direction. Bear with me as I write my first fan-fic. Also, I love immersion when reading a story, I will try to recommend you some background themes while reading through specific events to give you guys a better reading experience. I will also begin watching the anime again and try to form even more ideas to make Ichika what I promised to make him to be. All reviews are appreciated as I'm literally a newbie around here. I'm at your mercy, feel free to share your thoughts and even give some ideas if you see them fitting. I'll consider them all if they seem fit to the story I planned for you guys. Sabun, out. *Salute*
Chapter 1: The Beginning
It is a sunny yet somewhat a cool day, the skies are clear, and the weather feels just right. A 10-year-old boy seemingly running for his life, but the truth is, he's rushing back to his home to watch his sister competing in the second Mondo Grosso.
The Brunhilde, Chifuyu Orimura was known for winning the first Mondo Grosso and thus, given the title Brunhilde. Chifuyu had extreme control over her IS, the Kurazakura, it didn't seem like she controlled her IS, but act as one with it. This was the technique that separated the legends from the greats. To be one with your IS, be partners and let each other feel each other to the fullest. Chifuyu mastered this technique and easily overpowered her way through the tournament using only a sword, and it was all she needed.
XxScene Change
Chifuyu Orimura is an uptight and cold woman. This demeanor of her is to become uncompromising because she has the whole world after her. She can never afford to let her guard down even for a split second or they would immediately take advantage of the slightest opening. Knowing that, she became what she is today. Strong, cold, enduring, indomitable and unyielding. She takes no shit from anyone. No one can know what she is thinking or feeling when they look at her. Many have thought that she is the perfect warrior, a goddess of strength, and that includes her brother too. But in her eyes, she is far from it. The only reason she came all this way because of the smell of freshly cooked meal by her brother, the smell of brother's hair, the smell of their newly cleaned house, the warmest smile in the world beared by his ever-so compassionate brother. The only time she ever gets to relax and let her guard down is when she is at home, being spoiled by her brother. She could never give that away for anything. That is her treasure.
Ever since she took off with Ichika, running away from their family residence, life came down on her very hard. If she hadn't had Ichika then, she would have undoubtedly give up and never be the strong woman she is today. Lost in thoughts of her past, Chifuyu snapped back to reality after she heard footsteps getting closer to where she is standing. A staff member came to remind her of the time remaining till her next match.
"Ms. Orimura, 10 minutes left for your match against your semifinal opponent, Josephine Briggs. The National Representative Cadet for the United States. Are you in need of anything at all? IS-related or personal?"
'The USA's RepCadet? As if I didn't dodge enough bullets today already. Sigh, one strike will be I need to take care of it, though finding that opening from that hail of bullets will be a pain in the ass, torso, shoulders and many many more places...'
Chifuyu thought, she sighed mentally and replied to the staff woman.
"No, thank you. Wait, actually, I need to make a phone call."
"Of course. Your room is a little far from the hangar, but we can make use of the one in staff quarters. Right this way."
Chifuyu got off her IS and began following the staff member towards the staff quarters. She wanted to check up on her brother, she needed to hear his energetic voice and praises to get motivated for her next not-so-fun match. They got out of the hanger, took a left, proceeded to down the long hallway with many rooms each side, took a right at the intersection and entered the 3rd room on the right. Chifuyu nodded at the staff woman and dialed the number of their home phone.
XxScene Change
The boy arrived at his home and quickly threw his backpack aside and hopped onto the couch that looked at the TV. He was panting heavily because of all the running he made from school to home. He pressed the power button on the remote and rapidly went through channels to find the channel that broadcasted the tournament. The 2nd Mondo Grosso took place in Germany this year. He found the channel and made it just in time to see his sister waiting at standby to begin the semifinal match...
After seeing that 10-minute countdown for the next match, he got up and went to the bathroom. He stripped his school t-shirt and quickly washed his face to get rid of the sweat coming down from his forehead. He wanted to take the shower later after his sister's match.
He was way too eager to watch her fight. How she danced around her opponent, how skillfully she swung her sword, it was like watching a dancer. All of her moves connected to her next, she was always in a fluid motion. To back it up, she had the unmatched strength of her combined with her inhuman agility. She was the perfect warrior in his eyes. She could take anything she wanted with that power. She could make everyone kneel before her, with her fertile beauty and unmatched skill, strength and speed combined, she was unbeatable. He could already her new title being shouted in admiration; Freya as she had the fertile beauty, queen of the Valkyries as she led an incredible example for the women all around the world, and the leader of the Vanir, because of her unparalleled battle skill.
He was so fond of his sister and owed her everything. He had no parents, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents. Only her. And he never asked for more. They were lost to him now; he didn't want to meet them even if they were around. Chifuyu was the only family he had ever known, and he would only accept.
He got out of the bathroom and rushed towards him room to change find some tshirt to wear and change into some comfortable shorts. He found what he was looking for and quickly changed and wasted no time getting back on the TV. He wore a plain white tshirt with the brand name written on the torso in black and black shorts. He looked at the bottom right corner of the screen and saw he still had to wait 6 minutes 37 seconds before the match starts. He went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks. But then, the phone rang. He wondered who might call their house as they didn't had many calls. He curiously went for the phone and put it near his ear.
"Hello? Orimura residence?"
"Hello Ichika."
"CHIFUYU-NEE?!"
Chifuyu flinched and moved the phone a little far away from the sudden yell from his brother. Then pulled it close again.
"No need to shout, Ichika. I need my hearing not to fail for the upcoming match." Chifuyu said in a playful tone.
"Sorry sorry! I just didn't expect you to call that's all. How are you? You are not injured or sore anywhere are you?"
"Oh? My greatest fan doubting my abilities in combat? I'm a little upset now..."
"No no! I was just, worried. Sorry, you know I never doubted you. You are the strongest woman in that tournament!"
"I'm touched. Anyway I was just wondering how you were doing. Any problems? Have you eaten?"
"I am preparing some snacks, just can't wait your next match. I'm so excited! Give 'em hell Brunhilde!"
Chifuyu let out a wide smile, that was all the motivation she needed. Be reminded of what she stands for, and where her source of power is. At home, currently talking to her on the phone.
"You know I will. Stay safe, Ichika. I'll be back as soon as I'm finished up here. Take care and be sure to call me if something happens, okay? Love you, little brother."
"I love you too, Chifuyu-nee! I'll let you know if something happens. See you soon!"
And with that, Chifuyu was ready for whatever her opponent will throw (or shoot) at her.
After he ended the call. He wore an even bigger smile, being told that he was loved by her sister is never enough for him. He thought of what he should cook for her after she undoubtedly returned victorious from the tournament, he quickly recalled of her favorite meals and what she would like to drink. He went to check the fridge if they had all the ingredients and groceries. Chifuyu's 6-pack beer was still there, and they were just missing some vegetables for what he had in mind. Ichika made note of what needed to get from the grocery store after he watched the semifinal match.
The match started. Chifuyu knew that her opponent will be trigger happy and right at the start signal, her opponent aimed her modified M4A4 Assault Rifle, her shoulder mounted miniguns at Chifuyu and began spitting leads in the general direction of her. Chifuyu's opponent, Josephine was piloting a modified Raphael Revive. The USA engineers were working on their own 3rd generation at the time, but they were quite fond of the 2nd generation French IS because of its massive modification potential. You could literally fit that IS into any fighting style of the pilot's desires.
The IS looked like it was colored in the colors of the flag of the USA. Most of the frame was colored in white, shoulders were red, and many white stars could be seen on the parts painted in red. There were also horizontal blue stripes painted the white frame.
Kurezakura on the other hand, was shades of olive green. Legs are dark shade of the color; torso was normal shade, and the shoulders were painted in a paler shade of the color.
As the events unfold before everyone's eyes. Chifuyu could be seen swiftly moving around the hail of bullets. Looking for an opening, Chifuyu was analyzing her opponent's attack pattern. She used an Ignition Boost in an attempt to dash to her right at a quick speed to throw off Josephine's aim to see how she would react. Just like Chifuyu thought, she strafed the opposite side to keep Chifuyu in her sights.
Having learned this, Chifuyu used 3 Ignition Boosts in quick succession, she dashed right and little bit upwards, and then left side while also descending a little, she went for the right side again in the same altitude. At that moment, Josephine made a terrible mistake, she mistook Chifuyu and thought she would dash left side again, but Chifuyu went straight onto her. Readying her one-off ability mid-dash, Chifuyu was looking forward to ending this match. She reached her top speed, and, in a blink, she slashed through Josephine's torso with a horizontal strike, activating her Absolute Defense and ending the match. The crowd applauded with such intension that Chifuyu flinched a little at the sudden increase in volume. She slowly walked through to the hangar to assess the damage to her IS and watch the other semifinal match to form a plan against her final opponent.
XxScene Change
The boy focused on the match way too deeply, he became oblivious to his surroundings. As all his senses were directed on the match, none of the noises or movements from the outside (or inside) reached him. He was carefully watching Chifuyu as she was rapidly charging at the opening her opponent gave her to deliver the finishing blow with her one-off ability. Right before the blow, the boy's vision became dark, he fell down, he was knocked unconscious from behind. Three men in casual wear looked at each other, the one that knocked the boy out ordered the two to carry him back to the van they arrived in.
"Did anyone follow you?"
"Nope, we are in the clear."
"Are you sure?"
"We checked our tail several times on our way here, no one is stupid enough to follow us here, the place is away from all eyes."
"Nicely done, then. Is the boy awake yet?"
"I'd give it 5 minutes before he is awake, this bastard had almost given his brains a permanent injury with that pistol whip."
"I wanted to get it done fast, asshole."
"Yeah, yeah you almost doomed us all."
"Fuck off man, I checked him out with the doc, he's doing fine. He should wake up at any moment."
"Alright, I'll go get the camera, we don't have much time left before that bitch's final fight starts."
The boy slowly came to his senses, his vision blurry, his hearing disorientated, he couldn't make out where he was. Last thing he remembers is watching his sister delivering the finishing blow to her semifinal opponent, and then everything went black. He tried to stand up but no avail. He was tied up tight to a chair. He tried to speak but his throat was sore for some reason, he coughed and then he shouted.
"Hey! Wha-where am I? What do you want?!"
The room was dark. A metal door opened and there came 2 men, one with a camera and the other with a knife. The boy's heart beats skyrocketed as fear took control.
"Alright kid, nice to see you are mostly fine. I'll make this quick. You shut up and do as I say, and I will make sure we don't hurt you more than we need to. Understood?"
The boy nodded as he was way too scared to attempt anything else. Also, there was something assuring about this guy, like he didn't want to hurt a child. He opened his mouth to ask something.
"Mister, where am I? Why am I here? What have I done to you?"
"Calm down, kid. We are after your sister. It's pretty unfair that bitch is winning twice. She'll cost us a lot of money."
"TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID!"
The guy slapped the boy hard.
"You're way too fucking weak to be making demands fuckface. Shut the fuck up before I make things way too harder for you."
The boy stood silent.
"Good. Now, start recording."
The guy with the camera nodded and picked up the camera to his shoulders and gave the other guy a thumbs up to indicate the recording is started.
"Orimura Chifuyu, having a good time, eh? Slicing through all your opponents like hot knife through butter. But tell you what. I don't like it one bit that you are about to win the tournament for a second time. I'm sure no one does. So, I'm offering you a deal. Abandon the tournament and I assure you; your brother will be waiting for you in home in one piece. If you attempt anything else than what I say, well."
SHUNK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the boy screamed as his hand was impaled to the chair.
"Do I need to say anything else? The clock is ticking, you have time until the final match starts. As soon as we hear that you are out, disqualified, abandoned whatever, we'll release him. Choose wisely." The recording is finished and the guy with the camera got out of the room.
The guy with the knife stood near the boy and shouted to his men to bring a first-aid kit.
"Now kid, sorry for that but your sister one tough nut to crack. Nothing personal."
"YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" The boy spat at him.
"You piece of shit!" The guy punched his mouth and the boy yelled in pain again.
"Now I'll patch you up and wait for your sister's response. And we'll act accordingly. Time to see how much she likes you eh kid?"
"SHE'LL COME HERE AND RIP YOUR GUTS OUT! SHE'LL SAVE ME!"
"Riiiight by all means junior, let your bitchy sis to do all the heavy lifting for you, ha-ha. Now shut up, I'll patch you up."
The boy flinched at what he said first. Did he really let his sister to take care of everything? Was he just a burden? Was he that fucking weak? He didn't want to believe but a part of him accepted it too. He was in this situation because he was weak. He was weak so he dragged her into this situation to save him once more. Just like she came when he got bullied and got into a fight in school, though the was just him being a punching bag. It all then came back to him. How weak he was all his life. He hated every second of it.
The guy poured some dark red-orangey liquid on to a gauze.
"This might hurt a bit; it will clear the wound."
The guy took off the knife that impaled the boy's hand to the chair and quickly wrapped his hand with the gauze on his hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! YOU BASTARD! UUUUGHHH!"
The boy groaned in pain as he pulled out the knife and wrapped his hand with the gauze, the liquid was clearing the wound and so, it really did sting.
"And now we wait. Try not to move much kid. The wound is still fresh and who knows, there may even more wounds you don't see coming." The guy said while flipping the knife he impaled the boy with.
'Chifuyu, please help me! Chifuyu I need you. Chifuyu, I'm so sorry for being so weak...' The boy shouted in his mind before he blacked out. The pain was too much for his fragile and childish mind. He fainted.
XxScene Change
As Chifuyu watched the other semifinal match, forming a plan as to how to set the pace against her opponent, she heard the door being open way too fast and quickly diverted her attention to the direction of the noise. The staff member that helped her went to her in rapid steps with a terrified look on her face. Chifuyu knew this could not be good.
"M-Ms. Orimura! I'm so sorry for barging in. I have urgent news! It-it's about your brother..."
Chifuyu's eyes widened the moment she heard the mention of her brother.
"It-it seems he has been kidnapped. An unknown number sent this video to our tournament supervisor. For some reason, they sent me here to show it to you."
Chifuyu knew why. So that they would not feel their souls leaving their body with her menacing and terrifying gaze that she gave whenever she was pushed to her limits. They must've paid attention to Chifuyu's behavior to the poor soul as the said soul was tasked with taking care of her needs and have done nothing but helping Chifuyu. Chifuyu directed her killing intent toward the screen but nevertheless, the staff member could be seen shaking too. Chifuyu took the tablet computer from the staff member's hands and clicked the play video button and began watching the soon-to-be-dead scums holding her brother hostage.
Now playing: Message for Orimura 4
"Orimura Chifuyu, having a good time, eh? Slicing through all your opponents like hot knife through butter. But tell you what. I don't like it one bit that you are about to win the tournament for a second time. I'm sure no one does. So, I'm offering you a deal. Abandon the tournament and I assure you; your brother will be waiting for you in home in one piece. If you attempt anything else than what I say, well."
SHUNK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the boy screamed as his hand was impaled to the chair.
"Do I need to say anything else? The clock is ticking, you have time until the final match starts. As soon as we hear that you are out, disqualified, abandoned whatever, we'll release him. Choose wisely."
Video end.
The screen of the tablet was slowly shattered, and the tablet was broken in half as Chifuyu's killing intent filled the room with dread and despair, the temperature dropped, and the staff members tried her best compose herself to form a coherent sentence.
"We-we couldn't track down the sender. It was sent through a private network and connected to a several VPNs. Our team is not capable for such a task, but we were waiting on your signal to contact the German Special Forces. The Director has direct contact with one of the higher-ups of the unit."
"Where is the Director's room?" Chifuyu asked in a very angry and a cold tone.
"Right this way, we must make haste." Chifuyu started to like her but all she could think of was her brother. She would make them pay for touching her only family.
They went one floor up and quickly took a right and the Director's room could be seen. The staff woman stopped and gestured the room. Chifuyu barged in.
"Where is he?!"
"We couldn't track them down. I have the captain of the German Special Forces 13th Squadron on the line-"
"Captain! Where is my brother?! How can we find him?!"
The captain could be seen shivering if you looked close enough, but no one dared to bat an eye.
"We are on it. We can't pinpoint the exact location, but we can see the message came from somewhere in Kyoto – Japan." The captain tried his best to stay composed but his will was quickly failing as he heard the voice of pure annihilation.
"I'm on my way, you better make sure you find him Captain, or I'll be coming after you."
Chifuyu barged out of the room and ran down to the end of the hallway as there was a big window that she could jump out of. She activated her IS mid-air and headed towards Japan. This meant being disqualified from the tournament, but she couldn't care less about that now. The only person she stood for was in danger. She had to save her.
The captain flinched at Chifuyu's outburst and the line was cut. Now, the head of the GSF was talking to Chifuyu.
"Orimura Chifuyu. I'll make this quick. My team pinpoint the exact location of where your brother is held at but at a cost. I'm offering my full help and in exchange, you will train our IS unit for a year. Time is of the essence. What is your response?"
Chifuyu was so furious she wanted to go find the headquarters and beat the commander to a bloody pulp as her answer, but she knew he was right. She couldn't afford even a moment to find her brother.
"I'll do it. Now find him."
"We will. I'm a man of my word. We can see you through our satellites. We will put you in the right direction as my team trace back the sender. Standby."
One side of her was filling her mind with worst case scenarios. Another side of her was filling her heart with fury. She shook her head to get rid of those emotions to focus at the task at hand and sped up.
XxScene Change
There were slow and distant wave sounds. The wind was gentle and added a nice, soothing ambiance. Ichika laid on sand. He slowly opened his eyes and saw trees without leaves, beneath him was nothing but sand. He was on a beach of some kind, but he could not remember which. There was a gentle, hypnotizing humming coming from all sides (God of War 2018 OST – Valkyries). Ichika looked around to see where it came from and saw a figure, sitting on a pile of rocks, watching the sea and the waves. Once he saw the figure, the humming sound started to come from her side only, he slowly walked towards her, like she was calling out to him. She was in a white sundress with a few and big blue stripes. (Much like the legendary BMW M3 GTR from NFS MW) She had white, shiny skin and a straw hat on her head with a blue rose attached to the top of the hat, her hair was silver color. She was around his height and age. Her face looked like his, only a little younger. She resembled Chifuyu in a manner but looked more like female version of Ichika. She slowly stood up from her spot and turned towards him.
"I know why you are here."
"But I don't."
"You will, soon enough."
"You seem to know me; do I know you? What is your name?"
"I know many things about you, Ichika Orimura. You seek power, but are you ready to pay for it?"
"What kind of price?"
"The kind that you could never pay."
"You are full of yourself, aren't you?"
"What if I asked for your right arm? Would you give it to me for more power? The power you seek?"
"..."
"Just as I thought. You are weak, and will never attain power. And without power, you cannot protect anything, let alone yourself."
Ichika flinched and frowned at the girl's statement. It was true. He was weak, and he couldn't even wish to protect anything. Ichika recalled his memories of being bullied and having Chifuyu saving him from his bullies in middle school after she saw the bruises on his arms one day. Chifuyu asked what was wrong but Ichika didn't say anyting, just teared up a bit. Chifuyu understood what was going on and skipped her school that day to follow Ichika. When she saw he was getting bullied by 3 older children, she wasted no time to make them pay for what they have done to her sweet brother. Being rescued by Chifuyu both comforted and disheartened him. Was he not just strong enough to stand up for himself? Was he that worthless? After being fueled by anger and determination. He said;
"I accept."
"Why?"
"I wasted my life being a weakness to her, I will not stand being pushed around only to be saved by her again. I will be stronger and I'm ready to pay for it."
"I see."
"Will you at least tell me your name?"
"Time will come, and we will meet again, you will know more about me then. But for now, you must return, you must return and be stronger for you will need it when we meet again. But for now, let me off with this."
In a blink, the girl appeared in front of him and locked her lips with his. He got red in the face and was shocked but all he could express on his face was his eyes slowly closing and returning the kiss. His right arm began to glow, began to change. Then he felt hearing something, something echoed in his head,
"Power... I need more POWER!"
XxScene Change
Before he knew it, he woke up to gunshots and people screaming, bodies being tossed around and metal screeching noises. Then, he saw her. He saw Chifuyu cutting through the door that held him inside. She was furious beyond measure but once they locked eyes, all fury vanished, and it was replaced by compassion and concern. Little did he know, Chifuyu saw all the fear and anxiousness fade away be immediately replaced by love and excitement as he locked into her eyes. Chifuyu quickly unbound him, and they both shared a tight embrace. Ichika was a little uncomfortable as Chifuyu was still in her IS, but it didn't matter to him. It was a very long time since they both shared these emotions with each other.
"ICHIKA! ICHIKA ARE YOU OKAY SWEETHEART?! ARE YOU HURT?!"
"CHIFUYU-NEE! CHIFUYU-NEE Y-YOU YOU C-CAME! I-I WAS SO S-SCARED!" Ichika yelled as he was crying uncontrollably.
"Of course, I came, idiot! What would I do if I lost you? You are the most precious thing in my life!"
"Chifuyu-nee... I'm so sorry for being so worthless, so weak, if it wasn't for me-" before he could say more, Chifuyu held her index finger in front of his mouth, in a hush signal.
"You are my brother. Don't think anything like that ever again."
Chifuyu held on tight to his brother as she told him that they are getting out of here. They made it through several corridors and entrances as they finally made it to the exit. GSF's help didn't come free of charge. They offered a deal to Chifuyu that in exchange for assistance in her brother's rescue, she would educate and train their IS unit for a whole year. Ichika didn't know about this until it was her time to leave their home.
"Where are you going Chifuyu-nee? What are those bags?"
"I'm going to Germany, I got myself a job there, but it'll only last a year."
"Chifuyu-nee, please don't go, what if they come back? I'm scared Chifuyu-nee, please don't go or take me with you. Please!"
"You know I can't do both. I've taught you everything you need to know so that you can survive a year without me. The Shinonono family is also there for us if you need anything. I'm not leaving you all alone Ichika. I must do this, for both of us. See you later."
"Chifuyu-nee..."
Chifuyu took off with a huge weight on her heart. Made it beat slower and heavier. Ichika's eyes were teary as he remembered his kidnapping incident. It didn't help him when he learned that Chifuyu had abandoned the tournament and was banned from any Mondo Grosso afterwards. He blamed himself for robbing his sister of her career and her second championship. He could never forgive himself for that incident. A simple kidnapping that could have prevented if he was strong. If he was strong, Chifuyu could have won that tournament and could relax and live a happy life as Ichika could take care of her. He owed her everything and yet all he did was fail her. This would not stand. Ichika's expression quickly changed from sadness to determination and anger as he heard something echoed in his mind, the same thing when that girl kissed him.
"Power... I need more POWER!"
His right arm began to glow, he remembered he accepted to pay the price asked of him for power. He brought his right sleeve and he saw his arm had some spikes coming out of the skin. They did not feel uncomfortable for some reason. They were silver and pointy, he brought his sleeve down and hoped it would worth it. He swore that he would never be weak again. He quickly went to his room to take a workout bag, an arm sleeve to cover the spikes, got some clothes and his bokken to go for training in the Shinonono dojo as the family had already offered them, they were welcome in their dojo and their home. Ichika looked at inside the house, closed the door and locked it. He began to make his way to the dojo with only one goal in sight: He. Will. Grow. Stronger. Anyone with an even the slightest bit of analytical eyes could only see two things if they looked at Ichika's eyes as he made his way toward the dojo; Determination and motivation. He looks ready to pay any cost asked of him for power, but... what price will be too high for him? Will he really be willing to pay any price asked of him for power? This events no doubt changed him, but is he changed for the better? Or the worse? The choices he will make on his journey for power will show us. But one thing is certain: He will never be the same.