Over 100 reviews and 10000 views, 80 favorites, and 88 follows!? Thank you so much for supporting this fic, people.
Credit goes Windrave who helped me with storyboard idea and Vandenbz for proofreading and beta. You guys have my utmost gratitude.
Now to reply the reviewers:
FlashDevil - Yep, you're right. 100 points for you.
HolyDragoon - (Give carrot to Kou to shut his mouth). You should watch it, there's a lot of Gundam references there. If you like this one, then perhaps you should check Dimensional Records' Gundam 00 IS Crossover as well.
mega1987 - He will, but he won't tell everything. Read to find it out.
Sky EXE - You're right. 100 points for you as well. The reason why Banagher didn't use his Beam Magnum was because it was too powerful. In this story that weapon is his trump card which could destroy any IS regardless how many shield power it has. You could say that it's an anti IS weapon.
Firem78910 - Thank you (^_^)
Dimensional Records - Hahaha, thanks. 100 points for you as well. I hope to see more of your Gundam 00 IS series.
Wing Zero 032 - Correct 100% no more no less. 100 points for you, sir. I will resume that after I finish my 8th chapter of KH FoZ crossover, so be patient, okay?
Guest1 - 1)Thank you 2) Moral of the 4th chapter: Never mess around with Banagher if you don't want your butt get kicked 3, 4, 5 and 6) I need time to think about that since combining those two will be very difficult. Have you considered my offer to use GBF story yet?
Xamusel - Gamma 11 - No. That dream was only to show Banagher the turning point of Zeon after their defeat in One Year War known as Zeon's Revival which eventually will lead the appearance of Axis Zeon/Neo Zeon. Also the dream was also meant that not every Gundam affiliated with Federations (GP02A and Gundam Blue Destiny Unit 2 are the prime examples) As for the 2nd one, it's still a secret. But believe me that Banagher will do it again.
G. - 100 points for you sir. You're correct.
Guest/dragon shinobi - Not a problem pal. Yes you're right and that means 100 points for you. Man, Kou's influences are really high here.
Revinator - 1) I have my own reason. First it was because I want to show how Unicorn could do psycommu-jack for bit controlled weapons. The Silver Gospel incident will turn out different than normal with some surprises. As for the shield, it only reduces the damage after I-Field feature usage. Thanks for your opinion. 2) Don't sweat it, everyone has their own thoughts, right?
Fireminer - Thanks pal. Read my reply to Xemusel-Gamma 11 for the reason why I used Operation Stardust. But don't worry, he will experience more similar dreams later.
Sky Zephyrus - Glad you like it, dude. 100 points for your correct answer as well.
Mzr90 - I already asked for proofread and beta dude. Thanks and 100 points for you.
dsgundam00 - Thanks. The suits from UC will eventually make their appearances later.
Amir-015 - I mark this as quote of the 4th chapter.
ZeonTwoSix - Another 100 points. And no, Char will make her appearance later just like in anime with some alterations. Wait did I just say Char?
black-ace-rockman - Thanks pal. 100 points for you as well.
Grinja - He won't reveal everything yet. I hope you like this one as well.
BlaLig - Yep, I-Field rules! As for Yukihira, it's unaffected since its function is almost same as beam saber which can bypass the barrier. And don't worry, you will get even more than that later.
Kayman141 - Thanks, it wasn't easy to make since I had to rewrite some parts. Apparently those three won't know about that yet until later in the story. That will be a secret, heheheh. She won't make any appearance yet, but maybe I'll give her some minor appearances later.
Dr. Dude - Correct, 100 points for you.
Final Genesis - That sounds like a preview for next episode in anime. 100 points for you as well.
GundamGuyUC - Totally unexpected, huh? 100 points for your correct answer. How will he handle it? Read and find out.
Vandenbz - 100 points for you dude. And thanks for proofreading my chapters including this one.
Just an IS fan - Thanks, although I won't consider it as the best. The next victim, hmm... who could it be?
WhoeverIam - You're welcome :) Well, actually they already have their own part in White Unicorn of SEED. But I might change that later.
Guest - Nope. He fought her in midair.
Blackholelord - Thank you. Here's your update.
Vangran - You mean the White Devil incarnation?
ThePizziaMan - Thank you.
anon - 1) Huh? You mean after the event of Dream Drop Distance? Could you maybe give me more details? 2) Plus, which arc of Fairy Tail that I should use? I need to watch it first.
Guest #2 - Thanks so much. Hmmm... I imagine that most of the pilot's bones will crack and break if the Waverider/MA mode is still intact. Scary...
alchemists19 - Thank you, and good luck with your call as well.
Nanya - Believe me, Unicorn Gundam is already too OP in my opinion compared with other suits, especially its CSP attack and Impulse plus Beam Gatling.
ANONON - HAAARRRR! HERE YA GO!
Chapter 5: Aftermath the Battle
IS Academy- Arena
Silence filled the whole arena as the spectators were at loss of words. Either they could only gasp or have their mouth hang open at the sight they were seeing now. None could blame their reactions though as this kind of aftermath rarely happened in IS Battles.
But the most stood out of all was the lone white figure of Unicorn Gundam who stood in the middle of the arena, watching silently as the team of school medics lifted the unconscious form of Cecilia into the stretcher then carried her back inside the main building or to the infirmary to be more precise.
Banagher, the Unicorn Gundam pilot was terrified. He went too overboard, he never intended this to happen. He only wanted to give her a lesson in humiliation, not to hurt her like this.
Ignoring the murmurs from the spectators whatever they were talking about, the young Newtype hung his head and began walked away until his communication node blipped, bringing him out of his trance. Answering it, he found a Chifuyu Orimura staring (or was it glaring?) back at him from the holo-screen.
"Links, report to the Observation Room, now!" She ordered curtly before cutting the connection.
He didn't answer back and just activated Unicorn's booster to quickly return back into the hangar. He knew what he would face soon for having injured one of her students and he felt he deserved it for whatever she'd do to him...
As he arrived back in hangar, Banagher deactivated his Gundam, reverting back its form into the pendant which automatically hung around his neck. Another familiar voice then called him out of his distraught mind.
"Banagher!"
The boy lifted his face to see both Ichika and Houki coming to him with a rather concerned look on their faces. Were they worried about him or bothered with what he had done to Cecilia? He didn't know.
"Houki... Ichika..." he whispered their names as the two came close to his side.
"We... uh..." The younger Orimura was a bit in struggle to find the right choice of words to congratulate and reassure his friend, "That was a great fight, Banagher! You won!"
Only to meet a slap on the back by the upset ponytailed girl who then turned to Banagher with a concerned look.
"Look Banagher... I-we know what you're feeling now, but it wasn't your fault!" Houki tried to reassure him in bolder way. "Even Orimura sensei told us that if anything, that snob princess should have seen it coming to her for pushing herself too hard!"
"Eh, yeah! So, stop blaming yourself for what happened back there. You didn't do anything that hurt her. She's just exhausted." added Ichika.
Despite the words of his new friends, Banagher wasn't convinced enough if he didn't have his own share of guilt in this. It didn't change the fact that because he fought Cecilia, the blonde girl now ended up in the hands of the medic staff. It was lucky enough that unlike before, he didn't accidentally killed someone...
Accidentally... killed Cecilia...?
Over a petty matter of badmouthing that ended up in a tournament fight...?
That mere thought alone already gave him goosebumps and sent shiver on his back. He could have killed a girl around his age?!
"Hey. Hey. Banagher! Are you okay?" again Ichika's voice had brought Banagher back from his train of thought.
"Sorry about that. I'm just a bit tired I guess..." The boy trailed off, now a bit calmed down as he walked ahead and looked back at them over his shoulder with a small smile to reassure the two as best as he could.
"I'll see you again after this, okay?"
And with that, Banagher entered the observation room, trying to ignore how ominous the doors sounded as they closed.
...
IS Academy – Observation Room
Although Banagher was in the observation room, the atmosphere which filled the whole room was more like one used for interrogation. Before him, Chifuyu stood with her usual stoic and stern look on her face like a detective ready to interrogate the criminal. To the side and seated at the terminal was Yamada-sensei, who seemed to give him what small amount of reassurance she could with a forced smile.
"I suppose you know why I called you here, Links?" Chifuyu asked with arms crossed over her chest as she bore her eyes into him.
"I know, Orimura-sensei..." Banagher replied with a solemn look, looking down, "I never intended to..."
"If you're still thinking you're to blame for what happened to Alcott, then you shouldn't." the raven haired woman suddenly cut him, "Alcott just passed out for pushing herself beyond her limits. With enough rest she should back in shape again."
"WHAT!?" Banagher's eyes shot wide at her answer. He was shocked, not because of knowing that Cecilia passed out because of over exhausting herself but with how this woman so casually dismissed what happened to Cecilia as it wasn't a big deal. Was she even really a teacher? That was the only question that came to his mind.
Narrowing his eyes, the boy glared at Chifuyu.
"You talked like what happened to Cecilia earlier was something normal. Do you realize that she is your student as well?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Pilot's injuries may occur in IS battle. It rarely happens but possible." was the simple answer from Chifuyu, "And I do realize that Miss Alcott, despite her attitude is still my student. What's your point in that, Banagher Links?"
"She passed out from this stupid match and you act as if this doesn't matter to you just because she was in an IS?!" The boy almost yelled at her. "You... What kind of selfish teacher are you!? Do you even really care about your students' safety?! What if the person in her place was Ichika, your own brother!?"
Despite of her usual stern look, Chifuyu was a bit irritated inside from Banagher's remark. She had to admit though that this boy had guts to talk back to her like that whereas even the high ranked military personnel would be reticent to her due of her background and reputation.
Still that didn't mean she would allow herself to be pushed around by this sharp tongued brat...
"That's enough, Links! Anymore and you'll be reported for disobeying your teacher!" Chifuyu warned him in stern voice. To be honest, she didn't like it either to threaten her student(?) using that excuse as it was the last ditch effort and she would have preferred her own way to give a comeback. But she knew it wasn't the good time for that as she wanted answers.
"Besides, this is not what I have called you for. Yamada-sensei." The elder Orimura turned to the green haired teacher, addressing her.
"Ah! Y-Yes." By the mention of her name, Maya then typed some command. The observation screen then showed the recorded video of Unicorn's fight with Blue Tears, more specifically when the Unicorn Gundam tried to activate the NT-D from the presence of Blue Tears' bits.
The young Newtype clicked his tongue. He knew where this was going to.
"Back then during the match, minutes after Alcott deployed her bits, your IS acted like it was out of control." The screen then shifted to the screen cap from Maya's computer showing Unicorn Gundam's status which was filled with the word 'NT-D' everywhere. "And then this happened until you shut down whatever that was about to activate. Care to explain that?"
Silence was the only answer that came from the boy. An answer which made Chifuyu grew impatient and placed her hands on hips before she raised her voice.
"Links, I won't repeat myself again. What is this 'NT-D'?! Explain now or we can stay here for all the day."
Banagher glared back at her, irritated at her attitude despite a small part of his mind understanding where she may be coming from. That small part of him grew bigger when he realized that he stood out a bit too much out there when he fought back the system. But still, he couldn't risk it. Just because this woman had gave him a place to stay and lay low, that didn't mean he would completely trust her with all of his secrets involving his Gundam.
But he knew that he wouldn't go anywhere if he kept his mouth shut... what could he do?
"The NT-D is a special system which my Mobile Suit, my Gundam possesses." He started to explain as he lowered his head first before looking at the two with firm expression.
"All I can tell you is that it can either bring hopes to understand people's feelings..." Banagher lowered his head, his face turned grim. "...or a mere killing machine."
However, his answer only made Chifuyu's eyebrow twitch in irritation and raised her voice.
"Links...! Explain! Now!"
"I don't know any more than that!" The boy was all but yelled at her. "All I know is if it used in wrong way you'll end up hurting not only yourself but people around you! What part of it you don't understand!?"
The raven haired teacher clicked her tongue, annoyed from his tone of answer. This wasn't the kind of the answer she had hoped for. Instead of a straight full answer, this boy gave her a riddle. But at least she still got a glimpse that whatever it was would be potentially dangerous if used in wrong way and Banagher prevented that from happening.
But still, from how he was so reluctant earlier to tell her before, she still could tell that Banagher actually knew more than that and he didn't tell her the complete truth.
However after seeing his stubbornness, she felt it would take forever to force him out either and despite what she said, she didn't literally have all time in the world as she still had documents and paperwork waiting for her. Besides, Chifuyu admitted she might be a bit pushy sometimes, but that didn't mean she didn't respect if someone had his/her own secrets. If Banagher didn't want to tell her now, then he might have his own reason for that, one that hopefully wouldn't bring any harm to anyone in the academy...
Besides, she too had been keeping a secret which involved her family that even her brother didn't know and she'd prefer him never...
The raven haired teacher finally heaved a sigh, feeling a bit calmer before she continued to another question.
"Just to ensure the students' 'safety' from any potential danger of this NT-D of yours, will that happen again in your next match, Links?" She asked, emphasizing the word safety. There was a silence for a moment which made Maya nervous from the outcome of this situation that she had to swallow up her throat.
"I've had it under my control now. That won't happen again." Banagher replied firmly, shaking his head.
Although Chifuyu still wasn't too satisfied from not getting any information about the NT-D at least she could relax a bit knowing that it wouldn't happen again in the future. The raven haired woman then took a nearby moving chair and then sat with her arms and legs crossed.
"Okay, but there's one more thing I don't understand." She said, "You said back where you came from; these Mobile Suits are operated by armed forces, then how come a boy like you could have one in your possession?"
This question somehow made Maya intrigued as well as she skid her moving chair beside Chifuyu. She too had been wondering how Banagher ended up as a pilot of a mysterious unit like Unicorn.
"Orimura-sensei is right. Please don't be offended Links, but it's just that you don't look like a military person." The green haired teacher clapped her hands together in apologetic manner.
Banagher lowered his head again and didn't say anything for a moment. Truth be told, he actually didn't want to remember the day where everything had begun and changed his life 180 degrees. Him finding the Unicorn, learning the truth about his families and their bloody ties with this so-called Laplace's Box…
But perhaps telling them could also ease up the burden on his shoulders. It wasn't like they could do anything to help or that he would get himself into more trouble after all…
With a heavy sigh, Banagher raised his head up and looked at both teachers. "It's… it's a long story, actually…" he then looked at the pendant around his neck as he began to tell them his story. "It was entrusted to me ever since that day…"
.
Flashback
.
Industrial 7 Colony – The Snail's Construction Area
Screams and cries of horror and despair could be heard throughout the colony as the battle had broken out within the civilian area. It was a terrifying sight for everyone, the buildings were being destroyed from explosions and collisions, many vehicles exploded on the roads, and a lot of people were vaporized by the fires caused by the beams of the funnels of a particular Mobile Suit named the Kshatriya. In the midst of the chaos, Banagher had somehow found a way out from the hole in the gate created by a ReZEL's beam cannon and went in to rescue someone that he had left inside the Vist Mansion. Closing his mouth and nose so that he wouldn't inhale the gases coming out from the leaky pipes, the boy found something at the end of the tunnel which appeared to be a MS hangar with a white single horned Mobile Suit standing inside. As he noticed the open cockpit hatch on its chest Banagher pushed himself of the floor in the lowered gravity towards the Mobile Suit.
To his surprise, there was a person inside the cockpit tinkering with the OS who turned out to be none other than his school's chairman, Cardeas Vist.
"Gael? You made It." The chairman said as he turned his head, however his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the said person wasn't Gael but one of his students who had barged inside his mansion along with the mysterious girl accompanying him.
"It's you."
"Where is she? Where's Audrey?" Banagher impatiently asked him.
Trying to ignore the pain of the bleeding wound from the gunshot as he clutched his stomach, Cardeas answered him, "Don't worry about her. This isn't her first time cheating death and it won't be her last."
"You left her behind!?" Banagher's eyes opened wide in disbelief and then he looked around the Mobile Suit's cockpit before giving Cardeas an accusing look. "You were planning on escaping in this mobile suit, weren't you?!"
With a heavy breath, he replied, "Even if I did, I wouldn't survive."
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Banagher asked in frustration at a near yell as he slammed his fist into the side of the cockpit. "You act like you're so superior, but you can't do anything! Audrey came to you trying to stop this war from breaking out, and you had the power to do that, didn't you?"
Banagher lowered his head for a moment before continuing, "Those people... they had plans for tomorrow... for next week... they had a future! They weren't supposed to die like this!"
"I lost my mother, but it was different. This isn't the way people are supposed to die. It's wrong..."
"Death should be treated with dignity." Cardeas suddenly said, getting the brown haired boy's attention as he tried to stand up and lean on the pilot chair, "We're supposed to respect one another's lives. But once we grow out of childhood, though we know better, we still cause meaningless bloodshed. We've done it to the Earth as well. We devoured the resources and then sought out new frontiers to exploit in space."
As he began to lose the strength to keep standing, Cardeas hunched a little while looking at the boy. "Humanity grew out of control and must endeavor to regain its dignity. We must revive the hope that was born one hundred years ago."
Somehow, his words had triggered something inside Banagher's head as he brought his right hand to cover half of his face. "Through the potential that lies within, we will demonstrate the true power and compassion of humanity."
"To transcend what is immediate and realize our god-like potential, the greatness within us that is, possible." continued Cardeas, he then began to extend his hand which Banagher accepted.
"You've come this far, but are you confident that your conviction will not waver?" The chairman asked him with a serious look on his face, "The weight of the burden she has to bear is immense. You'll need the resolve to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders if you go with her. Do you have it?"
Banagher was hesitant for a moment before giving him the answer with a determined look. "I don't have that resolve, no… All I know is that I need her to need me."
"Very well, then you'll need this..." with a weak smile Cardeas then gently pulled Banagher inside and placed his hand on the scanner which began to scan and read his fingerprints. After the scanner pad had finished scanning and folded into the console, the man seated the boy in the pilot chair and the monitors around it began to show the completed registration of his biometric data.
"I've programmed it to respond to you and you alone." Cardeas explained to him what he had just done with the OS, "If you can prove yourself to be a suitable pilot, the Unicorn will grant you unrivaled power. And then show you the path to Laplace's Box."
"What's Laplace's Box?" asked Banagher in confusion. Several explosions then suddenly occurred inside the hangar outside the cockpit.
"It's a dark curse that has sentenced the Vist family to serve as its guardian for a hundred years." answered Cardeas, his voice becoming even weaker as he approached Banagher, "But if used properly, it can bring light to this Universal Century."
"What is it?"
"Anna... your mother didn't want to see you fall victim to this curse, so she took you from me." upon the mention of his deceased mother's name, Banagher's eyes widened in shock and he began to wonder why this man could know his mother. "She must hate me... as I'm sure you do as well."
"But you must go!" The sudden change of his tone brought Banagher back into reality from his thoughts. "Fear not! If you trust in the possibility that lies within and try with all your might, the path will show itself to you." Cardeas said as he began to caress the boy's left cheek with his bloodied hand which left blood stained on it.
"It's selfish. You can't say all that to me now." Banagher replied with a hint of sadness as he grabbed Cardeas' hand.
"Please forgive me." Cardeas weakly apologized to Banagher as he looked at him with a sorrowful expression before he pushed himself away and outside the cockpit slowly, still looking at him, "I wanted more...so much..."
'Banagher...'
'My wish has finally come true, Anna...'
"FATHER!" Banagher suddenly called Cardeas his father as another explosion happened and engulfed Cardeas' body in flames. The Unicorn's cockpit hatch immediately shut as Banagher stared at the brutal sight. Feelings of mixed emotions began to fill his mind at the same time. For him, all of this was too cruel and too sudden. First, he had lost his mother and now he finally had reunited again with his father in a situation like this only for the short time before his demise and he had to bear this curse of the Vist family which he had just learned about from Cardeas.
Banagher sat there and slumped for a moment. He brought his hand to his face again as he remembered the last time he saw the Vist family mansion when he was a child. The panoramic view of the Unicorn deactivated and several tears came from his eyes and floated inside the cockpit due to the zero gravity. Somehow, whether it was an illusion or the image showed by the panoramic monitor, Banagher saw the same tapestry which he had seen before, The Lady and The Unicorn.
"To my only desire..." Banagher muttered, remembering when he had seen it for the first time with his father in the Vist Mansion. "The beast of possibility... The symbol of hope... Father..."
"Mother, I'm sorry." The boy then began to grab the mobile suit's controls and activate the panoramic view again, "I must... I must go!"
The Mobile Suit's green eye sensors flashed on as the hanger began to open. Filled with a new determination to help his friend Audrey Burne, Banagher caused his new Mobile Suit to walk forward slowly before activating the boosters to escape from the burning hangar which started to collapse.
.
End of Flashback
.
"And that's how I became the pilot of the Unicorn." As Banagher finished telling them his story, his eyes were staring down at the ground with both hands intertwined before looking at both teachers. "If you want to know what happened after that, well… I already told you in the infirmary before."
Maya gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, her eyes glimmering with tears. She couldn't bear the thoughts of what this boy had been through as she removed her glasses and wiped her eyes after hearing his story. Anyone who heard it might think that it came from a sad drama TV series, but from his tone and the way he told them it was so convincing that she could even imagine that she had been there and seen it with her own eyes. On the other hand, Chifuyu's expression did not change, though the hand at her elbow tightened a bit before allowing the tension to leave.
"I'm sorry," Chifuyu said, her voice now sounding a bit more sympathetic. "Listen, I don't mean to dig up bad memories nor am I doing this to satisfy my ego or that I'm after your secrets but you've put us in a tough position."
"What do you mean Orimura-sensei?"
The black haired teacher took a deep breath and sighed before answering him, "Several days ago, I asked one of my friends who works for Ireland's government to register you as a citizen and she agreed."
"And..?" Banagher asked and cocked one of his eyebrows, unsure of where she was going with this.
"Despite her surprise at another male pilot being chosen she agreed not to ask questions about creating a profile for a teenager who didn't exist. I also have enough sway there to keep others from digging too deep when you would be revealed." It was here that she pinched her nose again and sighed. "What I didn't account for was your IS- I mean your Gundam."
Banagher drew in a slow breath, confused but not liking what she had mentioned about the Unicorn. "I don't understand."
"Links, you were going to be a sensation no matter what happened, being another male who can pilot an IS, however we were hoping that despite that we would be able to keep you under the radar, as it were before this challenge came up. Your spectacular performance, not to mention you defeated the England's representative has raised more eyes and questions than even what I expected and was prepared to handle. The long story short is that the government of Ireland is now extremely interested in you as they now know that your information is bogus."
"What!?" Banagher's eyes widened in shock.
"It gets worse." Chifuyu continued and Banagher felt his stomach twist. "As I said you are protected while you are attending this Academy. However several companies, especially the subsidiary of the Dunois Corporation that is based in Ireland has been demanding information on your IS and its weapon systems. The government of Ireland is backing them, saying that since the pilot is registered as its citizen with a custom IS so they should be entitled to that info."
"No way…" Banagher muttered and tensed at the thought of others coming after him for his mobile suit and the weapons that they would unleash if they acquired the Unicorn's technology. All he wanted was to live peacefully, to help Audrey... And with that his shoulders slumped a bit.
Audrey... What was she doing now? What were the crews of the Garencieres and the Nahel Argama doing now? What was he going to do?
"I'm sure as hell not going to give up without a fight, Links." Chifuyu reassured him. "But your IS, despite being a custom model, would have been enough to fly under the radar with its rather unappealing standby mode."
At this Banagher gave her a glare, but before he could retort Chifuyu held a hand up.
"Your 'IS' is rather unorthodox in its appearance, with just enough weapons to make it dangerous but not stand out. What you did out there, its power, its ability to deflect energy shots and render the user completely unharmed..." Chifuyu trailed off.
Yamada with a strained smile softly spoke. "It does go to show you not to judge a book by its cover, doesn't it, Orimura-sensei?" she then 'eeped' as Chifuyu shot a frosty glare at her.
Chifuyu then turned back to Banagher. "Links, you are going to have a lot of people, companies, and officials coming to acquire about your IS. We can keep the majority at bay but you'll have to be careful with who you talk to from now on. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Orimura-sensei." Banagher firmly replied while giving Chifuyu the same determined look that he gave to Captain Bright when he was on the Ra-Cailum.
Chifuyu smiled a bit in satisfaction at his response as she stood from her chair and put her hand on her hip. "I was expecting you to say that. You may leave now."
...
Meanwhile with Ichika and Houki…
Ichika was leaning back on the wall with his hands behind his head as he waited for Banagher with a worried expression. More than twenty minutes had gone by since Banagher had been called in by his sister. And judging from the expression on her face when she asked him and Houki to get out of the observation room, he could tell that Chifuyu obviously wasn't pleased. But why was that? Did Banagher do something to piss her off? Did that have to do with the outcome of the match? His train of thought however was interrupted when Houki suddenly called him back to reality.
"Hey, why are you looking so anxious?" asked the ponytailed girl who now leaned beside him with her arms crossed. Unlike the former, the several minutes of waiting and doing nothing had brought her back into her old persona again.
Turning to Houki, the raven haired boy sighed, "How not, Houki? It's almost been a half hour and Banagher still hasn't come out yet. You know how scary Chifuyu-nee can be when she's on her bad hair day, right? That's why I'm worried."
Upset with his tone of answer, Houki pouted and turned her face away. Ever since Banagher had joined them, she noticed that Ichika seemed to pay more attention to him rather than her. This had made her somewhat jealous and annoyed with Banagher's presence although she knew Ichika felt more comfortable with him since both of them were the only boys in this school, but still…
"At least think about my feelings too, you dummy…" muttered Houki as she lowered her head in disappointment.
"Hmm? What did you just say, Houki?" Ichika suddenly asked.
Houki's face immediately turned red because she didn't expect that Ichika could hear her. Turning her head away to hide her embarrassment while staring at her crossed arms, she answered, "N-nothing! I just wondered if your piloting skill could be as good as him, that's all."
"Well, actually I plan on asking him to teach me in piloting IS after this." Ichika bluntly said as he scratched the back of his head.
"WHAT!?" This of course surprised Houki and she turned to face Ichika while giving him a look that demanded an answer which startled the raven haired boy a bit. "Why don't you train with me instead?"
"Well, you saw how he fought during the match, right?" He simply replied, not getting a clue that the ponytailed girl was jealous. "But hey, you don't have to worry. I'll adjust the schedule, so we can still do the kendo practice and tutoring." He said with a big smile plastered on his face and thumbs up like it wasn't a big deal.
"Y-y-you…!" Houki stuttered, her body was trembling as she tried to hold back her anger.
"Hmm? What's wrong Houki? Why is your body shaking?"
"YOU STUPID DENSE OAF!" Houki yelled in frustration next to his ear, making Ichika have to cover both of them with his hands. "Fine! If you really want him to teach you so bad, then have it your way!" She said curtly before running away from the hangar, leaving the confused boy alone.
"Gee, what's her problem?" Ichika asked as he rubbed his ears in an effort to recover from Houki's yell. At the same time, the sound of the door opening behind him made Ichika turn around to see Banagher walking outside from the observation room alone.
"Hey Banagher." Ichika greeted him as he approached the brown haired boy, "So what did Chifuyu-nee want to talk about with you?"
"She just wanted to clarify some things. That's all." Banagher replied with a small smile and then patted his shoulder as he walked past him, "Come on. Let's head back."
"Sure thing." Ichika replied, giving him back his usual friendly smile before following Banagher from behind. "Oh, and by the way, could you maybe teach me how to pilot an IS like that? Man you were so awesome back there."
Unknown by them, a pair of familiar brownish red eyes were watching them from behind the glass windows of the observation room as the two left the hangar. Taking a deep breath, Chifuyu then let out a sigh before looking at the two boys with a small tender smile on her face which she rarely showed in front of others.
'Boys…'
...
IS Academy – Infirmary
Inside the infirmary, Cecilia Alcott was lying in one of the beds located in the corner near the door. Although she hadn't suffered any external injuries thanks to the IS protection system, she was still exhausted from pushing her body too much. It was kinda ironic because the bed that she was sleeping in now was the same bed Banagher had slept in after he had been brought inside by Chifuyu and the medical staff. To her side and seated in a folding chair was a beautiful black haired woman wearing frameless glasses and a white nurse uniform who was assigned to watch over her condition.
"Mn… mmnnn…." As Cecilia groaned and opened her eyes slowly, her gaze met the brown eyes of the woman in white, "Wha… where… am I…?"
"Relax there, Miss Alcott." The nurse said as she gently adjusted the pillow underneath Cecilia's back, "Although your body is fine, some of your muscles are still cramping up. You still need to rest."
"Oh, okay…" Cecilia just obeyed as she had been told and let the nurse examine her until she faced the nurse again, "Umm… if you don't mind ma'am, could you tell me how I ended up here?"
"You mean you don't remember?" The nurse asked back as she took off her glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief from her pocket, "You fell unconscious in the middle of the match before your IS had suddenly reverted back. We had to carry you here in a stretcher."
The blonde girl gasped in realization. That's right, the match! She remembered that she was losing against the male representative of Ireland and in the end she blacked out before the winner was announced and the last thing she heard was Banagher shouted her name...?
"The match! What happened with the match?! Did they announce the winner?" The girl exclaimed, suddenly jolted forward which caused her to wince from the muscle pain on her shoulders. The nurse gently pushed her back then fixed the pillow again before answering.
"I think you already know the answer, Miss Alcott." The woman said as a matter of fact. "That boy, Banagher Links won the match because you were incapable to continue further, thus resulting your loss."
The British girl could only stare in shock at the answer she received. So she had lost. Lost against the boy whom she challenged in first place... It was a bitter truth, but she had no choice but to accept her defeat if she still had any pride left.
"So… I really lost, huh? Against a boy nonetheless..." Cecilia muttered, lowering her head in disappointment. Was this how it felt to be the loser? But then, why didn't she feel as frustrated as she should? It felt more like she had mixed feelings in taking her defeat. On one side she felt empty, upset and disappointed, but at the same time she also felt something else that almost similar to... a relief?
The nurse stiffened inwardly a bit at her words. As an older generation who were introduced first to the Infinite Stratos, she knew Cecilia was one of 'those' women: The one who saw men as inferior gender due of inability to pilot an IS and grew up in the idea women were supreme gender. It sometimes irked her to think how naïve they were if they thought men didn't have their own hands in the creation of the machines that made them what they were.
Why? Because her husband worked as an IS engineer at the infamous IS corporation which produced the Uchigane units, a head technician on top of that.
It was then when the blonde girl turned to her with a questioning look and asked.
"Ma'am, please tell me one thing: if I lost, then does that make me weak?"
The nurse raised her eyebrows a bit. She understood what this girl meant here. Just because she had to taste a defeat for the first time, she felt inferior to herself. It was a childish thought as nobody was invincible no matter how good the person was. But she couldn't blame her for asking that though. For someone who held a high pride over her clean records of achievements, having a single defeat would feel like a lifelong disgrace.
"It's not really my place to answer that, Miss Alcott, but from what I know so far..." The woman fixed her glasses again before looking at her with a motherly smile. "People become stronger because they learned from their defeat."
"I... I don't understand..." muttered Cecilia.
"What I'm trying to say is that nobody is invincible no matter how good they are, and that includes you, Miss Alcott." explained the nurse, "Someday, someone better than you will appear and beat you in your game. But the real question is how will you accept your defeat afterwards? Will you move on and resolve yourself to become better or lament on your defeat forever? If you can do the former, then that's proof enough that you are strong."
This time Cecilia was unable to answer back, her mind was contemplating every word came from the woman before her. It was then when the nurse looked at her wristwatch and realized that she had spent too much time with her patient.
"I have to go now. Get some rest and please don't push yourself too hard, okay?" She said before she stood and turned towards the door. However, before she could open it, she heard Cecilia called her.
"Ah! Wait a second!"
"Hmm?"
"I uh... I haven't learned your name, ma'am. What's your name?" Cecilia asked with a hint of embarrassment.
"It's Minazuki Kyoko, Miss Alcott. But you may call me Kyoko if you want." answered the nurse named Kyoko who then smiled back at her. "Just call me if you need help or some 'counseling', okay?"
And so, Kyoko closed the door, leaving the blonde girl alone in silence. Minutes passed and Cecilia couldn't do anything except staring at her own bed and with nobody else to talk with, she felt so bored and lonely.
But this loneliness was what she needed to think for herself. All this time, Cecilia believed herself as a paragon of every woman of her generations, a true lady. However, because of her father, a weak willed person as opposed of a how a true man supposed to be and the influence of Infinite Stratos, she grew up believing all men were same like him...
Then this boy, Banagher Links. Not only he came out of nowhere but he also had made her life turned upside down by humiliating her in verbal fight in front of everyone... well she admitted she had crossed the line back then in class. But the point was he beat her in IS match she was good at.
"Someday, someone better will appear and beat you in your game. But the real question is how will you accept your defeat afterwards? Will you move on and resolve yourself to become better or lament on your defeat forever? If you can do the former, then that's proof enough that you are strong."
Recalling back what Kyoko said earlier, Cecilia wondered: Was this the heaven's harsh way to tell her that she had been wrong all this time about men?
...
Later that night in Room 1025
Inside the room where Ichika and his roommate Houki had been assigned, the atmosphere was quite heavy for the two. Even though they were both present, neither of them had said a single word to each other as the two were busy taking care of their own tasks. In the first bed near the door, Ichika was folding his spare uniforms while Houki on the other hand was arranging her wooden kendo swords. Since the two were facing away from each other, Ichika occasionally glanced at her with a worried expression. He didn't like it when he saw his friends upset or sad, and Houki of course wasn't an exception. However what troubled him was that he had no idea what she was so mad about.
As the raven haired boy took a deep breath, he encouraged himself to ask the ponytailed girl. "Hey, Houki. What are you still upset about?"
"Nothing." Houki simply replied without even bothering to look back as she fixed her ribbon while lying on her bed.
The raven haired boy then moved his mouth to ask again, but the sudden knock coming from the entrance door distracted both of them from their thoughts. Wondering who wanted to visit them at this hour, Houki took the initiative to open the door first, just in case the visitor was another girl who wanted to see Ichika, a possibility that was annoyingly very high in Houki's opinion.
"Alright, I'm coming." said the ponytailed girl as she approached and then opened the door. However to her surprise, their visitor was none other than their teacher Maya Yamada.
"Yamada-sensei?" Houki asked in confusion.
"Ah. Good evening, Miss Shinonono." Maya greeted with a smile. "I'm sorry for coming at this hour, but there's something important I need to tell both of you."
"What is it?" asked Ichika who came from behind Houki.
"We've made new arrangements for you." Maya announced and looked at Ichika, "Orimura, you'll be moving to a different room."
"Huh? M-me?" Ichika asked in confusion while pointing at himself.
Yamada nodded, "Of course. Since Links is alone in his room, it would be for the best if you stay with him. After all, both of you are boys, right?"
"B-but, I thought I was his roommate for the next three years." Houki replied to Maya, her tone was a little bit protesting as she actually didn't want to be separated from Ichika.
"Huh? Yeah, but that was before Links joined in, Miss Shinonono." The green haired teacher explained to her. "And I'm sure this situation where a young man and a young woman have to share the same room isn't really comfortable for either of you."
At this, Houki fidgeted while trying to think of a good response, "Well, actually we…"
"Okay, I guess it can't be helped then." Ichika suddenly replied to Maya, scratching the back of his head before walking to the wardrobe to grab his uniform. "Just give me time to pack my belongings first, Yamada-sensei."
Houki was utterly shocked with his blunt reply as she turned to him, "I-Ichika?"
"Hey, you don't have to worry about me." Ichika reassured as he turned to Houki with his bag hanging over his shoulder. "I'm sure I can take care of myself, and I promise I won't bother Banagher either."
Houki was speechless and couldn't believe what she had just heard. Was Ichika really so dense that he didn't understand that she wanted him to stay? Had Yamada-sensei not been there, the ponytailed girl would have grabbed her wooden sword and given him a good smack to his ridiculously thick skull.
"I'm ready, Yamada-sensei. So, where will I be moving to?" asked Ichika who now was in front of Houki.
With a smile, Maya then answered, "Room 0096." she then turned around and began to walk forward, "Follow me. I'll show you where it is."
Ichika nodded and then followed her until Houki suddenly called out to him from behind.
"Ichika, wait!"
The raven haired boy stopped in his tracks and looked at her over his shoulder. "Hmm, what is it Houki? Did you forget something?"
"No, I…" She paused and lowered her head in hesitation for a moment before getting enough courage back to speak, "I… I just want to say sorry for being angry and yelling at you for no reason before…"
Ichika blinked twice and smiled back at her. "Hey, don't worry about that. That wasn't a big deal anyway." He replied casually, surprising Houki a bit with how he easily forgave her. He then looked at Maya who was still walking and then turned back to Houki. "Well, I better go now. See ya tomorrow, Houki."
Houki didn't say anything and just crossed her arms as she watched the two leave. Being alone for the next several days was going to be very lonely until someone was placed as her roommate. But at least the feeling of uneasiness after what she did to Ichika was already gone. Heaving a sigh, Houki smiled a bit as she went back inside and then closed the door.
...
Meanwhile in Room 0096
Banagher was busy behind his desk as he browsed through the information about the internal structure of a standard IS on one of the room's two computers. Although the teacher hadn't given any assignment or homework to the class, at least learning further about them would be useful for later during his stay here. Plus since he couldn't sleep yet, this was a good way to kill time until he was tired enough.
After fifteen minutes of reading, there were two things that Banagher couldn't understand so far: One, why did their cores only react to females with the exception of Ichika? (he didn't count himself as one since his IS was actually a transformed MS) And two, despite the ban of Alaska Treaty to forbid IS being used as weapons, why some big corporations, mainly IS corporation could have a private military unit which consisted of IS pilots? That seemed pretty contradicted with what the Treaty had forbid them for.
If they wanted to make better use of the IS, then why not use them for outer space research like they were originally created for? That way humanity in this world could ascend above and settle in outer space someday just like it had back home where space travel had become very common.
Feeling tired as he stretched his arms and yawned, the brown haired boy rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the bottom right corner of the monitor which read 10:00 P.M.
"I guess that's enough for today." Banagher then closed all active windows and shut down the computer before he went to the wardrobe to change his clothes. But after he finished changing, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
"Huh? Who could it be at this hour?" He then heard the knock again as he closed the wardrobe and approached the door. "Okay-okay, I'm coming."
When he opened the door, Banagher saw Ichika standing before him with his bag placed on the floor. "Ichika?"
"Hi there, Banagher." The raven haired boy greeted him and then explained that he had been moved from his room to Banagher's since they were the only boys in the school.
Banagher just stood there and nodded at every part of his explanation since he had been told first by Maya. But when he heard the part where Ichika's first roommate had been Houki, Banagher felt a bit sympathetic for the ponytailed girl.
He wasn't an expert in things such as love unlike his friend Micott who often talked about boyfriends with her classmates back in Anaheim Technical School. But ever since Houki had volunteered to assist him in his studies, he knew that she harbored feelings for Ichika and she was too shy to express them. However, judging from his carefree attitude around her, it seemed he hadn't noticed that yet.
After Ichika finished his chatter, Banagher then spoke, "Ah, so that's what happened, huh? Well then, come inside. It's not good if you're staying outside at this hour after all."
"Okay." The raven haired boy nodded as he picked his bag and went inside with him.
Shortly afterwards, Ichika placed his bag on his bed, pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of pants while Banagher just sat on the other bed. As the raven haired boy changed out of his uniform and into his casual clothes, he asked Banagher a question.
"Say Banagher, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"Uh, not really." Banagher slightly shook his head, "Why?"
"Well, I actually want to ask if you can help me learn how to pilot my IS after school." Ichika said as he hung his uniform in his wardrobe, "That is if I still have enough energy after Houki's Spartan kendo training of course..."
"You do kendo?" Banagher cocked one of his eyebrows.
"Yeah." Ichika replied, turning to Banagher. "Houki said that it was a part of my IS training, but I don't see any connection between them at all." He said the last part with a sigh.
"Hmmm…" Banagher crossed his arms and lowered his head for a moment before looking at Ichika. "First of all, could you tell me what Byakushiki is equipped with?"
"Hm? Now that you mention it, my IS only has a sword called the Yukihira for close range combat, nothing more." replied Ichika as he sat on his bed and scratched the back of his head, "Although Chifuyu-nee said that it was the weapon that brought her victory during the Mondo Grosso championship. But I'm not sure if I can handle it in the same way."
Banagher then stroked his chin while thinking of a way to help him. He didn't know if teaching him how to pilot an IS would be the same as when he had helped his friends figure out how to operate the Med or Toroachi mech back at the Institute. While those junior Mobile Suits used manual controls to operate, IS on the other hand mostly relied on the pilot's body movement, the exceptions being the thrusters and activating weapons. An idea suddenly popped into his mind when he learned that Ichika did kendo training as he looked at the raven haired boy again.
"Ichika, I think you should train with Houki on your kendo first."
"Huh?" Ichika blinked in confusion at his answer, "Why?"
"It may be not very useful at first, but considering the fact that your IS has a sword as its only weapon, I think that your training with Houki will be useful for your battles later." Now it was Banagher's turn to scratch the back of his head, "Plus, I'm not sure if I could teach you properly since I've never taught anyone before. But I'll try to help you with basic maneuvers, maybe even help you develop your own combat style. How does that sound?"
"That sounds good enough for me." Ichika agreed and nodded his head, but when he looked at the wall clock which now read 10:45 his eyes widened in shock.
"Uh-oh, look at the time. We should get some rest now, Banagher." Ichika said, lying down and pulling up his blanket, "Chifuyu-nee won't like it if we wake up too late tomorrow."
"Yeah, right." Banagher replied with a single nod. But before he went to bed, he had to check the door first to make sure that it was locked. After that he flipped the nearby switch to turn off the overhead light. As he lied in the bed, he put his hands under his pillow and stared at the ceiling.
'I wonder if she's okay after that match…' He thought, referring to what had happened to Cecilia as he turned his head to the side with a distraught look on his face.
'Maybe I should... no, I must check on her tomorrow...' He thought again and sighed before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep...
Or at least trying to...
I guess that's all for now.