Infinite Stratos: Hidden Trump V2

by Blackshadow999

My life was going the way I wanted, then the Bunny called me, to get her kicks by messing with my life again! Now, I'm going to the IS Academy, all my classmates are my age and females... This'll be some of the hardest challenge I've faced! That Rabbit will pay for making my life HELL and that's a promise I'll KEEP! No Ichika in this story. OC main. Redone

1. Chapter 1

A/n

This is the first chapter of the type of revision I intend to do with this story. This has all been done from first person to third person, so that will change things to a degree. Now don't worry too much, the story in general will be the same with basic events and how they go for the most part. Sai is a bit more… well he is himself that we've gotten to know and love, I'll leave it at that. The timeline is still expanded from canon as it was before for the events that will come in the story. I do not own any of the Infinite Stratos Characters or anything else in the series. The fictional characters are mine and if they resemble someone else it is a fluke. I hope you all enjoy this revised version of this story.

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Chapter 1: How It All Started

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Some turns in life come like fairy tales that most never think will happen to them. They can be unexpected, blindsiding those they come to. There are those that welcome the changes while others curse them. Yet, there while unexpected turns happen unseen by the outside world, there seems to be select individuals that get the "luck" as some would put it. Some wish they had the said luck that those individuals had while others are extremely glad, they don't see themselves. This is a tale of one such select individual which has the unique luck that so many don't feel they will ever see. Said luck plays an interictal part that twists the story I'm going to tell that does appear to be something out of a fairy tale.

This story is set in a world that involves the idea known as Infinite Stratos or IS for short. They are powered exoskeletons created in the late part of the twenty-first/early twenty-second century. Infinite Stratos was originally designed for the purpose and use in outer space exploration. That is the case as Infinite Stratos possesses technology and capabilities far more advanced than any other "system" previous to them. Its potential appeared to be limitless when the invention was introduced to the world as a whole. Capable of flight in a way never seen by previous technology had made possible, the IS was quickly seen as a revolutionary development. The IS began to be seen as the invention of the century and would usher in a new era.

Nevertheless, there was a point about the IS that stood out from them which could be seen as part of its potential that wasn't nice. The Infinite Stratos was capable of equipping weapons and other combat systems and utilize them very proficiently. The threat of the IS being used as a weapon by militaries and other militant groups quickly became impossible to ignore by the world. With the potential threat that could serve to destabilize the world, all the nations enacted what came to be known as the "Alaska Treaty." The treaty made it forbidden for the IS to be used for military purposes by any nation or group. The other part of the treaty also required that existing IS technology, or more specifically the unit cores, be equally distributed to all nations. That provision was included in the treaty to prevent any one nation from dominating the others with more IS cores.

The other important fact about the Infinite Stratos that you listeners should know is they are piloted exclusively by females. Research was done by many groups to discover why that appeared to be the case, but none could explain the quality of the IS wanting female pilots. Because of that fact, the world's power and authority balance was changed from what it had been traditionally. The change being from men having more authority in general to women running things in general society. It was one of the greatest societal upheavals in history to date that had been seen. Thus, within less than a decade, more than half of leadership positions became filled by females rather than males as it had been before the Infinite Stratos. With that foundation established, our story begins in the month of January in the state of New York in the United States.

The individual who is the protagonist in this story is a boy by the name of Sai Tachi. He is a teenager of the age of sixteen as of the previous year on the seventeenth of September. Sai stands at a height of approximately five feet and four inches. However, even with Sai being sixteen, he still is growing so may become taller given more time according to his physicals. His figure is lean, but he is still quite fit compared to the average person. Sai's fitness is mostly due to the serious interest he had taken in recent years in martial arts. His hair is a thick mop of black and it grows in many straight spike-like follicles which go out and away from the center of his head in no particular pattern. Most of the spikes were an average length of five inches with those in his bangs and seven and a half in the back and sides. There was also a bit of a natural wave to the right for Sai's hair overall. The other feature of Sai's hair is a parting between his eyes, though it doesn't impede his vision. Sai's eyes are a dark reddish color with a tint of brown in them. Some might be put off and unsettled by the rare color of Sai's eyes, but he tends to ignore the reaction when it comes. His facial features were streamlined, with high cheekbones and a small nose.

Most would call Sai as handsome or good-looking as an individual. Not that Sai lets such comments go to his head as he didn't have a real interest in attracting attention from others actively, a quality he had cultivated due to past experiences. But he is confident with the looks and personality he had developed and has to work with. It can be easily said that Sai is unlike any sixteen-year-old many have met during their lifetime. Your average person would expect a teen Sai's age to be preparing to start the second semester of his first year of high school. And that would be logical since most of his peers would be doing such a thing, but you listening to this tale will be in for a shock.

To be accurate, Sai is not a freshman in high school, nor is he around his same-aged peers on a regular basis. That fact is due to the point that Sai has already graduated from high school. He did the required "time" in high school at a younger than normal age. And the time Sai spent in the public school system was an experience he had no interest in going back to it with how horrible it was to him. He saw public school as a "prison" which society expected and required all to do in their life. Like most, Sai had no intention in choosing to return to the place he had "non-nice" memories from. No, Sai already had earned his diploma from high school and had moved on from the public school system to studies of his own choosing which he enjoyed. And for the record, Sai wouldn't hesitate to show off his diploma to those that question him having it. That tends to be followed by any that did question Sai's accomplishment of surviving high school kiss his rear end as well.

With that in mind, you listening may assume correctly, Sai has a rather headstrong personality with him doing as he sees fit. And he does so without regard to what others may think of his actions as you also might expect. He is also extremely smart, which is a given with him graduating from public school at a younger age than most do. Sai has surprised many doctors who tested his intelligence with IQ assessments and the like in order to prove he is capable. Scores like his hadn't been seen for a century or more, putting him among some of the most brilliant-minded people of the human race. However, again, Sai wasn't one to let others praising his intelligence go to his head and inflate his pride. Nor did he consent for his scores to be recorded and made public knowledge. Instead, Sai merely wished to see how far he could go with his intelligence could take him in his interests rather than fame and recognition.

However, let me get to Sai's story which I'm telling you listening to me and forgo giving background information. His tale begins with him in a small house in Ithaca, New York. Sai was a sophomore at the time this story begins going to Cornell University. And Sai has just two more general classes and one other class to do to become a junior which he was proud of. He had chosen the university as it was doing theoretical research on the subject of Infinite Stratos and was among the foremost in that field. Sai was very interested in IS development and wanted to be involved in research and development. His two years of college he'd done so far had been the best years of school that Sai had experienced. He'd enjoyed college life far more than the public school system had ever been.

College had given him a much better experience of being used to spending time with those who were five years or older than him than high school had ever been. Sai preferred the company of those older than him that he'd encountered around college. He considered those of college-age more his equal peers than those around his own age. Sai's life was a testament in different ways that he would unlikely get along with those his own age range. And after he'd been at college for a time, his people skills had improved from the horrible state they had descended to during high school and earlier times in his life. At Cornell, he was in the IS research and development program as his major. Sai chose the program at the university as he wanted to work on developing the Infinite Stratos. It came from experience he'd gained when he was younger.

For those listening, I will tell you a secret about Sai that isn't to be spread around since he wouldn't want that. He is secretly one of the inventors of the Infinite Stratos who created and worked on it before the idea was introduced to the world as a whole. Sai considers the Infinite Stratos as sort of a life's work of his which was unfinished. But with the world so "entranced" and "interested" in the IS, Sai doesn't want any to know of his involvement with its invention or initial development. The one who is credited with the IS's creation already gets lots of attention which Sai doesn't want any of that. So, he just focuses on further developing the IS and says nothing as to his connection to its origin if any form of the question does come up which is rare. But please, for you listening, do keep that point to yourselves and not mention it to others as per Sai's wishes.

Nonetheless, as I mentioned at the start, some turns in life are both unexpected and unwanted. It can be called many different things when referring to the type of turn that Sai received that this story starts with. One could call it irony sticking around a specific individual or a stroke of bad luck. There is Murphy's Law "where if something can go wrong, it will go wrong," as it is historically quoted. However, a "bad" turn is a rare thing for Sai as he is one of those that tends to plan ahead and avoid such things. Yet, even he can't always avoid all the bad turns that come his way, try as he might. And with this story, the turn I'm going to tell you about would certainly throw anyone for a serious loop and stubble at the very least. But instead of hinting at the point, let me just get into what befell Sai and what his response was to it and go on from there.

Sai was in his room in the house he lived in with some while he went to college. He was working on building a schedule he would use for the spring semester. He had signed up for six classes spread out over the weekdays. Sai had created the schedule with the intent to have time between classes and even time to do other things. The evenings would be for homework for his classes. Sai's plan was smooth enough that he felt he would be able to keep up in classes AND work on his "IS project" and not worry about his grades suffering as a result. Sai was grateful he'd taken the time to learn proper time management back in the public school system. Another had helped him along in that even if they had made it feel like a form of torture at the time. The skill was paying off once again for him and he couldn't help the smile at his time management plan. There was even time in Sai's schedule to spend time with his group of friends he had around Cornell which was a serious bonus and needed stress relief to him. Things were falling into place essentially as Sai had wanted and planned for the coming semester and he couldn't be more pleased about it.

However, it is as things seem to be going swimmingly when life can take a turn which one doesn't expect. And I will state to you listening, the curve ball that Sai was thrown was a heck of a ball for anyone to have to take and deal with. In Sai's case, it all started with a single phone call. How can a phone call change things as much as I'm implying? Well, as some may understand, if the right or wrong person is calling, it can make all the difference. And rest assured, the one that called Sai was certainly in the "wrong one" category for most in his opinion. He had been going over his plans for the coming semester to finalize them when his phone ringing drawing his attention. Sai glanced at his phone, wondering who could be calling at this time. His friends were busy with their own schooling plans as they had to be finalized by the end of the week per the university's administration's deadlines. Sai had already helped them when they needed it, so it was unlikely any of them. He'd introduced himself to his future professors, so they knew him thus it shouldn't be any of them. There were few who would have a reason to call him at this time it had Sai curious.

Sai picked up his phone and glanced at the screen to see what the incoming ID could tell him. He had to stare at the screen for a moment and blink since the ID was odd. The ID gave almost no information, not even a real number which was calling him. That was unusual as modern communications all had IDs which showed the general area which they were coming from. The oddity with the ID had Sai both curious and wary about the one who could be calling him. He was busy with putting his list of needed supplies together for the semester. There were a select few who may call Sai that would have IDs blocked, but they didn't have reasons to call him that he could think of right now. Thus, Sai couldn't even guess who it could be that was reaching out to him since his contact info was hard to find these days. Sai had gone through the pain of making his contact info not public to avoid certain people he didn't want to deal with.

With that in mind, he felt he should just take care of whoever was calling and move on to that. He opened the call and put the phone to his ear, "Hello, this is Sai," he began, "To whom am I speaking to?" Sai had barely finished his greeting when the response came in the form of a feminine voice, "SAI-TAN!" Sai instantly held his phone at arm's length in an instinctual response to the voice he heard. It was akin to reacting to the attack of an extremely poisonous snake or something worse. The voice was instantly recognizable to Sai the moment he heard it, for it was one that he couldn't forget as much as he wished he could. The voice belonged to a woman by the name of Tabane Shinonono. She was one that Sai had come to hate and detest over the nearly eight years since he parted ways with her. That had come about with the things that Tabane had dragged him into for one reason or another.

The story that involved Tabane, another, and himself was one that Sai didn't talk about to others with a select few exceptions. And Sai could count those exceptions on one hand still. Sai had met her during his younger years along with another by chance. The word "eccentric" would be applied to Tabane by most, but the word didn't do the point justice in Sai's opinion. Sai couldn't forget the times that Tabane had shown her "affections" she had for him. He could accurately accuse Tabane of molestation with enough evidence to back up his claims and get a conviction in a court of law with little problem. Sai had thought Tabane's overall behavior of coming off as an airheaded genius was an act when he'd first met her. However, with the time Sai had lived around the woman, he had been convinced it wasn't an act but really how she was. But the reason Sai hated the woman as he did was things never ever went well when she "popped" into his life. Sai would be the first to admit that Tabane had an uncanny knack for making his life hell when she came into it which he couldn't explain. It seemed to be some kind of habit of the woman which Sai would find incredibly astounding if not for the price he paid for it. He had gone through a lot of effort to make it extremely hard for Tabane to be able to find or contact him. And yet, the woman always seemed to find a way to get to him regardless what Sai did to prevent her being able to.

You listener may ask what kinds of things Tabane Shinonono could've done to have Sai hate her with such passion. There are a couple of examples which would give a view into how Tabane has made Sai's life harder. However, I will give a summary of the last time which Tabane came into Sai's life and "screwed" him over. The incident happened a little more than a year and a half ago between semesters for Sai. Tabane had reached out to Sai to get his help with "settling" and "cleaning up" a mess which she had made by "accident." Sai agreed to help the woman with the understanding she would stop pestering him for a while. The mess which Tabane had "accidently" created and then left Sai to do something about involved with US government officials and departments before the end. Sai had to do several things to not be sent to prison, including favors owed at a later date. Essentially, Tabane had made Sai take the fall for her actions and hadn't said anything before or after the event. Thus, an example of what Tabane does which has Sai hating her as he does and wanting her to leave him alone.

That being said, Sai was beyond unhappy to hear Tabane's voice from his phone. He refused to call her by her given name anymore. Instead, he referred to her as "bunny" or other variations of the scientific name of Oryctolagus Cuniculus or rabbit. It had started because of the "metal bunny ears" which the woman insisted on wearing. It was meant to be a kind of insult for the woman, though Sai doubted Tabane took it that way. The normal response Sai would get with his refusal to use her name was her whining about it. That didn't stop him from not using her name, for he did to punish Tabane for what she did to him. It seemed one of the few ways which Sai had found which Tabane seemed to have even a slight issue with. And Sai would take what shots he could get on the woman for the crap she forced upon him in the past.

For a brief moment, Sai considered hanging up the call so he wouldn't have to deal with the woman. He could pretend Tabane had never called and move on with his day. It was an extremely tempting idea to go with for him. And he would've already done so if not for one point which stopped him. Sai knew hanging up on Tabane wouldn't be a solution for the issue the woman tended to be, more "kicking the can down the road." She was far too persistent to give up pulling him into something to let ending the call be the final word. It was akin to the enjoyment that the Devil would have with his job of torturing souls or as it was said to be. Tabane would just keep calling until Sai heard her out at the very least as much as he detested her doing so. It was the cold truth that Sai knew as much as he hated it. However, he saw no reason he had to be nice to Tabane with her popping up to make things harder for him. Thus, Sai let out a low growl, "If you're hoping for niceties from me, then think f**king again you damn metal eared bunny!"

Sai had no intention of letting Tabane have control of the conversation he would be forced to participate in. If she directed the conversation, he would have little ability to cut in and refuse the woman in whatever she was coming to him to help with. Sai had learned somewhat how to push back against the woman who seemed to want to bring chaos into his life with their interactions. Tabane appeared to suffer from some sort of memory loss from what Sai had been able to figure and explain. At least, she never seemed to remember things she said or promised when probed by another. If the memory loss was some sort of elaborate act, then it was the most impressive act Sai had ever seen in his life. Tabane "unknowingly" used her memory condition to her advantage to get out of things. "I've been made forcefully aware that you suffer from some kind of memory loss of a magnitude that it's a miracle that you remember anyone else's name, let alone your own," Sai snarled. "You've proven such to me to leave little if any doubt of it over the years."

Sai recalled what he'd gone through the "last time" when Tabane had come to him. He still blamed her for the position he had dealt with, even if some good had come from it in the end for him. Sai hadn't known much if anything about what Tabane had thrown him into until it was far too late for him to get an easy out and deny responsibility effectively. He'd been kind of shocked at what she'd done with the "hacking" escapade she'd gone on. That was only seconded by her thinking there would be no consequences that would fall due to what she'd done. If not explaining things to some who were now friends of his, Sai would unlikely be a free person currently. "You have a f**king lot of nerve calling me even after the time which has passed since the last time you reached out," Sai continued in a sharp tone. "I certainly haven't forgotten what you chucked me into the last time you called. And you haven't given anything which can be considered an apology for what you left me to deal with in your stead."

Sai hadn't and wouldn't forgive Tabane for throwing him "under the bus" for her actions for her last hacking escapade. The woman hadn't called him or even sent a message to him to give any kind of apology for what she got him involved in. That wouldn't have helped much if at all, but it would show she at least felt something for what she did to him. Most people would do that at the very least after throwing someone to others to suffer consequences they should be facing. Sai had been tempted to hunt down Tabane and punish her in some form to make her understand what she'd done to him. So, Sai growled again, "After what you did and have done before that, why would you expect me to be nice to you? I thought I made it clear that you would have to do a great deal to earn any amount of forgiveness from me." Sai's fist slammed down on his desk, "You're not even in good enough standing that I would allow you to kiss my ass! Just how low will you fall with me bunny before you think you've gone low enough? I swear you've hit what should be rock bottom already several times, but you keep proving me dead wrong about that by going lower!"

Sai took a brief moment to breathe and calm down so he could keep in control with the conversation. If his control slipped, Tabane could slide in and take the reins and then direct the conversation. Should Tabane get control, Sai knew things would go from bad to worse quickly. There would be little way for him to change that should Tabane gain control of this unpleasant conversation. So, after Sai calmed a bit, he kept going, "Honestly, with the sh*t you pulled me into and dumped in my lap the last time, I should hunt you down and thoroughly punish you. Every time since after the first that you pop up in my life, things always take a turn for the worse. And rest assured, I'm more than tempted to find you so I can whip you before I proceed spanking you until you can't walk straight for an extended period of time. It would only be right since you oh so conveniently vanished when consequences for your hacking escapade were being handed out. You left me to take the fall for you and seem to think nothing of it you damn rabbit."

Sai wanted this conversation to head toward a close sooner rather than later. And while he was still in control, he would make it go in that direction. He would be firm with Tabane and get her to go away and leave him the hell alone. That had been what she had promised him if he took care of her last hacking escapade, that she would leave him alone until further notice. Sai would remind Tabane of that so that she couldn't claim short-term memory loss she used often enough. "Now, listen and listen good, you stupid rabbit," Sai began in an iron tone. "I haven't the faintest clue how the hell you managed to obtain my number with what I have done to make that more difficult. And honestly, I do not really care how you did it, so don't use that as a reason to extend this call. Allow me to make it clear once and for all when it comes to you reaching out to me as you seem to have such difficulty with this. I'll do it with simple words that even you should be able to comprehend properly. Those words are "no," "don't," and "leave me the hell alone." You can and will take those words to heart or I'll cram them in there if I have to."

Sai had no interest in being Tabane's entertainment which is what it felt like with her. He swore that the woman got joy from seeing him miserable. She was happiest when he was trudging through hardship and misery. There was little any could say that would convince Sai otherwise with that being Tabane's motivation, certainly nothing she could say to change his mind about it. Her actions spoke volumes and made it clear beyond a reasonable doubt she loved seeing him thrusted into chaos. And he wasn't going to let that stand this time or again. "Don't use me as a way for you to get your kicks, you damn bunny," Sai just about snapped. "I'm not your tool to be entertained, fixer upper, nor a mood booster for you. So, stop coming to me for such things as I will not let you get away with it any longer. I tell you to go away, and stay the hell out of my life, Hasenpfeffer. I will contact you when I feel like you deserve a potential chance to come back into my life even for a little while."

On the other end of the call, Tabane was sad and hurt that Sai was being so mean to her. He still wouldn't use her name instead just referring to her metal bunny ears she wore as a style statement and that did hurt a bit. She loved her Sai-tan so much that words could never properly tell of her feeling for Sai properly. He was an intellectual equal for her and their friend Alice which was beyond extremely rare. It had always been a joy to work with Sai-tan on a project. Even after Sai had gone a different way than Tabane, she had wanted him to have a happy life. However, he had the amazing knack of being able to clean up messes and get things to settle well. It was why Tabane would go to him when she had something she couldn't get to go away. She would really make a valiant effort to try to find ways to thank Sai-tan for what he did, but he made it hard for her to do.

B ut that was why she was calling Sai-tan this time. She had an idea which would not just improve Sai's life, it would also help with a couple of issues he had. Tabane had found out Sai-tan and her best friend Chi-Chan had parted ways after Ikki-kun had died. It had been a hard day for many, Tabane included. She had liked Chi-chan's brother Ichika as he had been cute and had an amazing outlook on life. Ikki-kun had also befriended Sai-tan and helped him be a nicer person overall which Tabane wasn't more than happy with. Tabane had even planned to see if she could get Ikki-kun involved with Infinite Stratos when he hit his mid-teens for all he'd been doing for Sai. She had hoped that maybe Ikki-kun could convince Sai-tan to maybe work with her and Alice again. But all of that had changed when Ikki-kun had been kidnapped and killed. Chi-Chan had become cold, and Sai had actively began avoiding Tabane. As far as Tabane knew, Chi-Chan and Sai-tan hadn't talked to each other since they had parted ways. That made Tabane feel sad as she loved them both and wanted them to be family again.

Yet, changing that was the reason for this call. Tabane had figured out where Chi-Chan was and thought of a way to get Sai there. Chi-Chan was going to be teaching at the IS Academy until further notice. Tabane couldn't say why Chi-Chan was there teaching, but that wasn't the point right now. She had been arranging things to have Sai-tan attend the IS Academy so that he could be around Chi-Chan. If those two could make up with each other, then things could move to being better. "Aww, there's no need for you to be like that Sai-tan," Tabane replied. "I promise you that I'm not calling to ask anything of you this time." Tabane smiled, "Nope, I'm calling you so I can help make your life even better."

Sai had meant his last sentence to tell the bunny that this conversation was over and to go away. But the woman hadn't taken it that was as Sai had hoped. The bunny promising something wasn't comforting nor assuring to Sai. The woman's word meant as much to Sai as a bag containing ten pounds of the worst smelling crap and was worth around the same. She didn't keep her word and hadn't for years, so Sai didn't expect that had changed. And then, the bunny hadn't listened to any of the words that Sai had put out. Sai had thought he had made it clear to the woman she would not mess with his life and get away with it. It was so frustrating to Sai that Tabane didn't listen to anyone else and just pushed for her way. If Sai didn't take back control of the call, then Tabane would get whatever she wanted, and Sai would be left to deal with the horrible mess whatever it ended out being. While Tabane may be difficult and beyond irritating to stand up to, Sai saw it as worth it in the end.

Sai took a moment to employ a martial art exercise to keep calm. He couldn't lose his temper or Tabane would win, and Sai didn't want that. He quickly went over the possibilities of what the bunny could mean by helping and making his life better. There was nothing that came to his mind which he would consider helpful that would be done by Tabane. Thus, whatever the woman had in mind, Sai wasn't interested in being involved in any way in it. "Did I just hear you right, bunny," Sai posed. "You're calling to help me?" Sai paused for a moment before continuing, "First, I find that hard to believe since you have been calling for my help for the last few years with no change in that. Second, I don't recall ever asking for any kind of help from you." Sai gained a sharp tone, "As a matter of fact, I do believe I told you specifically I don't want anything you have to offer several times already."

Tabane was concerned with the direction Sai was pushing this call. She really wanted to help Sai in what ways she could. He and Chi-Chan needed to talk and repair their relationship. They had been keeping distance between each other since Ikki-kun had died. And as things stood, that standing wouldn't change on its own without those outside of the two helped out. Then the other benefit the IS Academy would provide for Sai-tan was time around his own age group. Sai avoided being around his peers and it was forcing him to be an adult sooner than he should be. "Please, Sai-tan," Tabane began, "Give me a chance to explain. I assure you that I'm really calling to help you. If you'll just hear me out-"

Sai wasn't going to let the bunny try and weave something she could shove him into. He'd done that the last few times and each time it had bitten him in the rear extremely hard. It had been a lesson he'd learned about the bunny, don't let her "explain" things, it was never worth it. She didn't explain things, she used it as an opportunity to get in what she wanted. So, Sai cut over Tabane, "No," Sai stated firmly. "I will not give you the chance this time. I did that enough to know that should you "explain" things, you are really roping me into something I don't want to be involved with. And I will remind you that the last "favor" you asked of me, I agreed to do for you IF you agreed, and YOU even promised me you would leave me alone." Sai paused for a moment, "I cleaned up your mess and it was horrendous I'll tell you even if you don't agree. I gave you the chance to prove your word can be trusted sometimes. Yet here you are breaking your word and promise by calling me, not leaving me alone like you stated you would. So, your promises mean as much to me as a sack of foul crap does."

Sai decided that as it sounded like the bunny would be insistent, he would take the firm stance and lay out why he had no reason to listen to her. He would guilt trip the woman the best he could, so she understood what her actions had done to him. "I would ask if you have any idea what your last favor brought upon me," Sai stated. "So, for the potential benefit it could be for you as unlikely as it is for you to accept it, I'll lay it out for you, bunny. And I'll be making it as uncomfortable for you as it was for me doing your last favor, so let's begin. You go and hack a place you should've known better than to go do that kind of thing to. When you were under threat of getting caught and suffering the consequences, what do you do? You come to me, begging for help out of the mess you created with your actions. You tell me nothing as you beg for me to bail you out of the "accidental mess" you created, just saying you had gotten into a bind." Sai growled, "You threw me to those that were after you, letting me take the consequences you had earned. I could've ended up in freaking prison for life rabbit paying the price for your serious mistake. Was that what you were after? Would that be entertaining for you to watch, me rotting away in prison? That's what your actions say to me, and I look at your actions rather than listen to your wasted words."

Tabane hadn't meant for any of what happened to Sai-tan to occur. She had just thought with how good he was at fixing things, he would find a way to do it and not have to face consequences. And he had gotten out of being in prison, hadn't he? She would've broken him out of there if that was needed in a heartbeat. "I didn't mean to-" Sai cut over Tabane once again, "I would ask why you didn't throw me under a freaking fully loaded triple-decker bus instead of asking your favor? It would have been the nicer thing for you to do to me. And that would include having someone like you at the wheel with their foot glued to the gas pedal and flooring it. But you had to go with the slower way to deliver the pain and misery, didn't you bunny? That's how you are according to your actions over the years." Tabane wanted Sai to listen to what she was trying to arrange for him. If he would just hear her out about having him around Chifuyu, then he would understand. "Sai, I promise, this isn't like that-"

Sai had control of the conversation at the moment, he wasn't going to let Tabane change that. He was going to close this conversation by telling Tabane to leave him alone and stay out of his life. He had a nagging feeling that Tabane was trying to get him into something that would ruin his plans. Sai wouldn't allow that with the effort he'd put into them to have everything arranged for himself this semester. "As I was going to say," Sai cut over Tabane, "It clearly doesn't matter a bit to you, but I'm preparing to start my next semester of school. I'm wrapping that up and am pleased with how my schedule is shaping up to be." Sai paused before he continued and his voice gained a cold tone, "So, listen up, you will shove that selfish attitude of yours that you have most if not all the time up your ass. You will keep your word for once in your life and get out of mine and stay out for a while. If I had my way, you will be out of it until I choose to have you come back into it. I don't have the time nor patience to deal with sh*t from you right now."

Tabane was really calling to help Sai, she wasn't calling to make his life harder. She was sure he would see that if he gave her a chance to explain what Tabane was arranging for him. Granted, there was still the chance Sai would refuse going to the IS academy with how stubborn he'd become. However, she had a backup plan should that come up. Tabane hoped that Sai would go willingly to the academy and make up with Chi-Chan. But should he not, she would go to the backup plan and ensure he went. Tabane felt he would be really mad if he were to find out that she had kept material from the early days around the lab. She was supposed to have "gotten rid" of all of it, but Tabane couldn't do that with the memories they held for her. "Don't say that Sai-tan," Tabane interjected. Tabane knew she would have to get her point over fast before Sai cut over her again. "I'm calling to say I'm arranging something for you which will really work out for the best, I promise!"

Sai's irritation increased at the bunny saying she was "arranging" something which she wanted to involve him in. It said the woman wasn't listening to what he'd said about her leaving him alone and not messing with his life. And while that had become an expectation, having to deal with the point wasn't any nicer for Sai. He wasn't going to allow the rabbit to have her way of course, it would be an encouragement for her to keep doing the crap. "You can promise all you like bunny," Sai began in a growl. "It still equates to a sack of sh*t to me for all the good intention it may or may not have. I state again, I have school plans about to be finalized and you will not mess with that or so help me-" Tabane knew she had to get the arrangement out before Sai could block her or he would end the conversation. So, Tabane got to announcing it quickly, "I made arrangements for you to attend the IS academy this year."

Sai could see that the rabbit was trying to rip the control of the conversation away from him. He wouldn't let her do that without a serious fight. That she had made "arrangements" for him to attend the IS academy was something he wouldn't accept. That would not just mess with his school plans, it would essentially blow them to hell. After the last crapshoot that the bunny had shoved him into, Sai wasn't going to let her do some like that again. "No, you damn bunny," Sai snarled. "Now clean out your ears and listen for once in your life. I don't care what kind of stupid arrangement you have been trying to make to mess with me. I will not be a part of it nor involved regardless of what you think of my life choices. My life is mine to arrange and plan, not yours, so stay out of my business."

Tabane had hoped that Sai would give her a chance to elaborate about the arrangement she had been working on for him. But his response said he wouldn't let her explain things and the benefits he would have. So, she would have to go with her backup plan which she had been trying to avoid. Sai would thank her in the end as he and Chi-Chan would make-up and be on good terms again. That was just one of the benefits that Sai would get going to the academy, there were others. The time around his peers which he had been clearly avoiding would also be a benefit. Sai needed friends his own age which he couldn't do with him going to college as he was. But before going to her backup plan, Tabane would try one more time to explain things to her dear Sai-tan. "I assure you, Sai-tan," Tabane began, "I'm doing this to help you. If you would only give me a chance to elaborate on this-"

Sai wouldn't let the woman who only made things harder for him get a chance to rope him into whatever she had in mind. He had his school plans made and all but firmly in place by this point. And from what Sai knew of when it came to the IS academy, it was the last place he would want to go. First, the academy covered the high school level of education along with the stuff on Infinite Stratos. High school wasn't a time Sai remembered with fondness at all, more the opposite to tell the truth. His time in high school had been horrible and Sai couldn't have gotten out of the place fast enough for his liking. The prospect of returning to such a place was as interesting to Sai as time in prison was. The second issue with the academy that Sai had was the place was essentially an all-girls school. Now, most would ask why Sai would have an issue with such a thing as many guys would be lining up for going to a place like that. Unfortunately, none who would do that would understand the past experience that Sai has which makes it hard for him to be around girls and those his own age.

Sai's childhood had engrained in him that being around his same-aged peers was rarely a nice experience if it would ever be. With him being a genius and so much smarter than his peers, Sai was treated badly to put it mildly for being different than others. So, Sai had been avoiding his peer group since then and saw no reason for that to change until they were mature adults. The other collection of experiences which produced problems with Sai being around girls came from the bunny and another he'd been around when he was younger. The "hugging" and "cuddling" the two women had forced upon him had made the gestures feel sickening and horrible to Sai. And with his good looks, he wouldn't doubt there would be girls who would want to do such things to him at the academy. Thus, him going to the IS academy was something Sai wouldn't be doing as it would be a living hell for him.

In the end, it was the same story and point, Sai wasn't about to rip all his plans up and out just because the bunny wanted to be entertained at his expense. "Not a chance, you damn rabbit," Sai snapped back, cutting over her. "I will not be going to the IS Academy this semester or this year, end of discussion. I don't know what you are up to, nor do I give a care in all honesty. But whatever your angle is, keep it to yourself and don't drag me into it. I have my schooling arranged and planned, you won't do sh*t to mess with it as you "arranging" something implies you intended to do. Should you keep pushing, then I will personally make you regret it no matter what it takes to do that." Sai knew if he lost control over his emotions, the rabbit could take advantage of that and direct the conversation. He wouldn't let that happen, so he took a moment to calm down before he continued. "Besides that, the IS Academy in Japan is at the high school level of education as well as being an all-girls school in essence. I'm beyond that level of school and have no intention of returning to that prison some call high school. And the ratio of girls to guys is also a serious problem I have and don't intend to deal with."

Tabane had tried her hardest to not resort to her back up plan as she knew Sai wouldn't like it. The back up plan could very well make him hate her more for a time and Tabane didn't want that. Yet, for Sai's benefit and his wellbeing, Tabane was willing to have him hate her for a time. "Then you leave me no other options Sai-tan," Tabane began. "If you don't go, then I'll post pictures and videos of you with Alice and me all over the internet. I'm sorry it comes to this, and I know you told me to get rid of them, but I couldn't do that. They contain wonderful memories that I won't toss away."

Sai blinked at what the bunny had just said in response to his logical reasoning. Sure, he felt that the rabbit wouldn't give up on her plan whatever it was easily. But that she had a back up plan ready for his refusal said she had given this more thought than Sai had given her credit for. That didn't make the situation he was being shoved into any nicer or easier to handle. Yet, it essentially made his prepared counters moot and unusable. The only pictures and videos that involved Tabane and "Alice" or the doll as Sai called her were ones he didn't want others to see ever. Part of that material involved the hugging and cuddling sessions which the two had pulled Sai into. Thus, all that material was pretty much blackmail material in his eyes. Sai had done what he could to dispose of the material to the best of his abilities. But he had also insisted that both women destroy the stuff, but apparently, the rabbit hadn't done that.

For the bunny to threaten to blackmail him was a tad surprising even for her. The damn metal-eared rabbit was many things but blackmailing him was a new low for her. And as Sai considered the point, he didn't have an effective counter against the bunny. That in turn gave him the choice either going to the IS academy or suffer the horrible consequences of dark secrets revealed to the world. Sai's answer to that choice was one he knew he would be cursing vehemently for the next week and beyond. The bunny had won and gotten whatever it was she wanted for her entertainment and that left a bad taste in Sai's mouth among other things. Sai didn't like nor wanted to accept the rabbit had shoved him into her arrangement. The point was making it hard for Sai to keep his anger which came out when the bunny popped up in check.

Sai's grip on his phone tightened as he worked on keeping his breathing steady as possible. He knew there was nothing he could say now to change the "turn" which was being shoved his way. Thus, it was better to end the call before the rabbit could add anything more to make this already bad situation worse. "Were this anyone but you bunny, I would say that you're bluffing," Sai said evenly. "Yet, I know you're not bi**h. For the record and your personal knowledge, I hate you so much, more so right now that usual. You're so selfish that I doubt you would or have ever care about what others think or feel about you even your own family wherever they are these days! I would bet they're glad they don't see you anymore. I wish you would do the same for me. But nooo, it's always full f**king steam ahead to get your way with you regardless of how it makes things harder for others, and you don't freaking give a crap at all!"

Tabane had known Sai-tan wouldn't take her going with the backup plan well at all. She hadn't wanted to resort to it because of this reaction. She loved Sai more than words could ever say, so him saying he hated her hurt. Tabane was really just trying to help Sai improve his life in the long run. Sai hadn't been the same after Ikki-kun had been killed anymore than Chi-Chan had. And the two parting ways after the funeral hadn't helped at all, it had made things worse for both of them. Neither would admit the point, but they missed one another and just was waiting for the other to reach out. Sai going to the IS Academy was to have the two reconnect and move forward. But with him not allowing her to explain, Tabane hadn't been able to tell her dear Sai-tan why she was arranging things for him. "Sai-tan," Tabane started, "This is to help you. You see, at the academy-"

Sai ended the call not wanting to listen to anything else the bunny had to say to attempt to justify her arrangement. Whatever she could potentially say in her defense wouldn't change or improve the mess she had thrown him into. He now had to go to the IS Academy as much as he didn't want to. He would work on changing that as he could, but there was little he could do right now. Sai set his phone down, rose from his chair and shut his bedroom door and locked it before returning to his desk. He then slammed down onto his desk, the anger coursing through him boiling his blood. "DAMN IT! THAT METAL EARED BI**H IS A DAMN PAIN IN MY ASS," he screeched. "I WILL MAKE HER PAY SOMEHOW, MARK MY WORDS!"

Sai was breathing hard after letting out the angry screech which said his feelings at the moment. After a minute, he sunk into the chair at the desk, spent from having to deal with the hasenpfeffer. His mind began turning to what lay ahead of him because of the bunny popping up and shoving him to do what she wanted. The work of weeks to arrange his school schedule was now wasted. Working to place the classes when they were to make time for both homework and Sai's project had been well spent in his view, until the call from the rabbit. Sai's plans would have his custom IS unit operational and in the testing phase before the end of the semester. Sai had been looking forward to time with his friends and making more memories with them during school too. Heck there had been suggestions of a party with his friends when his IS was ready which Sai had been all for and looking forward to. And yet, the rabbit had come and ruined those well-made plans which was sort of her thing as Sai had seen.

Most would be shocked at the point, but Sai had once been friends somewhat with the bunny. And yet now, the woman had chosen to blackmail him into something he had no interest in. Sai had the thought that this arrangement by the bunny could be her trying to get a view of his IS unit. Underhanded methods weren't by any means unexpected from the bunny and doll, the two normally resorted to such things. Sai had even put measures in place to make sure neither woman would get to peek in on his work until he was good and ready to present it. Even if blackmailing wasn't something Sai would automatically assume of the rabbit, he wouldn't put it past her. That was the reason he would go to the IS Academy rather than face the consequences the bunny would unleash if he didn't. But having to accept that wasn't something that Sai wanted.

Instead, he brought up data on the IS Academy to see what could be done to improve his situation, even if only a little. Sai wanted to know what he may potentially have to work with before he made any needed changes to his schooling plans. From the data that Sai could pull, he wasn't looking forward to what he would have to deal with. It wasn't all bad after he did a "deep dive" for information on the Academy. The place had an option which Sai could work with to still take college classes even while he was in Japan. That option was the image transmission and projection system the academy had. Sai was confident that he could convince those in charge at the academy to allow him use for his college courses. He would still have to cut down the number of classes he had planned to take, but that was better than not taking any at the moment. There would still be the issue of arranging his IS getting to Japan, but Sai would get to that after "redoing" his school schedule.

The next few days Sai spent working with Cornell's administration office. Submissions for classes had already gone past the deadline for such things without taking a penalty for changes. Sai had to swallow his pride and apologize over and over for the short notice for the changes in his schedule. He had to bite his tongue not to say another was responsible for the need for him to rearrange things. Sai couldn't allow others to know he had a connection to the bunny. Any questions to that wouldn't go well for Sai and would only lead to more awkward and dangerous questions. Thankfully, Sai had developed a good reputation with Cornell's administration staff. He was a notable student in the program that Sai was in so the university didn't want to loose him. That helped him smooth things over with the changes without penalty he had to make to go to the IS Academy. It was much the same process for the professors Sai would've had and still would be working with.

If Sai had been forced to give up his education plans in order to go to the IS Academy, then things wouldn't have been pretty. He already was considering the pros and cons of hunting down the bunny and punishing her, his anger was seriously motivating that process. But seeking out the rabbit would take time and planning so she couldn't get out of the said punishment. Rest assured, Sai still intended to make the bunny pay, but he knew the woman well enough to know rushing things wouldn't go well. If there was one thing Sai had to say about Tabane, it was the woman was extremely good at getting out of facing punishment. Thus, just hunting her done and destroying wherever she had taken up residence wouldn't be helpful. He didn't want to have the opportunity to be able to do that with what she had shoved him into. That woman would learn he was to be left alone and not messed with, Sai would make sure of that. So, he wanted to get her where it hurt to make sure the lesson would sink into her skull.

Nevertheless, while the schedule rearrangement was very unpleasant, it was the easier point of the three major tasks Sai had to do. There was still arranging the transport of his IS to Japan and the academy. That would take some calls to certain people and then asking them to do the job. It would be more time consuming than difficult, but the transportation process would be a pain when it was in motion. The hardest task which Sai would need to do was break the news of him going to the IS academy to his friends. Sai couldn't see the news going down will with one or more of his close friends when he told them. And while he could tell his group more than the college administration for they would understand, their responses wouldn't be the nicest. But he didn't want to leave those who he'd come to trust in the dark about what he was going to be in. Sai had ended out calling a meeting of his friends so he could tell them of his situation.

T he first friend to arrive in Sai's circle was a twenty-two-year-old guy by the name of Mathew Oscar. A true blue old-fashion American from the day he was born, came from back around the western US. Matthew stood at close to six-foot and was on the thinner side of the figure spectrum, but he wasn't a "stick." He had three-inch length straight hair that was light brown the color of cinnamon. His eyes were the same color as his hair and had the quality that drew in the girls. Sai couldn't explain the point, nor did he have an interest to research the idea further. Matt also had a country drawl in his voice. That point sometimes made him hard to understand at times for Sai, but somehow added to his likability. Overall, he had and was a loyal friend to Sai which he was grateful for.

Matt's Mechanical Engineering major was his contribution to helping with the work on Sai's IS unit. Sai and he had done a lot of experimental work on parts of Sai's unit which weren't standard for IS currently. He had been Sai's roommate for the two years he'd been at Cornell University. And Sai was glad that Matt was still able to stand the young resident genius after getting to know Sai on a more personal level. Sai may not be a hard person to get along and live with, his reputation was another matter for many. The hype Sai got for being as young as he was and going to college well made it hard to be around the magnet for that. Still Matt had stuck by Sai regardless what rumors and gossip went around about him.

The next to show up for the meeting was Sai's second male friend by the name of Luther Smith. He was an American like more than half of Sai's friends. Yet, his "stoic" personality was amplified by his height of over six foot but under a half. Sai didn't exactly see why Luther put off some. Sure, his friend towered over most and was the serious type, but that shouldn't make others nervous around him. Luther could be seen as handsome with his thick three-and-a-half-inch blonde hair which fit his smooth and regal facial features. He does wear glasses, square lenses that are rimless, but that didn't detract from him at all. The other thing which added to the intimidation Luther put off was his eyes from what Sai had seen. They were gold and the pupils were smaller than average. Luther had been Sai's second roommate as of the last semester. His major is Advanced Architectural engineering with emphasis on mechanical architecture, including ISs. With Luther's help and knowledge, Sai and he had tossed aside generally accepted designs for IS units and made up their own. Along with Matt's help, the three had literally redesigned how ISs could be built and work. What had been surprising to Sai was the sense of humor he possessed, which you wouldn't expect from someone like him. Luther could crack Sai up, have him nearly rolling on the floor with a few well said and timed lines.

T he third friend to arrive was the first female friend that Sai had in his group. The young woman's name was Cassidy Mets and she was twenty-three years old. Like Matt, she's an American yet, where Matt is a country guy, Cassidy is a city girl. She grew up on the east coast of the US, around the Jersey area she had said to Sai. Cassidy stood at near five and a half feet with a defined hourglass figure. She had long dirty blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of her back in impressively thick and silky locks. With her blue eyes, Cassidy can easily be considered a 'knockout' in the looks department, Sai knew. Most guys that didn't know her would tend to focus on his friend's chest. It wasn't exactly surprising to Sai, Cassidy had what he would estimate is an F in size with her bust line. Sai would bet Cassidy could get a modeling job in a heartbeat and do amazingly with her appearance.

Sai had gotten to know Cassidy over the last two years through classes they shared and the dates they had been out on together. The first date had been during Sai's freshman year for Homecoming no less. Cassidy had asked Sai to go with her, originally it was to help her get out of having to go out with a horrid jock that was pestering her. But it had developed into being fun for both of them and a much better time than his official first date that had occurred earlier the same year. Their friendship had kept developing from there and Sai couldn't say how glad Cassidy was among his circle of friends. And Cassidy was one of the first women since Chifuyu that Sai had come to respect and wanted to be around. Sai would state that to compare his standing with Chifuyu who he does respect, but he doesn't always want to be around. Then there was the worst category that the bunny and doll fall into which he doesn't respect nor wanted to be around at all. Plus, Cassidy was the first woman that Sai had been hugged by and he does not feel sick or reacted badly to like he did because of the Bunny's and Doll's years of smothering him.

For schooling, Cassidy was studying Advanced System Programming as her major. That knowledge base was a great help for Sai and his unit's development. She had been assisting with a specific part of Sai's unit which was unique with her programming skills. However, Sai valued her experience as a former member of the United States IS team as much if not more than her programming knowledge. The US team had won the smaller tournaments which take place between the Mondo Grosso competition that occurred every three years. Cassidy knew ins and outs with IS units practically speaking than Sai did, and he would admit that.

T he next to come for the meeting was Sai's second female friend in his circle. The woman was a foreign exchange student from France, named Olivia Beaumont. Olivia had a height of close to five and a half feet, about the same height as Sai has currently. Her red hair was long and straight, went down three-fourths of the way to her waist. The young woman usually kept it going down her back so that she had no hair running down her front at all. Olivia also tends to wear two-star shaped hair ordainments above her ears on either side of her head. Her light blue eyes have a twinkle to them that adds to her cheerful attitude she has. Her figure was pretty streamlined, an average-sized chest, though Sai couldn't be entirely sure about that.

Sai had met Olivia during the second semester of his first year at Cornell. Her major was in advanced weapon design and ballistics. With her coming from France, Sai would've thought she would have a good grasp of the English language. Yet, Olivia had struggled at first, so it had taken him some time to understand what she said when speaking. Her pronounced French accent made the English she had been speaking harder to comprehend. Two things had changed that standing for Sai with Olivia. The first was he had worked hard to understand what Olivia was trying to say. The other was to pickup and learn the French language so he could speak with her using it. Due to those two points, he'd discovered Olivia had a simple childlike wonder of things and so was amazed fairly easily. Olivia's knowledge of weapon ballistics and design had been wonderful! It'd assisted in some of the weapons that I haven't used yet with my IS.

T he final member of Sai's circle to arrive for the meeting was a twenty-year-old woman by the name of Jia Xuan. Much like Olivia, Jia was studying abroad in the United States. Jia had told Sai that her home was in the southeastern section of China in a town named Chongqing. Sai had found her to be an energetic young woman with the height of five foot two. She has black hair that goes midway down her back when it's let down, though she tends to wear it in two braids that stick out on either side of her head. Those braids somehow defy gravity as they stick out at forty-five-degree angles and stay there every time Sai saw her. Jia had just said that's how her hair was when Sai asked her how the braids stuck out as they did. Jia also had two buns on either side on the back of her head, normally covered with colored cloth, white being the most common she uses. With her chocolate brown eyes, most would say she is very cute, and that's before you take in her figure. Much like Cassidy, Jia's body was the shape that of an hourglass from the young Chinese woman's E volume chest to her cinched waist, finishing with her shapely hips. In other words, she has an Hourglass figure and it's something that's hard to deny. It's probable that some of her figure can be attributed to her consistent practicing of Hung Fut, the Chinese martial art. Sai assumed the clothes Jia wore normally was a way of showing pride in her country which consisted of a Chinese cheongsam. The piece of clothing is a body-hugging one-piece dress that the west knows as a Mandarin gown. Doubtlessly, the piece of clothing only shows off her impressive figure with how it looks on her.

Sai would say Jia was a living example of the phrase, "don't judge her by her size" when one takes an impression of the woman. Jia might be compact when it comes to body frame, but she packs a painful punch with the unseen strength she had. Sai had seen the point when a guy had approached Jia once and tried to "hit on her." That had been enough to know the woman had strength beyond what one could see. In fact, Jia was the one who had been teaching Sai the basics of Hung Fut, one of the forms of martial arts he'd learned thus far. Jia's major was Energy Production and Application Research, which fits working with an IS very nicely. She had been helping on the prototype shielding Sai and she had been developing for his unit. It was one of the systems that Sai's IS had which hadn't gotten working efficiently yet. And then, she always was an optimist and made it contagious among the rest of Sai's circle of friends.

Sai had begun the meeting with laying out what had come his way due to the bunny popping back into his life. He gave more details than he had given others about the changes he had to make in his school schedule. As Sai expected, Cassidy and Luther said that Sai shouldn't go with the "demands" the rabbit had made. And if it was possible without facing the consequences the bunny had put out, Sai would do so in a heartbeat. But the looming consequences made doing such unwise since the bunny could do what she said. The material she had would embarrass the hell out of Sai, no question about that. However, it was the chance others could connect him to the rabbit which was the risk that Sai was trying to mitigate. If a connection was made between him and her, then it would be akin to a life sentence in prison at best, a death sentence at worse.

Sai's friends did understand his untenable position he was being forced into. However, Jia broke down into tears before she shot forward and "hugged" Sai. He figured that Jia was saying something to the effect of how sad she was he would be away. Yet, he couldn't be sure as the air was being squeezed out of him by none other than Jia. Sai had figured Jia would react the worst out of his group. The girl was a genuine friend who was very open on expressing her affection through hugs and the like. The problem with that was with Jia's strength, said hugs were bone-crushing and dislocating or felt like that. It took the others in his group time to separate Jia and Sai. Then Sai needed some time to recover a little from Jia's hugs. Sai's friends assured him that he would have whatever support they could give him while in Japan.

The remaining three weeks Sai had around Cornell University flew by from his perspective. He tried to spend what time he could with those he knew around there as he would be deprived of their company for months at least. Sai had made arrangements with a "friend" or rather a business associate of sorts for transporting his IS to Japan. The associate was willing to transport Sai's IS and didn't ask for a large payment for the job. They had also promised that none would inspect what they were transporting while moving his unit. Sai appreciated that particular point as his unit was not registered officially as other IS units were. Its existence was registered, but little detail beyond that. Sai couldn't see government entities liking the point of his project not being registered with them. Thus, he was more comfortable with his associate doing the transporting than others. They didn't ask too many questions and just did as Sai asked them most of the time.

The other thing which came up for Sai with him going to the IS academy was the point of needing a country sponsoring him. Sai had pulled a few strings and called in a favor and managed to get the US government to sponsor him for the academy. There had been one caveat with the sponsorship which Sai had to do which hadn't been the most pleasant. Sai had been "required" to take an exam to assess his piloting skills for the IS. It was more a formality than anything else, but it had been tedious. And Sai couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for his "proctor." He had beaten the proctor which was expected with him being one of the test pilots. But he hadn't meant to or tried embarrassing the lady with beating her in under ninety seconds. However, that show had gotten the US government to be more than willing to back him going to the IS Academy as their representative contender.

With the things he would need packed, Sai headed to the Ithaca Airport to catch the flight he would take to Tokyo, Japan. He had acquired an IS Academy manual to read during his flight. It was more to keep him from giving into the temptation of coming up with plans to get back at the bunny. It was best he does not do such things in the open as it could show he knew Tabane which he needed to avoid. Sai didn't doubt the reading of the manual would be beyond tedious, but it was something to occupy his time. There was other work he could do as Sai didn't believe reading the manual would take the full fourteen and a half hours the flight would last.

When Sai arrived, he said his farewell to Cassidy who had driven him to the airport. He then headed into the airport and began working his way through security. It was another hour before Sai was able to board the jet he would take to Japan. He had made sure the ticket which he had been made to purchase for himself out of his own pocket was business class. Yes, Tabane didn't even help him with his ticket for the arrangement she had made for him. He wanted to be comfortable as he could be for the long flight which business class fulfill. The comfort wouldn't help his mood improve, but it was something to work with.

The flight was long as Sai had expected, but it gave him some time to think about things. He had come to the conclusion there was something more to forcing him to go to the IS Academy. Sai couldn't say what the point the bunny could have to shove him to go to the academy was, nor did he really care honestly. Reading the academy manual in the first two hours had bored him. There were so many rules to govern the students of the academy, and half of them shouldn't be necessary in his opinion. Many of them were there to establish routines for the students which Sai had no need of them. Some of the rules concerned Sai as it was obvious to him that it was to keep his "peers" from letting their raging hormones direct them in their actions. Reading the manual proved to Sai his time over at the academy wouldn't be pleasant for him at all. It would be up to him to look after himself as it had been for much of his life. He didn't count on the academy staff helping him, Sai's peers outnumbered them so could overcome the staff. The rest of the flight Sai used to work on his unit's design and sleep.

When Sai's flight finally arrived at Tokyo's international airport, he focused on what was ahead of him. He went through the process of dealing with customs and retrieving his luggage. Sai had no issues with customs as he kept his passport and other credentials up to date and ready should he need to show them. He had done that with him sometimes going outside the US for research or whatever may come up for Sai. Sai still had a train ride ahead to the town which the IS Academy was located in. There he would have work to get to before the start of the academy's semester. None of what was ahead that Sai could see so far was enticing to him. But he would make do with what he could and work on getting away from the academy and hunt down the rabbit.

However, before Sai left the airport, he got a call from the business associate he had arranged his unit's transportation to Japan with. After talking with his associate, Sai's frustration increased for him. Apparently, the process of getting Sai's IS to Japan wouldn't be smooth at all as he had been hoping. Sai had figured it would be a pain and complicated thanks to US Customs. That was why Sai had made arrangements for transportation as quickly as possible through the group Sai trusted for such things. The business associate ran a private transport company, moved all sorts of things to those who paid their services. Sai had found going through them caused the least number of issues when he'd gone to them for things. Sai had hoped the transportation would be okay and get his unit to him in a timely fashion. But by what his associate said, customs were making the whole process much more nightmarish than Sai had thought they would.

US customs and through them the US government was being stubborn about the transportation. It was frustrating as Sai had assisted a few times before now. He'd hoped the US government would give him the benefit of the doubt and just trust what he was having transported wasn't their business. Yet, they had not done that and had been nosy with his associate which was not nice for Sai. It likely has something to do with his associate being a Russian national since they weren't on the best terms with Russia. Because of customs throwing up roadblocks and other things, it would take longer than Sai had originally planned for. Sai had promised his associate he would make the trouble up to him when his group got Sai's unit to Japan.

For a moment, Sai was sorely tempted to turn around and start hunting down the bunny with what was looming ahead. But there was too much of a chance the woman would screw him before he got to her with things as they stood currently. Instead, Sai headed out from the airport and to Tokyo's terminal station and rode it further into the city. Sai had to change at three stations to get on the correct line which would travel to the Yokohama area. The town of Shinkri where the IS Academy was located was in the southern part of the area. The whole trip should take two and a half hours or so by Sai's calculations. The train ride was rather quiet as it was the latter part of mid-afternoon before schools got out.

During the ride, Sai was left to go over what he would need to talk to the academy's headmistress about. He had all the paperwork in order so that wouldn't be an issue for him. No, it was the "other" arrangements that Sai wanted to put in place which he would need to discuss. His college classes, which he was still signed up for would require the academy's image transmission and projection system to do. Sai highly doubted the system was open for any student to use as they wished, one likely needed special permission. The other major thing would be Sai getting out of high school courses the best he could. He'd graduated from high school already, there was no reason for him to take any of those classes again. He would show his diploma if he had to so he could prove that he shouldn't have to take the classes again.

Then there was the personal issue which Sai had with going to the IS Academy. He would be the single guy in the whole freaking school. It was akin to a drop of water in the middle of a desert in Sai's mind. It came back to two problems that Sai had been essentially avoiding for a time now. Sai didn't like spending time around his same-aged peer group, and he hadn't for years now. The last time he'd been around those his own age regularly, Sai had been bullied and ostracized for being "different" than them. Sure, Sai could defend himself much better than back during those days now. But the feeling of rejection from his peers had been carved into his mind and had never been forgotten.

That all the peers Sai would be around would be female bugged him with the rabbit shoving him into it. Sai had nothing personally against females in general, he'd gotten better being around people than he used to be. He'd even gone out on several dates with women before this, but those had been with college-aged women, not high school-aged teenagers. Add to that, the girls Sai would be around were hormonal-influenced teenage females that range to be in the middle of puberty or are pretty much done with it. Sai wasn't an idiot, he would be the only readily available male for said females. He hoped he wasn't the only one seeing the potential issues with the standing. Sai would like to think the adult staff could see what he was and the trouble it could easily become given a push.

S ai had his arguments essentially ready by the time Sai got to Shinkri. However, he saw he had made grate time and so had extra time to work with. That point had Sai thinking about something he hadn't been able to do for more than three years. While Sai was around Shinkri, he really wanted to visit Ichika's grave. And the extra time should be enough to make the needed detour to visit the grave for a bit. So, Sai kept his luggage with him and stopped by a local shop to get some flowers along the way to the graveyard Ichika was buried in. Sai moved slowly through the lines of graves to the line he was aiming for. He turned down the line and came to stop in front of the grave he was there to visit.

Ichika's grave appeared clean, meaning someone had done the work to keep it that way regularly. Sai made a mental note to see if he could find out who it was that had done the point so he could thank them. Sai knelt down and placed the flowers on the grave and put his hands together. "Hey, Ichika," Sai greeted, "I hope you can forgive me for not coming by to visit you for the last three years." Sai paused, "My life has been busy, and I haven't really made the time to come and pay my respects to you as I should. I know that isn't an excuse for not coming to visit, but it is the truth as I know it."

Memories of the times with Ichika came back to Sai's mind. He missed his "adopted brother," Ichika Orimura so much since he'd died three years ago. The absence had left a hole in Sai's heart which had never gone away. "I guess I took you being around for granted, Ichika. As the phrase goes, you don't know what you have until its gone, and its true." Sai gained a smile, "There is so much I want to tell you. You always were willing to listen to me regardless of what I was talking about or if you understood it. I can't tell you how much I miss that now. But guess what Ichika, I was able to make friends while I've been studying over in the US." Sai paused again, "I had just about given up on doing such with how I've been treated by others before going to the US. And if you hadn't encouraged me not to give up on it, I wouldn't have the friends I do now."

Tears began coming to Sai's eyes as the echo of Ichika's absence ached in his heart. "I wish you were here Ichika," Sai said. "Things haven't been the same since you were taken. Chifuyu and I haven't spoken even once since your funeral." Sai bit his bottom lip, "I've tried writing letters to her, but they all came back being unable to reach the recipient. I had been trying to find where she was, but I stopped looking after a bit when I couldn't get anything solid. I can only imagine she took your death hard as I did, dealing it in her own way. You may not have known it, but you were what bound our weird family together. We've fallen apart since you were taken from us, and I don't like it at all. But I don't know what else I can do to reach Chifuyu and do something to help her. You always seemed to have ideas to get Chifuyu to smile and lift up her mood." Sai stopped for a moment, "Heck, if you were still here, you may just be going to the IS academy alongside me. It would make the crap the bunny is putting me through not as bad. Then again, that would also mean the bunny would involve you in some of the same crap she does me, but still the company would be nice."

Sai had spent the time he could visiting Ichika he could afford for the moment. But Sai intended to visit his brother's grave regularly while he was around Japan. So, Sai left the graveyard and made his way toward the IS Academy to meet with its headmistress. Upon arriving at the academy, Sai was reminded he didn't know the layout beyond the general map of the grounds. He had no idea where the headmistress's office was located specifically. And a quick glance around didn't come up with something which could be considered a map. Thus, Sai was left with two basic options to find the office he was supposed to meet the head of the academy at. Those were search for someone and ask for directions or wander around aimlessly and hope he found the office. With the logic Sai tended to go with, he chose the first option and sought out a person so he could ask for direction to the headmistress's office. Once Sai found a member of the academy staff he did ask for direction and got the route he needed. Sai proceeded to the headmistress's office, along the way hoping he could get some if not most of the help he sought.

The headmistress of the academy had been working on loose ends when the knock came at her door. The appearance of Mr. Taichi was expected today, but the young man seemed different in person rather than just reading data on him. The sudden reveal that there was a male which could pilot an IS had been a tad shocking to those who heard it. The point hadn't been made completely public at first, but the existence of Mr. Taichi and his capability had spread quickly. Before his existence had been revealed, it had been assumed only females could use IS units. There hadn't been any data which would contradict that until him. Ripples had already started being visible to the young man's existence from what the headmistress had seen. Countries and organizations were asking questions and demanding answers about him.

Mr. Taichi being sent to the IS Academy wasn't surprising as it was the only official school which trained IS pilots. However, his presence would be both a boon and issue for the academy as a whole. His attendance was as an endorsement for the academy, and a heck of an endorsement it was the headmistress had to admit. However, he was a teenage male, the first one that would be permitted inside the academy grounds. He would be surrounded by the girls attending the academy. So, there was the question of if the young man would be willing to follow the rules the academy had to keep order among the students. The reputation the young man had said he would, but the headmistress would like conformation of that. "Mr. Taichi," the headmistress began, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk, "Please, take a seat."

Sai moved to the chair he'd been directed to and took his backpack off before sitting down. He faced the academy's headmistress, the woman who could help arrange things to be the best they could be for Sai. He didn't want to make enemies here with any of the staff if he could help it. Sai had little hope of being on fair terms with his peers. Realistically, Sai knew there were going to be those that would dislike him. College and his high school years had proven that point to him. Thus, Sai felt it would be best to let the woman he was facing start the conversation and then he bring up his issues when the opportunity came up. So, he bowed his head in return to the greeting, "Sai Tachi, reporting for questions and concerns you may have with me attending the academy."

The headmistress was somewhat surprised to see Mr. Taichi showing such maturity and emotional control. He was behaved as good if not better than many of the incoming fourth years she'd seen thus far. If that was his normal demeanor, then having him at the academy wouldn't be that bad at all. "I must say, you are more mature than I would've expected from one of your age, Mr Taichi." Sai inclined his head in response, "Yeah, I get that often enough. I've gained maturity at an early age and have refined it the best I'm able. I'm not the kind of guy that gets distracted and listens to the junk in the trunk for directions of what to do as some would." The headmistress laughed at Mr. Taichi's response. It was refreshing to be honest. "You are different than I imagined you would be being the first male to be able to pilot an IS."

Sai knew he came off as different to those who met him face to face for the first time. He'd done what he could not to attract notice to himself over the years. But this meeting wasn't for pleasantries, and Sai had things he wanted to get in motion. "Not that the pleasantries aren't nice or anything," Sai began, "But there are other things which need to be addressed. Do forgive me if it seems rude, but I'm not one that likes to waste time." The headmistress could see the signs Mr. Taichi had habits of employing time management. That was a wonderful thing to see as the majority of students at the academy didn't learn that until third or fourth year. "I applaud you understand the value of time management," she remarked. "Students here seem to have difficulty learning it until later on. What things are you looking to address Mr. Taichi?"

Sai didn't waste more time but got into the "issues" he foresaw he would have to deal with. For the first thirty minutes, he spent on the classes point of him being at the academy. The first thing Sai asked for was to be able to abstain from the high school classes the academy gave the students. Sai even showed a digital form of his high school diploma to prove he had already done the work the classes would have him do. The headmistress agreed that Sai didn't need to attend the core classes the other students were required to take. All he would be required to attend were the classes that dealt with the subject of Infinite Stratos. And since Sai already knew more about them than essentially anyone as one of the inventors the classes would be easy and simple. Sai wasn't one to say no to an easy A class when they came along. So, Sai was relieved he was being allowed to get out of the high school required classes, those would've been tedious. Plus, it would give him a break from being around his peers for a bit during the day and he would take that.

The next thirty minutes was spent on the subject for Sai was needing the use of the academy's image transmission and projection system. When he was asked what for, Sai flat out said it would be for him to take his college courses. The headmistress was surprised that Mr. Taichi was attending college level courses at his age already. Sure, seeing his high school diploma had been a tad surprising as the date implied, he had graduated when he was around eleven or twelve. But for a sixteen-year-old to be in college and like had been for a year or more was a rare thing. It made the headmistress curious why Mr. Taichi would agree to come to the IS Academy.

The headmistress did ask about whether the academy would need to provide an IS for Mr. Taichi. There had been nothing mention on that point that the headmistress had heard from any of the staff. Sai stated there was no need for the academy to provide a unit for him since he had a personal IS. Sai did admit a unit was in the process of being transported to the academy. He didn't like it was taking longer than he'd planned for, but there was little he could do about customs being difficult. And it wasn't that Sai couldn't use another IS, for he could when needed. It was with all the work he'd put into his own unit, he preferred to use what he had made with his friends.

The last subject which Sai discussed with the headmistress was his living arrangements and the school uniform. Sai would "temporarily" be given guess quarters at the academy. He wished the room wouldn't be temporary but as a student, he was required to live in the dorms. Sai suspected that would be the case for his time here, but he'd hoped to be wrong. He would have a roommate with the dorms being double rooms standard, and that roommate would be a girl. Should the girl be reasonable, that shouldn't be so bad, but the alternative could be more likely. But until Sai met his "roomie" whoever that would be, he couldn't plan on how to defend himself and his virtue. His fingers were crossed on having the reasonable roomie rather than the other choice.

Sai was starting to have a small modicum of hope that things might not be as horrendous as he feared when the bunny had said she would force him to go to the Academy. However, then he was shown the "uniform" he would be expected to wear while attending the academy. Sai had nothing against "dress" clothing like a white shirt and tie, though he preferred more comfortable clothes if he could wear them. Yet, the first sight of the academy uniform brought several unpleasant and sickening thoughts to Sai's mind. There was so much that could be "improved" upon if Sai was to give his opinion of the uniform. To him, it screamed trash and/or demean yourself to the level of a servant or less. If he were given a chance or more "permission," Sai would be more than willing to burn the uniform. Sai would even be willing to purchase the materials for the fire he would use to destroy the uniform. But Sai knew the chances of him being given the green light to burn the uniform was slim to none, and closer to none.

The uniform consisted of a "blazer" to be worn over the dress shirt and the tie which Sai would have to wear daily. The blazer had two triangle creases folded down to expose the tie for the world to see. So, there would really be little way to get out of wearing a tie for Sai to go with. The blazer had long sleeves and had a built or woven-in belt around the waist and was white like the dress shirt. That was fine even when Sai didn't like the idea, he would manage as he had to for the time at the academy. He understood that certain schools had uniforms as a means to mitigate rule breaking in a way. The pants were white dress style like the rest of the set of clothing. Sai wasn't fond of the white pants, he could already see the ease which they could get dirty. And Sai had a nagging feeling that the students were held responsible to keep the uniform clean to the best of their abilities. So, white colored clothes were just asking for trouble and work to keep clean from Sai's experience.

If Sai were to be honest about his view of the academy uniform, he would be wearing, he doubted the staff would like what he would say. Truthfully, Sai thought the uniform would make him appear as some sort of butler. He wasn't a servant to anyone and didn't want to give any that idea in any way if he could help it. Sai, like most people, tried to avoid situations which could humiliate him in some way if that was possible. And the other problem with looking like a servant, especially around the academy was the worldview of men these days. With the IS, females had higher standing in general than males did. Sai didn't like that, but most adults he'd been around didn't push that idea as the upcoming generation had been doing. However, he feared that there would be those at the academy who would try to belittle and put him down and his uniform could give them an excuse. Sai thanked the headmistress for the time she had given him to discuss his attendance to the academy before he left her office.

He headed to the guest room he would be staying in for around a week before the semester would start. While Sai would admit things weren't as horrible as he had been figuring they would be with the bunny's interference, they were still not good at all for him in his opinion. Sai would still be able to do his college courses he was signed up for, which was less than originally planned. And once his unit finally got through customs and arrived at the academy, Sai could figure out a way to do work on it. It wouldn't be as much as he would've if he were back at the lab he had at Cornell University, but it was better than nothing. He would also have the opportunity to field test his unit sooner than he had planned for, which could be good or bad, Sai couldn't say yet. But that was the few good things going for Sai with the circumstances he was in now.

Sai could already hear some of the arguments that others would give him to have him not complain. Some would say "look at the bright side," but Sai was too much a realist to have optimism when things were going against him as they were. Others would tell Sai that he could "relive his golden years" that high school were supposed to be. Sai would give them details of why high school was a form of hell for him with all he had to deal with back at the time. Merely looking back on the years he'd been imprisoned in high school ticked off Sai. The bullying and other crap that Sai had endured back then had been etched into his memory so he couldn't forget it. And it had all been because he was smarter and younger than those around him. Those two points had made him public enemy/target number one for the three years he'd been in high school. Sai had learned ways to hide how smart he was since those days so that shouldn't be as much of an issue at the academy.

Nonetheless, with him being forced to spend solid time around his same-aged peer group, Sai didn't see things going smoothly. He was used to being around those who were five plus years older than him as that was the company he kept for a while now. His same-age peer group was foreign to Sai with how much time he'd been away from them. The time away from his peers had been as much for his survival as it was for them not to have to feel inferior when it came to intelligence in relation to him in Sai's mind. And that they were all girls made things harder for Sai with him being at the academy. The rabbit and the doll had made being around females and the potential gestures they could give him entirely different for Sai than it would be for others. Hugging and other forms of close and potentially intimate contact were horrible from most for Sai.

It wasn't that Sai was against potentially making friends here at the academy. His friends at Cornell University had shown him the value friendship had. Ichika had been right saying friends would make a difference in Sai's life for they had. And with the academy being as well-known and attended as it was, a sizable portion of the students are from different places around the world giving good opportunity. What Sai saw as a potential issue with the other students of the academy was their view of him as a guy and the demands, they may make on is time. Sai wouldn't let any of the girls at the academy see him as an object or pet they could own for themselves, and that was very possible. Nor would he allow others to try to put him under they feet to boss around as they saw fit.

It just pointed out for Sai that his time at the academy would likely be him surviving more than anything else. He cursed the rabbit had put him in this position and no doubt enjoying his suffering as she seemed to. Sai had just wanted peace and quiet for the semester he was supposed to be attending Cornell. He didn't think that was really that much to ask for. Sai had done the work to arrange that before the bunny had popped up and ruined all of that. But there was little for the moment that he could do to change his circumstances. He once again wished that Ichika was still alive and here at the academy with him. As naïve as Ichika had been, his personality could always help Sai make the best of whatever situation he was in.

A/N

Okay, I'll leave the story there for the moment and continue the idea in the next chapter from there. Oh boy, there is a lot to go over in these ending notes it is hard to know where to start. This project has been in the works for a time now, and I have taken into account the votes that went into the polls I posted. That is one of the reasons I redid this in third person like I did my Gundam Seed story. By the way that story is currently on Hiatius due to serious writer's block I'm trying to get through. However, lack of time to work on writing isn't helping with any of my stories, but life is that way.

Let's start with the highlights with my "introduction" which I added like I have in some of my stories. I wouldn't doubt some don't like my "philosophical" rants I sometimes do in my stories. However, I do them to set the stage and prepare readers to be introduced to the story or chapter. They may be boring to some but humor me with those please. I also use the introduction to give a bit of history for the story's world to run on. That history is different than canon has for several reasons which get explained later. The other thing I want to mention in this part is something I did with my original word doc which I submitted to the fanfiction site. I put pictures in the document, but those don't get displayed on the site for one reason or another. I'm truly sorry that is the case, but I can't do much about that as I wish I could.

I want to touch on the section which gives details about Sai a bit. There is some things that have changed here and I will carry on more in the story. First, I refer to Sai's experiences during his younger years like in his childhood and those from his high school years. I do this to help show not only that Sai has not had the easiest life, but he's been shunned in a few ways that helped develop his behavior. It wasn't until college that things really changed in a serious way for Sai. I want to show Sai isn't perfect in any way and that his past has scarred him both physically and mentally.

Onto Sai and his conversation with Tabane. The additional point of bringing in Tabane's view with the conversation does help show the dichotomy between the two. I want to show that Sai hates Tabane, and for good reason with what she's done to him. But I also want to show that Tabane loves Sai even when he is so mean to her. There is a hint that Tabane has a good heart with my revision, and I want to show that she could. It is established Tabane has memory loss, and I see her airheadedness is a part of that. I apologize again for the censoring that word had been doing to me, just how mine is set up. I would point out that Tabane does try to not resort to blackmailing Sai right off the bat. That wasn't there in the original version, and I think it does show that Tabane has the chance of potential redemption. Does that mean I want to redeem the woman, I haven't decided that at this time.

Of course, the conversation ends with Sai being forced to go to the IS Academy and Sai being blackmail. I expanded the time between the call and when Sai gets to the IS Academy. I wanted to show that Sai had made a good reputation for himself for the college he goes to. I really wanted to show that Sai does a lot of work to get things to be as he wants as that is a quality I feel the need to highlight. Then, the meeting with his gang I felt was better earlier than in later chapters. Plus, I thought introducing them earlier would show one of the many reasons why Sai doesn't want to go to the academy. I also wanted to mention Sai's "exam" which is just inferred later on in the original story.

When Sai gets to Japan, I did describe the nation's rail system somewhat. If there are any readers that wish to correct what I wrote, I welcome it so I can be accurate. The other scene from this part I want to talk about is the visit to Ichika's grave by Sai. I know I imply that Sai was as a brother to Ichika and vice versa and that is true. However, I wanted to show that their relationship was something special AND I don't mean like a gay one thank you, but as brothers. Ichika helped change Sai's life in ways which weren't seen until later. Put simply, Ichika was key in helping Sai getting past the effects of the shunning he'd endured.

The final scene with the meeting with the headmistress. I know that canon states the principle is a guy, but I like a woman doing the job so I made the decision as the writer to change that. Second, again Sai does the work with discussion to improve his circumstances as he can. I would point out that he doesn't get things exactly his way. Sure, he gets out of classes high school students are required to do, but he lost on the living situation. He also tries to look at the bright side of things, little as he thinks there is for his situation.

In conclusion, I would really like to know if this is the kind of style you want to continue seeing this story rewritten in. I'll update as I can, but feedback is always appreciated. So, as I do on all my stories, please some of you, preferably many, take the time to write a review and tell me what you think. Thank you for giving me a chance with this style of rewriting, it was fun I admit. Peace out until the next chapter!