The fight between Laura and the Orimura twins. As requested by the author, I waited until the next post. It was fun to write this all out. I took some time. Things got busy at my end. I have my job again. The same as on this evening when I started on the chapter.
It does mean that the stories go slower but that's just how it is.
I took the eighteenth of November as some time off to game and other stuff. But this is a continuation. One I look very forward to.
One big thank you to Ichigo Oga for looking over the chapter. Guys, check out his story, Ruler of the Sky. Some of his work is so similar to mine that it's freaky.
Started on: 18/11/2020
Ended on: 24/11/2020
"Talking"
'Thinking'
[Telepathic conversation]
[Phone call]
Ichika and Madoka had been in this arena as before, where Houki and Laura were waiting for the twins.
The youngest noticed that her older brother wasn't that happy or looking forward to fighting Houki. But for her, she also noticed that his bloodlust was also rising. He just glared at Laura while she was grinning at him.
"I am surprised that you didn't run."
The Knight just smirked at the silverette. "I am not going to. I and my little sister got a bone to pick with you." Ichika simply said while he glanced at his little sister.
Sure, either of the twins would be enough to take care of Laura, but Madoka knew how much her brother wanted to fight Laura. She understood how hungry her brother was to set things straight with her.
They had discussed their plan before. Houki would fight using an Uchigane. The twins would come out as winners in this but Ichika didn't want Houki staying around in this fight.
They would take care of Houki now.
"Ready to lose?" Laura sneered at them.
Ichika just activated his other sword so he was dual-wielding. In the right hand, he held his Yukihira and in the other, his High-Frequency blade.
While in the match with Charlotte and Mattheus he needed a ranged option, in this one, he could focus on CQC, which was his preferred style of combat. His sister could take care of the firearms.
"I'll make you eat your words," Ichika said and when the countdown rang, Ichika just raced to her. Laura had expected that. So she activated her AIC. What she didn't expect was for Ichika to race past her flying at Houki.
Houki had her Uchigane sword ready and prepared herself for the impact; however, she hadn't expected Ichika to have this much power in him. Even with a one-handed swing from Ichika, she felt how the Yukihira connected with her sword.
"Sorry Houki, but this is going to be a doozy." He admitted and she could feel that Ichika wasn't happy to fight her.
"Well, don't let me keep you waiting."
Ichika took one sword in each hand. It might be overkill using an extra sword on her but he had to be quick on this. There was no telling what Laura would pull on his sister. So in a perfect match, Ichika raced to her.
The moves he used were unorthodox, his sister really taught him well. She raced at him and he met her halfway. Their struggle was clear. It was a shock at how much Ichika had grown over the years.
On the other side, Laura wanted to go after him, but her sensors told her to get out of the way. Turning her head, she found Madoka aiming at her. The bullets had raced to her and she had a bloodthirsty grin on her face.
If Laura ignored the color palette, she could swear she was fighting Chifuyu, and that really pissed her off.
"You…! Don't get in my way!" Madoka just fired again to get her attention, the bullet skipping past her.
"Don't misunderstand. I am enough to take you out on my own. But Ichi-nii is pissed, and I'd rather have you bear the brunt than myself." Firing several times, Madoka flew around her while Laura tried to keep up.
Her daggers either missed their intended target or were shot out of the way. Madoka just taunted and fired at her. She wasn't speaking out of bravado. Sure, the youngest could take Laura out without that many problems as there wasn't much stopping her.
Except for her brother's wrath.
Looking up, Laura raced after her. With a wry grin, Madoka manifested her own Yukihira. Flying back at her, the two met. Sparks flew from both sides.
"I was of the understanding that it was merely a backup and you can't fight with a sword."
Madoka fought the urge to spit in her face while fury filled her body. She was going to show off a good bit.
"Newsflash! I might not be as strong as Chifuyu-nee, and in sword fight Ichi-nii got me beat. But to keep you busy, I am more than enough." Using a barrage of techniques, Laura felt how good Madoka got.
Line Break
In the control room.
Chifuyu wasn't that surprised that the twins chose that strategy. Their tactic was a thing even she would have used.
"Orimura-sensei. Are you sure your siblings are all right?" Looking at Maya, Chifuyu wanted to answer but found her words cut off by Joel with his eyes still on the computer.
"Sure they are. Look at them. They got this in the bag." Chifuyu looked over her shoulder to the punk. Tabane would really like this boy.
This boy would be one great technician one day. But one could argue Joel had already become a great technician.
"Why do you say that Pearce?"
"Your brother is taking care of Shinonono, mostly to get her out of harm's way. Meanwhile, your sister is keeping Bodewig busy. Given how she is fighting, Madoka can hand her ass on a platter without batting an eye. The difference is immense between the two."
Chifuyu crossed her arms and walked over to him.
"Oh? And why didn't they use that on Dunois and Adjzof?" Joel met her eyes as he took his laptop from his lap.
"When your siblings were fighting those two, they were fighting two partners. Sure, they were cut off but the two could tag out too. But that's not the case here. Shinonono and Bodewig are fighting alone. Plus, compared to them, your siblings are better pilots." Taking back his laptop, Joel put on his headphones.
Pushing the left ear aside, he shrugged. "They're your blood. What you can pull, they can pull." His eyes were focused again on the screen.
Joel wasn't worried about the twins, but even if they won, it wouldn't solve everything.
Line Break
Back in the arena.
Houki and Ichika continued to clash. Her sword going against his own. Breaking off, Ichika's speed was awesome. Despite her experience in sword fighting, she realized that Ichika had learned a lot as well. Plus, he had more experience fighting with an Infinite Stratos and unlike her, he was trained to fight with a unit.
They broke off and she raced up. From above, Houki raced at him. Ichika just blocked her with his sword and she couldn't believe how relaxed Ichika was in fighting her.
She finally realized how strong he had become. The gap had grown more between them.
Ichika just parried her attack when an opening presented itself. Ichika used his sword to come from the side.
Houki flew off and Ichika went right after her. Sure, she knew that Ichika was faster than her, but it was mainly a matter of diversion. Yet, Ichika easily caught up to her. The two flew over but Ichika wasn't attacking her that much. Blocking off, the two went at it like mad. Her own swordplay was one thing but she felt how Ichika was.
"Ichika, where did you learn this?" Ichika parried an attack. Houki had seen how Chifuyu carried that action out, but with Ichika, there was less finesse in it.
"Chifuyu-nee. But one thing that I learned is that, I am not her." The following swipe carried a lot of strength in it. She took a hit and was immediately flung down. Like a falcon, Ichika went right after her. Houki blocked him and turned him around.
He had to stop underestimating her.
Pointing his Yukihira at her, Houki replied by using her own sword.
At this point, it was pure head to head battle. Ichika's double swords matched against her lone sword. Ichika already had the upper hand, and Houki could feel how much he wanted to fight Laura. How much of his bloodlust he was hiding when facing her.
Not because of any hate, but because Ichika cared too much for her.
"You aren't going to stop."
"You are going to help Bodewig. Well, I and my sis are going to have a fight with her." Houki backed away from him while she still pointed her sword at him.
"So what are you doing now?" Houki genuinely wanted to know what Ichika had in mind. He was more set on a quick fight.
"Getting you out of here. I don't want you in this arena." Ichika answered and in his eyes, it was clear that he was serious about that.
[Madoka, you still okay?] Ichika sent through his link to his sister.
[Peachy. Just hurry up with your girlfriend before I take this cyclops out by myself.] He didn't even need to look at Madoka to know that she wasn't joking. She had a point, she could take care of Laura alone.
But Madoka wanted her brother to have a part of this. Even if he didn't want to, if Laura was taken out by her alone, it might have caused her to look down on Ichika.
At the end of this match, the twins wanted Laura off of their hands.
Houki could only look at Ichika who used his full speed at her. He used just a little bit of energy and pain entered her system from how Ichika was fighting her. Ichika got more closer to Chifuyu than she ever hoped to admit. She couldn't guess how fast and deadly he really had become. Parrying her with his High-Frequency Blade, she could feel how Yukihira utterly demolished her Shield Points.
Her energy went down like crazy and it wasn't before long until it hit zero and the Uchigane shut down, Absolute Defense activating.
Before she could fall down, Ichika caught her in a bridal carry. Clutching her to his chest, he just flew her to the exit.
"Sorry Houki, but I can't have you here." He was fast enough to just carry her that Houki didn't even get a color.
Not that it mattered much as all eyes were focused on Madoka, who was giving one hell of a laser show. The barrels blasted as Laura was forced to a standstill.
When she was dropped off, he just saluted with his left hand. Flying back out, it was the safest bet.
Madoka had done the same thing the last time.
[Joel, you copy?]
[Loud and clear. Smart choice to get her out. Now, rock on!]
Ichika smirked inwardly as Laura was too focused on Madoka. Before she had a shot, Ichika just raced from the side. The silverette felt how her defense was broken by Ichika, and She was put between a rock and a hard place.
Or a gun and a sword.
She blocked Ichika with her Energy Daggers but found the bullet hit her. Madoka just saluted with two fingers. A solemn nod was all she got from Ichika.
[You wanna get close?]
[I'll let you have that. I'll make her run for us.] Madoka fired again at Laura who was forced to fly away from Ichika's assault. His two swords were aimed at her and despite the speed of her daggers, she could feel how fast Ichika had caught up to her.
One slash from the right, Laura stopped him. A shot rang through and it hit her. Despite the heat of the bullet whizzing by his face, Ichika knew that he had no worry from his sister.
Madoka was a crack shot. She could do this in her sleep. The bullets hit Laura as she covered Ichika.
The only ones that weren't in full horror were Chifuyu and Joel. The punk knew how it would go and Chifuyu knew how her siblings fought. Their link on how their bodies moved wouldn't even be needed. Their blind faith in the other was enough.
Ichika just rocked his body and caught up with Laura. She glared at him despite her body hurting more than Ichika's.
[Sis. I want two minutes alone.]
[Sure thing.]
At that point, Ichika looked older than he really was.
Laura found his Yukihira hitting her while she was in the sky. From above, Ichika hit her with a salvo on her. Both his swords hit her. Laura coughed out blood as she felt Ichika hitting her full on. Launching up a dagger, Ichika let it capture him.
He just pulled her to him and Laura had no time to aim the rail gun mounted on her shoulder. His sword hit her center mass and crashed her down towards the sandy floor.
But before she could land, she felt bullets diverting her flight path to the wall.
Neither of the twins winced as she was hit there. Madoka joined her brother who had the same expressionless face.
"Going close to her?"
"Same as the golem, Ichi-nii."
Madoka shut down her Star Breaker and deployed Yukihira with black energy coming out of it. Ichika dismissed his High-Frequency Blade. They would hammer their point home hard. For Laura, they would be using the sword of her idol.
The two just shared a look and nodded. Both stood ready with their sword on their shoulder. Laura gritted her teeth and she got up.
"You…! You don't have the right!"
"To have the same weapon as our sister?" The twins spoke with a clear voice. They just looked at Laura with the same face as their sister. "You're right," Madoka admitted.
"We aren't as strong as her. Yet." Ichika added.
"Still, we learned one thing." Madoka followed up.
"We don't chase her shadow." Ichika continued.
"We take her example. We learn her skills. But, we take different routes." Madoka said as she eyed the cyclops who got back up.
"I am not Chifuyu-nee and neither is Madoka," Ichika said as he glared at Laura making himself ready.
"There is just one thing you will accept." Madoka joined her brother.
"We are closer to our sister than you'll ever be." Using their full speed, they rushed side-by-side with each other, the darkest black and the purest white mixed beautifully to a lovely grey. Laura turned her head to the two sides.
Line Break
Mattheus sat back in the changing room, his eyes were fixated on the twins. His right hand went to his cheek and he could feel the beard coming through.
He wished that he never come to a full fight with the twins. He would never survive that if they played it like this.
Line Break
Chifuyu was just shaking her head. The twins weren't the same as her. One day, they would join her at the top. Not by her way, but by their own.
And she never wanted to face them in a real fight. Never.
Line Break
In the arena
Laura was fuming. She was furious. Oh, she was so furious at the two!
How dare they claim that they were closer to her instructor!? She couldn't believe this! She stood up against the two, but Ichika and Madoka hit her at full force. Hitting her as she was falling down, defeated by the two. When the two passed her, she was smashed in the air and pain entered her system.
Turning around, Ichika slashed her with his sword. Laura got hit a few times more, but not to a full degree.
Madoka just shot back at her. Ichika wasn't done though. Getting closer to her, he grabbed her and slammed her against the wall.
Madoka angled herself so she could shoot the bullets hitting Ichika. Sure, she could pull it off but that wasn't needed now. The bullets hit Laura while Ichika waited.
[Get her.] Ichika moved when he got that order. Madoka hung back and deployed her sword. Laura could feel how her body was hurt by Ichika who used his sword on her. Forced to a knee, Laura wasn't sure what Ichika was doing.
Waiting clearly, Madoka passed by him and slammed Laura against the wall. The two just stood together their metal fist-bumping the other.
Chifuyu just waited and watched what they would do.
Laura was still on her feet. Ichika just let his sister finish her. Their opponent was still there. Her red eye open.
Line Break
'I cannot lose! Not to them!' Her mind began to wander as she looked back at her past.
"Enhanced DNA test subject, C-0037." Born in the army, she was but a young girl when she got her name.
"Your new designation is Laura Bodewig." She had received training and was proving herself to be one of the best. For she was made for nothing other than battles.
There was nothing she couldn't do. Shooting, CQC, piloting all kinds of airplanes. There was nothing she couldn't do except for one thing.
The Infinite Stratos.
It rendered her and the other soldiers useless. Sure, she could pilot it. She had even an optimization in the form of Nanomachines in her eye. Yet, her body refused to accept those changes. A failure was the only thing she could ever be.
But she was saved by Chifuyu. When the Brunhilde passed by in her life, she knew that she was saved.
Despite all things, she again became the strongest one in her unit.
But yet, she couldn't understand why Chifuyu was so focused on her twins. She had told Laura about them. She saw the look on her face. It wasn't supposed to be like that. She was strong, dignified, and distinguished. Not like this. Not this kind.
Laura would never accept those twins. She wanted them out of the life of her instructor.
'I want power.' She said in her mind and her voice spoke to her. A male one.
[So you want power?] It asked her as she dug in herself.
'Give me the power. Make me the absolute strongest!' From that eye, the VTS set in.
Line Break
The twins heard the screaming and lightning filled the arena. She began to change. Her screams echoed all over the arena, yet the lightning didn't stop.
The twins just couldn't do anything with that and the Schwarzer Regen began to change, a black bob taking her over.
"Oh my God…" Ichika softly muttered in horror. Madoka couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The audience just looked at the scene in the horror of the show in the arena.
Luckily, some kept a cool head. Chifuyu ordered around. "Security Level D! Pearce!" Joel wasn't even remarking on her. His hands worked over the computer. It wasn't just any threat.
"Oh fucking great! Do you know what's going on? Fucking VTS! Valkyrie Trace System. Just great!" Joel muttered while Chifuyu let him work.
"Madoka! Ichika! Look out what you are going to do!" The voice was laced with the worry that she felt for them.
Then it began to take form. The lightning went on and the siren went off.
"This is an emergency situation! All matches are canceled! Level D Threat!" The arena got sealed off.
"All students and guests, evacuate at once!"
It was a good thing that the horror show was sealed away. Chifuyu couldn't ask for the twins. That wouldn't work. She knew that she had to rely on Joel.
"Guys! Whatever is going on, you gotta take that out! But you can see what is going on right?" The two were quiet but he heard their voice over the coms.
"Yukihira."
"Ten points to you, Madoka. That VTS transformed Bodewig into this horror that resembles your sister. Do the world and yourselves a favor, and take her out." Madoka and Ichika shared a look. They knew what they had to do.
Both were really pissed at this monstrosity that was taking the form of Chifuyu and they couldn't let that stand.
"You got enough energy left?" The male Orimura asked while he let the energy run out.
"More than enough." The youngest answered. Both their energies and fury filled the arena.
"Side by side." Ichika's white energy mixed with Madoka's black one. A beautiful scene was created over them, but it not what it was meant to be.
"Side by side." The machine couldn't pick one now but found the glare of the two terrifying. Their hair covering their eyes.
[I can only recommend that strategy.] Joel's voice piped in through the intercom. The punk knew Mattheus would approve of that.
Speaking of the Hunter…
Mattheus wasn't worried about the two. They could do some serious damage. So when both were ready, the twins just flew side-by-side to each other. The monster that was Laura couldn't decide what it should attack first.
Normally it would attack one of them but now, both of their threat levels were too high to attack. The teachers didn't go in their way as they realized that the twins were enough for this. They passed from one to the other.
Line Break
In the controls, Houki couldn't look at the scene but she heard how the machines whirred. When she faced Ichika, she thought that he was fighting to his fullest. Yet, now, with his sister, it became clear how far Ichika had grown. How strong Ichika and Madoka had become.
There wasn't a scratch on them.
She felt the gap between her and the twins grow and something had to be done about that.
Line Break
When the machine found the twins, two sharp strikes landed on it.
Ichika and Madoka stood next to each other while the dark glob fell apart. Dissolving their machines, both caught the girl and her eyes stayed open for a bit.
Then the two heard something. In their subconsciousness, a third addition was found. They heard Laura and the answers she wanted.
[Why are you two so strong?] The voice of Laura was heard while the two held their breath.
Ichika was the first to answer that question. It was an honest one.
[We are strong, maybe so. You know why? Because we no longer want to be weak.]
Madoka stood by her brother.
[We no longer want to rely on our sister. We are strong because we want to be able to protect ourselves.]
Ichika nodded.
[And others. We want to protect others too.]
Then the world faded to black.
When Laura opened her eyes again, she was lying in the infirmary.
"What did I-?" Her eyes turned to the person next to her and she knew exactly who it was. "What happened?"
Chifuyu sighed as she eyed her student. It was a good way for how all things ended. It could have gone down so much worse.
"This is a sensitive matter as well as classified information. You know of the VTS, right?"
"The Valkyrie Trace System?"
"Yes." Chifuyu took a breath as she continued her talk. "With the IS pact, the use, manufacturers, research, and all other works relating to the system are forbidden. We have no clue what your IS was outfitted with. Currently, we got our head tech guy looking into it. We did figure out already what it does. Mental state accumulated damage and above all, the pilots will." Chifuyu paused for a bit.
"Or to be more precise, the pilot's wish." She eyed Laura. The twins drove their point home. Now, it was her turn. "It was set to activate when all those factors came together."
Laura's hands clutched her blanket. She was ashamed of that. "So it's because I wished for it."
Chifuyu continued on her.
"Laura Bodewig?"
"Yes?" The head was turned to her. She would listen to the question of her instructor.
"Who are you?" Chifuyu asked and the silverette remained quiet.
"I'm..." those were the only words spoken.
The silence was there and Chifuyu continued. "If you are no one, that's perfect. You are Laura Bodewig from now on. It's who you are and who you will be. You can't be me, Laura. There is another thing I would like to tell you."
Chifuyu knew Laura well enough that this wouldn't leak out.
"Laura. Do you know why I ended up in Germany?" The girl shook her head. She never wondered about that. "I got there because I owned Germany a debt. I had to train you guys there. And you know how they got that debt on me? Because they gave me the locations of my twins when they got kidnapped." Laura's eye bulged open and she looked at her.
"I am going even further. I forfeited the Mondo Grosso Championship. To save them." The smirk on Chifuyu's face took Laura by surprise as she heard the woman talk.
"You did all that. For them?" Laura asked. Even lying down, she could feel how the earth was seizing her up.
"Yes. I saved them. Like they saved you by the way. Do you want to know why I did all those things? It's because I love them. We didn't have parents. I raised them." Laura could look at Chifuyu who stretched her long body.
Laura looked at her while Chifuyu smiled and leant her head back.
"I will tell you this as many times I need to tell you, Bodewig. I love Ichika and Madoka. I don't give a rat's ass about my accomplishments. I stopped everything to save them. Do you understand? Nothing means more to me than my twins." Laura waited a bit and gulped.
"Instructor. I don't understand it. You threw it all away for them. Isn't that folly?"
Chifuyu smirked again and tilted her head back.
"I guess so yeah. But for me, my twins are everything. For me, there is nothing more important than them. Laura, I am strong because of them. Because I love what I stand for." With that, Chifuyu stood up and left Laura alone to ponder on the words.
Meanwhile in the cafeteria
Madoka and Ichika were busy eating their bowls of ramen. Everyone avoided them like the plague as the twins showed how strong the two were. Beside them, Mattheus had himself a pizza sharing it with Joel.
"What a disaster." Joel softly said while Mattheus continued on the food.
"Indeed it was. Don't you have to look at it further?" Ichika asked while he continued eating the ramen. Joel gave a sardonic smirk as he got himself another slice.
"I'm running some diagnostics. I got some time to fill my tank." Checking his watch, Joel realized that the time had gone over. Giving Mattheus a handshake and a hug, the boy left while stealing another slice. Mattheus shook his head while he continued eating the rest.
"How can you put all that away?" Ichika asked with a grin while Mattheus just sat back.
"I need food in my belly. Still, I am happier that you finished the whole thing instead without me stepping in. Whatever it was, it was horrifying." Madoka smirked at him while she finished her bowl.
"Were you afraid?"
"Only fools and children aren't afraid. Being afraid isn't abnormal. It's what keeps you alive. Either way, there is a person for you two." The twins turned to Houki and both knew what it was about.
"Matt, you mind moving?" The guy looked down on his slice. The only one before he had to go.
"Sure. I want to finish this. Am I allowed that?" Madoka nodded while Mattheus continued to eat. After that, he left and his seat was open. The twins locked eyes with Houki.
[You wanna be alone?] Madoka asked her brother and if it was needed, she could leave.
Ichika wanted something else. [I want you here for this.]
Houki sat down keeping her eyes on the two while they continued eating their food.
"You got something to say?" Madoka got the conversation going.
"Ichika, Madoka. Where did you two learn this?" Houki's voice was quiet and meek. Quite the contradiction of the normal proud young warrior.
"Where do you think?" Ichika scoffed. "We had an entire year in your sister's lab. One. Entire. Year."
"We came out that lab completely crazy trained. Nowhere near our big sister but close." Madoka locked eyes with her oldest friend.
"You really had to do that, didn't you?" Ichika was next as he looked at Houki. Sure, there were mixed feelings about this but he wasn't going to let Houki walk all over him.
"Do what?" Houki unsurely asked.
"Cut out Tabane-san your life. It isn't fun to see her like that. Crying and hurt." Ichika replied.
Houki's flames came to life. "Do you have any idea what my life became due to her?"
"Do you have any idea how much you are hurting Taba-nee with your actions?" Madoka shot back.
Houki's flame was cooled by her ice. She piped down immediately.
"What's done is done. You can't change that. I can imagine it wasn't easy for you." Ichika admitted. He leant back and looked up to the ceiling. "But that's life. For the two of us, life wasn't a cakewalk either. We had our own problems. Our own solutions to make. The point is that we don't care about the past. The future is what you gotta look to."
"What do you propose?" Houki asked while the two sat back.
"Give your sister a call. I doubt that Tabane will be hateful towards you. Having that anger aimed at your sister isn't good for you." Ichika put a hand on her shoulder and Madoka took a seat next to her.
"Believe me, Houki. We have cursed our sister more than once. But we love our sister. Besides, if you want to catch up to us, you'll have to figure out a way for that." Houki nodded and she left with a resolved smile. The twins welcomed that with a grin.
"It's a start."
"Orimura-kun. There is some news. The bath for the boys has finally been made." Maya came up to the twins and with that, Ichika was out.
The Knight had been waiting a while for that. Sitting back, the door opened, and in walked, Mattheus. Buck naked.
"Evening." Ichika leant his head back. He gulped when he saw Mattheus walking in. The Flemish man was larger than Ichika and he had more defined muscles.
"You taking a bath too?" The Hunter sat down some bits away. Close enough for a civilized conversation but far enough to avoid any actions on him. He groaned as his body submerged in the hot water.
"I was going to my bed but Yamada-sensei told me about this. I thought that right before bed, nothing is better than a hot bath." Mattheus's head turned to Ichika who looked back at him.
"Gotta admit. That was a showdown there. What a fight that was."
Their eyes locked to each other. Sure, Mattheus was closer to his sister but Ichika could get closer to him.
"You really think that it was okay?" Ichika's tone was as calm as the water.
"I wasn't worried. A little bit yeah but not much. I know your sis. I know you now a bit more." Mattheus had a grin on his face.
"You do?"
"That fight we had? It was a rough one. Either way, when you did the same thing you did on Bodewig, you two rocked that place. Put you two against anyone and no one makes it out alive."
Ichika looked down at his fist. "I owe my sisters a lot." Mattheus could only nod on that.
"You trust Madoka with your life. Same as I and Joel do. We got so much trust in them. You don't have to worry about it too much. You gotta protect your sis, your sis gotta protect you. It's the way things go."
"Isn't the man supposed to protect the woman?"
Mattheus scoffed at the words. "That's right for us to say. I hate to beat the dead horse but you and I are the first males in a full women world. That idea of yours? It's not exactly healthy. Besides, it's the duty of the elders to look after the young. Your older sister is the one who should protect you."
Ichika glared back at him. "You can't say that."
"Isn't that how things have always been?"
The Knight pipped down and Mattheus gave a softer smile.
"Your sis has protected you. Okay, you can look after her now. But when you bite off more than you can chew, calling her is the best idea." Mattheus stretched out and he felt that his body needed some rest.
"I'll see you later." And with that, he was out of the baths. He only needed to get to his room. His bed waited for him. He was tired, so he wouldn't wait for Joel.
In the bath, Ichika leaned his head back. It looked like Mattheus kept a few secrets.
"Sorry for disturbing you." His head turned around to see Charlotte Dunois walking in. Ichika choked on his spit when he saw the woman walking in.
"Don't look at me Ichika, you perv!" The boy raised an eyebrow. Madoka wasn't lying. How did she hide those? She was struggling to get the towel to cover her naked body. Her hair was also undone. The boy could only gulp.
"That's rich coming from you. Char, why are you coming in the bath now?" She joined in the bath and let the towel go. She sat in the warm water while Ichika had his back turned.
"You don't want to bathe with me?" Was she teasing him? Was she? Ichika hoped that the year that he had been around Tabane had beaten that out of him. It was one thing when Madoka sent the visions of naked girls experimenting on each other and another thing where a naked girl sat next to you.
"That is not the question. Why are you in here now?"
The girl turned around acting like a cat. "I thought that I should take a bath as well. If I am a bother, I'll get out". Ichika just sighed and turned around.
"You're not. Just don't look this way." Ichika sat back down. He could feel her back colliding with his.
"I have something I want to talk about. It's important so I want you to listen." Charlotte was serious and Ichika could guess what it would be. Yet, he would let the lady talk.
"You're going to stay at the school?" Ichika asked her first for good measure.
"I am. I am going to stay. You and your sister showed me how strong you two are. I want to be like that. Strong enough to carry me."
For Ichika, he had a tune in his head. For some reason, it resonated with Charlotte. "You want to stay because of us?"
"You helped with my partner." She reached for his hand and Ichika tried his hardest not to send a message to his sister.
"I see. Are you going as a girl or as a boy?" The Knight wasn't sure what he would prefer.
Either would work for him. Charlotte relaxed as she pulled herself closer to him.
"I am going as a girl. You and Madoka, I like you two. Thanks for that." Ichika nodded and she let herself enjoy.
Meanwhile, Madoka wanted to interrupt but she understood that Charlotte was bringing up the courage.
She did make the mental note to talk to their big sister. At this point, Chifuyu had no time for either of them.
Line Break
The teacher was sitting in a lab. And they weren't lying. Their biggest tech guy was looking it over.
"The Valkyrie Trace System. I was hoping that it was deleted out of this planet years ago." Chifuyu and Maya turned to Joel who had been working on the unit. Chifuyu admitted that he looked too old for the age that he really had.
"Pearce, you know what the Valkyrie Trace System is?" The punk nodded as he went to the computer. He showed off his handiwork. Chifuyu found that he carried a lot with him.
"Yeah, you gotta admit. The bastards who cooked up this recipe got some sense of fucked up humor." Chifuyu raised an eyebrow at the mouth of Joel.
She had grown used to his mouth. She was more interested in how Joel told her. His tone was devoid of his usual sense of humor.
"Oh?" She just asked and most would fear for their lives.
Joel just showed her on his laptop. "Yep. Orimura-sensei. Do you know who was one of the most famous Valkyries were in Norse folklore? I will give you a hint. You share the same name."
Chifuyu Orimura was a sharp and smart woman.
"Brunhilde."
"Was it any surprise that Bodewig took your form?" Chifuyu just sighed as she heard the punk continue to explain.
"Whoever did this to her, they wiped the data. Nothing I can find back or leads on them. Now, if you'll excuse me. It's way past my bedtime. And I need my sleep." Without even waiting for an answer, Joel walked out.
Chifuyu checked her clock.
It was past two am and in a few hours, she would be up as well. Following the boy's example, she was out. Sleep was something that even she needed.
Chifuyu walked through the silent academy. It was incredible when all of the girls were asleep. She hummed a song in a quiet tone and eventually, ended up in her room. Undressing, she took off the black shirt and her white undershirt.
It revealed a creamy chest and a lot of skin. She had a good choice in her underwear. She changed into a simple nightgown. It was white and she laid her head back. Without a lover, she wanted some warmth around her.
But now, it was too inappropriate to get her little brother and sister out of bed.
Still too stressed out from the night, she decided to pull out the tablet and put on a video. Mattheus had recommended that. And damn, that hypnosis video of his work like a charm.
Line Break
In an undisclosed location
"Well, that didn't work out." A man sat back while he watched the scenes unfold. Squall stood behind him, her boobs pressed on his back. Not that he was affected. Taking up the smoke, she could tell that he had gone through two packets today.
"I take that your little VTS didn't work."
He shrugged while in some regard, he admired the twins. "Indeed, it didn't. Not that it's that surprising." Both ignored the sounds that the tied up crazies made.
Squall emphasized her boobs while crossing her arms.
"Not that it's abnormal." She admitted. It wasn't a huge loss and both could agree it was pretty fucked up. "Given how it went down with the twins." Squall admired the handiwork of the twins.
"They can't find it back. It was in her unit. I just activated it." Again, the man lit a cigarette. He looked up and met Squall's eyes.
"We underestimated them. We shouldn't do that. Lesson learned." Squall shined at the man who agreed on that. He shut off his computer. It was late enough and he could use some rest.
"Something you want from me?" He asked. Pushing his back in his seat, Squall smiled at him.
"Yes. I think I need some. And you'll help me, Aiden." The man leaned his head back. Sure, this could work for him.
Line Break
The next morning
Maya stood ready with their "newest" member of the class. Mattheus covered Joel's mouth who was ready to shout that he knew he was right.
"I'll introduce a transfer student to all of you today." Her eyes and those of everyone turned to Charlotte who walked in. Ichika sent a bit of thank you to his little sister that called their big sister in.
"I'm Charlotte Dunois. Nice to meet all of you again." Unlike last time, she was wearing a skirt. Ichika could only wonder how the school allowed that to pass. The girl caught up with it while Madoka sent a message to her bestie. The Hunter nodded to it and he just turned up his headset.
"It seems that Dunois-kun was actually Dunois-san," Maya said while Ichika shared a look with his big sister. Chifuyu just sighed at him.
"Huh?" Houki just uttered while Joel wrestled himself from Mattheus's hands.
"So Dunois-kun is a girl." The girls began to chat while Madoka was waiting for a disaster.
"I knew that something was strange."
"He wasn't a cute boy but a cute girl."
"Orimura-kun, Orimura-san! You two are her roommates so you couldn't have known!" Both did not speak up from that.
"Wait! The boys used the big yesterday, right?"
"I did not see her in the bath! I was there with Ichika but I haven't seen her in the bath!" Mattheus shouted while Ichika turned a glare to him.
"Wait? Madoka-san, did you know?" Madoka wanted to open her mouth but found the wall getting destroyed.
'Oh shit.' Both thought while Rin ran through the wall IS on.
"Ichikaaaa!"
"Oh come on! You have got to be kidding me!" Ichika wanted to manifest his own unit but before he could, the attack for the two was stopped. Laura stood in their way. The German had stopped the attack. While the twins were grateful Chifuyu was hitting Rin over the head.
"Thanks, we owe you one!" Madoka shouted and Laura grabbed the shirt of Madoka. She pressed her lips on the girl who began to blush like mad. Everyone's jaws dropped open. The poor girl turned five shades of red while Mattheus covered the eyes of Joel. The boy didn't even try to pry his hands away.
"You are my bride. It's a decided matter. I will not accept objections." Ichika wasn't sure what he had to say on that but Madoka was recovering fast.
Chifuyu couldn't believe it. Was this what she had to expect from this?
"I do not swing that way!" and chaos ensued from that point. Meanwhile, Ichika shared a look with his big sister.
Chifuyu's voice shouted at Laura. "Bodewig. That's enough." The silverette shut down her Infinite Stratos and made her way over to Ichika. Madoka was just boring her eyes on the ground.
"I feel violated. My first kiss." Ichika stepped out of the way. "Forget it." Deploying the blade, he kept Laura at bay.
"I got someone else in my heart." He could shoot himself in the head when he said that as the class erupted in shock.
"Who!?"
"Who is the one for our prince!?"
"Ichika-kun, please pick me!" A smirk followed on his lips while Ichika just put his fingers on his lips.
"That's a secret."
Chifuyu raised an eyebrow while Mattheus had pulled out his headset.
"It's the same old theme, since 1916." The Hunter stood up while he crossed his arms.
"Can we stop this stupid show?"
Line Break
Later
Chifuyu had been ringing her phone. She didn't have to worry that she had to wait along. The tune set over and Tabane's voice was heard.
The Brunhilde was already exhausted.
[Chi-chan~! I'm sooooo happy that you called me~!]
"Shut it. You know why I called."
[Oh, yes~! The Valkyrie Trace System. Gotta say, unbelievable that it showed up.] The scientist laid her head back. Houki was one regret she had.
The VTS left bigger wounds on her.
"The same was said by our tech guy. I trust you got nothing to do with that?"
[Do you really think I would allow such a thing? That abomination is an insult to you! I saw what Ikkun and Madocchi did on that. Impressive!]
"We trained them well. Either way, Pearce said that he has been running tracks over it. He said he got nothing on the ones who put that in Bodewig." It remained quiet for a few tense seconds.
"Tabane?"
[Chi-chan. Did you say Pearce?] It was like the woman was gasping for air.
"Yes, I did. Is something wrong?"
[No. I'll talk to you later.] Tabane closed the call and Chifuyu just stared at the screen. It was rare that Tabane acted like that. She thought on Joel. It looked like he had a link with Tabane. Maybe.
The scientist was quiet back in her pod. Tears slowly went down her face. Clutching her phone between her hands, it shook vividly. She hoped, prayed that she might take a chance right. She wouldn't look into it.
The beach was where she would get her answers.
And here we end it.
It was one ride for me and well, I took some time to get it all done. I was busy with work as I mentioned before. Weekends also got raids with them as writing isn't my only hobby.
Yet, I am happy with the results. I thank you all for the patience. The next chapter will take some good time.
9/10 it'll be next year for the update. I do hope that it'll be before the anniversary of this fic. See you all in 2021.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know in the reviews.
Saluut.
