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Second Chances	By : walkerofdarkness Category: +G to L > IS: Infinite Stratos Views: 4425 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos or the characters from it. I do not make any profit from this story. I do own my OCs though.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter 4

The hardships that I encountered in the past will help me succeed in the future.

-Philip Emeagwali
Ichika felt the weight of every set of eyes in the classroom focus entirely on him. Twenty faces, all of them female, were fixated on him; the various owners waiting on bated breath. The last person, a girl with long dark hair in a split ponytail, stared at Ichika with a quirky expression on her face.
Summoning his courage, Ichika stood up slowly, letting the chair scrape on the tile floor. Clearing his throat once, the sound as uncomfortable to his ears as it was to his voice. “Hello, I’m Ichika Orimura and...”
“YOU’RE DEAD!” Ichika’s head snapped around at the interruption, seeing the ponytailed girl climbing up from her seat. Her voice rose in pitch as it dropped in octaves. “I was there, WE BURIED YOU!”
Sighing quietly, Ichika listened as Maya Yamada began yelling to get control of the class which had burst into noise. The ponytailed girl, identified by the teacher as a Shinonono, seemed ready to leap across the room. Instead, the teen sat down gingerly at her desk, perched forward on the edge of her chair. Even through the uniform top, Ichika could see the shoulders shaking in tension.
Waiting patiently to let Maya quiet the suddenly raucous group of girls, Ichika thought back over the last few weeks. The bandages had come off soon after his homecoming. It made things easier, but Ichika still had to work at everything he did. Everyday chores had been challenges in endurance and coordination; both traits in short supply while he recovered. The adults had been patient as Ichika’s frustration grew with each failing. Ran and Dan had been around constantly, spending as much time as their parents allowed. Most of the time spent with the Gotandas involved goofing off, playing games or just taking walks through the districts of Kyoto.
Chifuyu, though, was a completely different story. The elder Orimura had been a major source of confusion the entire time: she alternated between hovering close, watching Ichika with hawk-eyed gaze before abruptly leaving to go into her room or out of the house. Strangely enough, every occasion that took Chifuyu from the house never left Ichika alone: either the Gotanda adults or Maya Yamada was there in her stead. The green haired woman was living in the house at Chifuyu’s insistence, helping out when she could. Given the lack of space in the house, Maya was sharing a bedroom with the elder Orimura. Ichika had constantly wondered what went on between the two women, but neither was forthcoming on their activities.
One memory drifted to the forefront as Maya continued to call for order in the classroom. Ichika had walked out of his bedroom to get a drink and literally ran into the green haired woman coming out of the bathroom; her only clothing had been a towel wrapped around her voluptuous figure. They’d fallen into a heap, one of his hands groping a breast while his thigh pressed up tight against her groin. Maya had let out a sound that was part squeak and part moan, while Ichika blushed and tried to get himself untangled without staring at the exposed nipple riding above the cloth. Turning his back, Ichika had apologized repeatedly as he tried to crawl into his room to avoid any further embarrassment. Hard to imagine that’s the same woman standing at the front of the room calling for order, he mused as the class quieted down. It’s like two different people: the klutz and the teacher.
The chaos of the class reluctantly died off over the course of a couple minutes as Ichika propped himself up on his desk. “No matter how many times I hear that, it never gets old. Okay, round two,” he quipped as a wan smile settled on his long face. “I’m Ichika Orimura, and I can fly an IS.” Ichika debated on following the script Chifuyu and Maya had insisted upon. Well, that plan’s fragged anyway, he decided. “And to answer Shinonono-san’s statement, yes I was dead. But I’m better now. Don’t ask me for details, I’m still working it out for myself. Anything else and you can ask me in private.”
Sitting down at his desk, Ichika tried to ignore the questions in the eyes of his classmates. Shinonono’s blue eyes had even more intensity now; had they been a laser Ichika felt he would have burst into flames on the spot. The next student, a girl with bubble gum pink hair, rose up stiffly and resumed the class introductions.
<—*—>
The bell rang its muted tones, providing a necessary break from classes. Ichika found himself immediately surrounded by his classmates. Girls of various sizes, colors and shapes pressed in close, all of them speaking at once. Ichika spun in place as he tried to answer each question he could understand. Frustration started to build up in his chest as the various teens pressed in closer, each of them getting louder to shout over their neighbor.
Ichika pursed his lips tightly, feeling a scream build up as his tension reached a climax. “Enough!” a voice bellowed, giving everyone pause for a long heartbeat. Houki Shinonono glared at the throng of girls standing close to Ichika, sapphire eyes bright with something no one could place. The junior Orimura’s entourage stepped away under the tall teen’s gaze; a moment’s insecurity generated by the promise of violence in Houki’s expression.
Taking advantage of the interruption, Houki reached out and grabbed Ichika by his left biceps. Strong fingers dug in smoothly to his accompanying wince, then pulled. Suppressing his instinct to fight the grip, Ichika let himself get snatched away from the girls’ encirclement. Houki dragged Ichika close, then started to push him out the open door with a fully extended arm.
“Hey, where are you taking Orimura-kun?” asked the pink haired student meekly. Houki stopped mid-stride and twisted her head marginally. A single eye peeked through the curtain of dark hair, and the inquisitor felt her curiosity die under the glacially cold sapphire stare. Facing forward again, Houki flexed and pushed Ichika to get him moving a second time.
Ichika continued to let Houki guide his path as they climbed rank after rank of steps. There had been plenty of overheard comments as the younger Orimura was marched through the building. Everyone who caught sight of Houki’s face wisely chose to go back to their lunches than deal with the malice in the first year’s expression.
Coming to a lone door, Ichika opened it to reveal the Academy’s roof. Following Ran’s guidance, he stepped aside and held the door for his companion. Houki’s eyes never left Ichika as she strode confidently into the open space. She came to a rest several feet away, one foot a breadth ahead of the other, weight perfectly balanced. Ichika kept a wary eye on the girl as he let the door go, the hinges squeaking as the metal barricade closed.
Taking a couple of steps away, Ichika reviewed what he knew about her. Houki Shinonono. She said she was a former national kendo champion. Brown eyes drifted across the girl in the uniform. Can’t tell much through the school clothes, but her visible legs look toned. Not quite as tall as me, but if I doubt that would be an issue in a fight. It comes down to trouble, she would be handful.
The silence grew longer as Houki’s face danced through emotions. The predatory mien started to crack the during the pause, giving way to display outright frustration. Sapphire eyes narrowed, the delicate nose twitched as her breath grew ragged. The ribbon in Houki’s black hair started to shiver in response to a tremor in her shoulders. “Well?” the girl demanded in an imperious tone.
Blinking at the statement, Ichika tried not to let the blazing emotions disturb him. “Well what?”
Houki’s lips pursed into a frown as she shifted her weight onto her forward foot. “Tell me,” she stated, snarling out each word coldly, “exactly who you are.”
A quick breath escaped through Ichika’s lips. “I told you already, at the start of the day. My name is Ichika Orimura.”
“LIAR!” the teen girl screamed, her voice filed with emotion. Houki’s body moved forward of its own accord, bringing her into Ichika’s face. “I saw the video!” she bellowed in his face, spittle hitting his cheek. “I SAW YOU DIE. I WAS AT YOUR FUNERAL!”
Feeling uncomfortable by the emotional display, Ichika tried to keep his composure while having the girl nearly touching his face. “I don’t know about that,” he started, his voice sounding weak even to his own ringing ears. “But I do know they did some tests and turned me over to Chifuyu-nee. Beyond that, they told me to not talk about it with anyone, so I can’t help you.”
“LIAR!” Houki screamed a second time, her hands clenching tightly. The knuckles were whiter than her uniform sleeve and her hands started to shake. “LIAR LIAR LIAR!” Each outburst brought a hard jerk to the girl’s body; a foot stamped the ground and both hands rose up to waist height. Sapphire eyes scrunched up in denial as the ponytail bucked wildly.
Ichika took quick advantage of the girl’s distress and slid away, buying himself some safety with distance. Houki’s eyes snapped open with the sound of his shoes on the shingles, fixating coldly on him again. Strong hands relaxed themselves open, then clenched tightly. A lean, feral grin grew on Houki’s lips, almost out of place on a gorgeous face like hers. “I don’t know what your game is, asshat.” She spat contemptuously, raising her hands to a standard fighting posture. “But I’m going to beat the truth out of you, no matter how long it takes. Or how much it hurts you.”
“STOP!” a commanding voice bellowed, gathering the attention of both students. The teens looked back to the roof access door to see their teacher walking out. Chifuyu’s back was straight, her face was set into an emotionless mask. Brown eyes looked over the situation in an instant, hardening to the point of being etched in stone. “I expected better of you,” she stated, letting her eyes catch the gaze of both teens. Her voice was cold enough to drop the temperature on the roof by several degrees. “Both of you.”
The two teens dropped their faces to stare at the roof. “Sorry Chifuyu-nee,” Ichika admitted sheepishly. Houki looked up from under her brows to stare momentarily at Ichika, but said nothing to the elder Orimura.
Chifuyu sighed lightly at her brother’s mistake. “I told you to call me Orimura-sensei when we were at the Academy.” She admonished firmly, her voice brooking no argument.
Ichika looked up see the stern expression on his sister’s face. “Sorry Ch—Orimura-sensei.”
Giving her brother a slight nod at his apology, the elder Orimura let the full weight of her gaze settle on her friend’s sister. “As for you, Houki-chan...”
Houki looked up to see the cold expression on her sister’s longtime acquaintance. “If you expect me to apologize, forget it.” She started, her voice cold but proud. “I deserve some answers damnit and I am going to get them—“ The teen broke off as Chifuyu raised her right hand, cocked in a particular way. Her bravado failed Houki as memories of the beating received from the elder Orimura months ago came rushing to the front of her consciousness.
“Don’t worry, you will apologize,” Chifuyu admonished, certainty in her voice. “And you will NEVER threaten another student at the Academy. I don’t care who your sister is, or what you fantasize you’re entitled to because of your name.”
The teacher’s voice softened slightly, still firm, but without the harsh edge. “But you are correct in claiming you are due some answers.” The older woman’s brown gaze tracked back the only male present and caught his attention instantly. “Go ahead, Ichika, tell her what you know.”
Ichika frowned dubiously at his instructions. “Are you sure Orimura-sensei?” he asked, the doubt clear in his voice.
A curt nod confirmed the earlier decision. “Yeah. Houki-chan is, well...was Ichika’s best friend. So she should be told.”
<—*—>
Okay, where to begin? I guess you’re wondering a lot about the fact that I’m well, not dead. I don’t know much about that.
So how am I here? That’s odd. Most of my memories aren’t exactly together, but I do remember a bit. I spent a lot of time in a room without windows. Not really big, but big enough. I had a bed, small metal sink and equally metal toilet. The walls were stone of some sort and the door was made of metal.
I didn’t get a lot of company in my room. Most times, it was just some of the guards of the place. They’d come by with this evil glint in their eyes. I learned early on to be afraid of that look, because after the first one I knew what it meant. They’d come to me with the goal of kicking my ass. Which they would do, no matter what I did to defend myself. But...now that I look at it in passing, I can’t be sure they were trying to really hurt me. I mean, sure every visit like that involved a lot of pain. But these guys knew how to hurt people. I don’t doubt for an instant that if they wanted me dead, I’d be dead. Still, they visited me to kick my ass, and all I could really do is take it.
Sometimes a couple of big angry-looking guys would show up. They’d take me out of the cell, walk me down the hallway to the room of the day. I guess it was day, anyway. Never saw a clock, calendar or window anywhere I was taken. And if I chose not to go, then I was encouraged. Usually with a beating. I will say, the guys enjoyed it more when I fought. And they were very good at delivering a beating. If I didn’t resist, I managed to ‘trip’ a few times on the way. And every trip got an immediate punishment.
Depending on the day, or the plan for everything, they would end up taking me to different rooms. Most days I was taken to a large room. When I got there, I was strapped into the device of the day. Usually a chair, but occasionally it was a table. They secured wires to my head and body. Then I was shown pictures. Blood, violence, acts of wanton cruelty. If I closed my eyes or looked away, the wires delivered a nasty shock. I had to watch it all.
Sometimes I ended up in a lab with a couple of doctors. I guess they were doctors. They dressed up like the doctor I met here at the Academy. But Dr. Saunders, she has nice eyes. Friendly. These people didn’t. They didn’t see me as a person. They just saw me as an object, a thing they could use as much as they wanted to without any respect for the knowledge I’m a person.
The only good thing about the lab was that was where Michelle was. I don’t know her last name. She told me her name was Michelle. Most everyone else just called her slave, whore or bitch. If I had a name back then, I don’t remember anyone ever using it. Michelle did menial tasks in the lab, carried things from place to place, cleaned the floor. I think, no, I KNOW she was getting beat like I was. Occasionally when I saw her, she had a black eye or new bruises on her face. She would move stiffly, like it was painful. We never talked, but the first time I saw her our eyes met. We managed to say a lot with just that one brief glance.
But that was the kind of life I lived. I don’t know how long it had been going on, but I figured it would go on until I died.
Until Michelle managed to change all that.
I woke up with a hand over mouth, the skin was warm and soft. I’d been attacked in my sleep before, but this was something else. My eyes snapped open and started to focus a face close to mine. Michelle had her face almost touching mine, her hair just barely grazing my skin. “Stay quiet,” she whispered at me, urgency in her voice. “We don’t have much time and we need to go NOW.”
She removed her hand from my face and snagged my shoulder. I got to my feet, shaky from the abrupt wake-up call, and the last beating I had received. Michelle’s eyes darted back to the open door of my cell. “They were talking about doing something to you. They never explained themselves, but it sent chills down my spine. I fucked a couple of the guards to get access to you now, before they started on you in the morning. Come on.”
Michelle lead me out of my cell, showing me a new route. We came to a different door, one I hadn’t seen before. Michelle reached into her smock and produced a flat card. She swiped the keycard by the doorframe and we got entry into a new hallway. It was still stone, but it had a different feel to it. The places I had been taken had a sharp, medicinal tang to them. The new one, I don’t know, smelled of...metal.
We scurried down the new corridor, keeping out heads low and listening for any sounds of people. Turns seemed to be taken at random to me, but Michelle seemed to have an idea of where we needed to go. Left, right, then a second left. As we started to pass by one door, it opened up on us. A guard walked out, his eyes and his hands down on his pants.
Even as Michelle froze in horror, I felt something snap in my head. I charged forward as the guard looked up to see the two of us there. Slammed into him hard, and the momentum of the effort carried us back into the bathroom. We landed with a thud and I started throwing punches. He was bigger than me, stronger. I couldn’t afford to let him get any advantage.
I felt one of his hands on my throat and the other on my chin, pushing me up. My left hand came down on firm flesh and I could feel something give way under my fingers. His hands dropped from my body and covered his throat. I straddled him longer, holding myself there as he thrashed and bucked under me. After a long series of heartbeats, the guy stopped moving.
I let go tentatively, carefully watching the guy to see if he was playing me. He wasn’t. Michelle reached around me and put her hand to his neck. It didn’t stay long as she pulled away immediately. I looked into Michelle’s face and saw her shake her head marginally. But there was something in her eyes...I’m not sure what it was. Maybe it was fear, but I don’t think so. It didn’t feel like fear to me.
Michelle grabbed at my arm, gave it a firm tug. My legs worked of their own accord and I found myself getting up on my feet. Event though I knew something was wrong, I couldn’t put the sensation into words. My heart was pounding in my chest. Blood sang in my ears. I caught sight of Michelle’s face, and her brown eyes held a reflection of what I was feeling. But in her face, for that one moment we shared, it seemed...purer maybe. Like whatever was going on, she was enjoying it more.
She started pulling at the arm she held, her face shifting to a different emotion. “Come on, come on,” she hissed, urgency in her voice. She looked up at a sign on the far wall, her eyes scanning the words easily. I looked up at the sign, but the words were written in a language I didn’t understand. It seemed all gibberish to me.
Michelle started to guide me again, the signs giving her some sort of encouragement. We came to a specific set of doors, and she pulled out the keycard again. Waving it at the new door, she frowns when the door doesn’t open and instead a yellow light clicks on. She passes it a third time at the reader in the doorframe and an alarm starts going off.
I start scanning the hallway, expecting guards to come swarming at us instantly. Michelle reached into the neck of her outfit, pulls out something. I hear a snick and see her start working on the card reader. The panel comes off and I see her hand disappear into it. There’s a quick snap, then the familiar smells of burned flesh and ozone. Let’s just say some of the days I had were...creative in their activities.
The door starts to slide open as Michelle pulls her hand from the reader. We duck through before it got halfway and she slaps on the control on her side, forcing the door closed again. She viciously stabs her hand holding a tool of some kind through the panel. I hear some more sparks pop out as a thin tendril of smoke comes from the panel. Michelle surveyed her work for a heartbeat before looking away. “That ought to keep them out for a while. Hopefully.”
I looked around the new room we were in. It was cavernous. I hadn’t seen anything that large before. The roof was easily ten meters overhead, with a solid looking material supported by metal braces at regular intervals. But what was in the room is what was more important.
There were a number of large frames supporting things. I didn’t know it at the time, but they were IS suits. Don’t know how many, or what models, but to me it seemed like a whole shitton full of them. Most of them were in various states of disrepair. Parts were missing, service panels open. I guess it was some sort of repair facility. But there were a few that seemed more or less complete...but they had extra parts. Like they were trying to be modified somehow.
Michelle came up beside me as I stared around the room. “Wow...” she whispered, her voice tight with awe. One of her hands pointed out a spot farther into the room, maybe halfway down the row of suits. “That way.”
She pulled me towards the indicated location. It was an alcove, a half circle set into the wall. There were a number of odd looking designs on the sides of it. Metal things I’ve never seen before, covered with a clear glass surface. Some of the glass was covering wires and other stuff, lights and whatnot. Up close, the alcove seemed to dwarf me. I doubt I could have touched to top of it if I stood on my tiptoes. Michelle stepped around the alcove to the far side, scanning her eyes across a station display set a few meters away. She walked over to the station and started tapping random buttons.
“One of the guys who regularly fucks me likes to talk,” Michelle started, not looking up from what she was doing. “I mean, he just can’t shut up. So one time, while he’s balls deep in my ass, the prick goes on and on about how good I am, better than this tech he’s more or less dating.” Michelle glanced up at me for a moment, disgust in her eyes. “Men. Anyway, in the afterglow of one of their sessions, she told him that her group had worked out an improvement to the IS transfer system to let it be used safely on people. It was supposed to be past the theoretical stage. When I heard about it, I knew it was important.”
Michelle looked back at me a second time, her brown eyes softening slightly. “I don’t know where it will send us, but I do know anywhere is better than here." Her gaze went back to the controls in front of her. "I was watching how people use things wherever I've been. I think I can get this to work, but I don't know for sure. Since they want to do something to you, our best plan is to deny you to them."
She directed me to stand back in the alcove and started pushing at buttons. The exposed parts start to glow as energy built up around me along with a deep vibrating hum. I tried to remain calm as the machinery began working, doing something. I looked at Michelle hesitantly and saw her flash a brave grin at me. "I'll be right behind you," she said. Her voice seemed more confident than I felt. "Good luck."
Then there was a flash of light, and the next thing I knew I was falling.
<—*—>
Houki stared in disbelief as Ichika stopped his story. "That's it?" the teen asked incredulously.
Chifuyu moved over to hand a box lunch to Ichika, who promptly opened it and started eating. "Well, more or less. He got teleported into one of the arenas here at the Academy. Gave us a run around, managed to fly an IS," the teacher paused as a pained expression crossed her face, "and almost got killed again in the process. After it was all over, the took him into custody. Dr. Saunders got him patched up, they started figuring out who he was and brought me in."
The raven haired girl shook her head violently, causing her ponytail to swish and buck. "It's impossible. SOME word of it must have gotten out. There wasn't any sort of news about a male flying an IS until last week."
A soft sigh escaped the teacher's lips as she placed herself defensively between Houki and her brother. "Well, to be honest, it all happened on the same day you and I met. Which was rather eventful, in case you forgot. And even IF you had been willing to listen to me then, which I doubt, it was still a complicated affair.”
Chifuyu’s gaze drifted to Ichika as he shoveled food into his mouth. “Since it all happened on school grounds, we were able to cover up most of the details of the incident. I’m sure a lot of people know Ichika is alive and can fly an IS. But as soon as his identity was confirmed, the Academy declared him a student and put him under its aegis.” An idle finger came up to flick rice off Ichika’s uniform. “That at least gives us a few years to figure out what else can be done. ‘No country, organization or business can interfere with the Infinite Stratos Academy affairs or its students,’” the teacher quoted succinctly.
A variety of emotions fought for dominance on the teen girl’s face as Houki turned away from her teacher. Ichika continued to eat, his focus completely locked onto his food. Sapphire eyes scrunched shut as her breath started growing ragged with each moment. Molten brown eyes narrowed as they judged distance and attacks.
Houki’s body arched abruptly as her mouth opened in a primal scream. Chifuyu felt her body tense up, but felt the emotion disperse as the teenager collapsed onto her knees. The long raven colored hair shrouded Houki’s face, but the teen’s head kept twitching inside the self created curtain.
Ichika, startled from his meal by Houki’s scream, stared at his classmate intently. Long fingers clenched and released rhythmically on top of stocking-covered knees. A series of wordless sounds could barely be heard where he sat. Curious, he stole a look at his sister standing over both of them. Chifuyu’s eyes were intent on the teenage girl, but lacked the hardness demonstrated in class. The teacher’s hands were by her side, though Ichika detected a tightness in her shoulders through the dark suit jacket.
Waiting for a further reaction, Ichika picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating. The next morsel had barely cleared the box lunch before Houki’s voice caught his attention. A whisper just barely carried over to him, “Ichika, I’m sorry.”
Freezing mid-motion, the world’s only male IS pilot frowned at the statement. “I didn’t quite catch that,” Ichika admitted, doubt coloring his voice.
Houki straightened herself up and bowed formally to her classmate. Black hair piled onto the rooftop as her voice gained in strength. “Ichika Orimura, I apologize for my actions. They were unacceptable.” The girl’s tone was studiously formal, but sincere. Houki’s eyes never left the ground as she shifted direction towards her teacher. “Orimura-sensei, I apologize for my conduct today. It was unbecoming of my status as a student at the Academy.”
Ichika stole a fast glance at his sister, unsure of what to do. The elder Orimura gave her head the slightest tilt towards him. “I...uh...accept your apology, Shinonono-san.”
“And I accept your apology as well,” Chifuyu agreed, a single note of approval in her dry voice. The teen girl raised her head to see a oddly satisfied expression on the adult’s face. Houki felt her skin flush at the thought that the teacher had been right all along. A panicked glance showed that only the female Orimura noticed the reaction: Ichika had gone back to eating his meal.
Guess it’s time to mend some bridges, the older woman thought. Clearing her throat slightly, Chifuyu knelt down by both students. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” she apologized softly, earning a startled jerk from Houki. “I wanted to contact you. But I felt that you would have trouble believing anything that I said. I DID contact Tabane to tell you, but I should have followed up with her to make sure she did.”
The corners of Houki’s full lips twitched up in the slightest of grins. “And nee-san isn’t exactly the most reliable of people on the best of days.”
Grinning herself, the teacher straightened up and smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in her suit. “There you go,” Chifuyu agreed. “Now, on a professional matter, I’ll have to come up with some sort of punishment, but for now I’m going to let you two get some lunch.”
Both students blanched at the mention of punishment. Their teacher walked to the door and opened it once more. “One more thing,” Chifuyu said, one hand braced on the door as she kept her head carefully forward, “if you don’t stand up for yourself, you’ll never last around here.”
The two teens frowned at each other in mutual silence as the door shut with a muted click.
<—*—>
Checking the number against the scrap of paper in his hand, Ichika opened the door without knocking. The familiar sound of water running through a closed door to the left was vaguely reassuring. Two of all the essentials presented themselves to Ichika: bed, desk, armoire. One desk had some papers on it, and the bed farthest from him had an extra pillow on it.
Shrugging to himself, Ichika walked in and nudged the door close with his guitar case. The soft carpet didn’t make a whisper of sound as he strode into the room he had been assigned. Approaching the nearer bed, the male IS pilot carefully placed his guitar case and suitcase on the mattress. Opening the suitcase, Ichika started pulling out clothes to lay them out on the sheets, organizing items as he mentally catalogued what should go where. He was so lost in thought that he barely noticed the water sounds ending from the closed side room.
The closed door opened up and released a blast of steam into the suite. Ichika looked up from his work to see Houki walk out of the bathroom, dripping wet from her shower and wearing only a towel wrapped around her voluptuous figure. Ichika idly noted that the due to the differences between the size of the towel and Houki’s body, the cloth barely covered decency. Sapphire eyes were closed as a second towel dabbed at damp hair. “Hey, sorry to greet you like this,” the girl started, not yet opening her eyes, “but I was sweaty from my kendo activities and wanted to grab a shower first. You’re my roommate right? Let’s try to take care of each other this year...”
Houki's voice trailed off as she opened her blue eyes to see Ichika standing in the room. Her mind shifted into overdrive as a blush crept into her cheeks. "Wh—what are you doing here?!” the raven haired teen bellowed indignantly. Overcoming her initial shock, Houki belated realized she was standing nearly naked in front of a male.
The blush faded as the kendoka’s* rage took over. One hand clutched the towel tightly as Houki sprinted towards her armoire. Grabbing at the gym bag lying in front, the tall teen snatched out a bokken; the meter long wooden sword had a soft glow as its polish reflected the room’s reading lights. Both hands gripped the bokken firmly as Houki’s mind settled into a practiced fighting routine. “I’ll punish you for breaking into my room, asshat,” she spat venomously. The wooden blade came up high as Houki lunged in, blue eyes glittering from emotions.
Ichika blinked hard at the action of his ‘friend’ even as his body reacted. His left hand came up and encompassed both of his assailant’s while his stepped in closer to her. Giving Houki’s hands a minor nudge, the younger Orimura guided the weapon from a skull crushing finale into a dull thud on the carpeted floor. Even as the breeze from the passing blow washed over him, Ichika was already commencing his counter.
Using his right hand, he made a fist and punched hard, aiming straight for the center of his attacker’s mass. The blow landed solidly on Houki’s sternum with a hollow thump as the girl felt the impact of Ichika’s punch increased by the speed of her movement. The slightly shorter teen’s ribs collapsed, compressing all the air from her lungs in a sudden and abrupt instant. “Woof!” she bellowed as pain started to flare in her chest.
But Ichika didn’t stop there. Keeping a solid grip on Houki’s engulfed hands, the male IS pilot slipped his foot forward to block Houki’s advance. The obstacle came into play and caused a stumble in the kendoka’s stance. Pulling with his left hand and pushing with his right arm, Ichika threw his teenage attacker over his left hip to slam her down into the ground with maximum force.
Houki took the fall badly and hard; her back had started to bounce off the carpet when her head impacted, resulting in a sudden burst of stars in her vision. Realizing her situation, the kendoka reflexively started to shift her position and try to regain her feet. The attempt had barely been started when Ichika dropped his entire weight down on her stomach.
No amount of kendo training had prepared Houki for having a mass almost two meters tall weighing the better part of one hundred kilograms deadfall onto her. The added weight compressed already abused lungs tighter, keeping the kendoka from breathing normally. Houki tried to raise up her left hand and found it compressed under Ichika’s knee. Her right hand, with it’s bokken, was still under his control as she lacked leverage to free it..
Houki’s mouth opened in desperation, trying to draw in breath, to scream, to do anything that would help her. Blackness crept around the edges of her vision as she squeaked out a little gasp, only to feel Ichika’s free hand clasp down around her throat; the big fingers tightening easily on soft flesh. Blue eyes went wide and a new burst of adrenaline focused the kendoka’s fading mind.
The instant clarity gained from the surge of energy locked Houki’s sapphire orbs on Ichika’s face. What she perceived froze her blood; her brain struggled to understand even as her vision faded. Ichika’s expression was almost emotionless while his brown eyes were calm. But it was his lips that kept the kendoka’s attention the most. The faintest of smiles tugged the corners of his mouth up, implying to Houki that he was enjoying it. Ichika’s face...it’s horrible, echoed through an oxygen deprived brain.
Blackness claimed her vision as Houki felt her body grow heavier with each passing instant. Her heart raced and her pulse thundered in her ears. No....not like this... was the last conscious thought as the kendoka felt her sapphire eyes close for possibly the last time.
Before the final darkness claimed the teen, the hand abruptly relaxed itself. Blue eyes opened again to see Ichika raising himself on his knees, bringing his weight off her body. Gasping loudly, the teen girl greedily sucked down lungfuls of air as fast as she could. Houki’s mind worked to pull itself back together as she assessed her situation.
Ichika watched her reaction closely, the tips of his fingers hanging onto the kendoka’s neck. A bruise was already forming; the impression of his hand burned red and angry on pale skin. Giving the raven haired teen a couple of moments to collect herself, Ichika organized what he was about to say.
“Now look,” the young Orimura started simply. “The way I see it, we have three options here. The first one is we can behave like proper people.
“That means,” he paused to let brown eyes drift over Houki’s body. The towel had congregated around her waist in the struggle, exposing firm breasts topped with rose colored nipples to his gaze. A quick glance over his shoulder showed a thick mass of black hair between her legs. “That means, that you unbunch the panties you’re not even wearing at the moment and we put this behind us for tonight. Tomorrow, we can go to the dorm monitor and request new roommates. I’m sure there are a lot of girls in our class who would jump at the chance to have me as a roommate,” Ichika mused openly. “Maybe that blond girl with the funny accent.”
Houki blushed as she felt Ichika’s eyes on her exposed body, a curious warmth settling into her stomach despite the pain from the fight. Trying to come to grips with the new sensation, the kendoka almost missed out on what her opponent said next. “Option two,” Ichika continued, unaware of what he was causing in the girl lying underneath him, “I walk out of here and find the dorm monitor, tell them you attacked me with a weapon and I had to defend myself. Given what Orimura-sensei said at lunch, I don’t think they’ll like hearing that. I can’t remember the student rules, but I’m pretty sure assault with a weapon is against them.”
A trickle of sweat ran down Houki’s forehead as she recalled the warning Chifuyu had presented earlier in the day. I can’t get kicked out of the Academy after only my first day!
Ichika saw the blue eyes flare momentarily and felt his roommate’s heart pound through his thighs. His voice dropped into a flat tone, as if he was reading the weather report in the newspaper. “Option three. Well, more of a two-bee.” A new, almost arctic inflection tinged Ichika’s voice. “I could just squeeze again and go tell the dorm monitor. ‘She attacked me with that sword, I felt scared. I had to defend myself,’” he whined piteously. “Nobody will have difficulty believing me. You might have some trouble with it, though, since you’d be dead and all.”
Every ounce of water on Houki’s body seemed to freeze instantly at that statement. Her stomach clenched up tightly again and her heart threatened to burst through sore ribs. I would say he’s joking, but that look on his face scares me.
Ichika felt his roommate tense up slightly underneath him and prepared to counter a throw. Instead, Houki relaxed and brought her sapphire orbs to meet his stare. A single, slow nod passed between them and the tension began to fade. Prying away the bokken from a non-resistant grip, Ichika smoothly rose off his roommate’s form.
Houki’s lips curled at the edges into the slightest of frowns at being disarmed so easily. Seeing Ichika watch her closely as he backed away from her, the kendoka belated realized that she was completely nude in front of a male. Her face blushed furiously, the red running down her neck past the bruises.
Turning his back on his former attacker, Ichika reached back into his luggage. Houki scrambled to her feet and quickly snatched clothes from her armoire. Pulling on a yukata, she tied it closed with practiced motions and turned back to face the man she had previously attacked. She bowed her head respectfully. “Ichika...” Houki started, her voice gravelly from the abuse, “I’m sorry I attacked you.”
The male IS trainee nodded to his attacker before realizing she couldn’t see the response. “It’s okay.” He paused to consider his next words carefully. “Do I need to get naked now for you just to make it cool between us?”
Houki’s head snapped up of its own accord, cheeks almost the color of blood. “WHAT?!”
Ichika looked sheepishly at his roommate. “Well, Ran-chan told me that since I had seen her naked by accident once, I had to get naked for her as well.” Ichika’s voice shifted into a higher pitch as he quoted his friend. “‘It’s only fair to show me yours since you saw mine.’ But to be honest, I only saw her with her top off and not completely naked.”
Covering her face with her hand, Houki tried to get a grip on the surreal nature of the moment. “And have you seen any other women nude?” she asked halfheartedly, the words slightly muffled.
An answer came back instantly. “Sure. Dan-kun has a couple of magazines with nude women in them. Claims they were gifts from his ojii-san but I’m not sure I believe him on that. Chifuyu-nee, sorry, Orimura-sensei was nearly nude the first time she helped me in the bath.” Ichika’s voice grew distant for a moment, drifting away into memory. “And there was one time where I was forced to be nude with Michelle. I think they were expecting something of me, but I just didn’t know what it was.”
Sapphire eyes popped open through splayed fingers. “What does Michelle look like?” Houki inquired softly.
“Well...” Ichika started, his eyes growing more distant as they looked farther into his fractured past. “In a lot of ways she looks like Chifuyu-nee. They’re very similar, except Michelle is a bit smaller in size. Maybe younger. But they share the same dark hair and brown eyes. Michelle has her hair cut differently. Chifuyu-nee’s hair goes down in waves to mid-back. Michelle’s hair stops just shy of the shoulders, and it’s pulled forward to frame her face.” Ichika frowned as a new thought wormed in. “Every time I see her, I have to fight the urge to call Chifuyu by Michelle’s name. They look that much alike.”
Houki felt a chill run down her spine at the comment. Could it be...her? Keeping her face neutral, she realized Ichika might still be waiting on his question. “To answer you from earlier, no I don’t need you to get naked. I’m sure at some point I’ll see you without clothes on. We’ll just say you owe me one.” Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Houki’s mind began to drift at all the implications. “I’ll give you credit, you fought well. Who taught you how to do that?”
Brown eyes blinked hard at the sudden change of topic as Ichika struggled to catch up. “Well, after I was released from the hospital, Orimura-sensei started training me. ‘You’ll need to be in good shape when you enter the Academy,’ she told me. So she started going through some forms and exercises as part of my rehabilitation. And it turns out Gotanda-sama was a welterweight boxing champion in his youth.” Ichika’s left hand landed on his right and began to massage the bones. “He taught me other things when Orimura-sensei was out on errands.”
Chifuyu taught him how to fight? I guess I got off lucky then. Houki feigned a yawn in Ichika’s direction. “How about we turn out the lights and get to sleep? In the morning, we’ll try to figure out the room situation.”
Ichika nodded at the suggestion and moved his luggage off the bed. “Okay. But I doubt they’ll let us change rooms. Orimura-sensei DID say she would come up with a suitable punishment. This might be it.”
Blanching as she pulled down the covers, Houki gave the notion serious consideration. “You might be right. Goodnight Ichika.”
The lights clicked off, leaving the room bathed only in the pale blue light from a clock. “Goodnight Houki.”
Rolling onto her side, Houki found slumber evasive. How can I sleep when someone that dangerous is in the same room with me? How do I know that I will wake up in the morning? Ichika’s face, emotionless and cold, drifted in front of closed eyes. That expression he had scared me. And if Michelle is her, then why do everything that’s happened? What is the goal of it all?
The questions kept echoing in the Houki’s mind until at last sleep claimed her.
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Second Chances