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Life goes on	By : walkerofdarkness Category: +G to L > IS: Infinite Stratos Views: 4169 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos or the characters from it. I do not make any profit from this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 5

There’s always a new challenge

to keep you motivated.

-Sean Connery
Kirika stood at center of the field, hazel eyes closed in concentration. The Japanese teen knew if she was looking, she would find the eyes of every person from two classes staring at her. Raising her left arm to shoulder height, a tingle of pressure on the exposed skin let her know that the Uchigane was now there.
"Well, you can certainly deploy part of your IS, but that's not what you were told to do," Cecilia's voice came as a rude interruption, breaking the redheaded teen's focus. Snapping her eyes open, Kirika focused and saw two blond girls standing in their own IS frames. Cecilia had a sarcastic grin on her cultured face; Charlotte flashed a disapproving scowl at the British teen from her own Revive. The Japanese teen felt the burning in her cheeks from the embarrassment and quickly closed her eyes again.
Both Europeans were close enough to see the pinched look of determination on their classmate as her body was enveloped in the shimmer of an IS teleport effect. As the light faded, the two watched their classmate debut her IS.
At least it was an Uchigane in name. The samurai inspired skirt and pauldrons were gone; the latter replaced with an arrow shaped shield with a vague wing design. The skirt was similarly designed, curving into a wave pattern with long points that ran along the main cardinal points of Kirika’s legs. Looking over her shoulder, the novice class representative tracked the design with her hazel orbs. Two oversized thrusters were tucked in the small of her back. The match winning claws were locked into their own pods on her forearms; the weapons unneeded for this particular exercise. Kirika frowned mentally at the slate grey appearance of the IS. I wish I had managed to get it painted before I demonstrated it, the redheaded teen thought sourly.
Charlotte’s amethyst eyes glittered with excitement. “Good work, mon amie,” the French teen whispered. Even Cecilia’s navy eyes held a grudging respect for the choices shown in the IS. The mutual admiration came to an abrupt end when three pebbles suddenly bounced off the girls’ heads.
“If you are quite finished ladies, we need to get on with our lesson,” came a stern voice. Chifuyu Orimura’s dark eyes were calm, but her tone brooked no argument. All three pilots flushed in mutual chagrin while a couple of voices tittered from the assembled crowd. Taking a shallow breath to help center herself, Kirika motioned to the British teen.
Cecilia nodded slightly as she ignited the thrusters of Blue Tears and leapt from the ground. Kirika felt a fresh grin settle onto her face as her own Raiko’s thrusters propelled her into the air. The two girls flew a basic set of maneuvers as they heard Charlotte describe some of the functions of the IS.
Kirika reached out with her left hand and barely grazed Cecilia’s right. Her attention piqued, the British teen glanced at her redheaded wingman. The Japanese student pulled a tight roll, flipping her IS until she was on Cecilia’s left side. Blue eyes flared momentarily at being upstaged by the amateur as the British teen calculated her response.
“Both of you show me a power-dive,” came the voice of Chifuyu Orimura over the pilots’ radios.
“Roger ma’am!” barked Cecilia. Rolling Blue Tears towards the ground, the British teen flew down at almost her top speed. Breaking smoothly to a stop just above the dirt floor of the arena, Cecilia pushed a few stray golden hairs from her face as she looked back at the class representative.
Smirking in spite of herself, Kirika nodded towards the Briton, accepting the challenge. Inverting her Raiko away from the ground, the redheaded teen dove at breakneck speeds. The HUD flashed a warning as Kirika focused intently on what she wanted to do. As the ground rushed towards her, the Japanese girl maxed out her PIC to cancel out her momentum and shifted her legs. A quick burst from her thrusters pushed the IS into a somersault that Kirika held for exactly one revolution before landing on the dirt, flexing at her knees to help absorb the impact.
Kirika held the crouch for a long heartbeat, hearing a number of squeals from the assembled classmates. Flashing another wry smirk back at Cecilia, the Japanese pilot walked over to the crowd. The class representative noted the deep scowl on the teachers, but neither woman said anything. The moment of worry left when a glance caught Charlotte smiling brightly at her.
“If you are done showing off,” the elder teacher snapped crossly, “we only have a limited time to use the arena. Since you three have your own IS’s, we’ll break the group up in thirds and each personal user will do some instruction with their group. Nothing fancy, just power up the Uchigane and walk in it. Do you three think you can do that?”
“Yes ma’am!” the three pilots chorused in unison. Chifuyu and Maya walked away from the joint class as the students started breaking down into a smaller setup. Charlotte’s group filled up quickly, with the majority of the remaining girls going to Cecilia. Kirika felt her stomach twinge in jealousy as the her group filled up last.
Houki walked closer to her roommate, eyes fixated on the redheaded girl’s IS. “Don’t let it worry you roomie,” the kendoka muttered consolingly in Japanese. “It’s not like anyone has doubts about your ability to teach.”
The class representative’s hazel eyes looked down on Houki, a hint of pain reflecting in the green orbs. Pushing black hair away from her eyes, the normally taller girl looked up at her petite roommate. Other words formed at the sight of her friend’s hurt, but Houki kept her initial response silent. “So what do we do first here, teach?” the kendoka soberly asked in English.
Focusing on her responsibilities, Kirika locked her emotions behind a collected mien. “Okay, so we’ll do it simply: go by student number.” Looking around her group of eager faces, the redheaded pilot tried to remember who might be first and failed. “Who’s got the lowest student number here?”
“I do!” squeaked one girl with magenta eyes and purple hair. Her IS suit displayed a lean, athletic body. Kirika kept her focus on the girl’s ascension into the waiting Uchigane as she racked her brain for the name. Kiyoko Aikawa, right. The trainee pilot settled in as the IS came alive around her. Kiyoko clomped the IS around the grouping of girls, making a complete loop. Coming to a stop, the purple haired trainee carefully got out. “Wow, this is hard,” Kiyoko commented as she moved away from the Uchigane.
A second girl started climbing into the IS as soon as Kiyoko moved away. Kirika barely noticed the sounds of the Uchigane moving heavily again. Houki glanced back up to see her roommate’s face go blank with a professional look as the second student began walking around the group. Hazel eyes had a distinct fuzziness to them, and the kendoka started to ask a question.
Only to have her train of thought interrupted as a resounding crash came over her shoulder. Stumbling in the Uchigane, the trainee had landed hard on her side. Kirika walked over to her pupil and helped leverage the fallen IS to its feet. The inexperienced teen nodded her thanks and resumed her lap.
Houki strode over to her roommate as both girls watched the training suit progress its pace. “So,” the kendoka asked quietly, “was your first time in an IS like this?”
The redheaded trainee ran one gauntleted hand through her hair, careful not to dislodge the feline-styled controllers. “Something like that,” Kirika admitted with a faint smile on her lips. “Except I had the entire Maintenance Branch watching me. And after walking it a bit, I had to figure out how to fly almost immediately. And my methods...well, they really took it out of me.”
Dark hair bounced once as Houki nodded at the memory. “Yeah, I remember,” she murmured. The roommates watched as the second girl finished her practice with the Uchigane, hastily dismounting from the IS.
Taking a look around, the class representative eyeballed her group for the next volunteer. “Who’s next?” Kirika called out neutrally.
“I am,” came from right beside her. The redheaded pilot looked down at her roommate to see Houki holding up a hand with an indifferent attitude. The kendoka walked over to the training IS assigned to the group but made no effort to climb in. “But I can’t get in with it like this.”
Blinking, the class representative saw that the Uchigane had been left standing upright; the tops of the legs were almost even with Houki’s breasts. Kirika mulled over solutions as a new voice gave insight. “Just carry her into place,” Maya Yamada squeaked out, her voice chipper. “It’s a common enough problem for novices to leave the IS standing up. Use your IS to help her get into position, Kirika.”
The two roommates shared an awkward glance between themselves as they considered how to follow instructions. “Get a move on already!” barked Chifuyu Orimura’s stern voice. “If you hold up the class I will make your lives unpleasant.”
Emboldened by the threat present in their teacher’s voice, the two friends came to a silent agreement. Kirika lowered herself and scooped up the taller girl in a bridal carry, supporting the dark haired teen’s weight smoothly as the computers on the IS adjusted performance instantly. Houki shivered as the cool metal rested on her skin. This is my first time being carried like this, the kendoka thought, feeling a second shiver run through her as gooseflesh erupted in several places.
Looking past her roommate’s body, Kirika tried to gauge her position carefully. Not that Houki made it easy: the kendoka’s full breasts were almost at the level of the pilot’s hazel eyes and provided a ready distraction. Forcing down a familiar surge of envy at her own development, the red headed teen took a tentative step closer to the Uchigane. Each clomping footfall made the taller girl’s bust shake in Kirika’s face. How am I supposed to work with a distraction like THAT?! rang through the shorter girl’s mind as she tried to concentrate on her movements.
With a carefully managed set of actions, Kirika got her roommate placed into the Uchigane. Stepping away, the class representative waited as Houki powered up the training IS. After the HUD flashed clear, the kendoka started her own training lap, sapphire eyes intent on not repeating the same mistakes as the others.
Kirika paid little attention to the efforts of her roommate as she tried to fight the butterflies in her stomach. A quick glance at her own HUD showed the class still had an hour to go. Please let it go faster, the redheaded teen silently prayed.
<—*—>
Hot water poured readily from the showerhead, enveloping the occupant in a cloud of relaxing steam. Kirika made a minuscule adjustment to the stream, landing it exactly on protesting muscles. The various sounds of the locker room faded as the redheaded teen closed her eyes and relaxed into her routine.
A sudden pressure on her shoulder brought Kirika back to the world. Houki had reached across the divider and gripped the shorter teen lightly, almost playfully. Hazel and sapphire eyes met briefly before the kendoka pulled back. Kirika spun and shifted the showerhead with her left hand, while her right dialed the temperature down as cold as possible. Houki’s shrieked as the chilled water landed between her voluptuous breasts, splattering both. Several of their classmates, their attention gathered by the kendoka’s outburst, smirked at the antics. A quick bout of giggles echoed over the clatter of lockers momentarily before fading out.
Facing the showerhead again, Kirika reset the temperature and watched the room as she waited. An impish grin still hanging on her lips, Houki unwrapped the towel and climbed into the adjacent stall. Charlotte, wearing an enigmatic smirk of her own, found an open shower near the doorway.
As the first hint of steam touched the class representative’s back, the redheaded teen shifted her focus to the task at hand. The conversations of various classmates drifted over the shower wall as hands worked of their own accord.
“...so what do you think our odds in the tournament are?” a chipper voice inquired.
“Not sure,” a second voice, this one a relaxed alto, replied smoothly. “There’s a lot of classes with good students.”
“Right,” came the perky voice of the first adolescent. “There’s that girl in class four who’s a personal user.”
The alto teen’s voice grew hard to hear over the rushing water in the shower. “Kan-something isn’t it?”
“Kanzashi, yeah,” agreed the perky voice. “And I know the Representative Candidate from Italy is in class three.”
Kirika thumbed off the water and grabbed her towel from its hanger outside the stall. The redheaded teen quickly dried off as she listened with one to the conversation with one ear. “Class eight has Representative Candidates from the United States and Portugal. Argentina, Mexico, Greece and Israel are in classes six and five respectively.”
Opening her locker, the novice pilot snatched out her clothes and proceeded to get dressed. Experience had taught Kirika that her tattoos attracted attention; even the teachers had given her grief in the past. Better to cover them up, even if everyone knows I’ve got them. But he sound of a nearby locker slamming shut distracted Kirika momentarily, giving a pause to the process of securing her bra. “...not all of the class representatives are personal users,” chimed in a third girl.
“Good point,” acknowledged the alto teen, her tone going thoughtful. “So who has a personal unit and is a class representative?”
“Well,” the third voice started, in a husky tone that almost seemed masculine, “Classes three, six and eight. And then there’s class one.”
Kirika’s hands stopped instantly; her whole body froze into an organic statue as they started talking about her. The skirt closure did not move a millimeter as the three carried on. “What about class one?” inquired the first girl innocently. Kirika felt a eerie calm settle over her. No matter where I go, they’re always talking shit about me, the redheaded pilot thought as familiar anger built.
Focused internally on her emotions, the Japanese teen almost missed the next statement. “What about class one,” came the throaty voice of Houki, remarkably polite. All three gossip mongers fell silent at once. The kendoka’s impressive physical strength was common knowledge after the Academy’s first two weeks. Stories about Houki’s temper were even more prolific, and all of them terrifying.
Kirika glanced in the small mirror on her locker door to see the kendoka standing at the edge of her stall; Houki had one towel wrapped around her torso while a second was dabbing at long hair. Sapphire eyes flared with an unrecognizable emotion as Houki moved a little closer to the three girls from class two. “What,” came a voice that was devoid of tone, “about class one?”
All three gossips shifted away from the presence of the kendoka. The first girl swallowed audibly as she worked up her courage. “Well,” she started, the nervousness crystal clear to everyone, “I guess we were wondering if she was a Representative Candidate.”
The alto voice’s owner, an average looking girl with neon green hair, fidgeted with her own towel. “I would want to know if she’s really a personal user,” she squeaked out, her voice pitching higher in distress. “I mean, it’s customized somewhat, but she is using an Uchigane after all.”
Even in the mirror, Kirika could see her roommate make eye contact with all three girls at once. The reflected sapphire gaze managed to bring a small shiver to the redheaded pilot as Houki continued to dab at raven hair. “Well, what do you consider a personal user? The Uchigane given to her is hers alone, not a temporary one like we used today. Kirika was allowed to customize the weapons. She even received permission to equip it with a prototype of her own design, something none of us here could even think of.”
Stealing a glance around the room, the class representative caught a new mood in the room. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to follow Houki’s impromptu speech. Nearly four dozen teens in various stages of undress had their focus on their classmate. To her surprise, Kirika watched as a number of girls nodded in agreement with the kendoka’s statements.
Charlotte leaned against her shower door, one arm supporting her head. “My own Revive is a highly customized model, and you would not deny that I am a personal user, n'est-ce pas?” the French teen inquired with a smirk.
“Well, no...” admitted the green-haired teen, her confidence shaken. Unwilling to speak, the other two gossips both shook their heads.
“Zhen what iz zhe difference between Kirika and me?” Charlotte asked with the slightest edge of innocence in her tone. Catching the French teen’s eyes only briefly, the redheaded pilot mouthed her thanks. Charlotte’s face remained calm, but Kirika saw amethyst orbs twinkle in acknowledgment.
All three members of class two grew more agitated as the French girl’s logic assaulted them. Six eyes warily turned to track Houki; the tall kendoka had moved towards her own locker but kept a confident gaze on each teen. Finally working up her courage, one youth with purple hair stepped forward. “I guess there isn’t a difference. That means class one is of the four that has a personal user class representative.”
“Actually, there are five classes now with that standard,” a unfamiliar, high pitched voice boasted loudly.
Everyone in the locker room turned to see two students entering. The first one was Miwa Chisato, the class representative for class two. All eyes noted the relaxed look on the narrow face, even as the slender ponytail swished with each step. It was the second person that drew more attention. Shorter than almost all of the girls present, the newcomer was lithe to the point of almost being skeletal. Her dark hair was pulled into two pigtails that ran past her waist and emphasized the nearly shorter than regulation skirt. The standard issue Academy uniform had been similarly altered; instead of a contiguous sleeve both shoulders had been left bare while the fabric began at mid-biceps.
The newcomer’s emerald eyes flicked around the room, not settling on any one person. “My name,” the wiry girl started, her voice getting louder with each passing second, “is Lingyin Huang. I’m the now the class representative for class two.” Lingyiin’s right arm came up to let the sleeve fall back, exposing a black and purple bracelet hanging loosely on the wrist. “I’m also the Representative Candidate for China.”
Several voices clamored for attention as Miwa raised one hand to bring quiet back to the locker room. Once the commotion died, the bespectacled teen nodded once. “I did give the position over the Lingyin,” Miwa confirmed in a reedy voice. “I felt it was a better choice to have a Representative Candidate be our class rep as well given the tough competition from the other classes. This helps us to even the odds a bit.”
Everyone present could feel the pride radiate from the scrawny girl as Lingyin broke into a triumphant grin. Kirika felt a flash of anger as she stared at the snaggletoothed expression of the Chinese girl. Glancing around the room, hazel eyes came to rest on Cecilia. The British teen was staunchly facing her locker; slender shoulders were riding a bit higher than normal but otherwise Cecilia seemed unfazed by the statements.
“I had been hoping to get here before the training session today so I could properly demonstrate my skills,” Lingyin continued on, her expression smug, “but the paperwork was slow in getting done. It doesn’t matter to me really. I’ll just make sure to stand out better at the match in two weeks.” Lingyin’s emerald gaze tracked around the room hungrily, a predator seeking out a victim. “So who is this unusual class representative I’ve heard so much about? Miwa here was full of stories about her on our way to the locker room.”
Belatedly realizing she was being identified, Kirika walked closer to the Chinese girl. “I guess you mean me,” the redheaded teen stated neutrally. Approaching Lingyin warily, Kirika extended her hand with a confidence she did not feel. “Kirika Nakano, representative for class one.”
Emerald eyes narrowed as Lingyin’s gaze drifted to the Japanese teen’s hand, but the Chinese girl made no effort to shake. Kirika let the gesture hang for a moment before letting her hand fall by her side. Close up, the Chinese girl’s attitude was almost a wall between the two teens. “So was there something you wanted,” asked the novice pilot.
“Was there something I wanted?” Asked the shorter girl scornfully. “I guess so. I just wanted to get a good look at you.” Lingyin’s emerald gaze drifted across exposed skin, lingering on the visible tattoo. Kirika struggled to keep her composure as she felt the shorter girl’s eyes track across her breasts. She’s got something, and I don’t think I like it. But if it comes down to a fight, I’ve got maybe five centimeters and two kilos on her.
Another quick scan of the room brought relief to the redheaded rep. Charlotte had finished her shower and was paying attention to her friend. A number of members of class one were close by as well. Feeling a surge of an idea, the Japanese girl decided to go with it. “Take as much of as look as you want,” Kirika admitted teasingly, letting her hazel gaze track over the washboard look of the shorter teen. “Who knows, maybe one day you’ll have some breasts to get people to look at too.”
“WHY YOU!” roared Lingyin, reacting to the barb instantly. Moving with a speed that would have shamed a cobra, the Chinese girl’s right hand came up into a jab at the redhead’s face. Already moving on her own, Kirika raised her left arm to block the punch, confident in her ability. It wasn’t until the blow connected with her defense did the Japanese teen realize her mistake. The strike, much heavier than it should have been, slammed into the upraised limb with the intensity of a bowling ball taking down a spare. Unable to stop, the arm smashed back against Kirika’s face with stunning force.
Staggering back, the redheaded teen began to focus on the opponent in front of her. Kirika shook her head to clear it as the entire room broke into chaos. A pair of strong arms wrapped the Japanese girl around her shoulders and waist; toned and disciplined muscles unyielding even as something soft pressed into the damp red hair at the nape of the neck.
“Relax Kirika-chan. Don’t fight me,” Houki whispered intently in Japanese to her roommate. Glancing over her shoulder revealed the kendoka’s sapphire gaze locked on Lingyin even as Houki dragged her roommate away. Checking in on her opponent, the redheaded class representative saw a surprising form blocking the path of the Chinese girl. Blinking at the sight of long hair and a longer skirt, Kirika suddenly recognized Cecilia holding one hand up in front Lingyin. Though unable to see Cecilia’s face, the uncertain expression on the shorter girl gave evidence to the Briton’s seriousness. Charlotte stood off to the side of the Chinese in a relaxed fighting stance; her damp butter-blond hair was almost a twin to Cecilia’s golden hues. The French girl’s amethyst eyes were cold even as her face was rigidly calm.
Kirika fixed her hazel eyes on Lingyin, finally appreciating the severity of her mistake: the Chinese teen had gone with a partial deployment of her IS. A purple fist the size of a cantaloupe had been used to hit the Japanese teen. Rolling her left arm carefully, Kirika saw a bruise nearly the entire length of her forearm beginning to form. Taking advantage of her roommate’s distraction, Houki continued to put distance between the scuffle and her roommate. “Calm down,” the kendoka advised, sticking with Japanese to keep the foreign students out of it. “Remember Kirika-chan, you can’t afford to be on Orimura-sensei’s shit list.”
Invoking the name of their teacher was the equivalent of dumping a tank full of ice water on the shorter girl. Kirika let herself be moved away from her assailant, even moving with her roommate’s taller stride. Houki escorted the redheaded pilot to her own locker, keeping her arms around the smaller girl to maintain control. As the two teens approached Houki’s locker, the kendoka felt something hot and wet hit her arm. Glancing worriedly, Houki’s sapphire eyes widened at the sight of blood on Kirika’s face.
For her part, the redheaded pilot tasted the copper on her upper lip and felt a new surge of anger. The tension in Houki’s arms slackened, letting the shorter teen break the hold to free herself. Not moving away from her friend, Kirika gingerly probed her nose. Pain flared with each gentle touch, but it subsided almost immediately when pressure was removed. Good, I don’t think it’s broken.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” An authoritative voice bellowed, the loud words echoing in the enclosed space. Nearly forty teens stopped all activity as a woman with dark hair and darker eyes strode confidently through the door of the locker room. Aki Tetsuhara, teacher for class two, carried herself with an elegant air into the humidity of the changing facilities. “I will not repeat myself a third time,” the teacher stated, her aristocratic tone both chilling and beautiful. “What is the meaning of this?”
Every student in the room looked down at the ground. Kirika quickly wiped away the blood from her face before turning towards the instructor. Aki Tetsuhara’s dark eyes flitted from person to person; the nearly black orbs catching nearly every detail. Opening her mouth to start the punishments, the instructor was stopped by Lingyin’s raised hand.
“My name is Lingyin Huang ma’am, I just transferred into your class.” The Chinese girl’s voice was as confident as her smirk. The teacher arched one eyebrow inquisitively but made no comment. Lingyin’s smile died slightly at her treatment from the instructor. “I was just...showing my classmates how we introduce ourselves in China.”
Both narrow eyebrows raised at the statement, but Mrs. Tetsuhara said nothing. Scanning the room another time, her dark eyes settled on Kirika Nakano. “You’re the rep for class one? Is what Huang saying true?”
Kirika nodded once to acknowledge the teacher, but kept silent. Mrs. Tetsuhara’s thin lips curled into a scowl, prompting the redheaded pilot to find her voice. “It’s true, ma’am. Huang just came here to introduce herself to the class.”
Aki Tetsuhara noted the presence of blood just under the teen’s nose. Dark eyes flitted over Kirika’s body professionally, instantly assessing the young woman’s injuries. “Okay then,” the teacher stated, her voice neither accepting nor accusing. “Everyone get finished up and get out. Other classes need to make use of the arena facilities.”
“Yes ma’am!” chorused the entire roomful of teens. Moving quickly to execute their new orders, the joint class fell into silence. The only sounds in the locker room was the rustle of cloth and the slamming of locker doors. Kirika eyed her uniform top once in the mirror as her hands went into the process of setting the ribbon. A tickle at the nape of the redhead’s neck stopped the pilot trainee mid-tie. Turning slowly, Kirika found Lingyin standing almost intimately close; the shorter teen had a single tooth poking out of her grin.
“Just so you know,” Lingyin muttered, her voice polite but holding an edge to it, “when we fight at the class league match I’ll show you exactly what the difference is between you and a personal user.” Not waiting for a response, the thin girl spun on a heel and confidently strode from the locker room.
Feeling one hand on her shoulder, Kirika looked over to see her roommate’s sapphire gaze locked on her. “No worries roomie,” the redheaded teen asserted, projecting a confidence she didn’t feel. Looking back towards the doorway the Chinese girl had disappeared through. “As for you, shorty, you might be surprised by what I can do,” Kirika muttered under her breath as she slammed her locker shut.
<—*—>
Charlotte stood hesitantly at the closed door, unsure of her next actions. It wasn’t fear that kept the French teen from opening the door: the sign on it read “K. Nakano” and “H. Shinonono”. Even the knowledge that she had been in the room previously didn’t stop her. But still Charlotte found it hard to raise her hand.
Coming from inside the room was the source of the French girl’s hesitation. Though the door muffled the words, a voice could be clearly heard. Charlotte pressed her ear to the cool wood to help perceive what was being said. Distorted sounds came through, but the French pilot thought she could make out Kirika’s voice. Unable to discern specific words, Charlotte leaned back and rapped on the room’s door twice.
The voice stopped abruptly, but the door did not open immediately. Wondering if her redheaded classmate was actually out of the room, Charlotte reached out to knock on the door one more time. The French pilot’s delicate hand was halfway through it’s motion before the wooden obstacle flew inward quickly. Charlotte blinked slightly as Kirika glared out from the entryway; the extended hand immediately forgotten at the sight of the shorter girl.
Kirika stopped cold at the sight of her blond friend’s presence in the entryway. Hazel eyes focused hard on Charlotte for a moment before recognition blossomed on the Japanese teen’s face. Chagrined, the redheaded pilot waved the French girl inside as she mouthed an apology. Charlotte merely waved away the gesture as she pulled out a chair to sit in. The redheaded teen flashed a grateful look as she resumed her conversation. Charlotte closed her eyes a moment to give her friend as much privacy as possible. Not that it was necessary, the French girl lacked the language skills to follow Kirika’s rapid fire Japanese.
The door opened again and Houki walked in, cradling a small bowl filled with ice. Sapphire eyes widened slightly as they noted Charlotte sitting at the desk. Houki shut the door quietly behind her and moved rapidly to the French girl, quickly checking for anyone else in the room. Finding none, the kendoka deposited the bowl on the desk next to the Charlotte’s arm. “Hey Charlotte,” Houki whispered softly.
“Good evening,” Charlotte responded, equally quiet. The French teen let her amethyst gaze track over the class representative’s profile. The sleeveless gold shirt and blue shorts were loose but not baggy on the shorter girl’s frame. Kirika’s red hair was pulled back even as her two omnipresent bangs bounced with every gesture.
“She tends to call her folks once a week or so. Tends to be around a ten minute call,” Houki explained to fill time. Her throaty voice grew wistful as she continued. “It must be nice to have a relationship like that with your parents. I haven’t seen mine in a few years.”
Charlotte started to formulate her question, but never got the chance to ask it. Kirika’s tone changed slightly, drawing the attention of both girls. “Sayonara,” muttered the redheaded student as she thumbed off her cell phone. Kirika flashed a smile at both of her friends as she placed the phone into her desk. “Sorry about that treatment Charlotte,” the shorter teen apologized as she switched to English. “When you knocked at the door, I thought it was the newspaper club again.”
An angelic smile played across the French girl’s lips, relaxing everyone in the room. “It iz okay ma ami. What does zhe school newspaper want?”
“Well, according to them I got my ass kicked by the new girl and they wanted my side of the story,” the redheaded rep stated bluntly as she perched on the edge of her bed. “Not that I think I got my ass kicked, but that’s what the rumor mills are saying.”
Houki broke into a wan smile as she came out of the bathroom with a towel. “Well, I think you got sucker punched and that Lingyin went past any boundaries using her IS like that. Now let’s see your arm.” Grabbing the shorter girl’s hand, the kendoka rolled the arm carefully. Charlotte hissed in sympathetic pain at the black and blue mottling that ran across Kirika’s entire forearm. Running one hand lightly over the redhead’s skin, Houki’s sapphire eyes met with her roommate’s. “Well, it’s nasty, but I don’t think it’s broken. How’s the nose?”
Using her free hand, Kirika rubbed her nose readily. “Not a bit of pain. That was mostly just getting hit, but I’m fine now.”
The kendoka wrapped a clump of ice in a double thickness of the school issue towel. “This might sting a bit,” Houki warned as she placed the ice pack down on the bruised arm. Kirika hissed through clenched teeth as the pressure was applied, but the pain started to recede almost immediately.
“Do you know much about injuries, Houki?” Charlotte inquired, hoping to distract the two Japanese teens.
Looking over her shoulder, Houki realized she had forgotten the French girl’s company in the room. “Well, I am a national kendo champion. Even with the pads we wear, bruises tend to be part of the uniform.”
“So Kirika, how are your parents?” Asked the French teen, focusing on the shorter girl.
Careful to not dislodge the ice pack, the redheaded pilot flopped onto her back. “Oh, about the usual for them. Proud that I’ve not been bounced out of the program. Mom’s got some big new work to do. Dad’s out on a business jaunt.”
Pulling out a chair, the raven-hairedgirl reversed it and leaned against the backing. “You know Rika, in the month we’ve been roommates I don’t think you’ve mentioned your family that much.”
Tilting her head, Kirika glanced down her chest to look at her friends. “Not like we’ve had a lot of spare time to chat,” she agreed. “Okay, what do you want to know?”
Taken aback, Houki blinked at the relaxed nature of her roommate. “What do your parents do?”
Settling her head onto the bed again, Kirika looked up at the plain ceiling. “Dad’s a writer, does a series of crime novels.” The redhead hesitated for a long pause, choosing her next words carefully. “My mom is a cop. Works as a supervisor for the National Police Agency, Criminal Investigation Branch.”
Both taller girls froze in place, awestruck at the revelation. Sharing a mutual look of shock, they considered past conversations. “So,” Charlotte began, her voice incredulous, “when you got into trouble about zhe entrance exams...”
“Yeah, it was a bigger flap than I might have wanted,” Kirika admitted. “I get into some wild stuff, but I’ve never gone out of my way to cause them trouble.” Charlotte kept her peace about the message even as Houki made a non-committal grunt. Raising herself from the bed, the redheaded pilot stared at her friends. “Now fair’s fair. What about you two?”
Charlotte’s fair complexion faded to the point of being ashen. “I live with my Papa, mostly in the outskirts of Paris. My mother...died some years ago.”
Houki reached out to rub the French teen’s shoulders consolingly. Kirika muttered a Japanese epithet under her breath as she dropped back to the bed. “Sorry Charlotte. As Houki will tell you, I tend to talk first and think later.”
“Yep,” the kendoka agreed enthusiastically. “If Rika thinks at all, that is.” Kirika frowned at the additional commentary but said nothing. “As for me, I haven’t seen my family in years. My parents are dead, and no one knows where my sister is.”
Kirika and Charlotte focused on their raven-hairedfriend. Houk was held rigidly in place, sapphire orbs locked on a place somewhere not in the room. “I’ve got some extended family I see from time to time. There’s an aunt I was staying with before I came here.”
The redheaded representative looked closely at her roommate. “You seem rather unconcerned at your parents’ death,” Kirika said, a hint of worry in her tone.
Waving away the idea, the tall girl shrugged once. “That was six years ago, and we had been in the government’s protective custody for four years already because of my sister. It was rougher on them, I guess.”
Charlotte’s face was a study in curiosity as she pulled her hand away from her mouth. “Who iz zis sister you keep mentioning?”
Incredulous, Houki slowly fixed her sapphire gaze on the French girl. “My sister is the one who invented all the IS units,” she stated, unconsciously copying the tone of Chifuyu Orimura. “Tabane Shinonono.”
The cheeks of the other girls promptly turned a bright crimson hue almost unseen in nature. Kirika let her head fall back to the bed as Charlotte sputtered to the dry chuckle of the kendoka. As the color started to fade from the blond teen’s face, she finally managed to find her voice. “I had just assumed ‘Shinonono’ was a common name.”
“Not that common and even I didn’t put it together,” Kirika granted. The raven-hairedteen just laughed harder at the trouble she had caused. Looking back at the room’s third occupant, Houki noticed that Charlotte’s amethyst eyes had a troubling glint to them even as her face was upset. Kirika raised her head off the bed to catch her roommate’s wary look at the blond girl.
“Any thoughts about that new girl?” Inquired the redheaded occupant, determined to change the subject. Both taller girls looked relieved at the abruptness in the new situation.
“Lingyin?” Houki asked blandly. “She’s temperamental and reckless. Using an IS to attack someone you met moments ago, regardless of provocation? I have to wonder if she’s just crazy.”
Butter blond hair bounced as the French girl nodded with each point. “But zhe iz FAST,” Charlotte agreed. “Even knowing you were probably going to taunt her, I could not ztop her punching you.”
“Well, what about Cecilia?” Kirika asked without looking at her friends. “Did either of you think SHE would have stood up for me?”
“Non,” Charlotte agreed. Houki just shook her head, forgetting that her roommate couldn’t see the gesture. “Cecilia was pretty fast zere too.”
Taking a relaxing breath, the redheaded pilot closed her eyes for a moment. Without opening her eyes, Kirika lowered her voice as she felt sleep tug at her senses. “Well, there’s a Chinese saying about ‘May you live in interesting times’. I’m certain our spunky little Chinese will keep things very interesting indeed.”
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