Memories

Yokosuka Military Base
20:00

The sound of falling rain was music to the shadow's ears. He was covered from head to toe in black. Thunder and lightning flashed and loomed in the nightmarish sky. It was the perfect condition for secrecy. A night like this had normal 18 year olds at home, studying for collage. But for the shadow, it felt like a child in Candyland. He always did love the rain. It was a sign of freedom, given by the Gods themselves. Rain drops could travel basically anywhere, he mused.

Suddenly, the quiet crackle of static disturbed the peace. "Agent 0, did you get the data?" muttered a quiet, but definitely feminine voice.

The shadow's gruff voice snorted in slight annoyance, "Who do you think I am? Of course."

A slight chuckle was heard by him and only him. "Maa maa, calm down. I didn't doubt you 0. Anyway, I'm sending the pickup coordinates to Nova. Over."

Agent 0 didn't reply this time. With a silent rustle of leaves, he was gone, bounding across rooftops and watchtowers with contemptuous grace. He was unseen and unheard in the stormy night, just as he was trained to do.

The shadow bounded to the edge of the forest. The military camp was well known, but also well hidden. It took him almost 6 hours to find it because HQ's data contained only the general whereabouts of the damned place. And that annoyed the crap out of him.

The shadow reached the coordinates just in time to see a ladder hanging from the sky. He couldn't see where it lead to, but if he had to guess, it was probably an IS with top of the line stealth technology. Even his eyes couldn't locate it. The man wordlessly grabbed the ladder, and started his long journey back to HQ.

Government Intelligence Agency HQ
8:00

A blond man stood in front of a council of annoying people; very important people, but still annoying. Why you ask? Well to start it off, they were all power hungry bastards who would do anything to keep Japan a world power. He supposed the protecting Japan part wasn't bad, but everything else he could do without.

One of the councilors spoke after studying a detailed report of the mission. "Agent 0, last night's mission was a success thanks to you. However, we specifically told you to do this mission quietly and without any bloodshed."

Agent 0 winced slightly on the inside. So maybe he was a little rough with the people who had the data, but a few dead men weren't going to make a difference. He kept that thought to himself and only nodded and waited for a reply. They didn't disappoint.

"You are one of our best- no, you are our best agent. But your lack of attention to the mission parameters does get a little annoying. We will put that in your file, as always. But for now, we have another mission for you. This mission is to be marked B ranked, but is still extremely important." Agent 0 raised an eyebrow. He hasn't had a B ranked mission in years. Most of the missions he took now were A to S ranked, which was basically suicide to do alone for any agent but him.

"You are to teach a student at IS Academy to defend himself. Further information will be sent to Nova. Make sure to follow mission parameters this time. You have to protect him. Dismissed."

As Naruto turned to walk out of the room after dipping his head in slight acknowledgment, the councilor's voice said with some mirth. "Oh yeah, they don't know you're identity. We only told them a teacher was going."

Naruto grunted and walked out. 'Himself huh? Interesting…'

'Well', the blond man thought as he strolled out of the debriefing room, 'that could've ended worse.' Uzumaki Naruto, code named Agent 0, strolled past the massive buildings of the Japanese Intelligence Agency. While most people joked about fighting with weapons, he didn't. He didn't need to; after all, his body was and still is a weapon. Although some people would comment that it was pretty sad, he was fine with it. His parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze were both high up in the government ranks. Minato worked as a researcher for the IS department and his mom was a test pilot for all the newest models. Of course, that had been when they were alive. Both his parents died in a Phantom Task raid when he was 13. It was right when the first generation models of IS started being mass-produced, leaving a child parent-less and with a ton of money.

The government naturally picked him up and trained him to be one of their agents. Of course, that was when he met Dark Nova. IS, or Infinite Stratos, were armored machines built for combat and sports. Created by Tabane Shinonono, his childhood friend and designed by Minato Namikaze, it was one of the greatest breakthroughs in the scientific world. But that was when they found the glitch. A slight error in the program had ensured that only women could pilot them. That had caused a huge commotion from both genders and nations. Eventually, it got to the point where missiles were launched at Japan simultaneously from several different world powers. And that lead to the event of the 'Black and White Incident'. A single woman clad in a white IS had flown up into the sky and deflected over half of them. She was almost overwhelmed when a figure clad in a black IS had taken care of the rest while saving the White Knight. Then, they had both disappeared, as if it were all an illusion.

Dark Nova was his personal IS. Now you're might be wondering if Naruto's dick was small enough to have confused the IS. The answer of course, is no. Nova was programmed and wired to his brain. If standard models of IS were classified through generations, then Dark Nova would be generation Alpha, or 0 based on what you would want to call it.

Minato Namikaze had been a genius of the highest caliber. He took Tabane Shinonono's notes and brought it to a whole different level before he was killed. He had created Dark Nova. While IS were bulky and big, Dark Nova was basically a body suit of armor from head to toe. It boosted his height by a foot so he stood at 7 feet when he wore it. Dark Nova was equipped with synthetic metal that grew with him and a highly advanced, but still sarcastic AI named Kurama. HQ had helped him upgrade Nova every time a new gadget came out. Tabane-chan was working for the government so she regularly sends him equipment and data files on the newest models. When it's in standby mode, it takes the form of a black bracer on his left arm that stopped just above his wrist. "Yo fleabag, we've got data coming in from HQ. Deny or accept?" A voice rang from his head.

Naruto sighed; it looked like it was mission time again. He had barely rested for 5 hours before he was called up again. His stupid habit of waking up at 6 in the morning to work out really annoyed him. And no matter how hard he tried to break it, he just couldn't. It was drilled into his head from the harsh training that was required to be an agent. It took him 5 years to become one of the world's most dangerous men. While most agents were emotionless tools, Naruto kept his contagious smile throughout the entire process. Emotions were seen as a weakness, but it made him strong.

"What do you think Kurama? You want to piss off some hags?" Naruto asked his faithful companion.

"Hn. Annoying brat. Coordinates and mission parameters received. You are to monitor, protect, and teach a boy by the name of-" Kurama stopped suddenly. Naruto heard a snicker, and then a giggle, before it turned into a full out laugh.

"Kurama…." Naruto sighed, "Do I even want to know?"

"Tch brat. I think you'll end up liking this mission; since it is long term."

Naruto perked up. Long term missions were usually incredibly easy as they were almost always a protect-befriend type of thing. This was turning out more interesting then he thought.

"And who will I be teaching Furball?" prompted Naruto.

"Hehe, Orimura Ichika." Came the smug response.

Naruto stopped in his tracks. 'Orimura...' he thought, 'that's just like Chi-chan!' His brain almost boiled over as he made the connections. Orimura Chifuyu was a childhood friend, just like Tabane Shinonono. The three of them were as close as 3 friends could get; all the way until Chifuyu became a national representative after the creation of the IS. If he remembered correctly, Tabane had disappeared after that and Chifuyu emerged herself in training. They were all about 14 at that time. Naruto himself was struggling to keep his agent identity a secret and finally let loose after they went their separate ways. He never forgot when it was just them 3 against the world; Dark Nova, White Knight and of course Tabane-chan. Naruto still remembered the day they split up.

Flashback (Chifuyu is a tiny bit OCC in this)

A 14 year old Naruto ran toward their usual meeting place early in the morning. A deep fog had settled in the area, causing him to be a bit more wary. Chifuyu had called him and told him to meet at the bench where they first met with Tabane. As he got closer, he could make out the form of his teenage crush sitting alone on the bench, hugging her knees up to her still developing chest. Tabane told them that she was going to disappear from the world. She had became fed up with the media and wanted some alone time. Not only that, the first ever IS world tournament was coming up and Chifuyu was thinking about entering. Naruto had a really bad feeling in his chest as he raced even faster to her side.

Chifuyu noticed him and beckoned for him to sit. Naruto cautiously sat down beside Chifuyu. Silence reigned for a small while.

"Ne, Naruto-kun? Do you think 2 people can be joined by fate?" The meek voice of Chifuyu reached his ears for the second time that day. Naruto gaped with his mouth open. Chifuyu, who was ever-strict and was always strong, was unsure of herself. Something was definitely wrong.

"Ah…gah…ano…of course! There's a thing called a phone these days, ya'know?" Naruto teased with a hesitant smile. Chifuyu hated being teased. She would always blush and hit him on the head every time.
So when she didn't reply and clutched at his arm for dear life, he realized something was very wrong indeed.

"Chi-chan? What's wrong? Is this about the prank with your underwear? You shouldn't wear such daring-"

A sharp pinch on the arm shut him up good. Chifuyu looked up with her face flushed red. "No you blond bimbo! It's obviously not that! I'm trying to set up the mood here!"

The only thing that ran through Naruto's adolescent mind was- He quickly shook his head to clear the bad thoughts. 'Kurama,' he thought silently, 'What do you think she means?'

'I don't know brat, but it looks to me as though she's coming onto you if you catch my drift.'

'What?'

A sigh companied the very sad, 'Never mind. Damn your father for your denseness.'

Naruto gulped. He chose his words carefully. Maybe it was that time of the month again. "Ano….are okay?"

Chifuyu only snuggled deeper into his side. He held back a blush threatening to boil over. "I'm gonna be in the tournament. Tabane wants me to meet up with her to train…"

Naruto's expression brightened. "That's great! When should we go?"

She exhaled a sad sigh. "You didn't let me finish Naruto-baka. Only women can pilot IS and Tabane wants me to go to the IS Academy they're opening up. It means I'm not going to see you for at least 3 years…"

Naruto was silent on that one. He could hear Kurama in the back of his mind, telling him to comfort her.

"Ah…well I'll be rooting for you in the competition. And I know that we'll meet again. We are best friends right? It'll be fine!" he choked out.

The two sat in silence for a little while more, before Chifuyu finally exhaled. "Thank you Naruto-kun."

His only response was to put his arm around her shoulders and hold her close.

Unknown to Naruto, Chifuyu's face suddenly went aflame. She knew Naruto was handsome. Hell, everyone in female in her class knew that. She had been sporting a crush on him since the first time they've met. Her stupid pride just wouldn't let her tell him.

The pair then noticed the position they were in. The two detangled pretty fast after that. Right when she was going to leave, Naruto suddenly blurted out. "You look good today."

Chifuyu stopped. Because her back was turned to him, he couldn't see the mega-watt smile that lit up her usual, stern one. And that was the last time he had seen her.

Present

Naruto grinned slightly. "You think she'll be there too, Furball?"

"Idiot. Don't ask a question you already know the answer of you damned stalker." Kurama's voice rumbled through his skull.

Naruto only smirked. "Oh yeah, this 'ought to be fun."

3 days later
IS Academy
9:00

Chifuyu's POV

Orimura Chifuyu stared at her class, gathered in the training arena. They were all fresh recruits and most importantly, children. 'Oh god', she lamented, 'this'll end up bad'. She had just called down her assistant teacher, Yamada Maya to have a mock battle with Rin Huang and Cecillia. So far, it didn't turn out to be one of her better ideas.

Yamada ended up falling on her brother, and somehow got his hand to grope her breast. She ignored the urge to facepalm.

"Ara, I think I'm okay with this if I get to be Chifuyu-sensei's sister in law!" she heard Yamada tease. Her foolish brother immediately jumped up and started muttering excuses and looked anywhere but her assistant on the ground. Chifuyu didn't see how it could get any worse.

A proton formed laser shot past her brother's face, close enough to scare him into jumping back. Great, now the kid's jealousy complex are getting involved. Her trained eyes caught a flash of metal moving towards her brother. She resisted the urge to block it. Her brother was almost as dense as Naruto when it came to girls. 'They're both the worst kind of idiots' she moaned internally.

She cleared her throat her Yamada shot the axe out of midair. "Yamada-sensei was a national representative candidate. That level of shooting is nothing to her. All right, let's get this underway."

"But sensei, 2 against 1 is hardly fair." Cecelia cried in dramatic horror. 'Tch' she thought. 'You brats still have a long way to go.'

"Don't worry. At this rate, you'll lose in no time." A growl of annoyance was heard. She smirked slightly. So the brats were angry, good. "Ready…start!"

The short air brawl started. Chifuyu started zoning out due to the boredom of the fight. She longed to be in the air again, to reclaim her title as the strongest woman. But being a teacher to her own brother was kind of fun. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly, from Naruto to the idiot's stupid ramen and back to Naruto. She wondered for a second why she was thinking about him on a particular day like this. 'Oh well,' she shrugged. Even though she still held some feeling for the blond idiot; she didn't know where he was. He disappeared just like Tabane, except Tabane still kept in contact. Right after she finished with teaching, she vowed to find that idiot. And when she did, she promised to beat the living crap out of him.

She was brought out of her daze from a scream. Rin and Ceclia's IS got tangled up and were falling very fast. The class scattered, screaming in panic, all except her brother. Chifuyu growled. The two IS were falling very fast. There was a 15 meter distance between him and her. The ETA for impact was a mere two seconds. She couldn't move that fast without an IS. Chifuyu's eyes widened in horror, "Move idiot!"

Her brother snapped out of his daze. "Eh?"

A giant cloud of dust followed a mini earthquake. There was a bated silence as the she and the class waited for the cloud of clear, before all hell broke loose. The students swarmed the IS lying in the crater.

"Orimura-sensei! We can't find him!" yelled a very frantic Yamada.

'What? That's impossible. Humans don't disappear into thin air.' Her sharp senses picked up another person; a stranger, who felt kind of familiar in a weird way.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" She shouted. "This is government property!"

The class looked at her confusedly, before a new, masculine voice cut through the air. "Ne ne Chi-chan, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

Her head snapped up. A figure clad in all black floated in the air, grabbing a shocked Ichika by the back of his collar. Chifuyu guessed there were air thrusters hidden in his boots. It was then she noticed what kind of suit it was. Her mental state almost shattered in shock. Only one person in the world had that armor; the same one that fought with her through the 'Black and White Incident'.

The class and the figure in black looked at her expectantly. Her gaze wandered up to his face. He still had the cute whisker marks and the same pretty boy face. She gulped, her voice sounding almost fragile. "Naruto-kun?"

So I'm back! Anyway…I just got into Infinite Stratos and it is such a good anime. Ya'll should try it. Read, enjoy and review! This'll be Naruto/Chifuyu obviously. They are both 18.

Peace
-Orion