AN: I've been thinking about doing this for a while. This is my first fanfic.

Infinite Stratos, and all of its characters, belong to Izuru Yumizuru

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Five years ago

A certain place, Japan

There was a boy, about ten years old in appearance. He was in a dark room within some sort of warehouse, crying. No matter where he turned his head, all he could see was more darkness. While he thinks he can hear voices outside, it's really quite hard to tell. Nobody is coming to get, and he is starting to wonder if he's really going to be fine.

Ichika Orimura is, for the first time in his short life, afraid and lonely.

"Nee-san, where are you?" He cries out between sobs.

After what seems like hours, he begins to hear shouts and gunfire outside the warehouse. He turns his head towards where he thinks the gunfire is. They aren't coming for him. Nobody is coming for him.

A few minutes later, after the gunfire, but not the screaming, has died down, a hole is ripped in the wall of the warehouse that Ichika had found himself in. His sister has come.

"Nee-san! Nee-san!" He cries, running towards his sister, to her arms.

"Calm down Ichika. You don't need to cry now. I've taken care of all the bad men." His sister says, wrapping her arms around him. She carries him out of the building, and they return home.

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Present

IS Academy, Japan

Of course I'm the only man who can pilot an IS. Just my luck. And here I wanted to not stand out.

Ichika Orimura gets C's and B's in school. He has an average appearance, and due to his sister dropping off of the radar, few people recognize him for that. To someone who doesn't really know him, there are only two significant things about Ichika Orimura. Firstly, he does not live with his parents. Secondly, he was the captain of his kendo club in his second and third years of middle school.

And now he is the only man in the world who can pilot an IS.

Those few people that know him, however, will know that he is highly observant, probably a good deal smarter than he lets on, and always, ALWAYS knows what's going on around him. He can quickly pick up on the basic social structure, as well as how people think of him and what they plan on doing with him, just with a single quick look. They also know that his sister is the famous Chifuyu Orimura, winner of the first Mondo Grosso tournament and legendary hero to most girls who wish to pilot an IS in the future.

The three people whom he trusts, however, know exactly WHY he taught himself this. They also know that he took classes in Chinese, English, French, and German, so that he can at least have a basic understanding of what any people from a country that has major IS developments. Two of these people also know just how much smarter than he is compared to what people think, and that he is constantly making plans for how to quickly get away from any situation.

Can't get out of this one. Wonder how long it'll be 'till I start to be requested for interviews.

Ichika sighed.

At least Chifuyu-nee will be teaching the class. Some of those girls probably haven't seen a guy in the same class as them in years, and since I'll be the only guy in the school, I'll probably become a target. They might even try to sneak into my room. Am I going to have to hire guards?

He stopped in front of the door to class 1-1 of IS Academy.

Suppose there's no real point in worrying about it. Let's just see how it goes.