Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Infinite Stratos.

"Chifuyu!"

"...Eh? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to drop by. I want to see your face before I leave, a-"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Chifuyu...I'm...I'm moving-"

"What?! Why?"

"My dad got promoted in his job. We're moving to Karakura Town. He's now head doctor at a hospital there."

"...but, but what about us? What about me? You and Tabane are the only friends I had. I-"

"Hey there, relax. We could still be in touch by letters. We'll still friends no matter what."

"...ood frie..."

"Excuse me?"

"Good friends! Not just a friend, good friends. Can I be your good friend?"

"...No."

"!"

"Because we already are best friends, aren't we?"

"...Thank you *sniffs"

"Hey, don't go emotional on me now. Now who are you and where is the tough and serious girl I met in kendo class?"

"*chuckles"

"You still have Tabane to accompany you, y'know? Even though she's really hyper *sweatdrops...Promise you won't feel lonely?"

"I...I promise..."

"...*smirks *hugs, We'll meet again, Chifuyu. I...I'll miss you."

"...Yeah, we'll meet again someday. I'll miss you too...Ichigo..."

"Urrrgh..."

That's the umpteenth time Orimura Ichika groaned today.

And he has a good reason for it.

He is now sitting in a desk at the middle of the classroom, surrounded by girls, and the word 'surrounded' is already an understatement. He could feel all the intense stares from practically all of them as he is THE only male in the classroom. Not only that, the whole student body is compromised of females. Even the staff members, the academy teachers and the janitors are all female.

Yup, that's right.

He is THE only male student and possibly the only male in the whole IS academy.

And how did he enrol there?

Well, let's just say that he got lost finding the room to take his high school examinations and accidentally stumble into a room containing an IS. He touched it out of curiosity and discovered he can pilot one, despite only women can operate it.

With the academy consisting of a female population of 99.9%, he felt isolated. Not to mention there are a lot of cute-looking girls here in the academy. He may be a dense as a block or possibly denser than that, but he's still a hormonal male teenager.

It's hard not to get hard in here...

Well, there is a positive thought as his childhood friend, Houki Shinonono is in the same class as her. Its been six years since he did seen her, so he was looking forward to catch up with her. Glancing towards her at the corner of his eyes, he caught her staring at him as well. Having been caught, she huffed and look towards the window, avoiding his gaze. Great, now his childhood friend is ignoring him as well. He groaned again and started to fell into depression.

"...ika-san? Orimura Ichika-san!"

"H-Hai?!" he yelled unintentionally, breaking out from his thoughts as he heard someone called his name loudly. Lopking up, he saw Maya Yamada-sensei in front of him. He realized that she was the one that called out his name. He could hear quiet laughter from some of the girls behind him. Great, is his first day at school and he's already making a fool of himself.

"S-sorry for calling your name out so loudly but Orimura-san wasn't responding earlier... Are you angry at me? I'm really sorry! B-But we are doing self introductions now and we are at the surnames starting with O's now... So, c-can you introduce yourself? P-please?" Yamada-sensei pleads as she bows in apology.

In an attempt to calm his frantic teacher, Ichika quickly replied, "Y-You don't have to bow, Yamada-sensei! I-I just zoned out for a while back there. I'll introduce myself now!"

That made Yamada-sensei perked up and stood real straight. Well, that worked well.

Sweating slightly now, he stood up and turned around to face his female classmates, who're anticipating his introduction with full concentration. Seeing all the stares directed at him, he swallowed a lump on his throat before introducing himself.

"Um...ano...My name is Ichika Orimura, I look forward to working with you." That's all he could think about in his introduction, because his mind is a complete blank right now. Looking around the class, he saw everyone is still having their full attention on him. They want him to say more?!

Having no idea what to say, he ends it with a "...That is all."

Cue facefault.

Well, that was awkward...

TWACK!- "Gepoh!"

"Can't even make a simple introduction, Orimura?"

Out of nowhere, a blunt object suddenly hit his head. Rubbing his head to soothe the pain, he looked over towards the doorway to see his sister standing there wearing a formal white shirt, with a black overcoat, black skirt, green tie, stockings and high heeled shoes, holding a thick book in her hands. And was that a slight happy glow surrounding her?

"Chifuyu-nee?"

TWACK!

And another blow hit his head.

"It's Orimura-sensei to you." Chifuyu said in a cold and serious tone.

"H-Hai, Orimura-sensei..."

"Orimura-sensei," the voice of Yamada-sensei called out to her, "Is the meeting over?"

Turning her attention towards her, Chifuyu said, "Yeah, Yamada-kun. I'm sorry for making you greet the class." Then she turns her attention towards the class and said out loud, "Ladies, I am Orimura Chifuyu. Within the next year, It'll be my job to train you to become pilots. I shall be your guide until you become capable. You can oppose me, though listen closely to what I say. Understand?"

And all hell break loose.

"KYAAAA! Its the real Chifuyu-sama!"

"She's too beautiful!"

"I love you so much!"

"I have always been your fan!"

"You are the reason I came to this school!"

"I could die for you!"

Chifuyu just stared at the fanatical students before pinching her bridge of her nose in annoyance, "Its amazing how many of these idiots come every year. Should I be admiring them, or is it only because that they're in my class?"

She looked over to her brother, who was still crouching and rubbing his head from her hit on the head. She then scowled at him and ordered, "Sit back in your seat, you idiot."

Ichika cringed from her tone. Quickly stood up and scramble to his seat, he said, "H-Hai! Chifuyu-ne-"

TWACK!

"Again, It's Orimura-sensei to you!"

"Hai...Orimura-sensei,"

And so starts the life of the first male IS pilot.

...Or so that's what Ichika thought.

Unbeknownst to him, he lost that title to someone else four years ago.

And he's at the academy.

But not as a student.

...

Ten minutes before the SHR ends.

Unlike class 1-1, class 1-2 is an all-female class. All the students are chattering here and there and befriend each other as they waited for their homeroom teacher to enter the class.

Of course, the gossip of the day is about the only male student in the academy called Orimura Ichika who is in class 1-1. Apparently, he is the second male IS pilot to emerge after four years. The first male IS pilot took the position as the IS Representative of Japan almost a year after Chifuyu retired and went on to be the finalist of the third Mondo Grosso, only to lose to the IS Representative of Italy, but he didn't go down without a fight as the final of the Mondo Grosso was the longest and most intense in history.

The noise of incoming footsteps and the opening of the classroom door quieted all of them down as turn their attention to the person walking into the class. What they saw was surprising as they went wide eyed at the unexpected newest arrival.

Walking into the classroom is apparently a tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes standing at a cool 5'11. He's wearing a fitting dark grey suit over a formal white collared shirt with with dark grey pants and a black tie. What really distinguished himself from the others is his spiky orange hair that screams out 'I'm a target ready to get killed!' and that scowl that is somehow naturally etched on his face screaming 'I'll kill you If you touch me.' The class was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The young man proceeded to slam the book he brought together on the desk, breaking every students' daze in the class, and said, "Now that I've finally get you brats' attention, lets get this over with. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo and I'll be training you to become true pilots. I would be expecting discipline from you brats. Pay close attention to what I'm teaching and there would be no talking and no interruptions while I'm teaching unless you raise up your hand to ask a question or there will be hell to pay. Understand?

"..."

Silence.

And more silence.

Until one of the girls suddenly break the silence with a loud shout of, "Its...ITS THE REAL KUROSAKI-KUN!"

""""""""""""KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"""""""""

"Its him! ITS HIM! KUROSAKI ICHIGO-KUN! THE FIRST MALE IS PILOT!"

"THE BLACK SAMURAI! IN THE FLESH!"

"He looks so hot in person!"

"He's such a hunk!"

"Please marry me!"

"I love you!"

Ichigo silently groaned in annoyance as he watched the scene unfold in his class. He hated the fame he got from being the first male IS pilot as he always get harassed by a number of fangirls, which he really despised so much. Now his class as well?! Seriously?! "Urgh, fangirls. Why the fuck did I accept this job again?"

It all started when he visited the sweets shop of one Urahara Kisuke, whom he knows personally as he is a close friend of his dad, at the age of 18. As Urahara was out for an errand, he walked around the shop out of curiosity and stumbled upon a secret futuristic laboratory and a few IS in there located under the shop, which greatly shocked Ichigo. He knew about the IS as his childhood friend, Shinonono Tabane was the one who created them and his other childhood friend, Orimura Chifuyu was a IS pilot and a famous figure in Japan, winning the first Mondo Grosso and finalist at the second before retiring.

Ever since being an IS pilot, Chifuyu very rarely replied his messages. Ichigo understood why as he knew she was really busy as an IS Representative of Japan, but he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He wouldn't admit it, but he actually missed her since he moved out of Tokyo, especially his father being oh so annoying as he often screamed to the poster of Masaki about 'missing his daughter-in-law', a remark rewarded with a beating from Ichigo. He even thought of trying to be an IS pilot to be reacquainted with her and be close to her again, but he knew that was impossible as only women are capable of piloting an IS.

Now back to the story. Entering the room, he couldn't help but feel fascinated at the state-of-the-art technology the laboratory provided. How Hat 'n Clogs successfully keep this laboratory in secret he don't know, but from what he saw, he guessed that Hat 'n Clogs was researching and gathering information about the IS and possibly succeeded in making a few. Seeing enough, he pivoted on his heels and walked towards the exit, but something caught his vision at the corner of his eyes.

Looking back over his left shoulder, he saw what looked like a normal IS in its inactive form, but he felt this particular IS is different somehow. This IS was fully black with red trimmings on its armor. He couldn't help but felt a pulling sensation between him and the IS, like the IS was attracting him towards it. What's even weirder was that the IS looks like it was kneeling before him waiting for him to wear it. Deciding to follow his instincts, he slowly walked towards it and placed his right hand on it.

The exact moment he touched it, his brain was suddenly flooded with information, startling him. As it stopped, he quickly took a step back and wondered what did just happen. He flinched as he heard a familiar voice at the doorway.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san. I see you found my secret lab! What's more you unexpectedly activated an IS!" A chirpy voice said at the doorway.

"Gah!" Recognizing the voice, Ichigo shouted as he whirled towards the door to see Kisuke standing there with his fan opened. "H-Hat 'n Clogs! T-This isn't what it looks like! I-"

"Relax Kurosaki-san." Kisuke said with his rarely heard serious tone as he closed his fan and walked towards Ichigo, "I'm not mad. Plus, it was also my plan letting you in anyway. Why do you think I left the floor hatch slightly opened? OW!"

Hearing that made the strawberry snapped inside him as he send a fist onto the mad scientist head, "Why don't you just bring me here by yourself?! You think that I'll run away after I saw all this?!"

Kisuke was silent for a while. He then suddenly perked up, opened his fan and replied in a cheerful manner, "Why yes I do! OW!" and getting another blow on the face from Ichigo's elbow.

"Fuck you. Now that just pisses me off even more." Ichigo growled before he took his time to calm down. After a long silence, he then asked, "Why the heck are you researching about the IS? I know you're a science freak but I never thought it would be in such a large scale."

Once again, Kisuke was silent. Moments later, he walked over to one of the control tables and pulled out two chairs. He then sat down on one of them and motioned to Ichigo to sit down, "Sit, it would be a long story." Ichigo just shrugged and went on to sit, opposite of Kisuke.

"So tell me Kurosaki-san. How much do you know about IS?" Urahara asked.

Blinking a few times at the question, he then snapped at him, scowling, "What the hell?! Of course I know a lot about IS! Both of my childhood friends created them and piloted one of then for God's sake! Which...I didn't see them for a long time..."

"Jeez calm down. You don't have to blow your fuse at that question," Kisuke calmly said, "Just answer the question, Kurosaki-san."

Still growling, Ichigo answered back, "They are powered exoskeletons, which were originally meant for out space exploration. Designed by Shinonono Tabane, they possess technology and combat capabilities far more advanced than any other weapon system. Only women are capable of piloting them."

"That is correct," Urahara confirmed, "What about the Gotei Corp.?"

Ichigo was confused at that question, but still answered, "They are the biggest IS development and production corporation of Japan, with Genryusai Yamamoto as the CEO. They are funded heavily by the Japanese government to continue build and develop IS." He then deeply scowled, "What is that damn company gotta do with your smartass laboratory of yours?"

Urahara took a deep breath and answered him, "I was the former Head of Research and Development of the Gotei. Corp. And this lab is my personal lab to develop my own IS after quitting."

Ichigo went wide eyed at that, This Urahara Kisuke, a sweets shop owner and a freaking mad scientist, was actually a former Head of Research and Development of one of the largest company in all of Japan?! Well, no wonder he was a science-freak...

"I was the most the knowledgeable scientist in Japan. As the IS emerges, before other countries could hire me, I was hired by the Gotei Corp. as Head of R&D. The pay was real good so I accepted it. During my leadership, We successfully develop and produce the first 2nd-Generation IS in the world, and we're already started to experiment on the 3rd-Generations. The company was impressed with my work and ability. It was going well, until..." he trailed off.

"Until what happened?" Ichigo pressed on.

"...Two years ago, our laboratory building was trashed. Equipment was broken. Computers and controls were sabotaged. IS which was still in-progress were destroyed. The company loss billions because of the incident. And when the incident was brought out to the public, it brought the whole countries in Alaska Treaty into high alert. You know what's the Alaska Treaty right?" Ichigo nodded, he continued, "They wanted the person who did it to be captured immediately and sentenced to death as they see it as a terrorism act. Because of me being the last person to exit the building, I was immediately accused, even though I didn't do anything wrong."

"Did you?"

"Of course not. Other that that CCTV footage, they have no other proof. It was found out more than a month later of intensive investigation that it was my deputy, Sosuke Aizen was behind all this and was sentenced to death. I was released from all charges, but the damage had already been done. I immediately quit as Head of R&D and went into hiding, moving from Tokyo to Karakura and own a sweets shop ever since. Since I went into hiding, I became two of the most wanted scientists in the world, along with Shinonono-san."

"...And no wonder you opened a sweets shop, to keep a low profile."

Kisuke nodded.

"BUT that doesn't explain this big-ass laboratory hidden under your damn sweets shop!"

"Even though I quit, I'm still interested in the fundamentals of IS, especially the cores. Since Shinonono-san only created 467 of them, my goal is to unlock the secret of the cores and built one myself. And just recently, I succeeded. Furthermore, from the core itself, I think I've fixed the side-effect of why only women are capable of piloting an IS."

Ichigo went wide eyed.

"H-How did you fixed it?"

"As you know, the core is a mixture of an AI and a power source. Without the core, there would be no IS. So I suspect that the reason of why only women are capable of piloting them lies within the core itself. And I was right. Using the core given to me by the Gotei Corp. as gratitude for my success before I quit, I finally succeeded in hacking into the core components. I found a really miniscule error in the core's algorithm, making the IS to only respond to the touch of a female."

Ichigo was silent, eyes was still wide in shock.

"And I plan to keep this information as top-secret and not to be released to the public. And yes, one of the terms of the treaty stated that any and all information and technology related to IS is to be disclosed to the world and shared openly, but if I released this, the whole world would go heaven to hell just to find me and get my signature. I don't want that. I just want to live my own life as a humble shopkeeper!"

"Pfffft, humble my ass."

Kisuke chuckled at his response before saying, "Ah, if you're wondering, that IS you touched, is a 2.5-Gen IS equipped with the very first IS core built by me. And I programmed this particular IS to be your personal IS."

If Ichigo's eyes couldn't get any wider, it was popping out from his eye sockets. Stiffly standing up and walked towards the IS, he then turned his back at it and positioned himself to the pilot seat and the holding mechanics locking around his stomach, holding him in place. The IS was fully black. The chest wasn't covered for maximum mobility on the arms. A black gauntlet with red trims each covered his arms from the fingers to the elbows with the fingers sharply pointed with three diamond-shaped armor plates layering from the wrist to the elbow. The legs were layered as well, giving better mobility and nice aesthetics. Two diamond-shaped wings with red trims were hovering behind him. And finally on his right hand, he was holding a black daito with four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji on the cross guard and a short length of chain with a broken link at the end dangles from the base of the hilt.

"Skin Barrier activate. Thruster Status green. Close-range Blade activate. Hypersensor optimum capacity," Ichigo announced without thinking. He then went wide eyed as he realized what he just said, "How the fuck did I know all that shit?" Then, it suddenly dawned on him, oh, that influx of information...

"But I never said I wanted an IS."

"You never said it but from your eyes, I know you do," Kisuke said, "I've visited your house often and sometimes when you watch the news regarding IS, especially when Orimura-san is on TV, you got this faraway look-"

"Oh hell I did not!"

"Wow, what a quick denial. You look cute when you're flustered, Kurosaki-san."

"Fuck you Hat 'n Clogs! And that sounded so gay!"

Urahara just chuckled at Ichigo's reaction before getting back to his serious tone, "Besides, I wanted someone to test out my creations, and the only people I believe in is your family or Yoruichi-san. Other than your father, you are the only male in your family. I built this IS with you being the sole focus around it, hoping that it will respond to you, and it did. Keep it as your personal IS as a thank you gift from me. I know you want it."

Ichigo couldn't help but feel honoured. Hat 'n Clogs built this IS with him as the main focus to pilot it? What's more, he actually believed him enough to actually let him into his laboratory. He let out a small smirk on his face and said, "No, thank you for having faith in me...Urahara-san."

Urahara just smiled as he went on to make a few adjustments to the IS to fit Ichigo's body properly. After a few minutes, he moved away and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Ichigo lift his left hand near to his face and clenched it a few times before saying, "I still feel a little stiff. Its still at its default settings anyway, so its manageable."

Kisuke nodded and walked over to a steel door with Ichigo following him. He then typed the password on the digital lock before the steel door opened upwards, showing a large room. Ichigo was stunned. It was a large room with a ceiling and walls painted to resemble a cloudy sky over a floor of desolate, brown, craggy land dotted with dead trees. It looked so realistic.

"This is a test ground I built by myself," Kisuke claimed, "What do you think, Impressive, ne?"

Ichigo's silence answered the question.

"Now why don't you get in there with your personal IS? I would like to see it to take off. Plus, It would be important to get familiar with the basics of controlling your IS as it is your first time piloting it. So what do you say? Wanna experience spreading your wings and fly?"

Breaking out from his daze, Ichigo shot him a smirk. "Heh, fuck you again, Hat 'n Clogs," Roaring the IS thrusters into life, Ichigo flew into the test ground at incredible speeds. Whipping up and down, he swing his sword down onto a large boulder and the boulder crumbled into pieces. He hit a few more boulders and started to make a few flying stunts. He was having fun, "Heh, I'm starting to get the hang of it," he muttered, but he still felt a little stiff, "Now how should I initiate the first shift?"

"Answer my one and only question, and only if I'm satisfied with your answer," A male voice said in his head, making him widen his eyes, "Do you know who am I?"

"You're the voice of the IS?!"

"Excellent, you figured it out on your own," The voice said, "So enlighten me, what do you fight for?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you fight? Why do you want power? What is your purpose of piloting me? What do you fight for?"

"That's four questions, not one," Ichigo sweatdropped.

"Four questions but all of them have one similar meaning," the voice replied back, "So what is your answer?"

Ichigo pondered that question for a while before his face hardened, his eyes full of determination, "I fight...for my friends! My name is Ichigo, the one who protects! I swear by my name, with power, I will protect those who are precious to me!"

The IS was silent for a while before replying, "Good answer. As a reward I shall give you my name," Ichigo's eyes slightly widened as he heard his name in his brain. He regained his composure and hardened his gaze as he crouched down mid air in a stance and placed his sword at his left side, the wind picking up around him, (A/N: Play Number One by Hazel Fernandes) "Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate. Shout! My name is-!"

"ZANGETSU!"

A bright light shone around him and the lit the whole room, making Kisuke shielding his eyes with his right arm. As the light dimmed down, Kisuke put down his arm and was slighty surprised at Ichigo's new appearance.

The armor of the IS now is much more angular and more deadly looking, and the large hovering wings with was two previously two has now split into four, with two on each side, and an extra wing between the four wings directly at the middle of his back. His sword, or swords, has also changed. The one on his right hand is in the shape of a large cleaver knife, with the grip at the base of the blade and a handle extending back from this about roughly the width and length of Ichigo's forearm. The one of the left hand though is relatively small, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and is similar to the first blade, but resembles a trench knife more than a sword. Unlike its counterpart, it has an enclosed handle, with a portion acting like a hand guard.

Ichigo lifted both of his swords and inspected it. He could feel the power inside him. And he felt so light he feel like the IS is just an extension of his arms and legs. He smirked as he thought, 'Heh, Chifuyu, looks like we'll meet again soon.' (A/N: End song)

And that's how Kurosaki Ichigo became the first male IS pilot in the world.

Somehow, that information was leaked out and Ichigo was immediately thrown into the spotlight, appearing in every news in the world on the TV and the newspapers. Isshin took the news even more crazily as he kept shouting "My son has grown so much to be living in a large harem!" getting a beating from Ichigo. Fortunately, the discovery of the defect by Kisuke wasn't leaked out. And of course, a few days after the information was made public, Ichigo received an unexpected message from Chifuyu. Even though it was just a simple 'Congratulations', Ichigo was thankful she made time in her really busy schedule to at least send a message.

The Japanese initially forced Ichigo to enter the IS Academy, being the only male to pilot an IS, but Ichigo wouldn't budge, muttering along the lines of "I'm too old to be going back to a damn high school". So as compromise, the Japanese government ironically sent the strawberry pilot to Gotei Corp. in Tokyo and be thought by private tutors to finish all the IS courses in the curriculum. Due to him being able to absorb knowledge fast like a sponge, he graduated in over a year. Eventually, he was chosen as the IS Representative of Japan, succeeding the retired Chifuyu, though his delayed appointment due to him being the only male, thus creating debate at the UN as to whether he is allowed to take part in certain operations.

As the IS Representative of Japan, he took part in the third Mondo Grosso tournament. Being the only male, he was deeply underestimated by most competitors, but he proved everybody wrong. From over 100 countries participating in the tournament, against over 100 IS pilots around the world with more experience, he defied everyone's expectations and went on to made it into the final, eventually losing to the IS Representative of Italy, but he didn't go without a fight, considering his two swords are the only weapons he had and the Tempest piloted by the Italian Representative has cannons, rifles, laser beams and missiles in its arsenal. His mastery in kenjutsu was shown as he was able to deflect countless laser beams and bullets fired by the Tempest. The fight was legendary as it was the longest and the best IS fight in history.

Due to his IS being fully black and his mastery in kenjutsu, he was given the epithet as the Black Samurai.

Even Chifuyu, though she was busy even after she retired, made time to give him a call to congratulate him and they talked for a few minutes before Chifuyu unfortunately had to excuse herself. The strawberry couldn't stop grinning on that day.

And due to that fight and that fight alone, Ichigo rise up to the highest peak of fame. Men view him as the saviour to regain their rightful position in the society while women view him as the 'perfect bachelor', much to Ichigo's chagrin. Heck when he returned home, the front of his house was filled with thousands of admirers. How they know his house location Ichigo don't know.

Few years later, Ichigo was tasked by the Japanese government to be an IS Academy instructor to monitor and guide Orimura Ichika, who was revealed to be the second male capable of piloting an IS. The pay was good enough to support his family and himself so Ichigo accepted it. What he didn't expect was that Chifuyu was also an instructor at the academy. During the meeting between homeroom teachers before SHR, he was slightly surprised to see Chifuyu there. Even said female's emotions were no different. After the meeting, they looked in the eye and made a silent agreement to meet on the rooftop after SHR. And now, he's here as the homeroom teacher of class 2.

Seeing his class still fawning over him, he scowled before putting his thumb and middle finger into his mouth and whistled loudly to quiet them down. As expected, the girls all quiet down to listen to their sensei. Ichigo then sternly said, "I already mentioned that I will be expecting discipline and no noise during my class, but since today is you brats' first day at the academy, I'll let you off the hook. Now listen to what I'm gonna say. Being your homeroom teacher, I would be drilling the basics of the IS into your mind till you master them. As the saying goes, training a kick a thousand times is more deadlier then training a thousand kicks one time. If you don't grasp the basics well, keep dreaming of piloting an IS. After you're master the basics, then we'll begin with the real IS training. If you don't understand anything that is thought to you, ask me and I would be glad to give my assistance. Understand?"

"Hai! Kurosaki-sensei!" the whole class chorused just before the school bell rang. Ichigo then announced loudly, "Alright! SHR is over! Use this time to get acquainted with all your classmates. We'll resume in twenty minutes." With another chorus of "Hai! Kurosaki-sensei!" he exited the classroom.

...

The strawberry pilot is now on one of the rooftops of the IS Academy buildings as he lean over the railing of the roof, looking out at the scenery. The IS Academy in Ichigo's opinion, is downright beautiful. It is built on an offshore island which could only be reached with a monorail connecting it to the mainland. It has a decidedly futuristic look, with all its domes and a branch-like tower in the middle of it. There are plenty of trees and parks to tone down the metallic look. The buildings are designated in different places to differentiate their purpose. There are also various "shimmering" holograms that appear all over the academy. There is a large moving holographic strip alongside the school building to broadcast pretty much everything, like weather, temperature, etc.

He was glad he finally left the nest and live on his own. Not to mention getting away from his eccentric father, who was crying loudly at his mother's poster shouting along the lines of "My baby boy has grown up!" or "My son wants to leave us and live a new life!". Yuzu took the news not so greatly and keep crying at Ichigo's arms while Karin was happy for him, even telling him to introduce his girlfriend to them when he got one, which made Ichigo blush and lost his fuse.

Even better, he could finally see Chifuyu again, who was one of his childhood friends along with Tabane before moving to Karakura. Its been like, what? 14 years since he saw her in person? He lost count already. He had to admit, she had grown so much into a beautiful woman. But still, her presence is still the same as before, stern and serious. He sighed, some things just didn't change.

He stiffened a little as he heard the door of the roof entrance opened, but he relaxed as he immediately recognized the presence without turning his head at the door. He heard the door closed and footsteps coming towards his direction. His lips twiched upwards slightly to a small smile as he awaited the presence to come nearer and lean on the railing beside him. But what he didn't expect was the presence to come behind him and wrap her arms around his torso and lean her face on his broad back.

Chifuyu looked stoic on the outside but on the inside, she was doing a happy dance. She was shocked when she saw Ichigo entering the meeting hall, and he didn't even change a bit. That scowl he always had on his face every single time was still there. His orange hair is still as spiky as ever and he has grown so much taller than her, since she only reached just above his shoulders. And she could see how well-built and muscular his body is from his suit. He looked so...handsome. And with that thought, Chifuyu slightly blushed before suppressing it.

Now, she was on the rooftop, hugging the strawberry, emotions running high. She may not admit it, but she really missed him a lot. When she saw him on the news as the first male capable of piloting an IS, she was ecstatic. She was even more happy when he was a finalist at the third Mondo Grosso. She watched Ichigo perform on TV as he steamrolled on his way to be the finalist only to lose to the Italian Representative. She was impressed with his skill of piloting an IS, not to mention his mastery of kenjutsu, which is possibly better than hers.

Now she doesn't care about IS and what not. What matters now is she is finally with the person who was able to open her shell, the person who is her first friend ever made, the person who inspire her other than her brother. And she is happy.

"Its been too long, Chifuyu," the husky voice of Ichigo spoke, breaking out form her thoughts, "Its been around 14 years..."

Chifuyu just hugged him tighter as she shifted slightly to lean her right cheek on his back, and softly said, "Yeah, too long. I really miss you, Ichigo."

Ichigo responded by placing his arms over Chifuyu's who was still hugging him, making her blush slightly, and said, "I miss you too..." he slightly smirked and looked over his shoulder to look at her and said, "We've a lot of catching up to do. So tell me what had you be-"

"NO!" Chifuyu suddenly shouted in response, much to Ichigo's surprise. Realizing what she just did, Chifuyu quickly hid her face on his back, trying to suppress her blush which is as red as a tomato. Noticing this, Ichigo thought how this woman with a serious and stern personality, could look so cute when she... Cute? Where did that come from? The muffled voice of Chifuyu broke out from his thought as she said, "Le-Lets be like this, u-until the bell rings. W-we could talk l-later after class. P-Please?"

Blinking a few times at the request, Ichigo just shrugged, "Sure, why not?" Of course, he couldn't deny being hugged by Chifuyu felt nice. Chifuyu smiled as she hugged him tighter and lean her right cheek on his back while Ichigo held her arms that are around him.

And so, they enjoy each others' presence as they embraced on the school rooftop until the bell rings.

...

"I OBJECT!"

That's the voice of one Cecilia Alcott objecting the appointment of Orimura Ichika as the class representative of Class 1.

"I can't agree with a selection process like this! First of all, having a male as our class representative is an embarrassment! Are you asking I, Cecilia Alcott, to bear this kind of humiliation for an entire year?! Just by skill, without a doubt, I should be the one who should be class representative!"

Pissed by her remark to his own country, Ichika stood up and glared at her, "Hey! Your country doesn't have much to brag about either! How many times has the British won the worst cuisine award?!"

"W-What?! How dare you! How dare a lowly monkey like you has the audacity to insult my honourable country!"

Just before Cecilia could continue with her rant, a bold girl told her loudly, "Hey! don't you forget Kurosaki Ichigo-kun! He is a male and rather than a class representative, he is the IS Representative of Japan and the finalist of the third Mondo Grosso!"

The mention of Kurosaki Ichigo, perked Chifuyu up as she smirked slightly.

"Hmph, I bet his progress to the finals was just a fluke," Cecilia claimed loudly, "I couldn't believe this island country of the East had actually chosen a monkey as their representative. This is a humiliation to the world of IS."

And the whole class just exploded in outrage.

"Hey! Don't you insult Kurosaki-kun!"

"He is a inspiration!"

"He is what inspires me to be an IS pilot!"

And Chifuyu is trying to suppress her huge urge to strangle the IS Representative Candidate of England here and there.

"I think someone's full of themselves."

The new voice suddenly spoke up behind the class as everybody quieted down and turned their heads at the voice behind them. Leaning near the doorway with his hands is his pockets, is one scowling Kurosaki Ichigo.

And rather than outrage, the whole class exploded into fangirlism.

"KYAAAHHH!"

"ITS KUROSAKI ICHIGO-SAMA!"

"PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME!"

"YOU'RE MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION!"

"Silence!"

That one shout of a fuming Orimura Chifuyu resounded around the whole class. Not wanting to face the wrath of their sensei, the whole class immediately quieted down. Then, matching Ichigo's scowl, she asked him, "What are you doing in my class, Kurosaki-sensei? Don't you have a class to teach?"

Ichika was surprised. There was another guy in the academy, and he's actually a teacher? Being a teacher, he should know how to pilot an IS. So that means he wasn't the first male to actually pilot an IS! He mentally sighed in relief, he wasn't alone.

Said strawberry just smirked slight at how Chifuyu emphasized his name and replied, "Oh yes I do, Orimura-sensei. I asked my assistant to handle my class while I went to do my business. After I finished, as I went back to my class, I overheard a certain English representative candidate insulted me by calling me a monkey." he finished and shot a death glare at Cecilia, who visibly flinched at the intensity of the glare. Not to be outdone, Cecilia weakly replied.

"Y-You! H-How dare you barge into the class! This is blasphemy! I can't believe this! I challenge you both to a duel!"

"Fine," Ichika accepted, "Its better than arguing anyway."

Cecilia then turned her attention towards Ichigo who was dumbfounded by her challenge, he slowly asked, "You, a first-year student, is challenging me, a sensei, to a duel?"

"Don't you heard me correctly?" Cecilia retorted, "And I'm confident I would pummel you to the ground."

The class was silent as they wait for Ichigo's answer to her duel. After a few moments, Ichigo replied with a simple, "No."

Cecilia was about to brag about him being a scaredy-cat but Ichigo continued talking, "Because as a sensei, it's a crime to pummel their students to the ground."

"WHAT!"

"Let me be frank to you, Cecilia Alcott-san." he said her name coldly, which made Cecilia flinch, "When I fight, I have the tendency to never hold back, scratch that, I don't know how to hold back. I always show no mercy to my opponents. You fighting me would be suicide, heck, I even doubt your IS would survive. Check my records, there were two IS I fought against until they were rendered unusable to fight at the previous Mondo Grosso ." As he finished, Chifuyu closed her eyes and smirked.

Cecilia was about to retort loudly at his proclaimation but the strawberry cut her off, "But, if you really wanted to see my skills to be put to the test with your own eyes, I would gladly do it." He then turned to look at Chifuyu, who raised an eyebrow, and smirked, "How about I show you my skills, by having a mock-battle, or a demo if you will, with the legendary Orimura-sensei?"

Audible gasps of shock and surprise and murmurs of excitement were heard in the class immediately after Ichigo's proclaimation. While Ichika, Chifuyu and Cecilia, all of them wasn't expecting that, just went wide eyed.

"Its fitting, right?" Ichigo said, turning his attention back to Cecilia, "Me, being the finalist of the previous Mondo Grosso and current IS Representative of Japan, by proving my skills to you, will have a mock-battle with Orimura Chifuyu, a legend in IS history, former champion of Mondo Grosso and former IS Representative of Japan. While you have your fight for the class representative with Orimura. What do you say? Do you agree?"

Cecilia can't think of a better offer as she considered it, so she grumbled, "Fine."

"Are you sure, Kurosaki-sensei?" Chifuyu asked, but Ichigo detected a challenging tone in her words, "Because I have much more experience than you."

Knowing her intentions, Ichigo slowly walked towards her, who was behind her desk, and said, "Sometimes skills prevails experience."

"And how do you know that?" Chifuyu smirked slightly while Ichigo closed the distance between them.

"My head-to-head record against you in kendo. I have more wins against you than you against me." Ichigo smirked back and is directly in front of her now.

"That was a long time ago. Who knows, I've improved till maybe I could defeat you hands down." Chifuyu, with her hands on the desk, slowly lean towards him.

"Have you forgotten I was the given the epithet as the Black Samurai?" Ichigo lean towards her as well.

"Epithets are pointless. I was the champion of Mondo Grosso while you're not," Their foreheads almost touched.

"And I succeeded you in being chosen as the IS Representative of Japan," They could feel each others breath on their lips now.

But apparently, they have forgotten they are in a class full of female students.

"KYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

That particular shout break the moment.

"OMG THAT WAS SO HOT!"

"CHIFUYU-SAMA AND ICHIGO-SAMA FLIRTING AT EACH OTHER!"

"THEY MAKE A PERFECT COUPLE!"

Both of said IS pilots immediately pulled back and suppressing a blush, glared at the whole class and shouted simultaneously, "We're not a couple!"

"OMG THEY'RE SO IN SYNC!"

"THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE SO MUCH ALIKE!"

"THEY REALLY DO MAKE A PERFECT COUPLE!"

Chifuyu proceeded to take her five-inch attendance book of hell and walked towards the shouting fangirls and hit them on the head, making them quiet down. As Chifuyu walked back to her desk, she sighed and said, "Anyways, looks like it has been decided. The duel for the class representative position will take place on Monday a week from now. Time will be after class at the 3rd Arena. Both of you prepare yourselves."

"Yes ma'am!" Both chorused.

"And to prove his skills to Alcott," she continued, "Kurosaki-sensei will be having a mock-battle against me after your duel at the same arena."

And the whole class exploded into cheers. How can they not? Two IS legends of Japan will be squaring off in a week's time. This is big! Everyone knows it would be an explosive fight to the finish. It would be crazy to miss out on their battle.

Chifuyu smirked at the class response. Inside, she was glad Ichigo challenged her to a mock-battle. Ever since he watched him fight in the Mondo Grosso, she wanted to test her skills against him. Not to mention they would rekindle their old rivalry from their kendo days. She noticed Ichigo was looking at her with a small smile. Soften her expression for once, she smiled back.

Ichika watched the two interacted with slight curiosity. Seeing Chifuyu have a soft expression towards Kurosaki-sensei slightly surprised him. She rarely shows her soft side to the public, but he's showing that side to a person he barely knows. He couldn't help but looked in wonder. Who is this man and what is his relationship with Chifuyu-nee?

And Chapter 1 done!

Hey guys, this is my second fanfic I wrote! But I would be focusing more on my first fanfic, "The Shinigami Of Fairy Tail" so don't expect really fast updates. Oh and FYI, chapter 13 of "The Shinigami Of Fairy Tail" is halfway done, so please be patient. Not to mention my finals are still ongoing and I'm here writing my ass off.

Pairings for this fic would be quite obvious now, don't you think? Both of them so stoic, so serious, scowls most of the time, has a short fuse and hates being made fun of. Its a match made in heaven! Ichika's harem are still intact if you're wondering.

So, please R&R!

albert27 out!