Butterflies And Dragons

Chapter 21:

A Ba Ni Bi

The church bells rung in Copenhagen in the morning, heralding the countdown to the World Archery Championships. Fully rested and focused, Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu got up, washed up and donned their issued uniforms, collected their equipment and went downstairs for breakfast at AC Bella Sky. Akagi wasted no time piling up her plate. "Mmmmmm!" she said, wolfing down on some sausages, eggs and potatoes before downing a tall Faxe Koldi.

"We're competing," Kaga reminded her, "so eating too much could affect your performance."

"Mmmmf mmmmf mmmmmmf," said Akagi as if to say, "I'm fine. Can't talk. Eating."

Kaga looked at her plate. It was also filled with everything but was not as stacked as Akagi's. Sipping a glass of orange juice, she heard the soothing melody of a song.

"If so, if so, we know we'll be coming,

If so, if so, we know we'll be coming,

If so, if so, we know we'll be coming..."

A loud belch. "Done," Akagi said, patting her belly with crumbs on her face as she looked at Kaga, who was still wrapping up resupplying. After breakfast, the four girls and their coaches brought their equipment to the bus to head to Sundby Idrætspark to do a practice round. It was Sunday, July 26.

A team of event staff inspected the equipment to ensure that it was up to competition standards and that there were no deviations whatsoever. The bows of Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu were good to go, and so the girls, now dressed in their standard-issued uniforms, approached their targets and did a practice round.

The Butterflies and Dragons raising the bows, aimed their arrows and fired all at once, hitting the bulleye in exactly the same location. Eventually, the girls would fire a series of 10's and 9's, with Akagi hitting more 10's and Hiryuu hitting more 9's. When the round finished, the four girls gathered their arrows, recorded their scores and returned to the hotel to have lunch.

"That was an easy round," Akagi said, eating another open-faced sandwich. "Mmmmmm!"

"No surprises," Souryuu said, downing another Faxe Koldi. "It's pretty much expected that you were going to be fine."

Akagi could hear Fubuki's giggling in her head. "Thanks, Fubuki," she said to herself.

"Just as planned," Fubuki's spirit said to her.

As evening began to float over Copenhagen, it was morning in Etajima and Mamiya and Irako and Yamato were cooking some pancakes and other western fare for the fleet at Mamiya's Bar. "So it's started," Irako said to the two of them.

"Huh? What has?" Yamato asked.

"The World Archery Championships."

"Yeah...where are they now?" She played a tray of cinnamon rolls with extra icing on the table, where some of the lesser destroyers helped themselves to some pieces.

"So they did a practice round and tomorrow they will be taking part in the qualification."

"Top 10 finish, it seems like that's in the bag."

"But there are others that could challenge the four of them; the top half of the field have lots of matches under their belt, and our girls are relative newcomers."

"I think they will be ready to shock the world."

Ryuujou, snacking on a cinnamon roll with some other pastries and coffee, saw footage on the HDTV of news cameras and news vans from around the world rolling in. Yuubari's television allowed the fleet to see their team at work, as well as see other scenes from around town, full of interviews, stock footage, action, flashmobs... "Junyou," she asked her.

"Yo!"

She looked at her roll, looking through the hole she has just eaten, seeing Junyou through it. "Question: why are cinnamon rolls so delicious?"

"They are precious, they are too cute to eat, and when you eat them, you become them because you are what you eat."

"Ehhhhhh...?" As she ate another piece, her clothes exploded and her underwear was slightly shredded. "Oh no! What the hell? I am not Asashio-class!"

"KYAAAAAAA!" cried the other destroyers as their clothes exploded from eating the precious cinnamon rolls.

Ryuujou turned around and saw Hiei laughing hesistantly. "You...!" she growled.

"Sorry, sorry, I tried this new chemical to see if it would add extra flavor to the rolls while baking," she said. She turned around and saw Mamiya, Irako and Yamato with angry looks, about to give Hiei her comeuppance. "HIEEEEEEEEEIIIII!"

Morning came again. July 27, 2015. "Ready?" Akagi asked Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu as they checked in their equipment and got ready to being qualification. Overcast skies weren't going to prevent the girls from sizing up against the world's best.

As with the last meeting, the top eight would receive byes to the round of 16. The Director of Shooting for the event fave two sound signals, indicating that all athletes were to occupy the shooting line. The light was red, and 10 second later, the light turned green and the Butterflies and Dragons were off to work.

Akagi and Kaga set a blistering pace, with Souryuu and Hiryuu following close behind. After the 70 meter round, all four shooters in questioon hit 18 10s and 18 Xs to be in a deadlock for first place. Homura looked at Madoka as if to say, just like how you did it then. Madoka simply shrugged as the two of them watched the 60m round followed by the 50m and 30m round. All four of them would be tested for doping, at which nothing would be found illegal. 48 10s, 24 Xs for the Butterflies and Dragons after the 70m round.

Then it was time for the 50m round. 1080 on all ends, 70 10s, 38 Xs for Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu heading into the 30m round. Once that was over, the Butterflies and Dragons looked up at the score: a four-way tie for first place: 84 10s and 60 Xs that tied the old record set in 2011 by their two coaches, Madoka and Homura.

Maja Jager, a local product from Denmark that had faced Madoka and Homura before, looked over her shoulder and saw the two of them. She looked at them as if to say, "We meet again, and it seems you've taught them well."

Madoka looked back, as if to say, "They know what they know." She then walked over to the team. "All of you, you tied our record," said Madoka to Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu. "Some faces in the crowd are looking at one another in shock because you did it all in synchronization. You were pretty good. And you all get a bye to the Round of 16."

"Just as planned," Akagi said, nodding.

"So, what you should now do is go ahead and have lunch and have some rest because you are done for the day."

"Got it," Kaga said, the team bowing. "We shall return to the hotel."

Akagi's stomach was growling. "Ooops, heheh..." Souryuu and Hiryuu were giggling as they took their equipment and rode the bus back to the hotel, Avicii's "Wake Me Up" playing out loud.

"Admiral!" Ooyodo said, opening the door wide, surprising Admiral Tanaka.

"Ooyodo! You should knock first, you know. What's the news?"

"The world record for qualification set in 2011 has been tied four times by Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu."

"Mmmm, very nice," he said, having a martini with a dash of black pepper. "Anything else?"

"It has been determined that Akagi, Kaga and Souryuu will be the three-person entry for the recurve women team competition, with Hiryuu on standby as an alternate, by agreement and confirmed by the Japanese delegation via telephone from Copenhagen."

"Good, good. Well, we're off to a flyer. Now if you'll excuse me..." He was holding up a Hibike! Euphonium doujin featuring Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka tribbing, "I am reading some off-base night battles in visual form."

"I shall leave you to your personal matters. Thank you." Ooyodo bowed and slowly closed the door. With a sigh, the Admiral continued to stroke his impatient, frustrated manhood while studying the juicy details.

The next day was the team Round of 16, and Kaga had brought a harmonica on the team bus to Christianborg Palace. Playing a few idle notes, a backing melody took place as Akagi ate some energy bars while downing a Faxe Koldi. A group of cyclist and security police accompanied the convoy of team buses while the officers on the street redirected traffic.

"Are you a Pitbull fan?" Hiryuu asked Kaga sheepishly.

"Global Warming Meltdown. Hot take: it's going down, I'm yelling timber."

"You don't make any sense at all, Kagami."

"When did I, Himeko?"

"Since...never?" A question mark was next to her head as she blinked.

"Very good..." As the No. 1 seed, Japan were facing France, the No. 16 seed. The French delegation were shaking in their shoes because they were facing the Butterflies and Green Dragon. Focused, Japan sunk the French team, composed of Laura Ruggieri, Berengere Schuh and Solenne Thomas, 5-1. Against the Georgian team of Khatuna Narimanidze, Kristine Esebua (who was familiar with their coaches) and Yulia Lobzhenidze, Japan prevailed, 6-2.

In the semifinals, the Russian team of Inna Stepanova, Tuyana Dashidorzhieva and Ksenia Perova proved to be a different beast altogether and this was where they were finally tested for the first time. A shootoff saw Akagi, Kaga and Souryuu hit 10s to win, 30-28 and escape with a victory and set up a date with India for gold. In addition, Japan's delegation had qualified for the Olympics.

"You've done it," said Madoka to Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu. "You're in Rio but now you need to keep going and do more. As a team, you have a chance to win gold but individuall, it will all come down to you. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they all said.

"Looking good. Dismissed." The girls would go on to have a press conference regarding their performance and for their age, it looked like they had done this many times before. Maybe...too many times before? Akagi liked to wear thick-rimmed red glasses to make her look older than she really was. Same for Kaga with her blue frames. But they really needed the glasses, if only to make it look like they were really in their 30s.

The next day, the girls would be taking part in the individual tournament while some of the girls of the fleet back at Etajima would be taking part in expeditions to stock up for the operation in August. After sitting out the team tournament, Hiryuu was back in the draw. A lone pianist in the hotel lobby played "Fubuki" as the Butterflies and Dragons quietly boarded the team bus for Sundby Idrætspark, the melody of Akagi's esteemed kouhai and little sister warming her soul, so much that it felt like she grew angel wings.

For Akagi, it looked like, sure, qualification accomplished, but it felt like the job was far from done. As the overall No. 1 seed based on casting of lots, Akagi had a first-round bye and was watching the early-round action eating a large granola bar. Any time she was able to eat, her focus stayed constant, her focus stayed sharp and precise and she could absorb the situation. The same could be said for Kaga, Souryuu and Hiryuu, who looked at competitors knocking each other out with such fluid intensity, in the quiet of the morning skies over Denmark's crown jewel, connected by a bridge to Malmo, Sweden, where Eurovision took place a year ago.

Unlike their coaches, who pretty much ignored the field and proceeded to consummate while idle when they competed back in Turin in 2011, years of military activity meant that letting down their guard in a competition like this was a death wish. By the time the early rounds concluded, the four girls knew who they were facing in the Round of 32. Hiryuu was facing Esebua, who her teammates dispatched of in the team competition. Souryuu was up against a Polish contender, Karina Lipiarska.

Kaga was facing Dashidorzhieva again, who she gained immense respect for in the team semifinals. As for Akagi? Perova was up next for her. Dashidorzhieva and Perova, the pride of Russia, were facing the Butterflies, Japan's young prodigies in archery, of Akagi and Kaga. Neither of the Russian challengers realized who they really were. But with Hoppou monitoring the proceedings from her hideout under the bridge, it was a matter of time before the truth would come out. The Admiral was snoring in his bedroom, petting Mutsuki in the nude to keep her company. Even he knew that something could unfold in the next few days.

Waking up, the Admiral got up, took a shower and got ready to pack his bags. "Mutsuki, sorry, I need to get ready to go."

"Eh? Commander why?" she asked, purring.

"I have a feeling...something awful might happen on Sunday, and I need to intercept it by heading to Tokyo and taking a plane. I need to plan this with Nagato and Mutsu."

"Mmmmmmmmm..." Mutsuki yawned.

"Go to sleep and when you wake up, seal the doors until I come back. I will also tell Nagato and Mutsu to hold off on expeditions until I return."

"You always work so hard..."

"Don't worry about me," Admiral Tanaka said, kissing Mutsuki on the lips. "I have bigger issues to worry about." He looked towards the ocean. "Hoppou-chan...I'm on your tail you little punk!"

END CHAPTER 21