Mordred squinted and shielded her eyes with her hand as she stepped out of the terminal. Frankenstein, Musashi, Ritsuka and Chiyome followed behind, towing their luggage as they walked on to the sidewalks of Okinawa. The sun shimmered in the cloudless blue sky, its reflection dancing on the azure waves of the Pacific ocean. Okinawa's separate islands stood in the distance. Deep green trees covered the islands, protruding from hills that stood guard over them; a calming contrast to the busier main island on which they landed.
"It's a shame the coaches couldn't see this," Musashi remarked as they grouped together and walked down the sidewalk. "I know they've been busy with the other fighters, but that seems more of a reason to take a break."
"Just a stroke of bad timing, I suppose," Mordred said. "Besides, it isn't like we can change it now that we're here. This place beats Shinjuku any day!"
Chiyome nodded. "It's beautiful," she said, staring at the islands off the distant beach.
"Very warm," Frankenstein mumbled. She wore a light white dress that left her arms and legs below the knees bare, though the searing sunlight squeezed several drops of sweat out of her forehead.
"Yeah, but at least our hotel should be cooler," Ritsuka said. "The bus should be here soon to take us."
"Ooh, I can't wait," Musashi chirped, her fists shaking with excitement. "Those waves are going to put me to sleep like a baby tonight."
"I'm glad you got us rooms at a smaller resort," Mordred said to Ritsuka. "I'm already sick of the big hotels we stay at whenever we fly in for fights."
"Same," Ritsuka agreed with a nod. "That's kinda why I picked this one."
Frankenstein hummed as they reached the bus stop. She retreated to the small square of shade cast as they waited for the bus to arrive. Mordred sat on the side of the bench closest to Frankenstein, stretching out her arms and legs as she stared down the road. Several birds landed atop the bus stop and chirped against the drone of passing cars. Chiyome gazed at the twinkling ocean water while Musashi folded her hands behind her head and yawned. Ritsuka glanced at her phone a dozen times; twice checking the time, ten more checking messages from promoters and the other fighters back at Chaldea. One message widened her eyes, and she opened it with a quick swipe of her finger. Her eyes scanned the lines multiple times as she checked to make sure it was genuine.
"Frankenstein," Ritsuka called. She pointed at Frankenstein and then her phone. Mordred stayed in her spot as Frankenstein went over to Ritsuka and squinted at the screen. Her eyes lit up as Ritsuka whispered to her, not of a word of which reached Mordred's ears.
"I'll take," Frankenstein said with a confident nod.
"Are you sure?" Ritsuka whispered, her tone urging Frankenstein to lower her voice as well. Frankenstein nodded. They muttered back and forth to each other, leaving the other three in a mix of curiosity and excitement. Mordred leaned toward Ritsuka and Fran, but their whispers faded before they reached her. She gave up after a minute and leaned back, shutting her eyes as she waited for the bus.
Several minutes passed before a white and blue bus came down the road, rolling up to the stop and hissing as the doors opened. Mordred nodded at the driver as she entered. She slouched as Fran slipped into the adjacent seat, staring outside the window as the bus doors closed. The streets and stores moved by in a blur as the bus started towards their hotel. They soon disappeared behind them, giving the spotlight to the ocean and distant beach of the island.
"Hey Fran," Mordred said, turning her head to the right. "What were you talking about with Ritsuka?"
"Fight offer," Fran replied. "It's against top five opponent. I think I will accept it."
"Who is it?" Mordred asked as she sat up straight.
Frankenstein shifted her eyes away for a moment. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists on her thighs. Her gaze remained deflected away from Mordred as she muttered, "You."
Mordred's eyes narrowed. She wanted Frankenstein to look her in the eye, to face her when she said it, but Fran kept looking away. Her voice rose in her throat, but she stifled it to a raspy whisper of, "Really?"
Fran pursed her lips, lowering her head. Her hair covered her eyes and much of her face. She shook as Mordred's piercing glare dug deep into her body, shaking as the hum of the bus's engine and the thumping of the bus's tires filled the silence. As Mordred opened her mouth to speak again, a snort-like noise jumped out from Fran.
"Sorry, Mo," Fran said in a breathless voice, trying to hold herself together. She raised her head and revealed a tight smile as she fought to keep herself from laughing out loud, her body still quivering as she giggled to herself. Mordred's eyes drooped and jaw fell agape. Another snicker escaped Fran as she said, "Didn't mean to worry you."
"You're lucky I love you," Mordred whispered with a pout. She blushed as she crossed
her arms and threw her face away from Fran. Her frown disappeared in an instant as Fran hugged her, and she sighed as she held Fran's hands around her shoulder. "Really, though, who is it?"
"Oh, Penthesilea," Frankenstein replied. "She's ranked number one right now."
Mordred's eyebrows raised. "I think I've seen one of her fights live, during that
tournament you won."
Frankenstein nodded. "She wasn't in it, just undercard. I've seen some of her other fights. Very tough fighter."
"I might check some out at the hotel room," Mordred said, folding her hands behind her head. "If she's ranked at the top, she's gotta be good." She nudged Frankenstein's shoulder before adding, "Not as good as you, though."
Frankenstein smiled. "She's still dangerous. Have to get to training if her team accepts fight."
"It isn't like they'll get anyone easy in the top ten if they say no. Hell, Musashi's starting to join us up there. Her fight against Brynhildr got her up to number nine."
"What was that?" Musashi called from the seat behind them.
"Nothing," Mordred said. "Just talking about your last fight."
"Oh yeah; wish I could have finished it, but Bryn's an animal. I'm just glad her defense is loose."
"That's a nice way of putting it," Mordred remarked. The bus continued down the busy roads, soon turning to a quiet side road adjacent to the coast. Chaldea's fighters gazed outside the windows as the bus rolled up to a two-story seaside resort. Wooden walls and wide glass windows let light flood from the sky above and the reflections of the sun on the ocean.
Ritsuka led the team through the front doors. She walked up to the front desk and handled the paperwork for each room, doling out keys to her clients. Chiyome and Musashi shared one room, Mordred and Fran another, and Ritsuka spun her solo keyring around her finger. They went up to their rooms to unpack their luggage. The room shared by Chiyome and Musashi featured two double beds, a dresser for each, and a balcony overlooking the ocean. Mordred and Fran shared a king-sized bed and a tall dresser. Their room sat on the opposite end of the hallway from Chiyome, Musashi, and Ritsuka. A patio below their balcony led to the shoreline.
"Pretty," Frankenstein remarked as she stared outside the window.
"Definitely," Mordred said as she flopped onto the bed and gazed at the ceiling. "I could retire to a place like this after I win the belt." She glanced at the digital clock on a nightstand next to the bed. "It's just a bit after ten. You hungry, Fran?"
"Not right now," Fran replied, shaking her. "Let's go with others."
"Yeah, I agree," Mordred mumbled. "Wanna see if they're done unpacking?"
Frankenstein nodded. They went down to the others' rooms and formed a rough outline for the day. Musashi wanted to head to the beach while the sun was still up, and Chiyome wanted to check out the shops and restaurants in town during the night. Mordred wanted little more than to lie down on a reclining chair on the sands. Ritsuka planned to head into town to sightsee.
"We can do that tomorrow," Ritsuka said. "Let's get ourselves settled on the beach for today."
They all changed into their swimsuits and headed down to the waters near the resort. Mordred sauntered to the shore clad in a red bikini. She kicked open her recliner and lied flat beneath the sun, letting out a relaxed sigh as the warmth washed over her body. Fran joined Musashi and Chiyome in the ocean. The cold water washed away the sweat wrought by the sun. Ritsuka sat next to Mordred, a pair of shades over her eyes as she crossed her ankles and turned off her phone.
"Fran told me about the fight with Penth," Mordred said as she watched Fran hurl a frisbee Chiyome's way. Chiyome trudged through the waist-high water and caught it by the tips of her fingers.
"Try not to let it slip," Ritsuka requested. "It isn't a done deal quite yet."
"I know, I know," Mordred said with a wave of her hand. As she lay back in her chair, Fran and Musashi gestured for her to join in. Chiyome fidgeted as Musashi called Mordred over.
"We're gonna have a chicken fight!" Musashi yelled. "Me and Chiyome versus you and Fran!"
Mordred grinned and hopped off her chair. "You two are toast once I get in there!" She jogged into the water and shivered at the sea's cold touch around her ankles. As it climbed to her chest, her teeth chattered and clacked. Fran dove under and got Mordred's legs on her shoulders. Musashi lifted Chiyome the same way. The two pairs squared off, Mordred and Musashi taking mock-fighting stances as Fran and Chiyome held their partners' ankles.
Ritsuka leaned back and laughed as Mordred and Musashi grabbed at each others' arms and slapped each others' shoulders. One good shove from Mordred sent Musashi back, taking Chiyome's balance with her. They fell into the water with a splash. Mordred laughed and pumped her arms into the air, flexing as she smirked at Chiyome and Musashi. Her grin was gone in an instant when Musashi and Chiyome pushed back Fran. Salt water flooded Mordred's mouth as she and Fran hit the surface. She spat out the saline mouthful and rushed to the surface, her tongue hanging out as she sputtered away the salt. The four shared a laugh and waded around in the ocean.
That night, Ritsuka treated them to a hibachi grill while Musashi dragged them around to several shops in the area. When they got back to their hotels, Chiyome and Musashi invited the other three over to play some games. Chiyome brought a deck of cards and several board games while Musashi brought a laptop with several multiplayer games installed.
"Go on ahead, Fran," Mordred said. "I'll be there in a bit. There's something I wanna take care of first."
Fran nodded and went off with Ritsuka. Mordred shut the door, propped open her own laptop, and balanced it on her thighs as she sat on a couch. She searched for videos of Penthesilea's fights, beginning with the most recent bouts. Most of the videos were no more than six minutes. Two minutes, at least, of each video were dedicated to the pre-match build-up and post-match ceremony.
Mordred assumed the videos to be highlights of Penthesilea's fights. As she scrubbed through them, however, jumping around each video, she realized they were the full bouts. Each video ended with Penthesilea's hands raised. Her golden eyes glared into the camera with every victory. Every video saw Penthesilea's gloves and elbows coated in blood by the end, and her opponents often stood with bandages, cuts, and bruises. Penthesilea often pushed her opponents to the cage, rocked their body with strikes, and finished her fights on the ground as she cracked her victims' skulls into the canvas.
"Christ," Mordred mumbled after the fifth video. She closed the laptop and slid it into its bag. Penthesilea's glare remained burned in her mind as she joined the group in Musashi and Chiyome's room, brushing off their questions as they asked what she had been doing. Fran smiled throughout the games, finding most of her success in the board games while Chiyome fared best at cards. Musashi and Ritsuka traded victories in the video games, all while Mordred hid her worries from the group.
When the digital click read eleven, the group dispersed to their rooms. Mordred peeked outside the door before placing a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the handle. She clicked the latch shut and lay down next to Fran on the bed.
"That was fun," Fran remarked as she shut off the light.
"Yeah; too bad I didn't win a single game," Mordred grumbled as she slipped off her socks and jean shorts. She snuggled next to Fran, her head against her collarbone. "Maybe tomorrow, yeah?"
"Mm," Fran hummed as they lay still next to each other. They chatted for a short while about what they wanted to do on the island. Mordred wanted to give surfing a try, even if she had no experience before. A wrinkle appeared between Fran's eyebrows as she thought of what she wanted to do on the island besides relax in the water. Heat made her sweat easily, and the trinkets in the tourist shops did little to pique her interest.
"There is a cliff overlooking the sea," Fran said. "I wanna go there."
"Sounds relaxing," Mordred remarked. "I like it."
Frankenstein nodded. "Been in gym a lot recently, haven't had chance to go out much."
Mordred sighed. "With that Penth fight coming up, we're probably not gonna have the chance to do something like this for a while." Fran nodded and slipped deeper into the covers. "Hey, Fran..."
"Yes?" Frankenstein whispered as she rested her eyes on Mordred. The concerned words that filled Mordred's head melted away at Fran's gaze. Her worries of a fight against Penthesilea stayed silent as she and Fran lay still in each other's arms. She let her concern lay buried beneath the soft breathing from her partner, the low hum of the fan in the room, and the distant bellow of the waves. Mordred took in the peace and calm, her eyes narrow as she waited for sleep to take over. Penthesilea's face, coated in the blood of her opponents, haunted the dark behind her eyelids all the while.