Sunny Days.

CQC training.

In most regions of the world, spring was received with great expectation. Days became longer and warmer; birds started to build their nests, flowers blossomed and painted the landscapes in vibrant colors… All around the world, a variety of cultures celebrated the arrival of spring with great expectation.

However, things were different in Shadow Moses Island.

In the Alaskan climate, spring started to melt the ice and snow, but it was a long awakening after the harsh winter, and life seemed to defrost ever so slowly. And so, it wasn't a surprise for anyone when Sunny declared summer as her favorite season.

Unlike many of the people living in the island, who were often nostalgic for warmer places, Sunny enjoyed the shiny white landscapes and the chilly air. Snake had joked that she was part lynx; Ocelot had been around, and apparently distracted, because he had let his pretense of being busy slip and added that it might just be her Russian blood. As much as he took pride in being a mercenary soul, Ocelot was Russian deep in his core. She would never admit it, especially not to his face, but she thought he might very well be right. However, Sunny loved clear, bright days, in which the sky was a deep hue of blue and the sun enhanced the scents of the forest and the earth that the breeze carried along. It made her feel deliciously alive.

This day, she had enjoyed a delicious breakfast and taken a long, relaxing bath. Now, she was just loitering in the big balcony of her room, waiting for the time to meet with Snake and Liquid.

She went to meet with the leaders of Shadow Moses with lots of time to spare, walking leisurely through the labyrinthine corridors of the magnificent fortress. She arrived a few minutes before the appointed time but, as expected, they were already in the training room, and Sunny was happy to find them there. An early start meant that they could finish early as well, and she wanted to enjoy the day outside.

"Well, good morning!"

"Morning!" she greeted back.

Snake sometimes supervised her shooting practices, observing in silence and then giving her tips; but it was Liquid who insisted in CQC training.

They all wore cammo pants; Snake was wearing a short sleeved compression shirt, and she had chosen an olive tank top. Predictably, Liquid was shirtless.

"Did you warm up already?" asked Snake.

"I ran over here," she lied, shrugging.

"Should be enough! Come here!" whenever he was animated, Liquid's accent became even thicker.

Sunny smiled. It was good to see him in such a light mood.

"Ah, well…" and she went to join him in the middle of the room. She took her fighting stance and waited for Liquid to take the initiative, while Snake laid back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

Liquid was fast as a cobra, and graceful as a tiger. In just an instant, he had sprung into action, invading her space and moving to put her on a lock. She managed to scramble out, but she had compromised her balance, and in a split second, Liquid had her flat on her back.

"Don't let your opponent get so close." Snake advised.

"And escaping an attack won't do you any good if you create yet another opening!" added Liquid.

She assented and got on her feet in a single, fluid motion.

"Come on!"

She got close to him, fast as a cheetah. Liquid blocked her combination of punches effectively, until they were holding each other off, waiting for the other to move and create an opening.

"Good!" Liquid grinned, genuinely pleased. Then, he shoved her, and she took a step back, her legs setting wider to compensate. Liquid flashed her a grin, moving aside and letting go of her suddenly, making her scramble to try to regain her footing. While she did, he went around her and put her in a lock, pinning her arms to her back and putting a light pressure on her throat.

"Mind your balance!"

Sunny opened her mouth to protest, when Snake intervened again.

"You can't expect your opponent to be fair."

"Right," and she hated it when her voice sounded whiny.

Liquid let her go and stepped back, once again adopting his battle stance.

After a while, she was breathing hard and could feel her heart up in her throat, and Liquid had barely broken a sweat. To be fair, getting repeatedly knocked on your back did make one tire a lot faster.

A fast maneuver had her once again flat on her back, with the blonde man pinning her effortlessly to the wooden floor.

"You really need to work on your technique."

"I know!" she protested, exasperated.

"I mean… your technique is great! Almost flawless, in fact."

Sunny had to make a huge effort not to roll her eyes.

"But…?" she pressed, not feeling like indulging Liquid's dramatic pauses.

"But it's the wrong one for you." He smiled. "I don't even have to ask whom you learned it from" and he looked at Snake while he got on his feet and extended a hand to help her up.

"Well, it's kept me alive for…"

"Liquid's right," Snake interrupted, and Sunny had to wonder if the dark-haired twin ever noticed just how much it pleased Liquid whenever he agreed with him. "You're strong, considering your weight… or lack thereof. But if a heavier or stronger opponent manages to knock you down or immobilize you, you're done. Your main strength is your speed, and that's what you should focus on," he lectured as he joined them in the middle of the room. "Here, let me show you."

Liquid grinned.

Sunny moved to the side of the room, grateful for the break… and for the chance to see them fight each other. It was always a good show, and it never failed to make her feel proud.

For a long moment —especially long if you considered that it was only a casual training session— they just stared at each other. Then, they were both moving, attacking, feinting and blocking like battling vipers.

She could clearly see what they meant after just a few seconds. Liquid managed to keep Snake at a safe distance, landing mock-punches and then stepping out of his brother's reach. But then, Snake took the blonde by surprise, letting himself fall back to the floor instead of countering the punch, and dragging Liquid with him. In an instant, Liquid had landed on top of Snake, just for a split second, before Snake took a good hold of him and rolled to invert their positions.

It was obvious that they were enjoying the match as they rolled around, Snake letting Liquid be on top of him for short moments, but never letting him go. Even though he was overpowered, Liquid didn't seem to mind that Snake was toying with him.

Of course, their wrestling was obviously turning into something else, equally demanding, physically; but a lot less appropriate for audiences.

With a deep sigh, she started to get up from the floor.

"Are you leaving?" Liquid asked from beneath Snake, with both his wrists pinned above his head.

"I really need to leave you two. I have important things to do, like… painting my nails to match my socks. You know" she said with a knowing smile. "See ya!"

It was always a pleasure to see their faces when she made it obvious that she was just leaving them some privacy. Flirty and playful as they were, they didn't always know how to react when she pulled that kind of thing on them.

She chuckled as she exited the training room, making sure that her locking of it showed in the control panel inside the room.