And I'm back with what was supposed to be a DiAkko Week Day Seven entry but again, it was late, damn work!
I just want to say before this piece gets started that this has been incredibly fun to write and I have greatly enjoyed the response that these drabbles have gotten. Because of the response and my enjoyment working with the characters, I am announcing that this will be a prequel to a series of stories involving Akko, Diana, and their daughter. Though it will start with some oneshots focusing on their daughter's childhood and both Akko and Diana's roles as parents, it will eventually evolve into a larger piece that will follow their daughter's own adventures through the magical world, and I can't wait to start it!
Thank you all for the responses and feedback. Now enjoy the last drabble in "Nine Months".
Kind Regards,
Symbiotic
As the sun, moon, and stars aligned themselves in just the perfect way Diana sat down in her meditative pose, beginning to chant and meditate. The magic enveloping her from the circle she cast in the sacred Cavendish ritual space coming into the cold night air, Diana stayed absolutely still and went about doing the ritual that she was destined to do from the moment she was born, the ritual that would seal her as the head of the Cavendish family.
The night was nothing short of perfect. The Venusian Eclipse was in almost full form and growing closer and closer toward being a total eclipse, and there was an extra boost from the alignment of the stars in coordination with the eclipse. Even though it was a very cold evening nothing otherwise was wrong with this evening for performing the sacred rite. With all the magical power that the universe could possibly line up for her at this moment and with the ritual memorized by heart, Diana went about the process of casting it from the sacred circle and underwent the process.
She called out to the corners, casting the energies from the four noble elements and bringing forth the spirits from those corners to watch over her and provide their energy. She called out to her ancestors, from the very beginning to her late mother Bernadette, to be with her throughout the evening. And once all the forces were aligned she began to take them in and meditate, entering a thoughtful state where she could absorb the energies and let the rite take place before moving onto the next steps.
And things so far went peacefully. It appeared that after the last attempt to undergo the ritual, when her aunt Daryl had interrupted Diana and tried to kill her, that this one would go successfully. But when the evening wore on and Diana lost track of the time her wand began to pulsate and voices began to ring out through her head.
"Diana! Diana, are you there? Can you hear me, Diana?"
Diana's eyes opened up and she looked over her shoulder from her space in the circle. Hovering high above the ritual space were Hannah England and Barbara Parker, her two best friends and fellow teammates during their days at Luna Nova, riding on their brooms safely away from the ritual space. Diana made it vividly clear what would happen to anyone who tried to directly stop her from completing the ritual, not as a threat but as a way to keep her family safe. Even with Daryl, Merrill, and Maril not trying to harm her, the last thing Diana wanted was one of her closest friends to get hurt.
She reached for her wand and cast the communicating enchantment that would allow her to talk to her friends telepathically via her wand. "What is it, Hannah?"
"Diana, there's no easy way to say this but…" Hannah began.
"Diana, Akko is going into labor!" Barbara exclaimed.
"Barbs!" Hannah shot back.
Diana's eyes shot open and she felt her heartbeat quicken. "Now? Is she being attended to?"
"Your aunt and cousins are with her now," Hannah said. "But something's wrong."
The blonde heiress felt her heart sink into the bottom of her chest. Something was wrong? There was no way. Akko was in perfect health throughout the whole day. What could possibly be happening? And why did it have to be happening now, when she was almost done with the sacred ritual and was about to claim her rightful place as the rightful head of the Cavendish family. Diana felt herself to start to tear in half on the inside. Akko had told her to finish the ritual no matter what happened and Diana was certainly determined to do that. But not being there for her wife was something she could hardly bare doing, even if it was to do something as important as this.
Her mind going back and forth between her options, Diana felt herself bathed in a familiar warm glow. Looking behind herself she watched as a small blue light appeared and flashed brightly, temporarily blinding her. When the light faded Diana moved her hand away and looked to see a familiar entity; a tall spirit in a long coat with a tall pointed hat with a bird skull on the crown and flowing blonde hair. It was none other than Beatrix the Affectionate, the founder of the Cavendish family and one of the Nine Olde Witches herself.
Diana went to speak to the old witch, trying to plead with her for some guidance. But all the elder witch did was smile at her with a knowing look, an understanding that deep down she knew Diana knew the right thing to do. The younger witch remained frozen and unsure just what should be done, but as Beatrix looked down upon her a spark lit inside her and welled up from within. Clenching her fists with resolve, Diana stood up from the circle and grabbed her broom. Mounting it and giving herself a hearty "tia freyere" , Diana met her friends in the air and raced back to the Cavendish mansion.
When they arrived back to the manor Diana immediately raced back to the makeshift hospital ward that was present underneath the Cavendish grounds. There her aunt Daryl, her cousins Merrill and Maril, Reiko, and a midwife that Diana had hired to help deliver the baby were standing waiting with Akko. Diana immediately dismounted her broom and bolted to Akko's side, holding her wife's hand as she breathed deeply. It was when she touched Akko's hand that she noticed something was very wrong, but not with her wife.
"Your feeling just what I'm feeling," Daryl said as she took her place by Diana's side. "She's losing the baby. It was very smart of you to cast that spell that would allow you to directly monitor the baby's health."
Diana reached and held onto Akko's hand, feeling the enchantment she had cast upon the unborn baby send of signals into her hand. If the baby was healthy and the birth was going normally the sensation would be a gentle, pulsing warmth. This on the other hand was a sharp, needle like sensation that rising in pain. Diana could only think of one that could be happening; her baby's umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck.
Akko immediately went into a contraction and breathed sharply, letting out some pained noises and Diana immediately went to work. Focusing intensely and charging the magic within her wand, Diana focused as hard as she could. In her mind she formed the image of the spell and drew the power from within herself, believing with all her heart that she could do this. Trying her hardest to stay calm and knowing she couldn't do the spell she needed to do if she was nervous. But nothing seemed to calm her nerves. As Akko continued to go through her contractions and begin to actually give birth to their child doubt began to creep into Diana's mind. Her mind filled with thoughts of the spell fizzling, doing nothing, or even hurting the baby. Worst of all was a brief flash of horror in her mind where the spell hurt Akko, actually cost Diana the life of her both her unborn baby and her wife. Diana couldn't….
"You can do this," Daryl said from behind her, placing a hand on Diana's shoulder. "You mustn't doubt yourself, Diana. If there is anyone who can do this, it is you."
"And I believe in you," Akko said through her contractions, panting heavily. "I know you got this, Diana. Just believe in yourself. Remember….a believing heart…"
"Is your magic," Diana said to herself.
Akko nodded back at her quickly. "Do it, Diana," she huffed with a forced smile.
Furrowing her brow and straightening out her posture, Diana aimed her wand at her wife, watching as Akko gave her a nod and Daryl kept her gentle grip on her shoulder. Focusing and charging the spell, Diana raised the wand and brought it down while saying the words. "Ulaes Freesara!"
The spell flew off of Diana's wand and enveloped her wife in a blue aura, holding there as she focused on the spell. As Akko continued to her part the midwife got into position and prepared for the last steps. As Akko continued to push herself and pant heavily, Diana watched carefully and agonizingly at every moment, hoping with all hope that her spell had the desired effect. And after what seemed like hours but was really only about twenty minutes Akko stopped writhing, laid back in her bed, and the midwife remained still between her legs. Diana let her wand down slowly, unsure of what to do.
And that's when she heard the sounds of an infant letting out its first noises its mouth to the world. When Diana heard her baby for the first time her heart, which had been frozen low in her chest leaped back into place with an excited warmth. And she could feel the largest smile in her life, larger than even the one when she realized Akko was hers forever during their wedding, grow across her face as she bolted from Daryl's side to Akko's, watching as the baby was placed in Akko's arms. And as soon as Diana saw her daughter she immediately began to swoon. Although she was small and just new to the world she knew that her daughter bore a striking resemblance to Akko, accentuated by the fact that she had a tiny bit of brown hair that was the exact same shade as her wife's. Diana felt her heart race and the smile remain wide, looking longingly and happily at the baby girl in her wife's arms; her and Akko's baby girl.
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Akko said with a smile, holding her in her arms as Diana bent down next to her and looked at her closely before looking back at Diana. "I hope you don't want me to take the name I came up with back."
"I told you you could name her and I don't intend on going back on that promise," Diana assured Akko, simply awestruck by the baby in her wife's arms. There was a pregnant pause for a moment as Diana looked on at the child before Akko spoke up again.
"Chieko," Akko said. Diana picked her head up and looked at her wife in the eyes. "Her name's Chieko." Akko paused and gently stroked their daughter's head with her finger. "It means 'wise child' in Japanese. And I know that with you and I teaching her, well really you, she'll be wise beyond her years."
"Akko," Diana said, pausing for a moment as she thought about the name. "Akko that's...that's beautiful. I love it, I love it so much."
She watched her wife smile and nod her head before raising the baby up toward her. "Here," she said. "You name her too."
"But I said that you could…" Diana began.
"Only the first name," Akko said with a smile. "The middle one is for you. Chieko's not just a Kagari, she's a Cavendish too. So you get to give her name too." Akko raised up her arms and passed baby Chieko to Diana.
Diana gently took the baby girl from her wife's arms and stood up, cradling the infant in her arms. Her heart beat greatly, still in awe over the fact that this baby, this baby who was in danger of losing everything just moments ago, was now in her arms. She couldn't believe that after all the trials, all the failed attempts at casting the fertility spell, unleashing the Grand Triskelion, everything that had gone on in her life that she was now the mother of a baby girl with the love of her life, and that baby was resting in her arms. And DIana's heart only began to grow more filled with love when the baby opened its eyes for the first time and revealed a pair of blue eyes that were exactly like hers.
She truly was Akko and her's daughter, this beautiful graceful child that they had.
"Grace," Diana said as she held the baby in her arms. Hannah, Barbara, Daryl, her cousins, and Reiko looked over at Diana. "Chieko Grace. That will be her name. Chieko Grace Kagari-Cavendish." She turned back toward her wife and walked back with baby Chieko in her hand. "If you approve of course."
Diana watched as Akko nodded her head up and down and reached over to envelop Diana and their daughter. "It's perfect, Diana. It's absolutely perfect."
For the moment both women let happy tears flow down their face, trying their best to not get them on the baby girl in Diana's arms as the the three of them remained close. And with all the questions on her mind as to what would happen next, Diana couldn't wait to be a mother for one Chieko Grace Kagari-Cavendish, especially with Atsuko Kagari-Cavendish at her side every step of the way.
