Chapter 26
It is time for the final game and Akko at last has the opportunity to fulfill the vision she's had since trying out. While the Sol Academy Racers prove to be a challenging foe, the Luna Nova Witches make sure to leave their hearts on the field.
Root For The Home Team
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Akko shouts causing everyone in a four-foot radius from her to cringe.
"Yes," Croix says lifting her hand to her ringing ear. "But if you'd rather not, then-"
"NO! NO! I DO! I DO! I WANT TO! PLEASE!" Akko yells practically jumping out of her seat. A chorus of laughter and giggling spreads through the locker room as the girls watch the brunette squeal and wiggle uncontrollably.
OH MY GOD WHAT IS GOING ON?! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE.
After several hefty pats on the back from her friends with Diana holding her arm to keep her from falling over due to the force, Akko minimizes her exuberant flailing down to spirited leg bounce and an immovable grin as she waits for her coach to continue.
"Alright. It's good to see you're enthusiastic about it. I would never had guessed." Croix says jokingly, prompting another round of giggles from the girls in the locker room. "Now that that's out of the way, our game today is against the Sol Academy Racers. We have not played against them before because of a rainout, and so have no reference as to how this game could go. Just know that they were our main rivals to beat when Chariot and I were playing." Croix looks over towards the assistant coach, who nods in confirmation.
"Their coach has been doing this as long as I have." Nelson says putting her hands to her hips. "If they play anything like they used to, this game will not be easy. So, if you want to win, make sure you push until the very end. Are you ladies ready?"
"Yes Coach!"
"One more time! I'm positive Kagari was louder than all of you combined about a minute ago!"
"YES COACH!"
"There we go!" Nelson claps her hand to her note board. "Alright ladies let's head on out! Grab your things and some warm up gear. Varsity we're starting earlier so as soon as we get to the field I want to see you throwing."
"Yes Coach!" The girls from the Varsity team (and Diana, whose arm is being supportively squeezed by her girlfriend) yell obediently.
"JV," Croix starts. "We've got time for a short practice before our game starts, I don't want to see you wasting it! Don't embarrass us out there." She jokes, earning an elbow in the side from her fiancé.
"No promises, Coach!" Amanda laughs as she Constanze and Jasminka rise from their human chair tower.
The older woman cracks a grin as she and the two other coaches throw their hands forward. "Alright ladies, what do you say?"
The girls in the room scramble forward to take their places among the huge growing pile of hands.
"ONE! TWO! THREE!"
"WITCHES!"
The morning sun is beautiful as they walk out onto the dewy field leaving their cleats wet and covered in fragments of freshly cut grass. As they make their way to the field, the two teams push down the bittersweet anticipation of farewells for the passionate motivation of aiming for one last victory with one another.
It feels just like any other time walking out and getting ready for a game. The field getting closer with every march through the grass, the laughter and conversation of pumped-up teammates, the clink of helmets and bats knocking against each other from within bat bags. All is as it has been for months, except for the distinct lack of Akko's voice as she silently panics.
Oh god oh god oh god oh god. What am I gonna do? I'm so excited, but I haven't actually played shortstop before! Oh geez… and now Chariot's gonna be watching and… oh man can I really do this?
I can totally do this. I watched a bunch of Chariot's games…
But I also listen to a lot of music and that doesn't mean I know how to sing!
And this team is supposed to be really really good. What if I mess up and make us lose!? Then everybody's gonna blame me… what was Coach Croix thinking?!
Okay okay okay… it's totally gonna be fine. I'll just figure it out. It's gonna be okay.
I've wanted to do this for like… forever… and now I have my chance. I just have to do my best.
One step at a time.
But what if-
"Are you nervous?" Akko is taken out of her thoughts by the sound of Diana's voice and a light tug on the shoulder of her uniform. "I've noticed you tend to be when you scrunch your nose." The blonde says with a soft smile.
Relaxing her nose, Akko mimics her smile and scratches the back of her head. "A... little. To be honest."
"What are you worried about?"
"Don't you think maybe they should have chosen someone else to play shortstop? For this last game?"
"Why should I think that?"
"I mean… like, I've never ACTUALLY played the position before… I've just kinda… y'know… watched…" Akko looks down to her grass clipping covered cleats. "I don't want to lose the game for everybody... if someone else can do it better…"
"Is that truly how you feel?"
Akko shrugs doubtfully.
"Well… while you may think that I'm saying this because you are special to me... I don't believe the coaches made an error in asking you specifically."
The brunette looks up with skeptical eyes.
"You being chosen, while perhaps influenced by your interest in the position due to it's symbolic nature with Coach Ca-... DuNord... is rightfully due to your hard work and improvement. You may not think so, but based on your recent performance you have proven to be more than capable. I'm confident the offering of the position to you was not meant as a charity... you've earned it."
"You think?"
"I do... And now...because you are special to me…" The blonde smiles. "I am going to say that I am happy it will be you taking my place."
"Pssh...I wouldn't say that…" Akko chuckles as she waves the idea away from inflating her ego. "I'm pretty sure no one can take your place."
"You think far too highly of me." Diana says with a light laugh. "While I am inclined to believe that your opinion may have a bit of a bias, I would like you to know that I hold you to the same irreplaceability."
A bright grin stretches across the brunette's face before she affectionately nudges the blonde's shoulder with her own.
"You will do great… try not to glorify the position and you'll have nothing to worry about…" Diana pauses, a twinge of nervousness coming over her. "Though…"
Come on… you rehearsed this...
"There is something of mine I wished to give you for good luck, if you feel that it be necessary." The blonde looks away with a shy blush. "If not, I still believe the color would complement you."
Akko looks at her girlfriend curiously as she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a length of blue ribbon. As she places it in Akko's hand, ruby eyes admire the blue strand before rising to meet the matching color of Diana's irises.
"It's a little silly... erm...it's just a hair tie I wore during the first championship game Hannah, Barbara and I played together. We had won… so, ever since, I've kept it in my bat bag as a token of good luck." The blonde flits her eyes downward, slightly self-conscious of her next request. "And I'd like for you to wear it…if you wish, of course.
Akko looks back down at the smooth ribbon in her hands as a warmth takes over her chest. "But… what about you? It's your good luck charm."
"Cavendish! Varsity's over this way!" Nelson yells looking over towards the two girls. They had not realized that the two groups had begun to separate and head to their adjacent fields.
"I apologize! I will be right there!" Diana calls back with a slight embarrassment to her tone before returning to face the brunette with softened eyes. "I no longer believe it will work for me..." she says rubbing her thumb over the ribbon and off of Akko's hand. "I'm certain I had used up my claim to luck once you granted me your attention. Knowing it had allowed me that, I couldn't be more satisfied with the exchange."
Akko squeezes her eyes shut as a bright red comes over Akko's cheeks. "Ohhhhhh! Stooop iiiit..." She groans. "You...you can't just say stuff like thaaaaat..."
AND I CAN'T JUST KISS YOU TO MAKE YOU STOP LIKE YESTERDAY!
"I haven't the slightest of clues as to what you are talking about." The blonde gives her a playfully coy smile.
Seems I've won our game of tag again, my dear.
At the sight of her sufficiently reddened girlfriend, Diana allows her victory to sit proudly on her shoulders for just a moment before taking a quick look towards the Varsity team arriving at their field.
Akko playfully bumps her shoulder again, causing the return of Diana's attention to bright red eyes and matching cheeks. With a smile showing complete acceptance of her loss, the brunette wraps her fingers around the length of ribbon.
"Well, luck or not, I'll be rooting for you. I'm sure you're gonna be as amazing as always." She looks down to the blue tie in her hand. "And with this, there's no way we'll lose."
A blush creeps onto Diana's face before reclaiming the brunette's hand and locking her eyes on red. "Ribbon or not, it's you I believe in."
With one last smile, Diana quickly kisses Akko's hand before turning away and running to catch up with the rest of the Varsity team entering their dugout.
Akko's heart pounds as she watches Diana jog off. She doesn't think she'll ever really get over the fact that the blonde reciprocates her feelings.
"KICK SOME BUTT!" she shouts after her as she rubs her fingers over the blue ribbon in her hand.
I can do this... Dia-
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY." Amanda pops up at Akko's side causing her to jump in surprise.
"Did you just completely forget the rest of us were standing here?" Sucy squints judgingly.
"Seriously, we need to tell Diana to take it down a notch. She's making the rest of us look bad." Barbara huffs as she and Hannah walk with their arms draped loosely around one another's hips.
"I think it was cute." Jasminka hums.
"Guys! Stooooop!" Akko whines as a tiny smile pulls at her lips before relenting to the light-hearted teasing. For Diana, she'd endure any amount of it.
After a majority of the generic pre-game practice—stretches, throwing, running, and the like— the Witches take the field for drills as they continue to wait for the start of their game against the Racers.
As she has the entire season, Akko heads into the outfield out of habit to practice with the assistant coach. It takes until Sucy reminds her that shortstop is a part of the infield to realize that she would be practicing with Coach Croix instead. Chariot gives her a little thumbs up as she sheepishly makes her way towards the dirt before commencing with drills in left field.
She is welcomed to the infield by Amanda announcing her arrival with the mock voice of an eccentric commentator.
"RUNNING ONTO THE INFIELD FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, THE ASTOUNDING, THE BREATHTAKING, THE SHORTEST OF STOPS... THE ONE AND ONLY— AKKO KAGARIIIIII!"
Met with a few entertained snorts, Akko hustles into her position between Hannah and Barbara. She stands in the what she imagines to be Diana's footholds with a humored pout before playing along with Amanda and taking a grandiose bow.
"Nice of you to make it, Kagari." Croix gives her a laugh as she stands waiting with bat pulled back and ball ready in hand. "You ready?"
"Y-yes Coach!" Akko yells nervously as she rises from her bow. "I hope so!"
"Good to hear. That makes two of us. OKAAAY LADIES!" The lilac-haired coach hollars out as she tosses the ball into the air and whips the bat around her shoulders. At the tingof aluminum, Akko, alongside everyone else, instantly drops into a squat and readies their gloves. The ball shoots across the infield in a cloud of orange dirt before Hannah sprints forward to pick it off the ground. "PLAY IS TO FIRST!"
Practicing for shortstop is definitely different than the outfield... For one, there is no grass to slow the ball as it comes skipping across the field. Secondly, there are a lot of different plays and circumstances on when and where or who to back up.
For one play, Akko finds her way on second. For another, she's on third. Others, she's back behind Hannah or Barbara as they cover their position's base just in case it flies past them. She knows where and when and who to cover just from the experience of watching Diana, Chariot, and just about every other softball game— shortstop had always been her goal position after all— but as she stands in the position she has for so long dreamed of, with each ring of the coach's bat, she can't help but feel that the unpredictability of the ever nearing game will leave her sure mind blank.
While the practice goes well (being relatively simple low stress warm-ups), as the girls filter into the dugout the nerves that come about at the start of every game begin to crash down on everyone when Croix and Chariot gather them up for their group huddle.
"Okay ladies. I'm pretty sure we covered everything in the locker room already so I will keep this brief." The head coach looks around warmly at the jitter-stricken group she's come to see as a second family. The bittersweet feeling, she hopes must get easier as the years and seasons go on (how does Nelson do this?!), sits heavily on her heart as she comes to the realization that the only thing keeping her from a wobbly bottom lip is knowing that she'll get the chance to see these girls the following year.
"Whatever happens today, win or lose, I want you ladies to finish this season enjoying being a part of it. These other girls are very good, they have been practicing just as hard, if not harder than we have, so, to beat them, you're going to have to work as a team and help each other. As I've seen over the past few months, I have to say with the utmost confidence that I am not worried in the sli~ghtest." The lilac-haired woman curses herself as she clears her throat in an attempt to mask the waver threatening her resolve.
Fuck. Keep it together Meridies. Don't get emotional.
Chariot notices the crack in her fiancés voice and with a humored smile puts a hand on her back and leans forward.
You were close...
"So," Chariot picks up where Croix left off, "Have some fun and let's make it a good game, alright?"
"Yes Coach!"
"Beautiful!" Chariot beams and she and Croix throw their hands inwards at the center of the group, almost immediately followed by twelve other hands meeting them. "You know what to do!"
"ONE!...TWO!...THREE!"
"WITCHES!"
"Alright girls get out there!" Coach Chariot cheers with the clap of her hands as the girls break from their huddle and jog out of the dugout.
"Something got caught in my throat…" Croix, with a light blush across her cheeks, leans over to her fiancé in a pitiful attempt to explain herself.
"I know, my love."
With her blue hair ribbon fastened around her ponytail, Akko moves alongside her teammates towards the field. After a few parting words from Lotte and Sucy, consisting of "Good luck" and "Don't make Diana look too good", Akko watches the two run out towards their positions in the outfield as she hesitates at the edge of the grass.
This is it.
Despite the butterflies taking flight in her stomach, she squares her shoulders in an attempt to convince herself of her ability and looks out to the field before her with a set jaw. Taking one last deep breath and crossing her fingers in silent prayer, she steps out onto the dirt of the infield to take her position.
The ground felt hard. Far harder than it had been all season. The amount of time she's run down the baseline, slid through dirt and chalk coloring her pants orange, not once had the ground felt as solid and unforgiving as it does now. It hadn't changed since the practice barely 10 minutes prior, but as she stands surrounded by her teammates with the opponent's batter far closer than she's used to, it feels as though she were playing on the edge of a cliff.
I can do this. I can do this. Just playin' some softball. Like I do every day. Just pretend it's like the outfield.
Except it's totally different.
Oh my god. It's just catching and running and throwing right? I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS BEFORE WHY AM I SO NERVOUS NOW?!
WHOOO Okay. No panicking. Chariot HERSELF gave ME her number. She completely, totally, super believes in me. I can do it. I can do it. It's no big deal.
What did Diana say? Not to glorify the position, right?
But...it was Chariot's position… and it's HER position. Oh man. Now I have to live up to both of them!
"Hey, Akko."
The brunette, fresh from her thoughts with clear worry etched across her face, turns towards third base at the sound of her name.
Half expecting to be on the receiving end of a snide comment, Akko is surprised to see Hannah looking back at her kindly. "You're gonna be fine... It's just another game, you know?"
Despite the twinge of panic still firing beneath her skin, the look of genuine reassurance on the auburn-haired girl's face eases her worry just a little.
Akko had thought she would have gotten used to it by now, but she still finds herself taken back at every instance of Hannah and Barbara being more or less nice to her.
While they had gotten closer over the season of being together, it really only seems like they had become friends of sorts since she and Diana had gotten together. Though she expects it could just be because her girlfriend may have told her best friends to ease up on her… Still… they seem to be liking her more than just tolerating her, so, with that in mind, she is happy to take their kindness at face value.
Although their teasing persists (as expected and undoubtedly deserved), she finds she actually enjoys the other couple's company amongst their group of friends. A lot really has changed.
Taking a shaky breath, Akko forces a small appreciative smile and nods her head with a determined pinch of her brow.
Satisfied, Hannah returns her nod and faces back towards the batter stepping up to the plate. A playful grin spreads across her lips as she looks back over towards the brunette from the corner of her eye. "And make sure you remember to call for the ball… no offense, but I'm not interested in any accidental gropings today."
After hearing Amanda snort back laughter on the mound and noting a quick joking glare from Barbara, Akko lowers her hat in a poor attempt to hide her growing blush.
"ALRIGHT LADIES!" The umpire yells, lowering his caged helmet and settling behind Constanze shuffling behind home plate. "PLAY BALL!"
To her horror, the very first hit comes skidding across the field straight at her. By some miracle she manages to stop the ball just before it passes through her legs. However, in her haste, she stumbles on the pickup and by the time she makes the throw to Jasminka's glove, the player—Vorn, as heard from the opponent teams' cheers, had already passed over first base in a blur.
Despite the outcome being a little sloppy, it was the first of many plays to get her head on the right track.
It takes three full innings of ground balls, base covering, and backing away at Hannah and Amanda's call until the nervous jitters coursing through her veins vanish and become reborn as determination. As her confidence grows, she watches each pitch with an almost predatory excitement, bouncing on her toes ready to run whichever way she is needed. The anxiety she had felt at the start pales in comparison to the exhilaration of the game as she finds herself feeling more and more at home in her patch of dirt between second and third base.
Despite a few pointers Coach Chariot had given her (which Akko freaked out about afterwards because… HOLY CRAP, CHARIOT DUNORD JUST GAVE HER SHORTSTOP TIPS), she had been reassured that she had been doing pretty well for a first timer in the position.
She's sure if Diana had been playing, the few little mess-ups she had probably wouldn't have happened, but still… Akko may not be the best shortstop, but, hell, she was having a great time not being the worst.
During their time at bat, the Witches feel they have been facing quite possibly the most aggressive pitcher, (even by Amanda's standards) of the entire season. This girl is fast. When she releases the ball, it leaves her hand like a rocket threatening to burst apart at the seams. Akko is quite certain that if they had faced this team earlier in the year, there is no way she would be able to get a hit off of them, but after her tireless hours in practice and one on one sessions with Amanda or the batting cages, she is delighted to find that she isn't having as hard a time gauge the pitches as she thought.
While the Racers (who Akko determines take their team name VERY seriously), have no absence of hits and impressive base running, the Witches find they are nearly evenly matched going into the fourth inning, finding themselves down only by a single run.
As Amanda winds up her arm, readying the pitch, Akko's eyes flit between the runner on first who she recognizes as the pitcher, making a bold lead towards second base and the short, owl-ish looking girl up at bat.
TING!
At the sound of the bat and the sight of the ball shooting between Barbara and Jasminka, Akko sprints to second base, touching the bag with the toe of her cleat and holding out her waiting glove in anticipation of a double play.
After diving into the dirt to keep it from the outfield, Barbara manages to toss the ball from the ground to Jasminka's glove just before the batter touches the rubber of the base. However, while the batter grumbles potent curses on her way back to the dugout, the girl who had been on first, Chilby— as suggested by the deafening screaming of her teammates— with an astounding speed, launches herself around Akko and off of second base stopping herself on third before Amanda can retrieve the ball from the first baseman.
Although being genuinely impressed by the speed of the other girl, the Witches huff in frustration as they attempt to catch their breath while resetting themselves into their positions across the field. Through the sound of the Witches commending Barbara and Jasminka and the opponent team cheering on the runner who had reached third base, the ting of a bat coming from the nearby Varsity field draws Akko's attention.
As she looks over, just as she has been regularly doing when given the chance, she sees a mane of blonde hair running across the neighboring field with her glove held high. She feels herself worrying her lip hoping desperately to hear the sound of ball meeting leather. While she cannot make out the sound, nor what the rest of the Varsity girls say to her as they head into the dugout after ending the inning, a fulfilling warmth takes over her chest as she proudly watches her girlfriend be barraged with high fives from the older players.
A smile comes over her face as she quietly claps her hand and glove together to applaud the blonde's play. While she is so very happy to be playing shortstop, she does wish she could have been able to watch and cheer Diana on from the sidelines. Girlfriend or not, the Varsity game, from what she can tell, was proving to be a good one.
She continues to smile as she reaches up to the back of her hat to gently touch the lucky ribbon trailing down over her hair. Even if she couldn't be there with her, at least she still has a piece of her nearby.
The game continues as a fast tug of war of runs as the Witches fight to keep the difference in score low. It's clear to everyone that both teams were playing to their highest caliber and were not going to take a loss to the other without a fight, however, as the game draws closer to an end and the Racers score a couple runs off a triple in the first half of the sixth inning, surpassing the slight lead the Witches had just gained the inning prior, frustration begins to settle onto the sweat and dirt laden girls huffing on the field
We still have time to come back. We have two more at bats and we can totally make up those runs. We just have to hold them…
Akko grunts as she grits her teeth and falls into a squat. She bounces on her toes tiredly, her eyes trained on the red-headed girl approaching the plate.
Okay, we only need one more out... The last time this chick was up it went to left field, so if she does that again, I have to make sure I'm there for the cutoff or on second just in case—
"Let's go girls! Show 'em what you've got!"
Strategic inner monologue forgotten, Akko's head whips to the side excitedly at the sound of the familiar voice.
They're done already?
Her hair a mess and her pants smeared with dirt and grass stains, Diana stands cheering against the fence of the dugout with a smile threatening to render the brunette breathless.
How the heck can she still be so pretty when she's a total mess?! Geez… that is so not fair.
I can't wait to hear how her game went.
Looking around the sidelines she sees the rest of the Varsity team, in similar states of disarray, piling onto the bleachers looking over left field. The expressive laughter and good-natured cheering leads Akko to believe that they had left their own field victorious.
Quickly snapping out of her stance, Akko stands up and waves to the blonde with a childish glee earning a bright smile and a little wave in return.
"Quit distracting our fielders, Cavendish! You're gonna make us lose!" Amanda shouts from the pitcher's mound sparing the blonde a tired, yet playful smile.
"My apologies!" She yells back not at all apologetically as she returns a wave at Hannah and Barbara's greeting. With one last look at her girlfriend's face Diana takes a breath and begins clapping with the same fervor Akko had laid out at their very first game. "You can do it girls! Keep it up! You've got them!"
At the sound of Diana's cheers, a tickle of nervousness flutters in Akko's throat as she looks away and resets herself into position.
Okay! Diana's watching… Gotta show her what I can do!
Sure we're dating… but that doesn't mean she's not still my rival!
She drags the tip of her glove on the ground marking a quick heart in the dirt.
This one's for you…
She could not be less happy with the play following her declaration.
The redhead ended up hitting a double just inside the right field foul line. It should not have been a double, but because of an accidental overthrow to Barbara on second, and a misjudgment of where to back-up second base, as Akko scrambles to chase the ball down, the girl had made it to second base with a threatening leadoff towards third. Once she had the ball in hand, Akko walks the girl back to second base, ensuring she abandons her attempted lead before cautiously walking the ball to the pitcher's mound to hand off to Amanda.
Needless to say, she couldn't help but be embarrassed of her fumbled catch as she bites her lip and clenches her fist in aggravation while heading back to her position.
Aagh! How did I miss that?! So much for showing everybody what I can do…
So much for function over flair, I wasn't even trying to be cool!
She kicks at the ground beneath her as she aggressively makes herself a new foothold in the dirt.
Come on. It's not over… I can make up for it… I'm not giving up yet.
"IT'S OKAY GIRLS! BRUSH IT OFF!" Coach Chariot yells, clapping her hands for morale. "LET'S END THIS INNING!"
"LET'S GO! YOU CAN HOLD THEM!" Diana belts, her voice cracking slightly at the volume.
It's okay, everybody makes mistakes. You've got this, Akko.
Hearing Diana's voice in her ear, Akko takes a deep breath and refocuses on her breathing. She's tired, and she realizes that this is the first game all season that she's supposed to play for the ENTIRE seven innings. No way does she want to take a break, but she has to admit that she may have gotten used to her usual shift change allowing her to sit back and spectate.
We can do this… we just need one out. If Amanda can strike this girl out we can get up to bat and make up those runs…
She wipes away the sweat pooling at her brow, only succeeding in laying a fresh coat of dirt across her face.
Just. Don't. Let. Them. Score. Again.
Her eyes look up at the number 2 on Amanda's back as she rolls her shoulders while wiping the dirt from the plate on the mound. The redhead pitcher takes a deep breath before clapping the ball to her glove and setting herself into motion.
In an instant, the girl at bat lowers herself and drops her bat horizontally.
"BUNT!" Hannah screams as she rushes forward into the field, the rest of the team following her lead.
As Akko moves forward, from the corner of her eye she sees the redhead on second (resembling a younger, slightly cross-eyed Chariot), begin taking off from the base.
Once the pitch is cast, the batter pulls her bat out of her bunt and watches as her teammate charges onward.
In the same moment the ball slaps into Constanze's glove, Akko screams her name and sprints alongside the girl attempting to steal third.
A little offset due to the batter in her line of sight, Constanze flings the ball towards the brunette in a low arc. As Hannah doubles back and charges to cover third base, Akko lunges forward, snatching the ball from the dirt before it has the opportunity to bounce up off the ground. From all fours, pushing off from her glove and kicking up a cloud of dirt, Akko jumps forward like a startled rabbit, stretching as far as she can in a desperate attempt to tag the redhead out. With the ball safely in her grasp, as though in slow motion, she sees her glove hit the Racers' leg mid-stride. Before she can question whether she had tagged the other girl before she could touch the base, any thoughts are knocked out of her mind by the heel of the running girl's cleat accidentally kicking her in the face.
The umpire calls the third out as the brunette is knocked back. She is only on the ground for a moment before rising from the dirt with a pained grin, holding her hand to her cheek.
"Yo Akko! Nice play! Yeeesh...You okay?" Amanda yells scrambling to her side as the rest of the team start running in.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Ow." The brunette says pulling her hand away from her cheek, a mixture of caked blood and dirt sticking to her palm. "Maan…"
"Nice…" Amanda grimaces at the bloody scrape streaked across the brunette's cheek. "Come on let's get you cleaned up."
Akko nods her head, stretching her jaw before jumping up to her feet surrounded by her relieved teammates.
"That was awesome Akko!" Lotte runs up to her and fixes her hat that had gotten knocked off center by the fall. "Ow, that looks painful."
"You really can't help but get yourself hurt, can you?" Sucy looks concernedly at her wound with a raised brow.
"It's not like I wanted to get kicked in the face!"
"Could have fooled me… you jumped right into her foot." Barbara says with a commending pat on the back.
"Honestly," Hannah huffs. "But nice job ending the inning. That was exhausting."
As she continues walking into the dugout surrounded by concerned and congratulatory comments from her teammates, she feels a punch to her arm before looking down and seeing Constanze holding up a raised hand and a wide smile.
"Good teamwork Conz!" With her non-bloodied glove hand, Akko meets Constanze's high-five and is rewarded with a satisfying slap.
"Ladies, you almost gave me a heart attack." Coach Croix worriedly comes up to the group stopping just before the shortstop and the catcher. "Great job getting the out, but that could have gone wrong on so many levels." She says pinching her nose before pointing directly to Akko. "And you." she says with an almost pleading tilt to her eyes, "Stop with the getting hit in the face. Okay? It's the last game. I do NOT want to rush you to the ER."
"S-sorry coach." The brunette looks down. She OBVIOUSLY didn't mean to get kicked in the face, but she supposes she must be doing something that puts her in perfect face-hitting position more often than most…
"Jesus christ…" Croix mumbles, taking a breath before looking over to the assistant coach coming down from the panic over her student getting hurt yet again. "She is literally you." She whispers just quiet enough for the brunette not to hear her.
Chariot blushes, nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Alright, Kagari, go clean yourself up. The rest of you, I want to see some runs! We're down by three with an inning and a half til it's over. Show 'em what you're made of."
"YES COACH!"
"Robinson, O'Neill, Antonenko, England! Gear up and get on deck!" Croix claps causing the girls to disperse through the dugout to prepare for their chance to get some points back.
Before Akko can make her way over to Diana, sporting a worried smile and a prepared first aid kit on her lap, she feels a hand rest on her shoulder. As she turns, she is met with Chariot smiling at her. "Nice hustle, Akko. While I'd like to see a little less blood, it's good to see your heart out there. Keep it up." She says with one last pat to the shoulder before jogging out to coach first base.
A wave of pride washes over her as she soaks in her idol's praise. She wouldn't let it get to her head… she's just still getting used to her inspiration being the one to cheer her on.
She looks back over towards the blonde and with a sheepish smile, heads towards her part of the bench.
Diana sighs, attempting to cover the blush as she sees her ribbon flowing gently behind the brunette as she approaches. "You truly are something else. How you manage to injure yourself so often and yet walk away just fine is beyond me." The brunette lowers herself to seat beside her, as she raises a wet cloth to dab at the bloody mess on her cheek. "I am thankful, but can you please try to be a little more conscious of your safety?"
"It's like you all think I do it on purpose," Akko pouts as she winces at the sting from the cloth on her wound. "I swear, it just kinda happens."
Diana hums with joking disbelief as she takes a closer look at the scrape on the side of the brunette's face. With one final wipe to clean the dirt and smeared blood out of the way, she is glad to determine that the wound is not nearly as bad as it looks. Sure, it will bruise and scab over, but as it appears, it can be easily covered by a medium sized bandaid.
"Well, aside from making my blood run cold, that play was executed quite well. Hold this and be still one moment," Diana smiles as she hands the cloth to the brunette before sifting through the kit on her lap.
"Well, thank you." Akko blushes as she continues to dab the cloth at her cheek. "I had NO idea what I was doing."
"Well, while you may not have thought so," The blonde says ripping a small packet of antiseptic before ushering Akko's cloth aside and applying the gel to the slightly bloody abrasion, "your body seemed to know just how to react to the situation. So with that logic, although you didn't plan on it, you were innately knowledgeable enough to know what to do."
"Or I just blindly threw myself at her so she wouldn't score…"
"I was attempting to give you the benefit of the doubt, but that is also a possibility..." The blonde shrugs as she reaches back into the box and delicately pulls at the tabs of a bandage. "Though I'm quite certain your knowledge of the sport is more likely."
The two share a smile before Diana looks down to the unicorn bandage in her hands. It seems as though the school had ordered a batch accidentally and is insistent on trying to use them up. They look ridiculous, but she supposes they still fulfill the intended purpose.
"You look good out there. I had been watching you from the Varsity field and I must say I'm impressed." Without a change in expression, Diana brings the bandage to her lips and chastely kisses its surface before laying it gently across the brunette's cheek.
Slightly red-faced from the Diana's unexpectedly innocent gesture, Akko can't bring herself to answer until the blonde's warm hands leave her face. "Y-you think? Heh…" The brunette clears her throat as she touches the bandage where the blonde's lips had met. "D-don't think I didn't see you over there! I saw that awesome catch a few innings in. You looked like total Varsity material... "She smiles brightly. "Did you guys win?"
Diana closes the first aid kit and sets it aside with a nod. "We had won by a few runs." She says with a smile. "While it was an enjoyable learning experience, I sorely missed our team's camaraderie. I would have liked to finish the season with my friends."
"Well, there's always next year!" The brunette grins, her unicorn band-aid scrunching from the movement. "Speaking of which," Akko pauses, "...after the season ends...can you help me practice some of those double plays you were doing at the last game? Like, how do you DO that? Like, the turning thing…" She begins slowly rotating in place attempting to mimic the action she was clearly having trouble wrapping her mind around.
"You want me to give you instruction on improving your performance for a position we will inevitably be competing for?" Diana cocks her head and raises her brow.
Akko stands half-turned, looking at her awkwardly.
I didn't really think of it like that...
The brunette looks over to the Varsity grade shortstop before sheepishly biting her lip and slowly nodding her head.
The blonde's questioning expression cracks into a loving smile before smoothing Akko's crinkled bandage with her thumb. "Of course, I would be happy to."
Before the Witches knew it they were back out on the field for the seventh inning. Their sixth at bat resulted in one run, putting them only two behind the Racers, however, as evidenced by the quick inning, the opponent team is showing no signs of growing tired.
Fortunately, the one run Amanda scored during the inning prior seemed to have awakened a second wind in her. Somehow, with a rejuvenated drive, the fiery redhead cleared the inning with two strikeouts and one assisted out at first without letting the Racers on base. With only three outs left in the entire game (unless they hit extra innings), the Witches go full throttle on cheering from the dugout as their final batters take the plate.
"LET'S GO BABE! YOU'VE GOT THIS!" Hannah belts from the dugout as Barbara steps out onto the field wringing her bat in her hands. A slight blush on her face from the pet name shouted loudly across the field, the raven-haired girl steps up to the batter's box with a growing heat in her chest and the desire to prove her girlfriend right.
"KNOCK IT OUT OF HERE BARBARA!" Diana shouts beside Akko shaking the dugout fence wildly.
"START US OFF STRONG PARKER!" Coach Croix yells between cupped hands.
Squaring her feet up at the plate and pulling her bat back, Barbara looks forward, her teal eyes focusing on the pitcher staring her down. The other girl rolls the ball in her hands, seemingly looking for just the right seams on its face, before dropping into her stance without a moment's notice and launching the ball towards the plate. Barbara's first swing results in the sound of the ball meeting the catcher's glove.
"IT'S OKAY BARBS! YOU CAN DO IT!" Avery yells over Mary and Jasminka chanting her name.
"HEY! BARBS! HANNAH SAYS SHE'LL LET YOU GET TO WHATEVER BASE YOU HIT TONIGHT! DOH!" Amanda keels over to the side as the bright pink auburn-haired girl gut punches her.
Barbara steps out of the batter's box to take a few practice swings and to recompose herself after hearing the hilarious wheeze that left Amanda's mouth as she doubled over. She liked Amanda… she really did. She didn't originally, but over time she found her presence almost comforting. However, without question, she would give anyone who recorded Hannah punching her (with audio) 100 bucks for a copy.
After regaining her focus, she steps up to the plate to await the next pitch. It comes just as quickly as the first, but this time around Barbara is ready.
With a loud ting, she takes off down the marked line watching as the ball flies just beyond second base and at the center fielder rushing to retrieve the hit. As she runs safely through the base, the Witches burst into loud cheers (minus Amanda who at the moment can only clap at her knees).
With a breathy smile she walks back to first base, receiving a high five from Coach Chariot. As she looks back up towards the dugout, she sees Hannah shouting and holding up her hands in a heart shape. She pulls her helmet down in an attempt to block the sun (also known as everyone's view of her blushing face), before mimicking the shape of her hands in response.
The cheers continue at an outstanding volume as Lotte makes her way towards the plate.
"HEY HEY! LO-TAY!" Akko screams coupled with clap incorporating dance moves. Despite stepping away just to insure she would not get smacked, Diana looks on in intrigue as she attempts to clap along to the sloppy cadence Akko is trying to set.
"YOU'VE GOT IT LOTTE!" Sucy cheers adding her own beat of supportive applause. "SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'VE GOT!"
The redheaded girl adjusts her helmet and rolls the bat in her hand before stepping up to the plate.
Just as she had the entire game, the pitcher releases the ball with an astounding speed straight for home.
Biting her bottom lip, Lotte watches the ball as it rockets towards her before quickly jumping backwards away from the extremely inside pitch.
"BALL!" The umpire yells as the redhead retakes her position at the plate and shuffles her feet.
"GOOD EYE LOTTE! YOU CAN DO IT!" Diana shouts as Akko continues with her chanting.
"KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK LOTTE!" Sarah cheers.
Cocking her bat back again, Lotte hones in on the pitcher dusting off the plate at the peak of the mound.
Her eyes look over to Coach Croix on third base making some tapping and dusting movements before raising and lowering the bill of her hat. With an almost invisible nod of confirmation, Lotte sets her jaw hoping she can pull the play off without incident. She glances over towards first base to see Coach Chariot with her hand to Barbara's ear filling her in on Croix's call. She sees the other Nightfall fan nod in understanding before beginning a lead off of first and shooting Lotte a subtle thumbs up.
The redhead takes a deep breath as she watches the pitcher ready her stance. As she churns through the windmill and releases the ball at breakneck speed, Lotte jerks herself downward angling the bat for a bunt. By the time the other team realizes, the ball bounces off the bat and rolls steadily towards the empty space between the pitcher and third baseman. Lotte takes off down the line with her head low and legs pumping as she watches the opponent first baseman stretch out for an incoming ball. She feels her foot touch rubber just a moment before hearing the sound of ball meeting glove.
"SAFE!"
"YEAH LOTTE!" Barbara yells from second base, trying to catch her breath from her sprint.
"WAY TO GO YANSON!" Coach Croix claps her hands from third base. "BEAUTIFULLY DONE!"
Lotte smiles from first base as she watches Akko go absolutely wild in the dugout alongside a revived Amanda. Akko's cheering halts once Sucy comes up to her and reminds her that she's on deck. In an instant the brunette turns in a panic, leaving Diana, and begins digging through her bat bag for her batting gloves.
"HEY HEY HEY! I SAY AMELIE VON BRAUNSCHBANK! YOU SAY ALBRECHTSBERGER!" Amanda shouts with accompanying claps. "AMELIE VON BRAUNSCHBANK!"
"ALBRECHTSBERGER!"
"AMELIE VON BRAUNSCHBANK!"
"ALBRECHTSBERGER!"
The small catcher shakes her head and rolls her eyes at her very loud teammates as she walks up to the plate with a humored pucker to her lips.
"LET'S GOOOOO CONSTANZE!" Akko cheers as she and Diana stand at the helmet bag making her selection.
"YOU'VE GOT IT CONZ!" Jasminka shouts shaking at the fence.
Setting her feet around the plate, Constanze squints her eyes in concentration as she pulls her back back with a swivel. With the shortest wind up of the game, the pitcher shoots the ball straight down the middle, and so with all she can muster, Constanze pivots and deflects the ball in a line drive.
The Witches' wild screaming goes silent as the sound of the ball smacking into leather echoes across the field. The opponent shortstop, the very same girl whose cleat Akko had gotten intimately acquainted with an inning earlier, miraculously snatches the ball out of the air and steps on second base before Barbara can dive back, suddenly leaving Lotte alone on first base with two outs.
"IT'S OKAY CONZ! THAT WAS A BITCHIN' HIT!" Amanda restarts the cheering as she watches a dirt covered Barbara trudge back to the dugout and Constanze reclaim her bat, frustratedly tapping its head into the dirt.
Akko's eyes widen at the sudden immense pressure falling on her shoulders as she prepares to head off to the plate with one out to go.
Okay. It's okay. I just have to get on base. And then be careful. I just can't get out or its over. Oh god this is so bad.
It's then that she feels a familiar comforting hand rest on her shoulder. She looks timidly over towards cerulean eyes before being caught off guard by a quick peck on her non-bandaged cheek.
"Good luck. You're going to be great." Diana says with a quick squeeze to Akko's shoulder.
Akko's face takes on a blush and a silly smile from the VERY public, VERY displayed, and VERY affectionate action. "I-I'll try."
"I know you will." The blonde smiles before giving a light smack to the brunette's lower back pushing her towards the exit of the dugout. "Go, you've got this."
With each step Akko takes towards the plate a new set of butterflies take flight in her chest. The warm kind and the scared kind war for dominance over her lungs, but as she rings her bat in her hands she feels the warmth of determination take rule.
I can do this. I can do this.
As she reaches the plate, she looks back towards the dugout bursting with cheers. Her eyes drift towards a bright red Diana she assumes to be due to the snickering Amanda beside her.
"HEY AKKO! COME ON GIRL!"
"BRING US BACK!"
"YOU CAN DO IT SEVEN!"
"LET'S GO KOKO!"
Akko flexes the handle of the bat in her hands before pulling it back over her shoulder and digging her feet into the pre-dug footholds beside the base.
Come on. I can do this. I'm not gonna let us lose.
Red eyes meet the pitcher's as she turns the ball in her hands. The entire game, while the pitcher has been fast in every sense of the word, her throws had not been something Akko has been afraid of. She had actually been pretty lucky when it came to getting hits during this game, however, at this point, the Racers' fielding is what she is really worried about.
I just… need to get to first and get Lotte to second. So, that means the best posi-
In the middle of her thought she sees a yellow blur shoot past her stopping with the sound of the smack of the catcher's glove.
"STRIKE!"
Crap.
"IT'S OKAY AKKO! NOW YOU SEE IT!"
"KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!"
Okay. Um um um. Just erm. Just hit it far. YEAH!
"YOU CAN DO IT AKKO!"
The brunette re-shuffles her feet at the plate as she stretches her bat in front of her, gauging her reach.
Okay. Focus. Just. Watch the ball.
Akko lets out a slow breath and watches as the pitcher goes through her motions. At its release, the ball comes flying towards her. With a quick tightening of her side and practiced pivot Akko swings the bat around her shoulders to be met with a loud ting.
"FOUL!" The umpire calls as the ball flies up and behind the Witches dugout, stopping Akko's sprint halfway down the baseline.
Crap crap crap!
Akko fidgets her fingers as she walks back towards home plate and retrieves her bat.
I've got one more shot. Come on! I can do this!
"Come on Chilby, just end it already!" The redheaded shortstop calls from the field as she stretches her arms over her head.
"What do you think I'm doing Mir?" The pitcher replies irritatedly with a crack of her neck before focusing in on the catcher's mitt behind home.
Akko takes a deep breath as she feels a bead of sweat trail down her neck.
Come on. Come on…
The pitcher drops into motion, whirling the ball in a blurred windmill before rocketing it dead center of the strike zone.
Come on. Come on. Come on!
"YOU CAN DO IT AKKO!" She hears Diana yell before she pivots, throwing her arms forward, and dragging the bat to meet the ball.
TING!
The ball shoots forward in a cloud of dirt as it skips between the pitcher's legs and just out of reach of the diving shortstop.
Akko takes off in a lightning fast sprint down the first baseline, watching Lotte charge forward in between each bounce of her helmet. Lotte slides into second base a mere second before the left fielder makes the throw to the second baseman. As the umpire calls her friend safe, Akko leaps off of the rubber of first base with a celebratory pump of her fist.
OH YEAH!
"YEAH AKKO!"
"WOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!"
"WAY TO GO DUDE!"
"GREAT JOB KAGARI! GREAT JOB!"
"ATTA GIRL AKKO!"
With a huge grin on her face, Akko jogs back to first base to be met with Coach Chariot excitedly patting her back. "Great hit Akko! Beautifully done!"
Panting through her smile she faces the dugout and locks eyes directly with Diana. As the blonde claps, howling cheers alongside the rest of their team, Akko reaches back behind her head and holds out the tail of the blue ribbon tied beneath her helmet.
The blonde shakes her head with a blush and a bright smile before resuming her cheering for Sucy as she walks up to the batter's box.
"LET'S GO SUCY!"
"YOU'VE GOT THIS!"
"YEAH SU-CY! GO SU-CY!"
"YOU'RE THE MAAAAN- BAVARAAAN!"
The pink-haired center fielder audibly groans as she drops her bat and looks back blankly at Amanda in the dugout. "That's a new one. Surprised it took until the last game to hear that one…"
"Well, I am full of surprises, my good friend!" The redhead yells leaning against the chain link fence. "NOW KICK SOME ASS!"
With a sigh, Sucy turns back towards the catcher and taps her bat head on the rubber of home plate.
"YOU CAN DO IT SUCY!" Akko shouts from first base as she fixes herself in a lunge towards second.
"TAKE YOUR TIME! YOU'VE GOT THIS!" Lotte yells with a clap.
The pink-haired girl cracks her neck from side to side, maintaining an almost zombie-like glare towards the pitcher who seemed to be slightly weirded out by the gaze. Narrowing her eyes and adjusting the lip of her helmet, Sucy squares her feet up to the plate and pulls her shoulder back.
Still rotating the ball in her hands, the pitcher moves forward and places her foot into position on the plate. Her fingers reach the laces she had been looking for and without a moment's hesitation her body drops into motion, bringing the ball around and releasing it with barely a sound.
This ball shoots past Sucy far quicker than she has grown accustomed to throughout the rest of the game.
It seems as though the pitcher has had enough of the close game dragging on and is quickly, in every sense of the word, trying to put a finish to it.
However, just as Sucy had been unprepared for the speed of the pitch, it appears the catcher had been equally surprised by its arrival.
The ball comes in fast and low, and before the catcher realizes it's there, the ball hits the ground behind the base, ricochets off her cleat, and rolls towards the back of the batting cage.
"GO GO GO!" Coach Croix shouts as she frantically motions for Lotte to run forward to steal third.
Lotte and Akko take off, powering down the baselines watching the Racers' catcher scramble to retrieve the ball. The catcher grabs the ball with her bare hand and leaps up looking between third and second with arm cocked back and ready to throw. Noting that the base runners are already too close to the bases to make a safe play, the catcher turns her attention to the pitcher and tosses the ball to her with a frustrated glare.
Within the dugout, the Witches cheer so wildly that anyone trying to listen would find difficulty attempting to decipher a single word from the jarring racket.
Through greedy breaths, Akko grins brightly from relief, excitement, and the overwhelming energy coming from her friends in the dugout.
Okay. We can do this. If Sucy can get a double we can tie the game! I just have to make sure not to get tagged out.
We can do this. Just stay focused.
"Cute bandaid you've got there."
Unfamiliar with the voice, Akko looks up meeting the eyes of the redheaded shortstop she had tagged out earlier as she points to her face.
"I'm sorry about that." The girl says scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "It really was an accident."
"No yeah, I know. No worries. Heh heh." Akko lets a small smile pull at her cheeks at the sportsmanship of the other girl. "I wasn't really expecting to actually catch you. You're really fast."
"Yeah, it was a lucky tag." She says dismissively before, as though a switch had been flipped, the friendly smile on the girl's face turns cruel. "Just like you getting this far."
The redheaded girl stalks away and lowers herself into position further along the baseline leaving Akko stunned by how quickly her demeanor had changed. In her processing she nearly misses the sound of the umpire calling Sucy's second strike before returning the ball to the pitcher.
Oh crap… This girl's gonna HURT me.
Oh god, Sucy please don't hit it over here!
Hmm… she doesn't seem that tall, maybe I'd be able to jump over her…
Nah...
Akko resets her stance, setting her foot against the side of the base like a running block and with a shake of her head to get herself refocused, she takes a deep breath to fill her lungs.
"COME ON SUCY! SHOW 'EM WHAT YOU'VE GOOOOT!" She shouts with all her might.
The pink-haired girl steps out of the batter's box and taps her bat to her cleat before taking a few practice swings. She looks up the third baseline towards Coach Croix and Lotte as she lunges forward from the base.
"YOU CAN DO IT SUCY!" The redhead yells with a smile as she wipes away some of the residual dirt from the lens of her goggles.
A small grin spreads across the pale-girl's face as she grumbles to herself. "If you say so..."
To the sound of the Witches hollering words of support for what could very well end as final pitch of the game, Sucy takes a deep breath and readjusts herself beside the plate. She cocks her bat backward, swiveling it loosely in her hands as she watches the pitcher move into her windmill.
The ball, a yellow blur, highlights the edges of the pitcher's reach before being given freedom from her hand to drive closer and closer to the cold aluminum of an angry bat or the warm cushion of a tired glove.
It is rewarded the former.
Sucy drags her bat around with an astounding speed and at the ting of connection the ball flies through the air, higher and higher, farther and farther, all the way over the mesh fence barrier at the back of center field.
The field is silent. As Sucy jogs down the first base line, both Witches and Racers turn their heads to the home run hit still bouncing along the grass beyond reach.
"HOLY FUCK SUCY!" Akko roars as the rest of the Witches follow her lead with deafening rallying cries and applause.
The three girls round the bases to the sound of frantic cheering. The second the pink-haired girl touches home plate, ensuring their victory, she braces herself for the impact of the screaming 5'3" brunette and the 5'1" redhead diving straight onto her.
The rest of the Witches flood out of the dugout and jump into the mass group embrace, every one of them red-faced from yelling.
Jostled by what seems like the five hundredth pat on the back, Sucy pushes herself out of the group of her excitement drunk teammates, managing to get only a single breath of oxygen before being pulled back in.
A short time later, throats sore and exhausted from cheering, the girls break from their pile on top of home plate and line up to say "good game" to the Racers. Despite being met with lackluster, undoubtedly not heart-felt sportsmanship from the other team, the Witches carry themselves, buzzing with adrenaline, to the heart of left field for their final post-game talk.
Throwing themselves in the grass, high on their victory, the girls chatter on with accolades of impressive plays and close calls before the coaches manage to quiet them down.
As Diana sits, Akko hops into her lap and quickly pecks her cheek (for revenge) before facing forward. The blonde, hard pressed to tame the smile on her lips, relents and wraps her arms around the girl's waist like a belt before resting her chin on her shoulder. Amanda scoots down beside them wrapping an arm around the two soon followed by the rest of their friends huddling in close.
"First off," Croix begins before holding up the game ball. "While so many of you had such incredible plays this game, the final ball of the season is going to Miss Sucy Manbavaran for outstanding fieldwork and hitting the living hell out of it to win this game. Beautifully done, kid." The girls clap and hoot as the lilac-haired coach tosses the ball (retrieved by Varsity spectators during their celebration) to the pink-haired girl trying to mask the pride pulling at her lips.
"And congratulations to all of you for putting up one hell of a fight against those girls. That was not an easy game and you girls played excellently. That is what we look for when we ask for teamwork, so great job." The older woman smiles before scratching the back of her head. "Now, I know we've already gone over this enough to choke on… but you girls have made us so proud to be your coaches this year. While some of you fell on the first day and continue to fall on the last…" Some girls giggle as teal eyes hone in on Akko, seemingly late to register it is her she's talking about. "...every single one of you have demonstrated your promise and drive to improve and excel regardless of the odds or the opponent. I may be just a year or two older than you," the older woman's joke is met by a few snorts, "but I have found myself inspired by your growth and passion."
Croix's eyes turn somber as she sniffs and clears her throat. "I'm going to miss you girls greatly… we both are." She says looking over to Chariot who matches her saddened gaze. "Now…" she clears her throat again trying to ward away the moisture welling in her eyes, "I know… rather… I hope... I will see you girls again next year through school or at tryouts. However, seeing as how you have grown so drastically over these last few short months, I would not be surprised to see you under Nelson's instruction come next season. No matter where you end up next year, I would like for you girls to remember that this team... while it may mean more or less to some than to others, is a family. This experience you had was with one another, and regardless of the futures you lead, you will always have this to tie you together." Croix clears her throat and coughs again before turning away and raising her hand to her watering eyes. "Ch-Chariot, do you have anything to add?"
The assistant coach smiles softly at her once again choked up fiancé before looking around at the thirteen girls with varying levels of red noses and pinched lips.
"I believe you've covered just about everything." She pats Croix's back to help her 'cough' before continuing. "Though, I would like to restate that it has been a pleasure working with all of you girls. You should be proud of what you've learned and achieved this season and I hope you never forget the heart and belief you found in yourself and each other during your time with us. And I hope that you are able to think back as fondly on this experience as I know I will." Soft red eyes scan the group of girls starting to rub at their noses.
I suppose I should wrap this up...
"And lastly, thank you for making this year special and keeping the spirit of the Luna Nova Witches strong. It has been an honor to be here with you." Coach Chariot pauses for a moment, marking the end of her speech, before taking a breath and clapping her hands together to ward away the bittersweet cloud descending around them.
"I believe that's it. Alright girls, what do you say?" Chariot smiles as she and Croix (once finished wiping her eyes) throw their hands forward one last time. The girls scramble to their feet before meeting their coach's hands in the middle.
Laying her hand on top of Diana's and intertwining her fingers amongst the pile, Akko smiles tearfully up into misty cerulean eyes. The blonde blinks and breaks into a toothy grin before lowering her head, gently butting her forehead against the brunette's.
"OKAY!" Chariot calls out, before the group of girls commence with the count.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"WITCHES!"
Authors Notes:
One more guys!
I hope you don't mind that this one is a little early. I would not be able to update tomorrow like usual because I should hopefully be getting my ass handed to my via snowboard mountain if the maybe/maybe not flu symptoms I'm feeling don't hand it to me first. (If I die, this ain't a bad place to end anyway.)
Anyway, I know this is a long one, but I hope you like it and I hope you like what I have coming up next for the final chapter!