A/N: Happy Pride Month, everyone! I was working as fast as I can to get this chapter done in time, considering...well, I'll let you guys read and find out.
I hope you like the chapter! It's quite a long one!
Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Whatever It Takes
"Akko, go back to your own bed," ordered Diana.
But Akko didn't. Despite Diana's best efforts to push back, Akko managed to wrap her arms around Diana's waist and held her tightly. "Akko, I'm serious!" scolded Diana. "I know you're awake!"
Akko said nothing. Diana tried to pull Akko's arms apart and break free, but even while asleep, Akko had a firm grip on her.
Diana sighed. "Fine, I guess you can stay," she yawned. She was far too tired to fight with her.
However, much to Diana's surprise, she found Akko's body pressed against hers to be rather soothing, as much as she hated to admit it.
She let out a sigh of relief. "Good night, Akko," whispered Diana.
"...good night…Diana…" Akko whispered back.
And so, after Diana adjusted Akko's arms so they weren't pressed against the underside of her breasts, the two witches finally drifted off for a well-deserved rest.
The two witches slept in each other's embrace the whole night, not waking up or moving once. They stayed that way until the morning sun finally arrived.
As the sunlight illuminated the room, Akko began stirring. She slowly opened her eyes and let out a big yawn as she sat upright and stretched her arms up towards the ceiling.
Akko looked down and saw Diana sleeping right next to her. She covered her mouth as it slowly dawned on her that she and Diana had slept in the same bed last night. " What's Diana doing in my bed?! " she thought. " Or…am I in her bed?! W-Why were we in the same bed?! And my arm was wrapped around her! "
Akko's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Diana groaning and squirming around under the sheets. She yawned softly as she tossed the bedsheets off her body and stretched her arms out. "Good morning, Akko," Diana said, still sounding tired.
"Uh…good morning," Akko said, nervously. "Um, Diana, why are we in the same bed?"
"Excellent question," replied Diana, "why are we in the same bed? Last night, you just crawled into my bed, wrapped your arms around me, and refused to let go."
"What?! Really?!" Akko asked, shocked. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't know I was…I mean, I was so tired, I just…please don't hate me!"
"Akko, Akko! It's alright!" Diana said, calming her down. "If I was bothered, I could have just kicked you out."
"But…you didn't?" Akko asked, confused.
Diana gulped. "Ah…yes, well, that would have been rude of me to do," she said, "and I was too exhausted to care."
"You and I both," replied Akko. "I was out like a light! But didn't it feel good sleeping naked?"
"Hard to say," replied Diana. "After twenty-four hours of no sleep, I would have passed out either way."
"I guess you're right. Especially since we were so busy practicing for…the show…"
Akko's voice trailed off when she suddenly remembered that she and Diana had put on a magic show last night for the entire resort.
Akko smiled as she wistfully thought back to the night before. The memories of her and Diana flying in the sky, unicorns galloping around the crowd, and Aphrodite lifting them into the air appeared in her mind.
"Ah yes, the show," Diana said, also reminiscing. "It seemed everyone really enjoyed it last night."
"They did?" she asked.
"I would assume so," replied Diana. "Did you not hear the ovation afterward? They were positively roaring with applause."
Sadly, Akko didn't hear it. After working through the night and the day, once they had reached their room, she passed out from exhaustion. She was surprised Diana bothered to even carry her to her bed.
Nevertheless, Akko was pleased to hear that everyone loved the show. As confident as she was before the show, she had a small fear of everything not being exciting or "magical" enough.
Diana then slid out of bed and stood on her feet. She stretched her arms out, her bones creaking as she did. Her face grimaced as she felt the sweat and sand sticking to her body.
"If you really don't remember much of last night," she said, "I'll be more than happy to tell you all about it. But right now, I'm long overdue for a shower."
She reached down into her bag and grabbed her shampoo and body wash. Then she made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
As Akko heard the sound of water running, she fell back into her bed and hugged one of the pillows tightly, enjoying the sensation of the cool pillow pressed against her bare body. She continued thinking about the show, still not totally convinced that it wasn't a dream.
After Diana had finished her shower and Akko had taken hers, the two left their room and made their way to the resort restaurant for breakfast.
As a repeat of their lunch two days ago, Akko's plate was loaded with just about every breakfast item the buffet had, from hash browns to pancakes, from sausage links to an omelet. Diana was more sensible, having only sliced fruit and a small muffin on her plate.
Diana shook her head. "I do wonder where you put all of it," she murmured as Akko swallowed two pancakes whole.
Akko laughed. "Well we didn't really eat much yesterday," mumbled Akko.
"Please don't talk with your mouth full," scolded Diana.
As the two ate their breakfast, a bronze-skinned woman with long purple hair walked by. She recognized Akko and Diana right away. "Hey, you're the two witches who did that show last night!" she shouted, excitedly.
Akko quickly swallowed her food. "Uh, yeah, that's us," she said.
"Oh, wow! You two were amazing last night! When you brought in the tide to reflect the stars and moon at our feet, it blew my mind! I wish I can do a show like that!"
"You liked that?!" Akko asked. "That was something I saw when I was a kid, so I wanted to do that for everyone else!"
Just then, another woman joined in the conversation. This time it was a slightly chubbier woman with wild green hair. "My favorite was when that giant water lady came out of the water and held you guys up high!" she said.
"Oh, that was Aphrodite!" answered Akko.
"Aphrodite? The Greek god of love?" asked the purple-haired woman.
Diana became frantic. She wasn't sure if the other, non-magical nudist women should know about Aphrodite. "Uh, we thought it would be apropos to include a being like her in our show," she said, trying to justify everything.
"I guess that sounds appropriate," the green-hair woman said.
Suddenly, Akko and Diana found themselves inundated with nudist women surrounding their table, asking them about their magic show. While Akko liked it at first, she soon found herself overwhelmed by the bombardment of all the attention and questions.
Nearby, Aimi had climbed up the small set of stairs to the restaurant. She was about to grab some food when she saw everyone crowding around Akko and Diana. Noticing that they both looked uncomfortable, she quickly rushed over to their table and pushed through the crowd.
"Okay everyone, let's break it up!" she ordered. "I know we all have a lot of questions about their show, but let's let them have their breakfast first!"
Luckily, the women were all understanding and they quickly dispersed, going back to their business.
Once they left, Aimi turned to Akko and Diana. "Sorry about that," she said.
"Not at all," sighed Diana. "Thank you for stepping in."
"I guess everyone really did like the show!" Akko said, happily.
"I told you," replied Diana.
"It was incredible!" praised Aimi. "Mom said she saw a magic show like that years ago and she says yours was just as good!"
Akko then had the widest smile on her face. "She said that?!" she asked, happily.
"Later today, you got to tell me how you guys made those water unicorns!" said Aimi.
Aimi didn't stay for long. She grabbed her food and made her way back to the front desk.
"Wow, everyone is so friendly here," said Akko, "I don't think I've met anyone here who was mean or rude."
" Lucky you ," thought Diana, remembering her interaction with Setsuna.
Akko sighed. "Ever since you brought me here, I've met all sorts of people, tried many new things, mastered nudist magic, and got to live out my dream of being a great witch like Shiny Chariot!"
"That's quite a lot for two days," joked Diana.
"I've accomplished more here in two days than I did at Luna Nova in a year!"
Diana was quite surprised to hear Akko speak somewhat disparagingly about Luna Nova. "Well, now that you've mastered nudist magic," Diana said, "I imagine your magical abilities will be greatly enhanced when we return to Luna Nova."
"Uh…right," replied Akko, "returning to…Luna Nova…"
Akko's sudden melancholy tone didn't escape Diana's attention. Diana was beginning to worry. "Akko? Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Akko replied, snapping back to reality. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."
Akko then hurriedly shoveled an omelet into her mouth.
Diana knew something was bothering Akko. And she knew right away what it might be.
After breakfast, the two witches walked around the resort. There were posters, balloons, streamers, and all sorts of decorations scattered around for the second day of the Nudist Summer Festival.
"Alright! It's Nudist Festival time!" Akko shouted in her usual upbeat attitude. She and Diana missed out on yesterday's festivities, as they were busy practicing for their magic show. She was excited to finally try out some other nudist activities.
But when they arrived at the fairgrounds, many of the booths were empty or unattended. There were only a few people walking about.
"Hey! Where is everybody?" Akko asked, worriedly. "Isn't there supposed to be a festival today?"
"It looks like it's still not open yet," said Diana. "Perhaps we're here a bit too early."
"Oh!" groaned Akko. "What are we supposed to do now?!"
Diana then looked around and saw a broomstick propped up against one of the booths. She then had an idea. "I know where we can go," she said to Akko.
"Huh? Where?" asked Akko.
Diana only tilted her head towards the nearby broom. "Let's go somewhere… secret ," she said.
Akko and Diana mounted the broomstick and took to the sky. They began to fly away from the resort and towards the "secret spot," the home of Aphrodite and the source of nudist magic.
As they soared through the air, Akko looked down and saw a few of the women looking up in astonishment. "Are you sure we should be flying on a broom in broad daylight?" Akko asked, worriedly.
"After last night, I think we should be fine," reassured Diana. "Everybody knows we're witches now. So us flying on a broom shouldn't cause any concerns."
Akko looked down again. The nudist women smiled and waved as they flew over their heads. It seemed whatever negative feelings the resort had towards witches had completely disappeared thanks to their magic show.
Down below them, Hiromi was stepping out of her room. She let out a loud yawn as she had just woken up.
"Time for day two of the festival," she yawned as she fixed her hair.
She looked up and saw the two witches flying above her head. She was surprised to see them not only flying a broom in front of everyone but also flying away from the resort.
"I wonder where they're going?" she asked, curiously.
Hiromi looked around to make sure she was alone. "I suppose the festival preparations can wait a bit," she said, as she searched for a broom of her own.
Eventually, Akko and Diana arrived at the "secret spot." Unlike last time, they avoided navigating the dark tunnels and instead flew up and over directly into the oasis.
"The secret spot?" asked Akko. "What are we doing here?"
"I…just thought it would be a good place for us to kill some time," replied Diana.
But Akko was still puzzled. "Are we gonna keep practicing our magic?" she asked.
"No, not this time," said Diana. "We're just going to…relax."
Diana slowly lowered themselves onto the shore. They got off the broom and walked up to the water. "So now what?" asked Akko.
"Now, we sit here," said Diana, "and enjoy the peace and quiet."
Diana sat down on one of the large rocks that decorated the shore. Akko was bemused. "Really?" she asked. "We're just going to just sit down and do nothing? That doesn't sound like something you would."
"You put on an amazing show last night," explained Diana. "I think we can just…take it easy today."
Akko still wasn't used to the more laid-back Diana, but she nevertheless sat down right next to her. The two of them looked out towards the lake. Even in the daylight, without the bioluminescent glow, the long waterfall and palm trees that stood tall on the cliff sides still made the spot serene and beautiful.
"This place is prettier at night," said Akko, "but it's beautiful during the day too."
"It sure is," agreed Diana.
Just then, a cool breeze passed through. They both shivered as the wind cooled their bare bodies. "Oh, that kinda tickles!" gasped Akko.
Diana saw that Akko was sitting with her legs spread wide open. "A-A-Akko!" stammered Diana. "What are you doing?!"
"You should try this," murmured Akko. "It feels great!"
"Close your legs this instant!" scolded Diana, her face turning red.
"Why? It's just us two."
"So?! It's still not proper!"
"Just try it!"
Instead, Diana reached over and forcibly pushed Akko's legs back together again. "Akko, for goodness sake, Aphrodite might be watching!" added Diana.
"And?" argued Akko. "She would probably encourage this. It's me being one with nature."
Akko opened her legs again. "I thought you of all people wouldn't mind my legs being open," she teased. "Or do you not want to see my cute pubes?"
Akko giggled as Diana began sputtering incoherently. She turned away in embarrassment. "I should have never told you that," she muttered, angrily.
"I'm just teasing you," joked Akko.
Diana let out a sigh of frustration. "Listen Akko," she said, "there's…actually something I need to talk to you about."
"Is it about my pubes?" replied Akko.
"It most certainly is not!" snapped Diana. "Will you stop thinking about…!"
Diana quickly stopped herself and took a few deep breaths. "I want to talk to you about Luna Nova," she said, finally.
"Luna Nova?" asked Akko, curiously. "What about it?"
Diana let out a small cough as she composed herself. "So…tomorrow morning," she began, "we'll be checking out of the resort and beginning our return journey back to Luna Nova."
"Oh!" Akko gasped in surprise. "Really? Already?"
"It is rather sudden, isn't it?" replied Diana. "But yes, tomorrow we'll be returning to Luna Nova. Fully clothed, I might add."
"…I see."
Diana noticed Akko pulling her legs close to her chest, looking sad. Her face showed signs of anxiety and nervousness as she did at breakfast.
"You seem depressed all of a sudden," continued Diana.
Akko took her time in replying to Diana. She nervously pressed her index fingers together. "I…was kind of hoping we could stay for a few more days," replied Akko.
"I'm afraid I can't," said Diana. "As much as I adore this naked paradise, I have other commitments that I must attend to back at Luna Nova. I believe you also had other summer plans with your friends?"
Akko knew what she was talking about. She did have other things she was going to do with Lotte and Sucy, like the nightfall fan event and shooting off fireworks.
But Akko was still hesitant on leaving the resort. She began drawing circles in the dirt with her finger. "Well…maybe I could stay a few extra days and catch up with you later?" suggested Akko.
"And risk you getting lost on your way back?" replied Diana. "Remember, it was quite a journey from Luna Nova to here."
"I'll be fine," Akko said, hastily.
Diana sighed. "Akko, I'd rather we go back together," she said, somewhat solemnly. "If only because if I leave you here, you won't come back at all."
Akko looked at her surprised, as if she was just caught lying. Diana looked right back at her, with a disappointed expression.
"Akko, tell me the truth," Diana said, seriously. "Do you…really not want to go back to Luna Nova?"
Akko hesitated to answer. She hugged her legs tightly to her chest as she felt pain in her stomach. "…it's not that I don't want to go back," she said, finally. "I just…well…I mean…"
Akko thought hard about how to say what she was going to say. "I've been really happy here," she said, finally. "These past few days of being a nudist have been some of the happiest days I've had in a long time! The people have been so kind and welcoming, the food is good, there's a lot of fun stuff to do, and my magical energy is stronger!"
Akko looked down at the ground, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes. "I didn't have to deal with professors always scolding me for screwing up or other girls laughing and picking on me."
It was then that Diana was beginning to understand Akko's anxiety about going back. Indeed, most of Akko's time at Luna Nova has been plagued with bad grades, failed magic spells, professors reprimanding her, and other students making her time much more difficult.
"When we put on the show last night," continued Akko, her voice wavering a bit, "not only did I feel like a great witch like Shiny Chariot, it was the first time I didn't feel like a total failure."
Diana felt as if something got caught in her throat. It was surreal to see the usually perky Akko confessing her insecurities to her. In fact, Akko sounded like she was about to cry.
"But, you have the power of nudist magic now!" she said, trying to cheer her up. "Surely, everything will improve immensely once everyone sees how much your magic has improved."
But Akko still had her doubts. "But what if I go back and the nudist magic wears off?" she asked, nervously. "Then, I'll be right back to where I was before. Maybe even worse. A-A-And what if the nudist magic wears off for you too?"
"Oh, never you mind about me!" boasted Diana. "With or without it, my magical abilities won't be inhibited in any way."
"I'm not worried about that!" replied Akko.
Akko rubbed her shoulders nervously. "I just…don't want it to wear off and have you go back to your old self," she said, sadly. "Because…I like you better this way."
Akko was caught off-guard when Diana suddenly reached out and took her hands in hers. "Look at me, Akko," ordered Diana.
Akko looked up and locked eyes with Diana.
"I understand things at Luna Nova have not been as pleasant as you had hoped," she said, kindly.
Diana then thought back to the times she herself had reprimanded and mocked Akko. "And I admit, I didn't make things any better for you," she said, feeling guilty. "And so, I wish to make it up to you."
"You…do?" Akko asked, in disbelief.
"We wouldn't have had this unforgettable experience if you hadn't said yes to coming here," said Diana, "Come back to Luna Nova and I promise that things will be much better. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of it!"
Akko was surprised to see Diana try hard to convince her to come back to Luna Nova. She wondered if that's what it was like for her when she had to convince Diana to come back to Luna Nova.
It was then that Akko had an idea. "You'll do whatever it takes, huh?" she asked, somewhat slyly.
Diana was beginning to feel anxious. "Uh…yes, I believe that's what I said."
Akko then had a sneaky grin on her face, which made Diana worry greatly. It was then that Diana began to regret her choice of words. She wondered what sort of depraved, humiliating thing Akko might force her to do.
"Okay, then let's see you do this!" said Akko.
Suddenly, Akko pulled out her hair tie and darted past Diana towards one of the small rock formations along the lake. She climbed up and jumped as high as she could. "Cannonball!" she shouted as she soared through the air with her legs tucked in tightly.
She landed in the water, creating a big splash upon impact! "Akko!" Diana shouted as she ran up to the lake to check on her.
Akko quickly resurfaced, laughing as she swam in the water. "Okay, now it's your turn!" she said to Diana.
"My turn?"
"Yeah! Do a cannonball, like I did!"
Diana was confused at first. But then, she couldn't help but laugh. " I should have known Akko wouldn't take advantage like that ," she thought.
"Come on, Diana!" called Akko. "Hurry up and jump in! The water feels great!"
Diana thought the whole thing was juvenile, but she was pleased to see Akko happy again. "Very well," she conceded.
Mirroring Akko's moves, Diana ran nimbly up the rock and jumped high into the air, tucking her legs in. Akko quickly swam away as Diana landed right next to her, creating a big splash of her own!
Diana took a big breath as she reappeared on the surface. "Hey, not bad!" praised Akko. "You do pretty good cannonballs!"
"Uh, thanks," replied Diana.
Diana then leaned her head back as she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back. She let out a heavenly sigh. "You weren't kidding about the water," she swooned.
"Right?!" replied Akko, happily. "It's so nice and cool! And it tastes great too!"
As to demonstrate her point, Akko scooped up some of the water and drank it from her hands. "Wait, Akko!" worried Diana. "I don't think it's wise to drink the water!"
"No, it's okay!" replied Akko. "Look! It's clean! There's no salt or anything in it."
Akko showed Diana the water in her hands. Indeed, it was crystal clear, with no signs of any pollutants or debris floating in it. Although, Diana didn't feel it right to drink the water in which Aphrodite lived.
Nevertheless, Diana brought some of the lake water to her mouth and took a sip. She figured Aphrodite wouldn't mind them drinking the water. And even if it brought about some curse onto her and Akko, there would be a way to reverse it.
"Oh my!" she gasped "That is rather refreshing!"
"I told you!" replied Akko. "You really should trust me more!"
"I don't know about that," said Diana. "Your track record has been rather, let's say, inconsistent ."
Akko only laughed.
The two witches spent the next hour or so swimming around in the lake, alternating between floating and relaxing on their backs, having swim races, and splashing each other with water.
Eventually, they returned to the shore. They quickly grabbed their towels and began drying themselves off. "Well, that was fun," Akko said, cheerfully.
"I knew coming here was a good idea," said Diana.
"That was better than swimming naked in the ocean!"
"Indeed. No salt water ruining my hair," commented Diana, as she ruffled her now damp hair with her towel.
With the hot sun beating down on them, it didn't take long for the two witches to be completely dry.
"Are you ready to head back?" asked Diana.
"You bet!" Akko said, proudly pumping her fists. "Now I'm ready to face anything Luna Nova throws at me!"
Diana laughed. "I meant are you ready to head back to the Nudist Festival?" she clarified.
"Yeah, that too! You and me are gonna rock it at nude karaoke!"
Diana gulped. "Uh…karaoke?" she asked, nervously. "I…I don't know about that."
"Oh, don't be nervous!" Akko said, patting her on the back. "I'm sure you have a beautiful singing voice!"
"...it's not my voice I'm worried about…" Diana said, under her breath.
Diana folded up her towel and sat it on the broom. "Alright, let's make haste!" she said as she mount the broom.
She waited for Akko to get on, but she didn't. She looked up and noticed that Akko was unusually bashful, digging her toes in the dirt and having her arms behind her back. She also had trouble making eye contact with Diana. "What's going on, Akko?" she asked, concerned. "Are you coming or not?
"Uh, actually," Akko said, shyly, "there's one more thing I want to do."
Diana was confused. "Huh? What else is there to do here?" she asked.
"Um, well…you see," stammered Akko, "it's something I have to tell you…while we're still alone with each other."
"...o-okay?"
Akko then took a deep breath. She suddenly walked up and grabbed both of Diana's hands. Diana blushed as Akko locked eyes with her, still smiling as she does. "Diana," began Akko, "I've had the most amazing time here. I never thought I could have so much fun, especially with someone like you."
"Hey!" snapped Diana.
"But," continued Akko, "this whole nudist thing made me get to know you, the real you. And…I really like you this way."
"Oh!" gasped Diana. "Uh, thank you. I feel that way about you too."
"Really?" asked Akko. "Because…I mean…I really like you!"
"Uh…okay," Diana said, still not understanding Akko's meaning. "I feel the same about you."
"Diana," smiled Akko, "I…I really…really like you."
And it was then that Diana finally knew what Akko meant. "Oh, oh!" she blushed. "You mean…you're…"
"Y-yeah," stammered Akko, nervously. "Lately, every time I'm with you, I feel…happy."
Diana just stared at Akko. She could feel her face burning up as she still tried to process what Akko had just said to her. "So you've felt that way too?" she asked, bashfully.
"I felt it when we were at the beach," replied Akko. "Wait…you mean…?"
Diana then turned back to Akko, this time smiling, albeit she was still red in the face. "I felt it long before we even came here," she said, happily.
"Is this feeling…what I think it is?" asked Akko.
"Perhaps. There's only one way to find it."
Without breaking away from each other's gaze, Diana reached out and grabbed Akko's shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned in closer to Akko, while Akko closed her eyes and got on her tippy-toes. The two met each other halfway…and kissed each other right on the lips!
The two witches both felt shivers down their spine as they each deepened the kiss further and squeezed each other's hand. They could both feel their hearts beating rapidly.
The kiss didn't last especially long. After only a few seconds, the two broke away from each other. For them, however, it sure felt like a long time had passed.
"Wow," gasped Akko. "My first kiss..."
"Mine too," said Diana. "Would you have ever expected this a year ago?"
Akko shook her head. "Who would have thought getting naked together would change so much?" she laughed.
As if on cue, the wind picked up again, sending flower petals up in the air. Akko and Diana were in awe as the petals spiraled around the two of them before floating higher into the sky.
"I believe that was Aphrodite giving us her blessing," joked Diana.
Akko laughed. "So…we're together now?" asked Akko.
"Not yet," teased Diana.
Diana then embraced Akko again. "I want to hear you say it," she said.
Akko let out a relieved sigh as she hugged Diana tightly and placed her head on her chest. "I love you, Diana," Akko said, in a hushed tone of voice.
"...I love you too," said Diana.
Without wasting any more time, Akko and Diana hopped onto their broom and began flying back to the resort for the Nudist Summer Festival. Unlike their last few broomstick rides, Diana made sure Akko had her arms wrapped around her stomach.
For safety purposes, that is.
Unbeknownst to them, from up above, sitting high on top of one of the cliff sides, Hiromi had just witnessed everything unfold. With her wand in hand, she shed a few tears of joy as she watched the two fly away. "I love my job," she swooned.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Remember when I said there were only two chapters left (this one and the epilogue)?
Weeeelll...I lied. I actually came up with an idea for ONE more chapter before the epilogue. Basically, it'll be about Akko and Diana's last night at the resort.
...and I'll just leave it at that! (wink wink)
Let me know what you think in the comments, especially about the confession/kiss scene!
