Chapter 16

Books were spread out before her, each open to a different yellowed page of tiny text that Akko couldn't make heads or tails of. The smell of dust and ancient ideas flooded her nostrils and made her want to sneeze, but she had done so much of that she didn't think it was possible anymore. The wooden chair beneath her bit into her skin, the jagged stone edge of the table scraped against her arms. The only soft thing around was the girl in front of her and the lips that Akko wanted so badly to kiss, but every time she tried-

"Akko, now is not the time for that," Diana scolded as she pushed the other girl away and scanned the ancient text before her in a thus-far vain attempt to find some information about the Martian Eclipse.

Akko was one-hundred-percent, without a sliver of a doubt, over research. They had been looking for something, anything, that gave a clue as to what to expect with the Martian Eclipse for the entire day without a single break. Akko was pretty sure that Diana hadn't moved a single muscle since they sat down, much less even looked up at her.

Her stomach grumbled. She let her forehead fall onto the book spread in front of her, adding a loud groan for emphasis. "Diana, are we done yet?" she moaned. "This is boring. And I'm hungry!"

Diana sighed, finally looking up to see Akko turn her head and give her the eyes. Yet again, Akko was going to try to win through guilt and sheer adorableness. "Would you rather be bored or dead?" she asked, leveling the other girl with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not a fair question," Akko muttered, sitting back up. "We've been at this all day and I haven't found a single thing."

"I must be honest and say that I haven't found anything of use, either," Diana said, closing A Full Cavendish History with a puff of dust that made Akko sneeze. Again. "Bless you. It seems that there has been no recording of a Martian Eclipse in the history of my family. Not even an honorable mention. Nothing in Astrology and the Occult, either."

"Well," Akko shrugged, "it's a good thing I'm used to going into life and death situations completely blind."

Diana shook her head, looking pointedly at the stack of books they'd gone through the entire morning and better half of the early afternoon. "I hardly think that's the best approach to this, Akko. However, I will agree that it's probably time we take a break."

"Thank the Nine," Akko moaned, slamming her own book shut and tossing it onto the pile of others to a 'Careful, that's old!' from Diana and a heavy sigh of relief. "There's so much else we could be doing right now."

Diana crossed her arms over her shoulder and leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow. "And what did you have in mind?"

Red eyes trailed over Diana's face, settling on her lips as a devious smirk pulled at the corner of Akko's mouth. Akko hummed, leaning across the table. "What do you think?"

Diana couldn't hold back a small smile. "Akko, now is hardly the time for—"

"It's always time," Akko interrupted, stopping within a few inches of Diana's face. "Don't you think?"

Diana felt a tug at her heart, mind drifting to the night before and the soft pressure of Akko's lips on her own. They'd gotten no time alone since, and Diana would be lying if she tried to say she hadn't at least thought about it, well, multiple times. Her heartbeat throbbed in her throat as she closed the gap, eyes fluttering shut as her lips brushed against Akko's except—to her surprise and, let's not lie, complete dismay—Akko pulled away, leaving Diana, once more, with the ghost of a memory.

Diana's eyes blinked open, brows stitched together in confusion, only to find Akko staring at her with a wide grin. Her crimson eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I meant," Akko whispered, still close enough to where Diana could feel the other girl's breath on her lips, "eating. I'm starved." She leapt to her feet.

Diana felt her patience dwindling. Only, this time, it wasn't from what Akko was doing wrong. It wasn't from inappropriately timed comments, or a backfiring spell, or the theft of a tart after hours.

No, Akko was doing everything right.

Diana felt the tips of her ears burning as she followed Akko from the archives, wondering how in the world she was ever going to manage to keep her composure when they made it back to Luna Nova.

"The Martian Eclipse?"

Aunt Daryl leaned back in her seat at the dining table, pressing her index finger thoughtfully to her chin as she stared across the room at a large portrait of herself and Bernadette that hung on the wall. Maril and Merrill, for the first time, were privy to the conversation. They stared at their mother with a look of uneasy curiosity.

Diana, as poised as ever, simply sipped her tea, blue eyes lingering on her aunt. Akko nodded, contentedly munching on a sweet biscuit that Anna had brought them with their tea.

Aunt Daryl shook her head, looking down at her own untouched tea and biscuit. "I'm not sure I've ever heard of anything such as a Martian Eclipse playing a role in Cavendish family tradition," she said.

"Tradition?" Akko sat up a little straighter, lowering the hand that clutched the remainder of her snack. "Is the Venusian Eclipse only a manner of tradition?"

"Of that I cannot say for sure, as the Head of House has never been determined in any other manner," Aunt Daryl brought her tea to her lips and blew it gently before taking a sip. "And you believe that Damien wishes to claim Head of House Cavendish through the Martian Eclipse?"

"Damien?" one of the sisters asked.

Aunt Daryl scowled. "Girls, please hold your questions for a more appropriate time."

"Tradition can be broken," Akko said, eyebrows scrunching together as she stared down into her tea. "Everyone thought Vajarois had to be appeased during Samhain because it was tradition, but that wasn't true at all. Maybe the ritual can be done during any eclipse, or really any time—"

Diana coughed into her hand, pulling the table's attention to her. She lowered her teacup to its saucer and flipped her wavy blonde hair over her shoulder. "Akko is right. We have no information on this subject, so I think it would be wise for us to treat it like any other Head of House ritual."

Akko had picked her biscuit back up and was gnawing at it while she stared at Diana. "Right," she said, yanking her eyes up to meet Diana's before she was caught looking, well, elsewhere. She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks flaring as she continued. "But how can we stop him?"

"The same way I stopped Diana," Aunt Daryl mumbled, looking down at her hands as her fingers twisted over each other. "Just don't let him get there in time. From my understanding, the Martian Eclipse has a very short window."

"But—er, magic," Akko replied. "We can't exactly use it, can we?"

"Not from what I've heard," Maril, or Merrill, grumbled under her breath, earning a menacing glare from Aunt Daryl.

"Enough," Aunt Daryl hissed.

Diana had let her eyes fall on the corner of the room. A tall suit of armor towered above them, glimmering in polished steel and clutching an intimately made, albeit dull, broadsword. Her eyebrows stitched together as she ran a finger against the handle of her teacup. "I have an idea," she said at last, bringing her gaze back to the table and the four witches sitting around it. "Aunt Daryl, where is the key to the vault?"

"Diana, no." Aunt Daryl shook her head, lips tugging into a firm frown. "Those are family heirlooms, I forbid it."

"May I ask since when you began to care about family heirlooms, Aunt?" Diana snapped in a tone that made Akko raise an eyebrow. "Tell me where I can find the key to the vault."

Irritation melded from sadness to anger and back to neutral as Aunt Daryl, once again, turned her attention to her fidgeting hands. "Anna keeps the keys in a locked cupboard. See her," she replied in an even voice as she pushed away from the table and signaled for Maril and Merrill to do the same. "If you require any assistance, Diana, you only need to ask. Though my actions have shown otherwise in the past, I, too, am a Cavendish, and this will affect me as well."

Diana nodded, glancing at Akko before meeting her Aunt's piercing gaze. "While I appreciate your assistance with previous… incidents, I would prefer you ensure the safety of the Manor itself. If Akko and I don't succeed—"

"We will succeed," Akko cut in, pursing her lips. "There is no if, Diana."

The blonde sighed with resignation as a phantom stab murmured through her abdomen. Nevertheless, she did find herself grateful for Akko's resolve. "Right," she said, rising. "Well, if we are to succeed, we will need to be equipped to do so. Come, Akko. We have a battle to win."

The Cavendish vault, it turned out, was nothing more than an arms room—a very old, very dusty, very aged, and very large arms room, at that. As Diana turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open, Akko immediately realized what she had meant when she'd said 'equipped'.

Swords of all different sizes leaned in multiple racks against the walls, hilt up. Steel, silver, and iron, though hidden behind layers of dust, still glimmered a reflection of the dull yellow light of the room. There were daggers placed neatly on shelves, some curved, some straight, some jagged with teeth that made Akko flinch beneath the thought of the physical damage they could cause. There were axes, cleavers, even spears with polished golden tips and ornate runes carved along the shafts. On the far wall, where Akko's crimson eyes fell with a hitch of her breath, hung bows of different sizes and materials, some as basic as a piece of long cedar that looked like it had been carved with a dull knife to shafts so delicately designed that Akko was sure had been held by royalty. Another wall held multiple shields that told a story of age and a rise in status as each Cavendish coat of arms became more and more elegantly carved.

"It will be primitive," Diana said next to her, "but if there are no other means to defend ourselves, I believe a bit of normal weaponry may be our best option."

Akko nodded, stepping into the room as she peered over all the weapons spread out before her. "Have these all been used by the Cavendish family?" she asked, tentatively reaching out a finger to swipe the dust off a dagger with the house emblem carved into the blade.

"Yes," Diana replied. She went immediately to the swords, regarding Akko with a cool stare that very clearly said 'Do not break anything' before turning her attention to the prospects before her. "Either weapons used by my family, or weapons retrieved from fallen enemies."

Akko hummed, looking around with the curiosity of a small child. "So these all belonged to dead people," she mused. She stopped at the ornate spear, lifting it and almost dropping it—it was unexpectedly heavy—while muttering rapid apologies. Diana shot her a glare.

"Well, yes, Akko." Diana let out an exasperated sigh. "Everyone who held one of these weapons is deceased, as, believe it or not, time decides for each of us."

Grumbling, Akko lifted her eyes to the wall of bows. "Stop acting all holier-than-thou," she muttered. Her attention settled on one of the more ornate bows, clearly carved from some sort of bone with the eye of an artist. Jewels were pressed in even waves along the shafts, converging in the center at a grip that looked like it had been smoothed with the hand of an expert.

"My apologies," Diana murmured, lowering her head as she inspected one sword in particular. She lifted it, gently lowering the blade by the hilt to her palm in a test of balance. When the hilt dipped dramatically to one side, she returned it to its home on the rack and moved to another. "I'm just a bit nervous." She eyed Akko nervously as the girl stood on her toes in a desperate stretch to reach the ivory bow. Abandoning the swords for a moment, she moved to Akko's side and reached up to carefully bring it down from its hook.

"Here," she said softly, swallowing hard when Akko's fingers brushed her own, and lingered, as she took the bow.

"Thanks," Akko replied, offering a small smile that made Diana's stomach flip so hard that she immediately turned back to the swords.

"You're—you're welcome," she mumbled in reply.

As Akko turned the bow in her hands, she felt the image of the Shiny Rod prodding at her mind. It felt so much the same… almost as if—

"That would be a suitable choice," Diana said without turning around, "as that bow was inspired by the Claiomh Solais."

Akko felt herself smiling. "I knew it," she whispered to herself as she held the bow before her and pulled the string back to press into the skin of her cheek. The bow was light, comfortable in her hand, and by the Nine felt almost as if she was holding the Rod itself.

Diana was turning a long silver sword in her hands. She grasped the hilt, feeling the balance and weight in her hand as her body turned in a few practice swipes. It felt good—well, decent enough, and had in fact been made by hand for her great-great-grandmother. She swung it again, faster, feeling the blade bite into the air in an easy arc.

She finally lifted her gaze to find Akko staring at her, slack-jawed, the bow hanging forgotten at her side.

"Whoa," Akko said, suddenly realizing the state of her mouth and closing it. "You know how to use that?"

"Of course." Diana plucked up the sword's leather sheath, taking note of the material's dire thirst for conditioning, and belted it around her waist to make sure it fit. It did. "Fencing is a common sport among wealthy families." She coughed into her hand, lowering her eyes. "I mean, well, I—"

"That's so cool," Akko replied, not even bothering to touch Diana's slip of hierarchy. She placed the bow down on a shelf and stepped forward, taking the sword from Diana. She held it as though it was made of glass as she weighed it in her hands. "Wow, it's really light."

"Silver is—" Diana inhaled deeply, tensing her jaw at the heat radiating through her from Akko's proximity, "—a very light metal."

Akko ran a finger along the edge of the blade and yelped, nearly dropping the sword as she yanked her hand away. A fresh drop of blood dripped from the new cut on her skin.

"By the Nine, Akko!" Diana exclaimed as she snatched the sword back and slid it into its sheath before Akko could do any further damage. "That is sharp!"

"I didn't know!" Akko whined, holding her finger away from her body as the droplet of blood fell to the floor. "It's been in here for ages!"

"It's still sharp," Diana groaned with exasperation. "These are combat weapons that are infused with magic, Akko, they don't dull." She took Akko's hand and turned it palm up, running her thumb over the small cut. It had already stopped bleeding.

Akko frowned up at Diana. "It hurts," she moaned, though the smirk on her face gave her lack of pain away. "My mom used to kiss things that hurt—"

"Akko," Diana scolded, shaking her head. "I am not kissing your cut."

Akko leaned forward with a sheepish grin, fingers turning to wrap around Diana's wrist as she pulled her in. "How about something else, then?"

Diana had no time to protest. Akko's lips pressed into hers, making her breath catch in her throat. On a normal day, she would have told Akko that the matter at hand was far too urgent, that they didn't have time for childish antics, that there were more important tasks that weighed on their minds. Yet, as Akko's body fell against her own and the girl's hand crept around the back of her neck, she could only think that this was the most important thing.

Tentatively, she snaked an arm around Akko's waist and pulled her in with a sharp inhale through her nose. Akko's lips were moving against hers, the weight of the smaller girl was guiding her, pushing her back until the shelf was holding her up and she could hear weapons shifting with the pressure.

Akko's mouth broke away as she panted, tongue darting out to wet her lips. The protruding leather belt of the sword's sheath dug into her abdomen as she met Diana's warm blue eyes with a bright smile. "I—uh, sorry, Diana, it's just—" She panted heavily. "—really attractive with that sword and—"

Diana cut her off, threading her other hand through Akko's soft brunette hair and bringing their lips together once more. She would've been lying if the sight of Akko holding a bow once more didn't make her blood run hot. She had felt the whisper of magic beneath her skin as the memory of holding Akko's hand as they summoned the Shiny Arc, except the magic was now more like the war cry of a thousand soldiers, rushing through her entire body and gripping at her insides.

The sudden sensation of Akko's knee slipping between her legs brought an involuntary moan from the back of her throat. She felt her face flush red with embarrassment as Akko pulled her own burning face away.

"I—I'm sorry, Diana, I—"

But Diana pulled Akko back in, kissing her hard, feeling something deep and primal stabbing in her lower abdomen. She had thought about Akko like this so many times, and the sensation of the other girl moving beneath her fingertips was enough for her to lose composure and—

"Oh, my."

The sound of Anna's surprised voice sent both witches flying away from each other so fast that Diana struck her head hard against the frame of the shelf and Akko flew onto her back with a surprised yelp. With burning faces and heaving chests, they looked anywhere but at each other.

"My—my apologies," Anna stammered, palm raised to shield her eyes as she took a step back from the threshold. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to make sure—"

"It's okay, Anna." Diana rubbed the back of her head, staring hard at the ground because she was pretty sure her face was maroon. She tried to compose herself as much as she possibly could. "We were just… finishing up."

Akko was picking herself off the floor and brushing the dirt off her backside. She quickly turned away and began shoving arrows into a quiver, which she tossed over her shoulder.

"Just—please lock the door behind you," Anna said. She took another step back, lowering her hand and turning around as she strode off down the corridor. The echo of her rapid footsteps slowly fell to silence as Akko turned back to Diana, quiet spreading between them.

"I, er—wouldn't have said finishing," Akko finally offered in an attempt to break the awkward silence, chuckling.

"Akko, please," Diana cried as she buried her burning face into her hands, mortified, and rushed from the room while trying to scrape up any semblance of poise left inside her.

Akko simply stared after, rolling her shoulder beneath the leather strap of the quiver. "Eh, I thought it was a good one, given the circumstances," she muttered with a shrug.

With her brand new (well, to her) weapon, which she had already named Shiny Bow in her head, she trailed after the mess of emotions that was Diana.

Akko knew that rest would be crucial for the next day, but try as she might, sleep wouldn't come.

She stared up at the blank ceiling, letting her mind roll through everything that had happened since they'd arrived at the Cavendish Manor. The attack and the Second Realm, yes, but she felt her thoughts falling more on Diana. On the way her body felt when she curled into it, the gentle squeeze of her hand that said more than words ever could, of the soft lips that Akko never wanted to say goodbye to.

Akko reached around the headboard, running her fingers along the stone. Diana was just on the other side, so close that Akko could probably touch her were it not for the wall between them. She felt a pang of loneliness sear her chest and she rolled over, staring through the window at the glow of the Philosopher's stone.

The sound of the door slowly creaking open made her turn her head. Diana stood in the threshhold, the pale moonlight casting eerie shadows across her form. Wavy blonde hair framed her face in a gentle glow that made Akko's heart skip.

"Diana?"

"Oh, you're still awake, too?" Diana's fingers played with the bottom of her shirt as she stepped more into the light. "I couldn't sleep and I-"

Akko sat up. "Come here."

Diana hesitated, but finally moved forward, her bare feet padding gently against the cold ground. When she reached Akko's bedside, she froze, unsure of what to do. She had come for a reason—a combination of loneliness and the desperate need to be close to Akko—but suddenly she felt self-conscious. The other girl's hands reached forward and she felt the comforting warmth of fingers on her wrists as Akko pulled her in and captured her lips with her own. She let her body sigh into Akko's.

"Akko," Diana breathed as she broke away. "I-"

"Quiet," Akko said, wrapping her arms around Diana's waist. "I do not need Anna barging in again."

Diana nodded, swallowing. She felt Akko's fingers dancing along the edge of her shirt, brushing against her back. She leaned down and pressed her lips once more against Akko's, trying to ignore the head-to-toe throb of her body but failing miserably. Akko was kissing her back hard, running her hands up her back, making her skin shiver in response. She brought her leg up and-

Akko held back a moan and instead sighed heavily as she felt Diana against her. Her skin felt like it was on fire, her gut was pressing down on her in a voiceless plea of desire. She tipped her chin up, feeling Diana's breath on her face, her lips on her jaw, her neck. Nine—she felt like she was going to explode.

"Diana," she huffed, drawing the other girl's attention.

"I—I'm sorry," Diana stammered, sitting up. Her chest heaved in quick, short breaths, face flushed. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset." Akko ran her hands over Diana's abdomen, pausing at the crevice of a scar that dipped into her skin next to her bellybutton. "This could be our last night together. And if we-" Akko swallowed. "-if we die, I would rather die with this on my mind." She took the fabric of Diana's shirt in her hand and lifted, almost surprised at the lack of resistance as the other girl simply dipped out of it.

Akko had to squeeze her eyes shut. She inhaled deeply, swallowing hard as she gazed up at the absolute beauty that was Diana Cavendish. Blonde hair fell gently over the shadows of her collarbones, spreading out in soft tendrils across the pale skin of her chest.

"Sugoi," Akko heard herself say.

Diana cracked a smile, well aware of the goosebumps that had spread across her exposed skin. With a quick summon of courage, she grabbed Akko's shirt and pulled, feeling the other girl arch her back obediently as Diana tugged it off.

"Nine," Diana whispered, taking in Akko's athletic body with childishly wide eyes. She leaned down and kissed Akko once again, this time softer, a little hesitant. Her heart was beating so fast that she knew Akko had to feel it, there was no way she couldn't, and her blood was absolutely boiling. Akko was pulling her down, arching into her, and oh Nine her body was reacting in a way that it never had before, and soon she was kissing Akko in a way that made her gasp into the other girl's mouth.

Akko could feel the magic sparking at her fingertips, green flashes of light that burst forward as they ran over Diana's body like she was drawing a map of new territory. Diana's hands were on her—everywhere-and she felt a surge of energy as she pressed into the touch, gasping for air between kisses, and all of a sudden oh Nine help Diana was inside her.

Akko choked on something that sounded like the combination of a gasp and a moan, hips buckling under the sudden pressure as her shoulders rolled and she threw her head back against the pillow.

Diana broke away, breathing heavily through her nose. She looked nervous, almost terrified, but there was a wild look in her eyes that Akko had never seen before but wanted to see again, so many times.

"Are—are you okay?" Diana asked.

The warmth of their magic was spreading around them, making their pulses stagger beneath the weight of the moment.

"Yes," Akko breathed, blinking up at Diana with warm, albeit scared, red eyes.

Diana moved inside her. Akko felt like her heart was in her throat. Her fingers wrapped through blonde hair, squeezing hard, red eyes locking into blue as their uneven breaths became a discordant melody.

Green was glowing all around them now, flashing through the darkness of the room, wrapping and pulsing like veins over their skin. Akko could feel the ebb and flow of the magic they shared, the way she'd felt before when she and Diana gripped the Claiomh Solais together, almost as if her body was composed of the power of the both of them.

And maybe it was.

"Diana," Akko gasped, feeling her chest heave and jerk. "The magic—what if they-"

Diana leaned down, pressing into Akko, her breath tickling the other girl's cheek.

"Let them come," she whispered, and covered Akko's lips with her own.