Yahallo! Not sure how much more I'm going to be able to post in the next couple weeks. My girlfriend surprised me with a vacation, but I wanted to get to some happy parts after leaving Diana, Akko, Amanda, and everyone else in the lurch last time.

Note: I'm not going to bother to have Akko speak in a mixture of Japanese and English when she's at home. It'll just be shown in English and be understood they're speaking in Japanese. I'll try to keep it straight once more people start showing up.

Our Magic!
Episode 04: Reason and Feeling
Part I

"Mom, Dad, I'm a lesbian."

Akko stared in the tiny mirror of the airplane bathroom. She adopted a goofy smile, "Heya parentals! I'm gay!"

She shook her head and started again, "Mom, Dad," she started crying, "I'm so sorry!"

The knock on the door jolted her from her tears. Hurriedly, she composed herself, and exited the bathroom to let the waiting passenger in. With a huff, the woman pushed past her, shoving the slight witch to the side. Akko roughly caught the back of the back row of seats. A flight attendant smiled at her, "Are you OK?" she mouthed.

Akko nodded, and began working her way up the plane. Not noticing the young strawberry blonde girl sitting in the seat she had grabbed. "Mommy, that's her!"

"Who's her, hun?"

"That's her! The witch! The one on TV!"

Akko slid into her seat, diagonally across from the pair a few rows ahead. Lost in thought, she didn't hear any of the commotion. "Honey, why would she be on a plane? I'm sure she can fly on her broomstick if she was really a witch."

"That's her! Mommy!"

"Adella, put your seatbelt on!"

"HI." The blonde munchkin caught Akko by surprise.

"Ack!"

"Are you a witch?"

Akko managed to hide her reaction to that one, "Sort of."

"Aren't you the witch that saved the world?"

Akko coughed, "It wasn't quite the world, but it sure seemed like it was at the time."

"Oh my God! You are her!" The mother had finally managed to detach her seat belt and come up to gather her lost child.

Akko tried to smile at the woman, a slightly overweight brunette with bangs. She looked closer at the child, thinking she wouldn't be surprised if she turned into a bishoujo like Chariot. "Hello. I'm Akko."

"You saved us!" The woman was overcome.

"Eee?" Akko asked.

"Mommy! A witch!"

"We were in the capitol of that country. We would have been at ground zero. You and your friend saved us."

Akko couldn't help but smile at the thought of her actions with Diana, but her eyes grew watery.

"I'm sorry, but would it be too forward to ask to hug you?"

"Hug!" the child parroted.

Akko forced her smile a little more and nodded an assent. The woman enveloped her and for the first time in a long time, Akko felt the warmth and weight of a mother's arms.

The kid wormed her way into the hug also. Despite herself, Akko began to cry. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to."

"It's OK! I'm so sorry we bothered you, dear."

"You aren't bothering me. I'm just being emotional. It feels like forever since I hugged my mom and you just reminded me of her." Never mind that I might never be hugged by Mom again once she finds out I'm gay.

"Oh honey! You're a hero! You can be emotional whenever you want. My little Adella wants to grow up to be a witch just like you!"

Akko managed a real smile, and turned her attention on Adella, "That's amazing! Always remember, a believing heart is your magic!"

"A believing heart!" Adella repeated.

"That's right!"

"I can do magic!" she announced.

"Wow! Really? You're ahead of me when I was your age then!" Akko enthused.

"But-but, it doesn't always work!"

"Dear, we talked about this. It's only in certain areas that you can try to learn magic."

"That's right! There's more magic than ever before, but there are still plenty of areas where it doesn't reach, but do you want to know a secret?" Akko asked her conspiratorially.

"Yes!"

"I can do magic anywhere," she said with a wink and a smile.

"Really? Wow!"

"Yep! I just have to believe, and I can do magic anywhere in the world."

"I want to see!"

"Well, alright then! Prepare for my best spell!" Akko enthused.

She gathered her thoughts and breathed out; forcing her eyes shut so no one would see any tears, Akko thought, Diana, before calling out, "Metamorphie Faciesse!"

Suddenly, a small, fat, blue penguin stood on Akko's seat. "A PENGUIN?!" Adella screamed, rushing to pet the snow bird.

"That is simply incredible!" By now, the entire cabin had been distracted by the trio. Akko popped into her mouse form, and ran up Adella's arm to perch on her head.

"I have a witch on my head!" Adella screamed in pleasure. "Mommy! I have a witch on my head!"

The rest of the ride passed by in a blur. Other passengers came up, offering their own thanks and praise for her actions with Diana in the missile crisis. Akko did her best to greet and thank every single one of them, happy to have something to think about besides Diana and besides her parents.

Akko walked from baggage claim to find her parents, passing by Adella and her mother without them noticing. "So what was it like for you to meet the great witch?"

"Mommy, she was so amazing! But she was so sad!"

Akko picked up her steps, double-timing it away before she broke down in the middle of the airport. When she finally saw her mom waiting for her, she ran into her arms, hiding her sadness with tears of joy for seeing her mom and being able to hug her again.

I have to be strong. I have to tell mom and dad I'm not normal.

"I'm so glad you made it home for the festival, Akko! Come on, your dad is waiting in the car outside."

"Dad's here?" Akko gulped, "You drove?"

"We didn't want the celebrity witch to have to go on the train! You remember what it was like when you came home between semesters!"

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"Mmm! It feels so good to be home! Yay!" Akko enthused, stretching her arms as she came in the doorway.

"Akko! Your shoes!" Her mother gently chided her. "Honestly, one year abroad and you've lost all sense."

"Come on, it's not the end of the world to not take off your shoes."

"Don't spoil her just because she's been away. She's only been gone a couple months this time!"

"Yes, dear."

Akko ran around the kitchen, gushing over every change. Her mother stopped her with a single no-nonsense look, "When are you going to spill whatever's on your mind?"

Akko laughed nervously, looking from her mother to father. Her mother's hair was pulled back in a ponytail; her cheerful smile somehow seemed bullying. Her father was surprisingly square-jawed and handsome, but still managed to effect the look of a normal Japanese businessman. "How could you tell?"

"Honestly, Akko. Last time you came home you could not stop talking about Diana and your other friends at Luna Nova. This time, you've barely spoken about anything other than what's going on here."

"It's kinda' major."

"Isn't everything with you, kiddo?" her father asked.

"I-um-I don't know how to say this." Akko looked at them in a blind panic, "How about some tea!"

Her mom fell over in surprise, "AKKO!"

"OK OK! But you two should totally sit down!"

After herding her parents into seats around the kitchen table, Akko paused dramatically. "Just say it already Akko," her father commanded.

"Mom, Dad, I . . . " Akko changed midsentence, "Do you think I could go to school here?"

"Here?" her father asked confusedly.

"Move home and go to school here."

"Nope. Not an option, we're shipping you back to Luna Nova whether you like it or not." Her mother replied.

"WHAT! That's totally not fair! You said you wanted me to come home to stay! I can't go back!"

"And why is that, dear? Think you're finally ready to tell us?"

"I'm gay!"

Her mother sat there with a smirk on her face. Her father stood up stoically, and reached for his wallet. He deposited a 1000-yen note in front of his wife and walked over to Akko. Laying his hand on her shoulder, he nodded once, before leaving.

"WHAT WAS THAT! WHY DID HE LEAVE?"

"Oh hush dear, he's just sulking because I won our bet. He was holding out hopes you were at least bi."

"WHAT?!" Her screech could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

Akko's mother nodded gently, "Really, Akko? We've known you liked girls practically your entire life. I mean, have you ever looked at our bookshelf?"

"Why would I look at your books?" Akko asked, like it was the last thing on earth she wanted to do. She took the time now to glance over, noticing the first book was a pamphlet, Your Daughter is a Witch, Now What?

After that though, there were a wide range of books. The first must have been by the same company as the witch pamphlet, as it was titled, Your Daughter is a Lesbian, Now What? After that, there were books like Always My Child, This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids, and The ABC's of LGBT+.

"How did you know?"

"Well, you really liked Shiny Chariot," her mother replied as though that explained everything.

"I was just a kid!"

"Well, yes, at first you were. But then when you were 12 you put that poster of her up right above your bed."

"MOM!"

"I'm just saying we knew you were thinking about her at night."

"I was dreaming of doing magic with her!"

"You may have been dreaming of doing something with her sweetheart, and I'm sure it was magical."

"MOM!"

"Then you went to an all-girls school and your father despaired. He thought that would be the last straw."

"That's not how being gay works! That might be like that for bisexual people, I don't know! But I would have been this way no matter where I was in the world or with who!"

"I tried to explain that to him, dear. But he kept pointing to those posters of Shiny Chariot in your room and how pretty she is and how no straight girl could possibly stay straight being around witches that look like her."

"MOM!"

"To be fair honey, I wasn't exactly the straightest arrow in college, myself, so your poor dad might have a bit of a complex."

"MOM! I CAN'T EVEN!"

"There's nothing wrong with being bisexual either, honey. Oh! Do you think you may be bi?"

"Oh my God, what was I worried about?" Akko stalked over to a kitchen chair and slumped down.

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So what is this? Diana thought to herself from her airplane seat. I know I am not gay. Is that why it took me so long to realize my feelings for Akko?

Akko is a singularity. She is not like a woman to me, she is just . . . Akko. I am in love with Akko.

She knew she was in love with Akko, but something still didn't feel right. She thought back to her kiss with Amanda, and her lingering attraction for Shiny Chariot. The flush of heat to her face forced her to face the truth, So I like girls as well. I am . . . bisexual? And I didn't know until now?

She slowly sipped the cold tea offered on the airline. American tea is so unsatisfying.

Hannah and Barbara had filled in the missing pieces for her—both about their relationship and Akko's feelings. This entire time, Akko's had feelings for me and I've been-what? Toying with her? How could I be that dense?

"I assure you, I do not need anything." Diana looked up for what seemed like the tenth time at the flight attendant.

"Miss, you have been crying the entire flight. The other passengers are concerned."

"I am perfectly fine. I apologize for disturbing—" a sudden gasp stole the lie from her lips, she couldn't speak for the sobs.

The flight attendant slid into the empty seat next to Diana, "There, there. It's going to be alright. First time flying alone?"

Diana couldn't respond, couldn't speak; she did her utmost to stifle the sobs, but her body shook in the arms of the kind attendant.

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"Oh! Wait here, I have something to show you!" Akko's mother ran to her room and back in record time, "Look at this!"

She held up a shirt, "I *heart* My Lesbian Daughter." The heart was rainbow colored.

"I can't wait to wear this now!"

"You can't wear that!"

"But I rainbow heart you!"

"You can't tell people! If I'm going to be out I don't want you and Dad to have to be punished for that!"

"But dear, you're missing the point here. I rainbow heart you."

"I KNOW you rainbow heart me Mom, I flipping love you too, but you can't let other people know! You know what they're like!"

"Oh, the neighbors all have been taking bets on when you'd come out."

"WHAT?!"

"You did like Shiny Chariot quite a lot, dear."

"OHMIGOD."

"I'm not going to say I didn't feel anything seeing her posters myself."

"I'M NOT HEARING THIS."

"Sometimes it helped things along with your father if I'd go into your room and admire them a little before, well you get the idea dear."

"I AM DYING. I am literally dying. You are killing me."

"It probably didn't help things with your father when I accidentally said her name that one time." Her mother fondly reminisced.

"SHE'S MY TEACHER NOW!"

"WHAT?!" For once in the last hour of embarrassment for Akko, her mother's attention was solely on her daughter.

"Shiny Chariot is my teacher now at Luna Nova!"

"Is THAT why you wanted to go there?!"

"I wanted to go there because she went there! I didn't know she'd be my teacher!"

"Will you introduce me?!"

"OHMIGOD NO! NOT NOW!"

"Don't act like you don't look at her posters too!"

"NOT LIKE THAT!"

"AKKO. I might tolerate a lot of things from you, pretending you're going to quit school and coming home in such a sulk, but I will not tolerate a liar."

"FINE!"

"Fine what?"

"FINE! I MASTURBATED TO MY SHINY CHARIOT POSTERS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR? ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?"

The thud of her father fainting to the floor startled both of them. He had just walked back into the house to be greeted with that proclamation. "Mom! I broke Dad!"

"Oh he'll be fine dear. He's probably just overworked from having to go announce to everyone in the neighborhood how gay you are so we can start collecting our winnings."

"Winnings?"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to make it another year at Luna Nova without coming out, dear. I just had a feeling. I bet big! Of course, your father still was foolishly betting you were bi so that will mitigate just how much we make. I mean, you've never even looked at a boy."

"MOM!"

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Diana had cried her weight in tears, and even now as she walked through the airport, tears fell from her eyes without pause. "I am so stupid. So stupid."

As she reached the line for taxis outside the airport, she realized she had no idea what Akko's address was. Blinking back her tears, she set herself to the task. The leylines are weak here, but there is enough magic for emergencies. I will search every house in Japan if it means finding Akko again.

Perfectly aware she wasn't being reasonable, Diana took the next taxi.

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After her father had recovered, they resumed their family meeting in the living room this time. Akko asked worriedly, "Do you hate me now, Dad?"

Confused, he returned, "Why would I hate you?"

"You left as soon as I told you I was gay!"

"I was so excited to tell everyone you had finally come out! I patted you on the shoulder and nodded in acceptance at you before I left! All our neighbors were ragging on us after you were on TV with that girl. I had to shut them up. Look at this!" He unbuttoned his dress shirt to reveal his own, "I *heart* My Lesbian Daughter" shirt on underneath.

"Honey! You bought one too!" His wife shoved him.

"I wasn't going to let you hog all the bragging, Atsumi!" he playfully shoved her back. "We both rainbow heart our lesbian daughter!"

Akko threw her hands up in consternation.

"So is Diana the reason why you started spouting this nonsense about coming home to stay?" Atsumi asked her daughter.

"I mean, she's part of it," Akko said noncommittally.

"Did you two break up?" her father asked.

"DAD!"

Her mother fielded that one, "Well, we did see you stop a war flying on the edge of space hand-in-hand with her dear. One gets to thinking . . . "

Akko couldn't stop the tears, "It's been really crazy, Mommy."

Atsumi enfolded Akko in her arms, "We believe in you, Akko. You can do anything."

"That's the problem," Akko said from the depths of her embrace.

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"After the missile crisis, I started changing. My magic went away and now it's come back stronger than ever. Ursula-sensei thought it could be killing me."

"Callistis-sensei did write to us that your magic was out of control, but the last we heard you were all better."

"Ursula-sensei writes to you?" Akko dismissed that line of thought for now to focus on her magic, "It feels funny."

"What does it feel like?"

Akko thought for a moment before replying, "Like I'm drowning."

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Diana sat on the lonely swing set, her carryon luggage beside her. "What will I do if I can't get her to come back with me? If she doesn't believe me that I love her? If she doesn't believe me . . . "

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Some time later, Atsumi brought the conversation back to Diana. "Why did you give up on Diana so easily?"

"She kissed someone else."

"That's pretty major. What did she have to say for herself when you talked to her about it?" her mother coaxed her.

"Um, Isortofranawaywithouttalkingaboutit."

"What was that?" her father asked.

"I ran away without talking about it!"

"That's reasonable, dear."

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"Alright everyone!" Hannah took over as the de facto leader with Akko and Diana MIA and Amanda still recovering, "We're now launching Operation Bring Akko and Diana Back and Get Them to Stop Being Such Idiots and Finally Start Dating!"

"Yeah!" the girls cheered with the exception of Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Chariot.

"I still think I shouldn't go," Amanda said.

"Not happening, we're all in this together," Barbara smiled at her. Jasminka squeezed her hand in support.

"That name is a little too long. It doesn't even have a good acronym. I appreciate calling Diana and Akko idiots, but . . . " Sucy started.

"Noted and dismissed!" Hannah cut her off. Barbara nodded in agreement. "Look out Japan! Here we come!"

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Sheesh! This chapter took a lot of work. Anyway, not going to have many updates coming up, but I'll still try to write while I'm away. Your reviews keep me going! Thank you to everyone that wrote one and especially to those of you that review every chapter! I would have lost steam wayyy before this if it wasn't for you!

Thanks for reading!

Ugh! Some of the formatting was off the first time I posted this and fanfiction . net can't read the Alt+3 code for a heart for some reason! SORRY!