Author Notes
Well, as I said, here is the next chapter. We're nearing the conclusion of the story or maybe it's in the next chapter. You'll see in the coming days. Enjoy!
Any constructive review is really appreciated.
Thank you for the kudos.
Declaimer: I don't own any characters from Little Witch Academia, I'm just doing this for fun.
Chapter XXII
Confrontation
"Hannah," the girl responded, arms crossed and with a serious look.
"Sarah, hi," said Akko this time, looking between Hannah and her with a sundae in hand.
"Akko," Sarah greeted her without taking her eyes off her sister.
"What are you doing here?" Hannah asked, her expression starting to change.
"I came for you."
"For me? Sarah, I don't want to go anywhere," Hannah said, frowning, setting the sundae down on the table, and crossing her arms, matching her older sister's gaze.
"Hannah, you're almost 17 years old, and you still plan on throwing tantrums like this?"
"Excuse me?"
Akko, unsure of what to do, slowly moved closer to her girlfriend, ready to support her if necessary.
"Did you not see how Mom treated me? How Dad looked at me? Just because I was different from them?" Hannah said, resentment evident in her eyes.
"Hannah, don't be ridiculous. Come with me. It's time to end this charade."
Clenching her fists and looking directly at Sarah, Hannah gritted her teeth and, in a whisper, repeated, "No. They don't deserve to be called my parents. You don't deserve to be my sister. I'm not the one who should bow my head and humiliate myself. It's them."
After saying that, she turned on her heel and left the room, heading straight to their suite.
Akko, watching her storm out, noticed a few tears falling down Hannah's cheeks. Determined to comfort her, she was about to follow when someone grabbed her arm.
Seeing the hand now holding her back and looking at Sarah's desolate face, Akko realized there was more behind her intention to take her sister away. Willing to listen, Akko took a seat and waited for Sarah to speak while two sundaes of chocolate and strawberry melted in front of them.
The girl shifted in her chair and, with a sigh, began, "Akko, things at home are getting worse and worse. I know this doesn't concern or matter to you, but…" Sarah ran a frustrated hand down her face. "Mom and Dad are devastated. They've been looking for Hannah every single day, from morning until night. They even called Luna Nova, thinking she might have gone back."
"I was able to find her because a friend of mine, who was passing by with her boyfriend, saw Hannah enter the hotel and recognized her."
"Akko, I know we don't know each other well, but I know she'll listen to you. You might be the only one who can convince her. Please, at this rate, I don't know what will happen," Sarah said, looking into Akko's eyes, who was listening with a contemplative gaze.
"Sarah, to be honest, knowing how stubborn Hannah is, even if I agreed to what you're asking, I doubt I'd be able to bring her back. Besides, she's right her parents are the ones who need to take the first step."
"I understand if there's no…"
"However," Akko interrupted, "I think I can at least try to talk to her. Could you give me your contact information?"
Sarah immediately understood the message, got up, and, holding out her phone, dictated her number to Akko, who saved it right away.
"If anything changes, I'll text you."
With that, the Japanese girl stood up, picked up the two sundae cups now resembling strawberry and chocolate juice and walked straight to their suite, where her girlfriend was surely waiting for her.
Upon entering, she noticed Hannah wasn't in the living area or dining space. Taking a few more steps and entering the bedroom, she found her sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window, her hair down, her usual bun discarded beside her.
Akko approached and sat beside her, glancing at her from the corner of her eye before asking, "How are you feeling?"
"Better, I guess," Hannah responded, her voice barely audible.
Resting her head on Hannah's shoulder, Akko continued, "You know this can't go on forever, right?"
Hannah didn't say anything and kept looking out at the London skyline, which only made Akko worry more.
"Hannah, you know we can't stay here forever, right? I can only afford one more night."
The girl started trembling slightly, tears rolling down her cheeks, never once looking at Akko.
"Hannah."
"I'll talk to Mom and Dad," Hannah said, surprising her.
Akko, lifting her head from Hannah's shoulder and looking at her in shock, asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Sarah is partly right. It's time to grow up a little," she said, wiping her face and standing up.
"Hey, hey, wait a second. Calm down. What exactly are you planning? Going home and facing them head-on?" Akko said, stepping in front of her with her hands outstretched.
"Yes?" Hannah said uncertainly.
"No. Over my dead body, Hannah England. You're emotionally unstable right now; they could manipulate you and gain the upper hand," the small Japanese girl said with a serious look.
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration, Akko? And you're acting pretty strange. Since when do you say things like that?" Hannah asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Argh, Hannah, don't treat me like an idiot," Akko shot back, still staring seriously at her.
"… Then what do you suggest?"
"Invite them to the hotel tomorrow morning, to the executive lounge since it's more private. If you don't want to, I can do it myself. Your sister gave me her contact info. I'll message her and set it up, but only if you want me to."
Hannah closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment. When she opened them again, there was a different spark in them, and she gave her approval.
"Alright, please text Sarah."
Akko immediately took out her phone and quickly sent a message to Sarah, who didn't take long to reply with confirmation. With the matter settled, Akko stood up, wrapped her girlfriend in a tight hug, and, pulling away, said, "I know this will be even harder than what we went through at your house, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."
.
.
.
Both of them were already seated in the executive lounge. Neither had been able to eat breakfast, as their nerves were sky-high over the upcoming meeting. The sound of the clock kept ticking, and there was no sign of Velvet, the receptionist who had been so kind to them these past few days.
After some time, which still felt like torture, the clicking of heels announced the arrival of three people. Velvet, who had escorted them, granted entry to both Hannah's father and mother before departing with her usual smile.
The two adults looked exhausted. Hannah's mother, Elizabeth, had unkempt hair and a slightly haggard face. Meanwhile, her father, James, had pronounced dark circles under his eyes, and his fatigue was evident.
As their eyes met, Akko could feel a slight tremor coming from her companion, while she herself was filled with unparalleled surprise at the state of the two adults.
No one moved from their spot the parents, perhaps afraid that Hannah would run away again, and the girls, simply because they were already seated. It was Hannah who decided to break the silence. "Mom, Dad."
Both adults, reacting to her call, greeted her as they took their seats.
"Daughter," said her father.
"Hannah," said her mother.
And once again, silence reigned. Both sides exchanged glances, and Hannah, now losing her patience, raised her voice angrily. "Are you not going to say anything?"
The two adults looked at each other with sorrow and sadness before opening their mouths at the same time to say, "We're sorry."
"Sweetheart, we've been terrible parents. We didn't realize the harm we were causing you, nor did we want to see it," her father admitted first, watching as Hannah's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hannah, we won't lie to you. We still struggle to process this, and it's difficult for us to understand why you are the way you are," her mother added, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "But after spending these past days knowing absolutely nothing about you, we realized that, before losing our daughter, we needed to start understanding her at the very least, accepting her." She wiped away the tears with the palms of her hands, though they wouldn't stop falling.
"Sweetheart, we can't promise that we'll understand everything right away or accept it naturally. It will take time; however, we want to spend that time with you," her father continued, taking Elizabeth's hand. Together, looking directly into Hannah's deep brown eyes, they concluded, "Hannah, would you please come back with us?"
The girl in question, who had already been crying for some time, stood up and ran straight into her parents' arms, who welcomed her gladly.
All three of them wept, exchanging multiple "I'm sorrys." Meanwhile, Akko watched the tangle of limbs with a smile, and remembering her mother back in Japan, she muttered to no one in particular, "You were right, Mom."
.
.
.
The last few days in London were spectacular in every sense of the word. After Hannah's parents made amends with her, they immediately left the hotel and returned to her house, where her three other siblings welcomed them with open arms.
This time, with proper respect, Akko took the guest room, and Hannah returned to her own. Displays of affection between the two were constant; however, if any adults were nearby, they limited themselves to just holding hands, allowing everything to settle naturally.
As for the following days, the first ones were spent simply readjusting to home. Both James and Elizabeth returned to work, and the kids enjoyed their time at home. Sometimes, Hannah, Akko, and Oliver played video games or board games together. Occasionally, Sarah would join them, but she never stayed long, as she spent most of her time in the city with her friends. The youngest, Emma, had bonded a lot with Akko and would often "kidnap" her and take her to her room, much to Hannah's constant protests.
The following week, the parents surprised them by announcing that they had both requested vacation time. As a result, their activities multiplied a thousandfold. Outings became frequent, and Akko could confidently say that she had seen most of London during that time. One weekend, they even took her to a football match. Although she had no idea what was going on most of the time, Hannah's energy was so infectious that she couldn't help but join in, embarrassment-free.
And so, the weeks passed one after another until the day arrived for their return to Luna Nova. Standing in front of the door, with Sarah waiting for them in the car, Hannah and Akko prepared to say goodbye to the England family.
"Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Mom. See you in a few months," said a different Hannah one who now hugged her parents with joy.
"Goodbye, Oliver," she said, now facing her brother, who looked at her and replied with little enthusiasm, "Bye, Han."
As for the little one, she took Hannah's hand and, with a challenging look, said, "Goodbye. Bring Akko with you next time."
Hannah, seeing this and feeling a bit jealous, shot her sister a defiant look and replied, "Goodbye to you too, Em."
Now it was Akko's turn. The girl slowly approached the two adults and, bowing politely, bid them farewell. "Goodbye, Miss Elizabeth. Goodbye, Mr. James."
By now, they were used to her formality, so they simply smiled and said their goodbyes. From Oliver, she only received a hand gesture. But when she approached the little troublemaker, Emma stepped forward, grabbed Akko's shirt, and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "Goodbye," she said, grinning from ear to ear.
Akko, frozen like everyone else present, simply patted the girl's head before adjusting her bag and turning toward the car.
Hannah, now glaring daggers at her little sister, followed her girlfriend to the car, taking their usual seats. Sarah started the engine and headed toward the London station.
"Little devil," Hannah muttered through gritted teeth, while Sarah burst into laughter.