Akko Kagari and the Contest of Champions

Chapter Forty-Five: Without Regrets

When she looked back, even a month later, Akko found she had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though she had been through too much to take it anymore. The recollections she did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with Ram that took place the following morning before she left.

She did not blame Akko for what had happened; on the contrary, the Black Star headmistress thanked Akko for brining the truth about Evelyn to light, for Ram believed she would never have known about her student's suffering without her.

"I do not deny that I have not always done what was right by them," she said, pulling her traveling cloak closer to herself, concealing her missing arm. "I believed that by emotionally distancing myself from them – by being their teacher and not their friend – that I was doing the right thing. But when they needed me, I didn't even notice. I am not perfect, but I care very deeply about those children, and I will do whatever it takes to free them from the abomination."

When she got to her feet, she looked down at Akko and said, "Thank you…for looking out for her when I didn't."

"But I didn't," Akko muttered to her. "If I had, she would still be here."

"Then I guess…we both have reasons to set things right," Ram said softly before leaving her alone.

Akko returned to Polaris Tower the following evening. From what Lotte told her, Professor Holbrooke had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. She had merely requested that they leave Akko and Nico alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell what had happened in the labyrinth. Most people, she noticed, were skirting her in the corridors, avoiding her eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as she passed. She guessed that many of them had believed Quattro Scaglietti's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous she was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Nico had almost died. She found she didn't care very much. She liked it best when she with her friends and they were talking about other things, or else letting her sit in silence while they played chess. She felt as though all of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Luna Nova – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Blair had walked in on them and told Akko about a meeting between the Kagaris had with Ursula before going home.

"We're going to be transferring you to a more secure location during the summer," she said seriously. "With Jennifer out there, we can't be certain if the defenses around the house will hold against her."

"When?" asked Akko.

"Don't know yet," said Blair, shaking her head darkly. "We still need to figure out where to…. I'm just giving you a heads up, okay?"

The only other person that Akko felt able to talk to was Nico. As there was no longer a Magical Defense teacher, they had those lessons free. Akko used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Nico by the edge of the forest. It was a bright and sunny day; Nico was sitting in the shade of the trees, focusing intently on the sketch book in her hands; Akko didn't know Nico liked to draw.

"Who's there?" said Nico, looking up as she approached. "Oh, hey, Kagari."

She stashed her sketchbook away into her bag and patted the ground next to her. Akko noticed as she sat down that Nico was wearing a black choker now, no doubt covering the scar that Ruvik left her, despite Wendy's and Porlyusica's best attempts to magic it away. Nico pulled out two cans of soda and tossed one to Akko, leaning back against the trees and surveying the grounds.

"I'm not going to bother asking if you're all right," she said gruffly. "Because I know you're not."

"I am fine," said Akko.

"No, you're not," said Nico. "You might think you are, but you're not. Trust me," she held up her prosthetic, flexing it. "Things like this tend to leave more than physical scars."

Akko said nothing.

"I sort of knew this was coming," said Nico, and Akko looked at her intently. "Maybe not exactly like this, but…I knew we were different from everyone. And I don't just mean because I'm a gothic loner and you're the unreliable klutz that destroys classrooms on a daily basis. I mean, we were both with certain destinies. You, with the Shiny Rod, and me, with the Staff of One. Both equal and opposite, just like us. I kind of makes you wonder about the things Jennifer said that night, about the future and fate. Well, what's happened has happened, and we'll just have to get on with it. We'll have to fight, you and me, because we're apparently very important in whatever Jennifer has planned.

Nico tilted her head to Akko, who looked extremely uncertain.

"Hey, nothing good will come from sitting around worrying about it," she said. "What's coming will come, and we'll meet it when it does. Ursula said we can do nothing but be prepared."

"You talked to Professor Ursula?" asked Akko; she hadn't seen the timid professor since the night she had talked down the Crawford Seam.

"She's having moved from my friend's place at the Hostel," said Nico. "Said they're going to be moving me to a more secure location. Croix's coming with me – like a babysitter in case something happens. They're worried Jennifer's flunkies might come after me during the summer."

"Blair said the same thing to me," said Akko, leaning back against the tree with her.

"They might seem overbearing, but they're just looking out for us," said Nico. "There's no telling what the future is going to bring. But at the very least, I know we'll be able to count on each other."

It was with a heavy heart that Akko packed her trunk up in the dormitory on the night before her return to Japan. She was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. She had avoided being in the dining hall when it was full ever since she had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of her fellow students.

When she and her friends entered the hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The dining hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the walls, emblazoned with a blue-flamed star. Akko knew instantly that they were as a mark of respect to the Black Star students who had not been seen since Evelyn's escape. Ram had also gone missing since that night in the hospital wing and none of the teachers had given a word on her whereabouts. Akko wondered, as she sat down with her friends at the usual table, where Ram was now, and whether she had found Mato or the others yet.

Akko's musings were ended by Professor Holbrooke, who rose from her seat. The dining hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet.

"The end," said Professor Holbrooke, looking around at them all, "of another year. There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight, but first I must acknowledge the loss of many fine young woman, who should be sitting here, enjoying our feast with us. You only knew them by their stage names: Black Rock Shooter, Dead Master, Strength, Chariot, and Black Gold Saw. But you should remember them for who they are: Mato Kuroi, Yomi Takanashi, Yuu Koutari, Kagari Izuriha, and Saya Irino. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to them."

They did it, all of them; the chairs scraped as everyone from Luna Nova to Serenity Academy stood, and raised their glasses, and echoed the names of the Black Star champions who were no longer with them.

Akko caught a glimpse of Nico through the crowd. There was a somber look on her face that Akko had come to recognize as regret; it was the expression that Akko was wearing herself as they all sat down again.

"Though Mato and her classmates were not my students, I recognized them as women who exemplified many of the qualities praised in Luna Nova," Professor Holbrooke continued. "Saya Irino had the strength of a Coronoa; Yomi Takanashi has the wisdom of a Lunar; Yuu Koutari, the patience of a Twilight; Kagari Izuriha, the ambition of an Eclipse; and Mato Kuroi sought freedom and independence like any other Polaris student. Their loss has affected you all, whether you knew them well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly what has become of them."

Akko raised her head and looked at Professor Holbrooke.

"They were taken by the Great Witch Jennifer."

A shocked and confused whisper swept the dining hall. People were staring at Holbrooke like she had grown a second head. She looked perfectly calm as she watched them mutter themselves into silence.

"The Magic Council," Professor Holbrooke continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe that Jennifer has returned from her centuries of absence, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Miss Kuroi and her friends have left because of some vendetta, or mental illness, would be an insult to their names."

Stunned and curious, every face in the hall was turned toward Professor Holbrooke now.

"There are two people who must be mentioned in connection with the Black Star champion's disappearance," Professor Holbrooke went on. "I am talking, of course, about Miss Atsuko Kagari and Miss Nico Minoru."

A kind of ripple crossed the dining hall as a few heads turned half in Akko's direction and half in Nico's before flicking back to face Holbrooke.

"Miss Kagari and Miss Minrou witnessed The Great Witch Jennifer's return with the aid of her followers, including known criminals like Amon and Acnologia," said Professor Holbrooke. "They risked their lives to return to Luna Nova with this news. They showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few men have shown in facing such adversity, and for this, I honor them."

Professor Holbrooke looked around gravely and raised her glass once more. Nearly everyone in the dining hall followed suit. They murmured their names, as they had murmured Mato and the students of Black Star, and drank to them.

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Professor Holbrooke continued, "The Contest of Champions' aim was to further and promote understanding. In the light of what has happened – of Jennifer's return -such ties are more important than ever before."

Professor Holbrooke looked from Principle Theresa and Headmistress Meichi, to the heroes-in-training from U.A. and the Hero Club of Sanshu, from the soldiers of Class Zero to the sisters of Honnoji and their Elite Four.

Every guest in this hall," said Professor Holbrooke, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again – in the light of Jennifer's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Jennifer greatest strength is her understanding of people, of how they think and feel in times most dark. She will use that to her advantage. We can fight it only by showing a strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences in age, race, gender, and even species are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.

"It is my belief - and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Jennifer's followers. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, five young women with bright futures were taken from our midst.

"Remember them. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to these brave young women because they strayed across the path of Jennifer. Remember them."

Akko's luggage was packed. She, Lotte, and Sucy were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the buses that would take them back to Byltonbury Station. It was another beautiful summer's day. She supposed that Jingumae would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when she arrived there that evening.

"Yo, Akko!"

She looked around. Eruna Ichinomiya zipped across the courtyard in the blink of an eye, stopping onto the stone steps of the school. Beyond her, far across the grounds, Akko could see Principle Theresa lining the students up by height from smallest to tallest – she would be the first one in line.

"I hope we see each other again some time," said Eruna, holding out her hand. "And hopefully next time I'll have an actual role instead of being reduced to frequent character appearances."

"I don't think I'll ever understand you," said Akko, but shook Eruna's hand nonetheless.

"Maybe we'll see each other in Serenity Academy," said Eruna optimistically. "You already made a cameo appearance in the Freshman Hazing…. And we'd probably get more if the author would get off their lazy ass and write something," she added heatedly, glaring at…. *coughs uncomfortably* Anyway….

Akko's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as she watched Eruna zip back across the courtyard to the rest of her class, kicking up a cloud of anime dust in her wake.

"You appear to be in a better mood than before, Akko," said a smooth voice from their side.

Akko, Lotte, and Sucy turned. Andrew and Frank had arrived. Akko hadn't seen Andrew since the night after the final challenge, when he and Diana visited her in the hospital wing. From what Diana told her, Andrew had been busy with his father trying to clear up the mess made after the Grand Magic Games.

"Could I talk to you in private?" Andrew asked Akko.

"Oh…yeah…sure," said Akko, surprised. He took her hand gently and led her into the nearly empty dining hall, leaving Frank alone with Lotte and Sucy. Akko couldn't help feeling a little flustered despite the circumstances of recent days. It had been a long time since the two of them were together….

"I suppose there's no point in asking if you're all right," said Andrew, notably still holding her hand. "You went through a very traumatic event. You have every right not to be fine."

"Yeah…," Akko mumbled.

"It's only going to get worse from here on," Andrew told her dispassionately. "Word from my father's office says that the Magic Council is getting ready to start a smear campaign against Holbrooke and the other teachers. Father plans to take advantage of the chaos to push his own agenda. You have difficult times ahead of you. But, no matter what happens, just know that I will always be there for you. Because I care about you, Akko."

Andrew may as well have punched her in the gut with that comment. Though he was obviously trying to cheer her up, Akko couldn't help feeling bad. Andrew never hesitated to make his affection known, even though Akko had been actively avoiding the issue for months. She remembered how he and Diana had confronted her that night for what seemed like so long ago. Akko had been dancing around the two most important people in her life because she was afraid of hurting them. But after what happened, after seeing Jennifer return and knowing the danger that lay ahead, Akko realized she wasn't being fair to them. They deserve a real answer – both of them – and Akko knew what that answer was a long time ago.

"Andrew, I need to tell you something," said Akko, sighing apprehensively. "I like you – I really do – I care about you so much. But…."

"But you don't love me the same way I love you," Andrew finished with a sad sort of smile. "I already knew. You heart already belongs to Diana."

"You knew?" said Akko, gasping.

"It's obvious to anyone with eyes," said Andrew. "I could tell you were in love with her long before I asked you to the ball. I never stood a chance."

"If you knew I was in love with Diana," said Akko, wide-eyed, "then why did you ask me?"

"I had to try," Andrew answered simply. "If there was even the smallest chance that you would return my affection, I had to take it. Otherwise, I would spend the rest of my life wonder 'what if'. Yes, it hurts that you do not share my feelings, but I don't regret asking. Now I can have closure and move on."

"I'm sorry I couldn't return your feelings," said Akko mournfully.

"Don't be," said Andrew, shaking his head. "Whether you return them or not, it doesn't change how I feel about you. No matter what happens, I will always be there to help and support you in any way I can. But…a word of advice," he whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close. "There's no telling what the future may hold, so you should treat every day as if it were your last. Live your life without any regrets."

That certainly gave Akko something to think about as she and Andrew walked back into the entrance hall. She smiled softly as she watched Lotte and Frank talked, affectionally holding each other's hands and Frank giving his girlfriend a little peck on the cheek before joining Andrew by the door. Akko also noticed that Fu had made her way over to Sucy, who was smiling sheepishly and playing with her hair in a very un-Sucy-like manner. Fu slipped the Filipino a piece of paper and gave her a quick kiss before running back to her classmates.

"What was that all about?" Akko asked when she joined her friends.

"Frank was telling me that he bought a house in Blytonbury so that we could see each other more often," said Lotte cheerfully.

"And Fu's planning to visit me in the Philippians over the summer," said Sucy, chuckling. "She might regret that when she meets Gari and Sabi."

Akko was happy for her two best friends. After all the ups and downs of the year, both of them were able to find people they love and hold on them. And as she looked around the entrance hall and spotted a familiar head of platinum-blonde, Akko, inspired by her friends, decided to follow Andrew's advice: she will live her life without regrets.

Akko straightened her back and puffed out her chest, fully aware of how ridiculous she might look, and marched across the hall with purpose. The other students looked at her strangely as she passed, but Akko didn't care; she was laser-focused on her goal. Diana was caught in a longwinded discussion with Hannah and Barbara when she noticed Akko marching up to her, one of her brows disappearing into her hair as she looked over the brunette.

"Akko, what are you - ?"

Then, without warning, Akko grabbed Diana roughly by the shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her.

It was nothing like the soft and shy musings from that night in the bathroom; it was strong and forceful; Akko honestly didn't know if she was doing it right, but she was in too deep to care. She could Diana freeze up in her arms, remarkably similar to the way Akko did the first time they kissed. It was Akko who pulled back, breathing heavily as she stared at the girl she had fallen in love with, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Akko…I…what…," Diana stammered absently.

"I love you, Diana," Akko spoke without thinking. Whelp, no going back now, she thought. "I mean – yeah, I do. I love you, Diana. When we first met at the Aikatsu Dress Make, I thought you were the most beautiful person in the world – and then we started talking and I thought you were a jerk. Then went we started our first year, I thought you were a spoiled, stuck-up, pampered, know-it-all, rich brat." She heard Hannah and Barbara facepalm next to them. "But the more we spent time together, the more I got to know the real you: you're head-working, determined, loyal, incredibly smart, and one of the bravest people I've ever known. You're also a scared and lonely girl pressured to live up to everyone's expectations and be this perfect witch. But you're not perfect – and that's okay." She rested her hand on Diana's cheek. "Because I don't care if you're perfect or not. I love you just the way you are."

"Akko…," Diana breathed, leaning into Akko's hand with a soft smile. "I…I love you, too, Atsuko Kagari. With all my heart."

Akko smiled brightly at those words. She leaned forward and Diana leaned in as well –

"A-hem!"

And they both paused inches away from one another. They had only just become aware that they were in the middle of a crowded entrance hall with every students and teacher watching them. Hannah stepped up to them with her hands on her hips, giving Akko and Diana a hard stare. And then, she threw up her hands in an exasperated motion and shouted what everyone was thinking:

"It's about damn time!"

The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to Shibuya Station than it had been on their way to Luna Nova the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. All of Akko's friends had managed to get their usual seats in the back of the train car, which she now realized were a lot fuller than usual. Akko and Lotte were sitting in the middle row as usual with Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka sitting across from them, but Sucy had offered to switch seats with Diana so that she could sit directly next to Akko, the two of them holding hands the entire train ride home. Blair laid bonelessly across the headrest above Akko's seat, somehow able to find sleep in that position. Hannah and Barbara were in their usual seats on the left side of the train, now sitting across from a grumpy-looking Sucy. The seats on the right side of the train were taken up by Nanoha, Fate, Wendy, and Nico, and the seats behind them were occupied by Makoto, her cousin Chinatsu, and Sucy's little sisters, Gari and Sabi.

Akko hadn't realized just how big her circle of friends had gotten until she saw them all clumped together. It really was impressive, she thought.

Everyone was talking loudly and freely, more than they had done all week as the train sped past dozens of countries in minutes. Akko felt as though Professor Holbrooke's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked her, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action the teachers might be taken, even now, to stop Jennifer's rise to power, only to be greeted with another surprise for the evening: Annabel Crème, marching down the aisle, dragging the same burlap sack Akko had seen during her unusual interruption the night she and Nico returned from the labyrinth.

"A little – help here – if you don't mind," Annabel Crème grunted with effort. Jasminka rose from her seat and lifted the sack into the overhead compartment like it weight less than a loaf of bread. Annabel Crème let out a relieved sigh, taking the only empty seat next to Sucy. "Thanks. You not believe how hard it was dragging that thing all the way down from the school."

"What're you doing on the train, Professor Crème?" Lotte asked curiously.

"I need to make an important trip to Washington D.C. in America," Annabel Crème answered. "I figured the train would be much faster getting there."

She leaned back in her seat and pulled out a copy of daily news, flipping through the pages casually. Akko looked at it, unsure whether she really wanted to know what it might say, but Annabel Crème, seeing her look at it, said calmly, "There's nothing in here. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the last challenge saying Luna Nova won the contest. They didn't mention the Black Star students going missing or Zeref being turned into a Heartless. I think Seam is forcing them to keep quiet to hide his failures."

"He'll never keep Scaglietti quiet," Barbara hissed. "Not on a story like this."

"Oh, Quattro hasn't written anything at all since the last challenge," said Annabel Crème in an oddly constrained voice. "As a matter of fact," she added, her voice now trembling slightly, "Scaglietti isn't going to be writing anything for a while. At least not until she gets out of prison."

"Prison?" said Wendy, scandalized. "What are you talking about?"

"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," said Annabel Crème in a rush.

Akko had the impression that Annabel Crème had been dying to tell someone this for days, but she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened.

"How was she doing it?" said Amanda at once.

"How did you find out?" said Stan-Bot, Constanze staring at her.

"Well, it was Akko who gave me the idea," she said.

"I did?" said Akko, perplexed. "How?"

"You reminded me that the school's defenses never detected Quattro Scaglietti using magic to sneak into the school," said Annabel Crème happily. "Not even Professor Ursula, who has the sharpest senses when it comes to magic, never picked up on her. And that's when it hit me: She wasn't using magic; she was using science."

"Come again?" said Nico, blinking.

"The reason why she was never spotted was because she was using technology to sneak in instead of magic," said Annabel Crème. "That's why no one ever noticed her in a school full of magic. After I realized that, I went straight to Professor Croix. I asked her if there was a way someone could use technology to sneak into the school without magic, and you'll never believe what she told me. Apparently, back in 2012, the US government had been working on a suit that refracted light – a scientific version of an invisibility cloak. But it was mysteriously stolen…right around the same time when Scaglietti's career started skyrocketing."

"No – freakin' – way," gasped Nanoha. "Are you telling me she – "

"Stole government property from one of the most powerful countries in the world?" said Annabel Crème, grinning. "Yeah, she did. Once we knew how Scaglietti was getting in, Professor Croix gave me one of her thermal cameras. I knew she would be drawn to the scandal after the last challenge, so I waited for her outside the hospital wing and snatched her up when she wasn't looking. I'm taking her straight to Washington and handing her over the CIA."

"Speaking of which," said Makoto, looking around. "Where is she, anyway?"

Just then, they heard a loud thumping coming from the overhead compartment; Annabel Crème grinned like the little devil she is.

"You didn't – " Diana breathed, fighting back the urge to laugh.

"I did," said Annabel Crème proudly.

"Best – teacher – EVER!" Gari and Sabi cheered together; everyone nodded in agreement.

Everyone went back to their own conversations after that. As the train left Borneo, Amanda pulled out a deck of cards and invited Constanze, Akko, and Diana to play a game of Texas holdem. They were halfway through their fifth game when Akko decided to ask Amanda.

"You never did tell us," she said to the redhead. "Who you were blackmailing?"

"Oh, that," said Amanda darkly. "It doesn't matter. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway. I've given up."

But Akko, and everyone else now interested in Amanda's supposed illegal activities, kept on asking, and finally, Amanda said, "All right, all right, if you really want to know…it was the Grand Master."

"The Grand Master?" said Diana sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in – "

"Nah," said Amanda gloomily. "Nothing like that. Asshole. He wouldn't have the brains."

"Well, what, then?" asked Fate.

"Amanda hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet I made with him at the International Chariot Racing Tournament? About how Pravda would cross the finish line first, but Black Rock Shooter would land the last shot and win the cup for Ooarai?"

"Yeah," said Akko and Lotte slowly.

"Well, the bastard gave me a fake check."

"How do you know?" asked Makoto.

"Because when I tried to cash it in, the check bounced!" said Amanda furiously.

"But – it must have been a mistake," said Jasminka, frowning.

Amanda laughed very bitterly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, at first. I thought if I just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But that never happened. He started blocking my e-mails, so I started sending him handwritten letters. He ignored those too. I kept trying to talk to him about it at Luna Nova, but he was always making some excuse to get away from me. In the end, he turned pretty nasty. Told me I was too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving me a single dime. So I asked for my money back."

"And he refused!" gasped Hannah.

"Right in one," said Amanda.

"But that was all your savings!" said Lotte.

"Tell me about it," said Amanda. "Of course, I found out what was going on in the end. Wangari's dad had some trouble getting money off the Grand Master, too. Turns out he's in big trouble with Paul Hanbridge. Borrowed a ton of money from him to finance his Contests. Hanbridge cornered him after the Chariot Racing Tournament and took all the money he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. He followed him all the way to Luna Nova to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two pennies to rub together. And you know how that dumbass tried to pay Hanbridge back?"

"How?" said Sucy.

"He put a bet on Akko," said Amanda. "Put a huge bet on her to win the Contest. That she would be the one to reach the cup. Bet against Hanbridge."

"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" said Akko. "Well - I did win, didn't I? I got to the cup. So he can pay you your money!"

"Nope," said Amanda, shaking her head. "You forget that Hanbridge is a politician – they're as cunning as they are evil. Since Akko and Nico grabbed the cup at the same time, they technically both won, and the Grand Master was betting that Akko would get the cup alone. So the Grand Master ran for it. He made a break for it right after the last challenge."

"That's horrible," said Hannah.

"Ah, it's…it's not important," said Amanda, sighing deeply as she dealt out the cards again.

"You said you had big plans for that money," said Akko. "Right after the Tournament ended and you didn't want your mom confiscating it. What were you planning to do with it."

"I…," said Amanda hesitantly, looking out of the corner of her eye shamefully. "I wanted to use the money…to get into dance school."

"You want to go to dance school?" asked Sucy curiously.

"Yeah," Amanda mumbled, red-faced. "Last summer, I sent an audition tape to Paris Opera Ballet School in France…. And I got accepted."

"That's wonderful!" Ananbel Crème praised. "The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the four most prominent ballet companies in the world! It's next to impossible to get in!"

"And it's still impossible to get in," Amanda said downcast. "Tuition is super expensive and I can't tell my mom I want to transfer out of Luna Nova to go to a dance school, especially since Luna Nova is one of the best magic schools in the world. When I didn't get the money from the bet, I was hoping to get the money from the Contest – "

"That's right!" Makoto yelled. "The prize from the Contest! Everyone on the winning team get's one hundred thousand credits for winning! That should – "

"That only applies to the chosen champions," Amanda grumbled. "Substitutes don't count. Trust me, I asked…. But that's all right; it's fine. I guess it just wasn't meant to be…."

But Akko wasn't accepting that. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the envelope holding her Contest winnings.

"Take it," she said, and she thrust the envelope into Amanda's hands.

"What?" said Amanda, looking flabbergasted.

"Take it," Akko repeated firmly. "I don't want it."

"You're insane," said Amanda, trying to push it back to Akko.

"No, I'm not," said Akko. "You take it, and transfer to that dancing school. You deserve it."

"You are insane," Amanda said in an almost awed voice.

"Listen," said Akko firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it into the nearest dumpster fire I can find. And if I can't find one, I'll make one. I don't want it and I don't need it. But you do. You're one of the best dancers I've ever known. I've seen you work hard for it; you love dancing. No one deserves this more than you."

"I couldn't agree more," said Diana, and she reached inside her pocket and handed over her own envelope. "You should follow your dreams. We all should."

"You'll be putting this to better use than I ever would," said Nico, casually tossing her own envelope. "The way things are now, I get the feeling we'll be needing a little light in our lives."

"And you can have my share, too," said Makoto, eagerly passing her own money. "I've never really cared about money. You should do what you love."

Everyone turned their heads to Fate, the last of the Luna Nova champions, expectantly.

"Screw you people; I'm keeping the money," said Fate adamantly.

"Well, four out of five ain't bad," said Ananbel Crème lightheartedly.

The rest of the journey passed much more pleasantly; Akko could see Amanda was fighting off the urge to smile to not give away how happy she was. But as Akko learned that year, time had a funny way of moving too fast when she was having a good time, and all too soon, the Mystic Rail pulled in at Shibuya Station. Akko rose from her seat, poking Blair awake and pulled the sleepy magic cat onto her shoulder, then grabbed her luggage from the overhead, making sure to give Scaglietti a good thump when she did.

Akko turned to disembark with the rest when Diana suddenly stood up and pulled her by the arm. She pulled Akko in for a quick kiss, smiling sheepishly with a faint blush on her cheeks that matched Akko's. They were going to have to get used to this public display of affection now, Akko thought.

"See you soon," Diana whispered softly.

"Not soon enough," Akko replied.

She gave one last affectionate squeeze before stepping off onto the platform.

Akko's parents were waiting for her. Mrs. Kagari hugged her very tightly when she saw her and whispered in her ear, "Ursula told us what's going on. I wish none of this had to happen."

"You and me both," Akko mumbled.

Akko followed her parents silently from the station. There was no point worrying yet, she told herself, as she got into the back of their car.

As Nico had said, what would come, would come…and she would have to meet it when it did.

Dol Guldur – Croix hated this place as a visitor almost as much as a prisoner. Being back reminded her of her brief stint years ago; the oppressive atmosphere, the lack of light, the stench of death the permeated around every corner. And then there were the Heartless that lingered in the narrow corridors. Croix kept looking over her shoulder, fearing one of them would break rank and trying to attack her. Honestly, she would have preferred it – give her a reason to let loose some stress.

She came to a stop outside one of the cells – X-13 in the Maximum-Security Wing. She peered through bars and saw its occupant sitting in the back of the tiny room, completely concealed in darkness with only his outline visible through the weak light of the stamp-sized window. She was sitting on the rock-like mattress, leaning against the wall casually with a book in hand; one of the few luxuries in this hellish prison. The cell's occupant turned the page until he noticed Croix standing outside, leering at him.

"Ah, Croix, a pleasure to see you again," the prisoner said nonchalantly. "You didn't get arrested again, did you?"

"Not this time," said Croix evenly.

"To be honest, I was expecting you to be Zeref," said the prisoner, turning another page. "He should be back any day now."

"Zeref's not coming back," said Croix. "Crawford jumped the gun and turned him into a Heartless."

"No! Really?" said the prisoner, finally looking away from his book, sounding very disappointed. "Aw man, now we'll never finish our debate on reanimation vs. reincarnation."

"As stimulating as I'm sure that is," Croix said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm here for you."

"And I have a pretty good idea why," said the prisoner with a soft chuckle, going back to his book. "Jennifer is back, isn't she?"

"How did you - ?"

"I knew a lot more than I ever told you, Croix," said the prisoner tauntingly. "I know why she's come back. I know what she's planning. And I know how she intends to do it. What I don't know is why you're here."

"We…need you help," said Croix like it was painful to say those words out loud. "We need you to fight against Jennifer."

"And why should I do that?" said the prisoner shortly. "As I recall, it was you and your little club that put me in here in the first place. You left me here to rot for fifteen years. And you didn't even have the decency to call or write. That's very rude, you know. No, I don't think I'll help you people with anything."

"Then what about Akko?" said Croix swiftly. The prisoner visibly froze in place. "She's in the middle of all of this. Jennifer is targeting her, and if you're as smart as you say you are, then you know why. If you won't do it for us, then at least do it for Akko."

A period of silence passed where neither one of them spoke or moved. Finally, the prisoner snapped his book shut, rose from his bed, and crossed the cell, looming over Croix in a way that would have felt intimidating had their not been a wall of shatter-proof glass standing between them. The prisoner leered down at the magical scientist…and chuckled.

"Akko, huh?" he said. "Tell me…how is my daughter doing these days."

Sorry it took so long to update – collage is really kicking my ass and I only just caught a break.

I was on the fence about whether or not Akko and Diana should get together in this chapter or in the next book. But after the long wait, I figured you all deserved an early Christmas (Or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) present.

Well, this book has been a thing and a half (and took the longest to write out of all the works I've done), but we have now reached the turning point in the series as we made a lot of new revelations between the heroes and villains. What I had hoped to convey with this and the future books is there the line between good and evil is not always clear cut. While many would condemn Jennifer's actions as evil, she wholeheartedly believes that what she is doing will help the world and her followers believe in them too. I also wanted to make Akko and Jennifer sort of mirrors of each other - like how they could have been exactly like one another if things had just been a little bit different. This point will be extremely important in future books.

I don't know when I will start on the next book because I was hoping of going back and start writing the other stories that I have left untouched for a while. Plus, I have to keep on my college work, so don't be surprised if updates are farther and fewer between.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading up to this point and stay turned for the next installment of the Akko Kagari series!