Through The Blaze (ch5)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

So what is happening to Diana? If you don't know from the manga this chapter will explain it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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													Chapter 5. Commencement

When Akko wakes again, she can't remember everything right away. But the first image that comes to her mind is of Diana helplessly falling dozens of feet through the air.

Akko sits up with a start and finds herself in the infirmary. Immediately, Lotte and Sucy look up from where they've been sitting at her bedside.

"Akko!" Lotte cries. "You're awake! D-Don't sit up so quickly! You could've hit your head!"

"Wouldn't be much different from a normal day."

"Sucy!" As Lotte scolds Sucy she also places a gentle hand on Akko's shoulder to have her lean back against her pillows. Her tone is soft and concerned for her. "How are you feeling? Are you dizzy or anything? Would you like some water?"

Akko shakes herself a little bit to assess if there's any discomfort, but the only pain she can feel is an ache in her chest.

"I'm fine. Where's Diana?" Her eyes are already set with that trademark determination to find out answers herself if they aren't given to her. Lotte sits back down in her chair while Sucy sighs.

"Told ya that'd be the first thing outta her mouth."

"Can you blame her? You saw how bad Diana was..."

"What's wrong with her?" Akko grips the bedsheets until her knuckles turn white. "What happened?"

Lotte and Sucy share a glance, but naturally Lotte is the one to explain.

"From what we understand, it's some kind of highly rare illness. It isn't contagious, but it only affects a very small percentage of witches. It's an extremely severe fever that occurs when a witch's magical capacity is simply too great for their body to contain. Now that we know what it is, it isn't all that surprising Diana is suffering from it. She's always had an excess of magical energy. It's in her blood."

Akko can feel her mouth going dry, but she tries to swallow anyway.

"A fever?" She recalls the intense heat she'd felt from Diana, how it had nearly seared through her clothes. "How bad is she?"

Lotte doesn't reply right away. She looks to Sucy for help. Sucy actually doesn't joke around for once.

"It isn't good, that's for sure."

"B-But the illness isn't fatal!" Lotte adds quickly. "At least not at this stage. It's just... really awful."

Akko's insides twist.

"How awful? What's happening to her?"

Lotte sighs, and her eyes travel down into her lap.

"It's called the Burning at the Stake Syndrome. Like I said, it occurs only in a small percentage of witches whose magical energy exceeds what their physical body can contain. It consists of a very high fever, one so terrible it feels as though you're being burned at the stake. It's terrible..."

Akko feels the urge to cry rising higher and higher in the back of her throat and behind her eyes.

"No..." /Why didn't I say anything last week? I should've known something was wrong when she suddenly got all dizzy like that! And she's been acting strangely for days. How long has she been trying to push through and deal with this fever all by herself...?/

Akko grips the bedsheets and pulls them off, swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress. But Lotte's already on her feet to hold her back.

"Akko, wait-"

"I need to go see her." Akko turns distraught, pleading eyes up at her friend. "Please, Lotte."

"Akko..." Once again she looks to Sucy, who shrugs as usual.

"We knew she'd ask. Not surprised."

Lotte whimpers a little and turns back to Akko.

"Are you sure you're not hurt or anything?"

Akko pauses for a second to take in a deep breath. Of course she wants to be with Diana, but she doesn't want to brush off her friends' concern for her. She softens her voice a little.

"I'm sure, Lotte. I'm really not hurt or anything. So please... let me see her."

"I'm not sure if that's up to me. But I'll do my best." Lotte gets to her feet, and even Sucy stands up to help support Akko as she gets her bearings.

Akko steps into a pair of slippers at the bedside before crossing the room with her friends on either side.

But before they can make it to Diana's room, Nurse Isabella herself - and older witch with long braided black hair and stern green eyes - intercepts them, insisting she check Akko over to be certain she isn't hurt. Only when Akko is cleared does the healer cautiously allow them to proceed.

"But I warn you," she murmurs. "It isn't a pretty sight."

Her words only make Akko all the more desperate to get to Diana.

As they continue down the hall toward the designated door, the trio passes a small private room. Several of their professors and the headmistress herself are inside, conversing in low, solemn voices. The nurse has joined them.

"To think it would actually happen..." Holbrooke sighs. "I know we have entertained the possibility since she enrolled, but she's never shown symptoms before."

"There's no set time period of when it can arise," Isabella replies. "It could have happened anytime. We should consider ourselves lucky it happened when she was at Luna Nova. Had she been any younger and still at the Cavendish estate, I doubt the servants would have known how to handle it."

"At the very least we've done our research," Holbrooke says. "We must discuss how to obtain the ingredients for an antidote."

Judging by how they're talking this is an extremely serious matter.

But as badly as Akko wants to join in or listen to them, she wants to see Diana even more desperately. She walks with Lotte and Sucy to Diana's door, where they finally pause.

"Better brace yourself," Sucy mutters. "She wasn't kidding. It isn't pretty."

"She may have gotten worse since the last time we saw her," Lotte whispers.

Akko's made up her mind. She pushes open the door herself and slowly steps inside.

Immediately she can hear the sounds of a heart monitor, and the speed it's going at already makes her feel sick. She can hear Hannah and Barbara whimpering softly. Akko sees them clinging to one another at one side of the bed where Diana lies.

But Diana isn't still as Akko had expected her to be in her sickness. She is squirming as though her blood is really on fire, scorching her from the inside out. Her hands are bone-white from how tightly they've been gripping at the sheets.

But the rest of her skin is red and wet with fever, especially her face. Her eyes are squeezed shut even tighter than her hands, her brow is creased in perpetual torment, and her lips are parted in a struggle for breath. Her chest is heaving and her heart is racing, and judging by how messy her hair and clothes are she's been this way for a while.

Akko can see a bowl of ice water on the floor and several damp clothes Hannah and Barbara must have been trying to cool her down with. When the sobbing pair hears the door open, they look up from where they've been crying against each other's shoulders to look.

"Akko-?"

"You came?"

Akko can only nod in response. She doesn't have words for how she's feeling right now, seeing Diana like this. Lotte and Sucy walk her quietly to the opposite side of the bed.

"She's gotten worse," Lotte whispers.

"A lot worse," Sucy confirms. "And it's only been a few hours."

Akko feels a sinking dread in her stomach. She reaches out to touch Diana's hand, clinging tightly to the sheets. But she can only hold on for a few seconds before the heat starts to hurt, and she has to recoil.

"Diana-"

"We don't even know if she can hear us," Hannah rasps.

"All we know is that she can feel the pain," Barbara sniffles. "Even if she isn't conscious."

Akko feels tears brimming up.

"No... that's too horrible..." She wipes her face vigorously and takes Diana's hand once again. "Diana? Diana?"

"Akko..." Lotte rests a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing we can do like this..."

"She needs an antidote," Sucy says.

"The nurse gave her some medicine," Hannah says. "And cast a few spells-

"But there's only so much they can do for her to stave it off for a little while," Barbara finishes.

Akko looks Diana over, once again having to let go of her burning hand.

"So the only answer is the antidote."

Just then the door clicks open. The girls all look up to find their headmistress and their professors standing there.

"Ladies," Holbrooke says softly. "Please come with us for a moment. We have something very important to discuss."

The five young witches at Diana's bedside slowly rise to their feet and make their way over. Ursula coaxes them all out into the hallway and closes the door behind them. A solemn silence hangs in the air until Holbrooke clears her throat.

"I know this is a very difficult and upsetting time for you all. But I need your help, girls." She sweeps her gaze around to Akko Lotte Sucy Hannah and Barbara, and then turns to the side. Akko looks up to see that Amanda and her team have been called in as well.

"What's going on?" Amanda murmurs. "What can we do to help?"

Holbrooke manages to give her a small smile.

"Plenty," she replies. "You see, we professors had anticipated something like this could happen to one of our students, so we haven't neglected to do our research. There is an antidote, but the ingredients are not all available to us on campus-"

"I'll go," Akko blurts out. "Wherever it is, I'll go look for them!"

"Calm down, Miss Kagari. I appreciate your determination, but please allow me to finish. I have a specific task set in mind for each of you, which is why I have called you all out here." Holbrooke makes eye contact with each of her eight students to ensure they are all listening.

"I need three groups of whomever is willing. We have compiled a list of missing ingredients and where to find them, but there is still one piece left we have yet to locate. I need one group to spend time in the library to research and find out where that piece may reside."

"I'll do it!" Lotte pipes up. "I know a lot about books. I think I can help there."

Holbrooke nods. "My thoughts exactly. Thank you, Miss Yanson. Miss Parker, Miss Antonenko. Would you mind helping her?"

Barbara and Jasna perk up when called.

"Y-Yes! I'll do anything to help!"

"Mm-mm!"

"Splendid. Please try to find the location of the ingredient we need. I myself will be assisting you. Professor Ursula will be collecting the ingredients we already have at our disposal here at Luna Nova. As for the rest of you-" Her tone becomes a little more serious.

"Your task is a bit more demanding. Most of the ingredients we require are herbs that can be found in the Eternal Forest, where it is always spring and plants are constantly lush and in-bloom. Miss Manbavaran. I am aware of your extensive knowledge of plants and would like you to lead a team under the instruction of Professor Badcock and Professor Finneran. Can you do that?"

Sucy has actually straightened her back for once.

"Yeah."

"Very good. Miss O'Neill, Miss Albrechtsberger, Miss England. I would like you three to accompany her. You will need eyes to search and to keep watch for creatures in those woods."

"I'll do it," Amanda agrees. "It'll be a nice change of pace."

Constanze nods twice in affirmation.

Hannah agrees too. "I'll go! I'll do whatever it takes, Headmistress!" She wipes her tears and puts on a brave face. "But... you forgot about Akko."

Akko tenses up when her name is spoken. She's been dying to hear her assignment all this time, and now her stomach flips when Holbrooke looks at her.

"I haven't forgotten Miss Kagari. In fact, she has the most important job of all."

"What?" Akko cries. "Anything! I'll do anything!"

"I know," Holbrooke says. She steps forward and reaches up to place a hand on Akko's shoulder. "Which is why I need you to stay here and look over Miss Cavendish's condition. Miss Isabella will still have the rest of the students to tend to, and there isn't much she can do for Diana right now as it is." She pauses, letting out a long sigh. "Diana is in great pain. I need you to look after her. I'm certain you will."

"I will!" Akko chokes and looks around to all of her friends. "I'll take care of her until you guys come back with the antidote!"

"Got it!"

"We're counting on you, Akko!"

Holbrooke claps once to get everyone's attention.

"Now then ladies, please make whatever preparations you must and get going as swiftly as possible."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The students and professors alike break off into their respective groups. Akko scurries over to Lotte first and gives her a hug.

"Lotte! Please figure out that last ingredient!"

"I'll do my best. Take care of Diana, Akko."

Lotte turns away with her research group. Akko catches Ursula's eye for a split second. Her professor is clearly unnerved, but just as determined as Akko is.

"Good luck," Ursula says. "Call for help if you need it, Akko."

"I will. I'm counting on you, Professor."

With this, Akko turns to the excursion team, where Badcock has just finished giving instruction on how they will fly to the Eternal Forest.

"Get your brooms, ladies! We'll be departing from the courtyard in five minutes!"

They all turn to hurry off. Barbara pulls Hannah into a big hug.

"We can do this. We can help her!"

"Yeah. We've gotta."

"Be safe, Hannah."

"I will. Good luck, Barbara. Find us that last ingredient."

Akko scurries around the pair to find Amanda already heading off.

"Amanda! You're the best flier in the group so once you find everything we need just get back here as fast as you can!"

"Way ahead of ya, Akko!" she waves. "I'm already gonna have Constanze hook me up with a booster."

Constanze gives a thumbs up.

With this, Akko whirls around to face her own teammate.

"Sucy!" She reaches out and grabs both of her hands, pulling them from their almost-permanent cushions of her pockets. "It's up to you to identify those plants! You might be the only one who can!"

"It'll be good practice," she mutters. "Might even find something new."

Akko smiles briefly before yanking her into a hug.

"Be careful."

"Yeah, yeah."

Akko lets her go, and with a few more words of encouragement and urgency, the witches go their separate ways.

Only Akko and Nurse Isabella are left in the end. The old healer turns to her quietly.

"I'm glad to have your help, Miss Kagari. I know Miss Cavendish will be, too." She reaches into the long sleeves of her robes and pulls out a small bottle of pills. "Eventually the fever will get so severe the antidote will be the only thing to help her. But at least for now, these will help to keep her magics in check. Try to give her one in about an hour if she can manage it. If not, call for me immediately."

"Got it." Akko accepts the bottle of pills. She can already see several other witches have wandered into the infirmary with needs of their own. Isabella turns and heads over to assess them.

And with that Akko whirls around and hurries back into Diana's room.

It's the same as before. Her pulse is fast on the monitor, and she's restless in her sleep. Akko puts the bottle of enchanted pills on the bedside table and sits beside her. She reaches down to the bowl of ice water and wrings out a cloth, then drapes it gently over Diana's forehead. The chill only lasts on her skin for a few seconds before it's replaced with more heat, and Akko has to re-wet the cloth.

"Hang in there, Diana."

She lets out a long, steadying breath and reaches for Diana's hand.

And this time she doesn't let go, no matter how painful it gets.

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A/N: Now the real conflict begins! Some of you may remember The Eternal Forest from my fic Threaded. They're only going to the "spring" section this time around, but Akko and Diana did go through the other seasons in the previous fic, so give that a read if you haven't already!

I was also eager to get to this part because it allows for an idea I've been dying to write for a while now: red/green/blue teams split up and working with characters they usually don't interact with. I broke them up into these groups specifically to explore how they might behave with people they aren't necessarily best friends with.

The next few chapters will follow each 'team' in their struggles to find the ingredients for the antidote!