Threaded (ch2)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR MY HIGHER-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Since this was where the girls split up and the story changed POVs, this chapter is starting off from Diana's perspective, picking up exactly where the previous one left off.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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														Chapter 2.

Diana loses count of how many times she glances back over her shoulder to the place where she'd left Akko. She keeps fretting that she can't see her any longer, then remembers the spell she'd put on her.

She hurries onward, knowing time is not on their side and that the sooner she finds the flower, the sooner she can get Akko back to the professors. She keeps her eyes open even in spite of the wind blasting snowflakes into her face.

As she ventures in further, the snow underfoot becomes higher, causing her boots to sink in deeper, which slows her down. Soon she can't run anymore, no matter how badly she wants to, both for the sake of time and to keep her heart rate up. She's forced to slow down, hugging her arms to her chest as she searches for a splash of blue amongst the white.

But it's all white. Even the tree trunks that used to be dark brown in contrast are now all covered in snow and ice this far in. There's a misty haze all around her, limiting her vision.

Diana goes on as far as she can before she knows she's putting herself at risk. She draws her wand, intending to warm herself. But she only has enough charge left for one more spell, and she knows that must be saved for a dire emergency.

Biting her lip, she puts her wand away.

A sudden dip in the snow has her yelping as she falls, tumbling headfirst into a snow drift.

Until now she'd only been covered in a light layer of flakes, but now thick clumps of snow are clinging to every inch of her body. She shakes herself off, pawing the snow out of her hair and off her clothes.

She'd lost feeling in her hands a while ago. She knows she should go back.

They've failed, but that doesn't matter. She needs to make sure Akko is all right.

So Diana turns back the way she'd come, intending to follow the red string back. But to her horror she can't seem to find it anywhere.

/The snow could not have covered it. It is magic.../

Panicked, Diana looks down at her left hand. The thread is gone.

Her heart slams hard against her chest. One of her fingers must have sliced it during her fall just now.

/No.../

Her only hope now is to follow her own footsteps back, but even those have already mostly disappeared in the snow.

She fights the urge to use the last of her magic on a warming spell and just tries to walk back the way she thinks she'd come.

But it's getting more and more difficult to see and to move, and she can't feel anything other than a dull beating in her chest.

/I must... get back to Akko.../

And she tries.

She makes it back as far as she can possibly go.

But it just isn't enough.

Beneath the crippling cold, Diana falls to her hands and knees, unable to so much as reach for her wand.

Her last thoughts are of Akko.

And yet, oddly enough, it feels as though she's hearing her own name...

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Akko can only run for a little while until the snow becomes too high up for that and she's forced to slow down.

The snowfall and the wind have picked up significantly now, and visibility has decreased.

But Akko isn't nearly as cold as she should be thanks to how well Diana had taken care of her. The only thing slowing her down is the snow sucking at her shoes.

She keeps her eyes on the little red thread, glad to see it's still visible in the thick haze of white.

But the next time she blinks, it's suddenly gone.

Akko freezes in her spot, almost literally. She rubs her hands over her eyes and looks again, but the thread is nowhere to be seen.

"W-What?" She looks at her hand, but her pinkie is bare. "Wh-What happened? It was just here a second ago! D-Did I cut it by accident? I couldn't have! I was being so careful this whole time-!"

She knows it wasn't her. So that could only mean one thing.

"No... why would Diana cut it? U-Unless something happened..." She swallows hard, trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her throat.

Now Akko doesn't care about the snow making her sink. She leaps forward as quickly as she can, staggering onward.

"Diana! Can you hear me? Where are you?"

She tries to listen, but only hears her own echo fading off into the wind. As she struggles through the snow, Akko pulls out her wand, wondering if she should risk transforming so she can search more efficiently.

/It might be too risky. I don't have a lot left.../

"Diana!" She has no choice but to keep calling for her, swinging her head around in all directions to search.

/This place is so huge. She could be anywhere... And now with our thread gone, there's nothing that can lead us back together. Nothing to connect us.../

Akko grits her teeth and stomps onward in defiance.

/No. That's not true. We don't need some red string of fate to connect us. We're connected in our own way! I'll find her no matter what!/

Akko pauses for a second to close her eyes and is still for a moment, just trying to decipher which way feels right to her. When she's certain, she continues.

"Dianaaaa!"

Akko's starting to feel a little bit chilly again as the spell gradually wears off.

But all thoughts of the cold are thrown to the wind the second she spots something up ahead. She can see the clump of wavy alabaster hair, the dark blue of the uniform's shawl fluttering.

"Diana!"

Akko races forward as quickly as she can manage, becoming more and more sure of what she's seeing as she nears her.

It's not an illusion or a trap this time. Diana's collapsed there in the snow, weighed down by snow piling up on her.

Akko reaches her and drops to her knees instantly.

"Diana!"

She grabs hold of her and pulls her up, holding onto her shoulders. Diana's still conscious, but only barely. Her head rolls rather limply to either side before her frost-encrusted eyelashes flutter weakly open. Recognition registers in her blue eyes despite the glaze over them.

"Ah... Akko...?"

"Oh thank goodness..." Akko pulls Diana in to her chest and squeezes. "Ina Hareo."

Akko casts the warming spell on Diana without a second thought, not caring how little magic she has left. She feels a rather violent shudder rake through Diana's body, and Akko holds her firmly in place.

Diana clutches at her uniform in turn, shaking harshly for a moment before it finally eases off. Warmth beings to spread throughout her chest from the point where Akko's heart is beating in time with her own, keeping her pulse steady. Diana lets out an exhausted sigh as she rests her chin on the girl's shoulder.

"Ina Hareo."

She repeats the spell back to Akko without a second thought, using the last of her own magic to enforce her previous spell and keep Akko warm.

Akko hugs her closer as she feels the oncoming shivers melt away in seconds, replaced once again by that comforting heat.

They remain there for a moment, immune to the effects of the snowflakes for the time being, wrapped in each other's arms.

But they both know they shouldn't waste anymore time here and jeopardize themselves further.

With a heavy sigh, Diana pulls herself back first. Akko loosens her grip but doesn't let go completely.

"Are you okay?" she asks, rubbing her hands up and down Diana's arms.

"Yes. Thanks to you." Diana can't look at her directly. "I apologize. I was trying to make my way back to you, but I cut our thread by accident when I fell. It delayed my return. Are you well enough to be all the way out here like this?"

"Yeah! I feel totally fine now! Your spell and your tea-leaf water helped a lot!" Akko assures her. "You said you fell? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Okay, good. So that's why the thread snapped... I'm glad you're okay."

"As am I," Diana replies. "Though it does seem that we were unable to complete our assignment after all."

"Yeah... but at least we can both make it out in one piece. Come on. We can send up our flare. Professor Ursula should be keeping track of this section so she'll come get us."

Akko helps Diana to her feet, patting the snow off her shoulders as Diana does the same for her. The white-haired witch casts her a somewhat concerned glance.

"My wand is out of charge. Please tell me you have some reserved?"

"Yeah!" Akko pulls out her wand to reveal she has a bit left. "I'll do the flare!"

"One moment." Diana inclines her chin and Akko follows her gaze upward. "There are many tree branches heavy with snow overhead here. The flare may not make it through. We should relocate to an area where the path is clearer."

"All right, but let's hurry before our heat spells wear off!"

Akko takes Diana's hand this time and guides her forward through the snow. It's a little surprising how long it takes them to find a spot up ahead with a clear view of the white sky, but at the very least it isn't so hard to walk in the snow any longer.

There's a sense of disappointment between them, but there's nothing more they can do-

"Whoa!"

Akko's sudden cry startles Diana. The brunette stops walking, causing Diana to bump into her back.

"Akko? What is-"

"There! D-Diana, look!" Akko excitedly points to a clearing up ahead, right where they'd been heading to send up their flare.

There are several thin brown stalks of what appear to be dead plants, but amongst those stands a single flower. Its petals are brilliantly blue, fading into violets and purples around the ends.

Akko's face hurts with how much she's smiling.

"That's it! That's our flower, Diana! And there's no weird vines around it this time so it's the real deal, right?"

Diana studies the flower from her standpoint, and there's no doubt in her mind.

"Indeed... It really is."

Akko squeaks and jumps up in joy.

"Yeay~! This means we didn't fail our assignment after all! Come on, let's go get it!"

With a burst of energy and a tug to Diana's wrist, Akko pulls her forward.

Diana has half a mind to tell her to wait a second before rushing in. But she has to admit she's also rather excited about finding their flower after all.

The spells they'd cast on one another keep them warm enough even now as the two witches hurry into the clearing, bound for the Summer's Sky flower. As they draw nearer, they can appreciate just how radiant it is, how beautiful-

Suddenly, the tranquil forest explodes with a deafening sound.

A roar.

One so powerful and furious it seems to split the air they breathe.

Akko and Diana shriek as a massive creature leaps out at them from one side without any warning at all, sending snow flying up all around as it lands mere feet away from the witches. They fall and lose hold of one another, shocked and seized by terror.

A large saber-toothed snow tiger crouches before them, its long fangs protruding from its mouth and coated in frost like deadly icicles. The body is white with flecks of grey, showing why it was obvious neither of them spotted it stalking them all this time. Its sharp claws dig into the snow as its intense green eyes glint with rage.

It roars again and pounces, not giving them so much as a second to recover.

Diana and Akko rush to opposite directions, further away from one another as the beast intercepts them, spitting fury. It all happens so quickly, there's hardly room to breathe.

Diana staggers to her feet and whirls around, seeing only the bristling flank of the tiger.

"Akko!"

She can't see her. For a horrifying second, Diana fears she'd been crushed beneath the giant paws, and her heart stops.

But a second later, a small brown rabbit pops up from the snow and tears off.

"I'll distract it!" Akko calls over her shoulder. "Diana, get the flower!"

Her plan to be the decoy actually works, because the tiger instinctively takes off after the prey animal.

Akko is quick, but the tiger's longer stride makes it easy for it to catch up. Akko lets herself slide along the ice-covered surface of the snow to accelerate her speed.

The tiger snarls and pursues.

But Akko knows she'll be at an advantage amongst the trees rather than in the clearing. She skitters and dives into the nearest shelter she can find – a tight crevice between a tree trunk and a boulder.

Unable to stop short, beast rams itself into the tree head-on. It yowls and shakes itself off, then swings its head around. But its target has vanished.

One of them, anyway.

Akko pants and squishes herself back against the tiny den she'd found. She'd turn herself into something even smaller like a beetle to crawl out undetected, but she knows she only has enough magic left for one more spell.

/I only have one left. Just one! I gotta be smart about it!/

She tries to think, assuming the tiger is right above her, trying to dig her out. But the thumping and scratching sounds fade away before long. Akko's ears perk and her head shoots up.

"Oh no, not again!"

Diana herself had said she didn't have any magic left. If the tiger is after her now, she's totally defenseless.

Akko scrambles her way out of her hiding spot only to find her assumptions are correct. The tiger has left her and is charging back across the clearing toward her partner.

"No..."

Akko's frozen in terror.

"No..."

But only for a second.

She forces her legs to move, propelling herself across the slippery snow and toward the massive predator. She watches its huge paws pound into the snow, sending up puffs of white, its tail whipping out behind it. Another ferocious snarl shatters the air.

Akko runs as hard as she can, blood pounding in her ears. She can see Diana up ahead trying to run.

The tiger pounces.

"NO!"

Akko shrieks as the creature flings itself forward in an array of white.

Diana doesn't even have a second to try and brace herself for the concussive impact. The beast slams its entire weight on top of her, bowling her over and pinning her agonizingly into the hard-packed snow.

"Ah-!"

Diana cries out in sheer agony as she feels an excruciating pain shoot through her body. She can both feel and hear bone breaking beneath the beast's brutal weight.

The tiger bellows again, claws sinking in, slicing Diana's skin. She can feel herself already losing consciousness from the pain alone.

Akko watches it all happen, watches the tiger land on top of Diana, watches it crush the breath from her body-

/Please! Please! Become something big! A bear, an elephant, a-anything-!/

"Metamorphie Faciesse!"

She closes her eyes and just runs straight forward, waiting for the impact-

Whatever scream she would've made as a human is warped into the sound of what she turns into.

It sounds like an earthquake.

Akko feels her skull ram against the saber-toothed tiger, knocking it away with ease. She stretches herself out, makes herself as tall as possible and roars a shuddering blast.

She hadn't even known what she'd become.

Until she feels the wind blowing against the membrane of her wings, her razor-sharp claws and teeth slicing the air, her spiked tail whipping from side to side.

All creatures of the forest, including the tiger, flee in terror of the mighty golden dragon.

She stands tall on her hind legs, letting her wings encompass the clearing as the tip of the terrified tiger's tail disappears into the shadows. Her roar echoes through the treetops, causing snow to trembling and fall off the branches.

She towers there only for a few seconds longer, finishing her cry, before she drops to all fours and reverts back.

When she next opens her eyes she finds herself crouched over Diana.

Akko lets out a steamy white breath, the last remnant of her dragon form before she gets her bearings back.

"D-Diana..."

Akko leans over her without touching her, unsure of where and how badly she's hurt. Diana's curled up on her side where she'd been pressed down into the snow, cringing from the cold and the pain. Her breath is choppy and weak, and her clothes are ragged and have been torn in a few places from the tiger's claws. Small patches of red are leaking into the snow.

Akko hurriedly tries to locate the cuts and presses her hand over the worst one on Diana's shoulder. It doesn't seem to be too deep, but nonetheless Akko scrambles with her free hand through her pockets for something.

"Come on, come on! I know I had one..."

At last her fingertips brush against the crumpled form of a single leaf, the kind that mends open wounds. Akko carefully pulls Diana's shawl away from her shoulder, moving the torn fabric away to reveal the cut in her skin. She presses the leaf there and wills it to work its magic, hoping it has enough life left in itself to do so.

Akko frantically looks over her partner to locate any other wounds, but there seem to be none. Yet Diana is still breathing shallowly, gasping in the frigid air in desperation. Akko can only pray none of her ribs are broken.

"D...Diana..."

She isn't sure what do to from here or how she can help her. Akko had used the last of her magic to transform, and now they don't have anything left to give off a flare for help.

Diana's brow is furrowed, her eyes squeezed shut in pain, her lips pale and parted. Akko reaches out to timidly wipe some of the snow off of her cheeks and hair.

She just looks like she's in so much pain...

Akko feels a blinding sting behind her eyes.

/It's my fault... We should've just sent out the flare when we could, but I had to tell her to get the flower.../

And Diana had gotten it. The beautiful Summer's Sky flower lies in the snow just a few inches shy of Diana's limp left hand. Akko can tell by the awkward way her arm is positioned that it's probably broken.

The tears start spilling out into her lap as her shoulders shudder, but not so much from the cold as from her guilt. Keeping her hand on Diana's wounded shoulder, Akko carefully moves herself until she's kneeling closer. With great care, Akko lifts Diana's head and eases it into her lap, gently stroking through her hair where tiny ice particles have begun to form.

"D... Diana...?"

For a moment, there's no response from her partner other than the stream of meek little breaths rising up from her lips. She wipes her eyes vigorously, and the next time she glimpses Diana's face, she can see her eyelids twitching. Akko's heavy heart lifts just for a second as Diana's blue eyes flicker open. A tiny whisper works its way up her throat.

"A-Ah..."

But she can't even finish saying her name. Diana's eyes fall shut again, and her head rolls limply to one side in Akko's lap. Akko feels a horrible dread shoot up her spine.

"D-Diana? Diana?"

She quickly moves again to her classmate's side, though still ensures to cradle her neck and head. Akko drops down to press an ear to Diana's chest, trying to decipher her pulse. It's slow and faint, and her body has begun to shiver again with the warming spell having worn off. Akko starts to shiver as well as she sits herself up.

"No... N-No, we-we did it! We finally finished our assignment! Diana, please!"

Her tears plop down onto Diana's uniform, but the white-haired witch doesn't move anymore.

Akko doesn't know what to do anymore. She just doesn't know.

/Wh-What can I do...?/

The wind picks up again, and a light flurry of snowflakes begins to spiral down. The forest is cold and quiet.

But then something catches her attention.

Akko lifts her head at the sound of voices.

She looks up to see several broomsticks flying down. Thankfully the openness of the clearing allowed her friends and professors to use their brooms here.

Chariot lands in front of her, and right behind her are Amanda and her team, as well as Lotte and Sucy, all of them crying out for her.

"Good heavens!"

"Akko!"

"The heck happened?"

Akko's too relieved and scared at the same time not to burst into tears all over again.

"Th-There... there was th-this tiger... a-and our flower... D-Diana..."

It's all she can manage and all her professor needs to know in order to understand. Chariot begins giving orders right away.

"Amanda, please take Akko with you."

"Got it!"

Chariot crouches down beside the brunette and puts a hand over Diana. Akko whimpers, but can't find the words to speak. With a sigh, Chariot opens her eyes.

"She's alive. But we must get her warmed up and treated." She draws her wand and casts a familiar spell on Diana. "Ina Hareo."

Once she's finished with warming Diana, Chariot warms Akko as well. She then carefully lifts Diana into her lap and readies herself on her broom.

Lotte and Sucy both help Akko to her feet, but she makes sure to pick up the Summer Sky flower as she does so. Akko pulls both her teammates into a big hug and sobs.

They guide her over to Amanda's broom, where Akko sits behind her and buries her face into her friend's back.

They take off right away, leaving the cold winter forest behind.

As they fly, Akko doesn't speak or lift her head for a while until she hears Chariot address her.

"Akko. You did very well in healing Diana's wound. She would have lost a lot more blood if you hadn't used that leaf."

Akko sniffles and shakes her head.

"Diana taught me... she saved me a bunch of times..."

"And you did the same for her," Chariot reassures her. She's cradling Diana securely in her lap, making sure not to jostle her at all. "She will be all right, Akko."

Akko feels her bottom lip start to tremble uncontrollably before she starts crying again.

The next time she looks up, they're flying over the warm green summer section of the Enchanted Forest.

At last, Akko's calmed down a bit, and her mind starts to ask a million questions. But one main one makes it to her lips.

"How... did you guys find us? We didn't have any magic left to send up a flare..." She looks around to all of her friends in turn, starting with Amanda.

"Well I think everyone heard that huge freakin' roar."

"Sucy and I were some of the last ones back," Lotte says. "We could hear it all the way from the Summer biome with Professor Finneran."

"And since you and Diana were the only ones not back yet..." Sucy trails off.

A light of clarity flickers in Akko's mind.

"Oh... so you knew where to find us... because of where our flower grows?"

"Yes," Chariot confirms. "Although it did take quite some time to get to you, considering how far and how high we had to fly above the forest due to how tall the trees are. But I'm very impressed, Akko. From sound alone, it's clear that only a very expertly-done transformation spell would produce such a genuine result. Since there are no dragons known to live in this forest, we had to assume it was a witch."

Akko's eyes are still trained on Diana's motionless form in her professor's lap that she doesn't even realize she's being praised for her transformation skills.

When they all finally make it back to the rendezvous point with the other students and professors, they all depart for Luna Nova at once.

On the flight back, Akko can feel herself fading in and out of consciousness on the back of Amanda's broom. But then she feels two hands on her back and hears her teammates' voices.

"It's okay, Akko. We've got you."

"Take a rest."

And she can barely even get out a 'thank you' before her mind slips away into darkness.

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A/N: Originally I'd wanted to do this "string of fate" idea and have it be red and Akko freaks out because of it and let them do something crazy together like this. And then little things like Akko practicing her transformation magic and Diana teaching her about plants just came as I wrote and I think it worked out well!

Small epilogue is next!