Through The Blaze (ch8)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $10+ PATRONS!

Now for Akko's task, which is arguably as difficult as the others'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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												Chapter 8. In The Infirmary

Akko doesn't let go of Diana's hand for a long time, even when it feels like her own hands are starting to burn.

/This is nothing. This is nothing compared to what she's feeling right now!/

Akko squeezes her hand, and she can feel Diana squeezing back, though she knows it isn't a conscious decision. Diana's been writhing and clutching at her sheets relentlessly since Akko came back into the room, but she hasn't regained consciousness.

Akko glances to the little bottle of pills the nurse had given her for if Diana woke up. Akko can't keep holding onto her hand for much longer. She hates to admit it, but it's starting to hurt now, and the cloth she'd placed on Diana's forehead has already lost its coolness.

So she gently releases Diana's hand and removes the cloth. It's warm already, even though only moments before it had been ice cold. Akko dunks it into the bucket again, rings it out, and replaces it.

She pads it across Diana's forehead, wiping the sweat off her skin. She runs it across Diana's cheeks and as far back as her ears, then goes down her neck. She can feel the heat pulsing off Diana even through the cloth. By the time she gets back up to Diana's forehead she has to re-wet the cloth again.

Akko grimaces, hating having to see her this way. The monitor tracking her heart rate hasn't slowed at all, and sometimes it seems like she can barely catch her breath.

Akko reaches out to clear Diana's bangs away from her face, gathering her hair and putting it to one side in hopes it won't cling to her and make her even more uncomfortable. She continues drying Diana's skin with the cool cloth, but as soon as she bends down to dunk it again, a new layer of sweat has already coated her skin.

Akko heaves a withering sigh. She glances up at the clock and winces. It's probably only been a few minutes since Sucy's group has left in the leyline.

/How long's it gonna take them? How long is Diana gonna have to suffer like this...?/

Akko runs the cloth over her classmate's face again, soaking up a fraction of the heat. Nurse Isabella had removed Diana's shoes already when she'd lain her on the bed, but Akko wonders if there's anything more she can do for her.

In the end she just undoes the top two buttons of Diana's uniform and presses the cloth over her collar for a moment. Akko can feel Diana's heart beneath her palm, fast and hard.

/Lotte, Sucy... hurry please.../

Akko cools Diana off over and over again, until the water in the bucket has lost its chill. At that point Akko gets up and brings the bucket to the sink, filling it with cold water. She grabs a tray of ice from the little refrigerator and cracks it all into the bucket. She find an ice pack inside the freezer and takes that as well. And she pours a glass of water in case Diana should wake and be able to take a pill. She brings everything back to the bed and puts it onto the bedside table with a sigh.

But right away Akko straightens up in her chair.

"No time for moping around. I gotta do whatever I can for her!"

Coaching herself as such, Akko grabs the ice pack and wraps it in a freshly-wet cloth. She holds it over Diana's forehead again, slowly making her way around her face and along the sides and back of her neck. Akko keeps herself calm as best she can.

/She'll be okay. They're gonna be back soon.../

She wets the cloth again, wrings it out again, wipes it across Diana's face again.

And again.

And again.

Diana never seems to get any better. Her breathing never eases, and she just keeps flinching, sometimes jolting or turning her head so sharply it startles Akko. When it happens for the fifth or sixth time, Akko whimpers.

"Gosh... Hang in there, Diana... It's gonna be okay..."

It feels like she's saying it more to reassure herself than anyone else.

She lost count half an hour ago of how many times she's cooled Diana down, but by now the ice pack has lost its chill. She gets up to put it back into the freezer and takes out another, then goes back to her seat.

She wipes her own forehead a bit. She's been touching the ice and cold water for so long, but she's still feeling the heat of Diana's fever even more strongly. The beeping of the monitor has gotten a bit faster too.

Akko inhales slowly, deeply, a privilege Diana hasn't had for some time now. When she blinks again she finds her vision blurring with tears. She leans forward over Diana and holds a quick, gentle kiss to her forehead.

"It's gonna be okay..."

A moment later she wipes the kiss away with the cloth.

She doesn't want to check the clock, but eventually she does. It's only been an hour. It feels like it's been ten.

Akko runs her free hand gently over Diana's heaving chest, wishing there was something else she could do. But there's no spell she knows of that can help this anymore than the ice water will.

"Diana... Sorry..."

And as if she'd spoken the words to a spell, a miracle happens.

"Mn..."

A tiny noise works its way up from the back of Diana's throat. Her panting is interrupted by another small moan, and her brow creases and furrows. Akko tenses up, quickly wiping Diana's bangs away again.

"Diana-?" Her voice is hopeful and anxious, and she can't help but lean forward a little.

Diana's hands clutch at the bed, struggling in her efforts to wake. Akko calls for her again.

"Diana?"

It takes her a moment, but Diana eventually wins her fight. Her eyes flutter open just barely, and a breath catches in her throat.

"Ah... Akko...?"

"Diana? Oh, thank goodness!" Akko's already crying before she knows it. "You're awake..." She takes both of Diana's hands now and holds them as tightly as she dares.

Diana winces, not at the contact but at the heat it causes.

"Akko..." She can't seem to catch her breath well enough to speak. Akko frantically lets go of her hands.

"S-Sorry! Is it too hot? Y-You should drink something! You gotta! I have the pills... Ah! But you should sit up! Here, lemme help-"

Akko carefully slips one arm beneath Diana's back and keeps the other across her stomach. She can feel instantly that Diana doesn't have a shred of strength to support herself. Her weight sags in Akko's arms, but Akko doesn't let her sway.

"Easy! It's okay, I've got you..."

She positions the pillows and stands them up, then slowly helps Diana straighten up and lean back against them. The heart monitor fluctuates with all the movement, and Diana's breath quickens again for a moment. Akko keeps ahold of her until she's steady on her own.

"Diana?" She combs her fingers back through Diana's hair, slick with sweat. Her face is flushed pink all over, and she keeps wincing.

"It... It burns-" she rasps.

Akko swallows hard. She looks around for the cloth and quickly wets it again.

"Here! This should help a little." She runs it over Diana's forehead again.

For the first time since she'd fallen unconscious, Diana can actually feel the coolness for herself. A shiver runs through her strongly enough to make her shudder.

Akko flinches and recoils. "S-Sorry! Was it too much?"

"No..." Diana shakes her head a little but stops, as if it makes her dizzy. She lifts her head to look at Akko properly. "Akko you've been... taking care of me all this time, haven't you?"

Akko wipes her eyes.

"I've been... trying..." she sniffles. "But it... most of the time it didn't even feel like I was helping at all..."

"You have been," Diana smiles. "Believe me, you have been."

Akko feels a wobbly smile coming on, and she lets it.

But it doesn't stay for long, because Diana's smile vanishes when another shudder runs through her. She flinches again and has to lean back fully against the pillows, breathing quickly.

"Diana?"

Her eyes have fallen shut again as she leans her head back.

"I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be-" Akko chokes. "It's okay. I'm gonna help you h-however I can..." She grabs the cloth again and holds Diana up, doing as she's been doing all this time. She leans forward to press little kisses to Diana's cheek whenever she can.

After a moment Akko gets ahold of herself and stops crying, and Diana's breath eases just a little. "Here," she murmurs. "Gimme your hands."

Diana gives her a weak glance and slowly lifts her hands. They're trembling. Akko holds onto them and gently turns her palms upward.

"My aunt taught me this. I hope it works a little..." Akko lies the cold cloth across Diana's wrists and presses in against her skin. Trills of cold shiver into Diana's burning veins. It almost stings for a moment, but then the feelings clash and cancel out.

It doesn't last for long, but just those few seconds of having her body feel like it's back in its normal state of equilibrium are a blessing to her. She slumps forward against Akko's shoulder, resting her head.

"Thank you, Akko..."

"Diana..." Akko holds her up carefully, brushing her cheek against Diana's hair. "You should drink some water if you can. The nurse gave me some medicine, too. Do you think you can try?"

"Yes..." Her voice is nothing more than a meek whisper. "Anything to combat this heat..."

Akko eases her back against the pillows again and reaches for the supplies. She opens the bottle and rolls a pill into Diana's palm.

Diana doesn't even wait for the water. She tilts her head back and swallows it dry.

Akko shudders.

"You really are incredible."

Diana offers a tired smile.

Akko hands her the glass of water supports her grip on it. Diana's hands are still trembling so Akko helps her raise it to her lips and hold it in place for her as she sips it down. She goes slowly, needing to pull away frequently to catch her breath.

Akko waits patiently. She's just glad Diana is awake and able to move around a bit.

She's just beginning to get hopeful when Diana suddenly sputters and chokes. Akko instantly puts the glass aside and rubs her back for her.

"E-Easy! It's okay, Diana-" She chokes up again and ends up in tears.

Because she realizes Diana has started to cry too; the pain inside her body is enough to bring tears to her eyes. She must be hurting so badly. She must be so scared...

Akko just throws her arms around her and hugs her close.

"Sorry... I'm sorry..."

She holds Diana until the coughing has subsided, but even then she still trembles with the intensity of her illness. Akko feels the heat pulsing off of her along with the heavy beats of her heart resonating through her whole body.

She cries and holds her, even after she knows Diana has lost consciousness again. Only when the heat increases to a concerning degree does Akko lie her back down and return to her routine of cooling her as best she can.

The evening drags on into night and Diana doesn't wake again.

Akko continues with her vigil, wiping her eyes every now and again in between glances at the clock.

It's been two hours now.

Diana has grown still. She's not flinching quite as much, but somehow Akko doesn't think it's a good thing. She's still having difficulty breathing and her heart is still racing.

/She's so weak.../

Akko holds onto her wrist, feeling the frantic flutter of her pulse. She leans down and kisses Diana's palm, and then her cheek again.

"I'm here... It's gonna be okay..."

A tear drips down from her nose and transfers onto Diana's. Akko rests her forehead gently against hers, and a swell of heat immediately spreads to her. She grits her teeth, wishing she could take half of Diana's suffering. She finds her hand and holds it again. It's even hotter than it had been before.

"Please..." Akko sighs. "Hurry you guys..."

She didn't know how much longer she herself can last, let alone Diana. All she can do is squeeze her hand and whisper.

"Hang in there, Diana... It's gonna be okay..."

It's the first time in a long time Akko doesn't believe entirely in her own words.

The minutes pass by like hours, and Diana's condition deteriorates little by little. Akko rests the cold cloth over her forehead again and sniffles.

Up until now she could tell Diana had been resisting this, even unconsciously. But now her fighting spirit is wavering beneath the intensity of the fever. Akko is sweating simply from being near her.

"Don't give up," she begs her. "You can do it, Diana."

Believing has gotten her to where she is now. But now she knows it won't be enough. Diana needs the antidote.

But believing is all Akko can do, so she puts her faith in her friends and professors.

She lets go of Diana's hand to wipe her palm of sweat, but immediately holds onto it with her other hand. With a scared breath she closes her eyes, listening to the monitor race. Akko feels a fresh heat behind her eyes as more tears slip free.

/Please.../

That's when she hears the commotion outside and quickly snaps her eyes open. When she whirls around in her seat, she finds Professor Ursula skidding to a halt in the doorway. There's a bottle in her hand, filled with a purplish potion. Her gaze meets Akko's for a desperate second.

"P-Professor! Is that-?"

"Yes! Akko, please help me!" Ursula rushes forward into the room and stops at Diana's bedside. "We need to hurry. Help me sit her up."

"R-Right!" Akko slips her arm beneath Diana's back and lifts her forward. Her weight is heavy and horribly warm. Akko ducks her face into her shoulder to wipe away some of the tears so she can see better and focus on her task. She sits Diana up and holds her while Ursula uncaps the bottle and draws out her wand.

"That's perfect. Keep her steady."

Akko sniffles and nods, unable to stop the fresh tears any longer.

Carefully, Ursula holds the rim of the bottle to Diana's lips and tilts it. As soon as some of the elixir enters her mouth, she murmurs a spell and waves her wand in a gentle fashion. Akko can tell it's a spell that's helping Diana swallow since she can't do it herself.

Akko keeps holding her up, burying her face into Diana's shoulder.

/Please work... please please please.../

When Ursula finally stops, half the bottle is empty. "This should do. If we give her too much it could be counterproductive and stifle her magic energy. But this much should keep things in check."

By now Akko is too upset and relieved at the same time to move. She just hugs Diana like this sobs into her hair.

"B-But... h-how do you know it's enough? Wh-What if-"

"It's all right, Akko. The antidote will work." Ursula sheathes her wand and rests a hand on her pupil's shoulder. "When we were concocting it, the liquid was initially pink. It wouldn't have changed colors unless we'd done it properly. And it seems to me she's doing a little better already."

Akko sniffles a few more times before easing herself back and looking over Diana.

Ursula is right. It's probably more noticeable to Akko than anyone else, since she'd been the one who'd spent so much time with Diana when she was ill. But Diana's brow isn't so tightly furrowed anymore, as if a bit of the weight of the fever has begun to lift. Her breath is coming a little more easily – not by much, but it's something of an improvement.

Akko slowly lies Diana back down, only keeping hold of her hand. She feels Ursula's touch on her shoulder again to reassure her.

"She's going to be all right, Akko. We made it in time."

And Akko breaks down blubbering, clutching Diana's hand gently to her chest. Ursula steps forward to hug her softly.

"You did very well, Akko. It mustn't have been easy to have to see her like that. But you helped her in more ways you can imagine just by staying with her."

Akko clings to Ursula with one hand and Diana with the other.

"Th-Thank you, Professor... everyone... you guys found the ingredients and stuff..."

"Yes," Ursula smiles. "Great things happen when great people come together." She stays with Akko for a few more minutes, petting her head until the crying has subsided a bit. "Come now, Akko. You should get some rest for tonight. We'll look after her from here."

Akko slowly pulls herself away from her professor and glances over Diana one more time. She isn't flinching or gasping anymore, and her hand isn't quite as hot. Akko gives it one more squeeze before gently letting go.

"Okay... Thank you, Professor."

"Thank you too, Akko. You did wonderfully."

Ursula helps her up and guides her to the doorway. Akko rubs her sleeves across her eyes a few more times and tries to get her bearings when-

"Akko!"

Lotte's voice rings out, and suddenly all of Akko's classmates are hurrying over to her. Hannah and Barbara are crying as much as Akko.

"D-Did it work?"

"How is she-?"

Akko sucks in a deep breath and straightens up, giving them all a wobbly smile.

"Yeah. She's gonna be okay."

And there's an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank... Thank goodness..." Hannah and Barbara slump to the floor together and cling to one another.

Amanda lets out a low whistle.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad."

Constanze nods and Jasna picks her up and hugs her in glee. Lotte throws her arms around Akko in relief.

"I'm so glad! I was beginning to think we'd never find that last ingredient..."

"But you did," Sucy reminds her. "And we did it."

Akko slowly returns Lotte's hug, and it isn't long before she's pulling Sucy in too.

"Y-Yeah... thanks, you guys. Without you we never would've-"

"It's okay," Lotte sniffs. "You don't have to think about that."

"Right," Sucy smiles. "We did it, and that's all that matters."

As the reality settles in, Akko finally breaks down sobbing at the top of her lungs. She wails words of gratitude to all of them in a childishly emotional display that brings tears even to Finneran's eyes.

Finneran lets the students have some time together to talk, but soon sends them off to bed. But not without her own praises.

"You all did exceptional work in such a serious situation. I'm proud of every one of you." She actually smiles, and everyone blinks as if they're dreaming. But it doesn't last for long, and Finneran is soon scowling once more, though a bit more softly than usual. "Now back to your rooms, all of you. I may be lenient, but there are still classes tomorrow."

And though Amanda groans, the group of young witches heads off tiredly together back to the dorms. Before they all part ways, they come together in one last group hug.

"Thanks you guys," Akko murmurs. "We did it."

And with the exhausting night they've had, they're all asleep within minutes of hitting their pillows.

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A/N: Oh, but we aren't finished yet, folks~