Lessons Learned (ch4)

Of course, not all of this can be easygoing, can it?

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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													Chapter 4. Minor Mishaps

The following evening, Diana finds Akko waiting outside the greenhouse at just about the same time.

With a quick greeting and swipe of her key card to unlock the doors, Diana lets them both in.

They head straight for the bushel of plants that had been the most affected by the leeches yesterday. Akko is surprised to find just as many parasites back today.

"Geh! These gross little things! They just keep coming, don't they?"

"They are indeed persistent," Diana acknowledges. "However, they are no match for witches. Let us begin."

And so, she herself starts to cast her spells and eliminate as many of the leeches as she can manage. She is certain to move around as she does so, checking the plants and flowers nearby as well, irked to find that the leeches have invaded further into the greenhouse than they had previously.

A good number of them have even started making their way up the vines and creepers that travel up along the glass windows to the ceiling. Diana makes it a priority to eradicate those first and foremost, before they can travel up until they are too high to see.

While Diana focuses on those pests, Akko still tries her best to get the spell right. She remembers everything Diana told her yesterday, relaxing her stance, trying not to be too tense or nervous.

/I gotta believe in myself! Like Chariot would! I gotta focus... And uhh, what else did Diana say? Oh, right! My intentions! My intentions are good! I'm gonna help save these plants that'll help people in the future! It's a righteous cause!/

She watches from a distance of a few feet, observing one of the leeches as it sucks the nutrients from one of the stalks of the plants. It makes her a little angry, but she catches herself.

/I shouldn't cast this spell out of anger.../

She breathes in, tries to cool down a little, listening to Diana's confident voice as she casts the spell nearby. At last, Akko opens her eyes and takes aim with her wand.

"Murowa!"

A bolt of green light comes forth, but it only travels a few inches before it sparks out of existence. But Akko refuses to take this in a discouraging way.

"Almost! One more time..."

She falls into the pattern of repeating what she'd done earlier, only with more conviction, more surety. She tries the spell out multiple times, each time getting similar results. The magic is there, but it just isn't strong enough; it's lacking direction and support.

Akko wonders if closing the distance between herself and her target might help. So she takes a few steps forward, though is certain to watch her shoes and make sure she doesn't step into the plot of soil.

She stands over the infected plant now, and hovers her wand over the leech, narrowing her eyes.

"Murowa!"

And it works. Just not in quite the way she'd hope.

The magic forms and shoots forward, only it doesn't strike the leech. Rather, the spell lands on the stalk of the plant. Immediately, the color begins to fade and drain out from the leaves, turning them gray and shriveled.

Akko shrieks and jumps back, dismay making her stomach churn.

"O-Oh no, oh no! W-What do I do?" Frantically, she drops to her knees and tries to hold up the plant as it continues to wither, but it does no good. She can only call out for help. "D-Diana!"

The white-haired witch had ventured away a bit, but the second she hears Akko's cry of distress, she abandons her tasks and rushes back to her side.

"Akko!" Diana comes to an abrupt halt, gasping. "What's happened?"

"I-I don't know! I-I didn't mean to hit the plant, b-but I did! A-And now it's dying! W-What do we do?"

Diana doesn't reply to her directly. She merely motions for Akko to move back. The brunette scrambles to her feet once again and stands out of her way.

Diana makes a small circular motion with her wrist before she takes aim at the dying plant and casts a different spell.

"Resanae."

Akko watches nervously as a different kind of magic is produced from her wand. It is a warmer, yellowish color, and rather than streak out in a powerful line, it has more of a bubbly effect.

Despite this, it still travels through the air just as quickly, and hits its mark. The tiny yellow bubbles cling onto the withering plant and then begin to multiply and pop in rapid succession.

And gradually, color and life return to the plant. It lifts itself back up again, even despite the leech hanging onto it. Diana soon gets rid of it.

Akko whimpers as she watches, slowly straightening her back as relief floods through her to replace the despair.

"Oh... It's alive!"

Diana lowers her wand and lets out a breath.

"Indeed. We were fortunate. It is a good thing you managed to call for me so quickly so it could be rectified. With these sort of incidents, it is essential that the spell be reversed as quickly as possible." She looks away, back down at the plants.

"During the time at which I hit you with the deterioration spell, I did not know how to reverse it as I do now. After what happened, I delved into arduous research for days until I found the proper counter spell that can reverse the effects of a harmful one.

"However, it must be cast very quickly in order to be effective. If the deterioration spell was strong and powerful enough, the regeneration spell would need to be twice as strong in order to succeed and cancel out the former."

She lifts her gaze and flashes a quick glance back to Akko. "We were fortunate that your magics aren't so powerful yet, or else we might have had a problem on our hands. Thankfully, it looks as though we made it in time."

Akko heaves a long, heavy sigh.

"You mean you made it in time... You're the one who helped, Diana. I only made things worse..."

"Nonsense. Do not think of it in such a way. You were attempting to save the plant. It was not your intention to strike it."

"B-But still! Even though I didn't mean to hit it, I still almost killed it anyway! How come?"

Diana sighs.

"That is where the intent behind a spell becomes difficult to comprehend. While it was never your intention to harm the plant, you did intend to harm the parasite. That end goal of draining the life from something living was still present, so it matters not which of them your magic struck."

Akko takes a swaying step back.

"But... I was sure I had a good shot... Why did I miss...?"

Diana doesn't answer right away. She looks Akko over sternly, not because she is upset with her, but because she is concerned.

There's something off about her. It is beyond the fact that Akko feels guilty about her mishap just now. There's something else.

Diana reaches out to her and taps her shoulder gently, giving a little push to turn her around a step. Akko blinks in confusion.

"Diana? What are you-?"

"As I'd feared..."

"H-Huh?"

"Akko. Please refrain from moving."

"E-Eh?"

"Please. Just be still for a moment." Diana keeps her free hand on Akko's shoulder to steady her, then raises her wand to the girl's back. "Murowa!"

"W-Whaaa-?!" Akko flinches, shrinking away from the spell.

But it never touches her. Instead, Diana's spell concentrates on a leech that had found purchase on the back of Akko's uniform. Now, the pest falls to the ground and turns to ash.

As soon as Akko realizes what's happened, she lets out a breath.

"Geez... why didn't you tell me there was one on me?"

"Because if I had done that, then you would have no doubt started shrieking and jumping about. Handling it this way was much more effective."

"Oh... th-thanks, Diana..."

"Do not mention it." Diana slides her hand down to the spot on Akko's uniform where the leech had been clinging. There is a small hole there where the teeth had cut through the fabrics.

She inspects the tear for a moment, suspecting the parasite must have pierced the skin and actually bitten Akko, which would explain her slight lack of balance and the paleness in her cheeks. Sure enough, Diana spots several tiny red marks on Akko's shoulder blade.

"Be still," she orders. Keeping her wand aimed at the bite mark, Diana casts the same regeneration spell to combat the negative repercussions left behind by the pest. "Resanae."

She speaks more softly this time, and the force behind the spell isn't quite so powerful. It is light and miniature, the perfect force to combat the beginning pains of a small bite.

Akko feels a comforting warmth spreading throughout her body. Until now, she hadn't even realized she'd been feeling drowsy, but within seconds, the fatigue fades away. A new surge of energy ignites within her stomach, and the healthy pallor returns to her skin.

As the spell ebbs away, Akko feels immensely better. Diana lowers her wand before giving a pat to Akko's shoulder, still opting to keep her hand there by means of support.

"It appears to have pierced the skin somewhat, but I've managed to reverse the effects and heal it. How do you feel?"

"F-Fine! I didn't even notice I felt wonky until just now. B-But I'm better now! Seriously, thank you, Diana."

Hearing her say that allows Diana to breathe a little more easily.

"That is good. However, I would highly recommend you take note of your condition throughout the remainder of the evening. Should you begin to feel uneasy or ill, see the nurse immediately."

"R-Right... thanks." Akko shrugs, shuddering a little at the feeling of having one of those leeches on her back. "B-But how did it get on me? I didn't feel anything."

"That is to be expected. Like most parasites, the host cannot feel the intrusion, and the bitten area is often numbed before the teeth sink in."

As Akko makes a sickened sound in the back of her throat, Diana addresses her first question.

"As for how it got onto you..." She cranes her head and looks up, and Akko soon follows her line of sight. The vines that are growing from the ground up to the ceiling look a little paler than usual.

Diana heaves another sigh. "It appears the leeches have gotten past us and proceeded up into the vines. We will not be able to see them or effectively eradicate them using the methods we have been utilizing thus far. I will have to inform the professors, and they will have to start taking brooms up to the top to deal with the pests there.

"However, if these parasites are now falling from above, that puts students at risk. I will have to recommend that they lock the greenhouse during the daytime hours now, until the parasites are completely eradicated."

Akko can't help but feel another rush of guilt run through her.

"S-So... does that mean we failed...?"

Diana raises an eyebrow and turns to her.

"What are you saying? Of course not. It is no fault of our own that these leeches managed to make their way into the greenhouse more quickly and in greater quantity than we had initially anticipated.

"Coming here to handle them was merely a task to allow me to monitor their numbers and activity, eradicate as many as I could, and report back to the professors. You bore no responsibility in all of this. Might I remind you that no one else even knows we are training together like this."

Her words don't seem to be having much of a positive effect on Akko, however, because she just keeps slouching more and more.

"So... I'm guessing this means I can't help you anymore, right?"

Diana sighs helplessly.

"I must admit that is true. Now that there is a potential threat to the students, I must recommend the greenhouse be locked until the issue has been dealt with. As such, I will not be able to bring you in here with me any longer. It is for your own safety."

"B-But-!"

"Additionally, there is a much greater risk of our being found out. There is no harm in our training together as we have been doing. We have broken no rules thus far. However, I cannot allow this to continue if there is any threat present that might put you at risk."

Akko tries to say something else, but she stops herself.

Diana is right. Before, there was nothing wrong with the two of them practicing together.

But now, if something happened, and Akko really got hurt because of one of those leeches, it would be disastrous. Not only would she probably get sick and have to tell everyone what had happened and how, but it would absolutely ruin Diana's reputation within Luna Nova if another student came to harm because of her own careless judgement.

Diana's decision to stop training with Akko now is made with only the best of intentions. Akko understands this. But she's still bummed about it.

"I guess you're right..." Her voice is a defeated mumble as she stares ruefully at up at the vines where the leeches are hiding.

Diana pats her shoulder lightly.

"Do not be so discouraged. Just because we can no longer train here in the greenhouse certainly does not mean we cannot still have our practices together. We will simply have to relocate and try out other spells elsewhere."

"But I wanted to help you with your special tasks and stuff. I wanted to help the plants and get rid of those gross leeches."

"Some other time, perhaps," Diana says gently. "For now, the professors will have to deal with them. Though I do apologize for cutting our sessions here short. You had truly been on the right track with casting that deterioration spell. I suspect you would have been able to cast it successfully before very much longer.

"However, that simply indicates you are becoming more comfortable with your spellcasting, and thusly you will likely be able to learn other spells more quickly in the future. I shall think of something we can practice elsewhere and let you know within the next few days. Does that sound acceptable?"

Despite her dejection, Akko can't feel upset forever. After all, she's just relieved Diana didn't yell at her for mis-casting the spell just now, and that she is still more than willing to train together with her. Akko can't possibly allow herself to be upset when it means she'll be able to try out different spells with Diana. So she straightens her back once and for all.

"Okay!" She turns to Diana and grins. "Then lemme know what our next plan of action is!"

Her classmate nods.

"I will indeed, perhaps in a day or so once I have dealt with the situation here. However, for now, we'd best be on our way before more of those pests start raining down on us."

"Guuuuh yeah, let's get outta heere!"

Akko puts her wand away, and Diana follows suit.

Diana takes one last look up at the vines and begins mentally preparing her report to the professors. But as she turns around to follow Akko, a sudden dizzy spell hits her with the force of a wagon.

"Ah-"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she presses her fingers to her temples and loses control of her footing. Akko barely hears her whimper and whips around to catch her just before she can collapse.

"W-Whoa! D-Diana! What's wrong? Wh-What happened?" Struggling to hold her up, Akko quickly scours Diana's clothes, wondering if the leeches had bitten her, too. Diana clings to her arm, panting slightly, fighting for balance.

"It... It is fine..." she sighs.

"N-No it's not!" Akko wails. "What's going on?" She presses one hand to Diana's back and the other to her stomach, letting Diana hold onto her for support as Akko tries to keep them both upright on their feet.

It takes her a moment, but Diana finally reopens her eyes.

"This was... my first time using that regeneration spell. As I'd said, I'd previously researched it, after what had happened when I'd struck you. I'd wanted to learn the counter spell to the deterioration magic, so that... if it ever happened again, I would be able to reverse it and help, rather than just sit idly by and do nothing like last time..."

She draws in a deep breath, then loosens her grip on Akko, though she doesn't let go. Slowly, Diana regains her footing and her posture.

"I had read that... using such magic could have an aftereffect on the caster at first. I presume this is the result of my using it for the first time, and using it twice, on top of using the deterioration spell to such an extent."

Akko swallows hard, still worried.

"A-Are you okay? I'll take you to the nurse."

"There is no need-"

"Diana!" Akko huffs, cutting her off. "I wasn't asking! I'm taking you to the nurse!"

Diana is taken aback by her vehemence.

"Akko..."

"It's fine. We don't have to tell anyone we were training together. I'll just tell them I was passing by and I found you all exhausted. You can tell them it's because you used too much magic when you were trying to do your job. Then you can tell the professors about the infestation and stuff and they can start handling it."

Grasping Diana's wrist, she pulls her arm up across her shoulders. Akko reaches for Diana's side to support her opposite hip, and together, they begin making their way to the exit.

Diana says nothing more by means of protest. She does feel rather dizzy, and she can't be certain she'll be able to walk properly without the assistance.

They leave the greenhouse, then make their way slowly back to the school, just as dusk is rolling in. No one else is in the hallways to see them like this.

By the time they reach the nurse's office, Diana has managed to mentally compose herself, but she remains physically drained.

At first, Akko pouts when the nurse believes it is she who needs treatment, since that is almost always the case. The woman is indeed shocked to discover it is Diana who is her patient this time.

As soon as they enter the office, Diana crosses her arms defensively, as if to give off the impression that she doesn't require treatment. Akko helps her sit on one of the beds and stays with her as Diana explains things, using the fabricated story Akko had proposed.

The nurse inquires about her condition, and Diana adamantly insists it's nothing serious. But Akko is certain to combat her statement and tells the nurse just how weak Diana was while walking here. Diana sends her a small glare, but nothing more.

Presently, the nurse looks from Diana to Akko and back again.

"In any case, let me have a listen." She places the buds of a stethoscope in each ear, then motions for Diana to uncross her arms.

Akko watches her classmate worriedly. Diana can still barely keep her eyes open.

Akko makes a move to slide away from her so the nurse can do her job. But she's beyond shocked when Diana reaches out to grab her by the sleeve in a very subtle, barely noticeable gesture. Akko's jaw drops, but she doesn't need to ask in order to understand what it is Diana wants from her.

Akko moves close to her once again, slipping an arm around Diana's back.

The very second the nurse presses the stethoscope to her collar, Diana flinches. Akko sidles in a little closer and rubs her back gently.

She'd never really thought about it before, but now it's obvious that Diana probably hates doctors. Or rather, she hates having her personal space invaded in such a manner. And if she's desperate enough for comfort as to beg Akko to stay with her, Akko is going to stay as long as it takes.

So she waits until the nurse has finished her checkup and retreated to her desk. The older witch puts a few pills into a small baggie and hands them to Diana, instructing her to take them with fluids once tonight and twice tomorrow.

"Do that," she says. "And get plenty of rest. You'll be better in no time, Miss Cavendish."

Diana wearily accepts the medicine and dips her head.

"Thank you very much."

With that, Akko helps her stand once again, and together they leave the nurse's office.

Once they have made it down the hall a little ways, Akko finally lets herself speak, and the worry is audible in her tone.

"Diana...? Are you okay?"

The white-haired witch sighs again, and avoids eye contact.

"I will do as she instructed and be well within a day or two."

"I don't just mean that..." Akko mumbles. "I mean... l-like... um..."

"Yes. I am fine." This time, Diana chooses to give her a glance, and a tiny, tired smile. "You have my thanks, Akko. I appreciate this."

Akko brightens up just a little bit.

"D-Don't thank me. I'm just glad you're okay."

Diana nods, and says nothing more on this particular topic. She and Akko make their way down the halls until they reach the dorms. When they arrive at Diana's room, Akko finally lets go of her.

"S-So if you just take those pills, you'll be okay, right?"

"Indeed." Diana glances down at the small bag in her palm. "Ironically enough, these pills are likely made from the very same types of plants we've been saving in the greenhouse."

"Ooouh, really? Then they're repaying you for helping save them!"

"...I suppose you could think of it that way." Diana can't help but chuckle a little bit, and Akko is beyond relieved to see that she truly seems to be feeling better. "Now," she continues, keeping her voice low. "As I have said, we shall have to relocate for our sessions. I may not be able to meet with you as early as tomorrow. But when I can, I shall leave you a note, as I have done previously."

"Okay. Don't worry about it, Diana. You should just take it easy tomorrow."

"As should you. As I said, you'd do well to pay attention to how you're feeling. If that bite starts acting up, see the nurse immediately. You can tell her you got bitten when you were venturing in to assist me. That way, our stories remain consistent, and we aren't fabricating much."

That makes Akko realize something else. That Diana has been, and still is, willing to lie to the professors for the sake of maintaining her training sessions with Akko.

Akko never thought a student as serious as Diana would go to such lengths. It just proves Diana might enjoy their training together just as much as Akko does.

"Got it." Akko gives a salute. "Then let's both just rest up tomorrow."

"I believe I might consent to that proposal."

After that, a beat of silence passes between them. With all of the formalities out of the way, both girls become a little more timid.

"W-Well," Akko mumbles. "Night, Diana."

"Goodnight."

And with this, they go their separate ways.

But only for now.

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A/N: Initially, I hadn't planned on the infirmary scene, but as I was writing it just sort of happened... I feel Diana would be the kind of person to hate doctors, or any invasion of personal space that isn't from someone she specifically and willingly invites.

I guess I wanted to explore what it could be like to see Diana's more fragile, softer side, in contrast to her usual confident persona. And if Akko was there to share in on her private moment and offer comfort, I'm too weak not to give it a shot.

But the next chapter is the bulk of this story, and the main reason I wrote it. So be prepared for the climax and ending!