Back To Back (ch8)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $20+ PATRONS!

Been a while since I've posted here, huh? I was just reading the LWA manga after finally buying it, and there was an incredible Dianakko scene in volume 3 that involved Akko flying with Diana while Diana was temporarily blinded. And that sparked an idea, so I tweaked it to fit into the post-anime timeline, sort of.

Also posting for Dianakko Week 2019! Yeay! It doesn't really go with any of the exact themes, but I just wanted to post something this week for them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

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														Chapter 8.

It isn't often Diana finds herself with a bit of free time on her hands. With no classes, no patrols, no extracurricular duties, and no personal business to attend to this afternoon, she'd toiled a bit on what to do with herself.

Hannah's and Barbara's suggestion to relax with a good book and some tea had sounded tempting indeed, but with the weather so clear and beautiful, Diana would've considered it a waste to stay inside if she had the option not to.

So she'd taken her broom and flown quietly to a forested section of campus to practice a few things.

Of course, flying was something she was extremely skilled at, second to none in terms of speed and precision and grace.

But today she presents herself with a new challenge.

To begin, she mounts and lifts off, then starts a few laps among the trees, dodging and twisting at impossibly sharp angles to test her reaction and her timing.

Flying freely in the sky without any obstacles is one story; like that, she can achieve a speed like no other. But here, the trees and branches naturally slow her down a bit, and she's determined to test herself.

She's always loved flying, and discovering new ways to do it or make it more interesting were some of her favorite personal challenges.

She'd never been the best at physical activities like sports or running; she hadn't been the worst, but she was certainly no Amanda O'Neill.

Flying was Diana's alternative to the physical. It got her heart racing, it tested her mind and her reflexes, it brought her to new heights she'd never been able to reach otherwise – in more ways than one. She could think of no better way of how to spend her time off than flying.

So she completes a few more laps through the trees, spinning and weaving through the foliage, adjusting her posture accordingly depending on the angle of her trajectory. The wind is sharp and refreshing as it blasts across her skin and snaps her hair out behind her.

With one final spin, Diana clears through a tight knit of branches without touching a single one, and slows down as she rights herself. She sighs in mild accomplishment and catches her breath, but now there's one more technique she wants to try.

She closes her eyes and begins to fly slowly, wanting to let her other senses guide her around the obstacles.

It's a bit nerve-wracking, even at the slow speed she's now traveling at, but she remains calm and focused. Whenever she feels she's about to make contact with something, she tries to move in the best way possible to avoid it.

She pays attention to the way the tips of branches tug against her sleeve or skirt or the ends of her broom to paint a mental picture around herself. As soon as she feels the slightest resistance against her broom's handle in front of her, she gently swerves to go around.

She can feel a few leaves getting into her face and a few branches scratching here and there, but she has no major collisions with anything.

The plants and trees around her have a magical aura of their own, and when Diana sincerely focuses her energies, she can sense them and do her best not to make contact.

She continues on for some time, until she's nearly used to flying without seeing, even if it's just at this leisurely pace for now. This is the kind of alone time she prefers most of all, surrounded by nature and able to be honing her skills, improving and enjoying herself at the same time-

"Whoa! Diana?!"

The tranquil silence she'd gotten so used to is blatantly interrupted by a rather jarring shout. It throws Diana off her game, and she jolts sideways, bumping directly into a large tree trunk.

Gasping, she quickly opens her eyes and regains her composure, pausing her flight to assuage the new soreness on her shoulder as she peers down below to the source of the disturbance. She'd recognized the voice initially, but she still can't believe it.

"Akko..."

None other than the exuberant brunette witch is gaping up at her from the forest floor.

"Waah! Oh crap, sorry! I didn't mean to distract you! Are you okay?!"

Diana heaves a sigh. How foolish of her to expect a quiet and undisturbed afternoon to herself. No matter what she did or where she went, Atsuko Kagari always seemed to find a way to her, be it intentional or not.

"It's nothing," Diana assures her as she flies a little lower. "May I inquire as to what you're doing out here by yourself? I do hope you have permission."

"Of course I do! For once, anyway. Professor Urusla asked me to collect some herbs! She trusted I could do it without screwing up since they grow right here on campus. And I've already got a few, see?" Akko reveals her skirt pocket to show off several stalks of leaves.

Diana inspects the plants and mentally identifies them as medicinal herbs, and is reassured by the fact that Akko had actually gathered the proper plants. Diana descends to the forest floor and dismounts from her broom.

"It's reassuring to see you've actually gotten the right plants."

"Really? Thank goodness! There were these other ones that kind looked similar and I wasn't sure." Akko looks Diana up and down up close now and her eyes go wide. "Whoa, what happened to you, Diana? You're all covered in scratches and stuff! I-Is that all because I distracted you just now...?" She shuffles her feet guiltily and bites her lip.

Diana takes her hand away from her sore shoulder as not to worry her classmate further.

"Not at all. I was practicing of my own volition and sustained a few minor injuries, but it's nothing to be concerned about."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Quite."

Akko relaxes a little.

"Okay, that's good then. But what were you doing, Diana? It almost looked like you were flying with your eyes closed!"

"That's because that's precisely what I was doing."

Akko's jaw drops.

"Haaaaahh?! You were? Why the heck would you do that? Isn't that kinda dangerous? Even I'd be too nervous to try something like that! Especially so high up!"

"I was simply challenging myself," Diana explains. "We've been in enough perilous situations in the past to know that a quick and efficient exit is the best solution to most dangers. But what if there is no light to see by and no wand available to cast a spell? I was merely practicing for a worst-case scenario. If I can get myself used to flying like that, perhaps it could come in handy some day."

Akko listens seriously to Diana's explanation and ends up nodding when it's over.

"Huh. Yeah, I guess that does make a lot of sense. Who knows when a skill like that could come in handy."

"You see?" It's then when Diana gets a better look at Akko's dirty clothes as well. "You're a bit of a mess yourself from locating those herbs. Would you like a ride back to Luna Nova? We're near the border at the edge of campus."

"Huh? We are?!"

"Akko, please pay attention to your surroundings," Diana sighs. "If you don't know where the campus ends, you could very easily wander off into some other territory and suffer extreme consequences."

"Ahaha, oops... Th-Then if you wouldn't mind flying me back..."

"Of course." Diana steps over the handle of her broom and waits for Akko to get into position behind her. Once Akko's arms are securely around her waist, Diana lifts off. "Tia Freyre!"

Oddly enough, it almost feels more natural for her to have Akko holding onto her as she flies as opposed to having no one at all. She's flown her so many times, but since Akko had started learning for herself, Diana hadn't needed to support her as often recently. It seems Akko is thinking similar thoughts.

"Ahhh~ Y'know, I'm really glad I'm learning to fly a broom all by myself, but there's just something so nice about riding with someone else, y'know?"

"Honestly, I don't."

"Oh. Right. Sorry... You're always the one flying, huh?"

"I don't mind."

"E-Even so, I feel kinda bad leeching off of you..."

"You're doing no such thing, Akko. I offered to give you a ride back."

"I guess so..." Akko slouches against Diana's back a little and pouts. That's when an idea sprouts into her head. "Oh, hey!" Her sudden shout causes Diana to flinch and stagger slightly again. She huffs, and Akko sheepishly apologies. "S-Sorry! But I just thought, why don't you continue with your blind flying? You seemed like you really wanted to master it, but I kinda interrupted you, huh?"

"It's quite all right," Diana says. "I can continue on my own free time. Besides, I wouldn't dream of doing something so potentially dangerous with a passenger."

"Huh? But I flew with you back at the Cavendish estate when we were trying to make it for the ritual and you were going like 8 million miles per hour and dodging snakes and stuff!"

"That was a matter of necessity. I wouldn't put you in peril of my own volition."

"You wouldn't be putting me in peril to fly slowly around some trees, Diana!"

"Even so, I-"

"C'mon, you can do it! I trust you!"

That quiets Diana for a moment. Akko squeezes around her stomach a little tighter.

"Just for a minute! And if it looks like we're gonna hit something I'll just tell you and you can open your eyes! It's that simple!"

Diana had been so worried about the thought of possibly getting Akko hurt that she'd failed to see the obvious truth right in front of her. It really was that simple. She can just open her eyes at any time and rely on Akko's assistance.

She can all but feel Akko bubbling with anticipation even without turning back to look at her face. Diana exhales another sigh.

"Very well. I'll try a bit, then."

"Awesome! And don't worry, if you need me, I'll be your eyes!"

Diana gives a small nod before slowing her speed just a little. She closes her eyes and immediately lets the presences of her surroundings come to her.

Once she gets past the initial discomfort of moving without sight, Diana begins flying forward a bit.

Akko can feel she's a bit hesitant, probably even more nervous now with a passenger to worry about. Akko does her best to add a bit of calm to the atmosphere, loosening her grip on Diana just a little to show she isn't nervous. Akko really does trust her.

Diana flies them smoothly, curving around and away from the trees. A few branches snag here and there, but it's nothing that would hurt or delay them.

Diana's own nervousness begins to dwindle a bit as she senses Akko's confidence, something she imagines would typically be the other way around.

The forest is quiet, save for a bit of birdsong. But a sudden loud sound comes out of seemingly nowhere. Something squawks and darts right past Diana. She gasps and opens her eyes, instinctively jerking her broom back to avoid it.

"I-It's okay!" Akko says quickly from behind her. She gently pushes Diana forward again to steady her. "It was just a bird."

Flustered, Diana draws in a few deep breaths.

"A bird... I see..."

"Are you okay?" Akko frets. "Y'know, if it's too stressful, you don't have to do this after all. Sorry for being so pushy about it."

Diana certainly doesn't want their little training exercise to end in disappointment like this, and Akko is no doubt feeling guilty about it too. So Diana straightens up and recomposes herself.

"It's all right. I want to try a bit longer, if that's all right with you."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"O-Okay then." Akko's already pushed the guilty feelings behind her and is focusing on the task at hand again.

Relieved, Diana closes her eyes once more and continues flying.

She not only pays attention to the presences of the trees around her, but to Akko as well. Just the slight pushes and pulls of her body direct Diana where she needs to go without Akko having to tell her.

But she knows in a real situation, Akko wouldn't be able to see either and wouldn't be able to steer her.

So Diana tries to focus on her own instincts. Just Akko's unyielding confidence and trust in her is more than enough to push her onward.

And Akko can tell Diana's beginning to fly with more surety now too. It's almost like she's flying normally with her eyes open. Akko is relaxed enough to snuggle up to Diana's back and hug her lazily, resting her chin on Diana's shoulder.

The air is warm and the forest is peaceful as they continue their flight. Diana drifts them around every tree with ease. Akko only has to interfere a couple of times to help her avoid jutting branches. And at one point she spots a spiderweb up ahead and knows Diana won't be able to sense that.

"Ah, j-just a bit lower. Duck your head." Akko leans against her and gently guides Diana away from the mesh, then around another branch.

It's at that point Diana opens her eyes again. She believes she's practiced enough and is satisfied with the results.

"Thank you, Akko," she says, turning back to her. "It was a fair challenge. I'll fly normally the rest of the way."

"Kay!" Akko hugs her more tightly now as Diana speeds up a bit, bringing them out of the forest at last.

From there it's just a straight flight back to the school building, but Diana doesn't fly as quickly as she can. She enjoys being with Akko again like this, enjoys that support at her back. It's Akko's turn to close her eyes and nap for a minute as Diana flies them back to the school.

When they're near enough, Diana nudges her passenger to rouse her, and they prepare to land. Once they've dismounted, Akko bursts into cheers and throws her arms around her.

"That was so awesome, Diana! As expected, you're so cool!"

"A-As I said, it was only practice in case of a real emergency."

"Well, if we ever do get into that sort of pickle, I'll be glad to have you, as always!"

Diana's heart flutters a little bit before she pries Akko off.

"Please don't go looking for trouble simply so I'll have to come save you again."

"Of course I wouldn't!"

"Good. Now do you still have Professor Ursula's herbs, or did you lose them on the way?"

"I didn't lose them!" Offended, Akko checks her pockets. "Uh... at least not all of them..."

"Good heavens... Well then we'd best give the remaining ones to her quickly before you drop those as well."

"Huh? You're gonna come with me, Diana?"

"Someone has got to keep an eye on you. Even with my eyes closed, I'd still have to watch out for you, wouldn't I?"

"Heeey!"

The two witches banter playfully as they enter the school building, and the sun sets at their backs.

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A/N: If I hadn't already written several stories of Akko and Diana getting into trouble together, I would've let this be foreshadowing, but as things are now, it's just a oneshot. I just wanted to go back to good old canon relationships sans romance for a bit.