Back To Back (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR HIGH-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!

Ahh originally I had the events of this fic happen for different reasons, but then decided to change some things around, so it may seem a little stiff/awkward, and for that, I apologize.

This takes place after episode 6, and the reason Akko is feeling upset is because of what happened at the Fountain of Polaris; because she wasn't able to go all the way through and see her own future and whatnot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.

------------

														Chapter 2.

Ever since the Hanbridges had departed Luna Nova, Diana couldn't help but notice a certain classmate of hers appeared to be feeling uncharacteristically disheartened.

She highly doubted that Andrew's leaving was linked in any way to Akko's sudden depression, therefore, Diana knew something else must have happened the previous evening on-campus.

She still was not entirely certain as to why she had heard Akko shriek that evening, but judging by the fact that she'd been all right when Diana had next seen her, Diana hadn't been terribly concerned.

But now, she cannot help but take an interest in Akko's odd change of character.

All throughout the day following the party, in every single one of their classes, Akko's posture is more slouched than usual. Often times, her eyes might wander around the classroom in her distraction rather than focus on the professor's lecture. But today, her eyes are downcast onto her empty notebook, as though she is in deep thought.

When she does happen to look up and in Diana's direction, Diana catches her eye with a look of mild interest. Akko quickly turns away.

Diana sighs under her breath.

"That girl..."

Diana may not know what is amiss, but she knows she cannot allow this to continue for much longer. Both for Akko's sake and for her own.

Therefore, when the final bell rings and everyone begins packing up their books, Diana stands promptly. Before Hannah and Barbara can ask what she's doing, she makes her way across the aisle to Akko's seat.

The brunette continues packing her notebook into her bag and doesn't notice right away. But Lotte and Sucy look up, both a little shocked and a little nervous.

"Diana?" Lotte says politely. "I-Is there something we can do for you?"

Sucy, however, is much more blunt.

"What'd Akko do this time? Come to punish her?"

"Indeed," Diana confirms.

By this point, Akko has stiffened in her chair and whipped around to face her, utterly dumbfounded.

"D-Diana? Wh-What-?"

"Do not pretend you know nothing of what this is about," Diana says sternly. "You know precisely why I am here."

To everyone else, it seems like Diana is claiming Akko as her prisoner to serve punishment duties, though in truth, she has entirely different intentions.

However, she cannot make such intentions known here and now; at least, not in front of so many people.

Akko is clearly distressed and confused about what's happening. She hasn't the slightest clue as to why Diana has suddenly come after her without any prior warning.

"What?" she pouts. "I dunno what you're talking about, Diana. I didn't do anything!"

"If you have forgotten, then allow me to remind you." Diana motions for Akko to follow her.

But Akko really can't remember if she's done anything worthy of punishment recently. Briefly, she, Lotte, and Sucy huddle up and mumble together.

"Akko! What did you do this time?"

"Whatever it was, she got busted by Diana already."

"I'm telling you I didn't do anything! ...I think?"

Lotte and Sucy share a glance, then shrug.

"Akko..."

"At this point you've probably done so much stuff wrong you've forgotten what you've been punished for already and what you haven't been punished for yet."

"Uuugh, fine I'll go..."

With that, Lotte and Sucy step back, allowing Akko to trudge forward, head hanging like a prisoner caught red-handed.

It's almost humorous to Diana that by this point, they hardly even need to inquire about what Akko's done. They just assume she's done something worthy of reprimand.

"Geez, Akko," Lotte sighs. "You've really gotta be more careful."

"Have fun serving your sentence," Sucy snickers. "Hopefully she'll let you go in time for dinner."

"We shall see about that," Diana acclaims.

With this little spectacle, she has blatantly shown everyone in the room that she intends to take Akko to a detention of sorts. This way, no one will ask questions or have any suspicions about their being together this afternoon.

Diana briefly converses with her own teammates and promises them she'll be done by suppertime. Then, she puts a hand on Akko's shoulder and begins leading her out of the room while everyone murmurs to themselves.

Diana takes Akko down the hallway, and Akko keeps mumbling and debating to herself about what she could be being punished for. But she honestly can't think of anything.

So when the two of them are finally alone in the hallway, Akko straightens her back and peers somewhat nervously up at Diana.

"Hey, Diana? I'm not... really in trouble, am I?"

Diana blinks at her, incredulous, the rubs her temple.

"Not unless you have truly done something that would require punishment," she sighs. "Of course you are not in trouble."

"T-Then why did you-"

"Am I not permitted to be concerned about a fellow classmate of mine when she suddenly begins to display a troubling lack of enthusiasm, energy, and positivity?"

"...Hah?"

Diana has kept her hand on Akko's shoulder for this long, and she gives a bit of a squeeze now by means of support.

"I have merely taken notice that you have seemed rather... distracted since the party last night. More so than usual. Perhaps it has to do with those gentlemen who visited?"

Akko avoids eye contact with her.

"No. I don't really care about those guys. Something else happened last night, but uh... I don't think I can really talk about it. But Professor Ursula found me and helped me out a bit, s-so it's all right now."

While Diana is relieved to hear that their visitors had not caused Akko any distress, she's still highly concerned about this supposed event Akko cannot mention. But she knows better than to pry more than she's welcome to, so with great effort, she decides to drop that particular topic of conversation.

"Even if you say as much, it is evident that you are not concentrating even half as much as you typically do."

"R-Really?" Akko mumbles sheepishly. "I didn't think I was being that obvious. Not even Lotte and Sucy said anything. How did you notice, Diana?"

Diana feels a faint heat rise up in her cheeks, but she quickly turns her face away to conceal it.

"It was purely coincidence that I happened to take note."

"Ehhh? But you even made up that I was in trouble so you could get me away from everyone and come talk to me. Could it be you were worried-"

"In any case," Diana grunts, pointedly cutting her off. "We have arrived at our first destination for the afternoon."

Akko forgets about what she'd been saying and looks ahead to find herself nearing Diana's dorm room. Akko blinks curiously and looks between Diana and the door.

"Eh? W-Why are you bringing me to your room? And hey, if I'm not really in trouble, then I technically don't have to come with you this afternoon, right?"

"If you would simply give me half a moment to explain things..."

Diana steps close to the door and uses a one-word spell exclusive to her team to unlock it. She motions for Akko to wait outside, and leaves the baffled brunette standing awkwardly there.

Diana merely enters the room in order to pick up her broom, and is back at Akko's side in a matter of seconds.

As soon as Akko sees the broom, she becomes doubly as confused as she's been up until this point.

"Uh, Diana? Y-You're not gonna make me-"

"Come now," Diana says. "Everyone is under the impression I will be correcting you this afternoon. It would be best to uphold that impression so as to avoid confusion, wouldn't you agree?"

"But I'm the one who's confused!"

But Diana begins making her way down the hall again without waiting. Akko has no other feasible option than to scamper after her.

Mainly, Akko is dumbfounded about what's going on, especially if Diana specifically put on an act simply in order to check on her and get her alone.

/I didn't think I was being that obvious. But I guess I'm still a little upset that the Big Dipper Arch disappeared on me... I'm just surprised Diana of all people noticed.../ Briefly, she looks up and uses her eyes to trace the outline of Diana's back. /I don't know what she's planning, but I just hope she's not gonna make me fly.../

After all, everyone knows Akko can't fly a broom for her life, unless she's chained down to it.

Diana doesn't look back at her, but she can tell by the small spring in Akko's step that her plan is already working.

Her intentions are to give Akko something other than her own misgivings, whatever they may be, to focus on today. She plans to erase the dejection entirely from Akko's mind, and replace it with her trademark eagerness and zeal to learn magic once again, without pressuring her in any manner.

And there's one surefire way to accomplish all of those objectives at once.

They reach the exit doors majorly unnoticed, and anyone who does see them together is under the impression that Diana is reprimanding Akko for something, so no one questions their being together.

Diana takes her outside, where the sun is just beginning to set behind distant mountains, but there's still plenty of warm light flooding over the campus. She leads Akko away from the main buildings and into a small patch of grass before finally coming to a halt.

"Do not fret," she says. "You will not be making an effort at flying. You will simply be an observer and secondary participant."

Diana steps one leg over the handle of her broom and lifts her gaze to meet Akko's. With a nod, she silently invites Akko to get into position as well.

Akko gulps a little loudly, though she knows she has no reason to be nervous about riding a broom if Diana is the one flying it.

So she steps close behind her and loops her arms around Diana's stomach, clasping her fingers together. She tries to maintain a few inches of distance between herself and Diana, but there isn't much space on the broom for two people, therefore Akko has to press a bit close.

Diana doesn't mind.

Once she assumes Akko is ready, Diana checks to make sure.

"Have you gotten yourself situated?"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Very well." Gripping the handle of her broom, Diana casts the lift-off spell. "Tia Frerye!"

A familiar, light rush of air envelopes them both as the broom gradually begins to ascend.

Diana keeps the speed slow, as they are in no real rush to get anything accomplished. A small, elated sigh from behind her informs her that Akko has already forgotten whatever had been weighing down her thoughts.

Akko clings a little more tightly to her classmate as the broom lifts them up, and her eyes widen eagerly. Even though she's ridden with Lotte, Sucy, and even Amanda before, taking off as a passenger on someone else's broom never ceases to excite her.

She watches as the world expands below them, until her field of vision encompasses almost all of Luna Nova's campus and the forests beyond. The sunlight hits them directly now, its warm rays unobstructed by tree branches or buildings. The clouds are cottony and pink, and the air is refreshing.

Diana focuses on flying, though she has no set destination in mind. Her only goal today is to help Akko relax and forget about her troubles.

Diana takes them around the main buildings, keeping them high enough where they won't be easily noticeable, but not high enough to be affected by a change in air pressure.

She can hear Akko's little wondrous gasps and sighs from behind herself, which leads Diana to believe her plan is bearing fruit.

Keeping the speed leisurely, Diana continues flying them around Luna Nova, venturing as far out as the forests, but never going where she can't still see the main buildings.

And Akko can't do anything other than enjoy herself. She can't think about her misgivings at the Fountain even if she wants to right now.

The world never ceased to amaze her when she was seeing it from the handle of a broom.

Of course, it had been exciting to fly on Shooting Star on her own, even if she'd gotten a few injuries because of it.

But she much prefers this; being able to fly together with someone else casually, when there isn't a race to win or a dragon to confront.

She feels like she can't look long enough at all the things she wants to see. She wants to appreciate every cloud, every tree, every color, every angle of the world from this elevation. She can't keep the smile off her lips as she tries to engrave all of these image into her memory.

Somewhere along the lines, Akko leans herself forward a little more. She's not even sure if it's a conscious decision or not, but she finds herself with her chest pressed against Diana's back, lightly resting her cheek on her shoulder as she lets out a sigh. Diana's hair is softly tickling her nose, and when she turns her head a little, Akko can just faintly pick up on the sound of Diana's heartbeat.

Akko is quiet for a while as she simply enjoys herself, both in observing the view and in being this close to Diana.

Naturally, however, Diana is inclined to worry if Akko suddenly falls silent in such a manner. Curiously, she peers back over her shoulder, but can only see a flow of brown hair.

"Should you feel we need to land, please inform me."

But Akko merely snuggles closer.

"Mm-mm..." she mumbles. "I'm all right."

Diana can hear the smile in her words, and that's her only indication Akko truly means what she's saying. She trusts Akko will tell her if anything is amiss.

Therefore, Diana opts to continue their flight, maintaining a steady pace around the campus. She can feel Akko's hands tighten a little around her waist as she sighs again and nestles into her back.

Diana has half a mind to tell the girl to sit up straight.

But for whatever reason, she lets it slide.

After all, she realizes she doesn't really have anything to complain about.

As the sun continues to set, Diana can eventually feel a change in Akko's posture. Her grip loosens just a bit, and she becomes much quieter. It isn't long before Diana realizes she's fallen asleep.

"My goodness, this girl..."

Unless Diana wants to land and give Akko a rather rude awakening, her only other option is to keep flying a little longer. But it's a pleasant evening, so she hardly minds.

She is mindful of Akko's grip on her, however, and ensures her weight is steadily balanced so she won't risk falling off. Just to be safe, Diana cups one of her hands over the backs of Akko's where they're positioned around her stomach.

She flies for a while longer, breathing in the refreshing scent of the evening, savoring the final rays of sunlight before the sky begins to turn more dark than light.

It's another fifteen minutes before Diana finally decides to bring their private flight to an end.

Firstly, she purposefully shrugs her shoulders a little so she can wake Akko. The string of little, bubbly snores she's been hearing for a while now suddenly breaks off into confused mumbling.

"H-Hhah? Ouh!" Akko perks up, a little shocked to find herself a few hundred feet off the ground. Diana quickly tightens her hold on Akko's hands so the brunette won't accidentally fall off in her surprise.

"Please refrain from moving too much," she advises. "You fell asleep, but now it is time to head to supper."

"Aw man... I fell asleep, even when I was having so much fun..."

Though Akko begins pouting and reprimanding herself, Diana hides a smile. She's rather relieved that Akko felt comfortable enough around her to fall asleep, despite being hundreds of feet high on the handle of a broomstick. It demonstrates just how much she trusts Diana.

It's now that Akko realizes Diana's hand is over hers. She clams up and blinks, eyes wide, feeling a small blushing heat rise up in her cheeks.

"U-Um, Diana-"

"We will be descending shortly. Prepare yourself."

Diana gradually beings to lower the broom, making wide, slow arcs in a sort of spiral as she brings them down. At last, Akko's shoes can touch solid ground, and she realizes this has been the most easygoing landing she's ever experienced. Usually she's falling off or being thrown off or jumping off in a hurry. But this is the first time she's ever gotten to land so nicely, so calmly.

Diana's hand leaves hers, and Akko quickly, albeit a little reluctantly, lets go of her. Diana straightens herself up the second she can stand, and flips her hair over her shoulder.

"Now then, I hope you have learned something during our session this afternoon."

Akko blinks and tilts her head.

"Learned something? But I thought-"

"Everything is a learning experience. Reflect on it and decide the answer for yourself." Diana rights her broom and closes her eyes, wearing her trademark expression of importance once again. "Now then, this concludes your punishment for today. I expect that tomorrow, you will focus on the lectures in class rather than trivial concerns. Perhaps any observations you have made today will be able to assist you in learning to properly fly your own broom."

Akko perks up immediately.

"Really?!" She all but jumps up and presses her face close to Diana's, until their noses brush. "You think so? Maybe I should try practicing right now!"

Whatever composure Diana had just tried to project is shattered in seconds as she takes a hasty step back.

"It is time for supper right now," she reminds her.

"Oh, right. But maybe tomorrow I can practice! Maybe tomorrow I'll get it right!"

"Do what you will," Diana agrees.

As Akko spins and jumps and twirls around in her glee, Diana takes a moment to regain her composure and smooth out her hair. At last, she instructs Akko to start heading for the building once more.

Before they part ways, Akko gives Diana an unexpected hug.

By this point, after flying for half an hour with Akko holding onto her so tightly, Diana is used to the contact, to the point where she rather enjoys it now. But she doesn't let that much show.

After savoring the embrace for just a few seconds, she paws Akko off.

"Very well then. I shall see you tomorrow, Akko."

"Yeah! You got it, Diana! Thanks!"

Akko scampers off toward the cafeteria to meet Lotte and Sucy, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

All that evening, she tries to reflect on her so-called "lesson" with Diana that afternoon, wondering what she'd learned from it all.

She'd learned how pretty the campus was.

She'd learned Diana's stance and voice when casting the take-off spell.

She'd learned how to maintain the broom's speed, to a certain degree.

But ultimately, she decided there was one thing in particular she'd learned today.

/Diana's hair is really soft./

------------

A/N: I've been wanting to write this scene for a while now and just realized I haven't done it in my longer fics yet so... here's an excuse to do it ahaha

This story might just turn into a collection of unrelated drabbles of these two. I'm not sure yet, so we'll see!