Thanks so much for the responses to this story! Here is the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia.
"There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship."
—Thomas Aquinas
Chapter Two:
Akko struggled up the stone wall, the animated plush bird holding onto her head tightly as she tried to climb her way up to the Leyline Terminal. How did movies make this look so easy? Right now, she should be like Indiana Jones scaling up the wall to steal some sort of treasure but instead she's a slowbro from Pokemon!
She was yanked from her rantings when a branch broke, causing her to fall flat on her back painfully. The ache caused tears to appear in her eyes, and the reality that she would not be making it to Luna Nova after all hung heavy in the air. Her lips quivered, before her eyes narrowed. No! She wouldn't go out like this! She sat up, glaring up at the ceiling. She will get there! She must try harder!
A tap on her shoulder startled her. She yelped and looked up to find another witch with orange hair and glasses gazing down at her in concern. The newcomer started to speak, and Akko focused on her lips.
"Are you a student? If you don't hurry, you'll be expelled for being late." The girl said. This caused alarm in Akko. Expelled?! No one ever told her that! She stood up quickly, the plush clinging to her hair. She turned to the girl, signing frantically.
"I can't fly! What do I do?!" but the girl gave her a curious stare, and Akko almost screamed in frustration before a smile broke out on the girl's face, holding her hands up and replying.
"I'm sorry! I didn't realize you can't hear! For a second, I didn't recognize you were using SSE! I'm used to using BSL for communicating with deaf spirits here! You wouldn't believe how much they appreciate someone to talk to!" the girl gestured. Akko beamed, relief flooding in her body, and she almost cried in happiness.
"It's okay! I'm A-K-K-O!" Akko excitedly signed. The girl smiled.
"A-K-K-O? What sign do you use for your name?" the other witch asked. Akko demonstrated the JSL sign for a by curling her fingers into a fist with her thumb jutting out to the side, her palm facing the other witch and finishing by bending her fingers in a ninety-degree angle with her thumb pointing towards her for ko. The other girl copied her signs, repeating the motion a few times to make sure she was doing it correctly. Akko grinned, nodding that she was doing it right.
"It's nice to meet you, Akko! My name is L-O-T-T-E!" the orange haired girl, Lotte, introduced herself by demonstrating the gestures for her name. Akko imitated the signals, and Lotte grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "You said you can't fly?" Lotte asked her, quickly making the gestures. Akko scrunched up her face and asked for her to repeat it as she is still learning SSE. Lotte repeated her question, finger-spelling certain words, and Akko's eyes lit up in understanding.
"Yes! I can't fly! I didn't know we were supposed to fly there! I'm not from a witch family!" Akko hurriedly explained with her hands. Lotte nodded.
"Don't worry! We can go together!" Lotte offered, the gestures making Akko squeal and hug her in joy, signing gratitude over and over. They boarded Lotte's broom together, and the bird plush laid on Akko's head, ready for flight. "Tia Freyre!" Lotte shouted. Akko gasped when they lifted into the air suddenly, soaring high above the ground. She gripped Lotte tightly, afraid she'll fall off. They flew through the magical highway. However, the ride turned rickety and they held onto the broom tight.
"I guess we're over capacity!" Lotte fretted to herself, knowing that Akko can't hear her and is probably scared. She placed a hand on one of the ones holding her waist and squeezed it to try to reassure the girl. The broom bucked again, and Lotte held Akko's hand tighter, feeling the girl trembling.
Akko clutched Lotte tight as they were knocked around. The plush held onto her desperately while they flew. Suddenly, a huge bout of turbulence struck them, making the girls scream. Some of their stuff was lost in the magical highway. Akko made a noise when she saw her Shiny Chariot card fly away. 'My treasure!'
"Oh no!" Lotte cried, holding on tight as the broom was knocked around. The animated bird plush was knocked off, and Akko screamed.
"Birdy-san!" without thinking, she dove off the broom after him. Lotte's eyes widened in horror.
"Akko!" she yelled in distress as she saw the girl tumble away. She maneuvered her broom to chase the falling girl.
Sucy was leisurely flying along the Leyline Terminal reading a book about the legendary Forest of Arcturus. Suddenly, she was pegged in the face by the animated plush she brought to life. It squirmed and clutched her tightly. A shout rang above her and the girl she met earlier face planted straight into her, causing them to be thrown out of Leyline.
A giant white bird with a yellow puff on his chest cracked an eye open, sensing something amiss. He called to his mistress, wanting her attention for the disturbance he felt. The blue haired woman turned to the bird.
"What's wrong, Alcol?" Ursula asked, curious. Alcol cawed again, and Ursula shut the window, blocking all light and summoning her crystal sphere. The sphere alit with all the constellations and a map was formed. A glowing dot on the map caught her attention and her eyes widened.
"No way! In the forest of Arcturus?" she exclaimed, immediately gathering her broom to fly there.
Akko groaned, knowing she would be feeling this pain for a while. The branches broke, and she tumbled to the ground in a flop, landing onto something soft.
Yes, she would definitely be feeling this pain for a while…
She felt something light tickle her nose. Akko gasped in excitement when she found it was her Shiny Chariot card. She clutched it close, happy she didn't lose it. Nevertheless, the realization that Birdy-san wasn't with her made her jump up, hastily searching for him.
Sucy rose up from where Akko landed, glaring at the girl. She grabbed the back of Akko's scarf, pulling her to face her. Akko's eyes widened in alarm.
"You're a real pain in the neck." Sucy told her. She was shocked, however, when Akko looked remorseful. She reached into her jacket, pulling out her notepad and scribbling something on it. She handed it to Sucy, who raised an eyebrow.
I'm sorry, it read, please help me find Birdy-san.
"Birdy-san?" Sucy questioned. Akko drew a picture of her plush and presented it to the other witch. "That bird was meant to torture you. Why do you want it back?"
Birdy-san is my friend! Akko wrote. I don't leave my friends behind!
"Ah, it seems you didn't come alone." Sucy told her, turning her head to the side where she appeared to have heard something. Akko furrowed her brow, walking toward the direction Sucy was looking. She gasped when she caught sight of Lotte. Akko raced towards Lotte, already signing out questions on her wellbeing. Lotte replied that she was fine. "Hey Lotte, is she really deaf?" Sucy asked her roommate.
Lotte looked indignant at her roommate, signing as she talked to Sucy so Akko could understand what she was saying too.
"Sucy, that's really rude! And don't talk about Akko like she isn't here!" Lotte reprimanded, her signing was vigorous to show her fury as she talked. Sucy just gave her a deadpan stare.
"She can't hear me, so it doesn't matter. She can't even speak English correctly." Sucy commented. Akko scoffed and began signing.
"Don't count me out, Sucy! I may not be able to hear but I can read lips, jerk!"
Lotte translated for Akko, and Sucy shrugged.
"Just saying. Never heard of a deaf witch before. Doubt you'll make it far though." Sucy told her. Akko's eye twitched and was furiously signing stuff Lotte didn't think appropriate to translate.
"I wonder why the Leyline was so rough…" Lotted mused out. She turned towards Akko, asking her, "Did you happen to have any salt on you while we were in the air?"
Akko furrowed her brow, thinking, before reaching into her pocket and presenting a jar, signing.
"Like pickled plums?"
Lotte's eyes widened, hastily signing.
"Salt makes Leyline sensitive! If you were by yourself, you could've been hurt really badly!" Lotte fretted. Akko paled, tossing the jar away in fright.
"No one told me anything! How was I supposed to know all of this?! It's like they were setting me up to fail!" Akko furiously signed, irritation clear on her face, and she kicked a tree. Sucy just watched them sign back and forth in boredom.
"Where are we?" Lotte asked aloud, signing at the same time. Akko shrugged.
"We're in the Forest of Arcturus." Sucy informed them blankly. Akko titled her head, mouthing the title. Lotte gasped.
"The Forbidden Forest?!" Lotte exclaimed. Akko blinked, gesturing her question.
"What do you mean?"
"This is an ancient legendary forest. A holy place protected by magic trees." Lotte explained, fear gripping her as she signed. "Even for a witch it's hard to get out of here!" she panicked, beginning to hyperventilate. Akko rushed forward and placed her hands on Lotte's cheeks, caressing her face. She took deep breaths, watching Lotte do the same. Successfully calming her friend, Akko released her.
"We'll get out." Akko said with certainty, gazing at both Sucy and Lotte. "Find Birdy-san. Then leave." She spoke.
"Birdy-san?" Lotte asked. Sucy sighed.
"I animated a bird plush to tease her and she ended up getting attached like an idiot." Sucy supplied the information. Lotte giggled a bit.
"Let's find Birdy-san then!" Lotte replied verbally, signing as well to include Akko. Akko smiled, thanking her. They began trekking through the trees, the eerie feeling of the forest causing chills down their spines. Nonetheless, Sucy was the only one who didn't appear bothered by the situation, but Lotte knew that rarely anything bothered Sucy. She heard a squeak and stopped Akko and Sucy. She listened intently, hearing the squeak again, and pointed. "I heard something over there!"
They came across items scattered across the ground, and Akko squealed, realizing it was her stuff. There was Birdy-san, fretting at his environment. Akko raced over and held out her arms. Birdy-san flapped over to her, pecking her eye again. Akko yelped, clutching her eye as the plush settled into her head, comfortable at last. Akko glared up at the plush, but soon grinned, patting him on the head.
"Welcome back, Birdy-san!" Akko spoke her native tongue. She began gathering her other things hurriedly, before her attention was drawn to a huge flower. She stared in wonder as the plant moved, never seeing something like this before. Suddenly, the petals opened, hungry for her, and Akko screamed. She was yanked back by Lotte, who pulled her along as they fled.
'What is that thing?!' Akko yelled in her mind as she gripped Lotte's hand, Birdy-san holding her hair for dear life. The plant's tendrils sprang from the ground and pursued them. Sucy led them across the forest, diving through the trees. Lotte guided Akko as Sucy directed them, not wanting Akko to get hurt. They tumbled down a ditch, successfully losing the monster plant. Akko sighed in relief, turning towards Sucy for further direction, but finding she was examining something on the ground.
Sucy began forming a plan in her mind when she caught sight of a cockatrice's footprint. She grinned, seeing merit to being her after all. Lotte was distracted, looking out for the mandrake, so Akko was left alone. Sucy laid rope on the ground and tapped Akko on her shoulder. The girl gave her an inquisitive expression. Sucy gestured her fingers to come closer, and Akko obliged, standing in the middle of the rope ring. The witch grinned, uncapping one of her potion. "Juras Haras Haras." She spoke, pouring the potion on the rope. Akko gasped when the rope came to life, entrapping her like a hamster in a hamster ball.
"Sucy! What are you doing?!" Lotte shouted, racing over to where Akko was trapped. She tried pulling apart the rope, but it wouldn't budge. Sucy ignored Lotte, speaking to Akko.
"I want you to yell Kutchur Katela Flala." Sucy commanded. Lotte turned her head towards Sucy.
"Will that help us find a path out of here?" Lotte asked her roommate. Sucy ignored her, waiting for Akko to speak.
"Kutchur Hara Hara?" Akko squinted, trying to formulate the words. Sucy gave her a glare.
"Kutchur Katela Flala! Say it with feeling!" Sucy demanded. Akko glared, determined to do this if it will get them out of here, Sucy's words from before saying that she wouldn't make it far appearing in her mind. She would prove Sucy wrong!
"Kutchur Katela Flala!" Akko screamed at the top of her lungs. Lotte wondered what spell that was and turned towards Sucy.
"Nothing's happening. What does it mean?" she asked the pink haired girl. Lotte jumped when she heard a deafening roar. Sucy grinned, boarding her broom.
"It means 'Hey stupid! If you don't like it, eat me!'" Sucy informed, casting a flying spell. "Don't worry, Lotte. You still have your broom, so you can escape." Sucy added. Lotte shrieked when she saw a giant chicken head appear from the trees. Akko saw her frightened expression and turned around, screaming when she saw the giant chicken. Lotte and she tried to pull apart the rope, but nothing was working. The giant chicken came closer, and Lotte felt horror seize her heart that Akko was going to die, and she was too if she didn't fly away. Akko saw Lotte desperately trying to break the rope and made the decision for them.
"Go! Now!" and she climbed on the ball, propelling it forward like a wheel. Lotte hopped onto her broom, fleeing out of the way fast enough for the cockatrice to miss her and Akko. Akko ran as fast as she could, with Lotte following behind to try to keep her safe. The cockatrice took a breath, and Lotte dove down, bumping the rope ball out of the way, narrowly missing getting hit. Akko and Lotte gasped, realizing the breath turns things to stone, and increased their speeds.
Meanwhile, Sucy was struggling to grasp one of the cockatrice's feathers. She grinned at the prospect of having one in her possession. As a poison master, a cockatrice's feather contains lethal poison and she could imagine all the concoctions she could make with such a prize. Finally, she was able to grasp one, yanking hard to pull it from the cockatrice.
The beast cried, and Sucy's victory was short-lived when the giant chicken turned its beady eyes in her direction. The cockatrice readied its breath, with Sucy rapidly maneuvering her broom to dodge the onslaught of stone breath.
"Can't stop!" Akko shouted, trying to skid to a stop, but only was causing her friction, making her cry in pain. Lotte flew after her, reaching out to grasp the rope prison as it tumbled. Her fingers grazed the trap, burning her hand from the friction, and she cried, retracting her hand. Yet, determination rose within her to stop Akko from getting hurt, and she threw herself off her broom, landing on the ball in motion, and immediately felt the white-hot pain as she rolled with it in a desperate attempt to slow it down.
"Lotte!" Akko yelled in horror. Then she was flung forward, the rope ball colliding with a tree, shattering it, and the two girls were hurled straight—almost plummeting over a cliff. Thanks to quick reflexes, Akko was able to grab Lotte with one hand and the side of the cliff with her other while Birdy-san clung to her tightly. Panic erupted in her when she saw Lotte wasn't moving, hurriedly pulling her body towards Akko's so she could clutch her close.
Lotte moaned in agony, cracking her eyes open to see Akko gazing down at her in worry. With little strength, she grasped Akko just as close, afraid to fall. She brought a hand out to sign, but Akko shook her head.
"You hurt. Don't move." Akko commanded.
"I… it hurts to move." Lotte confessed weakly. She felt tears come to her eyes. "I… I'm scared. I don't think I can walk." She wasn't sure if Akko understand her or not, but she seemed to have gotten the jist of what Lotte said, narrowing her eyes, resolve shining in them.
"No give up!" Akko shouted, and Lotte winced at the volume. Akko pulled them up from the side of the cliff, and Lotte was shocked that Akko didn't even hesitate to carry her on her back while Birdy-san clutched to her hair the entire time, not wanting to lose Akko again. "Won't leave you behind! Birdy-san and you are friends! Don't leave friends behind ever!" Lotte watched Akko in awe as she spoke. Akko remembered Shiny Chariot's words with clarity, the sound echoing in her mind. "Our story's not over! Reach out! Story begins!" Akko proclaimed she trekked the hill, carrying both Lotte and Birdy-san.
'My story isn't done! It's just gotten started! Lotte, Sucy, Birdy-san! All our stories are not going to end here!' Akko asserted fiercely. They reached the top of the hill, and something sparkled, catching the girls' attention. Birdy-san flapped his wings excitedly while Akko stared at what appeared to be a staff. Her ruby eyes lit up in recognition. She knew this wand!
'Chariot's magic wand!'
Lotte jumped at the cockatrice's roar and Akko felt her tense and the ground tremble. Looking forward, she saw Sucy still struggling to evade the monster's stone breath. An idea came into her mind, and she speedily placed Lotte in a safe spot. Akko removed Birdy-san from her hair and placed him on Lotte's head.
"Protect Lotte!" she told Birdy-san, who squeaked and nodded, to show he understood. Akko retrieved Chariot's magic wand, holding it close to her for a source of strength. Running towards the monster, Akko cried. "Kutchur Katela Flala!"
The cockatrice stopped pursuing Sucy and directed its attention to Akko. The girl then grinned, sticking her tongue out at the creature.
"Dumb bird!" she taunted, feeling the ground shake from the cockatrice's roar. Using the ground's vibrations, she was able to tell the cockatrice was following her rapidly. She climbed and dove towards her destination, praying she knew what she was doing. The cockatrice kept up pace with her, trying to peck her to death. Akko dodged, diving in between the beast's legs to avoid the hit. She tumbled away from it, clinging to the wand like a life preserver.
She watched the monster struggling to move. She gave a whoop of delight when the smoke cleared, showing her plan worked and the cockatrice was caught in the vicious plant's clutches from earlier. She felt the animal's roar shaking the ground, but it didn't bother her. Though, she jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Sucy was hovering next to her, holding Lotte's form in front of her while Birdy-san clung to Lotte to make her feel better. Sucy gestured her to come closer.
"Hop on." She said. Akko grinned, understanding what she was saying, and quickly climbed behind Sucy, holding her tight to her, in an effort to convey gratitude. Sucy felt herself smile, warmth nestling in her chest at the gesture, and patted one of Akko's hands. They soared through the air and away from the trapped cockatrice.
"Thank you, Sucy." Akko whispered, and Sucy felt the warmth spread, the soothing sound of her name coming from Akko a pleasure she didn't think was possible. A genuine smile bloomed on her features, and she found she liked the sound of Akko's voice.
A roar pierced the air, and Sucy squeezed Akko's hand to let her know they had trouble. Akko clutched tighter to Sucy to make sure she didn't fall off. The brown-haired girl glanced behind her, eyes widening when the cockatrice sprang from the forest, flying towards them.
Fire rained down on them while the cockatrice breathed fire. Akko yelped, feeling the heat behind her and panicked when she saw the broom caught fire.
Ursula pursued the cockatrice and the three witches fleeing from it.
"Why are they here?!" Ursula exclaimed. She saw the three dodging the fire blows with little success, their broom catching fire. The girl in the back was clutching a staff tightly, and Ursula's eyes widened, memories filling her.
"Shiny Rod!"
The witches were knocked from their broom, plummeting through the sky. Horror gripped Ursula as she rushed towards the falling students.
"Say the words!" she shouted, beseeching the young girl who was holding the Shiny Rod. However, it appeared she didn't hear her. Ursula increased her speed.
Akko screamed, the air rushing past her while rapidly descending from the sky. She thought of her parents, and how sad they'll be when they find out their daughter was gone. She thought of her schoolmates who will miss her in Japan. She thought about Lotte and Sucy, and how she pulled them into this mess. If only she could save them! She needed to save them!
"What a troublesome kid. Just believe and it shall be done."
Akko's eyes snapped open, sound penetrating her world of silence. Her mouth dropped open, her heart pounding. She could hear this person's voice!
"Don't just gape! You know the words!" the voice commanded her. Shiny Rod was glowing, and her eyes widened. A flash of Shiny Chariot appeared in her mind, her mouth forming the words.
'Noctu Orfei…' mind visualized Chariot reciting the words, the bow that was conjured, 'Aude..'
She saw it, the magical portal in the sky. It was right there in her mind as clear as day. Her mind reached out and grasped firmly at the image. Her feelings overwhelmed her—her desire for her and her friends to be safe resonating through her entire being.
'Fraetor!' she screamed in her mind.
Light burst forth from the Shiny Rod, incasing it while it changed shape. She pulled the arrow back, the gateway portal in her mind's eye.
'Shiny Arc!'
Akko let loose the arrow, striking true, and opening up another dimension. Her, Sucy, Lotte, and Birdy-san fell through, Akko's eyes shining with amazement at all the images passing by her eyes. Their speed increased the further they fell. Akko had no idea where it was taking them, but she knew it would be somewhere safe. Her eyes drooped, exhaustion seeping into her, and she felt herself be succumbed by slumber.
"You did good, kid." The voice congratulated her before everything went black.
Akko cracked her eyes open, blinking a couple of times to focus. When she saw Sucy staring down at her, she sat up quickly, before feeling woozy and Sucy caught her before she hit her head.
"We're in our dorm room." Sucy told her, handing her a pen and notepad. Akko sluggishly jotted down her response.
What happened?
"Well apparently you opened a portal connecting us right to orientation. You and Lotte were passed out so that left me to explain to the teachers what happened." Sucy explained. Akko blinked, realizing what that meant and quickly wrote down her response.
Are we expelled?
Sucy shook her head.
"No. They took Lotte to the infirmary for the night and you were just passed out from exhaustion, so they put you with me. What a pain I have to watch you all night to make sure you don't get worse."
Where's Shiny rod?
"Oh, that staff? Right over there. You were clutching it so hard, even passed out no one could take it from you until we were alone, and I loosened up your fingers with a slippery potion." Sucy stated, pointing to where the Shiny Rod was. Akko got up with Sucy's assistance, walking over to it and picking it up, inspecting it. She turned to Sucy, speaking.
"Heard voice." She said while Sucy raised her visible eyebrow.
"I thought you can't hear though. How can you hear a voice? Can you hear mine?" Sucy asked with interest. Akko shook her head.
"No. Reading your lips." This made Sucy sigh, and Akko couldn't read what she was thinking through her vacant expression.
"You're a strange one." Sucy stated finally, then turning to go to bed. Akko watched her get under the covers, leaving her to her thoughts. Akko gazed down at the Shiny Rod, wrinkling her brow.
She knew she heard a voice. She wasn't imagining things. Question was: How?
Akko was brought out of her musings by Birdy-san pecking her hand. She glanced down at the plush who was watching her. She gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry." She said, petting his head. She went back to her own bunk, climbing under the covers, Birdy-san keeping close. Akko snuggled Birdy-san as she drifted off to sleep.
What do you guys think? Was it okay? Thank you for such a positive response such as reviews, favorites, and follows!
Replies to Reviews:
TAWOGfan2000- thank you! I hope you liked this chapter
Ash Teal- thank you very much!
sleepyhobo10- thanks! This will probably be adding some different stuff than the show, so I hope that is okay.
baka-akko- there will moments where people do mistreat akko but she will also have people who care about her.
Wolfrum- hope you liked this chapter
YuriTrash5ever- thank you very much!
Insanity's Writer- thank you! I hope this chapter was okay
Egnarregnar- sorry. I was really tired, so I decided to just end it there. Hopefully this chapter is better