A.N : Hum... So, yeah... It's been a while, huh ? ...

I'm really sorrryyyyyy !

I wanted to post it last week, but writing the chapter in French already took me longer than I thought, so translating was pushed back as well and other stuff happened...

But now it's finished ! FINALLY ! I hope you'll like it !

Chapter 2 : The cure

« Sucy ! »

Hearing her name, the girl raised her head from her book about the different usages of the bay of mists' flower to see her teammate, Atsuko Kagari, running toward her, one of their classmate and beloved enemies, Barbara Parker, following her, holding the Japanese girl's hand. Sucy smirked : looked like her potion worked.

"So Akko, are you satisfied of the result ?

- Satisfied ?! Are you kidding me ? I thought it wasn't a love potion ! answered Akko as she tried to conceal her rage so Barbara, who was left a few feet away, doesn't hear her.

- I said it wasn't just an extract of the Love Love Bee's poison, not that the potion wouldn't make her fall for you. You must have noticed some differences : her feelings are more tangible than the ones induced by a sting of Love Love Bee and the effect lasts longer.

- That's the point : when does it stop ? Or even better, can you make an antidote ?

- The effect is permanent. I can make an antidote, but it will cost your participation in seven other experiments.

- Alright, alright, but do it quickly !

- Are you sure ? She doesn't look too bad and it would be pretty useful to have her as your girlfriend, especially if you want to pay Hannah back for what she did.

- I don't want to pay them back like that, it's way too horrible ! They don't deserve it. Please, make this antidote.

- As you wish."

Sucy stood up and told Akko :

"It'll take an hour to come back with the cure, so stay with her and keep her busy during that time.

- Understood !"

Akko saluted like her father taught her, but Sucy was already heading to their dorm room. Relieved that she was able to convince her friend, Akko let out a sigh and turned towards Barbara who was going through a book about magical creatures. The brown haired girl was still troubled by the kiss her classmate gave her -or rather stole from her ?- : it only lasted a second, but she had perfectly felt the softness of those lips and the feelings born from Sucy's potion. Akko sighed again : she had been able to bring Barbara to the library without any other incident, but if she had to keep the girl company for an hour, she wasn't sure she could keep her under control.

Taking a deep breath to give her courage -which, unfortunately, wasn't enough to calm her nerves-, the brunette walked towards her classmate who smiled as soon as she saw her.

"Akko ! Were you able to talk to Sucy ?

- Yes-Yes and she's very-very happy for us ! She had something to do, fee-feed her carnivorous plants I think, but she'll come back soon, so why-why don't sit at a table and wait for her ?"

Akko was so nervous that she was not only stuttering, but also shaking, cheeks certainly red from embarrassment. Barbara noticed it and came closer to the brunette, putting her hand on Akko's forehead to check her temperature. With a little shriek, the Japanese girl took a step back, surprised by the contact. Barbara seemed sad to see the one she thought she was in love with reject her like that, but Akko started talking before the other girl could open her mouth :

"So ! Huh, since we made peace, maybe we could learn more about each other, what do you think ? How about you tell me more about you ? Where do you live for example ?"

Barbara looked a bit surprise by the brunette's request, but she quickly smiled and enthusiastically answered the question as she accompanied Akko to the table Sucy previously occupied. The girls made small talk for a while until Lotte, who went to search for numerology manuals before they arrived, joined them. She didn't need to see the strange mimics Akko made while Barbara wasn't looking to understand that Sucy's potion had -once again- caused a disaster, so she just joined the discussion as if everything was normal and soon, she was talking about Nightfall with her classmate. Akko smiled again : at least, if this weird series was the subject of the conversation, keeping the black haired witch occupied for an hour would be easy.

oooOOOooo

"I'm back.

- Finally ! You took so long !

- If you keep complaining, I won't be willing to help you anymore, you know ?

- Urgh…"

Akko sunk back in her seat, defeated, just as Lotte and Barbara turned towards the girl who just arrived, finally noticing her presence. Deciding to start with a good impression, the black haired witch addressed the potionnist :

"Su-Sucy ! I-I know I've been cruel to Akko… and Lotte and you since the start of the year, but I'm really sorry and I-

- If you're sorry, then prove it.

- Par-Pardon ?"

The girl was surprised : Sucy rarely spoke, even with Akko and Lotte, so she didn't expect the poison fan to interrupt her as she tried to apologise.

"Akko told me what happened. If you want me to believe you, you'll have to drink this."

As she said that, Sucy took a little vial out of one of her pockets : it contained a transparent liquid that looked like water, but with the pink haired girl, it was hard to believe that the substance was inoffensive. Barbara gulped loudly as she -very- hesitantly reached out to take the bottle.

"How could drinking this prove you that I really love Akko ?

- All I can tell you is that this won't cause you any permanent damage. But not that it won't do anything to you. If you just want to make fun of Akko, it isn't worth taking the risk to drink this, but if you really love her, you can find courage in your heart to go through this and blah, blah, blah. It's an old kind of challenge two people have to go through if they want to marry each other. You're not there yet, but knowing you, this is the bare minimum to make sure that you're not planning something."

Once again, Barbara gulped. Behind her, Lotte and Akko shared a look. They knew that Sucy was a good liar, but this tradition story was a really good one.

Taking a deep breath, Barbara opened the bottle and drank the potion all at once. The young witches waited a few seconds for an effect, neither really knowing what to expect. After a while, Sucy asked :

"So, you're really in love with Akko ?

- Yes !"

Barbara answered without the hint of an hesitation. Akko felt her jaw drop : why didn't Sucy's potion work ?! Barbara won't be in love with her forever, will she ?!

Squinting her only visible eye, Sucy glared at Akko over their classmate's shoulder before facing the black haired witch again.

"Alright. If you'll excuse me a minute, I need to talk to Akko.

- Huh ? Yes, of course… But-

- You can just talk about vampires and werewolves with Lotte during that time."

With these words, the potionnist took her friend by the ear and pulled her behind a bookcase against which she pushed Akko. There, the glare came back full power.

"How much potion did you give her ?

- Huh…"

The brunette didn't dare lie to her friend, she was really too scary.

"The entire bottle…

- Tch."

Sucy looked really angry. Akko wanted to make herself as small as she could in hope of escaping her teammate's punishment, but it wasn't like she could have so much luck, was it ? The potionnist put her hands on each side of Akko's head, trapping her against the bookshelf.

"What did I say, huh ? Half. A. Bottle.

- I know, I know, it was an accident !

- Well, too bad for you. Because of your stupidity, the antidote doesn't work.

- What ?! That can't be true ! There has to be a way to fix this, right ?!"

Akko started to panic : she didn't want to spoil Barbara's life, it had never been her intention ! There HAD to be a way to make things right !

"The only way would be to give her a proof of true love, like a kiss.

- … Huh ?

- The main ingredient in this potion is an extract of the Love Love Bee's poison to which I added different kinds of animal parts and plants to nuance and reinforce its effect. But as I did my research, I discovered that the bee's poison can be countered by "true love". With my antidote, it should be able to cancel the spell.

- Really ?!

- Either that or Barbara will really be in love with you for the rest of her life. It better works.

- So I need to find someone who can offer Barbara a proof of true love…

- Not like it's hard. But you have to bring her here as soon as possible. The sooner Barbara gets her kiss, the more chances it has to work. The difficult part will be to explain her what you did."

Sucy snickered as she imagined Akko telling this person about the situation. The brunette groaned.

"I'll be lucky if I can even say something before getting killed…

- Oh ? Did I miss something ?

- Yeah… And because of that, I'm pretty sure she wants my head now.

- Kukukuku… It sure looks like things will get interesting…

- You tell me about it, whined Akko."

The Japanese girl shook herself. She didn't have time to feel sorry for herself, lives were at stake ! With renewed motivation, Akko walked towards the library's doors, exclaiming like a promise :

"Here I come, Hannah !"

oooOOOooo

"Here I come, Hannah !" yes, but after a solid half an hour of search. The school was huge and Akko had no idea where her classmate went after seeing her with Barbara. It was only thanks to her luck that she spotted her in a secluded part of the gardens as she was passing by a window on the second floor. Without that, she would have spent hours searching !

The girl's heart missed a beat as she noticed blonde and green hair next to the redhead. If Diana was with Hannah, the situation could get really embarrassing. The brunette shook her head : she didn't have time to think about that, she had to fix her mistake ! With increased determination, Akko went down the stairs leading to the gardens.

oooOOOooo

Hannah was sitting on a stone bench, arms resting on her legs and head low, totally defeated. Diana was trying to comfort her with a hand on the redhead's back and reassuring words, but since she didn't know what put her friend in such a state, it was hard to really help her. The blonde raised her head when she noticed someone coming towards them ; she was surprised to see it was Atsuko Kagari. The red team's member seemed determined, to what, Diana had no idea, but no matter what Akko wanted, she couldn't let Hannah alone in such a state. As such, when the brunette was close enough to hear, Diana addressed her :

"Akko, it isn't really the best time to-

- On the contrary, it's the perfect time ! Come on thingy, stand up ! screamed Akko as she knelt down in front of Hannah and started to snap her fingers near the girl's face."

After a few seconds, the redhead raised her head and glared intensely at her classmate before suddenly punching her in the face, making Akko fall to the ground with a bleeding nose. Shocked, Diana couldn't react in any way before her friend stood up, hovering above the brown-haired witch who was holding her painful nose.

"What do you want ?! Don't you have anything else to do aside from bothering me ?! Spending time with your girlfriend for example ?!"

Akko tried to ignore Diana's lost -and hurt ?- look as well as her own embarrassment and the pain in her nose to get back up and reply :

"She's not my girlfriend, dumbass ! And I need you to-

- Need me ?! Are you kidding me ?! As if I'd do anything for you !

- If you could just listen for a sec-

- NO ! Run before I punch you again, loser ! I've nothing to say to such a-"

Angry, Akko didn't wait for the redhead to finish her sentence before she sent a headbutt in her nose. Holding back a scream, Hannah stumbled backwards, her nose still in better shape than Akko's since it didn't bleed.

"Stop being such an idiot ! yelled Akko, tired of Hannah's stubbornness. What you saw was Barbara under one of Sucy's potion's effect and we need you to cancel it !

- Sucy's potion… ? She should be able to make an antidote, right ?

- She made one, but I messed up the doses with the first potion, so we need to double it with a proof of true love if we want Barbara to come back to normal.

- A proof of true love… ?

- Yeah, a kiss if you prefer. And I stop you right now, it's been weeks since the entire school understood that you have a crush on her so no need to deny it and if it can reassure you, it's more than obvious, safe for you apparently, that she likes you back, so honestly, you don't really risk anything. So now, you come with me !"

Akko took her classmate by the wrist and pulled her towards the library, ignoring Hannah's shouts telling her to let her go and Diana's astounded look, the latter deciding to follow them even though she didn't understand everything.

oooOOOooo

Ten minutes later, the three girls had reached their destination. Hidden behind a bookcase, they observed Lotte and Barbara chatting as Sucy went back from another part of the room with a book in her hand. Akko made sure that the black haired witch couldn't see her before trying to draw the potionnist's attention to her with big waves and strange mimics supposed to tell her teammate that she had to join them behind the bookshelf. Far from impressed -maybe even more jaded than usual-, Sucy sighed and turned towards the two Nightfall fans :

"Hey you two, can you take a break ? I need Lotte to help me search a book about fairies.

- Sorry ? Oh yes, of course. I'll wait for you here, Barbara replied with a smile."

Lotte didn't try to discuss it and followed her teammate to the place where the others were hiding while her new friend went back to her book about magical beasts. Now that everyone was there, the five girls discussed their plan.

"So, Sucy, you're the expert : what should Hannah do ? asked Akko.

- Make out with her girlfriend.

- WHAT-"

Akko quickly put her hand on the redhead's mouth to muffle her scream before checking on Barbara to make sure that she didn't notice them. By some miracle, the girl didn't raise her head and was still reading her book. With a sigh, the brunette turned to glare at Hannah.

"You want her to find us ?! You'll probably have only one chance, so try to not spoil it by alarming Barbara with your screaming !"

Finally getting out of her scapegoat's grip, Hannah spat out :

"We wouldn't be there if you didn't use Miss Freak's potion to play with Barbara's feelings ! I really wonder why I didn't punch you again ye-

- Hannah, stop, intervened Diana. I understand that you are angry, but the most important matter right now is to give Barbara her true feelings and emotions back. Sucy, you made an antidote if I understood correctly ?

- Yeah, she took it less than an hour ago so it's still effective. What we need now is to couple it with an act of true love, so : Hannah, make out with Barbara.

- Urgh, the redhead groaned, could you stop staying it like that ? It's pretty… vulgar.

- Wonderful, another mushy one, complained Sucy with her usual disinterested look.

- Stop that Sucy, it will be their first kiss, of course Hannah would like it to be more romantic ! countered Lotte.

- I still can't believe you two never kissed, noticed Akko. I mean, it's pretty obvious you have a crush on each other.

- And I want to precise that we didn't tell anything to Akko, she noticed it all on her own, so you really are unable to hide your feelings, added Sucy.

- Okay, okay, I get it ! But we've known each other for so long and we're so close, maybe you're just over interpreting some things !

- Hannah, started Diana as she placed herself in front of her teammate to look her right in the eye. I do not usually pry into other people's lives, but with the situation we are in, it seems that I do not have any other choice. And I have many examples that prove that Barbara is head over heels for you.

- Like what ?

- Hannah, you take your baths together. In the same bathtub. There is no platonic explanation for that.

- But-

- No. No one does that with their siblings and if they do that with their best friend, they usually end up dating them.

- It's not-

- You sleep together almost every two nights. No matter the movie, you always cling to each other as you watch it. The first dishes Barbara learned to cook were not her favourites, but yours. Dogs terrify her, especially yours, but it never stopped her from visiting you when you were ill. Each and every time your eyes meet, you look so hopelessly in love with each other that I just want to lock you in a room so you can kiss and finally calm down this constant tension between you two. And just last week, I caught Barbara writing your name and doodling little hearts all around it on an entire page of her numerology notebook. So now, dare tell me she's not in love with you.

- Huh…"

Hannah was as red as Akko's eyes and seemed unable to talk. Taking her silence as an answer, Diana continued :

"That's what I thought. So now you are going to go talk to her, confess to her because potion or not, there is a proper way to do these things and kiss her. Understood ?

- Ye-Yes… Ma'am…

- Good. Now, go on."

With some hesitation, Hannah walked around the bookshelf to face the table where Barbara was sitting. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and took a few steps to get closer to her friend.

"Huh… Barbara ?"

The young witch turned her head to look at her teammate and smiled upon seeing her.

"Hannah ! Where were you ? I didn't see you at all this afternoon !

- Ah, huh, I, I had… something… to do, answered Hannah while looking away and scratching the back of her neck. Yeah, that's it. Something.

- Alright. There's something I need to tell you, could you sit down for a minute ?"

Hannah gulped loudly. No need to be a genius to know what Barbara wanted to tell her, that was the reason she was in such a situation to begin with. Her heart clenched painfully as she noticed the spark of happiness in her best friend's eyes : it was because of Sucy's potion, these false feelings toward Akko, but this spark was so real, Barbara's smile so genuine… Could she really make her beloved that happy ? Even if Diana and the others told her that Barbara returned her feelings, she couldn't help but doubt. What if it didn't work ? What if Akko ended up falling for Barbara as well ? Would she be condemned to seeing her best friend being happy without her, making her life with someone else ? The mere idea brought tears to the redhead's eyes and made her want to run away. But for some reason, some hope she didn't dare admit to herself, her legs refused to move. Hannah raised her head to send a look full of determination to Barbara : she couldn't give up before she even tried.

Surprised by her friend's intense glare, the black haired witch didn't protest when the redhead took her hands in hers and pulled at it to make her stand up. She didn't dare say a word either as Hannah took a deep breath and, while keeping the girl's hands in hers, confessed :

"Barbara. There's something I should have told you a long time ago, but I was scared that you didn't feel the same way about me and we wouldn't be friends after that. How I feel about you… It's more than friendship. I love to see you smile and laugh, even when we're not together I can't stop thinking about you and when you stand next to me, I feel… complete, as if these were the only moments where things… are finally right. The only moments where I feel right. With you. I would do anything to make you happy, to make sure you'll never be sad or afraid ever again. Because… I love you, Barbara."

Hannah's eyes were firmly staring at Barbara's as she finally said the magic words that had been trapped in her throat for so long, dreaming of going out in the open, but held back by fear and embarrassment. Her love returned her gaze, eyes sparkling, cheeks tainted pink and hands squeezing the redhead's.

"Hannah…"

And for a second, she believed. She believed everything her classmates told her. She believed Barbara would return her feelings.

But a veil fell across the girl's eyes and her next words broke Hannah's heart.

"… I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings. I'm already in love with Akko."

The red haired girl felt like crying, but tears didn't come. Her legs were weak, but she didn't fall. She felt… disconnected from her own body. It wasn't supposed to go like that…

Then, she remembered Sucy's words : "Only an act of true love"… An act… No matter how strong her feelings for Barbara were, she couldn't just express them with mere words. She needed to show them to her friend.

A new fire burning in her eyes, Hannah pulled on Barbara's hands to bring her as close as possible. Too surprised to resist, the girl could only stare at her friend, her hands on the redhead's shoulders as the other witch wrapped an arm around her waist and her other hand found its way to the back of her head, fingers threading through black, silky locks, apologising :

"Sorry, Barbara… It's the only way for my feelings to really reach you…"

And Hannah firmly pressed her lips against her friend's. The black haired witch didn't even try to resist, but the redhead still reinforced her grip as she deepened the kiss. Kissing Barbara was… incredible. Her soft, warm lips, her intoxicating scent, the way her body fit so perfectly against Hannah's… It all made the redhead's heart beat faster, so much that she was scared of the organ escaping its cage to get closer to the one putting it in such a state. But even this thought disappeared as soon as it had appeared. All that mattered right now was Barbara and the wonderful feeling their kiss brought her.

After a dozen of seconds that felt way too short, Hannah released her beloved, stepping back just enough to see her reaction. The redhead's eyes widened as she saw Barbara's sparkling with happiness and love, a view which became even more enchanting when she noticed the girl's lips, curled in a beautiful smile. Hannah could have cried out of joy and relief, but she settled to pronounce with adoration the only name she knew at this moment :

"Barbara…

- Hannah…"

The two girls didn't need any more words to understand each other : Barbara was back to normal and now, Hannah was the only person occupying her heart and mind. Happier than ever, the new couple came closer again to share another kiss, tender, softer, less passionate but just as loving as the first one. Barbara looped her arms around her lover's neck to keep her close as Hannah let her hands wander on the back and in the hair of her beloved, never getting tired of this new feeling. She was already addicted to Barbara's kisses just as her now girlfriend was addicted to hers.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, sharing loving kisses, only easing back to breath and tell each other sweet nothings, talk about their fears and hopes since they understood their feelings for the other. They would have continued like this for hours if they hadn't been brutally interrupted :

"Miss England, Miss Parker !"

The two girls broke their embrace to see their professor, Anne Finneran, walking towards them, an angry look on her face. Another teacher, Ursula Callistis, was following the elder witch, hands already raised as if to calm her down.

"Where do you think you are ?! The library is a public space, you can't make out here in the open ! Should I remind you that public displays of affection are prohibited in common areas ? If you want to have such activities, be polite enough to stay in your room !

- So-Sorry, professor, apologised the culprits.

- Calm down, professor Finneran, tried professor Ursula with a soothing voice. I am sure that Hannah and Barbara didn't want to break the rules. They must have been… caught up in the moment and didn't think that they were in a public place anymore.

- It is not an excuse to give up all forms of civility. They won't always get away with simple apologies, they have to learn to control themselves.

- In fact, professor, it isn't exactly their fault…"

The adults turned around to see Lotte Yanson, still half-hidden by a bookcase. The girl walked closer, followed by one of her teammates, Sucy Manbavaran, and explained :

"Long story short, Hannah had to kiss Barbara to free her from the effects of a potion and for practical reasons, she did it here, in the library.

- Free her from a potion's effect ? repeated Finneran, doubtful. What happened again ?"

Lotte related all of the events which took place in the last couple of hours, trying to minimise everyone's faults, but Finneran easily saw through her. At the end of the story, she turned toward the two lovers, still huddled against each other.

"I hope that all this at least taught you that you must not harass your classmates. Miss Kagari certainly is exasperating, but nothing justifies bullying her all the time.

- Yes, professor, mumbled the two girls, none of them daring to look their teacher in the eye.

- Miss Yanson ?

- Ye-Yes, professor ?

- May I know where Miss Kagari went ? Even if she has attenuating circumstances, using such potions on her classmates is strictly forbidden by school rules. She won't escape that easily, so you might as well tell me where she is so we can all finish this as soon as possible.

- Oh… Well…

- Hannah inspired her and Diana, answered Sucy. They went somewhere secluded to confess their undying love for each other and all this crap. With how much time they are taking, I think they are making out like those two were before you arrived."

Finneran and Hannah felt their jaws drop to the floor as they heard the news while Lotte and Ursula blushed from happiness, hands joined against one of their cheeks, and did their best to not scream out their joy as they imagined their favourite ship finally confessing their feelings. Barbara blushed as well, but rather because she was remembering the kiss she stole from Akko while she was under the effect of the potion and Sucy just made one of her usual smirks. She will certainly have a lot of potions to give the two new couples for tests. The girl couldn't help but laugh maniacally : the next few weeks were going to be very interesting…

Aaaand that's it ! End !

Pheeewww... I'm pretty happy with this one to be honest. But of course, there might still be mistakes or some parts where the translation sounds weird, so if you spot any of these, don't hesitate to tell me !

(and if you actually liked it, you can also tell me, of course ;) )

Now I'm gonna go back to writing prompts on tumblr. When the askbow is empty, I'll start editting them, translating them in French and posting them here and on . I hope you'll like them ;)

Thanks for reading and have a good day/night !