Study (Part 1)

Author's note real quickly! I just wanted to say thanks for all the support! I have been really enjoying writing this story so I'm glad you all like it! I wanted to just say that I have some big ambitions for this story as a whole and so I can't wait to lead up to the next big arc once this one is completed. Anyways, I have a question for you guys at the end of the chapter so make sure to read it!

Diana woke up in her dorm room later than normal. It was a saturday morning, meaning that she had no partols or classes to worry about. Diana got up out of her bed and neatly put the sheets back so that they were nice and tidy. When Diana rounded the corner of her bookcase, she was surprised to see that Barbara and Hannah were already gone from their beds.

That's odd...I wonder where they could be? Diana thought curiously. Diana just got dressed in something other than her nightgown, paying no heed to the lack of presence of her teammates. With nothing to do except read her little romance novel, Diana found her thoughts drifting quite quickly. And what they drifted to was quite unsettling for Diana.

She started to become nervous about her tutoring session with Akko tonight. Diana thought she had done a pretty good job so far of keeping her true emotions hidden from everyone. In fact, Diana had a feeling that nobody knew she even could have feelings for someone like she had about Akko. Diana's worry is that she couldn't properly hide those feelings from Akko. Her recent endeavors to had proven unsuccessful.

Diana had to go back and re-read the page she was on since she hadn't been paying attention it the entire time.

What is with me? First I start losing my composure for no reason in front of Akko, now I'm being unobservant. I'm becoming more and more like Akko every day… Diana kept trying to focus on her book, to minimal success. Today is the first day in months that I don't need to do anything until later tonight, and my own brain won't let me relax…

Diana decided to set down her book and go find someone to help distract her from her own thoughts.

Akko ate breakfast at the mess hall alone.

"Akko, if you're so hungry, just go eat alone. I'm doing things." Sucy had said. So now Akko sat grumpily, poking at her food. The only thing she had to do all day was go to her study session with Diana. She would've had a study session with Chariot as well, but she had to cancel last moment.

Ever since her resolution about her feelings on Diana, Akko found herself a little more at ease. Only a little, though. Now that Akko was alone and had more time with her thoughts, some insecurities started to rise.

What if she doesn't like me back?

What if I just mess it up?

What if I'm not good enough?

Despite her insecurities, Akko decided to keep a positive attitude about the entire situation.

After eating a lousy meal, Akko decided it was time to head back to her dorm. She wasn't supposed to be out of her room for long periods of time alone, anyways. As Akko approached her door, she reached for the handle, but right before she grasped it, the door swung open to reveal Barbara and Hannah.

"Oh...Akko!" Barbara said nervously.

"Hi! Bye!" Hannah said, quickly squeezing by Akko, leaving her very confused. Akko watched the two girls scurry off.

"Uh-" Akko turned back to Sucy and Lotte, who were both not meeting Akko's gaze, "Why were they here?"

"We were umm-"

"They were-"

"They wanted to talk about stuff." Sucy finally said. Akko smelled something fishy going on. She decided to pry further.

"What kind of stuff?" Akko asked.

"Umm-"

"Things that you don't need to worry about." Lotte said. Akko smiled at her redhead friend. As much as she loved Lotte, that girl did not know how to lie.

I may be dense sometimes, but I can tell that they're hiding something from me. And it has to do with Barbara and Hannah… Akko thought. She decided to drop it for now, and look into it later.

"If you say so…" Akko shrugged and walked into the room, crashing on her bed. It took nearly zero time before Akko became bored again and let her thoughts wander. And of course, they drifted back to Diana and the tutoring session tonight.

She knew how she felt about Diana now, but that didn't make it much easier. Anxiety was starting to take hold, and she didn't feel like she could deal with it alone.

For Akko, it was starting to feel as if a physical weight was sitting on her shoulders. She decided to do something about it, in typical Akko fashion.

"Hey Lotte, hey Sucy. Can I trust you with something?" Akko asked. Her two roommates looked up from what they were doing.

"Of course you can!" Lotte said cheerfully.

"Sure, what is it?"

Akko took a deep breath. I can't keep it inside forever. It's going to kill me. Akko thought.

"I've done some thinking on what you guys were saying a few days ago, and I've come to an answer." Akko said, "You guys won't tell anyone, right?" Both Sucy and Lotte did the motion of zipping their mouths shut.

"Phew. Here it goes." Akko started, taking another deep breath, "I think I like Diana…" There was a moment of silence from bothe Sucy and Lotte. Then, miraculously, Lotte turned and smiled at Lotte, extending her hand. Sucy just groaned, and retrieved a five dollar bill and gave it to Lotte who snatched it up. Akko gaped at them.

"You had a bet? On whether I liked Diana?" Akko was astounded at her friends.

"Actually, we had a bet whether or not you would actually tell us or not. I bet against you." Sucy said. Akko's mouth just opened more, "We both knew you liked her. Even if you didn't"

"Was I really that obvious?" Akko's face reddened.

"Uh...yeah" Was Sucy's simple response. Akko buried her face in her hands.

"Hey look on the bright side! You got it off your chest, didn't you?" Lotte suggested.

"I got it off my chest, but I'm still totally lost. I don't know what to do next…" Akko leaned back against the wall, slumping.

"Well, maybe this is where we can help." Sucy groaned.

"Do we really?" Lotte just glared at her, "Fine fine."

"What can you guys help with?" Akko asked.

"Well, how about you start off by telling us what it is you like about Diana? Maybe that will clear up some of your confusion." Akko contemplated for a moment.

"The reason I like Diana…" Akko trailed off, but then she just imagined how she felt when she was around the young prodigy and the answer became clear. "She is just so compassionate. Though she may not show it on the surface, Diana really cares about those around her deeply. She's also so compassionate about magic too! She practices so much, not because she has to, but because she wants to!

"She also is so nice when you get to know her. For some reason, I feel at ease when I'm around her. It's like I open up even more." Akko said.

"I wasn't expecting something so insightful…" Sucy said, astonished at Akko's words. Lotte was in a similar boat. Akko just sat in silence for a few moments, waiting for her roomates to speak.

"Well, It seems like you're really compassionate about it. I think if you just keep getting closer to Diana and spend more time with her, you might feel better." Lotte suggested.

"There is a problem…" Akko's voice had gotten soft and darker. "I'm worried that she won't like me back…" Sucy and Lotte were not used to seeing Akko look at the darker side of the picture.

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Diana is a prodigy. She's beautiful and smart and talented and from a strong line of witches. Why would she have any interest in…" Akko trailed off. "Someone like me…" Akko's face had lost its normal happy glow, now replaced by a grim scowl.

"Akko! What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's the Diana Cavendish. I'm just-I'm just Akko." Lotte grabbed Akko's face in her hands, forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"Akko. The Akko that brought magic back to the world.The Akko who loves magic and cares about others so much. Tell me something Akko. What would Diana say to you if she saw you like this?"

"She'd-" Akko cut off her comment, realizing Lotte's message, "She'd tell me to pick myself up and that I'm just as great of a witch as her." Akko's somber expression softened.

"I think that's all the reasoning you need." Sucy said.

"But what if she still doesn't like me back and I ruin our friendship?" Akko said.

"Do you really think Diana would do that? I highly doubt she would ever sacrifice her friendship with you under any circumstance." Lotte said.

"I guess not." Akko's mood was lightening, insecurities dissolving.

"One more problem. Where do I go from here?" Akko asked.

"You're on your own for that one." Sucy said, "But if I were you, I wouldn't go confessing to Diana out of nowhere. I'd suggest just staying as friends, but trying to spend more time together. Who knows, she may like you back…"

"Yeah right!" Akko said jokingly.

"You never know…" Lotte added. Akko looked back at her friends.

"You guys don't seriously think Diana might actually like me back. Don't be ridiculous!"

"You never know…" Sucy said. On the inside, she was really hoping that Barbara and Hannah would pull their weight with the plan. With Akko out of her depressed hole, the discussion lightened.

"You guys won't tell anyone right?" Akko asked again.

"Nope." Lotte reassured, and Akko smiled back in thanks.

"There is one more thing." Sucy said, "Andrew won't be very pleased. From what I know, he had started to like you…" Akko made a gagging motion.

"Eww...No offence to Andrew, but..ewww." Akko said, "Boys are gross."

Lotte straightened her back, and in her best Andrew impression said, "I didn't know you swung that way, miss Kagari." Sucy burst out laughing, but Akko just blushed madly.

"To be fair, I cover that part of my personality pretty well. I've never really told anyone. I guess the only people that know about that are you guys and my parents…" Akko said.

"I would still like to see his reaction…" Sucy said.

The rest of the day was spent mostly teasing Akko and talking. Soon enough, it was time for Akko to leave to go to her study session with Diana.

Diana had just finished putting her little novel away when Hannah and Barbara returned to the dorm room.

"Where were you girls? You are not typically awake before I am." Diana asked. Barbara and Hannah both looked over at Diana as if they hadn't been expecting her to be there.

"Oh...hey Diana!" Hannah said.

"We were over at Akko's dorm." Barbara said.

"May I inquire as to why?" Diana said. She had a slight suspicion, especially given how the two were acting recently.

"Uhh…."

"We were…"

"Talking."

"About stuff."

Diana just eyed the two. She knew they were not telling the whole truth by a longshot.

They're hiding something...I don't like it. I'll have to dig into it later, but now is not the time Diana thought, so on the surface she just shrugged.

"Very well." Diana said. Hannah and Barbara both looked shocked that Diana had let them off so easily.

You're not really off the hook. I just have more important things to attend to. Like getting ready for Akko… Diana was rustling through her things to find the materials she would need to set up for the tutoring session. She set aside a few sheets of paper, as well as her textbooks and personal notes on Magic History and Linguistics.

Eventually, it was time for Diana to go to her patrol.

Many people believed that Diana did the hallway and campus patrolling because the school faculty asked her to and they trusted her enough alone in the halls. In all honesty, Diana actually had volunteered for the position.

To her, some time alone, flying around the campus, was one of the best things she could get, and doing patrols gave her that. In fact, Diana frequently looked forwards to her nighttime patrols, as it was one of the only times she could get some peace and quiet without getting asked to do something by some other student.

Tonight was no different. Diana got on her broom and took off into the sky, looking down onto the ground for any anomalies. It was just after dinner, so many witches were retired to their dorm rooms for the night, since it was a weekend. Soon, as they normally did, Diana let her thoughts drift to other subjects. The first thing that came to mind was Hannah and Barbara's odd behavior. Diana decided to break it down.

So it all started after I left the room with Akko last night. When I came in afterwards, everyone was acting odd. As if they had been discussing something that they didn't want either me or Akko to know about… Diana reasoned.

Then, they were up early, which is something that they never do, to go to Akko's room. That could mean that Akko was in on it. That slightly narrowed it down. Unless…

Diana did some quick mental math. The time that Hannah and Barbara would have been at Akko's dorm room was the time that breakfast would be served. Diana found herself smiling.

Akko never misses a meal. That means that Akko would have been out of the room, which still means that whatever it is they're hiding from me concerns Akko as well. Diana was proud of herself for the deduction. It also left Diana uneasy.

Whatever it is they're planning, could it have to do with my feelings? I felt like I've been pretty secretive up until now… But then something clicked in Diana's brain.

Wait….how could I be that stupidly obvious and not realize it? Diana mentally berated herself. Diana had previously thought that her actions concerning Akko's injury would just be passed off as a very concerned friend. Only now did Diana realize the fault that she had made. The drastic measures she had taken and asking for alone time were not things Diana would normally do. They were out of character. And that is what had revealed her.

Her friends may not exactly realize that Diana really did like Akko the way she did, but they definitely knew something had changed.

But what are they planning? Diana thought. With a few rejected theories and more contemplation, Diana decided to drop the topic for the moment.

I will not approach them just yet. Diana concluded. I will just watch for any more behavior changes, or anything they might be saying that is unusual.

Diana quickly refocused on the patrol at hand, not realizing that she was completely off course as a result of her lost thoughts.

Diana finished her route almost exactly on schedule. After a relaxing time out on the broom, letting her thoughts drift, it was time to refocus. She had a tutoring session with Akko to focus on.

Granted, Diana shouldn't have been too worried about this situation. It was just a simple study session. It wasn't like it was a date or anything of the sort. Akko just needed some help in a couple of her classes, and Diana was providing some assistance. On top of that, Hannah and Barbara would be present, so Diana and Akko wouldn't be alone.

Yet, the idea that she would be in a one on one engagement with Akko for an extended period of time was daunting for Diana. Firstly, Diana had problems with extended engagements with anyone. What made it worse is Diana had an especially hard time when it was Akko that Diana was interacting with for that long period of time.

Then, there was the fact that Diana had feelings for Akko under the surface. As composed as Diana was normally, her guard loosened whenever Akko was near her, and her thoughts tended to stray more than they normally would.

With those factors combined, Diana was beginning to feel nervous for her tutoring session. Diana reached her dorm room to find it was completely vacant. There was a note left on the coffee table. Diana picked it up and frowned.

Diana, Hannah and I will be staying the night at Avery's tonight. Enjoy your tutoring!

-Barbara

Diana instantly swore vengeance on her roommates.

Could they know? Are they trying to get Akko and I alone? If that is the case then they definitely know something… Diana cursed under breath. Considering her earlier conclusion that the two were definitely up to something, Diana couldn't help but think that they were intentional about getting Diana alone with Akko.

A knock on the door scared Diana out of her thoughts. Diana quickly crumpled the note in her hand.

"Come in?" Diana called. The door opened to reveal Akko, holding a few textbooks and pages of notes.

"Hey Diana! I'm early I know…" Akko said.

Well, that's a change… Diana thought to herself.

"That's quite okay. We can get started if you'd like." Diana said, trying to eliminate any nervousness from her voice. Akko cheerily set her things down on the coffee table, and seated herself right next to Diana.

"Shall we get started?"

You guys don't get to see the study session till next time! I'm so mean! Anyways, I wanted to address a couple things right quickly. First, I know I haven't really developed the reasoning behind Diana's little crush, like I did with Akko's this chapter.

The plan is to do so in the next couple chapters, giving the exact reasons why Diana feels the way she does.

Also, the fluff will become more and more very soon!

My question I wanted to ask was concerning the Years Later AU. In my opinion it is the best Dianakko oriented AU out there, and there will be scenes from this story that are HEAVILY influenced by things from that AU. Also, soon I may do a short 5 chapter story about Aoi Hane from that AU if anyone is interested. Tell me what you think.

P.S. Please Review!