One-Shot that takes place a week after chapter 4.
Ursula asks Croix if it would be ok for her to visit her at her apartment and Croix knows that something is not right.
Or, the one shot that shows us how much Ursula was affected with what happened to Akko.

I'll admit that in the middle of writing Back to the Future III I started editing a youtube video of Chariox with the song because of you. Since it turned out so well, I decided to make a chapter out of that video and how the video would be the memories Chariot and Croix have.
Just search on youtube Croix and Chariot: Because of You and the video should be there (FF won't let me put the link).


"Croix, would it be ok if I went to see you?" Croix hears Chariot saying from her phone.

"Of course!" she tells the red-haired witch excitedly while taking a look around her place. "You know that you can come whenever you want." she promises her friend immediately.

Thankfully my place looks tidy enough.

"I apologize for asking this so suddenly…" Chariot continues explaining and there's something in her friend's voice that worries her. "But I just need to get away from Luna Nova for a while."

Something definitely happened.

"Did something happen?" Croix asks worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Croix is answered by silence.

"Char, if you don't tell me something I will freak out and go straight to Luna Nova, parole officer and house-arrest be damned."

"No Croix!" Chariot tells her quickly. "I will tell you everything." she promises her. "I just want to do it in person."

This makes Croix relax and sit down in her chair again.

"Damn it Char." she closes her eyes while taking a deep breath. "Please don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry…" the red-haired woman apologizes immediately. "I'm just… I don't… Today wasn't a good day and I don't know what I'm feeling."

"Can you at least tell me that you're alright?" Croix asks her when she realizes that Chariot is doing her best to not start crying.

Something very bad must have happened at Luna Nova and Croix was going to find out what it was.

"I am… alright." Chariot finally says and it sounds so false that it makes Croix smile bitterly.

They had both grown up so much that sometimes, Croix regretted not enjoying their innocent and childish moments more.

Because she knew that no matter what, especially after the things she had done, there would be no way for her to go back to the way she was. Or for Chariot and her to become what they once were.

The only way they could now move was forward.

"That wasn't very convincing Char." Croix tells her while chuckling sadly.

"Well, you happen to be one of the few people who truly know me and can realize I'm lying when I say it." Chariot chuckles bitterly as well. "Although I am sorry that I worried you."

"You also know me well enough to realize that I will always worry about the people I care about. And that you're one of them."

"Indeed." her friend says calmly and a comfortable silence is set between them.

"When will you come?" Croix asks softly.

"Tonight. If I can?" there's some hesitation in her friend's voice and the lilac-haired witch doesn't like it.

Chariot sounded defeated.

"I'll be waiting for you."

"And Croix…" Chariot says to her softly. "Because I know you too well and I know you're planning on calling Akko or Diana to ask what happened today… Could you not do it?"

This makes Croix just stare at her phone silently.

Because with that last sentence, Chariot had told her that whateve happened at Luna Nova had involved Akko and Diana.

LWALWALWA

The waiting was killing her.

After that call she had with Chariot, it took everything Croix had to not dial Akko or Diana and ask them for more information. Not knowing things, not studying them and analyzing them; it went against her core as an inventor and scientist. But she had promised Chariot that was going to wait for her and Croix had no intent of breaking her friend's trust like that.

But now that she thought about it, it had been a couple of days since Akko last called her and that had seemed strange to her. Because although she sometimes felt that she didn't deserve it, the brunette girl called her almost every day to just talk and let her know what was happening at Luna Nova. It made Croix feel included in their daily lives even from far away.

Croix knew Akko was doing so because she could sense it motivated her.

And because that was just the way Akko was; kind and generous.

So, by 8pm Croix was going crazy in her room. Usually, when she felt this way she started making a mess in order to find something that would make her forget about her situation. Nevertheless, right now she couldn't do so because Chariot was coming and she didn't want to make her friend see her room in such a state.

Akko had seen it once and had been adamant about her fixing it before Chariot came for a visit.

Which again, was why Croix was only capable of walking from one side of the apartment to the other.

And her apartment wasn't specifically big…

Ring, ring…

Stopping, Croix is running towards the door. She didn't care about seeing desperate or insane. All she wanted to do was open the door and see that her friend, the only person she had ever loved (in a romantic way), was alright.

So, when she opened the door and saw Chariot smiling sadly at her, Croix did the only thing she could think of and hugged the red-haired woman desperately.

"Croix…" Chariot whispers vehemently and that makes the lilac-haired woman squeeze her even tighter.

"Char." she replies with a soft smile on her face. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Can I come in?" she asks hesitantly.

"Of course." she separates from Chariot and moves aside so that she can come in. "My apartment is nothing fancy or big…" she starts explaining. "But I have found a way to make it work and become cozy."

"I can see that." Chariot tells her with a soft smile while moving towards one of the walls. "I like it. It's very you."

"Thank you." Croix says embarrassed but still stays behind her friend. "Although right now it looks so much better than before. Seriously, it was that bad that when Akko came to see me she told me she was going to let you know about it. But based on your…" she stops saying when she notices her friend closing her fists tightly.

Moving in front of Chariot, Croix tries to get her friend to stare at her. To explain what was happening and why she was so upset because the woman in front of her was ready to collapse.

"Char…" Croix whispers tenderly. "You can depend on me. I am here for you." she promises vehemently and that makes the red-haired woman sob desperately. "I know that very painful things have happened between the two of us over the last 10 years." she continues saying. "But I want to prove to you that it's all in the past. That I am on my way to becoming the kind of person you deserve Char."

"Oh Croix!" Chariot sobs and hugs her from behind, burying her face in her neck. "I just… I feel so angry and ashamed."

"Why do you feel ashamed?" she asks the professor while using her arms to caress the hands around her waist.

"I'm ashamed of the thoughts I had concerning a student." Chariot whispers and this makes Croix stop her ministrations. "Feelings of anger and hate. I wanted to hurt a girl, Croix."

"Why?" Croix cannot believe her sweet Chariot would be capable of doing such a thing.

Unless…

"Don't tell me it's Akko." it doesn't take Croix that long to connect the dots.

Why Akko had not been calling her…

Why Chariot had asked her to not call her…

Why her friend Chariot would be so lost and confused…

Croix closes her eyes and tries to breathe deeply, feeling that not knowing what was happening was instigating her body to stop functioning.

"Please…" she whispers desperately to Chariot. "Tell me she's alright. She hasn't been calling me over the last week and I've been getting worried. I assumed she was busy with magic lessons and courting Diana, but now I…"

"Akko is alright. At least she is now." Chariot says apologetically. "But for a couple of days she wasn't and it was very heartbreaking."

"What happened?" Croix asks worriedly and starts listening to the awful tale her friend started saying.

How Akko had defended her friends against some bullies. How those bullies planned it all so they could show the school what would happen to witches like Akko. How scared Chariot had been when she saw the distress signal she taught Akko shinning in the sky. How terrified they all were when Akko was not responding to their questions and was flinching at the sight of them. How close Chariot had been to let loose and hurt the girl responsible for causing her favorite student so much pain.

And Croix could understand her friend's pain because she was feeling it as well. Akko didn't deserve to be treated like that. She had done so much for so many and yet there were still people out there who wanted to hurt her.

The world was truly a very unfair place to be for people who were misunderstood.

People like Akko, Chariot, Diana and herself.

"Nobody could blame you for feeling angry Char." she tells the red-haired woman softly. "Everyone knows how much you love Akko and the bond you two share."

"I just can't stop thinking about it Croix…" Chariot whispers brokenly. "The way she looked so defeated and scared. She didn't even let Diana touch her because they were wearing the same uniform."

"Who was the girl?" Croix asks bitterly.

"Samantha McCallister. She's a senior who is part of the student council body and is trying to get the school board to not implement the changes that would allow more girls like Akko to learn magic."

"That's just awful." the inventor closes her eyes. "Honestly, I sometimes don't get why we even try to help people who when they have the first chance attack us without mercy."

"Croix…"

"Don't you see Char?! It was the same thing that happened to you when you became Shiny Chariot. They supported you until you were not capable of meeting their demands. The moment that happened, they abandoned and insulted you mercilessly. Now look at Diana and Akko. After basically saving a country from a mission we have girls that publicly bully another one and not one of them tried to stop her."

This makes Chariot look down in sadness.

"I guess this is why Akko didn't want to tell me, huh…" Croix says bitterly. "Because she knew I would say things like this."

"She didn't tell you anything because she knew you would come to Luna Nova. And she didn't want you to risk your opportunity to ask for release." Chariot smiles sadly at her. "The moment she found out I was planning on visiting you, she asked me to tell you all of this. And to ask you if you could call her back."

This makes Croix chuckle softly.

"I swear that girl is really something." Croix whispers loud enough for the two of them to hear. "But she was right. I would have left this apartment and fly straight to Luna Nova consequences be damned. I love her and I wanted to be there for her."

"I stayed with her the whole time." Chariot promises her friend because she knows that's what Croix wants to hear. "In fact, the reason I left Luna Nova today was because Akko returned to classes and I needed some space to think."

"Think about what?" she asks curiously.

"I guess nothing at all." the red-haired says simply. "Because all I had been doing inside that room in the infirmary was think of possibilities. Should I report the girl? Should I tell her parents? Should I talk to her myself…? I was incredibly confused and seeing Akko in a catatonic state was not helping me think clearly."

"What did you do then?"

"I told Principal Holbrook and Finneran." she tells the inventor. "But they said that because the girl belonged to one of the olde families they couldn't just expel her without any kind of evidence."

"Bastards." Croix whispers angrily.

"When they told me that I didn't know what to do. I almost went to that girl's room." Chariot closes her eyes desperately. "And that was the moment I called you Croix. Because I knew that if I stayed at Luna Nova then I would hurt that girl."

"Chariot…" she can't stop herself from whispering because she had never seen her friend look so angry or defeated.

Stepping closer to Chariot, Croix again hugs her tight to her body, somehow expecting her friend to respond to the touch and then move away.

But what she was not expecting was for Chariot to return her embrace with the same urgency and passion. Nor the roaming hands that she could now feel moving across her stomach and hips.

"Chariot?" Croix asks confused because the red-haired woman was not letting her see her face. "What are you doing?"

"I selfishly came here in order to run away from my demons at Luna Nova." Chariot whispers close to her. "Of that feeling inside of me that wants to hurt and cause pain to the individual responsible of making Akko suffer like that."

"You would regret it." she tells her friend confidently. "Even if the person deserved it, you would regret it and that would hurt your relationship with Akko. Specially since Akko would be against you doing such a thing."

This makes Chariot separate from her.

"I know that!" the red-haired witch tells her desperately. "But I have all of these emotions and feelings inside of me that I don't know what to do." she then stares desperately at Croix. "Please, help me remember who I am…" she whimpers and that's all it takes for Croix to walk over to her and grab her tightly.

"We've hurt each other very much." the lilac-haired woman says firmly. "We've both been through a lot and that's why we know each other the best." she squeezes her hands nervously. "But because I do know you, I think I can help you. But perhaps my way of helping may be no help to you at all..."

"I don't understand." Chariot says confused but doesn't create any distance between them.

"After you gave me a second chance, I promised myself to become better." Croix caresses her face lovingly. "And even after all this years, my feelings for you have not changed. In fact, they've gotten stronger and deeper." she admits honestly. "So please, stop me if I'm doing this wrong or if this is something you don't want…" she finishes saying and kisses Chariot softly on the lips.

Chariot, feeling the desire and passion coming from the lilac-haired woman, doesn't wait long before she starts returning the kiss, using her tongue to intensify it and show Croix with her actions that she wanted this.

"Chariot…" Croix moans while moving her hands through Chariot's body.

It had been so long…

"Croix…" the red-haired separates her mouth from hers. "I wanted you to know that this…" she caresses her lip. "Is not because I'm upset or because I need to find a person that will make me forget my worries." she tenderly grabs her face. "This is because it's you the person in front of me and because I lov…"

"No, don't say it yet." Croix interrupts her with a soft kiss. "I promised you that I would return to you. That I would make it back to Luna Nova so we could start anew." she reminds her friend. "And what you were going to say, although I've waited 10 years to hear it, should be a part of that new beginning we were talking about."

"Croix…" Chariot whispers with tears in her eyes.

"So, instead of saying the words out-loud, let's show what we feel to each other with our actions." the lilac-haired woman finishes saying and kisses her vehemently on the lips.

"Oh Croix!" the other woman moans and quickly starts taking their clothes off. "Although you told me not to say it, I will say this…" she grabs Croix's hand and takes her to the bedroom. "Tonight, we're not simply having sex. Tonight Croix we're making love." she promises her surely and Croix can finally let herself go.

"I will make you forget your own name, Chariot Du Nord." Croix promises her with a smirk on her face and bends down to make that happen.

She had a promise to keep.

LWALWALWA

"Are you sure that it's ok for us to just come here without telling them?" Diana asks warily while watching Akko take out a hidden key from under the carpet.

"Ursula-Sensei told me that she was coming to visit Croix-Sensei because she wanted to see her!" Akko gushes happily while finding the right key. "And isn't that romantic?"

"Well, it is heartwarming to see Professor Ursula let go of all the walls she had built around herself." she agrees with Akko because a happy Ursula made everyone happier. "But what I don't understand is why we have to come visit Professor Croix at the same time."

This makes Akko look down in sadness.

"I haven't been calling Croix-Sensei after what happened." she whispers loud enough for Diana to hear her. "And I just wanted to let Croix-Sensei know that I'm alright and I'm feeling better."

"Akko…" Diana says softly while holding her hand tightly.

"Besides, I also just love both of them so much. Ursula-Sensei was the first person that believed in me. And Croix-Sensei, well, once you get over her evil super-villain facade; you realize that she's loyal and loving with the people she cares about."

"Indeed." she agrees with the brunette because the lilac-haired woman was also starting to grow fond on her. "So, weren't you going to open that door?" she asks her friend who smiles brightly at her and fits the key into the lock.

Click, click

"Hi, Croix-Sensei! Ursula-Sensei!" Akko yells while taking her shoes off and entering the apartment.

Meanwhile, Diana was taking her time to look around. She had never been inside Professor Croix's apartment and was surprised at the tidiness and organization she could see in it.

She was honestly expecting the opposite.

"You have cleaned your apartment, Croix-Sensei!" the blonde witch hears Akko say from afar and is ready to slowly follow the voice before two sets of screams make her jump and run towards the noise with her wand in her hand.

"Akko?!" Diana screams while running through a door and stops speaking when she sees what had shaken out her friend so much.

"Professor Croix…" she whispers while watching the lilac-haired woman naked in bed, holding an equally naked and embarrassed Professor Ursula. "Wha…"

"Look, look!" Akko yells excitedly while getting close to her. "I told you that I had a good feeling about Ursula-Sensei's visit."

"Wait what?" Croix asks them from the bed. "What feeling?" she asks the brunette girl knowingly.

"Is knowing about Akko's intuition really that important right now?" Ursula murmurs from behind Croix.

"I agree." Diana adds immediately. "Although I always am interested in learning more about Akko, the setting and current situation are not quite favorable." she blushes while trying to get her eyes to not look at the two women on the bed.

This makes Croix chuckle evilly.

"Is that a blush I see in your cheeks Diana?" she asks the blonde girl who huffs and blushes even more than before.

"Stop teasing her Croix-Sensei. She came with me to keep me company and because she missed you as well." Akko says this while staring apologetically at the inventor. "I don't know if Ursula-Sensei already explained to you what happened."

Croix nods in confirmation.

"But I wanted to come apologize with you for not telling you anything myself." she whispers softly. "Because I know how much you care about me and how much you would have wanted to be there with us."

"Akko was heartbroken about not being capable of calling you." Diana admits softly. "But she couldn't because speaking of the incident made her remember it vividly."

"Which wasn't a very nice experience." Akko tries to joke but it's not funny.

"Akko…" Croix says softly.

"Although I sometimes joke and pretend to be tough with you, Crox-Sensei; the reality is that I do so because I trust and love you." she says happily. "And I wanted to come say that to you in person and not through a call."

"I love you too Akko." the lilac-haired woman is going to stand to hug Akko but is stopped by a blushing Ursula and Diana.

"I don't…"

"think that's the best idea." Ursula and Diana say at the same time while looking downwards and reminding Croix that she was naked.

"Although…" Akko adds while getting close to Croix and Ursula with a cheeky smile. "It makes me very happy to see that this new development in your relationship will make me very rich."

"Rich?" Croix asks confused and can't help but smile when Akko takes a selfie with them.

"WAIT, what are you doing?" Ursula asks Akko while trying to stand up to follow the girl but stopping when she remembers she doesn't have clothes on.

"This is evidence for the bet. That way those three will have to pay me for sure." the brunette witch smirks while editing and cropping the picture so that only their faces can be seen. "There! Made it PG-13!" she smirks and with a last look and kiss to her professors' cheeks she leaves the room.

The three remaining witches simply stare dumbly at each other.

"I sometimes forget that Akko is not easily embarrassed by nudity because she comes from Japan." Diana chuckles softly.

"Indeed, I think Chariot screamed out of shock while Akko screamed out of excitement at discovering us in this position." Croix says with a soft smile.

"And about this position..." Ursula murmurs embarrassed to Croix while looking at Diana who was trying her best to be civil. "Perhaps you could give us some alone time to change?"

This makes Diana blush ever harder than before.

"Of course!" the blonde witch says embarrassed. "I apologize for staring." she starts to leave.

"Wait!" the lilac-haired witch stops her. "So this…" she points at them. "Had a betting pool on it?" she pouts when Diana nods in confirmation. "Why didn't they tell me so that I could put some money on it?!"

"Croix!" Ursula scolds her while hitting her softly in the head and then focuses on Diana. "But if it was a bet then Akko…"

"Will delete that picture the moment she earns her money." Diana promises her with a warm smile. "I'll make sure of that." she winks at them and also runs away.

"Thank you Dia… WAIT, UNTIL SHE EARNS HER MONEY?!" Ursula shrieks and immediately starts running around the room to get her clothes when the coast is clear. "I'm going to kill those two…" she starts saying but stops when she hears Croix's beautiful laugh.

"Chariot…" the lilac-haired woman continues chuckling while taking the sheets off her body. "Are you really going to run around town chasing those girls when I'm here, all naked and ready, waiting for you?" she teases Chariot who cannot stop staring at her body.

Groaning, this time Ursula uses her wand to get rid of her clothes and immediately jumps on top of Croix who catches her in a warm embrace.

"This…" Chariot says while caressing her face tenderly. "Is what I want our future to look like."

"Even the part where we get embarrassed by those two brats?" Croix jokes with her.

"That, alongside you, are the two things that make this all perfect. Don't you think?"

"Yes, I do." the lilac-haired woman kisses her lovingly on the lips. "And I promise you Char that very soon I'll be on my way home. On my way to you."