Diana got out of bed extremely tired.

Her tutoring session with Akko last night had gone on far longer than she had intended. Not that she minded.

However, she also found it difficult to fall asleep, her mind filled with stray thoughts of the brunette.

Again, not that she minded.

However, as a result, she failed to get very much sleep, if any at all.

Unfortunately, there were classes today, and she could not allow herself to be tardy or, worse, absent. She had a reputation to uphold.

There was also Akko's tutoring session tonight. And Diana was certainly not going to miss her chance to spend time with the young witch.

Diana sighed heavily before steeling herself, determined to not let any lack of sleep affect her.

"And time!" Akko yelled as she flew out of the trees.

"Two minutes, five seconds." Lotte announced.

"Yay!" Akko exclaimed.

During Professor Nelson's class, Akko dragged Lotte and Sucy to the field to help her practice. She'd spent today's class time running laps through the trees around the field, to get a better sense of control, as well as improve her reflexes.

"Akko, you're doing great! You've cut down your time in half since we started!" Lotte said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Ehehe, guess all that hard work is really paying off."

"Akko."

"Yeah Sucy?"

"There's a bug on your shoulder." Sucy pointed as a large caterpillar slowly moved up Akko's shoulder.

Akko shrieked before flicking it off.

Lotte laughed as she watched her roommates' antics. She took a second to look at her watch.

"Oh, we should probably head back now, class ends in five minutes."

"Alright!"

The trio walked through the dense gathering of trees.

"Akko! You've improved so much from just a few weeks ago."

"Ehehe, Thanks Lotte."

"That progress would've been impossible without your precious tutor." Sucy teased.

"Yeah, yeah Sucy. I know." Akko smiled. "Not like Diana would agree though. She'd probably say something like it's all thanks to my own hard work."

"You have been working hard. And I'm sure you'll be working even harder, since the run is only next week."

Akko's mood dampened as she was reminded of the time remaining.

"Yeah… next week…

Mooou, Why is it so soon?! I wish I could've had more time with Diana, even outside of our practices."

"That's not really her fault. You're the one who asked her to keep your tutoring a secret. If it weren't a secret, you two probably could have spent more time, even during the day." Sucy deadpanned.

"Eh?"

"Yeah Akko, I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you try to keep it a secret?"

"Maybe she's just embarrassed of having Diana be her tutor."

"Eh? That's not it!" Akko whined.

"Really?"

"… Well maybe it was at first." Akko started twiddling her fingers. "I just didn't wanna be made fun of by the others like Hannah and Barbara. I get enough of their teasing as it is."

"And yet you're okay when I make fun of you?"

"You doing it is different!" Akko whined, prompting a grin from Sucy.

"Anyway, Akko, so why do you keep it a secret? I'm sure Diana wouldn't let people make fun of you at this point."

Akko thought of how Diana interrupted Hannah and Barbara two days ago.

"…Yeah, I know, Lotte. We've grown a lot closer than when we started, and she's really nice once you get to know her… plus she takes the job super seriously. I guess… I just haven't really thought about it recently…"

When the trio rejoined the rest of the witches, Akko almost instinctively looked around to catch a glimpse of Diana.

However, something seemed off.

"Hey, Lotte."

"Yes Akko?"

"Does something about Diana look… different to you?"

Lotte took a quick glance at Diana.

"She looks fine to me. Sucy?"

"She looks the same. I think Akko's going crazy."

Akko sighed, before taking one more look. Akko could swear something was off. Maybe Diana's posture was just the tiniest bit hunched? Or maybe her steps dragged the tiniest bit…

Whatever it was, it made Akko feel uneasy.

"Neh, Diana are you alright?" Akko asked.

"I am fine. Why do you ask?"

"I feel like your flying's not as smooth as usual."

Both Akko and Diana were flying away from their usual field. For today's lesson, Diana noted they would need a bigger field. Akko, remembering the conversation she had with Lotte and Sucy earlier, suggested they could move to a field closer to the school.

Diana, remembering the original conditions of their arrangement, decided on a field that was further from the main building.

"… I am fine Akko. Your concern is appreciated though." Diana said, before straightening her broom.

Diana smiled, trying to reassure her friend, though Akko noted it seemed… weaker than usual.

"If you say so…"

Turns out, the new field was huge.

"I originally thought we could have our tutoring sessions here, but as you could probably tell, it is very inconvenient to come here by foot."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Akko said, looking around the space they had. "So what are we doing today?"

"We shall be working on the first and second parts of the obstacle run today... please give me a moment." Diana took a deep breath, as she tightly gripped her wand.

Diana concentrated as she chanted something inaudibly.

Immediately, two different things happened.

The first was what Akko had seen last night, an orb of light bursting to fill the field with thousands of glimmering stars.

However, it was the second thing that entranced Akko.

Akko heard the sound of water dropping into a pond. Suddenly the ground under Diana transformed into a mirror-like pool of water that grew and rippled from under her.

While last night, Diana was illuminated by the moon and the stars, tonight it was as if Diana herself glowed with a soft, ethereal blue light.

If Akko thought the sight yesterday was beautiful, there were no words that could properly describe what she was experiencing now.

"Akko?" Diana called out, snapping Akko out of her trance.

"Y-Yes?"

"We shall be using this to simulate the second part of the obstacles."

Akko looked down at the water beneath her.

"Diana, don't get me wrong. This is really amazing. But how will this be anything like the sa-"

Akko was cut off by the sound of water rippling beneath her, which then immediately exploded beneath her.

Once the water calmed down, Akko was left, drenched, staring at Diana.

"Haha. Very funny."

Diana chuckled as she saw the pout on Akko's face.

"Why yes, I do believe this is quite humorous."

"Diana!" Akko whined. "What am I supposed to now? I'm all wet!"

Diana looked back at Akko, with an amused grin.

"No, you are not. I do believe you are completely dry."

"What do you me- huh?" Akko looked at her clothes which were, indeed completely dry.

"The water will ripple before bursting upwards, much like the sand will during the obstacle run. However, the effects on you will only last a moment."

Akko found herself growing excited as she continued looking at the pool. "Diana! Can you teach me this la-"

"Maybe another time. Now let us begin." Diana waved her wand, reforming the trees.

"Fine."

"Woohoo! Out of the tre- kyaa!" Akko screamed as she got splashed by a large geyser of water.

"A… Akko. Pay attention… below you."

"Okay, got it… Diana are you sure you're alright?" Akko saw that Diana was leaning on a tree, a strained look on her face.

"Y-yes. I am."

"Are you sure? You look a little… not alright."

"Using both of these spells requires a lot of concentration. Please do not mind me."

"Hm… Alright then!" Akko responded, before shrieking as she got hit by another geyser of water.

Second time around, Akko was prepared. She was deftly turning and pivoting to avoid getting hit by incoming geysers. It was kind of like the trees, but now she had to focus on where the water would come from, instead of things already in front of her.

"Alright! Time to go even faster!" Akko leaned forward to increase speed, eyes on the finish line.

She made a beeline towards the end of the area.

Which was a huge mistake.

"Agh!" Right before reaching the end, Akko was sprayed with a large volume of water, pushing her upward. "Diana! Was that necessary?!"

"You cannot just speed up so quickly Akko. You need to fo...cu...s" Diana's vision suddenly blurred. She grew lightheaded as she lost strength in her legs.

"Diana?" Akko called out. There was no answer.

From the view above, Akko saw Diana's magic begin to dim.

"Oh no." Akko's heart dropped when she realized what this might mean. Akko immediately rushed downwards. "She totally wasn't fine. Diana!"

By the time Akko landed, Diana was barely conscious. The color was drained from her face.

"Diana! Diana!" Akko cried out as she tried to get the girl's attention. However, nothing seemed to work.

Fearing the worst, Akko laid her head on Diana's chest.

...

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Akko breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, Diana's heart was beating normally. She was also breathing regularly.

That being said, there's no way Akko would let Diana stay here. Even if she woke up now, Akko wouldn't let their tutoring session continue. Diana had clearly overexerted herself.

The moment some semblance of color returned to the blonde's face, Akko leaned Diana onto her back and immediately flew her back to the dorms.

"C'mon, we're almost there." Akko said to no one in particular, carrying the blonde on her back.

She could have brought Diana to the red dorm. That would have made this a lot easier to explain.

But Akko knew Diana's room was bigger. She had a bigger bed, and it would probably be a lot more comfortable for her when she woke up.

If only those two weren't there. Akko sighed, before looking at the unconscious figure on her.

No use worrying about it now. She needed this.

With as much resolve as she could muster up, she knocked on the door.

The door opened slightly, and Akko saw Hannah's brown eyes peek through the opening.

"Oh it's you. What do you wa- Diana?!" Hannah screamed when she opened the door fully.

"Shhh. Please just let me in. I'll explain later." Akko pleaded.

"Fine."

As soon as Akko laid Diana in bed, she told Hannah and Barbara she'd explain what happened in the morning, not wanting to risk waking up Diana. The two of them helped Akko change Diana into her night gown before tucking her under her bed sheets.

Akko then begged them to let her stay, not wanting to leave Diana's side.

No, she refused to leave her side.

Not tonight.

Especially since she blamed herself. For not insisting on being sure Diana was okay. For not noticing Diana was pushing herself. For not acting on the signs that Diana wasn't okay.

After all, she knew Diana would never show signs of weakness. And if she did, Akko should have known Diana would never admit something was ailing her.

When faced with Akko's desperate plea, Hannah and Barbara relented, on the condition that she answer any questions they have in the morning. They knew how stubborn the girl was. Kicking her out would have been pointless.

Akko sat next to Diana's bed. She grabbed Diana's hand and rubbed it with her thumb, hoping it would provide some sort of comfort.

Whether to her or to Diana, she wasn't entirely sure.

Akko was very thankful that Diana, literally, separated herself from her roommates, who would no doubt be glaring at her angrily, with a giant bookshelf.

Akko looked up and felt a huge rush of relief when she saw that Diana was no longer as pale as before… when she saw Diana look like she was restfully sleeping.

"I'm… really glad that you're okay." Akko whispered out.

Akko laid her head on Diana's bed, reflecting on the night. She wondered why Diana had pushed herself so hard, and why she tried to hide it.

She also tried to think of how or what she would tell Hannah and Barbara.

...

Wow, she really didn't think this one through.

She took one more moment to look at Diana. Just to be completely sure that she was okay.

She saw the calm look on the blonde's face. The slow rise and fall of Diana's chest.

Akko smiled before laying her head back down.

The words Sucy told her earlier today came to mind.

Akko thought to herself that maybe it was time to let the secret out.

If the secret were out, they would have been able to spend more time together.

Why had she even bothered keeping it a secret at all?

It took a few seconds for Diana's consciousness to fully wake up, but once it did, she shot up on her bed. She took a moment to take in what was in front of her.

Her bookshelf.

She was back in her room.

She tried to recall what had just happened.

She was helping Akko.

She was soaking her with water.

She shot a massive geyser at Akko. And then…

Oh.

She fainted.

Diana sighed, frustrated that she had cut what precious time she had left with Akko.

Why did she have to faint there?

Before Diana could think much longer, she heard a soft snore. She also felt a warmth on her right hand. She looked down and saw a familiar tuft of hair, tied up by a red string.

At first shocked, Diana quickly smiled at the sight of Akko sleeping next to her.

She then realized Akko was holding her hand.

Before she could pull her hand away, however, Akko's grip firmed.

Diana laughed quietly.

Seeing Akko here, Diana was able to piece together what had happened.

Akko brought her back to her room, confronting any sort of embarrassment her roommates might have inflicted upon her.

Akko made sure that she was okay.

Akko asked to stay the night. Diana almost laughed audibly once she thought about the faces Hannah and Barbara might have made at the request.

As well as the faces they must have made when they realized denying Akko would be impossible.

From the looks of it, Akko refused to leave her side for the night as well.

Diana felt warmth bloom in her chest at the thought. She smiled softly at the sleeping brunette.

Suddenly, the grip on her hand tightened once again. Diana heard tiny whispers of apologies from the sleeping figure next to her.

Diana smile wavered. Not because Akko had made her sad, but because Akko seemed to blame herself for what happened.

Even though none of it had been the girl's own fault. She was silly like that.

Instinctively, Diana began to lean forward.

"Everything is okay Akko. You do not need to worry. I am fine." Diana whispered into Akko's ear, hoping her words would reach the brunette's dreams, before gingerly placing a kiss on the crown of Akko's head.

She got back up and saw Akko's expression had lightened considerably. The grip on her hand had also softened. Diana smiled gladly, seeing that the sleeping witch had relaxed.

Diana face then flared up once she realized what she had just done. She quickly laid her head back on her pillow, suppressing any urge to voice out her embarrassment.

Before closing her eyes, Diana took one more look at Akko.

The sight of her friend sleeping next to her, their hands connected.

Something about this felt right.

Soon the warmth radiating from Akko's hand began to lull Diana back to sleep.

Before she fell asleep, Diana had just one thought:

She had never been so thankful that she had that bookshelf placed there.

"So you're telling us that Diana's been tutoring you for the past three weeks?" Hannah questioned.

Akko sat across the two girls, hands folded atop each other on her lap.

"Yes…"

"So that's where she's been off to…" Barbara thought aloud.

"Yeah…"

"Why weren't you paying attention?! Diana could have gotten herself hurt. Wait. Were you the reason Diana got back home late two nights ago?!"

"… Yes. I'm sorry."

"Akko! I know we call you stupid, but the least you could do is not drag Di-"

"Excuse me you two."

Akko, Hannah, and Barbara immediately turned to the direction of the voice. There Diana was, standing as tall as ever.

"Dia-"

"Diana!" Akko cried out, outpacing Hannah and Barbara to capture Diana in a tight embrace.

If Hannah and Barbara weren't so furious at the dunce, they'd probably be impressed.

"You're okaaay!" Akko said happily.

"Everything is fine Akko, you do not need to worry." Diana smiled at the crying brunette, before turning her attention to her roommates. "I appreciate what you two did last night, but could you please refrain from insulting Akko. After all, if anyone is to blame for what transpired last night, it is me."

"Diana!" Akko complained, clearly not accepting what Diana had just said.

Hannah and Barbara looked at Diana in shock. After all, they had always picked on Akko.

However, the look in Diana's eyes told them she was completely serious.

"Alright Diana. If you say so." The two girls said in unison.

"Thank you. Now…" Diana looked down at Akko. "Could you please let go of me?"

"No!" Akko refused.

"Akko…"

"Not until you promise me you'll never go that far again!" Akko looked up at Diana, a pout on her face. "If you're not feeling well, tell me! You don't have to push yourself so hard."

Diana's face softened as she ran a hand through Akko's hair. "Fine, I promise. Can you let me go now?"

"... Not yet! Give me a few more minutes." Akko announced before nuzzling into Diana's side.

"Akko!" Diana's cheeks flared in response.

Hannah and Barbara watched what was happening.

At first they were furious. How dare this girl try to scold Diana?

Then they were stunned, upon seeing Diana flustered as she was.

Then they began to laugh once they realized why Diana was acting this way.

No wonder Diana had seemed much happier recently.

"Hannah! Barbara! Stop laughing and help me!" Diana directed, though she didn't seem too convincing with her face as red as it was.

"Never letting go~" Akko singsonged before giggling like a child.

Hannah and Barbara laughed even more when they realized neither Akko nor Diana understood why they were acting the way they were.

I swear these are getting longer. Also jeez this fic got away from me. I intended this to last maybe 10 chapters, and I've still got maybe 4 or 5 left to do, 1 or 2 of which would be epilogues.

Woops.

Down to the last few chapters, not sure how confident I actually am ending it, but we'll find out.