When her probation began, she had been dreading seeing Chariot again, but Croix no longer denied the part of her heart that longed for her. She was number 2 on her list, but it was out of guilt for how cruelly she treated the woman she loved, and Croix had spent the previous night wishing she could be sleeping with Chariot in her arms, so it was safe to say she no longer wished to avoid her. She had no love when it came to Woodward, but frankly Croix still wanted to see her once more simply to because she thought it'd feel nice to yell at her for giving away that damn rod, so she made number 3. There were others who she would prefer not to see again after everything that happened, a couple of whom had approached her anyway. But there was only one person Croix had absolutely no desire to see in any shape or form, out of a stomach-churning mix of guilt and terror.

Akko Kagari. Akko, the young witch who had claimed the Claiomh Solais, who had conquered every one of Croix's plans, had shrugged off everything she threw at her, had somehow unlocked the Grand Triskellion and lived the dreams of both Chariot and herself through her own two hands.

Croix hadn't hated her before, when she had enacted her plan. She hadn't cared enough to hate her. The only reason she bothered with Akko at all is because Chariot cared about her, so Croix wanted to hurt the kid in the worst way. It could've been anyone and she'd have reacted the same. Akko was just some dunce in over her empty head who gave her a convenient way to break the witch she once held dear. If the kid got too scared by her plans and ran crying from the school, it was no skin of her back. If she kept persisting with the words and got herself killed, Croix wouldn't have lost sleep. She had cared more about delivering the bloodied Shiny Rod back to Chariot than the body that wielded it.

She didn't hate Akko now. She avoided considering her thoughts on Akko as much as she could. She regretted trying to hurt her. It seemed so petty in hindsight, to think Croix would've gotten an innocent teenager killed to hurt her ex. There had been a spiteful comfort in the fact that Chariot had lost the Claiomh Solais. Being chosen inherently made her better, and it was pleasing to think that even someone as good as Chariot was still so fundamentally flawed that she could fail. Croix had gone on to believe that the Nine Olde Witches were holding people up to impossible standards, that no one could be as good as they wanted them to be, and that's why she had been passed up, and why she really couldn't care less for the safety of its new Chosen wielder.

And there upon lied the simple fact that terrified her. Croix may be trying to make herself better now, but then, she had been an awful person incapable of even touching the Claiomh Solais. Chariot, for all her forgiveness and empathy, hadn't been a good enough person to unlock the secret of the final Word and fulfill her destiny. Akko did it. She revived all seven words, unlocked the Triskellion, returned magic to the world, all while Croix manipulated and attacked her. There was no sense in denying that Akko was a better person than both of them, and thus meeting with her after the fact terrified Croix to her bones. It felt like a final test, in some ways, a true assessment on the idea that Croix could ever be redeemed.

Chariot may forgive her, but they had history and she was biased. The other girls might not hate her, but they had never been the ones she was after. The Claiomh Solais had chosen Akko over all of them. How could anyone hope to speak to someone they had fought with when there was inarguable and undeniable proof that person was a better person than you ever could be?

She kept dismissing the thoughts as illogical. It was a stupid way to think. She had met Akko, she knew Akko better than she knew any of her classmates, even now. She knew it was silly to think of her as being this virtuous hero, or some unassailable judge. But her heart still skipped a beat at the thought of meeting her once more. She had spent her life dreaming of taking the staff and being the witch who saved magic. Before it had been bequeathed to Chariot, it had been all she cared about, and Akko was its Chosen One. And if Akko hated her…

How could she ever hope to be redeemed if the true Chosen One hated her?

It was better to avoid her. Avoid her, avoid any and all mentions of her, do everything in her power to avoid getting a definitive answer to the one question that had plagued her for eight solid months. She didn't want to know if she objectively could be redeemed. She didn't want to know. She could not know. Bettering herself for Chariot was the one thing she had let herself want after a lifetime's worth of apathy and hatred, and the possibility that this one person could take away the one part of her mind she felt at peace with was real and terrifying.

Croix had spent months tormenting the kid and crushing her dreams. It would be poetic justice that in an instant and with but a few words, Akko could return the favor, and take the one thought Croix found happiness in and crush it right in front of her.

She only had to stall the confrontation for a several hours more. It was evening now, and Luna Nova would have her leave their grounds permanently tomorrow night. She had managed to speak to both of her roommates without ever meeting Akko face to face. If she could manage for one more day, she could leave and never have to worry about it again. If she could escape the Chosen wielder's judgement for just a little longer, Croix could keep her dreams alive.

And hey, she had talked to the kid before her plan blew up, and she wasn't one to go study in the library. And it wouldn't be midterms yet, so there likely wasn't anything overtly pressing that might force her into cramming for an exam. She hadn't come with any of her friends, so perhaps Croix might have this one thing.

God knows she doesn't deserve it, but just let her have this one thing.

Croix focused intensely on her research. On its own, it was obviously immensely important. More than anything else. But that it helped distance her thoughts from Akko was a much needed bonus. Not long after meeting with Diana, she had gotten most of what she needed from the medical dictionary she had been using. A lot of it were theories she would have to follow up at Solis. There was a promising angle, however, that begged for more immediate research.

Magisiosis was one of the first magical sicknesses that jumped out at her when she first began cross-referencing them with Wagandea Sickness. When contracted, it infrequently but severely cut off magic flow, and could last for weeks. In its best cases, witches diagnosed with magisiosis could have their spells and incantations function perfectly one day but struggle with the most basic witchcrafts the next, on and off again for a couple of days. At its worse, it could completely take away all magic power for up to four weeks, where they'd essentially might as well not be a witch at all. The sickness would run its course and disappear without any side effects on its own, but as with so many magical ailments, the human body couldn't effectively develop antibodies for it, so it was likely that someone could contract it multiple times.

But unlike Wagandea Sickness, magisiosis had a cure. Boiling the root of a mandrake would cause it to shrivel and become edible, and consuming the root killed magisiosis cells in the bloodstream. Edible might be a strong word, considering they tasted somewhere between expired milk and battery acid. Most witches ate one once, since as far as anyone could tell it pretty much worked for life. Which was good, as once was about all anyone could stomach. It was a fairly old practice, dating back about eighty years when it was first discovered. But because it was old, there were plenty of books written on it, mandrakes, and everything in-between. There had never been much effort to cross-reference it with the comparatively unheard of Wagandea Sickness, which meant Croix had a trail to blaze. She had picked out a zoology book, Magically Gifted Species of the Mediterranean, a scientific journal with a significant section on the Murmurationis Folium species that mandrakes belonged to, which was…

Well, honestly, it was dry as hell. But it was important, so Croix would just have to deal with it.

She distracted herself with her all-encompassing research for the remaining hours of the day. It was to help Chariot. That was the only reason she needed. That was the only reason there was. She wouldn't let herself think about it. Six out of seven could very well be a coincidence. There wasn't a guarantee. She could avoid this. Just focus on this, push her from her mind, and just get to the end of the day without confronting her.

But no matter how hard Croix tried, the terror plagued her mind. The thought returned from its exile as soon as she forced it from her head. Whatever higher power pulled the strings of fate had forced her into facing the judgement of the other girls. It was only fitting that in the end Croix would be at the mercy of the one who could render all her progress moot.

Her every instinct told her the girl would hate her. Akko was headstrong, set in her ways, and Croix had given her every reason to feel as such. She had done everything in her power to torment her, and it hadn't even been for her sake. It had been to torment Chariot, her childhood idol and the teacher Akko adored. That was yesterday's revelation, after all. That she had only cared for appearances. There was nothing she had done to earn her forgiveness, so it would only make sense that she would hate her.

But she didn't know that. Akko might hate her now, but Croix had no definite way of knowing for sure. Even if her every instinct said otherwise, she could still lie to herself and go about trying to redeem herself without ever knowing if it was in vain or not. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Croix was losing focus. The letters were becoming blurred on the page. She forced herself to read, forced her eyes down the page. This was the only thing that mattered. She read as many pointless facts about mandrakes as she could as she tried to commit them to memory, let them fill her mind and push out any unwanted distractions. She had felt so good after talking to the other girls, but how could she ever feel that way again, if Akko proved…

No, dammit. Don't think about it. There was no way of knowing if they'd cross paths. She just had to focus, and she could avoid Akko for the rest of her life. She felt her stomach turn as she attempted to read, and her head was growing hotter and hotter. Her grip tightened on the book as her nails dug into the paper. She felt sick, but she powered through. She needed to do this, needed to ignore the blanket of guilt suffocating her. It was making it hard to breathe all of a sudden, but she just needed to avoid this, avoid her. It wasn't fair that this one girl could do this to her. How could she ever live with herself with her judgement hanging over her? She couldn't meet Akko. She couldn't handle knowing the truth. She couldn't let her take away her hopes when they were right in front of her.

She couldn't…

She couldn't read. The letters. They were all phasing together on the page. They were too out of focus. The room was getting smaller, tighter. The walls were crushing her. The air was getting thinner. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. Her hands clawed at her throat, trying to pull in air, but she couldn't do it, she couldn't do it, she couldn't handle it, she couldn't see. Everything was moving too fast, and she couldn't, she couldn't she couldn't-

"Meridies! Breathe!" Keith. Voice was yelling, loud, tight, too much, couldn't do it "Talk to me, what's wrong? What do you need?"

The words were too much, too many, she could just barely hear them. She didn't know what she needed, she didn't know what to do. It was only when she felt her stomach crushing her from the inside out that she was able to say something.

"B-bathroom!"

Keith had to drag his charge to the nearest restroom, and while he knew his words weren't getting through to Croix right now, he still gave a constant stream of guidance to her, encouraging her to simply breathe in and out and to focus on his voice. She was hyperventilating, and the lack of oxygen was not helping her get past her sudden panic attack. As soon as they reached the bathroom, she writhed her way out of his grasp, stumbling to the nearest stall and falling to her knees. Croix retched, attempting to vomit, but she couldn't manage. She coughed violently into the toilet, out of breath.

There wasn't much Keith could do except hold her back and talk to her, hoping that she could focus on something he said and pull herself out on her own. It was hard to believe she had broken down, now of all times. So much had changed with her this week, and she had come so far throughout the past few days. He had been fearful of this sort of thing when they had first arrived, but she had surpassed his expectations each day she had been here, surprising him at every turn with her personal growth. To see her crumpled on the bathroom floor, about to throw up out of stress…

It shouldn't have saddened him as much as it did. He's been in this line of work a long time with Solis. It didn't matter how much progress you made, or how much you wanted it. These type of problems didn't get neatly solved in less than a week. He had been babbling to her this entire time, both breathing tips and simply random topics for the sake of having her hear something.

"Croix, tell me what you need." She didn't respond, too overcome to think rationally. He had no idea what had caused her breakdown. She had handled herself very well for the past six days, but had she just been repressing something and lost control? It was difficult to help her without knowing the problem, but he needed to get through to her.

"Croix, what do you want?"

It was a minor change of wording, but enough to cause Croix to pause. She looked at him, bewildered, and he watched as she considered the words in her mind. Her gasping gradually slowed, and her chest stopped heaving, until finally she breathed at a safer pace, taking in lungfuls of air deep and slowly.

"I…I'm sorry. Keith." She spoke hoarse and empty. "I didn't…I don't know what happened. I'm sorry…I'm so…"

"You're all right, Croix. Just breathe, okay?" He spoke as comforting as he could, and to his relief, Croix simply took a moment to recuperate. She was still distressed, so he repeated himself, in hopes that it would help. "What do you want, Croix?

"I…I think I want to see Chariot…"

They made a quick trip back to the library to pick their things back up. Croix still felt like dirt, but everything didn't feel as taxing on her senses as they had moments ago. She might've preferred going straight to Chariot, but the short detour at least gave her a moment to reacquaint with herself. She may want to see Chariot now, but Chariot didn't need to see her acting so pathetic. She didn't need to be burdened with that.

Croix gathered her frazzled nerves. She wasn't even sure what she was going to do when she got to her office, and hell, there wasn't any guarantee she was available, but she still wanted to see her. Chariot steadied her. She was like a beacon of light, to guide her through the storm. As pretentiously corny as that sounded, it still rung true. Just seeing her would help her nerves.

Chariot had let them into her office, as warm and loving as she always was. Croix simply told her she wanted to see her, which was true, if not the whole truth. Chariot began to tell them about her day as Croix listened in silence, feeling more centered. Chariot was the reason she was doing this after all.

Croix loved her. It was almost ironic, really. As a teenager, her heart had raced at the sight of her beautiful red hair, and her lovely eyes. She had been so nervous around her back then, so in love. But now, it was less frantic. Her heartrate slowed, and she felt relaxed. She felt safe with her. This was what she had told Diana about. It was this safety she felt as she passed away the time just listening to her voice that made her want to redeem herself. Chariot deserved to have someone make her feel the way she made Croix feel, and if she still loved her, then Croix would do everything in her power to be that someone to make Chariot Du Nord feel at home. Her own guilt and her own disbelief in herself didn't matter. For Chariot, Croix would do everything to achieve her dreams of redemption. And never did it feel more possible when Chariot was with her.

Croix toyed with the words in her mind, trying to find the perfect way to admit them to Chariot, to let her know how much she wanted this feeling to last, to be reciprocated. For now, she was content to simply watch her smile and talk about her day. Croix had almost forgotten her earlier breakdown, sitting there reveling in her admiration, when from outside the door, a sound cut through the air. A sound that made her heart freeze. It was a voice, saying three words.

"Hey, Professor Ursula!"

No.

No no no!

She knew that voice. It was her. It was her. This couldn't be happening. She heard the footsteps approach the door, and whipped around and watched transfixed as the knob turned. She could do nothing but watch.

Akko Kagari entered the room.

"Hey, Professor Ursula!" She said, in a cheery voice. "Could you help me with-?" She stopped, midsentence. After eight months of doing everything in her power to avoid it, Croix met Akko's gaze. Her red eyes widened, almost as much as Croix's did. "Croix?"

Her breath felt short once more as she stood from the chair. She couldn't let this happen. She turned to Chariot and said as quickly as she could, "I-I didn't know you had a student coming, Chariot. I should just get going then, there's no reason for me to be here."

She darted from the room, not sparing a single glance at the young witch. The hallway was dark as she all but ran through it. She didn't know where she was going, but as long as it was anywhere else, it didn't matter. She only made it a short ways from the office before Chariot had run past and stopped her in her path.

Frantic, Croix's eyes flashed behind her. Keith was following on her heels, but Akko hadn't left the office. Croix breathed a little easier. She looked to her front, where Chariot stood, confused and afraid.

"Croix," She said slowly. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

The truth spilled past her lips before she could stop it. "I can't face her, Chari," she admitted. "I can- I can face a lot, but I can't face her."

Chariot just tilted her head. "This is…about Akko? Croix, I understand if you feel guilty, but-"

Croix interrupted her, stumbling over her words. "I…It's not just guilt. If I do this, it'll ruin everything. I-I can't…not with her."

"Croix…" Chariot sighed sadly, and then laid a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, after what I did to her with Dream Fuel Spirit, I understand how you feel."

Croix just shook her head, unconvinced. "That was my fault, though, Chari. I made you do that."

"Maybe." Chariot admitted. "But I cast the spell. And ever since Akko first came here, talking about how big of a fan of Shiny Chariot she was, it broke my heart over and over again. And even if that was on you, I made my own mistakes with her. I let her down all by myself, and there were times where I should've been there for her and wasn't. I lied when I should've been honest."

Her hand squeezed Croix's shoulder. "I know what it's like to feel guilty. But facing it, as hard it is, is important."

"B-but…" Croix stammered. "I can't…you don't understand…"

"I don't understand, but if it helps, I'll be there with you the whole time, okay?" She looked hopefully to Croix, and her rebuttals died in her throat. "We'll do this together."

With that, Croix found herself dragged back into the office, her heart hammering against her chest. Akko sat on a stool, and Chariot thanked her for waiting. She guided Croix to the couch and motioned for her to take a seat. Unable to find the words to plead her way out of it, Croix was compelled to sit on the cushion, where Keith took his own seat next to her. Breathing heavily, Croix looked up. There, sitting across from her, was Akko. The Chosen One. The girl whose dreams she almost destroyed. The witch who could return the favor without a second thought.

"So, uh…" Akko hesitantly waved her fingers. "…hi Croix."

Croix's fingers clenched around the armrest of the couch, her knuckles white. "…Hello, Akko."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Akko started to find it uncomfortable, and her eyes flicked over to the man sitting next to Croix. Her wave to him was much more enthusiastic.

Don't think about what that implies.

"Hi! I'm Atsuko Kagari, but everyone calls me Akko!"

"My name's Keith." He introduced himself with a pleasant smile. "Everyone calls me Keith."

It was a special kind of dorky joke that a dad would tell, but Akko still smiled at it. Maybe it was in the delivery. Chariot began to speak to Akko, about something Croix didn't really pay attention to, and the young girl enthusiastically hung on every word.

Maybe…maybe with Chariot here, she could do this. Chariot could be her go-between, softening the blows, appealing to Akko's better nature. The possibilities of what Akko would say still hung dangerously in the air, but with Chariot here…

Or no, better plan. Akko was a fan of Shiny Chariot. And she had come here seeking answers to a problem. Maybe Croix could just…force the conversation to stay there, and away from her. Chariot was pretty bashful, so she might get too overwhelmed if they started singing her praises to notice Croix quietly sitting out the conversation until she could reasonably slip away. And then, everybody wins. Croix can say she faced her fear without actually having to put her happiness on the chopping block. Akko doesn't have to see Croix anymore, and Croix doesn't have to learn the awful truth.

"So, since we're all here, let's see if we can help each other then." Chariot greeted them happily. She turned to Akko first. "What did you come by to see me about, Akko?"

Akko began to talk about some test, and Croix was still too nervous to really catch any details. Before Akko got too far, there was a knock on the door, and Croix bit back a sigh. She just wanted some alone time with Chariot, why did she need to be so popular now, of all days? The new guest didn't bother to wait for Chariot to open the door for her, and Croix saw it was Professor Nelson. Her face was agitated, exhausted, and covered in dirt.

"Ursula, we need your help down in the North Building." Nelson said to her.

"What?" Chariot just blinked, and gestured to all the people in her office. "No, I can't leave, I'm in the middle of someth-"

"Something is affecting Arcas," Nelson cut her off. "And you're the only one that bear listens to."

Suddenly, Chariot sat alert, looking very serious. "What's wrong with Arcas?"

"C-Chariot?" The blood drained from Croix's face.

No. No, she couldn't be thinking of leaving! She couldn't!

"I think he's sick, he's not guarding the fountain, and he's growling at students. We're worried he's going to start attacking someone." Nelson explained. Croix wanted to throttle her. Chariot was needed here. Let someone else deal with it.

Chariot stood up, grabbing her wand. She couldn't do this to her. She couldn't just abandon Croix like this!

"I…I'm sorry, Croix, Akko, but I have to take care of this."

"But what about-?" Akko called out to her as she left through the doorway, but the professor only shot her a hurried apology, and Croix's heart raced, trying to find the words to beg her to stay. She couldn't…!

"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise!"

Chariot, her lifeline, the only hope she had of making it through this, left the room without looking back, slamming the door behind her as she was whisked away. Croix was trapped, with the single person she feared. It was her punishment. It had to be. This was the fate she had earned. All the times she had threatened her safety, her happiness, and now Croix was on the other side of the gun, with Akko's finger on the trigger.

It was dead silent in Chariot's office. None of the three occupants were willing to put in the first word. Her mind could only frantically race to imagine what Akko and Keith's reasons were, but Croix was simply on her last, most desperate plan. She could just…avoid saying anything. If she said nothing, maybe Akko would have nothing to say in return. They could simply sit awkwardly in silence until Chariot returned or until Holbrooke came to kick Croix and Keith out to the curb. She just had to not engage, and hope Akko wouldn't take the initiative, and Croix could find a way to escape without ever learning the truth.

Croix still had her notebook with her. She pulled it out, and pretended to read over her research. Both Keith and Akko turned to watch her as she was the only one in the room moving. She ignored their eyes on her. Look busy. Look so engrossed in her work it would simply be impolite to talk to her.

"…So", Croix flinched as Akko's sudden words cut through the silence. "Whatcha got there?"

"Nothing!" She said too quickly, startling Akko and Keith. It was a difficult effort to speak normally. "…I-it's nothing. Just some notes I took. That's all it is, so please, don't worry."

She brought her notebook closer to her face, almost pressing it too her nose. Akko muttered something, and Croix's brain made a conscious effort not to recognize it. Ignorance is bliss. With the pages so close to her eyes, she could see the mistakes in her calligraphy. An 'i' she forgot to dot, the lines making up the letters not as straight as they should be, the 'o's were imperfect circles. It was still legible, but there were plenty of mistakes. She always wrote pretty quickly after all. Chicken scratch, they called it. Neater than it had been when she was a student here, but still messy.

"…sorry I asked then." Akko muttered, causing Croix to wince. Every second she was here was just making it worse. Her knees were quaking, and the cramp in her stomach was back. She didn't know what Keith would think of her if she fell apart in the bathroom again, not to mention how disappointed Chariot would be in her cowardice, but that was much preferable to this.

They sat in silence for another few minutes. There was still a few hours until Croix could make her escape, and there was no way of telling when Chariot would return. She struggled to focus solely on her notebook, to simply ignore the odd looks Akko was sending her way. The silence was making the younger girl impatient and that could only lead to disaster.

"You've been talking to my friends a lot, huh?" Croix flinched again. That felt like a loaded question. Diana had accused her of doing it nefariously only days ago. Was Akko interrogating her as well? "Even Amanda said she talked to you yesterday."

She stared, waiting, and Croix realized she had no choice but to answer. "Y-yeah. They…they were just in the library with me…s-so we…talked."

Akko's expression was unreadable. She didn't follow up with another question, but that alone did little to ease the tension laying over the room. She prayed that it could last, that Akko was simply making idle conversation, that there was no deeper accusation behind her words.

And then, to her horror, Akko spoke.

"You know, a lot of professors here didn't like me. I thought it was so exciting when we first met, because you were one of the first ones who encouraged me and didn't just think I did everything wrong. Whenever I had a bad day with one of the professors, I thought of you and Professor Ursula."

And suddenly, all her worst fears were coming to fruition. There was only one place Akko's statement would lead. Croix had to escape, had to keep herself from hearing the end of this. Desperate, she eyed the door, but before she could make a move, Keith's hand was on her shoulder, and he gave a reassuring smile. He thought he was being supportive, but all he was doing was forcing Croix into her doom.

"But…that was all a lie. You wanted to use me to get to the Grand Triskellion. And you tricked me into not trusting Ursula." Akko continued listing Croix's transgressions in a subdued voice, either oblivious to how much they hurt to hear, or deliberately dragging it out to make sure Croix knew the full extent of her sins.

"You spent a lot of time tricking me. And it really hurt, to find that out." As Akko's words stabbed through her consciousness, Croix became more and more aware of how in vain all her efforts to avoid this were, how futile it was to panic. There was no longer anything she could do. This was it.

"To learn that the cool new professor who liked me didn't like me all that much, and that she was trying to hurt people, and attacking me and my friends…" Akko trailed off. The panic was replaced with a grim acceptance of the inevitable. Like a condemned man overlooking his noose, Croix knew this was the fate she had earned.

Croix looked up for but a moment, and was frozen by the intense way Akko was looking at her. "Like I said, it really hurt my feelings to find out that you weren't the nice person I thought you were. That's why I was surprised to hear how you treated my friends."

"I heard you said to Diana and Amanda that you even felt bad about all that, and you wanted to become a better person…" There was a look in Akko's eyes as she said it. Was it disbelief? Scorn?

She willed her head to move to look elsewhere, but she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted it, her body was betraying her. Not only would Croix have her life ruined, but she was being compelled to have it burned into her memories. She couldn't live with the image hanging over her for the rest of her days.

"If that's true…" Akko said, trailing off. Croix pinched her eyes closed, unwilling to see the moment she feared most unfold.

"If you're really sorry, then…I forgive you, Croix."

As soon as the words left her mouth, silence engulfed the room, just as it had at the start. Croix blinked, and looked over the girl sitting across from her. Her mouth hung open, struggling to find words as she studied Akko, still as a stone. Akko simply stared back. No one made a move.

And without warning Croix heaved, and bolted from the room, her chair scraping loudly on the floor. Keith was alerted by her sudden movements and chased after her into the hallway. Akko followed close on his heels, shocked that her words caused Croix to run.

As they exited the office into the darkened hallway, they saw Croix, leaning on the wall, her shoulders pumping up and down. For a moment, it looked as though she was panicking once more, but she turned to face them, taking her hand away from her face to reveal tears running down her cheeks.

Akko looked up to Croix, confused. "Wh-why are you crying?"

"B-because I don't get it…" Croix sniffed, blinking back tears as much as she could. "How…how could you forgive me?"

Akko smiled, taking a step closer. "It was wrong what you did, but…it's all in the past!"

"B-but how?!" Croix sputtered. "Everything I did to you…y-you even said how many times I lied to you…I haven't done anything to earn forgiveness, s-so how can you possibly…?"

"You know, Croix. I've made lots of mistakes. Everybody thought I was a complete failure when I first got here. But I just kept trying and trying until I got better, and now I have so many great friends and I got to help people love magic again!" Croix just stared bewildered, almost unable to see through her tears.

"I can even fly now! It's so much fun! I think I'm getting to be a great rider too! I even got second in the broom relay this year, all on my own! Well, partly because Amanda broke her leg, but I didn't use a special broom or potions or anything!" Akko stopped smiling suddenly, and scratched her head. "Um, wait, I had a point…"

Croix wiped her eyes, trying to clear the wetness from her vision. "Was it…to just let go your mistakes?"

Akko snapped her fingers. "That was probably it! Even if you were bad before, you told everyone that you wanted to get better!"

"Y-you believe me?" Croix sniffed as she leaned back against the wall, emotionally drained. "You-you actually believe that I can…?"

"Well, yeah!" Akko shrugged, as though it was obvious that someone could actually let go of everything Croix did to wrong them. "You were telling the truth, right? If you're really sorry, and you wanna get better, then I think you can do it!"

Croix, unsure what to even say, slid down the wall, and ended up sitting on the floor. In response, Akko plopped down right next to her. "I'm not sure I can just…move on." She craned her head, looking at the door to Professor Ursula's office. "Everywhere I look, I just see reminders of who I used to be. How can I just let my sins go when they're staring me in the face?"

"I…kinda get that." Akko admitted, to Croix's surprise. She turned to her for an explanation, and Akko looked very sheepish. "They still haven't fixed the hole in the wall in the big lecture room from last year."

Croix's face scrunched up. "…You're ridiculous. What I mean is…I've been so angry and guilty for so long," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know how I can just…forget everything. I've screwed up so much."

"I'm…not really sure I get what you mean…but I screw up a lot too! And when you make a lot of mistakes, you're bound to forget some of them, so it's really easy to move on!"

Croix could barely suppress a chuckle, shaking her head. "That might be the saddest life philosophy I've ever agreed with."

Croix studied the girl who sat on the floor next to her. Akko forgave her. Akko didn't hate her. It was…ludicrous. Croix had never given her reason to believe anything she said, and yet, Akko claimed to believe in her recovery fully. She hadn't taken away her dream, she had encouraged it. She looked at Akko's bright, hopeful expression, and her heart stirred. She wasn't even sure how to respond anymore.

"…I'm curious now." She admitted, after a moment. "How do you manage to break through a wall in the lecture room? Aren't those still magically reinforced?"

Akko seemed surprised to hear that. "Are they? I didn't know you could do that. That might be a useful spell to learn!" She smiled, scratching the back of her head. "…Even if I did break through it once."

"How much stuff do you break on a daily basis?"

Akko just laughed bashfully. "Eheheh…Like I said, I guess we're both screw-ups. But even though I'm a screw-up, I still managed to help a bunch of people and make a lot of friends!" She jumped to her feet, and looked at Croix with excited eyes. "You can do it too, so don't be sad anymore, okay?"

Croix stared at her, before a smile took over her face. "God, you sound just like her…" Akko looked a bit confused, so Croix explained, "Chariot, I mean. You talk like she did when she was your age."

If Akko's eyes were excited before, they were shining now. "Hee hee, do I really sound like Shiny Chariot?"

Croix stood up from the floor with a small grunt of effort. "I meant Chariot your teacher."

"Oh." Akko blinked. "I knew that. I sorta forget they're the same person, sometimes…"

"Heh, it's no wonder the disguise worked then." Croix froze as she said it, fearing she had gone too far, but Akko didn't look very offended by the remark, and childishly stuck her tongue out at her. Croix let out a small laugh.

"But seriously Croix!" Akko said. "Don't be sad, okay?"

As Croix looked down at the short girl, with her eyes trusting and genuine, and suddenly her anxiety felt so silly in hindsight. "I…I'll try," she promised. "I can't understand how you could care about me after how I treated you…but I'll try."

And suddenly Akko jumped on her, throwing her arms around her midsection. Croix's heart froze in her chest. What was happening? Why was the kid tackling her? Had she been wrong again? She wasn't trying to push her to the ground, so what was she-?

Oh.

It was a hug. Akko was…hugging her.

Croix was unsure of what to do. She hadn't been hugged in a long time. Hesitantly, she draped her arms around Akko's shoulders, and rested them there awkwardly. Akko responded by giving her midsection a small, not unpleasant, squeeze. Croix bent lower and squeezed Akko back, who gave a contented hum.

As a rule, she really did not like being touched, and hugs were out of her comfort zone. But then, it was too late to stop it now, Croix supposed. It felt…reassuring, somehow. It was a warm, comforting thing. She had spent so long feeling nothing but dread at meeting Akko, and yet, she felt her earlier fear and sadness melt away.

For once, Croix's head wasn't filled with anxiety and depression. Nor was it filled with hatred and desire for vengeance. For once, Croix emptied her mind, and just enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

Chariot spotted Keith in the hall and ran as fast she could.

"S-sorry I had to leave suddenly, poor Arcas just had a bad stomachache. But now I-!" She was suddenly stopped when Keith grabbed her shoulder. Turning to him for answers, he just motioned to the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Oh!" That wasn't what she was expecting to come back to. "Seems like I wasn't needed after all, then…"

Keith turned and smiled, watching as Croix knelt down to hug Akko back. "I wouldn't say that."

She couldn't keep the smile from her face. She had always hoped to see the two connect after all that had happened between them, but it was something else entirely to have it in front of her own two eyes. "I have to admit, I'm almost jealous. She didn't let me hug her."

"Well," Keith leaned over and gave an amused shrug. "There's still tomorrow."

"Yes." Chariot agreed, with a tender smile. "There's always that."

A.N. For the record, Croix seeing the Shiny Rod as a measure of goodness probably isn't true, and Akko is hardly the most moral character out of the nine of them. But Chosen One narratives always bring up these kind of questions, and Croix seeing the Rod as definitive proof when she placed so much importance on it as a student gelled with her characterization and made for an interesting angle, so I went for it. And boy, this one was long. I've been working on this forever, because there was just a lot of places it needed to go. Even with the extra day, it was still hard to get it to all those places naturally.

But there's just one of these left! Each chapter has been named one of the Nine New Witches as Croix helps them in some form. But throughout this whole story, her one goal has been to cure Chariot, and return to the status quo. She never set out to help the other witches, but did it anyway, and it served her end goal of helping Chariot for one last time. This is what she's been working on for so long, what everything has been building to. Her access to the library ends soon, she's met with everyone, so now it's just about getting Chariot her magic back.

The final chapter then, is called "Croix".