Akko.

Diana had hardly thought of anything else as she made her way through the school. Nor down the dormitory hallway. Familiar routes became foreign, as if she was navigating Luna Nova for the first time again. Every turned corner, every step; old features became new in her mind as she scanned everywhere possible for Akko. Without knowing where she was, her surroundings had gradually turned cold, unfriendly, and strange.

Diana felt unwelcome in her own environment. Not that she was unacquainted with the feeling.

It wasn't until she reached the Red Team's door, that her thoughts had a moment to catch up with her. What Akko had said before she ran off earlier echoed inside her head.

"It's like- something changed between us."

Diana squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. The words were so loud, as if Akko was right there saying them again. And she was right. Everything she said was right. Diana was keeping a distance. And why? When all it did was make things between them so confusing, why did she keep doing it?

"But we just went back to how things used to be anyway."

Why did it hurt so much this time? Diana used to be so good at tuning out Akko's words when they were still on shaky terms (or "rivals" according to Akko). But ever since she had let Akko in, it was impossible to get her out. Instead, Diana listened to everything Akko said a bit too much and pondered it a bit too long and had, as a result, talked a bit too little in the recent weeks. Enough for it to be noticeable. Enough for it to make a difference. It had put Akko on edge, to the point where she felt like they were drifting. The two of them were still too different for each other, and that made it easier for Diana to exacerbate the distance.

With a sigh, she knocked on the door.

"One moment," a muffled voice called out behind the frame.

There was a shuffling sound followed by the clinking of glass. After a few seconds, Sucy opened the door and stared at Diana with an unreadable expression, one which she could only hope to classify as boredom. In her other hand she was swirling a vial of something bright blue.

"Diana," Sucy cocked her head and smiled a little wider than she needed to. "You look tired. Want to try out my sleep potion?"

"Good evening to you too, Sucy," Diana said, waving the potion away. "You wouldn't have happened to see Akko around, have you?"

Sucy raised an eyebrow.

"I thought she was with you."

"Yes, she was," Diana huffed slightly, pressing her fingers to her temple. "Clearly that's no longer the case."

"What happened?" Sucy's eyes flicked to the vial in her hand, then back to Diana. "Don't tell me you upset her enough to make her run off?"

Diana rubbed her arm, casting her eyes down. In actuality, Akko had upset herself into running off, but it was a void point now. All she cared about was locating Akko. The mere notion of not knowing where she was only further intensified the heart-pounding anxiety that swirled in her chest. It was obvious now that Diana had to tell her what was going on with her as of late. And as pain-staking as it was for her to open up so deeply to someone so polarizing, she knew it was what she needed to do - for the both of them.

"She was troubled when she hurried off and, despite my skepticism, I figured I'd at least visit her room first," Diana said.

"Well, she's not here."

"Who isn't here?" Lotte piped up from behind Sucy before peeking around her. "Diana? What's going on?"

"Akko took off and Diana can't find her," Sucy answered the question for her.

"Oh no…" Lotte breathed, chewing her lower lip. She could already assume what could've happened, considering how nervous Akko was beforehand. "My first guess is Professor Ursula's office."

"Yes, Amanda agreed to check for me," Diana nodded her head.

"We'll go over there with you. Right, Sucy?" Lotte turned to Sucy, whose focus had completely switched to the vial in front of her. "Right, Sucy?"

"Right, right," Sucy replied, turning from the door. She moved back to her desk. "Let me just put this down."

"I appreciate it, but, really, you two shouldn't feel inclined to-"

"Well, she's our teammate, so if we don't know where she is, we're in trouble." Sucy said.

"As well as our very good friend," Lotte's tone shifted into a scolding one.

"That too," Sucy responded a bit more honestly. Of course, she really was concerned about Akko, but she knew better than to express it so openly. Also, though she didn't want to admit it, annoying Lotte was quite fun sometimes.

"I-" Diana took a breath. "Thank you." Sidestepping to let the two girls out, she exhaled, her mind falling back down its spiral of worry.

"Are you going to spit it out or what?"

Barbara sat herself down on the bench. Her stare was strong enough to burn a hole through Hannah's chest. Thankfully, they had picked a more secluded spot outside, otherwise passing students might've picked up on the heavy tension building in the air between them.

"Give me a minute, will you?" Hannah remained standing, silently fretting, twisting her hands together. She couldn't find the nerve to look her friend in the eye, so she just fixated on the grass and how it folded over when she shifted her feet. Barbara rolled her eyes, impatient.

"I thought you would've had plenty of time on the way over here-"

"Please, Barbara," Hannah finally pushed the words out, cutting her off. "I don't want you to be mad."

"I'm more angry that you're suddenly having such a hard time confiding in me," Barbara sighed, dropping her gaze and slumping her shoulders. "I feel like you've been keeping something from me."

"I have," Hannah snapped her head up. "I know I've been acting like an idiot lately, okay? I didn't know how to articulate it, or even what to think about it myself," she sighed, closing her eyes and balling her fists at her sides. "So I'm just gonna blurt it out."

Barbara leaned forward, her eyes wide in uncertain anticipation.

"I'm jealous," Hannah said, keeping her eyes shut and her arms straight, pulling the muscles tight to prevent herself from visibly shaking. "When I see you and Lotte hanging out and having so much fun together, I just- I feel all weird inside and I start thinking bad thoughts, like, that you'll start hanging out with her more than-," her voice broke, "more than me." She took a trembling breath, heat pricking at her eyes. "Or that I'll be replaced completely… And I know it's silly, and I know it's selfish. It was never your fault. It's all me and I don't know why I can't let it go."

The two of them said nothing and the air around them fell completely still, save for Hannah's sniffling.

"Hannah-" Barbara suddenly stood up, taking her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Hannah furrowed her brows. "No- Barbara, you did nothing wrong- I should be the one saying-"

"No, listen to me," Barbara said, looking directly at her this time. "I'm sorry I caused you so much fear. Even if it wasn't on purpose, I still made you feel like our friendship was in jeopardy, which was something I never wanted to do."

"What?" Hannah found herself stuck staring into her friends eyes, her breath caught in her lungs. "I'm the one being stupid- you don't-"

"I've been acting stupid, too! And if it makes any difference, I felt really jealous when I saw you and Amanda-" Barbara shook her head. When she had seen Amanda so close to her best friend earlier, it was like something deep and intense rose up inside her faster than she could comprehend it. If that was any similar to how Hannah felt when she spent time with Lotte - she couldn't even fathom it without wanting to cry. "I dunno, it was just weird." Barbara pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms snugly around her. She hadn't even realized she was crying until she saw a droplet fall onto the fabric of Hannah's vest.

"Barbara…" Hannah held her close, her eyes staring ahead under knotted brows, letting the words sink in. Breathing into her friend's embrace, she let herself sink, sniffling back at her tears as they trickled steadily down. They allowed themselves to stay that way for a while. Which Hannah didn't mind at all. In fact, she couldn't imagine anything else being more important or rewarding than staying in Barbara's arms right now.

Sighing, Hannah pulled back to look at her friend again. Noticing the tears, she cupped Barbara's face, gently drying her cheek with her sleeve. "Don't cry…"

"Speak for yourself," Barbara laughed and took her hand in her own, lowering it down and intertwining their fingers.

Hannah smirked, wiping at her eyes with her other sleeve. Glancing at their hands, an unexpected warmth found its way under her skin. She quickly pressed her hand to her face, and then moved it to her chest. Had her heart skipped a beat? All she could take in was how the orange glow of setting sunlight fell perfectly against Barbara's skin through her night-black hair.

"It's getting dark," Barbara said, smiling now.

"We should head inside."

Hannah nodded, still holding her hand.

"Okay, repeat it again."

"We need to talk about our friendship," Akko's sentence came out in a single-note drone. Amanda sighed.

"C'mon Akko, you gotta say it with more guts," Amanda said, walking alongside her as they made another lap around the courtyard.

"It's hard," Akko whined. "Why can't I just be indirect and hope Diana can read my mind or something..."

"No. You get straight to the point. Like ripping off a band-aid. Fast and confident." Amanda folded her arms. "And then you say…"

"I think something changed between us," Akko sighed.

"And…" Amanda raised her eyebrow. "What did Professor Ursula say?"

"I explain myself. Afterward, I make sure not to talk over her and give her time to respond, even if it's not what I want to hear. I try to keep from getting over-emotional."

"Right."

"And then I apologize for my earlier behavior," Akko said. "Then I get emotional."

Amanda gave Akko a playful shove, causing her to giggle a bit.

"Maybe not that last bit," Amanda pinched her fingers together, a laugh coating her voice. "I agree with what Professor Ursula said, though; sometimes we just need to say the truth as soon as we realize it, that way we avoid future problems."

"Sounded like she was speaking with experience."

"Probably."

Akko laughed again.

"Anyway, worst case scenario, you know you can always hang with Jas, Cons, and I. Though, the moping could get old after a while."

"Thanks," Akko sighed. Amanda reached over and patted her back, shaking her shoulder.

The practice session between the two of them was cut short when, pushing through the school doors in the distance, they saw a blonde figure followed by two others. Akko recognized them immediately, slowing to a complete stop in her tracks. Once again, the knowledge of how to move escaped her. Before all of the feigned courage she built up could drain out her ears, Akko began to recite her planned words in her head, which became increasingly difficult. The closer Diana came, the more Akko's focus was pulled back toward her and away from her incessantly noisy brain. The world faded out, blurring around the edges as she honed in her attention like she was looking through the lense of a telescope. Every sound and noise and utterance of anything melted into silence, and the throbbing in her chest painted a percussion loud enough to drown out her own inner voice.

"I told you I'd find her," Amanda teased, proudly smirking to herself.

Diana stopped a few feet away from them, her alert gaze fixing on Akko before relaxing, falling delicate at the sight of her again. Lotte ran ahead, pulling Akko into a tight hug, which Akko reciprocated with a quiet giggle. Sucy followed, slowly lingering behind.

"Akko, is everything alright?" Lotte said, her voice soft and reserved enough for no one else, aside from Sucy and Akko, to hear.

Akko simply nodded and forced a smile at her teammates.

"We had just found out you were 'missing in action', but we're still glad to see you're fine," Sucy said, making sure to not look at either of them as she spoke.

"Sucy," Akko's voice wavered, clearly touched by the somewhat sentimental words.

"That's all. Don't make it gross," Sucy pursed her lips. "Anyway, Diana needs to talk to you."

With startling precision, following Sucy's declaration, Diana stepped forward.

"Thank you, Amanda," she said, although her eyes still set themselves on Akko. "If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to speak with Akko alone."

The three other girls looked at one another and then at Diana. And, as if a silent agreement between the three of them was just exchanged, they all slowly headed toward the doors. Amanda trailed behind Sucy and Lotte, giving Akko a quick wink and thumbs up. Akko watched as they disappeared, the sinking feeling re-emerging in her chest again. Diana sighed, pressing her fingertips to her forehead, rubbing at the crease she obtained from her previous state of distress.

"Akko, you seriously worried me."

"I know," Akko said. "I'm really sorry."

A few seconds of silence fell between them and, so far, they were the longest seconds of Akko's life. The usual tension that Diana often carried in her presence appeared to be wound up even tighter this time, like tuning a violin too high, twisting the pegs until they strained hard against the tailpiece to keep from snapping.

"I need to-," Diana paused and took a moment to inhale and exhale. "I need to talk to you about something."

Akko bit her lip, a strange mixture of relief and apprehension twisted in her gut with a dissonance heavier than lead.

"Yeah," Akko said, the words tumbling out. "Me too."

"Shall we walk?" Diana stepped in a bit closer. Akko could hear her heartbeat inside her head clearly now.

"Yeah- yeah, with all this uh- fresh air," Akko scratched her neck. "Good for the lungs."

Jeez, Akko, what are you even saying? Mentally, she was already smacking herself in the face. Say something normal please!

Diana tilted her head as she began to walk, motioning Akko to follow her. Managing to move her cement legs, she joined Diana's side as they made their way in the opposite direction of their friends. The two of them walked quietly together, every step echoed in Akko's ears as the lack of words grew more and more agitating with every second. Finally, Diana looked down and up ahead again, flipping her hair away from her ear.

"It'd be appropriate for you to go first," Diana said.

"Uh-oh yeah, um," Akko shook her head, rubbing her face to loosen up her sudden case of being tongue-tied. "Right, I- uh-" C'mon, just say the damn words already! "I feel like something changed…" Akko's voice dropped pathetically, "...with us."

Anticipating a reaction, Akko winced, keeping her gaze at her feet as she walked. But Diana didn't react at all, or if she did, Akko didn't have the keen observation skills to see it. Frustrated, she looked over at Diana, who continued to keep her eyes averted. All those thoughts that must float around in her head. How Diana could keep from spilling her soul out so expertly eluded Akko, even now - especially now. However, her eyes had always betrayed her; Akko remembered vividly the hurt that lingered in them when she broke away from her grasp, how it flickered deep inside her pupils like the dying flame of a candle. This, she had seen and processed, and still, too overwhelmed by her own anxiety, ran off.

"Sorry if that makes no sense," Akko forced herself to add something, anything, to her admission, since Diana still kept deathly quiet. "The fight with the Noir Missile- it was a really big deal, I think."

Diana stiffened up.

"Of course it was a big deal, Akko," Diana's voice was harsh, yet, too soft and too tired to hold its usual icy edge. It was as if she was low on fuel, or energy, or both. Probably both. "I think about it constantly." A truth, but an under-exaggeration. She thought about it whether she wanted to or not.

"I didn't know you still thought about it too," Akko said, gulping. "I thought it was just me. And I thought, after what happened, we'd be closer. And I thought we were, for a little bit, and then it was like… things fell in place again, but the way they did before everything- before Professor Croix came and you left school and Arcturus-"

"You are right," Diana came to a complete halt, her fingers rubbing her eyes again. Under the shadow of her palm, Akko could she her clench her teeth. Stopping herself from saying anything else, she waited for Diana to find her words again. "Do you want to know why I've been so distant, Akko?"

"Yes," was all Akko could say.

"It wasn't planned," Diana said. "Perhaps, it was because the initial shock finally fell away with time." She sighed, finding Akko's eyes again. "Regardless, I've found myself going back to those moments with you, Akko, and I re-imagine them again and again," her voice turned breathless.

"I dream about them."

"Diana-" The more her words sunk in, the less Akko knew what to say.

"Every time, I am trapped in these scenarios where I have to come to terms with the fact that-" Diana paused, biting her lip as the words clawed at her, wanting to rip themselves free, wanting her to scream it out like she so often screamed in those nightmares, like a child: lost, frightened, alone. "That even one error-"

Had the ground disappeared beneath her? Had the structures around them of stone fallen away? It seemed that only she and Akko existed in empty space, timeless, limitless. Perfect for things to crumble away, the way she felt herself begin to. The walls were weak; flooding over, collapsing under the pressure.

"Diana, don't- I-" Akko could feel it; all with one glance, the serious shift in Diana's tone, and the flickering light inside her eyes that burned brighter and louder than her voice would allow. She wanted to hug her, reach out to her, touch her. But, that fear - it was paralyzing, binding, suffocating. Instead she pushed empty words out of nowhere - something to fill the space. "You shouldn't think like that-"

"You could've died, Akko!" Strength rammed itself into her tone again and Akko went still. Diana's sharp, studying eyes held her up, as if she were suspended in air; floating momentarily before dropping back to the ground again. "One second, one lapse in judgement, one wrong decision and you could've been gone forever."

"You can't put that on yourself, Diana!" Akko's chest felt tight again and she wanted to yell at her. She didn't know what or why, but she did, because it was all making her hurt for some reason and she wished it would stop. "You can't just- punish yourself for things that didn't happen."

"Akko," Diana paused and then, like it were nothing, closed up again. A clam snapped shut deep, deep at the bottom of the dark ocean. "If something had happened to you," She turned away. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Akko thought she had spoken, but all that came out was a croak.

"I accept your apology," Diana said. "And I'd like to apologize for making you worry about our friendship. I hope we can attempt to study again soon." Her voice dropped. "I hope I can improve."

Say something, idiot! Don't just stand there with your mouth open. Akko's thoughts berated her as she simply stood with her mouth open, still in shock by Diana's sudden change.

Their eyes lingered on one another, longer than either of them had expected. It was Diana who broke first, pushing a small smile up.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" Diana said. "I'm positive your friends are wondering why we've been out so long."

Before Akko could say anything, Diana turned around on her heels, beginning to walk back to the entrance she came from. She wanted to stop her somehow, but her train of thought was replaced with that hissing, useless static again. Diana's words echoed in her mind like a broken record, like an endless echo down a tunnel to nowhere - a tunnel to where her heart had buried itself. Her heart, that she now realized, had been beating at what seemed like a hundred beats per minute. Her muscles had been so tense. Akko had only walked a bit, but her body responded like it had just run a marathon.

Diana's footsteps grew quieter and Akko swiveled around.

"Diana!"

Diana turned back and was greeted with a smiling, waving Akko. A familiar Akko.

"I'll come by tomorrow!" Akko yelled with smiling teeth, her arm raised enthusiastically in the air.

Diana simply nodded and turned away again.

How convenient for Akko that she had been so far ahead, unable to spot the tear that found itself in her eye as she grinned. It rolled down her cheek like it had broken free from a dam she didn't realize she had built.

But it was okay, because, well - she had an odd feeling that the fissure was necessary.

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's been a pleasant one so far! Sorry to keep you all waiting with this chapter, but I was nagging at myself to get it juuust right, haha!

Anyway, please enjoy, and I'll see ya'll next chapter! Things are getting interesting now...