Hi! Sorry for the delay, I GOT A FLIPPING PUPPY.
Also, I don't know how you expect me to set aside time to write when everyone keeps writing more fanfiction that I MUST read ^_^
Haha, lots of surprised people last two chapters. But I hope you stick with it! This is basically me trying to get everything I ever wanted out of LWA (which is my favorite anime of all time already).
This one starts a little dramatic, but I intend for this episode to ultimately be more SOL (slice-of-life) than anything.
Episode 02: Luna Nova Over Capacity
Part 1
"Wow! Can you do some magic for us?" The gaggle of girls surrounding the former outcast of Luna Nova were excited to say the least.
"We came here because you go here! Please show us some of your magic, please Miss Kagari."
"Whaaaat?" Akko was stymied, "Not because Shiny Chariot went here? She's amazing!"
"You like Shiny Chariot?" Akko's glare was enough to make the poor girl take a step back, "I-I-I mean, she's great, but you're the reason we all came here."
"Alright girls! Prepare to be amazed with my thrilling and exciting show!" Akko twirled her wand like a baton and stepped back from the group of nameless freshmen. "Dokidoki no wakuwaku!"
A chorus of encouragement and murmurings of pleasure greeted the announcement. Akko grinned conspiratorially before shouting, "Arae—"
"AKKO!" The sharp note of displeasure cut through Akko's spell as surely as a magic isolator would. The blonde goddess of Luna Nova stormed down the stairs towards the group. The freshmen scattered before her.
"Aw, Diana, I was just going to show them some transformation magi . . . " The slap echoed down the hall, making the freshmen girls hurry away even faster. Despite herself, tears sprang to Akko's eyes.
"You irresponsible, unthinking jerk of a witch!" With each word, Diana's balled up hands lightly pounded against Akko's chest.
Dazed from the slap, Akko kept her face turned away. Diana's buffets were more out of frustration than from a desire to hurt her, as though shouting, Notice me! Make this better! Fix it!
Akko slowly reacted by wrapping her arms around her. Diana struggled for a few seconds more before giving into the hug, sobbing into Akko's arms. "Hey, hush. It's OK. I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine now."
"Akko!" Diana screamed in frustration, biting back sobs and shoving her face deeper into the nook of Akko's neck. "We don't know that. We don't know anything right now."
"I wanted to make those girls smile and show them how amazing magic is."
"You've already done that! You showed the whole world that! You don't need to do anymore."
Akko blinked in surprise, "Oh. I guess I did show the whole world." She laughed and tried to stand up and away from the hug. Diana only grabbed her tighter, her sobs were becoming uncontrollable. "I still don't get why you're mad . . . Or why you hit me."
Diana could not respond.
"Akko, Diana," the voice of their once-idol interrupted them. Chariot put on a friendly smile at Akko when she looked up at her. Diana stayed firmly attached. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think I can help."
"Hai," Akko replied, gesturing impotently at the wreck in her arms.
"Akko, Diana is upset because we think you using magic is going to accelerate your condition." Akko numbly felt Diana nodding furiously.
"Ee?" Akko asked surprised. "Using magic is making me worse?"
"Yes, didn't Diana explain this to you?"
More nods in her shoulder, "I must not have caught that part. You know how I am," this time Diana shook her head side-to-side vigorously. "So you hit me . . . because I was hurting myself?"
More nods, "A—Akko," Diana managed to get out.
"I'm sorry, Diana. I didn't know." The normally cheerful girl was reeling from the revelations.
"I should have explained it better, Akko. I'm so sorry."
Akko tried to laugh it away, "So that's what it's like to be slapped by an aristocrat, ne?"
"I thought you were killing yourself! Just to show off for some girls!" The strength of her rebuke stunned her. Akko lost any semblance of being able to manage. Tears fell down her face to wet Diana's hair. Chariot hovered over the two, wanting to console them, but unable to.
Footsteps on the staircase drew Chariot's attention, and she turned to see Amanda sauntering down the stairs. "Yo, Akko!" she called out before fully taking in the scenario. Neither Akko nor Diana heard her.
Chariot stepped up to meet Amanda halfway, "Please take another route, Miss O'Neil."
Amanda looked at Diana and Akko, then blankly up at Chariot. "I thought we were closer than that, Professor du Nord."
The red-head frowned and whispered, "Amanda, this is a tense situation. I'm sorry to greet you that way, but please understand."
"Seems like they need their friends," Amanda raised her arms behind her head as she began to climb the steps.
"I'm sure that will come soon enough."
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The crimson-haired idol somehow managed to get each girl back to her quarters and sitting down with a cup of tea. They instinctively arranged themselves so that Diana was on the left holding her tea with her left hand, while Akko was on the right holding her tea in her right hand. The girls held hands as though it was the most natural thing in the world, but the atmosphere was tense and somber.
Not for the first time, Chariot sighed. She had already sent Alcor with a message that both girls would be missing their first day of classes. She did not worry as much about Diana, but Akko was about to have even more on her plate that would make classes much more difficult than before. Both witches were somewhat glassy-eyed, but at least they had stopped crying.
"I'm sorry, Ursula-sensei," Akko began.
Chariot almost squawked in surprise, "What? You have nothing to be sorry for, Akko!"
"I know how important it is to you to be able to make people smile, I mean. It must be extra difficult to you to have to deal with us right now."
The older witch frowned in sympathy and understanding, "It's extra difficult for me right now because it's you two, not because of anything else. You two both are so important to me and I-I feel. . . "
"We stopped blaming you a long time ago," Diana cut her off, correctly intuiting Chariot was about to blame herself for her Dream Fuel Spirit magic. "If you want to take responsibility for this, then take credit for leading us to restoring magic to the entire world."
Chariot harrumphed. "I believe we are here for you two, not to try to console me."
That brought a small smile out of both girls, and that smile reflected onto Chariot's face as well. "See, you can still make us smile," Akko told her mentor.
"But you are mistaken. This concerns all of us, and all of our friends too," Diana ventured.
Their teacher nodded. "The rest of the girls still don't know?"
Akko said, "I want to tell them. I do, but I don't want them to be hurt. I don't mean hurt by worrying about me, but I don't want anyone to feel responsible."
"We care about you Akko, even Croix does in her own way."
"But you somehow found out that I channeled the magic through me during the missile crisis, couldn't we tell them about what's going on with me without telling them it was because I did that?"
Both Chariot and Diana gasped in shock, "You knew what you were doing back then?" Diana asked hurriedly.
Akko shrugged uncomfortably, "I knew what it was like to use the Shiny Rod with someone else, yes."
"Shiny Volley," Diana said in understanding, thinking back to one of the pivotal moments in their relationship, when she had taught Akko "Sybilladura Lelladybura".
"It doesn't hurt!" Akko hurried to reassure them, "It's just. Using the Shiny Rod is already so intense, it's just a lot more intense. It's like," she struggled to make them understand, "Using the Shiny Rod is when you think the gir-the person you like is going to hold your hand, and using it with someone else is when they actually do hold your hand."
All three witches pointedly ignored looking at the space between Diana and Akko, where they still sat holding hands. Chariot did her best impression of her hair, while Diana started to instinctively draw away. Akko grabbed hold of her hand even tighter. She stared into Diana's eyes and shook her head to tell her not to let go. Diana's blush rose from her chest up to her ears. Akko, for her part, sat there oblivious.
Akko curiously looked back and forth between the two of them waiting for someone to speak. "Why are you two both so red?"
"Ahem!" Chariot plunged ahead, "I have used the Shiny Rod as well, Akko. Could you explain a little more about what it is like to be with another? I mean use the Shiny Rod with someone else!"
Akko stared a little amazed at her mentor, "I'm not sure why you're shouting, but it's pretty omoshiroi that my sensei wants me to explain something." She set her tea cup down and laughed behind her hand in what she thought was an arrogant manner.
Diana squeezed her other hand, "Now's not the time to joke, Akko. I also am interested in what-in what that feels like to you."
Akko relaxed slightly, letting her hand drop to her teacup and taking another sip before she tried to explain further. "It's like, your heart is going to beat out of your chest and all of the blood rushes to your head. You have butterflies exploding in your stomach like fireworks."
The two listening smiled softly at her description, but Akko continued. "You start getting these pinpricks of pain running along all of the veins in your body and it feels like your heart is throwing up and all of your blood is running backwards. You have to fight back to make sure you're not throwing up or crying because the pounding in your head is so loud you've lost track of your senses. It hurts and . . . "
At their horrified gazes Akko realized what she was saying, "I said too much."
"Back on that day, you didn't even hesitate," Diana said softly.
Chariot continued, "You were so happy and excited. There wasn't a hint of any of this."
Now it was Akko's turn to blush, "I'm not explaining it well. It's not bad, just overwhelming. There's this sense of connection that comes with it, I've never felt closer to everyone. It was amazing." Akko had stars in her eyes. "If it wasn't so overwhelming it'd be crazy amazing."
Akko glanced sidelong at Diana, trying to convey how important that connection had been to her. Chariot decided to get the conversation back on track, "So you don't want everyone to know your current condition may be because they used the Shiny Rod alongside you that day."
"Hai!" Akko jumped at the chance to change the subject, "I mean, we don't know for sure, right? And it was my decision, not theirs. I did it without telling anyone."
Without using magic, Diana had somehow teleported much closer to Akko in the last few minutes. Their hands now lay in Diana's lap, and Diana let her tea go cold so that she could hold onto Akko with both hands. "Akko, we need to at least tell them about your condition soon. I cannot . . ." She paused to gather herself, "I know I am good at maintaining a stoic front and not letting others in, but that has changed with you. I cannot pretend—I cannot fake to be fine when every second of the day my heart is in turmoil over your condition."
Akko frowned, "Diana, I don't want you to go through that."
Chariot interjected again, "You will at least have to tell them something related to this," she pulled a letter from her robes and laid it between the girls. "This is effective immediately."
Diana had finished reading the letter in an instant and she nodded in understanding. Catching Chariot's eye, they shared a look of resolute sympathy. Akko's outburst followed immediately after, "What?!" she jumped up, still holding onto Diana, "What is this!"
"Akko, as we said before, any further magic use may accelerate your condition."
"But this isn't just about showing off, this is forbidding me from using magic!"
"Is this not a good thing, Akko?" Diana asked, "Now you do not have to worry about being forced to do magic in class and risk worsening your condition."
"My condition. My condition? My condition! How am I supposed to attend magic school without being able to do magic?"
Chariot frowned; Akko was taking this much harder than she had anticipated. After the previous emotional display, she thought Akko would understand the need for the order. "Akko. I thought you understood."
Akko sat down in a huff. "There's no end date."
"What?"
"There's no point where it says I can do magic again. It's just a blind command saying that I'm not permitted to do magic ever again."
Diana and Chariot both turned their attention back to the paper. "Akko," Diana started tentatively.
"Yeah, I get it." Akko answered her. Not like I follow the rules anyway.
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Akko was on the prowl. After she had extricated herself from Ursula-sensei and Diana with the claim that she needed to clear her head, she stomped through Luna Nova. Eager freshmen girls took one look and went the other way from the storming brunette. Without realizing it, she found herself outside near the broom courses.
She stopped and watched the crowd of girls that were watching people fly around. For the first time since she left Ursula-sensei's room did she allow herself a semblance of calm. I know they're right, so why am I fighting this so much?
BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT FAIR! "ARRRRRGH!" Akko screamed and pulled at her hair in frustration.
"Uh oh, Akko has become a pirate." Sucy's dry delivery of every sentence hit her with a wave of nostalgia and comfort.
"Hi Akko. Are you feeling OK?" Lotte asked tentatively, "Amanda was saying some things . . . "
"How long have you been knocking at the Cavendish gate?" Sucy asked directly.
"Ee? What? What are you talking about!"
"It's OK if you don't want to tell us . . . " Lotte trailed off. It was OK, but she'd be hurt if Akko didn't want to confide in them.
"Oh! Oh, did Amanda see us with Ursula-sensei?" Akko asked suddenly.
"You guys were into three-player?" Sucy asked in surprise.
"No, listen to this!" At least this order can do some good by explaining this, "I've been forbidden from doing magic!"
"What? That's terrible!" Lotte agreed.
"Well, it's not like you did much magic anyway . . . at least not successfully."
"Hey! I've gotten a lot better after everything last year! And I finally mastered flying!"
"Mastered?" Sucy asked.
"Really?" Lotte seconded.
Sucy adopted a leering smile, "Did you figure out a happy thought?"
"Yes!" Akko shouted back gleefully, ignoring Sucy's innuendo. "Well, I don't know if it was a happy thought, but it's like back with the Shiny Rod where my emotions have to be in tune with my magic. But I think I've gotten the hang of it."
"That's great news," her bespectacled friend congratulated her.
"It is. Well, it was."
"At least this way you won't get in as much trouble."
"Sucy," Lotte reproached.
"What?"
"When you're right, you're right."
"Cooome onnn. Guyssss," Akko whined.
"Are you here to watch the show?" Lotte hurried to change the subject.
"What show is that?"
"Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze are putting on a flying show for a bunch of freshmen."
"Wow, really?" Akko asked, completely distracted by the news. "What's with all these freshmen anyway? Doesn't it seem like there's an awful lot of them?"
"Heh heh heh, how oblivious are you, Akko?" Sucy asked.
Lotte explained, "You didn't notice them at the Matriculation Ceremony yesterday? There are half again as many of them as there are of our class."
"What? Why so many? Was there a baby boom or something?"
Sucy grinned at Akko's questions, but Lotte answered, "Luna Nova got a lot more popular after everything we did. That, plus the entire world becoming interested in magic . . . I heard they even hired some new teachers to handle all the new students."
"Don't worry, Akko. No one could replace you as my guinea pig."
"Hey! Don't you mean friend?"
"Anyway, instead of the flying competition, try one of my potions. You promised."
"Whaaaa? You already dosed me with one last night! Remember? I woke up with a mushroom instead of hair!"
"That was me using you as a guinea pig without your consent. You didn't choose to do it. You still owe me one willingly." Sucy explained.
"What? Oh, I guess you're right. I promise I will tomorrow! For now, let's go watch the show!"
Akko rushed ahead of her team, pushing aside the many girls forming the crowd in order to get to the front. Lotte struggled to meet up with her, working her way here and there to get to where she stood. Sucy took out a mushroom and caused it to inflate to gigantic size and push over three girls that were in her way at once. After that, the crowd parted to let her through. "I love this thing."
Amanda's broom stood almost straight up as she stood on the back and spun around as though her broom was a dance partner. Jasminka flew in lazy S-shapes as she contentedly snacked on donuts side-saddle. Ever since the broom relay, she associated donuts with flying and never flew without them.
Constanze used an army of Stanbots to launch an array of mecha-magical brooms through the air. The smoke from their takeoff made the crowd cough in irritation, but it seemed impressive enough.
"Um. So. This is a thing." Akko said after a few minutes of watching the chaotic flights of their friends.
"This is a very strange thing," Sucy agreed.
"This is probably the first time they did something like this together."
"You're right, Lotte! I'm sure Shiny Chariot spent hours working on her choreography and she was just one witch! Imagine three witches at once trying to do a Shiny Chariot show. That's right, you can't!"
Sucy gestured towards the sky, "Don't you mean this is what you'd imagine?"
"Nope," Akko smiled. She loved her friends, but this was ridiculous. Now, Stanbots were working together to launch heavy machinery through the air at Jasminka, who caught the objects before easily throwing them up into the air for Amanda to dance around.
Lotte tried to be nice one final time, "It's all very impressive though."
The two other girls murmured something that sounded like they were agreeing.
"Hmm. Do you think they'll notice if we leave?" Akko asked, while looking back towards the building.
"Akko!" Amanda's shout of recognition came just in time to answer Akko's question. Akko turned back to see Amanda fail to dodge the next piece of machinery—some sort of couch-sized crane—and fall from her broom.
Unbidden, words of power shouted in Akko's mind as she watched her friend fall. The thought of Diana rushed through her head and heart to enable her to access her magic, but as soon as she pictured the beautiful witch, she hesitated.
Looking to see if anyone had a broom handy, she quickly saw that only Jasminka was in position to catch her and she had not even noticed Amanda was falling.
"Dammit!" Grabbing Sucy momentarily, she ran ahead. Sucy stumbled and fell against Lotte, who held her up. Akko jumped up on a Stanbot and started fiddling with its controls rapidly, only to cling on as its head popped off with a massive spring.
Akko was flung across the lawn and came to rest underneath the falling Amanda. Gripping Sucy's mushroom, she squeezed it to make it inflate to an incredible size.
Amanda fell into the mushroom with an "oomph", but rolled safely off moments later. "Akko! You saved me!"
She hugged Akko tightly, never gladder to see her. "Amanda. I'm so so sorry."
Bursting into tears, Akko disentangled herself from Amanda and ran away.
Confused, shaken, and hurt, Amanda stared after her forlornly. She frowned even more when she saw Diana stalking up to her through the crowd. "Oh great. Here it comes."
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Akko ran through Luna Nova back to the red team's room. She didn't stop until she felt the safety of their wood door at her back. Hyperventilating, she let the panic attack wash over her. What is wrong with me? How could I hesitate like that? I should have immediately used my magic! What if something had gone wrong?
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"Ow. Ow. Ow! Diana, just stop for a minute." Amanda forcibly removed Diana's iron grip from her wrist. "You can berate me here. There's no one around."
Diana looked back at her in surprise, then looked around. "I'm not going to berate you."
"You should. I was breaking school rules and I endangered myself. If Akko hadn't been there . . . "
"I am as happy as anyone that Akko was there to save you. And I am even more happy in the way that she saved you."
"Then what are you—"
"Make sure she doesn't need to save you again."
"What?"
"Akko. She has been forbidden from using magic. I will not share with you any more than that, but please, if you care about Akko at all, make sure you do not put her in a situation where she needs to use magic."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It does not need to make any sense, Amanda. I know you care about Akko. If you care about her the way you think you do, then do this for her."
"You literally dragged me in here to say not to be a bother to Akko? Of course I would know not to be a bother to Akko!"
"I know we are not close . . ."
"Whose fault is that, princess?" Amanda snapped back.
"I would suppose it is both of ours. You have never liked me, and I know I am not the most approachable. It must seem such a bother to you that I try to uphold the rules of Luna Nova. I am working on becoming friendlier. Akko—and Hannah and Barbara—have been helping me. Now that we have restored magic to the world and Luna Nova is stronger than it has been in centuries, I feel like I can try to relax. I would like to be more approachable to you and the others. I would like to try to become friends."
Amanda shook her head in disbelief, but remained silent. Diana frowned in pain, "I am sorry that you feel that way. I assure you I am sincere. I would like to start anew with you. For Akko, and for myself."
"That's not why I was shaking my head, princess. I was shaking my head because you said I never liked you."
"What?" Diana asked incredulously.
"I like you."
"So we can be friends?" Diana said hopefully, but with some confusion.
Amanda pressed up close to her until Diana backed against a wall, she slapped her hand against the wall next to Diana's head. "I don't think we can."
"Amanda, what . . . "
Amanda leaned in, kissing her cheek. "I like you, Diana. I always have. I like both you and Akko."
Amanda turned and strolled away without waiting for a response. Internally, she was a morass of emotions and recriminations, but the back that she presented to Diana at least seemed confident and sure. I can't believe I did that!
Diana stared after her, somewhat dazed from the encounter. Her hand lifted to cup her cheek where Amanda had kissed her. This was an unexpected development . . . but, but at least I know I can trust her to help Akko.
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Lotte and Sucy joined Jasminka and Constanze (and her army of Stanbots) in cleaning up. "You'd think Luna Nova would have some sort of safeguards for broom accidents," Lotte wondered.
Sucy turned to regard her, "I don't think there were as many broom accidents before Akko joined."
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Whoo! FINISHED! I hope you enjoyed this double-sized chapter. I didn't want to have another chapter of mostly crying Diana and Akko, hence the extra length. I didn't expect the Amanda part of the triangle to come into play so soon, but I couldn't resist having her do a kabedon to Diana at that point!
Thank you so much for your reviews and follows and favorites! They seriously brighten my day every time I get an email notification. I really appreciate it!
So you know, I don't want to introduce many original characters, so for the most part the freshmen girls and new teachers will stay in the background unless there's a need for them to have personalities. Think of them like the shadow people in RWBY ^_^
