1Akko took a deep breath and looked down. Her shoes were hovering just over the edge of the observation tower, and her fingers instinctively clenched for a broom that wasn't there. A gentle breeze blew lightly against her back, as if beckoning her to take one final step forward. Her eyes widened in confusion. A far away part of her knew that she wasn't supposed to be there. The last thing she remembered was wiping down the old mirrors in the castle basement. She was almost certain that if she took a quick glance to the left, then the sight of a stuffy old basement would be there to greet her. It would have only taken a moment.
Akko took another deep breath, and her feet shifted slightly forward.
She couldn't look away.
Movement in the distance caught her eye, and had her squinting against the setting sun. It was flying at an incredible speed, straight towards her. Another deep breath and the object was closer still, having covered a great distance in that short amount of time. It was now close enough for Akko to make out a few familiar details; a broom, a Luna nova uniform, and a panicked pale face.
"Akko!"
She tensed as the call rang through the air. The haze around her lifted the slightest amount, and her fists tightened, feeling the need to be alert and aware for...something. This feeling was familiar, and it seemed to follow her at every turn. She knew the tingling in her spine meant that something bad was going to happen.
That something dangerous was just around the corner.
The urgency in the girl's voice was proof enough of that.
Akko breathed in as the wind once again pushed at her back, and her hands slowly rose to grasp at both sides of the mirror. Her feet shifted into a runner's start, and the muscles in her arms wound tight, ready to throw her forward.
The other girl's eyes widened in understanding, and quickly reached out, ready to catch her.
Akko focused briefly on the outstretched hand before looking up and gazing into tearful blue eyes. She gasped at the sight. The breath she'd been holding felt as if it were being ripped from her lungs, and her hands slipped from the mirrors edge.
She felt her balance tilt forward, and a sudden gust of wind rushed past her ears, but all she could focus on was a sadness that she had never seen before.
And it pierced a hole straight through her chest.
The loud bang of a door closing shut snapped her back into focus, and she clumsily grasped for the mirrors edge, steadying herself once again. Her head turned instinctively toward the noise, but just before the haze around her lifted, and her eyes tore away from the mirror, she caught a glimpse of the other girl grasping desperately for her hand, and her mouth opening to call out to her once again...
"Akko?"
The rest of her body jerked towards the noise in alarm, and the sudden movement caused her to stagger further away from the mirror. Her eyes were wide, but her vision was blurred. She could vaguely make out the fuzzy outline of mirrors surrounding her, but due to having just been staring into the setting sun, she was struggling to adjust to the dimly lit basement. She buried her face into her hands, feeling a headache hammering against her skull. She couldn't focus on anything except for the sound of footsteps approaching her. She focused on how they paused abruptly, and then suddenly rushed toward her.
"Akko!"
Akko tensed at the familiar sound, and blindly reached out to grasp onto the other person tightly.
A hand suddenly closing around her wrist startled the approaching girl, and she almost flinched away from the touch. Her body tensed at the way Akko was acting, but she stood her ground, and patiently waited for the girl to gather herself.
After a moment, Akko felt the other girl gently pull her hand away, hesitate, and then move to thread their fingers together instead. The light squeeze that followed helped calm her racing thoughts.
"Akko what," the girl began.
"Are you ok?" Akko interrupted almost harshley. She slowly dropped her other hand away from her face, and focused her eyes. It took a moment for her vision to clear, but she finally recognized the person standing in front of her. Her shoulders relaxed, and she tried asking again, gentler this time.
"Diana, are you ok? You were calling me."
A look of confusion flashed across Diana's face, before it quickly settled into a look of worry. "Am I okay?" Diana asked, her shock barely contained, "Akko, I should be asking you that. Did you fall and hurt yourself?" Diana asked, noting how the shorter girl had grasped at her head just moments ago. Disorientation, blurred vision, and amnesia, Diana mentally checked off, all these were signs of a possible head injury. Her eyes flew down briefly to scan the girl, but noted no other injuries.
Diana lifted her gaze as soon as she felt the other girl pull away. Her fingers moved to follow Akko's retreating hand a moment before stilling at her sides.
"I-I don't know what happened, Diana. I think I'm seeing things." Akko's eyes shifted towards the mirrors surrounding them, eyeing them nervously as they towered over them, casting long dark shadows against the wall, "Are we completely sure these mirrors have no magic left in them?"
Diana studied her for a moment before replying, "I can assure you, that after the incident involving you galavanting around in my form," Akko flinched at that remark, "I personally saw to ensuring these mirrors were dormant and void of any magic."
Diana coughed into her hand, and relaxed her stance. She didn't miss the way Akko tensed under her gaze. They restored magic to the world together for Beatrix's sake, she could stand to show Akko the respect she has more than earned. She cast a soft smile towards the girl, trying to convey that she held no ill feelings about the event. "Nothing in this room is capable of hurting you in any way. Of that you have my word."
Akko smiled gratefully back at her, and conceded, "My head does hurt. Maybe I am seeing things." Akko frooze. As soon as the words left her mouth, a pair of tearful blue eyes flashed through her mind. Unnerved, Akko wrapped her arms around her middle, and drew in a shaky breath, "I just don't remember hitting it though. I honestly don't even remember walking this far into the room," she studied Diana's eyes, looking for something that wasn't there anymore, and missed how a blush softly dusted the other girls cheeks under the scrutiny. Unconsciously Akko brushed a lock of hair behind her ear in thought, and flinched at the tender flesh.
Dianna forgot about the warmth on her face the moment she saw pain flash through Akko's eyes, "Symptom of a head injury," Diana muttered to herself softly, ignoring the soft, 'what?', from the girl in front of her, and proceeded to cradle Akko's head in her hands. She turned the shorter girl's head to the left and brushed her thumb against the tender temple. Her brow furrowed in concentration as the rest of her hand moved forward and her fingers threaded through the brunette's hair, feeling for any bumps that might have been hidden from view.
On the other end of the touch Akko felt as if she were going to pass out. Both from the way the blood was rushing to her face, and also by how tender Diana was being with her. She had never seen this side of the blond before, and it surrounded her with the feeling of warmth and safety.
Akko let out a contented sigh and leaned into the hand cradling her cheek, her eyes falling shut as she did so. Diana dutifully continued her evaluation while her thumb unconsciously stroked gentle circles against the girl's cheek.
This continued for a moment, perhaps a moment longer than necessary to check for a possible head injury if Diana was willing to admit, but that fact was ignored for the time being.
Akko opened her eyes and smiled at Diana warmly. Diana looked down at Akko and mirrored the same expression. Another moment passed. Followed by another.
And one more.
Before suddenly both girls tensed, and all movement came to a screeching halt. The smiles on their faces were still there, but now they reflected an embarrassed almost panicked look towards the other person. Sweat started to prickle on their foreheads, while a blush exploded onto both girls' faces.
Slowly, carefully, so as to avoid bringing even more attention to this completely normal evaluation, Diana numbly allowed her hands to fall back down to her sides. Distantly, she remembered why she even came to the basement in the first place.
She was to oversee Akko's detention.
That was all.
Akko let out a nervous laugh, breaking Diana from her thoughts, and took a step back. She gave into her nervous tick of brushing her hair behind her ear and flinched, "So nurse's office?"
Diana only managed a stiff nod, before she turned on her heel and led Akko out of the basement.
