Chapter 2

No Such Thing As Silence

To say that Diana Cavendish was having an odd morning was an understatement. She had been convinced that this was some weird dream, that her complete and utter exhaustion had gotten the better of her and she was paying for it dearly in a deep sleep. However she hadn't woken up on her own, even pinching herself hard enough to leave a bruise on her skin had not worked. The logical part of her brain was convinced that this couldn't be real, maybe she simply had gone crazy like she had first expected, but she knew better than to discount anything being possible in the world of magic.

"Man I'm hungry."

There was just one pressing issue in the form of a small Japanese witch sitting next to Diana's temporary bed. The blonde had been simply staring in exasperation at the brunette who never seemed to shut up, well more accurately, her mind never seemed to turn off. In the last thirty minutes Diana had learned a lot about Akko Kagari, and in some cases, a little more than she wanted to know. Against her will she had finally learned all about what yuri manga was, and now she had some very important things to discuss with Barbara it seemed.

"I wonder if I can sneak a tart from the cafeteria."

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tightly in annoyance, taking a deep breath for good measure before opening her mouth to finally tell the girl to go away before the door to the nurse's office opened. The blonde sighed in relief as the nurse appeared in the doorway and entered, carrying a cup of water in one hand and a clip board in the other. The older woman smiled warmly as she approached and handed Diana the cup of cool liquid which the blonde witch took and drank greedily, the water feeling like heaven to her parched throat.

"How are you feeling Miss Cavendish?"

"I'm feeling...normal." The blonde witch answered hesitantly. Although it was true, she did feel completely normal, better than normal if she was being honest. The short time she'd been asleep for whatever reason had left her feeling quite refreshed.

"That's good. No dizziness? Nausea? Headaches?"

"If hulk can't lift Thor's hammer, how did Iron Man lift Thor...with his hammer?"

Diana pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes slightly at Akko, who had her brows furrowed as she stared out the window into the sunlight. No, she didn't have any of those symptoms, but she imagined she would get a headache sooner than she'd like. The blonde took a deep breath and looked back up at the nurse and shook her head.

"No. I feel fine, really. May I leave now?"

"Of course. Just come back if you have any side effects. I don't think we have anything to worry about, though. Just take care of yourself, Diana." The motherly tone of the nurse elicited a small smile from Diana, who nodded and shifted her body to the side of the bed.

"Whatever this was I'm sure it has something to do with that Kagari girl."

Diana stiffened and looked back up at the nurse questioningly. The older woman glared at Akko for all but a second before turning and walking into her office without another word. The blonde's eyes widened before she turned to the Japanese witch who apparently hadn't heard any of what the nurse had just said, or what she had thought.

"Are you ready to go?" Akko asked happily with a wide grin on her face.

"Yes. I think I'm going to return to my room to get some rest." Diana replied as she stood, not missing the brunette's grin fade into a slight frown.

"Diana, if you're still not feeling well you should-"

"No, no. I feel fine, Akko." The blonde reached out and squeezed Akko's shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"She smells so nice."

Diana pulled her hand away instantly and stepped back before clearing her throat, making sure to avoid the brunette's gaze as her cheeks warmed significantly.

"Okay, well I'll walk you there!" Akko bounced on her heels and beamed at the taller girl.

"Right. Yes, that'd be...lovely. Thank you."

The blonde witch groaned inside as she followed Akko to the door and out into the empty hallway. Their walk was pleasantly silent for a long while, much to Diana's relief. Finally she could assess this situation, or least try to because she was at a complete loss. She had felt completely fine earlier at the tree, and at lunch with her friends. That's when she had apparently passed out so there had to be something she was-

"Despacito...da na na na na na na na...despacito...da na na na na na na my burrito."

Well the silence was nice while it lasted. Diana glanced at the girl next to her who was bobbing her head slightly to the beat of the song in her head as they walked. The blonde picked up the pace slightly, wanting to get away from this girl and her thoughts as soon as possible while Akko had to jog a bit to catch up.

"Ah! Akko is so hot!"

"Damn, Akko's legs are looking good today."

'WHAT?!' Diana nearly tripped over her feet, stopping in her tracks as Akko ran into her and had to grab onto the blonde's arm for balance. Diana's head whirled around to find two younger girls staring at them, no, staring at Akko as they stood in front of a door to an empty classroom. The pair's eyes widened, both startled at the sudden deadly glare that was being directed at them from none other than the star student, Diana Cavendish. The two younger witches scurried away in fear before the blonde sighed and noticed the odd look Akko was giving her now.

"What was that about?"

"They were..." Diana half shouted before trailing off as she stared at the brunette's confused expression. "They were...loitering."

The explanation did nothing to change Akko's confusion as the girl just arched a brow at the taller witch. Diana chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before huffing and spun on her heels to continue her walk to the dormitories. Okay, maybe she overreacted, but those girls...what they were saying...Diana did not like it. Not one bit. How dare they objectify Akko like that? How dare they think such things about her Ak...about Akko. The blonde stopped at the bottom of the stairs up to her room and turned to the Japanese girl who had been lagging behind slightly after the odd situation with the girls in the hallway.

"I can go the rest of the way alone, Akko. T-thank you for walking me." Diana tried to smile but it most likely showed as a grimace of sorts. Akko still looked at her with slight concern before she nodded her head slowly, a lopsided grin returning to her face.

"Anytime, Diana. Feel better, okay?"

"Of course, thank you."

Diana watched as Akko turned and walked back down the hallway, her little ponytail bouncing adorably with each step she took. The blonde witch couldn't help but smile fondly at the girl until she disappeared from view before turning and starting up the stairs. She had never been so happy to be alone as she was now, taking the steps two at a time in order to get to the comfort of her own room as soon as possible. Luckily for Diana, when she opened the door to her room, Hannah and Barbara were nowhere to be found so she moved around the large bookcases that served as a partition and fell face first onto her bed. She laid there for a good couple of minutes before stuffing her face in her pillow and screaming, attempting to alleviate her frustration before taking a few deep breaths and turning over to stare at the ceiling.

"This must be some sort of spell." She whispered to herself as she tried to come up with an explanation for all of this. The idea of a spell was unlikely, however, because surely Diana would have heard of a spell with these effects. And a spell of this nature would no doubt be forbidden to use on anyone.

"If it's not a spell...a potion perhaps?" As she mulled over the idea that it might be a potion, the door to her dorm room opened and some mumbling sounded out from the other side of the bookcase. Diana stuffed her face in her pillow once more, ready to groan when the voices in her room became more clear.

"What if Diana comes back?"

"Akko told us she'd let us know when she got out of the nurse's wing."

The blonde sighed silently and pulled the pillow off of her face, about to call out to her two roommates when the conversation continued, or so she thought.

"Mmmm."

"Yeah, right there."

Diana froze in place, still holding her pillow above her face as quiet moans began to fill the otherwise silent room. She was afraid to move, afraid to make any noise to alert the girls of her presence but she couldn't sit here and listen to...whatever was going on.

"Oh gods."

Diana had to get out of there.

"Ahh!"

Now.

The blonde jumped out of her bed and all but ran around the bookcases. Hannah and Barbara squeaked in surprise and horror at the sudden appearance of their roommate. Diana only caught a slight glimpse of the pair covering their half naked bodies up immediately with their discarded shirts as she passed and without a word she pulled open the door and shut it hard behind her, muffling the stuttering explanations of her close friends. The blonde leaned against the door as she tried to calm her labored breathing and racing heart, the lewd noises of her closest friends playing over in her mind again and again like a terrible screeching on a chalkboard. Oh how she wished she could scrub her mind clean right now. She needed help.

She needed help quickly.

Akko sprawled out onto her back in the soft grass outside on the quiet grounds of Luna Nova, letting the sunlight soak into her skin as she sighed loudly, eliciting curious looks from her two friends who sat on either side of her. Lotte had her nose in a book and Sucy was organizing her vast collection of mushrooms she'd collected while the Japanese witch was waiting in the nurse's wing with Diana. The brunette had found them and fell onto the ground theatrically with out a word only seconds ago.

"Is everything alright, Akko? How's Diana?" Lotte marked the spot in her Nightfall book where she'd left off and closed it, giving Akko her full attention.

"She's...fine I guess. But..." The Japanese witch furrowed her brows as she looked up into the blue sky.

"But?" Sucy slowly put down her handful of mushrooms and reached out for her notebook, attempting to avoid any suspicion.

"I dunno. She's just acting kinda weird."

"Weird how?" Lotte asked, missing the slight smirk from her purple haired friend.

"Like, when I was sitting next to her bed she kept looking at me funny, like I had just sprouted another head." Akko half shouted in exasperation. "And then in the halls she scared off some girls because apparently standing in the halls is a bad thing now?"

Lotte stared at the brunette with her eyebrows raised, clearly surprised herself at the blonde's behavior. Sucy, however, began to snicker quietly to herself as she wrote furiously on the notebook she'd been carrying with her. Akko furrowed her brows at the pale witch for just a moment before shrugging and turning back to her orange haired friend.

"I'm worried about her is all. I wish I could help."

"Oh I think you're helping just fine." Sucy chimed in finally, a wicked grin upon her face as she closed her notebook.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akko narrowed her eyes at the pale witch as she shifted to prop herself up onto her elbows.

"I mean...she could probably use a good friend if she's not feeling well. You should go help her out some more." The purple haired girl shrugged and began to stand up, brushing any dirt or grass off of her skirt before noticing the disbelieving stares coming from her two friends. "What?"

"Sucy what did you do?" Akko and Lotte asked in unison.

"I'm really hurt that you would think I did anything." Sucy deadpanned and rolled her eyes before beginning to walk away.

"D-did you, though?" Akko called out after the pale witch.

"I don't know. Did I?"

The cackling coming from Sucy as she left caused Akko and Lotte to pale and look at each other in horror.

"Akko, I think you need to find Diana."

"On it!"

Diana took a deep breath as she approached the small wooden door leading to the observatory tower and quickly collected her thoughts before knocking hesitantly. As she stood there she could here muffled mumbling and shifting of objects before the door opened a crack, surprised crimson eyes stared back at her in shock.

"Oh! Diana!" Chariot quickly opened the door the rest of the way. "This is quite a surprise. Is everything alright?"

"To be honest I'm...not sure." Diana shifted uncomfortably in the doorway causing the older woman to furrow her brows in concern.

"Oh. Would you like to come in and talk about...whatever it is?"

"Yes, professor, that would be appreciated."

Chariot nodded and ushered the girl inside before closing the door. Diana stood and looked around at the usual disorganization she's come to expect, although it should bother her, it brought a sense of comfort. It matched the warm personality of it's occupant perfectly.

"Would you like some tea?" The redhead fidgeted slightly until Diana smiled and nodded. "Alright, have a seat Diana."

The blonde witch sat on the worn sofa and watched as Chariot prepared the tea quickly, not having to touch a thing as she instead focused on straightening up the coffee table and the surrounding area.

"I swear if this is about relationship advice I'm going to tell them to just kiss already and stop being so damn oblivious."

Diana's eyes widened slightly but was able to keep herself from opening her mouth to ask who the woman was referring to. She couldn't, however, keep a slight blush from coloring her cheeks as she couldn't help thinking about kissing Akko. As she silently cursed her brain and willed it to just shut off, Chariot took a seat across from her and set a tray down on the small table between them. The blonde leaned forward and took one the teacups and held it in her hands before staring down at the liquid, lost in thought.

"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you." The woman smiled warmly, causing Diana to relax a bit in her seat. After a few more moments of silence, the blonde sighed and looked her professor straight in the eyes.

"Have you ever heard of a spell that causes one to...hear other's thoughts?"

Chariot thought about the question for a long time, tapping her finger on the side of her teacup all the while.

"I have not." She shook her head before bringing her cup to her lips and blew air onto the scolding hot liquid. "I have no doubt something of that nature exists, but it would be quite unethical to perform. I hope you're not thinking of..."

"What about a potion?"

"I...I suppose it would be possible but that seems like very advanced potion making." Chariot furrowed her brows as she scooted forward in her chair and set her cup down before fixing a deflated Diana with a curious stare. "What...is going on exactly?"

"Professor, I can..." the blonde trailed off, questioning herself for a moment that this was a terrible idea before gathering the courage to continue, "I can hear people's thoughts."

Chariot stared back at Diana in shock, unmoving and unbelieving. She knew that the blonde witch would not joke about something like this, but it was so unbelievable that it was borderline laughable.

"I know it sounds crazy but it's the honest truth, Chariot. You need to believe me so I can convince myself that I am not going insane." Diana rambled on, with each word her tone growing more desperate. "I need help because if this isn't due to insanity, surely I will go insane the longer I have to hear things I definitely shouldn't be hearing."

"Okay, calm down, calm down." The woman cooed to the frantic girl across from her. "So, you can hear everyone's thoughts, you say."

"Yes."

"Even mine?"

"Yes."

"...What have you heard since you arrived?"

Diana's blush returned in full force as she recalled Chariot's earlier thought. She fought the urge to just run away and hide under a rock for the rest of her life and not have to deal with this anymore. Instead she just sighed and relented, hoping that if her professor at least believed her, there would be something she could try to come up with a solution.

"You were thinking that I might be coming to you for relationship advice and that I'm somehow oblivious and should just kiss someone already."

Chariot's jaw dropped when Diana finished, her eyebrows raised as far as they could go in complete and utter shock.

"Holy shit she's telling the truth."

"Of course I'm telling the truth! What reason would I have to lie about something like this?" The blonde shrieked before rubbing her temples to relieve the headache that was slowly building.

"Okay, just...calm down." The older woman put up her hands in surrender as sweat began to build up on her forehead. "So when did it start?"

"I passed out during lunch today and when I woke up, I...could hear what Akko was thinking."

"Oh. Well I'm sure that was interesting." Chariot chuckled in amusement, eliciting a very unimpressed stare from the blonde witch.

"Gotta find Diana gotta find Diana gotta find Diana."

Diana perked up on the couch and turned toward the door in panic.

"By the nine she's here."

"Wh-" Chariot started, her eyebrows furrowed until there came a rapid series of knocks on her door. The older woman stared at the door for a long moment before turning back to the blonde witch. "Ooooh."

"Chariot!" Akko called out from the hallway.

"Don't answer the door." Diana loudly whispered as she scanned the room for a place to hide.

"Diana, I'm sure it's not that bad." The redhead laughed as she stood and moved toward the door, leaving Diana groaning and slumping in defeat on the couch.

"You have no idea." The blonde witch mumbled under her breath as she readied herself for the arrival of the excitable brunette.

Chariot crossed the room quickly and after another barrage of banging, she finally reached the door and opened it, Akko all but spilling into the room as she began to ramble.

"Hi professor! Some frightened girls told me Diana was walking this way and I really need to find her because I think Sucy might have done something and I don't know what it was but she was acting very...oh! Diana!"

"Wait...what were you saying about Sucy?" Chariot tried to grab hold of the brunette as she all but ran past the older woman in the direction of the couch, effectively causing Akko to stop in her tracks.

"Well..." The Japanese witch rubbed the back of her neck nervously as her gaze flitted from Diana to Chariot a few times. "She was acting a little weird earlier." She was met with blank stares and arched brows at the statement. "I-I mean, weirder than usual! Ya know, weird for her. She seemed...concerned for Diana's well being."

"That is very odd." Diana narrowed her eyes at Akko, working her jaw as she thought about the possibility of the pale witch being the cause of her chaotic situation. "So a potion then." She mumbled to herself, but it was loud enough for the others to hear.

"A potion? What's going on Diana?" The brunette took a few steps closer to the couch, an expression of concern painted on her face.

"N-nothing Akko. Everything is fine."

"Oh." The brunette deflated, her shoulders slumping as her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Why doesn't she trust me? I just want to help."

Diana's heart fell after hearing that thought and seeing the girl look so down in front of her. The blonde had a bad habit of taking everything on by herself, even asking Chariot for help was painful to say the least but Diana believed telling Akko what was going on would make things worse, even embarrass the Japanese witch with the things she's heard.

"Akko," The blonde stood from the couch and approached Akko, "I do appreciate you worrying about me, really. I promise I'll fill you in when I figure some things out, okay?" She rested her hands on the brunette's shoulders and looked pleadingly into crimson eyes.

"Yeah, okay." The brunette flashed a lopsided smile, neither girl moving away immediately.

"How are you so beautiful?"

Diana fought the deep blush threatening to overtake her cheeks but didn't turn away, not this time. Something was forcing her to stay, a feeling of adoration for this girl for being so sweet, so thoughtful when it came to the blonde. Today had opened Diana's eyes to so much regarding her friend, things she'd probably never have known otherwise. Beautiful, Akko thought she was beautiful. In Diana's eyes, the Japanese girl was the beautiful one, inside and out. Would she ever have the courage to say it out loud?

"Girls," Chariot broke the silence, making the two girls jump apart as if they'd forgotten the older woman was there, "while that moment was...heartwarming and all, I think we might want to have a conversation with Miss Manbavaran as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course." Diana breathed out, attempting to calm her racing heart while looking anywhere but at the brunette.

"Hey, Chariot, is that the hat you used to perform in?!" Akko stared excitedly at an object on the other side of the room.

Chariot turned and followed the brunette's gaze to a cluttered table along the wall and sure enough, her performance hat sat there for all to see. The redhead blushed slightly at the sight, internally kicking herself for not putting it away after the last time she'd tried it on.

"Oh, yes. That's...that's the one." The older woman laughed nervously as she began to usher the girls to the door.

"Ooooh can I try it on?!" Akko began to resist but failed as Chariot grasped her tightly.

"Maybe next time."

"I wonder if she still has the costume? Gah! She was so hot in that costume. Mm."

"Akko!" Diana gasped, stopping in her tracks to glare at the Japanese girl.

"W-what?" Akko took a step back, fear overtaking her at the sight of the icy glare being sent her way.

The blonde clenched her jaw for a moment before she opted to ball her hands into fists and stomp out the door without another word. Akko finally regained her wits a few seconds later and ran after Diana, leaving a very confused Chariot to stare after them as they left.

"Why...is it always something?" The older woman groaned and let out a long sigh before following the girls out the door.

I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!