I have always LOVED Lucky Star. The characters, the personalities, the charm, the overtly cute visuals, just everything about it stuck in my mind for years. I've been meaning to write a LS fanfic, but never felt ready for it. The best LS fics are so good they're intimidating. I always knew that if i ever wrote one, it'd have to live up to those expectations.

Well, it's been a long time subject of mental debate, and I've decided I would write one. I was recently sick for days before writing this, and because I was sick, I had to inspiration to give this a go.

To you, the reader, I ask that you enjoy, and I pray I can live up to the standards set by the great fics written before this one.

Chapter 1

In the middle of the work week as the clock's two hands reached as high as they could go, the lazy sun cast its rays through the open windows of a fairly large high school in the city of Kasukabe. On the second floor, in a less crowded classroom than most, four young girls eating bentos in front of them spent more of their time during lunch talking then they do eating.

The smallest and shortest of the group, blue hair flowing around her in a heavy cascade like a waterfall down to her ankles around her chair, sat slouched over her desk and sighs intermittently as the clock on the wall seems to progress ever slower and slower.

"Sure are a lot of people sick today.." Konata said, blowing a lock of her bangs up and down, seemingly bored. Her head rested on her crossed arms on her desk with lazy green eyes barely opening.

With sharp but gentle blues eyes, Kagami's initial expressions could be mistaken for annoyance or anger, but a second glance would rest assure her actual disposition. Although not at all as long as Konata's, her twin ponytails reached down to her waist easily. She propped her head up on her desk after setting her chopsticks down and looked around the room. "Yeah, I noticed that too. You think there's a bug going around?"

"Or a festival or something everyone skipped the day for?" Konata asked.

The two questions, to the person perhaps walking by paying no heed, sounded like normal and typical rhetorical questions asked in idle small talk during lunch. Usually, they were, but the third member of the party had made that a thing of the passed.

Miyuki, long flowing pink hair, gorgeous and full of volume, wisped around her shoulders and waist from the slight draft as she sat idling eating with perfect posture. Her purple, radiant, and kind eyes shined brightly as she ate casually, perfected with her round glasses adorning the bridge of her small little button nose. She seemed engrossed in eating, picking one thing up at a time and chewing slowly. It took a few seconds for her to realize that Konata and Kagami were looking at her with lazy eyes, expecting her to say something prophetic.

"Huh?" she looked up from her food, "Oh..umm…Well, as far as I know (which was guaranteed good information) there aren't any events scheduled for today, and I haven't heard anything about a new contagion. It is possible that a cold virus is circulating its way around the school."

"I think your right."

The soft and squeaky voice that spoke up with a hint of vigor belonged to Tsukasa. She looked almost exactly like her older twin sister Kagami, but her eyes were more rounded and gentle. Her short hair, sporting a yellow ribbon, only reached around her neck, giving her a smaller and gentler appearance. She, in reality, was actually a bit shorter than her older sister, which fit her profile perfectly. Although Konata stood half a head shorter than her, she still stood out as the kid of the group.

Tsukasa looked up, almost as if she surprised herself, and said, "I saw Ayano going to the nurses office when I left for the bathroom. She was coughing and didn't look so good…."

"Hmm…" Konata looked around the room, making binoculars with her hands while sporting a trademark little catlike smirk. "Ah-ha!" she pointed to a boy with short brown hair in the corner of the room by the door clearing his throat and blowing his nose. Everyone looked to see. "It's too late…" she said in a mock dramatic voice. "….it's already begun…"

"Knock it off Konata." Kagami said, returned to her food and ignoring her. "Leave the poor guy alone." The poor guy she referred to sneezed.

As expected, Tsukasa turned a little from Konata's antics and shivered. "Um…it's not really that bad, is it, Yuki-chan?"

Miyuki put a finger to her chin and looked up in thought. "It is difficult to say at our present juncture. It seems that the incubation period is rather short, considering how many people are out of school, so it may be serious."

Tsukasa shivered again, and Konata saw a chance to really milk the situation. "Oh no…"she said, again in mock dramatics, "…If it spreads even more, there's no hope for anyone. The government won't be able to fight off the epidemic! Japan's last hope will be medical aid from the UN! There won't be any-"

*Wham!*

What cut her off was a swift and perfectly centered chop to the top of the head from Kagami. She pulled her hand back and went back to eating. "Don't worry Tsukasa." she said. "It's probably just some cold going around. It's not a big deal."

"Ow….ow..ow…ow…" Konata rubbed the top of her head and grinned with satisfaction. "That was pretty good, Kagamin." she said. "You'd make a great cage fighter!"

"What the hell have you been watching on TV?" Kagami asked dismissively with annoyance. "Wait, I don't wanna know. Who knows what kind of TV programs your family subscribes to."

Konata and Kagami's one sided conversation continued on, leaving Miyuki content with her slow eating and Tsukasa went back to worrying about the inevitable doomsday Konata had described.

"What?!" Kagami asked, shocked, "You actually have that on your TV?!"

"Yeah. It's not a big deal or anything." Konata said. "It's not like its anything I haven't already seen in gal-games."

Kagami looked away and threw a hand up in Konata's face. "Nevermind…no no no…ew…I'm done talking to you right now. I can't believe that's even a thing."

Kagami's reaction to what Konata said peaked Tsukasa's curiosity, and she asked, "What's a thing, Kona-chan?"

"Hm?" Konata turned to face her, "Oh, you mean the hentai channels?"

Miyuki had been idly enjoying her lunch while blissfully listening to the background noise of her friends, but now was in the process of spewing out a little mango juice she had just taken a sip of. Kagami's face had heated up as her eyebrows narrowed down at Konata, and Tsukasa held a hand over her mouth with eyes wide as dinner plates in shock. Shock of not just the mention of something like that, but shock of how casually Konata had said that.

"If it's not too much to ask for…" Miyuki said while Kagami sat stirring in her juices, debating whether to hit her with full force, "…Please refrain from mentioning anything like that. Especially while we're eating."

"…That's a thing now?…" Tsukasa asked no one in particular, staring blankly in front of her

Kagami went back to eating again and rubbed her forehead with her index finger and thumb, trying not to go berserk. "Don't talk about things like that with Tsukasa." she said. "I swear, you have no filter on that mouth of yours."

"I only speak the truth my dear Kagamin!" she said dramatically, smirking. "How would I survive without cable TV!?"

Kagami set her chopsticks down and sighed. "Shut up, damn-it! I'm trying to eat here! You made Miyuki spill spurt juice and you're weirding out my sister."

Konata turned away and pouted. "Fine. Have it your way."

Miyuki was the first to noticed someone approaching them. It was the boy that Konata had spotted earlier. His eyes looked a little bloodshot and his nose was a little red. In his hands was a stack of papers.

"Excuse me." he said with slight sniffles. "Kuroi-sensei asked me to hand these out to everyone." All the girls turned, and each had a face of shock. They all just stared at him, looking scared. "Something…uh…on my face?" he asked.

Kagami was the first to break from the trance. "Oh uh…no." she carefully slid out three papers from the stack in his hands with the tip of her finger and let them drop on the table. The boy walked away with a perplexed look.

"I wasn't expecting this." Konata said.

"You think it has germs?" Tsukasa asked.

"What should we do with these?" Kagami asked.

Miyuki looked at the papers, and said. "I think we'll be fine." she said. "It's not as if the boy ran his hands over each one of the papers, right?"

Konata grabbed the top paper and held it up to light. "Hmm…."

"What are you looking for?" Kagami asked.

"Sometimes the copier leaves faint marks over the right answer from the key." she said, turned to paper over and over. "Looks like we have a dud here."

Kagami sighed and started packing up her bento. "I have to get back to class soon." she said while standing.

"Wait, onee-chan!" Tsukasa grabbed her arm. "What should I do about that?" she pointed to the paper.

"I'm sure it's fine." she said. "Don't let Konata's stupid story get to you."

"Hey, it could happen!" Konata said, "You've never seen a whole country become infected with a killer virus!"

"And you have?"

"Yeah! Last night!"

Kagami gave her a puzzled look. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

"Haven't you seen High School of the Dead?" Konata asked.

"Stop talking about anime like it's real life!"

"It could happen!"

All the while, Miyuki had grabbed a paper and moved the desk she was using back to its original spot. Tsukasa looked terrified as she watched Konata and Kagami exchange words.

Kuroi-sensei, a rather tall and slender woman with sharp playful eyes and long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail slowly ambled her way into the classroom, letting out a huge yawn that lasted all the way up to the front of the class. "Why does lunch have to be so short…" she mumbled under her breath. "…I was having such a nice nap too…" Kagami started to walk away to her class, sighing at Konata.

"Everyone in their seats!"

-o0o-

After school, Konata looked around the courtyard of the school, but couldn't find who she was looking for. "Where did she go?" she asked herself. Tsukasa and Miyuki both stopped talking about stuffed animals and looked at her

"What's wrong, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked, trying to follow her friends gaze.

"Yutaka isn't here." she said. "She always meets me here after school."

"You think she's ok?"

Miyuki gestured towards someone walking towards them. "Maybe Kagami knows."

Kagami approached the rest of the gang with her cell phone up to her ear. "Uh-huh….Ok, I'll tell her. Ok, bye Mr. Izumi." She hung up and put her phone back into the pocket of her skirt.

"Was that my dad?" Konata asked.

She nodded. "He called me to tell you he picked up Yutaka from school earlier. She wasn't feeling well, and couldn't get in touch with you."

Konata rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, I probably left my phone at home again."

"I swear…" Kagami sighed. "What's the point in you actually having a phone…especially at an important time like this…not to mention, your dad had to actually call me to let you know."

"Sorry..heh heh," Konata said. "Maybe I should find that thing when I get home."

Kagami shook her head and started down the courtyard towards the street. "Whatever…"

They four of them started to walk away from the school, but a voice in the distance stopped them.

"Izumi-san! Izumi-san!"

Behind them, a rather tall and slim girl with short, jagged mint green hair down to her neckline was running up to them. Her eyes were piercing sharp, and only those who understood her could see passed that initial expression and notice a look of worry and concern. She seemed panicked, but when she got closer, she took careful care to appear less stressed and more relaxed.

"What's up, Minami-chan?" Konata asked, "You probably worried about Yu-chan, huh."

Minami looked away, the root of the situation already in the open. "I..uh…yeah. She left class and never came back." her voice was solemn and quiet.

"My dad came to pick her up." she said.

Minami's eyes looked frantic, but she kept calm. "Is she sick?"

"Yeah, probably." Konata sighed, feeling sorry for the poor little girl.

"Oh…well I uh…I have her bag." she said, holding up a small briefcase sized shoulder bag.

"Oh, good thinking." Konata said. "Yu-chan is a lucky little girl to have a friend like you."

Minami looked away again and started to play with a lock of hair that fell over her eyes in embarrassment. "It's nothing…" she said.

"How about you take that to her yourself." Konata said. "I'm sure she'd love a visitor. Usually she's the most upset the first day."

"Oh, I uh…I can do that." Minami said, lowing her arms.

"Great!" Konata turned around, and the group plus one started walking again.

They turned a corner at the gates of the school and headed for the train station. While walking, Konata mused, "I wonder if we need new shots for whatever's going around."

Tsukasa froze. "Sh…shots?" she stuttered. "I hate shots…"

"It is a distinct possibility." Miyuki said. "The school may issue a mandatory vaccination schedule."

Tsukasa went pale.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Kagami said. "It probably won't happen."

"You think so, onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked, clearly wobbling.

Konata brought a finger up. "What about the people already sick?" she asked. "Do they still need shots or is it too late?"

"Vaccinations must be given before infection." Miyuki said. "A shot for someone sick would not accomplish anything."

Minami looked disheartened. "I sure hope she's ok…" she mumbled quietly to herself. No one else heard her, but Miyuki walking beside her could tell something was wrong.

"Iwasaki-san, are you feeling ok?" Miyuki asked, "I can take you home if you'd like. There's no point in straining yourself."

"No, I'm ok." she said.

They all made a turn towards the train station platforms in front of them.

Konata was swinging her bag up and down while walking. Kagami had become annoyed because the bag was swinging dangerously close between her legs. "I heard you can get vaccines up the nose in a spray now."

"Konata, stop that."

"Stop what-" The bag gently whacked someone behind her, and Konata turned around to see Kagami very angry. "Ahh! Whoa, sorry Kagami!" she said. "That was an accident, I swear!"

Kagami started to walk faster and grabbed Tsukasa's hand. "Let's go." she said, sounding angry.

Tsukasa stumbled forward for a second. "Ahh…wait onee-chan you're moving to fast!"

The two sisters hurried ahead, leaving Konata musing to herself while Miyuki walked passed them holding her phone in her hand and reading something.

"I need to hurry home and help mother find her house key." she said. "I think she locked herself out."

"That's Miyuki's mom for ya." Konata said waving her goodbye. "See ya tomorrow Yuki-chan!"

Miyuki smiled and waved goodbye while hurrying towards the up train platform, and Minami waved back.

Konata and Minami walked together towards the down train, they sat together in two seats with their backs towards the window.

"You honestly don't look so hot, Minami-chan." Konata commented. Minami had been pretty silent with her head down most of the time. "I mean, you look tired. Are you sure you want to come? Yu-chan will understand if you don't come. I can tell you tried to make it."

"Huh?" Minami looked up from her feet. "Oh, no I'm fine." she said. "I'm just…worried is all."

Konata nodded. "Yeah….that little moe ball sure does get sick a lot." she said. "I'm not surprised she was one of the first to go."

"First to go?" Minami asked. The way Konata said it, it sounded like Yutaka had died.

-o0o-

"I'm home!" Konata said, opening her door and taking her shoes off. Minami followed her inside and did the same. "Dad? You home? Hello? I brought company!" There was a note on the living room table, and Konata picked it up. Sojiro had written note saying he had gone to the store for a few things for Yutaka. "Oh, well I guess he'll be home soon."

Minami looked around the house and fidgeted nervously. "Um…." She was anxious to see Yutaka.

Konata picked up on her vibe, and said, "Well, let's go check her."

They walked upstairs and approached Yutaka's door, but Konata motioned for Minami to stay out in the hallway, which confused her a bit. Konata knocked, and a small, high but soft voice answered.

"Come in!"

Konata opened the door and peaked her head in to see a very small girl with a bright red nose sitting up in bed with a trashcan by her full of used tissues. It was clear she had the sniffles. Her pink salmon hair was tied back with twin ribbons, and a little tousled from laying in bed. Her big puppy like green eyes were a little red, and her small and cute face appeared tired and sad. She wore a set of blue pajamas with small stars all over. The arrival of her cousin did give her a small smile and her eyes brightened a bit.

"Konata onee-chan!" she said, nearly happy. "You're home!"

"Sure am!" Konata said. "And I have a surprise for you, Yu-chan!"

"You do?" Yutaka asked, "What is it? A stuffed animal?"

"Nope!"

This, at least in Yutaka's mind, made no sense. For someone who was sick a lot, she knew what sick kids liked. Stuffed animals. Those cute little furry critters always made her happy. What else could it be?

Konata opened the door all the way to reveal the form of the only thing better to Yutaka in the entire world. Minami stood, hands folded in front of her, face slightly flushed. She gave Yutaka a small wave, which made the little almost gleeful and speechless.

Of course.

"Minami-chan!" Yutaka said, voice excited but a little hoarse.

Minami slowly walked forward and sat down on the floor with her feet under her by Yutaka's bed. "Hi, Yutaka." she said. "I guess….your not feeling well."

"Yeah…I got sick this morning and been stuck in bed all day." she said. "I've really been lonely here by myself, but I'm glad you're here."

Konata stepped out of the room and said, "I'll make you some soup, if you want, Yu-chan."

"I'm okay." Yutaka said. "I don't feel hungry."

"Ok. Just holler if you need me." she said before walking out and closing the door behind her.

"So how are you feeling?" Minami asked.

Yutaka sighed. "I feel achy…and my nose is runny…but I think I'm ok."

"Did you have your temperature taken already?" Minami asked, slowly pressing her cheek against Yutaka's forehead.

Yutaka froze. Her eyes grew wide and her breathing almost stopped. "I uh…uh…" Minami stepped back and looked at her for an answer. "Yes…I have."

"Was it high?"

"Not too high." Yutaka said, regaining her composure. "I had a low fever in the nurses office."

"Oh.." Minami looked away. She couldn't keep eye contact when Yutaka's face was flush with an expectant expression.

"Minami-chan?" Yutaka asked, looked down at her blankets.

"Yeah?"

Before she could say anything, Yutaka sneezed a soft quiet sneeze, and her eyes shut instantaneously. Minami grabbed a tissue from the desk beside her and held it over Yutaka's nose. Yutaka took a deep breath and blew.

"Thanks…" Yutaka said while having her nose wiped. "Sorry about that."

Minami shook her head. "It's fine." she said, throwing the tissue away. "What uh…what did you want to ask me?"

Yutaka smiled sheepishly and sniffled. "Oh…I can't really remember, sorry. That sneeze kind of made me feel a little dizzy."

"Are you tired?" Minami asked.

Yutaka nodded. "A little."

"Would you like to sleep?"

"No, that's ok." she said. "You just got here…and I want to keep talking."

Minami shook her head slowly with her eyes closed. "If you feel tired, you should sleep. That's the best way to get better."

"Are you sure, Minami-chan?" she asked. "But you just got here."

Minami patted her on the head, and Yutaka sighed as her eyes got heavier. "It's ok. Just get some sleep."

Yutaka laid her head down, but she looked worried and disheartened. "Minami-chan?"

"Yes?" Minami asked, patted her softly on the head.

"Can you keep doing that until I fall asleep?"

Minami nodded. "Alright."

"…Minami-chan?"

"…Yes?"

"…Will you stay here… with me… until I wake up?"

Minami smiled as her face turned a shade redder. "…Alright." she said softly, now stroking the smaller girl's hair gently as Yutaka's eyes closed and her breathing slowed down. "…Alright, I'll stay."

Meanwhile, Konata stood behind the door listening to everything. She had been initially disappointed in the lack of activity, but after snapping a picture of the situation, she felt like she had scored gold (or at least a rare doujin). It was a perfect image of Minami petting the fretting and sick Yutaka.

"Oh, Hiyorin is going to love this." she thought devilishly.

-o0o-

The sun had its time to shine, and now the moon took its place in the sky, its turn for glory that day had come. Its dull glow filtered through Kagami's window, but she paid no attention to the brilliance of the night. Right now, she was more preoccupied with completing her homework.

Her pencil went up and down the paper, arrows circling to circled terms, arrows pointing to other arrows, pointed to terms underlined, a page of messy notes written in haste to capture every word.

Those notes she needed. The extra steps in studying got her the grades she had. Unlike Miyuki who practically could call on the memory of anything she had heard or learned by just observing, Kagami spent hours studying and reviewing everything she came across in her school work in preparation. It was a mixed blessing. Her mind was not like Miyuki's, but the extra work she put into her objectives had given her a rock solid bulletproof work ethic and mentality.

"Finally…" she sighed, closing her books and leaning back in her chair. "Finally finished…"

It wasn't particularly late yet, but she did feel tired. Using her prudent mind, she decided that going to sleep was the best plan instead of staying up like Konata probably would. She crawled under her covers after turning of her light and snuggled under the blankets. The night had turned cooler than last, and it seemed Fall had come early.

Just before she closed her eyes, she felt the urge to sneeze. "Uh-oh…" she thought. "Either someone's talking about me, or I'm going to be sick."

I was thinking about doing a Lucky Channel, but I felt that might ruin some of the emotion. If you're one of those people who really like Lucky Channel, sorry I probably won't be doing that.

Well, that was the first installment. Tell me what you think! Expect the next installment soon!