A/N: My first story; it's so exciting! Not to mention it's also a collaboration between ChedderChez and I.
*This is not a Lucy-bash fanfiction. We can be immature at times, but we're not that immature.
This story was actually inspired by the anime movie Bungaku Shōjo. Believe it or not, it came to being through discussions of Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki of Fairy Tail which led to discussions of Kotobuki Nanase of Bungaku Shōjo, who so happens to be our favorite character. And that led to this story seeing the light of day. Enough backstory!
This was originally going to be uploaded as a one-shot, but we decided on a two (maybe three)- shot.
Note: We played around with the dates a little. Hope no one minds; it was for the sake of the story!
Disclaimer: We do no own Fairy Tail.
Not sure if this is needed, but what the heck:
Disclaimer 2: Neither do we own Bungaku Shōjo
Retrieved From: Chronicles of Natsu Dragneel
Entry #1
1 April, X777
"We Met Under the Magnolia Tree"
A while back, I asked Papa what a "chronicle" was. His reply was that it was similar to a journal and that the best way to understand the concept of a chronicle is to keep one. Papa bought me this notebook, but weeks passed without me entering any "logs," or so Papa called them. I didn't know what to write in it. Nothing ever seemed important or interesting enough. But today was different.
It was the first day of school today. I'm officially in the second grade now; it's so exciting. I wanted to walk to school by myself to show that I am growing up, but Papa refused, claiming that I, being at eight years old, am still too young He walked me to the school gates, where we said our good-byes.
It was still a little early, so I sat down on a grassy patch. The spring breeze is so refreshing! None of my friends arrived yet, so I just waited. I looked around and spotted the large Magnolia tree that was the school symbol. The sight never failed to fill me with awe, as the blooming pink blossoms were very pretty…
Pretty. Speaking of pretty, sitting at the base of the Magnolia tree was a girl. For some reason, the instant I saw her, I knew we would become very close friends. After all, she was around eight years old (so am I), she was cute (like me), she had an unusual shade of hair (I also have an unusual shade of hair. Hers is white, mine is pink.), and she was sitting under my favorite tree so it must be her favorite tree as well. That was a lot in common, and those who have lots in common become friends easily. That's what Papa told me.
And so, it was while sitting under the tree that she, Lisanna Strauss, and I, Natsu Dragneel, became acquainted with each other. Hopefully, this friendship will last forever.
Addendum: Papa told me that an addendum is something that is added as a bonus, so I think this can be counted as an addendum:
Writing this has actually been quite fun. Papa says that the best way to keep an accurate chronicle is to write in it every day. I heard parents like diligent children, and I don't want any inaccuracies, so I'll diligently follow Papa's advice.
The "Chronicles of Natsu Dragneel"—that sounds cool.
Entry #4
4 April, X777
"They Say 'Four' is an Unlucky Number"
For the longest time, I've been told that the number four is unlucky, that it is associated with death, which is a bad thing. And indeed, today was a very, very bad day. Lisanna, I, and our friends were playing together during recess. Lisanna was "gravely" injured, or so I heard teacher say. She had a very bad fall and broke her leg.
I went to visit the hospital later, and I met Mrs. Strauss. She said that the injury would heal soon; that the damage was not permanent. That's a relief. I asked Papa if I could stay with Lisanna until she recovered. He agreed, but in return I had to promise to work harder in school.
Gray came by later with the class notes for that day. He also brought a deck of cards so we'd have something to do. They say that kids shouldn't play poker, but Papa disagrees. He says it's only bad if money is on the line, or "gambling." We weren't gambling, so I guess it was fine.
Lisanna drew the ten of hearts, the four of hearts, the seven of hearts, the eight of hearts…and the five of hearts. Wow, she was really lucky. Obviously, she won that round. She also won the rest of the rounds, but those times she always got higher than a flush…it was truly astounding.
Addendum: I asked Papa who "they" referred to. Apparently it is an "impersonal pronoun." It's used to divert attention away from any one person. You can say it refers to no one, or you can say it refers to a whole "agglomeration" of people. Papa says it's important to learn new words, and teacher agrees with him.
Entry #1579
27 July, X781
"Swimming Lessons…"
Today is the start of summer break. Dad wants me to take swimming lessons, much to my chagrin. He says it's a very important skill, and it'll also help cool me off from the intense summer heat. Of course, I refused at first. I, for one, enjoy the heat. It's refreshing to me and helps me think.
Then Lisanna said her parents also wanted her to go, and she accepted. So I figured what the hell; if Lisanna was going, it might be worth it…it's not what you think! She's a friend; a friend! And I'm only twelve; it's not like I would have any impure thoughts.
Point is: swimming lessons for the whole summer. Hurray! (sarcasm).
Addendum: I apparently don't have any swimming attire…Lisanna's going to help pick one out for me tomorrow.
Entry #1599
16 August, X781
"Introducing: Lucy Heartfilia"
"Geez, Natsu, did you cut swimming lessons again?"
That basically summarizes the first half of my day. Lisanna, being the good girl that she was, actually went to swimming classes. I didn't, and Lisanna caught me after she was dismissed.
I replied that I already knew how to swim, but that was a flat out lie, and Lisanna knew it. But since lessons were over by that time, nothing could be done about it. Instead of staying on that subject, we decided to relax near the river—skip some stones, watch the fish, add to our rock collection, etc.
Cutting to the chase, there was a girl in the deeper parts of the river, being carried downstream by the current. Lisanna was saying something about calling the police or rescue team or something. But in that period of time, who knows how far the current would have carried the girl? She might drown by that time. So I jumped right in…
Too bad I didn't know how to swim. Karma is a…nevermind, dad (and Lisanna) would scold me if I used a curse word. But you get the point. In the end, we ended up being saved by Lisanna, who, unlike me, could swim.
Lisanna scolded me afterwards, telling me to think before I act. I countered that it was her own fault she forgot she could have swam and save the girl in the first place instead of panicking, and only remembered she could swim after I was put in danger.
The girl whom we saved is called Lucy Heartfilia. She has about mid-length blond hair, but I think she's planning on growing it longer.
Addendum: I learned a new word today: "trauma." I think the event that happened to Lucy can be classified as a traumatic experience. Dad commented that "period of time" is redundant. Just the word "period" is needed to get the point across. I'll keep that in mind.
Entry #1936.
19 July, X782
"Dad"
They say the number four is unlucky. I think that for me, that superstition is applicable. After all, 1936 is 44 squared. They also say 13 is unlucky…and I'm 13 years old this year. And today was a bad day. Dad didn't come home.
Maybe he is just busy…maybe work held him up…but I didn't receive a call…
For some reason, I don't feel like writing anything more today.
Addendum: Dad always says, "everything happens for a reason."
"Notes for entry number 3081. 6th of September, year 785. The autumn trimester begins, name subject to change," Lisanna said, peering over Natsu's shoulder at something he was writing. "You really don't miss a day, huh?"
It was lunch break at school, and Lisanna had moved her desk to align with Natsu's so they could eat together. Natsu had out a pen and a notebook which he was scribbling upon.
"I wish you wouldn't say that out loud," Natsu said looking around. Thankfully, no one else was within hearing range. "My keeping a journal is top secret. It'll be embarrassing if someone finds out about this."
"Then why do you do it? No, scratch that. I know why you do it. But really, Natsu…I'm not telling you to forget about him, but you have to move on."
Natsu stopped what he was doing. "I told you I don't want to talk about that." There was a hint of anger in his words. It was clear that Natsu was struggling to keep his voice under control.
"Natsu…" "Fine, let's just eat, then," she sighed.
"I'm going home."
"But—" Lisanna started, but Natsu was already up and headed towards the door. "And after I spent so much time preparing today's lunch," she said, placing two rectangular boxes on the conjoined tables. Natsu didn't listen. "It was your favorite, too," Lisanna mumbled, plopping down onto her chair in exasperation.
Natsu reached the classroom exit and slid open the doors. He was about to step out, but paused, instead turning around to face Lisanna. "Look, Lisanna, I'm sorry about getting angry. I'll eat it later, okay? I promise."
Lisanna folded her arms and turned her head away from Natsu with a "hmph."
Natsu shrugged, knowing that Lisanna wouldn't stay annoyed with him, or anyone for that matter, for long. He stepped out and was about to close the door when he heard:—
"Just make sure your back before the break ends."
That Natsu! How did I know he wasn't going to come back? Probably fell asleep again, Lisanna thought.
She was going to check up on Natsu, but the events of that day replayed in her head. She had hit upon a taboo subject, but it was for Natsu's own good! Still, the pink-haired high-schooler probably didn't want to see her. In the end, Lisanna decided to head for home.
When Lisanna reached the door to her house, she put down the bag she was holding and took out her keys.
"Mira-nee, Elf-nii, I'm back!"
"Welcome back," came two replies, and then one of them continued, "did you bring home a true man?"
Lisanna chose to ignore the latter comment. She put down the bag containing the lunchboxes on the kitchen counter. Mirajane attended to them, only to find that one was left untouched. "Lisanna, I hope you're not becoming anorexic."
"Of course not!" Lisanna exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in disgust of the thought. "That's Natsu's portion."
"A true man will eat the lunch a girl made for him, regardless of how bad it tastes," Elfman stated.
"Hey, what's that suppose to mean!" Lisanna pouted.
"A true man must speak the truth. No offense, but your cooking isn't quite up to par with Mira's."
"At least it's edible…"
"But what's he going to eat? Didn't he go to school? Why didn't you bring it over to his house?" Mirajane inquired.
"I don't know; he cut classes; I don't think he wants to see me right now," Lisanna replied, answering each question in sequence. She took a seat at the table and sighed. "I'll make sure to prepare an extra-large portion for dinner today."
Entry #3081
6 September, X785
"A Want for Food"
Today is the start of the fall term. I guess school went well, though I returned home during lunch break and accidentally fell asleep. I wonder if Lisanna was worried about me. Speaking of which, I did act quite badly towards her earlier. I know she's right that I have to get over the fact that dad is gone, but it's not that easy. He was so important to me, taught me so much…
But what Lisanna doesn't know is that there's another reason I can't abandon the chronicles (I can't believe I still call it that from time to time). I wonder how she'll react when I tell her said reason...
The doorbell rang at around five o'clock. I went to open the door, half expecting (and hoping) Lisanna to be there. The person I found, though, was Lucy. Naturally, I invited her in, though not knowing why she was here. It was a kind of awkward situation at first since I couldn't offer any food because I didn't know how to cook. That made me realize the extent of my hunger at the moment. I was starting to regret not eating the lunch Lisanna made.
I don't know how, but Lucy somehow got a hold of my journal. Of course, I instantly snatched it back, much to her surprise. I told her it was personal, and no one else but me was to know what was inside.
Her reply came as a surprise: "Lisanna's seen it before, though, hasn't she?"
I haven't thought about it, but it was true. Lisanna has read my entries before. I wonder why I've let her do that. "Lisanna's…special," I said.
"She's a friend, right? Am I not your friend as well?"
"You are, but…" I wanted to argue, but nothing came out. Lucy had logic on her side. If Lisanna was allowed to read this, isn't it only fair that Lucy can, too? So I let her read it, but only the first five entries. "Anything after that gets a little personal," was my excuse.
After she finished, her only comment was, "so you stayed with Lisanna the whole time she was injured?"
The doorbell rang again at 7 p.m. By that time, Lucy had left. So guess who was at the door? Here's what happened:
The chime of the doorbell grabbed Natsu's attention. Lisanna usually came at either one of two times on weekdays: right after school (about 3 p.m.) or at 7 p.m. That's excluding the morning, when she'd come over so the two can walk to school together.
Natsu took a moment to look at the clock, and a smile crossed his face. Seven o' clock.
He leapt for the door, pulled it open, and cried, "Lisanna!...I'm hungry…" Fake tears streamed down his face as he pretended to sink down to the floor. Lisanna stared at him blankly for a while, not knowing what to think of the situation.
"Now, what kind of a greeting is that?" she replied after a while.
"You should be honored," Natsu said getting up. "You're the only one I act this way towards."
Lisanna made her way into the house. There was a short hallway that led to the living room, where everything was placed neatly in order. The floor was made of wood rather than wrappers, trash was placed in the disposal bin, and the furniture was cleaned. This was the product of yesterday's back-to-school cleanup.
"I'm glad…" Lisanna uttered, stopping when she reached the end of the hall.
"Huh? For what?"
She placed her right hand over her left arm, displaying unease. "I thought…you'd still be mad at me."
"I can never stay mad at you for long. You're the same with me, right?" Natsu grinned.
Lisanna's eyes teared up, unable to contain her joy. But the mood was ruined by Natsu's growling stomach. Lisanna let out a giggle. "Guess that means I should get to work making dinner for the three of us."
Ever since the disappearance of Natsu's father, Lisanna had taken on the role of the "housewife" so to speak. She made Natsu's food and cleaned up the house. It was all quite draining, but Lisanna enjoyed it. She enjoyed spending time with Natsu.
When dinner was prepared, the two of them sat down on the dining table chairs. Natsu looked at the food. His mouth was watering, but he didn't dig in.
"What's the matter, Natsu?" Lisanna asked.
"Where's this afternoon's lunch? I promised to eat it, didn't I?"
"Oh, Mira-nee threw that out already. So just forget about it."
"But after you worked so hard on it...and I acted so horribly…I –I'm sorry, Lisanna."
"…" "The food's getting cold."
"Y –Yeah. Let's eat."
They started to eat when Natsu commented, "I think we forgot to call Happy."
A/N: Like it? Review! Don't like it? Review anyways! :P