A/N I'm so excited to be starting a new Fairy Tail story! This is going to be really funny and cute, but there will be drama, don't worry!

Updates will happen every Satuday. I live in Australia, so more than likely the update will happen on your Friday. Chapters will have a length of minimum 2000 words. I'm hoping to update weekly, but more than likely updates will occur every two weeks. This will be a multi-chapter story. If you haven't already realized, it's a high-school romance between Natsu and Lucy. This story will contain swearing.

For those who don't know, a bento is a type of Japanese lunch. Typically, mothers make it for their children. I recommend you look it up, it's very interesting! Also, in Japan, Sakura trees represent new beginnings.

Disclaimer- I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights belongs to their respective owners. I am not receiving any profit for this story.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1-

"Lu-chan, look at the sakura trees!" Levy gushed, "They're so beautiful!"

"This year is definitely the start of new beginnings" Lucy agreed, also admiring the pink petals swirling gently in the breeze.

"Speaking of new beginnings" Levy said slyly, "Are you going to confess to Gray anytime soon?"

Lucy's face flushed, "N-no, of course not!" She denied emphatically, "I can't believe I told you about that"

"Aw, I think it's cute" Levy pouted, "You two look so good together!"

"You think so?" Lucy asked nervously, then took a deep breath and straightened, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should tell him"

"That's the spirit!" Levy cheered, "Go for it!"

And then Lucy slumped, "Or maybe not"

"Lu-chan" Levy scolded, "Don't be a scaredy cat!"

"It's easier said than done" Lucy protested, "I mean what if he rejects me?"

"He won't"

"Well, then what if he tells the whole school? That'd be humiliating!"

"He's not like that"

"What if when I'm speaking with him, I get tongue-tied and don't know what to say? I'm nervous enough just thinking about it"

"You have a point..." Levy mused, then brightened, "I know! Write him a love letter!"

"A... Love letter?"

"It's perfect!" Levy declared, "And you're an amazing author, Lu-chan! He'll fall in love with your amazing literary skills!"

"I wish" Lucy muttered.

Just then, a pair of hands covered her eyes, "Guess who?" A musical voice chirped.

"Oh, I don't know" Lucy said, trying to sound puzzled, even though there was a giant grin spread across her face, "Mirajane?"

"Silly!" Lisanna laughed, pulling her hands away, "I'm the pretty sister!"

"Oh, so it is Mirajane!"

Lisanna swatted her head gently, "As if Mirajane is the prettier one" she scoffed, "Have you seen her hair? It's hideous"

"It's such a shame you don't grow your hair, Lisanna" Mirajane pouted, tugging one of Lisanna's short strands of hair, "It would be so pretty!"

"I think so, too" Lucy agreed, "If you grew out your hair like Mira's, it'd be awesome"

"Of course you would say that" Lisanna rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Since you're like, my sisters number one fan"

"Anyone who wants to date my sister has to be a man!" Elfman charged over to Lucy and picked her up by the collar of her shirt, "Huh?" He frowned, "You don't look like a man? Are you a man? Can you beat me in a fight? If you can beat me in a fight, you'll be a man. Don't you want to be a-"

"Okay, okay!" Lucy said, quickly backtracking before Elfman killed her so she could be reborn as a man, or something like that, "I don't want to date your sister"

"Oh" he said, letting go of her collar. An awkward silence took over the whole group for a few seconds before he shrugged, "See you later, men"

"Mira-nee" Lisanna said to her sister, completely unfazed, "If this keeps up, you'll be single for the rest of your life"

Mirajane nodded slowly, "I think you have a point"

"Speaking of being single" Levy grinned, "Lucy's going to confess to her crush today!"

This statement had multiple reactions.

"Wait, what!?"

"Oh, I wonder who it is?"

"Honestly, you've been dropping hints about this unknown crush for weeks now! Can't you just tell us who he is?"

Levy answered Lisanna's question, "You'll see who it is," she sang, "When they start dating!"

Lucy's face turned crimson, "L-Levy-chan!" She exclaimed, "I'm not telling him! And even if I did, we wouldn't start dating!"

Levy winked, "You'll be the cutest couple of the school!"

"Oh, honestly" Lisanna groaned, "Who is this mystery boy? You guys are killing me"

"Speaking of mystery boys" Lucy said, trying to draw the conversation away from her love life, "Isn't there a new kid joining our class this year? What was his name?"

"Oh, that's Natsu" Levy answered, obviously picking up on Lucy's need to change the subject, "He's not really a new student, though. Apparently, the reason he dropped out last year was to look for his father"

"Yeah" Lisanna agreed, "And then apparently when Natsu finally found him, his father didn't want anything to do with him"

"Oh" Lucy said quietly, "Jeez, that sucks"

"Yeah, it does" Levy sympathized, "Anyway, let's hurry and go to class. We'll be late otherwise"

"I am Mavis!" A short, blond haired girl announced. She had mesmerizing green, cat-like eyes, wing adornments where her ears should be and hair that reached the floor. "And I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year! Oh, and your maths teacher" she winked, "I'm known as the Fairy Tactician, so if you need any help, come to me because I'm the best!"

She was adorable. She was childlike. She didn't seem like a teacher at all.

"Um" a student called out, "How old are you?"

"I'm 118 years old" she said seriously. Then she giggled, and clapped her hands together, "No, I'm actually 23!"

Just as the class was about to bombard her with questions, Makarov entered the classroom.

Immediately the class hushed. Makarov was a man small of stature, but large with presence. Back in his prime, he'd been an elite boxer, and some of that ferocity shine through the old man today. His grandson, Laxus, had inherited his scowl and authority, but little else. For even though Makarov was a powerful man, he was gentle and kind, although one could not tell that by his rough manner of speaking.

"Brats!" He called, "This here is Mavis-sensei. Although it seems now she is not appropriate to teach you, I assure you the Fairy Tactician will prove to you otherwise. Treat her with respect, and treat her with courtesy. If I've heard any of you have made her cry once, it will be detention for a week!"

No-one dared to complain.

"That is all" he nodded, "Mavis, be good"

"I will!" She trilled.

"Oh, and one more thing" Makarov added, "With me I have Natsu. He will be rejoining this class after a years absence" he paused, then shrugged, "I don't really care what you do with him. You can bully him, beat him up, whatever, so long as it doesn't give me paperwork. I'm drowning in the stuff"

And with that, the principal of Magnolia High turned and walked out, and in his place Natsu walked in.

He had the most convincing hair dye she'd ever seen. Along with his startlingly bright pink hair, he sported brown eyes, much darker than her own, a toothy grin, and a hell of a lot of muscles. Seriously, even his muscles had muscles.

"Oi, Natsu!" Gray called out from the middle of the class, "I'm definitely gonna beat you in this years exam results"

Natsu grinned, "You wish. I'm more fired up than ever for this years exams!"

Lucy watched the exchange with interest. Gray and Natsu knew each other? Quite well, from the looks of it. But how? And why wasn't Natsu depressed and sad? He seemed that way from the rumors- wouldn't anyone be sad and depressed after their father essentially rejected them? Lucy knew all too well the pain from having a father reject you- yet Natsu seemed to be coping well. Almost too well, from the looks of it.

"It's good to see a friendly rivalry" Erza nodded, "As the student council president, I approve!"

"It's manly!" Elfman howled from the middle of the room, "I will win this manly competitions of grades"

"Elf-nii-chan, calm down" Lisanna tried, then turned to her older sister, "Mira-nee, tell him to stop"

"Oh, let him have his fun" Mirajane smiled. Although she was the eldest of the triplets by four minutes, she was very rarely strict. According to the rumors however, when she she had to enforce the rules, she did it so harshly it had been dubbed her 'Satan Soul'

"Okay, everyone!" Mavis chanted cheerfully, "Natsu, we need to find you a seat. Oh, look, there's one right at the back! Next to Lucy!"

Lucy blinked. 'How did she know my name? Maybe this so called Fairy Tactician does know what she's doing...'

So startled by her own revelation, Lucy hadn't noticed Natsu slip into the seat beside her.

"So your names Luigi?" He frowned, "That's a weird name for a girl"

Jolted out of her musings, Lucy answered, "It's Lucy"

At that moment, Mavis once again called the class to attention, cutting them off, and began to explain what she expected of the,.

Lucy snuck a glance at Natsu, only to realize he'd been staring at her. She quickly reaffirmed her attention back to Mavis, but for the next half-hour she had the strange feeling that she was being watched.

"You have to to shopping?" Levy confirmed, looking dismayed.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah. Sorry I can't walk with you, but they're having a sale today at the supermarket. I'll walk tomorrow, I promise"

"Don't worry about it" Levy replied, "It must be tough living on your own"

Lucy smiled, "It is. At first it was really fun because I had a lot of freedom. But then, I realized I had to cook, and clean, and wash... It's still better than living with my father"

Levy struggled to find the words to consolidate her friend but found none. Instead, she gave her best friend a warm smile, a hug, and a promise to visit her apartment.

Lucy watched her best friend leave, then swore, "I forgot my bag!"

And then she raced back to her homeroom. Shoving the door open, she burst in and weaved through desks until she reached her own at the back. Letting out a sigh of relief, she picked it up, and then-

"Thief!"

Natsu grabbed her bag and began to pull. Those muscles weren't for show and Lucy could already feel her bag slipping from her fingers.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, "Let go!"

"Why are you stealing Lisanna's bag!?"

"L-Lisanna's bag? This is my bag, you idiot!"

Shock made him pause and it was in that moment Lucy yanked it back.

"Y-Your bag?" He repeated, dumbfounded, "N-no way... You can't keep that bag!"

And then he was trying to snatch it again.

"Why can't I keep my own bag, you psycho?"

"You can't open that!" Was it her imagination, or was he blushing? "Just give me the bag-"

Rrrrrrrippp

"Look!" Lucy wailed, "You ruined my new bag!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you had just given it to me" he said, annoyed.

"T-the nerve of you" Lucy was so furious she could barely speak. She couldn't even remember ever being this angry, "You... You tear my bag and you... Oh, I can't believe you... You blame me!?"

"It's obviously your fault, Luigi-"

"Lucy!"

"-Considering if you had just given me the bag, none of this would have happened"

"Why is my bag so important to you anyway?" Lucy said, looking at the remains of her bag, "Why couldn't you just- oh"

"What do you mean, oh?" He asked, then followed her gaze. In plain sight was the love letter he'd spent an entire hour preparing.

Lucy smirked, "A love letter, huh? For Lisanna?"

"Give that back!" He demanded, lunging forward again. This time, Lucy was ready for him and darted out of his reach. As she did so, the sunlight from the window shone through, illuminating the envelope and making it transparent. Lucy paused, eying it, shock coursing through her veins like a second adrenaline rush.

Lucy's jaw dropped, then she whacked Natsu on the head. She'd never been so violent in her life.

"Ow" he complained, "What was that for!? First you steal my stuff, and now you're attacking me?"

"You must be the dumbest person alive" Lucy said quietly, then yelled, "It's empty, you idiot!"

"E-Empty!?" He yelled back, "Give it to me! Let me check!"

She handed it to him, then started laughing at the look of horror on his face.

"T-This isn't funny! Stop laughing!"

"You forgot to put the letter in the envelope" she gasped, "What d'you think Lisanna would do when she opened an empty envelope?"

"S-shut up"

Her fear of him long gone, she grabbed his arm, "C'mon" she grinned, "You're coming to my place. I'm gonna give you a crash course"

"On what?"

"On how to get Lisanna to like you! I'm one of her best friends! I know exactly what she looks for in a guy" she gave him a critical once-over, "I think with you, we might need some work"

"H-hey!"

"But you're not a complete lost cause" she concluded, "But before that, I have to go shopping. You're coming with me"

Lucy had never acted like this before. Never before had she been so alive. Her entire life, she'd listened to her father. Heck, the only noteworthy part of her life was when she'd rebelled against her father and run away from home. But now, she was inviting a guy she'd just met to her apartment, to give him love advice on how to date her best friend. The thought made her giddy. She'd always wanted some sort of excitement in her life, some sort of adventure like she'd read about in her books.

She didn't know what it was about Natsu, but already she felt comfortable around him. She felt as though she'd known him for months.

"Look, Lucy" Natsu said, "I'm not going to your place, and I'm not going shopping with you"

"Yes, you are" Lucy said confidently.

"You weirdo, I barely even know you. Do you make it a habit to invite guys you don't know over to your apartment?"

"No" Lucy confessed, "Actually, you'd be the first. But you're coming with me"

"And how do you know?"

"Simple. You want to date Lisanna, right? Like I said, I'm her best friend. It'll be a piece of cake"

"Y-you'd really help me?" He said, unsure.

"Of course. I'm not heartless" she scoffed, "But in return, you have to buy me a new bag"

A grin grew in his face. He held his hand up, "Deal"

She lifted her own hand, and gave him a high five, "Deal"

"Wow, Lucy, you have a nice place" Natsu remarked.

"O-oh, you think so? It's not much, especially when you compare it to my father's place..."

And a nice place it was. Her one bedroom apartment was spacious, with huge windows that filled her room with natural lighting. They led to a balcony which offered an amazing view of Magnolia at night. Her kitchen was also spacious, with windows above the sink that also offered a spectacular birds-eye view. Her living room had a beautiful wooden table which was a few meters away from a giant television. Her bathroom was clean, well lit, and tastefully arranged, as was her bedroom.

"It's awesome!" Natsu cheered, "You must have people over all the time!"

"Actually, you're the first person I've invited" Lucy admitted.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah"

She waited for the awkward questions, for him to start asking why, or if she had no friends. The response he gave was neither of those things.

He grinned, "Thanks, Luce, for letting me be the first visitor!"

'L-Luce? Seriously? No-ones ever called me that before... But when he says it, it sounds kinda nice. Oh, fine, I'll let him get away with it. How can I say no, when he's giving me such a happy smile?'

"Thanks for carrying my shopping bags" Lucy smiled back, "C'mon, let put this stuff away"

They worked in silent harmony, Natsu handing the items to Lucy and Lucy quickly organizing them to her liking. Soon the bags were empty.

"I'm sorry, I know I said I'd help you about Lisanna..." Lucy said, looking at the clock, "But I need to get started on dinner"

His eyes widened, "You cook?"

She nodded, "Yep. I taught myself. It took a lot of cookbooks and cooking shows, but I learned"

"Wow, is there anything you can't do?"

Blushing slightly at the compliment, Lucy confessed, "I can't sew. At all. All my clothes have tears in them, but I don't know how to fix it"

He laughed and Lucy felt her blush deepen.

'Lisanna, what did you do to make a guy like this crush on you? He's so much different than the rest... He's really nice and mature. I think he and I could become really good friends'

"So, what are you going to make?"

"Curry. Wanna help?"

He looked worried, "I'm not to good at cooking. I eat a lot of frozen meals"

"Your parents don't cook?"

Too late, Lucy remembered the story of his father. A shadow crossed over his bright features, dimming them.

"I live on my own" he said quietly.

"Oh"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, then-

"Look, I'm sorry I-"

"I didn't mean to make it-"

They both paused, and laughed.

"You first" Natsu encouraged.

"I'm sorry I asked. I've heard the rumors, and... I know what it's like to have a shitty dad"

"Don't be. The rumors tend to exaggerate" Natsu replied, "And actually, that's starting to smell good. I might help out after all"

There was something lovely, Lucy decided, about the domesticity of all this. She'd never had anyone over at her apartment before, simply because she didn't want anyone's pity. She knew that if she invited Levy over, the bluenette would immediately start fretting over Lucy's mental wellbeing. However with Natsu, she didn't have to worry about all that. He was in the same boat as her; he knew what it felt like.

"Natsu, what are you doing? The meat is going to burn!"

He looked at her oddly, "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Put the water in"

"Why? We're not going to drink the curry"

"Idiot, it's for the sauce! We gotta let it simmer and reduce before we add the powder"

He still looked confused. Huffing, Lucy grabbed a cup and began to pour the water in.

"There. Now we just have to leave it for a little bit"

About fifteen minutes later, it was finished. Somehow, Lucy had managed to make sure Natsu didn't burn her curry.

"That's a lot of hot sauce" she said critically, eyeing the amount Natsu was pouring over his portion.

He shrugged, "I like my food spicy"

They sat down to eat, and then Lucy began, "So" she said, "What do you want to know about Lisanna?"

"Umm" he frowned, "I'm not sure.."

"What type of guy she likes?"

"Yeah. That"

"Umm" Lucy pondered, "I've never really asked her, so..."

He scoffed, "Useless"

She glared, "Hey! Watch your mouth. I made you dinner, be a little grateful"

"I helped"

"Yeah, by nearly burning the curry"

"I still don't understand why you add water"

Lucy opened her mouth to retort, then quickly reconsidered, "Hold on, we're supposed to be talking about Lisanna here! Stop distracting me!"

"Fine, fine"

"I think... Lisanna likes guys who are confident. She's really cheerful, so I don't think she'd like someone pessimistic, but then, maybe she likes the whole opposites attract thing..."

"So you don't know" Natsu surmised.

"I- I do know! I'm not completely useless" Lucy defended, then sighed, "OK. I don't know. But I wasn't lying when I said I can help you. I'll ask her about it tomorrow"

"Yeah, okay" he looked embarrassed. She couldn't blame him, what guy liked talking about his crush?

"Wait one minute" Lucy ordered, standing up, "I'll be back in a second"

She walked quickly to her bedroom, and retrieved a stack of papers. She returned back to Natsu, and slammed the papers in front of him.

"Read" she commanded.

He looked puzzled, but didn't question it, "Dear mama. How are things? I met this guy called Gray today-"

"Not aloud!" Lucy flushed, "Just- Just read it"

He continued in silence. A moment passed... Two moments... Three...

"YOU LIKE GRAY!?" he roared, doubling over in laughter, "Gray!? That stripper finally got himself an admirer, huh? Oh, wow. You. You're way too good for him"

At yet another compliment, she blushed harder, "Y-You think so?"

He nodded seriously, sobering up, "Definitely. Any girl is too good for that snowball"

And then he cracked up again.

'Oh. So he wasn't complimenting me in particular, just mocking Gray... Why do I care what he thinks anyway? I only met him today'

But the answer was staring her dead in the face. She trusted Natsu. She trusted Natsu with her secret, one that she hadn't told Lisanna. She trusted him enough to invite him over to her apartment. There was something about him, something that made her believe in him. Something that made her trust in him. Not quite charisma, yet something similar to it.

"Look, Natsu, you can't tell anybody" Lucy stressed, "Anybody"

He looked offended, "C'mon Luce, as if I'd do that"

"What's with the Luce?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

He shrugged, "It's one syllable. It's easier to say than Lucy. And it suits you"

"T-thanks"

"Anyway" he looked around, and nodded, "You seem nice. And since you're helping me with Lisanna, I suppose I'd better help you with Gray"

Now it was her turn to scoff, "Please. What can you do? I'm Lisanna's best friend, it'll be easy. For you, it'll be much more difficult to get Gray to trust you"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" He grinned, showing his fangs, "I'm Gray's best friend. And now I want to puke. That sounds disgusting"

"Guys" Lucy muttered, "Can't ever 'fess up about their feelings"

"I was gonna confess to Lisanna, y'know"

This made Lucy giggle, "With your invisible letter"

He raked a hand through his hair sheepishly, "Yeah, that was kinda stupid" he admitted.

"It was" Lucy confirmed.

The time passed so quickly. Soon, it was late, and Natsu was going to have to head home.

"I don't wanna leave" he complained, "Your apartments much nicer than mine. And cleaner. And your bed is awesome!"

"Come over again tomorrow" Lucy found herself inviting. What am I doing?

"Really? I can? Thanks, Luce!" He beamed.

She gave him a smile, "Yeah. But we might actually have to do homework tomorrow. At this rate, I'm going to fail this years exams"

His eyes widened, "Shit! Studying! I have to beat the snowball in this years exams! See ya, Luce!"

And then he raced to the doorway. He paused, turning around. Looking slightly embarrassed, he said so quietly Lucy almost didn't catch it, "Thanks for everything, Luce"

And then he was gone.

She sighed, a giant grin on her face, "How can he be so cute?" Looking over at the mess of her apartment, "Guess I'd better clean, and make my bento for tomorrow..." Her voice trailed off, and she stood there deep in thought, "Natsu said he lived on his own... And he obviously can't cook... Maybe I should make him a bento, too? It'll be easy, I can just double the quantities..."

Firming her resolve, she nodded, "Alright. I'm gonna make Natsu a bento!"

I hope you enjoyed! Please, leave a review telling me what you think, what you liked or what you disliked!