Chapter 5: The Otaku Diaries

Author's notes

Alrighty then, so chapter 5. This is pretty fun, I hope I'm not the only one who thinks so XD Glad to see your still reading, I promise the story will pick up. Well, story as in mood, there's hardly any plot. I guess there is sorta one, but there probably isn't going to be some big main villain or anything. I mean, it IS Lucky Star. Two in one day! That's why it took so long to get these up. That and my Beta crapped out on me. I'm rambling again, on with the chapter.

Rating: T

The next morning

Konata woke up from her slumber at about four in the morning, having fallen asleep so early the previous day. The last thing she remembered was Kagami singing a lullaby, something she had thought she would never hear. Then she remembered that she was still incredibly sick without knowing what she had in the first place. Man, I hope I'll be okay, it gets a little boring not even being able to get out of bed to get manga... There's a notebook and pen on the table next to me from when Kagami came yesterday. I guess she must have left it here on accident. She thought, having to consciously think even completely obvious details to let it sink in. Maybe I should try and keep a diary of this... Wow, I must be sicker than I thought for that to actually seem like a good idea. I might as well... and with great effort, she leaned over and picked up the journal, slowly flipping through it to see if there was anything in it. All the pages were blank, as if Kagami somehow knew she would have that thought. Trying to bring her thoughts into coherent ideas for recording, she began to write.

Dear Diary,

I am sick and this is my first entry. I guess I'll have to pay Kagami back for this notebook, eh? I just need to get my thoughts out, but I don't want to infect anyone, especially not Kagamin, though I know she would listen. She came to visit yesterday and her concern seemed genuine. I'm really grateful to her, but I feel guilty that she worried about me. I wish she would come over more, but I don't want to get her sick! I want both! Well, I'm getting tired Diary. I guess I had better get some more sleep...

Konata~

And with that, she put the notebook down, having actually taken a little more than an hour to write just that. As if he knew, her father cracked the door open. "Hey Konata, you awake?"

"Yeah dad, what's up?" Konata said, her throat still hurting as she spoke aloud.

"Just wanted to see if you needed anything. Do you?" Her father asked, concerned.

"Nah, I'm fine for now, I need sleep." The otaku muttered, trying not to speak much.

"Well, just ring the bell I put next to your bed if you need anything, alright?"

Konata made an affirmative noise as her only response before Sojiro left the room. Huh, there IS a bell next to my bed... She thought, having not noticed it before now. She slowly drifted back to sleep.

Hiiragi House

Meanwhile, in the Hiiragi house, Kagami was getting ready for school extra-early, having left a note for Tsukasa to go to school at normal time without her. She intended to go see Konata before school to see how she was. As Kagami got dressed, she wondered about Konata and got the strange feeling that she was helping Konata even at the moment. Meh, it's probably just me... Knowing her, she's here hiding and watching me get undressed from my pajamas... She started blushing viciously as her mind inadvertently started picturing the scene and the immediate afterwards. Whoa whoa whoa WHOA! What the HELL was that? I wasn't trying to think about THAT! Okay, I just need to calm down and get ready for school... She thought as she finished getting dressed, trying to forget her previous thoughts. Man, if Konata doesn't get well soon, she'll miss the exams! It stinks we have to retake them just because some tightwad wanted to save a few bucks. Hey! Maybe I can convince her to put the same answers as me so we would be guaranteed to be in the same class! But how would that work, I mean we aren't in the same class now so she couldn't exactly look on my paper or anything. Maybe the others will have some ideas... She said in her head as she finished her breakfast. "Alright. Time to go see Konata." She said to nobody in particular, considering as far as she knew she was the only person awake in the house.

"Where do you think you're going at five in the morning? School doesn't start for several hours." She heard a voice from behind her. She turned around to see a folded-armed Matsuri.

"I'm going to see my sick friend. It's going to take a while to get to there and then I have to go all the way to school from there. I want to visit for more than a minute." Kagami explained, wishing Matsuri hadn't waken up.

"Well. There's only one thing you can do to keep me from telling mom and dad that you tried to sneak out to see someone without their knowing." Kagami's older sister told her.

Oh. My. GOD! Why does she have to be like this? She shouted to herself. "What is it?"

"Come here." Matsuri simply said as she passed Kagami out the door. Kagami followed to see Matsuri in the driver's seat of their father's car. "Hop in!"

"Wha..." Kagami tried to find out as she got in. They weren't allowed to drive the car without their father's permission, so she couldn't understand what Matsuri was doing. "Where are we going?" She asked her sister.

"Depends. Where does your friend live?" Matsuri asked her sister, smiling and starting the car.

"A-... Really? Thank you!" Kagami yelled as she tightly hugged her brown haired sister. She then told her sister the address as the car revved to life.

"Wow, you were going to walk all the way there and then to school this early in the morning? So who's the guy?" Matsuri teased after they had gotten on the road.

"I-I don't have a boyfriend!" Kagami yelled again.

"Re-lax, I'm only teasing you Imōto! But seriously, that's a long way to go just to visit a friend. Couldn't it have waited until after school?" Matsuri asked.

"Actually, I'm visiting her again after school today if she's up to it."

"Geezy Creezy Kagami! Are you trying to catch it yourself?" A hint of concern entered her voice.

"No, I don't think it's contagious."

"It has to be, how else would they have caught it?"

"I don't know... But I didn't catch it yesterday and I was in there more than a half an hour!"

"Fine if you're convinced..." They rode in silence for a few minutes before Matsuri said "So you must really be concerned for this person. Who is it?" She asked, curious as to who could make Kagami walk across town just to see before school and then again after school.

"... My friend Konata Izumi. She's my closest friend..." Kagami stated with affection.

"I see, that would explain it I guess, but that's still a long walk, even if she IS your best friend. Ah, we're here!" Matsuri exclaimed as they arrived at their destination.

"Thank you so much for driving me Matsuri. It was an incredible help" I guess she can be decent when she wants to be... Kagami added in her head as she got out.

"It's no problem, I hope your friend is okay!" The older sister said. "I better get back before they realize I just took dad's car!"

"Yeah, but don't drive too fast! We don't want you getting in a wreck now, do we?" Kagami smirked, not really so much as asking a question.

"Don't worry Imōto! I'll be fine!" She yelled as she drove off, though Kagami barely heard her over the burning rubber of the U-turn.

She's going to get into such trouble if she keeps doing that... Kagami thought as she sweatdropped, watching the little stunt her sister had just pulled. Kagami turned around and approached Konata's house door. She knocked to hear an exhausted "Come in..."

She went in to see Sojiro collapsed on the coach, looking quite the worse for wear.

"Oh, you're Konata's friend..." He said lethargically.

"Yeah, umm Mr. Izumi, how long has it been since you've slept? You seem wrecked..." Kagami pointed out bluntly.

"Well, I got up the morning before yesterday and haven't really slept at all since..."

"Mr. Izumi, you need to sleep!" Kagami shouted, but realized for the first time that Konata was probably still asleep. He's so tired he hasn't even questioned why I'm here at quarter after five in the morning...

"But what if Konata needs something? Who's going to get it for her if I'm asleep?" Sojiro exclaimed, concern for his daughter dripping on every word.

Wow, his devotion to his daughter is incredible. She thought as she realized that he would stay up for days without complaint if only his daughter asked him to. "Mr. Izumi, go get at least a few hours sleep, I'll take care of Konata until I have to leave for school, then I'll come wake you up, okay?" Kagami offered gladly.

"Are you sure?" Sojiro asked, still concerned for his daughter.

"Yeah, go take a rest. God knows you deserve it..."

"Bless you..." Was all the man got out before he fell asleep, not bothering to move to his bed.

Kagami went back to Konata's room to see if she was indeed sleeping. She creaked the door open quietly to see Konata fast asleep. I guess I'll just wait out here until she calls. I don't have to leave for a few hours anyway... She thought as she took a seat in the living room. She sat there patiently for twenty minutes before she heard a bell. I guess that's Konata's way of saying she needs something. I'll go see whats up. She said to herself as she got up to go see Konata. She was a little surprised her dad hadn't waken up at the sound of the bell out of sheer concern. She arrived at her friend's room and opened the door.

POV Change

Konata woke up only half an hour after she had fallen asleep, realizing she was incredibly hungry. She hadn't had any kind of appetite yesterday so she hadn't eaten anything since the choco-coronet she had eaten at lunch the day before last. Her thoughts of lunch led, not only to more hunger, but also to the conversations they had had that day. Why don't I like Tony anyway? I mean, he hasn't really tried to come on to Kagami or anything... Maybe I'll talk to him if I get better. That's what I'll do, I'll talk with him. I wish Kagami were here to see this hehe, I'm actually being what she calls "Mature"... I really need something to eat or I'm gonna die! I didn't eat at all yesterday. Stupid move on my part... This entire internal monologue took the span of about ten minutes with how tired Konata was. Then she remembered her way of summoning her dad as she reached over and, with a bit of effort, rang her bell. She only waited a minute before she heard footsteps right outside her door. Looking, she saw the door beginning to open to reveal... Kagami?

"Kagami!" Konata yelled as she quickly sat up. As she did though, she suddenly got very dizzy and her throat hurt immensely from the yelling. She collapsed back into the bed, coughing hoarsely for a minute. Kagami intervened before Konata had the chance to hurt herself again.

"Hey, I came to see if you were alright, I'm assuming you needed something?" Kagami asked, smiling.

"Kagami, you came so early..." Konata simply said as she felt a warm feeling welling up inside. "It must have been really early if you're already here..." Her voice trailing off as she expected her throat to hurt. It didn't.

"Well, It's not like I got up real super early or anything, Matsuri gave me a ride and I left a note for Tsukasa and-" Kagami blushed lightly as she started to explain in a hurried voice. She was stopped by the pure joy Konata seemed to have on her face. It made Kagami feel really good about having come.

"Did you ask Matsuri to drive you here?" Konata asked, already knowing what her Tsundere's answer would be.

"Well no..."

"That means you were intending to walk all the way here. That's what counts Kagamin." Konata said smiling, but not her usual catgrin or some kind of weird, perverted smile. This smile seemed... just plain happy. It practically paralyzed Kagami.

"Well... I..." Kagami tried to form a coherent sentence, not understanding why she was being so affected by Konata. This seemed like one of those rare times where Konata wasn't looking for something to pick at or thinking something perverted. She looked and sounded so... serene. And, Kagami had to admit, pretty cute. Kagami was blushing even more than before at this point, wondering why she was thinking of Konata like this.

"Kagami~? I'm hungry." Konata's words were emphasized by the growl of her stomach.

"Oh, right, I guess you didn't eat much yesterday, did you?" Kagami asked, full knowing that sickness usually ruined one's appetite.

"If that isn't an understatement, I didn't eat anything yesterday." Konata said as if Kagami should have already known this. "I felt like I couldn't stomach it, you know?"

"You didn't eat at ALL yesterday? Konata, you have to keep up your strength! Here, I'll make you some breakfast!" Kagami shouted as she quickly turned and ran towards the kitchen.

"... Thanks Kagamin..." Konata whispered, even though Kagami was easily out of earshot by now.

Back to Kagami

Kagami made her way to the kitchen. She was determined to make something yummy for Konata. She may not be the best cook in town, or even in that house, but she would do her best. Pancakes sounded good. She did her best to try and remember how she had made it in any previous times. She remembered a recipe her mother had taught her. Alright, so I'll need flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar... How much milk did I need? Crap! I guess I'll just have to wing it... She thought as she gathered the ingredients. She mixed the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl, making a slight indent in the center of the mixture. She then poured in a good-looking amount of milk, part of an egg and some melted butter and kept mixing. She thought for a minute and decided to add a bit of vanilla. It became very smooth soon and she sprayed a frying pan with cooking spray. She poured the batter onto the pan and let it cook. She wondered how she could make this one extra-large pancake special, getting the perfect idea. She started using the spatula she was using to flip it to give it form. As she finished, the entire process taking about twenty minutes, she decided to include some butter and syrup. She opened the pantry door and there is was. Pancake Mix. ... You have to be kidding me... She thought as she realized that would have reduced the amount of time Konata was going to be hungry by half. She slunk back to Konata's room with her sick friend's breakfast.

Konata's Room

Konata sat up slightly as she heard Kagami's footsteps coming to her door almost twenty minutes later. Kagami opened the door and came in with a sort of sick-tray used to eat in bed and a plate on it.

"Here you go, I'm sorry if it isn't very good, but I worked really hard on it..." Kagami said as she set the tray into Konata's lap, blushing slightly and avoiding eye contact.

"Kagami this is..." Konata started. The pancake was in the shape of a heart with the words 'Get well soon' written in butter on it. The O's were the eyes of a smiley face as well. "Really cute." Konata finished, smiling widely. This made Kagami blush even more.

As Konata took a bite, she was practically flattened with the taste. "KAGAMIN~!" She yelled, not even thinking of worrying about her throat. "THIS IS DELICIOUS! This is so much better than the pancakes I'm used to, did you even use the pancake mix?" Konata asked, wondering how her Kagami could come up with such ambrosia. Was she always so talented in the kitchen?

"Well... No, I made it from scratch, don't forget you have syrup." She said, gesturing towards the Maple that was also on the tray.

"Ih doefn't nee ih!" Konata said through a mouthful of pancake. Realizing she would be out of pancake shortly if she kept up this pace, she slowed down.

"Is it really that good?" Kagami asked in amazement. She didn't remember anyone ever reacting like this to her cooking before.

Konata swallowed before saying "Yeah, totally! This is better than I've ever made! Kagami must have put a lot of love into this!"

"Lo-Love? It isn't that good, really!" The Tsudere yelled out, absolutely flustered.

"This pancake says something quite different Kagamin~. I can tell you put a lot of effort into making it. Thank you so much Kagami..." Konata said, her voice quieting down as she finished, the same smile on her face as before and something Kagami had never seen on Konata before. Blush. It was slowly melting Kagami.

"Well... I better be getting to school soon..." Kagami turned towards the door out.

"Oh yeah, Kagami!" Konata yelled, halting her friend. "I decided that when I get better, I'm going to talk things over with Tony. You're right, he hasn't really done anything yet."

"What? Oh right!" Kagami had forgotten about him completely. "I'm glad to hear that, that's really mature of you Konata."

I totally knew she was going to say that. Konata thought with a smile. Now all that was left was for her to get better. She decided that she would bring up the notebook she had borrowed later.

"Mind if I drop by after school?" Kagami asked.

"I would love if you did. Actually, that would be ideal, bring everyone along, then I can talk to Tony in private." Konata said, her face lightening up with the fact that Kagami still wanted to see her more.

"Sure thing. I'll see you later Konata. And..." She turned to leave before adding "I really hope you get better."

"Me too. Thanks again Kagami-sama!" Konata called to Kagami.

"... Don't call me that." Kagami said blushing before going to the living room. By this time it was half past seven. "Mr. Izumi. Mr. Izumi?" She said quietly as she shook him gently. He woke up quite suddenly, shouting "Is Konata okay?" frantically.

"Yeah, she's okay Mr. Izumi, calm down. She's still sick, but she seems to be getting better."

"Alright, Thanks again for taking care of her, I needed that nap. You had better get going!" He said as he saw the time.

"Don't worry, I can probably still make it..." Kagami reassured herself, wondering if she would have to run.

"You can borrow Konata's bike as long as you bring it back after school." Sojiro offered.

"No I... Actually, I was intending on visiting again after school anyway, I might as well... Thanks!" Why do I have an eerie feeling of Deja Vu?

"Well, you're always welcome back!" Sojiro called as Kagami left. She had a feeling that this offer might be less than honorable, but immediately dismissed the feeling given the circumstances. So she got Konata's bike.

Really... Kagami thought as she saw the bike she had just agreed to ride. It had a plastic cover of Haruhi Suzumiya's face on one side of the front tire and Mikuru Asahina performing her signature "Mikuru Beam" on the other side, with a Yuki Nagato theme painted along the metal part. On the back tire was a face-palming Kyon and a shrugging Itsuki Koizumi. *Sigh* "I guess I have no choice though..." She thought as she mounted the bike and rode off.

Back to Konata

Konata heard a knock on her door. "Come in." She said as she noticed her throat ached slightly.

"Hey Konata, just wanted to know if you needed anything." Sojiro said as he poked his head in the door.

"Nope, Kagami took really good care of me!" Konata shouted, wincing slightly as her throat pounded. She dizzily laid back into her bed.

"Well, just let me know if you need anything."

"Well... Is it okay if my friends come back after school?" Konata asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure, but that reminds me. There was a boy named Tony here to check on you. Is he your friend?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to him." She responded, wondering what nerve that kid had to come to her house. How did he even know where she lived? Had Kagami or Tsukasa told him? No, they wouldn't do that...

"Alright then, sure they can all come over!" Her father shouted in an effort to cheer Konata up. It wasn't needed, as he saw his daughter smile widely at hearing it.

"Thanks dad, I think I need to sleep a bit more now..." Konata punctuated the statement with a loud yawn, her hunger sated.

"Sure, just ring if you need anything, alright?"

"Alrighty." The Otaku said as her father closed the door. She turned and picked the notebook back up.

Dear Diary

I know I'm only really suppose to write in you once per day at most, but I'm really happy right now! Kagami, as if she heard me, came over this morning and made me a delicious pancake! Imagine that! Not only that, she's coming after school today too! I really hope I can get over this bug soon so I can see her some more at school, though I wouldn't mind her still coming over more... At this point, her catgrin was returning I really can't wait until she comes back, but I only got half an hour of sleep before. I figure I can sleep during school time and then wake up for them to come! I'm so excited! Bye Diary!

Konata~

And with that written, she laid back completely and surrendered to her sleepiness.

Luckier Channel

"Luckier~ Channel~!" Akira yelled in her cutesy voice. "Hiya luckies! I'm Akira Kogami, your navigator!" As Akira winked a star.

"And I'm Minoru Shiraishi, her faithful assistant!" Minoru chimed in. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say 'Welcome back Akira-sama!'"

"Thank-you, Thank-you! This chapter was kinda weird, wasn't it Shiraishi-san?"

"Yeah, the entire chapter was only the morning, usually they take place over an entire day! I guess the writer must have gotten a little carried away, eh?"

"You're damn right they did, shouldn't he at least TRY to have some consistency?" Akira said, her cuteness being replaced with utter disgust. "Really, and the only four characters were those two girls and a couple of side characters. I mean, have a little creativity, will ya?"

"Well, I guess I see where you're coming from Akira-sama..."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they-"

*Music Tone*

"Wow, done already? That wasn't long enough! Akira's sad now..." Akira said truthfully, but picking up her cutesy act. "Well I hope to see you again in the next chapter and I'm super happy to be back! Bye nii~!"

"..."

"Well that was short."

"I think it's because this chapter was pretty long."

"That doesn't give them the right to cut us off like that. I just got back and this is what I get? Bastards..." Akira said as she shuffled off.

"A-Akira-sama!"

*End*

After Section

Ok, so I got VERY carried away writing this chapter. It was the most fun one since I wrote the first chapter, mostly because it was almost all Konata and Kagami. These usually happen over a day, but I went a little crazy and had a lot of fun with it, so much in fact that this is kinda the longest chapter LOL A fun fact: That recipe for Pancakes is actually a recipe I was taught myself a long time ago! Please tell me what you think!