Chapter 4:

The rest of the school day passed quickly for Lucy. She saw a few people from her homeroom in some of her classes, and made friends with a couple of girls in her French class. Lunch was spent getting a proper, explorative tour of the school from Levy. During this time, Loke (who was apparently the school flirt) even approached and tried to hit on her. A raised eyebrow and withering look from Lucy gave clear 'uninterested' message, much to Levy's amusement. Lucy was surprised, however, to see that it only elicited a laugh from Loke, before he introduced himself normally, said that it was nice to meet her and walked off. Her last class of the day brought back some of the chaos of first class.

There were a large number of known faces in her English class. Levy was, of course, there. Then Loke, Grey, Erza, and Mira were there. She went and sat next to Levy and returned Loke's wave, earning her death glares from the two girls he was chatting to. Mira, recognising her from homeroom, came over to introduce herself and greet Levy. Once their teacher had arrived (a very sweet, short woman who insisted everyone just refer to her as Mavis), everyone quietened down and settled into their work, but it wasn't long before things started getting boisterous. The whole class started to raise their volume as general chatter broke out. Erza got very frustrated at a concept she was having difficulty grasping, which meant a lot of shouting and slamming the table with her hand. Levy asked Loke a question, someone said something snarky to Levy, Grey got defensive and tried to pick a fight, so Lucy and Levy tried to hold him back. Overall, the class was on the border of losing control (with Lucy fully involved) while Mavis merely looked on indulgently. Suddenly, halfway through, who should slam open the door and waltz in, but the pink-haired delinquent, Natsu.

The room suddenly became silent and looked towards the door as they registered who had caused the sudden interruption. Natsu definitely looked like he'd been in the fight that Lucy suspected he had. He had a number of very obvious bruises and lacerations, and if his minor grimace and limp as he moved was anything to go by, he also had quite a few unobvious ones. However, he was grinning from ear to ear in satisfaction. As soon as the class realised who it was, most of them promptly went back to whatever they were doing before his arrival. The exceptions were the small group that called Natsu friend. Grey spoke up first.

"Oi, idiot, you better have won!"

"Pfft. Course I did. Unlike you would have, princess"

"What was that?"

They were already flaring up at each other. Lucy sighed. It was like watching male birds trying to outdo each other for dominance. The sigh caught Natsu's attention and he broke off from his argument with Grey.

"Hey, Lucy! How's first day at the school?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh. Um, yeah, it's great! …Are your wounds okay?"

Natsu shrugged. "They'll be fine. I heal fast. 'Sides, I've had worse."

The conversation was cut off by Natsu being pulled away by Mavis, who could then be heard giving him a scalding lecture about fighting during school times and missing class.

Levy giggled as she turned to Lucy. "Hey, at least you're not Luigi anymore."

Lucy scowled at the thought of what would have happened if that had continued. She was glad he was using her actual name now. Her expression changed to thoughtful as she quickly glanced around the room. Erza and Grey were now in a discussion about something and weren't paying attention. Lucy turned to Levy and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Levy, can I tell you a secret?" She received an enthusiastic nod from a suddenly attentive Levy. "Okay, so, I actual met Natsu yesterday. Bit of a complex story, but he saved me from some sleazebag and we had lunch together, then he walked me home. But he was so different than what he is today! And he hasn't acknowledged it at all! I am so confused! Levy, don't look like that, respond, please!" Levy's jaw had dropped lower and lower as Lucy explained the events from the day before.

"Sorry, Lucy! Um, I have to think. I don't know Natsu so well, so I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if outside of this rowdy lot he was a bit more… normal. On the other hand, I know people who know him well!"

"Wait, what? No, Levy, don't!"

"Hey Grey! Erza! Questions!" They both looked over in response. "Natsu. One, how normal can he be in the right circumstance? Two, has he ever even considered going on a date with a girl?"

"That guy? Normal? You've got to be kidding." That was Grey's initial response. However, Erza looked a bit more thoughtful.

"No, he can be. He's reasonably calm and composed when he's actually doing something he enjoys, like fighting. Smart about it too, usually. Although, on the other hand, he can go a bit berserk. In a calm environment or if something catches his attention, he can become somewhat focused. In terms of girls, no, I don't think Natsu has any interest."

"Nah, he's not that broken. He's never dated or anything, and it's not his top priority, but he does definitely look on occasion. And remember, him and Lisanna were almost a thing. She drove it though. Anyway, why you asking? Got an interest, Levy?" He smirked, but Levy merely smiled sweetly in return.

"No. But don't ask questions, Grey. It's girl chatter that you're not involved in."

Erza smiled; clearly a little bit proud of Levy's quick response, before dragging Grey's attention back to her to resume their conversation.

Levy checked that Natsu was still preoccupied by their teacher as she turned back to Lucy. "That is sufficient information for an initial hypothesis; you caught his interest yesterday but he's a bit distracted by being back at school today. He didn't question who you were and even asked how your day was, which probably means he's at least accepted you as one of his group pretty quickly. That's all I got, but it's only Day One!"

"Levy! You're talking like I'm trying to get him to date me!" Lucy whined.

"Oh, you're not?" Levy responded in her most innocent voice.

"No, I'm not! I just don't like being ignored. Besides, I'm not a goody-two-shoes, but I'm not planning on getting involved with someone who gets into violent fights!"

"Hm, too bad. Oh well, like I said; it's only Day One. And as for not dating guys who fight; you may have picked the wrong city. It's a big thing here. Underground, and a bit dodgy, but mostly overlooked by authorities. Even Erza has been known to get involved in a brawl if someone pisses her off sufficiently. And she always wins. Martial arts clubs are hugely popular, but around here they're known as 'guilds'. Even I'm a member of one. Though I'm not that good, really."

Lucy had stopped glaring at the girl in order to look shocked at this revelation about the apparently common hobby. What the hell have I gotten myself into? Today had worn her out. She couldn't wait for school to finish so she could go home and recuperate.

So, yeah! Updated 2 chapters this week! On a roll! I was worried that I wouldn't have enough because a) I'm really busy with Uni (my final report for our major project is due in a week) and b) I got distracted writing a more focused NaLu story (that may eventually include smut). Keep an eye out for this one! Once I decide on a title and have a bit more to go on, I'll start publishing that also.

Thanks for reading everyone! Comments & Reviews are fully welcome! I don't have a proof reader or anything, and I haven't been writing long, so I'm open to improvements. Though if you wanna leave a comment saying you liked it, my ego could always use a boost :)