The shrill cry of the alarm pierced the morning silence, dragging Natsu from the depths of sleep. His eyes flickered open,a groggy haze clouding his vision as he squinted at the unwelcome light pushing through his curtains. With a grunt, he rolled out of bed, his muscles protesting. Still not used to waking up this early.. he thought to himself.

“Damn,” Natsu mumbled, scrubbing a hand across his face. His hair stuck out at odd angles, as it usually did before he applied pomade to it. Today was different though, while he had felt anticipation and intrigue at his going to school the previous days, today was the first time he actually felt excited to go. He had made up with Nina, had made a new friend in Sakura, and knowing Gale would be around made the transition easier than before for him. He felt determined to become a regular at the school, regardless of the issues that popped up.

Despite his grogginess, Natsu silently thanked the universe that his father was loudly snoring in the other room, for being able to avoid another fight. He quickly gathered his things, threw on his uniform, and stepped out into the chilly streets.

The day seemed extra cold as the wind blew through the desolate morning town. Natsu barely felt the cold breeze as he briskly walked, his pent up energy and fiery resolve acting almost like a furnace, burning up inside of him. He hadn’t gone too far down his walk to school when he caught a blonde reflection at the corner of his vision. Turning toward it revealed Gale, striding up with his signature wide smile plastered on his face, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Yo, Demon Boy!” Gale called out, his loud voice cutting through the morning silence like a knife. “So you’re really sticking to coming to school huh?”

Natsu grunted, acknowledging his question with a single sound. As he adjusted his bag he said, “Why do you always look so damn happy.”

“Who wouldn’t be happy getting to see a friend every day,” Gale joked, closing his eyes and making a content face. “Still.. Never thought I’d see the day,” He laughed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Natsu shrugged it off, “What about the other thing?”

“Looking into Ryo?” Gale asked, not expecting an answer. “Yeah, not a whole lot. He doesn’t have much of a history, as far as I could tell. He really just looks like he was trained his whole life at his family’s dojo, doing sanctioned fights and all that.”

“Weird. Was he any good?” Natsu asked, perplexed.

“Have you seen him?” Gale laughed, referencing Ryo’s large physique, “He was actually undefeated and on track to go to some national tournament, before he just stopped showing up in fights. Now he’s part of the Hatsuka Ten.”

“Wonder why he switched sides.” Natsu’s eyebrow twitched before dropping back to his normal uninterested position, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s none of my business.” He started walking again.

“Smart move,” Gale said, putting his arm around his shoulder, “Gotta keep your nose clean for those girls of yours right?” He poked at Natsu.

“Something’s wrong with you,” Natsu joked back.

Having reached the gates of Hatsuka, Gale chuckled before splitting ways to his own classroom, though not before adding a, “Now go do your best reformed criminal” and a grin.

What an idiot, Natsu thought.

***

The school halls were a hive buzzing with the drone of voices and nervous energy that most of the students seemed to exude. Natsu didn’t have to do too much navigation around the crowds, as most parted his path on their own volition. He rounded the final corner before his hallway, and there she was. Nina stood at the front of the door to their class, like a sentinel as she scanned the surroundings. Her long hair swayed with each twist of her neck, before the movement stopped when her eyes met his. For the smallest of moments, Natsu thought he saw excitement in her visage, before it dropped back to her normal icy stare.

“You checking up on me again?” Natsu threw at her, as he approached.

“I wonder why I would need to?” She asked sarcastically.

“I said I’d come didn’t I?”

“You did, and I see you decided to grace us with your punctuality. Good job.” She said it flatly, making it hard to tell if she was making fun or being sincere. Natsu decided not to read too deep into it, gave her a hmm, and walked back to his seat. Almost immediately the whispering started again; this time various flavors of “I guess he really is coming to school now”, which was a welcome change from the usual fearful statements.

Nina sat to the her seat next to his, saying, “Let’s hope this isn’t some sort of short whim of yours. Otherwise I’ll be going to your house again.” This time her voice was a bit more playful. The intense glare from Natsu made her regret saying that pretty quickly.

“Don’t.” Is all he mustered before fixating his gaze to the windows’s glare again.

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They both sat in their own silence, but it wasn’t long before the first bell rang, a shrill sound centering them onto the moment. Natsu attempted to pay attention to Ms. Yama’s lesson, but all he could see was her droning on and on about algebraic formulas. The chalk, already an outdated concept when digital boards existed, screeched like nails across the blackboard. Numbers and symbols danced chaotically before his eyes, as an undecipherable storm of data blinded him.

Focus, he almost muttered out loud under his breath, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. Natsu would never be described as dumb, and some, in fact, would go as far as characterizing him as a fairly quick learner. Memorization of facts, on the other hand, was something he struggled with, and as the second of class passed, he could feel the gap between his knowledge and those in his class widening. They scribbled notes with a fervor he couldn’t muster, answering all the questions Ms. Yama posed with ease.

As a surge of frustration welled up in him, he was reminded of the fact that within him was a spirit that was as competitive as they came. Usually he just attributed this to the state of self defense he was constantly in when he got into fights, but he was learning that it applied to other things as well; in this case, his inability to follow the flow of teachings. The words that came at him seemed to trip on themselves as they piled up to an impenetrable cacophony of information. Even more frustrating was the fact that he could follow the strings of logic that he saw come across, but felt as if he was missing some foundational information.

His frustration must have been visible for anyone paying attention, as he caught two sets of eyes settle on him periodically. One was from his desk neighbor, as he might have expected. The other from a blur of pink at the front of the class.

***

As the bell rang again, after a mortifyingly long time, it signaled the end of the school day. Natsu wasn’t sure of he felt relieved or bored that nothing like last time had happened, but now he wondered what he was supposed to do. The whole classroom exhaled the tension it had been building like a delating balloon, as people exited the room.

“Um, Natsu?” A voice barely rose above the background chatter coming from the hallways, yet it brought Natsu straight to attention, “I noticed you seemed…” Sakura stopped for a second, “Well, would you.. maybe want some help studying?”

Natsu turned toward the voice, and was surprised to see Sakura standing over his desk hands clasped and looking downward. The soft pink of her hair caught the afternoon rays of light peaking through the windows, giving her an ethereal glow.

“Help?” he echoed, his tone sounding harsh, a reflex to Natsu. As he looked up he was caught by her big brown eyes, that shone pure sincerity in them, and he felt his inner turmoil soften for a moment, “Uh.. You’d do that?”

Sakura nodded, her small frame straightening with resolve, and the purest smile spread on her face, “I would! I know this stuff can be tough when you’re walking into it late and I don’t think its fair seeing you struggle without any help.. you know?”

Natsu looked at her, taken aback at her kindness. They had literally just met, yet she was willing to look past whatever the preconceptions they had and offer help. He couldn’t turn her down.

“Thank you.” It was Natsu’s turn to look downward in embarrassment.

***

They were able to find a quiet corner in the empty library, a forgotten space that held the smell of old paper. Sakura was already unpacking her notes, meticulously and precise, creating a structure that Natsu wasn’t used to. He sat down without preparations, looking to her for guidance.

“Umm.. Do you have a notebook for notes?”

“I.. Don’t” Natsu tried to say assuredly. She giggled.

“Here’s one, you can keep it. There’s a few notes I took in the front pages but you can rip those out”

Natsu took the notebook and stared at her face, maybe for a bit too long, as she covered it with her hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh. Nothing. Thanks.” Natsu said bashfully.

They studied for a while, with Sakura, seemingly in a different persona, jumping in every time he was mistaken and correcting him. It wasn’t long before the tranquility shattered like glass under pressure. Nina stormed into their seclusion, her sharp eyes flashing behind her glasses, her usual perfect appearance looking rushed.

“What is going on here?” She asked a little too loudly and accusatory. “Are you forcing Sakura into something shady?”

“Actually, Miss President,” Sakura interjected, a note of annoyance in her voice, an unexpected trait, “I invited Natsu to study with me because I want to see him succeed. You’re welcome to join us if you plan on helping.”

The offer hung in the air, almost a challenge wrapped in velvet. Nina’s eyes widened, her lips parted, then closed. To admit in this moment that she had seeked them out for that very reason felt like defeat, yet the desire to have the most academically advanced class won out.

“Fine,” She huffed, removing her glasses to polish them, showcasing her discomfort with the situation, “But only to ensure you don’t fill his head with nonsense.”

Natsu looked onto them but both seemed to have forgotten he was there, as they held an impromptu staring contest.

“Can we focus here?” Natsu broke the awkward silence, keeping his usual sarcasm to himself. His hand hovered over a page of his textbook. He continued staring, his eyes nearly trembling with desperation. The equations before him might as well have been runes, as he scrawled something resembling an answer.

“That’s not even right.” Nina said as he looked at his writing.

“Don’t pretend you care about anything other than being top dog President or whatever that is.” Natsu shot back.

“Someone has to maintain standards here,” Nina said, almost hurt by his comment.

“Guys, Please!” Sakura’s plea broke the standoff. She stood between them, looking as if she’d rather be facing a shooting squad. “This is to help Natsu so leave if you aren’t willing to help.” The silence that followed answered her plea with acceptance.

“Nina, you’re brilliant when it comes to class work and tests, so having you here is a big benefit, but please try..” Sakura slowly shrunk away as she continued the sentence.

“Fine,” Nina conceded, her tone still sharp but with an undercurrent of softness to match Sakura’s request.

“Whatever gets me through this test.” Natsu grumbled, glad they were both helping him but not wanting to betray his true feelings,

Sakura smiled, a small victory for her as she resumed her seat. The air remained charged but they continued studying until the sky outside turned dark without further incidents.

***

“Let’s do this again until you’re caught up!” Sakura spoke up as they got their stuff ready to leave.

“I’ll try but can’t every day.”

“Try harder,” Nina said coldly, before softening. “It’ll be good for everyone here to review.”

“Yeah.. I’ll try harder.” Natsu responded, with no sarcasm in his voice.

Might as well.