The story of this fiction happens between chapter 544 and chapter 545 and will probably go beyond, so if you haven't read Fairy Tail and you don't want any spoilers, you shouldn't read this story.

If you're still here, that means that you intend to read my story and I just want to say: Thank you.

I intend to leave the original Fairy Tail as is, as long as I don't find something that contradicts with something I want to write, so if you find any discrepancies, anything that goes against what is written in the original Fairy Tail manga, just let me know and I'll see about fixing it (unless it was intentional)

This story is rated M, although I don't now where the story will go. If you don't like anything that would go into this category you can turn around now.

Last but not least, enjoy!

Chapter 1: The New S-class Wizard Candidates

It's been a few days since the Alvarez Empire withdrew its army from Ishgar and about three weeks since Acnologia and Zeref's demise. Fairy Tail's guildhall has been repaired, the citizens returned to Magnolia, and Fairy Tail wizards began preparing to start going on quests (at least some of them were).

All guild members were in high spirts: They have defeated an enemy far stronger then themselves, after all. The odd thing was, there was one wizard who everyone thought would celebrate more than anyone else, a wizard who would boast with everything he had done in their last struggle as that was what he had done in the past. But Natsu Dragneel, the boy who had play a big role in the death of both the strongest dragon slayer, the dragon king Acnologia, and the strongest, most evil mage, the immortal Zeref wasn't in the guildhall.

Of course, everyone knew that he was somewhere behind guild, training, but that just wasn't what their previous experiences with him would make them think that he would do. Not that him training is anything weird or out of the ordinary, but the fact that there was a party going in the guildhall for a few days now, and there was even free food there, but Natsu hadn't shown his face in the guild was.

Most who tried to go talk to him would fail to even approach him, since his keen sense of smell warned him of their approach, and he would just find another spot to train. Those few times someone did manage to approach him they were met with statements like: "I'm fine.", "There is nothing going on.", "I'm training." and the most bizarre of all "I'm just not hungry."

Finally, on the fourth day of the party, master Makarov had enough. He had decided to organize another S-class wizard promotion trial, something he knew Natsu wouldn't refuse, and other guild members wouldn't need to know that he was doing it for him. The boy had been through more in their fight with the Alvarez Empire then most wizards go through their whole life. It was only fair to help him get through everything that was weighting him down.

Makarov rolled to the second-floor railing in his wheelchair. Looking down on his children partying, a smile came on his face. "Listen here, you troublemakers!", he yelled from his spot, and the guildhall went silent, all eyes turning to him. "I have an announcement to make. Get everyone in here. Gray, you go fetch Natsu."

"Why do I have to go get that flame-brain? Even if I find him, he won't want to come here."

"You've managed to approach him the most times, so just do it. And if he gives you any problems, tell him that if he doesn't get here with you, I'll send Erza for him."

"Fine!", was all that Gray said, before heading out of the guild. There were a few more people leaving, probably going to search for other members which weren't in the guildhall, and as Gray passed through the double doors, he could hear the party resume.

It took him a few minutes to locate Natsu. From what Gray heard from others who managed to approach Natsu, he was always training, but anytime he had approached him, he was sitting next to the river, his back against the tree, his eyes on the rushing water in front of him. Just as any other time he had seen him since the whole Alvarez invasion thing, the look on his face screamed that he needed help, that something was wrong, but the squinty-eyed idiot wouldn't admit it to anyone. A few times Gray tried to press him, Natsu just stood up and said he was going home and after a few of those 'incidents' Gray just stopped asking him. He figured that his best friend would talk to him when he was ready.

"What do you want droopy-eyes?", Natsu asked before Gray could say a word. He could hear the hurt in his voice, and it broke Gray's heart to hear it coming from his best friend.

Gray hoped Natsu would come with him, without him having to resort to threats of Erza coming to get him, even if these days it was more for the old time's sake, then an actual threat. "Gramps said he has something to say, and sent me to fetch you flame-breath. So, come on!"

"Sure.", Natsu said, getting off the ground and following Gray, which quite surprised him. After all, Natsu hadn't seen the inside of their guildhall in two weeks.

They headed back in complete silence, only the sounds of nature around them. In the last few weeks, Gray tried everything he could come up with. After failing to talk to Natsu about whatever was bothering him, he tried to goad Natsu into fighting him, which went even worse than talking, Natsu looking him straight in the eyes, no fire left in his onyx eyes. He tried to apologize for thinking of using ice shell, for wanting to kill him when he found out that E.N.D. was actually Etherious Natsu Dragneel, tried to get Natsu to talk to him about anything, but the results were always the same, that is to say there weren't any.

After reaching guild doors, Gray looked back at Natsu who was following him a few steps behind, and saw him put a fake, wide grin showing his sharp fangs on his face. Someone who didn't know the dragon slayer wouldn't find anything odd on his face, but Gray knew that there wasn't anyone in their guild who would be fooled by it. He was silently glad that his best friend hadn't tried to hide what he was feeling from him, because seeing him like this hurt more than seeing him as he was by the river.

They entered the guild, and the roar that was heard from the outside immediately disappeared. Silence that gathered in the guildhall was thicker than the silence after their master spoke was. All eyes turned towards two who entered, and after a few seconds every eye that was on Gray shifted onto the man besides him. The ice-make wizard could see that his assumption was correct: Nobody was fooled, but his friend either hadn't noticed, or more likely pretended not to.

Sitting at their usual sits at the bar, neither of them spoke, and all the eyes in the guild were still glued on Natsu, though no one made any move.

After fire wizard and ice-make wizard took their sits, their master spoke from above them. "Since long ago, this has been Fairy Tail's custom…", everyone turning around, nobody knowing what was going on. There wasn't anything planned, the closest thing being Fantasia which wasn't for another few months.

But even as everyone tried to figure out what was going on, master Makarov continued, "… and now I've decided to break it. Last year Fairy Tail didn't exist, at least the guild hasn't, and for seven years before that, more than half of the guild was missing, trapped on Tenrou Island. After taking that into consideration and after seeing everything you, my children, went through, and how bravely you fought, I decided to make an exception and host two S-class wizard promotion trials this year."

At those words a cheer went through the hall, but out of the corner of his eye, Gray saw that Natsu's eyes were as fireless as there were for the last few weeks, even if his cheer was loudest. After the cheer died down, although the excitement still lingered in the air, the guild master continued.

"Now, one of the trials will happen at the traditional time, but the other will be held right now, and I've already selected ten participants. Those participants are: Mest Gryder, Levy McGarden, Freed Justine, Cana Alberona, Elfman Strauss, Juvia Lockser, Lucy Heartfilia, Gajeel Redfox, Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel." There was a big uproar in the guild, although Natsu still had his fake smile, even though this was something that he wanted since he joined the guild. What Gray found suspicious was that Lucy didn't look all that surprised. It almost looked like she knew that this was coming.

"Now before you start to look for partners there is something that I would like to say. I've chosen these ten guild members, because I am sure, without any doubt, that these members have what it takes to be S-class wizards. And I don't just mean that they are strong enough to be considered S-class, although their strength is more than enough. I mean that they know what consequences their actions will have, and stop themselves before doing anything too reckless", master's eyes drifted towards Natsu, and nobody in the guild missed that, judging by their snickers.

After a few seconds the master continued, "Because of their past achievements, especially in our last struggle, I don't need any proof of their strength. But where would the fun be in just giving them S-class?", master said more childishly then anything Gray ever saw in the fire dragon slayer.

"So, this time you will form pairs with other participants. That means that there will only be five teams. Furthermore, there won't be any official trial. Each team will choose one ten-year job, and whoever manages to complete it before the next S-class wizard promotion trail starts will be promoted." There was a complete silence in the hall. Nothing like this has ever been done, and the tension was palpable.

Gray thought back to the S-class quest Natsu, Lucy, Erza and him did on Galuna Island. After that whole ordeal was over with, he had asked the idiot flame-breath why he took that job. Of course, he didn't want to give any answer, but after a lot of pestering and a lot of brawls, he hinted that the only reason he took that job was because he couldn't get to the panel which held a hundred-year jobs. This wasn't a hundred-year job, but Gray was happy to finally notice fire in Natsu's eyes, even if it was just a spark. He would make sure to nurture that spark and turn it into the inferno worthy of the son of The Fire Dragon King.

"Of course, I understand that this isn't like other trials, which although they were dangerous, they couldn't get you killed. So I'm offering two choices to those who aren't a hundred percent sure about going into such a danger. First one is that you can drop out from this trial. There won't be any repercussions, and you will probably be selected for the trial at the end of the year. The second one keeps you in the trial. You can choose one S-class wizard to go along with you. They will be forbidden from helping you in any way, but if you choose, or they see that there is no other way, they will help you, at which point they will complete the job, and you will have failed the trial. Make sure you come to me with the job you've chosen, and GOOD LUCK!"

As soon as Makarov said that, Natsu jumped off the stool he sat on, less enthusiastically than usually Gray noted, and headed straight toward Lucy. He saw the fire mage talking to the celestial wizard, and Lucy shaking her head pointing towards Cana. Gray hoped he could do this trial with squinty-eyes, not just to help his friend, but because there was something he wanted to talk with him about. During their battle with Alvarez Empire, he had decided that he would confess his secret to the flame-breath after the whole thing was over, but with the mood the fire mage was in, there just wasn't any chance, and this trial would be the perfect chance.

Still staring at Natsu and Lucy's conversation, he saw the celestial wizard's head indicating him. He quickly turned around, looking at the bar, when something clicked in his head. The whole reason for this trial became clear to him. Gramps must've seen the condition Natsu was in, and decided to do something about it. Seeing as Gray was the only one who the fire mage allowed close every time he went looking for him, Gramps must've decide to pair them together on this trial. And of all the participants, Lucy would be the first Natsu would turn to, so Gramps told her his plans, and that's why she wasn't all that surprised when she heard about her participation in the trials. Well he would have to talk to me if we'll spend six months together, Gray thought, finally seeing a way to help his friend, even if it was just to be there for him, until he decided to talk.

Completely absorbed in his thoughts, Gray hadn't even sensed Juvia approaching him.

"Gray-sama?", she asked.

"What is it Juvia?", he retorted, although he already knew what it was, and the answer he would give. Gray could feel Natsu's eyes on his back, as he faced Juvia.

"Juvia would like to do the trial with Gray-sama.", she answered, looking like a sad puppy hoping to be praised and petted.

Gray thought for a few seconds, coming up with an answer that would turn her down, and at the same time not reveal anything he was thinking. He could see hope rising in her eyes as he thought what to say, and the feeling of Natsu's watching him became almost unbearable, fire mage's keen ears listening to his conversation, no doubt, and thinking that Gray was thinking about Juvia's proposal.

"I told you I'd give you an answer after our fight with Alvarez empire is over. Before I do that, there is something I have to do. I promise to give you my answer after we both return from our ten-year jobs, whether we become S-class wizards or not. I'm sorry, but I thought I would be ready sooner.", he said casually and truthfully. He hadn't revealed anything he didn't want, and Juvia would give him space because he needed it.

"Juvia understands.", she replied, nodding and turned to go look for another partner. Gray felt bad for doing this to her, but he had to sort his own feeling before anything else.

A few moments later, Natsu came back to his stool at the bar. "So, no partner?", he asked cheerfully, but Gray could still hear the same hurt in his voice he heard back at the river.

"Do you eavesdrop on everyone's conversations, squinty-eyes?", he retorted, testing the waters between them.

"Nope, just the ones I'm interested in, droopy-eyes.", he answered. Gray was glad to hear Natsu's words, even though the relationship between the two still wasn't to what it was before the whole Alvarez thing, not even close to it.

"Well, at least I'm the one who told her no, whereas Lucy was the one to reject you, although I can't say I blame her."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black. And what do you mean you can't blame her, ice princess!?", Natsu said as he stood from the stool to stand above Gray, his fists ready for a fight. If it weren't for the look in his onyx eyes, Gray would have totally forgot about the last two weeks. As it was, there was no way he would fight with the fire mage until it had more meaning than just to cover the state he was in.

"You know exactly what I mean flame-breath.", Gray talk normally, this time not trying to cause a fight, while Natsu, hearing his tone and words, sat back down. "The way you've been avoiding everyone, sulking somewhere in the forest behind the guild. Did you think that anyone was fooled by that fake smile you put on your face before we entered the guildhall? How many times have you talked with Lucy in the past few weeks? Everyone's worried about you, and you're just avoiding everyone. Did you really expect to just come back like nothing happened?", Gray said, looking to the side at the fire dragon slayer. He could see misery back on fire mage's face, but it was something that his friend should work through and not hide behind a fake smile.

"So now you'll want to talk about it again?", Natsu asked, not looking pleased about where the conversation was heading.

"No.", Gray answered, which visibly surprised the fire mage.

After a few moments of silence, Natsu finally spoke, asking what he came here to ask. "Do you want to do the trial together?", he probably thought that there was a good chance that Gray would say no, especially with what Gray just said, since he didn't know that the ice-make wizard wanted to do this with his friend, just as much as Natsu wanted to do with him. "I mean, there isn't anyone else I'm close enough to ask. Cana is with Lucy, Gajeel will probably go with Levy, and the other four: Freed, Elfman, Mest and Juvia aren't really someone I spend all that much time with. If you refuse, I'll probably just do it with whoever is left in the end."

"I'll do it under one condition.", Gray answered.

"And what would that be?", Natsu asked, after he took a few moments to process what Gray just said. His face showed that he thought Gray would ask for something embarrassing in return, or at least something the fire dragon slayer won't like.

"Before this job is done, you'll tell me why you've been acting the way you have for the past few weeks. Deal?"

"Sure, it's not like I could keep it a secret for another six months.", Natsu answered, with a sincere chuckle.

"Then we have a team!"

Gray saw Gramps looking at them from above a small smile on his face, probably congratulating himself on his successful mission.

Thanks for taking the time and reading what i wrote. Hope you like it, and return for next chapters.