Hello my darlings!

Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I haven't been updating! I've had all of the things going on in my life and it's caused me to get the mother of all writer's block! That's kinda why this chapter is so short... But I'll try my harderst to get back into the game! I'll definitely be doing a little more work this weekend... I have three exams this week and I'll be doing a lot of studying during the week, but after that I should be able to do more writing!

On the FT manga front... The new chapter came out early! *squeal* It was so precious! I'm sooo excited for the next one... I really can't wait! I want to see how everyone else has changed over the year! A little disappointed that Natsu lost his wild man hair but oh well!

On the anime front... AHHHH! The new episode was so cute! Natsu was adorable when he babysat Asuka! And the almost NaLu moment was too cute! Even though it was horribly disappointing that they didn't actually kiss!

I think there will be one or two more chapters for the second day of the fic before I start on the first day of actual trial testing! I really want to try to address what happens with every group for every day so we'll see how that goes...

Anyway I'll stop rambling now... I promise I'll try to make the next chapter longer! Please leave a review or a suggestion and let me know if there is anything in particular that you'd like to see!

Much love

Sabina


Day Two

Lucy's POV

Lucy was glad that Natsu had been reminded that the two of them had already made plans. The celestial spirit mage had a nasty feeling that the next week or so would be very stressful and tiring and it would be nice to spend some time relaxing with her best friend before everything got busy. They got their food and while searching for a place to sit, spotted Gray and Erza and headed over to join them. She didn't really pay much attention to the conversation that Natsu was having with Gray while they were eating, her mind was on other things.

She smiled as Natsu laughed at something Gray said. Recently she had started looking at her best friend and teammate in a different light... He had gotten much more mature lately, and his manner around her had changed as well. He was more careful about not offending her and sometimes she caught him staring at her, his cheeks pink and a small smile on his face. She blushed whenever she caught him looking at her like that. He looked like he was watching something fascinating and it made her heart beat wildly. She smiled down at her plate, a little ray of hope shining on her. Maybe there was something there...

Ever since Natsu had brought Lucy to Fairy Tail he had held a special place in her heart... And all the trials and hardships they had gotten through together in the past few years had caused her affection to strengthen and deepen... She loved the silly fire dragonslayer... She had realized it some time ago, one day when she had stumbled across him sleeping in her room waiting for her to come back. She had looked at his peaceful expression and realized how attractive he was...and she had giggled when he grumbled her name faintly in her sleep. It made her heart flutter to know that he dreamed about her... But Lucy knew that Natsu wasn't the kind of person who understood his feelings easily, and she had decided not to act until the fire slayer was ready. So she patiently waited for the day that the topic would come up.

"You ready to go Luce?" the pink haired mage asked, grinning when she nodded and stood up. They headed out the front doors of the hotel and debated on which track to take...

"We'd better not go down that one," said Lucy, laughing nervously as she pointed at the track in question. They could feel strong magical energy coming from that direction and even she could pick up the sounds of fighting. That must be where Sabina and Rogue were sparring.

"Well then how about this one?" said Natsu, pointing at a sign. It was painted with many beautifully colored flowers and Lucy smiled delightedly.

"Yeah! Let's check it out!" she said excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the track. She felt his hand tighten around hers and her heart skipped a beat. His hand was so warm and strong, she had always loved the feel of her hand in his. Reluctantly she let go and she thought she heard a disappointed sigh come from the fire dragonslayer. She smiled a little to herself and continued to walk down the path, her hands behind her back looking around as the golden sunlight fell through the gaps in the tree branches. She was completely at peace out here with Natsu.

After some time she began to see a bright light ahead of them as they neared an opening out into some open space. She laughed and ran ahead, smiling when she heard Natsu run after her. She closed her eyes as the passed out from under the trees, the sunlight dazzling her. She stopped and slowly opened her eyes. Her lips parted and she exclaimed in wonder at the sight before her.

They were standing at the edge of a beautiful meadow covered in wildflowers of almost every color imaginable. There were reds, blues, yellows, purples, whites, oranges, pinks, golds... Her eyes found a new color in almost every place she looked. And the smell... She inhaled deepy and sighed at the lovely scent that the flowers were giving off. Her heart swelled as she looked around; this place was beautiful.


Natsu's POV

Natsu only spent a few seconds looking at the flowers in the meadow. They were beautiful...but he only had eyes for Lucy. The happy expression on her face melted his heart and made him want to take her into his arms and never let her go. She was entranced by the scene before them, her eyes shining in happiness. He felt strangely calm as he moved to stand beside her.

"It's so beautiful..." she said quietly, smiling that small smile he loved so much... His heart pounded a little faster as she looked up at him and grinned. Her small hand found his and he gently took it, smiling back down at her. "Thank you for coming with me Natsu, I'm glad it's you I got to see this with," she said. He couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face as he thought, Anything for you Lucy...

He allowed her to tug him forward and they spent the next few hours in that quiet meadow, Natsu sitting on a patch of soft grass as he watched her wander about, looking at all the jewel like flowers. He had thought about saying something to her before... When she had commented on the beauty of the meadow he had thought to say that it was not as beautiful as she was...but he had decided to wait... He wasn't sure why, but it hadn't quite felt right. In that moment he was content to sit and watch her as she enjoyed herself. They would have plenty of time later to talk... He laid back on his patch of grass and closed his eyes... The sunlight was so warm and he smiled a little as he let sleep envelop him...


He awoke an hour or so later, turning to find Lucy curled up on the grass next to him. He smiled and gently brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, careful not to wake her. She was lying on her side, curled into a small ball facing him. She always looked cuter while she slept. Natsu looked up as a small voice called to him in the distance, and he soon spotted the newcomer as he flew towards them.

"Natsu! Lucy!" called Happy as he swooped down towards them. Natsu rose and he heard Lucy begin to wake up as he waved to his little friend. He hadn't realized how late in the afternoon it was... The sky was beginning to turn the faintest of pinks... The sun would be close to fully setting by the time they got back to the hotel.

"Hey Happy what's up?" he asked the little blue feline as he landed on top of Natsu's head. Lucy yawned and gave the little fellow a scratch behind the ear as she stood next to Natsu. Happy purred contentedly.

"You guys should head back! We're going to have a party at the hotel's rooftop tonight!"

"A party? What for?" asked Lucy. Natsu had to admit he was curious as well. It seemed odd to have a party the day before a big job, but it would give them all a good chance to relax before getting to work.

"Just for fun! Erza and Sting thought it would be nice to have some fun before we have to start working tomorrow!" said the little blue cat. Natsu grinned and ofered his hand to Lucy, who took it smiling.

"Sounds great! Let's get going, I'm starving!" he said, grinning.

His heart swelled at Lucy's laugher as they began walking back to the hotel.


Erza's POV

"A party?" said the red head, cocking her head to the side. Erza was lounging in a deck chair beside the hotel's pool, getting some last minute sun before they all had to start working the next day. She had sat up when a voice had called to her, and was surprised to see Sabertooth's master Sting approaching her. She hadn't had much interaction with the young man before and it was odd for him to approach her on her own.

"Yeah... Lector and Ulf think that it would be a good idea for us to have some fun before we get put through whatever it is that Magic Council has cooked up for tomorrow," said the blonde man a little sheepishly. Erza knew that she was sometimes intimidating to other people, and she had a feeling Sting's nervousness had something to do with what he had seen her do at the X791 Grand Magic Games. She had completely conquered the Pandemonium castle and beaten Minerva soundly, both of which were not small feats. She smiled kindly at the white dragonslayer, which seemed to put him a little at ease.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said. "I think that some good food and fun will make us all eager to work tomorrow." Sting brightened and nodded in agreement.

"I think it will too," he said. They discussed preparations for a little while before Sting headed off to talk with the hotel staff. Erza relaxed back into her chair, smiling a little. She could see that the young guild master was very excited for that night's festivities, especially after a certain someone had come out to the pool to relax... Erza had found it difficult not to laugh as the poor man had tried not to stare as Sabina came out onto the pool deck with Juvia and laid down to sunbathe. They'd be a smart match. And I'm sure that Mira would think they'd be a cute couple.

Erza sighed... Couples... She could see the beginnings of couples all around her. Natsu clearly had feelings for Lucy, something had changed in Gray and he was starting to show interest in Juvia, she had suspicions about Gajeel and Levy, and now Sabina seemed to have caught they eye of Sabertooth's Sting... Erza frowned a little... Everyone's finding love but me...

That wasn't entirely true... Erza had found her love a long time ago... But he was intent on punishing himself for his past sins...

"Oh Jellal... Why do you have to keep doing this to us...?" she whispered to herself. She started when Sabina called to her.

"Erza! Come over here! We wanna talk to you!"

"C-coming!" she said, a little pink in the face as she made her way over to the other women.