Chapter 35:

"It's so hot on this damn ship!" Lucy cried in frustration while sitting on a chair on the deck.

"Gray... Can't you make an ice cube or something?" Levy whined and turned her head to where Gary was just to see him completely naked on a chair near the railing. She immediately turned red and turned her head and yelled "And put some clothes on!"

"I can't.. it's too hot..." he said.

Behind one pillar stood Juvia with red face looking at Gray "Juvia's beloved Gray~~"

Master was sitting on the floor cooling himself off with a piece of paper. Erza just stood there like nothing was wrong. Wendy was sitting on a chair next to Lucy and Charla was cooling her with her wings.

They were raiding this ship for four hours and it was hot... like really hot.

Erza looked around the deck and saw that everyone were here except Natsu. She knew that Natsu went up on a plank above them to watch horizon. With his enhanced sight he could see furthest. She wasn't even sure why they needed someone up there but Natsu said he'll go there and watch.

He was up for good three hours so Erza decided it was time to call him down. Unfortunately she did not know that he finally fall asleep after so long.

He was lying on the plank with on leg hanging carelessly down and with his head leaning on a pillar. Light breeze and hot sun can easily lull anyone who did not have a decent sleep almost the whole week.

"Hey Natsu! Wanna come down now?" Erza's voice quite effectively smashed a nice atmosphere. His eyes shoot open and then closed again in annoyance. Well since she already woke him up.

He put his other leg to hang down and then jumped down to the deck.

He landed next to Erza and she smiled at him. She held out a glass of water.

"Thirsty?" she asked. He took the glass in his hand and said quiet "Thank you"

"Don't mention it" she said with smile. He drank all the water from the glass and handed the glass back to Erza. He turned on his heels and start walking toward Mira with his hands in his pockets.

Mira saw him coming so she rose from her seat and Natsu sit there puling Mira in his lap. Mira hugged him and they kissed. Erza smiled at the sight.

After another hour or so Master lifted himself to his feet and said "All right brats, listen up!"

Everyone turned their heads toward master.

"We are now near Tenrou Island" as he said that in horizon appeared small outline of the island.

"The exam consists of two parts. First part will be battle part." He said and then looked at Natsu who was standing on his feet. When master looked at him he nodded and every S-class mage on ship went toward him and they held their hands together as Natsu said "Dragon slayer lost art: chaotic void"

And with that Erza, Mira, Gildarts and Natsu disappeared from the ship.

When they were gone behind master appeared lacrima screen and on it where some sort of paths. There were eight of them and on half of them were images of one S-class mage.

"Each of you will chose one path. There are four regular battle paths and four S-battle paths. On regular one you will conflict with one another and in S-battle paths you will fight against one of the S-class."

At that everyone's eyes widened "W-we will have to fight against one of the S-class mages?" Lucy stuttered.

"If you're so unlucky... yes" Makarov said grinning.

"Wait... then that mean.." Levy looked at lacrima again and paled seeing images of S-class wizards there "... we will have to fight against G-gildarts a-and N-natsu?!"

Makarov's grin only grew wider "Yup"

Lucy smiled nervously "So that means we won't have any problem with it... right Cana... You'll be able to see were are we going"

Cana looked at her "I think so"

Now they could fully see the island. It was like any other island... well it would be if there wouldn't be that giant tree that was as bis as the island.

"This is Fairy Tail's holly ground. Legend said that in the past Fairies lived here." Makarov said with smile.

"Now..." he started.

"Ready..." he said and everyone looked at him confused.

Master sighed an then said "You'll have to swim to the island"

Everyone nodded.

"Ready?" everyone stood at the edge of the ship.

"Set?"

"GO!" he yelled with smile "LETS THE S-CLASS TRIALS... BEGIN!"

Freed and Bickslow jumped in the water and started swimming first.

"I bet we can get before them there" Gray shouted to Loke and jumped to the edge... He didn't really get far after that when he with loud thud collided with Freed's runes and fell on his back.

"Ow..." he moaned rubbing his sore back.

"He put runs all around the ship!" Loke yelled.

"That bastard" Gray hissed.

Everyone looked at Freed and Bickslow to see them waving at them "Don't worry! They'll disappear in five minutes!" Freed yelled and then they started swimming again.

"Oh man!" Lucy moaned in frustration.

She looked around to see Levy doing something with Freed's runes.

"Great Levy! Now we'll be able to go out!" Lucy said with grin.

Levy smiled at her apologetic "Sorry Lu..." she and Gajeel jumped in water. Lucy looked at her confused "What for?"

Lucy then put her hands to the edge of the ship to see that runes were still there.

"This is competition. I can't help you too" Levy said as she swam with Gajeel toward the shore.

"It's good that I spend so much time with Freed" Lucy heard Evergreen's voice and turned to see her rewriting the runes.

"This one are really simple.. I can rewrite them" she said to Elfman who grinned and yelled "Like a real MAN!"

And with then they jumped in water as well.

When five minutes finally passed everyone hurried to the shore. Mest and Wendy were carried by their exceed partners, Gray froze the water and he and Loke ran to the shore, Juvia and Lisanna swam there, Lisanna turned in fish and Juvia just merged with water. The lest one to get to the shore were Cana and Lucy.

When Wendy get to the shore she saw eight caves and four of them were already closed with big 'X' like mark. She looked around not knowing in which door should she go.

"What do you think Charla?" Wendy asked her exceed partner.

"Well, child... We have left 'F', 'A', 'B' and 'H'." Charla said looking at letters that stood near each cave.

"We can go 'E' as 'easy'" Wendy said hopefully ad Charla just looked at her "Or it could be 'E' as 'Erza'"

At that Wendy paled. She grabbed Charla's paw and dragged her toward 'H'.

"I like 'H'" Wendy said and with that they were gone.

Next one that get to the island were Loke and Gray who took 'A', then Juvia and Lisanna who took 'F', and last but not least Cana and Lucy who took 'B'.

Those who got there before Wendy took; Mest and Happy- 'E', Elfman and Evergreen- 'D', Freed and Bickslow- 'C' and Levy and Gajeel- 'G'

**with Wendy and Charla**

"I hope we didn't get in S-battle path" Wendy said looking around dark cave.

"I do too child" Charla said as they turned down the corner.

"We would be in big problems if we entered somewhere where Erza or Mira or..." she didn't finished because Charla stopped dead in her tracks.

"Charla is something wrong" Wendy asked worried. Her partner just stared wide-eyed in front of herself and pointed one shaky finger toward something.

Wendy looked up toward were Charla pointed to see up on one of the biggest rocks a human figure. The problem was figure's hair that was... pink.

"This was worst path you could chose" Charla said quietly.

The light in this part was really weak and they cold only see Natsu's pink hair and if looking closely you could see that his eyes were closed. His head leaned on the wall of the cave and he was sitting in meditating position.

"Is it possible he fell asleep?" Charla asked quietly. Before Wendy could answer a familiar voice said "No"

They frozen and looked toward rock were Natsu was still sitting with his head in the same position and his eyes still closed.

"H-hi Natsu..." Wendy said shakily.

At that Natsu opened his eyes. Wendy just now noticed how his eyes glow in dark. Like cat's. On that rock with those eyes he looked quite intimidating.

"I didn't expect you to be the one that will go here" Natsu said and grinned so now his teeth were also visible.

He jumped down on the floor inaudibly and walk few meters in front of Wendy.

"Shall we start?" Natsu asked.

Wendy bit her lover lip nervously but nodded and got into fighting stance that Natsu himself taught her.

She lunched herself at Nastu who just stood there waiting for her to come. She tired to hit him few times but he just sidestepped.

She jumped back and yelled "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang"

She swiped her fingers in claw-like manor trying to hit Natsu who blocked.

"You're much stronger then lest time I saw you fight" Natsu said with smile.

Wendy smiled at her brother "Thank you. We didn't go on much jobs together lately"

Natsu smirked and caught her leg middle of her attack and trow her across the cave. Before she could hit rock Charla caught her.

"Thanks Charla" Wendy said and then raised her left hand above her head and yelled "Fast wind that run the heaven... VERNIER..."

Around her appeared small layer of blue air.

Natsu smiled "So you mastered the spell..."

"I mastered it before we went in that parallel universe" she said and than raised her hand once again.

"Power of the stout arms that tears heaven... ARMS!"

And with that she lunched herself at Natsu who was still standing in one place with incredible speed.

"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!" she yelled as she swinged her hand and subsequently generates a large and very powerful tornado lunching it at Natsu.

Natsu smiled again but it was more of his wicked smiles then those he had few minutes ago.

"Chaos Dragon's..." Wendy's eyes widened as she jumped away, her attack still flying toward Natsu

"ROAR!" he finished and fired the powerful attack from his mouth. His roar dispelled Wendy's attack and hit only few centimeters away from her.

The shock-wave still sent her flying. Charla caught her again and this time they both fired them self toward Natsu.

"Sky Dragon's ROAR!" Wendy fired her roar at Natsu who just stood still. A second before attack collided Natsu mumbled something and disappeared. Wendy knowing all to well what he just did start looking all around herself to find were will her brother appear.

She almost jumped out of her skin when mocking voice said right in her ear "Boo"

Her head jerked toward the voice to see Natsu smiling at her amusingly.

Just when she was about to cast her next spell Natsu said to her "You pass"

Wendy stopped with her attack and looked at hi dumbfounded.

"What?"

"You pass" he repeated.

"I can't pass just like that!" she protested.

"Being an S-class doesn't mean you have to beat everyone. Being an S-class means you are strong and that you'll keep getting stronger."

Wendy looked at him and shock her head "I don't want to pass like that!"

Natsu let out a sigh "Okay then... Beat me if you can"

With that he start letting his magic fill the air. After few seconds Wendy find it hard to breath.

Natsu started walking toward her as his magic warped around him leaving only his red gloving eyes.

With each step it was harder to stay on her feet. When he was meter away from her she fell to her knees.

"Wendy!" Charla yelled from the floor where she was lying unable to move from the pressure.

Wendy looked at Natsu who stopped walking.

"Why are you on floor Wendy?" Wendy's eyes widened when she heard his voice.

"Get up" he demanded.

Wendy could only stare at her brother. She was... she was afraid... of him... This was the first time that she was afraid of him.

"Prove me that you're stronger and Get. Up!" he hissed

Tears appeared in corners of her yes "I..."

Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I can't" she chocked out and started crying.

"Are you afraid?" Natsu asked.

She could only nod. She bent her head down so she didn't saw when pain flashed trough red glowing eyes.

"Good"he said and her head shoot up when his voice was back to normal. She saw him smiling at her. That kind of smile she never seen on him. It was sad smile.

"What do you mean" she asked.

"That you pass" he said and bent down in front of Wendy who was still crying.

"B-but-" Wendy stuttered but stopped when two strong arms embraced her.

"Listen, Wendy..." Natsu whispered in her ear still hugging her.

She turned her head slightly.

"Fear is not evil" he said and Wendy's eyes widened slightly.

"But..." Wendy started but Natsu said again "Listen"

"It tells you what your weakness is."

He pushed her slightly so that they could watch each other faces.

"And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder"

"It's necessary in order to become an S-class wizard" he wiped her tears.

He got up letting her out of the hug and smiled "That's what you learned today."

"You pass"

Wendy smiled and nodded. "Thank you big brother"

She run and hugged him again. She then let him go and start running toward exit.

"We could go on a job together when get back home" Natsu called after her.

"I'll hold you on for that one" Wendy yelled back and grinned brightly. Charla flew next to her head.

"I'm proud of you my child" she said.

"Thank you Charla" Wendy said and smiled wider.

Back with Natsu he still looked were Wendy went out and whispered "I'm proud of you too, my little dragoness... my little... sister"

When Wendy get outside she saw master sitting on a rock. Next to him were Cana and Lucy. A little further were Gajeel and Levy and Gray and Loke.

When Wendy came there aster looked at her and Charla surprised. He then smiled and looked at the small group "I think this is it. Others failed I guess"

"Well there is always ne-" he couldn't finished as Elfman and Evergreen ran toward them "WAIT WE PASSED TOO!" They yelled in union.

Master nodded and smiled again "Right. So Cana and Lucy beat Freed and Bickslow." Everyone looked at the girls. "Gray and Loke defeated Juvia and Lisanna. Gajeel and Levy fight against Erza" Everyone looked at them wide eyed. "Elfman and Evergreen defeated Mira"

"How?" Gray asked looking at Elfman and Evergreen. They both blushed and just stuttered something about catching her off guard.

"And Wendy and Charla passed Natsu" Everyone's jaws fell on floor and Wendy just smiled nervously.

"Poor Mest ended up with Gildarts" Makarov said. Everyone nodded at the word 'poor'

"So now lets begin with the second part of exam" Makarov grinned.

"You have six hours to find master Mavis's grave that is on this island" he said and raised his hand as he yelled "BEGIN!"

End of chapter 35.

So how do you like it? Thanks for all your amazing review and can't wait to read more of them so please review. I will update next chapter in a week or two. Thanks for reading :)