Talking Strategy
I was in the shower when Cana opened the door and decided to join me.
"Cana! Can you wait your turn?" I hissed at her, grateful I washed my lower part before she got in.
"Nah, this is more fun." She said as she grabbed my loofah and began to scrub her back.
I rolled my eyes at her before stepping out and wrapping a towel around myself.
"I have a question for you." I said as I brushed my hair.
"What's up?" She said as she washed her hair.
"Why did you ask me to be your partner?" It had been bothering me since she asked in the guild.
"I trust you to have my back because I saw how you were willing to keep the man you love at a distance for the happiness of your friend without thinking about yourself." She explained as I looked at her in shock. How did she know about my feelings for Natsu? If she knew about them, why did she set me up on a blind date? Did she want me to back off of Natsu?
"I didn't really set you up on a date. Lis and Mira came to me and asked how we could set up you and Natsu." She said as she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.
I blinked at her. "Lisanna told us how much she loved him. I figured she'd be mad at me for going against her."
"After girls night, I did a reading on you. The cards said you'd have love if you opened your heart to it. And Mira told me that you and Natsu were destined for each other but you wouldn't make a move because you didn't want to hurt Lisanna." She explained and I felt a little better. This meant I had Mira and Lisanna's blessing to be with Natsu. "This could have been avoided if you had said you had feelings for him too."
I blushed as I looked to the ground. "You know how he is. I honestly didn't think he was interested. If he found out, it would have ruined our friendship." I mumbled sheepishly. "But maybe not as it turns out, he had feelings for me too."
She looked at me for a moment before asking, "were you on the way to the date when he accosted you and fucked your brains out?"
My face flushed as I whispered, "I hadn't even picked out an outfit."
She laughed before drying off and pulling me toward my bedroom to find pj's.
"Mira and Lis were right. I do owe them money." She pondered, probably to herself.
"You have to tell me about this bet." I demand as I slip on my cartoon dragon covered shorts and a tank top.
She looked at my bottoms in amusement before saying, "which one? The one with the guild or the one with Mira and Lisanna?"
"Both." I sit on the bed and cross my arms expectantly.
"Well after Natsu brought you to the guild, the bet was how long it'll be until you and him decide to be together. But after you pulled away from him, most of the guild said you two wouldn't. Me, Mira, Lisanna, Gildarts, Gajeel and Levy were the winners of that bet." She took a breath. "Mira, Lisanna, Erza and I had a bet on if Natsu's jealousy would let you go on this date or not. I thought you'd at least make it out the door but damn he works fast."
I blushed and glared at her, feeling slightly humiliated my sex life was the topic of conversation behind my back.
"Why did Lisanna change her mind? I know she wanted Natsu. She told us she wanted a relationship with him." I finally decided to let that humiliation go.
"I can't tell you. You'll have to ask her or him." She said and then got this somber look on her face. "That won't make you not help me be S-class, will it?"
"Of course I'll help you but why are you so desperate to be S-Class?" I asked, worried about her desperation.
"This is my third year competing. If I don't get it this year, I have to leave Fairy Tail. " She informed me as I stared in shock.
"That's a little extreme isn't it?" I asked, hoping I wasn't invalidating her feelings.
"I have to tell Gildarts something and I can't if I'm not S-Class." She said and I felt concerned for her.
"You're not in love with him are you?" I asked slowly. "He's like double our age…"
"He's my dad. And I want to tell him but I don't want him to think I'm a failure." She said and I knew all about daddy issues.
"Hey, I got your back. This is your year, OK Cana. Just please don't do anything rash." I said as I promised her my full power and support. I hope I didn't fail her. I have three new spirits and two blood contracts I haven't learned to tame and control.
"Gray and Loke will be the easiest team to beat. The heat of sunshine is equivalent to standing in the desert at the hottest point of the day. It will melt Gray's Ice effortlessly. Loke is terrified of the power so I doubt he'll want to fight me. Keep in mind, Loke is upper body dominant. Keep your hits low to the ground and you can take him down pretty easily. Wendy uses her wind to push people around so you have to keep her mouth occupied so she can't. Levy is an incredible strategist but Gajeel will most likely be her muscle. Take him down, overpowering her with magic will be like taking candy from a baby. I know you can take Freed down and I have taken Bickslow down before so that'll be a breeze. Elfman and Ever will most likely bicker themselves to lose but just in case, we should invest in sunglasses. Taurus can match Elfman in brute strength. I think taking down Juvia and Lisanna will take plotting and timing. In her animal form, Lisanna has increased agility and reflexes. Juvia is already fast and impossible to hit as she can turn into water. I can match her on water control thanks to Aquarius and hopefully Pisces as they were a water sign but I'd be vulnerable to Lisanna's attacks. You'd have to be smart about your attacks since she is so fast. Now Natsu…. We know how he is but if we have to fight him… he'd use everything in his arsenal to beat us. We'd have the element of surprise if I could use Sunshine on him around noon when I can unison raid with the sun itself but the later in the day it gets, the weaker the attack gets. And because it's a light and fire combo, he might be able to eat it so I don't want to use it on him if we can avoid it." I laid it out for her.
"No wonder Natsu kept you as his partner. You are brilliant." She said as she rubbed my head affectionately.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." I said as I grabbed her hand. "I'll make dinner and we will go to bed. We have an early morning." I said as I pulled her to the kitchen.
All Aboard
"Good Morning!" Master's voice rang out as he looked at the sleep deprived faces of the guild members that were here. I also saw Gildarts, Mira and Erza.
"You all may be wondering why these three are here. Well it's because some of you unlucky candidates might have to fight one of these winners." He explained as Levy, Juvia and Cana groaned in agony and Natsu whooped in excitement.
"First, we will be going to Tenrou Island by boat here." He pointed to the big vessel and I watched in amusement as Gajeel, Wendy and Natsu turned green. "Then as we are close to the island, I will tell you more about the quests. All aboard!"
As I passed Natsu and Happy, Happy pulled my ponytail. "You promised us lunch!"
I rolled my eyes and pulled out the lunch bags I made for the two of them.
"I made it extra special for you, Happy." I said as I walked to join Cana.
"What does that mean?" Happy shouted as I winked at him.
I heard Natsu say to him, "She promised. She's got us."
I turned to lock eyes at him and smiled at his faith in me. He knows I'd never do anything to hurt him if I could avoid it.
I stepped onto the boat and found a spot against the side, sat down and pulled a book out of my bag.
I felt eyes on me so I looked up to see most of my guild members staring at me.
"What?" I mumbled, a little self conscious.
Out of habit, I looked at Natsu but he was hanging for dear life off the edge, trying not to lose his lunch.
"You're glowing, your majesty." Leo said as I squeaked at the new nickname.
I looked down to see that he was right. My skin looked like I was doused in glitter.
"Why am I glowing?" I mentally asked Helios. His power is light so I figured this was his fault.
"You can absorb directly from the sun. However, when you are exposed to sunlight before noon and right after noon, you will experience physical changes. The more you use my power, the less the physical changes affect your body." He explained, as Chaos laughed.
"You won't experience any changes with my power so I should be your favorite." The Primordial god added.
"I am technically her favorite because…" Helios started but I zoned them out. For a supreme deity and a Primordial god, those two bicker like children.
I looked at my guildmates again and they were still staring at me.
I felt my body hey hot as I hissed in self conscious embarrassment, "stop staring at me!"
Trials Day One
"Listen up. Right now, the trial begins. Your first trial is to get to the island and pick a path. One path is an easy path that takes you to the center of the island without an obstacle. Two paths cross each other so whoever is on that path will have to fight. The winner advances to the next phase. Three paths cross Fairy Tail's three S-Class members, MiraJane, Erza, and Gildarts. Two paths lead to nowhere, so you might have to circle back. Remember, you have until sunset to get to the center of the island. Good luck." Makarov boomed. I looked at the sun. It's about ten thirty, I thought to myself as I locked eyes with Cana. I transformed into my Aries Star Dress and released a torrent of cotton to trap everyone in place before jumping into the ocean. I switched to Aquarius form as I grabbed Cana and used the control of the water control to propel us toward the island. I felt the sand on my bare feet as I leaned to put my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
"Thanks, Lu." Cana said as she grabbed my hand. "This one." She picked. She was an incredible fortune teller so I trusted her. It felt like we were walking for hours until we hit a dead end. "Shit" she muttered to herself. "looks like we hit a dead end." We turned to go back where we came when the wall closed suddenly. We panicked as we realized we were trapped.
Another wall opened a moment later and Freed and Bickslow walked through.
"So we get to fight." Bickslow noted with excitement.
"Let's end this quickly, And proceed forward. "Freed said as he unsheathed his rapier. Cana threw a card in front of her. Light expelled from it as it pushed back Freed. I turned to Bickslow. I knew exactly how to defeat him quickly. I locked my eyes at him in hopes he would lift his face protector. He did just as I thought he would.
"Zodiac Shimmer." I shout as I hold up Virgos key, A brilliant light expelled. It wasn't as bright as Loke's but it did the trick as Bickslow dropped to his knees, shouted and clutched his eyes in pain.
"Bickslow!" Freed shouted, distracted. "Ha!" I heard Cana shout as I knocked out Bickslow.
The corridor opened up ahead of us as I stepped over the unconscious Freed to catch up with Cana. That was uneventful.
We walked forward until we made it to the center. Levy and Gajeel were already here. Cana turned to me and said, "Let's set up our tents, I'm beat."
"What happened, Levy?" I questioned as I expertly set up my tent. Levy sheepishly said, "We got the easy path."
I giggled as I heard Gajeel growl in his tent.
He shouted, "I wanted to kick the salamander's ass once and for all. Just because he claimed his mate before me doesn't mean he's better than me!"
I felt my face get hot as Levy squeaked and Cana roared in laughter.
I laid on my stomach in my tent with the flap on the top opened so I could feel the sun and the zipper pulled back so I could interact with my guildmates. I felt my magic replenish as I sighed. I was so bored.I pulled my hair in a high ponytail on the top of my head.
We all lounged around in silence, waiting for the next phase. It was about four hours till sunset. Juvia and Lisanna bust through the forest with a smiling Erza behind them a few Hours ago.
"What happened?" Levy hesitantly asked.
"We lost. " Juvia whimpered out as she collapsed on the ground. Lisanna sank to her knees.
" I'm sorry," she whispered.
"You guys fought Erza. I think you guys did your best. " I praised gently. As I said that, Elfman broke through the trees carrying Mira. Evergreen trailing behind him.
"Is she ok?" Erza asked.
"Yeah, we just overloaded her brain. But we passed." Evergreen stated boldly. Master showed up a moment later with Bickslow and Freed. The first thing Bickslow did was glare at me.
"What?" I asked innocently.
"You blinded me!" He stomped to hover over me. "I got my vision back a few minutes ago." He yelled.
"Oh." I didn't really know what to say. Was I supposed to apologize?
A low growl entered the clearing as a body slammed into Bickslow.
I sat up urgently and pulled Natsu off him.
"Natsu, this is the relaxing area. Calm down!" Master demanded.
Natsu growled at Bickslow and I pulled him away and toward my tent. I sat down near the opening and pulled him down to sit by me. He sat behind me and I sat on his lap to keep from attacking Bickslow again as his arms wrapped around my waist. His face is buried in my neck. His sigh made my skin tingle pleasantly. I resist the urge to close my eyes as I pray my face isn't as red as I feel it might be.
Gildarts bellowed out, "Don't mind him. I gave him a run for his money."
He lost. My heart sympathized.
"I almost won but the brat has more energy than me." Gildarts chortled out as he walked to sit in the center of the camp.
I turn slightly to look at him. "You won. Why are you so pissy?"
Happy teased, "Cause Gildarts put the fear of the Gods in him."
I flinched as I realized just how awful that fear is. I leaned back against him and patted his arms.
"Wait till you fight me. I'm gonna send you to heaven." I say.
Cana snorts, "You'll probably do that as soon as you two get some time alone."
I blushed as I grabbed my sandal and threw it at her. It hit her in the head as she glared at me, I smirked back, "Now you know how good my aim is. I don't miss."
I felt Natsu's lips lift into a smile against me as lifted his head to look toward the woods.
Gray and Loke emerged a few moments later looking victorious. Wendy and Mest behind them, looked worse for wear.
Master stands up and says, "That's everyone. Tomorrow is phase two. The teams to pass are Levy and Gajeel; Cana and Lucy; Elfman and Evergreen; Natsu and Happy; Gray and Loke. When we wake tomorrow I will let you know what the trial is. Everyone eat and be Merry. The ones that didn't win this round, congratulate the ones who did. Fairy Tail is a guild based on not only strength but integrity and compassion. We encourage each other to be stronger, not wish for Each other to be weaker."
Everyone looked around and smiled at each other before laughing in contentment. "Dinners ready." Mira announced. The table that was at the edge of the campsite filled with many different foods as the sun settled over the horizon. I looked up towards the stars. I see Aquarius and Capricorn in their constellation form. I smile as I remember that I was gifted Capricorn, Pisces and Libra and I haven't summoned them yet.
"Luce… I'm hungry…" my captive whined.
I felt hot as I quickly jumped off his lap.
I opened my mouth to apologize when a figure stood over us. Natsu stiffened as he let out a growl.
"I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to… well… I mean… you knocked me out in a minute, I didn't even get to counter..." Bickslow… apologized.. I guess… I stood up, making sure to keep a still growling Natsu behind me.
"It's fine, I guess I could have turned down the wattage." I responded back. I Then quipped, "You are honestly lucky I can't use Leo right now. Your temporary blindness would have probably lasted for a few days."
"Pfft!" Loke walked up. "I'm at full power now since the last time we fought. If she had used my key, you would be permanently blind." He smirked arrogantly. He was absolutely lucky I couldn't force close his gate. He was insufferable sometimes.
"Water under the bridge." I say to Bickslow and shake his hand. Behind me, Natsu relaxes slightly as he puts his hands on my shoulders ready to steer me to food.
"I could knock his light out if you want." He not so subtly whispered in my ear causing Bickslow to turn to us.
"I'll keep that in mind. " I tease back, knowing full well he could hear us.
I heard him scoff as he walked away and I shot Natsu a wide grin.
He smiled back before turning his attention to the dinner table.