Chapter 9: S-Class

12 Months Later, 3 Years Post-Tenrou, Wendy Age 15

"You are weak. Useless. Who do you think you are, trying to stand up to me? You are just a little girl. You could not hope to stand up to any mage more experienced than yourself. Just give up and make it easier for all of us."

Wendy watched helplessly as the woman sauntered over to the mage lying on the ground. He attempted to get back to his feet, but it was to no avail. Standing before him, the woman seemed gigantic as she towered over his crumpled form. "How could you hope to stand against me if even he couldn't?"

Wendy screamed as she struggled against the chains that held her back, just wishing that they would break. But that never happened, and she was forced to watch the woman raise the spear that was grasped within her hand. Screaming at the woman to stop, she was powerless as a sadistic smile formed on her face. "Useless." She stated as she brought the spear down.

Wendy let out a startled scream as she shot up in her bed, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped down her forehead and covered her body from head to toe, soaking into the bed below her. Wiping her trembling hands on the blanket in front of her, she looked down at her lap, letting her blue hair slip over her shoulders and cover her face.

She forced herself to take deep breaths as she attempted to calm her racing heart. Shifting her legs over the edge of the bed, she pushed back some of the hair that stuck to her forehead. Taking breath after breath, it was useless as her body continued to tremble.

Her nightmares were never the same anymore. Every night there was something new, something to haunt her. And last night had been one of the worst in a while.

Five Days Earlier

Laxus watched as Makarov took a seat behind the desk, crossing his legs on his chair. The old man pulled the wooden mug off the desk and took a long sip before placing it down on the chair in between his legs.

"It's been a while since Tenrou, about three years to be exact." His grandfather started, quickly taking another sip from the mug. "This is the third time the S-Class trials have been postponed now, and I can sense many of the other members becoming restless."

Laxus frowned at that comment. He understood where the rest of them were coming from. The strive to become stronger and prove it to everyone else, it was one of the driving factors of many of the Fairy Tail guild members, including himself once upon a time. But he knew that it was difficult for his grandfather to let the rest of the guild down, despite only having the best intentions in mind.

"I can't postpone it any longer. We have waited three years for any sign of Tenrou and there has been absolutely nothing." The old man rubbed his forehead with his hand and let out a long sigh. "I've been thinking about it for a while, but I've now decided."

Shifting his gaze to the stern eyes of his grandson, he let his hand fall to the desk in front of him. "We shall hold the S-Class Trials again in one year, and I understand how many people will feel about this. Because of that, I shall require every Fairy Tail member to be in attendance, no matter if they are participating or not."

There was a pause, and Laxus waited in silence for his grandfather to continue. "Also." Makarov began, before opening one of the drawers on the side of the desk. "Every current S-Class mage will choose two candidates for the trial. It doesn't matter who you choose. I trust that you all have good judgement… for the most part."

Shrugging off the gibe that the man had thrown his way, Laxus watched him shuffle through the drawer for a moment more. Seeming to have found what he wanted, the man shut the drawer with a light slam and sat back in his chair. He held a piece of paper up to Laxus who proceeded to take it.

"When you have decided on your candidates, write them on that paper and leave it in my office. That way I know what it contains." Seeing his grandson nod his head in agreement, he continued. "You have until three weeks before the trials begin in exactly one year. Don't be late."

Giving another small nod to his grandfather, Laxus took that as his leave and made his way out of the office. Walking over to his normal spot on the second floor, he took a seat in the chair by the railing, resting his legs on the chair across from him. Leaning back, he placed his hands behind his head and shut his eyes. Sometimes he wished that the guild wouldn't make so much noise, especially when he was trying to think.

After trying to block out the noise for a few minutes, he frowned when he heard a few people moving beside him. Opening one eye for a peek, he grunted when he recognized the remaining members of Team Natsu. The Exceeds stood beside Lucy and Gray who in turn were standing slightly behind Erza. The scarlet-haired mage met Laxus' eye with an even gaze.

"Laxus." she spoke as she noticed him open an eye. "We need to speak."

Closing his eye once more, he used one hand to wave the group away. "Come back later." he grumbled, trying to calm the headache that was ringing in his head.

"It's about Wendy." The redhead spoke, causing the large man to freeze. He hadn't seen the girl for a long time, almost a year by this point, and he had been wondering what she had been up to. But from the tone in her voice, he couldn't imagine that it would be anything good.

Opening his eyes, he sat up and rested his arms on the armrests of the chair. "Go on."

Pausing for a moment, Erza began when she noticed the frown forming on Laxus' face. "Something has happened to Wendy. We aren't sure what happened, but the last time she was here in the guild it was clear to everyone, something had happened. She had changed since Tenrou, but this was different."

Taking a breath, she switched her gaze to her companions beside her. "Something had changed." The blonde continued, her large brown eyes looking up at the large form of the man in front of her. "Sure, as Erza said, she has definitely changed since Tenrou, but I mean, we have all changed. No one was unaffected by what happened that day."

Grunting quietly, he leaned back farther in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He remained quiet, knowing that the group hadn't finished with what they were saying just yet.

"And then we had the Grand Magic Games. I don't necessarily know what happened, but she grew bitter. No one could get close to her, even Charla." At this she looked down at the Exceed, who was staring down at the ground worriedly.

"But then… She returned from that mission a month or so ago, and that's when we knew for sure that something had changed." This time is being the ice mage who had spoken, and he shifted his gaze to the raven-haired mage who was running a hand through his hair.

"Wendy wasn't just quiet and bitter anymore, but it seemed as if she was… Well, more hostile would be the best way to put it." Glancing over at the other two members of Team Natsu and the Exceeds sitting beside him, he saw them nod in confirmation of his words. "She wouldn't even speak to us anymore, just blatantly ignoring us."

Watching the man pause to take a breath, Laxus rubbed a tired hand over his face. Furrowing his eyebrows, he thought back to when he had last seen the small blue-haired girl. It was just before the guild had left for Grand Magic Games. She had purposefully waited for him to return from his mission with the rest of the Thunder Tribe so that she would be able to speak to him before they left.

At the time, things hadn't seemed all that different about her. Yes, he had grown more concerned when she had mentioned to him that she still wasn't getting any sleep, even with the sleep medicine he had purchased for her. But there hadn't been any noticeable differences about the girl. She had still been the quiet, reserved girl he had trained for all those months in the forest outside of town.

"Although she did mention something else." Laxus was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the scarlet-haired mage beside him speak up. Slightly motioning for her to continue, he shifted his gaze down to the Exceeds sitting on the floor below them. Whenever he had let Wendy go back to the guildhall, she had always had those two cats with her.

"It was something about a promise." Her voice broke him out of his thoughts once again, and his eyes widened. "She didn't tell us anything about it, and we had only heard it because we had found her training alone. When she found out we were there, she just left without a word." Shifting his gaze over to Erza, he leaned forward and place his arms on his knees. "Where is she now?"

Lifting her hand, there was a bright glow before a single piece of paper was held within her grasp. "She left a few days ago to go on another mission." Grabbing the paper from her extended hand, he flipped it over so that he could read it. "It doesn't seem like that difficult of a mission, but it is located on the opposite side of Fiore. She'll be gone for at least another week or two."

Sighing deeply, he stood up out of his seat while clenching the paper in his hand. The rest of Team Natsu watched him as he made his way over to the stairs. "I'll go find her." He grumbled, waving off Freed as he had begun to make his way over. Pushing his way through the large doors, he paused as his eyes adjusted to the sun. Clenching the paper within his fist even tighter, he started on his way.

Present

Wendy frowned as she leaned against the railing of the balcony. Currently three stories up, she could feel the wind blowing past her, allowing for a relaxing sensation to wash over her body. While the air within the towns wasn't anything to die for, it still managed to give her some relief.

She placed her elbows on the top of the railing and rested her chin on her palms. The client for the mission she had chosen had rented her a room in the best inn in town for the duration of the mission, due to it being on the longer side. And she had been pleased to find out that it was located on the top floor.

After recomposing herself earlier in the morning, she had fixed herself up before eating a quick breakfast of leftover food from her bag. Deciding that she needed some fresh air, she had walked out onto the balcony, immediately feeling a wave of calmness wash over her.

Throughout the past year, she had found herself relying on the wind for a multitude of things. But she had never felt so powerful before. She could feel the breeze flowing across the town, and the wind picking up speed around the ocean. She had never been so in tune with her element before.

Hearing a shout from down below, her eyes shifted down towards a small group of kids who were playing in the street. And when she noticed the bright blonde hair of one, her thoughts returned to the meeting she had with Laxus the day prior.

Previous Day

Shaking off the dust from her clothes, Wendy stood up from where she had been sitting. She had left the guild a few days ago for a new mission, but having arrived earlier than she thought she would, she chose to walk around the town a bit before going to talk to the issuer.

The town was bustling, with all the townsfolk going about their day to day activities. Vendors lined the sides of the roads, with carts full of goods to sell. Children ran about in the streets, with their parents following close behind. But Wendy had ignored all of this, instead choosing to find a spot to relax in the park on the edge of town.

And now, deciding that she had waited long enough, she began to move. She was dressed in a light blue dress with brown leggings and boots. A thin belt was wrapped around her waist and she had Natsu's scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. A while back, she had decided to forgo her usual ponytails and let her hair fall loosely over her back.

Making her way into the streets, she strode through the town. She continued in silence for a few minutes, moving out of the way of people that stepped into her path. And as she was about to turn towards the town hall, she heard a voice speak.

"Wendy."

A scowl formed on her face as she turned and noticed the man looking at her from across the road. Without wasting any time, he quickly began to make his way towards her. Pushing all the other townsfolk out of the way if they moved into his path.

She quickly turned and started pushing her way through in the opposite direction. Many people gave her dirty looks and a couple threw insults at her, but she ignored it and pushed on. She knew why he was here, and she didn't really want to get caught up in a conversation with him now... Or at any time really.

There was no doubt that the others back at the guild hall had spoken to him. What they had said to him, well, she could only guess. They kept on believing that they had to look out for her. As if she couldn't watch out for herself.

Scoffing at that thought, she pushed another person aside as she turned down an alleyway. Jumping over loose pieces of trash and scraps, she emerged from the other end in another street, although this one was less busy than the last. Turning down the street, she started to run again until she felt a hand grab her shoulder and pull her back.

After struggling against the hand for a moment, and failing to get away, she gave up. She felt her shoulders slump as she looked towards the ground, unwilling the face the man standing behind her.

"So…" She heard the familiar voice begin, as the hand on her shoulder gripped her tighter. "Any reason as to why you're running away?"

She scowled down at the ground, almost as if she was trying to burn holes in the ground with her eyes. Attempting to shrug the hand off her shoulder once again, she wasn't entirely surprised when the bigger man didn't budge. The few people walking down the street beside them gave the pair a glance, but otherwise continued their way.

She continued to struggle for a second but paused once the man spoke again. "Stop." he spoke, the tone in his voice making the girl halt her slight struggles. "You either tell me what's going on or I'm going to walk away. I have far better things I could spend my time doing rather than trying to get an unwilling girl to speak."

Finally relenting, she stopped her struggles. The older man didn't remove the hand from her shoulder, and she felt as if she wanted to do nothing more than run away. And when she didn't speak up, he grumbled quietly before speaking once again.

"The S-Class Trials will take place next year." he said, causing the young girl's eyes to widen slightly. "Master hasn't made an announcement yet about it, but it's only a matter of time." Still refusing to look at the man, she continued to look at the ground, albeit with much less ferocity than before.

"I have been allowed to pick two candidates for the S-Class Trials." He grumbled, running a hand across his chin. "One of them will be you."

For the second time within minutes, her eyes widened. She couldn't help but feel surprised. Out of every possible outcome, she couldn't really say she had been expecting this.

Her thoughts wandered back to the last time they had spoken. It had been a little while before the guild had left to participate in the Grand Magic Games. She'd been hoping, praying even, that they would substitute her in during the games. She had been dying to show the rest of the guild what she could do after all the training she had down over the course of the past year.

But no. By the end of their conversation it was clear that she would not be participating. She had wanted to yell, scream, shout, just do something because of how frustrated she felt. All she wanted was one chance, just one. To show them that she had changed. That rejection had only confirmed what she had been believing for the longest time.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when she felt the hand spin her around. Still refusing to look up at the man, she heard him sigh and drop his hand off her shoulder. "It starts in a year."

Still opting to say nothing, she took a few steps back to put some distance between them, although it clearly wouldn't do much if he wanted to grab her again. She switched her gaze to the road beside her and watched the people around them move about. The man grumbled lightly to himself as he buried his hands in his pockets, clearly growing frustrated.

"Listen. If there's something you want to say, say it. I can take it." Receiving no word from the girl, he grumbled again as he took a breath, deciding to take a different approach.

"Listen, kid, if there's something you need to talk about, you can talk about it with me. I won't go running to anyone else." He noticed the girl's shoulders relax, and his eyes widened an inch. Thinking that he had finally got the girl to speak, he waited for her to begin.

But instead, the girl's head turned towards him, a glare etched on her face. Her usual bright brown eyes were dark, almost as if they were black. Her lips were curved down in a fierce grimace. Her long hair swayed in the wind that picked up around them. He had never seen such an expression upon her face before.

They stood like that for a few moments longer. The girl glaring at him, as the man stared back down at her with an impassive look on his face, although she could see the surprise in his eyes.

Turning away with a slight 'Tch' she began to walk away, and this time he didn't follow her.

Wendy's scowl deepened as she gripped the railing tighter. She had been alone for the entire year, and yet he chose now to come and speak with her. Feeling her hands trembling with the force she was gripping the railing with, she quickly let go and took a step back.

It had all started with the Grand Magic Games.

It had been bittersweet. She had no problem watching her closest friends compete for the number one title, but she had wanted nothing more to be given the chance to prove herself to the others. To show them just how much she had improved with the training Laxus had given her, along with all the time she spent training alone afterwards.

And she knew that it wasn't only because they thought she wasn't strong enough magically to handle it. They knew she was capable, it was almost impossible to miss the power the girl showed around the guild. And if Laxus had spoken up, she knew that they would have given her a chance, but he had kept quiet. The night he returned before the games, he had spoken with her for a while, but even after he had left to go sit on the second floor alone, she had felt his eyes on her for the rest of the night.

He would probably never admit it aloud, but she knew that he was worried about her. About six months into their training, he had confronted her about the nightmares. She didn't know how long before that day he had known, but she had to guess that it had been a while. It wasn't as if she had been able to be secretive about it.

It had been a long conversation, one that hadn't been exactly easy for her to talk about. She had dealt with the dreams for months, years even, alone and without anyone else knowing. And that was the way she had liked it. She didn't want the others having to constantly worry about her. She was supposed to look after them, after all, if she wanted to keep her promise.

And that might have partly been a reason why she had begun to distance herself from the others. The closer she was to them, the more likely the chance that they figured out that something was wrong. That the young girl hadn't been able to get a full night's rest for a long time. That she wasn't as fine as she made herself out to be.

And that's why he hadn't spoken up. She could see it in his eyes when they had spoken after his return.

Narrowing her eyes, she clenched her fists tightly as she glared down at the bustling town below her. Her hair was swaying with the wind that was quickly picking up speed around her, and a few of the village folk had begun to take notice of the gathering winds.

Despite how much she had improved over the past years, they still underestimated her. They still thought her to be the weak twelve-year-old girl who had been useless on Tenrou Island. Useless in saving their friend. She wished that they would stop treating her like she was still a little girl that was unable to take care of herself.

Scowling down at the town below her, she brought her right hand up to her neck and swiftly reached under the scarf that was wrapped tightly around her neck. Grasping the stone that had been attached to a chain around her neck, she felt the heat of the stone react to her touch, seemingly mimicking her emotions as it pulsed with energy.

Edited 8/27/18

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