Well my beloved readers, it's taken 13 chapters, but here we are!
Also, huge thanks to my dear friend AnubisLoki for my awesome new cover image! Please go check out her page, its awesome!
THE S CLASS EXAM ARC
The rising sun poured through an open window, lighting Natsu's face and making him squint and open his eyes. The Dragon Slayer rolled out of bed, careful not to wake his new roommate. After a quick shower in the new bathroom he dressed in his usual vest, baggy pants, sandals, and ever-present scarf. When he was fully clothed, he walked into the new kitchen and lit the stove with a snap of his fingers. Within a minute bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, and potato slices were crackling away on a hot pan. Natsu flipped the bacon and gloried at the novelty of being able to cook a proper meal in a real kitchen. Unbidden, the new kitchen brought forth memories of the day it had been built just a week earlier and the blood chilling conversation that had followed.
•••
Lisanna had been staying overnight at Natsu's house so often since her return that little by little, all her possessions moved from the old apartment she shared with her siblings into the shack. Eventually the couple realized that, without even meaning to do so, Lisanna had now moved in with her boyfriend. This transformation was not unnoticed by their guildmates and within a week of their realization Mirajane, Elfman, Erza, Lucy, Juvia, Laki, Levy, and a slightly less than ecstatic Gajeel arrived on Natsu's doorstep with Gildarts and Makarov laughing themselves silly at a safe distance.
"The Guild has made a statement;" Announced Erza imperiously, "Now that you have a lady living with you, this hovel is no longer a suitable home and we have come to turn this into an acceptable dwelling for a damsel!"
Natsu would have slammed the door in their faces right then and there if it wasn't for the sight of Mirajane wailing in sorrow about her little sister's departure. So they set to work; Lucy got Virgo and Taurus to help Elfman dig the foundation for the new rooms Levy had drawn up on drafting paper. Laki would then conjure up logs for Gajeel to nail in place; a job he thoroughly enjoyed in comparison to the menial task of making pipes for the plumbing that Juvia powered with water lacrimas. By the time it was done, the one roomed hovel Natsu had inhabited the past six years was now three times its original size, complete with living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. All of this was achieved in under a day thanks to the overbearing and terrifying Overseer; Erza.
After a quick drink and snack,the exhausted workers left to rest and enjoy their time away from Erza's domineering gaze. All except Mira, who stayed under the pretext of helping to decorate the new rooms. However her true intentions were revealed when Lisanna left the room to prepare some dinner for the three of them.
"Natsu, I trust you implicitly when it comes to taking care of Lisanna, I hope you know that." Mira whispered to him, her eyes still slightly red and puffy, "I have no problems with any of this, truly I don't, and you're the only person I could ever say that to in this scenario."
Natsu was touched by the statement, however, something still felt wrong.
"But..." He prompted
Mira took a deep breath and looked at him sadly, "You have enemies Natsu; you always have and you always will. Those enemies now have an amazing edge over you by being able to target her, never forget that."
•••
The words rang in Natsu's head shrilly, reminding him of the most awful scenarios he could imagine. He appreciated Mira's warning, but the thought of losing his love filled him with a mixture of limitless fury and irrecoverable grief. Despite his attempts to ignore these thoughts, he was shaking in fear, praying that she would be safe and doubting his ability to keep her so. At that moment, he felt the only thing that could have calmed him; Lisanna's arms wrapped around his waist from behind and he felt her kiss him right behind his right ear.
"You know, it's mean of you to make me wake up without my favorite Teddy Bear."
Natsu felt his arms calm and his lips curl into a smile, She's fine, and whatever happens, we'll always be together.
He turned to face his Venus and pressed his lips to hers gladly. Lisanna just smiled, content to stay like this indefinitely... right up until she smelled smoke.
•••
"Burned eggs!" Exclaimed Lisanna, grinning at her partner's red face as they walked through Magnolia, "I didn't even know you COULD burn eggs."
"And you forgot my fish!" Whined Happy, ironically unhappy.
Natsu just pouted and shoved his Girlfriend halfheartedly, "It's your fault! You distracted me, and Happy, I already said I'm sorry but kippers are disgusting!"
They bickered in this fashion until they reached the Guild, where Happy made their presence known to everyone by screaming, "THEY ARE FISH! FISH FOR BREAKFAST! WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?!"
Upon entering, Natsu noticed a higher than average business in the Hall and felt his chest sink.
"Oh no..." He muttered hopelessly
Lisanna turned to him in concern, "What's wrong?"
"Master is going to announce the contestants for this year's advancement exam." The last vestiges of calmness in him vanished as he sprinted across the room to the request board, "I can still get some work in before he decides!"
Lisanna was about to point out that it was too late for that when the stage curtain opened; revealing Erza, Mirajane, Gildarts, and Makarov, obviously gleeful at the panicked looks on everyone's faces. The master stepped forward and announced in a booming voice;
"Mages of Fairy Tail! The time we all await every year has come! Today I will announce the eight mages who will compete for the rank of S Class!" Tension gripped at the audience as Makarov let the suspense bubble for a few moments before continuing. "I have watched all of your efforts, hard work, and personal growth this past year to come to my conclusion. Our contestants this year are as follows; Mest Gryder! Elfman Strauss!"
Lisanna grinned and shouted, "Whoo! Elf-Niichan!"
The master continued with a slight smile now, "Fried Justine, Levy McGarden! Cana Alberona! Gray Fullbuster!"
Gray smirked at Natsu, "Better luck next ye-"
"And Natsu Dragneel!"
Natsu immediately switched from his desolate and hopeless expression to one of ecstatic excitement, making faces and laughing at Gray. Feeling a fight forming, the Master quickly continued;
"Each participant has a week to prepare and select a partner. The exam itself shall take place on Tenroujima, our Guild's sacred island. We will meet a week from today at the port of Hargeon."
That last part was probably important, but Natsu and Lisanna never heard it. They were gone the moment they heard the word 'Partner'.
•••
Natsu almost regretted having chosen Lisanna as his partner... Almost.
Contrary to Natsu's brute approach to training, which consisted of mostly heavy lifting, Lisanna insisted that instead of spending the time after this workout snuggling and testing the strength of their new bed, they would study each other's fighting style and techniques. Natsu recognized the importance of this, but after a day full of sparring and trying to melt incoming avalanches on the mountain, he would have been more than happy to spend his down time engaging in another type of tiring-if much more enjoyable-activity. However, despite his best intentions, he started to get very interested when he heard his Girlfriend start talking about her inventory of Flame Soul aspects.
"In theory I can apply Flame Soul to any of my Animal Soul forms," Lisanna stated, sounding like a schoolteacher, "but some forms-as you may have guessed-are altered by the fire, those are my official forms.
"So far I have seven mastered forms, of which you've already seen four; Phoenix, Behemoth, Hellhound, and Djinn. The others are Yokai the Tiger, Hydra the Lizard, and my most powerful; Infernus."
Natsu was shocked at how powerful she had become. He himself had gone through a lot of improvements the past two years, but Lisanna looked like she had hoisted herself from the level of a support mage to that of Natsu and Gray. In fact he felt that had he not been able to control her fire, victory could have easily been a dubious prospect. His thoughts finally led to the only question he could think of.
"What's Infernus?"
Lisanna shifted awkwardly, "I shouldn't really have been so arrogant as to assume I could master it but..." She took a deep breath "The pinnacle of my magic, Flame Soul, is to literally become the soul of fire."
Natsu's eyes went wide as he realized what she meant.
"Infernus is fire incarnate."
•••
One week later
Hargeon was probably Lisanna's favorite city other than Magnolia. It was a bustling, loud, messy, and constantly smelled of fish; but the air was clear and salty, the songs of seabirds mixed with the sounds of the busy merchant's district, and she loved the feel of a ship's deck swaying beneath her feet.
Her boyfriend didn't.
Natsu had just completed his newest round of vomiting, Lisanna smiling sympathetically as she rubbed his back.
"For such a great warrior, you sure do have a weak stomach." She said with the traces of a smirk.
Natsu answered with a mumbled; "I love you too Lisa."
It was funny that Natsu's motion sickness never bothered Lisanna, but the truth was that she thoroughly enjoyed the chance to baby her otherwise macho lover. Looking around, she started feeling intimidated by the other groups. Mest had allied himself with Wendy. Gray was chatting with Loke while Juvia spied on him and Laki Olietta morphed the boat's wooden deck. Cana and Lucy were having a serious talk, possibly about strategy. Levy was overshadowed by the terrifying Gajeel. Elfman and Evergreen were glancing at each other longingly each time the other looked away, something Freed and Bickslow seemed to be placing wagers on. Despite their varying states of eccentricity, every team seemed more than powerful enough to cause a substantial amount of damage. By the time Natsu had gotten over his fit they had reached the legendary sacred island.
Tenroujima
The most obvious landmark on the island was the tree. Rising 300 feet into the air, the island's colossal umbrella stood out on the flat sea like a solitary acacia in the savannah. Lisanna was struck dumb by the utter majesty of the island, none of the stories she'd heard about it did the island justice. In the middle of their revery, Makarov cleared his throat.
"I will now announce the first task for this year's exam!" Announced the tiny Master, "This task is based on luck and adaptability; once I start the race, all contestants will race to the shore and choose one of eight paths. Four of the paths intersect with another, the teams that meet in these paths shall battle and only the winners may advance. Three paths lead to a battle with an S class mage; so the teams must defeat either Mirajane, Erza, or Gildarts."
The last sentence made everyone slightly queasy, except for Natsu, who couldn't get any queasier.
"Then one path shall be clear, and that team may advance unhindered. Now does everyone understand the rules?"
All the teams nodded in unison, conveying the feeling that every person there was apprehensive to begin. Natsu fought down his sickness and looked at Lisanna, she nodded to confirm their strategy. The moment Makarov started the race, Lisanna morphed into Phoenix form and grabbed her boyfriend's vest in her talons, flying to the shore at supersonic speed, aided by the propulsion from Natsu breath power. A few moments later their predictions were confirmed by the telltale purple haze of Freed's enchantment, but thanks to the speed of their escape, Freed's most obvious move was rendered futile.
"Alright baby let's do this!" Yelled Natsu.