Author's Note- Surprise! We decided that since we do in fact have Chapter 2 ready to go, we'd post a couple days sooner than we'd planned. It's a bit longer, so we hope it'll tide you over until we've got Chapter 3 all polished up!

Since we know it's a big consideration in the FT fandom, we thought we'd make a quick mention about shipping. It's in our author profile now, too, but since we both know that not everybody reads profiles, it seems best to discuss it here as well: we're keeping ships a bit mysterious at first on this one. The only ship we're confirming right off the bat is AlBis, obviously. We've a few other ships in mind, but not all of the ships are locked in, so we're keeping our lips sealed on the subject until ships gradually become relevant- besides, we hope you'll appreciate this story for the plot rather than for the ships (though there definitely will be plenty of shippy goodness once we get to that point).

Once again, many thanks to the betas for this chapter, Howlingmoonrise and Cthulu With A Fez. You guys are the best!

Chapter 2: My Toes Are Numb... Too Bad The Rest of Me Ain't

Cana winced as Erza's overloud voice assaulted her ears. She really didn't know what the swordswoman was shouting about a full hour before noon, but it was an affront to humanity to be that energetic this early. She raised both hands to cup her throbbing head, elbows resting on the wooden table top as her fingertips dug into her scalp in an effort to soothe the pounding in her temples.

She really hadn't meant to get quite that drunk last night, but it certainly wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. Oh well. She'd made a bit of a fool of herself in front of Pantherlily, but the Exceed had a sort of cool older brother vibe that made her feel like he probably wouldn't hold it against her. Mira, on the other hand…

She glanced over at the stage, where Mira and Master had— to Cana's enormous relief— drawn Erza into quiet conference.

Last night was all a little fuzzy, but she knew she had hurt Mira's feelings. Maybe a couple of times, for all she could recall. She'd always had a softer relationship with Mira than with most people, especially after Lisanna died, and she wasn't used to needing to make amends. It was probably for the best that Mira had seemed to avoid her today, because she wasn't quite sure what to say.

But in the meantime… she needed to choose a partner. Mira had been right about that last night. Who to ask, though?

Cana wasn't part of an official team, and the people she had worked with the most over the last few years were Gray and— before he was revealed as a Zodiac spirit— Loke, but seeing as the two of them were partnered up, that well came up dry. She glanced around the guild, studying faces.

Maybe Max? No, Cana had a personal rule against partnering with anybody who could be done in by two beers, that was just a recipe for disaster.

Jet? Cana studied the speed mage for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter, which her pounding head immediately made her regret. Yeah, Jet was definitely not an option…

Her eyes strayed to Macao, who Mirajane had suggested last night. It was true that she and Macao had been close for a long time. Hell, when she was younger, she'd sort of had a hero-worship older-man crush on the guy. (Thank god she was over that, in retrospect it was incredibly embarrassing.) But… would he actually be useful in an S-class exam? He was a plenty skilled wizard, sure, but there had to be a reason he'd never made S-class himself, and as Mira had pointed out, he didn't add much to her skillset. So… maybe Macao could be a backup plan?

A flash of blonde caught her eye, and she glanced over to where Lucy sat, chatting amiably with Lisanna and Gray and Elfman (who seemed to be hiding from his partner, if the nervous looks he kept throwing over his shoulder were anything to go by). Cana studied her for a few moments. Lucy… She'd come back alive and intact after successfully completing an S-Class quest right after joining the guild. But then, she'd gone with Natsu, and Gray and Erza had followed along and helped them out, so that might have had something to do with it. She was part of the most dangerous team in Fairy Tail, though. Lucy had had some pretty amazing adventures, though Cana was pretty sure most of them got exaggerated in the retelling, so who even knew what was the truth? On the other hand, Erza did think highly of her, so…

But Lucy was a rookie, big time. She didn't talk about her past much, but from what little she'd said, Cana had gleaned that she'd had virtually no magic training prior to joining the guild. Her father, apparently, had limited her access to magic in her education. It made her successes so far impressive, but taking such a brand-new mage on as a partner seemed foolish. If she had offered, maybe, but asking out of the blue was stupid. No matter how kind and sweet Lucy was, no matter how much potential she had, she was a newbie, plain and simple. Cana needed a partner with some experience. Somebody longstanding and specialized and precise. Someone like… someone like…

"Bisca!"

Cana's head shot up at the sound of Alzack's voice, cutting through the low-rumbling chatter of the guild like a ray of sunlight through a gap in clouds. Her eyes darted around, searching for green hair and skipping past Freed in the process, before she spotted Bisca sauntering down the center aisle of the guild between the tables to meet Alzack by the request board.

Bisca… sharpshooter Bisca… Moulin Rouge herself… That was it!

Decision made, Cana jumped to her feet, which turned out to be a terrible idea; it took her an excruciating minute after standing up so quickly to get her head to stop spinning. By the time her vision cleared and the pounding in her skull dulled down to a low throb, Bisca and Alzack had parted ways. Alzack was clutching a job flier in his hand and walked over to stand patiently at Mira's elbow, waiting for her to finish the conversation she was having with Erza before presenting her with the request he was taking.

Bisca, meanwhile, had perched on the edge of a table, watching Alzack go with pink-stained cheeks and a fond smile. Cana approached her on shaky legs, hoping her hangover wasn't as obvious as it felt.

"Hey, Bisca," she said, pasting on a grin.

"Mornin', Cana," the gunslinger replied, returning her smile distractedly. "You all set for the exam? You've been selected a couple times before, haven't you?"

Yes, as everybody seems so intent on reminding me, Cana thought grumpily. Outwardly, though, she just turned up the wattage on her grin and said, "Yep! That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. You interested in partnering up?"

Bisca's hazel eyes widened. "You want me to be your partner?" she asked, incredulous.

Cana nodded. "I thought we worked together pretty well on that job we did with Joey back in April. So whaddaya say? Wanna help me become S-Class?" The bravado tasted sour on her tongue… though that might've just been the hangover.

"Oh Cana, I'm so sorry," Bisca said, wringing her hands. "It's just… Alzack and I just picked out a job. It's time-sensitive, we're escorting a young Viscount to his father's winter estate— security, you know?— and it'll take us at least a week and a half."

She glanced back at Alzack, who had finally caught Mira's attention and was showing her the flier, and Cana's heart sank. Bisca and Alzack had been unofficially a team since about three days after Erza brought her back to the guild, but they were both so shy about their attraction to each other that they went on jobs together far less frequently than most teams did. It was, frankly, a little sickening. And, unfortunately, it made asking Bisca to give up taking a mission with her longtime best friend/crush a whole lot harder.

"But… uh, if you want, I can tell Al that I can't go," Bisca said. "There are lots of jobs, after all, and the S-Class trials are only once a year…"

"No, it's fine!" Cana said, keeping that grin permanently glued to her face through sheer force of will. Bisca's words were sincere, but her eyes were begging Cana to release her from any obligation. "Don't postpone your mission on my account!"

Bisca chewed nervously on her lip, studying Cana closely. "Are you sure? Because there really are plenty of—"

Cana cut her off quickly. She didn't need the temptation of a repeated offer. "It's totally okay. I mean—" She tossed her hair over her shoulder in a casual flip. "—I can always ask Macao."

Seeing Bisca still hesitating, she said, "Seriously, Bisca, it's okay. Go on your job."

Her smile was sympathetic, but her eyes shone with relief as she turned to glance at Alzack. "Thanks, Cana. I'm really sorry I can't help you out."

"Don't worry about it." She followed Bisca's gaze and watched as Mira handed the job flier back to Alzack— only for it to be intercepted by Gildarts, who had emerged from somewhere or other to join the little group of S-Class wizards. Cana's chest clenched as she watched him pluck the flier out of Alzack's fingers. She was too far away to hear more than the low rumble of Gildarts' voice, words indistinct under the happy noise of the guild at work, but his approving tone was clear. He beamed down at Alzack and clapped a fatherly hand on his shoulder, handing him the flier back with a nod.

Alzack looked stunned by whatever words of approval he had received from the guild's ace, and he looked over at Bisca in a sort of happy daze, giving her a thumbs-up. Cana's stomach sank down to her toes.

It had been a few years since he'd been in town, and clearly her memory was not doing this particular feeling justice.

Her fa— Gildarts gave Alzack another pat on the shoulder and then, to Cana's surprise, turned to pick up his ratty old satchel with the badly-patched hole in the bottom. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed for the front door (for once), waving cheerfully to Mira, Erza, and Master as he went.

Her eyes narrowed. Why was he packed for travel? He was helping to administer the exam at the end of the week, so where was he going?

"—na? Cana?"

She came back to earth to the sound of Bisca's voice calling her name. She focused on her friend again, calling back the smile that had slipped off her face as she watched Gildarts, but she knew it must look a little thin, because it did nothing to dispel the concern in Bisca's eyes.

"Are you okay? You seemed like you were miles away."

Cana shook her head. "I'm fine. Just remembered that I need to… uh… ask Gildarts a question about the exam. Gotta go! Bye!" She turned on her heel and dashed away just as the door swung shut.

"Cana!"

She ignored Bisca's exclamation, making a beeline for the door, and slipped out after Gildarts. Wincing as the late morning sun— so much brighter than the soft light indoors— exacerbated her headache, Cana looked around to try and spot where Gildarts had vanished off to. It took her a moment to spot him, since he hadn't taken one of the usual wide thoroughfares created by the Gildarts Shift, but a flap of his black cloak in the wind caught her eye as he disappeared down an alley to the east of the guild hall.

A puzzled frown twisted Cana's lips, and she set off at a somewhat less than brisk walking pace to follow after him.

Following Gildarts through the streets of Magnolia without being seen proved to be a challenge. He didn't seem to follow any of the main thoroughfares for more than a couple blocks at most, and it made it difficult to hang back far enough to avoid being seen because she ran the risk of losing him if he turned off suddenly.

Then there was the dodgy moment when he stumbled unwittingly into a fruit merchant's cart and destroyed half the man's wares in an explosion of pulp, and Cana had to duck out of sight to avoid being spotted as Gildarts turned to the side. The merchant, who had already been shivering in the early December cold, appeared less than pleased to be spattered with sticky juice, and Cana had to remain crouched for several minutes behind a wheelwright's display, listening intently to the sound of the ensuing argument. Finally Gildarts pressed what was at least forty thousand jewel— probably more, considering how irate the man sounded— into his hand in reparation for the destroyed wares, and was allowed to go on his way.

Cana supposed there was something to be said for taking 10- and 100-year quests. At least when accidents like that happened, Gildarts could afford to pay reparations.

The only mercy Cana found in this little stealth exercise was that, as she trailed him out of Magnolia in the direction of the limestone bluffs to the northeast, a fresh bank of clouds rolled in from the west. Bright morning faded into dull afternoon, and the throbbing in Cana's head eased a little in response, though without the sun to warm her she began to shiver.

Why was she even doing this? It was kind of pathetic. Here she was, following Gildarts all over town in the snow without a coat on. Her. Cana Alberona, who had never in her life run after a man for any reason.

No, that was a flat-out lie. Hadn't she always been following Gildarts, from a distance, in the shadows, almost as far back as she could remember? This was far from the most pathetic thing she'd ever done for him— that honor definitely went to traveling a hundred miles at less than six years old, joining a guild, becoming a mage, and eventually choosing a career as a wizard, all because her father didn't recognize her on sight.

God, she was ridiculous… and where the hell was he going, anyway? Seriously, did anybody even live out here? If she didn't know better she'd think he was skipping tow—

And then she rounded the bend Gildarts had disappeared around a little before her, and froze in her tracks, ducking out of sight behind a rather sad little cypress bush.

Someone did live out here on this far edge of town, after all. The little house with the tree growing out of it was a bit dilapidated, but it looked kind of charming under last night's snow, with the chimney smoking merrily. Gildarts was leaning up against a boulder halfway between the house and where she currently lurked, arms crossed, as he gazed out over an open field that stood between the house and the hills. Cana followed his gaze and realized he was watching Natsu.

The dragon slayer had a boulder easily ten times his size hoisted up on his shoulders, apparently using the weight to enhance a series of leg exercises. Training. Obviously he was training. Any wizard slated to test their skills in the S-Class exam would be training right now.

Any responsible wizard, anyway.

Natsu stumbled, falling to his knees as the weight of the boulder crushed him, and Cana felt a jolt of concern… right up until he surged to his feet, launching the stone into the air with some degree of difficulty, and shattering it to pieces with a strike from one flaming fist.

She glanced at Gildarts, curious to see his reaction, and her chest went cold again at the sight of him smiling fondly at Natsu. Of course. Gildarts had always loved Natsu best.

Shoulders slumped, leaning into the soft cypress branches, Cana watched Gildarts watching Natsu for several minutes. She couldn't bring herself to actually watch Natsu; he wasn't on Erza or Laxus's level, but watching him was too much of a reminder of the fact that physical strength was a personal weak point for her.

"You know, it's not very sporting to spy on the competition." His voice broke through her brooding.

It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't even looking at her yet, and it hit her that he had probably known that she was there for a good long while. Damn it. Denial leapt to her lips but she pushed it down with a snarl. Her patience for dealing with any of this bullshit was gone. All of this, the trials, Natsu, Gildarts… Enough was enough.

It was foolish to believe that she had even an iota of a chance this year. Hell, any year for that matter.

'Why do you keep trying if that's the case?' Pantherlily's question from the night before echoed in her hangover-ravaged head. Why indeed?

Gildarts had turned his head to look at her by that point. His silent challenge and disapproval woke something furious in her belly. Between the throbbing of her skull, her failure to find a partner, and every other fucking thing today cemented what she knew deep down was always coming. Without uttering a word, she straightened up and left Gildarts and the oblivious Natsu behind.

Maybe Gildarts called out to her. She wasn't listening. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she shivered, vision too blurry to even register the flurries of snow that started falling around her as she headed back into town, gaze locked on the ground a few feet in front of her.

It was time to have a talk with Makarov.

By the time Cana arrived at the guild hall, she was beginning to regret her choice of open-toed sandals in December, among other things. Her nose was running like a faucet, she was pretty sure every inch of her skin had turned into one giant goosebump, and all she wanted was a mug of mulled wine and a seat by one of the heat lacrimas Kinana was setting up around the room to ward off the cold.

A glance around drew Cana's eyes to Erza, who was standing at Gray and Lucy's table, but there was no sign of Mira anywhere in the hall. Not that Cana was looking for her specifically. She had bigger fish to fry.

Or smaller, depending on how you looked at it, actually.

Trying to avoid notice, which she was pretty sure her chattering teeth made more difficult, Cana slid around the perimeter of the room and edged up the stairs to the second floor. Makarov's office door was partway open, and Cana peeked around the edge warily.

The office was in its usual state of mild disarray. Makarov was a little lackadaisical about his housekeeping, and there were three half-empty mugs (two beer and one coffee) on the desk. A precariously-balanced stack of manilla folders leaned up against the row of wood-paneled filing cabinets— probably files he used too often to see the value in putting them away when he was done with them. He was like that, sometimes.

The tiny Master of Fairy Tail himself was perched in his desk chair, atop a stack of three or four padded cushions that allowed him to sit normally. He had a copy of Sorcerer's Weekly open on the desk in front of him, which he attempted to fling out the window when Cana cleared her throat and caught his attention.

"Ogling the pretty girls again, Master?" Cana asked, trying to muster up some approximation of her usual good humor.

"I— ah—"

She couldn't help but laugh, though it was half-hearted. "I understand. I've heard this week's centerfold spread is a real doozy."

"Yes, ah, well—" Makarov huffed awkwardly into his mustache, and cleared his throat loudly. "In any case, Cana, you haven't submitted your partner's name to Mira yet, have you?"

Cana sighed, what little good humor she had found in Makarov's flustering evaporating, and she pulled the door shut behind her. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Master."

"Is everything alright?" he asked, gruff demeanor softening slightly as he studied her face.

"Actually, I think I'm coming down with a cold," she said impulsively. "I'd better not participate in the trial this year; wouldn't want to pass it on to anybody else, after all."

One silver eyebrow raised. Makarov was quite plainly, judging by his expression, not buying it. "Cana?" he prompted, giving her a pointed look.

Her shoulders slumped. "Look, Master… I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I appreciate you being so nice to me and giving me so many chances to prove myself, but I can't keep doing this to myself."

Makarov looked utterly baffled. "Cana, what are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath— this was it, this was what thirteen years of her life had amounted to. For years she'd been saying it to Mirajane, to Gray, to Loke, to Bisca, but she'd always kept her mouth shut around Makarov. Too scared to take the plunge, probably. Damn coward. But it was finally too much, and it was time to do what she should've done years ago.

"I'm leaving the guild," she said.

The old man's jaw dropped. "L-Leaving? But Cana… child… you're family!"

That was almost chuckle-worthy. Almost. "Yes and no," she muttered. Then, in a louder voice, she continued, "I appreciate that, Master, but the fact is that the reasons I came to Fairy Tail in the first place just aren't…"

She couldn't quite bring herself to hurt the old man's feelings and say it wasn't worth it anymore, but it was what she was thinking. She shook her head helplessly, words failing her.

Makarov was frowning, expression deeply concerned. "But where will you go? What do you plan to do?"

It was a question Cana had asked herself several times over the last three or four years, but she'd ever really come to a satisfactory answer. The current answer was probably something like 'pass out in a gutter and become a hobo,' but she didn't think that would help her case very much at the moment.

"I've heard there's decent money in recharging lacrimas," she said offhandedly, and it was actually more or less true. Mages who chose to go into magical trades rather than pursuing a career as a wizard didn't stand to make nearly as much money at the top of the field, but the income was usually steadier and the mortality rate far lower, which was a fair trade for some.

Makarov frowned. "I can't stop you, of course, but I caution you to consider whether this is really what you want."

"Trust me, Master, I've thought about it. I've thought about it for a really long time," she assured him.

"Well, think about it some more," he said firmly, standing up on his chair so that his entire torso was actually visible over the top of the desk. "We should all return from Tenrou Island by the twentieth at the latest, barring any weather issues while we're traveling. If you're serious about not participating in this year's exam, then I want you to take that time to reflect. Take a job or two with some friends, spend time with everyone, try and talk that lazy bum Nab into actually picking a request… and when we return, if you're still determined—" He sighed, leaning forward so that his palms were braced on the desk, avoiding her eyes as he gazed at the polished wood. "If you're still determined to leave, I will accept your resignation."

Cana crossed her arms, irresolute. That wasn't what she'd planned. A clean break, that's what she wanted, not two weeks of limbo. "I…"

"Cana." Makarov let out a heavy sigh, looking up at her again with a steely gaze, at odds with how tired his voice sounded when he spoke. "You are one of the children this guild has raised. I know I haven't been the best… the best father to you all, but I don't want to see any more of my children leave if it isn't what's truly best for them. Whatever is weighing on your heart— you don't need to tell me if you don't want to, it's all right— I don't want you to regret a rash choice."

And just like that, Cana felt as if the tall, blond specter of someone dear to them both was in the room with them. Of course.

Well, how was she supposed to just go when he put it like that?

"Alright," she said, uncrossing her arms as her posture sagged. "I'll stick around for another couple weeks. But I'm not putting myself through the exams again."

Makarov gave her a searching look. "There's no shame in failure, Cana."

"There is if you don't learn anything from it," she replied. "I'm not cut out for S-Class, old man, so let's stop pretending otherwise."

"I think we'll have to disagree on that, but if you don't want to compete… well, it's ultimately your decision."

She nodded. "Thanks, Master."

Sitting back down on his wobbly stack of cushions with a huff, Makarov said, "Now get out of here. I've got to figure out how to redesign this damned trial with seven teams instead of eight."

Cana snorted, long years of experience letting her know that his gruff attitude was far more bark than bite. "Sure, Master." She turned to leave, but with her hand on the doorknob, she paused. "Hey, where's Gildarts going, anyway?"

"Hah? Oh, he's off to Tenrou. He, Erza, and Mira are going on ahead to set up in preparation for the trials."

"Oh. So Mira's gone, too?" she asked. She supposed that was all the more reason to stay with the guild at least until the group came back- quitting without apologizing to Mira would feel wrong.

"Not yet," Makarov replied. "She just left to go pack a few minutes before you came in."

Cana nodded. "Guess I'd better go see if I can track her down, then."

"Yes, yes, go on, get out of here."

Cana went, with the familiar sound of Makarov's good-natured grumbling following her out of the room.

One week later…

Lucy would say that she was surprised to find Happy and Natsu crashed out in her bed again the night before they were set to leave for Hargeon, but it'd be a bald faced lie. Though the routine was irritating, it was nice to be able to see them before they left. After all, she'd barely seen them this week, busy as they were with training and preparations for the trials. With much prodding (and a little screaming) she managed to get the three of them out the door and moving towards the train station. Or rather, the four of them, as Lucy had summoned Plue so he could enjoy the sunny December day too.

It'd mostly been luck that led them to find Gray, Wendy, and Mest meandering towards the train station. Well, luck and Plue's nose.

They caught up to them and fell into step next to Gray and Wendy. Mest, on the other hand, couldn't seem to keep even with them so easily, constantly distracted by the goings on around him and ending up several paces behind or ahead of their little group at all times.

Lucy wasn't really sure what to think of Mest. She'd only met him the day the exams were announced, which surprised her, because after Gildarts' dramatic return, she'd thought she was at least passingly familiar with all the members of Fairy Tail, but it seemed she was mistaken. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though. Bit of an oddball, with his insatiable curiosity leading him to behave a little… irregularly, but compared to some of her other friends...

She glanced over to where Natsu and Gray were walking side-by-side, glaring daggers at each other. It hadn't taken them long to start bickering over who had trained harder and trading smack talk regarding the trials. Some things never change, she thought with a fond roll of her eyes.

That said, Lucy tuned them out once it devolved into name calling and elbowing, falling behind them with Wendy.

Charla, Lucy noted, was nowhere to be seen, and by the way Wendy kept searching the crowds around them, she was feeling her Exceed's absence acutely. It had been no secret to anyone over the last week that Charla disapproved of Wendy's decision, and apparently the white cat was still put out with her girl. It was a shame, but Lucy was convinced that they'd manage to patch things up after Wendy came back. As she watched the little girl, she saw Wendy shake her head and seem to draw herself in, squaring her shoulders under her jacket.

"You were in the exam two years ago, right, Mr. Mest?" she asked, picking up her pace to keep up with her long-legged partner.

Mest nodded. "I have to confess, I didn't do so well that year. But considering I was up against the Demon Mirajane, I suppose that's not so bad."

Lucy shuddered at the idea of having to go up against Mira in a fight; she definitely didn't envy this year's candidates that!

"Miss Mirajane is really strong," Wendy mused. Her sweet little face fell into a worried frown. "I hope we don't have to fight her. I don't think I would do very well against her or Erza."

Mest shook his head, smiling warmly. "I think you're stronger than you know. Together, we'll do just fine against any opponent we come up against!"

Lucy's heart lifted to hear him say that. She'd been a little worried about Wendy being a part of the trials— her self-confidence was below average on a good day— but hearing Mest speaking to her so encouragingly made her feel much more positively about the whole thing. She tried to catch his eye over Wendy's head, and once she finally met his striking teal eyes, she gave him an appreciative smile. He inclined his head slightly in her direction, his own smile broadening in response.

She should have known the peaceable moment wouldn't last long.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu exclaimed suddenly, whipping around to face them, walking backwards with a beaming smile and fists raised. "You wanna go, Gryder?"

"Save it for the trials, dumbass," Gray muttered, and Natsu immediately whipped around to challenge him instead.

"Are they always like this?" Mest asked.

Lucy shrugged. "For the better part of the last decade, to hear Lisanna tell it."

Mest snorted and Gray glared at her, but they had reached the ticket office, and Gray turned away to buy his train ticket, while Mest tried to persuade Wendy to let him pay for both of them, leaving Lucy with Natsu and Happy's undivided attention once again.

"I have to say, Natsu, I'm surprised you're taking the train," Lucy remarked.

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, Happy and I are flying to Hargeon," he said firmly, turning to glare at the nearest engine over his shoulder. Then he looked back at Lucy and gave her a bright smile. "But I wanted to walk at least this far with you guys, since you were going to come and see everybody else off anyway!"

Lucy smiled. It was things like that that made her forgive Natsu for constantly invading her home— she was certain that in some way, he was just as lonely as she had been for so many years. She could put up with some discomfort to help him, if that was what he needed.

"Anyway, where's Loke?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, Lucy, are you gonna summon him before we leave?" Happy asked, toddling over to stand at Lucy's feet.

She shook her head. "Mm-mm. Loke is going to open his own gate once you guys are on the ship. Since it's way more tiring for him to hold open his own gate than it would be to have me do it, he won't come out until you're all close to the island so he can conserve his energy."

Natsu tilted his head to the side, brow furrowed as his lips jutted out into a confused pout. "Well, I don't really get it, but as long as he's ready for me to kick both his and Gray's butts into oblivion, I guess it's okay!"

She laughed. Typical Natsu…

"So Lucy, what're you going to do while we're on Tenrou?" Gray asked. He'd finished purchasing his ticket and rejoined the circle. Wendy and Mest weren't far behind. Well... Wendy wasn't far behind. Mest had gotten sidetracked and was tapping the welds on one of the steel support struts holding the roof up.

"I'm not sure yet," Lucy sighed. "I think I'll get some research done. I found a few interesting books about the history of celest—"

"That's boring!" Natsu interrupted. "Come on, Lucy, why don't you take a job while we're gone. Then you'll have some good stories to tell after we all get back!"

Lucy glared at him. "It's plenty interesting to me," she huffed. "If I want to improve as a celestial spirit mage, I have to do my best to to learn more!"

"Why d'you need to do that?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. "How's some old book gonna help you get stronger?"

Lucy was about to make a tart reply when Gray interrupted, "Ignore this bozo, Lucy. Don't you know by now that if Natsu ever opened a book, he'd drop dead?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu barked, while Lucy laughed. "You tryin' to call me stupid or something?"

"Not just trying, Flame Brain," Gray said dryly.

"Guys, please don't fight again," Wendy said, looking distressed. Lucy reached out and patted her on the shoulder sympathetically— Wendy still wasn't used to how Gray and Natsu could be.

Mest, for his part, had finally satisfied his craving for knowledge and rejoined the group, tickets in hand. "Are you quite done?" he asked dryly.

Natsu and Gray ignored him, still too focused on tossing insults back and forth to pay him any mind; Happy munched cheerfully on a bit of cod he'd pulled from his backpack. Lucy sighed heavily, shaking her head. "If it makes you feel any better, this won't happen on the ship," she informed him. "Natsu will be too seasick to function, so he and Gray will probably leave each other alone for the most part."

"Good to hear," Mest droned, one corner of his lips tilting upwards in a lopsided smile. Then he gave her a deeper look, expression thoughtful. "Lucy… you are Lucy Heartfilia, aren't you? The daughter of the railroad tycoon?"

Lucy cringed internally. "Technically yes," she said.

"Your father's an interesting man," he remarked. "And a dangerous one."

"I prefer not to think about him when I can help it," Lucy replied frankly.

Mest nodded. "Understandable. That whole business with Phantom Lord was… I mean, I was, er, out of town on a long job when Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord clashed, but the aftermath was quite a mess."

"Yes, it was," she agreed, trying not to grit her teeth. It was a disaster she was still trying to put behind her.

"What are you talking about?" Wendy asked curiously. "Phantom Lord was Gajeel and Miss Juvia's old guild, right?"

The tension dissipated somewhat at her innocent question, as Lucy remembered that the subject of the Phantom attack had been mostly avoided with Wendy after her arrival at the guild.

Lucy nodded. "Yep, that's right."

"Is that why people don't like Gajeel much?" she asked.

Of course Wendy would have picked up on Gajeel's general unpopularity; Lucy wasn't sure why she had expected otherwise, because Wendy was quite perceptive. "It's kind of a long story, Wendy. Why don't you—" She almost told the little dragon slayer to ask Levy on the ship, but after a second's reconsideration, decided that that might not be the best thing to bring up right before Levy and Gajeel had to work together for the S-Class exam. She changed direction: "—come over to my apartment after you guys get back from the island? We can have lunch and I can tell you about it." She would have to figure out how to explain the whole thing in a way that wouldn't destroy her entire perception of Gajeel, with whom Wendy had a surprisingly good relationship. Good thing she had a whole week to think on it!

"That sounds wonderful!" Wendy said happily, beaming.

"Sorry to interrupt," Happy said suddenly, causing all three of them to glance down to their feet where he stood between them, "but isn't your train going to leave soon, Wendy?"

Mest and Wendy both looked up in confusion, he glancing at the clock and she at the steam engine. They let out simultaneous yelps of alarm and immediately whipped around.

"Gray!" Wendy exclaimed. "We have to go!"

"Huh?" Gray looked up from where he and Natsu were wrestling around on the floor, as the two of them froze at the sound of her voice. Gray had a handful of Natsu's hair and had lost his shirt, while Natsu's pants were ripped and he was gnawing on Gray's wrist; at this point, Lucy was so used to their antics that it really was comical.

"The train is leaving," Mest said flatly, pointing at the line of uniformed conductors who were busily shutting all the car doors.

Gray swore under his breath and grabbed his shirt from where it had been flung across the platform floor, scrambling to his feet as he yanked it back over his head. Then, with a flurry of goodbyes and a quick hug from Wendy, the trio were boarding, leaving Lucy, Natsu, and Happy standing on the platform.

"We'll finish this in the exam!" Gray shouted, hanging out the window to speak to Natsu.

"The exam? Psh, I'll race you to Hargeon, you're not even worth my time in the exam!" Natsu retorted.

"You're gonna race a train?" Gray sneered. "As if!"

"Just watch me! I'll even give you a five minute head start and I'll still kick your ass!"

"Uh, technically it will be me racing the train, Natsu," Happy pointed out, though only Lucy seemed to pay him any mind.

As the train started to pull out of the station, Lucy jogged along beside their car to the end of the platform, waving. "Bye Wendy! Bye Gray! Bye Mest! Stay safe, you guys!" she called, and heard their fading voices call farewells in return.

Then she turned, and it was just her and Natsu and Happy. The little cat popped the last bit of his fish in his mouth, while Lucy faced Natsu.

"You're not really going to try to race the train, are you?" she asked.

"Sure I am," he said, "So long as Happy's up for it. You're up for it, right, Happy?"

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed, raising tiny little fisted paws into the air enthusiastically.

"Aye sir!" Natsu echoed, throwing his arms up as well, while Lucy giggled at their antics.

Natsu lowered one hand to shade his eyes from the early morning sun, staring down the tracks at the disappearing train. "It's been five minutes, right? We'd better go, Happy!"

"Um, it hasn't even been one minute," Lucy muttered, but Happy had already leapt from the floor to sink his claws into Natsu's vest.

Natsu turned to face her fully, Happy peering over his shoulder, and out of nowhere, Lucy was seized by a sudden irrational desire to hug him. She couldn't say what it was, but she suddenly felt very uneasy, swamped by an inexplicable feeling of... abandonment? Was that what it was?

"You'll take care of yourself, right?" she asked earnestly.

He grinned. "'Course I will! When have I ever not?"

"I could list so many times," she said under her breath.

"Ah, come on, Luce," he said jovially. "It's just S-Class exams! I'm gonna kick Gray's ass and then I'm gonna fight Erza and Gildarts and then I'm gonna become S-Class and when I get home you and me can go on all kinds of new adventures!"

She smiled through her disquiet. "That sounds like a lot of fun," she said.

"Now let's go!" Happy exclaimed, wings bursting into existence in a shower of glitter and a soft chiming noise. "See you when we get back, Lushy!" he said, giving her his broadest little feline smirk.

Lucy grinned back, because it was hard to hold onto ominous feelings when Happy smiled at you. "See you, soon," she replied.

"Max speed!" Happy exclaimed. He flapped once, hard, and he and Natsu rose into the air with a burst of wind, soaring away after the train.

For a moment, Lucy almost left it at that. Then, on the impulse of a moment, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled after them, "GOOD LUCK, NATSU!"

Natsu turned to look over his shoulder, raising one hand to acknowledge her, before he turned to face into the wind, he and Happy chasing the train down the rails in the direction of the far-off coastline.

Lucy and Plue stood there watching the train pull from sight and Natsu and Happy disappearing into the blue, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She did believe what she told them. She did. Her friends were strong and good at what they do, so of course they'd be fine. Right?

But no matter how she tried to reason her way past it, the uncomfortable emotions welling up in the wake of being left behind sat firmly in her heart.

Though Plue did his best to lift her spirits, the walk back to the guild hall seemed to take forever. Lucy didn't know what she expected when she walked in that morning, but she couldn't recall a time when the hall felt so empty. Or quiet for that matter.

Jet and Droy were moping at Shadow Gear's usual table. They'd been quite sore about the fact that Levy took Gajeel, of all people, for her partner. Given their history with him, she could understand why they didn't quite trust him. At Levy's behest, she'd attempted to reassure them that yes, Levy did know what she's doing and yes, Gajeel was more reliable than they thought he was. Granted she was only somewhat successful but at least they stopped tailing the iron giant everywhere he went. Now, they sat around looking a lot like a pair of house cats under the impression that they'd been abandoned.

Kinana rushed back and forth behind the bar, doing her best to keep up with orders despite the fact that there was not even half the usual crowd here at the hall. To be fair, serving here could be a bit nuts. Kinana was relatively new to the whole barkeeping gig, having only been hired recently to take some of the load off of Mirajane. It'd take some time before she could take care of the whole operation with the same ease that Mira did.

She'd have to offer her some help once people started filtering back in from the jobs they'd scattered off to after the S-Class announcements, Lucy decided before continuing her survey of the usually bustling guild hall.

Alzack, Bisca, Joey, Vijeeter, Wan, and Warren were all part of the group that had taken missions, the excitement of the S-Class selections long since over. Granted, there was still an air of anticipation that lingered. After all, who would be their new S-Class wizard? From the sounds of things, only one was allowed to be granted the title annually. Knowing the Master's style when it came to such things, it made sense that there could only be one. To Lucy's thinking, it still felt a little odd, limiting it like that. But what did she know, anyway? She'd barely started to study magic properly after running away from home, so she supposed she just didn't know enough about guild management to understand.

Lucy shrugged the thought off and took a seat near Reedus, while Plue quickly wormed his way up into her lap. A quick glance at the painter's easel revealed a bunch of different objects and a few of the people sitting around rather than a particular scene. He looked up at her and smiled, humming a greeting to her before going back to his work. Before she moved on in her observations, she caught sight of an orange tipped nose and the curve of blonde bangs on the canvas.

Smiling, she took note of her other guildmates one by one, the wriggling sensation of something wrong finally dissipating in the familiar warmth of the hall.

Nab was waffling between the jobs board and wandering over to talk to Laki who was busy tinkering with some project or another. From this distance, Lucy couldn't figure out what it was for, but considering it was Laki, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

Mickey Chickentiger was sulking with her team, obviously irritated with the quiet, slower pace. Or maybe it the fact that she hadn't been selected for the trials? She was one of those who had been gunning hard for it this year, so it wasn't surprising that she would be more restless than usual after having missed out. Given Mickey's pugnacious attitude, Lucy half worried that she might instigate something just for the sake of something to do were it not for the fact that the typical brawlers of the guild were gone. To Lucy's relief, it didn't take long before she had enough of her own fidgeting and left to find something to do with the rest of her team.

Chico was napping in a booth seeing as how her usual companions, Joey and Wan, were gone on business. Her spirits drifted about her head, popping in and out of view.

A table over, Macao and Wakaba were deep in speculation as to who might come out on top in the trials, laughing over some of the more ridiculous tests they tossed back and forth that the master might've cooked up for this year's candidates.

"It's bound to be a year nobody will forget for a long time," Wakaba chuckled, taking a drag from his pipe. He leaned back and puffed a ring of smoke towards the ceiling. "What do you think Lucy? Who do you think's gonna get it?"

Lucy chuckled nervously, "I don't know. I don't think I should pick between my friends."

"Oh come on, no one? You see Natsu and Gray in action all the time, you've gotta have a have an opinion one way or another," he wheedled, obviously on the hunt for some juicy detail. Between his teasing tone and mildly suggestive grin, Lucy had a feeling that he was asking about more than just who between the two might ascend to S-Class.

Oh, well that wouldn't do at all. She looked up in mock thought then smiled back at Wakaba, "Sure I do… Levy, hands down."

Obviously disappointed, Wakaba shook his head and huffed, "That's no fun."

Macao snorted into his pint and said, "Well you did ask, Wakaba. You can be just as bad as Mira with your pestering. Leave the kids be, yeah? This ain't one of your soa-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," Wakaba lunged across the table at Macao, flailing his arms. "Okay I get it man, just, ah, ease up."

Lucy couldn't hold back her laughter after Macao winked her way. Reedus was only marginally more polite and refrained from doing more than coughing into the back of his hand.

Wakaba's affection for soap operas on the radio was one of those common knowledge secrets of the guild. According to Macao, it wasn't as embarrassing as it once was for him but it was still not something he wanted broadcasted to the younger wizards.

What a shame that Lucy found out about it within a few months of her arrival. It had been sort of hard to ignore Wakaba and Laki very loudly talking about the latest episodes of The Bold and the Magical when damn near everyone but a scant few were absolutely shnockered.

New movement at the barside drew Lucy's attention from the conversation. She was vaguely aware of the two older wizards veering off on another subject, but she paid it no mind. On any other day, the sight that had caught her attention would not be odd in the slightest. However, very little was normal today and this certainly should not have been either: seated at the bar was one Cana Alberona, nursing a beer.

What was she doing here? When Lucy hadn't spotted her or her partner at the train station, she'd assumed that they'd already left like most of the others.

Come to think of it, had Cana ever found a partner to begin with? Wracking her brains, Lucy couldn't recall any sort of news on that front. Every other candidate had their partners lined up almost immediately, and in the chaos of excitement, she'd assumed that Cana was all set, too.

Why was she still here? The ship was scheduled to leave from Hargeon's port soon. If she didn't leave now—

Then it hit her. Just who would go with Cana as a partner? Who was left who even could? For a moment, she thought about going up and offering to do it herself but… from the look on Cana's face, doing so would probably kick up more problems than it'd help. Besides, if Cana'd wanted her as her partner, she would have approached her herself earlier this week.

It didn't help that Cana looked like absolute hell. Lucy had never seen her so off. To the casual observer, she might have looked relatively normal, but the dejected curve to her shoulders and dull eyes told a very different story.

Swallowing her guilt, Lucy sat back in her seat. She honestly had no idea what to do. Plans came and went, but none felt right. She knew Cana, but she didn't know her and had no clue how she'd react to her interference. For now, she'd just have to keep an eye on her.

Author's Note part 2- Special shout out as well to our reviewers Miss Dany and FoxOnPie. Thank you both for taking the time to leave feedback, it means the world to us!