Hey, I'm back with an all-new chapter of FaC (now renamed Fairies and Arrows)! Sorry it took longer than I said it would. Darn OoFuri. I also blame Hunter x Hunter.
I apologize for generally being unmotivated to work on this, at all, whatsoever. Been busy, yes, but also not in a typing mood. Writer's block is a huge help, by the way, isn't it?
So, kinda disappointed with the number of reviews: zero. Razz the Saiyan Girl told me via PM that she liked it, but the rest of you, pleeease, say something about the story. Good, bad, I really don't care. But it just kills an author to not get at least a little feedback. So, thank you, Razz. :) But I guess the views were alright, so I guess I don't have much right to rant. But please, could you take ten seconds out of your life to make a girl's day?
Right now, I have read up to chapter 381. SPOILER ALERT! Minerva officially looks even stupider than before. The sequel to the Fairy Tail anime is out now as Fairy Tail 2014, and, if you speak Japanese better than I do (Anoo, watashi wa nihongo o amari jouzu hanashimasen. :p), then you can catch up on the anime. But manga is the way to go. Definitely.
Disclaimer: Love the manga. Love the anime. Love Natsu... No, nothing. But I don't own any of these things. I wish I owned Natsu. I mean, uh... 0_0 Just ignore me.
Chapter 2: Oh, the Plots!
One hour.
One more hour until the beginning of the S-Rank Exam. And boy, was Fairy Tail pumped! Everyone was yelling, betting, taunting, strategizing, stripping... Someone was running on the ceiling. We're not gonna question that.
"All right, so here's what we're gonna do," Natsu whispered, telling Lucy and Wendy- Team 'Natsu Is Awesome,' as they of course were pretty much forced to call themselves- of his brilliant plan, "Whatever the challenge is, we're gonna go in there, AND KICK EVERYONE'S ASSES!"
"Um, I don't think that's necessary," Wendy said.
"And that's your answer to everything, Natsu," Lucy added, a little annoyed.
The Dragon Slayer crossed his arms. "You guys're so boring. Everyone knows that you don't deserve to be S-Rank if you can't beat everyone else up."
"Fine, you be the muscle," Lucy replied exasperatedly. "Then Wendy can be support, and the brains will be moi."
"I didn't know you had a 'brains', Lucy!" Natsu said, grinning.
"UGH YOU LITTLE...!"
Meanwhile, Team 'Gruvia And Freed' were making plans of their own.
"Juvia thinks that she and Gray-sama should ambush Team Natsu and capture Lucy," Juvia said, hooking an arm around a resistant Gray. "Then, their numbers will be few, and we can be victorious."
"And where am I in this plan, Juvia?" Freed inquired.
"Of course Freed can be backup, if we need it."
"Interesting..."
"FREED, YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY BE AGREEING TO THIS!"
Team 'Shadow Gear II' had another, similar approach in mind.
"Leave Natsu to me," Gajeel said, arms crossed as usual. "I'll take him on, and not only will it increase our winning chances, but I get to have fun doing it."
"But what if it isn't that kind of challenge?" Levy asked. "Maybe it'll be a race, or even a scavenger hunt."
"A scavenger hunt," Gajeel muttered. "Seriously?!"
"We can't rule it out," Lily said. "But it's impossible to make a real plan until we know for certain what kind of challenge it is."
"True," said Levy.
"Well, whatever happens, Fire Breath's mine," Gajeel stated firmly. Lily and Levy agreed wholeheartedly.
And the other team, 'Gorgon Manhood,' was coming up with another scheme altogether. Well, actually, they were having a bit of trouble coming to an agreement.
"Charge like a man! WOOOT! I am READY FOR THIS!"
"You moron!" Eva shouted. "You should know that charging in blind is pointless! You'd get killed in a real battle!"
"He's lasted this long, Eva," Happy countered.
"Oh, shut up, you stupid cat! This is even assuming it'll be a battle!"
"Of course it'll be a battle!" Elfman cried out. "Fairies are MEN! WE MUST FIGHT TO THE END! GAAARRR!"
"Aye!"
"You're all so annoying!"
All too soon, the final hour was over, and it was time to head to Grandine's Floating Island.
"Okay, are all of the participants here?" Makarov called out. No one said otherwise. "Good. Now, children, follow me outside and onto the airship, and we'll get going."
Natsu and Gajeel had to be dragged outside, but all four teams managed to board onto the ship. Before taking off, however, Makarov turned for a last few words. "Don't you all worry. You'll get to watch the fight using the Lacrima-vision. Oh, and Erza?"
Said mage had just finished loading supplies onto the airship. "Yes, Makarov?"
"I think it'd be better if you came with us. It would be smart to have an S-Rank mage with us."
"Okay. Just let me pack my things."
Due to Erza's entire wardrobe being practically ripped out of the wall, along with rations to last at least two months (yes, these also came from the wall), it was another forty-five minutes before the airship was able to take off, and a small figure disappeared into shadow.
Fidus, a young man, still practically a boy, scampered into Dolus's private chamber. He bore a piece of paper with writing on it.
"Did you do what I asked of you, Fidus?" Dolus asked.
"Yeah, I did," he replied. He then read the paper, as he tended to forget things and needed to write them down. "Um, the airship Fairy Tail is using isn't going to another country, or even another town, as we first thought."
"Is that so?" Intriguing.
"Y-Yes. Um, they're going to this one place, called... um... Grandine's Floating Island."
This piqued Dolus's interest. "A floating island? And did you say Grandine?"
Startled by the woman's change in tone, Fidus took a minute to reply. "U-Um, yeah, I-I said Grandine. Why?"
"Because," Dolus said sweetly, leaning in close. "Grandine is a dragon, and one of the most powerful there is."
"Ah! A d-d-dragon?!"
"Did I stutter?"
"Um, no, ma'am."
"Good." Dolus straightened and looked out through her window. "I simply wonder why Fairy Tail would pick such a place to hold their exam. It might be better to send some of my men out there to make sure they aren't causing any trouble."
"B-But I thought you said to leave them be for now..."
Dolus whipped around to face her young messenger. "Are you questioning me, boy?"
"N-N-No, ma'am."
"Then do as I said and send my men to that floating island!" Fidus was out the door and gone before she could finish her command.
"Arrghh, are we there yet...?" Natsu grumbled, laying on the floor of the airship. "I don't even know what day it is any more... burp... You guys tryin' to kill me...?"
"Don't worry, Natsu," Lucy replied, awkwardly rubbing his back in an attempt to relieve him of his motion sickness. "We should be getting there any minute now." The celestial mage clasped her hands together, and her eyes shone. "I bet the place is going to be beautiful! The weather will be nice, and I can work on my tan, and, and..." She went off on this tangent for a while.
"Oh, barf," Happy muttered.
"Natsu, how about you shut up?" Gray called out from his seat, shirtless as usual and completely ignoring the fact that Natsu was no longer talking.
"Sh-Shut up... bleghh... Ice Cube... hurk!..."
"Can't do much from there, can you, Flame Puke?"
"Do those two ever stop arguing...?" Lucy asked herself, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
"You should seriously stop asking yourself questions like that, Lucy," Happy said.
"Quiet, Happy."
After a few minutes, Erza stepped in to say, "Master says we will be landing in ten seconds, so brace yourselves for impact."
"WHAT?!"
BOOM!
As the ship made harsh contact with the floating island, all four teams bounced and crashed and collided with each other and the furniture inside with them. At some point, Natsu had turned green. Fortunately, the ship had stopped rocking before he could really get sick. Unfortunately, Gray happened to be underneath him when it finally did happen.
"Arrgh!"
"We're here," reported an unfazed Erza.
"You could have done a softer landing!" Lucy complained.
"That could have gone smoother." Freed agreed.
"Let's do that again!" Elfman shouted.
"Aye!" Happy yelled.
"Idiots..." muttered Gray, taking off his pants and using them to clean himself of Natsu's... little present. "Can't those two see I'm in agony over here?" Someone threw a shirt and pants at his face, much to the ever-fangirling Juvia's annoyance.
"Well, c'mon, everyone!" Natsu called out, already recovered from the long trip. "The friggin' Exam's about to start! I am NOT gonna miss this!" The Dragon Slayer then dashed out of the airship, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
"I wish I could be as energetic as him," Lucy muttered, slowly following him.
"Aye," Happy agreed, tagging alongside.
"HEY, YOU'RE NOT ON THIS TEAM!"
"So mean, Lucy..."
Wendy just followed quietly, deciding that this wasn't her place to make a comment.
"Hey, he's gettin' away!" Gejeel yelled, grabbing a flustered Levy by the waist. "C'mon, guys! Don't let him escape!" So Gajeel (with Levy) and Lily were hot on Natsu's trail.
"Let's go, Gray-sama!" Juvia yelled, clinging tightly to her victim- er, teammate.
"Let go of me first!" was all Gray could get out before being dragged away to who-knows-where. Freed just sighed and tried to catch up.
"Damn, they're ahead!" Elfman grunted. "We gotta catch up! WAIT FOR US, HAPPY!" The Take Over mage took off full speed after the rest of the participating guild.
"Idiots, every last one of them," Eva muttered, adjusting her glasses as she calmly left the airship.
Now the only one in the room was a slightly bristling Erza.
"No one stuck around for the instructions..."
Thankfully for the participating guild members (except those in the back who were unable to escape Erza's wrath), Makarov was already outside to give the instructions, and the entire guild skidded to a halt to avoid slamming into their Master.
"It appears as if everyone here is alive and kicking," he commented, particularly looking at Natsu, who was practically trembling with excitement despite the recent trip.
"Now all of you, listen carefully," he continued. "There are many rules that apply in this particular exam, and once I have gone over them, I will not repeat them." His eyes scanned the small crowd, making sure he had everyone's attention. "The exam is simple, really. Each group will enter this forest," he said, gesturing behind him to the thin forest not thirty feet behind him. "and search for the stone tablets I hid throughout the forest."
"That didn't take vary long, did it," Lucy muttered, ever the one to notice the tiniest flaws in the plot.
"Once you find those tablets, you are to bring them back here. But," Makarov's gaze suddenly intensified. "No more than half of you will be passing this exam." Any muttering among the fairies was immediately silenced.
Is there not enough artifacts for everyone? Levy thought to herself. He never specified how many there were. Or is it some obstacle? It could be any number of things, so we have to be careful.
"Stealing tablets from other groups is allowed, but you may not have any more than one at one time," The Master went on. "As long as at least two of your group members are able to move or carry the stone, your group is safe. Keep in mind that being able to move is not necessarily the same as being able to fight. You are bound to fight enemies here, or even each other. Regardless of having two members who can still move, or even if all of you can, if all members of the group are unable to fight, the entire group is disqualified fro the exam. If one member is unable to move, then that person is disqualified, but the rest may move on. Was any of that unclear?" The entire group stayed silent, although Natsu had a dazed look on his face, but soon his brain caught up with the information and he nodded. "Good."
So this means we have to all support each other, Wendy thought. We can't afford to leave any members of our group behind, or we might not all make it as S-Rank mages. So... I'll be strong, for Natsu and for Lucy!
"Erza will be patrolling the forest and keeping an eye on all you children," Makarov said. "Attacking her or otherwise interfering with her duty will result in instant disqualification of your entire team, so don't screw it up for everyone else!" The fairies nodded vigorously, wishing to incur either Makarov's nor Erza's wrath. "And finally the obvious rules: No killing, no maiming, no injuring your own teammates, yadda yadda yadda." The Master grinned. "Well, now that all that's out of the way, the S-Rank Exam may now... begin!"
With a loud whoop and lots of excited shouting, Fairy Tail split up and ran into the forest of Grandine's Floating Island.
Whew! I finally got this done! It's about time, right? Well, I'm pretty sure the boring part's over now, so hopefully the fic will start getting updated faster. If anyone has anything to say, I might just update a little faster, wink wink. ;) So, I hope to get some good criticism, and maybe some flames, too. Natsu's kinda hungry, you see. Anyway, I'll be seeing you in the next chapter of Fairies and Arrows!