Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
WARNING: From the beginning of this chapter on THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. This story will be jumping into the Fairy Tail storyline beginning at the start of the Tenrou Island arc. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 29
Nikolias sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean while supporting his weight with his arms and stretching his legs out in front of him. He was smiling with his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of the warm sea air brushing against his skin. He was wearing his forest green baggy pants and tight black shirt, so he could feel the breeze all over his body. He inhaled deeply, the smell of the ocean filling his nose. He had always found the water to be relaxing.
"There you are," Mira said as she walked up to him and sat beside him. "I was looking for you everywhere. What have you been doing?"
"Just sitting," he replied while falling back onto the soft grass. "I like it here. It's amazing."
She giggled. "I'm glad you like it."
He opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "That dress looks really great on you."
Mira blushed slightly as she examined herself. She was wearing a short pink dress because of the heat, so more of her fair skin was exposed. "You think so?"
"I really do."
"Thank you."
He patted the grass beside him. "Relax a while. They'll be here pretty soon."
She settled down next to him, snuggling into his side and resting her head in the crook of his neck. She felt his arm wrap around her back and hold her close. "Alright, you talked me into it. But only for a few minutes, okay? We need to be waiting at our designated paths before they arrive."
He shifted his head to look at her. "Damn, that's not a lot of time."
She met his gaze. "Time for what?" Nikolias then leaned in and captured her lips in a tender kiss. It was soft and gentle, yet still held so much passion that Mira couldn't help but sigh and softly moan as she deepened the kiss. She reached up and stroked his cheek with her hand as the kiss intensified. Mira had parted her lips and Nikolias quickly followed suit, allowing their tongues to meet and dance with each other.
Mira's mind started to get fuzzy as her desires began taking over. Her entire body was growing hotter and hotter by the second. She quickly readjusted herself without breaking the kiss so that she was lying on top of Nikolias.
Nikolias used this new position to his advantage, immediately resting one hand on the small of her back and stroking her upper back with the other hand. Occasionally, he would run his fingers through her silky white hair, the soft locks tingling his skin and exciting him even more than before.
Mira's hands felt restless, so she began to rub Nikolias' abs and pecs through his skin-tight shirt. The simple contact of his rigid muscles, even through the fabric of his clothes, was enough to create a heat in the pit of her stomach.
Both were breathing heavily as they continued their passionate kiss, only ever stopping to take in more oxygen. Even this act, though, was more of a reflex than anything else, for the two lovers were simply lost in each other. They had no awareness of anything around them, for all that mattered was being together. Just like this.
Nikolias continued to ravish Mira's mouth while grunts and growls of satisfaction escaped his throat. He could tell that the vibrations were exciting Mira, for every time he grunted or growled, she would release a deep moan into his mouth. While he was glad that she enjoyed it, he would be lying if he said that he did it for her. The only reason he was doing it was because the feeling of Mira's lips and her body pressed against his was driving him crazy. He was ecstatic. Everything about the white-haired Take-Over Mage was exciting him. He could feel his body tense up as he continued to hold her tight. His instincts were starting to take over and he knew that at any moment the dragon in him would look to take Mira as his mate right here and now.
And then Nikolias rolled them over, kissing Mira for another few seconds before pulling away. He looked down at her, her gorgeous blue eyes clouded and half closed. She was panting just as hard as he was while she looked at him with confusion.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked through pants.
He chuckled, but it came out breathy. "They'll be here soon and if I go too far now, I won't be able to resist you."
She blushed, but faked a pout. "I can't believe you got me so worked up just to leave it there. What a tease."
He gave her a grin before leaning down and kissing her one last time. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to kiss you."
She cupped his cheek. "Well I'm not complaining about that."
He stood and offered her his hand. "We should head to our routes. I would guess they'll be here shortly."
Mira accepted his hand and nodded. "Right. Let's go."
The two walked hand in hand towards their respective routes, both excited and disappointed about everything that had just transpired on the cliff overlooking the ocean.
The sun beat down on the ship of Fairy Tail as it made its way to Tenrou Island.
"It's so hot," Lucy complained. She was dressed in nothing but a pink and white bikini as she slouched in a chair on the deck of the ship. "What I wouldn't do for a popsicle right now."
"This heat is killing me," Happy moaned.
"Wasn't it snowing just yesterday?" Lucy asked. "How can it be this hot?"
Cana fanned her face. "It's hot here pretty much all the time because there's no wind."
Levy tried to act cheerful despite the heat. "Just think, Lucy; we'll be there soon."
"If I can last that long," Lucy groaned.
"We get it. It's hot. Can we talk about something else now?" Gajeel grumbled.
Lisanna was cooling herself off with a glass of liquid and noticed Juvia standing completely still and dressed in her usual heavy outfit. "Juvia, aren't you hot in that?"
Juvia kept her gaze fixed straight ahead. "Juvia is fine. However, the one thing that could get Juvia hot is the sight of a naked Gray!"
Sure enough, Juvia's gaze was transfixed on the form of Gray, completely naked while sitting on a chair.
"Man, I'm roasting here! It's a million degrees!" Gray complained.
"Oh, Gray-sama!" Juvia cooed. "What an amazing body!"
"Too bad he might as well be made of ice," Loke joked.
Natsu collapsed onto the railing of the ship, his body threatening to expel the contents of his stomach any second. "Man, this totally sucks! If only Wendy would use her awesome magic to get rid of my motion sickness."
"Can you blame her? You're technically enemies," Bickslow said.
Wendy was resting her head on a table, but gave Natsu an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Natsu. Just hang in there!"
Happy patted Natsu's back. "We'll be on land soon, Natsu. Don't worry."
Lucy looked at Natsu. "I'd offer to help you, Natsu, but you're too hot."
Natsu whimpered. "Man, I'm gonna die!"
Gracie laughed. "You guys are kinda weak, aren't ya?"
Lucy glared at her. "What, you're not uncomfortable?"
Sweat clung to Gracie's body, making her tank top and blonde hair stick to her skin, but otherwise, she was exactly the same as usual; energetic and smiling. "This heat is nothing!"
"Is that so?" Gray asked. "How is this nothing?"
Gracie winked. "I guess none of you have ever been out of Fiore, huh? 'Cuz there's a place out east that actually feels like you're walking through a volcano. Niky and I went there once to chase down a mark. Definitely an interesting place."
"Sounds pleasant," Lucy said sarcastically as she hung her head off the back of her chair. It was then that she noticed something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?"
Everyone turned to see that Lucy had spotted an island. They all walked closer to it to get a better look.
"Well I guess we made it," Gray said.
"It's so ugly. It's like an island on top of an island," Lucy said.
"I think it's a man!" Elfman cried.
"I can feel so much magic energy, even from here!" Wendy exclaimed.
"It's cool! So unlike anything I've ever seen," Gracie marveled.
"The legend says that this island was once populated by fairies," came Makarov's voice from the second deck of the ship. Everyone turned their attention away from the island and gathered around. "Now it is the sacred ground of Fairy Tail and the resting place of our first guild master, Mavis Vermillion."
Gray sweat-dropped at the sight of Makarov in a tropical and colorful shirt. "And you're going dressed like that?"
Makarov pulled out a fan. "Said the nudist to the stylish man. Now all of you shut up so that I can explain the first round of the Trials."
"There's multiple rounds?" Wendy asked.
Makarov ignored the comment and cleared his throat. "Now, do you all see that smoke on the shore? That will guide you to the beginning of the first round. When you arrive, you will see eight paths, one for each of the eight teams. Clear the path and you will advance to the second round." A magical screen suddenly appeared next to Makarov with a picture of eight paths and the S-Class members as well as labels. He gestured towards it. "As you can see here, each path will lead to a particular task. Here are the Combat routes." Makarov pointed to the routes that were labeled 'combat'. "Here, two teams will clash to find out who advances to the next round. There are four routes in all that will lead to a combat room, so it will be two fights consisting of two teams each. Those who do not choose a Combat route will be forced to take one of the Intense Combat routes. On these four Intense Combat routes, the team will have to go up against one of our elite members; Gildarts, Erza, Mirajane, or Nikolias." Makarov pumped his fist. "I hope that you're all ready, for your Trial begins right now!"
Everyone looked at Makarov as if he'd lost his mind.
"Um, Master?" Gracie asked. "How are they gonna start if we haven't reached land yet?"
Makarov didn't respond. He simply gave a small, evil laugh.
Natsu gathered his stuff as best he could while still feeling nauseous. "Come on, Happy! Let's get off this damn boat and get started!"
Happy summoned his wings and grabbed Natsu. "Aye!"
However, it was only a few moments before the two collided with an invisible force field made of runes.
Cana sighed. "An enchantment? Seriously?"
Gracie pointed ahead. "Hey look, there goes Freed and Bickslow! By Freed and Bickslow!"
"What the—," Lucy started, completely confused by how they got off the ship. "Did you do this, Freed?"
"Give it five more minutes," Freed called out from where he was flying off with Bickslow. "Then the runes will disengage."
Gray banged on the runic barrier. "This has gotta be against the rules. Right Gramps?"
Makarov fanned his face. "Chill out. This isn't a race."
"But if he gets to the island first, he'll get first pick of the routes," Gray said as he watched the two fly further away. "Plus, he could just cover the entire island with his runes and have us completely at his mercy before we even start."
Natsu banged furiously on the barrier while Happy continued to keep him airborne. "Come on! This is so not fair!"
Happy turned his head. "Hey Levy, can't you do something about the runes?"
Levy had already begun her work. "Oh yeah!" With a flick of her pen, the runes lifted.
"Go Levy!" Lucy cheered.
"Sorry!" Levy called from behind as she and Gajeel jumped ship. As soon as they did, the runes settled back into place. "Just Gajeel and I can get through!"
"Not cool!" everyone shouted.
Gracie ran to the railing and waved. "Enjoy your swim! Bye!"
Lucy sweat-dropped. "Really Gracie?"
Gracie turned and blinked at her in confusion. "What? What'd I do?"
While everyone was busy glaring down Levy and Gajeel, Evergreen had been working on countering Freed's runes. She whispered over to Elfman. "Elfman, come here."
He walked over, curious to know what she wanted. "Yeah?"
She lifted the magic pen that she had in her hand. The runes on the ship were lifting and following her movements. She winked at him. "Aren't you glad you teamed up with me? I know Freed so well that I could easily take down his spells."
Elfman looked like a kid who just got a new toy. "Wow, you can do that? Awesome!"
She blushed. "It was really nothing at all. Now let's go!"
"Right!" he exclaimed and the two jumped into the water.
Everyone heard the splash come from behind them and ran to the other side of the ship, only to see Elfman and Evergreen swimming towards the island.
"Oh come on!" Gray shouted.
Gracie waved over the railing. "Bye Elfman! Bye Evergreen! Good luck!"
Smoke was coming out of Natsu's ears. "God damn it!"
Gracie stopped waving and turned to face everyone. "So you guys are stuck here for another 4 minutes?" She giggled. "That blows. Not a good start, huh?"
Lucy sighed. "Not helping, Gracie."
Gray turned to Gracie. "If we're stuck here for another few minutes, might as well try to turn it into an advantage. If one of us faces Nikolias, how do we go about beating him?"
Gracie winked at him. "Can't tell ya that, slugger."
"Slugger?" Gray parroted, confused at the nickname.
"Why not?" Wendy asked.
"Yeah. I mean, it's not like we can beat a dragon," Cana remarked.
Gracie giggled. "If I told you anything, how would fighting him be a challenge?"
"There has to be something that you can tell us," Lucy said.
"Alright, I'll tell you this one thing," she whispered and leaned in a bit. Everyone else followed suit. "You should all know that Niky totally destroyed that Victor Vezeel guy that we hunted about a week ago."
Everyone groaned.
"How does that remotely help us?" Gray complained.
Gracie smirked. "You guys actually thought I would reveal anything? Please." She then gave a hardy laugh.
"You're so no help," Gray sighed.
"Never said I was gonna be."
Suddenly, the air around the boat began to glow before gently bursting apart.
"Finally!" came the impatient voices of those still trapped on the ship.
"Alright buddy, let's go!" Natsu cried.
"Aye!" said Happy as the two sped towards the smoke on Tenrou.
Gray put his hands together with a smirk. "If we're gonna have to catch up, then we'll do it with some ICE MAKE FLOOR!" With that, ice completely covered the surface of the water, allowing Gray and Loke to easily skate across.
Lisanna had transformed into a fish while Juvia's body merged with the sea. The two swam at great speed towards the shore.
Cana and Lucy, who were currently treading water, could only stare at all who had sped off already.
"Wow, they're fast! We need to get going or else we'll be last to arrive," Lucy said.
"Relax. Wendy and Mest haven't even left the ship yet," Cana said. She then looked up only to see Gracie waving down at them happily and giggly, but Wendy and Mest were gone. "Oooooooor not."
"Crap! When did they leave?" Lucy asked, baffled.
"Who knows and who cares! Just start swimming or else we're gonna be stuck fighting Erza or Nikolias!" Cana yelled as the two began swimming as if their lives depended on it.
Gracie kept waving from the railing. "Bye, everyone! Best of luck to you all!"
Natsu stared at the entrances to the routes, debating which to choose. Four of the paths had already been taken, so he was choosing between the remaining four.
"Which one do you think we should take, Natsu?" Happy asked.
Natsu scanned the open entrances before pointing to path 'E'. "That one! If we choose this path, then I bet we'll get to fight Erza! Let's go Happy!"
Happy groaned as he followed Natsu down path 'E'. "I'm not sure that this is the best strategy…"
The two disappeared into the darkness of the path, the entrance sealing behind them to prevent anyone else from going through and to prevent them from turning back.
Cana sighed. "Dead last."
Lucy and Cana stared at the entrances, seven of which had been sealed off. That left the two Fairy Tail women only one option; path 'C'.
Lucy smiled at her. "Come on, there's nothing to worry about! We'll be fine. S-Class is totally yours for the taking!"
Cana smiled. "At least one of us can be optimistic. Thanks, Lucy."
"Don't mention it. Shall we?"
Cana nodded and the two made their way down path 'C'.
Elfman and Evergreen continued down path 'A'.
"This path ain't so bad at all!" Elfman commented. "The open air and the beach right there—it's manly!"
Evergreen sighed. "Do you ever stop saying that?"
Elfman continued to look around. "So which path do you think this is?"
Evergreen adjusted her glasses. "If I had to guess, this will be one of the Combat routes."
Elfman sighed. "Good. The last thing I want to do is face one of the S-Class members. Gildarts' power is incredible, Erza's one of the strongest people I know, and Nikolias is a freaking dragon. Then of course there's my sister, and I really don't want to face her."
"Why's that, dear brother?"
Elfman froze, a look of sheer terror on his face. "No way."
Standing in front of the two was Mirajane Strauss, her usual sweet smile still present.
Evergreen chuckled. "So we get the Demon of Fairy Tail? No easy victory, but we will manage. Right, Elfman?" She got no response. "Elfman?"
"No way," Elfman muttered. "I can't beat Mira. I've never been able to beat Mira."
Evergreen frowned. "So you're going to give up without even trying?"
Elfman shook his head violently and put on his game face. "Hell no! Quitting and running away isn't what men do! I'll beat you, sister. It's the only way to become S-Class!"
Mira's smile never faded. "I'm glad to hear it, but try not to rough me up too much." She put a hand to her cheek as she slightly tilted her head. "I can't even begin to imagine what Nikolias would do to you if you injured me badly."
Elfman's whole face went white. 'Shit, he'd kill me. Dying here would not be manly!'
Evergreen slapped him on the back of the head. "Don't let her psych you out like that," she hissed. "Just keep your head in the game and let's win this thing!"
Elfman smiled. "Right. Thanks, Evergreen."
She blushed. "Don't be stupid. As your partner, I have to do what I can to make you S-Class."
Elfman nodded. "Right. Then let's do this! Look out, Mira, 'cuz here we come!"
Mira giggled. "Alright then!" She then became shrouded in a dark aura as she took her Satan Soul form. "But I'm not holding back just because you're my little brother." Her voice was extremely deep and fearsome. "Understood?"
Lucy and Cana continued down their path 'C'.
"Man, it's bright in here," Lucy said while looking around.
"Yeah, it's all of the Spirit flies. They love that it's warm all year round here. They can just keep multiplying," Cana explained.
"Man, I was just starting to relax," came a voice that echoed through the cave.
The two women stopped.
"Who's there?" Cana demanded.
Lucy pointed. "Look!"
Cana turned to see Freed and Bickslow standing at the ready with smiles on their faces. "Damn it, not these two!"
Bickslow laughed. "Well well well. Looks like we get Cana and Lucy."
Freed smirked. "Sorry, but it appears that you will not be advancing any further."
Cana groaned. "How screwed are we, Lucy?"
"Pretty screwed. These guys beat us bad last time," Lucy said.
Bickslow pointed to the blocked exit. "Once one team wins, that gate opens, and I guarantee it won't be you two bimbos!"
Lucy stomped her foot. "We're not bimbos!"
Freed looked at Cana. "I am sorry Cana, but I cannot allow you to advance. If I am to follow in Laxus' footsteps, then I have to win here."
Cana grit her teeth. "Bring it on! I won't lose another S-Class Trial! It's all or nothing!"
Freed grinned. "Very well. Then let us begin!"
Juvia and Lisanna continued down the dark and dank path 'D'. Both were relatively silent until Juvia spoke up.
"Lisanna," Juvia began, "back at the guild a week ago you said that you were done with love. Juvia wants to know what you mean."
Lisanna looked at the ground. "It's a long story."
"Juvia's sorry. She doesn't mean to pry, but such a comment confuses her."
Lisanna gave a sad smile. "It's okay. I fell in love and it didn't work out. That's really all there is to it."
"Why didn't it work out?"
"He loved someone else," she said sadly.
"Juvia sees. Unreturned love hurts. If you would like, Juvia will punish this person for you."
Lisanna giggled. "No, no need for that. He can fall in love with whoever he wants. I wish it was me, but he's not at fault."
Juvia nodded. "Juvia understands. Juvia thinks you shouldn't give up, though."
Lisanna looked at her. "There's no hope for my ever being with him, so for now I'll just sit out a while and wait for some time to pass."
"Does Juvia know this man?"
Lisanna nodded. "Yes, but if you don't mind, I don't really feel like talking about it anymore."
"If you wish, we can talk about something else," Juvia suggested.
"How about you two stop the girl talk and devise a battle strategy?"
The two women froze and stared dumbly at their misfortunes. Before them was Erza, confidently standing on a rock and awaiting their arrival.
"We have to face Erza?" Lisanna asked in disbelief.
"Juvia admits that this will be difficult, but she will do her best for Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed.
Erza huffed. "That's the right attitude. However, you wasted time getting here. You could have been working out patterns or signals, but instead, you were talking about boys."
Lisanna blushed. "We'll be fine. We've been training together for a week. We can beat you, Erza!"
Erza smiled. "I'm glad to hear that you're confident. Then come! Show me what you've got!"
Natsu groaned as he made his way down path 'E'. "AH! Where the hell is Erza? Shouldn't we have found her by now?"
Happy padded along behind him. "Maybe she's not on this path."
Natsu wasn't listening, however. "HEY ERZA! STOP HIDING AND FIGHT ME ALREADY!"
"Natsu, she may just be on a different path."
"No, I chose 'E' for 'Erza' so this has to be her path!"
Suddenly, the path opened up, revealing a fairly large cavern. Sprit flies helped to illuminate the area, and there, standing in the middle of the cavern, was Gildarts.
"No way!" Natsu exclaimed. "This was supposed to be Erza's path!"
Gildarts smirked. "Sorry to disappoint, especially since this is the end of the line for you." He began walking towards Natsu. "Also, I'm not great at holding back, so this will be over real quick."
Natsu's entire body then became engulfed in flames, causing Gildarts to stop in his tracks. Natsu looked Gildarts right in the eye and gave him a grin. "I may not have been looking for you, but I've been meaning to fight you anyway, so this'll work out just fine." The flames surrounding his body became more intense as he chuckled. "I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW! LET'S DO THIS THING!"
"Gajeel, slow down!" Levy called out. "What's the rush?"
Gajeel smirked. "Geehee. The sooner I find someone, the sooner I get to beat the crap out of 'em. I've been itchin' to take on Erza or even Salamander. Let's hope we get lucky."
"But I don't want to fight anyone strong," Levy whined. "Besides, they're all my friends. I don't want to fight them."
"With that attitude, you'll never make S-Class," Gajeel said.
Levy looked at the floor as she walked. "I didn't really want to be S-Class this year. I'm not a strong fighter and there were so many better candidates than me, including you."
"Good thing I'm here then," Gajeel said while looking behind him, "'cuz I ain't about to let you throw in the towel. This year's S-Class will be you for sure."
Levy blushed. "Gajeel…thank you," she said with a smile.
Gajeel quickly faced forward to hide the slight blush that stained his cheeks. "Yeah don't mention it. Now let's pick up the pace. I wanna get to crackin' skulls."
Levy giggled. "Alright, but don't hurt anyone too much."
The two kept walking until eventually they reached the exit of their path.
Gajeel's jaw practically hit the ground. "Are you kidding me? There wasn't anyone to fight! We were supposed to fight someone. There were no free passes!"
Levy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. We don't have to fight."
Gajeel's ears suddenly twitched. "No, something here ain't right. There has to be someone to fight. When Makarov went over the rules, there wasn't anything about a bye."
"Then maybe they aren't here yet?" Levy offered. "Like maybe it's another team and they just haven't reached the intersection yet."
Gajeel shook his head. "I don't see any place for an intersection. I think there's an S-Class wizard here."
"Not bad, Gajeel."
Gajeel and Levy looked up to see a blur fall from the sky and collide with the ground with incredible force. When the dust cleared, the two could see that standing before them was Nikolias.
Nikolias smiled. "I wanted to see if whoever I was fighting could sense my presence or at least deduce that their opponent was one of the Intensive Combat members. I would say you passed, even though I'm slightly disappointed that you couldn't sense me."
Gajeel smirked. "So we get to fight you, huh? I guess luck really is on my side." He cracked his knuckles. "I gotta be honest, I've been itchin' to have a go at you for a while. This'll be fun."
Nikolias nodded. "I look forward to seeing how you two fight together. I want you to throw whatever you've got at me. Otherwise, you'll never get past me and on to the second round. I should warn you, though," he paused to flash his sharp, dragon-like teeth while his eyes turned to his golden dragon eyes, "I have no intention of holding back." Shadows danced around his body violently. "Levy! Show me that you are worthy of S-Class!"
Wendy sighed as she sat in a small field with flowers. "I'm kind of beat. This is a really nice place to relax."
Mest stared out at the sea. "I suppose so. We have to wait for our challengers anyway."
Wendy looked at him. "How do you know this is a Combat route? Maybe it's an Intensive Combat route and we just haven't reached them yet."
Mest shook his head. "No, it's a Combat route and I know that for three reasons. Reason number one is that the only way that isn't backwards is being blocked by a gate that won't open until there's a victor. Reason number two is that I saw an intersection of another path."
Wendy nodded. "That would explain it, but what else could there be? What's reason number three?"
Mest turned and stared straight ahead. "We have company."
Wendy turned and saw Gray and Loke standing before her. "Oh, we're fighting you guys?"
Gray nodded. "Looks like it. Sorry Wendy, but you and Mest are done. We're winning this thing and moving on to round two."
Mest stepped forward. "I'd be interested in seeing what you two could possibly do."
Gray smirked. "I may not really know what you do, Mest, but I know that I can kick your ass with my eyes closed."
"Bring it on, then," Mest taunted with a simple smirk. "Show me this great power you have."
Gray and Loke charged. "Alright, but you asked for it!"
