Sorry I forgot to update last month, I was completely overwhelmed with a killer assignment which took up all of my time. Finally had the time to give this thing a read over and get it ready to update. I'll try to remember to update next month as well, but I have my exams from the start of November to late November, so it will likely be later on in the month.
Enjoy.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan

Previously:
Natsu returned to the guild after his most recent S-Class job and liaison with his spy, only to inform Makarov about his son, Ivan, starting a dark guild. Natsu also revealed his plan to fake being a dark mage to infiltrate the Balam Alliance and gain information about Igneel. The Natsu Search Party then got together for some training, for the upcoming S-Class exams, in which Natsu planned for both Mira and Erza to become S-Class. After training finished for the day, the group started to head off, with Erza remaining behind to confront Natsu about the recent distance he had been making between himself and the others.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

Flashback

Techniques

Chapter 8 – Misunderstanding

Erza and Mira were both bundles of excitement and nervousness as they rode on the boat heading towards Tenrou Island. You might ask why the S-Class trials were being held in a place so far away from the guild, the answer to which, was the previous trials. In Makarov's words, given the damage sustained in the previous trials and the massive fee they had to pay, all S-Class exams would henceforth be held on Fairy Tail's sacred land, Tenrou Island.

'Natsu, are you ok?' Asked Happy, poking Natsu's check.

'I'll be fine… later…' Moaned Natsu, doing his best to lay still on the floor of the boat.

'Motion sickness? Since when did you have motion sickness?' Asked Cana, sitting next to Natsu, resting her back against the side of the boat, legs drawn up to her chest, with her arms crossed over the front.

'Since… always.' Mumbled Natsu, before feeling his stomach and intestines stop playing around.

'We're here brats!' Exclaimed Makarov.

Natsu bounced to his feet, with Cana joining him, as Happy floated atop the Dragon Slayer's head.

Looking over the edge of the boat, the group could see a large island, with what appeared to be a ginormous tree, growing out of the middle of it.

'Now, your first task is to find Laxus and either persuade, or force him to show you where to go for the next trial. Good luck, the S-Class trials start now!' Announced Makarov, causing Mira and Erza to jump off the boat and head into the forest.

'Now, I recall the original plan for the trials was for the two of them to merely defeat one S-Class mage, but given new information, I believe we will change the exam. Instead of one, they will need to defeat all currently present S-Class mages, meaning, they must defeat the two of you as well. I will leave it up to you for the order, but the final mage to battle them should make their way inside the caves west of here. The other S-Class mage should wait outside these caves to confront them. If they manage to get past all three of you, both mages will be promoted to S-Class. I've already let Laxus know, so he will bring them to the caves, it is up to the two of you from there.' Said Makarov, surprising Cana, but not Natsu.

'So you knew about my little plan, I suppose that makes sense.' Grinned Natsu, getting an amused look from Makarov.

'I wouldn't be the master if I didn't know what my mages are up to.' Said Makarov, only for Natsu to smirk.

'Sure, whatever you say. If that's the case, you don't mind if I'm the last one to face them, do you Cana?' Asked Natsu.

'Be my guest.' Said Cana.

'Okay, hop on.' Said Natsu, bending down for Cana to climb on his back.

'Aye Sir!' Exclaimed Happy, from atop Natsu's head.

'Really? I can walk myself.' Said Cana.

'I know, but this is more fun.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to give a small laugh.

'Ok, I'll play along for now.' Said Cana, before clambering atop Natsu's back.

'Let's go!' Cheered Natsu, jumping off the boat, only for his feet to suddenly become engulfed in fire, before shooting off into the forest like a bullet.

-line break-

'You're going down Laxus.' Declared Mira cockily, arriving onto the scene of the unimpressed lightning mage listening to his music, as he leaned against a tree, arms crossed over his chest.

Opening one eye, Laxus glanced at Mira, before lowering his right headphone.

'Where's your partner?' Asked Laxus.

'Right here!' Roared Erza, slashing towards Laxus' head, only for him to vanish, leaving her to slice the tree he had been resting on.

'The two of you teaming together? I must be seeing things.' Laughed Laxus.

'You'll be seeing stars once we are done with you.' Declared Mira.

'So, any reason why you are attacking me straight off the bat?' Asked Laxus.

'Master said we could either persuade you, or defeat you, to make you show us where we need to go next.' Explained Erza.

'I know that much, why didn't you try to persuade me?' Asked Laxus in amusement.

'Because we know it is pointless to try and besides, I'm pretty sure we can beat you anyway.' Stated Mira confidently, causing Laxus to start laughing.

'The two of you? Beat me? I'd like to see you try.' Taunted Laxus.

'Requip: Lightning Empress armour.' Announced Erza, before donning a golden, light blue armour, in addition to a long spear, with a very large blade and a decorated circle resembling a shield attaching it to the shaft, which was adorned by a large ribbon.

'Take Over: Satan Soul.' Declared Mira, before her magic clothed her with her signature wings and tail, along with her outfit.

'Taking me seriously from the beginning, good choice.' Said Laxus, before bolts of lightning started to shoot off him.

The two S-Class hopefuls watched Laxus closely, choosing not to rush him, but rather, to play defensively until they had a plan worked out. Suddenly, Laxus appeared in front of Erza, swinging a lightning infused uppercut at her midsection. Erza leapt back, avoiding the fist, before preparing her follow up attack. Mira took this chance to throw a punch right at Laxus' face, hoping to catch him off guard, only for Laxus to duck his head and twist, preparing to punch Mira in the gut.

'Lightning Beam!' Called Erza, a blue beam of lightning rocketing out from the tip of Erza's spear, washing over Laxus, who made no effort to dodge the attack.

'Didn't Natsu tell the two of you that lightning won't work on me?' Asked Laxus in amusement.

'I'd say it worked just fine, since it was supposed to act as a distraction.' Commented Erza coolly, much to Laxus' confusion, as a fist infused with darkness magic crashed into the back of his head, before forcing him into the ground.

'Wasn't that a little excessive, Mira?' Admonished Erza.

'Hey, I'm pretty sure Laxus can take more than a single rabbit punch.' Protested Mira.

'You're right, I can take even more than that!' Exclaimed Laxus, as he stood up and discharged a dome of electricity from his position, blasting Mira back.

'If you want to be S-Class, you need to earn it! I'm not looking forward to babysitting another bunch of snot nosed brats!' Growled Laxus.

Erza frowned at this, before charging Laxus herself. Laxus launched a bolt of lightning at Erza, causing her to stop and form a lightning barrier with her spear which absorbed Laxus' attack, leaving her unharmed. Laxus rushed Erza, not giving her time to rest, only for Mira to intervene again.

'Evil Explosion!' Cried Mira, as a dark purple coloured sphere was launched from her outstretched right hand and crashed into Laxus, sending him back a bit, before exploding against him, launching him through the tree line and even launching Erza back from the shockwave.

'Mira! You need to pace yourself, we don't know what is ahead of us.' Admonished Erza.

'If we don't beat Laxus here, we won't get to even try and beat what is ahead of us.' Retorted Mira.

'She's right you know… ah, I'm getting tired of all you brats anyway, I'll take you to the next stage.' Grumbled Laxus, as he walked towards the duo, his shirt now sporting a large hole in the middle.

'I've got to stop wearing shirts I like to these S-Class trials, they keep getting trashed.' Grumbled Laxus, before walking off.

'Oi! Follow me or your little trial ends now!' Called Laxus, causing the two candidates to stumble for a moment, before following after him, reverting to their normal attire and forms.

'So what's next, Laxus?' Asked Mira eagerly.

'Actually, just beating me was the original goal, that would have let one of you become S-Class.' Said Laxus, shocking both of them.

'What? Then why is there another trial?' Asked Mira indignantly.

'For one thing, you didn't actually beat me, don't start thinking that you did. I'm letting you pass ahead.' Said Laxus, looking back at Mira and glaring at her.

'Fine, fine, whatever, so what's with the extra trial?' Asked Mira.

'I said it would have been enough for one of you to become S-Class, not both of you. For some reason, gramps thinks the two of you are both worthy candidates and he is going to give you the chance to both become S-Class. That's why you have extra tests now.' Explained Laxus.

'What are the extra tests?' Asked Erza.

'Simple, get past the other S-Class mages of the guild.' Said Laxus, before stopping at the edge of the tree line.

'Good luck, you'll need it.' Said Laxus, gesturing forward with a nod, before turning away and leaving.

'We'll have to beat Cana and Natsu… damn.' Muttered Mira.

'We can do it, as long as they aren't working together at least.' Said Erza.

'Really? Trigger happy Natsu? You think we can beat him… *sigh* I really like this top too.' Grumbled Mira.

'Oi! Don't go giving up on me already you midriff barring wench!' Teased Erza.

'Don't make me get a can opener and string you along the trees.' Growled Mira.

The two looked ready to come to blows, only for a voice to call out to them.

'If you give up that's fine, but can you at least let me know so I can leave here already.' Called Cana.

The two refocused, remembering what was at stake here, before deciding to continue on together. Walking out of the tree line, Erza and Mira noticed a bored looking Cana.

'What's the deal with all of you looking bored when we show up?' Grumbled Mira unhappily.

'Well, Laxus thinks this is a waste of time and I know the two of you can beat me if you manage to work together. Your real problem will be Natsu. That's why Laxus was bored and why I'm setting a five minute time limit here. You either beat me by then, get past me to the cave where Natsu is waiting for your final test, or… you don't manage to get past me to Natsu within the five minutes and he comes out and we team up against you.' Said Cana with a smirk, causing the other two to fly into action.

Mira transformed and Erza rushed Cana with her sword, seeking to buy Mira some time. Cana responded by throwing six cards at Erza, which caught fire as they soared through the air. Instead of dodging, Erza, much to Cana's shock, requipped into a new set of armour she hadn't seen before. The armour was a mix of dark red, black and orange, but Cana didn't have time to admire it, as a flaming sword was being swung at her midsection. Cana leapt back, only for a leg to crash into her back and send her back towards Erza. Mira had completed her transformation and capitalised on Erza holding Cana's attention, to sneak up behind her and deliver a devastating attack. Cana smirked at the use of teamwork between the two, before pulling out a set of cards in each hand. First, a wave of icicles were launched at Erza, who prepared to melt them with her sword, only for Cana to place two cards on top of each other in her other hand, launching a huge gust of wind outwards at Erza, causing the icicles to suddenly fly through the air like bullets.

'Erza!' Shouted Mira in distress, seeing her rival and temporary partner didn't have enough time to react to the attack and was bracing herself against it.

'Don't forget, you're in a fight too!' Said Cana, before landing on the ground, her momentum causing her to continue sliding backwards and turning as she did so, she prepared another attack.

First, Cana raised two cards upwards, which expelled a large amount of water at Mira and in the direction of where Erza last was, then, Cana pulled out another card and held it upwards, before two bursts of lighting popped out of the card and into the sky, before arching down and rushing at the two bodies of water Cana had just created.

'Big mistake, Cana.' Said Mira, before using her magic to manipulate the water into a vortex, hovering a metre off the ground.

As Cana's lighting struck the water, Mira controlled it with her magic, adding her own darkness enhanced lightning to the mix, before launching the electrified water mass at Cana. Cana quickly dodged the attack, only to be pelted from behind by a mass of water.

'Not bad, Cana, but you can't hope to beat us when we work together.' Said Erza, as Cana looked up at her.

Erza was now clad in a revealing green armour, with blue fins popping out of her shoulders. Cana paused for a moment, looking at the armour which left very little to the imagination, before giving a small laugh.

'Yeah, I know. That being said, you've only got two more minutes to get past me, so I don't have to beat you, I just need to stall.' Smirked Cana, getting back to her feet as she made her announcement.

'That may be true, but will you survive that long?' Asked Mira.

'Well, let's see, Summoned Lighting!' Called Cana, before two circles of cards which had surrounded Mira and Erza lit up, launching green lightning bolts at the two.

When the attack had dissipated, Erza had changed back into her Lightning Empress armour and Mira was simply controlling the lighting as it raced around her left hand, before clenching her fist and snuffing out the attack.

'Yeah fine, go on ahead.' Sighed Cana, plopping down on the ground and rummaging through her knapsack.

Mira and Erza looked at Cana cautiously, confusing the girl.

'I wasn't joking about the time limit, if you don't get inside within the next ninety seconds, Natsu will come out here.' Said Cana, causing the two to rush off inside the cave.

'Finally, now I can have a drink in peace.' Said Cana, taking out a bottle of sake, only for a bolt of lightning to smash the bottle.

'Damn it Laxus!' Roared Cana in frustration, remembering how the lightning mage had made it his duty to mess with her.

-line break-

Flashback

-line break-

Cana sighed as Natsu and Laxus had gone to get supplies. Natsu had decided to track down some food, while Laxus had volunteered to get some wood, leaving Cana to set up the tents for camp. Finishing her task quickly enough, the brunette sat down in front of her tent, before pulling out a bottle of sake and pouring some into a saucer. Cana had only recently started drinking alcohol and had found to not only enjoy the taste, but that she had a rather high tolerance for it as well. Unfortunately for Cana, the alcohol also dulled her senses, giving Laxus the chance to sneak up on her.

'What are you doing, Cana?' Asked Laxus, startling the brunette and causing her to knock over her bottle.

'Damn it Laxus! Look what you made me do now!' Shouted Cana in annoyance.

'Hmm, I don't know, maybe we should ask Natsu?' Suggested Laxus, causing the brunette to panic, causing the blond to laugh.

'You can't tell him, he thinks I stopped.' Said Cana anxiously, hiding the evidence of there ever having been alcohol around.

'Really? So even the two of you have secrets you keep from each other. Here I thought the two of you were two peas in a pod.' Commented Laxus in amusement.

'What do you want?' Grumbled Cana.

'What do I want? Oh, this has nothing to do with what I want. As your mentor, it is my job to look after the two of you. Therefore, it only stands to follow that I need to moderate your alcohol consumption, so you don't become a useless drunk like those other old fools.' Commented Laxus in amusement, before become annoyed towards the end.

'So you're just going to kill my drinking for fun. You suck.' Mumbled Cana in irritation.

'Hey, I'm back with enough fish for all of us!' Exclaimed Natsu, causing a blue blur to shoot out of the tents, almost giving Cana a heart attack.

'Hey Natsu, can I have Cana's fish too, I don't think she wants any?' Asked Happy.

'Uh, sure if she doesn't want… do you want any, Cana?' Asked Natsu.

Cana saw the blue feline sending her a smirk.

"That little rascal is blackmailing me!" Thought Cana in shock, before giving another sigh.

'Nah, I'm fine.' Said Cana tiredly, feeling her stomach whine in protest, before she harshly shut it down.

'Okay, if you're sure.' Said Natsu, getting a nod from Cana.

"I need a drink!" Roared Cana internally, seeing she was now under the mercy of not only Laxus, who was a pain in the ass at the best of times, but also a fish crazed flying cat, who understood more about blackmail than most adults.

-line break-

End Flashback

-line break-

Cana sighed again, practically feeling Laxus smirking at her, before deciding to head to the designated finish line of the exam, the other side of the cave.

'So, I saw you let those two get past you without much of a fight.' Commented Laxus, appearing beside Cana in a burst of lighting.

'Not like you're one to talk, you barely even fought them for five minutes.' Complained Cana.

'It isn't like they would have been able to beat me if I fought seriously. Even Natsu had to push himself to beat me and those two can't even land a hit on him. Besides, you only used your Card magic. I'm pretty sure if you landed a few punches like the one you got off on me in your trial, this exam would be over already.' Said Laxus.

'Maybe, but then Natsu wouldn't get any fun and he has something planned for them.' Said Cana, piquing Laxus interest.

'Oh? What would that be?' Asked Laxus intrigued.

'They can win in two ways, either they actually beat him, which we both know won't happen… or…' Started Cana trailing off towards the end.

'Or what?' Asked Laxus.

'They do what he did to try and win our trials.' Said Cana, before shaking her head in exasperation.

Laxus thought on this for a second, before laughing uproariously, as the two finally arrived at the cave exit, to see Makarov waiting for them.

'Done so soon?' Asked Makarov.

'Well, it isn't like it matters gramps, those two are doomed in there if those are their only options.' Said Laxus in amusement.

'Hmm?' Hummed Makarov in confusion, only for Cana to reiterate her previous statement.

'I see. In that case, this really will be a difficult challenge for those two. Working together is one thing, but putting aside their pride will be no doubt even more difficult.' Commented Makarov.

-line break-

Erza and Mira entered the cave cautiously. Knowing Natsu, they wouldn't be surprised if the cave was riddled with traps. For this reason, they were understandably shocked that Natsu was just sitting there in the middle of the cave, playing go fish with Happy.

'Got any fours?' Asked Happy.

'Go fish.' Said Natsu, causing Happy to drool and Natsu to laugh.

'Are you going to do that every time?' Asked Natsu in amusement.

'I want real fish Natsu.' Whined Happy, only for Natsu to laugh again.

'Well, looks like you might be getting some soon, look who's here.' Said Natsu, finally acknowledging the presence of the two S-Class candidates.

'Now then, you need to beat both of us to win this little thing. You've got two options, the easy way and the fun way.' Said Natsu, as Happy held up his two small fists in a boxer's stance.

Erza requipped a fish, causing Happy to drool as he flew over to the duo.

'If you have this fish Happy, you have to let us pass.' Said Erza, getting a happy nod from the blue feline, who took the fish and flew back towards Natsu.

'Bye Natsu, see you outside.' Said Happy, flying past Natsu to the exit, causing the Dragon Slayer to laugh.

'Smart, but you know fish won't work on me.' Commented Natsu, getting two grim nods from the girls.

'Then make your first move, I'll wait.' Said Natsu.

Mira and Erza chose not to rush into things, since it seemed Natsu was giving them time to plan their actions out.

'What do you think?' Asked Erza, as she and Mira huddled closer, trying to think of a plan, while keeping Natsu in their sights.

'I don't think either of us would know what Natsu would want. I mean food seems like the obvious choice, but he said fish won't work on him, meaning it probably isn't food related.' Commented Mira.

'Well, it isn't like there is a lot of stuff Natsu wants, aside from finding Igneel and I doubt that is what he wants right now, especially since we can't exactly give it to him anyway.' Added Erza, getting a nod from Mira.

'I just know the answer is right there in front of us, but I can't think of what it is.' Growled Mira in frustration.

Natsu, meanwhile had sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, waiting for the two to make their move.

"I wonder if they will figure it out. I doubt it, so I wonder how long I should spend practising my shooting before letting them through… ten minutes maybe? Nah, not long enough… half an hour… no, I might actually hurt them if we spend that long… okay, fifteen minutes and then I give them a hint… or maybe I give them a few hints every few minutes… yeah, I want to wrap this up soon, but I don't want to make it too easy for them." Thought Natsu, before a ball of fire was launched at him, courtesy of Erza.

Natsu sucked the flames away, before standing up.

'Nice try, but I won't be as easily satisfied like Happy.' Teased Natsu with a grin.

'Told you it wouldn't work!' Hissed Mira.

'It was worth a try!' Retorted Erza in frustration.

'Hmm, I don't think I've seen that armour before.' Commented Natsu.

'This is my Flame Empress armour.' Explained Erza, walking closer to Natsu as she did so.

'Hmm, is that so, what does it do, aside from covering less of you than your normal armour?' Asked Natsu jokingly.

'It increases my resistance to fire based attacks… what do you mean covering me less than my normal armour?' Explained Erza, turning quizzical towards the end.

'I mean, if you were going for a type of seduction armour, this might work considering how much more of you it shows off… but it doesn't seem like the best thing in terms of actual armour.' Explained Natsu.

'And you call me a midriff baring wench, your armour shows more than I do.' Laughed Mira, causing Erza to blush hotly, whether in embarrassment or anger was unclear.

'How rude! I tried really hard saving up for this armour, taking on many jobs and keeping it a secret from you, so I could surprise you for the trials and that is what you say about it? Also, shut it Mirajane! Your transformation looks like something a cosplaying call girl would wear!' Roared Erza.

'Well, I'm definitely surprised and I never said I didn't like it, only that it might double for another role.' Laughed Natsu.

Erza's fists trembled in anger and embarrassment.

'That's it! We're fighting!' Roared Erza, before rushing Natsu with her sword, shocking Mira and causing Natsu to stop laughing.

'Okay then.' Said Natsu coldly, before a gunshot rang out.

Erza was slammed backwards and rolled against the floor, grasping her chest in pain. Despite her armour halving the damage taken by the fire based attack, Erza felt as though an elephant had sat on top of her lungs.

'Hmm, I'm actually impressed. That thing took one of my bullets at a quarter of its full strength, not bad.' Commented Natsu appraisingly.

'That was only a quarter strength.' Gasped Erza in disbelief.

'Yep. Still want to fight, or have you figured out the other way to get past me?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Not a clue!' Roared Mira, swinging a fist towards Natsu's head, only for him to catch it within the palm of his right hand, never tearing his gaze away from Erza.

Erza saw Natsu waving a pistol at her with a cheeky expression.

'Mira look out!' Called Erza in warning, but it was far too late and Natsu pressed the pistol in his left hand against Mira's barred midriff, before firing as he let go of the demon's hand, sending her flying back.

'That was twelve and a half percent of my normal power. Since Erza's armour supposedly halves fire damage, that means you both got the same level of attack.' Explained Natsu cheerfully.

Mira clutched at her stomach in pain. The flesh was stinging in agony and was very sensitive to touch, causing the demon to hiss when she did so. Mira looked at Natsu anxiously, expecting a follow up attack, but he simply stood there unmoving, waiting for the two of them to act. Mira walked a wide arc around Natsu to get to Erza, keeping her eye on him every step of the way, before stopping next to her rival.

'We cannot beat him in a fight.' Growled Mira.

'Well, unless we can figure out what he wants, we don't have any choice.' Said Erza, standing back to her feet.

'Figured out what to do?' Asked Natsu curiously, once the pair had finished their whispering.

'Not yet, why don't you give us a hint?' Replied Mira, only for Erza to reprimand her.

'He won't fall for something that simple.' Admonished Erza, only for Natsu to laugh.

'Okay then. What I want is something from my past?' Said Natsu, deliberately being vague.

'Oh come on, how does that help?' Complained Mira, causing Natsu to shrug his shoulders.

'In any case, I'm giving you to the count of ten before I start some target practise. Don't worry, you can ask for another hint in five minutes.' Said Natsu, making a show as he pulled out his handguns and pointed them at the two.

'What the hell is it?' Asked Mira in panic.

'I don't know either damn it!' Shouted Erza in frustration, as Natsu counted up to ten.

'His past, what could that be?' Asked Mira, before hearing Natsu finish his count.

'Split up!' Shouted Erza, before a hailstorm of bullets came flying at the two.

'Since when has that ever helped?' Shouted Mira in frustration, as a bullet struck her left thigh.

'Well it's better than giving him a bigger target!' Roared Erza, as a bullet pelted her in the back of her neck.

Natsu continued to let a firestorm of bullets rain down upon them, before stopping after five minutes had passed, exactly as promised.

'I'm starting to think this armour is not all it was advertised to be.' Huffed Erza, feeling a number of burns along her body.

'At least this form is more durable.' Huffed Mira, now in her Satan Soul form.

'Ok, next hint. Ask away.' Said Natsu cheerfully, causing both of them to scowl at him.

'At what time in the past did the thing you are seeking occur specifically, the exact day?' Asked Erza.

'Oh, good thing you added the day on, otherwise I could have just said last year. Well, in that case, I suppose I need to be fair. It occurred last year on the day of the previous S-Class trials.' Said Natsu, before resuming his count.

'What could it be?' Asked a panicked Erza.

'I don't know! You asked the question!' Shouted Mira, feeling a cold chill go down her spine as Natsu said ten.

The bullets didn't come in a wave this time, with Natsu choosing to practise his sniper skills and specifically struck at kill points, lowering the strength of his bullets so as to not maim his friends. Head, heart, liver, throat, kidney, Natsu didn't discriminate, shooting each many, many times. Once the next round let up, Natsu whistled to admire his handiwork.

'Well, I killed Erza about seventy-two times, but Mira only sixty-eight times. Not bad Mira.' Commented Natsu.

'So, did you figure it out yet?' Asked Natsu cheekily.

Erza and Mira both looked at each other in thought.

'I've got nothing.' Whispered Mira angrily.

Erza frowned at this, before a light bulb seemed to go off in her mind.

'I think I've got it.' Whispered Erza, before standing up and walking up to Natsu.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at this, curious at what Erza had come up with. For this reason, as Erza continued to approach Natsu, the Dragon Slayer became more and more intrigued. Stopping a step away from Natsu, Erza looked up at him defiantly.

'Figured it out?' Asked Natsu curiously, causing Erza to smirk.

'Of course.' Said Erza, before grabbing Natsu by his scarf and pulling him towards her, followed by the redhead slamming her lips against the surprised Dragon Slayer's.

After a few seconds, Erza released Natsu, letting him pull away and stand up straight again.

'Now can we please get past and become S-Class?' Asked Erza.

'Okay.' Said Natsu with a cheeky grin.

'What?! That was it?' Screeched Mira as she stomped over to the pair.

'Hmm, of course it was, what else could Natsu want but a kiss, similar to the one Cana delivered at the end of the previous trials. It is the logical answer.' Explained Erza, only for Natsu to laugh a little.

'Actually, that isn't the right answer.' Said Natsu, getting both of them to look at him in bewilderment.

'Then why are you letting us pass?' Asked Mira in confusion.

'Because you asked. Just like I asked Laxus last year for the scale we needed to pass. That's it. I have to admit though, I wasn't expecting you to do something like that Erza. I mean, I would have expected it more from Mira, but I guess you're the more forward one of the two of you, kind of surprising, actually. So… should I tell Lisanna and Cana we have our first mistress, or are you aiming for the position of wife also?' Teased Natsu, as Erza's face slowly turned redder from embarrassment, before her face practically blended in with her hair.

'Now, now, Mira, help your partner through the cave, if both of you don't leave it together, neither of you pass.' Said Natsu, as he started walking off.

As Natsu exited the cave, an expectant Cana was looking at him, with Makarov and Laxus sitting off on opposite sides.

'Well?' Asked Cana.

'They passed, took them a while though.' Said Natsu, before they emerged, causing Cana to gasp.

'Natsu, you've practically scorched their entire bodies, even Erza's face is a mess.' Exclaimed Cana, noticing how flushed the redhead was.

'Ah, right, guess I should have held back more. Oh well, I'm sure Lisanna will be happy.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to quirk and eyebrow and Erza's face to flush a deep scarlet again.

Turning towards the two, Natsu adopted a serious expression, gaining their attention.

'Mirajane, Erza, now that you two are S-Class you are responsible for representing the guild. When you go on missions, you are representing Fairy Tail, so it is important you do your best. However, don't ever forget how you got to this position. Training and teamwork. While teamwork won't be a factor on every mission, training is essential. If the two of you slack off, you can always have your position revoked, so don't ever became complacent. Anything to add gramps?' Said Natsu.

'No, that just about covers it, now, let's head back to the guild to celebrate.' Declared Makarov.

-line break-

Back at the guild, the various mages were gathered, waiting to find out what had happened on Tenrou Island. With a loud boom, the front door opened and in walked the participants of the trials.

'Well everyone, say hello to your new S-Class mages, Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss.' Said Makarov, before the guild swarmed them.

Natsu made his way through the crowd, before finding Lisanna, sitting with Elfman and Gray.

'Natsu, you're back!' Cheered Lisanna, as the pink haired mage took a seat beside her.

'Yep, sure am. Interesting trial too, looks like you are one step closer to your little goal.' Said Natsu in amusement, causing Lisanna to clap her hands together.

'Really? That's great. I didn't think she'd be able to do it, but I've been encouraging her for a while now.' Said Lisanna, causing Natsu to nod.

'Yeah, but still, I didn't expect that from Erza.' Laughed Natsu, causing Lisanna to tilt her head to the side in confusion.

'Erza?' Mumbled Lisanna in confusion, before her sister appeared at the table.

'Hey Natsu, come here for a minute, I need to show you something.' Said Mira, dragging Natsu away from the group and out of the guild.

Once they were outside, Mira led Natsu towards their little training area.

'What is it, do you have a new technique you want to show me?' Asked Natsu.

'Something like that.' Mumbled Mira.

'Well, it's good that your taking my words to heart. If you don't keep moving forward you will stagnate and that isn't good for anyone.' Said Natsu encouragingly.

'Ok, this should work.' Said Mira, turning around to face Natsu.

'So what do you want to show me?' Asked Natsu.

'This.' Said Mira, before grabbing Natsu's head and smashing her lips against his, actually managing to surprise Natsu.

'So, what did you think of my new technique?' Asked Mira, pulling back after a bit.

'Did we really need to come here for it?' Asked Natsu in confusion, causing Mira to fidget.

'W-well, I'm actually pretty shy about all of this. I mean, I always did think you were cute, but you and Lisanna seemed so perfect together, I didn't want to mess with that… but then Cana and now Erza, well, I can't let you forget about me after all.' Said Mira shyly, trying to joke towards the end.

'Don't worry Mira, I won't forget about you. Any of you, for that matter. Just make sure you don't forget about me either.' Said Natsu.

'Of course not, how could we forget about you?' Protested Mira in outrage.

Natsu merely smiled at this, before heading back to the guild, Mira beside him.

"I hope so, I really do." Thought Natsu.