A/N: And I'm back baby! Yeah! :) So I suppose I should tell you that this chapter is very different from the others: There will be chaos! And angst and blood (more so than the previous ones) so consider yourself warned ;)
Before I unleash you guys I would like to send some loving from me to you for following me, reviewing and adding this story to favourites. You're the best :D

(insert dramatic drum roll): Tadaaaaaa! I have arranged for the Trimens to be your loyal servants for as long as you want to keep them inside your head!
Hibiki: "Hundred night Hibiki at your service! Your such a beauty I wonder if you're an angel fallen from the sky to bless me with your presence. Please come this way"
Eve: "Holy night Eve. Oh gosh you're so cute! Here take this cake I made it in the name of love just for you"
Ren: "Empty night Ren. If you feel cold I will gladly lend you my services"
Hibiki, Eve and Ren: "Now let us spend eternity together in the garden of love"
Ichiya: "Men!"
Me: "Hey I didn't invite you Ichiya! Wait a second isn't that Erza outside this brain we're in?"
Ichiya: "Erza! My honey!"
Kicks him out of your brain when he turns his back towards me. Now please enjoy them for as long as you like. I don't want them back, tehe :)

Disclaimer: "If you're Hiro and you know it clap your hands!", "I'm not Hiro so I wont clap my hands!", "If you're Hiro and you know it, you own Fairy Tail and show it", "I'm not Hiro so I wont clap my hands"...


Chapter 9: Determination
For some reason Natsu felt nauseous. Opening his eyes he quickly scanned his surroundings and determined that they were still in the jungle. He was dizzy and could taste iron in his saliva. It felt like motion sickness but surely he couldn't be that when he was laying on the ground?
Taking a few deep breaths his stomach settled down and the world stopped spinning. He noticed Lucy's scent was remarkably strong and it wasn't until he looked down he understood why. Blinking a few times he looked at her laying with her head on his chest and an arm wrapped around his waist. He smiled affectionately at her sleeping body and placed his arm around her body. She looked so fragile sleeping in that position. A part of him wanted to grab her with both hands and hold her in a tight hug. Another part of him wanted to roll her over and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Letting out a sigh he scratched his head with his free hand. Really he needed to control his hormones or something bad might happen.
Suddenly he felt nauseous again. Did the ground just move or was he imagining things? The answer came quicker than he would have anticipated as the ground started shaking more violently. Without a moment's hesitation he picked Lucy up in his arms and got on his feet. It wasn't until he was in a standing position he remembered his injury as an intense pain shot through his leg. Gritting his teeth he fell to his knees. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew it couldn't be good. Speaking of the devil he could feel his motion sickness getting worse.
Lucy woke when Natsu pulled her into his arms and she was about to protest but remained silent when she saw the serious look in his eyes. Something was wrong and she was sure it had something to do with the ground shivering a moment ago.
A movement caught Natsu's eyes and with a swift move he tried to dodge the thing that was heading in their direction, but he wasn't quick enough as he felt something rip a wound in his arm. Hissing from the pain he looked around and saw a root looking thing wiping back and forth. What was that thing? It looked like a long whip made out of roots and branches. As if the plant wanted to answer his question it shot forward again and wrapped itself around his neck. Natsu didn't have time to dodge the attack as another wave of motion sickness flood through his body. Still holding on to Lucy he gritted his teeth as it got more and more difficult to breath. His instinct told him to let go of her so he could pull this thing away from his neck, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do that.
Lucy's eyes widened and she tried to pull away from Natsu but it only resulted in him strengthening his hold on her. Raising her hands to the thing around his neck she tried pulling it off with all the power she could put into it from her position. She could see he was starting to tremble more violently and tried once again getting away from him.
"Natsu!"
He didn't answer her but tightened his hold as black spots started to appear in his vision. As his body grew more fatigue his hold on Lucy loosened and she took the opportunity to get on her own feet. When she was out of his hold she once again tried to force the plant of his neck but it had no effect. She was about to chew on it when she felt something wrap around her angle. It all happened very fast. One minute she was next to Natsu the next she was screaming and dangling in the air.
Natsu's eyes widened as he saw one of those branchy thingies capture Lucy and shake her violently. He could feel the anger run through his body and it felt like gasoline when he ignited his body. The thing holding him burned to a crisp and as soon as he could feel his airways being free he took a huge breath and fell forward coughing. He growled as he looked up at the thing throwing Lucy around in the air. The sight pissed him off and he was about to leap in her direction when he felt the ground move again. What the hell was going on here? This time the ground was shaking more violently and he could once again taste iron in his mouth.
Lucy kept shouting at Natsu when she wasn't screaming from the throwing around. The thing that was holding her stopped its movements and kept her motionless for a moment. She blinked in confusion and watched as Natsu was overwhelmed by his motion sickness. Sighing she narrowed her eyes and looked at the ground Natsu was kneeling on. How and why was it moving?
Gulping she watched as the ground seemed to grow larger towards the sky and soon looked very similar to a small hill. Natsu tumbled down the hill with a yelp and was therefore out of Lucy's sight. Something that wasn't out of her sight was the thing that came out of the ground and her eyes widened in horror. The hill had stopped its growth and cracked through the middle. Out of it a huge green plant emerged and soon it was hovering above her head. If it hadn't been so huge it might have looked harmless, but as it was with it's huge head on a large stalk it looked terrifying. Her impression of it being deadly didn't improve as it revealed a mouthful of saliva and what looked like needle sharp teeth. She stiffened as she watched it smack its mouth a few times before freezing in its position. The plant turned its mouth towards her and she could feel cold sweat covering her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't think! Her mind went blank and all she could think of was screaming her lungs out. So she took a deep breath and soon the air was pierced with her panicking screams.


Natsu flinched in his position when he heard Lucy's terrified screams. His heart started accelerating as a wave of pain and panic overwhelmed his body. Gritting his teeth he turned his head frantically in every direction until he spotted Lucy dangling from one of those root looking things next to a huge plant. The plant was leaning towards her as she kept screaming. Clenching his fists he growled at the sight. There was no way in hell he would let that stupid plant touch a hair on her!
He could feel the anger run through his veins as he ignited his body. Leaping from his position he shouted a battle cry from the bottom of his lungs. After being airborne for a few seconds his fist collided with the plants head. The plant let out a horrible sound that he assumed was a scream as its head flew a few feet back due to the force behind his punch.
The plant stretched itself towards the sky and kept screaming. The sound send chills down Natsu's spine but he tried ignoring it as he ran as fast as he could towards Lucy. Fortunately the root was holding her still as he reached her. Looking at her he could see the relief she felt in her eyes. She even had the energy to smile at him even though she was hanging upside down. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine but he didn't want to jinx his luck so he immediately hit the root that was holding Lucy with an ignited fist. It broke from his punch and dropped Lucy from its hold. Lucy couldn't help a small scream from escaping her lips as she felt the plant let her go and she fell towards the ground.
"Got ya!"
Natsu caught her in his arms and was grinning down at her as she was laying in his arms with a weird expression on her face. Blinking a few times she looked at him and smiled. Looking into each others eyes they both forgot their surroundings for a moment. That was until the air was filled with a fierce scream and they both stiffened in their position. In a swift move Natsu turned with Lucy in his arms to face the creature. It was hovering just above them and made some weird and noisy sounds as its head moved from side to side in a flowing motion.
Growling he put Lucy on the ground and cracked his shoulder as he kept glaring at the creature with a menacing look on his face.
"Lucy, run! I'll take care of this"
"What? I can't just run away"
"Please Lucy, just go!"
"No!"
"Lucy..."
"No! Besides it's likely it will catch me again if I run"
"I'll take care of anything it throws in your direction. Now please get out of here"
"Are you stupid?! I know I'm not strong like you but I can take care of myself!"
"Please Lucy, I..."
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as a root hit him. He could hear Lucy scream his name as he was sent flying into a tree. The air was pressed out of his lungs as he collided with it, and he fell forward into a kneeling position as he gasped for air. Still kneeling he gritted his teeth as he could feel blood flow into his eye. With a shaking hand he tried removing the blood but it kept flowing in a steady stream. Irritated he closed his eye and looked at Lucy. She hadn't moved and was standing still glaring at the monster. He could see she was panicking but she did all in her power not to reveal it. His eye widened when he saw a root race towards her at an incredible speed. He couldn't possibly reach her in time to shield her and the thought alone made him flinch in his position.
"Lucy! Move!"
He sounded slightly panicked and she didn't think twice as she threw herself towards the ground. Unfortunately she wasn't quick enough as she felt the root tear trough her shoulder. She screamed as it hit her and she felt the blood flow down her left arm from the wound. The pain was intense and she had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from screaming again.
Natsu felt something crack inside his soul as he saw Lucy's blood splatter from the impact. He knew it wasn't a deadly wound but something inside him was panicking at the turn of events. The rage he felt on the inside was slowly consuming him and he roared like an animal as he ran towards Lucy. When he got to her he wrapped his arms around her and stared at the creature while making a low growling sound from his throat.
The plant's head kept wavering back and forth like it was mocking them. Gritting his teeth he took a few deep breaths so he wouldn't race towards it blinded by rage.
Lucy kept still in Natsu's hold. She knew he was furious and that he needed a moment to cool down. When his breathing was more even she turned her head towards his face. He had a determined and angry look on his face and looked kind of insane with the blood that was flowing over his closed eyelid. She followed his glare and looked at the creature. What was it doing? Why didn't it attack? The plant stopped its movements and soon the earth was rumbling again.
Both teens widened their eyes as a large amount of roots pierced through the ground almost simultaneously. Even though the plant didn't have eyes it looked like it was sending them a mocking look as the roots started whipping back and forth.
Furrowing his brows and gritting his teeth Natsu tightened his hold on Lucy. This was bad. This was really, really bad.


The plant made a screaming sound and the roots shot forwards toward Natsu and Lucy. Without a moment's hesitation Natsu pushed Lucy to the ground and pulled himself to a standing position where he moved swiftly to dodge and hit the roots with ignited hands.
Lucy took a quick look around and even though they were in this dire situation she couldn't help blushing. Well even though Natsu was standing and she was on the ground, she was literally laying between his legs. Shaking her head she looked at him fighting of the roots with a fierceness that was characteristic when he was in full battle mode. She knew he was an incredible fighter but it was amazing how he could keep up with the attacks with one of his eyes closed.
The attacks slowed down and eventually stopped. Natsu was panting but smirked as he looked at the plant hovering above his head. If the plant kept being in this position he just needed to hit it once and it would all be over. Or so he would like to think.
Lucy watched Natsu and the creature having some sort of staring contest, even though the plant didn't have any eyes to stare with. A quick movement behind Natsu caught Lucy's attention and she turned her head in the movements direction. What was that? Narrowing her eyes she saw a spear like root move behind his back. It was slowly getting in position to launch itself towards his chest. She felt a shiver run down her spine because she knew that the spear would kill him instantaneously if it launched itself in the direction it was pointing. What should she do? If she warned him would he have time to react before the spear went through his chest? She had an idea but would it work? Well she didn't have time to think of something else so she grabbed his angle with her right hand and pulled it to her side, resulting in him falling sideways with a small "eh?" onto her stomach. It hurt like hell as she felt the air being forced out of her lungs.
Slightly confused Natsu raised himself from his position and stared at Lucy.
"Lucy what the fuck..?"
Turning his head he saw the spear as it was launched itself in their direction. Hissing he captured it before it hit him. He made a mental note that he had to thank Lucy later but right now they needed to get out of this bloody mess. Igniting his hands he roared fiercely as the root crumbled between his hands. When he finished his task he turned to the plant again and stared at it menacingly while pointing a finger at it.
"If you know what's best for you I would get the fuck out of here before I kill you"
The plant obviously couldn't answer Natsu in words but it closed it mouth in response and stood still for a second. Was it really considering letting them go or was it mocking them? The answer came quickly as the plant opened its mouth again. Before either of them could react the plant shot one of its teeth towards Natsu. It hit him in his shoulder and he cursed as he lost his footing for a second. Clenching his teeth he pulled the tooth out of his shoulder. It didn't hurt that much as the tooth hardly caused a flesh wound. Smirking he glared evilly at the plant.
"Seriously is that the best you've got?"
His smile froze as his body started to shake and his body was covered in a cold sweat. Shit the tooth had to be poisonous! He was about to ignite his body but it was already too late as his body went numb. His eyes widened as he lost all feelings in his muscles resulting in him falling to the ground.
Lucy eyes widened as she watched him fall. Without thinking about her actions she leapt from her position and caught him before he hit the ground. Unfortunately for her she landed on her injured shoulder. Biting her lower lip again she kept the scream from escaping her mouth. When she didn't feel like screaming she raised herself into a sitting position and looked at Natsu. He was breathing rather heavily and his face was covered in blood and sweat. Opening his mouth he whispered in a low voice.
"Can't... move..."
Clenching her fists in front of her she gritted her teeth in agony. This was the second time he was poisoned during their stay on this island and it was her fault!
A high pitched scream brought her back to reality and she turned her attention towards the plant and the roots that was wiping back and forth mockingly. She had to do something. Like hell she would let this stupid plant hurt Natsu any more than it already had!
Furrowing her brows she raised herself and glared furiously at the plant. She could do this. This time she would definitely save Natsu!


She could feel the frustration and anger overwhelm her body as she glared furiously at the plant. If she just believed in herself and focused all of her determination on the task at hand she could do this. If it was for the sake of her nakama she would never give up! Natsu taught her that lesson a long time ago and she would repay him for all the times he had come to her rescue.
Furrowing her brows she pointed towards the plant.
"You! This is between you and me now! Leave him alone!"
Unbeknownst to Lucy the plant didn't want to digest its prey until it lost consciousness. The poison it injected in him wasn't deadly but it did paralyse his body until he was sent into a blissful slumber. So for now it would humour her and play along for a while. It made a nodding like movement towards her and opened it's mouths to scream fiercely at her.
She couldn't be sure if the plant agreed to her terms but she nodded towards it as she positioned herself in a fighting pose. Time seemed to freeze for a second as the plant launched it's first attack.
She saw the root coming and dodged it by placing a hand on it and jumping in a swift movement. The success made her smile slightly but the happiness was short lived as another root was sent in her direction. Leaning forward she barely dodged it and she could almost feel it touch her skin as it flew past her. Bending forward she noticed another attack coming from her side and she rolled over on the ground escaping from its collision course. She cursed as a jolt of pain went through her injured shoulder and she lost focus for a second. Lucky for her the plant didn't attack her immediately and she pulled herself together in time to dodge the next attack.
Gritting her teeth she kept dodging the attacks by jumping and sliding in different directions, but she knew she couldn't keep dodging the creature's attacks. If she could just get some sort of weapon and get close to the plant then she might be able to do something. Her eyes widened as she spotted the tooth Natsu was impaled with earlier. Grinning she started to work her way in its direction while avoiding the attacking roots. When she got to it she grabbed it hoping that there wasn't any poison on it. Holding it in her hands she sighed heavily. If it had been poisoned she would have felt it immediately. Because of her thoughts she was unaware of the root shooting in her direction until it was too late. It hit her in her right shoulder and she was sent flying backwards a few feet. The pain was intense and she closed her eyes for a second. This was bad in a lot of ways but how was she supposed to attack this stupid plants with her right shoulder injured? Opening her eyes again she panted for a few seconds as the plant stood motionless in a mocking pose. The game the plant was playing with her, reminded her of the way a cat would tease a mouse.
Standing on her feet she ignored the pain from her wounds and clenched her fists. No matter how much pain she was in she would fight to the bitter end. She refused to let something as simple as pain have an influence in her determination and will to protect Natsu.
Smirking she noticed she was still holding on to the tooth. Turning her left shoulder towards the plant and raising her arm she once again positioned herself in a fighting pose.
"What's the matter? Cant an overgrown weed like yourself kill a small girl like me? Pathetic!"
The plant screamed and launched another root towards her. She saw it coming and jumped on it and started running along it as fast as she could. When she saw another root attacking from above her she leapt onto it in a swift movement. If she could just keep this up it might actually work! She just had to get to a high enough level and then she would deliver her counter attack. It was hard keeping track on the attacking roots and her position in the sky, but because of the adrenaline pumping through her body she forgot her wounds and felt that she might actually have a chance. Time seemed to slow down until she estimated it was time to launch herself. Dodging a root she bend her knees and used all the force she could pull forth to jump down at the plant's enormous head. As she fell she roared in anger and pulled her right arm back. Using gravity and her own muscle power she hit the creature.
The air was filled with an agonizing scream as the plant started turning frantically in every direction. It was shocked! Never had it felt anything so painful in its life before!
The scream was loud and it hurt her ears, but she kept clinging on to the tooth. It was hard to keep hanging on to it because of the movements but she refused to give up so easily. She could feel the plants movements stop but she kept holding on to the stick with a firm grip and took a deep breath.
"Try sending one of those roots towards me and I will slice your fucking head up! Now I suggest you get the hell away from here and leave us alone!"
Nothing seemed to happen and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Before she could think of another strategy she watched as the roots was withdrawing back into the ground. She could feel the plant doing the same as it slowly started to pull itself downwards. It wasn't until most of the creature was burrowed in the ground she pulled out the tooth and jumped back. Panting she watched the creature disappear. Not wanting to try out her luck of the plant making a quick comeback she ran towards Natsu. He was still laying on his back but his breathing was more slow now and both of his eyes were closed. Widening her eyes she knelt next to him and gently shook his shoulders.
"Natsu... Please we have to get out of here"
"Ha...i"
"Please... We have to... go"
She could feel tears stream down her face as she felt her feelings overwhelm her. If they could just get away from here they would be okay, right? With an angry motion she wiped her tears with her hands and ran towards the nearest trees. She found some lianas and a huge leaf and started running towards Natsu again with tears running down her face. When she was back she grabbed his shoulders and gently dragged him onto the leaf. Taking a deep breath she sat on his lap and pulled his torso towards her so he rested against her. Ignoring the pain from her wounds she held the leaf against his back and started wrapping the liana around his body, fastening him to the leaf. When she was satisfied she gently placed him on his back.
Taking another liana she fastened it to the one that was wrapped around Natsu and pulled it a few times. Yes this would have to be sufficient for now. Nodding quickly to herself she bound the liana around her waist and started walking away.

After walking for some time she noticed how fatigue her body felt as black spots started appearing in her vision. Hissing at herself she clenched her fists and kept moving. It didn't take long before she was walking in a zombie like state without noticing where she was going. Luckily her survival instincts took over and guided her in the right direction avoiding obstacles in her way. Normally she would have lost consciousness by now but she denied her body's protests. She refused to give up and kept walking with a blank stare. If she could see herself she would say she looked more dead than alive. Even if she could she didn't really care at the moment. Her mind was empty as she kept walking at a slow pace. Seeing the road but at the same time seeing nothing at all.
She didn't see the blue thing heading in her direction, neither did she hear someone anxiously shout her name. She just kept walking until everything suddenly disappeared in a cloud of darkness...


A/N: Woa! This was the first time ever I wrote a fighting scene! I hope you liked it :)
At first I didn't want you to know that the poison wasn't lethal but I just couldn't get myself to leave you with a cliffhanger like that. Maybe that was a stupid decision... Maybe it was clever? I don't know?

Happy: "What?! You can't end this chapter without involving me. People expect me to make an appearance and do something funny"
Me: "Then do something funny Happy. The stage is yours"
Happy: "But.. there is nothing to laugh about in this chapter..."
Me: "So? Can you juggle some fish or do a kitty cat dance?"
Happy: "You're mean!"
Me: "Sorry... If I give you this fish and promise you some time in the spotlight in the next chapter, will you forgive me?"
Happy: "Hmm... How big is the fish?"
Me: "As long as it fits in my head it can be as large as you want it to be"
Happy: "Really?! Okay you're forgiven!"
Me: "That's a good cat! Now wave goodbye to the viewers out there"
Happy: "Aye! See you next time!"