A/N: Yo! Thanks for tuning in for another episode!
Before you ask, I do have a plan for how they are getting away from the island but it won't happen yet. But I assure you I will reveal my devious plan later on. Muahaha! Pets the cat in her lap while laughing like a mad villain and secretly thanking her companion suikodengel for inspiring her in choosing this particular strategy :)

Random info: This weeks theme song has to be: Hot N Cold by Katy Perry. I've been sick and it felt like Gray and Natsu took turns in torturing me (I pity myself, hehe).

It's been awhile since I thanked you guys for following, reviewing, putting this story to story alert and favourites. I haven't forgotten about you, how could I? You're the best and you inspire me to continue this story :) Ahh to prove my gratitude I want you to imagine Natsu and Gray dancing in their boxers (without getting into a fight!).

Disclaimer: I'm not crazy nor awesome enough to be Hiro. Unfortunately :(

Chapter 14: The devil, the cat and the ice boy
Natsu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sky. The sun would set soon and it would probably be wise if they got back to the campsite soon if they wanted to avoid wandering around in the jungle in darkness. He considered just staying in the jungle alone with Lucy but he knew she wasn't that fond of being in there even if she had him to protect her.
"It'll be dark soon. We should get back to the others"
"Yeah"
After giving her a light squeeze he removed his arms. He felt cold all the places Lucy had been with her body heat and for a split second he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Letting out a sigh he got to his feet and took a few steps while stretching his body. He didn't know for how long they had been sitting there just hugging each other but it had to be some time because his muscles were kind of sore at the moment.
He didn't notice Lucy getting to her own feet until he heard a small yelp escaping her mouth. With a quick movement he turned around and looked at her. She was obviously in pain but he could see she tried ignoring it as she forced herself to smile at him.
Furrowing his brows he started moving towards her while crossing his arms in front of him.
"Oi! What do think you're doing?"
"Huh? Going back to the others? That's the plan, right?"
"Yeah, but like hell I'm allowing you to walk"
"I'm fine! Really it's nothing to worry about"
"You're not fine! It's obvious that your ankle hurts when you walk"
Laying his hands on her shoulders he looked into her eyes. She was blushing again but she wasn't all fidgety and nervous like she used to be when he was this close to her.
"Lucy you're not walking back..."
"But..."
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Natsu captured her lips with his own. He could feel the tingling sensation in his stomach again but he tried ignoring it as he used the kiss as an excuse to quickly manoeuvre Lucy up into his arms.
Lucy wasn't sure what happened. One moment she was standing on her own feet kissing Natsu and the next she was laying in his arms. With huge and confused eyes she blinked as she turned her head frantically around.
"Hey! How did you...? Put me down!"
"No!"
He looked down at her and she huffed before wiggling her tongue teasingly towards him. He couldn't stop grinning as he watched her. She really was stubborn sometimes but he couldn't scold her for it because he knew he could be just as stubborn if not more.
Lowering his head he gently kissed her forehead before he started running towards the camp. He could feel himself blush furiously but he didn't care. In fact he couldn't stop his grin from increasing as he kept running.

It didn't take long for Natsu and Lucy to arrive at the campsite. Taking a quick look around it looked like the camp was deserted. That was until they noticed Happy and Gray sitting alone at the beach with their backs towards them. Still carrying Lucy Natsu walked towards them. What were they doing?
When they got closer to them they noticed them shivering. It wasn't cold was it? And if it was why would they be sitting at the beach and not next to the fireplace?
When he got to them he gently placed Lucy next to Happy. It didn't seem like they even noticed them arriving because both of them were staring with huge eyes into the distance.
"Oi Happy, Gray what're you doing?"
They didn't answer him. In fact they didn't react at all but kept staring through him as if he was transparent. With irritation written all over his features he sat in front of them with arms crossed.
"Hey don't ignore me!"
What the heck was going on? They weren't made into statues or something like that were they? No they couldn't shiver if they were. Groaning he started poking them.
"Yo! Is there anybody in there?"
Finally Gray reacted to his poking as he slowly turned his head towards him with fright written in his eyes.
"Run! Safe yourselves"
"From what?"
"Her!"
"Who?"
"Me!"
Natsu turned his head to face the owner of the voice and as he did he felt his blood freeze in horror. It looked like Erza but she was covered in a dark and vicious aura. Her eyes were glowing red and it felt like they were piercing through his soul evoking his fears. He felt himself shiver uncontrollably as he fell down on his behind.
"E...Erza?"
She didn't answer him in words instead she pointed a large sword towards him in a threatening manner. He gulped as he took a quick glance towards Lucy through the corner of his eye. She was shivering and was staring at the scarlet haired monster with frightened eyes like he was. Immediately he felt his protective side kick in but he didn't get a chance to act on it as he felt Erza poking him with her sword demanding his attention.
"Natsu!"
"Ha...hai?"
"Where were you?"
"The jungle...?"
"Yes Gray told me you went for a swim. But that shouldn't take that long"
"Um... Well I..."
"Silence! You're all guilty in being late for tonight's dinner! Do you know how much time I spend on creating the most delicious stew that we were supposed to enjoy eating together? Hmm? And when it was time to eat you were all gone leaving me to eat all of that wonderful stew all alone"
Natsu was about to apologize but Lucy beat him to it as she leaned forward begging Erza for mercy.
"We're so sorry Erza! We didn't mean to be away for that long but things sort of happened and we're really, really, really sorry! Especially because I tried some of your stew earlier and it was delicious!"
Turning his head in a swift move Natsu stared at Lucy with curious eyes.
"It was?"
"Yes it was! There were all these roots and big chunks of fish in it... Oh but the flavour was exquisite! Actually I almost feel like drooling just thinking about it"
"Aww I want to try that! Erza is there anything left? Please?"
He gulped when he turned around to beg Erza for leftovers. For a moment he had completely forgotten Erza was mad at them and he jumped slightly as he felt her evil stare fall upon him.
"Um... eh... umm... sorry Erza!"
"Not as sorry as you're gonna be! You'll face my punishment tomorrow, yes?"
"Hai!"
All nodded enthusiastically towards Erza getting dizzy by the quick movements. Natsu could actually feel himself getting a bit sick as he kept nodding.
Erza took a quick glance at her nodding team and drew her sword back and sheathed it away. Even if she was mad at them she knew she couldn't stay that way forever. Besides it looked like her message was successfully delivered even if it had to pass through their thick skulls.
Once again she nodded to herself as she turned her head and looked at each one of them.
"Guys, we need to figure out how to get off this island. It's been fun and all but we've been here for approximately 14 days and it's about time we get back to the guild"
"...you're just saying that because you miss Mirajane's strawberry cake..."
"Did you say something Gray?"
"No nothing, just agreeing with you"
"I thought so"
Gray exhaled in relief. Fortunately she didn't hear him or he would have been chopped into tiny pieces by now. But how would they get off this island? Turning his head he looked at Erza who was staring into the distance.
"Do you have any ideas Erza?"
"No... But I want you to think about it. In fact might I suggest that we have a strategy meeting tomorrow?"
"Yeah that sounds reasonable enough"
"It's settled then. Until tomorrow lets relax and gather our strength"
"Hai!"
"Have you noticed how beautiful the sunset is?"
Everyone turned their heads and looked across the sea at the sun that was slowly setting. A comfortable silence fell as they watched the sunset. It was beautiful the way the sky surrounding the sun was covered with different shades of yellow, orange and pink and it all reflected in different ways in the ocean making it sparkle in different golden colours. Above them stars were spread out and glistening in a cold but pretty light. It was a harmonic and peaceful sight leaving the team with various smiles.
While the team watched the sun setting Natsu quietly crawled next to Lucy. When he got to her he sat still for a second unsure of what he should do next. Should he just throw his arm around Lucy or would that be awkward in front of the others? Wait he didn't care what the others thought did he?
He jumped slightly in surprise as he felt Lucy gently push him with her shoulder. She was smiling encouraging towards him and he could feel himself blush slightly as he grinned at her.
They kept looking into each others eyes while slowly inching closer to each other. Their heads kept getting closer like they were being pulled together by some invisible force and they knew if they didn't move or stop a kiss between them was inevitable. The distance between them was almost gone and both of them closed their eyes in expectation of what would happen next...
"Lucy, Natsu what are you... YAAAARGH!"
The scream caused them to open their eyes in an instant and both of them looked at a shaking Happy that somehow had found a way to get between them before their lips got a chance to meet each other. In other words Happy had popped up between them and thereby earned a kiss from Lucy... and Natsu.
"YAAARGH! Why are you kissing me?"
"Happy..."
The exceed turned his head to look at a growling and furious dragon slayer.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Eh? I didn't do anything? You're the one kissing me! How do you think Lucy feels about you going around kissing me like that? You're so mean Natsu!"
"Oi! I didn't kiss you!"
"Yes you did"
"That's it! I'll turn you into a new set of boxers for gramps"
"If you do that I'll summon my wings when he wears me and keep rubbing gramps behind on you"
"You..! Come here!"
"Lucyyyyy!"
With tears forming in his eyes Happy quickly turned and jumped into Lucy's chest. He knew it would be the safest place at the moment if he wanted to avoid Natsu's fury. But Happy's little chest attack caught Lucy of guard and she fell to the ground at the impact with a small "eh?" escaping her mouth.
"Ha... Happy?"
"... sop, sop... sniffle... Natsu is so evil towards me... sop, sop..."
Lucy couldn't help smiling slightly as she looked down at the exceed who was crying huge amount of tears against her chest. In her mind she wondered if the cat had some secret agenda about watering her boobs. Maybe he thought they would get bigger if he kept crying on them or something like that?
Letting out a sigh she gently patted Happy on his head. Even if he had a secret plan like that she couldn't be mad at him at the moment because it really wasn't his fault that he got caught in their private moment.
Looking up she noticed Natsu standing above her with arms crossed. He looked incredibly pissed at the moment and she shivered slightly and unconsciously hugged Happy towards her.
"Lucy let go of Happy!"
"No!"
She watched him as he narrowed his eyes towards the exceed. Really he couldn't be that mad about it could he? Had it something to do with male pride or something like that?
Letting out a sigh Natsu scratched the back of his head and sat next to them. He really wasn't that mad but he wasn't exactly happy either. Seriously why did everyone always have to interrupt them when they were having a special moment? Were they somehow born under a star telling their surroundings that they should prevent any Lucy and Natsu romance from happening in public?
Letting out an annoyed groan he crossed his arms and looked at the exceed.
"Fine I wont kill you! But Happy you and me need to have a talk about butting in when you're not supposed too"
Slowly Happy lifted his head and inhaled a long thread of snot that was dangling from his nose. With tears still streaming down his face he talked in a low quivering voice.
"But... I never butted in. If I did then you would have kissed my..."
"Oi! I don't want to think about that!"
The exceed grinned mischievously as he thought of some new ideas he had to try out in the future involving his butt. This caused Natsu to facepalm because he had a feeling that the cat had a lot of indecent ideas and thoughts going through his mind.
"Um guys? Are you done being... weird?"
They all turned to look at Gray who was looking at them curiously. He didn't want to interrupt what was going on so he had been watching them in silence up until now.
Narrowing his eyes Natsu pointed a finger towards Gray.
"Oi! Who are you calling weird? You're the one stripping while watching the sunset"
"Woa! My clothes!"
"Tch! Stupid Gray"
"Did you say something fire eating idiot?"
"Yeah I said you're stupid as in brain dead ice boy"
"You shouldn't talk about stupidity when you're clearly the stupid one here you flame juggling drama queen"
"Ice bending gym teacher"
"...gym teacher? You're so stupid you can't even insult me properly you hot headed son of a two headed dragon"
"Igneel is not two headed! If you insult Igneel I will burn your ass off faster than you can freeze a new one you frozen lamp shaded my little pony wanna be"
"You're just saying that because you're jealous of my perfect shaped bum you pink haired sissy"
"Do you have any final words or do you just want to kiss your ass goodbye before I fry it idiotic ice vending machine?"
"That's it! You're going down you weak minded fire eating chicken!"
"Bring it! I'm all fired up you frozen ear picking perverted goat!"
"Are you fighting?"
Gray and Natsu jumped in surprise. They had completely forgotten about Erza and as she spoke they quickly wrapped an arm around each other and smiled nervously towards her.
"No! We're just talking"
"Good! Anyhow we should get back. It's getting late and I want all of you to get a decent nights sleep so you're fresh for tomorrow's meeting"
Still laying on top of Lucy Happy slowly lifted his head. He was really tired but he just remembered something and the more he thought about it the more he wanted an answer to it.
"Lucy are you okay? How is your ankle?"
"Oh it's fine!"
Natsu shook his head and let out a sigh before turning his attention towards Lucy and Happy.
"No it isn't"
Overhearing their conversation Erza turned and got into a sitting position next to Lucy.
"What's wrong with your ankle Lucy? Did Happy harm you with his chest attack?"
"...how could my chest attack result in her hurting her ankle...?"
Lucy giggled and gently petted the exceed on his head to show him she agreed with him. Erza didn't know about the whole tree kicking incident so she could only assume that Happy's chest attack was the plausible cause behind her injure. Turning her head she smiled at Erza who was sending her a worried look.
"No I sort of accidentally kicked a tree and hurt my ankle"
"What? But you have your Lucy kick? How could you hurt yourself kicking a tree?"
"I don't know"
"Let me see it"
"Sure... um it's the one I wrapped"
"Yes of course"
Erza gently grabbed her ankle and removed the improvised bandaging with her hands and looked at the injury. It was swollen and there were bruises covering it but she couldn't know for sure if anything was broken from her point of view.
Gray looked over Erza's shoulder as she was giving Lucy's ankle a look over. He couldn't determine either if it was broken or not but it was plausible from the looks of it.
"Gray can't you use your ice to make the ankle less swollen?"
"No it should have been on immediately after the accident happened It's too late when it's already swollen as much as it is now"
"I see. Lucy does it hurt when you put any weight on it?"
Natsu had been quiet up until now but at the moment he was glaring daggers in Erza's direction.
"Of course it hurts when she puts weight on it!"
"Did I ask you Natsu? No? Now shut it already! Now Lucy answer my question please"
"Um... well it does hurt when I put weight on it"
"I see, but can you walk on it?"
"Yes"
"Okay... Well I think you only suffered a minor fracture. If it had been something major you wouldn't be able to walk on your ankle at all. For now all we need to do is wrap your ankle into something that can support it better than normal bandages. If we do that it should heal on it's own if you don't strain yourself too much"
"But how do we do that?"
"Gray could make a boot of some sort with his ice"
"No way I'll freeze with something like that on"
"Right... Well we still have some bandages laying around but we still need something to stiffen your ankle to prevent your bones from healing in a wrong way. For that we need to create something similar to a plaster cast"
Erza rubbed her chin as she thought about it. She didn't know how they would make something similar to a plaster cast with the materials available on the island. Maybe if they used some sort of clay? No that would just crack and break as soon as she walked on it.
"May I suggest you use this Hime?"
"KYAA!"
Everyone jumped in surprise. No one had heard or seen Virgo as she popped out from the spirit world and now she was standing in front of them with a small bowl and some bandages in her hands.
Lucy shook her head as she watched Virgo with curious eyes.
"What is it Virgo?"
"I brought you this. It works the same way as a traditional plaster cast and it has some healing abilities so your ankle will recover faster"
"Oh that's really nice! Thanks Virgo!"
"Do you want me to wrap your ankle, Hime?"
"Yes please do"
"As you wish"
They all watched as Virgo with quick hands wrapped Lucy's ankle with bandages and the weird looking goo from the bowl. In a manner of minutes she was done and Lucy's ankle and foot was wrapped in a white boot looking thing that was sparkling slightly from the magic within the material.
"Thanks Virgo!"
"Is it time for my punishment now?"
"No!"
"Then I'll take my leave. Goodbye!"
With a puff she was gone and they all looked at the spot Virgo was seconds ago.
Letting out a sigh Erza gently poked the boot looking thing on Lucy's foot. It seemed to be solid enough to give her ankle the support it required.
"Amazing! Well off to bed everyone! There are no more excuses. Come on!"
Lucy was still laying on her back and she watched as Gray got to his feet and slowly walked away towards the cabin. Looking down she remembered Happy still laying on top of her and for some reason he had fallen asleep and was now laying with a snort bobble out of his nose. How was she supposed to get up without waking him?
Her problem was solved as she watched Erza gently lift the exceed with her hands.
"I'll take him to the cabin. Natsu make sure Lucy doesn't put any unnecessary weight on that ankle! I don't know how much time it takes for the material Virgo used to harden and I don't want to risk it breaks because of it. Got it?"
"Yup! Leave it to me!"
"Good"
With that said Erza left while carrying a snoring Happy in her hands. The cat hadn't woken from the movements and Erza was sure it was because the cat could fall into an almost unconscious like sleep just like Natsu could sometimes.
Lucy turned her head and looked at Natsu who was staring in the direction Erza left. He looked serious and she was sure he was taking Erza's orders seriously. Well she couldn't really blame him for wanting to protect her even if it was from some something minor like an injured ankle.
Slowly she got into a sitting position and stared out at the ocean. The sun was gone and they were left under a sky filled with glistening stars.
After letting out a yawn she closed her eyes. It had been a long day and she really looked forward to getting a good nights sleep.
"Lucy?"
"Mm?"
"You ready to go back to the cabin?"
"Yeah"
Slowly she opened her eyes and she jumped slightly in surprise when she saw Natsu sitting in front of her only a few inches away. For some reason she hadn't heard him move and therefore she didn't expect him to be this close to her.
"Jesh! You scared the shit out of me Natsu!"
"Oh?"
"Well I guess it's my own fault I sort of dozed off for a second"
"Yeah it's been a long day hasn't it?"
"Yeah..."
"Luce can I ask you something?"
"Sure as long as you don't ask if you can test the plaster casts inflammability"
"Why didn't I think of... Hey don't distract me!"
"He, he... Sorry"
"Hmpf! Anyway do you think Erza ate all of the stew she made?"
"... of course you would think about food all of a sudden..."
"What? It's been ages since I had anything to eat?"
"Hmm she said she ate everything all alone didn't she"
"Right... Does that mean I have to wait until tomorrow?"
"Yeah... guess so"
Lucy tilted her head slightly to the side as she looked at Natsu who was staring off into the distance. She knew he was lost in thoughts at the moment and she didn't want to disturb him but she
just had an idea and therefore she gently poked him to get his attention.
"Natsu"
"Mm?"
"I know it's not much but can't you eat the remaining flames at the fireplace? I mean don't you think it would be sufficient until tomorrow?"
"That's a great idea! I'll be right back!"
She couldn't stop giggling as she watched him run eagerly towards the fireplace. There really wasn't that many flames left for him to eat but she hoped it would satisfy some of his hunger.
It only took a few seconds for Natsu to consume the fire and when he was done he turned his head towards Lucy and grinned with his canines showing.
With a swift move he leapt from his position and quickly closed the distance between them. He was still hungry but he could live with his hunger until he got a bigger meal in the morning.
"Thanks Luce!"
"No problem"
Still grinning he sat down in front of her. She really was a lifesaver sometimes and he appreciated her more than he thought she was aware of. He wasn't that good with words so instead he gently placed his hand on her chin and leaned in to seal her lips with his own. Maybe he should have asked her before jumping in and acting on impulse but that was just the way he liked doing things and hopefully she wouldn't mind him being this forward.
He could literally feel his heart skip a beat when he felt Lucy wrap her arms around his torso. This was all the encouragement he needed and he could feel a growl form in his throat as he deepened the kiss. His whole body was tingling and it felt like fire was spreading through his veins warming him with a comfortable heat. Lucy's intoxicating scent bombarded him in a way he had never experienced before and it send a new wave of sensations through his body.
He didn't want to stop kissing her but he knew he had to. Especially if they wanted to avoid Erza coming back and dragging them to the cabin. He was absolutely sure Erza meant it when she demanded they got to the cabin early in order to get a decent nights sleep and he didn't want to try out his luck by staying on the beach that much longer.
They were both panting when he stopped and rested his head against hers.
"We should get to the cabin"
"Yeah"
Smiling he placed a kiss on her forehead before getting off her. She was smiling and blushing slightly towards him and for some reason he felt like giggling and petting her on her head. Sometimes she was just so adorable.
"So... Are you ready?"
"Yup!"
She didn't complain as he gently lifted her up into his arms. Maybe she knew there was no point in arguing especially when Erza had demanded that Natsu made sure Lucy didn't put any unnecessary weight on her ankle.
Both of them were smiling as they made their way towards the cabin. None of them said anything and they knew they didn't have to. They had a silent understanding of each other and right now there wasn't any need to express their feelings in words.
Another day came to an end and both of them looked forward to the following day but at the same time they dreaded what was going to happen. Knowing Erza their punishment would be hard but they didn't really care as long as they had each others company.

A/N: Bwa-ha-ha! Ohh Happy you're so cute!

Me: "That reminds me, how on earth did you manage to get between Natsu and Lucy?"
Happy: "I'm a cat. You would be surprised how little space I need"
Me: "Riiight... But um another question I've been wondering about. How do you go to the bathroom?"
Happy: "I use my feet or I fly! That's a stupid question"
Me: "Okay let me rephrase that. Do you go to the human toilet or do you have a litter box Natsu has to empty once in awhile? Te-he that would be soooo funny especially with his sensitive nose"
Happy: "I want that! Where do I get a litter box?"
Me: "I can build one for you!"
Natsu: "Oi! Don't give Happy any stupid ideas!"
Me: "Tsch! I'm asking a valid question here... Besides he's a cat and every cat needs a litter box"
Happy: "Natsu! I want a litter box now and I want you to empty it!"
Natsu: "No way in hell!"
Me: "Te-hehe!"
Natsu: "You're so dead!"
Me: "Happy let's go!"
Happy: "Aye sir!"