A/N: So this is way overdue, huh? But at least it's another ultra long chapter! I guess that counts for something right? ;) So! There are only two more chapters left after publishing this one. It's kind of sad when I think about it but then again I kind of look forward to it too.
Anyhow I had some struggle with this chapter because I originally intended for some of it to be a bonus chapter but then I thought it would be silly and I had to rewrite a lot of it. Truth be told it needed some major editing... but it was worth it and I hope you think so too! Pssst! It's a bunch of chocolate covered sweet moments so I hope you brought your toothbrush ;)

I hope all of you guys had a great holiday and got safely into the new year! With that said here's today's gift from me to you; Tada! A huge box! And inside the box Gajeel is flexing his arms waiting for you to open it so he can give you a joyous and ehm... unique concert! To make things even better I included this huge rocket you can strap him on and send him flying when you feel like it. That way he returns somewhat safely to Fairy Tail when he's done giving you a concert :)

EDIT: I had to re upload this chapter because the other version was the wrong one (with all of my grammar mistakes and so on).

Disclaimer: (tilts her hat) "Because I'm bad, I'm bad - Come On... ops!"
Transation coming from Hejmdal laying on the floor with a huge bump on her head; I'm still not cool enough to be Hiro Mashima! ;)
Diclaimer part 2: I kind of insinuated Hiro can Moonwalk and dance like MJ. I have no idea however if that's true but my theory is that every awesome person can do it effortlessly :)

Chapter 21: It's elementary, my dear Watson
Natsu growled in annoyance as he ruffled his hair with both hands. It had been a long and terrible night outside the cabin. For some reason a lot of the creatures were active during the night and none of the guys really got that much sleep because of it.
With a sigh he turned his head towards Gray and Gajeel who was staring like brain dead zombies at the fire in front of them. He could barely recall the girls getting up but he did remember Erza poking him for a few minutes before she decided that she didn't need their help in preparing the breakfast. He knew it was an act of mercy from her part and he suspected that his humble and dead expression might have lead her to that decision but he wasn't sure. All he knew for certain right now was that Erza and the other girls were rambling while running around after stuff to cook. Heck even the cat joined the girls in their activities and was flying somewhere while talking about fish.
Natsu noticed that Gajeel was slowly tilting his head forward and it almost sounded like he was snoring.
"Oi Gajeel!"
The sound of his voice made the metal head jump slightly but it didn't take long before he was staring daggers in Natsu's direction.
"What is it Salamander?"
"Just making sure you didn't fall asleep before Erza got back here"
"I wasn't sleeping!"
"Yeah riiiiiight"
"Shut up! I wasn't!"
"Of course you weren't"
"Jeeeesh give it a rest will ya! And even if I did sleep it's none of your business, I mean other than the fact that it was your fault for keeping me up all night"
Gray smirked and gently laid a hand on Gajeel's shoulder.
"If I hadn't been there last night I could have sworn that you just indicated that you and Natsu did something inappropriate"
"Get your hands of me you damn perverted ice freak!"
"I'm just saying what it sounded like that's all"
"Yeah well at least I wasn't so scared I had to hug a moron like salamander all night long"
Natsu jumped from his position with a low growl and pointed his finger accusingly towards Gajeel.
"Oi! I only hugged the stripper because that bat thing caught me by surprise!"
Now it was Gajeel's turn to smirk as he leaned forward and raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so, hmm? So it was only my imagination that you hugged him while those high-pitched noises crept in on us?"
"Well... no..."
"My point exactly!"
"Well you joined us in the hugging and tears streaming down your face part when you saw that huge figure with the glowing eyes roaming in the jungle!"
"Yeah... so?"
"Argh! You're so annoying!"
"Are you talking about yourself again?"
Natsu could feel the anger boiling in his blood as he took a few steps closer towards Gajeel who got up to a standing position. It didn't take long before their foreheads crashed against each other while they kept staring in the opponents eyes viscously. The aura's surrounding them was growing with murderous intentions until Gray gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Now come on Gajeel, Natsu. This won't solve anything"
Gajeel was the first to turn his evil glare towards Gray and he was growling slightly as he directed his anger towards him.
"What's it to you, bub?"
Natsu quickly followed Gajeel's procedure as he glared at Gray too with eyes shining menacingly.
"If it's a fight you want just say the word and it's on!"
Gray sighed and tilted his head forwards and held it there for a few seconds. When he had collected his thoughts he raised his head again and glared at the dragon slayers with calm and patient eyes.
"I know you're pissed because we didn't get that much sleep but please don't let it get the best of you. Just hear me out okay? Instead of getting angry at each other why don't you use that anger to try and figure out how to get back at the girls and Happy?"
Gajeel and Natsu were silent for a few moments until they finally understood what Gray was saying. When it did they both smirked deviously with eyes shining mischievously.
"You're right Gray! Sorry Gajeel"
"Yeah, yeah you too..."
Gray exhaled in relief but soon joined the others in smirking as he crossed his arms in front of him.
"So what next?"
Both dragon slayers seemed to consider that for a moment as they rubbed their chins.
"Might I propose something first?"
Gajeel looked at him but was still smirking as he turned towards Gray.
"Yeah sure"
"I don't think we should pull the prank right away. I mean we're almost ready to leave the island and I think Erza will kill us if we do something to delay us. So! When we're on the ship...?"
"I like your thinking stripper boy! Okay lets start planning before the girls come back and decides it's time to eat"
With that sentence all of them started going over ideas and plausible pranks. None of the girls or the exceed knew what devious and slightly cruel things laid ahead of them but soon they would know not to mess with them the hard way.

Natsu let out a sigh as he unloaded yet another load of stuff onto the boat. He didn't know what he was carrying but he knew it was something vital for the upcoming trip across the ocean. To be honest he didn't particularly care at the moment he was too tired from lack of sleep and the workload Erza made him do.
They finished building the ship at some point during the day and now they only needed to collect all their stuff and set sail. He couldn't wait for that to happen for numerous reasons but one of the things he looked forward too was taking a long and well deserved nap. Turning his head he watched Gajeel and Gray carry a huge and heavy barrel onto the ship while bickering about who carried the most of it. Happy was sitting on top of the barrel dictating them how to walk so they walked identical. He wasn't sure if that was a smart thing for Happy to do or not but it did look like it had some effect since they got onto the boat walking in a straight line without accidentally walking into the jungle. And to be honest it wouldn't surprise him if they somehow managed to bicker so much that they didn't notice that they somehow wandered into the jungle and got lost in there. The mental picture made him want to facepalm and laugh at the same time. With a sigh he placed his hand on his shoulder and gently cracked it before he started walking towards Erza to ask her what his next assignment would be. Currently she was talking to Levy who was holding a check-list making sure they brought all they needed for their journey and didn't forget something. As he walked towards them Erza turned her head while talking to Levy and nodded once in his direction indicating she saw him approaching. It didn't take long for him to reach them and knowing Erza he knew it wouldn't be wise interrupting them while they were talking so instead he casually scratched the back of his head while staring into the distance. He didn't know for how long he stood there until he heard a slightly furious voice snap him back to reality.
"Natsu!"
"Ohh sorry Erza"
"That's alright. Now we're almost done loading the boat but there is one more thing that I want you to do"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to take that empty basket over there and fill it with apples. There's an apple tree over there. Can you do that for me? "
"Uhm... yeah sure"
With a yawn he left the women to talk about the to-do-list or whatever they called it and soon he found himself picking apples and dropping them into the empty basket. As he did he started to notice the weird sound the apples made when he dropped them into the basket. It was a good voice though and soon he figured out a way to entertain himself by dropping 1 apple and quickly after dropping two. It almost sounded like a melody and he soon found new and different variations to the rhythm. When there was enough apples to fill the bottom he emptied it and soon the ground was filled with apples instead of the basket. He didn't really understand why he enjoyed this so much. No actually he did. It was almost like when he was playing the drum. The drum... Natsu froze in his position and his eyes widened as the apple in his hand slowly dropped from his grasp.
"The drum..."
In a flash he leapt away from the basket and started searching the area for his drum. It wasn't in the cabin, it wasn't by the fireplace and it wasn't on the beach! His head kept popping out randomly and caused some of the others to be caught in surprise by Natsu's head just spawning from out of nowhere staring at them with huge curious eyes. It didn't take long though before his search was stopped as he felt someone grabbing his shirt firmly from behind preventing him from doing another head-popping-scene.
"Natsu... what do you think you're doing?"
The voice was slightly dripping with fury and even though his instincts told him to beware he didn't really care that much at the moment.
"Erza! Have you seen my drum?"
"Your... what?"
"You know my drum? It's this big and..."
"I know what your drum looks like Natsu! Now why would you think I knew where it was?"
"Well you might have seen it at some point. I mean you and Levy are so organised and all..."
"Ohh..."
Natsu couldn't see Erza's face because she was still holding him firmly but he knew she was blushing. That fact was soon confirmed as he felt Erza let go of him and he turned to stare at her with wet and appealing eyes.
"Erza we have to find that drum! It's very precious to me because it was something Lucy and I build together"
"Oh.. yes... I see... well... um... that's very understandable Natsu. You may search for your drum while we finish the chores"
"Really?"
"Yes"
Natsu could feel his grin spreading. His smile further increased when he noticed that Lucy was slowly approaching them. She probably wanted to know what the fuss was all about.
"Oi Luce!"
"Hey Natsu, Erza. What's going on?"
"Well Natsu lost his drum. Have you by chance seen it anywhere?"
"Hmm no... sorry but I haven't"
"That's alright Lucy"
As Erza said those words Natsu could feel Lucy put her hand on his shoulder and squish it gently. Lucy knew how much random stuff from missions meant to him so she could only imagine how hard it would be for him to lose the drum. Natsu was blushing slightly as he placed his hand over Lucy's on his shoulder and gently squished it back.
"It's okay. Erza allowed me to look for it"
"Really?"
"Yeah"
"Well uhm.. do you need any help? I'm done with my chores and I think the possibility of finding the drum would increase if we did it together"
"That would be awesome Luce!"
"Umm!"
Natsu grinned playfully and it made Lucy blush slightly as she nodded her head towards him. They didn't get to stare at each other for long as Erza coughed lightly and brought them back to the presence.
"Ahem..."
Both of them turned their heads towards the scarlet haired woman dreading what she might say to Lucy volunteering in finding the drum.
"Uhm Erza it's just.. I already did what you asked of me. So I think it would be sufficient if I helped him..."
"Yeah! And it would speed up the search a lot!"
Natsu and Lucy waited for Erza to start a long argument telling them how that would be a bad idea so they were surprised when they saw her nod her head.
"Yes... Yes I think it would be wise if you helped Natsu in recovering the drum"
"Really?!"
"Yes... But no hanky-panky on my watch okay?!"
"No sir!"
"Good!"
Both of them stood frozen for a few seconds as they watched Erza leave them. They didn't know what to do but finally Natsu broke the silence as he looked at Lucy with his eyebrows twisting awkwardly.
"Did she just say hanky-panky?"
"Yup..."
"As in...?"
"Yes..."
"So she meant...?"
"Oh yeah..."
"I didn't think Erza would be such a pervert..."
"Neither did I..."
It took a few minutes for them to shake that experience of their shoulders but soon they found themselves occupied with scouting various scenes scaring the others a few times with their huge staring eyes from heads that kept popping out randomly from out of nowhere.

Natsu didn't know for how long they had been searching for the drum but he knew it was probably longer than Erza would find appropriate. But he really wanted to find it so he could coop with her anger later on. With a yawn he looked at Lucy who was currently leaning forward and examining the last place he remembered playing on the drum. Lucy was staring all around her curiously and nodded a few times like she was having a conversation in her own mind and confirming some statement he was unaware of. Suddenly Lucy's eyes widened as something seemed to catch her attention and she quickly turned around to look at Natsu while pointing a finger towards him.
"You!"
"Me?"
"Yes you! You said that this was the last place you saw your drum, correct?"
"Mmm yeah. I told you that"
"And you haven't seen it since?"
"No..."
"Sooo... do you think it's plausible that someone took the drum?"
"Uhm I guess...:"
"Ah-ha!"
Natsu jumped slightly in surprise as Lucy in a quick move closed the distance between them and gently poked him on his chest.
"You see Natsu? This has to be it then"
"What?"
"This is the scene of the crime!"
"What? What crime?"
"Shhh! Now let me see now... hmm"
Natsu tilted his head to the side as he watched Lucy rub her chin philosophically while humming some strange tune. As she did she turned around on her feet and started looking all over the place again more thoroughly while occasionally saying "ah-ha", "I see" or just humming something he couldn't recognize.
"Umm Luce...?"
"Hmm..."
"Luce?"
"Shh just a minute okay. You know you can't hasten this brilliant mind of mine. It already works quicker than anything else in the entire world"
"I know you're smart Lucy but that really sounds like you're exaggerating"
"Not when you're the smartest and most intelligent detective in the world!"
"Oh I... what the heck are you talking about?"
Natsu could practically hear Lucy rolling her eyes as she turned towards him.
"Come on Natsu! I'm the greatest detective in the world and you're my most loyal servant. Now don't slack or fall behind we have an important task to finish"
"Really?"
"Mmm!"
"Awesome! Okay ehm... what do I do?"
"Look for clues! You see that small chip of clay over there?"
"Yeah...?"
"And did you notice the footprint next to it?"
"Ahhh... no? And what does a piece of clay have to do with it?"
"Ah but this is why I am the detective now isn't it? That small piece of clay is from the drum and it most have fallen off when the culprit stole the drum"
"Ohh! And that's why the footprints are important! Hmm... it's... cat paws!"
"Which means?"
"Happy did it!"
"Very well deducted Natsu! Lets follow the footprints shall we?
"Aye!"
Natsu grinned widely towards Lucy who giggled kindly before they started following the footprints that for some suspicious reason was leading them into the jungle.

Lucy hummed as she lead the way through the jungle. For some reason she wasn't frightened by entering it nor was she anxious of what they might find in there. Maybe it was because it was a bright and sunny day or maybe it was because she knew they would leave the island soon. Or perhaps it was because she was spending some quality time with the pink headed freak who was following close behind her.
They were still playing their little detective game but soon the foot or palm prints they were following came to a stop and Lucy had to stop too to take a look around. But unfortunately there was nothing anywhere close to be seen and she knew that this could only mean that the thievish cat had taking the next part of his journey in the air.
Furrowing her eyebrows she took a look up and sure enough there was evidence that some creature had been there not that long ago and she was absolutely positive that it had to be Happy. Turning around she smiled warmly towards Natsu before nodding in the direction she was sure the cat hat flown and started walking convincingly. As she did she could hear Natsu trying to hold in a laugh and she turned around again to see what the fuss was about.
"What is it?"
"Ahh nothing... just... well... you don't really need me in here do you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm surprised I have to lecture you, miss I'm so intelligent. Looks like you can follow Happy's path without me using my nose"
"Ahh no that would be cheating"
"Really?"
"Mmm... unless of course we get lost then it's okay for you to use your nose"
"Hmm... you and me all alone in the jungle. Now why doesn't that sound like such a bad thing when I think about it?"
"Natsu!"
She could feel her cheeks burning as she turned around and watched the dragon slayer grin deviously towards her as he tilted his head to the side.
"Come on Luce! I'm sure I could find something interesting for us to do in here"
"What are you insinuating?"
"What I'm insinuating? I thought you were the one with the brain. However..."
"However what?"
"I will give you a clue to follow"
"Mmm okay...?"
She was still blushing fiercely as he closed the distance between them and before she got a chance to protest he gently held her chin in his hand. He was looking at her while smirking deviously yet affectionately. In a way Lucy knew what was coming and knew that she should have seen this one coming from a mile away but for some reason she was dumbfounded and clueless at the moment. That was until she felt Natsu wrap his arm around her waist while his hand moved from her cheek to the back of her head. Natsu gave Lucy a gentle squish before forcing her head towards his resulting in both lips colliding. As they did she could feel her stomach twirling excitedly like there was a huge bubble of butterflies inside of her and as the kiss deepened she could almost hear the bubble exploding, sending a mayor storm of a weird tingling sensations throughout her entire body. She was shivering slightly but it wasn't unpleasant and it wouldn't even be noticeable for anyone unless you were a dragonslayer. Per instinct Natsu responded to this and squished her body with his arms that was wrapped around her torso. This resulted in another huge chill running through Lucy's body and she could practically feel the hair on the back of her head raise.
All of a sudden she felt so light headed and she knew she had to stop now if she wanted to regain some of her own self control. So with that in mind she placed her hands on Natsu's chest and gently pushed him back to indicate that his so called clue was enough for now. She could hear him laughing almost bitterly when he stopped the kiss and rested his head against hers.
"So... you sure you don't want a second clue before you use that brain of your to deduce what I meant?"
"Ehh... hehe... it's fine... and umm... I think I get what you insinuated"
"Good"
Lucy could feel herself blushing as she struggled to find the right words.
"But you know I wouldn't... umm... you know... in here... I mean..."
Now it was Natsu's turn to blush as he crooked his eyebrow towards her.
"Well of course not... but there.. umm... are other things than that you know.. to umm.. do"
"I know... but even if it is tempting and all I think it would be for the best if we... umm... didn't... I mean we've been out here for so long it wouldn't surprise me if Erza started looking for us and could you imagine what she would do if she caught us doing anything inappropriate...?"
Natsu froze in his position and Lucy could practically see the scenario going through Natsu's mind and it wasn't a pleasant sight.
"That.. would be..."
"I know..."
Reluctantly they let go of each other and as they did Natsu raised his hand and placed it on Lucy's head. She was yet again clueless about what he was doing until she felt him ruffling her hair in a very Gajeel like manner.
"Stop that Natsu!"
"Sure..."
He was grinning widely as he stopped ruffling her hair and it only increased when he saw how Lucy was glaring at him while pouting her lips in annoyance.
"Haha! You're kind of cute when you look like that Luce"
"Shut up..."
Lucy kept staring at him defiantly as Natsu started laughing. He really was an idiot sometimes but she kind of liked that about him.
When he stopped laughing he caught her by surprise again by smiling affectionately before he kissed her. It was a sweet and almost innocent kiss and once it was done Natsu tilted his head to the side and looked at Lucy apologetically.
"I'm sorry..."
"Yeah, yeah whatever..."
She was smiling teasingly towards him indicating that she wasn't mad at him and she knew Natsu was smart enough to know that fact. So with that said they silently moved away from each other and started walking again.
"Hey Luce?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure"
"Well it's just... do you think Erza really meant it when she said that she didn't want any hanky-panky on her watch?"
"Umm... well I don't think she indicated that she wanted us to do it if that's what you mean?"
"No it's just... do you think she might have indicated something else?"
"Not really no. I mean I think it was her way of saying that something like that should only be a plausibility"
"What do you mean?"
"Well put it this way it was her way of saying that potential hanky-panky should only happen in our dreams and not in reality"
"Oh!"
They started walking again but they didn't get far before Natsu broke the silence.
"So Luce?"
"Yeah?"
"You said only in our dreams right?"
"Yes?"
Natsu stopped walking and was rubbing his chin thoughtfully and as he did Lucy turned around to look at him curiously. He was blushing slightly and it was obvious that he was struggling with something.
"What is it Natsu?"
"Luce I... god damn it! How do I say this without sounding like a moron?"
Lucy watched as Natsu started squirming uncomfortably in his position while his face went through several shades of red as time passed by.
"I.. um... what I mean is... ahh damn it!"
"What?"
"You!"
"Me?"
"Yes you! In my dreams... that's okay?"
He was pointing his finger towards her in an awkward way while shaking slightly.
"Umm... yes?"
"So I shouldn't feel guilty about it?"
"Of course you shouldn't. I mean it's normal dreaming about other people"
"Yeah but... including... you know that sort of subject?"
Lucy was staring at him curiously until she finally understood what he was talking about and as she did she wanted to facepalm herself for being so slow. She knew this was a natural thing but she never expected Natsu being so inexperienced that he didn't know that.
"Yes that's alright Natsu. It's only natural having those dreams once in awhile"
"Really?"
"Yes. However I'm surprised you didn't know that? Haven't you talked to others about it?"
"No... I mean Gray once told me that he would be all over me in my dreams"
"Oh?"
"Yeah he said it after this argument we had were we accidentally hit Laxus and he electrocuted us which ended up in both of us being completely paralysed so we couldn't continue fighting..."
"...that isn't the same at all..."
"Oh wait there was this other time!"
"Yes?"
"Well it was during a fight with Gray and I accidentally burned Cana's barrel of liquor and she got all worked up and told me she would use her female attributes to hunt me into a never ending dream"
"That's not the same either!"
"I know but it's the closest thing I have to talking about people occurring in my dreams"
"But you have had those dreams but you haven't talked to anyone about it?"
"No... I mean I thought I was the only one and well... I don't think the subject was ever brought up"
Lucy sighed and even though it sounded weird that he wouldn't know any better she shouldn't be surprised. Well maybe Gray or some of the other would have hinted it to him somehow but if it was only hinting and not an actual conversation she could imagine it wouldn't have the same effect on Natsu as it would have on anyone else. Besides that he didn't have a father figure since Igneel who could have told him this. But then again why didn't Gildarts or anyone else tell him about it? Had they just assumed someone else would lecture him about it at some point?
"Natsu it's perfectly normal having those dreams"
"So you have them too?"
She felt like biting her lips but she knew she couldn't take it back once she had uttered those words.
"Umm.. yeah a couple of times"
"Oh..?"
Natsu was smirking towards her and Lucy could feel numerous inappropriate swear words crossing her mind.
"So tell me Luce? Who did you dream about?"
"Mmm-mm! No! That doesn't matter!"
"Please Luuuuce! If you don't tell me you know I'll just have to force it out of you"
"No!"
She was shaking her head defiantly as she watched Natsu's grin increase in a very devious way.
"Are you sure Luce? This is your last chance"
"I don't want to tell a hot headed baboon like you!"
Natsu's eyes widened as Lucy wiggled her tongue teasingly towards him.
"Oh, you shouldn't have done that"
Lucy didn't get a chance to answer him back as he launched himself and caught her in a tight hug.
"Nat..."
"Shh... now you left me with no choice"
"What are you going to...?"
She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as she felt Natsu loosen the hug just enough for his hand to be freed and allowing him to tickle one side of her rips. The result came immediately as Lucy started laughing.
"Please Natsu... stop..."
He stopped and Lucy inhaled a huge portion of air.
"Are you ready to tell me who you dreamt about now?"
"Never!"
Lucy was smiling teasingly towards Natsu as she said that knowing that it would only encourage the dragonslayer in his questioning.
"Never? Are you sure about that? Is that you final answer?"
"Mmm!"
"Very well then"
Lucy roared in laughter as he once again started tickling her and soon she was gasping for air in his arms as he stopped his fingers from tickle playing her rips.
"You want to tell me now?"
"Okay, okay I surrender!"
"Good girl!"
He released his hold of her and smirked while he crossed his arms in front of him.
"So.. spill!"
"Umm... okay... well there was this one time with Gray"
"... what?"
"No it was more than once... Ohh! But there was this other time with Gajeel!"
"... what?"
"Yeah, yeah... and umm... besides them.. umm... lets see... there's Loke, Laxus, Elman, Gildarts, Freed, Lyon, Jura..."
"Jura?!"
"Yes and then there's the trimens without Ichiya of course..."

Lucy stopped her ranting to look at Natsu who was staring back at her with huge and very confused eyes that were ready to pop out at any moment. It was obvious that Natsu didn't notice the glint of sarcasm shinning in Lucy's eyes as she was listing names so it shouldn't surprise Lucy when Natsu exhaled rather shakingly before turning his head to look menacingly of into the distance. As he did fire slowly started spawning around his body and as it did he brought his hands up in front of him were he cracked his knuckles loudly.
"Natsu...?"
"I don't care if it's natural or only a dream... I will teach those guys not to sneak into your dreams ever again unless they want utter pain for the rest of their lives!"
Now it was Lucy turn to exhale and almost giving in to the facepalming feeling rising inside of her.
"Natsu! I was only teasing you. I didn't have dreams about any of them"
The words seemed to have their effect as the fire slowly decreased until they were gone. When the fire died out Lucy raised her hand and with a quick movement pinched Natsu's nose.
"Auch! Luce?"
"That's what you get for asking questions you don't want the answer to. And this..."
Lucy pinched his nose harder resulting in Natsu yelping slightly.
"... is for getting all worked up about it. However this..."
She released her hold on his nose and instead placed it on his chin before gently kissing him.
"... is for your noble intentions by being jealous"
Natsu blinked a few times before staring at her in confusion.
"I don't get it?"
"But if you really want to know I have dreamt about you..."
"Wait! You did? So was it a good dream or was it one of those dreams or what?"
"Well I'm not telling. However... I will tell you that you're the only one who has made such a mess out of my dreams"
She was smiling teasingly before she blinked with one eye towards him. Even if he was slow in some aspects she was certain he would get that indication and sure enough Natsu's grin suddenly grew and he started laughing silently.
"Luce! You're a pervert too aren't you?"
"Maybe..."
His laugh increased in volume as he once again hugged her. Before he released her he gently kissed her forehead resulting in both of them blushing from all of the excitement and mainly because of the subject they had just discussed.
"Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't that Happy footsteps over there?"
"Hmm.. yeah looks like it. Alright miss detective! Lets follow the clues shall we?"
"Mmm!"
Both of them were smiling as Natsu gently grabbed Lucy's hand and they started following the trail Happy left behind. Their little quest had taken them on a detour but now they were back on track to find the missing drum.

Natsu was still blushing slightly as they followed the foot or paw prints. He wasn't blushing because he felt bad about the conversation he had with Lucy but he was still inexperienced in talking about these sort of things. And to be honest he was always more of a doer than a talker so something this sensitive wasn't something he would normally talk about with anyone. Well except Lucy but it would take time before he got used to the idea of talking about stuff like that. Not that he was shy or anything but he wasn't used to people getting this close to him and knowing some of the more primal aspects of his persona.
After walking in silence for a while Lucy turned around and smiled encouraging towards him and as she did he could feel himself turning more red. He knew Lucy saw it and he smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head with the other hand that wasn't holding on to Lucy's. As he did she started giggled affectionately before gently squishing his hand.
"It's okay... I won't tell anyone what you told me you know that right?"
"Mmm yeah I know"
"Good. Now relax... I think these footprints are leading us back to the others"
"Yeah looks that way"
Following the footprints it didn't last long before they were lead to the boat where the others were standing in front of it impatiently waiting for their return. If they hadn't been so focused on their search they would have noticed this. They would also notice Erza glaring at them as if she was trying to figure out if something happened that shouldn't have happened. But they didn't until the footprints they were following came to an abrupt stop. As they did Lucy narrowed her eyes and looked up where she noticed the rest of the group staring at them.
"Umm... hi! Have you seen Happy?"
The question seemed to confuse them but Erza was the one to answer as she crossed her arms and took a few steps towards them.
"He is on the boat. Now did you find the drum?"
"Well sort of..."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You'll see... Happy?! Come down here will you?"
The exceed popped his head out and waggled his tail before spawning his wings and flying down to them. As he reached them Lucy let go of Natsu's hand and kneeled in front of the cat who was looking at both of them innocently.
"Happy where's the drum?"
"Huh?"
"You know where it is don't you?"
"No I haven't seen it anywhere... why would you think I took it? I think Gray took it because he wanted something to cover up his..."
"Oi! I didn't take the drum!"
"I know Gray"
Gray huffed once before leaning towards the boat and started staring towards the blue cat.
Natsu could feel his lips slowly rising revealing his canines as he watched Lucy go in serious mode while interrogating Happy. This had potential to become a truly hilarious situation if Lucy played her cards right.
"Happy do you deny that you are guilty in this crime?"
"Aye!"
"So that means you also deny the fact that it was your footprints we found where Natsu left the drum?"
"Aa-ye?"
"Well let me see your paws if you're innocent then"
"Mmm okay?"
Happy reluctantly showed his paws to Lucy and as he did it was evident that small drops of sweat was starting to form on the cat's head.
"Hmm... hm..."
"I told you Lucy I didn't do..."
"Ah-ha! Here's the evidence!"
"Whaa...?"
"You see this brown substance between your fingers? It's from when you stole the drum"
"But I-I... didn't..."
"Yes you did! You see we found this small piece of clay on the crime scene and it came off the drum when you stole it! Therefore I know that it was you because you accidentally scratched the drum with that paw resulting in the small piece to break off and thereby also leading to you having that brown substance on your paw"
"Ohh..."
Natsu had a hard time concealing his laugh as Happy raised his paw up to his face and clenched it into a tight fist in front of him. It was even harder to suppress when he heard a very confused Gray whispering; did she just say crime scene to Gajeel. But he managed somehow before returning his attention towards the so called detective and the blue criminal.
"But why did you steal it Happy?"
"Well.. it was just... I just wanted to play a little for the giant cat before we left the island..."
"That's a nice thing to do but you could've just asked"
"No..."
"Why not?"
"Because you wouldn't like what I did to it"
Natsu forgot time and place for a second as he glared at the cat who was squinting underneath Natsu's burning stare.
"What did you do to my drum? Tell me you didn't break it!"
"No I just... well come with me"
Natsu stared in confusion at Happy who was walking towards the boat before turning towards Lucy who looked equally baffled at the current situation. With a shrug he reached his hand to Lucy and helped her into a standing position before they followed the cat onto the ship and beneath the deck. It was filled with barrels and stuff they needed for their travel and it amazed Natsu just how much that was down there.
"Happy what are we doing down here?"
"Just a bit further Natsu and you'll see"
It didn't last long before they got to the far end of the deck and when they did Natsu saw what Happy was keeping a secret and his jaw almost hit the floor as he stared at the scene in front of him. He almost didn't hear or see Lucy having the same reaction as himself but he noticed especially when he saw her pointing a finger at the thing that caught their attention the most.
"Oh Happy you didn't"
"Aye..."
Natsu blinked again before staring at the creature that was laying there looking back at them with huge and appealing eyes.
"The big cat..."
Happy nodded before going over to the cat and started patting it gently on its head.
"Aye... she wanted to come back with us. And well.. I thought I would play the drum with her down here so she wouldn't get bored. I would tell you I was practising or something like that and at some point I would pretend I was sick and that I needed to be kept isolated down here..."
"So we would leave a sick cat with our food?"
"... when you put it that way it doesn't sound like a good idea..."
Natsu exhaled before wandering over to the two cats who was looking at him like he was an executioner who had the power to decide whether they lived or died.
"But why?"
"Well remember when Lucy talked to the cat and she said something about the giant cat was claiming me as its kitten?"
"Yeah?"
"You see I wanted to say goodbye but when I did she got all sad and stuff like that. And I knew I couldn't leave her like that... I mean she hasn't got any other cat family on this island so she wont miss anyone! Besides I think she was lonely and I think it would be cruel just leaving her all alone here don't you!?"
"Yes it would... hmm... but how do we convince Erza?"
"You don't have to convince me!"
All four of them shrieked in surprise as the scarlet haired woman seemed to come from out of nowhere. In fact it almost looked like she had somehow materialized within the shadows as she suddenly stood there wiping her eyes with her hands.
With a gulp Natsu pointed his finger towards Erza and he instantly felt guilty even though he hadn't really done anything.
"Erza?!"
"As I said you don't have to convince me. I think it would be cruel just leaving her so you have my permission to bring her a long. However..."
"However?"
"The cat will travel as a passenger and not as storage"
Natsu smiled as he watched the blue cat jump in joy and hugging the gigantic cat before he spawned his wings and collided with Erza's head while tears was streaming down his face.
"Thank you... sob... sob... Erza..."
"Don't mention it"
Lucy started giggling and soon Natsu joined in as he watched the exceed starting to kiss Erza's head. When he stopped laughing he turned towards Lucy.
"So Luce? I guess some heads are meant for kissing and some are meant to be boats"
"Shut up..."
The look on Lucy's face made him roar in laughter and soon Lucy laughed too. Even if it was her head he was joking about it was still a funny comparison.

It didn't take long for them to lead the big black cat out from the deck and soon all of them were standing outside staring at eachother prepared for what would happen next.
Erza nodded once and took a quick glance around before pointing her arm up into the air.
"This is it! We will now take departure. Are you ready?"
"Aye!"
"Good!"
The next thing happened very fast as Erza started giving orders to them telling them when it was time to raise the anchor and when they had to raise the sails. So it didn't take long before they were slowly sailing away from the island with a mixed up feelings in their stomachs. It would be nice getting home and sure there were things they wouldn't miss but there had been fun times too.
The most conflicted at the moment was Natsu who was currently dangling across the railing while drooling into the ocean. He wanted to go home but he wasn't sure if he wanted to undergo the horrific experience it always was when he was travelling. As he thought this he couldn't help but think that it would have been nice if Wendy had been with Levy and Gajeel but unfortunately for him she was probably back at the guilt right now.
As they sailed further away from the island figures suddenly appeared on the strand and even though Natsu was feeling ill at the moment he narrowed his eyes until he could recognize two familiar shapes.
"Hey Luce... come... here"
"What?"
"Look! It's... that lizard king... and... crab"
"Did the lizard king crap on the beach?"
Natsu was pointing his finger rather shakingly towards in the creatures direction and soon Lucy spotted them as well.
"Yes it is! Goodbye lizard king! Goodbye evil crab! Take care okay?"
The crab was dancing while clapping it's claws while the lizard was making a weird almost howling like sound and soon a lot of other lizards joined him and the tiny crab on the beach and started making the same sound as the lizard king.
"...looks like... he became friends with... the other lizards again... huh?"
"Yeah looks that way. To be honest I'm glad knowing that Natsu"
"... yeah"
He gulped once before he could taste iron in his the saliva indicating he had to empty his stomach and quickly he leaned further across the railing before it came splashing out of him. As he did he felt Lucy gently stroking his back with her hand and it made him relax a tiny bit as he finished emptying his stomach. When he was done he moaned before sitting down and resting his arms on the railing where he placed his head.
"You okay Natsu?"
"I... hate travelling..."
"I know"
He didn't see her smiling but he did feel her wrap her arm around him and he sighed as he closed his eyes. It would be nice if he could get a nap or something like that then the trip wouldn't seem that long. But as he drifted off into his sleep he felt Lucy's arm stiffen and heard a low shriek escaping her lips. He was about to open his eyes and ask Lucy what was going on when he felt a sudden wind blowing towards them. It wasn't a cold wind but for some reason it smelled awful! Something like dead fish and it didn't have a positive effect on his motion sickness... on the contrary. He groaned once again as he felt something dripping onto him that felt sticky and slimy. What the heck was going on?
With all of his remaining will power he opened his eyes only to find himself staring at some weird sort of creature. He immediately knew that this had to be the sea creature that the others engaged back in the days and he could feel his anger starting to boil inside of him as he clenched one of his fists and held it up threateningly towards it. Not that it looked very threatening in his current condition.
"You! Don't you... dare.. do anything! I will... burn you... crisp! And... stop drooling on me!"
The sea creature turned it's head resulting in an enormous amount of drool landing directly on Natsu making him shiver in both disgust and because he was feeling nauseous again.
"You... I will..."
He could feel another wave of motion sickness running through him and as the dizziness escalated he quickly placed the hand he was threatening the sea creature with over his mouth. But the hand was covered in drool and the sudden increase of the smell right underneath his nose made him lean forwards again and empty whatever was left in his stomach.
As he laid there the sea creature turned around to look at what the person underneath him was doing and for some reason it looked like it pitied him.
"Don't go near him, you... sea monster!"
Lucy was now standing on her feet with her whip in her hands and was looking at the creature fiercely. She noticed it freezing in it's position as she said this before it lowering it's head as if it was bowing towards her.
"What are you...?"
Narrowing her eyes she stared at the monster as it closed it's mouth and slowly started lowering itself into the water until it was gone. When it was gone she ran to the railing only to find herself staring at the blue water underneath them.
"Where did it go?"
She didn't have to wait long before her question was answered and she saw the creature emerging out of the water further away from them than before. As it did it also very slowly lifted a long tail from underneath the water and as it became more visible it started wagging the tail from side to side.
Lucy was clueless for a few seconds until she recognized the pattern as a wave. She then understood that the creature was waving at them and if she wasn't mistaken it was telling them goodbye.
Picking up on her intuition she raised her own arm and started waving towards it and as she did the sea creature started waving faster. On that note she noticed that the sea creature was... smiling?
"See you sea creature thing! Take care okay?"
The sea creature nodded and soon it dived into the ocean and was out of sight. With a sigh in relief Lucy turned her attention towards Natsu who was trying his best to wave with one hand but it looked more like a baby seal trying to swing with just one paw than an actual wave. The sight made Lucy laugh as she once again sat down besides Natsu and tried to stroke his back but because of the saliva her hand kept slipping making it look like she was trying to take off the drool and not showing her affection.
"We have to get cleaned don't you think?"
"Garrr...!"
She tilted her head and smiled as she looked at him trying to protest against that idea. But she knew it was for the best if they got cleaned especially because they were both so slippery that they could become a threat against the others safety. Especially if their bodies skated around the boat aimlessly and crashed into stuff. Besides she knew she didn't have to argue about it with Erza so she knew it would happen the question was how and which procedures they would have to follow. And knowing Erza she could imagine she would throw her into the ocean and use a robe to secure Natsu and then throw him into the water as well. For now she didn't want to think about it and she sighed before she tried resting her head against Natsu's shoulder. It took a couple of tries but finally she succeeded and she smiled to herself as she heard Natsu starting to snore peacefully.
Everything was going to be okay and soon they would be back at the guild with all of their friends enjoying themselves with each others company.

A/N: Muahaha! I could have made this chapter soooo inappropriate and break the rating with miles (and thereby also earn the possibility of this story being deleted). But to be honest I think it's so much more intriguing hinting without the actual whoop-de-do :)

And where are the others in the end and why don't they appear sooner? Well call it a plot-no-jutsu if you want, haha! But okay Gajeel is also plagued by motion sickness and is therefore laying like an empty shell somewhere while the others are downstairs making sure everything is secured tightly so it won't fall or tilt as they travel. If you want you could also say they were on the toilet... now that would be weird... I wonder how that scene would work out especially if they also had "appropriate plumbing" and stuff like that... Well less wondering and more writing! So without any more hesitation I give you my second gift to you by including this "bonus chapter". Aaaaand action!

In the bathroom Erza is currently using the mirror to put on makeup while Levy is busy taking a shower. Happy is poking the water in the sink trying to avoid getting into it. Meanwhile Gray is sitting on the toilet while reading a short story made by Lucy that is only suitable for people who is having a good time doing whatever they need to do when they usually sit on the toilet.
Erza: "Stop poking the water and just get in Happy!"
Happy: "No! Besides I didn't know you were the kind of person who would wear make-up?"
Erza: "Well I'm a woman and as such I do like to make my appearance likeable"
Happy: "... you don't say..."
Erza: "Now get in!"
Happy: "But it's too hot!"
Erza opens the cold water earning a scream from inside the shower.
Levy: "Hey! Don't use that when I'm in here!"
Erza: "Oh! I'm sorry Levy"
Levy: "That's okay"
Gray: "Jeez! Can't a guy have some peace while taking a dumb?"
Happy: "Shut up Gray! At least you don't have to take a bath!"
Erza: "Besides you should be grateful that we allowed you in here"
Happy: "Yeah because you smell!"
Gray: "... well obviously! Anyhow I'm almost done..."
Happy: "... I didn't want to know that..."
Gray finishes his task and flushes the toilet resulting in Levy screaming again. Reacting on instinct Gray jumps towards the shower and opens the shower curtains revealing a shaking Levy. The sight makes a huge amount of blood shoot out of Gray's nose resulting in his body being pushed backwards by the force of it. Unfortunately for Gray this means his flying body at some point crashes into Erza's back making her drop the mascara she is holding which unfortunately hits Happy who just finished his bath.
Erza: "I'm sorry Happy"
Happy (sniffing): "Does this... sob... mean I have to take another bath?"
Erza: "No it's fine if you use a wash cloth. Sadly for you Gray, you won't be lucky enough to enjoy that faith!"
Gray: "Oi! I'm sorry alright? I didn't mean to do it okay?"
Erza: "Perhaps not. But the fact is you did and now you have to face the consequences!"
Gray: "What are you...?"
Erza: "Levy get out of the shower and put on a towel"
Levy: "Yes right away!"
With a swift move Erza throws Gray into the shower while Happy is smirking deviously. Gray has a bad feeling about this as he holds onto his nose that is covered in blood.
Gray: "...?"
Erza: "Graa~aay... you're filthy. Be a dear and turn on the water?"
Gray: "Fine!"
Erza: "Get ready by the sink Happy! I'll take the toilet"
Happy: "Aye!"
Gray: "Dear god don't tell me that you...?"
Erza: "Oh yes! Ready Happy?"
Happy: "Aye!"
With horror showing in Gray's eyes Erza and Happy take turns in flushing the toilet or using the sink making him squeal and yelp like a girl. It is almost like a melody the way he is yelling "Hot-hot-hot-hot!... no cold I mean hot! Hot! Hot! Arrrrgh freezing cold!"
Erza, Levy and Happy is roaring with laughter as they watch the iceboy squirm and they would have laughed even harder if they knew that this would cause Gray to have the flu for the rest of the trip.

….. aaand cut! I hope you enjoyed that scene... poor Gray... They/I like tormenting him... Just to point it out; It was on purpose that I didn't use past tense in this bonus chapter. Yes I was naughty enough to use present tense, how do you like that for a change, haha :)
So with that said, this is Hejmdal signing out for now!