/Author's Note/
Chapter 8! So very very sorry for the laaaaaaaattteee updaaaatee.. I was being tortured by school's homeworks and stuffs. And I fell sick not long after that. Just a fever, that's all, but it makes my body very helpless and weak. - -" Anyway, here's the new chappie.. It's gonna take another time to update the next one for I'm doing my oh-so-many-homework, but I'm trying my best to update as soon as possible.
And thank you for all the reviewers in my stories. I'll definitely reply them all but not now. Please be patient and forgive meeeeeee….
Sorry for every mistakes in grammars and spellings..^^;
/Special Thanks to/
darkhuntressxir , MirageIceDragonSlayer , AznAkatsuki , MsteriousLazyAuthor , Indh13 , ocdanime , White Wolf 64 KEG , Litao , Helena the Southern Chick o3o , hannawb
for the review! ^^
/Disclaimer/
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. Not mine.
Chapter 8 / Verdant Granule
…In the peaceful morning after…
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
There was a screaming came from Gray and Neko-Natsu's room. Erza immediately got up from her bed and went straight to where the scream came from, followed by Lucy and Happy.
"What's happening!" Erza broke in to the room, already requiped her sword just in case if that's enemy or something.
Behind the door, they could see Natsu, who already turned back onto his human form but still has the fluffy black neko-ears on his head, was trying to pull the bed sheet to cover his-seem-to-be-naked body but only managed to cover up half down until his abdomen. And there was also Gray, half naked as usual with only his black boxer. The ice mage was on top of Natsu's body, covering Natsu's mouth with his hand to prevent him from screaming any further.
"Uuhh… What are you guys doing?" Lucy asked, while Happy was taking their picture as usual.
"I-it's not like what it seems!" Gray let go of Natsu's mouth and placed his hands in front of his chest for defense.
Suddenly, Erza pointed her sword, only 1 cm from Gray's throat. "Before I cut you into 20 pieces, please DO explain!"
William bursted in to the room, followed by Michael. "I heard screaming. Is something happening?"
"It's just Gray tried to do an inappropriate thing to Natsu. But we managed to stop him from doing that thing." Erza explained.
"That's not the point!" Gray and Natsu shouted together. "And I wasn't gonna rape him! I was preventing him from screaming any louder because it's still 6 freakin' o'clock in the morning!" Gray added.
"But Erza didn't say anything about 'rape', aye!" Happy giggled and Gray glared at him.
"Aside of that, the 'Temporary Antidote' finally works, doesn't it? Thank goodness." William smiled. "But please be careful since we didn't know how long it would take effect."
"So Natsu's back because of 'Temporary Antidote' from William? Alright then, before we waste any more time, let's get prepared to hunt those items." Erza said.
=====meow=====meow=====
/First Item: Verdant Granule/ (A/N: inspired by ocdanime's idea, thanks! ^^)
"Okay! I'm ready to kick some ass!" Natsu was very excited to get his human form back although he still had his fluffy black neko ears and tail, and he's wagging his tail because of eagerness.
"So, what's the first item, Lucy?" Gray asked.
Lucy read the book. "Let see… How about if we find 'Verdant Granule' first? It's quite easy, I think. It says that 'Verdant Granule' is a small green pebble with diameter around 5 cm inside a big green plant which is surrounded by lots of red vegetations. Here's the pictures." All of them took a look at the pictures.
"Basically, it's a green among red, right?" Erza concluded. "Okay, let's find that one first."
"Okay, Happy, let's fly up and find those red thingies!" Natsu said.
"Aye!" Happy grabbed Natsu and started to fly.
"We'll search from the ground then. Don't forget to tell us if you've found it!" Erza shouted to Natsu and Happy.
After searching about one hour, Natsu and Happy finally see something red beneath. "That's it, Happy! Green among red! Let's go and tell the others!" Natsu and Happy flew back. "Ooooooiiii! Guuuuyyss! We've found it! This way" Natsu shouted from the sky and all of them followed him.
They arrived at the place, still stood outside the red circle of vegetations.
"That green plant in the middle is surely big." Gray pointed. The green plant was like a giant ball of col with diameter about 2 meters or even more.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's crushed it and get the green pebble out!" Natsu stepped on the red vegetations and started walking toward the big green plant.
"Is it just me or because of the wind? Because I feel like those red vegetations…move..?" Lucy asked.
Gray too, realized. "Natsu! Get out of there!" He screamed.
"Huh?" Natsu looked down to his feet only to find those red vegetations started to jumped on him and biting him. "Aaaahhh! What are these things!" Then he could feel one of those bit his tail. "Yikes!"
I can't launch an attack! If I did, it would also hit him! Gray gritted his teeth. "Natsu! Burn them!" He shouted.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu engulfed himself with flame and spun around, kicking all the red vegetations, then jumped out of the red circle. "Let's just burn them all!"
"Stop that, flame-head! It would also burn the big green plant in the middle and the pebble inside!" Gray grabbed Natsu's shoulder to stop him.
"Grrr.. Then what are we gonna do now, ice-block?"
"I know!" Lucy suddenly said. "Open the gate of maid! Virgo!"
Virgo appeared. "Good morning, princess. Did I do something wrong? Do you want to punish me?"
"Nooooo!" Lucy groaned. "I need you to make a very big hole around those red thingies and make them disappeared into the ground. But leave that big green ball in the middle."
"As you wish, princess." Virgo then dug into the ground, making a big circle around the red vegetations and a small circle around the big green ball. The ground was crashed and the red vegetations fell into it, leaving the green one in the middle still standing. "Finished, princess. Now, I'm ready to be punished."
"You did a good job, Virgo. And I'm not gonna punish you, haha… You could go back now. Thanks!" Lucy thanked Virgo and she disappeared.
"Ice Make, Bridge!" Gray made an ice bridge toward the big green plant in the middle.
"Okay, guys. Let's start searching. The green pebble should be inside this col. Don't destroy it recklessly or it would also destroy the green pebble because we don't know where the location is." Erza said.
All of them started searching around the col, until Happy found something. "Hey, I think this could be opened." Natsu and Gray lifted up one of leaf-like shape. Then the fire mage made a torch with his left hand.
"Ah! I could see something!" Happy flew in deeper. "Is this what we're looking for?" He lifted a small pebble up from inside and showed them. The pebble had a green string that connected it onto something deeper inside.
"That's correct, Happy!" Lucy said after she compared the pebble with the picture. "Now pull it out." But before Happy could get out, he was pulled back inside and the leaf closed.
They could feel the ground shaking. And the col was moving. It stood up with it's big green stem and the col started to roar. "Roooooaaaaarrrr!"
"Aaaaaaahhh Natsuuuuu heeeeeelllppp!" Happy's voice were heard from inside it's mouth.
"So it was a mouth! Looks like the green pebble is it's uvula or something! And now it's getting mad because we tried to take it's uvula!" Erza shouted.
"Happy! We'll get you out of ther-" Before Natsu could finish his sentences, the col's head striked him and ate him too. "Whooaaaaahhh!"
"Natsu!" Gray screamed.
Inside the mouth. "Oow.." Natsu rubbed his head. "Happy!" He lit up his hand with fire then shouted after seeing Happy, still holding the pebble.
He could hear Erza shouted from the outside. "Natsu! Happy! Are you okay? Answer me!"
"Yeah! We're fine!" Natsu shouted back while hugging Happy. Suddenly, the mouth started to produce strange slick liquid. "What's this?" When Natsu realized, he screamed. "Guuyyss! Get us out of here quickly! It produces some strange liquid in here! I can't burn it 'cause it's gonna burn Happy too!"
"Crap! It must be gastric acid! The plant is eating them!" Gray's eyes widened in realization.
"Tch! We can't attack recklessly since Natsu and Happy are inside!" Erza gripped her sword hard and gritted her teeth.
"Guys hurry up! It's getting hot in here! And my clothes starts melting!"
The col's head slammed Erza and the others but they managed to dodge the attack. They kept dodging and not attacking back since they're afraid it would also hit Natsu and Happy inside.
"Natsuu.. It's so hot in here." Happy said. "I…can't take it anymore.." The blue cat fainted.
"No! Happy!" Natsu patted Happy's cheek but he didn't react. Gray! Hurry! He wiped those sweats on his face with his bare hand.
Natsu! Gray screamed in his mind. "Erza! We need to cut it's main stem so it won't harm Natsu and Happy!"
"You're right. But it keeps attacking us with it's head!" Erza said. "My swords are ready to cut it. Slow it down, Gray!"
"Ice Make, Prison!" Gray trapped the giant col. "Now, Erza!" Erza slashed the stem, making the col screamed, vomited Natsu and Happy out of it's mouth.
"You stupid giant col!" Natsu shouted while he's in the air. "Take this! Fire Dragon's Roar!" He burned the col into ashes. "Whoah!" The pink haired mage lost his balance and fell down, but he felt a pair of strong arms caught him. "G-gray?"
"Flame-head, you idiot! Why did you burn it! Now we lose the pebble!" Gray flicked Natsu's forehead and received an 'ouch' from the fire mage.
"C-crap! I forgot!" Natsu rubbed his forehead. "W-where's Happy? Is he okay?" He turned around and found Happy was laying down on Lucy's lap. "Happy! I'm sorry! I unconsciously burned the col and wasted your hard work on getting the pebble!"
Suddenly, Happy lifted up his hand and showed the pebble. "No, you didn't.. Natsu.. Hehe.." He grinned and then fainted after put the pebble on Natsu's hand.
"H-happy… Thanks a lot, partner." Natsu smiled softly and hugged Happy unconscious body.
"I better take Happy to William's house now. His condition isn't supported to continue the search." Lucy lifted Happy's body.
"I'll escort Lucy and Happy since the forest isn't safe. Both of you can continue searching without us, right? Give me the Verdant Granule, Natsu. I'm taking it back with me. And here's the book. Don't you dare destroy it again. Got it?" Erza gave Gray the book in exchange for Natsu's pebble.
With her last wave of good bye, Erza, Lucy, and Happy went back to the house, leaving Gray and Natsu who're still standing dumbfoundedly next to each other.
The boys looked at the book and then looked at each other's face. Now what..
A/N: A little bit longer than the usual chapters. I'm terribly sorry for the lame battle scene. I'm still learning how to write those fighting scenes which is hard to be honest. Haha..^^; No romantic moment? Right, this chapter focused on their 'adventure' side. And in the next chapter I'll add some fluffy moments for our boys since they're left alone in the forest. Fufu~.. Sorry before for I might not be able to update fast since my homeworks are torturing me! - -"
Btw, if you still have ideas for 'Clear Berry' or 'Rare Dark Interest' or even 'Pure Aqua', you could always tell me and I'm gonna borrow your ideas and put your name on it as a copyright ideas. Thanks before!^^