The Fire Within

Chapter 11

"Ugh.." Lucy groaned, stepping over another fallen branch. "When do we get to stop and take a break?" She whined. Her feet were aching and she was dying for a drink of water. But, Rogue insisted that they keep walking until sundown. As far as she could tell, sundown was hours away.

"Rogue! Please? My feet are killing me and we haven't stopped in hours." The dark haired man sighed before turning around and glaring at Lucy.

"The next time you ask, I'll leave you here to die all alone." He snapped. Lucy's mouth shut immediately and her mood seemed to brighten, even though she was scared for her life at the moment. And so, the pair continued on their trek through the forest in search of the Internum Sanatore.

After what seemed like years of endless walking and tripping over rocks or fallen trees, Rogue finally settled on a place to rest for the night. The moon had been out for about two hours and a small fire was crackling between the two. Rogue was fast asleep, but surprisingly Lucy could not bring herself to relax. The mark on her side was tingling, which was beginning to irritate the blonde. She sighed and sat up to briefly examine it. When she pulled up her shirt slightly, it began to glow even brighter. The burning sensation became worse, causing Lucy to wince.

Ow...

Lucy?!

At the intrusion in her thoughts, the girl jumped whilst trying to suppress the urge to scream.

Natsu?

Oh, thank god you're okay! You are okay, right? Rogue hasn't done anything to you, has he?! I swear if her did I'm gonna-

I'm fine. Calm yourself. Actually, Rogue is helping me.

...What?

I know you probably don't believe it, but-

Of course I don't! He's brainwashed you, Lucy! I'm on my way to get you, just wait a little longer.

Natsu, you can't... He hasn't brainwashed me. I know what I'm doing and I... I need you to stay away for awhile. Just until this is all over...

W-what...? Why? No! He's tricked you into thinking he's going to help!

The mark burned more intensely.

Natsu! Stop! I'm serious! I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it does! You can't be near me until the toxin is out of my body! Rogue and I are trying to find the herb that can fix this! So please... Just trust me.

When she got no reply, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Tears welled up in her eyes as she fought the urge to cry. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

"Rogue!" An angry voice screamed, causing the blonde to shoot up off her makeshift bed. Her eyes fell on the pink haired dragon slayer as he tackled Rogue to the ground. They wrestled around, each trying to gain the upper hand. Dirt was flying in every direction.

"Natsu...?" Lucy whispered, a small smile growing on her lips. The two continued to roll around. Natsu then jumped off of Rogue and growled ferociously, going into a standoff with his rival. Before Lucy could do anything, a sharp pain shot through her whole body. The sight in front of her began to grow fuzzy as she dropped to the ground. She desperately tried to gasp for air, but her lungs were throbbing with each attempt.

"You must leave now, Salamander!" Rogue shouted. Lucy tried to listen to what they were saying, but the pounding in her head drowned them out. "She will die if you stay here any longer!"

"I'm not leaving her with you!" Natsu turned his head to look at Lucy, and that was when he realized the pain she was in. "L-Lucy?!" He ran towards the girl, but as he did, a loud cry escaped her.

"P-please! Don't co-come any clos-ser!" She gasped sharply, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. Slowly, Natsu backed away, his eyes wide.

"Hurry! She won't be able to take it much longer." Rogue said, pointing towards the tree line. Natsu sent him a pleading glance before taking off into the trees. Slowly, the pain subsided and Lucy was able to breathe. "Stupid Salamander..." Rogue walked towards the girl cautiously, before bending down and picking her up.

After hours of searching, the two came across a large field full of blue flowered plants. Each one seemed to be a different shade of blue, though. Lucy pulled the piece of fabric Crux gave her out of her pocket and began comparing it to different plants. Then, the dragon slayer snatched the fabric away and tore it in half before handing her a piece and going off to search on his own.

Ever since the incident with Natsu, Lucy had been feeling light-headed. Of course she didn't say anything, but if the ache in her chest got any worse then she might have to.

"Heartfilia! I found it." Rogue shouted, holding up the herb. Lucy jumped off the ground and cheered before running over to the man. She squeezed him in a hug until he eventually shoved her away. Once he was done glaring at the girl, he handed her the herb and pulled a container of water out of the bag he had been carrying. Just as he was about to drop it in, a voice interrupted them.

"Not so fast, Rogue."

Oh no...

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Hey guys! Sorry this sucked... I just wanted to post a quick chapter to let you know I'm not dead! :D But, I am on vacation! So, I won't post another for awhile... I really am sorry for not updating as often as I should! I love all the kind reviews I've been getting and I feel terrible for making you wait! So, I PROMISE that when I get back -August 13th- I will immediately start writing the next chapter! Again, I apologize for the suckiness and the lack of updates! Please, tell me what you think!