Natsu, Natsu, something terrible has happened!
Inside a cave, Natsu had already set up a spit. A log as thick as a bowl ran straight through the boar, and under the blaze of dragon fire, its skin was turning golden, fat sizzling and popping as the aroma filled the air.
Drool had already begun dripping from Natsu's mouth, but he forced himself to sit and wait patiently for Happy and Dorachion to return.
When Happy's voice rang out, Natsu jumped up excitedly, hardly catching what was being said. Only when Happy flew close did the words sink in. Puzzled, Natsu asked:
"Happy, why are you alone? Where's Edolas Natsu?"
Happy's little face twisted in panic, eerily resembling The Scream:
"It's bad, Natsu, really bad—Edolas Natsu is missing!!!"
"What did you say? Missing?!"
Natsu's expression instantly hardened, his face growing pale as a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
Not good. Not good at all!
That was the old man's guest from Edolas! Master specifically told him to take care of Dorachion. If something happened…
Natsu could already picture himself getting a double beatdown from both old men.
"When I went back to find him, there wasn't a trace! Just a bunch of messy footprints on the ground. Natsu, do you think he might have…" Happy's voice grew heavy.
Natsu's panic spiked. His expression twisted into something straight out of The Scream, cold sweat pouring down his face like rain.
This wasn't just a beating anymore. This was a death sentence!
"Let's go, Happy! We have to find Edolas Natsu, fast!"
Without another word, Natsu grabbed Happy's paw and bolted, leaving the roasting boar and campfire behind. Dust trailed behind them like a long tail as they rushed off.
"No, no… damn it, I can't smell a thing!"
Natsu was crouched low, nose to the ground, carefully trying to pick up Dorachion's scent. But the untimely rain had washed nearly everything away, leaving him cursing in frustration.
"Natsu, maybe we should ask Master for help," Happy suggested, seeing Natsu at a loss.
"…Fine. Let's go, Happy. Back to Magnolia."
Natsu clenched his teeth. Better to get beaten half to death than let something happen to Dorachion and end up dead. He called Happy and headed straight for Magnolia.
Since it was raining, they didn't dare fly too high.
Before long, Magnolia's outline appeared in the distance. Natsu sniffed the air, and suddenly his unease lifted.
"Happy, stop! Let's go down."
"Wait, aren't we looking for Master?" Happy tilted his head.
"I just caught Dorachion's scent. It's faint and fading fast, but it means he was here not long ago. Happy—he's fine! He's fine!" Natsu grinned, holding up his palm.
Relieved, Happy was also relaxed. Nobody getting hurt was the best outcome. He lifted his tiny paw—
Smack! They high-fived.
And immediately ignored three key facts:
Natsu can't fly.
They were still in midair.
Happy had just let go of him.
The instant after their high-five, Natsu realized something was wrong. Gravity, like Schrödinger's cat, decided to kick in the moment he became aware of it. He plummeted.
"HAPPY!!!"
His scream echoed through the sky.
Happy didn't even have time to react before Natsu hit the ground with a hard landing.
Thankfully, they hadn't been flying too high, and with Natsu's tough body, he only ended up with some scrapes and bruises. He climbed to his feet, rubbed his arms and legs, then bounded off toward Magnolia like nothing had happened.
"Wait up, Natsu!" Happy flapped desperately to catch up.
Once in town, Natsu's Dragon Slayer nose worked overtime, sniffing up and down, but the rain had weakened the trail too much.
Scanning the area, he spotted an old man sitting under an eave and hurried over.
"Hey, old man, have you seen someone who looks exactly like me?"
The old man squinted with cloudy eyes. His expression shifted between confusion and disbelief before finally raising a finger to point.
Natsu turned to look behind him. Aside from Happy, there wasn't a soul there. He stepped aside. The old man's finger shifted with him.
Happy's face puffed red, fighting hard not to laugh.
"I don't mean me!" Natsu shouted. "I mean someone who looks a lot like me!"
"Looks like who?"
"Me, Natsu Dragneel!"
"Natsu Dra-who looks like who?"
"No, I mean someone who looks like Natsu Dragneel!" Natsu was on the verge of collapse.
"Na-what-neel?"
"Forget it! Sorry to bother you!" Natsu finally broke down completely.
"Alright."
Natsu & Happy: "..."
"Natsu, what are you doing?"
A woman's voice cut in. Erza appeared, holding an umbrella. Dressed in a white one-piece dress, her scarlet hair flowing behind her, her lips painted with lipstick, she looked both elegant and… unusually flustered.
"E-Erza!!"
Natsu stiffened, teeth chattering.
He was terrified. If Erza found out, that meant yet another person who'd beat him senseless. And not later—if she'd overheard just now, he was already done for.
"It's nothing! Nothing at all!" Natsu laughed awkwardly, way too over the top.
Luckily, Erza seemed distracted, studying him briefly before dropping the issue. Seizing the chance, Natsu quickly asked first:
"Erza, why are you here? And why dressed like that?"
Looking closer, she was indeed unusually dolled up—white dress, faint fragrance even from afar, carefully applied lipstick.
Erza instantly panicked. A bead of sweat slid down her face as she waved her hands like a nervous schoolgirl.
"N-no reason! Just… taking a walk!"
"Really?" Natsu narrowed his eyes.
Thinking about it, it wasn't impossible. Lisanna had said the Edolas version of Erza wasn't part of Fairy Tail, and because of that, hardly anyone wanted to partner with her.
So this world's Erza suddenly had free time. While everyone else was busy hosting guests, maybe she had gone for a casual walk out of boredom. Seemed reasonable enough.
But was that the case?
Of course not.
Even with Pyper's arrival and all the timeline shifts, some things hadn't changed.
Erza had seen Mystogan's face. And just like before, she couldn't help but carry complicated feelings toward him—knowing rationally that he wasn't this world's Jellal, yet emotionally projecting part of those feelings onto him.
If only she'd had more conversations with Mystogan, they might have cleared it up. But instead, both she and Mystogan unconsciously blurred the lines, projecting onto each other.
And since both were in the prime of adolescence, those confusing feelings only deepened.
With Edolas Fairy Tail's arrival, Erza suspected Mystogan's true identity and figured he might show up. That was why she had dressed up so carefully—to wait for him.
Unfortunately, she ran into Natsu instead. Worse, he'd unwittingly poked right into her secret, making her flustered.
Satisfied with her flimsy excuse, Natsu nodded.
The awkward tension was just about to fade—when the old man suddenly muttered:
"Boy, the one you're looking for—the other Natsu—wasn't he red-haired, like this young lady?"
The atmosphere froze solid.
Erza's embarrassed face instantly turned to ice.
"Natsu… what's the meaning of this?"
Natsu & Happy: "..."
As Erza's shadow loomed larger, the two huddled together in the corner, trembling like mice.
Author's Note:
When leaving a campsite in the wild, no matter how urgent things are, always put out the fire properly. Otherwise, you might start a forest fire. And don't forget to look after your companions! (⌒_⌒;)