Wheels of Fire

The Other From Edolas

The next morning, Lucy awoke to the aroma of coffee filling the air and tingling her senses. She truly could not remember the last time she had woken up in her own bed to the smells of breakfast. It was nostalgic of childhood, and she found herself smiling even before opening her eyes. Moving slowly with sleepiness, Lucy rose from bed and wrapped a robe around herself.

She gave only a cursory brush to her hair with her fingers to get the frizzy ends soothed down, and finally she looked around the main area of the house. The shikibuton was already folded up, with the blankets crisply folded on top. In the kitchen, Edo-Natsu hummed some unfamiliar tune while making pancakes. At the soft sound of her slippers sliding over the floor, he looked over from a griddle and grinned widely with a shy blush on his cheeks. He was already cleaned up, dressed, and wore Lucy's bright pink Kawaii Kitty apron trimmed in white ruffles. It made her chuckle to see Natsu wearing such a frilly thing, yet it matched surprisingly well.

"Morning, Princess," he called cheerfully. "Sorry for using your kitchen again. I wasn't sure what to make, but everyone loves pancakes, right?"

"Fireball, you are amazing," she sighed happily. "You look like you're having fun too."

He laughed and flipped the pancakes over on the griddle. "I don't get to cook much, so I love to go all out. There are sausages, and if you want I can scramble up some eggs."

"Just sausage for me," she said, then headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She looked in the mirror as she unbraided her blonde plaits. "That guy," she said to herself. "He's amazing. Why can't our Fairy Tail have a guy like that?"

They ate together with just some small talk about the weather and what they might want to see on their outing. Then the two headed off. Lucy grabbed her keys, and Edo-Natsu grabbed his goggles.

"Why do you wear those things all the time?" she asked.

"Eh? You mean these?" He touched the goggles on his head. "My dad Igneel gave them to me. He was a famous race car driver, you know! They were his lucky goggles."

Lucy smiled to herself. Really, he and Salamander were so alike in some ways, and so opposite in other ways.

The morning was already getting warm, so Lucy had dressed in a short skirt and tank top. She realized Edo-Natsu was still wearing the same thing he arrived in. She had washed it along with her own clothes, but it would not do to wear the same outfit all the time.

"If you're going to be here for a week, maybe we should get you some clothes," she decided. "I'm sure Natsu wouldn't mind if you borrowed his, and you two should be the same size."

The teen pouted. "I dunno. I feel bad taking from him without asking."

"Well, I'm not buying you new clothes," Lucy declared stubbornly. "I barely have money for food. Besides, I'll wash them before giving them back. They'll probably end up cleaner than whatever sorry state Natsu has them in now."

"If you're sure it's okay," he said uncertainly. "So, where are we going?"

"While it's still early, I want to take you to see Porlyusica."

"Oh, the one who's also from Edolas," he recalled. "Is she nice?"

"No, she's cranky," Lucy admitted, "but she might know something."

They went to the woods outside Magnolia and to the house of the pink-haired healer. Lucy rapped on the door, and a cranky roar greeted them.

"What do you want, you smelly humans?"

"Um ... Porlyusica, it's Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail," she shouted through he door, trying hard to sound cordial. "I have someone here who—"