Natasha's POV

Stupid Emmett.

Why do I have to be the one with the girly name? Why can't pinkie over there be Natasha, and I'll be Natsu? Sound good? Great.

Emmett had refused to answer any more of my questions after I'd pestered him for a good twenty minutes about what we were planning to do next with these weird guys that claimed that they were us from some sort of other dimension. I mean come on... Why were we so quick to trust them? I don't like the feeling of these new people here. For one thing, that Lucy girl was standing entirely too close to Luke. So what if they're talking about books and boring stuff? That girl could like... lash out at any time or something! I don't know! I just think that Luke should be a bit more careful! Problem?

Walking down a forest trail that lead back towards Fiore, you wouldn't have believed that there was a train wreck only a few miles away. The green leaves swished softly high above me, making a sort of gentle 'shhhhhhhhhh' sound through the woodland. The occasional twig snapped under my sandals, and only a few streaks of sunlight could find their way down to the forest floor in the gaps of the foliage. All in all... It was peaceful. The smell of the wind was that of water, but also earth like there was some kind of river or stream nearby. On any other day, this is the sort of spot that Joy and I would come to nap or fish. Unfortunately, it wasn't most days.

"… Luke, Lucy, have you two thought of anything of use?" Emmett asked, turning to look back at the blondes from where he stood beside what's her face. Ezra? Eeza? Yzma?... Whatever. His voice was tense and serious as always, but there was something else to his tone as well; something that wasn't usually there. Fear maybe?... Pfft, that's ridiculous. Emmett didn't get scared.

"Nothing." Lucy answered for the both of them, shaking her head and letting her blonde pigtails bounce from side to side. "We compared everything that we can remember having read about for things like this but..." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck. I couldn't help but notice that Luke's cheek were turning pink as well.

"But...?" Will repeated, his tone urging them to continue.

"But most of what we've read is fiction, so it's not reliable." Luke finished, his cheeks red like a tomato... or a lobster... or a really delicious hot pepper. Yeah... I could totally go for one of those right now. After a few moments, he continued in order to fill in more details. "I wouldn't say that we've got 'nothing' per-se, it's just that what we have may or may not be the truth because it's all from fictional novels that we've read."

"Well, that's more than we had at least." Gray commented, shrugging his shoulders. Goddamnit... He even talks like Grace. Now I want to punch both of their stupid faces into the ground. Maybe it was just a general rule that people with a name that starts with G-R-A are automatically annoying? That logic works, right? I flicked a strand of pink hair from my eye and sighed softly. Things were just so much less complicated this morning... now my brain hurt.

"When are we going to get there? We've been walking for like two hours!" I whined, hearing a male voice coupling mine. Glancing to my right, I noticed that the Natsu imposter had spoken at the exact same time that I had! That poser! The both of us simultaneously bashed our foreheads together, glaring at one another as our fists caught fire.

"Hey! Quit copying me, you pink haired dragonslayer wannabe!" I growled, wrapping my hand in his scarf threateningly. He did the same to me, but his hand almost felt gentle around the fabric, like he didn't want to damage the scaly white scarf that was almost identical to his. Unfortunately for him, although I appreciated the gesture, I wasn't so inclined to be kind.

"If anyone's copying, it's you, you stupid stripper!" He snapped at me, only digging his own grave even deeper.

"I AM NOT A STRIPPER!" I roared, flames bursting from my mouth even thought I didn't really mean to let it happen. It just kinda... did.

"I'm used to yelling at Gray!" He yelled back, mirroring my burst of flames with his own. It kind of hurt with our foreheads pressed together like this, but whoever backed down first would lose. That's what Ignité ((Igneel)) had always taught me, anyway. Dragons were pretty damn smart, but determining who was the alpha was all about your strength of will. I remember my mom saying something about how 'She who looks down, surrenders her crown'. I guess with dragons, dropping your eyes is a sign of submission. Meh...whatever.

"Am I watching Natsu-san fight with herself?" I could hear Will ask somewhere off to the side. I didn't dare to look away from the idiot in front of me, but I could hear the voice of Luke respond with a soft sigh.

"It was bound to happen eventually. Lucy, come help me." No no no no! I could hear his boots tromping against the ground as he grabbed my arm and dragged me backwards a few steps. Lucy did the same, but since Natsu was taller than her, she had to grab him by the ear.

"Ow ow ow! Come on, Lucy let go! I need those!" Natsu protested as I struggled against Luke's tight arms, trying to get back over there and teach that son of a bleep a lesson!

"Natsu, control yourself!" Luke said firmly, lifting me up off the ground as I kicked and threw a miniature spaz attack. It was only after several minutes of calming words, and the promise of food that I finally calmed down, grumbling to myself and glaring at boy-me.

"I hate you." I said childishly, pouting where I walked beside Emmett. Apparently it was to keep me from 'misbehaving'. The other me had to walk with the Emmett of their group though, so I guess that makes us even... for now.

"We're here." Grace announced, brushing aside a few low-hanging blanches to show that we were now on the edge of Magnolia city. Wait... When the flip did we even enter the East Forest from wherever we were? What?

"Wow... It looks just like home..." The little blue-haired girl said. I glanced over at her, and I couldn't help but to crack a little bit of a smile. I gotta say... Even if she was a girl, she was one heck of a lot like Will. I wonder what Juliet ((Romeo)) will think of her. Speaking of...

"Joy, why don't you fly on ahead and explain to granny and the others about what's going on? Don't get me wrong, it would be HILARIOUS to see their faces when we walk in with these guys, but we don't want the old bat to have a heart attack." I snickered softly. Everyone turned to stare at me. "… what?" I asked, blinking from all the eyes on me.

"That was... a really smart idea, Natsu." Emmett said, breaking the silence and causing me to scowl.

"Hey! I have good ideas!" I protested, glancing around at the others for someone, anyone to support my opinion. Oddly enough, all eyes were averted.

"Actually, I've always thought you were kinda stupid." Joy giggled as she took off and soared away towards the guild before I could jump up and catch her.

"Hey! Joy!" I yelled after her before huffing and crossing my arms. To my left, I could hear Luke laughing softly to himself. Emmet of course remained as stoic as ever as he simply shook his head and began to trudge forwards.

"Enough playing around. We're going to go speak to an expert." The redhead said flatly, brushing past me. His eyes even sharper than usual. I couldn't help but wonder what exactly he saw in that train wreck...

Okay, so I feel horrible for leaving this for so long. Here's a new chapter to attempt to make amends! A little? Yes? No? Anyway. Leave any reviews or even possible suggestions in the comments below! Ciao internet!