ADL OLD CHAPTERS

13. A Whole New World

"Why's it matter? You look like a thing that's not Happy!" Natsu grinned. "Relax, no one's going to recognize you,"

Y/n rolled her eyes at the group's banter, even more so when Carla admitted to feeling more at ease in her ridiculous getup.

She had vehemently refused to wear shrubbery for a multitude of reasons. This world was new to her, which meant that there were new rules, new this to be discovered. How could she be sure that Edolas' vegetation wasn't corrosive? Or carnivorous? Or that she was allergic?

Besides, out of their group y/n was the one least in need of a disguise. She had taken her few extra minutes before entering Edolas to equip herself with a long black cloak. The same she'd been wearing on the day they'd all met. It's seams tattered, the black fabric peppered with holes and unseen bloodstains. It's pockets filled to the brim with tools and weaponry. It covered her from her shoulders down to a few inches above the ground. With the hood on, obscuring her face in shadows, it'd be impossible to tell who she was.

"There's someone over there," y/n stated, elbowing Natsu to get his attention.

"He looks normal," said Wendy.

Happy frowned slightly. "Well, what did you expect people here to look like?"

The blue-haired girl simply shrugged and continued watching the man curiously. She looked away from him and blinked in confusion. "Where did Natsu go?"

Y/n tore her attention away from the sky back down to their little group. Natsu was indeed nowhere to be seen. "Crap,"

"Yo, let me ask you something," Natsu asked, pushing his way free of the bushes behind the fishing man. "I'm looking for a bunch of wizards from a guild called Fairy Tail, you seen 'em around anywhere?"

The stranger let out a terrified scream and pleaded for Natsu not to hurt him. Then he turned tail and fled into the woods.

"Wow, that went great," y/n muttered, arms crossed over her chest. "Way to go scaring off the only person we've seen in over an hour of walking,"

"The hell is his problem?" Natsu seethed. "All I wanted was a little help!"

Y/n zoned out as Carla chastised the poor boy, she had only been in Edolas for a little while and she already hated it. The islands that floated in the sky were endless and y/n got a headache just trying to keep track of them all. There were too many factors, too many unknown variables. Keeping her friends safe would be a much bigger task than she'd expected. How could she protect them if they could expect an attack from any side?

"Now that that man has seen us we're in even more of a hurry to find them," Carla said as they began their trek once more.

***

"This feels a million times better!" Happy sighed, finally free of his ridiculous disguise. "If only that guy hadn't run off with his fishing rod!"

"Oh, did I mess that up too?" Natsu grumbled, kicking a stone on the path at his feet.

"You didn't do anything wrong," y/n said, taking his hand gently in hers and trying for a reassuring smile. "We're in a strange world, it's to be expected,"

"Thanks, y/n," He grinned, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I'm glad that you're here,"

She nodded absently, focusing her attention on the water below them. The waves were moving strangely and she thought she could see a large shadow a way below the surface. Y/n narrowed her eyes at the shadow as they walked, trying to identify if it was a threat.

An orange head popped out of the water and the others finally took notice of its presence.

"Woah, a fishy!" Happy exclaimed in glee.