So here we are with the second installment of AI Sidestories. This go-round will place focus on Lucy and her budding friendship with Cana. I loved the chemistry between the two in canon's Tenrou Island arc, so I decided to introduce it much earlier for my world.

Note that this chapter diverges right from Extra 1, so if you're thrown off by how it starts, reference the previous chapter's opening until it shifts viewpoints. Same as earlier, this takes place the day before Natsu's fight with Erza in AI's Chapter 8. How did these two lovely ladies pass the time? Let's find out!


Extra 2
- No Parallels -

Lucy watched as Lisanna exited the guild hall with Happy flying beside her, wishing her the best. She didn't expect that the little "family" would come back any different, that the parental figures would have attained that new depth to their relationship, but hey, she wasn't going to write it off as an impossibility, either. Three days as a member of Fairy Tail had taught her anything was definitely possible.

"So, you didn't have anything you needed to do today, did you?" Cana asked as they started back to the bar. She eagerly resumed her affair with the large barrel of alcohol she had momentarily left to poke fun at Natsu. "I had a job in mind, and since you promised me that we'd go on one together..."

"Yeah, of course," Lucy nodded cheerfully. "What is it?"

Cana's smile in response was sheepish, which was strange to see from such a confident young woman. "Well, here's the thing," she began slowly. "This isn't a real, paying job. It's actually a favor for an old friend of mine. I know you haven't made any money yet since you joined the guild, even though you've been on all those crazy little adventures, so I totally get it if you wanna back out."

As unfortunate as that was to hear, Lucy shook her head brightly. "No way," she said, remaining optimistic. "It's no big deal, I'll still go. What's the favor?"

Cana didn't fill her in immediately with anything other than assuring her it was just an easy locating mission. Once she finished the barrel, she grabbed an unopened bottle for the road, and the two girls left the hall on their way. Cutting through Magnolia's center, this was when Lucy was informed of the details.

"I was just a little girl when my mom passed away and I first joined Fairy Tail. Master Makarov let me into the guild just as easily as he let you; I didn't even have to tell him that I came to be with my father," Cana explained, stopping suddenly in speech. She realized what she let slip, and continued quickly, not allowing Lucy to prod any more about her living parent. "Still, I didn't know any magic back then, and even if I had, who would entrust someone so young with a serious job?

"Without any way of making money, I found a place to stay at an orphanage in town. Father Brock, the man who runs it, was really kind to me over the years, just as supportive as anyone in the guild. I left once I became proficient enough with my Card Magic to start supporting myself, but I still go back every now and again to help out in whatever way I can."

"That's really nice," Lucy said softly. Not that Cana had initially struck her as shallow by any means, but with the heavy drinking, skimpy wardrobe, and her wily demeanor, it wouldn't have been her first guess to think of her as rather tender. Revealing her background helped paint the older girl in a gentler light, and in the brunette's own words, everyone loved a pleasant surprise.

"Something like that," she replied nonchalantly as she twisted open the cap of her beverage. She courteously offered Lucy a swig, even though they both knew she'd decline. "Anyway, Father Brock contacted me earlier this morning asking if I could help find a little girl's missing doll," she continued between sips. "I didn't have anything better to do, but it's not like I was gonna say no either way."

Not long after, they came up to the small church grounds where Cana had formerly called home. It was nowhere near as grandiose as Kardia Cathedral in the middle of the city, but Lucy felt it had its own quaint charm. As they neared the cross-bearing gates, she couldn't help but think that perhaps Cana could've chosen to wear something a little less revealing for the occasion. For some reason, a church full of children didn't seem like the most appropriate place to don a bikini top.

"Oh, before I forget," she said in remembrance, materializing a card in her hand. It cast a glow over her torso, outfitting her in a fresh-scented white and orange Heart Kreuz tee. Lucy smiled at her friend having the presence of mind to alter her dress (she also made a note to ask to borrow the shirt at some point; she had a jacket, skirt and a pair of boots that would match for a totally cute autumn look).

"You can use all kinds of different spells with Card Magic, right?" she asked with genuine interest.

Cana nodded. "That was just a simple Requip spell, nothing as impressive as what Erza can do. You'll see for yourself tomorrow, when she trashes Natsu just as easily as this," she said, slipping her empty bottle into a conveniently-placed disposal bin to emphasize her point.

She lead her through the gates, and walked around the church to a second smaller building to the southwest of the grounds. Pushing the old double doors open, they entered the orphanage, where they were greeted with animated chattering in another room, and the aroma of a savory lunch wafting about. They navigated down the hallway to another set of doors, the source of the commotion.

"Ah, Cana!" a short, old man in priest robes smiled at her when she strode into the cafeteria with Lucy. Immediately, the large group of children flocked to the young women, encircling them with awe sparkling in their eyes. Father Brock prompted them into a chorus of greeting, then turned back to the stunning girl he had helped raised. "I really appreciate you coming here today, dear. And you've brought a friend along with you."

"It's no problem," Cana shrugged modestly. "This is Lucy, she's new to Fairy Tail. Lucy, Father Brock and the kids," she said, introducing the parties to one another. "Looks like you guys were about to have lunch. What's on the menu?"

Lucy watched with a warm smile as Cana playfully interacted with the youths, joking and patting their heads. It was clear that she was an idol to them. She, a prominent member of Magnolia's beloved Fairy Tail guild, had started from the same orphanage they currently resided. Her success story was an inspiration for the kids who often felt without a real place in the world, and fed their drive to rise above someday.

They quickly took a liking to the Celestial Wizard as well, making sure to include her in their attention. She could hear some of the boys away from the pack whispering in debate over who was prettier, and Lucy couldn't help but mentally celebrate that, new girl luster be darned, she was apparently in the lead.

"It's been fun catching up, but I am here on business," Cana reminded them, who groaned in response. She took the hand of a melancholy little girl with brown hair, about six or seven years old, that had been hanging in the back of the crowd, and lead her to an empty table with Lucy in tow. "So, Jamie, what happened to your doll?"

Jamie smiled at her heroine briefly, but reverted to her sad expression soon after. "Father Brock took us out to the park yesterday, and I brought along my favorite Seira doll with me," she explained. Lucy recognized the name as the main character of a highly popular light novel series, a pink-haired magical girl. "I played with some of the other girls for most of the day, but then the boys invited us to a game of tag, so I left Seira with Father Brock. But when it was time to go, he didn't have her anymore. He'd misplaced her."

Cana grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "You can trust the man to watch kids, but anything else, and he's totally helpless," she quipped. Jamie smiled again, but it wasn't for more than a second. "Alright, since I like you so much, here's what I'm gonna do for you. Take this."

Lucy observed as her friend handed Jamie one of her magic cards. Under her instruction, the little girl channeled her focus on her Seira doll into the card, even going as far as pressing the slow-blinking slip to her forehead. Cana giggled at the sight, then took the card back when its glowing became stable. "Does that mean you found her?" Jamie asked hopefully.

"Pretty much," she said, the young girl's face erupting into a permanent smile. "Just wait a little while for us, okay? We'll be back with Seira before you know it."

The rest of the kids all waved at the mages as they set off to retrieve the doll. The card was leading them to the more upscale districts of Magnolia, so they would once again have to traverse across the city. Fortunately, there was generous cloud coverage that day, and a cool breeze that allowed them to speak freely instead of whining about the heat.

"So is that how you helped Erza find Kageyama?" Lucy inquired. The redhead had explained that she'd found the Eisenwald member carrying Lullaby with a hand from the guild's number one drinker.

Cana nodded. "I actually took up Card Magic to locate my dad, to be able to foretell when he'd be returning to the guild," she said. She figured her father would be brought up at some point, so she might as well get it out of the way. Her tone indicated it wasn't a favorite subject of hers, though.

"Who is he?" Lucy wondered why no one had brought up her father before, especially with how close the two were getting since her admission.

The brunette remained silent with a faraway gaze, before giving a sigh. "What I'm about to tell you stays between us, got it?" She paused, letting Lucy seal the promise with a nod. "Here's the truth: no one in the guild knows that my father's a member, too. Not him, not Master Makarov, not Gray, no one. You're the first person I've told this to."

Lucy absorbed the pain behind her words. It was clear this was something that, despite her normal cheeky attitude, weighed heavily on the girl. "But he's why you joined Fairy Tail in the first place, isn't it? Why haven't you said anything to him?"

"Well, he's never around, for one," Cana muttered. "He'll show up for a few days, leave, and take ages to return again. The last time he was at the guild was over two years ago."

The wheels in Lucy's head began turning at the description. As vague as it was, it was reminiscent of a profile she'd heard of from Natsu and Lisanna the day before. She didn't want to give any indication that she already had a suspect, though. "You've been with the guild for twelve years now, I'm sure you've gotten a few chances at telling him. What else is holding you back?"

Another pause from Cana as she chose how to structure her answer. "I just... I was never able to say it. But when I got my first invitation to the S-Class trials four years ago, I decided I'd have to win, and become one of the top-ranking wizards in Fairy Tail before I could break it to him. I guess I wanted a reason for him to be proud of me, so he'd know what an amazing daughter he had."

Lucy felt her heart stir at the confession. She knew exactly what it felt like to want a father's approval, and she understood why Cana had chosen to aim for the highest pinnacle there was for a guild wizard. A second later, she realized the other reason why she'd been tormented over her lofty goal. "But you ran into Erza, Mira, and Mystogan, didn't you?"

Cana nodded with a small, self-depreciating smirk. "Everyone tells me I would've made S-Class a long time ago for any other guild. But Fairy Tail only grants the rank once a year, and those three, they're something else entirely. It's really not fair. This past year's quest was the best shot I've had so far, but I still wasn't able to pull it off against Freed. As sorry as I felt for myself, though, I couldn't help but feel bad that he didn't get S-Class."

Lucy noticed the slight blush at the mention of the man who defeated her, another glimpse into her beautiful, longing soul. She reached out and took her hand, causing her to stop. "Even if you aren't officially S-Class, you are amazing," she said, squeezing gently. "My mom died when I was a little girl, too, and I didn't exactly have a dad be there for me, either. I know how hard it is to stand with all of that on your shoulders, but you, you make it look effortless."

"Careful, Lucy," Cana warned with a bashful grin. "A cute blonde, holding my hand and telling me all these pretty little things? I just might fall for you."

They giggled as resumed walking, remaining linked for another short stretch. "There's always next time for you, right?" Lucy asked.

"That's what I've been telling myself for four competitions now," Cana chuckled, "and with a new crop of guys like Gray and Natsu stepping up for their first opportunity, I doubt it'll get any easier."

"I know you can do it," the Celestial Wizard said resolutely. Thinking ahead to the possibility, it'd be difficult to cheer against her other friends in the guild if they were selected for the trials, but she was going to align to Cana's cause. Her story resounded in her, and she'd support her to that end, no matter what.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Cana smiled gratefully.

At last, they reached the locator card's destination, a great mansion three stories high. They rang the doorbell at the gates, a middle-aged butler sharply attending to them seconds later. "What is your reason for coming to this estate?" he asked, his voice extremely formal.

"We're from the Fairy Tail guild," Cana said. She lifted up her shirt slightly, revealing the black stamp on the left of her waist. Lucy held up her hand as well, but giggled inwardly as the butler never removed his eyes from the brunette's flawless hips, the tiniest bit of pink coloring his otherwise stony visage. "We're looking for a doll that belonged to a little girl in our client's care, and I tracked its whereabouts here. Do you think you could help us out?"

The man respectfully inclined his head. "One moment, please."

Turning on his heel, he retreated back into the mansion. Cana and Lucy wondered if they were being ditched after being gone for several minutes, but he reappeared eventually, escorting a girl around Jamie's age to the gate. She had rich blonde curls that bounced with her steps, her arms gripped tightly around a smiling Seira figure with a disgruntled expression.

"I don't wanna give her up," she pouted insistently to the butler. "You gave her to me, so she's mine now!"

"Lady Cherami, please," the butler said soothingly, before turning to the young women with an apologetic smile behind his mustache. "I found this doll yesterday during a nightly stroll through the park. Lady Cherami is quite fond of this particular girl's adventure series, so I decided to bring it back to her. I didn't think she'd grow so attached to it so quickly, however."

Cana squatted to level with Cherami, giving her an encouraging smile. "That doll actually belongs to a little girl in an orphanage, and she's pretty bummed out that she lost her favorite toy. Could you please return it to her?"

Cherami briskly turned her head away from her. "I don't care that you're from Fairy Tail, I'm not listening to you! I wanna keep her, because I love Seira!"

Lucy spotted how Cana's eyebrow raised and her grin dropped at the girl's bratty attitude. Fearing what might result if she lost her patience, the blonde took over. "Lady Cherami, could you imagine if you suddenly lost everything you had?" The girl, still not looking at either of the mages, grew nervous at the thought. "Pretty scary, huh? Well, that's just what Jamie's feeling right now. The children in the orphanage don't have a whole lot, so their few possessions mean the world to them. As much as you love Seira, Jamie loves her even more. Don't you think it would be nice to give her back to her?"

The young girl hugged the doll closer, but her quivering lip indicated to Lucy she was breaking ground.

"Seira's a member of the NitroPlus guild, isn't she? Aren't they always talking about doing the right thing?" she continued. "If Seira were here, what do you think she would do?"

Cherami sighed. "She'd say to always help those in need," she answered, beginning to extend the figurine to them. She hesitated just before getting her within reach of the others outside the gate. "Is it fun to be in a guild?" she asked meekly.

"A lot of fun," the girls replied in earnest simultaneously.

"Then if I give Seira back, you have to promise that when I become a wizard just like her, you'll let me join Fairy Tail," she listed as her condition with a royal air.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Cana agreed with a smile. If she was serious about learning magic and being the best wizard she could be, there would definitely be a place for her at Fairy Tail.

She accepted the Seira doll from Cherami, who warned them not to forget about their promise. She and Lucy smiled at her enthusiasm, and bid her and the butler a sweet farewell as they set on course back to the orphanage. It was just as lively as when they'd first departed, as the kids were still caught up on their lovely visitors. They nearly knocked them over when they saw they'd returned, but the herd simmered down when Cana singled out Jamie.

"For you, little lady," she said, lowering to a knee as she handed her toy over.

"Thank you so much!" Jamie cried, throwing her free arm around the young woman. "You're the best, Cana!"

"Hey, it wasn't all me," she said, motioning to partner. "If Lucy hadn't been able to talk the girl who had Seira into giving her up, I probably would've had to snatch it from her and gotten myself thrown in jail, so we both gotta share the gratitude."

"Thank you, Lucy," Jamie smiled, switching her hug to the blonde's knees before she could bend down. Lucy patted her head gently, as the whole orphanage all began to clamor about how amazing the Fairy Tail girls were.

Cana and Lucy hung out for a little while longer, only leaving when the Card Wizard whispered over to her that it had been too long since her last drink. All of the children and Father Brock followed them out to the front doors, where he warmly shook their hands with both of his. "Again, my sincerest thanks for helping Jamie today," he said with a bow. "Now you two take care of yourselves. Cana, my dear, be strong in the face of vice."

"I'm practically immune," she winked, pulling him into a disconcerting hug at her chest. "If you ever need anything else, you know who to call."

As the two trekked back to the guild, Lucy couldn't help but look at Cana with greater admiration after finding out where she came from, and where she wanted to go. Everything she'd learned about her today - the fact that she'd provided for the orphanage's better living conditions with money from jobs, the genuine love she felt for those kids, her ultimate desire to achieve S-Class to finally 'meet' her father - it made her happy that she had another wonderful friend to grow with in Fairy Tail.


Friendship is a beautiful thing, and the bond that was struck up between Lucy and Cana I felt was gold. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a whole lot of the two together since Tenrou Island, but in Another Imagining, they'll be interacting as best friends.

I also used this opportunity to shout-out to the girls' voice actresses, two of the best in the business, and make reference to the brilliant world of 5pb.'s Science Adventure series. If you don't know them, seriously check them out.

So of course, I hope you guys enjoyed this installment. I'm just as fond of reviews as I am of Lucy and Cana, so by all means, we'd love to hear from you!