A.N.

This chapter has been edited as of 10/28/15. The Gildarts' omake also has been added to this chapter.

A.N.

I have over 100 reviews for this story! I never expected this story to get so many reviews so quickly. Thanks to everyone for reviewing! I hope this story continues to soar to new heights.

After rereading earlier chapters, I realized that I failed to mention the ages of the characters. I blame myself for not stating their ages. As of this chapter, Cana is 15 while Natsu is 14. I hope this helps you readers so you can visualize things easier.

Chapter 12: Gildarts' Departure

Cana woke up in a much brighter mood than usual. Usually she wasn't a morning person but today was different. The sun nor the birds' chirping didn't bother her like it used to. In fact, she could say that the chirping was rather pleasant. The teen held the body pillow closer to her body. Unable to contain her joy, she began rolling on the bed while screaming into the pillow. 'I can't believe I'm going out with Natsu.' The brunette squealed. Eventually the holder mage was able to control herself.

Despite the joy she was feeling, her rational side knew there were several problems with their relationship. First was how the guild would react. They could date in secret but it would require lying to their guild mates. It just didn't sit right with her to openly lie to the people that were essentially her family. Although she was pretty sure the guild would welcome the relationship, there was one person Cana was unsure of. That person was Lisanna, who the S-Class mage treated as a younger sister.

In the past, many believed that Natsu and Lisanna would be the perfect couple when they got older. Heck, even she believed that before she began hanging out with Natsu. The brunette didn't want to hurt the white haired girl if the younger girl had feelings for Natsu. This would put her at odds with the entire Strauss family, something she didn't want to happen. Still that wasn't the biggest problem in their relationship.

Natsu had openly admitted that he cared for her as a guild mate and a friend but not as a girl. Yet he still agreed to go out with her. Cana felt a pit in her stomach as she realized how selfish she was being. Knowing the dragon slayer's personality, there was no way he was going to reject her. Natsu would do anything for his nakama, even go out with one of them just so they wouldn't be sad. She tried to shake the pessimistic thought from her head but it persisted. Deciding a long hot bath would soothe her worries, the holder mage got up and entered the bathroom.

Cana turned on the water to fill the tub as she took off her sweaty clothes. The teen looked into the mirror as she examined her body. As a growing 15 year old, her body was beginning to fill out. The brunette admitted that she was attractive but that wouldn't draw the dragon slayer's attention. Natsu wasn't the type to care how she looked. Deciding to stop appraising herself, the holder mage turned off the valve and relaxed her body in the warm water.

"Ah." Cana breathed out a sigh of satisfaction. A nice long bath was a great way to forget all of her worries. The peace was interrupted when Gildarts came through her bathroom wall. "Dad!" The brunette screamed as she grabbed a nearby towel to cover her nude body. Gildarts perked up at the sound of his daughter's voice.

"Cana I found you!" He exclaimed. "Man I'm lucky to find your room on the first try." The man smiled, oblivious to the destroyed wall.

"How did you get in here?" She yelled.

"I walked in." Gildarts replied, looking at his daughter as if she was stupid.

"I know that." Cana yelled, looking at the open hole. "But there are runes in place to prevent males from entering the premise." The S-Class female explained.

"Oh." He understood what his daughter meant now. "Well you guys need to get new runes because I don't think they're working." He told his daughter, unaware that he broke the runes with his magic. Cana could feel a major migraine coming on. "Anyway get dressed. I need to talk to you before I leave." He said before leaving.

The girl grumbled at the damage her father caused. Cutting her bath short, Cana dried herself off and got dressed. Seeing how her father seemed urgent to talk to her, she slipped on a pair of black pants and a white v neck tee. The brunette left the dorm but not before telling the dorm mother of the incident. "He didn't even tell me where to meet him." The female mage screamed in frustration as she walked down the hill.

"Cana I'm over here." Gildarts announced as he spotted his daughter. The daughter made her way to her father and smacked him upside the head. The crash mage didn't seemed to register the hit but wondered why his daughter hit him. "What was that for?" He wondered out loud.

"That's for breaking my bathroom wall. Now I got to pay for the damages." Cana replied as the damages would cost her a lot of jewels. Luckily, she was an S-Class mage now so she could take on more rewarding jobs.

"Here." Her father said as he promptly handed her a bag full of jewels. As soon as the bag touched Cana's hands, she was able to feel how heavy the bag is. "This should be enough to cover the damages as well as giving you a little extra spending money."

"Thanks dad." The brunette said feeling slightly guilty for hitting Gildarts. "How long is this job going to last?" She said cutting to the chase. As much as she wished for her dad to stick around, she knew that he wasn't the type to stay in one place for long. Add in the fact that he was Fairy Tail's strongest mage, Gildarts would be forced to travel for long periods of time.

"I'm not sure when I'll be back." He replied. Cana nodded since she was expecting that. "The job I'm taking is a 100 year quest." The orange haired man clarified. His daughter gasped at the news. 100 year quests were notorious for being the hardest quests around. The chance of dying while on the quest was so high that you must get approval from the magic council before partaking in it.

"Why?" She muttered.

"Master specifically asked that I take this quest and I accepted after he explained his reasons." Gildarts explained.

"Then I'll go with you." Cana shouted. She had barely spent any time with her father. There was so much that she wanted to do with him. The girl had already lost one parent, Cana didn't want to lose another one.

"It's too dangerous for you." The man refused.

"I can take care of myself. Sure, I just recently became an S-Class Mage but I can provide backup." The brunette tried to reason. "My magic is really useful. I can help you locate your objective." She continued to rattle on until Gildarts wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Cana but I can't take you with me. This job is too dangerous. If you get hurt somehow, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Gildarts said seriously. Cana hated it. The girl knew he was speaking the truth and she hated it. She had worked so hard to become an S-Class Mage but even that wasn't enough. The brunette hugged her father closer to her body. The two family members stood there in silence as both didn't want to let the other go. The moment had to end as he had to talk to his daughter about another matter regarding a pink headed dragon slayer.

*Thirty Minutes Earlier*

Gildarts was at the Guildhall waiting for Cana to tell her the news, when he spotted a peculiar sight. The Crash Mage saw Natsu sitting at a table by himself and the boy was oddly quiet. Curious but also worried, Gildarts approached the young boy. "What's up Natsu?" Gildarts asked as he patted the boy on his back. Natsu looked up to see the veteran mage.

"Gildarts!" Natsu exclaimed as he gave the widest grin. "Why are you over here?" The young dragon slayer asked as he looked around the guild. Although it was pretty early, plenty of guild members were occupying the hall. Gildarts sat down, being extra careful not to break the wood with his magic.

"I was wondering what was wrong with you. Never in my life have I seen you so quiet." The crash man explained. It was true since Natsu was hyperactive from Day 1.

"I was thinking about something." The pink hair boy answered to which the middle aged man snorted. "Hey I'm being serious." The dragon slayer said but that seemed to have the opposite effect as the man laughed harder. After Gildarts laughter died down, he turned to see a pouting Natsu.

"Alright I'll stop." The S-Class mage said as he wiped away an imaginary stray tear. "What's bothering you?" The orange haired man asked.

"What do people normally do when they're dating?" Natsu asked Cana's father. Gildarts was sure that if he was drinking something, he would have spitted it out. The boy was in a relationship with a girl and he didn't know about it.

'Cana will be crushed when she hears the news.' Gildarts mused as he hoped Natsu was just being curious. "So who's the girl Natsu?" He inquired.

"Cana." The dragon slayer flat out told him. Cana's father could not believe his ears. On one hand he was happy that Cana had found the courage to ask out the pink head. But on the other hand, his fatherly duties told him that he had to warn Natsu about messing with his daughter.

"Let's talk outside Natsu." The crash mage said as he stood up from the table and grabbed Natsu by the back of the boy's vest.

"Hey let me down Gildarts." The pinkette shouted, trying to escape from the older man's grasp. The man chose to ignore the dragon slayer as he marched out of the guild, away from any prying ears. Not one to give up, Natsu continued his struggle to break free. Eventually the two Fairy Tail mages arrived to an empty clearing. The S-Class mage dropped the boy unceremoniously as he sat down on the ground. "What's the big idea?" The teen yelled as he rubbed his sore bum.

"Let me get this straight." Gildarts said, ignoring the question. "You're dating Cana, who is also my daughter." He tried to confirm.

"Yeah." Natsu replied. "Cana told me that she liked me and that she wanted to me to be her boyfriend." The boy explained. He was honestly confused with all the relationship mumble jumble. Gildarts, on the other hand, could only sigh. He could see that Natsu was confused.

"Alright Natsu." Gildarts said. "Tell me what you know about relationships." The S-Class Mage decided to at least help the poor boy out. Natsu sat there for a while as he thought of a reply for the veteran mage.

"Igneel told me that once I was older, I would find my mate. He said that I'll know that person is my mate when I care about that person more than everyone else even him. I didn't believe it since I love Igneel the most." The teen answered. Gildarts could see that Natsu really didn't understand what it meant to be in a relationship. That was a major problem.

"Natsu being a relationship is similar to finding a mate." The orange haired man tried to simplify the situation for the pinkette. "People go on dates with others to see if they're compatible. If they're compatible, then they become closer and enter a relationship. If they aren't compatible, they usually break up and go their separate ways." The crash mage explained.

"Okay I understand that so far but what do people do on dates?" The pinkette still was confused about that. Gildarts wasn't sure how to answer the question but he answered it to the best of his ability.

"Going on dates is just a way to bond with the other person. It doesn't matter what you do as long as the both of you are having fun doing it." The crash mage could see that his words was getting to Natsu. "Natsu answer me honestly." The man said seriously. "Do you like Cana as more than a nakama?"

Natsu frowned as he wasn't sure how to answer. He liked Cana because she was fun to be around. She wasn't like mean Mira or bossy Erza. "I like Cana but just as a friend." He responded. The veteran mage frowned at the answer even though he suspected as much.

"Does Cana know that fact?" The S-Class mage asked to which Natsu nodded. That confirmed that Cana was dating him even though she knew the boy's true feelings. "Natsu if that's how you feel, then I advise you to break up with Cana." The man told the boy. Natsu was about to reply but Gildarts continued. "I know that you don't want to hurt Cana's feelings but I don't want you to date someone just to avoid making them sad." Gildarts said.

"But how will Cana feel about this?" The pinkette asked in worry. The question drew a small smile from the older mage. Even now Natsu still worried about how his daughter would feel.

"I'll talk to Cana. While I go do that I want you to think about what I said. You can choose whether to not to follow my advice but don't regret your decision. I trust you enough that I know you would choose whatever you believe is right. See ya Natsu." Gildarts said as he left the dragon slayer to find his daughter. As the crash mage left, the pinkette plopped down on the grass as he began thinking about what Gildarts told him.

*End Flashback*

"So I was talking with your boyfriend earlier." Gildarts began as he released the hug. Cana was shocked that her father had already found out. She had planned to tell him before he left. "You should've told him to keep it a secret, at least from me." He chuckled.

"I... forgot to mention it." The girl replied. The holder mage was too happy at the time to remember to warn Natsu.

"I'm happy for you." Her father said much to her surprise. "I know that you truly like him and I know Natsu is a guy that would never intentionally hurt you." The crash mage said. Cana swelled with happiness that her dad approved. It was nice to know that your father approved of your relationship.

"Thanks daddy." The brunette grinned. Gildarts smiled slightly before making a neutral expression.

"Still I don't think you should be dating Natsu." He admitted. Cana was confused since her father had just approved. "I know that you want to be in a relationship with Natsu but I don't think he wants to be one. You're a smart girl so I know that you also have your suspicions." Gildarts said. Despite not being in his daughter's life much, he knew that she was a bright young girl. His daughter was frowning, which was all the confirmation that he needed.

"I know." She murmured as she averted his gaze. "I was thinking about it this morning. I had a suspicion that Natsu only agreed so he wouldn't hurt my feelings." The brunette whispered. Gildarts mentally sighed as he wasn't sure how to deal with this. He only wished that Cornelia was here so she could help him.

"Look." He raised Cana's head up by her chin. "Like I told Natsu, I'm not telling you two to break up. I am only offering advice. The two of you are still young so you have plenty of time to get to know each other. I just don't think Natsu is ready to be in relationship, especially since I had to explain to him what being in one meant." The father said. His daughter nodded at his words.

"Do you think I was being selfish?" Cana asked. She felt horrible for forcing Natsu into something he didn't want.

"Yes." He replied before continuing. "But that is okay. When you are in love, you want that person to be yours and no one else's. It's natural to be selfish." The crash mage added. He could see that hers eyes had regained their glow.

"Thanks again dad." The brunette hugged him again. Gildarts returned the gesture, knowing that this will be the last one for a long while.

"Alright it's about time I leave." He announced. She reluctantly let him go. "I would say to take care of yourself but I know that you're fully capable of doing that." He said as he ruffled her hair.

"Be safe dad. I'll be waiting for you." Cana said as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Gildarts smiled at his daughter, seeing Cornelia in her.

"Alright I'm off." The crash mage announced as he walked into a building, destroying the wall. The occupants screamed at Gildarts' sudden intrusion. Cana face palmed at her father's lack of awareness.

"Dad, stop destroying stuff." She yelled but he was long gone. The girl sighed as her father once again disappeared. Slapping her cheeks a few times, Cana decided to go see Natsu. The S-Class female didn't know her answer yet but she would decide after talking to the dragon slayer.

*Omake: What if Gildarts hadn't found Cana's room on the first try?*

Gildarts stood outside the Fairy Hills dormitory. After speaking with Natsu, he decided to go speak to Cana instead of waiting for at the guild. There was just one problem to his plan. He didn't know what room his daughter was located. Deciding to test his luck, the crash mage went through the wall on one of the rooms. As the man entered, he felt a small prickling stab go through his body. Eventually the pain subsided and he continued his trek.

The room he entered was empty of people but it filled the space with many statues of naked men. "What in the world?" Gildarts said as he looked around the room. The pink room was filled with stone statues, flowers, plants, and paintings. As he navigated through the room, the crash mage accidently touched one of the statues. The statue crumbled and was reduced to dust. "Well looks like this isn't Cana's room. Thank god." The man said, exiting the room through the wall.

Exiting the room, the man arrived inside a long hallway. "Maybe she's on the second floor." He guessed, looking for stairs. He could've jumped and went through the ceiling but he didn't want the building. Passing by the laundry room, Gildarts arrived at the lobby where the stairs were located. The crash mage climbed up, not realizing his daughter's room was across the room he began in.

"This place has a lot of rooms." He remarked as he walked into an empty room. It would take forever to search through every single room. Then a brilliant idea struck him. "Maybe I can run through the walls until I hear a voice or come across a room that might be hers." The man thought out loud. The crash mage ran through the walls until he stopped in a library. "Is this a library?" He wondered as the entire room was full of bookcases and books. When he saw a bed, he knew that this was actually a room.

"Who puts a library in their room?" Gildarts pondered. A blue haired girl sneezed as she read her book in the guild hall. As the man walked around the room he noticed a desk with an open book on top of it. Being curious, Gildarts decided to read it.

Dear Diary,

I can't believe it! When Erza told me, I thought that she had gone senile. I mean Cana liking Natsu as in boyfriend like was… crazy. I don't know but I can't explain it. But after I thought about it, I realized all of the clues were there. All of a sudden they started hanging out and even took jobs together. Laki has told me that they were together when they invited her to Fairy Tail so they've been going on jobs for years. Erza even told me that Natsu gave his scarf to Cana for a night. I've never seen Natsu part with it but he willingly gave it to Cana. For an entire night even! While I'm glad for Cana, I don't know how I feel about this.

As you know, I've always been a fan of Natsu x Lisanna ever since they hatched Happy together. I mean they were going to be the perfect couple. They even act like a couple with the way they interact. Add in Happy, they're one happy family. The only thing that stood in their way was Mirajane. She would constantly prevent them from hanging out. Recently she hasn't been hounding them but then Cana comes out of nowhere! I really like Cana, she's a really good person and friend. I would hate it to see her heart broken.

What should I do diary? Do I ship my OTP in Natsu x Lisanna or go with the new pairing in Natsu x Cana? I'm so conflicted right now. I'll check back tomorrow

-Levy McGarden

P.S. I just realized that Natsu has TWO girls that like him. How many guys can say that they have two girls that like them? Are girls attracted to dragon slayers or something? Maybe it's something they have. Well I'll never know since I'll never like Natsu like that. He's too much of a friend for that to happen.

Gildarts finished reading Levy's diary entry. "Wow that was something." He said. "Do all girls write stuff in these diary things? Cornelia never had one." The crash mage pondered. "Let's write something." Gildarts decided.

Dear Levy

I know what you mean! …I think. I don't know what the words 'ship' and 'OTP' mean but I always thought Lisanna was going to date Natsu. Then I found out my daughter liked Natsu. I don't like it but I trust Natsu. That means I'm okay with Cana going on with him. If I was a betting man, I would go with Cana x Natsu.

-Gildarts Clive

"There done." Gildarts finished, proud of himself. Then he remembered why he originally came to the dormitory. "We'll let's go find Cana." The orange haired man said running through the walls again. He continued to run until he found himself in an odd room. "Is this a torture room!?" He shouted, wondering why all these torture devices were in here. The male paled at he looked around. What made the situation worse was that this room must have belonged to one of the girls. He seriously hoped it wasn't his baby girl. A violet haired girl sneezed as she was art shopping. Not wanted to be in the room any longer, he left.

Seeing how he explored most of the room on the second floor, Gildarts went up. As he arrived on the third floor, the crash man went into the first room. That turned out to be a room that stretched multiple rooms. Armor and clothing were lined up against the walls. "This has got to be Erza's room. No other girl I know possesses armor." He concluded as he prepared to leave when something caught his eye. He did a double take not believing what he was seeing.

"Erza does cosplay?" The orange haired wondered, unsure of himself. The Erza he knew was a tough, independent girl. She wasn't the type to wear waitress outfits or cat ears. "Well that's surprising. At least it's better than having torture devices." He remarked with a slight shudder. "If Cana isn't up here, then that means she's on the first floor."

Running back downstairs, Gildarts arrived back at the main lobby. This time, an old lady was there. "Excuse me do you know were Cana's room is?" He asked. The dorm mother looked at him curiously, wondering how a male had snuck in. She figured it must be her old eyes playing a trick on her. The dorm mother point to a bulletin. The crash mage went and saw that there was a list where all the occupants' rooms were.

"Damn if I only stopped to look." He groaned since he would've saved so much time. Finding his daughter's name he went towards the east wing and walked in to see his daughter in her undergarments. She had apparently taken a shower, evident by the towel on her shoulders. "Cana I finally found you!" He hugged her as he glanced around the room. Relief took him as the room was normal. A little plain but that was better than it being like the other rooms.

"Dad!?" She shouted. "How did you get in here? More importantly, GET OUT!" Cana said embarrassed that her father was hugging her while she was only wearing undergarments. The male made his exit as she began throwing things at him. Later she would meet up with him and he paid for the damages with two bags full of jewels. The father-daughter shared a goodbye before he left.

Later that day, Levy prepared to write a new entry to her journey when she saw unfamiliar handwriting. Reading Gildarts entry, the script mage couldn't believe. "Oh my god, Gildarts ships his daughter and Natsu." The blue haired girl said. "Woah, never thought I'll say that." The girl remarked before writing a new entry.

Reviews:

DraigTrueEmperor9 – Yeah Natsu is still dense lol. I didn't want Natsu going on the trip with Gildarts since Natsu wouldn't be strong enough.

Yoshino – I apologize for the age issue. I've put the ages in the author note. Thanks for the compliments.

Littlebrwk – :3 Glad you enjoyed it!

Legendary Legend Layer – I wanted to rush their relationship because they're young along with upcoming events that are going to occur. You got Cana's personality spot on and I understand what you're saying. Please continue to offer your opinion as it helps me make this story better. Thanks for reviewing.

wings1299 – Haha I was aiming for cute so I'm glad I got it.

JohnV1896 – QOH? ...Oh you mean Queen of Hearts lol. Thanks but I'm going to stick with Oracle.

Rebmul – Once again, thank you for telling me.

The God Fist – Haha thank you. Glad you are enjoying it.

gwb620 – I think Lucky Loke since he didn't get killed lol. The 'date' was a great success lol.

PitbullColin – Thanks for the review!

GhostofOnyx – Thanks I wanted to rush their relationship because of the upcoming events in the storyline. I'm still gold my friend!

Sleyyer – Thanks for the reviews.