Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. This story was made for fun, and not for cash. (How unfortunate.)
Well, I'm back with a new chapter! Hopefully, you enjoy it! Also, my responses to reviews will be at the bottom!
Evening Sunsets & Nightly Conversations
Lucy took the train with Cana to the town of Hearthome, seeing the cobblestone streets to be purple while the town itself was quite clean, and Cana got off of the train before her friend while seeming quite confident about how this job would presumably go well. The client had lost a violet bracelet that probably would be easy to find, since the city wasn't quite large, and the two girls walked out of the train station to officially be in the town. Lucy started to smile at the nice sight of some younger mages creating what appeared to be Darkness Magic, and she wondered if Hearthome Town had a guild.
Lucy and Cana walked straight ahead while they passed by the bakery of Hearthome Town, their noses taking in the delicious scents of the pastries that were being made, and north of the bakery was where the grassy park of Hearthome Town had been located. Lucy went there earlier in the day with Happy for a few minutes, before Erza sternly told her to hurry up for the purpose of getting to the treasure, and she was glad to see that some female mages with cute spells of magic were allowed in. Erza could've entered the park to forcefully make Lucy not waste time, but her Flame Empress Armor and Flame Sword weren't viewed as cute by the guards who looked quite fashionable.
Cana continued walking with Lucy while she took notice of the path straight ahead crossing with another path that went north to a place known as the Fashion Hall, but going straight ahead would take the girls to a white building that was quite large. That building seemed to have gold arched windows, and its purple trapezoid-shaped roof had a giant pink ribbon attached to the top of it. That was a place for the most fashionable girls who could prove that they had high amounts of beauty, and Cana smiled softly as she thought that one of those fancy girls picked up the bracelet by accident.
As Lucy and Cana went towards the path with the white building, however, a pink-haired girl ran towards them while she seemed to be looking quite frantic. She comically crashed into Cana, knocking her down to where she landed on her rump, and Lucy looked quite shocked to see someone look quite frantic with some impatience in this stranger's cherry red eyes. The seemingly hyper girl wore a pink dress with white lace at the bottom, and the sleeves of her dress were long while she had pink hair that went down to the middle of her back. She also wore light green high-heeled shoes, too.
"You must really think it's funny to just stand there and be in my way, idiot! If I don't keep looking for my bracelet, then I'll never find it! My photo shoot for the advertisement on perfume is today, so don't slow down the great Mayumi Shinozaki!" The girl told Cana in an impatient manner while looking somewhat frustrated, before slowly standing up.
Cana countered in a defensive tone while quickly getting back on her feet, miffed that Mayumi was so impatient, "You're the one who ran into me, so you're actually slowing me down from doing my job! I'm Cana Alberona, a mage from Fairy Tail, and my friend is Lucy Heartfilia!"
Lucy asked the pink-haired girl in a calm manner, smiling softly while trying to ease the tension, "Did you just say that you're looking for a bracelet? Would it happen to be one in a violet color?"
Cana watched Mayumi excitedly touch Lucy's left hand with both of her hands, the client seeming quite happy at how Lucy simply described the item, and the brown-haired girl immediately saw Mayumi apologize to her with a polite bow while starting to talk about how she couldn't afford to lose the violet bracelet that she paid so much money for in a town that was pretty distant from Hearthome. Lucy and Cana both gave Mayumi surprised looks while hearing her complain about how some fashion models needed to stop making the act of going to bars late at night be popular, as she did that an hour before fighting an outlaw, but the girls couldn't just leave an impatient client alone to handle the job.
Lucy started to look doubtful about this evening mission, since a model most likely didn't pick it up by mistake, and she hoped that the purple-haired thief known as Mikiko hadn't snatched the jewelry from Mayumi while she was drunk. Lucy still felt uneasy about running into that woman, since she didn't want to see herself or Cana get hurt, and the blonde-haired girl felt like they could start looking for the bracelet at the bakery. After all, checking in the most unusual places could be quite useful for Cana and Lucy to find the purple accessory.
As Lucy began to walk past Cana for the purpose of going to the bakery, she stepped on a brown manhole cover that covered an entrance to the town's sewers. The manhole cover wasn't tightly in place, due to Erza harshly walking over it when Team Natsu was in the town, and Lucy's scream from falling down with the manhole made Cana look just as surprised as Mayumi. Cana ran towards that sewer entrance to see that Lucy was on the grey concrete ground with the manhole while some dark blue water lightly flowed in the sewer, and Lucy harshly landed on her rump.
Cana looked concerned while she squatted down, before gently grabbing one of the grey ladder rungs to help herself with climbing down into the sewer, and she hoped that Lucy wasn't badly hurt. She watched Lucy get up quickly while the fall wasn't too bad, and Cana softly smiled from how her good friend didn't have any bruises on her body. Lucy narrowed her cocoa brown eyes while thinking that the bakery was still the first place that she had to check, but the sight of a mint green aura engulfing Mayumi's hands while wind seemed to lift up the manhole cover made her and Cana gasp in shock.
Lucy asked Mayumi while looking startled, her eyes showing some shock, "What are you doing?! Are you going to leave us down here, Mayumi?"
The fashion model replied with a snobby facial expression, trying to seem rational, "Not putting the cover on the sewer will make Hearthome Town start to stink, and you two are probably more experienced at jobs that don't smell so great."
Cana shouted up to Mayumi while grabbing the ladder rungs, preparing to climb back up, "If you got drunk enough to trip over your own feet and send that bracelet sliding into one of the sewer cover's holes, we'll all need to check it out!"
She couldn't react fast enough to Mayumi putting the manhole cover back on the circular hole while the mint green winds had enough density to seal the entrance for a few hours, and Cana could only see the orange glow of the sunset's light coming through the manhole cover's holes that did look big enough for a small bracelet to fall through them. Since they were stuck down here, Cana groaned in frustration while getting off of the ladder. She decided that it would be a good idea to at least explore the sewers of Hearthome Town, since they could contain money in some surprising places, and Cana hoped to not leave empty-handed.
As Cana proceeded to walk on the path that was straight ahead, Lucy followed her while seeing that the only source of light down here was from the sunset. She also covered her nose with her right hand, and Lucy did not like the putrid smell of the sewers. This was the place where rats and waste resided, along with the water that wasn't safe to drink, and Lucy simply looked straight ahead while following Cana. The girls soon walked across a small wooden bridge that was above the water, and the concrete paths to initially get from one area of the sewers to another were filled with the purple grime of Poison Magic that was left over from delinquents who attempted to train with their magic in this putrid place.
20 minutes later...
Lucy and Cana walked quite far into the sewers, crossing three wooden bridges while they took paths that involved turning corners, and the two girls soon ended up reaching a dead end. That was actually the fourth dead end they encountered down here, since some concrete paths went nowhere, and Cana began to look worried about the fact that some of the light was starting to fade away. The sun was waning, meaning that it wouldn't take much longer for nighttime to come around, and that would cause the sewers to be completely dark.
Cana sighed in a displeased manner while thinking that Mayumi's bracelet would never be down here, and she was glad that some grey rungs leading up to a manhole cover were nearby. Lucy stayed very close to the card-wielding mage while the smell of the sewers was stronger now, and the Celestial Spirit Wizard couldn't hold her nose any longer. Lucy really hoped to get the smell out of her clothes later, especially since this was one of her favorite outfits, and Lucy looked straight ahead to see something that made her gasp in shock.
The concrete wall that was in front of her and Cana had some cracks in it, which were perfect for rats, and Cana blinked twice while wondering if she imagined a violet glimmer faintly emerging from the upper part of the wall. Cana walked up to it to actually see pink thin beams of light shining, almost like something was hidden behind the wall, and she pulled out a deck of cards from the right pocket of her red Capri pants. Cana picked out one of the cards, before accidentally dropping the entire deck on to something nice that was near her right foot, and she was ready to see what Hearthome Town was hiding.
Cana sent some magical power into the Fireball Card, which caused a red fireball to appear, and she watched the ball of fire head straight for the wall. Upon hitting the upper part of the wall, the fireball exploded while making some flames be on the ground. The wall crumbled to reveal a violet treasure chest that looked somewhat small while purple beams of light shined from it, and the chest had golden trim while it seemed to be stashed away by thieves who didn't anticipate the possibility of someone being quite curious about what could be inside.
Cana told Lucy in a calm tone while putting her hands on the treasure chest, easily lifting it out of the hole, "Well, it looks like we found something good."
Lucy replied nicely as she softly smiled, "We should open it up to see what's inside, Cana. Maybe there's jewels or gold in there."
Cana responded with a confident facial expression while she put the chest down on the ground, before deciding to pick up her Magic Cards, "Lucy, you can open it for me. I'll get my cards, and we can see if anything is on the ground instead of being in the walls."
Lucy wasted no time with walking towards the treasure chest, and she squatted down before using her hands to open it. Lucy was quickly met with the sight of purple beams of light lunging up at her while they didn't cause any pain, and a purple aura began to engulf her body for ten seconds. Lucy felt her cheeks become warm while she blushed a light shade of pink, and she also noticed that a small brown bag was in the treasure chest. Lucy quickly untied the knots to see that there were five purple bottles of alcohol in the bag, but they didn't appear to belong to a brand of alcohol that Lucy ever saw in Magnolia while the bottles smelled like violet flowers. Lucy looked down at the bottles to see that they were supposedly made in a far-off place called Mumargi Town, and she wondered what the alcohol tasted like.
The smells of the violet bottles quickly went towards Cana, who simply thought that Lucy found some magic while Hearthome Town made the sewers smell better for any mages who were down here, and she continued to bend over while picking up her deck of cards with her left hand. Cana soon noticed a bracelet that was made from seven purple beads, and she picked it up with her right hand while seeing a grey rat hastily run out from one of the cracks. She assumed that one of the rodents carried Mayumi's bracelet away from the nearest ladder, but Cana was glad to now have the cute accessory.
Lucy turned around to see that Cana's rump was in her face for a few seconds, causing her heart to beat softly, and she felt like it would be nice to let Cana be done with picking up her cards. Lucy picked up the bag of bottles with her right hand, and she felt like it was great that she didn't hinder Cana on this mission. Even though Lucy was glad that Cana managed to be successful tonight with her task, Lucy began to frown while she stood up. The memory of how Erza reacted to today's failure hadn't left her mind, and the odor from the sewers started making Lucy feel slightly sick as she remembered how the woman nicknamed Titania was quite upset with her.
This mission with Cana was nice, but Lucy frowned with anxiety as she thought about tomorrow and the next few days. She wondered if Erza would make Lucy have the simple task of guarding a princess if Team Natsu had to fight on an escort mission, and Erza would probably take down thieves while claiming that she could do what Lucy couldn't do against Mikiko. Lucy began to get on her knees while thinking that she couldn't be very useful, and her emotions were swirling around in her mind while Cana was now ready to leave.
"Lucy, this mission went well! We can definitely get a reward from Mayumi, and I'll gladly get close to her for karma's stench to enter that snobby bitch's nose." Cana told Lucy with a confident smile on her face while standing up straight, before deciding to hug Lucy from behind.
That prompted Lucy to reply in a disappointed tone, not feeling as happy as Cana, "We did great on this task, but at least there weren't any other girls who could succeed because of me."
Cana asked Lucy with a curious facial expression while letting go of her, only standing two inches away from her friend, "Is that what happened to cause tension between you and Erza, Lucy? Are you comfortable talking about it down here with me?"
Lucy turned around to look up at Cana while still being on her knees, and she simply shook her head in a manner of refusal while still feeling like this was a problem that she needed to handle on her own. Since Lucy wouldn't talk about her troubles, Cana decided to walk past her while heading to the ladder that would take them out of the sewers. Lucy stood up to follow Cana, and she felt that a hot shower would make her feel better later. The Celestial Spirit Wizard watched the sewer get quite dark while a rat ran past her right leg, and Lucy started running fast while Cana ran beside her.
Cana reached the ladder rungs first, before climbing up to see the manhole cover, and she managed to raise it up with her right palm. Lucy watched Cana move the sewer's brown cover to where it was on the ground, and she climbed out of the sewer after Cana raised herself out of the hole. Lucy was glad to be back on the purple cobblestone street while being several feet away from Mayumi, and she watched Cana run towards the client as she comically looked devious about making the fashion model get a whiff of her rude attitude's scent. Lucy hoped that Cana would at least put the bracelet in Mayumi's hands, though.
Two hours later, in Magnolia Town...
After receiving the large bag of money from Mayumi, Cana took the train back to Magnolia Town with Lucy while feeling really glad that they didn't go into the sewer for nothing. Cana would definitely split her money with Lucy, since it was a team effort that helped them achieve success tonight, and the card-wielding mage would also allow Lucy to keep those purple bottles. Cana didn't prefer to drink from average-sized bottles of booze right now, since taller bottles were for celebrations, and she also felt like Lucy deserved the treasure in that chest after seeming like she took in some magic that could be useful to her.
The two girls were currently on the street where Lucy's apartment was located, and Cana walked home with Lucy while not wanting to see her friend pass out at night from possible fatigue. This was a crazy day for Lucy, especially since she felt surprised that Cana would even want her assistance on a mission, and Lucy had a look of doubt on her face while she continued to wonder if tomorrow would be an awesome day. Tonight was where one good thing happened to the blonde-haired mage, but Lucy really thought that she and Cana were lucky to not encounter any enemies.
Cana felt quite happy that Lucy helped her out, but her smile of pleasure started to fade from seeing Lucy appear to be upset. Cana wanted Lucy to tell her about why she felt pretty troubled, since Lucy was kind enough to hear about why Cana felt troubled by the S-Class trial that occurred seven years ago, and Cana didn't want Lucy to keep feeling like she needed to be alone. Cana wouldn't make Lucy talk about her problems while they had drinks, as getting Lucy drunk would probably make her dislike Cana when she became sober again, but she wanted to change Lucy's frown into her cute smile.
Telling Lucy how they did well on their second time working together didn't seem like it would be enough to break her out of those feelings of disappointment, and Cana narrowed her violet eyes while wanting to find out exactly what Erza told Lucy. She thought that it would be right to hear about the tension from Lucy, since Erza could sugarcoat what she actually said or completely deny it, and Cana desired to hear the truth. She would not interrogate Lucy in a stern manner, but Cana began to smile in a teasing way while she jokingly recalled the Fashion Hall in Hearthome Town.
"You know, Erza would probably be an idiot to try and compete with girls like Mayumi. I just thought about how she rarely wears dresses, and she'd be a loser." Cana told Lucy in a calm tone, maintaining her smile.
That prompted Lucy to respond in a startled tone while her eyes widened in shock, "Erza called me an idiot and a loser today, Cana. It's all because of how I begged a wizard from Sabertooth for mercy, and she got the treasure in the cave because of me. Erza was injured by her Darkness Magic like how Natsu and Gray also got hurt, and I begged for my life when she aimed her magic at me while having those deadly eyes."
Cana asked Lucy with a kind smile on her face while they reached her apartment, "You didn't want to die, right? Couldn't Erza understand that reason for pleading with an enemy?"
Lucy told her with a depressed facial expression, before sighing softly, "Erza said how she didn't want to hear my pathetic excuses, and even Mikiko from Sabertooth called me weak trash on her way out of the cave. Erza was so furious with me, and she gave me the harshest glare on the train ride back to Magnolia."
At that moment, Lucy turned to face Cana while standing near the front door with her fists clenched. She felt entirely responsible for how Team Natsu's mission ended in failure, and trying to summon a Celestial Spirit would've probably just led to Lucy getting decimated by that woman's Darkness Magic. Gray and Natsu may not have been mad at Lucy, but the fact that Erza wouldn't excuse how she was afraid of that mage's deadly look in her eyes made Lucy feel like she was too afraid to fight people who could brutally injure her friends.
Cana watched Lucy raise her right hand up to her face, before attempting to slap herself for being weak, and Lucy felt her friend grab her arm before that palm could make contact with her pretty face. Even though Lucy felt upset, she looked surprised at how Cana was quick with not letting her slap herself for failing a mission. Cana's grip on Lucy's wrist was also pretty strong, and she let go of it after ten seconds. Cana put her hands on Lucy's shoulders while taking some steps forward, letting Lucy be against the wall, and Cana calmly smiled as she nicely told Lucy that it wasn't her fault.
Cana went on to sternly say that Erza was totally wrong to call Lucy an idiot, as they were simply in a bad situation where they couldn't get the treasure, and every wizard failed sometimes. Lucy gazed into Cana's violet eyes while feeling some happiness from how she had a friend who was wanting to hear about this problem, even though Erza could slap Lucy quite hard for telling Cana about her troubles, and Lucy felt her heart beat with some warmth while she continued to look at Cana. She was glad that the alcohol-loving woman allowed her to just talk about what happened, and Cana's smile made Lucy lightly giggle.
Lucy was soon hugged by Cana, only to see her take some steps back from how the sewer's scent made Lucy's clothes smell pretty bad, and Lucy enjoyed the hug while getting a bad whiff from Cana's clothes. Lucy simply smiled at her friend while starting to walk past her, preparing to take a hot shower that would feel quite nice, and Cana also planned on giving herself a hot bath with some sweet-scented soap to get the bad odor off of her body. As Lucy was about to go in her apartment, however, she gave Cana a friendly smile.
"Thank you, Cana. You're a good friend, and I'm glad that we had a fun night together. Maybe we can go on another job someday, but please don't tell Erza about tonight if I arrive late tomorrow." Lucy told Cana with a nice smile on her face, before starting to walk past her.
Cana replied with a cheerful grin on her face while watching Lucy go towards the front door, "You're welcome, Lucy! I'm glad you chose to follow me to Hearthome Town, and I won't tell Erza a thing. If Hearthome Town had a well-known guild and you went there to use one of their showers tonight, then I would've been right beside you as a lookout while also taking a shower."
Lucy responded calmly while comically looking slightly irritated, "Well, that's one interesting way to prove your trust to me. Good night, Cana."
As Lucy opened the door that she kept unlocked purely by accident, she heard Cana start to walk away while presumably heading to her room at the Fairy Hills dormitory. Lucy decided to watch her friend walk away for a few seconds, smiling at how Cana ran her fingers through her own brown hair that was quite beautiful, and she also liked how Cana's rump seemed like it got a bit bigger than it was last week. Lucy thought that Cana must've been eating sweets, but she hoped that her friend would not gain too much weight.
Lucy went inside of her apartment, and she shut the door behind her while smiling softly at how tonight's mission went well. Lucy noticed that Cana didn't give her half of the cash that was in the brown bag, but the girls would probably split their money tomorrow morning. The rent for Lucy's apartment was not due tomorrow, but having that money sooner than later would be better before a day where Cana suggested that they enjoy the booze that Lucy found. Lucy glanced down at the small bag that was still in her right hand while the bottles clinked gently, and she began to smile happily while wondering if the treasure chest giving her an amazing reward was a nice sign of her friendship with Cana becoming more amazing later on.
How was Chapter 2? Did you like it? Lucy and Cana handled their first job together quite well, and Cana convinced Lucy to talk about her troubles. Also, it seems like Lucy does think Cana is attractive. However, she won't rush into anything. Anyway, what will happen when Team Natsu reports their failure to Makarov? Will Lucy defend herself? What exactly does her new power do? Will Cana meet up with Lucy again? Standby for the update!
Now, to the reviews!
Guest: Hello! To answer your questions in chronological order, I intend to do major or minimal rewrites to my chapters. Not just to avoid getting reported, but some plot points (such as the purple coins) went nowhere and I want to fix that. I'll start the CaLu highschool AU after this story is finished, and I hope all my CaLu stories will be good.
OBSERVER01 nli: Thank you so much!