Notes: Normally, I would include notes at the end. In this case though, I felt I should put this at the beginning of the chapter. This chapter will contain some (non-explicit) sexual situations, and similar situations may come up in future chapters. I don't intend for this to be a "smut-fic". But I do want to take the characters in directions you wouldn't see in the canon. In some cases that might include exploring their sexuality in ways you wouldn't see in the canon. Maybe some people will find that off putting, so I'm just letting people know upfront.
A few days had passed since Gray, Lucy, and Happy had gone on their ill-fated adventure in the forest. They weren't given the full reward money since they failed to clear out all the monstrous beasts. But they were at least paid half the money for taking out one of the creatures, and identifying the animals and their apparent central location so others will know what to look for. It wasn't as much as they were hoping for, but at least Lucy could pay her rent.
Currently, Lucy and Gray were sitting outside of the guild hall. This was the first time they had spoken since they got back from the job. Gray had been recovering from his injury, which wasn't as bad as it could have been. His arm was still bandaged, but otherwise he seemed okay. Lucy had been emotionally shaken by the event, but was physically fine.
"So, how are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" Lucy asked Gray. Gray lifted his injured arm casually. "Its fine. It looked worse than it was. It hurt like hell at the time though, I'll admit." Gray responded.
Lucy looked bothered, despite Gray's reassurance. She looked at his arm, and then at him. "Gray, I'm really sorry." Gray looked confused. "For what?"
"For letting this happen. For not being able to help you sooner." She replied.
"It wasn't your fault. Things happen. There's always a risk. I should've been more careful." He said.
"Yeah, but… I can't stop thinking that if Natsu or… Erza had been there instead of me, then this wouldn't have happened. You would've completed the job, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt like that."
Gray made a face. "If me and Natsu had been there, we probably would've spent more time fighting each other than anything else. And Erza… well, Erza is gone. So, there's no point in thinking about that." Gray said this to reassure her, but she still looked down on herself. Gray rubbed the side of his head, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say to comfort her. "Look Lucy, maybe you do make mistakes. But I know you've got skills. Just recently you helped save that merchant guild from the dark guild… what were they called?"
"Naked Mummy." Lucy offered.
"Yeah, that's it. That was impressive." Gray finished. Lucy thought about this. "I probably just got lucky, is all. I caught them off guard, and they didn't seem like the most competent dark guild."
"I think it shows you have potential." Gray said.
"Maybe…" Lucy said, still unsure.
"Okay, I get it. You feel like you could be doing better. Sitting around moping ain't gonna fix anything. You wanna get better, try harder. Do something about it." He said. Gray half expected Lucy to get annoyed, or even angry at him. She didn't. But she did have a serious look on her face. She looked him in the eye and said, "I will."
Gray nodded at her. "Good." Gray waited there a minute, waiting to see if she had anything else to say. But it looked like her mind was elsewhere. She looked off in the distance. "I almost forgot to ask, how is your dad? You know, after what happened?" Gray asked.
Lucy suddenly snapped back to attention. "My dad? He's fine. I mean, broke, but fine. He didn't even show up until after it was all over. Thanks for asking though." Gray nodded again. He then got up. "See you later Lucy. I need to decide what my next job will be." He then walked off. Gray didn't ask Lucy if she wanted to join him on the next job. She didn't blame him though. It just reinforced what she had already decided. She knew what she had to do.
Meanwhile, inside the guild, Gajeel was waiting to talk to someone. He had been waiting for twenty minutes. He didn't like standing around like this. As for what he wanted to talk about; he didn't feel it was a matter of life or death, but he knew it was still fairly important.
He was standing against one of the pillars with his arms folded. He hadn't spoken to anyone since he walked in. He was being left alone, as usual. He looked around the guild. It was moderately active right now. He saw Alzack Connell and Bisca Mulan in their cowboy outfits sitting near each other. They were having a conversation… sort of. They were looking away from each other and blushing. This just made Gajeel roll his eyes. They're practically adults, and they're acting like a couple of awkward school kids, he thought. He decided to look away, in case they accidentally brushed hands and ran away screaming from embarrassment. That would be too much.
He shifted his gaze over to the side, and saw Macao Conbolt and his young son Romeo. Nearby was Macao's close friend Wakaba Mine. Wakaba was smoking his pipe as usual. Romeo seemed pretty worked up over something. Macao sat, listening to his kid. Gajeel couldn't help overhearing. "When is Natsu coming back? You said he'd be back soon! Where is he?" Romeo said, sounding partly angry and partly confused. Macao looked uncertain. "Well… I'm sure he'll be back. He just has important stuff to do. I'm sure." He said to his child. In his time at Fairy Tail, Gajeel had become vaguely aware of the hero worship that little Romeo had for Natsu. It was beyond him why the kid looked up to Natsu so much, though.
"But when?" Romeo said in a shrill voice.
"Ugh." Macao and Romeo both turned. The disgusted sound came from Gajeel, apparently louder than he had intended. Not that he was afraid of voicing his opinion. They were all staring at him. Gajeel realized that he was now part of the conversation, so he felt he might as well say what he was thinking. "Look kid, Salamander's gone. He's not coming back. Deal with it." In response to this, Romeo looked upset. "That's not true. He will be back! Shut up!"
Gajeel shook his head. He and Natsu had been rivals from the moment they met. But after a time, Gajeel had started to develop a grudging respect for Natsu. But that went out the window when Natsu decided to leave without so much as a word to his supposed friends. "He abandoned this guild. He's gone. Maybe its better that way." Gajeel stated. Just then, Macao got up and walked up to Gajeel. "Hey, back off. That's my son you're talking to." Macao said. Gajeel shrugged. "I'm just telling it like it is. Someone needs to clue him in."
"You let me worry about what to tell my son. Mind your own business." Macao said, looking Gajeel in the eye. "Or what?" Gajeel said, looking right back at Macao. They stood there staring at each other. It was a tense moment.
"Ahem. You said you needed to speak to me." A voice said. Macao and Gajeel both turned. It was Makarov. He looked at them both. "Is there a problem here?" They stood there for several seconds. Then, Gajeel said, "Heh. No problem. Come on, let's talk. In private though." Makarov knew there was a conflict here, but decided to let it go, for now. "Very well." The master turned around and walked towards the back. Gajeel sneered at Macao, and then followed behind. Macao looked like he was about to say something, but then felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Wakaba. "Let it go, man. Its not worth it." Macao looked at his friend. He nodded, and they walked away.
Gajeel followed Makarov into a private room. It was a small room, but was away from the main guild hall, and would afford them some privacy. Gajeel closed the door after entering. There were a couple of chairs, and a small desk in the room. Makarov sat down at a chair by the desk. "This must be important." stated Makarov.
"I thought it was something you'd want to know about." Gajeel responded. Makarov nodded at this. He motioned for Gajeel to have a seat. "I'll stand. This won't take long." he said.
"So, what is this about? I don't suppose its good news. We could use some." Makarov said.
Gajeel shook his head. "'Fraid not. I'll get right to it. Remember how you asked me to be a mole to spy on Raven Tail?"
"Vaguely." Makarov said with some sarcasm.
"Yeah well, things were going fine for a while. Your son Ivan seemed to accept me. Think I was one of them. Gave me info. And I was giving him false info in return. Seemed like I was doing a good job." Gajeel explained.
"And?"
"Well… Recently things changed. The past few weeks they've been less forthcoming. They haven't said anything, but I get the feeling they don't trust me so much now. And then, a few days ago, they wouldn't even respond to me. No answer. No explanation."
Makarov sat and listened to all of this. He thought about it. "So, your cover is blown then?"
"I was careful. Nobody in the guild but you and me knows about this."
"Did something happen recently? Did you notice any kind of change?"
Gajeel thought about this a minute. "Change? Hmm. The only thing I noticed, last time I was at their guild, was that they got a new member." Makarov raised an eyebrow. "A new member? Did this person say anything to you? Or you to them?"
"Nah. Just some new guy. He was wearing some kind of mask with a hood. I thought that was kind of weird. But they all look like a bunch of creeps, so I didn't think about it too much." Gajeel said this last part without irony. "I did notice that he had already gotten pretty friendly with Ivan though. He seemed to be hanging around Ivan a lot, now that I think about it."
Makarov tented his fingers, and thought this over. "This new member likely had something to do with this change in attitude. At least, that's how it sounds, based on what you've told me. Look, wait another week, and try to contact them again. See if they respond. If not, then that probably means they know you're working against them."
Gajeel just nodded. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. Well, that's all I've got to report. So, I guess I'll be going." Gajeel moved towards the door.
"Alright. But if they contact you in the meantime, let me know." Makarov said.
"Sure." Gajeel said. He then opened the door and left. Makarov sat there alone, thinking about this problem, in addition to all the other ones he has to deal with. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to retire?" he mused to himself.
Lucy Heartfilia found herself in the lobby of Fairy Hills, the female dormitory for Fairy Tail. Lucy herself didn't live here. After all, living here wasn't free. She could barely afford her apartment, and a dorm here at Fairy Hills was far more expensive.
She had decided to come here not long after her conversation with Gray. Fairy Hills was only a short distance from the main guild hall, so it didn't take long. Lucy walked around the empty lobby. Lucy liked it here. It had a warm, comfortable atmosphere. The windows were open, which meant the room was brightly lit with natural light. She could hear sounds from upstairs, so she knew there were at least a few people here. She was pretty sure most of the girls here lived upstairs, so she headed for the nearby stairway leading up.
Lucy had come here looking for one girl in particular: Cana Alberona. The reason: she wanted Cana's help. More specifically, she wanted someone to train with. Over the past few months, Lucy had begun to feel more and more that here own skills were lacking. Sure, she had won a few fights. But she wasn't on the same level as some of the more powerful members of the guild. Which probably wouldn't have bothered her in the past, when still she had her team with her. After all, not everyone can be a powerhouse. She had gotten used to playing more of a support role, which she felt suited her well enough. But now that she was more or less on her own, she felt a growing pressure on herself to get better. Stronger. Able to handle herself, instead of relying on others.
Of course, she knew that her guildmates would help her if she really needed it, just as she would for them. But she also knew that she couldn't rely on having a team around her all the time anymore. Natsu and Erza were gone. And even Gray seemed reluctant to team up with her, even on their last job. Not that she blamed him. She still blamed herself for him getting hurt. Lucy shook her head. She decided that it wasn't going to do any good dwelling on that. It was time to focus on the future.
She had climbed the stairs, and was fairly sure she was on the right floor. There was a hallway with several rooms on the sides. The doors had the names of the occupants on them, and they all led to the various dorm rooms. Lucy started walking down the hall, looking for Cana's room. Some of the rooms were currently unoccupied. She passed a couple of doors with no names on them. She then came to Juvia's room. As she passed, she couldn't hear anyone talking to themselves about Gray, so she assumed Juvia wasn't there. Lucy walked a little farther down the hall. She then came to another door that had a name on it. Erza. It was her old room. Lucy paused for a minute. She knew that Erza used to live here. But she hadn't expected her name to still be on the door. Lucy would have figured that someone else would have gotten the room by now. She touched Erza's name with her fingers. As she touched the letters of Erza's name, she suddenly saw Erza's face in her mind. A memory. Erza smiling. Her face in warm sunlight. Then it was gone, as quickly as it came. Lucy took her fingers off the door.
Lucy didn't remember the exact context of the memory, but it was nice. Bittersweet. She decided that they probably left Erza's name on the door as a memorial to her. Lucy smiled. She turned and continued on.
She walked farther down the hall, passing a few more doors. Finally, she came to the end of the corridor, and found Cana's room. The door was closed, and she didn't know if Cana was in at the moment. As far as she knew, Cana wasn't on a job. Lucy walked up to the door, and raised her hand to knock on it. Lucy's hand stopped an inch from the door. She heard a noise inside. She heard Cana and… something else. Cana was talking to someone. Lucy lowered her hand, feeling that maybe she had come at a bad time. What she wanted to talk about was important, but maybe it should wait.
As Lucy thought this, she heard another voice. It wasn't one of the other girls. It was a man's voice. Lucy froze. Men were not allowed in this building as far as Lucy knew. At least, not in the dorm rooms themselves. Lucy listened to what they were talking about. She heard Cana say "Oh yeah, that's it. Lower." The man was making grunting noises, and breathing heavily. She also heard the bed squeaking. It slowly dawned on Lucy what she was listening to. Her face turned bright red. She had the urge to turn and run, but was unable to move her legs. Suddenly, Lucy seemed acutely aware of every noise. In the hallway it was dead quiet. But on the other side of the door, Lucy could hear a fair amount of what was happening. She heard her friend moaning in what sounded like pleasure, followed by a louder moan. Lucy shut her eyes, and tried to think of something else. Which was a mistake, because now she was picturing it. Lucy shook her head, and a noise escaped her mouth.
Lucy suddenly put her hands to her mouth. A moment passed. She noticed that the noises on the other side of the door had stopped. She wondered if they had heard her. Her legs were starting to work again. She turned. Suddenly, the door opened. Lucy turned towards the now open door, and gaped like a deer in the headlights. It was Cana. She was dressed (in her usual capris and bra combo) but looked flushed. Cana looked Lucy in the face. "So, Lucy… how much did you hear?" Somehow, Lucy now felt even more embarrassed. She wanted to die. Before Lucy could respond, a man came up behind Cana, and put his arms around her. "Does this mean we're done?" he asked. Cana looked at him. He was a handsome man who appeared several years older than Cana. "For now." She said, and kissed him. "I need to have a talk with my friend here." She said. The man nodded, and moved past Lucy. Lucy made an effort not to make eye contact with him. He looked like he was trying to move quietly and not be heard as he moved down the corridor.
After Cana's "friend" left, she turned to Lucy. "Come in." She waved Lucy in. Lucy still wanted to leave, but walked in anyway. Cana shut the door. She looked back at Lucy. "So, what brings you here? I hope you didn't just come here to listen to me getting laid." Lucy was taken aback by Cana's bluntness. She put her face in her hands. She couldn't look at Cana. After a moment, Lucy said, barely audibly "Cana, I swear I didn't mean to eavesdrop on that. I would never… I mean, I don't even think about that stuff!" In response to this, Cana just laughed. Lucy looked up. "Come on Lucy, I'm just teasing. I know you're not a pervert." Cana grinned mischievously. "Or are you?" she asked, winking at Lucy. Lucy put her face in her hands again.
Cana watched Lucy for a moment. "You know, I do think its funny how you seem to have this phobia of sex. Its kind of adorable, actually." Cana said, continuing the teasing. Lucy looked up again, looking indignant. "I'm not afraid of sex, I just… I was raised a certain way, that's all." Cana considered this. "Well, you're a big girl now Lucy. It wouldn't hurt to… try new things. Who knows, you might even like it." Cana smiled at Lucy.
"What? I… Cana." Lucy sputtered. That was all she managed to say. Cana laughed again. She held up her hands. "Okay, I'll stop. You're just fun to tease. So, what did you come her to talk about, really?" Lucy took a minute to compose herself. She then looked at Cana seriously. "Okay, look. I came here because I wanted to ask you something. Something important." Lucy began. Cana raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what is it?" Cana asked.
Lucy hesitated, unsure of how Cana would respond to her request. "Cana… I want to ask you if you'll help me train." Cana looked a little confused. "Train? For what?"
"To be a better mage. To use my magic better. To handle myself in a fight better. And just… suck less." Lucy finished. Cana frowned at this. Which made Lucy feel she was about to be told 'No'.
"Okay, first of all, you do not suck. Who told you that?" Cana asked.
"No one told me. But its obvious. I can barely handle myself in a fight. I have trouble completing jobs. I make bad calls with my spirits half the time. Back when I had my team, I was kind of a third wheel a lot. But now I don't have a team. I can't rely on Natsu or the others to help me. I need to rely on myself, and my spirits. But to do that, I need your help. Which I know, is ironic." Lucy finished explaining herself. Cana thought about this.
"I know you're not the most powerful mage, but you do have skill. You took out that dark guild single handed, didn't you? I would say you did a pretty good job 'handling yourself' there."
"Yeah, and that's why I'm not just giving up. Maybe I just got lucky with that guild. But the fact that I could do it at all… I think I can be better. But I need help. Your help. Please, help me train." Lucy implored her friend.
Cana lowered her head, apparently considering Lucy's request. "Lucy… its not that I'm not flattered you would ask me, but… Why? Why me? I mean, there are better mages than me you could ask for help, right? More experienced mages? More powerful mages?"
Lucy folded her arms. "There's not as many options as you would think. I can't really ask any of the S-Class mages. Even if I could track one down, I doubt they would agree to train me. Master Makarov has his hands full with other things. It would be selfish of me to expect him to devote time to training me specifically. And its not like there are any other celestial wizards around I can ask."
Cana smirked. "I see. So, you're asking me because you can't get anyone better?" Now it was Lucy's turn to frown. "No, Cana. I'm asking you because I've seen you in action. You're pretty good. You might not be S-Class, but you know how to handle yourself. I think I could learn a few things from you. But I'm also asking because you're my friend. I trust you." Lucy finished, waiting for Cana's response.
Cana seemed affected by what Lucy just said. The playfulness was gone, and she looked more serious. "Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no? If this is really that important to you, then I'll help you, as best I can. I can't make any promises, but I'll try to help you improve. And hey, maybe you'll teach me a few things too." They both smiled.
"Thanks Cana. This means a lot." Lucy said. "It's a deal then. We can start tomorrow." Cana replied. Cana held out a hand. Lucy extended hers, and they shook, sealing the arrangement. Lucy walked towards the door. "Well, see you later." As Lucy walked out the door, she turned back to Cana. "You know, I didn't even know you had a boyfriend." Cana shrugged. "Well, I only met him a couple weeks ago." Lucy stared, mouth agape. "A couple weeks? And you already…" Cana chuckled. "See you tomorrow, Lucy."
"Yeah, see you then." Lucy said distantly, as Cana closed the door.
End Notes: Quick endnote: you probably aren't going to see Cana's unnamed boyfriend again after this chapter. He isn't meant to be a real character in this story. He just shows up for this one scene. If I do put Cana in a long term relationship, then it will likely be with someone else.