Secret Sharers Take Two
Summary: The secret Cana reveals in Echo Cave is so much darker than anyone could have imagined and some well intended plotting ends up tipping the dominoes over.
Disclaimer: I don't own
Warning: Past suicide attempt, discussion of suicide, some implied self harm, self hatred
AN: Today kind of sucked and the rest of my week is looking to be the same. The only thing keeping me sane are the pictures of my newest niece my sister sends every hour on the hour- shes already smiling, one week old and she's smiling! This kid is already a genius, I can just tell. So anyway, enjoy!
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Mira screeched, her face almost as red as Erza's hair as she lunged toward the armored girl, receiving a punch to the jaw from her rival.
"Why should I?" The red-haired girl growled, avoiding the She-Devils attempt at strangulation. "I'd think someone who behaves as uncouth as you do you would be used to such comments."
"OH REALLY YOU UGLY PRUDE?! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I- "
As the fight between the mortal enemies continued, a different brawl was also taking place between the other set of usual suspects.
"Come on you little pyro!" Gray snarled, throwing another punch at the pinkette, "You miss Daddy so bad? Well I'll give you something to cry over- "
"Don't talk about Igneel like that!" Natsu shrieked, going for the stripper's jugular.
The guild had long since gotten used to the fights between the eternal rivals- it was a completely different altercation that had the majority of the guild diving for cover.
Levy was not someone who angered easily. Nor was she someone who particularly liked fighting or violence period. What she did like however, was books.
On this occasion she had managed to get her hands on a rare book of spells written in ancient Draconic- the book may very well have been the last in existence and the blue haired girl was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to read it… at least until Elfman had accidentally shoved Cana and the brunette's beer spilled everywhere, completely destroying the priceless novel.
"HOW COULD YOU!" She screamed, lunging at the card mage in an effort to kill the defiler of literature," DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW RARE THAT BOOK IS- DO YOU?"
"IT'S A BOOK NOT THE FAMILY PET- COOL IT WILL YA!" Cana yelled as she dodged the bookworm's attacks," IT AIN'T LIKE I DID IT ON PURPOSE NOW LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" The brunette tossed one of her cards just in time to absorb the blunette's next attack.
Lisanna and Elfman were doing their best to diffuse the situation.
"Levy- please stop!" The white-haired girl pleaded," Cana said she's sorry- "
"OH SHE'LL BE SORRY ALRIGHT WHEN I'M DONE WITH HER!"
"ENOUGH!"
The roar combined with their suddenly titan-sized guildmaster silenced everyone, all combatants stopping dead in their tracks.
"What is the matter with all of you?!" Makarov snarled at his children," You're family- start acting like it! Look at the mess you've made!" He snapped gesturing at the wrecked hall," Do you shitty brats have any idea how expensive it is to keep repairing this place- do you?! Front and center- now!"
Cowed, all of the teenagers meekly lined up in front of their furious guildmaster.
"It's clear that all of you need an attitude adjustment and I know exactly how to do it." The old man jumped up onto a table so he could be eye level with his children," The lot of you are going on a group job. Pack your bags and be here first thing tomorrow morning."
"What?!" They all shrieked, looking aghast, voicing their own complaints.
"I don't want to work with him!"
"Why am I being punished- I didn't even do anything!"
"A real Man like me can't waste his time on bonding trips- "
"I have a job that I was going to take- "
"So not fair- "
"Shut up!" He snapped, silencing their protests," Suck it up- you lot are going on the job and you're going to work together whether you like it or not."
With that he shoved them all out the door and almost cried when he got another look at the ruins of his beautiful guildhall. Oh, to be a rich and childless man…
oOOOOo
The air was filled with the wet, musty smell of mold with the fresh dust from the collapsing rocks.
Everyone groaned in pain from the spots where they'd landed.
A match was struck, becoming the sole point of light in the darkness.
"All right who's not dead? Sound off?" Mira yelled in her usual abrasive tone.
"I'm alive Mira!" Lisanna called out helpfully across the cavern, Elfman echoing her a few moments later.
"This is so not Manly."
"I'm alive." Gray yelled.
"Same here." Cana added helpfully.
"Can we leave yet?" Natsu whined, letting out a yelp as the sound of someone being slapped was heard loud and clear," OW! WHAT THE HELL ERZA-!"
"Shut up." The scarlet haired girl snapped," Use your fire to give us some light in here." She ordered.
Though nobody could see it, they all got the impression that Natsu had nodded.
"FIRE DRAGON: ROAR!"
A rush of heat and suddenly the cave was perfectly well lit.
"Thank you for the light Natsu." Erza said politely, before swiftly punching the smug pinkette in the gut.
"OW! WHAT THE-!"
"And that," The armored wizard growled," Was for getting us into this mess in the first place!"
Gray, never one to miss an opportunity to insult the dragon slayer," Yeah Flamebrain- what the hell did you think you were doing?! We find a creepy altar in the middle of nowhere that literally said, 'don't touch'- so why the fuck would you touch it?!"
"Don't tell me what to do Streaker!" Natsu yelled shoving his face against the ice wizard's as the two began gearing up to fight.
Then Cana walked up and smashed their skulls together.
"OW! WHAT THE FUCK CANA-!"
"Knock it off." The brunette snarled," Can't you two see we have more important shit to deal with right now?! I don't know about you, but I don't want to end up like that guy!" She yelled pointing over the skeleton lying near the stone wall of the cavern.
"Cana's right." Lisanna pointed out reasonably, "Right now we should just focus on getting out of here."
Everyone grudgingly stopped fighting and began trudging down through the cavern, towards what would hopefully be some kind of exit. They came to a wide, circular room, with brackets that had likely originally been meant for torches and some kind of archaic script writing along the tops of the walls.
"Levy- can you read it?" Erza asked, the bluenette already beginning the translation process.
"It looks like an earlier scripted writing used in Kehmet." The bookworm said like that would mean something to the rest of them.
"Can you read it or not?" The She-Devil asked caustically, but the short girl waved her off.
"I can but it'll take a few minutes."
Cana groaned when she went to take a pull from her flask and found it empty," This blows."
"Agreed." Gray said leaning all his weight onto his surrogate sister, who tried to shove him off," No shoving- be my pillow."
"I was the pillow last time- it's your turn!"
"Is not."
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
The rest of the room was left watching the ice user and the card mage go back and forth, their heads bouncing back and forth like they were watching a tennis match, Lisanna summed up everyone's thoughts.
"Are we sure those two aren't really related?"
Elfman shrugged," As sure as we can be, but this makes me have my doubts."
"Yeah…"
"I've got it!" Levy cheered in victory, making everyone turn to her in relief.
"What's it say?" Natsu demanded impatiently, only for Levy to get a bit squirrely.
"Um…" The blunette looked uncomfortable," It says, 'Echo Cave- the place from which friends turn to enemies'. The rest of it is hard to translate into modern Fiorian, but basically… if we want to get out… we have to reveal a secret."
"A secret?" Lisanna asked curiously, getting a nod from the bookworm.
"Not just any secret." She said solemnly, "The deepest, darkest secret you have. Something that you were willing to take to the grave with you, something you've never shared with anyone- ever."
And the atmosphere quickly grew uncomfortable.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Natsu scoffed, getting into his battle stance," I've never met a wall that didn't come down if I hit it hard enough." As he geared up to fight, Lisanna rushed to stop him.
"Natsu don't!" She yelled as she grabbed his arm," You don't know what using magic will do- what if it brings the roof down on our heads!"
"Lisanna's right." Levy pointed out," We can't take any risks here- if we want out, we're going to have to play by the cave's rules."
Everyone shifted at the reminder.
"So… who's gonna go first?" Cana asked uneasily, looking around the room at all of her friends.
The youngest Strauss squared her shoulder's," I will." She said clearly and took a deep breath and faltered, weakly opening and closing her mouth as she tried to get up the nerve. A hand on her shoulder stopped her efforts.
"Don't worry little sis." Elfman said solemnly," As a real Man it's my responsibility to go first."
Lisanna looked up at her brother with wide eyes as he began.
He took a deep breath," Sometimes I wonder if I'm Man enough." He admitted quietly," I see how powerful everyone is and I do my best, but as the man of the family it's my job to protect you." He said toward his sister's," But… well Mira you are the one who does it all and sometimes that makes me feel like a loser."
They were hugging him before he even finished his sentence.
The eldest Strauss gave her brother a playful punch," As the oldest it's my job to take care of you two." She said with a grin," But you'll always be the Man to us."
His eyes watered, but before he or anyone else could say anything, there was a loud crackle, like electricity over a broken radio.
They turned to see what they had all assumed to be a decorative painting crumble off of the stone walls, a newly- formed portal glowing orange, giving all of them a view of the entrance to the temple above.
"You did it!" Natsu cheered, charging toward the portal… only to bounce off violently, crashing into Erza.
"Natsu!" The Scarlet snapped, picking herself up off the ground," We all have to reveal a secret if we want to leave- that portal will likely only work for Elfman."
To test this theory, the giant walked right up to it and was able to stick his whole arm through. He pulled back to look at the rest of them," I'll stay with you until everyone's free."
Though nobody showed it, they were all secretly touched by the show of loyalty.
Lisanna shook her head," Since you were so brave, I will be too!" She said determinedly, before turning to her brother," Big Brother Elf… I'm sorry." She said tears brimming her eyes," I left Ginji's cage open- I just wanted him to get a little fresh air. Then he flew away and you were so upset, and I should've come clean, but I didn't and it's my fault your best friend's gone- "
She was interrupted by her brother pulling her into a hug," I forgive you."
Another crackle and the portal shifted from orange to a bright pink that was almost hard to look at.
The She-Devil looked at her siblings with soft eyes and decided to bite the bullet," When I came to Fairy Tail with my arm looking… looking so horrible. I felt ugly." She said, not looking anyone in the eye," I dress like I do because I like the attention I get, not because I want to be drooled over but… if other people think I'm pretty then I know that I really am."
In the silence left from Mira's admission, Gray decided it was his turn.
"I am responsible for my Master's death." He said heavily, he didn't stop to look at their shocked faces and rushed to get it all out. "My village was destroyed by a demon called Deliora. I went to Ur because I wanted to learn to use magic, I wanted revenge. I found out Deliora was nearby and I ignored her warning. I… I was in way over my head." He admitted, guilt coloring hiss voice as tears pricked at his eyes," Ur sacrificed herself to defeat Deliora and I have been trying to live with the guilt ever since."
"You idiot." Cana said affectionately as she pulled her surrogate brother in for a hug, the boy breaking down as she held him," I know there is a lot more to this story than you're saying right now, but we can talk about all that later. Right now… Gray I'm so glad she did what she did, because it means I get to have a brother like you."
There wasn't a dry eye in the room, though several occupants would never admit it in a thousand years.
"Enough with the mushy stuff." Natsu growled irritably, scuffing his toe on the floor before he opened up," Sometimes I wonder if there was something I did to make Igneel leave. Because… he was my dad and I thought I was his son and then he was gone without anything." He faltered, losing his bravado as he continued on," Why would he leave? Unless there was something I did that made him go."
Lisanna hugged him," Natsu I know that's not it!" She said passionately," You're going to find Igneel and he's going to be so happy because he missed you so much- I don't know why he left but you're a dummy if you think it was because of you!"
Levy cleared her throat," I agree with Lisanna! Natsu you're a good person- there's got to be a reason why he disappeared and I guarantee that it had nothing to do with you!"
"Yeah- maybe there's some kind of dragon rule that says they need to be somewhere at a specific time and he forgot to tell you!" Elfman piped up, everyone nodding in agreement.
Levy fisted her hands in her dress before finally getting up the courage," My secret isn't anything quite like all of yours but… I'mtheonewhostartedthefire!" She blurted out.
There was a collective blink.
"…can you repeat that Levy?" Gray asked," I don't think anybody caught… whatever that was."
She took a deep breath, cheeks bright red," I'm the one who started the fire."
One moment, two, three…
"WHAT?!" Everyone screamed in unison.
"That was you-?!"
"Master punished me for three months because of that-!"
"How did you pull it off?"
"I suck at cooking okay!" Levy shrieked," Anyway it doesn't matter- I should have come forward but I didn't and I apologize."
After a moment of silence Mira piped up.
"I'm kind of impressed." She said approvingly," It really is the quiet ones."
The bookworm's cheeks got darker," Can we just move on?" She pleaded.
Erza nodded," It's my turn." She said darkly," Before I came to Fairy Tail, I was a slave."
The armored wizard didn't acknowledge the shocked looks from the rest of the room and plowed ahead. "I was in a group with several other child slaves and as punishment for trying to escape my right eye was taken. When one of my friends named Jellal was taken to be punished for trying to save me, that's when enough was enough- I lead the rest of the slaves in a revolt. Many lives were lost- some the guards and many of the people I had come to see as part of my family, but finally we were victorious. But Jellal… I can't begin to describe what happened to him." She said choking up as the memories came flooding back, before she could continue Mira stopped her.
"You don't have to keep going." She said gently, looking at her rival with new eyes as she pointed to the now red portal," It already changed- I guess that the cave decided that was enough."
"Alright!" Natsu said in determination," Let's get going shall we!" He said with a tighter grin than was normal as he began to march toward the portal, only for Gray to chuck a snowball at his head.
"Hey what gives!" He shouted indignantly.
"We're not done yet Flamebrain." The ice wizard said dryly.
"Yes, we are."
Everyone turned to Cana in confusion, as the brunette stared them down with serious eyes. "Go on without me."
"Cana!" Mira said, half in surprise and half in reprimand," Look we all did it- it's okay."
The card mage stubbornly shook her head," Just leave me behind." She said in a wavering voice.
"What could you possibly have that would warrant this?" Gray asked incredulously.
"You'd be surprised." She flashed them an empty smile," I'm pretty invisible, there's a lot about me you don't know."
"Cana." Lisanna said in concern," You don't have to worry- no matter what it is we won't judge- "
"It's not judgement that I'm worried about." She said with a choked sob," I just- I don't want you all to look at me differently."
Gray tried to pull his sister into a hug but she dodged him," Cana… we aren't leaving here without you. And nothing you could say or do would make us stop loving you."
For a moment all was silent and then the brunette quietly spoke," …I tried to kill myself after I lost the last S-Class trials."
Ice ran through their veins as they stared in open disbelief.
"Obviously I didn't go through with it." She said with forced humor," But… I sat on the edge for hours before I finally climbed down. I know- how pathetic of me," She said, misunderstanding the stares directed at her," The hell all of you have been through- and losing a contest was all it took to push me over. How pathetic could I be?"
"Cana…" Gray breathed staring at his sister in horror, "… why didn't you…?"
She flashed him another empty smile," No one would feed my goldfish if I died."
"… you have a goldfish?"
The brunette flinched like the words had been a physical blow," Exactly." She said softly," I'm not pretty or smart or strong. I'm not interesting and I'm not particularly helpful, I'm not even good at being happy, and then there's… everything else. But… if I was S-Class then I would seen." She furiously rubbed at her eyes and desperately looked to the portal and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that it had once again changed colors. "Oh, would you look at that- we can leave now!" She said with feigned enthusiasm," Last one home's a rotten egg!"
And before anyone had a chance to respond she bolted through the portal, everyone quietly following her. No one sure what to do or say with the secret that had been revealed.
oOOOOo
Things had been… awkward since they had returned to Magnolia.
The secrets everyone had revealed were enough to make them reevaluate their opinions of each other, but Cana's secret had scared them.
Gray was a hundred percent sure that he was not the only one who was actively checking up on the card mage, something that was made difficult by her continued avoidance.
Almost a year ago his sister had tried to commit suicide.
She had tried to kill herself and he hadn't known, he likely would never have known if it wasn't for that fucking cave.
How could she think so little of herself?
Cana was brilliant- she was the strategist that put all of the impulsive idiots in their place, she had never lost a game of chess in her entire life, she played three instruments perfectly, and she was always there.
Always.
It didn't matter what it was: maybe Mira was on a job and Lisanna was afraid to sleep by herself, maybe Gray was feeling depressed, or Natsu was trying to figure out how to act like a normal human being. She was always there and she'd run herself ragged trying to make sure everyone was taken care of… and in the meantime she had neglected herself.
She thought those horrible things about herself and put herself down because she was so depressed, thinking nobody cared, and she'd ultimately been correct: everybody was too caught up in their own lives to see how badly she was suffering.
"Gray."
The ice wizard looked up at the sound of his name to see Levy looking suspiciously around the room. The bookworm was many things- sneaky was not one of them.
"Come on." She said quietly, jerking her head as an indication for him to follow her.
Curiously, he did. Following her to a corner of the guildhall where the others were gathered.
He warily sat down, eyeing them suspiciously, when Erza spoke up authoritatively.
"Thank you for coming." She said in her usual no-nonsense tone," We are here to discuss the matter of Cana's… confession and what we intend to do about it."
Gray… was actually not all that surprised. If anything, he'd been expecting this a few days ago.
"Well I think the first thing we need to do is figure out a plan of attack." Lisanna said quietly," I mean- where do we even start? Things like this… well they don't just happen overnight."
Natsu snorted," It's obvious isn't it?" He elaborated when everyone looked his way," Cana wants to be S-Class, so how do we make her S-Class?"
"That's… not a bad idea." Levy said thoughtfully," In the short term that may actually be best- she wants people to see her and she doesn't think she's strong- if she's S-Class then the jobs she'll get will be tough which will prove how powerful she is and everybody loves to talk to S-Class wizards about their jobs, so maybe that would be the easiest way to help."
Mira snorted," I'm impressed pinky- and here I thought all you had in your head was hot air."
"Hey!" He said in offense, despite not really understanding the insult.
"So- are saying that we should rig the trials?" Elfman asked warily," Because winning in a fixed race isn't Manly, and don't you think she'd figure it out? And what about the people who have to give it up?"
"They will just have to deal with it." Erza said brusquely, turning to her rival," Mira- apart from Cana you are the only person we know will be called this time- are you alright with this?"
The white-haired girl twitched at the reminder of her loss, but nodded," I'm not happy about it, but we need Cana more than my ego needs a boost. If we do this right we can make it look real- "
"What the hell is wrong with all of you?"
The group froze, slowly turning to face Cana Alberona, the brunette radiating a dark fury, her eyes shadowed.
"Cana- "Gray wasn't sure what he was going to say, but she quickly cut him off.
"No- how could you?!" She asked in a rage." Do you honestly think that I am so pathetic that the only way I could make S-Class is if the trials were rigged?! Don't you even have any respect to let me fail on my own?!"
"Cana we just want to help- "
"Don't give me that!" She screamed," I thought you all respected me enough to let me do this on my own- you obviously don't if you were going to do this. You think S-Class would mean anything if I was just handed it?! IF YOU REALLY THINK I'M THAT WEAK THEN MAYBE IF SHOULD JUST DO EVERYONE A FAVOR AND LEAVE!"
"Why is this so important to you?" Mira demanded," Plenty of people never make S-Class and they aren't obsessed like this- there's something else going on isn't there?"
The brunette stared at them furious tears filling her eyes," It doesn't matter!" She snapped.
"If it's making you do this to yourself then yes, it is."
"I just want to look my dad in the eye!" She yelled, then her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth as she realized exactly what she'd just said. She spun around about to run when she realized that the entire guildhall was focused on her. She stared at them like a deer in headlights," I-I'll just- "
She bolted.
Running as fast as she could away from everyone.
What the hell was she supposed to do now?
oOOOOo
Back in the guildhall, things after Cana's little outburst were… tense.
The majority of the younger generation had been quickly herded into Makarov's office, where the shorter man was staring them down.
"I was under the impression that you all had learned your lessons after the mission." The old man said calmly," But now I hear that all of you were planning to rig the S-Class trials in order for Cana to win- may I ask what led to that little scene in the guildhall?"
Erza decided to take one for the team," On the mission you sent us on we became trapped in a cave that would only let us out if we revealed our deepest secrets to everyone. When it came down to Cana she initially tried to convince us to leave her behind- and once we had made it clear that would not happen she confessed that after her last attempt at the S-Class trials ended in failure she attempted suicide."
The miniature guildmaster started, his wide eyes openly displaying his shock.
"Yeah…" Levy mumbled," That's exactly how we reacted."
"Cana said that she feels invisible, and that if she were S-Class then everyone would see her." Mira broke in," The thing about her dad though… I didn't even know she had one- you guys?" She asked to everyone else, receiving shaken heads.
"I thought that she was an orphan like the rest of us." Gray admitted, wondering just how much he didn't know. He had thought that they were close… and now he wasn't so sure anymore.
Because apparently the girl he thought of as his sister was making herself sick over S-Class because she needed to be able to face her father- what did that even mean?
"Gramps what do you know about her family?" Natsu asked curiously, gaining everyone's attention.
Makarov still looked dazed at the news of Cana's suicide attempt, but he shook it off enough to answer Natsu's question. "As far as I am aware, she doesn't have any." He admitted," She came to the guild after her mother died, at the time she was living in a church orphanage in Dalia. She used to come by the guild and stare through the doors everyday until Macao eventually invited her in to give her something to eat. She officially joined a few months later after I cleared it with the council."
"What was the name of the orphanage?" The ice wizard asked," Maybe they know what this is about."
"Wait… I don't think we even need to do that much." Levy said as an epiphany struck her. "Cana's birth certificate would have been among the documents that you would have needed for her to stay- we could just check her file."
The old man eyed them," As much as I want to encourage you to help her- this would be a massive invasion of her privacy. I haven't even gotten into what you were planning to do." He fixed them with a intense stare," S-Class is not a title to be taken lightly- it is something that needs to be earned; for the safety of the wizard as well as the clients. And do you have any idea how hurtful it must have been for her to hear you all planning to rig the trials? It would have been a slap in the face, as all of you confirmed her own insecurities that she wasn't good enough to do it on her own."
"We don't think that!" Lisanna protested, but Makarov cut her off.
"Are you sure about that? Because no matter how well your intentions you were still doing this because you did not believe she would be able to do it without your help."
Silence reigned as everyone processed this.
"Now get out of here- I'll figure out what to do about all of this. In the meantime I don't want you to bother her. Just give her some time to cool off and I'll talk to her."
They nodded like they agreed and meekly filed out of the old man's office, but once out they all shared a look.
They were getting that file.
oOOOOo
It hadn't taken very much.
Master had gone to look for Cana and all they'd had to do was have Natsu blow something up and they had all the time they needed to grab the file.
Gray had been more than willing to open up his apartment for the viewing and eventual plotting.
All in all, it had taken them about an hour and a half before they were all sitting in the ice wizard's small apartment, the innocuous file on the floor between them all.
"So." Elfman said uneasily," Who's gonna open it?"
Levy squared her shoulders," No offense to all of you- but I think I might be able to tell what's important and what's not."
"That's a good point." Erza said approvingly.
With the redhead's blessing, the bookworm flipped open the manilla folder and began reading, and after a moment she paused," Huh."
"Did you find something?" Natsu asked curiously, a sleeping Happy perched on his head.
"Um- it's not relevant to what we're looking for but-" Levy stumbled," Apparently Cana's name isn't actually 'Cana'."
"Wait, what?"
The bluenette shrugged helplessly," According to her transfer of custody papers," She said pointing to a specific paragraph of the official looking document," Her real name is Rebecca Arcana Alberona."
The armored wizard was the first to shake of her surprise," While interesting that isn't helpful- can you please keep going Levy?"
"I'm on it!"
Another few seconds of quickly flipping through the assorted documents and then she saw it.
Levy's eyes almost bugged right out of her skull as her jaw hit the floor.
"Levy?" Everyone asked in alarm.
The bluenette didn't even protest when Mira pulled the papers out of her grasp… and it only took the white-haired girl a second to figure out what had set her off.
"Holy shit…"
Everyone crowded around the She-Devil's shoulders and then they all entered the same state themselves.
Gildarts
Cana's father was Gildarts Clive.
oOOOOo
It was almost comical to an outsider- a room full of teenagers that all looked like they had run face first into a glass door. Jaws dropped, eyes bugging out, and twitching as they tried and failed to process this game-changing piece of information.
Eventually, they began to snap out of it, with Lisanna being the first to snap out of it.
"You know," She said thoughtfully," This explains a lot."
"How so?" A still stunned Gray asked dumbly.
"Cana was nominated for S-Class a year before Mira or Erza were even considered- Gildarts is the strongest guy in the country. I guess she inherited some of his power."
"But- if that's true then why hasn't she made it yet?" Natsu asked in confusion," Gildarts is tough- so if Cana's his kid she should have made it no problem."
"Natsu." Erza said in exasperation," The trials are difficult and just because the parent is strong doesn't mean that she would automatically be as good as he is. They also don't even use the same magic- Cana's skill lies in her strategies to compensate for the holes in her ability."
"Don't say it like that!" The ice wizard snapped, the conversation with Gramps still fresh in his mind," You make it sound like she's weak- she's just got bad luck! In a fair fight she's just as good as you or Mira!"
"You are correct." The redhead conceded easily," She is highly capable- I did not mean to insult her."
"You think he knows?" Elfman asked," Because not taking care of your kid isn't Manly- and Gildarts is a real Man."
"Cana definitely knows." Mira pointed out," And I'm starting to get why her self esteem is shit. There's no way she hasn't asked herself the same questions Natsu just did on a daily basis. I can kind of see why she broke down the way she did."
"That's assuming that this is purely about power." Levy was privately embarrassed that it had taken her the longest to process," For all we know this is about acknowledgement- getting Gildarts to be proud of her and to acknowledge that she is on his level, and if he knows, then to get him to start paying attention to her."
Lisanna made a thoughtful hum," There's too much we don't know about this- does he know or doesn't he? We know she knows, but how does she know? She wants to look him in the eye, but why? And if Cana knows then why doesn't he?"
All was silent as they mulled things over, until Mira made a decisive nod and stood up.
"Only one way to know for sure- we gotta go to source." She said matter-of-factly turning to Natsu," You stalk Gildarts Pinky- where is he now?"
The pinkette puffed up indignantly," I don't stalk- "
"Cut the crap you pyro!" Gray snapped," Do you know or don't you?"
The dragon slayer huffed, but admitted," I heard him call Gramps over the lacrima a couple days ago- he said he was almost home but was going to hang out in Hosenka for a few days."
Erza nodded, for once on the same page as her rival," That is only a few hours walk- shorter if we take the train. We find him and confront him ourselves."
The She-Devil growled and shoved herself into the red-heads space," Don't act like it was your idea you ugly prude- "
"Now is not the time for this!" Lisanna said firmly, putting herself between her sister and the armored wizard," You two can fight later- right now we have to think about Cana! We already let her down, this is our chance to fix things!"
"You're a real Man Lisanna!" Elfman said, wiping away a proud tear as he watched his little sister handle the situation," Let's go get Gildarts!"
The whole room grinned as they all bolted out the door and down to the train station.
They had an Ace to find.
oOOOOo
"Seriously?" Gray asked scathingly as he stared down at Natsu, who was decidedly green around the gills," You can't even handle a little train ride?"
"S-shut… up… ughhh," Natsu barely managed to hold back his lunch as he laid on the bench in misery," When will this be over…?"
"Don't worry Natsu we should be there in a couple more minutes." Lisanna said sweetly as she patted his head," And if you want I can walk back with you after we talk to him so you don't have to take the train again."
"Oh hell no." Mira snapped," I'm not leaving you alone with him Lisanna. His stupidity might be catching."
"Mira!"
"Enough." Erza said in her usual authoritative manner," Let's just focus on getting the answers to our questions and if need be, we can always knock Natsu out for the return trip."
"Don't tell me what to do Erza." The She-Devil growled," I don't take orders from- "
"Come on give it a rest guys," Levy pleaded," We're here about Cana- you guys can fight later."
"Do you think she's okay?" Everyone turned to Elfman and the giant clarified his question," Cana looked really upset when she ran out of there, do you think she's okay?"
"I'm sure she's fine." Lisanna said, fiddling with her hands on her lap," Master went after her so she's in good hands."
"If he found her."
"Don't say that." Gray snapped at Mira," Gramps definitely found her by now and is probably with her right now."
"You hope."
"Mirajane cut it out." The redhead snapped, glaring at her rival," There is a time and a place for pessimicism and it is not here. Instead, we should be focusing on what questions we are going to be asking Gildarts."
"How about 'are you and Cana related' to start with." Levy offered," That way we should be able to tell if he knows about this, if he does we ask him why neither of them have ever said anything and why they don't spend time together; if he doesn't then we can ask if he remembers er…" The bluenette checked the file for a second," Cornelia Alberona, and if she had ever tried to get in contact with him after they met."
"And then what?" Gray asked with a raised eyebrow," This is Gildarts we're talking about. We can't exactly beat him up if he does know and if he doesn't how do we even touch this? Congratulations it's a girl and she tried to kill herself because of you."
Everyone winced.
"Definitely not that last." Elfman said firmly," No Man would ever want to hear something like that, even if its kinda true. Maybe 'she has been beating herself up about this'?"
"Or 'she just wants your attention'?" Lisanna offered," I don't think there is a right way to do this, lets just see what he knows and go from there. I think that's all we really can do."
The loudspeakers above their heads crackled to life," Now arriving at Hosenka Station! All passengers getting off at this stop, please collect your belongings and exit the train. All passengers continuing on, please remain seated until the train moves again."
The Fairy Tail wizards all shared a look between each other.
It was time to find Gildarts.
oOOOOo
"You have got to be kidding me."
The teenagers all stared at the bar with expressions ranging from disbelief to embarrassment.
Tracking Gildarts had not been difficult- just follow the trail to the most magically powerful person in the town and voila they'd found him. But where they'd found him…
"Of all the goddamned places to be, he's in a fucking titty bar?"
"Mira!"
"Oh, shut up. I'm just calling it like it is."
The neon sign stared down at them advertising twenty-four hours of exotic dancers with the silhouette of a woman flashing between clothed and naked for all to see.
"So… who goes in to get him?"
Erza schooled herself and cracked her knuckles, though the flush on her cheeks to match her hair refused to die, turning the Knight into a tomato wearing armor. "I'll handle this." She informed the group and strode through the doors of the strip club.
"…she's gonna kill him, isn't she?"
"Eh, it depends on what he's doing when she finds him. She may just die of shock from whatever she sees in there."
There was a terrified shriek and the sound of glass breaking.
"…Yeah she's gonna kill him."
oOOOOo
Erza did not, in fact, kill Gildarts.
The armored girl refused to look anyone in the eye (especially Gildarts) and her face was now redder than her hair, but all she'd done was drag the Ace out by his ear.
"-are a disgrace to the name of Fairy Tail!" The redhead snarled as she dropped the Strongest Wizard in Fiore into the dirt. "Our guild has a reputation to maintain and you going into immoral establishments- "
"Lighten up kiddo." Gildarts groaned as he picked himself up out of the dirt," You keep up like this you'll have a heart attack well before you hit twenty. Fairy Tail's reputation has been dragged through the mud without my help- "The crash mage blinked in surprise as he finally registered that they weren't alone," What the hell are all of you doing here?"
The kids shared a look, but Natsu decided to speak up first.
"How come you never told us you and Cana were related?"
The crash mage blinked and felt himself get even more confused," We're related?"
His response seemed to confirm something among the group from the way they looked at each other.
Lisanna stepped forward," You'd better come with us Gildarts." She said gently," We'll explain things on the way back to Magnolia- "
"I'm not going anywhere without a good reason." He said firmly.
The group once again shared a look, this time with Gray stepping in as spokesperson.
"Do you remember a woman named 'Cornelia Alberona'?"
Gildarts reacted like they'd just slapped him with a fish," How do you know about Conny?"
"So you do remember her."
"She's a hard woman to forget." The Ace said carefully as his eyes jumped from face to face. "She died years ago though, so why are you bringing her up now?"
"She had your kid."
One… two… three-
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
oOOOOo
"Cana?" A familiar voice called through the trees," Child I know you're there."
Makarov slowly turned in a circle as he tried to spot the card mage, when the leaves rustled on the tree behind him. The old man turned to face it as the brunette clambered out of the tree with a agile grace that came from years of experience.
Once she was out of the tree, Cana sat on the ground in front of the old man who had raised her, each of them waiting for the other to speak.
Makarov cleared his throat," The others… they told me what happened."
The brunette flinched," So what?" She asked bitterly," Are you gonna put me on suicide watch?"
"I will if I need to." He said as he took a seat on the ground next to her," But I would prefer not to."
Cana swallowed nervously," It- it was just one time." She said quietly, refusing to look at Makarov," I was just feeling really down and everything just kind snowballed. I haven't tried since."
"But have you thought about it?"
The girl was silent for a moment," …Yes." She confessed," I've thought about it, but I'm just not ready to go yet."
The old man breathed a sigh of relief," That's good." He said as he pulled her into a one-armed hug," You're too young to die Cana. Leave that for when you reach my age."
The brunette let out a small half-giggle before the two once again lapsed into silence.
"…Aren't you gonna ask?"
"Hm?"
Cana sat up a bit and repeated herself," Aren't you gonna why I tried to do it?"
"Not unless you want me to. I understand that this is a painful topic, and despite my own curiosity, I will not push for more than you are willing to give."
She absorbed this.
"…I try so hard Master." Her voice barely above a whisper," I train and train. I finish all of my jobs and I try to be the person everyone can lean on, but… but it's never enough."
The brunette took a measured breath and continued," I'm so much weaker than everyone else- everyone knows it, they just are too nice to say it to my face. You saw what Erza and Mira did to me last time. And they didn't even know I was there. I was an ant to them. They are what S-Class wizards are meant to be. They are strong enough to make everyone take notice. And I… I'm not like that."
"Hogwash."
Cana looked at the old man in confusion, but he stared her in the eyes conveying the seriousness of his words.
"What makes an S-Class wizard is the drive to see a job through to the end and the courage to make difficult decisions. Power is a part of it, but all the brute force in the world is useless without a mind to know how to use it. Cana, in the history of our guild no one has been nominated for the S-Class trials more than twice- do you know why?"
The brunette mutely shook her head.
"Because no one has ever been strong enough to prove they deserve the chance. The ones who came before you gave up after two tries, but you're different. You have a keen mind and know how to read a situation with the skill of a seasoned general. You know how to separate work from play and never fail to give a situation the attention it warrants. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, the only reason you haven't been given the title is because we are only allowed to promote one S-Class wizard at a time."
Makarov smiled gently at the girl's shocked face.
"You are an S-Class wizard Cana, don't ever forget that."
The two sat in silence for a long moment before she finally reacted, tackling the old man with a bone crushing hug.
"Thank you."
oOOOOo
Cana was feeling oddly calm as the old man doled out the hot chocolate.
It was probably the result of the emotional rollercoaster this day was turning out to be.
"Here you are." Makarov said as he slid a mug across the bar," I hope you still like extra cinnamon."
She let out a half laugh," I don't know, I don't even know when the last time I had hot chocolate was." She admitted as she took a sip. "Not bad." She decided," Let me just- "
The girl pulled her flask out of the pocket of her dress and dumped the remaining liquor into the mug and took a long drink. "Oh, that's good." She set the mug back down onto the bar and noticed the truly unimpressed look the old man was giving her.
"What?" She asked defensively.
"You couldn't even wait until I wasn't looking?"
"All the shit that goes down around here and underage drinking is where you draw the line?" Cana rolled her eyes and deliberately took a deep swig.
Makarov shook his head and took a sip of his own hot chocolate," How is your routine coming along?" He asked, deciding not to pick a fight.
The brunette smiled," Its coming along pretty nice- I wasn't sure about it at first but Ethan and I really work well together."
"That's good to hear. I always look forward to your recitals."
The conversation continued from there, each avoiding the issues that were raised earlier, when a very familiar set of bells began to ring.
"GILDARTS IS BACK!"
Cana's smile disappeared as her hands clenched around her empty mug.
Of all the times he could come home, he chose today. After she had half of her scars torn open.
But the child in her still cheered along with the rest of the guild- her daddy was home and that was always a good thing.
The brunette got up and slung her bag over her shoulder- if she left now then she would be able to get out of the party that inevitably sprung up whenever her dad came home.
Cana carefully slipped into the backroom and opened the low window to climb out… and was unceremoniously shoved back in.
"What the- "
"I knew you'd try to run." Gray said as he climbed in the window himself and began pushing her back to the hall," Come on- you'll thank me for this later."
"Gray what the fuck- "Cana tried to demand as her foster brother shoved her through the door and back into the main hall.
"I found her Erza!" The ice wizard yelled as he herded her over to the base of the stairs where most of the crowd was gathered.
"Excellent." The redhead said as she bodily slammed people out of her way so she could grab Cana's hand," Come with me."
"Erza what are you- "
The armored wizard ignored the protests and dragged her up the stairs to the second floor.
"Erza I'm not allowed- "
"Master may strike me if he wishes but this is necessary."
Cana didn't have a chance to protest as the redhead shoved her into the lounge area for the S-Class wizards… where her father was sitting on one of the small couches, and the way he was looking at her…
"Fuck."
He knew.
oOOOOo
Gildarts swallowed nervously as the brunette put the pieces together.
"Hey…" He said lamely as he stood up," It's uh- it's nice to see you Cana."
The girl stared at him like he was a strange alien lifeform. "You know now, don't you?"
The Ace just nodded.
"How did you find out?"
He tried to play off how much that sentence hurt him," Hey that sounds like you didn't want me to know." He said with forced cheer.
Cana let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the couch opposite him," I just always wanted to tell you myself." She admitted, which made him feel slightly better," It's just…I wanted to do this on my terms, when I was ready."
"I guess I understand that." He said slowly, sitting back down," How… how long have you known?"
The brunette closed her eyes and admitted," You're why I came to Fairy Tail."
"What?"
She- Cana had been so little when she'd joined the guild. A tiny little darling who hadn't even come up to his knee.
"I was down a parent." She said, picking at her palms," Mama had told me about you before she died and after she was gone… I built you up in my head. And I assumed that if I went with you everything would be all sunshine and rainbows. I even had this stupid idea in my head that you would know who I was the second you saw me."
"I should have." Gildarts interjected, surprising himself," You look so much like your mother… maybe if I'd been a little less self-absorbed I would have seen it."
Cana gave her father a concerned look," Gildarts don't go blaming yourself for this- I'm the one who kept it hidden. Its not your fault you didn't know who I was, and you don't have worry about taking responsibility either. "She said, giving him what she thought was a reassuring smile," Nothing has to change."
"But I want things to change."
Cana looked up in confusion just in time for Gildarts to move in front of her and pull her into a hug.
"I want us to be a family Cana. I want to make you breakfast in the morning and be there when you get home at night. I want to have the cheesy father-daughter bonding trips and to scare away anyone who wants to take you away. Cana I- all I want is the chance to be a loving father. Are you- can you please give me chance to love you?"
The brunette tried and failed to talk past the lump in her throat and settled for wrapping her arms around her father as tightly as she could and buried her head into his chest.
Gildarts responded by wrapping her even tighter in his arms and lifting her into his lap.
It felt like hours before Cana was able to say a single word.
"Yes."
AN: This was actually the original version of Secret Sharers, halfway through writing it I started to doubt myself and wound up rewriting it. I found looking at both versions side by side was fascinating as they were originally the same story but one little sentence wound up drastically changing every facet of every action. This was a fun challenge. I have to admit the part where the find Gildarts at the bar was my favorite part to write!