Chapter 8: Growing Bonds

Cana tried to look like she was doing anything else as Makarov exited the room. Cana met his gaze and knew he knew. She had eavesdropped. Everything that had transpired in that room was between Natsu, Makarov, and the healer of the guild, Porlyusica. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. The look on his face… had hurt her. So of course she was going to try and find out what was wrong with her friend. The hardest part was trying to keep Happy quiet so she could listen. But after giving him a small fish, Happy enter his own world, completely oblivious to everything around him. She mentally prepared herself for the master to yell at her for eavesdropping, but all that came was a smile from the old man's lips.

As Makarov receded down the hallway, Cana faced the infirmary and waited for Natsu to come out. But he never came. She couldn't imagine what Natsu was going through right now. To be told you were going to lose yourself, and especially at such a young age. It wasn't fair. But the master and Porlyusica mention there was a way to slow the process. Whatever it was, Cana would do it. She was not going to let Natsu lose himself. Summoning her courage, Cana prepared to enter the room.

There were so many different reactions she imagined Natsu having, but never would she have guessed a smile would be plastered across his face. He looked… happy. She didn't understand, she couldn't. How could he be so nonchalant about this? Natsu wasn't aware of her presence yet, just smiling as he stared at the floor.

"Natsu?" Cana called, walking Natsu up from his trace. His head snapped to her direction. Upon seeing it was Cana, he softened up.

"Oh hey Cana. I didn't see you come in." Natsu picked himself up off the bed and started walking toward Cana. "What's up?"

'What's up?' 'You're seriously saying that after everything that just happened?' Cana let out a huff of frustration. Staring at the ground, tears started forming in the corner of her eyes. "What is wrong with you?" she said without looking up. "After everything you just heard, how can you act like it doesn't matter?" He tears now actively falling from her face. Natsu moved to wipe the tears from her face, but Cana grabbed his hand, preventing him from touching her face.

"Cana I-"

"Promise me." Cana said quietly, not letting go of his hand. "Promise me you won't lose who you are." She looked up at Natsu, her eyes full of tears.

"So you heard." Natsu worded the question in the form of a statement. Cana nodded as she continued to cry. Natsu was confused, and for a couple reasons. Was she so upset? He was to become a dragon, with all the glory and strength that would come with it. She knew of his quest for strength. It was what he wanted, so why did she not want him to attain that? And why was she crying? Natsu didn't understand. There was still so much of human culture he was unsure of.

Rather than answering and saying that he would commit to her promise, he nodded in response posed a question to her. "Let's go on a job okay? You can even pick it out." This seemed to calm her down a bit. Cana wiped her eyes and nodded. She released Natsu's hand and ran downstairs to pick out a job. Natsu stared at the hand that Cana had held onto to for a moment. He still didn't understand why she had reacted like that, but it didn't matter. Seeing her cry, it didn't sit right with Natsu. So if he had to lied and pretend that everything would be fine, to not see her cry, then he would do it.

The two made their way back to Magnolia on foot, avoiding the train due to Natsu's affliction with transportation. "I still don't understand why you won't let me fly us back. We'd already be there by now."

"The less you use those powers, the slower the dragonification will progress. Or did you already forget your promise?" Cana gazed upon Natsu with commanding presence. As soon as he saw that look upon her face, he knew arguing would be pointless.

"Whatever. Look, I don't think we are making it back to Magnolia tonight and the last town we passed was a few miles back, so unless you want to march all the way there without stopping, we need to make camp here tonight." They way Natsu had phrased this was like he was giving Cana the option, but he had already made up his mind as to what they would do. Natsu had delved into the woods, trying to find an area not so dense with trees so that the two could make a small campsite for the night.

Cana sighed. Normally, she wasn't the camping girl. But sleeping under the night sky, especially when the stars were as vibrant and beautiful as they were tonight excited her. And then there was the fact that Natsu would be sleeping mere feet from her. The though caused Cana to blush. Shaking off those thoughts, Cana ran to find Natsu.

As Cana caught up to Natsu, he had already started working on their shelter. It wasn't much, but it would get them through the night. Two simple beds made from gathered leaves laid next to one another. When she saw how close the makeshift beds were, she blushed. She didn't realize they would be sleeping this close to one another. She didn't know about Natsu, but she tended to move around quite a bit during her sleep. She only hoped nothing too embarrassing would happen.

Natsu was currently working on a fire. Cana hadn't noticed the drop in temperature before, but it was the middle of fall. And with that, colder weather would be coming. Cana was glad they would have the heat of the flames warming them for the night. Natsu awoke the fire and stood up, admiring his work.

"Are you hungry?" Natsu asked Cana. "We don't have any food left. But if you want, I'm sure I could find us something in this forest." Natsu offered. He wasn't actually all that hungry, but he knew Cana expanded energy much faster than he did. So if was hungry he would go find her something to eat.

"No I'm okay. Thank you for offering though!" She wasn't lying. Food was the furthest thing from her mind. She was exhausted and cold. Though the fire was helped to alleviate this problem. Had she known earlier that they were going to end up camping, she would have packed differently, or at all for that matter. What should have been a simple half day job had now turned into a two-day endeavor. She forgot about Natsu motion sickness. The Dragon Slayer flat out refused to step on foot on what he referred to as a "metal death trap." Natsu tired summoning his wings, but Cana placed her hands on his back, directly over where his wings would pop out. She didn't want him doing anything that could lead to an advancement of his dragonification. So she forbid him from using this form and thus, the two were forced to walk to their destination.

Cana shivered as she sat on her constructed bed. Despite the fire, she was still cold. Natsu took note of this and removed the black vest the adorned his chest and handed it to Cana. It wouldn't do much to block out the cold. But it would serve as another layer. Cana accepted the vest and placed it around her torso. It was oversized on her, but it did help negate the cold, it only a little. Plus, it smelled like Natsu. It was a mixture of peppermint and vanilla. She wasn't sure why, but she found the scent, and to a lesser extent, the vest very comforting. Being a Dragon Slayer, she knew Natsu's sense of smell was much greater than her own. She wondered what she smelled like to the boy. Not that she had the courage to ask him such a thing.

The pair sat on the ground as the flames danced around them. The light it gave off illuminating the surrounding area. Cana found herself enjoying their impromptu camping session. She looked over to Natsu. He was absentmindedly poking a stick into the fire. She could understand why some were cautious around Natsu. He wasn't the most welcoming person. Okay scratch that, he was, in no way, shape, or form anywhere close to the word welcoming. If she had to choose one word to describe Natsu, it would be abrasive. But he had never been that way with her. With her, he was different. Almost kind. The only thing she could think of to explain this was because of her repairs to Natsu's necklace. Was that small act of kindness really all it took to establish a connection with the Dragon Slayer? She couldn't really explain why, but when she was with Natsu, she felt safe.

While Natsu certainly had his share of negative qualities, he also possessed many traits Cana admired. He was extremely hard working, pushing himself every day to be stronger than the day before. To some, Natsu's weird obsession with strength was extremely off-putting. But it was that constant yearning, that driving ambition for strength that had initially drawn Cana's curiosity. Once she had heard his reasoning, she knew she had to get closer to him. Her goals were much the same as his, although perhaps not as intense. She too wanted to be stronger to prove her worth to her father. In part, her motives were selfish. But once she actually started to get to know him, her selfish motives to a place on the back burner and she found herself genuinely wanting to form a friendship with Natsu. It was working. And if she could get stronger as well, then that was just an added bonus.

Cana tried to stay awake, but sleep began to pull on her. Her eyelids weighed heavily as her body begged for rest. With one final look at Natsu for the night, she allowed sleep to overtake her body.

Natsu looked over and observed Cana as she slept. She snored slightly. Not a loud obnoxious snore, but just enough to be noticeable. 'It's kind of cute.' Natsu thought. 'Cute? What the hell? I don't think anything is cute.' Natsu physically shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of these thoughts. But then he felt it. It was just like before, in the forest with Laxus. Another episode was coming. Fast. He had to get deeper in the forest, far away from Cana.

Natsu ran as far as he could before he collapsed due to the internal struggle. Despite the Old Hag's explanation, he didn't really understand it fully yet, only that in time, his body would transform into that of a dragon. And despite Cana wanting him to slow this process as much as he can, he wouldn't. Whatever price it took for the power of an actual dragon, he would gladly pay it.

Much like last time, black scales began littering his body. Only this time, he hadn't entered his Dragonforce. None of the signs that he entered that mode were present, and he didn't feel the magical power increase that form brought along with it. It was only the scales that appeared, but rather than adorning his entire arms and forming under his eyes as they normally did, they appeared in uneven clusters randomly popping up on his body. His breathing ran ragged, and it felt as if someone was choking him. Natsu coughed and blood started to spew from his mouth. The pain wasn't as bad as the last time, but it was still intense. Suddenly, a large amount of blood exited his mouth and his body started to convulse. His pain increased as he violently flailed on the ground. Natsu's vision was darkening. For a moment, Natsu considering allowing his body to pass out, but he quickly expelled these thoughts. This was only the beginning. It was only going to get more painful, so the boy vowed to endure the pain. This went on for the several minutes before they symptoms started to decline. His breathing was still labored and the black scales still marked his body, but he could feel the pain starting to lessen. Natsu thought the worse of this episode was over, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Cana. The look on her face caused the Dragon Slayer more pain than anything he experienced in the last thirty minutes. Seeing her horrified expression, Natsu's vision finally failed him as the world blackened around him.

Natsu came to and he was back in their makeshift campsite. His eyes opened and he was met with Cana looking down upon him. "Hey Natsu!" She gave him that small smile he had grown to enjoy. Her eyes closes and her lips curved slightly upwards. Every time she made this face towards him, he felt warm inside. He shifted and felt a softness under his head. The more cognitive he got, the more the was alerted to his surroundings. He looked around and realized he was resting atop Cana's lap. A blush rose on his face, and he quickly moved from his position.

"Natsu?"

"Yes."

"You really want to become a dragon, don't you?"

Natsu knew what he wanted to say, and likely Cana knew as well. He didn't see any point in lying to her then, so he decided to just tell her. "Yes. Yes I do."

'Even if it means you lose everything in the process?" Cana raised an eye to this. She wasn't even trying to convince him at this point, she was just curious.

"Whatever it takes, I will do it." Natsu started. "I will do whatever it takes to gain the strength to return to my father's side.

"What is his name?" Cana asked.

"What?"

"Your father. What is his name?"

Natsu's face lost all expression. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't want to associate with me if you knew." Natsu said with a somber tone.

"No I won't. You are my friend Natsu. I wouldn't think differently of you because of who your father is, besides I've never met a dragon, so I probably don't even know who he is." Cana said talking her friend's hand.

Natsu though back to the promise he made to the Old Man when he had first agreed to join his guild. He had been annoyed he wasn't allowed to spread his father's name, but once he met the people of the guild, he deemed them not worthy enough to even know his father's name. But Cana, she had proven to different. She was his friend. She earned the right to know. "Okay, I'll tell you." Natsu began. "My father's name is Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse."

Cana just looked at Natsu for what seemed like an eternity but was only about a minute. Then she spoke up, "Your dad is Acnologia? He's the one that killed all the other dragons, right?"

"He didn't kill all of them." Natsu noticed Cana looked confused so he decided to explain. "There are others out there like me. Those with the powers of a dragon. Laxus is one, though through means of implementation rather than the proper way. They are some among my kind that may accept him as one of us, but I won't. He is nothing more than a fraud pretending to be a dragon." Natsu anger grew and his blood began to boil up.

Cana could tell talking about that upset Natsu. On one hand she could understand his frustration. For Natsu it wasn't just his magic, but his entire lifestyle. From what she gathered, the dragons had their own unique culture and traditions, so she could she how that would be insulting for someone to just imitate that. But on the other hand, she could never recall Laxus talking about this or using this magic openly. She decided it would be best to change the subject entirely. "Did you ever meet any other dragons?

"I did."

"What happened to them? The dragons I mean."

"What exactly is it you think Dragon Slayer were created for?"

"Oh!" Realization hit Cana. It was in the name. Natsu was a Dragon Slayer. His purpose was to slay dragons. Did that mean Natsu killed them? He didn't out right say it, but it was definitely implied.

Cana didn't realize how much Natsu must have trusted her for him to tell her this huge secret. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Cana held out her pinky to the boy.

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked.

"It's a pinky promise." She grabbed his hand and pulled out his pinky and linked it to hers. "That means this promise is for real." Cana laughed and Natsu couldn't help but laugh too. For the first time in his life, he felt like a normal kid.

The moon was still in the sky, although it wouldn't be for much longer. The two decided it would be in their best interests to try to get what sleep they could before they headed to Magnolia in the morning.

The next morning, after dismantling their campsite, the two departed for Magnolia. They walked in silence for a while. When they were about a hour away from Magnolia, Cana called out to Natsu. "Natsu?"

"Yeah what is it?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Well since you told me the secret about your father, I wanna tell you the secret about my father." Cana started. "I joined Fairy Tail shortly after my mother passed away. She left me a letter that my father was part of that guild." Cana continued. Natsu could tell this was hard for her.

"Cana, you don't have to-"

"But I want too," she cut him off. "My father's name is Gildarts Clive, the strongest member in Fairy Tail." Natsu searched his brain, trying to remember if he had heard name but he had no idea who that was. "I know you don't know him. He hasn't been to the guild since you've been there. He goes on really long quests. Every time I try to tell him, I freeze up. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you about my father since you told me about yours." Cana looked up at Natsu and smiled. She was glad she had told someone. Cana had held onto that secret for almost seven years. She decided right there the next person she would tell would be her father. Hearing the boy's own story about his father helped push her to decide to finally reveal her secret.

Once they arrived in Magnolia, they noticed decorations being set up all around the town. "Cana, what going on here?"

"Oh I guess it is that time of the year. And I almost completely forgot about it. I'm so glad we made it back in time!" Cana announced as she ran forward! She looked around at all the decorations being placed.

"Cana, you haven't answered me. What is happening?"

"Oh Natsu, we are going to have the best time! It's the Harvest Festival!" Cana exclaimed excitedly. She reached for his hand and took it in her own. "Come on we have to get back to the guild!" Cana took off toward the guild hall, and Natsu just allowed himself to be drug by Cana. If she was this excited, the it must have been super important.

Hey everyone, sorry for the longer that usual wait. It was for a couple reason. Firstly, I've been really busy with school and work, and secondly, I kinda got a little too excited about a chapter that was coming up so I went ahead and wrote that one. It is my favorite one so far! Next time I upload I'll post that chapter as well! Anyways, thanks for stopping by and reading my story! I hope you found something you could enjoy! - Sinh