"speaking"

"thinking"

On with the story

at the moment, while Cana and her class were doing stretching practices; Gildarts was tied up in rope and was thrown in a garbage can that fell down

"Cana-chwan…you're cruel…" Gildarts cried in tears as his camera was in bits.

Before long, he started to wiggle his way out of the garbage can as he couldn't get out of the rope

"and just when I thought you would miss me so much" Gildarts whined before some passing male students saw him and helped him out

1 minute later, Gildarts was freed of the rope

"thanks for the help" Gildarts said while stretching his arms around

"what were you going there, Mister?" "yeah, coming out of the trash can like that" "don't tell me that you were the pervert that tried to peek on the second year in the locker room" the male students said

"NO! I WAS CONDUCTING RESEARCH! A MAN'S RESEARCH!" Gildarts exclaimed angrily "A MAN MUST ALWAYS RESEARCH THE WAY OF GROWTH! A WOMAN'S GROWTH! THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE TREASURE!"

The male student sweatdropped as they thought of Gildarts being a pervert

"a-alright, sir. we'll be going now, we got class to do" the male student stated while walking off with his friends

"what? you guys enrolled here? This is an All girls school, right?" Gildarts asked confused

"it used to but it went coed last year" one male student replied while they walked off

"coed….." Gildarts muttered out before his face went into horror "COED!?"


In the school's gym

"man, that was good" Cana said rubbing a towel on her face to wipe off the sweat before drinking a bottle of water

"yeah, that last serve won us the game" Lucy said with a grin

The class had played volleyball and they played a game of match ups with each other

"CANA!" Gildarts shouted out from the hall before came barging in into the gym

"oh what now!?" Cana exclaimed angrily as Gildarts run and stopped in front of her

"WE'RE GETTING YOU TRANSFERRED!" Gildarts exclaimed lifting her up

"WHA?! Put me down!" Cana shouted out while trying to get herself down

"I am not letting my little girl in a school that has boys!" Gildarts exclaimed before he gets a frying pan to the face by Cana who got it from who knows where

"I said let me down!" Cana exclaimed before she got down "I don't care if you are my dad or not, but just because the school went coed with boys doesn't mean that you get to transfer me against my will!"

"but Cana-chwan! Boys are dangerous for you! They're like wolves! Crazy and hungry wolves!" Gildarts told Cana

"yeah! And so are you!" Cana exclaimed "you've been doing this ever since I got into middle school! I'm sick of this Cana-chwan this! Cana-chwan that! I'm a grown up girl!"

"and I'm your father! I'm just trying protect you!" Gildarts exclaimed

"now now…let's not get into a fight…" Lucy said going in between while trying to calm the two down

"just because the school went Coed doesn't mean that you get to transfer me away!" Cana shouted "have you ever thought of the friends I made here!? I love it here! Ain't no way in hell that I'm going away just because you say so! you always do this! Every time I made friends! Because of your stupid work! I have to leave them!? This is the reason why I hate you! You were always away! Always! You never came back home even when mom was very sick! Even for her! You never put your family first!"

Gildarts wanted to retort but her words forced his mouth to shut

"leave! don't ever come back here!" Cana exclaimed while pointing to the exit "and don't think that I'm going home! I am never going home with you around!"

Gildarts tried to speak but the look in Cana's eyes stopped him. He walks away with a frown as he exited the gym, leaving the area

"Cana..don't you think you went a bit too far?" Lucy asked with a worried look

"hmph! Like I care!" Cana said before walking away to the locker room

"this won't end well" Kagura said as Erza nodded in agreement

As the whole thing rolled off, Natsu was nearby as he saw the whole thing

"i hope Meredy doesn't become like that" Natsu said before walking off


The day turned to noon as school was over and everyone was going home

Gildarts was by a park as he sat on a bench with a deep frown

"I always thought that I am doing the right thing…" Gildarts muttered out as he rubs his hands on his face "…Cornelia…I'm a worse father, aren't i?"

Gildarts let out a deep sigh before he sees a pink ball rolling towards him

He looks at it before he sees Meredy and then to the ball

"here" Gildarts said picking the ball up before giving it back

"tank you!" Meredy said with a smile, even though her words were not correct

Meredy went off as Gildarts watched her with a smile

Gildarts sees Meredy running to Ultear who was also in the park with her

Ultear carried Meredy up with a smile as she cuddles her with love

Gildarts watched the two before he sees Natsu walking to his side

"this seat taken?" Natsu asked as Gildarts motion it to him to take it "thanks"

Sitting down, Natsu takes out his book and reads it while Gildarts stared at him for a moment

"that uniform…you're from Belserion High too, aren't you?" Gildarts asked as Natsu glanced at the man and nodded

"and you must be the named old Pervert of Belserion High, right?" Natsu asked looking to his book

"that was!" Gildarts tried to retort but he couldn't come up with no more words "yes"

Gildarts looks down to the ground and at his shadow that was being shown by the orange sunlight

"I just wanted to do everything I can for my daughter" Gildarts said before sighing "now…I got her to hate me"

"there are limits to how protective a dad can be to their own kid." Natsu stated "you can't keep on protecting her all the time, you have to let her go at some point"

"I can't, Cana is the only one I have left. I promised my late wife that I do everything I can for Cana" Gildarts stated "get her to a good school, get her a good place to live in, and get her the best life that she can ever have"

"did you ever think that she would want it?" Natsu asked as Gildarts looks at him "did you ever think of her own feelings rather than your own?"

"what do you mean?" Gildarts asked

"I'm asking if you ever asked on what she really wanted?" Natsu asked as he takes off his glasses and looks at Gildarts "you got her a good school, a good place, and many things. But had she ever felt happy getting them? Have she ever been happy?"

"of course! I got her so many good things!" Gildarts stated

"many good things that are replaceable" Natsu replied "what about things that are not replaceable? Like how she had wanted to spend her childhood with you? Having a family bonding time?"

Gildarts' eyes widen a bit as he realized that Natsu is talking about

"you give her many things that are easily replaced, but all she had ever wanted. was for you to stay with her." Natsu stated "if you are really her father who wants to protect her, you should've stayed with her, be with her in her time of need"

Gildarts face went into a frown as he holds his hands to his face

"what a fool I am…always….always been such a fool.." Gildarts spoke out while his face is covered in his hand but Natsu could tell that he was hiding his tears

Natsu puts on his glasses before pocketing his book and stands up

"it's not too late, though" Natsu said "there's still time for you to fix things up. take it slow and things will turn out good for you"

"how do you know that it will?" Gildarts asked looking at him

"I don't, but knowing Cana, she might come around" Natsu replied before getting called by Meredy

"Papa!" Meredy called out as Gildarts was surprised

"you're a father?" Gildarts asked Natsu who waved at Meredy with a smile before looking at the man

"adopted father" Natsu said "good luck with your daughter"

Natsu walked off as Gildarts looks at him

"adopted father.." Gildarts said as he watched Natsu carry Meredy up before going to Ultear, the two chatted a bit before they walked off. Gildarts looks at them before he chuckled and sigh "…can't believe I got advice from a young father like him"

BOOM!

A loud explosion was soon heard as Gildarts turns and sees firetrucks racing on the street, heading to where he sees smoke

"an explosion?" Gildarts said before he sees the location of where the smoke is.

He got up and instantly bolted to where it is coming from

Natsu who was walking away with Ultear and Meredy, saw Gildarts running before to the rising smoke in the air


Explosions rang out in Magnolia as fire spreads to the homes and stores

Police and firefighters went on the scene as the secured the perimeter while trying to control the fire

Gildarts ran to the scene and sees the flaming chaos

"let us through! please!" someone shouted out as Gildarts turns and sees Lucy with Mira "our friend is still in her house!"

"don't! the fire is too dangerous!" the police blocked her as it was too dangerous

"you two!" Gildarts ran to them "why are you two here?!"

"please! Cana! Cana is still in her house!" Lucy exclaimed as Gildarts' eyes widen in alarms

Gildarts looks down the road as his house was on fire as well

"Cana…is in there…" Gildarts muttered out before he bolted into the scene

"Hey! stop!" policemen shouted as Gildarts blaze through the fire


Gildarts knocked down the door to his burning house as smoke was coming out

"CANA! CANA!" Gildarts shouted out before coughing from the smoke

He went in as he looks around for Cana before going upstairs

"Cana!" Gildarts called out before he went to Cana room and sees the ceiling had fallen, with Cana bellow it and was trying to get out "CANA!"

Gildarts started pulling the debris off her as he was going to save her no matter what

"what are you doing here?! Get out!" Cana exclaimed while Gildarts pushed away stone debris "-cough- -cough- just get out!"

"Hang in there! I'll get you out! I promise!" Gildarts exclaimed as he lifts away big debris but soon, the floor came down "what?!"

Cana screams as she went down with the floor

"CANA!" Gildarts screamed out as he tried reaching out his hand to her but was too late

CRASH!

"CANA!" Gildarts jumped down as he went to Cana who was now unconscious and was bleeding badly on her forehead while under the pile of debris "CANA! HANG IN THERE!"

He started pushing off more debris on her as the fire was getting harsher by the second

"I won't let you die! I won't let you die!" Gildarts shouted out as he throws away a broken support pillar before coughing from the smoke "damnit! The smoke!"

Soon the entire second floor came down from the fire as Gildarts covered Cana with his body

ZWORSH!

Blood seeps out of Gildart's lips as one wooden debris that was broken and sharp had pierced his back and through his chest

"-coughs out blood- i will save my daughter!" Gildarts exclaimed as he continued pushing away the debris on her while nearly suffocating in the smoke and nearly burning in the fire

"Cana!" Gildarts shouted as he pushed away the last piece of debris and got Cana

He lifts her up before he looks up and sees the roof coming down

Gildarts instantly covered Cana's body with his as he braced for the coming pain that never came

Slowly opening his eyes, Gildarts slowly looks up and sees Natsu holding the coming down roof

"you know, you're a protective father and all. But I can tell that you are a one of a kind father" Natsu said with a smirk

"you.." Gildarts said before he sees the Dragon Belt on Cana's waist shining red

Catastoras soon appeared as the mechanical horse let out a high neigh

"get on him" Natsu said "I'll hold this"

Gildarts nodded as he gets on Catastoras while carrying Cana

Catastoras neigh before firing a bolt of lighting at the wall, destroying it and then runs out of it

Natsu watched them get out before he exhales and inhales hard as all the flames were getting sucked into his mouth


All the flames outside were soon sucked away as they died down from burning the houses and before long, the burning house ceased their collapse


Lucy and Mira watched as Cana was pushed on a stretcher into an ambulance car that soon drives away to the hospital

"I hope that Cana will be fine" Lucy said with a frown

"she will be, she's one of the toughest girls I know" Mira said patting Lucy's shoulder

Gildarts laid on a stretcher as he gritted his teeth in pain as medic pulled out the wooden shrapnel in his back before stopping the bleeding

"thanks" Gildarts said as he was laid down on the stretcher and was going to be pushed into the ambulance when he saw Natsu "stop! Just for a second!"

The medics stopped before Natsu walked towards him with Catastoras behind him

"you…you saved my life and my daughter's…thank you.." Gildarts said with a smile

"it's what fathers are supposed to do, right?" Natsu asked with a smile as Gildarts nodded before he was pushed into the ambulance that soon drives away with him

Natsu watched the ambulance drive away before Catastoras let out a soft neigh to him

"don't worry, Cana will be fine." Natsu told Catastoras while petting its snout a few times "I'll make sure of it"

Before long, Lucy and Mira went to Natsu as they talked to him about what happened while the man watched the ambulance going away


the next day soon came as we turn our attention to the hospital

Cana laid on her bed, resting while her head is covered in bandages

She let out a small grunt before slowly opening her eyes and sees the white ceiling

"where…." Cana muttered out

"feeling better?" someone spoke out as Cana glanced to the side and sees Natsu sitting beside her bed while in the middle of peeling an apple with a small knife

"what…happened?" Cana asked looking confused

"a fire, and you were caught in it" Natsu stated while cutting the apple into pieces and place them into small paper plate "your father saved you"

"my father?" Cana muttered out before remembering the fire "that time…"

"he risked his life in that fire even when he could've just used his magic" Natsu said "goes to show that even as a mage, he strives forth as a man and as a father"

"even when I told him..so many horrible things…he came to save me?" Cana asked as Natsu nodded

"of course, he's a father after all" Natsu replied before smiling "and a father will always come to save their child, no matter what"

Cana sighs before looking away while having a smile "that idiot geezer"

Natsu smiles before he picks up a sliced apple rabbit

"now, say aahhh" Natsu said as Cana opened her mouth and eats the apple slices "the doctor said that you'll be better the next day, but with me around"

Natsu leans down as he kisses Cana's lips deeply before leaning away

"I can make it heal faster" Natsu said as Cana smiled

"you have a great way in doing it" Cana said before they heard a racket outside


Gildarts was outside while wearing a hospital outfit and holding a bottle of whiskey

"come on! Let me give this whiskey to my daughter! She'll heal faster after drinking this! Believe me!" Gildarts exclaimed while doctors and nurses were stopping him

"are you mad!?" "she's recuperating and that means no alcohol!" "and you too! You should be resting! You nearly died of blood loss from yesterday's surgery!" the doctor and nurses exclaimed while pushing him away from Cana's room

"come on! I'm her father! I know that she'll love this whiskey! It's a brand limited from Crocus!" Gildarts exclaimed trying to push his way in but the doctors forced him to stop


Cana and Natsu heard his shouting as they sweatdropped

"I take it back, he's a damn idiot geezer" Cana said sighing


That's a wrap!

Bye bye