An Apology Isn't Enough

Cana Alberona trudged over to the hot springs on Tenrou Island, which were full of Aloe leaves to heal wounds. But Cana's movements weren't slowed and her attitude wasn't downtrodden because of the bruises and wounds covering her body, but it was because of her actions during the trials. Lucy Heartfilia, someone she considered a friend, was knocked out during the trials and left at the mercy of Grimoire Heart and their soldiers. The issue was that Cana was the person who knocked her out, and she had been feeling guilty about it since finding Mavis' grave. Cana knew she would have to face this eventually, and with Lucy in the Aloe Hot Springs, she thought there was no time like the present and decided to join her in the water. Lucy turned her head slightly, her eyes slit into glares when she saw Cana joining her.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming to me, Cana," Lucy said, not even looking at Cana. The Card Magic User didn't need to see Lucy's expression, as she knew that her face showed off her anger and disappointment.

"Lucy…I came to apologize. I never meant to put you in harm's way-"

"Then why did you do it?"

"—huh?"

"Then. Why. Did. You. Do. It. Why did you knock me out and leave me vulnerable to whatever villain could've gotten their hands on me?" Lucy asked, the Celestial Spirit Magic User not needing to raise her voice, as the venom lacing her voice had displayed her anger enough. Cana recoiled at the malice in the blonde wizard's voice, as it was something that she had never heard towards her in all the time she'd known her. Lucy's chocolate brown eyes pierced into Cana's soul, and Cana tried to think about why she had done what she did, but really couldn't think of anything.

"I…I just wanted to do it myself."

"…what?" Lucy asked, her eyes widened at the state of Cana's reasoning. The Card Magic User, for her end, noticed the shocked look on Lucy's face and tried to continue explaining herself.

"Lucy, do you know what it's like to constantly be overlooked because you're not as good a fighter as the others?"

"Ummm…yeah, all the time. That's why I worked with Natsu and Erza to improve my fighting skills," Lucy responded.

"When you gave me the answer to the riddle the old man gave us, in my mind, it was my chance to finally get to become S-Class, and I could do it by myself. I mean, you're the one who beat both Bickslow and Freed while I only helped, so what would it say about me if we made it together? It would say that I needed your help and that I wouldn't last by myself as an S-Class Wizard. I know it's not an excuse, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I was stressed and worried about everything that was going on and wasn't thinking straight. You're my friend, Lucy, and I'd never willingly hurt you," Cana soliloquized, tears beginning to form out of the corner of her eyes. However, Lucy didn't appear to be too moved by Cana's confession, and simply looked down into the rippling water, grabbing one of the Aloe Vera leaves that were floating around.

"Cana…when you told me that you wanted my help to finally get S-Class status, I dropped EVERYTHING I had planned to help you. I had several jobs lined up that would help with my rent, and I cancelled them. I had a couple of meetings with old friends of mine, but I told them to reschedule. That's how important this was to me, and how important helping a friend and fellow Fairy Tail guild member was-"

"And I really appreciate that," Cana interrupted, which didn't help her cause, as Lucy glared at her again before rolling her eyes.

"Oh, clearly you did, what with you leaving me to die in the middle of the woods just because you didn't feel like sharing the credit," Lucy grumbled, wincing as she rubbed an Aloe Vera leaf on one of her many wounds. Cana did the same, wondering what she could possibly do to make Lucy see that she was serious about how sorry she was about what she had done. While Cana was tending to her wounds, Lucy stood up, grabbed her towel, and stepped out of the water, wrapping the towel around her body while getting another towel to dry her hair.

"Lucy…"

"No, Cana, we're done talking. I can't even stand to look at you after what you did. Maybe down the road, I'll forgive you, but that time isn't now, and won't be anytime soon. If you really want to show that you're sorry, Cana, you have to stop with this whole mindset that becoming an S-Class Wizard is the end of the world. I don't think Gildarts would care one way or another that you're not an S-Class Wizard, he would just be happy to hear from his daughter. So right now, why don't you focus on Gildarts, and leave me alone for the time being," Lucy advised before grabbing her clothes and walking into the forest so that she could change. Cana looked over at Lucy's disappearing frame, running her hands through her chocolate brown hair as she tried to wipe the tears off of her face.

"Dammit…," Cana mumbled to herself, trying to keep her voice from breaking as she walked out of the hot tub. As Cana put her clothes on, she thought about what Lucy had said, and how right she was. Cana had put so much stock in becoming an S-Class Wizard, that she had forgotten what Fairy Tail was really all about; the family. Cana had known these people in the guild since she was a child, and would kill to keep them safe. She may not have known Lucy as long as she knew guys like Natsu, Erza, and Mirajane, but Lucy was just as important to her as every other member of the guild. It made Cana physically ill thinking of doing what she did to Lucy to other members of the guild.

Despite her sadness and feeling a major amount of self-loathing, Cana decided that she may as well talk to Gildarts. Cana wasn't one to hide and wait out a storm, she would walk right through it, and despite how some other members of the guild may feel about her at the moment, she came all the way to Tenrou Island for a reason, and the brown-haired wizard was going to see it through. One day though, Cana was sure that she and Lucy would be friends again, but for now, she would give the Celestial Wizard the space that she needed and when that time came, Cana would be there to show Lucy the person she truly was; a loyal and compassionate friend who was willing to do anything she could to make the people she cares about happy.