I Take Pride In What I Am

I Hope People Can Change (Juvia & Cana, Gray x Natsu)

Prompt: I hope people can change
Pairing(s): Juvia & Cana, Gray x Natsu

Of all the so-called FairyTail Brats Cana Alberona had been a member of the guild the longest. At first, with no other kids to interact with, she had been content to sit and watch, not sure what to expect from the people that had taken her in. They were an odd bunch for sure, but she liked watching them, as she tried to figure out what these people had that her mother hadn't. Why would her father choose this life instead of one with them? It was a question that kept her up at night. She just didn't understand it.

She had tried to talk to Gildarts several times since she'd joined, but every time she got his attention Cana froze, never knowing how to bring up such a weighted topic. Just saying, "Hey, I'm your kid" to someone like Gildarts Clive just didn't cut it.

All she really knew about him were stories. Crazy stories, both about his abilities and his romantic exploits. Whether she wanted to or not those stories had created an insurmountable barrier between herself and her father. Larger than life did not even begin to describe Gildarts Clive and so she continued to watch, her yearning growing as her confidence plummeted.

Other kids began to join, and as she saw what they could do, she began to concentrate on learning her magic and making friends. It was something she felt she could do, and her confidence soon began to improve, but she was still on the outside watching in.

It was a role that continued all the way through adulthood, as she spent a significant amount of time at the guild drinking. You could learn a lot about people by watching them, almost as much as you did by talking to them, something else she had gotten better at.

One of the things that she had noticed was how one person could be an agent of change for another, sometimes without that person even seeing it.

Erza had been quiet and very reserved as a child. It was understandable, considering what she had been through, not that she ever talked about it. Cana had wanted to be her friend, to help in some way and even though she'd hadn't been able to someone else had.

Gray had somehow managed to get through to her, and slowly, Erza had started to change, to be more assertive and open to the others. Smiles became less uncommon, and once Mirajane had gotten there to challenge her as well, the metamorphosis from Erza the child to the woman they had come to know as Titania had begun, and Cana wouldn't have it any other way.

Gray had also been changed by someone, in his case, Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer's constant taunts and challenges to the ice mage since the moment they'd met had created a strange and sometimes worrisome friendship between the two, but there was no denying that Gray was a lot happier now than he had been when he'd first arrived at Fairy Tail.

Jet and Droy had done the same for Levy and Wakaba for Macao after his wife left him. Cana could go on and on about how many times she'd seen it happen over the years. But she had never done it, never seen the need to really, not when there was always someone willing to step in to do it.

The events of the Battle of Fairy Tail had changed that for her though. For the first time, she wanted to be that agent of change, and she knew for a fact that no one else was going to step up this time. Why would they? No one except Freed had seen what she had seen, and even if they had Juvia did not make approaching her easy. Cana had been so moved by Juvia's sacrifice that she could still remember her words clearly.

I wanted to prove to the guild that there's no reason to doubt me, I love all of you. The Fairy Tail guild will always be my home.

Yet somehow Juvia had gone from the strong woman who uttered those words, to someone who cared about only one thing. Well, person, and that was a problem because no matter how much Juvia followed Gray around or showered her affection on him, he was never going to return her love. That ship had sailed years earlier, and it would likely never change.