I, in no way shape or form, own Fairy Tail. Simply the plot of this fic.

So, it seems I really enjoy awkward Mirza interactions with vulnerable Erza and apologetic but uncomfortable Mirajane. Enjoy the fic, alligators. There's sure to be more. Count on it.

Erza and Mirajane were in the middle of their usual argument. The rest of the guild bustled around the pair as the two young women locked heads, fighting to overcome the other. They had stopped spitting insults at one another a year or two ago and had simply resorted to growling at one another whenever they locked heads. Blows had been getting traded in silence with the occasional grunt or hiss and the constant sound of skin coming into contact with skin.

The pair broke away from each other, panting heavily and glaring at one another in loathing. It was the sixth time that day that they needed to step back from each other and take a breather to assess their own strength and the weaknesses of their opponent. As they wiped sweat from their foreheads, both young women tried to find a possible opening, something that would allow them to get the upper hand, anything to let them secure victory this time.

The fighting had been getting them nowhere, so Mirajane decided that she would amp it up a notch, knowing Erza could never succeed in beating her with magic. Allowing her TakeOver to partially consume her arm, Mirajane sneered at the shock in the auburn gaze as she reached out for the redhead. Grabbing at Erza's arm, the whitette made certain her prey couldn't escape and raised her other hand to strike.

"Not even you can beat a demon!" Mirajane sneered, her hand tightening.

Erza suddenly froze, her mind grinding to a halt. The entire guild watched in trepidation as she simply stared off into space, seemingly completely forgetting that she had been battling at all. Mirajane cocked her head in confusion, but grit her teeth when a red aura surrounded the redhead in her grasp. Swords appeared from all directions, floating and aiming straight at the suddenly apprehensive whitette. As one, all of the swords rushed forward and Mirajane was forced to let go of Erza or be speared.

Once she was free, the redhead reached out to grab the hilt of one of her blades and turned to face her adversary with fire in her eyes. The rest of the weapons disappeared as the two young women faced off with each other once again. Everyone around shifted as a different aura had entered the air. Usually when the kids were fighting, they didn't use magic as a means to get the upper hand, so it was disconcerting seeing two of the most powerful children about to come to blows using their magic.

Holding her sword ready to fight, the warrior-in-training glared at her rival in utmost loathing. "You think you've seen demons?" Erza whispered, her pupils dots within her enlarged irises. "You haven't seen any demons!"

"What are you talking about?" Mira demanded, allowing more of her body to take the form. "I possess demons!"

"Those aren't demons!" Erza shouted, slamming the flat of her sword against a pillar. "Those are creatures, beasts with only the thought of destruction on their mind!" She faced the pillar and slashed at it, pulling her sword back before the wood could collapse completely. "Demons… demons are…"

Images of Jellal flashed in her mind, the smiles of her friends, the sneers of the Zeref cultists that kidnapped them. Everything rushed to the forefront. Millianna's tears, Simon fighting to get her back, the torture she endured after being framed, Jellal's maniacal grin as he threatened her never to come back… Staring down at her hands, Erza didn't notice as all of her swords disappeared, the redhead too focused on the memories.

"Demons are… me…" The entire guild stared at her in utter bemusement as tears fell onto the pale hands. "What have I done…?"

Turning on her heel, Erza rushed from the guild hall, racing from the memories, the pain, everything. She needed to shut it down, to block them, to forget. She couldn't let them overpower her again. As the sobbing redhead ran, Mirajane stared after her in puzzlement. "What the hell is her problem?" the oldest whitette wondered aloud.

"It appears your demon transformation brought about unwanted memories." Master sighed from his perch atop the counter.

"How, though?" Mirajane snapped. "Gray actually had his family taken from him by a demon! How could he withstand my transformations?"

"Something Erza said doesn't make sense." Macao murmured to Master. "She said the demons that Mirajane possessed weren't actual demons. And then she called herself a demon. What's all that about?"

"Erza seems to have a few things that aren't completely taken care of in her past." Master murmured. "I think it best if everyone left her alone for a while. Coming into contact with her could trigger a magical meltdown."

"Where did Nee-chan go?" Elfman asked, he and Lisanna glancing around for their sister.

Master sighed and resisted the urge to facepalm. "I'll get the forms ready for property damage…"

Mirajane raced through the streets of Magnolia, looking around for any sign of the redheaded sword-weilder. She needed to know what Erza was on about. What she had said had sparked too many questions within the whitette and Mirajane wanted answers, now. Catching a flash of red rapidly disappearing along the path to Fairy Hills, Mirajane gave chase, racing to catch up with her rival and demand to know what she was on about. Erza was just up ahead, her armor clinking with every step she took. Despite all of the jokes Mirajane made about her weight, the scarlet-haired girl was actually very fit and it took the ponytailed girl behind her a few moments to catch up. By then, they were in the lobby of Fairy Hills.

Reaching out, Mirajane grabbed Erza's arm and yanked the other girl to a stop. Erza turned swiftly in her grasp and slammed a hard punch into Mirajane's stomach, making the whitette let go. Making to take off again, Erza cried out when a hand clamped around her braid and refused to let go. "Get off me!" the redhead shrieked, clawing at Mirajane's arm.

The whitette watched her rival, noting the difference from their usual fighting. Erza wasn't angry or competitive right now. At this moment, she was vulnerable and desperate to get free. "Not until you tell me what you meant." Mirajane stated, gripping the bright red tresses tighter.

"I-it didn't mean anything!" Erza shouted, not noticing swords beginning to appear from the air. "I didn't mean anything!"

"Liar!" Mirajane snarled. "Tell me what you meant! You said you were a demon, right? So, what? You think you're as big and bad as the demons I've taken down?"

"You idiot!" Erza yelled, turning as much as she could and smashing a fist across the whitette's jaw. "You think those animals you absorb are demons? They've nothing on real demons!"

"What does that mean?" The rivals faced each other, one furious and the other moving swiftly between fury, terror and grief. "What are real demonsthen?"

"HUMANS!" Erza roared, her telekinesis lifting more than just her weapons now. "Do you even comprehend the horrible things humans have done to other humans? You parade the fact that you absorb animals' souls while I've faced torture, defacement, abandonment and nearly died because of real demons, humans that lost the ability to care about other humans!

"How can you stand there, only having been driven from your home, and tell me that you know what demons are? How did your parents die? Who killed your adoptive father? How many times have you taken the fall for a friend and been tortured for it?"

Mira's eyes widened at the uncontrolled magic in the air, shuddering as Erza's eyes turned as red as her hair. She hadn't realized the other girl had been keeping so much inside. And it was obvious from the way the objects began to swirl around them that Erza wasn't even close to being finished. Blue eyes stared into red as Mirajane was helpless but to watch Erza break down.

"The only friends I've known for years are gone! I was a slave, kept in cells by cultists forcing me to build some stupid tower to bring back Zeref! They treated us like animals! We barely had food, we were whipped if we moved too slow, and everywhere I turned there was nothing but blood and carnage, suffering as far as the eye could see."

Tears leaked from one of Erza's eyes, surprising Mirajane as the other remained dry. "And just when I thought we had finally won, when I thought we would be free and get out of that horrible place… my best friend turned into one of those demons too. He tossed me around with his magic, didn't care about the relationship we had and threatened me to stay away." Shaking shoulders slumped as the magic aura finally dissipated and all of the objects dropped to the ground. "And I'm no better than him. I… I left them all there to suffer… I'm just as much a demon as he is."

The air was tense once more, this time from raw emotion rather than magic power. Mirajane had never suspected that Erza would have so much… utter crap wracked up behind her. She had assumed that what had happened to the other kids in the guild had also happened to her. She thought that, either Erza's parents had taught her magic or that Erza had gained her magic because she lost her parents. She never thought there was that much more to the story.

All the time, Erza put on a brave face, her expression always stern, her eyes always guarded, as if she were using them to hide her soul because her armor wasn't good enough. Now, the eldest whitette could see that it was an act, a way to protect the vulnerability underneath, the weakness that no one suspected the redhead even possessed. This was the closest Mirajane had ever seen Erza to a breakdown and, if the ponytailed girl was honest, it just felt wrong. Erza was supposed to be strong and defiant, that's what made her a perfect sparring rival. No one else butted heads with Mirajane like Erza did and the whitette refused to see the armored girl in any other state aside from proud and strong.

Walking forward, Mirajane set her jaw and wrapped her arms around the slightly shorter girl's torso, bringing her close. Erza started in surprise, making to pull away and reject the contact. Mirajane simply allowed more of ehr strength to filter out and pressed Erza's head to her shoulder, allowing the redhead to continue crying for a few moments longer. Neither was completely comfortable with the development, but Erza at least acknowledged the attempt and seemed to calm somewhat, looking to Mirajane in puzzlement.

Mirajane refused to look down into the confused auburn gaze as she held the redhead close. "Look." the whitette began. "I'm no expert or anything, but you'd think that someone who actually feels bad about something wouldn't count as a demon. Didn't you say they lost the ability to care about other humans or somethin'? Doesn't sound like you've done that if you ask me. So quit whining; you're getting my top wet. You ain't no demon and nothin's your fault. Got it, fatty?"

Erza stared up at the ponytailed girl a moment before sniffing and nodding. "Y-yeah."

Mirajane held the hug a second longer before letting go and wrapping her arms around her own torso, neither she nor Erza looking at each other. "And, uh, next time, could ya tell me that my TakeOver would freak you out?" Mirajane asked. "We don't need magic to fight each other, ya know. I can kick your butt with my bare hands if needed."

"We'll see tomorrow." Erza chuckled, wiping her eyes one last time before turning to head up the stairs. Before going, she turned back and whispered, "Thanks."

Mirajane gave a half-shrug and turned to leave. "Yeah, it was nothing. Can't have my rival too traumatized to fight. Things would get too boring." Heading for the door, Mirajane left a whisper on the wind. "You're welcome."

I just love these two badasses so much. I really love apologetic/protective Mira and vulnerable/sweet Erza. And they're both just awkward as hell. Drop me a review and tell me what you think, alligators!