This is a companion piece to my story, Experiment 7, but it's not mandatory to read it. This was originally just going to be another extra chapter, but it's long enough to be a stand-alone one shot. Inspired by Dig A Little Deeper from Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Enjoy!
Mirajane Storge needed a miracle, so a miracle came.
A silver tail sways as its owner runs, large ears twitching with each ragged breath of the creatures behind her. Claws rake against the canine as it lunges for her, blood sticking to the skin as the beast yelps and runs off. Ice blue eyes narrow, darkness lacing her fangs as black electricity shocks the pack hounding her. There's a harmonious thump as they fall to the ground, hearts stilling. A silver fox stills, paws digging the dirt up. The head lowers, black fur crawling through the moonlit silver strands, and the creature lets out a mournful howl.
Mirajane Storge pursed her lips, fingers clenching around the flowers as she stares over the edge of the cliff that stole her sister's life. A pitched inhale barely covers her sob, tears beginning to trail down her porcelain face. She throws the daisies over the cliff edge before falling to her knees, hands coming up to wipe at her face.
It had been years… years, yet the pain still pulsated as if the wound had just been cut. An endless supply of love left to rot as tears down her face. Years since her baby sister died and years since the one she selfishly kept returned home. Yet the pain still ached and burned with every pulse of her poisoned heart to erode her from in inside out.
"Why is life so unfair?" She sniffles to herself and clenches her long, platinum blonde hair in her fists. "Why am I cursed to this wretched world?"
Because a curse is what her life was. Cursed to this dying world stripped of the magic that used to flood it with life, and cursed to an existence without the baby sister she helped raise since birth. Years of caring for another, watching it grow alongside Elfman into a sweet, loving girl, only to have it cruelly torn from her by the fickle nature of fate. Then to lose her second chance, her sister's doppelganger that she knew wasn't hers. The doppelganger she couldn't let go of even though she knew that she was forcing another the grief that cursed her. Cursed be those of fragile hearts, selfish and forever bleeding.
The sky held the beginning of daylight. Hazy pink with the breaking of dawn as it began to push the stars out for the day and Mirajane sighed once more. Even the beautiful night sky is leaving her so that the harsh summer sun could bake Edolas once more. The Royal City may have been rebuilt, the ruins it had been left when magic left forever returned to their pristine conditions. The same could not be said for the other cities of Edolas. Falling islands did tend to throw a wrench into reconstruction efforts, especially since no magic could help them. Fairy Tail and the other guilds that had formed since the new King's reign were always busy with missions. Mirajane had to return to the guild, she had a bar to tend to, even if she would prefer to just return to the soil. The platinum had a job to do.
The woman's feet crawl up underneath her and lift her off the ground. She clasps her hands together, praying to whatever higher power there was for strength for herself and her guild. She throws in a wish for Earth Land's Lisanna's health, but she wondered if a being as fickle as the force that runs her world would have the heart to look across worlds. A wind rushes across her face and swirls her hair around her body.
Growls fill the air around her and the shoulders of the woman slump. Of course, banewolves, behemoth canines with giant fangs and rancid eaters of carrion and whatever else they can tear through. A glance over her shoulder confirms her thoughts, the creatures large shadows distinguishable in the forest, and the sound of metal scrapes against a scabbard as a sword is pulled from its sheath. The steadfast metal gleams in the glowing dawn. Her blue eyes narrow as the banewolves solidify and her muscles tense.
A streak of silver blurs before her, barely escaping a set of jaws and a blue banewolf growls in frustration. The small fox, bleeding by the leg, limps to the side and bares its teeth as the pack of three close in on her. Its rounded face furrows in fear as she curls, back arching and tail bristling.
"Leave that little one alone you mutts!" Mirajane yells as she slashes one across the side.
The one yelps as it is thrown across the terrain, its two brethren turning towards the human with saliva dripping down their fangs. They turn away from the baby fox, jaws opening and preparing to strike, Mirajane clenches her sword tighter.
The little fox watches, eyes glowing in the dark as it watches the human take a battle stance. Little paws struggle to get a better grip on the ground and blood begins to burn through the fox's body as it gets to its feet. The fox kit launches, teeth digging into a banewolf's throat. Dark electricity sparks, the beast convulsing under the kit's fangs as it falls to the ground with a thud. The remaining wolf whines at the sight of its dead packmate and its ears twitch as Mirajane deals a finishing slash to his remaining packmate. It growls at the fox before turning tail and running back into the forest.
Mirajane focuses her eyes on the creature before her, realizing that it is no normal fox. Her pupils shake as the last of the black electricity dissipates. She watches as the kit sits on the ground and throws its head back to howl. The woman's blue eyes wince at the screech that is released, but even she notices the mournful note weaved into the noise. Those mournful icy eyes turn to her, examining her with a cold gaze.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," Mirajane soothes and holds out a hand.
The fox eyes her and seems to nod. The bleeding leg is held in the air as it stands, limping past the woman as it makes its way back to the forest. It slows toward the tree line, breathing heavy once before dropping to the ground. The platinum rushes forward, taking the magical creature into her arms and cradling it to her chest. As the sun breaks the horizon, Mirajane Storge runs to Fairy Tail.
"Wendy! Do you know anything about healing animals?" Mirajane rushes out as she barges through the guild doors.
The teenager turns at her name and her eyes widen at the bloody pulp in the woman's arms. The crimson stained the silver fur down the leg and patches of the luminous strands were missing from the body where teeth grazed and snatched. A sliver of ice blue is seen as the creature eyes her surrounding before rolling to the side in exhaustion, head lolling against the platinum's chest.
"What the hell is that?!" Lucy Ashley yells out, dropping from the guild rafters with a heavy thunk.
"I'm… not sure," Mirajane answers truthfully as the teenager clears off a table and throws someone's donated jacket onto the surface.
"Place her here Mira," Wendy commands as she ties her hair up and out of the way. Her face cringes into a wince at the sight of the fox's injured leg. "You might want to hold her head still because I'm going to have to set that properly and it's going to hurt."
Mirajane shushes the creature in her arms as she settles her onto the table. A hand caresses the ears in what she hopes is a soothing gesture. Her lips press into a firm line when the black tipped ears press against the skull the moment Wendy's fingers graze the injured leg with a wet cloth, a growl building in the fox's chest as the blood is cleaned away.
"It's alright. We'll do this quick okay?" Mirajane soothes and nods to Wendy.
The young woman grips the twisted limb and pushes it back to position. Members cringe at the pitched shriek that leaves the creature's mouth. It lacerates the air with an ear-splitting quality to it, forcing the fairies to cover their ears.
"Damn it you mutt!" Lucy hisses as Wendy pulls her hands back when the fox turns with razor fangs bared at her.
The fox's muzzle curls with the growl that slithers between her teeth. The maw opened, saliva coating the fangs and Mirajane jumps forward as the first static begins to build.
"Don't do that here," She whispers into the fox's ear.
"Where'd you find her, Big Sis?" Elfman inquires meekly as Wendy dares to wander closer with an improvised sling for the creature's leg.
"She was being hunted by banewolves," Mirajane answers as she pulls the agitated fox back into her arms.
"You keeping it?" Lucy asks as she pushes her face forward for a closer look, examining the growling creature with a critical eye.
Mirajane's brow furrows, eyes glancing down at the baby curled up in her arms pressing further into her body to avoid the blonde inching closer to her. Her arms tighten around her breathing cargo, and her eyes set with her decision.
"Yes."
Stars sparkle against the darkness of night, Edolas' twin moons glowing amongst the darkness. The fox crawls out from beneath the blankets of the pet bed the platinum woman had bought for her, icy eyes glancing at her sleeping hostess. There's a faint glow, the form enlarging and lengthening. The humanoid figure stretches, her lame leg twinging with the slightest amount of pain despite being a sling for two weeks. The child feels a joint pop, a sigh of relief releasing at the feeling after being stuck as a fox for over two weeks. The fox ears on her head pivot at Mirajane's change in breath, muscles freezing as the woman groans before settling again. A silver tail slackens in relief as the nude child shuffles across the room she'd been sharing with her hostess. A narrow nose sniffs at the knick-knacks on the dresser, taking in the smell of candle and a perfume container.
Icy eyes lock in on the window, hands clenching around the window frame and preparing to push up. The fox ears wilt slightly, guilt gnawing at her heart like it was its personal chew toy. Those icy orbs slide to the corners, gazing at the sleeping woman in her peripheral. Mirajane took such good care of her. She brushed her fur every morning and scratched her behind the ears while she did so. The woman cooked her three meals every day despite working full time and allowed her to trail at her heels even as the woman went into town for her shopping. Her guildmates weren't so bad either. Her hostess' brother took time to speak with her every day, keeping her company as his sister worked despite the fact that she hid under the bar and refused to come out unless Mira was the one to coax her. Cana attempted to tie bows around her neck and tail, only to be sorely disappointed when the timid creature fled to Mirajane to hide between her skirt. However, she would sneak the fox a cookie when the platinum wasn't working y "accidentally" dropping her tea biscuits. Staying wouldn't be too bad. Sure she'd be stuck as a fox and forever hoping her curses didn't act up every time Lucy appeared behind her and screamed by her ear, but she'd be pampered and maybe even loved...
Her head shakes. She can't stay here! Demons like her… demons like her will be hunted. Hunted for their curses now that magic had been drained. Hunted out of paranoia. Hunted out of spite. This one human kept her electric curse to herself, but that guild was a risk. Not to mention scary. There were always objects flying about and loud noises that made her want to crawl under the bar and never come out. People were everywhere, armed to the teeth with potential weapons that could tear her apart. No. no she couldn't stay. The icy orbs downcast, silver tail tucking slighting against the child's legs as her fingers grip the window and begin to push it up.
"Lisanna…"
Muscles tense at the sound and the child turns slightly to watch the platinum twist in her bed. Ears twitch as a sleepy sob breaks out into the silence. The demoness frowns, releases her grip on the window, and feels her body compact as she morphs. Quiet pawsteps pad across the carpeted floor and claws dig into the blankets as the baby fox crawls onto the mattress. A narrow snout nudges the woman's arm up, jolting Mirajane fully awake for a moment. Mirajane offers a watery smile, eyes shining with unshed tears and her chest hiccups with a small laugh when the fox's tongue kisses her cheek before the creature settles between Mirajane's body and the bed.
The demoness looks toward the window again as the platinum falls back to sleep, one arm clutching the fox to her chest. She would leave, she would. Just not tonight.
"You know, Mira, it's been over a month now. Are you finally going to name her?" Levy asks one day as she slumps down at the bar. "I'm sure she's sick of being called "it", "her", or "fox" all the time."
"Name her…" Mirajane echoes and watches as the fox lifts her head up. The ears tilt with her head and the platinum smiles, bringing a hand up to pet her ears. "I guess perhaps we should give you a name. You know," The platinum leans in to whisper in the creature's ear. "You gave me something to care for, to love. I've- I've missed that so much more than you can imagine, my sweet little Amoria."
The barmaid gives Levy a full-blown smile and loudly states, "I'm going to call her Amoria. Ria for short."
"Amoria, now that's beautiful," Cana sighs wistfully and frowns as the fox bristles in surprise before leaping under the counter. "Oh, I wish she'd relax for once!"
"Come now, little one," Mirajane cooed and felt her lips twitch when a small snout poked out from the shadows. "You're okay. I'll protect you with my life, and I won't need any silly magic to do so."
Mirajane sighs as her dress is pulled at by her stubborn fox. She pulls at her skits, tearing it away from the teeth grasping it.
"Ria! It's been two months, you know that I'm working!" The platinum scolds as she lifts Amoria off the ground and gives her a cuddle. "I love you baby girl, but I've got to work."
The only response she gets is the fox stealing the choker she had tied around her throat and tearing from her arms, lithe form running beneath the tables and tactfully avoiding the feet of patrons.
"Ria!"
The guild turns as the platinum woman chases after her necklace, watches as the fox dips under a cloth banister and pokes her head through. Mirajane huffs as she takes her choker back, fixing it back to its spot around her neck. Her eyes glance back up when she catches a glow in the peripheral of her vision, pupils widening as she watches her fox change shape beneath the cloth covering her.
Long silver hair blankets small shoulders. Two large silver ears tipped in black pivot at the collective gasps that sound out. The banister falls from its mount, being drawn around the naked child as she stands with fox ears pinned against her skull. Familiar icy eyes clash with Mirajane's blue.
"H-hi Mama," The girl stutters as a silver fox tail curls around the child's feet. "Um, can I call you that?" Amoria asks meekly.
Ria's heart justs about bursts when Mirajane throws herself at the child and wraps her in a crushing hug. The kitsune girl never believed in miracles from the day she first breathed life, but as she clung to the woman she claimed as her own mother, she thanked fate for miracles.
Mirajane Storge needed a miracle. She had lost everything she had, her sister, her magic, her past life. Everything she wanted could never be. Only a miracle could rid the poisonous grief from her heart. So a miracle came and gave her exactly what she needed.
Inspired by my rewatch of the Edolas arc, I tried to make Ria Edolas counterpart different enough by making her timid and less happy. Mirajane last name was chosen because it was close to Strauss and also because of the fact it is the Greek term for familial love (aka the Strauss motif). I changed Ria's full name because of the circumstances of who named her. The curses still being allowed is under the idea that during the Tartaros arc curses wouldn't be affected by FACE.