Mirajane wasn't at the guildhall the next day, either. Lucy went over to Elfman, who she saw was drowning his sorrows at the bar. Head hung low, with his massive, muscular back hunched over some brew, he drank quietly as the young Celestial wizard approached.

"Elfman," Lucy said. "I'm sorry for making you show me some of Mira's old memories. It didn't really matter for me to know and it wasn't worth it for me to invade her privacy like that. Would you tell her I'm sorry?"

The large shapeshifter adjusted his posture. Lucy could smell the alcohol on his breath. He opened his massive mouth, with garbled speech escaping into the air. "You know my sister, she can never hold a grudge." There was a somber tone in his voice. "She'll bounce back, but it may take a little bit. I'm sure she'll be back here working the bar tomorrow."

"Where is she now?"

Elfman glanced over to Lucy. "Grieving," he muttered. "It's the anniversary of Aiyum's death."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise and realization at the magnitude of their betrayal of trust yesterday. "Oh my," she said, putting a hand to her temple and sitting down next to the mountain of a man beside her. "She must be really vulnerable right now. I feel so bad." She turned to Elfman, tears welling up in her eyes. "You have to tell me where she is, right now. I have to go and apologize!"

"Better not," he paused to take a drink. "If you thought she reacted poorly yesterday, today will be even worse."

The blonde slammed her hands on the bar and stood up from her stool. "Elfman, the last thing that she should be right now is alone! Tell me where she is so I can go and see her!" Once she had finished her rant, she looked around to see numerous pairs of eyes on her, the others picking up on how serious her tone was.

Elfman sighed and stared at his drink, like the inside of his mug was now extremely interesting. "Where do you think she is? Take a wild guess."

Under her breath, Lucy said, "The Graveyard." As she took off towards the door, Elfman stayed stationary, sulking under his grief. He continued to stare at his alcohol. Aiyum, he thought. I wish you were here right now. We could all use your help.

X...X...X

The entire day had sustained a light drizzle throughout all of Magnolia, but when Lucy left the hall, an entire storm had picked up, battering the ground underfoot. The cobblestoned streets were slick with the rain as the young Heartfilia sprinted off to the graveyard. As she was running, Lucy thought, I hope she isn't out in this rain. The unrelenting storm intensified around her. This is the last thing she needs right now.

Sure enough, as Lucy approached the tombstone-laden yard, a single figure stood, looking down on a grave. Mirajane's usual pink and pastel clothes were now replaced by a simple form-fitting black dress that reached all the way to the ground. In the white-haired girl's hands was a bouquet of gold and purple flowers, all wrapped in the same cloth that Lucy encountered yesterday. She could here some mutterings from Mira to the grave; some sort of 'update' to the deceased for him to catch up on all guild news. Probably some stuff about Natsu still being his same destructive self, that Cana and Gildarts were related, stuff like that. Mira was staying even tempered and calm.

But soon, Mirajane's steady and pleasant tone of voice gave way to her sadness. Tears welled up in her eyes as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. The young lady leaned her face and arms on the headstone as she whimpered.

Quickly, Lucy rushed over and embraced Mira. She knew that the kind shapeshifter would want to be alone, but Lucy couldn't stand idly by and watch her friend be so miserable and so heartbroken. She must have already been through enough of that with Lisanna's disappearance.

Mira was initially shocked but then welcomed the embrace. She appreciated the gesture that Lucy had done. There they sat, out in the rain, leaning on the tombstone of a Fairy Tail legend. Tears mixed with raindrops as they turned their faces to the sky, sobbing.

After a good ten minutes of intense sobs, the tears began to subside between the both of them. The thundering of the storm had lightened to a moderate patter of upon their cheeks.

The round-faced Mira turned to Lucy, smiling. "Thank you for this. It's nice to not be alone for once."

"I'm so sorry for everything, Mirajane. I didn't want to do anything to offend you or invade your private memories. What's your business is your business alone." Lucy replied.

"No, I overreacted. You just wanted to know the truth about Aiyum." Mira looked out into the rain. "The truth is, he died because of me."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. Mirajane continued. "Aiyum showed up at the guild when Erza and I were about thirteen, and he was strong enough to be S-Class even then. He was always a year older than I was, but he was mature and wise beyond those years."

"Yeah," Lucy said. "I saw that one memory of him taking down Laxus and Gildarts without even using magic. It was crazy."

"He was known for that. To this day, no one knows what kind of magic he used. He was probably the most mysterious member of Fairy Tail, even more so than Mystogan was. That's probably why you couldn't find any records on him. Whenever Reedus tried to paint him, Aiyum always tore up the painting." she chuckled. "It was always an ongoing battle between those two, Reedus sketching out his face, then Aiyum tracking it down and destroying it."

Lucy cracked a sly grin. "Sounds entertaining."

Mira's eyes glittered in reminiscence. "Oh they were endearing! I always looked up to him, as did most of the other people in the guild."

"Did he have a team? Surely they would send someone like Gildarts with him to keep the guy restrained if anything were to happen on a job." Lucy asked.

"He had a teammate, alright." Mira said. "It was me. He was the only reason that I made it to S-Class as early as I did. Every year the trials took place, he would reject Makarov's offer until I made it. He was so sweet to do that. He always used to say, 'You and I, we're in this together. I'm not leaving you.'"

"He sounds like a great guy."

"He was the best friend I've ever had." Mira's voice cracked as she closed her eyes to prevent more tears from coming out, to no avail. "But now he-he's gone…"

X...X...X

They stopped conversing and listened to the soft pattering of the rain upon the grass and stone. The sorrow hung in the air like an unbearable tension, weighing them down in this rut.

Mira's face darkened as she looked downwards, towards the soggy earth. Puddles of rainwater had started to appear, the pure water mixing with the earthy soil, combining and swirling together to create a dark puddle, reflecting the thundering sky.

"You want to know what happened to him, dont you?", the sad wizard asked.

Lucy looked over. She smiled comfortingly to her usually benevolent friend. "You don't have to," she replied. "I know it would hurt to say."

"No." she stated firmly. "I want to. You're my friend and one of the only guild member that doesn't know. So I'll tell you. Actually, it's better to show you." Mira reached down into her satchel and produced the memory analyzer that Elfman had used earlier, along with the dark purple bow that they had to access Mira's memories. She placed the shiny, silver disk onto Aiyum's grave, now slick with rainwater. She held the bow above it, and a memory was produced in the form of a green aura screen.

A goth-clad Mira ran through the forest, followed closely by a white-haired teenager in a tattered robe. Aiyum. His blindfold was soaked with sweat. The forest looked familiar to Lucy, like she had been there before.

"Is that… Tenrou Island?" Lucy asked, turning away from the screen. Mira nodded.

The autumn-esque landscape was a dead giveaway. White granite underfoot, the two adolescents romped their way throughout the woods. It looked to be a couple of years after the other memory that Elfman had shown her. Aiyum had to have been about seventeen, and Lucy already knew that Mira was a year behind him in age, so she was sixteen. This wasn't just a trip to Tenrou Island, though. This was an S-Class trial. One that he and Mira passed, by Lucy's deductions. She knew that Mira passed her S-Class trial when she was sixteen, because Erza always held it over her head that she got it when she was fifteen, a year before Mirajane.

Memory-Mira turned around to Aiyum. "Hurry up, you lug! We have to find that grave before the others do!" Lucy had forgotten how aggressive Mirajane was back before Lisanna had disappeared. "How slow can you be?!"

Between pants, he called back, grudgingly, "Sorry..you know… I hate… running!" He looked as if he was about to keel over.

Frustrated, she argued back. "You take on Gildarts and Laxus together on the daily! And now you're telling me you can't handle a little run?! Pathetic!"

Their bickering ensued as they kept making their way through. Lucy could tell how close the two were, solely by the way they kept relentlessly insulting each other. In fact, the two of them reminded her a lot of herself and Natsu.

Breaking her away from the memory once again, Mira said, "We partnered up for a mission a couple years before this, and that's how we met. I had always looked up to him, and I was genuinely astonished that he needed my help for any job. We found out that we worked really well together on that job, after saving each other's lives about a hundred times." She let out a slight giggle. "Despite all the all the arguing you just saw." She turned back to the screen. "We brought the best out of each other."

Lucy looked back at the memory as well. Young Mira had stopped running. The two had come up upon a large cave, with a bright light shining at the end of it.

"The grave," Aiyum said. "That's gotta be it. I can feel the magic power from here."

A satisfied grin ran across Mira's determined face. "Let's go win this thing."

They took off on a full-out sprint, their energy revitalized by the promise of success. They quickly got through the dank tunnel. By the time they had fully travelled it, the white light had turned blinding. They stopped at the entrance.

Aiyum turned to his partner. He gestured comically towards the hole in the wall. "After you, m'lady."

Mira rolled her eyes and scoffed lightheartedly as they approached the gravesite of Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion. The yard was beautiful, dozens of tangled roots forming a cocoon to protect the First Master. White gravel crunched underfoot, with green and orange grass sprouting up in patches all around. Tree limbs hung down, adding foliage to the environment. This was truly a grave suited for a fairy.

But as they lumbered further into the yard, something happened of which they did not expect. A large source of black energy exploded in between them and Mavis' headstone. Tendrils of black electricity shot out from the large, explosive sphere in front of them. The pair put up their arms to shield their faces from the attack. They gritted their teeth and held their stances firmly, trying to defend against all this power. Their previously happy demeanor had shifted into utter seriousness in a heartbeat.

As the sphere dissipated, a figure stood in the center of where it once was. A ring of once white rock now remained as scorched earth. The figure was tall and slender, with a poised position. The dust settled more, and it was revealed that this was no man- it looked much more menacing. Black licks of hair swathed every inch of it's body, excluding its face and hands.

"A vulcan!" Aiyum cried. "But how did a vulcan get on Tenrou island?!"

He was answered by a depp, collected voice, which was unusual for vulcans, for they were creatures that relied heavily on instinct rather than sophisticated thought. "You need not ask questions of which you will receive no answers. I defy all, for I am not supposed to exist in the first place."

He was right. There were no such things as black vulcans, especially none that were intelligent thinkers. The ape-like creature spoke once more. "I defy all logic, as you will see." He held out his arm, and as he did so, a black bow appeared, shimmering into existence. "This is a death bow," It explained. "Whomever is pierced by its arrow shall become one with death, no matter how powerful a wizard they are." As he drew the weapon, a menacing-looking arrow appeared on the string.

There was utter silence. The tip of the arrow wasn't aimed at any one target yet; it seemed like the thing was trying to decide who to fight first. The furrowed brow of the primate beaded with sweat from holding so much magic power in such a tight form, but he didn't falter once.

In the tension, the silence was broken by some slight giggling. Both the vulcan and Aiyum turned their heads towards the source, puzzled. Her giggling had turned into a full-out, hearty laugh. Mira stared the creature down. "We're two near S-Class wizards. Your puny arrows don't scare us." The archer grit his teeth. "Not to mention we're from Fairy Tail, the strongest wizard guild in Fiore. You're trespassing on our guild's sacred grounds." She started to transform into her Satan Soul. Her voice deepened as she did. "So if I were you," she said, licking her lips in anticipation, "I'd start running."

Even looking at the memory, Lucy was intimidated. She had forgotten just how scary Mira was back before they had crossed paths.

The vulcan didn't share Lucy's reaction. It stood calmly, still wielding it's weapon and pointing it towards her. "You will be the first to die," it called out in it's deep voice. It was scary how collected this seemingly primitive being was. As the beast finished it's sentence, it released the arrow, propelling forwards at breakneck speeds.

Although it was fast, the Satan Soul was faster. She easily dodged the black projectile, letting it whiz past and into the trunk of a tree. As soon as the tip sank into the mighty hardwood's bark, the tree withered, eventually breaking down into black magic dust that floated up with the coming breeze.

Aiyum witnessed this and called out to his combat-engaged partner. "Watch out, Mira. This guy means business."

She was in midair, dodging volley after volley of these arrows, slowly making her way towards her adversary. She reciprocated in her demonic voice. "Instead of offering battle tips, why don't you come over here and help me out?!" An arrow flew past her shoulder.

"Nah, you got this," he casually replied. "I'm gonna just hang out and enjoy the show." He sat down and placed his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. He was grinning.

"Ugh, you are impossible!" She closed the gap to a mere couple of feet between her and the archer. Right as she was about to decimate her enemy, a black magic circle appeared under her her feet, at least fifteen feet in diameter. "Uh oh," she said, as a sphere of black magic similar to the one earlier sent her flying back onto her tail.

Aiyum, seeing this, decided it was time to intervene. He stood up and got ready to fight.

"It's about time!" Mira called in exasperation. "What kind of teammate are you?"

Lucy could tell he wanted to lash back, but it was time for business. He was completely focused on the fight, and nothing could tear him away from it. He charged the vulcan. Dodging arrows without the help of any magic, Lucy wondered how he could evade every one with a blindfold on. Right as he was a few feet away from the attacker, he jumped up, and right on time, too. Below the blindfolded wizard was the same spell that had just zapped Mira. As gravity pulled him downwards, the sphere vanished, to reveal an unsuspecting vulcan, just waiting to get punched. This would be the time of battle that Natsu would scream something ridiculous as he was about to hit, but Aiyum remained completely silent, a stern look on his face. This was nothing like the wisecracking mage a from a few moments ago. He connected a strong kick to the back of the creature's head, crumpling it to the ground. Aiyum had knocked it out with one blow.

MIrajane turned back into her old self, letting the Satan Soul sink back into the depths of her magic power. She walked over and stood next to Aiyum, examining the rare monster that lay before them. She nudged it with her foot to make sure that it was down for the count. "Now that you're done showing off, let's go do the thing that we were supposed to have been doing."

The two of them walked towards the grave, which consisted of multiple, rectangular-shaped rocks with a small bit of magic flame burning in the center of it.

"Do we just… touch the flame?" Aiyum suggested, puzzled.

"I guess so. Let's do it." she replied.

"Together?"

"Together."

He grabbed her hand and looked at her. Blood rushed to her pale face as turned it pink. The mage smirked as he moved their hands to the flare of heat. A foot away. Six inches. Three. Two.

Just as their fingers were licked by a tendril of fire, both of their magic auras began to glow. Mira's was a dark pink, almost purple, whereas Aiyum's was a vast array of different colors, shifting, growing, and shrinking erratically. It looked as if the different colors were vying for dominance, but did so in complete and total harmony.

They stepped backwards, the flame growing steadily brighter. It grew enough so that it engulfed the entire tombstone. It became hard to look at, so much so that Mirajane had to avert her eyes. Obviously, Aiyum didn't have that problem. The fire continued to enlarge, until suddenly, it drew in on itself, reverting back to its previous size. Two giant pillars of light erupted from the stone, each of the wizard's respective auras.

"It's a beacon," Mira said, looking up in awe.

"We did it," Aiyum responded in satisfaction. He stared into her eyes. "Together."

They hadn't let go of each other's hands yet. He squeezed hers tighter as they admired the symbol of their accomplishment.

Mira took comfort in the slight pressure that his hand was imposing on hers. They stood there for a couple of minutes, transfixed on the hypnotic shafts of magic power that were shooting up into the quickly fading sunlight. This is perfect, she thought.

As soon as that thought had entered her mind, Mira felt Aiyum's grip slacken. She turned around to see him looking down at his chest in disbelief. In the center of his upper abdomen, a foreign object protruded forwards. It was the tip of a black arrow that had sank all the way through his torso. The vulcan had, in it's final moments, came to and put all his magic power into one final arrow. The monster was now turning into black dust, shimmering away into the air.

Aiyum groaned, still standing.

"Dammit," He said, falling backwards onto the ground.