A/N: This chapter's a little shorter than the others. Mostly filler and fluff, a little background, a little less crazy. We're slowly getting there, folks. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Laxus is just so awkward it's adorable.

Part 3

"'cus she's so high, high above me, she's so lovely
She's so high, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite
She's so high, high above me"
-High Above Me, Tal Bachman


Their father took Lisanna once and locked her in a closet for two days. He only left a flap where Mirajane could push food through two times a day. Mirajane had begged to trade places with her sister, but the only thing she got for her efforts was a backhand across her face that left the room spinning.

That second day was the first day Elfman had gotten so angry he beat his father up. It was the first time it had happened, and it was enough to make their father realize that it was no longer possible to bully his children. Mirajane was 16 at the time, Elfman 15 and Lisanna 14.

After that, he distanced himself with his children and retreated to alcohol and verbal and psychological abuse.

But by then, the damage had already been done.

Mirajane had always taken the majority of the beatings for her siblings, always telling their father to triple everything so he wouldn't hit her siblings. As a result, she often wore hoodies or long sleeved shirts to cover up most of her body. Her siblings always felt guilty, and she would only smile through her bruises and cuts and tears and say, "As long as I can see your smiling faces, I can take anything from him."

They were each other's companions through childhood.

Mirajane went to Makarov when she was 12 and begged for a job. Makarov refused at first, but after her persistent pleading, he gave in and allowed her to re-stock shelves, passing her off as his granddaughter who helped him sometimes, and paid her under the table. Eventually the odd little girl grew on him, and he helped her open a bank account so she could deposit her money there. When she turned 16, the first thing she did was apply for a work license and officially applied to Fairy Tail.

A little after Mirajane started working for Makarov, she eventually divulged the truth behind her family life, and Makarov opened the bar to her and her siblings. The bar and grill happened to be a hangout spot for many children their age, so the siblings wouldn't look too out of place.

Elfman and Lisanna would be invited to join in the games with the other children, but they loyally stuck by her side. She would tell them to go, but they refused to leave her side. Instead, the siblings would sit quietly in a booth, sipping water or working on homework. No one cared much about Mirajane. They didn't know whether she was male or female because of the way she dressed, and they never saw more than the occasional glimpse of her face.

Sometime during her junior year of high school, when her father finally stopped beating on them, her bruises healed for the first time in years and she mustered up the courage to wear a nicer outfit – jeans and a t-shirt.

It was almost ironic how no one recognized her at first, but Erza Scarlet eventually made her way over to the Strauss siblings and before she knew it, Mirajane had made her first and best friend outside of her family.


Mirajane blinked into consciousness and the first thing she saw was light.

She must have groaned or made a sound, because she heard movement and various exclamations of relief.

Her siblings appeared into view, their eyes red from crying.

"H-Hey," She coughed, her throat dry and scratchy.

A cup of water almost instantaneously appeared by her side, and she realized Erza was there as well. "We were worried, but the doctors said you were just exhausted and recovering." The redhead informed her.

Mirajane gulped the water down. "I'm glad you two are okay," She said to her siblings, reaching out to hold them. They gladly fell into her arms, and she patted them on the head, stroking their hair to calm them down like she used to when they were little and scared.

She looked around, wondering who was missing, when the door opened and Laxus stepped through the door. He looked tired, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

Upon seeing that she was awake, he flashed her a quick smile. "Finally up, your royal highness?"

She smiled in return, seeing the relief in his eyes. "It's about time."

"I'm not man enough to protect you," Elfman stated dejectedly.

Mirajane frowned. "It's not your fault sweetie. You know he's probably been stalking us to figure out when we're the most vulnerable. If anything, he's scared of you. You're the man of the house, after all."

He didn't look convinced, but he let it go.

"Sis?" Lisanna asked timidly.

"What is it sweetheart?" She asked tenderly, running her fingers though her sister's hair to make sure she wasn't hurt or injured.

"D-did the demon come out?" Her sister whispered.

Mirajane 'hmmm'd thoughtfully, then commented, "I honestly don't remember much after I told you to left. The next thing I knew, he was on the ground and the police arrived, so I guess so. But you know that I would never hurt you guys."

Elfman nodded affirmatively and Lisanna looked outraged that the thought would even cross their older sister's mind. "You're just like those moms who summon superhero strength when their kids are in danger!" The youngest Strauss quipped.

At that, Mirajane laughed softly. "And nobody messes with my kids."


Mirajane was forced to stay in the hospital for two nights to recuperate.

She tried to console herself by telling herself that it could have been worse and she could have had broken bones.

It worked for all of maybe thirty seconds.

Groaning in frustration (because she was a responsible older sister and sent her siblings to school by telling them that they could visit her after school and that staying with her in the hospital was not an acceptable excuse for ditching no matter how sweet and endearing they were), she laid back down and attempted to get some sleep.

"I'm surprised you haven't broken out by now," A familiar voice commented.

She opened her eyes and immediately found Laxus leaning against the doorway, an amused expression on his face.

"Leave me to die," She moaned.

"I didn't know Mirajane Strauss could be so grumpy. It's actually kind of adorable if you think about it," He commented with a grin, making his way over to the unoccupied chair next to her bed.

"You're not the one stuck here for two nights," She tried to glare at him but it was too much effort.

"And look at you, down one night with one more to go."

She pouted.


Laxus wasn't sure how on earth she could be any more adorable. He inwardly shuddered at the usage of the word, but there really was no other way to put it.

He had been furious when Lisanna burst into the bar, and that fury quickly turned into concern that melted into some sort of desperation and before he knew it, he was kissing her and she was soft and supple in his arms and she was kissing him back and she tasted like honey and all he wanted was to keep kissing her. When she whispered, "I'm okay," he felt the worry literally melt off of him and he pulled back, looking her in the eye, seeing the worry for him, and all he could do was pull her back to him, brushing his lips against her forehead, murmuring, "I'm glad."

By the time they arrived at the hospital, she was unconscious in his arms, but there was a peaceful look on her face, so he reluctantly let the medics settle her down on the gurney before they wheeled her away to get her checked up.

Lisanna and Elfman burst into the hospital about ten minutes later, with Erza, Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen at their heels.

Laxus told them the room number and the seven of them took over the chairs in the hallway, waiting for the doctor to report on Mirajane's condition. Thankfully, she wasn't in terrible shape, and she only needed to stay two nights for observation and recovery.

The nurses told the group that as long as they were quiet and didn't disrupt the other patients that they could see her. Laxus watched everyone else follow the two siblings into the room, leaving him to his thoughts.

"U-u-um L-Laxus?" A timid voice called, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He looked up and saw Lisanna standing nervously.

"Yeah kid?" He responded.

"Um. C-Could you come here for a second? Elfman and I need to tell you guys something." The youngest Strauss murmured nervously, her voice quiet as she gestured to the room.

"Are you going to tell us what you meant by your demon comment?" Erza asked once Laxus stepped inside and closed the door.

Lisanna exchanged a look with Elfman and the male Strauss nodded. "This only happened once before, but… sis is pretty protective of us."

"We already know that," Evergreen pointed out, but she was shushed by Freed.

"This is the only way I can put this… you know how you sometimes read about articles where a family gets into a car accident and the mom suddenly gets superhero strength to lift the car up to save her kids? That's kind of what we're referring to with the demon, except when it happens to Mira, she gets really scary. We know she'll never hurt us, but when she goes into demon mode she even scared our dad."

"She doesn't remember what happens though, but it's like it's against her genetic code to hurt us or something. Our sis is more of a man than our so-called father." Elfman elaborated.

"That might explain why that man was suddenly so cooperative with police by the time I got there…" Laxus commented thoughtfully.


Keeping a bored Mirajane company was certainly an experience.

Had she been anyone else, he was certain he would've been bored, but because it was her he was simply amused.

He had wandered into the children's ward and found a video game counsel and had hooked up the system to the television set in her room.

She had never played videogames before, and so he attempted to teach her how to play Mario Kart.

Key word: attempted.

"No! Princess Peach!" Mirajane squealed, frantically pressing buttons as she tried to steer her character away from her opponents.

Meanwhile, Laxus had given up trying to teach her how to play and he simply sat back, laughing. His controller sat at the edge of her bed, untouched.

"How do I use a special move?!" She demanded.

"You have to drive through one of those boxes first, sweetheart," He pointed out, grinning as she drove around it, mistaking it for an obstacle.


Laxus couldn't remember the last time he was this entertained. She really was something.

After a couple rounds and almost throwing her controller at the T.V., the nurse came in with pain medication.

The medication knocked her out shortly, and now she was resting peacefully on the bed.

"You are such a sweet boyfriend! She's lucky to have you!" The nurse smiled at him as she checked Mirajane's stats.

"It's the other way around," He muttered awkwardly as the nurse left.


End part 3.