The Beautiful Thing About Princes and Queens
by Lady Norbert
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! :D I don't actually know if what Mirajane says in this chapter about her living arrangements is accurate, but everything I've seen seems to support such an idea so I decided to go with it.
Chapter Four: Tempted to Try
Much as he loves Fairy Tail, Mystogan is feeling the call of the outdoors again. He needs to get a job and get back on the road. Emotions are much too complicated. He'd prefer to stay away from them, especially because his suspicions are growing steadily stronger; he is becoming more and more convinced that his time in Earth-land is beginning to come to an end. The Anima over Magnolia is growing stronger; he has done everything in his power to suppress it, but it may not be enough.
At the same time, much as he believes he needs to get away from the source of his inconvenient feelings, he's reluctant to leave.
He has been here a week, observing the comings and goings of his guildmates. He lingers in the shadows, watching, listening. The rest of Fairy Tail pay him little mind, if any. They are used to his absence; his presence is not very different. That's perfectly all right with him.
What is not all right is what he's hearing about Oración Seis and the growing danger they present to the other guilds in Fiore. Master Makarov is at work on a plan to deal with it; he trusts the master to handle the matter. The guild only has six members, so he can't go disable their outposts as he did with Phantom Lord. But he needs to help somehow, and since he's not being included in the plans for an offense, he will do what he can for defense.
He will stay a little longer, and make sure the guild hall is well protected. He can do that much.
They call this union the Light Guilds. Fairy Tail is joining forces with Blue Pegasus, Cait Shelter, and Lamia Scale to combat Oración Seis. Those members of Fairy Tail who will participate in the offensive have departed, leaving Mystogan in the company of only a handful of others. A scant few have taken jobs and gone elsewhere; the others remain.
Mirajane, he has noticed, never takes a job. She organizes the request boards, leaves the guild hall to buy supplies or run other errands, but seems to have no need of the magical employment. Prior to the Battle of Fairy Tail, this was comprehensible to him; she had lost most of her powers due to the shock of losing her sister, and most jobs would simply be too dangerous. But with her take-over magic now back within her control, she could take any S-Class job she wanted.
He watches as she pins a new assignment to the board on the second floor, and decides it won't hurt anything to ask. Or at least, that's what he tells himself.
"Why don't you go?"
She gasps, and spins around in surprise, evidently having believed herself alone. She doesn't seem necessarily displeased to see him, but he feels a bit guilty for not having announced his presence sooner. "What do you mean?"
"You could handle any job on the board."
"Oh!" Now she understands the question, and her demeanor becomes instantly cheerful again. "To be honest, I like being here. You know, taking care of things in the guild hall, especially when Master is away. I think I'm needed here more than I am on any of the jobs."
He tilts his head, studying her. "Yes, I think you're right," he says.
"Since I couldn't go on jobs for so long," she adds by way of explanation, "Master let me take a permanent position here in the hall. So I don't need to go on the jobs to support myself. Elfman goes out sometimes, but we actually live here, so we don't have rent expenses like Lucy and some of the others. That lets me be on hand to help take care of everyone else."
She has so much strength, and he doubts whether she even knows how strong she really is. The living, beating heart of Fairy Tail is standing in front of him. He wonders how many of the guild members would have given up without her sweetness and support.
"We do need that," he says. His voice is low; he doesn't like the idea of possibly being overheard, even if there are few in the hall to do the overhearing. "The guild has many wizards, with many different skills and powers. But we only have one Mirajane, and Fairy Tail wouldn't be the same without her. Maker of meals, singer of songs. You're always there when we need you. I hope you know how much -" He stops before he can say what he has forbidden himself to say. "- how grateful we all are."
Her cheeks are faintly flushed, just a dusting of pink, and she giggles. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at one time, Mystogan."
"Very likely." She probably can't see it behind his concealing cowl, but he is smiling at her.
Mystogan once told Porlyusica that he wants to believe in the existence of a sacred light which guides all things, which can outshine all the anger and sadness in the world.
In truth, he does believe in such a light. He's fairly certain that even if it doesn't exist anywhere else, he has seen it in Mirajane's eyes.
He is down in the cafe area the following day when something happens which, in its own small way, changes everything.
As usual, a fight breaks out. He doesn't know who starts it, or why; this is such a common occurence that those who aren't directly involved don't even think much about it. Mirajane is up on the balcony, above the cafe, and he sees her chuckle and shake her head.
And suddenly, it's as if everything slows down, from his perception at least.
As a glass flies through the air, Bisca playfully lifts her rifle to shoot it down. But her aim goes wild when Alzack is knocked into her from behind, and the shot instead takes out a beam underneath the balcony. It buckles from lack of support, and the startled Mirajane goes over the railing. Her shriek is largely drowned out by the ruckus of the brawl, and she has been caught too off-guard to transform in midair.
Mystogan doesn't hesitate. He's on his feet and brandishing one of his staves before he can even think about what he's doing. Air magic has many useful qualities, one of them being that he can levitate; he is impossibly fast, almost too fast even to see, as he propels his body forward and up, and the fight is brought to an unexpected conclusion by everyone turning to watch as his feet return to the floor, Mirajane cradled in his arms.
"Sis!" Elfman pushes his way over to them, looking shamefaced. "I didn't - I didn't realize - a real man would have made sure you were safe! I'm sorry! Mystogan's more of a man than I am!"
"I'm all right, Elfman," she assures him, as Mystogan sets her on her feet.
"Oh, Mira, I'm so sorry!" Bisca joins them, looking even guiltier than Elfman.
"It was an accident, Bisca, really, it's fine!"
Mystogan has backed up, letting everyone see for themselves that she's unharmed, but she turns to look at him and all their gazes follow.
"Thank you so much, Mystogan," Mirajane says. Her voice is polite, but... puzzled. The room is so silent, and there's a palpable tension. It's strange; he feels almost as though they can see through his wrappings and layers of fabric.
Do they know? he wonders. He doesn't want them to know, or guess, or even suspect. He doesn't want to put her through this. She will feel compelled to 'let him down easy,' and he knows she is too tenderhearted not to ache over that; or, arguably worse, she may come to find that she reciprocates his feelings - and he will hurt her by his leaving.
He lifts a hand. Whether he is waving off her expression of gratitude, or waving goodbye, or both at the same time, even he isn't sure. But he needs to get away, and the teleportation happens almost before he is fully conscious of his own actions.