OOF It's the last update of the year!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Thirteen

Devious

Bora stroked his chin slowly, completely ignoring the raucous noise of the tavern in Magnolia. He was thinking, and it was never good when a man like him was thinking.

"Can I get you something, Bora?" a woman named Jenny asked, batting her eyelashes.

Bora slowly raised his eyes to look at her but sighed. "Not tonight."

A sickeningly sweet smile pulled on her face as she nodded and turned from him. That smile fell to a grimace the moment she turned. "I'll kill that Mirajane."

"I heard that," Bora called out as she walked away.

Mirajane had been gone for a long while, much too long for Bora's liking. Ever since his hunting trip with Elfman, Bora had been stumped on the whole situation. It was impossible that some monster took his Mirajane away from him. Elfman was simply making excuses for where she was.

Bora found it hard to think with all of the garbled chatter and the eyes of a certain blacksmith burnings holes into Bora's head. As if he could read Bora's mind, the tall, burly man downed the rest of his drink and marched over to Bora. A wide, toothy grin splashed over the menacing man's soot-covered face.

A low chuckle erupted from his throat. "I don't like the way you're lookin' at me." He kicked the footrest from under Bora's feet.

Bora looked like a cocky new recruit that didn't quite have respect for the veterans. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Gajeel? I am always pleased to see that ugly mug of yours around the tavern."

Gajeel sneered at the man. He simply wanted to relax at the tavern by himself for once, but the moment was ruined when Bora stomped in. "I've got a problem with you." His shadow covered Bora.

"And what is that? Don't you have swords or whatever to be making?"

Gajeel growled and lifted Bora to his feet by the collar of his shirt. "You know damn well why I have a problem with you." His voice was gravelly, like two stones grating against each other. "I don't like how you're pokin' your nose in the Strauss family business. They're good people that don't deserve your harassment."

Bora pushed Gajeel back. He was much to close for Bora's liking. Unfortunately for Bora, Gajeel was much taller and stronger than the lieutenant. Gajeel barely budged and simply got more enraged.

"You don't know one thing about my love for Miss Mirajane Strauss." The people in the tavern started to quiet down and pay attention to the rising conflict. "Those peasants are hiding her from me. She and I are engaged!"

"Those 'peasants' are her siblings, and they aren't hiding her from you. Enough with the paranoid jabber." Gajeel smirked, knowing the truth from Levy. Bora was a lunatic that, sadly, no one seemed to see. Gajeel leaned down in a quiet voice. "We both know the truth. You threatened Mirajane into marriage, which really was a poor decision on your part. It would never work."

Bora swung his fist at Gajeel, but it did not connect to the blacksmith's jaw. A boisterous howl escaped Gajeel as he held Bora's fist from its intended target. "That was a mistake."

As Bora recoiled from the sickening crunch that was Gajeel's fist to Bora's face, it all clicked. Gajeel had actually knocked some sense into Bora, but not in a good way. When his head knocked on the wooden floor, his plan was solidified. Bora was dazed as he dragged himself off of the floor. He couldn't even be bothered by the tavern brawl that erupted from Gajeel's solid punch.

This would work. Bora's new plan was perfect. It was positively… devious.

Bora was getting nowhere with Elfman, but the brute had mentioned something about a beast. There are no such things as beasts stealing away maidens into the woods. That was the stuff of fairy tales.

Elfman was convinced that Mirajane was taken away by some beast and a castle. He was telling the truth, or at least what he thought was the truth. That was what Elfman told him at gunpoint. Only an insane person would believe that.

Lisanna, on the other hand, was much harder to reach. Every time Bora would try to approach her, she would run away. Bora would have to try harder to interrogate her. Lisanna would tell the truth under the right circumstances. If she told the truth, then he could finally find Mirajane. If she told the same insane story as Elfman… well, that would be hitting two birds with one stone.

"What are you smilin' at, Bora?" Gajeel growled.

"I'd like to thank you," Bora smirked, his swelling cheekbone closing one of his eyes. "I've been inspired by a barbarian like you."

"Who are you callin' barbarian?!" Gajeel shouted, getting riled up all over again. "If anyone's a barbarian here, it's you!"

Bora took a step back, allowing two large men who looked ready to fight to approach Gajeel with raised fists. This made Gajeel trapped in the growing brawl. "I've grown tired. A gentleman should never fight with someone beneath him. I think I'll let them finish this fight for me. Have at him, boys."

Lisanna hummed a little song as she walked the streets of Magnolia. Unbeknownst to her, a wolfish gleam filled the eyes that followed her.

Bora waited for his moment to speak with the youngest Strauss sibling. That exact moment seemed like the perfect time. Bora slowly followed a blissfully humming Lisanna, waiting for her guard to drop.

Unlike Mirajane, Lisanna lacked that air-tight cunning that the eldest sibling possessed. Mirajane was always on her toes and always had an answer. Lisanna, on the other hand, was quite naive. It wasn't her fault, though. Mirajane was the one that had to fight for her family at all times while Lisanna got a much easier ride than the latter. Lisanna was never seen as odd or brash or temperamental or whatever harsh word was used. In fact, Lisanna was seen in a completely different light than Mirajane. The girl was gentle and demure for the most part, yet she did mirror that infamous spunk that Mirajane claimed.

The Strauss siblings had always been such a… a peculiar group in Magnolia. The trio of orphaned siblings arrived in Magnolia with Porlyusica when Mirajane was just seven. Ever since then, she had been the main gossip of the town. Elfman, her brother four years her younger, had always been shy in the eyes of the public. Lisanna, the youngest by six years, was the most "normal" of the group.

"I suppose the rumors are true." Bora's smooth as silk voice caused Lisanna to cease humming and stop in her tracks. "I had heard that Miss Lisanna Strauss, always humming, had a voice comparable to an angel. While I've never heard you sing, you do hum like a songbird."

She craned her neck over her shoulder, one of her short pigtails tickling the fabric of her dress. Lisanna looked like a doe staring down the barrel of a gun, ready to sprint to safety at any moment.

"I beg your pardon?" she responded. When he responded with an even wider smile, Lisanna turned to leave. "If you'll excuse me-"

"Such nice manners," Bora chuckled, catching up to her and putting his body in the way of hers. "Mira should take some lessons from you."

"You don't get to call her Mira."

Bora ran his tongue against his cheek. "You should just like that coward, Elfman."

"What do you want, Bora?" Lisanna asked, annoyance lacing her voice. Despite her sweet demeanor, Lisanna could hold her ground like her older sister. "I should know better than to respond to you. You are nothing but trouble."

"Vexation does not suit you, fair Lisanna. Mirajane does it much better, much more charming." Lisanna narrowed her eyes at him, glaring. "I only wish to know where Mirajane is. You tell me, and I'll leave you to your… frolicking or whatever you were doing."

"I've been told you already know where Mira is." Lisanna put on a brave face. Bora had to applaud her backbone. "Mira is traveling to the Kingdom of Stella."

Lisanna suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Bora certainly wasn't an intimidating person, but he radiated something unnerving. This conniving man knew something. He was simply toying with her. It was apparent.

"You know, that brother of yours said the exact thing." His shadow hovered over Lisanna. "I want to believe you, but… I just know that's not true. You see, I've been given a little morsel of information by Elfman that just proves that your story is a cover-up. Tell me about 'the beast.' Tell me the truth."

She found that speaking was near impossible. Elfman had not told her that Bora somehow pried the truth from him. What would she say now? What even was the truth? Lisanna was not there. As much as she desperately wanted to believe Elfman, the story was just too fantastical. Was she expected to believe that Mirajane was actually taken prisoner by a beast? The truth was that she wanted to believe Elfman. She begged herself every single day since Mirajane disappeared to believe that he was right.

"What did he tell you?"

"Elfman told me that Mirajane was taken by a hideous, evil beast."

She swallowed hard. "Then that is the truth. I was not there, Bora."

Bora shook his head. It was perfect. With Lisanna backing up her brother, she too could be taken out in one fell swoop. It was almost perfect. Lisanna did not look convinced herself. Her lips pressed hard into a thin line. Bora supposed that Elfman was good enough, but why not toy with young Lisanna's confusion.

"If you were not there, then how do you know the truth? I'll answer for you. You don't. You rely on the word of your brother?"

"I do."

"Even if it is straight out of a fairy tale book?"

Lisanna paused. Her eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. This gave away her raging emotions hidden behind her still face. Just like Mirajane, Lisanna told her true emotions through her eyes. "I will not speak to you anymore, Bora. Good day."

It was so quiet in the Strauss cottage even though there were people to make noise. Lisanna scowled to herself at the thought that everything was worse without Mirajane. She wanted to deny it, but it was true. Mirajane was the heart and soul of the Strauss family. She was the glue that kept Elfman together. She was the anchor that told Lisanna that they were going to be okay.

Elfman and Lisanna were not okay. There was nothing that Levy and Gajeel could do to make it better. They didn't realize that they were so dependent until she was gone.

"Lisanna, I didn't hear you come in," Levy chirped, dropping the cool rag from Gajeel's face.

"Gajeel, what happened?" Lisanna asked.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled. His eye was swollen shut, and his lip was busted open. "You should see the other guys."

Lisanna wanted to hear more from the pair, but her attention was drawn on the slumped figure at the table.

"Elfman."

He didn't respond.

Elfman had been spiraling into disarray. The longer that he spent this time couped up in that cottage, the more problematic he became. He had tired Lisanna's patience.

"Elfman!"

"What?" He had yet to raise his head.

"Look at me!"

Once again, the Strauss cottage was eerily silent. The two siblings stared at each other venomously, disgust oozing from Lisanna and annoyance from Elfman. Levi and Gajeel snapped their heads to Lisanna's plea for attention.

Lisanna had to breathe before speaking because she had forgotten to while glaring at her older brother. "I have been on your side from the beginning, but I am starting to lose faith in your little story. How- How could Mirajane be taken by a monster? Monsters aren't real, Elfman. I want to believe you so bad!" Lisanna's arms were flailing. It was like all the pent up emotions were pouring out at once. "But- But- There's no proof! We have been sitting here for- God knows long- doing absolutely nothing! If you know where she is, why have we not gone to save her! The only explanation is-" She closed her hands into a fist and slammed the wall in frustration. "The only explanation is that you lied, Elfman! Something else happened to her sp that we can't get her back!"

Her voice rang through the cottage in a way that it had never before. Elfman simply narrowed his eyes at her. Levy quickly rose to her feet and put a hand on Lisanna's shoulder which was hastily shook off.

"Lisanna-" Levy tried to console.

"No! Levy, you are a smart woman. Do you really believe Elfman? That- That a monster took our sister!"

"You don't believe me?" Elfman ground out.

"I want to! I so dearly want to!" Disheartened tears spilled from her eyes. "I need proof! Please, I can't live like this!"

"It's real, Lisanna. I wish it wasn't, but it is. You need to take my word." Elfman ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "That beast haunts my every nightmare."

"I need to take your word?" Lisanna said slowly. "I need to take your word?!"

"Lisanna…" Levy tried to interject.

"I refuse to sit around when we can go help her!" Lisanna screamed, her temper peaking. "How can you call yourself a Strauss man?! All you do is mope, and I'm sick of it! I'm going to get our sister whether you help me or not! I will not let fear be an obstacle!"

"I'm not afraid!" Elfman argued.

"Oh really?! You could have fooled me!"

"Where is all of this coming from?!" Elfman shouted back.

Lisanna paused. Her shoulders heaved as she attempted to calm herself down. It took a moment for her raging heart to slow to a more steady pace. Lisanna's chest ached. She didn't want to fight Elfman like this, but sometimes this was the only way to get something into his thick skull.

"I'm so tired," Lisanna whispered. "I think it's time to take this into our own hands."

Greetings

How did you like this Magnolia/Lisanna centric update. It had been some time since the last time I had given a hint at how they were doing. Lisanna was the focus instead of Elfman. To be completely honest, canon Lisanna really doesn't have much personality in my opinion. It's hard to work with that, so I gave her my own spin. Lisanna is the too-polite-to-say-anything-until-she-can't-take-it-anymore type.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2020!

Side Note: I'm thinking of copying some of my work over to AO3. Thoughts?

Peace ;-)