She was just an ordinary little girl.

She is the oldest of three. She has a little brother and a baby sister. They are adorable and she is sure her parents think that way too.

"Mira! Come help me out in the kitchen okay?"

"Coming!" She would say as she ran into the kitchen to help her mother. It was how she picked up her love for cooking. She got it from her mother.

Her family is not rich, just well-off enough to not need to worry about their three meals and enough to have a roof over their heads. Her father is a magical beast hunter with an affinity for Transformation Magic, something that her villagers seem to fear for reasons unknown. It can be seen from how they view their family and her whenever they walk around the village. She may be young, but she can tell from the look in their eyes.

"It's fine, Mira." Her father would say as she sat on his lap and listened to him sing. Sometimes he would pick up the guitar and play a song or two for her, mother, and their siblings. "It doesn't matter if someone is a demon or human, what makes them good or evil is in what their heart is made of. Likewise, having magic doesn't necessarily mean I am evil or our family is evil."

"Even if the villagers don't like you? Even if they don't like the fact that you can use magic? They are scared of us!"

"Magic or not, it is important to love yourself, Mira." Her father would say as she tapped where her heart is with his finger. "If you have magic, it is a part of you. If you don't have magic, it is also a part of you. To be happy, you have to love what you are no matter what you may be. True love is to accept what is within than to judge one based on their exterior."

She didn't get her father's words back then. She didn't get it until she met a certain lazy, socially awkward, yet adorable man that she cannot help but fall in love with eventually after he saved her.

Her father would play her many tunes that she can still remember by heart. Her father was the one who taught her how to sing and how to play the guitar. It was how she picked up her love for music. She got it from her father.

"Your hair is so pretty, Mum." She would often say when she insists on helping her mother comb and tie the beautiful ivory white hair that she and her siblings all inherited from their mother. She likes her mother's hair and she likes it even further that she got the same hair. Her father agrees with her 100% on this.

"Our little Mira has really pretty hair too!" Her mother would tickle her sides and she would beg her mother to stop as they rolled on the floor. "And she has the same pretty blue eyes like her daddy!"

Her childhood was happy. It was one filled with love, laughter, and smiles. She would grow up not knowing how dark and cruel the world can be at times. She should have known better.

She is the eldest. It is her responsibility to take care of her siblings and the house whenever her parents are out for work. Elfman and Lisanna adore her as well and the three of them spent many happy moments together, whether it is just them or with their parents.

Her mother has magic that allows her to communicate with animals, making her the perfect scout in the harsh wilderness. Together with her father, they form a pair that specialises in hunting magical beasts. Fiore is not a safe place. Dark guilds running rampant across their country is one thing, the number of ferocious man-eating magical beasts that lurk outside their villages and towns are another. It is one reason why Fiore has Mage Guilds, because it is the only way Fiore knows how to best meet the demands of their citizens who are constantly requesting beasts to be slayed or dark guilds to be chased off. The Rune Knights are too ineffective.

She was about to turn thirteen when their father and mother received another job to slay a certain magical beast. There was nothing out of the ordinary to indicate that it would be the last time she would ever see them. Their parents said their goodbyes as per usual, promising to return in time to celebrate her birthday with her. She and her siblings sent them off with smiles on their faces.

They waited for days. Days turned into weeks. Her parents didn't make it back in time to celebrate her birthday with her.

Weeks later, their parents returned.

In coffins.


It broke them. It hit them hard.

With their parents gone, she is the only one left to hold this house together. She has to find work to support her siblings. She doesn't care what happens to her or what difficulties she faced as long as her siblings are well and thoroughly fed. For that end, she endured.

If the villagers were cold to them before, they are now outright hostile towards them now that their parents are gone. She can't even buy food for her siblings because they would jack up the price of the groceries so high that she could not afford it. So, she decided to hunt for food herself, just like how her father taught her to.

If only she had magic. It doesn't matter if it is like her father's Transformation Magic or like her mother's ability to communicate with animals. If only she had magic like her parents, hunting would be so much easier.

She was moderately successful. Her siblings were too young but they were eager to help their Mira-nee. They tidied the house without her asking to and diligently did the homework she set for them when she was not around. She hunted for food in the forest outside their village, making sure that they have enough to fill their bellies. She sold the fur pelts she skinned from her kills to the travelling merchant who would pass by the village every Friday, because he is the only one who would not try to purposely sabotage her by quoting her an unfair price. At least he's unbiased towards them.

Because of the quality of the fur pelts she provided the travelling merchant, she soon saved enough for all of them to leave the village. She knows better than anyone how dangerous outside their village is. Just a month. One more month of selling fur pelts to that kind merchant would be enough for her to gather enough money to post a job request and hire the services of a nearby Mage Guild to escort them to another town, a town which is friendlier towards mages. She chose Magnolia, because it was where their parents tend to stop by in order to sell their captured prize. Her father had told her how accepting the people there are of mages because of the Number One Mage Guild that had made its home there.

Fairy Tail.

Her parents had considered moving to Magnolia before, but it never happened because her siblings were young back then and the topic never had a chance to resurface. The cost of living at Magnolia is also significantly higher, another reason why her parents had hesitated. Now, however, is not the time to hesitate. She has to get her siblings out of this hellhole that is full of prejudice. She will not let them grow up here. They deserve better.

She discussed her plans with her siblings and they all agreed that they don't want to stay here any longer. They gave her their full support.

From her frequent exchanges with the kind travelling merchant, he told her that he passed by Magnolia frequently enough that he can help her post a job request to Fairy Tail on her behalf. All he asked in return is a few more fur pelts than what she usually sells him the next time they met. She readily agreed. That is not a hard request to meet.

With that done, all she had to do now was to wait for somebody from Fairy Tail to accept the job request she sent out.

It was after returning from a particular hunt that she had a sudden urge to meet and talk to her parents. If all goes to plan, she and her siblings would leave this place a week or two from now, depending on how fast their job request was accepted by Fairy Tail. She doesn't know if she would have the chance to return here again. Her parents were buried in the cemetery of the village's church located at the edge of the village. She made her way there with her kills slung across her back. Her father would be proud at how capable her little girl is if he could see her right now.

"Hey Dad. Hey Mum." She talked to them as she sat in front of their graves, her arms wrapping around her knees. "We… We are leaving soon."

She rubbed away the wetness from her eyes because she doesn't want them to see her cry. She is strong. She is Mirajane Strauss, her daddy's strong little girl and her mother's precious daughter.

"L-Life has been hard." She choked out. "But I'm trying! I'm trying my best! Soon, Elfman and Lisanna would not live in this place like we are lower class citizens! I got someone to post a job request to Fairy Tail. Maybe about a week or two later someone would accept the job request and we could finally have a capable mage escort us to Magnolia! You said Magnolia is safe and nice, right? The streets are clean and we don't need to worry about magical beasts coming to cause problems because the mage guild there keeps the people safe. I know it is a lot harder to earn a living there, but I will figure something out! I promise! I will take care of Elfman and Lisanna! I'm strong! I took care of Elfman and Lisanna and held the house together like you guys asked me to! I did good, right?!"

She choked out another sob before asking again in a whisper.

"Right?"

She hates herself for crying, hates herself for being so weak. But this is the only place where she has the privacy to cry. She doesn't want her siblings to see her cry because she is the oldest. If she breaks down in front of them, what does it say about their circumstances? Her siblings would lose all optimism. That cannot happen.

"I… I'm going back now." She told her parents as she slowly got off the ground. "Elfman and Lisanna would worry about me if I'm not back soon. We will visit you again before we leave, I promise."

Casting one last look at her parents' graves, she turned to leave, only to stand rooted in shock when she saw a grotesque creature standing across her. Its gigantic maw is partly open and drooling. She doesn't even know how to describe that thing.

But she does know it has to be dangerous.

She turned to run. She knows that is not a beast that she can slay. She needs to stay alive or there is no one else left to take care of her siblings.

The thing, beast, demon, whatever it is, gave chase. She only ran a few metres before it pounced on her and pinned her to the floor. On instinct, she whipped out her father's hunting dagger and stabbed its neck, only to lose all hope when the dagger shattered in front of her eyes. What kind of creature has such a thick hide around its neck?!

That was also the only thing her father left her. It was the birthday present he gave her last year.

The creature was enraged. It roared in her face and she screamed.

The creature's gigantic maw reaching for her face was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.


"DEMON!"

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

"DEMON FILTH! BEGONE!"

Her head is hurting. It hurts so much.

She cannot bear the pain. She cannot bear the noise outside her house. She cannot bear anything right now. She cannot bear to see how ugly she looks right now. All she has are her siblings who huddled by her side. It is obvious that they are scared, but they are by her side despite the fact that she is now… now…

A demon.

The villagers threw stones at their house from outside. Their windows are all shattered. Everywhere is a mess. The house which the three of them had put in so much effort to maintain, the only thing their parents left them, is now a mess.

What did they do to deserve this? Just what?!

She can feel the darkest part of her mind whispering to her to just let loose and go wild, to spill the blood of those fools who dared to try and harm her siblings. Her hands gripped the sides of her head as she screamed, trying to will these thoughts away. She doesn't know what happened to that demon but it must have entered her body somehow. She now has the same right arm as that demon.

Her scream did wonders as the villagers scattered, afraid that the demon had finally been let loose from her body and was about to go on a rampage. She cannot stand the sight of her arm. She cannot even stand the sight of herself. She hates her body. She smashed every mirror in the house. She doesn't want to see her own reflection right now.

Not when she is so… grotesque.

"L-Let's leave…" She finally reached her breaking point. All she is doing is huddling against a wall and curling up on herself. She cannot even trust herself to be in her siblings' presence, even if they are the only thing left that is anchoring her sanity.

Right now, she doesn't even know who she is anymore. She doesn't even know if she is still Mirajane Strauss, not with the scary demon arm constantly reminding her that she is no longer human. She doesn't know if she is still human or is now a demon. Not with that voice constantly whispering at the back of her mind.

Who is she right now? Is she still the same Mirajane Strauss?

But she has enough rational thought to realise that they have to leave before it is too late. If the villagers are willing to throw stones at them right now, she doesn't want to know what they will do tomorrow, the day after, or the week after. They can no longer afford to wait until the hired mage from Fairy Tail arrives, if they even accept her job request at all.

She cannot bet her siblings life on a what-if. They mean the world to her.

Her siblings did not question her as they quickly packed whatever they needed and left immediately. They didn't even have the time to say goodbye to their parents. Their choice proved to be the correct one when they saw their house being set ablaze from afar when they were climbing a nearby mountainous route to reach Magnolia. They have a good view of their village from here.

"T-They-! Our house! Our home!"

She hugged her little sister close as Lisanna bawled her eyes out. She doesn't want to know what would happen to her siblings if they stayed there for even a little longer.

These bastards. They would commit murder just because she now has a demon arm?! Her siblings are innocent!

The three of them watched as their former home was being reduced to cinders. After one last look, they turned around and continued their journey to Magnolia.

Humans, demons.

She cannot tell the difference between the two anymore.


It's dangerous making the journey by themselves in this manner. The journey to Magnolia will take them at least two weeks and that is if they are lucky. If they are lucky enough to not get lost in this wilderness or run into dark guilds or bandits or man-eating magical monsters.

She's scared too, but she has to be brave because she is the oldest. If not her, then nobody else. Nobody else can protect her siblings. If she has to use the demon's power and lose her humanity to protect her siblings, then so be it.

She will be a demon if it means keeping her family safe.

Luckily for them, she had the foresight to teach and instruct her siblings to preserve any leftover food they have just during the past weeks in case unforeseen circumstances popped up. For now, they at least have enough dried meat saved up to eat on their journey. If they are lucky enough, maybe she can catch a fish or two from any streams they came across and she can finally cook them a fresh meal.

It was the fourth day after they left the village when she met him.

She can still remember their first encounter. Night had fallen and they had set up camp in an area that she thinks was safe. As safe as being out here in the wild like this can be for children their age. She had been suffering from a lack of sleep because she was the one who kept watch for the past three nights. Her siblings had offered to keep watch but she knew that they would not be able to do a good job at it, at least not when they are at this age. She's the oldest. She's now the only one capable of protecting the family. So, she made sure that her siblings slept and got their rest instead.

She can only hope that her body can withstand the effects of lack of sleep until they reach Magnolia.

Tried as she might, she cannot stay awake. She was about to nod off when the rustling of leaves got her jumping up in alarm. She whipped out her father's dagger again. It may be broken, but whatever is left of the blade is still sharp enough to make a nasty cut.

Besides, it is the only thing she has left to defend her family that is not her demon arm.

A boy around her age emerged from the dense foliage. It was the first time she met him, the man who would be the most important man in her life and become part of her family.

He is unassuming at first glance. Black hair, black eyes with that sleepy look that made her question if he had also not slept for three nights. A dark blue jacket complete with black shirt and long pants completed the look. All in all, he is very ordinary. Easily forgettable if you are just passing by him. You could never imagine him to be a powerful mage unless you have prior knowledge.

But when she first saw him, she knew better. Unlike them, this guy did not have a single hair out of place despite being in a dangerous place like this. His sleepy gaze barely concealed that dangerous look of a predator that she is so familiar with when she was out hunting. He cannot be normal.

He is dangerous.

"W-Who are you?"

Her siblings had woken up by now and also took out the sharpened sticks that she had made for them to use as spears in case they needed to defend themselves. They are all afraid and shaking, but they have nowhere to run.

His eyes slowly scanned each and every one of them before he slowly raised his arms up in a gesture of peace, his facial expression betraying nothing.

"Hey, I'm just a passing mage looking for my runaway client. By the way, do any of you know a certain Mirajane Strauss? She's the runaway client I'm looking for."

What?

"You… are a Fairy Tail mage?"

"Yeah." He took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, showing them the familiar guild mark of the number one guild in Fiore.

"So, can you now put down your..." He pointed to their sorry excuse for weapons they are holding in their hands. "I mean no harm."

"Mira-nee! A Fairy Tail mage that is looking for you! Our job request had been taken up!"

"Y-Yeah." She stated dumbly as Lisanna hugged her in joy, not believing their dumb luck as well. She quickly told the Fairy Tail mage her name and pleaded with him to help them.

"I'm the Mirajane Strauss you are looking for! Please! Escort us to Magnolia! Please!"

"Sure." The mage gave her a lazy smile, his hands in his pockets. "There's a nearby village not far from here. We can go and rest there so that you can sleep properly. You all look like you never slept properly, especially you."

He gestured at the dark circles forming around her eyes and she flinched.

"W-We… don't have the money…"

"Don't worry about that. My treat." He said as he gave a big yawn with a hand over his opened mouth. "That convincing enough for you to come along?"

She gulped and blinked her eyes in disbelief. Why is someone that she never met before so kind to them? W-What if he found out about her demon arm? Would he try to kill her like what the villagers tried to do? Mages do kill demons to protect the country, right? What if-

"Come on. Let's go."

She didn't have a chance to refuse. An invisible force lifted them all into the air and they screamed in surprise. The next thing they knew, they were all flying into the air and hugging him for dear life, their screams trailing after them as they flew through the dark night sky.

At that point in time, she would never have thought that he would still tease her for that scream to this day.


They reached the nearby village he talked about very soon. The innkeeper wasn't happy that he got woken up so late at night, but gave them the only room left despite the amount of grumbling he did. The large wad of cash the mage slammed on the counter might have helped.

The only room left in the inn was a large one, the most expensive one and the ridiculous price was the reason why it was the only one left. The mage yawned again when she and her siblings entered and put down their belongings, still a little wary of this Fairy Tail mage.

Fairy Tail mages have a good reputation despite the rumours of them being a hazard to public property, but he is still a stranger to them. A stranger that is being too kind to them.

Very suspicious indeed.

"Well, the girls can use the bathroom first." The mage pointed to the bathroom at the corner of the room they are in. "But first, Mirajane, we need to discuss this job in detail."

"I-I-I can't pay you for this room." She stated upfront. "I-"

"I'm not talking about money." He snapped back, obviously a little annoyed and short-tempered. He does look like he's suffering from a lack of sleep as well from how he's acting. "Just come here and take off that cloak."

She froze.

He knew.

"I…"

She took a step backward for every step he walked towards her. Her breathing quickened as her mind raced a thousand thoughts per second. What if, what if…

"I reached your village first before I backtracked to find you. I already know about the demon-possessed girl with a demon arm. It was all the villagers were talking about." He stated as if it was a matter-of-fact. "It was how I tracked the three of you down because they described you three as 'white-haired demon brats with blasted blue eyes'."

"I-I'm NOT A DEMON!"

She didn't know why she screamed at him, but she did. He took it without flinching, that same bored and sleepy look still on his face. Elfman and Lisanna froze at their spots, not knowing what to do. Her left hand went to grab her right arm tightly, still hidden by the cloak she is wearing.

"I know, that's why I told you to take your cloak off. What's important is what is within, not what you look like on the outside. Let me see your arm so that I can see how serious your condition is, so that I can report back to my Guild Master beforehand and see if he can do something about it when we reach Magnolia."

Without her consent, he stepped forward and grabbed onto her right arm, revealing it from within the cloak for him to see. Her first reaction is to try and pull her arm back. She knew how powerful her demon arm is. It can crush bricks like they are made of powder and shatter walls with a punch.

But she cannot escape his iron grip.

"Let Mira-nee go!"

Lisanna and Elfman tried to rush to her aid, but they were stopped when they found themselves slamming their fists on an invisible wall. The mage did not seem bothered as he ran a finger along her demon arm to inspect it. She cannot move. Some type of invisible restraint is restricting her movements.

"You are no demon. This is your magic. You have magic."

Those words were like a godsend as she tried to process what they meant. She froze again, so did her siblings. She did not move when his hands reached out to gently untie her cloak and let it drop to the floor, revealing the demon arm that she tried so hard to hide. She did not move when he gently grabbed hold of her demon hand and held it in front of her face.

"You have magic, Mirajane. There's no need to be ashamed of your arm, be proud of it. Ever heard of vulcans?"

She nodded mutely.

"They have the same type of magic as you, Take Over magic. It is a magic that you use to take over the power of an entity and use it to fight. In this case, you probably took over a demon. You just don't know how to turn off your magic which is why your arm ended up looking like this. You are no demon, Mirajane. You defeated a demon. Be proud of yourself. Your willpower must be exceptionally strong to suppress and fully take over the demon without any prior magic training. You defeated a demon. What you did was something that even many adult mages did not achieve in their lifetimes. Hold your head high, be proud. You did well."

With that, the mage instructed Lisanna to drag her into the bathroom to wash up. She barely remembered what happened as Lisanna helped to wash her while she was still in a daze.

You are no demon. You defeated a demon. Be proud of yourself.

She cried. She sobbed and cried at those kind words.

When she walked out of the bath with Lisanna, already changed into her clean clothes, she did not hide her demon arm.

That night, she finally slept peacefully.

It was a dreamless sleep.


When she woke up the next day, it was nearing noon.

She jumped out of bed, flustered that she actually slept in for so long. She looked around and saw her siblings beside her, snoring away on the bed without a care in the world. Elfman is drooling and Lisanna is hugging him like he is a big teddy bear.

The Fairy Tail mage cannot be seen in the room. The sleeping bag left on the floor told her that that was where he probably slept last night and that he was just gone for the moment. Still, she cannot help but worry. If he's gone, then their journey to Magnolia would only be more difficult. If-

The door opened with a creak as the mage reentered the room, carrying a tray of hot food.

"You are up early." He told her as he set the tray down on a nearby table. "Come on, let's have some breakf- I mean, lunch. My treat."

"I-"

"You cannot pay me, I know. I heard it the first time. Like I said, my treat."

He gestured for her to sit down by the table where he is at and she did that, albeit a little hesitant. She carefully bite on the piece of garlic bread on her plate. It is still warm. She hadn't had such warm food in quite a while, hadn't had bread for quite a while, much less garlic bread.

"Eat more if you are still hungry. Keeping your magic turned on like that constantly must be draining for you."

"Do you know how to turn it off?" She asked softly, not really daring to meet his eyes. She had owed him a lot since they first met, he had gone above and beyond what is stated in the job request she sent out. She doesn't dare to ask him to do more for her but he is her only hope right now.

"No, I don't. I don't specialise in your brand of magic. I called Master earlier. Master knows how to solve your problem, but he can only do so when you reach Magnolia and take a look at your arm personally. Do you want to join Fairy Tail?"

She blinked at him in surprise. She? Join Fairy Tail? The number one guild in Fiore?

"Why are you so nice to me?" She blurted out. Everybody had been nasty to her and her siblings ever since her parents passed away. Those are people that she knew for more than a decade. Yet, this stranger which she only met last night had shown her more kindness than she had received in her village in the past thirteen years of her life.

The mage remained silent as he took a brief pause from eating. There is a faraway look in his eyes as he stared out the window and she thought that she screwed up somehow.

"Believe it or not, I was like you."

He dipped his own piece of garlic bread in the soup before taking another bite out of it. He continued his tale.

"I'm kind of jealous of you, you know? Of everyone I know in Fairy Tail. You guys at least have family." He took a quick glance at her siblings that are still sleeping. "I… I don't remember who I really am, at least not fully. When my magic first awakened it was when I forgot who I am. I cannot remember who I was, what I did, where I lived. I am nobody, I have no identity. When I first woke up and discovered that I can use magic was when bandits were raiding what I assumed was my home. The two people that I later recalled to be my parents were already killed. Even after so long, even till now, I only remembered bits and pieces of who I am and the life I led until I woke up in a world filled with magic. Like what you experienced, people were trying to kill me. The bandits had knives and I don't know what, I had nothing. I just knew they were after my life. It was when my magic manifested to save me. My magic was the only thing I had."

He opened his right palm like a blooming flower. A small square pane of… something manifested and floated lazily above his palm.

"This is my magic. Barrier magic. As far as I know, I'm the only person with this kind of magic. It was what saved me. It was this magic that allowed me to survive long enough until Master Makarov passed by and saved me from those bandits with a single punch. If it wasn't for him, I would have died. He never complained even if I burned a large hole in his wallet when I asked him to help bury the parents I never quite remembered or when I kept him up late at night when I broke down from my mental anguish of not knowing who I am. I still don't truly know who I am. You ask me why I'm so nice to you? This is why. I'm just trying to repay the kindness that Master Makarov showed me by doing the same to someone else who needed the help. I can see it in your eyes. That fear. That fear of your own magic, not knowing what it really is and constantly afraid of someone out to kill you. The fear of not knowing who you really are, I understand it better than you do. I was a literal nobody until I regained a part of my memories and made new ones with people who mattered."

An awkward silence descended upon the both of them.

"I haven't introduced myself, have I?" The mage gave a weak chuckle as he extended a hand towards her, his right hand. "Elden Tyrell, or at least, that's what I think my name was before I joined Fairy Tail. Just call me El. It's nice to meet you, Mirajane Strauss."

She extended her own hand to shake his, but paused when she realised it was her demon hand. However, he gave her an encouraging nod. She gulped and carefully went to shake hands with him using her demon hand.

"I-I'm Mirajane Strauss! Call me Mira."

He smiled at her and for the first time in months, she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Mira."


Once they broke the ice, their journey to Magnolia became more eventful and fun.

Elfman and Lisanna had tons of questions to ask Elden about Magnolia and Fairy Tail and Elden very patiently explained and answered their every query. Mira had her own questions as well, but she held herself back because Elden is busy enough as it is escorting them. Yes, he is hired to do just that, but he had already done way more than what the job entails. Already, he is bearing all the costs of their meals and stays at whatever inns they came across. She just doesn't want to impose on him any further.

He tried to undo the spell on her arm using something called Dispel, but his proficiency in the magic wasn't good enough. Whatever he did was only temporary and the demon arm would manifest itself once more within seconds. Still, she was happy to see that her arm can be turned back to normal even if it was only for a few seconds. To her, that was enough.

Before they knew it, they had reached Magnolia. She can still remember the first time she saw the guild building. The doors are huge, even bigger than the church in her village. She had never seen anything like this before.

"Go on in. They are a rowdy bunch, but they are very accepting."

He pushed open the doors of the guild. Like he said, they are rowdy. People are already drinking when it is not even noon and there are random fights here and there. Is this normal?

Judging from how unaffected Elden is at the sight, it must be.

People didn't seem to notice them as they walked past. It's like Elden has some sort of ability to fade from people's senses. Only one person noticed them.

"El."

A large man that is probably older than Elden by a few years stood in front of him with his arms crossed. His yellow hair, lightning shaped scar, the growl of his voice and imposing figure made an intimidating sight.

"Laxus." Elden greeted back without a hint of emotion, his hands in his pockets as per usual.

Laxus' eyes travelled towards her and her siblings as if appraising their worth. She flinched a little and instinctively stood in front of her siblings. For some reason, this Laxus guy feels hostile.

"Who are they?"

"My clients." Elden replied without skipping a beat. "If all goes well, maybe they would be our nakama as well."

Laxus had a very ugly scowl on his face when he heard that.

"Them?" He pointed at Lisanna, who hid behind her and clung onto her cloak in fear. "That weak little-"

"Laxus." Elden said in a warning tone as a wave of invisible pressure descended upon them. "Get out of my way. My client wants to meet Master Makarov."

Laxus's entire body sparked with lightning in response. The pressure got more and more suffocating as Mira and her siblings dropped to their knees, trying very hard to breathe.

"Laxus. El."

A presence made himself known. An elderly voice cut through the tense atmosphere as a short old man walked up towards the pair. His presence is warm and helped to relieve the pressure she and her siblings were facing.

"Tch." Laxus clicked his tongue as he reined in his magic. He stormed past them as his shoulders brushed against Elden in a rough manner. He gave her and her siblings a harsh glare before walking out of the guild's doors.

It didn't escape her notice that all this while, Elden had a very sad look in his eyes when he saw Laxus leave.


She didn't know that Master Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints. She didn't even know what the title of the Ten Wizard Saints meant until Elden explained it to them. Master Makarov is more than capable of helping her. He told them that she and her siblings showed great potential to be mages and offered them the chance to join Fairy Tail. He offered her and her siblings to join the number one guild in Fiore, just like that, when they have nothing to offer.

She can see why Elden holds the old man in such high regard.

Instead of dispelling her demon arm like what Elden tried to do, Master Makarov's approach was different. Instead, he taught her how to use and control magic. He told her that the only way to permanently let the demon arm disappear is to get a good grasp on her own magic. Unfortunately, Fairy Tail does not have any Take Over mage. Take Over is not a very rare brand of magic, but it is not very common either. She is on her own to try and master her own magic.

Then comes the next problem. She and her siblings don't have a place to stay in Magnolia.

"Eh, I sure El won't mind you three crashing at his place for a month or two. Or three or four, five or six, you get the drift. Ain't that right, El?"

"M-Master Makarov! Elden had already done more than enough for us! I don't even have enough money to pay him for the job yet-"

"Nonsense!" Makarov waved it off. "Don't worry about the payment of the job. Fairy Tail will waive it off and besides, Elden is rich. Don't let his lazy appearance fool you. He is one of the most capable mages Fairy Tail has to offer despite his age and has taken many solo missions that even many adult mages cannot complete. He earned himself quite a sum from that. He is more than financially capable of supporting you and your siblings for even a few years if need be."

"Fairy Tail has a foster care system for new members who cannot take care of themselves. Wakaba took care of me for a short while until I am capable enough to go on missions and earn enough to be financially independent. Don't worry too much about it. It will be your turn one day to repay the favour to someone else who will need your help. Besides, the guild will take care of most of your living expenses for this time period. All I need to do is to let you sleep at my place until you get one of your own."

"El's right. Now with that out of the way…" Makarov went behind the counter and shuffled through some boxes, messily throwing the things in there out in his search for something. "Aha!"

The old man took out a stamp and proudly showed it to them.

"Now where do you want your guild mark to be?"


Elden's home is… neater than she thought.

His small little apartment is plain. The only thing of note is the big bookshelf that took up one entire wall. Other than the small kitchen, there is a table with two chairs and that is about it.

It is a little small for four people to be living here, but they can manage. They had lived through worse.

"You guys can take the bed." He told them as they settled in. She and her siblings are still tiptoeing a little around him since they are technically imposing on him. This time, for a long while.

"I-I-It's fine! We can take the floor!" She quickly said. This is his own home and she cannot live with it if Elden has to sleep on the floor of his own home for the next few months.

"I have a hammock." He told them as he took out a rolled up hammock from his cupboard and hung it on the hooks on two opposite walls. She has a feeling that the hooks were installed there for this very purpose. "I sleep in it all the time when the Thun-"

He clammed up all of a sudden, that same sad look glazed his eyes for a second before he just wordlessly went about to hang his hammock. She and her siblings exchanged glances, not really knowing what to do.

"If you want food, there should be some left in the fridge. Haven't had a chance to stock up since we just returned." He pointed to the kitchen just a few steps away. "Bathroom's over there as you can see. If you want to go anywhere, please tell me in advance. Magnolia is relatively safe because of Fairy Tail's presence, but crimes still happen every now and then. If you need anything-"

He took out another large wad of cash from his wallet and placed it on the table without even looking at the total sum. God damn, Master Makarov is right. Elden really is loaded.

"Just buy it. If you need more money, just tell me. Anything else you want to ask?" They shook their heads. "No? Then I'm going out for a short while to buy us some dinner. The three of you must be hungry. Go and wash up. I'll be back soon."

With that, he left.

"He looks… kinda sad just now." Lisanna whispered to them after Elden had left.

So it wasn't just her imagination.


Elfman and Lisanna settled into Fairy Tail pretty well. They are already playing with the kids there their age. Cana, Gray, Natsu, Erza, Levy, Jet, Droy. It's like her siblings had been part of Fairy Tail all along.

She, on the other hand, is not so sure. Is someone like her worthy enough to join Fairy Tail? Her demon arm is still there. What if she never succeeded and the arm never disappears? What then?

"Oh, you are staying at El's place?" Cana said in curiosity when the other kids learnt of this piece of information. "Huh. He never invited us to his place before even when we asked nicely."

"Yeah, have fun with all the awkward silences with him." Gray snorted. "He's not a people person. Heck, the only difference between him and Mystogan is that El actually shows his face. I don't even know what Mystogan looks like, only know his name."

"But El is strong! The rectangle magic thing is so powerful! If anybody can win the next S Class trial, it's him!"

"S… Class?" She asked in confusion. The world of mages is a different world from what she is familiar with. She is still learning the ropes.

"It is a title given only to our strongest mages!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly with his arms wide open. "Like Gramps and Gildarts! They are super strong! I want to be an S Class mage too!"

"Hey, what's El's place like?" Levy asked excitedly. "Does he have a lot of books? He reads a lot!"

"Uh, yeah." Elfman replied as he scratched his cheek.

"It's like one entire waaaall big." Lisanna stretched her arms as far as she could sideways to emphasise Elfman's point.

"Really?!" Levy asked with stars in her eyes. "Really?! A bookshelf as big as an entire wall? It is filled with books?!"

"Full of them." Mirajane replied. "I'm not sure if he reads everything on it though."

"Trust me, if it comes to El you should instead ask what books he hasn't read yet." Cana said as she downed a cup of what smells suspiciously like alcohol. "He and Levy are the bookworms of our guild. They know a lot of things."

"Come to think of it, where is he?" Mira asked as she looked around. They had come to the guild with El but he disappeared without them realising.

"I told you, he's not a people person." Gray said, now only in his boxers. Wait, wasn't he properly clothed just a minute ago? Where did his clothes go? "If he's not outside clearing our job requests like a madman, he's outside training like a lunatic or inside the guild reading his book in some unseen corner. He cannot be found unless he wants to be found. That's El for you."

"Is he always like this?" Lisanna asked curiously.

"No. He… How do I put it?" Cana scratched the back of her head in slight frustration. "He was, and still is a recluse, but it only got a lot worse recently. He's very strong, people call him the Aegis of Fairy Tail because he's like an unbreakable shield. He was part of the Thunder God Tribe, the strongest team in our guild. He and Laxus were the co-founders, you already met Laxus the other day. They were the strongest duo Fairy Tail had to offer until they… had a fallout. Nobody knows the reason behind it, not even Master. The Thunder God Tribe were the only people El really talked to and after El left the team he just..."

"Never talk. He gets along just fine with us, but he hardly talks to us unless we talk to him first." Erza completed Cana's sentence for her. "Even then, conversations with him had always been brief. He doesn't like prolonged conversations and prefers to be alone."

"Maybe that's why Gramps wanted you guys to stay at his place." Jet pondered as he took on a thinking pose. "Maybe you guys can help him open up. El's behaviour is getting a little worrying, to be honest. I hardly see him in the guild anymore. He just keeps going on missions and the missions he goes on are those very difficult ones because he's almost on the level of S Class. We are not yet strong enough to go on those so we cannot partner up with him either."

"Hey, that's it!" Natsu jumped onto the top of a nearby table excitedly. "We can have our own S Class secret mission! Get El to talk!"

"Yeah, genius. How?"

"I don't know!"

"Then think before saying something, flamebrain!"

"You wanna go, Ice Princess?!"

"Natsu. Gray."

A stare from Erza was all it took to shut the pair up... for a moment.

"We can keep fighting him non-stop!" Undeterred, Natsu offered his opinion as he punched the air in front of him excitedly. "And then when I finally defeat El I can tie him up and force him to talk to us!"

"Tie him up?"

"Yeah! If he doesn't talk I will burn his precious books in front of him one by one until he does! That will make him talk!"

"Uh, Natsu-"

Elfman hurriedly winked at Natsu to clue him in to quickly shut up. The hot-headed boy didn't get the memo.

"Or I can draw funny things on his face-" Natsu made a funny face at that remark. Nobody laughed even if it was indeed hilarious. Instead, they are all sweating nervously.

"Natsu-"

"Don't you guys think it is a great idea?!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly as he breathed fire from his mouth, ignoring Cana's hint. Everybody is all either winking at him or gesturing for him to keep quiet but he just doesn't get the hint.

"So how about it?! Who's with me?!"

They all facepalmed. It's too late.

"Me."

A voice sounded just right behind Natsu.

"That's great! Let's go and-"

Natsu paled the moment he turned around. A very unimpressed Elden stared right back at him.

"H-H-Hi El! W-W-What a nice day it is, huh?" Natsu began to sweat profusely in fear.

"Yes. What nice weather. As nice as how someone thinks burning my books and drawing funny things on my face are very nice things to do."

"W-W-Who said that?!" Natsu made an exaggerated motion of looking around. "I'll kick his ass!"

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings if you want to be an S Class mage. As of now, you are still an idiot if you cannot even sense my presence right behind you." Elden knocked Natsu on the top of his head with his knuckle, making him fall on his ass with a pained cry. He turned to her and she tensed up in reflex. Is Elden angry?

"Here. A spare key to my apartment." He passed it to her left hand, her right arm still hidden by her cloak. It is only at his place that she dares to take her cloak off. "I won't be around for at least the next two weeks so you guys will need it. If you need money I had already placed it in that usual place. If you need more just ask Master."

He turned around to leave right after he said that.

"Have a safe trip!" Lisanna waved at his departing form and Elden lazily waved back in return without looking back. He disappeared out of the guild's doors seconds later.

"We can go take a look at El's place!" Levy squealed the moment Elden was out of earshot. "Come on, Mira! You have the key! Let us in!"

"Uhm, I don't think that is a good-"

"It is!" The rest of the kids chorused in excitement.

"He will kill me." Mira winced. Elden had been so kind to her and her siblings despite his anti-social self. She doesn't want to betray his trust, not after he trusts her with something as important as the key to his apartment.

"But those books! El's personal collection!" Levy said dreamily. "He has so many books that I cannot afford to buy! I just want to read them! Just once! That's it!"

"Hmph. Pathetic."

That low growl sounded from above them on the second floor and they all jumped in surprise. They looked up, only to find the unpleasant Laxus looking down at them from above.

"If you know what's good for you, girl, you would do all you can to prevent these idiots from touching his precious books. You don't know El. You don't know what he's really capable of. You don't know who he really is." Laxus slowly let out a predatory wicked grin on his face as he slowly dragged his thumb across his throat in a slitting motion. "El is not just strong. He's dangerous. You want to know how dangerous? Let these idiots into his apartment and you will know. You haven't seen him when he gets truly angry. And when he's angry, he's a goddamn monster. Hehehe."

Laxus' cruel smile unsettled all of them. From the looks of it, the rest of the kids here don't know El that well too.

"The only one who could ever be my equal is El. Do not forget that, weaklings." Laxus sneered as his gaze turned back to her. "I don't know what that traitor saw in you and your weak little siblings and honestly, I don't care. S Class? Don't make me laugh. None of you can be S Class. Maybe El can be one in the next trial but not you guys. Fairy Tail is the place where only the strongest gather."

He gave another fierce and deranged sneer in her and her siblings' direction.

"It is not a place where weaklings like you can come and go as you please. That will be the new guild rule when I finally become the Guild Master. Remember that, bitch."

With that, Laxus turned and disappeared beyond their vision into the depths of the second floor.

"DAMN YOU LAXUS! COME FIGHT ME!"

"Natsu! You cannot go up the second floor!" Erza quickly held Natsu back before he could run off. "Do you want to get punished by Master again?!"

"Don't take his words to heart. Laxus is always like that." Cana tried to reassure her with a shaky smile. "He was a lot more sociable when El was still part of the Thunder God Tribe. Now, he's just… like this. We all received the same treatment you did one way or another."

"He's mean." Lisanna stated with a pout.

"Yeah! He's mean!" Natsu raised an angry fist into the air as he fumed. "What was that for?!"

Throughout it all, Mira can only hear the echoes of Laxus' words.

You don't know El. You don't know what he's really capable of. You don't know who he really is.

Despite Laxus' harsh words, she realised that he's right. She doesn't know Elden all that well. She had thought that she had finally made a friend after the kind of life she had been through. He told her that she wasn't a demon. He told her to be proud of herself. The words he told her were so kind and full of sincerity.

Now, she isn't so sure.


"You're back!"

Lisanna's excited words got her to look up from where she is in the kitchen of Elden's apartment cooking dinner for her siblings. It had been slightly more than two weeks since they last saw him. Elden walked into his house with that usual sleepy look, but a lot more lethargic than usual.

"I am. Hi." He greeted them all in return with just three words. Why that look on his face when Lisanna greeted him? Did nobody ever say welcome back to him before? And why does he look as if he is about to drop dead anytime soon?

"A-Are you okay?" Mira dropped whatever she was cooking and quickly walked to his side. She wanted to hold and support him, but paused in her actions when she remembered Laxus' words.

You don't know El. You don't know what he's really capable of. You don't know who he really is.

"I'm fine. You guys carry on what you are doing. I will just go take a quick shower and sleep till tomorrow noon. There's no need to wake me up."

"El-"

He disappeared into the bathroom as soon as he said that, not giving her a chance to speak.

You don't know El. You don't know what he's really capable of. You don't know who he really is.

Just now, he felt so cold, so unlike when he first told her those kind words.

The kind words he said to her when he first told her that she's not a demon, were they real?


Even when they are living under the same roof as him, he doesn't speak to them unless necessary.

It's the same routine everyday. He would wake up, do his morning routine, eat breakfast, then disappear until night comes around when it's dinner. That is if he's not busy with missions. She and her siblings had volunteered to help take care of the chores in his house because they are already imposing on him. It only felt right to do something in return. He let them be as long as they don't damage his precious books. He even let them read it as long as he returned them in the same condition he lent them in.

"Uhm, El?"

"Yeah?" He answered lazily from where he is lying on his hammock above, flipping through a page of the new book he just bought from somewhere when he went out on the job that took him two weeks. She is lying on his bed below with her siblings. Her siblings had already fallen asleep, she was unable to fall asleep.

"Uh, Levy asked me to ask you if she could borrow some books from you?"

Her voice got softer and softer towards the end. He remained silent. Is he mad? He seems to love his books a lot.

After what seemed an eternity, he gave his reply.

"Just take whatever she wants you to borrow on her behalf. As long as she returns them in the same condition I gave her, I'm fine with it."

Mira looked back at the huge bookshelf. If Levy could have her way, wouldn't she need to bring the entire bookshelf along?

"How are you and your siblings settling in Magnolia and the guild so far? How about your magic lessons?"

His sudden questions got her to look up at him in surprise. He cared? He actually cares about them?

"Uhm, I guess we are doing fine." She told him as they spoke softly in the dark night, the room they are in dimly lit by the lacrima lamp near the hammock El is lying in as her siblings snored away on his bed. "The people of Magnolia are a lot more understanding towards us mages, I guess. Elfman and Lisanna also seem to enjoy being in the guild a lot. They often play with Natsu and the rest. They are happy, so I guess it's fine."

"What about you?"

She looked up in his direction in surprise once more.

"Me?"

He flipped another page.

"You talked about your siblings, but not you. What about you?"

"I…" She looked away, not really knowing how to answer. "I don't know why I'm here. Like, Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore. It's the place where the strongest gather, right? I am nothing. I have nothing to offer. I am a burden with this stupid arm. I still cannot turn off my magic no matter how much Master taught me. I don't know why we were accepted into Fairy Tail."

"A guild is more than just the prestige it has. It's about the members that made up the organisation. In Fairy Tail, we are each other's family. We are nakama. Family don't shun one another because you have a demon arm. You worry too much. Besides, we have weirder ones in the guild."

"If Fairy Tail is family, if we are nakama, then why aren't you in the guild?"

She immediately covered her mouth after she blurted out those words. Shit. Now he's definitely going to be mad.

There was another tense period of silence as her mind quickly went through the number of ways she is going to die by his hands.

She's so dead.

"I just want to avoid Laxus. If he's in the guild, then I won't stay in Magnolia. If he's out of the guild, then I don't mind staying in the guild and find a quiet corner to read my book. As I'm sure the others would have already told you, we are no longer on talking terms."

She looked back in his direction in surprise. Wait, that was the real reason?

"The Thunder God Tribe." She said softly. "The strongest team in Fairy Tail. You were a part of it, its co-founder. You are The Aegis of Fairy Tail, the unbreakable shield. You are strong."

She heard him give a snort.

"Tales of our exploits had been greatly exaggerated. Yeah, Laxus made S Class recently, but he's far from the strongest. Gildarts and Master are the really powerful ones. I'm aiming to be S Class too, so that I can finally go on solo S Class missions. I want, no, I need to be stronger. I need to be S Class level kind of strong and then even more."

"For what?" She asked curiously from where she is lying on his bed.

"To be the Ace of the guild like Gildarts is. To be Ace is to support the guild master and to protect the guild. To be the Ace had been my goal all along."

"Not to be the Guild Master like Laxus is aiming to be?"

"Nah. Have you seen the paperwork Gramps do on a daily basis? No way."

She gave a soft giggle as the mental image of their guild master struggling and cursing at the paperwork in his office came to mind. Yeah, she can see why now.

"Laxus didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

"Eh?" She took a while to process his question. "Uh, no. Not really. Sure, he threw a few mean words at us but it's nothing compared to what the villagers insulted us with. If things got too far Master would step in, so it's fine."

"I see. That's good then." She heard another page being turned. "Since Laxus will be out of town for the next month or so which means I will be around, Master put me in charge of your magic lessons. Sleep well, you would need it if I'm the one training you. Word of warning, I'm a taskmaster."

He turned off the lacrima lamp and she heard some shuffling from the hammock as it swayed a little. She continued to look in his direction and finally decided to say what she wanted to say.

"Uh, El?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for everything."

There was another period of silence.

"You are nakama now. Family helps each other."


Taskmaster? El is insane.

"That all you got? You defeated a demon, Mira. That all you got?"

She struggled to even stand as she panted for breath. Magic control, physical conditioning, hand-to-hand combat, Elden is her instructor for each and everything she needs to learn to be a competent Fairy Tail mage. Elfman and Lisanna are spared only because they are still young and that their magic is not as mature as hers yet. They had only unlocked their magic recently where she had her magic for about two months now.

She can see why everyone in the guild all said that he is the closest to becoming their next S Class mage.

"I… can still do it!"

"Now that's the spirit." He gave her a wicked grin that got chills running up and down her spine. She is so going to feel this for the entire week.

Nevertheless, she cannot argue with the results his training brings about. He is not like the benevolent Master Makarov who would hold her hand and slowly guide her along her magic training. Elden would literally throw her into a pit of hellfire and told her to climb out of there herself if it means allowing her to learn faster.

The threat to your life is always the biggest encouragement for you to learn in the fastest way possible, he said. She is starting to wonder if he is the demon instead.

Within a week of him taking over Master Makarov in training her, her demon arm disappeared. She had finally managed to get a good enough handle on her magic to let her demon arm appear and disappear at will. She could still remember the moment she first managed it. She had jumped in joy and hugged Elden so tightly that she nearly suffocated him.

She remembered when she walked back to the guild with him without wearing the cloak, displaying her normal-looking right arm for all to see. The guild cheered for her and she never felt so happy before ever since her parents' untimely demise.

So this is Fairy Tail. Her new family. Nakama.

She likes the sound of that.


"Shopping?"

The look of utter disgust on his face is enough to make her laugh out loud. During the time they had spent together in private with him teaching her about magic, they had become fast friends. He actually talked to her, unlike what her other guild mates described about him. She is the only one right now who he will willingly hold a conversation with. Elfman and Lisanna are a close second.

"Master gave me some spare cash to get some new clothes for Elfman and Lisanna too." She waved the money in front of his face. "Cos, well, you can see the state of our current clothes. The holes we keep patching up are starting to fall apart."

She is surprised that their tattered clothes even lasted that long. No matter how she tried to keep sewing the holes on their clothes they just kept falling apart. Master Makarov's gift is really a godsend.

"So? Go shop on your own." He grumbled as he continued to read his book while floating on his invisible barriers, looking as if he was lying on an invisible reclining chair.

"We want to treat you to a meal as well." She told him bluntly. "For everything you have done for us."

"There's no need." He replied just as bluntly. "If you want, then cook something nice tonight. You cook better than 90% of the chefs outside anyway."

"Really?" She asked him in surprise. "That good?"

"Have you ever compared your cooking with those outside food?" He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You should when you have the chance. Why else do you think I keep coming back every night to eat the dinner you cooked? I used to eat out all the time."

"Oh my, you sure know how to compliment and flirt with a girl, El. Didn't know that you have it in you. Why? Interested in me?" She teased and watched him nearly choke on air in a comical manner, nearly dropping the book he was reading. Yes, the big bad Aegis of Fairy Tail, the unbreakable shield that is Elden Tyrell is actually susceptible to tease. Who knew? Certainly not the rest of the guild. Only her.

"You will be the death of me. I just know it." He grumbled as he quickly flipped through his book, obviously embarrassed at what she just said.

"El, the book is upside down."

She burst out laughing at his reaction this time.


"How's this?"

She asked his opinion for the umpteenth time, her hands holding on to different types of clothes that had caught her attention.

"Nice."

"You said the same for everything!" She accused him with a finger. This… this... woodblock!

"You look nice in whatever you wear anyway." He yawned as he sat down on a nearby stool of the clothing store they are at. "Just pick whatever catches your eye and let's get a move on."

"I look nice in whatever I wear? Hmmm, you sure you don't have a thing for me, El?" She wagged a suggestive eyebrow at him upon hearing what he said. He is really too easy to tease and his reactions are always so fun to watch.

He didn't give her a reply this time, instead burying his face in a book he brought along so that she couldn't see his face. However, the edge of his ears are redder than tomatoes.

Too easy to tease.

Knowing that she has to let up on the teasing lest she accidentally breaks him, she continues to look through the clothes on display. Elfman and Lisanna are somewhere here in this large store as well. It is the largest clothing store Magnolia has to offer and the prices are pretty reasonable too. Most of their guildmates shopped for clothes here if they ever need it.

The few months of having to hide a demon arm had her enough of hiding her body in shame. Learning how to control her Take Over had made her learn how to be confident in her looks as well. She could never thank Master Makarov and Elden enough for helping her learn how to control her Take Over because of that. Because of them, she grew to be more confident. She had grown to accept herself for what she truly is.

She is Mirajane Strauss, there is no doubt about that. She is no demon. She is someone who has defeated demons. She can harness the power of demons.

Like her father used to say, to be happy, you have to love what you are no matter what you may be. True love is to accept what is within than to judge one based on their exterior.

Fairy Tail didn't judge her with prejudiced eyes simply because she had a demon arm, not even the unpleasant Laxus even if his words are unkind. On the contrary, most of the guild members found it cool that she can harness the power of a demon.

She wants a total makeover to mark this turning point in her life. She wants to change her appearance. She wants to wear something that shows how proud and confident she is of herself, that she no longer has to hide who she is because she was afraid of how she looks. Just what would be a good fit for her?

A certain set of clothes caught her eye. It is dark purple in colour, her favourite colour. Not only that, it fits what she is finding for. It may be a little revealing, but honestly she could care less. She's not one to shy away from exposing some skin. In fact, she wants her new trademark attire to expose some skin.

She checked the price tag. It is on discount, probably because hardly anyone likes to wear such gothic looking and revealing clothes nowadays. The store probably just wants to clear these out as soon as possible.

However, to her, it is the perfect attire to mark this important moment of her life, this important moment where she finally conquered her inner demons and is finally able to embrace who she truly is.

It is perfect.

Now, she really wants to hurry up and wear this just to see what reaction she can tease out of Elden.


He gave her new attire such a scathing look that she might have mistaken his magic to be able to set her clothes on fire with just a glance. She put her hands on her hips and held her head up high, daring him to challenge her fashion sense. He has no right to speak considering that he basically has a few copies of his standard attire. His clothes are all the same. He has no fashion sense.

"Why." He took in a deep breath as he facepalmed. "Are you wearing… that."

"What? I thought it looked nice on me." She looked at herself before looking back up at him. "Besides, weren't you the one who told me that I look nice regardless of what I wear?"

"It's revealing." He told her in that blunt manner that she had grown used to. "And our guild is full of perverts. Our guild master is one."

"So? Let them see for all I care." She flipped her ponytail backwards in a dramatic manner. Another gentle touch to her new look. Instead of letting her hair down like when she first came to Fairy Tail, she now ties it up into a ponytail. New start, new look, new her.

"Whatever." He accepted his defeat and continued to read his book. "Do what you want. Don't say I didn't warn you. See if I care."

"Awww, you do care!" She leaned down and shoved her face right in front of his just to see his face turn red within a second. She wasn't disappointed. His eyes are looking at anywhere and everywhere but at her.

Oh, she is revealing her cleavage for him to see from how she is leaning down in this new outfit. No wonder he is so embarrassed.

This is so fun.

"Why? Enjoying the view?" She teased once more as she purposely used her hands to push up her still growing breasts in a suggestive manner. The sight of him growing even redder had her laughing so uncontrollably that she is now rolling on the floor in laughter. Her stomach hurts just by thinking about his reddening face!

"I'm leaving." He gritted his teeth and started to walk out, the blush never quite leaving his face. Uh oh.

"Hey hey, I'm just pulling your leg." She quickly smothered her laughter and grabbed onto his arm. She waves a smaller wad of cash in front of his face.

"Since I still have some leftover from my share of allowance, why don't I treat you to something? Pick anything you like within my budget. Your wardrobe needs some diversity, seriously."

"My fashion sense is fine." He grumbled. She didn't relent, instead gently pulling at his dark blue jacket with a look of contemplation. It looks very old, torn, and tattered. Why hasn't he got around to replace it? He has the money.

"How about I choose a new jacket for you?"

"No." He replied immediately, almost to the point of snapping at her. Her flinch might have been a little too obvious.

"This jacket is… important." He said as he looked away from her awkwardly. "I'm not going to replace it unless I cannot wear it anymore."

"Is it from Laxus?" She made a bold guess. She heard from the guild members that he and Laxus were very close. If there's anything that could make Elden view this jacket as important, it is probably a gift to him from somebody close to him.

He gave a slight nod.

"Then at least let me help you sew the holes properly. I mean, seriously, look at this." She lifted up one end of the jacket where an attempt in sewing some holes in it was made. Elden probably got himself into all sorts of dangerous situations as one of the most powerful mages in Fairy Tail. It's a wonder his jacket is not in tatters yet. Strong he may be, there's no way his barriers could possibly defend him from everything when he is just one person against the world.

He really needs to have more friends by his side. She doesn't know how to repay his kindness or if it is possible to even fully repay the kindness he showed her, but she can start by being his friend. His best friend.

He gave her a skeptical look.

"Haven't you noticed? I'm good at patching things up." She pressed on. If there's anything she can do to help this kind person who had helped her so much when she was at her lowest, she wants to do it.

"I swear, if you ruin this-"

"I won't. Trust me."

The surety in her voice must have convinced him seeing how he had relented in the end. Her siblings found them at this moment, showing her the new clothes they picked out for themselves.

She smiled. This is a new chapter in their lives and it is looking to be a bright one.


"Mira, my dear. How've you guys been doing?"

She quickly walked over to Master Makarov the moment he called her over to his office. Her siblings followed after her as well. Elden is… somewhere in the guild building. She will locate him later.

"We are doing well, Master!" She chirped back happily and she saw the old man giving them a big smile as well. He patted her on the shoulder with a warm hand and gestured for them to take a seat opposite him.

"That puts me at ease. How has Elden been treating you guys? I see he has been a little more talkative ever since he took you guys in."

"El is nice!" Lisanna spoke up cheerily and her words were parroted by Elfman. "He just doesn't like to talk so everybody thinks he's scary when he's not!"

"What Lisanna said." Mira added when Makarov turned to look at her.

"Well, I'm glad that you guys think this way then. I'm sure you heard a little about his past with my wayward grandson by now?"

The three of them nodded.

"Then this keeps things simple." Makarov continued to talk as they listened intently. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like you three to continue to befriend Elden. I was worried about the impact the fallout he had with my grandson until he found you three. You three are the only people he really talked to now that he is not on talking terms with the Thunder God Tribe. If it's possible, I want you three to help him to learn how to socialise more, to have him interact more with the guild."

"Okay!" Lisanna agreed on their behalf as she pumped a fist into the air. "Our very first mission!"

"Yup! Your very first mission!" Makarov smiled at Lisanna.

After talking for a short while, mostly with Makarov asking about their current situation and trying to find out if there's anything he needs to know about them and how they are fitting in, he shooed them out from his office, claiming to have paperwork to finish. Lisanna and Elfman both gave him doubtful looks because of the familiar smell of alcohol coming from under his office desk, but ran out anyway in favour of playing with their new friends. Mirajane stayed.

"Yes, Mira? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uhm, I…" She frowned a little as she closed the office door, not really knowing how to phrase her question properly as her gaze travelled to her feet.

You don't know El. You don't know what he's really capable of. You don't know who he really is.

"El… He… What's he like before we came here? I mean, I heard a bit from people like Cana, but I want to hear your opinion as well. El and I, we talked a little in private when he was escorting us to Magnolia. It's very different from how people described him. Everybody told me very different things when I asked about him, especially Laxus. I… I just…"

She looked back up at Master Makarov.

"Which El is the real El?"

"I'm kind of jealous of you, you know? Of everyone I know in Fairy Tail. You guys at least have family."

"I… I don't remember who I really am, at least not fully. When my magic first awakened it was when I forgot who I am. I cannot remember who I was, what I did, where I lived."

"The fear of not knowing who you really are, I understand it better than you do. I was a literal nobody until I regained a part of my memories and made new ones with people who mattered."

The conversation she had with him in that inn after the night where he told her with confidence that she isn't a demon rang clearly in her head. For some reason, she has a feeling that she had seen a side of Elden that nobody had seen. Is Elden the kind boy that had spoken to her that morning, or is he the dangerous mage Laxus said? The one who can become a monster? Is he the anti-social recluse that Gray claimed? The grumpy bookworm Levy mentioned? The super strong mage Natsu wants to challenge? The person Cana views as her biggest competitor for the next S Class trial?

Makarov's gaze softened.

"What did El tell you?"

"That… he's jealous of me having a family, a real one. That he doesn't remember a thing about his past and never managed to remember fully about himself from when he first met you till now. That he knows better than anyone the fear of not knowing who you really are."

"That is all true." Makarov nodded solemnly. "El is… a unique child. Had always been too smart, too wise, too mature, always too ready to help despite needing help himself. He kept giving off the vibe that he never belonged anywhere, like he's subconsciously distancing himself from everyone because he feels like he doesn't belong. It was a lot worse when I first found him."

"B-But he told me a guild is a family! We are nakamas!" She exclaimed. "Then why-"

"That's why I said he's a unique child." Makarov explained patiently. "He loves this guild just like you and I, yet he feels like he's an outsider infringing on us for reasons unknown. Maybe he's not being forthcoming with what he really remembered. Maybe it's the lack of memories that is holding him back. We don't know. But we can draw our conclusions about him from his magic. Many scholars believed that magic that naturally manifests in mages is the truest reflection of who you are. Elden's magic is one of natural manifestation. His magic is-"

"Barrier Magic." She gulped. "It keeps people away."

"Precisely." Her guild master nodded. "When I first found him, he was very close to getting himself killed from a bunch of bandits that had murdered his parents as well. If his magic did not manifest when it did, I would not have been able to save him in time. Elden would have been dead. Naturally occurring magic truly reflects the mage's state of mind at the point in time they made magic a reality. In Elden's case, he had the desire to protect himself by keeping himself away from others. It was to survive. Whether that was a cause of his lost memories or something else was the culprit remains unseen. In fact, we were surprised that he remembered anything. Porlyusica was doubtful that he could recall anything and she's rarely wrong. Although in this case, we were glad that she's wrong."

"That state of mind when he awoke his magic, the desire to keep people away, it lingers after so long?"

"Theoretically, it shouldn't." Makarov scratched his chin in thought. "But this is magic we are talking about. Magic is connected to our emotions because our emotions are what make magic possible. At least, that is what I believe in. Although rare, there are cases of people growing insane from their own magic. Elden awakening his magic in such stressful conditions might have some serious mental impacts that we never foresaw, much less a child his age back then. Especially when he woke up only to realise he doesn't know who he is. I'm sure that has scarred him mentally, it's just a matter of how big that scar is and whether it had gone away."

"I… see." She mumbled as she tried to digest it all.

"The fact is, Elden rebuilt his identity from scratch after I brought him here. It was how he recovered and started to talk more with members of the guild. Being part of Fairy Tail and the Thunder God Tribe had always been a part of his identity. Now that he left the Thunder God Tribe, it's like his part of his identity had been erased. He is regressing back to when I first found him and I really do not wish for him to go back to that state. It is not pretty, what he had to go through. Can you help me, Mira? All I ask is for you and your siblings to spend some time everyday to talk to him. Can you do that? To be his friend?"

"Of course I will!" She replied quickly. "It's just, uh, I was curious about his past."

"And it is not my place to tell you unless he allows me to. I have already revealed more than I need to, in fact." Makarov cleared his throat before giving her a suggestive wink. "Why? Interested in him? I must say that you and El have been getting really chummy with each other as of late."

"It's nothing like that!" She shouted back in embarrassment. There's no way she's interested in him in this manner!

"Sure, sure, whatever you say."

"Master!"


"So, I heard you and El are going on missions together?"

"Yeah, your point?" She looked at Erza with a bored look on her face. This tin-can really needs to lighten up. Why is she always so serious anyway? Live a little!

"How strong is he?"

"Stronger than you, that's for sure." She snorted as she continued to eat her meal in the guild hall. Now that Master Makarov finally allows her to go on missions, she is starting to bring in a steady stream of income to feed her and her siblings. And when her siblings can finally go on missions with her as well, all the better. Once they save up enough, they can finally not impose on Elden and move out of his apartment. They all felt bad for causing him to sleep in his hammock for months now. He probably doesn't even remember how sleeping in his own bed felt like.

"Not like you are any better." Erza shot back, probably feeling a little hurt at her blunt statement. Eh, like she cares. It's the truth. El is just that strong. Suck it up and move on.

"Oh? You think you are better than me? You want to try, tin-can? I'll take you on!" She challenged brashly as she stood up and put a leg on top of the bench she was sitting on with a loud bang.

"T-Tin-can?" Erza sputtered out of shock. "Don't insult my armour! You… You… You…"

Erza's face flushed a bright red as she pointed a finger at her while shaking uncontrollably in anger. Mira merely leaned forward, daring Erza to come up with a witty comeback.

"S-Skimpy whore!"

"That's it? That all you can do?" She threw the phrase Elden always used to mock her during their training sessions back at Erza. "Skimpy whore? At least I'm proud of my body unlike you! Come on, aluminium foil! At least throw a better insult! Don't tell me that your brain is full of rust as well, scrap metal?"

Erza shouted a war cry as she drew the sword on her waist and slashed at her in rage. Mira ducked as she activated her Satan Soul. She may not be able to do a Full Body Take Over yet, but she is close. Even Master and Elden had all told her that her rate of progress is astonishingly fast.

Her demonic arm that she used to be so ashamed of easily blocked the sword without a scratch. She grinned. This is a good time as any to see where she truly stands in this guild in terms of power. Erza joined Fairy Tail two years before her. If she can beat her, then she can prove that she is a valuable member of the guild as well. She can get her guild to recognise her for her own strength.

"Bring it, tomato hair! I'll crush you!"

"ARGH! DIE, BITCH!"


"So, you want to explain to me what possessed you to fight with Erza of all people? I'm very sure you did not mess with her strawberry cake by mistake, so what was it?"

Elden crossed his arms in front of her and she looked away from him in a sheepish manner as she sat on the chair in his apartment. Lisanna is helping to disinfect the wounds she got from her big fight with Erza, making her hiss in pain every once in a while when Lisanna accidentally used a little more strength than necessary.

"I called her a tin-can. She called me a skimpy whore. Things just got out of control from there." She admitted truthfully.

What she didn't admit to him was that the guild brawl she and Erza started was actually hella fun! She can see why the guild does that on a daily basis. Now she wants to be a part of it every single time it happens!

Elden continues to stare at her, as if already seeing through her lie.

"Tch. Your punch was weak. No wonder she beat you."

"What?" Her head snapped back up in indignation at his words. "She didn't beat me! Our fight wasn't finished!"

"Yes, just admit that she beat you." He shut her up just as quick. Without warning, he suddenly threw a punch right at her face that got her to close her eyes in fear at how sudden and fast it was. She could even feel a violent breeze brushing across her face from the speed of it. She reopened her eyes when she didn't feel any pain, spotting his fist less than a centimeter away from her face.

"That, is how you throw a proper punch. Next time you pick a fight with her, this is how you punch her."

A large grin started to form on her face.

"El! Please don't encourage Mira-nee!"

"Lisanna. It's either that or people start to think that I'm a bad teacher which by the way, I'm not. Mira is technically my student. I would not allow anyone to think that the teaching skills of the Aegis of Fairy Tail is subpar. I have a reputation to maintain. If Mira cannot win a measly guild brawl, there's no way she can win her battles in higher level missions."

"I knew I could count on you!" Mira slapped Elden on his back for, well, having her back. "Thanks, El!"

He grumbled irritatedly.

"You'll be the death of me."

It didn't take long for her to put into practice what Elden taught her that night. In fact, she swaggered into the guild hall the next morning, easily spotting Erza eating her strawberry cake for breakfast in her usual spot and a few bruises on her here and there from their fight yesterday.

"Hey, tin-can!"

She threw a mean right hook like how Elden showed her to do the night before.

She didn't win that fight too, but Erza sported an easily visible black eye for the rest of the week.

That was the official start of her rivalry with Erza.


"El! How's it?! How's it?!"

She waved him over the moment she spotted him returning to the guild with the rest of the S Class candidates. She knows Elden is crazily strong but she wants to be doubly sure!

Elden gave her a smirk, his hands in his usual place in his pockets. That's all she needs to know.

"Until Master makes the official reveal, I cannot reveal anything other than the fact that I went up against Gildarts."

"GILDARTS?!" The entire guild turned their heads towards him as one, jaws dropped in surprise.

"How unlucky!"

"How are you even alive?!"

"How many bones did you break?!"

"Are you a ghost?!"

"What ghost? I'm alive!"

She smiled. Elden is a lot more talkative now. At least he talks to the other members of the guild every now and then. Levy isn't afraid to ask him directly to lend her his books anymore, for one. She and her siblings had managed to bring Elden out of his shell a little, something which they count as an achievement.

"Guess this means the official reveal is now meaningless, eh, Master?" Gildarts grinned at Makarov, who merely shrugged. Gildarts clapped his hands once to get the guild to keep quiet, which they all did. They are all eager to know who their newest S Class mage is, if there is indeed someone who passed that legendary hellish test this year.

Everyone is eager except for her, that is. She already knew when he replied to her question. There's no doubt in her mind that he could do it when he first left to take the S Class Trials.

"May I present to you your newest S Class mage, Elden Tyrell!"

Called it.


"S Class, El! S Class!" She teased him mercilessly as he rolled his eyes, still floating in the air as he lay down on his floating barriers to read his new book. "Hey! Bring us out for an S Class mission soon, yeah?"

"When you and your siblings can complete an A Class mission perfectly, then I might consider it."

"You said it!" She pointed a finger at him in case he retracted his words. "Elfman! Lisanna! We are going on a mission right now!"

"What? Now?"

"NOW!" She hollered at her siblings from across the guild hall. "This is our only chance to experience an S Class mission! El said it! If we complete an A Class mission perfectly he will bring us out on an S Class mission!"

"Wait, what? Bring me along too!" Natsu yelled.

"No! Bring me! EL! ME!" Gray shouted even louder.

"No." Elden shot that idea down even quicker.

"WHY NOT?!"

"The last time I went on a mission with you." He pointed at Natsu. "You barbequed two hundred and fifty six cows. And you, Gray, the last time I went with you on a mission I had to handle a hundred and eight complaints about your indecent state of dress. No way in hell I'm taking you guys along for an S Class quest."

The two of them hung their heads in defeat.

"Hey, cheer up! I will give you a full verbal report of what going on an S Class quest feels like when we returned! Muahaha!" She cackled evilly as Natsu and Gray both scowled at her. "Elfman! Lisanna! Hurry! To the board we go! We need to choose our mission!"


"Ta-da!" She did a peace sign with her fingers and held it up smugly in front of his face. "Mission success! Perfect completion! Five star rating!"

"Yay. Good job." He said dryly as he continued to read his book in his hammock without looking up at her. "Now go and shower. The three of you are stinking up the place."

She forcefully placed her right hand still doing the peace sign right between his face and his book and wriggled her fingers cutely just to see him get annoyed, enjoying his face turning into a scowl as he tried to swat her hand away as she flapped her demon wings and hovered in the air beside him.

"Mira. I'm just about to get into the good part."

"Here!" She shoved a paper bag at him. He looked at it, then at her. She nodded at him happily, encouraging him to take it.

"This is-"

"The remuneration for the job request to escort us here." She told him truthfully. "I know our living expenses from staying with you are more or less covered by the guild and you probably won't accept it anyway, but this, we insist."

"Mira-"

"We insist." She emphasised. "We would take you out to eat but you seem to enjoy my cooking more than you eat outside, so I'll cook up a feast later! How about it?"

He flipped another page of his book, pretending as if he doesn't care about what she does when in fact he does.

"Fine by me."

"Anything in particular that you like?"

"Not really. I pretty much eat anything you cook."

"Then that settles it!" She said cheerfully as she hovered above him parallelly. "Get ready for the Mira Special!"


It's been almost a year since she came to Fairy Tail, since she's been saved by Elden.

"Our new home! We have a home!"

Seeing Elfman's and Lisanna's happy faces made her 100% sure that it was worth spending that much money to buy their new home. She knows how much having a physical home means to them. She feels the same way too. That feeling of loss when they saw their home razed to the ground by those nasty villagers was something she doesn't want to see her siblings experience again.

So, the moment they were sure they wanted this place, they bought everything this place was built on, even the land itself. It cost them quite a hefty sum and they almost used up all their savings, but this is now theirs.

"It's a nice place." Elden commented as he looked around. "Has a homely feel to it."

"Couldn't have found it without your help." She grinned at him with her hands on her hips. "Thanks a lot, El!"

"Yeah, thanks El!"

"Don't mention it." He waved it off as he continued to inspect the place.

"You know, you can come over to visit whenever you like!" She offered. "I'm sure my food is so good that you only eat what I cook nowadays. That's it! You should come over for dinner whenever we are around!"

"Now, there's-"

"I-It's not manly to refuse!" Elfman, in a rare bout of courage, exclaimed out loud.

"Uh huh. Besides, Mira-nee's cooking is really good! You said so yourself!" Lisanna added.

"If you feel bad about eating here all the time, you can help share the grocery cost a little." She proposed, knowing how particular Elden is at not liking the notion of imposing on others although he never minded if others imposed on him. If letting him share the cost can persuade him to open up a little and come over to visit regularly, so be it.

He mulled over her proposal for a few seconds.

"Sure."


"S Class! It's my turn to become S Class!"

Before she knew it, the next S Class Trials were around the corner. Even when she had only just joined the guild two years ago, she had swiftly climbed up the ranks and became one of the strongest mages around. Even the likes of Master and Gildarts were surprised at her progress. Only Elden showed indifference because he was the one who tutored her. He knew her strength and potential.

"Shut up, hag. I'm the one who is going to become S Class."

Mira narrowed her eyes at the annoying redhead as said redhead did the same. Their staring contest was only broken up when Elden got in the way of the two.

And then proceeded to drag her out of the guild by the back of her blouse.

"H-Hey! El! Let me go! I can walk on my own!"

"If you want to be S Class, then you need to train more instead of having petty spats with Erza. Don't waste your time on useless endeavours."

"Petty spats?! I'm not petty! I'll show you what's petty-"

He flung her forward in the isolated training field that they always use and she quickly took a few steps to steady herself before looking back at him with a scowl. Judging from that smug looking grin on his face, he's enjoying this.

"Hey." She stated with a predatory grin as she cracked her knuckles and started to do her stretches. "If I can beat you right here, right now, does it mean that I can be S Class right away?"

"Careful there. You are starting to sound a lot like Natsu."

"I TAKE IT AS A YES THEN!"

She threw the first punch as she did a full transformation with Satan Soul in less than a second. The battlelust of her inner demons rose as she quickly shot her spells at him without letting up. This is Elden she is facing. He is a tough nut to crack.

She's also curious to see where they stand now in terms of power. Had she surpassed him?

It's time to find out.


"Ah, ah! It hurts! It hurts!"

"I told you to stop. You didn't listen."

He piggybacked her all the way to her house because she went too far in their spar and overexerted herself. She can barely move a finger right now and she is hurting all over.

She still considered it a win because Elden is also exhausted. Otherwise, he would have flown her back home instead of carrying her in a piggyback.

This is also a perfect time to tease him.

"Hey, you are enjoying this, aren't you?" She leaned closer to his ear and whispered in it. "Touching my thighs and feeling my boobs pressing on your back? What a sly move, El. I didn't know you had it in you."

"So don't give anyone the chance to do so by not overexerting yourself next time, stupid." He shot back. Huh, guess he had developed some resistance to her teasing.

Time for the one-hit-KO.

"Could it be…" She leaned her face really close to his and she knew she still had it in her when his face blushed up a storm once more at the super close contact. She even purposely made sure her breaths could be felt by his ear as she whispered into it from behind. "You…"

He blushed even redder. This is so fun! Ahahaha!

"Stop it." He jostled her, making her hiss in pain when that triggered a reaction from her overly sore muscles. "People will get the wrong idea."

"No, seriously. There are a ton of cute and pretty girls in the guild. Is there seriously no one that caught your attention? Not even one?" She took great glee in teasing him further as he watched his face nearly producing steam. Just look at how red his neck is! "Hey, hey! Do you need me to be your wingman? Elfman and Lisanna can help too! Promise! Who caught your eye? Cana? As long as it is not the tin-can I'm fine with it! Or is it Levy?! Oh gosh! The both of you are bookworms and she often borrowed books from you! Perfect!"

"Mira." He said in an exasperated tone. "Please do not spread baseless rumours."

"I can make sure that the rumours won't be baseless soon!"

"Mira."

"Fine, fine." She sighed dramatically. "Seriously, you are such a bore."

"Har har. Yet a certain goth demon told me that I'm her best friend."

"That shows how good a friend I am right? I can actually put up with such a boring person like you and still call you my best friend! Can I use that to bribe you to put in a good word for me to Master during the S Class Trial? Pretty pleeeeaseee?"

"No."

"Or how about if you happen to be the one testing that stupid tin-can, you make her exams super hard so that she cannot pass! You know, the bro code! Come on, for a bro! We are bros for life!"

"That is a bigger no."

"Come on El! For a bro! For your best friend! Bros for life!"

He pointedly ignored her as he took out the spare key she and her siblings had given him so that he could come over whenever he wished. They still kept the spare key to his apartment as well. They trust each other completely. Using the key, he opened the door to her home.

"Home sweet home!" She cheered as she put her hands up in the air happily. "Come on El! Say it with me! Elfman and Lisanna do it all the time too whenever we get back! Home sweet home!"

"Careful. Don't move around like that." He grumbled. "I nearly dropped you back there."

"El~ Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I rather keep my sense of preservation."

He closed the door behind them and gently let her down on a chair in her living room. From the looks of it, Elfman and Lisanna still haven't returned from the guild. She hissed slightly in pain as she tried to stand up on her own feet and ignore the pain her muscles are giving her. After some stretching and walking one round around the living room, she deemed herself passable to be able to walk to her bathroom on her own power.

"I'm going to take a shower! Make yourself comfortable!" She removed her hair tie and let her long white hair down completely as she disappeared into her bathroom, only to poke her head out to tease him again. "I'm not going to close the door! So don't peek!"

His face turned red again as he gave her an embarrassed scowl. She decided to push her luck further.

"Or you can join me if you want! I don't mind!"

She managed to dodge the book he threw at her in time and continue to let her laughter ring throughout her house, not closing the door to her bathroom just to have him squirm uncomfortably while he waits for her to finish bathing.

Too easy to tease.


He left! He freaking just up and left like that! Come on, she was just joking when she accused him of breaking the bro code!

"Mira-nee, you are moping."

"I'm not moping." She insisted. Lisanna gave her a flat look that showed just how much she believed her earlier statement.

"You are, sis." Elfman agreed. "You've been moping ever since El left on the S Class mission. It's been an entire month."

"Yeah, you've been too hard on him with that 'bro code' thing." Lisanna said with an air quote motion of her fingers. "I mean, you can't really expect him to show any bias as a proctor of the S Class Trials. You know that."

"I know! I was just kidding! I didn't expect him to really take an S Class mission that is expected to take up to four months! FOUR!" She held up four fingers while saying that. "But hey! It's not totally my fault! I even offered to tag along! He refused!"

"I don't know, maybe that's because someone is not competent enough to get promoted to S Class? S Class missions are very difficult. Surely someone as strong as Elden won't want to bring a burden along. Oh, who could that be?"

Even without looking, Mira knew who it was. She did a roundhouse kick when she heard that annoying voice. Fucking Erza.

"Oh ho? Can't accept the truth?" Erza said in a mocking tone as she leapt upwards and landed on the second floor of the guild, looking down at her with a haughty expression. "Can't accept the fact that I'm your better?"

"SHUT UP AND GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW TIN-CAN! I'LL FIGHT YOU!"

"Mira-nee! Stop picking a fight!"

"Ohohoho, how can I?" Erza inspected her nails in a carefree manner and Mira wants nothing but to wipe that smug look off her face right now. "It would be plain bullying if an S Class mage beats you into a pulp. Right, Lisanna?"

"Erza! Please stop picking on Mira-nee!"

"GET DOWN HERE RUSTY ASS!"

"Why don't you get up here? Oh wait, you failed the S Class exams! My bad, my bad! I forgot you are not strong enough to climb up the second floor! It is reserved only for us S Class mages! Like yours truly!"

"YOU-!"

"Elden personally acknowledged my strength, you know? He was my proctor." Mirajane growled as that red-headed bitch continued to taunt her. "If you failed, guess you are not strong enough for him to acknowledge your strength! Too bad, too bad, life's so sad~"

"GAH! YOU ARE SO DEAD, TIN-CAN! LET ME GO ELFMAN, LISANNA! I'LL SHOW HER-"

"Mira!"

"WHAT?!" She snapped at whoever dared to get between her and her beating Erza into a bloody mess. Her head swiveled towards the entrance of the guild hall where she heard the voice came from.

Oh crap, it's El. He's back so soon?!

"Is that…"

She spotted what her siblings spotted as well. A small little girl with hair in almost the same shade of white as theirs hid herself timidly behind Elden, shivering in fright. She is almost in tears.

Elden wasn't very amused at how she shouted at them because of the little girl's reaction.

"Ah… Ah…"

"Hey hey, relax. She's alright. You just caught her in a bad mood, that's all." Elden is obviously trying his best to calm the little girl down and preventing her from crying. It's almost like she is on the verge of an anxiety attack or something. "Mira's not scary at all."

"Yeah, that female gorilla's not scary at all. Come on in." Erza quipped from above.

"SHUT UP TIN-CAN!"

"Ah… Ah… WAHHHHH!"

Mira facepalmed. Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck Erza. Fuck her. Whose fault is this now that the little girl is crying?

The glare Elden sent their way got them to straighten their backs automatically, even Erza when she is now already an S Class mage like him. An angry Elden is a scary Elden. He can really become a monster.

"You two." He pointed at them with a finger before pointing downwards at the wailing girl clutching at his pants in fear like a lifeline. "Fix this. Now."

Fuck. El's mad.

Really mad.


"Yukino, eh? That's a nice name!"

Yukino curled herself up and hid herself behind Lisanna. Mira can only sigh. It's all Erza's fault that Yukino now has such a bad impression of her.

It's all that tomato hair's fault.

Elden had found the girl in some unnamed woods after he completed his mission and was making his way back. The girl is running a slight fever and is severely malnourished. She doesn't know what Yukino's past is but like them and most people in Fairy Tail, it probably isn't pretty.

Elden had asked for their help in getting the little girl to settle in since the fact that Yukino is a girl is a little inconvenient for him to take care of her. Elden is still in a meeting with Master Makarov regarding Yukino's circumstances and Lisanna had gently coaxed the little girl and convinced her to allow Lisanna to help wash her clean and change her clothes into cleaner ones. Yukino is distrustful of others and the only person she fully trusts seems to be Elden. Elden had bought some change of clothes for Yukino on the way back. According to him, Yukino was dressed in bloodied rags when he found her and very severely malnourished.

The thought of it made her blood boil. What kind of animal even dares to lay a finger on such a small innocent child?!

She and Erza had unanimously decided to put off their feud in favour of helping Yukino settle in. Right now, Erza is warding off the curious members who have no concept of personal space so that they don't spook and frighten Yukino any further. Yukino is extremely jumpy without Elden by her side and is obviously a victim of mental trauma. She can tell the signs. She was once a victim too.

"My name is Mirajane. Mi-ra-jane." She said as gently as she could in an attempt to get Yukino to open up to her. Nope, not working. She is still hiding behind Lisanna. It seems that the only person who seemed to gain a semblance of Yukino's trust thus far that is not Elden is Lisanna.

There was a low growl emitting from Yukino's stomach. Did El not feed her?

"Did you even eat anything?"

She nodded her head meekly.

"Elden gave me a lot to eat! I… I… just don't want to trouble E-Elden any further… So I said nothing when I got hungry again..."

"Hey, it's good." She patted Yukino on the head, who, surprisingly enough, didn't flinch away from her this time. "I'll let you in on a secret! I'm actually a great cook! Wanna see?"

Yukino blinked her large eyes at her.

"Really! Elden comes over to our place to eat all the time because of my cooking skills!"


She is lucky that she has one redeeming feature that is her cooking skills. Whew. Elden will skin her alive if she is the reason Yukino is still crying by the time he gets back.

Yukino had fallen asleep shortly after she finished the meal she cooked for her. Mira had borrowed the guild's kitchen to whip up a quick and easily digestible meal. It has to be easy on Yukino's stomach since she is obviously malnourished and hasn't eaten properly for days until El found her. There's also the fact that Yukino is running a slight fever.

So porridge it is. Yukino opened up to her the moment she ate the first bite. They had to quickly remind her that the porridge is hot and to take it slow lest she scalded her tongue.

"So she's the child?"

Master and Elden walked into the guild's infirmary where they are at. Yukino is sleeping on one of the beds, knocked out like a light.

"I'll take care of her, Master. I want to take care of her."

That got her and her siblings to look at Elden in surprise. That is not something Elden would say lightly.

"Are you sure, El?" Master Makarov questioned and pointed at her and her siblings. "Yukino is young. She's vulnerable. Raising her would not be easy. It's not the same as helping them to settle in."

"She… Yukino lost everything, Master. If there's anyone who knows the same pain, it's me. I lost everything too until you found me, until Fairy Tail found me. I need to do this. I want to do this."

Ah, so that's why. Almost everybody in Fairy Tail experienced loss one way or the other before coming here. It is why their bonds are so strong, because they know better than anyone the sense of loss. They don't want to lose anybody again now that they have a new family in the form of Fairy Tail. She doesn't know about the rest because most of them are tight-lipped about their past prior to joining Fairy Tail, but El really lost everything before he came here as far as she knew.

He must have seen himself in Yukino.

"I understand if you are apprehensive about having this insensitive dolt raise her by himself, Master." She slung an arm around El's shoulders like a bro. Well, he is her best bro excluding Elfman who is her real bro. A sideway glance allows her to spot the dark circles around his eyes. He must not have caught much sleep and he obviously rushed back to Magnolia.

"Are you on my side?" He hissed at her. "This is important, don't mess around!"

She ignored him and merely completed the second half of her sentence.

"But it will be fine if we help too, right?"

Everyone stared at her as if Christmas had come early.

"Y-Yeah! We can help raise Yukino too! She seems to open up to me really easily!" Lisanna quickly caught on and put forward a valid point. "And there are certain inconveniences if El is to raise Yukino alone because of the gender difference. That would not be a problem for me and Mira-nee!"

"T-That's right!" Elfman added. "I-I can help too! In any way!"

Master Makarov eyed the four of them before giving a soft sigh.

"If you guys are so sure, then fine. This will be the arrangement for now. We will discuss this later after a week or two depending on Yukino's condition. For now, it's late and Yukino needs her rest. I'll get Porlyusica here first thing tomorrow morning to give her a thorough health check. Don't be late."

"Thank you, Master."

Master Makarov waved it off as he quietly exited the infirmary, leaving them alone.

"So, now you are big bro El? El-niisama? Nii-san? Nii-chan?" She leaned her elbow on his shoulder and started her relentless teasing. Elden simply sighed tiredly and rubbed the back of his head with a hand, an action she had gotten used to seeing him do all the time.

"Sorry, but not now, Mira. I'm not in the mood."

Wow, he must be really exhausted.

"Alright, you know what? You go back home right now and sleep. You obviously flew back here and overexerted yourself. Weren't you the one who always keeps telling me not to overexert myself? Heed your own advice for once."

"Mira." He said in an exasperated tone as he glanced at the sleeping Yukino. "She-"

"We'll be here all night taking care of her. You trust us, right?"

"I do, but-"

"Blah blah blah na na na na na I cannot hear you nyeh~" She stuck her tongue out at him and cut him off. Before he could protest, she dragged him out of the infirmary quietly and towards her home.

"I'm going to go back home and grab whatever we need to stay the night at the guild, and so will you. I know you are not going to be able to sleep at home with Yukino like this, so you are coming back here to sleep in the infirmary as well. You go clean yourself up at your own apartment before coming back here to sleep. I will wake you up when Porlyusica arrives tomorrow morning, you can count on it."

He didn't argue nor did he protest. He was too tired to.

She was proven right when he fell asleep the moment his head touches the pillow. He had really worn himself out over Yukino.

She snorted softly as she looked at him snoring away. It is two am in the morning and it is her turn to keep watch. She lit up a dim glow at a corner of the room with a lacrima lamp and quietly picked up Elden's signature jacket, the jacket that is the most important item to him because Laxus was the one who gave it to him.

She shook her head in resignation as she brought out the sewing kit she brought over from home and began to sew the holes in his jacket back together. He is always caring too much about others and cares too little about himself. He can afford to be a little more selfish like her.

But that selfless kindness is what makes him Elden.

What an adorable dork.


Another two years passed. Some things changed, some didn't.

She now has another sibling in the form of Yukino. She is not a Strauss by blood, but she sure damn well is no matter what anybody else says. She and her siblings had laid claim on her in front of the entire guild when Yukino's addition to the guild became official. From that day onwards, the Strauss siblings increased to four people.

Yukino's presence is good for Elden. Having a younger sibling to take care of gives him a more solid sense of family and Yukino simply adores Elden. Elden started to open up more because he needs to interact more with others through Yukino. Yukino is helping him to make friends again. She is happy for the both of them.

Yukino had also opened up to them soon after she and Elden became her legal guardians. Elden had wanted to raise her himself, but she and her siblings had once lived in the small apartment he called home for months. It is no place to raise a kid like Yukino. She needs the space to run around and have fun and do what children her age do.

She remembered what Elden told her when she first came here, that Fairy Tail has a foster care system for new members who cannot take care of themselves. She remembered how afraid she was of that arrangement because it felt like she and her siblings were imposing on him. He told her not to worry because it will be her turn one day, to extend her hand to someone else who will need her help like how he had done for her and how Master Makarov had done for him.

Looking at Yukino, she felt that her turn had come.

So, she put her foot down and insisted that Yukino lives at her place instead. Her house has a spare room anyway that nobody uses. It might as well be Yukino's. It will also spare Elden the trouble of trying to find a bigger apartment just for Yukino and he comes over to her place for dinner almost everyday anyway. He and Yukino will still see each other very often.

She also became an S Class mage within these two years, finally catching up to him. She can also finally get that annoying tin-can to stop lording the S Class title over her.

Her life was great. Never been better. She's glad that she came to Fairy Tail, glad that she met him, the person who turned her life upside down for the better. Her best friend, her best bro.

So what possessed her to disregard his advice regarding the S Class mission to subjugate The Beast? Because of her blunder, her siblings nearly paid the price with their lives. She is such a failure as a sister and as an S Class mage.

She let out a sound of frustration as she covered her face with her pillow, still lying face down on her bed. It is already eleven in the morning and she is not out of bed yet. Usually by this time she is already in the guild. Elden had gave her a pep talk and got her out of the funk and she, in turn, knocked some sense into her idiotic brother quite literally in case he really guilt trip himself to death. All is well so far, but she still cannot get over her mistake.

Then there is the fact that… that he… Elden, he…

He called her beautiful.

She frowned. Was it a slip of the tongue? It has to be, right? And goddammit! Why is she acting like a dumb schoolgirl with a damn pathetic crush?! She's Mirajane Strauss! The Demon of Fairy Tail! Not a lovesick puppy! She's a goddamn punk and she doesn't do pretty!

But then, he did call her a beautiful punk… Even if it was supposed to be just a tease…

It WAS a tease, right? RIGHT?!

"Goddammit. I'm so pathetic." She smothered her face into her pillow and screamed into it. What is wrong with her?! Why is she the one blushing now dammit?! That's El's thing! Argh! She doesn't understand a single thing right now!

She needs to go on an S Class mission and go blow up a mountain or something, pronto. She will go crazy at this rate.

And fuck, she just screwed up an S Class mission. Better not go on one then. An A Class one, perhaps?

"-ra-nee! Mira-nee!"

"Huh?! What?! Who?! What?!" She jumped up in alarm. Who's calling her?

"Helloooo. Are you there?" Yukino waved her hand in front of her face. Since when did she get on her bed without her realising?

"Mira-nee, are you okay? You've been talking to yourself and then screaming into your pillow for no reason."

"I'm fine." She grumbled as she sank her face into her pillow once more. "What is it?"

Yukino pointed at the clock.

"It's past noon. You need to eat."

Crap. She had been tossing about in her bed for more than an hour?! How?! She could swore it was only 11am a few seconds ago!

"Your face is red. Like really red." Yukino traced her face using a finger before a sly smirk worked its way on her little face. "Thinking of someone? El-niichan?"

"Yukino." She said in a warning tone.

"It's gotten redder!"

"I'm not in love with him or anything dammit!"

"I never said anything like that~" Yukino replied in a sing-song voice, her little hands rubbing against each other in glee.

"Shut. Up." She growled, although she's sure the growing heat on her face isn't helping.

Fuck.

"LISANNA-NEE!" Yukino ran out of her bedroom like a gust of wind. "ELF-NII! YOU GOT TO SEE THIS! MIRA-NEE IS IN LOVE WITH EL-NIICHAN! LOOK HOW RED HER FACE IS! COME LOOK! COME LOOK!"

"I AM NOT!"


"Ah…."

"Mira-nee and El-nii, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~"

"Shut up, shut upppppppPPPPP AHHHHH" She whined and screamed as she covered her head with a cushion as she lay on the couch, not wanting to see anyone right now. Her sisters aren't helping with how they are constantly teasing her at home, then dropping embarrassing hints and insinuations wherever she and El are seen together, be it in the guild outside or here at home during dinner.

To make things worse, it's like the whole guild is in on it. It's like everybody knows except for him.

Even worse, he didn't even comment a single damn thing about her new makeover. She is starting to wear dresses again. She had started to let her hair down again instead of tying it in a ponytail. To make things extra obvious because he knows how utterly dense that woodblock can be, she even tied up her bangs in an upward ponytail. Even tried her best to change her behaviour into one that is more… womanly. She is sure nobody likes to date a tomboyish thuggish gothic punk, so she changed to get him to notice her.

Yeah, fuck this. She's definitely hopelessly crushing hard on Elden. Fuck. When?! Why?! AHHHHH! He was her best friend! Bros for life! When did this happen without her knowing?!

"Come on now, let's give nee-san a break."

Thank you, Elfman.

"But Elf-niichan! Mira-nee is crushing on El-niichan! We have to help her!"

"Teasing her like that is counterproductive." Elfman pointed out matter-of-factly. "El is skittish enough as it is, it's worse if you make nee-san skittish as well."

"Why? Why is he not saying a damn thing?!" She cannot hold it in any longer and screamed in frustration. "Am I not pretty enough?! Sure as hell am prettier than that tin-c- I mean, ERZA! ARGH dammit!"

Yeah, part of changing for the better includes finally ending her childish feud with Erza and correcting her previously vulgar language. She is still working on the language and sadistic personality, but at least it is a lot better than before!

Just what would it take for him to notice her?! The sky literally dropping down on him?! IS THAT IT?!

Or… could it be… he likes somebody else?

She froze at the thought.

Fuck. Had she bro-zoned him for so long without her knowing that he actually became immune to her womanly charms and liked somebody else instead? Why didn't she realise earlier that she actually is crushing on him since forever? What made her declare that they are 'bros for life'?

She and her stupid brain. Who is it? Cana? Levy? Who? Goddammit it couldn't be Erza, could it?

If it's Erza she's going to screw it all and throw her into the nearest mountain she sees before blowing it up. Fuck everything and anything anyone would say.

Yeah, she's jealous. There's no mistaking that extremely sour feeling in her heart. It's jealousy. Just which vixen got her smelly paws on El? WHO?!

"Uh, Mira-nee? Your demon side is starting to show again."

She let out another noise of frustration as she forcefully clamped down on her magic that is leaking everywhere. Right. Womanly charms. Surely Elden would prefer a woman that actually acts like a woman, right? She clearly remembered that he once said in passing that he finds women with long hair extremely attractive. It was why she never cut her hair short. She remembered with perfect clarity that when she was once teasing him about the type of women he likes, he mentioned that he tends to notice women who let their hair down. That's why her hair is no longer in a ponytail.

Oh fuck, it really is Erza, is it? Or Cana? The descriptions just fit when it comes to their hair. He had known Cana for very long after all. She joined the guild after he did.

"I'm so screwed." She whimpered as she suddenly sobbed uncontrollably into the cushion she was hugging.

"Mira-nee?"

"El must have liked somebody else! Why else is he not saying anything?!" She sobbed even louder. Damn it! This is all her fault! If only she realised her feelings for him sooner…

"Did he ever tell you that personally?" Elfman asked.

"No, but-"

"Did he ever look at any other women in our guild in a way that suggests any form of romantic interest?" Lisanna questioned.

"Not exactly but there's Erza and Cana and-"

"Then you are just overthinking!" She didn't even put up any resistance when Yukino's little hands grabbed and rubbed against her cheeks and squished them, forcing her to look at her youngest sibling. "Seriously, why don't you just ask El-niichan himself?!"

She panicked at the thought.

"W-W-What if I screwed up and he said no and-"

"What's the worst that could happen? It's just a no." Yukino deadpanned. "And it's plain obvious that El-niichan likes you a lot as well! You didn't run into his barriers as much as the rest did during the 24 Hours Road Race!"

"B-B-But… ah…" She whimpered at the thought of her trying to confess her feelings to him and covered her face with the cushion once more.

"Tomorrow." Lisanna shook her shoulders with a gleam in her eyes. "Tomorrow you are going to wake up like usual. You are going to be as beautiful as you can be and go to the guild and find El, then you are going to ask him straight in the face if he likes you. Simple?"

"N-No…"

Furthermore, it seems that lately, Elden had been somewhat avoiding her as well with all the rampant teasing going about in the guild about her and him. He's been spending lesser and lesser time with them nowadays with all that teasing going on in the guild. He had always been very shy and didn't like attention. His first instinct is to avoid whatever is creating that attention. Finding him when he doesn't want to be found is going to be such a pain.

"Mira-nee! Man up!"

She made another pitiful whimper.


She woke up bright and early and took time to dress up. She doesn't want to overdo it in case it scares El off so she went with a somewhat semi-casual look. She hesitates a little if she wants to put on makeup or not. She didn't need it, never really needed to put on makeup because she had always been confident of her looks. Then she remembered that Elden never really looked at those gaudy flamboyant sluts with heavy makeup that they passed by on the streets and wrinkled his nose whenever their perfume was too strong for his liking.

Light makeup at most then.

She sprayed some very mild perfume on her and put on a very light coloured lipstick to give her lips a little more shine. That was all she did for makeup. She combed her hair carefully. She had made sure to wash her hair properly last night so that it wouldn't smell. She had never really cared much about her hair when she was a punk. He had never complained about the smell of her hair before and it may have irked him once or twice when she didn't wash it as frequently because she was being lazy but he never said a thing about smell before. Even if her hair did smell, he may have just been overly polite and not point it out as usual.

After some deep thought, she chose to wear the new maroon dress she bought. It is eye catching, but not overly so. She knows he would prefer that. The dress accentuates her curves that she is so proud of, but does not show too much such that the shy and reserved man would be uncomfortable like how he was when she first bought those tomboyish gothic clothes. She almost decided to wear heels, but decided against it just in case she tripped and made a fool of herself.

She didn't even eat breakfast when she left the house because she's too nervous to even eat. Besides, time is of the essence. Her siblings are not even up yet when she left. She did leave them a note on the fridge that she had left early so that they wouldn't worry about her sudden disappearance.

She reached the guild soon enough. She wasn't the earliest, but he would be here by now because it's Tuesday. She knows he loves the limited edition Tuesday Special the guild's kitchen prepares for breakfast once a week. She knows he likes it enough to actually wake up early to come here to enjoy it before the guild starts to buzz with activity. The Tuesday Special is one of those rare meals that he enjoys that is not her cooking.

This is the best chance for her to catch him before the rest of the guild members started to arrive one after the other.

"Looking for El?" Levy said in a knowing tone which was punctuated with Jet's and Droy's sniggers. The bookworm closed her book shut with an audible snap and walked in her direction, taking a whiff of the air around her.

"What's that for?" Mira asked as she frowned and took a few steps backwards at the intrusion of her personal space.

"Hmm, perfume." Levy stated mischievously before her eyes narrowed and honed in on her lips. "Lipsticks. What a miracle. Mirajane Strauss actually putting on makeup. This is for someone special, I see."

"Levy." She warned. This is too embarrassing!

"He ran out through the backdoor just a few seconds before you arrived, just saying." Levy pointed towards said direction with a finger, that mischievous smirk still on her face.

Oh, it is not her imagination this time. He is definitely avoiding her on purpose.

She didn't even say a word to Levy before she's out of the door.


This is ridiculous.

The guild, the park, anywhere. Even the stupid train station. Everytime she thought she had finally found him he would disappear again. She knew he was there just moments before she arrived. She had asked around. This is like an endless game of cat and mouse that they are playing.

He. Is. So. Dead. For making her run around like that.

"Need help?"

Cana's teasing voice could be heard and Mira turned to her left, easily spotting the rest of her guildmates in her generation looking at her and obviously holding in their laughter. Well, minus a few people like those from the Thunder God Tribe and Mystogan. They are hardly around in the guild.

"Mira's in looooooove~"

She punched Happy with that mean right hook he taught her and the blue cat was sent soaring beyond the horizons. Serves him right.

"Maybe you need a little birdy to do a little fortune telling on where he may be~" Cana waved one of her fortune telling cards in front of her as the rest of them openly laughed this time. Yeah, laugh all they want right now. She will get her revenge soon. She's Mirajane Strauss. Only she has the right to tease others.

"Where will he be next?" She got straight to the point with Cana. She is sick of this cat and mouse game they had been playing the entire morning. She didn't even have her breakfast dammit! It's already nearing noon! She's starving!

"Fucking pathetic."

That low growl got everyone to turn around as they saw freaking Laxus Dreyar looking down at them from above the bridge he is standing on. Why is he here?! Since when had he returned?!

"I'm sick of seeing you and that lazyass going about in circles like some lovesick puppies and making my head spin. It's making me want to puke. He's on his way to Lake Scilioria, shitheads. You might catch him if you are fast enough. And don't fucking flaunt your magic that much. It's like seeing a wildfire approaching you at midnight, it's fucking obvious that you were coming. You are an S Class mage, act like one and fucking get a handle on your magic."

With that, Laxus disappeared in a bolt of lightning. Everyone just stared in silence at where he was at.

"Did Laxus just…"

"He gave us some pretty good information and advice."

She didn't care. She didn't stay to talk and comment. She immediately transformed using Satan Soul and flew in the direction of Lake Scilioria, making sure to clamp down on her immense magic as much as she can. She should have realised. El had always been sensitive to magic, of course he would sense her coming from a mile away with how she is walking about leaving her magic unchecked. She is a freakin beacon to him with how large her magic reserves are.

This time, she will catch him.

She is done running away.


"Running away from someone?"

There he is. Finally.

"Uh, hi Mira. Uh."

"So you do know that I'm looking for you. You think this is fun?" She growled as she lifted him up by his shirt. She is so done with this ridiculous chase.

"Sorry." He apologised as he looked away from her. "But, I, uh."

They both remained silent, both of them having many thoughts running in their heads in this moment. She slowly let him down as her anger dissipated, her facial features softening. The fault is not his, it is hers. She had always been too pushy while he had always been too afraid to push, always too considerate about others and too kind to refuse any request sent his way.

She had always been a little too selfish. The world doesn't revolve around her. El had no obligations to attend to her every need and listen to her every whim. It was because he is always being so considerate of her that she took his kindness for granted and ended up becoming a selfish girl that kept demanding more from him.

He had really spoilt her.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"It was dark." He smiled a little at the memory. "I was exhausted having to run all the way to your village from Magnolia after accepting your job request because it stated that it was urgent and the job description looked like the client really needed the help. I didn't even read the client's name until I was halfway along my journey to your village. Apparently the mission had only been posted there for five minutes before I took it the moment I saw it on the board. I still remember that it was raining in Magnolia and it was right after I came back from another difficult solo mission when I saw your job request and I headed back out to find you immediately. And then when I got there I found your house already burnt down days ago. I nearly murdered those pigs back there and flattened the entire village for the witchhunt they did, because what they tried to do to you and your siblings were unforgivable and was a little too similar to what I've been through when I first awakened my magic."

She was surprised by his words.

"You never told me that."

"I didn't? Huh."

"But it did explain your grumpy behaviour when we first met and how annoyed and pissed off about the entire job you had to take. You were already on the brink of exhaustion to begin with." She let out a wistful sigh. "Even then, you tried your best to keep your temper in check even when we pointed our weapons at you. You were really annoyed at the entire situation."

He snorted.

"Like those flimsy sticks could hurt me anyway."

"True." She laughed, remembering the sticks and broken dagger they had pointed at him. "Do you remember the very first words you said when you first met me? I sure did."

"Hey, I'm just a passing mage looking for my runaway client. By the way, do any of you know a certain Mirajane Strauss? She's the runaway client I'm looking for." He let out a chuckle as he recited the exact same words she remembered, word for word. "Yeah, I was definitely not in a good mood back then, but I was definitely relieved to find you and your siblings safe. I knew I found my runaway client when I saw you but I had to be sure."

"So this is revenge? You doing the running this time?"

"Uh…"

"I… I'm not running anymore. I have caught up to you. Thanks to you, I'm strong now." She said surely yet nervously. "Do you know what my father told me when I was young and couldn't understand the hateful stares the villagers would give us? He said this. He said that magic or not, it is important to love yourself. He said that if you have magic, it is a part of you. If you don't have magic, it is also a part of you. To be happy, you have to love what you are no matter what you may be. True love is to accept what is within than to judge one based on their exterior. I didn't understand it back then. I do now."

"He's a wise man."

"Do you know what you told me that night when you forcefully revealed my demon arm in the inn? That arm that I was so afraid of showing anyone?"

"Sorry about that. I…" He facepalmed in embarrassment at the memory and she giggled. "Yeah, I see it now. I'm a jerk."

"What's important is what is within, not what you look like on the outside. That was what you said. It's almost like what my father told me." She recited the words he told her that night by heart. "I still remember what you told me. You didn't know so I'll let you know right now. Your words were what saved me, El. You didn't judge me for my ugly appearance back then. You told me that I wasn't a demon, that I am still Mirajane Strauss. You helped me find my identity. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything special."

"You did, at least for me it was special. You went way beyond what you needed to do despite your own internal struggle with your relationship with Laxus back then. You were troubled, yet you still helped us when you needed help yourself back then. I always liked that about you. You always never hesitate to help others in need in your own way."

"Mira-"

"You gave me strength." She pressed on, her fingers nervously playing with the ends of her hair and her eyes averted his gaze. "Not just the small encouragement you gave me whenever I made progress in my training, but I became physically strong as well because of you. I made S Class because of you. I became who I am because of you. I was ashamed of being called a demon, now I took pride in calling myself a demon. Where I used to be afraid of my own appearance and too scared to even look in the mirror, now I'm proud of my body and what I look like. It's because of you that I can do that."

"You are kind, that's why you are strong. You would have become strong anyway even without me." He said softly as he looked away. "I'm not really needed."

"When can you get it in that thick head of yours that you matter?!" She let out an uncontrollable outburst as she shook him frustratedly with her hands on his shoulders. "You are not just a random stranger, another passerby, just another guildmate! You- You are my best friend! My bro for life! M-My… You are important to me as well! You are special to me, in more ways than one! Stop having such low esteem for yourself! It hurts, okay?! It hurts me whenever you demean yourself as if you don't matter to me or to us! Stop acting like this world will go on as per normal without you because it won't! At least not to me! So stop hurting me already dammit!"

She paused to catch her breath. There goes the chance to act all womanly in front of him. Her punkish side came out again.

"I…" She gulped nervously as she looked down, not daring to look up, her hands still holding onto his shoulders for support. "I don't want you to be just a passing mage looking for his runaway client. The runaway client is not running away anymore. She is right in front of you right now and she is asking you to not pass by just like that. She… She is asking you to stay, she is asking you to… to be more than just…"

She decided to throw all caution to the wind and just say her heartfelt thoughts out loud.

"In the end, that runaway client is nothing but a selfish girl who keeps demanding unreasonable things from you, but that selfish girl is asking you if you would want to be more than just friends, to be more than just bros for life. She wants to continue to cook dinner for you everyday. She wants to continue to sing for you and play the guitar for you every night, the one you bought her on her very first birthday you celebrated with her since they first met. She wants to be the one to say Home sweet home to you whenever you get back from completing another mission. She wants to continue bugging and teasing him for the rest of his life. This selfish girl is asking you if you want to be part of her family! For real this time! So that you no longer need to be alone! S-She wants you to continue to read to her everyday! S-She w-wants y-you to… to… see if you are interested in her! S-She wants you to compliment her looks when she dresses up for you! She wants to explore with you whether there is a possibility of them growing old together and she's very, very, so very scared that she might have lost this chance for good because she's been too fucking dense to realise that she is so hopelessly in love with you ever since you saved her and brought her home to Fairy Tail!"

She broke down and cried as she rested her forehead on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek to hers.

"I'm sorry, Mira. I made you cry. It wasn't my intention."

"Are you going to be just a passing mage?" She asked softly, not daring to look up as she leaned herself into his embrace. "Your runaway client has stopped running and is here to stay. Even if you decide to pass by like that, I will wait until you turn around. If you don't, that's fine too. I will still wait even if it means waiting for you for a lifetime."

She had thought she was too late in her confession when he went silent, until he spoke.

"You said it, we are bros for life. If you want to be a runaway client I will run with you. If you cannot run any further I will carry you. You said I saved you, but in reality it was you who saved me from that pit of loneliness after my fallout with Laxus. You… You filled up that void of a memory I had lost and could never remember, the memory of what a family is really like. You gave me the warmth that Fairy Tail could not give by sharing your family with me. You saved me, Mira."

She slowly lifted her head up, uncaring if she looks like a mess right now.

"D-Does that mean…"

He smiled at her, tears leaking out from his eyes as well even when he was smiling down at her.

"This passing mage is telling the selfish girl that in front of him, she will always have the right to make unreasonable demands from him. This passing mage is asking this selfish girl if she wants him to run away with her and see if they can grow old together. This passing mage is asking this selfish girl for forgiveness because he's been so dense and stupid to the point that the girl had to confess to him first because he could not face his own feelings despite him knowing deep down that he really likes her. This passing mage wants this selfish girl to know that she is in fact, never selfish. Her kindness and big heart is what makes her so attractive in his eyes. This passing mage is asking this selfish girl to forgive him for being a coward. This passing mage had decided to stop running away from her and is here to stay with her as well, he had accepted the selfish girl's job request and is asking this selfish girl if she minds tolerating this stupid passing mage for the rest of her life."

She felt her jaws drop before slowly, but surely, feeling her face breaking out into a smile.

"This selfish girl is warning this passing mage that she will continue to be selfish and ask for the most unreasonable of demands like she always does. But she wants him to know that she will always have his best interests in mind and she will always love him. She wants him to know that she will sweep him up at her own tempo like a fiery tornado and he better prepares himself for the adventure of a lifetime. This selfish girl wants him to always think about her and only her because she is selfish like that and her jealousy is a mighty thing to behold. If he accepts, this selfish girl now wants the passing mage to run away with her right now and seal the deal with a kiss and then treat her to the biggest buffet ever because she is starving and has not yet eaten breakfast, because she had to catch this passing mage before he ran away from the selfish girl and become someone else's runaway client."

His answer was to immediately pressed his lips to hers and she savoured the moment. She is sure she is sporting a silly grin but she could not care right now.

She is just so happy.

"We are both idiots, aren't we?" She laughed out loud, the happiest she had ever been, the moment their first kiss ended.

"What's more important is the buffet. Skipping breakfast is not good for your health, Mira. We need to go get you something to eat."

"And whose fault was it?" She pounded her fist against his chest in mock anger.

"This passing mage's fault." He sighed and she laughed. She felt herself floating as he brought her into the sky with him using his magic, almost like how he took her flying when they first met.

"Remember when I first took you flying when we first met in the woods? You were screaming non-stop and you were still hugging me and screaming out loud even after we landed."

"Laugh all you want, I don't care about that right now. This selfish girl really needs her food before she eats the passing mage in her hunger."

"Eat all you want today, my treat for making the selfish girl starve."

"It's always been your treat." She grumbled. "When is it my treat?"

"You cook for me almost everyday."

"Point." She conceded before leaning her weight against his and looked up at him. "How do I look today?"

"This passing mage wants the selfish girl to know that he is complimenting her on her new look. Yes, he noticed that she definitely washed her hair this time because it doesn't smell as bad. Yes, he noticed that she definitely sprayed perfume because she smells really nice and she obviously took extra care on what type of perfume it was because his sensitive nose didn't sneeze. Yes, he noticed that she actually puts on lipstick this time. Yes, he is definitely thinking of her and only her all the time and especially right now so please don't be jealous. Did this passing mage check all the boxes?"

"Passable." She looked at him as her hand gently touched his face. "The selfish girl is very satisfied with the passing mage's compliment of her."

"This passing mage is also warning this selfish girl that he sensed some curious busybodies from their guild who are running a bet on when the two of them are getting together about to converge onto their location. He is asking her if she wants to run away with him together and into the future before they arrive and start to annoy us?"

"Yes please. This selfish girl had enough of their teasing for today and she wants him to carry her away to her buffet right now!"

She didn't really remember how good the buffet was, but she did remember the taste of their first kiss.

It's sweet.


In the blink of an eye, the selfish girl is now a mother. The passing mage is also now a father.

As per her selfish demand for him to hurry up and put the ring on her finger, he proposed to her even if he forgot the entirety of the admittingly impressive speech he had written out and prepared when he was planning to propose to her. The actual date of the proposal he initially planned was supposed to be on Christmas like she suspected it to be, but it turned out that it didn't go as well as how he expected it to be, all because he decided to push forward the date of the proposal by nine days at the very last second because the moment felt right after the big battle at Tenrou and then he got too nervous to remember what he memorised during the actual proposal and he just winged it.

Really? Winged it? The one and only proposal that he will do for her only once in his life and he winged it?

Compared to her confession at Lake Scilioria, his confession is a lot duller and not as fancy. But, the sincerity really moved her and she said yes anyway. She would still have said yes anyway no matter what. He still made the selfish girl a very happy girl that day on December 16, Year X784.

Even if the actual proposal he did wasn't a total success, she had kept the written form of the supposed real proposal speech that he had written and it is still with her today. She still took it out to read in private from time to time, not like she would ever admit that to him.

They held their marriage at Lake Scilioria where they first confessed their feelings to each other. It was beautiful. They bought their first house together and built themselves a home, not far from where her own home that she built with her siblings in the early part of her life so that they can all visit each other frequently, be it for meals or anything. They are all family and her family had only just grown bigger since then.

She doesn't want to just build a home with him, she wants to build a family with him. They had their first child not long after they got married, another selfish demand on her part. She had been a little pushy in wanting a child because she wants to build a family with him. It has been her dream ever since they got together, to build a family with him because she's so hopelessly in love with him.

They have a little girl. She has her father's black hair and her mother's blue eyes. Most of her appearance is mostly her mother's but that intellect is definitely her father's. She's got the entire guild wrapped around her little finger and nobody can say no to her. Not even the recently appointed Fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail is spared. In fact, he is the one often at the mercy of their daughter because he is their daughter's godfather and he spoils her rotten behind their backs.

Like how she is going to be the death of her husband, this little girl is going to be the death of her. She runs even faster than her runaway mother can, always disappearing the moment the mother took her eyes off the girl. Their little girl is really too smart for her age. She blames her husband for that. He really is too good a teacher and their little girl inherited his smarts to a frightening degree.

Mirajane Tyrell let out a blissful sigh, watching her daughter sleep peacefully as she took her afternoon nap. Her hand is lazily supporting her chin and that beautiful ebony black ring worn on her ring finger. Their child really is beautiful, inheriting the best of both their qualities.

She felt him enter their daughter's room and his arms gently wrapping around her waist.

"Home sweet home. Just got back?" She asked quietly, not wanting to wake their daughter up. There is hardly any peace in the house if their little demon is awake.

"Uh huh." He nodded. "Missed my two demons back home so I rushed back."

"How about we make it three demons?" She whispered into his ear in a manner that she knows he loves. "If we are fast enough, we will have another little demon nine months later, give or take. Mirel needs a little brother or sister so that she can stop terrorising us."

"This passing mage says yes to everything and he is about to carry you and run away into the master bedroom right now. The selfish girl is not allowed to retract her words."

She giggled and gave him a peck on the lips before inching closer to whisper into his ear.

"The selfish girl wants the passing mage to bring her into the master bedroom right now!"

He inched closer to her to whisper back into her ear.

"Yes ma'am!"


AN: I decided to post this early because I cannot concentrate on doing my final paper while this is sitting here on my com. I REALLY should be doing my final paper instead of writing chapters.

Very early on when I was writing TAOFT, I had decided to purposely not write in detail about the early part of El's life with Fairy Tail because I wanted to do a flashback chapter like this at an important point in the fic. I had also long since decided to do it right after the Tenrou arc because it will mark an important turning point in the fic. It was why I did not explore in detail how his relationship with Mira initially developed because I want to keep it for this chapter, I wanted to keep you guys guessing. When I first started writing TAOFT it really was just an attempt on my part to see if I have it in me to write a story with romance. After looking at this chapter, I think I really nailed it.

I knew this chapter would be long, but I only expected it to be like 8k words to 10k words kind of long. Maybe 12k if I'm pushing it. And then as I wrote it got longer, and longer, and longer and I was like FUCK this is going to turn out into a short story within a long story. I wrote for an entire day from morning to night using my laptop and then from night to five am in the morning using my phone because I wanted to lie down on my bed but don't want to stop writing. I had wanted to stop halfway to take a break many times but I was in the 'zone' and I knew that if I stopped writing I can never pick it up where I left it off because the mood will definitely be very different. I know that if I took a break it would be months again before I could write anything like this because such rare strokes of inspiration are rare to come by when you are writing. So, I decided to screw my sleeping schedule again and just press on.

This is not counting the hours I spent reading this chapter over and over again to edit it over and over again. Holy shit, this is really killing me.

And fuck if I'm not fucking tired by the time this chapter was done but fuck do I love this chapter (or short story, depending on how you want to see it because this chapter definitely qualifies as a short story).

Hence, the birth of this 26k words monster of a chapter. Freaking 59 pages long on google docs and 60 if you include the AN. Fuck, this is a fucking new record for me. This entire chapter can be a short story on its own. It's even longer than my Demon Slayer short story fic by about 7k words and that took an entire three chapters. But the lack of sleep I suffered for this chapter is so worth it because the part near the end of the chapter where Mira wants El to stay actually moved me nearly to the point of tears for some reason, and the last time I felt moved by my own work was when I was writing chapter 18 of WOTI and that was so long ago. I like this chapter so much that I felt that it can be a short story on its own and a part of me is yelling at myself on why this chapter couldn't be the real TAOFT so that I do not need to continue writing such a long story and just start and end it like this in 26k words instead of the behemoth it had become. Writing it was fun yet a very difficult thing to do. I was really, really, tempted to just end TAOFT here because of how fitting it felt.

But I know you guys like the long story version and see it to the canonical end, so, well, I will try to finish it as best as I can. The things I do for you guys, I swear.

I tried to include as many details as possible found in the early chapters and also tried to reference the events that happened throughout the story of TAOFT in here, especially when it comes to Mira and El interactions. No prizes if you can spot them because I'm piss poor but who knows, it may be fun for you to try and pick them out in this 26k word monster. I had wanted to separate this 'chapter' into a few different chapters so that it is shorter and maybe easier to read but I felt that it would ruin the mood of what I was writing, so I kept it as it is and decided to post it as a single chapter.

As always, RIP to my sleep schedule and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

I am slowly becoming Elden. I need my sleep.

On a side note, just curious, how long did you guys take to finish reading this chapter from start to end?