This one is part of AU where the Oracion Seis are a legal guild. I actually have multiple of the OS being in the light, so if I ever get to the one in this scenario I might have to reuse it haha. For now think of it as a slightly different Mirajane orgin.

Mirajane ran, her legs almost tripping over the roots of the trees as she restrained her arms to the side in the dark smock that covered them and the top of her head. The one that hid her devilish features.

The same kind that was of the creature now following her.

She gasped, this time actually tripping, and landed face-first in the dirt. She tried to sit up but found it hard to do so without exposing her arms. Turning around, she checked to see if it was still following her.

It was.

She gasped and pulled herself to the base of a nearby tree, huffing for breath. She wondered if she couldn't just finish it off there, absorbing it into her as she'd done with the other one. But looking back at the faces of the villagers...it was clear they no longer regarded her as human. She didn't mind so much, even though it did hurt to be scorned, but her siblings...would they be able to survive if she continued down this road? She didn't know if they could.

But they wouldn't be doing anything anymore if she died here.

The creature locked eyes with her, its beady eyes mere slits focused right on her. She couldn't do what she wanted to, but she could still fight. Maybe.

Before she could think up how to attack it, a strange thing happened. The air in front of her rippled and out from it a person appeared.

Mirajane swore there wasn't anyone near her a moment ago, but now a person stood just ahead of her, looking straight at the devil. He spared a glance back at her and she gasped. His eyes were the same eerie red as the demon's, but they were filled with a very human concern.

"Stay back, alright? I've got this." His voice was still squeaky, and he wasn't terribly tall. He couldn't be much older than her, if that. Yet he spoke with a confidence she wished she possessed. Mirajane clutched the inside fabric of the cloak, holding back revealing any part of her transformation. She just nodded in response.

The boy smiled at her, then he extended an arm to the side. "Spiral Pain!"

The creature was caught in a flurry of magic, like a wind storm, cutting into it in a spiral-like pattern. It cried out in a hideous scream, making Mirajane want to cover her ears at the sound. The boy grit his teeth and dropped to one knee.

The devil screamed and then hurled a rock at the boy. Suddenly the devastation surrounding it stopped, and there was a metallic whirring sound just the rock swerved directions from him. He grunted in effort and the devil cocked its head at the marvel. Then it split its mouth open and grinned. It lifted multiple rocks and hurled them straight at the both of them.

The boy swore and held out a hand towards her. All the rocks heading towards her swerved away like they'd done with the boy before, but all the ones in his direction hit dead-on, pelting him and causing him to fall. She screamed as it happened. He spat out some blood from a rock that hit him in the mouth.

Despite this, he didn't hesitate to do the same thing when the devil threw more things their way, even as she screamed for him to stop. The monster advanced on them. He didn't hesitate...even though it was painful...

She ground her teeth at her own cowardice. How dare this boy be bolder than her! When the next volley of rocks came to hound them, she made her choice. Stripping off the cloak with one hand and grabbing him in the other, she dodged to the side with her enhanced strength. Mira could hear him gasp at her side, but didn't bother looking down at him.

She moved them significantly away from the devil before setting him down. She didn't want to meet him in the eyes. She had on the same kind of horns the devil did, as well as arms that were long, blackened things with sharp nails. Mira wouldn't have been surprised if he'd looked at her with contempt. But no...she had to face this so that she could help him.

The look on his face was one of awe.

"Woah..." he stared in amazement. "Is that why this thing was chasing you?" He glanced back at it. "That's bad luck on your part that you look similar."

"You're not scared?"

He glanced back and shrugged. "Brain says you shouldn't judge people by how they look so I try not to. That and I kinda know how it feels…" His red eyes wavered slightly at this statement.

Now it was her turn to stare in amazement. Besides her siblings, he was the first person she'd met that didn't look disgusted at her. In fact, he hadn't even flinched.

Steeling herself, she spoke clearly. "I can take him on, but I could use some backup."

He smiled again. "Guess I don't really have a choice. I'll try not to get in your way."

"...Thank you." She spoke the last part quietly before taking a stance in front of him–their positions now reversed–as the devil roared in challenge. Only this time was different. This time, there was nothing stopping her from ripping it to shreds.

"...and so, even though we didn't know each other's names, I knew in that moment that I could trust him, and that everything was going to be ok. Because of him, I was able to absorb the devil and find someone who understood my abilities even before I did."

"..."

Cana narrowed her eyes at the story Mira just told. "Ya know, when I said I wanted a good romantic tale, beating the crud out of a demon isn't really what I had in mind."

The take-over mage merely giggled. "Oh, I think you can compare battle to love. The give, the take, the overwhelming force of it all."

"I think I know why you're still single Mira."

"Don't say it like that!" The she-devil pouted while Cana took another swig.

"Still...maybe you shouldn't have told it after all."

"...?" Mira shook her head, confused.

"Because now...I totally know who your crush is. Your little 'red-eyes' wasn't as inconspicuous as you'd think."

At this, Mirajane went bright red. "Cana you wouldn't! B-Besides, maybe you're wrong."

"Doubt it." Cana didn't have to have her friend Erik's psychic powers to conclude the figure in Mira's tale. Although, she didn't know if the man in question realized the importance he'd played in Mira's history.

Eh, let him wonder. Cana thought, still chugging on her drink, as Mirajane continued crying out pleas of silence well into the end of the bottle.