Hey, everyone. Welcome to the fifth chapter, where Mirajane will be the major star so to speak. After four chapters, the time's finally come for her to be showcased being a little bit like the Mira we all know and love. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Ballad of the Hero & the Demon

Chapter 5-On the Shores of Remembrance

She tried to recall the first time she'd gone swimming. It was an odd thing to do, but Mirajane felt wet everyone, like she was submerged in water. Following that reasoning, she decided there was no harm in going digging through her memory. Actually, it would help. It would help her to recall any traces of her old memories, her old life.

Mirajane knew she was someone before she was the Demon. Surely the Demon wasn't all there was to her?

Do you believe that, or are you just telling yourself that to make yourself feel better?

As best she could she whipped her head around. It was an incredibly surreal feeling, the sense of having a body floating in water, yet not feeling that way at all. While it felt like she was underwater, it also felt like she was standing up, walking atop of it. Such a contradictory feeling, but Mirajane was thankful she felt like there was something for her to stand on. At least until she felt herself being swept off her feet.

There's more to you than just the Demon? It's your moniker!

Not even truly yours, it's ours! You stole our lives from us! It's what you humans do, lie, steal, and cheat!

Call yourself a demon, yet you are human. Right down to your core.

Hypocrite.

A true monster.

Thief! A thief!

Give it back, give me back my life!

I'll take your body for my own! I'll use it to get my revenge!

Revenge! Revenge! Yes, revenge!

The concept gave the voices something to rally behind. Their anger seemingly grew in tandem with the shouting. It reminded Mira of a thunderstorm-it grew in intensity with each passing second. Try as she might, covering her ears didn't block it out. The voices penetrated her hands and ears, going deep into her brain. It felt like it was on the verge of overloading and promptly exploding. Mirajane almost wished it simply did so, at least then the pain would stop.

No. Came a fierce yet calm female voice. It rose above the others, seemingly overpowering them with its might, all of which was directed toward her. Mirajane looked around her, shivering in fear as she tried to find the voice's source. Death will not bring you peace, human. We shall not let it, I shall not let it. Underlying the voice were footsteps. Mira managed to pinpoint them and turned in that direction. Forcing her eyes open she saw a blurry figure approaching her. Red eyes glared at her, sharper than all the others. As it drew closer Mirajane saw the figure had a pair of horns on its head. You have not yet suffered enough for your transgressions, human. Spat the figure before throwing her fist forward.

Mirajane liked to think she'd be able to either catch or dodge the punch, but in this state she couldn't? Pain exploded through her cheeks and her world spun. By the time she was able to focus the horned woman was above her again, rearing her fist back. Another burst of pain ripped through her. More followed, and they just kept on coming.

Another voice snapped in, demanding a torn at her. Mirajane barely registered it as the pain kept on coming; it actually just got worse. It wasn't only her face; it was all over her body. She was being beaten and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing except curl into a ball and take it.

Monster.

Freak.

Demon.

Murderer.

Devil.

Temptress.

Liar.

Pretender.

Who was she? Was she all those things? Were they really who she was? Or was she just a bloody smear on the ground? Mirajane felt herself trying to crawl away but it was futile. How her arm was even functioning was a mystery itself. She could just barely see it in front of her, bloody and bent, yet somehow still functioning. Barely. She screamed as a foot came down on her wrist, seemingly breaking it. Having it yanked and used to haul her up only made the pain worse. Said pain was intensified as a fist slammed into her gut, then another, and another.

You are not worthy of our power. Came a deep snarling voice.

You are not worthy of LIFE. Came the female voice. All the other voices seemingly lowered whenever it spoke. Through agony-laced tears Mira opened her eyes and stared into the red orbs of the horned woman who'd led the increased assault on her. She felt like she knew her from somewhere, but she couldn't remember from where. Really, she couldn't remember anything.

Mirajane wondered why she was still holding on by this point. What was the point of holding on? Who was she? Why was she here? What had she done?

Flashes of destruction filled her mind making her blood, both inside and out, run cold. She'd used her magic and carnage had ensued. People had died because of her. Was that monstrosity who she was?

You mourn for that? Merely small scale for a demon, which you are not. No, you are a human who has stolen our power and our dignity. Those humans deserved better than being felled by a pretender like you! Came another voice. This one was male and thick, but no less dripping with disgust aimed toward her. Mirajane looked to the right of the female figure who was holding her up. A mass of shadows with bloody eyes. No discerning features but the look and sound of contempt was more than enough. We will take back our pride!

Rip it off1 Rip the insignia off! That cursed emblem!

Find the Demon Slayer next! Find a way back so that we may find Silver's accursed spawn and kill him!

And the Celestial Spirit Wizard! She summoned the Spirit King, brought our glorious fortress crashing down!

Kill them all! Kill all the Fairies!

"Fa…iries?" Came Mira's broken voice. The word invoked something within her, from her battered body to her haggard soul. A resonance began in the latter, spreading through her spiritual and physical body. The pain that she continued to suffer via the numerous physical blows vanished. "Fai…ries. Fairies." She repeated over and over again. The more she did the stronger the feeling within her came. It felt like a fire within her, scorching her insides while surging through her veins with such intensity. "Fairies. Fairies. A fairy's…tail. A fair-"

WHAM!

Not even the pain of the punch was enough to detour Mirajane. The word "fairy" continuously bounced around her head while that same fiery feeling continued to circulate through her. It was unstoppable.

Take her now! Do not let her remember! Barked the female voice, furious yet retaining a slight edge of fear in it. What was she afraid of?

"Fairies…" Mira repeated again as the insidious phantoms descended upon her. One came closer to her than the others, reaching out with a wretched hand. Seconds before it could touch her it recoiled, the demon it belonging to doing the same. The specter howled in horrid fury as radiant golden light pushed it, and the rest, back. Mirajane watched them all frantically back away from the light as its radiance burned their shadowy bodies. "Fairies. A fairy's tail…fairy tail." As she spoke the light emitting from her seemed to glow brighter, stronger. Without even looking she could tell that the light was coming from her leg. "Fairy…tail. Fairy Tail." Speaking the word sent a rush of invigoration through her. Exhaustion burned just as the demons' shadows did.

They howled and hissed as the light burned their shadowy skin. Mirajane found herself able to stand. Though the pain still ate away at her it wasn't so much so that she couldn't stand. Either that or somewhere within her strength had been found. Whichever it was, Mira was grateful for it. She used it to stand and glare back at the shadowy monsters who'd been pummeling on her for the last several minutes. No more. She was done being their punching bag. And she was done wondering around in the darkness. Every breath was painful but worth it as she lumbered toward them, bright light emitting from her leg. It spread from there to the rest of her body turning her into a beacon against the demonic specters.

"Haaaah!" Just shuffling forward hurt, to say nothing of kicking her leg out. The basic move was pure agony, yet strangely exhilarating. She watched with tied eyes as her kick unleashed a crescent-shaped burst of light that cleaved through the first wave of specters. Hearing their death cries was further exhilaration. "Hahaha…not so tough now anymore, are you! Not when you're faced against the light!"

Such contradictory words for a woman who uses the powers of darkness! Barked the horned specter, still maintaining her apparent leadership of the specters. Holding her hand out she sent the rest forward.

Mirajane struck at them, nearly hitting dozens of them simultaneously. A minute ago, she'd been limping, just barely able to keep herself upright. Now she felt like she had enough strength to lift up a mountain. That strength was used to instead pound the specters surrounding her into oblivion. Her punches and licks all connected, empowered by light and vaporizing them on the spot. Their death cries were sweet music to her ears.

And they didn't go unnoticed.

Look at you, a hypocrite to your core. You claim to be a champion of light, yet you relish in this violence! This slaughter fit for a demon! Yelled the horned she-demon. An accusing finger was leveled at Mira. The horned she-demon didn't immediately recoil from the light like the others did, but it was still harming her. Mira could see flacks of darkness rolling off of her. That light will be bloated out.

Balling herself and grounding her teeth, Mira got into a fighting position. "Just try it, you bitch." She dashed toward the she-demon, reeling her fist back with every intention of ramming it into the horned demon's face. Punching her out was going to give her more joy than it would the others. Many of whom jumped in front of her. Mira roared in annoyance but fought her way through the legion of specters. Her fists and legs flew out, one after another. She was completely uncoordinated in her assault, only lashing out with blind fury. Not that I mattered as it was getting the job done.

Through the explosions of shadow and light she saw the horned she-demon. Her eyes had changed into a glowing teal color that peered into Mira's soul. Shooting her a ferocious glare, Mira launched herself at her, hellbent on making her pay for the pain she'd inflicted on her.

WHAM!

Unlike the other specters, she didn't immediately dissipate, though Mira saw chunks of shadow matter flake off of her leg. This specter was undoubtedly more powerful than the others. Strangely enough something about that excited Mira. Maybe it just meant she could wail on her longer than she could the others. Tightening her left fist, she struck out with it; just like before her attack was parried. Undeterred Mira began lobbing punch after punch with the she-demon countering every blow. She was good, Mirajane could give her that.

But it wasn't going to stop her.

I'm not a monster! I'm not a demon! I'm…I'm…I'm…

WHAM!

"I'M A FAIRY!"

Ripples turned into waves, crashing against all sides around them. The brewing storm had seemingly blown away all the other specters. It was just the two of them, Mirajane and the horned she-demon. Two bitter enemies locked in a duel to the death in this limbo-like realm. Whoever won would likely take the honor of leaving it and returning to the real world.

Flashes of color and life flowed through Mira's mind. The glow of her body intensified as the images came faster, causing her heart to race. Any faster and it seemed ready to explode in her chest; Mirajane was fine with that as she felt she could channel the explosion into power.

"I'm all fired up!"

Pink hair, sharpened canines, an aura of swirling flames that could burn down the world. They could…but they wouldn't, they would only burn the wicked-those who sought to harm their home and family.

As she saw one of her fists connecting, a burst of light emitted from it. Her perception of time froze, at least temporarily.

This light…its like a star. A celestial…star.

Another face manifested in her mind. Auburn hair, a handsome face, glasses, a charming smile. Suddenly beside it was another-blonde hair, brown eyes, and a kind and inviting smile.

WHAM!

Within seconds Mirajane was on her feet, fighting through the pain and going back on the attack. Her fists flew, sometimes colliding with the specter's and at times sliding right past them, smashing into her foe's face. A primal satisfaction bubbled up within her at the physical contact. There was no magic or curses involved, just bare-handed brawling fueled by mutual hatred.

Had she ever fought anyone else like this? Had anyone ever came at her with such a feeling, and she recuperated it?

Ultimately, it didn't matter at the moment. Mirajane longed to know what her past was, but in this point, all she could focus on was the she-demon in front of her. If she turned her focus away from her then it would be the end of her existence. Alongside that realization…she simply wanted to kill the she-demon, once and for all.

Another thought occurred to her in realizing that one. Once and for all, that phrase indicated that they'd fought before, hadn't they?

You look at me with such hatred int your eyes, just like how I'm looking at you. Little over teen feet separated them now. Both of them were panting hard despite being more spiritual than physical beings. Spirits still had energy though, energy that could be exhausted, just as they had theirs. Neither of them had any power left for another bitter slug out. Only a single, final blow. I'd like to know…even if…you were a hated enemy. You were a part of my past, but look at you know. I can tell you want my future, perhaps so you can have one yourself. Mirajane chuckled at the philosophical waxing she did as she pooled the remains of her strength into her fist. That pooling manifested in swirling clouds of purple and red darkness.

In opposition, her opponent's was a teal-colored sphere of surrounded with lettering. Mira squinted at it. Again, her memory was jogged, but not enough to mean anything significant. Not to mention at the moment it didn't matter.

We end this…now.

…Yes, we do. The white-haired girl responded.

They kicked off what passed for the ground simultaneously. The small distance between them disappeared in the blink of an eye, they came within striking range of each other with their fists reared back. Those fists were swung forward, both brimming with power that was on a collision course with each other. Inevitably, they collided, and from their collision came a blinding burst of light and darkness. All around the pair, the world seemed to distort and twist, as if it couldn't withstand the strain of the two attacks colliding. Perhaps it couldn't, perhaps it'd merely reached the end of its existence. Whatever the matter, all around the two women, the world seemingly collapsed. Simultaneous to it, the clash of energy grew, expanding outward and pushing against the collapse.

It was like a star, gravity pushed inward while the star's internal power kept on pushing outward creating a momentary stasis. Still, not even stars were immortal as they had their end as well. A violent end.

Just as quickly as it was born, it died, the explosion of mystical power growing to consume all, including its two creators. Neither woman backed down as the blast consumed them; determination burned hotly within them as they pressed forward, giving it everything they had. Such actions actually helped fuel the explosion. Darkness overtook light, or at least painted the latter black as night.

That's all either individual saw, darkness, deep, empty darkness that eventually consumed the last traces of their consciousness.

"Aaargg…aaahhhh…wh…at? Wh…at? Wh…ere…?" Mirajane Strauss groaned as her eyes struggled to remain open. It felt like each other of her eyelids had an iron weight attached to them. Giving up was definitely preferable, yet Mira felt like she had to open them. For whatever reason, she felt like she'd spent too long in darkness. She also felt like she'd spent too much time lying still, even if her entire body felt so incredibly weak. As with her eyes, she tried to push back that and lift her arm. "Aaarrghhhh…" she groaned again. Despite the pain, she was able to get her arm up, and keep her eyes open long enough to get a clear picture of what was ahead of her.

A wooden ceiling was seemingly several feet above her. Not quite out of reach, but it still in some ways felt so far away. As Mira's arm fell to the side, another groan tumbled from her lips. The pain was like a bad hangover, something she wasn't sure if she'd had before. Minutes later she leaned toward having had one or two, and recovered from it. The pain slowly receded, and in its place came a distinctive fogginess. It wasn't hurtful, but it wasn't pleasing either. Mira was getting tired of not remembering anything.

Slowly but surely, she sat up, her hands going to her face where she felt sweat on her brow.

"Ahh, you need a towel. Hold on a minute, I'll be right back with one." Came a feminine voice that she didn't recognize. Unfortunately, by the time she looked up in its direction its originator was gone. Still, she was able to get a look at the room she was currently in, and that room was…pretty standard.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, or anything to warrant any alarm from her. It was a standardized room with a window to her right. All wood, just like the ceiling, yet it was sturdy enough that it could stand against what sounded like rain and wind outside. Mirajane would have gone for the window to her right. The curtains were pulled in preventing her from seeing the outside, but she could hear what sounded like raindrops against the glass. She felt a near burning desire to see what lay beyond it. Mirajane swung her legs over the edge of the bed, an act that felt like it took almost all her strength.

Something that didn't go unnoticed by her seeming caretaker. "Easy now, don't overdo it. Trust me, it's not a good idea to go moving around after you just had a nightmare, and especially after you just got fished out of the river."

"Fished…out of a…river?' Looking to her left, she finally got a good look at her. Older than her, maybe in her mid to late twenties perhaps. While her green eyes and reddish-brown hair were normal, her pointed ears weren't. Mira found herself staring at them, something hat didn't go unnoticed by the woman. "Hehehe, I take it this is your first time ever seeing a Hylian, isn't it?"

"Hy-what?" Mirajane stammered.

Far from offended, the woman laughed. Even though she was still confused, Mira was happy that she hadn't offended the woman. She was after all in her home, and she was the one who'd taken care of her. "Hylian, a member of the Hylian race, the dominant race of this land called Hyrule., I take it you're a foreigner."

Somewhat embarrassed, Mira nodded. "I-I…suppose I am. I…I truly am." She felt something pressing against her forehead and cheek, she immediately recognized it to be the towel that her caretaker had gone for earlier. Mirajane immediately pressed it against her forehead, letting the cool moisture sink into her. She couldn't help but let out a small moan of relief. As the coolness spread through her, the lingering aches began to retreat. That didn't mean that her energy came back immediately, quit ethe opposite in fact. "H-How…how long was I out?"

"A day and a half, if you'd slept in through today, that'll have made two days. Anymore and I would think about calling for a doctor, or a spiritual healer considering the fit you were making over the last hour." The woman identified as a Hylian explained. Her face radiated concern as she wiped away the lingering sweat on Mira's face. "Whatever nightmare you were having, it was pretty bad, especially since it was causing your magic to go out of control."

"M-My…magic?" Mirajane whispered. Holding out her hands, she concentrated, the effort making her lungs tighten as if she were sprinting. Regardless, the mystical forces she called upon answered her, swirled of dark energy manifesting in her palms. They were faint, flickering like dimming candles. After several seconds of observing them, Mirajane dismissed them. Her head fell and a heavy breath tumbled from her lips. "I wonder if I…expanded it all while I was having that nightmare."

"It's possible. I hear such a thing isn't unheard, especially when one's magic is tied to their emotions, such as yours." The woman offered. Mirajane had a feeling she was right. Magic was strongly tied to one's emotions, especially when the latter were in an intense state. As memories of her nightmare circled her mind, she realized that'd been the case, in spades.

Temporarily pulling herself out of her inner thoughts, and lingering pain, she turned to the brunette. "T-Thank you for everything. My name is Mirajane Strauss."

"Ahh, glad to see that you remember your name. Here I was a little worried we'd have to go searching for one in place of it." The pointy-eared woman joked. "As for me, my name is Helen Martley, nice to meet you, Mirajane."

The warm smile she gave Mira made her feel at peace, but it didn't deem the curiosity that continuously danced about within her. She looked back at the window. "Is it…raining outside?"

"Yes, see I found you in the midst of a rather nasty storm. It's been battering the southern coast of Hyrule for the last couple of days. Not to be rude, but going out in it wasn't the best idea."

"No, but…I…think I just needed to get out." As she spoke, she realized that she needed to get up, and that's exactly what she did. At first, it seemed like she was fine, but as she took a single step forward, her legs wobbled. Helen was there to steady here, and gently lower her back down onto the bed. "Not just yet it seems."

"That's for the best though. You were in terrible shape when I fished you out of the river. Matter of fact, if I hadn't, you'd have been washed out to sea where you'd likely have died." The green-eyed woman explained. She clearly didn't take pleasure in doing so, and even less in picturing how that would have gone. Mirajane's face grew heavy at the potential outcome; it'd came dangerously close to being realized. She agreed with the Hylian's unspoken assertion that it would have been a rather depressing end. "Mirajane, if you can, do you remember how that ended up happening?"

She swallowed a fast-growing lump in her throat. "I was…walking. I-I had so much on my mind that I think I just…lost track of my surroundings." Her right hand went to her head, clenching at it as the memories returned to her in full, yet with them came a splitting headache that she could have done without. It was seeming like thinking caused her varying degrees of pain. Unfortunately, she felt like she couldn't stop thinking; it simply wasn't an option for her. That feeling was magnified as she looked back toward the window, her ears continuing to register the pouring rain outside. "I…want to see it, the rain." Mirajane spoke in a rather small voice.

Helen looked unease at the thought, but nodded none the same. "Alright. I'll help you to the porch, but be ready. It's coming down pretty hard. Granted, not as badly as before."

"Like…when you fished me out?" Mira asked. Helen nodded making her more curious to see the outside. Was that a good thing?

"Yes, it was pretty bad. You're lucky that I found you when I did." Helen helped her up, holding her up as she walked her toward the door. Step by step, they progressed through the house, Mira quietly sweeping her eyes around it. She had to admit, it was quite a comfy little room. Throughout the journey, she took in several little details about it. "Be warned, we're only going to step out for a little bit. It's quite a storm out there so it's for the best we're not out there for too long."

Mirajane nodded in understanding then turned her full attention back to the door. Her heart continuously thumped in anticipation as it drew closer. For a simple walk, it seemed like a journey from one end of the earth to another. She supposed that was the effect of physical and mental exhaustion, both of which she really, really wished she could shake off. In an effort to do so she reached for the door and grasped the knob. Helen thankfully said nothing, realizing that she wanted to try this on her own. Mirajane sighed in relief when she was able to turn the door and push the door open. That sigh of relief actually came close to draining her of her strength. The annoyance that came with that was short-lived as she pushed the door open. It felt like there was something pushing against it though.

That was the wind, the howling wind that Helen had worried her about. It carried the rain right into Mirajane's face, she was forced to close her eyes and look away. Her hope to see the outside world was put on hold as the world blasted itself in her face. She struggled to lift her head and peer forward. While she managed to do so, what she saw was a world awash in wind and rain. Her ears heard the distant clap of thunder leading her to look up. That just blasted more rain and wind into her face, yet Mirajane managed to avoid looking away. Something about the stormy sky enticed her.

Blue eyes stared straight up, catching flashing bolts of lightning. Something about their rumble nagged at her, it made her heart race. The eyes looked back down at the earth, covered in a sheet of rain and wind. It was a rather dreary image, but Mirajane continued to look ahead. She found herself moving forward, her feet going from hard wood to wet earth. And then she was falling toward the earth.

"Hey, hey, Mirajane! I told you to take it easy!" Came Helen's voice. Thankfully she wasn't angry, but Mirajane had a feeling that she shouldn't press her luck. Especially since she was now being pelt by the storm in full force. "Come on, back inside! I think we've had enough of the outdoors for the day!" True to her words, she hauled her back up the steps of the porch and then back indoors. Mirajane sighed in relief feeling the contained warmth of the house. "This storm's going to be raging for perhaps another day or two, so I think it's for the best you stay indoors. Especially since you can't take more than a couple of steps without falling over."

"I used to be stronger than that." The white-haired woman found herself groaning.

"I'm sure you were, and you'll be that strong again, but for now, you need to get some rest." The Hylian stated. "Come on,"

"Um, I…could you just put me by the window over there? Please?"

"…Sure. I'll go warm up some tea for you."

It felt like so little separated her from the storm outside, just a few inches of stone and wood and glass. Raindrops continuously pounded against the latter, blurring the image of the outside world, not that there was much to see. The rain was so heavy one could hardly see five feet in front of them. Mirajane wondered what it'd be like if the storm was worse; she might not be able to see three feet in front of her. Had it been that bad when she'd gone out before? When she'd slipped and found herself drowning in a river?

"River," the blue-eyed woman whispered. Her hand went to her head, the throbbing in her head was retreating and returning like guests of a hotel. "I was walking by a river. That's…how I…how I…" She closed her eyes and concentrated. The pain returned in full force, her head throbbing in irritation. Mirajane didn't let it stop her. Beyond the pain were her memories, and she wanted those, she wanted to know how she'd ended up in this situation. Most importantly, she wanted to know who she was.

Mirajane Strauss, who was that person? Who was she?

The pain that assaulted her made it feel like she was crawling over broken glass. Each stab of pain was agitating, but she didn't let that stop her. Through the shards that scrapped against her, she saw pieces of the past. Reaching forward she grabbed at them and tried to string them together. What she came up with was a broken-up picture, the tears evident. Still, it was enough for Mirajane come up with some sort of recollection.

Underground. She'd been underground before. Where and how was foggy. She remembered voices, some angry, some upbeat, and some…that made her skin crawl. As much as she'd have liked to stop there, she kept on going. There must have been a reason why some voices made her skin crawl. In doing so, she felt her whole body shivering as if she were back out in the storm. Blurry faces came to her mind, faces, but no names. At least none she could properly pronounce. She found herself biting her lip to the point she could taste blood.

"Hey, hey, relax." Helen's voice sounded. Mirajane's eyes flew wide open to see the brunette beside her. The tea was placed on the table so her hands could go to her. One hand gently grasped hers, removing it from her head, the other was on her shoulder. Mirajane felt her body go slack with relief as a sense of warmth and reassurance washed over her. "Mira-"

She followed her impulses, and that impulse directed her to throw herself into the older woman's embrace. It was sudden, catching the Hylian woman off-guard. She was surprised, but not at all put off by her actions. Helen smiled and wrapped her arms around Mirajane, sending further waves of warmth into the younger woman. The latter eagerly accepted them, and with that acceptance came tears. They fell in rapid succession like the raindrops outside. Rather than the fierce wind, Helen gently stroked the white-haired girl's head like a spring breeze. It seemingly made Mirajane cry even harder, not that Helen minded. She gently pulled out of the cheer so that they were both kneeling on the floor, huddled together.

Helen quietly whispered to the crying girl, telling her it was alright to let it all out. It truly was.

"M-Mira," whimpered the white-haired woman. "Y-You can…c-c-call me Mira. I-I think…my friends used to."

"Mira, that's a rather sweet name. I'm sure your friends enjoyed calling you that." Helen remarked in a maternal tone.

"I-I think they did. O-Or at least…I…I hope they did." She continued to whimper. Her memories were still so hazy. She reached back beyond the underground and saw flashes of light. With them were voices, voices that called out to her. That nickname appeared. She wanted to recognize the voices and faces it belonged to. There was something about them, something different from the voices in the underground. They were so much…warmer. Helen's voice was like that; that was no doubt a reason why she found such comfort in her. That and the fact that the woman had saved her life, multiple times by now. At the moment, she was all she had, her lone life raft in a vast and unknown sea that she feared would so cruelly toss her from one side to another.

The rain never stopped. It may have slackened and eased up, but it never stopped, just like Helen had said. Not that surprising given the area was being hit by a hurricane. As it happened, Mirajane hadn't been paying attention to the weather; she hadn't been paying attention to much at all. She'd been in a daze that had sent her out walking in the midst of a brewing storm. Not the smartest decision, but Helen told Mira that people didn't think rationally when they were in states of emotionally distress. She had some experience in that, so she told the blue-eyed girl she had nothing to be ashamed of.

Hearing that brought a smile to Mirajane's face before she went back to seeping her tea. Every seep made her feel like she had a small flame burning within her, similar to the fireplace several feet from them. It'd been kept burning throughout the afternoon, now into the night.

As unbelievable as it was, the outside grew darker as day turned to night. It hadn't been much of a day though, with the sky being a constant shade of gray with rain continuously pouring down. Regardless, as dark as it had been, it grew darker once night eventually began. Several minutes after it did, the rain intensified yet again.

Mirajane couldn't help but look around her, hear the pounding of the walls around her. As seemingly always, Helen took notice of it.

"Don't worry. This house is close to the water, but it's sturdy enough that it won't come crashing down, nor is it in danger of flooding. We built this cabin to last." She explained.

"We?" Mirajane questioned.

"Yes, me and my husband, a Zora." She replied.

"A…Zora?" Questioned the younger woman.

"Another race native to Hyrule. They're our resident seafaring folk. Humanoid fish. In fact, wait right here!" Her voice was giddy with excitement. From it, Mirajane guessed that her caretaker must have had quite a likeness for these Zora. Considering she was married to one, that wasn't a major surprise. That was saved for when she came back with a few photos depicting her and several of them. Just as Helen had said, they were an aquatic people, humanoid fish.

As she took the photos, Mirajane let her mouth drop in genuine shock at what she saw. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Helen grinning.

"Yep, that's the reaction that quite a few foreigners get when they meet the fantastical folk we have here in Hyrule. The Zora, the Rito, and of course the Gerudo. As you can probably tell though, my personal favorite are the Zora." She handed her another photo, one that Mirajane found to be a lot more personal, and even heartwarming.

She'd only known Helen for barely a day, but she liked her. She liked seeing her smile, and she was certainly smiling in the photo with her and her apparent husband. He towered over her, and she suspected he towered over most people. It seemed that such a thing might have been a species-wide trait, at least regarding male Zora. All Zora seemed to be based on some species of fish. Mirajane believed there was a species of shark called a tiger shark, and that's what Helen's husband was. He sported black stripes across his bluish-gray body. His teeth reminded her of a shark's, but where there would have been no love or kindness to be found, there was. As he had an arm wrapped around Helen's shoulders, he smiled at the camera; despite a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, his smile radiated nothing but kindness.

"You two look amazing together." Mirajane spoke as she handed her caretaker back the picture. She had a feeling there was a wedding photo lying around somewhere and she wanted to see it, but she restrained herself. "What's his name?"

"Galeoco." The affection in her voice was evident, it was also there on her face. "We met during one of my fishing expeditions, late night expeditions to be precise. He's always been a bit of a nocturnal animal. I swear, sometimes I felt like I had to bolt him down so we could spend the night together." A rather crass grin came to the Hylian's face. "What about you, Mira? Do you remember a special man in your life?"

Her cheeks immediately heated as she shook her head. "Sadly, I don't. Still, I'm hoping if I do then…their name and face will come back to me." The thought of her having a boyfriend was both appealing, yet it also caused her extra worry. If she did have someone like that then they were probably worried about her. Mirajane doubted that they knew where she was. Even worse…she had no idea who they were. It was tragic, almost like something torn from a novel. Mirajane wondered if it would be for the best if she didn't have anyone like that. Of course, her mind next moved to the thought of possible family, siblings who might be worried about her too.

It was sudden, lasting for barely a few seconds at best, but Mirajane felt an undeniable thumping in her chest. That was a sign, a subconscious reaction from her body that she had siblings. Now, if only she could remember them.

While she was contemplating, her hand had gone to her chest. The cry of her stomach made her rethink its planet. A shameful blush crept up onto her cheeks.

"Hehehe, sounds like someone's hungry, not that I can blame you. Luckily, it is around dinner time, and I'd be more than happy to cook for two tonight."

"I'm grateful, well, even more grateful to you to be honest." She had a feeling she was going to owe a lot of debts to the brunette. Mirajane just hoped at some point she'd find a way to repay her for all the kindness she was showing her. It certainly made her situation more tolerable. She honestly didn't want to imagine what would happen if someone besides Helen had found her, specifically someone less kind and understanding.

Not to mention she was fortunate that Helen was so skilled in cooking.

The seconds he laid eyes on the kitchen, Mirajane felt a twinkle in her chest. As Helen dawned an apron, she called out to her. "Do you have any preferences or allergies?"

She put a finger to her chin and genuinely pondered the possibility. "None I can think of. I'm sure I'll be fine with whatever you end up making, Helen." Another growl dictated her next words. "Um, whatever you make, could you just…make a lot of it? The white-haired girl asked as she took her seat by the wooden dinner table.

"Sure!"

Mirajane was a little ashamed to admit she was anxious. She indeed couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten, but based on how her stomach was growling, she'd say it hadn't been for a while. Strange as it was, something told her that food would help her think. The second she caught a whiff of the meal that Helen was preparing, that's exactly what happened. As her nose inhaled the various scents of food, her mind started to turn like a giant clockwork gear. Her thoughts were geared toward food, and with that thinking came something…particular. That particular feeling was familiarity. Mirajane's eyes widened and a tingle ran up her body, the feeling quite strongly manifesting in her hands.

She looked down at them in awe as if they were transforming right before her eyes. Mirajane sucked in a breath, one tinged with a multiple of flavors that caused her heart further palpitations.

"Mira, how do you feel about-"

"Beef stew?" She called back. "I-It's fine! I'll take it!" Well, it's possible that I've probably had it before. Or I've made it before. The realization caused a flurry of joy within her soul. Helen couldn't see her smiling; if she could she probably would have been happy, and even more motivated. Smelling her putting a meal together for her got Mira motivated, motivated to think. Putting her hands to her cheeks, she closed her eyes and focused entirely on what she smelt and heard. Even her sense of taste got in on things as she quietly began to identity the ingredients that Helen was using. Onions. Garlic. Olive oil, hm, good olive oil. Some type of vinegar. Some type of pepper, black peppers probably, or at least Hyrule's equivalent of it.

Alone at the table, Mirajane lost herself in rattling off the ingredients, identified by smell alone. It was incredible, exciting even. The more she listened and smelt, the more eager she was to get up and go join Helen. As much as appealing as the idea was, a tiny logical voice told her that she was probably better off waiting until another time. After all, she was still getting her energy back, not to mention she had little idea of what she could cook. Based on everything she was experiencing, she herself was able to cook, but cook what exactly? What could she make with the ingredients that her caretaker had on hand? She didn't know, but she'd like to find out, preferrable at a later date. Maybe even tomorrow. Mirajane smiled at the potential thought of her being the one to serve Helen. Then there was her husband. What did Zora eat? That's something she'd have liked to know.

Zora, Gerudo, Rito, Gorons…four unique races native to Hyrule. Hyrule itself…she'd been shown a map of it by Helen and she had to say, it seemed to be quite an extensive land. She could see how so many different races called it home, there seemed to be an environment tailor made for each race, including some that were polar opposite such as the Gorons and the Zora.

In thinking about the map she saw, Mira noted how close Helen's home seemed to be to Zora's Domain, the home of the Zora race. Given she was married to one, the proximity didn't strike her as surprising.

Several minutes later and Helen called out to her, coming in with two steaming bowls. Mirajane's stomach rumbled louder than before; it was enough to make her blush while giving her thanks to her caretaker. Her hunger made it impossible for her to keep from taking the first bite.

"Amazing…just as I thought it would be." The white-haired girl sung in a heavenly voice.

"Thought it'd be." Helen mused before taking her first bite. "Mira, were you listening in on my cooking?"

"Well…smelling in actually." She admitted with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself."

"Mira, you don't have to apologize. Heh, trust me. It isn't the first time that I've had someone…smell in on my cooking. When I get a positive response from them regarding my cooking, I really don't mind." She responded with a proud glint in her eyes. "Being a fisherwoman, I'd used to preparing fish, but I'm quite skilled in other dishes as well. Since you'd probably had your fill of water, I decided to go for something hot to warm you up."

Mirajane was glad she'd gone with that decision. Not that she didn't like fish, but she had to admit something hot and warm like beef stew was definitely what her body needed.

"How does your husband feel about you eating fish? For that matter, how do Zora in general feel about it? I Mean, aren't they technically…fish too?"

"Oh, he doesn't mind too much." She casually replied. "After all, he's a tiger shark Zora, so that kind of predation isn't particularly strange for him, or other shark-like Zora. They've got a taste for meat and fish." Leaning forward, the older woman winked at her. "Don't worry though. Eating other Zora is expressly forbidden. You want one who's done that, check out the Tonga Prison."

"I take it that's some sort of supermax prison for the Zora?"

"Yep, and believe you me, you wouldn't want to meet any of the people they've got locked up in there."

"Then that's a place I'll definitely make sure to stay away from." The younger woman noted. As a rule of thumb, in any familiar of foreign land, the prisons were a place to be stirred clear of. "Helen, what does your husband do?"

"He's a soldier in the Zora army. Sometimes he's been assigned to guard the Tonga Prison. He was there once to stop a potential prison break a while back." A hand went to her face in joyful reminiscence. "It turned into one of the most bizarre dates I'd ever been on…but also one of the absolute best! I'd never had so much fun before!"

"I…take it that this date helped solidify your relationship?" Helen's face was practically beaming as she nodded. Mirajane had to admit, the story did sound interesting. A date snowballing into stopping an attempted prison break? She could at least glean from the sounds of things that the prison break failed. Mirajane had a feeling that Helen and her husband played some kind of part in that. "I wonder if I ever had any dates that interesting. Or dates at all."

"Oh, come on, a cute girl like you? I'm sure that you've had a few! It's just a question of if they were good, bad, or in-between. I've had a few of those. Hehehe, those I had with Galeoco all fall into the 'good' and 'great' category." It was inevitable her gaze would fall back onto her wedding ring. Mira had taken note of it a while back, she'd been patient in asking about. Now she knew a bit of the story behind it.

"Helen, if it's not too much trouble…how did you and Galeoco meet each other?"

She looked from her out the window. From the distant expression on her face Mira could knew her caretaker was looking at something distant. "By the ocean. I was out at sea, fishing when I ran into him. He stole a couple of fish from me, and I wasn't too happy about it." Both ladies shared a mutual laugh. Just from those small details, Mira had a rather vivid picture in her mind. As Helen continued to spoke, the picture was further filled in. "After the argument we got into, we ended up in competition with each other. I suppose that was the start of our relationship. By the time we stopped and took stock of what we were doing, it was already sunset. Neither of us felt like we'd wasted our time. We'd had fun, and we wanted to do it again."

"And that became your first date?" Mira intuitively answered.

"Yep. Heh, granted it took Galeoco a little while to admit that we were on a date. He got so flustered when I called our date a date."

"Sounds your typical tsundere."

"Hahaha! So you know the term! Yep, that sums up how Galeoco was at the start of our relationship, and even now. I'm glad that over the years he's gotten more open with me and with his own feelings."

Something about the words made it feel like a bell was rung in her head. That description…why did it sound so familiar? That sense of familiarity would gnaw at her for the rest of the night. She'd say it was like a bee buzzing around in her head. Not even her eventual much appreciated warm shower could make it go away. As she sat in the bathtub, scrubbing herself from top to bottom, she realized that was probably a positive. After all, she wanted to remember her past, whatever that was. The buzzing, the sense of familiarity, that was another piece to it.

She leaned back in the bathtub and closed her eyes, letting the warm water and soap sip into her skin. There was a temptation to completely lose herself in the sweet, warm sensation. This was her first pleasant sensation with water take her away to a quiet dreamland.

"It's tough, wanting to just stay here and relax, but I know that there's something I have to do." Both her hands went to her naked, soap-covered chest. Her heart was beating at such a calm pace, a stark contrast to how it'd been hours earlier. Mirajane quietly wondered if when she slept if her dreams would be plagued by nightmares. Especially nightmares involving those shadowy figures. That she-demon in particular was a massive question mark.

You are not worthy of our power.

You are not worthy of LIFE.

The venom in those voices was enough to make the hot bathwater seem like the rain outside. Speaking of rain, she heard it through the windows when she concentrated hard enough. Mirajane found when she focused enough, she could hear, smell, and downright sense a lot of things. It was rather incredible. Such senses seemed borderline superhuman, and Mirajane suspected that they truly might have been. When she thought of the shadowy specters that she'd fought off, she found herself seriously wondering if she was human.

Lifting up her hands, she generated a swirling whirlpool in each of them. It was magic, water magic to be precise. Mirajane brought her hands together and generated a watery twister that almost touched the ceiling. Thanks to the soapy mixture, bubbles floated off the swirling tower. It was beautiful, and quite fittingly, magical. Mirajane kept it up for what seemed like hours, but eventually by her will she dissipated it. The water cascaded back down onto her bathtub. With a deep sigh, she held her hands out, about a foot apart from each other and concentrated. This time, she didn't call upon the abundant water she was immersed in, she looked within herself. In doing so, darkness emerged.

While eerie, Mirajane couldn't help but note something alluring about the mass of dark magic she'd generated. The black and purple swirled around each other forming a small, condensed orb. It gave off little heat, which wasn't surprising. Mirajane didn't know how to put it into words, but she could have sworn she felt a stronger connection to the dark sphere than she did to the water twister she'd created. She suspected that between the two types of magic, she had a stronger affinity for the darkness than she did water. Not that there was to say she was lacking in water magic. It's just when she thought of a certain someone, she came up short, much like everyone else.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Water splashed onto the floor as she stood up. It dripped off of her flawless, naked body. Mirajane's hands went to her head as she cradled it in contemplation.

"Not as good as…who? Who? Who are you?" She whispered to no one but the phantom that stood before her. Only she could see it, and even then, Mirajane was unsure if what she was seeing was real. The figure's shape was blurry, a human-shaped shadow that she could just barely make out. "Who…are you?" She called again.

As if to answer her, her ears more acutely picked up the sound of rain outside the walls. It gave Mirajane something to consider.

"The rain," she whispered to herself. "The water."

Amazingly, sleep would come easy to her almost an hour later. Her mind was a maelstrom of thoughts, yet once she closed her eyes and let herself go, peaceful slumber found her. Mirajane was grateful for it.

The sky was overcast as one would have suspected of a storm. Thin rays of light pierced the clouds to light up some parts of the land, and the sea. Some would have said it was still a dreary sight, but Mirajane believed that the light made all the difference.

She inhaled the salty sea air, having it fill up her lungs. Mirajane could smell so much riding on the sea. By focusing her vision, she could see far, albeit all she saw were waves. There was something good in that, no ships out on the water. No one foolishly trying to brave the still stormy waters. Then again, Mirajane wondered if she was in a position to be calling anyone foolish. Here she was at the near crack of dawn, slowly wading into the water.

Helen had been kind of enough to lend her some spare clothes, and thankfully some of them more or less fit her.

"I must say, Mira, you've got quite the figure. You could even put an old friend of mine to shame with your body, especially your chest!"

Her cheeks had understandable burned red hearing the compliment, still, Mirajane took pride in it. On top of her looks, the brunette had praised her resilience as she seemed perfectly fine after all the care she was given the previous day. Thinking about it made Mirajane worry about if Helen would be made at her for being out so early, and so close to the water. The storm had yet to officially end; Mirajane could sense that in the air.

Any second, the wind could pick up, but she'd be able to tell when it did. Frankly, she wished that it would. Mirajane honestly wished that the sky would hurry up and unload another payload of rain from the sky. She had a feeling that it'd help jog her memory. Or precisely, help her even more.

Looking out over the gray sea, Mirajane recalled a time when she'd looked out over a similar horizon. She couldn't quite recall when or where it was, but she knew that she'd seen it somewhere before. There'd been someone beside her.

Beside her there was a phantom, a girl who was kneeling in the sand with her knees up and her arms wrapped around them. She was nervous, afraid, but Mirajane had this feeling that it wasn't for any looming storm, it was something else.

"I've…never done a beach shoot before. I'm just so nervous, scared even. W-W-What if things go wrong? W-W-What if I'm not photogenic enough? T-T-The truth is me and water have never really gone together."

"Then we can change that here." Mirajane repeated the words she was sure in her heart that she'd spoken to the younger girl. Though she wasn't there physically, her mind managed to pick up the pieces enough to create what happened next. "You may not think you're a good match for the sea, but maybe you can change that, especially here and now. The ocean's at it's most beautiful after a storm. Likewise, people look their best when they stand up and be strong, in body and in heart. Put those two things together, and you'll look absolutely stunning, just like the rest of your photos."

"You think the sea will agree with me? Almost every time I go by it, something bad happens. I mean just look at this rain."

"Oh, that's not your fault. Also, don't think that the sea's not friends with you. We can turn that around once this rain ends." The magic-using woman responded. "There's a girl that I know who used to bring rain everywhere she went, she hated it. Eventually though, the rain stopped, and the sun that was her smile came out."

"The rain stopped and her smile came out. Do you mean…Juvia Lockser? Do you think can I look as good as her?"

"Hehe, as good as her,-"

The pain that shot through her head was momentary, but Mirajane welcomed it. She focused on that name, Juvia Lockser. Her heart quickened in her chest. Standing up, she looked back out at the ocean. In the distance she heard a clamp of thunder. She saw a shower of rain pelting the ocean. Her blue eyes focused on it.

"Rain…"

She didn't know how long she waited. Ultimately, her original hope of the rain falling on her was fulfilled. Perhaps the first shower of the day began to pelt the shoreline. Being up to her ankles in the water, Mirajane was caught in the thick of it. The water was cold, complimented by the chilly wind that swept over the beachside. It was the sort of rainy weather that she should have been gotten the way out of. That's certainly what she imagined a sensible person would have told her.

"Heh, reasonable. Too bad we're not that sort of guild."

"Guild…" Mirajane whispered amongst the rain. Through it, her hand went down to the mark on her left thigh. The night before in changing her clothes she'd noticed it. At first, it hadn't jogged her memory, the more she thought about it the more she felt another resonance of memory. She reached down into the water and touched her thigh, exactly on the spot where the marking was. "This is…the mark of my guild. A wizard guild." She declared.

Just as her face became alit by a smile, the ocean reminded her that it wasn't there simply for her reminiscence. For a second, all Mira could taste, smell, hear, see, and feel was sea water. Being unprepared, she was pushed back. Her hands landed on the shoreline, feeling numerous things beneath her palm. She felt something moving along her hands, perhaps some small-sized crustaceans and such. Spitting the water out, she looked back up and saw the rain falling more furiously from the sky. The numerous raindrops assailed her face from top to bottom. Mirajane continued to watch the sky as she got back to her feet. Even as the waves beat against her, she stood strong.

"I just…wanted to get out for a minute. Maybe that would make the rain stop. It's so rarely a positive thing, you know?"

"Juvia, you can't blame yourself for what happened on Tenrou Island. When it rains, it rains. It's just an unfortunate coincidence when it does and something bad happens. Trust me, I know that better than anyone."

The next wave that came was welcomed. She had her hand out, as if she was trying to reach out and touch someone.

"You know…Gray told me he doesn't mind the rain. He's even come to like it, I'm thinking because it reminds him of a certain someone."

This time, she saw the figure clearly. She saw wavy blue hair that matched with a predominately blue outfit, and of course blue eyes like her own. The pale skin of her face became alight with a blush while stars danced in her eyes.

"R-R-Really?!"

"Really! I spied him sitting by the window staring at it while you'd taken that job in Hargeon. It was clear that he was thinking of you."

The heartfelt smile that lit up the woman known as Juvia's face in term heartened Mirajane. It was strange though, viewing a memory through another memory. Regardless, it certainly helped as she was able to recall the latter.

She felt a passenger in her own body, but one able to survey her surroundings. People, faces, smiles, laughter. Then there was the man called Gray. She remembered a shirt lying on the seat beside him, a seat that normally would have been occupied by another. His gaze was toward the nearby window. The constant rain pounded against the window, yet the black-haired man looked to it with a sense of longing. She had a feeling that he was seeing something different, or thinking of someone.

"Juvia,"

"MIRAJANE!"

"Gaaah!" She jumped, nearly entirely out of the water. Behind her Helen was looking at her with a partial glare and frown of concern. "H-H-H-H-Helen! Y-Y-You're up! And out!"

"I was going to say the same thing about you! And you're out here in the rain and the water!" The Hylian shouted.

"I-I-I thought it would help jog my memory! It did!" Mirajane quickly affirmed.

That caused Helen's expression to temporarily change. "Really? That's great! Come on, let's discuss it back in my cabin!"

Giving her a sheepish laugh, Mirajane nodded in agreement. Perhaps she'd had enough of water for a while. Helen raised an umbrella over her to cover her as they hurried out of the water and over the beach. With the restart of the storm, the tide had begun to consume a touch more of the shore. It was only the morning, meaning that the storm had potentially just gotten started. The possibility of it getting worse was very real. While it may have slackened at some point, it wasn't a good idea to wait for that to happen.

Knowing that possibility existed, it'd been a wise decision to build homes on higher ground. It'd proved to be a correct choice. Even if the homes were doused with the occasional heavy rain and beaten by wind, many remained standing.

A magical barrier helped.

When she passed the six-foot perimeter of the house, she noticed it. Mirajane felt like she was passing through a silk sheet as she walked past the barrier. Upon looking back at it she saw it was made primarily to keep water out; a rather nice and useful piece of magic. She suspected that some other homes that feature built in.

"Honestly, I wish that you'd told me you were going to do something that crazy!" Helen softly yelled once they were back indoors. Their rain cloaks came off while the umbrella was folded up.

"Sorry. I just had a feeling that if you knew, you might try to stop me. I just…felt like this was something I needed to do." She quietly defended. Mirajane knew it wasn't much of a defense. Was recovering her memory worth putting her life at risk? That was the question that she was posing to Helen.

She understood that, but she also understood the drive within Mirajane. "Did it help?"

"Yes, it did. It helped a whole lot." Mirajane affirmed with a smile. "While I wasn't able to remember everything, I remembered a few pieces of my past. I remembered the faces of two of my friends."

"Ahh, that's good. You can tell me more over breakfast." Helen said.

"Um, actually, while I'd like to do that…do you think I could…help you?"

Helen burst into laughter. "Think you've gotten enough of your memory back that you can help me in the kitchen?"

"I'm hoping so." She stated. "Little things are reminding me of my past, and I'm hoping that cooking will do that too. I mean, I stood in the rain amidst a storm and I got two faces and names back." Along with something else. Mirajane would tell Helen about the mark on her thigh. She knew that it had great significance, not to mention there was a small part of Mira that wanted to show it off.

All that could wait until after they'd finished cooking breakfast. Just as she suspected, once she was in the kitchen, memories began to flow back into her. They were of course quite specific, memories of cooking. The stove and such that she worked at was a touch more advance than what Helen had, but it was workable. Not to mention she had as much fun in her kitchen as she would have in a modern one.

Modern, Mira thought to herself. Why am I saying that? Was the place I came from more advanced than Hyrule? For that matter, how advanced is Hyrule? I haven't seen much of it, only the southern sea. A part of her mind started to devote itself to the possibility of seeing the rest of Hyrule. Helen had shown her a map of the country and she knew there was much for her to see. Much for her to discover. Hopefully in that discovery she'd find some more answers.

What seemed like no time later, she was back at the dinner table with Helen, eating and chatting with her. This time, it was over a meal that they'd made together; something about that made the meal extra special in Mirajane's eyes with the same going for Helen. Joyful pride swelled within her as the older woman praised her cooking, calling it amongst the best she ever had.

"Ahh! I dare say it could even compete with Sir Link's!"

"Sir who?"

"Sir Link's! He's-"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"That sounds serious." Helen noted, rising from the table, and rushing to the door.

Mirajane fully agreed with it and did the same. Something's happened. She realized before Helen even opened the door. Based on the disheveled state of the man standing in the doorway, she was right.

"Helen! I-It's awful! Please tell me that Galeoco is back! We need him!" The man at the door shouted. He was clearly disheveled, even with the rain coat on. His brown hair was a few shades lighter than Helen's, even being more of a brownish blonde in fact. That was also the color of his bread, well cut and trimmed. His green eyes were wide in alarm as he spoke; the man was on the verge of hysterics, and that was about to get worse as Helen gave him the news.

"No, he isn't. Gavin, please, I need you to calm down and tell me what's happened." Helen said in a calm, controlled voice. She knew it was her job to stay composed, primarily for the sake of her neighbor. She guided him to the dining room table where he took a seat, albeit he looked ready to jump out of it at any second.

"I-I-It's Harrison and the boys. T-T-They took the boat they'd been fixing up out to sea, even though I-I told them not to." Mirajane didn't know if this Harrison was his son or perhaps a nephew, but the fear he felt for him and the rest of these boys was very real. He was on the verge of tears as he quickly explained what had happened.

Helen's face gave Mirajane an idea of how severe this was. She saw her caretaker tremble in fear, almost as if it were her own children that were out there in the storm.

Something dark and cold squirmed within Mirajane. She stood up, her hands balled into fists and her eyes focused. "Tell me where they set sail. I'll go find them myself."

"Mira," Helen cautioned.

"Mira? W-Who are you?" The bearded man questioned, taking note of her for the first time. Her words did little to sooth his fears, not that she was expecting them to. Mirajane knew to this man and anyone else, she was a complete stranger.

She told the man called Gavin all he needed to know. "A friend of Helen's, someone who can help. Please."

Both Hylians looked at her, neither knowing just how helpful she could be, not even Helen. Still, she had an idea. She'd seen first hand how Mirajane recovered so quickly, and she could tell that though a human, she possessed magical abilities. Abilities that they could use. Making her decision, she looked back to Gavin, giving him an affirmative nod. It was enough to conceive him.

"Come with me." He said.

The rain seemed to have picked up since she'd been out earlier in the morning. That made the situation all the more perilous, but Mirajane wasn't detoured. She knew that lives were on the line, and she knew she had the power to save them. Something deep within her told her that, and it also told her not to fail.

As they ran, Gavin explained more of the situation to her. Apparently, a specialize boat had been built, one capable of enduring storms such as this. Unfortunately, the boat was at best only seventy-percent complete. Common sense would have told a person to wait until that last thirty-percent was added, but teenagers could be impulsive people. No better place to test such a craft out than in the middle of an actual storm, right?

Unfortunately, it seemed like the craft they'd taken out wasn't fully operational. That was the conclusion that had been drawn when the ship's signal was lost. It was the earnest prayer that the boys weren't lost either.

For the first time since awakening, Mirajane saw civilization. Through the rain she was able to make out multiple buildings and a harbor, one that was filled with people. Concerned whispers and shouts competed with the pounding storm. After looking the crowd over, Mirajane looked back out at the choppy waters that Gavin's son had set sail into with three of his friends. It was a foolhardy venture, one that ran a high possibility of costing them their lives. She stepped up to the harbor and looked out to the waters. Closing her eyes, she reached out with whatever paranormal senses she had.

Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?! She continuously chatted in her mind. Just as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, her eyes opened. "I've found them!" Throwing off her rain cloak, she looked back at the crowd. All the attention was on her, and for good reason. Her caretaker pushed to the front of the crowd. "Helen, I'll be back in a minute, just keep everyone back!"

"Mira!"

"Just trust me! This is something that I know I can do!"

"…Just….just don't push herself, alright? It'd be a tragedy if we lost five lives out there." The brunette finally said.

Giving her a smile of assurance, she jumped from the docks into the water. She hadn't meant to, but Mirajane cleared quite a couple of feet with her leaping. The distant cries of shock reached her ears seconds before she dove into the water. The transition happened in an instant, going from open air to water, deep, crashing water that she amazingly swam through. Apparently, she knew how to swim, incredibly well.

But it isn't going to be enough. I need something else. I need something more! The voice was loud in her ears, louder than the roar of the waves and wind above her. Ahead of her lay darkness, yet she could see rather clearly. What I need is…is…is…

The power swirled within her, screaming for her to channel it. How she did that, she shouldn't have known, yet she did. What flowed through her veins wasn't just blood but power, the power of magic.

"Take Over…Satan Soul!"

All around her there was light, bright purple light that went with a burst of wind that blew the water away around her. She knew that she was different, physically speaking. Mentally speaking, nothing had changed. She was still her, and she knew exactly what she had to do.

Somehow, her vision had changed though. Dozens of meters away, she saw four bundles of light. Mirajane already knew what they were-the souls of the boys that she was trying to rescue. Having an affirmative bead on their location, Mirajane dove toward them. Well, at first. One minute she was in the water, and then the next she was in the air. Rain and wind whipped at her, but it was little more than a hindrance; Mirajane could still see what lay ahead of her. She was able to see the boys and their boy, and she was able to see beyond that. Far, far beyond it.

Naturally, she saw the wave approaching them. It stood at a towering fifteen-feet, more than enough to capsize the group's boat, and knock the life out of the boys clinging to it.

It was so surreal. One minute she was watching the wave from a distance, and then the next she was in front of it. Her fist was reared back, then launched forward. The pure force of her punch dispelled the coming wave. That, and a clear path was blasted across the water. It was like a she'd split a section of the ocean in two with just that one punch. What was crazier to believe was that she knew that punch wasn't her full power. No, it wasn't even close to it.

Mirajane didn't concern herself with what her limits were. Turning around, she found herself the recipient of more stares, this time from four teenage boys clinging to life on a somewhat high-tech boat. Faint blue lights blinked in and out around the hull. A minute later and they gave out a series of sparks announcing the end of whatever high-tech functions the boat might have had. The boat was quite literally dead in the water; the boys atop it would have been dead too if it wasn't for her.

"Is everyone alright?" She could tell how her voice had changed. It sounded gruffier; it was a perfect fit to her new demonic form. She knew that her appearance was striking enough to warrant some stunned silence, but she knew they were tight on time. While the four boys gawked at her, she looked over the lot of them.

The oldest one, Gavin's son, she recognized through the hair and the face. Minus the beard and the stress lines of his father, Harrison Bentley. He was perhaps the most starstruck of the group; it was understandable given she'd just saved him from the guilt of killing himself and his friends. The latter were all gawking at her as much as Harrison was. His best friend and at times voice of reason, Lyam, the second most eager of the group, Henri, and finally the youngest but still equally driven Clovis. All four of them were accounted for.

"All of you, hold onto the boat! I'm taking us back to harbor!" She gripped both sides of the boat and lifted. It was like lifting a pebble, even with four young teens in it. Said teens all squeaked in alarm as they found themselves rising up. "Like I said, hold on! Try not to move around too much!" Mirajane shouted to them.

Neither the wind nor the rain bothered her much. She flew through them carrying the boat as easily as she had done flying toward it. The only difference was now she was privy to chatter, in this case the chatter of four boys who'd seen her in a form that wasn't entirely human. A voice in her head told her that wasn't a good thing. It grew louder by the second, eventually turning into a scream.

Mirajane winced at the volume of the scream.

"H-H-Hey! A-Are you alright?" Called one of the boys, Henri himself. The black-haired Hylian was on the verge of standing up, his face bent in concern.

"I-I'm fine!" She shouted back. In seconds she realized that memories were coming back to her. Unlike the previous ones, these memories were miserable, just like the weather around her. Mirajane saw crowds, angry mobs really. They were looking at her with such disgust and outrage. Her vision went south to her arm-the source of their outrage. It wasn't human, not anymore. I-I see…that's where it began. This power, this magic that I have…then… Forcing the buzzing down, she lowered her head as she spoke to the boys she'd rescued. It just a few short minutes they'd be back at the coastline. "Listen, you four," she began while practically clenching her teeth. "I…I know you have a lot of questions, but please…k-k-keep what you've seen to yourselves. Please."

She couldn't bring herself to look up at them, to see if her plea would be answered or not. Maybe she was too scared to. Maybe she felt like if she did, she might scare them with her gaze. Mirajane's gut told her that it was the former more so than the latter.

As they came closer to the coast, Mirajane knew she couldn't be seen in her current form. She knew she was going to have to get wet; that wouldn't be a problem, at least not as bad as the one she could have if she didn't. Sucking in a breath, she brought the boat down lower until it was in the water. Mirajane was completely submerged beneath the waters; she used it as a cover while she transformed back into her normal self. Even then, she found it actually easy to continuously push the boat back onto shore. She supposed that even in her ordinary human form, she possessed more strength than the average person.

In time, she was breathing air, wet and cold air. Her arms continued to hold one end of the boat as she pushed it forward onto land. Within seconds her feet were pushing through the sand, then she was kneeling on it. Mirajane shook her hair, feeling multiple strands sticking to her face. Pushing away those that clung to her hair, she looked up to the four boys. They were already out of the boat and in their parents' arms.

The sight made Mirajane smile. I…I did it. I did it, that's all that matters. Somewhere inside, she braced herself for exposure, exposure that she had a feeling would be the end of her. Despite that possibility, Mirajane felt at peace. Even if she had to give up something herself, she was glad she was able to-

"Mira! Mira! By the goddesses, are you alright!" Helen was on her, looking her over as she had done the boys. "Din's fire! What do you keep scaring me like that!"

She gave a half humorless chuckle. A part of her wanted to say that she really hadn't been trying to scare her, but if she tried then boy, could she make her heart race. Being seen in her monstrous form would probably make her do that. Speaking of which, she expected any second for the boys to call her a-

"She's a sorceress! She used magic to save us!"

"She blew away a wave with nothing but her fist! It was fucking amazing!"

Mirajane chuckled at the use of profanity in describing her feats. Almost immediately after it, she heard a sudden reprimand. It was likely the first of many that was to come the boys' way.

"T-That woman, s-she…she saved us. She carried the boat all the way back using magic."

"Y-Y-Yeah, i-i-it was incredible."

Mirajane felt like she couldn't stand, even if she wanted to. Ethereal relief flooded her body, a sigh of relief tumbled from her lips. With her eyes slid close, she didn't notice how Helen saw that. She didn't know how she filed the reaction away to the back of her mind.

By the time Mirajane opened them, Helen had helped her up, and they were facing the townspeople. No one looked at her with fear or apprehension, only awe as if she were a light in the storm. She supposed that's what she'd became, especially to the four boys who'd seen her inhuman form. All four of them were staring at her, and all four of them were blushing.

Well, that's better than them pointing at me and calling me a monster. Mirajane thought with a small smile. If anything, I think I may have gained four admirers.

"Please, Mirajane, correct? Come with us to the town hall. We have much to thank you for, and maybe even ask you." Spoke a graying-haired Hylian. She immediately guessed him to be the village elder. Once upon a time, she imagined his hair was a bright shade of yellow, but age had caused the color to fade, and intermix with shades of gray across his head and his beard. The same went for his rather thick eyebrows, which seemed to obscure his eyes. Looking harder though she could see the faded green eyes. Gratitude twinkled in them, yet she could also see a hint of curiosity. The same went for the rest of the villagers.

Nodding, Mirajane indicated she would gladly follow them all back to the town hall. The rain and water had been memory invoking, but she would have been happy to return to indoors. Especially with something nice and warm.

Suddenly, she felt something firm and warm gripping her hand. Mirajane looked up to find Helen smiling at her. Apparently, she was going to be her guide…and her support through what was to come. The calming presence that her presence brought was both relaxing and empowering.

A friend. She's my friend. Mirajane realized with a beaming smile of her own. The realization and the acceptance added an extra pep in her step. It made her feel like a ray of light had broken through the storm clouds to shine on her. Come what may, it wouldn't be so easily obscured.

I'll stop there. I've got lot planned for the next chapter, and I feel like this one had enough content in it. Send me some feedback to let me know what you thought of it, readers.

As you can all no doubt guess, Mira had a little bit of trouble with her magic this chapter. Take Over has always been a particular interesting brand of magic in Fairy Tail to me, Mira's being quite eye-catching. It's not often you get a character who absorbs souls on the hero's side, and demon souls at that. Given the damage that was done to her, I figured it'd make sense for the demonic souls within her to try to take a crack at Mira, either destroying her mind and/or hijacking her body. As for the leader, well, I'll admit I'm a fan of Seilah. I couldn't have Mirajane's demonic souls rebelling against her without including her in the mix, and being the last one Mirajane had to fight for control. Our favorite bar tender won…this time. This won't be the last time that Seilah shows up, even as a literal shadow of herself. I know some of you are chopping at the bit to see her used in Satan Soul, and maybe after this chapter how that gets handled. All I have to say to you all is patience.

I'm going to shoot for posting the next chapter between the end of November and start of December. After this chapter, I'm sure you all will want to see how Mirajane handles being the center of attention, and if her dark little secret can stay a secret for much longer. Until then, I hope you all take care.

And one last thing, RIP Kevin Conroy, voice actor of Batman The Animated Series, who defined Batman for an entire generation, including my own.