Archer clicked his tongue as he made his way down Magnolia's street; a bag of groceries in his hands that he had just bought from the jewels he had earned from his latest mission hunting rabid beasts for the local farmers.
Based on appearance alone, he was still a teenager at best because of his height. Simply because of that he had to start out with lower-rated missions until Fairy Tail's administrates were able to sort out his skill and designate him a Wizard class.
Till then, he busied himself with miscellaneous missions, but at least he now earned enough to make due with the peaceful life he was providing for his siblings. If he wasn't around, perhaps Mirajane would have had to take his place, yet he was reluctant to allow such a thing as her magic control wasn't optimum.
Should she transform randomly in the middle of a mission without warning, it may cause undesirable effects towards herself and the applicant. After all, she'd have to start out like he had: choosing unranked lower rated missions where the ignorance of others may cause complications.
He fiddled with his keys as he reached the door of the apartment he was living in. It was small, and made out of brick and tile, and insulated with wools and pressed mud. Yet the prices were reasonable and the neighbors were friendly. They even doted on Lisanna and Elfman the last time the two were playing outside. To make it even better, their neighborhood was situated just outside a river canal where venders would sell their wares and products, making it easier to go shopping as he was now.
With a click of the lock, Archer entered his small home.
"You're back," Mirajane simply stated, her hands crossed as she glared at him.
Elfman was standing awkwardly down the end of the hall, and Lisanna was hanging off of Mirajane's leg with a troubled expression. Mirajane ignored it however.
"I'm back," he said simply.
Turning his back to Mirajane, he took off the brown coat over his shoulders and hung it on a rack before taking the groceries he had on hand to the kitchen adjacent.
Mirajane's gaze followed all of his actions, however, he knew her well enough to know that she was already near her breaking point.
"Why didn't you take me with you?" She pressed restlessly, her expression growing sour as she revealed the subject of her discontent. "You let Erzan and Jellal come? I saw them just this morning."
He shook his head sternly while placing the meats into the freezer, and the produce into the fridge. In regards to Erza and Jellal, he was hard pressed as to what to do with them. They were only acting out based on their emotions, and nothing wrong had actually come out of it. Therefore, there was no need for him to act despite growing irritated from it all. Just another thing to blame on the 'Hero,' he supposed. But then again, at least he didn't have to kill him now. At most, he could probably just tolerate.
"There's a difference between 'allowed to come' and 'followed,'" he said plainly.
He then turned towards Elfman and Lisanna before beckoning them over. "We're going to have something special tonight, want to help?"
"Yes!" Lisanna and Elfman readily agreed. They could see what Archer was planning already by asking them to participate, and they were more than eager to help.
The atmosphere with Mirajane had been a tad stifling since the morning when she discovered that Archer had once again left without her.
Now, it appeared as if she was about to blow from the moment her eyes spotted Archer walking down the streets. This was why Elfman and Lisanna stood waiting with Mirajane rather than play like usual.
"You still didn't answer my question as to why you still won't take me on missions with you," Mirajane fumed.
Archer sighed as he scratched at the back of his head. Finally, he turned to stare directly at Mirajane.
"It's not that I don't want to," he began slowly. "It's just that I don't always take the easiest of missions."
He'd call that an understatement.
After all, from the missions he'd already undertaken, more than just a few of them ended up at a higher level than what was specified. Take his mission repelling beasts from the farms as an example. It should have had just been beasts to repel, but magical one's ended up appearing instead. As it would turn out, it was because of the appearance of these magic beasts that drove the regular beasts into the farmer's lands.
Luckily, it was him who had undertaken such a mission, and his years of experience had allowed him to deal with it. The only complications appeared in the form of Erza and Jellal who had followed. He had nearly suffered an injury attempting to protect them as he couldn't just leave them. However, at the end of it all, his actions had apparently only solidified something in the minds of Erza and Jellal; especially from the way they had scrutinized him when he had traced out his weapons.
If such a situation occurred again, he didn't want to risk Mirajane's safety until she at least had control of her magic like Jellal and Erza. If so, she would be able to buy some time for him to intervene.
"Dangerous?" Mirajane asked incredulously. "Dad used to take us out hunting, and you were even younger than I was back then."
Archer shrugged his shoulders, before grabbing a few kitchen appliances. From there he grabbed a bag of flour, some eggs, milk, and seasonings which he then formed into a doughy batter.
Passing the batter in his hands to Elfman and Lisanna, he nodded to them to begin kneading it. Only then, did he put his attention back on Mirajane while cutting some vegetables.
"Animals are one thing, but magic beasts are another. This next mission is in a remote town, so there's a chance there that I'm not willing to take," he explained just as he finished chopping the vegetables. He then moved on to the meet, glancing upwards with his eyes towards Mirajane.
It wasn't that he couldn't understand what it was that Mirajane was feeling, it was just that he chose to ignore it. After arriving and living in Fiore, he had realized something that gave him pause.
He was slowly changing.
The fire at the hearth roared brightly as Lisanna and Elfman found entertainment punching at the dough. Kids as they were, it didn't take much to amuse them.
Archer absently rubbed their heads dotingly, the action softening Mirajane's gaze.
Family.
A word that ties an entire group of people, and forges the strongest of bonds.
He had seen families with fathers and mothers willing to die for their children regardless of the situation. It didn't matter to them if anyone else died, so long as their children lived. From a third person's perspective, such behaviour should have been frowned upon just considering number, and he had once acknowledged that reasoning. Now though, he didn't know.
After all, he had barely known what it was like to have a family in his past life with Kiritsugu dying young, and his memories before the Fire wiped away. Therefore, it was only natural that such emotions would now cloud his mind. Changing his perspectives such that even he noticed the change.
If any one of his siblings were caught in a situation where their lives were placed in danger compared to several dozens, he was scared to discover that he would hesitate as to who he would save. As a past Counter Guardian, and a man who had grown cynical over time, he was sure that his beliefs should have had been stronger.
To save the many over the few.
To be the most practical.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Elfman and Lisanna began arguing about who got to role the dough out with the roller he had given them; Lisanna winning in the end when Mirajane sent a swift glance at Elfman and then back to him.
"I'm the eldest sister," Mirajane spoke uncrossing her arms and clenching them. "I want to help the family too."
Archer hummed as he mashed some tomatoes into paste. "You are already just by being yourself," he said. "It's why I have no worries leaving you all here when I go out."
"T-That's not the point…" Mirajane trailed off before growing stubborn. "Just let me come with you okay? I can be strong too."
Mirajane was currently wearing a black tank-top with an exposed mid-drift that was too revealing in Archer's opinion, but it was an outfit Mirajane had hand picked herself. Therefore, he wouldn't comment further about the two black thigh-high stockings and matching short shorts and white belt she wore. Although, that couldn't stop the flash of irritation that appeared in his eyes.
"You haven't mastered your magic yet," he reasoned. Thereafter, he motioned for Lisanna and Elfman to step aside as he smeared the tomato paste onto the rolled-out dough much to their curiosity. This only increased further when he began to place the chopped vegetables and meats overtop followed by several layers of cheese.
Mirajane grinned in response to Archer's reply.
"That's why I have this!" She revealed with a flourish. A dark grey cloak fell over her shoulders that hid everything beneath besides her head. "Even if it goes out of control, they won't see. And even if they do, we can just knock them up on the head."
Left speechless by Mirajane, Archer closed his mouth before proceeding to place dinner into the oven to allow it to rise and bake.
Clapping his hands clean, Archer could only try to find a way to dissuade Mirajane.
Clearly though, that wasn't going to happen with the amount of determination in her eyes.
However, he did realize a method to forestall the conclusion.
It was in the twitching of Mirajane's nose as the fragrance of the food he was making permeated throughout the room. Evidently, Mirajane was getting distracted. Just like Lisanna and Elfman, she had never seen nor tasted what Archer was making right now. And the smell of melting cheese was truly too intoxicating.
Archer remained silent for fifteen to twenty minutes, stalling for time. Although by then, Mirajane had already joined up with Elfman and Lisanna to peer into the oven.
Archer shook his head in amusement at the scene.
Standing up, he pulled the freshly baked pizza from out of the oven, its appearance alone as something that the Strauss siblings had never seen before. After all, they'd never been able to afford the ingredients until now.
When Archer began cutting slices out, and then passing one to Lisanna, and then to Elfman, Mirajane silently watched as the two took their bites.
Just from the light that seemed to shine from their faces as they wolfed the pieces down let Mirajane know what they thought of Archer's latest dish.
"So," Archer began, lifting a slice of pizza for Mirajane; trails of melted cheese making spider-like webs as they snapped away from the whole pizza.
Despite Archer talking, Mirajane's eyes were on the piece of food in front of her. She then shifted them towards Elfman and Lisanna who were already eagerly preparing to grab more slices. It didn't seem as if the food would be able to last.
"So," Archer repeated again under Mirajane's conflicting gaze, "You were saying before?"
Archer walked stiffly, but he eventually took things in stride as Mirajane trailed behind his back.
It was the next morning, and just as he was about to undergo his next mission, Mirajane ended up appearing directly at the mission's desk to tag along with him. Having had enough of being stood up at home.
Beside her, both Elfman and Lisanna had given him apologetic expressions, but he supposed that he couldn't blame them. There was no way the two were going to stop Mirajane; not when Elfman still cowers beneath her glares, and Lisanna could be easily swayed.
"Alright, we're stopping for a moment," He said.
Their surroundings were filled with vegetation and tall trees that seemed to stretch out towards the sky. Light travelled in the from the canopy, creating dotted shadows from the illumination of the leaves above.
Mirajane paused in her steps and stared curiously at Archer. The cloak she was currently wearing over her shoulders was useful in the environment they were around as it prevented her skin from getting cut by the shrubbery they were walking through. However, it also increased her chances of getting snagged by unsuspecting branches. In any case, there were ups and downs to it, but she had to wear it just in case.
When Archer told Mirajane to stop, it was for the sole reason of making sure that she would be safe during the mission. It entailed the investigation of a mysterious happening in the nearby villages by Magnolia.
Some phenomenon appeared to be occurring that would reduce those effected into a coma of sorts, making it appear as if all the residents in the town were just sleeping. In any case, the difficulty of the missions was un-ranked because it was a simple investigation to find out what was going on, and that there weren't any casualties involved. As such, it was just theorized that it may be some time of new plant in the region.
Another reason was possibly due to the relatively low pay rate. It was a wonder that he even took the mission, but he supposed it was because he had once hunted in that area. He didn't actually visit the villages there before, but he was familiar with their locations.
In any case, as he fiddled in his storage for further details on the mission, he couldn't help but touch the other mission file he had in his bag.
The one issued by both Erza and Jellal.
He was a fool to have had taken it, but back then, he couldn't prevent himself from taking the mission paper into his hands and discreetly tucking it into his pocket.
Mission formalities aside, he took another mission paper and had filed it with the receptionist at the bar. Thus, leaving said mission file in his possession till present date.
"I don't what we may find, but what I do know is that your magic is currently unreliable until you can master it," Archer said.
Mirajane didn't refute. As even now, after Archer had reverted her arm, it would only appear when she lost control of her emotions. Very rarely did it appear when she wanted it to, but she could feel that she was getting close.
Archer stretched out his hand, and a short sword appeared within it. It was a mystic code, one that relied on its mysteries to aid the user through fluid movement.
It was the same principle as connecting the dots on a doted picture. The sword would move, and the body would follow. This was the best sort of protection at the moment as Mirajane didn't train in how to use a sword.
"Thanks?" Mirajane said skeptically, understanding why she was passed the sword, but not understanding its use.
"Just keep it on you at all times alright?"
Rather than explain, he was more inclined to not answer. Sure he could pass it off as there being magic in the sword, but how would he explain where it came from? Currently, mostly everyone who knew him believed him to possess Requip magic. If so, it wouldn't be hard to believe that he could pull out a magic sword he had stored before hand, yet it was impossible with his current situation. For starters, he was too poor to afford one, and none of the missions he had taken rewarded any type of magic item. Therefore, he wouldn't be able to explain it.
"Okay," Mirajane nodded her head before walking forward. "Let me lead this time," she spoke confidently, a grin on her face.
He stared at that gradually shrinking back in front of him and sighed. He and she both knew who was more suited to lead at the moment, yet still, Mirajane just brushed that knowledge aside. Were all girls this age supposed to be so daring and illogical?
Shaking his head, he glanced back at the woods behind him before mumbling under his breath and tracing out two more swords, and then leaving.
Moments later, Erza and Jellal arrived in the spot, staring at the swords left for them in wonder.
Archer knew that this would only encourage them to continue such behaviour, but this mission did have its dangers despite how low grade it was. This was his intuition speaking. On another point, he did see the weapon Erza had brought in the last mission shattering on the scales of the magic beast that had attacked them. Thus, he could at least give her a new sword.
Still, his brows furrowed as he thought about what Mirajane would do if she knew that Erza and Jellal were not that far away from them.
Probably sour her mood and start a fight.
Mirajane had a grudge with Erza, of which he couldn't understand why it had escalated to this point. The two were like ice and fire, best to keep them separate.
Gaze remaining vigilant, he kept an eye out for Mirajane as they approached one of the nearby towns.
It was quiet, the sounds only coming from the critters in the forest.
"Weird," Mirajane muttered, slowing her pace down to walk beside Archer.
Archer hummed in thought. The buildings around him were reminiscent of the Strauss family's past home: buildings of piled and nailed wood held together by a square thatched roof.
No one was around to greet them.
"From what the mission said, it was quiet possible that all the people here may have had already been effected by whatever the thing is that's causing this," Archer deduced. "Look over there."
Motioning in a direction, Archer's gaze grew cold.
Mirajane only opened her mouth in alarm.
There was a person sprawled out in the backyard of their own house unconscious. An axe was nearby, and blocks of wood were still in the process of getting neatly piled up; revealing that the man had been in the process of working when he suddenly passed out. therefore, it was clearly unnatural.
"Wait here," Archer spoke to Mirajane before moving forward.
The man that lay in front of him was still breathing, but an ominous feeling began to emerge from within Archer as he approached.
Outwardly, the man was fine. In fact, he even had a healthy shade of tan to his skin rather than a paleness associated with disease. Ergo, he should have had been fine. Yet, Archer could sense exactly what was wrong with the man.
A glaring part of the man's soul was missing.
"Did you find anything wrong?" Mirajane asked from his side.
He didn't answer, his mind lost in thought. As the soul was a reflection of the physical body, damage to it will also affect the status of the individual. Yet, he didn't know any kind of magic that could have this kind of effect in Fiore.
As he continued to contemplate, his eyes noticed something beneath the man. And as he moved to get a better look, his expression froze.
"S-Shirou?" Mirajane asked, noticing the sudden change in Archer.
It wasn't just his expression that froze, his whole body had. Even worse, Mirajane saw trepidation and shock spread across Archer's face.
"Get out of here," Archer said in a low voice.
"W-What? You can't be serious, we just got here," Mirajane crossed her arms in defiance. "I can help too!"
Yet, in the next moment, Mirajane buckled under Archer's gaze. It was beyond cold, almost as if he was no longer the same person she knew growing up. A shiver ran down her back, as she forced herself not to tremble.
"Get out of her, it's not safe!" Archer raised his tone, the action alarming Mirajane as she struggled to formulate a response.
Archer was growing agitated, the unconscious man behind him left forgotten.
He'd discovered something that he'd rather not have had discovered.