3rd: Where pride and modesty meet…

Bitter tears fell from blue eyes as Mirajane Strauss, S-class mage of Fairy Tail and Erza Scarlet's only true rival, cried for her sister Lisanna who had died on a mission as their brother had lost the control over his takeover. Mirajane's broken arm had healed but her heart was still shattered and she wondered if it would ever recover because she had had cared deeply for her little sister and the knowledge that Lisanna would never return pained her more than anything else.

"…I heard you retired," Erza said quietly as she bit her lower lip. "I … I think understand you … Mira. If you need help, you will know where to find me, yes?"

"Why are you so nice to me?" Mira asked as she wrapped the black scarf around her shoulders. "I was terrible to you when you joined the guild. You can pity Lisanna and Elfman … but not me."

"We belong to the same guild … and I guess that everyone in this guild carries guilt or another negative emotion in their hearts," the red-haired S-class mage stated softly. "And … well, I said what I wanted to say. Everything else will be your decision."

"Thanks, Scarlet," the former demon said quietly as she walked away. "But I cannot accept it."

She looked into the mirror over the sink and shook her head as she couldn't recognise herself anymore. She had grown too obsessed with magical power and fights … too obsessed to recognise herself without this anymore because her sense of wrong and right had left her somewhere along the way. She had been told that it would be lonely at the top and she hadn't believed it because she had thought that she would always have her siblings but now, she had lost her little sister and her little brother stared into the glass in front of him as he ignored Evergreen – Evergreen? This meant that even the Thundergod Tribe had returned as well. Mira didn't care as she leaned against the cold wall and cried. She tried to stop but it was impossible as the pain inside her heart ripped her apart once more. She left the restroom and stepped outside, trying to breath freely again – without remembering her sister. But she couldn't so she fell to her knees and tried to wipe away the tears she had cried. A part of her wanted to go to bed and to believe that when she awoke in the morning, Lisanna would be alive again and everything would be like it used to but the other part realised that the life she had led so far was pointless and worthless after her sister's death.

At the same time, she realised that she couldn't do this because this would mean to ignore Lisanna's sacrifice and this wouldn't be right either.

"Mirajane-san." The male voice was smooth and polite – and belonged to Fried Justine, the self-proclaimed leader of the Thundergod Tribe. "I … I am sorry about your loss."

"You didn't even know her," she snapped at him. "You saw her once or twice."

"True," he said, "but I can still understand your mourning … and I respect your wish to move on without our help. Still, don't let her memory die, Mirajane-san. That would kill the others."

"I didn't … plan to let her die completely, Fried-san. I was only wishing for a moment on my own because I want to be alone right now. Elfman … he isn't supposed to see how I fall apart."

"Your sadness, Mirajane-san, it won't last forever," the green-haired man said quietly as he shook his head. "And you shouldn't have cut your hair."

"How can you say that it won't last forever?" she asked tiredly. "And my hair had to be cut. It was completely ruined because I let it grow too long without controlling it – just like my power."

"Well, in this world, nothing is constant. This means that everything will be over once."

"You are right … even if it breaks my heart, it will be over once – or at least it will be easier to deal with it. I forgot that I have been through this once before…" she whispered. "It is just so hard to realise that we will never be the three takeover siblings again."

"But still, it's not like everything is over," he said as he carefully patted her shoulder. "Until the moment, you give up on everything, it's not over completely. Sure, Lisanna-san won't return unless a miracle that involves lots of black magic happens but … the world will keep turning, hard as it sounds. And you will smile genuinely again, Mirajane-san."

"Thank you, Fried-san," she said calmly. "That really helped."

"I gladly helped," he replied with a small bow.

"I … I owe you," she said. "When you stray, I will be there."