"I'm taking this one."

Makarov groaned, opening his tired eyes from his previously undisturbed nap to see the mysterious small girl with the black cloak holding out a piece of paper. He eyed the piece briefly, recognizing the object before taking it for himself.

"Another one?" he asked rhetorically. "There is such a thing as a break."

Mira did not respond, only waiting patiently as the guild master officiated the job request. Makarov noticed her constant stillness, a refusal to drop her guard even in Fairy Tail's own guild hall. He sighed, knowing full well he wasn't going to be the one to break through- especially after the first few times he'd tried.

"A combat job, huh? Your first one since you've gotten your magic." He read the job's specifications, noting the more entry-level combat requirements that even non-wizards could complete. At least she was taking it cautiously. He handed back the paper with the guild's stamp of approval now on it. "Still, please be careful. I know at least three kids will be waiting for your safe return. Where did that Axis kid go off to, anyway?"

His question was met with no response from the girl. Mira took the job listing stoically and exited the building without another word. The old man wished the girl would try to be a little friendlier. He rarely ever saw Mira talking with anyone in the guild hall, and even then it was always with her two siblings.

He was surprised when Mira didn't even say goodbye to said siblings, a variation to how this normally went the past few weeks. He secretly hoped she would break out of her shell soon, at least have someone go with her on this job. Thankfully, his prayers were answered as the young Lisanna and Elfman chased after her.

…

Axis whistled a nice tune to himself as he relaxed, tapping his fingers lightly against his chest. He laid down on an old, dusty couch that scratched his back uncomfortably. The air around him was musty and stagnant. He sneezed, the dust entering his nostrils.

"Man, I'm bored!" He stretched his stiff limbs to get them limber once more and hopped off of the couch. His feet touched old, creaky wood as he walked over to one of the open windows. He rested his elbows on the windowsill and looked out into the expanse of Magnolia Town.

He had found this place not too long ago. An abandoned observatory situated on the rooftops. The telescope had long been removed from the premises as well as any things of importance. All that was left was a table, an old couch, and a large hole in the ceiling that he could barely close. At least he had shelter and a view of the stars every night.

"I wish Mira would just come around and spar with me already. It would be so fun!"

The girl of his thoughts paid him regular visits- which was a comfort considering he had little friends or anyone to talk to in this town. He still refused to go to Fairy Tail, but he did meet with Lisanna and Elfman on a few occasions in town.

Ever since Axis helped Mira get control of her magic a few weeks ago, she has not brought it up. Every conversation they had with one another was always steered away from the topic. But as much as the boy wanted to talk about it, he could understand why Mira didn't. He knew how she felt and it was only fair to adhere to those wishes.

"I at least want to see it in action," he said to himself, dejected. He watched the passersby on the street below, unaware of the boy in the observatory. They went on with their days, probably busy, while Axis festered with tedium. His eyes lulled over the crowds, catching two white heads in the mix.

"No way. Is that…?" He squinted to make sure, but his observation was correct. He saw Lisanna and Elfman wading through the busy street, and ahead of them was Mira in her signature black cloak. "Does she ever take that thing off?"

Axis smirked, an idea formulating in his brain. "Heh. Looks like my day just got a little more eventful."

Axis climbed through the open window and crouched on the window sill. Then, like the sill was a launching point, he sprung from the gap and down onto the busy street. Even with the worse sightline, he could still make out the heads of white from within the crowd. He slowly gained on the young duo, and that job was made much easier when the street opened up, dispersing the crowd and allowing him to jog ahead.

The two young Strauss siblings planted themselves in the middle of the street. They seemed somewhat distraught, causing a little concern to creep into Axis. Worried, he quickly caught up to them.

"Guys!" he shouted to get their attention. "What's up?" The two turned around at the sound of his voice. They seemed relieved.

"Axis!" Elfman met him gratefully. "I'm glad you're here."

Axis noted their worried faces. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's Mira," Elfman stated, downtrodden. "She just went off on a job."

"Okay…?" Axis was still confused about what the problem was, so he prodded them on.

"She's been going on jobs nonstop for weeks." Lisanna continued where her brother left off. "Every day, I think. I just want her to take a break. She didn't even say goodbye this time…"

"We're worried about her. She's working herself to death. We tried talking to her but she's not listening." Elfman frowned.

Axi rolled his shoulders, mulling over the information. "I could try stopping her. Use some of the ole 'Axis magic'."

"Please no," Elfman waved off the idea before it could go any further. "Just… Could you go with her? Make sure she's alright?"

Axis' mind was already made up even before he saw the puppy dog eyes Lisanna was giving him. He gave his best comforting smile and ruffled her hair. "Of course, I'll go. Which way?"

Lisanna broke out into the biggest grin he had seen from her in a while. She pointed down the road behind her. "She went that way!"

"She was going to the north entrance, I think." Elfman surmised. "She's probably going to leave town, so you'd better hurry."

Axis nodded in agreement before taking off down the street. "Alright! I'll see you guys later! And don't worry, I'll bring her back safe and sound!"

Lisanna watched the boy go gleefully, knowing everything would be ok now. She waved back at him. "Thank you! See you soon!"

The two siblings continued to wave after Axis until they could barely see him anymore. It was then that Elfman turned to his sister. "Alright, we should get to work on that surprise."

Lisanna hopped in excitement. "Mira's going to be so happy! I can't wait!"

The two hurried back to the guild hall, obviously plotting something. They obviously had noticed how closed off their sister was the past month, and they wanted to do something to show their appreciation for her. Hopefully, it could even make her smile again.

Takeover: Dragon Soul

Part One:

A Place to Call Home

Page 8:

The Quest of Satan and Dragon

Mirajane Strauss breathed a large sigh of relief. She had thought that they would never give up on following her. She wasn't trying to be mean or dismissive, but how would they react once she told them the type of job she was going to go on?

She had been sticking to more helpful, non-combat jobs the past month to ease her into the wizard working life, but today was a big step forward. Now she would actually test out her magic in a dangerous setting. She had practiced enough with the demon's power, now it would be time to measure it.

She couldn't bring them along on a more dangerous quest. They didn't even have magic of their own! She would need to go herself so that they could stay safe. She just wished she could have dismissed them without worrying them about the type of job that it was.

"Alright, I need to focus." She erased the events that transpired just a few minutes ago from her recent memory. She unfurled the job listing, reading over the description one last time.

"A pack of wild dogs has been raiding and eating a small farmer's livestock. The farmer needs help driving the dogs away. The reward will be supplied after doing so." She read the description to herself for the umpteenth time today, memorizing every word.

"That doesn't seem too bad for a first-timer."

Mira- quite uncharacteristically- yelped in shock at the sudden voice in her ear. She leaped a few feet away to gain some distance from the rude newcomer. However, all hostilities dropped once she saw who it was. His amused smirk annoyed her.

"I've never heard you make a sound like that before!" Axis chuckled, his hands gracing his sternum. "That was great!"

MIra's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Don't do that!" She demanded sternly.

"Sorry! Sorry." Axis regulated his breathing, recovering from his laughter. "So, a combat job, huh? Are you sure you're ready?"

Mira continued walking down the path, not wanting to delay her quest any longer. "Did those two put you up to this?"

Axis followed after her, walking in line. "Maybe. They're just worried, is all. Leaving without even talking to them didn't really help."

"I know," Mira replied shamefully. "I just… wanted them to think I was going on another job as usual; nothing to worry about."

"Come on, you should know that would just make them worried even more."

Mira stayed quiet with her head down ahead of him. She didn't try to pull away from the boy, but she also didn't wait for him to catch up either. There was a constant distance between the two, neither speeding up nor slowing down.

"Why are you here, Axis?" Mira asked quietly after a few seconds. "Are you gonna try to bring me back?"

Axis thought about it for a moment before reaching a conclusion. "Nah, I don't feel like it. If you wanna go on this job, then I say more power to ya."

She looked over her shoulder back at him. "So then, why are you still following me?"

Axis groaned, flinging his hands to the sky. "Because I'm so dang bored today! Let me tag along, I promise I won't get in the way!" Axis pushed his palms together in mock prayer.

Mira was slightly bemused by how her friend was acting like a little kid. "Fine, but only because it's you."

"Alright!" Axis fistpumped the air. He strode up to her pace and walked beside her. "A real wizard job. This is gonna be so cool!"

"Hey, it's my job." Mira reminded him. "So that means I do all the talking and I get the reward."

"But I still do some of the fighting?"

"Yep."

Axis deflated slightly. "Yes, ma'am."

But secretly, Axis was more than satisfied. Now that she let him come along, he could finally see the Satan Soul in action. He worked to contain his excitement.

I can't wait!

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. The farm only lay a few hours' walk out of town, and it sure was small. The farmland only reached a few acres, which Axis guessed was much more manageable for one or two caretakers.

They approached the little hamlet of farms. It was a small community of only a few houses. Even so, the two could clearly smell the animals being kept there.

"Yeesh!" Axis tried plugging his nose, but even then he couldn't escape the stench. "I guess this is the place."

Mira tried hiding her discomfort, but the smell was too strong to subvert it all. "This is it. The requester should be in the large, blue house."

Seeing as there were only a couple houses, finding the right one was incredibly easy. The blue house was the only one with a second story so even if they were unsure before, they could put themselves at ease. They strolled up to the door quickly and used the knocker.

A minute later, the door opened. Out came a stout man with a five o'clock shadow. His tired eyes indicated that he had not been sleeping very well. To their surprise, his whole left arm was thoroughly bandaged.

"Hello?" The man looked around, confused, before he eventually looked down to spot the two children at his doorstep. "Oh! Sorry I missed y'all there. How can I help you?"

Axis and Mira shared a glance before the white-haired girl stepped up. She presented the quest listing. "Excuse me, sir. Are you Adrian, the job lister for this quest?"

The farmer took the paper through his right hand and read its contents. The spark of familiarity adorned his eyes before he was even finished. "I sure am. How did two kids like you come across this, anyway?"

"I may not look like it, sir, but I am a Fairy Tail wizard," Mira answered without missing a beat. "I've accepted this job on the guild's behalf."

"Really?" Adrian the farmer sounded despondent. "I've waited days for a response and they send two kids? Can you two even use magic?"

"My guild leader signed off on the listing, that should be enough to tell you I'm good for the job listed." Mira's voice was monotone as if she was just going through the motions.

Adrian seemed less than convinced. "I don't know… Do you think they could send someone else?"

Mira frowned, not really feeling like going through this whole confrontation. As she was about to respond, Axis cut her off.

"Hey, man, we're capable of taking care of a few wild dogs." He pushed his two fists together, activating his magic for extra effect. "No, we're more than enough."

"Just give us a chance tonight." Mira reasoned. "If we fail, we'll try and get the guild to send someone else."

Adrian eyed Axis' claws warily. Truthfully, he really thought these kids were playing around. Just two young pranksters who thought it was funny to give him false hope in solving his problem. But, seeing the boy actually able to use magic… and it looked kinda strong…

"Alright, you get one night." He relented to the two. "But I want these dogs gone for good. Follow me. The night is almost upon us, and I know where they like to strike first."

The man brushed past the two kids and stuck to a side path that led around back. Mira wasted no time in following him but took a microsecond to shoot an appreciating glance Axis' way, which he caught and understood before following along.

"It's been days since the attack started." Adrian started his story as he led them around back to the pasture. "One night, these three dogs started appearing and terrorizing us. First our chickens, then our pigs, and now we lost a whole cow last night. I tried fighting them off but, as you can see," he lifted his bandaged arm up to show it off. "I wasn't very successful."

"Just three dogs? Surely anyone would be enough if they had a weapon of some sort?" Mira questioned his story, feeling as if some information was missing.

"Yeah, you'd think that. But there's something off with these hounds. Something weird."

There it was. "How so?"

"It's like no matter how hard I poke or prod 'em, it has no effect. I tried stabbing one with my iron pitchfork, but the spokes just bounced right off! Look!" Adrian pointed to a shed they were passing by. A pitchfork was leaned up against the door and, sure enough, the spokes were all bent in odd directions.

The two's eyes widened. Axis was shocked. "What are they made of steel or something?"

Mira spoke next. "And the dogs were unaffected?"

"Completely. I didn't know what else to do!" Adrian stopped, apparently reaching the prime attack point. "That's why I listed the job. If metal doesn't work, then magic is the way. Here we are."

The group came to a stop at a small chicken coop on the pasture side. It was surrounded by fences and locks, an attempt at stopping the attacks. The coop was a mess on the outside with multiple broken panels and claw marks adorning the white wood.

"Those mutts always come here first and always leave with one or two of my chickens. Pattern says they'll be here again tonight, and that's why you two are gonna stay here and make sure not one chicken dies, you hear me?"

"We'll make sure of it, sir." Mira nodded cordially, hoping to instill some amount of confidence within Adrain.

"You better," Adrian gruffly corrected. "I can't afford many more nights like these. Get rid of the pests, and I'll pay you what I promised." He looked at the sun, noting how close to the horizon it had fallen. "They should be here within a few hours. I gotta go catch up on some sleep, see you two in the morning."

With those parting words, the farmer tiredly hobbled back to his house. Axis watched him leave, a little surprised.

"For how much he clearly values his livestock, he doesn't seem keen on sticking around."

Mira crossed her arms under her cloak and leaned up against the damaged fence. "I don't blame him. He's in no shape to fight, and he's obviously been pulling late nights for this. He's fully trusting we get the job done, even if he thinks less of us for our age."

"I know but still," Axis hopped up delicately on top of the coop's slanted roof, sitting down cross-legged. "If it were me, I think I'd still like to see how things go- especially when what we're protecting means so much to him."

"Speaking of," Mira hopped the fence and approached the coop's entrance. She gingerly creaked the door open a little to see inside. The roosters and hens were already asleep, making her next job all the easier. "There's about ten in here right now, so let's make sure there are ten by the end of the night."

Mira delicately closed the entrance, securing it with a plank of wood laying off to the side. Then, she hopped up to the roof of the coop as well. She sat down on the opposite slant from Axis so they could both keep watch from different angles.

"I guess we're in for a long night, then." Axis relaxed himself, getting comfortable with the apparent wait. "Still, who's ever heard of wild dogs being able to bend iron? What kind of hides would they need to do that?"

Mira answered truthfully. "I don't know. Let's hope that Adrian's right and that magic will be enough."

…

The night drew on as the demon and dragon duo kept watch on the creeping woods. Neither sight nor sound was observed of their prey. And while Mira still put in the effort to attentively watch her surroundings for any sign of the hounds, Axis took to watching the stars instead.

His thoughts drifted back to earlier in the day, during his talk with the younger Strauss siblings. How worried they seemed and how desperate they wanted Axis to go with Mira spoke volumes about their concern for their sister. It left Axis with at least one mystery he wanted to solve.

"So I've heard you've been taking a lot of jobs lately," the boy started. "Almost nonstop, in fact."

Mira sighed before responding. Knowing that Lisanna and Elfman were a part of the reason Axis came along, she had expected this conversation at some point. "I'm part of a wizard guild, now. Isn't it my whole job to take on quests and earn money?"

"Probably. I wouldn't know just how a guild works." Axis stole a quick glance over his shoulder to see Mira still scanning the treeline. "But I wouldn't think it's normal to be taking jobs every single day. Everyone needs a break at some point, even wizards."

"I guess I'm not just a normal wizard, then."

Axis frowned. "You're dodging the question, Mira."

"What do you want me to say, Axis? What are you trying to get from me? I just take a lot of jobs, that's it. The guild master seems to have no problem with it, so why should anyone else?"

"Because the people asking care about you." When Mira didn't respond to that, Axis followed up. "Elfman told me. You barely talk to them anymore, especially since you're gone almost every day. Hell, even before you learned to control your magic you were hanging out with me all day."

Mira still didn't talk, giving Axis all the confirmation he needed that he was on the right track. "You said the guild takes care of y'all until you're a little older, so you obviously don't need the money. What else do you gain from these quests, anyway? Experience? I doubt you really care too much about that. So what, are you just avoiding them?"

"I'm not avoiding Elfman and Lisanna!" Her whispered shot was terse yet full of tension. "They're my younger brother and sister! You know how much they mean to me."

"Mira, they really miss you. They at least deserve to know what's been going on." Axis rolled over, now facing the back of her head. "You don't want to push away the people who love you. Trust me, I've been alone before, for most of the life I can remember. I didn't know it at the time, but after meeting you guys I understood how cold and dark it truly felt."

The girl turned her head slightly- just enough so that Axis could see one of her eyes exposed. It did not hold the same stoic confidence it had before. Now, it was shaky and unsure, a sign that whatever he was saying was having an unspoken effect on her.

He continued. "I care about you, Mira. You Strausses mean a lot to me, and I think you know that. Please, don't push us away. Not for our sake, but for yours."

Mira fully turned to him now. She opened her mouth to express her feelings: "I…" But suddenly, her eyes widened into saucers. "Watch out!"

Without much warning, she lunged towards him. Axis leaned back, his reflexes allowing him to duck just in time as she flew over him. He watched in slow motion as Mira sailed over him, and he couldn't say he wasn't a little flustered as she transformed her claws so close to his face.

She tackled whatever it was that had snuck up on Axis over the edge of the coop and wrestled with it on the ground. Using her now-transformed legs, she was able to push the thing off of her and gain some distance. Now Axis could see exactly what it was.

"Is that it?" He asked her for confirmation as she had a much more up-close view.

Mira spat some dirt from her mouth and cracked her demonic knuckles. "It's a dog, alright. Adrian wasn't joking about how tough it is, either. Looks like I barely did any damage to it."

Just as she said, the dog looked no worse for wear as it stared down the takeover demon between it and its next meal. It snarled and growled, but did not advance any further. It seemed to be sizing up its opponent- something any normal, starving animal probably wouldn't take the time to do.

"I'll handle this one," Mira stated confidently. "Just keep watch for the other two."

"Don't worry about that," Axis chuckled whilst a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. "Looks like they're already here."

Mira, confused at first, averted her eyes from the first dog. What she saw was not two more, but a whole pack of wild dogs all approaching the coop together. By her count, they numbered six in total. It was double what the farmer had seen.

"I guess they've been taking turns each night." Axis mused to his partner before jumping down to take his spot beside Mira.

"That would explain why Adrian thought there were only three. I can't even tell them apart." Mira and Axis both backed against the coop's fence as the hounds closed in. They formed a semi-circle around the two wizards as a classic encirclement strategy. Like this, they couldn't possibly run away.

Well, it wasn't like they were planning to.

Mirroring Mira, Axis transformed both his arms and legs into their draconic forms. They both adopted offensive positions.

"We'll finish our conversation later. And then you'll tell me why you've been acting the way you've had. Deal?"

Mira eyed her partner for a second or two, considering his words. Ultimately, it seems Axis won out as she ducked her head in submission. "Deal."

Axis cracked a toothy smirk, his teeth sharpened into fangs. "Alright. Now let's kick some ass."

They were fully synchronized, each shooting off from the earth and into certain danger together. The dogs even flinched, not expecting their enemies to go on the attack so quickly and so recklessly.

The last sight one would see before the ensuing brawl began was of a demon and a dragon barreling towards perceived victory side-by-side, with no hesitation and little fear shared between each.