It's finally done... now I can move onto something else. Enjoy it even though I rushed it a little because I am not drawing it out for another 10 pages.

Ria's sister had been right- one doesn't need their match to survive. After the readjustment period where she spent a week bedridden from a cold that seeped down to her bones and lethargy that leadened her to her mattress, her body adjusted. The mage got up, brushed her teeth, and went to work. Her lungs still breathed, her hands still worked, and her magic remained unaffected. If it weren't for the silence that erupted when a marked member noticed her near, the looks her guild gave her, and the gray mark on her skin, it was as if Ria had never existed.

So began another day at Fairy Tail. Mirajane woke up, rolled out from underneath Laxus' arm, and paddled into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and kept the morning news playing softly over a lacrima as she pulled up her hair. Her fingers drifted over the gray mark on her skin as she tied up the neck of her dress, one that covered the dull image. Laxus fumbled out about twenty minutes later, pulling on one of his summer shirts after the heat finally drove him to keep his coat at home a few weeks ago as Mirajane put on her makeup. They leave for the guild together.

The lacrima visions are abuzz with news today, each one declaring a scientific break in soulmate magic. Mirajane half-heartedly pays attention as she goes about her day, one eye watching scientists try to pin down how this fate bound magic works. She's serving Natsu his three plates of lunch when one starts airing a live interview of the matched, and curiosity gets the better of her as she wonders what the fuss is about. She realizes the minute three teens walk into the room and sit down, matching marks crawling along their forearms. Siblings separated as children long ago.

"It's been rumored for centuries that matches can be platonic," some scientist in a coat with a stack of papers in her hand states excitedly. "In fact, some lore states platonic soul matches between related or non-related people! We always thought them just rumors or ancient justification for why older men could have young children with them. At first, we thought it only an excuse they gave to the public, and while that seems to be true there is evidence that there were adult-child platonic soul matches! This changes so much of history!"

"How ancient empires were justified passing on the crown to non-related children. Soul marks don't have to be mates! This phenomenon seems more common in more tribalistic areas or culturally primitive nations that do not document as Fiore does. This adds so many layers! Why do they have more platonic soul marks? Are failed soul marks possible? Now that we know that matched pairs aren't necessarily mates, it could be that failed platonic bonds were confused with soulmates!"

Mirajane sees how people glance at her nervously, waiting. The platinum gently gives Natsu his last plate of food with quivering hands before rushing into the back. For the first time since she found out Ria was her match, Mirajane Strauss cried.

Bisca is the one who finds her, curled up in the corner when she went to get a broom from the supply closet. The green-haired lady pulled her friend into a hug and lets Mirajane cry into her shoulder.

"Do- do you know the word ama?" Mirajane asks softly as she leans against the wall and rubs her eye with a tissue.

"It's Minstrilish- you'd hear it in the ports from my old country sometimes. That would explain a few things about Ria, now that I think about it. Minstrel is one of those cultural places you know, very different from Fiore."

"Do- do you know what it means?" Bisca's entire body stiffens like a rod. "Bisca? What does it mean?"

"Now Mira I don't think-"

"Please?"

The gunslinger sights and looks away, fiddling with her hat, "It means- it means… It means mother."

Mirajane started wailing.

…

"Mirajane, what are you doing?" Lucy asks as she watches Mirajane hand a paper into Makarov and tightens the straps of her travel bag.

"I'm going to go find my daughter."

…

"You are an idiot."

Mirajane doesn't flinch as Ciara's voice suddenly appears behind her, but Laxus punches at the sudden noise and runs his hand through a tree as the woman quickly flutters out of the way.

"How'd you find us? Is Ria okay?"

"We're trying to undo the damage you did to her and now you are spouting to every guild in the kingdom about how you need to find your match? Find your daughter?"

"I was wrong. I know that now. I- I want to apologize to her."

"Do you think this is just a scrape you can kiss away? She saw you as her mother, and what did you do with that? You don't deserve her and she deserves way better than you. She'll learn to be just fine on her own and she won't ever want your damn soul mark."

"You're not from Fiore, right? Since Fiore is obviously wrong, what does your country say about soul marks? Why do you get them?"

Ciara scowls as the platinum remains calm to her jabs, "Soul marks match souls in need, desperate souls that don't believe in themselves or can't find a reason to live. Souls that need that physical reassurance that someone is out there looking for them, that will love them."

"Thought ya said soulmates, err soul matches don't need each other," Laxus interrupts.

"They don't need each other in the way that a human could live off nutrition blocks and vitamins. You can survive, depending on your resilience you can make yourself a good life with what little you have, but it would never be the life you could have if you could eat anything in the world. Rejecting a soul match like you did is a cultural sin of itself," Ciara settles herself on the branch of the tree Laxus put a hole through.

"Ria got her mark the first time those lab bastards put her through endurance training. She was thrown back into our room bleeding and barely conscious and crying and saying that she'd rather have passed out because at least she wouldn't feel it. Nothing we did could get her to stop then there was a burst of purple magic, yours I'm assuming, and there it was. You must've been happy that day, she said the mark felt like sunlight was buried beneath it. When you got sad later that night, she tried everything she could to bring the warmth back."

"It was my engagement night. I noticed the mark when I got home and changed."

"Hmm, that would do it," Ciara mumbles and crosses her legs. "So, where do we stand?"

"I'm not going to stop, if that's what you're asking," Mirajane states sweetly but Laxus saw the demonic gleam that resided there. Or maybe it was just a motherly gleam, they were so similar after all.

"Then this must be said. You come near my baby sister again and my siblings and I will rip you to shreds."

"She should have the choice," Mira retorts as Ciara takes to the skies.

"Don't you get it human?" the harpy snarks, "You took her choice."

…

The kitsune itches at the mark hidden under her clothing. She hadn't looked at it in months, the gray enough to make her cry. Lately, it had started itching, which Ria had thought would be impossible. The flesh had seemed dead since the bond broke, but for a few weeks it had been tickling. Like an uncomfortable hair in your clothes or a sneeze that just wouldn't come. The child crawls over the huddle of bodies and one of her sisters immediately falls into the warm spot she left behind.

The forest is littered with small debris that hurts more than she remembered it doing before Mirajane. Small pebbles and sticks poke through the skin and prick her nerves, so she's happy to drop them into the stream at the edge of her family's campsite. Her feet numb to the cold quickly. Ria's occasional splashing disrupts her reflection and causes it to ripple. The mark started to itch again and her scratching did nothing to soothe it. Ria flops into the cold water in an attempt to soothe the irritation. However, the only result is the cold stickiness of wet cloth. With an annoyed growl, she yanks the collar of her shirt down with a hard yank. Her fingers loosen when her eyes fall upon the wings of her soul mark, the purple glow shining in the dark.

…

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out for you Mira," Yukino assures as she walks the sulking platinum to Crocus' train station, "I'm sure we'll find her."

"Hopefully before her sister finds me. If that's the case, Laxus will be widowed before we even get married."

"I heard you're pushing the date off," the celestial spirit mage prods as they stroll through the city's busy streets.

"Despite what sorcerer weekly states, it's because I want to find Ria first. I would really love it if she could be there… I'm starting to wonder if I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too."

"I think," Yukino adds after a moment, "That you really messed up and hurt someone you really loved. But," the teenager adds when Mira opens her mouth to defend herself, "But I think you are genuinely trying to fix things. Soul matches are meant to bring happiness, I don't think you're being selfish in trying to find your own."

"It sounds selfish when you put it like that," Mira jokes with a forced smile as they approach the station, the outgoing crowd waiting for the train.

"Not if it makes Ria happy too. Don't give up, maybe all she wants is to know that you really won't leave."

…

The end of summer is when the Strauss family takes its family vacation and soul searching or not, Mirajane would never deprive her siblings of their tradition. It's Elfman's turn to pick the place this year. That means isolated mountains and lots of outdoors. Normally Mirajane wouldn't mind, she doesn't enjoy hefting around boulders like her kid brother but she typically enjoys the quiet. Right now though, Mira's not sure she can handle the quiet without being driven insane first.

The oldest Strauss can only shake her head at Elfman sprawled on the ground bench pressing Lisanna as she flipped through a magazine. She ruffles through the family's bags and frowns.

"Either of you two seen my book? It was blue."

"No," Lisanna calls back. "Didn't you read it in the wagon?"

"Thank you!"

Mirajane shovels through the blankets and snack wrappers, looking for her book. Where did she place the darn thing? The mage sighs and gives up for now, making her way out of the cart and back to her siblings. She'll find it eventually.

Mirajane did find it. She found it resting on the picnic table near the grill. It's a little dirty, bits of dirt and leaf residue smeared across its front. Where it came from, Mirajane doesn't know. Maybe one of her siblings picked it up and forgot? With a shrug, the mage takes the book and wipes off the smudge and prepares to settle in the hammock. A flash of red catches her eye and a red fox watches her curiously from the bushes.

"Hello there," Mirajane calls out.

Her words cause the ears to flinch back and the fox turns tail and runs before she can breathe another sound. It disappears behind the mesh of green and Mirajane can only sigh in disappointment.

The small creature rears its head again at dinner. It's Lisanna who notices it first.

"Ah, big sis look!"

Attention turns to the small red fox who startles when eyes turn to look at her. Without hesitation, Mira picks a piece of meat off her plate and throws it in the fox's direction. It pounces to catch the piece of steak.

"Kind of friendly," Elfman notes as Lisanna starts picking off pieces of her meal.

"Maybe other renters feed it," Mira answers as she takes a sizable piece of her meal. She holds it low to the ground, "Come on. No need to be shy."

Blue eyes meet as the animal slinks forward. Steps cautious and body low to the ground, Mirajane is gentle as she brings her hand to the creature's back. Gentle strokes with fingertips as sharp teeth narrowly avoid her fingers. There's a bulge at the fox's neck and Mirajane furrows her brow at the sight. One hand holding tight to the bit of food left in it distracts the fox and the other sneaks from the back to the fox's sternum.

She hopes the poor thing doesn't have a tumor infesting its flesh.

The platinum grazes the fur covering the lump, a radiating warmth meeting her touch before the creature under her hand violently jerks away. Dirt flies up as it recoils and snarls at her. Any attempts at soothing the creature fails and it runs off.

…

"Where are you going?"

Asvoria's tail fluffs out as her sister's voice pops up beside her. Dumb Three, always managing to sneak up on her. The demoness' eyes blink and wink on her skin, rippling like the disturbed water of a puddle as they focus and unfocus. The kitsune wonders what it's like to see what Three sees.

"Are you going to see that human ag-"

A blast of Asvoria's magic globs onto the demoness' mouth and the kitsune hisses her discontent. Silver ears twitch, waiting for the telltale sound of wingbeats or paws. Nothing comes and Asvoria dispels the magic binding her sister's tongue.

"Shut up! It's my soul kin, I can see her if I want."

"She didn't want you, Seven!" Three hisses and the eyes littering her body narrow with her words.

"But the colors are back!"

"So you're going to go crawling back to some human?! You don't need her, Seven. You have us!" Three's words are punctuated with a wide blown look, all her eyes focusing on the young girl with an unwavering stare. "You've always had us! Why do you need her?"

Three's eyes blink, some of them close. The dodomeki takes a harsh breath and crosses her arms over her chest.

"What's so special about some human?"

"I want her," Asvoria murmurs, "She's so warm, Three. She always kept me warm. In the cold and the wet and in the dark she had been warm. I'm- I'm tired of being cold. She was safe, Three. When have I ever been safe?!"

Three looks away as her sister stares at her. The child's sobs wet her stomach as Asvoria clings to her sister and Three gently wraps her arms around the girl's body. Three presses her face into Asvoria's knotted hair, gently untangling what she could.

"I want a home, Three."

"I know," Three whispers in her ear. "We'll get you a home, Seven. A nice, safe, warm home."

The dodomeki sends her sniffling sister back to the herd, watches as One frowns slightly at her teary face, and wraps her in fluffy wings. One tries her best, no one could argue that. But she's not Seven's mother. One doesn't know much about good parents. None of them do. So One will distract Seven from the pain, tuck it away until it rears its head again.

Three leaves the others to deal with Seven. She had a human to find.

Her sibling's humanity fails them in their lackluster senses. The more animalistic demons fare better in the smelling category; hence why Two and Four gave Seven odd looks when she returned from her walk smelling like flowers and meat. Seven had jumped into a river before Six could get to her, smart girl, but a seer did not need a good nose when that dumb blonde keeps popping up in every vision she sees.

The human is smiling and joking with the others and Three feels her lips curl in disgust. This is the thing that keeps making her little sister cry? Her seething must be too loud because the branch she's balancing on is shot at with a pulse of dark magic.

"Dear Mavis, what is that?!"

"I'm a she, thank you very much," Three snarks as she winces. Something got in one of her eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out what would work better: fire or poison or something more painful. I mean you did make someone as cute as Seven cry."

"You must be one of Ria's siblings."

Ugh, even her voice is irritating. Dumb blonde.

"She's a pathetic excuse of a demon," Three drawls as she pulls herself to her feet, "But she is my baby sister."

"Ria's not pathetic."

Three steels her expression as the words, only a slight rise of her eyebrows giving away her reaction. Then her lips pull back in a sharp grin as she pushes her face in front of Mirajane's.

"Total waste of resources. Dumb thing couldn't even breathe properly without one of us basically forcing air into her lungs. How she didn't die earlier I don't know."

"She's not-"

"The dumb thing is so pathetic that she has a human for her match."

Three's smirk is wide as she watches the humans writhe before her. The dumb blonde looks ready to throttle her and she's treading her words carefully to keep her throat intact.

"The girl's been a failure of a demon since she was born. They were going to dispose of her, you know?"

Spit gurgles out of the demoness' mouth as Mira's armored first rams into her stomach. Mira's wings flare as she pins the dodomeki to the ground, eyes narrowed and glowing in the dark of the night.

"Watch your tongue if you want to keep it. That's my daughter."

"The one you threw away?"

"Leave Mirajane alone, Three."

Asvoria's voice winds through the forest like a knife. Her tail is flickering side to side with nervous energy and blue wisps curl around her feet as she approaches. Her tongue runs over her fangs as Mirajane releases Three and releases her satan soul.

"Ria…"

The kitsune stiffens as warm arms wrap around her and draw her to Mira's chest. Soft lips press to her cheek and Ria resists the urge to press her face into her soul kin's neck and bury herself there forever.

"I've been looking for you, little kit."

"You hurt me…"

"I know, baby girl," Mirajane pulls back and presses their foreheads together. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. You did nothing to deserve what I said."

"You hurt me really bad…" Ria's voice is a whisper as her claws catch on Mirajane's shirt as she clutches the fabric. The child can't seem to make herself let go.

"I'm sorry, Ria. I'll apologize a million times," Mirajane whispers into the kitsune's ears.

Asvoria listens to each apology whispered into her ears and hooks her chin on Mira's shoulder as the mage gently words out apology after apology. Three has lost interest, her job done, and picks at her nails- both of them waiting for the words Ria really needs to hear.

"I want you to be my ama."

"Of course, love," Mirajane presses a kiss between her fox ears and feels a small smile press into her collar as Ria buries her face there. "I want you in my life, Ria. Even if we weren't marked, I'd want you to be my daughter."

There's a burst of warmth that floods Mirajane's chest and it startles her to the point that she jerks around the sniffling child in her arms. Ria pulls back as much as her ama's arms allow and tugs at the collar of her shirt. Her dulled soul mark is glowing a bright blue around the muted purple wings. The kitsune tails flare like a burning fire before they settle, the mark a saturated silvery blue and dark purple.

"Sunlight…" Mirajane murmurs as she presses a hand to her soul mark and the warmth increases and flows outward. A soft feeling creeping through her muscles. She smiles as her daughter tightens her grip on her and forces her face into Mira's shoulder, those soft fox ears brushing against the renewed mark.