disclaimer: FAIRYTAIL characters © MASHIMA

a/n: why does EVERYONE think that I'm going to end the story as soon as they break up? #confused

death
and
dream

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XXII

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It truly was amazing that the great, mighty, powerful S-class mage, Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail could suffer from motion sickness to this extent. Mirajane hid the grin threatening to spread across her cheeks, resorting only to pursing her lips slightly whenever the urge was too much to handle. She stroked at his golden blonde hair, pausing once in a while to massage his scalp. Yet he went on, groaning, twisting and turning on her lap with each bump the train came across.

"How are you doing?"

Laxus groaned, hiding his eyes behind his forearm. "Don't talk to me."

Mirajane giggled, her sweet voice bubbling in her chest. If only they weren't on a train, Laxus would pounce on her, right then and there. But. They were on a train. Go figure.

"Laugh again and I'm going to hurl all over you."

"My, my," Mirajane chuckled, "Would you really?" She started brushing through his hair again. She knew—she knew he just wanted her to come along. If he had gone on his own, he could simply turn himself into lightning and then arrive at his destination within minutes. But with her, he had no choice but to take transportation. Laxus just wanted to be with her. "It'll just a bit longer," she soothed, "We're almost there."

Her voice wavered with uneasiness. Almost like she didn't want to come—which was quite understandable. Like, he did drag her along, but what he could sense was entirely different. It wasn't unwillingness. It was more like fear. So, he spoke up, "Ever been to Crocus?"

"No," her thumb ran circles on his cheekbone. "Well, I," she started, meaning to sound nonchalant, "I have been here before, yeah."

He listened.

She frowned, knowing that he was waiting for a commentary of some sort. She turned, looking outside the window as the landscape flashed by.

Laxus managed to speak up, despite his unsettling stomach. "You got a problem with the capital?"

Mirajane shook her head. "Just…" she meant to divert the subject, but then she thought, what was the use in hiding it from him? They practically knew everything about each other. So, she heaved a sigh. "Before joining Fairy Tail, I… m, Elfman, and Lisanna used to live in a small village. You've heard about it, haven't you? How we had to leave because the villagers feared us. Or, me. They feared me, mostly." She explained, gently brushing along the subtle sideburns on the blonde. "Well, through our travels, we went by many towns. Crocus being one of them."

"Mmn. Let me guess, they didn't accept you?"

"I was shunned upon. I mean, with a city that size, with it being the capital of the magical country, you'd think that they'd be more accepting, right?" Mirajane laughed dryly, "But, no. They were just as cruel as anyone else. Granted, we only pass by a fraction of the town, but that had done the damage. It just gave me the impression that I will never get accepted. Kind of got traumatized, y'know?"

Laxus watched. He kept his eyes opened and focused, gazing straight up at the girl as she fidgeted uneasily, struggling with the silence in the air. So he took the liberty to reach for her hand, currently resting on his forehead. He took it and placed it on his chest, holding onto it tightly, and when he got her attention, he smiled.

And just as easily, the girl smiled back. "I… I just think that it's extremely unfair to Lisanna and Elfman. Even if they wouldn't accept me, couldn't they have given them hospitality? They were so tired and hungry and—"

"Hey," Laxus interrupted softly. He gripped on to her fingers. "It's all in the past."

The train entered a tunnel. The whirling landscape beside her turned black and it seemed as if darkness had consumed her. But she found a small glimmer, a sparkling glow in the man's eyes. Her smile widened, and she cupped his cheek with her other hand. Laxus looked so sick, his skin was green. It was a miracle that he still wasn't throwing up.

"Did I make you fall for me all over again?" Laxus joked, winking and all.

She broke into a small giggle. "You know, maybe you should try throwing it up? You're going to feel better."

"Tch," Laxus huffed. "Throwing up's for pussies. I'd much rather—"

The train came out of the tunnel. The whirling landscape is back and the rails suddenly became bumpier.

"Oh boy."

And Laxus' cheeks puffed up. By reflex, he slapped a hand against his mouth and sat straight up, nearly bumping heads with Mirajane. He sprinted out of their booth, down the aisle to the nearest passenger train toilet.

She knew that she should feel sorry for him, but Mirajane couldn't wipe away that grin.

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When they'd arrived, the sky had darkened and Laxus' face was whiter than her hair. At some point, he really did think that he would've puked up his own stomach, along with the rest of his intestines.

"You okay?" Mirajane asked sweetly, making it obvious that she was mocking him with her good intentions and all.

"Shut up." He grumbled, looking away.

She giggled. "Okay, so," looking up at the signs hanging on the ceiling of the Crocus train station, "Where do we go?"

"Gotta find a place to stay first, I guess. We'll get to work tomorrow or something."

"You don't want something to eat first?"

Laxus glared.

Mirajane grinned, her pearly white teeth almost sparkling when she did so. "Alright, alright. I was just teasing. Come on," she grabbed his hand, dragging him with effort out of his lazy stance. "Which hotel are you thinking?"

"Hotel?" he repeated. "I was thinking more like resort."

"I agreed to come here with you for a mission, Laxus. Not a vacation."

"Yeah, well," he began, "My wanting a resort doesn't interfere with the mission at all, does it? I just want to have a standard living place in the capital."

Right. Of course you do. "You keep calling me a princess, but I think you're one yourself." She said, scoffing, but walked on nonetheless. Despite being late in the evening, where everybody should be back at home for dinner, the station was still pretty lively. She couldn't imagine what the streets were going to be like. This was one hell of a difference from Magnolia. And, as such, she wanted to get out of this crowd, quick. Right now, she wanted a shower more than anything. So, she searched hard for directions and found some arrows that seemed to be pointing for an exit.

"Can't help it," he smirked, tucking the strap of his bag higher up his shoulder, "I'm a Dreyar."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she countered and breathed out a sigh a relief when they found the main gates of the train station.

"Means I'm high maintenance," Laxus explained proudly, opening the door for both of them. Several people from outside swarmed in like animals, and they had to compromise and accommodate accordingly. "… I mean," he continued, going back on topic, "do you remember what happened a month back, at Era with my old man? And with jiji, he's the freaking worst."

Mirajane raised a brow. "Other than being such a pervert, I think Master's quite—"

"COOOOOOOL!"

They froze. The people surrounding them merely spared a single glance at the source of the sound (scream, wail, whatever) before walking on. The people of the capital sure were busy.

"COOL COOL COOL COOOOOOOL!"

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. No no no.

"IS IT REALLY YOU TWO AGAIN?!"

"Yep," Laxus rolled his eyes as he grumbled quietly, so that only Mirajane could hear. "Can't believe it either."

She nudged him with her elbow. "Laxus," she whispered.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THIS IS BEYOND COOOOOOOOL!"

"Nice to see you too, Jason." Mirajane greeted, while Laxus merely scowled.

"OHHH! IT'S EVEN NICER TO SEE YOU, MIRA!" the reporter was jumping, bouncing, nonstop. Very much like a child. In a way, it was amusing to watch, but in another, it was quite weird and obnoxious. "OOOH this is just too good!" he tugged onto the ends of his hair, finally toning his voice down. "Of all the powerful mages in Fiore, I want to meet the ones from my favourite guild, Fairy Tail, most. And, sure enough, I get to meet two of them—in under two months' time!"

She kept her smile, but sought no reason to speak.

And Laxus just pretended that he wasn't listening. Which. He probably wasn't, anyway.

"So what brings you to the capital, you two?" he questioned, whipping out a notepad and a pen. He wasn't carrying his camera, so these would probably suffice for now. "Could it be, you're finally going to tell the world of your secret affair?" he gasped, dramatic and all, interrupting even himself. "OH! Or, could it be?! You two are actually married, and the capital is just one of the many honeymoon destinations you're visiting?!"

If Laxus rolled his eyes any more, he was certain that they would get stuck at the back of his head.

Mirajane, meanwhile, faced the overactive reporter like a champ. Her smile was unwavering and she made no motion to punch the man square in the face, no matter how in the face he was being. "We're not married, Jason." She explained softly.

"But you're not denying the affair… hmm, interesting…" Jason said, likely to himself as he scribbled down whatever it was onto his notepad. "So, tell me, what is it that you two are really doing here?"

"Strictly business," Mirajane answered simply.

"Hmm… business…" he went on writing.

"Hey," Laxus barked, making the reporter snapped his head up. "If I see anything on either me or Mira in your upcoming issue, you can say goodbye to that hand of yours."

Almost in light-speed, Jason shoved his pen and notepad back into his pockets. "Y-y-yes, of course! I-I mean, you won't see anything at all, don't worry, Laxus!" The nervous chuckle seemed to have made his entire body tremble.

It was quite amusing to watch, the way he was acting, but Mirajane did feel bad. "I'm sorry about him, Jason. But you know how he is."

Small, cyan eyes gleamed with gratefulness. "I-it's fine. I mean, I did kinda intrude on your date—"

Laxus cleared his throat.

"—mission. I said mission." Jason gulped, trying to calm down as much as possible as he turned back to the girl. "But, Mira, I have to ask… if I may,"

"Yes?"

"Have you, um, considered it?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Consider?" Mirajane stared at the reporter, eagerly trying to understand what he was saying. "I-I'm sorry, the past few weeks have been hard on me. I don't…"

"Oh, um, I see…" clearly dejected, Jason looked to his feet. Almost like he was trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes. "It's… it wasn't anything big, so—"

"He wanted you to be the cover girl for Fairy Tail." Laxus cut in.

Both Mirajane and Jason turned to him, staring in shock.

The lightning mage shrugged. "Gave you his business card or whatever at the ball in Era. I think I still have it in my other pants' pocket."

"Wha…" her jaw hanging loose, she spun around to look at the reporter, whose expression was now lighting up—and then she turned back to Laxus, who, by contrast, looked as if he didn't give two shits at all about the fact that he pretty much just pushed his girlfriend into becoming a pinup model. He might as well make her be a porn star or—"Laxus!" she hissed.

The man in question shrugged again.

"OHHHHH YES!"

By reflex, Mirajane covered her ringing ears.

"YES YES YES! THE MIRAJANE STRAUSS OF FAIRY TAIL, BECOMING A COVER GIRL? OH, THIS IS WAY TOO COOOOL!"

She wanted to cut in, to tell him that she didn't even consent to it, but—

"OH, THE PRESS IS GONNA BE SO HAPPY! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW! Everyone's getting so tired of hearing about how incredibly good looking you Fairies are, and now, we can finally show the world!"

"… Does it really matter how we look?" Laxus asked at the back.

Mirajane growled to herself. Of all the questions he had to ask…

"Well, yes! Of course it matters! Being powerful doesn't satisfy readers nowadays. You gotta look good to attract them. Take Jura and Siegrain for example. Jura, being much more powerful than Siegrain, should get more attention, right? WELL, NO!" he blurted before the two could answer (not that they were going to). "Because Siegrain is ranked number five on the "Ideal Boyfriend" list, issues with him on the cover automatically sell WAY more numbers."

"Huh." Laxus nodded, seemingly interested in the superficial topic for whatever reason.

"So, what I'm saying is with Mira, Fairy Tail can garner much more attention!"

Mirajane believed that she was doing a stellar job at staying calm. The past her would've walked away from anyone as annoying as Jason by now. But she was still here, and she was actually taking the time to listen. At the back of her head, she joked that Fairy Law probably injected her with kindness or something. "I believe our guild already has enough attention…"

"Nonsense! There is never enough of anything! Humans always strive for more, and that is how we become much COOLER than ever!"

"Hn," Laxus crossed his arms. "He has a point, you know?"

She glared at him, her sharp, cerulean blue eyes piercing through his soul.

"Please do think about it, Mira!" Jason said. "Being an S-class mage and all, I know money's not a problem to you, but if you agree to be a recurring model, we can offer you a contract, and the pay is going to be great!"

Mirajane bit at her lower lip. Yes, money had never been a problem, even before she became S-class. Other than missions, she always had odd jobs here and there. On top of that, Elfman and Lisanna did missions on their own as well.

But…

She tensed up. But this was before. She only had Elfman left. Now that she was only a waitress back at the guild, perhaps getting an extra modelling job could help—

"Mira," Laxus called behind her.

She turned around, meeting the blonde's striking green eyes. He didn't answer, only keeping their eyes locked in silence, and it was almost like time had stopped.

The crowds flowed around them like a river, moving out of the way naturally; they didn't waste time to stop and stare at the two, nor did they spare the strangers a glance. Mirajane and Laxus were literally lost in their own world, simply by gazing at each other.

Then, Mirajane smiled. She reached for Laxus' forearm and gave him a firm squeeze. It's fine, she mouthed.

I can handle myself, was what she just implied, and Laxus wasn't going to push her any further if that was her decision.

"Jason," Mirajane started as she turned back to him. "As a redactor, you should already know. Considering what kind of person I have been, I really don't have a good reputation around anyway, anywhere. People hate me."

"Oh, don't say that, Mira-chan!"

She flinched a little to the casual honorific. She wasn't grossed out, just startled.

"Like I said, people judge books by their cover. With your looks, even the dark wizard himself would fall in love with you," he explained, and although it was rude and casual and completely inappropriate coming from a grown man directed at an underage girl, it sounded genuine. "Here, how about this?" Jason reached into his pocket, pulling out a card. "I'll just give you another one," he laughed, "The card has the address of the magazine's headquarters. We have a test shoot coming up in two days. It's going to last for quite a while, so please, please, please do drop by whenever you can!"

Mirajane took the card from his hands, delicate fingers running at its edges.

"Just… for a test, okay? It's gonna be so COOL! Or, if you're reeeeally against it, I won't stop you. But if you do end up liking it, well…" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Let's just hope for that, yeah?" He turned to Laxus, "And, of course, Laxus, our favourite COOL lightning mage of ALL TIME should come as well!" Jason glanced back at Mirajane, "For moral, support! You'd like that, right?"

She tried, but couldn't suppress the smile and the blush.

Jason beamed, his grin almost taking over the entirety of his face. "Aww, I wish I brought my camera! That just now was worthy of an issue cover!"

"Don't worry," Mirajane said, still fiddling with the card in her hand. "I'll…" she looked up, "I can't promise anything, but I will drop by for a try."

In an instant, the blonde reporter's face light up like a thousand suns had shone upon him. He balled his hands into tight fists and—"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

This time, Mirajane just kept her smile.

"COOL! COOL! COOOOOOL!" he jumped and jumped, cheering like an overactive child (much like Natsu back at home, Mirajane noted). "YOU ARE THE BEST, MIRA-CHAN! AN ANGEL! A GODDESS! A TRUE MESSIAH!"

"Now, now," she giggled.

"And here I was thinking all this time since the night of the ball," Jason lowered his voice as he wiped away the tears from his eyes, "That you would've turned me down. I mean, I'm telling you this now, but I was terrified that you were going to blow me to bits! But you didn't! How cool is that?! Mira-chan, you are much nicer than I thought you were! I'm so moved, i-it's just so… so…!"

Mirajane was thoroughly amused by his happiness. After all, joy is contagious. "Thank you, Jason. I didn't know I had it in me, either." She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, then it came to her that both she and the lightning mage behind her were in desperate need to put their baggage down. "Um, I'm sorry I'm being so abrupt, but Laxus and I are actually on a mission, and we've come a long way…"

"Oh! Yes, yes, yes! That's totally cool! Please, don't let me keep you," he stepped to the side. "Ah! One more thing! You two have just arrived here, yeah? So I'm thinking you're still looking for a place to stay?"

The two didn't answer. They just stared awkwardly at him. He wasn't going to offer his house or anything, right…?

Jason chuckled, as if he had read their minds. "Don't worry, I'm not being creepy, nor am I going to ask you where you're going to stay. I just want to say, to thank you for considering the cover girl position, Mira-chan, you can show my card to the front desk of the Grand Palace Hotel. It's located at the northern part of town. They'll be glad to offer you a good room or two!"

Mirajane nearly dropped her jaw. "Grand Palace Hotel? That's… that place is only for high authority figures like the council, and…"

"And incredible S-class mages like yourselves!" Jason winked. "Like I said, don't let me keep you. I will see you in two days, and hopefully, we will have a ton of fun. Have a good night, you two!"

As he disappeared into the crowd, Mirajane noticed how easily he blended in like a fish in an ocean. She started walking, with the lightning mage trailing closely behind. There was no doubt that she was amazed at what that obnoxious reporter was actually capable of, and there was a ton of things on her mind at the moment, but what came out of her mouth was—"I actually don't remember him offering me that job back at Era."

"Seriously?" Laxus uttered, chuckling.

"Mhmm." She smiled. "And… thanks for being patient. I know you're tired from the train ride."

"Meh," he shrugged, playing cool. "I'm alright. Let's just head to that hotel of his. I really want to put this shit down."

Mirajane's smile widened as she turned back around to walk forward beside him.

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"Well, it's definitely not a resort," Mirajane waved the key card over the sensor of the lock. "But how we managed to get another honeymoon suite…" when she opened the door, a whiff of freshly-cleaned sheets gently brushed over her, "… is beyond me."

Laxus saw how content she was, with that smile on her face. "Quite a contrast to the last time we got a honeymoon suite," he said, tossing his bag to the side. It probably hit something important, because a sound of glass breaking was heard, but before the girl could turn around to scold him or to even lookat whatever it was that he broke, she was swept off her feet.

"Laxus!" she squealed, looping her arms around his neck with the fear that she'd fall.

"Yep, a big contrast." He said smugly.

She rolled her eyes, but giggled nonetheless. "I'm really starting to doubt that you wanted me to come for a mission."

"Come on, you should've known from the start," he kicked off his shoes and made his way deeper into the suite, passing by a spiral staircase that lead to the second floor—most likely where the extravagant bedrooms were located (but it wasn't like they each needed one). Laxus proceeded to the two-story panoramic window that overlooked the town. Not just the town, but also the mountains that extended beyond the horizon. The sky had darkened (granted, it was ten at night), so he couldn't really get a good look. Perhaps the next morning. And while the Mercurius Palace at the centre of the city was sticking out like a sore thumb, he had to admit that the architecture of it was quite amazing.

"Look," Mirajane spoke up, seemingly having taken the quiet moment herself to observe the incredible view. "The Crocus Gardens is still lit up," she pointed out.

"You want to go?"

Chuckling, she nodded lightly. "A bit. I've heard a lot about how beautiful the flowers are there."

"Huh," Laxus hummed. "Didn't know you were that much of a flower person. Thought you were more interested in going to Ryuuzetsu Land or something."

"I'm not a flower person, I just like pretty things," she said. "And isn't that water park for kids? Why would I be interested in that?"

He shrugged. "Just sayin'."

Mirajane hummed, somehow satisfied with his vague response. "Now, would you put me down?"

"Wanna go down for dinner?" he asked out of the blue, completely ignoring her.

"Din—Laxus, it's ten."

He shrugged. "So? Still gotta eat. Neither of us ate yet."

"Why not just call room service?"

"I'll give you room service when we get back." He wiggled his eyebrows, grinning wickedly.

Mirajane's eyes fell into lines. And so did her lips.

Laxus took a moment to laugh at her expression, but then looked back out at the view. It didn't take long for Mirajane to follow suit. "Just…" he started, "haven't really had dinner with you properly. Before, at Era, we never got a chance to sit down to eat together. And when we went back to Magnolia…"

She tightened her hold on him.

"… so? What do you say?"

Mirajane raised her head, meeting his eyes.

"You and me, dinner. I'll even wear a suit. How's that?" he suggested, voice strangely nonchalant, despite how upfront he was being. It was kind of surprising—considering how much of a child he usually was, to be speaking so openly.

Ergo, there was no way Mirajane could refuse such conviction. "The restaurants downstairs all have dress codes anyway, Laxus. But, since you're being so romantic for once," she smiled, but it quickly turned into a mock-scowl. "I guess that means you get to see me dressed like a princess again?"

"Fuck yeah." He smirked.

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Hormones raging and his desire to ravish her right then and there aside, Laxus had to admit that he was enjoying himself quite a bit. The food's not half bad—of course, his growling stomach was probably the judge of that, but otherwise, this had been a good night so far. He patted the corners of his lips lightly with the napkin on his lap before taking a sip of his red wine. The sweet flavour lingered at the tip of his tongue before he swirled it to the back of his throat, savouring the taste.

"I'm starting to think," Mirajane from across their small dining table started, "that the people of Crocus have no concept of time."

"Hm?" Laxus lowered his glass.

"I mean, look," she gestured around subtly. "This place is still crowded even though it's almost midnight."

He smirked. "Oh, you innocent little angel." Mirajane glared in response, and he could almost hear her grunting. But he continued nonetheless, "Magnolia's just boring. Era's pretty lively at night too. So for the Crocus—the capital—to be this active at night isn't that much of a surprise."

She dropped her serious expression. "Era's lively at night?" It seemed like she was trying to recall her experience at that town. "Didn't seem like it to me."

Laxus rolled his eyes, in good humour, of course. "Well, we were busy with the mission," he paused to eye her in an almost pervert-like manner, "… and with each other."

This time, she actually grunted. "Stop it."

"Alright, alright," he laughed. "You done with that cheesecake?"

Mirajane placed her fork down. "I can't finish. You can have it if you want."

Given a month back, Laxus probably would've declined. But her refusal-to-eat condition has gotten substantially better since then, so, "Don't mind if I do." He leaned over and was about to grab the entire plate, but then the entire floor shook. Laxus braced himself, holding onto the table before falling flat over it. The glasses of wine on their table toppled over, spilling over the white cloth and the chandelier above them dangled dangerously. Around them, the people sitting in their tables squealed.

The two S-class mages were relatively calm compared to the other people, but they weren't unfazed. Mirajane ignored the murmurs of fear and whatnot and spoke up. "It's not an earthquake."

Laxus nodded. "You feel it too?"

She looked around her. "It came from outside."

And just as she finished, another tremor struck the building, this time, much more powerful. It was so powerful that Laxus had to use both hands to balance himself. The squeals turned into screams, people were panicking and were starting to run towards the exit.

"We should go too." Mirajane said.

He nodded again and took her hand, leading her out the nearest exit. Maybe it was because he was taller than most of the people, because he was able to push through the crowd more easily than anyone else. Of course, it helped that he naturally had this murderous look in his eyes. Once he was outside, he noticed that there was a shift in gravity—as in everything seemed heavier. Some people were even on their knees, and he couldn't blame them because he was having trouble standing up.

And the feeling was not going away.

Amidst the screams and panic, Laxus held onto Mirajane's hand tighter—in fear that he would lose her—and made his way to a more opened area. If worse comes to worst, at least they could die with fresh air. Except he wasn't planning on dying today.

"Mira," he called simply.

The girl in question looked at him, as if she already knows what he was going to say. "It's not dark magic," she said. "But it's…" Mirajane gritted her teeth, "I know this feeling. Whoever the user is, he or she is losing control."

Laxus nodded. "Let's go."

Of course Laxus knew the risk. Of course Laxus knew that Mirajane could no longer fend for herself, but that did not mean that he had the right to stop her from doing what she wanted to do.

That was why he didn't stop her when she ran towards the commotion.

That was why he didn't stop her when she desperately pushed through the crowd, and made her way closer to the magic user.

And that was exactly why he helped defend that magic user—just as Mirajane was—from the Rune Knights who were seemingly attacking her.

"Stay back," he warned, standing in the way of both Mirajane and the magic user, a little girl, of all people. Laxus stood tall and mighty, with his arms crossed, and that was all he had to do to keep the crowd away. Of course, it was always what he had to do to keep anyone away. So this wasn't anything worth being praised for.

"Y-you're…" one of the Rune Knights spoke up with a stutter.

"Laxus Dreyar." He finished for him.

Some gasps were heard. Typical.

"I-it doesn't matter who you are," another Rune Knight said, "You have no authority over this matter. That girl—" he swallowed, "—she's dangerous. I advice you to stand down."

He gawked. Are you guys seriously telling me to stand down? He thought. Or, at least he thought he was thinking. Turns out he spoke aloud, because the knights now appeared to be even more confused than ever. Which was kind of amusing to watch, to say the least.

And it would be much more amusing to prolong the looks of confusion and fear on them, if the gravity around them hadn't shifted again. This time, Laxus had to pay attention to keep balance. Most of the knights in front of him had collapsed onto the ground—and it was at that moment where he could see who were the stronger ones. But none of that matter—he had something more important to worry about.

"If you weaklings treasure your lives, I advice you to stand down." Laxus said before turning away from them. He could manage the gravity that was pulling him down, but that was only because his base magic was strong enough. And it took effort to control base magic. So Laxus made his way nonchalantly towards Mirajane—and whoever the magic user was. He had no interest whatsoever as to how the user looked like, but that did not mean that he wouldn't be surprised to find that the strong surge of magic to come out of a little girl.

"Laxus," Mirajane spoke. "She's—"

"Are you okay?" he cut her off, kneeling down beside her to put a hand on her back.

"I'm fine." She smiled. "I lost the ability to do magic, but I still have it in me as a basis that can act as passive defence. But enough about me," Mirajane turned her attention to the gravity mage in question.

The little girl—no more than ten years old—was lying on the cobblestone floor, shivering—seizing. Like she was being shocked by a high voltage of electricity, nonstop. And her tiny body—it was straining, in pain. It was simply hard to watch.

"I was wrong; she's not losing control."

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Mirajane pointed to the ground, where an unsheathed katana laid beside the tiny girl. "I mean that this girl is indeed the one changing gravity, but the source of power is from that. The sword is what's making her do this."

Truth be told, he didn't fully comprehend, but common sense told him to keep the source of power away from the girl.

"No, stop!" Mirajane snapped, before the lightning mage could touch the sword. "Don't… don't touch it. No one should touch it." She said softly. Then, she stood up, motioning at Laxus to take care of the girl in her place as she shifted towards the weapon.

"What are you doing?" Laxus nearly reached for Mirajane's arm, but it was almost like she knew he was coming, and so she raised a hand to stop him.

"It's fine. I think I can still…" she tested the waters, hovering over the black, wooden sheath with her fingers, before actually brushing the surface lightly.

"Mira—"

"I'm okay." Mirajane assured. She glanced up to flash him a small smile. "Don't worry."

Laxus sighed. "You just told me that no one should touch it. And now, you're…"

"Like I said," this time, she placed her palm entirely on the sheath, gripping it lightly, "I have enough magic in me that can act as passive defence." Mirajane reached for the hilt with her other hand, picking up the katana fully, "And dark magic just so happens to be the best at neutralizing any other types. That's why I should be the one to handle this."

Well, he knew that, of course. Just. "Still."

She chuckled. Mirajane finally sheathed the sword and, odd, the strong aura of magic just subsided almost immediately. It was perhaps appropriate to feel something relatively close to relief, because it had also appeared that the little girl had stopped seizing. Though, she was still panting quite heavily. The ordeal just now must have put a lot of strain onto her.

"Her magic's quite strong for someone her size."

Laxus picked the girl up easily. "Reminds me of a certain someone."

Mirajane glared. She glanced at the unconscious and utterly tiny magic user. Sure, Mirajane was around her age when her magic powers awakened. Sure, that was the time when she was overwhelmed with a power so strong it almost destroyed her. And, sure, looking at this girl brought so, so much unwanted memories back, but—

"I'm sure she's gonna grow up to be quite hot too."

She nearly choked on her own breath. Shooting the blonde a glare, she grunted. "Come on, let's get her some help."

Now that the gravity was back to normal, the Rune Knights had regained their composure (if they had any in the first place), and were standing tall—acting as if they were completely unfazed by what came from a mere little girl.

"Where's the closest hospital?" Mirajane was the first to speak up.

"H-hosp…" the Rune Knight, whose uniform was much more detailed and such, answered with reflex. He must be the captain or something. "Thank you for your concern, citizen. The Rune Knights—the people of the council will handle it from here. Please stay out of this from now on."

"Stay out of this?" Laxus almost laughed. He tucked the girl closer to him. "Listen, you idiots could barely stand up when this girl's magic was activated. What makes you think that you can stop her if it happens again? Or do you think you can even lift a finger, then?"

"Mr. Dreyar, this is unacceptable. If you are to defy the council's words—"

"We apologize." Mirajane interrupted.

Laxus was the first to react. "Mira!"

She ignored him. "We were just trying to be good Samaritans," Mirajane handed the katana to the knight politely. "Looks like our job here is done. Laxus?"

He had his jaw hung loose. Anger and confusion and… everything relative to the above, basically, were mingling in the strangest ways in his chest.

"Please let the Knights take care of everything." She spoke gently, much like the fine lady she had become.

But then for a brief millisecond, Laxus caught her quirk an eyebrow.

That was when he knew that something was up. His reluctance escaped him, and he let one of the Knights take the girl in his arms away. He couldn't deny the concern, but Laxus trusted Mirajane, and he will trust her on this one.

"Thank you for understanding, Miss Strauss."

"It's really no problem. Hopefully, the girl will recover from… whatever it is under your care."

Everything happened so fast; Laxus just handed that dumbass-captain-Knightthe helpless girl; Mirajane simple handed those guys the most dangerous sword they'd seen, and the two of them just saw a glimpse of the girl's hazel eyes, slowly opening. The Knights dispersed, and gradually, so did the crowd around them.

It seemed like things returned to normal faster than that girl could shift gravity. And that thought was disturbing.

"So," Laxus began, breaking the silence between them. "What do you have planned?"

A long sigh. Mirajane shrugged her shoulders and rolled her neck, flexing her muscles. "Nothing much. I mean, I don't have the power anymore to defeat criminals or hunt down wyverns or anything."

He crossed his arms, glaring as he waited for her to get to the point.

Mirajane saw his annoyance, and broke into a grin. "But I do have the power to help you do what you want to do."

"Oh yeah?" he smirked. "What do I want to do?"

She returns his smirk with one of her own. "I'm guessing you want to know the name of that little girl, yes? So you can date her when she grows up."

That cocky look on his face broke. Laxus blinked rapidly. "Uh, um." And he was stuttering. God. He never stutters. "I," Laxus cleared his throat, "I guess you can put it that way." Sometimes, he had trouble catching up with her subtlety. As in, sometimes even he didn't know if she was being sarcastic or plain cruel. She wasn't known to be the Demon or nothing. Or, simply, the Queen of Bullying (as Natsu had coined) back at the guild.

"Well then," Mirajane crossed her arms as well. "So I am here on a mission after all."

Laxus had to remind himself to swallow.

.

.

a/n: I actually have a legit excuse for my absence this time. I was going to upload within 2-3 weeks after my last upload (after I come back from my vacation, supposedly, because I actually finished it), but then my laptop got stolen at the airport :'(

BUT. None of that matters now. Got a new laptop around Christmas, and I got back to work immediately. So, technically, I updated within 2 months… which is a reasonable update-time for me, right? (smirks)

Anyway, this arc is going to be relatively light-hearted. Because, y'know. The calm before the storm. And good job to most of you who have already guessed who the 'mysterious character' is in the reviews. Her name isn't mentioned in this chapter, but I'm sure you guys already know, right?

Here, have some cookies (—w—)/ooo