Fairy Tail: Swallow the Fire

36. Moonlight

A/N: I'm not dead! Just, umm...Baldur's Gate...

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Waves crashed against the beaches of Lake Sciliora, the tides occasionally settling to reveal the shining stars hanging overhead.

Plenty of people had come to the beach to enjoy some alone time, enjoy the embrace of their partner, or simply relax.

They would normally be walking along the coast, finding comfort in the sensation of the sand going in between their toes. Or even sitting in a boat in the middle of the lake as the waves rock them to sleep.

However, two nights every month for the past nine months this usual peace has been disrupted.

Relaxation was impossible as a sound similar to thunder echoed across the lake at an alarming frequency, and the tides themselves grew higher and more chaotic as the hours passed.

The source was coming from a set of small islands in the centre of the lake. Two girls, both with stark white hair that has become matted with dirt, but one with a form distinctly demonic in nature.

Mirajane's scaled fist collided with mine, which I followed with a spinning kick to her jaw.

She jumped backwards as it struck in an attempt to soften the blow's damage, her tail whipping out and grabbing my throat as she did so. As she pulled me forward and off balance, she flicked her wings mid-flip and drove her knee into my back.

Before I could find myself pinned under her, I planted my own knee into the ground before me and reached up to grab her arm as I did so. With a pivot, I slammed her under me, sand flying into the air around us as a result.

When I looked down at her after the dust settled I found her arm reaching up and her hand squeezing my nose.

"Having fun?" I deadpanned.

She just answered with a toothy smile, causing me to shake my head and sigh, but an amused smile made its way onto my face anyway.

I helped her up and summoned a couple of towels for us to sit on after dusting off. Mirajane didn't waste a second and faceplanted onto the towels, not even bothering to tie up her hair after her ponytail came undone during the fight.

"Tired?" I asked as I sat next to her.

"No," her muffled voice came from between her face and the cloth, "Just stressed."

"What for?"

"Promotion trails are next week..."

"Right, I forgot Fairy Tail holds a trial for their S-Class wizards each December." Mira nodded as she rolled over onto her back. "I take it you were nominated then? Who are the other contenders?"

"Erza "Thunder Thighs" Scarlet, Natsu Drag-Everyone-Into-Trouble-neel, Gray the Stripper, Cana the Underaged Alcoholic, and Fried Just-Going-To-Follow-Laxus-Around."

"You put a lot of thought into those fun nicknames, didn't you...?" My head fell beside hers as I laid myself down fully beside her. "You shouldn't have much to worry about. Your hand-to-hand combat has improved quite a bit compared to when we first met. Granted, you didn't have that much training back then, but you're still capable of holding your own."

"Holding my own doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to win." Her gaze lazily drifted off towards the overhanging moon, a slightly vague and distant look clouding her eyes as she stared at it.

"We're still fourteen, Mira. Becoming an S-Class mage so young shouldn't be that important."

"It's not about me. It's for my little siblings."