NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Demon
The whole team started training again, with Lisana joining in their renovated cabin. The Family who just got bigger got a lot livelier. The Strict Erza and the wild Mira kept bickering:
"You keep ruining Ma-niii training time with your stupid pranks!!"
Mira only stuck out her tongue:
"Isn't your constant bickering that ruins Ma-aniki's mood?!"
The boy who had a difficult face between them said:
"Actually…I don't min-…"
""SHUT UP!!""
He looked down a little pained by their cruelty:
'Is this really how an Emperor should live?'
The Little Emperor, lived with his beautiful little Empresses.
Sometimes bullied, sometimes a bully.
Mirajane who have been carrying the burden of looking after Elfman and Lisana alone, was more and more relieved as she felt she could lean on 'her aniki' more and more.
He would be the one to play with Lisana, the one to teach Elfman about being a man.
He would be the one to look after her when she felt overwhelmed.
As he said in this year, he really became everyone's Big brother. Erza, even though she was always a tad distant, still felt like a part of this big family.
Even though Mirajane exhibited a tough look and character, the boy realized how hard she has been working alone, as he continued to go through every layer of her ferocious character, he began to find it endearing.
To his dismay, he began to like her as much as he liked Erza or….He knew from the beginning that he would come to like her as much.
Mira who found her heart getting more and more riled up, grew a weird rivalry with Erza.
All in all, everything was going in bliss and happiness. But as it was with Rosemary Village, happiness never lasts long.
For the first time, the boy bought swords from a local shop, he wanted to try only to find how uncomfortable he felt wielding.
Yet when Erza took the sword, her body immediately moved in a way to accommodate the sword.
Little Erza was actually having a difficult time wielding something that heavy, as she finally got the hang of it, she looked up to take advice from 'Maa-niii'.
But, she was surprised to see the face the boy had.
His purples eyes were big like two apples, his tail was swigging around like a happy dog. His face was flushed out and excited as he pronounced the world in his heart:
"Woa…You look so beautiful with a blade!"
Erza immediately became red with embarrassment:
"What are you even saying?!"
He approached her, his Rinnegans analyzing every part of her stance:
"It's like you are born to wield it. Or Like blades were only forged to be wielded by you."
He lightly touched her cheek with his hands:
"It's hauntingly beautiful, my Empress."
Erza didn't know what to do, as he was never this forward with her. He only ever complimented her hair and she never heard him calling 'that' directly.
Indeed, no matter how much he liked her, the boy never actually called her 'Empress'.
Yet, seeing her with blades, 'compelled him' to do so.
She felt like she could be an Empress of her own, the Empress of Blades.
Suddenly they heard a wailing voice:
"Aniki!! Nee-san! Nee-san! Got into trouble."
The boy immediately had a serious face:
"Lead the way, Lisanna. Tell me what happened."
At the village, Mirajane was in daze as she looked at her demonic hand.
The villagers who she helped just earlier taking down that demon were now, chasing her with curses and yells!
Calling her a witch, a demon, a monster. Yet Mirajane looking at her hand couldn't even refute them. Elfman behind her was also scared, not knowing who is right and who is wrong.
'No! I am..not!"
Her words kept getting stuck in her throat, plunging the little girl in an existential crisis.
As she saw the demonic hand:
'What I am?'
Memories of her life, of her parents, of her family, of him…
'Am I really a Demon?'
'Could I even be with them? Like that…'
'I am…'
She thought as she remembered the boyish smile of her Aniki.
'..Ruined'
Suddenly she heard a doubled voice, dripping with anger to the core:
"ELFMAN!!!"
The boy turned around, to see the fiery eyes of the boy.
"IS THAT WHAT I THAUGHT YOU?!!! IS THAT YOUR WAY OF BEING A MAN?!!"
The lost boy, immediately had a realization. He stood up as the little Emperor continued:
"YOUR FAMILY IS IN TEARS….WHAT SHOULD A MAN DO?!!! HUH?!!! ELFMAN!! TELL ME!!!"
KI immediately started invading his body. The blowback repelled every villager like a storm:
"A MAN SHOULD STAND UP FOR HIS FAMILY!!!"
Mirajane looked at the powerful Elfman who, even thought she was like that, still fought for her!
She then looked where the familiar pep talk came from, she saw him, only anger in his eyes.
They both looked eyes, and when he saw her battered face, the despair in her eyes….
He smiled ferociously, bloodlust oozing from each pore of his body as he looked at the villagers. Mira who for the first time saw 'the real' face of the boy felt that even the demon she vanquished was 'cute' in comparison.
"I didn't want to do it a second time…But I guess, you trash don't leave any other choice DO YOU?!!!"
His Ki was making the whole village tremble.
The villagers who crossed his emotionless eyes, felt like the blade of the reaper was on their neck. They all stopped what they were doing, some even peeing their pants.
But as he was about to unleash hell again. He heard a voice:
"Maa-nii!! Stop!!"
He saw a little figure clinging to his arm, in his rage, he still looked down to see Erza's begging eyes:
"If you do that, you will only solidify their misconception about Mira."
"They would have plenty of time to talk about it, in HELL!!!"
"Think about Mira. For now, it's her feelings that matter. Those people are completely irrelevant."
He looked eyes with Erza and sighed deeply as he retracted his Ki.
"You are right. For now, only Mirajane matters."
Erza glared fiercely at the villagers prompting them to escape.
The boy advanced to Mirajane; he had the same warm smile he always showed her. He then swiftly took her demonic hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Let's go! We need to talk. You stupid Lass!!"
Mirajane who was still in shock felt her constricted heart ease a little.
He then took her in his arms and slowly flew up.
Mirajane was a little surprised and flustered by this development.
The both flew in the night sky. Silence reigning in the beautiful starry sky.
This emptiness.
No words. Only Mira, him and the sky.
Suddenly she felt a hand against her head and the doubled voice:
"I know you've been holding it for Elfman and Lisanna. But you don't need to be strong for me."
She remembered the eyes of the villagers, the hatred of the people, the fear deep in each of their hearts. Tears started falling down, wails started coming from her.
Silence mixing with wails.
This night sky will remember her sadness and sorrow.
The girl for the first time since her parents died, finally cried.
She cried and cried, she cried her parents, she cried the burden of providing for her siblings, she cried her fears, she cried her sorrows.
They continued their silent journey, Mirajane sobbing against his chest, the boy only looking at her warmly and lightly patting her on the head.
They then stopped in front of a little place at the top of a mountain. He waited patiently for her to stop.
The both of them then sat down as they admired the night sky.
The boy was the first to speak:
"You know what?"
"You look super cute when you cry."
Mira flustered and angry immediately punched him in the face:
"What are you saying? You jerk!!"
He dodged and continued:
"But I hate it when you do that."
He then looked at her deeply:
"Since I came to this world, I felt invincible."
Nothing could hurt me, animals, magic, monsters, beasts."
"I've even wondered if I could feel pain."
"Yet, I've been reminded two times that I could. The first, was in Rosemary Village when I saw Erza get abducted."
He lightly touched her cheek as he continued:
"The second was when I saw you cry."
Mira looked down overheating from the embarrassment. He then sighed deeply as he looked up, his rinnegans staring at the crescent moon:
"Mira, could you tell me how a Full Moon looks like?"
Mira had an inquiring expression:
"What? The moon looks like the moon!"
The boy laughed:
"Let me tell you a secret that I have been keeping even from Erza."
"I never saw a Full Moon in my life."
Mira was surprised:
"What?!"
The boy with a little sadness and a little nostalgia continued:
"I can't ever look at a Full Moon."
"If I ever do that, I will turn into a horrible monster, a monster who only knows to wreak destruction and sorrow in the world."
Mirajane eyes widened even more. The boy continued:
"I am not human. You might have already guessed."
"But I am from a race named 'Saiyans'. A bunch of bloodthirsty monsters who loot and destroy worlds, planets, civilizations just for the thrill of it."
"A race much worse than any demon could ever be."
Mirajane had her hand over mouth.
"And not just that, the King Piece told me that I am special even among those Saiyans."
"I am The Legendary Super Saiyan hailed as a Demon God who even those monsters revered as the incarnation of destruction itself."
"A monster who would destroy again and again until it destroys itself in the process."
He took her demonic hand endearingly and gently kissed it:
"Who I am? Who should I be? I never wrestled with this question."
"I am who I am. I am the boy who loves Erza, the boy who is Elfman's big brother, Lisana's big brother and your big brother."
"It's only when you lose those things, only when you cut ties with the people that make me who I am."
"That's when only the monster inside of me stays, that's when the only thing I will be, is the Legendary Super Saiyan."
"That's why I decided even if I am that, even if I am a Demon God…I will be the Demon God who is loved and loves."
Mira cried again as she understood the underlying meaning of the boy:
"Demon or not? Does it really matter?"
"Is it really a reason to fret about?"
"A reason to abandon those dear to you? Would you accept it if I were to leave for such reason?"
She immediately hugged him as she cried:
"NOO!!"
He lightly patted her head:
"Then stay with us. Will you promise me that?"
She kept sobbing:
"I will!!"
She continued crying against his chest for a while before she gradually stopped. She then looked up at him with a pout in her face:
"Why did you say you loved Erza and not me?"
The boy was immediately took by surprise as he thought:
'Hughh! The normal Mirajane is back way too quickly!!'
He started stuttering.
"Am I not your Empress too?"
"No…It just was too…Embarrassing to say-"
"HUUUUUH?!! EMBARASSING?!"
'Someone please help me!'