Hey guys!

So here's the first official chapter of my new fic! It takes place four years before the main events of this story but it helps understanding more the characters and their situation.

Hope you'll enjoy it! :D

Lily xxx

** Four years earlier **

Mira stretched slowly while getting out of school. Well, it wasn't really a school. The state in which was left the village couldn't bear such establishments, most of the youngsters having to give a hand to support their families. For her and her brother, it was even worst. They didn't have any parents, at least, she didn't really remember knowing them. The young woman however recalled a soft voice and gorgeous hair, white like hers and delicate comforting arms. As for her father, she could remember a smile, a beautiful one that illuminated his face every time. She doubted Elfman could remember a thing about them and, without the neckless containing their picture she always wore, she sadly would have forgotten their faces as well.

She sighed. Mira was grateful to the group of old women that use a lot of time and patience to teach them how to read, write, maths and much more. Otherwise, never could she have learned the basics. However, she sometimes felt like she should give up. To support her and her brother, she had to work at the local tavern. She hated her job. She hated seeing those drunk men get a little too close for her comfort. She was only 15, for God's sake! But Mirajane wasn't free to react at will to those disgusting advances. She almost lost her only source of income when she snapped while one of them tried to put his dirty hands on her.

Mira constantly had that anger within her and it was particularly hard not to kick those perverts' asses. But she had to keep her cool, she couldn't allow herself to attract attention anymore. She said good bye her brother, the only family she had left, keeping in mind she did all of this for him, and headed to the bar. When her night was over, she collapsed on her bed.

The next morning was similar to every previous day. Elfman and her walked to their improvised school.

"You seem exhausted Mira" said her brother after staring at her for a moment.

"It's nothing" she vaguely said.

"You could let me help you" he insisted. It's a man's duty to help his sister.

"And it's a sister's duty to take care of her little brother.

"I'm barely one year younger..."

"I said no!" She said firmly.

Elfman held his tongue. He already had tried in the past to convince his sister to let him help, but she always had refused categorically. And, even though Mira had always been ready to move heaven and earth for his sake, when she was in that state, she scared the hell out of him.

Both of them arrived at school and crossed path with Evergreen. "Tch" thought Mira with disdain seeing the one that acted like a diva. She knew Evergreen hated coming here and that the only reason she went to school with them was because of her adoptive father, M. Makarov, who was insisting on her learning the basics. Evergreen rose an eyebrow as soon as she saw them, as if she was judging them then walked away. Decidedly, Mira hated that girl. She may have, just like her and Elfman, lost both of her parents because they were ring bearers, Mira simply couldn't feel any sympathy towards her. Anyways, their situations simply weren't comparable., M. Makarov could obviously afford taking decently care of both her and his grand-son Laxus, preventing them from having the same misery the Strauss lived in.

"She scares me" let out Elfman.

Mira rose her eyes towards the sky.

"Everything scares you. Be a man, would you?" she sighed. "Come on, Mrs. Helene will soon start her lesson".

Then the day ended once again.

"I'll be back soon!" Said Mira to her brother before running to the merchant near by to get some food for dinner.

I only took a few minutes before she was back. Her brother was there, where she had left him. But something was wrong. He was crying. What? Then she understood: "the bitch's there" she thought seeing Evergreen.

"What are you doing here!" She yelled at the same time as a tall blond man.

Laxus... just her luck, she thought with sarcasm. They may have said the exact same sentence, they didn't have the same meaning. Mira, her, was furious against Evergreen who unmistakably took pleasure in tormenting her brother. Laxus, that bastard, seem mostly annoyed to be slowed down while getting his adoptive sister from school.

"Let's go Laxus" said Evergreen with the same expression of disdain as before.

"Who do you think you are, you Bitch!" Yelled Mira.

"What did you call me?" Exclaimed Evergreen indignantly.

"Bitch" She repeated, dropping her grocery bad on the ground, ready to raise her fists.

Mira could see Laxus in the distance laughing at her insult. What a jerk!

"Don't you have anything better to do while your stupid sister martyrizes people!" Barked Mira to the blond young man.

The latter's smile fell. He was four years older. He was also probably stronger than her but Mira didn't give a damn.

"Who the hell are you?" he said, looking at her from bottom to the top.

"Someone who doesn't like you" she said with contempt before grabbing her brother's wrist and drag him behind her.

"Ah! I can recall you now!" she could hear in her back "you're the servant of all those drunk guys at the bar aren't you?"

Mira let go of Elfman's wrist and turned back, giving him a death glare.

"Take it back!" She barked.

"Why? It's true, isn't it?"

She couldn't ignore now the blood that was boiling in her veins. She knew she had to be careful, but she simply couldn't do so when that stupid guy who knew nothing about life was insulting her. And she attacked him. Obviously, Laxus wasn't expecting to see an enraged she devil jumping on him and fell on his back, Mira on top of him.

"Mira!" Yelled Elfman while Evergreen yelled Laxus'.

"You're crazy!" Exclaimed Laxus before barely dodging the fist Mira aimed in his direction.

With a lot of efforts, he managed to pin the young woman on the ground. Then footsteps could be heard. Laxus froze and let her go. Mira heard it herself. The steps were still far away, but eventually they would have a public. And that was the last thing Mira wanted. As soon as Laxus let her go, she jumped on her feet and walked away. Laxus did the same before both Elfman and Evergreen's incredulous eyes.

Noticing that her brother was indeed following her, she accelerated. She wasn't used yet to have such a performant sense of hearing and couldn't evaluate with precision the distance between them and those who had been alerted by the fight.

"Mira" finally said Elfman with worry "what's wrong?"

"I heard foot steps" said simply said.

Her brother didn't understand right away, Mira having told him about her abilities barely two days ago. Then he realised what she was talking about. Mira clenched her fists under her gloves she now wore without exception. Under one of them, a couple of days before, a ring had appeared around her thumb.

***

Laxus was in a bad mood. First of all, he had to walk Evergreen back home because his grand-father had insisted that she had quite of an habit of getting herself into trouble. Then she indeed created problems by teasing that Strauss wimp. As if that wasn't enough, that fury had attacked him.

"Why are you walking so fast!" Wined his adoptive sister.

"I heard foot steps" he grumbled.

"Oh!" She said, now understanding his reaction.

Then she pouted realising they could have been discovered.

"What was the point anyways in fighting with her?" She said annoyed.

"And what was the point in teasing that kid?"

"His presence annoys me" she replied, her arms crossed. "He's not refined at all and ugly."

"Idiot! You know what will happen to us if they learn about our rings".

Fright crossed Evergreen's look. She knew very well that ring bearers were constantly solicited to help with the fight against the fallen. None of those who had ever left for the kingdom's cause came back to talk about it. Some people said that, once their duty was over, they had access to a better place; a place that was free from all the fear and poverty. But Evergreen and Laxus didn't believe a word of it and, like most of the people, they wore gloves. They absolutely must not attract attention or be seen using their abilities. Otherwise, they would soon be identified as bearers and that was the last thing they wanted.