A Disaster in the Making

Hagan rolled his shoulders, the massive battle-axe in his hands gleaming under the afternoon light. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated, even after watching Yukari and Mirajane wipe the floor with his underlings.

"Alright," he drawled, adjusting his grip. "You two are stronger than the usual pests we deal with. This might actually be fun."

Yukari grinned. "Oh, I love when they say that."

Mirajane giggled, stepping beside her. "I know~ It always means we get to break things."

Hagan smirked. "Confident, huh? That's good. It makes it more satisfying when I—"

He didn't get to finish.

Because Yukari had already punched the ground.

A pillar of fire erupted from beneath Hagan's feet, scorching the air as it blasted upward. The force sent him flying, and for a second, it almost looked like the fight was already over.

Almost.

Then, from within the flames, Hagan laughed.

With a swing of his axe, the fire split apart, the sheer force of his swing creating a gust that extinguished the flames around him. He landed back on the ground with a loud boom, his boots cracking the stone beneath him.

"Not bad," he admitted, rolling his neck. "But you'll have to do better than that."

Yukari and Mirajane exchanged glances.

Yukari smirked. "You wanna take the lead, or should I?"

Mirajane tapped a finger to her lips in mock thought. "Hmm… I suppose I should warm up a little first."

Hagan lunged at them, his axe whistling through the air as he swung it down in a devastating arc.

Mirajane didn't move.

Not until the last possible second.

Then, with graceful ease, she sidestepped, lifting a single hand and catching the axe by its handle with one hand.

Hagan's eyes widened.

Yukari grinned. "Oh, he wasn't ready for that."

Mirajane smiled sweetly. "Oops~"

Then, with zero effort, she lifted Hagan into the air and threw him over her shoulder.

The man's entire body slammed into the ground, creating a small crater beneath him.

The bandits who had fled earlier peeked out from their hiding places, staring in horror.

Yukari laughed. "Damn, Mira. You still got it."

Mirajane dusted off her hands. "That was fun~"

Unfortunately for them, Hagan wasn't done yet.

He groaned, sitting up from the rubble. "Alright. That actually hurt." He cracked his neck, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Good. I like a fight like this."

Yukari rolled her shoulders. "Well, if you like pain, you're gonna love what happens next."

Hagan smirked. "Try me."

Yukari tried him.

In one swift motion, she disappeared from where she stood, reappearing right in front of him. Before he could react, she planted her fist into his stomach, fire exploding outward from the impact.

The sheer force sent Hagan flying backward, crashing through two buildings before skidding to a stop.

Silence.

Then Mirajane sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Yukari, that's the third building you've destroyed today."

Yukari huffed, shaking off the embers on her knuckles. "Not my fault. He should've been sturdier."

Hagan groaned from within the wreckage, pushing debris off his body. "You two are ridiculous."

Yukari grinned. "Yeah. We get that a lot."

Hagan exhaled sharply. "Alright. Enough playing around."

He slammed his axe into the ground, and the earth split apart beneath him. A wave of energy rushed toward them, shaking the entire pass. Yukari and Mirajane both jumped back as the force cracked the ground where they had been standing.

Hagan launched himself forward, bringing his axe down in a deadly arc Yukari blocked it with her bare hands.

The moment the axe made contact, her flames erupted, covering the weapon in golden fire. The impact made the air tremble, and for a moment, it looked like they were locked in a stalemate.

Mirajane suddenly appeared behind Hagan.

"Surprise~"

Her entire arm morphed, transforming into the clawed limb of a demon. With a casual amount of force, she backhanded him across the battlefield.

Hagan slammed into a boulder, shattering it on impact.

Yukari crossed her arms. "You really like hitting people, huh?"

Mirajane giggled. "It's been a while~"

Hagan groaned, standing up again. His armor was cracked, his axe slightly dented, but he was still grinning. "Damn… You two are actually insane."

Yukari grinned. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

He exhaled, adjusting his stance. "Guess I better take you seriously now."

Yukari's grin widened. "Finally."

Hagan raised his axe, and the air grew heavy.

A deep crimson aura pulsed around him, the ground beneath his feet cracking under the pressure. The temperature in the air shifted, a wave of dark energy rippling outward.

Mirajane frowned. "That's not normal magic."

Yukari narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. That's something else."

Hagan chuckled. "Let's see if you can handle this."

Then, he disappeared.

Yukari barely had time to react before he reappeared behind her, swinging his axe down toward her head.

Before it could land Mirajane caught it.

Again.

Hagan froze. "What the—?"

Mirajane smiled sweetly. "You should really stop swinging this thing around so carelessly~"

Then she broke his axe in half with her bare hands.

Hagan stared.

Yukari took the opportunity to uppercut him into the sky.

He soared upward, disappearing into the clouds for a moment before coming back down hard, crashing into the mountain slope behind them.

Dust settled.

Yukari wiped her hands on her coat. "Welp. That was fun."

Mirajane dusted off her sleeves. "Shame. I was just getting warmed up~"

The few remaining bandits who had been watching from the sidelines immediately ran for their lives.

Yukari stretched, rolling her shoulders. "Alright. Let's go collect our reward."

Mirajane giggled, looping her arm through Yukari's. "And maybe repair some of the damage we caused?"

Yukari sighed. "Maybe."

Another mission. Another disaster.

Yukari dusted off her sleeves, watching the last few remaining bandits sprint for their lives in the opposite direction.

She sighed. They never learn.

"Well," she mused, stretching her arms over her head, "we should probably catch them before they start crying about how unfair this was."

Mirajane clapped her hands together, her expression way too cheerful for the situation. "Oh, absolutely~ We can't just let them run away after all this trouble, can we?"

Yukari smirked. "I thought you might say that."

With a snap of her fingers, golden flames erupted from the ground, forming a massive, flickering wall of fire that cut off the escaping bandits' path.

The moment they saw the fire blocking their way, the men screeched to a halt, tumbling over each other in their desperate attempt to avoid getting roasted alive.

Before they could even think about taking another route, Mirajane was already behind them.

"Going somewhere?" she asked sweetly.

The bandits yelped.

Yukari cracked her knuckles, strolling toward them at a leisurely pace. "Alright, boys. I'm gonna make this simple. You have two options."

She lifted a single finger. "One: You surrender now, and we tie you up nice and easy."

Then, she lifted a second finger. "Two: You run, and she catches you."

The bandits hesitated until they looked at Mirajane.

Her sweet, angelic smile was still in place, but her eyes oh, her eyes were filled with something dark.

Something that promised pain.

One of the smarter ones gulped. "…We'll take option one."

Yukari smirked. "Good choice."

A few minutes later, all the bandits including Hagan, who was still groaning in pain from his midair flight were secured and tied together, lined up neatly against a wooden post near the wreckage of their former hideout.

Yukari crouched down to eye level with their leader. "You know, for a guy who talked so much, you sure went down easy."

Hagan scowled but didn't reply.

That was fine. Yukari wasn't really interested in him anymore.

Because right now?

Right now, she was watching Mirajane work.

"Well, now that they're all tied up," Mirajane hummed, stepping forward, "I suppose I should make sure they don't try anything stupid before the authorities arrive~"

Yukari knew that tone.

She had heard it before.

She had known Mirajane long enough to understand that her kindness the soft, warm persona she displayed for everyone wasn't all there was to her.

Because beneath that gentle exterior, beneath the giggles and bright smiles, was a demon.

And right now, Mirajane was done playing nice.

She crouched down in front of one of the bandits, tilting her head slightly. "You know," she began, voice soft, "I heard your little group has been hurting innocent people. Stealing, scaring merchants, making them suffer. That's not very nice."

The bandit visibly trembled. "I-I—"

Mirajane touched his cheek lightly, a gesture that would have been comforting except her fingers dug in just slightly, pressing against his skin in a way that wasn't comforting at all.

Her smile widened.

"Would you like to know what happens to people I don't like?"

The bandit squeaked.

Yukari crossed her arms, amused.

Here we go.

Mirajane leaned closer, her lips brushing against the bandit's ear as she whispered, "They scream very prettily~"

The man screamed immediately, thrashing against his bindings, as if Mirajane had already done something to him.

Yukari snorted. She hasn't even started yet.

"Oh, don't be such a baby~" Mirajane cooed, stepping back. "I haven't even touched you properly~"

One of the other bandits lost it completely. "SHE'S INSANE! SHE'S A MONSTER!"

Mirajane giggled. "Oh, stop~ You're making me blush~"

The men continued to scream, utterly terrified.

Yukari just sighed. "Yep. This is exactly why I don't mess with her."