Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Chapter Eight: Lust's Demands
Back to where we left off….
Fairy Tail Guildhall
Makarov stared at the letter in horror, making everyone in the guildhall nervous. "Master, what's going on? What does Lucy's note say?" Erza asked.
But Makarov merely shook his head. "It's not from Lucy. It's from the demon, Lust."
"LUST?!" everyone in the guildhall shouted.
Taking a deep breath, Makarov read the letter out loud.
"To the Wizards of Fairy Tail.
Your lovely companion, Lucy, will be keeping me company from now on. I know it's a bit sudden but I believe her talents are wasted on some silly guild like yours. Which is why I've taken the liberty of procuring her from your care. However, I would like to throw a going away party for her at the Rosemary & Thyme. Those invited to the party are as follows:
Erza Scarlet
Cana Alberona
Mirajane Strauss
Juvia Lockser
Wendy Marvel
If you feel inclined to send some of your fetching men along with the guests of honor, I would be ever so inclined. However, if your little allies from Mermaid Heel and Sabretooth or if any of the mongrel dogs from your guild try to crash the party then I assure you of this: Lucy's going away party will become a wake.
I'll be waiting at the Rosemary & Thyme at eight o'clock tonight. Don't keep me waiting. You wouldn't want Lucy to play with me all by her lonesome, now would you?
So come, Fairy Tail. I'm waiting….
Love, Lust."
Makarov crumped the note and bristled in fury. "This witch will answer for this!" he said defiantly.
"Procuring her?" Erza repeated, disgusted at Lust's open invitation. "She's treating Lucy like a mere object!"
Natsu turned right around and made for the door. "Nobody hurts our friend and gets away with it! Let's go and-"
"NO, NATSU!" Makarov shouted, his stern glare keeping Natsu at bay. "I am just as much anxious to get Lucy back but we must be cautious."
"But Master!" Mirajane said, walking out of the bar. "We can't abandon Lucy!"
"I'm not saying we're abandoning her!" Makarov barked. "But we can't just run headfirst into Lust's clutches. It's obvious this is a trap. She's luring us by kidnapping Lucy."
"But Master," Erza interjected. "Why the five of us?"
Makarov looked at the floor and pondered that himself. "Hmm…I can't really say. It's clear she's been spying on us since she knows about Kagura, Sting and Rogue. But why you five ladies I've no clue. And why did she say that only seven could enter?"
The group was silent as they pondered so many questions. The silence was broken when Wendy raised her hand. "Um…what's the Rosemary & Thyme? Is it like a club or an hotel?"
All of the adults in the room suddenly became uncomfortable at the prospect of answering the child's question. Macao scratched the back of his head as he looked at the girl. "It's uh…well, it's… an old…abandoned…uh…."
Wakaba sputtered smoke as he himself tried to come up with an answer for the girl. "You see, Wendy…some girls found work…in a different kind of industry…and well…."
Erza bonked the two men on the head, tired of them beating around the bush. "She's not a child, gentlemen. She's old enough to hear this sort of stuff."
As she began to speak though, Bisca covered her daughter's ears….
"For those of you who aren't aware, the Rosemary & Thyme is an abandoned brothel on the outskirts of town. The place was known for its extravagance and its beautiful girls. A few years ago, however, Magnolia had an outbreak of venereal diseases which was traced back to the brothel. As such its owner was arrested and the place was shut down so that the girls there could all be treated properly. It'd make the perfect place for a hideout for a demon of temptation."
Wendy's ears burned as she processed the information but she nodded.
Erza glared at the two old men. "But the real question is: How do you two know so much about it?"
Wakaba and Macao started to stammer and back away, citing excuses like they were young at the time and they weren't married yet…..
Focusing on the matter at hand, Erza looked at her teammates. "She said no more than seven could come, correct? Which means that Natsu and Gray can come with us."
"We were gonna come with you even if it meant more than seven," Gray said.
Natsu nodded. "I second that. Now let's go!" he shouted, turning around to charge out the door before Makarov bonked him on the head.
"Natsu! For pity's sake, will you stop and think?! It's not eight o'clock yet! We need to prepare ourselves for whatever this demon has in store for us. Right now the only thing we can do is play her game, which means she'll have the upper hand. We've no knowing what she plans to do with Lucy but we can't rush in halfcocked or we won't be able to save anyone."
Natsu balled his hands into fists and cursed. As much as he hated to admit it, the old man was right. "Dammit all!" he shouted as he punched the wall. "Who knows what that freak's doing to Lucy?" He hung his head as the image of Lucy popped into his head. "I hope she's okay…."
Meanwhile….
Rosemary & Thyme
The old brothel may have been closed but the smell of sweat and desire still lingered within its walls. It was a smell that made Lust nostalgic as she prepared everything. She knew that Fairy Tail would be cautious and come at the appointed time; that gave her all the time she needed with her new toy.
Walking into the owner's bedroom, Lust smirked at the sleeping form in the bed. Next to her was her black flute which was magically playing a lullaby keeping Lucy asleep for the moment. Sitting down next to Lucy, Lust reached out and caressed the blonde's cheek. "Such a beauty. And with brains to boot," she said. "You'll make a fine replacement for Envy…after we deal with your meddlesome friends."
She knew that Lucy would try to resist the demonification but Lust's powers of brainwashing were absolute; she'd make Lucy give in to the darkness with great pleasure. And besides, once Lucy took a single bite out of one of Pride's apples there would be no going back.
Looking at the clock, Lust's lips formed a knowing smile. Eight o'clock was a long way away which gave Lust all the time she needed to make Lucy her best weapon. "Now then…" she reached for her hovering flute and grasped it, bringing it to her mouth. "What song shall I play you next, Lucy?"
Later….
Rosemary & Thyme; 8:00 PM
Never one for subtlety, as soon as they reached the abandoned brothel on the outskirts of town, Natsu kicked in the door with a fiery stomp. He was more than determined to get his teammate back. "Lucy!" he called out as he and the group entered the main lobby of a brothel. "Where are you?" Lamps were lit on the walls and the place was decked out with purple and pink decorations, giving it a festive atmosphere.
Already having a sword in hand, Erza scanned the room and prepared for battle. "Keep on your guard, guys. We don't know if she's rigged the place with booby-traps."
"My, oh my, aren't we the cautious one? And the door wasn't locked, just so you know," said a voice from the dark. The group looked up to see Lust sitting on the railing at the top of the stairs, her hooves clicking as she looked down at her guests. "Welcome, Fairy Tail. Glad you can make it to the party."
"Where's Lucy?" Cana demanded.
"Oh, the guest of honor will be here shortly. She's just…" Lust's grin grew wider, "Getting herself ready."
"Ready for what?" Erza demanded, her eyes glaring at the demon.
Lust chuckled as she locked eyes with Erza. "My, how ferocious your eyes are, Erza Scarlet. You certainly live up to your reputation. But to answer your question, Erza, tonight is a special night. Tonight will be Lucy's farewell from Fairy Tail."
Gray stepped forward. "You think that we're just gonna let you take her? You're out of your mind!"
"Oh, I have no doubt you'll stop me. And after you are all dead at my feet, there will be nothing stopping Lucy from joining the Seven Dedly Sins."
"NO!" Wendy gasped, covering her mouth in horror.
"Oh yes, little one." Lust licked her lips as she twirled her flute in her hands like a baton. "You see, thanks to you lot Envy is dead, which leaves us one shy of a full set. So it is only fair compensation that I take one of your comrades just like you took mine," she said coldheartedly.
"What makes you think Lucy will join you?" Juvia asked.
"She might be resistant but the sight of your broken, dead bodies will break anyone whose soul is as sweet as hers. She'll succumb to darkness and become one of us."
Gray had enough talking. "Like hell we're gonna let that happen!" He put his hands together and charged his magic. "Ice Make: Spear!" He created a long, jagged spear and hurled it at Lust. The demon didn't even bat an eye as it neared her. "What?" Gray gasped as the spear went through Lust like she was made of smoke. "She's just an astral projection?"
"My apologies. But I'm a bit in the middle of sprucing Lucy up for her farewell so I'm a little preoccupied to greet you in the flesh," Lust said with a smirk. "I see you're quite the hotblooded Wizard, Gray Fullbuster. How odd for an Ice Wizard." She brought the flute to her lips. She may have only been a projection but she could still use her magic on the Fairy Tail wizards. "Shall I play a song for you?"
Not willing to let the man she loved get hurt, Juvia sprung into action. "Water Slicer!" she shouted, tendrils of water shooting out of her arms to attack the apparition. She knew projection spells well enough that if you disturb a projection while they were in the middle of something it'd disrupt the connection between the projection and the real thing.
Lust jumped up with inhuman speed and landed on the chandelier dangling on the ceiling, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Juvia. "Goodness gracious. Such inititive and fervor. You must like that boy quite a bit, Juvia. I'm jealous."
Juvia shivered from the look of scorn on Lust's face. She saw her put the flute to her mouth and sent another whip of water at her but Lust blew into the flute and the soundwave pushed back the water. "What are you doing?" she demanded to know. The others behind her got ready for battle as well.
"I can see it. The passion you hold for your friend. I'm gonna do you a favor and let all that passion out of you," Lust said before putting the flute to her lips. "I'll drown you and the man you care about so much with a song of ecstasy."
"Song of Corruption."
Juvia's eyes widened as she heard the words, flashbacks to the Tower of Heaven coming back to her. She put her hands to her ears when she heard Lust play her flute but it was to no avail. "NOO!" she screamed as the music wormed its way into her mind again. "Not again! NOOOO!"
"Juvia!" Gray shouted when he saw Juvia's face distort with horror. "What's wrong?!" As he spoke, Lust's music became louder and louder.
Juvia screamed as she felt a very dark and familiar sensation swarm over her. "NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She disappeared in a bright flashing light. "AHHHHHHHH!"
The others covered their eyes as they were blinded, wondering what horrible act Lust had done to Juvia. Gray recovered faster and saw that a shroud of smoke had enveloped the girl. "Juvia?" he called out cautiously.
"AHAHAHAHAH! Oh, I'm here, Gray! And I'm loving it!"
Everyone gasped when Juvia emerged. She'd completely changed. Her skin was now bone white and her hair sprawled down her shoulders and back. Her outfit now consisted of a dark tank top and black leather pants. On her stomach was a satanic tattoo. "Oh my god!" Mirajane gasped in horror.
"What have you done to her?!" Cana demanded. "She looks like the patron saint of whores!"
"Ahahahah! Fuck all of you guys!" Juvia shouted, flipping the group the bird before turning her attention to Gray. "Come here, Gray. I'm not gonna let any of these bitches have you!"
Gray was about to ask what she meant when Juvia lunged forward and kissed him. Surprised by this weird turn of events, Gray tried to push Juvia off of her but Juvia was a lot stronger than she looked. "Juvia! Stop it!"
"Never!" Juvia said with a grin. Her watery arms wrapped around Gray and she lifted him up. "It's time I showed you some tough love, Gray!" With a yell she threw him through an opened door into another part of the brothel, giving little thought to her former comrades. "You bitches can go fuck off!" she shouted before going back to Gray.
"Uh…anyone want to clue me in on what just happened?" Natsu asked.
"Should we help them?" Wnedy asked, not sure of how to help the brainwashed Juvia.
Erza looked up and no longer saw Lust's astral projection on the chandelier. "Where is she?" Erza shouted, checking the corners.
Natsu saw someone at the top of the staircase and growled; the figure was cloaked in shadow but she recognized the horns on her head. "There she is! I've got her!" Without pause he charged up the stairs and ignited his fists. "I'll burn you to ash if you hurt Lucy!"
Wendy's eyes widened when the figure stepped into the light and she called out to her fellow Dragon Slayer. "Natsu! Stop! That's not Lust! That's-"
WHAM!
The group watched in amazement as Natsu was knocked clean out of the building, leaving a Natsu-sized hole in the roof. Erza was completely bafflement when she turned to Natsu's attacker, only to gap in horror when she recognized the assailant. "Lucy?"
"In the flesh," said Lucy but it was with the voice of Lust.
Slowly descending the staircase, Lucy smiled at her friends. She was dressed in a black tube top that barely contained her cleavage. Wearing black and purple sleeves, she walked elegantly down the stairs in black pants and high heels. Her hair was tied to look like horns but what made her look truly demonic was her eyes.
Her eyes were completely black; it was as if Lust had devoured Lucy's soul.
"Erza. Mira. Wendy. Cana. Tell me," she said as she pulled the black flute from her belt. "What should I play to be your swansong?"
To be continued
