Note: I'll say now that this isn't going to be as dark as my previous fanfic about Snake-Lucy, in that we won't get Natsu transforming into demonic salamander, and going on a vicious rampage across Elentear after his heart was broken by seeing Lucy twisted into a cruel monster. As the description stated, this is going to focus on Lucy's POV while she was a nure-onna. Basically, I'm asking what was going on in Lucy's head while she was in this form. I've only seen a few fanfics that explore this point of the story, and pretty much all those that do only really show Natsu's POV. Now that makes sense, since Lucy was brainwashed at the time, and wasn't herself. I will say that while I won't be "dark", it might still be rather… unpleasant, since I think we can agree this wasn't a pleasant experience for Lucy. And for the record, if she seems out of character in this, she was literally out of character in the source material. There will be some hints of NaLu, but not enough to really qualify it as such.
And just for the record, if you're only watching the 100YQ anime, then there will be spoilers for the Elentear arc here. Also, this will be a one-shot.
All in all, Lucy hadn't felt this terrible in a long while. She'd been in Elentear for less than a day (about the same amount of time she even knew the place existed), and it had all gone absolutely disastrously. Now things going terribly wrong wasn't anything odd for her; if anything, it was just part of being in the Fairy Tail guild, but this time was different. Things hadn't just gone wrong, everything had fallen apart.
She wasn't sure where it all went wrong, if only because of how fast it happened; in just a couple hours, not only had Lucy gotten separated from the rest of her team, but she'd run into an absolute hulk of a woman, who had proceeded to absolutely thrash her. She hadn't even been able to scratch her opponent; heck, she hadn't even been able to make her move from her spot. And now, as she lay beaten on the ground, humiliated and ashamed, as her opponent, who called herself Mimi, loomed over her like a mountain, giving her a sharp comment about needing to train.
"You need simply train then," Mimi said, as she stood over her defeated opponent. She may have said that, but the thing was, Lucy had trained. She had poured her very soul into getting stronger, so that she didn't have to rely on Natsu, Erza, or Gray to come and save her. But even all that hadn't been enough. Against a truly strong opponent, Lucy was still utterly helpless, and that frustrated her
I thought I'd worked hard… learned something, Lucy found herself thinking as she tried to stand back, before she collapsed back to the ground. As she did, tears welled up in her eyes, as she clenched her entire face in frustration.
But I'm still as weak as ever! That was when it all went dark…
Lucy woke up feeling groggy and bruised, and it wasn't long before she realized she was suspended in the air. As she blinked the remaining traces of unconsciousness away, she looked around, and saw she was in some kind of cell, with Erza and Wendy suspended next to her, while Happy and Carla were bound together at their feet.
"Erza?" Lucy said.
"Lucy?" Erza said, as she stirred as well, shaking her head clear, "What're you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Lucy answered (as Wendy stirred as well), "What happened after you were carried away by those clouds?"
"I was with Natsu and Gray," Happy said, "But they aren't here."
"I hope they're okay," Wendy said nervously.
"Come on!" Lucy said with a smile, trying to be supportive, "You know those guys are made of steel. I'm sure they're fine." Privately, though, she was worried; if Happy had been with them when he was captured, that stood to reason that the boys were captured too. Whatever was going on, it was clear that Selene had plans for the group, and Lucy didn't like how that sounded.
"Good, you're all awake." The group all looked over as the cell door opened, and in walked a short woman with dark green hair done up with a bun. Already, Lucy didn't like her, with her smug, cruel expression, like she knew something they didn't.
"It's you!" Erza snapped as she struggled in vain against her binds.
"Wait, you know her?" Lucy asked.
"Oh yes, I suppose only three of you actually know me," the woman said, before spreading her arms, "I am Yoko the Pandemonium, of the Moonlit Divinities."
"Wait! So you're with that really big lady from before?" Lucy asked, leaning forward.
"Oh, you mean Mimi?" Yoko asked, before shrugging slightly, "Frankly I think you being pitted against her was a complete waste of her time, but what can be done about it?"
"Where are Natsu and Gray?" Erza demanded, "What've you done with them?"
"Oh, nothing," Yoko answered, 'But that should be the least of your worries."
"Let us go, you fiend, and fight us properly!" Erza shouted.
"No, I don't think I will," Yoko sneered, "You see, Lady Selene is having a banquet, and banquets require entertainment. That's where you all come in."
"You want us to fight for your amusement?" Lucy asked; that seemed like a pretty standard "evil plan".
"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Yoko answered, her smile broadening, "But you simply fighting the yokai down in the mountain won't be nearly as entertaining as it could be."
"You want us to fight Natsu and Gray?" Wendy asked frighteningly. It was an easy conclusion to make based on Yoko's words.
"You'll never make us fight our friends!" Erza declared.
"Aye!" Happy said, "We'll never hurt Natsu or Gray!" Yoko was silent at first, as her sneer widened into a smirk, which widened into a sinister grin.
"Oh, I'm afraid you won't have any choice in the matter," she said, as she held up her hands, "And furthermore, you all simply brawling as you are won't be very interesting. So Lady Selene tasked me with adding some… flair to the whole thing." Her gaze then shifted to Happy and Carla, both of whom trembled slightly in apprehension.
"We'll start with you two," she said. With that, she did a series of hand signs.
"Demon's Parade: Suiko!" She said, before thrusting her hands out at the two exceeds, who both let out small cries, but they were silenced as they disappeared in a big puff of smoke. When it faded, both Happy and Carla were gone.
"Happy!" Lucy cried.
"Carla!" Wendy cried.
"What have you done to them?!" Erza demanded.
"Oh, don't worry, they're perfectly fine, down beneath the mountain," Yoko said, "In fact, I'd go so far as to say they're better than fine."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I won't bother explaining the full nature of my power to any of you," Yoko said with a slight shrug, "But let's just say I can do much more than just summon yokai."
"What are you on about?" Erza asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I said we didn't do anything to the men, and that was true," Yoko said, "Because it won't be us doing it to them, it'll be you all." It then collectively dawned on all the women just what her plan was.
"No," Erza said slowly, "No you can't!"
"Oh don't worry," Yoko said, "When it's done, you'll all be quite happy in your new forms. And don't worry, you'll be joining them all real soon." With that said, she turned her attention to Wendy.
"No!" the little Dragon Slayer cried, as she struggled.
"Leave her alone!" Lucy cried as she and Erza struggled some more. But it was all in vain, as Yoko just let out a sharp laugh, and performed another set of hand signs.
"Demon's Parade: Bakeneko!" Wendy let out a cry, as she was consumed in a puff of smoke as well, and disappeared.
"Wendy!" Lucy cried, as Yoko moved onto Erza.
"I swear!" The knight said "No matter what, I'll find you, and when I-" She couldn't finish, as Yoko completed the technique.
"Demon's Parade: Jorōgumo!" Erza let out a brief cry, and in a flash of smoke, she was gone as well. That just Lucy, as Yoko turned her sinister gaze to her.
"No, please," the blonde said weakly as Yoko approached, "Don't take away who I am. Don't turn me into a monster."
"If it's any consolation, you'll take to it all quite quickly," Yoko said as she performed the hand signs, "Demon's Parade: Nure-Onna!" There was a shot of pain, which made Lucy cry out, and another massive puff of smoke, and Lucy felt she was falling, and she soon hit a hard surface. But Lucy wasn't paying much attention to that, as her whole body was now in pain.
Her skin felt like it was burning, as her Star Dress disappeared. Her hair grew even longer than it already was, going past her waist to her behind, and turning much wavier than it normally was. With that, the pain finally faded away as quickly as it appeared, and a wave of new sensations came over Lucy.
The strangest sensation, though was her legs, in that she had no sensation. Rather, it felt like she had a long arm down there. Lucy pushed herself up with remarkable ease, as she looked back, and her eyes widened. In place of her legs, and really her entire lower body, was the wreathing coils of a snake. The scales were a bright pink color (which were honestly kind of nice), which shifted beneath the powerful muscles. Lucy found herself flexing them, as the tail moved with ease.
By all accounts, Lucy should've been terrified being turned into a form like this, not to mention embarrassed considering how her clothes were gone. But she… wasn't? No doubt it was a new feeling, and more than a little strange, but that didn't automatically feel like it was "bad". Rather it felt… right? That didn't feel like the proper word, but it was the closest she could get as the initial shock wore off (which was itself surprisingly quick).
It was hard to explain, but it was like she had some kind of awakening, like the feeling a person feels after getting a brand new perspective on things. This new body, and the sensations that came with it, even if she had only just gotten it, all just felt right, like they suited her. Obviously being half-snake had never crossed Lucy's mind before, but as she started to move around in it, it all felt very natural. Lucy felt herself smiling, as she looked around the cave she was in, her new eyes seeing clearly in the darkness. She also tell that her hearing was better too, as well as her sense of smell (though, as far as she could tell, she didn't have a forked tongue).
With that, Lucy slithered on, running her hands down her scaly arms. The scales are a deep pink in color, that she thought matched her hair and skin tone quite nicely. They were also quite smooth, and almost soft to the touch. Never would she have associated serpentine qualities with anything nice like that, but here she was, and nothing felt wrong, or bad; rather, it all fight completely right.
For the next few hours, Lucy spent her time getting used to her new body, as some new understandings came to her. She had been turned into a nure-onna, an aquatic yokai that kept to the seas, with power over water. It was weird, seeing as she didn't know anything about yokai before hand, but now she just kind of knew it all, as if calling upon an old memory. Furthermore, all the moves came completely natural to her; it was like her body already knew exactly what to do, and all she had to do was trust it.
That time also gave Lucy a chance to think not only on what had just happened to her, but also what her life had been like up until now. And put frankly, looking back on everything, it was now apparent to Lucy how pointless her life in Earthland had been. She spent all that time and effort writing a novel that she knew most hadn't even read, and yet they gave her a writing prize like she was some kind of dog who earned a treat. And she'd gotten barely paying work in a guild of wizards with no real direction or ambition. Maybe at one point she'd find herself missing it (but she doubted it), but for now, a whole new world had been opened to her; a new world of possibilities and power. She was no longer Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Spirit Mage, she was now Lucy the nure-onna, and she was going to live this new life to the absolute fullest.
The thought honestly made her a little giddy; she imagined taking time to explore Elentear, getting ever stronger, and finding her place among the other yokai in this world. The change in scenery would take some getting used to (especially if this cave was indicative of future living conditions), but Lucy figured she could make do. Maybe she'd get with Wendy and Erza when this was done, and they could work it out together.
She was broken from her day-dreaming, though, as she heard a sound coming from further down the tunnels, accompanied by a scent that was strangely familiar. Following the sound, while keeping to the shadows, Lucy eventually spotted the familiar form of Natsu. He was blowing through other yokai that were trying to challenge him with little trouble, clearly having the time of his life.
Now in any other context, Lucy would've been happy to see him, and be glad to know he was okay. But instead, she felt... contempt; contempt for the life she once had, the life Natsu represented. He was no longer her friend, he was an enemy.
It was then that the nure-onna figured this would end one of two ways: either Natsu would leave, or she would make him leave. And if he couldn't accept how things had changed, then Lucy would force him to accept it, and if the Dragon Slayer continued to resist, then well, there was really only one thing to do. With that, she licked her lips, and slithered away to get ready.
She circled him for a while, looking for the opportune moment to strike. It was clear that Natsu could sense her (with a nose like his it was a guarantee), but he couldn't pinpoint where she was. And that gave Lucy all the time she needed, as got the highroad, and then shot her tail down, swiftly constricted him. Caught off-guard, Natsu wasn't able to resist, as he struggled against his muscular coils, as he looked up into Lucy's eyes as she made himself known to him.
"Lucy?!" Natsu all but squawked. The sight almost made Lucy laugh at him slightly, the way he looked so horrified, as she squeezed him up to her chest.
"This is agony, but also ecstasy," he then grunted. At one point, Lucy would've been greatly embarrassed to hear him say that in relation to her, but she really didn't care about what he thought of her anymore. As far as she was concerned, their friendship was over; he was part of a past life, one that Lucy wanted nothing more to do with. She would get rid of him, and be free of that past.
"Wait! Where are you legs?" Natsu then said, as he fully took in how she changed, "What happened to your body?!" Lucy overheard Selene explaining what had happened, but she wasn't paying attention, as she tightened her hold on Natsu.
"Damn!" Natsu grunted, as he struggled against Lucy's coils, "She's so strong…"
"Natsu…," Lucy said slowly, before slowly drawing her tongue over his cheek, much to his chagrin, "I'm going to eat you up." She was being slightly facetious when she said that, though she'd be lying if the thought didn't cross her mind (nure-onna were known to hunt humans, after all).
"You gotta change back, Lucy!" Natsu said. That certainly wasn't going to be happening, though Lucy didn't feel the need to tell him as much. Instead, she shoved the tip of her tail into the side of his cheek.
"Would not talk into my bosom?" She asked, before heaving him, and throwing him into the ground.
"It's embarrassing," she said playfully, as she covered her chest.
"Then put on some damn clothes!" Natsu shouted. The Dragon Slayer then took a breath, as he jumped to his feet, and rolled his shoulder.
"Anyway, I get what this," he said, as he looked up and grinned, "If I punch you good, you'll back to normal right?" Lucy doubted that was how it actually worked, but at any rate, she knew it wouldn't the that easy.
"This'll be the first time we've gone head-to-head," Natsu then nodded.
"I guess so," Lucy said, with a nod realizing that may have actually been the case. In all the time they'd known each other, they'd never sparred. This was quite the way to do their first, though, and Lucy certainly wouldn't have thought of that.
"Here we go, Snake-Lucy!" Natsu declared as he sprung forward.
"My power's a lot greater than before!" Lucy asserted as she reared up, and sprung at him as well.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu said, launching his signature attack, one which Lucy was easily able to avoid with her long body. At this point, Lucy knew all his moves, and unfortunately for Natsu she now had a few new ones of her own.
One new power she now had was the ability to generate water at will, not entirely unlike Juvia's magic. Gathering a large amount of it around her, and into her hands, she released a massive burst, flooding the cave in an instant, and dousing Natsu's flames.
"Fire won't work on a nure-onna," she said as she dove under the water, circling beneath him, "Water is our element!" To punctuate her point, she snagged his ankle with her tail, and then flung him up into the ceiling, crashing into it. Honestly, she could've just tried drowning him, but Natsu had quite the lung capacity, and she doubted it would be that easy, even the way she was.
"Alright, you…," Natsu growled, as he looked down, before pushing down towards him. Seeing that, Lucy had a feeling that even if his fire wasn't much use in the current situation, she had a feeling a good hit from him would probably send her flying. Fortunately, she had a plan for if and when this would happen.
"Natsu stop! It's me!" She cried, "Natsu!" And just as she expected, Natsu flinched. Unlike her, he still thought their friendship meant something; a mistake he was soon going to regret, as Lucy quickly dropped the facade.
"Ah that got you!" She said, "Aqua Metria!" With that, she let out one of her primary attacks, Natsu let out a cry of pain while the water sent him tumbling away. He slammed hard into the ground, rolling as he did. The sight brought a great deal of satisfaction to Lucy; seeing the arrogant hothead get put in his place like that was more than a little enjoyable.
"You don't look so good, Natsu," she said, licking her lips. Of course, she knew that wouldn't be enough to keep him down, not by a long shot, but she was still satisfied in that victory Indeed, the Dragon Slayer came back to his feet, shaking slightly, but that wasn't fatigue causing it.
"I'm mad now, Snake-Lucy," Natsu growled as he got back to his feet. With that his body exploded into both fire and electricity, as he looked up, a sharp expression on his face. For a moment, Lucy was somewhat taken aback; up until now, he had the air of someone not taking this completely seriously, giving it the same attitude he gave any given brawl at the guild. But it seemed that was changing, meaning this fight was going to get a lot more intense for both of them. Indeed, Natsu demonstrated just how fierce this battle was going to get, as he literally burst into Lighting Fire Dragon Mode.
As the fire and electricity danced around him, Lucy braced herself for the vicious attacks she knew would come; while she may have had an advantage over Natsu using fire, electricity was a different story, considering that water conducted electricity. That all said, she still let herself feel confident, after all, she was still a yokai, and hall the strengths of one now. With that, she braced herself in the water, ready to spring at him, right as Natsu did the same thing. And then…
"Hey, are you trying to kill Lucy?" A voice suddenly called. Both Lucy and Natsu paused as they looked around, trying to see where that voice had come from. But then the water rippled slightly, and their attention was drawn to there.
"Who's there?" Natsu called out.
"Celestial spirits can be summoned even without keys in this realm," the voice said, as a shape emerged form the water, "And with all this water…". With that, out of the water buried a familiar, blue-haired, blue-scaled mermaid, carrying an urn under her arm.
Just let me take care of this, "Aquarius said with a smile, "I'm used to dealing with her."
"Aquarius!" Natsu said in surprise. Lucy just remained silent, as she glared at the spirit; true, this whole thing had started from her wish to find Aquarius' key, but that desire had long since disappeared, along with her old identity. Being a yokai now, she didn't have any need for her Spirit Keys, after all.
"Anyway, stand back, Natsu," Aquarius said as she position herself between the Dragon Slayer and the nure-onna, "I know how to handle this one."
"'Handle'?" Lucy sneered, as she licked her lips, "I wouldn't say that, Aquarius."
"Hey?!" Aquarius hissed, as she gave Lucy the stink eye, "Why aren't you wearing any clothes? You think it'll help you land a man, or something?"
"Oh will you be quiet?" Lucy said with a scowl, "It's always like that with you!" She remembered just how arrogant and standoffish Aquarius had always been to her (even when she was a kid). But Lucy wasn't that weak, fawning little girl anymore, and she certainly wasn't going to give Aquarius the upper hand in this.
"Be quiet?!" Aquarius asked, before hurling her jug, "You be quiet you little brat!" With that, she created a torrent of water even bigger than the one Lucy had manifested, and while it sent Natsu spinning away, Lucy was easily able to swim through it.
"Sorry, but water magic can't hurt me in this form," she said, "You're hopeless against me!" But Aquarius didn't seem that concerned to heart that, as she brought her hand back, water gathering around it.
"I do seem to remember spanking you when you were naughty," she said, "But seeing as you don't have that tush anymore…" With the force that made Lucy feel like she got hit with a bag of bricks, she slapped her across the cheek.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Lucy demanded incredulously, as she tried to counter attack, only for Aquarius to easily block it, and smack her again, sending her floating back.
"You think you can beat me?" Aquarius asked, as she charged Lucy, "Try again in 100 years!"
"Why you-" Lucy couldn't finish, as she braced for another strike… but it never came. Instead, she found Aquarius embracing her tightly.
"Let me go!" Lucy snapped.
"Remember, Lucy!" Aquarius said, her tone now kinder, but still very firm, "You're a wizard of Fairy Tail."
No you're not! a different voice shouted in her head You're a yokai! A nure-onna of Elentear! You aren't that weak, insignificant little girl! And that voice was right. What Aquarius was saying may have been true at one point, but she wasn't a Fairy Tail wizard anymore. She was a yokai now, and she proud of that!
"Have you forgotten Natsu?" Aquarius asked as Lucy struggled against her. Obviously not, but what did that matter? Regardless of any "feelings" she may have had for him at one point or another, she was a nure-onna, hence they were pointless now. That was when the water started building up around her, and a strange feeling set over her.
"This water flow," Lucy said out loud as she continued to struggle in vain, "I've... I've felt it before..." Admittedly she didn't know much about water currents (something she'd probably want to change being a literal sea serpent now), but there was something... familiar about it.
"My water is a stream of memories," Aquarius said, "You've felt before, haven't you? This water... This memory..." And with that, it all hit at once.
A literal flood of memories then went through Lucy. From her youth, to her early time in the guild, to her adventures with them, all with Aquarius. All those times Aquarius would threaten her for summoning her in bad places, or mocking her for not having a boyfriend.
What does this matter now? You're strong now! Leave it all behind! None of these people matter to you anymore! For the first time, Lucy started to doubt the voice's words. But then it came to one memory in particular. During her time in Tartaros…
"Lucy," she heard a voice call, but it wasn't Aquarius voice, it was Natsu's. That was all it took, and with that, like clouds parting before the sun, the dark thoughts that clouded her mind were banished away. Her body went limp in Aquarius hold, as the waters finally began to recede, and tears streamed down her face.
"Aquarius," she sobbed, as it all came down on her once; everything she had done, every dark thought that she had, every cruelty she committed, it was laid bare before her. What had she done? How could she have tried to hurt Natsu? How could she have been truly willing to leave all those who loved her behind?
"You are Lucy," Aquarius said firmly, but kindly.
"I am...," Lucy said slowly, nodding. She wasn't a nameless nure-onna; she wasn't a snake that crawled in the shadows and under the rocks, she was Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail, she always would be, and nobody could ever take that away from her.
"And we're friends right?" Aquarius then asked.
"We are," Lucy cried, unable to look Aquarius in the eye, "I'm so sorry...
"I know, there's a good girl," Aquarius said with a gentle smile, before her face turned much harder, "But I do have to punish you!" With that she turned Lucy around, brought her hand back, and...
"Go back to normal, you moron!"
SMACK*
When Lucy finally came to, a lot of her body ached, as if she'd just been decked across the face and body by some kind of seriously strong power. Forcing her eyes open, she saw she was in some kind of cave, though she had no idea how she could've gotten there. The last thing she remembered was being defeated by Selene's lackey, and though there were some vague memories, they were at most tiny flashes and sensations, none of which were especially pleasant, so she didn't dwell on them.
"Wh.. Why… Why are my cheek and butt so sore?" Lucy asked uneasily as she sat up. Once she got her bearings, she looked up… to see the familiar face of Aquarius.
"Aquarius?!" Make no mistake, she was happy to see the Celestial Spirit, but that didn't make her appearance.
"She's back!" She then heard Natsu cheer, causing her to look to him.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked, giving him the once over. He looked somewhat beat up, though not severely so, and had a relieved yet elated look on his face, like something good had finally happened after a lot of bad.
"Doesn't really matter," Aquarius answered, "Point is, here we don't need contracts or keys for anything. So how about we cut loose together for the first time in a while?" Lucy wasn't sure what to make of this situation, and she definitely had plenty of questions, but she figured that they could all wait for later.
"Right!" Lucy said as she smiled. She still had some vague memories of something recent; memories of something strange, and unnatural. But like a bad dream, they faded away out of her mind, especially as she embraced her oldest friend.
Note: I'll take this as an opportunity to give a little behind the scenes on how this story came to be, since it actually took more thinking on my part as to what would happen while I was writing it.
As I mentioned in the first note, what I was trying to explore here was what Lucy was thinking while this was going on, but part of the issue is it's all a little contradictory. Lucy was clearly not herself when like this, but she clearly recognized Natsu, and Aquarius. The way I see it, is that she recognized those as people she "used" to care about, but doesn't care about anymore. The best I can figure, is that when she was transformed, she was brainwashed into her embracing her new form, and taking on the nature of a nure-onna. That probably included her deciding that Natsu didn't matter anymore; they weren't Lucy's thoughts, they were the nure-onna's that she was currently in the form of.
One of the weird things about what happened to her, is how quickly Lucy took to her new nature, not just in terms of personality, but ability too. Bear in mind, yokai aren't indicated to exist in Earthland, so there's no reason she should no anything about them, but she seemed not only to recognize what she was, but was be able to call upon, and use her abilities as a nure-onna to great effect, as if she'd been one for a while. Since I doubt Yoko gave the group a quick lesson of what they are, and what they could do, I'm going to guess that the curse also imparted knowledge of what she was and what she could do.
Lastly, and I think most people can pick up on this, but just to clear up potential confusion, I'll explain it here. The manga indicates that all the girls plus Happy had no memories of being a yokai. To that end, if it's italicized, it means Lucy doesn't remember it; I like to think of it like having a dream, in that while it may be real in the moment, when you wake up, it's all disappeared, and you've already forgotten it.
Be sure to leave a comment. I hope that when the anime reaches this point (which the latest intro makes clear will happen), it'll inspire more people to do fanfics based on this concept. It's rife for ideas, especially NaLu.
