This is the longest oneshot I have ever written, and for that reason I will post it on here in 5 separate parts. Since it's already done, you'll get an update every two days.

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A GREAT FEAR OF SHALLOW LIVING

(pirate/mermaid AU)

"I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living." - Anaïs Nin

;new moon

There had been a time when her mother had spilled a cup of marbles onto her desk, laughing at her own misfortune. Lucy had marvelled at the little balls as they rolled and bounced and clicked across the wood and then the tiles, at the way they glinted and sparkled in the light, each alike at first glance. But inside, every single one had their unique structure, and Lucy had held them all curiously against the receding light as she helped her mother to pick them up.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" her mother had said with a smile, "Like the stars."

It was the only vivid memory Lucy had of her, but it was one she treasured.

The breeze picked up ever so slightly, a change most would barely notice. But any seafaring adventurer soon learned to pick up every small change in the weather.

Above her, the stars shone brightly. Hundreds, thousands, millions of them. A million marbles in black velvet, like the folds of her mother's dress, spilling into the sky forever and ever.

There was no moon, not tonight. Lucy had always wondered if the lack of a moon should make her feel hopeless or hopeful. With each passing cycle she settled on a new sentiment, but every month she was sure to be found on deck, no matter the ship she found herself on.

Without the overbearing light of the moon, the stars held their utmost power and the sky appeared the same in every direction as it stretched out above her. Sometimes she would turn as she stared up, her feet guiding her blindly as she spun in slow circles until her neck ached and her vision blurred.

She'd heard there was no place on earth which allowed you to see as many stars as when you were floating on the vast sea, miles and miles away from any coast or compact soil the landsmen preferred. But then again, they were only stories; Lucy herself had never been inland far enough to discover proof of this, and when she had been, as a young child, dark rooms and billowing curtains only let her catch glimpses of the stars. Even then, she had called them her companions.

Now it felt like she was eternally seaborne.

The stillness around her was almost eerie, as if the sea and the waves themselves held their breath to marvel at the dark night sky.

Lucy pulled herself out of her reverie, making her way towards the railing to her left. The boards creaked beneath her sturdy boots, the gentle swaying of the ship as familiar to her as breathing. The wood of the railing felt smooth beneath her fingertips as she let them slide across the surface, only stopping when she arrived at a rough patch, lest she catch a splinter.

When her mother had died, her father had taken to the sea. And Lucy along with him.

It was the single good thing he had done for her in all her time of grief; maybe her whole life. She had not seen him in years, but if she ever were to meet him again, this would be what she would thank him for.

And then, he could go to hell.

Lucy exhaled deeply, tasting the same salt on her tongue that she could smell in the air. Here, she was truly free.

Hell, if you couldn't grasp freedom as the captain of a pirate ship, then Lucy was not quite sure where it was hiding. She had found it, had she not?

And yet, something was still missing. She was not quite sure what it was.

A new adventure, perhaps.

The sound of waves splashing against the belly of the ship soothed her - until she remembered there had been no waves a moment ago, and the breeze was blowing as softly as it had all evening.

Curiously, she glanced downwards. The waters were dark, but she thought she saw something glistening beneath the surface, just for a moment. Something rather big. Maybe some dolphins had decided to join her. Or a lone shark.

It didn't much matter; she was safe up here.

Even if she suddenly felt like she was being watched.

Small ripples danced on the water's surface where it had been disturbed, strong enough for Lucy to notice in the dark. She leaned a little further over the railing, squinting in an attempt to catch the animal below.

Her fingers curled around the single marble deep in her pocket: the only relict of her mother's collection. This one had always been her favourite; like a soft pink flame entrapped in translucent glass forever. Everytime she touched it, she felt safe and protected.

"Careful, or you'll fall overboard."

The voice startled Lucy so much that she did indeed almost fall victim to exactly the danger she had so thoughtfully been warned of. She spun around, one hand on the hilt of her sword, but found the deck as empty as it had been when she had commenced her vigil.

"What the hell…" she muttered to herself, slowly relaxing. "Holy stars! I don't wanna feed the fish tonight."

But she had not imagined the voice. It absolutely had been there. Old ghost tales pushed to the forefront of her mind, and she shivered. A benevolent ghost, though. Had it not warned her of the danger lurking in the water?

"The fish are fine. I could do with some midnight snack though," the voice grunted, draining Lucy of all colour. Slowly, she turned back to face the ocean, heart beating up to her throat.

No doubt. The voice had come from below.

For a long moment she wondered if she could not quite trust her eyes in the dark of night, with the lack of moonlight and the soft breaking of the waves against her ship whispering to her deceptively.

When she could no longer deny that her eyes and ears were not deceiving her, it took the pirate captain a moment to gather her words.

"I thought mermaids were women," Lucy finally said, forcing a small, nervous grin onto her face to overplay the shock that reached all the way to her bones, "And not pink."

This statement elicited a large grin from the… thing in the water.

Its teeth were sharp. Only the head and shoulders were above sea level, the rest of the creature concealed in darkness. But a large tail moved like a snake just beneath the surface, breaking through every now and then.

Lucy held her breath, waiting for it to speak again. Or for her to wake up.

But reality did not offer her such a cheap escape.

"I ain't pink, I'm salmon," the… mermaid called up to her, apparently rather amused by its own joke, because it followed the words with a dry laugh. "Get it, because I'm a fucking fish."

Lucy didn't quite feel like laughing. And yet a part of her was amused despite herself.

She wondered if this was the thrall of the mermaids.

Legends spoke of women luring men into the sea, of hypnotizing them with beauty and song until they were enthralled beyond sanity, willingly following them down, down, down...

Apprehension settled in Lucy's stomach, and she took a step backwards.

Who was to say men could not pose the same threat?

From the safety of her ship, she let her gaze roam across the male mermaid carefully. As if sensing her gaze, he floated onto his back, revealing his entire upper body to her curious eyes.

Lucy swallowed. It was indeed a body made for temptation.

His wet skin glistened as he drifted into reach of one of the torches on deck, his defined muscles contracting with each movement of his hips. Her gaze lingered on the part of his body where skin turned scale, a slow, gradual change as one being morphed into another. His eyes were dark, fixated on her with a knowing smile adorning his pretty face.

Of course, she was not weak enough to fall for such a trap.

"So will you attempt to bewitch me?" she asked, part of her curious. "Do you sing?"

"You know, I'd even fucking sing for you if you could spare a piece of nice, juicy meat." He watched her recoil, and huffed a laugh. "Not you. I was thinking along the lines of… bacon. Raw fish for breakfast, lunch and supper isn't exactly the food of the gods."

"Bacon," she echoed in disbelief. "This is the most ridiculous dream."

A rude, swearing mermaid with a bacon craving.

"Oh, I wish it were a dream."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, cocking her head. But the mermaid just shrugged.

"You know," she continued, placing a finger on her lips, "I might be able to provide you a supper. We hauled big on our last plunder."

His eyes lit up, hands tapping against the wet wood of the boat as he swam closer, greed obvious on his face at the mention of food.

"It comes with a price though," she told him with a cold smile that turned to a grin when he grimaced. "What did you expect? I'm a pirate."

"Speaking of," he said with a sudden air of nonchalance, "You didn't happen to see a ship by the name of Fairy Tail sail by anytime?"

At last, it was Lucy's turn to laugh. "Fairy Tail? Please. That's a legend."

The man in the water looked at her with an unreadable expression, but chose to let the topic slide.

"Well, then, do you have any food? I don't wanna waste my time."

"All food comes with a price," Lucy chided, wagging a finger at him. He could be rude all he wanted, she would always get what she desired. She hadn't made it to pirate captain for nothing. "I have an offer to make you."

"An offer?"

"How does regular food sound to you?" She didn't wait for an answer, because his stomach growled all the way up to her. "If you scout for me, on and under water, I will make sure you won't go hungry for a long time. Nobody has to know. It can be between the two of us; a secret contract."

"You think like a pirate for sure," he grunted, giving her a closer look. His eyes swept across her pretty face and dainty hands, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "What do you want me to look out for underwater, anyways?"

"Treasure. Sunken ships with valuable goods…" Her voice turned dreamy as she went on in detail about what was to be found in various shipwrecks, and the mermaid listened with an amused half-smirk.

"Sounds like you wanna go down there yourself, aye?" he stated, and she flashed him a dark grin.

"I won't need to. I have you now… right?"

The mermaid dabbled and splashed for a few good moments in the water beneath her, sinking out of her sight before reappearing a few feet elsewhere. Only his eyes were visible as he looked up at her, partially concealed by strands of his wet hair.

Lucy waited, trying not to give away her impatience.

"What's your name?" he asked her finally.

"They call me Lucky Lucy on here," she told him, leaning over the railing a little further in a way that would draw the gaze of most men from her face and further downwards, "But Lucy will do, just for you."

She winked at him, wondering if it was possible to turn the stakes, and have a human seduce a mermaid.

But he showed no reaction, just blankly stared at her generous cleavage for a moment before looking away and yawning. Lucy felt the sudden desire to catch him and let him flounder in her net until dawn.

He flicked his tongue. "I'm Natsu," he said, "Now what about the food?"

Thankyou for reading! I hope you enjoyed the beginning of this little adventure! B) If you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts!