Mermay Madness

Sunlight shown down from the sky and lit up the world in a pretty golden glow. You sat there staring at the way it lit up the beautiful plants and flowers around you. The waves crashed against the nearby beach adding to the beauty. It truly was a beautiful sight to see. The perfect start to the perfect morning to the perfect day...

However you felt anything else but happy let alone perfect.

A wince escaped your throat as the black and white coils around your body tightened up seeking heat, like the arms that hugged you close seeking comfort. Or the forehead that placed itself on the top of your head with a content sigh of his lips.

"Good morning. You look beautiful."

You didn't answer him. Only blankly continuing to stare at the opening from the den this monster kept you in. The only other sounds being the ocean noises just outside the cave.

This wasn't what you wanted when you wanted to find love in your life. You wished you'd never have saved that snake back months ago. Back when you were happily blissfully ignorant of the monsters like the one that founded over you and held you hostage. Back when your only concern was preparing to get married to the love of your life and live happily ever after together with him as you both planned your wedding.

However fate had other plans for you. And it started with the day you went to the marketplace with your fiance.

It was a beautiful day. You'd both gotten up early in the morning and had breakfast. Since it was one of the rare days you didn't have any chores and your fiance had no jobs to do at the local beach as a fisherman, you both decided to spend time together and go shopping at the local market.

The marketplace was a buzz with activity. From the many stalls lining the streets, to the people calling out to others to come but their wares, to the many customers walking the streets drawn to the hustle and bustle here. You yourself had one arm arms your fiance's arm and a basket hanging off your other already filled with a few things. A little trinket or two. A new book to read. Some food to cook for dinner that night. A gift for his mother. Really just random things. But you both weren't buying like crazy. Most of the time you only browsed at what the stalls offered before moving on without buying anything.

After a moment you even leaned up on top toes to kiss the smiling man on the cheek making him chuckle and kiss you back on the forehead. What a perfect day. Nothing could spoil this . morning between the two of you.

Until a woman's shriek from in front of you caused you both to jump and look up. A woman was screaming bloody murder. Her screech cascading over the marketplace startling everyone into silence and turning confused and surprised heads her way. Her feet jumped from one to another like if saw a mouse. Her face terrified. No one had any idea what she was screaming about until another woman looked down following her gaze and then also screamed.

"A SNAKE!!," the second woman screamed out pointing at the ground.

In a single moment multiple heads turned in that direction and many screams and shouts rang out as multiple people moved. A stampede of footsteps approached as people ran out of the way. Your fiance protectively wrapped his arms around you before you could be pushed over and you both finally got a chance to look at it. A small black and white snake was sat there within the stampede of humans curled in on itself other than it's neck looking this way and that now that there was a large clearing exposing itself to the terrified eyes of humans. It's head turned this way and that between the ring of people around it.

You stared at the small thing blinking. Huh. It didn't look that harmful. It just looked like a harmless garder snake. Sure a snake was terrifying especially if you don't know if it's venomous or not but.. come on. It looked more scared of the humans than the humans did of it. The yelling of the people had caught even MORE people's attention and eventually it caught the attention of a nearby store owner who took one look at the snake and scowled. Immediately reaching behind the door and suddenly producing a broom.

He brandished it his hands like a spear before firmly stomping towards the snake and with a hard jab slammed the hard bristles into the snake. Immediately the snake whipped it's head up to the angry man and let out a loud hiss exposing a couple fangs but it's was cut off from another painful hard jab from the man.

"Get out of here you disgusting beast!," he yelled at the snake as it continued to hiss and cower with each jab the man did. Before he started forcing the small snake back with every jab hitting it hard. "Shoo! Back to the damned woods where you belong!"

When the snake didn't move fast enough, he slammed it's tiny head with the broom before kicking the dazed creature like a ball sending it flying- People shrieked and scrambled out of the way of the flying snake. Either diving, ducking, or tripping over trying to scramble back as the kick sent it flying through the air. On instinct your fiance made you duck as it went flying literally over your head before with quite a loud thud it collided into a store wall and fell to the ground. More people backed away from it, and one man in the next stall over selling furniture jumped on one of the chairs. You slowly stood back up and looked at the poor thing blinking.

The snake didn't move as it lied there and for a moment everyone thought the impact had killed it.. before it opened it's eyes and slowly raised it's head. It seemed very dazed swaying from side to side. Perhaps it had a concussion? There was just a murmur as everyone else stared at it in hatred ... before you dropped your basket and started forward.

"Y/n, don't!," your fiance called after you reaching out but you were already walking past everyone staring in horror and up to the snake.

The snake shook its head before looking up at you as your shadow fell over it. For a long time you stared at it before smiling and kneeling down and holding your hands out.

"Hey there, little guy. Are you lost?," you cooed at it.

"Y/n, get away from that thing! It's dangerous!"

"Don't worry! It's not venomous. It's a garder snake!," you called back before turning back to the snake that seemed to tilt its head in a confused way at you. "You're not dangerous are you? You probably just accidentally got lost and ran into some mean humans. It's ok. I'll put you back where you belong."

The snake tilted it's head more at you but it didn't hiss when you reached your hands out cooing to it, or when you gently pushed your hands under it and grabbed it or when you picked it up and turned around smiling. People gasped and stepped back as you walked with it in your hands. It continued to look at you and around it as you carried it back to your fiance who frowned.

"See? It's friendly."

"I see that now but you still shouldn't pick up random snakes. What if it bite you anyways because it was scared?," he pointed out. "Or what if there's something slimy on it?"

"Actually that's a myth. Snakes aren't slimy, they're scales are just very smooth."

"You know what I mean. Just hurry up and put it down before it does bite you!"

"Alright. Alright. Come on. Let's get you home."

You slowly made your way through the crowds carefully holding the snake carefully as it curled around your arm and continued to look at you before you and your fiance finally got out of the marketplace and you stopped by a small patch of bushes off the road. You carefully knelt down and pried the snake from your arm only to place the little thing on the ground. It sat there staring at you for a long moment before turning to slither off into the bushes disappearing.

"There. At least that's done. Let's go home now before anything else happens."

You rolled your eyes before standing back up to turn to your fiance. "Don't be so down. It was the right thing to do and doing good things always brings good fortune your way."

"Hm. Maybe. But next time you shouldn't..." Your fiance paused, eyes blinking at you before they widened and you jumped when he suddenly grabbed your arm. "YOUR ARM!!"

"Huh? What about it?"

You looked at the arm the snake had wrapped itself around and blinked as you saw the imprint of it on your skin. Like...a bruise or birthmark. What the-

"I KNEW YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TOUCHED IT! You're probably allergic to snakes! Or it squeezed you too hard!," he fussed looking at it in worry.

"But it didn't even squeeze me that hard."

"Whatever! We're going to the doctor's and then I'm taking you home this instant!"

Well he did march you to the doctor before taking you straight home. The doctor found nothing wrong, just saying it was probably just a bruise from the snake squeezing your arm and to take it easy for the rest of the day. The next day though the markings were still there but they looked a part of your skin now.. Like a birthmark almost. Your fiance frowned anytime he saw it muttering to himself or saying that you shouldn't have touched that snake.

It didn't hurt but it was weird that the bruises didn't go away even four days after that incident. You supposed it was some kind of scars? You shrugged it off and didn't think much of it. It didn't affect you significantly so it didn't matter in the end. Life went on as normal. Until one day. Your fiance was reading a book as you swept the floors. A normal day. When there was a knock on the door that had both of you looking up.

"I'll get it," you called putting your broom to the side, "It might be my mother."

"Alright, Honey," your fiance said before just going back to his book.

You happily walked up to the door and opened it smiling expecting to see your family or maybe a neighbor.. However you blinked at the total stranger on your porch. A short black haired man was standing there staring at you with mitch-matched eyes and a mask covering the lower half of his face. He dressed in black and white clothing and he stared at you intently as you stood there blinking.

You blinked a few more times as this strange man before asking the generic question. "Um..Can I help you?"

"Yes." His voice was blunt and it made you uneasy.

"Oh. Um.." You didn't know this man. Was he one of your fiance's friends? A new neighbor? "How can I help you? Are you lost?"

"No."

"Oh. Did you-..Just move here?" You were hopeful it was just a new neighbor trying to introduce himself.

"I don't live here."

"Then are you asking for directions somewhere?"

"No."

"Then what do you want?"

His eyes widened in awe at you. "You."

You blinked. ...What? "Excuse me?"

"Honey, are you ok?"

You turned as footsteps approached you and a moment later your fiance appeared making the other man looked shocked. "I don't know. There's a strange man at the door."

"What?" Your fiance looked over you concerned before looking at the other man. They both looked each other up and down .. before the stranger scowled at him. "Who's this?"

"I was hoping you knew."

"Who are you?," the stranger asked in a accusing demanding way pointing at your fiance.

Your fiance bewildered and slightly annoyed frowned back. "I'm here fiance."

"FIANCE?!" He looked shocked at the answer mitch-matched eyes widening.

"That's right." Your fiance crossed his arms staring down at the smaller man. "And who in the world are YOU?"

The stranger didn't answer. He just looked at your fiance, then at you, then back to your fiance still shocked... before scowling at your fiance and turned without saying anything. Although you swore he made a noise like a hiss almost. You both watched as he just left. Walking away rather quickly down the road from your home. When he was completely out of sight, your fiance closed the door before turning to you completely confused and concerned.

"Are you alright?" You nodded. "That's good. Who was that?"

You shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."

"What did he want?"

"Me?"

His brows shot up. "What?!"

"Well...He didn't say me exactly. He said he wanted 'You'..But maybe he meant Yuu. The name and just mistook our house for someone else's?"

His brows furrowed further with a hum. "Sure. Maybe...From now on look out the window before you open the door. If it's that guy again just pretend you're not home."

"I'm sure he's just lost. With how embarrassed you made him, he probably won't be back."

He did come back.

The next week when your fiance was at work. You were sewing together a blanket when you heard a knock at the door. Assuming it was a neighbor, you didn't hesitate to approach the door but at the last second paused remembering your fiance's warning. At the last second you decided to look out the window and was shocked to find the stranger there again. He stared intently at your door before knocking again louder. Deciding to take your partner's advice, you backed away from the door and went back to your blanket.

However he longer you ignored him the louder and more frequent the knocks came. To the point you were starting to get scared with how much he was demanding someone to answer. You ended up locking yourself in the bathroom to hide until the knocking stopped. Your fiance came home a little bit later and was FURIOUS when he found your scared form trembling in the kitchen and you told him what happened. So the next day he stayed home pretending to leave for work. Going out the front door and down the road but rounded around and snuck inside through the back door. There you both waited. You were REALLY hoping that he wouldn't come back. That he finally got the hint.

However a knock on your door broke that hope.

With a heavy heart, you peeked out the window again and to your horror saw the same man. He stood there however he had a flower in his hands. You froze as those strange eyes snapped over to you, and stared in awe intently at your face. You only ducked back behind the curtains just as your fiance threw open the door anger in his eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!," he bellowed out.

"...Oh. it's you." You heard the stranger's voice but couldn't see his exchange behind the door.

"What do you think you're doing coming around here harassing my fiance you little creep?!"

"Your fiance? She's MY mate!!"

"Yours?! You're insane too! She's never even met you before!"

"Yes she has. The markings on her arm indicate my claim over the female!"

Markings?? You again looked back to your arm and blinked at the markings that were displayed there from the snake. Did he mean the markings that the little snake left on you? No. That's ridiculous. The man was probably just crazy. You jumped as what sounded like a fleshly thud sounded out. Like a very loud punch.

"GET OFF MY PROPERTY AND STAY AWAY FROM MY WOMAN YOU SICK PERVERTED FREAK!! NEXT TIME I'LL SKIN YOU LIKE A PAIR OF SNAKESKIN BOOTS!!"

H H H H I I I I I S S S S S S-!!!

What sounded like a demonic snake's hiss came from behind the door and a second later something went flying back into the house and crashed into the bookshelf with a loud thud. You shrieked out as your fiance's body went flying back hitting the book shelf before crumbling to the floor in a heap. Books fell in clusters off the shelf and piled onto him like a mocking blanket. Your hands covered your mouth but before you could run to him, something came through the door.

The door pushed further open as the head of the stranger came through the doorway only to rise up higher than before. You looked on in horror as his body was hoisted up high to the ceiling by the long tail of a black and white snake before his head slowly turned to you.

And you screamed.