User blog:Drkness231/Mamono One-Shots! Chapter 8: Mermaid

A/N: It's time for the Crazy Eight! Not really, though. Mermaids are actually one of the most gentle species of monsterkind and they don't actively attack human males. Though, I wouldn't completely say they aren't crazy. "Crazy he calls me, sure I'm crazy, crazy in love-" "Okay, that's enough mermaid karaoke for now. You need to save that voice for the man of your dreams in the upcoming chapter." "Alright..." *Ahem* Now that everything's in place, we can start the magic-making. Not that kind, gutterminds. I'm talking about the magic of l...l...lo...love. Sorry, that word is just a bit powerful for me. By the way, did you know that this chapter marks the halfway point of the whole one-shot collection? Yep, in only a week or so, we've already been through so much! I can't wait for the second half to come out! Enough rambling, let's read!

---CueHeartbreak---

What did I ever do to deserve this? Am I just not good enough? Why does this have to happen to me?

I wouldn't be such a bad night for me if I hadn't just been dumped by my girlfriend whom I've been dating for three years. This was supposed to be the night I would propose to her, but now I'm here on the beach sitting in the sand and watching the waves. I'm not broken up about it, but it still hurts deeply. She didn't even give me a clear reason as to why we should break up: she just 'didn't feel the spark anymore'. Personally, I think she's found someone else, but it still doesn't feel any better. I go through my mind once more, trying to find a moment where we could have lost touch, but all it brings me is intense regret and a deeper sadness.

This is not the time to be moping around though. I've been at this for a few hours now; it's time for action! I need to clear my head first. A quick swim should be alright.

I take my shirt off and empty my pockets before slowly wading into the cool evening waters. It's only waist high, but my mood improves greatly from before. My love for the sea still remains the same, no matter how much time I spent with my former girlfriend. There's just something about the quiet and soothing effects of aquatic life that calls out to me, almost like it's a person waiting for me. That could never happen though, no matter how much I aimlessly float like I do now.

"You can hold me in your arms, you can give me all your love~..." Strangely, I can hear faint singing coming from nearby.

"I won't ever be upset, but I won't ever say good-bye~..." The beautiful voice draws me in, but I relish this feeling of absolute peace, so I wait for the next honey-sweet line.

"We don't want to hurt each other, we will always get along, so all we do is listen, it's our hearts that never lie~..." I finally swim towards the voice and finally I see her. A mermaid is sitting on the rocks at the end of the beach. The presence she gives off is something like a deep sadness, but with an equally deep sense of hope. It almost feels like the same sadness I just freed myself from. There's no one who deserves to know that kind of pain, so without another thought, I swim towards her.

---YouAreBeautiful---

Looking upon her without considering what her expression reads, one would assume she's an aesthetic goddess of the sea. Shining blue scales decorate her tail and the shimmering azure hair she possesses makes me want to stare for hours on end. I can't even begin to describe how the amber of her gem-like eyes makes me forget almost everything that happened to me several hours ago; almost is the exact word here. Even if this mermaid is something of unreal beauty, those three years with my ex-girlfriend echo in my mind. But I still swim to this mermaid who has me under her spell. I can't leave her alone when it's obvious there's some sort of grievance tugging at her heart. I want to help her however I can, so I take the first step towards my goal.

"Your singing is quite charming."

"Thank you." Her voice sounds somewhat empty and her smile is half-hearted.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but are you experiencing a sad love?"

"I wish I was, because then I would at least have been in love." She sighs regretfully.

"Love is not always a happy ray of light. Sometimes that light burns you for unknown reasons at the unexpected times. It cuts deeply and leaves a scar that makes one almost want to die." I still feel the sorrow edging its way to the forefront of my thoughts.

"What...happened to you?"

"I was killed. Killed by the woman I wanted to marry, whom I've been seeing for three years. I was about to give her my heart tonight with my proposal, but instead she crushed it and left me without any reason save for, 'she didn't feel the spark'. That's why you shouldn't rush so carelessly into love; it is as cold as it is warm."

Suddenly, I feel her arms circle around my body and pull me close. I lift my head up and I'm stunned when I can see her eyes positively light up as I stare. There's a certain kind of love in those eyes, one that I thought I saw in my ex-girlfriend. No, this is the real kind, this is what true love actually looks like. The smile she holds now is no longer lonely, but bright and full of warmth. I'm so struck by her loving kindness that I can barely keep my thoughts together.

"What was...that...song you sang?" I struggle to get my words out.

"It was about the kind of man I wanted to meet; the kind of man I want to marry. And now, he's here in my arms and I couldn't be any happier." She nuzzles my shoulder and I can smell the ocean breeze from her.

"If I asked you to marry me now, would you ever leave me?" I hesitate, but I'm sure that I can have a future with her.

"Only if you will always stay by my side, and never let me go. I don't understand what you went through, but I know how it feels when your heart aches from loneliness. If I become your wife, will we always be together?"

That's all I need to muster up the courage of moving on from my ex-girlfriend. I run back to get the ring I brought with me and return in minutes.

"Will you marry me?"

---Yes---

A/N: "No, sorry, I don't swing that way." What? Oh, I thought he was asking me, sorry to kill the mood there. In my defense, the scene was already over by the time he popped the question. Anyways, before I get smote by a sea of fire in the form of war, allow me to say that this was by far the most poetic/figurative/metaphorical/other-fancy-words chapter I have ever written since we started this collection! Also, it was perfectly 1000 words once I was finished with it. (Victory Rawr!) Before I get too carried away with my self-proclaimed greatness, the next monster girl on our list is the Death Reaper herself: Dullahan! Have fun!