Zene Oneshots

The Little Merman

"Captain! We got one!!"

That was what finally made Gene look up from the map he was holding, and his eyes widened as soon as he saw what had been caught.

Shoving the map into his younger brother's chest, Gene practically ran to the fishnet that was now placed on the deck of the ship.

Inside the net was a... Merman... he had skin that was as pale as snow, with hair the same black color as the feathers of a raven. The upper half of the creature's body resembled a human, while the lower half of the body resembled a fish tail that had a similar structure to that of a dolphin tail. The scales were a pitch black color, much darker than the creature's hair. His visible eye was closed, the other being covered by his hair. Overall... the Merman was small, petite one would say. He looked very young, probably just on the edge of puberty. If Mermaids and Mermen even have puberty, that is.

Gene was immediately fascinated by the Merman. In fact, so was every other pirate on the ship. Mermaids and Mermen were so rare... especially nowadays, when it was a supposed "hibernation season" for them. He knelt down, grabbing a handful of the Merman's hair, and yanked him up.

"Gene, you need to be more careful!" Dante, his younger brother, reminded him from the back of the deck.

Gene ignored his brother's reminder, holding the Merman up by his hair. He grabbed onto one of his arms, which felt wet, but soft and smooth. A quiet gurgling sound came from his mouth, as his eye opened slowly to reveal sky blue.

He blinked for a few moments, before chirping repeatedly as he reached up for his hair. Two of the closest crewmen grabbed onto both of his arms, holding them outwards.

The Merman's eye went wide, as he hit his tailfin against the wooden planks of the ship deck. Gene made a scoffing sound, before letting go of his hair. The Merman landed on the rear of his fish tail with a thud, and then a whimper of pain mixed with fear.

Gene stared the Merman up and down, looking for the signs of discomfort. He had met a Mermaid before, and kept her as a pet. She spoke in animalistic sounds and noises, but she would say her name in a human way.

"Name." Gene said suddenly, startling the small Merman. "Name. Now."

"Z-Z.... Z.... ane...." The Merman replied slowly, small droplets of ocean salt water rolling down his chin.

Zane, Gene thought quietly, eyeing the Merman up and down again. What a common human name, but he isn't a human.

Zane wrapped his arms around himself, looking similar to what a human would do when cold. He stared up at the pirate crew that was surrounding him, his eye darting between faces as his face paled even more.

Oh, Gene finally realized, he's afraid. Logical.

"You two," Gene began, looking at a make and female. "Get a tank of water, and put it in my area of the ship."

As he began to walk back towards his brother, he added to his orders. "And make sure the Merman is in the tank."

~~~~

Zane was slumped unhappily in the tank of water. Sure, it allowed him to breathe his own familiar air, but it felt so... cramped. He still had his arms folded over his chest, his tail draping over the side of the glass tank so it wouldn't become sore.

How had he ended up in this situation again? Oh, right.. he hadn't listened to Garroth, his older brother.

I can't believe I forgot what time of the year it was. Zane thought gloomily, unknowingly letting out a small whimper.

"You're still alive, so stop your moping."

Zane glanced up in surprise, jumping a bit. How had he not noticed the leader of his kidnappers walk in?

He made a disgusted face at the kidnapper, baring his flat teeth in a tight frown. He didn't give his kidnapper a small mockery of a smile.

The kidnapper frowned, and approached the tank. He reached towards Zane's head, a hidden glint in the teal. Shaken by the thought of feeling the warm paws on his skin again, Zane decided to start conversation.

"Why does Merman swim with tails of two?" Zane asked him, chirping a bit at the beginning.

His kidnapper looked surprised for a moment, before glancing down at his legs. Zane personally thought they were funny looking, because no Merman or Mermaid he had ever seen swam with two tails.

"You are the dumbest creature I have ever met." The kidnapper groaned with irritation, shaking his head.

"Does Merman no know his tails of two?" He asked in confusion, tilting his head slightly.

"My name is Gene, and I'm not a Merman!" The kidnapper snapped, his warm paws wrapping around Zane's neck.

Zane let out a loud hiss, screeching a bit. A red color flashed across Gene's face, before the kidnapper looked down to his two tails.

Gene slowly removed his hands from Zane's neck, trailing them down his chest and to his tail. He felt around it for a bit, mainly on the front area.

"What does Gene look for?" Zane asked in curiosity, but his kidnapper seemed too occupied to answer him.

He yelped when he was turned over, so his backside was facing Gene. He felt the warm paws go over the backside of his tail, before he felt a sharp pain. This caused him to whimper in pain, as he could hear the rustle of fabric from behind him.

"Stay quiet, you fish..." Gene growled in a whisper, gripping into Zane's body. "This will only hurt at the beginning."