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Beware the Werecat

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Beware The Werecat is a My Bride is a Mermaid fanfic written by Fireember345.

Set after the events of the anime, Saitama begins experiencing a series of animal attacks (mostly against members of the Seto and Edomae groups). Unfortunately, the mermaid officials identify the attacker as a Beastfolk, a magical species that is feared amongst the mermaids. Meanwhile, Nagasumi has been feeling sick ever since his fight with Yoshiuo Minamoto and his body begins changing. It soon becomes apparent that Nagasumi's family is actually descended from Beastfolk and his long-term exposure to mermaid magic thanks to the Seto Clan has awakened his dormant genes. Now, the Beastfolk have come to bring Nagasumi home so they can use him to wipe out the mermaids.

The sequel is about Nagasumi learning about his heritage.

The first story is available on FanFiction.Net here, and Archive of Our Own here.

The sequel is available here, and here.

A short story, expanding on the dinner scene of Chapter 4 of “My Second Face” was published by LockAndKey989 on Archive of Our Own. Read here.


''Beware The Werecat' provides examples of:

  • Abusive Parents: Nagasumi's are physically and emotionally abusive to their son just like in the main series. They even openly admit that they love Sun more for selfish reasons, which the Beastfolk and Hanabira call them out on.
  • Action Survivor: Masa is praised as a “Slayer” for managing to kill a Beastfolk. He is only the fifth Slayer in mermaid history.
  • Act of True Love: Sun fights the Beastfolk to protect Nagasumi. Then Nagasumi shows up in his Zheng form to protect Sun.
  • Adaptational Species Change:
    • Nagasumi has Beastfolk heritage instead of being fully human.
    • Gozaburo is actually a leviathan, but he calls himself a sea dragon.
  • Adaptational Villainy: In the manga, Maruko (who did not appear in the anime) attempted to kill Nagasumi because she thought he had forced Sun to marry him, only to become his friend after Nagasumi saved her life. Here, she is one of the few people who happily plan Nagasumi's funeral when he is hospitalized.
  • Adaptational Wimp: In the source material, Terra was identified as the god of the world and claimed to be responsible for giving life to all things on the planet. Here, she is merely referred to as the god of the mermaids with Sun Wukong surpassing her.
  • A Father to His Men: Sun Wukong considers the Beastfolk his “children”.
  • All-Loving Hero: At the end of the second story, Nagasumi is determined to remove the discrimination between the Merfolk and Beastfolk to make the world better for everyone.
  • All Myths Are True:
    • Besides the mermaids, various half-animal half-human monsters from mythology were Beastfolk. One example is the minotaur, and Nagasumi becomes a Zheng.
    • According to Akeno, there are many magical species on the planet.
    • Dragons once existed on the planet long ago. They are known as the Firstfolk because the Merfolk, Beastfolk, and Birdfolk are descended from them. The fourth race descended from them are the djinn, but they are believed to be extinct.
    • El Dorado is a sacred kingdom that belongs to the Beastfolk.
    • Sun Wu Kong (the Monkey King) from Journey to the West was one of the first Beastfolk to come into existence. As well as the one who governs the Mountain Kings, making him the ruler of the Beastfolk overall.
  • Aloof Big Sister: Hanabira is Daisuke's older half-sister and she is openly cold to him. She was a Cool Big Sis when they were younger, but she lost faith in him over time.
  • Always Some One Better:
    • It is stated many times that the Beastfolk are much stronger than the Merfolk, and Nagasumi's aunt is strong enough to kill Gozaburo and Lunar's father at the same time.
    • Nicholas F. Webb, the Majordomo that Hanabira hired to be Nagasumi’s teacher, easily scares Maki with how fast and deadly he is.
    • It is hinted that the djinn were even more powerful than the Beastfolk.
    • Sun Wukong is suggested to be even more powerful than Terra (the god of the merfolk). Sun Wukong threatened to rain down a fury on the mermaids that even Terra could not protect them from if they ever hurt a Beastfolk again. The empress knows that he could very well do so.
  • Anti-Magic: The Castle of the Dragons, where the Birdfolk monks, Mermaid Empress, and Mountain Kings meet to discuss business uses magic to trap them in their human shells.
  • Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Nagasumi’s Beastfolk form is a giant black cat. It’s fitting given how unlucky he is.
  • Awesome McCoolname: Masa was given the name “the Slayer of Yanbaru” for defeating a Beastfolk.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Gozaburo gives Nagasumi an uppercut when he asks if Beastfolk are like Mermaids.
    • The Beastfolk are very territorial, killing any mermaid that crosses into their territory on land. Intentionally or not.
  • Beast Man: The Beastfolk.
  • Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Adolf Hitler was “kinfolk” to the mermaids and started World War 2 to help his kind gain more territory on land.
  • Big Good: Fanshi Paru, the mermaid official who wants to protect everyone from the Beastfolk.
  • Bird People: Along with the Beastfolk and the Merfolk, there are also the Birdfolk.
  • Black Sheep: Despite his Beastfolk heritage, Nagasumi’s father is a normal human. Baneswell says that he was “a swing and a miss” even as a child. He also accidentally burnt down his ancestral home, among other things which made him an outcast in his father's family.
  • Break the Haughty: Gozaburo and Maki before the Beastfolk.
    • Gozaburo, who is normally hot-headed and quick to violence, cowers before the Beastfolk and especially Hanabira.
    • Maki is quickly knocked down a peg by Nicholas F. Webb.
  • Bystander Syndrome: Hanabira was convinced by her stepmother not to intervene in her half-brother and sister-in-law’s treatment of Nagasumi since she thought they would change over time. This changes after she learns about everything her nephew has been through since marrying Sun and how Daisuke and Ai have done nothing to protect him (in addition to their own abuse).
  • Cain and Abel: Hanabira and her half-brother (Nagasumi’s Father) don’t care for each other. One is an abusive parent to Nagasumi, the other is a dotting aunt. Having said that, Hanabira is a lot more vicious to the mermaids.
  • Chick Magnet: Sun, Lunar, Chiyo, and Marwari all have feelings for Nagasumi.
  • Canon Welding: This series mostly follows the anime, but Saturn is a teacher like in the manga. Maruko is also present, despite never appearing in the anime series. Terra, who appeared in the final arc of the manga, is indirectly mentioned by the Monkey King as the mermaids “little God”.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Nagasumi’s Beastfolk form is a Zheng, a cat-like monster that is known for eating mermaids and humans alike. Thankfully, he stopped eating fish after marrying a mermaid. So, even in his mindless state, Nagasumi avoids eating mermaids.
  • Cool Aunt: Hanabira is this to Nagasumi. She dotes on him and Nagasumi loves her in return. Also, unlike his parents, she is protective of her nephew.
  • Cool Sword: Masa’s sword was reforged from the claw of a Beastfolk he used to defeat another Beastfolk. Making it three times more powerful.
  • Cruel Mercy:
    • Hanabira let Gozaburo and Edomae live after they tried to steal her treasure as teenagers, but bearing scars as a warning to the mermaids.
    • Nagasumi saves Akeno, her boss, and Yoshiuo Minamoto from execution by the Beastfolk. By making them and their descendants be his slaves indefinitely. He’s not happy doing it, but Akeno agrees that she deserves it.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Saturn reveals that her family was devoured by Beastfolk because they entered their territory.
  • Deconstruction: In canon, Nagasumi’s abuse from his parents and attempted murders by the Seto Clan were just part of the comedy element. It takes the Beastfolk and Hanabira getting involved to point out that child abuse and attempting to murder a fourteen year old is NOT ok.
  • Defiant to the End: Gozabro and the Seto Clan, though scared of the Beastfolk, swallow their fear and decide to go down fighting.
  • Defector from Decadence: Nagasumi’s grandfather chose to fight for the allied powers in World War 2 because he disagreed with Japan supporting Hitler.
  • Dragon Ancestry: The Merfolk, Beastfolk, and Birdfolk are all descended from the Firstfolk/dragons. The dragons are described as being immensely powerful beings who left the world around the time the other races came to be. The Beastfolk inherited their power, which is far stronger than the mermaids.
  • The Dreaded:
    • Mermaids fear Beastfolk. Especially since they are known to eat mermaid flesh, have the strength to wipe out a hundred mermaids with their bare hands, and have magical powers the mermaids cannot counteract. They especially fear the Mountain Kings.
    • Hanabira, the Black Zheng, is this to Gozaburo and Edomae since she almost killed them when they were teenagers.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Ai forbade Daisuke from punishing or disowning Nagasumi just for being bisexual. Even the mermaids, including Gozaburo and Sun, are disgusted by this.
  • Evil Brit: Dr. Baneswell is a wolf-man Beastfolk who has a British accent. He takes care of Nagasumi when he is hospitalized in hopes that he will wipe out the mermaids with his Zheng form.
  • Evil Counterpart: The Mountain Kings are this to the Merfolk royalty. The Kirin, the Nue, the Huan, the Kitsune, the Jufu, the Gudiao, and the Zheng rule nature with an iron fist and terrorize mermaids and humans alike.
  • Fantastic Racism: Merfolk and Beastfolk hate each other. Though Beastfolk are overall indifferent to humans, Zheng are known for hunting humans and mermaids alike.
  • Foil: The Beastfolk of house Michishio to the Seto Clan and Nagasumi’s human family.
    • House Michishio is one of the ruling families of the Beastfolk family while the Seto Clan is a family of mermaid gangsters. They are both protective of their younger members, Nagasumi and Sun respectively. But the Beastfolk stop their attack when they realize Nagasumi and Sun are in love. As opposed to the Seto Clan.
    • The Beastfolk only meet Nagasumi when he is 14, but they rush to fight a group of mermaid gangsters to retrieve him and instantly welcome him as their own without even knowing him. As opposed to Nagasumi’s human parents who raised him, but care little to nothing for their son and are Dirty Coward’s.
    • Hanabira does not approve of Sun and Nagasumi’s marriage but, unlike Gozaburo, she is willing to tolerate it. Also, aside from Fantastic Racism, one of her issues is that Nagasumi is too young for marriage. While Gozaburo is just a Boyfriend-Blocking Dad. Also, while Gozaburo went straight to trying to murder Nagasumi despite his daughters objections, Hanabira refrains from harming Sun or the Seto Clan because Nagasumi wouldn’t approve.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars:
    • Masa has a bite mark on his shoulder from a Beastfolk attack six years ago.
    • The scars on Gozaburo’s face came from his encounter with the Mountain King, Michishio Hanabira, when they were teenagers. Edomae was scarred too, but he is able to hide his.
    • Hanabira has scars from a fire accidentally started by her half-brother.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Maki hates that Sun relies on Nagasumi to keep her safe.
  • Green Thumb: Nagasumi's aunt demonstrates her power to him by making a peach seed grow into a tree.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Nagasumi’s Father is a half-Beastfolk half-human hybrid. His father was a Zheng and his mother was a human woman, but he is a normal human. However, his dormant Beastfolk genes were inherited by his son and activated from exposure to mermaid magic.
  • Heel Realization: Sun resolves to work hard to become a better wife for Nagasumi after Hanabira chews her out.
  • Hiding Your Heritage: By law, Nagasumi’s Grandfather was forced to hide their heritage from his son, Daisuke, since he was unsure if he was human or Beastfolk. He still planned to tell Daisuke if he proved himself worthy, but Daisuke ended up being such a disappointment that he was disowned instead.
  • The High King: Sun Wukong is the master of the Mountain Kings, which makes him this to the Beastfolk race.
  • Homophobic Hate Crime: Daisuke is homophobic and hates both gays and bisexuals, considering them “abnormal”. He used to bully a boy in school and justifies it to this day. He even tells Nagasumi (who is bisexual) that if it wasn’t for his mother, his grandmother, and aunt he would have disowned him.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: Nagasumi’s Mother thinks that the Elite are Nagasumi’s friends.
  • How We Got Here: When the Beastfolk first arrived in Saitama, they assumed that Nagasumi had no connection to the Seto Clan and that the mermaids were only watching him after his genes awakened. After they realize that Nagasumi and Sun are a couple, they ask the Seto Clan and Nagasumi's parents for an explanation. None of the Beastfolk are happy to learn how the mermaids forced Nagasumi to marry Sun and have spent the entire time trying to kill him. However, they find it amusing that their attempts turned him into a Zheng.
  • Hypocrite: Daisuke beats Nagasumi when he thinks he peeps on girls, but he used to do the exact same thing at his age. Also, Hanabira calls him out for being willing to let Nagasumi DIE (after the incident where Nagasumi turned into a giant and accidentally destroyed his house) when she saved HIS life even after he was disowned by the family for accidentally destroying their ancestral home.
  • I Have No Son!: Nagasumi’s grandfather considered his son such a failure that he discommunicated him from the house.
  • Impossible Task: The only way Daisuke can be forgiven by House Michishio is by finding the family sword that was stolen due to his actions. Which Hanabira considers an impossible task.
  • Inadequate Inheritor: Hanabira feels that her children are too pampered and full of themselves to be her successor. Hence why she is relieved that her nephew, Nagasumi, has awakened his Beastfolk genes.
    Nagasumi: “Me? But what about Chihiro, Shikako, Takara, Kenji, Chikafusa, Chibi, Goro and Hachi?”
    Hanabira: "Chihiro’s happy being an artist. Shikako is too hot-tempered and would cause more problems. Takara, Kenji, and Chikafusa are too greedy. Chibi would rather chase boys, Goro is too busy with his muscles, and Hachi-.”
    Nagasumi: “Not interested."
  • Interspecies Romance:
    • Nagasumi’s grandfather was a Zheng/Beastfolk and one of his wives was a human woman.
    • Nagasumi is a human who became a Zheng and is married/engaged to Sun, a mermaid.
  • Ironic Name: Nagasumi’s parents names are Diasuke and Ai. The name Diasuke is associated with greatness, but he was the Black Sheep of his family. While the name Ai means “love and affection”, but she is an abusive mother to Nagasumi and wants to have an affair with another man.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • Subverted. Hanabira agrees with Daisuke and Ai that (ignoring Sun is a mermaid) it wouldn’t be right to force a girl staying with them to live in the attic. But she and the Beastfolk condemn them for FORCING Nagasumi to give up his room, guilt tripping him when Sun offered to live there instead, and not even helping the two teenagers clean or get acquainted into their new rooms.
    • Hanabira isn't wrong when telling Sun that she hasn't really done much to show her devotion to Nagasumi, including doing little to nothing to keep her family and friends from attempting to kill him. Sun also realizes how horrible Nagasumi’s Parents are after Hanabira calls them out. Causing Sun to feel ashamed of how she always used to dismiss their abuse of Nagasumi.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Lunar acts haughty and calls Nagasumi a "manservant", but she does care about him and Sun.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: When Nagasumi collapses due to feeling ill (from his Beastfolk genes activating), Saturn, Yuhiteru, and Maruko instantly start planning his funeral.
  • Karma Houdini Warranty:
    • The Elite, who have tried to harm Nagasumi in the past on Gozaburo's orders, got attacked and hospitalized by him in his Zheng form.
    • The Seto Clan spent all their time constantly trying to murder Nagasumi to get him away from Sun. Now, Hanabira has made it clear that if Sun breaks Nagasumi's heart or if they make any further attempts against him, she will slaughter them all. She also places one of her own as the principal at Nagasumi's school, so they now work directly under a Beastfolk. Hanabira also takes 90% of their land profits.
    • As punishment for Daisuke and Ai being Abusive Parents to Nagasumi, Hanabira buys their house (since her brother was still paying off the mortgage to the previous owner) and forces them to live in the attic, like how they moved Nagasumi to the attic to give his room to Sun. She also slaps Ai.
  • Kick the Dog: Daisuke got rid of a dog he had as a kid after three days by leaving him with a hobo after growing bored of it. Sun realizes that he basically feels the same way about his son.
  • Laser-Guided Karma:
    • After what he did to Sun in canon, Lord Yoshiuo was stripped of his title and imprisoned. The Examiner who worked for him was demoted, and Akeno’s boss was suspended. They consider themselves lucky that the Mermaid Empress didn’t execute them. This is taken further in the sequel where the Beastfolk wishes to execute them and Nagasumi is only able to save Akeno by having her agree to be his servant.
    • In the final chapter of the second story, Nagasumi muses that after constantly threatening his family and trying to murder him, the Seto Clan now are under the threat of death by HIS Beastfolk relatives. Nagasumi acknowledges that this is well deserved, but he feels no satisfaction.
  • The Last Straw: What finally caused Hanabira and their father to give up on Daisuke was him accidentally burning their ancestral house down and getting their family sword stolen (because he threw a party in it without their approval).
  • Like Father, Unlike Son: Nagasumi is far kinder, braver, respectful of others, and more responsible than his father ever was.
  • Love at First Sight: How Nagasumi's Grandparents first meeting is described by Hanabira. So Nagasumi's Grandfather got the blessing from his Beastfolk fiance so he could be with her as well.
  • Loved by All: The minotaur Beastfolk recognizes the one that Masa killed in his past as Botan. He screams that Botan was beloved by all the Beastfolk.
  • MacGuffin Guardian: Hanabira, the legendary black Zheng, guards a treasure horde in the mountains that Gozaburo and Edomae tried to take. They lived to regret it.
  • Made a Slave: Akeno agrees to become Nagasumi’s servant forever as atonement for betraying him and Sun (and to avoid the death penalty).
  • Mama Bear:
    • Technically Hanabira is Nagasumi’s aunt, but she doesn’t take kindly to the Seto and Edomae groups after finding out they have been trying to kill him. She makes is very clear that the only reason she doesn't slaughter them all is because she knows Nagasumi wont approve.
    • Averted with Nagasumi's own parents. They are horrified when the find out that the Beastfolk want to execute all the mermaid that were involved in Nagasumi's attempted assassination, reasoning that they wouldn't have tried if they knew Nagasumi's heritage. But Webb calls them out for caring more about the "mermaid scum" than their own son, saying they are more disgusting than Hanabira made them out to be.
  • Mood-Swinger: Maki Yuuri notes that Nagasumi’s father is prone to emotional outbursts when no one is looking then deflates as if nothing happened. The rest of the time he is depressed.
  • Named In The Adaptation: Nagasumi’s parents are named in chapter 3 of the sequel. Daisuke (Nagasumi’s Father) and Ai (Nagasumi’s Mother).
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!: The Beastfolk mock the Seto Clan that their constant attacks on Nagasumi awakened his Beastfolk genes. Not only that, but Nagasumi’s Beastfolk form is a Zheng. A powerful cat-monster renowned as one of the strongest Beastfolk.
  • Noble Bigot: Hanabira thinks little of mermaids and is aghast that her nephew is married to one (aside from them both being too young), but she decides to give Sun a chance after Nagasumi sticks up for her.
  • Non-Malicious Monster: Nagasumi attacked people, but only for their food. He unintentionally trained his Zheng form to avoid eating fish.
  • Not Me This Time: The mermaid officials initially thought Nagasumi’s father was the Beastfolk given his sluggish behavior, thirst for dairy products, and craving for fish. They arrest him until another Beastfolk attack occurs.
  • Oh, Crap!: Gozaburo and Edomae are horrified upon realizing that Nagasumi (who they both had tried to kill in the past) is not only a Zheng, but also the beloved nephew of the Zheng that nearly killed them years ago.
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: Word of God is that Hanabira’s Zheng form is as big as a mountain.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: The Beastfolk are like mermaids. Except they change from animal-human hybrids to humans.
  • Papa Wolf: Gozaburo snaps at one of the Beastfolk for threatening Sun.
  • Parental Favoritism: Ai and Daisuke openly admit they love Sun more than Nagasumi for various selfish reasons, which the Beastfolk call them out on.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • Despite Maki’s hatred of Nagasumi and genuine desire to kill him, she reassures Sun that Nagasumi will recover from his "illness".
    • Nagasumi’s mother was genuinely worried for Nagasumi when he was hospitalized.
  • Polyamory: Nagasumi is officially married/engaged to Sun but is also involved with Lunar. His grandfather had this with Hanabira's and Daisuke's mothers (and is common among Mountain Kings, which often take multiple wives and mistresses for companionship or for arranged marriages).
  • Professional Butt-Kisser: Maki accuses Webb of being this when he claims that it is an honor to serve Nagasumi due to his compassion.
  • Psychological Projection: Hanabira tells Lunar that her brother knows that he is a failure who lost everything he could have had due to his own poor choices. But he doesn’t want to admit it, so he calls Nagasumi a failure and abuses him instead.
  • Real After All: Lunar initially thought that the Beastfolk were just fairytales meant to scare mermaid kids who misbehaved.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Hanabira is one of the Mountain kings and isn't very fond of mermaids like the rest of her kind, but she is willing to give Sun a chance to prove herself to her nephew, after being vouched for by Nagasumi. She also agreed to spare the Seto Clan for both trespassing on her property and attempting to kill Nagasumi, in exchange for 90% of their land profits and under the condition that they leave Nagasumi alone.
  • Sacrificial Lamb: The Mermaid Empress offers Hanabira her brother, Lord Yoshiuo, so that she wont hold his crimes accountable for all the mermaids.
  • Skewed Priorities: When the first animal attack is broadcasted, Nagasumi’s mother tells Nagasumi to avoid getting hurt because they can’t keep sending him to the hospital.
  • Spoiled Brat: Daisuke was this growing up thinking he would be a CEO someday no matter what. Even after being cut off, he still has his selfish and irresponsible traits which contributes to his abuse toward his son.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Maki Yuuri feels sorry for Nagasumi’s father due to his boring desk job.
  • “The Reason You Suck” Speech: Hanabira gave her half-brother and sister-in-law a massive one for being Abusive Parents to Nagasumi while never trying to protect him. She called her brother a miserable pest and a failure who only ever did one good thing in his life (fathering Nagasumi).
  • This Cannot Be!: Masa cannot believe that a sweet boy like Nagasumi is descended from Beastfolk.
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Hanabira hates Daisuke (aside from how he and his wife treated Nagasumi) because an incident between him and Ai accidentally burnt their ancestral home to the ground. She claims that he betrayed her, shamed their family, disgraced their father, and left her with permanent scars from the fire.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: When Nagasumi is hospitalized, he is frequently visited by friends, family, and classmates who bring him presents.
  • Troubled Abuser: Daisuke was considered the Black Sheep of his family and his father was so disappointed in him that he never even bothered to tell him about their Beastfolk heritage. His own sister considers him fathering Nagasumi the only good thing he ever did.
  • Undying Loyalty: Maki to Sun.
  • Wham Line:
    • In chapter nine.
      Baneswell: “I AM A BEASTFOLK!!!”
    • In the first chapter of the sequel. When the minotaur Beastfolk reveals the current head of House Michishio is named Hanabira.
      Nagasumi: "My aunt?"
  • Would Hurt a Child: Sun and Nagasumi are both on the receiving end of this.
    • Hanabira and the Beastfolk have made it clear that they will kill Sun if she breaks Nagasumi’s heart.
    • Gozaburo gave Nagasumi an uppercut when he asked if Beastfolk are like mermaids. Not to mention him and his gang repeatedly beating and attempting to murder Nagasumi throughout the series.
    • Both of Nagasumi’s Parents were abusive to him until his aunt stepped in.
  • Worthy Opponent: How Kai sees Nagasumi. He is genuinely upset when he fears Nagasumi might die from an illness, considering it a hallow victory.
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Hanabira has this reaction when she finds out Gozaburo has been trying to murder Nagasumi just because he’s a Boyfriend-Blocking Dad who sees his daughter getting a husband as leaving him, rather than out of concern for his daughter being married to a boy she just met.

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