I spotted the adorable creature as I had been walking down the pathway as I came back from the shrine, having left an offering that my mother had requested I deliver since she was too ill to make the journey herself. But that is not important right now. The brilliant white of the creature resting beside the path I walked on was far more important! How was I to resist such shimmering white scales catching the light of the sun so majestically!

Carefully stepping towards the while snake, I crouched down a few feet away from it and began cooing at the lovely serpent. I never did understand why so many people feared the creatures. Call me foolish, but I couldn't help wanting to feel those beautiful scales beneath my fingers. I watched as its bright eyes seemed to watch every movement I made as I slowly shifted closer, one hand reaching out towards the glistening scales I was unable to take my eyes off of.

Watching closely for any sign of aggression, I finally managed to feel my fingers against the snakes cool scales, my hands almost trembling in excitement as I began smiling happily at the creature.

"You have to be the most amazing snake I have ever seen. Where did such a lovely creature as you come from? You don't seem to be hurt, so at least nobody has bothered you it seems, but with as many people as come around here it might not be safe to stick around." I gently stroked my fingers along the snakes head, used to handling the creatures as I often worked in the gardens at home to ease the strain of my aging mother.

Ever so slowly, I moved my arms under the coils and gently lifted the creature from the ground, watching for any sign of it moving to strike me. I sighed in relief when all it did was look at me, almost like it could understand me, as silly as that thought was.

"Let me take you someplace safer for such an elegant creature as you. After all, it would be a devastating shame for such a wonderful looking serpant to come to harm because of some ignorant person thinking poorly of your kind. How would you like to make your home in the woods near my home? I have a lovely garden you could visit if you ever get lonely!" Smiling softly at the serpent, I began walking towards my home once more, gently petting its scaled head as we traveled.

--------

I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched the snake's head turning from side to side as it looked about the garden I had brought it to, the blossoms of the twin plum trees filling the air with their gentle scent as the flowers slowly opened.

"My family planted those when they moved here long ago. Mother told me the trees reminded them of the home they came from. But that village was abandoned when the lake was formed. I heard there was even a shrine that was submerged. Such disrespectful actions." I let out a heavy sigh.

I had been taught to respect the spirits that had watched over my ancestors, one of the reasons my mother had trusted me to deliver the offering in her place today. Walking under the branches of the tree, I pointed to the forest that began on the other side of the low fence.

"There is the forest where you can live if you would like to. And you can come visit this garden whenever you like. I'm the one who is in charge of its care, so you should be safe here, although if you see anyone else here I would still recommend staying hidden. My family does not view your kind with the same affection as I have for you. But if it is just me, then you are always welcome to come keep me company!" I smiled gently at the snake before walking towards the fence, seeing a good spot to release him.

Carefully crouching down where the branches of the plum tree stretched over the fence, I placed a soft kiss on the snakes head before setting it on the ground.

"Take care my lovely friend, I hope I see you again soon!" I bid my goodbye to the white serpent before turning to make my way inside my home, never noticing how its eyes followed my movements, before it finally slithered off once I was out of sight.

--------

Over the course of several days, I had many visits from the white snake while I tended to the garden. I would converse with it about whatever happened to be on my mind that day, from happenings at school to the things I heard around town when I went out shopping for my mother. I even talked about things I wouldn't tell anyone else.

Sometimes I would bring out a bit of the leftovers from my lunch to share with him. Of course, I wasn't sure he was a male snake, I just had a feeling that he was.

"Thank goodness you are a snake. I'm really not comfortable around most people you know. But you, I feel like I could talk to you about anything and I don't have to worry about you telling anyone my secrets. I feel so lucky to have you, my little white snake, my dearest friend." Reaching down, I caressed his head gently.

I never noticed how he had almost flinched at the word friend.

--------

I sighed when I noticed the plum blossom's petals scattered across the ground. The season for blossoms always seemed to go by so fast. I was so distracted by my thoughts I almost missed seeing my little friend resting atop a small rock under one of the trees.

"Oh my, have you been waiting long? I'm so sorry, Shiro! But I see I am not the only one distracted by all the fallen petals on the ground. You really shouldn't look so sad though, because after the petals have fallen we get to look forward to what comes next!" I smiled down at my serpentine friend, running my fingers down his back as I rested on the ground beside him.

"As lovely as the blossoms are, if they never faded away then we would never get to enjoy the fruit that these plum trees will provide for us. This year mother is going to teach me how to make plum wine, you know! I've been asking her for years now to show me how she does it." I continued talking to him for hours, until the sun had almost left the sky before bidding him farewell and entering my home.

I never saw the young man that now stood where there had once been a white snake. Perhaps if I had turned and seen him, seen the wondering look in his eyes as he stared at my vanishing form, I would have been able to see the trap that was closing around me even now.

--------

After the plums had been harvested and the wine making begun, I started to worry over the future of my white snake. I had been seeing less and less of him as the weather became cooler and I was worried he might not make it through the winter chill.

Heading into the tool shed, I began planning how to kept my friend safe from the harsh weather that was to come.

--------

"And I put some of my old blankets in here, freshly cleaned of course, so that you can keep warm all winter!" I poked my hand into the wooden framed nest I had worked so hard on making my serpentine companion, rubbing my fingers against the soft, thick fabric that lined it on all sides to keep him warm.

I had searched for hours until I had found the white snake curled up next to one of the bare plum trees in the garden. I'd been sure he wasn't there before, but I could have missed him as he headed past me on his way here. I was just happy I had found him before it got too dark to show him his new shelter.

"This way I'll know that you will be safe and I can come check on you every day! And of course I will bring you treats, too! I know you enjoy eating the leftovers from my lunches!" I laughed softly, my eyes shining with happiness as I cuddled my friends scaly form close to me, warming him up before I had to leave him alone.

"Please keep yourself safe and healthy, my dear Shiro. I don't want to loose you to the cold." Placing a soft kiss to his forehead, I set him inside the thickly layered blankets and stood up, brushing leaves off my legs.

"I'll come back tomorrow to check on you. And lunch is going to be pork buns, so I will save you some of the filling. You really seemed to enjoy it last time!" Waving, I turned and began walking slowly back to the house.

It wouldn't do to make little Shiro worry about me, just because I felt a tiny bit ill.

--------

I made sure to check on my white snake, my Shiro, every day and bring him treats left over from meals. I also did my best to hide my illness, since I was sure it would pass in time. Sadly, by the end of the second week, I could no longer hide the swaying of my form or the redness of my feverish face.

When I finally collapsed on the ground beside Shiro's nest, I was far too gone to even notice the appearance of a very worried looking pale young man as he reached down and pulled my heated form into his arms, his green eyes wide as he lifted me from the ground and turned away from my home.

The only thing I was able to make out in my fevered delusion was a pair of somehow familiar bright green eyes staring down at me before my eyes closed and I was lost to strange dreams of snakes and plum blossoms.

--------

Slowly, I tried to open my eyes as a terrible ache pounded behind my eyes, my skin feeling too hot under the blanket that covered me. Trying in vain to push the heavy blanket from my shivering form, I gave up when I realized something was holding it in place.

"Please keep the blanket on, you need to stay covered so you can get better." A soft voice whispered from beside me.

Struggling again to open my eyes, I finally managed to crack one open into a squint, making out a white haired young man sitting beside me with a worried look on his face. When I tried to open my mouth to talk, the only sound that came out was a horrid sounding croak that caused me to begin coughing.

"Here, drink this. Some cool water should help your throat feel better." A cool hand grasped one of mine and placed a chilled glass into my hold.

I was helped upright as I sipped at the refreshing liquid, my throat relieved of some of the burning sensation that the coughing had caused. Finishing a fair amount of the water, I finally looked at the white haired youth beside me again, noticing his bright green eyes that almost seemed familiar to me.

"Who... are... you...?" I managed to finally force the question past my lips, fighting to keep from coughing between each word.

"I'm Mizuki, the familiar of this Shrine. But you would know me better by the name that you gave me." I was ready to protest that I did not know this person, let alone give him a name, when he opened his mouth and release a string of words that brought a chill down my spine.

"You know me as Shiro, the white snake you found and took home! You were so kind to me that day! And every day after, as well! I really couldn't help but fall in love with you. Even Nanami didn't offer to bring me home with her, although she didn't seem to mind if we visited each other from time to time. But you! You brought me home and cared for me, shared your meals with me, even built me that nest box to keep warm!" He smiled so brightly at me before his eyes suddenly darkened.

I felt my heart skip a beat in fear as I found myself unable to move, finally noticing the large white snake that was draping itself along my body to hold me down. Slowly, more and more white snakes appeared around me, wrapping about my arms and legs like ropes.

"But you forgot to take care of yourself, too. You put my own well-being before yours, and as much as I love you for it, I can't let you risk your health like that again. So I will be keeping you here with me from now on, where I can keep you safe and protect you. Even if that means protecting you from yourself, my love. After all, what kind of man would let his future mate come to harm?" I tried to struggle free when I heard his words, but my sick body just couldn't find enough energy to fight.

"I don't love you! You tricked me! I loved Shiro, the innocent white snake that I found! Not you! I'll never love you! I am not your future mate!" I cried softly, my voice breaking from both the tears streaming down my face and the illness that wracked my body with coughing fits after each sentence.

"I'm sorry you don't love me as Mizuki yet, but you will. You might say never right now, but I know you will be able to learn to love me. After all, I AM Shiro, your white snake that you love, so I know that someday that love will grow to include me as Mizuki as well. You will become my mate in time, I just need to have patience." I could see the insane love darkening his green eyes, my own slowly closing as I sank into the despair that threatened to drown me.

"I can wait. I have all the time in the world after all. Besides, you are the one who taught me that even if the flower fades away, the tree will eventually bare fruit to be harvested. I wonder what kind of fruit you will bare for me." I couldn't even cower away when I felt his lips press against mine.