Chapter Text
Spring.
It's the season where everything blooms after the brutal winter: months of cold, hunger, and death... especially death. Every week there were at least five burials: children, young people, or the elderly. Death doesn't discriminate—it's the only thing that's equal for everyone in this life full of injustices.
Deaths from hypothermia, hunger, or any other imaginable illness. It's not as if it bothered him: he was used to it.
He thought about it on his way home from school. He'd been suspended (again) for spreading nasty rumors about a girl... a certain Peach Juice?... He couldn't remember.
But the worst part was that they weren't just rumors: they were true!
Still, the damage was done. Now his classmates hated him more than before—if that were possible.
Still, he had no friends at that stupid school.
He didn't care. They were all idiots, jerks, and hypocrites.
"I don't need to go to that school," he thought as he kicked a rock along the path. "I'm going to become a pirate and travel the seas freely, with no one bothering me around."
When he looked up, he was already home.
Well... school wasn't the only place he hated. Although "hate" was a very strong word. He actually disliked it.
The house was empty, as expected. His half-siblings were probably working—and good thing they were. If Misty found out he'd been suspended (again), she'd give him a lecture about how he was wasting his life. She'd always taken on the role of the group's parent, but she was as articulate as a rock.
While he thought about that, he headed into the living room. And there she was, like a parasite, lying on the couch taking her fifteen-hour beauty nap.
His sister Sugar was the only one of his older siblings who didn't have a job... nor did she make the effort to look for one. She'd already been offered several jobs, but she didn't last a day in any of them. She was too lazy to make even the slightest effort.
She spent her time painting her nails or putting on makeup... and then falling asleep.
She left her things on the floor and, with silent steps, went to the kitchen. She came back with a bucket of water, sneaking up. Without hesitation, she threw the bucket at him.
"AHHH!!!" Sugar yelled, jumping up. "Damn, my hair was freshly ironed!" she exclaimed, lunging at him, but he managed to dodge her in time.
"So sloooow~~" she laughed as she quickly backed away to avoid him sinking the claws she called nails into her eyes.
"Damn parasite, what's wrong with you!" she yelled furiously, trying to regain her balance... unsuccessfully.
"It's not my fault you prefer to sleep instead of looking for a real job," he said, laughing.
"You know I'm looking! You don't know how hard it is to find one this time of year," she squealed as she threw a pillow (missing, as always).
"I can imagine. It must be so exhausting~~" He laughed even louder, mocking her.
He knew perfectly well she wasn't trying. He knew it from the countless letters with job offers she'd turned down with excuses like "too much effort," "it's not for me," or some other she couldn't even remember.
"It's true, I swear! Also, just so you know, I have a job interview right now and I'm not going to be late because of you," she yelled in her squeaky voice as she ran off to her room to fix her hair.
"Yes, yes, yes, whatever," she mocked one last time.
After that loving exchange with his half-sister, he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to go for a walk, taking advantage of the sun still shining.
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝
He was wandering through the dirty streets of the town, watching the vendors, the children playing, and the rats scurrying about. It was a miracle no one had caught the plague.
On one of those occasions, he saw a poor child stealing a roll from a stall. When the vendor noticed, he wasn't happy at all: he grabbed the boy by his skeletal arm and slammed him to the ground, kicking him and calling him a "thieving beggar" and worse. No one did anything. They just turned their faces away.
No one wanted to help.
Before he knew it, he was walking toward them, standing between the boy and the vendor... earning himself a good punch in the eye that made him stagger. Shadow Milk wasn't strong—quite the opposite, actually—but he still managed to keep his balance.
He didn't care too much. When he got home, they'd probably think he'd gotten into a fight, which... wasn't entirely a lie. But he didn't want another reason to be scolded.
"What's wrong with you, brat? Don't butt in where you're not meant to be!" the man bellowed angrily. "This kid you're defending is a damn thief, and if you don't want me to beat you up too, leave now!" he threatened, brandishing a baguette.
"Leave the boy alone. What did he steal from you? I'll pay for it," Shadow Milk replied. The words came out before he could stop them.
Why was he so generous to a boy he'd just met?
Maybe because he'd been in his place.
Even though he now lived in a decent house, there was a time when he had nothing. No place to call home, no food to fill his small belly. So he had to steal or swindle to eat even a piece of bread.
The vendor was surprised by his words, but accepted the coins and turned away. There went almost a week's savings... He regretted it a little, but seeing the boy's teary eyes looking at him, he didn't feel so bad.
Maybe he could steal a little more. Despite having a home and food, his bad habits never went away.
He liked to steal and swindle, not out of necessity, just for fun.
"What's your name?" —he asked as he helped the boy to his feet.
The little boy had long, curly black hair that covered part of his vision. His eyes were as dark as night. He lowered his head and replied timidly,
“Mmh… S-Black Sapphire, sir.”
“Hey, you offend me, I’m not that old,” Shadow Milk laughed. “You can call me Shadow Milk… or master, whatever you want.”
The boy looked at him, his eyes wide open.
“I-I’m so sorry, mistress,” I mean, master. Thank you very much.”
Shadow Milk burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder.
“Calm down, kid, it was just a joke.”
Then, behind him, a little girl in a ragged dress approached, her white hair in two pigtails and her big, crimson eyes.
“Sapphire? Did you get any food? I’m hungry,” the little girl complained, playing with the hem of her dress.
"Yeah, sure!" he said quickly, handing her the roll he'd just gotten. The girl devoured it happily, while her brother looked at her with a tired smile... and an empty stomach.
"Hey, you two... are you brothers or something?" Shadow asked, crouching down to her level.
They both nodded shyly.
"My name is Candy Apple. I don't usually tell strangers my name, but if my brother trusts you, I do too!" the girl said happily, hugging her older brother.
Now it all made more sense. The older one was stealing to feed the younger one. He did it often, judging by the bruises covering his small, unhealthy body.
Poor boy... so young, and already going through this.
How many days had it been since he'd eaten? With how quickly the girl devoured the bread, it must have been a long time.
"Hey, guys, how many days have you gone since you've eaten?" Shadow asked, looking at them curiously.
"...We don't know. We don't know how to count," they admitted, embarrassed. "But the last time we ate was when the church bells rang."
That was Sunday. Today was Thursday.
They hadn't eaten for a long time.
"Wow... that's quite a lot," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Okay," he thought, "they have no education, no food, and probably no home."
"Where do they live? Where are their parents?" he asked, hoping not to embarrass them.
The children looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"Hmm... we were abandoned at birth," the oldest replied nervously, staring at the ground. "We live in the alley next door, next to the dumpster."
Shadow Milk wondered how they had survived the winter. But that wasn't important now.
Well, at least he had some luck. He was abandoned too, but he wasn't completely alone.
She decided to cheer them up a little. Maybe with a magic trick.
"Hey, kids," she said playfully. "Do you like magic tricks?"
The two children looked at each other and their eyes lit up.
"Yeah, yeah, of course! Who doesn't?" squealed the younger one, jumping for joy.
Her brother nodded shyly too, though a smile appeared on his face.
"Well, I'll take that as a yes," he replied. He showed his empty hands, put them behind Candy's ear, and took out a couple of coins. "What do we have here?" he laughed, seeing the children's amazed expressions.
Their big eyes shone with a mixture of surprise and pure joy.
"That was behind my ear?!" the girl cried, jumping with excitement.
Her brother looked at her with amusement.
"Yeah, yeah, that was behind your ear." "You should clean them more often," Shadow Milk joked, laughing.
The little girl frowned.
"Hey! I wash them often, and I've never had any coins come out!"
Her brother laughed even harder, which annoyed her even more.
"Apparently not enough, Candy~~," the boy mocked. The girl snorted and ran away, embarrassed.
Shadow Milk offered the coins to the boy, who stopped laughing. He looked at him seriously, his eyes watering.
"I... I don't know what to say. Thank you very much, sir. No one's ever been nice to us," she sobbed, before turning and running away with her sister.
Life was so unfair.
He wished they were all right... even though they'd probably starve to death in that alley.
No one would hold a wake for their bodies. No one would remember them.
But oh well...
He'd already done his good deed for the day.
He wished their deaths were peaceful—although he doubted it.
𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚
When he reached the beach, it was empty, just the way he liked it. Only the sound of the sea and the waves, the smell of salt, the sand beneath his feet. He walked along the coast, relaxing; it was one of the few places where he found peace. Real peace.
At home, his brothers were always fighting over the odd thing, so much so that Salty preferred to work overtime rather than return. And he didn't blame him… he wanted to run away from there too. But he had nowhere else to go, and they wouldn't give jobs to boys as inexperienced as him, even though he had tried more than once.
He dreamed not only of leaving home, but also of escaping that miserable town that didn't want him.
He already had a bad reputation: a liar, a charlatan. Well, you know what they say: "Make a name for yourself and go to sleep." That's why he didn't have friends or get along with his brothers. He had no one.
He wanted to own a boat and sail the seas, explore them, discover their wonders and their depths. He knew a lot about the sea: all species of fish, plants, and legends. Especially those about creatures like the Kraken, whales—although he doubted they were a myth—and mermaids and mermen: beings of extraordinary beauty, half fish, half human, whose song hypnotized sailors until they fell in love.
They were so mysterious… Those who claimed to have seen them never survived to tell the tale.
So how did everyone know of their existence? Perhaps because they weren't real, and it was just a story to scare novice sailors.
It was already nighttime. The sun had set long ago, the moon was full, and the stars shone in the dark sky. He liked the stars too; he knew most of the constellations. He knew many things, but had no one to share them with.
His brothers were ignorant, and he had no friends. No one loved him. And he didn't blame them: no one could love someone like him. He had done—and continued to do—horrible things. That's why his classmates and siblings hated him.
He had been alone his entire life, despite having a family. They didn't support him. Talking to them was like talking to a wall.
And oh, gods, how he hated being surrounded by people and feeling so alone.
His teachers told him he had to change, because no one would love him as he was. But he didn't want to change.
He hated change.
That's why he loved the sea.
The sea never changed, never left, never abandoned him.
It was always there.
It didn't leave like his parents.
It didn't reject him.
The sea accepted him just as he was: dramatic, arrogant, manipulative, selfish.
Without realizing it, a few tears began to fall.
He tried to wipe them away, but it was useless: his face was already soaked.
He hoped no one saw him like this. He would have to wash before going home; He didn't want them to see him weak, vulnerable, like a helpless animal in need of help.
He didn't need help.
A loud splash brought him out of his thoughts. He turned around and saw something moving on the seashore.
It gleamed in the moonlight: it had golden scales and long blond hair.
It was tangled in a fishing net, injured, and it began to scream.
High-pitched screams, in pure pain.
It seemed to be asking for help.
Shadow Milk wiped away her tears and approached, step by step, until she was standing in front of the creature.
It was a merman.
And he was beautiful.
He had tanned skin, hair as golden as the sun itself, which shone under the full moon. His eyelashes were white and long, casting shadows over his beautiful face. But the most striking thing was his tail: long, golden, shining like gold.
The scales reflected the light in shades of warm and cool at the same time.
The creature was enormous, perhaps over two meters tall, which made it imposing compared to Shadow Milk's five foot one. It was completely trapped in the net, scratches all over its body. The rope was beginning to dig into its skin.
Poor creature. It had probably gotten caught by accident.
Should he help it?
Or eliminate it?
He had heard horrific stories about mermen dragging sailors to the bottom of the sea to drown them.
What if it attacked?
Before he could decide, the creature let out a piercing shriek.
It must have been out of the water for a long time... it was probably drying out.
Shadow Milk sighed.
"Hey, calm down," he said, approaching with a switchblade in his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you... for now."
The merman shuddered, trying to move away without success.
Then he opened his eyes.
And, oh, gods...
He had never seen such beautiful eyes. One was blue like the sky; the other, golden like the sun.
The creature wept, looking at him pleadingly.
Shadow Milk's heart leaped.
He knew it wasn't worth stirring the fury of the sea by killing a merman. They were part of the ocean, and the sea didn't forgive those who harmed its own.
He had heard too many tales of sailors punished for their actions.
He wasn't in the mood to tempt fate.
He bent down and cut the bonds, freeing him.
The merman stared at him for a few seconds before turning and disappearing into the waves.
The breeze blew softly, stirring his hair.
It was starting to get cold.
It was time to go home.
His brothers should have returned a while ago; it was best not to anger Misty, and he also wanted to know how Sugar's supposed interview had gone.
"What a strange day," he murmured.
It would be best to rest.
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝
He hurried away from the shore, plunging deep into the depths of the sea.
He only stopped when the seaweed and coral surrounded him completely.
Then a sound startled him.
"Pure Vanillaaaaaa!" a female voice yelled from behind her.
"I've been looking for you since dusk and I couldn't find you! Where the hell have you been? You had me so, so worried!"
It was White Lily, her childhood friend. But as she approached, she stopped dead in her tracks: the wounds the net had left on her body and the tired expression on her face chilled her soul.
"Hey... what happened to you? Are you okay?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"I'm fine! Don't worry," he replied, trying to reassure her. "I just surfaced to sunbathe... and well, I got caught in a fishing net."
White Lily frowned, angry and worried at the same time.
"How could you think of that?! What would have happened if you didn't make it out in time, huh? What if you'd been caught?"
It was only natural that she would get upset. They'd known each other since birth, never separated, and each was the other's world.
"Don't worry, my friend," Pure Vanilla said with a tired smile. "I also thought I wouldn't be able to escape, but then... a cute human approached. For a moment, I thought he was going to kill me or sell me, but instead... he set me free."
White Lily watched him, confused. Why did he seem so delighted when talking about that human?
"I thought all humans were bad and cruel..." he continued with a gentle smile. "But that human saved me. He was so kind, he didn't mean to hurt me. See? I told you not all humans are bad!"
He giggled, with that innocence that always characterized him. Pure Vanilla had always believed that all beings—human or not—had something good inside, a vulnerable side that just needed to be seen.
And now, he was happy to know he was right.
“I wish I could see him again… even from a distance,” he thought as the water gently enveloped him.
“I wonder if he's okay… if he's stopped crying.”