Chapter Text
Nothing beats gazing into the sunset, watching the world swallowed by the horizon. Phinks strolled over, allowing his toes to snuggle the sand. Feeling the texture, the warmth, the salty-tang breeze that filled the air. The rise and fall of the waves followed a rhythmic pattern. All of it was captivating.
Meteor Cove is an island so far from society that the people here exist undocumented. It became a perfect paradise for those who wished to remain hidden. Criminals, pirates, and the living myth. Everyone had a unique reason why they were here.
Walking along the beach, he reminisced about the times he missed. It was bittersweet remembering the nostalgia of carefree fun. It was only by sheer accident that Phinks stumbled into this group of kids.
⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧
It was a sweltering summer day; Phinks, Shal, and Franklin were playing tag when they encountered a group of unfamiliar children. Hindsight is 20-20, or so the saying goes. There were obvious strange signs that went over his head back then. When Phinks approached them, their reaction was hostile and nervous. It was only after the smallest one, a girl who waved back, that the guard they had dropped.
No matter how short those times were, their names lived rent-free in his mind. Chrollo, Paku, Sarasa, Nobunaga, and Feitan. Those five could only be described as peculiar. An aura of mysticism surrounded them. While they looked human, nothing about them added up.
How, except Sarasa, they refused to hang out in town. They would only play near the beach where the ocean was in view. When night fell, they refused to allow anyone to escort them home. Phinks never saw them once walking home. Instead, those kids would wait along the beachside. Dodging personal questions about where they lived, or who their wet nurses were. Their secretive nature was frustrating at times.
Still, those summer days were the best moments of his life. How all of his friends clicked with them. Sheila adored Sarasa to the point where it was almost unbearable. She dreamt of becoming an adventurer. She'd ramble on about her desire to explore the world with Sarasa. To absorb what the world had to offer and more. Sarasa seemed to be on board, much to her friend's chagrin.
Uvo, a teenager who occasionally hung out with Phinks, was excited to meet another teen like him. Uvo's friendship with Nobu quickly became play sparring, constantly fighting. However, in moments when they thought no one was looking, they'd relax and enjoy the stars.
Machi was a girl who, despite clinging to the group, never socialized with anyone. At first, they all thought she was shy, but she had this cold "You're wasting my time" demeanor. Her wet nurses always complained about how un-childlike she was. This didn't help her guarded personality. So, imagine Phink's bewilderment when Machi slowly got along with Paku. For the first time in ages, Machi cracked a little smile when looking up at Paku, presenting as a real child should. Paku had that personality, someone you could open up to and trust. It was honestly sweet to see Machi in a different light.
Phinks chuckled to himself, remembering how obsessive Shal was with Chrollo. Shalnark was the kind of kid who, for lack of a better term, was a little shit. The number of times Phinks would threaten Shal for his smartass quips was never-ending. However, Shal was like that with everyone, except for that one boy. He'd call it as he saw it; it was special treatment. Granted, Phinks only started to tease Shal because Shal did it first.
The sheer amount of soulmate, romance, and couple jokes Shal threw at Phinks was ungodly. Feitan was someone who Phinks got attached to the most. To be clear, he tottttttttally was not obsessed with that guy. They were just bros. Homies. Friends. At least, back then, that's how it was. Phinks didn't even understand the concept of romance and attraction back then. All of those desires were proof to him of his platonic bond with Fei.
I want to see Fei.
I want to hang out with Fei.
I want to know more about Fei.
I want to prank Shal and Chro with Fei.
I want to discover something cool with Fei.
I am at my happiest when Feitan is by my side.
I want to live the rest of my life to the fullest with Fei.
Now, with hindsight, he wasn't so sure if it was all entirely platonic. As he grew up, looking back to the past, it became more obvious that the bond he had with Fei was different. Not a single friendship ever came close to the burning fire he felt when he was with his other half. But maybe that was just rose-colored nostalgia talking. Maybe that bond was never real.
One day, out of the blue, vanishing like a ghost, those kids never returned.
Every day, Phinks and the others would spend time calling out their names. Revisiting the same spot they always played. It got to the point where they'd run into town, asking if they had seen those kids. It was as if they were fighting against the world, describing a ghost they never knew. Worse of all, some of the adults were convinced these kids were just imaginary. Another one of those darn kids' stupid pranks.
Everyone was devastated.
Sheila cried for days, withering herself away from the group. Her obsession with Sarasa turned into something deranged. Creating a doll to represent Sarasa, playing with only Sarasa. It wasn't long until she vanished one night. She didn't say much, just expressed to Shal that she was following her dream. Of being an explorer, to see the world with... Sarasa.
Uvo had a similar idea to Sheila, except he never found something to replace Nobu. He was ungodly pissed that Nobu left without a goodbye and swore he'd travel the outside world just to unearth him.
Machi reverted to what she once was. An ice queen, an isolationist who slowly stopped hanging out with them.
Soon it was just Phinks, Shal, and Franklin again. Though Franklin was always more of Shal's friend than his. Franklin was always the pragmatic one between the three. He advised them to get over it. There was no point in destroying oneself for the past, as he put it.
Then, in Meteor Cove, it was just Shal and Phinks. Making daily routines to walk along the beachside. But nothing came of it. Day in, day out, nothing... Until a few months later, it just became Phinks. Bitterly, Phinks remembered that conversation he had with Shal on the docks, staring at the boundless stretch of blue.
"Phinks, Franklin was right." Shal sighed, swaying his legs.
"What?! Not you too! Don't you want to know what happened to Chrollo?" Phinks exclaimed.
"Of course I do. Just as much as you do with Fei. Or well, maybe not as much." He cracked in a joke at a time like this? Shal chuckled and exhaled, "But we have to be realistic about this."
Phinks pouted, "I don't want to be realistic about it."
"Then, would you like to hear something crazy?" Shal gave him a smile, but his eyes looked mischievous.
"What?" Phinks blinked, leaning forward.
"The adults that accused us of playing with imaginary friends might have been on to something."
"WHAT!" Phinks glared. "Oh, c'mon, you know that isn't true!" Was Shal seriously trying to gaslight him right now?
"Hear me out." His demeanor looked serious, and he shifted his gaze back to the horizon. "Those five human kids never existed in Meteor Cove. We asked almost every wet nurse on this island, and none of them recognized the descriptions we provided. We know that those kids were strange, refusing to show or tell us where they lived."
"So, you think they were vacationing here or something?" Phinks raised an eyebrow.
Shal shook his head. "I did consider it, but what were the chances of five kids vacationing together and refusing to admit it?"
"I dunno. But what other options are there?" Phinks shrugged.
"Have you ever heard of the myth? An old fisherman's legend that only the elders here seem to believe in." Shal glanced over.
"Um, no?"
"They say the reason why no government tries to colonize Meteor Cove is because of its location. Right in the center of a cursed part of the ocean, turning most ships into ghosts in a mere night. Most adults say that it's not a curse, but rather could be explained away by science."
Phinks hummed a little while listening to Shal, trying to figure out where he was going with this.
"However, there is a myth that lingering within the waters are creatures; the true culprit of the ship wreckage. Monsters ranging from the Kraken, a living megalodon, to something smaller and more sinister. Sirens, or merpeople." Shal's demeanor was blank. Phinks couldn't tell if this was one of his jokes or if he was serious.
"Huh?"
Changing his position, he began to hug his legs to his chest. "Don't you think it's weird how fast we were allured and attached to them? How their mysticism become our obsession? Didn't Fei try to lure you into the ocean multiple times? Di-"
Curdly, Phinks cut him off, "Are you seriously trying to convince me that my best friend is a fish?!"
Shal gave him a disgruntled expression. He stood up and dusted away the sand on his shorts before looking down on him. "No. I'm saying your boyfriend is a fish!" He had that smug grin on.
"He's NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Phink shot up, towering over Shal. How many times did he have to tell Shal that?! "YOU-YOUR!" He was stumbling over his words, his head red with embarrassment. Words were never his forte, but violence was. He screamed, "WELL, YOUR BOYFRIEND'S A FISH!" while pushing Shal off the docks and into the ocean.
Gasping for air, Shal freaked out, "Phin-ks, Hel-p!"
Phinks rolled his eyes, but the more he listened to his friend's panic, the more concerned he felt. "Alright, fine, fine!" He shouted before jumping in to fix the mess he started.
He dragged Shal by the arm to the shores before plopping himself beside him. Staring up at the purple sky, he exhaled, pondering to himself. Not that he really did believe in Shal's crazy theory, but if Fei was really a siren, would that even matter to him? If Fei was just a siren, he'd already had so many chances to eat him alive. Wouldn't the fact that he's still alive, uneaten, mean the bond between them was real?
Phinks shook his head; these thoughts were crazy. He chuckled, "So, let's pretend your crazy theory is true. If you were to meet Chrollo again, what would you do knowing that he's a siren?"
Shal turned to Phinks with a blank smile. "Put him in a fish tank so he can never leave me again." It was probably a joke, a crude one. Phinks shifted his body, pushing away from Shal with a disgusted look. "What, c'mon, I'm only kidding. I'd never do that!" Shal lightly slapped his arm, almost offended that Phinks took it seriously.
"I dunno, sometimes you worry me. You tease people like a sadist." Phinks shrugged while still giving him a judgemental look.
Shal laughed, propping himself up. "You really seem to have a type."
"What type?" Phinks got up with a bewildered look.
"Sadist." Shal shrugged. "Well, I'm nowhere near as bad as Fei."
Phinks gave him a disgruntled sigh. There was a long silent pause. "So, you're really giving up on them?"
"Giving up is a strong word. I like to see it as I'm not letting it control my life. If I find clues, I'll look into it. I just won't look for them daily. I won't spend the rest of my life chasing a ghost." Shal rose, wiping the sand off his skin. Or at least, he tried to.
"I see..." Phinks paused. It was logical, but he still couldn't escape the thoughts about them.
⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧
Over time, he spent less and less time looking for them. He turned running around the beach into a daily morning routine, but it became more of an exercise regimen.
It's been fifteen years since he last saw Feitan. The faces of the other kids started to blur, but Feitan's face was the one thing he held onto. Refusing to let that memory fade away with the passage of time. Walking along the beachside, right where the tide barely reaches, Phinks inhales the aroma of the sea.
So much has changed in the last fifteen years, yet nothing at all. Phinks was in his late 20s, living a life that felt incomplete. He worked as a bodyguard at the local pub, throwing out pirates who dared to draw their swords inside. It wasn't out of morality, just a job with an excuse to get violent without much repercussion. At least, nothing he couldn't handle. He's not as big as Uvo, but his physique could only be described as stacked and brawny.
It's been fifteen years, he kept reminding himself. At this point, if he did see Fei again, he didn't know if he'd embrace him or beat the living shit out of him. Nothing was able to replace what he felt with Fei. What was once poetic turned bitter. Not even the on-and-off fling he had with Shalnark came close. Which was embarrassing to admit, though he didn't regret it. They were just friends who were experimenting, but the romance was never there. Their hearts were stolen years ago; it was only a question of whether those hearts could still beat.
"I should really head back home." He sighed, plopping his sneakers onto the sand. Slipping his foot in, he gazed forward. "Right, there's a grotto not far from here."
When Shal's antics became unbearable, Feitan would show Phinks this little grotto he found. It wasn't that hidden, but with the arches of the cliffs, it felt like a secret hideaway. A place where Fei and Phinks could hang out without judgment.
It's been a month since he last inspected that place. He really should be heading back home, but. "It wouldn't hurt to check." He muttered to himself. Head first into the ice-cold waters and propelling himself forward with the rhythmic movement of his arms. Inside the grotto, there should have been a patch of rocks, almost like a pathway where Phinks could walk.
"Shit, it really is dark at night." He sighed, grabbing the lighter in his pockets. "Hope this thing still lights." He flicked it several times. It took a good minute before the fssh, followed by the small flame that illuminated dimly. Slowly walking, surrounded by the white noise of the waves and the echoes of his footsteps.
While dragging his feet, he flickered when his foot grazed something that felt like a tool. Lowering his body and the light to the ground, he saw a man-made spear, covered in dried but rather fresh blood.
"What the-" he exclaimed, wondering how and why something like this was here. While looking around the rocks, he heard the faintest noise. Like a nail scraping against a rock, it felt out of place. Phinks looked towards the direction of the noise, slowly approaching.
A slithering dark figure, what was once still, became more hostile with every step Phinks took. The sound of nails scraping against the rocks, along with a threatening hiss, echoed in the grotto. Perhaps it was the creature's way of warning Phinks; however, the only thought in his head was, "What the fuck kind of animal is that?"
Looming the light forward, the slithering figure had a long, fish-like tail, with beautiful iridescent black scales. However, there was a prominent wound in the middle; blood gushed out with every aggressive whip movement it made. Panning over the light upward, he froze when the scales became gradient; it blended into a pale white body of a human.
"Have you ever heard of the myth? An old fishermen's legend that only the elders here seem to believe in." Shal's words echoed in his head as Phinks hesitated to luminate the area where the face would be.
As he moved the lighter, the first thing he saw was silky short black hair that covered the eyes. His fangs were out, much like shark teeth, hissing at the large figure. This siren looked petite, or at least, if it had human legs, it would have been. It was unreal. He kept glancing back and forth, at the human physique, back to the fish-like tail.
Murmuring to himself, "With the number of horror stories of your kind eating people, I'd thought your kind's true form would be ugly."
The hissing and tail-wiping only got more aggressive, as if it understood what he said. Stupidly, not reading the room, Phinks attempted to touch the siren. "Is this seriously real?"
The siren, out of reflex, snatched his arm, digging its nail into it. It hurt, but not enough to deter Phinks. He shone the lighter closer, leaning in to get a better look at the creature's face.
It's been fifteen years since he saw Feitan's face.
Phinks froze as if he saw a ghost.
"Fei?"
The creature was about to lunge and bite his face off but flinched as he spoke his name. The expression became less hostile and more skeptical.
Staring up and down his body, he spoke again, "You're Feitan, right? Fei!" The dream of reuniting with his best friend was something he accepted to be just that, a dream. Face to face with a fantasy, he couldn't believe his eyes. "It's me, Phinks. Don't you remember, fifteen years ago we-" He was getting all choked up.
"Phi...nks." The grip on his arm loosened, along with the decline of the tail wips and aggression.
So many questions raced through his mind. As much as he wanted to bombard him with all of them, he couldn't at that moment. He was lost in that moment.
Fifteen years...