Love Comes in All Sizes (Companion Sequel Fic to "Uniquely the Same")

The Colour Pink

The ocean... the deep blue. It would stretch on for miles. Miles and miles.

Never ending really, I guess. Knowing that the planet I'm on is round (At least that's what Giulia says) It really is never-ending.

Life was hard sometimes. It was also harder because my two best friends were gone... once again.

See, they only come back to my town Portorosso two months in the summer. For the rest of the year, I'm pretty much alone when it comes to friends.

All I had was Mr. Marcovaldo. He was my true father. I'm not afraid to say that. My biological dad left me twice. I don't want to really talk about it. But I know, deep down... that if he came back once more... I'd be in tears of happiness. Because I loved him, even if he doesn't love me.

So, I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm rambling on like this. Easy, I have to spend most of my days on guard around the fish farm.

See, I had committed a crime. I had let the original fish herd free in the blue yonder. So, my punishment? Being a protector and guard to the fish they were recouping with.

Still, some days can be hard. Sometimes I almost fall asleep from boredom. Sometimes, I actually do.

I missed my friends...

Me and the other townspeople really had nothing in common. They saw me as fishboy.

But not Luca. Not Giulia. Not my dad Mr. Marcovaldo.

So I had to accept that about some people. I just had to accept it.

At this time, I was floating with a hooked rod in the deep near the fish gates. But I was getting tired. Too tired to keep awake. Boredom, right?

I closed my piercing green eyes gently, just to have a small nap.

I flinched awake but a second later when I saw something swish around in the distance. Oh, great! Had a stupid fish gotten out?

I began to quickly swim towards the object in the far away distance, getting my hook ready to latch them, but I froze when I saw it was not a fish.

No... well, kinda not.

It was a girl...

She had pink scaly skin and light blue eyes, with a yellow underbelly.

She was a sea monster. And my jaw literally dropped.

The moment she saw me, though, she jolted back frightened and began swishing her tail in utter terror, jolting her body away in a sudden swimming sprint.

"Wait!" I called to her, letting go of the rod in my fin hands. It began to sink to the ocean floor, but I was too preoccupied in my chase of her to care.

I kept pace, trying to catch up to her but she was going just too fast. I then saw her dash downwards into a deep ocean cave, and I stopped in my pursuit. I couldn't forget what I was meant to be doing.

But for some strange reason, this felt more important.

There wasn't many sea-folk my age... and I missed my friends. So, it was kinda logical that I wanted to at least make my peace with this pink sea monster. I mean, logic? Yeah?

I gulped and entered into the dark cave, shadows eclipsing me and I swam further on till it was only darkness with a few holes in the cave's roof letting in streams of light.

I kept my pace but, and swam for what felt like ten minutes. As I reached the end, I saw there was an archway that led back out to the open water. I swam past it and re-entered back into the wide sea.

I looked from side to side, up and down. She... she was gone. She had been a possible comrade, but sadly no...

I began to head back to the fish farm and went to pick up my rod. When I went back to where I had left it, it was gone.

I made a heavy frown and scoured the ocean floor looking for it, but no luck.

It felt like I was low on luck today...

I swam back to the fish farm's concrete exterior and floated there in boredom. Till I looked down and spotted the exact thing I was after.

My shepherd rod, with something tied around the middle. I held it up and saw it was seaweed... and a pink sea flower. I was confused.

I didn't think too much of it, at least I tried not to. I put the flower in my pocket and kept on my routine job (cough, cough, chore). As the sun began to dip away behind the horizon, I gave a heavy yawn and stretched my arms tiredly.

But I soon saw something strange happen in my pants pocket. It was glowing pink light. I dipped my hand back in and pulled it out. The water was getting darker and darker. I looked at it lost in why it was glowing, but then I looked up and saw in the murky dark water ahead, that there was more glowing in the distance.

I was meant to finish off my job in an hour, but I was too intrigued with the flower path to care. I skimped out early and swam casually forward, following the trail and becoming more and more intrigued.

I soon saw a huge rock was jutting out of the ocean about ten minutes away, and I could just see the flowers climbing up it and settling on top. I began to climb the rock slowly and startled back in shock when I saw what was on the top of this very tiny island.

A tanned human girl with blonde hair, dressed in seaweed clothes. She had her eyes closed and was cradling her cold body in a fetus position.

"Hey." I called to her, knowing full well that this was not a normal place for a human to nap, "HEY!"

She jolted awake and the second she saw me, she froze up before suddenly diving into the sea. I jumped in after her and grabbed her arm, pulling her back and stopping her from disappearing into the deep.

She turned to look at me, and I saw quickly her skin turning to pink scales, her bright blue eyes gawking at me in horror.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" She screamed and I crooked my eyebrow up, lost and confused as to why she'd say this.

"I'm not gonna kill you." I told her blankly but didn't release my grip on her arm just in case, "I'm a sea monster. Like you."

She shook her head quickly and I looked at her puzzled.

"I'm not a monster. You aren't either!" She said in what seemed like a pained voice, "I'm merfolk, and you are too."

I scuffed out a little laugh and only looked at her closely.

"What's your name?"

"I won't say..." She said, and yanked her arm free of me, "Not to someone who lives with the monsters on land."

"How.." I began, a bit surprised she knew this about me, "How did you know that?"

She seemed to go red in the cheeks and she began to turn to leave but I swam before her once more and asked, "How?"

"I know what all merfolk are doing." She proclaimed, placing her fin hand to her heart and uttering, "And you... have betrayed your kind."

"What's your name?" I asked slowly, sizing her up suspiciously and she replied back, nervous.

"What's yours?"

I scrunched my lips to the side, thinking for a second what to say to this girl sea monster.

"Alberto." I finally answered and she thrust herself forward with confidence, saying right up to my face.

"Erika."

"SO Erika," I continued, staring right into her blue eyes, "What's with the glowing pink flowers?"

She swallowed heavily and I continued.

"And what's... with YOU?"