Dark Paradise (book 2) - BokuAka

Chapter 2

- Akaashi

"How much you wanna bet that I can take it down?" Bokuto whispered to me.

"No way," I hissed. "You are not risking your life for a few pieces of bark that may not even be what you're thinking."

"But Keiji!" Bokuto whined, and the giant black bear that was clawing at a tree turned its head towards the sound. I let out a small gasp, ducking behind the boulder we were currently hiding behind. I still saw Bokuto peeking over the edge, so I grabbed his collar and forced him back down.

"It might be yellowisp!" Bokuto argued. Yellowisp is a type of bark that comes from the wisp tree in the forests surrounded the Tenshi land. They strip it off the trees, and boil it once to get rid of any germs. Then once it's dry they boil it again, making the light brown bark turn a faint yellow. From there traders sell it in the markets for cheap prices, and it can be dried out in the sun for three days to turn it into a leather-like material for making clothes, or baked so it tastes and has the hardness of really toasted bread. It's high in nutrients, and once baked it can be used in various recipes and doesn't spoil for months, so it's very popular.

"Bokuto, you do realize that wisp trees probably don't grow in the human world, right?" I reminded him. His shoulders sagged, his mood visibly damped. I sighed.

"But," I started, and Bokuto looked up at me. "I guess since that yellowisp is nutritious and yummy, plus it doesn't spoil easily, it wouldn't hurt to wait and see if it really is yellowisp," I said, and smiled. Bokuto's mood shot right back up again, and I had to place my hand over his mouth to keep him from shouting.

"But if it isn't yellowisp, you have to find something else for us to eat, deal?" I asked, and Bokuto nodded at me, beaming.

So we waited, and waited some more. It took maybe a half hour before the bear finally left, and I nervously peeked back over the boulder. Seeing that it was gone, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, it's gone," I informed Bokuto, and we both stood to our full heights. Bokuto rushed over to the tree, running his hands up and down the bark and sniffing it. I stood back with my arms crossed and a sceptical look on my face.

"Well?" I asked. Bokuto turned and beamed at me once again.

"I think it is!" he said excitedly, and I uncrossed my arms, walking over to the tree to join him. I ran my hand over the bark, feeling the roughness of it. I sniffed it, the smokey scene achingly familiar. I sighed.

"Yup, I think you are correct, Bo," I said, and he began to jump up and down in his excitement. I rolled my eyes as him fondly.

"Do you have a towel that we can store this in until we find something to boil it in?" I asked, and Bokuto frowned.

"Hold on, lemme check," he said, opening our shoulder bag and rummaging around, tongue stuck out in concentration. He had insisted on carrying it. Finding what he was looking for he smiled in triumph, pulling out a small, light blue towel.

"Perfect," I said, holding out my hand, and Bokuto handed me the towel. I placed it on the earthen ground, smoothing out all the wrinkles. I heard a ripping sound, and Bokuto handed me long strips of the brown bark. The bark itself was around four centimeters thick, perfect size for eating.

After Bokuto handed me a large enough pile to keep us going I folded the towel over the bark and began to press down, sucking out the moisture. That way it could be preserved without spoiling until we found some water to boil it in. Normally it was better to boil it directly after harvesting and not taking out the moisture, but we had to make do with what we had.

After I was sure the bark was dry, I wrapped it tightly into the towel and handed it to Bokuto, who put it in the bag for later.

"Now we just need fresh water," I said, standing up. "Do we even have a pot?"

"Umm," Bokuto started, looking. "Yes! But it's kinda small," he frowned, and I bit my lip.

"We'll just have to make do," I said. While preparing our bag for us, Bokuto's grandmother had tried asking neighbors for extra items they could spare for us to fill in the gaps. Let's just say the neighbors suddenly didn't own very much, and said they couldn't spare even a single pot.

So all we had in our medium sized shoulder bag was detailed instructions for my cast, extra bandages for the both of us, ointment, two tin cups and bowls, two forks and knives, two spoons, a small pot, drinking water, and some snacks. We also had a knife for cutting roots and meat, and I double checked before we left that it was safely secure in its sheath so Bokuto wouldn't accidentally cut his finger off.

"It isn't your fault," Bokuto said, as if reading my thoughts. "Those people are just selfish, don't worry about it."

"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty," I answered, looking away. I heard footsteps, and Bokuto's arms were around me in an instant, filling my nose with his sweet scent.

"It's not your fault," Bokuto repeated, more firmly this time. I just nodded, returning the hug. He soon pulled away, taking his warmth with him.

"Anyway, we should start setting up camp," I suggested, and Bokuto nodded, making a face.

"I don't wanna sleep on the ground," he complained, and I giggled.

"Oh, it's fine," I said, starting Northwest again, Bokuto trailing behind me. "We've been through worse than sleeping on the ground," I reminded him.

"I guess," he sulked. I shook my head at his childishness.

"Let's go," I smiled at him, intertwined our fingers.