Sakura and Iason spend their time together in the underground East caverns, exploring the unnaturally growing algae and fungi.
Gon was unfortunately stuck in a meeting, leaving the two to explore the caverns on their own. Not many people had come to the cave system today, which is good. It means they'll have most of the place to themselves today.
The main entrance didn't have much to look at, given that the light bathing the entrance stopped the fungus, algae and plants growing over the rocky system, from showing their true selves.
The light made it impossible to see anything…
Sakura stopped at a multi-cavern entrance, looking over the signs for the best optimal place.
Iason however focused on one peculiar entranceway, feeling a slight thrum of power coursing through the cavern.
It wasn't Nen… at least, he didn't believe it was Nen. It may have been something else, something Sakura, would certainly be hyper-aware of "Do you feel that?"
"Yes…" The young teen looked over his shoulder, observing his partner intently. So, Iason could feel it too? It wasn't Nen, not in a conventional sense, nor was it anything like the Hyacinth Luminous Willow could achieve.
What, this was, was a mix of the spores being excreted via the algae and fungus. It wasn't toxic to humans, or this place would've been locked away years ago.
What the spores replicated in humans, is mainly a sense of awe, an impression that made them susceptible to the cavern's peaceful habitation. It was great for not only the skin, but the mind as well. Being down here would make even the grumpiest man feel placated "It's mainly the spores roaming around the caves."
"Wouldn't that be considered dangerous to be breathing in…?" Iason held his breath for a second, just in case.
"Not these kinds… it makes you feel at peace, but, bringing it out of the cavern is virtually impossible, because of its required breeding grounds. It needs air-tight caverns and pure darkness. We're barely in reach of the spores… do you want to continue?"
"Sure… I trust you. I was just… curious."
Sakura smiled at the comment, returning to look at the sign, "There are multiple paths we can take…"
Iason closed the distance, an arm slung around his partner's shoulder. While Sakura melted into his semi-hug, the teen observed the sign's pathways, "Which one do you believe is the best?"
"Well… I wanted all of us to go on the best route, together…"
"Gon, unfortunately, is buried in work because of his findings. It'll be a few days before he'll be joining us for any exploration. I'm amazed he gets to have dinner with us."
Sakura gave a nod of understanding, his frown somewhat evident on his face. But what Iason says is true, Gon would make time out of his day to spend with them, no matter how much they'll force him to do his job. It's still a holiday to them, an all-expenses paid holiday… but a holiday nonetheless, "I'm glad he gets those moments of respite with us… I still wish he was here to enjoy the moment with us."
"I know…" The boy held his partner tighter, "But he'll appreciate whatever we get to show him."
"You're right… Let's take the second best, then continue the best route once we have Gon with us."
"Okay…"
Sakura pressed a finger to the sign, tapping the location to which they were going to be exploring. As he said, it was the second-best route, but he was certain the two of them would enjoy every second down there. It was just making their way would be difficult.
There wouldn't be much light on their way down, given that any form of light would interfere with the algae and fungi's glow down there.
It's why they advise people to not use a camera or flashlight lighting. Natural lighting would be the best they can offer, but too much would make it impossible to view everything the caverns have to offer.
"Let's go through the underwater caverns."
"That would be unwise since we're close to the west part of the island." Iason made sure only his partner could hear him.
"It's not literary underwater… the pathway happens to wind through the underwater system." Sakura carefully whispered the next part, given that it was supposed to be a secret "We're in no danger of being attacked by the monstrous shark."
"Then we'll go down that path."
Squeezing his boyfriend's hand, Sakura led Iason through the pathway grabbing the rail on the way down, deep into the darkness. The rail was to help people feel their way down, a step being difficult to navigate without them.
This path had minimum lighting, considering where it led, it'd be impossible to light the whole way down without interfering with the natural habitat.
"How are we supposed to see anything?" The boy was quick to complain, almost missing a step in the process. He didn't slip and fall over but he did skid a few inches. If it weren't for Sakura's guiding hand or the handrail, he would've fallen a step or two.
Wasn't this path considered dangerous?
Considering he almost tripped and fell; he would've thought it would be the case.
Sakura helped steady his partner "Sorry about that… that was my fault"
"No, you're fine… it's completely pitch black down here how is anyone supposed to see the path?"
"It's only one way down and back. It'll be impossible to get lost down this pathway. Give it a second…"
"Wait, it's the same way back up?"
"Well, no… It's one way down and one way up. There's a back path that leads all the way, to the main entrance."
"Oh…"
Guiding his partner through the darkness, he saw the shimmering light, the faint glow in the deepest part of the cavern. Iason saw it too, but what he hadn't expected, was the bright light to act like a portal into another world. At least, from his viewpoint, that's how he witnessed it.
The moment they reached that last step, the bright light was only a brief sight of what they were about to watch unfold.
The light emanating from the room assaulted their eyes, not in a bad way.
It was like, unlocking their phone in the middle of the night.
Blinded for a second, it's when their eyes adjusted, they saw a room filled with endless wonder.
Similar to stepping onto an alien world, it felt like they were viewing an endless sea of glowing colours; the constant drip of water in the background, the fresh smell of clean, wet air. It didn't smell stagnant, considering it was so deep, and there wasn't any flowing water, at least by sound.
Everything about this place filled their mind and sights with wonder. But the one who was most impressed by it all was none other than Sakura himself. He was fascinated by the world of flora. So, stepping into a place such as this drew his mind to endless possibilities, including the properties contained by every individual plant.
"Watch your step…"
"Before or after walking in darkness?"
Sakura chuckled, "While moving around, one misstep and boop, we can lose a light source." The boy touched a small section, the lights going out instantaneously. When he removed his hand, the light source didn't return immediately as Iason hoped. Instead, it remained dull, barely existent, "Because I disturbed it, it might not glow for a bit… I'd say around five minutes. If we do manage to knock out every light, it would be unwise to turn on a flashlight to see your way through… that would definitely, disturb the wonders of this place."
"I'll be careful…" As Iason took a few steps forward, Sakura let loose like a distracted puppy, moving elegantly through the small pathways.
Iason found it endearing, watching his partner getting entranced by what the underwater cavern's ecosystem had to offer.
He didn't know the name of everything, but he was certain Sakura did, and he was gasping with excitement with every colour and type of new algae and fungus growing here.
Right on cue, Sakura let out a cute gasp of excitement "No way…" The boy leaned closer, hands hanging onto a rock for stability. What caught his eye was the shimmering red algae, that glowed green.
It wasn't a rare phenomenon; he had seen it in his past travels with his father. Well, he could see it… not so much his father.
But like every time he got to witness it, it never deterred his prospect of getting to see it again. Each instance always managed to capture his eyes.
The reason for this specific moment was caused by the salt water flowing through the small ditches, carrying contaminants that the green algae doesn't like. It causes it to rot away into the red colour, but the algae will always retain its healthy green glow. If the flow is blocked off, or mainly the algae are redirected in the way it grows, it'll return to its healthy green colour.
He knew how to make sure it'll regrow into its healthy natural colour, but he didn't want to disturb anything. With a reluctant sigh, the boy moved, the purple glow in the distance catching his eye, "Iason, over here."
The boy in question moved around, trying to avoid disturbing any of the ecosystems.
When he managed to stand by Sakura's side, his boyfriend was already moving towards what his gaze had been caught by.
It was vines that radiated a purple glow, like a circulatory system in a human body. Water dripped from the plant, constantly seeping through the cracks of where the plant grew from within the wall.
"It's called aggressive purple blood-vine, it carries salt water through the rocks, throughout its expansive root system, creating a constant drip of fresh water. Insects have no desire to be near it, because to them, it smells putrid… but to us… even with the chemical it mixes with the salt water to turn it into fresh water… is safe for us to consume."
"At least if there's a cave-in, we have water that's safe to drink…" Iason offered a soft smile in response, "You really, know your stuff… You're super smart on this topic."
Sakura blushed from the compliment; a tuff of hair being tucked behind his ear. The moment he removed his hand, the act was useless, the hair once more falling back into place, "It took years to learn these details, it's not easy knowing the difference." The teen directed his partner to another section of the wall, "See the faint blueish-purple glowing vines, the water isn't safe to drink, however, it helps other algae grow and thrive. Notice how no algae are growing in the safe-to-drink water pool?"
"Yeah…"
"There are not enough nutrients in the water for algae or fungus to safely grow in it, given the liquid it excretes along with the water. However," Sakura pointed at the pool of water from where the other plant grew, noting the spots where the faintly coloured fungus grew, "They can thrive off that water. Most of the ecosystem works like that here, but the other cavern I was talking about, now that's where the real sights are."
The teen then smiled fondly; eyes once more directed to the sights before him. A small part of him wished his father be here to see this, but even if he could… he couldn't see anything this world had to offer "I wish my father could've been here to see this."
"You could take a photo for him…"
"Not these ones, it glows only in a way living species can see… it's hard for a camera to replicate the light source these plants produce. It's because the glow is faint in colour, faint enough for the photo to not recognise. It's the same for people who are colour blind, they wouldn't be able to appreciate the brilliant glow of the fauna in these caverns…"
He could sense the hint, but he wondered to which degree it affected Sakura "Oh, so they'll be unable to see the light being reflected in the cavern?"
"Not entirely…" Sakura brought his hand down, touching the ground, a space free of algae, "It shows more as… a dim light."
"Is this something you learnt?"
"No, it's something I've experienced firsthand…"
Iason's expression fell, he was saddened by the knowledge of a disheartening fact. He hoped what he was thinking, wasn't true, because it would mean Sakura wouldn't get to experience the true beauty of the place… but, the fact Sakura was guiding them through the dark cave towards the light without any issues made him want to believe that it wasn't the case… that his boyfriend could, in fact, see this light show as its beauty can only truly be appreciated by the one who's desperately showing him these wonders, "Are you okay?"
"I am…" The boy's eyes filled with sorrow, "It's just… my father can't appreciate the view. I… I can't even show him the wonders too…"
Iason held his partner in a small hug, "I'm sure he'll be happy knowing his son will get to see it." The two shared a moment of sincerity, appreciating what the other does for them.
In this case… what Iason was doing for Sakura. Even though he now knows he can witness the light being emitted by the type of algae, knowing his boyfriend's father couldn't see any of the sights, even if they take a video, let alone a photo… he still wouldn't be able to appreciate the sight before them.
Maybe there was something he could do for the man… but he wouldn't know how to pull it off.
Sakura knew how far his partner was willing to go for him… knowing that, was more than enough for him.
He continued to melt in his partner's arms, feeling like an ice cream out in the sun, not in a sweaty-stickiness kind of way… rather in a warm and welcoming manner. The boy offered a sigh, "Thank you…"
"Anything for my little flower."
"Alright, stop with the nickname cheeky teddy."
Sakura went to swipe at his partner, only to be dodged with a chuckle, "Alright, alright… unload your knowledge about these sights onto me."
"Really… it's not boring?"
"Are you sure you want an answer to that?"
The cheeky smile let the boy know his partner was kidding, but he still took a playful swipe at him anyways, "Iason!" The boy allowed himself to be smacked by his partner's response, only for the two to once more fall into laughter from the action.
Taking a moment to smile, he spoke truthfully, "While it is considered boring in a practical sense, seeing you take every moment to appreciate everything this world has to offer when it comes to flora, I don't mind… I kind of like hearing what you have to say… it's something you enjoy. I'm sure there's something I talk about you find boring or uninteresting."
"Not really… there are definitely, some things that fly over my head at times. But you have a technical mind. You can get into the nitty-gritty of certain subjects you're knowledgeable on."
"Much like yourself…"
"I know flora… you're savvy in more than one topic."
"I guess…"
"You're knowledgeable on fishing, medical topics…"
"Thanks to Leorio…"
"Certainly, but you're also a pretty good chef, and when it comes to Nen… you're knowledgeable about that subject. Actually, how did you come by it…?"
"I…" Iason's expression fell a little, "I know a guy."
"You don't have to talk about it…"
"I know… maybe later. For now, what's this?" Iason pointed at some colourful algae, taking note of its pinkish-orange hue.
"It's called Lemontin fruit-grass."
"But it's more orange than it is yellow."
"Well, it is yellow… but you see this red fungus over here?" Iason nodded as he watched his partner point at the mushrooms a little to the right, "It feeds off the nutrients of the Lemontin, creating this slow and steady decline into orange."
"And the pink?"
"Above it, the blue algae, the constant drip from the liquid it produces causes that change. If it's refined, it can give a unique taste to food. I think people describe it as a salty flavour… like mixing soy sauce and bacon."
"Bacon-flavoured algae… yummy."
"There's also a type of seaweed that tastes like bacon when cooked."
"So, I've heard…" Iason offered a smile, "But I'm surprised you'd make a minor mistake like that…" Sakura offered a pout in response, the boy continuing the conversation after poking his partner on the tip of his nose "While it's considered a type of seaweed… It's actually, a type of red marine algae. Considering we're talking about algae and fungi; I would've thought you'd know the difference…"
"If we're talking specifics, they're different. However, some can be considered interchangeable between the two, like we were just talking about, Dulse… The seaweed that tastes like bacon, apparently… I haven't tried it. Anyways, it's considered a type of algae, but not all algae are seaweeds."
"Oh…" The boy hummed in response.
"Algae can be found in marine bodies, the sea and even freshwater… but seaweeds can only be found in one type of water."
"The sea…"
"Correct!" Sakura rolled the 'r' with a satisfying hum, "So would you like to know what other kinds of species can be found here, or do you want to be stuck on semantics?"
"Teach me…"
"Okay, so let's start with this brackish green type of algae. It can be used to help ease the pain of jellyfish stings, rather than having someone pee on the sting as though nothing else in the world can soothe the pain."
"How… delightful."
"~"
The two left the cave chuckling to themselves, freely exploring the island. Iason watched his partner with a sincere smile, the two getting lost along and off the trail at times. The sun had already begun to set, the beach setting with a beautiful reddish-yellow hue. By now the beaches were mostly clear, with this evening being one of those lucky days where there was no one in sight.
Sakura pointed towards the beach with a smile, engrossed with the beautiful crystal-clear water "Let's go for a little Scooba diving."
"I don't know…"
"While the east underwater forest has nothing like the west, we can still appreciate some of the sights it has to offer."
"Gon is waiting for us…"
"Please, just a bit…"
Iason couldn't say no to a smile like that. Returning the smile, he sighed in defeat "Okay… no longer than thirty minutes, though."
"Yay!"
With a rush, the two put on their gear, moving towards the large pool of water. They submerged themselves, Sakura now moving towards the Trees with a gasp, he motioned towards them with a smile, the two moving together, their fingers interlocking.
Iason started to feel like something was off… the forest looked larger than what it was supposed to be on the east side.
Squeezing his partner's hands, he gestured to Sakura to resurface.
However, unfortunately for them, it was too late. A high pitch roar echoed through the trees, a deathly wail of foreboding doom. They weren't in the east underwater forest… they were in the west.
A\N: Last chapter for this story, at least for the end of the year. December gets hectic for me usually. I'll return briefly in January for a few weeks before I go on holiday to visit my partner's family.
Hopefully, I'll be able to consistently post after those breaks. Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year in advance.
I'll still be posting one more chapter of My Alien Partner next week, and then that will be the last chapter for the year :)