The Southern Swamp was bursting with life, as a young Deku Boy with bright blond leaves was slowly walking his way through the small village with the Princess. He looked nervous, and scratched his arm. The Princess and this boy were around the age of seventeen.
"Geroh," The Princess giggled "Since when were you so nervous? Eh, lover-boy...?"
Geroh glanced ahead "I dunno... Maybe because it's Everin's Birthday...? I ALWAYS give her something for her birthday, Acacia... And she's turning seventeen today, that's, like, a huge thing!"
"Ya' know, she's not gonna be upset if you don't give her something. She'll be happy just to see you there!"
"Yeah right, after that stunt we pulled last night...?"
"I highly doubt it."
Geroh seemed doubtful "... Her father's not gonna like see'n' me there... I was the one who talked her into sneaking out last night..."
"It's not like y'all ran away together. You only took her to go see the Fairy Meadow, and that WAS your gift to her when you think about it."
"A gift she got in trouble for. It wasn't the sneaking out part that got us in trouble, it was the not telling our folks we were going was what did it."
Acacia chuckled "Don't worry about a thing, Geroh."
The troubled boy sighed.
Upon approaching a large hollowed out tree with a makeshift door on it, Geroh scratched his head nervously. Acacia standing silently behind him. Geroh also felt bad, sicne he'd wasted most of his day looking for a gift for Everin, having no luck... He reached up and knocked on the door and waited a few moments, before the door opened to show a taller Deku staring down on him in discernment.
"H-hello, sir, is uhh... Everin home?"
The father took a breath to speak, sounding like it was going to start with "No", but an excited voice shouting Geroh's name accompanied with a girl came rushing past the father and quite nearly knocked Geroh off his feet. When that little hamster in Geroh's mind began running again, he caught up with what happened to realize he was being kissed by Everin after she hugged him. Geroh's eye's met Everin's father again, and the look he was being given showed that her father didn't like what he saw... But regardless, walked back in without a word...
Everin pulled her snout away from Geroh's and looked him in the face. Her beautiful bright spirit-lit eye's looking over his face- Which was surprised, and his eye's were maybe the size of dinner plates. She giggled. Regardless of the giant "X" in the center of Geroh's face between his eyes, Everin still deemed him as the best looking guy around (Even though the X makes him look suspicious to her parents...) it looked like a scar, but was really a birthmark.
"Hey, baby~!" She chirped.
"... H-Hey, Everin..." He paused, before snapping out of his dumbfounded silence "H-Happy Birthday! What do you think about being-"
"Seventeen? It's great~!" Everin smiled.
Geroh looked down slightly "... Sorry for yesterday..."
"Sorry...? Yesterday was amazing! I actually lived a little, I should be thanking you." She smiled "Though, sorry you got scolded by my dad."
"I'm sorry you got scolded, I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
She threw her arms around his shoulders "Trouble-well-worth it..."
"Hey, am I invisible here?" Acacia began.
Everin gave Acacia a hug "Acacia! How'd you get out of the palace...? I thought your dad told you not to be out here without an escort?"
"I have my ways." Acacia chuckled "Happy Birthday, Everin. I got ya' this!" She handed Everin an item wrapped in a giant flower petal.
She gently took the item and opened it to see a pretty gemstone. "Thank you! This must've cost a lot!"
"When you're a Princess, thing's like that cost nothing when they're all ya' see. I know you're not much of a gem's and jewels type of person, but I hope it's alright?"
"I love it, it's perfect!" Everin looked at it up and down.
Geroh felt bad, and hoped she wasn't secretly upset to see him at her door empty handed... He soon asked "Um. Anyway, Everin, how've you been feeling lately? I know this morning, I heard you started feeling sick."
She turned, and answered "...Well, I feel alright, but I don't know what made me sick. My mom thinks just a bug, I wouldn't worry about it."
Geroh smiled lightly, but inside, he was worried... Recently, the King was reported to have gotten sick from the lingering poison in the air from when the swamp had become poisoned a few years back. To a lot of Deku's sensitive to the air, they seemed to have gotten sick after then due to the poisoning pulled into the air through the moisture, and the poisoning was incurable once the Deku gets it and killed all the Deku's it got too. Acacia wont talk about it, but knows her father is fatally sick and is only on borrowed time now...
Geroh swallowed the fear in hopes it wouldn't show through his voice when he began to speak, as Everin was his world and his life. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
She smiled a smile that made his heart melt. Of which he could only smile back at.
Acacia looked up at the sky "Well, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I gotta get home. I can't be out long."
"I understand, take care, Acacia." Everin smiled.
"Thank you. Bye!" Acacia waved, before walking away.
"Bye!" Everin and Geroh called back.
Everin looked at Geroh, and saw tension and worry all over him "You okay?"
"Uh- Yeah, I'm fine." He recovered. "... I know after yesterday, it's doubtful, but... I was wondering if we could hang out a little today? I mean, if you're not busy?"
"I'm sure we can, hold on!" She seemed excited, and ran inside. Geroh looked down and kicked at a rock lightly, he heard Everin talking with her dad. He couldn't hear them well, but it sounded like Everin knew what she was talking about. Before long, she came walking out "It's fine. He said just stay near the village."
"Oh," Geroh's face lit up. "Alright!"
"Well? C'mon!" She giggled, and took his hand, not really giving him time to answer. She began to head for the village. They slowed down when they got to the center of the Village, and began to look around. Geroh looked at every shop he passed, hoping to see something he could get for her... But saw nothing that would amount to what he was looking for... Everin held his hand tightly as she gazed at every flower she saw. A sudden surprised gasp caught Geroh's attention. "Oh... Look at that..."
Geroh looked in the direction of her amusement, before a strikingly otherworldly flower caught his eye's suddenly. It was sitting on a shop counter. It made him gasp, as he'd known the flower, but had no idea they still existed.
"What is that...?" Everin asked.
"That is a Southern-Light Bell."
Everin walked up to it, and up close, found out it was a fake.
"... Aw man, I thought for a moment, we found an endangered flower... But just some shop hoping to get some tourist's attention..." Geroh mumbled as he'd examined it. His thought's rang in his head 'There goes my plan of the perfect gift... I can't give her a fake flower, that'd be too much of a juvenile gift. "Here, Everin! It might not be real, but it's pretty!"' He rolled his eye's at himself.
She sighed "It's really pretty, I can't believe this is based on a real flower, though."
"I've seen a few in some books on Termina's History in Clocktown, they're known as the Flower's of the Night, they give off a natural glow during a full moon. They also bloom only at night. No one's seen one for years, though. I heard they used to be important to Deku Scrubs in old times, a sign of promise."
"That's cool... Ya' know? You're like a living encyclopedia." She giggled.
"I do travel around Termina a lot, so I learn as much as I can." He smiled.
She looked down, and looked at him again "When're you leaving again anyway?"
"Probably next week, gotta keep look'n, y'know?" He answered with disappointment.
"It's not fair, that stupid curse." Everin glared away from him. "I'd go with you if my parents wouldn't freak... You're always gone for so long, I'm always afraid that the curse had maybe... Gotten to you."
He scratched his head "Well, one day, this X on my face'll be gone, and then we'll finally be able to stay together..." He smiled. "It's a family blood-line curse. If I don't get rid of it, it'll just carry on anyway."
"I know." She smiled back weakly. "But what if you never find the cure? You'll die..."
"I'll find it..." He nudged his snout to her fore head "For you."
Everin blushed "I'll help if I can."
"C'mon, the day's burning, and don't want to waste it here complaining about a stupid curse." He laughed.
Everin nodded, before thinking... "... Hey! Can we go back to the Fairy Meadow again?"
"Sure-! ... But, wait, you're father said-"
"It's close to the village, it stands right over it." She smiled.
Geroh looked off for a while, before chuckling "Okay, but I hope he wont have our heads for it..."
"Oh c'mon! Live a little, Mr. I Travel Termina!" She gave him a flirty smile, before darting off "RACE YA'!"
"HEY!" He laughed aloud, before following behind.
As time went by, the sun was slowly starting to go down. They made it to the area of the Swamp's Temple and crossed the bridges across the water, making it to a solitary flower in the middle of the water by using Deku flowers to hover over to it. They dove into the solitary flower and flew over to a secret pathway that lead through a long jungle-like path, joking around all the way there, to a cave opening. As they exited the cave, they entered a large meadow filled with fairies... All around, were beautiful plants and rare ones at that. Around the end of the meadow nearing the nearby forest, was a large clear spring. Everin gazed up at the sky, spotting some birds flying over head. She sighed as she looked over the swamp from the high area of the Fairy Meadow... It was right over the village, but still really high up. Geroh sat down, simply looking at Everin. Her long strand-like leaves resembled hair more than just leaves. It blew in the wind, the remaining sunlight hit it, highlighting the red in it. She eventually sat down, and then laid down. She stared at the sky, making shapes out of the near-night clouds. "Hey, see that cloud?"
"Yeeeeaahhhh, the one that looks like a Wolfos?"
"Actually, I was gonna say it looked like Keaton, but it does look more like a Wolfos." She answered "Oh! There's one that looks like a rabbit." She laughed.
Geroh chuckled, before laying down next to her "There's one that looks like two guy's fighting!"
"... How do you see that?" She tilted her head a little.
"You don't see the swords?"
"Everything's swords with you..." She teased.
He added "And see the feet? You can't tell me you don't see-... Oh, too late, wind's blown the cloud around too much, that one guy's head's fall'n' off now..."
Everin stifled a laugh.
"Annnddd now it just looks like uhhh... A... Mutated... Chu..? Oh heck, I don't know anymore..."
"How 'bout that one...?" Everin tilted her head again, pointing to a cloud.
Geroh squinted for a moment. "... Look's like a closed Deku Flower."
"It does, doesn't it?!" She smiled "The way the wind's blowing it, it looks like it's opening up!" She snickered.
"Hahah! That's cool!" He smiled "Maybe it's a birthing flower?"
"Could be." Everin chuckled "That's gonna be a big Deku baby." She laughed.
Geroh stifled an oncoming chuckle "No kidding!"
Everin thought for a moment "Strange how Deku's come from flowers. It's amazing really."
"Yeah, I remember when I was little, I asked my mom 'Where do babies come from...?' and she answered 'From flowers.', I was all 'Wha-?' I'd pass every flower with a freaked out expression, like this-" Geroh spoke, making his surprised expression. "I kept expecting a baby to be thrown at me from a blooming flower, with my crazy imagination being the way it was..."
Everin began laughing hysterically "I'd have loved seeing that face on you as a kid!"
Geroh smiled at her laughing, before he laughed a little himself.
Everin eventually stopped laughing, wiping a small tear from her eye. "Heheh... You're funny.."
"I try." He winked.
She looked back up at the now open Deku Flower cloud "... I can't wait to have a kid of my own someday, y'know?"
Geroh blushed "Uh, wha-? Well, I-I guess so... I, uh." He scratched the back of his head "Yeah. M-me too, I guess. I mean, I-If you're aiming that at me..." He eyeballed a rock a ways off to keep from looking at her.
"Why do you have to be so awkward all the time...? I was just saying it'd be nice someday, I didn't say I was aiming it at you." She chuckled lightly as she playfully shoved his shoulder "Spaz."
"Um. Yeah, spaz, that's me..." His face was red now from being embarrassed having reacted like that.
Everin smirked, and actually thought it was a little funny to see him freak out, since he always acts like Mr. Cool Attitude all the time. "But, I've thought of names. I quite like the name Jacon."
"Jacon?"
"Jacon."
Geroh blinked for a moment "That's a boy's name."
"... I know." She blinked. "What's wrong with that?"
"Most girls are always like 'I'M GONNA HAVE A GIRL!"
Everin shook her head and chuckled.
He thought for a moment. And then his face flushed, realizing that with the curse, if he and Everin did end up together, they wouldn't have a girl anyway. "Yeah, now I know you're just trying to freak me out now."
"No I'm not." She laughed.
"Yes you are, cause you know about the whole curse-thing." He added.
Everin rolled her eyes.
"... But, yeah. Jace is a nice name."
"You really think so?" She laughed.
"Yup. Unless you lied?" Geroh added.
Everin shook her head "No, I was honest."
"Ah. Okay." Geroh chuckled.
After that, they laid there silently watching the sky. Geroh was actually on the verge of falling asleep... But a sudden loud sound woke him, he looked over, and Everin sat up and started coughing.
"... Darling?" Geroh sat up quick.
She continued coughing, before she stopped and groaned. "..."
"Are you okay...? That was a nasty cough..."
"I... Dunno..." She wheezed, before coughing a few more times "I suddenly feel really dizzy... And nauseous..."
Geroh began to worry deeply. "Maybe we should get you home...?"
She stared at the ground for a moment, before laying down. "I feel like if I stand up, I'll just get sicker..." she sounded awful. And kept coughing from time to time.
The boy looked scared... He began to think, before an idea hit "...Hold on, I'll be back..." He jumped up, and ran into the forest. He instantly knew what he was looking for. He was hoping it was a simple stomach virus, so intended on finding a special herb he read about in a book on cures (Something he's read- ALOT). It couldn't permanently cure, but it could temporarily hold off the effects of nauseousness. He looked and looked as he dug himself into some deep vines. He soon saw a peculiar looking plant... It had a thick green fruit on the end of the stem. "That's it!" He grabbed it and yanked it from the stem. As he turned to go back, his foot got caught in a vine, and he tripped from rushing "Whoa!" He rolled down hill a ways through the forest, before landing in a small moonlit clearing... He got up and groaned... He looked around, before seeing the clutter of vines he tripped through up on the hill. He complained under his breath, but a strange off color caught his attention... He looked over and saw a magnificent large bloomed flower in the center of the field, just in the moonlight. It was midnight blue under the petals, and the top was lined with beautiful neon blues and purples. The base of the flower petals were all light blue, and sticking out of the very top of the flower was a little yellow bulb. "A... Southern-Light Bell. Oh thank you, Minami..." He thought for a moment, before he got an idea. He put the fruit he picked in his rupee pouch, and walked over to the flower and gently dug his hands into the soil around it, grabbing the whole flower- including the roots. He lifted it from the ground, and began back up hill. He ran back to the meadow, to see Everin sitting up again. He sat the flower down in the Spring secretly for now, and ran on toward a large plant.
"Hon, what're you doing, where'd you go?" She asked.
He grabbed the leaf of a large plant and tore it off. He didn't answer her. He washed the leaf off in the spring, and cupped it. He squeezed the juice from the fruit into the cupped leaf, before running back to Everin and offering it to her. "You still feeling sick?"
She looked at it for a moment. "Yeah... What's this?"
"Drink this, it might make you feel better. It's the juice from a Spring Fruit. These can temporarily hold off the effects of a stomach virus and nauseousness."
"You didn't have to do that..." She took it, and drank it.
Geroh waited...
"... It's not that bad actually..."
"Are you feeling any better?" Geroh asked.
Everin replied "Well, give it some time to get into my system."
"I was a little worried was all..." He added.
"I know, but stop worrying so much, I'm fine. It's just a bug, I'm sure. It'll pass."
Geroh looked down. He soon looked back at her. "Just sit back and rest for a bit, I'll be back in a moment."
She shook her head, and laid back anyway...
He wondered back to the spring, and lifted the flower out. He found a good spot in the Meadow where the soil was moist next to the spring, and also where it would have an even amount of light and shade. He began digging with his bare hands, before gently placing the flower into the hole, he took some careful time replanting it. He looked to Everin, she was still laying down... He looked back to the flower, and began patting the soil back into the ground around it and tucked the flower in tightly... He seemed pleased with himself. Excitedly, he ran back to Everin.
"Everin?"
She opened her eyes "Hm?"
"How're you feeling, you think you can stand?"
"Yeah..." She sat up "Why?"
Geroh smiled "I have something I need to show you..."
"... Why're your hands muddy?" She asked.
"Oh, no reason, I was just sitting by the Spring..." Geroh answered lamely.
Everin added "What'd you do, play in it?"
He stifled a laugh. He helped her up, before walking her over to the spring. She walked tiredly, as if she had no energy.
"What're you wanting to show-..." She stopped as she saw the flower. "Oh my..."
"I hope you like it..."
She smiled, before hugging Geroh. "Thank you..." she let him go.
He bent down, and washed his hands off in the water, before standing back up. He lead her closer to the flower, before they bent down next to the flower.
"I'd have picked it and gave to you to take home, but since it's endangered, it probably wouldn't be wise... But now it's in a place you can look at it when you want. Minami knows you wanted one..."
Everin smiled "I'd kiss you, but... Since I got sick again, I guess my bug's not gone..."
"You think I care about that? I can take a little bug." He leaned over and kissed her "I love you, Happy Birthday..."
She looked at the flower and ran her hand down the petals gently. "Thank you."
He laid his hand over her hand on the flower. "And y'know what? After I leave this week. I will return, I promise, don't worry. As long as my heart beats, It'll always beat for you. No curse can truly take me away from you. And if I don't find the cure, then maybe Jace will."
She laughed "You're thinking too far ahead..."
"I could've said the same thing to you earlier." Geroh chuckled.
Everin sat down in front of the flower and sighed.
"You still feeling sick, if so, you wanna wait it out a little to go home? I don't want to take any risks with you getting sicker on the way back, since it's quite a hike."
"Sure, I don't mind sitting around up here anyway." Everin smiled lightly.
This is a little one shot I did a while back involving two OC's of mine ^^ to those of you reading my other stories and know my story Lost In Termina, you may have already realized this is about Jace's parents. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it~!