on the year X390, time had passed upon the world.
Events had come and went by as the progress of the world continues day by day, month by month, and year by year. Many things have occurred but none have come so regularly at the Dragon Fang Village and the Fire Village.
The two villages continue to bustle over the passing time as there have been many things that come and pass there, but that is something to be minded on another time.
Currently at the forest located near the Dragon Fang Village and the Fire Village, there is a person found by the river stream of the area and is currently washing the dirt off the herbs that is collected in a basket.
This person is a slender young woman of average height with amber-colored eyes. She has moderately brown hair which extends down her back and is normally tied up at the back while her forehead is framed by several bangs. Her outfit is that of a Sari designed with a primarily scarlet color scheme while framed around the side with a yellow, white and orange pattern-like design and a white choli worn underneath. She also adorn with jewelry such as golden bangles around the wrists of both her both arms, gold brassards worn on the middle of both her upper arms as well as gold anklets worn above her ankles and brown sandals.
This very person is Éclair who has grown up to be a beautiful teenager, her beauty is comparable to that of a goddess herself. Currently, she is on duty to collect herbs from the forest. The young woman continues to clean the herbs one by one, her entire focus is on the task at hand before she stops and slowly glanced her eyes to the side when she hears some racket from the bushes nearby.
"again, is it?" Éclair mumbled before she proceeded to take a pebble from the river and checked its weight for a moment. "this will do."
Éclair turns to look at the bushes that had made the racket, she gripped hold on the pebble in her grasp before she quickly flicked it straight to the shaking bushes where it made contact with something or rather, someone.
"OW!" a pained cry is heard from the bushes as a hand can be seen coming out of the bushes for a moment before it fell back with the sound of a big thud following.
"What a fool as always." Éclair said after huffing once and then returning to continue cleaning the herbs she had collected. "don't you have something better to do than stalking me?"
Some racket came from the bushes before Natsu appeared standing up while holding a hand to his forehead that is beating red because it got hit by the pebble that Éclair had previously thrown.
"if I got something better to do, then I would've done so!" Natsu growled angrily before he hissed in pain when he rubbed his forehead. "and besides, it ain't stalking! It's keeping watch!"
Natsu had grown up after the passing years, the young teenage man wore his usual scarf made by his father, he sports a bandana headgear that is red and yellow in color and has a single feather on the back, he wears an indian like outfit as he also had drawn tattoo like markings on his chest which is in a symbol of a red dragon.
"they're the same thing if it's coming from you." Éclair said as she shakes some herbs to get rid of the excess water before placing them away to the basket.
"yeah, yeah." Natsu said as he then goes and sits near where Éclair is while rubbing a hand to his forehead. "just why you got to hit me that hard with the rock? I was just watching you like I was told to."
"it's an annoyance to always feel a pair of eyes on me all the time." Éclair said as she dips in some herbs into the river before she pulls them out and then turns to wave some of the water at Natsu who shielded himself. "especially if it's from a pervert like you!"
"oh, come on! Can't we move on from that!?" Natsu cried out. "I said I was sorry for kissing you and everything, but it was the only thing I could do to feed you the medicine!"
After everything that has happened after that certain blizzard, a little incident occurred for the two villages as it was decided for Éclair to have a bodyguard and that is Natsu. The reason for that is because the young girl was chosen to be the Fire Village's priestess; a person of great importance and that person had been sullied by the young boy after saving her life. So, in a way, this was done to make the salmon haired boy take responsibility.
"There was also the way to just force the medicine down my throat or use water to wash it down." Éclair said as she shakes the wet herbs and then puts them into the basket. The Fire Village's priestess takes the basket up and glares down at Natsu. "but I don't think that a pervert like you could know better on what to do."
"stop calling me a pervert! I only kissed you and that's it! How come kissing someone makes me a pervert?! Are you one of those girls who think highly of themselves or something!?" Natsu exclaimed as this made Éclair's glare worsen to the point she went and delivered a strong slap to his face. "Bugeeh!"
Éclair's slap was so strong that it sent Natsu straight into the river with a big splash.
Bubbles came from where Natsu's head is submerged as Éclair watches him before she scoffs in annoyance and then walks off.
Éclair leaves the area and Natsu who soon came out of the river and spits out some water to the side.
"hey! Wait for me! Gramps told me to watch over you, remember!?" Natsu exclaimed as he got out of the river and shakes his body a bit rapidly like a cat wanting to dry its fur off before he runs after Éclair. "hey! Wait!"
This is what has occurred for the past few years after the blizzard incident, Natsu and Éclair had somewhat become a duo for the two villages and is quite the reason why both are still with the other.
Back at the Fire Village, Éclair came back to her home village after collecting and cleaning the herbs she collected. Right now she heads straight for a tent that is her living quarters. The young woman now living in the place alone as her mother had passed while her father's current condition is unknown.
Éclair came into her tent as she went and settled on the ground near a place that has a stone mortal, pestle, and an herb roller. There is also another basket filled with dried medicinal herbs. The young woman proceeded to set her previously collected basket of herbs to the side before she takes a few strands of the herbs and place them into the mortar where she mixes in a few of the dried ones.
"and then, add this one.." Éclair whispers as she takes a few clumps of dried mushrooms that she throws into the mortar then began to grind and crunch it all up with the pestle. "grind and crunch it ten times…."
Éclair mixes, crunches, grinds, and repeats all the herbs that she had mixed into the mortar till it became a mushy looking brown paste that she soon collected and rolled into a ball that she then placed to a wooden bowl to the side.
After making one ball, Éclair proceeded to make more as she uses all the herbs that she had collected today and the ones from the day before. The young woman making medicine balls that she plans to share for the villagers later on.
While Éclair was in the middle of mixing some of the herbs, she placed the mortar and the pestle to the side before picking up some herbs that were still wet.
"if you don't have anything better to do than watch over me, I want you to come inside and dry these herbs off with your magic." Éclair said before she glances to the entrance of her tent as she finds Natsu standing nearby and watching her, but had quickly hid himself when she turns her attention to him. "I need them dried off quickly and I need them roasted afterwards."
"didn't you say that my fire magic was too strong before?" Natsu asks while peeking his head in. "and didn't you say that you don't like me using my magic for your medicine stuff?"
"do you want me to force one of these unprepared medicine ball down your throat?" Éclair said as she glares at Natsu while holding up a wet medicine ball. "if you're my so called protector and caretaker, then you should do my bidding at all times. complaints are not an excuse for you to use."
Natsu's eyes twitches a bit as he felt a bit annoyed over Éclair's commanding tone.
"do it now, or this medicine ball will be the least of your worry." Éclair glares harder and Natsu felt a shiver up and down his spine before he relents and comes inside her tent to do her bidding.
A few minutes later, Natsu is sitting near Éclair as he is roasting up all the wet herbs till they are dried. The young man using his magic to warm them all up and toasted all the water till the ingredients are all dried up.
"do these ones next." Éclair said as she placed the bowl filled with medicine balls in front of Natsu. "roast them till they sizzle. I need them dry as a bone."
"yeah, yeah." Natsu replied before he proceeded to begin take a few of the medicine balls and roasted them up with his fire magic.
Éclair continues to mix up the herbs one by one and grinds them up with the pestle in the mortar. The young man twists, and turns the pestle a few times before mushing the mixed up medicine ingredients together.
This action continues and is repeated as Éclair makes a batch of medicine balls and then gets Natsu to roast them up. There is no conversation between the two besides asking whether the job was done for the roasting and cooking.
After about five minutes, Natsu finished nearly a basket full of roasted medicine balls as they were all dried up and a bit brownish black in color.
Natsu is now holding four medicine balls in each of his hands as he is roasting them up with his magic before hearing a loud sigh escaping Éclair.
"is that all?" Natsu asks, thinking that Éclair was done mixing up the herbs and finished making medicine balls with all the herbs she collected. "no more medicine balls?"
"no, no more." Éclair spoke, but Natsu noticed her voice sounded a bit sad and lonely.
"you okay?" Natsu asks as Éclair glances at him for a moment before she looks away and shakes her head.
"nothing is wrong." Éclair replied while Natsu finishes roasting the medicine balls and placed them into the basket, the young man looking at the young woman a bit closer. "it's just….it's just that I'm glad that my apprentice can finally take my place as the village healer."
"isn't that what you want?" Natsu asks. "you wanting someone to take your place as the village healer and that you can move on to becoming the priestess, right?"
"yeah…that's true." Éclair said before she sighs a bit softly and looks away. "I can finally be rid of you."
"yeah, yeah. You don't like how I took your first kiss and everything, same old stuff." Natsu said before he gets a wooden bowl to the face. "ow!"
"you like that, wouldn't you?" Éclair said, sounding very annoyed and irritated. She sighs loudly before she gets up and goes to a ceramic pot filled with water that she uses to clean her hands. "to think that I would finally be rid of you after years." She waves her hands up and down to dry off before she glances at Natsu who is rubbing a hand to his face that has a red mark in the shape of the wooden bowl. "it's like a dream come true."
"yeah, the same for me." Natsu said in annoyance as he rubs his face while a bit in pain. "man! Why does your wooden bowls hurt more than any other!?"
Éclair scoffs at him before she leaves her tent and goes somewhere.
Natsu continues to rub his face as he watches Éclair left, but he soon made a noise when he caught sight of water droplets falling near where the young woman was going off to.
"was she….crying?" Natsu asks himself, the young man being confused.
That's a wrap!
Bye bye