Only A World Apart .:Tododeku Fluff:.

A chance encounter.

Izuku p.o.v

On a warm sunlit day, fate wrote quietly in the background. I was only [i need to look back and see how old he were-], stuffing my yellow backpack with adventuring gear. This included: crayons, a notebook (with many of the pages being dog eared from bookmarking), a juice box and some snacks to keep my energy as high as my spirits.

I rushed through the kitchen. That day was a weekend, which meant I didn't have school! I could play around in the forest and nobody could stop me. I lived for those days, anticipation encouraging me to blaze through my work.

Mom called over to me as I jammed my feet into red trainers. "Izuku sweety, don't be too long out there okay?" She had gently chastised whilst washing the dishes.

I rushed out a response, half out the door, "Okay! I promise i'll keep myself safe mama! I'll be back soon!"

Just as I was about to go, a gentle hand held my shoulder, and turned me around. Mom smiled down at me and presented something in her palm as she crouched. "Izuku, just to be safe, take this." She handed me a charm, red with tiny white sakura blossoms decorating its frame.

"I know you're excited to go out and explore, but since you haven't awakened your link to the spirit realm, you need a bit of mama's help to make sure you don't meet anything scary okay?" She unfurled my hand, placed it inside and closed my fingers over it.

"But mama, what if I do meet one, a nice one, and I hurt it with it? I don't want to hurt anyone!" I had pled back. She responded with a sigh.

"Izuku.. I promise you, there are no nice yokai. The only 'nice ones' are ones bound by a contract that makes them a familiar, and they are few and far between. Untamed yokai eat children for breakfast sweety!.. You're lucky I let you explore on your own at all, and that's all because of the charms I make for you. They're very special, just for you."

She pulled me into a tight warm hug, stroking my hair.

"This is only to keep you safe when i'm not with you. You don't have to hurt anyone with it. It'll only hurt them if they get too close, okay?" Mom stood up and gestured to the door. "Go out and have some fun, its a lovely day outside! I'm sure it'll be just as fun if you have that in your pocket."

"Okaaay.." I mumbled before shoving it in my pocket and running outside. Down the huge stone steps I ran, passing under all the towering tori gates that led down the hill. Brown and orange leaves circled above me on the breeze like shoals of fish. Trees rustled, birds sung, and the sun slipped through the leaves, creating dots of warmth on the floor.

When I travelled far enough down the hill, the thicker part of the forest opened its arms to me. Undergrowth concealed anything. The mystery! I veered off the path and ran through the leaves. The ground beneath crinkled as I entered.

Everyday, a new adventure came to mind, and the forest our shrine looks over revealed itself little by little. Each day I promised myself that 'someday, i'll know this forest like the back of my hand!'

After parting low branches and ducking under hedges, I found a tree. The trunk was thick, chunky bark providing excellent climbing grips. The boughs were wide enough to lay in, and low enough to reach with my tiny arms. This was going to be noted as a future hangout!

For now I had settled with one of the roots as a seat, pulling out my notebook from my backpack. "I'm going to write about so many things in here!!" I gushed aloud. "Yokai.. mama's shrine.. But first, I should write about the simple stuff!.."

I nibbled on my pen a little, and began to write down my thoughts.

_______

Me and my mama look after a shrine. It's been our family's duty for years and years and years, passed on like a special chore! The forests around our shrine are home to lots of yokai though, so mama tells me to take a charm, always!