|Blood|

Izuku POV:

"Ow!" I heard Ochako cry out. I turn back to her to see she had caught her had in between a large rock and a prickly bush.

I quickly jump a few rocks down to her and help pull her hand away carefully, so it doesn't hurt more. "Everything okay down there?" We hear our friend Tenya yell down from a little farther up by the waterfall.

"Yeah, we're good!" I yell back, after checking with Ochako.

I see my other friend, Tsuyu, pop her head out from behind a small rock. "You sure?" She says. "If that cut gets infected that won't be good."

Ochako takes out some cloth and wraps her hand herself. We continued to climb up the rocky path until we got to where Tenya and Tsu were.

They were standing by the cliff where the waterfall's water went. We could hear the rushing water pound against the lake a few feet below the edge. Ochako leaned out a little to see the height difference.

"It's only like, three meters." She rounds. "Did everyone bring their spare clothes?"

Me and my friends nod.

Tsu takes no time and leaps down into the water, creating a small splash due to her beautiful dive.

Ochako soon follows her, creating as big of a splash as she can. Which was small compared to Tenya's, which came right after.

Finally, I jump in, being met with the cold water on my skin. I hold my breath and take a deep inhale as I break the waters surface. My hair was dripping with water and had water droplets sliding down my nose.

"After this, I have a new plan to explore!" Ochako says, grinning. "It involves a cave that leads somewhere I don't know!"

Tsu pops her head up from the water again, and glanced down the river to where another waterfall was.

"For tomorrow." Tsu says. "I need to do my research project for class tonight."

Ochako pouts, but shrugs her shoulders underwater.

After a bunch of swimming and laughter, we leave the water and change clothes.

We bid farewell to each other and go our separate ways.

...

I wake up the next morning to the new flock of birds squawking around my window.

With a yawn, I get out of bed and get my clothes on for the day.

As I finish putting on socks, I hear my mom downstairs start cooking breakfast.

I walk down the steps and into my kitchen. The aroma of eggs, bacon, and grits fills my nose as I kiss my mother good morning.

"Izuku, I made you breakfast before you go on your next adventure." My mother, Inko, says. "Be sure to eat."

I nod and sit at the table. "Don't worry, mom." I say. "We're meeting up at the cafe at 10, plenty of time."

Inko smiles and finished plating the table.

We eat breakfast and then I say goodbye. I rush out the door to the cafe in the village.

As I enter, a familiar ringing of the bell above the door and the smell of chocolate greets me. I see my friends over in a booth in the corner waving to me. I smile and make my way to them.

"Did you hear the news?" Ochako immediately said as I sat down. "Prince Shoto is getting married! I can't believe it! Isn't it so strange that he's the same age as us?"

"It was inevitable." Tenya says with weird hand motions. "With King Enji always looking for a way to make the kingdom more powerful."

Tsu and Ochako both rolled their eyes as I laugh.

"Anyway, what is the plan for today?" Tsu asks Ochako.

The brunette smiles and pulls a map out of nowhere(her backpack's pocket). She places it on the table and spreads it out.

"So this is the cafe." Ochako says, pointing to a little marking on the paper. "And this is the cave I found." She point's somewhere in the forest. "I was thinking of mapping the tunnel out, checking where it leads and such." She grins at us. "And you know, if we find something cool we can keep it."

I smile at her troublemaker attitude.

"Alright, so let's go." Tsu says. "We're wasting daylight."

We all nod and leave the cafe to go into the forest. As we enter the tree line, I saw a red fox run into its den. I've always loved being in the woods, the smells, the animals, the setting.

"So how far is the cave entrance from here?" Tsu says to Ochako.

Ochako looks down at the map for a moment. "Not far.. maybe 5 minutes of walking." She says

"Well let's go then." I say and start a faster pace.

My friends follow me for approximately 5 minutes until Ochako stops us.

She looks around the area and points over to the left. "Look, there." She says. Sure enough, where she was pointing was a shadowy entrance into the hillside. The trees, which leaves were in full bloom so they were very bushy, were covering the cave so it looked even more tempting.

"Wow, let's go!" I exclaim. We all walk over into the cave and down.

After a moment of downhill walking, it leveled out to flat ground.

"This looks way to smooth and flat to not be manmade." Tenya says as he looks at the wall. "I wonder where it leads."

Ochako grins. "That's what we're going to find out." She says.

After a few minutes of walking, Tsu breaks the silence.

"How long is this walk?" Tsu asks. "What if the people who used this had like, a minecart of something?"

I shrug. "Well, we do have all day." I say. "And the tunnel is going in the direction of the village, but I feel like we're already farther than the village by now."

"Your right." Tenya says. "But after the village it's a long path then.." He trails off.

Me and Ochako exchange a glance. "The palace!" We say in unison.

"You don't think this goes all the way to the castle, do you?" Tsu asks. "The outer walls will f the place maybe, but the inner castle? No way."

Ochako smiles. "You never know." She says. "But let's keep going for now."

<^> To Be Continued

(1k words)

Oop 🫢