Chapter Text
Spring Waltz - Joe Hisaishi
The sound of bare skin slapping against worn stone filled the valley, accompanying the songs of creatures and melody of insects. The sun shuns gold in color, hints of magenta and deep orange cascading across the meadow. It’s a shame one couldn’t look at the sun. The wind was in a good mood today, Izuku could tell. The valley’s hills rippled like water in the tall grass, flowering plants of many colors casting illusions to the eyes with images of sparkling ocean waves.
“I see you’re excited, Mr.Breeze!” Izuku chirped happily, a gust of wind spinning around his body, rattling his backpack’s trinkets and practically sending his hat flying!
“Careful now!” He giggled, grabbing the edges of the bucket cap tightly as the gusts calmed in their aggression.
He bowed deep in thanks, spinning on bare heels and scurrying his way back home. It was an immensely beautiful day, the soft late-summer breeze a gentle reminder of his mother’s encouragement. She was a Witch of the Wind, quite uncommon sight around here, but appreciated nonetheless. She’d been preparing jars of spells in batches, fresh oils, and intricate sigils to sanction off unto him. Izuku really didn’t mind, though. He would miss how much she cared, no matter how eager he was to leave home and train.
As he patted closer to home, he spotted a familiar small yellow car just outside the shop-side of their house. That could only mean that Miss. Yura would be picking up her medication today, Izuku only hoped they’d be done soon.
Stepping up to the evergreen hidden window, he squeezed his head past the unyielding crevice in the rolling door, eyeing the brunette as she collected her medicine. It was a rather difficult spell, one his mother refused to ever let him try, even while teaching him. It was a wind spell, of course, in tea form rather than their families’ usual preference for jars. This spell was almost exclusively given to Miss. Yura. It gave her a weightless feeling, filling her with elated warmth and calming motivation. She was a very sad young lady, and this tea was one of the only tricks able to get her out from near the hearth in the early mornings.
“Hello miss Yura!” He chirped from his spot in the window.
The girl turned to him with a few questioning blinks before sending a small smile his way.
“Hello, there little Midoriya.” She said quietly, her ever soft-spoken tone wafting calmly through the breezy home.
“Izuku!” He corrected, pulling his head away from the unrelenting window with, a bit of effort needed as the shudders shook with the shock. He scurries his way around the side of the cottage, quickly;y adjusting the ‘Wind spells and remedies’ tablet outside the home. He quickly went in, half haphazardly tossing his bag down against the beige wood floor and entering the workshop section of the house.
Miss Yura sent him a nod as his mother tied a feather-woven string around the pouch of tea. She sent a dazzlingly homey smile towards the young woman, sending her off with a fresh batch of steapable herbs and the usual warnings and instructions. Izuku watched as the yellow vehicle pulled away, before quickly turning towards his mother.
“Mama mama, it’s time it's time!” He bounced on his noisy bare feet.
“Goodness me, already?” She huffed, a hint of amusement lacing her voice as she smiled.
“Mhm mhm! I wanna leave before the evening gusts quiet to rest.” He explained, knowing his mother trusted the wind above any spell she could muster, and knowing how still the nights became, she couldn’t help but agree with his reason. The wind needed to sleep as well.
“Alright alright,” She chuckled at her boy’s enthusiasm, “you have all your things, correct?” She badgered lightly, patting down the silken fabric of her dress.
“Mhm, everything’s set!” He assured, following her into the quaint little kitchen as she continued to interrogate his packing capabilities.
“You have two changes of clothes?” She inquired, removing a small spell-woven cloth from behind a moss-grown cupboard, continuing t question him at every affirmative.
“You have your pendulum? Grimoire? Please assure me you haven’t forgotten to pack your jars?” She continued to harp, setting a neatly made bagel next to a small star-themed knife. She’d spent the time spreading cream cheese between the soft bread, garnishing a pinch of dill over the sesame seeds as she spun honey-lime between the crusts. Always keen to supply protection.
“Yes to all three.” He huffed out, found exasperation clear in his tone.
“Oh- don’t give me that!” She insisted, thrusting the now secure food pouch into his arms as they made their way to the door, “it’s a mother’s duty to worry.” She argued firmly, watching as he neatly set his supper next to his many neatly arranged rows of spell jars, all empty and prepare for magick of all sorts.
“Yes yes, I know Mama I know” He sighed, hoisting the olive green pouch on his back, allowing his mother to anxiously tighten the straps as she fluffed up his sacramento green curls.
“You sure you’re ready Izu?” She anxiously pressed, fidgeting idly with her baby blue apron.
He paused, turning on himself to once over himself in the tall hallway mirror.
He wore a black top, a requirement for young witches, though his own was a loosely fitted blouse, tied at the hem with a Jade ring loop, and secured with a clasp. He wore a pair of sunny yellow trousers, of which he’d painted gorgeous flowering daisies one towards the hem. A neat set of small earrings were set securely in his ears, Green Adventurine shining in the afternoon sun seeping through the patchwork glass window. He’s slipped on his brown heels, often mistaken for tap shoes with how noisy they become with every clacking step.
Yeah, he was set.
He gingerly turned to his mother, a quivering smile sent her way as she began to sob. He’d be strong for her, training was important! He wouldn’t back down, he’d make it to amazing places. For the both of them.
“I’ll be ok, mama.” He promised sincerely, gently mounting his beige wood broom as Inko hugged him tightly.
“I’ll miss you Izu” She smiled through her tears, hugging her boy impossibly closer at the reciprocated farewell.
“May you let the wind take you to where you truly belong.” She chanted, the feeling of her summery warm energy flowing into him with the small spell like a breath of truly fresh air.
He chocked back a found sob, waving to his mother as his toes lifted from the soft and familiar soil. The clouds were doted and fluffy, the sun more gold than it may have ever been, and the breeze set firm but steadying in strength. His mother waved and cried fond goodbyes, waving with enthusiastic abandon as her baby boy slowly flew from her sight.
Midday Prospects - Yu-Peng Cheng
Izuku continued to wave, lowering his arm little by little as his face scrunched, turning to face the north. He whipped the droplets of already growing homesickness from his eyes as they sparkles behind him like a trail, sniffling a big as the wind cooled his flushed cheeks.
He was finally on his own, ready to take on the world and start his training. The training he could only hope would help him narrow his field since he found wind magick incredibly disconnected from himself, a fact he’d found utterly disheartening as a child. He wanted to be like his mother, but with her soft reassurance, he’d slowly come to terms with the knowledge that he was still a bright young witch, and truly had no need to reflect her own field of spells.
Taking a deep breath, he settled himself more comfortably against his broomstick, only glancing back a few times to neatly attach the string clasp of his bag to the bristled end of the wood.
Now fully comfortable for however long his journey maybe, he began to hum, occupying himself with any number of tunes.
They began rather mellow, deep notes and long-winded hums of music escaped his lips, the thoughts of his mother fueling the melancholy tone of the songs. Of course, it was quite difficult for Izuku to remain so sorrowful, especially while singing. Gradually, the tunes became more light, quick bursts of soft melodies followed and flowed along to the speed of the wind, and more and more energy was put into his voice. By the time the sun’s light warmed with brilliant shades of red and violet, Izuku was happily singing a redundant little rhyme of a tune he’d often conjure when strolling through the hills.
The sky was absolutely breathtaking, and he couldn’t help but soften the vibrancy of his song, closing his open-mouth notes to revert back to hums as he smiled.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself!” A brilliantly cheerful voice frightened Izuku from his left, erupting in an embarrassing yelp as he jumped, unbalanced in his broom.
“Wow wow, careful dude!” The smiley tone fretted, and Izuku felt the strong presence of a bright aura approach him before a gentle hand grabbed his forearm firmly.
“Th-thank you!” He muttered, hesitantly re-gripping his broomstick before turning his head to meet directly with shining gold.
Izuku quickly inhaled a quiet breath, the vibrancy of expensive shades in this mysterious person's eyes causing a lump to form in the deepest pit of his stomach. The gold was so bright, so warm, so alive. The color was rimmed with expertly placed liner, the thick black ink only being possible by someone skilled with makeup, and as Izuku’s own eyes danced, he caught sight of beautifully saturated blonde atop the person's head.
“Uhm, hi!” He squeaked, watching as this blonde blinked their wide beautiful eyes, leaning back and erupting in beautifully bubbly laughter, as light and refreshing as his mother’s magick.
Had it always been so hard for him to breathe?
“Man, I didn’t think I’d scare you so bad, so sorry!” The stranger- no, the witch smiled.
Izuku examined the now identified boy’s broom, his ripped black jeans seemed too tight for broom riding, but his deep blue corduroy jacket seemed rather cozy. Beneath, he had a signature black blouse, causing Izuku’s recognition to click into place.
“Oh, you’re a witch in training aswell!” He practically lit up, causing the boy to his left to pause a bit, eyes filled with a thousand stars.
“Y-yeah man! That’s why I approached- or I guess why I startled you! I wanted to say hi or- something… Plus your voice was really lovely these past few minutes.”
Izuku’s cheeks tinted red as a beat, “Y-you heard that?” He exclaimed bashfully, resting a flustered hand against his warm freckled cheek.
“Yeah, sorry about that! It was just so nice you know? I’ve never really seen anyone practice genuine bardic magick!” He chuckled nervously.
Bardic? Whatever in the world was that?
Alas, before Izuku had the chance to ask, his new energetic friend(?) continued to speak.
“I’m Kaminari Denki, a newly training witch from the Taiyoko region, nice to meet you, friend!
Ok yeah, friend.
“U-uhm Midoriya Izuku from the Habuki region-” He mumbled a bit sheepishly, never having spoken to many kids his own age.
“Wow, so you must have learned like- a lot of Arbor magick, huh?” He questioned, referring to the affinity of herbs and plant life, the Habuki region’s general specialty.
“Ah no-no, my mother wasn’t actually a witch of Arbor, she’s a Witch of the Wind.” He explained frantically, ever the worrier when perturbed by misunderstandings.
“Ooooh~” The blonde hummed, “makes sense, my family aren’t Witches of Solar either.”
Izuku blinked, that seemed every bit more surprising than his own, the people of Taiyoko generally remained proud and snobbish in their affinity to Solar magick. Though, to be fair, Izuku wouldn’t really call his new friend snobbish in any way.
“What affinity or.. wait no no- what Magick Field are you thinking of studying? Like, do you already have one picked out?” Izuku questioned, reigning in his usually overwhelming enthusiasm.
“Following in the path of my dear old moms, I’m gonna be a Witch of Tempest!” He proudly exclaimed, and Izuku couldn’t help but gawk.
Tempest Magick was incredibly fickle and quite difficult to control, let alone get the hang of, considering it relied on the innate changing of the weather. Wind magick was a derivative of Tempest, though simpler and harnesses aspects of much different, choosing to work with the wind himself rather than the energy he gets his sentience from.
Izuku would be an absolute liar if he dared to say he was anything but impressed with the boy.
“That’s quite ambitious of you” He chuckled, turning viridian eyes back to the north.
“Yup, but I’m determined! Wind magick is cool, but being a Witch of Tempest had been my dream for so long, I wanna be just like my mums.” Denki nodded to themselves, arms crossed as if settling a matter of utmost important business.
Izuku really couldn’t help but laugh more.
“You are incredibly entertaining.” he pointed out, choosing to bask in the brilliant smile the blonde sent his way.
“Thank dude!” He practically awed, clearing his throat before setting his own gaze towards the north.
“Say,” Denki continued, “do you have a town in mind for studying?” He asked, and his manner of speaking seemed oddly reserved, as if nervous for Izuku's response, whatever that seemed to imply.
Izuku, in his defense, has never been the best at coming off confident, let alone casual.
“W-well not exactly … I barely even know what field I wanna study, let alone where it is I might be able to settle” He huffed, attempting to sound uncaring about his utter incompetence, but slipping up a tad towards the end.
“Oh!” The boy exclaimed excitedly, before quickly correcting himself with a small cough at Izuku’s questioning gaze. “Uhm- what I mean is, that’s perfect for my offer!” He rushed to explain, swiftly continuing this mystery proposal as Izuku’s questioning blink.
“Uhm so, I’m gonna be studying in Yuuei, a town along a dense forest real far up north. Well- kind of far but still, it gets warm but also cold in winter so really it’s a matter of perception-” He quickly set his jaw tight before taking another breath, “I’m going to be staying with the Witch Aizawa, studying with his son and stuff.. since we’re kind of- close.” Denki flushed, and Izuku was unsure whether to feel bitter or amused at his expression.
“That sounds wonderful, a perfectly coordinated plan.” Izuku praised, gentle smiling tugging at his lips.
Denki nodded, fidgeting with a beaded string on his broom tip, biting at the skin of his lips. “I uh- since you don’t have anywhere to go and all, would you wanna come too?” He questioned hesitantly sending a beautifully gold glance Izuku’s way.
And, really, how in the many realms was Izuku meant to refuse such a generous and honestly tempting offer. This boy was a sight to behold, and Izuku was unsure how he’d be capable of parting ways with such a beauty.
“I would be honored, actually.” he smiled, the expression turning more vibrant as the boy raised a wondrously awe-filled gaze towards him, “I’d love to.” He finished, earning a whooping cheer from his new friend as he frantically explained to the blonde that no, hugging while on a broom was highly irresponsible.
From there on, their course changed ever so slightly, flying alongside one another as they traversed to this mysterious village,
Yuuei.