When I regained my consciousness, the first thing I saw was the night sky and a full moon.
Forcing myself to sit up from the stone floor and take a look around me, I wince from the pain that came from my torso.
'Probably broke a rib or two... And some bruising' I thought to myself as I hold my injuries to help ease some pain.
Looking down to see my sleeves torn along with the skin underneath covered with dust and dried blood. The tiles under me also have dried blood, with a marking large enough to make me think it was a miracle I'm even alive.
I take in my surroundings and notice that it can only be described in one word; Ruins.
This place is an abandoned shrine with decaying wood, dusty surfaces and rusted metals here and there. The overgrown weeds and trees housed an unknown amount of insects as they chirp away into the night.
Different from the Hakurei Shrine, this place seemed more disorderly. And rather than just Sakura trees that are planted around, it also has large chestnut trees.
Deciding to investigate where this place is, I force myself to stand up and slowly limp towards the shrine in order to look for clues.
Peeking through the destroyed doors, the area is subtly illuminated by the moon makes for a great scene you'd find in a Visual Novel that makes my hands itch to immediately paint it on a canvas.
Carefully moving around and avoiding the broken floorboards, I check the interior of the handful of rooms.
...
Minutes later, patting out the dust from the steps of the shorts stairs by the entrance, I sit down and release a sigh.
My investigation resulted in me finding a few old photos, some moldy incense, a broken hand mirror and a few golden accessories that are mostly used for rituals.
Robbing a shrine is not something I want to do but my situation doesn't allow for such sentiments.
Not only do I not have a clue as to where I am, but I am also injured and dirty. The worry and anxiety that's eating at the back of my mind makes me impatient to look for the others.
Closing my eyes, I attempt to recall the moments before my unconsciousness.
'The day of the monthly gathering, training at Shinomori's place with everyone, then the Great Hakurei Barrier was broken and Gensokyo was intruded...' I felt a tight feeling in my heart.
'A white-haired man, AFO... The fight, the shrine, and... And everyone was...' Tears fell uncontrollably as my teeth clenched.
Taking deep breaths to calm down and wiping away my tears, I try to recall my memories after who knows how many minutes pass.
'I was blown away in the direction of the Torii gates... I caught a glimpse of golden hair so they might be alright, I hope.'
'Then everything faded to black... It felt like I was being squeezed, compressed and forced through a pinhole... A kaleidoscope of myriad colors... And vague shadows dancing in a layered circle...?'
'...yeah, that's everything I remember before passing out.' Bewildered and confused, Stroking the ribbon on my head, I suppress down the fear in my stomach.
'I can ponder later. For now, I need to tend my wounds and rest before going away. The shrine will do for tonight.'
I look for the Chozuya to clean my wounds. They are the water butts in front of every Japanese shrine. Here is where you usually purify your hands and mouth before entering the shrine proper.
Luckily, there were also some herbs nearby that I can use to dress my wounds.
'I am really glad that I listened to Medicine during the time she was a guest lecturer. Her lessons are always about herbalism, first aid, fauna and flora.'
Picking up a few chestnuts to eat, I slowly limp my way towards the shrine and laid down on the floor.
The night air was chilly so I did my best to cover myself with my capelet. Somewhat shivering, I close my eyes and dozed off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning came, kinda.
'It must be because I was unconscious before waking up in this area. My body had more than enough sleep by now.'
Standing up and taking in my surroundings, I notice that despite having plenty of insects from the sounds I've heard last night, there are hardly any birds.
The sky is still dark but from the position of the moon, I devise that it's still 2 hours before dawn.
I try moving a bit and was surprised that my torso doesn't hurt as much as before. Giving in to my curiosity, I poke my ribs and felt a weak pain.
'I never got an injury this big before but it's good to know that I have a healing factor.'
Dismissing any further distractions from my head. I start to walk to the exit of the shrine.
Glancing back one last time at the shrine to take in the scene.
I continue forward...
Reaching the stairs I look down and confirmed my suspicions that this shrine is located on a mountain. Making a few heads, I hitch a ride and floated down.
From the presence of chestnut tress, I can assume that this is southern Japan. And from the memories of my past life, Gensokyo is in Yatsugatake Mountains on the border between Nagano prefecture and Yamanashi prefecture of the Chubū Region.
Meaning that I have to traverse at least 3 more prefectures before arriving in it's proximity.
I know from the supplies that Daigoro occasionally brings to Shinomori that this is the modern era at least. The names of places are different but the geography should roughly the same. I should manage to be able to get back somehow.
I have neither ID's or money so public transportation is a no-go unless I earn some cash. I can sell the accessories but hardly anyone is gonna take a kid seriously in a negotiation.
'One thing for sure is that this journey is gonna be a pain in the neck.' Sighing, I reach the bottom of the mountain as I see the Torii gate by the end of the stairs.
Passing through, I felt something akin to a thin film of water. A sensation similar to the Great Hakurei Barrier.
To say that I was surprised is an understatement, the shrine looked like it has been abandoned for a decade at least. Even Reimu would check the barrier at least twice a year to make sure nothing is wrong yet this one is still up and running.
Taking out the old pictures I found from the shrine, I scrutinized each face on them and was left disappointed as none of them were even remotely familiar to anyone I know.
Giving one last look at the entrance of the shrine, which has been disguised and became incorporeal, I continue on my way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nearly a week have passed ever since that night at the shrine.
There are a few things I've discovered: One, this is the time period where All Might is already the symbol of peace. Meaning that this is at least 100 years in the future. From how young and enthusiastic he is at hero work, I concluded that he still hasn't fought AFO and gotten injured.
From that alone brings up a few points, prominently being that he survived Gensokyo. It fills me with dread on whether or not my homeland is now gone, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Revenge. I can take the lethal blow for All Might using my heads. My power has hardly changed since the attack and I'll likely be more of a burden than an asset in their battle. However, saving All Might would allow him to keep his strength longer and weaken AFO for the future.
This can change the plot as All might would no longer have an incentive to quickly look for a successor. Or maybe it will still happen by Midoriya impressing All Might with his heroism despite being quirkless, like seeing his old self in the young Deku or something.
Second thing I've discovered is that technology is advanced in certain fields that it took some time to learn how to use household devices like smartphones.
Lastly, this is at least 5 years before the canon timeline of [MHA]. If I were to join U.A. in a few years then would have a chance to kill AFO during the Kamino ward incident.
But before then, I still need to survive and check the current state of Gensokyo.
I still haven't sold the golden ritual accessories but I've procured money by taking from the more unsavoury folk that tried to take advantage of me. Luckily, I also got a phone without a password from one of them. Technically stealing but they're thieves themselves so it's ironic.
Using that money, I spent my time travelling towards Gensokyo. The shrine where I woke up in was located in Kyoto prefecture, and the Yatsugatake Mountains where Gensokyo should be is in Nagano prefecture.
That is a 345km distance between the two. It wouldn't take 5 hours if you go by car, and about 4 days if you traverse by foot.
Public transportation like bullet Trains need identification. Cars need one too, not to mention the toll fee between borders.
That's why I made my way be either sneakily flying above the clouds or walking on the way.
I stand out because of my capelet and got mistaken for a hero when I knock out the thugs. This got the attention of the actual heroes but since I'm not actively looking for them, they thought it was just a case of self defense... I think. I ran away immediately afterwards so I wouldn't know.
From what little money I've gathered, I bought a secondhand shoulder bag where I can store my clothes and I wore the simple new ones I got from a sale.
I'm not leaving any of my belongings. Call me sentimental and pessimistic but if something did happen to Gensokyo then these items are all I have left to remember it by.
The random thugs don't have much money on them either, otherwise they wouldn't resort have to stealing. That's why I have to be frugal.
The stuff I eat are mostly fruits and wild berries found in the nearby forest of wherever place I am. Occasionally treating myself to a convenience store bento that became half-off when it's close the expiration date. And if I'm not buying drinks, I can get them from water fountains in parks or clean streams.
Shelter is either a somewhere like camping, resting in some abandoned building or an internet cafe. They are cheap and affordable so most homeless people in Japan take refuge in them, making the percentage of homelessness in the country a record low.
Hygiene is also handled in the internet cafes as they come with extra services like a shower and simple clothes for a small fee. I could've also done it in a river or something but I'd rather not bet on my luck and assume a cliché like someone or something is gonna peep would happen.
I. Am. Not. An. Exhibitionist.
I also have to avoid security, as I tend to wander around and eavesdrop on conversations. A habit from my sister's spying in the human village. A loitering 10-year-old child would make any upright citizen worried, suspicious, or at the very least, curious. This also means that I can't stay for long periods of time in internet cafes. The clerks already treat me like a runaway kid so they don't ask for an ID, but if I stay there for longer periods of time, they might get the local police or the Child Protection Services to come and get me.
I made it to the city close to the mountains so I decided to set up camp. I'm already so close to getting back home which makes me very impatient and feel like just rushing through the forest.
But I held back knowing that this area has some strong animals with quirks of their own, and I rather fight during the day to avoid getting ambushed. Even with my eyes adapted to the dark, it's better safe than sorry.
'As they say, Caution is the mother of safety' I chuckled to myself as I slowly drift to sleep.