#yato's fear was to be forgotten and he was forced to watch the only person he cred about die in front of him

[chibitorra]

WHAT

THIS MONTH’S NORAGAMI CHAPTER

NOOOOOOO

[bakubabes-tatakae]

The Regalia and the God (Part Two)

Author’s Note: If anyone wants to be added to the taglist let me know ! I’m happy to do it for anyone.

(Yato X Reader)

Summary: The delivery god Yato has never been that popular with the public, but when it comes to fighting phantoms he’s one of the ones you want by your side. Every god needs a trusty Regalia by his side… that’s where Y/N and Yukine come in.

AO3 Link

Part One

Part Two:

Word Count: 2,596

When Yato had said we had a job searching for Milord I had thought we would be searching for a person… but no, Milord was a cat, and Yato was just as excited as he could be to search for him. We walked around the bustling city, cars flying down the roads, people littering the sidewalk, and for most of the people in the city it was like we weren’t even there. We blended in with them. “Milord!” Yato cupped his mouth with his hands to make it just a little louder. “Where are you Milord! Come to Yato.”

I walked slowly behind him, scanning the areas I knew that he was missing. Yato might be an impressive fighter when it came to phantoms, but he wasn’t the best at seeing the pictures, a big reason that he has me. “Yato, call me. I can help you search better.” 

Yato hated to call me unless we were in a fight, but he knew that I was right. “If I call you tho you won’t be here walking with me, and when I talk to you I’ll look like a lunatic.”

“Do you really think anyone is paying attention to you Yato?” I motioned around me. “Look at everyone, they’re too busy in their own worlds. I could probably tell them all I was going to take off my shirt and not a single person would even move.”

His vision turned to a glare. “If anyone looked I’d have to step in, you know?”

I shook my head slowly, closing my eyes. Tough Yato was my favorite Yato, but he always pulled him out at the worst times. “Just call to me Yato.” 

“Fine,” He put his hand out. “Come, Norikki.”

I felt my energy change as my name was called and I entered my domain. The world around my body was different from the world that was around Yato. In the spirit world as a Regalia I had my own space, a space that no one was in other than me. I scanned the crowd and Yato continued to walk. We walked past a group of girls on the sidewalk and I could feel one of their attention’s turn to us. Usually humans didn’t even notice Yato, I wonder why this one had?

Yato noticed it too, he turned slowly and when she was passed he looked straight ahead again. “Did you see this Y/n?” 

I hesitated. “Yea, I did.” I could feel my jealousy creeping up, I knew that I had no reason for it, but it was always there. I scanned around again when I noticed a small furball in the middle of the street… Milord. “Yato, to your left, slowly. If you move to fast you’ll spook him.”

Yato turned and his mouth opened wide, gasping. “Milord, there you are.” The cat started to run off and before I could interject Yato was hopping over the gate in front of us. “Hey, wait, come back.”

He took off after the cat and I tried to get him to stop. “Yato, there’s a bus coming, stop run-” As I tried to finish my words I could feel Yato being thrown to the otherside of the road, the force taking the wind out of him and stopping my words. 

A girl with long brown hair stood before us.Yato slowly sat up and looked toward her. “Running into the street like that!” She was clearly angry. “What kind of an idiot are you?”

In my Regalia form the only person that could hear me was Yato, something I had forgotten. “You jumped into the street too, what’s that make you?” I looked back toward the street and was shocked to see the same girl sitting before us apart from her body. Her body still laid on the street in front of the bus, her friends from earlier surrounding her. “Yato, she’s a spirit.”

“You realize you could have been killed!” She was huffing, trying desperately to get her breath. 

Yato looked behind him and motioned his head toward the bus and her body. “Aren’t you missing something?”

The girls stared at her body and before we would try to explain anything to her she was screaming. 

* * * * * * 

Yato sat on the stone wall of the garden we were in. I slowly sat down next to him and put my hand over his. “What are you thinking about Yatty?”

“That girl… First she could see me, and then she risks her life to save me?” The bewilderment in his eyes was more prevalent than I had seen it in a long time. “I just don’t get it.” 

I hated to say it because it was not something that I was too fond of doing… but I knew it would probably make Yato feel better. “What if we went to the hospital to see her?” I smiled at him, trying to hide my jealousy. I hated how bad I got with that stuff. “We can get in and get out without them even noticing.”

He smiled at me. “You alway think of the best ideas.” He put his hand on my cheek and placed a small kiss on my lips, running his hand down my cheek. “Now let’s go, before it gets too late.”

* * * * * * 

When we reached the room of the girl who had risked her life to save Yato she was still asleep. Yato sat on top of one of the couches in the room, patiently waiting, while I sat in front of him on the cushion, not waiting quite so patiently. Just as I was about to say something to him about leaving and coming back tomorrow her eyes opened, looking around the room and finding Yato and I waiting for her. 

She stared in disbelief at the two of us sitting in her room, and she looked like she was listening for something. Yato knew that look. “You can hear the voices of the far shore?” She screamed and ran to the corner of her room, staring at us in fear. “Doesn’t look like you got hurt too badly, huh?” She calmed a little as she recognized Yato’s face. “Thanks for that by the way.”

I stood from the couch and crossed my arms. “Of course… he didn’t need help avoiding that bus…” 

Yato saw me looking for a catfight and interjected. “But, no human has ever tried to save me before.”

The girl walked over to the couches and slowly sat, watching every move we made. “I don’t get it, who are you?”

Yato smiled at her. “That’s easy. I’m a God.” The girl took a cellphone out and started making a phone call, telling the person on the other line that there were crazy intruders in her room. “Wait! Hang up the phone. I’m not crazy. I really am one of the Gods, okay?” When he saw her relaxing a little he pointed to himself. “I am the God Yato, and this is my Regalia, Y/n.”

She looked angry again. “A God called Yato? What are you playing at? I’ve never heard of that God. And what’s a Regalia?”

“That’s understandable, I’m still what you’d call an up and comer, but just wait, before much longer the whole world with know my name!” Yato stood and threw his hands out at his sides. “I’ll be mega famous, the go to God, the God that everybody prays too! I’ll be the highest God in the land!” I laughed at him and smiled. Seeing him feel good about himself was intoxicating. “Me! The God Yato!” He started to laugh to himself. 

I nudged his arm and motioned to the door. “Yato, I can hear them.”

Yato looked from the young girl to me. “It’s gonna be a stormy night, this place is already crawling with them, and I’m essentially Regalia-less so I can’t stick around.” He grabbed a basket off the table and started to eat the contents. “By the way, what’s your name?”

She didn’t know how to react. “It’s Hiyori. Hiyori Iki.”

“Hiyori Iki, huh? I came to make sure you were okay and you seem just fine.” He hopped off the back of the couch. “So, we’re even now.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the window. “See ya.” He opened the window and we both hopped out. 

* * * * * * 

The next day flew by as we continued the search for Milord. Before we knew it darkness had hit. I looked at Yato. “We need to get going Yato, the phantoms will be out soon and you know that I can’t protect you. I’m a guidance Regalia, not for fighting.”

“Just give it a little longer, I promise we’ll go in before anything crazy can happen.” He had a stick with a string tied to it. On the end of the string he had placed some pieces of wood. “Come on out now kitty! Milord!” He ignored my pleas and continued to walk. 

I had a bad feeling, but Yato was my master, I couldn’t disobey him. The wind gusted around us, it was getting cold. Suddenly I heard a cat crying, I sprinted in the direction it was coming from, Yato on my heels. We turned the corner and saw him, he hissed when we came into view. 

“Milord! Just stay there, hang on.” Yato placed the stick beside him. “There’s no need to run.” As Yato started to slowly inch forward the cat came running to him, jumping straight into his arms. “What’s the matter boy?”

I had found what was the matter. A phantom started to manifest in front of us. “Yato, we need to run. NOW.” 

He looked toward the phantom. “Come Norikki.” My form changed and Yato snatched the silver ring out of the air, placing it on his finger to secure it. “Guide me, where’s the best way out.”

Before I could tell him which way to go I sensed an attack. “Yato, jump, get out of there.”

As he jumped an attack hit where he had just been standing. He landed a couple feet away and the phantom's eyes were all around us. Were they coming from one phantom or twenty? “They’re just small one, but there are too many of them, Norikki.”

More attacks sent a tingle down my spine. “Run Yato, they’re attacking again.”

Yato listened and ran, tucking the cat into his tracksuit. “Numbers aren’t on my side here!” He ran forward and I scanned the area. There was a field coming up and before I could tell him where to go he hopped the fence, coming face to face with a phantom. 

A giant frog stood before us, it lifted its head into the air and started screaming. Yato dodged an attack from it as it sent one of its hands down toward him. I saw an opening. “Yato, hit it from underneath.”

He landed a hit on the underside of it’s chin, sending it flying backwards. “A lot of good that did.” The frog got back up and stared at Yato as he went running for it. “Hanki, come.”

“Yato, what are you doing?” I was baffled. “We don’t have Tomone anymore, she left, remember?”

“Oh crap, I forgot.” As Yato went to turn, a hand took his and set him running the other way. Hiyori Iki was dragging us along. “This chick again?”

She was screaming as she turned to it. “What is that thing?”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but the tongue from the frog's mouth was about to hit them both. “Yato, break left, tongue coming at you.”

Yato dodged it multiple times and before we could stop her Hiyori was running toward the giant frog. “You idiot! Don’t run at it!”

The frog grabbed her leg and she started screaming. In a panic Hiyori threw her leg toward the frog, screaming something as she landed a kick to the side of it’s head. The force threw the frog across the field. Yato stood with his mouth gaping open, me doing the same from inside the spirit world. She landed back on the ground. “Woah, it worked!” 

The frog was getting ready to get back up and pounce. “Yato, grab her, get into the air.”

Yato grabbed her arm and dodged the frog’s pounce just as it was about to hit her. He carried her bridal style and landed on the frog’s head, giving him just enough of a bounce to get away, using the telephone polls and building to take us to another area. 

As we landed in an area that we were sure the frog wouldn’t follow he called me back. “Revert Norikki.” We sat for a minute, making sure the coast was clear. “I think we lost it.”

The girl stood up from the wall and walked toward Yato. I wrapped an arm around his waist, him doing the same to my shoulder. It wasn’t very often that I was around another female, other than Tomone, and I had nothing to worry about with her. “I’m glad I caught up to you Yato. I’ve got a lot of questions to ask you know. You just suddenly ran off on me. No dodging my questions this time. I want some straight answers.”

“Sorry,” He pointed to the pink tail that was coming from the girl. “But your soul, it slipped out.” She looked at her tail and screamed. He pointed back toward the fence. “If you want your body,” Her body was laying over the fence. “It’s over there.”

She was still screaming. ‘How’s that possible? What happened?” She grasped her tail. “Does that mean that I’m dead?”

Yato grabbed her body from off the fence, leaving me to deal with her. “Not exactly, it’s like your body is just taking a nap.”

As Yato laid her body back on the ground her spirit self passed out, landing back into her real body. She stayed asleep as she laid on the sidewalk. The cat popped it’s head out of Yato’s tracksuit. He scratched the top of it’s head. “Look what you did. I thought only black cats were supposed to be bad luck.”

“We have to finish our job Yato.” I reached over and scratched it’s head myself.

He smiled. “Let’s get you home little buddy.”

“What about Hiyori?” I looked down. “We can’t just leave her here.”

“What else are we supposed to do with her?” He was puzzled. “We don’t even know where she lives.”

I sighed. As much as I wasn’t fond of the girl, I didn’t want to leave her here unattended. There were some real creeps in the world. 

“You take the cat, I’ll take her.” He handed me Milord and grabbed Hiyori, setting her on his back.

* * * * * * 

Yato opened the gate to the house that Milord had belonged to, letting the small cat run up to the door. I walked with the furball, hitting the doorbell and running back out before anyone could see me on the porch. We left a second later, headed to find someplace where we could bring Hiyori. As we walked we both heard a voice. “You’re the best ever Yato. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Praise for the God Yato could be heard by himself and his Regalia when humans use his name. I looked over at him to see him smiling like an idiot. Making a difference in the world was one of the only things that Yato wanted to do… and tonight, he had done it. 

Taglist 💕 @izzythefanfreak

Updated: 5/13/2020

[stardust-in-the-sea]

Noragami Theories: Yato

*Warning: Spoilers up to Chapter 78-2*

I know there is a lot written about the Tsukuyomi theory, but I can’t help but think that he might be someone else instead. (Sorry in advance for the long post. I tried to put in a “keep reading” but it didn’t seem to work for mobile)

I think he could be: 

Ōyamatsumi

“Ōyamatsumi (大山祇) in Japanese mythology is an elder brother of Amaterasu, and an important god who rules mountain, sea, and war. He is also the father of Konohanasakuya-hime,[1] the kami of Mount Fuji.

His most important shrine, Ōyamazumi Shrine, is located on Ōmishima.”

It's definitely possible, and though there are things that I can and can’t match up to this theory, no theory is perfect. (I also had a hard time finding any info at all about Oyamatsumi.) Here goes: 

Oyamatsumi, "who rules mountain, sea and war."

We were given several clues:

Sea

War 

and Mountains

(We can also say that all the pictures of Yato with the moon behind him are referring to a control of the seas or tides, or of a closeness to the heavens, as if standing on something tall (like a mountain).)

So. Chapter 78-2. Getting chased by ayakashi without any help in sight, Yato was forced to name Kazuma as his own in order to not die via ayakashi. The weapon not only changes from a sword to a bow, but also includes a few articles of clothing: scarf, gloves, jacket, shoes. With this type of shinki, Yato doesn't look like he normally would with a shinki. His shinki don’t usually change his appearance (like Bishamons’ shinki do). 

He looks like a hunter. Hunters are usually found in an area with forests, like a mountain. (Yes, its true that every shinki is different, but they are all related to the user. For example, all Bishamons shinki are either weapons or armor, which matches her personality of being a god of war. Even Kazuma, who is only an earring, becomes something useful to a god of war. And a nora becomes something different for each master they have.) 

1. In the beginning of chapter 26, it was mentioned that the nearby dam had dried up. The dry dam was shown, and in the center, in the deepest spot, was a shrine. It looked as if it had been there a while, and was starting to deteriorate. An abandoned shrine. If this shrine had been loved, wouldn’t they have tried to save it somehow? Maybe pick it up and relocate it? Or maybe put the dam itself in a different spot? The shrine was obviously damaged, but not destroyed, which would mean that it hasn’t been there long enough for the water to ruin it completely. A shrine that was abandoned, and then forgotten about completely when the water from the dam covered it in recent years. 

This pic was shown once, but never mentioned again. I wonder if it could be one of the shrines that was "erased" from history. Back at the beginning of the heavens arc, we are told that anyone who doesn't side with the heavens would have their names "struck from the roster and all their shrines destroyed,” reducing them to a cult. I can’t help but wonder if this forgotten shrine is actually Yatos’ old one.

Upon looking at the website for the listed shrine (”Oyamazumi Shrine”), I found that offerings were left, often being weapons, and that it was located near water.

The abandoned shrine we are shown could easily have been next to an ancient stream, and was destroyed by the dam, and forgotten. Maybe they "destroyed" it by making this one inaccessible to anyone else, while getting rid of all the other ones. Or made it so people would forget about it sooner somehow, since there were probably many people who might’ve come to visit (probably with a spell or something). 

2. When Scissors-kun comes running in with the ayakashi chasing after him, Yato immediately comes down from his spot on the bridge to help. He doesn't stop to think about what could happen, or that he doesn’t have a shinki with him. 

He saw the ayakashi and even though he didn't know Scissors-kun well (apart from his memories of a past life, since he’d tried to name him) Yato still decided to go help, and ended up saving him. 

does this sound like something a god of calamity would do? No, it doesn’t.

3. We could say this is a result of him wanting to change and be a god of fortune, or it could be something more, as if his true nature was showing through at that moment. He could’ve changed enough over time, that his true nature more easily shines through (though I do think that some of the personality traits he displays are caused from “father’s” abuse.)

There's a couple times where I think we see his true nature come through, (it’s not that often, and difficult to pick out) and one of them was when he was coerced into telling Sakura her true name, even though he knew that he shouldn’t. 

When he was with her, he’d found something different. Somewhere he could be with people and have contact with someone else other than just “father” and Hiiro. He was able to experience something he wasn’t allowed to before (since father was raising him to be a god of calamity) and decided that it was something good. He wanted to be part of that world too. The one that showed him this “new world” was Sakura, and she became a special person to him. He began to realize the value of people's lives and what it meant to be a god. (Children don’t have any experience with hiding emotions or such, and are more easily read than an adult would be.) He didn't want to lose that connection, but was still tied to father due to psychological abuse.

I believe his true nature was showing in the times he spent with Sakura (free to be himself without worry), and also in the moment he lost her. He’d realized just how special she was, and desperately wanted her to be saved, even though it was impossible. Even Hiyori could see that Sakura was important to him, and just how toxic the relationship between Yato and “father” is. 

4.  A true god of calamity would never have had the same reaction as yato did, when experiencing the things that Sakura showed him. A true god of calamity would have continued like father had instructed: “fun” things being killing and bringing the victim’s ears to him, and causing a lot of fear in the people they encountered. A true god of calamity wouldn’t have listened to Sakura, and wouldn’t have been interested in learning anything from her about the people living nearby.  A true god of calamity would’ve ignored her teachings and kept killing, because they would be someone who truly enjoyed it. 

Maybe this is why Takemikazuchi referred to Yato as a “false god.” As one that goes against his “nature.” 

But that might be because he’s not really a god of calamity. 

Once Yato realized how important relationships between people are, and after he lost Sakura, is when he began to rebel and tried to get farther away from “father” (but he never could break that connection.)

That is, until he found Hiyori and Yukine.

Because of them, he found the strength to begin fighting back and severing his ties with this toxic relationship, starting with releasing Hiiro, and currently with his mission to get rid of “father” all together. Because of them, he decided he wanted to change for real this time, and to keep it that way (instead of going back to “them”). Because of Hiyori and Yukine, he decided he didn’t want to be known as a god of calamity anymore. Because of them, he is now on the path to become a god of fortune. 

5. Oyamatsumi’s description makes him sound like a guardian deity. Like someone who would protect someone else. 

Based on the description of the shrine, this was not some warrior god. He sounds more like someone that people looked up to for protection and even brought offerings.  

Yato being a god of calamity is something that “father” created in him. 

6. In the Yomi arc, Yato is stuck in the underworld with no escape from Izanami. They discover that “Yato” isn’t his “real name,” but Hiyori figures it out and rescues him. But before that, they get a visit from a mysterious girl. The most striking thing about this girl is not that she is hooded as if hiding from someone, but the look of sadness and worry on her face: 

She tells them “no one knows I’m here,” meaning she managed to escape the heavens for a while in order to tell them, “call him by his real name. I’m sure it’ll make him happy.” Why did she bother coming in the first place? WHY would she risk getting caught, in order to come and tell them how to rescue Yato? Yato, who is a no-name god who is unknown to most people and gods alike? Who only recently has obtained a shrine and a (small) plot of land in the heavens? Who has, until recently, been known as a god of calamity? Why would she -- an important person -- come to help someone like him? 

Later on in the heavens arc, we see her again. She is again sad, but no one seems to notice this and are only concerned about who she is. Later, she seems to have hidden her feelings away. 

But WHY is she sad? Especially since she is like this both times that we see her? Both times, she is either talking about Yato or talking to him directly. I thought about this for a while, but the only conclusion I came to was that she knows him. 

IF she somehow knows him, then wouldn’t it be possible that they are actually related somehow? Oyamatsumi is stated as being the elder brother of Amaterasu (even if they don’t look similar to each other, but due to the nature of how gods come into being, they could still easily call each other siblings.)

Is she sad that she can’t treat him like a sibling? 

Sad that she may get in trouble for acknowledging him as someone who used to be a part of the heavens? or sad that she might be forced to kill him, because she knows that everyone is watching her.

7. This would also imply that she knows the reason that he was originally reincarnated for. What if she’s the only person who knows?  

When Takemikazuchi was reincarnated, we learn that reincarnations are kept secret. (chapter 66, pg 20)

When reading through theory posts, I found that there were a few people worried that, if Yato does end up being an important god, then he would have to go back to the heavens to fulfill his “new” duties, and abandon his friends on earth (at least for a short while, and visit occasionally). Oyamatsumi is described as “important,” however Oyamatsumi doesn’t seem to be as important as Tsukukomi, (especially since I had a hard time finding any info at all on him) so if he does end up being Oyamatsumi, he might be able to do more of what he wants, even though he’d know his true identity. He might still be able to spend time with Hiyori and everyone on earth if he chose to. 

(Let me know if you notice any holes or mistakes in this theory, so I can try and fix them.)  

[libraryscarf]

those who bleed and those who burn

(ao3)

this doesn't belong to the same AU as the rest of the snapshots in this series, but I decided to post it anyway. this is an AU based on Marissa Meyer's "Fairest"--an interlude story in the Lunar Chronicles told from the villain's viewpoint.

so what I'm saying is basically.......if Yato were Levana :')

Held against the coals his skin hissed and swelled and split.

“Come over here, little brother. I want to show you something.”

The thick, charred smell of flesh choked him, he couldn’t breathe, and he was on fire, and his face bubbled and broke open.

“Yes, good job little brother. Are you having fun?”

He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw and bleeding from the smoke. And he could only wait, wishing for his red, ruined body to give up and let him go, to leave the fire...to find someplace cool and quiet...

And then he woke up.

“Bad dream?”

Fujisaki sat at the foot of Yato’s bed, wrapped in a soft white robe and smiling angelically down at him. Yato called up his glamour instantly, though his skin was plastered to the sheets with sweat and the ashy, burnt taste of his own flesh wouldn’t leave his mouth.

“You should be up by now,” Fujisaki said gently. “People are arriving for the funeral. It is such a shame…”

He glamoured a fat teardrop to roll down his face, and it trembled like a star at the bottom of his chin. The tear was disturbingly at odds with the smile on his lips.

“I’m up,” Yato said, glaring back.

Fujisaki was the only person alive who didn’t react to the scorching ice of Yato’s stare.

His eyes were blue--not his real eyes, of course, but the ones he chose to wear. They were the kind of blue that hurt to look at.

The kind of blue that burned.

No matter how much his glamour changed, Yato kept the eyes.

: : :

Endless sympathies. Endless shoulder pats. Endless tears, most of them faked.

Yato knew no one actually cared who had died, even though the funeral was for the rulers of their kingdom.

He didn’t much care either.

The unsorry words kept eating at him.  “We’re so sorry for your loss.” “They will never be forgotten.” “This is truly a dark day for Luna...”

It began to sicken him.

Yato stopped making eye contact with the well-wishers. He was getting tired of their invasive closeness, the staring.

Someone stopped in front of him, and once again, he didn’t look up. He fastened his eyes on the pair of plain shoes facing him.

“I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you,” said a quiet voice. This voice, unlike the others, quivered with what seemed to be real feeling. Yato glanced up before he could stop himself.

The voice belonged to a young woman, whose face he was sure he had seen somewhere before. The memory skittered around his periphery like an insect.

“Your name?” he asked.

She clutched her hands close to her stomach, caught off-guard by his sharp question.

“Hiyori Iki, Your Highness. My husband had the honor to serve in the castle guard for many years, until…” She swallowed, and Yato caught the glimmer of moisture before her eyes turned down.

“Until recently.”

Iki...yes, he remembered that name. The guard who had been executed for protecting a maid: one of Fujisaki’s favorites, if Yato remembered correctly. He had been forced to pull out all his fingernails, then slit his own throat in front of the gathered courtiers in the throne room.

Even Yato hadn’t been able to watch that one all the way through.

“Then I think you can imagine, after all,” he said in return, surprising himself with the gentleness of his voice.

Hiyori looked him in the eyes for a long while, as though gauging his sincerity. He waited for the instant she would shy away from his stare.

Instead, she gave him a soft smile.

That was her only answer before she moved past him, down the line.

: : :

“Who was that you were so captivated by?”

Fujisaki caught Yato’s elbow as he fled the crowded ballroom.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Of course you do.”

Fujisaki grinned, and Yato recoiled in disgust as his brother’s glamour shaped itself into the appearance of Hiyori Iki.

“I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.”

Fujisaki’s voice was mousy and high-pitched--a disgraceful mockery of her words that made Yato’s blood pound with rage.

“Really, a guard’s widow...and not even one of the pretty ones,” Fujisaki purred, still inhabiting Hiyori’s appearance while scraping his eyes lewdly over Yato’s body. “However, it’s good to see you even have that ability. I was beginning to harbor doubts.”

His eyes found their mark.

“Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten. But your...imperfections are all above the waist, aren’t they?”

Yato shrank against the wall.

“Stop it.”

Fujisaki gave a ringing laugh, and dropped Hiyori’s glamour to appear as himself again. This did not give Yato very much comfort.

“Well, little brother, if you want to toy with her, you have only to ask.”

Fujisaki gave Yato’s chin a playful tweak as he strode past, disappearing around the corner of the next corridor.

Yato slumped against the wall, pressing his aching forehead into the cool stone. No, he thought, he didn’t want her.

He didn’t want anything but quiet.

: : :

Yato shut the door behind her. Either he didn’t notice the way Hiyori’s eyes nervously flickered toward it as her only escape route was cut off, or he chose to be ignorant.

“You love me,” he said.

It wasn’t a question. He knew she did.

Hiyori’s shoulders tightened.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. She refused to look at him.

Yato exhaled slowly through his nose. He reached for her mind, slipping himself between the cracks in her armor.

Tell me the truth.

“Yes…” she breathed. “Yes, I do...love you.”

Yato sighed. The relief of hearing it lifted a hollow burden off his chest that he felt as though he’d been carrying for weeks.

But then she gave a quiet sob, and his heart froze.

“But I don’t want you to love me,” she said miserably.

Yato rushed to hold her, clutching her upper arms, careful his grip wasn’t hard enough to bruise.

“Don’t be silly. You’re still telling me the truth, right?”

Hiyori nodded weakly, still unable to look at him.

“Of course you want this,” he said, hating how his voice pleaded. How it was weak.

Her arms felt tiny in his hands, and Yato wondered frantically if she’d lost weight. That thought was immediately chased out of his head by her head shaking “no.”

“I don’t. I don’t want this. I can’t...please…”

His grip was getting steadily tighter.

“Why not? Hiyori, you do want this. I can give you everything. You and your son--”

Hiyori threw her chin up and stared him fiercely in the eye. Yato let go of her arms and took a shocked step backward.

“He’s why I can’t! The life of a child here, in this court...around your brother! I meant to leave with him as soon as the mourning period for the king and queen was over…”

Yato gaped at her, unable to believe he was hearing this.

“You what?”

Hiyori dragged her fingers through her hair, and the look on her face scared him. He had seen it on his own...on the faces of the women his brother had tortured…

“I was going to leave. We were going to leave, forever. But I...I couldn’t...I…”

Yato didn’t need to hear.

“If you want to toy with her, you have only to ask.”

Fujisaki had made this happen. It was the only gift he had ever given his brother. It was the only thing Yato had ever truly wanted.

His teeth bared.

“You want to stay now, though.”

He was angry. Angry at Fujisaki. Furious at himself. But Hiyori was here, and--

Couldn’t she see that he could protect her?

Her hands crept up to cover her mouth, and frustrated sobs hiccuped out of her. Each one drove a poisoned needle through Yato’s heart.

“Why couldn’t I leave?” she asked, collapsing in on herself. “I wanted to. I wanted to leave, but I didn’t--because every time I tried, it hurt...it hurt Yukine so much. He screamed...he tore at his skin…”

Yato shut his eyes.

Hiyori slumped to her knees, and Yato sank to the floor in front of her.

“You can stay here,” he said, reaching for her again. Her mind was soft, and it was easy to reach through her defenses, to convince her how right he was. How much he loved her.

How much she wanted it.

“You can stay here, and it will all be fine.”

: : :

Before he saw her so often, it had been easier for Yato to keep himself together.

Before there was the chance of running into her around every corner in the palace. Before she began taking care to avoid him--or, if he was impossible to avoid, to put him off with smiles and politeness. Before he saw her playing with her son in the nursery, and smiling like he’d never been able to make her smile.

His gut twisted in jealousy.

“Hiyori.”

She was kneeling in front of Yukine and wiping something off his face as Yato walked up to them. The glint of anxiety in her eyes didn’t escape him.

“Go now--go play with Hiiro,” she told the little boy quietly, who trotted off back to the nursery after casting a question-filled glance at Yato.

Hiyori stood.

“Your Highness?”

Yato flinched. Her formality was a rejection in itself.

“Hiyori. Please.”

The anxiety in her eyes darkened into fear. Yato’s skin prickled with frustration. Why couldn’t she understand?

He would never hurt her, never.

If she couldn’t understand that, then he’d help her.

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” she murmured, just as he reached out for her mind. He stopped, and arranged his face into innocence.

“Do you think you’re helping me?” Hiyori asked, without anger. There was something in her voice besides fear, and Yato struggled for a moment to name it. Was it…

Pity.

“You’re imagining things,” he said hoarsely. She smiled.

“Yato. How long are you going to play this game? How long are you going to keep hoping I’ll change my mind?”

“It’s not a game. You love me, and soon you’ll see how important that is.”

She shook her head. Her face seemed to drain of life, and even the glint of fear in her eyes was chased out.

“It’s too late,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

The worst part was that it sounded like she actually was sorry. Yato hardened himself.

Hiyori was just confused.

She couldn’t just break his heart like this.

“It’s not over.” He reached out, pulling her closer to him.

He also reached into her mind, filling it with the warmth she had always given him.

“It isn’t over, because I love you.”

He barely met any resistance from her, and Yato hated his brother just a little bit more.

“I love you now, and you love me, and we’re happy.”

His arms tightened. He pushed her to respond. You are so happy right now.

“We’re happy. Right?”

Hiyori melted into his chest, her arms wrapping around him. She nodded.

: : :

It was close to four in the morning when he heard the footsteps. Yato lay perfectly still, his arm tucking Hiyori close to his side.

Breathe in.

A thump outside. A quickly muffled shout. Hiyori stirred.

Breathe out.

The door was thrown open so quickly it crashed against the wall and swung back. The man in the doorway propped it open. All Yato could see was the intruder’s helmet.

“Wh...what?” Hiyori sat up next to him. Yato let his arm fall from around her shoulders. Quietly, he slipped the idea into her head to stand up.

Hiyori stood.

“What is this?” she asked, her sleepy eyes blinking in the light from the hallway. She turned her head to look down at him. “Yato…?”

Yato caught the guard’s eye. Kazuma waited.

Then, Yato nodded, and Kazuma unsheathed a knife. Yato threw himself off the opposite side of the bed.

The rest he tried not to hear.

: : :

He crouched, shivering next to the bed, making sure to keep a grip on Hiyori’s consciousnesses with his glamour. Even if she wanted to run, her body would be frozen in place.

He trusted Kazuma to make it quick.

“I’m so sorry,” Kazuma’s voice murmured. And then, silence.

Then a scream.

Yato shot up from his crouch, electrified by the horror pounding through Hiyori’s mind. He retracted his will from her at once, dizzy with vicarious fear and agony.

“I-I don’t know--what did I...?!” Kazuma backed away, dropping the stained knife on the carpet. Yato’s eyes followed it. Light from the hallway splashed over the dripping, scarlet blade.

For a dead second, everything was quiet again.

Hiyori stood perfectly still. A coin-sized circle of darkness blossomed on her white nightdress, above her ribs. A second dark flower spread open over her heart. A third, in the middle of her stomach.

Her shocked, glossy eyes flickered between Kazuma’s face and Yato’s.

Then, she crashed to the floor. Her hands scrabbled, slipping in blood as she tried to press them against the wounds to staunch the bleeding. She stole rough, tortured breaths, and Yato felt sickness lurch in his throat.

Dumbstruck, Yato looked down to her, then back up to Kazuma. He was still backing away, as though only just realizing what he had done.

A harsh, sobbing whimper sucked all his attention back to Hiyori.

“Yato…?”

One hand was fisting over the wound in her stomach.

The other reached feebly toward him, and Yato’s fingers twitched.

It flopped to the floor again: a doll’s broken limb.

Yato’s eyes twitched back to Kazuma, and red erupted across his vision.

: : :

He was drowning.

He had already drowned.

He could smell nothing, could breathe nothing but the thick, coppery rust that filled the air.

He was alone.

In the dark, and alone, and drowning.

: : :

“What happened to him?”

Yato’s ears were ringing, but voices started to curl through the fog surrounding him. Footsteps. Panicked, gasping voices.

“He killed the queen.”

“But…”

“Remove the body.”

Shuffling, grunting. A heavy object being dragged, and then a gentle thump, like limp knuckles against the ground.

A horrified whisper: “Did...the king do this to his own thaumaturge?!”

A hissed reprimand:  “Do you want to die?!”

Yato closed their voices out of his mind, trying to claw his way back to oblivion. He felt a burning ache deep in his throat. It hurt too much to think about.

Surfacing from the cloudy depths of a nightmare, Yato’s body finally forced him into an awareness of himself and his surroundings. His arms and his back pounded with soreness. His throat was hot and gravelly, and he found he could only take short, shallow breaths. His lungs burned.

Yato’s eyelids twitched. His face was buried in something soft, and the lingering smell of flowers whispered through the air’s stench. Something rhythmically rattled in his ears: a soft, broken noise that sounded like a lost child.

He stiffened. The sound was him.

“Your Highness?”

A hand timidly tapped his shoulder, and his aching arms tightened. He was clutching something against him. Something soft and cold, that smelled faintly like flowers.