Do Gods Dream?
oO-Oo
"Do gods dream?"
Yato was startled out of his thoughts when Yukine spoke up. They'd been sitting in completely silence save for the soft rhythm of exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale. It was an easy quiet, not like before the incident with the ablution. Before that, they'd sit in stifling, suffocating quiet where no one wanted to move or sneeze or else the other would have to react and therefore address any problems between them. It wasn't that they were bad at confrontation. Both god and shinki were afraid of this confrontation. In the end, it only succeeded in Yato almost dying in excruciating pain and Yukine almost crossing over. Yukine's words echoed in his mind, do gods dream?
"Why?"
"I'm curious. I dream."
"About?"
"I asked first. Do you have dreams?"
Yato paused to think, but never answered. The words were on the tip of his tongue and were about to launch off his lips. Then, the phone tucked under Yato's thigh vibrated and immediately his eyes brightened. It was fake. Of course it wasn't real, just a moment before his eyes had been darker than the other side of the moon. Now the indigo irises look as though they'd been lit up with ugly fluorescent bulbs that made everything twice as gritty. The kind of lighting you found at a convenience store at 1 am and the cashier's eyes and teeth were yellow and it smelled like something had died in the corner. So, it was fake but it was the best he could do.
The call had been about a job and it sounded like it involved a phantom. A desperate young man needed an exorcist because apparently not only did his dog run away but all animals had started to attack him. The pair just couldn't catch a break these days. 5 yen, always 5 yen. Even if Yato collapsed by the end of the day the god would only charge 5 yen, whether he had to catch a dog or take down 5 phantoms. Yukine said nothing. They needed to make living even if it was worse than a day job at a cubicle. So they headed out into the evening, sky painted purple by the twilight. The stars had not yet come out and one side of the horizon was still hanging on to the beautiful day. The alleys were already drowning in shadows. That was the thing about this time of day or night, the world was held at a tightrope and depending on where you're sitting in the crowd it swung left or right. Here, around Kofuku's place, it was lighter. The fact that is was summer also helped keep a more "day vibe" in the area.
Yato led his shinki to the park where the man - practically a teen - was waiting for them. In the short time between leaving the house and arriving at the park Yato had time to stew in his thoughts as the sky darkened. Oh did the stray god dream. Other deities, he wasn't sure of but his subconscious was full of memories. The man spoke up when he saw the two, "Oh thank God," the shinki almost smirked, "I can't take this anymore! Animals used to love me-"and that was when they stopped listening because the phantom had bubbled forth, taking over its host. Yato dreamed of his past even if he didn't want to and even if he knew who to beg to, somehow the god of calamity knew it wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop and he wanted-needed-it to stop because if it didn't he would lose his sanitypleasejuststopstopstop-
A horrible shriek cut through the air and dissolved the mood that had floated around the sticky air. "Sekki!" Yukine transformed into twin blades, perfect and shiny with bandages as a handle. The voice of the possessed young man was distorted and was spouting nonsense. Yato dreamed about blood, wet and sticky and everywhere. All over him, choking him, he wasn't sure if it was his or the blood of his victims. It invaded his air canal and all he could taste or smell was iron. It bathed him and painted him a murderer and all he could think was, I can't breathe and I need to right now before I die. The creature, former man, leaped at him with its many legs that, oddly enough, resembled different species. The leg of a canine, a ruined wing of a large bird, and possibly a spider's leg sticking out of its back. Again it roared and seemed to shatter the air, an agonized call of many animals morphed and twisted in Yato's ears.
Despite the seriousness of the situation the god couldn't rip his thoughts away from Yukine's question. Why did it bother him so much? Oh, yes. His dreams were the source of the deep-set lilac against his pale cheeks and dark-as-night lashes. Yato dreamed of his precious Sakura, and it hurt so much to see her. The late shinki's face was never clear, though, so despite how much it hurt him to see her he never got a clear look at her. It was agonizing- did he want to see her or not? Well at one point in his sleep it was obvious that Yato would much rather not see her. Not with her limbs twisted and her once motherly eyes bulging out of her face in unbearable pain. Guilt consumed him and grief washed over his mind in huge, destructive waves when he woke. He wanted to reach out and comfort her-
The phantom had gotten the better of him, which wasn't too difficult because his gaze had been unseeing and his body on autopilot wasn't strong or agile enough to defend him. The huge claws rammed into him mercilessly and smashed him into the ground and dug into his back. Blight stained his porcelain skin along with blood that dribbled out of 3 perfect gashes. Yukine yelled, "Yato! What the hell? Stop spacing out, stupid god!" It was useless, though, nothing he could say would snap him out of it. Images of his dreams sent waves of mental agony through him and the way those pincers caught his arm didn't help matters. Thankfully the physical pain allowed him to push through the thoughts of Sakura and blood and pain that he had brought upon people. He brought down both blades on the thing's beak-pincer-mess of fangs that was its mouth.
The words came to him as quickly as the thing brought its arachnid limb up, "You who desecrate this Land of the Rising Sun! With my advent, I, Yatogami, lay waste with the Sekki and expel thy vast defilement!" It went about a quarter into his side before he choked out, "Rend!" In a huge flash of light, the phantom was gone. The man had left a while ago, not willing to put his life at risk like a normal person. Yato was suspended in the air for a moment until he crashed back down onto the unforgiving dirt. He lay there for a moment, no air entering his lungs because of how hard he'd slammed into the hard-packed ground. Quick quiet breathes were interrupted by Yato reverting Yukine into his human form. He kneeled by his master's head.
"Yato! Come on, answer! What the hell what that? Oh crap there-there's blood everywhere." The world pulsed black at the corners of his vision and he tried to sit up but the strength was bleeding out of him as fast as his actual blood was. "We have to get you to Lady Kofuku's shrine, c'mon…" The shinki helped the weakening god lean heavily on his shoulder. Supporting both their weights, he started to walk in the direction of their safe haven. The god stumbled many times and left a trail of smeared blood as they limped together. Blight began to sting Yukine, too, but he had to shake Yato multiple times. "Stay awake. Yato? You better stay awake. Please." Silence infested the space between them except for the ragged breathing.
He took a deep breath, it burned, and muttered, "Gods dream. I dream of a lot of things."
"Save your strength, Yato."
"I dream about back then. I just wanted you to know."
"Okay. I know, so shut up and keep breathing."
"Okay," he whispered and the last thing he saw was Daikoku sliding the door open and too-bright light stinging his eyes.
oO-Oo
"Yato. Wake up. I know you're hungry because you've been out for, like, two days and I saw you didn't eat whatever scraps we had so that I could eat. Stupid." Yato's eyes cracked open and adjusted easily to the soft light filtering through the windows. He turned his head toward the voice; it was familiar and filled him with determination to wake up. It sounded worried, about him. How odd. His eyed met with sunset irises and furrowed eyebrows. He tried to speak but it came out as a croak and Yukine leaped forth with overwhelming relief and threw his arms around the god. "Stupid god! Ignorant, stupid god! What was so important that distracted to get yourself this hurt?" The stray god's eyes widened, then he closed them and hugged his shinki.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Yuki."
"Shut up and get better." His eyelids were already drooping again and the wounds had taken a toll on him, leaving him exhausted. He didn't want to dream, though, so he kept his eyes open. Suddenly Yukine was crawling under the covers, making the bed dip, and gripping his hand. "Go to sleep." It was much, much easier to sleep. His dreams weren't dripping with blood or filled with the screams of Sakura. They were peaceful and filled with the color of a sunset. They were full of his Yukine, smiling and laughing alongside Hiyori. No memories plagued him and for the first time in years, he slept the whole night.
Gods dream, most of the time of the past. Whether it's past lives or just past experiences that left a mark on the god's soul, it always depends on the present. It depends on their shinki, just like their gods do.