Yukine felt his frustration mounting with every step. The cluster of pedestrians on the sidewalk, which he normally didn't mind, was suddenly suffocating to him because as much as he hated to admit it, he was lost. He walked without a destination in mind since he didn't recognize any of the streets or stores or people around him no matter how many times he wished to. His frustration wasn't abated by his physical detriments either. His feet ached, his jacket wasn't thick enough to fight off the chill, and there was a hole in his heart from how dearly he missed his master.

Whoever that was.

The fog overshadowing his memories had cleared up for the most part hours ago. He remembered Hiyori giving him her scarf, meeting Kofuku and Daikoku, Kazuma becoming his mentor, and Bishamon trying to kill them. However, he was stuck on the them. He remembered becoming a blessed regalia, knew he was hafuri, but could not conjure a single memory of the god -or goddess- he called his master.

The closest hint he had to his master's identity was the term "bakagami" because he had the strangest urge to mutter that term under his breath every time he tried to think of the god he served. Yet all that did was confuse him. He knew that couldn't be his master's name, it was a mere term, but it was all he had. Perhaps it came from a memory where his master had done something foolish, if so, Yukine was sad that the only scrap of memory he had of his master was a negative one. Especially since if he was a blessed regalia, surely his master was highly esteemed. Yukine perked up at the thought before he recalled the fact he lived at Kofuku's place. His brief spurt of energy sizzled out as he realized his master couldn't be that well-known if he had to mooch off the goddess' kindness and Yukine recalled having to work and earn his own money rather than receive wages from his god.

Yukine's shoulders slumped, and feeling weighed down by everything, he ducked into the nearest alleyway. He told himself he would only stay there until the crowds thinned out, but really he wasn't sure he would venture out again. His muscles and joints protested simply standing up, let alone continuing his aimless walking. Also he recalled hearing somewhere that a lost person should stay in one place rather than move around. Otherwise the people looking for you might never catch up. Well, assuming someone was looking for him.

Yukine stared up into the rich blue, cloudless sky and hoped he would spot Bishamon and Kazuma hunting down ayakashi. Maybe even Hiyori running around with her pink tail waving at him. Even Kofuku summoning a vent of chaos would have been welcomed by the shinki at this rate. He stared for a long moment, hoping, but no one came.

"Why am I even out here?" Yukine leaned against the brick wall and held himself. The shinki recalled going to bed last night, only to sit up as something seemed to startle him. Then he had left his room, and for reasons he couldn't fathom, he recalled tiptoeing out of Kofuku's house without speaking a word to anybody. Had he even told his master he was leaving? Or had his master been with him on his nightly excursion? Perhaps he simply couldn't recall his god joining him just like he couldn't recall his master's identity.

However, Yukine didn't really believe his master had been with him because his master certainly wouldn't have left his hafuri in such a state. He had woken up on the hill by the cherry tree, at the time he had not recognized it as Suzuha's tree, in the darkness. With no memory of who he was or where he was, Yukine had reasonably freaked out. Instinctively he had fled because it was dark and something screamed at him that the dark was dangerous, that darkness meant death, and he hadn't been able to breathe he was so scared until he had tripped.

He had scrambled up only to see he was back on the streets of the city, an unfamiliar city at the time, but there was light glowing everywhere and that had been enough to calm him. Only in that moment of peace had Yukine finally recognized his situation and how he had amnesia. Quickly he had searched for a mirror or lake because he couldn't even recall the color of his own eyes. Soon though he spotted his reflection in a shop window, noticed the kanji letters on his chest, and his name Yukine had burst into his head. That had been the start of a dreadful headache. However, the pain was a small price to pay for his identity to be restored while his memories leaked in over the hours, and he initially saw no reason to complain.

Until he realized his master was noticeably absent in events the god or goddess -he was leaning towards god- had to have been present in. This included events such as the night he had been named Yukine, the fight with Bishamon, and many others.

Yukine sighed, rubbing a weary hand down his face. He wanted to know so dearly what his master looked like at the very least. He wanted to know the sound of their voice -was it gruff or soft?- and the times they had spent together. Though most of all he wanted to know if they were coming for him. Yukine needed to know they cared.

Surely they did, or else Yukine would not have become a blessed regalia trying to protect them from Bishamon. However, if his master had been with him when he lost his memory, that left him wondering what had become of the god. Was his master hurt? Who or what had even attacked them?

Yukine's thoughts spun in circles as each question led to another question. Deciding that staying still was not helping, he strolled out the alleyway and rejoined the masses. He hoped walking would straighten out his thoughts, yet soon found his mind remained a tumultuous ocean of questions. Shaking his head, Yukine tried to focus on the facts, on what he did know.

He knew who his master wasn't. It wasn't Bishamon, Tenjin or Kofuku...and that was it. Yukine couldn't recall anything else except the fact he felt like his master was a god, not goddess, and was apparently a minor one or they wouldn't be living at Kofuku's place.

Yukine gripped the sleeves of his jacket to release his frustration, but let go when he heard the cloth rip. He lifted his arm and stared at the tear in the cloth, which had widened from the force of his grip. It wasn't too much of a lost, considering his jacket was already riddled with tears and holes. That and the blighted bite marks he had found on his person during his self-examination had led him to believe he had been in a fight last night. At first Yukine had even thought a head injury was the cause of his initial amnesia, however, he had examined his reflection in the water he had used to treat the blight and found no bruises or cuts on his head. He had even ran his fingers through his hair yet no blood had stained his hands. It had been hours since then, but still he had no idea what could have caused his memory loss.

"Y-Yukine?"

Then again maybe it didn't matter. He had already remembered everything else so maybe memories of his master were just taking a little longer to show up.

"Yukine?!"

Yes, surely he was worrying for nothing. He simply had to give it time and the memories of his god would come back like all the other ones had. After all, not all of his memories had come back yet, such as how he still couldn't recall why he had been by Suzuha's tree last night.

"Yukine!"

Also, he had no idea what left him banged up, unconscious, and amnesiac-

Hands gripped Yukine's shoulders and spun him around so fast he nearly tumbled into the street.

He stared at the blue-eyed god who appeared less than godly with that tracksuit, scruffy scarf, and overall disheveled appearance... Hm, maybe he was mistaken, there was no way this guy was a god. In fact, the only reason he didn't label this guy a homeless man was because he could see Yukine.

"Where have you been?" The guy shook him so hard his brain rattled against the sides of his skull. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought the worst, like my father had kidnapped you or Nora was torturing you type of worst! But here you are strolling around and ignoring me!" His head was spinning as the god went on his rant so fast that he could not comprehend any of it. "Where have you been all night? Why did you leave without telling anybody? Don't just stand there, tell me what happened!" The god was staring at him with such intensity that Yukine could no longer deny the guy had to be a god because his eyes were faintly glowing. Yet he couldn't be a very powerful one or the god wouldn't look so unkempt or be acting like such a madman.

The god frowned at his lack of response, though Yukine was just struggling to figure out what was going on, and suddenly gave the regalia a look over until his eyes landed on Yukine's jacket. "Hey, what happened to you?" The god reached out and brushed his fingers over the red stain -his dried blood- on his sleeve, but the second those fingers touched the untreated cut lying beneath the jacket, he flinched.

"Back off!" Yukine leapt away from the god's grasp, slapping his own hand over the wound to protect it from this weirdo.

The god stared at him with wide eyes and lips parted in shock, which was completely unwarranted because he was not the minor god running around and shaking shinki for no reason.

"I don't know who you think you are," Yukine ignored how the god's eyes expanded even more. "But it's not polite to invade people's personal space." He glared at the guy, who looked outright stunned by his proclamation -maybe no one had ever called him out on his intrusion of personal space- and he marched right past the god.

"Y-Yukine?"

He halted, heartbeat picking up speed because that was his name, and how did this guy know his name?! He spun back to see the god was still there, one arm reaching out to him, but the god wasn't moving and there was something vulnerable in his expression. Suddenly Yukine felt horrible, like he had committed a terrible crime, and maybe he had been a bit too harsh with his words-

The god was in his face in the blink of an eye and sweaty palms grasped his shoulders hard as the god brought his face down to his level. "Tell me you're joking." His voice was frigid, and gone was the warmth and casualness he had learned to expect from the minor god in the few minutes he knew him. Now those eyes, once light and playful, were dark and something dangerous lurked within their depths. He knew that and it scared him so bad he couldn't speak, his mouth had gone dry, and he didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be anywhere but here!

Before Yukine knew what he was doing, he had pulled himself away from the god and made a halberd sign. "Borderline!" He threw the attack and a flash of surprise broke through the god's blank mask.

Yet the god recovered in time to dodge the borderline, jumping over it, but Yukine did not care to see more of the god's agility. The shinki fled down the sidewalk and headed straight towards the most crowded area he could find.

"Wait!"

He ran all the more faster when he heard that god shouting and sensed he was being followed. Thus he dove into the crowds, breaking through groups of friends and couples, and ignoring the god's calls until they faded under the ruckus of people and traffic on the streets. Yet Yukine's heart was thumping and his breathing was so harsh he decided to hide in a nearby furniture store before he had a full-blown anxiety attack. He practically collapsed behind the sofa chair displayed in the shop window, breathing as deeply as he could in the near empty store, and trying his best to lower his ridiculously high heartbeat. He didn't know why he was on the verge of a panic attack, but seeing that god and hearing him say his name had disturbed him greatly.

"Yukineeeee!"

The muffled yell made him jump so hard he bumped into the chair and it tipped forward before he caught the arm and slammed it back down. The cashier looked up at the sound, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary so went on with his business while Yukine panicked.

He could hear someone running outside and knew that crazy god was out there, looking for him, and he didn't want to find out what would happen to him if he were caught. Terrified, Yukine whispered a desperate wish that the god would not come into the store and secretly hoped his master would hear the wish and come save him from the raging god outside.

He didn't want to be caught. He wanted to go home and see his friends. Most of all, he wanted to find his master. He may have been unable to remember the slightest detail about his master, but he knew he needed to find them. Whoever they were, they had left a gaping hole in Yukine's heart and mind, and his heart ached far more than his growling stomach did because he was alone and he knew something was terribly wrong with him and he needed help. Where was his master? Was he looking for him? He hadn't just...abandoned Yukine...right?

The stomping footsteps had long since passed the store, and though he heard the faintest calls of his name, Yukine decided he was in the clear. He peeked over the sofa chair's side and spotted a distant image of black hair and a tracksuit fading into the crowds across the street.

Yukine got up and sighed in relief. He would wait a couple of minutes just to make sure, but it seemed he was safe from that lunatic. However, that still left him with his initial problem. He needed to find a way home and somehow jog his memory so he could figure out who his master was.

Because he had been so successful earlier, right?

Yukine's knees buckled and he gave in and collapsed into the nearest couch. He ran a hand down his face because he was back to square one. He still needed to find a way back to Kofuku's place or maybe even Hiyori's house, he needed to get his memory back, and most all he needed to find his master.

Yukine's frustration and despair barreled into him and suddenly tears were welling up on the edges of his eyes. He wasn't some child who couldn't take care of himself, but he sure felt like one as he sat here alone. He wanted to believe everything would be alright. That the memories would come back, he'd go home, and he and his master would laugh about this over breakfast -assuming they did that sort of thing. Yet Yukine had woken up injured and alone, and it was possible his night hadn't started out that way, but his master may have been with him. If so, his master may have also been attacked and injured.

He rolled up his sleeves and examined the bite marks on his arm and a voice in his head said "wolf ayakashi", but he didn't know why. Frustration reaching a peek, Yukine threw himself up, marched over to the front, and flung open the shop door because he needed to do something because sitting around wasn't helping!

"Yukine!"

His head shot up and he saw that god staring at him from across the street and he had been stupid stupid stupid for thinking him gone!

"Wait, don't!"

He fled back into the crowds, but that sweaty hand -what was up with this guy's sweat glands?- caught his jacket collar and yanked him out.

"Let me go!" Yukine threw his hands back to pull his collar free, but the god quickly dragged him into an alleyway. Then released him so abruptly his back fell against the wall.

Yukine regained his bearings yet could not release a borderline before the god had pinned his arms against the wall. The hold aggravated his bruised and bite marks, making him hiss, and the grip instantly loosened, but remained firm.

"Yukine," Blue eyes bored into his, the god's face was merely a couple inches away, and Yukine squirmed to get away because those eyes resonated uncomfortably with his soul. "Do you really not remember me?"

"I already said I don't know who you are!" He jerked to the side, but nothing he did would dislodge those sweaty hands. He also found he could not look away from the god, those glowing eyes and the black pupils slitted within them. They were terrifying and awe-inspiring because it meant he had underestimated this god. Who knew what he would do to Yukine, and the shinki started shaking at the thought that no one would even know what had happened to him. His poor master would sense his death without ever knowing what had happened to his hafuri.

The god gained a broken and lost expression and his eyes became shards of blue glass. Yukine stiffened because every line on the god's face went towards expressing his utter despair. "You're...scared of me?" The minor god released him and slumped over while clutching at his heart. Yukine could not understand why it hurt him to see the god in such great turmoil.

However, before he could figure out whether to run or sympathize with the guy, the god was in his face again. "Please..." The harsh whisper that was his voice shook Yukine to the core and the glassy sheen over those blue eyes made him nauseous. "Try to remember. It's me...it's me, Yukine."

He stared at the god, at the mad desperation in his eyes, and his body shook because he could not ignore the blatant cry for help. Thus he looked the god over, from top to bottom he took great care to assess what he saw. That black hair, blue eyes, scruffy scarf, brown boots, and tracksuit. He rolled his eyes back up to the god's eyes and blue met orange. Neither one spoke a word as Yukine narrowed his eyes because that blue...he had...he had seen those blue eyes befor-

Sweltering heat burned his back and chest and Yukine screamed because it hurt so terribly. He collapsed onto his knees with a wail tearing out his throat while his head was sliced apart and put back together over and over again. He whimpered even as the pain left him entirely, but when he saw a hand reach out towards him and noticed the god was sprawled on the ground with one hand clutching at his heart, Yukine did not care.

He didn't know how the god had attacked him, but it had hurt so badly and his instincts had been right, this god was dangerous. Yukine stumbled up into a run that probably resembled a drunken stagger since his pounding headache ruined any semblance of coordination he had.

"Yukine!"

The call went unanswered as he fled.

Aw, don't run, Yukine! Your master is right there, you just don't know it! ...Yeah, I don't know why I'm reacting like it's not my fault this misunderstanding occurred XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this little prologue. I'm estimating the whole fanfic to be about four chapters long, but we'll see. Expect the next chapter up in about a week.

Bye now!