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Yato felt his breath stop in his throat, his words never leaving his lips. Beside him, Yukine stood shaking. Their breath came out is plumes in the cold air. Across the road was probably the most horrifying sight Yato had seen in millennia. Ayakashi came in all shapes and sizes. There were the more intelligent and the dumber ones, but never had he seen something like this.

From behind it, a magenta tail coiled, wagging back and forth. In place of fingernails, ragged claws half a foot long extended, their tips splattered with the blood of innocents. Spiked black and red wings rose from its shoulder blades, spreading out over it, large enough to cast shadows reaching toward the god and shinki. The phantom's skin was pale and smooth, in contrast to its tattered wings. It cackled and stared at them with a demented smile on its face. The still half humanoid figure bent forward in more laughter before advancing further on wobbly legs, looking up at the two with unblinking, glowing cherry-pink eyes.

Yato took a deep, trembling breath before steadying himself and quietly uttering the words he'd said a thousand times:

"Come!" he raised his arm, "Sekki!" A reluctant Yukine reverted into his blessed regalia sword form.

"Y-Yato!" he shouted, "I can't do this!" his flame-like eyes flickered back and forth between the oncoming ayakashi and his master. The god's eyes stared unfocused at the phantom.

"Neither can I, Yukine… but she's too far gone to save" he whispered. Yato closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed, trying to imagine her face one last time. The way she used to be.

"Yato…" Yukine said quietly. The said man shook his head.

"Work with me, Yuki. She can't turn back!" he said, raising his voice, which was twinged with annoyance and… fear.

"Can't we do what Daikoku-san did for me? Can't we perform an ablution?" the regalia shouted, hands in fists at his sides, tears pooling in his eyes.

"She's not a shinki, Yukine. We can't save her,"

"No… There has to be a way…"

Yato raised his blades, narrowing his electric blue eyes at the ayakashi ahead. The wind blew relentlessly, sweeping the god's hair back and sending a shiver down his spine.

"Try your best," he said, and Yukine couldn't tell if his master was giving him encouragement, or himself.

With that, the Yatogami charged, both swords drawn. Yukine hated hated himself for it, but he closed his eyes as his blade chopped through the flesh of the phantom. Yato however, kept his eyes wide open, and made sure to catch every moment. He saw everything… The shudder that ran through her, the blood that she coughed up. He made out the mere instant of recognition in her eyes as she stared at him in her last moments and mouthed a word; a name: His. He watched, down to the finish, where there was the familiar red explosion of light and color and when it faded nothing remained but her pink scarf and a 5 yen coin. Boots thudding on the pavement, Yato felt his tears running down his cheeks and drip down his chin as he knelt down to pick both of them up with quivering hands. Squeezing her scarf tight in his arms, he pressed the coin into his palm.

"Revert, Yukine."

Yato turned away from the scene, holding the last of his friend's remnants.

I'm sorry… but our fates can no longer intertwine…
Hiyori

end notes: if that was confusing, basically what happened was: Yato had to kill Hiyori ( if you didn't get it lol) Hiyori, who is already a half-phantom/ayakashi, became a full ayakashi. In becoming an ayakashi, she did it in her own body, not just her soul. So it was like all the phantom-y, nasty deformation and stuff happened to her real body so there is nothing left of her... which might be a bit dark but I really liked the concept and I like the way this came out! (mostly)

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