*A/N- I really hope you like this! I don't how much you know about gaming, but Firewatch is a video game that inspired this fic! I was watching a playthrough of this game for the second time when I realized how perfect for this pairing it was, and when you requested them I knew I had to do this for you! I hope you enjoy!

*EDIT- I finally figured out how to insert those lines that other people have on their stories so I'm going to be going through and doing that on all of mine.

He wasn't sure what had made him do it, even as he was doing it. He'd seen the add in the paper and just… called. He had very little outdoor experience, but had still signed on for the job that was essentially nothing but. Was he even qualified to man a fire watch tower? What requirements were there for sitting in a tower all day and watching for smoke. It was a two day hike from where he could park to his tower, the tower that would be his home for the next few months.

Well, he thought, even if I don't have a lot of experience with the outdoors now something tells me that I will after this is over. Who knows, maybe I'll have fun. A voice in his head told him he could also fall and break his neck, but he hadn't listened to it thus far, so why start now?

His friends had told him he was crazy for taking this job, and that all the alone time that would come with it would make him even crazier. He hopped over a log and almost slipped and hit his head on it. Great, he thought, barely catching himself, it's my first day on the job, I haven't even made it to my new sort of office and I've already almost injured myself. What a great track record.

"Hello? Hellooo? I know you're in there, I can see your lights on! Pick up already!" Kazuma looked around for the source of the voice. He'd only just stepped into his tower and flipped on the lights when it had started. He spotted the walkie talkie in its charging port and picked it up.

"Um, yeah? Sorry, hi."

"Finally," she said. "My name is Bishamon, I'm your supervisor, I'm the lookout at Thoroughfare."

"Oh, um, I'm Kazuma."

"So what made you want to be a lookout, Kazuma?"

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "I took the job on impulse."

"It's a two day hike to the tower, at least. That's one hell of an impulse."

"You're telling me," he said, awed. It was only just beginning to dawn on him that yes, he was, in fact, out here all summer. There was a quiet chuckle on her end that brought a smile to his face.

"Well I'll let you get to sleep."

Day 1

"Hello? Yo! I know you're up! I can see you at your desk! Stop ignoring me!" Kazuma sighed heavily and put down his book.

"I'm not ignoring you, just trying to finish the paragraph," he said.

"Well I hope you finished because there are a few first day things I need to tell you about how to do this job."

"Alright"

"Alright you see that big circle thing in the middle of the room?"

"Yes."

"Well it's called a fire locater, if you see a fire you use that to pinpoint it's location and- shit."

"What?" Kazuma asked

"Um, nothing. When you see a fire you call- you've got to be kidding me!"

"What?"

"Are those fireworks?" Kazuma looked out the window just in time to see another one go off above the trees.

"Aren't fireworks illegal?" He asked, as yet another one went off.

"Yes! And fire danger is through the roof! I'm going to go down there and tear those fu-"

"I'll do it!" Kazuma interjected quickly, thinking if he let this woman go down there and do what she was thinking of doing that he'd be charged as an accessory.

"Really?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I want to do some exploring anyway."

"Alright," she said, her tone returning to normal, "there's a map of your area provided, and there are more detailed maps in the supply crates you can find on the way. There'll be ropes in those that you can use, but just don't take all the good stuff, the rangers use those too. The code for the locks is one, two, three, four."

"I-is that really secure?"

"They're forest supply crates not Fort Knox."

"Right."

"It looks like they're coming from somewhere around the lake, just west of you. You'll need to repel down a rock wall I think, but just the one."

"And what do I do when I get down there?"

"Just tell them to knock it off and confiscate their stuff."

"What if they refuse?"

"Kill them," she said severely.

"What?" He asked, alarmed.

"I'm just kidding, relax!"

"Right," he said. She hadn't sounded like she was kidding. He grabbed his pack and headed down the steps but stopped in front of the building next to his tower.

"Do I really have to use this outhouse?"

"You can always pee in the bushes if you prefer," she suggested. "But I'd be careful what bushes you choose, you don't want to get poison ivy while responding to nature's call."

"..." Not for the first time Kazuma was seriously doubting his sanity for taking this job.

"It's beautiful out here," he said into his walkie to fill the silence.

"It certainly is," she replied. "And it's your job to help keep it beautiful and not burnt and sooty. Have you found a cache yet?"

"Umm," he said, glancing around. His eyes landed on a neon yellow box with a pine tree painted on it. "I see it." He walked up to it and opened it. "I found the rope."

"Good. Don't take it all because other forest workers might need some."

"Got it." He slipped the rope into his pack and locked the cache back.

He wanted to take his time to explore, but the idea of whoever was out there starting a fire with fireworks on his first day spurred him onwards. He didn't want to be known as the guy who was to blame for the forest burning down. He'd have all summer to explore anyway. He came upon a rock with rope and a hook tied to it.

"Alright I think I'm at the climbing place."

"Good, now hurry up and get down there."

"Yes Ma'am."

He'd read books about repelling, but he'd never done it before. Thankfully, this wasn't a sheer cliff face, he could walk down it with the rope for support. He hooked up his ropes and made his way slowly down the slope, exhaling in relief when he reached the bottom.

"I made it to the bottom."

"I'm so proud."

Kazuma pulled out his compass to get his bearings and started heading west again, on the lookout for a campsite or a lake, whichever he found first. He walked for a few more minutes before coming upon anything else worth reporting.

"I see this open grassy area lined on one side by a rock face and trees on the other. There's also a really big rock on the far side that kinda looks like a place people would go up and sit."

"That sounds like the Rabbit Hole. It's a pretty popular camping area. We used to have a group of about five guys that would camp there for a week every summer, but they haven't been back in a few years."

"What happened to them?"

"Dunno. We didn't exchange phone numbers."

"I think I found their campsite anyway, and it looks like they didn't just bring fireworks, they decided to have a campfire." He was glad that he'd decided to come out here instead of letting Bishamon do it.

"Throw dirt over it." He nodded, though she couldn't see him, and did as she asked, and while he did so he noticed crushed beer cans everywhere.

"They also left beer cans everywhere, and half a bottle of Jack Daniels laying around."

"Finders keepers." Kazuma shrugged and tucked the drink into his bag, then cleaned up the empty beer cans so an animal wouldn't try to eat them and die.

"Found the fireworks, and this is some pretty serious firepower. I'm not sure some of these are even legal."

"Take it, and go tell them off. I hope you have a good intimidating face." Kazuma made his way towards the lake, wondering what he would say to the people with the fireworks when something caught his eye. There were two sets of clothes laying out to dry on a large rock.

"I've got two sets of clothes out to dry on a rock here."

"So two people. Good luck." Kazuma walked several yards more and stopped.

"Oh… they appear to be skinny dipping."

"Oh, nice. Well, don't be a creep and stare at them from the bushes or anything."

"I'm not!" He protested. "I just found their underwear on the ground!"

"Who shoots off fireworks naked?"

"These women, apparently." He pushed through the last few branches and stepped onto the shore of the lake. There was a radio sitting on a rock playing loud music, and a couple of girls sitting on an island in the middle the lake playing with sparklers. Kazuma walked over to the stereo and turned it off. The two girls looked over his way and began shouting in indignation.

"Hey you creep, turn the music back on!"

"I work with the rangers," he called, "I came down here to confiscate your fireworks and warn you that if you light any more fires or set off anymore fireworks you could be slapped with a hefty fine, or serve jail time. I had better not catch you at it again."

"Okay, geeze, jerk, we won't do it anymore."

"And stop littering!" He said, for good measure, before turning and walking away, leaving their stereo turned off.

"Did you do it?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I don't think they'll be lighting anymore fires."

"That's good." Bishamon said. "Unless you want to explore some you can go ahead and walk on back to your tower."

Day 2

"Ugh, Kazuma, get up, I have a job for you." Kazuma was, in fact, up, and already at his desk. He wondered why she didn't already know this, because she had yesterday.

"What is it?"

"The storm last night knocked down the communication cable and I can't get ahold of anyone. I need you to go to the area where the line runs through your area and tell me if it's down that way we can narrow down where they need to look and they can get it fixed faster."

"Alright," he responded, "where is it?"

"In the northern part of your area, you'll have to go through Thunder Canyon and a cave and keep going straight when you come out."

"Will I need special gear to go in the cave?" He asked, picking up his pack and slinging it on.

"No, you won't go in deep, just go straight from the opening you go into there'll be another one. It's faster than going all the way around on the outside."

"Alright." There were a few minutes of silence where Kazuma just walked, enjoying the nature.

"What's your book about?" Bishamon asked suddenly startling Kazuma.

"Oh, um, the one I was reading yesterday was one I found in my lookout. It was called Where Happiness Lies."

"What was it about?"

"A man who falls in love with a girl who brings disaster everywhere she goes and is nearly the instrument of his doom."

"Ohh, what happens?"

"He finds out she's married and decides to end the relationship, but not before he is ruined economically and has to file for bankruptcy."

"She really did a number on him."

"Yeah," Kazuma agreed.

"Oh my- hold on."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, confused. Her talk button must have been stuck because he could hear her shouting at something.

"You have got to be kidding me Yato, I just got a message that there are three people in your tower! You brought out a kid? Who is the other one? Your girlfriend? The fire lookout is not a love hotel! Why would you bring them out here? You are such an idiot I'm going to kill you." There was a slamming sound and she picked her walkie talkie back up. "Sorry about that."

"One of the other lookouts brought his girlfriend? And a kid?" Kazuma said, unable to help himself.

"You heard that?" She asked.

"Your button must have gotten stuck."

"Oh well, yeah. He did. There's only supposed to be one person per tower, and apparently he found the kid on the street and brought him because he had nowhere else to go. The girlfriend didn't trust him to be responsible to take care of another human being on his own so she came along too."

"That sounds...like a mess," he said.

"Yeah," Bishamon said, "but she's right, he can barely take care of himself. That kid would have probably died out here if it she hadn't."

"Well I guess that's good then."

"They're not getting paid though, the government isn't going to cut checks to a couple of squatters, and they'll have to forage for supplies since they only provide enough for one person."

"I hope everything turns out alright."

"Well Yato hasn't died yet, so that's a good sign." Kazuma chuckled.

"The truth is, he saved my ass once," she said, sounding like she was loathe to admit it.

"Really?" He asked, thinking this was going to be an interesting story.

"Yeah, one day a few years ago I was laid out drunk after a night of heavy drinking, and someone had the bright idea to start a campfire. That day fire risk was through the roof, there had been very little rain that season, and all the leaves were starting to fall so there was plenty of stuff on the ground and still in the trees to spell for a disaster."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It wasn't. Anyway, Yato saw the fire and knew that I had been drinking the night before, so when he couldn't get ahold of me he left his post and ran all the way out there by himself. He got there just in time. The idiots there had the same idea as the idiot in their fire lookout tower and had passed out drunk. One of their sleeping bags caught on fire. They got burnt, but not badly, and Yato put out the fire and told the campers if they told everyone I was the one who showed up that he would tell the rangers not to press charges, they took the deal, and I got to keep my job."

"Wow," Kazuma said, "that's actually really nice." Bisha was silent, like she couldn't stand to say anything nice about this guy.

"He's still an idiot."

"I'm sure."

"So what about you?" Bishamon asked.

"What about me?"

"What's something stupid that you've done? I told you about one of my screw ups, now you have to tell me one of yours. You know, to make me feel better."

"Umm…" he said, grimacing. "I trusted the wrong people," he said vaguely, "and a lot of people ended up getting hurt." Bishamon didn't press, she must have heard in his voice that it was still a raw wound, even after all this time.

"So did you finish your book?" She asked suddenly, like she was anxious to get his mind off what was obviously a bad memory.

"Oh yeah," he said, relieved. "Oh I see what you mean about this cave now."

"Yeah just go straight through and keep going north, you should reach the communication lines in an hour or so."

"I started another one that was left in my lookout. This one is called The Sound of a Thread Snapping but I'm not really sure what it's about yet because I just started it."

"Well the title sounds interesting. Maybe there was a murder in a thread factory!" Kazuma burst out laughing.

"That's such a lame guess!" He said, having to stop walking so he didn't run into anything while he was laughing.

"You think so?" She said.

"Yes!"

"Well then you'll just have to hurry up and finish it so you can tell me what happens."

"Sure thing," He replied, regaining his composure enough to start moving again.

"This place is really big," he commented.

"It's a national park, did you expect it to be small?"

"I didn't really know what to expect."

He put his walkie talkie away for a while and just walked, admiring the scenery. He'd never been much of an outdoorsman, but after this he might have to start spending more time outside. He also hadn't expected to make a friend out here, but he rather liked talking to Bishamon, even though she could be a little scary at times. He wondered if he was able to get into contact with the other lookouts, maybe meet this Yato she was complaining about. He seemed like a nice guy, helping her out like that, and he took in that kid off the street, even if he was a bit of a mess, he probably had a good heart.

"So when you said forage for food," Kazuma said randomly, "are we allowed to hunt these woods?"

"No, but he's already breaking the rules about sleeping capacity, why would he listen to anti-poaching rules?"

"You've got a point."

"No one is going to miss one or two fish and maybe a deer. Yato has been a lookout for years, as long as I have actually, he know the rules, even if he ignores them."

"So you're not going to report him?"

"Nah." Kazuma smiled to himself. She might act blase about it, but he knew she was probably thinking of the time Yato saved her, as well as how that kid would have to live on the street if he got kicked out of the lookout. She had a good heart too.

"What happens if I come across dangerous wildlife?" He asked, realizing there might be wolves or bears in these woods.

"They might name the lookout after you," she said.

"Wait, what?"

"If you run into dangerous wildlife they might name the lookout after you. You know, sometimes they rename hiking trails after hikers who get lost and die there. Maybe they'd rename Two Forks Lookout to Kazuma Lookout."

"So you're saying I'm dead?"

"Relax, I'm just messing with you, you'll be perfectly fine. Also there's a flyer in your lookout that tells you what to do in case you run into a bear, which you probably won't." This lady was not very good at being comforting. Kazuma broke through the trees into a rocky canyon like area, and to his right he saw the ruins of what seemed to be an old lookout.

"What happened to this old fire lookout out here?" He asked.

"Oh good you're there. Look up and you should see the communications wire."

"Yeah I see it."

"Great, so just follow it until you get to the edge of the ravine and tell me if it's down."

"Right." He walked along the path of the wires, occasionally stumbling slightly over some loose rocks. "So about that old lookout?"

"It burnt down."

"That certainly instills confidence and optimism about how my summer is going to go."

"If a fire gets bad enough we'll be choppered out before it reaches the lookouts."

"That makes me feel a little better." When he hiked up higher on the rocky hills he saw where the storm had knocked out the line. "Yeah, Bishamon, it's down out here, right at the edge of the ravine."

"Alright thanks I'll call it in. You can head back to your lookout now."

"I actually thought I'd look around a bit."

"Fine by me," she said. Kazuma found some really nice places, and Bishamon was able to provide interesting and informative commentary about all of them.

"You really know this place well," he said.

"Well I've been doing this a long time."

"You should be a tour guide, I bet you'd be really good at it."

"You think so?"

"I do."

Day 5

"Hey, Kazuma, I have another job for you."

"Yeah?"

"A ranger reported some-" there were some noises in the background and she sighed heavily. "Hold on." She was quiet for several minutes before coming back, and when she did she sighed heavily.

"Yato again?"

"Yukine called, he wanted to know if I had any medical supplies to spare."

"Oh no!" Kazuma said, "What happened?"

"Hiyori broke Yato's nose."

"Wait, what?"

"He was harassing her while she was trying to study and she swung and broke his nose."

"Did you have any?"

"They ended up not needing it. Apparently Hiyori's father was a doctor and while I was talking to Yukine she snapped his nose back into place. I could hear him yelling and crying and her telling him to hold still and stop whining. You know I think I like her." Kazuma chuckled.

"Is he alright?"

"I certainly hope not." He snorted.

"Anyway, the rangers want you to look into some suspicious bear tracks near the lake where you found those girls on your first day, do you remember the way?"

"Yeah, but, a bear? Why me?"

"Because I told you too. Now go."

"Yes ma'am." Kazuma could just see the new signs now "Kazuma lookout (formerly known as Two Forks Lookout.)"

Day 15

"So how are you today, Kazuma?" Bishamon asked. She'd been quiet all day, and now that she was talking to him he understood why, her words were slurred like she'd been drinking. He'd have to remember to keep a lookout on her area too tomorrow while she was hungover.

"This place is beautiful, I might never leave," he replied. He was sitting on the edge of Thunder Canyon eating his dinner,watching the sunset.

"Well if you start squatting in the tower over the winter let me know and I'll mail you a blanket or something."

"Thanks," he replied. "I'll do that."

Day 17

"So what do you look like?"

"W-what?" Kazuma asked, surprised.

"Tell me what you look like, I want to know."

"Okay, um, well I have brown hair and I wear glasses."

"You wear glasses?"

"Yeah."

"What do your glasses look like?"

"They're just...glasses. They have black rims. They're like the stereotypical anime glasses guy glasses."

"Weeb."

"What if I told you that I look like Okumura Yukio except with green eyes and no moles?"

"I'd tell you that millions of middle school girls everywhere are swooning over you."

"...joy."

"I'm going to picture you being a badass and fighting demons in your free time when you aren't stopping forest fires and reading books."

"What about you? What do you look like?"

"Well my eyes are purple-yes purple. They just are."

"And you make fun of me for looking like an anime character," he joked.

"Shut up. And I have really, really long blonde hair."

"Like...anime character long?" He asked, smirking.

"Shut up, Okumura."

Day 30

"Hey, Veena, what can you tell me about this weird rock formation? On my map it's labeled 'Medicine Wheel.'"

"Not much, actually, I think it might have been involved in some sort of healing ritual by the indigenous people."

"Oh, that's interesting. Too bad there's no google out here. Only random fiction novels left in the caches."

"Speaking of, read any good one's lately?"

"I really liked the one called What Must be Done, but it had a really sad ending."

"I don't like sad, tell me about a different one."

"You're Voice Calls Out was very good. It had a sad beginning and middle, but a happy end."

"Hmm… alright, good enough, tell me about it."

"It's about a man who was raised by this horrible man to be a killer. His entire childhood he had to endure all sorts of abuse and it was all he ever knew so he didn't know it was wrong until one day he met someone who taught him right from wrong, and from then on he sort of started drifting away from his father."

"I'll bet his father didn't like that."

"He sure didn't, and neither did his little sister. She didn't get to meet this other person, so you know, her father is her whole world and she doesn't really have a chance either. Eventually, the man gets old enough and he runs away from the two of them and starts trying to live his life better and he meets this girl."

"Of course."

"And he falls in love."

"Naturally."

"But his father comes back and kidnaps him and make him work with his sister to carry out hits."

"Awful."

"Until one day the girl finds him, but she can't get through to him because at this point he has sunk too far into his dark place that he can't hear her voice anymore."

"You and I need to have a discussion about your definition of a 'happy ending'." Kazuma smiled.

"But she figures out that the name he gave her is an assumed name, and she manages to snap him out of it by figuring out his real name and calling it."

"How did she figure out his real name?"

"He was a very poor alias maker." Bishamon barked a laugh.

"I see. And romance reigns supreme?"

"And romance reigns supreme."

Day 35

"It's so hot," Bishamon said. "You know what I could really go for?"

"Some wine?" He replied, half smiling. He was starting to think maybe she liked wine a bit too much.

"Some cold wine."

"Good luck with that," he said.

"You amature," she said, sounding triumphant. "When you've been out here as long as I have you learn a few tricks."

"Like what?"

"Like, all you have to do to get a glass of cold wine is but it in the creek to chill all day and pull it out that night and BAM a nice cool glass of rose wine."

"And in the morning, BAM, a nice bottle of tylenol to make the room stop spinning and your head stop pounding." Bisha laughed, it was a nice sound. "Maybe this time don't drink as much so you don't feel so bad in the morning."

"Kazuma don't worry so much," she said. "You sound like Yukine nagging Yato."

"Yukine seems like a smart kid then."

Day 36

"Hey, Veena," Kazuma said quietly, doing his best not to talk to loud. "How are you feeling?"

"Why are you shouting?" She mumbled back. "You're so loud." Kazuma chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I'll let you sleep. Feel better."

Day 40

"There's going to be a meteor shower tonight," Bishamon said. "Are you going to watch it."

"Yeah," Kazuma said. "I bet it'll be beautiful."

"Me too."

"I wonder if Yato and Hiyori will be watching."

"No doubt, Hiyori told me Yato is very into making grand romantic gestures, even if he isn't good at them, so this kind of thing is right up his alley."

"That's kind of cute, actually," Kazuma said.

"I know it's disgusting." Kazuma laughed. "Yukine does nothing but sing your praises, though, you're like his hero."

"He's a good kid," Kazuma said. He'd exchanged a radio with him a few weeks ago via the shared supply cache and they'd been talking ever since. Kazuma had also gotten to talk to Yato and Hiyori on occasion, and he often heard them fussing in the background while Yukine talked to him. They seemed like a happy family.

"And you're a good guy," Veena said. "You know it's good he has someone Like you to look up too."

"Someone like me?"

"You know, sweet, caring, smart, and funny. You're a good role model, even if Yato isn't."

"Thanks."

"Wow, it is beautiful," Kazuma said, gazing up at the sky.

"Yeah. I see shooting stars all the time out here, but nothing like this, this is amazing."

Just then Kazuma was overwhelmed by a very strong mental picture of a woman with long, long blonde hair gazing up at the sky with a bottle of wine in hand, clothing slightly askew, the shooting stars reflected in her purple eyes. The image sent his heart racing, and he wondered if Veena wished he were there as much as he wished she were here.

Day 64

Kazuma looked out his east facing window, watching the fire glow in the darkness. Whoever was in charge of that sort of thing had ordered a controlled fire in part of his area. Kazuma was no expert, but with the fire danger already so high due to low rainfall, this seemed like a very bad idea. But, as Veena pointed out, if it got out of control he wouldn't be the one fired.

"I love the way they look at night," Veena said, her words slightly slurred. She'd gone down to the creek for her wine again, Kazuma thought. "During the day it's all black and smoky, but at night they glow, red, and orange, and pink. They look like a sunrise, but all in one place."

"Yeah," Kazuma said. He'd never heard them described that way before.

"You know, when it goes out, at first it will look devastated, like nothing could ever grow there again, but even by next summer the life will start to come back, the land will heal. The dead trees will be like supports for vines and they'll crawl up it's trunk and be all beautiful and green again, but in a whole new way."

"I wish I could do that," Kazuma whispered.

"Me too."

"..."

"I wish I was there with you."

"I wish you were here too."

Day 65

"You know hiking is a lot less fun with all this smoke blowing around. I wish the wind would go ahead and change directions already."

"You may want to go on and head back to your lookout. I don't want you passing out from smoke inhalation and getting burnt up."

"You worry too much," he said, his mouth quirking into a half smile. He wondered if she remembered the last time she said that to him, or if she'd already been too drunk to remember.

"Alright, but I won't say I told you so, waking up after Yato gives you mouth to mouth will be punishment enough."

"Yato?"

"Yeah, Yato, there's no way I'm coming down there to rescue you, in all that smoke and ash, it's dangerous down there. But Yato? He's got a major hero complex, he'd come running for you. So if you plan on staying down there pucker up and maybe pack some breath mints."

Kazuma shuddered. "You know what, maybe I'll just head back to Two Forks for the day"

"Uh-huh."

Day 67

"So what are you going to do when the summer is over?" Veena asked.

"I- I was hoping I could spend some time with you," He said.

"I was thinking the same thing," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Well then it's settled," she said. "I got a message saying that they'll chopper us out if the fire gets much worse. They'll land out next to my lookout and you and the other lookouts will hike out here."

"So I guess Yato will be busted then?"

"I bet he'll find some way to worm out of punishment."

"How will I get you your lookout?"

"There's a man powered lift in case of emergencies, you'll have to go out to where you found the cut wire and it's in that area."

"Good to know."

Day 75

"Hurry up, Kazuma, I think I hear the chopper, Yato and Hiyori are here with Yukine!"

"I'm almost at the lift now, I can see it," he coughed. The air was hot and heavy with soot. The smoke burned his throat as he tucked away his talkie and boarded the lift, feeling his heart race, for reasons other than exertion.

He was finally going to meet Veena, after all this time. What was she like? He wondered if she'd be disappointed when she saw him. They'd already made plans to spend time together after this, but how would that work? What would it be like to be able to see her, and even touch her? He wondered if she looked scary, she seemed scary. What if he met her and was too scared to say anything? How was he supposed to act when he met her in person. They'd spent the whole summer together, but he'd still never met her in person.

The lift arrived at Veena's side of the canyon and Kazuma's heart hammered ever faster than it had been before. He saw the chopper up ahead, preparing to land and knew that no matter what his life would forever change as soon as he crested this next hill.

He took one step, and another, and another, and he saw her, standing there, facing him, exactly how he'd expecting. Yato and the others boarded the chopper in the background as she looked at him with glowing purple eyes, her long, long hair blew in the breeze. She looked like a goddess of war, surrounded on all sides by fire and ash and looking at home in all that chaos yet presenting somehow as calm and welcoming. A weight he didn't know he'd been carrying lifted off his shoulders as he approached her.

"Hi."

"Hi."