Yato slung the Sekki over his shoulder. While anyone else would've thought that slaying a giant Phantom is exhausting and terrifying, Yato felt accomplished and exhilarated.
Hiyori observed them from the top of a building a few feet away.
Just a few minutes ago, she noticed the brightly-colored Phantom passing in the sky and knew that if she followed it, she'd surely find her good friends on the other side. On her way, her body split, and her Cord appeared. Then she figured she could just leap the rest of the way. When Hiyori finally arrived, Yato was there, slashing the Far Shore creature with the Sekki.
If I ever become a Phantom like that, would Yato have to slay me? Hiyori shook the thought out of her head.
Releasing the Sekki from his sweaty grip, Yato allowed his Regalia to change back into his human form. After seeing the flash of light cast from Yukine, Hiyori assumed that the battle was finally over and she could talk to them.
"Yato!" Hiyori's joyful voice echoed from the rooftop.
Yato instinctively looked up at the dark sky. Yukine followed his gaze, curiosity spread across his face.
"Hiyori?" Yato called to nothing, but it was more as if he was talking to himself.
The girl realized they couldn't see her from the great height. She decided to jump. Luckily - and amazingly - she landed safely.
Yato backed away as Hiyori landed in front of him.
"Yato!" she said again. She observed the look on her friend's face. Along with surprise, he seemed glad to see the girl he secretly loved.
Then again, did he really love her? Was it really a secret? Did Hiyori feel the same way about him? Could someone as mysterious and emotionally closed-off as Yato love a regular teenage girl?
"Hiyori!" Yukine spoke up before Yato had the chance. His face was flushed with a reluctant smile.
"Konbanwa, Yukine," Hiyori smiled back, nodding her head. She wagged her Cord like a cat's tail. She couldn't purr, but you could tell she was delighted.
It was the simplest yet best friendship. A friend triangle, maybe.
"What are you doing here?" Yato's face beamed.
Hiyori tilted her head to the side with her eyes closed. Her smile grew while her cheeks glew. "Just figured you'd be here," she answered sweetly.
Yato stared up at the full moon. "It's pretty late - how long have you been here?"
The angelic girl looked surprised, but answered, "not long. Why?"
Yato, not pulling his face away from the night sky, ignored the question. He asked, "What were you even doing out so late?"
The way he said it made Hiyori feel unwelcome.
Her cute smile disappeared. "I was helping my parents by going out to buy some ingredients for dinner tonight." She sounded disappointed. "Is this a bad time?"
"It's just - you shouldn't be out on a Stormy night. They'll easily spot you like this." Yato's eyes fell upon the girl's Cord.
If any Phantoms caught Hiyori - and cut her tail - she'd be dead in a minute.
Hiyori felt a pit in her stomach. She knew it wasn't safe, but it wasn't like she could control when and where she lost her body. She became visibly disappointed.
Yukine, feeling pity for his friend, jumped in to save her. "I'm glad to see you, Hiyori!"
His orange eyes twinkled, desperate to cheer up the girl. The girl grinned in response as if to say, "arigato." Hiyori felt better, but she still felt as if she intruded on something.
"If there's anything we can do, just ask." Yukine practically begged, hoping she would have a request. Luckily, she did.
"Actually..." Hiyori put a finger on her chin to think. Her eyes seemed like they were seeing into her mind as she thought.
"Eh?" Yato jerked his head toward Hiyori, surprised.
"If you don't mind, I might need a little help."
. . . . .
"I'm around here," Hiyori said to Yato and Yukine as they searched the ground.
They were close to the convenient store where the brunette said she was buying some groceries.
"Soko!" Hiyori recognized the area where her body collapsed on the side of the road.
The three rushed to her body's side and stared at her for a minute. Especially Yato.
He stared at her, his heart secretly throbbing for her adorable face while she snoozed. While some people focused on sleeping, teenage girls, a thirteen - year-old boy had his eyes fixed on a lemonade in a nearby vending machine.
The fact that Hiyori smiled when she slept made Yato blush. Every second, he fought the urge to touch her pale face.
Every god or goddess had their own lives, but then, there's the god of calamity falling more and more in love with a normal fifteen-year-old girl.
The blonde boy got up and walked off, neither of them noticing a thing.
"I would really appreciate it if you didn't stare at me while I sleep," Hiyori snapped at Yato, her cheeks colored with embarrassment.
"Oy, damare! I'm not doing anything!" Yato quickly got up to his feet and shot an accusing arm at her.
He always had a tendency at saying such things, but everyone knew he was just embarrassed. Too embarrassed to admit it.
"Well I'm not blind!" Hiyori shot back, her hands placed on her hips.
"Yato!" Yukine called over his shoulder, casually interrupting the argument.
Both the angry friends jumped a bit when they realized that they had forgotten about their younger friend. Their faces went from mad to clueless.
"Can I get a lemonade?" Yukine asked with his face glued to the cans of refreshments in the machine inches away.
His hands rested in the pocket of his blue sweatshirt. He looked so chill and cute - like a normal teenage boy at last.
The glow of the vending machine messed with the color of his eyes, creating more of a pink rather than deep orange. The orange of the fruit of the hawthorn plants.
"Hai," Yato answered, tossing a few yen in the direction of his Regalia. "But if that thing eats my money, I'm not diggin' in my pockets for more."
Yukine narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "How selfless of you," he commented in sarcasm.
He turned his attention to the coin slot, imagining the relieving taste of something cold to drink.
Yato turned back to Hiyori and said, "What are you waiting for?"
Hiyori turned to him, forgetting for a second why they were there. "Eh?"
"Your body," Yato said. He stared down at her body again.
"Oh." Hiyori felt stupid.
In the background, Yukine swore to himself, and started pounding and kicking the vending machine. "Dammit! Come on!"
"I told you not to stare at me!" Hiyori cried, her face red.
Yato, rather than shouting something back, avoided eye contact. Instead of her body, he turned his attention to the street next to him. A faint color met his pale cheeks.
"Just get back in your body." Yato sighed.
"You're moodier than usual." Hiyori almost sounded concerned. "You okay?"
"It's not even eight o'clock, 'n it's already been a long night. I'm just exhausted," Yato sighed, a hand behind his head. "G-gomen."
Hiyori giggled to herself for a split second as if she silently forgave him. She seemed too cute.
Yato smiled slightly at his love.
Hiyori took a moment, exhaled, and relaxed. Her eyes fluttered shut in a gentle manner. With a sudden jerk, a bell-like sound rang out and echoed from Hiyori. A pink ring illuminated from her until it disappeared into thin air.
Yato watched as Hiyori's half-Phantom form collapsed back into her original human body. The god quickly looked away with pink cheeks.
Yukine came over, casually slurping his refreshing lemonade. Japanese lettering was smacked on every side of the pink can.
"Go rest now, Yukine."
Yukine flinched at Yato's words.
"Eh!?" He asked, surprised.
"I'll bring Hiyori home," Yato explained. "Good job today."
The boy almost smiled. Yukine's eyes twinkled with delight, orange mixing with the yellow.
Yato barely ever complimented him. So it meant a lot to the Regalia when he gets a good review.
"You sure you'll be okay?" Yukine asked, worried for his master's sake.
"I'll be fine," Yato tried to reassure him.
"The question is..." he turned his head around, the street lights creating a deeper contrast with the shady areas of the god's creepy expression "will you...?" The god's face hid behind his dark hair, and he relaxed his hands in his jersey pockets.
Yato may be a god of calamity, but he had no intentions of doing anything to his friend, really.
The god still had a regretful, horrific past - that's never gonna change - so it shows in his personality as an effect.
Yato laughed it off. That didn't make Yukine feel any better.
He continued to feel tense. He felt as if he were watching a man lose his mind.
"Don't worry, I'll be back."
"Ano," Yukine thought for a minute "h-hai. Oyasumi'nasai..."
As Yukine walked away with his lemonade, the god proceeded to pick up the grocery bags left on the side of the road, and carried Hiyori carefully in his arms. Despite his thin appearance, Yato was impressively powerful. Then again, don't you have to be when you're a god of destruction?
Hiyori slept easy in his grasp.
. . . . .
About halfway to her house, Hiyori started waking up in Yato's arms.
She knew where she was, and what was going on. Instead of resisting, or immediately assuming something perverted, Hiyori relaxed and enjoyed the smell of the sweaty god. Despite the sweat, it was "her favorite scent."
Yato felt her slowly tense up as she awoke and adjusted the girl by holding her closer and tighter.
"Ya...to..." Hiyori whispered in her happy daze.
Yato slowed his pace after he heard his name. He felt his heart jerk at her angelic voice, and laughed quietly to himself. A smirk spread across his face.
"Hiyori..." His mature voice rumbled even when he whispered it to himself. A cute grin spread across his face.
You could tell he was in love.