Sorry for not posting for like a month. Here's the first chapter of a new Noragami story that's going to have lots of chapters when I'm done writing it. I'll update it as I finish the chapters and when I have time. Hope you all have a good day!
Thanks so much for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Noragami
"Who knew we'd go from no jobs to this many." Yukine said as he followed Yato tiredly.
"Jeez kid, I know you're tired but these jobs are getting us so much yen! Just think about how great it'll be when we're super rich and have a huge amazing shrine!" Yato replied.
"We've done four paper routes, and washed three bathrooms, beat those Ayakashi that were messing around that school, took that dog for a walk, fixed that kid's bicycle and did all that girl's chores. Are you saying you're seriously not tired yet?" Yukine asked.
"Course I'm somewhat tired. But it's worth it!" Yato replied. "You'll get to have a big rest once we're done putting up these signs, okay?" Yato added, turning to look at the tired Shinki's face.
"Fine..." Yukine sighed. "What're they even about anyway?" Yukine asked, trying to get his mind off how cold and windy it was walking down by the water.
"We're putting them up around parks by the water to remind and teach people not to feed ducks bread, because it causes them to get sick and it can even kill them. So this sign informs them of that and what kind of foods are safe to feed the ducks. Like corn for example." Yato explained.
"That's good." Yukine agreed, happy at least that they were doing something useful and not as boring as their other jobs. "I hope people listen to the signs." Yukine added hoping this method that their customer had wanted them to do would work.
"I'm sure most people will." Yato replied as he finished putting up another sign.
When he finished, Yato pulled Yukine, catching him off guard, closer and pulled the boy's hat more snugly on his head. Yukine pulled away slightly in irritation.
"I'm not a baby you know." Yukine grumbled.
"Hm... You're acting all grumpy again Yukine, besides, you're cold and you didn't fix it yourself." Yato said smiling.
Yukine rolled his eyes.
"Well we have about-" Yato started.
"My hat!" A little girl cried.
Yato glanced towards the sound and Yukine followed his gaze.
It appeared that the wind had taken a young girl's hat and had blown it away and into the water. The little girl was now crying saying it was her favourite hat and now her mommy was going to be mad at her.
"I don't want my hat to sink under the water, I wish I'd left it at home." The little girl wept as she spoke to another little girl who was her friend.
"She won't be mad, I'll go tell my mom and ask her." The little girl's friend said as she ran off towards the park.
Yukine walked closer and slowly stood beside the girl. Yato followed.
"Your wish has been heard!" Yato said. "I can fix your problem for only five yen!"
"Huh?" The girl murmured glancing at the God and Shinki.
"My name is Yato, I'm a delivery god!" Yato explained.
The girl glanced a look of confusion from Yato to Yukine.
"He's saying he'll help if you give him five yen." Yukine said.
"I don't have any yen...can it be pretend?" The little girl asked.
Yukine glanced at Yato who seemed unimpressed but slightly hesitant.
"Mom's going to be so mad. She's going to hate me." The little girl cried.
"Uh oh..." Yato muttered as he suddenly looked out to the water.
"What is it?" Yukine asked.
"She may only this upset because of our real problem. Over there!" Yato exclaimed.
Yukine glanced at the water, where there were a few Ayakashi, moving the hat further out into the water, meanwhile also being the cause for all the girl's "mom's going to hate me" kind of thoughts she kept slowly falling into worse and worse.
"Do you think I could go catch it so mom will never know?" The girl asked Yukine.
"No!" Yukine exclaimed shaking his head. "She'll be more upset if you tried that. You could drown! And it's way to cold to go in there."
"B-b-b-b-but she's going to hate me!" The little girl cried.
"Leave this to us." Yato said finally.
"We'll help you, okay?" Yukine told her smiling encouragingly.
"O-okay...but you probably can't do it." She replied.
"Come Yukine, she's going to need us to finish this fast. The Ayakashi are affecting her thoughts and they're some really strong ones." Yato said urgently.
With one last glance at the girl, Yukine obediently returned to Yato.
"Okay, so we beat the Ayakashi?" Yukine asked.
"Yeah. Only this is going to be really cold." Yato replied already feeling Yukine's dread. "Let's just...get this over with." Yato said glancing at the Shinki.
Yukine glanced back at the girl, and then he nodded.
"Come Sekki!" Yato called.
Yukine's form disappeared, turning into twin katanas that flung through the air and into Yato's hands.
"This is going to be so cold..." Yukine muttered.
"Focus Sekki." Yato said as he prepared to attack the Ayakashi that were starting to notice his presence.
The Ayakashi turned, staring at Yato now. Yato leapt from the grass, carefully jumping across the rocks at the shore.
"The rocks are going to be slippery. Watch your step!" Yukine warned.
"Course." Yato nodded, as he leapt.
We're probably going to get wet. Yato thought. But before he could say so to warn Yukine, Yato's footing made him start to slip on the rock, and without warning, Yato leap into the air grasping Sekki tightly.
Catching on to the sudden attack, Yukine readied himself for the fight, despite something in the back of his mind completely feeling like this move wasn't going to end well.
Yato made a slight, tight smile at the Shinki's feelings and thoughts, and he and Sekki swung at the Ayakashi, making two smaller ones disappear. Yato did a quick flip mid air to slow his fall, and attempted to slash the remaining Ayakashi.
Yato felt a burst of relief when his Regalia hit the last Ayakashi making it disappear.
Sorry Yuki... Yato thought as they plummeted towards the freezing water below them.
Yato attempted to lift Sekki as high as he could in attempts to possibly lessen how cold and wet he'd end up getting his Blessed Vessel.
Yato felt a quick stab of pain go through his legs as he hit an underwater rock as he went under. Instinctively Yato lowered his arms in attempt to swim to the surface.
"Sorry Yuki-" Yato started as he surfaced, but his gaze was suddenly met with the face of a huge Ayakashi.
Moving itself, Sekki suddenly swung at the Phantom, getting a direct hit, but this time the Ayakashi didn't vanish with a single hit.
As Yato tried to remain surfaced, Sekki, still grasped tightly in Yato's wet hands, blocked a huge blow the Ayakashi aimed at them, he mostly succeeded, but the Ayakashi seemed to have seen it coming and swiped at them hard with another part of itself at the same time.
"No!" Yukine exclaimed as the blow hit Yato from behind, hard enough to knock the wind out of the Delivery God.
His breath knocked out of him, Yato began to sink deeper under the freezing cold water, his grasped Sekki tight, but not quite as much as before.
"Yato!" Yukine cried. "Swim!"
Yato kicked his legs harder, rising to the surface at hearing his kid's cries. Yukine suddenly saw the Ayakashi was still above them. Trying to push away a sudden stab of fear as to not sting Yato, Sekki swung and blocked and then hit the Ayakashi once more as Yato started to resurface. This time the Ayakashi was defeated.
"Thanks!" Yato said after gasping for air. "That was a close one."
"We should probably grab that girl's hat while we're h-here..." The Shinki said.
"Right." Yato agreed distractedly, this water was freezing!
Yato glanced around as he treaded water, until he and Yukine spotted it at the same time.
"Looks like it's sinking now!" Yukine exclaimed.
Yato immediately began to swim towards it. As they got closer, they realized there was something off about the way the hat seemed to be sinking.
"Got it!" Yato exclaimed as he tried to carefully pick up the hat without going under or loosening his grip on Sekki.
But as the delivery god pulled, the hat felt like it was being pulled under.
"What's going on?" Yukine asked.
"Feels like it's being pulled down, not just sinking..." Yato replied. "I'll get it." He assured the Shinki.
"Please do it quickly. I'm freezing!" Yukine replied.
Yato yanked and then suddenly he spotted something multicoloured hanging onto it.
"Oh don't worry, it's just a tiny little Phantom trying to make a mess of things." Yato said, and he moved his hands to use his Regalia to beat the Ayakashi so they could finish this job and head back to Kofuku's place for a nice warm dinner. Assuming it was even dinner time.
"Almost...got..." Yato mumbled being careful to stay above water while trying to hit the phantom without destroying the hat. "...it!" Yato finished, but as he did he felt a sudden ache and then something huge seemed to hit him over the head from behind, his mind hazy but distantly aware of Yukine shouting or calling out to him as he sunk down deeper and deeper into the freezing water, his body fighting to remain conscious from the hard blow of whatever had hit him.
The ache in his chest began to worsen and his mind snapped back to him. Out of oxygen, the delivery god swam abruptly to the surface.
Then it hit him, harder than even the blow he'd receive from whatever it was.
Yato had accidentally dropped Yukine.
In his Vessel form. And as twin katanas, there were very slim chances of Yukine being able to swim.
"Come Sekki!" Yato shouted, but he felt fear grip him as nothing seemed to happen.
Fear taking over, Yato dove under the water in a desperate rush as he tried to see through the dirty water.
He wanted to shout and call out to Yukine, but he'd tried to call Sekki...and somehow Sekki hadn't come. Yato knew there was no chance that Yukine would refuse to come to him, especially in this situation.
He felt his mind racing and his instincts wanting to call Yukine and have him get right back here into his hands where he could get the Shinki to safety before any harm could come to the Regalia. But he forced the calling option away, it hadn't worked the first time, and he need to hold his breath and quickly find his kid!
Yato could feel his Shinki's fear growing by the seconds. Yato feared that the Shinki may possibly be stuck somewhere under the water...and worse...the deeper you go down...
Yukine! Yato yelled inwardly.
Suddenly Yato caught a flash of colours.
He spun around, and was face to face with a huge Ayakashi.
Yato's eyes widened and anger surged through him as he spotted, clenched dangerously in the large phantoms sharp teeth, were two shiny blades wrapped loosely in bandages at the handles.
Despite not having his Regalia on him, Yato swam recklessly towards the Ayakashi and tried to get to his Shinki. The Ayakashi tried to hit him away with what would've been a very painful hit, but Yato managed to narrowly avoid the attack.
I'm coming Yukine! Yato thought desperately. He could vaguely make out the Shinki's voice calling out for help.
Of all places to end up dropping his Regalia, he'd accidentally dropped him in this freezing water where his Shinki was not only panicking because of being under water out of Yato's reach and in the jaws of a giant phantom, but he was also deep enough under the water that it had little light.
And Yukine is scared of the dark.
Yato threw himself as hard as he could towards the Ayakashi. This time he slammed into the phantom, that seemed to bite harder on Sekki. Yato nearly lost focus and cried out from his worry for his Shinki.
Instead he plowed himself into the phantom hitting at it with all he could. Starting to run out of air Yato rushed towards the phantoms mouth and grabbed for his terrified kid, hoping he could grasp the Shinki before the phantom could take any of his limbs off.
His hands hit the hilts of the katanas. Yato pulled the swords as hard as he could, hoping that Yukine was alright. Being far stronger in his hand than being along, the swords pulled free passing through the phantom causing it to disappear.
Clutching his blessed vessel tightly, Yato hurriedly swam for the surface. He winced as he recalled how bad the Shinki's fear had been getting, but as they were rising to the surface, the emotions were slowly lessening.
With a crash of the waves, Yato broke through the water and to the surface. He rushed to a large rock and pulled himself and Regalia onto it.
"Yukine! Are you alright?" Yato exclaimed.
Yukine tried to reply but his voice sounded strained and choked up, and Yato couldn't make out what the Shinki was saying.
Tightening his grip, Yato carried the Shinki to shore. When he at last arrived, his heart heavy with worry, he knelt down holding the katanas gently.
"Revert Yukine." Yato said hoping the Shinki was okay.
The Regalia immediately obeyed and transformed into his blond haired and reddish-orange eyed human form.
Yukine immediately started coughing. Yato tightened his slightly shaky grip on the teenagers shoulders as he scanned the kid for any injuries.
"Yukine!" Yato exclaimed, not releasing his tight grip.
Yukine coughed a few more times, his body soaked, freezing, and shaken up from the whole ordeal.
Yato spotted tiny spots of blight and a few minor scrapes and scratches across the Shinki's small body, and he hoped that there weren't anymore that he'd find when he checked once more when he got Yukine back to Kofuku's place to get him dried off and all warmed up.
"Are you okay?" Yato asked he Shinki that lay partially on his lap and in his arms as he shivered and his coughing slowly died down.
Shakily, Yukine nodded still shivering.
"Lets get you back to Kofuku's place and get you warmed up." Yato said and he picked up the Shinki, earning a irritated moan from the teenager as he continued to carry him back to Kofuku's shrine, hoping he could make it back before it started to get dark.
From by a park bench at the rocky beach a stranger had been present for some of the end of the event. They watched disapprovingly at the former god of calamity and his blessed vessel that was currently in such a bad state.
Taking note of everything they had witnessed, the stranger sighed and turned to head back. But they paused as they spotted the little girl who had been the Ayakashi's original victim, walking towards where her friend's family was calling her back, when the girl spotted her hat. Seemingly having entirely forgotten Yato and Yukine ever being there, the girl leapt in excitement. Picking up the hat she turned and grinned at her friend. Then she ran back to them.
"My hat came back to shore!" She shouted, clearly having no memory of the delivery god or his Shinki.
The stranger watched as they all smiled at her, and told her it was time to drop her back off at her house.
Once they had left, the stranger's mind ventured back to the problems at stake. The whole issue with this former god of calamity, and his Shinki who seemed in a poor state from the incidents with the Ayakashi. Not to mention everything else they'd seen from the former god of calamity in the past as well.
The stranger chewed their lip in indecision. To report back right away, or tomorrow...?
The stranger nodded to themselves, and then started their departure.