Here's the next part of the story and celebrating me archiving 200k words on this website :)
"If you kill the sorcerer, you're killing Yato too."
1 week later
"Sekki!" Yukine dutifully flew into Yato's hands as two silver swords just in time to parry Chiki.
"What a naughty son you are!" His father said in a sing song voice. it was different than usual though. This time, he was serious. Yato knew that Sekki was immune to Chiki's power but he still felt like he needed to finish the battle quickly. As quickly as he was able to-even after all this time, his father was still stronger than him.
Their weapons collided again, and this time, Chiki's point caught him across the cheek.
(Sorry, Yato! I let him get by me!)
"It was my fault." Yato replied, not paying attention.
He hated his father but at the same time, he was his creator, the one who raised him, who praised him when he killed for him... and beat him when Yato did something to displease him.
Yato had always, always been a tool to him. When he'd thought Yato had been blighted, he'd pulled away his robe to check as if he were his property (which, to him, Yato was), he'd punished him with his ayakashi wolves until Yato had begged for his father's love and attention. He'd grown up playing slaughter and simultaneously chasing and fearing his father.
Their weapons met again. Yukine feeling the nervous energy coming from his god. Yato was putting all his energy into the fight but looking into his father's eyes-even if they weren't the same eyes-kept sending him spiraling into his past. Every lesson he'd learned from the man had been taught with blood. With Sakura and when he didn't fulfill his father's orders and his father would pick him up and throw him or dig his nails deep into his arm or hurt Hiiro.
Yato couldn't suppress his fear. Yukine noticed of course.
(Yato! Pull yourself together, your hands are shaking!)
Yato jumped back, holding the shoulder that had just been cut. His father did the same with a cut on his side.
"Stay focused, it's not your concern!" Yato told him.
(Yes it is!) Yukine argued. (Your hands are twice as sweaty as usual!)
Yato's tension decreased a little at that. " How rude. What a troublesome hafuri I have."
Despite themselves, they both smiled.
Yato was in bad condition. He had several cuts along his legs, hindering his movement, as well as a still bleeding injury on his shoulder. Yukine was worried. He'd glimpsed Kofuku and Bishamon arriving a few minutes ago to battle the hundreds of ayakashi erupting from the underworld but they wouldn't be able to come to their aid at the moment. And they had yet to find a way to stop the sorcerer without killing him. Thats probably why he'd chosen now to show his face.
"Yaboku! I'm giving you one last chance! Your teenage rebel phase stopped being cute a long time ago. Only scum betrays a parent."
"I'd rather be scum than spend another hour at your side, father."
Yato scored a slash on the sorcerer's arm. He was in almost as bad condition as Yato but he was moving much better.
"Enki!" The sorcerer held out his hand, and to Yato and Yukine's surprise, a thin golden blade materialized into his hand.
"You had-" Yato couldn't finish his thought. He father charged him with everything he had. Yato positioned himself to dodge but his legs wouldn't respond. Yato looked down in shock. The adrenaline pumping through him had blunted his pain but both his legs were bleeding heavily. It seemed muscles had been severed too. Yato looked back up at his father just in time to see the gold tip of the sword inches in front of him.
(YATO!)
His swords were vibrating with energy as Yato tried to move his arm fast enough. He'd been using defense tactics for a blunt object. He couldn't adjust fast enough.
He felt the sword pierce his heart, severing muscles, going deeper until he felt the he felt the indescribable feeling of being completely run through. No one moved for several seconds. Yato didn't even bleed.
"Yaboku." His father's face was just inches from his own. Close enough that when Yato finally coughed up a mouthful of blood, a few drops landed on his cheeks. He didn't seem to care. "You failed me. I'm done waiting on a broken tool like you. I cannot use a rusted sword."
Blood had just begun streaming from the open wound as the sorcerer slowly pulled out his sword. Yato barely reacted.
(Yato! Yato? Get away! Are you alright?)
"I've given up on you." He narrowed his eyes. "Reincarnate so I can reforge you or simply die, Yaboku."
With that, Yato dropped.
(Yato! Yato! WAKE UP!)
Sure enough, Yato's eyes had slipped closed. Falling through the air.
They hit the ground and Yato rolled a few times. Yukine reverted in seconds, stumbled toward his downed master, turning him over and putting his hands over the entrance wound.
"Stay with me, Yato! Come on!"
Yato's eyes cleared up a little at Yukine's urging.
"Yukine."
"Where does it hurt the most?" Yukine said, pulling out a handkerchief.
Yato shook his head, breathing hard. "I can't feel it, Yukine. I can't feel my arms or legs. Even my wounds aren't..." he trailed off as blood continued to pour from his chest.
"You'll be fine! Hold on! The others will probably rush over here!"
Yato's breath hitched a few times. His skin was rapidly paling and Yukine's clothes were getting soaked in blood.
"I'm sorry—I'll try to calm down so you're more comfortable!"
"Yukine, you don't have to." He coughed. Blood was dripping from his mouth. "Listen to me, Yukine. I've lived a thousand years but the happiest year of my life I spent with you and Hiyori."
Yato's hand wrapped around Yukine's which was hovering uselessly over Yato. He could feel his energy, his thoughts, slipping away from him.
"Yukine, any god would want a hafuri like you. Please choose your next master carefully, I don't know if you'll get along well with Tenjin." His breaths were coming shallower and shallower. "Maybe Bishamon would…"
"Y-Yato, w-what are you saying?" Yukine's voice cracked softly.
"Please protect Hiyori. Please live on." Yato closed his bright blue eyes and put on a small smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't grant your wish."
Yukine gripped Yato's hand even tighter. "You still have time!" He shook his master, but his head only lulled to the side. Blood was still pouring from his chest but he had stopped breathing. "Yato, you can still—" Yukine sobbed, holding Yato up and burying his head into his god's chest. There was no heartbeat.
"NOOOOO!"
Less than three minutes later, Hiyori in the her spirit form, Kufuku, Daikoku and Bishamon came running. It was too late. Yukine lay hunched over his master, shivering in shock and misery. He'd given up calling out to him minutes ago.
"Yato! Yukine!" Hiyori saw them and sprinted over, falling to her knees. As she pushed Yato's hair out of his eyes, Yukine looked up at her miserably. He looked smaller than ever, now that it had begun to rain and his clothes clung to his frame.
"H-Hiyori, Y-Yato's dead."
There was more yelling and screaming and collapsing and sobbing, building up behind Yukine's eyes like a migraine. Daikoku had fallen to his knees, blank-faced but now he was holding the sobbing Kofuku so tight, like he was afraid he'd lose her too. Bishamon, had whipped around, holding both her hands to her mouth like she was afraid she'd throw up. She'd let Hiyori grieve and yell and sob herself into hysterics until she curled up against a tree, eyes unfocused and desolate.
"D-Dammnit." The numbness of loss cascaded over Yukine. Yato was dead. Yukine clenched his fists, fury threatening to boil over. Shit. Shit. Shit.
He was up in seconds, making off through the woods. Bishamon leaned down, tucked Yato's bangs away from his eyes again and lifted him up in her arms as she would a child.
Anger pulsed in his ears and loss stabbed at his heart and they both fueled him to run blindly through the driving rain.
"Listen to me Yukine.
Please live on."
How could he? His best friend, his god was dead! He sprinted until he could not hear a single thought over the hammering of his heartbeat in his throat. Eventually, something dropped him to the concrete. A pebble or exhaustion, he could not tell. He lay there, for once, glad no living human could see him. His head spun. He'd been nothing but a dead spirit when Yato had found him. And the god had helped him and loved him even when he acted out in the worst ways. Finally, they'd gotten past their differences and became the best of friends. Yukine never expected…
And now, he was lying on the ground. Less than a wandering spirit. Less than whatever he was because he'd become something great as the guide post of Yato and now Yato had been stripped away from him.
"I wish to Yatogami that he may become a revered god of fortune."
"I'm sorry I couldn't grant your wish."
Godammnit. He was just starting to become… Yukine knew he couldn't become another god's hafuri. Yato wasn't expendable like that.
"Yato, you idiot! I won't give up on you like that! Even now, I'll continue…to make you a god of fortune! Just like I promised!" Yukine felt the tears start again as he hiccuped. Then he realized where he was.
Getting weakly back onto his feet, Yukine stumbled several house lengths down the block, jarring to a stop when a tremulous mix of emotions hit him.
He made his way through the tori gate. Yato's shrine. Instantly, the air warmed around him although the rain was as bad as ever.
"Uh?" It was the only thing Yukine could squeeze out. Tendrils of golden energy appeared, weaving away from the gates, the near-empty donation box, the houses around them and even Yukine himself. His apricot eyes watched as the light converged in one spot, under the Yato's banner. It glowed brighter and brighter until even he, a hafuri had to shield his eyes.
The moment the light started to fade, Yukine was hurrying to the shrine opening, choking on his heart, held high in his throat.
On the ground, dressed in beautiful white robes was a toddler, around one year old, with royal purple hair.
:)) Please review!
