Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters

Nora gently tapped her heel on the fence she sat on as she watched the humans and ayakashi below. It was truly a wonder how unaware humans were of their situation. They were nothing but toys to the gods and food for ayakashi. She was once like them but now the gods and ayakashi were her tools. With them, she could take anything she wanted.

"Stop that man!" Someone screamed and she recognized the voice. It belonged to the dark haired girl that often accompanied her brother. She spotted Hiyori running after a man carrying a purse. It didn't take Nora long to realize that the man had stolen her purse. There was an ayakashi on the man's shoulder so Nora knew that the ayakashi would attack him if she caught the man.

If she didn't catch the man, she would lose her purse. If she did, she would have to fight the ayakashi. No matter what happened, there was no good outcome for her. But Nora felt no sympathy for her and leaned forward to watch her struggle. Why should she go out of her way for the girl? She fully expected Hiyori to fall behind the man.

Nora couldn't help but laugh when her spirit left her body and created a spectacle of confusion. Hiyori didn't seem to be aware of it since she continued to chase the man until she was close enough to tackle him and sent the ayakashi flying. The moment it was separated from the human, the ayakashi began to transform and turned on her.

"Now you've done it." Nora didn't know if she should laugh or snort at the girl's action. Did the girl want her lifeline to be cut so much that she would face an ayakashi? She knew of Hiyori's situation but thought she was only being a burden to Yato. Why was her brother so protective of the human when she only held him back? She could barely fight, let alone be of use to Yato.

Nora thought she would never be able to understand the spell the girl placed on her brother. So she watched the ayakashi stand over Hiyori and wondered how long the fight would last. Hopefully it would be long enough to entertain her. The two fought but it was clear that the two were on par with each other. "If I want something done, I must do it myself."

When the battle wasn't progressing the way she wanted it to, she clicked her tongue. She started to cast a spell to stop Hiyori's movement but stopped when she sensed someone rushing towards her. Nora stepped into the shadow to hide herself just as she saw Yato run to Hiyori's rescue. The ayakashi fell to Yukine quickly and she rolled her eyes. They always came to her rescue and she felt something close to jealousy.

"That was boring." Nora clicked her tongue and ignored the feeling stirring her stomach. It was only disappointment that she wasn't able to watch the human's life line be severed. The ayakashi below her began to growl but Nora held them back since she knew that they wouldn't be able to defeat Yato and Yukine.

Watching the trio, she never felt more like an outsider. She knew that she was one but she had never felt the pain like she did now. What did Yato have with them that he couldn't have with his own family? The only hint she had was the memory of Yukine's kindness when he found her crying. While it played on her mind, it wasn't enough to make her understand.

They walked away from her line of sight and Nora turned her attention to her pet ayakashi. She had intended to take them out on a walk so they could feed on humans but it would be dangerous for them to do so with Yato near. With a spell, she commanded them to return to her hut.

Nora didn't follow them because she had planned to visit the shops. Not wanting to cross path with Yato and Yukine, she chose the shop she went into carefully. She stole the pens and stationery on display without a second thought. With that simple task done, she started to return home. As she passed a bakery, she wondered if she could indulge herself a little.

The delicate scent of the bake goods drew her to the kitchen where she knew that she would find the most food. People were rushing around her but they didn't notice her as they went about their job. She took one of the cookies on the tray and hummed to herself when she tasted it. Even if they couldn't see her, she made sure to be discrete when she stole a bag of cookies.

"Thank you so much for fixing our oven, young man." Nora looked over her shoulder and almost dropped the cookie in her hand when she spotted Yato and Yukine speaking with the head chef. She knew that if they saw her, they would try to fight her. Her eyes darted around the room to find an escape. As she ran to the back door, a person carrying a large sack of flour crashed into her.

Nora swore under her breath and glared at the man that bumped into her. Panicking, she took the bag he was holding and threw it over herself. She could see through the thin bag slightly and ran out the door. Not wanting to see if Yukine saw her, she didn't look back as she ran. Her heart stopped when she heard Yukine call behind her. "Wait!"

She only ran faster when she heard his voice. Nora could hear him calling out to her but she continued to run. How long did he intend to chase her? If he was chasing her, it was obvious he saw her and wanted to fight. She pushed her way through the crowd, intent on reaching the river since she could use it to escape. She spotted the sakura tree in the distance and quickened her pace.

"Please wait, I just want to talk to you!" Nora made the mistake of turning back to see how close he was. She tripped over her own feet and stumbled down the hill. Yukine saw her fall and jumped forward to save her. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into the safety of his arms. They rolled down the hill but Nora didn't feel any pain since he protected her.

"Are you okay?" Yukine sat up when they stopped. He tried to see if she was hurt but she stubbornly clutched at the bag so it covered her body. Beneath it, Nora was blushing furiously and hated that he was able to see her as she was. No doubt she looked like a chicken without its head as she ran. She could only sit in her self loathing as he stood and brushed the dirt from his jacket.

"Here." Nora looked up to see him pull something out of his jacket and held it out to her. It was the stationary she had stolen. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out of the sack and felt his warm hand brush hers when she took it. "You dropped it while you were running out of the bakery. Are you the girl I spoke to before? That stationary has the same design as the one she uses for her letters."

She nodded and Yukine only had more questions for her. Why was she in the bakery? Why did she run when he called out to her? It shocked him when he saw a person covered by a bag stumble around the bakery. But when he saw the stationary, he knew that it was the girl he spoke to before.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, both of them not knowing how to start a conversation. Nora looked down at the stationary in her hands. It was so much easier to speak to him through a letter since she didn't have to feel his amber eyes watching her. They were beautiful but it felt as if they could see through her. "Can you not stare?"

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me." Yukine blushed and turned away. He hadn't been aware that he was staring at her but he found himself curious about what she looked like. "Why are you wearing that?"

"I have a scar on my face and I don't want you to see it." Nora thought of the lie quickly. She couldn't allow him to see her face. If he did, he wouldn't send her another letter. They had become important to her but she didn't know why. "Thank you for the flowers you gave me."

"I didn't know what kind you liked so I'm glad you like them." Yukine smiled but it didn't last long. "I should be the one thanking you for that warning you sent me. If you ever see those two again, you should run and hide because they're dangerous. That girl may look innocent but she's actually really strong. I fought her once and I barely won."

Nora bit her tongue as she remembered that fight. If her father hadn't stopped her, she would've killed him and the thought made her heart tightened. She hated him then but now she was having a conversation with him. "I saw you and Yato fighting that ayakashi earlier. You seem close to that girl you saved. What is she to you?"

"Hiyori? Well she's…" Nora studied his face as he answered and hated the jealousy she felt. "I guess she's like a sister to me. I admire her for how strong she is. No matter what we drag her through, she stays by our side and I don't know why. I'm grateful for everything she has done for me and Yato. So I want to become stronger to protect good people like her."

"Protect people?" Nora repeated. Her brother told her that he wanted to become a god of fortune but she had always scoffed at the thought. Father had told her that it would be easier for them to survive by bringing calamity since they would stay longer in human's memories. "What's the point of helping people when they forget those small moments of kindness so easily?"

"But you remembered the flowers I gave you. I don't think you're giving people enough credit by saying that. Sure, some are jerks but not all of them. I was pretty bad myself but look at me now." The grin on his face her heart stopped in reaction. How could he be so confident? She had seen so much cruelty in her life and her father taught her that she could only rely on her family.

"Can a small gesture really stay in a person's mind?" She challenged him. Nora took a cookie from her bag and held it out to him. "If I give you this, it won't change how you feel about me much."

Nora was confused when he suddenly burst out in laughter. He tried to stifle his laugh when she asked why he was laughing. "I'm sorry. It's just that your hand's all white. You're probably covered with flour under there, aren't you? I just imagine it and laughed. Here, I should have a napkin in my pocket."

Nora stiffened when he lifted the bag before she could stop him. She was glad the flour masked the names on her body and he only lifted the bag enough to see part of her face. She started to push his hands away but stopped when she felt him gently wipe the flour off her cheek. "You look like a ghost."

"That's enough." Nora pulled away from him and readjusted the bag around her. Her heart was beating fast and she placed her hand over it to slow it. "Don't tease me when I was trying to be nice. Really, I can never predict what you're about to do sometimes."

"I'm sorry. I should've remembered that you didn't want me to see your scar. Take my napkin," He held it out to her and she took it. Nora could see from his expression that he felt guilty and decided that she enjoyed his smile more than that expression.

"It's okay, Yukine."

"You know, it's kinda awkward that I don't have a name to call you. What did your last master call you? I know, how about we come up with a name for you?"

"My own name?" Nora looked at her arms and thought of all the names hidden under the flour. Not one was important enough to mention and she couldn't imagine Yukine calling her any one of them. Many shinki valued their name but she didn't. But looking at Yukine's expectant eyes, she felt compelled to answer him. "I really like the name Hiirone."

"Hiirone," He repeated with a soft smile and she liked the way it sounded on his lips. Another voice echoed in her head and she stood quickly. She could sense her father calling her and she knew she had to leave or else he'll find her talking to Yukine.

"I really need to go." Yukine didn't know why she wanted to leave so suddenly. He was disappointed because he wanted to speak with her more but he could hear the urgency in her voice.

"How about I take you to wherever you need to go? I can protect you if we run into an ayakashi." He offered but she shook her head and continued to rush away from him. "Wait, will I ever see you again?"

She stopped and turned to face him. Nora only lifted the sack enough for him to see her smile. "I'm glad we talked today. I'll write you another letter so you better reply to it. Goodbye, Yukine."

It was so hard for me to decide the name Nora would give herself but I really wanted it to have Yato's family name of "ne". Hiirone was the first name to come to mind since it included the name Yato gave her but I didn't like the meaning of it (scarlet sound) since it didn't really reflect Nora's character. Other names I thought of were: Akane (deep red), Kokone (sound of the heart), Renne (Water lily/Rebirth), Shione (Sound of the tide). It was between Hiirone and Renne but I went with Hiirone.

I'm having a ball writing this and I glad to see that other people ship them because I thought I was the only one.