Disclaimer: I don't own Noragami.
"Keiko-san," Hiyori poked her head out of the back room. "Could you come over here and help me with clean — AH!" she let out a shout when an orange blur brushed past her into the examination room. Keiko, who was rummaging through the cupboard under the sink, whipped around and pretty much leaped at the orange cat, picking it up in a swift move.
"Aha! Running away are you?"
The cat stilled dejectedly in her hands, meowing piteously.
"Oh no, you don't, mister. Those eyes are not going to work on me."
Seeing as the situation was, literally, in hand, Hiyori sighed in relief and went back into the other room, Mikage and the cat joining her seconds later.
Hiyori and Keiko engaged in a quick Rock-Paper-Scissor game – more for Mikage's benefit than Hiyori's, since she didn't really mind doing any of the chores– resulting in Hiyori cleaning the litter boxes and Mikage refilling the water and food bowls. The cats, hearing the telltale sound of an opened bag of cat food, started rubbing against Mikage's legs to get her attention. She lightly but firmly moved them away with her feet.
Hiyori started humming Jingle Bells under her nose. Keiko recognizing the song joined her in whistling the same tune.
"Talking about Christmas," Hiyori spoke up, "do you have any plans for that day?" She definitely didn't expect her innocent question to cause the technician to spill most of the dry food all over the floor. The cats quickly came closer, eating unceremoniously from the floor. Keiko waved her hand around to shoo them away, starting to shove the dry food back into the bag.
"How about you, sensei?"
"You know that I don't—wait a second...Did you just deflect my question?" Hiyori looked carefully at her assistant. "Mikage Keiko, you do have a date lined up, don't you?"
"It's not a date!"
"I wonder what Okumura-kun would have to say to this."
Seeing Mikage's wince, it only took Hiyori a second to grasp the whole situation. She gasped, a look of realization dawning on her face. The litter shovel slipped from her fingers.
"You're going out with Okumura?!"
"I told you it's not a date!" Mikage hissed back. At Hiyori's incredulous look she huffed out. "I lost a bet and I have to do whatever he tells me to for a day. Of all the cliches. And to top it off, he had to choose Christmas Day!"
To Hiyori's credit she was able to keep up her poker face for about five seconds before she burst out laughing. A cat treat was flicked in her direction, but she managed to avoid it only to have a whole bunch of them flung at her. She threw them back, grinning widely. She shook her head, deciding to let the matter drop for now, but vowing to interrogate Okumura-kun later.
"My close friend Ami is expecting her baby within the next…two weeks, I think? I was going to visit her. I'm sure we will—" she trailed off, noticing Mikan creeping towards the door. Keiko, having seen that too, picked the cat up. Not a second too late, because a soft knock came from the door.
"Iki-san," Masami Chieko, the secretary at Iki Veterinary Clinic, poked her head into the room. She was a quite lady in her mid-30s who started working with them two years ago. Very polite and soft-spoken, she worked hard to support her two sons. "You should come out to the front."
Mikage waved the two of them away, signaling that she could finish things up on her own. Hiyori washed her hands carefully in the examination room before stepping into the reception area.
"-isn't this a freaking veterinary clinic?!" a boy was shouting at Okumura-kun. His back was currently turned towards her so she couldn't see his face, but from under a cute winter hat, she could see strands of blond hair peeking out. "Aren't you supposed to help animals?!"
Okumura ruffled his own hair in frustration "Yes! But it's also not a free service! We're running a clinic! Not an animal shelter!"
"What's going on, Okumura-kun?" Hiyori decided to interrupt. Okumura vaguely waved in the direction of the blonde who snapped around at her voice. His face was set in an angry scowl and he looked like he was going to start shouting again but at the sight of her, his face slackened, his mouth flapping open and close a few times.
She exchanged a confused look with Masami-san standing next to her. They both approached the reception desk and she didn't miss how the blonde stiffened up and looked ready to bolt out of the room.
"Iki-sensei—"she shot a quick glare at Okumura-kun, who threw up his hand in exasperation.
"How about we just open a cat café?" he said, throwing himself into the chair.
Seeing the coat in the blonde's arm, she slowly reached her hand out to move away the folds of the green material. The blonde stiffened up even more, but didn't move an inch. Soon, they were met with the sight of a quietly meowing kitten. She looked up at the boy, who looked to be about fourteen, observing his hunched shoulders and how his eyes darted around trying not to look at her.
"What's your name?" she asked him, keeping her voice low and gentle as if she was speaking to a scared animal.
"…Yukine."
"Well Yukine-kun, how about we go inside the examination room so I can take a look at your cat."
"It's not my cat…and I don't have money."
"It's okay. Come on," she smiled in what she thought was encouragement. Yukine hesitantly followed her, but not without sending a glare at Okumura, who simply ignored him.
In the examination room, she carefully looked over the kitten. Male, around two weeks old, with a case of malnutrition and what looked like a beginning of ear infection. It lay placidly on the cold, metal table, only meowing occasionally.
She was bundling him up inside a warm towel when Mikage poked her head out from the back room.
"Everything all right there sensei-AH! Not again?!" Capitalizing on Mikage's moment of inattention, Mikan shot out of the room.
Hiyori grabbed onto the sick kitten just in case the other cat reacted badly to the new occupant.
"Yukine-kun, catch him, please!"
In a blink of an eye, Yukine was on top of the cat, snatching it up before it would have hid underneath one of the cupboards. And just like earlier that day, the ginger stilled in the hands of its captor, this time managing to look just a bit smug.
Keiko and Hiyori sighed in relief.
"Thanks kiddo! This ball of fur keeps doing that."
Yukine scowled.
"Don't call me a kid," he said, passing the cat to Mikage. "Old lady," he added under his nose.
The door clicked shut for a minute before Mikage emerged from behind it, grabbing the blonde in a headlock.
"Who are you calling an old lady?!"
"Let me go!" They struggled and wrestled for a bit. Hiyori was ready to break up the fight when the blonde shouted, shielding himself from a noogie. "Tell her to stop, Hiyori!"
The silence that followed was one of those in which you could hear a pin drop. She looked at the boy carefully. He looked pale, his hands clamped over his mouth as if he had just said something he shouldn't have.
Mikage let go of him, giving him a slap over his head, "Show respect to your seniors, brat."
"I'm sorry. It just…slipped"
Hiyori shook her head, smiling hesitantly, "Don't worry about it. Keiko-san, can you prepare some food for this little one?"
As Mikage prepared a bottle of milk formula, Hiyori carefully dried the cat with the towel, mulling over the way the boy called out her name. The boy, Yukine she corrected herself, stood a bit awkwardly to the side, sweeping his eyes around the room.
"Yukine-kun—"his head snapped up at her voice"—could you hold onto the kitten for me? I'm just going to grab the ear drops."
He nodded, taking over her task.
She quickly located the medicine but stayed by the shelves, discreetly observing Yukine. He was staring intently at the kitten, gently rubbing it with the towel. She thought back to how he called out her name, getting a strong sense of déjà vu that quickly passed away but left her nerves rattling. She took a deep breath, the scent of her clinic filling up her nose, calming her down a bit. In any case, she thought she'd seen him before, but couldn't remember where. She rubbed at her forehead.
"Pst, sensei," Mikage whispered, shaking the bottle of milk in her hand, "you know that kid?"
"...I don't think so…"
"Hmm…Are you really taking the cat in?" Mikage suddenly changed the topic.
"Of course."
The other girl shook her head before walking back to the examination table. Hiyori followed.
Seeing them, Yukine let go of the cat, but stood close enough to observe how Hiyori let a few drops into the kitten's infected ear. The kitten meowed in discomfort, twitching its leg as if to scratch at the ear. She rubbed its back and ear carefully until the cat calmed down. Yukine smiled slightly. It quickly fell off when he caught the two of them staring.
Mikage thrust the milk bottle into Yukine's hand. "You feed him."
He fumbled to steady the bottle, looking panicked. "Wha- what?"
"You can do it." She showed him how to feed a kitten and they all watched as the small guy greedily sucked at the bottle.
Slowly, a warm smile grew on Yukine's face and Hiyori couldn't help smiling at that sight. She exchanged an amused look with Keiko.
"Where did you find him, Yukine?"
Not stopping the feeding he said, "Somebody left him in a box near the riverside where I hang out –" he cut off, flustered. "I mean...on the weekends…when I hang out during the weekends…you know...when I'm not…that is…"
"It's very kind of you to bring him here," she interrupted. "You're a good kid, Yukine."
He looked down at the kitten, his ears turning pink. "You're the one who is kind…taking it in for free and helping it."
"Well, you're helping too, aren't you?"
They fell silent, observing the cat again.
"I think the little guy is done," Hiyori said. She instructed Yukine how to rub at the kitten's stomach to stimulate its digestion. While Yukine was doing that, she turned to Keiko to ask her to prepare a sleeping spot for the new addition, but her friend only waved at her.
"Already on it," she threw over her shoulder.
Waiting for her assistant to come back, Hiyori asked, "What do you want to name him?"
"Me?" Yukine's eyes widened.
"You saved him after all."
"I…I've never named anything in my life."
Gathering her thoughts, Hiyori put away the towel. "I think a name is much like a gift." Yukine raised his head, waiting for her to continue. "With it come all the well wishes of the person who gives the name," she put a hand on his shoulder, "to the one that they are naming," she rubbed the kitten lightly. It shifted in its curled position in Yukine's hands before going back to sleep. Yukine looked at it with a deep look of concentration.
"Be sure to give him a good name."
Keiko came out of the shelter room. "Everything is set up. Come on, I'll take over." She took the kitten from Yukine.
He looked after the departing duo. Hiyori, meanwhile, washed her hands. After Keiko came back, the three of them exited the examination room together.
"Is the kitten going to be all right?" Yukine asked.
"Of course. With plenty of rest and food he will grow to be a strong cat."
He nodded, falling silent.
Hiyori looked at him carefully, tilting her head sideways in deep thought. Catching her staring, he startled.
"What?"
"Yukine-kun, have we met before?" She narrowed her eyes in concentration. "I feel like we have…"
His eyes widened in shock, his face morphing into an expression of…hope? She wasn't sure, but he started to say something when Okumura interrupted.
"Hey!" her assistant shouted from behind the reception desk. He pointed to Masami-san.
"I've opened up a file for the new kitten. What should I put for the name?" Masami-san asked, adjusting her glasses.
Hiyori looked expectedly at Yukine.
"…Kou…for happiness," he finally said, looking at his feet.
She smiled. "You heard him."
She observed as Yukine shrugged on his coat and zipped it up. He took a step toward the exit but turned around to bow to them. Masami-san returned the bow properly and Mikage waved cheerfully at him. Okumura-kun inclined his head. Hiyori jogged up to hold the door open. He stopped at the threshold, giving her an unreadable look. Seeing his amber eyes, the feeling of familiarity overcame her once more. Yukine looked as if he was struggling with something in his mind. His eyes darted around, finally settling on his feet.
She had to lean in to hear him say, "…The park. You saw me at the park."
"The park?"
He nodded. "I work at an oden stall. You were wearing a pretty purple kimono that day."
She furrowed her eyebrows. If she was wearing a kimono…it could only have been the day of her omiai with Sakamoto-san. Now that he mentioned it she did remember walking around a park and…seeing a cat? She tilted her head. Yes. She followed a cat to…slowly, an image of an oden stall and a street of vending machines emerged in her mind, a pink haired girl and a scary looking man in front of it…she recalled eating a bowl of oden, feeling sad and nostalgic about something.
She looked at Yukine with new eyes. He looked nervous, afraid even, but when he turned his gaze to her it didn't waver. Slowly an image of the blonde boy solidified in her mind. Him in a blue apron, standing behind the stall, holding out a steaming bowl of oden overflowing with extra ingredients.
Her eyes widened. "I remember!" She slapped her forehead lightly. "I can't believe it didn't come to me earlier. I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. Oh! Is that how you knew my name? I did introduce myself, didn't I?"
He smiled at her, nodding, but she got the feeling like she was missing something. He was smiling but he somehow managed to look sad.
"Well, Yukine-kun. Maybe I will visit again."
He nodded…in agreement? Acknowledgment? His smile turned even sadder. Her hand automatically reached out to him, but he had already stepped out of the clinic, taking a few seconds to put on his winter hat. She looked at her hand in confusion, letting it drop to her side.
He glanced back at her.
"Bye…Hiyori," and before she could react, he ran away.
Shaking herself from the slight shock she called out after him, "Bye, Yukine-kun! Come back to visit Kou whenever you have time!"
She stood in the doorway until she couldn't see him anymore, a sudden heavy feeling falling over her.
"Rude," Okumura-kun walked up behind her, "calling you by your first name."
She stepped back into the clinic, looking one more time at the spot where Yukine disappeared at.
"Somehow…I feel that it's okay," Hiyori said.
The door slid close behind her, the bell above it chiming a happy tune.
AN: Yukine is back! Where is Yato? I ask myself the same question. He just doesn't want to show up. Next chapter will be out in two weeks since my finals are coming up. Stupid quarter system. As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, follows, and favorites. Special thanks for your kinds words Pinelle, Ana cii Bunny, The Mouse Maestro, CrystalHeart950, MoriyamaHearts, Forgotten Blossom, MisakixRevive, TheFault-InOurMinds, MykaGhostt, EldiatricC, kelpiejh, Mia Kitty, RandomKrazyPerson, Biribirichan and the Guest reviewers.
