Disclaimer: I don't own Noragami.

Days later the encounter with the two strangers, although growing vaguer, was still weighing on her mind. Between appointments, Hiyori secluded herself in the back of the clinic, and for the lack of a better word, moped. Her co-workers picking up on her bad mood left her alone, but still sent her worried looks.

After she finished putting the cats into their cages for the evening, Hiyori curled up in one of the bean bags they kept around in the Nest and closed her eyes.

"Iki-sensei."

"Yes?" Looking around in a daze, she saw her secretary standing over her. She threw a glance at her watch, surprised to find that half an hour had passed. "I'm sorry, Masami-san. I must have dozed off."

"Please, maybe you should go back home. Get some rest?" Masami-san said, not trying to hide her worry.

Hiyori stood up, shaking her head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, smiling weakly.

"Go home, Hiyori-sensei," another voice joined their conversation. Turning her head she saw Okumura-kun leaning against the door.

"I'm really okay," Hiyori tried again to dismiss her co-workers.

"No, you're not," was Okumura's blunt and simple reply.

Opening her mouth to say something, she was interrupted by Masaki-san.

"Go ahead, Iki-sensei. We'll close down the place today."

Hiyori looked from Masaki-san to Okumura-kun and realized that this time she was on the losing side of the argument. She let out a sigh.

"Fine."

Back in her own apartment, Hiyori crawled onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow. Seconds passed as she counted the number of cars that drove past outside her window. She breathed in deeply, smelling the antiseptic of the clinic on her clothes and in her hair.

Rolling onto her back, she listened to the ticking of the clock in her otherwise quiet apartment.

She felt empty. Alone. She rubbed at a scar on her wrist.

Her phone suddenly rung, breaking her out of her thoughts. She rolled onto her side, digging the phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hiyori," Yama-chan's voice spoke from the other side. "How are you?"

She felt a pang of irritation run through her. People asking her how she was doing. Whispering behind her back. Tiptoeing around her like she would snap. As if she would break anytime.

"I'm fine," she snapped back. She regretted it right away when her friend grew silent on the other side of the phone. She could easily imagine her friend's hunched shoulders and hurt expression. Her irritation quickly receding, Hiyori sat up and said, "I'm sorry, Yama-chan. Yes, I'm fine. How about you? How are you doing?"

"...I just wanted to check up on you. You left so suddenly the other day."

"I'm really sorry. That was terrible of me. Something came up and I just –"

"You don't have to apologize, Hiyori. We were just worried."

"Uhm, I'm so—"

"Enough! No more apologies from you, missy," Yama-chan snapped at her. Hiyori couldn't help but chuckle at that. They both fell silent. Keeping the phone to her ear, Hiyori shrugged out of her coat, throwing it onto the floor.

"So what are you calling for?"

"Just wanted to check with you. Are you still up for the shrine visit? Aya is really looking forward to it."

"You bet I am," Hiyori said with a smile, imagining the little girl's face,

"Good. Do you have a shrine preference? I was thinking Meiji-jingu, you know? Go big or don't go at all."

Hiyori chuckled, "I don't know about that. It's going to be packed for sure. What did Ami-chan have to say?"

"Hmm…she kind of wanted to go to Senso-ji since it is the closest shrine to her place, but said she will go with whatever you want to do, Hiyori. As for me, I don't really care one way or the other."

Hiyori nodded, ready to agree with Ami-chan's suggestion when she thought of Yushima Tenman-gu shrine she visited a few weeks ago.

"Yama-chan, can we go to Yushima Tenjin instead?"

"Tenjin-sama?"

"U-huh…For old time's sake?"

"Hmmm…I guess it's never too early to start praying for your daughter's academic success, right? I'll tell Ami about the meeting place."

"Thank you, Yama-chan."

"…"

"Yama-chan?"

"Take care of yourself okay, Hiyori? I will see you in a few days."

"I will…Thank you—Say hi to Aya-chan for me. Bye-bye."

She plopped back onto her bed, looking at her ceiling. The cell phone in her hand was warm to the touch. She squeezed it, feeling a little bit less lonely.

AN: Double update, because y'all are the greatest.

Special thanks to varee, MisakixRevive, TheFault-inOurMinds, Guest reviewer, Forgotten Blossom, CrystalHeart950, nightskye01, pillowwolfpup, you ROCK harder for the encouraging words that made me doubt myself less. And as always, thank you for reading, reviewing, follows, and favorites and sticking around with this story, especially to Pinelle, Ana cii Bunny, The Mouse Maestro, MoriyamaHearts, MykaGhostt, EldiatricC, kelpiejh, Mia Kitty, RandomKrazyPerson, Biribirichan, Darkened Fire Dragon, long live marshmallows, Dark Wolf 098, Wildfly, Mi-chan, Vehement Storm, TheRoseShadow21, Girlsandguysandmoreguys, MoriyamaHearts, and all the Guest reviewers.

Honestly though, this fic has been a great learning experience that I hope will improve my future writing.