Author: Oooooh guess who's back? Spoiler, it's me. Haha, yeah-sorry this chapter is so late! I ended up having surgery, and I'm mostly healed from that. But it took rewriting this chapter three times before I came up with something to work with! So, I hope ya'll enjoy it.

Chapter Eleven: A Night To Remember


"Yukine-kun, the books have to go back today." Hiyori reached to pick up the bath pail, filling it with water. "Do you want to pick out some new ones when we go?" Taking a trip to the library was nothing new for their agenda; Yukine loved being read to, and he burned through each selection the same day he brought them home.

"Mhmm!" Yukine bobbed his head in affirmative, leaning back on the stool to look up at Hiyori. "I go get lotsa' books!" He responded. Most of the books he had, Hiyori and Yato read to him. He could read simple words, but Hiyori felt that was more because he'd memorized them than his ability to actually read.

Hiyori laughed, reaching over to tap his nose. "Alright, you." She said in response to his giggling. "Look forwards so I can put in the shampoo, or else it'll get in your eyes, okay?" She squirted some out into her palm, spreading it out into the child's hair and starting to lather it.

"How the babies gonna shower?" Yukine looked down at his wiggling toes, closing his eyes and squealing energetically as water came pouring down over his head. He was never prepared for it, but that's what made it so much fun.

"The babies will get all clean in the bath," Hiyori made sure all the suds were out, using the attached shower hose just to make sure, "they feel safe, in the water. And it will keep them from getting cold." Besides, babies couldn't sit on the bath stool. "You were bathed in the sink, the first few months after Yato...um."

"Daddy?" Yukine blinked, turning around on the stool to look up at Hiyori curiously. "Af'fer wha'?" He asked. Hiyori's words confused him obviously. When she didn't immediately respond, the child frowned. Was something wrong?

"I-I meant to say, back when you were a baby. At the old apartment, Yukine-kun." Hiyori stuttered just slightly, reaching down to wipe a few suds off of the boy's nose with a reassuring smile. "You're all clean, now. Do you want to relax in the bath or go to the library?" She felt better about giving him the choice, just in case.

"I wanna go," Yukine stood up, dragging the stool over to the sink and climbing onto it, "Jus'-jus' af'fer I brush me teef!" He was new to brushing them himself, and he felt rather proud at being able to do so.

"Good job, Yukine-kun!" Hiyori clapped her hands together. "Be very careful! I don't want you to fall. I'll be right back with your clothes." She moved to drape a towel over the boy's shoulders, giving his head an affectionate ruffle as she left the bathroom.

"No way, no way, I gonna brush me teef…" He recalled the song he learned off of Yato's phone about a week earlier, starting to sing slightly off-key as he brushed his teeth. "Bye bye mis'er germ! ...Oh!" The child stopped short, clumsily stepping down from the stool and letting the towel drop as he ran back to his room. "Fluff needs his teef brush!" He ran into the bedroom, yelling until he collided with Hiyori's leg. "Fluff need it too!" He tugged on her skirt, holding his tooth brush up.

"But Fluff doesn't have any teeth, Yukine-kun," Hiyori placed the boy's clothes aside, crouching to take the tooth brush and finish brushing his teeth for him, "but…" she trailed off, smiling. She didn't want to damper the child's imagination, already. "We can go by the store and buy him his own tooth brush, just so yours doesn't get dirty. Does that sound good?" She grabbed his clothes and steered him back to the bathroom, helping him spit the remaining tooth paste out into the sink.

"Uh-huh! He needs, um, the hard kinda brush. So him fur gets all clean!" Even Fluff needed to look his best, sometimes. Especially when going out!

"I agree! It would do him a lot of good." Hiyori laughed. "Now let's get you dressed and we'll go."


"So, Yato," Kazuma approached the raven while he was on his break, "you're taking Hiyori-chan out to dinner tonight?"

The sudden slide into topic obviously flustered the young man; the blush creeping across his cheeks made sure of that. "W, well-yeah. I kind of am. You mentioned that I hadn't, so I thought it was about time." Yato hadn't exactly discussed it directly with anyone, save for Hiyori.

"Do you know where you'd like to take her?" Kazuma stepped into the room, pulling up a stool to sit was prone to sticking on the cheaper side; and while Kazuma didn't blame him-one had to be frugal, when supporting a family on a single job-a first date with your significant other was important.

"I was thinking of taking her to that Tonki place over on Meguro." Yato gave a simple shrug. "Can't do anywhere too expensive, but their teishoku is pretty good." He could already see the blunt disapproval displayed across his boss's face, and he sighed loudly. "What? You know I can't afford anywhere better." He scowled.

"Then let me pay for it. It's on me, so long as you take proper care of your wife." Kazuma adjusted his glasses. "Viina would have never forgiven me, if I took her to a place like that on our first date. There's this restaurant in the Shiodome city center. I took Viina there for our third anniversary, and I can assure you that it's the best choice. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it."

Yato immediately knew which place Kazuma was talking about. Fish Bank Tokyo; his parents had dined at that same place for their five year anniversary. "Are youkidding me? That place costs more money than I can afford to spend! Why on earth should I let you pay for something like that?" Yato's voice rose, feeling both shocked and above all, ashamed. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't afford it; having a child was expensive enough.

"I'll work it out of you, if you are so inclined to worry." Kazuma had already made up his mind, and there was very little Yato could say that would change his mind. "Do you have anyone available to watch Yukine-kun?"

"I asked Mizuchi to do it," Yato stood up, moving back towards the front counter of the store, "she's already watching Daikoku-san's child, so I thought it'd be fine. Yukine hasn't seen Daigo-kun since they were babies anyway, so maybe they can be friends." It was a shot in the dark, sure-but Yukine was a pretty sociable child and Yato felt they'd get along alright.

"I see. That's a nice idea." There was a hint of reserve in Kazuma's voice as he followed after Yato, patting him on the shoulder. "Fumiha is being adopted day after tomorrow, you know." There was a heaviness to the man's tone. "Viina's grown somewhat attached, even though I advised her not to." When his wife had applied as a foster parent, Kazuma had just known this would happen. "We are expecting two younger twins at the end of the week, so it's for the best that we have room for them."

"Jeez, you have more balls than I do." Yato muttered. "I couldn't handle providing for a kid, only to have them taken from me. I easily got attached to Yukine, and just the possibility of him being gone made me sick." It was laughable, the thought. To think, he had once hated the idea of having kids, and now a little boy was the center of his entire world.

Hiyori too, of course.


"Mizu'-nee-tan?"

"Yep. She'll be here any minute, and she's bringing Daigo-kun with her. You know Daikoku-san? He's his son. You met him at your first birthday, but you probably don't remember." Yato looked ahead in the mirror, attempting to straighten his tie. "We'll only be gone a few hours, so you don't need to worry."

"Bu', bu' I no like Mizu'-nee," Yukine pouted, "she no play with me." He'd voiced this on many other occasions, where he and Mizuchi had shared the same space. "Why not 'Koku-san?" Daikoku looked a little scary, but he was nice. If his son was coming over, then why couldn't he?

"Daikoku-san is going out with his wife." Yato responded, crouching down to look at Yukine. "Daigo-kun will play with you, so it'll be okay. All Mizuchi-nee-san has to do is make sure you two don't get hurt or into trouble. Can I trust you not to get into trouble?" He reached out, prodding the child in the stomach.

"I no even do nuffin'!" Yukine smacked Yato's hand away, pout deepening into a glare. "I no wan' her here! I fine bein' alone!" He turned and ran out of the bathroom, going straight to Hiyori. "Mama! Mama, daddy makin' Mizu'-nee come here!" He tugged on the hem of her dress, stamping his foot. "I no like her!" The blond child was adamant, clearly expressing his dislike about the arrangement.

"Yukine-kun…" Hiyori'd had a feeling this would happen; she wished that Yato had explained their plans before now. "There isn't anyone else we can ask so suddenly...don't you want to play with Daigo-kun? It won't be so bad." She crouched to his level, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "It's only for a few hours. We'll be back before you know it, and you can tell us all about it if Mizuchi-nee-chan is mean to you." Hiyori was sure it would be fine; as cold as Mizuchi acted, she had never physically harmed the children. She was odd, but not dangerous.

"'Kay…" Yukine huffed, still very much agitated. He sniffed, rubbing his nose on his arm. Neither of his parents were listening, so he'd have to go it alone. ...Unless, of course, he could recruit the help of this 'Daigo' boy.

A knock on the door halted his simple train of thought, and Hiyori smiled. "That's probably her. Be a good boy, okay?" Then she rushed off to answer the door. "Is that you, Mizuchi-chan?" Pulling it open, she was met with a pair of dark brown eyes, which narrowed upon hearing the honorific.

"Please drop the pleasantries, Iki-san. You're only two years older than me." Mizuchi had never been a fan of the girl that her brother had taken as his wife; she was plain, and there were so many better girls out there. Why settle with someone like her? Regardless, her gaze shifted to look into the household. "Where is Yato?"

"Getting ready, Hiiro. Jeez. You can come in, y'know. Make yourself at home. You brought Daigo-kun with you, right?" Yato stepped out from the bathroom, moving to wrap his arms around Hiyori's waist and press a kiss against the side of her neck.

Mizuchi didn't appear phased at all by the show of affection, giving a firm tug from behind her. "I brought him." She stated, ignoring Daigo's whine of protest. She released his wrist and stepped inside, leaving the child at the door. "Where is the other one?" Her gaze swept the front room, a small frown tugging at her lips when her search came up empty.

"He's a little nervous," Hiyori explained, stepping just outside the door, "but he's here. Oh, Yato-are you ready? We should get going." She turned to grab the man's hands, holding them in her own.

"As ready as a guy can be, going on his first date with his wife." Yato smiled nervously, reaching back to rub at the warmth spreading over the back of his neck. He looked down towards Daigo, reaching down to pat his head. "Yukine should be in his room. It's just down at the end of the hall, there-why don't you go say hi?" He spoke softly to the boy, who just nodded and slowly stepped off down the hall. "Alright, Hiiro, we're gone. Call us if anything happens." Yato opened the door a little further, motioning for Hiyori to step out.

"I can handle it." Mizuchi sounded annoyed as she plucked the remote up from the end of the couch. "It's not the first time I have watched children, for your information." Her brother's doubt agitated her, but she refused to show it. Instead she pursed her lips, switching the television on and starting to flip through the channels for something to watch.

Back in the bedroom, the two little boys were having a staring contest. As Yato suspected, Yukine didn't remember this boy at all. "You Daigo-kun?" He finally spoke after what felt like forever, getting up from his bed and walking over to the other boy.

"Yuki-chan." Daigo smiled, obviously familiar with the other boy despite his lack of memory. He pulled the blond in for a hug, patting his back. "Wanna play?" He withdrew, smile still stretched wide across his round face.

"Oh." Yukine blinked, pressing his cheek into his palm as if surprised by the other boy's advance. Then, he grinned back. "Yeah! I gots t'show you, um," he stopped, turning and running back to his bed to grab the ball plush from off his pillow, "this Fluff!" He came back over, presented him proudly.

"Ohhh, he fuzzy!" Daigo reached out to brush his hand over Fluff's soft fur, smiling back. "I have Ji'wou! Him home." Jirou-a stuffed Shiba Inu pup that his dad had gotten him a year before.

"Cool!" Yukine responded enthusiastically, clapping his hands together before grabbing Daigo's hand. "Let's go make tower! I got lots of blocks!" He was sure that, between the both of them, they could make a really high one. He was happy that Daigo agreed to play with him, since he was still pretty mad about his parents leaving him with Mizuchi.


"Yato, are you sure it was a good idea to choose such an expensive place?" The question had been on the tip of her tongue, even before they were seated. She looked over to menu with a nervous expression, knowing quite well that they wouldn't normally be able to afford to come here. Where had Yato gotten the money?

"Don't worry about it, Hiyori. I'm sure. I just wanted it to be memorable." That wasn't a lie; he wanted Hiyori to be able to look back on this date with fond memories. Kazuma had told him not to tell Hiyori that he'd paid for it; he wanted to remain uninvolved. Still, Yato felt that it was a bitter pill to swallow knowing that he couldn't have taken Hiyori to such a nice place on his own. He'd be working as hard as he could to pay this off, he decided.

"It certainly will be, Yato." As would the bill, most likely. She looked back down towards the menu, feeling decided on what she wanted. "I think I'll get the King Crab with tartar...and mango juice. Ah-make sure you remember that. I have to use the restroom." She knew how to behave in these sorts of places, at least; from a young age, her parents had taken her to dinners hosted by her father's workplace.

Yato made good on his word and ordered their food in Hiyori's absence, taking a sip of his drink while she was gone. Champagne, only because he was old enough. Cyan hues lifted as the young woman returned, and he straightened his posture. An awkward silence drifted between them for quite some time, until Yato cleared his throat. "Hiyori, I-I kind of suck at being romantic, but I want to tell you that I'm glad. Like, I don't think you realize the huge impact you had on me. I didn't know anything about having a kid, or being in a relationship. Yet, you just fit so perfectly in my life. I'm glad that it's you, and not someone else. A-and, if I want to be honest, I've had a crush on you since I first met you."

Hiyori was quiet as she sat back down, folding her hands together as he spoke. To her own surprise she teared up, then laughed. "Yato, you're rambling," she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her napkin, "I'm sorry. The twins make me so emotional, I-."

"You don't have to apologize." Yato was quick to interject and reassure her, reaching over to brush his thumb over her hand. "You're beautiful, Hiyori. And it's not just me being enamored with you. You could have chosen to walk away, and get with someone a lot better than me. But, you still chose me. And I'm left-left wondering why. I don't regret it, not for a second. But sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you. Never in my wildest dreams..."

"Nonsense!" Hiyori would have added onto her statement, if not for the waiter coming along with their dinner. She carefully pushed her plate aside once they were alone again, reaching out to cup Yato's cheek. "That's nonsense and you know it." She repeated, softer this time. "If there was anyone I wanted to end up with, it was you. We kind of drifted away after you moved, and...I regret that, if anything. We used to be so close, so to reconnect the way we did...I'm glad." She was happy, being a part of Yato's life. And she knew that even if given the chance for someone better, she wouldn't take it.

"Hiyori, do you really mean that?" Yato couldn't help the warmth that rose to his cheeks. He drew away, clearing his throat as he turned towards the window. The city lights were a bright contrast against the darkened sky, and it was beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as Hiyori, but he was happy that Kazuma had suggested this place. He'd remember it for sure, but he'd remember how Hiyori looked even more. Her hair styled up in curls, the colorful, sleeveless summer dress…

"Yato, you're staring." Hiyori spoke loud enough for him to snap out of his trance; he hadn't even noticed that he'd looked back at her, probably. "You should really save that look for when we're at home." She could feel the heat in her face, and looked down towards her food. How embarrassing… "I said, 'of course I mean it'."

"S-sorry!" Yato looked away as well, and they both fell into a comfortable silence as they ate their dinner. For once, Yato was thankful that he'd reserved a table away from prying eyes. For as beautiful as Hiyori was, he wanted nothing more than to spend the night just with her.


"Yuki-chan, I'm hung'wy." Daigo spoke up from his place on Yukine's bed, sprawled out on the comforter. They'd finished building up several block towers, and now they were trying to build their own fort. However, it wasn't going as well as planned; neither one of them could tie a knot.

"I kinda am…" Yukine stood on top of his dresser, wobbling unsteadily as he tried to pull the curtain from his window. "I can' gedd'it off." He huffed, turning to climb back down. "Le's go find some'fing to ea'." The blond abandoned the fort idea, and they both padded out of the bedroom. Yukine reached back to grab Daigo's hand, quietly leading him past the living room into the kitchen.

"What are you two doing?" Mizuchi's voice caught onto them immediately, yet the girl didn't move from her spot on the couch. It was suspicious, but not concerning enough to break her concentration from the movie she was watching.

"Geddin' a snack." Yukine responded without much hesitation, and it seemed to be a good enough answer; Mizuchi didn't say anything else after that. "I good a' climbin', so…" Yukine trailed off, going to the fridge. "Wan' cereal?" He turned to look back at Daigo, who nodded. "'Kay, I ge' milk." The carton was all the way on the top shelf, but he was sure he could grab it no problem.

"I get ceweal!" Daigo assigned himself the other task, turning to push the stool over to the cabinet. He stood up on it, reaching up to open the cabinet. He'd safely retrieved the box when a crash sounded, which caused him to jump and fall off the stool. "Ow...ah, Yuki-chan!"

"Just what is going on in here?" Mizuchi had just entered the kitchen to find Yukine pushing himself to sit up, drenched and surrounded by milk and shards of broken glass. "Oh my G-move." She walked over to Yukine and lifted him up under the arms, placing him on his feet a good distance away. "What the hell do you think you were doing? If you wanted something you couldn't reach, you should have told me."

Yukine was visibly trying not to cry, but the shock was over quickly enough that he immediately burst into sobs. The only thing scarier than the dark was when someone was mad at him, and Mizuchi very much was, indicating her annoyed tone. "I sorry!" He wailed, not feeling so much guilty as he was scared.

Daigo had clammed up, but he swallowed and wandered over to Yukine. He patted his shoulder in some small effort to comfort him, looking over to Mizuchi. "'Nee-tan, Yuki-chan hurt!"

Mizuchi looked back to where Daigo was pointing, and swore under her breath at the red liquid dripping from Yukine's hands. "You know-Yukine, stop crying!" It was the first time Mizuchi had ever lost her composure. She didn't know what to do, between trying to clean the mess up and needing to tend to Yukine's injuries. And he wouldn't stop wailing; it was stressing her out even more.

She needed to call Yato.


They had just finished dessert when Mizuchi called. "We have to wrap it up, Hiyori. That was Mizuchi. Yukine hurt himself, and she's freaking out." Yato was already getting to his feet after ending the call, tugging his keys out of his pocket. "Here, go get the car. I can't drive, so I'll pay and meet you out front."

"Wait, Yato-what happened?" Hiyori took the keys, following after him as he walked to the front of the restaurant. She was worried, and she didn't feel comfortable leaving Yato's side until she knew what had happened.

"I don't know, Hiyori. She was panicking, and just mentioned something about glass-can you please just go get the damn car?" The worry was already seeping out of him in the form of aggression. He didn't mean to snap, and it showed on his face in the form of regret instantly. "...Hiyori, I-,"

"Don't worry about it." Hiyori gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, before disappearing down the chamber towards the lobby. She had no idea what was going on, but just the knowledge that something was wrong with Yukine made her upset. How bad was it? Would he be alright? All these questions and worries circled around her head as she pulled the car up, barely waiting for Yato to close his door before driving off.


If Yato had thought for a second that Yukine getting his first shot was bad, it was nothing compared to getting the glass out of his hands. He'd had to hold onto him, enduring his kicking and screaming as Hiyori carefully extracted each shard.

In retaliation, Yukine had even bitten his arm-more than once.

"Sorry for the trouble, Hiiro." Yato held Yukine close to him, rubbing his back as he sniffled. "Did you get all the glass cleaned up?" It was two painstaking hours later, and Mizuchi looked tired from her seat next to Daigo. Yato certainly didn't blame her; the mess had been huge, and it hadn't even been her to make it.

"Yes, I did." Mizuchi sighed. "I tried calling the Ebisu's. They never answered." What was she going to do now? She looked down at Daigo, who shrunk away from her stare. Why were these children so scared of her? While it annoyed her, she was also thankful. If they were scared, they would listen.

"We can keep him overnight. It's no trouble, and I'll send a text to Daikoku-san." Hiyori spoke up, carefully wrapping the last bandage around Yukine's finger. "So you can go home now, if you'd like." She pressed a kiss to Yukine's hand, giving his hair an affectionate ruffle. He'd put up quite a fight, but neither her nor Yato had scolded him for it. He'd been in pain, and lashing out was a natural reaction.

However, he had gotten an earful for trying to get the milk by himself.

"I'll just see myself out, then." Mizuchi wouldn't prolong her stay, if she could avoid it. "Please, don't mention this to Father. He'd tease me for a long time if he found out that I lost my composure." She stood up, walking to the front door. "Oh, Yato-that one wears a diaper at night, so you might want to stop by the store." She pointed over at Daigo.

"It's fine," Yato waved at her, "we still have some pull-ups left over from when Yukine was potty training." He was just glad that the child was in his eager to please stage, and had gotten the hang of going in the toilet fairly quickly just before turning three. He caught Mizuchi's nod just before she left, and he turned to look at Hiyori as she started speaking.

"Well, Yato...you can go help Yukine-kun get washed off and into his pajamas." The brunette was trying to plan everything out, since this was not like their usual bedtime routine. "Daigo-kun, would you like to help me make you boys some ramen?" She turned her attention to the quieter child; it was obvious that the cereal endeavor had failed, so they both had to still be hungry.

"Uh-huh." Daigo nodded, slipping off from the couch and walking over to Hiyori's side. He peered up at her shyly, stepping up on his tip-toes. "How we make it?" He'd never really helped cook anything, another thing that was becoming apparent.

"Well, come with me and we'll do it together." Hiyori smiled, inviting him into the kitchen after herself. "First, I'll put on some water to get hot, then we'll put in the noodles and ingredients to steam." She didn't mind relaying the information as she went; Daigo was clearly a curious child, and she had enough patience to answer most of his questions.


"Goodnight, you two." Both Hiyori and Yato were satisfied to know that the boys went down easily, and it only took one story for them to settle in. Hiyori went to the doorway where Yato was waiting, turning the light setting to off and steering her husband out of the room and down the hall. "We should get to sleep, too. You have work in the morning, and I'll have to get a hold of Kofuku-san." They were usually very responsible parents, so she couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong.

"They probably just lost track of time at the pachinko parlor. Wouldn't be the first time." Yato rolled his eyes, but followed Hiyori back to the bedroom. "Just make sure the kids don't try to hurt themselves in the morning… having two young children is a lot more trouble than one." They would learn just how true that statement was, once the twins came along; Yato was sure of it. But he had Hiyori, and she was enough to get him through anything.

"Mm, Yato." Hiyori wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss against his chin before moving away to undress. "I know that look. But not tonight. Not while somebody else's child is here." She just didn't feel right about it, no matter how much she desired that type of closeness. "Tomorrow night." She promised, moving to the dresser to pick out her pajamas.

"That's cruel, Hiyori." Yato placed a hand on his chest, over his heart and squeezed. "Teasing me like that! ...What if we're quiet?" The question was met with a pillow being launched at his face, and he laughed. Alright, so that was definitely a 'no'. Even still…

Damn. He loved her so much.