Part 2: Chapter 1
Sadly, I do not own the anime: Noragami.
Note: Even if it may look like it at times, there are no pairings in this chapter, and none planned for part 2 of Noragami. Angst and drama and bonding, but unless I change my mind no pairing. A lot of it will be how Hiyori deals with her friends when they ask her things like 'where are you going?' when she tutors Yukine, and their worries about how she's changing and growing distant. And of course she'll be encountering problems with the world that only she can see, and will have to cope with.
Time: Five weeks after the previous chapter.
It's insane, Hiyori thought as she followed Akira and Aimi, her two best human friends, through the corridors of her school. Looking out the window, and into the pelting rain, she stared into the distance where she knew Izanami's shrine lay – the one where she'd made a blood offering just six weeks ago, and another one just a week ago.
Lost in thought, she was only vaguely aware when Eiko joined the group and started discussing when and where to study later that night. It wasn't as if she would have time to join them for the study session. Why am I doing this? Hiyori asked herself. It's crazy. They passed another window and she returned to staring in the direction of the shrine, lost deep in thought.
"Hey, wakey wakey," Akira said, snapping her fingers under Hiyori's nose.
"Huh?" Hiyori look at the girl, knowing she'd missed something.
"When should we have the study session and where?" Akira asked. "Which idea do you like best?"
Hiyori blinked, having no clue as to what times and places they'd discussed. "I can't make it," she told them. Behind Akira, Eiko's excited smiling face turned into a frown, while her bright, cheerful eyes lost their sparkle. The change was almost comical to watch, but Hiyori did feel bad for the girl.
"You sure?" Eiko asked tentatively?
"Sorry," Hiyori told the girl. "I'm going to be busy with something, and I'm not sure how long it'll take."
"If it doesn't take too long, you can come over," Eiko said, practically pleading. "If we study at the shrine, that is." The girl glance over at Akira and Aimi. "Right?" she asked them, sounding unsure of herself.
"At any time?" Akira affirmed with a hint of sympathy showing on her face. "Actually, I'll be hoping you'll come. I need help in math, chemistry, civic studies, history, and . . . ."
"She gets it," Aimi interrupted, sounding like she was holding back a laugh. "You need help in all of your courses. Don't worry though, Eiko and I will be there."
"Not all," Akira retorted. She stared daggers at Aimi, then flicked her eyes towards Eiko.
"Wish you would let us meet this boyfriend of yours, though," Aimi said. "You've been dating for ages and ages, and you've yet to introduce him to us, or your parents."
Akira did a facepalm. "And people think I'm the dumb one," she said under her breath.
Grinning at their antics, Hiyori couldn't help but feel cheerful. Life is good, she though, really good. . . . So why am I going to risk it? Because not going to the doctor when you find a lump in your breast is not good, she told herself, using a metaphor. And the only doctor who knows anything about a succubus is Izanami. Either way, it's a risk if I go, and a risk if I don't.
Akira snapping her fingers again returning Hiyori's focus back to the group. "Is everything okay?" she asked, sounding worried. "You're really distracted, and it's obvious you're really worried about something."
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Aimi suddenly blurted out. "Because you know we're here for you if you are."
"Why would you ask something like . . . ." Akira went quiet, thinking, and took a furtive glance at Hiyori.
"Dating someone for months and months," Aimi stated. "Now she's obviously fretting over something. And if she's not telling us, then . . . ."
"It has to be something big," Akira concluded.
Eiko, standing in the background, had gone pale, while her eye's were focused on Hiyori's stomach. Her frown deepened.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Hiyori couldn't help but smile. "I love you guys," she said, meaning it. "I told you before, I'm not dating anyone, but tutoring is taking up a fair bit of my time." Her stomach churned. "But that's not where I'm going tonight," she hurried to add, not wanting to actually lie to her three best friends.
"You've told us before that the person you're tutoring is a guy, and that he's cute. Really cute. About time you introduced us," Akira said, sounding serious."Invite him over to the shrine for tutoring? It's as good a place as any, and we really want to meet him."
"Yeah. It's time we meet the guy you're dating . . . err, tutoring," Aimi said, putting emphasis on the word 'tutoring.' "Maybe you're tutoring him in subjects other than school?"
"Trust me," Hiyori said, "if we were a few years younger, and he went to our school, we would be fighting over him, all of us." She looked over at Eiko and flashed her a smile. "Well, three of us would be."
"How young?" Aimi asked.
"Around fourteen, or so."
"Younger than us, but only by two years or so," Aimi mused. She stood next to Hiyori and placed her face just inches from hers. Her light-brown eyes peered into magenta ones, seeking any signs of deception. "Have you slept with him?"
Hiyori blinked, startled by such a forthright question. "No . . ." she said, but her voice trailed off when she recalled that technically she had slept with Yukine once, back when he'd stayed at her house. Of course she'd believed him to be much younger then, and he had been afraid of the dark, and it wasn't that kind of sleeping,. . . .
Akira reached out and grabbed the back of Aimi's shirt to pull her away from Hiyori. "You don't have to stand that close to see that she's beet red," the girl said. She spoke the words in a monotone, and her green eyes were wide in shock. Looking back at Eiko, she mouthed the word 'sorry' to the poor girl.
Oh gods, how do I get in these situations? Hiyori wondered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's not like that . . . ." she said, struggling to come up with some excuse that wasn't a lie.
"Are you pregnant?" Akira asked, dead serious. "Do your parents know?" She looked at Aimi and Eiko. "Because, you know, we're here for you if you want to talk. And if you want an . . . um . . . you know . . . we can all chip in some."
Aimi and Eiko nodded.
"I'm not pregnant, you guys!" Hiyori insisted in vain, tempted to do her instant-snooze trick. "And I've never slept with someone as in having sex." As she prepared for the onslaught, she could hear the sound of defeat in her voice.
Akira suddenly turned to look at Aimi."The school store sells pregnancy tests, right?"
"They're not on the shelves," Aimi answered, nodding thoughtfully. "But they got them if you ask for them."
"Now that's going too far!" Hiyori shrieked, drawing the attention of several students. Shaking her head in frustration, she wasn't sure whether to be amused or angry at her friends.
"You know because you had your period, right?" Aimi asked softly. "We just want to be sure. You're worrying us, Hiyori. And we know you've been seeing a guy for ages and ages, yet we haven't seen him. Why? Something is wrong there. Is he forcing you to do stuff?" She looked away, staring at the floor. "And last month, . . . ."
Hiyori was quiet.
Aimi patiently waited for an answer, and when none came she frowned. Akira and Eiko did the same.
"My period is late," Hiyori admitted.
"How late?" Akira inquired.
"A month. And I should be on my period now, so that's two I've missed. And yes, my parents know. And no, I'm not pregnant. All the tests say I'm healthy as a horse. Healthier actually. So healthy my father thinks I faked the results."
"May I?" Eiko asked, and stepped forward. She placed two fingers of her left hand on Hiyori's forehead.
Hiyori rolled her eyes up, trying to see what Eiko was doing. Left handed, so her left hand. And the two fingers she's using is the same as those a regalia would use to draw a borderline. Interesting. She stood still, able to guess what came next. She felt something brush against her, then it faded.
Eiko scrunched up her face, looking puzzled. And a little fearful.
"Enough," Hiyori gently told the girl, and stepped back.
"Why?" Eiko asked. "I get nothing back. Nothing at all."
"Some people, a very few, are resistant to both curses and blessings," Hiyori told her, giving her a brief, rueful smile. "Sorry, but this isn't something your goddess can help with.." A simple way of putting it, I suppose, Hiyori told herself. My body 'ate' the power of the goddess that she was using, just like it ate the binding Hiiro put on me back when I was retrieving the brushes of hell. It's also probably why I can go to Kofuku's place and not have a ton of bad luck.
Turning away she saw Akira and Aimi were amused. Though they both humored the girl, neither of them believed Eiko could draw on the power of a goddess to heal. They wiped the smiles off their faces, then turned back to Hiyori, both looking dead serious again.
"Want an assistant for that exorcism you should be getting to?" A panicked Hiyori hurried to ask Eiko, voice normal as if she hadn't just told her three best friends that something was wrong with her, and that no one knew what.
"I would." The words were practically a shriek of joy, and the girl's frown turned into a smile.
"It's not a big issue," she told Akira and Aimi, hoping to reassure them. "There's a ton of possible reasons, most of which are not serious. Or it could be that I'm just lucky. No period, no cramps, right? And no one wants to deal with the blood."
Hiyori and Eiko hurried through the halls and left the building. The hurrying was mainly due to Hiyori running from the inquisition.
"So, where is it?" Hiyori asked. "Do we need to take the bus?"
"No, it's just a little over a kilometer," Eiko replied happily. "We can walk." She handed Hiyori an umbrella.
Hiyori nodded, and walked beside the girl that Aimi and Akira had befriended a month ago. Having seen Hiyori with her, and the girl acting just a bit weird, and then Hiyori skipping class, their curiosity had got the better of them. The girl had been lonely, and seemed nice, so she became a part of their group. Liking the girl, Hiyori didn't mind. She got the same feeling from the girl as she did Akira and Aimi: a sense of peace.
Walking in the rain they took turns holding up the umbrella. The closeness this forced upon them made Eiko happy, which amused Hiyori.
But the dismal day with the rain pelting down made things a little darker than usual. That brought out the phantoms. Every so often a minor one would appear, and Hiyori would let her right arm hang down, lift her spirit arm from it, and toss a borderline, usually hitting her target the first time. It was an unnecessary complication, but it kept her from standing out with people seeing her raise her arm every once in a while to point at nothing, and then lower it. That would've drawn attention.
"Are you really okay?" Eiko asked.
"As far as anyone knows," Hiroyi answered, shrugging. "While missing a period can be signs that something major is wrong, my parents have ruled that out. Believe me, they did enough tests." She shuddered. "When I take over the hospital, I'm going to rename it 'Bloodsuckers Ville' to remember just how much blood they took from me."
"You don't follow a god?" Eiko asked a few moments later, voice low, as if she was afraid the question would anger Hiyori
"I know they exist, but follow? No."
"How can you exorcise spirits so easily then?" Eiko twisted her head to look at Hiyori. "I can sense them you know. It's raining and it's dark, so there are more out than usual. But I sense them and they disappear. Just like when you help me with exorcisms. No incense, no chanting, no prayers, no candles, nothing at all. And that school. That was . . . ." She shook her head. "I don't know what that was but how could you handle something like that?"
Hiyori remained quiet. Eiko had kept her word and had never mentioned Hiyori's ability to see spirits to anyone, not even Akira and Aimi. Nor had she pestered Hiyori with questions. But she knew it had to irk the girl.
"I didn't do much with the school," she admitted. "I just went to a few shrines and asked the gods for help. I don't follow any particular one, but that doesn't mean I can't go to a shrine and pray. Of course there's the matter of the price, but that's it. You went to Ianuaria's shrine and prayed. I went to four other shrines and asked for help."
"Price?" Eiko inquired. "If there was a price, why didn't you tell me? What was it?" She frowned. "Was it an offering of some sort? A sacrifice?"
"Nothing like that. And I got a very good deal. Tenjin is the god of schools, so he didn't charge anything. For reasons I won't mention Bishamon also didn't charge anything. Yato is . . . cheap, really cheap, as in dirt cheap. And Kofuku, well she's the only one who actually charged me anything."
"Yato? Kofuku? What are they the gods of?"
Hiyori turned to grin at Eiko. "That I'm sure you don't want to know. Let's just say that when you go to a shrine to pray for good fortune, Kofuku is not the one you go to."
"Oh."
There was silence for a while. "Why do you keep looking over there?" Eiko asked, and nodded in the direction of Izanami's shrine.
"A shrine."
"Oh." Eiko sighed. "You know, even just sensing spirits, and knowing Ianuaria exists, I feel like I'm living in two worlds, and it's not always easy. I was so happy when I met you and found out that I'm not alone. That there's at least one other who isn't a fraud or charlatan. But it's like I only see the shadows of that other world, and that's hard enough; you, on the other hand, actually live in that world. You see it as clearly as I see this, don't you?" She waved her hand around. "You trust Akira and Aimi absolutely, but even with absolute trust you can't tell them about that other world. For one they would think you're crazy, and lock you up. And if they believed you, that would be even worse; they would have to keep it a secret forever because if they ever told anyone . . . ."
Hiyori felt a hand reach out to hold hers. For a moment she pondered that, and Eiko's words, and decided the hand wasn't offered due to the girl's infatuation, but as a token of support, and, she knew, pity. She held it, and looked up at the sky.
"I'm already seeing a shrink," Hiyori admitted, glad the rain hid her tears. "My mother insisted on it, and my father went along with her. Not that I can blame them; they love me so much and they worry. When I fall asleep and they can't wake me up, they panic and are terrified, and I can't tell them why I fall asleep like that. I know, and it would only take a few moments to explain, but I got to stand there and watch them while they're in such pain worrying over me, fearful for my life. One or two hours at a time, that's not too bad; I wake up before they get too worried, if they find out at all, and they get used to it, sort of. But a month ago it was not only days, but my body went missing for a while. And, to be honest, I wasn't in a good state when I returned. Then I kept going comatose again and again after that. When it stopped, they still kept me in the hospital for two weeks, and a hospital is not a nice place to be."
Hiyori glanced over at Eiko. "A hospital is a place of pain and prayers, and phantoms. And at night, when it's dark, the phantoms come out. Hundreds of them." Hiyori felt Eiko's hand tighten. "And to be honest, when I'm in that state, a hospital at night is probably one of the worst places for me to be. You know spirits can possess people, right? If you ever see me acting not like myself, keep away!"
Hiyori was quiet for a while, taking comfort from the hand that held hers.
"And you're right," she said after a few moments had passed. "I trust Akira and Aimi absolutely. Can you sense it, that feeling of peace that exist around them? Not sure if that's just my imagination, or if it's real." She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, I could be crazy, having delusions, and how would I know."
"I can't even get a little bit mad when they tease me," Eiko said. "I know it's all fun and they would never do anything to hurt me. It's only been six weeks, but I trust them absolutely as well." She glanced over at Hiyori. "The problem with your period, is that due to the other world?"
"Probably. A missed period is no big deal. It happens. My parents are only worried because I was in the hospital so much, and the two might be linked. But I'm having other . . . issues . . . let's call them issues. And they're things that you won't find in a medical book." She paused, wondering if she should tell the girl more. "None of them are technically bad changes," she explained. "But I don't understand what is happening, or why now."
"Oh."
Hiyori wondered just how many confessions or rants like hers Eiko had heard. She was a priestess after all, and even if only for two months she'd run a shrine. When she got home from school, Hiyori knew the girl would, on sunny days, sit outside with her books. When there were visitors she would talk to them, and study when the place was empty. Whatever the reason, she knew when to pry and when not to. And she kept secrets.
What would she say if I told her the heavens are real, and so is the abyss. She knows the gods exist, but would she still believe me? Hiyori shook the thought from her mind, and the two continued their walk with Hiyori's left hand held by Eiko's right. Once in a while Hiyori tossed a borderline at a phantom, but now she didn't hide it. Eiko watched the gesture each time, but didn't comment.
When they finally stood at the door of their destination, and Eiko's hand left hers, Hiyori felt the loneliness return. Of course I'm lonely, the girl admitted to herself, wanting little more than to return home and curl up in bed to cry, or to snatch back the hand that'd briefly held hers. For a while she turned away from the door to stare out into the sky that was dark with grey clouds and partly hidden by sheets of rain.
In both the spirit world and living world I'm loved by so many people, yet neither of them will ever be able to fully understand me. The gods, they aren't human and their understanding of guilt isn't the same. They will never fully understand what it's like to watch your parents weep and feel so powerless. Kofuku, I like her and I'm pretty sure she likes me, but if I were cursed by her power and died, as was the man she dated nearly was, would she feel any regret?
The Regalia might've once been human, but now they can only walk upon the path of the dead; they are bound to their gods – they aren't even free enough to ponder just how they died.
In the living world I could use borderlines to cut a few cars in two, but many people would still call me a fraud, and it wouldn't make them believe me, or understand me. It would just draw attention, and that wouldn't turn out well. If I told my father what would . . . . Oh, my mother would never understand, and he would be forced to keep it a secret from her. She must never know that there are dangers she not only can't protect me from, but can't even see to warn me about. I can't place that burden upon either of them. Not if I love them. And I do.
But I made my choice, and it's too late to turn back. I'm not sure when that point was reached, but I'm sure that even if my connection to the Far Shore was cut, it would return just like my memories did. She paused for a moment. And I don't want to turn back. It would be like cutting of my arms and legs and plucking out my eyes to live only through sound. I can only deal with the consequences as best I can.
Hiyori sighed and looked around, finding that she'd been lost in thought for what must've been a while, yet Eiko had only patiently waited.
"Let's see just what sort of phantom problems they're having," Hiyori said with a smile.