Her headache had finally settled to a mild pain, and while she wished she could've used this time to finish some online schoolwork, her friends had been suddenly contacting her regarding the night before.

'What happened last night?'

'Is everything okay? Your brother said it was an emergency.'

Hiyori groaned to herself. She had completely forgotten to text her friends last night after she got home.

Maybe if her brain wasn't already so occupied by a certain god, she would have had the capability to remember such things. The brunette wondered how she ever finished anything before she became so obsessed with him.

She forced that idea into the back of her mind for later, then focused on the present moment.

Do I lie? What am I supposed to tell them? She thought to herself, racking her brains to find a believable excuse.

She hated holding out on her friends, but Hiyori knew she would only overwhelm them if she tried to explain everything all at once.

Just like my brother… She huffed. I have to tell him everything - I promised.

Hiyori bit her lip as she stared down at her phone. Her fingers flicked through the keys as she answered her friends' messages.

'I'm okay. There was a sudden rush at the hospital, and my father needed the extra help.'

She brought her thumb up to her mouth and bit her fingernail as she watched the text send.

Did her lie sound fake? She hoped it didn't.

Here she was, lying to everyone, then expressing anger towards everyone who fed her altered realities. How had she suddenly become a massive hypocrite?

Her web of thinking was disrupted when a small familiar voice spoke behind her.

"Hiyori-"

"Oh my gods-!" The brunette gasped, almost dropping her phone.

She immediately spun around, recognizing the voice as the young Nora. Her instincts kicked in as she rushed towards her bedroom door and swiftly slid it shut.

Nora stood in shock on the back porch in her backyard, taking a step back to avoid pinching a toe or finger on the door as it closed.

There was stunned silence as the two gathered their thoughts.

Had she seen? Hiyori panicked internally.

"N-Nora…" her delicate voice rang through the door. "What-?"

"Are you scared of me?" Nora interrupted, sounding somewhat off.

Hiyori couldn't exactly pinpoint what she was hearing. There was a hint of something in her tone, as if a perceptible guilt.

Setting aside the young girl's hidden emotions, Hiyori processed her words. This idea of Nora considering someone else's thoughts and feelings was oddly new and unexpected.

Of course the brunette understood that the young girl had the ability to think of others, but it never appeared to be a priority for her. Suddenly, she was going out of her own way to figure it out.

And then, Hiyori thought about the question as it was given.

Sure; Nora had helped commit some terrible acts of violence and manipulation, but they were never out of hate. It was someone else's hatred - her father's. She had been bred to think and act like her "father."

Just as well, those horrendous acts were not her own. It was once again her father. All she was doing was obeying orders. It was all she knew how to do. And in that same way, Nora was no different than Yato. Except, she still hadn't escaped their father's deceitful games.

Her heart suddenly overflowed with pity and remorse.

She deserves a chance; the brunette decided.

"Of course not," Hiyori finally replied through the door as she bit her trembling lip.

Suddenly, there was a presence behind her.

"Then why are you hiding from me?" Nora's voice rang in her right ear.

Hiyori gasped when she looked over her shoulder to find Nora standing there in her bedroom. Once again, all of her nerves shivered across her skin. Hiyori shielded her stomach and quickly retreated to the closet to hide.

"J-just-… stay there!" Hiyori called from behind closed closet doors.

Nora shifted from surprise to embarrassment as she awkwardly rubbed her wrist with her other hand.

"Is it okay that I'm here?" She asked.

Hiyori tried her best to sound convincing. Maybe her level of confidence would sound different in someone else's ears.

"Of course. I-I just…- wasn't expecting you, is all…"

There was a pause while Nora seemed to contemplate her next words.

"So…" she began, "can I… stay for a little?"

"Huh?" Hiyori opened her closet door just enough to poke her head out.

She met Nora's eyes, finding a hint of sincerity in them. Upon staring into them, it seemed as if she had been crying earlier as well.

"Why?" Hiyori asked, confusion and worry forming inside her.

"Father doesn't know I am here - I promise!" Nora immediately pleaded. "I had nowhere else to go."

Hiyori blinked at her. "'Nowhere to go…?'" She thought for a second. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Nora seemed hesitant to answer. Her expression twisted into a painful one. She hid behind her dark bangs, staring at the floor and breaking eye contact.

"It's Yato…" she mumbled.

If Hiyori hadn't been vigilantly listening, she was now.

"Father is… punishing him."

The half-Phantom froze. Her face immediately fell. Her pink eyes shook with sorrow, and her heart was suddenly crushing under the weight of her despair.

Nora attempted to conceal her tears, but the brunette caught her wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her kimono.

"I'm s-sorry, Hiyori," her broken voice said. "I wanted to help him, but… I would have been punished too. Twice as bad…"

From a few feet away, Hiyori was choking back tears within her closet. She took a deep breath and gathered herself before her hormones could get the best of her.

"No. Don't blame yourself."

"What…?" Nora lifted her head to see Hiyori between the gap in her closet.

"Yato would have wanted you to be safe. Don't think like that."

"But," Nora sniffled, "how could that be possible? Yato thinks I am his enemy."

Hiyori sighed in near defeat. It would take a lot more convincing for the young Regalia than she realized. She scanned her brain for an answer.

Then, it came to her.

"If you were his enemy, then why don't use his real name?" Hiyori had asked. The question was meant to bring up a point she wanted to make, but the brunette couldn't deny there was also a sense of curiosity in the matter.

That seemed to surprise Nora as she was not expecting such a question. She wiped her damp face on her sleeve once more. It had been a rhetorical question, but then the young girl answered.

"Because... he asked me not to. He said… it scares him too much."

The mercy that had sprouted in Hiyori's heart was now constricting, causing her to lose her breath for the slightest moment. It felt like a lifetime before the pain subsided enough for her to think clearer again.

Hiyori had to turn away to avoid losing her last bit of composure. Her teeth clamped down on her knuckle, trapping a sob from escaping her lips. She silently promised herself to show her lover some mercy after his return.

How did he conceal these feelings so easily? Why was no one able to see his signs when they were staring them in the face?

The god's lover hadn't even noticed. And she hated herself for it.

Everytime I think I've figured him out, I learn something new about his past life...

Hiyori cleared her throat and spoke again after a brief break. "You really care about Yato. Don't you?"

Nora seemed taken aback by this. She finally looked up and blinked at the tall brunette before her. She wondered how the teenager could be so considerate to someone as unloyal and hopeless as her.

"Well, we did grow up together," she replied. "Or rather, he grew up. And moved on…"

The young girl watched as Hiyori processed her answer before coming to a conclusion.

"But you can be with Yato again," she spoke with determination. "And me, and Yukine-kun too!"

There appeared to be a hint of relief and hope on the Nora's face. However, it only lasted a second before something made her double back on the idea.

"No. They wouldn't accept me. Not after what Father has done to him, or you." Nora answered with apparent reluctance.

With her offer declined, Hiyori sighed in defeat.

The two of them stood in somber silence as their different trains of thoughts cycled in their heads.

The half-Phantom recalled the events at the karaoke booth last night. So much happened in such little time, and she was unsure of how to unwrap it all. Every time she searched for answers, she was only left with more questions and doubts.

And then Hiyori realized; maybe the person she should be asking those questions was right there in her bedroom.

"Nora…?" She gently called to her, gaining her attention.

"Why is Fujisaki-san so interested in me? Do you know what he's planning to do with Yato?"

Yato's ex Regalia furrowed her eyebrows, feeling hesitant to answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly changed her mind.

"No. I shouldn't say," she shook her head to relieve herself of her sudden nervousness.

Hiyori persisted despite that response. "You can trust me, right?"

Nora looked at her and blinked. "How can you be so sure?" She asked, retreating backwards as if to imply her anxieties.

Hiyori knew the reaction was only a result of the man who had brought her to believe him as opposed to the rest of the population. The brunette knew her only option was to show Nora she deserved trust just as much as she gave it.

"Because-…" Hiyori paused, pondering her next decision.

She knew the risks it would cause, and yet—

"I'll share a secret if you share yours," she blurted.

The young girl appeared to relax, her tense shoulders loosened, and her facial features eased enough that she almost smiled. She stepped closer towards Hiyori by her closet doors, shadows still covering pieces of the brunette's figure and expression.

"R-really…?" She asked in disbelief.

Hiyori grinned slightly and nodded. "Because it's Yato's secret too. So I know you'll keep it."

The young Regalia nodded back. She reached up to hold out her hand - her pinkie finger towards Hiyori's direction.

"Promise?"

The pleasure was obvious to Nora as she watched Hiyori reach her arm around the opening of the closet door to wrap her pinkie around the other girl's.

"Promise."

. . . . .

Two hours passed in complete darkness. Locked in his own childhood room. Hands tied behind his back, with nothing but the Masked Phantoms among him. However, between the aggressive snarling and panting, and the pitch black of his current environment, his reliable senses had been cut nearly in half. This proved just as difficult when he had no means of protecting himself besides kicking the creatures away from him.

It was only so petrifying because he didn't know which one of the hungry Phantoms would pounce and attack him next. Sometimes he was forced to wait in paralyzing fear for up to several minutes before one of them made a move.

He kept himself upright and standing because he knew if he hit the floor, the Phantoms would use that advantage. Despite his trembling limbs and the sharp sting of Blight spreading across half his body, the god clung to the remaining hope he had.

Yato was outnumbered, and he wasn't even certain if his constant screaming and begging were reaching his father's ears on the other side of the door.

"Dad!" He cried, hoping his father was listening. "P-please let me go! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry about what, Yaboku? You must be specific."

If the god hadn't felt so vulnerable in that moment, he would have fought back. But something in his aching heart told him he was at fault. It was at that point when he started believing it.

Yato tasted his own blood and tears in his mouth as he answered. "I-I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry for lying! I'm sorry f-for keeping secrets from you! A-and for not listening to you...!"

There was a long pause.

Yato's heart sunk once more when there was no response. "Dad!?"

"You n' I are immortal. The only person who's time you're wasting is your dear Hiyori-chan's."

The god scraped his teeth to stifle back a cry. His frustration, anxiety and desperation were all gnawing at him.

What more did his father want from him?

"I just wanna see her!" He begged. "Please!"

"She hates you, Yaboku - you said it yourself," Father's voice rang through the door. "What about your family?"

Yato felt like he'd hit a wall. Their conversation was only running in circles. He bit his bruised lip, desperately thinking of an escape plan.

Eventually, realization hit. And Yato dared to hope.

"What about my part in your deal?!" Yato then blurted, his voice cracking slightly.

The god wasn't even certain this idea he'd suddenly come up with would work. There was silence as if his father seemed to consider it.

Then the door slid open. Light filled the room, burning into Yato's pupils. All the Masked Phantoms hushed and turned to see their creator.

"Hmm," his father thought aloud, sounding genuinely interested. "Go on…"

Yato cleared his throat, attempting to find enough faith in himself to speak without stumbling over his words.

"If she doesn't really love me, th-then I'll come back!" Yato explained.

"And if she does?" Father scoffed. "What then? What am I to do?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"How do I know you're not just saying this to avoid me?"

"You always end up finding me anyways," the god rolled his eyes.

There was a chilled silence as Father studied the god's expression, searching for any kind of ill intentions. When the schoolboy concluded his thoughts, his eyes somewhat brightened with recollection. He then continued to smirk and release a scoff. He folded himself and straightened taller.

"Normally, I wouldn't take your word for it, but because this one sounds quite intriguing, I suppose you are free. For now." He said. "Give my regards to your girlfriend and Blessed Vessel."