Notes: The following chapter contains spoilers for the Noragami manga, please proceed carefully.
Yukine had issues.
He'd long ago come to terms with the fact that he did, though that didn't mean he had, or would ever, be totally over them. Part of the problem was that he was dead, and permanently stuck at the age of 14. No matter what he saw or experienced, his mind couldn't mature the way a normal person's should. Even if he knew he shouldn't do or feel certain things, he couldn't help that he did, sometimes.
In the four years that he had been Yato's Regalia and known Hiyori, he'd had to undergo a cleansing absolution ritual three times. Once for his petty behavior, once for keeping a kiss secret, and the last, worst time, for betraying Yato and losing himself entirely into darkness. He'd even been a Nora for a while, much as he hated remembering that. Sometimes he'd find himself absentmindedly scratching at the spot where Yato's Father had Named him; the name had been removed long ago, but it caused him no small discomfort and guilt that it had once been there.
He had been human once, and humans made mistakes. Yukine knew that, and he also knew that it wasn't all his fault that he was so volatile. In fact, he knew it better than almost any other Regalia in existence, because he was one of only two shinki ever to have survived learning his true name and past.
"Survived" was the term everyone used, but Yukine was aware that knowing his past had changed him forever, for better or worse. He would never be free of the uncertainty and jealousy that he felt toward Yato, as his master and (much as he hated to admit it) father-figure. In his past life as the human boy Haruki, his father had tortured and abused him, until one day he'd finally killed him. It had been horrific and traumatizing, and the rage and sadness of it all had almost destroyed him. It was Yato who came for him then, Yato who was everything Yukine's true father had never been: accepting, affectionate, and when it really came down to it, willing to do anything to protect him. But for someone like Haruki, for Yukine, that was both his lifeline and his greatest fear.
How long would it be before Yato realized that Yukine wasn't worth all the trouble he gave him? How many times would he be willing to forgive getting stung by his difficult emotions? Yato was a god; he was neither good nor evil. He killed with the same impunity that he used to protect. Could he be driven to abandon Yukine, the way Haruki had once been abandoned?
Of course not, Hiyori would say. Yato loved him. Yato considered him as though he were his own son. Yato was stupid, and irresponsible, but he was never going to throw him away.
But Yukine couldn't forget that he had once been someone else's son, and that it had meant nothing in the end. No reassurance could overcome that betrayal, ever. It just wasn't possible for a human child to do.
Since that last, worst absolution, Yato had sworn that he would never take on another Regalia ever again. It was too much for Yukine's scarred heart to overcome. Though it hurt him to accept his own vulnerabilty, Yukine had to admit that Yato was right. Instead, he took his job as Yato's guidepost to heart, conscious of the fact that he had to be enough, all on his own, because there could be no backup; knowing that those wounds weren't his fault didn't make him feel less responsible for them.
There was one exception to his crushing insecurities, and that was Hiyori. Yato might be hopelessly in love with her, and want to spend all his time with her, but neither Yato nor Hiyori herself ever assumed this meant that Yukine was exempt from their attentions. Sometimes, frankly, it was annoying; even Yukine didn't want to be around their sickeningly sweet romance all the time. He didn't begrudge Hiyori or even Yato for it though; whatever happened, he loved Hiyori and wanted her to be happy no matter what. He didn't mind seeing Yato smile either. In that, at least, he had no doubts.
"Yukine-kun, Yato, look!"
Hiyori suddenly grabbed both their hands, forcing them to stop in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Hiyori? What's up?" Yukine asked as she dragged them aside and pointed at a shop window excitedly.
"Look! It's you two!"
Yato whipped his head around, half-expecting to see a photograph or poster or something that might indicate he was finally getting recognition as a god of fortune, but Hiyori was looking down, at the merchandise for sale.
"Merchandise" was perhaps the wrong word, however. It was a pet shop window, and several cats and kittens were frolicking in the enclosure.
"What are you talking about, Hiyori?" Yukine asked, but it took Yato only a moment to understand what she was getting at.
In the corner sat a rather grumpy looking yellow kitten that seemed to be trying to take a nap, but was being prevented by the constant attentions and playfulness of a much larger black cat. As they watched, the kitten buried its face in its paws, only to be tackled by the older cat. The kitten hissed and swiped at the cat with it's tiny paws, but the cat, undeterred, started licking the kitten's head instead.
"Ha!" he burst out laughing. "She's right, look at that pissed off little guy! That's totally you, Yukine!"
"Typical," the boy grumbled as he watched the cats roll around. "He's just trying to mind his own business and some raggedy old dude won't let him."
"Wait, does that mean I'm the black cat?!"
"It even has blue eyes!" Hiyori said, hands pressed against the glass. "If it just had a fluffy-fluff scarf... right, Yukine-kun?!"
"That's a yes," Yukine sniggered at Yato's expression.
"Let's go in!" she said, dragging them both by the arms.
"W-wait! We'll miss the movie!"
"Just a second, I swear!"
The two boys exchanged a look and a resigned shrug as they followed her through the door. The inside of the shop was small, with the kittens' enclosure taking up most of the space. The shopkeeper gave Hiyori a warm smile, and Yato did not miss the appreciative glance he made at her. Next to him, he felt Yukine bristle.
"Welcome!" the shopkeeper said. "Looking for anything in particular?"
Yato immediately stepped in front of Hiyori and spoke directly to the man, forcing him to acknowledge his existence.
"My girlfriend just wanted to take a look at the cats in the window," he said, more defensively than he cared to admit.
"Yeah, we'll leave as soon as she gets a good look," Yukine added in a tone that brokered no argument.
The shopkeeper blinked at them, adjusting his perception of reality to accommodate for two people who had previously been invisible to him, then put up his hands in a placating gesture.
"Sure, take your time," he said. As soon as he'd turned around, Yato took Yukine by the elbow and muttered, "That's my boy," under his breath.
Yukine gave a non-committal grunt, but Yato could sense that he was pleased by the praise.
"What are you two even doing, come over here!" Hiyori called. She held up the yellow kitten and pressed it into Yato's hands, then did the same with Yukine and the black cat. "Stand closer, I'll get a picture," she ordered, and by the time they left the shop they were cheerfully debating which shot would work best as her new phone background.
Yasumi had no words to express her utter frustration at Yukine's non-explanation. She stared at him blankly for a good five minutes before she managed to gather herself enough to reply.
"You're insane," she said flatly. She expected him to get angry, but to her surprise he grinned, eyes glinting in the moonlight coming through the window.
"Well, maybe a little. But what's your excuse? If I'm not what I say I am, how do you explain my being here, invisible even to your Sighted mother?"
"I-"
"Look, I get it. I'm a random kid who showed up in your bedroom, claiming to be the servant of a god who considers you a problem of sorts. It's not the easiest pill to swallow, especially not all at once. For now, just think of me as your spiritual guardian, 'kay? I'm keeping an eye out for trouble you can't see or even begin to understand." He stifled a yawn and got to his feet. "That being said, it's not like I'm gonna just hide out in your room all day. I've got other things to deal with, but I'll come by every so often to check on you, when I can. Don't freak out if I do, alright?" He opened the window and put one foot on the sill.
"W-wait!" Yasumi said. "Why are you protecting me? And from what?!"
The boy glanced at her, and for a moment Yasumi thought it seemed somewhat sad.
"Someone made a wish for your safety, and we heard that wish. Yatogami is a god of fortune; this is what we do." He gave her a two-fingered salute and a cheeky sort of grin. "Well then, may our fates intertwine, Kobayashi Yasumi. See ya 'round."
He leapt out her window, but when she rushed to the sill to see if he was alright, he was gone.
"Yato... gami..." she whispered to herself, knuckles white against the window frame.
She had never heard of that god before, and yet...
She had almost convinced herself she'd imagined the whole thing, but when she returned to her bed, she found a single white card on her desk with the words "DELIVERY GOD YATO" and a phone number that had been crossed out and replaced by hand. She flipped it over and found a hastily scrawled note on the back.
"'Call me if anything happens,'" she read aloud. It was signed with the kanji for snow.
Notes: Hello, and thank you so much for reading up to this point! I've never written for Noragami before, despite it being one of my favorite series. I got the idea for this story after rewatching the anime with a friend, and while I know the structure and the plot already, I don't expect it to make immediate sense to everyone reading it as it updates. Yasumi is a character of my own invention, of course, and her scenes with Yukine don't take place on the same days as the scenes with Hiyori and Yato. I apologize for making that super confusing, but I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story anyway. I promise everything comes together before long. I'm a mess of social anxiety so I rarely respond to comments or anything, but I deeply appreciate getting them anyway. Even a comment that just says "I read it" gives me the energy to keep writing, so I hope to hear your thoughts on this little story of mine sometime. Thanks a ton, and lots of introverted love to you all~