Thank you guys for all your support of this fanfic! Also thanks for all the school encouragement. I'm doing pretty well in my studies, but it's still appreciated!

Shishi- I was hoping someone would notice that pun XD Well, your reviews make me smile to read too so we're even lol

Kurenai0111- Thanks, it's always nice to hear someone enjoys reading my story so much! Nice questions too ;)

Yukine hobbled out the alleyway and crossed the empty street. His hip and ribs protested with each step, but he didn't want to stick around now that Nora had showed up. How the girl had found him, he wasn't sure, but he suspected the ayakashi inside him had something to do with it -could it somehow talk to Father?

His leg suddenly trembled and Yukine fell over slightly so his hands slammed onto the ledge of a nearby fountain. As he pushed himself up, his gaze landed on the frozen water resting at the bottom of the fountain and his reflection stared back at him. The blight covered over half his face and the fangs -of course it was his canines that turned into fangs- stuck out his mouth despite his mouth being closed. If only he could forgot the last couple of hours, he could pretend he'd simply dressed up for Halloween early.

He shifted so he could sit on the ledge of the fountain and placed his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do know? There was no place for him to go. He had no home and no friends, for all his bridges had been burned.

His wolf ears twitched, and he looked up just in time to see Yato hurtling towards him while calling his name. He gasped because his master was getting far too close and already the ayakashi inside had awoken. Jumping to his feet and ignoring how this move jarred his bruised ribs, Yukine stumbled into an awkward run, but Yato caught his sleeve and he fell to his knees.

Smell nice, smell nice! He clamped his mouth shut and denied the ayakashi's goal to take a bite out of Yato, but he needed to warn his master!

Yet his desperation crumpled apart as he took in Yato's face and this was far worse than incurring his master's wrath. That horror, the terror carved into his master's face was simply too much to bear. He was a failure, unfit to protect his god when he was the monster his master had to watch out for.

He retook his arm and ran, but it hurt so much when Yato let him slip away and didn't even bother calling him back. Yato had learned the terrible truth and he couldn't blame the god. Not when he was a hideous monster who was unfit to serve even the lowliest of gods.

Yukine's feet splashed in a puddle of sludge as he jetted under a tunnel below a small bridge, however, the slick mud made him skid. Unbalanced, the shinki waved his arms in wide circles, but still he fell onto his hands. He hissed from the pain of impact, his hands had been through a lot tonight, but cried out when a person grabbed his bruised, blighted hand and lugged him to his feet.

"You poor thing." Father gazed down at Yukine's startled face, but the shinki quickly shook off the shock.

"Let go!" He snatched his hand back and held the throbbing appendage close to his chest. Yet the ayakashi didn't like that and a wave of anger -respect master!- burned his insides, which caused him to stagger back into the curved wall of the tunnel. Father's face twisted into a smug smile -did he realize what the ayakashi had done?- and he bared his teeth in response, but they both knew Yukine was afraid of him and of what he'd done to the shinki. It didn't help that his stupid tail was wagging and he sensed the pleasure of the ayakashi inside him upon seeing its master -but Father was not Yukine's master!

"You said, 'let go', and I did." The man raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to Yukine while the teen pressed himself flat against the wall. "But are you so sure you want me to leave?" He made a show of staring at Yukine's animated tail and though he scowled, he also blushed. "If so, why are you still here? Why haven't you run off yet?" He stopped in front of the shinki, but Yukine was rooted to the spot. The desire to run was strong, but the ayakashi's will was fighting his own. Worst of all, the ayakashi was winning.

He could only flinch when Father's fingertips lightly touched what little healthy skin he had remaining on his face. The man was invading his personal space and he was willing to do anything to get away, bite and maim him if he had to, but the one time Yukine gave in to the ayakashi's aggressiveness and of course it didn't agree with him.

"Yaboku would be safer if you came with me." Father's brows pulled together in feigned pity. "I am the only one you can't hurt now, the only one safe being near you." Yukine's heart beat hard and heavy in his chest because the man was right. No one was safe with him anymore. Not Hiyori, Kofuku, Daikoku, no one, and he could never risk going near them again. He really wasn't going home tonight, was he?

"Yato." He croaked as tears blurred his vision. His poor god was going to lose the only shinki he had, his sole protection, all because Yukine could no longer control himself.

"Come on, Yukine," Father pulled away and he instantly longed for those warm fingers to touch his face again because it was the only affection he had received without him wanting to eat the giver of kindness. "I'm not saying you'll have to serve me forever, but after you help me with one thing, I promise to take you back to your master." He offered his hand for Yukine to take and his blighted fingers twitched, hope took root in his heart, and he wondered if he should give in.

The ayakashi certainly wanted to serve Father, his tail was wagging ridiculously fast, and he could hear obey, obey, want to obey, but was serving Father what he wanted? No, certainly not. Yato hadn't told him much about Father, but he could tell the man had hurt his master before and not just in the physical sense. Add to that what Father did to Hiyori and her family, and Yukine despised the man more than any other enemy of Yato. However, what choice did he have? He had lost his home, his friends, and even Yato didn't want him... There was no other choice.

Father saw his crestfallen expression and reached for his hand.

"Don't you touch him!" The vicious growl echoed through the tunnel.

Yukine gasped, but Father simply smirked as they turned to see Yato standing under the entrance. His master looked furious with his hands balled at his sides and his eyes narrowed to mere silts. Terrified that his fears had come true, that Yato would really seek vengeance for Hiyori and Kofuku, Yukine shuffled back.

Yet the god marched up to Father without sparing him a glance. "I don't know what game you're playing-"

"Game?" Father crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm not trying to trick you," he gestured to Yukine, but Yato's eyes didn't waver from Father's face. "I was only helping you find your lost shinki since you're so incapable of taking care of him." The muscles in Yato's face spasmed and it was clear Father had hit a nerve, but Yukine didn't know why that sentence hurt his master so. "Now that I've found him, feel free to take him home." Father, to his complete shock, spun on his heels and strolled off into the darkness of the tunnel.

Yato blinked, but said nothing as the man wandered out of sight. Yukine held his breath until he was certain that man wasn't coming back, then hesighed in relief, but quickly regretted that when Yato's head snapped his way. Pinned by Yato's piercing stare, Yukine hesitated to run and that was why he only managed to push himself off the wall before those thin arms wrapped around his body. Yato lifted him just high enough that his sneakers could get no traction from the ground and that was why he panicked.

"Yukine-"

"No!" He tried to break free because Yato smelled nice, so nice, and the ayakashi was absolutely famished. "It will make me hurt you!" His legs flailed, but the god simply tightened his hold.

"It?" Yato calmly, too calmly, asked.

"The ayakashi Father put in me!" Yukine wailed and he so wanted to sink his teeth into Yato's succulent neck, but he could hardly budge within this backwards embrace.

The god tensed behind him and he imagined the disgust, the hate, filling his master's face because his hafuri had failed him. Surely now Yato understood that he was dangerous, that the only way to save himself...would be to...

"You have to release me." Yukine went limp in Yato's arms, ignoring the ayakashi's desire to bite and claw its way to freedom. "It's...the only..." The air was strangled out his throat and he didn't know if it was his own despair or the ayakashi that caused this, but he couldn't go on. He didn't want to be released, he wanted to go be with this god forever if he could, but he needed Yato to stay safe too.

"No, I don't."

His eyes flew open wide and he tried to twist around to see his god's expression, needed confirmation that what he had just heard was real, but Yato only shifted his hold on him without loosening in it. Then suddenly fingers combed through his blond strands, carefully avoiding the wolf ears, and Yato quietly said, "I don't have to because my kid has beat hundreds of ayakashi before so I know he can take down just one."

Yukine's body started trembling and he barely noticed the ayakashi go dormant. Yato had called him his kid, and he hadn't dared hope his master would ever claim him as such after tonight. He didn't deserve the reverence, not after what he'd done.

"But I can't stop it! I couldn't stop it from making me hurt Kofuku." He gave a shuddering sigh before whispering, "Or Hiyori." His head hung low and Yato's hand stopped it's ministration. He had expected the incoming rejection, but it still hurt.

"Those two are fine, I've already checked." Yukine jolted because Yato knew, had known what he'd done, but he still treated him this kindly?

"And the only reason you've been struggling to fight it is because you've been fighting on your own," Yato soft-spoken assurance healed something inside him, sealed the cracks in his fractured heart, and that was why he didn't run when Yato gently set him down. "And we've always fought ayakashi together." The god placed his hands on Yukine's shoulders and angled his head down so Yukine could see that tender look being directed at him. "That's why we'll fix this together too."

Yukine bit his lip, ignoring the sting when his fangs cut into the skin, and stifled his sob. Yato understood without words and smiled as he pulled the shinki to his chest and said, "Let's go home."

Yukine clung to his master and let his fears wash away as they teleported.

His kid shivered as they arrived in front of Kofuku's home. He had noticed during their embrace that the shinki was abnormally cold, but the kid had been so scared, he hadn't wanted to frighten him with sudden movements. Now that Yukine had calmed somewhat, he felt safe to rub circles on Yukine's back and warm him. It seemed to be the right move because the regalia leaned closer to him as he ushered the kid inside. Kofuku and Daikoku were not here since he had called them after Yukine ran off and suggested they rent a hotel room tonight because he didn't know what mental state his kid would be in upon finding him.

Yukine abruptly threw his hood over his head, and Yato wanted to tell him he didn't have to hide his face from him, but that would be lying. Yato hated the sight of those ears, the fangs, and especially the tail. It was too much like what happened to Hiyori. Too much like what happened to Sakura. Yato didn't trust himself to deal with this -please, not again- but he couldn't risk calling anyone here. His poor hafuri wasn't ready to see anyone just yet. Hiyori would be livid when she learned he hadn't notified her about Yukine right away, but she would understand after he explained -though he might have to endure a jungle savate prior to that.

"Yukine," he waited for the boy to meet his eyes and hated the timidity in those orange irises when there was once a fire lit within them. His kid was bold and a little cocky, but the blighted face staring at him belonged to a scared, lost child. "Let's get your blight treated first."

Yukine looked as startled as himself when the shinki leapt from to the side and a terrified expression overtook Yukine's face before the regalia simply looked confused. He put it together quick, but hoped he was wrong.

"Did the ayakashi make you do that?"

Yukine looked aside and nodded while Yato frowned. This was even worse than he thought. He had no idea his dad would go so far as to place an ayakashi inside his shinki. The concept alone was terrifying, his kid was in serious danger, and he couldn't decide whether to be enraged or freaking out over this.

He pinched the bridge of his nose -he'd settle for frustrated. "Okay, do you think it will take over if I try to cleanse your blight?"

Yukine paused and his forehead scrunched together as he considered the possibility. He couldn't begin to imagine how rough tonight had been for his regalia. The spoltches of blight were telling enough, but he also knew the kid had sought aid from friends only to have the ayakashi force him to attack them. While it was reassuring to an extent to find out his kid was not turning into an ayakashi by himself, his kid was still turning into an ayakashi and it didn't appear that a mere cleansing or an abulution could fix this.

Yukine nodded and a garbled -bark?!- came out his mouth. The teen's face flushed and he slapped his hands over his mouth before tentatively saying, "I-I meant 'yes'." He grew serious. "The ayakashi seems to be asleep, but I can't guarantee anything so you should be ready to stop me if..." Tears, big ones, suddenly sprung from the corners of Yukine's eyes and Yato rushed to shush him.

"Don't worry about it, you won't hurt me." Yukine sniffled, but he took it as a good sign that the shinki wasn't completely bawling yet -if only he could sense how bad the kid felt, then he'd know for sure.

"But I already told you I can't control it." The kid implored him to listen, but he shook his head.

"And I already told you, we're fighting this ayakashi together now," He smiled when surprise replaced the fear in Yukine's eyes. "And no ayakashi has ever beaten us when we're fighting together."

The kid nearly smiled at that so he pressed on. "Now let's get you cleaned up!" He grabbed the boy's hand, ignoring Yukine's warning and the sting of the blight because his kid needed the physical reassurance. Together they headed inside the kitchen and although Yukine hesitated, he pretended not to notice. He was aware how proud Yukine was over his ability to control himself and clearly his emotional foundation had been trampled over enough tonight so he would let his kid keep what dignity he had left.

He flicked on the light and like the goddess told him over the phone, there was already a bowl on the counter filled with purifying water and a wooden stool nearby. He told Yukine to sit on after he removed his shirt and jacket. The boy did so without a word and the silence spoke volumes. It said his shinki was too tired to complain, too guilty to deny Yato anything, and too drained to care about anything.

He gasped upon seeing the full extent of discoloration marring Yukine's chest, arms, and face. It was a miracle no ayakashi had formed on his back! Then again, this was an unusual blighting. Yato noticed the poor kid hunching further into himself the longer he stared so he shook himself out of his stupor and found a clean rag by the sink.

"So," He dipped his hands into the bowl to cleanse his own hands first, then soaked the rag before dabbing Yukine's face with it. "Can you tell me what happened tonight?"

Yukine spilled everything as Yato gently scrubbed at his face. He was ashamed to admit how easily he was tricked by Nora and Father. He was also purposely vague when describing what he had done to Hiyori and Kofuku. He even skimmed over his second encounter with Nora as he didn't want Yato to know how close he had been to renouncing his master.

"Wait," Yato paused mid-scrub of his torso and he suddenly became aware of how cold he was as the lukewarm water dripped off his chin. "Did the fangs appear before or after Nora messed with you?"

He was relieved Yato wasn't forcing him to explain exactly what Nora said, but confused by the question. Still, he thought it over, and soon said, "It was during the middle of our talk when I felt them on my face. Why?"

Yato dipped the rag back into the water and wiped his torso. He almost thought he was being ignored until Yato scowled. "I think it's Nora's fault you have those fangs." He blinked, but Yato hurried on. "I'm not sure, but it sounds like every time you felt powerful negative emotions, more of the ayakashi appeared on your body."

Yato never stopped treating his blight as he spoke yet Yukine stilled at this news. It made perfect sense. When a shinki felt as much negative emotions as he had been forced to tonight -mainly thanks to the monster inside- they not only blighted their master but they blighted themself, and an untreated blight transformed a shinki into an ayakashi. The same process was happening now, but the spread of ayakashi features was thankfully not those creepy eyeballs -not that fangs and a tail were much better. Still, this was Yukine's fault. He let Nora and Father get inside his head and didn't even try to control his feelings. What a sorry excuse for a hafuri he was, letting himself cross over into ayakashi territory without a single struggle.

Yato wiped at a particularly tender section of his skin, right above his rib cage, and he quite literally howled in pain before he snapped his jaw close -how embarrassing! He blushed when Yato merely stared at him for a second, but soon concern broke through Yato's calm.

"Are you hurt, Yukine?" Yato's gaze roved over his body. "Besides the blight?" His blue eyes sharpened when they caught sight of his hands, which Yato had yet to cleanse, and the god gently cradled them in the rag. "These look bad, I'm going to bandage them after we finish the cleansing."

Yato stared him down, and Yukine could not lie -he wouldn't sting Yato- but he looked away as he admitted, "My ribs are a little bruised."

"How?"

His directness cut into Yukine and he sorely missed his jacket's ability to conceal his face. "Well, I hurt Kofuku so Daikoku stopped me-"

"He hit you with a borderline?!"

He couldn't tell whether Yato was outraged at him or Daikoku so he guess and said, "No, it's not his fault, I-I needed someone to stop me." His voice dwindled into a ragged exhale because he was a monster. Dormant as it was now, there was an ayakashi inside him and he wasn't even sure there was a way to get rid of it. Would he have to live like this forever? No, he'd have to be locked away where he couldn't hurt anyone-

"Yukine!"

His thoughts screeched to a halt at the alarm in Yato's voice -Yato never sounded so scared- and his head jerked up. However, Yato's face was obscured by a circular object -what was in the way?- and he could only make out half of Yato's expression. He raised his hands to touch the oval object obscuring his vision, but Yato caught his wrists rougher than he likely intended.

"Yato," he cocked his head to the side, but Yato didn't answer and his heart pounded faster. "Yato, what is it?"

His master blinked back into awareness and his alarmed expression was carefully tucked behind a cool mask, but Yato's grip had yet to lessen and his face was pinched. "Don't...don't worry about it." The god let him go and stretched to his full height. "Just dry yourself off," he started leaving the room with a far off look in his eyes. "And don't touch that thing on your face." He called back before fleeing from Yukine's sight and leaving him worried, cold, and missing his master's reassuring presence.

Yato punched in the callback number on his phone and his foot beat against the floorboards as he waited. Seconds passed and he wanted very badly to hit something, but this was Kofuku and Daikoku's home and it would be very rude to leave a hole in the wall -especially since he couldn't afford to pay for the repair job.

After another ring, the call went to voicemail and he nearly crushed the phone in his hand, but that was expensive too. "Pick up already." He growled through bared teeth while a vein on his temple throbbed. Of course his dad was willing to call him if it meant taunting Yato about being an inadequate caretaker for Yukine, but now that Yato needed to speak with him, all he got was voicemail.

He tried calling a second, third, and fourth time, and when his attempts proved unfruitful he slammed his fist on the wall and the table nearby shook. His father was toying with him and that would be fine if it was only him he was toying with, but Father had dragged Yukine into this. Stuffed an ayakashi into his kid's body and not only did Yukine exhibit the ayakashi's traits.

But his kid had a mask stuck on his head.

It was the same mask that was on all the ayakashi Father controlled prior to him gaining the locution brush. The fact it was now on Yukine could only mean Father sought to control his hafuri, and while he knew Father had an unhealthy interest in Yukine's strength, he had never predicted the man would try something this deranged. He could only hope the mask was merely an attempt to control his shinki -his shinki, not father's, Yukine was his kid- and the mask didn't actually work.

A low moan that resembled a howl resonated from upstairs and Yato swiveled to the staircase. That couldn't be Yukine, could it? Not when he had left the kid down here.

Uncertain, Yato hurried up the stairs. Light spilled into the hallway from the bathroom since the door was only partially closed and he cautiously stepped forward because there was a mirror in there and if Yukine saw his reflection...

He opened the door and found the regalia sitting against the wall with a damp towel over his head. How he yearned to be able to sense the kid's emotions again, as he would have sensed the kid's emotional deterioration before it got to this bad.

"There weren't any towels in the kitchen." Yukine's voice was toneless in a manner Yato found eerie when it was so clear his kid was not okay.

He crouched down, determined to salvage what he could from the emotional damage, and placed his hand on Yukine's shoulder, but the boy jerked out of reach.

"Don't!" Yukine scooted away and wrapped his arms around himself. "He can make me do anything now!" The boy's breath hitched and he could hear his poor kid struggling to keep in the tears.

"Him? You mean my dad?" Yato sat himself beside Yukine, but did not attempt to touch the shinki again or make any moves to remove the towel resting over the boy's head. "He can't control you."

"What do you mean?!" Yukine jerked his finger at his own face. "I have a mask just like his ayakashi-"

"Then why haven't you attacked me this whole time?"

Yukine fell silent and Yato leaned a bit closer to him. "If Father could control you, he would have forced you to come with him earlier, and if he wanted you to hurt me, that would have happened already too."

Yukine didn't visibly react and Yato was so lost without his emotional connection to his regalia and he couldn't take it. He yanked the towel off Yukine's head. The regalia gasped and rushed to throw his arms over his face, but he caught his arms and forced them down. The kid stared at him, utterly miserable.

"It's okay, you're still you, Yukine." He lowered his voice to the softest decibel that would still allow the kid to hear him.

"How could you say that?" Yukine pulled back, but he wouldn't let the kid go, would never let him go. "Just look at me!" His tone deepened into something not quite human and far too close to ayakashi for him. It seemed his theory was correct, every time his kid lost control of his emotions he gained more ayakashi traits.

"It doesn't matter what you look like, you're still you inside," he saw the uncertainty in the kid's eyes so switched tactics. "Besides there's nothing wrong with how you look, it kind of reminds me of a puppy."

Yukine's mouth parted and his eyebrows drew together before the kid outright blanched. "What?!"

Yes, his distraction was working! Yato planted a toothy grin on his face. "Yeah, those little baby fangs you have with those puppy dog ears are adorable! Especially when your tail wags when you get excited."

Yukine sputtered, blinking rapidly as he turned the boy's world on its head. "It-It doesn't wag!" The indignant response finally crossed his lips and the boy glared at him.

It warmed him to the core to see that look on Yukine -stubborn suited him better than guilty- so he kept going. "If it doesn't wag, what would you call what it's doing now?" Yukine whipped back and gave him the perfect opportunity to scoop the kid into his arms.

"Hey!" Yukine skawked and squirmed in his arms as he carried the kid to their room. "Don't treat me like a little kid!"

"I can't help it when you look so cute!" He mocked, exaggeration his good humor while setting the kid on his futon and raising the covers to bundle Yukine up.

"Yato." The kid whined, but his hazel eyes shined brighter than they had all night.

He smiled down at his hafuri and ruffled his hair while avoiding the wolf ears that had violet auras around them "Get some sleep and stop worrying so much."

Yukine sobered a bit as he laid down and without meeting his eyes, said, "Only if you promise you will stay up and make sure I don't-"

"I will, but not because I think you'll go werewolf on me in the middle of the night. It's not a full moon anyway-"

"Yato." Yukine scowled, ordering him to get serious.

He sighed because the kid was right, this was very serious and he had no idea how to fix this, but he was going to save Yukine. No one got to touch his shinki, to hurt his hafuri, and get away with it. Sure, Dad frightened him, this whole situation scared him, but he wasn't giving up until the very end.

He stared his hafuri straight in the eyes. "I don't know how to fix this right now, but there has to be a way to get that ayakashi out of you. Father never does anything without having a backup plan."

Round, childish eyes stared up at him before tears pooled at the corners of them and he leaned over to hold his kid as the tears spilled down his cheeks. It was going to okay, he promised it would be because Yato couldn't handle losing another shinki to Father. He had lost Nora's loyalty and lost Sakura's life to him, but no one was taking his hafuri away. Not even the Heavens themselves could break them apart.

He promised.

Yes, I got this chapter up in two weeks! I hope to update again in the next two weeks, but I also have two essays due by the end of this month so the next chapter might be a bit late.