It, by no means, was a signed contract, but an agreement based upon trust. And maybe - just maybe - it created a platform for a new friendship.
Or at least that was what Hiyori hoped. She wasn't at all psychic, despite being able to connect to Yato's mind and see into his past through a dream somehow.
Hiyori believed in her own moral compass. She simply couldn't describe how she knew - but she knew her decision to confess to the young Nora would prove to be a good one.
"Does this have to do with what Yato is hiding from Father?" Nora quickly asked.
Hiyori nearly choked on air. "Wait, you know?!"
Nora's eyebrows lifted with slight surprise and confusion at the brunette poking her head around the closet door.
"I only know Yato has been behaving suspiciously," she answered honestly. "He hasn't revealed anything other than seeming quiet and nervous."
The half-Phantom found her ability to breathe again.
"Oh…" Hiyori mumbled aloud.
She rethought their earlier promise. She brought her thumb to her mouth, slowly grinding her nail between her teeth.
What if Nora's father sent her here to dig up the secret that Yato had already slightly surfaced? Would Nora's supposed answers to Hiyori's questions be enough to satisfy her? Would Nora even offer any answers? What if the weight of her secret didn't match that of Nora's?
Nora watched her hesitate from a few feet away, picking up on her nervous habit.
"Are you sure you should be telling me something Yato's not telling me?" The Regalia asked, only to release her words might just make Hiyori feel worse. She kept silent, waiting for a response.
Hiyori sighed, sounding exhausted.
Realistically, Yato shouldn't have abandoned her to go find his father to begin with. She had been so certain that he wouldn't that she now couldn't trust her own judgment anymore. In moments where she failed, her brother had been there.
However, Hiyori was alone this time. And, in any way, it didn't really matter either way. The God of Calamity had already ruined enough as it was - so what was one more problem to deal with?
Hiyori swallowed her nervousness and spoke with a determination that reached Nora's ears.
"We already promised, right?"
Nora became nervous herself, seeing how ready the schoolgirl was to give up some valuable information, but her level of curiosity was too high now to turn back on the idea. She heard Hiyori take a shaky, audible gasp of air to steady her nerves.
Hiyori retreated further away into her closet, shadows enveloping her face. The brunette's slim fingers grasped the edge of the closet door, briefly wondering what she was getting herself into.
And carefully as ever, she slid the door open, presenting herself.
The half-Phantom stepped forward, stepping into the light of her bedroom. Her hand came to caress her enlarged stomach.
Hiyori had her eyes closed, too afraid of the reaction she'd receive if she could see the small girl in front of her.
There was an uncomfortably long silence that followed. Hiyori noticed, and that was when she finally had to open her eyes to understand why she hadn't been hearing anything.
She found Nora, still. Her dark eyes fixated on her, gaping in shock at her rounded figure. Hiyori couldn't make out what kind of emotion the young girl was feeling.
It was almost as if she was feeling everything and nothing at once. Hiyori watched a movie play out on the girl's features.
There was the initial shock and disbelief. Then terror ran across her face. After, some bit of grief fell over her, almost as if she was pitying a lone cat on the street.
Was she... upset for the baby? Or is it… for herself…? The brunette tried to understand.
A lifetime passed before Hiyori could speak up.
"Y-you mustn't tell anyone about this," Hiyori blurted during the hush. "Yato and I- we're having a little girl soon… and I want her to be happy and healthy when she comes…"
Her gaze fell back to her bump, continuing to stroke her baby from outside. A small smile crept up on Hiyori's face without her realizing.
"C-can…-?" Nora stumbled over her sentence. "Can I… touch her…?"
Hiyori blinked down at her in surprise, not expecting such a gentle, kind question.
"O-oh," she laughed softly in response. "Y-yes. If you'd like to…"
A light flickered across her expression. Hiyori could see Nora's excitement as she knelt down and sat on the floor, allowing her to be at height with her belly.
Nora slowly reached out her hand, then almost completely held back. Hiyori observed her unsteady movements, reaching forward to catch her nervous hand. She pulled the girl's little hand into her, gently pressing Nora's palm to her baby bump.
"It's okay. You won't hurt her," the half-Phantom reassured softly.
Nora hesitantly nodded, letting her hand run across the strange form of her smooth belly. Hiyori's cheeks filled with color as she observed the Regalia's wonder.
Then something in Nora's being clicked. Her senses came back, and she spoke, clear as day, with newfound confidence.
"Don't worry, Hiyori," she said, causing Hiyori to lift her head to see her.
"I'll protect her," the young Regalia's words rang out.
That was when Hiyori caught it.
Pride.
Nora was proud. Proud of herself, proud that Hiyori had chosen her to hold such a prime role. She felt worthy because Hiyori made her feel so.
Suddenly, a whole new passion arose in the Nora's eyes. Hiyori hadn't seen that on her before.
It took another moment for her to distinguish what Nora was feeling. Hiyori remembered why it was so familiar to her.
It was the same look Yato wore when he permanently gave up his blood-shed for a life of joy.
It was purpose. Nora was feeling a sense of purpose.
She was going to protect and defend. Just like Yato had been doing.
Hiyori felt a tear roll down her cheek.
. . . . .
"Jeez, I'm beat!"
Masaomi pulled out his cell phone and began searching through sites to find some decent-looking cafés nearby.
"Maybe somewhere can just deliver for me," he thought aloud to himself. "I'm too exhausted to cook tonight."
He stepped off the elevator to the second floor of his apartment. A yawn escaped his lips. He continued on, his eyes glued to the phone's screen as he rounded the corner.
And suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Masaomi saw a mass of black out by his apartment door.
Immediately, the young man looked up from his cell phone as he stopped in his tracks. That was also when he realized; the black object wasn't a thing - it was a person.
"Y-Yato-san?!"
The god was there, sprawled out in front of the door, clutching his chest. He was just barely alive, groaning in obvious pain. His body was twitching, his face was littered with purple marks, and his blood was seeping through his clothes.
"Yato-san! What happened?!"
Masaomi dropped to his knees, grabbing Yato's shoulders to roll him over. That was when the god grunted and forced the man off him with what little strength he could muster. He swatted Masaomi away, shoving him away until he muttered.
"D-don't… touch me," the god managed weakly.
"What-?" Hiyori's brother blinked, staring at Yato on the floor. "But I need to get you inside!"
There was no response.
Yato's jagged breathing suddenly became quiet. His squinting eyes suddenly relaxed, and his body went still.
Panicked, Masaomi got to his knees again and reached forward to grab him by his jersey. He pulled himself closer, resting a finger underneath the god's nose. He waited with bated breath before he left out a thick sigh of relief.
Yato was still breathing. He had only lost consciousness.
"Where could he have been that resulted in such cruel injuries...?" Masaomi wondered aloud.
He immediately got to work, yanking off his tie and fumbling for his keys. Once he retrieved them out of his back pocket, the young man unlocked his apartment and flung open his door. He quickly knelt down, wrapping his arms around Yato's shoulders to carry him into the apartment.
