Once it was finally decided that they'd come clean to Hiyori's brother, the trio were nearly silent as they reviewed their lines in their heads, trying to pick out and dispose of the correct and incorrect things to say. It was spent with Yukine flipping through TV channels, Yato unable to stay mentally present, and Hiyori glancing up at him to check he was okay. She could tell when his thoughts were becoming too much whenever his hold around her tightened.

"Yato…?"

The way she spoke his name seemed to carry a question along with it. The god blinked, withdrawing from his thoughts. He looked down at his lover in his arms. She wasn't meeting his gaze, as if she had picked up on his anxiety and was then having those same second thoughts.

"Hmm?" He answered softly, running a knuckle along the curve of her face.

"I-I was just-... thinking…," she began slowly, "maybe we… -don't need to tell my brother. I-if you don't want to…"

Yukine turned to see his master and his friend from the lounge chair beside the couch. He was suddenly tuned into their conversation.

The uncertainty in her tone, and the reluctance to firmly stick to her own decision was so unfamiliar, Yato was taken aback.

He looked over at his Regalia with that same shocked expression. Yukine only passed him an unfazed reaction, nodding in response to his silent question.

"What will you do now?" That was the nonverbal question his Hafuri sent back in return.

Of course, the blonde boy was already aware of this shredded version of Hiyori. He had been by her side the whole time as she was crumbling.

And Yato was elsewhere, oblivious to the damage left in his path. As usual.

He couldn't reverse the past. There was only now.

The god immediately turned his attention to the half-Phantom again.

"N-no! No, Hiyori. We have to," he insisted, causing her to quickly look up at him from where she rested against his chest.

"You said it yourself; it takes more effort to lie."

Hiyori suddenly sat upright and withdrew from him altogether. Yato seemed to panic a bit, worrying he had upset her. She didn't notice as she avoided his eyes.

"Oh, n-no - I-I didn't know what I was talking about. I was just mad at you…" she mumbled, her voice becoming quieter.

He couldn't bear it. She resembled a puppy retreating to its cage as punishment.

She was like dry sand between his fingers. No matter how much he attempted to reach out and grasp her, she yielded away from him. He only wanted to understand, but something wouldn't allow her.

The words were prepared to slip from his lips.

"Who hurt you?"

Unfortunately, Yato already knew what the answer was. The effects of his own actions were so evident, he hated himself for it.

Hiyori was so absolutely sure of him and everything they shared. And when he left - when he continued to consistently leave - she lost all faith and trust in herself, as well as him.

Yato shook his head and rested his hands against her shoulders. She looked at him with a slightly startled expression.

"No, you were right," he told her. "You're always right, Hiyori. Don't doubt yourself. Please…"

Hiyori suddenly went silent. She became speechless, staring at him in awe. It was clear she was trying to find the correct reaction as she reached around in her mind for the words to speak.

Then, all heads immediately turned when the front door clicked and swung open.

Masaomi walked in, quickly meeting the grave stillness among them. Three pairs of eyes were on him, gawking intensely in his direction. He looked over his shoulder at the door where he entered, as if checking he was in the correct apartment.

"Umm…" he managed, setting his bag down. "Am I interrupting something?"

Hiyori's eyes faltered. She stuttered as she attempted to use her voice.

"I…- think it's time to tell you. Everything…"

. . . .

"How familiar are you with the Far Shore?" Yato spoke.

The question landed upon Masaomi, who sat in the chair at the short end of the table. All attention was on him.

The couple sat beside him on the long side, and Yukine remained on Masaomi's other side. In the case that things got too heated, Hiyori placed herself in-between her brother and her lover.

"It's…- like The Other Side. But with all those weird creatures. Right?" Masaomi answered.

Hiyori giggled weakly. "It's not a bad guess."

Yato nodded. "Those creatures are called Phantoms. They feed off of negative emotions. They lead people to do bad things. Be careful of them - they'll Blight you too."

A light clicked in Masaomi's head. It flickered in his eyes as realization hit him.

"So that's where you got it from?"

The god avoided eye contact and nervously cleared his throat.

"Please let me go! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry about what, Yaboku? Be specific."

Yato turned away. "Uh - right…"

"'Phantoms,' huh?" The man collected the new information. "So I finally have a word for them…"

"The Near Shore is you - the living. Normally, humans aren't able to remember us for as long as they're looking at us - that is if they are even able to see us in the first place."

It seemed to all be clicking together like puzzle pieces. Masaomi nodded in response.

"So the Far Shore is you two, and the Near Shore is me and Hiyori."

He turned his head when he noticed his sister fidget anxiously in her seat.

"A-actually…" Hiyori felt her forehead break into a sweat as she laughed weakly.

Her brother blinked in surprise. He was about to speak when Yato quickly intervened.

"Hiyori isn't exactly on either side - she's…- walking the line between. Ever since we first met when she saved me from that bus. That was when our ties formed."

Yukine blinked a bit, surprised by it. He had never heard the story of his master's and friend's meeting. He didn't know why he hadn't thought about it before, but he was suddenly intrigued.

Hiyori's cheeks tinted pink as she smiled shyly. "Y-yeah, well it's not like you were actually in any danger…"

Yato chuckled at her and reached for her hand under the table on her lap. She responded with a warm grin and a hand squeeze.

"She's a half-Phantom," he continued. "That's why she's falling asleep all the time; her soul slips from her body, and her other half is able to wander about."

Hiyori's brother's eyes shifted as he gathered his thoughts once more. "Ah, the bus incident. Yeah… I remember that…"

And then it finally struck him. Impending terror unfolded across his face.

"Wait - you're saying she has one foot in the grave?!"

There was a quiet pause.

Yukine retreated lower into his chair. Yato froze, too afraid to answer. He looked to Hiyori beside him, who bit her lip.

Hiyori nodded slowly in response, confirming it. Masaomi rested his elbow against the table, stressfully rubbing his forefinger and thumb against his forehead.

"Although-" the brunette spoke up again, causing him to lift his head to see her, "I haven't been able to leave my body lately. It must be because of the baby..."

She gently ran her hand across her round belly in thought. Warmth flooded her cheeks when she saw and felt Yato's hand come over hers, feeling her stomach too. She glanced up at him, to which he grinned lovingly back.

For a moment, the two forgot they had company. Until Hiyori's brother had enough mental gathering to voice another question.

"So if you're a 'half-Phantom'-" the finger he used to point at Hiyori turned towards Yato, "and you're a 'god'-" he directed his finger at Yukine, "then what are you?"

The blonde boy blushed, suddenly having everyone's attention on him.

"Huh? Me?" Yukine pointed at himself and blinked a few times.

"He's my Regalia," Yato answered. "Like a god's servant. He has two forms - one as a human, and the other-"

Yato rose from his seat, preparing himself. Hiyori immediately sensed his next action.

"C-careful of the furniture!" She cried.

"Come, Sekki!"

"Right now?!" Yukine exclaimed in shock.

Masaomi watched as the young Regalia's whole body lit up and morphed before being instantly shot into Yato's hands. The double blades gleamed back at the man with sheer boldness and perfection.

Hiyori watched her brother as he nearly choked on his own air. He leapt up from his seat in horror. He continued to glance towards the empty chair where the blonde boy had just been, to the double swords in Yato's grasp, back to the chair again.

"W-wha - how'd you-?"

Masaomi blinked repeatedly, attempting to regain his composure. He hesitated and pushed up his glasses before slowly stepping around the table. He wasn't aware why it seemed reasonable to approach the man with weapons drawn, but Masaomi found himself absolutely transfixed at the sight. When he glanced back at Hiyori, she answered his questioning gaze with a nervous laugh.

The brother came closer and seemed uncertain of his own intentions. His curiosity overcame him, and it didn't take long before Masaomi was inspecting the blades, trying to wrap his mind around it. His fingertips just barely grazed the shiny metal as his eyes marveled at the sight of himself staring back.

"So then… he's inside there?" Masaomi asked Yato, to which another voice answered.

"More or less," the swords replied, sounding bored.

Hiyori watched as her brother almost stumbled to the floor. He leapt backward, causing Yato to crack a small grin at his startled reaction. Hiyori giggled, sharing her lover's entertainment.

"He can still hear and see you, Onii-chan."

"Revert, Yukki."

The swords slipped from the god's hands, flying through the air in the form of mere light. Then, it transformed into a boy with blonde hair and orange eyes beside them.

"You could've at least warned him first," Yukine muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets and returned to the table.

"That's…- incredible," Masaomi laughed in disbelief, retiring to his chair after the adrenaline wore off. "How do you become a god's Regalia?"

Yato glanced over at Yukine sympathetically. Yukine shared a small sad smile and nodded to let him answer. He sighed and joined the rest at the table again.

"In short-" the god began with the same somber expression, "you die."

Hiyori passed him the young boy a worried face, reaching out to rest her hand against his arm. He grinned weakly at her in response.

"Oh." He responded in pure shock.

Then, once it finally sunk in, his expression fell as he turned to Yukine beside him.

"O-oh… I'm sorry…"

He only shrugged and brushed it off his shoulder, but Yato could feel a twinge of pain forming on the back of his neck. He decided to redirect the conversation again, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention.

"A Regalia - my Regalia," he began. "Basically, a god's servant. He's my only one, but any god can have as many as they choose."

"'Any god?'" Masaomi's eyebrows raised, peaking his interest. "So you're saying there's… more of you?"

Yato rolled his eyes and smirked. "What if I told you that they're all real? Every god you know of and more."

The young man blinked in astonishment at his proposal. He was rendered speechless.

"It's true," Hiyori piped in, grinning with pride. "Tenjin-sama, Bishamon-sama, Ebisu-sama and Kofuku-san! They're all so wonderful!"

Yukine gleamed and nodded in agreement.

"Woah - you met them?!" Her brother gaped in amazement.

Hiyori chuckled, her shoulders bouncing. "Yes - Tenjin-sama is so wise-"

"-and Ebisu-sama is super rich-" Yukine added in.

She nodded to him. "Bishamon-sama is so beautiful-"

"-we're friends with Kofuku-san and Daikoku-san. We can introduce you to them! Me n' Yato stay with them at their shrine."

Yato felt his cheeks warm from the scene of his Regalia and girlfriend enthused by everything. He sat back and observed as they eagerly shared their stories and opinions. He was so entranced by listening to the sound of Hiyori's joyful chuckling that he almost didn't catch the words sounding from Masaomi.

"Do you not have your own shrine?"

And then his cheerful bubble popped. He gently shook his head to refocus himself.

"Uh-" he stuttered, his blue eyes shifting nervously, "n-no. No, I don't…"

Hiyori wanted to argue that there was the shrine she had spent countless hours making for Yato, but she knew that a bit of wood, paint and glue wasn't necessarily what mattered in the long run. It didn't do much to rectify the fact that Yato still did not possess his own public shrine where followers could physically worship him. Even Heaven was hesitant to give him the sliver of land he had in Takamagahara. He had to beg for it.

"But-… don't all gods have shrines?" Masaomi asked, genuinely lost.

"No," Yato mumbled, staring at the details of the wooden table before him. "There are gods who no one knows of. They are born from a human wish. And once that wish is completed, they usually forget. Because the people don't need them anymore. And any god that's been completely forgotten, or no longer needed…-" his throat tightened, and he lowered his head, "ceases to exist," he finished.

"All the big, important ones up in Heaven get to reincarnate if they die. But I…-" he paused, "don't have that luxury."

His eyes, now faded of their brilliancy, fell upon his lover's rounded stomach. "Any day could be my last…"

I really do take it all for granted, huh?

Yato could tell how devastated his Blessed Vessel was by the way his chest constricted itself. He tightened his fist in frustration. Then there was a warm hand resting over his own.

The god lifted his head just enough to find Hiyori's face. Tears were slipping down her unsteady expression. Even as she threatened to burst from despair, the brunette was using every bit of willpower she had to hold herself together.

"You're wrong…!" She choked out. "You have me! A-and now you have Masaomi. And soon…-"

Hiyori brought Yato's hand against her bump, pressing his palm to their baby. She saw some of the tension dissipate from his shoulders, and he let out a small sigh.

He looked at her with a sympathetic gaze as he used his other hand to carefully wipe her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

He turned his head to check on his Regalia as well. The young boy seemed to calm down, the knot loosening in both their chests. Yukine nodded gently to his master, reassuring him he was okay.

Yato looked to Masaomi, who stared back at the couple with pity. The god didn't care - he was accustomed to the look. He knew once he revealed his true identity, and how truly despicable of a god he was, that that sympathy would be short-lived. And deep inside, a part of Yato wished that Masaomi would. Just so his feelings of self worth would be trampled on. He could detach himself from them all, and retreat to those familiar, comfortable feelings of lonely misery.

There was a long break as they all sat in solemn stillness. Soon, Hiyori's brother spoke again, backtracking as his mind was able to replay the last few minutes of their conversation.

"So then… you were at this…- friend of yours? The whole time?" He asked.

The room grew ten times quieter. Hiyori and Yukine shared nervous glances, which did not slip past Masaomi. He sent suspicious looks back at them.

"No," Yato answered simply, not providing anything else.

There was another pause as Masaomi waited, expecting more. He was going to get an explanation, and his patience was suddenly wearing thin. For the past two months, he had been trapped on the outside of their secrecy. The pent-up frustration was going to drive him mad if he didn't get the answers, and his own sister was one of the few holding them back.

"Well?" He demanded, visibly upset. "Is anybody gonna tell me? You all clearly know."

Yukine slumped lower into his chair and allowed room for his master to answer. Hiyori moved slightly closer to Yato's side, feeling her brother's difficult gaze on them both.

"I…-" Yato swallowed hard and avoided eye contact, "I was… with my father…"

"Your father…" Masaomi echoed, suddenly losing his aggressive attitude as he withdrew to think. "Gods have parents?"

"He-..." the god hesitated, struggling with himself.

When Yato was beginning to withdraw, Hiyori reached out. She slipped her hand into his on the table, her fingers intertwined with his. He could almost hear her voice silently speaking to him.

Deep breaths.

Yato closed his eyes and carefully sucked in his breath. When he opened them again, he found his Regalia handing him a glass of water. He was looking at him with sincerity.

"Ah - thanks, kid," his master replied, taking the offer.

His cheeks turning pink, Yukine nodded and sat down again.

With the cup in one hand and Hiyori in his other, Yato cleared his throat to begin again.

Only when he would speak a second time, it would gradually spiral downwards. And it would be anything but graceful.