"Hiyori…?" A familiar whispering voice rang in her ears. "Hiyori?"

Her pink eyes opened gently, still foggy from sleep. She blinked a few times to activate her senses. Once they did, her mind processed the vision of a blonde Regalia standing over her where she sat upright in her bed in her pajamas.

"Mm…" she mumbled, still drowsy. "Yukine-kun…"

"S-sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "I didn't wanna wake you. But, um…-"

The brunette caught his anxious, unsettling behavior. "Is something wrong?" She asked, growing worried as well.

Yukine ruffled his hair, glancing nervously at the open doorway where he entered.

"W-well," he began, "it's just that it's getting kinda late n' Yato is… still outside…"

Hiyori instinctively gazed past her friend to see the darkness seeping in through the bedroom window. Had it really been that long? When did she fall asleep?

"I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't say anything. He's not listening to me," Yukine explained.

Hiyori groaned to herself, rolling her eyes at her lover's stubbornness. "It's alright, I'll handle it."

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. When she did, her vision stirred, and she nearly lost her balance. Yukine instantly noticed and reached out to catch her by the shoulders. Hiyori placed a hand against his arm and the other to the nightstand beside the bed.

"Woah - a-are you okay?" The Regalia asked in immediate concern.

Hiyori exhaled audibly and lifted her head to see him once her fog cleared.

"Y-yes," she replied with a small smile. "It must be my blood pressure. I'm alright now."

She straightened herself once she was steady enough again, one hand coming to rub her bump. Her gaze fell from his orange eyes to her hand still laid upon his arm.

A sudden panic seemed to flash in her eyes when she noticed, and she pulled away from him altogether - a little too quickly. She instantly bounced back and presented herself with a smile while tucking her hands behind her back.

Yukine laughed nervously, his face turning pink as he stepped back slightly. Hiyori seemed uncertain how to respond, but decided to laugh along weakly.

"I-I'm going to check on Yato now," Hiyori said, abruptly heading towards the door.

"Wait!"

The brunette stopped in her tracks, turning to face her friend again. Once he had her full attention, Yukine continued.

"I-... I'm sorry," he said bashfully, "For…- snapping at you. Y'know, after we visited Tenjin-sama…"

Hiyori only shook her head and grinned. Yukine saw the movement when he lifted his head after staring at his feet.

"I know - it's okay. It was Yato that you were really upset with," she told him sincerely.

"Y-yeah…" he sighed, appearing grateful that she had seemingly forgiven him.

Yukine ran a hand through the back of his head, through his shaggy hair. "And…- I don't blame you for sending me back to Kofuku's either. If you hadn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to think about everything before Yato came back."

Hiyori responded with a warm smile and nod of acknowledgement. "Good, I'm glad."

The blonde boy shared her relief. He sighed, his shoulder settling evenly on each side of his body while he grinned.

With that last closure, the brunette stepped out of the room, into the hallway. She turned her head to catch a glimpse of her brother's bedroom door and noticed the inky blackness seeping out from under the closed door. He was asleep.

After she rounded the corner leading to the living room, she stopped altogether. As she stood, Hiyori observed her lover through the glass doors of the balcony.

Yato had barely moved since she last saw him three hours ago. His head hung low and his back arched over the edge of the bench he was seated on.

As she headed toward the door and reached to open it, Hiyori paused once more to gather herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while her hand hovered over the handle.

Any excess emotion she still possessed from her earlier argument with her brother had to be left behind. She couldn't allow any of it to affect him. This was about Yato - he needed her.

Yaboku didn't falter when he heard the door beside him slide open. He knew who was bound to be standing there if he looked up - he knew who Yukine was sure to call on when his constant attempts to drag him back inside didn't succeed. The one person he couldn't say no to.

"Yato…" Hiyori called, carefully approaching him.

His hand twitched in his lap at the sound of her voice.

"Aren't you coming inside? It's freezing out here."

Was it really that cold?

Oh yeah. It was.

Still, he didn't respond - he didn't budge. His focus was fixed on his boots, but even his own body in front of him was perceived as foreign matter. As he stared into nothingness, Yato was unable to process anything outside of the realm of his own subconscious.

Hiyori pulled her sleeves down over her hands and reached out to take his own.

Even the sensation of her warm hand against his frigid one was left unregistered.

"Hey..." She whispered, her face finally coming into his field of vision.

Hiyori discovered it again as she knelt down beside him to meet his gaze. His eyes remained as intimidating and dangerous as they had before - maybe even more so.

Yukine was right about him not speaking. Coupled with his blank, distant stare, Hiyori was unable to find any solace.

Yato wasn't answering her because he didn't want to - he wasn't answering because he couldn't. His mind was so viciously loud that he couldn't form any words. Yato was buried below the armor, and his armor was Yaboku.

She knew immediately.

"Yato," she called gently once more.

She gave his hand a small squeeze in an attempt to awaken his absent senses.

"Please. Look at me - say something…" Hiyori's voice wavered, begging.

Maybe it was her hand molding with his, or maybe it was the emotion scratching her voice, but she caught him briefly glance down at her with his slitted pupils before looking away again a second later. That was his only acknowledgement of her.

Yaboku didn't falter. His lack of response presented an unbothered reaction. However, his pointed eyes now seemed agitated.

That only appeared to frustrate the girl. She dropped her pity in an instant.

When her gentle approach didn't work, Hiyori knew she had to be more assertive.

She huffed out the air in her cheeks, annoyed, and retrieved her hand from him.

"Fine," the half-Phantom straightened up and slumped down on the bench next to him. "I guess me and our baby will just freeze out here too."

To add dramatic effect, Hiyori crossed her arms over her chest and turned her cheek away from him.

The fury in his eyes subsided, allowing for some fear to slip.

Yato sent a slightly panicked glimpse at Hiyori's rounded stomach where his daughter grew. He turned away from her again.

The god was silent and unmoving for a minute. Almost as if waiting to catch Hiyori in her bluff. Meanwhile, she was waiting for him to crack.

The war of who could outlast the other's stubbornness had begun. Both held their place.

But as Hiyori showed no signs of giving up soon, Yato's anxiety increased. Then, it was too intense for him to bear. Yaboku scraped his teeth together in defeat, his fists tightening around the wooden edges of the bench under him.

The god rose from his seat and passed his lover without a single word. Hiyori's nose filled with his scent as the breeze carried it towards her when he went, and she instinctively followed him back inside. She sighed in relief.

He swung the door open almost too aggressively for his lover's liking. It startled her as she watched him step back into the apartment.

Yaboku sat on the couch while Hiyori closed the balcony door behind her. He grabbed the blanket hanging over the side of the sofa and draped it over himself, laying down right where he was.

Hiyori blinked and came to a sudden pause.

"Y-... Yato…," she began approaching the couch, "you don't have to sleep there anymore. Why don't you come to bed?"

Hiyori waited for an answer that didn't come. Not so much as movement. His silence was unsettling.

"Then-" she tried again, "don't you want to go say good night to Yukine-kun?"

The second attempt was just as unsuccessful.

Yaboku pulled the blanket over his face and turned his body to face away from her. He exhaled audibly through his nose.

Suddenly, all Hiyori's confidence dissipated. She stared down at her hand rubbing her stomach.

"R-right. Well-... g'night, Yato…"

In the short walk from the living room back to the bedroom down the hall, Hiyori felt guilt swelling inside her. Guilt from not having seen her lover's mental anguish sooner - from not stopping it before it was too late. And then there was shame - from not having comforted him more.

Hiyori stepped back into the bedroom, sighing heavily. She collapsed on her back on the bed.

Yukine looked up from where he sat on the futon on the floor. He blinked a bit as he watched her adjust to be more comfortable.

"What happened? Is Yato back inside now?" The blonde boy asked curiously.

"Yes," she replied, "but now he's insisting on sleeping on the sofa tonight."

Yukine scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Drama queen."

"I guess we should just give him some space for a bit…" Hiyori told him, yawning. "At least he's resting now."

The young Regalia laid down and stared at the soft golden glow of his night light in the wall beside him. He hummed quietly as he began to think. When he turned to look at Hiyori again, her eyes were already closed, and she was breathing softly. The boy sighed and pulled the blanket over him, soon retreating into his own dreams.

. . . .

The agonizing scream that tore through the silence of the night was difficult to miss.

Hiyori and Yukine shot up from their beds. They glanced at the doorway leading to the hallway before turning to see each other with the same petrified expressions.

The blonde boy spoke first. He only spoke one word, but it sent them both into action.

"Yato…"

Adrenaline coursed through their veins as the two rushed from the bedroom to find him. Yukine went ahead, rounding the corner. He stopped just as soon as he was within sight of the living room. Hiyori came to a halt when she noticed his hesitancy.

"Y-Yukine-kun…?" She whispered. "What is it…?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Hiyori sensed his worry and discomfort, quickly coming to his side to take in the scene as well.

Yato was awake. He was sitting upright, his feet on the floor as he rested his elbows against his knees and tugged on his hair. His breathing was ragged as he stared at the floor. The night provided little to no light for the two to see his face.

Yukine scanned the room, but found no evident danger.

"Yato…" Hiyori breathed out, immediately hurrying to his side.

The young boy took that as a good sign to approach too. As the brunette knelt down beside the god, the Regalia followed shortly after and stood by his master.

"Was it a nightmare…?" The brunette whispered calmly.

She reached out her hand to hold his face, but as soon as her fingertips brushed his cheek, Yato seized and retreated away from her, holding himself against the couch cushions. His eyes were wide and horror-stricken, tears stained his face, his skin as pale as snow. He glanced between his two companions as if they were threatening strangers.

That was when Masaomi rushed around the corner from the hallway to find them all in the living room. He was flushed and shaking from adrenaline.

"What just happened?! Is everyone okay?"

"W-we're alright, Onii-chan," Hiyori answered. "Just a nightmare…"

"A nightmare…?" He echoed softly.

Masaomi's focus switched to the god trembling in fear on the couch. He blinked, trying to make sense of what he was witnessing.

From across the room, Yato was digging his fingers through his hair. Through wet cheeks and gritted teeth, his strangled words fell out.

"I-I'm sorry…! It wasn't-... it wasn't my fault! I-I didn't…- hurt anyone this time…-!"

"Hey, hey, hey - shhh…" the girl hushed. "It's alright - we already know, Yato, we know…"

Yukine swallowed hard and remained silent. He had never seen his master so disturbed before. How was he supposed to properly react?

The blonde Regalia looked over to Hiyori's brother to gouge his reaction.

Masaomi's shoulders suddenly dropped, his eyebrows lifted and his mouth remained ajar for words that never came. He was troubled, yet remorseful towards the god.

An outstretched hand came into his line of sight, and Yato blinked tears away as he looked to his lover knelt before him. Through his panic, he almost seemed to give her a questioning look.

Hiyori sent a small melancholic smile in return. "It'll be okay. You're safe now…" she consoled gently. "You've been safe for a while, my god…"

The god's breath hitched. He froze and stared down at her hand patiently waiting for him to hold. His tears came to a slower pace once the mild shock set in.

Safe…

He wanted to be safe.

Yato reached out and took her hand, still shivering from the cold sweat running down his body. Relief was visible across Hiyori's face.

She helped carefully pull him toward her, towards the end of the couch. Once he was there, the brunette reached out behind him, finding the blanket and wrapping it around his body. All while, Yato kept silent.

Masaomi considered intervening, but he decided to stand back and observe.

Hiyori was smart. She knew that if she wasn't benefitting from it, there was no reason to keep fighting. And if there was one thing that her brother knew, it was that she was a fighter.

And if there was anything he realized from his little window of having known the god of calamity, it was that he was undoubtedly fueled by emotion. He expressed it in every inch of his being. Yato sobbed like a child, laughed like a clown and raged like a machine. But as ridiculous as it all seemed, it was true. Yato was a lover.

And yet, they both had one thing in common; they protected each other. Yato's affections kept her warm, and Hiyori's advances kept him tough.

This wasn't a take and steal relationship. Masaomi realized, with some relief, that the two were both giving and receiving. Hiyori offered her moral and emotional support, while Yato handed her his vulnerability.

For every bit of the male's darkness, the half-Phantom provided her light for him as well. For days when one had nothing, the other gifted them with more. It always equalled out, and it bore a place for the two to stand together.

What did they have to gain? What did they have to lose?

From afar, Masaomi caught himself staring down at his sister's growing belly.

So that was it.

They had everything. Everything to gain. Everything to lose.

That was the beautiful tragedy of it all. That was why she fought so tirelessly - that was why he loved so religiously.

How awful could it be? How awful could he be?

Hiyori turned to the boy standing next to her.

"Yukine-kun?" she began. "Get him a hot rag, would you?"

Yukine nodded before instantly turning away and heading towards the bathroom to do so.

As the boy was about to pass by, Masaomi grabbed his shoulder to stop him. Yukine blinked and stepped back, confused.

"Let me," he told the Regalia.

Yukine blinked, but gave no objections.

When he finally came back, Hiyori looked up in surprise to see her brother handing her a hot, wet cloth. She took it with some hesitancy, seeming puzzled.

She followed Masaomi's eyes to her lover, whimpering quietly as he rested his head against her.

"He'll be okay…" Hiyori said, answering his silent worries.

Masaomi glanced back at his sister again. "Right," he answered, sounding slightly unconvinced. "Well…- g'night, Hiyori."

"Good night, Onii-chan. Sorry we woke you."

Her brother only shook his head and offered her a small smile. He peeked back at Yato one last time before he disappeared down the hall into his bedroom.