A small mumble sounded behind the pink-haired goddess.

"Hey…"

She immediately turned towards the doorway, only to find the young blonde boy standing before her. Her face lit up, and she raised her arms over her head in excitement as she hurried over to wrap him in a tight embrace.

"Yukki!" Kofuku cried.

That was when Daikoku came around the corner. He stopped in his tracks immediately, blinking in surprise.

"Yukine-kun?" He voiced. "I didn't know you were coming. Is Hiyori-chan with you?"

Yukine finally freed himself of Kofuku's deadly grip and filled his lungs with air once again before turning to the tall man.

"No. It's…- just me…"

"Has Yatty come back home yet?" Kofuku jumped in, a glimmer of hope twinkling in her eyes.

"Uh - no. Not yet…" Yukine mumbled, lowering his head in dismay.

That light dimmed from the pink goddess, and her shoulders slumped downward in disappointment. Her whole body fell with her face. Her Guidepost watched her reaction with a sympathetic stare.

"So then-" the man began again, turning back to the young boy before him, "what brings you here?"

Yukine looked up at him through his shaggy hair, almost ashamed. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well-... it's kind of a long story…"

Yukine rubbed his arm, shying away. Kofuku and Daikoku shared sorry looks.

"Let's go sit down, Yukki," the goddess suggested.

Her Regalia nodded in agreement. "And I'll start the tea kettle."

. . . .

"'Kicked you out?'" Kofuku repeated in shock.

"What happened? What did she say to you?" Daikoku asked, just as taken aback.

The three were gathered around the table, each with a cup of steaming green tea beside them. A light snowy rain had broke out a few minutes earlier, creating a slight chill to the air around them inside. Yukine placed his hands around his hot cup, hoping to regain feeling in his fingertips.

"She hasn't been acting right lately. I snapped at her - but I didn't mean to," he explained before seeming to struggle with finding the right words.

The two watched as Yukine's orange eyes glazed over with recollection. He was silent and still for a moment.

"She said that the whole thing - the baby, and Yato leaving - it wasn't my problem - - that I was too 'involved.'"

The blonde boy observed his friends as they absorbed that new information before forming their next thought and questions. It wasn't long before the fellow Regalia spoke.

"How does she figure that?" Daikoku asked, his eyebrow cocking upwards in curiosity.

Yukine looked exhausted, his eyes drained of energy."I-I dunno. I just wanted to help…"

"Are you upset with Hiyorin?" Kofuku asked.

"O-of course not!" Yukine blurted, almost seeming offended. "It's Yato's behavior that's pissing me off."

Daikoku looked at the boy through his cup of tea as he drank from it. "What behavior specifically?"

Was he not clear enough? Had they not been listening? What did they not understand?

Yukine scoffed. Their cluelessness was baffling.

"What do you mean?!" He argued, presenting his hands out in disbelief. "He got up and walked out in the middle of the night without saying anything. He left Hiyori - and the baby! He's supposed to be there-"

"I think I see what Hiyori-chan is talking about," Daikoku interrupted, glancing sideways to see his goddess next to him.

Kofuku appeared unfazed by the young Regalia's outburst as she observed quietly.

Meanwhile, Yukine froze and glanced back and forth between his two friends.

Why were they looking at him with those stern faces? What did he say?

"...What?" He asked, a little too aggressively.

The tall man only shrugged a bit and stirred his drink with a spoon nonchalantly.

"Hiyori-chan's brother works a lot with that new job, right?" Daikoku had asked.

It sounded as if he'd already made his own assumptions of the matter.

"Yeah…?" Yukine answered, unsure of where the conversation was heading.

The giddy goddess suddenly piped in.

"Woah! So it's just you looking after Hiyorin?" She gasped dramatically and clasped her hands together. Her twinkling eyes stared back at him.

"Uh - yeah, I guess."

"It sounds like you've got too much on your plate."

The two then turned to Daikoku, who redirected the conversation back.

"You're not wrong to be angry with Yato. He left you to take care of his mess after all - you shouldn't have to and it wasn't right of him. However, your reasons aren't your own. You're mad for Hiyori-chan, not for yourself."

"B-but…-" Yukine wanted to deny that idea, but the man's words were too convincing.

Was it true? Was he only angry because Hiyori was angry?

When it was put that way, Yukine wasn't so sure of his own feelings anymore.

"Yukki," Kofuku's voice pulled the boy from his thoughts, "what's the worst that could happen?"

Well, that was an easy question. A lot.

"What if…-" he began, swallowing hard, "what if he doesn't come back…? What if something happens to Hiyori and the baby while he's gone? What if he comes back, but everything gets worse?"

"Don't worry too much, Yukki!"

Suddenly, Yukine's whole body was being strangled into a hug, and he felt his lungs release all their air. He looked to see Kofuku as she attempted to comfort him aggressively.

"Coming from the goddess of poverty and misfortune herself, it'll be just fine! It's okay to be worried about them, but you need to support Hiyorin's decision and patiently wait for Yatty," she explained, to which Daikoku nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Take a step back, Yukine-kun," the man added as he poured some more tea into his cup. "Right now, you all need your own space. You all care about each other in your own specific ways - but you're not responsible for Yato's leaving, and you shouldn't feel obligated to take over for him and overcompensate for Hiyori-chan. They can solve their own problems. And when those problems are too big to solve, be there for them. They'll need your input, but that time isn't now."

Kofuku loosened her grip, her arms still hanging lazily over his small shoulders. Yukine hummed in acknowledgment as he stared at the table in thought. It took him a moment to absorb his words, and he considered them carefully.

"How do I know when that is?" He asked after his silence.

"When Yato returns, things will be shitty for a lil' while. There will be a lot to consider and figure out. That's when they'll need you the most." Daikoku answered with the most conviction ever displayed.

The young boy took another long moment to process his thoughts again. Kofuku finally provided her friend with personal space, retreating back to her spot next to her Regalia.

"W-what about Hiyori?" Yukine then voiced, worry seeping into his expression. "She's all alone now. Who will help her if no one's there?"

"Hiyorin's smart! She must be heading back home to her parents right now," the goddess answered with a friendly grin.

Yukine looked to Daikoku for confirmation, who tipped his chin in response.

"Let's get our minds off of it for now. You can help us prepare dinner."

. . . .

It had been five nights of Yato's continuous night terrors. Each day, he did not say a thing or make any acknowledgment of others around him.

The only time he spoke was in a flurry of panic after awakening from his nightmares - that was considering his jumbled, slurred words even made sense to begin with. Each night, those traumatizing dreams only increased in amount. For two of those nights, the nightly occurrences had suddenly ceased. Almost as if they had never happened.

Hiyori's exhausted body almost didn't notice, and took advantage of the silent nights. It wasn't until the morning she realized how still she slept, and she had to immediately check on him to make sure he was still breathing.

Day in and day out, all he would do was sit on the bench just outside the living room balcony. It rubbed Masaomi the wrong way whenever he passed by each day on his way out the door to work to see Yato out there, but he had seemingly taken a step back and presented Hiyori a free space to step in any direction she wanted without him being there.

And as once another full night's rest was achieved, the brunette began to wonder why it was that they were not awoken by her lover's troubles again. She decided to get out of bed - which was not without difficulty. Once she was able to hoist herself up with her enlarged stomach, she took a heavy sigh of relief.

As she headed out towards the kitchen, Hiyori noticed her blonde companion sitting by the dining room table as he ate breakfast.

Yukine almost didn't notice her entrance or sense her presence. He was staring off into space - into his bowl of cereal.

What was he thinking about?

"Yukine-kun…?"

The Regalia blinked several times, coming to. He lifted his head to find Hiyori standing on the other side of the table.

"A-ah, morning," he said.

The brunette offered a kind smile in his direction. "Good morning."

"Your brother just left. He said there's still some bread if you want toast. I can make you some if you want. I don't think Yato has eaten either-"

"'Yato,'" Hiyori repeated, suddenly alert. "Where is he? Is he awake?"

Yukine blinked in surprise, taken aback by her sudden interest. "Uh - yeah. He was awake before any of us. He's out on the balcony."

She rubbed her bump as she searched around the room before her eyes landed on the familiar figure of the god of calamity outside on the bench. Sure enough, he was sitting there. He remained stiff as a statue, with his back to them.

"You should eat something. I'll go talk to him-"

Even before Yukine could stand from his seat, Hiyori was already hurrying past him to the balcony. He wasn't sure she had even heard him - her focus was fixed only on Yato.

The blonde Regalia sighed heavily in defeat as he withdrew back to his seat.

He had been offering help and giving advice at every angle. When was it going to pay off? When was he really going to help? Would his efforts even reflect progress so soon? Should he keep trying?

Yukine rested his elbow against the table and put his head in his hand. He continued eating in silence, replaying the conversation he had with the god of misfortune and her Regalia. They were as clear as the first time he heard them a month ago.

"They'll 'need me', huh?..."