A solitary child treks slowly, steadily, through the piling snowdrifts. Flakes catch on his ragged straw hat. It's a wonder he doesn't shiver, clothed only in a ragged, gray, sleeveless kimono and torn shorts with no shoes. Here, in this barren land of winter, he searches for something. But what? That, even he was not sure of.

Weary, he wanders to a single tree, hoping to rest. To his surprise, among the roots lie a dainty figure. A girl, with long, glossy black hair, in a beautiful flowered yukata, leans against the tree, her eyes closed. Even more surprising were the Ayakashi littered about her, all covered in falling snow. They were all sleeping, it seems. The boy looks up in surprise that the tree is green in this winter weather; even buds are sprouting. What an odd tree.

Shrugging off his awe, the boy takes cautious steps around the slumbering spirits and nestles himself against the tree trunk, next to the girl. Of course, he maintains some space, scooting away. The cold snow and wet bark did not bother him so much. He tilts his hat to cover his face and proceeds to fall asleep.

...

"...Thus the algorithm requires that it be carried with the following sequence of logarithmic patterns, starting with..."

Hiyori tries not to tune the teacher out. She was thoroughly bored. Trying to put Yato out of her mind hasn't worked. She looks out the window for about the fifth time in the same class. Her jaw almost drops.

Ayakashi. There seems to be a blanket about the town of phantoms. One was large and oblong, like an abalone shell, and floated aimlessly across the sky. Small blob Ayakashi stuck harmlessly against the window; although harmless, Hiyori couldn't quell her rising fear. So many Ayakashi in the city … only spells trouble for people influenced by them.

If anything good comes from this, it's the probability Yato might get an influx of jobs. Probability, by the way, is the subject of the question the teacher calls on the distracted Hiyori to solve. While she tries to gather about her wits, trouble is indeed brewing in the city.

"My son just went up and left!" The old mother wailed, "I found your number on his desk. You're a friend, right? Please, find him! He said he'd kill himself..."

"...Cripes..." Yato, grasping his katanas, leaps roof to roof, an anxious expression on his face, "So many of these Ayakashi..."

"We can't focus on that right now. The lady's son is in danger," Yukine says firmly, "We'll have to clean up eventually. You've got a lot of calls, Yato."

"Yeah, yeah, I know... Now, if I were a suicidal teen, where would I go...?"

"We just passed the bridge. And there's no sign he's on a rooftop," Yukine bites his lip, "Somewhere high? Or maybe in somewhere he wouldn't be missed...?"

"... Yo, miss?" Yato stops to phone up his client, "Did you ever take your son anywhere he liked? Like a park or something … That may not be there anymore?"

"No … We've barely gone out since his father left us... The last place we went to as a family, that was several kilometers out of town! It was some bluffs by the sea..." The voice stops in realization before crying, "OHH!"

"Thanks," Yato claps the phone closed before the mother can start bawling, "We'd better make this quick."

He nimbly makes it past town limits. The scenery goes by quickly: the road where he'd escaped Yomi, the woodland where Ebisu died … A scent of saltwater grows as he nears the seaside area. He stops by a car parked haphazardly on the side of the road. He heads from there into the woods, sure it'd lead him to the bluffs.

And it did. Once all the branches were out of the way, he could see the sea. The midday sun made the blue water and white waves beautiful. At the edge of the bluff stands a human, a young man. He turns at the sound of the Yatogami. His eyes are empty.

"... You're … Yatogami... The delivery god..."

"... Yo. You're the one who calls me nearly as much as Masaomi for toilet paper..." Yato scratches his head and shifts a bit uncomfortably, "What do you think you're doing? Go home. Your mom's worried."

"...Right. About that..." The human takes a step back, towards the edge. His foot pushes some loose pebbles over the edge, "I... don't think I can..."

"HEY!" Yukine tenses, "Yato! Reason with him or something!"

"Hey, quiet! I got this! Remember the other guy I saved last time? He jumped and I still saved him!" Yato turns back to the human, "What d'you mean 'you can't?' Come on, stop fooling around."

"...Every time I think about how I'm still stuck in my mother's house... in my forties … my feet seem to move on their own..." The man looks down a bit sadly, "Maybe this is what's gotta be done. I'm running away, like my dad did..."

"..." Yato tenses at the thought. He was his father's son. That was an indisputable fact. How he tried to hide it from those he loved and cared about … because his father was a horrible person, and he didn't want to be associated with him … all that just made things more complicated, "You don't have to be like your father. No one has to be like their parents."

"... But we end up more or less like them, don't we? If not worse..." As the man speaks, the ground around his feet begins to sprout dark tentacles that wrap about his legs, "Why fight it?"

"Because-!" Yato slashes a hand through the air, "You're your own person! Why don't you look around! You... Huh?"

Yato looks down and sees the same tentacles becoming visible around his own legs. A wavy shadow connects between him and the man. Suddenly, Yato's legs begin moving toward the human. The human smiles a little sympathetically.

"You see? We're both bound to it... Fate."

Yato strains to move. He almost considers cutting off his own feet, but realizes that wouldn't accomplish anything. Whatever this Ayakashi was, it was feeding off the father sentiment he shared with this human. The two stand by the edge and suddenly, their hijacked legs make a jump off.

Bluffs are typically rounded, so before hitting water, one would crack their skulls on rock. Some never make it below, their bodies stranded on the craggy walls. Yato feels his legs return once he's left the ground and he quickly tries to make a stab for grip. As he twists in the air, he looks down into the waterside and sees a huge shadow, the size of the cliffs, in the water. His movement is suddenly stricken. An ugly eyeball is visible just below the surface. Yato hears the man murmur something before his own brain is overtaken by a series of ugly nightmares. Thoughts, festering and overwhelming, about Hiyori, Bishamon, Ebisu, Yukine, Nora … and his father; they all flooded his mind in one forceful torrent. Unable to resist, he is washed away by the illusion.

Yukine feels Yato's touch slip and his body slacken. The boy panics, seeing Yato and the human have both slipped into some sort of catatonic state. Their eyes are empty. He looks down at the eyeball, protected from it's mind-prying by the sealed space. Could he maybe break the illusion by cutting the eye? It was worth a shot. The water was coming up fast. Concentrating on the pupil, he tries to mimic Kazuma, making a single boundary, sharp and strong, and delivers it much like a slash. It hurls stronger and faster than when he fought Kugaha.

The boundary collides with the water in one massive splash. Before Yukine can see the result, all three of them drop into the water. Murky inkiness obscures much visibility, but Yukine can see more eyes suddenly open, like lights in the dark. The shadow coalesces into a more solid form and the boy can only tremble inward. The Ayakashi spans much of the water around the bluff walls. Its body was wide and thin, like cloth, with many tentacles wriggling about and eyes on its underside. The eye Yukine injured was at the concentric center. It was still blinking.

"Yato …" Yukine hoped his voice would carry into his master's mind, "YATO!"

A jolt runs through the Yatogami's body. He seems to have mildly recovered from the illusion. Sluggishly, he reaches for his swords and struggles to clear the fog from his head. That was tough, since they were underwater and he was already going dizzy from lack of air.

"Yato! Gosh, I thought …" Yukine redirects his focus, "...We gotta grab the human or he'll die!"

Yato locates the sinking human amidst the murkiness and grabs the back of his collar. As he's trying to pull up, however, he feels a heaviness set over him and the newly acquired dead-weight. He looks down and sees the tentacles have reattached all over his and the man's bodies. They were dragging them down.

The god with his quick thinking slices deftly at the appendages, and they flail about, loose. With that, he quickly kicks upward to relieve his burning lungs. He just barely breaks the surface before losing his breath. He takes in gulps of air, spitting water. Shoot, he was tired. Was it a side effect of the hypnosis? The human is out cold.

The Ayakashi's looming shape burgeons as it nears the hapless group stranded just at the surface. Yato can feel its tentacles slithering about, tighter than before. But he still had a free hand, even holding the human above water.

"You stupid koromodako...!" He angrily curses as he raises the katana high, "You shoulda kept your mind-games to yourself!"

CLEANSE!

A humongous splash erupts from the impact of the sword slicing cleanly through the Ayakashi and impacting the water. The sheer force throws even Yato out and up towards the cliff side. He's tossed out of the bay and just near enough to the rocks that he could snag a hold with one arm. His other held his two swords and the burdensome human. Below, the Ayakashi dissipates into salt, disappearing into the surrounding water. The Yatogami had no more strength to heave himself to safety. His arm is about to slip when a hand suddenly pulls him up. He looks up to see the magatsukami.

Fudou carries the group back onto the upper cliffs, where ground was stable. Yato collapses onto the grass and rock, exhausted. Yukine reverts and plops down next to him. The human coughs weakly, emptying his lungs of water.

"... Thanks," says Yato grudgingly between breaths, "You really saved us."

"... What were you doing?" Fudou looks at the unconscious human with distaste, "A God of Fortune … I thought that's what you said."

"... Well, yeah," Yato looks up to the sky, "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't help people. I'm a god who's got responsibility now: to help others."

"You could bask in Heaven like others. You have a shrine, and land in Takamagahara, no?"

"Yeah … Hey, wait," Yato sits up and looks oddly at Fudou, "What were you doing around the area, anyway?"

"There was a large wave of Ayakashi flooding towards the city. I thought I might look for a source," Fudou turns toward the direction of the city, "It seems it was a good decision. But now I think we'd best return."

"...Could this be because of the eclipse Tesso mentioned?" Yukine sits up, looking at Yato.

"Maybe."

"So, you've met the librarian of the Underworld," Fudou laughs dryly, "I guess I'm not the only one drawn here by the eclipse then."

"We gotta go now, Yato!" Yukine jumps to his feet, "Hiyori and the others-!"

"Yep, yeah yeah, phew," Yato wrings out water from his scarf, "I'm gonna need a nice, hot, bath..."

The two gods of depravity begin running back towards the city. Yato notices Fudou does not have his divine cloak with him. Otherwise, he would have had him carry the human.

"Hey, Yato."

"What, Yukine?"

"I wasn't affected by the Ayakashi's eye. But you were. What ... was that?"

"..." Yato is silent. What he saw was the worst of his fears realized. Hiyori hated him, Bishamon hated him, Yukine left him … He was a stray once again. His status had been reduced to a cult god and he was shunned everywhere, by everyone. Except Father. He was left with no one but his father to turn to.

That's right, Yaboku. You only ever need family. Me and Nora will be here for you, always...

The worst part was, he believed it. How could his faith in his current happiness be so shallow?! There was ever doubt in his heart … doubt that if he ever revealed all the atrocities he'd committed … everyone would hate him. He'd never escape his father. All those things he said to the human were seemingly just fanciful thinking.

"Nothing … It was all just a dream anyway," Yato mutters, partly to himself.

Yukine doesn't press further. A bird-like creature flies overhead, making godspeed towards the besieged city.

…

Hiyori leans against the school walls. Her body felt so heavy. Bad thoughts were creeping up into her mind, thoughts that hadn't surfaced since she almost turned Ayakashi. Yama and Ami come up to her, worried expressions on their faces.

"Hiyori...?" "You're not looking so hot... Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Hiyori nods. Her vision seemed to be turning delirious. Or maybe it was all real. Ayakashi were all over the school. Of course, they were small, but still.

"Omigosh, Hiyori?!"

Hiyori looks to see she's slipped out yet again. She groans as her friends hustle to bring her to the nurse. Well, this might be the perfect time to go see Yato about this then. She perches on the windowsill to get a scent, then leaps out onto the school yard, shooting upward to the nearest rooftop. Strange, his scent was rather weak, like he was far away. He must be on a job then.

A sudden gust whips up, almost blowing the half Ayakashi off balance. She looks up, glimpsing a scaly tail and wings. A large, bird-like, Ayakashi flies past her and collides head-on with the large oblong Ayakashi she saw earlier. Black feathers and its tail lash about.

It's attacking other Ayakashi?!

Hiyori watches in half-amazement as the bird opens its beak, lined with sharp teeth, and emits a frightening screech. Its bright eyes shine like lanterns, and its face was disturbingly human. Voraciously, it digs into the other Ayakashi's side. Ectoplasmic matter goes splattering below. After it finishes feeding, the oblong Ayakashi suddenly dissipates and the familiar red rings form in the sky. The signs of a cleanse.

"... Did that Ayakashi just …" Cleanse another Ayakashi? Hiyori doesn't finish her thought verbally. The mere thought was shocking. The visual numbed her more.

Suddenly, the Ayakashi looks down to her, its eyes leering. Quick as a bunny, Hiyori bounds away, the strange Ayakashi in close pursuit. She looks over her shoulder fearfully. The thing's eyes creep her out. She grabs a nearby streetlight fixture and swings herself backwards to gain momentum before flying at the Ayakashi's face, her foot outstretched.

"JUNGLE SAVAT!"

Her heel connects squarely with the creature's face. It's harder than it looks, and Hiyori feels it in her foot. The bird shrieks and takes to the sky.

"Y-Yeah! You better run!" Hiyori ignores her stinging foot.

"Hiyori...?"

"Yato!" Hiyori turns to the sound of that familiar voice. A sudden wing beat sounds behind her and a tight grip grasps around her body. The dang bird … it used Yato's voice?!

"Hiyori! Hiyori!" The bird parrots in a voice like Yato's. It can't seem to make any other words though.

Hiyori squirms in its claws. She instinctively digs her claws into the bird's … wait, claws?

The bird shrieks in pain and flings her into a telephone pole. The effect was jarring, and she hears ringing. Her vision, though blurry, was not mistaken. Her hands had claws. Her hands fly up to touch her ears. They were velvety and large, like a cat's.

"Oh no..." She was going feral phantom now?!

Several Ayakashi suddenly appear around her, all bearing a mask. They hang back, hesitant, merely encircling. Some of them speak in a drawling voice.

"OnE of uS...?"

"Stay away...!"

Hiyori takes a fighting stance. Her new claws dig into her palms and her hands shake. What was happening to her?!

The huge bird swoops down, tail lashing. Hiyori dives out of the way. Several Ayakashi are cleansed in a fell swoop.

"CLEANSE!" The ugly bird suddenly screeches in its own ugly voice, "CLEANSE, CLEANSE, CLEANSE!"

Hiyori can only look up, uncomprehending. The sudden urgency dawns on her that the bird will be back, and she starts to run. Her body suddenly drops on all fours, to her surprise, and she begins running like a cat, leaping place to place. She has no time to think about this for now. Yato's scent just got stronger. Either that or her nose got better. To her relief, a huge shear suddenly cuts across the sky, ramming full-on into the aerial Ayakashi. It had to be Yukine. She looks toward a nearby building. Yato was standing on the roof triumphantly, with that dark magatsukami beside him. The girl eagerly jumps up to their location. Yato jumps a little from her entrance.

"YATO!"

"Hi-iiii!" He flinches a bit, the recovers, "H-Hiyori..."

"Careful, Yato!" Yukine warns, "Remember when she became an Ayakashi last time?"

"Um …" Yato looks her up and down cautiously.

"I don't know what's going on Yato... There' phantoms everywhere, I'm like this, and … that thing!" She points frantically at the bird, that's recovering from the strike, "It's an Ayakashi, right?! But I saw it cleanse other Ayakashi!"

"WHAT?!" Yato yelps. Then he glares at the bird, which has just cleansed another nearby phantom, "Thick-skinned little … Who does he think he is, doing my job...!"

"Um..." Hiyori looks to the other figure on the rooftop, bowing slightly, "Nice to see you again..."

He merely tips his hat. Before even Yato makes a move, he flies toward the phantom at blinding speed. Unfortunately, the head-on assault is redirected, smashing him into a nearby wall.

"Hey!" Yato hastily refocuses on the enemy at large, "Don't go chargin' in without my ok!"

Hiyori nimbly hops down to Fudou. He pulls himself out of the rubble and lolls his head a bit to get the crick out.

"Are you ok, Mr..."

"Just call me Fudou. I say..." He tilts his hat to look upward at the Yatogami locked in fierce combat, "... that is a rare Ayakashi type..."

"Do you know what it is, Fudou?"

"... Only one way to find out."

He jumps up to join the fray. With a flick of his wand, an invisible force slugs the beast in the face. It snaps its head back to readjust, then Yato delivers a devastating slash to its face. Its blood streaming, it flaps and shrieks about. Its voice suddenly changes to that of Kouto's.

"Dammit! Damn you gods!"

Yato freezes at the mimicry. Fudou wobbles a little on his feet, like he's going to faint.

"Hey, you alright?!" Yato snaps back to focus, "Don't go fainting on me, y'hear?!"

"I-I'm fine..." Fudou shakily regains footing, "It's just … yet another exception appears!"

"What are you talking about?!" The two gods jump at the bird and try to dodge its flailing to strike the final blow, "What is this thing?!"

"An Onmoraki," Fudou dodges the tail, "It's an Ayakashi that spawns from false piety. It sports the power to cleanse phantoms because it used to be something pious. From one this big, I'd think it's a Fallen God."

"A god … turned into a phantom?!"

"It could be. It could also be a priest or someone religious- WOAH!"

The bird viciously beats its wings and the gale conjured almost blows Fudou's hat away. It sets its glowing eyes on Yato and snaps voraciously, all the while screaming curses as Kouto.

"You gods think yourselves so high and mighty! I'll show you-!"

"Why the hell is its voice...!"

"Onmoraki can copy voices it perceives in the hearts of others..." Fudou does not say more on the subject of whose voice, instead pointing his wand, "Silence!"

A magic seal suddenly constricts itself around the bird's beak. It rears and flies up.

"It's trying to run!"

To Yato's surprise, Fudou throws him a divine cloak and points his wand at him.

"Fly."

Unbelievable weightlessness settles onto Yato. The next moment, he's propelled like a rocket straight up, quickly catching up to the Onmoraki.

"WOOOOAAAH!"

Despite the shrill adrenaline pumping, Yato manages to focus enough and deliver a long slash along the creature's right wing. With its wings damaged, it loses altitude and proceeds to plummet back down with a screech.

"Yeah!" Yato fumbles a bit, expecting to start falling. He was not slowing down, "EHH!? AHHHH!"

"Yato! Do something before we end up in space!" Yukine panics.

Down below, the Onmoraki crashes into the park, which was luckily vacated. Fudou and Hiyori arrive to the scene promptly. The bird struggles to get up. Its voice has returned to normal. One large eyeball looks to Hiyori, glowering.

"Impure … Impure! Cleanse! CLEANSE!"

Hiyori flinches a little. Fudou flicks his wand in a downward motion. With a shrill cry, the bird begins to glow. Like a balloon, the Ayakashi swells, and swells, and ...

POP

The familiar red cleanse rings appear. The cry dies away and the Onmoraki is no more. Fudou, swallows slightly and pockets his wand. Hiyori wobbles a little.

"... Impurity?" She murmurs nervously, "What was an Ayakashi doing, talking about stuff like that? And cleansing..."

"It must have been great piety to birth such a powerful Onmoraki," Fudou sits down abruptly, breathing hard, "An Ayakashi able to cleanse others … heh. The irony is that it never realized it was an anomaly itself. Much like hanyou."

"Aha..." Hiyori smiles a little apprehensively at the magatsukami, "Are you alright, Fudou?"

"... I'm very … tired..." Without warning, he flops over on his side.

"Where are Yato and Yukine...?"

Hiyori swivels to the sound of branches snapping. Other Ayakashi have gathered, now that the big bird was gone.

"Ugh...!" Hiyori takes a fighting stance, "Why now...!"

A distant yell distracts the Ayakashi and Hiyori. They look about, but do not see a source. Hiyori looks up and sees a dot growing rapidly, descending. The voices grow louder, and she recognizes them to be the boys'.

"YATO?! YUKINE?!"

"OOOHHHHH! LOOK OUT BELOOOOOW!"

The untimely arrival generates a large dust cloud even before impact, as the air compressed from the shortening distance, sending sediment flying. Yato, with quick thinking, sends several blade wave boundaries flying at the Ayakashi surrounding Hiyori and Fudou. Some are instantly cleansed, while others simply seem to mull about, not running, and are eventually cleansed. The god finally lands, making a three feet deep indentation in the ground. Hiyori peers in, worried.

"... Yato?"

"... OHHHHH..." The god moves his arm weakly, feeling for a hold in the earth wall. He pulls himself out of his self-shaped hole slowly, a painful look on his face, "... That … went well..."

The two look around. Most of the horde has just about dispersed. Stragglers sway like drunks and amble away. Yukine reverts, plopping down next to the Yato-shaped hole.

"Oh, ohhh man..." The boy pants loudly, his whole body quivering, "We … we flew, like, like..."

"Well! Maybe I'll try that again some time! Nope!" Yato throws off the cloak, "Even a god has limits on thrill-seeking! Yo, Fudou!"

Yato turns to the sleeping god, "You waaay overshot us! Hey, you hear me?!"

The dark god merely emits a loud snore.

"Yato!" Hiyori hugs the two boys with enthusiasm, "You're okay!"

"Heh, yeah! Oh..." The god pulls back a bit when he feels her ears tickle his nose, "W-We gotta get you back in your body, Hiyori!"

"I-I don't know what's going on! I thought I'd look for you guys but the thing attacked and I kicked it, and-and..."

"It must be because of the eclipse!" Yukine quips, "Look, she's not going bonkers or anything, her Ayakashi properties are just being more pronounced!"

"H-How do I look right now...?" Hiyori's pupils become slits, "Wait, don't answer, just get me back!"

"Will do! Phew, it's a good thing Heaven wasn't watching! I'm pretty sure we broke some things back there," Yato gives a goofy grin and folds his arm behind his back, "Hey, you coming, Fudou?!"

…

A lot of buzz was on the news that night about busted telephone poles and traffic lights. There were also reports about a strange hole found in a field just inside town limits. People were already formulating their own theories.

"Haa..." Hiyori plops down on her desk, ready to do homework. She dries her hair without much thought and puts the towel beside her. The day's excitement was still rushing through her mind.

Seeing Fudou and Yato fight together strangely bought a smile to her face. That god seemed nice enough, and Yato needed more divine company. He wasn't exactly popular after he'd burst on the injustice of Heaven. The thought of a new ally cheers her up and she easily answers the first question. The old nagging thought of why Yato stormed off the other night is forgotten.

Outside, in the night, Nora casts an impatient look in the direction of Hiyori's house. Her wolves are tense. Their ranks had been thinned by the Onmoraki, as well as Yato. That Fudou, he wasn't acting quite like she'd predicted. He'd used the Koto No Ha, but he also helped Yato, and completely passed on securing his target. Nora bites her thumbnail pensively. Father wouldn't be happy. Not one bit. What was that magatsukami plotting? Perhaps she should've looked into him further before trusting him. But father seemed so sure...

The stray shiki takes a deep breath and slows her thoughts. Calm, calm... All this thinking wouldn't get anywhere unless she asked him directly. She could deal with him if he became an enemy. Yato had enough useless people crowding him. She and father are all he'd ever need. The thoughts of decimating Heaven alongside her former master and brother cheered her up a deal. She smiles and faces up towards the moon, then vanishes.

The same moon has no reflection on the lapping waves of the sea below the bluff where the Yatogami faced that giant koromodako. Atop the bluffs, a safe distance from the edge, two gods and their shiki had set up a small moonlit picnic with plenty of booze by the woody edge.

"Ahh!" Yato downs his third bottle of sake, "I win … again!"

Fudou coughs, barely managing another sip. His hat is off, and the moonlight gleams off his black hair. Yukine sits uncomfortably with a cup of amazake in his hands. He looks to Fudou's shiki, who is leaning sleepily on her master.

"Psst, Yato," He whispers out of the corner of his mouth, "Is that branch real?"

"I dunno," To Yukine's shame, Yato asks Fudou in a boisterous voice, "Oi! My shiki's curious about that branch stickin' outta the girl's head!"

"... You could have asked that yourself, boy," Fudou's dark eyes look the boy up and down, "She is a spirit, a nonhuman one."

"No way!" Yukine lets out a yelp of surprise, "I thought only humans could become shiki!"

"A shiki is simply a god's tool. Back in the day of Izanami and Izanagi's children, there were few humans able to bear this task. All nature's spirits are viable shiki. The current mandate however," Fudou pauses, "... They have simply refrained from encouraging it."

"Heaven's a bitch." Yato grins and takes another swig. His face is a bright red.

Fudou snickers. There is a silence as the little party waits with baited breath for a divine punishment or something to rain down upon their heads. When nothing happens, the two gods burst out in hearty laughter. Yukine is mortified.

"Well said, Yatogami!" Fudou cheers to Yato, "With the way things are currently going, all of Yomi could break loose, and Heaven won't lift a finger!"

"Ha ha, right?!" Yato tosses his head back in laughter, "You're an okay guy, Fudou!"

Yukine got the feeling he did not belong at this party at all. After both shiki had fallen asleep, the gods are low on alcohol, and get a little more sober, if not sleepy.

"... When you first showed..." Yato takes a gulp and throws the empty bottle aside, "I … I thought you were something else … I haven't met nice gods of catastrophe..."

"We never asked to be cult gods, Yato. It is how we survive, however. What choice do we have?" Fudou lets out a long sigh, "We cannot help being borne when a malicious thought calls us to being. After that, we do anything we can to exist. No one wants to dies without being remembered."

Yato plops down on his back and folds his arms behind his head, gazing to the stars. There were possibly as many Shinto gods in the world as there were stars. Only some are invited to Kamuhakari as gods recognized by Heaven. There was no telling how many river, tree, mountain gods … any nature incarnate, really, exist. He knew he was lucky to have become a god of fortune despite his relatively low worship base. But his father remained his lifeline...

"... Who conceived you, Fudou?"

"It was a long time ago, so long I can't even remember her name."

"Come on, man, you don't even remember your mother's name?"

"... No, I don't. When I awoke in Hokkaido, over 3000 years ago-"

"Whoa! You're real old!" Yato sits up in surprise.

"... Yes. I've been wandering since I was born. I think it was a woman who conceived of me … but I was always alone. Perhaps she was horrified by my creation and abandoned me..."

"Dude … How are you still alive?"

Fudou smiles at him in a forlorn way, his eyes empty like that human they saved today. "I don't know."

Yato flops back down. No way. There's no way a magatsukami could survive without their creator. His own father was immortal in spirit, but how many humans could ever be crazy enough to do the stuff he did to attain that? No, there had to be someone else …

"You're being sustained by someone else," Yato says after some thought, "Someone else worships you as a god."

Fudou does not say anything to show either joy or sorrow. Yato rubs his eyes and stretches before saying "Good night" and promptly falls into a slumber. The dark god stares out to the horizon where the night sky and ocean became one.