Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Noragami.

Genre

: Romance/Drama

Pairing

: Yato x Kagome (Slight Yukine)

Summary

: A whispered wish to a God she didn't think existed. Yato never thought that he would come across an unattached priestess and certainly not the embodiment of the Shikon no Tama.

Unattached

Part III

x . . . . x

Watching from the kitchen table, Daikoku couldn't help but sniffle, "They look so happy. I really hope they don't get screwed by Amaterasu."

Kofuku shushed him with her hands waving in his face, "Don't say her name again. I don't want her to hear just in case."

But she was thinking the same.

.

"So you live with Kofuku?" Kagome asked as she looked around the room. She could see schoolbooks, clothes, and a variety of other knick knacks. Her gaze met Yato's, her brows furrowing, "I thought I saw you had a shrine to stay at in your memories."

Yato nodded as he stepped forward, "I would crash at Tenjin's mostly. And I do have a shrine!" He went to the center of the room where he lifted a small, lovingly made shrine. He tenderly passed it to Kagome who held it with careful hands. Their bond pulsed between them and she gave him a soft look, "Hiyori made it for me!"

Hugging it to her, Kagome felt the inexplicable urge to cry and so she did. She curled into a small ball, holding it to her chest as she released several soft sounds, tears cascading along her cheeks and it took her a moment to realize that it wasn't her emotions she was feeling. Yato's hands were fluttering down her arms and circling around her as she tried to get herself under control.

The pain and the years of continuous fighting to not be forgotten and he was given a shrine by a human girl who just wanted him to be safe and by safe that meant having a shrine of his own.

"Hey now, don't cry, Kagome." Yato murmured as he held her, his heart aching as he tried to shut down the bond for even a moment to stop overwhelming her with his emotions. He had over 1000 years to feel and it was strong for anyone to take. He rubbed a hand down her back and he tried to take the shrine from her but her fingers only tightened. He tilted his head and queried, "Kagome?"

The tears running down her cheeks were thick non-stop but she sniffled and shook her head, "I just need - " she gave another shuddered cry, " - to hold this for a second." While navigating his emotions, Kagome was coming to the realization that this shrine meant the world to Yato and therefore it meant the world to her. Moments passed and her tears eventually subsided with Yato holding her tight. When they did, she gave a soft chuckle, "We are going to have to take this with us and put it in a place of honor."

Yukine chose that moment to come into the room and ask, "Take it with us where?"

Yato's arms fell from her and she stood as she wiped her face, handing the shrine to the God now that she had Yukine there to focus on instead of the God's emotions. She faced Yukine with a small smile, "Well… my family owns a shrine. We played patron to Amaterasu before she cut ties and now we have a Godless shrine. We have plenty of history which gives us consistent visitors but without a God it hurts business." her brows furrowed as she looked at Yato, "I just assumed that you would stay at the shrine… I'm sorry. Is that not the case?"

There was a pain that flitted across Yato's crystalline hues as he thought about being separated from the priestess. "I don't think I could stay away."

Yukine moved his gaze between the two and he frowned as something did not quite sit right. He looked at the priestess and the words that tumbled from his mouth were said straight forward, with no inflection, just matter of fact and no emotions as to not sting Yato, "You won't replace Hiyori, you know that right?"

Yato turned his wide eyes to the shinki and his lips parted at the unexpected remark. Kagome flinched and took a step forward, an old pain crossing through her thoughts but she outwardly smiled lightly, "That's not what my intention is. Yato is my God now and that means my life is his and that includes all I have to offer." She looked down at the floor, her hands wringing anxiously, "Why don't I leave you two to talk? I have to go home anyway. My family will wonder where I am."

She was starting to sweat, the anxiety getting the better of her.

Old words, same meaning.

She could never replace Hiyori just as she was unable to replace Kikyo.

She never wanted to though.

All she ever wanted was to be herself.

Kagome was running from the room before she could stop herself.

Yato turned to Yukine, a scolding on his tongue but Yukine stopped him, his hands in his pockets, "She seems nice but you told me you'd be honest and I honestly need to know why Daikoku reacted the way he did and if you are trying to push out Hiyori."

"Then I guess you should sit." Yato said with a roll of his eyes, "But you need to watch how you talk to her. That was mean, Yukine." Yato settled on the floor and Yukine took a seat in front of him. "Daikoku reacted badly to her because… well she is dangerous."

"To who?" Yukine asked as a chill traced along his skin.

"Well for starters everyone." The God sighed and he leaned forward, eyes narrowed, "She is human… kind of."

"Is she like Hiyori?" Yukine asked as he crossed his arms.

Yato shook his head and looked upward as he tucked his hands behind his head, leaning back until he was laying down. "Nah, she was the guardian of a powerful artifact and after a series of events, she became that artifact. She was sent on a quest by Amaterasu and when it was complete, she was tossed away and left to die so the artifact would disappear when she died. Phantoms and demons alike want her power so she is constantly hunted. Daikoku was scared that if she was here, she would bring something dangerous with her."

Yato held his hand out in front of him, stretching out his fingers before making a fist, "And she will eventually. It's inevitable. She has too much power and it's intoxicating to a variety of creatures."

Yukine smothered any feelings he held as they spoke, "Then why take her on as your priestess?"

"And leave her to die?" he scoffed as his eyes softened, "Because she prayed to me and made a wish." he sat up with a smile curling his lips, a smile that Yukine had never seen, a little wide with too many teeth, "At my core, I'm a God of War… I don't ever want to take human lives as wishes but I don't fear anything that may come after her. And neither should you."

"And what about Hiyori, huh? Are we just gonna abandon her now that you have a new friend?" His hands were clenched and he hoped that wasn't the case.

"No, of course not! Hiyori will be our friend as long as she can be!"

"So she has an expiration date then?"

At that Yato's features were grim but his voice was gentle, "Of course she does, Yukine. All humans do." Several heart beats passed and Yukine's eyes widened as he realized what he meant. "If she manages to hold onto us that long then that's great but she won't ever live a normal life. But that's not something we have to think about right now. As for what you said earlier - " he leaned over and poked the young man in the forehead with a scowl, "Don't compare her to anyone again, got that?"

Yukine rubbed his forehead with a scowl, "Why?"

"When I took her on, I saw her memories and some of them hurt. We don't compare her to anyone, okay? She is just Kagome. Always just Kagome." The seriousness in his voice made Yukine nod.

"I won't."

"As for Kagome's offer, we should take her up on it. The shrine is massive and has a lot of space and I'm sure we can have a spot for you somewhere. Not only is it big but we would have a steady flow of patrons which means steady work." There was an excited energy the more Yato spoke, the more excited the energy the more contagious it became. Yukine sighed and shook his head knowing the battle was lost before it could even start. He enjoyed living with Kofuku and Daikoku but Yato had great points and Yukine would do what needed to be done in order to take care of his master. "Let's go check it out so you can see!"

Before he could answer, they were teleporting.

When they materialized, it was at the top of the shrine steps.

And it was into a veritable war zone.

An explosion rocked the shrine from the edges of the housing property. Dust and dirt lifted, debris from the ground falling around them.

"Sis!" a young voice thin with fear.

"Get away from the house, Souta!" an older woman's voice, screaming in terror.

"I can't leave her!" the young boy's voice, followed by coughs.

Another explosion but this time it was accompanied by pink fire racing across the shrine grounds in spider web tendrils along the ground. The trees were swishing with the wind from the explosion and it fluttered their clothing as Yukine covered his face with his arms. When the debris settled around them, a woman was running toward them, a young boy being forcefully tugged behind her. There were tear tracks maring her dust filled features.

As she ran toward the steps, Yukine thought they would pass them but instead he felt the older woman grabbing his arm, "You can't stay here, please run!"

Yukine's eyes were wide as a loud screech from a distant creature filled the air, "You can see me?"

There was confusion flowing across her features, "Am I not supposed to? Are you two… like my daughter? Like Kagome?"

She looked between them but the young man was trying to pull from her, trying to escape her white knuckled grip on his hand, "Mom! Please we can't leave her behind!" Another explosion in a different area followed by distorted laughter. "Kagome!"

The woman, Kagome's mother, was shaking the boy, "Souta! We can't do anything to help her! We'll just distract her and if she gets distracted then what? All we can do for her is get away so she can concentrate. She can't keep protecting the house!" she was choking back tears but her face was grimly determined. Thunder clapped and lightning struck into the forest, blindingly. "If she protects the house then she can't fight! We have to go - " her voice broke and she was looking into the distance where she could hear the rumbling voice of the monster.

"I'll devour you, little jewel! A delicious meal you will make!"

" - we'll go and we'll pray! She has come this far! We have to believe and have faith she can do so again!"

Yato turned to the duo and held out his hand, "Five yen then."

The woman turned to him, her watery eyes confused, "What?"

"Five yen and your wish will be granted." The God stated as he wiggled his fingers.

Souta blinked but he remembered what he told his sister as he gave her five yen the night before. A god that granted wishes in exchange for five yen. He was digging in his pockets and when he found a few coins, he handed them over without question.

"Please save my sister." He whispered over the roar of battle, his eyes warily hopefully. "Yato-sama, please save her."

A grin split Yato's lips as he clenched his hand around the coin, "Your wish has been heard loud and clear. Don't worry, kid, we got this." He looked back at Yukine who was oddly pale at realizing the human girl he had met earlier was in that forest, fighting whatever was coming after her. "You ready? We have a priestess to save." Yukine nodded once firmly and Yato held out his hands as he took off at a run into the foliage. "Sekki!"

Yukine transformed into dual swords, appearing at Yato's hands. His disembodied voice filled Yato's head as he asked, "I thought phantoms couldn't appear on sacred ground."

Yato made a sound as he pushed himself, pink sparks exploding in the forest, "Yeah well, Gods typically handle phantoms but that's not all there is in the world. There are other creatures that exist but we handle the dead since there isn't really anything else that can."

The God leapt into the sky and his crystalline hues pinned the massive creature immediately. It towered over the trees and the destruction was widespread. There were uprooted trees and holes in the ground from where it's large fists had come down. It was no doubt some type of oni - large tusked teeth, bulging arms as he crouched. The creature was missing part of his right arm, from the elbow downward and blood coated the field. He zeroed in on his priestess looking minuscule among the devastation. She was still in her robes from earlier but there was a cut under her eye, blood coating her cheek.

Her face was determined and she looked much like the woman he had left behind. Long hair was flowing around her, a bow made of pink lightning held in her hands. She was pulling it back and another arrow released, this time toward the oni's foot. The creature attempted to move but it was slower than the arrow that lodged in it's shin. He screamed out as it hit and hole began to burn into his flesh.

Kagome was panting but her voice was strong, "I'll keep them coming until I put enough holes in you to make you disappear!"

The creature roared as his hand come down, "Filthy fucking priestess! I'll devour you piece by piece!"

Yato was leaping toward her but was surprised when Kagome moved, faster than then oni. As the hand came down, she jumped up and dodged away from it. Their eyes met, hers surprised, his with a slit pupil as he grabbed her midair.

"Yato!" she leaned against him as he landed on a bare tree branch, the leaves gone from the wind created by the battle.

He didn't look down at her, but he tightened his arm around her, "A wish has been made on your behalf. Stay here, okay?" He didn't give her a chance to respond before he leapt from the branch and toward the oni.

"It's giant!"

"It's like any phantom we've faced. So let's get rid of it." Yato stated as the creature turned its attention to the God.

"The bitch is not without her protectors I see!" he laughed and he brought that large hand down. Much like Kagome, Yato jumped up into the air, but this time he landed on it's hand, taking off at a dead run up his arm.

He moved fluidly, like water, tearing through the flesh as he went, the Sekki sharp as ever. Blood began to spray upward and Yato jumped as the oni roared in pain, landing on his shoulder. Demons were not phantoms, they didn't require any words spoken to be exorcised. Instead they were torn through and killed much like humans and Yato had no problem destroying the creature that dared attack Kagome.

He brought his hands together with the Sekki swords as he ripped through the oni's throat, tearing through the flesh and esophagus easily, blood spraying in arc. It gurgled as air wheezed through the opening until it was filled with blood. The crouched demon fell to its knees as it tried to move it's hand.

"Move, Yato!" Kagome cried out and Yato turned to her to see that she was holding her bow and arrow, power flowing off her in enormous waves. Yato forced himself to drop from the sky just as her arrow pierced into the hole he had made. Her power exploded outward and the demon slowly began to disintegrate now that she could concentrate the entirety of her power on an arrow instead of having to shoot and dodge and only being able to put a small amount of power like before.

He dropped down in front of her several feet away, the Sekki held in hands. He gazed at her, eyes bright, heart pounding. In addition to the blood on her cheek, she was holding her arm where blood was flowing down her hand. Face unreadable, he muttered, "Yukine." so that he could return to human form.

As Yukine began to revert, he was already closing the distance between himself and the priestess, steps hurried and squishing in the blood coated grass. Glittering particles from the disintegrating demon were fluttering into the sky. She was looking at him, her eyes pinched with pain at the corners but her lips curled into a soft smile that made his pounding heart skip a beat. She was moving her lips but he couldn't hear past the roaring of the blood in veins.

He stopped in front of her, his divinity reaching out to soothe, his power rising with every second. Yato brought his hands to her cheeks and slammed his lips over hers. Her eyes were wide as his closed, the unexpected kiss making her still. But he knew she would part her lips under his seeking ones and when she did, he shoved that power down her throat. He was hot, anger and latent fear rising.

He tried to tell himself the demon was dead and she was safe in his arms.

The popping of her ankle made him kiss her harder as it healed, knowing that the sound she made was one of pain as it set itself. When her body was healed, she entangled her tongue with his, her arms wrapping around him. His desperation was slowly being soothed by her lips and her gentle hands running through his hair and up his back.

Yato felt her need for air and pulled away but not completely, his forehead pressed against hers and when he spoke his voice was rough and gravelly, "You okay?" His eyes were still closed, squinted shut tight as he pressed whatever possessive need he was experiencing down inside him.

She hummed, her fingers still soothing him, "Yes, thank you for coming when you did."

"Yaboku - " he said suddenly and urgently, " - I can hear powerful prayers as Yato but if you need to summon me, you call my real name. You call Yaboku with everything you have and I will come." He opened his eyes then and released a breath. "You don't need to fight alone anymore."

He saw the shimmer of tears but instead of shedding them, she nodded several times, "I will."

His lips pursed and he brought her into his arms, assuring them both that she was okay. Yukine's steps were loud behind them and Yato turned to his exemplar's awed expression as he watched the particles lift into the sky. His gaze rested on the two of them and he tentatively came to rest his hand on Kagome's arm. She looked at him with luminous cerulean orbs and Yukine murmured, "We're here, Kagome."

There was an apology stuck in his throat but now was not the time. Instead he came to her because to face such a beast alone must have been terrifying yet she had stood strongly, her voice steady, willing to protect her family even if it meant her death. She took his words and his presence as apology enough and she opened her arm, tucking him with her and Yato. His gaze met Yato's and he understood now what he had meant about her being trouble but nothing that they couldn't handle.

If Yato wanted this girl as his priestess then he would open his arms to her just as she opened hers to him.

He couldn't imagine leaving her behind to die by some demon or phantom.

Yukine could see why they needed to be with her if this is what she dealt with.

"Yato! Yukine!" came a distant voice.

Yukine perked up at the voice and began to pull away whereas Yato was still trying to pull himself from the vestiges of his need. He was pulling from her but not completely, his hand was still tight on hers and Kagome offered him a smile, "It's okay, Yato - I'm okay."

"Over here, Hiyori!" Yukine yelled as he waved his hands in the air.

Yato shook his head, "Yeah, I know that but if you could feel what I am feeling you'd know it's not that easy to let you go."

Kagome shook her head as she wiped the flaking blood from her cheek while they waited for the other girl to reach them. The priestess watched as the partial phantom girl ran toward them, her pink tail swishing around her. She was exhausted but she still managed to form a smile as the other girl leapt and landed in front of them, her petal pink eyes surveying the damage and falling on Yato and Kagome next.

"What happened? What's going on?" Hiyori asked as she looked at their joined hands. "Are you guys okay? It looks like a big fight happened!"

Yukine smiled at the human girl and gestured to Kagome, "A lot's happened since yesterday but the biggest is that Yato has a priestess now!"

Hiyori's eyes widened as she looked to Yato, "A real priestess? How'd you manage that?" She looked to Kagome and the robes that she was wearing, "Are you his priestess?"

Kagome stepped forward, Yato still holding her hand as she nodded, "Yes, my name is Kagome Higurashi and this is my shrine. I was in some trouble and Yato kindly took me in."

"Taking a human priestess is a big deal." Yukine spoke from the side and Hiyori turned her gaze to him, "It means Yato won't be forgotten as long as she is around."

Her gasp was loud and her eyes widened. "I-is that true, Yato?"

Yato's smile was easy coming when he nodded, "Yeah."

Hiyori brought her hands to rub at her eyes where she could feel them burning and when she pulled them away, her lips were trembling, "I'm sure there's more to the story and I want to hear it but - " she sniffled as a weight was lifted from her shoulders, " - for now… I'm happy to meet you, Kagome. I'm Hiyori Iki."

Kagome's eyes were twinkling and she nodded her head, "I know. I've seen a lot about you." Understanding that her relationship with Yato was unique and wanting to fit as seamlessly into his life as she could, she closed the distance between them. Just like with Yukine and the shrine from before, there was a surge of emotions that weren't hers so she didn't think she was going to be able to resist that urge to hold her. When she hugged the other teenager with one arm, it was welcoming and thankful all at once with a single embrace. Hiyori was surprised but she easily returned that embrace and the sentiment it gave.

She was slowly realizing that these people were the precious ones in his life. The ones he would lay his life on the line for, would compromise himself for.

As his priestess, she would play patron to him, keep him happy, keep him relevant.

But she was also a powerful artifact in her own right.

Now that she had a chance at living because of Yato's kindness… she would do the same for the shinki and half phantom girl.

As her resolve strengthened, it pulsed through the bond she shared with Yato and his hand tightened gratefully on hers.

.

.

.

Requests answered! No initial Hiyori and Kagome tension. Maybe a little down the road when she realizes what it means but for now, just welcoming. We'll see! As for Yukine, as much as he cares for Hiyori, I can't imagine him easily accepting her unless he had a good reason too. He has been pretty consistent in his possessive nature and inability to accept change off the bat.

As I have been writing this, I haven't been able to stop. I genuinely love writing this story.

Someone else write one too!

Thank you for your continued support, please leave me a review! :)