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Chapter 16

(In which Yato loses his mind, Yukine accepts that some mysteries must remain unsolved, and everyone looks for a new kind of normal.)

Yukine was not immediately alarmed to wake and find Yato missing. In fact, he was rather relieved, because it saved him the embarrassment of facing Yato immediately upon awakening while still curled up at the end of the god's bed like a child.

No, he only grew concerned when he asked Bishamon offhandedly where Yato was and she said she hadn't seen him since the night before. And his concern grew when no one else seemed to have seen him either.

"Maybe," he said doubtfully when Bishamon suggested there was probably nothing the matter and Yato was most likely prowling the mansion causing mischief. "But he kept saying that his dad was almost taken care of even though we haven't seen any sign of that, and I'm worried he's going to try something stupid. He already went after his dad on his own once."

Upon which Bishamon grew very quiet and then assembled an impromptu search party consisting of Kazuma, Kuraha, and the twins to help them search the mansion. They turned up nothing, and worry made Yukine sick to his stomach.

What if Yato had abandoned the safety of Takamagahara and ventured back to the lower realm? What if he was facing his dad alone again? What if he was already possessed again or held captive by the sorcerer or lying hurt somewhere? They had just gone to hell and back to save him, and it would be a terrible thing for him to throw it all away now. Especially since he had spent more time in hell than any of them.

Or maybe he had just gone to visit Hiyori, perhaps feeling more comfortable with her than with the rest of them after all the drama. Yukine was tempted to call her up and ask, but she was in school and had already missed too much and would come right away to help them look if she thought something was wrong. If Yato was with Hiyori, then she didn't need to be notified and probably would have warned the rest of them already. And if he wasn't, there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it and there was no point bothering her just yet.

Anyway, it probably wasn't as big a deal as they were making it out to be, and there was no reason to worry her when he'd probably turn up in a few minutes. If he was still missing by the time she got out of school and came to visit, then they would sound the alarm and start a manhunt.

Yukine prowled from room to room as if Yato would materialize if he just looked hard enough. And despite Bishamon's reassurances, her gaze darted about each room as she entered it too. Her concern made Yukine feel a little more justified for looking in closets and behind vases and under sofas.

But when Yato appeared, he didn't emerge from a shadowy corner or pop up out of nowhere. No, he waltzed right on in through the front door.

Yukine happened to be wandering past on his way to check the kitchen for the seventh time since that seemed a likely place to find a pilfering god—or at least it would have been before Yato had lost his spirit and appetite—so he saw the door open. Yato spotted Yukine right away and grinned.

"Oh, hey!" he said, waving vigorously as he closed the door behind him. "Look who's finally awake!"

Yukine gaped, caught off guard by the display. Yato was being so downright, ridiculously normal that Yukine responded in turn before remembering that things were most certainly not the same anymore.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Out!"

"Out where? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Yato?" Bishamon materialized beside Yukine like magic, drawn by his raised voice. Footsteps clattered down the hall. "Where have you been?"

"That's what I want to know," Yukine muttered.

"I've been out," Yato repeated with a toothy grin.

Bishamon recoiled and eyed him uneasily, like the sudden return of his good spirits might portend new troubles on the horizon.

"Did you leave Takamagahara?" Yukine burst out, sick of the games and roundabout answers. "You know you can't–"

"Aw, come on," Yato said. "It's no fun being cooped up forever. Anyway, I'm suuuper tired of being stuck here with the psycho bitch. How did you possibly stand living with her for so long? I'm thinking it's time we move back in with Kofuku."

Yukine stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, which was the most reasonable explanation for what was happening. "We can't just move back in with Kofuku! Your dad–"

"My dad," Yato interrupted, "will not be bothering us anymore."

"What? Did you meet up with him again? You can't just run off and–"

"I didn't say that," Yato said with a pout.

"It's too dangerous," Bishamon interjected, drawing a noise of agreement from Kazuma, who had appeared at her side. "You can't trust that the sorcerer won't turn around and attack again."

"The sorcerer," said Yato a little curtly, "is gone."

"What?" Yukine and Bishamon asked together.

Yato shrugged. "He seems to have fallen down a vent."

They all stared. Yato smiled back mildly, unfazed.

"A vent," Yukine repeated.

"A vent?" Bishamon asked.

"How would he even fall down a vent?" Kazuma wondered.

Yato shrugged again. "Guess his ayakashi finally got the better of him. He was always playing with fire, messing with those brushes. Nora's waiting for us down in the lower realm. She saw it, if you don't believe me."

"It's not that we don't believe you," Kazuma said tactfully, "just–"

"It sounds really crazy," Bishamon interrupted with far less regard for niceties like tact. "It doesn't make sense, and you'll have to excuse us if it's a little hard to swallow."

The story did sound awfully fantastical, impractical, insane. Yukine had a hard time believing Yato's dad could be gone just like that, but he didn't want to call Yato a liar either.

"Well, it's true," Yato said. "Dear old dad is busy chatting it up with our old friend Izanami and won't be bothering us anymore, so now is as good a time as any to clean things up and head back home."

"But what will that do to you?" asked Yukine.

"I don't know," Yato said brightly. "But honestly, this is probably the best outcome we could have hoped for. I'm sure Izanami will force-feed him some nasty underworld food the second she gets her bony fingers on him so he can't escape like we did, so he won't be leaving Yomi again to cause trouble. And he's not dead, so yay, I'm still here! I mean, Yomi really isn't any place for humans and I don't know how long one can survive there, but he's not really a normal human and has his ways to survive so I figure I've got some time."

This was almost worse than having the immediate threat looming over their heads, because now they had no idea what might happen and when the sword might fall. Trapping the sorcerer in Yomi had the combined benefits of thwarting his schemes and keeping Bishamon and the heavens from actually killing him, but what if he couldn't survive in the underworld and Yato disappeared after all? It wasn't like they could easily get him back out if something went wrong, and they wouldn't even know until it was too late.

And something was off about this whole thing. It was too quick and easy a solution, the timing was too convenient to be coincidental, and it had struck like a lightning bolt out of the blue. Added to the fact that Yato seemed unconcerned and not particularly surprised by this concerning and surprising turn of events, Yukine had the feeling that there was a lot more going on here than met the eye. Yato had said with some confidence that his dad was almost finished, and that seemed to be the case. He wasn't telling them everything, not by a long shot.

"Yato…"

"Relax, kid. I'm sure it'll be fine." Yato was grinning again, and his good cheer made Yukine uneasy. It was too out of character in light of his recent attitude. "So now we can go back to Kofuku's and hunt ayakashi and bug Hiyori some more. And you can have Bishamon release you now and stop freaking out about it." He paused, the smile fading a little. "I mean, if you want to. You can keep the name or stay here if you want."

"What?" Yukine's heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide. "If your dad is gone, then I'll come back with you. You know that I…"

He trailed off, wondering if Yato knew any such thing anymore. He had been worried about Yato deciding to leave him after everything, but of course Yato would have his own concerns after Yukine gave himself to another god.

Yato searched his face and then smiled again. "Then let's get this show on the road! I'm ready to get out of here!"

In light of the morning's events, the un-naming was a bit tame and anti-climactic. Yukine had somehow expected something a little more…dramatic. Bishamon pulled them into a side room and released him without a fuss behind closed doors, and there was none of the wild panic and high emotions of the naming.

Yukine was relieved, to be sure, and a weight had lifted from his shoulders, but it wasn't as overpowering as he'd expected. The blank expanse of skin along the back of his hand still itched with a phantom name, and he could feel a hole somewhere inside him. Like he'd lost something. That disturbed him more than anything else, that something so unnatural and traitorous had become a part of him.

There was a troubled crease between Bishamon's brows despite her smile, and he wondered if she felt it too.

She offered to send shinki to help them pack their things, but they hadn't brought much with them in the first place and politely declined. She and Kazuma disappeared to let everyone know that their guests were moving back out and the threat of the sorcerer was apparently neutralized.

Yukine was content to let Bishamon and Kazuma handle that. He eyed Yato in concern as they headed off to their borrowed rooms to gather up stray clothing and whatever few possessions Kofuku and Daikoku had thought to bring for them, but the god chatted away cheerfully about totally irrelevant topics. It was disconcerting, and Yukine wanted to ask more questions but knew he wouldn't get satisfactory answers.

It didn't take long to stuff everything into the same bag Kofuku had brought it in. The room looked empty and unwelcoming now that all traces that he'd ever lived there had been obliterated. He was glad to be going back home, but he would miss this place just a little.

He didn't know what to do with himself and didn't feel welcome to stay in a room he'd just moved out of. He could go sit with Yato while he finished up, but the god was being particularly strange right now and Yukine still didn't know how to act around him.

Instead, he slung his bag over his shoulder and slipped out into the hallway, leaving the door ajar behind him like a message that he was gone. He wandered down the hall, his gaze running along every feature as if to imprint it in his memory. He had not had happy times here and had never really felt like he belonged, but it still felt strange to be leaving and there were so many memories trapped within these walls. He didn't think he would miss it, exactly, but it felt like he would be leaving a piece of himself behind.

As he wandered along, he came up on an open doorway and spotted Bishamon standing alone on the balcony jutting out from the window on the far side of the room. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped inside and walked over.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping up beside her and leaning his elbows on the railing.

She considered him with a sidelong look and smiled. "Of course. Things will become much simpler now, if Yato is to be believed."

"Yeah." He fiddled with the strap of his bag and frowned out over the lawn. "Thank you," he mumbled. "For helping me save Yato even when we didn't really agree on how to do it."

"Of course. But at least we can start putting that behind us. And now your master is safe and you're free to go home. It's all very exciting, isn't it?"

Her voice was cheerful enough, but somewhere a note fell flat. Yukine wondered if it was because she still wasn't sure what to make of Yato's sudden pronouncement or if she was troubled by something closer to what was currently on his own mind.

"Yes, I'm glad things will be…normal again." Yukine shifted on his heels, debating the wisdom of voicing his thoughts, but Hiyori wasn't here and it wasn't like he could talk to Yato about it. "I'm glad I'm not a nora anymore, but it feels like I'm missing something now, like… I don't know. I feel like I'm still betraying Yato by feeling like I lost something."

Bishamon's face softened. "You aren't betraying him by feeling like that, Yukine. We shared a bond, even if only for a little while, and I think it's only natural to be affected when it's suddenly gone. I'm sure it will fade." She looked back out across the lawn. "We gods always feel the loss of a shinki, even if it's only from releasing them. There will always be a little hole where you were. Maybe you have one too. And I think that's okay."

Yukine chewed on his lip. "Do you think so?"

"Yes. But if it's bothering you, why don't you talk to Yato? He always wants you to talk to him about things, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but now he's…different."

Bishamon sighed. "I think we're all a little different."

Yukine didn't know what to say to that, because he thought it was probably true. None of them were the same as they'd been only a few weeks ago.

"There you are!" Yato said loudly.

Yukine started in surprise, and he and Bishamon whipped around. Yato waved from the doorway. A bag dangled from his elbow, and he bounced on his heels in a show of cheerful impatience.

Yukine froze. Even if Yato hadn't heard anything, walking in while they were talking about him made Yukine feel like he'd been caught doing something wrong. He hoped Yato hadn't been standing there for long.

Bishamon recovered first. "Are you ready?"

"Yup!" Yato said. "Let's go, Yukine. I'm sure the psycho bitch is ready to get us out of her hair."

Bishamon murmured her agreement and ushered Yukine back across the room. Yato immediately inserted himself between the other god and the shinki, and for a second Yukine thought it was a very deliberate move. But Yato was still at least feigning cheerfulness and Yukine reasoned that he tended to be a lot more dramatic with his jealousy, so maybe he'd imagined it.

"And you're sure the sorcerer is gone for good?" Bishamon asked as she tailed them back down the hall. "Do you think–?"

"Trust me, he's not coming back from that," Yato said.

"But you already told the heavens enough that they want to kill him, and if they don't believe–"

"I'll talk to Amaterasu."

"But what if–?"

"I think I can convince her that my father is gone. I did tell her I'd hunt him down, so it won't be too unexpected."

"I don't know, it's a pretty crazy story. And if she finds out about the possession…"

"Well, I didn't say I'd tell her the whole story. In fact, I think I'll strongly imply that Father is dead. It's not like I told her he was my lifeline, so she won't see an inconsistency."

"Still…"

Yukine was grateful for her concern, especially since he shared it, but Yato waved it off.

Kazuma, Kuraha, Aiha, and the twins met them in the entranceway, a gauntlet of good-byes before they could reach the door. Yukine responded in turn, aware that he'd been less than friendly for most of his stay and eager to leave a better impression than he'd brought in.

"Come visit again sometime," Kuraha said with a smile.

"Yeah." Yukine scuffed his shoe on the floor. "And thanks. You ended up being right…about a lot of things."

Kuraha chuckled. "To be fair, I have a lot more life experience than you."

Yukine nodded, but was distracted by Yato and Kazuma talking quietly with their heads close together. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, but found that he was less worried about Kazuma turning on Yato again than a little bit jealous remembering when Yato had chosen Kazuma to help him. And he did understand, but it still itched at him and he wondered if this was what Yato felt when watching him with Bishamon.

Kazuma nodded and stepped back, then offered Yukine a restrained, uncertain smile. Yukine nodded back. He wasn't sure he was ready to just forget everything and make nice again, but he was tired of feuding and owed Kazuma and the others too much to feel good about holding on to grudges. Perhaps they would work things out. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday.

Yato chattered nonstop as they descended to the lower realm, undoubtedly to keep Yukine from getting a question in edgewise. Nora was waiting outside, her face drawn in tight lines. Her gaze passed over Yukine like he wasn't there and settled on Yato. There was something wary and disbelieving and guarded in her eyes, like she was half-expecting the god to lose his mind and turn on them at any second. Like she didn't quite know him anymore.

"Nora?" Yukine asked. He tried to catch her eye, but she resolutely avoided his gaze.

"I did say she was waiting," Yato said. "We'll have to figure out what to do with her now that Father is gone… But she's going to visit Amaterasu with me and back up my story if there's any trouble."

"She's going to–?" Yukine shook his head fitfully. "I can–"

"But you didn't see anything. No, she'll come with me." Yato raked a considering gaze over Nora, and she looked away. Then he brightened back up. "Why don't you bring our things back to Kofuku's? She and Daikoku are out trailing Hiyori…although they're stuck waiting outside the school now. Kofuku was causing mischief and something blew up and Hiyori whisper-yelled a lot and kicked her out."

"You were spying on Hiyori too?" Yukine asked in disbelief. Not that that was entirely unexpected, but did he have to do it while everyone was worried and searching for him?

Yato flapped a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I just checked in. No one even saw me. We'll meet them at the end of the day, but we've still got hours before then. Should be enough time to smooth things over with the heavens, if they don't throw too big a tantrum. But I want to check something first. I'll meet you over at Kofuku's in a few minutes. Behave!"

He tossed his bag to Yukine—how was it so heavy when the guy practically lived in one pair of clothes?—and took off down the street before anyone could protest.

"Hey…" Yukine sighed, then chewed his lip and eyed Nora. "Well…"

"Let's just go," she said tonelessly.

She took off at a brisk pace, and Yukine had to trot to keep up with her. Why was everyone in such a hurry today?

"So what really happened?" he asked as they weaved through the crowds wandering along the street.

He couldn't help but look around with a wide-eyed sense of wonder, despite everything. It felt like it had been forever since he'd been back home. He even welcomed the biting chill of the wind in contrast to the perfect, placid warmth of Takamagahara…although his appreciation didn't last for long before he remembered exactly how much he hated the cold. It felt good to breathe in the fresh air and see the outside world instead of being stuck inside the same house with the same people with the same fears day in and day out.

"Father is trapped in Yomi," Nora said without looking over. "I don't think he'll be escaping this time."

"Yato did that?"

She gave him a withering look. "Who else?" She shook her head and her gaze drifted away again. "After all this time, I can't believe he just… Well, the tables have turned."

"But what did he do, exactly?"

"If you want to know so badly, ask him yourself," she said sharply.

"But–"

"He's your god, isn't he?"

Yukine closed his mouth. They walked the rest of the way to Kofuku's shrine in silence.

Nora hesitated outside, but Yukine waved her in. The little house was empty, the shop all closed up. Yukine had no doubt that Kofuku and Daikoku were exactly where Yato said they were, but he wished they were here for his homecoming. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen them often enough when they visited Bishamon's mansion, but it felt different now that he was back home.

The attic was just as they'd left it, aside from a few missing belongings that were tucked away in the bags he carried. He tossed Yato's in the corner and began unpacking his own things. He was almost surprised that he still remembered where everything went. There was a comforting familiarity to putting things back the way they'd been, which was a sort of homecoming of its own.

Nora lingered in the doorway and watched. He could feel her gaze between his shoulder blades.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he folded his clothing into neat piles. She made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat. "Why did you help us?"

He abandoned the clothes he'd been stacking on his futon and twisted around to search her face. Unfortunately, her expression was as difficult to read as always. She didn't respond for so long that he thought she would ignore the question, but then she shrugged.

"I don't know," she said.

Yukine sighed at the non-answer. He was still wary of her and didn't particularly like her overmuch, but he felt that he owed her something and, anyway, it was terribly awkward to be stared at silently.

"Well, it should be better now," he said, as if he hadn't been having doubts of his own all morning. "Yato's safe and we don't have to stay trapped in Takamagahara anymore and you're free of your dad too."

Nora's mouth slanted scornfully, but the underlying note hidden in her voice was more lost than contemptuous. "Oh, you might be free. But Yato is still bound to Father, and goodness knows what will happen to them with the underworld in play. And it's not as if I have anywhere to go now that Father is gone. I don't have a place anywhere else."

Yukine had all the same concerns about Yato, but he hadn't considered Nora's situation. It seemed sad to have so many names and yet be so unwanted, even if she brought it on herself. He didn't like her, but she had helped them and he couldn't help but pity her.

"Maybe–"

"There you are!" Yato said. He slid the window back and clambered inside, even though Daikoku wasn't home to press him into chores if he was caught coming in. "I hope you've been getting along! Come on, Nora. We're going to see Amaterasu. Yukine, hold down the fort while we're gone."

He strolled across the room, cool gaze slanting in Nora's direction. She nodded once and dropped her gaze to the ground and said nothing.

Yukine took a step after him. "But–"

"I'll be back soon," Yato said. "But we need to get this taken care of right away. And I think Nora and I need to talk."

Nora actually winced. Yato swept past her out the doorway, dragging her along behind him with the sheer force of his presence.

Yukine's feet dragged to a stop as he watched them go. "But…"

"Anyway, I don't really want Amaterasu near you after that whole box thing," Yato added offhandedly. "I'm sure you can entertain yourself in the meantime."

He and Nora disappeared down the stairs.

"But I don't really want her near you either," Yukine mumbled to the empty air.

He stood there for a long time, worrying about anything and everything and wishing Yato hadn't gone. Then he took a deep breath and finished putting away his things.

He wandered downstairs and looked around. His work apron was right where he'd left it. He fingered the fabric, thick and stiff and familiar. Pulling it on, he found the broom in the closet where it had always been and began sweeping the shop floor. He had been neglecting his duties as of late, and it was time to start catching up.

He busied himself with chore after chore, organizing and tidying and scrubbing everything spotless. As long as he stayed busy enough, he could distract himself from the waiting game.

So by the time Yato finally came strolling back through the door, the shop and shrine had been tidied to near-perfection and Yukine's anxiety was beginning to mount again. Even distraction could only do so much.

"What happened?" he demanded as the god came in whistling like he didn't have a care in the world. "Is everything okay?"

"Sure is!" Yato said brightly. "I mean, they questioned us foreeever, but it seems like they finally accepted the story. Might get called back once or twice to confirm, but so far so good."

Yukine let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked around. "Where's Nora?"

"I left her at one of Father's old safe houses nearby. If what you've said is true, we owe her a lot. And anyway, I used to be one of her masters. Now that Father is gone and none of her masters really want her and she doesn't have many prospects for finding one who will, it's not like she has anywhere else to go. I'll make sure she's provided for and safe—she'll do better under a god's wing when Father's enemies come knocking—until I figure out what to do with her, but that doesn't mean I want her here.

"Anyway, she'll be fine. Let's go meet Hiyori at school. It's just about time for class to let out."

Yato was bouncing back out the door before Yukine had the chance to say anything else, and the shinki pulled off his apron and trotted after him. Yato seemed inclined to chatter mindlessly some more, but not even that could staunch Yukine's torrent of questions.

"But what happened with Amaterasu? Do you think the heavens will leave you alone? What do you think will end up happening to Nora? Can your dad really survive in Yomi? Will you be okay? What really happened with your dad? What did you do to him? Why–?"

"Slow down, slow down," Yato wrinkled his nose like he found the questions distasteful. "I already told you, things are fine."

Whether or not Yukine believed it was another question.

"Just…" He frowned down at the ground and scuffed his shoes against the pavement. "There's a lot you aren't telling me, and I get that I… But…"

He understood that he'd proven himself untrustworthy and couldn't expect Yato to treat him the same as before, but he wanted things to be the way they were. He still wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to be trusted to do his job and protect his god. Yato wasn't always very open at the best of times, and Yukine could only imagine how much worse it could get now.

Yato sighed and turned the corner, slipping past a gaggle of unsuspecting humans. "There are some things it's safer for you not to know. Things it's better the heavens don't know about. The whole possession thing is already bad enough, and there's no reason to put more people in the line of fire if the heavens start figuring things out."

That was anything but reassuring. "Still…"

"Maybe later," Yato said. He didn't meet Yukine's gaze, either because he was still upset and mistrustful or because there were secrets swimming in his eyes. Quite probably both. "Once things have calmed down and we know where we stand."

Yukine knew better than to keep pressing for information Yato clearly wasn't ready to share, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"I just wish…" He trailed off, not sure how to put his nebulous desires into words or even if he should. He wished a lot of things, and they were too big to fit into his mouth.

"Wish?" Yato perked up, eyes sparkling. He stopped in his tracks, heedless of the pedestrians swirling around him, and bounced on his heels in anticipation. "Ooh, you're in luck! I'm in the business of wishes. Whaddya want?"

Yukine's feet dragged to a stop as well, and Yato's smile was so blindingly sunny that it hurt. "I don't know," he mumbled, sensing dangerous ground and backtracking. "Just… You're smiling and laughing and acting normal again, but your eyes aren't happy."

Yato's smile faltered, and Yukine saw that he was right. Yato looked down at the ground, his mouth pinching into a frown.

"Yeah," he said finally, sounding more tired and careworn than ever. "Well. Things will get better. We'll get better. Come on, kid. Let's surprise Hiyori."

He draped an arm across Yukine's shoulders, a gesture that had always been a little annoying and invasive of personal space but now made tears gather in the corners of Yukine's eyes, and steered the shinki back down the street. Neither of them said anything else as they walked the last couple streets to Hiyori's school. Yukine could feel all the unsaid words gathering behind his teeth, balancing on the tip of his tongue, but this wasn't the time. They both had a lot to say to each other, but they were words best saved for a rainy day. Yukine hoped they would all be said sooner or later, instead of languishing unspoken.

Classes were already letting out by the time they arrived, so they hung back and watched the sea of students pouring out of the building.

"Ha!" Yato said, pointing. "There are Kofuku and Daikoku."

The other god and shinki pair was lurking off on the other side of the street, heads swiveling as they searched for Hiyori. It was the easiest thing in the world to wade through the crowd and sneak up behind them.

"Didn't take you long to get exiled, huh?" Yato said.

Yukine hung back as Kofuku and Daikoku started in surprise and hit Yato with a barrage of questions. He scanned the crowd until he caught sight of Hiyori walking with her friends and chatting animatedly. He waved.

She didn't spot him at first, but then her eyes went wide and she mumbled her excuses.

"What are you doing?" she demanded as she hurried over. "I thought you were supposed to stay in Takamagahara!"

"But I miiissed you!" Yato whined. "Anyway, we're moving back home now. Isn't that exciting?"

Yukine let Yato handle the explanations and non-explanations and cheery deflections. When Hiyori caught his eye, he shrugged at the unspoken question. He didn't know much more than she did.

Yato didn't give them any more explanation than he'd given Bishamon this morning and his false cheer was just as scalding as before, but it seemed to lull everyone into a slightly uneasy sense of relief. Some things were obviously still up in the air, but Yato seemed certain that the threat of his dad had been neutralized. Things could only get better now that he and Yukine were back from their exile. Maybe, Yukine could almost hear them thinking, things could start going back to normal.

Once they were convinced that Yato was telling the truth and not making up silly stories as he was often wont to do, it was smiles and celebrations all around. Kofuku was bubbly and bursting with excitement at the prospect of her houseguests moving back in, which made Yukine smile despite everything. She'd been unnaturally gloomy and quiet, and it was nice to see her cheering back up again. Even Daikoku smiled a little as he complained about having Yato return as a non-paying tenant and expressed relief at having his shop help back. He set about making a celebratory dinner as soon as they made it back to the shrine, while Kofuku danced about and chattered a mile a minute.

Hiyori was smiling too, but quieter. She rummaged around in her bag and waited until Kofuku paused to take a breath.

"I have something for you," she told Yato.

"Ooh, a gift! I love presents!"

She laughed softly, but her smile was tinged with melancholy. "Here." She pulled the little shrine out of her bag, now sporting a few cracks that she'd done her best to camouflage, and held it out. "I fixed it for you. I held on to it the whole time, but now that you're back…"

"Oh…" Yato said quietly. A shadow Yukine couldn't quite read passed over his face. "Thanks."

He reached out, but Hiyori kept a white-knuckled grip on the shrine.

"But don't you dare put your life in my hands and run off on a suicide mission alone again," she said, her voice wavering but hard as steel. "Don't you dare."

Yato was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I won't."

And that was about the best they'd get out of him, so Hiyori let go. Yato disappeared upstairs, presumably to put the shrine back in their room, and came back bubbling with good cheer once more, joking and cackling with laughter. Yukine and Hiyori exchanged a look but shrugged. Yato would be Yato.

He stayed cheerful through dinner and the evening, even after Hiyori reluctantly headed home. He was bursting with as much frenetic energy as Kofuku, talking faster than thought and constantly moving and practically bouncing off the walls. It exhausted Yukine just watching him.

Getting him to settle down enough to go to bed was a pain. But even after Yato had settled in a softly snoring heap on his futon, Yukine was left staring up at the darkened ceiling. Too much had happened, and his mind was racing to sort everything out. It was an impossible task, and eventually the sheer enormity of it overwhelmed him and his tired brain shut off.

He woke sometime later, groggy and confused. It was still dark outside the glow of his lamp. Still night. He didn't know what had woken him. Some small sound, maybe, or a stray restless thought tapping at his brain.

He yawned and glanced around. The covers of Yato's futon were thrown back, and the god was conspicuously absent. Yukine's heart thumped loudly in his ears as he sat up and looked around more frantically.

A shuddering breath escaped his lips as he spotted Yato wedged in the window, sitting in his favorite spot on the sill with his legs drawn up to his chin and his gaze wandering among the stars. A chilly breeze curled through the air, and Yukine wondered if maybe it was the cold that had woken him. Either that or Yato had been having nightmares again and made some sound.

"Are you okay?" Yukine croaked in a sleep-roughened voice.

Yato slanted his gaze in the shinki's direction. He wasn't smiling now, and the gritty brightness was gone from his eyes to leave them flat and shuttered once more.

"Yes," he said.

Yukine hesitated and then wriggled out of bed, wincing as the cool air hit his skin. "Yato…"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Yato said tiredly, closing his eyes.

Yukine swallowed hard and shuffled over. "Well, you should probably get some sleep, then," he said with a thin attempt at brightness. "We're behind on our ayakashi hunting and we have to get your name out there to make sure you've got believers besides your dad, so we'll be busy starting tomorrow. It's a lot of work to become a god of fortune."

Yato said nothing, gaze wandering back out to search the night, and Yukine cursed himself for misjudging the situation. He'd thought that maybe it was better to keep things light since Yato had been dredging up good cheer earlier and didn't want to talk about the problems plaguing him, but he obviously wasn't in the mood for forced optimism now. Stupid, stupid.

"Maybe we should set our goals a little lower," Yato said finally, voice low.

Yukine frowned and opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but the words froze in his throat as words from only a couple days ago sprang to mind.

"I was supposed to be a god of fortune. You were supposed to guide me. You promised. How can I trust a guidepost that pointed me back to becoming a monster?"

Kazuma's observations about Yato's hopelessness swam back to the forefront of Yukine's mind, the way Yato hadn't just bounced back like usual, the way he seemed to have given up.

"You aren't a monster," Yukine said. His lips trembled and he blinked back tears. "Your dad's gone, and you can be whoever you want to be. Don't give up on that because of him. You're going to be the best god of fortune."

Yato's eyes glittered in the lamplight as he eyed the shinki doubtfully. "You think so?"

"I know so. And I… I make mistakes too, but I'd still help guide you…if you'd still have me."

Yato watched him for a few more seconds and then a smile—small but real—touched his lips as he came to a decision. "Well, obviously. What would I do without my kid to keep me in line?"

The tears spilled free, and Yukine scrubbed at his face as he snuffled pathetically. He'd been so afraid of never hearing that again, never being called Yato's kid or asked to serve as a guide or trusted at face value.

Yato slid to the floor and wrapped him in a tight hug. "We'll figure it out," he said. "Sooner or later, we'll figure it out."

And it was enough to make Yukine hope. There were still cracks in the foundations, still trust that needed to be rebuilt and scars that needed to be healed and nightmares that needed to be soothed, but Yato was hugging him like they were going to be okay. Yukine clutched him tight and sobbed into his chest. They were still together, despite everything.

He vowed that somehow they would work through this and rise like a phoenix from the ashes. He swore that he would make Yato the best of all gods of fortune and make him smile again. He promised that they would be okay.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.

Note: Poor things. I've written too many long-winded and complicated redemption fics to take on another at the moment, so let's leave it on a cautiously hopeful note. Obviously there's still some mistrust and hurt feelings that will take a while to work through, but they'll figure it out together sooner or later. Although could you imagine trying to fix such a big rift with someone like Yato? Like, he doesn't really deal with that stuff head-on and tends to cover it up with his craziness and start hiding things and getting all secretive again, so I'd imagine it would be difficult to pin him down on working out a serious problem. There's definitely a lot he's not going to be sharing with Yukine and co for a long while yet. Ah, well. Communication issues are basically every subplot in canon.

There's one more installment of this verse, although it might not be exactly what you expect :)