I'm back and better than ever, coming at you with chapter two! Thank you all so much for the love and reviews, your kind and encouraging words mean so much to me. I'm not going to make you wait any longer so, lets get started!

I do not own Noragami or any of the characters.

Chapter Two: Late Nights & Coffee

"Beef? Check. Chicken? Check. Milk and cheese? Check. A bunch of snacks that I don't need? Check" Hiyori murmured to herself, scanning over the shopping list in her hand. It was around ten in the morning and the brunette wanted to make sure she arrived at the grocery store right when it opened so she could beat the crazy, Sunday crowd. It was now a quarter until eleven as Hiyori let out a sigh before smiling. "Alright, almost done! Just need to get some fruits and veggies, then I'm out of here. Well, I might get some ice cream too."

Walking down the aisle, eyes darting back and forth, Hiyori had to fight back the urge not to grab every flavor of brownie mix there was. She was getting ice cream, she didn't need brownies as well, but oh did that peanut butter chocolate flavor one look good. Shaking her head and cheeks puffing out, Hiyori stood tall as she walked past the sweets. She needed to save her money for better and important things, like fruits and vegetables.

She could hear the famous words that her father always told her now. Always eat your fruits and vegetables, so you can grow up to be big and strong.

She was pretty sure that every parent told their child that. She was also pretty sure that once the child moved out, they didn't care about what their parents said and bought whatever the hell they wanted. However, Hiyori planned to be smart and not waste her money on unnecessary things.

Arriving in the fruits and vegetables aisle, Hiyori placed her index finger lightly on her chin as she looked back and forth, processing in her mind which fruits and vegetables sounded the best right about now. Of course, there were apples. You could never go wrong with those, especially when you cut them into slices and dunk them into peanut butter or caramel. Yet, there were also grapes and bananas. Was deciding on groceries always this hard or was she just overthinking it? She wanted all three, but her budget was saying otherwise until she found a job.

"I guess the apples are good for now" Hiyori said, grabbing the bag of freshly picked apples and placing them into her shopping cart. Smiling at her decision, she then turned and grabbed three cans of mixed vegetables, figuring it was better to just get this rather than deciding on twenty different kinds. "Okay, I think that just about does it.. Oh wait, the ice cream!"

Ten minutes of deciding later and finally choosing cookie dough flavored ice cream, Hiyori went to check out. While it was only the second day of being on her own, everything was going good thus far. She prayed it stayed like that as she went home to put the groceries up and continue to decorate her apartment.

However, as four hours passed by and Hiyori Iki stood in her kitchen, placing a potted plant neatly on the center of her table, a strange, yet loud noise suddenly echoed through the walls, making the petite girl perk up in confusion.

"What was that?" she mumbled to herself before facing the direction that the noise was coming from. Was it coming from inside her apartment or was it somewhere else?

She followed the noise, curiosity winning over as she peaked around the corner and into her bedroom where the noises were becoming louder. So, it was coming from next door. Cocking her head to the side, she slowly walked over to her bed and sat down, placing her ear gently against the wall. Were they playing a video game or watching tv? Ear pressed to the wall, that's when she heard it. Moaning.

Eyes widening, Hiyori quickly jumped off her bed and away from the wall, shaking away the disgust she immediately felt for listening in on someone else's private time. This is what she got for being nosey. Wait, next door…Wasn't that?

"I'm Yato, by the way. I live right next door, room 206."

"Oh my God! I just listened in on his love session!" Hiyori squealed, shaking her head fiercely as her hands went to her cheeks. "He was so nice to stop by and apologize for making that loud noise yesterday, and here I am, before curious and ughhhh! No more being nosey, Iki! Let the man have fun."

She nodded to herself and shuffled out of her bedroom, continuing her decorating in the kitchen. While it was an accident, she now felt like a complete weirdo for hearing that. Yet, the real question here is… How thin are these walls?

Everything was starting to fall into place as the apartment became more and more like a home. The candle she had lighted in her kitchen was giving off a nice honey scented aroma as Hiyori deeply inhaled and smiled. Deciding to take a small break, she plopped down on her living room sofa and leaned back, stretching out her limbs. All this running around was making her extremely exhausted. It would probably be smart to start calming down and packing her stuff together for her first day of college tomorrow. Closing her eyes and resting her head against the squishy cushions, Hiyori was just about to let sleep take over until her phone started ringing, making her sigh and open her eyes.

Reaching into her back pocket and pulling out the device, she read the number on the lighted up screen and smiled when realizing it was her best friend, Ami. She answered. "Hey, Ami! How have you been?"

"Hiyori!" her best friend squealed from the other line, making the nineteen year old wince and take the phone slightly away from her ear. "I've been great, but I miss you like crazy! Yama is here with me too" the girl explained before a loud hello from Yama could be heard in the background. Hiyori laughed, placing the phone back up to her ear.

"Hey, Yama! I miss you guys, too. While this is a dream of mine, it sure has been somewhat lonely without you two around. Of course, the not having mom around constantly asking if I'm okay is nice, but, don't tell her I said that" Hiyori explained with a small laugh.

"What's it like living on your own? Made any new friends? If so, I hope you haven't replaced me and Yama yet" Ami said, her voice, however, growing a little more serious at the last part.

"Please, you two are irreplaceable" Hiyori replied, making both Ami and Yama laugh. "Living on my own? It definitely has its perks, I'll tell you that. The friends' part, well, I wouldn't say I've made any friends yet. Mrs. Darcy is nice, she's my landlord."

"Landlord? Really, Hiyori? You're the only person I know that becomes friends with their landlord" Ami chuckled.

"Don't listen to her, Hiyori. There's nothing wrong with that" Yama stated from the background.

"Thank you, Yama" Hiyori giggled.

"So, no hot college guys? Oh! You'll have to let me know if there's any hot boys in your class tomorrow! If so, I'm going up there to visit asap."

"You'll come up here for the boys and not me? I'm hurt, Ami" Hiyori replied, shaking her head lightly. Thinking back, Hiyori continued. "There's one guy I met who looks close around my age. He's actually my next door neighbor. Yato was his name."

"And do you happen to know if this Yato fellow is single and ready to mingle?" Ami asked. A loud smack could be heard, following with shouting and shuffling. A few seconds later, Yama was on the line.

"Sorry about that, Hiyori. The only thing on Ami's mind right now are men" the girl explained, making Hiyori smile. It wasn't like any of this was new. In fact, Hiyori and Yama were both used to Ami's constant love affairs. It actually humored Hiyori a lot, but she'd never tell her that.

"It's okay. I still can't help but love that girl to pieces. Anyways, I hate to cut this conversation short, but I have to prepare for my classes. Talk to you both tomorrow?" Hiyori asked while standing up from her couch and making her way to the bedroom.

"Of course! I must hear how your first day went, after all. Bye girl!"

Hanging up and slinging the cell phone onto her bed, Hiyori tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before kneeling down and digging into her bookbag, making sure that all the notebooks and textbooks she needed for tomorrow were there.

"Perfect" Hiyori smiled to herself before standing up. She was actually starting to get a little hungry. Maybe she should-

"Hmmm unf-"

Coughing instantly to block out the noise, Hiyori quickly hurried out her bedroom. They were still going at it?! She really wanted to decorate her bedroom a little more, yet maybe that was out of the question for today. How does one simply clean and decorate when it's clear two people are getting it on next door. Maybe she should give props for lasting that long?

"Gross Hiyori…" she mumbled, punching herself mentally.

Maybe for now she'll just focus on that dinner.

xxx

She was exhausted. Completely and utterly exhausted. It was her first day at this college and she was running on three hours of sleep. Why, do you ask? Oh, let her tell you… After her quite delicious dinner and warm and bubbly bath, she decided to head to sleep early so she could wake up the next day bright and early. However, her NEIGHBOR had other things in mind, that thing being a however many hour tongue fighting and body slashing love making. She felt so out of place and awkward for hearing the whole entire thing. Was his bed against the wall right next to hers? While she had no problem in someone having a sex life, she did have a problem when that sex life took a fifteen-minute break, only to immediately go at it again for another hour, causing Hiyori Iki to gain no sleep in the process.

With that being said, she hoped this Yato guy and whoever that girl was (yes, it was a girl, Hiyori could tell by the loud and obnoxious moaning) got all of their energy out last night and wouldn't be having another session for another two weeks.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to try out the bakery just next door to her apartment complex. It smelt delicious the other day, and with the lack of sleep she had, coffee sounded perfect right about now. Hopefully they sold coffee.

Flattening out her skirt, Hiyori put on her best smile, trying to hide how exhausted she was, when walking inside the shop. She grinned instantly when the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her nostrils, making her sigh in complete bliss. Oh, did that smell amazing. Thank the heavens they sold coffee as well. Walking up to the counter, she was greeted by the back of a young man. There were only two elderly people inside, the shop didn't seem that busy at all. She guessed this employee thought the same since his back was turned, playing a game intensely on his phone. She waited for another minute, not wanting to be rude, however, decided to clear her throat when realizing he hadn't noticed her presence.

"Ugh, Mr. Harold, I told you a thousand times I wasn't interested in your niece. Please stop-"

However, his sentence was soon cut short when he whipped around and realized he wasn't staring at Mr. Harold but a younger girl instead. Eyes widening, he quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket and began stammering over his sentences. "O-Oh.. I-I am so sorry miss! I thought y-you were um…"

Hiyori giggled lightly. She could tell he was younger than her, his eyes glowed and his blonde hair stood out with his complex. The small blush of embarrassment forming across his cheeks were obvious as he scratched his neck nervously.

"It's okay…" she trailed off, eyes narrowing on his name tag before continuing. "Yukine, right?"

Head nodding, he let out a small sigh of relief. "W-Welcome to Arise, how may I help you?"

"Hmm.. Actually, I haven't decided. I just moved into the apartment complex next door. What do you suggest I have?" Hiyori asked. Her eyes were on the menu but soon landed back on the blonde for his opinion. The question must have taken him by surprise because he looked at her a little dumbfounded before pointing to himself.

"Me?"

"Of course, you" Hiyori replied in laughter. Was he not used to customers asking him these types of questions? He must be new. Yet, his reaction was somewhat cute. It made her forget how truly tired she was at the moment.

"Uh, well, I'm actually a big fan of the banana nut bread here. It's to die for!" Yukine replied, grinning from ear to ear at the fact that someone wanted to hear his opinion. Wait until his boss heard this!

"Okay then! I'll try a piece of your banana nut bread and a medium cup of coffee, extra cream please" Hiyori explained before adding, "I like to taste the sugar, rather than coffee. I guess I'm weird for that."

"Oh no, I'm the same way!" the blonde replied, the grin on his face showing no sign of leaving. "I'm a huge fan of coffee, but if it doesn't have any creamer in it, I won't drink it."

"Well, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one" Hiyori replied, giving the boy one of her award-winning smiles. He smiled back before turning to start on her cup of coffee. She stayed at the counter and played on her phone, trying to keep herself busy and watch the time. She still had an hour and ten minutes before classes started so all was good.

Tucking her phone back into her bag, Hiyori decided to take in her surroundings, taking notice of all the cute decorations and signs that read different coffee puns. It was neatly decorated, and the atmosphere was somewhat homey to her. Plus, this Yukine person seemed reasonable to get along with. She would have to visit this place more often if the food and coffee tasted as good as it smelt. Her thoughts were soon interrupted, however, when the doors of the shop slammed open and loud shouting occurred.

"Yukine, my boy! How have you been?!"

Turning to see who the disruptive figure was, Hiyori was soon taken back when said figure came closer and she was once again staring into the bright blue eyes of Yato.

Don't forget to leave a review!

Stay tuned!