A/N: Dedicated to Amayaokami, an incredible fan fiction writer! Check out her works, she has written some amazing levimika fanfics, and I totally admire her. Thank you so much for helping me out with this! ^^

A bit of a longer chapter than I predicted in response to the awesome reviews/follows/favorites that I got! Thanks guys! (sorry to those that I promised I would update a bit earlier.) I explain more in my a/n at the end, so make sure to check that out. For now, to the story!

Chapter 2- Indebted

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked, hands trembling against his cellphone.

"Yes, Iki-san. She's clearly been under stress, which triggered a small relapse. She will potentially face life-threatening conditions, very soon, if we do not help her as soon as possible."

He gulped. "How long is she going to have to stay in the hospital?"

"She will have to stay in the hospital for at least three days, and she should be given another updated examination of-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let another examination happen," he replied. "Just give her the usual prescriptions, please."

Thud!

"I'm home!" Hiyori called out into the hallway. Giggling and chatter flittered into the apartment.

"Is anyone inside?" Ami asked, peering into Hiyori's entryway.

"Yes, my mom and brother should be here," Hiyori responded, setting her satchel down. "I'll be fine. See you guys tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!" Yama and Ami chorused. Yama gave her a parting wave. "We'll come pick you up tomorrow morning!"

Hiyori waved back with a smile. She closed the door behind her, sitting down on the raised wooden flooring to take her shoes off. As she finished untying her shoes, a figure appeared in the hallway behind her.

"Hiyori!" Masaomi called, slipping his cellphone into his pocket. He wiped away a small line of sweat that had formed on his forehead. "How was the first day of high school?"

"It was great!" she replied, rising onto the wooden ledge from the tiled shoe storage space. "I met these new girls, who happen to be in this apartment complex, believe it or not," she chattered. "And I liked my teachers, so the day went well!"

"That's good," her brother responded, ruffling his hair. "I was afraid that you wouldn't adjust as well to the city."

"What are you trying to say?" Hiyori asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"No, nothing bad!" Masaomi responded, chuckling. "I'm just being a concerned older brother."

Hiyori sighed, walking up to a cabinet in the hallway where a small vase sat. She played with the fake morning glory that rested inside, when an idea came to her. "Where's Mom?"

Masaomi froze, gulping. His mind raced. "Ah- she told me she was going on her trip for her job early," he replied, fiddling with a button on his shirt.

"I thought she was going on her trip this weekend?" Hiyori asked.

"Apparently, her job pushed it up a few days, and she had to leave today, while you were at school."

Hiyori swiveled around, and he straightened up. "She's not overworking herself, is she?" Hiyori stammered. "I mean-"

"N-no, she's not. I made sure she took her pills this morning," Masaomi forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. She'll be fine by the time I leave for college."

"I hope so," Hiyori looked down. "We're already-"

"Don't worry about it," Masaomi ordered, his voice turning cold. Hiyori bit her lip. "We have enough money from Dad's will, and I'm working for the next month until college, which should hold us off."

"Can't I do anything?" Hiyori asked, fists clenched. "Like, work part-time, or babysit?"

Masaomi narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Hiyori, I don't think you understand how much these bills cost-"

"I don't!" Hiyori cut in. Her brother's lips parted in surprise. "I don't, but I want to do something. I-I hate feeling helpless."

Masaomi sighed, rolling his shoulders back. "You can do what you want, if it means that it makes you feel better. Just don't overload yourself. High school will get tough."

Hiyori let a slight smile tug at her lips. "Thanks, Masaomi," she spoke, walking away with her satchel in hand.

Masaomi stared at her departing back; the horrible, venomous fangs of guilt piercing his chest, weighing him down and polluting his mind with its overwhelming poison. But it had been for the better, he thought. He couldn't weigh his sister down with tiny problems like this.

Busying himself with the task of doodling in his math notebook, Yato huffed as his pencil- well, Yukine's pencil that he borrowed, since he'd lost his pencil case somewhere- traced over his previous sketch, refining the lines. A small heap of crumpled papers lay beside him. Groaning, he scrapped his current piece of paper into a tight, wrinkled ball and tossed it behind him.

"Something on your mind, Mr. Tutor?" his friend-slash-student, Yukine, asked. The boy happened to be skimming through the recent release of the monthly shounen comics book.

"Huh?" Yato blinked, affixing his gaze on Yukine's book. "No- but, hey, wait, that's this month's issue, isn't it?" He lowered his gaze to the textbook that lay discarded on the floor beside Yukine's bed. "Also, you're supposed to be working on the problems from your trig textbook."

"Yeah, but I don't feel like doing it now- and stop avoiding my question, you idiot," Yukine rolled his eyes at Yato, whose jaw clenched at the comment. "Something's off. You're not being a dick like you usually are."

"You-" Yato started, raising a fist- then paused to think. The new girl, with the strangely colored eyes, popped into his mind. "Well, I guess- there's this girl-"

"Holy shit, Yato, and a girl?" Yukine widened his eyes, mockingly waving his book in the air. "Wow! I never thought that this day would come!"

Yato scrunched together his eyes, standing up. "You stupid twelve year old, you shouldn't be talking." He grabbed a textbook off his desk to put it in his bag. "I've never seen you with a girl."

Yukine laughed. "Yeah, I do talk to girls, sometimes. At school. Not like you'd know with all the part-time jobs you have, which, you never tell me why you do them." Yato gulped, fingers playing at an invisible thread on his shirt. "I mean, seriously, if your step dad is so rich, why do you even work? Or, are you just really sadistic?"

Yato took a deep breath, lowering his bag. What a subtle way to put it; jobs. They were anything but. He mustered a weak grin. "I just do it for the money. My- uh, dad, doesn't give me a good allowance, as I've said before."

"Uh-huh," Yukine nodded. "Well, I guess that makes sense, since he practically kicked you out of his house. But anyway, I heard a weird rumor today, about you."

Yato's heart went cold. "W-what was it?" Yato asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"That for your job, you go and supervise a private strip club in Ueno."

Yato burst out laughing, despite himself. "Oh, come on, now. That one sounds ridiculous." He let out a sigh of relief- it felt like a massive weight had been lifted off his chest.

"Well, you never tell me what you do, so I have to resort to these weird rumors I hear. I'll figure it out one day."

"Mhm," Yato mocked. "Have fun trying." He turned away from his friend, narrowing his eyes. Thank God Yukine never heard some of the real rumors, he thought.

"Anyways, it sounds like you're forgetting something," Yukine reminded. "The girl from your class. Explain."

"Well, I dunno," Yato began, tapping his chin. "This new girl. She just had- cool eyes. You know, like mine- so that's why I was thinking about it."

"Sure," Yukine sneered, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure you weren't looking at her tits, or ass."

"Yukine!" Yato yelled, chucking a nearby pillow at him. "You disgusting little twerp! Of course!" Yato fumed. "And I was actually trying to explain it, too!"

"Huh," Yukine muttered. "I'm sure. Next time we're together, point her out to me, and I'll judge her to see if she's hot enough for you."

"I don't need you to judge her!" he hollered. "God, you're such a typical prepubescent middle school boy! I don't even want to- make friends, anyways- and it's not like anyone would ever want to talk to me."

"Aw, Yato, what a pity party," Yukine crooned. He flipped a page in his book, stretching out his legs. "It's not my fault that you're such a loser. At least you have me, though, right?"

"Ugh, shut up," Yato muttered, sitting down on the floor. Out of the blue, he remembered his job that he had that weekend- in just four days. His stomach twisted. He turned himself away from Yukine, a weight squeezing his lungs with the lie he was about to tell. He lowered his voice. "Yukine; you'll need another tutor for this weekend. Saturday."

Yukine, for the first time since Yato strolled into his room, took a glance at Yato, noticing his slumped shoulders and the deeper tone he'd used when he spoke. Yukine's grip on his comic book tightened, and he narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You're always like this when you talk about your job."

"Like what?" Yato asked, undoing the buttons on his jacket.

"Depressing," he accused.

Yato's eyes slightly widened, his hands pausing mid-button. "No, I'm not." He continued to unbutton his clothes.

Yukine sighed, accustomed to Yato's odd behavior in this situation. He forced a groan, then feigned a gasp of surprise. "Wait, Yato! Instead of getting that boring girl from the private school, we should get the girl from your class!" Yukine stood up on his bed, jumping up and down to make the springs squeak. "Is she smart?"

Yato offered a half-lidded glance to his friend. "I don't even know her-"

"Dude, I'll find a way to set it up!" Yukine grinned, staring down at Yato, who had returned to looking away from him. "Heh."

"No, you're not," Yato insisted. "You couldn't even do it, anyway."

"Watch me," Yukine challenged, standing up. "I can totally do it."

"I'm sure," Yato said. He ran his fingers through his hair, scruffing it, then turned to give Yukine a stern glare. "Seriously, don't do it."

Yukine grinned in response. "I have my ways," Yukine's smirk grew, and he placed a hand on his hip. "And then, I'm going to set you guys up! And you guys are gonna have crazy, wild sex!" He guffawed as if he had solved the biggest mystery of the world.

Yato groaned, rolling over, exasperated at Yukine's nonsensical rambling. "Do your homework, Yukine," he ordered, throwing a notebook at Yukine, who cried out in surprise.

"Hey!" Yukine shouted. "Watch it!"

"Shut up, and get to work."

The next morning, Yato sat at his desk. Though students were running around him in a flurry of pre-class excitement, he was content without making a single noise or movement in the corner against the window. He stared out the glass, contemplating his work for the weekend, as well as mulling over what Yukine had said. They knew where my business was, he thought. Ueno, the shoddiest place in Tokyo. When the hell did the gossip in the middle school get so accurate?

Hiyori walked into the classroom, eyes running over the crowded room. She spotted him- Kogami Yato- sitting in the seat behind hers, and she paced over. She noticed his slumped posture and his defeated, lost gaze as he stared out the window. He looks so lonely, she thought, her lips falling into a frown. She sat down in her seat, turning to face him. "Kogami-san?" Hiyori called.

Yato recognized the same voice of the girl who sat in front of him- the girl with the pink eyes. Yato took a deep breath before meeting her gaze. "Yesterday, you dropped your pencil case," she mumbled, reaching into her leather satchel. His gaze was fixated on her movements. "Here it is!" She fiddled in her bag a second more before pulling out an object- his pencil case. She handed it to him, smiling in an effort to cheer him up. "Also, that capyper pencil is really cute. There's an amusement park for that in Tokyo, right?"

She didn't notice his Adam's apple bobbing against his throat. "Yeah, it's..." he trailed off. His mind was blank. Why was he so nervous? "In Tokyo." He supposed it was because no one had ever really- approached him. She would learn of the rumors soon enough, though. That'll keep her away, he scoffed.

"Excuse me," a disgruntled voice called. The two turned to look up at Mr. Tenjin, looming over the pair. "I'm sorry for bothering you two, but I wanted to speak with you before class started."

"Yeah?" Yato responded, resting his head in the palm of his hand. Mr. Tenjin narrowed his eyes at him with disapproval.

Hiyori's eyes widened. "Are we in trouble?" she gulped.

"No, of course not, Iki-san," Mr. Tenjin replied, smiling with wrinkles lining his eyes. Yato kept note of how the old teacher hadn't included him in the comment. "I'd just like to have someone to welcome you to the school, introduce you to the buildings- you being new to the area and everything. Could you do that for me, Kogami-kun?"

"Huh?" Yato furrowed his brows. "Why me?"

Mr. Tenjin glared at him. An unspoken exchange passed between their eyes. "I'm sure you know very well, why, Kogami-san. I thought it would be a great idea for you to help out Ms. Iki around the school."

Yato glared back, before letting out a loud breath. "All right," he rolled his eyes. "What do I have to do?"

"Just give her a tour of the school, answer any questions she has. You two will be excused during today's homeroom, so you can leave in a couple of minutes," Mr. Tenjin spoke. He coughed behind his raised hand, attracting Hiyori's attention. "Do be careful, Iki-san." With a quick side-eye to the confused girl, he ambled away. Hiyori watched his retreating back as he returned to the front of the classroom.

"That old geezer," she heard Yato mutter behind her.

"What was he just talking about?" Hiyori inquired, turning back to Yato once more. "Be careful of what?"

He averted his gaze to the floor. He forced himself to look at her again and narrowed his eyes at her. "Nothing."

Hiyori felt a slight chill crawl down her spine at his threatening glare. She opened her lips part way, but paused- she couldn't think of what to say in response. She watched him pull out his cellphone, glancing at the screen for a second before groaning and leaning back in his seat. He clicked his phone off and threw it down on his desk. After what felt like minutes, but what were really a few seconds, she forced herself to speak. "Wait, but," she stammered, catching his attention. "A tour..."

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. Of course, this girl was persistent. "Give me a minute."

"So, this is the front of the school building," Yato stated, pointing to the main entrance of the school. He turned to a tall, metal fence that crossed the grounds of the courtyard. "And this chain link fence is the barrier that separates the brats from the middle school from our high school territory."

The pair stood in front of the deserted school grounds. Hiyori let her gaze sweep across the courtyard, where the gushing of the fountain and chirping of sparrows disturbed the silence. She breathed out in awe. "This is beautiful," she marveled. "My old school in the countryside can't even compare." She allowed a small smile to tug at her lips as she reminisced in the past.

"Yeah?" Yato responded. He tilted his head to the side, looking at her. "Well, this school does receive a decent amount of the city's taxpayers' money, as well as the state's." He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms behind his neck. "Whatever, that's not important. Follow me."

He strolled down the paved stone walkway, and she followed close behind him. Cherry blossom trees lined the path, their branches fluttering with the breath of the wind. One particular cherry blossom petal flittered about, catching in Yato's hair, which he failed to notice.

"Oh, um, Kogami-san," she spoke, reaching over to pluck it out of his dark locks. "A petal-" As soon as her fingers brushed against his head, however, he forcefully batted her away, eyes flashing. She cried out, grasping her hand. His limbs paused in midair as he realized what he had done.

"Oh- I'm sorry," Yato stumbled, dropping his arms. He took an unsure step away from her. "Just instinct-"

"No, it's fine," Hiyori gulped, before giving him a tight smile. "I'm sorry. I know some people hate being touched. I should've given warning-"

"N-no, really, it's my fault," he muttered, letting his gaze fall to the ground. A scowl marred his face. The atmosphere felt thick, as though their previous words hung in the air, immobile.

"Hey, Yato!" a voice called, making the two jump, shattering the tension. The two turned to look at the source of the noise. From across the metal fence that separated the middle school from the high school, a blond boy in a dark middle school uniform ran towards the fence, panting as he neared them. His top two buttons remained undone, matching his shabby trousers that were matted with wrinkles.

"Yukine!" Yato shouted. "It's time for class! What are you doing here?" Noticing the precarious situation, he tried to hide Hiyori behind him.

"I could say the same for you! Why are you skipping homeroom?" the boy demanded, placing a hand on his hip. "And this is the new girl you were talking about?" he inquired, peeking at the girl.

Yato caught Hiyori's stare, and a light blush crawled up his cheeks. "We're not skipping, and- Yukine! She's not- I never said-"

"Hm," the younger boy muttered, resting a hand to his chin. "I suppose she's a good choice. Nice ra-"

"Yukine!" Yato cried, slamming against the metal barrier that shook the grating with a terrible screeching noise. "You're such a perverted kid!" He continued to shake the fence, covering up Yukine's comments on the "new girl's" appearance.

Hiyori neared the fence. "Kogami-san, maybe you should stop," she spoke, breaking their bickering. "And you, too," she stated, looking at the middle schooler, who paused, blinking. Hiyori raised a hand to place on Yato's shoulder, but halted as soon as she remembered what had just happened minutes ago. Yato noticed her hesitation, tightening his fist around the metal links. Hiyori sighed. "You two are just being very noisy, and someone might hear us..."

"Oh, she's a total keeper," Yukine rubbed his finger under the bridge of his nose, grinning. "I like her."

Hiyori's brows knit in confusion, before her cheeks turned rosy as she realized the implication. "Wait, I-"

"Yukine, stop being a little prick," Yato grumbled. Yukine was about to start yelling again, though he faltered when Yato heaved a sigh, leaning against the fence that produced a creak in protest. Yukine frowned, and Hiyori peered at his defeated form.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Kogami-san, are you okay?"

Hiyori and Yukine faced each other, mouths parted in surprise at their overlapping words of concern.

"Wait, hold up," Yukine stated, waving away Yato's slouching frame. "You- ah, girl- what's your name?"

"I-I'm Iki Hiyori," she responded. "And you are...?"

"Yukine, don't-" Yato began.

"Sagami Yukine," he answered with a grin, cutting off Yato. "Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand but halted in midair, remembering he couldn't shake her hand through the fence. He chuckled, and Hiyori responded with a light giggle.

Yato sighed as he watched the exchange. "Hey, it's nice of you two to be all goody-goody and all, but ah- Iki, we gotta get back to class soon," Yato ordered, regaining his posture once more. "Tenjin'll get you in trouble too, if we're late."

"Aw, jealous, Yato?" Yukine jeered, smirking.

Yato scowled at Yukine. "Get back to class, Yukine. Stop cutting homeroom," Yato huffed, turning to Hiyori. "Let's go, now."

"Wait! Iki- ah, I can call you Hiyori, right?" Yukine asked with a light smile, gaining Hiyori's attention. He ignored Yato's deepening glare. Hiyori nodded. "Hiyori, I actually needed a tutor for this weekend-"

"No, Yukine-"

"Can you do that for me? This Saturday?" Yukine cut in.

To both of the boys' surprise, and to Yato's horror, Hiyori gasped, grabbing the fence. "Really? Oh my gosh! That's perfect! I'd love to tutor you!"

Yukine grinned. "Really? Awesome! I can-"

Yato muttered under his breath, reaching to cup his forehead with his hand.

"Hey! What was that?" Yukine yelled, throwing himself against the metal fence.

"It's all right, Yukine-kun," Hiyori answered, trying to stop the two from fighting again. "I think I'm all right in most subjects. What subject do you need tutoring for?"

"Math- geometry, specifically," he replied.

"Oh, that's great! I was good at that. Can I have your, or your mother's phone number, to set it up?" Hiyori asked.

"Of course, of course," Yukine nodded. "Yato, you can give her that, right?" He shook the fence a little, getting Yato's attention.

"Yeah, I'll give it to her," he bit out, avoiding facing either of them.

Yukine tucked his arms to his chest, narrowing his eyes, though a smile tugged at his lips. He grunted in response and marched away.

"It was nice meeting you, Yukine-kun!" Hiyori called. Yukine raised an arm in a parting salute.

Yato averted his eyes from the scene. "Let's go back," he demanded, hurrying ahead of her.

"W-Wait up!" Hiyori called, chasing after him. "You need to give me his contact information!"

"I know, I'll give it to you in class, after," he muttered, taking short, quick strides down the central path, headed for the main entrance.

"Wait, Kogami-san," Hiyori spoke. "I want to ask you something-"

"Don't ask me about anything," Yato snapped, facing her. "Stop meddling in my life."

Hiyori halted, her eyes widening. "I-I didn't mean to," she stammered, gripping her sleeves.

"It's not your fault," Yato took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. He turned to face her. "You meeting me was a terrible coincidence, so take advantage of the fact that it's just a coincidence, and don't talk to me." He started walking again, Hiyori trailing him until they entered the building. "Stupid Yukine," he muttered. "Going and messing around with everything. I shouldn't've let him offer a tutoring job, let alone meet her-"

"No!" Hiyori cried, making Yato jump. "Sorry, that was loud. It's just- I really needed some money for some- personal problems, and an opportunity to babysit was perfect for me." She smiled. "Meeting Yukine-kun; and you, too, Kogami-san, was a good coincidence, not a bad one!"

His eyes widened, and he became aware of a rhythmic pounding within his chest. Though the sound of the piercing bell rang throughout the halls of the school, calling herds of students to leave their classrooms, he couldn't find it in himself to move. Her words played over and over throughout his mind like a broken record;

Meeting you was a good coincidence. Meeting you, Kogami-san, was a good coincidence.

"Hiyori!" a female voice called down the hallway. Hiyori turned away from Yato to find Yama and Ami running towards her. "Hiyori, what are you doing-"

The two girls came to a stop. They noticed Yato standing by Hiyori, his face conveying his slight bewilderment. The two parties stared each other down, though Yato only stared at Yama, a look of recollection passing over both of their faces. A few seconds passed- and Yato's expression faded, as he backed away to leave the scene. His form quickly blended into the mass of the students.

"What was that, Hiyori?" Yama whispered. "Why were you just talking to- him?"

"Um," she offered, staring off in the direction that he had left in. She didn't notice Yama's odd emphasis on the subject in question. "Well, our homeroom teacher told him to give me a tour of the school, so-"

"Why was he looking at you like that, though?" Ami interjected. "Kogami- I've never seen him with an expression like that. He usually looks really- not there."

"What do you mean?" Hiyori asked. "Do you know Kogami-san?"

"Do I know him? Who doesn't?" Ami countered. "Everyone at this school knows him."

"What?" Hiyori's brows furrowed. "Why? Is he famous?"

"Famous? No," Ami responded, shaking her head. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, lowering her voice. "If anything, he's the opposi-"

Yama fell into a coughing fit beside them, making Ami pause and look at her friend with concern.

"What's wrong, Yama?" Hiyori asked.

"N-nothing, just," she hacked, leaning over. "Ehem. Ah, Ami let's go back to class."

"What? Why?" Ami frowned, glancing back and forth between her two friends. "It's no where near the end of the ten minute break, and we can't just leave Hiyori alone-"

"I think I forgot my phone in there," Yama insisted, pulling on Ami's sleeve. "I really have to go! Sorry, Hiyori, it's urgent!"

"It's fine!" Hiyori smiled, thinking nothing of the interruption. She waved at the two girls. "Go look for your phone, Yama-chan."

"See? She's fine with it, let's go!" Yama tugged on Ami's arm once more.

Ami sighed, relenting to Yama's demands. She glanced back at Hiyori once more before being dragged off by Yama into the mass of the student body.

Yama continued to pull Ami's arm through the crowded hallway. "Why did you tell her?" Yama demanded, pacing down the hall next to Ami, occasionally bumping into other students.

"Huh? Tell her what?" Ami asked.

"About Kogami," she emphasized. "You almost told her the rumors!"

Ami's brows furrowed. "Yeah? And why is that bad?"

"Don't tell her anything about that kid. I have a plan, and she can't know anything about his past."

A/N: mini cliffhanger *7*

I have a lot to ramble about, so here goes nothing;

First of all, I'm kind of nervous about my characterization and syntax in this chapter. If anyone has any suggestions/critiques, please go ahead and tell me!

Also, thank you guys so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! :D They really made my day/week. I know I'm guilty of never reviewing stories that much, so those of you who reviewed, thank you! It motivates me to review other stories as well, and to keep writing this story. I'm sorry for not responding to some/not responding earlier due to problems on this site, but they're fixed now ^^

Another thing- did anyone else read ch.62 that was just released for Noragami? Damnn. If you haven't, go read it! (I reblogged translated scans on my noragami blog, check out my profile for the link. that totally isn't a plug lmao.) I won't reveal anything, but… Hiyori, Fujisaki, Yato, Adachitoka… why. WHY do you enjoy tormenting us?!

Yet another thing: I watched Owari no Seraph recently (awesome series, go watch it). Guren is *hot* as hell, I ship MikaYuu pretty hard and I also made a sideblog for it (profile(notaplug)). Since I'm bilingual, I was thinking I could translate some of the manga chapters, and I found out that the anime ends pretty much right at the end of the most recent chapter of the manga, and the next chapter is being released January 11! I was already planning on doing this for my friend (sup Malla!), but if anyone is interested in reading the manga, I'm going to translate it from Japanese to English. I'll probably post that on my OnS sideblog on Monday Jan 11, so feel free to check that out. (This is provided that I can find the raws somewhere, which I'm sure I will be able to do.)

Okay, that was a super long author's note. I don't even know if I'm allowed to plug other sites that much, but meh, I'm not linking anything so I assume it's fine.

Have a great day, and see you next week! :D I love all you guys, even the silent readers =)