Chapter 9: A Double Crossing

"I'm home!" Hiyori called out, slipping off her shoes by the heels. She set her bookbag down to take her light jacket off and hang it up, and then stepping up onto the wooden floor of her hallway. Hiyori smiled at the slightly run down yellow sneakers besides hers.

Hiyori paced down the hall, heading through the foyer and into her home towards the entrance of the bathroom. She went inside, glancing again at her own reflection. She didn't look like herself; the dark, purple shadows behind her eyes, the black line that ran down her eyelid behind her eyelashes, and the rosy cheeks she had been adorned with. It only served to remind her of the uncomfortable double date, and Kinomoto's grin.

She reached for the make-up removal wipes in the cubby behind the mirror, where she knew her mother often kept makeup related items. Hiyori pulled out a wet wipe, and patted it across her eyes, cringing at the dark, splotchy, and wet marks left behind in the mirror. She reached to wipe at them harder, until there was no longer any streaks of black or purple left.

She clapped her cheeks, rubbing at the soreness left by the make-up wipes. She wondered if this soreness was something all women experienced after applying makeup to themselves.

She shook her head. Now was not the time. Hiyori left the bathroom, and headed over towards her bedroom, which the door was slightly open.

"Yukine-kun? I'm home!" Hiyori called out once more, cocking her head at the unexpected silence. He should've responded by now; maybe he was asleep? She squinted through her doorway, but only being able to see her wall, she opened her door all the way.

Hiyori paused, and breathed out. Yukine was asleep on the floor, having put a few futon pillows together to create a makeshift bed besides the desk. He was passed out with his mouth slightly open, and Hiyori couldn't suppress a small giggle that escaped her lips. He certainly looked endearing.

That was, until, the smell.

Hiyori's eyes widened. It was that smell. That cursed, terrible smell. She glanced up towards the window; it was slightly open, but when she walked towards it, the smell became fainter.

A chill ran down her back. There was no way it could be coming from Yukine, could it?

She glanced back at Yukine on the floor, craning her neck slowly, as if she might alert a slumbering beast with just a single movement.

It was that smell. That smell that she had hated for so long.

Amnesia. Panic attacks. Slightly overly temperamental. Anxiety.

Hiyori shook her head. It couldn't be- it couldn't be, unless she got an answer from Yukine directly. She couldn't make assumptions.

She took quiet, and yet still heavy steps towards Yukine. Her heart pounded audibly in her chest. She felt nauseous. "Yukine-kun," Hiyori whispered, putting a hand to his shoulder. She almost gagged at the stench. For a moment, she wondered if it would be heavy enough for Masaomi to smell when he got home. "Yukine-kun," Hiyori repeated, louder this time.

A groan. Yukine moaned again, shifting over so he was facing upwards instead of the floor. "Yukine-kun," Hiyori repeated, more emphatically. She shook his shoulders. "Yukine-kun!"

"What? Huh," Yukine groaned again, scratching his eyes. His breath caught, and he began to cough. They were hacking, loud coughs that made Hiyori cringe. "Oh, Hiyori. You're back."

"Did you see my message, Yukine-kun?" Hiyori asked, unable to meet his eyes, though he didn't seem particularly interested in doing so, either. "I'm sorry, I was busy with... friends."

She felt Yukine's eyes burn into the side of her head, and she took the opportunity to meet his eyes with her own fierce gaze. "Yukine-kun, can you be honest with me?"

Yukine's eyes wavered, but only for a moment. "Yeah."

"Were you smoking?" Hiyori asked, leaning forwards. Yukine's gaze dropped, and he stared at the floor. "Yukine-kun, please be honest with me, I only want to-"

"Help out? Is that what you want to do?" Yukine asked, his voice low but deadly, in a tone she had never heard before. She gulped. "Even if I smoked, what? What are you gonna do about it?" Hiyori could only stare at him. Her chest ached. "I said, what are you going to do about it?!"

"Yukine-kun-"

"Stop saying my name like that!" Yukine cried, slamming his fist into the table. Hiyori jumped. She stared at the legs of the table that had shifted slightly. "Why don't you just- argh!"

Yukine jumped up, pacing the front of the room. "Yukine-kun, please!" Hiyori pleaded, standing up herself. "I can smell it on you, Yukine-kun. Please don't lie to me."

"Screw off," Yukine muttered, glaring at the floor. His fists were tight, and Hiyori gripped her own tight, as well. "Just screw off, Hiyori," he said, louder this time.

"Yukine-kun, don't talk to me like that," Hiyori said, her voice losing the pleasant intonation. "Show me some respect."

"Oh, just because you're older than me, you get to tell me how to live my life, don't you!" Yukine shouted, looking Hiyori in the eyes this time. His eyes burned with anger, and they had welled up with tears. Hiyori's eyes widened. Yukine's fists were shaking. "You just get to tell me what to do, even though you don't know anything about me at all!" His voice had risen to a fever pitch. "You even lied to me about what you were doing, when you were out on some date! And that you want to date Yato! You lie to me, just like him!"

"Yukine-kun," Hiyori stated, taking a deep breath. "I don't know how-"

"You two would be perfect together, as such liars!" Yukine shouted, taking a step towards Hiyori. "You know, the perfect-"

Slap.

The sound rang like a bell throughout her wooden-floored room. The chime of a dirty, sullied bell.

Hiyori's palm burned. Yukine was staring at the floor, his head turned to the side. She couldn't see his expression, with the way he was facing the ground. "You don't talk to me that way," Hiyori asserted, taking a firm stance. "You're being really rude, Yukine-kun. You know I care for you." She noticed his shoulders jerk a bit, and pressed on. "I know you have things that frustrate you. And, they're perfectly fine things to be upset about; but, that doesn't mean you get to take it out on other people who aren't causing it."

Yukine remained silent, not moving until he took a knee to the floor. He was still facing the floor, not meeting her eyes in any way, so Hiyori continued. "Please, Yukine-kun, tell me the truth."

Yukine muttered something under his breath. "I…"

"What is it, Yukine-kun?" Hiyori asked, again.

"I'm sorry, I… guess," Yukine whispered in a voice quieter than she had ever heard from him. "I hate when I yell like that."

Hiyori's eyes narrowed in understanding, and she tried to give an encouraging smile. The smell still hung in the air, like a leechful reminder of what he hadn't admitted. "Thank you for apologizing, Yukine-kun, but you didn't answer my question, still."

"Okay, okay," Yukine said, raising his hands in the air before him and meeting her gaze for just a second. "I did… smoke. But, only a little bit, so it's okay."

Hiyori's eyes widened, and the smile that had been growing across her lips disappeared. Hearing it said, especially in that blase way, made her fact hot in that same way as when that Kinomoto guy had expected another date, and said so in such a pressuring environment that invited her agreement.

The smell. It was so heavy.

"Yukine-kun," Hiyori spoke, catching his attention. She didn't know where to start. "You're young. It's illegal. How do you have cigarettes?"

Yukine looked down, assumedly unhappy with her own less-than-happy tone. "I mean- I just got it from a friend, it wasn't a big deal, or anything."

Hiyori stared at Yukine in such a way that made him grip at his jeans. His fists were paling, and so was his countenance. "Yukine, what you're doing is illegal. What you're doing will end up killing you prematurely, most likely, just like it killed my father, and it's most likely causing, or at least aggravating, your amnesia and panic attacks." Hiyori felt a slight sense of justification at the fear that she had injected into his eyes. "How much do you smoke a week?"

"A week? Well…" Yukine paused, staring at the ground. Hiyori thought she could almost see him sweating. "I don't know. Maybe a pack or two."

Hiyori hadn't expected the sudden wave of nausea, and she had to use the table to stabilize herself. A pack or two.

"Hiyori, um, are you-"

"A pack or two?" Hiyori stared at the floor, reminiscing. That was the answer her father had often gave in defense of his actions, too, before…

"Don't worry about it, Hiyori, I'm still pretty young, and stuff," Yukine blabbered on, waving his hands in the air. "I mean, it's all good, my friends do it and stuff-"

"You're in middle school!" Hiyori cried, unable to stop the welling of tears at her eyes, nor the waterfall that began to pour from them. She pawed at her eyes blindly, trying to press on without hiccuping. "You're so young, Yukine-kun! How could you start so early?"

"Well, I mean-"

"Does Yato even know? Does your mother know?" Hiyori charged on, her eyes filling with a blazing sadness. "How could you do this to yourself? How could you surround yourself with friends like that? Why did you even start?!"

"I-"

"I thought you were such a nice boy, Yukine-kun," Hiyori said, her gaze faltering. She couldn't see her room so well with the tears in her eyes. Everything was blurry. "This is so upsetting."

It was after a long silence that his voice broke it. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I care for you," Hiyori whispered. All she could hear was the faint hum of the fan in her bedroom, and some honking down in the streets below. The room was hot, and she felt dizzy. "It hurts to see someone I care for using a substance like this to numb themselves."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Hiyori said, gazing despondently off to the edge of the table. She grabbed a clementine peel that Yukine must have left on the table, and stood up to throw it away in her trash can. "I know how it works, Yukine-kun, and it hurts me to see you like this."

"I… I don't know what to say," Yukine mumbled. He fell into a coughing fit, and Hiyori tapped his back lightly. Reassuringly so. "I'm so… pissed off, at everything, and I just get so mad sometimes, and I just need to use a hit… And I hate it so much, and I hate the smell, but I just can't stop anymore, Hiyori," Yukine begged. "Please, help me. You're trying to become a doctor, aren't you?"

"Yukine-kun," Hiyori said, reaching around to hug him. "Thank you for being honest with me. I really appreciate it." She smiled at him, through her tears, and noticed the pink rim around his eyes. "I can help you."

The tears in Yukine's eyes began to fall, slowly, and Hiyori embraced him, letting them wet the front of her t-shirt. She didn't mind; she minded more so about how Yukine felt.

It was after a while of sobbing that Yukine began to calm down. It was well past five P.M. by that point, and Hiyori decided that they'd cancel tutoring for just that day, and to tell his mother that he had cancelled tutoring, so that she didn't have to pay Hiyori.

"And, Yukine-kun," Hiyori started, taking a breath, and letting her shoulders fall. "I think you should go back to your own home after this, soon. To Yato."

"Wait, but-"

"And," Hiyori emphasized, putting a hand down on the table. Yukine's audible gulp didn't go unnoticed to her. "I want you to talk to Yato about this."

"Hiyori! I can't do that," Yukine shook his head fiercely, sweat dripping past his brow. "There's no way. There's no way I can tell Yato this. I'll quit by myself. I'll quit smoking."

"Yukine-kun," Hiyori started, sharing with him a sad expression. "He can help you, trust-"

"Help me? Are you kidding?" Yukine demanded, putting his hands palm up in the air, making an isn't-it-obvious gesture. "He'd destroy me! He'd absolutely kill me. Oh, god, that makes me wanna die just thinking about it."

"Yukine-kun," Hiyori sighed. It felt like today had been a day where she'd sighed too many times. "Please. He'd be angry initially, but then he'd help you. I mean, he is supposed to care for you, after all, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Which by the way, the amnesia and the panic attacks are being exacerbated by the smoking, Yukine-kun," Hiyori stated, locking eyes with him. "It's relatively basic medical knowledge that smoking is harmful in every way, not just physical ways in the distant future."

"I mean," Yukine stumbled on his words, looking from side to side of the room. "I mean… I don't know."

Hiyori watched him, and put her hand to his shoulder. "You're very bright, and have a great future ahead of you," Hiyori said. Yukine's watery eyes met hers. "We just don't want you to hurt yourself like this."

Yukine sighed, and pulled out an object from his coat pocket. Hiyori's eyes widened at the sight. It was a lighter and a half-full box of cigarettes.

"Here," Yukine said, putting it on the table, staring at the objects, too. "I don't want it anymore."

"Thank you, Yukine-kun," Hiyori said, pulling the items towards herself on the table. "But, I don't want you to quit out of guilt. I want you to quit because you want to." She combed fingers through her hair, thinking of how to phrase her words. "And, it's very difficult to quit all of a sudden. Aside, from the chemical addiction, which only technically lasts a few days, there's also the habitual addiction. That's what's difficult to get over."

"Huh…" Yukine stared at her, eyes empty with lack of understanding.

Hiyori laughed a little at his naivete, despite the darkness of their topic. "Yato-kun and I can help you, but it'll be really hard." Hiyori patted Yukine's shoulder again. "But, trust me, I'm used to this kind of thing."

"Huh?" Yukine turned to face her, but Hiyori had turned to organize the textbooks on the desk.

"I'll start making dinner, Yukine-kun," Hiyori said, straightening her skirt. "Let's talk afterwards about it."

"What about your parents? Or, um, your mom?" Yukine asked.

"Oh, she's… at the hospital, right now," Hiyori said, chuckling awkwardly. "She's a bit sick."

"What?! Is she okay? Do you know when she'll be back?" Yukine followed up, biting his lip.

"I don't really want to talk about that right now," Hiyori smiled wearily. "I'll get started on dinner. It'll be curry, today, okay?"

"Hiyori-"

Before Yukine could finish, the door to the bedroom had already closed. He could hear her footsteps as she headed to the kitchen.

He sighed, staring at the cigarette box, and lighter on the table.

"Iki Hiyori, and... Kogami Yato. You two are partners for today's biology project." Tenjin called, reading down the list alphabetically. He looked between the two, a smile awarded to one, and a glare to the other. "I assume you'll be working well together."

Hiyori sat up straighter, turning back in her seat to glance at Yato in the seat behind hers. He gave her a shady glance, before looking out of the window.

Ever since Yukine had stayed at her house, Yato had coldly regarded her in class, but at times would show something akin to warming up to her. She wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Thinking of the way in which he might regard Yukine's new issue with smoking made her back run a bit cold- but she knew they cared about each other as friends. Yato wouldn't get too upset, hopefully.

Tenjin released the class to begin working on their projects, and Hiyori turned around in her chair to face Yato. "Kogami-san," she started. "I think we could start working together, in the library."

"I guess, sure," Yato answered, standing up. He heaved a sigh, gathering his work and putting it at his side. They headed out of the room into the hall, past bright windows that poured in sunshine. Outside, Hiyori could see students in lines as they participated in phys ed. activities, and hear their cries as they voiced the standard posture customs. Their footsteps echoed throughout the hall.

After a long silence, it was Yato who broke it. "How's… Yukine?"

Hiyori turned quickly to Yato. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again. "He's okay," she said, swallowing down the guilt she felt. "He's sleeping on the floor of my room, on a futon bed."

"Your room," Yato repeated. His eyes narrowed at the floor they passed. "Interesting."

"You know, about Yukine-kun," Hiyori started softly, turning to Yato. "How did you two meet?"

Yato didn't answer for a few seconds. Just as Hiyori began to scratch the side of her lip, wondering if she should push the topic further, Yato answered. "I used to be his tutor," Yato began, refusing to meet her eyes. "And he had medical problems, so his mother asked me to help him out, since I was older and knew him well."

"Oh," Hiyori said, glancing down. "So, do you know anything about his friends?"

"Not really," Yato answered, before giving her an odd look. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing!" Hiyori said, waving her hands before her. "I was just, um, curious..."

"Huh."

"Oh, we're here!" They had arrived at the school library, which was decorated with some cherry blossom graphics and cutouts around the perimeter of the doorway. It was relatively empty, save for a few students studying in between classes. "Do you have any preferences on where you'd like to sit?"

Yato shook his head, and so Hiyori led them through a small maze of bookcases to a brightly lit, small corner with a simple wooden table and cushioned chairs. Nobody was nearby. "This works," Hiyori said, showing a hand to one of the tables near the windows. "This is one of my favorite places to study."

"Hm," Yato hummed, pulling out a chair for himself to sit on. "Studying. Funny."

"Well, you must be smart to be able to tutor somebody, right?" Hiyori asked, before biting her lip. "I mean…"

"Sure, sure," Yato brushed his hands in the air, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. "He's a dumb little middle schooler. Easy enough to teach for some cash."

Hiyori banged her books down on the table, harder than she had expected to. "Kogami-san, are you really taking care of Yukine-kun properly?" Hiyori asked, gripping her fist tightly. Something about the way he had answered her question had pushed her buttons the wrong way. "He doesn't seem very happy, and the way you speak about him isn't very respectful."

"What do you know, Iki?" Yato demanded, matching her glare. "Just because you're getting all chummy with some middle school kid, doesn't mean you know anything about him."

Hiyori's glare deepened. The cigarettes, the near fistfight, the amnesia. That wasn't the life of somebody who was happy.

"I think that I'm learning more about him than you have, Kogami-san," Hiyori whispered. "I know you two are friends, but he seems lonely."

Yato heaved a sigh, plunking himself down in his chair. "You're perceptive, you know?" Yato said. Hiyori also took the break in tension to sit down. "I don't get it. You make me…"

"Make you…" Hiyori tried to continue.

Yato shook his head. "No, nevermind. I was just going to agree with you that Yukine is lonely, but I just don't know what to do about it." He brushed a finger under the bridge of his nose. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"Well, I'd be happy to help out," Hiyori said, giving a small, albeit genuine smile. "I'm trying to help out Yukine-kun, too, with tutoring him, and his anxiety issues at times, but I can also help you out."

Yato glanced her way, and she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes. She wasn't sure what it was, but it disappeared before she could identify it.

"That's dangerous for you to do," Yato repeated the warning again- the same warning from the first few days of school.

Hiyori's fist tightened on her school skirt. "Why do you keep saying these cryptic things?" She pressed, leaning in. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I understand, but… those bruises— those aren't normal, Kogami-san-"

"Normal? Of course I know they're not normal," Yato bit out, before relaxing his shoulders slightly. "Sorry, I just… Ugh. I can't let you help me too much. You're too… nice."

Yato's expression was pinched, and kind of embarrassed, and Hiyori felt her face go a little hot. She tried to shake away the warmer temperature, and put her hands to her textbooks. "I guess we should get started on the project for biology…"

"Yeah, let's do that." Yato said, covering his forehead with his forearm, not meeting her eyes.

Almost an hour had passed by the time they got past a relatively large portion of the project regarding ecological forest behaviors. However, they still had much of the project to go through before completion.

"We're not even close to done, ugh," Yato complained, hanging back in his chair. "This is such a waste of time."

"Well, at least we got through some of the tough parts," Hiyori tried to say, smiling. "Mr. Tenjin didn't say we'd get any more class time to work on this, right? Would I be able to have your phone number so we could communicate about it outside of class?"

"Oh, uh," Yato hesitated, nodding. "Yeah, sure."

Hiyori gave Yato her phone and watched as he inputted his contact information. He handed it back to her, and she took a quick glance at the screen, just to make sure he'd put in the correct information.

"Thank you," Hiyori said, nodding. "I'll message you so you have my number, and so we can collaborate on what to do next." She thought for a second. "Actually, since tomorrow is another tutoring day for Yukine-kun, would you like to study afterwards?"

"Huh?" Yato asked. "What do you mean? You want me to come to your place?"

"What? Oh! I mean," Hiyori stammered, caught in her plan. "I meant, at Yukine-kun's house."

"What, you're gonna go to your house, tutor him, then come to Yukine's and then work on the project?" Yato clarified.

Hiyori shook her head. "No, I mean… if we all just did the work at Yukine-kun's house. If he came back."

"He's coming back?" Yato blinked. "What, did he get tired of sleeping over at a girl's place?"

"No! Kogami-san, that's so childish," Hiyori chided, her face growing warmer at the suggestion. "I just suggested he should go back."

"Really," Yato said, staring at her. There was that strange light in his eyes again, Hiyori noticed. "Th-"

Bzz. The sound of the school bell rang through the library, cutting off Yato from what he'd been about to say. Students began to pack up and converse as they did so throughout the room.

"Were you about to say something?" Hiyori asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No, nevermind," Yato brushed off. "I'll see you and Yukine tomorrow, then."

"Mhmm," Hiyori nodded. She began to pack her books into a pile, when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. It was Yama.

Akira Yamashita: Hiyori. The Kinomoto guy won't stop texting me about you. Help.

Hiyori sighed at her screen, and started to type a response back. Yato stared at her, inspectively.

Iki Hiyori: Yama! Just ignore him or tell him off, please… I'm not interested in him. I don't know why he'd be so interested in me still!

"Did something happen?" Yato asked, having finished packing up his paperwork and books. Hiyori still had a few left in progress.

"Oh, no, um," Hiyori said, looking away from Yato. She felt strange, for some reason, being honest with Yato. "This guy won't stop bothering my friend about me."

Yato's expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

"I, uh…" Hiyori stammered, itching her temple. "Went on a double date, and the guy wants to keep in contact with me. He's been bothering my friend about it, who set it up."

"Oh," Yato spoke, staring at her. "That thing where your friend burst into class yesterday. How did it go?"

"Oh, so badly," Hiyori chuckled to herself, remembering the way she must've looked to Yama and Shinou, who seemed to notice her condition at the table. "Yama-chan, my friend, dragged me to this ramen place and put make-up on me, and everything. It was so embarrassing."

"Huh," Yato managed with a small grin. "Did some noodles hit you in the face or something while you were slurping them?"

"Excuse- what-"

"Or, did you try and play footsie with some guy, but then do it with the wrong guy's foot?"

"Kogami-san! I did no such thing!" Hiyori defended, face growing red at the sudden turn of topic. "I meant that I didn't have any fun, and I wasn't interested in the guys!"

Yato, still laughing from his unexpected quips, struggled to compose himself. "It was a genuine question. Smart, nerdy girl who can't really pick up guys that well… Seems like it might happen, you know?"

Hiyori glowered at him as they started to head out of the library. "How elementary of you, Kogami-san," Hiyori rolled her eyes. "I didn't expect you to be like this at all."

Yato cocked his head to the side. "Expect me to be like what?"

Hiyori turned her gaze up, staring at the ceiling tiles and lights as they walked. "I mean, joking around so suddenly, and stuff. I wouldn't expect it from you."

"I guess," Yato offered, shrugging his shoulders and facing forwards. "Sometimes it's the things you don't expect from people, you know."

"I guess so," Hiyori agreed. "You've helped me a few times already, so on top of being kind, I can see you're pretty funny, too!"

As Hiyori continued some small talk about the project, Yato was glad that she was too busy chatting to notice the pink color that had risen in his cheeks, that he was almost certain was there.

A/N: Let me know what you think in the reviews, if you have time! c: