"Happy birthday, Hiyori!" Hiyori's parents were both at the bottom of the stairs and ambushed her with hugs. She was surprised because her father wasn't usually the type to show a lot of affection but even he gave her a hug.
"Well, it's official! You're an adult now!" Her mother made an exaggerated expression and Hiyori couldn't help but giggle.
"It's funny, I don't feel like an adult," Hiyori said.
"And you never will, that's the running joke," her father laughed.
Hiyori and her mother laughed along with him. It made her feel better that her parents seemed to understand how she was feeling. When you're a kid, you dream about growing up and doing grown-up things. Then one day you're there and suddenly you wish you could go back to being that daydreaming child.
"You're brother's last year in high school was rough too," her mother said. "He turned eighteen before most of his classmates but still had an entire year of school left. All his friends begged him to take them places or buy them things since they still couldn't. He did get annoyed. Hopefully that doesn't happen with you."
Hiyori didn't mind being one of the older students in her grade. Luckily both of her friends were slightly older than her so at least she had that to look forward to. And speaking of friends, today was her birthday dinner. Ami and Yama texted Hiyori until late in the night about how excited they were. The day before they had all gone shopping with Hiyori's mother for dresses. They spent hours at several stores picking out the perfect dresses. Ami wanted something elegant but not flashy. She found a one-shoulder floor-length satin gown in an emerald color and a sleek pair of silver pumps for a "pop" of fun. Yama was the complete opposite. She wanted something shorter and bright. After sifting through several racks she finally agreed on a hot pink cocktail dress with a halter top and covered in mermaid sequins that were pink on one side and silver on the other. She also chose silver shoes but hers were flats because she was already tall enough and didn't want heels to make her taller.
Hiyori struggled most of the day. Her friends had convinced her to buy two dresses for reasons like "you never know" and "just in case" which really puzzled Hiyori because she couldn't imagine why she would need two dresses for one dinner and the snickers they exchanged definitely made her feel like something was up but she didn't ask. Her first dress was an ankle-length form fitting dark-violet colored gown that was strapless with silver trim and floral embellishments across the top and chest area as well as around the bottom. She decided on black heels that were plain with a simple strap that tied around her ankles. The second dress was a little out of her comfort zone but her friends said it fit her perfectly. It was an azure colored bodycon dress that hugged her body tight and barely draped below her bottom. She kept trying to pull it down in the fitting room thinking her butt would fall right out of it. And worst of all, it was covered in glitter. It was backless with a tie halter top and plunging neckline. Once she managed to actually get the minimal piece of fabric on her, she stood in the mirror and gasped.
"You can't be serious!" Hiyori yelped.
"It looks fantastic on you!" Yama chimed.
"You're an adult now! It's ok to dress like one, too!" Ami added.
"You two can't possibly be seeing what I'm seeing!" Hiyori continued. "I don't even have big enough boobs for this dress! Where in the world would this possibly be acceptable to wear?! And why am I getting this again?"
"Because you need a backup!" Yama cheered.
"Every girl needs a party dress in her closet," Ami said. "And not tea parties or dinner parties. Actual parties. It's our last year in high school then it's off to college. Yama and I plan on going to ALL the parties and you definitely need to come too!"
Hiyori exhaled loudly but accepted her fate. She'd buy the dress, stuff it in the back of her closet, and never take it out again. She'd tell Ami and Yama that the washing machine destroyed it. Oops.
Today was the big day. Her friends were coming over soon to get ready together with her. Hiyori wasn't skilled in putting on makeup or doing her hair so Yama said she'd "work her magic". Hiyori shuddered a little at the thought. She hoped Yama didn't go overboard. They'd already convinced her to buy a tacky dress she was never going to wear.
Hiyori ate breakfast quickly and hopped in the bathroom to take a quick shower. She didn't have time for a full-on bath so she hurried to wash her hair and clean up. After drying off as much as she could, she brushed her teeth and put lotion on all over. Before her friends came Hiyori had a nail appointment at a nearby salon so she didn't want to be late. It was one of her mother's presents to her. She wanted Hiyori to get a manicure and pedicure. She'd had it done before a couple of times and enjoyed it but Hiyori was used to being somewhat ordinary so regular trips to salons weren't really her style. Her mother was the opposite. She always had her nails and hair done. Her makeup was always perfect and she always dressed fashionably. It was elegant yet professional.
Hiyori threw on some white cotton shorts and a lilac tank top. She rolled her wet hair into a messy bun and slipped on her favorite sandals before grabbing her clutch purse and heading out the door. The nail salon was only a few blocks away so she decided to just walk. The summer sun was already high in the sky as it was almost noon. She looked at the world around her. Kids played games on the sidewalks as adults tried their best to maneuver around them. Couples walked hand in hand. Birds flocked on the ground searching for food. It was as if time had slowed down finally. Hiyori could actually enjoy her surroundings without worrying about what was lurking around dark corners.
But then, just as she let her guard down, there in the corner of her eye: was that Nora? To her left, across the street in an alley between two stores, she thought she saw her petite, white frame standing there and looking at her. But when she turned to get a better look, there was nothing there. Chills ran down her spine. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know what happened to Nora after the battle. Hiyori had managed to injure her and get her off of her, but she didn't see her there anymore. Without Yato's father to call her back to her human form, how would she have reverted? Where did she go after the fight?
Hiyori wanted to forget about it. She wanted to put it out of her head. It was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Even if Nora had made it out alive, she wasn't nearly as dangerous without Yato's father as her master anymore.
She walked faster now. Anxiety and the familiar feeling of uncertainty crept back into her soul. She didn't want to know if she really saw Nora or not. If Nora was still alive, Hiyori wanted to stay as far away from her as humanly possible.
Before she realized it, she'd reached the salon. She almost passed it because she was walking so fast. Hiyori took a deep breath and tried to relax. This wasn't the day for being stressed out. She would talk to Yato about it tomorrow. As she pushed open the door to the salon, the host greeted her warmly and told her to have a seat and her manicurist would be with her shortly. She didn't wait long before a woman with long black hair that was loosely braided over her shoulder called her back to her station.
As the woman, who Hiyori found was named Megami, labored away at her fingers and toes, Hiyori daydreamed about the dinner later that night. She thought about what it would be like with all of them sitting at a big table together. What would they talk about? None of them have met Yato or Yukine. Would they be uncomfortable around her friends and family? Yato always knew what to say and acted cool. He was perfectly charismatic in that way. Yukine would probably be silent the whole time. Would Yukine even still go? She wondered how he was doing now that Kira had left. She hoped he wasn't too depressed. Yato seemed to break him out of his shell the night before.
Hiyori blushed slightly at the thought of Yato in a suit. What would he look like? She was so used to seeing him in casual clothes. It was strange. Other gods dressed so regal. When Hiyori saw pictures of the gods in textbooks they weren't at all what she saw in Yato. He seemed to defy everything she knew about gods. She wondered what people would do if she knew how gods really were. It had definitely changed her perspective and her demeaner since she had met so many of them personally. Of course, her respect and admiration for Lord Tenjin only grew. She prayed and offered to him regularly and he had been faithful in helping Hiyori pass her classes throughout high school. Yato got jealous from time to time because of how Hiyori awed over Lord Tenjin.
"Why don't you ever pray to me for stuff?" He'd ask enviously.
"Well, most of the time you do things for me without me even having to ask, let alone pray about it," Hiyori replied once.
"Exactly! I should be getting more praise than him! I obviously pay way more attention to you and your safety!" Yato fussed.
Hiyori chuckled at the memory. "Thinking of something funny?" her manicurist asked.
"Yeah, just something someone said once," Hiyori shook her head.
"Boyfriend?" The word sounded so foreign to Hiyori coming from someone else. Would boyfriend even be the right word? Could a god be a boyfriend? It almost sounded like he had been demoted from god to boyfriend.
"Uh, something like that…" Hiyori laughed nervously.
The woman smiled at her. "Love can be complicated sometimes."
Hiyori agreed, especially with the person you love isn't even human. When she was little she rarely pictured herself being with anyone let alone a god. The few times she thought about it, she pictured a regular guy, tall, dark hair, and did well in school like she did. That was really the end of her qualifications. Ami and Yama dreamed of handsome, romantic men with muscles and lots of money. Hiyori supposed a lot of girls dreamed of those types of guys. Yato wasn't very tall or overly muscular despite him being strong. His hair was always in his face and all over the place. And he definitely didn't have a lot of money! But Hiyori didn't seem to care about any of that. She guessed the saying was true: opposites attract.
"Alright, all done!" the woman dusted off her hands.
"Wow, that was fast!" Hiyori didn't even realize how long it had been. She'd been lost in her own thoughts that she had almost forgotten she was at the salon.
"When your mother booked the appointment, she said to do something simple but sweet so I hope you like how it turned out!"
Hiyori looked at her hands and feet. Her fingernails were painted a pearlescent white with tiny gems placed around the base of the nail and a few on the tips. Her toenails matched her fingernails except that her toenails had less gems on them. They were gorgeous.
"Thank you so much!" Hiyori said elated. "They are beautiful! They are simple and sweet!"
"Have fun at your birthday dinner tonight, Hiyori," the woman said and went to the back to start cleaning up.
Hiyori bowed and waved goodbye. She paid at the host desk and left for home. She held her hands up to the sun to watch her nails sparkle in the sunlight. She could get used to this!
Once she was home, Yama and Ami were just heading up the path to her house. "Hey guys!" Hiyori called out to them from behind.
"Hey!" they called back.
She ran up to meet them. "I see you brought your entire rooms," Hiyori said pointing to the large bags both of them had in hand.
"Well yeah!" Yama exclaimed. "We've got a lot to do before tonight!"
"And not a lot of time to do it all so let's hurry up!" Ami ushered them all towards the house.
Once in her room, the girls dumped both bags on the floor and sorted the makeup and the hair supplies.
"Hair first!" Yama said gleefully. She motioned for Hiyori to sit in front of her. Hiyori reluctantly complied. Yama immediately began brushing Hiyori's hair and pulling it back into a French bun. She left strands out around Hiyori's face to curl later. Ami was across from them putting her makeup on first.
"Do you guys think I should do a dark lip?" Ami asked holding up several shade of lipstick.
"You know only the bravest girls wear dark shades!" Yama joked.
"Alright then, that's a yes," Ami joked back.
"What about you Hiyori? What color do you want?" Yama asked.
"I'm more of a lip gloss kind of girl," Hiyori said quietly
"And that's exactly why Yama is doing your makeup," Ami shook her head. "You're lucky. Most girls don't look good just plain. But you always have."
"That's not true!" Hiyori raised her voice. "I've always thought you two were naturally beautiful. You guys always had guys talking to you. I rarely had any guys come up to me in high school."
"That's because you were asleep half the time and the other half you were wondering around town secretly," Yama teased.
"Now that she mentions it, where were you all those times?" Ami asked
Hiyori wasn't sure how to respond. Telling the truth would be practically impossible. In fact, even after they all met him today would she ever be able to tell them? How do you explain that your boyfriend is a former war god? "Well," she started, "it's kind of hard to explain. But I was spending a lot of time with a guy…"
Yama and Ami both gasped. "I knew it!" Ami shouted happily. "I knew you'd never admit to it but I knew it was true all along!"
"Tell us about him!" Yama pleaded.
"You're going to meet him today, actually…" Hiyori's voice got small.
"Yay! We get to meet Hiyori's boyfriend!" Yama squealed. She finished up Hiyori's hair and moved on to makeup. She agreed to keep it somewhat simple for Hiyori, with just a little flare. She used a soft pink color on her eyes and accented it with some silver glitter on the inner corners of her eyes. She picked a pale rosy lip stick that she made even lighter with a glittery lip gloss. After putting on eyeliner and mascara, it was time for Hiyori to put her dress on.
"It's almost time girls!" Hiyori's mom yelled from downstairs.
Luckily, Ami and Hiyori were able to help Yama get her hair and makeup on quickly. Ami and Yama both got in their dresses, doused all three of them in perfume, and headed downstairs.
"Oh my," Hiyori's mother was waiting at the bottom and was taken aback by the sight of the girls, especially her daughter.
"Hun, have you seen my-" Hiyori's father stopped mid-sentence when he saw his daughter. "Oh wow. I guess you really can dress up sometimes" he joked.
Hiyori put her hand on her head and chuckled. "Only you, dad."
"Ok, let's get a few pictures before we head to the restaurant!" Hiyori's mother scooted them all against the wall of the stairs and took a picture of just the girls first, then had her friends take pictures of Hiyori and her parents. "Alright, let's go! We don't want to be late!"
When Hiyori stepped outside, there was a black limo waiting in front of their house. Her eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. "Uh, mom? What is that?"
"Oh hell yeah!" Both Ami and Yama jumped up and high-fived each other excitedly.
"Well, you're only eighteen once," her mother shrugged sheepishly. "I wanted you and your friends to have some fun so I rented a limo to take us to the restaurant and back."
"Oh geez," Hiyori sighed and shook her head but accepted her fate. Her friends had already run ahead and got in.
"Don't worry," Hiyori's mother leaned in close to her ear, "your dad and I will sit up front so you girls can have your privacy."
"You really don't have to do that," Hiyori's face beamed with embarrassment. Her mother just giggled and got inside the limo. Hiyori opened the door and scoot in next to Yama while Ami sat across from them.
"This is AMAZING! Your parents are so cool, Hiyori!" Ami cheered.
"This is going to be the best night ever!" Yama agreed.
"I'm really glad you guys are coming along," Hiyori said calmly. "I couldn't have picked better friends to be by my side through everything."
"Awww, don't get emotional now!" Ami fussed. "You'll make my mascara run!"
Both girls grabbed Hiyori from either side and hugged her tight. Hiyori felt overjoyed. She of all people knew how fleeting friendships and relationships can be but her best friends had never given up on her no matter how ill or distant she had been. Even though they would be going to different colleges, Hiyori was happy they would still be in the same city and could still visit each other often. She was going to need them a lot more in college. But now that her insta-snooze trouble was over, studying shouldn't be as difficult anymore.
The restaurant was about twenty minutes away which was the perfect amount of time for the girls to reminisce and get all their laughs out before arriving. When the limo slowed to a stop, the girls looked out the window at the towering building. The restaurant was nestled below a luxurious hotel. The sun was just starting to set so the lights of the restaurant were beginning to glimmer from inside and Hiyori could make out waiters in suits and ties carrying trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres around. It made her excited but nervous at the same time. She was so used to diners and ramen with Yato and the crew that she wasn't at all used to anything this fancy.
The door opened jarring Hiyori's thoughts and a hand reached down to help her out of the limo. She grabbed the person's hand and grabbed the bottom of her dress with her other hand so she wouldn't step on it and trip. When she stood up out of the vehicle, she went to say thank you to the person who helped her but her voice was stolen away from her. It was Yato.
He was dressed in a navy blue tuxedo and black leather shoes. The suit was just fitting enough that it showed off all of his physical features perfectly. His hair was tied neatly back and his bangs swept naturally to the side as they always did. On his left wrist, the bracelet that Hiyori had bought his dangled freely. Hiyori could hardly believe her eyes. He looked like a whole different person. He shone differently. For the first time, he actually looked god-like. It almost brought a tear to her eye like she was looking at a dream.
"Happy birthday, Hiyori," Yato lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly.
"Th-thank you," Hiyori still had a difficult time finding words.
"You look divine," Yato said with a sideways smile.
"Hey! Anybody there?!" Hiyori's friends called from inside the limo. Yato immediately leaned in and helped them out also.
"Good evening, ladies," Yato bowed slightly.
"Oh goodness," Yama said, her mouth wide open as she stared at Yato.
"Who is this hottie?" Ami chimed in looking him up and down.
"Are these your friends, Hiyori?" Hiyori's mother asked as she shut the limo door and walked over to greet them.
"Y-yes, this is um…" Hiyori's voice trailed off
"My name is Yato, Mrs. Iki. And this is my little brother, Yukine," Yato pulled Yukine up to stand beside him. Hiyori had completely forgotten about Yukine. All she could do was stare at Yato. Yukine sported a relaxed, cream-colored suit with a black bow-tie and dark brown leather shoes. He bowed at Hiyori's mother and father.
"Good evening Mr. and !" Yukine said nervously.
"Wait, don't tell me," Ami began.
"Is this your boyfriend?!" Yama questioned, pointing to Yato.
"W-well, uh…." Hiyori stammered.
"Oh, the love interest!" Hiyori's mother stepped in. "I figured she had to be spending her time with someone. It's nice to finally meet you. You and your little brother are both handsome boys."
"Thank you, Mrs. Iki. It is nice to meet you and Mr. Iki finally as well," Yato nodded.
"Well let's not stand out here all night," Hiyori's father opened the door to the restaurant and ushered everyone inside, "I'm ready to eat!"
Everyone stepped inside and awed at the view. Past the host stand, large, round tables were draped in snow-white cloths and adorned with small yet intricate gold statues in the middle of what looked like ballerinas. The host escorted them to their table. Yato pulled out Hiyori's chair and pushed her back in once she sat down while Yukine followed suit and helped Yama and Ami who were absolutely smitten with him.
It was strange to Hiyori how easily everyone was able to perceive Yato and Yukine. Usually people didn't see them right away until Hiyori helped them focus on them. Even Hiyori had trouble seeing Yukine that one time after Yato disappeared for a while and Yukine was in Takamagahara with Kazuma. He'd run up to her in the street like nothing had changed but all she heard was his voice like it was carried on the wind. It took a second for her eyes to actually see him standing there talking to her. It hurt Hiyori to remember a time when she actually forgot about the people she loved. But it made her happy to see that her friends and family were able to see them.
"Where is Masaomi?" Her father asked her mother as they all finished sitting down. Hiyori sat directly across from her parents, with Yama and Ami on her right side and Yato and Yukine to her left. There was an empty chair between Ami and Hiyori's father. It was for her brother who hadn't shown up yet.
"He's on his way, dear," Hiyori's mother assured him. "He is rather far away so he probably got stuck in traffic."
Almost immediately after she said that, Masaomi entered the restaurant and made his way to the table.
"Sorry about that, everyone," he bowed quickly and sat down next to their father. "Taxis were difficult to obtain for some reason so it took a little while to get here."
"Oh it's alright sweety," his mother doted. Hiyori's mother has always had a special place in her heart for Masaomi. Even though he left medical school and their father was upset, their mother always spoiled him in secret anyway. She'd send him money and book vacations for him. He was a hard worker so Hiyori felt it was justified.
Yama and Ami gawked at her brother who was dressed in a sharp black tux and burgundy tie. His black hair was slicked back neatly and he donned a large silver watch on his left wrist. He always liked looking nice and showing off even for something as simple as a family dinner.
"Happy birthday, Hiyori," Masaomi said from across the table.
"Thanks. I'm glad you were able to make it," Hiyori smiled.
"I can't believe you're an adult now! It makes me feel old!" He laughed
"How do you think we feel?!" their father complained jokingly.
Everyone laughed. The waiter arrived and handed everyone a menu and offered everyone a glass of water and small appetizers to get started. Once they ordered, the waiter collected the menus and went about getting the meals placed. Yama and Ami asked Yato and Yukine tons of questions while Masaomi and their parents talked across the way. Hiyori conversed back and forth between her parents, her brother, and everyone else. She'd hadn't talked so much since her speech class in high school the year before. She was usually the listener and not the talker. Though, in Yato and Yukine's experience, she could also be the yeller when she had to be.
The table got quiet temporarily once everyone received their meals and started eating. Yama and Ami talked about how great the food tasted while Yukine struggled to pick which utensil was the right one and Yato couldn't help but laugh.
"You start from the outside and work your way in," Yato said pointing to the different silverware on the table in front of Yukine.
Yukine laughed nervously. "I didn't realize there were so many different options."
"You seem to be familiar with older etiquette Mr. Yato," Hiyori's father stated. "How old are you?"
Hiyori almost choked on her food. That's a loaded question. How do you tell someone you're hundreds of years old?
"I'm twenty one, sir," Yato said calmly.
"Are you in college?" her dad questioned.
"I work full time," Yato again replied serenely.
Hiyori was getting nervous. Her dad was doing the "boyfriend" questioning. What if Yato or Yukine got stumped? She wanted to tune it out but she was also curious on what Yato would say.
"What do you do for a living?" her father continued.
"You could say I'm in the business of restoration," Yato smiled cooly.
"Ah, a hobbyist," her father downplayed while taking another bite of his food. "Tell me, do you make a decent living doing what you do?"
"Seriously, dear? Do you really need to interrogate him at dinner?" her mother interrupted.
"What? I'm just trying to see what kind of guy is trying to have a relationship with my daughter. Is that such a bad thing?" her father said.
"It's alright," Yato jumped in. "I can appreciate Mr. Iki's concern. It's good to see that he cares about her future and her relationships."
"See?" her father pointed to Yato while looking at Hiyori's mother. "He gets it! I like him!"
"Oh dear, settle down and eat your food," Hiyori's mother waved him off and he went back to his dinner.
Yato looked over at Hiyori and smiled. She finally relaxed her body after tensing up the entire time. She was so worried Yato might say the wrong thing. But it was almost like he'd rehearsed the whole thing.
The rest of the evening went perfect. Once everyone was finished with dessert, the waiters collected their empty plates and brought out a small bouquet of roses for her. She blushed as her parents took pictures of her with her flowers. She also took pictures of her with her friends and Yato and Yukine. She got a special picture of Yato with his arm around Hiyori and his head propped slightly against hers. Hiyori was happy to be able to have the memories for years to come.
Everyone left the table and went back outside. The sun had completely set and there was a full moon in the sky surrounded by thousands of glistening stars. It reminded Hiyori of the night of the parade.
"Masaomi, just ride in the front with us and come back to the house for the night," Hiyori's mother insisted.
"Alright," he agreed and got inside the limo that was parked in front of the restaurant.
"What about you two boys? Would you like a ride home?" her mother asked Yato and Yukine.
"We've got our own ride but we appreciate the offer," Yato said. He turned back to Hiyori. "We'll see you soon." He took her hand and kissed it again. "Goodnight."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Goodnight."