Disclaimer: I do not own Kamigami no Asobi or its characters, but I will use them in my fanfictions for mine and my readers' utter enjoyment.

A/N: This is my first Kamigami no Asobi story, but I have had the urge to write one for a while now. My friend SugarTensai helped encourage me to write this story. Thanks SugarTensai. This story is based on the anime and not the game. I hope everyone enjoys it! I update at least once a week.

Chapter 1 – Return

No time had passed in the human world, the entire time Kusanagi Yui spent at the school of the gods seemed like nothing more than a dream; and yet, what she had learned there, the people she met, she knew to be just as real as the tree she was leaning against in her backyard. Nights like this made her miss everyone and the school even more.

The full moon shined brightly, lighting up the garden and everything in it. In the distance, Yui could hear the sounds of the crickets chirping and an owl hooting. The sounds were the echoes of the nightly orchestra and the mood was the conductor. Was he also gazing up at the moon? Were they all? She missed them so much, but sometimes…many times, there was one that would come to mind more often than the others. Maybe she had feelings for him, but she wasn't sure. The only things she knew for sure, she missed her friends and wanted to see them all again.

How were the gods doing? Did they make it out of the garden? She had to believe they did because it hurt too much to think that they had crumbled when the garden had. They were gods, and if their status had not granted them safety and immortality during a disaster, could they really be called a god? It was this belief and hope that she grasped tightly with her whole being, for the reverse would be too heart wrenching to bear.

A tear slid down her cheek as she thought about her time in Zeus's school. She had been taken there against her will, and had finally left the same way – against her will. So many happy memories. Watching Apollo and Tsukito run into the water only to freeze because they were stupid enough to enter when it was autumn. Zeus always liked to mess with his charges. Then again, it was also the day she and Apollo arranged a fireworks show for others. Of course, she also could not forget the whole school play. Cinderella would never be looked at the same again. She trained with Takeru and got stronger, she got to know the real Loki and understand his feelings for his best friend, and she helped Hades understand that although misfortune may fall, it did not have to take away a person's happiness. Somehow she managed to make a connection with each and every one of the gods at the school, and together they rescued Balder.

Connections…connections. There was one connection that had been more forced than any other in the beginning – thanks to Loki – but in the end, the experience taught her more than almost any other. Tsukito never showed much expression, and while he tried to understand humans, he approached everything as a mission. He never really experienced life, living, emotions, or anything else. However, in the end, they had managed to understand each other just a little more, and by the time she was sent home, she liked to think she understood him almost as much as his own brother, but then again, Takeru had known him longer, so probably not.

Just thinking about the memories, both good and bad, brought a smile to her face. The good helped them build a foundation and they had fun with plenty of smiles and laughs. Like the time they went star gazing with Hades and wound up playing in the rain, only for it to end shortly after. The bad taught them perseverance and strengthened the bonds between them. Through saving Balder, they worked together, becoming as one and forging a relationship that nothing could destroy – not even time and space. Each night she looked up at the moon and stars, she remembered everything. She even made a trip out to the sea, to hear the waves…to talk to someone. Could he hear her? Her friends thought she had been an idiot talking to the ocean waves, but she didn't care. The moon seemed so far away when she talked to it at night and the ocean was so close, and since the brothers were Japanese gods, shouldn't she be able to talk to them a little easier? Maybe not, however, what could it hurt? Nothing. And maybe, just maybe, the ocean could pass on her message to the others.

Sighing, she finally stood up to return to her bedroom. It was late and she still had school tomorrow. She didn't want to leave this quiet place, to leave the moon, but she had no choice. Last time she had spent the whole night looking up at the moon, she had fallen asleep in class and wound up with extra cleaning duties, and then her parents scolded her for it as well. How was she supposed to tell them, in the blink of an eye for them, she had spent months in another time and place making friends and falling…? No, she couldn't tell them that she had found friends amongst different gods of the world, two of which were here in Japan. That sounded ludicrous even to her own ears. With one last glance at the full moon, she whispered, "Good night, Tsukito-san. Good night everyone, if you can hear me."

As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes closed, and she fell into the world of dreams. Here, she still lived and played with everyone. Here, she was happy. Here, they were still learning together.

The next day, as school came to an end, her friends tried to coerce her into shopping with them, but she declined, "Sorry, but today I can't."

"Eh? Why?" Akane, with short light brown hair, asked.

Chikako, with longer dark brown hair, grinned, "She probably has to practice. Don't bother her. She's been working hard lately." She turned to Yui, "Next time? Maybe we can go out this weekend."

Nodding, Yui smiled, "Hai!" She watched as they walked off to begin their shopping adventure. She would have gone with them, but not today. Today it had been exactly three months since she had last seen everyone, and it seemed as if it was harder today than any other.

Her feet took her home and before she realized it, she stood at the foot of the stairs that led to the shrine where she lived. Maybe she should have taken her friends up on their offer so she wouldn't have to think about… No, she had duties to complete and then she would allow herself to remember. Trudging up the stairs, she wished, just once, she could see them again.

"Kusanagi."

Looking around her, she found no one. Did someone call her name?

"Yui-san."

Her head whipped around. No one.

"Kusanagi Yui."

These voices sounded just like her friends. Closing her eyes, she could almost see them.

"Kusanagi-san."

She dropped her bag and sword and looked up towards the top of the stairs.

"Kusanagi!"

She started to climb the stairs again.

Kusanagi."

She looked up and started to speed up.

Kusanagi…"

She started to run. Cresting the top of the stairs, she gasped, her eyes growing wide. Standing before her were the very men she had been dreaming about, longing to see.

"Fairy!"

They were all there. They had made it out alive, without problems. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Teach us again. We want you to be our teacher," Apollo said with a bright smile.

Her own mirrored his and she ran towards them needed to make sure they were real, "Hai!" She hugged them all, and she had no doubt in her mind that she was not imagining things any longer. There for a moment, she had wondered if she was starting to lose it completely; however, they were not ghosts, they were here, they were real, and they would be able to make more memories together.