A/N: Don't worry, I'm not dead yet.
I return to you, my faithful readers, and I bring with me a new chapter. (I sound like a queen, don't I? Yeah, I do.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami
Yato knew that Daikoku and Hiyori had almost finished getting rid of the blight in Yukine's body. He decided he needed a bit of fresh air to calm down and not punch a wall, imagining Nora's face underneath his fist.
Walking out the front door, completely ignoring Kofuku's curious gaze, he set out towards the forest clearing where he and Hiyori had found Yukine after his battle with Nora.
Hopefully, I can find some clues to help create an antidote. I mean, what if Nora doesn't even have an antidote? That means Yukine will di- Yato furiously shook his head, not continuing the thought. Yukine wasn't going to die. He'd get better. Everything will go back to the way it was.
Unfortunately, things don't always turn out the way you want them.
He felt a shiver run up his spine. He felt a presence behind him. Spinning round on his heel, he glared daggers at none other than Nora.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a low, dangerous tone.
Nora's lips curled upwards. "Just taking a little stroll through the woods."
"Quit playing around! What do you want?" Yato demanded.
Nora rolled her eyes, but her smile never left her face. "You're no fun, Yato~" She said in a sing-song voice, before adding, "I'm here to tell you something."
Yato raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so? Let me guess, you want me to go back to you? Tsk. You're so predictable-"
Nora raised a hand to silence him. "Actually, it's not that."
"Then what do you want to tell me? Out with it." Yato folded his arms, not in the mood for any tricks.
The raven-haired (?) girl opened a hand that Yato never realised was closed, revealing a syringe with a strange liquid in it. "This," she picked up the syringe with her index finger and her thumb, "is the thing that will save Yukine's life." She spat out his name as if he were filth.
Yato growled at the way she said his suffering Regalia's name, but his eyes widened slightly at the meaning behind her words. "You mean…that's the antidote?"
She nodded, her smile growing wider. "That's right. You want it, don't you?"
Yato nearly nodded, but stopped himself. I'm not going to play into her hands. She's up to something. "What are you up to, Nora?"
"What? I'm not up to anything~"
Yato narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't lie. What's the catch?"
"Awwww…you saw through me, Yato?" She giggled. "As attentive as ever, I see." Then her face grew serious. "But it think you know what 'the catch' is."
"For me to go back to you. But you said that we weren't going to talk about that-"
"Actually, I just said that I wasn't here to tell you that. In fact, I came here or two things. Firstly, to show you the antidote so you know I'm not bluffing. Secondly, to arrange a meeting."
"A…meeting? What sort of meeting?"
"You and me. No-one else. Meet here at midnight. Tonight. No tricks. Just a…trade of sorts."
"What sort of trade?" Yato asked suspiciously.
But Nora only smiled, starting to walk backwards into the trees. "Oh, it's a very important trade. Come tonight to this clearing. You'll know everything then." Then the shadows consumed her, and she was gone from sight.
Sighing, Yato clenched his fists. I was so close to the antidote! Dammit, I could have taken it from her! And what's this 'trade' about? I better tell Kofuku about it. She might know. Although I do have a pretty good idea of what it might be. He thought as he scanned the clearing. Yukine's blood had long dried into the snow, and the footprints (and pawprints in some cases) were still visible in the snow, although had faded a bit.
Turning away from the sight, the former god of calamity walked back the way he came.
Hiyori lay on her back, gazing up at the ceiling. The blight had finally left Yukine's body, and now the blonde boy was unconscious – no, she didn't like that. Sleeping was a better way of putting it. The poor lad was exhausted. So am I, Hiyori thought tiredly.
"Hiyori? You alright?" Daikoku glanced over at her, a bit of concern briefly flashing in his eyes.
"Oh! Um, yeah. I'm fine." She hurriedly answered, slightly caught off guard by the sudden question. "Just tired." She added.
Daikoku sighed. "I'm tired too. But I dare say the worst of it's over. His wounds will heal, although they may leave a few scars. The blight's gone now, which leaves the poison." He rose to his feet, walking over to her. "How about we go get something to eat? We've earned it, after all."
Hiyori nodded and slowly got to her feet. "Sounds good."
They went into the room where Kofuku was, and Daikoku opened the fridge while Hiyori sat down next to the pink-haired god.
"Hiyori, do you want some water?" Daikoku asked with his head in the fridge.
"Sure." When the tall Regalia threw the bottle to her, she thanked him and took a sip.
Suddenly, Yato walked in, making all three in the room jump.
"Yato! You scared me!" Kofuku exclaimed. "Where did you go, anyway?"
He sat down beside Hiyori and sighed. "Into the woods. I…ran into someone."
Kofuku frowned. "You mean Nora?"
Yato nodded. "Yeah." Then he proceeded to tell them about the conversation in the clearing.
When he'd finished, Hiyori spoke up with hope in her voice, "So if Nora has an antidote, then if we give it to Yukine, he'll get better?"
"Yes, I suppose…" Yato sounded uncertain, and Daikoku picked up on it.
"But you don't know if it really works or not." He finished, earning a nod from Yato.
"Oh…" Hiyori looked down, before a new idea sprung into her mind. "So she told you to go alone? Well, why don't we all go, but us three hide or something? Actually, it might be best if one of us stayed behind to look after Yukine. I think I'll stay behind. That would probably be best."
Yato glanced at her, frowning. "What are you getting at?"
"Well, what if it's a trap? If we're there, even if we're hiding, then you won't be completely defenceless!" She broke out into a smile as her idea began to make more and more sense.
"Hey! I'm not completely defenceless!" Yato cried, before saying, "But your plan isn't bad, Hiyori."
"So now we all know what we're going to be doing at midnight tonight, we should get some sleep. Hiyori and I are both exhausted." Daikoku pointed out.
Yato's head snapped up and he asked, "How is he?"
Daikoku let a small smile appear on his face. "The blight's all gone. We just need that antidote and he'll be well on the road to recovery."
Yato sighed with relief. "Great." Then he added, "I'm going to go see him before I go to sleep."
He walked out the room, and soon the other three headed off to get some sleep. Hiyori was going to stay there, not wanting to travel all the way back to her house, just to return later.
Yato quietly walked over to Yukine, grasping his hand gently. "You'll recover from this; I promise." He murmured to his Regalia. "I know you; you refuse to die this way, don't you? And I refuse to let you die this way as well."
He was quiet for a moment, before saying, "Hopefully, I'll bring you an antidote tonight, okay? Just hang on until then."
Yato felt a lump in his throat and a sting in his eyes as he added, "I love you, Yukine. You're not just my Regalia. You're my guide, my friend…and my family. So please…don't die."
The god gave Yukine's hand a soft squeeze, and he could have sworn that he felt a small squeeze back.
A/N: Probably a boring chapter, I know. It also seems like a filler chapter. Oh well.
The next chapter is where sh*t goes down, to put it bluntly.
Not many more chapters left! Yay…?