A bit of spoilers but since my birthday was not too long ago, if I could I would have wanted it like this. I don't own the world of Noragami. t belongs to Adachitoka sensei!
The days soon turned to months as we recovered from the aftermath of the Phantom attack at my estate. I was brought in for questioning as soon as I could move and the other gods bombarded me with enough questions to last me a lifetime. Whenever I finished an interrogation, I would go back to Bishamon's residence, who was so kind to let us stay there until we recovered to check on how Akito was doing before locking myself in my chambers for the rest of the day. Akito was getting steadily better, now at least he was able to sit up without wincing too much. Walking was still a problem for him though so whenever he needed fresh air, I pushed him to the garden in a wheelchair.
"You don't have to do this. Yukine or Daikoku could have done it," Akito said as we walked into the garden, the birds tweeting and the wind swaying the trees in the wind. He sighed as he took in the fresh air, spreading his arms to let it hit his body. I smiled as I watched him enjoy himself, the colour coming back to his cheeks. As the wind rumpled his shirt, I caught sight of the scar he had gotten from jumping in front of me when Ayato tried to kill me. I winced at the memory, wishing I had gotten injured instead of him since gods can heal much faster.
"What's the matter?" Akito asked as he turned to look at me. I flushed a little as I pretended to look at the trees swaying in the wind. It was already October and the air was getting more chilled as the days went past. When we were in Tamagahara, things seemed to slow down and we didn't hear much from the others except for Yato coming to see us every once in a while. Hiyori came as well, once bringing some flowers and a get-well card. I was so touched by receiving the gifts that I cried openly in front of them, making Hiyori freak out whether she had done something to offend me.
"Speaking of which, the doctor said you can go home in about a week. How's your physiotherapy coming along?" I asked as he shrugged. "Not too bad but I can't go into combat for a while more so I can't help you when you need to fend off Phantoms. I feel bad for making Yato-san do all the work," he mumbled. "Don't worry! Its not like Yato has anything to do!" I said as I patted his back. He flinched at the gesture and I pulled it back, wondering if I had hurt him in a way.
"Akito…" I started to say when he turned his head, indicating he wanted to face me. As I turned the chair around, he took a deep breath. "Do you mean what you said you me back then? That you love me?" he asked, his voice serious. The question was like a stab to me in the heart and I fumbled with the words. "I do love you! I really do!" I said as he eyed me. Then he broke into a grin before he started to laugh. "My! And I thought I was the only crazy one here!" he grinned as he laughed. He groaned a little as he clutched his chest.
"Akito!" I gasped as I knelt next to him. He grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye. "My lady Aiko, I don't mean to sound like a pervert or whatever, but I loved you since the day I met you. When you saved me from that abyss of darkness, I wondered how I could ever repay you for saving me. Then you started to get blighted and I was so worried that I was the one causing the blight," he said. "So you did know," I muttered.
"How could I not notice when you kept falling sick? I felt so bad about it that I wanted to just go get rid of the source!" he shouted, his voice carried by the wind. "I know you will reincarnate and all, but if you were to die… I would have failed as a Regalia. As your guidepost," he whispered as the tears came free. Man, we kept on crying a lot these few weeks. "Akito…" I started to say when I bit my tongue. I took his hand and kissed it. He looked at me, shocked at the gesture. I was a bit shocked myself as I wiped my eyes and took my place behind his wheelchair. "Why don't we go watch some anime? Maybe some Maid-sama would do you good," I said as he smiled.
"Sure," he said as he allowed me to wheel him back into the house. When we got to his room, I went over to the tv and switched in on. For some funny reason, all of the rooms in the house had a tv and it played whatever show we desired, no matter how old it was released. So happened Akito got the idea of watching anime, in particular Maid-sama, which I remembered as one of his favourite anime when he was still alive. But of course I didn't tell him that.
"You perverted alien from outer space, baka Usui!" Misaki yelled as she hit him across the face. The guy spun around the room before hitting the wall. "Misa-chan. That's not how you treat your master," he grinned as the girl turned red. Misaki was a maid at a café called Maid Latte and in school she was the student council president, where she ruled the mostly boy community with an iron fist. I laughed as they ran the obstacle course, Misaki on fire while Usui acting super cool. "Man Usui is so cool," I said as I munched on the popcorn I had sneaked in.
"Tell me about it. The guy is one perverted alien," Akito said and we laughed at the reference. We also started to watch anime such as Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul and I even tried Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. Now I really wanted to learn how to swim. "Holy shit," I groaned as the Titan ate the human, the man still screaming when he was consumed. "Ahh! That was awesome!" Akito yelled as the Survey Corps fought in the battle of Trost District. I squealed when Levi Ackerman appeared in the screen, looking at Eren from the Titan he had killed.
"He is so awesome," I gushed as I turned off the tv. We had bonded a lot through anime, Akito dragging me through late hours of the night to watch a whole show. But it didn't matter much since we had nothing to do anyway. I was glad Akito was getting better and he smiled more, which made my heart feel at peace. A knock came from the door and the physician came in with a tray of medication. "Aiko-sama. I didn't know you were here," he said as he bowed. "Don't worry. I'm just about to leave," I said as I got up. "Thanks for accompanying me," Akito smiled as I left the room, shutting the door behind me.
….
The week we were free to go arrived and I thanked Bishamon for letting us stay for so long. All of her Shinki gathered to send us off and Akito tried to hide his face from some screaming female Shinki, who thought of him as a hero. "Akito! Come back here soon!" one of them shouted as she waved him off. Akito lifted a hand in response as we left the entranceway into the courtyard beyond. Before we knew it, we had been transported to Bishamon's shrine that was located near Kofuku's house.
"You ready?" I asked as I helped him walk. He still winced from his wound and that stabbed me with more guilt. "Yeah," he said as he started to walk, a slight limp in his side. We made it to the house in good time and the others greeted us, Kofuku throwing herself onto me. "Ai-chan!" she shrieked as she hugged onto me, cuddling into my chest as usual. "Good to see you too, Kofuku," I said as Yukine and Daikoku gave Akito a hero's welcome by patting him hard on the back, making him choke slightly.
"Glad you're back!" Yato said from the table as he poured out mugs of tea. We sat down, talking about how things went down in the human world when we were gone. "Just a lot of phantoms to kill. The occasional babysitting. The like," Yukine said. Hiyori was at school so she wouldn't be joining us until nighttime. "Is there anywhere you need me to scout?" I asked. "Well, there is this area here," he said as he pointed it to me. "Shouldn't be too many Phantoms. Akito should be able to handle them without a problem," he said.
"Okay. Then we'll be on our way," Akito said as he stood up. He winced as he did so and I helped him to the door to put on his shoes. "Are you sure you can handle it?" I asked as he swatted my hand away. "I'll be fine. You just chop them when you have to," he said. "Come, Denki!" I shouted as he transformed and landed in my hand. I soared through the air, running on the rooftops to the location Yato had said. "Is this it?" I wondered as I looked at Google maps. The place was normal, without any Phantoms lurking about.
"Should be," Akito said as I scanned the place. True enough, I saw a Phantom on a roof. "Not a big one," I muttered as I ran towards it. "Yummy!" it cried out as it scuttled towards me. "You, who dare to desecrate this Land of the Rising Sun. By my advent, I, Aiko, hereby lay waste with the Denki and expel thy defilement! Rend!" I shouted as I slammed into it. Denki cut it neatly in half and it exploded into a shower of light. "That felt good," I said as I sat down on the roof, kicking my feet in the air.
"Say, want to get some coffee?" Akito asked as I stared at him. "Are you sure? Maybe we should just head back," I said when he shouted, "No!" When I eyed him, he quickly said, "Its uh, its been a while since I tasted coffee and since the doctor didn't let me drink any, I thought maybe it would be nice to get one since we're in the city." I sighed as I called upon him and he transformed back into a boy, his jacket swaying in the wind. We hopped down to the street, walking through the crowd of people.
Apparently the place was a famous shopping district so the place was lined with shops selling all sorts of stuff, from clothing to anime shops. I gasped when I saw some cosplay outfits, which Akito had to drag me away from. Finally, we reached the coffee shop and the waitress showed us to a table. "One latte and one earl grey please," I said as she bowed and went off. As I looked around, I saw the decoration was a little odd, with small pumpkins lining the walls with cobwebs hanging around the ceiling with bats stuck on them.
"When was the last time they cleaned this place?" I wondered as the food came. "Oh, its already nearly Halloween. It's the Western version of Obon but for them they dress up in scary clothing to ward off evil spirits," Akito said as he drank his coffee. "Never knew you were an expert on Western culture," I said as I sipped the tea. "I read," he said as I swatted him playfully on the arm. We stayed there for a long while, Akito telling me more about Halloween and also arguing about the anime shows we had watched lately. Soon the sky had turned dark and I checked the time.
"Crap! Its almost dinner time!" I said as I got up. We quickly paid at the counter and walked into the street. I shivered in the cool, wishing I had brought a scarf. "Here," Akito said as he draped a scarf around me. I held onto it, grateful for the warmth it provided. "What about you?" I asked. "Never mind me. I can take it," he said as we walked back to Kofuku's place. When we drew closer, I realized the path was way darker then normal. There were even some of the weird pumpkin lantern things lying about.
"Akito. Just what is going…" I started to say when something leapt from behind the bushes. I screamed as I fell backward, falling on my butt. "Denki!" I shouted as I threw out my arm. Akito soared into my open palm and I charged, wanting to slay the weird Phantom in front of me. The Phantom cried out and stumbled backwards. Hey, since when did a Phantom stumble?
"Surprise!" voices shouted as everyone appeared from behind the bushes. The house lit up all of a sudden, showing a cool display of Halloween decoration. "What… what is going on?" I asked as I called Akito back. He approached the so-called Phantom and pulled him to his feet. I recognized him as Daikoku, only he was dressed in a weird green costume. "Oh Kami, I am so sorry!" I gasped as I bowed. "Eh?! Don't be, my lady! I shouldn't have done that. Although it was all that idiot's idea," he growled as he pointed at Yato.
"Yo!" he said as he emerged with Yukine, who looked very uncomfortable in their costumes. Both of them wore the full gear of a Survey Corps soldier and they even had the 3D maneuver gear hung around them. "This is so cool! Check this out!" Yato said as he pressed on the trigger, waiting for the wire to sink into the tree trunk and pull him in the air. "Eh?" he muttered as it didn't come lose. "I told you already, Yato! It's just a prop!" Hiyori said as Yato howled. "Who am I supposed to be?" Yukine asked as he tugged as his wig. "Let me guess. Eren Jaeger?" I asked. "How did you know?" Hiyori asked as she eyed me. "Anime marathon. I had nothing to do back at Bishamon's place," I said.
Hiyori twirled around in her Inori outfit, the slits revealing a bit of her cleavage. Yukine stared at her a little as Yato cried out in pain. "Oi! I felt that sin, you little traitor!" Yato shouted as Yukine tore his eyes away from her. Kofuku was dressed in a little bunny outfit while Daikoku was dressed in a Frankenstein outfit. As I tugged at my own clothing, feeling awkward of not being in costume, a shadow came near me. "May I take you to your chambers, my lady?" Akito smiled as he bowed, having swapped to a butler outfit. "Wow, you look good," I said as he took me by the hand and led me into the house. The others were laughing outside as Yato tried to chase Yukine while tripping over his costume. The real Levi Ackerman would be so disappointed in him, I thought to myself.
"Well then, what should I wear?" I wondered as he slid the door behind me. I shifted through the dresses to find the only one wearable. "You've got to be kidding me…" I muttered as I pulled out the long material. "My lady, are you alright? You seem to be taking longer than usual," Akito/Sebastian Michaelis said from outside. "I'm fine! Its just… who the heck picked this blasted outfit?!" I shouted. "Kofuku did," he replied. Fine, I mean it made sense but I was expecting an anime costume of some sort…
When I had put it on, I knocked on the door and Akito opened it, his jaw dropping as he looked at me. I wore a long dress with golden straps with white shoes. I was supposed to look like Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and I shifted uncomfortable since it revealed more cleavage than I would have liked. "May I have the honour, my lady?" Akito asked as he bowed. "Quit it with the lady," I muttered as I took his hand. When we reached the door, everyone gasped and applauded as we walked out.
"Oh! They look so romantic!" Hiyori said as she glanced at us. Kofuku was eying the dress with approval while Daikoku tried to hide his nosebleed. Standing not too far off was… "It's that you, Bishamon?" I blurted as I gaped at her costume. She had worn a maid outfit and due to her bust being so huge, it made her look more like a hooker. "You better have a good reason for making me wear this, Kofuku," she growled as Kofuku tried to run from becoming a roasted rabbit. "Awe come on Bisha! She loves that character!" she whined.
"Fine. But it can't be as bad as Kazuma here," Bishamon said as Kazuma came into view. "How do you wear this?" he mumbled as he tried to put the fake teeth in his mouth. I tried not to giggle at his pretty reasonable attempt of Grell Sutcliff, although it would have been better if he were taller. "You look fine, Kazuma-san! You should just throw away the teeth!" Tsugaha said from behind her witch's costume. Kuraha was dressed like Kakashi from Naruto and he looked pretty comfortable in the outfit, although he utter failed at being able to throw a shuriken.
"Now where is the last bunch?" Akito wondered as a bunch of spotlights hit a group of people. "Is that Michael Jackson?!" I blurted as I gazed at Tenjin and company. "I just can't stop loving you!" Tenjin sang as his Shinki danced to the music. We just gaped at his failed karaoke session before everyone turned their attention to me. "So, what is with all this anyway?" I asked. "Eh, don't you even remember?" Kofuku asked. "I'm sorry. I don't recall anything," I said. "Well, it has been a long time, but to have forgotten it…" she said as though she wanted to cry.
"Awe! Come on Kofuku! Don't ruin the mood! Let's just say it!" Yato shouted as everyone produced a glass of juice. I wondered where they even got it from and Akito had pushed one into my hand from nowhere. "Happy birthday, Aiko!" they shouted as they raised their glasses. The wind whipped my hair back as I took in the shouts, tears coming into my eyes. I had nearly forgotten about my birthday since it had been so many centuries since I last had a party.
"Well, let's not just stand around! Let's party!" Yato shouted as Tenjin got behind a set of DJ gear and started up some music. The familiar music from Attack on Titan and everyone jumped to the music, screaming "Sasageyo!" at the top of their lungs. We joined them too, singing the song over and over until they swapped to Black butler. The whole night we danced away to anime music, laughing and shouting as we partied. When Tenjin changed it to music from Your Lie in April, Akito bowed low.
"My lady. May I have this dance?" he asked as he took my hand. "Why not?" I grinned as he led me to the dance floor. We swayed to the music, Akito gracefully turning me to the rhythm. Yato was dancing with Hiyori, who took turns to dance with Yukine. Daikoku was with Kofuku, Kazuma with Bishamon and Tenjin with Tsuyu, who wore an elegant gown totally contrasting with Tenjin's Michael Jackson outfit. After that, they pulled out a giant cake with all the members of the Iwatobi Swim Club drawn around delicately. Kofuku commented having been the one to order the cake and I wondered if she had frightened the god of baking into having made this.
The night soon came to an end and we said goodnight, Yato and Daikoku having to be dragged back to the house due to having too much to drink and Bishamon and Tenjin head back to their homes. "Thank you for the wonderful night," I said as Akito lead me back to the house. "You're very welcome," he smiled as fireworks set out into the sky. "They're so pretty," I whispered as I felt a kiss on my mouth. I gasped as Akito kissed me and I leaned in, letting the joy of the night wrap me in a blanket of happiness.