Pairing: Yato/Hiyori
A/N: wrote this while listening to Hello, I'm in Delaware, by City and Colour.
three- hope.

-

And so Yato ended up accompanying the Goddess, that being the plan they had finally established.

Hiyori had rather carried a disagreement with the idea, it just seemed quite unnecessary for the raven to accompany her, after all. But not a single complaint escapes her lips in response.

The two don't make much conversation as they made their way around the shopping mall. Yato can't stop thinking about the fact that they've been here before, it was rather his intention. This was the mall, the mall where Hiyori had taken Yukine, her past life.

"Hey, Yato. You really didn't have to come with me.."

"Do you not want me here?"

"I didn't say that! I just hope I'm not being a burden, or a bother to you, Yato."

"You could never a burden to me, remember that." Yato states, freezing completely. He couldn't bear to have her think that way.

"Admit it, Yato. I've been a burden since I came here.."

"That's not true!"

"Why did you cry when you saw me, then?!"

Yato's hands begin to tremble, at her question. How would he be able to answer that? It wasn't easy to just say how he loved her, in her previous life. How he still loved her, now.

"I... I really don't wanna discuss it."

"And why not?"

"It's personal.."

"I do believe it involves me."

"... I'll fill you in later, okay?" Yato finally says, just wanting to hold off on telling her, for as long as he could. "You can go continue looking around by yourself, I'll be here.."

"... Thank you, Yato."

And so he just merely glances at the goddess's figure, as she continues to make her way around. Yato doesn't make a single move to pursue her, he really just had a wish to be by himself, now. It would give him the chance to calm down about her question. That question hurt him more than it looked like it had. The deity settles in a nearby bench, and cyan eyes direct to the ground. He just continues to think about it, almost getting lost in his own mind. He just contemplates on just how he was going to tell her, it wasn't easy to just blatantly admit "Yeah, we were in love, during your previous life."

The deity simply waits on that bench, almost drowning in his own thoughts. Time would fly by faster that way, he wasn't focused on how long he was going to wait. It would be a while since he saw her face again.

-

Yet, when she did return, Yato had yet to notice. He had perhaps gotten just a little too lost in his mind, and the sound of her voice broke his train of thought. How long had it been? Prominent cyan eyes shift up to direct on the goddess and just glued onto the sight of her.

"Y-Yato. Is everything alright?" She asks, unable to help but notice he had only been silently staring at her. "I'm sorry for taking so long."

And he finally answers her, standing from his position on the bench. "Y-Yeah. It's alright." He answers, at first, refraining to admit that she did look quite pretty, in her new outfit and everything.

"What are you staring at?" Hiyori asks, rather obliviously. She looks around her, attempting to pinpoint just what he had been staring at, dumbfounded, for a few minutes now.

He only realizes that he'd been staring at her, nonstop, just after she mentioned it. Yato sort of blushes in response, his gaze averting to the side. "S-Sorry. Um.. You just look so pretty." The deity admits, absentmindedly. He had almost forgotten that she had no recollection of him.

"Thank you."

Yato finally catches that smile of hers, after she thanked him. A sort of hope blossoms, in him, as he sees that gracious smile of hers. Perhaps there was a chance they could get her memory back? And so he smiles in return, it being a force of habit.

Her heart only aches more, seeing that smile he had.

"Are you ready to go?" Yato questions, noticing how she had quite a few bags in her hands.

"Yes."

Then, without thinking about it, the God reaches for her hand, soon grasping it quite tightly. Why was he still thinking like this, as if Hiyori had every memory of him, as if she was still in love with him?

He releases her hand just as quickly, uttering an apology to the brunette.

"Hey, I understand. I was important to you." She answers, taking the raven by surprise when she reconnects their hands.

The deity takes that opportunity to admit it to her.

"You were the most important person in the world to me. Even now, you still are."

"I was? How so?"

Yato clutches her hand tighter, it kept his hand from trembling.

"Hiyori, I loved you very much, and I still do."

The Goddess freezes completely, and her heart immediately aches even more at those words, it aches terribly. It surprises her just how quickly she became distraught at those words, before she knew it, tears spill down her cheeks, leaving them damp. How come she was filled with so much melancholy?

"You... You loved me?"

He turns towards her, utterly surprised at how she was crying now.

"With all my heart."

The tears only start flowing more, leaving her cheeks even damper. And crying soon transitioned into heavy sobbing, as she buried her face in her hands, wiping away the tears just as they spilled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry then! I shouldn't have pushed you for answers. I understand now, you were upset because I didn't remember you right-"

"Hiyori, calm down!"

"Yato, I'm so sorry!"

Her heart aches again, it had been ever since she met him.

Yato approaches her, cautiously. The bags had completely slipped from her grasp. He's unsure of what to do. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate to embrace her, whisper to her that it was alright.

Yet, he isn't given the chance to. And before he knew it, the brunette had rushed into his arms, still crying rather heavily. Her face was buried into his chest, and hesitantly, he wraps his arms around her.

"Why... Why does my heart ache so much? It's unbearable. Can't you tell me, Yato?" Hiyori asks, grasping the fabric of his jersey, tightly.

He's unsure what to say, doesn't know anything that could explain why.

"I shouldn't have brought you here."

"You're the only one who can tell me why..."

"I meant a lot to you, too."

"I loved you too, right? In my past life?"

"You did. But that doesn't mean you have to suffer because of it. I... I should let you go."

"Please, don't. I want to remember you, I do."

"You don't have to, if it makes you unhappy."

The Goddess finally parts from him, wiping away her own tears. "I'm fine. I promise. Just, help me remember, please..."

"Okay, Hiyori."

"Can... Can we go home now?"

".. Of course."

Yato captures her hand once more, heading off once more, towards home. And she doesn't object, instead grasping his hand in return, and smiling. The Goddess finds herself smiling, genuinely. She's convinced that she must've loved him in this former life of hers, a question weighs on her mind. Could she be able to fall in love with him once more?