Chapter 3 Doubts
The restaurant wasn't as bustling as Yato expected it to be for a later afternoon time frame. Perhaps the students had yet to make their way over here after school ended, or the menu of this restaurant simply wasn't to their liking. Regardless, the myriad of empty tables gave Yato the opportunity he needed to drag Hiyori to a table that wasn't too far away from where Geto's body was sitting.
Fake Geto, dressed in his Gojo-kesa, a traditional robe often worn by Buddhist monks and nuns, was seated alone at a table meant for four with nothing but a glass of ice water in front of him. To the ordinary humans populating the restaurant, he appeared to be talking to air as his eyes settled on the space before him as if there was something there to be seen.
But for Yato—and Hiyori it seemed, if the confusion marring her face was any indication—he could see that Fake Geto was accompanied by three Ayakashi: adult Groot, red Squidward, and Volcanohead. All three of them were wearing clothes, bar red Squidward with only a sheet of cloth over its head, and appeared to be capable of keeping up with the flow of conversation, which meant they were sentient, Special Grade (by sorcerers' standards) at the very least.
Fascinating.
Sentient Ayakashi were rare. Many could form a word or two, some rare ones could form whole sentences, but completely sentient Ayakashi with intelligence that could rival a human's? Yato hadn't met any like that in the few millennia or so he had lived. He'd heard that the King of Ayakashi, Ryomen Sukuna, was a sentient Ayakashi after his death, but he never had the misfortune of meeting the guy, to his relief.
If Sukuna was as strong as rumors indicated, then it'd take more than a minor God like Yato to defeat him. It'd take a God with way more followers than Yato who only had like…two? Maybe someone like Bishamonten with her Shinki orphanage, or Takemikazuchi with his Yellow Cloud…
"Hey Yato, does Natsune have a twin? Why is he talking to these…Ayakashi?"
"No, he doesn't. That's why I'm here to investigate. Oh, don't tell Natsune about this. We can't have him finding out about his past."
"What would happen if he does?"
"...He'd turn into an Ayakashi and I'd have to kill him."
Hiyori gulped. A smidge of fear entered her eyes, but she stubbornly held her eye contact with him.
"Yato… Have you ever…killed a Shinki?"
Yato opened his mouth to confirm, but one glance at those earnest brown eyes made his throat clench up, refusing to let out the words. He was used to the fear, the stink eyes wherever he went, the whispers behind his back before he cut the throats so they could no longer form these foul words. It was what he deserved after all, the consequences of his actions. No form of offense against humankind could result in any negative repercussions for Gods, so this was the only way he could be punished.
But Hiyori was the one person he didn't want to receive this fear from. She was a sweet, kind girl who deserved nothing but the best. She didn't deserve to be involved with him, to become tainted by the Far Shore, and for her innocence to become defiled by the vices that sustained Yato's existence. Instilling fear into her was the last thing he wanted to do.
Yet, it was the only way for her to understand. He and her belonged to different worlds. The sooner she understood this, the safer she'd be.
Dropping his gaze onto his fidgeting fingers—oh how he yearned for a glass of water right now so he had something to occupy his hands with, Yato inhaled a deep breath and steeled himself for the worst.
"I'm a War God, Hiyori. Of course I've killed before. Countless humans and Shinki. More than you can even imagine."
He couldn't bring himself to lie to her, not when she was staring at him so earnestly, her round brown eyes so full of hope and trust in the person who deserved them the least. How could he lie, when lies were the very thing that stained his hands with blood of the innocents and led him on a path built with the bodies he'd slain? Robbing others of their lives so he could continue to exist, thus was the reason for his existence, a God born from a single human's wish to cull the herds.
He could never subject someone else to the same thing his Father had done to him. Instead of being loved for who he was not, he'd much rather be hated for who he was.
"Yato-sama, I hope you remember this one thing. People die. Even without your help. And...when they do...no one can ever see them again."
"I had no other choice," I had a choice, but I was young and naive and stupid, and I fell for his lies, "I did what had to be done at the time. The past cannot be changed," no matter how much I want it to be, "Sometimes, death is not a punishment, but a release."
"Yato-sama...please…kill me."
Yato kept his eyes trained on the table to avoid looking at Hiyori, to delay having to see her reaction for as long as he could. He picked at his nails, glanced at the menu, observed how the ice cubes in Hiyori's glass of water slowly began to melt, and swallowed dryly. His mouth felt parched, his face heating up. Sweat slid down his brows and fell onto his hands.
Why isn't she saying anything?
The waitress only brought them one glass of water, so Yato used that as an excuse to escape this suffocating atmosphere and go get some water for himself. He purposely slowed his steps when walking past Fake Geto's table so he could eavesdrop on their conversation.
"In other words, your boss wants to turn the tables on today's humans. Is that it?" Fake Geto said.
"Not…exactly." Volcanohead tapped the table with its index finger. "Humans are built from lies. There's always an underside to the emotions and actions shown on the surface. But negative emotions, like hatred and murderous intent, never lie. That's why we Curses, who are born from negative emotions, are the pure, genuine, real 'humans.' The imposters ought to disappear."
"Right now, the ones being extinguished are you guys."
"That's why I'm asking you. How can we defeat the sorcerers?"
Defeat the sorcerers? Yato stole a glass of water from the tray a waiter was carrying and took a sip. That's their objective? To topple the current authority so Ayakashi can rule the world? How preposterous. If they really think the Gods would let that happen, they're in over their heads.
"Before a war breaks out, you can win if you satisfy two conditions." Fake Geto raised two fingers. "Make Gojo Satoru unable to fight, and win over Ryomen Sukuna and his host, Itadori Yuji."
Ryomen Sukuna!?
Yato choked on an ice cube.
Sukuna has incarnated!?
And what's more, they want to incapacitate Gojo Satoru!?
Fake Geto chose Geto's body to take over, and now he was apparently targeting Gojo Satoru, who just so happened to be Geto's best friend? Was it happenstance, or premeditated? Why Geto? Was he after Geto's innate cursed technique or was he planning on using Geto's appearance to somehow gain an advantage on Gojo? Or both?
Geto's Cursed Spirit Manipulation was indeed a powerful technique; it'd proven its power during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. If it ended up in the wrong hands, or in the hands of someone who was far more merciless than Geto and planned on causing far more damage with it, then it might just cause a calamity severe enough to require Yato to return to being a War God once again.
"Our AC is running, isn't it?"
A waiter groaned as he fanned his face, walking past Yato and heading towards Fake Geto's table.
It wasn't until now that Yato finally sensed the faint trail of negative energy in the heat permeating the restaurant. It was so muted that coming into contact with it didn't even cause him any discomfort. Normally, the dense negative energy that made up Ayakashi could harm Gods by blighting them on contact. Sorcerers' techniques were also infused with negative energy, but theirs were much less condensed compared to that of an Ayakashi, which were agglomerations of negative energy tightly packed into a single being.
Therefore, Yato would suffer more significant damage from an Ayakashi bite than being hit with the strongest technique from the strongest sorcerer. And since his mind was off-kilter and his attention elsewhere, he failed to catch onto the sparse energy in the room until the waiter's complaint had him questioning the heat as well.
As if triggered by the complaint, the energy in the air began to hum in anticipation of being activated, causing a slight sting to Yato's skin, a more subdued effect compared to the sensation of being blighted. Not enough to harm him, but enough to warn him. A Shinki could cut through negative energy, but without a Shinki on hand, the current Yato wouldn't even be able to defeat that snake Ayakashi on the train track, let alone a sentient Ayakashi.
When he rushed to his table, a quick glance at Hiyori's expression revealed nothing about how she felt towards his disclosure, only perplexity at the rising temperature.
"Yato, don't you think it's getting a bit hot in here?"
"We should leave." Yato grabbed her wrist.
"Dear customer, are you ready to or–" The waiter at Fake Geto's table erupted into flames before he could even finish talking.
The energy in the room flared up as the tingling sensation intensified into a numbness that sprawled all over Yato's skin, like thousands of ants prodding at his pores, seeking to open up a pathway for the energy to tarnish him. An enclosed space was the worst place for a defenseless God to fight against an Ayakashi, especially one of such high level who could control their negative energy at will.
Screams and cries broke out of the restaurant as other customers erupted into flames one after another.
"We need to leave, now!" Hiyori barely had time to grab her school bag before Yato yanked her up and pushed her towards the entrance.
A torrent of fire shot towards her. Heat and the energy behind the technique came in waves as it approached, seeking to wrap her in flames as well. With a harsh jerk, Yato helped her dodge in the nick of time as the technique soared past her and hit a wall.
"Tch."
Volcanohead snapped its fingers to sprout a mini volcanic opening out of the ground right at the entrance, blocking their path and shooting a jet of flames at them, while it stood right behind them with a palm outstretched, flames already gathering at the center.
"Y-Yato!"
"Hold on tight." Yato hooked an arm behind her legs and lifted her up bridal-style, startling her into letting out a yeep. Tightening his grip, he kicked himself backward and sent them barreling right into the Ayakashi.
"Stupid humans! You're running right into me!"
Yato pushed himself off of the ground and flipped over Volcanohead's short figure before it could shoot out the flames gathered at its palm.
"These humans can see me!?" It yelled before he swiftly kicked it with enough force to send it crashing right into its own attack from that volcanic opening, and Yato took advantage of the distraction to escape out the door with Hiyori.
"That bastard!" Jogo screamed in between coughs, teary-eyed from his own flame and smoke. "How dare a human kick me? Me!?"
"What did you see?" Kenjaku asked, still sitting calmly at his table while fiery flames painted his surroundings into a landscape of Yomi. He had witnessed the whole thing, but…it made as much sense as it would for someone who couldn't see Curses.
"You didn't see him!? That guy dodged my attack and kicked me in the back!"
"And what did this guy look like?"
"You…really can't see him?"
Kenjaku didn't respond, his brows furrowed in thoughts. Usually only humans couldn't see Curses. Yet, this guy could apparently be seen by Curses and not humans? He only knew of one group of individuals who were capable of such a thing. And from what he'd gathered over the years, they had no interest in involving themselves with humans, so he never considered them a risk factor for his plans.
But if this guy truly was one of them, what was he doing with a human? Why was he protecting her? Why did he care? If she were to be harmed in the creation of a new world, would this God interfere with Kenjaku's plans? Were there more Gods like him who would care for the life and death of a human being?
A wild card had appeared. And if Kenjaku wanted his plans to proceed accordingly, he had to take it into consideration. He had planned this for over a thousand years; all the lives he'd lived, extensive research he'd done, a millennium of knowledge he forced his brain to carry… He couldn't let it all go for naught because Gods decided to poke their noses where they didn't belong.
"Describe his appearance to me, Jogo. I might know who he is."
"What was that!?"
On their way to Kofuku's shop, Hiyori asked– okay, more like shouted in his ear since he was carrying her while jumping from rooftop to rooftop (the only flaw of her not dropping her body = she couldn't keep up with him).
"A sentient Ayakashi, the most dangerous type. If you ever see them again, or another sentient Ayakashi, get the hell away as fast as you can. Ah– don't think about reasoning with them," Yato said, sensing what Hiyori was about to say. "It won't work."
"Okay, then what's Natsune's body doing with them? You said he doesn't have a twin, so why's his body still alive? Who's using his body?"
"I have no idea, but I'm going to investigate more. It's too dangerous for you, or Natsune, to come with me, so I need you to keep him company and distract him while I'm gone. If he asks, just say I have God stuff to do."
When they arrived at Kofuku's shop, a dainty little shop nested amidst the foliage of Shakuji Park, Yato halted on the broad wooden path that overlooked an expansive lake. He surveyed his surroundings to make sure Natsune wasn't around before placing Hiyori on her feet.
"Don't let Natsune out of your sight, please. I don't want anything to happen to him. But on the off chance that something does, and you can't get a hold of me, go ask Kofuku for help. Or even that old man Tenjin. He may be a perverted bastard but he at least knows to honor people's wishes."
Yato stood with his back against the sunset, basking in the reddish hue and effectively shielding her eyes from the rays, while also unintentionally casting his shadow over her. It wouldn't have felt so ominous if not for their conversation prior to this.
His cat-like blue eyes that always seemed to light up the entire room glowed eerily in the shadows that obscured parts of his face. They lacked the warmth that could lift her spirit and brighten her whole day, putting a smile on her face even in the most difficult times. She'd gotten so used to his comfortable presence that having to see this previously unknown other side of him had her freezing up involuntarily, her arms glued to her sides and her breath stuttering out.
Yato, the guy who was all sunshines and rainbows and always had a bright smile on his face, had killed humans and Shinki before? And not just one or two, but countless? Why? Was it because he was a God that he saw their lives as meaningless? Did he see Natsune that way? Did he see her that way?
Hiyori trembled under his gaze. Lips sealed shut, she managed a nod to show her understanding and scampered towards Kofuku's shop without sparing him another glance. The sight of the row of vending machines next to the "ramen" sign relieved her of some of the tension. No longer having to feel those eyes on her also loosened the tightness in her chest.
She found Natsune chilling on the engawa and eating watermelon with Kofuku and Daikoku when she arrived. Perhaps due to the remnant fear lingering on her face, Kofuku took her aside to have some "girl talk", as she said to the two Shinki, and brought her to one of the break rooms in the back.
"It's true. He had killed a Shinki before. And because of that, he angered the other God so badly that they are still on thin ice after hundreds of years have passed."
The confirmation Hiyori needed didn't alleviate her fear, but worsened it.
"W-Why would he kill a Shinki? He said he wants to give Natsune a second chance! How could he say that and go around killing other God's Shinki?"
"I don't know him for that long, but according to the rumors, Yato-chan was a very different person back then. He's a War God, born to kill, so it's natural for him to answer prayers that wished for someone's demise and slaughter his targets with no remorse." Kofuku scooched closer so their knees bumped, and covered Hiyori's trembling hands with her own. "But you don't need to fear him. The Yato-chan now is completely different. Even humans act differently in different stages of their lives, let alone Gods who can live for millennia and have more than enough time to experience life and grow out of their old ways."
The warmth emanating off of her slender fingers seeped into Hiyori's as Kofuku rubbed the shivers away, the gentle manner in which she comforted Hiyori reminded her of how her grandma used to rub her back to relieve her of the sobs wrecking her small body. And subconsciously, Hiyori found herself melting into the God's touch, the tension in her shoulders lessening and breathing became a little easier.
"But what if…he reverted back to his old ways? If he could kill once, why can't he kill again?"
"Hiyorin, do you know what it means to entrust someone else with your Shinki?" Kofuku paused her movement to look her in the eyes. "I'm sure Yato-chan has told you already. The 'tail' you have in your spirit form is your cord, your lifeline. If it gets destroyed, you will never be able to return to your physical body ever again. Think of it as your heart in spirit form. To us Gods, our Shinki are essentially our 'heart'. We share their pain, we bear the burdens of their sins, and if they get blighted, it would also be reflected onto us. It's a one-way relationship. This is how we Gods learn right from wrong. When our Shinki commits a sin and gets blighted, we feel the pain in their stead and learn through them that this behavior is immoral and sinful. So what do you think it means to leave your Shinki with someone else?"
"It means…that he trusts you, a lot?"
"He trusts us, a lot. And not only that, it means he's entrusting us with Nattsu's safety. He's doing this to protect Nattsu. A God is defenseless without his Shinki, his weapon. Yet, Yato-chan is willingly putting himself in danger because he prioritized Nattsu's safety over his own. Do you think someone who cares this much about his Shinki would kill them mercilessly without reason?"
Kofuku withdrew her hands to allow Hiyori to retract them and place them onto her skirt. The tenderness that caressed them seeped underneath her skin and caved a way for the warmth to reach her heart.
"W-What about me, then?" Hiyori bit her tongue. Enough. You already got your answer. So stop doubting him already. But words kept escaping her lips. "I'm not a Shinki, I'm just a normal girl—"
"Hiyori." For the first time since knowing Kofuku, Hiyori wasn't given a chance to finish her sentence. It was at this moment that she was reminded that Kofuku was also a God, albeit a God of Poverty, but still a God nonetheless. "I understand why you're scared. All I can say is… Watch him. Watch Yato carefully. If you don't believe my words, then let his actions prove himself to you. What is he doing right now?"
Investigating Fake Natsune because… He didn't want to have to kill Natsune if he were to become an Ayakashi. That's why he's distancing himself from his Shinki and putting his own life at risk…all for Natsune's sake.
"He's…protecting Natsune in his own way," Hiyori finally admitted.
Kofuku grinned, her head lolling to the side as her pink curls danced with the motion. "There you go! I knew you'd understand, because you're a smart girl, Hiyorin!" She hopped onto her feet and bounced over to rub her face against Hiyori's. "And even if Yato-chan were to hurt you, you still have me and Daikoku who'll protect you!"
"P-Protect me?"
"Yeah! I'll summon a Vent to Yomi using Kokki and suck Yato-chan away so he'll never see you again!"
"T-There's no need for that!"
What ended up getting summoned was Daikoku in his weapon form (Kokki) and Hiyori had to wrap her arms around Kofuku's waist to stop her from accidentally opening the gateway to Hell.
AN: Kofuku calls Yukine "Yukki" (ゆっき), so Natsune becomes "Nattsu" (なっつ).
Thanks for reading!