AN: idk why I still bother updating this fic on ffn when none of y'all are getting any alerts.
Chapter 9 Interlude
Yato found Natsune standing under the shade provided by the awning outside a convenience store with an iced coffee in hand. He was leaning against the transparent glass that showed shelves full of magazines and mangas inside, as well as hiring flyers and other advertisements plastered outside in an organized manner. Sweat dripped down his brows and disappeared under a black scarf as he enjoyed his drink with a rare expression of pure bliss.
Aside from the initial sting, Yato hadn't received any more on the way here, which meant his Shinki still had stolen money leftover to pay for his coffee.
The little shit.
Natsune didn't even bother to lift his head, merely glancing up at his God when Yato's rough landing kicked up dust that flew dangerously close to his drink.
"The hell were you doing?"
"Took you long enough."
Yato ignored the sense of déjà vu this familiar conversation opener brought forth and stomped towards Natsune, reaching for his scarf with the intent of exposing the Shinki tattoo. A Shinki's misconduct was supposed to sting the God's nape, with the Blight growing in size with each occurrence. It would only incapacitate the God and make them cough up blood when it reached a certain level of severity.
Counting the one earlier today, Natsune had only stung Yato twice in total. That was barely enough to form a Blight on his nape, so the fact that he coughed up blood had to mean that something else, something unthinkable, had happened to Natsune to evoke this kind of reaction from his God.
The way Yato's heart hammered in his chest earlier must have meant whatever his Shinki was exposed to was devastating enough to make him feel this way.
And the only thing, the worst case scenario, he could think of was that Natsune had touched upon the "God's Greatest Secret."
His fingers brushed against the cotton, a few more inches and he'd have the scarf within his grasp, but Natsune leaned back at the last second and swatted his hand away when he tried to follow up with the movement.
"Don't touch me with your sweaty hand." Natsune downed the rest of his coffee and chewed the ice cubes. "Who knows where else it's been."
The insult barely fazed Yato. It might have gotten to him on the first two days he knew Natsune, but after spending a week with him, it became glaringly obvious that that was just the way he talked. Just look at how he treated his best friend, getting into fights three times a week and never going a day without their pointless bickering.
Yato was convinced that insulting the people he cared about was his way of showing his affection. Typical Tsundere. Just like Daikoku. Acting like Yato was a bug that belonged underneath his soles, yet he still brought out tea and snacks whenever Yato visited (more like the food and drinks were for Kofuku, but he still allowed Yato to consume them.)
So instead of letting Natsune rile him up with those harsh words, he exhaled to placate himself and said as calmly as possible, "What were you doing? I thought I told you to stay with Hiyori."
"She has school."
"Then stay with Kofuku."
"They're not my babysitters," Natsune snapped, rising to his full height and walking past Yato to throw away his empty cup. "Why are you so intent on keeping me under supervision? Are you afraid of me finding out about whatever secret you've been hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything–"
"Oh shut it, you're not fooling anyone. You're a bad liar, Yato. Maybe even worse than Satoru."
Warmth drained from Yato's face faster than he could deny the accusation. All noises faded and for a second he could only hear his own rapid breathing. Then sound rushed in all at once, and the jumbled words that got caught in his throat finally broke free from his mental barriers and escaped out his mouth.
"How…did you know that name?"
The coy smirk pulling at Natsune's lips confirmed Yato's suspicion that he had said that on purpose, that he was, once again, merely testing Yato.
Dammit!
"Interested now, are we? If you tell me what you found at the restaurant, I'll tell you how I found out about Satoru."
The cadence, the pitch, the tone at which he uttered that name had not the slightest deviation from how he used to speak it in the past. Unless Natsune had heard his past self say it, there was no way in Yomi he could have mimicked it perfectly.
Yato had no choice but to oblige. "You really want to know what was at that restaurant?"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"Fine then. Follow me."
Yato turned on his heels and walked into the convenience store. The air conditioner freed him from the heat faster than the word "Satoru" had. But unlike the chill the latter brought him, this place only brought him comfort and helped him regain his composure. With Natsune trailing behind him, he headed straight to the aisle with school and art supplies, and picked out the cheapest sketchbook and a single pencil.
"Are you preparing for school or what?"
The jeer from Natsune was heard but ignored as Yato focused on counting out the precise amount of coins from his wine bottle while the cashier waited patiently with a polite smile on her face (Natsune had wanted to throw a pack of gum at her face to get her attention, but Yato stopped him before he could hurt the poor girl.)
"Don't you want to know my secret?" Yato finally replied after paying for his purchase. "I'll show it to you."
They settled at the back of the store where a row of seats was located by a long table for customers to enjoy their food and drinks. Yato sat onto one of the seats and gestured for Natsune to sit on the one beside him.
"I dragged you away from that restaurant because of what I saw. The Ayakashi you've fought before either resembled an animal, or lacked a distinct form. That's because they're weak." Yato started sketching as he spoke. The top of a volcano came first, followed by a single eye directly below it. "There are Ayakashi out there that are way above your current level. One way to discern them is by their humanoid form. They may not resemble humans exactly, but oftentimes they're bipedal and have facial features and arms and legs."
The volcano head gained a body and four limbs. Yato gave it a white scarf and a spotted short cape with "yellow" written on it.
"They're also sentient and are capable of showing intelligence rivaling that of a human's. Compared to them, the Ayakashi you fought before were like quarries for people to hunt. They exist to be preyed upon because they're too weak to put up a fight against us. Sentient Ayakashi were powerful beyond your imagination. Some of them are capable of this thing called a 'Domain Expansion.'"
Yato flipped a page and began drawing a jacked body that had black marks running down its arms and chest.
"Do you know why humans can't harm Gods but Ayakashi can?"
"Cause both are from the Far Shore?"
"Yes, that's the broad explanation. Humans have cursed energy within them that's caused by the darkness in their heart. These cursed energies seep out and accumulate, creating Ayakashi, which are beings entirely made up of cursed energy. The concentration of cursed energy in an Ayakashi is far greater than that of a human's. That's why their attacks are much more devastating for us."
The jacked body spouted a head with tree roots for eyes.
"A weak Ayakashi can Blight me with a single bite, but the strongest sorcerer with their strongest cursed technique won't be able to cause any permanent damage to me. It's precisely because of this difference in the concentration of cursed energy. However," Yato hastily drew some black pants on the body before flipping a page and drawing a round blob, "Domain Expansion allows all of the Ayakashi's attacks to be a guaranteed hit, because the enclosed space has been altered by their innate technique. Fighting them isn't that difficult if I can dodge their attacks. It's this Domain Expansion that makes them a headache to fight against."
The round blob with two doe eyes and striped tentacles around the mouth got labeled "red."
"How to beat this Domain Expansion?"
"The barrier that closes off the space within the Domain is stronger on the inside, so it's much more difficult to destroy it after you're trapped. A strong Shinki can cut through a Domain from within, but it's incredibly rare. It takes a lot of skill. Even a Blessed Vessel isn't capable of doing that. It's way above your current level. Gods and Ayakashi are mortal enemies. What do you think would have happened if these sentient Ayakashi had discovered us? There were three of them."
Yato flipped back the pages, showing Natsune the Volcanohead, adult Groot, and red Squidward.
"If none of them can cast a Domain, then we have a chance of escaping. But if even one of them can, then the most likely outcome is that we're both dead. I've lost Shinki to sentient Ayakashi before. I don't want to lose you, too."
The skepticism in Natsune's eyes faded after Yato's explanation. But there was still one thing he had yet to ask, one thing Yato was waiting for him to ask.
"And how does Satoru come into play?"
"Those Ayakashi attacked that restaurant after Hiyori and I went to investigate. We were seen by witnesses, so Gojo went to question her. Since most people can't see me, of course he'd be suspicious of me since the only creatures who can't be seen are Ayakashi. When you and Hiyori went to the school, I'd just finished my talk with him. Sentient Ayakashi are a huge threat to them sorcerers as well, so we were discussing plans to defeat them."
When Natsune didn't ask any more questions, Yato took it as his chance to get some answers.
"If you don't have any more questions, then answer mine. How did you find out about Gojo Satoru?"
Yato was prepared for countless possible answers, but what he wasn't prepared for was to be answered with a question.
"How old are you?"
"Huh? What does this have to do with anything?"
"You're clearly senile if you're forgetting it already." Natsune sighed dramatically. "I met Satoru last night when he went to visit that girl. How else do you think I could have found out about him?"
"Th-That…" Yato stammered, pointing an accusing finger at him. "That can't be the reason! You're saying his name like you've known him for years! No one ever says his name like that except—"
"Except?"
The chilling glint in Natsune's eyes reminded Yato of who he was dealing with. His Shinki was a cunning one and not one to be trifled with. If he didn't want to unknowingly spill all the secrets and dig his own grave, then he had to be more careful with what he said.
"Yato, what else aren't you telling me?"
It was too late to take back what he just said, so Yato blurted out the first thing he thought of.
"—except his ex-girlfriend! His ex used to say his name like that, all sultry and suggestive and shit! So unless you want people to think you want to fuck him, don't say his name like that ever again!"
Yato internally cringed at the ridiculous lie he came up with, but at least it effectively shut Natsune up. His Shinki blinked owlishly with his mouth agape, narrow eyes widening uncharacteristically. Then the disbelief in his eyes turned into something else, something warmer and softer, and he snickered. Whether he was laughing at the idea of sleeping with Gojo Satoru, or at the ridiculous lie Yato came up with, it didn't matter.
As long as he stopped snooping into Yato's secrets, all was well.
Yato got a job at the convenience store.
The old manager was desperate for more helpers, so he let Yato's questionable résumé slide and hired him on the spot.
For the fifth time that night, Natsune wondered why he hadn't quit being Yato's Shinki already. What other God would earn a measly wage by ringing up customers' purchases? It was almost embarrassing to witness this pathetic sight, but perhaps this was exactly why Natsune still stuck with Yato.
Yato was pathetic, and that made his antics so funny to watch.
Natsune wouldn't have the chance to thrive on schadenfreude if he were to pick any other God.
So for the sake of his entertainment, he endured it.
It didn't make it any less annoying to stop the numerous thefts resulting from humans who tried to run off with unpaid goods thinking there was no one manning the cashier.
Eventually, even Yato with his thick head noticed that Natsune wasn't enjoying having to watch him work, so he allowed Natsune to leave. They were still staying at that empty house three minutes away from this convenience store, so he probably wasn't too worried about Natsune wandering off by himself.
For the first two nights after not having to go with Yato on his night shift, Natsune stayed put and went to sleep like he was supposed to.
But on the third night, after making sure his God was no longer keeping an eye on him, Natsune left the house silently through a window and headed towards the meeting spot he had agreed on.
Night in Tokyo was bustling with activities. Lights from billboards and storefronts lit up the streets as countless pedestrians drifted about. There never seemed to be a moment of stillness in a highly populated city such as Tokyo. From the humans' perspective, it didn't seem to be a bad thing. But Natsune could only see it as a cause for the high amount of Curses in this city.
Yato had said that Curses were made up of the darkness that seeped out of human beings. So in a city like Tokyo, naturally there'd be more Curses.
If there were less humans, if he was in a rural area instead, would there have been a major decrease in Curses? If the population was the problem, then wouldn't it be more effective to fix the problem from the root? Eight billion humans was eight billion too many. Since humans indirectly created Curses, why not just reduce the human population?
Natsune let his thoughts wander as he mingled with the crowd, following the stream of people until he had to make a turn and could finally get a breather. It could be just his imagination, but having to walk so closely with these monkeys made him feel like their smell had gotten stuck on his clothes. The shemagh scarf covering his nose helped filter out some of that nasty monkey odor, but the miasma that got through was still too foul for him to bear with.
His feet led him to a residential area in the Shinjuku ward, carrying him past a shrine and eventually taking him to Shirogane Park, a spatial clearing with plenty of open space and playground equipment for the children.
He didn't bother checking the shrine's name, but perhaps he should have. He was still stuck in the mindset that "these shrines are for Gods and I'm not religious so it doesn't matter whose shrine it belongs to." It wasn't his fault that he was introduced to Gods through Yato, the most unGod-like God. Even now, it was hard to believe that Yato was a God. Watching him working as a cashier further cemented the idea that he and Yato were just normal people, not a Shinki and his God.
"Natsune."
The sound of his name being called paused his train of thoughts momentarily. He glanced at the figure in the distance. Kazuma was still dressed in his uniform while walking towards him with a gentle smile. It made Natsune wonder just which God Kazuma belonged to. It had to be a rather uptight God to make their Shinki wear uniforms.
"Kazuma." Natsune nodded in greeting. Kazuma may just be a Shinki, but he at least had manners, which Yato lacked, so he found it much easier to respect Kazuma than his own God. Kazuma looked like he was about to waste time with some pleasantries, so Natsune cut him off and said bluntly, "Teach me more spells like Borderline."
His talk with Yato established one fact: he was too weak.
He hated that his only option when encountering these sentient cursed spirits would be to run with his tail between his legs. He hated being looked down upon, especially by a loser like Yato. And what he hated more than anything was being treated like a defenseless baby and forced to stay with babysitters while Yato went out to investigate.
If Yato didn't bring him along because Natsune was too weak and he'd just be a burden, then he just needed to be stronger, strong enough to cut through a Domain.
He had no idea how he would cut something in his weapon form, but he'd figure that out later.
Small steps, Natsune. Small steps do the trick.
"This is why you went behind Yato's back to meet with me?"
"You knew?"
"I've known Yato for ages. He's not the type to care so little for his Shinki and let them wander around alone at night."
The insinuation that Yato keeping an eye on him was coming from a place of care annoyed Natsune.
"Whatever. Yeah, I went behind his back cause I'm sick of his nagging."
Kazuma chuckled. Even the way he laughed was courteous and well-mannered, as opposed to Yato's maniacal guffaws. "So you want to learn spells like Borderline, huh?" He tapped his chin. "Hmm, I think I have just the one for you. Here, let me demonstrate."
Natsune bent his knees slightly to have a more grounded stance, ready for whatever Kazuma decided to throw at him. He still remembered the pathetic way he'd reacted to Kazuma suddenly drawing a Borderline and creating a barrier between them. The surprised yeep that'd escaped his lips often returned to haunt him in the middle of the night, condemning him for yet another sleepless night.
He watched closely as Kazuma lifted his right hand, palm open and facing up, and whispered, "Rise, Natsune. Fuyuu.*"
As if a wind had gathered below Natsune's feet, he felt himself falling backward and the wind gently carrying his back, lifting him higher in sync with the movement of Kazuma's hand until he was floating a decent height in the air.
"This is a spell that can immobilize your target by making them float in the air. Out of the variety of spells that can immobilize someone, this is the easiest one. Once you get a hang of it, I'll teach you Bind, which can restrain your target in place. It's much stronger because your target won't be able to move at all, unlike Float."
Indeed, Natsune could still move his body around freely. The only thing he couldn't do was land on his feet or float forward. Maybe waving his limbs in the air like he was paddling in the sea could help, but that was way too embarrassing for him to do, so no thank you.
"Now you give it a try." Kazuma undid the spell and gestured towards him. "Unlike Borderline, spells that target a specific person require you to speak their name if it's a Shinki, or have a personal belonging if it's a human. Simply say my name followed by 'Fuyuu' and then lift your hand up. Think of your hand like it's Tathagata's palm, and the target you want to lift is sitting right in the center of it."
Natsune nodded and reached out his hand towards Kazuma.
Perhaps he had a knack for this kind of thing, because he managed to get a hang of the spell after a single night of practice. He'd been thinking that maybe he was naturally talented when it came to imagination and creativity, considering he was able to utilize the Borderline like an offensive technique without even being taught. After asking Kazuma about it, he learned that this was indeed quite an accomplishment. Not many Shinki could do it on their first try without any guide, because it required a strong visualization.
Yato didn't notice his nightly escapades. He returned early and even managed to get some decent rest before Yato barged into his own room next door and collapsed onto the bed, his weight causing the bed to squeak in protest.
The next night, Natsune began learning Bind, "Bakufu." It was much harder than Float, so it took him three whole nights. After that, Kazuma had him practice his offensive Borderline, which was apparently called "Lance," before he decided it was time for a mock combat scenario.
"I'm going to use Lance against you. To block it, simply draw a Borderline just in time to intercept it. Make sure to time it just right otherwise the Borderline won't be able to act as a Shield."
The timing was easy to grasp, but the Shield he drew was too weak to block Kazuma's Lance. This wasn't something he could fix in one night, so their practice came to a close after a few hours of mock battle with Natsune barely getting the hang of Shield.
"You're doing good enough for a new Shinki. Most Shinki can take weeks to learn one spell."
Natsune nodded absent-mindedly. Practice had him breaking a sweat for the first time, so he wanted nothing more than to return to that house and take a shower.
But Kazuma wasn't done.
"Natsune, I…" For the first time since knowing him, Kazuma looked lost for words. He bit his lips, a hand came up to rub his neck, before he screwed his eyes shut and bowed deeply before Natsune. "I want to apologize for attacking you the other day. Veena— I mean, my God is Bishamon, and as one of her battle Shinki, I have to accompany her wherever she goes."
Out of all the Gods, Natsune wasn't expecting Kazuma's God to be Bishamon, the very woman who attacked him for seemingly no reason.
This revelation made his past few nights seem like a joke. He felt betrayed, like he was simply dancing in Kazuma's palm this whole time. Anger flared up inside him as he thought back to all the gentle smiles Kazuma gave him when he failed a spell. This damned four-eye must have enjoyed seeing him come begging to be taught more spells and to grow stronger after losing to that goddamned God. What reason could he have to teach an enemy of his God if not to gain intel on Natsune so their next battle would result in his God's victory?
"So I got played like a fiddle, is what you're telling me. To you I'm just a monkey in a cage, huh? Is this fun? Watching as I make a fool of myself by revealing my weakness to my enemy?"
The growl in Natsune's voice made Kazuma straighten up and apologize.
"No! I'm not your enemy! I genuinely wanted to help, to make you stronger and–"
"But no matter how strong I become, I'm still no match for Bishamon, right?" Natsune spat out the name. It felt nasty to even let it touch his mouth. "So tell me, what purpose do you have to teach me, who your God is trying to kill? Has she settled on a date for our next match yet? Did you report my progress to her like the obedient little dog you are? Hm?"
Colors drained from Kazuma's face. Even he'd take offense for being called a dog.
If nothing else, that lifted Natsune's mood a little.
"It's not like that, Natsune. Veena wants to kill you because she hates Yato and wants him dead, not because she hates you personally. I don't agree with what she did, but as her Shinki, I can't exactly stop her. I'm sure you don't agree with everything Yato does e—"
"Don't compare me to the likes of you!" Natsune snarled. "My God doesn't go around killing innocent people, does he? You think I wouldn't try to stop him if he does? What do you think I did when he tried to make me wear clothes he picked out from the trash? Or when he asked for my help with painting some monkey's house? I know how to say 'no', but you apparently are too much of a coward to say no to your God. Or perhaps…you're too infatuated with her to deny her anything."
Kazuma paled at the accusation, finally showing a hint of anger in his voice. "Natsune!"
"You think she'll reciprocate your feelings some day if you cater to her every whim? She's just using you, Kazuma. Because you're convenient."
"Natsune, I don't care what you say about me, but do not insult Veena."
"...I don't know what's the deal between Yato and your God, but he clearly sees you as a friend." Perhaps Natsune was feeling a little defensive for Yato, and perhaps Yato meant more to him than he was willing to admit. However the fuck he actually felt, Yato wasn't here to see it anyway so why the hell not stand up for his God once in a blue moon. Consider it his gratitude for being granted a second chance at life. "If you don't see him as a friend, then stop acting like a friend to him. It's disgusting how you act all buddy-buddies with him but did nothing to stop your God, who apparently wants him dead. I don't hate cowards. I hate back-stabbing cowards."
Natsune had nothing more to say to the fool, so he left without a word. A part of him was grateful for all the spells Kazuma taught him, but that naive part of him was stamped down by the overwhelming fury of being betrayed by someone he considered…a friend.
AN: Fuyuu is written as 浮遊 (ふゆう). It means Float.
The shrine Natsune walked past on his way to Shirogane Park is the Zenkoku-ji Temple, which is dedicated to Bishamonten.
Next chapter begins the Junpei arc. I can't believe it took me over 30k words to reach episode 8 of season 1. At this rate, we're not reaching the Shibuya arc until like 100k words later lol. Anyway, Junpei's arc will be canon divergent as well, so expect some surprises along the way :D