"Yatty!" The goddess of poverty and misfortune practically throws open the door to the boys room, "I called you three times already! You've got a job!"

"Give it a rest, Kofuku," Yukine yawns a little before returning to his workbook, "He's been like this all morning."

Yatogami is curled up in his futon blanket, a motionless lump in the corner.

"Aw, come on! No moping!" Kofuku swats the lumpy thing, "You come home with wounds after walking Hiyorin home and you didn't have anything to say about it! What happened?"

Yato remains silent. His eyes close as he angrily remembers after they'd escaped thanks to that other god's interference.

"Owww..." Yato whines as Hiyori swabs his wounds with alcohol. They retreated back to her house, where the two find refuge in her room.

"Hold still! That bear did a number on you," She pauses and sighs, "Why don't you want to go to the hospital? All I have is a first-aid here..."

"I'm fine URK-!" Yato tenses as the alcohol burns. He continues in a strained voice, "...See? No problem at all..."

Hiyori sighs at his bad acting, "We sure are lucky that god saved us."

"Hm," Yato goes silent suddenly, "I didn't like his eyes."

"Eh? What about them?"

"Remember Rabo?" A shiver tingles down Hiyori's spine at the mention of that deceased magatsukami, "They were the same."

"... So you think … He's up to no good?" Hiyori patches a gauze over the cleaned wound, "But he helped us after all. Maybe he's like you, Yato. Misunderstood."

"Hm," Yato snorts.

"Ok! Done!"

Yato pulls his jersey down. Hiyori gives him a light pat on the back for good measure. He straightens, stricken, and looks at her with irritation.

"So? Come back if it itches ok? I'll patch you up anytime."

"Y-Yeah..." He mutters, "You did a good job..."

"Well yeah! I'm going to be running the clinic with Masaomi some day! After I go to med school and all," She sighs dreamily, "Imagine … I'll probably go abroad to study!"

"..." Yato tenses at her mention of leaving the Land of the Rising Sun. He could never reach her beyond the shores. He briskly opens the window and jumps out onto her lawn, making a quick exit.

"HEY!" Hiyori, clearly surprised, pokes her head out to glimpse him sprint away, "Use the door next time!"

"Oi," Without warning, Daikoku roughly grabs the blanketed lump and unfurls it with one brusque motion, sending Yato colliding with the wall, "Didn't you hear Kofuku? She said you got work you vagabond!"

"Ow, ow, ow! OK, OK!" Yato rubs his back gingerly, minding his healing wound, "What is it?"

"Tsuyu called for you. You were asleep so I said I'd send you over later," Kofuku announces as-a-matter-of-factually.

"Tsuyu?" Yato scratches his head before the light bulb turns on and he remembers, "Oh, right, Tenjin's plum spirit. Why did she call? Does he want something? Why send her over?"

"Not sure. Didn't ask," Kofuku puts a pensive finger to her lips, "Mayu did come with her. She mentioned some kind of an infestation … or something?"

"Alright, alright," Yato stands with reluctance, "C'mon, Yukine."

The hafuri follows. Kofuku waves goodbye to the two as they leave the premises, "Go get 'em you two!"

Only Yukine seems to notice her send-off. Yato quickens his stride and his shinki has to run to catch up.

"Yato! What happened between you and Hiyori last night! I shoulda come, right? That's why you're hurt," Yukine attempts to strike up a conversation, "Come on! We're supposed to tell each other this kind of stuff!"

"... No we're not," Yato mutters out of the corner of his mouth. He hadn't given Hiyori's present to Yukine at all, instead hiding it in a slot behind his miniature shrine. It was out of sheer willpower he had not opened it. Of course, that wasn't all that was ticking him off. The stray god entered a fouler mood thinking of how he didn't get a present, lost to a stranger, and how Hiyori might leave once she got into grad school. Oh, the thought of it was searing! Eventually, as he neared the shrine stairs of Tenjin, he slowed. Mayu sees him coming. She'd stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting. She dips her head lightly in greeting.

"Hello, Yatogami. Hafuri Yukine."

"What's the job? Let's get this over with..." Yato rudely blurts.

"Well that's no way to -YEEEK!" The shinki jumps into Yato's arms as something large and brown scurries past her foot, "GET IT AWAY FROM MEEE! GET RID OF IT, GET RID OF IT!"

Yukine removes his coat with a sigh and swipes it like a fishing net, nabbing the creature. The bulge in the makeshift bag thrashes about violently, then goes still. Yukine gingerly opens the neck a peek and pulls back just in time before two sharp incisors poke out, snapping viciously.

"I... I think it's a rat..."

"A rat?" Yato smirks at Mayu in his arms, "This is the 'infestation' you want me to take care of?"

"It's no funny matter! Put me down!" The god practically drops the shinki, who totters to her feet, "Honestly! Did you see how big that thing was?! They're swarming the shrine! I was going to sweep the yard this morning, but the broom handle had been chewed in two!"

"Ok, hungry rats. So?"

"Are you taking the job or not?!"

"Sure, sure. Where's Tenjin? I'd like to discuss my payment in private."

"... I'm afraid he's in a mood," Mayu bites her lower lip, "Some god of depravity came this morning and made a blunder. He's not seeing anyone."

"... Straw hat? Black haori?" Yato quips.

"How did you know?"

"...Just a wild guess."

"Well," Mayu wrings her hands, "You'd best get to it. I swear, they're hiding everywhere."

Yato starts climbing as Yukine lets the rat go and flaps his coat a bit before re-donning it. As the duo ascend the stairs, the rustling of rodent movement among the bush lining the side of the stone steps is evident. Yukine jumps a little when one pokes its cone-shaped face out at him. Several others poke out, their reddish eyes fixed on the Yatogami. Finally they reach the sei-chu at the summit. The yard is empty.

"Can't believe they're all so scared of a couple of nibblers..." Yato runs a hand through his hair, "Ok, let's get hunting."

"Yato! There's one!"

One solitary rat slinks along the wall of the shrine. It looks straight at the god and boy, unafraid. Instead, it hisses and turns around, walking rather slowly.

"... Yer mine! Sekki!" Yukine quickly transforms into the twin katanas. Yato grabs them and makes a mad slash at the rat. But it really is hard hunting a rabbit with a cannon... "Hold still you little-!"

The rat scurries away, unscathed. It turns its head to look at the two hunters, who keep up in mad pursuit.

"Yato! Isn't this a bit overboard!" Yukine calls to him within the sealed space, "It'd be easier if I could help!"

"Almost... got it...!" Yato was not listening to his guidepost. All this slashing was relieving his head of those awful thoughts. Stupid rat, stupid Ayakashi, stupid present he didn't get! "Draw a boundary!"

Yukine does as commanded. But he's just a little slow, and the rat pops out before the final wall is erected. It hops into a large hole where a corner of the shrine caved. Yato stops short of the warning tape. He peers at the abyss and hears the wind whistle. A familiar stench of something like shikome or a musty attic rises from the hole. It suddenly dawns on Yato that the pit is in fact a large vent.

"Could Tenjin's shrine have collapsed … because of these mice opening a vent?"

A rumble issues forth from the chasm and the air is filled with the sound of gnashing metal. Yato teeters before stepping back from the edge. Rats stream from the shrine surroundings and surge forth like a wave. They begin pouring into the hole. A large amount of them begin nipping at Yato's legs, trying to topple him over.

"OW! Hey, stop!" It is not pleasant having these filthy rodents try and crawl up your thighs, "Ah-AGHH!"

A big rat pounces at his face, knocking him off his feet. He lands on the brown sea of rats and they all swarm over him. He could see nothing but these little freaks and their huge teeth. They bite at his clothes and proceed to drag him down into the pit.

"YATO! YATO!"

Yato strains to heed Yukine's calls. Vicious bites at his fingers, however, cause him to lose his grip on the swords. Without thinking, he calls out, "Revert, Sekki!"

The swords become the young boy again. Yukine's eyes grow wide as the rats surge on him also. The two are dragged, screaming, into the pit.

"DAMMIT, YATOOO!"

The last of the rodents scurries into the darkness. Tenjin's shrine is left quiet once more. His shinki peer out and put a cautious foot on the shrine grounds. So far, so good. Not a rat to be heard or seen.

"They got rid of them!" Some of them hug in joy, "Thank Heaven, I couldn't sleep at all!"

Mayu looks about, confused. Where was the delivery god?

…

"I'm going out, Grandma!"

Hiyori closes the door behind her and starts off to school. She'd made plans to meet with Yama and Ami. They were going to go to school together. On the way, she sees some townspeople gathered at the road to Tenjin's shrine. It appears to be closed off.

"Excuse me, what's going on?"

"There's been a ruckus since this mornin'. Seems like there was a rat problem."

"The old shrine must have had a nest. It's being closed off now until the exterminators come."

"Oh..." Hiyori remembers Daikoku's mention of Tenjin's shrine having collapsed. Could it be related somehow?

She sees Mayu and Tsuyu standing by the sei-chu and waves. The shinki notices and returns the gesture, albeit timidly. Those of the the Far Shore cannot be seen by these normal humans. To invite the hanyou into conversation was to declare her insane by human perception. The three convene a little away from the crowd.

"It's good to see you're okay, Mayu-san," Hiyori pauses thoughtfully before asking, "Is Tenjin doing well?"

"Oh, no, nothing could possibly make him any madder," Mayu smiles a little ruefully, "He's calmed down a bit from his spell this morning, but he hasn't been paying attention to the problem as of yet."

"It's a small thing after all," Tsuyu says despite her worried expression, "This was taken care of swiftly by the Yatogami."

"Yato? So he solved the problem?"

"Yes, but now I can't find him anywhere," Mayu looks about worriedly, "He's always eager for payment."

"... I, I better get to school."

Hiyori hurries to the rendezvous point, but doubt weighed in her mind. Could Yato have gotten in trouble? But it was just a simple problem, wasn't it? And surely Yukine as his guidepost was enough deterrent.

"Hiyori!" Her friends are already there, waiting, "Where've you been? Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"Sorry!" She shoves her worries down a bit. Come on, Yato will be fine … She hopes.

…

"Ohhh, unh..." Yato shifts in the dirt and darkness painfully. Those rats really gave it to him. His whole body hurt, "Urgh … Yukine?"

He slowly sits up, mindful of the ebbing pain from all those sharp teeth and claws. They were gone now, but where was he? The rats dragged him down into the vent … but this wasn't exactly Yomi. Blindly, he fumbles for his shinki. He feels Yukine's coat hood and pulls at it. His eyes begin adjusting to the darkness and he can just barely make out the boy's hair and face.

"... Yukine?"

"... Stupid jersey..." Yukine says with difficulty. His face is contorted with pain, "What kind of idiot tells me to revert … and be mauled by rats!?"

"Heh, sorry..." Yato sighs with relief, "Can you move? We're in the place where Tenjin's shrine collapsed. There's something familiar here though ..."

"Ugh, who cares? How do we get out?" Yukine sits up and checks his arm, "I really, really need a bath."

"Oh yeah," Yato chuckles lightly, "I forget you're scared of the dark!"

"Oh you-!"

"Shh!" Yato abruptly shushes Yukine, putting a finger to his lips, "Did you hear that?"

The pitter-patter of tiny feet in the darkness … along with the sound of a draft can be heard.

"There's our way out," Yato holds out his hand, "Sekki."

There is a brief flash of light when Yukine transforms, allowing Yato to glimpse a tunnel. He gropes about the edge of the walls as he walks, careful not to trip on wayward stones. The air is stale and musty down here, bringing up undesirable memories. Memories back when he was trapped in Yomi, with Nora and facing Izanami. This place was almost too familiar in environment, and it made him sick.

A small crack of light appears far away. Yato cautiously makes his way and it grows brighter … and brighter …

Then a rat runs over his foot, towards the light. He pulls back a little and his eyes readjust. The light is coming from a single sconce in some sort of chamber. Again he is reminded of the encounter with all those shikome and Izanami's horrid form. He hesitates going any further.

"...Yato? What's wrong?"

"..." Yato feels his sweat drip and swallows. He takes a step forward, "Nothing."

The sound of squeaking and little paws grows louder and louder. Yato steps foot into the chamber wall and almost yelps with surprise.

Rats. Large, small and medium sized rats of all colors. Brown, black, grey, white … They all perched on top of what looked like an old underground library. Scrolls and books, ancient and new, are strewn about and packed full into shelves. The rats pick up the literature and proceed to chew on the pages and tear the material. Most shocking of all was the large rat in an orange monk robe. It stands taller than Yato on its hind feet and the rats seem to obey this entity. At Yato's entry, one of its ears swivel and it turns. Its face is grotesquely remnant of a human.

"Eugh!" Yukine shakes a bit in Yato's hand, "What the-?!"

"Welcome, Yatogami!" The large rat speaks in a thunderous tone, revealing sharp, metallic teeth lining his mouth by the dozens, "I've been expecting you."

"Uh huh … " Yato can only nod, "...Who are you...?"

"Raigou Tesso. But please, call me Tesso," He bows. And so do all his subordinates, "It is such an honor, god of fortune."

"Uhh," Yato is flattered despite the situation, "Y-you know me?"

"Well, I may have been literally living under a rock this whole time, but I do keep some record," Tesso's tail winds and picks up a heavy tome with ease, dropping it into his bony, clawed hands, "See, here you are..."

He leafs through the yellowed pages and points to a page with Yato's name and personal information inscribed. The page looks relatively new compared to previous entries.

"WOAH!" Yato's eyes light up and he drops Yukine to ogle at his entry, "I-I'm in a book! I must be somewhat famous, right? Right?!"

"Yato!" Yukine smacks his head in exasperation, "Yato! Focus! We don't know this guy!"

"You must be his hafuri."

"YATO!"

"Don't worry, I mean neither of you ill," The rat-man ambles over to a tall stack of books and scroll. He casually plucks a scroll and proceeds to talk whilst nibbling on the parchment, "You, being a former god of destruction, set off my little ones, who thought you were a threat. So they thought to suck you down the vent."

He turns to the multitude of rodents and hisses at them vehemently in reproach, causing them to draw back. He turns back to his guests, "Sorry. It seems no matter how much they eat, they can't absorb the material."

Yato reluctantly turns back into the conversation, clutching the record, "Um, you wouldn't happen to have copies of this...?"

"No," Tesso's tail lashes like a whip and suddenly the book is out of Yato's hands. It lands neatly in a stack, away from the group, "Every book here is a one of a kind. I own this library, and I don't allow stealing."

"Aww... Revert, Sekki."

Yukine jumps to his feet and comes between Tesso and Yato, his fingers poised to draw a boundary. His hawthorn eyes are anxiously darting about, minding the rats' movements, "Come on, Yato. We gotta get outta here."

"Oh, right. So, Tesso," Yato folds his arms behind his head, "Where's the exit here? We're not exactly comfortable in a place so much like Yomi."

"... This is the underground by the border of Meido, of Yomi. There's a vent right about there," Tesso points at a bookshelf positioned in front of a cracked wall, "It'll lead you out."

"... And what are you doing under Tenjin's shrine?" Yukine casts a suspicious look on Tesso, "Did you cause his shrine to collapse?"

"It's is close to the eclipse, don't you know? Those of the Far and Near Shore will be drawn together. I wouldn't be surprised if more vents began to open."

"... You're … Not planning something, are you? Dragging other people here, maybe?" Yato knows Tenjin's shinki would die of fright down here.

"I'm just an old librarian who used to pursue nirvana. Now I want to live out my days peacefully as the protector of this place. Just me and my rats. But if you're interested in knowing... anything, anything at all, you'll know where to find me," Tesso's ear twitches at the squeaking of some rats, "This is fate, see? We are supposed to meet here."

"What?" Yato and Yukine look at each other with confused looks.

"I've been living under the god of learning's shrine for a long time. I know much, as you can see, from all this literature I consume. There-"

A loud rumble interrupts the librarian's monologue. He looks up worriedly, as do Yato and Yukine.

"What is that?!"

"Hurry, you must leave!" Tesso shoves aside the bookshelf, "This space is not so stable to support us all!"

"Yato, come on!" Yukine disappears first through the vent.

"..." Yato looks back hesitantly, "You said this was fate. Does that mean I'll come back here?"

"Yes."

Yato ducks into the crevice and finds himself popping out under the floorboard space of the shrine. Yukine is already making his way to the shrine perimeter. The god follows. When they are free of the enclosed space and out in the open, they stretch. Then they notice how ragged the two of them look. Their clothes are bitten and full of tiny holes. Dirt streaks on their faces and there were teeth marks on their skin. They look infectious.

"Tsuyu? Tsuyu! I-"

They turn to see Tenjin open the panel leading into the shrine. He gapes at the two disheveled misfits before his shrine and they look back with innocent eyes. Yato grins.

"Yo, Tenjin! I got rid of your problem!"

"W... What?" Tenjin shuffles down to the cobblestone floor, "What's going on here? Where's Tsuyu?"

"Tenjin!"

The plum spirit and Mayu appear at the sei-chu by the torii. She runs up to Tenjin, who looks relieved to see her.

"I'm glad you're out and about."

"Ahem, that was nothing," Tenjin coughs, "I can't let something so insignificant as that amemasu get the best of me. Now..."

He points his folded fan at the two boys, "What are they doing, looking like that?"

"Oh..." Mayu quips, "We … had a slight problem in your absence. But Yatogami has taken care of it soundly."

"Problem? Did he fix my shrine?" Tenjin peers toward the collapsed posterior, "I see not."

"Um … About that..."

Yato tells the god of knowledge about the vent in the pit and the huge rat-man Tesso who is living in a library beneath with hordes of rats. Tenjin pales.

"Rats … by the hundreds … under my shrine?" He wheezes, "And... Tesso?"

"Yeah, he seemed like a nice guy, seeing as he helped us find a way out and all …"

A sudden gust blows through the area. A single lightning bolt falls like a spear from the sky and strikes the ground between Tenjin and the stray cat and his hafuri. Yato and Yukine's lips are instantly zipped. Tenjin speaks in a low, controlled voice that threatens to explode.

"First, my shrine collapses. Then that lowly amemasu … and now that rat?" Tenjin turns around, heading back into his shrine, "I'm calling for Heaven's intervention, NOW!"

"Tenjin!" Tsuyu pleads, "The heavens are currently-"

"THEY WILL RID ME OF THESE PESTS SO I MAY REBUILD MY SHRINE IN PEACE, OR I WILL RAIN DESTRUCTION ON THIS LAND AS I HAVE BEFORE!" The god slams the panel shut in fervor, cracking the wooden frame a bit. The stragglers are tongue-tied.

"...Uh-"

"Here," Mayu forces a five-yen coin into Yato's hand, shooting him a firm look, "Please, leave now."

"... Some thanks," Yato pockets the money and starts walking away quickly, "Let's go, Yukine."

Yukine is in no mood to stay on the shrine grounds of an angry Tenjin. The two run off quickly, leaving Mayu and Tsuyu standing before the shrine.

"... What is going on?"

Tsuyu looks at the worried Mayu, but says nothing. There is a sour scent of plums in the light wind that blows over the town. It mellows as it passes, turning into but a scent of something ethereal, like a camellia. Tided by this ominous wind, Ayakashi of the dozens begin gathering about atop an old dwelling outside town limits, all of them with a mask. At the head of the horde is Fudou and Nora, addressing the little army.

"I want the girl alive," Fudou slashes authoritatively through the air with Fujisaki's brush, "I do not need her body, but if she does not project, take the whole thing."

Low grunts and growls of acknowledgment ripple through the crowd. With a flick of the brush, they all disperse.

"You're bold, Fudou-san," Nora looks to the dark god appreciatively, "Attacking in broad daylight, and not even waiting until dusk. You do command with authority, don't you?"

"... I'm not so used to this as you think, Nora," He only takes one look at her before shaking his head, "It's confusing, addressing you. You are a Nora, but your name is Nora..."

"Father's offer still stands. You can give me a name you prefer."

"No thank you. This brush is heavy enough assistance from your father," Fudou sits down and takes off his hat, "I need no other shinki."

"... If you're earnest in this endeavor, and I do like it," Nora crouches next to him, her eyes fixed on the stoic god, "You'll be running into Yato for sure. He's attached to the silly thing."

"... Will that be a problem?"

"Father requests you avoid killing Yato. You can punish him, of course. He's been a bad 'runaway son,'" Nora chuckles, tilting her head to the side, "A perfect punishment would be to sever the hanyou."

"Well, then. I hope I do not disappoint."

"Yes, I hope so."

Nora is gone, leaving Fudou alone on the roof. His long hair streams in the faint wind. Ume materializes next to him and snuggles against his arm. They both gaze up to the sky, where an eclipse is being scheduled to happen soon.

"It won't be long now."