#hiyori speaks into the void

[petri808]

I’m throwing canon Noragami off a cliff. Maybe canon divergent. Definitely just satisfying my selfishness lol but here I make my offering 🙃

Day 29 @flufftober - “Hey, wake up” Yatori/family-ish Drabble

From the darkness, Yato hears the sound of faint voices calling, calling, for what he cannot make out. Where is this? Where am I, he wonders. Even his extra sensory perceptions as a God do little against this black void he’s floating in. Oh… That’s right, once his father was killed and because Hiyori is now a shinki, his last tether to humankind has been lost. Does that mean this void is a God’s death? Just an unending space of nothingness, because that’s now what his is— nothing, no rebirth, no second chances. What are those voices saying? So frustrating. He feels like they’re calling to him… Senses familiar energy… Open your eyes… Is that what he’s hearing? Wake up… Come back… Back to where? He can’t exist anywhere anymore now that there’s no human who believes. Open your eyes!… The voices, they’re getting louder. Wake up… How? Come back! Yato feels something pulling on him now, like a cord tied to something on the other end. Hey! Wake up! The voice now screams to him. Open your damn eyes! Okay, okay!

Slowly, Yato cracks his eyes open a sliver expecting nothing but more darkness, yet— light suddenly floods through the tiny crack stunning him for a moment like someone shining a flashlight in your face. What the hell? The more he opens his lids, the brighter the light till they’re completely open. He double blinks, and puts his hand over his face trying to block out— the sun?? His vision is still focusing, but he’s pretty damn sure it’s just the sun.

Well, there’s no time to think about it as two bodies pile onto him. Huh?

“Yato!” Hiyori and Yukine scream in tandem. “Yato, it’s over! It’s over!”

Wait! Hiyori?? But, but… Yato sits up, forcing the two to get off him. Yato blinks in absolute disbelief. “Hi-Hiyori?” His voice trembles. This is impossible. Shinki shouldn’t remember their past lives without it causing them pain, yet Hiyori sounds completely normal.

“It’s me,” Hiyori smiles.

The dam of tears break free as Yato pulls Yukine and Hiyori into a bear hug. To feel them, touch them— for them to be here as if nothing had happened. His true family. This is the happiest day of his life and with such a second chance he does something he's wanted to do for a long, long time. When they release from the hug, Yato cups Hiyori's cheeks, pulling in and placing a pressured kiss to her lips. Hiyori squeaks at the sudden intrusion and a bloom of pink flushes his skin.

"Seriously!" Yukine slaps Yato's shoulder once he breaks away from the kiss. "Not the place for this!"

"Sorry," Yato scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Couldn’t help it. But tell me," he grabs Hiyori's hands. "How can you remember who you are or me or any of us?" He also turns to Yukine as well as he speaks. "Why am I still here if my lifelines are gone?"

"I don't fully understand it myself, and I didn't know anything at the beginning. During the battle with father I was just a vessel." Hiyori explains.

"After father was killed, and you were knocked out, Ōkuninushi showed up with your tied plaques," Yukine continues.

"I had no idea who he was, and that’s when he said just one word to me," Hiyori carries on, "'remember,' and suddenly everything came flooding back. It took some time to get my bearings back, but thankfully, Yukine was there to help me through. Once I remembered everything, that's when he explained how my love and promise to never forget you was strong enough for him to use to intercede."

"Oh, I remember you doing it once before," Yukine points out to Hiyori, "you broke the spell that one time too." He then addresses Yato again. "As for the lifelines, well there are enough that remember you."

Yato’s brow raises in disbelief. "Like who?"

"My brother," Hiyori smiles.

"And my sister, thanks to Hiyori," Yukine adds. "And maybe some of the customers you've helped. Point being, you're still here."

This is all so much to process quickly, but now that he knows what’s happened, all of the emotional toil he held in during the battle is released like a tidal wave sweeping over the land. Yato pulls them back into a hug as the waterworks start anew and his babbling apologies to the two shinki flow free. Throughout his life, he hasn’t always been one to see the mistakes he makes— a trait common among the gods who do not truly understand things like emotions or atonement. They ask for atonement from followers, yet do not believe it applies to them. If there’s one thing father proved, is that this unattached, unfeeling sense of omnipotence is a problem amongst Heaven that needs to change. Only gods like Bishamon or Kofuku who have created close bonds with either their shinki or the humans around them, learned what it means to care, to hurt, and to love— they are the gods worthy of their station. And now, Yato has entered this point thanks to Hiyori and Yukine, and others like Kofuku. His battle with father is the proof, because all Yato wanted to do was protect those he loved even if it meant his death.

“I’m so sorry for everything,” Yato stammers through the tears. “It’s my fault all these horrible things have happened to you. If I’d just listened to you Yukine, father wouldn’t have been able to manipulate you, and Hiyori…” his voice chokes, “y-you would still be alive. I was so stupid to try and do things on my own when having my family with me made me stronger.”

“You’re damn right, you should’ve listened to me!” Yukine punches Yato’s arm with medium strength. “But, I know you were just trying to protect me. I hope you’ve learned to trust us now.”

“And Yato,” Hiyori speaks up, “please don’t blame yourself. It was my selfish wish you were trying to honor. I chose to get involved knowing it would be dangerous even with several of you all trying to warn me.”

“But Hiyori, you never got to live a full life,” Yato blubbers. “It’s not fair!”

“It’s not,” she smiles, “yet I still wouldn’t change a thing.” Hiyori grabs Yato and Yukine’s arms and pull them close to her on each side. “I love you both too much to have walked away. So, I forgive you,” she kisses Yato on the cheek. “And I’m happy to have you back,” she kisses Yukine on the cheek.

“And I forgive you too, Yato,” Yukine adds. “So stop the blubbering cause now we need to figure out where to go from here.”

“Oh!” Hiyori sits up straight in her excitement. “There’s one more good news. Heaven has recognized your efforts and contribution to this fight and finally consider you to be a true god worthy of respect. Therefore, you’ve been bestowed a new title. The god of calamity is due to your father’s wish, but it’s no longer the wish fueling your existence. So, they feel you’ll be a god who protects children. Ebisu has even offered to build a temple for you in the city.”

Yato and Yukine’s jaws drop, both uttering a, “Wow…”

“I’m stunned,” Yato’s mind is short-circuting. “Am I really worthy of such a title?”

“Why not,” Yukine teases. “You act like a child, so you’ll understand them better.” Even Hiyori has to laugh at the stab of truth.

“I see your mouth is back to normal,” Yato retorts, then laughs, “but you’re so right!” He pulls both of them to him, one on each side, and resting his arms over their shoulders. “Well family, should we grab some food? Cause I’m starving!”

Hiyori chuckles. “Now, there’s our Yato…”

#flufftober 2023 #yatori #noragami #canon diverged and created another multiverse #yato #hiyori iki #yukine #yatori fan fic #yatori family fan fic #unedited

[snakemanenthusiast]

you all NEED to know all my kagepro headcanons omfg ayano is bi (i only say tthis cause i ship her with takane so much cause one scene in mekakucity actors which is just so gay) kido is gay in some way i dont care kido is gay but the specifics of my headcannon are transmasc panromantic ace seto is not gay no he is borning and not gay (no offense to straight people im being dramatic) hes straight kano is the gayest mother fucker i have ever seen tell me he isnt gay try and tell me just like hes gay he looks gay he acts gay hes gay marry is straight momo is so silly shes pan too ene is so bisexual in my eyes get ready for my ranting time shintaro is bi as well and hes transmasc because he just is cause the only people insane enough to go outside in hot weather with a fucking jacket are trans men (i am speaking from experiance i will go out in 90+ degree weather with my hoodies on) like also hes just me so he has to be exactly like me okay (more dramatic me here) hibiya and hiyori are like 9 im not making any here (also i dont like them as characters) the boy my beloved silly billy konoha he has no thoughts head empty hes so silly billy (again no headcanons here) haruka is bi (i have a lot of bisexuals on this hmmmm)

okay bye im gonna go rant not to the void

[yatorihell]

In The Darkness Chapter 78 - Abandonment

Noragami x Harry Potter AU

Words: 2,002

Summary: The horcrux takes its toll and Yato makes a choice.

Also available on Yatorihell AO3

By early February the snow was beginning to melt, only to be replaced by fresh blankets in the night. The nights were still cold and the small gas lamp they used to cook with was beginning to run out of fuel, but a trip to the next town wouldn’t be too far away.

They burned their lamps in dim glows that illuminated the tent and threw shadows across every wall, warming them in the frigid temperature. They listened to the radio, the announcements, the music that was meant to lift their spirits. Kazuma’s voice became background noise in the evenings when they gathered in the tent. They wished to hear something else to give them hope, to be found by the Order and to end this never-ending nightmare, but nothing ever came.

“Why haven’t you seen anything?” Yukine snapped one evening. He gestured to the locket around his neck. “You’ve been doing this for over a year, and the only thing you can give us is this?!”

Yato held his tongue, eyes sliding over to Hiyori who was sat on the small step that divided the kitchen from the dining room. She was watching with a creased brow, the fatigue of searching evident on her face. Yukine had a point; he had been trying to find horcruxes for over a year with nearly no luck, but now they also knew the next one to find was Hufflepuff’s goblet.

Yet, without the location of Hufflepuffs goblet or a way to destroy it or the locket, they were stuck.

A silence blanketed them, the awkward kind where they knew that it wasn’t really them speaking. The horcrux had a mouthpiece, and it used it well.

Yato watched Yukine fiddle with the horcrux in his hand, the agitated flicker of his fingers smoothing over the stone possessively, his lips moving silently, incoherently. A crease had formed in his brow as it usually did when he had worn the horcrux for too long.

“Yukine,” Yato said softly. It barely penetrated his thoughts until Yato placed a hand on his, covering the locket. Yukine looked up at him, guilt already taking its toll. “Let me have it.”

Yukine looked away out the tent door, not noticing the sigh from Yato nor Hiyori’s tension at the beginning of a new fight.

A moment passed before Yato spoke again. “I can see it's bothering you. Let me have it for a bit.”

Yukine prickled, but whatever emotion he should’ve didn’t blur his thoughts. He removed the horcrux with some internal struggle, the attachment to it growing stronger with every thought, memory and emotion they experienced together. Still, it fell easily into Yato’s hand.

“Sorry.”

Yato nodded and slipped the horcrux over his head and held it gently, a habit he’d formed since it attached itself to his skin and had to be pried off. He watched as Yukine silently pulled on his boots and a coat, excusing himself outside for a walk despite the snowfall.

Yato sighed as he watched from the doorway. He knew he wouldn’t go far, but the emotional labour was taking a toll on all of them. Dark thoughts of Yukine’s soul being bled dry from the diary in the Chamber of Secrets intruded his mind, the eerie uncanniness of the soul vessels effect and the horcruxes leeching energy. Kugaha had told him little about that diary nor the Philosopher’s Stone that the life force could be stored in, but it didn’t matter once the Sorcerer returned.

The fights had come in heated spurs since the night in Godric’s Hollow but were more frequent whenever Yato wore the horcrux. The frustration, the desperation and the yearning to go home was like a pressure cooker left on high heat. Yato knew what it was doing to him, he knew the pain he made them endure and he apologised for it, but he wouldn’t let them suffer by wearing it as much.

The horcrux was part of him now, and he had to be the one to destroy it.

Yato shook his head and walked back into the tent, flopping down in a chair and stared at the canopy. He rolled his head to the side to see Hiyori sat on the step to the kitchen with her knees drawn to her chest, listening to the radio which now played soft music instead of the endless register of the dead. The dim lamplight illuminated her face as she stared at the flickering candle, worry etched into her features.

Yato watched her as she swayed to and fro slightly to the rhythm, noticing how small she looked curled up with her arms wrapped around her legs.

He slowly pushed himself up from his seat, walking over to stand in front of Hiyori. Her face tilted up to look at him, eyes questioning what he was doing. Silently, he extended his hand to hers.

Hiyori unwrapped her arms from her legs, placing a hand on Yato’s. He pulled her up gently so they were face to face, his hands finding Hiyori’s again and lacing his fingers with hers. Slowly he began moving their hands in time with the music, feet shifting slightly as he tried to get her to move with him. Hiyori smiled slightly, looking down at her feet as she began to dance.

Coaxing her into the beat, he twirled her away and back into his arms. Together they giggled and took turns to spin around, hands moving to waists and clasping each other as they began to slow dance.

Hiyori’s head rested against his shoulder with Yato’s cheek resting against her head. They closed their eyes, absorbed in each other’s warmth and fast heartbeats. It had been a long time since they had danced together.

“I want to go home,” Hiyori said, voice barely even a whisper.

Yato wrapped his arm tighter around her waist, holding her closer. You erased your home, he thought sadly, not wanting to say it out loud. A muggle-born witch abandoning her whole life for a guy who was more trouble than he was worth.

“We will,” Yato murmured into her hair, breathing in the smell of dried leaves and damp earth. “We will go home.”

It was a lie, but a lie that would bring her comfort in the dark nights to come. The nights when he wouldn’t be there to coax her back to sleep or keep the monsters at bay. She would go home, but maybe he wouldn’t.

Sometimes, lies were kinder than the truth.

~

Yato gently uncurled Hiyori’s fingers from his shirt, shuffling out of the bed as indiscreetly as he could. Picking up his discarded rucksack, he began stuffing supplies into it. Food, a torch, the shoddy little tent they'd brought just in case. Blanket, clothes, the Snitch, everything fit perfectly thanks to the extension charm on his bag.

He slung a sleeping bag over his shoulder, picking up the locket as he crossed the room to the place where he had hidden Sakura’s wand. The slender black case was light in his hand as he clicked open the lid and regarded the wand with bittersweet memories.

She gave me my life back with this wand, Yato thought sadly, recalling how she fought her way back to him, through Deatheaters, Dementors, Azkaban and the Sorcerer himself.

He snapped the case shut. No going back.

A noise stirred across the room, snapping Yato’s attention. Hiyori stirred underneath the covers at the sudden noise, alerting Yato that she might wake and see what he was doing. Rolling over, she pulled the duvet tighter around her, keeping out the cold as she continued to sleep. Yato’s shoulders relaxed, but a sliver of guilt found its way into his mind at how she would react when she woke and found that he was no longer by her side.

Quietly, he walked over to her bedside and crouched down so their faces were level. Her expression was pressed into its usual frown as darkness tried to creep into her dreams, hair tangled on the pillow and sweeping across her eyes. Yato watched the slight rise and fall of the covers as Hiyori’s deep breathing told him that she wouldn’t wake any time soon. His eyes fell on her hand which had crept out of the warmth of the bed, fingers seeking something familiar to hang on to.

Yato glanced at the wand in his hand. Sakura’s wand. She and Hiyori had the same wand – cherry with dragon heartstring – even if there were some differences in length and colour. Yato twisted his head over his shoulder to look at the lump of blankets Yukine had cocooned himself in. Yukine was strong, but not strong enough to protect both of them until they got back to safety. Hiyori had no means of protecting herself, and he couldn’t burden Yukine with that responsibility.

Perhaps a wand’s allegiance can change if it finds the right heart, Yato thought to himself.

Delicately, he took Hiyori’s hand and wrapped her fingers around the wand case but did not let her go. Yato’s eyes trailed to her face, lingering to remember every curve and edge of her profile; the way her mouth slightly curved in her sleep, and how her dark eyelashes contrasted against her pale skin.

Gently, his fingertips grazed her cheek to brush a curl of hair from her face. She sighed. He leant closer, lips parted as if to whisper into her dreams or to do what he never had to courage to do. His last chance to…

Yato paused. He never had the courage after all.

He tilted his head to the side, pressing a gentle kiss on Hiyori’s cheek instead. Quickly and silently, Yato stood up, looping the golden chain of the horcrux around his neck as he left the tent. No one saw him stride away, or felt the gust of air that followed a disapparating spell.

All that remained was a warm mark on a girl’s cheek and a void that would fill her heart when she woke.

~            

Hiyori turned over, arm reaching to fling itself over the usual lump next to her for warmth.

Nothing.

Hiyori frown gently, her hand patting the bedspread where Yato had slept next to her before she opened her eyes. It was unusual for Yato to wake up before her, even then he would normally stay in bed, drawing feathery patterns on her arm or dozing until she woke up. On the rare occasion, he would wake her, either when the morning had grown late or to rouse her from a troubled dream. His disappearance and lack of notice were worrisome, enough to make Hiyori sit upright and look into the makeshift dining room.

Something clattered to the ground, making her jump. A wand case.

Hiyori gently picked it up and opened it, finding Sakura’s wand embedded in the plush lining. Her heart thumped, and she looked around the tent again. The horcrux was missing from its place on the bedside table.

“Yukine!”

Yukine shot up from his bed, blond hair sticking out in clumps, eyes wide and bleary, and his wand clutched in his hand. “What is it?!”

“Yato’s gone!” Hiyori kicked herself free of the duvet, barely feeling the cold wooden slats on her bare feet as she flung open the tent door, the wand case still in hand. She didn’t dare step into the fresh blanket of snow which had covered Yato’s tracks, meaning that he had left hours ago.

“What do you mean, ‘gone’?” Yukine asked. He caught sight of the wand case still clutched in Hiyori’s hand and his heart sank.

Hiyori rushed back to the bed and dropped to the floor. His backpack, the spare equipment, the invisibility cloak, his clothes, everything that he stored under the bed was gone.

“He took everything,” Hiyori’s voice cracked. She dropped back to sit on the floor and felt the first tears spill down her face.

Yato had left them.

“He’s gone.”

#noragami #noragami aragoto #yato #hiyori #yukine #yatori #Hp au #harry potter au #in the darkness

[wessasaurus-rex]

One Piece: Chapter 973 - Predictions

It is interesting to see the 20 years idea came from Oden. In the end, it seems that by having learned of all the secrets of the world, Oden had a much better understanding of the overall picture than Toki. After all, the end of the void century might have been a very chaotic time and Toki was maybe too young to understand what was going on.

An updated timelinel:

41 years ago: start of the flashback, the Mountain God incident

39 years ago: Oden becomes Daimyo of Kuri. The same year, Roger reaches Lode Star and realizes there might be another "last island”

38 years ago: the incident at God Valley

33 years ago: former Rocks pirates start recruiting. Kawamatsu, Inu and Nekko join Oden

30 years ago: Oden joins WB and leaves Wano

28 years ago: Roger realizes he has a terminal disease, he goes to the twin capes to recruit Crocus and starts his last journey. Momonosuke is born on the Moby Dick.

26 years ago: Hiyori is born on the Moby Dick. Oden is poached by Roger and leaves the Whitebeard pirates for a year. Roger is shown the road poneglyph from Zou.

25 years ago: Roger and his crew reach the final island and name it Laugh Tale, they then disband. Oden comes back to Wano, then starts to make a fool of himself.

24 years ago: Roger turns himself in to the Marines and is executed.

23 years ago: Moria clashes against Kaido. Ryuma's grave is robbed.

20 years ago: Oden and his men attack Kaido, they are defeated and captured. Oden is executed but saves his retainers. Momonosuke and Kinemon are sent 20 years into the future.

I really hope that there is more to the reason behind the start of Nekos and Inus feud. A 20 year long hatred for eachother just because Neko rejoiced ? Why would Inu hate him for that ? Neko didnt provoke Orochi and Kaido, Oden himself said their minds were already set on killing him anyway. Now, to some prediction:

Chapter 973: This chapter is the last in the flashback. Usually Oda doesnt match the end of a flashback with the end of a chapter, he likes to transition in and off of it between his panels. Toki's mind is set on sending the scabbards 20 years into the future. Now they only have to come to her. At the start of the chapter we will switch back to Kinemons party fleeing the Flower capital. Shinobu may have to sacrifice herself to stall Orochis men in pursue. Along the way, as we know, the argument between Neko and Inu will get worse and they will eventually fight among themselves. That will enable Orochis men to capture them. The other scabbards will not stop and continue rushing back to Kuri. They will find that Odens castle is already in flames, attacked by Kaidos crew. Kaido is inside the castle, preparing to eliminate Odens family. Denjiro and Ashura will attack Kaido and drive him off to buy some time. Toki will then explain her power to the scabbards and send Kinemon, Kiku, Raizo, Kanjuro and Momo 20 years in the future. She will then entrust Hiyori to Kawamatsu and tell him to go into hiding. Finally, she will tell her prophecy as the castle will collapse in flames. I believe that a this moment she chose to teleport 20 years in the future to see if the scabbards would succeed. It is possible that she chose a date further back in time than the scabbards and that she hasnt even reappeared in the present a this stage. If she decided to do that, I dont think it would be shown just yet in the story. In the second half of the chapter we will have the last panels from the past and transition back to the present, on the shore where the scabbards were awaiting their allies. Their argument will be interrupted when an arrow with a message will land close to them, an arrow shot by Usopp from far away and bearing a message from Luffy.

I think this 3rd act needs to address two more plot points regarding Wano's intrigues before the raid on Onigashima takes place in the fourth act. Who is the traitor, and who really is Kyoshiro ? There are chances these two intrigues are linked, and will be solved together. And for that, the plot needs to move back to the flower capital.

So about Kyoshiro. I do believe in the theory where Denjiro and Kyoshiro are the same person. There are several clues leading to that. First, there is the fact Kyoshiro is not loyal to Orochi, at all. He has also been introduced in the first act along the remaining scabbards. Kiku: chapter 913, Kyoshiro: chapter 919, Ashura: chapter 920, Kawamastu: chapter 920. Conveniently, he is also a samurai and money changer. When he finds the card with Kinemons coded message for the rebellion, he seems to understand it. For the record, only those who secretely swore 20 years ago to rize up when the time is ripe were meant to understand the message (so those who had a crescent tatoo on their ankle). He also talks about Toki's death like a first-hand witness. But who was there when she died ? Kaido, his men, maybe some retainers of Kuri and probably Denjiro and Ashura. Where Im getting is that story-wise Kyoshiro was left behind in the capital on purpose. He will join the uprising and enable the thousand or so captured samurai in the capital to take up arms (which will bring their forces to ~5000, the ideal number Kinemon was hoping for at the start of the arc). He will also potentially help in finding the traitor if there is any.

Speaking of the traitor. I tried spinning the problem in every direction I could think of. There are too many possibilities still when you consider that important info might be withheld by Oda. For instance,  it is possible that Shinobu was captured and tortured 20 years ago, had her spirit broken and now secretely serves Orochi. Which would explain the contrast between the thorough and badass Shinobu from the past and the goofy and somewhat incompetent Shinonu from the present. Or the two are not the same person and the present one is an impostor. Still too many possibilities, and not only regarding Shinobu.

A word regarding Luffy/Joy Boy. I really don't think Oda is taking the path of some "reincarnation". I think only the will/drive for freedom is surviving and passing from individual to individual. But all is not about the will and ideal. One can only accomplish so much without some sort of natural power. Some people are forces of nature and blessed with attributes such as conqueror haki/ ability to hear the voice of all things/ ability to turn all the people around you into allies. There is one or more of such type born with those attributes in each generation. All of them will not use these abilities for good purposes. All of them will not become explorers or pirates, all of them will not have the opportunity to reach Laugh Tale and learn the secrets of the world. And even if they did, we understand now that they need at least the help of Poseidon to do anything about it. I think Montblanc Norland was a predecessor  of Luffy and Roger. He ran out of luck and got executed before accomplishing more. Roger was a "chosen one" as much as Luffy and Norland but was too early and he understood it. He was still the first to reach the last island since the void century and decided to make good use of this feat for the future. With Luffy we are only following the story of that one capable man who came at the right time, who was by any means luckier that all those who preceded him. The reason Oden really believes in the coming of a new Joy Boy in 20 years is because of what he heard from the sea kings and the actions of Roger. By talking of the One Piece and initiating a new pirate era, Roger ensured that the capable individual(s) of the next generation had a pretty good chance to strife for freedom and try to explore the whole world and its history.

#one piece #one piece chapter 973 #monkey d luffy #oden #oden kozuki #kozuki oden #kozuki momonosuke #momonosuke #gold d roger #gold roger #one piece chapter 972 #wano country

[libraryscarf]

turn/return ( ao3 / ff.net ) fandom: noragami length: 1k pairing: yatori

It is a mystery to Hiyori, how someone could be homesick for a person. She has felt the cloudy ache of separation: in her older brother’s half-truancy, in the increasingly lengthy pauses before her grandmother remembers Hiyori’s name.

Hiyori comprehends distance. But she does not really understand - not until recently - how to be sick with missing a person. How to withstand being halved.

Then Yato leaves, and Hiyori is handed a curriculum of this new, unfamiliar grief without speaking its language. She is thrust haphazardly into lesson one: how to breathe as though your heart has not been scooped clean of its meat. How to present wholeness to the world, when inside you are eggshell-hollow.

Which, coincidentally, is also the name of lessons two, and three, and all the rest.

“Are you all right, Hiyori?”

She hears this question quite often, though Hiyori thinks she’s doing a fairly good job of not washing up on the rocks. But this time it’s from her grandmother, who has the gentlest hands for braiding hair, and who has forgotten so much already.

So she just says, “No. Not really.”

“Is it that boy?”

Hiyori jerks forward, shocked. Her grandmother’s hands catch in the snarls of her hair, tugging her back by the roots.

“That pretty boy,” her grandmother muses, working her fingers patiently through knots as stubborn as silk thread. “He was here before. I remember that.”

“Yes,” Hiyori says, barely above a whisper. “You wanted to shoot him.”

Her grandmother chuckles. “Maybe I should have.”

Hiyori’s lips twitch, and for a short time the raw, throbbing void in her chest is less intense. Her grandmother works for a few more minutes, then pats Hiyori’s head when the braid is finished. She kisses her grandmother on her furrowed cheek, and goes to her room.

; ; ;

Hours after she falls asleep, the hair on the back of Hiyori’s neck lifts. The uncanny tingle of a fellow presence shivers across her skin. At the corner of her eye, something slips in through her bedroom window: a shadow only a shade more dense than the room’s natural darkness.

Hiyori springs out of bed, hand flying toward the bedside lamp. In her haste she knocks it to the floor, where it rolls off into an invisible corner.

And then she is alone, in the dark, in her nightgown, with the shape of something tall and black blotting out the moon. Hiyori’s lungs spasm; she is frozen right down to her blood.

“Hiyori…?”

Her name, spoken so softly, has the same effect as a slap. Hiyori’s ears ring. The floor rolls under her like the deck of a ship.

She sits down, but entirely misses the edge of the bed and lands hard on the floor. Shock blunts her senses, and she barely feels the pain in her tailbone.

The silhouette crouches next to her.

“Are you okay?”

Yato’s voice is worried.

She opens her mouth, wondering, even as she does, what might come out.

“You.”

His eyes are easy to see now, even in the dim light. They widen at the force behind Hiyori’s tone. He opens his mouth, but she cuts in before he can speak:

“You idiot.”

There are tears in her voice. Her throat is thick with them, sinuses clogged and burning. Because upon the dim architecture of his face, her memory overlays that gentle, joyless smile: the hauntingly patient resignation she had seen him wear when he handed Hiyori’s heart back to her and told her to take care of it.

“Hiyori,” he says, reaching for her.

“Be quiet.”

Yato sits back on his heels, empty hands outstretched. Hiyori drags her knuckles across her eyes, and takes a long, fortifying breath - which is a mistake.

The smell - almost too good. If she were half-spirit, Hiyori wouldn’t be able to think straight. As it is, it’s more than enough to break the floodgates. She sobs, deep and wet and unattractive, and Yato makes a terrible noise and moves toward her, but she pushes herself back against the side of the bed, away from him, and he stops at once. Her whole body curls in on itself: a quaking, wracked thing that has too long been denied its heartache.

He waits for her to pull herself together. With no small effort, Hiyori suppresses her moist hiccuping long enough to speak.

“You went to get yourself killed.” Her nose is dripping aggressively, and she has to take a moment to sniff.

“You can’t just...show up.”

Yato’s entire body seems to sag.

“I know.”

His voice is heavy and scraped raw. Hiyori looks at him then, and her stomach flips when she sees the shine of tears in his eyes. There are other things about him, too.

Now that she’s adjusted to the darkness, Hiyori sees the wicked stripes of new scars on his neck and hands. His face is thinner and whiter than she’s ever seen it. The shadows beneath his eyes are deep, the sick violet of an old bruise.

Hiyori meets his eyes, and the fatigue in them summons stinging tears back to her own.

“I’m really sorry,” he whispers, clearly expecting rejection.

Hiyori scoots forward on her knees. Her hands are shaking violently, the overdue panic from finding an intruder in her bedroom finally manifesting.

“Good,” she says.

Then she launches herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. Yato grunts as her weight hits him, and they nearly tip backwards onto the floor. His arms tighten around her, squeezing her ribs almost painfully tight.

Hiyori buries her face in his shoulder, and his scent hits her system like a drug. Her galloping pulse slows. Her eyes flutter shut.

Yato gives a shuddering exhale against her neck, sending delicious shivers down Hiyori’s arms and spine. He nuzzles his face closer into her, his nose pressed against her jaw, eyelashes skimming her cheek.

Before Hiyori lets herself think, she lifts her head from his shoulder, craning her neck so her lips meet his temple. She gets a nose full of hair, but the noise Yato makes - half-whine, half-sob - triggers a rush of adoration that is almost frightening in its intensity.

Hiyori is home now, arms full of her fragile, wandering god, to whom she whispers:

“Please - don’t ever, ever do that again.”

#scarfwrites #yatori fanfiction #yatori #noragami fanfiction #noragami #hhheywhatsupnoragamifandom #we're trying this new thing called 'stop looking at what you wrote bc it's probably fine and your standards are insane and unrealistic'

[edennohebi]

the haze had proven itself to live up to the often applied nickname of hell time & time again; & yet, you had adjusted. you had found a way to exist here, if only by the skin of your teeth. though the serpents were cruel & monstrous, & some of those around you were less than stable -- maybe, just maybe, you could survive & things would go on without too much disturbance.

for that, saeru would laugh & call you an ill-bred fool: a prisoner who had grown far too comfortable in their prison, & needed to be reminded of their place.

it seemed that this would serve as your wake up call to their reality. things had carried on as they usually had in the haze -- up until all of the television sets had begun to flicker alive. previously they had been filled to the brim with nothing more than static: the wash of scrambling grey & the scratching-like noise had been enough fuel to make the ears wary & your sense of intuition slightly unsettled. but it had been nothing more than fuzz, right? it could have been easily ignored; but today, the snakes would not allow such. 

their only use was for that of the snakes & they had never been a good sign. immediate apprehension twists in your core, & your hands feel clammier -- your eyes had no choice: it was not a matter of wanting or not wanting to, the hushed whispers in your ears of the snakes would force you to focus on it until they decided you could stop. every passing second in this never-moving world was torturous, but soon, the screen would twist & shift into focus. however, it was not one of the lesser snakes who appeared on the screen, but the queen & 'king' themselves seated upon their respective thrones.

though neutral in demeanor at first, once the camera locks onto clearing eyes himself his expression tears into a grin: whatever hope that had sat in your heart would soon be torn to shreds.

“my my -- what a magnificent sight to behold ! nothing pleases me more than to see you all stricken with such lost & hopeless expressions: like meager lambs, led along to their untimely massacre. ” he breathes a chuckle, & a sickening tremble teeters into his words -- ‘enjoying it’ was an understatement. “ wonderful, wonderful ! ”

he hums to himself, lids lowered coquettishly. “ of course, your curiosity must be maddening, hm? how you must be starving for answers -- wondering to yourselves, 'what’s this all about?', or perhaps, 'is this the end?' aahh -- please, do continue on with your endless queries ! after all, only i can grant you the knowledge you so seek. you have wandered into a garden, & i shall bestow-- ”

from the background, a voice belonging to none other than the jackal rings higher than saeru’s, excited & growing louder, much to his displeasure. ‘ papa! i wanna do it -- i wanna do it!!! ’ 

before she can be denied, the camera angle is pulled, &. the demonic canine now stares directly into the lens.

‘ what papa was saying is that things are going to really start picking up! everybody seemed to be getting kinda relaxed about the idea of dying, & i guess it’s because you all got used to the idea that mama could just bring you back, all nice & pretty, right? unfortunately for you, that’s starting to get a little annoying, now, so it won’t be happening anymore. you stupid humans shouldn’t forget that even though mama was gracious enough to give, she can just as easily take away. since all of you seem to need a lesson, in it, consider this chapter one! ’

‘ because everyone is just fine with losing their lives all the time, every one of you is going to start losing your senses, too -- some of you won’t be able to see in front of you, or hear who’s approaching from behind. some of you won’t be able to feel it when someone touches you, or have the pleasure of smelling or tasting your next meal. for some of you, that might be easier, & you can live without it. for someone else, though, maybe they’ll be bothered enough that they’ll finally kill someone on their own terms & stop waiting for it to be something as small as a dare? ’

‘ either way, it’s going to get worse the longer you make us wait for someone to kill somebody else, & if you keep doing it in those little games to make sure mama can bring you back, maybe she’ll just stop making everything work right, on your body? i sure hope you’ll be okay trying to run away from your next killer with a clubbed foot, or hold a weapon with fingers that won’t close around the hilt! ’

‘ & for the first person who doesn’t keep us waiting, if you’d like to stir up the pot some more, & make everyone really hate & fear you, we wanna offer a little reward. if you really want to get back to your happy little lives, or to your friends & families, make it a point to come straight to us, so we can go ahead & let everyone know who decided they couldn’t take it, anymore! ’

‘ kekeke..that said, you should probably hurry. someone else might have the same ideas as you, now, & that just means the clock is ticking. ’

before the jackal can continue on further with her rambling, a hand is quick to grab a fistful of her shirt. off the ground she goes, akin to a cat picked up by it’s scruff, & is soon deposited into the queen’s lap with a hiss of "children should only speak when told to, brat."

‘ ppft ... ’

there’s a distinct click of the tongue as clearing eyes comes back into view, expression marginally soured. but he’ll continue: such is his job.

“ what a tragedy, ” there’s a false lament in his tone, uncaring entirely, “ for you to have been fed false information. the child only speaks in half-truths: error laces itself so easily into the words of the unknowing & the idiotic. you see, to assume her Majesty holds any mercy for your pitiful lives at all is rather bold -- stupidly so. gorge yourself on the rush of blood lust & adrenaline if you so wish. it’s quite the spectacle, but ah -- do not expect things to continue on as they had. ”

a hint of a smirk plays on his lips.

“ after all, you had killed so ruthlessly with security, had you not? the assurance that death here was not permanent, that your fates lied at the Queen’s fingertips, & so long as someone died, they would return. ” a snorted ‘how stupid’ follows suit, “ it would be no fun at all, right? imagine: suffering the consequences for your actions & facing the throes of guilt! ”

he laughs.

“ imagination is a useless thing. a pitiful realm of fantasy holds no weight here; instead, you must face your reality. allow me to explain: if you are harmed, our hands will no longer heal. survival is something you must fight tooth & nail for: not something simply handed over. further more, if you are to kill, i advise you be aware of the consequences. prophets once spoke of a belief -- ‘an eye for an eye’, was it? those who kill unashamedly before a crowd will be killed in return -- by my hand. understand?  ”

“ ah, & one more thing. i'm sure none of you wish to be without your most valued of senses. animals who are crippled, after all, are nothing more than easy prey. " he hums. " if you desire them once more, then you must commit murder: & get away with it effortlessly. pure & simple. if you cover your tracks, then you shall be guided towards the gates of freedom: but if you are to fail, then you must pay for your foolishness & mistakes as aforementioned. but the risk is well worth a chance of livelihood again," his head tilts, eyes narrowing in tease. " isn't it? ”

he sits back, though his hand seems to stay within immediate eye-shot. the Queen & Ellen are within view, too: though the Queen’s gaze is fixated upon the screen, her hand runs idly through ellen’s hair, perhaps in pacification. even so, all of their smiles hint at sadism, & the unison in their ‘farewell’ fails to bode well. a moment passes, & the screen becomes void of their image; only leaving you with your thoughts & the mind numbing sound of static on the televisions once more. they have thrown you to the dogs, & now they will serve as spectators in your suffering.

                          WELCOME TO THE NEXT TRAGEDY                                                                   ( The Story of Eyes Rendered Sightless )

UPDATES :

✘ welcome to the first chapter! this one is considerably longer than all the future ones to both get players used to the format and accommodate for upcoming holidays.  ✘ as allured to, characters will lose one of their five senses as result of the queen’s power. we've used RNG to decide what muses lose what sense, and you can find that under the READ MORE below. please note that these senses will be returned once someone is killed and a body drop post is made . ✘ for reference, characters who lost SIGHT are completely blind and extremely vulnerable as potential victims, characters who lost TASTE have a constant taste of lead in their mouth that will not go away as they cannot taste other flavors, characters who lost TOUCH are completely numb and can not feel ANYTHING -- including pain, characters who lost their HEARING are completely deaf and easy to sneak up on, and characters who lost their SMELL just simply cannot take in any aromas. there is a sixth handicap, but such is reserved for the Old Master as you’ll see below. if FOR SOME REASON your muse’s name is not in the list, let a mod know and we’ll add it. ✘ this ALSO means that WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING MURDERER / VICTIM VOLUNTEERS . please message a mod or send an ask if you wish to volunteer, and do not tell ANYONE if you did and whether you were or were not accepted. ✘ you may no longer kill each other in games of truth or dare, kings game, etc. if you do, the murderer WILL be killed by saeru. you MAY injure each other to your heart’s content without punishment, however, but if you go too far and someone dies, your muse will be held accountable. ✘ further, wounds attained from truth or dare will NO LONGER BE HEALED. you may only buy a medkit or hope to god you get medical supplies from the raffle, otherwise you’re on your own.

Shintaro Kisaragi | TOUCH

Toko Fukawa | SMELL

Hiyori “Ice Queen” Asahina | HEARING

Hiyori “Hiyo” Asahina | SIGHT

Samael | SMELL

Tsubomi Kido | SIGHT

Shuuya Kano | SMELL

Elodie Masters | SIGHT

Satou Matsuzaka | TOUCH

Marry Kozakura |  THE ABILITY TO SPEAK

Katherine Baker | HEARING

Henry "Stein" Dobbs | SMELL

Ayano “Charlatan” Tateyama | SIGHT

Kousuke "Amata" Seto | HEARING

Haruka "Pompompurin" Kokonose | TASTE

Vincent Nightray | TOUCH

Ayano “Aya-nee” Tateyama | SMELL

Korekiyo Shinguji | TOUCH

Magdalena Parks | HEARING

Meredith Dacosta | TOUCH

Rachel Devore | SMELL

Uta | TASTE

Rantaro “Ran” Amami | HEARING

Momo Kisaragi | TOUCH

Hisashi "Usagi" Yoshida | SIGHT

Tempo | SMELL

Rosaline Viviani  | TOUCH

Ayano "Nee-Nee"Tateyama | SMELL

Azami | THE ABILITY TO SPEAK

Tsukihiko Kozakura | SIGHT

Shion Kozakura | HEARING

Tomoyo Daidouji | SIGHT

Valentine Damis | TOUCH

Kousuke “Kose” Seto | SIGHT

Momoka Oginome | HEARING

Satou’s Aunt | SMELL

Kitaumekawa Daichi | TOUCH

Charlotte Wiltshire | TOUCH

Kurogane | HEARING

Yue | SIGHT

Touma Kozakura | HEARING

Rin Kido | SIGHT

Garven | HEARING

Frisk | SMELL

Renji Yomo | TASTE

Ian Ortega | SIGHT

#mod kita #mod kitsu #mod satan #ENH Announcements #Queen Gattaisareru #Regent Saeru #Merchant LN

[justaramblingromantic]

when she was little - part i

Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji/ShiYori

Type: Canon, Post!Series, Say Please!verse, Lily and Thistle!verse, ShiYori Week 2018, 

Word Count: 2897

A/N #01: First of seven parts. I will post an update daily just for this arc, in honor of ShiYori Week 2018. I’m already days behind and I don’t think I will be able to meet all the prompts, but I will still do what I can. :)

Wow. I’m still so amazed by the existence of a ShiYori week! Back in the golden days of this fandom grandma, we just yelled ship gibberish into the void and maybe every turn of the century, some casual ShiYori shipper would take pity and touch base for a while. This…This must be what they call progress!! You go, you, ShiYori Week Organizer!

FYI, this chapter corresponds to the Prompt for Day 1: Reversed.

A/N #02: Back to this arc – I’ve always wanted to explore a de-aged Hiyori so I finally got around to writing it. Baby!Hiyori is so cute I can’t even. I hope you guys have your fluff caps on.

Random note: I’m always endlessly amused that the ‘hiyo’ (ひよ) in Hiyori’s (ひよ里) name is also used in ‘hiyoko’ (ひよこ) – meaning ‘little chick,’ haha.

                                              Though she be but little, she is fierce!

                                                          - William Shakespeare

When Hiyori was late for lunch, which almost always never happened, Shinji should have already guessed that something was not right. 

His petite lover never missed a free meal as a general rule of thumb, which was how he was able to (often) lure her back to Seireitei to seek him just like he had this time. She still did not like Soul Society all that much, but with enough incentive (as well as the promise of his charming escort and company) she could usually be convinced to set aside her prejudice temporarily and learn to enjoy her time with him in this realm that they both originally belonged. He hoped that he would eventually be able to wear down her resistance and reluctance to come back permanently to Soul Society – he did not expect her to return into service as a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 (that would be too much to ask from her and would earn him nothing but her fury), but it would at least be nice to have her nearby all the same.

He had promised to treat her today – yakiniku, her favorite – and in light of that, it hadn’t taken much persuasion on his part to get her to clear her ‘busy’ schedule to lunch with him. She had grudgingly agreed to turn up at noon when he spoke to her through the phone last evening, but it had already been a couple of hours past that appointed time, and she still had not showed at his office in the Gobantai. Shinji had been quite busy with his paperwork and therefore he had only been mildly exasperated by her unpunctuality; two hours had to be some kind of record even for her.

His Lieutenant had approached him a while ago, and Momo had rather concernedly enquired if her Taichou would like her to bring back some takeout for his sake instead. The dark-haired female was very conscientious of her duties and would often fret when she felt that her Captain was neglecting his personal wellbeing, though she stopped when he explained that he was waiting for a certain snaggletooth monkey brat. His Fukutaichou had smiled then with understanding, content with the knowledge that her Taichou wasn’t starving himself under her watch, and work in the office resumed for the next hour or so.

By then, Shinji had already finished all the bureaucratic tasks that he had set out to do for the day, and Hiyori still had not showed up at his office. The fine-haired Vizard Captain was no longer just disgruntled with his significant other, he was also starting to become a mite concerned. It really wasn’t like Hiyori to be late at all, in fact, she was usually excessively on time for appointments, often even going so far as to arrive early (and then she would go around beating up those who came after her for being tardy). Shinji was starting to wonder if something had really happened – though if it turned out that the brat was indeed simply, just unbelievably, incorrigibly late, then he would be really unamused.

It was then, that there was a quiet knock on the door of the Gobantai office, and both Taichou and Fukutaichou looked up from their desks to see the composed figure of Kurotsuchi Nemu standing at the entrance. The artificial soul sketched a solemn, polite bow to her fellow Lieutenant and the latter’s Captain before asking for permission to speak.

“Go ahead,” Shinji responded, intrigued by this unusual visit. The Fifth Division and the Twelfth Division typically did not have many dealings with one another, so he was curious to see what the latter Squad wanted from his.

“Good afternoon, Hirako Taichou,” the young woman greeted in a calm, modulated tone. “The Twelfth Division seeks your assistance in light of a particularly unexpected situation that we are currently doing our best to correct. We require your cooperation in the meanwhile as we’re not equipped to deal with the subject, and our Third Seat has mentioned that you may be able to offer invaluable assistance in resolving this accident.”

Shinji was visibly baffled. “Subject? Accident?” he echoed, his brow furrowing ever so slightly in bewilderment. “…This isn’t another one of yer Taichou’s ploys ‘ta get a Vizard Shinigami on his table again, is it? What, or, as I suspect, who are ya talkin’ ‘bout, Kurotsuchi Fukutaichou?”

In response, the Juunibantai Shinigami moved aside slightly and made a small gesture with her hand, revealing the presence of the Third Seat of her Squad who had just shifted into sight.

“No, Hirako Taichou. This is not a ploy.” the other Lieutenant replied quite truthfully and courteously. “I shall allow Akon-san to explain the situation in detail.”

Shinji had not seen the horned scientist of the Twelfth ever since that last time they had that conversation about Hiyori, and as Shinji’s dark golden gaze shifted over to younger male, mouth already open to ask what was going on, he immediately caught sight of the tiny bundle that the clearly discomforted man was gingerly holding in his arms.

The little thing that Akon was carrying with painstaking care shifted and moved slightly, and Shinji’s eyes widened imperceptibly in surprise.

It was a child.

A very young, tiny one at that – not exactly a baby and probably just slightly more grown up than a toddler, but what had stunned the Captain so much was not the presence of the child, but rather, her all too familiar appearance.

Soft, fluffy, shoulder length blonde hair. Cute, cherubic features. Small rosebud mouth. Huge ochre eyes. The unmistakable smatter of freckles dusted over babyish cheeks. The young one did not look a day older than four or five, and in reaction to that sight, he had damn near shot up from his seat instantaneously, the earlier bemused, laidback look in his eyes disappearing abruptly, agitation visibly thrumming through his previously calm spiritual pressure as he grimly eyed Akon.

“What exactly is this?” he demanded immediately, his tone becoming sharp and clipped, an apparent undercurrent of growing ire in his abruptly shifted demeanor and speech. “What have ya done?”

There weren’t a lot of things that would immediately rile the lean, rangy blonde, but what he was looking at right now came pretty damn close. ‘What the hell are ya tryin’ ‘ta pull?”

Poor Akon visibly blanched at the deadly serious, borderline angry expression on the Captain’s face, suddenly reminded of the fact that this usually laidback male was also quite powerful in his own right. The black haired man nearly took a step back before he caught himself and shook his head quickly. “Hirako Taichou, believe me when I say that this is anything but intentional. …There has been an…unfortunate mishap.”

And it had been an awfully unfortunate mishap, indeed.

It turned out that Hiyori had somehow decided to make a small detour to her old Division when she had arrived in Seireitei ahead of lunchtime, and thanks to an unfortunate series of events (aided and abetted by her bottomless pit of a stomach), the waifish blonde had ended up eating something that she shouldn’t have – i.e. an entire plate of delicious looking (but highly experimental) cupcakes that had just been freshly created by the R&D department of the Juunibantai, mistaken by the pigtailed female as part of the refreshments that her ex-colleague Akon was serving her – and the result was now one age-diminished female Vizard, both her physical and mental forms returned to that of a young, impressionable child, with no memories of her adult life whatsoever, and currently more fascinated by her surroundings than in understanding whatever had happened to her.

Shinji was flabbergasted as he listened to the explanations of the two Juunibantai Shinigami, and then he had quickly gotten pissed off on the behalf of his hapless lover.

“How come yer squad’s always leavin’ this sorta highly ambiguous and dubious things lyin’ ‘round?!!” the Gobantai Taichou had demanded with significant displeasure even though he had already been repeatedly assured that this…affliction that had come over her could be corrected and that they were working on the cure to counter the reverse aging effects, though that would technically rectify itself eventually, given time – a few centuries of it. Shinji had not been amused. At the same time, since Hiyori had ended up ingesting several servings of the spiked cupcakes all by her petite lonesome, it had actually been a surprise in itself that she hadn’t accidentally overdosed on them and eaten herself right out of existence – Shinji was hardly impressed when that possibility had been mentioned to him by the clinically composed Kurotsuchi Fukutaichou, and he had been very close to storming over to the Twelfth Division himself to strangle her ‘father’ with his bare hands whilst demanding that he fix this, right now.

For the first time ever, Momo got to experience her usually calm and laidback superior blow his top, and the blonde would honestly be growling and snapping much, much, more, if not for the tiny little girl child who was still ensconced in Akon’s arms.

The same tiny little girl child who also happened to be his lover, and was now staring warily at him like he was a raving madman – which he had been pretty much behaving like for the past half an hour or so.

The young girl had one arm slung around her temporary caregiver’s neck even as she was being securely held on the side, and her large eyes took in everything with unbound curiosity. She instinctively pulled herself closer to her current guardian when their gazes crossed, and Shinji frowned inwardly at her unexpectedly timid reaction. In response, Akon awkwardly petted the child on her back and held her snugly, and even though Hiyori was only a five/six year old in physical form, Shinji was still immediately irked by the fact that she was being cossetted and comforted by somebody else. She was very young and vulnerable right now, and that only made his already existing protective instincts towards her increase even more – a lot more.

“I assumed since she’s your…partner,” Akon spoke up rather carefully then. “-that you’d at least be informed about this situation. I feel partly responsible, so I’d like to help out too since uh, little Hiyori may be too much of a handful for you to handle by yourself, Hirako Taichou.”

Perhaps the kid truly meant well with his offer, but Shinji felt his eyes narrow slightly at the less than well-meaning way in which he had structured his words. Why, that punk- He still obviously hadn’t given up on his little crush on Hiyori yet.

“I ‘preciate yer offer, but that ain’t necessary,” Shinji replied in turn, his earlier irritated and upset demeanor fading quickly as he regained his cool composure. “She’s never gonna be ‘too much’ for me ‘ta handle, so ya can just pass her over right now – I’ll take care of her just fine on my own.” The blonde walked over to the Twelfth Division Third Seat and reached out towards the little golden haired girl still ensconced in the latter’s arms, and child that she was, young Hiyori put up no resistance as the now significantly older blonde placed his hand on her small shoulder.

No, the one who failed to budge was Akon, and this time, Shinji’s eyelid twitched as he looked at the latter’s equally dogged features. The blonde gritted his teeth slightly and ‘smiled’ at the Third Seat. “Ya should really let go now, Akon-san,” the Vizard Captain commented rather pointedly, but much to his chagrin, the black haired man maintained his grip on the precious cargo.

“I think I’d still like to offer my assistance,” Akon insisted with determined firmness even as he subtly attempted to maneuver Hiyori back closer to him. “Like I said, I feel partly responsible, so I want to do my part to help as well.”

Shinji placed his other hand on Hiyori’s other shoulder and lightly tugged her to him once more. “And like I said, yer assistance’s not needed here,” the Gobantai Taichou retorted in return. “If ya really wanna help, then go straight back ‘ta yer Division and do yer best ‘ta figure out how ‘ta undo this mess. Now, give her ‘ta me.”

Akon rocked backwards slightly in an attempt to loosen the other man’s hold on his charge. “I’m pretty sure that I can be of service here as well,” he insisted with an equal modicum of stubborn politeness, though Shinji wasn’t about to be shaken loose so easily. “Besides, it’s obvious that Hiyori likes being near me – she has been clinging to me the whole time.”

Shinji’s eyelid twitched again, and his pull became stronger. “Don’t make it sound so unnecessarily suggestive. Yer startin’ ‘ta get on my nerves, Third Seat!”

In reply, Akon pulled back. “I apologize, Hirako Taichou, for that’s not my intention,” he replied in a passive fashion, though that turned out to be more passive aggressive than anything else, for he continued. “But you can safely entrust Hiyori to me; I’ll take good care of her and make sure that she is well tended to-”

It sounded suspiciously as though the younger man was asking him for her hand in marriage. Unsurprisingly, Shinji started to look more than a bit brassed off then.

“Oi. Ya do not get ‘ta say this sort of things ‘ta me!!”

Meanwhile, the two Fukutaichou of the Fifth and the Twelfth stood to the side and watched the ensuing altercation with varying degrees of chagrin and clinical fascination. After all, it was a rather unusual sight - two grown men, both powerful in their own right and usually insouciant and pretty difficult to stir up, were resorting to downright childish levels of rivalry as they argued rather fiercely for the possession of a little girl.  

Momo glanced timidly at her fellow Lieutenant, who was still intently watching the rather comical scene of the two men currently involved in a tug of war over a child. “Ah…I had no idea that Akon-san felt so…passionately over Hiyori-san.”

Nemu inclined her head slightly in agreement. “Neither did I. It’s interesting.”

Momo did not quite know what to make out of this whole escalating situation (this was not going to end well, she was sure), and she was about insert herself between her Captain and the Twelfth Division Third Seat when the issue suddenly resolved itself.

Tired and wary of the two men fighting over her, Hiyori flinched away from the blonde man and quickly cuddled towards her default guardian, wrapping her arms firmly around the latter’s neck and hiding her face in his shoulder.

Shinji paused, surprised by her action, but she had clearly chosen, and it was Akon’s win.

“Hiyori’s more familiar with me now,” the black-haired scientist remarked then, though to his credit, if he was quietly gloating over his victory, then he was hiding it very well. “Let me take care of her for now-”

“Hiyori.” Shinji spoke then, and there was a quiet, compelling tone in the way he said her name, completely different from which he had bickered with Akon earlier, and it was enough to prompt the young girl to lift her head and peek at him with curiosity in her large ochre eyes, automatically drawn to him even though she did not understand a thing. The child silently watched the beautiful looking, golden-haired man talking to her.

“S’this what ya really want, brat?” Shinji asked, before simply stretching his arms out towards her once again, this time not touching her yet, but close enough that she should be able to make contact with him should she wish it. “If not, then come back ‘ta me.”

She continued to stare at him for what seemed like the longest time, as if mesmerized by the quiet intensity in his eyes, trying to figure something out in her mind. Then, at last, still without a word, the little blonde started to loosen her arms from around her black-haired guardian’s neck and simply reached towards Shinji to be carried, going so far as to lean her torso slightly towards him as well so that he could take her easier. Her act of blind trust made her lover really happy, though he was careful not to show it. Slipping his hands under Hiyori’s skinny arms, he lifted her easily from Akon’s grasp (the latter finally, reluctantly letting her loose then) and rather awkward fitted her to his own lanky form. It was a good thing that she was already old enough to somehow cling to him on her own, for Shinji was very quickly learning just how challenging it was to carry a child by propping her against the side of his distinctly non-womanly and non-curvaceous hip.

The man was still rather awkwardly trying to figure out where to appropriately place his hands on her small body (she was so much tinier now than she had ever been, and he still had problems getting over that fact), when the child boldly reached up, caught his face by placing her little hands on the two sides of his cheeks, and made him look at her.

Then, she asked the question that had been plaguing her since she had been brought into this office.

“Are ya my family?”

                                                                   ::tsuzuku::

#bleach #Sarugaki Hiyori #Hirako Shinji #shiyoriweek2018 #Shiyori #ShiYori: Say Please AU #my fics

[carrotcouple]

In The Land of Higashiizumo (AO3)

Kiun has four jobs. One, working for an organization called ‘Equilibrium’. Two, guarding the gate of Yomi. Three, taking care of his cousins. Four, being Takemikazuchi’s anchor. The last one is the hardest. It is also the one Kiun is the most invested in.

Chapter 5: Alliance

“Kiun, I want you to answer all of my questions, honestly this time.” Sayuri said firmly. Kiun was seated in a cell surrounded by a barrier that cut off any yokai power. Kiun had only been in the cell once and that was when Takemikazuchi had still been a newcomer. It was strange how this time the one it was being used for was him. And he had no idea why.

“Can you please explain to me what is going on first, Sayuri san?” Kiun asked nervously.

“Kiun, that lightning was not of natural source. Anyone could have been able to tell that. But the main problem was that it cut through my barriers. Until now, other than the Kami there has been close to nothing that could challenge the power of a Jianhuren in their prime and in perfect health. Now either what hit Takemikazuchi was a Kami, which I highly doubt...or it was the power of a Weizhi.” Kiun swallowed, instantly feeling terrified. He knew for a fact that it wasn’t Takemikazuchi, he was sure. But that didn’t mean other people didn’t think the same.

“A Weizhi? Sayuri san, that shouldn’t be possible, right? You can hold off Weizhis perfectly fine. You kept Takemikazuchi tied down for an entire year.” Kiun tried to keep his voice level, but by the time he finished speaking his voice had gone up a pitch and he sounded desperate. Desperate to make her understand that it simply couldn’t be Takemikazuchi.

“Kiun, what does ‘Weizhi’ mean?” Sayuri asked.

Kiun clenched his fists even harder. His palms would be bruised when he got out of the cell. If he got out of the cell.

“It means ‘The Unknown’, Sayuri san.” Kiun managed out.

“That’s right. As far as we have seen, we have yet to have come across a Weizhi that can stand against a Jianhuren. There are currently four known Weizhi in Japan. There might be more, we may not know of their existence yet. Each Weizhi has their own special power. Yato kun’s is the power to use any weapon freely. Depending on his mental, emotional and physical condition, he could even cut apart this centuries old barrier that covers Higashiizumo in one sweep. The other two Weizhis have their own powers I do not have data on. But Takemikazuchi kun? We don’t know what his power is. He has only relied on his Ban Shen power from day one. I believe there are some that know of his powers, namely Tsuyu, the Ningyo in Ebisu and Suzuha, but they will not tell me. Apparently they refuse to tell me to keep the balance of the world safe. They would rather no one knew of his powers. But Tsuyu did let one thing slip, perhaps a warning. She said ‘Kiun’s raijuu will know. Kiun will be the first trigger, I’m sure of it’. So Kiun, either what penetrated through my barrier was a Kami, a Weizhi we have not discovered yet or Takemikazuchi himself.” Sayuri san looked him in the eyes. Kiun shot up.

“It’s not him, Sayuri san! I swear it isn’t! Whatever that was, it hurt him. Why would something he himself did, hurt him? And he wasn’t doing anything at the time! He was simply trying to bury me with cherry blo-” Kiun cut himself off, blushing.

“Using the powers of his raijuu hurts him, Kiun. Why can’t using the powers of his Weizhi self hurt him?” Sayuri asked pointedly. Kiun bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t know how to explain, but he just knew that what hit Takemikazuchi wasn’t the powers of him as a Weizhi and he knew Takemikazuchi’s Weizhi powers would not hurt him. Kiun stood up straight.

“I don’t know why, Sayuri san. But I do know that it won’t hurt him and that the lightning that hit him wasn’t his own doing.” Kiun said firmly. Sayuri stared at him for a moment. “Sayuri san, I know that Takemikazuchi is a Weizhi and that his mind is unreadable...but please, trust me. I know him.” Kiun looked at the Jianhuren pleadingly. Kiun weaved his fingers together and then found himself smiling. “He is perhaps one of the most dangerous people here in Higashiizumo. He may still be a very real threat, but he’s just a child, really. He’s just started learning how to be kind, how to lean on others, how to lead others, how to think beyond his own personal safety. He’s learning what it means to have family and friends. I would trust him with my life.” Sayuri sighed and massaged her temples.

“Very well, I’ll trust you on this, Kiun. I’ll leave Takemikazuchi in your hands.”

Kiun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mom?” The door slammed open and Masaomi rushed in. “The training yokai are going wild. Some of the barriers are down. Minor yokai are making it in and out of Yomi.” Sayuri marched over to Masaomi, a grim look on her face, she ripped out her walkie-talkie and started to speak into it.

“This is the head Jianhuren. I’m making this conclusion right now. We seem to be under attack from an unseen force. Masaomi and I have to remake those barriers. All Guancha zhes start setting up temporary shields. All S Class members will be in Higashiizumo on alert and setting Yokai back into place. All A Class and below will do a headcount of all the Institute members and take the children to a safer area. Get eyes on the Weizhi and Yetong. Kiun go to Takemikazuchi now, and someone find Hiyori!” Masaomi followed his mother as she marched out of the cell. Kiun ran towards the clinic. He made it into the building just as three S Class members ran out. Takemikazuchi was lying on one of the beds connected to an IV drip. One of the nurses was busy checking his vitals.

“How is he?” Kiun asked.

“Doing fine actually. Probably because he has a raijuu in him already so the lightning didn’t affect him much.” The nurse looked up to smile reassuringly at Kiun. “Oh, look he’s starting to wake up. He’s a S Class member, right? If he’s fine he should be good to go to Higashiizumo, if I’m correct.”

“I’ll let him rest a bit more and I need to question him about a couple of things.” Kiun told the nurse, a note finality in his voice which put the conversation to an end. She turned and went on her way. “Takemikazuchi sama, how do you feel?” Kiun asked, helping his charge to sit up.

“I feel…” Takemikazuchi looked at Kiun in confusion. “What exactly am I doing here? I remember ranting to you about the cherry blossoms and rabbits and-” Takemikazuchi shot up straight, his eyes wide. “That Weizhi is at full power! He’s getting out of the Institute, Hiyori chan is following him! Kiun this is bad! If he gets out no one can face him but me and the Jianhurens!” Takemikazuchi bolted out of the bed and ran out shoving his knife into his belt. Kiun started after him, whipping out his walkie-talkie.

“This is Kiun, Yato kun is on the move at full power. The next Jianhuren is going after him. Takemikazuchi sama and I will deal with him. Please stay away from the Weizhi, we don’t know what he’s capable of. Both Jianhurens on duty, please continue with what you’re doing, Takemikazuchi sama will handle him.” Takemikazuchi ripped through the stitches and the first seal on his bones. He lit up brilliantly, clothed in blinding lightning. It seemed even brighter than before. In a second, Takemikazuchi had taken off into Higashiizumo. Kiun drew up the power of the raijuu within him but it seemed weaker than usual. Brushing off the strange feeling, Kiun followed the burnt and sizzling trail the raijuu Ban Shen had left behind. It didn’t take long for him to see Hiyori standing near Takemikazuchi and Yato who were glaring at each other. Yato was holding two short daggers he had probably swiped off of someone.

“Kiun san!” Hiyori rushed over to his side.

“You seem to really dislike this Institute, huh?” Takemikazuchi scowled at Yato.

“What would you know? I bet you haven’t had to question everything in your existence! What do you know of what goes through my head? Don’t you dare think that you, a member of the equilibrium that has probably been nesting in peace for the majority of your life knows what’s going on inside of me!” Yato snarled.

A chill passed through the air and then Takemikazuchi pulsed at full power, a stream of lightning lifting up like a beam of light into the sky came from him. Hiyori cried out and covered her eyes. Kiun let out a yelp when his lightning dimmed significantly and his body turned cold.

“You damn brat, you act like you have seen even a little bit of the void inside of me. Trust me, your life is probably a walk in the park compared to mine. I’ll show you what kind of power comes from true darkness!” Takemikazuchi’s lightning went even brighter and Kiun’s went out completely.

“Wha-” Kiun dropped to his knees, clutching his hands. His hands were cold and shaking.

“Kiun san?” Hiyori bent down next to him and reached for his hands in worry when the ground convulsed under them.

“Kiun! What is going on? Barriers are breaking all over the place!” Sayuri’s voice screamed over the walkie-talkie. Yato jumped into the air just as Takemikazuchi launched himself up too. Kiun only briefly saw Yato cutting through Takemikazuchi’s lightning like it was soft bread and Takemikazuchi grab Yato with one lightning covered hand and then he and Hiyori were hit by the impact. The earth tore and the wind hit them like a tsunami. Hiyori clutched Kiun as both of them were thrown across the ground. Kiun tried to pull himself up but his limbs were trembling violently. His entire body was weak and shaking and before he knew it he felt like his insides were burning with a cold fire.

Kiun screamed and threw himself onto his back. The sky spun above him, turning black and red. He clawed at the ground with his fingers, kicking wildly as pain ripped through him, starting exactly from where he had always felt his raijuu.

“Kiun san! Kiun san!” He vaguely heard Hiyori’s voice. Out of the corner of his vision he saw one of Takemikazuchi’s lightning streams. It was so bright, even Kiun, a raijuu jiijin, found it hard to look at. The pain didn’t decrease, it was only increasing. It was as if someone was forcefully drawing the raijuu out of him without either of their consents. Kiun choked out blood. “Kiun san!” He heard Hiyori scrambling around. “Mom? Mom? This is me, Hiyori! Can you hear me? We need help! Please! Kiun san is dying!” Hiyori was screaming and crying into his walkie-talkie. “It won’t work! Why won’t it work?” Kiun’s blood thudded in his ears, his throat hurt, his eyes were stinging, he rolled over and coughed out more blood onto the ground. “Stop it! Stop it both of you! Kiun san is dying!” Kiun heard Hiyori’s far away voice shrieking. “Listen to me! He’s dying!” Kiun’s vision flickered. He was going to pass out. He really was dying. “STOP IT!”

Silence.

Kiun flopped face forward onto the ground as the pain vanished. His muscles were twitching, his ears were ringing. There was dirt in his mouth, sweat in his eyes, blood on his collar. Kiun had never felt so wrung out in his life.

“...un!...iun!...Kiun!” The sky spun once more as Kiun’s body was lifted up. He gazed blankly at the blurry, double image of Takemikazuchi peering down at him. His mouth was moving, but Kiun could barely hear anything. It sounded muted. He was pulled higher and into Takemikazuchi’s arms, his face was pressed into the raijuu Ban Shen’s neck and sweat matted hair. “Kiun! Kiun! Come on answer me!” he heard Takemikazuchi’s voice clearer this time. “Kiun!” His body jolted, eyes clearing and his throat clearing as he spat out blood and dirt on the midnight black hair caressing his face. Kiun sucked in a lungful of air as his quaking fingers found the back of Takemikazuchi’s shirt. He clutched it and then tried to pull himself up. Takemikazuchi was the one to help Kiun sit down of the ground when his body failed him. He had bitten his tongue.

Kiun pressed his hands to his stomach. He could feel the raijuu, sleeping as always, but there. He was still taking shuddering breaths and every inch of his body was shivering. He saw Hiyori supporting Yato who was out cold.

“How?” Kiun rasped. He was startled at how much his throat hurt.

“Don’t really know. All I know is that everything went purple and that Hiyori had knocked out Yato the next moment. She yelled at me about how you were dying. I think Hiyori chan did a Jianhuren thing which stopped both me and Yato.” Takemikazuchi shrugged. He was still holding Kiun up, hands at his waist. “But first we have to get you to the clinic. Kiun, you have no idea how much you scared me. I thought you were dead…” There was worry and anxiety all over Takemikazuchi’s face. “I’ll get you to the clinic in no time if I just use my raijuu-”

“No, do not use your raijuu!” Hiyori snapped, dropping Yato on his face next to them. She looked furious. “Look around you, you idiot! You guys caused this much destruction! Have a great time talking my mother out of locking the two of you up for the next three years! The last time I saw you use your raijuu, it wasn’t like this. This was madness. No raijuu Ban Shen should be able to power up that much in so little time even if you are a Weizhi! Every time your power increased, Kiun san started screaming even more! If I even feel the slightest static electricity in the air, I’m going to knock you out as well!” Hiyori growled at Takemikazuchi. Her knees and elbows were skinned, she was bleeding and bruised, no doubt from trying to shield Kiun when they had been thrown. There was a flurry of flower petals and then Tsuyu and Suzuha were in front of them. Tsuyu nodded at Suzuha and then Suzuha held out out a fruit to Kiun.

“It’ll help you feel better.” Tsuyu explained. Kiun accepted the strange looking fruit and bit into it. “We’re going to have to blame this entire incident on Yato kun.” Tsuyu said simply.

“What?” Takemikazuchi and Hiyori asked.

“Takemikazuchi kun, did you feel a strain on the second seal of your raijuu even though you used up so much power? Were you in pain?” Tsuyu asked. Takemikazuchi shook his head. Kiun, Hiyori and Takemikazuchi connected the dots. The one that had felt the pain instead had been Kiun. “That’s because you were not using your own power, you were using Kiun’s.”

“But that shouldn’t happen cause well...Kiun san isn’t Takemikazuchi san?” Hiyori tilted her head in confusion.

“Not if Kiun’s powers are now connected to Takemikazuchi’s. You see, what he was using wasn’t his Ban Shen powers, he was using his Weizhi powers.” Tsuyu explained.

“Now wait a moment! I have never done this before!” Takemikazuchi protested. Kiun straightened up, his eyes widening.

“Well that’s because the owner of the power you use has to-” Tsuyu began.

Kiun let out a shriek and fell over, feeling his face heat up.

“...some can capture the heart of a yokai.”

“Oh my god. No way. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe this.” Kiun mumbled into the ground.

“Kiun! Kiun, are you OK?”

“Kiun san?”

“There are certain requirements for your power Takemikazuchi and we are not exactly sure what it is.” Kiun shot back up and turned to Takemikazuchi, saying the line very very seriously. Takemikazuchi blinked at Kiun.

“But Tsuyu san was just-” Takemikazuchi started, baffled.

“I was saying, the owner of the power you use has to go through certain requirements.” Tsuyu smiled. She sent an extremely amused glance at Kiun. Kiun closed his eyes in mortification. Great, now Tsuyu and Suzuha knew. He peered suspiciously at Suzuha. The Yetong wasn’t exactly an example of people skills, who knew what he might blurt out. Suzuha grinned serenely at him.

“This still doesn’t explain why we’re blaming all of this on this guy.” Hiyori gestured at Yato.

“Because, the more power Takemikazuchi gets, the easier it is to overpower anything that resists it, it might even overpower a Jianhuren eventually. This would cause chaos if people knew. I would prefer only the four of us who have heard this and the Ningyo in Ebisu san should know about this.” Tsuyu said seriously. Kiun’s jaw dropped. There was a stifling silence.

“Understood…” Takemikazuchi said slowly. “But how am I supposed to fight without using my powers?”

“Actually, the point is, you weren’t using your powers, at least not your Ban Shen powers. You were using your Weizhi powers which come so naturally to you it’s as simple as breathing. When Yato kun was younger, I suppose, he cut and damaged everything when he held a weapon. What you need to learn Takemikazuchi is how not to use your powers. Until then, it might be a good idea to take time off your work and focus on teaching instead. You should practice with Kiun kun to see whether you’re using your powers or not.” Tsuyu told him with a look that dared him to challenge her.

Takemikazuchi frowned.

“I’m not going to teach him anymore, thank you very much.” He sniffed with disdain.

“I’m sure Sayuri dono can talk you out of that.” Suzuha said with that same serene grin. Takemikazuchi made a face.

“Oh, Kiun san, you already look better!” Hiyori said in surprise. Kiun felt better. His body wasn’t shaking anymore and his fingers were warm again.

“That was yokai medicine. Of course he feels better.” Suzuha beamed at Kiun. Kiun, Takemikzuchi and Hiyori gaped at him.

“It worked with the raijuu within. However, other things like your aching throat and outward injuries that were not caused by the raijuu and Takemikazuchi kun taking your power will have to heal on their own.” Tsuyu calmly explained.

There was a sudden whirl of wind and Bishamon landed on the ground next to Tsuyu. Extended from her fingertips were long animal-like claws dripping with blood.

“What happened here?” She demanded to know. “Sayuri san is freaking out over the amount of barriers that have come down. It’s utter chaos.”

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Hiyori spoke up.

“Yato kun was going on a rampage. We only just got him to stop.” Hiyori explained. Bishamon carefully looked over their injuries and Takemikazuchi who was holding Kiun. She eyed Takemikazuchi.

“But the fact remains that Takemikazuchi went beyond the full power we usually see, right?” Bishamon asked suspiciously.

“Takemikazuchi simply caused this destruction down here. The barriers were cut down by Yato.” Tsuyu linked her hands together and nodded her head slightly at Bishamon.

“I’ll go make sure a medic team gets sent this way for you guys. Takemikazuchi, we need your help towards the east side-” Bishamon turned ready to start off with Takemikazuchi coming behind her.

“Bishamon sama, Takemikazuchi sama can’t fight anymore.” Kiun rasped out, trying to get to his feet but falling back into Takemikazuchi’s arms. “He strained his seals and something isn’t going right...it must be because he fought a Weizhi at full power. In fact the one that actually stopped Yato kun was Hiyori chan. Takemikazuchi sama can’t fight.”

“Eh? Didn’t he bail out on us last time too cause he captured the Weizhi? I’m telling you, we need all hands here.” Bishamon said seriously.

“If you really need someone, I’ll come with you.” Kiun attempted to pull himself up again.

“No, that’s no good. Have you even seen yourself? It’s fine, we’ll continue somehow.” Bishamon shook her head and was gone with a gust of wind.

“If the humans need help, shall I help?” Suzuha turned to Tsuyu. Kiun stared. Suzuha didn’t even consider himself human. Tsuyu nodded at Suzuha and Suzuha was gone in  blur of cherry blossoms, plant vines and roots carrying him across Higashiizumo.

“Hiyori chan, you should rest a little. Oh there’s the current Jianhuren, most likely here to put barriers on Yato kun.” Tsuyu noticed Masaomi running over. Hiyori sat down on the ground next to Kiun, wincing as she avoided putting pressure on her cuts and bruises.

“Hiyori are you, OK? Did you break anything? Oh my god, dad is going to freak.” Masaomi fussed over his sister the moment he saw her. Hiyori smiled tiredly.

“More importantly, can you put the barriers on him again? It would be a pain if he woke up.” She gestured to Yato who was still passed out. Masaomi nodded and squatted next to Yato and started to make the barriers.

“The med team will be here soon. I will go and assist Tenjin sama.” Tsuyu bowed to them and then she too was gone in a flurry of plum blossom petals.

Kiun turned back to Takemikazuchi who had been silent the entire time and started. The raijuu Ban Shen was staring straight at him in what seemed to be a daze. Kiun realized, Takemikazuchi’s hands were still on his waist. He went scarlet but swallowed down the embarrassment.

“Takemikazuchi sama, is there something wrong? You don’t seem as lively as you always do…” Kiun said gently. Namely, Bishamon and Takemikazuchi hadn’t argued the moment they saw each other.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, just...won’t that scar?” Takemikazuchi asked, gesturing to the side of Kiun’s face. Kiun slowly raised his hand and put it against the side of his face. He felt blood. He pushed his fingers a little higher and then let out a hiss of pain. There was a slim but sharp stone lodged in the flesh right at his cheekbone.

“Ow! I didn’t notice! It stings!” Kiun wasn’t unused to getting hurt while on the field but he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before.

“The med team can take care of that.” Masaomi said, tying Yato’s hands behind his back. “We’re going to have to lock this guy up for a while. We need him to calm down. If he continues like this someone will eventually get hurt. But the major issue is, how did he get rid of his previous barriers in the first place?”

Kiun, Takemikazuchi and Hiyori turned the other way, suddenly extremely quiet and attempted to look as innocent as possible.

“There’s the med team.” Masaomi look up. “I’ll come with you guys so I can lock up this guy up and then I’ll return to helping mom.”

------o------

“Hiyori chan, what were you doing when you started following Yato kun?” Kiun asked as they lay their on their clinic beds and stared up at the ceiling with IV drips connected to their arms. Takemikazuchi turned on his side so he could take part in the conversation properly.

“I was actually going to the library. I knew everyone was busy with dealing with some of the barriers that had come down. So I went to go study to make sure I didn’t get in anyone’s way. There was no one in the library but then I heard Yato talking angrily to someone. It was really weird. He was screaming at the person to go away. I couldn’t hear a thing. Then suddenly Yato went quiet and then he said ‘fine, I’ll do it’ and then he just ran out. So I followed him.” Hiyori explained.

Takemikazuchi sat up a smirk on his face.

“Called it. I’ve had a strange feeling since the moment I met him.”

“What do you mean Takemikazuchi sama?” Kiun asked.

“Yato is a Weizhi and most Weizhis are known to work alone. One, because, they are discriminated by everyone else, be it people from this side of the world or the other side. Two, because they are extremely powerful and smart. No one would match their level, they prefer to be alone.” Takemikazuchi put his finger up in the air as if he were making a point. “From all of my interactions with him, I’ve noticed, he behaves like he just ran away from someone who has had a hold on him for a long time and he’s scared that person will find him again. I’m not saying he’s working with someone, I’m saying he works for someone. And to instill that kind of fear into a Weizhi, that person must be very fearsome indeed.” Takemikazuchi looked dark. “I want to tell Sayuri san-”

“No! We can’t!” Hiyori cut Takemikazuchi off. “The only way we can solve this is to get Yato to open up to us. We’ve already blamed an incident on him and he probably hates us enough. But if we get him to trust us, we can deal with this differently. Telling my mother won’t help. She won’t give us the opportunity of time. She has an entire city to keep safe, she won’t put the lives of so many at risk. We have to do it ourselves.”

“I hate to admit it, but Hiyori chan is right…” Takemikazuchi shrugged.

“So you’re saying you’ll become friendly with Yato kun, Takemikazuchi sama?” Kiun asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Friendly?” Takemikazuchi scoffed. “Friendship between Weizhis doesn’t exist because the only minds we can’t understand are each other’s. But I can get him to trust me.” Takemikazuchi grinned almost evilly.

Hiyori chuckled.

“This plan, I want in on it.” The curtain dividing their beds from others swung open and Yukine stood there, rather bruised but a sharp light in his eyes.

“Takemikzuchi sama! Why didn’t you tell us he was there?” Kiun cried out as Hiyori and he started.

“Well, the kid seems interesting, plus, I’ve always wanted to see what a Yukionna Jiijin would be like.” Takemikazuchi said cheekily.

“Our first goal would be to get Yato out of that cell. If you guys were serious about the incidents earlier, then that means we don’t have much time to become chummy with him. And since he’s a Weizhi, he’ll be able to tell if we’re faking.” Yukine said pointedly.

“Point taken.” Kiun swung himself up into a sitting position. “So our first mission is to get him out of lock up.”

------o------

Voices.

“You know what you have to do.”

“I’ll go with him! I trust him!” A familiar female voice said.

Yato felt a dull pain at the back of his head. He slowly stirred.

“You’re not alone anymore.”

His eyes cracked open and for moment he was blinded by the light coming from the window to his left. He took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a chair in a small grey colored room. His mind started to work fast. That was right, he had been fighting that Wiezhi when suddenly that girl, Hiyori, had stopped them. Where was he? He tried to reach for his power but he failed. The barriers were on him again, and more barriers than last time.

He cursed under his breath and wondered how he could get out. There was a loud click, a screech and the door swung open. And old man looked down at him. It was one of the Ban Shens named Tenjin.

“You’re lucky you’re not being locked up much longer. The usual sentence would have been a week, but for some reason it was cut down to four days.” Tenjin told him. “You should thank those who vouched for you.” Then he walked out.

Vouched for him?

“Well that took a little longer than I expected. We thought we’d have you out in at most two days time. Oh well, one can never underestimate Sayuri san.” Yato scowled at Takemikazuchi who was leaning leisurely against the door.

“How are you feeling?” Kiun walked into the cell.

“I don’t think I meant to knock him out for four days. Wait, is that even possible?” Hiyori followed in right after.

“Of course it isn’t possible, he must have been under some kind of spell or something. They probably thought he would be more annoying to deal with if he was awake.” Yukine was the last to enter.

Yato frowned as he tried to understand the logistics behind these people getting him out when others didn’t want him out.

“At least look a little grateful, brat.” Takemikazuchi said.

Yato clenched his fists. This was the first time he had felt confounded by normal humans.

Author Note - I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! This chapter probably came out faster than any of you were expecting. Well that was because all the research for this chapter was done when I wrote the last chapter! Please look forward to the next chapter!

#sunny writes #sunny's fanfic #in the land of higashiizumo #takiun #takemikazuchi #kiun #noragami