To Be Free! (Noragami Fan-Fic)

Yato's Shrine

"Hey! These uniforms are starting to look pretty sweet, huh?!" Yamashita said referring to the new uniforms that we received after graduating junior high school.
"Yeah! I was a bit embarrassed at first, but I've really grown to like them!" Hiyori said. I nodded in agreement.
"Man, it's so lucky that you and Crystal managed to graduate. You just woke up in time for the entrance exam and Crystal walked in a few seconds before the bell went off along with the other missing students," Yamashita whined.
"What about you? You almost flunked without an excuse!" Tabata reminded Yamashita.
"How do you know about that?"
"So which club are you going to join?"
"Maybe tennis or basketball... But the culture club sounds good too!" Yamashita replied. "What about you, Crystal?"
"I don't think I will be joining a club this year either. With all the trouble piling up in the student council room, I won't have time to participate in much even if I could," I answered with an apologetic smile.
"Hey, Crystal!" I heard Blaze call from the other side of the road. All my regalias went to the same school as me so we all had to take different routes to reduce the suspicion that something was happening between all of us. Which is why the school campus has over a thousand students. However, occasionally, our routes would intercept and we would have to play around with stories which is why people think I have a large circle of friends. I waved back at Blaze and noticed Akai and Rose heading our way as well.
"Good morning, Crystal-senpai," Rose greeted while trying to hide a laugh when she noticed me twitch in irritation from being addressed in such a weird way by my regalia.
"Good morning to you, too," I replied through barred teeth.
The four of us walked together and chatted until we were stopped by feeling two pairs of eyes drilling into our foreheads.
"Is something wrong?" Rose asked while trying to hide her anxiousness.
Tabata and Yamashita looked like they were about to burst out laughing but were able to give an understandable response. However, it wasn't one I was expecting.
"With your hair colours, I wouldn't be surprised if you Akai were married and Rose and Blaze were your kids," they roared and burst out laughing. I looked between us and noticed that she was right. Akai having red hair and mine being white, it would seem as though they were mixed together to make pink, which was Rose's hair colour, and orange, which was Blaze's.
"Well we aren't married so don't think of it that way!" I shot back with a face that was red from embarrassment.
But to my dismay, Akai responsively placed his arms around me and said in the fakest manliest voice he could muster, "We aren't married, but I plan to propose to her and have kids."
At this, Blaze, Rose and Hiyori stared at the both of us with shock while the other two were applauding us. "Please invite us to the wedding," they both said in sync.
"Not on my watch, you aren't!" Yato said appearing out of nowhere but the two didn't notice him. However, when the rest of us saw him, we turned around and began to speed walk to school.
"Huh? Why's everyone going so fast?!" Tabata asked as she raced after us. "Are all of you joining the foot-race club?!"
"No way! No way! No way!" Yato cried the whole time until I purposely let Hiyori's soul slip out and I had Blaze's phone ring and he pretended to be talking to the principal and reported that we had to make our way to the school kindergarten campus to help out with a leak in the water tank. Which is how we managed to avoid Yato risking to embarrass us in front of the other two. As we left their line of sight, I made our presence hidden as we ran away from Yato on the rooftops as he continued his ridiculous chant.
It was at that moment that my phone rang for real and I answered while Yato was demanding an explanation from Akai.
"Who is this?" I asked.
"Princess Crystal, it's me," the Takamagahara Colloquial Receptionist answered. "We're about to hold an early colloquy to discuss Guardian Bishamon's case."
"Understood. I will be there shortly," I replied and hung up. "Akai, let's go. We're having a colloquy."
"It's still a long time for the next one. What brought it up?" He asked.
"Bishamon is going to be questioned," I answered and he nodded in reply. We immediately teleported to Takamagahara and changed into our formal clothing and walked into the grand building. As we arrived, I was guided to the meeting room while Akai waited outside where he found Kazuma.
"Lady Bishamon. Guardian of war as you may be, your recent actions are unacceptable."
"This isn't the Month of Guardians! A Colloquy now is unheard of! And summoning the princess here for such a measly reason is treason against her will!" A guardian roared in protest.
"I'm fine," I replied curtly. "Just go along with the discussion and wait until it is all over."
"As you wish, your highness," the one that spoke out of place replied.
"Your corruption has shaken the heavens and even placed the princess's life in danger. Why have you involved other guardians and caused such a great tumult?"
"My actions were in poor response to the Yato guardian's attack," Bishamon answered calmly.
"Yato Guardian? The snake Guardian, Yato-no-kami?" One questioned.
"Just a moment! I've no knowledge of this!" Yato-no-kami defended. "A charlatan must be using my name!"
"Indeed, she doesn't mean you, Yato-no-kami," I said. "She's referring to my elder brother who has yet gained a shrine."
"Oh, yes. There are some like that. Upstarts who try to benefit off of others' status. I believe a guardian of poverty is using the Lord Ebisu's name, in fact."
"But how was a shrine-less ne'er-do-well able to ascend to Takamagahara?"
"Never mind my brother. The masked ones are the real concern here," I told them authoritatively. "They are Phantoms employed using Scourges. Never before have any appeared here in Takamagahara."
"Why did you release this 'Kugaha' who had brought them?"
"Indeed, we could've learned about the conjurer who created them."
"I admit I acted hastily," she admitted. "I later found that he wasn't bound by the name 'Kuga'. I presume he was the conjurer's Nora."
Loud gasps resounded around the room. "It sounds like you're accusing someone here of granting him a name."
"Nothing of the sort!" Bishamon replied. "I don't mean to blame anyone at all! What troubles me is this conjurer's ingenuity and resourcefulness in deceiving guardians!"
"This incident has thrown heaven and earth into disarray. The increase in Phantoms will surely unsettle the Lower Realm. You are to observe each Phantoms' behaviour and continue to report on any Masked Ones you find. I will issue a search notice for this Kugaha if that is alright with her highness," the guardian said and everyone turned to me.
"Yes, that's fine. This Colloquy is adjourned," I announced.

Bishamon and I walked together until we found Kazuma and Akai standing in silence together as the other regalias around them were whispering.
"Good to see you haven't gotten into trouble like the first time you came here," I said trying to lighten the mood around Kazuma. Akai noticed and played along. But it wasn't long until we were interrupted.
"Bishamon! Princess!" A loud and rowdy voice shouted from across the hall. We all turned and saw the other Seven Guardians Of Fortune. "Good to see ya!"
"Okuninushi! And the others...!" Bishamon said in surprise.
"I just knew they'd swamp you with cold-hearted bellyaching!" Okuninushi said in his ever loud voice. "Enough to put mold in my ears! Right, ol' Inaba?"
"You guys just keep on talking, I'm going to be late for class," I told them and snuck off to class and began writing a permission slip saying it was from the principal for Akai and I as I was technically the one in charge of the whole campus and I could always create as many permission slips as I want since the principal and I are the same people.

After school, I was called by Hiyori saying she wanted to come over to our shrine to work on something with us. I agreed and we met in front of one of my main shrines. On her back, she carried a large bag that she seemed to have difficulty carrying around.
"Welcome to my shrine," I told her as she stepped one foot onto the shrine grounds. As she did so, I immediately teleported her to my place in Takamagahara. "And welcome to my home!" I added with a welcoming smile.
"Wow!" She breathed as she looked at the tall walls surrounding us and the large buildings inside it. In a flash, she was swarmed by the younger regalias that questioned who she was. I quickly shooed them away.
"Here let me take that for you," I said and reached for her bag.
"Ah, Wait it's a bit..." she began to say until she saw me carrying it effortlessly. "...heavy."
I didn't question her anymore about what she meant. I already had enough questions in the Colloquy. Warily, I led her to the workhouse at the back of the compound which allowed her to get a good look at the fortress and meet most of my regalias. Once we arrived, I pushed the door open and turned on the lights, revealing all the top-notch technology that she could use. "This is all I have but I hope you can make good use of it," I told her and began taking out all the things she had in her bag. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

"Did you want a shrine that badly?" I asked Yato as I stared at his form that was wrapped under a thick futon.
"I do," he responded briefly which told me he was that upset. "You don't understand because you had a shrine the minute you were born. Not having a shrine is the same as people saying, 'get lost'." I let out a sigh and nudged Hiyori forward.
"You're in luck," Hiyori said cheerfully as she knelt beside him and placed the tiny shrine that we spent the whole of last night making in front of him. "For you, Yato. Crystal and I made it together."
"Eh..." Akai said with an amused look on his face. "So that's what the noise I heard yesterday was about. I actually thought a stray got into the compound and was panicking from stepping into one of my traps."
"Wait! You were the one that placed those traps around the perimeter of the compound?!" I yelled furiously. "I nearly fell into a hole because of you!"
"This is great! You finally got yourself a shrine!" Yukine said as I refused to look at Akai after I found out that he was the reason why most of the other regalias were in the infirmary. But froze in shock when I saw Yato begin to cry.
"Being given a shrine is a very big honour for us. Because that shows the gratitude and appreciation that people have for us," Kofuku explained. I stared at Yato before remembering something I wanted to show him. I ran over to my bag that I placed by the door and pulled out the object and showed it to Yato. It was a wooden house that was almost an exact replica of the one we gave him.
"Do you remember this?" I asked him. "You made this for me after you were told that I was going to be the guardian of the lower guardians. And to be honest, it was a joke when I said I had a shrine the minute I was born. My first shrine...was given to me by you, my older brother."
Tears of happiness were soon falling down both of our faces as we embraced each other for the first time in years. After many years of staying apart after Kuro left us, we were finally back together as a family like we should have stayed many years ago.