This chapter is dedicated to jbug8700 for giving me the chapter idea and because her book is literal fire.
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"Ow, Hiyori! That hurts!" Yato complained as Hiyori dragged him by the ear. She had left the karaoke bar early after finding Yato to drag him back to the shrine.
"That's the point." She growled through clenched teeth. Yato shut up after that, obviously afraid of Hiyori's wrath. That just showed how much power over him she had. With three words, she could make him shut up.
Hiyori was seething, and not because she had to leave the karaoke bar early. She had a headache anyways, and was glad for an excuse to leave. She was mostly mad because Yato had been eavesdropping on her and her friends. He hadn't given an explanation for himself yet, because she didn't quite give him a chance to talk. Her friends didn't see Yato until she pointed him out, and she told them that she had to take him home.
Her friends were confused at first, but she was going to call them after and apologize. Hiyori sighed, looking back at Yato. He smiled sympathetically, and she glared at him, turning back to face forward. Yato sighed, looking down. Hiyori was pretty mad. He was going to have to think of some way to have her forgive him.
Hiyori and Yato approached the old shrine. Yuki sat up at the sound of footsteps, restraining a laugh when he saw Hiyori's angry face and her tight grip on a grimacing Yato's ear. Hiyori let go of his ear once they reached where Yuki was sitting, and Yato rubbed his ear before sitting on the steps next to Yuki.
Hiyori didn't even say anything before walking out of the shrine. Yuki turned to Yato, a sideways smile on his face. "What did you do this time, Yato?" He asked, not really expecting an answer. Yato sighed, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
"I got a bad feeling, so I followed her to karaoke." He sighed, and Yuki cocked his head to the side.
"Why was she mad then?" Yuki asked, confusing Yato.
"Didn't you hear me? I followed her to karaoke. She opened the door and I fell on her feet." Yato groaned, falling onto his back. He covered his face with his hands, sighing. "I really messed up, Yuki."
Yuki chuckled, playing with the string of his hat. He wanted to help Yato, and he thought he knew how, but he needed to make sure his advice wasn't wrong. After a few minutes, Yuki sighed.
"I don't think you've heard yourself, Yato." Yuki stated simply as Yato sat up.
"Huh?" Yato grunted, confused. He thought over his statement. He wasn't sure what Yuki meant, and he didn't seem to be responding. Yato propped himself on his elbows, glancing at Yuki. Yuki was smiling, staring into the distance.
"You said you followed her there because you got a bad feeling, right?" Yuki glanced at Yato, who nodded skeptically. "Well, that means you were concerned and you cared. Just go and explain that to her." Yuki smiled, returning his gaze forward.
Yato thought about what he said. Is that why he wanted to follow her? His gut had told him to follow her. He had no idea why, but he listened to it. He had wanted to make sure she was alright, and it just ended up badly.
Yato shot up from where he was sitting, making Yuki jump. He ruffled Yuki's hair affectionately before running out of the shrine. He faced backwards. "Thanks Yuki!" He shouted. Yuki shouted a response back, but Yato was already running to Hiyori's house. The streets had grown dark, the streetlights flickering as his feet pounded on the pavement. Yato wanted to let Hiyori know why he had followed her. He wasn't sure if he could live with himself one more second knowing that she was mad at him. He cared for her so much; he didn't want her to hate him. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him.
