Curiosity Killed more than Just a Cat (Yukine x Reader(A Noragami Fanfic))

Glass isn't all that Shatters

(Yukine's POV)

        Miyuki was in the back room napping away and the rest of us sat in the main room. My eyes wandered to the clock.

        She's been back there for at least four hours. Is she alright? She didn't look so good earlier.

        My thoughts were interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. "Akiko-chan, Akiko-chan!" Miyuki slammed open the door screaming on the top of her lungs. Her voice was full of pain, desperation, fear. Three things I've never seen from her before. And never expected to.
        "Akiko! Akiko-chan!" She dashed across the room, making her way for the door. But she caught by Daikoku. She struggled against his grip. Thrashed her arms. Wailing and screaming. "Let me go, I need to see Akiko!" Tears streamed down her face. I rose to my feet, but there was nothing I could do.
        "There's no way you can go out in this condition. The Phantoms would consume you in this state," Daikoku told her. But she continued to flail and scream against his protests.
        "Mi-chan, what's wrong?"
        "Who's Akiko-chan?" The only one not saying anything was Yato.
        "Let go of me! She needs me!" I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could say. It took at least an hour for her to settle down, and even then she was crying. She dropped to her knees, sobbing heavily and breathing deep. After a few minutes longer Daikoku released her and backed away.
        "Miyuki, what happened?" I asked, kneeling beside her. My hand reached for her head, and slowly it pulled down. I continued to pet her and her breathing began to calm.
        "I remember," she choked out. "Akiko, my parents, the festival, everything. And glass wasn't all that shattered that night."

(Your POV)

        "Alright, that's enough for today!" you announced. Your fellow students dispersed from the cleaned up classroom, everyone dressed up in cafe uniforms. By your side was Akiko, now at the age of nine. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, like every other day. She wore a matching uniform and helped Dai greet the costumers at the door. Your class has been preparing for your festivity in the cultural festival. You were in charge of pulling everything together. While it was a lot of work, it seemingly paid off. You had many more customers than expected, all of which seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone working received tons of compliments and you were surprisingly only given positive feedback. Then again, you were always one to make sure everything was perfect and then some.
        All that was left to do was go home. Akiko's had grasped onto yours and the two of you wore grins from ear to ear. The past few days had been peaceful and full of fun. Neither of you had been home as much- you were too busy working together at your school, helping out with the cafe. But when you got home, everything changed.

        You closed the front door and walked into the living room, laughing with Akiko, but your laughter ceased as you spot your drunken father swaying back and forth. A pile of empty bottles laid on the floor, and one in his hand. You looked over at Akiko, as if to tell her to go to your room as she usually had. You then looked up at your father who staggered in your direction. "Where have you girls been this late?" he asked, slowly creeping closer.
        "We've been at the school helping out. I told you that we would be this morning," you answered, careful with your tone.
        "At school? You shoulda been home! School ended hours 'go!" his voice was slurred and all you could smell was the stench of alcohol.
        "We had to help with the cultural festival." You felt a tug at your side, your eyes widening at the sight of Akiko still there. "Akiko, go to our room!"
        "I don't want to leave you this time!" she choked out.
        "Akik-" You were interrupted by a slug to the face.
        "You girls shoulda been home hours 'go! And where were ya both? School. School!" You took another swing to the face. Akiko's grip tightened and you raised your arms to defend yourself.
        "Akiko, get out of here!" She merely whimpered and shrunk back, but didn't dare to leave.
        "Like you don't waste enough time in school? Like ya don't waste enough a money- our money- on school?" Your father thrashed his fists at your arms, backing you against the wall. And Akiko followed.
        "Stop!" you pleaded.
        "Stop? You wan' me ta stop? You's the one that shoulda stopped. Shoulda stopped going ta school, that what ya shoulda stopped!"
        "Akiko's not leaving! No, she can't watch this! Dad, stop!" But nothing stopped. Not your father's soaring fists, not your pleas and not Akiko's screams. It all continued. He went to swing at Akiko a few times, but you blocked them. There was one last thing you heard.

        Crash!

        "Finally something stopped. It wasn't the tears streaking down my or my sister's face. It wasn't the screams. It was my breathing. My life was taken by my father in front of my little sister's eyes. I saw her fear. I smelt the alcohol. I heard the shouting. I felt the burning sensation in my arms and face. And I remember- I remember the bottle my father held in his hand smashing against the back of my head. And that was it. Glass wasn't all that shattered that night. Our family. The promises I made. And the last bit of innocence Akiko had left. It all shattered. I tried to hold it all together. I made Akiko promise me to tell no one of our family's situation. I didn't want to get taken away from my parents. They're good people. Good people with lousy ways of handling stress. But others wouldn't know how they were before. They wouldn't know the sweet, caring parents that I knew. They wouldn't know of the laughs we shared, the smiles we had, the time we spent together. We would have been pried away,
        "I tried to be the glue. To deal with everything on my own. I told Akiko to leave whenever my father was like this. I would comfort her every night and do the best I could to make her have as nice of a childhood as she could. My father would never remember the beatings he gave and my mother was never there to witness them. They weren't aware of their bad habits. And I kept it that way. Each morning they would be the same parents I knew, and they would be shattered if they knew what happened. So I covered my bruises with make-up and kept quiet. I didn't want everything to shatter. I didn't want us to shatter. But we did. Long ago. And I should've known glue wouldn't hold us together. I wasn't enough. And now Akiko has to live with witnessing my death, my mother has to live with never being home to stop it and my father has to live with knowing he killed his own daughter. All because I said nothing."

        You sat on the floor with images flooding your mind. "Miyuki," Yukine spoke in a soft voice.
        "We should give her some time alone," Yato announced. Footsteps headed in different directions and doors closed. When it was silent you felt a hand finally lift from your head and Yukine exited, leaving you alone.

        Shattered.