"Hiyorin! Breakfast is almost ready!" Kofuku cried, happily like a child.
"Hai!" Hiyori said, but when she was about to walk out of the doorway, Kofuku grabbed her and pulled her back.
Hiyori almost tripped, and attempted to fix herself before she caused any more harm to her ankle.
"Woah, hey!" She said, surprised by Kofuku coming at her.
Kofuku laughed devilishly, her child smirk spread wide. She quickly looked back at Daikoku, who was cooking something in a frying pan, and put up a hand to block her voice from anyone who could've been listening. The conversation was officially private.
"Oy! Don't ya think it gets kinda annoying with all the boys around?" Kofuku asked.
"Well, actually I-" Hiyori didn't get to answer. Kofuku cut her off.
The pink goddess's face went bright and smiley again. She jumped a bit to express her enthusiasm.
"We should go hang out together. Just us girls!" She whispered.
A drop of sweat ran down Hiyori's temple and her eyebrows arched upward as she answered. "I appreciate it, Kofuku, but I can't." She laughed nervously, her eyes closing for a second.
"I'm a mom now, and I have to watch Koji, especially now that Yato punished him for what happened yesterday."
After hearing that last part, Kofuku's expression dimmed. She seemed like she still felt guilty and upset about the Phantom incident. But then, just like a light switch, she turned back on.
"I'm a god, Hiyorin. But even I still take a lil' break sometimes, too." She insisted.
Hiyori's eyes shot over to Daikoku behind Kofuku. She then went back to Kofuku. She lowered her voice. "Wouldn't Daikoku just hunt you down?"
Kofuku gave an evil giggle to match her devilish expression. She lowered her voice as well, keeping jersey hand up to block her next words.
"What he doesn't know won't kill him."
Hiyori took a careful step back, sweat running down her face.
"That's true, but what I know will kill you!" Daikoku said with a darkened expression.
The Regalia grabbed his Master, making her squeal. He picked her up a few inches off the ground so that she couldn't run away.
"Were you planning on sneaking out again?!" Daikoku asked, anger boiling in his tone.
"Daikokuuuu!" The pink god whined, wiggling in his harsh grasp.
Hiyori snuck out of the situation, and took one of the plates of Daikoku's breakfast and went up to the attic room. She could still hear the god and Regalia ridiculous arguing downstairs.
"I ask you, as your god, to put me down and let me be free!"
"And I ask you, as your Regalia, not to leave the shrine and cause disaster!"
Hiyori giggled to herself. It reminded her of Yato and Yukine's bickering.
She focused herself on Koji, who was sitting by the low table in the corner of the room. But because he was bored and punished, he found the only thing in the room that could entertain him.
Hiyori panicked, setting the plate full of food on the table and carefully plucking the object out of Koji's little hands.
"Oh! No, honey! Don't touch that. It's Daddy's." Hiyori explained, holding the mini shrine in her hands.
"Oh, why not?" Koji asked, ashamed that he got yelled at.
Hiyori's thumb stroked the sides of the wooden shrine as she answered.
"I took a long time to make this for Daddy. He really cares about it, and he wouldn't want it to break."
"Oh," Koji replied again. "Gomen..." The little boy hung his head in shame.
"It's okay," Hiyori said, shaking it off. She changed the subject and shoved the plate closer to Koji.
Hiyori didn't want to ground Koji the whole day in their room, but Yato knew he had to discipline his son somehow. She placed a hand on Koji's head.
"Now, c'mon. Eat some breakfast and I'll be back in a bit, kay?"
. . . . .
"Did you finish your breakfast?" Hiyori asked as she opened the bedroom door in the attic.
Koji sadly shrugged at his half-eaten plate. Hiyori picked up and took it out of his line of vision.
"Take off your pajamas n' go get dressed, kay?" She told her son kindly.
Koji nodded, but then looked down at the table in shame.
"Mommy...?" He called softly just as Hiyori just turned around.
Hiyori quickly focused on her son again. "Hm?"
Koji played with his fingers and didn't face her.
"Gomen'nasai..."
Hiyori's face completely changed. She suddenly seemed really sympathetic and guilty.
"Oh, I know! It's alright." She soothed, setting the plate on the table to hug him.
Koji reluctantly threw his arms around his mom, feeling just as guilty.
"It's okay," Hiyori said again, holding him. "I love you so much."
The little boy's voice sounded choked when he spoke. "Daddy doesn't like me..."
Hiyori pulled away from the hug, holding her precious boy and staring him in the same brilliant blue eyes as his father.
"No, don't say that! Daddy loves you just as much as I do, and he always will."
Koji sniffled, trying to suck all his sadness back inside him. "Hai." He said, wiping one of his eyes with his tiny hand.
With one last squeeze and a kiss on the forehead, Hiyori left the room with his plate.
Koji got up on his bare feet and put on one of the kimonos that Hiyori bought for him a while ago. He hugged himself, feeling the cozy cloth touch his skin. He smiled, his cheeks pink. The kimono reminded him of how much he loved his mommy.
It also made him tired.
Koji sat by the window in a chair, and soon fell asleep after staring out of it.
About a while, Yato decided to check on him. He couldn't keep his mind off of how he had yelled at Koji after the Phantom incident.
Koji was sitting on his legs, his bare feet sticking out. His head was resting in his folded arms on the window pane. Yato sighed, kneeling down next to his sleeping son.
"Hey, kiddo," he said even though Koji wasn't awake to hear.
Yato pushed aside the bangs out of the little boy's face with his finger tips. He slept so peacefully, it made Yato's heart warm. The same feeling Hiyori and Yukine gave him.
"I'm sorry, Koji... I hurt even the ones I love..." he told him, placing a gentle hand on Koji's small head.
Koji let out a tiny yawn and went back to sleep. Yato grinned at his adorable son.
"You'll be okay, and you'll be happy. I promise." With that, Yato gave a little kiss on Koji's forehead.
There was a sweet, female giggle from the doorway. Yato turned his head, slightly surprised.
"Ya know, you said the same thing to me a long time ago." Hiyori said softly to not wake up their son, her cheeks were a bit colored at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world together.
Yato chuckled, too. He stood up, leaving Koji asleep in the chair by the window.
"Oh yeah?" Yato smirked playfully, sneaking over to his love.
Hiyori smiled and blushed harder, seeing him taunt her. She stood there, eagerly waiting for him to grab her.
"And did I make you happy?" He teased more, taking another slow step forward in Hiyori's direction.
"Well, what do you think?" Hiyori tucked her hair behind her red ears.
Yato laughed mischievously, a playful look in his mesmerizing blue eyes. As he picked up the pace towards her, Hiyori let out a squeal of joy and disappeared down the hall.
Although, when she turned around to see if Yato had chased her, no one was found. There was light spreading into the hallway from the door that was left ajar. She was mostly confused, and a little worried.
Hiyori went to go take a step forward, when two vigorous hands rested on her shoulders. A sudden flash of Fujisaki appeared in her mind.
The taunting, lustful voice behind her spoke.
"Ya know you can't run away from a god, Hiyori."
Hiyori instantly spun around, her skirt swaying. She seemed surprised at first, but when she saw who it was, the girl completely relaxed, and continued with a wide smile on her face.
"Well, I was hoping you would come after me..." Hiyori told him, her face turning pink again.
Yato smirked and backed Hiyori into the wall. He slammed both his hands on both sides so that she couldn't escape.
Hiyori gasped as her back hit the wall. She squinted, her face red and twitching in fear, and held a slight fist to her lower face. She could feel Yato's hot breath.
This feeling of fear felt so strange to her. This was Yato! Why was Hiyori frightened?
Sure, he was a god of calamity, but he was also a better man. One who thought twice about his killings, one who was now more rational, one who was now surrounded by the right people. He had a new destiny to banish evil in the world. Yato, not Yaboku.
He loved Hiyori, every beautiful, friendly and joyful part about her.
However, there was still some Yaboku traits locked deep inside him. Traits that Hiyori never put too much thought into. At least not until now, when she realized how aggressive and impulsive he was. Especially with her.
Yato taunted people in a dark way. Every word he spoke in that creepy tone proved so. He didn't care much about personal space or privacy, whether it was intentional or not.
Yato was Yato, but he was also Yaboku. A god of destruction, a god of war, a delivery god; they were all him.
But why did he remind Hiyori so much of Fujisaki? He exhibited a few of the same qualities, but why?! How were they related? Fujisaki was just some former-schoolmate, and Yato was a god.
Hiyori didn't understand. She tried to ignore the negative feelings.
The whole time, she waited for Yato to make his move, but - to her surprise - he spoke up instead.
"Hey..." Yato said, dropping his playful mood to suddenly comfort Hiyori with a gentle voice. He carefully lifted her chin to make her open her pink eyes and look at him. "If I'm going too far, you can say something, ya know?"
Hiyori's heart flopped. She immediately panicked.
"N-no!" Hiyori shouted, and realized how sudden her response was. She hung her head in embarrassment.
"I...I want this."
Yato slowly slipped his other hand off the wall to place it on the girl's shoulder. He used his right hand to pick up Hiyori's face again, stroking her smooth cheek with his thumb.
"Yeah, you say that, but..."
Hiyori didn't know how she looked to him, but she saw Yato's worried eyes searching her to understand how she felt.
They stared into each other's vivid eyes for a moment until Hiyori broke into a tragic expression. She threw her arms into his, sending him staggering back. When he caught himself and finally could stand up straight, Yato wrapped his arms over her.
Hiyori knew she couldn't take her next words back, and that's what made it so difficult to say them.
"I love you so much, Yato."
Yato kissed Hiyori's head as she stuck her face in his jersey shirt. "I know. I love you too, Hiyori."
The couple sat on the floor against the wall. Yato rested his eyes, his cheek on Hiyori's head. Hiyori's grip on Yato grew weaker as time passed. They kept their hugging position for a few minutes before Yukine started calling for Yato from downstairs.
Yato sighed, annoyed, and gently shook Hiyori's shoulder. It only took a short amount of time, but she apparently managed to fall asleep on his chest. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. Yato chuckled at her, and grabbed her hand. She grabbed it back. They walked down the hall and over to the stairs where Yukine was standing with Yato's flip phone.
"Your phone's ringing," Yukine said.
"Ah, that's probably delivery god business," Yato said.
Yato tried to go take his phone from his Regalia when Hiyori pulled him back.
"Wait - you're leaving?" Hiyori asked, disappointed, and still a bit groggy from her few minutes of sleep.
Yato breathed out a laugh and smiled, stepping forward to give her one last kiss before he departed. Still hazy and confused, Hiyori was taken by surprised when she felt his lips connect with hers.
Yukine rolled his eyes at the disgusting sight, and answered the phone in the other room where he could avoid the couple. His voice went muffled as he disappeared.
Hiyori closed her eyes, and waited for more, but Yato pulled away. She felt disappointed again.
"I should be back just in time to sleep with you and Koji, okay?"
Hiyori's cheeks were pink with joy. "Mm." She nodded.
Yato almost walked away again, but Hiyori tugged him back and threw her arms around him. She savored his scent, his warmth and his presence.
Yato's heart skipped a beat as she held him. He grabbed her back, enjoying it.
They released their hug, and Yato went downstairs to meet up with Yukine.
"Someone complaining about their electricity going out," Yukine simply said, slightly waving the phone in front of his Master.
"Well they probably didn't try so hard if they had to call someone for help," Yato laughed, sticking his phone back in his pocket.
Yukine silently waved goodbye to Kofuku and Daikoku, and called casually to Hiyori upstairs. "Sayonara, Hiyori!"
"Sayonara, Yukine!" Her bright voice called back as she walked down from the attic room, carefully watching her step with her hurting ankle.
Yato stepped out the door and turned his head over his shoulder at Hiyori, who was using the hall doorway as support to take off the pressure on her foot.
"Don't worry; I'll be back." Yato said with a reassuring tone.
Hiyori grinned and gave a quick nod.
. . . . .
Hiyori checked her cell phone almost as soon as it vibrated. It was a text from her mom.
"Who is it?" Kofuku asked, curiously, trying to peek over her shoulder.
Hiyori sighed, emotionally exhausted. "I gotta go, guys. Sorry!" She explained, getting up from the dinner table to find her bag.
"Oh, what? Is it past your curfew?" Kofuku teased, cocking her eyebrows over in her friend's direction.
Hiyori freaked out, instantly stopping what she was doing and almost twisting her head all the way around.
"N-nani?! I don't have a curfew!"
"Well, what is it then?" Daikoku laughed a bit, resting his arm next to his plate.
Now, Hiyori slightly felt as if she was under interrogation. "Nothing. My mom's just..." she scratched her cheek and avoided eye contact "been worried."
Kofuku burst out laughing, and Daikoku tried to contain himself from doing the same. Hiyori went tense from immense embarrassment.
Daikoku decided it was his turn to bring shame to Hiyori. He out on a grin.
"Yeah, I don't blame her. Running away everyday after school to play with a mysterious god, only to end up having a -"
"I GET IT! CUT IT OUT!" Hiyori shouted, her face beat red, shaking her head to get the visions out of her mind.
The man's expression changed all of a sudden. He seemed very stern and direct. "It's as bad as it sounds, though."
There was a moment of silence as Hiyori's red face went pale again. She stared at Daikoku with both confusion and blankness.Her arms dropped by her side, one holding her bag.
Sitting next to him, Kofuku gave a somewhat same reaction to her Regalia.
Hiyori shook it off and said, "Well, Koji is asleep. He slept past lunch so make sure Yato feeds him when he gets back. Then, put him to bed after."
"Hai! No prob, Hiyorin!" Kofuku cheered from across the table.
With one last wave and half-bow to her friends, Hiyori left.