Chapter Text
Yato's face popped out from around the corner. "Yukine!"
"AAAAHHH!" Yukine yelled and reflexively jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the familiar face.
"Come on! We got to go!" Yato said eagerly as Yukine caught his breath.
Yukine armed himself with a rolling pin from the counter and pointed it at the god. "Yato, someone has to make us some money you know!"
Yukine was not about to ditch the shop, especially not after Yato spent all their money on a cat charm a couple of days ago. Yukine would even bet all the money he had earned since that Yato was still carrying the stupid thing around in his pocket. For being more than a thousand years old, his master acted more like a child sometimes than anything else. Sometimes Yukine wondered how Yato even survived being homeless and broke for so long before they had met.
"You can do that later! Come on, we've got a job! It's important!" Yato said excitedly, eyes shining.
"Wait, really?" Yato's excitement for this job piqued Yukine's interest, leading him to lower his weaponized kitchen utensil.
It had been a while since they had been on any jobs at all. Yato wanted to stick close to Hiyori since she got her new position at the hospital and Yukine was more than happy to do so, except that Yato was suspiciously unmotivated to do much else. There wasn't as much urgency since Yato had gone viral and many more people now held Yato in their memories. As his blessed vessel and guide, Yukine was determined to make sure Yato stayed the path of a god of happiness that struck down evil. However, it seemed like Yukine was doing more scolding than slaying with Yato recently. His master seemed. . . distracted, which Yukine knew was partially true. It was easy to tell that Yato was concerned about Hiyori's late night hours at the hospital and he was definitely not happy about her habit of going for a run after the sun had left the sky or before it had risen. However, Yukine was starting to suspect Yato was also using that as an excuse to slack off lately.
"Yeah, let's go! You can slave away for Daikoku later!"
Yukine frowned. He recognized the look on Yato's face. It was complete with his signature smirk that basically screamed that this would end badly. Yukine sighed.
Well. . .it's not like I can let him go by himself, the boy thought.
"Who's going to watch the shop?"
"Don't know," Yato shrugged. "The shop will be fine. Don't worry!"
Yato's widening grin provided little comfort.
"Easy for you to say," Yukine muttered. He shuddered at the thought of Daikoku's face when he found out that he and Yato just up and left. Yukine's small fingers gripped the apron strings around his neck, lifting them up and over his head. He hung his apron on a nearby hook and turned towards Yato just in time to be startled yet again.
"Where do you two think you're going?" Daikoku bellowed from behind them, arms crossed. Yato and Yukine both flinched at his voice before laughing nervously. How long had he been standing there? They both slowly turned to face the older shinki.
"Well, you see. . .Yato said we got—uh—an important job. . ." Yukine stammered in a higher pitch than he had meant to use.
Daikoku's eyes narrowed, sarcasm dripping off every word he said next. "Oh really? So I suppose that means I'll have to take care of things here without any help."
"That's right, Daikoku! We'll catch you later. Byeeeeeeee!" Yato grabbed Yukine by the arm and dragged him out of the shop and down the street at record speed. Yukine grunted at the force in which he was being pulled. "YATO!" he exclaimed. Daikoku's large frame rapidly became smaller and smaller as the distance between them grew.
"Yukine! Don't let that IDIOT out of your sight!" Daikoku called after them. Yukine couldn't help but smile at that. He could've sworn he heard Daikoku sigh even though they were clearly out of earshot by now.
As they turned the corner, Yukine was finally freed from the excited god's grasp to follow him down the street.
"What's all this about anyway?" Yukine asked.
"We've been given a special job from Takamagahara to hunt down a particularly dangerous ayakashi." Yato stopped and turned to face Yukine. "This isn't exactly common, you know. Whatever it is, it's important. IT'S OUR TIME TO SHINE!" Yato spun on his heel, continuing to walk forward with his hands behind his head. A smile was stretched across his face.
Yukine groaned.
"Yato, you need to take this seriously then."
"I am! I'm just happy the heavens are recognizing our greatness!"
"Riiiiiight."
"It's about time is all I'm saying! We did save the world after all!"
Yato's smile turned into a wide grin as they continued down the street. It was a stark contrast to the downcast look that now clouded Yukine's face.
"Right," Yukine said under his breath. He lowered his eyes to the sidewalk beneath his feet as he walked behind Yato. A wave of sadness and regret washed over him as memories of the final battle with Yato's father flooded his mind. Yukine honestly didn't feel like he had saved the world. He had joined the enemy of the heavens after all and, in his darkest despair, he had even asked him to give him a name. Yukine self-consciously touched where "Hagusa" was still etched in his skin. To him, it felt more like a scar than a name.
Yukine looked up to see the back of Yato's frame. He temporarily quickened his steps to catch up to Yato's side. Once he did, he noticed Yato's blue eyes looking at him.
"What?" Yukine asked.
"What's wrong?"
Yukine looked away. "Nothing."
"There something you want to talk about?"
Yukine put his hands in his pockets, refusing to look at Yato. "Yeah. Where are we going?"
It took everything within Yato to hold back an annoyed sigh. Teenagers.
As Yato was thinking about how irritating a certain age demographic was to him, Yukine was hoping his question would successfully change the subject and prevent Yato from prodding any further. He didn't feel like talking.
Yukine's mind couldn't help but wander back to Yato's earlier words.
"We did save the world after all!"
We?
It's not like Yukine didn't have a part in it, but it was hard to feel any pride at all when he had hurt Yato in more ways than one. As Hagusa, he weaponized the pure agony and anger he felt to hurt the one person who was willing to endure all the pain he inflicted. Even though Yato had once left him behind feeling confused, unwanted, and utterly abandoned, Yukine still didn't know how to put into words how deeply grateful he was that Yato came back for him. . .that Yato fought for him. . . that Yato still. . .
Yukine reached up to his collarbone and made a silent vow that he would find a way to make it up to Yato somehow, even if it took the next 100 years. It didn't matter how big or small this phantom-slaying job was, he would see it through no matter what. He had to.
As Yukine was deep in thought, he was unaware that Yato's blue eyes were still fixed on him. Yato had quietly watched Yukine touch his collarbone, the same place where the name "Yuki" was partially obscured by the boy's shirt. Yato felt so many emotions swirling within him in that moment—too many to name. This kid.
Though their communication had definitely improved since Yukine's return to his side, there were times where his young shinki was still stubborn about verbalizing what was bothering him. In times like these, Yukine had the incredible ability to make Yato feel like beating his own head against a wall while also making him feel like hugging the kid at the same time. Yato decided it was best to not push Yukine to say any more. Not now. Yato's eyes dropped to their shadows on the ground, moving forward side-by-side. He smiled softly and looked ahead.
"We're stopping by Hiyori's place to see if she wants to come along."
That seemed to pulled Yukine out of his own thoughts. He looked up at again at Yato. "Isn't she working?"
"She told me she has today and tomorrow off!" Yato said, excited.
"Oh man," Yukine said as he kicked a small rock off the sidewalk, "I should have brought my assignments with me then!"
"You can show her another time. You've been working hard, right? I'm sure she'll be fine with it," Yato said, reaching over to ruffle Yukine's golden hair.
Yukine smiled. Hiyori still made time to help him with his studies. Even though they hadn't been able to meet each other between his shifts at the shop and her adjusting to her new hours at the hospital, Hiyori still dropped off packets of assignments and old textbooks with detailed instructions. After the defeat of Yato's father, Yukine had a lot of assignments to catch up on. Now, he was studying advanced subjects and Yukine was determined to work just as hard as Hiyori.
The god and young shinki continued walking down the street in comfortable silence. The sun was still shining brightly and a soft breeze gently rustled the leaves of nearby trees, though the sound of the leaves couldn't be heard with the constant hum of traffic, people conversing, and random birds perched on business signs and stoplights. They passed a handful of shops, before turning and walking through a sparsely populated park. Suddenly, a notification sound cut through the noise of the outdoors and Yato stopped in his tracks. He checked his phone.
"Aw, man. Hiyori said she got called in to work." Yato sighed. "Oh, well. Let's go."
"Go where?" Yukine asked, this time genuinely. "And when are you going to let me have a phone, Yato?"
"A phone? You're still too young." Yato said, waving a hand in dismissal of the idea.
"Yato," Yukine said, clearly irritated, "It's not like I'm going to get any older."
"Don't you worry about that. I'll know when you're ready." Yato flashed him yet another a grin.
Yukine closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as he continued walking side-by-side with Yato down the sidewalk.
Yeah, right, he thought. At this rate, Yato will never—
Suddenly, Yukine felt pressure on his shoulder as Yato's sweaty hand shoved him. His eyes opened wide in surprise as he fell to the side just in time for something to hit the ground where he had just been walking. A swirling cloud of thick dust enveloped him. Yukine coughed as the dust invaded his nose and mouth. From the sound of the impact, it sounded like whatever it was had just broken the concrete.
"Yukine, you okay?!" Yato called through the dust.
"Yeah, what was that?!"
He couldn't see much. In fact, he could barely make out Yato's silhouette through the swirling dust. Suddenly, a hissing sound pierced through the debris in the air. Yukine froze. As the dust settled, a purple ayakashi in the form of a distorted snake stared him down with multiple glowing eyes.
"Sekki!" Yato called. Yukine's name glowed and he instantly heeded the call by rapidly transforming. One blade found Yato's hand as Yukine's wolf form appeared next to Yato in a brilliant flash of light. Though smaller than the massive snake-like ayakashi before them, Yukine's wolf form was imposing on its own. Pure white fur, multiple sets of eyes, sharp claws, and dangerous fangs: it was a combination that would intimidate most. Yet the spirit before them didn't shrink back.
Instead, the creature seemingly ignored Yukine and surged straight for Yato. Yukine leapt in front of Yato to intercept it with a snarl, tackling it to the ground and locking his jaws onto it's neck. The creature shrieked with a terrible sound one wouldn't expect to hear from a phantom. Then, it almost instantly shrank into a smaller version of itself. The snake's smaller size granted it temporary freedom from Yukine's jaws. It wriggled free at lightning speed and its fangs penetrated one of Yukine's front legs, drawing blood. Yukine yelped in pain.
Yato's eyes widened in horror. "YUKINE!"
The sound of his name jolted Yukine out of the initial shock of stabbing pain in his leg. Yukine lunged once again for the snake's neck, snarling with ferocity. Despite his own impressive agility in this form, Yukine was too late. The snake rapidly expanded to a size even larger than before, knocking him off his paws.
He hadn't even hit the ground when he felt the ayakashi had already wrapped its body around him. In just a few seconds, the monster caught him and constricted with such a force that Yukine felt the air violently leave his lungs. The phantom then turned its head back towards Yukine, preparing to strike, but in an instant, Yato was there. His slitted pupils were locked on to the phantom and his eyes glowed with an intensity that Yukine had not seen in a very long time.
Yato brought down his trusted blade to connect with the phantom's neck. The slice was deep enough to cause the phantom to shriek again in pain. Even though his vision was starting to blur, Yato's strike loosened the phantom's deathly grip just enough for Yukine to turn his head and bite down hard on the spirit. With wounds sustained from both Yato and his regalia, the snake finally fully released Yukine. His wolf form felt blessed air fill his lungs again. He quickly rose to his feet, sputtering and coughing. As Yukine leapt back to avoid the creature whipping him with its tail, the ayakashi turned its attention to Yukine's master.
It coiled up and raised its large head. Preparing to strike, it bore its fangs at Yato. Yato's eyebrows lowered and his eyes narrowed even further. Suddenly, the snake lunged and pursued Yato as if he was the ayakashi's only prey. The god was quick on his feet; he dodged, ducked, and used his blade to deflect one of the phantom's fangs. After sliding to a stop, Yato called for his regalia once more.
"Sekki!"
Another brilliant flash of light and Yukine had once again transformed, appearing in Yato's hands as the two blades that had once aided him in sundering the heavens themselves. There was no doubt in Yato's mind that this fight would be over soon, but Yukine came first.
"You okay, kid?"
Yukine paused for only a second, but it didn't escape Yato's notice.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
They were out of time. The snake-like ayakashi surged towards them at blinding speed. Yukine barely had time to shout a warning to Yato before it was upon them.
"Yato, watch out!"
Yato twisted his wrist so that Sekki redirected the strange snake's momentum. The monster fell and hit the ground behind them with a force that scattered even more dust into the air. Yato pivoted, jumping above the phantom.
"All right! Let's end this, Yukine!" he shouted.
"Right!"
Yato gripped Sekki firmly and brought the blades down upon the phantom's head. The combined force of Yato and Sekki's strength violently tore apart the phantom. It practically exploded and then faded, leaving nothing but dissipating dust and cracked concrete behind. When it was gone, Yato pondered the unusual nature of the enemy they had just defeated. It was probably the fastest ayakashi that Yato had encountered in a few hundred years. Even though the fight didn't last long, he felt fortunate that this fight didn't drag out any longer. Yato, still holding Sekki, stood up straight and brought the back of his wrist up to wipe the sweat from his brow.
It was over.
Yato cursed under his breath. They had won, sure, but they had not escaped this fight unscathed.