42Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters
The large sakura tree was always a bittersweet sight to Yukine. The night muted its usual vibrant colours but the moonlight washing over it gave it a warm glow. While it was beautiful, it also reminded him of Suzuha, a friend he had lost. But like the tree, his heart healed with time and care. Even if he was cast away from the cycle of life his friend lived in, he still had a few constants. Kazuma was a loyal friend as were the other shinki he befriended. Yato needed him and wouldn't release him. No matter what happened, they were a family.
"Kazuma and the others are doing great. I wish you could've lived long enough to see how great things are now." Yukine found himself speaking to the tree as if it could reach Suzuha's departed soul. At first Yukine only intended to pass by the tree and continue to the convenience store but something kept him still. When his feet moved again, he found himself walking towards the lone tree.
"I hate him." Yukine heard soft sniffles as he walked closer to the tree. The voice was slightly familiar but it was muffled with tears. It was late so he was surprised to find someone sitting alone. A part of him knew he should let the girl have her privacy but the night was dangerous. When he started to look around the tree to see her more clearly, she screamed. "Don't look at me!"
Yukine jumped back at her command. Because he was dead, people wouldn't notice him until he called attention to himself. Was she able to see him because she was a shinki as well? From the sound of her sobs, he knew that her owner should be able to feel her pain. The worst case scenario was that she had stung her master.
Yukine remembered when he stung Yato and the purification. Did she feel as lonely and hopeless as he did then? He couldn't leave her. Careful not to look at her, he took off his green jacket and threw it beside her. "Here. If you don't want me to see you cry, cover yourself with that. But I can't leave when an ayakashi can attack you."
"Don't be stupid. I'm not afraid of ayakashi." She told him. A silence fell over them, neither knowing if they should continue speaking. But after waiting she found that he never left, which confused her. While she sat facing the river, he sat against the tree staring at the road. The only sign that told Yukine that she hadn't left was her occasional sniffle. He knew that it was natural for her to feel uncomfortable to open up to a stranger but he still waited for her to speak. Finally, she did.
"He just threw me away. We're family but he left me for those two. I hate them, especially that boy! Why can't it be just us and Father again?" Her whisper turned into screams. Yukine couldn't imagine how he would feel if Yato released him and sympathized with her. But he couldn't let her be consumed by the negative feelings and become an akayashi. "I wish they'll just disappear and let us be a family again. They don't understand my brother like I do."
"If your brother cared about you, I'm sure that it hurt him to release you. He gave you a name and he wouldn't release you without a reason." Yukine didn't know how to comfort her so began to trail off. What could he say to someone that felt so abandoned?
But she went on before he could think of something to say to comfort him. "I did everything Father told me to bring him back but it only made him hate us more. He doesn't need us now that he replaced us with that new family."
"He might've found a new family but you shouldn't feel left behind. You still have your friends."
"... I don't have any friends. It's only been me and Father and Brother for as long as I can remember." She said after a moment and Yukine wanted to slap himself. How much more insensitive could he be? No wonder she was so crushed that her brother abandoned her.
Cautiously, he looked around the tree but she sat with the jacket over her body. Curled into a ball, she stayed silent. She must've been a small person if his jacket could cover her so easily. Taking a risk, he sat beside her. "Maybe I could be your first friend then. It's not often I get to meet another shinki."
She didn't accept or reject his offer. She merely sat beside him quietly. "I actually met another shinki here before. His name was Suzuha and he was taking care of this tree. He was the first friend I ever had but there wasn't anything I could do for him before he was killed by ayakashi. At this very spot, he died clinging to the memory of someone he loved. His family changed but I couldn't help him before it was too late. Maybe if we were able to help him sooner, he would still be alive now."
To his surprise, he felt a cool hand over his. While she didn't remove his jacket, she did reach out to him by placing her hand over his. It was small and almost looked fragile. Yukine blushed at her touch and he didn't know if she felt him tense but she laughed softly. "Your hands are warm."
For once he didn't know how to reply so fumbled with a retort. "Would you rather it be cold?"
"No," she answered softly. "It's nice. My father said that all we need is each other to survive so I never had a friend before. My name's-"
"Yukine!" He looked away from her for a moment when he heard someone call his name. He saw Hiyori and Yato run towards him after he called back to them. He stood to greet them as Hiyori stopped in front of him. "You were taking so long buying milk so we were getting worried."
"I kept telling her you were okay but she kept insisting on going to find you." Yato teased Hiyori. He ruffled Yukine's hair. "You've gotten really good at using your techniques so I knew you'll be okay even if you ran into an akayashi. Anyways Big Brother Yato will always come to save you if I sense you're in trouble."
"Who asked you to save me? I'm the one that always have to save you." Yukine turned up his nose up at Yato. Hiyori laughed lightly as she watched them. No matter how much Yukine acted like he didn't care, he would never push Yato away. She took her scarf and wrapped it around his neck.
"Where's your jacket? You're going to make yourself sick in this weather." She chastised him lightly.
"I just gave it to my friend. She-" When Yukine turned to face her, he was shocked to find that she had disappeared. He wondered where she went because he didn't hear her leave. Hiyori and Yato looked confused and told him they saw him sitting alone. But Yukine knew he didn't imagine the girl. He wondered if he would ever meet her again. Though he doubted he would recognize her if he did meet her again since she covered herself with his jacket and her voice was muffled.
"Let's go home, Yukine!" Yato threw an arm over his shoulder and led him away. As they walked, he lowered his voice so that only Yukine could hear him. "You okay? We started to look for you when my heart began to hurt. Then it got really warm and now I know why. Did my boy finally went and fell in love?"
"Of course not!" Yukine said quickly. His face turned scarlet and Yato grinned knowingly. "I'm not a pervert that falls in love easily like you. I just... I made a friend."
"Then I hope you introduce me to this friend one day. She has to give you back your jacket after all."
Nora gently petted the wolf akayashi on her lap. She made sure their claws didn't damage the green jacket she was wearing. It wasn't her intention to speak with Yukine that night but she hadn't stopped thinking of him since then. She knew that one conversation they had would be their only one since they were enemies. Still, the jacket was warm and she kept it.
Maybe I can be your first friend, his warm words echoed in her mind whenever she thought of him. But how can she be friend with the person responsible for breaking apart her family? Even when a part of her damned him in her mind, another part thought of his smile when he spoke with Yato.
Nora pulled his jacket tighter around herself. How would she act when they met again? It would only be a matter of time before her father called upon her to confront him. It was already hard enough to bring herself to fight her own brother but now she knew that Yukine was also gentle.
Only when she heard her father return did she take off the jacket. She knew that he wouldn't approve of her keeping the jacket so folded it and hid it under her futon. She left her room and greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome home, Father. I made dinner for us."
"You're such a good girl, Mizuchi." He patted her head. Nora sat across from him and began eating the simple dinner. "Did anyone call on you while I was gone? You look happier than usual. I know that you've been sad since Yato revoked your name."
Nora bit her lip, not knowing if she should tell him the truth. In the past, she would never hesitate to tell him. "... A friend. I-"
"You want another akayashi to play with?" He asked with a baffled smile. Nevertheless he took out his phantom brush and gestured it at her. "Show him to me and Father will make him be your friend."
Nora became silent and Fujisaki could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes. It was rare that she would show any emotion and he frowned at the sight. "You couldn't be thinking of becoming friends with someone. The gods care only for themselves and humans are hopeless creatures. Remember, Mizuchi, only your family care about you. Forget about making a friend."
"Yes, Father." Nora said as she looked down into her bowl. She knew that her purpose was to help Yato become a great God and bring down the gods that wronged her father. Her father rewarded her obedience with a smile but for the first time she found it lacking in warmth.
As she thought of the smile Yukine had, she found herself wondering if its warmth was what drew Yato away from their family.
"She's not here today either." Yukine muttered to himself as he stopped by the cherry blossom tree. Whenever he could, he would visit the tree to see if she had returned but he found himself disappointed again. A week had already passed and he wondered if he would ever meet her again. He couldn't help but remember hearing her cry and wished he could help her like he couldn't for Suzuha.
As he was about to leave, he noticed a package at the base of the tree. It was lumpy and wrapped crudely but it was addressed to him. Tearing of the paper, he was surprised to see that it was his green jacket. He knew instinctively that it was from the girl he met that night.
There was a note tucked into the fold of his jacket and he opened it. Thank you.
Really I started shipping Yukine and Nora as a joke but I'm so far down the rabbit hole now. You know it's bad when I'm actually writing a fanfic for them but I really like how this turned out and this is only part one XD
