Notes: I KNOW IT'S LATE AND I DESERVE PUNISHMENT BUT . . . I DON'T REALLY WANT PUNISHMENT SO CAN I USE MY GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD?

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Summary: In which Yato is visited by the god of CD hoarding and there's an attack on Parris. . . . These summaries are getting weirder and weirder.

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Yukine

The next morning I awoke with the light of the lamp being drowned out by the sun's rays streaming in through the window and shining through the dust particles that drifted in the air as I reviled in the comfort and warmth of the sheets I'd wrapped myself in during the night. Despite the fact that my experience while staying with Hiyori last time had been less than amazing due to what I liked to refer to as my "Regalia Puberty" where I'd decided that being an asshole was definitely the right way to go about the rest of my undead-life, I will always enjoy the warmth that these sheets greeted me with every morning. They'd also left me to wonder how it was even possible that I was feeling such sensations when I wasn't even alive. After my ablution, I'd taken to thinking that I wasn't actually dead, but just reborn as a fresh spirit free from the burdens that my past life had forced me to carry. In a way, I appreciated it since if Yato had never claimed me, I'd never have met him or Hiyori -- both of which hold a very high value for me.

 As you can tell, I was super smart back then. I cringe at the thought of how I used to treat Hiyori even though she'd only ever showed me kindness. I don't -- however -- regret anything I'd done towards Yato besides almost kill him along with myself. If he was a giant balloon, then I was the small needle that let some of his hot air out. He really did have this giant ego, didn't he. At first it had annoyed me, but now it just reminds me that he's him and that's hopefully not going to change . . . well, maybe having his working habits get better wouldn't be bad so I hope he does change . . . I guess. That thought got away from me.

The fact that Yato actually listened to me now was only a tiny action to show for how much our friendship had grown. As an other example, we were even comfortable sleeping in the same bed. . . . Speaking of which, I wonder if Hiyori slept well last night considering I'd trusted Yato enough to actually let her sleep and not do anything creepy. I highly doubt that he'd done anything to make Hiyori uncomfortable though, so my worries barely even crossed my mind. Despite that fact, I felt as his Blessed Vessel I should get out of bed and wake him up for work. It had to happen some time.

The socks I'd been wearing had slid off my feet during the night and were currently lost (but I gave up after two seconds of trying so I wouldn't exactly consider them lost for good). Thus, my feet were very cold as I made my down the hallway to Hiyori's bedroom. Lazily, I'd draped the blanket around myself making me look like a walking burrito, but I honestly didn't care. I mean, I'm pretty unnoticeable, right? Whatever, I'm too tried to accurately think right now. Maybe going back to sleep isn't such a bad idea. . . . Yukine, stop it. It's not helping. Be a good hafuri and wake up your master.

Fine, person inside my head. I'll do as you wish.

Slowly I opened the door and it revealed Hiyori sitting up in bed beside Yato who was still sleeping beside her. From the small glimpse I'd had of her before she'd noticed me opening the door, it looked as if she'd been staring at him with an loving expression on her face. Well, if she hadn't come to sleep with me in the middle of the night then I suppose that means that Yato didn't act like a complete perv and scare her off. A good thing.

"Hi, Yukine," she whispered. She looked a lot happier than last night, though she'd also probably been very tired yet she hadn't talked as if that'd been the case. Actually, she had to be super sleep-drunk to just pull us into her bed and force us to sleep with her so . . . never mind she'd been really tired.

"Hey, Hiyori," I whispered back.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable," she said, referring to the blanket I'd wrapped around myself.

"Ha-ha, yeah. I'm guessing Yato wasn't really rude to you last night?"

She smiled -- a really nice and wide kind of smile that you only smile when there's more to the story before saying, "Nope. He wasn't rude at all. Why'd you go sleep in my brother's room?"

"Ehhhhh," I shrugged at her. "You guys kept pushing me off," I lied. In truth, I'd seen Hiyori pressed up against Yato when she was trying to give me more room to sleep and I thought it wasn't that comfortable so I'd taken my own course of action. It looks like she slept better so that was good. I slept better too actually despite that odd loneliness that came with sleeping by yourself -- I was very used to having Yato sleep close to me or at the very least in the same room and not having someone's presence next to me was surprisingly uncomfortable.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "But did you sleep better once you moved?"

I smiled profoundly. "Yep! And since I'm well rested and I assume Yato is, we both should be ready for a day of work." After our chuckling died down, we both stared at Yato's sleeping form. He looked so innocent and peaceful! When he was awake, Yato was always working despite his lazy attitude. He was working to make someone smile, or to make someone comfortable, or to be the god of fortune he's recently decided to be. His hands are always working and his eyes are constantly shifting and his chest is constantly rising as he breathes. Yato is constantly working. And despite the fact we've still got so much work to do, it's nice to see him relax sometimes.

"Y'know," I began, "I'm really proud of him. He's come a long way."

I looked over at Hiyori to see her smiling as what I can only describe as lovingly at him. "Yeah," she breathed. "He has come a long way. I hope he gets what he wants. I think he deserves it."

I could tell things were getting sappy (in a good way I guess) and I don't think sappy is the best way to wake up personally. Waking up with knowing what you have to do that day is the best way to wake up.

"Well, he's not gonna make it if he doesn't get up and actually do something today!" I shouted, making Yato stir in his sleep. "Get up, Yato! We've got lots to do today! Wanna try singing on a street corner for money? I bet you it'd work!"

"I heard money?" Yato groaned tiredly.

Hiyori and I laughed.

"Yep and you've got to work for it. Get out of bed!" Hiyori called. She was wearing these pajama pants that looked really comfortable and had small penguins on them while her top was a plain undershirt. Her comfortable clothes coupled with  her warm smile made it seem like this was normal. Like Hiyori sitting on the same bed as us and laughing and smiling warmly was normal. I had to agree with that feeling. I wished it really was normal.

"I'll make breakfast while you keep trying to wake up this poor excuse for a god." I hope Yato heard that.

"I heard that!" He shot up underneath the covers, making him look a little bit like a ghost.

Oh look he did!

"I'll help you cook, Yukine," Hiyori offered. "I don't think my parents are home; they leave pretty early for work at the hospital and besides, they're loud so we most definitely would've heard them. That and no doubt they would've noticed Mr. Walking Burrito over here." She referred to me and I realized that I still had the blanket wrapped around me.

"Don't knock it 'till you try it, sister."

Making breakfast was not all that hard -- with Hiyori's help of course. The only bothersome thing would be that Yato constantly tried to eat the food before it was ready.

Hiyori slapped Yato's hand for the nth time that morning before getting back to the stove. "Stop it! If you eat it all now, there won't be any left for you to eat when it's actually breakfast time!"

"It's lunch time at this point!" Yato countered. "So I'm not hurting my breakfast!"

"Then you're hurting your lunch so stop it. I'll have Daikoku lock you in a bucket filled with cement and throw you in the ocean."

He dramatically grasped his heart and pretended to have a heart attack. "Hiyori?! Is that even you?! How could such awful ideas come from my sweet Hiyori's mouth?!"

"Are we talking about the same Hiyori?" I looked over at Yato pointedly. "Because our Hiyori's probably got multiple personality disorder."

It was Hiyori's turn to look dramatically offended as she gave me a look.

"I'm just saying! You're all sweet one moment and then you're spunky the next and being a badass fighting phantoms!"

Both Yato and Hiyori's faces leveled out and they shrugged. "True."

There was another slap as Hiyori called, "Yato!"

"Sorry! I didn't know that would catch fire!"

"It's fine, it's fine! I think I put it out."

I almost shouted at them that they sounded like an old married couple and to get a room, but then I remembered Hiyori was handling our food and I rather she not put something in it out of spite. Besides, she looked tired enough already. To be honest, I didn't quite believe her when she'd told me that she'd had a good sleep. The bags under her eyes  begged to differ, but I knew Yato was hyper-attentive to Hiyori's needs and if he wasn't commenting on it then perhaps she'd explained and there was no threat there. But then again . . . Yato can also be a little dense.

I decided not to comment on it as we sat at her kitchen table and ate breakfast. Yato and I were vagabonds, but if we ever had a home, it'd be right next to Hiyori as she lectured us on how important it was to have good hygiene and to stop by and see her more often. Hearing her coos of worry were frankly quite worrying, but then again it felt nice to know that she still cared. I know it's not possible for Hiyori to be around forever, but I do know that we should enjoy the present and not let the past nor present keep us from that simple joy. Hearing Yato and Hiyori bicker as we ate food and talked lightly like friends should -- like family should -- made everything feel like I was home with these two. In my current situation, I feel so much more lucky having Yato as my master than getting a major god like one of the seven gods of fortune. Having Bishamon as a master probably would've been too overwhelming albeit a little comfier.

The day had started out so lovely. We'd woken up in Hiyori's house and eaten breakfast with her and we were all pumped to start work and be as helpful to society as possible and look at us now. We sat on a street corner waiting for calls like the homeless bums we were.

"Hey, Yato." He turned towards me with the same dejected face he always wore on these slow-going days. We sat Indian style next to each other on the sidewalk of a busy intersection. "I wasn't joking when I said you should try singing on a street corner for money."

"No one will notice us anyways, Yukine. How much money do you think we'll make even if I sat here singing all day long?"

"More than we're making now."

He shrugged. "Fair enough."

There was the stench of people in the air -- different perfumes, colognes, and plenty of body odor alike. Cars were honking and the wind was soft. It wasn't cold outside and for once Yato looked dressed for the weather with his tracksuit.

Ever since I woke up as Yato's regalia, I haven't liked the city, and for some reason I doubt I ever really did like the city. There are too many people. The phantoms on their shoulders -- though tiny -- were disturbing to be next to. I could just feel it. Yato once told me that some people were better at being around phantoms while others weren't -- they were easily depressed or they could be totally happy but when they were around someone who had a phantom on their shoulder, they couldn't be around them long. I liked to think that I could be around phantoms and still be happy. I had a feeling I had been.

"So, does that mean you'll start singing? We can use my hat as a tip jar," I offered.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so. I'll have to sing a cappella for a little while before I cash in some favors though." 

I placed my hat upside down and sat down where Yato used to be (he'd stood up and gave himself better posture). And sing he did. He sang very well. And for a long time at that. He became popular after a while and several people actually left him money which I expected. Despite the fact that Yato could literally stand in Times Square and dress as a clown (not something too distracting) and have literally no one notice him, he had a good voice and no doubt people would notice it. Personally, after Yato works so hard and agonizes over everything, he deserves a little extra money.

Plus . . . maybe he'll stop stealing from  me now.

"You're really good," muses a man after Yato finishes singing a J-Pop song. His voice is very . . . silky and persuasive. Yato and I stare at him as we wait for him to donate us some money. He doesn't and we don't smile at him. He explains, "Sorry, I'm a bit broke at the moment."

I highly doubt that statement judging by his expensive-looking clothing. Thick, black-rimmed glasses outline his sparkling brown eyes. His hair is black and flows down to his shoulders and it's undeniably shiny. He sports a goatee and nearly-perfect skin with barely any blemishes that's only disrupted by the smile-wrinkles by his eyes and mouth. His pants are a light gray, his flowy shirt maroon, and a light tan scarf wraps around his neck. Despite his outward smiley appearance, his stare seems secretly malignant at the same time -- almost like he's planning to do something. Just what that is exactly, I can't see any motive nor what it could be. Maybe I'm just being paranoid or the stress I'm putting on myself since becoming Yato's regalia has been getting to me.

I look over at Yato and tried to convey my suspicions in a single glance but it seems he's already giving me the same one. Good, so I'm not just paranoid.

In the same voice as before except this time it sounds little more unsettling, he says, "I can see the suspicion in your eyes, Yato God and his Blessed Vessel."

We stiffen. He's not a normal person. Is he a god or a regalia though? I remember vaguely Yato informing me that the gods and shinkis had different auras and he could tell which one by looking at them -- he could just sense.

Despite being suspicious of him, we aren't looking for trouble today so we both still wear half-smiles as we stare him down.

"Which god are you? I haven't seen ya around," Yato inquires pleasantly. His tone says "friendship" but his body language says "suspicious" and a little bit of "please get away because I was actually having a nice day and I'd prefer you not to ruin it".

The man's already sparkling brown eyes sparkle brighter (if even possible) before as his mouth pulls into a large grin. He strikes a pose with his arms wide and stars in his eyes. "I am the God of CD's known to all as Daniel Parris!"

"If he's known to all, why haven't I heard of him," Yato whispers behind his hand at me.

"He sounds like you," I whisper back.

Daniel continues, "I will be known by all eventually! Earlier, the people who created CD's thought they were so magical that I was wished into existence! Too bad technology goes fast and CD's are being replaced with clouds and things in the air and all that, but still! I've made it this far, so I think I can keep going! My real name is actually something weird and old-fashioned, so I decided I should move with the times and rename myself as Daniel Parris!"

I can feel my face go into "Really?" mode and Yato behind me scratches awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"That's nice, Daniel," Yato says. "But what brings you here?"

"Well, your singing of course!" he exclaims as if it's obvious. "I am the god of freaking CD's and I have a gigantic collection at my . . . home and well, to be frank, you have such a unique sound I just couldn't help but stop to listen. Now, I could tell you were something more than just a human being from the moment I looked at you, but that's also definitely reflected through your singing voice. It really sounds superb!"

"You're definitely more animated now," I murmur under my breath. He was acting much more suspicious before, was he not. I had grounds to be suspicious. I'm sure I did.

"Well," he begins, "I couldn't just burst out of my small bubble for no one, could I? I had to know if I had a chance."

"A chance at what?" Yato asks.

"A chance to get on your inevitable popularity. I'm going to take this opportunity now to say that I would become your manager in a heartbeat if asked! I volunteer my help!"

I turn to look at Yato to mutter, "What's this guy going on about?" but the breath's knocked out of me when I see his slightly horrified face. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"You're getting ahead of yourself!" he shouts at Daniel. "I'm not some rising pop star and I never have been! I won't let you leach off of my popularity whether it exists or not!"

Yato doesn't look so happy at this point and I'm afraid he'll do something so drastic that people will pay us unwanted attention. I stand up from my sitting position on the ground and step in front of Yato to try and placate whatever anger may be rising beginning to form. Daniel seems to notice that he's upset Yato somehow even though I myself am confused as well. Why was he so upset when he'd mentioned becoming Yato's nonexistent manager? It's not as if it was going to ever happen (as far as I knew) and he hadn't said anything remotely offensive. Maybe this was just one of his weird ticks that set him off, but I knew there was a deeper meaning to this and I would eventually talk to him about it. First, however, I need to calm him down and avoid having a scene.

"Yato, calm down!" I shouted. Closer, I whisper, "You'll bring unwanted attention and for what? Daniel hasn't done anything besides act a little over-animated and you know it. Also, we're definitely having a discussion about this later."

I backed away and saw that Yato was smiling . . . oddly. It wasn't his usual complacent smile that was infectious, but there was some strain. He was trying to smile, wasn't he. It was unnerving. I hadn't seen him like this at all.

"Bye, Daniel!" He retains the same odd smile as he swiftly grabs my hat that's now filled with money and we transport away. As we're dissolving into thin air, I fill something be shoved into the hand that Yato hasn't snatched up. My fist closes around it and I pull it tight to my chest despite not knowing what the object even is.

Something that Daniel said had ticked Yato off and since I couldn't automatically see it, it was unnerving. And I was gonna get to the bottom of it.

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End Notes: >~< I'm so sorry again I seriously haven't been treating the people who read this book that nicely and I apologize. The schedule is just a sort of guideline for me at this point and to spur me to write. It's easier to go, "OH SHIT I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS," and get to work faster than to see the last time I updated and go, "Eh, I'll update that eventually." I need to give myself a deadline even if I don't follow it 100%.

Thank you for bearing with me and I hope you enjoyed. Leave your thoughts in a comment and giving votes is greatly appreciated as well!