Winds of War

idiot

3rd Person POV

"Alright Hiyori! It's about time someone set you straight!"

Hiyori blinked, eyeing him in confusion. "E-eh?"

"Naruto?" Yato looked at him, curious.

"Yes!" Naruto cried. "First things first, Yukine and Yato don't share mind and body in the way you seem to think they do!"

"Hm?" Hiyori turned to Naruto, folding her hands in her lap and frowning.

Naruto nodded. "Uh-huh. Miss Airhead. In fact, it's more of a one-way street between them; Yukine has certain thoughts or emotions, and Yato can feel them. Depending on the type, Yato's body can be effected, especially if Yukine's thoughts are sinful and he gives into them. aka, he gives into temptation, immoral ideas."

She tilted her head, glancing at Yato curiously. "Immoral?"

"Yeah. Like stealing something without paying for it or having lewd thoughts, and when he acts on them it ends up hurting Yato. It's what we gods' call 'stinging', where blight is sent across our emotional link and infects us. Each sin makes it grow and eventually kills us: it's one of the few ways to kill a god."

"It also can't be cleaned away by purified water, which makes it more troublesome and dangerous to handle. Blight spreads, you see, and by contact another person can catch it. Of course, they can wash it off, but that's not the same for the afflicted. The only way to get rid of a blight like that is by either killing the Regalia or giving them an ablution."

"An ablution?"

"What's that?" Yukine said. Leaning against the railing, where they're standing on a wooden dock.

Naruto scuffs the leaves dusting the flooring idly, swinging his head around to look at the sky above. Blond spikes fall to the side of his face. "An ablution is where three familiars use borderlines to quarantine the infected Regalia, which draws out the worst of the blight and makes it easier to judge the damage done to the spirit. Of course, that makes the blight spread quicker, on both the master and servant, so it needs to be done quickly before either of them dies. Once imprisoned, the astray'ed spirit is supposed to confess all their sins, therefore repenting by removing the blight and phantom themselves."

Naruto waved his hand offhandedly. "It's a painful process either way. When a Regalia begins to cross the line and abuse their name, an evil spirit wedges itself in the cracks and becomes part of the shinki in a way. When it's removed, it's like cutting a part of yourself out. That's what repenting is, it's both punishment and a medicine."

"Ah. I see." she whispered, clutching her school bag.

Naruto grinned, shrugging. "But, that's just so you know. I was afraid something disastrous would happen if someone didn't clarify it, so I thought it should be done now rather than later. Since Yato has a habit of letting things grow out of hand before attempting to fix it." he turned accusing eyes on said god. "As he has done so in the past, to the point it looks almost irreversible and he still ignores it until he's almost on death's door. Which, might I say, it's starting to look like that'll happen soon, ya know."

Yato swats him on the back of the head, pouting. "That's mean! Naruto-kun, you know why I did that! So don't point fingers at me all like that!"

"Yeah yeah." Naruto muttered. "Anyways, where're we heading?"

"Oh, yeah. We're headin' over to her  house."

Naruto turned sharply. "Her house? That her?"

"Yep."

_____

 Their destination was a shop. Banisters clicked in the breeze and there were signs pinned onto the walls. As Hiyori walked closer, she glimpsed boxes set behind the cramped shelves stacked inside, and there was a row of vendors standing in front of the shop. 

Yato walked a bit further than them, hands in his pockets while Naruto stayed behind them. Hiyori looked around, with Yukine edging closer to one of the vendors that held drinks. She glanced at the signs and wondered aloud quietly, "Why are we here?"

"Kofuku!" Yato called. He didn't answer the question, whether intentional or unintentional. He was peering into the shop and looking through the shelves, assumedly looking for someone. "You here, Kofuku?!"

A set of running footsteps answered him and he turned around in time for a girl, pink curls and purple eyes and a short bright skirt, to jump onto him and wrap her arms around his shoulders. "Yatty!"

"Kofuku!"

"Yatty!"

"What the heck?" Yukine said. "Is that his girlfriend?"

Naruto smacked him across the head. "Oi, no cussing."

Yukine sputtered, "That wasn't even a curse word!"

"Touché." 

Eyo. Sorry for the late update, I've been super busy with school n' stuff, so I didn't get the chance to work on this and dammit this isn't even a full chapter- so expect another late update and yes this was indeed rushed!

good day and good bye, count the days while your at it and record my gaps because,,, well because.

ja ne