come back to me (Yato x Hiyori)

Chapter 7

I sank to the ground outside Bishamon's house panting for air. I dragged myself upright and knocked on the door twice. No one came to the door, which was understandable since it was night. I guess I had half hoped that maybe one of the regalia's might've been up. I knocked again frantically because even though I was away from Shinu I had an uneasy feeling. 

Also I was a little hungry...

I waited a few more minutes and when no one came to the door I decided to call it a day.  I lay on the steps curling myself up to conserve body heat. I was shivering, and my heart wasn't helping it beat so loudly that I was sure I would wake the whole house. Which would've been totally fine since I was dying out here (okay maybe not dying,but you get the point) I just decided to grit my teeth and bear through the day. A thought crossed me about how I could go sleep at one of Tenjins shrines but I decided against it. Besides i had already ran all the way to get here, there was no point in walking further. 

The door suddenly swung open and I fell back onto the ground, hitting my head with such force. The edges of my vision blurred and the tendrils of darkness pulled me down.

"WHAT THE HELL" I screamed staring down at my sleeping body, blood seeped from my head. Dyeing Bishamon's white floor a red, I rushed around through the house and found a regalia. I told her what happened and she told me to stay where I was and ran through the house (probably waking Bishamon) I sat on the chair she had provided me, my tail swishing behind me as it often did.  My soul had escaped from my body but then I was pretty lucky, if it did that while I was running to Bishamon my body would be in a very bad place. I cleared my throat loudly but the house stayed quiet, I started to doubt that regalia's usefulness. So I went off in search of other regalia's. And that's when I heard it, a bloodcurdling scream that chilled me to the bone, I caught a smell of something and I crept towards where the smell was coming from. 

The scent leads me to the front door and that's when I screamed too. There was a phantom it looked like a dog. It snarled at me teeth dripping with blood. For a second I almost choked on the air, the dog ignored me and went back to eating its meal, the very same regalia that I had asked to help me. I squirmed in discomfort and screamed as loudly as I could, I was sure that, that would wake the house. But still no one came to my aid, I tried to fend off the big brute, blubbering about how it was all my fault.

Yet I didn't notice it before, I was distracted by its teeth dripping with blood. The dog wore a woolly hat stripey and green. Pom poms dangled in the blood, the dogs fur was blonde and its eyes had a fleck of orange within them.

"YUKINE?!?"

A hand clamped over my mouth and pulled me into the shadows I struggled against it, contemplating if I could use jungle savate in my current position. I tried to sweep my feet under the strangers, so that the person might fall but they swiftly dodged it, I clawed at the mystery hand until my mouth was free. I took the chance to bite down hard on the strangers hand, they cursed at me but their tight grip refused to loosen. 

"Shut up and stop fidgeting" a low raspy voice told me.

"Mmmm" I struggled, the persons hand still covered my mouth.

"Don't be an idiot Hiyori, who do you think you are?" 

I instantly froze frowning, how come this mystery person knew my name? I turned my head backwards as far as it could go, only to meet a covered face. They were wearing a black mask and a hoodie to hide their hair, so I couldn't assume their gender unless..

"Don't you even think about it" the person said suddenly

"mmmmm mm?" the persons hand still firmly clamped around my mouth, he/she sighed and removed their hand.

"About what?" I say surprised, did they read my mind?

"About escaping" I breathed a sigh of relief, to know what was going on in my mind would've definitely given the stranger an upper hand. So i was glad to find out that they couldn't read my mind. 

"What is that thing?" 

"A phantom, come on now Hiyori keep up!"

"So Yukine's a phantom?" I hissed

"Er not exactly..."

"What is that thing then?" I was growing impatient at the vague answers this stranger was giving me.

"A phantom" they replied plainly

"But why is the phantom wearing yukine's clothes??"

"Reasons"

"So did yukine reincarnate as a phantom?"

"Well he didn't necessarily die"

"WHAT?" 

"Shhh" the stranger said, clearly flustered at my sudden outburst.

"What. do. you. mean, he didn't die??" I said through gritted teeth.

"So they really didn't tell you..."

"SO WHAT THE HELL IS THA-"

"Shhhh" they insist.

"So whats that thing there huh?"

"Don't you get it?" the stranger asked.

I didn't understand what there was to get, Yukine died. I saw it with my own eyes, he was ruthlessly killed. I saw it, I saw it. Yato saw it too, we couldn't both be delusional, we were both sane at the time. So what was this stranger implying?

"Everything has been a test, that thing out there isn't real."

"Wha-"

"Yukine never died, theres no such thing as Shinu, Yato never got kidnapped. He never forgot who you are" they explained carefully.

"Wait wait, back up for a second. How do you know all of this??" 

"Everything was televised, this was all for a test. For 'the good of the planet'"

"And did I volunteer for this?"

"No they forced you, I've come to save you"

The stranger detached the mask from their face, I expected to see Yato or Yukine. 

Yet i didn't.