Wish ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 11: Not Real

The dawn's golden gleams pour through the windows, painting the ceiling with warm shades of red, cool tints of blue, vibrant purple, cheerful yellow, and lively green. All mix and dance across the smooth surface so elegantly, the natural light breaking through the clear sections of the stained-glass art almost like acting as a moment of clarity. Just brief moments of muted and comprehensive clarity. However, those moments are brief with few and far in between as the loudness of the colors mimic my thoughts.

The stranger.

He has occupied my mind since the night I saw him. The night where he just stood there on those rocks, his gaze lingering on the horizon. I can still remember how the wind combed her fingers through his hair as his focus remained trained on the sea. And focused he was. The whole time I observed him he stayed in that trance, never tearing his gape from the ocean. Never.

Staring. Just staring out over the Pacific. That was all he was doing but he looked so at peace. Well, I assume he was at peace. The images of his smooth features masked by the darkness made me believe so. With a calm and relaxed stance, I had believed he was at peace. However, whether he was or wasn't does not matter now. In the end, he disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaping down off the rocks and into the night, never to be seen again.

Well, with the exception of my memories. I can still see him clearly in the depth of my memory banks. In my recollection, I can see and recall everything. Typical. Remembering it all.

I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. Snap out of it, Y/N. I bark at myself internally. Get yourself together. I open my eyes and turn my head to where I face my alarm. It'll go off in two minutes. Nothing worth trying to ease me back to sleep over. After all, I've already been up for an hour, so I might as well just go ahead and turn it off before it wails. And that's what I do.

With my alarm off, I pull my blanket back and hike out of bed, stretching away the stiffness from the night before. It feels good to stretch -to loosen my joints and spine. After that, I mosey my way into my bathroom and begin my morning routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I took my shower last night, so I have no reason to bathe.

Once my hygiene is taken care of, I migrate to my closet and pull out a clean uniform. I slide deodorant on and dress myself, followed by throwing my hair up into a ponytail (if your hair isn't long enough for a ponytail, then you make up whatever hairstyle you want). After that, I jog to the main living area of my apartment and eat a quick breakfast of toast and orange juice (or whatever you want). From there, I hop into my shoes and head to work...downstairs. I must say, it is extremely convenient to be living above Seven. I can sleep in later and still be on time. Hell, I could probably run a tad late and still make it on time. So, though I'd probably never say it out loud, living in Nora has its advantages.

I make it out down to the door that leads to the shop, that barrier being what separates my professional life from my personal life, which means it's time. Time to make that money. I enter the shop and make my first round. Everything is as it should be. Nothing is out of the ordinary. All the merchandise is neatly arranged as it always is. So, I just do what I need to do; unlock the shop, turn on lights, and greet the sales associates. Beyond that, I retreat to my nook in the back and begin the daunting task of watching screens.

And that's what I do.

For hours.

I sit and I watch, observing as shoppers drift in, get what they want and leave. This repeats over and over, some hours holding more business while others are emptier, but there is rarely a quiet moment. It seems even on a Monday it gets busy here which is intriguing. I still remember when I first entered the village and observed how it buzzed with life. Life that was busy with work, so how so many people are able to browse and shop baffles me. But that's just me.

I let out a sigh and glance up at the clock. My shift isn't set to end for another three hours, which means three more hours of watching screens. Disadvantage of working here -too boring. I huff, massaging my temple. My early morning is catching up to me. Exhaustion is suddenly plaguing me, making me feel weak. Maybe I can just rest my eyes and -

"Hey, Y/N," one of the sales associates named Ree says, bursting through the door which separates my office from the boutique, startling me.

I nearly jump out of my seat, feeling my heart race against my ribs as I sputter, "Ree, hey. Hi, how are ya? What's up?"

"Hey, Y/N," she sighs, "I'm sorry to do this, but we're getting hammered out here. Can you do us a favor and take the trash out? We're afraid it'll smell up the place."

"Oh, no. I don't mind," I reply, standing up. "I'll do another walk around while I'm at it."

"Thank you so much," she smiles, giving a small bow.

I follow her out into the boutique, the humming of all the shoppers filling the air when my heart drops. All over the shop are these...things. Different sizes...shapes...colors...species. All different and all equally terrifying. Some have wings and can fly...some are tall and stand alongside the seemingly unaware bystanders...and others are small and walk along the floor. I don't know what they are, but they all say different things that morph and bleed together like static. It's almost earsplitting and is causing me to feel uneasy.

Uneasy because I don't want to remember. I don't want to see those things. I don't want to revert and go backward. I don't want to revisit the past. I just don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to. I. Don't. Want. To.

They're not real. They're not real. They're not real. I tell myself, squeezing my eyes shut. I pray and hope that once I open my eyes they'll be gone. They have to be. They need to be. Anxious, I open my eyes, but they're still there. All still flying and standing and walking and talking. All still being just as I last saw them, making my throat go dry, but I push it all aside. Despite my discomfort, I still have a task to accomplish. Just because I can see these things again does not exempt me from doing what I need to. After all, they're just figments of my imagination.

I let out a haggard sigh. They're not real.

**Bello my sweet lovelies! Well, I wonder what's going to happen next. Hmm? Any ideas? Any guesses as to what it is that Y/N sees? I'm pretty sure it's obvious. But feel free to make a guess! I know this is going slowly so far but I do promise it'll pick up. Anyhow, thank you so freakin' much for everything! Y'all are coolio! Stay groovy! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross