Wish ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 29: Living

The phantoms haven't bothered me since my talk with Yato. Not a single one. Which could be a false sense of peace since the last time this happened, they did end up reappearing, but that doesn't matter. Not right now, anyway. Right now, false peace or not, I am enjoying myself and having fun. Right now, I'm being an average girl.

I'm living.

Music pulsates around me, the bass throbbing against the walls of my ears as a group of college-aged girls sings the song displayed on the screen. The karaoke bar is alive and buzzing with people all gathered to have a good time as they take shelter from the frigid cold outside. The atmosphere is electrifying and the fun plentiful, which is exactly what I need.

"I love this song!" Hiyori beams, bopping her head to the beat before turning to me. "I'm glad you wanted to meet up here! Are we celebrating anything?"

I think about it. Are we celebrating anything? Is there even anything to celebrate? Aside from the phantoms leaving me alone, nothing notable has happened recently. Work is still the same. My hobby is still a hobby. My bills are paid. All is as it should be. But maybe that's just it. Everything is progressing as the norm intended. That's it.

I smile, shrugging, "Just life, ya know?"

"Just life?" she repeats, lifting a brow.

"Yeah," I nod warmly. "Ya know, just celebrating the fact that we're here -that we're alive and still kickin'."

She scans me for a moment before smiling, "You know what? You're right! That's plenty enough of a reason to celebrate!" She takes her Coca-Cola glass into her hand and lifts it toward me, cheering, "To life!"

I smile back as a warm sensation tugs at my heart. Following her cue, I wrap my own fingers around my glass, the cold condensation causing a chill to dart the length of my spine and lift it. This is a reason to celebrate. I tell myself. Life is the best reason to celebrate. I gently clank my glass against Hiyori's, the music still enveloping us as I do so.

"To life!" I chime.

We each take gulps of our drinks and return to the scene surrounding us. Life. Life encircles us. Everyone from the people sitting and chatting as they eat to the staff waiting on tables to the brave souls bellowing their songs on stage is so full of life. All with beating hearts and dreams and hopes for tomorrow. All with likes and interests and things they enjoy. All with families and friends and goals. All with lives that are happening here and now. That is what surrounds us.

That is living and that is something I didn't know I needed to remember. Could this be one of those gems Mr. Sui was referring to before? Could something as simple yet beautiful as this be what he meant? Or is it merely a clue? Regardless, my eyes feel opened.

Maybe I should take his advice. I think, bopping my head to the music. Nora has gems. Maybe I should try finding them. Maybe that'll be something. It seems promising. Promising in a sense that maybe it'll help me to live a little more instead of dwelling on the fact that I don't live in Tokyo. It makes sense. At least, I think it does.

"I'm going to go sing," Hiyori announces as she stands up. Those magenta orbs find me as she questions, "Do you wanna join? We could sing a duet!"

I open my mouth to decline but stop. I want to live. I want to experience new things. I want to live a life that isn't plagued by regrets. That's what I want to do. That's what I need to do.

So, I smile, nodding, "Hell yeah!"

And together we run up to the request booth, all the while I couldn't stop smiling.

**Bello lovelies! Super short chapter but we are winding down to the end of this book. I know there wasn't much that happened in it, but the next will. We'll start to get our answers and maybe even some action. Info about the next book will be given at the end of the epilogue. So, stay tuned for that. As always, thank you so freakin' much for everything! Y'all are the bee's knees! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross