Hope ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 8: The Way

Mr. Sui and Bridgette's anniversary, huh?

All day all I could think about was this. Mr. Sui sitting alone at some restaurant that he and Bridgette used to frequent...him eating a dessert they used to share...him staring out at the ocean at sunset. All day long, that's all I've been left thinking about. All such romantic and wonderful things to do...but not in such a sad remembrance. That is a saddening sense of romance.

"Poor Mr. Sui," I breathe, looking out my window.

Across the street, the water sways back and forth, gracing the shore with its touch as the sun dives into the horizon. Different tints of pink and purple illuminate the sky, spilling into the water, casting shadows wherever the light does not reach. It's honestly a very beautiful sight to see, but it causes a twinge to pull at my chest.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" a smooth voice suddenly asks, a gust of hot air brushing my ear.

Startled, I jump up, preparing to whack whoever is behind me. Honestly, I still haven't registered the voice, but upon seeing him, I realize who it is. Yato is standing behind me, holding his hands up defensively as he braces himself for whatever fury awaits him. At first, I'm almost wiling to simply stop myself from making contact with him, but I decide against it since he was the one who decided to frighten me.

So, I lightly slap the palm of my hand against his shoulder, scolding, "Yato! You idiot! You gave me a freakin' heart attack!"

"My bad! Sorry, sorry! Ouch! Stop slappin' me, will ya?" he whines.

Still slightly irritated, I stop, pulling my hand back to myself. At that, he rubs where I had been hitting him, though he's being dramatic. I was barely using any force and even if I had, he would've deserved it after that stunt.

I cross my arms over my chest and ask, "Okay. What are you ding here? Oh, stop acting like a baby. I barely touched you."

"That was barely touching me? You assaulted me!" he cries.

I roll my eyes. "You're such a drama queen."

"Tch. Am not...meanie," he pouts.

I just chuckle and roll my eyes once again. It's strange. All day I felt like there's been this dark veil engulfing me but right now...right here in this moment...I feel...okay. I don't feel incredible, but I feel okay. Almost as if that dreary curtain has been lifted just the slightest, allowing for the natural light to trickle in just enough to remind me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. To remind me that, no matter how rough things get, there's also a snippet of hope.

And that was something I needed.

I inhale through my nose and sigh, "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

He shoves his hands into his jacket's pockets and shrugs, "What? I can't just visit?" I shoot him a sharp glance and he adds, "Okay, okay. Yeah, there's a reason I...stopped by."

"Which would be?" I question, lifting a brow.

He averts his eyes briefly before bringing them back to me, a tint of seriousness masking them as he breathes, "Well...I think I found a way to...to find out if you're a demigod or not."

My eyes go wide. Every time I just start to absorb that, he drops something else down on me. As if being told there's a possibility that I'm a demigod wasn't enough, now telling me there's a way to find out for sure has me all over the place. A mixture of emotions overtakes me. I'm eager, excited, and interested to see what the results will be...at the same time, I'm nervous, anxious, and almost afraid to see what those said results mean. If I am a demigod, what will happen? I shudder to think the worst.

"Oh?" I swallow, dropping my gaze. "Is that so?"

"Yup," he almost beams. "Took some diggin', but I'm pretty sure I found what'll work."

"Cool," I murmur. "So, where did you find this and how do we do it?"

He waves his hand dismissively. "Eh, some old book a buddy of mine mentions it. It's kinda trippy but looks pretty straightforward."

Straightforward? How is any of this straightforward? None of this is straightforward. No, this is all complicating and confusing as hell. At least, to me it all is.

"Anyway, we just have to wait until the next full moon," he continues, pulling me from my thoughts.

I furrow my brows in confusion, asking, "Wait, what? The full moon? Why?"

"It's apart of the ceremony," he answers nonchalantly.

The red flags are up. The red flags are up and my breaks are pumping.

"Hold up," I laugh half-heartedly. "Ceremony? What ceremony?"

His eyes bore into mine. "Well, it's...uh...it's the...Blood Root Ceremony."

As if I'm not already on alert, I feel like jumping to my toes. Any ceremony involving the word or mention of blood cannot be any ceremony I want to partake in.

"Hold up," I swallow, holding an index finger up. "Wait just a minute. The...Blood Root Ceremony? That sounds like some dark, fucked up shit."

A hint of softness reaches his eyes as he smiles faintly, "I know it sounds crazy."

"Ya think?" I laugh. "A blood ceremony. BLOOD ceremony."

"Hold on, now," he says, holding his hands up at me. "It's not as dark and malicious as it sounds. It's simple."

I lift a brow. "Simple? How?"

A calm demeanor claims his features as a small smile meets his lips. "All we need is the full moon and a drop of your blood."

That's all we need.

**Ello, ello lovelies! So, a Blood Root Ceremony. Anyone interested to see what that'll reveal? Hope so! Anyway, thank you so much for everything! Y'all are incredible! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross

P.S. "Jealousy" by Monsta X. Any Monbebes here? I'm still tore up about Wonho leaving. It's kinda hard to listen and watch these boys without him. They seem incomplete. But regardless, I'm gonna keep loving my Monsta X boys even if there's only six now. 💗