yatori week prompt (au: a reverse modern Cinderella story ig)
Part 1: Father"Beeeep! Beeeep! Beeeep!“ My alarm clock cut through my dream. I tried to smash the snooze button with my eyes still closed, but it didn’t work too well. I reluctantly opened my eyes, and stopped that terrible beeping noise. The red glowing numbers read 6:30. "YABOKU!” I heard Father scream from downstairs. Well he wasn’t my real father…more like a stepfather. And I had told him a thousand times to call me Yato, but he never listened. “Hmm?” I mumbled, still delirious from sleep. I went to bed late the night before because I had one of my odd jobs to do. I hadn’t been able to find a place to hire me, so when I wasn’t doing something for Father, I would do jobs around town for five yen a piece. It wasn’t much, but I was hoping to save up enough to move out and get a place of my own as soon as I could. My life was not a fairytale. Far from it actually.
“YABOKU, GET DOWN HERE AND MAKE YOUR SISTER AND I OUR BREAKFAST!” Father yelled. “Mmmph.” I groaned, wishing I could go back to bed. Instead, I got up and got dressed quickly, before practically flying down the steps. “About time, Yaboku. It’s a wonder we’re ever on time for anything.” Father grumbled, putting his head on the table. “Sorry Father…I came down as fast as I could.” I forced a smile, and began cracking some eggs in a pan. “Hi Father!”
My younger stepsister Nora chirped as she came into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. We were a few years apart, but Nora was clearly Father’s favorite. “Good morning Nora.” Father said calmly. I never got treatment like that from him.I served Nora and Father their omelettes, and I just opted for some toast so I could be ready to go to school. Father would never let me ride in his custom cars, so most days I just walked, or had one of my friends pick me up. This morning my best friend Yukine had volunteered to drive me. I grabbed my backpack, and started going out the door. “Hold on just a second.” Father put an arm out to stop me. “I want you to go to the store after school, and pick up milk, and a hairbrush for your sister. Then when you come home, there’s dishes to do. Don’t forget.” He said the last part almost as a threat. “Okay.” I sighed, unenthusiastically. “Yaboku, when you get home I need you to wash my dress for Saturday.” Nora ordered, and I knew better than to refuse her. Father would make medo it anyway. “Fine. Can I go now?” I asked, and Father let me out the door.
Yukine was waiting for me, his beat up old red sedan idling at the curb. I got into the passenger seat. “Hey Yato! What’s up? How’s everything going?” He asked, as he pulled away from my house. “Do I have to answer that?” I groaned, leaning my head back on the headrest. “That bad?” “Ugh I just can’t wait to get out of there.” Yukine shrugged. “I can’t say I blame you. If my father treated me like that I swear I would run away.” I had considered running away before, but it probably wouldn’t do much good. Either Father would find me, or I’d just starve. Neither option seemed particularly appealing.
When we arrived at school, we met our friends Daikoku and Kofuku by the lockers. I guess I was the unofficial leader of our friend group, and it had been that way since kindergarten. Because of this, Yukine sort of viewed me as a father figure (I was slightly older), and Kofuku and Daikoku were like my siblings. At one point Kofuku and I were together, but it didn’t really work out. That relationship was just utter chaos, but we don’t talk about that anymore really.
“YATTY CHAN!” Kofuku screeched when she saw me. The pink haired girl practically jumped on me. Daikoku just greeted me with an acknowledging grunt. Those two were such opposites, it was a wonder they got along so well.
We started talking as we grabbed books from our lockers, and that’s when it happened…I stepped back, and felt someone run right into me, their books tumbling to the ground. I muttered an apology, and began to help them pick things up…and froze when I saw who had run into me. It was Hiyori Iki
Hiyori was the most popular girl in the school. Her family was made up of rich doctors. She knew everyone and everyone knew her. All the girls wanted to be her best friend, and all the guys wanted to date her. I even had a little bit of a crush on her, even though she probably didn’t know who I was. She was very pretty, with long dark hair, and sparkling pink eyes. Today she wore a white skirt that came down a few inches above her knees, and a purple tank top. The thing is, she never acted like she was better than everyone else. She treated everyone fairly.
“H-Hiyori…I’m so sorry…I didn’t see you…honest…are you okay?” I babbled hopelessly. “I’m okay…it’s my fault…I should’ve watched where I was going.” She said, not seeming upset at me in the least. I got to my feet, and extended my hand to help her up. She took it, and got herself off the floor, brushing her skirt off. “I’m sorry…I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m-“ she finished my sentence for me. “Yato. Right? We have Tenjin’s literature class together.” I must admit she had left me a little bit surprised. Typically no one but my friends remembered me. “Yeah. You got it.” I shot Yukine a “Help Me” look, but I didn’t need help, because Hiyori’s friends Yama and Ami called her name.
“I have to go…sorry. See you around sometime Yato?” She asked me. “Erm…I guess so. Sure.” I stammered. “Great! Bye!” She gave a small wave before skipping off to join her friends. Once she was gone, Yukine imitated an airplane pilot. “Oh no, Captain, we’re going down.” Then he made an explosion noise, and Kofuku and Daikoku laughed at me. “Hey! Cut it out!” I shouted indignantly.
“As you all know, the masquerade ball is this Friday night. You will all be required to show this parent permission slip upon entry.” Our homeroom teacher Miss. Sakura said as she passed the papers. “Oh, I’m so excited! Daikoku already asked me to it!” Kofuku squealed happily. “What are the odds Father will let me go?” I sighed. “Awww Yatty, you know you can count on me for a jailbreak.” Kofuku offered. “Tempting…but I’m sure Father would murder me…and then he’d make you guys all clean up all the blood.” I said darkly.
The day went pretty normal…that is until literature class. Yukine, Daikoku, Kofuku, and I grabbed seats in the back, as usual. When Hiyori walked into the room though, instead of taking her usual seat at the front, she walked to the back and took the seat next to me. “Hey Yato.” She said casually. My other friends gaped at her. “Hey guys! Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku, right?” She asked. They all nodded. “You guys mind if I sit with you today?” The question seemed more directed at me. “I mean…I guess if you want to.” I shrugged. She smiled.
“So…are you going to the masquerade ball this Friday Yato?” Hiyori asked later on in class when everyone was talking. It was an innocent question, but still, having a girl ask if I was going to a dance got me a little jittery. Especially Hiyori. “I don’t know yet. I guess it depends on what my dad thinks. How about you?” “Yeah, I’m going. I don’t really have a date nailed down yet, so I’m thinking I’m just going by myself, but we’ll see.” She said. I was a little surprised she didn’t have a date yet, figuring everyone would be practically lining up to take her. I wondered if I should ask her and then pushed the thought out of my head. This was literally the first time we had actually talked…I wasn’t about to frighten her off. It was a stupid idea anyway. I seemed to always have stupid ideas though, so I wasn’t that surprised.
“Father, I’m home!” I called through the house, struggling through the doorway with all the groceries I had bought at the store. “Okay, get to those dishes! And Nora’s dress! And you’re going to need to make something for dinner tonight! Go quickly too, you already took too long at the store!” Father shouted at me from the other room. I wanted to cut my ears off.
“Yaboku, give me my brush.” Nora demanded before I could even put the grocery bags down. I shoved a smaller bag into her hand, and she didn’t even bother to thank me…she just skipped over to the TV and turned on some anime cartoons. It was amazing that while she had all the time in the world to watch anime I was stuck with no time at all to do anything I wanted to do. It was so unfair, but I guess I was used to it.
I did my chores as fast as possible, but it was still half past six when I finally finished. Nora’s dress was harder to wash than I thought, given that she had spilled spaghetti sauce on it before, and there were so many dishes piled up near the sink that it took forever for me to clean them all.
“YABOKU! Where’s our dinner?!” Father yelled from the living room. Shoot…I had forgotten all about dinner. “Erm…working on it right now!” I replied. “You better be, or else you don’t get to eat.” I got out some meat and quickly made some hamburgers. I thought they were pretty good, but Father yelled at me about them being too well done, so I went and ate out on the porch to get away, wishing I could escape for real.
The week seemed to fly by. It was fairly normal. When I wasn’t doing everything for Father, I was either at school, or on an odd job around town. I ran into Hiyori a few times in school, and though I tried to lay low most of the time, I felt like every time I spoke to her, people looked at me funny.
Friday came, and Yukine had finally convinced me to talk to Father about the masquerade ball. He dropped me off in front of my house after I finished cutting a neighbor’s lawn. “It’ll be fine Yato. Trust me.” He assured me. I only wished I could believe him…I had a feeling this wouldn’t be easy.
I entered my house. “Father?” I called. “Yes Yaboku?” Father asked from the living room where he was playing a video game with Nora. I swear, that girl got to do everything fun. He paused the game when I entered the room. “Well I was just wondering if you would sign this.” I took the parent permission form out of my backpack, smoothing out the crumpled corners and handing it to him.
He laughed. “You didn’t actually think I would let you go to this, did you?” I tried to keep myself under control. “Well, it’s just for one night. Can’t I go out one night?” I reasoned. “Absolutely not. You still have chores to do…the laundry won’t do itself.” He said. “Father, it’s not fair!” I raised my voice. “Yaboku, life’s not fair.” He chided. I wanted nothing more than to punch him. I clenched my fists. “Father, I try to be nice to you…I really do, and I always do everything you ask. Please let me go!” I begged. “YABOKU, I SAID NO! That is my final answer. Now go and mop the kitchen.” He ordered. I had no other opinion. I went to get the mop.
While I was working, I dialed Yukine on my cell phone. “Yato! What happened?” He asked when he picked up. “I can’t go. You guys go on without me.” I told him. “Darn, that sucks. Anything you need?” He asked. “Different parents?” I suggested. “Anything I can actually help with?” He rephrased the question. “Nope…sorry Yukine. Maybe next time.” I said glumly and hung up.
It was about ten o’clock, and as I folded the clothes from the dryer, I couldn’t help but think of Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku at the dance without me. It just wasn’t fair. “Yaboku, I’m going to take Nora over to her friend’s house, and then I’m going out for a while. I’ll be back at 12:15. If you set a toe out of this house, it will be the last thing you ever do.” Father said. I nodded in understanding.
I heard Father’s car pull out of the driveway, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Even if there was work to do, at least I wouldn’t have to deal with the shouting.
Part 4: The Masquerade Ball
I had just started washing the dishes, when there was a knock on the door. The clock read 10:20. Father shouldn’t have been home just yet. I went to the door, and found Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku standing in the doorway, all dressed up for the ball.
“Interesting formalwear.” Yukine commented. I was wearing black sweatpants and a t-shirt that said “I ❤️ Capybaras”. “Yukine, what part of ‘I can’t go’ didn’t make sense?” I asked exasperated, hitting him with the dish towel I was holding. “Yatty Chan, this is an intervention.” Kofuku said seriously. “What in the name of Izunami is that supposed to mean?” I raised my eyebrows at them. “Yato…you can’t go on like this. It’s time that you start doing things for yourself. Forget Father, come to the dance with us.“ Yukine proposed. "No way, he gets back at 12:15, and besides, I have chores to do and he’ll kill me if they’re not done.” “Let us do the chores while you get ready, and set an alarm on your phone for 12:00. That way we can have you home by 12:15.” Kofuku said. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like letting Father stop me from going to the dance.
“You guys are right. I’m going to the dance.” I declared, and they all cheered. Still I got the feeling I was forgetting something. My heart sank when I remembered what it was. “Guys I can’t go.” I said glumly. “Why not?” Asked Daikoku. “Father never signed the permission slip.” “Leave that to me! I’m an expert at foraging signatures.” Kofuku volunteered. I looked at all my friends. “Okay…let’s do this.”
Forty Five minutes later, we entered the school gymnasium which was glimmering with string lights and the multicolored disco lights. Kofuku’s foraging skills seemed to work. Everyone wore masks, and I put one of my own over my face. “How are we supposed to tell who anyone is?” I asked my friends who had donned masks of their own. “You don’t.” Yukine said bluntly.
We went on the dance floor and started jumping around to some song we didn’t know, but everyone else was doing it, so why not.
A girl that was in front of me accidentally stepped back on my foot. She almost fell backwards, but I caught her quickly in my arms. “Woah…you okay?” I asked her. She blushed. “Yeah. Thanks for catching me.” She said as I set her back on her feet.
She was very pretty, or at least I thought she was. A purple mask covered most of her face, but her eyes were piercing, and her long brown hair was curled. She wore a long purple dress that matched her mask. My friends noticed me talking to the girl, and I could tell they were sort of spying from a distance though they tried to hide it. I gave them a quick look before turning back to the girl. “Are you here with someone?” I asked. She looked at her feet. “Well…my date sort of stood me up. So I guess not.” I clenched my fists. I hated it when people did that. “Darn…I’m really sorry.” I said sympathetically. “It’s okay…are you here with a date?” She asked me. “Nah…unless you want to be my date.”
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could even process what I was saying. “Way to go, Yato.” I thought, glancing over at Yukine for help. All he did was give me a thumbs up, before going back to talking with Kofuku and Daikoku. The girl shrugged. “Sure…why not.” She agreed.
“So…are you going to tell me your name?” She asked as I led her off the dance floor to get a drink. “Is it okay if I don’t? I’m technically not supposed to be here.” I said awkwardly. “Wait…you do go to this school…right?” She asked skeptically. “Oh yeah, I go to this school…it’s nothing like that. It’s just my stepfather. He doesn’t want me to be here.” I explained. “Oh…I see.” She said. “Are you going to tell me your name?” I asked her. She pursed her ruby red lips. “Not yet.” “Well you go here too…right?” “Yes.” “Alright, so we might know each other then.” I reasoned. “True. You would think I would remember those blue eyes.” She sighed. “Well…how about we try and guess who each other are?” I suggested. “Okay.”
“So…I have a question…what is your favorite animal?” The girl asked me. “All the questions in the world, and you go with what’s your favorite animal?” I raised my eyebrows at her. “Well…you can tell a lot about a man by what his favorite animal is.” She said laughing. “Okay then…Capybaras.” I said without even thinking. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that answer. Mine would have to be…probably horses.” She told me. “Alright…so what do you want to do when you’re older?” I asked her. “Hmmm…I don’t really know…maybe be a doctor? It runs in the family, but I don’t know if it’s for me or not. What do you think?” I was caught sort of off guard by the question. “I think you should do what makes you happy.” Gods, where did I come up with this stuff? The girl smiled at me, and I blushed slightly. “How about you? What do you want to do?” “I don’t know. Right now I’m pretty much focused on moving out of my house. I need to get away from my stepfather.” I answered truthfully. “I take it that you and your stepfather don’t get along too well?” It was an innocent question, not meant to be prying or anything like that. “Well it’s always ‘do the dishes, wash the clothes, mop the floor’ meanwhile he treats my stepsister like a princess. He didn’t even want me to come to this dance tonight. I don’t know what to do about it really.” I complained. “Well…I think you should take your own advice and do what makes you happy.” The girl told me, and I laughed.
A slower rock ballad began playing on the speakers. “Hey, would you…would you want to dance?” I stammered. I’d never really gotten the chance to ask a girl to dance before, so I was nervous as heck. “Sure.” She took my hand, and I led her to the dance floor. I put my arms around her waist and she put hers around my neck. I couldn’t help but notice that she smelled like sweet cherry blossoms.
“Did you know you really have two left feet?” She said after a minute. I must’ve stepped on her toes at least five times. “Sorry about that…I don’t dance that much.” I blushed. She noticed. “It’s okay…people think I’m good at everything, but I’m a terrible artist. Although…I can draw a pretty great stick figure.” She told me, and I laughed. “I’m actually not that bad of an artist believe it or not.” I said nervously. My hands were sweaty. “Well then I hope to see your drawings sometime. You know, I still have no clue who you are.” “Nor I you.” I grinned at her.
“Hey, would you ever want to see me again after tonight?” I asked the girl later on in the night. We had been dancing for a while, but then we decided to sit down at a table and talk instead. I could always make her laugh somehow, and I really enjoyed her company. Occasionally, one of my friends would cheer me on silently from the background. “I think I would like that.” She replied. “Hey…would it be crazy if…” she began, but trailed off. I couldn’t help noticing how close she was to me. “If what?” I breathed. “If I said that I…” she trailed off again, and she was even closer than before. Did she want me to kiss her? I took her face in my hands and she didn’t pull away. I brushed her hair away from her face, and she closed her eyes. I leaned in, and…
”Brrrring! Brrring! Brrring!” My phone alarm went off at the worst possible time. “I have to go.” I said quietly, pulling away before I could kiss her. I stood up from the table, but the girl caught my arm. “Wait…” I looked back to see her take off her mask, to reveal…”Hiyori?!” I gaped at her. I had almost kissed Hiyori Iki. I stood there for a moment, stunned, until Yukine came running over. “Yato…we need to go.” He said quiet enough so Hiyori couldn’t hear. His eyes flicked between me and Hiyori incredulously.
I pulled my hand from Hiyori’s grasp. “I’m really sorry…I have to go.” I apologized before taking off with Yukine, Kofuku, and Daikoku trailing behind me. “Wait!” Hiyori shouted, coming after me, but I wasn’t stopping.
In my hurry, I tripped on someone’s foot, sending me sprawling on the ground. I got back up and kept running. Hiyori bent down and picked something off the floor. “Please wait! I don’t even know your name!” She begged, but she couldn’t catch me. I had to get home before it was too late.
“That was Hiyori the entire time?!” Yukine shouted at me as the four of us piled into his car. “Yeah…now will ya hurry up and drive? I gotta be back by 12:15, remember?” I said, taking my mask off.
“So…when are you guys hanging out next?” Kofuku asked excitedly when we got on the road. “Erm…well…” “Well what?” Asked Daikoku. “Well she sort of doesn’t know it was me.” I explained. Yukine swerved to avoid almost hitting a truck. “YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T TELL HER YOUR NAME?!” “Do you really think she’d like me if she knew who I was? She’s probably expecting Prince Charming. She’ll probably forget about me by Monday anyway. It’s just better this way.” I said resting my head against the window glumly. In truth that’s not what I wanted at all. I wished I could tell her who I was, but I guess I was scared, or something.
Yukine pulled up to my house when the clock read 12:12. “Bye guys! Thanks for everything!” I shouted, getting out of the car and slamming the door. I ran into the house, bolted up to my room, and threw on the grungy clothes I had been wearing earlier, just in time for there to be a knock on the door. I opened it to find Father standing there.
“Did you get all your chores done?” He asked, barging in the doorway and pushing past me. No hello, no greeting…nothing. “Yeah.” He inspected the dishes, and the laundry. Yukine, Daikoku, and Kofuku had really come through for me. While I had been getting ready, they made sure that everything sparkled.
Thank gods Father went to bed after that. I went up to my own room and searched through the pockets of my dress pants to try and find my phone. I had to tell my friends I had made it home. The problem was, it wasn’t there. I checked my suit too. Nothing. And then I remembered something. After I had fallen, Hiyori had picked something up. Could it have been…my phone?
I sighed and laid back on my bed. I couldn’t worry about it now. I was exhausted, and decided to go to bed. I figured I would look for my phone tomorrow some more. Or maybe that I would wake up and this had all been a dream. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
That weekend, I didn’t do a ton, unless you count all of Father’s chores, and a couple odd jobs fixing a faucet and moving some furniture around. My phone remained missing, and I found myself thinking of my night with Hiyori a lot. Her laugh. The way her eyes lit up when I told her something. The way she smelled sweetly of cherry blossoms.
I was so glad to see my friends on Monday. “Where the hell were you all weekend? You didn’t answer any of our calls.” Daikoku complained. “My phone seems to be missing. I think I dropped it the other night.” I replied, and the answer seemed to satisfy them.
A surprise greeted me when I walked into Miss. Sakura’s homeroom. Hiyori stood at the front of the room. I swallowed. She waved at me as I walked past her to my seat, and I managed a small wave back.
“Okay class…Miss. Iki has an announcement she is giving to all the homerooms, so I want you to give her your attention.” Miss. Sakura said once everyone had settled down.
‘Okay guys well…I’m Hiyori Iki…but um…you probably already knew that.” She began awkwardly. “Well um…the thing is…I met this guy at the dance the other night. The problem is, I have no idea who he is, and…I think I fell in love with him.” She was blushing now. My eyes bugged. She fell in love with me?? “Anyway, I really want to find him. He dropped this as he was trying to leave.” She reached into the pocket of her shorts, and withdrew my cell phone. “So…um…I guess at lunch period, if you come to me, and can type in the 4 digit code to open the phone on the first try, then I’ll know you’re my mystery prince. And if anyone hears anything can you please let me know? I’d be really happy for your help. Anyway, I guess that’s it. Thanks everyone.”
I could practically feel Yukine, Kofuku, and Daikoku staring at me. Everyone had started talking again, so they all said “Yatooooo” in unison. I threw my hands up in surrender. “Guys…I didn’t do anything…don’t look at me like that.” “Yato…we know the truth. You know the truth. When are you going to tell her the truth?” Yukine slapped me. “HEY!” I shouted. “I mean…Yuki asked a valid question.” Kofuku pointed out. “I’m not. Trust me, it’s better this way. Then she doesn’t get disappointed.” I ran my fingers over the wood grain in the desk, and I couldn’t help but picture her on the night of the dance. So beautiful, and kind. She deserved better than someone like me.
When lunch hour came, the four of us sat at our usual table. Across the caffetteria sat Hiyori, surrounded by a few friends, and a bunch of guys, all of whom wanted to try and open the phone. “ONE AT A TIME! EVERYONE WILL GET A TURN!” Hiyori was trying to control the crowd, but it wasn’t really working. People pushed and shoved, all of them wanting to get it first. I shook my head. “You know Yato, you could make this a whole lot easier and go tell her.” Daikoku suggested. “No way.” I picked at my lunch, but I wasn’t very hungry.
The crowd by Hiyori only grew, some people wanting to try and unlock the phone, and others who just wanted to watch, or cheer for their friends. After lunch, I went into literature class. To my surprise, Hiyori picked the seat next to me. “Hi Yato.” She said tiredly. Her hair was slightly messy, and she looked a little frazzled. “Are…are you okay?” I managed to croak. My throat felt dry. “Oh yeah…I’m fine. It’s just I didn’t think finding my mystery prince would be this hard.” My friends were following our conversation like a ping pong match. “Oh.” I said stupidly. “Do you know how many fakes there were today?” She asked, sort of angry. I just shook my head. “Thirty! Honestly, that’s horrible!” She said in a voice slightly below a shout. “Mhhmmm.” I nodded. “Yato, are you okay? You’re not acting like your usually chipper self today.” She pointed out. “Ummm…no. Everything’s fine.“ I said. Hiyori raised her eyebrows at me, but didn’t press the issue.
At the end of class, Hiyori insisted on walking with me. "Did you wind up going to the dance?” She asked me. I hesitated for a second. Should I tell her the truth? “No…I didn’t go.” I replied, using my best judgment. “That’s a shame. You should have come.” “Yeah…I wasn’t allowed. I’m glad you had a nice time though.” I told her. “I did. I only wish that that guy would’ve showed up by now. It’s so frustrating.” She ran her fingers through her hair. I didn’t say anything. She turned and looked at me. “Do you have something you want to tell me, Yato? Because I swear, you’re unusually quiet.” “No, Hiyori. Everything’s fine.” I forced a smile. “Okay…well bye then.” She said, running off to her next class. “Yeah…bye.” I muttered to nobody in particular.
“YABOKU! Go take out the trash!” Father ordered. It was Wednesday, and I still hadn’t told Hiyori anything, despite the protests of my friends. She predictably had no luck with her “mystery prince” as everyone was referring to him, but every time I saw her she was more and more determined to find him…or me, I guess. “Can’t I finish this one drawing?” I yelled down from my room. I was drawing a sketch of Hiyori from the ball, and it was actually not horrible. I really managed to capture her smooth dark hair, and her full lips. Her eyes were warm and gentle, just like they were when I saw her in person. “Now, Yaboku!” He yelled. “Arghhhhh!” I groaned, getting up from my desk and stomping down the stairs. I couldn’t get a break for ten minutes?
“Are you complaining, Yaboku? I would hate to think you’re ungrateful to me. He seethed at me. He was being extra venomous today. "It’s not being ungrateful. It’s just not wanting to be your slave anymore.” I mumbled, but I don’t know if he heard.
I got the trash bag, and walked out the back door, and…”Slice”. Nora used a knife to cut the bag open, the trash going all over the yard. “Oops.” She said, but she sounded sarcastic. “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!” I shouted. They had both been extra rude to me today, and I had pretty much had enough. “Sorry Yaboku. But yelling about it won’t help you.” She went in the door, leaving me to pick up the slimy, disgusting garbage.
I went back in the house, and washed my hands in the sink. “Yaboku! There’s a call for you on the home phone. Come and get it, and hurry up!” Father called me from the other room.
He handed me the phone. “Hello?” I asked. “Yato! How are you?” Yukine’s voice came over the phone. “Fantastic.” I told him sarcastically. “Yato, can you come outside?” He asked cryptically. “Umm…I guess.” I hung up the phone and walked out onto the porch to see Yukine’s car. Kofuku and Daikoku were with them.
He rolled the window down as I approached. “Why are you guys here?” I asked them. “Yatty Chan, this is an intervention.” Kofuku said. “Will someone please explain what the hell that is actually supposed to mean?!” I exclaimed, exasperated. “It basically means that we’re your friends, and we’re here to give you advice because we care about you.” Yukine explained. “Well why didn’t you just say that?!” The three of them looked at each other. “Well…it just sounds more professional to say intervention I guess.” Kofuku said for lack of a better response. “Oh well…it doesn’t matter. Anyway, what do you guys want to say to me?”
“Well I talked to my mom, and she said if you want to move out of your dad’s, you can come live at my place.” Yukine said. “What…what do you mean?” I asked. “Yato, you’ve always been like an older brother, slash father to me, and I just think you can’t go on like this.” “We all think so.” Daikoku broke in. “Yatty, you can’t spend the rest of your life waiting on your father and Nora.” Kofuku said. I realized they were right. I was always focused on what others wanted. My father knew that, and it allowed him to walk all over me. Nora too. That wouldn’t happen again. I knew it wouldn’t. Hiyori’s voice echoed in my mind. “I think you should take your own advice and do what makes you happy.”
“You guys are right.” I said. “So…does this mean you’ll get out of there?” Asked Yukine. “Yeah…I’m going to try.” I assured him…and I meant it. I was done being pushed around.
I went back into the house, and up to my room. I grabbed a duffle bag and stuffed it full of some extra clothes, and a toothbrush. I was about to leave, when I saw the sketch I had done of Hiyori out of the corner of my eye. I don’t know why, but I folded it up and put it in the pocket of my tracksuit.
“Yaboku! Make Nora some dinner!” Father demanded as I was coming down the stairs. “No.” I said, a look of determination on my face. “What did you just say to me boy?” He asked, growling. “You heard me. I quit. I’m done being your slave, and I’m leaving this house.” I declared, sounding braver than I felt. “Where will you go?” He challenged. “Anywhere’s better than here.” I didn’t want him to be able to find me. “Yaboku, you’re being ungrateful. I have given you a house to live in, and food, and-“ I cut him off. “And who cleaned the house every day? Who prepared meals all the time because you and Nora couldn’t be bothered? Me! I’m sick and tired of being treated like a slave!” And with that, I marched out of the house, leaving Father with a puzzled and enraged look on his face. I never looked back.
“I can’t believe you actually did it.” Yukine said as he helped me bring my stuff through the door. “I knew you had it in you Yatty!” Kofuku and Daikoku were right behind us. Yukine led me up to an extra room where I could put down my bags. “Come on guys. Let’s go play video games together. Maybe we can teach Yato how to play Phantom Slayer.” Yukine suggested. I had a feeling I was going to like living here.
I got beat at Phantom Slayer pretty bad, but at least I was getting better. I only lost by a few hundred points in the last round instead of a few thousand. After that, we were all sitting and watching some anime cartoons, when I felt something in my pocket. I took it out, and unfolded it. It was the picture I drew of Hiyori. I had almost forgotten about it. “Hey guys?” “Hmmm?” Asked Daikoku. “I think I have to do something tonight. Just don’t wait for me to do anything, okay?” I said, never looking up from the sketch. “You sure you don’t want us to come with you? I can even drive.” Yukine suggested. “No…this is something I need to do all by myself.” I got up and walked out of the house.
The sky was dark. It had to be at least 9 pm. There was no moon…the clouds blocked it. I started running, with one goal in mind. I had to get to the Iki mansion. It started raining, first lightly, but then it turned into a downpour. I was getting soaked, and thunder rumbled in the distance but I didn’t care. I had to do this.
I had never been to the Iki mansion, but everyone knew where it was. It was a large brick mansion with white stone columns and an immaculate yard to match. I jogged up to the door and knocked. A woman who I could only assume was Hiyori’s mom, opened the door. “Can I help you?” She raised her eyebrows at me skeptically. “I’m a friend of Hiyori’s from school. Can I talk to her? It’s important.” I explained. “Sure. Would you like to come in, or-“ “No…I need to do this before I lose my nerve. Please, I just need to talk to Hiyori.”
She went back into the house for a minute, and then Hiyori appeared at the doorway. “Yato? What are you doing here?” She asked surprised. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the drawing. It was a little damp, but mostly intact. “You said you wanted to see my drawings sometime.” “It’s beautiful…” She began and trailed off. “Wait a second…Yato…” she reached into her pocket and pulled out my phone. “Is this really yours?” She asked her voice barely above a whisper. She handed me the phone. I typed in my passcode “0800” so she could see, and the Home Screen popped up.
“Oh. My. Gods. I actually found you! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She asked, her hands over her mouth. “Hiyori…the thing is…I’m not Prince Charming. I’m not any type of prince. Not even close. I recently got away from my terrible stepfather, and I’m living at a friend’s house. I don’t have a real job, and I’m not even what you’d call popular. I thought that…the last thing you need is a guy like me, and that if I loved you I would let you go. I only want the best for you because I love you. That’s why I didn’t tell you that it was me at the dance.” I explained. “Yato…” she sighed, stepping out in the rain. “I love you. Which is why none of that matters. I don’t care that you don’t have a real family, or a job, or anything like that. Don’t you get it? You’re all I could think about for the past few days, and now that I’ve found you…I just want to be with you.“
I felt like I could barely breathe. She really did love me. She reached down and grabbed my hand. I smiled at her. "So…I didn’t quite get to kiss you at the dance. Do you maybe want to try again?” “I’d like that.” She blushed.
I took her face in my hands, and kissed her lips. She kissed me back putting her arms around my neck. I reached around her and ran my fingers through her rain soaked hair. Thunder rumbled around us, and Hiyori clutched me tighter. That was when I knew that finally, we would both live happily ever after.
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