.

.

Yukine helped with the ablution.

Kazuma screamed. Yukine had never seen anyone so anguished. The walls of the borderline shimmered as Yukine and Kuraha held their arms and strengthened their halberd, Nana glaring and gritting her teeth while Bishamon crouched on the ground, watching them.

"I've done things." Kazuma's voice, which was normally so measured, was weak. Breaking. "I've done terrible things to protect my master."

The borderlines tightened. The phantoms wings which had sprouted from the meat of Kazuma's back began to crumble, falling around him like ash. "I killed my comrades. I slaughtered my family in the Ma clan. I cut off Tsuguha's head."

Kuraha said nothing. Nana's face was a mask.

"I betrayed my best friend and my student, all for love of my master!"

His face contorted as he fell into hollow sobs.

"I justified it." Tears rolled down the sides of his face, which was marred and disfigured by phantoms. "I thought what I was doing was right. But it wasn't and I'm sorry." He wept, unbidden. "I'm sorry and I don't deserve to be her exemplar."

The last of the impurities fell away. Kuraha nodded and Yukine and Nana released their borderlines, watching as Kazuma wept on his knees, his head bowed toward the ground, his spirit once again pure and unbroken. Yukine didn't say anything. His eyes fell onto the cracked mark on Kazuma's hand.

xXx

.

That night, Yukine and Yato headed home.

"Well, fuck," Yato said. He was standing in the mirror looking at the tattered remains of his god's robe, the one he had spent weeks weaving by hand on a loom. "So much for this thing, huh, Yukine?"

"Whatever," Yukine said, and he tossed his clothes into the hamper and rolled onto the futon.

Yato was quiet. Silently Yukine switched on the lamp by his bed and rolled so that his back was facing him, staring out into the darkness and not saying anything.

"Yo Yukine?"

"What?"

"You wanna get a bath?" Yato's voice sounded normal. As if this were a normal night after a normal day fighting phantoms, even though they had narrowly escaped with their lives and had almost been charged with treason for helping Bishamon. "I think they're still open. And no offense, Yukine, but ya kinda sorta stink a little."

"Says the one with the BO and the pit stains-"

"This is a godly musk! And what the hell, Yukine, that's why I was suggestin' we go to the baths!"

"Whatever," Yukine said, and he sat up, pushing up the covers.

"So that a yes?" Yato said. Yukine pulled on his shirt and glared.

xXx

.

The baths were barely populated at this hour. Yukine sank into the water while Yato splashed and made an ass of himself, but fortunately there weren't that many patrons nearby and nobody noticed them anyway. He tried to ignore the series of shallow cuts that peppered Yato's skin and focused on the steam and the warmth of the water.

Keep control. Need to keep control. Yukine silently chanted to himself. It was something that helped him when he started to lose focus, when his emotions were roiling and threatening to bubble over. Yato glanced at him, then splashed his face with water.

"H-hey!"

"Oi, Yukine! Quit bein' a wimp and talk to me, okay?"

Yukine glared.

"Hey, c'mon," Yato said. "We had a rough day. It's okay if you wanna complain about it."

"You got scratches," Yukine said. Yato blinked then glanced down at his chest and arms. "Your arm's been cut to shit and you're wounded all over."

"C'mon, Yukine, this is no big deal. I've had a lot worse. Dontcha know how long I've been a god?"

"You've been a shitty minor god with lotsa shitty shinki. I let you get wounded! I have no excuse!"

"Yukine-"

"Dammit!" Yukine said, and he stood up, angrily swiping the back of his wrist against his eye. The other men in the bath glanced at them briefly before returning to their own conversations.

They dressed and walked outside, Yukine's hands stuffed deep in his pockets while Yato walked beside him.

"Sorry about the bath," Yukine said.

"S'okay," Yato said. Yukine glared.

"It's just-" Yukine started.

"Yeah?"

"It's just, I hate him!" Yukine said. Yato turned. "He was Bishamonten's exemplar, he was supposed to be my teacher! He called you his benefactor! He was supposed to be your friend!"

"He still is, y'know," Yato said. He looked up at the sky quietly. "I don't know much about family. All I know is, sometimes family can do shit things to each other, but at the end of the day they're still your family."

"Kazuma-san is not your family," Yukine said.

Yato glanced at Yukine, then looked back at the sky, thoughtfully.

"Kazuma helped me out when no one else would." Yukine glanced up at Yato, who seemed to be considering his words. "He's the reason why I was able to break away from Nora and my dad. He helped me when I didn't have any good shinki. He helped you too," Yato said, his blue eyes turning, meeting his. "And he's had a hard time dealin' with this."

"Tch. Whatever," Yukine said, and he kicked a rock, glaring. "If he feels so bad how come he's not apologizing?"

"He probably feels ashamed." Yato walked forward. Moonlight fell on the tops of his scarf and jersey, which seemed traced with a silver starlight, and for a brief moment, Yukine saw a bit of that godly aura he was fairly sure other gods had around them all the time. "Anyway, that guy's stupid crazy in love with Bishamon, and up 'til now she didn't know about it. He's probably dealin' with the fallout from that."

"What are they gonna do?" Yukine said. Yato turned and shrugged.

"I dunno, Yukine. But I doubt he's gonna stay Bishamon's exemplar."

Yukine let the words sink heavily, weighing the cool night air.

"You think Bishamon-sama is going to excommunicate him?" Yukine glanced up at Yato.

"Probably not," Yato said. "That crazy chick's too attached." And Yukine remembered the end of the ablution, how Bishamon hugged Kazuma-san as he wept helplessly. "You and I are so alike, Kazuma. I did terrible things for love of my shinki, too."

"Yuki! Yato-chan!" Kofuku was at the door waiting for them. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah," Yukine said. Yato clapped his shoulder and grinned.

"See that, Kofuku? My kid's a super tough kid!"

"Huh?" Yukine said, and Yato threw his arm around his shoulder.