The Stray/Synopsis

History
Nora died before she was born at an unspecific point in time, likely sometime during Father's time (Heian period). Her soul was tainted by an ayakashi; however, Father found her and was able to name her "Mizuchi" with the Word of Yomi. The two of them went around killing gods together, likely through her ability, Liberation. Soon after, Yato was born; some time is implied to have passed before she was introduced to him and was given the name "Hiiro."

From then on, she develops a close bond with Yato. As children, they play by tormenting people. Often collecting the ears of the people they murdered as a gift to Father.

At some point in time, she learns about 'The God's Greatest Secret'. She reveals this to Sakura, prompting Sakura to become curious of her own past life.

At some point, she started to serve other masters besides Father and Yato. Yato stated that it was his fault that Nora became a stray.

She participated in the massacre of the Bishamonten's former shinkis, the 'Ma clan', as Yato's shinki.

Prior to the start of the series, Nora had been working for other gods such as Takemikazuchi, because Yato hadn’t been summoning her.

Volume 1 (2)
Chapter 2: When Yato visited Hiyori in the hospital to check on her health, he mentioned that he was practically butt-naked due to not having a weapon, as Nora was busy.

Volume 2 (7)
Chapter 7: Nora appeared on the last page of the chapter when Yato was trying to cleanse the blight mark caused by Yukine's misdeeds at Tenjin's shrine.

Volume 3 (8 - 9)
Chapter 8: Nora complained that Yato had never summoned her although she had been watching him, and felt lonely because of it. She told Yato not to use Yukine as he was emotionally unstable and uncontrollable, and to throw him away and use her instead. Yato did not answer.

In the event where Yukine was chased by Yato and Hiyori and accidentally dropped a donation box that he stole from a convenience store, Nora appeared again and casually complimented Yukine's pretty eyes. Yato called Sekki and asked why she appeared and called her Nora before she told Yato to call her by her given name. Hiyori and Yukine were surprised when Nora told them that it was normal for a god to carry many shinki with them. She then told Yato to use her so she could protect him from Bishamon, and that she also helped him kill Bishamon's shinki. Nora then taunted Yato to use her more as he did in the past, slaying many things together. Yato pointed Sekki at her angrily before running away.

When Yato failed to exterminate a giant moth-shaped phantom, Nora reappeared and held out her hand to tempt Yato to use her. However, Yato refused, telling her to go away as he was honing Sekki. Nora was dumbfounded with Yato’s reply.

Chapter 9: On New Year's Eve, after Hiyori met Tenjin and discussed Strays in general, Nora appeared in front of Hiyori with a hateful look. When Hiyori greeted her, Nora told Hiyori not to greet her casually as a lowly Phantom and sneered as she sent a few wolf-like masked phantoms to attack Hiyori. She told the wolves to aim for Hiyori's cord, and when asked why, Nora stated that Hiyori was not suitable for Yato. Luckily, Hiyori survived the attack.

Volume 4 (12 - 15)
Chapter 12: After a mission to exterminate a phantom that caused a baby to cry at night, Hiyori noticed a mask similar to those worn by the wolf-like phantoms she met on New Year's Eve and told Yato about it. Yato was surprised to learn that Nora had attacked Hiyori using the masked phantoms.

Chapter 13: Nora met Bishamon's shinki Kugaha, and Kugaha told her that he had met Yato and Yukine. After a little chitchat about how beautiful Sekki was and about Kazuma leaving the grounds without Bishamon's permission, Nora told Kugaha that Kazuma actually went to help with Yato's purification.

Later on, Yato met Nora and asked for her motives for using masked phantoms, to which Nora replied that she merely wanted to cause trouble.

Chapter 14: Nora was seen patting her pack of wolf-like masked phantoms after Bishamon's shinki Suzuha was killed, as she listened to Kugaha's plot to reincarnate Bishamon.

Chapter 15: Nora appeared as Yato grumbled about Hiyori's vicious attack due to his constant complains through Twitter, telling him to just sever his bonds with them. She said that Yato was supposed to be more relaxed and didn't need to worry about pointless things. Yato said that he didn't intend to do anything she wanted, but Nora countered by saying that Yato, as a lesser-known or more like a nameless deity, wouldn't be able to exist since he couldn't even remain in anyone's memories. She told Yato to follow "Father's" orders, to which Yato didn't answer.

Volume 5 (17)
Chapter 17: Nora met Kugaha and talked about Kazuma's exile, although Kugaha wasn't satisfied until Bishamon actually died and was reborn so that he could become her lead shinki. Nora then told Kugaha the things he wanted to know, specifically Yato's weakness.

Volume 19 (74, 77)
Chapter 74: After Yato, Hiyori, and the others had planned and performed the flash mob for Yukine's 1st birthday (the day he was named), Yukine stays alone on an empty bench and cries in happiness from the events. After this, Nora appears and kisses Yukine. She then proceeds to say, "I also love you," to Yukine.

Chapter 77: Father used Nora in an attempt to kill the unconscious Bishamon, though it turns out to be a trap set up by Kazuma. When Father plunges Nora's weapon into the body, the illusion is lifted and it becomes clear that the body was actually Edachi, Bishamon's former Shinki under the name Kugaha. Furthermore, Nora is affected by a curse that Kazuma had put on Edachi. While Father doesn't know what kind of curse it is, he fears that Nora could be tracked through it and thus banishes her.

This makes Nora realize that she always was an "unwanted child". She proceeded to visit every god she was a Shinki of and bowed and begged to be released. After she got rid of all her names in this manner, she approached Yukine, because she had nowhere else to go. To prove that she is no longer Fathers, or anyone else's, Shiki, she began to undress, but Yukine quickly stopped her.

After seeing the girl crying and partially undressed, Yukine put his jacket on her shoulders.

Episode 1: A Housecat, A Stray God and A Tail
When Yato visited Hiyori in the hospital to check on her health, he mentioned that he was practically butt-naked due to not having a weapon because Nora was busy.

Episode 3: Bidden Calamity
Nora made her first appearance at the end of the episode as she watched Yato and Yukine sleep in front of Tenjin’s old shrine.

Episode 4: Where Happiness Lies
Nora appeared in front of Yukine while he was waiting for Yato and Hiyori near a lake as they returned from Kofuku’s house. She complimented that Yukine had pretty eyes, and Yato called her Nora as he asked what she was doing. Nora told Yato to call her name instead, and that she was waiting for him to use her again. Yukine and Hiyori were surprised to learn that Yato actually had another shinki aside from Yukine.

Episode 5: Borderline
When Hiyori asked about Yato’s relationship with Nora, Yato had to admit that Nora was a friend of his benefit. This revelation caused Hiyori to become angry.

Episode 6: Scary Person
Nora appeared behind the trees in the forest where Yato fought Bishamonten and used Restraint to bind Kinki from attacking Yato.

Episode 7: Uncertainty, Destiny
Nora was mentioned by Hiyori as she asked about Strays to Tenjin, although Tenjin didn’t answer her question. Later, she appeared in front of Yato while he was cleansing the blight on his nape. She told Yato that she was lonely because he hardly called her name anymore and that Yukine was emotionally unstable so he should get rid of the boy. She then told Yato to use her as she was more useful than Yukine, although Yato didn’t reply.

She later met Yukine and told him that even though he had pretty eyes, he was empty and useless; comparing him with hawthorn fruits. When Yato asked what she was doing, Nora replied that he should use her more; as she could kill everything nice and neat, and extended her hand to reach out to him. Yato called Sekki instead and left with Hiyori, leaving Nora alone.

When Yato couldn’t cut the giant moth-like phantom using Sekki, Nora extended her hand to reach to Yato again, but Yato told her to go away as he was honing Sekki. Nora was dumbfounded and was greeted by a man. Said man was Rabō. Rabō commented that it was a pity since Nora - whom he called Hiiro - and Yato used to spend a long time together.

Episode 8: Over the Line
As Yukine dragged a metal baseball bat in front of Hiyori’s school windows, he remembered Nora’s words and became agitated as he smashed them down.

Episode 9: Name
Nora was sitting on a Torii moments after Yukine’s successful purification, saying that he should be eaten by his phantom instead. She told Rabō that it was a good choice to wake him up, and when Rabō asked whether Yato was really that Yato the god of calamity, Nora told him to see for himself.

Episode 10: Regarded with Hate
Nora watched Hiyori going to the New Year’s festival from the top of a building with Rabō and decided to use her for an evil plot. She then imposed as Yato so Hiyori could chase “him”. When Hiyori greeted her Nora said that Hiyori, as a mere phantom, should not talk to her casually and that Hiyori was the cause for Yukine’s successful purification, and sent a pack of wolf-like masked phantoms to attack Hiyori. She told the wolves to attack her Cord although not to accidentally bite it off. When Hiyori asked why she was attacked, Nora told Hiyori that she disliked her. Hiyori escaped from the phantoms’ attack when the sun rose, but Nora approached her and told that the god of calamity Rabō had awakened and that he wanted to kill Yato. She also told Hiyori that she caused Yato to become weak, and told Hiyori to stop existing.

Episode 11: Abandoned God
During their free time, Rabō and Nora killed many citizens. When a witness tried to escape, Rabō called her name Reiki, and Nora transformed into a sword and killed the witness.

Nora appeared in front of Yato and Yukine when they returned after buying some art supplies, and Yato instantly knew that she was the reason for Hiyori’s lost memories. She admitted that she did steal Hiyori’s memories, and showed them a crystal orb with Hiyori’s memories about Yato in it, saying that no matter what he did he would always be forgotten and was hurt many times because of it. She told him to remember his true self before Yukine snapped Yato back into reality. Yato asked what was she plotting, and Nora showed her new name “Furu”, before she transformed into Reiki, a sword with decorative red hilt and sheath in Rabō’s hands, and attacked Yato and Yukine.

After a vicious fight that caused Sekki to be injured, Rabō summoned Nora’s human name Furuhime and said that Yato was no longer the god of calamity he knew. Nora told Yato to defeat Rabō should he wanted Hiyori’s memories back, and vanished. While everyone talked about Rabō, Rabō and Nora were spending their time killing people at a railway terminal. Nora told an impatient Rabō that Yato would surely come to them.

Episode 12: Scrap of a Memory
Nora and Rabō were waiting for Yato’s arrival at Rabō’s former shrine when Yato and Yukine arrived with Hiyori. When Nora saw Hiyori, she said that Hiyori was an eyesore before she was summoned by Rabō to start the fight. After trapping Yato and Sekki in a water sphere, Rabō told Reiki that Yato was yet to return. When Rabō raised his sword to kill Hiyori, Reiki sneered at her before Sekki blocked it, changing her expressions from amused to unimpressed. She told Rabō to throw the crystal orb containing Hiyori’s memories and while Yato desperately chased to save it, she slashed the orb and shattered it into pieces, successfully reawakened the fierce god Yato.

When Hiyori managed to remember Yato, Reiki was shocked that Hiyori was able to break her spell. And after Rabō’s defeat, Nora commented on her failure and decided to go home and talk about it with Father.