KNY Girls x GN!Reader (One-Shots)

oh, how the good die young (Amane Ubayashiki)

⚠️  Manga Spoilers ⚠️
(Talks about a major character death. Huge spoilers. Anime only, skip this chapter!)

You rued the day you ever laid eyes on Amane Himorogi. Her presence in your life had brought nothing but heartache.

You were only a child then, brought to the Himorogi family temple by your grandparents. They went to pray, taking you with them since you were finally old enough to walk the whole way alone.

She had been at the temple, looking so beautiful under the blossoming cherry tree. The soft pink complimented her pale hair and skin perfectly. Her beauty had taken your breath away. She seemed like someone straight out of one of the fairy tales grandfather told you.

She'd noticed you staring and smiled politely, if awkwardly. You blushed and buried your face in your grandmother's skirt.

Since that day, you were doomed. Whenever your grandparent went to pray, you tagged along. You hoped to catch another glance of the girl. She was so beautiful you worried that you'd dreamt her up.

The next few times you visited, you were unlucky. Years passed, and you never saw her again. She must've been a figment of your five-year old self's imagination.

You continued to visit anyway, as the temple was still nice. Maybe you'd see her again. You could always ask someone, but the thought was too embarrassing. You kept the whole matter to yourself.

It wasn't until after your grandparents died ten years later that you finally saw her again.

After the funeral, you'd been inconsolable. Your only family members, stolen away by an illness. You robotically continued to live, tending to your grandparents farm. It's what they'd want, you told yourself.

Soon enough, it was spring. You decided to continue the tradition of visiting the temple in their honour. The trip to the temple felt longer than ever before without them.

When you finally reached the temple, you couldn't believe your eyes. Standing underneath the cherry tree was the girl from ten years ago. She had grown up into a lovely young woman. Somehow she'd grown even more beautiful.

Just like before, she noticed your staring and smiled awkwardly. You blushed, but refused to chicken out this time. Gathering all your courage, you walked over to her.

"Hi! I'm Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you!" you smiled, hoping she wouldn't think you were weird.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." she replied. Her voice was polite and professionally detached, but it had a kind undertone. "I'm Amane Himorogi."

Amane. You turned the name over in your head. It was a beautiful name, befitting the girl that haunted your dreams for years.

"That's a beautiful name." you said, realizing you'd been quiet for a bit too long.

"Thank you." Amane said, smiling slightly. It seemed more genuine this time.

"Amane!" a white haired child yelled. "You're needed in the main house."

"Goodbye, Y/N. It was nice talking to you." she bowed politely, taking her leave.

You watched her go, secretly relieved. You were worried that you'd say something totally stupid if the conversation continued much longer.

It wasn't a dream. You hoped you could see her again.

After that, you came to the temple more often in hopes of seeing her again. Your visits paid off, as about three months later you saw her again.

Your conversation lasted a bit longer that time. Unfortunately, you'd said something stupid. However, it made her laugh. Her laughter was beautiful. It was a quiet sound, as if she was afraid to break the peaceful silence that surrounded the temple. You committed it to memory, deciding you didn't care how many embarrassing things you said if it made her laugh.

From then on, you visited every other month. Amane was there every time, as if she was also looking forward to seeing you. Your childish crush bloomed into something more over the next year of visits.

Amane's quiet, serious nature could seem cold to an outsider, but she was one of the kindest, most loyal individuals you knew. Her deep love and devotion for her family was moving. It made you wish you had someone to love that way.

You knew you could never marry. She was a member of an important holy family, and you were just a random farm kid. Still, you kept coming back, content to even be a small part of her life.

Despite knowing you never had a chance, it still stung when you heard she was getting married. It was an arranged marriage to a sickly heir of some family. She'd told you, saying she was sad to move so far away from her only friend. You'd wished her well, hoping she could find happiness in her new life.

It was a long time before you heard about her again. You reduced your temple visits back to just spring, as it was too painful to be there without her.

She had told you what her new last name would be, Ubuyashiki. You kept an ear open whenever you visited, hoping to hear any news about your friend. However, there was no mention of the names Amane or Ubuyashiki.

Life continued on and the seasons changed. You'd never really gotten over Amane, so you remained single. There was no way you'd ever meet another like her.

You were late to visit the temple one year. You'd fallen ill around your normal time, and had to recover at home for a month before you were fit to travel. When you finally arrived, the cherry blossoms were wilting.

You stared at the tree wistfully, remembering the first time you saw Amane. What would your life be like if you never met her?

Leaving your nostalgia at the tree, you went inside and lit the usual stick of incense. You knelt there, immersed in prayer. You followed the rest of your usual routine and made to leave, when the mention of a certain name caught your attention.

"Are you talking about Amane Unayashiki?" you asked, hoping you didn't sound too desperate.

"You haven't heard?" one of the women asked.

"Heard what?" you asked. The women exchanged glances. They came to a decision about whatever it was and one turned to you. You noticed her eyes looked slightly red and puffy, but you dismissed it.

"Amane Ubuyashiki, she," she began, but paused to collect herself. "she, she died."

"What?" you asked, not believing your own ears.

The other woman spoke up this time, squeezing her companions shoulder supportively. "Her house was destroyed with her and her family in it. There were no survivors.".

The bottom dropped out of your world. You felt yourself spiralling downwards, far away. Amane... dead? No, it can't be true. The air of grief around the women couldn't be faked, though. It was true.

"Ah, my condolences." you said, bowing respectfully. You turned quickly and hurried down the path. On the way home, you continued to run situations through your head. Part of you wanted to believe you'd hallucinated the whole interaction. It wasn't true, and you knew it.

You stumbled on a rock, landing on the ground. You sat there, feeling numb. First your grandparents, now your only friend. What was left to live for?