Luminous (KNY X READER)

Six

Yoriichi has noticed a change in your mood ever since the day you went into the village. At random times he'll find you sitting off in a secluded area, staring ahead at nothing while you rub the fabric of your haori between your fingers. Every now and then he'll see you reaching towards the bandages covering your eyes only for you to shake your head and drop your hand.

He knows that something likely happened while you were in the village. That the people there probably treated you unkindly just because of the way you look. That was what he was afraid of. It's why he put off letting you go for so long. He didn't want them to destroy the confidence he had helped you build up over the years but that's exactly what happened.

He knows that you've been too scared to touch your scars. Too scared to 'see' what you look like beneath your bandages. But he also knows you're curious. Over the years you've asked him to describe how you look many times, and every time he'd always say you look beautiful. And never once has he lied.

To him, you are indeed a beautiful young lady. To him, your scars don't take away from your beauty at all. They just add something extra. He knows he's probably biased because of how he's lived, surrounded by people with scars and even having a few of his own. None have ever been like yours but that doesn't matter. Scars are scars, regardless of size, shape, or amount.

It's later that night during dinner when you finally speak up about what's on your mind. "Yori? Can you describe what I look like?"

At the familiar question Yoriichi stops cleaning his sword and sets it aside. He moves over to sit next to you, murmuring what he's doing before carefully taking off your bandages. Setting them on the table, he turns his attention towards your face.

You can't help but to flinch a bit when you feel his fingers gently brushing over your left cheekbone. You never flinched before but ever since you heard the people at the village talking negatively about your scars you feel as if everyone will suddenly hate them despite knowing Yoriichi has never given you a reason to believe so.

"You look human." He finally states. "Your scars are a part of you, and having them doesn't make you any less of a person. You're still beautiful regardless."

"Really?" You whisper as you reach up, barely brushing the tip of your fingers across your right eye.

"Really. Believe it or not, but I have a huge mark on my forehead." His hands trails up, tracing the shape on your skin exactly where it is on his own. The shape is unique and much bigger than expected. "I don't think scars, marks, or anything else can take away from someone's beauty. As long as you're kind and compassionate, you can never be ugly."

You smile softly. "Thank you, Yori."

"There's no need to thank me for the truth." He pulls away before standing up. "You should get some rest now. We'll be doing different training in the morning."

You wait until he leaves the room before letting your smile fall. While his words were very nice and made sense, they didn't do much to change your thoughts. In all honesty, you've had negative thoughts about your scars and eyes ever since the day you met Yoriichi. The villagers only solidified those thoughts further.

Despite being unable to see, you still wrap bandages around your eyes every day. It's almost like covering them keeps you from thinking about them. The bandages hides them from the view of others but they also hide them from your mind. The bandages are your safe haven and comfort.

You're grateful that Yoriichi cares enough to try and comfort you but it'll probably take a few more years for you to become confident. Being a young teenage girl and having a messed up face covered in scars leaves you with no confidence in yourself so you'll have to build it up.

Sighing, you decide to do as Yoriichi said and go to sleep. There's no point in staying up dwelling over something you can't change. Instead you need to focus on resting well for whatever he has planned for the morning.

You change into your night clothes before laying down on your futon. You left your eyes uncovered after dinner as it's uncomfortable to sleep with the bandages wrapped around your face so you don't have to worry about removing them before sleeping tonight.

Laying on your back, you stare up at the ceiling in disappointment. After all these years your vision hasn't improved at all. You're completely blind in your left eye still while the vision in your right eye is extremely blurred. You can see colors but they all mix together into unidentifiable blobs. No matter how hard you try to strain your vision you can't manage to make out any details of anything.

At least you can still see in your dreams.

~~~~~~~
🔆TAISHO SECRETS🔆

🔅You often look forward to nighttime as it's when you can sleep, experiencing dreams that bless you with sight

🔅Yoriichi decided to finally describe your looks due to the way you had been acting after returning from the village. He didn't like seeing you feeling so negative about yourself