A Pretty Face (KNY x Reader Fanfic)

Chapter 2

After taking Ume from her pile of hay, Y/N guided the siblings to a small house right by the river. It was indeed warm like she had said. When Gyutaro felt it wash over him, he nearly collapsed.

"We don't have much furniture since this is just a temporary living space, but I think I have some blankets!" Y/N disappeared for a moment, going into one of the spare bedrooms in the back.

Gyutaro took a moment to become settled. His sister was still asleep, but no longer shivering. He frowned seeing all of the tips and tears in her clothes. Just then, Y/N came back. She had three blankets folded in her arms, and then something nestled on top.

"These should fit your little sister. They're out of fashion now, but they used to be mine. I wish I had boys clothes for you, but..." She wrapped a blanket around him, before setting the other two pairs down. Then, she held up the kimono for Gyutaro to see.

He liked it. The fabric was clean, and the colors didn't looked faded at all. Even though it was out of style, it would still cost a hefty price. He was relieved he didn't have to spend as much now to find something for Ume.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, lightly shaking Ume awake. "We aren't friends, or apart of your family. Why do you care so much about us?" His question startled Y/N. She looked to Ume, who was beginning to stir awake.

"Well..." her eyes couldn't meet his, so she kept her head down. "It's true we aren't yet friends, but I'd like to be! Besides, I saw you both earlier in that stack of hay. I couldn't leave you like that, you know?" Y/N then wrapped her own blanket around herself.

Gyutaro scoffed, and upon seeing Ume awaken, gave her the new set of clothes. She went into one of the other rooms to go change, which left the two older children alone.

"No, you don't want to be friends with me. I'm ugly, poor, and scary. My teeth are hideous, just like my discolored skin. I'm also too skinny for someone my age. Girls don't like me, so why do you?" His cheek felt incredibly warm, and his eyes had that foreign feeling in them. He felt tears form, but looked away before Y/N could see them fall.

She reached out, taking one of his hands into hers. He instantly bristled. Wiping at his hand, he looked back to see Y/N frown.

"I'm dirty...you'll get some kind of disease by touching me."

Her frown deepened.

"You aren't dirty," she reached back out again, tightly holding his hand like before. He couldn't resist like he did the first time. "And you aren't ugly or scary. You're not inferior to me; We're both the same, if not equal, okay?" Giving a small squeeze to his hand, she then gently let go.

It was strange being told he wasn't ugly. Equal? That didn't sound quite right either. Gyutaro cleared his throat, and then looked to see Ume standing behind Y/N.

She looked pretty in her new clothes, which made him smile. He caught Y/N eyeing him in a strange way, or maybe, it was something else.

"Yeah...you're not ugly. I think you're handsome, especially when you smile!" Ume giggled, hugging Y/N and thanking her for the clothes.

Handsome.

Gyutaro had never heard that word about himself. He felt like his head would explode if he kept thinking about it. The word echoed loudly; he couldn't drown it out with other thoughts.

Even when everyone prepared for bed, he laid there wide awake. He was in his own futon. It was soft, and he nearly sank into its plushness. There had never been a time where he felt so comfortable. As he began to relax, all of the aches in his body slowly faded away. All of the background noise that came from outside became quieter and quieter.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't awake. He was sitting by the riverbank, doing nothing but swaying his feet back and forth in the water. There was another presence beside him. Her little hands grasped at his larger arm, holding him tight as she laughed.

"So...when are you and Y/N going to get married?" She asked, laughing again as the small fish in the water tickled her legs.

Gyutaro stiffened. Ume sounded different. He looked to his side, seeing that she wasn't a little child. She was a young teenager. That was when he noticed the arm she clung to was more filled out, and larger than he remembered. There were scars he didn't remember acquiring.

"I...what do you mean? It's impossible for a girl to marry someone like me, you know this." He shook the confused thoughts away, instead deciding to enjoy the peaceful nature around him. There were no nasty people to harass them, so Gyutaro wanted to take advantage while it lasted.

"Huh? You've both been engaged for a year! You need to stop being so insecure!"

He couldn't say anything; he was too confused and disoriented. The world around him then started to change. Ice formed over the riverbank, trapping both him and Ume by their legs. The plant life started to die, withering until it wilted to the ground and became nothing. Air that was once warm and fresh became cold and bitter. It hurt to take a deep breath.

"If only he hadn't came along, all three of us could have lived happy lives. You and Y/N would've gotten married...I could've been a normal Oiran. It was all my fault, and I only dragged her into our mess!" Ume cried, burying her face into her hands.

His eyes truly opened this time. Gyutaro heaved, clutching his chest as he tried to catch his breath. It was complete darkness unlike from before when he first laid down. Not even the moon gave enough light to see. There was no use in trying to walk around, so he closed his eyes and hoped he would fall back asleep soon.

All night long, he could never truly get away from reality. His mind wasn't ready to settle yet. Questions he had pushed down were starting to rise back up.

Gyutaro still couldn't make sense of why Y/N would allow two strangers into her home so easily. She saw a terrible side of him when he tried to steal. That should've been enough of a warning in itself, but honestly, he was glad she was so generous. He couldn't care less about himself, but he did care about his little sister being safe. She was warm, dry, and was indeed in a safe place for tonight. Every now and then, he could hear her shuffle in her futon from the other bedroom. Back in their home, the floorboards would always creak from her tossing and turning throughout the night.

A small, almost unnoticeable knock tapped against his door. From under the door, he could see a soft yellow light creep in. He hesitated for a moment, debating on whether or not he should answer.

"Gyutaro? Are you awake?" Y/N asked, softly knocking with her knuckles again. "I forgot to prepare something to eat earlier...did you want any soup?"

His mouth watered, and his stomach grumbled. Before he could stop himself, he said yes in reply. His door slowly opened, and he saw a small lantern in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other. She sat the light down on the nearby nightstand, and then placed the bowl in his lap.

"It won't be as good as earlier since I had to reheat the broth. I just thought that...you know." She watched as he hesitantly took a sip of the broth, before quickly using the utensils she provided to eat everything.

Y/N had never seen a boy eat so improper, but she didn't mind. She had the privilege of not knowing what it was like to be starving. When he drank every last drop, and ate every vegetable and piece of meat, he held out the empty bowl expectantly.

"...Could I have some more? Please?"