A Pretty Face (KNY x Reader Fanfic)

Chapter 4

Y/N groaned, struggling to stand up. Gyutaro couldn't even move, too stunned at what he was witnessing.

She wanted to collapse in his arms all over again, but grunted as she handled the sword her mother gave her before passing. It was too heavy in her hand, but she managed to drag herself forward and towards the twitching arm.

Gyutaro saw her disappear into the hallway, and then a masculine grunt could be heard. He slowly crawled to the side to get a glimpse of who was back there.

Y/N's foot was pressed firmly against the man's back, her heel digging into a wound from a blade. Her arm raised the blade high, positioned to slice down across his neck. There was already a deep slice that continuously oozed blood. She must have not finished it the first time.

"Wait..." the man murmured, choking on his own blood as he tried to raise his hand. Gyutaro gasped at the sharp teeth in his mouth, and the sinister eyes. "He won't like me being gone...you don't understand the hell and fury he'll rain down on you!"

She only laughed, raising her foot to only come crashing down harder.

"I don't care. You break into my home, try to eat me, and then beg for mercy? You're utterly stupid, especially for not seeing the intricate blade hung against the wall. He tried to scream as the blade came swerving downwards, but it was too late. It sliced clean through his neck without much effort. His head rolled a few feet away, before starting to slowly crumble into bits and ash.

"Gyutaro, with all due respect, I think it's best if you leave and check back up on me within a week. I'll get better, I promise."

In a daze, he walked back home with his head hung. He didn't even notice the biting cold. Even when Ume immediately ambushed him, asking why there was so much blood on him, he didn't say anything.

She pestered him all night, but eventually gave up when she noticed the disturbing look in his eye. Gyutaro wouldn't say a word, just muttering about how he needed to get back to work the following morning.

He was out for as long as he possibly could be. Gyutaro was taking every job he could get, desperately trying to distract himself from what he saw a few days prior. It was also an attempt at scouring any money he could for that ring. After a few days, he thought that maybe he just had some type of fever dream and never really left home.

Y/N said to wait a week, but within four days, she eagerly knocked at his door. His eyes widened when he opened it, darting up and down for any signs of struggle or wounds. She looked healthy. Her skin glowed brighter, and even her arms looked more toned than they did before.

"Did you miss me?"

Of course he did, wasting no time in wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. At the same time, he quickly peeked down the side of your shirt for the marks he saw a few days before. Her skin was completely smooth, with no evidence pertaining to what was once there.

"Listen, I wanted to come with you on your jobs," she didn't want to let go yet, her arms squeezing him tighter around his neck. He felt the same. "I promise I won't get in the way. It's just that...I'll be leaving soon and wanted to spend more time with you."

Gyutaro nodded, and then slowly eased his grip. He winced at the obvious dirt stains that now coated her shirt. She simply waved his worries away, stepping around him to see Ume peeking from around the corner.

"Y/N! Are you feeling better?" the young teenager ran up to Y/N, giggling as she was scooped up into the air.

"Of course I am, it was just a simple cold. I stayed outside too long in the rain last week." after putting the young girl down, Y/N patted Gyutaro's shoulder.

Ume had ran off to go play with some of her new dolls, which both Gyutaro and Y/N saved up for to buy. They were alone for the time being, waiting for the other to say something.

"You've done an amazing job raising her...I don't know another girl that could be so beautiful while also staying humble. There's a lot of...evil people out there."

Another foreign feeling; Pride. It swelled up in Gyutaro's chest. He couldn't believe Ume had turned out the way she did. Y/N took some credit, but ultimately, neither siblings would have survived if Gyutaro hadn't toughened up.

"Did you..." he swallowed, nervously glancing away. "Say you were leaving? In the spring?"

She sadly nodded, taking one of his large hands into her smaller ones. One thing about Y/N, is that she didn't care one bit how dirty or discolored his skin was. He was just himself, born the way he was.

"It's a generational duty. I thought up until last night that I could wait until spring, but..." Y/N sighed, deciding to finally not beat around the bush. "I have to leave after next week. In about five years I'll be back, or at least, that's the plan." She made it seem as if five years was nothing. His head started to spin; the ground began to look closer.

"Five years?! I-I thought...you can't just leave us after everything we've gone through together!" Only now did Y/N realize how much he had grown when she first met him. His towering frame startled her, only seeming to grow the more upset he became.

"I understand how you feel, but I swear it'll be over before you can blink! I-I'll even return for the holidays in between!" Her words did nothing to soothe him, only making matters worse. Y/N prepared to say something else, but then noticed the shaking of his hands.

Although, to her surprise, he suddenly exhaled a breath he had been holding for some time. His shoulder visibly relaxed, and he soothed his shaking hands.

"...Okay. You promise you'll return for the holidays?" A lone tear traversed down his cheek, splattering against the hardwood floor.

Y/N nodded, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. Gyutaro almost resisted the temptation, but he gently rested one of his hands against the small of her back.

"One more thing," she already knew what he would ask, and already had an answer prepared. "What was...that? A few nights ago when I came to see you?"

"It's nothing important. I might tell you about it one day, but not today."

That was okay. What mattered to him most was the feel of her body in his arms. His cheeks had a slight new warmness to them, but it wasn't uncomfortable like he used to think.

What both of them didn't know, was that there and then, would be the last time Y/N would look at him in such a way.