A Pretty Face (KNY x Reader Fanfic)

Chapter 16

"Is this it?"

Seven nights of traversing the countryside was what took the three demons to reach the village Douma spoke of. There was a bridge with sparkling water that rushed underneath of it. The bridge in question was beginning to fall apart from old age and poor maintenance.

"Yes. Yet, you both stick out like sore thumbs...give me a moment to think." The trio waited underneath a shaded area, surveying the village from a distance.

Daki would draw more attention with her beautiful face. Gyutaro would just scare everyone away and cause chaos. Douma wasn't sure if he was ready to physically face Y/N after thinking back to his time caring for her.

"Why can't we just slaughter everyone at a fast pace? It's not like there's any Hashira waiting for us!" Daki questioned, squinting her eyes to see a few merchants pass over the bridge.

"That man told me to ensure everything was done quietly. If I hear so much as a scream, you'll both never be promoted."

Daki bit the inside of her cheek. Her brother was deep in thought. Honestly, he just wanted to go back home and hide in his little corner like he had been doing for decades.

"What are we even here for? Why is this necessary?" Gyutaro wasn't really in the mood for whatever shit Douma had planned. His displeasure was clear to his sister, who suddenly felt uncomfortable with the entire idea.

"Shut up. Anyways, I have a plan," snapping his fingers, Douma then pointed towards a young man crossing the bridge. He couldn't have been older than twenty. His skin was fair; he couldn't have spent a day of his life working in the sun. A rich man's son, presumably. Had he lived a sheltered life?

"Daki, my dear, put that beautiful face of yours to use and be dramatic!" He quickly shot his hand out, ripping apart the fabric covering her shoulders. Daki gasped as her hands flew to her chest, preventing her top from being exposed.

"Wait, what? What do I do?!"

"I don't know...act helpless, or something?" Her brother suggested, rolling his eyes as Daki continued to whine.

Her face burned with embarrassment as she set out into a pathetic sprint. It felt all entirely too slow for a human's pace, but she had to be convincing. Hell, Daki didn't even understand what the plan was. She began to sob, forcing the waterworks to make a scene no man could turn away from.

"Help me, please!" Gyutaro kept himself from chuckling as he saw his sister fall to his knees. Daki grasped at the man's clothes in an attempt to gain his attention.

The young man's face was set aflame seeing a beautiful woman grovel at his feet. Her tears sparkled under the moonlight, and made her skin appear evermore white. It took him a moment to compose himself, but her cries drew the villager's attention before he could speak.

They flocked around her within seconds. Douma closed his eyes, focusing on each individual heartbeat he could sense. Although it was faint, he could pinpoint the slow rhythmic beat of her heart.

"Aren't I a genius, Gyutaro? That's about half of the village distracted right there! Come, let's target the villagers who aren't yet aware of Daki's presence."

The two demons took care to not be spotted as they avoided the mass gathering around Daki. As such, they wadded through the river to enter the village from the other side. It was quiet. Everyone else must have been sleeping. That would make the job much easier.

Daki was growing nervous. They were all asking her questions she didn't know how to answer. Before she could protest, she was forced to go her feet and guided across the bridge.

"Oh my goodness! Are you hurt anywhere? What happened to your clothes?!" Their presence was suffocating Daki. She struggled to come up with something on the spot.

"Uh...Yes! A wolf attacked me outside the village! If we don't hurry, more will come this way!" Her voice cracked during the last sentence, making Daki cringe. The men in the group gasped, looking towards the tree line across the bridge.

They immediately separated from Daki. As they all raced towards the tree line, swords in hand, she could feel herself breathe more easily. Only women tended to her aid now. Ugly ones, unfortunately.

"Where are your wounds? If they are severe, we may have to..." an older woman with hair white as snow stepped to the front. She suddenly looked uncomfortable as she trailed off, sharing a look between the others.

"But...we can't just bring her to the vessel? If anyone else finds out—!" Daki could feel her face twitch with this new information. A little girl let something slip that she shouldn't have. She covered her mouth before anything else could worm its way out.

Daki was forgotten about for a moment. As the women formed a tight circle, whispering secrets that she craved to know, she picked up on something no one else could sense. Rich blood was being spilled in the surrounding homes. From one house down the street, Daki could faintly make out the dark liquid oozing from underneath the doorway. Someone who couldn't get out in time to warn the others.

"Ladies, enough! We promised to help anyone who needed it. Now," the frayed old woman turned back to Daki, extending a hand to help her rise to her feet. "What we're about to show you must remain a secret to the outside world. Can we trust you?"

Her face remained neutral despite the turmoil inside. Curiously brewed dangerously, nearly bubbling and escaping from the top. Throughout it all, though, Daki forced a small smile to appear innocent.

"...Of course!"

That was the last of the villagers who remained inside their homes. Gyutaro didn't fancy mass murder like this, but he didn't oppose it either. Douma couldn't wipe the bloody smile from his face, struggling to contain his giggling.

"Did you see how the body twitched after cutting his head off? It was so—!"

"—My god...what's the plan now?"

Gyutaro's annoyance was at its peak. How could someone like Douma be apart of the twelve kizuki, let alone an upper moon? That may have been his jealousy taking over, but it was still a valid point he couldn't wrap his head around.

"Hmm..." Douma parted a curtain covering a window, observing how Daki disappeared along with the group of women who tended to her 'wounds'. Further down the village, Douma could see a larger home where they must have went.

"Come, there's no one left who will see us." he was right. Everyone else was already dead, so there was no use in sneaking around within the shadows anymore. The two demons left the house and made their way towards the end of the village.

Daki was met with a home larger than the geisha house she resided in. The living area was massive, adorned with a long dining table and several places to relax and mingle. Candles had been lit, but just one touch of wind would snuff them out.

"This way, quick! Our chief is still asleep, so we need to make haste for the cellar."

A small door sat flush against the floorboards under the dining table. It had been pushed aside, all of the food tumbling towards the ground. As one of the older women took a key tied around her neck, Daki eyed the way it fit into the keyhole.

The smell that greeted her was enough to make any demon sick.