A Pretty Face (KNY x Reader Fanfic)

Chapter 27

He still held that same grin as he motioned you to come forward with his finger. It curled towards himself, bending twice.

You raised an eyebrow. When not immediately complying, you could see his lower jaw shift from side to side. He was grinding his teeth.

A shrill scream broke your concentration. Looking towards the door, you noticed it began to slide as if opening. Quick and hurried steps followed. The door was slid back shut. A thump against the floor made you wince, but the second abrupt scream made you squeeze your eyes shut.

Opening them again, you gasped when Gyutaro had appeared right in front of you. His nose was barely touching the tip of your own. Being so close allowed you to see only a sliver of the natural blue in his eyes. Most of it was a light green, but then there was the sickly and veiny sclera.

"Daki is throwing one of her tantrums. She likes to take her anger out on the girls." He said, leaning forward when you did backwards.

"...Yeah."

He waited for you to continue, but you stayed silent out of awkwardness.

"So, here's how you can make it up to me," a smile, unlike one you'd ever seen him make before, stretched across his face. His cheeks glowed with a subtle red. "Give me your hand. I promise I won't bite, if that's what you're worried about." Gyutaro chuckled while glancing at his own hand you had bit.

Knowing he would take it by force, you hesitantly but willingly extended your hand. His brows furrowed.

"No, the other one."

This time, you gave him your left hand. His smile returned, seemingly widening and showing his razor sharp teeth.

"Close your eyes, and don't peek. You used to always peek when we were kids."

Although your childhood was hard to remember, you could see that being true. You didn't like surprises. Your heart hammered as you closed your eyes and kept them squeezed shut.

Laughing to himself again, you shuddered thinking he was going to inflict harm. Something cold was eased onto one of your left fingers. You heard Gyutaro let out a shaky breath.

"Open them."

Silver and white flashed in your vision. It looked the exact same as it did when it dangled from that severed finger. There was no rust or tarnished metal. The diamond gleamed from the lantern's light.

Your stomach turned thinking of the way he obtained it in the first place.

"When we were little, you told me that you liked western values. The rings, I mean. I'm happy to finally see you wear it after all this time..." rolling the ring around, Gyutaro couldn't have been happier. It was the perfect fit for your finger. He had went through precise trouble to keep it from falling apart throughout the century.

Inside, you screamed at how it felt against your skin.

"You do realize this is why I ran away, right? This...thing—" Your hand was shaking. Gyutaro grabbed it to make the shaking stop.

"Do you not like it? I can always have Daki slip out and get something changed." Inspecting it for the millionth time, he still thought it was perfect. He couldn't understand how you saw different.

Beginning to tremble all over, you smacked his hand out of the way and fought to take the ring off.

"No! I didn't say you could take it off, that isn't our deal."

What deal?

"Deal...? The fuck are you talking about?" You seethed, clenching the ring in your fist. Gyutaro itched to take it back, worried you'd break it. That ring was incredibly old and could perish if squeezed hard enough.

"You're going to marry me and not leave this House unless you're with Daki. If you don't listen to me—"

"—Oh fuck you! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?"

His expression drew dark. Your eyes widened seeing him unsheathe the sickle at his side. Where had the blood come from? Dripping from the blade, you saw the same dark swirls of purple on those dead samurai.

Poison. Not as potent as your acid-like blood, but it would harm you.

Every drop splattered audibly onto the floorboards. There was a thumping sound that made surrounding sounds seem dull. Thinking it came from your heart, you held a hand across your chest and slowly moved backwards.

Although it wasn't your heartbeat. While it did thud, it wasn't as loud as his.

Gyutaro tugged at the sleeve of your kimono, pulling just hard enough to make the fabric split at the seam. More ripping. The sound seemed to never end. Your entire sleeve had been ripped into two. It was spreading to your neckline.

Your eyes begged him to stop. To calm down. His gaze didn't even meet yours. It flickered between your clenched hand with the ring and your now exposed shoulders. Was that lust, or apparent anger at the thick scars raking across your skin?

A drop of the poison landed on your chest. You thought that was it, that you'd slowly die from poisoning. It did no such thing. The substance needed an open wound. Still, it felt disgusting and slimy running down your body.

"Do you think yourself hideous with these scars?" He suddenly asked, dragging the sickle down your kimono. More tearing.

"N-No...they're a reminder of what being vulnerable does to me."

Surprisingly, he nodded in agreement.

"Good. Don't think they're ugly. They only make you look more beautiful."

While your entire front was exposed, with white wrapping covering your chest, that wasn't what Gyutaro was focused on. He wanted to see how far down the reminders went. Every inch of your exposed front was examined. Some scars were more apparent and red than the other ones. They ran deeper and had caused more pain.

He chalked it up to the villagers being greedy. Wanting more liquid gold. More blood was needed to heal unnecessary wounds. None of them wanted to experience true pain or hardship.

Of course they had it good unlike himself. If only you hadn't left, he'd be happy in the afterlife with you and Ume by his side.

"This one—" the edge of his blade touched the worst scar of them all, right below your belly button. "How old is it?"

You didn't have to look to see which one he was touching. That was the most painful one of them all.

"Maybe...a little under a century old. It was given to me shortly after being locked in that dreadful cellar." The memory was bright red against pure white.

"What was it for?" He asked.

"It was—"

Pounding footsteps approached the door again. As it burst open, and bright light shone through, Daki gasped.

"The hell are you doing?" Covering her eyes, she stuttered as she avoided looking at you and her brother.

Her brother smirked, but didn't let you see that.