Gone, and a Return {Re-Edit}

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[A/N: Hi, Here's another re-edited chapter. I don't like my earlier chapters and I am trying to make them better so they are slightly altered with some new scenes added in]

*****

"No, you will not!"

"Why? If Michikatsu gets to learn to fight, why can't I?"

"That is improper for a lady."

The argument between you and your father continued, and you both raised your voices. You wanted to learn self-defence; however, the only obstacle was the man before you.

"So what? What am I supposed to do all my life? Everything is dictated for me!" you shouted towards him.
"I want to protect myself!"

"From what?" he asked in return.

'From people and the man-eating spawn of a Michael Jackson wannabe.' is what you truly want to say; however, you'll both confuse your father and make him think you were crazy.

You could have chosen to act mature and give more thought-out arguments, but you are a child, and as a child, you have no reason to pretend to be something you are not.

"I'm bored!" you screamed at the top of your lungs. "There is literally nothing to do!"
You proceeded to stomp your feet and thrash on the floor in your predicament. Were you having a tantrum? Yes, but frankly, this is the most appropriate thing to do for your age.

Your father just stared at you, his face becoming increasingly annoyed at your childish antics. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Just stop!" He shouted, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you. "You won't learn martial arts! That's final!"

You were stunned by his outburst for a few seconds before tears welled up in your eyes and you began to cry. You kicked your father in the face, causing him to drop you. Before he could retaliate, you ran away, scurrying down the halls as your father yelled after you.

'Was that a smart idea? No, of course not. So time for Plan B'

"MOTHER!" you screamed as loud as you could, running past all the servants in your household. You quickly turned the corner to see Akeno, your mother, doing her usual prayers to the sun with Yoriichi by her side.

Not wasting any time, you ran behind her. "Y/N dear, what happened?" she asked you, turning down sweetly.

"So... I asked Father if I could learn martial arts or swordsmanship, and he said, "

"No Y/N!" Your father yelled as he slammed open the sliding door. Akeno instantly turned to see her husband; her glare was so cold that he stopped in his tracks.

"That basically means I kicked him, and here we are." You explained while you continued hiding behind her mother. Akeno just looked at you with a slight disappointment before crouching down at you.

"Y/N... when expressing anger or frustration, it's better to have a calm conversation so you can properly get your point across." Your mother spoke, her voice soft and caring.
"This doesn't apply to your father."

Without a second thought, she turned her head towards her husband with an expression that could only be described as fury. Noticing this was a good time to escape, you grabbed Yoriichi and ran out of the room to avoid the ensuing argument.

Both of you waited outside in the courtyard, just picking at grass and acting as if you didn't cause this argument. A few minutes later, you see your parents walking over, Akeno having a satisfied expression accompanied by her guilty-looking husband.

Your father, urged on by Akeno, knelt down in front of you. "You can do martial arts."

"And?" Your mother said.

"And I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have screamed at you."

"Good enough. I forgive you," you said to your father as he brought you into his arms and held you a bit awkwardly. You turned to your mother and whispered your thanks to her as she went to walk off, with Yoriichi quickly going to hold her left side.

Father picked you up as he followed her; the sun had gone down and night began to creep in. For once in the time you've been in this world, your parents spent some time together with your siblings as well. After you went to find Michikatsu,.

*****

You felt something shift you awake as you slept peacefully in your futon. Groggily, you opened your weary eyes to see who dared to disturb you.

"Yori... Michi... What do you want? I know I like the stars; however, I like to sleep more." You questioned the two, stirring yourself awake. I turned to face both of them, with Michikatsu quickly turning to Yoriichi, indicating that he was the reason why we were awake.

Yoriichi just knelt down and quietly said three words.

"Mother is gone."

Those words woke your tired self up instantly.

"Mother has died." Michikatsu asked, clearly shocked by this news. Tears filled your eyes as sadness washed over you three.
"Yoriichi wouldn't lie... Mother is truly gone," you uttered, your voice broken as you could no longer stop the flood of tears in your eyes from streaming down your face. You felt someone pull you into a warm embrace who turned out to be Michikatsu. His face showed an appearance of surprise and bewilderment.

"Yoriichi, there is something else you'd like to let us know. Isn't there?" Michikatsu asked as he saw Yoriichi's gaze. In response, Yoriichi just nodded his head before speaking.

"I'm leaving. Father has been planning to send me to a temple, so I'm going now." He revealed melancholy evident on his face. "I enjoyed being here with you two. I'm going now before Father realises," he said, getting up from his kneeling position.

Michikatsu grabs his hand, preventing him from taking another step.
"You can't leave like that! You can't; it's so stupid." Yoriichi stops Michikatsu from uttering another word before pulling us into an embrace. I felt Michikatsu tense up at the hug, but he soon relaxed, wrapping his arms around both of us.

Yoriichi brought out a wooden flute from his pocket.
"Brother, I think about this flute you gave me. It makes me remember to never lose heart, no matter how far we are. I will work diligently every day."

Hearing those sweet words, you quickly ran around your room in search of something. Once you locate the item, you hand it to Yoriichi.
"It's a star chart I made. Try... Try to see if you can see the ones listed, ok? Think of me, ok?" You said you were sniffling, holding back tears. At the sight of your gifts, Yoriichi just held them and smiled, a smile that held absolute joy and adoration but was laced with melancholy.

"Thank you, Michikatsu, Y/N. I will miss you," Yoriichi stated before leaving the estate and disappearing into the dead of night. You and your remaining brother watched as he faded into the distance.

"He'll be alright, brother?" you ask as you wave goodbye.

"He'll be fine," he replied before heading back inside.

*****

Several slow years have passed since that day.

The sound of your father's wails could be heard all throughout the mansion, and soon the funeral was carried out. A search for Yoriichi was also sent out, with Father himself even personally checking the temples for his presence; unfortunately, it was in vain.

Your father made good on his promise of letting you learn martial arts, and soon you began your training in Karate, Kyudo, and Jujutsu, and you even incorporated the kickboxing you learned in your previous life.

You even spent time with Michikatsu practicing swordsmanship, and though he was excellent, you could tell he was trying hard. Incredibly hard, with a frustrated and annoyed face plastered on his face. You tried several times to get him to relax and talk to you, yet your attempts were only met with excuses and dismissals.

You also spent your time practicing star divination, mainly as a hobby, as besides training or studying, the sengoku era lacked ways of entertainment compared to modern times. Additionally, memorising constellations and making star charts helped get your mind off the fact that your father was thinking about getting you married.

This was partially sparked by the fact that Michikatsu had gotten married and even had children of his own. Luckily, he noticed your reluctance and spent some time convincing your father not to marry you off.

*****

A full decade has passed. You were minding your own business, which was puncturing wood with your fist entirely because you could. That was until you heard a loud shriek come from your estate's entrance.

'What was that? An Intruder?' You thought to yourself before springing into action and quickly sprinting to the source of the sound. You pass a servant standing there with a relieved expression.

"Hey, what happened?" You asked in a panic.

"Oh, young Miss, it's your brother," they replied.

"What happened to Michikatsu? Hold on. Brothers?" You turned your head and walked to the entrance. Standing before you was Michikatsu, clad in his red armour with an arm around a man's shoulder. Looking at the man, you saw an all-too-familiar face—a carbon copy, to be precise—of Michikatsu.

You slowly crept forward as your eyes widened at the figure before you.

"Y-Yoriichi... you've returned" you muttered

"Hi Y/N. Forgive me, for I was too late to save my brother's comrades." he said, his voice laced with regret, before looking you in the eyes. "At least I'm back now, and I won't disappear again."

May the Stars guide you ~ KNY x ReaderWhere stories live. Discover now