[Giyu x Reader] My World Is at Peace With You

Chapter 49

Miko's pov

/////////// 5 years ago ///////////

'Miko! Yuta! Dinner's ready!' I hear oka-san's voice from inside the house, onii-chan helping me clean up the garden from all the fallen leaves from the ground before pulling me inside for dinner.

I remember the rice that day being warmer, the miso soup's flavour softer than what we always had. And I regret having shouted such rude words even with everything our parents gave us by working all day and night, risking their lives for us. Our family wasn't rich, only making just enough money to scrape by, even when our city was one of the most wealthy cities in Japan. I always wondered what others had done so well to deserve such wealth, and what we had done to have so little.

But one thing we did have, was happiness. Even when we didn't have large estates like the other neighbours on the other side of the town, we never blamed our parents for our poverty. They were as loving as all the other parents of rich, spoiled children in the town. Until something got stirred up my head one day for something so minor, so childish. I wouldn't have been so rude if I knew what was waiting for us that night.

'Can we go back outside after dinner?' I ask onii-chan, his grey eyes shifting over to me from the other side of the small table.

'It's not safe in the dark, Miko, Yuta.' Oto-san says, placing the tofu from his miso soup onto my rice.

'But why? You never tell us why!' I say, watching the sun disappear completely behind the mountain.

'Miko, listen to oto-san. Let's not make a fuss at the dinner table' Onii-chan says, and I fall silent as I glare at oka-san only smiling at me weakly, her hopeless expression stirring my sudden anger.

'I'm sick of this! Why are we eating the same thing every day? Why do we have this run down place instead of an estate like everyone else!' I shout at her, her surprised expression only annoying me more.

'Miko!' Onii-chan yells as I stand up, slamming the miso soup off of the table before rushing outside, swatting his hand away from my arm.

Our parents followed us out into the night, and the demon with red eyes killed all the swordsmen from this organisation of demon slayers and our parents, before taking my brother.

I prayed and prayed that I was sorry to the Gods. That I don't need any fine food or an estate, but my family is one thing I can't give to anyone. I prayed that if I woke up the next day, they would still be by my side. But as with everything, the demon took every single person I loved from me.

I remember screaming at the former Spirit Hashira until my voice went hoarse as he apologised to me for coming so late as he ran into our ruined house after the demon had already long left, even when I knew it was not his fault.

It was mine. If I hadn't been such a bad daughter, our parents would still be alive and onii-chan would have stayed by my side. Even as he was in pain from the red eyed demon's grip, he told me it wasn't my fault and he would find me again. Even when everyone knew it was my fault, he never blamed me.

//////////

I watch onii-chan fight besides the pillars, the wind forcing out his blade towards the demon king, him no longer being a little boy I remembered him as, but a swordsman fighting alongside the strongest of all.