I owe Nii-san everything.

I was only ten during that time, but I remember it vividly. It was a stormy day and due to the lack of funds to rent an inn, we opted to stay in our house. It proved to be a mistake as Mom caught a cold which turned into bronchitis. Dad went outside to get medicinal herbs, but he accidentally fell off a cliff causing him to die. When Mom heard the news of Dad's death, her health rapidly declined, and as a result, she also died.

As a result, me and Onii-san struggled to survive. Since Dad's job is a woodcutter, we took after his work. It was hard. Not only woodcutting pays little, but it was also exhausting due to manually heaving the logs to places where we can sell the logs that we've gathered.

I also had to live with my brother. Back then, I thought that living with him feels like a living hell. I thought he hated me. I thought he was a cold person, incapable of feeling any other emotions. I almost felt that I'm sleeping with a stranger.

When spring came, someone visited us. It was the Master's wife.

She was beautiful. I almost that she's the spirit of a White Berch the first time that I met her. She told us that we're the descendants of swordsmen that can use the First Breath style. When I first heard about it, I was elated. I was happy that I could do something more than be a regular woodcutter. That I can save lives that are suffering under the demons.

When I tried to talk with Onii-san about it, he imploded.

"Are you saying that you can do something!? Can someone like you, who can't even cook rice properly, become a swordsman? Can you save anyone? Stop spouting nonsense! You're just like Mom and Dad! You're too optimistic! What's going on in that head of yours!? Mom broke down because she kept working without telling us that she's sick. Dad went to the storm to go and collect some herbs and look what happened to him. Even when I told Dad to stop, Mom said that he should stop! Saving people is only something that chosen and righteous could do. We're only children, Muichiro! Do you think that we can do something just because we're the descendants of some swordsman, huh?! Want me to tell you what we can do? Die like dogs on the street! Because we're Mom and Dad's, children! That woman is planning on using us, I can tell! We are done talking about this, got it?"

After that, we stopped talking to each other. The only times that we converse with one another was when Amane-sama comes to visit us to convince us to become Demon Slayers. Onii-san poured water on her face, and we both fought. Thankfully, it was stopped by Amane-sama before it could escalate even further.

Summer came rolling around, and the heat was unbearable. We still hate each other, and we haven't been able to converse.

The night was still young, and cicadas were starting to cry.

But it didn't matter to the demon who roughly broke the hinges of the door. For the first time of my life, I felt scared. I thought that I was going to die and would finally be able to meet my parents, but when my brother covered himself so that he could protect me, that fear changed. Instead, it became anger.

However, before I could unleash the rage that was building up within me, I saw the demon's head flying away.

I looked at the man who killed the demon, the first that stuck to me the most even when I was about to fall into unconsciousness was his eyes.

Days after the event, I find myself waking at the Master's mansion. That was the first time that I met Ubuyashiki-sama. Ubuyashiki-sama told me that I was lucky to have been saved by a Demon Slayer. He continued that I should give thanks to the person that managed to save us on time. Unfortunately for my brother, he slipped into a coma due to the injuries that he received. When I heard that my brother slipped into a coma, the anger that has slowly boiled down, rose up again. That was the day that my hatred against the demons started.

But before I could let my anger boil, I felt my head slapped. Looking at the source, it was the Demon Slayer that saved us during that day.

I know this because of his eyes. It almost looks like the eyes of a dead fish. He hit me on the head again when I told him that.

Nevertheless, he told me that I should not become a Demon Slayer, that I shouldn't become like him. I protested at his words, but he said that becoming a Demon Slayer isn't something that I should take for granted. He states that he will instead provide funds for my education. I felt myself exploding from his words, and so I did.

"Don't you dare try and stop me! I almost lost my brother that night, and I already lost my Mom and Dad! I wasn't able to convey my words to my brother, and the last conversation that we had was us arguing! I don't care about living a quiet life. I only care about killing Demons! I don't want to be considered as a burden to others. I don' want to be weak, incapable of not doing anything. That is why I'm begging you. Please train me."

At that point, I felt the tears flowing through my cheeks. It wasn't fair. The world is bleak. And I want to change it but I can't because I'm weak. That's why I was surprised when I felt my head rubbed. I looked at the man, who's giving me a smile that reminds me of my father.

"Your name is Tokitō Muichirō, right?" After I felt myself nodding, he continued, "If you desperately wanted to become a Demon Slayer, then I won't stop you. I shall accept your request. That, and I don't want you to train yourself to death. Okay?" Hearing his answer has made my heart fell in relief.

Even with the numerous demons that I've slain nor the Pillars that I've defeated or stalemated, Nii-san was the only one that I wasn't able to land a hit on. I did find it weird that he wasn't a Pillar by the time I was one, but it was a relief that he was a Pillar by the year's end. His ascension into the role of Pillar was considered to be the most controversial one to date. It's wasn't because of his skills, far from it actually, but it's because of tradition.

Traditionally, the Demon Slayer Corps only has nine Pillars to protect the entirety of Japan but with the nation expanding its borders to include Hokkaido; Ubuyashiki-sama had no choice but to add a new Pillar into the role. And that was Nii-san. Many had expected this outcome, with Kyojuro-san proclaiming that it was only a matter of time before he became a Pillar.

Nevertheless, the training continued. Until two weeks ago, when I managed to defeat Nii-san in our latest spar. When I first won it, I was happy. Finally, I managed to defeat Nii-san, but then, I looked at him. At his eyes, specifically. It was so melancholic that it reminded me of Onii-san when we buried the bodies of our parents.

"What's wrong, Nii-san? You look sad." I asked.

He only looked at me before ruffling my hair. I hate it when he does that, makes my hair feel itchy, "Nothing's wrong. Tokito. I'm just thinking about stuff."

That's also one thing that I disliked about Nii-san, he lies a lot of times. And when he lies, he does a terrible job at it. I only learned how to detect his lies through his movement. His eyes are also a dead give-away.

"Nii-san, I know that you're lying." I bluntly stated. If you want to have proper, decent communication with Nii-san, then you would need to be blunt. He tends to shift topics a lot.

Sighing heavily, he proceeded to sit down on the floor. I also followed and waited as Nii-san managed to make a ton of faces before settling on his usual one. "I'm going to have a kid on the way, you know." I nodded at his words. Kanae-nee-sama is also someone that I'm thankful to know off. Her kind nature reminds me of Mom. I'm glad that she managed to make Nii-san his husband.

"It's just that... I'm still having problems believing it. It feels like that it was only yesterday when I became a Demon Slayer..." Nii-san started. Is Nii-san ranting?

"Didn't I tell you that I have a sister?" I shook my head. This is the first I've heard anything about Nii-san's family. Nii-san must be feeling sad if he's telling about his sister.

"She's a cute kid, really sly and mischievous but she's kind. She's someone that I don't deserve to have." I feel I know where this is going. "Days later, I find her gone."

The grip that he has on the haori is starting to rip off the fabric.

"That's why I'm feeling pathetic, Tokito. I feel like I've made you a replacement to my sister. And I'm sorry about that." Hearing his self-deprecating words hurt. Haven't I been doing the same thing to him? The only person that I could rely on is Nii-san. Kanae-nee-san also helped.

So I did the only thing that I could. I touched his shoulder.

"It's fine, Nii-san."

I would always think of Nii-san as someone that I would wholeheartedly protect. Not only has he saved me and my brother, but he managed to make someone like me strong. And for that, I would ensure that nothing bad happens to Nii-san.

This time, it's my turn to protect him.