Notes: This chapter will takes place in the canon timeline
They kept chasing him, they kept chasing him. Kanata don't know where to go anymore and he was very tired. For "days", he was trapped in this infinite corridors and hallways, and he still couldn't find a way out of here.
Kanata tried his best not to look behind. A swarm of zombies were chasing him from behind. Every time, Kanata always ended up dragged away by the mindless horrors. And the same thing also happened to him this time.
When Kanata almost reached the door, two zombies managed to grip his arms violently. He struggled to break free but the zombies were much stronger than him.
"Let me go! Help! Help!" Kanata screamed helplessly as the zombies dragged him away along the hallway.
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
Kanata finally woke up, heavily panted. His face was looking very pale. He slowly turned his face towards his alarm clock on the bedside table. It's already 4:30AM now.
Kanata was very stressful because of it. Ever since Sumihiko fell into a mysterious coma, that nightmare always repeated itself in his sleep every day, and it almost driving him crazy. How he wished if the nightmare will end someday.
...
Usually, Kanata will go to Sumihiko's bedroom to wake up his younger brother first. It's very challenging for him though as Sumihiko wouldn't wake up easily.
But now, it's different. Kanata just stared silently at his brother who's sleeping peacefully on the bed. His heart is beating as usual, and his condition is still fine according to the doctor.
And Kanata also noticed something on Sumihiko's right palm.
Kanata spotted a strange symbol he never seen before, circular in shape. Looks like Hypnos has bring his younger brother to his realm.
Every day, every night, Kanata cried. Without Sumihiko's presence, his life isn't same like before. If he didn't blame Sumihiko for Yoshiteru's accident, this will not happened. He just wished that Sumihiko will wake up someday, and he will wait for that moment.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Kanata, are you there? Please eat your breakfast quickly! You can't miss your breakfast before going to school!"
Kanata could heard his mother's voice from outside.
"Yes, mom, I'll eat my breakfast soon!" Kanata said.
Deep in his heart, Kanata want to accompany his younger brother, but he need to go to the school either.
"Please wake up, Sumihiko"
With a sad expression on his face, he patted Sumihiko's head as he rose up from the chair before walked towards the door.
...
The school period was finally over for today and the students began to leave the classroom. Toujurou however just stared silently at the unoccupied desk next to him. It's desk of his best friend, Sumihiko.
It's been days since the last time Sumihiko went to the school. It wasn't the same for Toujurou when Sumihiko was not around.
As he slowly exited the classroom, he noticed Kanata walked in front of him in the hallway.
"Kanata"
Kanata turned his face towards Toujurou.
"Toujurou" Kanata greeted him.
"You don't have any club activities today?" Toujurou asked.
"No" Kanata shooked his head.
Both of them then started walking together.
"So, how about Sumihiko's current condition?"
"He's fine" Kanata gave a weak smile.
"What about Yoshiteru?"
"Touko told me his condition has already stable, yet he's still in coma though" Kanata briefly explained.
"You know, I'm just wondering if Sumihiko will wake up from his coma one day" Toujurou said with a sad tone.
"Me too" Kanata replied.
"By they way, where's Touko-chan? I don't see her today" Toujurou asked.
"She's sick, so she didn't come to school today" Kanata answered.
"Want to go eat at Burger King before we going home?" Toujurou suggested.
"Sure" Kanata nodded.
...
Several days before the accident, the infamous painter Yushiro and the Kamado siblings had meet each other in the park. During that day, Sumihiko has give him a pencil since Yushiro forgot to bring one to create a sketch.
Yushiro was surprised when he find out that Sumihiko and Kanata are the descendants of Tanjirou and Kanao. No wonder why the boys reminded the painter of them.
And today, Yushiro came to the same park again. He wondered if he could meet the siblings again.
Yushiro just found Kanata who was sitting alone on the bench in the park. He quickly walked towards the bench.
"Kanata-kun"
Kanata turned his face towards Yushiro.
"Yushiro-san, good evening" Kanata greeted the painter.
"Good evening" Yushiro greeted back as he sat next to Kanata. "Nice weather today, is it?"
"Yeah" Kanata nodded slowly.
Yushiro realized that Kanata's was looking very sad.
"You look very sad today. Is something bad happened?" Yushiro asked out of concern.
"Oh..."
Yushiro was waiting for Kanata to speak.
"It's about...my brother" Kanata said.
"Your brother?" Yushiro raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"He's..."
Yushiro's eyes widened in shock when Kanata told him everything about what have happened to Sumihiko.
...
That dream will come again in his dream, he expected. And Kanata couldn't to anything to put an end to it.
Kanata just laid himself on the bed as he was still unable to sleep. When he looked at his alarm clock, it was 10:40PM right now.
Beep! Beep!
Kanata's smartphone was ringing. It was Aoba who called him. Kanata quickly answered the call.
"Hello" Kanata greeted the botanist.
"Hello, sorry for disturbing you" Aoba greeted back.
"It's okay, I still couldn't sleep either" Kanata replied. "You know, that nightmare still haunting me again and again, and i'm so tired of it"
"Could your nightmare have something to do with Sumihiko?"
"What do you mean?" Kanata asked.
"There must be a reason why the nightmare repeats in your sleep, and maybe Sumihiko was "trapped" in there" Aoba explained.
"Trapped?"
"Yes, and maybe he wants you to help him" Aoba added.
"Help him? But how?"
"I don't know how to say it, but i must tell this to you..." Aoba said. "He needs your help, Kanata. Your brother wants you to help him escape from there"
Perhaps Aoba was right, Kanata thought to himself. It could be Sumihiko wants to tell him something from the dream.
...
Kanata was in this place again. He wandered alone in one of hallways, with no zombies to be sighted...for now. Still, Kanata need to be careful. It wouldn't be a good situation if the zombies spotted him.
"Rrrraaaaaaaagggghhhh!"
Kanata could heard an inhuman scream nearby. The scream probably from the other side of the door in the end of the hallway. Looks like there's a zombie not far from his location.
His heart was beating very fast. Kanata slowly approached the door.
Just as Kanata's hand held the doorknob, someone has violently dragged him from behind before harshly pinned him on the floor. Much to his own horror, it was a zombie dressed in blood-stained patient outfit. He was shocked, how did this zombie managed to sneak behind him?
Kanata couldn't breath. The zombie's hands choked his neck.
"Rrrrraaaawrrrr!" The zombie growled.
"Let...me...go..." Kanata struggled to break free.
Kanata silently thought to himself that he will die. However, something unexpected happened.
Someone just struck down the zombie from behind using a baseball bat, causing the zombie to release Kanata from it's grasp. The person then pulled Kanata's hand as they ran away from there.
...
His appearance is still the same just like the night he fought against the Demon Slayers, the only difference is his body had became extremely thin as if he's a living skeleton.
He weakly crawled on the floor inside the infinite caverns of endless torture and pain. His former minions had already abandoned him, blamed him for their eternal damnation.
"I follow you because I want to be the greatest swordsman...not a hideous monster!" (Kokushibou)
"I thought it's fun to be a demon, but in the end, it isn't" (Douma)
"What's the point to become stronger if I couldn't protect the ones that I cared the most!?" (Akaza)
"It's your fault! Now I'm condemned for eternity!" (Hantengu)
"Why did you killed me? Am I not loyal enough to you?" (Nakime)
"No wonder I lose to a mere child! Because the lord of the demons himself isn't immune to death!" (Gyokko)
"I've no regrets for become a demon and serving you...but I'm regret to find out that you're not powerful as my sister and I've expected" (Gyutaro)
"You're not the king of the demons, but you're the king of the garbages!" (Kaigaku)
"Because of you I'm trapped in this endless nightmare! I hate you!" (Enmu)
"I've foolishly abandoned my real family to create a fake one, what a shame to me" (Rui)
Their voices kept echoing in his mind, reminded him of the greatest failure that led to his own demise. Sometimes he wondered if the state of perfection was just a myth at all, and he was a fool for desperately trying to achieve it.
However, his desire to live again is very strong. If he couldn't return as a fully alive person, then at least he could "take over" any person he seems worthy (return as a ghost and possess a living human).
"I want to live again...I want to live again..."
To be continued...