Demon Slayer; Kyameron Kamado

Chapter 34.

[WARNING!:  This chapters deals with some heavy subject matter revolving around self-harm. Read with caution.]

Snow crunched beneath Kyamerons' heavy feet as he chased after Tanjiro. The only things louder than it was his thumping heart and the screaming voices inside his head. They shouted for him to turn back, as did his heart, but his instinct forced him forwards, catching up to Tanjiro, who had stopped running. Quivering and shaking, he turned to Kyameron, revealing his teary eyes once again, "Why did it have to be us, brother?" he asked.

"I-I..." Kyameron muttered.

"Why is it always good people that have to suffer? Good people, just trying to live honest, good lives?" Tanjiro asked as his tears hit the ground, melting the snow ever-so-slightly.

Still fumbling around his brain to find the right words, Kyameron instead took him into a hug. Tanjiro buried his face into his shoulder, crying, "I... I don't know, Tanjiro. I want to know, but I don't. I don't know why it's always good people, and I also don't know why it had to be us. But what I do know is that this isn't the time for this," Kyameron said as Tanjiro looked up at him, "There will be time to lament the past, but the future is more important right now. To reach the future, you must keep your mind on the present. It hurts to let go. I know it does. But, we have to move forward, or else we go backwards,"

Tanjiro pulled away, wiping the tears off his red cheeks, "R-right..." he mumbled.

"Now, we have to get out of here. Do you have any ideas?" Kyameron asked.

"I-I've smelt a demon for a while now, but the smell is almost everywhere. It's almost impossible to pinpoint where it is," Tanjiro said, still slightly choked up.

"I haven't heard it or smelt it, either,"

Elsewhere, two more humans stood talking as well. One was a boy, and the other a girl. The boy looked very sickly, dressed in a maroon haori and grey pants. The girl looked no better while wearing a nearly identical outfit, minus the massive scar across her face. While they both looked undead, they spoke, "Do we... still have to destroy their spiritual core?" the boy asked.

"Yes... or else, we'll suffer forever," the girl replied.

They then stabbed the needle-like objects they held into a strange wall, seemingly the limits of the dream, tearing a large hole for each. Both stepped inside the tears they had created, entering the subconscious.

The girl stepped into what seemed to be Kyameron's subconscious, while the boy stepped into Tanjiro's, "ACK!" she shouted, dropping to the floor, "What the hell...? What is this weight?! The gravity has to be almost ten times in here!"

Finally managing to stand, she began walking around the seemingly endless nothingness of Kyamerpn's subconscious.

"Just what is this place... I can barely walk, think..." she said, "And it's getting... hot?"

While she said this, an enormous pillar of fire burst up from across the area, lighting it up for a moment. At this moment, the girl caught a glimpse of her surroundings, "People? No, that's not possible. Memories? No," she said, "Since he's asleep, these must be his direct thoughts!"

Another giant burst of fire lit up the area like a bonfire, revealing something. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be text. The girl read it out loud, "Too much... pressure?"

Another pillar of flame, revealing more text, "Need to do more...?"

Another flame, "Not enough? Not good enough?"