u/Daphnei

This would be the timeline had Gyokko never saw Kaori. Basically everytime in the canon Demon Slayer timeline is about same until the infinity castle arc. To summarize Kaori wouldn’t remember Kotoha much because she rarely interacts with the followers knowning how most perceive her (if she asked about her, Douma will not tell her that he ate her obviously) and as we know Muzan kept his demons in the infinity castle for weeks in the hashira training arc, so being alone with the followers for long time would of bad for Kaori and naturally using his upper rank status, Douma would of brought her there in that temple where Shinobu will fight him canonically plus remembering what happened to her when he was at entertainment district that one night (reference to chapter 2 of Little Lotus). Now he still doesn’t feed her humans just like in Little Lotus (if that demon Sanemi and Obanai faced in the beginning of the hashira training arc can leave to snatch humans, then big bro can leave to get human food for Kaori). Now this where things get sad, Kaori wakes up hearing loud noises from Kanao and Inosuke fighting Douma and she opens the door just a seconds right before Shinobu’s 37 kg poison kicks in. The poor girl sees Douma’s face partially melt and she’s about to caught in the crossfire of the fight. Naturally he’s going protect himself and Kaori by doing the giant ice Bodhisattva he does in canon. He’s ended by them just like in canon, Kaori being short avoids being killed in the crossfire and traumatized. Since slayers can tell the difference between humans and demons, Kanao can tell Kaori has humanity in her and doesn’t kill her (I know she wouldn’t kill a innocent child). Kaori being absolutely terrified goes limp in her arms (in her eyes, they’re killers) and insert her being put somewhere safe from Muzan’s crossfire in sunrise countdown arc. During the post Muzan era, Kaori is placed in the butterfly mansion while Yushiro makes another cure and the poor child hides from everyone (especially from Kanao and Inosuke) and when the cure is ready, all the recovering slayers tried to catch her to give her the cure, but she constantly runs and hides using that demon speed (even Sanemi can’t catch her). That’s when Tanjiro finds her hiding and shaking which he tries to talk to her. Basically for the next months Kanao is in the same situation where Kanae and Shinobu help her in the past but, more like dealing with a traumatized child that feels cornered thanks they’re gonna kill her