Never had a Final Selection been interrupted by the revelation of a completely unqualified civilian, trekking the grounds that determined if one was ready to take on the immense responsibility of becoming a 'Demon Slayer'. Yet this unaccounted for teen had somehow managed to not only evade the outer perimeter patrols but get past the entrance 'ceremony' with no one batting an eye. Perhaps what made it even more surprising was the fact that this civilian had survived just long enough to reach the dawn, few people could merely do that— what with the dangerous monsters that lingered on Fujikasane Mountain. They did the entire exam to test the endurance and combative skills of an initiate slayer, after all. If you died? They did not consider you worthy enough to join the ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps. However, if you survived the ordeal. They gave you the lowest rank; Mizunoto.
"How does something like this just happen? Are we just letting careless idiots guard the mountain now?" a chastising voice radiates from a figure high slung on the branch of a tree, peering down at the other colourful set of characters. Their eyes were mix-matched, a rather rare sight in this era, and their mouth remained covered by a long wrapped scarf, slightly muffling their words. He seemed rather harsh to judge the lower ranks of their inability; clearly, no one could have known such a thing would occur, yet he clarified he would be completely cut-throat with those who failed in their tasks to contain the situation.
"They found him wearing a Slayer's uniform. I assume they merely figured he was one of the applicants until they caught a closer look." This time, the explanation came from a feminine figure with a calm and unmoved expression, their hair; black and purple tied back with the use of a butterfly pin; something precious to them they were never seen without. As she spoke, her finger brushed to her lip in a thoughtful stance, curious to the heckler's interest.
"Is there anything you've been capable of finding out about our guest, Shinobu-san?" This time, the words, although similarly soft to the Insect Hashira, were much more monotone- calming in fact. It came from somebody who, unlike the various Hashira; sat across from them, flanked by two younger girls; the both of them merely watching the ongoing conversation as the figure between them. Their face was malformed, yet only from the nose up, something that could only truly be described as a sort of vicious burn of sorts, sat firm, stretching down from the width of their forehead, halting at their nose bridge.
"Well.. There were a few oddities. They're male if that wasn't already obvious; They're surprisingly well built for their age, although I found a vast amount of scarring across their body when I made my examinations-"
There's a light whimpering 'Kya~' from another character, feminine like Shinobu, but a lot more colourful in appearance. Their long pigtailed hair held a shade of both pink and green, and from within the clasped hands on her cheeks were two gentle eyes. Apparently, the notion of Shinobu undressing a man and 'examining' them, was rather scandalous, at least in this girl's regard.
But it didn't seem to phase the Insect Hashira, returning to her words with no skipped beat. "They have very much seen their fair share of battles; that I can say with certainty. I'm not entirely convinced they were as defenceless as the Slayer who found him reported. But... they didn't appear to have any form of weapon, so their survival is a clear mystery until they regain enough consciousness to explain to us just how they survived such a dangerous environment. Concerning their clothing.. All I can speak on the matter is that although the design is rather similar, there are several striking differences to what we issue to newly minted members"
"He sounds like a damn fuckin' idiot! Probably deserves to die for getting involved in something they couldn't handle!" A white-haired man with adorning facial scarring, clearly disrespectful of the steps that had been taken; lashes out loudly, quick to point to Shinobu and spout further. "You should've left him to fuckin' die. He ain't even one of us. Are we supposed to help a dumbass who got himself into his own fucking trouble?!"
But, the gentle male's soft smile merely continued, understanding of Sanemi's point of view, despite how angrily it was swung. They took every side to account, always happy to listen and show a respectful sign of understanding, even if his Hashira were quick to come to their 's a silence that follows, broken by the man's follow up question, looking for more details on their new arrival. "Was that all, Shinobu-san?" that calm look, it was so quick to put Sanemi's anger in check, as if it had a grandiose effect on all that witnessed it.
"I suppose the only thing rather notable was the item we found on their person." Shinobu was quick to produce a small item from within her Kimono, a golden arrowhead that glistened in the sunlight, its design truly miraculous... it seemed to be part of a proper arrow, yet the shaft was broken near the tip, leaving just the shining head and its beautiful inlay. The inlay in question was that of a foreign insect of sorts, its thorax a lot longer than its body in comparison, truly the oddity, especially for a boy of his age to be carrying.
"Hmm?" the item was quick to be snatched by a taller male, their eye blotched with a mark or tattoo, perhaps? It's hard to really tell with how quick they were to move, examining the reflective surface of this golden trinket, a smile quick to slip to their lips. "How.. Flamboyant!"
Shinobu didn't seem too bothered, more focused on her report to her 'Sensei', Kagaya-san. "Yes, I do believe that's all. I have him... 'resting' at the Butterfly Mansion. His wounds weren't overly severe, but they'll take time to heal. I have Kanzaki-chan watching over him, So I'm sure he'll be able to answer whatever questions you wish of him~" a smile appeared to her face, happy enough to have fulfilled her duty, no doubt it was because of her medicinal craft that her patient survived. Though that was something she could just as quickly take away if he wasn't cooperative.
"The fuck?! We're takin' care of him now?! The fuck is wrong with you, Kocho- We ain't runnin' a fuckin' charity here!" Sanemi, still unhappy with the result; had half a mind to storm over to the Mansion and toss the injured patient out on their ass.
"Oh my.. Please do nothing rash, Shinazugawa-san." the glare Shinobu held, it locked dead to the Wind Hashira, and- beneath that gaze; was a ferocious beast that clearly told the words 'Don't interfere or I'll make you regret it'"
He relents, but not without the click of his tongue and the turn of his head. Their outburst seemed to fade when Kyojuro Rengoku; the Flame Hashira, stepped forth with both arms crossed over his chest, and a firm smile to his lips, their eyes locked at Shinobu. "If you don't mind, I wouldn't mind accompanying you back to the Butterfly Mansion! Senjuro said he wanted to learn a few things about medicine from the young Aoi-chan, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a bother if I took a look at the fascinating young man who trekked through the gallant forest of despair!" He was loud and rather eccentric, but that was just the valiant flare to him. He mirrored his Pillar well, and even with it all; he always kept a bright smile on his face.
Kagaya merely smiles amongst the slow-building chatter between the Hashira, not too concerned that they had gone off on their own tangent. In fact; with their minds wandering; he figured that this would be a good time to break apart the meeting- and so, with a soft clap, he returned the Hashira's attention back to him, his words just as gentle as they had always been.
"I look forward to hearing more about this young man. But for now, I think it's time we parted ways. Please, be safe with your respective missions. And make sure you eat correctly. That goes for you too, Kanroji-san." Their smile, it mirrors that of a concerned but proud father. Unable to look over his valiant protectors of the world because of his blindness, but happy enough to hear them with what remained of his senses. As for the beautiful Kanroji, she lightly hopped at the notion! Perhaps a little shy, but happy enough that she received some warming care.
"Thank you, Sensei!" they all sound out in their respective tones, bowing firm to Kagaya before dispersing. So many questions remained, hopefully, to be answered soon. It had been quite a day; but that alone didn't mean it was over yet. There were still a lot more things to be done, especially when it concerned their unconscious guest.
Speaking of which. It just so happened that the very bed Josuke had been situated in, lightly rocked with the murked grunt of the slow slumber, breaking out of the young man. His dreams were filled with confusion and misunderstandings, likely something he wouldn't remember. Yet when his eyes flutter for a moment, he catches the sight of something... bright. His first thought was that it had been the light of his room window, peering across his face in a rude awakening attempt. But no- this orange-like figure had a much more proper shape to it. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust, but eventually; he found himself staring right back into the curious glance of a younger boy with bright yellow hair.
There's an abrupt silence that follows this.. share of looks, a rather awkward pause between the two, that is until reality truly sets in, and Josuke literally tumbles off the bedding in a frightening fumble.
"A-AHH!" Josuke exclaimed, his body hitting the matted floor.
"A-AAHH!" returned the boy, immediately startled by such a screech, and jolting back several feet in a spur of surprise! He was only curious about the mysterious new patient; and such curiosity apparently got the better of him after Aoi had left him alone.
"G-Ghn.. What th-.. Where.. Who..?!" confusion set in, Jojo didn't know where he was, and the events of the previous night had not yet set in. Upon his attempt to stand, he felt a sharp tug on the curve of his wrist, the jingle of a heavy metal chain quick to follow his inspection. Someone had shackled him to the bed-frame! Whoever had recovered him, clearly wanted him to stay.
"G-Ghn.. My side.. Wait.. that thing.. the forest..." It's slowly coming back to him. And the more he realized, the further he regained the little strength to focus. Chains weren't a problem for him, nor were the shackles on his forearm. As with a single punch from Crazy Diamond, the metal cuffs distorted and un-furl, returning to nothing but unbent iron that clatter to the floor.
Josuke's free, and he's fast to head off towards the door. Even IF he was only draped in a pair of blue pyjama pants. But this time, he was halted. Not by the force of any object, but my the stunting pain that radiated from his abdomen. His hand was quick to palm the injury. He gets just a few more steps in, before he collapses to his knee, face scrunched at the pain.
"H-Hey! You shouldn't be out of bed, Aoi-chan said she had trouble with your stitches already, If you move too much, you'll tear them..!" A voice? This followed by the quick action of the boy from before, shuffling beneath Josuke's arm and quickly curling it over his form; offering the taller teen some support to him.
"Aoi.. chan? Who?" Josuke wasn't against the help, but it wasn't all that useful when Josuke practically towered over the boy who, despite being so short, still tried to guide him back to the bed.
"Senjuro-kun!" finally, the so-called 'Aoi-chan' had returned, quick to rush to the boy's aid with a firm grip on Josuke's opposite arm. She could tell that Senjuro was just trying to keep an unpleasant situation from spiralling into anything worse, but that didn't entirely excuse her behaviour when she nearly threw the injured teen back onto the mattress, more concerned with her stitching work than his well being.
"Aaaarrgh! You tore the stitches! I'm going to have to re-do them now!" She appeared to be about sixteen, rather young to work as a nurse, but completely confident in the manner of her craft. She took care of all that came here to recover from their injuries, but she still had a mean right hook to anyone that got too prideful! It was lucky enough that Josuke was injured, or else he absolutely would have received just a taste of how strict she could be.
"Haa.. Haa... Hey... Hey!" her patient calls out; answered with a pretty scornful scowl until he received an answer in the form of a guttural "What?!"
"Where am I? Where've you taken me.."
She didn't answer; her focus was primarily on the reapplying of stitches, happy enough that the numbing solution they had given him only half an hour ago was still effective enough to make her job easier
"HEY!" just like that, Josuke cracked a fuss, gyrating his hip to the other edge of the bed, much to Aoi's dislike. And because of his shuffling frenzy, she nearly missed a stitch! That didn't make her too happy..
"Hghn.. Stay, STILL!" they delivered a punishment via the fierce smack across Josuke's face. A harsh reminder that she wouldn't take unruly patients, especially those that wouldn't listen to her.
"G-Gah! Hey!"
"Y-You're at the Butterfly Estate! They said that the perimeter guards found you on Mt Fujikasane just after the seventh day of the Final Selection. Please, Calm down..!" Senjuro was fast to respond, hopefully quelling the erratic questions the confused Josuke had.
It felt like the more questions Josuke had asked, the more he had. Was this some type of hospital? He hadn't recognized it before- it looked.. old. Perhaps it was a weird theme they had going for them.
"Aoi-san?" Finally, voices from the hall came to join the three. It was Shinobu and Kyojuro, quick to rush into the room and offer any help they could.
"Aniue!" Senjuro quickly turns to look at the Flame Hashira; sharing a shocking resemblance with him, and even more so, happy to see him. He wasn't much of a doctor, nor was he really much of anything. In fact, he was only here to perhaps learn a few things to help his older brother in the future, so he still struggled to properly handle this situation, opting to retreat behind his elder brother's frame and merely watch.
"He tore out his stitching. I'm trying to fix it but, He. KEEPS. MOVING!" Aoi was still struggling to keep her patient from thrashing, but the bout of confusion he felt was sending haywire signals to his brain, throwing him into a panic
"Ara Ara.. We can't have that." Shinobu, however, was calm as calm could be, perhaps even erieely so. She traced around the other side of the bed and, with a powerful side palm strike to Josuke's collar, just like that; he went completely limp— forced back into the state of unconsciousness from the pressure applied by Shinobu's attack. I suppose being both a Doctor and a Demon Slayer could be quite the dangerous combo.. Either way, Aoi was at least relieved to have some semblance of peace, now that the big fool had been 'sedated'.
"Hahaha! He's quite the lively one, ne?!" Kyojuro bellows, always the brightest one in the room, and is happy to stand as a safeguard between his young sibling and the odd teen.
"Haa.. There, done." Aoi exhales, standing back to her feet with a disgruntled expression, happy that it was over, for now.
"Aoi-chan. Did he tell you anything?" Shinobu was quick to ask, her curiosity piqued.
"No. He wanted to know where he was, that's all." Aoi flashed a look at Senjuro. Perhaps he had something to add?
"He just kind of... got up. I don't think he really knew what was going on. He fell over.. a-and I tried to help him."
As the two explain themselves, Shinobu crouches on the floor. Her eyes trained on the small metallic items that sat on the ground. She could have sworn that she had shackled this young man to the bed — yet resting to the matted floor were several parts of the so-called cuffs, completely taken apart— as if time itself had returned them to what they were, before they were shackles.
"I suppose it's best that Rengoku-san and I take over for you, Aoi-chan. You have other patients to attend to, Mmm?" That smile never seemed to leave Shinobu's face, yet her eyes always told a different story.
About an hour passes, and the slow return of Josuke's consciousness was quick to interrupt Shinobu's silent meditation, her eyes fluttering open slowly, followed by the rise of her form in approach to the teenager who; had much higher security placed around him. No longer were there shackles holding him down- but an entire chain had been curled around his body, wrapped all about the bed frame so that; If he wanted to leave? He'd sure as hell be taking that entire bed with him.
"Oh~ You're awake. I do hope you'll be a lot calmer than you were before~" There's a sickening twitch to the Insect Hashira's lip.. perhaps a hint of sadistic joy? No.. that was only supposed to be reserved for Demons.. right?
"...Wakarimashita.." It appears that our hero understood the situation he was in, and in all honestly, he wasn't that bad of a guy- it was likely the shock of waking up in a pretty unknown place that had him all riled up before. For now, it appears he was happy to speak to the woman standing over his bed.
"Now. I think that it's fair that before I tell you my name, you tell us yours. Hmm?"
"Higashikata Josuke." My, that was quick. He must have been a lot more cooperative now that they entirely threw his situation against him.
"Very good! Higashikata-san. My name is Shinobu Kocho. I understand you want an explanation of where you are; and I'm thrilled to give you that.. However, I want you to answer a few questions for me, first. Okay?"
There's an odd pause before the soft nod of his head returns to her with a gracious answer of acknowledgement. It didn't seem that they held any ill-will towards him.. it also appeared that he had really little choice in the matter, what with the chains strapping him down.
"Good~. Where are you from, Higashikata-san?"
"I'm from.. the Momoji Prefecture, from a town called Morioh." Once again, he answers her as honestly as he could, though.. a little perplexed when her expression turns to that of subtle confusion.
"..Morioh?" She turns to look over at Rengoku, who was neatly propped up against the wall just off by the side. Perhaps he knew of this place? Unfortunately, he did not, signifying as much with the soft shrug of his shoulders. She'd have to look into it later herself, but for now, she had her answer.
"Could you perhaps tell me why you thought of visiting Fujikasane Mountain at such a late time of night?" Now came the proper questions— to figure out what exactly his intentions were.
"Uh.. Fujiwhatnow? I don't... really know how I got there. One minute I was getting ready to head out for school; and then the next I was just.. there."
"School? You mean that you're a student? What exactly is your field of study?"
"Field of study? I.. I don't know? I guess I sort of do all kinds of things? We don't really get to choose what classes we have.." This was strange. He felt like he was talking to a foreigner here. How far out in the boonies was he?!
Shinobu didn't appear to be getting a sufficient answer from him. So far it was barely fallible responses that made little sense to her.
"It's quite dangerous up on that mountain. How did you manage to survive up there with nothing but the clothes on your back?"
Now, THAT; was a hard question to answer. Stands were, frankly? Unbelievable. The fact that most of them could bend the sheer fabric of space and time alone was probably something that many people would just flat out refuse. But they had become such an integral part of Josuke's life that it just felt like more of the norm for him— it'd been quite a while since he met somebody who had no knowledge of such a thing, so he had to play this right, or else they'd likely figure he was making up nothing but utter lies.
"I.. hid."
"You hid?"
"Mm."
"And, that explains the state we found you in?"
"..I guess I wasn't as great at hiding as I thought..?"
They really weren't buying it either, clear enough by the sharing glances Shinobu and Rengoku gave to one another. As much as they wanted to believe what Josuke was saying, it all sounded too coincidental, and more like a bunch of lies than anything. The very line of questioning itself had clearly stressed Shinobu, clear from the soft smile that had faded from her lips. If he didn't want to tell them the truth, then there were other ways of extracting it..
"I'm sorry, Higashikata-san, but, if you will not be honest with us, then you're not leaving us with much of a choice." The Insect Hashira moved towards the side of the room where an abundance of medical supplies and rather sharp needles were lined in various sizes. It would take her only a moment to fill one injector with a clear liquid; something that she used during her sadistic treatment of Demons, especially those that had information she wished to extract~
"Rengoku-san, if you would be so kind as to hold him down~" She spins on the spot, her smile returned, but not one to merely nod at. In her right hand was quite a large injector. It honestly looked closer to a weapon than anything Jojo had ever seen.
"O-Oi, Oi... What're.. You're not gonna poke me with that, are you?! I told you everything I could" His struggles were loud, every time he thrashed, the chains that held him down would buckle and clank together; quickly halted by the un-natural strength of the Flame Hashira pressing his palms down to Jojo's chest, effectively immobilizing him for Shinobu's 'treatment'.
There's a brief answer from Kocho, the sounds of her gentle hums filling the air as she grew closer and closer to the teen who, honestly; was developing a serious fear of needles, here.
"Wait, Wait! My Student ID! It was in my pocket. That's got all of my information on it!" His quick thinking may have saved him from the approaching nurse, or did it merely increase her speed?
"Hmm? Oh! Are you referring to the falsified card we found? Tsk tsk, Higashikata-san, You can't expect us to believe that something so terribly made could be proper proof, ne?" With that, the needle merely grew closer and closer; the look on Josuke's face mirroring the approach with a growing expression of fear.
"T-Terribly made?! But it's real! It even has my picture on it!- G-Ghn!" it's too late for anything else; he felt the sharp jut of the injector pierce his skin, just as painful as he thought it would've been, but hopeless to combat it. Sure, he could have summoned his Crazy Diamond; but he had no doubt that it would've just caused much more questions and distrust, let alone him not wanting to hurt anyone here.
"Oh~ But the birthdate is all wrong! You can't expect us to believe that you haven't been born yet, Mm?" the needle grew closer and closer, and Josuke was seriously running out of options. He couldn't understand what these people wanted from him- for all he knew, he had been kidnapped by some crazed cult.
"G..Gomenasai!.. Crazy Diamond!" He's fast with his Stand, so close to time itself slowing down with the speed of his Stand's actions, truly an art form of combat that he had spent years perfecting. The first step was to eliminate the immediate threat. Whatever laid amongst the contents of the needle had to go, so with a powerful strike from a disembodied fist, the injector flew from Shinobu's grasp in a vibrant spin, its contents morphing amongst mid-air until all that remained were a number of mixed herbs and medicinal plants, along with a few metal plates that had previously made up the needle's form.
Then, in rapid succession, a firm hand pushes at Kocho's chest, throwing her back in a loud floor thump, taking her completely by surprise. I'm sure it would surprise anyone, seeing as normal people lacked the ability to see Stands. However, Josuke didn't just have Shinobu to worry about, he had to face the quick to act; Flame Hashira. As if prompted by the toss of the needle, their hand went to the grip of their sheathed Katana, their speed near rivalling that of Crazy Diamond.
Kyujoru was on Josuke in a heartbeat, akin to the teenager, disinterested in harming anyone, but willing to maim them if need be. But again, this proved to be rather unmatched to the speed the boy's Stand clocked in. Rengoku may have been capable of crossing long distances in a matter of moments, Crazy Diamond was clearly more superior, shown so when, in past battles, he had been known to catch a bullet at near point-blank range.
A powerful hit was delivered, straight to the abdomen of the fiery-haired man, who; incapable of even registering the attack, took the full force of it. There may have been a little too much force there, Josuke hadn't expected to hit him hard enough to fling him into the wall across the room... however the result was that he still held a small moment to himself, just enough time for the vibrant fists of his Stand to unleash a barrage of blows to the chains that held him put, reducing them to nothing but metallic shavings.
"G-Ghaah!" Finally, he was free, sitting up from the bed in a hot sweat, fast to locate the exit at the end of the hallway and bring himself to his feet. He could practically hear Shinobu regaining her footing, so Jojo broke out into a sprint, whipping past the open doorway with ease and breaking out into the expansive courtyard. There, he was met with somebody else; another figure who had been rather curious akin to Senjuro, yet for likely a mistakable reason.
Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Pillar, was still abuzz with the self-thought ideas of Kocho acting so unmodest. Maybe a small peek wouldn't have hurt. They'd clearly get more than just a peek when the escapee patient came in full collision with her small frame, yet despite her stature; SHE was the one who knocked HIM to the floor, boasting a frightening display of strength that not even she knew how she possessed.
"Kanroji-san! Stop him!" came Shinobu's voice, a little preoccupied with helping Rengoku from the hole in her wall. But her voice was clear as day, and as quickly as she ordered, the beautiful Hashira switched into combat mode, turning to engage the escaping teen who had leapt onto the courtyard grass. She took off in a splintering display of extreme speed, her body fluttering through the air like a flowing flower petal, twirling about all the while her hand clutched the heavy swing of her sheath, removing it from her hip and swinging an attack aimed to disable to the young man. But again, to another Hashira's surprise, her swing was stopped, then pushed back, throwing her back from her target.
It was just as lucky that she was so flexible in the manner of combat and gracefully landed a few feet away from the teen with a perfect flip. Her face was no longer that of a sweet and innocent woman, but of somebody who was now focused.
It's not entirely in vain, she had halted Josuke, who had to slide to a stop, understanding that he wasn't going to be able to leave unless he put his all into this. He turns with the look of determination spiralling from the flames of his eyes, fists gripped tightly. In his eyes, he was the victim here! And hell, he was just defending himself. He may not have been entirely happy of fighting a girl, but if it was standing in the way of him and his freedom? He wouldn't hold back.
Kanroji, ready to face her newly minted opponent, darted towards Josuke in a zigzagged series of leaps, behind her; the coiling swing of her, now exposed sword; trailing behind her akin to a ballerina's ribbon, truly a dangerous weapon only capable of being utilized proficiently by their owner, and it was! Her body flowed so gracefully with the preplanned trajectory of her whip-blade strikes; they're faster than anything before, squirming like a snake that refused to let down. And she truly showed to be a fierce competitor when Josuke was forced to stand on the defensive.
There was little he could do when her manner of attack was both long and short-ranged focused; especially with Crazy Diamond's maximum rage of a mere two meters. Yet even with this debilitation, they were capable of at least matching the strikes of Mitsuri without leaving too much damage in response. Every time the swinging tip of her ribbon blade reached inward; his Stand was fast to hit the flattened side of her Katana Whip barrage, something even she had not witnessed anyone manages. Most would attempt to completely avoid the swings of her flexible weapon, yet this was the first time she had ever witnessed somebody face her toe to toe!
This wasn't getting him anywhere, She was fast, and those deflecting attacks he was forced to throw were taking nearly one-hundred per cent of his concentration just to keep her sharp swings from piercing him. The real frightening factor was that she barely seemed to break a sweat; while he- was beginning to feel a few small cuts appear on the grips of his knuckles. Josuke had to think of something here, some sort of trump card he could pull out like he always did.
She was pushing him into a corner, further and further back. Quite the display for somebody that couldn't even see Crazy Diamond. But there's a swift change in the air of this battle, Josuke's movements quick to switch from pure defence to the gauge of attack when she quickly found herself attacked from behind. Something had hit her across the back, and proceeded to curl itself around her form until the entirety of her body had been wrapped in a rather familiar chain; dare they remark it is the same chain that had been used against him only moments ago.
"Haa... Haa... You're strong. I don't think I would have been able to keep up if it wasn't for Shinobu-san's chains." He's a little prideful of his tactful maneuver, even going so far as to explain just what had happened- something he took to doing almost every time he fought a battle to its conclusion.
"But, you were so focused on fighting me, that you didn't notice the small chain-link I planted on you when we bumped into each other. If it wasn't for that... I'm sure you would have won." It was just as simple as that. Whether it was by accident or perhaps ingenious strategy; Josuke had used the very ability of Crazy Diamond to recombine the chains he had shattered, all while the small part he pushed to Kanroji acted as the base component. The more his words rang out, the further he approached, perhaps to make sure that she was properly secured; not too interested in further combatting the pinkette and her power.
Pomf!
As if the gods of comedy themselves had chosen now of all times; the situation took a turn to the hilarious. There's no telling how long that perfectly Pompadour would last, especially after the trouble he had been through, and it appears to have given up the ghost when, the entire shape of his hair pillowed out in long unkempt locks, blocking his field of vision. This was just the chance the Love Hashira needed, at first opting to lure Josuke into a sense of false security, but really catching some real luck when she could fester up a grand counter he literally WOULDN'T see coming.
Her incredible, perhaps even inhumane strength shattered the very links of her chain binding, a simple enough action for her, quick to follow with her interception of the escaped patient. She's fast and swift, leaping into the air with a beautiful bending leap before a powerful kick makes complete contact with Josuke's face, the sheer strength of it throwing him with such high velocity he lands with a loud crash into the back gate of the Estate.
He underestimated his opponent; perhaps a whole lot than he should have, and now; he had to pay for it. Once again his vision dimmed and the empty black void of unconsciousness took him; though not before he caught a quick glance of the pink-haired Slayer landing to her feet. He could have sworn he saw her pump her fist into the air out of celebration.
Wasn't that big of a fan of how I originally ended the chapter, So I decided to change it! Hopefully it's more enjoyable to read!