There's a tedious semblance of silence between Josuke and the Temari Beast, their views were sealed to one another, waiting for the other to form their strike, but it never came. The gentle field was late lingering, perhaps too long for the girl, as it rattled her to the core. It was similar to a Western Showdown, two duelists hanging for the clock tower to roar and draw their revolvers. Such a scene of anxiety that couldn't last any further.

Out led the Temari, no longer swayed by the red darts, but still fast enough to crack past and sever the air in two, twisting in a vibrant spin towards her human challenger. Crazy Diamond was fast to counter, each of his calm and calculated Stand strikes flung out at every attack she made, Josuke knew that he wouldn't be able to match the raw power of her attacks, so instead; he had to carefully strike the curvature of each sphere and twist their path and redirect the hits. A task that took most of his concentration; forcing him to stand in place with each onslaught of Temari that wallowed his way.

The maximum range of his Stand was two meters in all and it couldn't maintain efficiently against targets that had an imposing effectiveness of ranged combat, so defense was his entire option here. It wasn't all doom and gloom, there remained a silver lining to his plight, it offered him a considerate manner of time to think about how he would close that gap. Going on the offensive wasn't an option right now. The Temari may have looked harmless, but they could carve right through a wall as if it were tissue paper, and he wasn't interested in testing the effects it had on a person.

If it wasn't already rough enough, he could undoubtedly capture that clear smile pronounced to her features, understanding all too well that she held the cards in this battle. Even with her advantage, she'd never faced the force of a Stand; and the notion alone excited her. What sort of Slayer art was this? An alternative form of combat she knew nothing about always piqued her interest — at least for a short time, always considering herself the victor in these small confrontations, toying with her prey; wholly confident in her ability to kill whoever she wanted in the name of her Master.

She wavers at the noise of footsteps trudging across the ground in her direction, somebody was approaching her... but who? It was Yushiro of course, moving to provide some relief in this unpredictable battle. Josuke had formed the perfect diversion with his show of countering skill; making for the perfect chance for Yushiro to reign in and try for a good swing of his own combative nature.

Then, as if prompted by nobody; he simply, disappeared.

"H-He vanished?" she gushes, not remarkably sharp because he hadn't actually gone anywhere, revealed to be nothing further than the power of his Demon Art when they abruptly appear immediately in front of her, beating her in the chest with a robust palm thrust followed by another bout of relentless impacts that seized her off-guard and; better yet, deterred her Temari Ball Assault.

"You hurt lady Tamayo... I'll NEVER forgive you for that!"

Just like that, Josuke was free to shift up his tactics, barging out into an abrupt sprint with bare hesitation. He's eager to close the rift between them both and gain the upper hand, intent on making this fight end before it had even begun. Ten meters; that's how far he was from striking her; and every growing second he was gaining on her, despite the numbed pain that slowly worked its way back. Yushiro's rage-fueled punches were merciless, striking primarily amongst her abdominal region before she had a chance to even react. It wouldn't last endlessly, ultimately those flurry of attacks were turned on him.

The many arms weren't for appearance; they were competent of rather the powerful rebuttal when she amassed the energy to crush past the offensive, urging Yushiro, whose face had been writhed in a fang of bared grit to break his form, firing off an unbalanced haymaker that cost him dearly. Her movements were fast, working about that failed strike with a sliding step that captured the extension of his wrist, thrusting a fabric tearing elbow towards the brisk opening, quick to fracture his arm ligament with a loud echoing crunch. Tamayo's assistant had let his anger cloud his judgment, and now he was paying for it. A mighty spin on her heel that soared deep into Yushiro's gut follows with impeccable speed, subsequently severing it from the socket to display her blatant brutality before carelessly tossing the severed joint aside, that devious smile of hers all too bare...

An immense plume of blood heaved from his dismembered limb, awed to be sure; but still retaining his focus enough to land himself back on his feet through the pillowing soil. Those eyes of his, deep routed and shining through the darkness of the night, that anger hadn't left him in the slightest; even after that miscalculation, but he alone wasn't the only threat to manage. It's almost as if he had forgotten about Josuke; who, as of now, had just passed the injured Yushiro; further intent on closing that distance. Just five more meters, five measly little meters, and this battle could finally turn their way. He's made to halt when her robust twist returns a flurry of her ranged orbs, attacks all the sharper despite her recent bout with Yushiro. Each hit had increased in strength, though that was to be expected when the distance between them had closely shuffled into a shorter area. It was putting a strain on Crazy Diamond's reaction speed, its movements fast, yet only capable of changing the directed path of those flinging orbs, not combatting them directly.. For every three returning counters to her vibrant spheres, he could feel the skin of his knuckles bend and sting with pain — pushing forth nevertheless and; by some unknown force, slowly approaching her with one step at a time.

Then, a critical moment of error. His Stand swings too far when it should have pitched a little further to the left and a single blow from her weapon catches his fist at its maximum extension. The pain is intense, akin to punching a brick wall with no restrain and straining the various muscles in his body to the extremity. An audible pop is sounded, followed by the slunk twist of his limb, this time it was his turn though at a much less extremity than Yushiro. His left arm was completely limp, dislocated from the very socket, and left to sag at his side... this was bad; real bad, not to mention the utter agony it felt to have your joint rearranged.

It hurt. It fucking HURT. But at least the medicine; still within his body, diminished the anguish to a degree. This abrupt moment was suitable however, for his infernal enemy to fire out one decisive sphere that dropped entirely through his guard despite it merely being beaten for a bare fraction of a second; and nail him in the breast with a Temari

Crimson gushed from his mouth, a predictable return from the feeling of his ribs crunching into several fractures and pressing to his organs. The very force behind it knocked him flat off his feet, thrusting him into a tumble along the ground in a vicious display of her unreasonable advantage. He could feel the scraping of ground split the rear of his shirt with each flip he involuntarily formed, the incline of dirt that discolored his persperated muscles, and subsequently the rough wood crunch his body made against what persisted of the secluded clinic.

The screeching wave of the demoness coils along in a villainous amusement, her feet slow to approach the crumpled pedestal of dust that spewed from his impact point. She was crazy, raving mad; and she treasured every fucking second of it. "Is this it? All of that bravado and you barely lasted long enough for me to enjoy myself.".

The sneer of elation plays for but a few more swinging tones before Yushiro was back at it anew. He didn't want to let up, even if it yielded him another valuable limb; he had to protect his lovely Tamayo, never to tolerate harm to cross her path again. Sadly, The Villain had figured out his puny trick; demonstrating that beneath her insidious sense of cruelty was a working mind; no matter how spiteful it was. The plow of her Temari starts to skip from the dirt, rebound by the six limbs she had grown from her form, kicking up quite the heap of soil in a foggy veil of ashen brown; enveloping herself with a rousing gas screen that would promptly obstruct all plans Yushiro had for her.

His feet skid to a pause, eyes skimming the smog for any sign of his foe, still unable to detect her. A moment of uncertainty cut across his features, hastily changed by strict focus when from the fog screens emerged those vivid Temari, swishing left and right; back and forth- all planning to capture him at a flash of fragility. However, he wasn't just Tamayo's aid for simple empty chitchat- no, he could still hold a suitable line of her by employing his Demonic Senses, augmented by the impurity of his blood to locate the origin of each attack and pinpoint her position, which; made it easy for him to rigorously curve and step further from her quickfire balls of death.

"Ridiculous! It's child's play for me to evade a linear attack like this! Locating you is a breeze as well!" His speech was firm to his wish to dish out retribution, still angered that she dare lay a hand on his Lady Tamayo. All he had to do was follow the origin of these blistering attacks, and he'd have no problem catching her off guard with her own pathetic attempt at hiding herself.

Once more, his frame fades into the scenery, footsteps gliding distantly at the ground amongst his sandals with little to impede him now. But it's remarkably evident that he misjudged the reason for this gas screen. It wasn't to obscure but to reveal, and it had served perfectly. No matter how clear his body was, the wafting of vapor from his actions made it simple enough to pin-point him, and just like that, she directed a robust launch of her sphere promptly towards him. It's as the spiral tinge of the Temari closes in; did he realize he had misjudged the whole situation. He had done exactly what she had craved him to — and it would cost him a precious few minutes that they couldn't afford to squander.

But the ball stopped, inches from the tip of his nose, suspended from its intended target with the immediate catch of Josuke's Stand; emerging as if from nowhere in the nick of time. Yushiro's head swivels to the left, promptly connecting the dots when he notices the imposing juvenile from before, holding just a meter from him; in a lot poorer shape than he assumed.

Josuke's hair was nothing like its regular flair, replaced with nothing but steam-soaked locks that enclosed across his face in a black curtain of shaggy drapes, the two piercing blues beneath, the sole trace of awareness he showed separately from the rise and fall of his chest.

"You idiot! Just because you have that power doesn't mean you have to be so rash. You're still human!" Yushiro was demonstrating an ungrateful mask here, but deep down; Jojo knew they recognized the sentiment; even if the assistant would never admit to it.

There was zero answer from his alleged protector, purely for the crackling curl of that Temari, still strongly settled in his Stand's grip. He had only the sole arm to work with, as the other continued to leisurely stick behind him an unnatural sag. Everything hurt; it had even taken a bout of his energy to stand up and interfere. Already he could sense the effects of Tamayo's limited pain alleviation fading, but Josuke refused to go down, not at all the type of guy to give up, no matter how many damaged bones he suffered.

"What fun this is! You're a total mess, and you're still going to fight!?" a question that demanded no answer. He simply released the curve of that sphere to the drudgery, it's an empty bounce into a roll clear to reveal his focus. Three days, it had been an entirety of three days since he arrived in the past— and for the most of it; he had been in nothing but continuous skirmishes. He was fatigued; his body throbbed, and he just to go home. But no matter what he did; it's as if this entire damn world was shouting to him, throwing him a damn inconvenience every step of the way, forcing him to get involved.

It seemed like the Temari wished to return to its owner, yet; that was out of the question when the superhuman strength of his Crazy Diamond launched back her toy with a record-breaking kick, its entire path clattering against the very foot that pitched it, close to buckling it from the Demon's own catch at such a turbulent return.

Her eyes, were wide in awe. Not only had a human captured her all-out attack, but now? He was daring to disrespect her by returning her weapon. The edges of her cheeks quiver in irritation. How dare he... how dare he make fun of her- the damn bastard! She'll teach him to stare at her like scum! Humans were nothing further than fucking cattle! They didn't deserve the fucking right contest with her!

The ball; she floated it right back this time with remarkable momentum, but again; it was forced to a pause, this time not by a simple catch, but with the potent slide of his stand, swiveling out in front of him with its fist tightly contorted into its palm; delivering a haymaker into the sheer thickness of that orb; hard enough to indent its knuckle on the damn thing before it shot right back at her once more. It was round two, and Josuke was fighting to win this time.

Now the two of them were copying one another, passing the sphere back and forth at a slow matter at first- but quickly picking up with both speed and strength, beginning some sick form of catch. It was preposterous to have a bare human, able of such an act; just what was this influence that exuded from the soul of this youth... such drive, such conviction.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The monster's mouth, it's agape in bright resentment; hate in her eyes at that tall punk, still returning every swing she fired, helpless to shatter this unparalleled power.

"DOOOOOOOOORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAAAAAAAHHH!" He wasn't stopping- even with just a single hand, he was attacking that Temari over and over; his Stand's teeth wide, screaming it's battle cry.

"...Tamayo-sama... He wont-.."

"...I know, Yushiro. It doesn't look like it- but he's pushing his body to its limit just to fight her."

More and more, the blistering winds between Josuke and the Demon pick up, a surrounding typhoon of wind verberating out in splashes of violent dust that refuse to settle, What started as a test of endurance had turned into a contest of strength and will, and the Joestars had this monster beat, every day of the week. The ball slinging creature; it had never fought an opponent that could match her swing for swing, blow for blow- she's faced Demon Slayers, others of her kin- but to face such an unknown force? In her rapid confusion, it just angered her.

Suddenly, there's a clasp on her wrist- something had stopped her dead in her tracks, and at the sudden widening of her eyes, she had finally realized that; this entire time- Josuke was closing the gap between them, only now when it was too late, did she come to that realization.

"You're... in my range." It's the last word she heard before she felt the interior of her torso rebound from the shattered crash of a fist, bowing in her rib cage with an indenting punch so deep, she could have sworn she felt his knuckles tickle her vertebra.

"DOOOOOOOOOOORARARARARARAARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAAAAAAAH!" Hit after hit, blow after blow, she felt it all. All the vibrations, all the strikes; they caved in every part of her body in a festering pit of indentations that shattered her bones into imminent powder, firing her off far with a decisive pelting strike that delivered her back a vile twist; dropping her body in nothing more than a disjointed wreck of wrongly bent limbs and twitches.

Jojo was down to his knee, his lips ejecting a blend of blood and saliva to the drudgery, just the outright action of holding on that long had seized all of his stamina. it was doubtlessly coherent that it didn't benefit the tension of his dislocated shoulder, streaked in agonizing pain, practically fainting the stretch of his frame to the floor with its injury alone.

"Haaaahahahahahaha!" There it is again, that persisting answer of nothing but perverse amusement, striking him with a glimpse of desperation at the tone of its arrival. His views scan up to spot the limited lumbering limp of the Temari Demon, hopping on one foot while the rest of its structural cartilages unfold and flourish back into their correct places, a true shuddering sight that indeed he hadn't become accustomed to.

"You're an amusing guy! But this time, I'm going to go all out on you. I wonder how long you'll last in a state like that, Haaaaaah?!" More Temari appear to her grasp as if she had an infinite supply no matter how many he broke or battered aside. He's in trouble here if he didn't stand to his feet. He couldn't show her any sort of vulnerability if he wished to make it through this alive.

But he couldn't stand, his legs just wouldn't lift him. They raged in agony, the tendons unduly tense to grant him any posture upon them. He struggled his hardest to rise and face her again, getting a solid couple of inches off the ground from achieving a complete upright position before his body caved in, and he felt the puff blow slam of his person beat the earthly floor.

It seemed sincerely over. This entire struggle had collected all that survived from the juvenile's reserves, leaving behind little to contest when those Demonic Temari stretch in the monster's indenting fingers. She was ready to end this — to bring a swift and ugly conclusion to the foolish human that dared to contend with her, perceiving she'd reach a delightful sense of satisfaction from her perished foe.

But just as she was about to unleash her last salvo onto his barely prevailing form, something seized her wrist. Another hand? But who could have come behind her in such a short span of time? It certainly didn't belong to Yushiro; he was still recuperating from his wound, and it wasn't Tanjiro or Nezuko either. No, this was a fresh competitor — someone that had just appeared to assist the conflict in a surprise reveal, that indeed softened Tamayo's look of horror.

"You will be silent." the speech, which was both serious and mellow, billows out with a sense of rule; their presentation clashed with the savage twist of the Demon's collar, fury scrawled across their features at another deplorable idiot that had threatened to intrude.

It was a man of mature age, their skin an eminently fair caramel, their mane black with roots of dotted grey, deliberately cut short in a style that displayed their forehead. He wore nothing highly extravagant than a brownish-grey robe that reached down before his sandalled feet, and a blue patternless Haori wrapped over his figure. Truly the remarkably unusual detail of this character was the two dull eye holes, holding no views at all; buckled behind a pair of blackened round spectacles that rested firm to their nose. This man was unquestionably blind, yet he moved as if he could see better than all; demonstrating their prowess was undeniably evident when the Temari Demon took immense strives to separate from her capture by sending their series of arms at him in insidious attack, purely for his form — unphased by the act, to twirl out of the path; and hit her square in the jaw with a high palm thrust.

Something was unusual about this attack, specifically matched to the underlying strength of an ordinary human punch. It's as if the very base of this man's palm was expending a vortex of energy that slithered into the particular position of attack, resorting in her full lower chin exploding from just its base contact. Teeth and gum shot in all directions and the expression of shock to her damage was left for her to fester in as he stepped aside the being, his attention more focused to the three people that had been fending her off for the most part of the night

She intuitively skipped back upon the attention of something dangerously amiss with her form, indicating a panicked expression when the individual parts of her frame that had been completely discharged from her; refused to spread back. There was something coursing through her system that was sealing back her regenerative powers — a coiling stream of orange energy that had all but vanished from her form though still left residue after effects.

"Henric-san…" Tamayo was the first to speak, the damage to her face had left her upkept hair in a state of disrepair, but she still held that graceful look to her face. Apparently, she knew who this was— a friend? Clearly, Yushiro did not attest to their appearance, rather annoyed at their arrive in all earnest. He didn't answer the physician; instead turning to Josuke, who still lingered on the floor, barely conscious.

"…You are reckless and undisciplined. Do not make me regret this." It's unlikely Jojo heard him; yet the sentiment was obvious. He didn't wish to be disturbed, nor involve himself in such confrontations— but he was fulfilling a favor to somebody; something he did not wish to go unreturned.

This man was quick to snag Josuke's ruined limb, contorting it with little consideration for the abrupt scream of pain that slung from the boy's throat, quickly jolting a powerful prod of their index into a section of their wrist which; slung another bout of energy deep within, fast-acting when the disjointed limb started to spin of its own accord and reconnect to the disjointed shoulder.

He released the limp male, turning to the Doctor with, once more — an unchanged expression, which she in response, lowered her head and eyes in a gentle bow, appreciating the intervention of the older man. Their moment of silence ended when a spiteful Temari swung out to the male, a sign of true disrespect; uncaring of how this man had practically besmirched them. But it's little concern of his, their hand was fast to react, catching the orb in the flat of their palm.

"…You are no longer welcome here. Begone."

With just those few remarks, Henric inhaled a firm supply of air into his lungs; doing so created a rippling flow of energy to pillow from his full form before dashing into the very base of his palm. They launched their fingers at the contour of the Temari in a compelling flick, an arch of vibrant orange heat pricking the ball with a blur of velocity that uttered a microscopic sonic boom as it trembled through the sweet midnight air, its spluttering spin beating the Demon right in the midst of her form with ample force to fire her far back on her sandals.

"… Pinpoint Overdrive."

Tamayo; Both a Doctor and Demon, could not bear to watch what followed next, despite being understanding in the nature of this colleague, she could understand all too strongly how the transmitting energy overflowed through the Demon's soul harrowed them just by the petrified shrieks that accompanied the gradual alteration of her frame, breaking around her returned weapon. What had previously been a pompous smirked enemy had been brought to nothing further than a trembling wreck, their arms and legs jerking in varied positions of torture while a torrent of tears trickle from their views.

Then, it eventually arrived at its peak, a resounding pop that detonated from the Demon's entire form, erupting like a blimp and spraying their entrails all about them in a vulgar display of brutality, leaving behind nothing but the mutilated segments of their ankles that dissolved into misty red steam; rightly presenting the finality of their moments.

"Why are you here. Henric." Yushiro continued to show his dislike to the man, even going so far as to stand between him and Tamayo as a sign of protection.

"I came for the boy."

"Tanjiro-san..?" Tamayo quietly shuffles to the side of her companion, although respectful of her assistant's protection; not at all needing it as their danger had passed.

"The older one. His name."

"We... don't know. He never properly introduced himself to us, everything happened so fast."

Then, as if prompted by the uncertainty of the physician, Henric reached down to the tattered collar of the young man's shirt and tore the fabric clean. It was practically in pieces anyway, though the clothing was of no importance now; only what hid beneath.

"Does he have a birthmark on his left shoulder?" Although they moved so vividly before, the base fact would never go away- Henric lacked a pair of eyes. Whether they had always been like that, or he had lost them earlier in his life, he could not truly 'see' as most could.

"Eh?! You can't just come in here and demand stuff from us! Who do you think you are?!" Yushiro spouts

"Yushiro. Please behave yourself." Tamayo sternly interrupted, stepping forward a few times to take a closer look; affirming what the older male asked. "He's very badly injured. Allow me to-"

"He'll be fine. The birthmark."

"...Of course... Yes, he has a mark in the shape of a five-point st-" before Tamayo could even finish her sentence; Henric had already lifted him over his shoulder; displaying such a surprising amount of strength despite how tall their capture was; in comparison.

"Do not follow me." Henric's threatens, much to the dislike of Yushiro

"You bastard! Show some respect!"

"Yushiro!" another scornful response from the woman, unhappy with the way he slung his outburst at the man. She was quick to bow in both gratitude and forgiveness, watching the two slowly depart with little she could do in that regard. Right now, she had other things to tend to, such as the young Tanjiro and Nezuko; who both appeared to have beaten their own devilish opponent. Still, she would be lying if she didn't feel a sense of worry for the other boy. She had known the man named Henric for only a short time, but in that time; she had managed to gather how distrusting he was of people, especially demons. It was a sure surprise that he didn't appear hostile to the Doctor and her Companion, but that didn't mean he was at all friendly with them either. And so, as she watched them fade into the boundary line of their home. She turned to approach the young Demon Slayer who was currently nestled against her sister's support- exhausted from the fight himself.

Hey guys! Man this was a hard one to do; it went through several rewrites but I'm happy how it turned out. I'm also grateful for all the reviews! It makes me happy knowing that you're all enjoying it! As a little side note, If you're wondering what this new character 'Hendric' is based on, I modeled him off Giancarlo Esposito, one of my favorite actors that just seemed to fit the role so well in my mind!

I'll be posting a new chapter every week from now on, though if I end up missing a deadline (as I like to call them) You can be sure it'll be coming earlier in the following week. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed the read!