A Promise Between Worlds
Intermission Arc
Chapter 26: Breath and Release
Preliminary Week. Day 2.
Tanjiro slept peacefully in the morning, lying next to the wooden box with a pillow under his head and a sleeping mat under his body, given by Jonathan as the buff gentleman was out with Old Joseph to clear away the debris and monster corpses. Josuke was also catching some snooze he missed last night, getting the best comfortable spot he could manage in his sleeping bag. Young Joseph was napping against the wall again, laying on his back with his hands behind his head.
However, Young Joseph wasn't napping at all. He opened one eye to look at the slumbering Tanjiro beside him, and with a mischievous grin, he quietly crawled over to the wooden box Tanjiro had beside him.
You got something hiding in there. Even a blind man could see through that piss-pour attempt of a lie. Only one thing comes to mind… this kid is hiding porn!
In all honesty, Young Joseph doesn't really think that's the case, but his curiosity was eating at him, and he couldn't just sit back. Young Joseph snuck closer to the wooden box, reaching out for the door handle slowly.
He was suddenly struck in the head by a small rock. Young Joseph had to fight back the immediate reaction to yell out in pain.
"Oi! Younger me! Don't invade the kid's privacy like that," Old Joseph warned him, having picked up and carrying away the corpse of a monster ant by the stream.
"You really are no fun..." Young Joseph sat back. His eyes suddenly met Josuke's who was wide awake. As if coming to a complete understanding with one another, they both grinned.
Snickering like teenagers up to no good, they came together and drew close to the wooden box.
"Hey hey! Knock it off you two!" Old Joseph lectured, and a bit taken aback how Josuke and Young Joseph were more in sync with each other than Old Joseph and Josuke. He hated to admit it, but he was kind of jealous.
Tanjiro's closed eyes twitched at the shouting. Josuke carefully grasped onto the handle of the box. Young Joseph quickly put up a finger to his mouth as he looked at his older self, whispering loudly, "Keep it down, old man! The kid's sleeping! Just take this as our bonding time with the son you've neglected."
"You son of a…!" Old Joseph iron fist clenched, unable to truly insult Young Joseph without insulting himself. His bulky shoulder was grasped from behind by Jonathan, who had already finished putting together the monster corpses in a pile away from the stream.
"Joseph. Josuke."
The two Jojos who were named instantly froze. The stern tone of Jonathan unmistakable, and they instantly retreated their hands away from the box.
"That's simply bad manners. I doubt either of you would have liked anyone rummaging through your things. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," Jonathan said with a cross of his arms. The disproval in the blue haired warrior's tone was enough to even have Old Joseph feel bad.
"Sorry gramps…" Young Joseph and Josuke said, and then flinched when they heard small noises within the box. "eh-?"
*scratch* *scratch* *knock*
The box moved slightly. The shortest, subtlest shake, and both Josuke and Young Joseph jumped back.
"W-w-w-w-what was that…?" Josuke asked, suddenly grasping Young Joseph's shoulder in fright.
"Th-that was… uh…" Young Joseph had no answer, grasping Josuke's hands nervously. Now both Jojos were no longer inclined to open the box, and yet, they were also even more curious to do so anyway.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Old Joseph asked from across the stream before his attention turned to Tanjiro who steadily sat up from his sleeping position. "Oh great, you woke the kid up. Way to go me."
"Ah… Mm…" Young Joseph could only answer. The Jojos watched as Tanjiro yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"What's with all this noise…?" Tanjiro said drowsily, having just barely gained half the hours of The sleep he missed last night.
"Good morning, Tanjiro," Jonathan said, crossing the waters as he looked at the sky. "Or maybe it'd be better to call it noon now."
"Kaw! Kaw!"
In the blue sky, Jonathan was the first to catch sight of a black crow. "-! Everyone! Look!"
The crow flew closer to their camp. A J inside of a star under its belly. Jonathan held out his arm and allowed the crow to land on it. Everyone quickly approached Jonathan, their eyes all focused on the crow.
"Kaw! Kaw! Message to Joestars only! Message to Joestars only!" The black crow announced.
"Wha-?! It talked!" Josuke and Joseph were completely surprised. Tanjiro looked at the crow curiously, reminded of his own crow in his world, though this crow sounded different, a little deeper from his own crow's voice.
"I bring a message from Giorno Giovanna! Hello. I'm hoping this bird reaches you safe and sound."
"Ohh..." Old Joseph was impressed, looking to Tanjiro. "Not bad kid! Your idea really came through!"
It was Tanjiro who suggested to have Giorno deliver the next message in the form of a crow. Jonathan was also impressed, staring wondrously at the talking bird as he scratched underneath the crow's chin. "I have read that crows are similar to parrots. This type of animal can mimic all sorts of sounds, even the human voice. This will make delivering messages much easier!"
Tanjiro's smiled widely, feeling happy as well at this success. He nodded and then paid close attention as the crow continued to speak.
"We're following as you suggested and finding a way out of this forest. I would have preferred if we could meet halfway, or if you could follow this bird, but I do not know what else awaits out here, or what dangerous terrain or monsters this crow was able to fly over. It can't be helped. It would be best if we could meet somewhere at the edge of the forest. We are currently heading West. Please ask this bird for direction. It not only has sentience but can communicate efficiently. It's the first time I've done something like this, so hopefully this will work. If you want to deliver back a message, go ahead and ask it. I await your response. Yours truly, Giorno Giovanna."
"Hmm. Giorno said that they're finding a way out of the forest," Jonathan noted. "I hope him, Jolene and Jotaro stop somewhere to get some rest. We should also warn them of any pitfalls and traps in the forest."
"Tell them how many stars I got! After the first day too!" Young Joseph said boastfully. "I want to rub it in that punk Jotaro's face!"
"Hmm. It would be a good idea to ask if they earned any more stars after last night," Old Joseph said. "We should keep hold of any extra monster pieces for them."
"That's true," Jonathan agreed and looked back at the crow. "Alright. Let's see… I would like to deliver a message back to Giorno."
The crow flapped its wings once. "Understood!"
"I'm never ceased from amazement, these abilities called Stands," Jonathan stated before delivering his message. "Hello, Giorno. I hope you, Jotaro, and Jolene are doing well. The rest of us are recovering at a campsite we've stumbled across, along with a new friend of ours."
"We'll follow the same direction you're heading for," Old Joseph said, catching the crow's attention as the old man added. "Get some rest while you can. We'll keep collecting monster pieces and stars in the meantime."
"AHEM!"
Old Joseph groaned. "And my younger self wants to add that he's got all six stars already."
"In your faces!" Young Joseph cheered.
"Joseph, manners, please," Jonathan said.
Tanjiro stepped forward to address the crow as well. "Oh. You should also warn them of any traps and pitfalls in the forest."
He then looks back at crow. "I'm also wondering if this crow spotted other competitors along the way?"
"Kaw! Kaw! Kaw! Kaw…!" The crow suddenly chuckled, confusing and surprising the group. "Kaw! Kaw! Kaw! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE A JOESTAR OR SOMETHIN?! GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE! GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF! YOU IMPOSTER!"
Everyone was stunned by the outburst of the crow. Tanjiro even more so, even hurt by the comment.
"W-Why are you treating Tanjiro so rudely?!" Jonathan questioned the bird. "There's no need to be so hostile! He's helped us so much!"
"I was created to adhere and deliver messages to Joestars only," the Joestar's crow answered.
"Ah. I think I get why…" Old Joseph said. "It's probably a safety feature. I don't know what the other competitors are like, but if they're desperate to get any stars, and if they find out from this bird about how many stars we're carrying-"
"They'll be right on our asses," Young Joseph understood at once. "But did that Giorno kid had to make such a rude bird? Even I was offended!"
"I obey no one but a Joestar!" The crow mechanically announced, flapping its wing at Tanjiro who backed away. "It's useless to pry anything out of me, imposter! Useless! Useless! Useless!"
"C-Calm down! I'm not trying to cause you any harm!" Tanjiro assured, showing his hands. It was almost sad how this crow was being so defensive after Tanjiro suggested its existence.
"…Hey," Old Joseph looked extremely uncomfortable out of nowhere as he stared at the crow. "Just now, that almost sounded like…"
Jonathan was also visibly shocked and disturbed by the familiar tone and voice of the bird. He held the bird back away from Tanjiro. "Calm down, please! Tanjiro is our friend! Don't attack him!"
The crow suddenly calmed down. "Understood. I will acknowledge Tanjiro as an ally of the Joestars."
"Er, thank you," Jonathan was surprised by how quick the crow changed attitude. The crow really does obey anything, as long as it was a Joestar giving the command.
"Um… so, do I still count…?" Josuke nervously asked as he whispered to the crow.
"Of course!" The crow answered with a raise of its wings. "I recognize the scent and stars of a Joestar family member. Any message you give me, I will deliver it to the next Joestar!"
"I see. That's good to hear, though, please be kinder to Tanjiro next time," Jonathan said. Tanjiro appreciated the gentleman's command.
After the Joestars finished giving their message, the crow soon flew off with a proud "Shrrrrrryyyyyy!"
"…Ah. OH NO!" Old Joseph suddenly shouted as he clamped both sides of his face. "We forgot to ask which way the closest edge of the forest is!"
"Oh no!" Young Joseph also expressed. "How did you forget that?! I knew you were slow, but I didn't think you'd be senile-ow!"
"That's enough, Joseph!" Jonathan lectured after lightly smacking the back head of his grandson. "Take it easy on yourself, especially towards your elders. I'm sure Giorno's crow will return to us later. We can ask it then."
Old Joseph cleared his throat, fighting the urge to laugh at his younger self being scolded – even though it's himself he's chuckling at. "Yes. Right. Since we'll be staying here, it's a good time as any to put our heads together and come up with a plan. First things first, how many stars does everyone have now?"
"Thanks to Joseph, I now have four stars," Jonathan answered.
Young Joseph rubbed the back of his head before answering. "And you all know yours truly have six!"
"I got three now," Josuke answered.
"I have four also," Old Joseph informed before looking to Tanjiro, "And you have..."
"Two stars, now..." Tanjiro said, deflating briefly at the reminder of his other lost stars.
"It'd be three if you'd taken younger me's - I mean, Young Jospeh's offer," Old Joseph said.
Tanjiro quickly shook his head. "No way! No way! I couldn't! But thank you anyway."
Old Joseph merely shrugged before continuing. "There's also the extra stars taken from last night. We'll save those for the others when we find them again. I think, for today, we should focus on gathering resources and find any more Challenge Boards. Maybe also do some scouting."
Jonathan spoke up. "I agree, but for now, you should get some rest, Joseph. We haven't slept since last night, and I have a feeling that what happened won't be the only time."
"Yeah. It's probably gonna get crazy again tonight," Josuke said, pulling a strand back behind his ear.
"We'll need to fortify this camp before then," Old Joseph declared. "We'll focus on chopping down some trees later. In the meantime, you kids stay up and stay alert."
"If you need help cutting down any trees, this kid is your man right here!" Young Joseph said, patting Tanjiro's shoulder.
"I'm still curious to hear that story," Jonathan said smiling. "Alright then. We'll go and get some rest now. Wake us up if anything happens."
"I should go up on the cliff. My nose will be able to pick up any scent of monsters or animals, or anyone else coming our way," Tanjiro offered.
Agreeing to that, everyone returned to the camp. Jonathan and Old Joseph. Tanjiro takes his wooden box and goes up the small cliff.
"Be careful, Tanjiro. Don't run off if you noticed anything wrong. Come and get us first," Jonathan said.
"Right! I'll do that!" Feeling relieved at having his back watched by others, Tanjiro waved at the Joestars before walking up the cliff.
"Heh! He really took that box with him," Young Joseph noted as he sat down in front of the stream. "That kids definitely got something he don't want any of us to know."
"As long as it's not some secret enemy stand inside, we should just leave it be... for now, anyway," Old Joseph said before taking a seat against the stone wall. "Well, now that that's done, don't wake me up even if there's a fire."
Old Joseph placed his hat over his face and after a sigh, he fell asleep almost instantaneously.
"We'll keep things down and keep a look out, gramps," Josuke assured.
Jonathan said his gratitude, and after a brief chat between them, Jonathan rested on the same sleeping bag Tanjiro had been on and started to drift off to sleep.
Seeing Jonathan and Old Joseph quickly asleep, Josuke immediately turned to Young Joseph in a whisper. "Hey, so... you definitely saw that box move on its own, right?"
"No shit I did!" Young Joseph whispered back. "I was thinking that kid was hiding porn! But now, I don't even know!"
"Uh, do people in his era even have that sort of thing?" Josuke asked, wondering with a frown. "I mean, he didn't know what a magazine was exactly."
"There had to be some in his world, he probably just hasn't seen one before," Young Joseph answered. "He's got that country-bumpkinness about him, not to mention how earnest he is. Also, aren't you and Tanjiro from Japan anyway?"
"O-oh. That's true. Heh heh..." Josuke sheepishly chuckled to himself. "History wasn't one of my greatest subjects. Although, I doubt my teacher would have talked about that. That probably would have kept my attention in class, honestly... wait, if you know Tanjiro's earnest, how come you thought he had porn?"
"Because no one's that earnest, well, maybe except for gramps."
"Then doesn't that...? Never mind." Josuke realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with Young Joseph, let alone point out the hypocrisy of his statement. Guy cheated on his wife, so Josuke wasn't sure what else to expect from Young Joseph.
They suddenly lurched form their seat when they hear Tanjiro's footsteps coming back down quickly.
"Everyone! Look!" Tanjiro said, keeping sure to mind his voice as he draws Josuke's and Young Joseph's attention to himself. "I found this at the top of the cliff. It's monster fur!"
He showed the dark blue fur of what appeared to be a boar's hide to the two young Jojos. "See? I already got a star from it! I have three stars now!"
"Oh nice!" Young Joseph said as he took the monster fur. "You've got that Joestar luck, kid! Looks like we're rubbing it off on you."
Josuke excitedly grabbed the edge of the hide with a wide grin. "Great! This means I've got four stars now. And both great gramps and Mr. Joestar can have their fifth star! They can pass the preliminary!"
They celebrated briefly, high fiving each other as Tanjiro shared a good laugh at the young Jojos enthusiasm.
Calming down, Tanjiro looked back at the fur. "It's really strange though that a boar's hide like this was up there. It looked like it was someone's blanket."
"Probably from the last guy who made this camp," Young Josuke theorized as he watched the monster fur in his hand change into a star. He pocketed it with the rest of his earnings.
"Ah... that's true..." Tanjiro looked down at the third star in his hand, suddenly feeling guilty. "I almost feel bad to take it like this."
"Kid. Don't you dare guilt-trip yourself," Young Joseph suddenly warned, pointing his finger at Tanjiro. "I will literally shove that star down your throat for you to take it. Got that?"
"Y-yes! I understand..." Tanjiro said with a gulp, reluctantly though internally grateful to pocket the third gold star. He suddenly clapped his hands together, praying to the previous occupant of this campsite. "Thank you to whoever once lived here. I hope they made it through the night."
"Sheesh. You really are too nice," Young Joseph stated as he sat back leisurely. "I hope the fella who lived here would be as nice to us in the next round."
"Oh. Right..." Tanjiro said, feeling a little sad at the reminder that this is a competition, which means, more than likely, only one winner will remain.
Young Joseph stared at Tanjiro for a moment, then, without warning, slammed his big hand against his big thigh. The movement took both Tanjiro and Josuke by surprise. "So! Tanjiro. I've got a question for you..."
Oh! Is he gonna ask Tanjiro what's inside the box? Josuke looked in anticipation.
With a sudden look of seriousness in Young Joseph's eyes, he gave his question. "...Last night, I happened to hear something from you."
"Uh? Hear something...?" Tanjiro asked.
"That's right. And that something was... your breathing!"
"...eh?" Josuke looked at Young Joseph confused.
"You had a distinct way of breathing just as you were delivering a powerful attack against that lizard monster you saved me from," Young Joseph said. "Judging by that way of breathing, it enhanced your strength greatly. Am I right?"
"Oh. Yes, that's right," Tanjiro answered honestly. "It's a technique Demon Slayers are able to do. Do you want to know more about it?"
"Heh. Seen right through me," Young Joseph joked. "That's right. I'm interested to know how it works. I've got a special way of breathing also, but let's first hear yours."
Tanjiro nodded, "I understand. Then, allow me to explain..."
Thus, Tanjiro began explaining his Total Concentration Breathing Technique to the two Jojos, essentially telling them what his teacher Urokodaki taught him, as well the extensive, grueling training Tanjiro had to endure.
"-so you go like this to make your lungs expand!" Tanjiro demonstrated by holding up one arm and his other arm down. Puffing his chest in and out. "When that rattles your blood, your bones and muscles will go "Boom! Boom!" You gotta stop it!"
"Dude. That sounds so freaky…" Josuke said. Although, what he could do with his stand ability probably isn't any better. "You really went through hell to learn all that?"
Tanjiro nodded. "There were a lot of times that I thought I would die, but I needed to endure it all if I wanted to get stronger in becoming a demon slayer."
"Damn! That sounds a lot like the training I went through," Young Joseph said. "I'm honestly surprised. You were able to cut down that tree, and all by using your breathing technique that doesn't give you any kind of energy?"
"That's right. Is that how your ability works, Joseph?" Tanjiro asked.
"Yeah. We have a simpler name for it. We call it Hamon. Unfortunately, there aren't any "Boom! Boom!" involved, but I did hear that gramps had to get hit in the gut for him to learn it," Young Joseph said, "Lucky for me, I was just born with this kind of ability. Passed down by my great gramps himself, although I never had a teacher until later on. In fact, I've only met her last month!"
"I see! It took me a couple of years to learn Total Concentration Breathing. You must be especially talented, Joseph!" Tanjiro didn't hide the amazement he felt towards the scarf-wearer.
Young Joseph flipped his hair proudly, "Heh. Right? I was a special Jojo destined for greatness."
"And a big ego…" Josuke muttered quietly, holding a smirk before he got tapped at his temple by Young Joseph. "Ow!"
"Anyway, where was I? Oh right! So basically, Hamon takes energy from the sun, and we use it by breathing hard and a certain way," Young Joseph explained.
"Is that what great gramps said? I'm pretty sure there was more to it than that. From what I heard anyway," Josuke said.
"Hey! I'm trying my best here!" Young Joseph said. "It's just a little tough for me to explain. I've only ever learned to just 'do it', even after Lisa Lisa trained me. I guess if you want something a little more in depth, you'll have to ask Grandpa Jonathan."
Young Joseph pondered a bit as he looked around the area, and then an idea came to mind. He stood up, "Here. How about I show you?"
He takes the empty cup of water with him and goes to the stream. "Watch and observe."
He dips the cup into the flowing stream, filling it with water. He took a deep breath as energy surrounds his hand and cup, and he turned around, showing the full cup to Josuke and Tanjiro. With a confident grin, he turned the cup upside down.
"-! Whoa!" In Tanjiro and Josuke's eyes, there was water rippling in the cup, but not a drop has spilled. Sparks of Hamon energy surrounding it. "A-Amazing!"
"Heh. Right? Now, watch this...!" Young Joseph turned the cup right side up and dipped his finger into it. With another heap of breath that lets out a harmonic sound, he pulled his finger up and out comes the cup-shaped water, right out of the cup itself.
"No way!" "Whooaaa!" Tanjiro and Josuke hurried up and over to Young Joseph, looking at the cup-shaped water that was stuck to Young Joseph's finger.
"Amazing! Amazing!" Tanjiro cheered. "That was amazing, Joseph!"
"Like seriously! I don't understand what Hamon is but it's actually pretty cool!" Josuke said. It's honestly amazing to see something happen and it's not even the work of a Stand.
"Heh heh heh! You think so?" Young Joseph said, clearly living for the attention. "How about this then?"
Young Joseph proceeded to show off more of his Hamon skills, continuously amazing Tanjiro and Josuke. At the campsite behind them, Jonathan watched Young Joseph performed hamon tricks with a smile, laying on his sleeping mat in content as Old Joseph beside him grumbled at the noise, though there was a little huff of a laugh heard from the old man.
It was close to sunset now. Everyone had rest up and recovered from last night's ordeal and began to fortify the camp. Jonathan with his immense strength along with Old Joseph to aid brought over logs that were torn down by a beam of some kind and had them surround their camp as a barrier. Young Joseph set up some string traps that will trigger and warn them of any monsters or man approaching. Tanjiro continued to be on watch while Josuke accompanied him. Despite being from two different worlds, the two boys got along nicely, exchanging stories from their respective worlds.
"-so the rooms start switching every time there was a drumbeat?" Josuke asked.
Tanjiro nodded. "Yes. I was able to reach him with his siblings and we calmed him down, but then the drum demon found us, and I had to fight him alone."
Tanjiro suddenly looked sad as he looked ahead into the forest. "It was painful. I was still recovering from my last battle, so it was hard to move, but through the pain, I was able to defeat the drum demon. It was a shame though. In the room we were fighting in, he had all these written materials he must have done himself, and they were all very beautifully made. I couldn't even let myself step on them, even if it put me at a disadvantage. He was a demon who must have killed dozens, if not hundreds of people, and I couldn't forgive him for that. But I didn't want to disrespect his work that had so much heart to it. It's just tragic that someone like that turned into a monster. I would have loved to hear his music..."
Josuke was a little surprised by Tanjiro's words, and he looked ahead. "Hmm. That sounds like something a friend of mine went through. There was this stand user, Rohan, who could turn people into some kind of living autobiography, and he would rip their pages right out of their bodies for his material - yeah, it sounds completely nuts! The guy was a famous mangaka - a writer basically. He was just an asshole in real life, but my friend Koichi would gush about his works - at least, up until he met Rohan himself. He still reads his work, he just doesn't feel comfortable hanging out with him anymore."
"Is he still around?" Tanjiro asked.
"Yeah. We see him around here and there. It's just so hard getting along with that guy. He's gotten better and stopped stealing people's pages, and that's after I gave him the beating of a lifetime."
Josuke rested his chin against his hand as he sat crossed legged beside Tanjiro. "You're a lot nicer than I was," Josuke said. "I punched through Rohan's drawing and wrecked his office with my bare hands. That's what happens when he tried messing with my friends, but his biggest mistake was insulting my hair."
"I-I see..." Tanjiro was a bit taken aback. Tanjiro would have been enraged if someone threatened or harmed his friends, but it was Josuke's hair that pushed the tall teen to the edge? "You said he's doing better now, yes?"
"Oh yeah. He's still a jerk, but he's not our enemy anymore. Huh. I guess it's kind of weird seeing that guy around after the hell he put us through."
"Mm. Well, as long as he isn't doing any more harm, then that's what's important," Tanjiro said. "I knew someone who I didn't get along at first. He even hurt and tried to attack my friend and sister, but after knocking him in the head, he was able to calm down, at least for a while. We started traveling after that, and I could tell that he just wasn't used to being around people. Now he's an irreplaceable friend and ally of mine."
"Huh. Sounds like we've got a way of making friends with even the toughest crowds, unless they're truly irredeemable," Josuke said before turning to Tanjiro. "You mentioned you have a sister? What's she like?"
"Yes! Her name's Nezuko," Tanjiro said without hesitation, his expression upbeat at the mention of his family. "She's a really nice girl! Kind, caring, but also strong. And she's very beautiful! She's even got the title of the most beautiful girl in our whole village!"
"Really? I'm pretty interested to hear more," Josuke said.
"I'd be happy to tell you! Let's see, I think one of my favorite memories has to be when-"
Tanjiro started telling the stories of his family, fondly reminiscing the good days of his life when he was younger. Josuke listened with genuine interest. He's only seen someone who spoke so highly of their sibling from Okuyasu, and sometimes Koichi too.
They suddenly heard thrashing of water from the stream, and their conversation was put to a hold. Curious, they went over to the edge of the cliff, and saw Jonathan and Young Joseph sparring below.
"Nice moves gramps!" Young Joseph said. "Man. I never thought I'd see the day I get to spar with you."
"I never thought I would either, with my grandson nonetheless," Jonathan said. "Thank you for accepting my request. I want to make sure my hamon is in top form."
"No problem! All that showing off I did earlier had me pumped! Just know, I won't go easy on you, even against family."
"Thank you. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hey! Gramps! Make sure you teach younger me a lesson! It's time he learns some manners several years early!" Old Joseph said from the side, watching from the campsite he sat by.
Tanjiro was marveled by the show of hamon use and fighting skills between Jonathan and Young Joseph, honestly wishing he could do the same thing.
"...You know, earlier, you said you were in a lot of pain when you were fighting that drum demon," Josuke suddenly brought up next to Tanjiro, watching the sparring match between his young father and great grandfather. "It sounds like being a Demon Slayer is tough, but don't worry."
He pointed his thumb at himself, smiling at Tanjiro, "If you're ever in a pinch, just come to me and I'll fix you up real quick. You won't have to tough it out so long as I'm around."
Tanjiro looked at Josuke. There was an air of nobility and kindness around the pompadour wearing Joestar, his scent no different from the other Joestars down below. Tanjiro smiled, "Thank you, Josuke. You're very kind. I may not understand what a stand is, but I could tell something is there each time you use it."
"Huh? For real?" Josuke said, surprised. He looked at Tanjiro curiously before looking down at his own arm and outstretched it. "Can you tell something from this?"
Josuke summoned the arm of Crazy Diamond over his own arm. Tanjiro looked at it for a moment and nodded. "I can't see it, but I can tell that something's there by the smell."
Tanjiro smiled softly, "It's strong, but it also has a gentle spirit. It's everything that you are, Josuke. A kind and compassionate soul. Someone who'll always be there for his friends and family, and who treats life very preciously."
"O-oh. Um... thanks..." Josuke was flattered by the assessment, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not as noble as you say though. I'm only ever involved anything if it has something to do with my folks or my friends, or even my town, and that's only after I... failed to protect someone close to me."
Tanjiro caught wave of that momentary grief in Josuke, and he spoke consolingly, "I understand. It doesn't make my assessment any less true. I'm sure, whoever that person was, they're very proud of you right now."
Josuke looked really happy to hear that. Together, they watched the sparring match between Jonathan and Young Joseph, enjoying this peaceful afternoon together.
The sun was getting closer to set. Old Joseph and Tanjiro had returned from fishing after following down the stream a little more, carrying back their prizes for tonight's supper. Tanjiro used his wooden box as leverage to carry all of the caught fishes hanging by strings, while Old Joseph carried more in both his hands. Upon returning, they spotted Jonathan sitting outside the campsite on top of the cliff, and a black crow flew from his arm.
"Looks like another message from Giorno," Old Joseph said. "Him and gramps sure have been talking a lot. Guess grandpa Jojo's taken a shinning on the kid."
Old Joseph may not know for sure what relation Giorno has with the Joestar family, but family is family, and he's pretty sure he'll be able to find out later. Maybe Jotaro might be able to figure it out, although Old Joseph's grandson isn't one for pleasant conversation.
"I've been meaning to ask," Tanjiro said as he looked up at Old Joseph. "Jonathan is younger than you, right? Why do you call him grandpa?"
"Ah... there's a pretty bizarre explanation for that," Old Joseph said. "You might not believe it. Hell, I could hardly believe it, but there's no denying the birthmark all of us carry, and the feeling in our hearts when we're next to each other. It's probably best not to get into it right now. I don't mean to hide anything, just worried that we might end up scaring you off if I answer that question."
"I won't be afraid," Tanjiro assured. "I can tell you're all good people. Don't worry. I made the mistake of not believing demons weren't real. I won't do that to you or the others."
"I see..." Old Joseph considered for a long moment, and then answered. "The truth is... we all come from the same world, but from different eras. Different times. Jonathan was... is my grandfather from the year 1888."
Tanjiro looked at Old Joseph in amazement, near disbelief, but he could not sense any lies in the old man. There was mischief, certainly, but as of this moment, Tanjiro could tell that Old Joseph was telling the truth.
"Josuke is from our future, in 1999. And Young Joseph, well... he's me, a younger me from the 1930s. The same goes for the rest of our family. Me and my grandson, Jotaro, are from 1988. Giorno is from two years after Josuke, in 2001. And Jolyne is from ten years after Giorno, in 2011. I don't blame you if you don't believe me, but this whole situation is completely insane to start with, even to our family's usual standards. But it's the truth. I imagine we might meet other people from different eras and worlds also, you for example being one of them."
"I... I see. That is hard to believe," Tanjiro said, looking down, "But... I can tell that you're not lying. It might take me a while to wrap my head around it, but there are a lot of amazing things that happened yesterday, so I shouldn't be quick to judge."
"I understand. So, what year are you from?" Old Joseph asked.
"Ah... 1915," Tanjiro answered.
"And you say that you're from Japan, right?" Old Joseph stroked his beard. "That's around the Taisho era. Heh. I would have been around your age almost. Imagine that?"
Old Joseph looked down at Tanjiro, "Giorno's about your age too. I'm sure when we regroup with the others, you and him might get along well."
Tanjiro nodded, looking forward to it. After they set down all the fishes and Old Joseph beginning to prepare and cook some of them for dinner tonight, Tanjiro went up the cliff to inform Jonathan, saying hi to Young Joseph and Josuke by the stream who were chatting amongst themselves. He smelled a brief air of jealousy form Old Joseph, but decided he'll talk to him about it later.
Tanjiro reached Jonathan at the top of the cliff. The blue-haired gentleman sitting against the tree and looking at the faintly orange sky. "Ah! Tanjiro! Welcome back."
Tanjiro greeted back the gentleman. "Mr. Joestar and I brought back some food. They'll be ready in a couple of hours."
"That's good to hear," Jonathan said. Although there was a hint of a smile, Tanjiro smelled an air of hidden sadness.
"Is everything okay?" Tanjiro asked.
"Hm? Oh. Yes. Well..." Jonathan began, looking back at the sky. "...I suppose I'm feeling a little homesick. It hasn't been that long, but I am starting to miss my friends back home. Especially... my dear wife, Erina."
"I see..." Tanjiro said, speaking his sympathy. "I understand. I haven't seen my friends in a while, and I'm not sure if I may ever see them until this competition ends. I don't know how long we'll be in it, but..."
Tanjiro added enthusiastically, "I'm sure they would have been cheering us on. Let's do our best and make it back home to them, safe and sound."
Jonathan looked momentarily sullen, and then his expression picked up, nodding. "Yes. Let's do so. I'll fight my best along with the others, and then..."
He looked at a small blue flower he picked up on the side. "...we can all go home, and see to the ones we love."
Tanjiro sensed that wave of determination in Jonathan, and he smiled. Sitting down next to the man.
"I was actually paying attention to you, Josuke, and Young Joseph earlier when he was showing off his hamon skills," Jonathan said. "It's rather amazing, not only to see someone else have that ability apart from myself, but that there's so much more one can do with hamon."
"I see. It really is an incredible ability," Tanjiro said. "I honestly wish I could learn it too."
Jonathan smiled at Tanjiro, and the man shifted in his seating slightly. "I've also overheard your discussion about your breathing technique with Young Joseph. I apologize for eavesdropping, but I find myself very intrigued and wondering if your technique is anything like how I use hamon."
"From what I understand, the end results are different, but it does have a similar process," Tanjiro said. "I've noticed that we use our breathing styles differently. Mine sounds a little quieter, while yours and Joseph's sounds loud."
"I see..." Jonathan said, clamping his hands together. "Would you like to do a breathing exercise with me? I find myself at peace and with clearer thoughts by meditating."
Tanjiro looked very interested by the offer. "Sure! I'd be happy to."
With a smile, Jonathan positioned himself on the ground and took a deep breath. Tanjiro does the same, sitting beside the hulking figure and gentle giant, and took a deep breath as well.
They both sighed out together, sitting next to each other side by side. Taking in the air of the forest. They spent this moment simply meditating, breathing in and out.
Night fell over the whole forest. The Jojos and Tanjiro enjoy their fish supper together, although Young Joseph complained about the lack of salt and chips, which gives him a light slap at the back of his head from his older self. They chatted and laughed at the antics of Young Joseph and Josuke as if they were a comedic duo. Old Joseph for some reason looked more disgruntled than ever before he turned to Tanjiro.
"...Hey, kid," Old Jospeh said, offering his gloved hand. "Mind helping me take off this glove? These stiff hands aren't what they used to be."
"Oh! Of course!" Tanjiro happily accepted. Young Joseph and Josuke perked at this and as they took a single glance at the old man, they grinned mischievously. Jonathan was drinking tea when he caught sight of Young Joseph and Josuke's faces and he turned to Old Joseph and Tanjiro. Oh dear.
Tanjiro reached out and grabbed the edges of the glove as Old Joseph grabbed his own wrist. "Here," Old Joseph said. "I'll hold it so that my hand stop shaking."
"Thank you. I think it's fine, though," Tanjiro said as he began to pull off the glove. "To be honest, you're very well built for someone your age-"
*CLICK*
All of a sudden. The hand came off from Old Joseph's wrist. "Ah."
There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at separated hand, and then-
"OH NOOOOOOOO!
"I'M SORRY!"
Young Joseph and Josuke fell back, laughing out loud. Jonathan sighed, instantly understanding what was happening. The only ones who were in a panic was Old Joseph - seemingly, and Tanjiro - legitimately.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry!" Tanjiro repeated again and again as he fumbled with the hand in his grasp. "J-Josuke! Help me reattach-! W-Why are you and Joseph laughing?!"
Jonathan's heart went out to the boy, and he held Tanjiro's shoulder. "It's alright, Tanjiro. Look."
Jonathan pulled down the glove from the detached hand and unveiled a metallic substance. "-! Ah!"
It was a robotic prosthetic hand. The likes of which Tanjiro has never seen before. Tanjiro looked at the metal hand in wonder before hearing Old Joseph laugh behind him.
"Ha! And you said that I lost my humor!" Old Joseph told Young Joseph before turning back to Tanjiro. "Sorry, kid. I pretty much had to do it at least once."
"O-Oh. I see..." Tanjiro was relieved that he didn't accidentally rip off the old man's hand, he'd be terrified of himself to have actually done that. Though, now he was feeling embarrassed, especially with all the laughing Young Joseph and Josuke were doing.
"That's quite enough you two," Jonathan scolded the two chuckling young men in the room before turning to Tanjiro. "Apologies on my family's behalf. They have quite the sense of humors these three. They even pulled this same prank on me."
"Oh man. That was priceless!" Young Joseph said as he calmed down. "Congratulations kid. You're officially one of us now."
"Eh? One of...?" Tanjiro began until Josuke spoke up.
"Yeah. The old man here pulled the same trick on Giorno and Jolyne," Josuke explained. "Although it turns out Jolyne already knew, but Giorno's reaction was amazing. The guy froze in place until he took the glove off and realized he was just being messed with."
"That kid had been acting too cool anyway. It was nice to see him show some emotions," Young Joseph stated. "Now to figure out how to do the same to that Jotaro guy."
"Good luck with that, man," Josuke said.
"Now, now. Giorno and Jotaro are simply quiet young lads," Jonathan said in defense. "Really now. One of these days, the three of you will be pranked the same way. We'll see how you like it then."
"Nah. No offense gramps, but there's no way that'll happen. I'm the king of pranking," Young Joseph declared.
"And I have experience," Old Joseph said as he took back his prosthetic hand and reattached it back to his arm. "It's going to take something really clever to fool us, and that's if we don't already see it coming."
"Oh, by the way," Josuke suddenly said as he pulled something out from his pocket. "I think you or the old man here dropped this wallet."
"Hah! Nice try," Young Joseph said, patting behind the back pocket of his pants. "But I've got my wallet right here. I'm not about to lose it a second time."
"Same here," Old Joseph said. "Sorry, Josuke. Better luck next time."
"Oh? Really?" With a devious grin, Josuke held out what looked to be two torn halves of a dollar bill. He clenched his hands together. "How about now?"
With the use of Crazy Diamond's effects, the other half of the ripped dollar in Young and Old Joseph's pants was compelled to return to its missing half, forcing the wallets they were in to come out. "What the-?! Hey!"
Josuke cheekily grinned as he grabbed both the Joseph's wallets. "Haha! Thanks for the allowance's you guys!"
"Oh ha ha, very funny, Josuke," Old Joseph said as he reached out. "Can I have my wallet back now?"
"No way! You're overdue on your child support, old man," Josuke said as he hid the wallet by his hip.
"That's not fair! You can't hold it against me over what my future self did!" Young Joseph argued.
"I'll at least let you keep the cash. How does that sound?" Old Joseph compromised, although he was unsure when said cash will ever be of use during this competition.
Josuke considered for a moment, and then shrugged, "Sure thing- Whoops!"
Josuke's hand slipped, and he dropped both wallets into the campfire.
"Oh Shit!"
"Hermit Purple!"
Panicked, the two Josephs tried to save their wallets as Old Joseph used his stand to drag out the burning items, and repeatedly stomped against the flames as Young Joseph tried blowing out the fire. Tanjiro and Jonathan stood up to help somehow. However, beside them, Josuke laughed out loud.
"Oh man! You should have seen your faces!" Josuke reached behind himself and pulled out the real wallets of the Josephs. "I just switched your wallets with some of the boar hide!"
Jonathan snorted behind his clenched fist, holding back his chuckle. Tanjiro calmed down with a huff of a breath.
"Y-You...!" Young Joseph was not happy with the deceit, although deep down, he was impressed by Josuke's trickery. Old Joseph was relieved that his wallet didn't end up being on fire, and although he wasn't happy either, he did smirk at his son's prank.
"I did warn you fellas," Jonathan said, smiling. "And to be pranked by your own son, nonetheless."
"Hah... It's not as fun being at the end of a joke, but... it is nice to see that part of me had been passed down," Old Joseph relented, letting out a small laugh which was joined by Jonathan. Josuke couldn't help but continue to giggle at his triumph.
Seeing all the laughter around him, Tanjiro lets out a smile, and soon enough, he ends up laughing with them. His chest filled with joy and leisure as he was surrounded by this family of Joestar.
"Hmph!" Young Joseph did not want to share the joy, turning his head. "Sure sure! Laugh it up! Just wait until I do something to your hair the next time you sleep, Josuke."
"H-Huh?! Wait! You're not serious, right?! I just got this fixed!" Alarmed, Josuke immediately put up a wall with his hands to defend his precious hair.
Young Joseph snickered at Josuke's reaction, and his fingers loomed ever close to Josuke's pompadour. The teen backed up against the wall, nothing short of terrified.
"Oh I'm dead serious," Young Joseph swore. "You're gonna have to sleep with one eye, kid-!"
*jingle* *jingle*
Their tomfoolery came to an end when they heard the bells tied by the stone wall suddenly move.
"-!"
The sound of the bells that which Young Joseph set up can only mean one thing. Someone stepped triggered one of the strings outside their camp. The strings were planted by Young Joseph to alert them of any incoming monsters, animals, or humans.
Tanjiro stopped laughing and he straightened his back. "The bells... Something's nearby?"
Jonanthan immediately moved closer to Tanjiro's side, standing between the demon slayer and the entrance of the campsite. Old Joseph followed his grandfather's lead, walking around the fire.
"Tanjiro, do you smell what's coming?" Old Joseph asked. The mirth from before instantly wiped. His face serious as he ready himself for a potential threat approaching.
Tanjiro stepped around Jonathan. The gentleman placed his hand on Tanjiro's shoulder out of conceern. Tanjiro grasped Jonathan's hand and nodded up at the buff man, putting the adult at ease before he approached the entryway of the camp carefully. They were barricaded by cut down trees, and though the parted opening, Tanjiro sniffs the air. Josuke and Young Joseph stayed by the fire, but they were also ready to offer support as soon as the others need it.
"...It smells... human," Tanjiro announced, looking into the dark across the stream. "No doubt about it. It's human!"
"Human... Another competitor?" Jonathan said.
Josuke was getting nervous as he looked to the others. "What should we do?"
"We can't be sure if this one would be friendly or not," Old Joseph said as he fastened his glove over his robotic prosthetic. "This is still a competition. There might be people who'll try to steal our stars from us. Kid, can you tell how many humans there are?"
Tanjiro nodded, "Yes. I'm very certain it's just one."
"I'm wondering if it's Jotaro, Giorno, or even Jolyne," Jonathan offered as he reached for his sheathed sword. "But I doubt any of them would come alone, especially this late at night."
"No. This smell isn't related to any of you," Tanjiro informed. "It also doesn't feel hostile."
"Well, either way, there's no point just staying in here like frightened mice," Young Joseph said, rolling his shoulders. "They're heading here, aren't they? Might as well go say hi to them."
"I agree. There's no avoiding a confrontation," Old Joseph said as he approached the entry way. "Be on your guard, everyone."
Jonathan approached Tanjiro and placed a hand over the demon slayer's head. "Stay inside with Josuke and Young Joseph, Tanjiro. We'll go and see them."
"Ah... Right," Tanjiro caught the air of protectiveness radiating from Jonathan, and he nodded.
He and the other two Jojos watched from within the camp as Jonathan and Old Joseph stepped out between the tree-barricade.
They waited for a moment. Both Jonathan and Old Joseph made sure to look like they were not interested in a fight, but they cannot be sure if the same can be said about the one who was walking their way over to them, and so they kept their guard up.
Tanjiro observed alongside Josuke and Young Joseph, and throughout their waiting, the bells continued to ring, signaling them at the person was getting closer and closer. Stepping on top of each string. The suspense was honestly killing them, and they simply waited, until Jonathan and Old Joseph caught sight of the human walking by the stream.
The figure was a tall man, as tall as Jonathan. He was robed in dusty rags as if he had just come from a desert. The figure kept walking even as he took notice of Jonathan and Old Joseph standing by their camp, until eventually the figure stopped.
"Good evening, sir!" Old Joseph was the first to speak. "A bit late to be on a stroll, don't you think?"
Jonathan assessed the figure whose condition seemed to suggest that he had just gotten out of a battle recently. Inside the camp, Tanjiro was still standing by the doorway, as was Josuke and Young Joseph.
"-! This scent..." Tanjiro muttered as he stared at the figure by the stream.
"You lost or something? If you need some supplies, we might be willing to spare a few things, but we're pretty stretched thin as it is," Old Joseph spoke to the silent robed figure.
The figure said nothing for a moment, and then he showed his hand.
Jonathan and Old Joseph tensed, though before any one of them could react.
"-Um. Would you like to come in?"
Everyone, save for the robed figure, was startled by the offer given by Tanjiro, bringing all attention onto him.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Young Joseph said, "Haven't you heard of stranger danger?!"
"It's alright," Tanjiro said, not breaking his gaze away from the stranger. "I don't believe he's a threat to us."
Without further elaboration, Tanjiro stepped out of the campsite despite Young Joseph's and Josuke's protest.
"T-Tanjiro! What are you-?" Old Joseph began.
Tanjiro kept his eyes on the robed figure, noting all the tear and sand dust staining the figure's robe. "You look like you walked for miles. If you want, you can rest here at our camp for the night."
Jonathan looked at Tanjiro in surprised, though was also impressed by Tanjiro's kindness as he looked back at the figure.
The robed figure was still for a moment, and then continued to move his hand towards his own stomach, gesturing there.
"-! Ah! Yes. There's plenty of fish and water. I even have a spare rice ball I can give you if you're hungry," Tanjiro confirmed.
"Hey! Kid! You don't even know this guy-!" Young Joseph was quickly silenced when Jonathan raised a hand to him.
"Wait, Joseph," Jonathan said as he looked back to Tanjiro. "Tanjiro, do you feel we can trust this man?"
Tanjiro nodded. "Yes. I do."
There was an unmistakable fragrance of blood, but underneath all of that... is a pure-hearted soul.
"Would it be alright if we invite him in, Jonathan?" Tanjiro asked.
Jonathan looked back at the robed figure. He then met Old Joseph's gaze for a moment, before looking back at Tanjiro. "...Of course."
Everyone was noticeably tensed when the robed figure sat with them by the campfire. The only one who didn't seem nervous at all was Tanjiro, as he gave the stranger a cup of water and a rice ball.
"I'm Tanjiro Kamado, and these are all my companions," Tanjiro introduced himself as he sat on his knees beside the robed figure. "If I may ask, what is your name?"
The robed figure took a moment to drink from his cup, and then he reached up, gripping his hood before he pulled it back. What unveiled was unkempt brown hair, and a long face, his eyes that seemed to bore all the scars of battle and grievances.
"...My name is Kenshiro."
Up close, Tanjiro could smell the aura of the robed figure even stronger. A pure, righteous spirit, one so much like Jonathan. Who knew the evils of the world, but his goodness never yields to any of them. It was what drove Tanjiro to reach out to the man, aside from it being obvious that the man hadn't eaten or drink for an entire day.
"Oh my god..." Young Joseph was in awe as he and Josuke huddled together in a whispering exchange. "He looks just like gramps..."
"That is so freaky..." Josuke agreed. "He also kind of looks like you, Joseph."
"Huh?! For real?"
"Hey! Don't be rude, you two," Old Joseph scolded at Josuke and Young Joseph.
Jonathan blinked at the face of Kenshiro before he put himself at ease, finally able to see what Tanjiro saw. "Feel free to eat as much as you want. We'll be leaving in the morning anyhow. You can keep this camp if you'd like. Although, this place isn't originally ours. We're unsure of where the previous owner went, but I'm sure it'll be put to good use should you need it."
Kenshiro raised the riceball to his mouth and started eating into the meal. Just by the wave of relief in his expression, he must have not eaten anything yesterday either. "...No. I'll be moving along as well. I just needed a place to rest for the night. I'm sorry for the intrusion."
Seeing him so well-mannered, the rest of the Jojos began to relax.
"It's no trouble at all," Jonathan said. "I am Jonathan Joestar, by the way, but people call me Jojo."
"The name's Joseph Joestar, and people also call me Jojo!"
"I'm Josuke Higashikata. I also get called Jojo by my schoolmates, but Josuke is fine too."
"You can call me Mr. Joestar, and in my younger days, people used to call me Jojo."
Kenshiro nodded at the Joestar family before turning to Tanjiro, "And are you also called Jojo?"
"Ah-! No no no!" Tanjiro shook his head and hand. "It's just Tanjiro. I've met this group the night before and have been travelling with them since."
"Are you by chance looking for a way through the forest?" Jonathan asked. "If you wish, you can join us in our travel. We're trying to look for our other members of our family."
"And thanks to this kid here, we managed to get past the worst of it last night," Old Joseph said as he patted Tanjiro's back.
Tanjiro was moved by the compliment, and he reacted humbly, "It's nothing. I was just glad to be around the area. But if you do need help getting through the woods, I'd be happy to help you, Kenshiro. If you come with us, we might find a way out of the forest."
Kenshiro nodded in gratitude, finishing his riceball and cup of water. "Thank you, but it's probably best that I go on my own."
"Really? How come?" Tanjiro asked with a tilt of his head.
"Ah. Are you perhaps on the hunt?" Jonathan asked. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a competitor?"
Kenshiro nodded. "I am."
"I see... We're also competitors," Jonathan revealed. Seeing as how honest the man was being, Jonathan felt it was only right to be honest as well. "It hadn't been easy getting stars, however. The monsters in this forest are extremely dangerous. Will you be alright hunting one of them alone?"
"Or maybe you got a Challenge Board and you're looking for a specific monster?" Old Joseph spoke up.
"I don't have a challenge board," Kenshiro simply answered as he plucked up one cooked fish hanging on a stick and began to eat it as well. " Where I'm going is nowhere special. I've come across monsters now and then. But I haven't been actively trying to hunt for them. I just don't have any reason to."
"Heh. Really now?" Young Joseph didn't believe that. "Then was it just luck that you got that many stars under your cloak there?"
A surprised silence filled the camp. Kenshiro looked at Young Joseph and let out a smirk. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"
"A sense of humor, huh? I'd thought you'd be the brooding type. Looks like we might get along after all," Young Joseph said as he leaned back against the stone wall. "I caught that glimmer of your stars thanks to the campfire. And judging by how dirty that cloak you're wearing is, you've more than just got into a couple of fights."
Young Joseph started counting his fingers, uncurling one after the other. "I'd say you have about... six stars on you right now."
Kenshiro looked genuinely surprised. "...That's right."
The rest of the Jojos and Tanjiro gasped.
"H-How did you know that, Joseph?" Tanjiro asked.
"Just take a good look at that cloak," Young Joseph pointed out. "I've counted about six different claw marks and weapons that scraped that. If you really did get lucky getting those stars, your luck must be terrible! Having to fight so many monsters in a day or two! You must be pretty strong, Kenshiro."
"Well, we did escape a pretty bad horde the other night," Jonathan said. "There must be plenty of other competitors who must have gotten a lot of stars."
"Apart from Tanjiro, since he hates getting handouts, hehe" Josuke teased, earning a sheepish chuckle from Tanjiro.
"You're a competitor as well?" Kenshiro asked.
Tanjiro nodded. "Yes. Earlier today I lost my patch, but I managed to earn three stars. All I need is to get two more before the end of the week."
"Huh. By the way, you're still missing your patch, right, Tanjiro?" Josuke asked. "I think before we got sent here, we heard from the instruction recording about needing to protect our patch?"
"Ah. That's right," Old Joseph grabbed his bearded chin. "Hm. I wonder if that meant... if a competitor loses a patch, they won't be able to pass the preliminary."
"HUH?!" Tanjrio yelled. He then thought back the instructions he received and...
[It is within your power and responsibility to care and protect your patch.]
He recalled that instruction as well, and he deflated onto the ground, defeated. "Oh... I see... Then... I already lost..."
"Don't give up, Tanjiro!" Jonathan said, hoping to lift the boy's spirits. "I'm sure we'll find a way to get you a new patch somehow!"
"Hold on," Young Joseph suddenly spoke up, "Didn't the instruction also mentioned about getting more patches if we get more stars?"
The Joestars, Kenshiro and Tanjiro looked amongst each other. Young Joseph then pulled out his own patch.
"If that's the case, then I wonder..."
He gripped both ends of the patch, he tugged both ends as if he was going to pull it apart, and then-
*POP!*
In a dash of sparkle, the patch suddenly became two. One holding his stars, the other empty.
"...OoooooOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!" Practically everyone, apart from the collected Kenshiro, was in awe by this discovery. They were like monkeys that discovered fire.
"Amazing, Joseph!" Jonathan said as he looked at his own patch. "If we ever lose our first patch-!"
"We'll still have plenty of spares!" Old Joseph said as he pulled apart and gained his second patch. "Nice!"
"Here, kid!" Young Joseph tossed the extra patch over to Tanjiro. "This is something you'll definitely have to accept, so don't even try turning it down."
"Thank you, Joseph!" Tanjiro accepted the patch happily and was quick to put on his earned stars there. "Yes! With this, I'll-"
He stopped when he caught a new scent, and he freezes.
"This is so cool! I wonder if we could do that with our stars?" Josuke asked.
"I wouldn't try it, or you might end up breaking them," Old Joseph said, putting away his extra patches. "But now that you brought it up, I wonder if there's something else we could use these stars for-"
Tanjiro stood up abruptly, surprising everyone in the camp.
"-?! Tanjiro?" Jonathan said. He was startled when he saw Tanjiro on the defensive all of a sudden, and watched as the demon slayer faced the camp's entrance. Tanjiro held onto his sheathed sword by his side, looking like he was ready to attack.
"Everyone-!" Tanjiro shouted, "Be careful! I-!"
*Jingle* *Jingle* *Clink!*
Young Joseph and Old Joseph took notice of the bells ringing, and the. Suddenly dropping onto the floor. The strings that would warn them of someone's arrival suddenly cut. What-?!
"I smell a monster-!"
Everyone stood up at once. Kenshiro's eyes narrowed as he calmly stood up after the rest.
"A monster-?!" Josuke summoned his stand immediately. Old Joseph does the same. Jonathan unsheathed his sword and Young Joseph held out his clacker balls.
They hear footsteps approaching, and through the entrance between the wooden barrier, a human hand reached out.
"H-Help me..."
A weak, frail-looking man walked in, holding his bleeding sides. "Please. Help me..."
Author's Note
Maxhim7: Yeah, I agree that I was too quick with some of the characters revealing their stories, I think I might end up revealing Tanjiro's backstory to the Joestars in next chapter though. Or maybe the chapter after that.
In Risotto's case, he had been observing Nagisa throughout the Preliminary week, so they had some time before Risotto decided to grill Nagisa with some questions. I probably could have had Nagisa resist a little more, but he would also want to work with Risotto so he'd just conclude that it's probably best to just tell the whole truth – and hopes he won't get brainwashed into forgetting by Karasuma's government later.
With Emma, I'm thinking of going back and not hasten her reveal of her world's conditions to Vash, but I might just leave it as it is, idk. She'll say that she wants to try and save her family, and any specifics about her world's conditions will come later. There'll be a lot of rewriting throughout it all, and this will mean that some of the older reviews aren't going to make sense, so I'll just leave an update under each edited chapters. When and IF I'll get around to it, though, we'll never know…
I also agree that there's gonna be a lot of characters who will have the same general reaction to everyone's situations in their worlds. The Joestars, especially, are a big group of empaths (dramatic empaths at that), so you know their gonna have a bleeding-heart for Tanjiro to the point where they'll basically adopt him and Nezuko into their family.
LOL! I just realized that the leading protagonists of this fic are all going to get adopted by other characters XD. Emma and Garou are pretty much going to adopt each other too, but that won't happen until the next event starts up. Maybe.
Speaking of Leading Protagonists. As of this moment, we'll be focusing on Emma, Nagisa, and Tanjiro, oh and Garou too, I honestly did not intend for him to be one of the protagonists at first, but it just fits so well. He managed to force his way into the role, just like in the Manga and Anime. So! It'll be these four characters for now. When the next focal point character will show up, I do not know, it'll just depend on where my writing goes. Like I never intended to show Nagisa or Tanjiro until it felt right to do so, and it made it more fun to explore other characters, not just Emma. I have the notes, but not the actual foundation until I started typing out everything.
Welp! That's about it for today. See you next chapter!
