The next day, Goku reached the forest to search for Haganezuka.
(Where the hell did that man go...?)
Suddenly, Goku heard fighting noises. The boy followed the noises and saw Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira.
But he was fighting someone who seemed very similar to Goku. A man with long, crimson hair.
In that moment, Goku's only eye widened. (Otosan...?)
That figure was so damn similar to Yoriichi. Goku decided to step up.
"Hey, Muichiro-kun," he said.
"Oh, Goku-kun, it's you..." muttered Muichiro.
"It's very strange you remember my name and who I am, honestly," said Goku.
"How could I forget someone who fought against two Upper Moons alone and won?" said Muichiro.
"You're right, Muichiro-kun," said Goku.
"I was training with this doll, by the way," said Muichiro. "It kinda looks like your father..."
In that moment, Goku didn't say anything. He just stepped up and hugged the doll.
"Uhm... Why are you hugging a doll?" asked Muichiro.
"Because... this doll looks like Otosan," said Goku. "I know, this doll is not him, but... for me, who has never seen him in person, it is as if he were. I don't know if you understand what I'm saying..."
"I understand. I know how you feel, Goku-kun. I lost my memories, I don't even remember who my father is..." said Muichiro. "If this doll remembers you your father... Then I'll let you train with it."
"Really?" said Goku.
"Yeah," said Muichiro. "Don't worry, I'm done with my training with this thing..."
"Oh, I understand. I'll train with it, then," said Goku, preparing to fight. "It'll be just like fighting Otosan..."
Muichiro noticed Goku's damaged sword. "Your sword is damaged."
"That's why I came here," said Goku. "I wanted Haganezuka to fix it, but I can't find him..."
Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"Hey, Goku!"
The boy turned and saw Tanjiro. "Hey, Tanjiro-kun!"
"Were you training with this thing?" asked Tanjiro.
"Yeah, I was," replied Goku. "It looks like Otosan..."
"I already saw this man!" exclaimed Tanjiro. Goku's eye widened once again.
"Eh? You already saw him?" he repeated. "You mean... You're having the same dreams as me?"
"So you're dreaming about this man too!" exclaimed Tanjiro.
"Yes. From what I understood, Otosan and your ancestor were best friends," said Goku. "Otosan passed his hanafuda earrings and Sun Breathing to your ancestor, who then passed it through your generation, until it reached you..."
"So, these earrings actually belong to you..." muttered Tanjiro.
"You can keep them," said Goku. "If Otosan gave them to your ancestor, he must've been worthy of it. So are you. So keep those earrings, please."
"Oh, fine, I'll keep them..." said Tanjiro.
"So... You mean you two are related?" asked Kotetsu, a young kid who followed Tanjiro.
"No, we are not related, but we can both use Sun Breathing. Even if Tanjiro-kun calls it Hinokami Kagura, it's basically the same thing," said Goku. "It's good though. Someone else who uses Sun Breathing... I feel less alone in this world now."
"Why don't we train together with this doll?" asked Tanjiro.
"You and I? Training with this thing?" repeated Goku. "Yeah. I like the sound of it."
"Fine, let's train then!" exclaimed Tanjiro.
In the following days, Goku and Tanjiro trained with the doll, whose name was Yoriichi Type Zero. Specifically, they trained for a week.
"This thing is tough... In seven days, we didn't even manage to land a hit on it..." panted Tanjiro.
"It's as if I'm really fighting against Otosan..." muttered Goku.
The two boys charged again at the doll. Goku jumped.
"Take this!" he exclaimed, aiming his sword at the doll's head. But the doll dodged and countered.
Fortunately, though, Tanjiro managed to land a hit on the doll.
"You did it, Tanjiro-kun!" exclaimed Goku, back on his feet. "My turn!"
This time, the attack landed.
"Yeah! We did it, Goku!" celebrated Tanjiro.
"You deserve some food now!" exclaimed Kotetsu.
"I want some top-quality onigiri!" said Goku and Tanjiro in unison.
But suddenly, Goku heard a noise. He turned and saw that the doll's head had been destroyed.
"Seems like I broke the doll..." he muttered. But then, the boy noticed something replacing the broken head: A sword.
"This..." he muttered. "This is Otosan's sword..."
"Really? Then you must keep it with you!" said Tanjiro.
"I will," said Goku. "From now on, I'll fight with two swords. Mine and Otosan's."
But then, he heard another voice. "Let me fix it, Goku-kun."
Goku turned and saw Haganezuka.
"You..." muttered the boy.
"Were you searching for me? Here I am," said Haganezuka. "Give me that old sword, I'll fix it, and then you can have it."
"Where have you been all this time, exactly?" asked Tanjiro.
"I trained in the mountains," explained Haganezuka. "About you, Tanjiro-kun, you can have this sword while I fix that one..."
Haganezuka handed Tanjiro a new sword.
Haganezuka took Goku's and Tanjiro's swords and left.
"So... he gave you a new sword, and he's going to fix Otosan's sword..." said Goku. "But what about my sword? It's still damaged!"
"Don't worry," said Tanjiro. "You'll be able to use it, as long as you don't force it."
"Oh, that's fine..." muttered Goku. (Otosan, I don't know if you're watching me from up there... I wish you're in Jannah... But if you're actually watching me, otosan, I just found your sword... I'll fight with it, to honour you!)
Suddenly, Goku saw a figure: Yoriichi.
"Otosan..." he muttered.
The silhouette didn't say anything. It just turned and smiled at Goku. Maybe it meant "You're doing great, my son," or something like that. Or at least, that's what Goku thought.
For the first time in his life, despite all the dreams and visions of Yoriichi he had previously, Goku really felt connected to his father after finding his sword.
Chapter 31 - End