The next day, Goku reached the forest to search for Haganezuka. (Where the hell did that man go...?) he wondered. 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...?) he wondered. 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..." he added. In that moment, Goku didn't say nothing. He just stepped up and hugged the doll. "Uhm... Why are you hugging a doll?" asked Muichiro. "Because... This doll looks like my otosan," said Goku. "I know, this doll it's not him, but... for me, who have never seen him in person, it is as if he were. I don't know if you understand what I'm saying..." he explained, still hugging the doll. "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," said Muichiro. "Really?" said Goku. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'm done with my training with this thing..." said Muichiro. "Oh, I understand. I'll train with it, then. It'll be just like fighting my otosan..." said Goku, preparing to fight. Then, Muichiro notied Goku's damaged sword. "Your sword is damaged," he said. "That's why I came here. I wanted Haganezuka to fix it, but I can't find him..." said Goku. Suddenly, Goku heard a voice.
"Hey, Goku!". The boy turned and saw Tanjiro. "Hey, Tanjiro-kun!" exclaimed Goku. "Were you training with this thing?" asked Tanjiro. "Yeah, I was. It looks like my otosan..." replied Goku. "I already saw this man!" exclaimed Tanjiro. Goku's eye widened once again. "Eh? You already saw him?" he repeated. "You mean... You're doing the same dreams as me?" he asked. "So you're dreaming about this man too!" exclaimed Tanjiro. "Yes. From what I understood, otosan and your ancestor were best friends. Otosan passed his hanafuda earrings and Sun Breathing to your ancestor, who then passed it through your generation, until it reached you..." explained Goku. "So, this earrings actually belongs to you..." muttered Tanjiro. "You can keep them. If otosan gave them to your ancestor, he must've been worthy of it. So are you. So keep those earrings, please," said Goku. "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. "Me and you? Training with this thing?" repeated Goku. "Yeah. I like the sound of it," he then said. "Fine, let's train then!" exclaimed Tanjiro. In the following days, Goku and Tanjiro trained with the doll, which name was Yoriichi Type Zero. Exactly, 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 to 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!" he then shouted, aiming at the doll's head once again. 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..." he said, grabbing it. "Really? Then you must keep it with you!" said Tanjiro. "I will. From now on, I'll fight with two swords. Mine and otosan's," declared Goku. 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. Give me that old sword, I'll fix it, and then you can have it," said Haganezuka. "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..." he then said, handing a black sword to Tanjiro. Then, Haganezuka took Goku's and Tanjiro's sword and left. "So... He gave you a new sword, and he's going to fix otosan's sword... But what about my sword? It's still damaged!" said Goku. "Don't worry. You'll be able to use it, as long as you don't force it," explained Tanjiro. "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!) thought the boy. Then, Goku saw a figure: Yoriichi. "Otosan..." he muttered. The silhouette didn't say nothing. 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.