Argentum: Ah the usefulness of having six months worth of planning. I'm able to push out these chapters so quickly.

Slayer: Yeah yeah… we could all learn a thing from you.

Grel'Slyfer: Well planning is half the battle.

Kyojuro: Aye! But implementing what you've planned is the other half!

Slayer: Sweet! We have the amazing Kyojuro Rengoku now in the chat!

Argentum: He is definitely one of my favorite characters… sadly cut down before his time…

Kyojuro: Let's hope I last longer in this version of events!

Grel'Slyfer: Yeah… why not…

Slayer: The evil is strong in this one.

Grel'Slyfer: Well unlike my younger brother Shadow I won't deny that.

Argentum: Heh… whelp unless we somehow get any reviews while I write this chapter than I believe it's time to move on.

Kyojuro: And I will be the one to move us! All of us here at the Dark Guard productions own nothing! That is besides OC's and reality building concepts! Now without further delay!

Everyone: Here's the story!

Slayer: Seriously Kyojuro is awesome.

Argentum: No arguments here.

Hello= Regular talk

Hello= Thoughts

[Hello]= Radio

(Hello)= Telepathy/Mind reading

Chapter Fourteen: How I learned to breathe or… How I met my new role model

Last time on Math's guide to Domination with a side of Salt! I was currently beating up on a hung over man with flaming hair! "Oomph!" Or at least that's what I would like to say… Currently Shinjurō was beating the ever living daylights out of me!

"HA! Yeah you're showing how "strong" you are alright! Can't believe Judan San forced this brat up on me! What a joke!" Gritting my teeth I stood back up, eye partially closed from an earlier hit. He just scoffed at my resistance. "Bah! So you can take a beating? So what?! I know hundreds of people who can do just that!" Charging forward again my very real and metal sword clashed with his wooden one. I only managed to catch a glimpse of it, but I could see that his blade didn't have a scratch on it.

Pushing my body to the limit I swung and hacked, and slashed. All of my blows were either parried or avoided altogether. As for my opponent… he capitalized on everything. He used the fact that my strength was lower than his to jar my hands from each exchange. He used his superior speed to barrage me with blow after blow. Combine that all with his skill and experience and I was so outclassed it wasn't even funny. Every time I managed to block just one of his strikes, I received twenty more. My body was sore and bruised and battered. Worse than anything my old teachers ever did to me. This man was also purposely breaking my bones, forcing me to heal myself as we continued.

Judan had apparently informed everyone in the know about us about my magic. That's what Shinjurō told me at least when he ordered me to heal a broken arm. Finally after a vicious blow across my chest I fell. Breathing heavily from the pain. I could no longer stand back up. Looking up at the one who put me into this condition I could see something else but anger and annoyance.

That however only lasted but a moment as he turned around. "Hmph… I suppose you are the strongest non-breathing style swordsman I've met. Not that it actually amounts to much. Now get up! Then go clean yourself off. Get yourself a something to eat and then go to bed. Your training will start as soon as the sun rises! And I want no complaints! I want you out of my hair as soon as possible and that won't happen if we don't use every last minute given to us!" With his words said he left me lying on the ground. I couldn't move however… so I stayed there for a bit recovering some strength.

That's when a I heard a young voice call out to me. "Oh Kami! Are you alright sir?" Turning my head as much as I could I was surprised to see a miniature Shinjurō. Walking up to me he looked me over a bit as I answered.

"Well… I'd be lying if I said I haven't been better. Seriously… Shinjurō does not hold back…"

The kid grimaced at my words before bowing his head slightly. "Please forgive my Otou Sama for his actions… I'm… I'm sure he has the best intentions for you. He's… he's just very harsh." I was surprised that this mini Shinjurō was actually said Shinjurō's son. The two didn't seem anything alike, looks aside of course. "Do you… do you need help standing?" Coming out of my contemplation I wasn't going to let pride get in my way. At that moment in time I knew I needed some help so I nodded and held out my arm.

"Yeah… I could use a bit of help standing at least." The boy nodded before taking my hand and with some effort on both our parts. I managed to get to my feet. "Phew… thanks a bunch." He simply nodded as I decided to ask him a few things. "So… what's your name? Don't want to simply call you kid now do we?" That got a laugh out of him before the kid answered.

"Right! My name is Rengoku Senjurō sir!" He then bowed as he continued speaking. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Senjurō's actions caught me off guard but I still smiled and copied his actions.

Though inwardly I was hoping I was doing it correctly. "I'm Michael Smith, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well." As we ended our bows he looked at me in some surprise.

"So you're a foreigner then?" Despite it being a bit misleading I nodded my head. "Never thought I would ever see Otou Sama train anyone... let alone a foreigner. You must be special if he had decided to train you." I couldn't help but laugh and rub the back of my head sheepishly. A habit I had started picking up from Cassandra actually. Though in her case my princess rarely did it, simply because nothing seemed to ever embarrass her.

I had decided to be a bit truthful to Senjurō however. "Actually… someone who your father… sorry Otou Sama owed a favor to somehow convinced him to train me. No idea how or why… but that's the story as to why I'm here." Senjurō seemed a lot more understanding of the situation now and simply nodded his head.

"I see… well seeing how you're new here want me to lead you around? I'm sure you're hungry from your fight." At that moment for the first time in my life my stomach actually growled at the sound of food. "Haha! Well I guess that answers that question. I guess you should just follow me now." I nodded a bit embarrassed at my own body as I followed the kid. As we walked I asked him a few things, specifically just what a Hashira was. Senjurō was more than happy to answer. "A Hashira is one of the seven strongest swordsmen in the corps. Each one being called a pillar of the entire organization. They are the highest rank and get shown the most benefits. Throughout history however there has always been a Flame and Water Hashira."

I couldn't help but nod in a bit of respect at that tidbit. "That is rather impressive. Seems as if Flame and Water breathing are the best then." Senjurō laughed before correcting me.

"Well the two styles do produce some of the best… the other breathing styles are not to be undermined. My Nii Sama, the current flame Hashira, actually trained another flame user. However she made some adjustments and changes and made an offshoot called love breathing. She's now a Hashira herself."

Now that interested me. "I see… so these breathing styles can be altered and changed to suit a person's needs?" Senjurō nodded as I thought on it. "Well… based on what I saw I think straight up flame is probably best for me. Besides… I got to show up your Otou Sama somehow… uh… no offense." Thankfully he didn't take and simply laughed. After that he told me a bit more of the different breathing styles. The five that stood out to me were the original breathing styles. Flame, Water, Thunder, Wind, and Earth. It kind of made me want to learn all of them, but seeing how long it took to simply master one of them… well I thought it best to stick to one for the moment.

We had kept talking even during dinner, a traditional Japanese meal that I simply loved! Shesh! Authentic Japanese cuisine is awesome! Swallowing a bite I couldn't help but exclaim my delight.

"Delicious!" Senjurō blinked and looked at me in surprise before laughing. I couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish at my actions. "Heh heh… sorry… just this food is very good."

The kid shook his head. "No it's not that… you just reminded me of my older brother is all. You see his favorite food is sweet potatoes, and whenever he eats them he always says umai just like you did. In fact you remind me of him a bit." Now was my turn to blink in surprise. Not just from how I was apparently like the current flame Hashira. But also because of whatever translation spell Judan had put on me. It was very efficient… still made me want to learn Japanese as soon as I could though.

Shaking my head I couldn't help but smile. "You know… you're a good kid. Make sure to keep that up and don't let your Otou Sama drag you down. And who knows? Maybe one day he'll see your kindness and decide to change." I saw his eyes widen before giving me a determined smile.

"RIGHT!" My grin only grew at that. There was just something about this kid that made me want to cheer him on. But as with all things dinner had to end and I needed my rest for tomorrow. So after saying goodnight to Senjurō and cleaning up, I found my room and simply plopped down fast first on the futon provided.

I was in still pretty rough shape. Groaning I flopped over and decided to just look at my card to see if there were any changes. I hummed at seeing my physical stats increase by ones and twos. It was barely a drop compared to my current stats. But I'd take just about anything at the moment. Looking it over I sighed as I saw that I had lost the champion of Eris perk. Though it did make sense seeing how my goddess had lost her divinity. Just thinking of it made me grit my teeth.

"I promise I'll make everything right again…" Putting my card away I closed my eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Umai! This is delicious so says I! The Line break user of the line breathing style!

The next morning I woke up right as the sun was rising. Knowing what today was going to bring I sighed but got up anyways. As I finished putting on my clothes the door to my room opened. Shinjurō was standing there looking at me judgingly.

"Well… at least you can wake up on time. But don't let it go to your head; we still have much work to do on you." As he turned to leave my left eye twitched.

Forget surviving the training… I don't know if I'll be able to survive this man's attitude! Not allowing anymore frustration to show on my face I walked after my host. Arriving at the dining room we ate our hardy breakfast in silence. It was the most awkward breakfast I'd ever had. After that it was back to the dojo.

Standing in front of me he began to actually instruct me. "Now… the first thing we'll work on, seeing how your actual swordsmanship needs less work and more experience, is Zen Shūchū no Kokyū. You will learn how to breathe in a certain way to obtain more strength, speed, and endurance." He then walked up to me sword in hand. "To begin with watch how I breathe, once you see the pattern of my breaths try doing it yourself." With that he began showing me what I would be doing.

Best way I could describe it… strange… I myself have used meditative breaths when I was using a bow. This was quite different however. I could almost see how the air was entering in through his mouth. More than that… I could feel the heat in the room rising. The source of it was from Shinjurō himself. I was honestly impressed, but keeping my cool I did my best to copy my teacher as best I could. Watching his whole body, even using my Lyb'Craeft for more precision. Thankfully this was the one instance where Shinjurō was patient with me. After an hour something happened and my lungs suddenly felt as if they were on fire.

"Gah!" I started coughing from the pain and Shinjurō simply nodded at me. "Guessing from your reaction this was supposed to happen?"

My teacher grunted before answering. "At least you have strength in smarts. But to answer yes… that was Zen Shūchū no Kokyū the Honō no kokyū variant. You were quick to pick up on it. Now… now you refine it! Sit in seiza and simply meditate! No matter how much it might hurt continue breathing! Never stop!" He then turned around. "I'll see you again in an hour, make sure you keep practicing. I don't want you slacking! That means no healing yourself until I say so!" With his piece said Shinjurō left me to my pain.

As my eye twitched I couldn't help but let out a complaint even though he was long gone. "I don't even know what seiza is…" Shaking my head I decided to simply sit cross legged and combine a meditative state with whatever Zen Shūchū no Kokyū meant. I knew it probably meant breathing something or other, but I wasn't quite so sure. "Will probably have to send Eris a letter asking about it." Shaking my head I went back to breathing what felt like literal fire. I was in constant pain, but like he told me to I kept on breathing.

Trying to get my mind away from the pain I thought on my eyes. Using them I was able to pick up on what Shinjurō was doing much faster than I probably had any right to. My training with them has certainly started paying off. Inwardly chuckling I thought back to when I couldn't even keep them on for five seconds. Now I could use them for an hour. Shaking my head I realized that I had stopped breathing so I started back up. Once more I could feel the burn, at that point I could only hope that my body could adapt quickly.

When the hour had passes I was barely able to even breathe. My lungs and throat felt as if they were fried. When I heard the door open I turned to see Shinjurō looking at me appraisingly.

"Hmm… didn't actually expect you to be able to keep doing it this entire time. Half expected to find you passed out on the ground." As he walked over to pick up another wooden sword he turned to me. "Heal yourself and then come at me while continuing your breathing. We'll see just how adapt you are!" Doing as he said I stood up and adopted a defensive stance. I knew I'd need to weather the storm that was heading towards me once again. "Ready?!" He didn't give me any time to answer as he charged me. Once more wood met metal as we fought… or more accurately as I got beaten up.

"Prepare yourself! I'm about to show you the first two forms of the Honō no kokyū style!" My eyes widened as he seemed to appear before me, calling out the name of the first form. "Ichi no kata Shiranui!" Activating my Lyb'Craeft on instinct I was able to see what he did. But I was still in awe of the flames coming off of him. I could tell that he had slowed down the actual strike as to not kill me. Even so I was barely able to block the attack from hitting my neck. I could still feel the heat from his flames but at least I wasn't dead. "Good! Now for the second!" I wasn't given any time to rest. "Ni no kata Nobori En Ten!" This one was even faster than the first.

Unleashing a spiral attack upwards at me I couldn't block. I could feel the blade slam into my chest, the flames and the blunt force from the wooden sword hurt. I felt ribs break and I coughed out blood which was instantly dried up from the heat.

As I fell to the ground Shinjurō yelled at me. "Get up! We're not done here yet! I saw that you stopped breathing! Never stop until your lungs are destroyed!" Healing myself I stood up shakily while breathing once more. "Good! I will not be going easy on you Gaki! Those two girls of yours might be getting the easy treatment, but you'll get none of that from me! Now combine your breathing with the two forms I just showed you! We'll see just how quickly you can pick up on all of this."

I was still hurting but I did as he said. "Ni no kata Nobori En Ten!" I had decided to use the second form first, seeing how it was a very straight forward attack. However when I used it there was no heat… and there was no flames. No all I was able to produce was a sloppy, if strong upwards attack.

"HA! That all you can do?! Maybe I'm wasting my time after all?!" Growling I used the first form since I was now closer.

"Ichi no kata Shiranui!" It was about as sloppy as my second form, but with my anger I was able to produce just a bit of heat. It wasn't enough though, and despite my continuous use of the first two forms. Along with using the Honō no kokyū style… I ended up once more on my back facing straight up.

My so called teacher simply scoffed. "Bah! I suppose you did well… for a complete and utter novice! Rest up for three hours, and then come join us for lunch. Then it's more training for you!" As he started leaving he told me to do one more thing. "Oh! And don't forget to breathe!" With the sound of wooden slamming against wood I knew Shinjurō had left.

Umai! This is delicious so says I! The Line break user of the line breathing style!

Laying there I wondered when the pain would stop. "This guy really wants me to master everything as quickly as possible…" Sitting up I continued to breathe even as my lungs burned. "Guess he's taking advantage of my magic. Makes sense all things considered." Sighing I was about to sit up when I saw a face appear right above me. "GAH!"

"HAHAHA! What a splendid reaction!" For a second I thought that Shinjurō had come back in. But as I sat up in shock his laughter quickly killed such a thought. "HAHA! No need to be afraid trainee! I was just checking up on the student that was thrown on my Tou San. And so far I like what I see!" Turning to him I blinked and seriously began wondering how Shinjurō had children so different from him. "So tell me what is it like to be training with Tou San? It's been a number of years since he's trained me, but based on what I've seen he's been going harder on you then he did me. Or at least from how I saw him beat you black and blue today."

I was surprised that this guy had watched my training earlier but decided to answer any ways. "Well… your Shinjurō San is… well to be respectful to him… is very strict and expects nothing but the absolute best from me. He harsh and abrasive but every now and then I catch a glimpse of approval in his eyes." The man nodded his head before sitting down in front of me. His white haori flowing a bit as he did so. Taking a better look at him made me realize that this man was strong. Catching a glimpse of his sword I saw that it was a standard looking katana. But the guard or tsuba as I later learned it was called, was like a flame with a red core and golden border.

After sitting down he held his hand out still smiling. "I'm Rengoku Kyojuro! A pleasure to make your acquaintance!" His attitude was very infectious and I quickly took his hand and shook it. As I noticed how firm and strong his grip was I introduced myself as well.

"I'm beginning to think the pleasure is all mine, but I'm Smith Michael. I hope to get to know you better Rengoku San… also forgive me if I butcher any of your customs, I'm actually a foreigner. But I am eager to learn." That got him to laugh as he let go of my hand.

"Think nothing of it! I'm more than willing to help you out with that when I'm around. And I'm sure my brother would also be more than happy to help as well!" That's when it clicked that this must be Senjurō's older brother, the current flame Hashira. Looking at me he hummed for a moment. "You stopped your breathing, better keep it up!" Realizing he was right I began to do so once more.

Couldn't help but make a comment at the pain again though. "My body does get used to this right? Because I don't think I'd be good in a real fight if it didn't." Patting my shoulder with a laugh Kyojuro stood up.

"Do not worry my new friend. As you practice your body will adapt and become all the stronger for it! Now stand up! I wish to see you perform the first two forms of the Honō no kokyū style! Maybe I'll be able to help you improve a bit before lunch!" I was immediately up and on my feet. I mean learning from another master of what you're trying to learn who actually wishes to teach? I was more than willing to listen to anything he said to help me.

"You got it~!" As he laughed at my enthusiasm, I made sure to keep breathing as I performed the first two forms as best as I could. Again there were no flames and there was very little heat. But it was the best that I could do. "So… what do you think?"

He hummed for a moment before nodding. "Let me see them again, I just want to get a good feel for how you're doing them before changing anything for you." I did as he asked, and after a few more times he clapped his hands. "Alright! First let's focus on the first form! Now for the Ichi no kata Shiranui! You're arms are stiffer than they should be! While it is true you need to keep a firm grip on your blade. You must keep your elbows loose so the attack doesn't lose any momentum! You also aren't building up enough momentum! Now keep your elbows loose and try to go faster!" Nodding I continued to use Honō no kokyū as I did as Kyojuro suggested.

Putting everything I had into it I performed the first form once more. Let's hope this works better Ichi no kata Shiranui! Performing to the best of my novice abilities I smiled. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I could feel at least double the heat of last time.

As I heard him clapping I turned back to the flame Hashira. "Sugoi! Your form was nearly perfect! A few more adjustments and lots more training and you're golden!" This man… though he was very exuberant there was just something that made me want to be near him. "Alright let's go through a few more adjustments before moving onto the Ni no kata Nobori En Ten!" Eager to keep learning and improving under Kyojuro I nodded. So began my training once again. It was tough but I managed to work out the kinks in my form. Turned out Kyojuro was also a very good teacher.

Then again Senjurō did say he taught another Hashira. Looking at him as we walked towards lunch made me grin. Wish I could've straight up have him as a teacher. But alas I do believe his duties as Hashira probably leaves him quite busy. Shaking my head as we entered the dining room I saw both Senjurō and Shinjurō, the latter of whom completely ignored us. Though for a brief second I saw him glare at Kyojuro.

"Nii Sama! When did you get back?!" The kid was over excited to see his older brother, and I didn't blame him! My short interaction with Kyojuro made me want him as an older brother! Shinjurō continued to ignore us before finishing his meal and standing up. As we one we turned to him warily before he spoke up.

"I hope you didn't spend your time idling Kyojuro…" He then turned to me. "Meet me back in the dojo once you're done. You still have a long way to go and I need to show you the next two forms before the day is over." He then turned back to Kyojuro. "I know you helped my student, feel free to do so! The Gaki will need all the help he can get. Even if he'll just die in the end. Also remember to keep breathing! I'll give you an hour to finish!" With his piece said Shinjurō left.

Kyojuro sighed and shook his head with a smile. "Well… seems as if you've grown on him a bit!" Both me and his brother could only give him dead panned looks. "HAHAHA! Trust me that was him being nice!" As he patted me on the shoulder he went and bear hugged his brother. "It is good to see you again little brother!" Letting them have their little reunion I sat down. I needed to eat as much as possible, and let my food I digest quickly before starting up on my training again. Eventually the other two joined me but I was surprised when both me and Kyojuro ate the sweet potatoes.

""This is delicious/Umai!"" Looking at each other we blinked for a bit before laughing. I wasn't expecting that, as it turned out Senjurō was right about me and his brother… at least when it came to food. Shaking my head I decided to slow down and talk with the two brothers more. Kyojuro being a Hashira was very well informed and answered a slew of my questions. Even telling me about the ranks of the demon slayer corps. There were ten standard ranks in the corps Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, and Kinoe. There was also the Hashira but those were more outliers. The second in command to Kagaya himself. Then there were the Tsuguko, a person designated as a successor to a Hashira.

Turns out though that everyone was paid according to their rank. Mizunoto the lowest rank were paid two hundred thousand yen a year. Thinking on that I realized that it wasn't a bad sum, considering it was the nineteen twenties. It was at this time that Kyojuro said something that surprised me.

"Ha! Maybe if you keep this work ethic of yours up, I'll make you my Tsuguko Smith San!" I was surprised by the maybe future offer and I couldn't help but ask something.

"That… that would be awesome but what about Senjurō here? Wouldn't you want him to be your successor?" That got them quiet and Senjurō to look down. "Sorry did I say something wrong?"

Senjurō shook his head. "No you didn't Smith San… it's just I have no skill for the demon slaying arts so I couldn't be even if I wanted to." I couldn't help but frown and think on that a bit as Kyojuro tried cheering him up.

"Don't worry little brother! Even if you don't go out and slay demons there are still plenty of other things you can do to help!" That got Senjurō to smile a bit as an idea came to my mind.

"Well… is it that you have no skill at all… or just no skill with flame breathing and or with a sword?" They both turned to me blinking in surprise. "Just a thought… but it could be that they simply don't suit you. Besides weren't you telling me last night that the sound Hashira used large knives? And tha the earth Hashira used some kind of ball and chain?" That got them both thinking before Kyojuro put his hands on my shoulders.

"Smith San… you are a genius! If you survive final selection I will do my best to aid you even if you don't become my Tsuguko!" He then turned to his younger brother. "After lunch we'll try seeing about other weapons you may be able to use! That is if… you're interested of course little brother!" With an excited nod the kid couldn't help but yell in his excitement.

"YES! I would love that!" We all shared a laugh at that and before long my hour for lunch was over.

Standing up I stretched out my back. "Well… back to the daily grind I suppose. See you two later!" As they waved me goodbye Kyojuro spoke up.

"If you're up for it I'll stop by once you're done with Tou San help refine you like I did this afternoon." Now that was a great thought and I eagerly gave my answer.

"That would be awesome!" He simply laughed at my exuberance. So now more determined than ever I went and left for the dojo. There already waiting for me was Shinjurō who looked a bit impatient.

"It's been a bit more than an hour Gaki!" I sighed inwardly before apologizing.

"Sorry me and Kyojuro San were throwing around some new ideas for Senjurō." He raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment further on it. Instead he got into a fighting stance, a wooden sword already in his hands. Seeing this I took out my own blade.

"Time for to see if you picked anything up from my useless son before moving on." I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at that. To me his son was the farthest thing from useless. So focusing my breathing once more I leapt forward.

I decided to not call out the name of the form I chose to open up with first. Let's see how you like my improved Ni no kata Nobori En Ten! I as my sword made contact with his I could for just a flicker of a moment. See his surprise before his eyes hardened once again. Now close I decided it was time to use the Ichi no kata Shiranui. Aiming to try and decapitate him, even if I knew he would be able to deflect my blow easily. Again a brief flash of surprise before he began retaliating.

"Hah! I see that you can improve! Now let's see how you do with this! San no kata Kien Banjō!" His sword flaming he swung at me in a downwards arc. My eyes widened as I did my best to divert the blow. I was only partially successful seeing how the heat and flames burnt my side. Gritting my teeth I kept on breathing and attacked with the second form again. Blocking me with ease he spoke out once more. "Now! The Shi no kata Sei En no Uneri!" It was the fourth form he had shown me, and it was by far the strongest and most complicated. Swinging his blade in a circular motion Senjurō was able to get pass all of my defenses and hit me multiple times.

I coughed out blood as I was thrown back. "Hmph! Get up! I want you now to mimic me and do as I do!" Getting up while healing my broken bones I paid strict attention to my teacher. This time I took Kyojuro's advice and watched every last part of his body. After a bit of me mimicking him and Senjurō showing me what to do we sparred once more. My forms were rough and I couldn't even do the fourth form at all. "You need much more work on that… For now you will only be working on the first four forms! Make sure to master them to perfection!" With that he left as I was kneeling on the ground. Leaning on my sword as I continued to try and use the Honō no kokyū.

But with my Zen Shūchū no Kokyū still being as rough as it was… I could barely keep it up. Using the lost drop of magic I had for healing I stood up looking at my sword. I couldn't help but grimace. The once polished black blade was now dirtied with soot. Shaking my head I looked over my clothes. They too were burnt and blackened.

"Seems as if you'll need some new clothes." Turning around I saw an amused Kyojuro. "Don't worry I'll get you something sturdier and more to your liking. Least I could do for the one who helped my precious little brother." I tried to say something but he cut me off. "No arguing! As it turned out Senjurō has some talent with a nagamaki. Thankfully we had one lying around. We're going to adjust the flame breathing for his use as well. Thinking of calling it scorch breathing or something." Shaking his head he looked at me gratefully. "Your simple and honestly rather logical idea has helped him more than you know. So the least I could do is buy you something to wear."

I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of this so instead I nodded. "Alright… I'll tell you a bit about what I might like later. For now mind helping me out a bit more?"

After pounding a fist on his chest Kyojuro answered. "I'd be more than happy to help!" So with a smile of my own we began going over what I learned. The third form was easy, a simple yet powerful downwards slash. The forth however… "You need to loosen up all of your arms for this! And you need to twist more at the waist!" I was breathing heavily but I kept on trying. "Hmm… I suppose a form in like this would be difficult without the right flexibility. Here as you continue to use your Zen Shūchū no Kokyū I want you to try out these stretches. It is important to be strong and flexible for the Honō no kokyū style." Stopping I watched what he was doing and copied him.

"Okay… this hurts a bit…" He only laughed as he helped me along. By the time we were done for the night I was even soring than the night before. "Yeesh… I really will have to use every moment possible within these next sixteen months."

Frowning Kyojuro nodded in agreement. "You will I won't lie. Thankfully you already had a lot of training from before. Your body just needs to adapt now to the Honō no kokyū. Once you do that you'll just be needing more experience." He then gave me a bright smile. "But… I have feeling that you'll be able to do it! Set your heart ablaze and keep your head held high! Live life to the fullest and never give up and you will be able to master everything you'll be taught! That is something I personally promise to you!" Something triggered in me when he said those words, and I couldn't help but look at him in admiration.

"OF COURSE!" Laughing he patted my shoulder before leaving.

"It's late! And you need a bath and lots of rest for tomorrow! Just remember to keep breathing!" Closing the door behind him I could still feel his strong and bright presence.

That man… he is truly someone to be admired. Smiling I went to do as he suggested. I think… I think I found myself someone to finally look up to. That smile brought a smile to my face, for while I did look up to me previous teachers and even my own father. None of them had the sheer presence that Kyojuro had. Finishing up my bath and heading to my room I looked around and saw a desk in the corner. On it was some papers and ink brushes. Resolving myself I decided to do something. Walking over I sat down and started using Judan's translation spell to the fullest. Writing two pages worth of my time spent here. My writing honestly sucked and I was sure I would look back over my Japanese later and be appalled.

But I needed the practice. Speaking of practice… I then wrote two letters, one to each my girls telling them about my time and asking them what they've been up to. I'll have to ask about how I can send these later. Finished for the night I went to sleep on my futon. Time to see what tomorrow will bring. As I finally closed my eyes and let sleep take me… I dreamt of flames. Bright and powerful streaking across a starry sky. Yes… a beautiful dream.

Umai! This is delicious so says I! The Line break user of the line breathing style!

Argentum: And there we go! I will admit while I'm satisfied with this chapter. I do realize that I probably wasn't able to capture Kyojuro's true essence in this. Though I did try my best.

Slayer: I think it was decent enough… especially since he really wasn't in the manga for that long. Though his little one shot was pretty great. Kind of reminds me of Maes Hughes from full metal alchemist.

Argentum: Well the entirety of Kimestu no Yaiba is pretty similar to full metal alchemist.

Shadow: I think they're both rather great for in their own ways.

Grel'Slyfer: I find the villains of each story simply marvelous!

Senjuro: Well… I just like how I might be able to learn how to fight in my own way.

Slayer: Well I say you deserve it kid.

Argentum: Yep! Now with nothing else left to say let's have Senjuro kick us end us off?

Senjuro: Sure! This has been a Dark Guard production now signing off!

Everyone: Goodbye!