Wisteria

6 - Yasuo's Beginnings

Yasuo woke to the sudden shock of cold water hitting his body. He jolted up from his bed, hugging his shivering body while he gasped for air. "Jesus MOTHER FUCKING CHRIST!" He screamed, scanning the room. He only needed to take a glance at Hanako holding an empty bucket to scream and fall out of his bed, landing harshly on his backside.

"Get up, get changed, and meet me outside," Hanako ordered, swiftly making her way out of the room. Yasuo groaned as groggily pulled himself up and headed towards the wardrobe. He opened the cupboards, finding a clean hakama and a pair of sandals. He slipped the sandals on and proceeded to exit his room, making his way to the backyard.

Snow crunched under the boy's footsteps as he quietly moved along. Hanako was muttering with her hands together, sitting under the flowerless wisteria trees. As Yasuo made his way over, the girl stood up, picking up the sword on the floor with her. "You're slower than I expected," She muttered, turning to face the boy. "Run around the backyard five times."

Yasuo, clueless, began to jog around the backyard. He quickly picked the pace up as he heard Hanako raise her voice slightly, but since she was a nonchalant mofo, her voice barely had an aggressive tint. Five laps pass and Hanako snaps her fingers again. "Again. Faster. Five more times." She muttered. Yasuo groaned in frustration as he began to run around the backyard, accelerating his speed.

And so another five laps passed, and another, and another, and another and another and another andanotherandanotherandanotherandanotherandanotherand- Yasuo fell to his knees as Hanako continued to bark orders at him, snapping her fingers in his ears. At this point, Yasuo had completed fifty laps of non-stop running on an acre of land.

He gulped the air desperately, holding his chest as he allowed his body to settle. "I- I- I can't- I...- I literally can't-" He heaved, padding his chest. His response was met with the woman's face inches away from his with her hands behind her back.

"And I'm dead serious. We haven't even begun yet. Get up and find a goal to continue running or those feet go." She ordered in a stone-cold tone. Yasuo groaned as he reluctantly pulled himself up, quickly finishing his last round of laps.

The boy fell onto his stomach, mumbling in the snow as he finished his last lap. Yet, the sharp metal prod against his head caused him to jolt his head up. A beautiful blade shone in the sun as it hovered inches above Yasuo's head. He had never seen a light pink sword before, nor had he seen such an elegant curve on a katana or a hilt in the shape of wisterias bundled.

"Sit up," Hanako murmured as she sheathed her sword. "Or you're doing more laps." Yasuo quickly sat up, straightening his posture to the extreme. Yet, it quickly faltured as he asked a simple question, eyes sparkling.

"When can I get that?" He asked, pointing to the sheathed sword. Even the cover had butterflies and wisterias engraved in the leather! The girl only frowned at him slightly as she crossed her arms.

"When you're ready. Once you become a Demon Slayer I'll get you some cool covers or whatever," She promised, helping Yasuo up. "But for now, we're starting with the basics."

"Firstly, to become a Demon Slayer, you need to learn how to breathe," Hanako stated. Obviously, the boy frowned. It was such a stupid step.

"Wha- I'm already breathing!" He exclaimed. "Why do I-" Yasuo's eyes widened as a sharp jap struck his ribs, causing him to stumble back and gasp for air. He clutched his throat, the pain seeping through his lungs and bones. Hanako's elbow buried deeper into Yasuo's rips as she held his body in place, grasping his head.

"Can you breathe?" Hanako asked sharply. Yasuo heaved as he shook his head, clutching his chest. He sighed in relief as the girl's grasp eased, allowing him to take more gulps of air. "First step," Hanako continued. "Is to learn a special type of breathing."

"You are currently under the Butterfly Mansion's care, therefore you will learn how to become a Demon Slayer under the Butterfly Mansion's name. You will not bring shame or ridicule the family, or you shall be exiled from all mediums of history. Do I make myself clear?" She stated firmly. Yasuo frantically nodded and Hanako continued to talk.

"Now, as I said, you are under the Butterfly Mansion's care, therefore you will learn flower breathing. Flower breathing is exclusive and reserved for Butterfly Mansion users, however, you can derive your breathing style to one more suitable for your use.

"Breathing styles are what help a Demon Slayer to kill demons. By manipulating your breath, you can expand your lungs, allowing more oxygen into your lungs to enter your bloodstream, which enhances your muscle movement, speed, and strength.

"Some breathing styles require a specific item, animal, or emotion to be performed, but most should be fine to use-"

"Are you done?" Yasuo cut off, raising an eyebrow. He quickly shrunk to a small position, hanging his head to hide from Hanako's glare.

"To enhance a breathingstyle, you need to find something related to help you perform better. For example, flower breathing requires a flower to help you breathe easier. Don't ask me how or why. I don't care. Most of these styles will have a by-product. For example, flame breathing will create fire-"

"You done?"

Hanako's stiff glare cut through Yasuo's shadows as he curled up in anxiety. "SORRY! I'M JUST BORED! I DON'T LIKE EXPOSITION!" He exclaimed in defence. Neither do I, Yasuo, so we're getting a role on this.

"We are done, and now I'm going to teach you how to breathe, only if you keep that damn mouth of yours shut." She muttered, refusing to move her eyes away from Yasuo. She rolled her neck before cracking her fingers, forcing Yasuo to sit with her.

"Close your eyes," Hanako muttered, placing her hands together. "It was an order." She replied a little harsher, her eyes widening a little.

"Close your eyes, and breathe for me. Just focus on your breath and take deep breaths." She muttered a little softly. And so, Yasuo followed, shutting his eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths.

It was damn easy to accomplish. I mean, to be fair, chuck some calming nature noises, breathe, and you're calm. Yasuo sighed as the meditation was over, only to find he was damn- 

"Wrong," Hanako exclaimed, firmly hand-chopping Yasuo's head. "You're not meditating. You're trying to expand your lungs." Yasuo grunted in pain, gently rubbing his head.

"What? That's what I'm doing! Breathing!" He protested, crossing his arms. He rolled his eyes as he began to follow Hanako's instruction, placing his hands on the back of his head, shutting his eyes and breathing again.

Slowly, Yasuo began to breathe again, taking in as much oxygen as he could and exhaling loudly. Hanako tilted his head back, adjusting his position. It doesn't take a genius to realise lungs take over a day to grow bigger and stronger, but Yasuo could feel a difference as he breathed.

He felt lighter.

But Yasuo simply continued to breathe, quietly enjoying the peace soothing his mind. And so, Yasuo did this for a couple more hours. Though the hours felt like minutes, he did feel his body eventually fall a little tired. And though Hanako did correct him every single damn time, Yasuo did get the hang of it...

At least a bit. He was getting most of it. Maybe a quarter. But you know, this takes time. After all, Tanjiro took two years to master this.

And even if Yasuo picked it up easily, he still had a long way to go. But for now, he accomplished a bit of his growth.