Sun Breathing: Bright Red Blade

Chapter 46

Y/N collapsed on the ground, panting. She hadn't tried to combine all twelve forms of Sun Breathing before. Now her muscles were sore and as heavy as lead. She felt numbness spread over her body.

I'm still not strong enough, Y/N thought, angry at herself.

"Y/N! You okay?!" she heard voices calling.

Gritting her teeth, Y/N tried to stand up on her shaky legs, but collapsed again. Her eyes threatened to close, and it took an immense effort to keep them open.

"Regulate your breathing, Y/N. You can do it. Now stand up," Muichiro instructed. Y/N looked up at him, and he saw fire flickering in her dull red eyes.

"Why aren't you helping her?!" Sirius shouted at Muichiro as he came running over.

"No. She can stand up by herself. She must learn to pick herself up," Muichiro responded, stopping Sirius and the others from coming near Y/N.

"Y/N! You can do it! You're stronger than any of us! Stand up!" Mitsuri encouraged,  waving her katana.

"Come on, Y/N!" Kyojuro exclaimed.

Y/N closed her eyes. Another memory was coming.

"Y/N. Stand up. I know it hurts, but you must do so, or you would get killed immediately. You must find the determination and strength. You can't rely on others to help you up. How would you then defend people from demons? Y/N, stand up. Now."

Shaking, she got on her feet.

"Yay! I knew you could do it, Y/N!" Mitsuri cheered, nearly cutting herself with her katana.

"Sis! You okay?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Actually, I feel better than before," Y/N replied, grinning. They all sighed in relief.

"That was amazing, by the way! I've never seen you do that before. Kyojuro and I stopped training to watch," Mitsuri said.

"That's the thirteenth form, all forms combined," Y/N explained softly. She still felt tired, and her muscles still hurt.

"Y/N, there's actually something you can do to make yourself stronger. It works very slowly though."

"What is it?"

"It's called Total Concentration Breathing: Constant."