Soaring Through The Heavens

After clearing the living room Kenji sat in the middle with his legs crossed and back straight and his hands cupped near his naval. It was the exact posture described in the manual along with countless other instructions that often included depictions as well. 

The manual was broken up by the four different forms each dedicated to one of the four holy beasts of eastern mythology, the Dragon's Flight, the Qilin's Stampede, the Turtle's Wade and the Phoenix's Rebirth. Each form progressively increased in difficulty with the dragon being the easiest and the phoenix being the hardest. 

Each martial form was composed of a string of movements designed to teach practitioners about the various different aspects of fighting, while training the mind and body. One would start off at a snail's pace paying a painful level of attention to the details of each motion building a strong foundation until the entire form was ingrained into the body and could be performed in one's sleep. Then the practitioner would increase their speed keeping the same level of flawless movement adding power behind the technique. 

The true sign of a master however would be to use the complete form in combat where the practitioner tames chaos and turns it into order controlling the flow of the fighting. One movement could lead to countless others, offense flowing into defense and defense flowing into offense. 

But the first step of each form was the same and it wasn't a punch or a kick or even a bow. Each form was dedicated to its own style of breathing which Kenji had to master first before beginning any movement. So after closing his eyes Kenji started to breathe in the proper manner according to the manual. 

The first step was for Kenji to breathe in through his nose, filling his diaphragm with air and pushing his abdominal wall against his ribs creating a base to draw his power from. Then exhaling explosively through his mouth like a dragon breathing fire, but still maintaining the sturdy base of his core. 

In theory the technique was simple, but as Kenji cycled through his first inhale and exhale he felt his abdominal muscles spasm and his chest tighten. Kenji's face crumpled up in a grimace but he didn't stop. Repeating the cycle once more the spasms were even stronger as Kenji's lungs started to burn and intense heat flared to life in his stomach. 

Trying to muscle the breath through his body once more, Kenji gasped as he felt his throat close up making him double over with great heaving breaths and a slight sheen across his forehead. Panting Kenji felt as if he had just run a mile as the taste of blood filled his mouth, 'Damnit.' 

For a split second Kenji almost opened up his system to upgrade his stats, instead he settled back into the proper posture and started again from the beginning. 

---

Opening her eyes Toga felt blissful soreness radiating through her entire body. Sitting up slowly, Toga realized she was naked in Kenji's bed, but the owner was nowhere in sight. 

'I don't hear him in the shower,' Stepping out of bed Toga wrapped the sheets around her like a makeshift robe despite the fact that Kenji had seen every naked inch of her. Walking out of the bedroom Toga was about to check the kitchen when she heard something coming from the living room. 

Peeking her head into the room, Toga stared at Kenji. He was seated in the middle of the room shirtless, exposing his lean frame which was covered in a thick sheen of sweat with a furrowed brow and a look of deep concentration. 

As she watched Kenji inhaled through his nose as his stomach expanded, nearly ballooning, before he exhaled through his mouth with enough force that Toga swore she could feel a breeze even from a couple of feet away. 

Just as she went to turn away Toga heard Kenji gasp and he doubled over with a hacking cough that rattled his chest. 

Without a second thought Toga rushed over to help him but Kenji held up his hand, stalling her, "I-I'm fine…just give me a second." 

Letting out a relieved sigh Toga was content to sit by ready to help if Kenji looked like he needed it but after a short moment Kenji sat back up with a tired smile on his face, "How was your nap?" 

"Fine, I would ask what you're doing but I'm scared of what the answer will be." Toga replied cheekily. 

Snorting Kenji let his shoulder slouch, "It's a breathing technique for a martial art I'm trying to learn." 

Toga blinked, "When did you go to a dojo? Was I out that long." 

"It's…hard to explain, and even if I did I don't think you'll believe me," Kenji answered with a vulnerable edge to his voice. 

Toga smiled, "Alright then you don't have to tell me everything. But I still want to help if I can." 

Kenji stared at Toga for a long moment before he shook his head slowly, "I don't deserve a girl like you." 

Kenji went on to explain the martial style to Toga, though at some points he wished that he could simply show her the mental image in his head. Fortunately Toga seemed to piece together his poor explanation, "So you're having trouble learning the breathing technique for Dragon's Flight?" 

Kenji nodded, "Hurts like hell, but I'm following every step to a T. Maybe my lugs just have to get used to it." 

Toga pursed her lips in thought, "I think you're making it harder than it has to be." 

"What do you mean?" Kenji asked, shifting his full attention to Toga. 

"Well the form's name is a pretty big hint, Dragon's Flight. It sounds free…like there aren't any limitations…or there's an endless wind in your sail." Toga muttered as she got a far away look in her eyes. 

Watching her, Kenji started to nod along, "That actually makes a lot of sense."