#friedeggnbread

Don't worry about it! Since you resubmitted it as an ask, I'll be answering here. We have a fanfic where the escorts meet a Hashira, so it certainly would be interesting to see Kirishima using breaths! -Admin Hirahara

When Kinoshita was returning from a mission, he noticed that Kirishima was swinging his sword wildly in the backyard. For Kirishima, it was normal to see him doing training with his weapon, but something about the way he was swinging seemed off from his usual movements. Kirishima was always good at striking with speed in a swift movement, but today, it kind of looked like he was going for something a bit more flashy. It kind of looked like he was trying to channel some kind of invisible power into his sword, and he was breathing deeply a lot.

It was actually kind of distracting, and Kinoshita found himself watching for quite some time. Sometimes Kirishima would suddenly dash forward, bringing his blade up, and sometimes he would try striking forward without moving. Sometimes he would take a running start before jumping up and slashing down, and sometimes he would start low and aim up with the tip of his blade. All the while, he continued inhaling deeply and exhaling loudly.

Kirishima, ever so focused in his training, clearly didn't notice Kinoshita. Not, at least, until he mis-stepped and fell over onto his back, staring directly up at Kinoshita.

"Oh, welcome back," Kirishima greeted while getting up again.

"Good work," Kinoshita greeted with a nod. "What are you doing, Kirishima?"

"Training," Kirishima answered right away, dusting himself off and picking up his sword again. "Recently, I escorted a deceased one who said he was really good with swords too."

"Is that so," Kinoshita asked, showing a bit of interest.

"That's right," Kirishima stated, taking a deep breath again. "He said his style was called 'moon breathing' style. At first, I thought it meant that he could breathe in space, but I was wrong." Again, Kirishima attempted to strike forward, slashing while he exhaled. He looked dissatisfied with the result, even though Kinoshita couldn't tell what went wrong. "Actually, the way his movements were, it made the way his swung his sword resemble a crescent moon."

Kinoshita finally understood that Kirishima was trying to imitate something he saw. If must have been quite a feat for Kirishima to be so focused on recreating it.

"Did he show you some of his movements?" Kinoshita asked, properly sitting down to focus on helping Kirishima.

Kirishima gave a nod, focusing forward. "Breathing techniques are very interesting. It requires focus on controlled breaths and motions to carry out precise attacks. By controlling breathing, one can control their heart rate and motions. I think it would be good to learn for future missions." Kirishima demonstrated the two separately, first by breathing in and closing his eyes. Then, when he opened his eyes again, he struck his sword forward, although nothing of particular interest happened.

"So you seem to have a good idea on how to do it," Kinoshita pointed out, "but the problem is that you can't combine the two, is that right?"

"Yes, that is the problem," Kirishima admitted. "While I understand how to breath, and I understand how to move, I don't understand what the difference in our movements are." Kinoshita gave it some serious thought as well. So a deceased one, who was once human, probably used this sword technique before. What was it that this human was doing that might be different from Kirishima?

"Oh." Kinoshita suddenly realized. "I've got it." Kirishima looked over at him, curious at the conclusion Kinoshita came to. "Humans, who are weak and fragile at times, still do what they can to survive. In terms of battles, it would be inconvenient if your body gave out on you at a critical moment, right?" Kirishima nodded. "Right, so humans must have come up with this breathing style in order to control their own movements. That way, even if they are exhausted, they can still push forward."

Kirishima nodded at the explanation, so he must have agreed. He looked down at his sword, a bit down. "Since we're oni, I suppose that means no matter how much I try, I won't be able to achieve something created by humans." Since Kirishima looked somewhat sad about it, Kinoshita decided to give this 'technique' some more thought.

Humans made this for using a weapon, so they did it to make themselves stronger in battle. Perhaps the point of the technique wasn't to control their own bodies, but to make their bodies push past what it was normally capable of. If that was the case, it could be applied to oni as well.

"Kirishima, since humans try to push themselves past their limits, why don't you try as well? If you sense the limitations within yourself, maybe you'll be able to surpass them by focusing on your breathing." Kirishima gave it some serious thought before nodding, closing his eyes again.

For a while, it was very quiet. Kinoshita could hear from Kirishima's rhythmic breathing that he was trying to open his lungs as much as possible. Kirishima's grip tightened around the sword, and once he opened his eyes and slashed forward, Kinoshita witnessed a crescent moon like strike. It truly was a sight to behold. Kirishima, looking surprised at himself, turned to Kinoshita.

"That was it," Kirishima stated, appearing proud of himself. Kinoshita clapped for him.

"Good work," Kinoshita acknowledged. "I'm sure if you practiced more, it would come more naturally." With that, Kinoshita turned to go to hand in his report, but a lingering question was on his mind. With a technique like this, it was reasonable to assume that many lives were taken because of it. "Kirishima, you said the deceased one you escorted taught you this?"

"Right," Kirishima nodded. "Although he may have been the hero type when he lived among humans, he actually committed many atrocities over the years after becoming a deceased one. The Court of Enma asked that he be judged and punished for it."