The only person Natsu would ever listen to, apart from the Guild's Master, Erza and Gildarts, was his big sister. And he knew well he had to listen to her, especially during the topic that was the 'Breathing Styles' thing. It must be why, while the old man that was her teacher was teaching Lucy and Wendy, she took Natsu, Gray and Erza with her to teach them, the two groups far away. "I want total seriousness during this, okay? No shenanigans, no bullshit, no jokes. Seriousness." was what she had started the lesson with "This is the only way for you all to kill demons. Your magic here doesn't kill them, it only damages them." she explained.

"They must be seriously strong if we have to kill them with that technique you showed us when we were younger." Gray commented, serious. Giyuu nodded.

"Total Concentration Breathing is the key to survive against these demons. This technique expands a person's lungs for various reasons: getting as much air as possible, speeding someone's blood flow and heartbeat and increasing the body temperature. This causes the muscles and the bones of a person's body to grow more excited." the three looked very confused by that last part "Don't ask. I don't know how to explain the last part with words." she sighed.

"So it basically acts as if it was some sort of enhancement spell, like Wendy's." Erza hummed.

"Correct. It enhances your strength, your speed, your stamina, your durability, your endurance and your mental capabilities. Not only that, but your reaction time and your thought process become faster. It's thanks to this technique that I was able to defeat Minerva in the Naval Battle. Because my senses were superhuman, to put it lightly." Giyuu crossed her arms. Her mind flashed back to the Naval Battle that happened during the Grand Magic Games. She remembers it. Seeing Minerva beat Lucy so much she was barely conscious even though Giyuu was still in the water. Seeing it had made her angry, angrier than she had ever felt. That had been torture. Actual torture. And she had to witness it first hand.

She quickly shook her thoughts away. "This forest, it's filled to the brim with traps." the three sputtered "That's one of the many ways Urokodaki-sensei trained me. He won't be merciful with anyone, even Wendy. That's why, you all have to give it your best. I can't be the one killing demons for you all. You all need to learn. If you don't..." she paused. Natsu noticed the way her face darkened.

"Don't worry, sis! We'll learn this Total Concentration breathing and a Breathing Style" he assured with a big grin "This can't be that hard to learn!" Giyuu chuckled.

"There's the typical Natsu." Gray huffed, a smile on his face.

"While I wouldn't agree with Natsu, it can't be that hard." Erza hummed. Giyuu wanted to laugh so badly at their words. But she also didn't want to make them feel bad. Because, by her experience, it wasn't going to be easy.

She mentally wished them good luck.

"OH GOD-" Lucy screeched as she dodged another trap she accidentally set off, which consisted of a net trying to capture her. She had lunged forwards, rolling on the floor and just barely avoiding a trip wire

"MR. UROKODAKI REALLY WASN'T KIDDING WHEN HE TOLD US THIS WAS GOING TO BE HELL!" Wendy squealed, jumping right above another trip wire, and stumbling around, managing to steady herself.

"At least it's not- you know- what we had to go through to retrieve the Dragon Cry!" Lucy admitted, dodging a set of knives that hit the tree she had next to her.

"Y-Yeah! It's- It's definitely not that!" Wendy laughed nervously.

"Watch out!" Lucy called, grabbing the smaller girl and the two ducked. A hatchet got stuck on a tree.

"This is insane..!" Wendy breathed out, sweating bullets. Lucy nodded in agreement, breathing heavily. This was the training Giyuu had gone through in this era? How in the name of the First Master did she actually survive this?

"Down the mountain we goooooo! I'm all fired upp!" Natsu roared as he and Lucy ran down the hill, Giyuu watching them from the trees as she ate some onigiri balls. The two of them were far ahead, with Wendy tailing close and Gray and Erza very much behind.

"Remember about the traps!" she called from the tree.

"The traps- WAAH!" Gray cried out as he stepped on a pitfall with spikes at the end. He was able to hold onto the edge of the hole with his hand, dangling from left to right. Giyuu paused, hesitating to go down and help him. But then she remembered that this is their training. So she shouldn't do that.

"Gray!" Erza called as she stopped, heading back to help him. She extended her hand, and he grabbed it with his other hand. She easily pulled him up back on the ground, watching as he hunched over.

"Thanks, Erza..." he breathed out, giving her a shaky thumbs up.

"No problem."

"Keep running, or else you won't get dinner!" Giyuu shouted. That got them both to react, as they started running again.

"Keep running, Erza! Think that you're being chased by Ichiya!" Giyuu egged Erza on, the whole group of her, Gray and Natsu racing down the hill again today, this time with wooden swords in their hands, swords that looked like nichirin blades but weren't, they were merely just replicas made out of wood. Just the mere thought of the orange haired man made the red haired girl pale in horror, her speed picking up.

"What the hell?!"

"So fast!

"That actually worked!" both Lucy and Wendy let out, surprised to see the red haired girl running faster. They were sitting by the sidelines, taking a break from their own runs while they were being taught about the way to heal their wounds with Total Concentration Breathing.

"Who's Ichiya?" Urokodaki asked.

"He's a member of Blue Pegasus, a guild of Fiore. He's... a womanizer, to put it simply." Giyuu explained, shuddering slightly "We teamed up because of a very strong Dark Guild, which also happened to be when we first met Wendy." The older man hummed as she spoke, crossing his arms. Although she could see the way his fingers grasped the fabric of his cloud-stamped haori's sleeves.

"He didn't happen to try and make any sort of advances on you, did he?" he asked.

"He couldn't even try. Natsu basically kept him at a... comically safe distance." she sweatdropped. Urokodaki hummed, content with the answer.

"Swing it right, Natsu! You're not doing this right!" Erza scolded.

"I am! I'm doing it like Mr. Urotaiyaki said!" Natsu argued.

"It's Urokodaki, flame brains!" Gray corrected him in annoyance.

"Shut up ice princess!"

"KEEP SWINGING THE SWORD, YOU THREE! LOOK AT WENDY, SHE'S DOING FAR BETTER THAN YOU BUFFOONS!" Wendy's face lit up into a bright shade of red at those words, embarrassed.

"AYE SIR!"

"They're turning into Happy..." Lucy sweatdropped. Giyuu momentarily looked up from the book that had all of the basics of Breathing Styles for her to read. She hummed, her attention back to the book as she showed Lucy a set of two pages.

"These are the main five styles. Flame, Water, Wind, Stone and Thunder. And then from these, there are many styles that are derived." she explained.

"Woah... So I could create my own style from any of these?" she asked, sparkles around her. Giyuu nodded.

"For all I know, you could even be the creator of the first ever... I don't know, Zodiac Breathing." Giyuu suggested, although she wasn't sure about it herself. But she wouldn't put it past Lucy to be able to create such a style. She was a talented and smart mage.

"That sounds difficult to do, honestly." Lucy admitted, looking over at the book again "You know, I think Laxus would have a fieldtrip with Thunder Breathing." she said with a small laugh. Giyuu smiled softly at that, looking down at the ring that was under her uniform.

"He would." she said. Lucy nodded.

"Wait. I just had a thought." the blonde paused "Do you think Natsu and Wendy could eat the breathings? Like, Flame and Wind respectively?" she asked. Giyuu paused as well.

"...Considering the fact that I've eaten some of my own breathing, I... I wouldn't put it past them."

"Oh my GOD-"

"1,009! 1,010! 1,011! 1,012!"

"Natsu! Come on, dinner's almost ready!" Lucy called, watching Natsu still swinging the nichirin blade. The dragon slayer didn't listen to her, instead choosing to still swing. The blonde sighed.

"No luck." she said, shaking her head.

"He's still going?" Gray asked, looking out the window with a glint of concern.

"Mhm. And he's counting the swings loudly." she nodded.

"He'll end up exhausting himself at this point." the ice mage grumbled under his breath, a frown on his face. Lucy nodded, looking at Natsu with worry.

"Do you think it's because..." the blonde didn't finish her sentence as she looked at her friend. She saw the way Gray's face scrunched up and his teeth gritted, nothing but hatred written all over his face. She tensed up, feeling his anger seeping through his whole body as the temperature of the room grew colder, something that sent shivers down her spine.

"It's definitely because of that. He's angry. No, more than that, he's pissed." the ice mage said "He's pissed that Giyuu suffered so much at the hands of the Hashira, and that only those kids she told us about helped her. That we couldn't protect her. That he couldn't do anything to help her." Lucy's gaze softened.

"Natsu said she had been in the guild ever since you three and Erza were children, right?" Gray nodded.

"She joined far before we did, when Laxus was a child. She was... always closed off, but not in the way she was. She was a scared child. Loud noises made her tremble, she barely spoke to anyone who wasn't Master or Porlyusica. She went on missions on her own, too. Always wielding her blade and getting the job done." Gray recalled, crossing his arms. His tone was soft, it was clear he was looking at those memories with some fondness.

"Natsu and I then made this sort of bet. It was so stupid, but we were kids, we didn't think much of it. We bet that whoever could get her to talk to them, they'd win the other's next mission's reward."

"And I assume Natsu won?" Lucy asked, a teasing smile on her face that only widened when she heard Gray groan in dismay, clearly not happy. She was probably right.

"We went on for months, trying to get her to talk! We even forgot about it, we were always busy arguing with each other! And then, the unthinkable happens!"

Natsu and Gray were fighting each other, butting their heads while hurling insults. "Jeez, those two never stop." Lissana said, giggling as the guild was just minding their business. They hadn't even noticed Giyuu slowly walking up to them.

"U-Um... D-Dragneel-san?" the two paused, slowly turning their heads. Giyuu stood a few steps in front of them. The two blinked.

"Y-Yeah?" Natsu said, trying to remain casual, as always. As if he wasn't just arguing with Gray a few moments earlier.

"W-Would you... like to- to go on a mission with me?!" she asked, bowing her head down. Her voice unintentionally came out louder than she wanted it to, as almost the whole guild heard it. All of the attention was on the three now. Natsu blinked, processing the question the girl had asked him.

"EEHHHHH?!?! YOU WANT TO GO ON A JOB WITH ME?! REALLY?!" the salmon haired boy shouted, grabbing the girl's hand with nothing but excitement as sparkles appeared around him. Giyuu looked up, a bit surprised by the outburst, but she nodded.

"Yes, I-I'd like that... I-I mean, as- as long as it's alright with you..." Natsu cheered in excitement as he hugged Giyuu tightly, his tone filled with nothing but joy.

"Yeah! Let's go on a job together, Giyuu! We're gonna rock!"

"That was the first time both Natsu and I ever heard her speak. And because of it, I lost that stupid bet." Gray concluded with a somewhat bitter tone "We told her about it some years later, and she just laughed and pet our heads." he added, a hand snaking upwards and placing itself on his head.

"Hearing Giyuu act like that is so... odd, honestly." Lucy laughed softly, no ill intent in her words "Sure, her being closed off checks, considering how introverted she is at times. But I can't see her being so shy at all." The ice mage nodded, a small smile on his face as he recalled the memory.

"If we were to compare her to the current Giyuu, yeah it'll be weird to see." he admitted.

"Hey, Natsu! Dinner's ready! If you don't get here, you won't have any left!" Giyuu called. Natsu stopped what he was doing, turning to Giyuu with a big grin.

"Coming!" the others sweatdropped, watching as Natsu jogged to the house while still holding the sword. It wasn't much of a surprise to both of them that he mostly listened to Giyuu only.

"Climbing up!" Wendy muttered to herself as she jumped up, her hand grabbing a small opening that got her up even more. She pushed her body with her hand, landing on that small space before she lunged for another one, repeating the process. Out of the five, she seemed to be doing the best at this.

"Keep up the good work, Wendy!" Giyuu called from the top of the hill, holding Carla in her arms, who looked at her partner in approval.

"Amazing, Wendy..!" Lucy breathed out, struggling to climb up.

"I'm not gonna lose!" Natsu grunted as he started to try and climb faster. However, to his misfortune, his hand slipped from the opening he attempted to grab.

"Natsu!" both Gray and Erza shouted at the same time, watching him slip off and fall. He let out a cry of surprise at how slippery the mountain was, but then his eyes widened when he saw Lucy lunging towards him. She jumped down grabbing his hand with one of hers and holding onto the edge of one of the rocks with her other hand.

"I got you!" she said, a smile on her face. Natsu's eyes lit up, his cheeks becoming a hint of pink.

"That was awesome, Luce!" he grinned, sparkles all around him. Lucy's smile grew wider at those words.

"Are you both alright?!" Wendy asked, concerned.

"Yes! Let's keep this streak going!"

"How do we use these?" Natsu asked as he looked at the katana he was given with interest, same with Gray. Erza, on the other hand, was very much ecstatic about receiving her weapon. She was practically glowing in joy, her hands shaking as she held the weapon.

"This is what it feels like to receive such an exquisite weapon..!" she whispered, sparkles all around her "I must humbly thank the forger. Mr. Urokodaki, please, allow me to know the name of the one who forged this blade!" she said. Giyuu chuckled softly at that.

"His name is Haganezuka Hotaru. He's one of the greatest swordsmiths I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He's a man that is truly dedicated to his job as a swordsmith." Urokodaki said, his tone showing fondness for the mentioned man.

"Haganezuka Hotaru..." Erza repeated, making sure the name was engraved in her mind.

"Woooah! I also have a whip! So cool!" Lucy beamed as she swung around her new weapon, a sword similar to the others. The others turned to her, surprised to see also a whip that she was swinging around, growing used to it almost immediately with just a few swings. There were sparkles all around her as she swung her new weapon.

"Huh?! How come Lucy gets a sword and a whip and we get normal ones?!" Gray asked, surprised.

"I asked Haganezuka-san for that." Giyuu spoke, her hands laced together "Lucy's main weapon has always been a whip. Even one of her Star Dress forms has it. It's why I asked Haganezuka-san to make her a whip. Incase she needs a back up plan." she explained.

"Giyuu, thank you so much! I don't know how I can repay you!" Lucy sobbed, hugging the black haired woman. Giyuu hugged her back, patting the blonde's head gently. 'It's the most I can do for what happened at the Naval Battle. But it still doesn't feel like it's enough.' she thought, a frown flashed on her face for a split second before she returned to her usual calm and composed expression.

"I call favoritism!" Gray exclaimed, almost like a child.

"Oh, if you don't want the sword, Gray, I could always keep it-"

"No!" the ice mage scurried away from Erza, hugging the katana he was given like if it was his child "My sword! I bet you already have more than a hundred, Erza!" he accused.

"Darn." she mumbled under her breath. Wendy stifled a small giggle as she watched the interaction.

"I'm already fired up!" Natsu shouted, waving his sword in the air with excitement.

"If any of the swords damage, or in other words, break. I'll make sure your bones will be damaged, too." Urokodaki threatened, a scary aura around him.

"A-AYE SIR!"

"Kgh- Pfft..." they all turned their heads, seeing Giyuu starting to laugh. Urokodaki's eyes widened behind his mask as he saw her clutch her stomach and throwing her head back as she laughed. He hadn't heard her laugh after Sabito's death. But to have her here, laughing, happier than she ever was. It makes his heart warm. These odd people were the best thing that could have happened to her.