Vessel of Glass [Solo, Training, Flashback]

Spoiler:

The soft sound of wind rippling through the training dummies and tree's surrounding a small clearing off to the northern side of the primary training grounds. The soft sound of water running through the nearby stream dulled the ebbing sound of silence that would normally devour the air within it. There was no one here, even the birds and squirrel had left it be, and yet the sound of soft grunts of strain, as well as heavy breathing filled the air.

This was caused simply by a young pale boy sitting in the center of the grassy clearing, a young boy named Mako. His gaze would slowly lift upward, examining the sway of the branches quietly from his position on the ground. His hands rested lightly on the ground, both legs splayed outward in front of him, every scar and knot of flesh adorning his skin clear to the eye. He usually covered up more, his pale skin made him stand out, but he found that during training he grew far too hot to function properly and as simple as physical therapy was, it strained him tremendously.

Slowly, he pushed his arms forward as he felt his musculature struggle to properly handle each movement of his body. Specifically, the muscles along his back strained against the action, but though it was uncomfortable it was not painful. A drastic improvement in his physical reactions two years prior. He could still recall the agony of trying to perform even a basic jog during those days, this was a tremendous improvement. Mako shifted himself in his seating, his fingertips shifting to instead hook onto the tips of his toes as he focused entirely on his breathing.

It was nothing but stretching, something that was so simple and so many seemed to take for granted, and yet he knew all too well how difficult such a simple thing was for him, even now. This process would continue as his fingertips carefully pulled at his toes tips. He had started out stiff, unmoving, the scar tissue so serious that he could barely move his limbs in the proper directions let alone awkward angles. But now, he could feel his body being capable of it.

True, it was uncomfortable, straining, but his body could still perform it. Even if it was difficult. That was something far more encouraging than anything else he could have ever aimed for. If he could move his body in new ways, then he could teach his body to properly mold to new shapes and designs, and perhaps, with the integration of chakra into his body he could evolve himself that much farther. Slowly, he let his body straighten before shifting himself to roll over onto his stomach, he still had to finish his entire stretching regimen before he got to that point.

He hadn't managed to recover this much out of being impatient and rushing ahead like some hotheaded fool, after all.

After an hour of his stretching, Mako finally allowed his body to straighten as he rose to his full height. His hands lifting slowly to examine them, their palms facing upward as he tested each tendon carefully in his hands to measure exactly how each one felt. Despite how uncomfortable it had felt, he had no lingering pain. It had been this way for several weeks now, but he could never be too careful, perhaps even trying this now would be too much for him. However, he felt as though the calculated risk was worthwhile for the moment.

If he began feeling pain, then he would halt his practice and continue it another time, it was as simple as that. Releasing a slow breath at this thought, Mako would allow his body to slowly straighten before clasping his arms behind him and close his eyes. The technique had been one he had studied within the Academy, and it was something some of the students even then had begun to learn if they had a preference toward unarmed combat. Mako, most assuredly, did not. However, he knew the importance of having a body that functioned properly.

As long as he intended to pay the village back for teaching him, healing him to this extent, and giving him the chance to obtain power, then he needed to push himself to become as well-rounded as possible. With this thought, he would relax his body slowly. It had been called "Arhat Fist", a technique that, in his opinion, was very much unlike him. Compared to other more graceful styles, it focused almost entirely on raw physical power and amplified such.

However, building muscle and power was far simpler than building speed and recovering his coordination properly. He needed to be careful, and properly carve his way through his styles and effort if he truly wanted to progress at all. Building muscle and endurance was an excellent way to ensure that he had a base to work up from. Once he managed to get his body back to the base level he should be at, he could worry himself over other such effects.

For now, Mako's hands slowly left from behind their back as he visualized the stance as he had read of it, seen it. Both hands lifting, before clenching slowly into two slightly open fists one wrist slightly lower than the other as his eyes opened. Dead and grey, and yet there was a focus within them as the young man's legs opened to widen his base and provide a decent support. Already, he could feel his muscles complaining at the strain of trying to hold the positioning of his legs and arms so perfectly still.

This was his first hurdle, he had to learn proper muscle control. If he didn't manage to hold the basic stance, then there was no way he could ever hope to properly utilize the stance in any other way. A single, slow breath and he would focus on only holding the current positioning of his body. Baby steps, it was all he could ever hope to achieve at the moment. Once he was certain he could hold the stance, he could begin actually learning the style that it was connected to, but no sooner.

Already he could feel his muscles begin to burn. A firm reminder that he had only just managed to reach the starting line, while everyone else had already long ago begun running in the race.

The seconds ticked by, and every time it did he kept careful track. Not because he was impatient, but because every second burned that much more and he needed to ensure he knew exactly how long he had managed to hold his positioning without enduring true pain. He wasn't even lifting weights, there was no point doing so, even the smallest weight could harm him at the moment. Hell, even bodyweight training was difficult, it was why he stuck to stretching.

But now, he was beginning to use muscles that had never once in his life been used properly beyond running in terror or throwing a strike out of raw instinct. His thighs and calves burned, his arms told him of their agony through twinges and heat. Yet, he knew he couldn't end it so quickly. It was a careful balance, one of measured physical control so as to not over-bear his body and damage himself so that he was set back even more, but similarly, so that he pushed his new muscles and body control enough to begin steadily improving himself.

Even for him, such a balance was not an easy thing to obtain. He had long ago learned how to properly manage his mental stamina and fatigue, but now he was trying to do the same for his own body. He could feel the burning continue to grow more painful by the moment, and finally, he was forced to give in as the second counter hit seventy-eight. His breath came heavily, his arms burned even as he lowered them and forced himself to remain standing while his legs screamed their disapproval.

But he had managed to hold it for just over a minute, tomorrow, he would try to hold the stance once more. For now, he needed to carefully work his other muscles without pushing them any further, more complex stretching, holding his limbs for longer points, supporting his limbs more carefully. Anything to help the slow build-up of muscle, anything to slowly bring him from the edge of near-helplessness that he currently found himself in.

Perhaps in a few months, he would begin showing enough improvement to truly begin learning the techniques. But until then, he would have no such illusions. One step at a time, as he always had held himself to these past two years.

It was the next day, and Mako was content with the fact his body no longer ached. It was his proof that he had properly balanced pushing his body, and recovery. He wanted to ensure that when he woke up from his drug-induced slumber that he could properly function without any soreness. After all, if he was suddenly called to do a mission then it would be entirely pointless for him to go if he was sore and lame. Though it was unlikely, he wasn't the type to not think of such possible risks.

As he stepped into the center of the training ground once more, Mako was forced to feel the way his muscles already had begun to complain, just walking to arrive here. Still, it wasn't as bad as he had endured in the past, and that thought was reassuring if nothing else. Allowing a slow breath to pass through his lips, Mako would slowly straighten before beginning to perform his basic therapy exercises once more. Specifically, his stretches to begin, doing anything else before them would only lead to him suffering more pain, and would most definitely be the opposite effect of what he was after.

Lowering himself, he felt his back groan in protest as he lowered his hands slowly to touch his toes and simply focused on holding his current position without falling over. He felt the straining of the muscles along the backs of his legs, the way his body shifted and his back complained, but he held the position. Silently counting the seconds that he managed to withstand it all, staring down at the ground with dead eyes as he endured the pain.

Once he reached his limit, he slowly allowed his body to straighten. Despite the pain, not standing up to quickly or he would risk pulling his muscles, a lesson he had learned quickly during his therapy. Straightening and carefully rolling his shoulders, placing his hands on the small of his back to stretch, Mako would carefully relax his body. Taking a moment to catch his breath, and prepare for the next session.

He'd performed his standard stretches, pushed his body to its limit as far as flexibility went, having extended out his limbs, pushed his joints to their limits, and in general forced his body to continue its usual progress through therapy. Now, he felt a familiar ache through his limbs, but it wasn't something that he was so unused to that he was ready to call it quits just yet. Instead, he would slowly fall into a seat, the next step was proper chakra control. If he was unable to properly push his body, then he would need to develop himself in other ways while he waited.

Of course, he was fully aware of the reason he had begun all this, to gain a body that held a semblance of normality. However, he had no illusions that it was something he could obtain in a few sessions. Patience, practice, and control were all key as well as diet if he wished to succeed in this, and so as he would carefully place his hands in his lap, legs crossing as his knuckles would touch together.

He could practice his handseals, however, for now, he felt as though meditation was the better option. It would help him carefully amplify his chakra, and give his body time to properly recover. The chakra control would likely help the stiffness in his muscles relax as well, it was an all-around skill that was key for him to properly develop, and he may as well practice while he was busy trying to properly recover from the strain he'd placed on himself.

So, with a careful breath released, Mako would begin just that. Carefully controlling the flow of his chakra through his body, allowing the energy to carefully slip through his system, flooding his limbs and body at careful, slow intervals that would assist in both his body recovering as well as calming his mind so that he could process the next step of his practice more efficiently.

Mako would spend the next few hours carefully channeling his chakra through his body, controlling it through each limb, and using it as a source of energy to help numb the pain and ease the tension throughout his limbs. He had to ensure it was careful, slow, or he would end up only doing more harm, like always, he kept such in his mind as he patiently manipulated his energy. Finally, after hours of concentration, he would open his eyes slowly to examine his surroundings briefly. His senses told him he was still alone, but it was always good to double check. The last thing he needed was for anyone to realize he was doing dedicated training.

He didn't want to have anyone expecting anything out of him, it would only add to the headaches he would be forced to endure. No, instead he wished to remain training secretly, suppressing his chakra and honing his skills as best he could. Relaxing, he would slowly place both hands down on the ground before hauling himself up slowly, feeling his legs complain, but they held him well enough. Releasing a slow breath he would lift his hands, pressing them together and stretching out the joints and tendons within his hands.

Next, he should likely work on his muscle development now that his body had recovered a bit, though he couldn't do much. Cardiovascular training, and perhaps some light bodyweight training if his body could handle it would likely be the limit of what he could perform for now. No reason to push himself. With this thought, the young man would begin basic physical training, it was about time he should start adding it into his regimen anyway, even if it was only the slightest of time spent doing so.

Beginning with his simple laps, running circles around the small clearing he would be careful to measure his own physical prowess, not wishing to allow himself to go too far just yet. Maintaining a careful, measured pace as he performed his light jogging, focusing more on going slow and steady than pushing his body. The thump of his heart filling his head, forcing him to rely on his chakra sensory in order to properly keep track of his surroundings, his eyes lowered slightly as he pushed himself.

There was still basic bodyweight training to do after this, but he already could feel the fatigue building in his limbs. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, he would release a single sigh of his lips as he finished his last lap and would halt. Bracing his hands against his knee's, and simply waiting for his body to stop shivering. Perhaps tomorrow, he would be able to do a bit more physical practice afterward, but there was no point trying to do so again today. He'd likely already pushed himself a bit too far, a lesson he would learn, and a mistake he would not repeat.