The Daughter Of Hideyoshi

Chapter 17

I awoke to be on the floor instead of the window, with my body across the hallway. My head felt a little heavy from tiredness and my muscles pulsed within my arms and legs. I noticed by what I was wearing that I didn't move since I came up after practice. I lied on the floor as I blinked, trying to wake up enough to move. I slowly lifted my head up off the ground, feeling a little headache form. I rubbed my head as I got up off the floor and sat up. I opened my eyes again as I looked up at the sky, seeing the moon shine brightly in front of a black sky. Little stars flickered around the sky, dancing like if it was a stage performance. I took a deep breath as I looked to the left of me, studying the black hallway. Little lights blinked at some parts, making it visible enough to see if anything was there. I shifted to my back and looked at the other end of the hallway, seeing it match the previous end. I sat up straiter as I rubbed my eye and placed my hand back on the floor. I looked up at the cill in front of me, seeing a little note sitting there like a party invitation. Curious about the note, I stood up and walked over to the cill to pick it up. It was similar to the one that I found the night the army and I stayed with the Sanada army. It had nothing in the front, but the inside had directions to something. It went like this;

              "Sometimes in war, you awaken to unusual things. Those unusual things can be either good or bad. Us warriors are on guard to these unusual things for protecting what's important to us. Some might protect family, some are as simple as guarding your territory.  Whatever it is, we always got to protect what's important. To protect, we need to be aware of what's around us and sometimes it's hard protecting in the dark.  At times we warriors don't have anything to protect so we have to use whatever is provided to defend. To defend in the dark is similar to if we were blinded, so we have to rely on our other senses to protect. This mission is to figure out how well you can use your other senses to navigate when you can't really see. Good luck with your mission. Defend your territory well."

I read the note with confusion, as I turned to examine the back of the paper. Nothing else was written in the letter, which confused me. I studied the bolded-out words as I read them again. "This is strange. It's like they're trying to," I said, as footsteps ran over to the right. I cocked my head up in the direction as I listened carefully. The footsteps echoed as a shadow dashed over the crossing hallways and went to the right. It sped quickly so I didn't get a good glimpse of what it was. I tightened the note as I started to shake. "Dad? Is that you?" I asked aloud as I listened to the air, hearing nothing. No reply, no movement.  I studied the hallway as I looked behind me, then in front again to see nothing has changed. "Hello?" I asked as I started to walk slowly down the hallway. I walked slowly as I kept a lookout for a movement somewhere and my ears open for a sound. I walked up to where I saw the shadow and looked around the hallway. "Hello? Dad?" I asked aloud as I looked closely. I looked to the left, seeing a shadowy figure off in the distance. It stood about the height of Hambee with a sword sticking behind it and little peaks on the top of them. I studied the being as I fisted my hands. "HEY!" I yelled as the figure ran and dropped something. I ran quickly to try to catch it, but it was too fast. I looked down as I saw another piece of paper. This note went like this;

"It seems an intruder has entered the building. Intruders are dangerous and can kill us while we're asleep. That's why we got to rely on our other senses; like smell and hearing. Use these two scenes to catch your intruder."

I looked up at the note as I thought about what it said. "So, this is a blind mission?" I asked myself as I looked at the note. I looked up to the left of the hallway as footsteps continued down a hallway to the left. "So, I got to catch this intruder?" I asked myself as I silently followed to where the footsteps were going. I kept quiet as I walked down the hallway. I examined the sides of the hallway to find something to use for self-defense, but I couldn't find anything. I walked up to the intersection to where I saw the shadow as I looked to the left to see nothing. I looked down the other hallways as I spoke. "Anyone there? Please show yourself, I just want to chat," I said, as I felt fear starting to creep into me. I stopped to hear a little chuckle to the left, which made me whip my head around.  I studied the hallway as I saw the figure dart to the right. "HEY!" I yelled as I ran towards the area but I lost it again. I thought about the note and focused on my nose and my ears. I couldn't hear anything but I noticed a different smell through the hallway. It smelt different than a human and a vampire, similar to a wolf. I shot up instantly. "Someone's here. Got to find a solder," I said, as I ran in the direction of where the army slept.  I bolted as quickly as I could as I looked around the hallway, trying to find the figure but it was nowhere to be found. I looked around to find help, but the building was completely empty. I didn't stop until I got to dad's room, which was cracked open. I knocked. "Dad, I'm coming in. It's an emergency," I said, as I opened the door to find that no one was in the room, not even Tokuichi. "Dad?" I asked as I entered the room to look around. I knew that vampires don't need to sleep, but dad was always in his room at this time of night. The fact that his room was empty was even more creeper.  "Dad?" I said again as I looked around the room. I walked up to his bed as I looked at the pillow, seeing another note underneath it. I picked it up.