I bounced the knife a few times in my hand, reminding myself of its weight. I studied Saizo as he took the target off the stand and walked away with it. I watched him as he prepared to roll the target, then tilted my head in thought. "So, you think it will really work?" I asked, him as he positioned the target, the front-facing me. "It might. But we won't know unless we try," he said, as he leaned on it, flattening a bit of the dirt from underneath it. He took a few minutes then cracked a smile. "There. You ready Harper?" he asked, as I nodded. "I guess I am," I replied. Saizo cracked a smile. "Ok. Here we go," he said, as he pushed the target, making it roll.
I steadied the knife, then chucked it at the target. The knife flew near it, then stuck in the ground in front of it. I huffed. "Well, we tried," I said, as Saizo retrieved both the target and the knife. He rolled the target up to me. "Well, you're definitely a reaction fighter, that's for sure," he said, handing me the knife. "Wanna try again?" he asked, as I shrugged. "I dunno. It didn't work the first time. I don't think it's going to a second time," I said, in defeat. Saizo studied me. "But, we only tried it once. Maybe a second time will be helpful," he said, as I huffed. "I dunno. Maybe I had enough for one day," I said, sounding like I was giving up. Saizo looked at me, then shot up. "I got it. Let's try this one last time. Alright?" he asked, as I huffed. "One last time. But it's not going to work," I said, as he turned to me. "I got an idea," he said, as I crossed my arms. "I'm telling you, it's not gonna work," I said, as he shot his head up. "It's gonna work this time. Trust me," he said, as I huffed. "Alright. One last time, but if this doesn't work I'm done," I said, as Saizo smiled. "It's gonna work. Now, face that wall," he said as he pointed to the wall on the right. I took a deep breath and did the request. "Ok, now what?" I asked. Shifting echoed in the air. "Ok. Just study the wall for a moment in silence. Remember what you learned from last night. Focus on your other senses instead of sight. You ready?" he asked as I took a deep breath. "I'm ready," I said, as the air went silent again.
I studied the brick wall in front of me. I studied the way the groves of cement kept each brick in place. It looked like a bit of the cement started to chip, but it wasn't enough for the army to replace. I smelt the dirt underneath me, as it was being dug up from practicing. The air itself was silent, except for a slight breeze that made the trees rustle. I squinted at the wall as a slight sound was heard in the distance. It sounded as if a log was rolling off a cliff. It sounded as if it was coming towards me, growing louder. My eyes widened as an uncomfortable feeling washed over me. I held the knife by the blade and quickly chucked it to my right. The knife flew at the approaching target and the blade jammed right into the side. It rolled until the knife's handle hit the ground, making it fall back on its face. I studied the target as I tried to calm my breath. I looked up at Saizo as he started to cheer. "I told you it'll work," he said, as I studied him in shock. He took note of it. "What?" he asked, as I looked to the target, then back at him. "ARE YOU NUTS!" I yelled, in shock. "What? You're a reaction fighter so I had to get your adrenaline pumping," he explained. I studied him in confusion. "That target would've hit me if I didn't chuck the knife," I pointed out. Not that I was mad or anything, but it was a little frightening. Saizo picked up the target. "But, it's directly in the middle," he said, showing me where the blade stuck. "Even I couldn't do that," he said, as I walked up to look at it better. I knelt by the target as I pulled out the knife. In its place was a little hollowed-out area that went deep into the target. I stood as I continued to study it.
My mind went to the thought of being a reaction fighter. I started to ponder on the topic as I crouched to look at the hole better. "Saizo, is being a reaction fighter dangerous?" I asked as I turned the target again. He nodded. "I think it is. Reaction fighters are better at survival because they focus more on how they feel. Adrenalin is their best friend," he explained. I twiddled the knife in my hand. "I'm confused," I admitted. Saizo got comfortable. "Think about when we first met. Remember when you woke up the first time?" I huffed. "Can we not talk about that, please?" I asked as he held a hand up. "Just for a moment. What did you do first?" he asked, as I thought. I forced myself to remember that day. I remembered how frightened I was being away from home, with unfamiliar faces. I nodded. "I felt threatened. I didn't know you at that time so I was scared. I truly thought I was gonna die," I said, as Saizo nodded. "Ok. Remember what you did when you met Yukimura for the first time?" he asked. I huffed, still regretting that day. "I threw the knife. I had to defend myself somehow," I said. Saizo pointed at me. "That's it. The fear made you fight. The adrenalin took on fear which made you go into a protective mode. That's why you got to just use your senses to defend yourself, which is a helpful tip on the battlefield," he explained.
I pondered more on the topic and then gave him a confused face. "You still confused, aren't you?" he asked as I thought for a moment. "But, wouldn't that be dangerous for the rest of the army?" I asked. Saizo shook his head. "No, unless they're unaware of it. Your dad's army knows about your fighting style. So, they're not really at harm," he explained. I sighed in relief. "Good, because I don't want to be a danger to the people I care about." Saizo cracked a smile. "It'll also be helpful when facing another army. Your dad must've told you about them, right?" he asked, as I nodded. "A little bit. He told me about a couple, but not much," I explained. Saizo took a deep breath. "Oh. I'm guessing he'll probably talk to you about them when he feels ready. I also think he wouldn't be happy with me if I continue this conversation with you," he said, with a chuckle. I chuckled myself. "Probably not a good," I said, as a breeze drifted across from me. I stopped my thought and went silent. I looked up at Saizo as he studied me, then backed up. "Remember what you learned from last night," he said, as I continued to listen to the air around me. I took a deep breath, getting the scent of another creature. I kept my head down as I listened to the silence then I heard footsteps.
Instantly, I picked up my head, turned in that direction, and threw the knife by the blade. I felt a little wetness between my fingers as I watched the knife fly. It soared in the air as it drove into the nearest post. I saw a shadow from behind the post as Toshiiee peered from the shadows. "Nice one Harp," he said, as my eyes grew again. I took a deep breath as I looked at the ground. "I'm gonna end up hurting someone I care about someday," I said, as Saizo laughed. "At least you're good at self-defense," he brought up. I looked up at him. "But, I almost hit you," I stated. He chuckled. "The only thing you hurt is yourself," he said, as he gestured to my hand. I looked down to see a little line of blood trickling through my fingers. I spread them wider as I saw a scratch in between. I studied it. "But, you taught me to hold it by the blade," I said, in wonder. Saizo walked up closer. "May I see your knife, Harper?" he asked, as I stood and handed it to him. He took it by the blade. Instantly, his eyes grew. "Oh, that's why. When you hold it, hold it so the sharp edge is still away from you, like this," he said, as he demonstrated. I studied it in understanding. "Alright. Thank you for the lesson. It's going to help me with practice," I explained. Saizo cracked a smile. "We'll have to do it again sometime. Maybe a harder test than last night," he said, as I nodded. "If dad's ok with it," I said, with a smile. Saizo went to say something but Yukimura's voice broke out first. "THERE YOU ARE!" he yelled through the air.
Saizo, Toshiiee, and I looked at the outer wall to see Yukimura standing there, looking concerned. Saizo's tail shot up straight for a second when Yukimura spoke. He turned to give his leader his full attention. "Something the matter?" he asked. Yukimura sighed. "We're getting ready for the travel home. I couldn't find you anywhere," he said. Saizo sighed. "Sorry, I was helping Harper train a bit. She almost got me this time," he said, as Yukimura turned to me. "Keep up with the good work Harper. Your gonna be a great warrior someday," he said, as I cracked a smile. "Thank you. I'll try my best," I shouted back at him. Yukimura cracked a smile. "When your fully trained, I might have to recruit you to test Saizo," he said, as Saizo chuckled. "She's going to need a lot more training before that happens," he said, before turning to me. "I bet it'll happen if you keep working at it," he said, with confidence. Yukimura chuckled, then slammed his hands on the wall in front of him. "Then it's settled. When Harper gets stronger, she'll show you how a beating should go," he joked. I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "I don't think I wanna beat up Saizo," I admitted. Saizo cracked a smile as he turned back to Yukimura. "You see that? Harper will continue to be a sweetheart," he yelled at his leader. I cracked a smile as I started to feel slightly warmer. Toshiiee chuckled. "Now you know why we love having Harper around," he said, adding to the embarrassment. I looked to the ground. "We don't have to have this conversation," I said as I tried to hide my face. Yukimura chuckled. "I'm sorry Harper. We'll drop the conversation now," he said, with a smile. Then he turned serious again. "Saizo, we'll be leaving in a little while," he said, as he started to walk off. "Yes, I'll get ready soon," Saizo replied. He turned back to me. "I should get ready myself. Keep practicing. You're doing great," he said, as he started to walk off. "Thank you," I said, as he left the yard. Toshiiee took a deep breath. "Well, we better get ready too," he said, as I studied him in confusion. Toshiiee chuckled. "We're going to see them off. It's respectful to see your allies off for their travel," he explained. I nodded in understanding. "Alright. I'm gonna go change first if that's alright," I said, as I glanced at my clothes, which were now covered in dirt from practice. Toshiiee nodded. "You have time," he said, as I cracked a smile and walked back to my room.
....
About an hour later, I walked down the hallway toward the meeting room when I heard another familiar voice. "There you are Harp," Kambee's voice rang through the air. I turned around to see him approaching. "Where you going?" he asked, once he got up to me. I studied him confused. "I'm going to the meeting room. That's where we're going before we leave, right?" I asked as Kambee sighed. "No one told you. We changed it to the front gate. We're about to head out," he said, as I smiled to hide the embarrassment. "Sorry. No one told me it changed. I was told the meeting room," I said, as Kambee sighed. "I'm sorry. Your dad must've forgotten to tell you. But, we better hurry before we're late," he said, as he turned to walk in the opposite direction. I followed silently. I looked at the hallway ahead of us as we headed to the front gate. The hallways were silent except for our footsteps. I looked around a little bit in wonder if Tokuichi was going to randomly jump on me. But knowing the monkey, he was probably with dad. I took a deep breath as I looked at the hallway ahead of us in silence. "Something wrong Harper?" Kambee asked as I looked up at him. "Nothing's wrong. Why?" I asked as he studied me in silence for a moment. Then he looked back up ahead. "Nothing. You just went silent all of a sudden," he said, as I shrugged. "No. I'm fine," I said, as he chuckled. "There's not another test if that's what you're preparing for," he said, as I cracked a smile. "I know. But I gotta be prepared for the worst," I said, as we headed outside where the two armies waited.
We approached silently seeing how there were conversations everywhere. I stopped when I approached and looked up at the sky, seeing it clear as can be. The breeze seemed to get a little warmer than before. The clouds seemed to clear up a little more, which will be great for travel. The sun was glowing brightly to the left, lightening up the clouds that drifted across the sky. I took a deep breath, calming down from practice. "Harp, you'll ride with me," dad yelled from across the yard. I turned to him and cracked a smile as I started in his direction. I walked up to his horse as it turned to me. I picked up my hand and rubbed its muzzle before mounting it. The horse enjoyed the attention, then returned to what it was doing. I walked on the side of it as I put my foot in the saddle and jumped on it, trying not to knock dad off his own horse. I let him get back into his position as I leaned against him for support. I heard a little chirp as Tokuichi climbed onto the horse and sat on the back of its shoulder. Dad chuckled as he looked at the monkey. "Where've you been?" he asked Tokuichi, who yawned and dropped himself over the horse. I chuckled and dad sighed. "Lazy monkey," he said, as he turned to the rest of the army. "Everyone ready?" he asked, getting silent nods in return. Then he turned to Yukimura, who prepared his own army. When everyone from the Sanada army was ready, Yukimura gave dad a nod before we started on the travel.
I sat back in silence as I watched the two armies head for the gate, that had just opened. Everyone except dad and I. I felt a tap on my shoulder as I turned to look behind me as best as I could. "Do you have your knife, Harp?" he asked, silently. I thought for a moment as I reached my side, feeling its holster still strapped to my belt loop. I nodded silently. Dad smiled as he started to move his horse. "Just making sure. Always make sure your weapon is with you before leaving home. You'll never know what'll happen," he explained as we headed out of the gate. The doors to the gate shut behind us as we continued to head for the group. Kambee waited for us to catch up. "Something wrong with Harper?" he asked, as dad shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Just a survival lesson, that's all," he said, as we started to catch up with the group. Kambee sighed in releaf. "That's good to hear. For a moment, I was starting to think something was wrong," he said, as he walked beside us. Dad chuckled. "Harper is tough. I don't think I need to worry right now," he said, as he rubbed the top of my head.
I looked up ahead of us as the two armies were up in conversation. I kept to my mind, as I started to look around more. The world around us was shining in a yellow hue, due to the rising sun. The trees swayed slightly with a warm breeze that made the air comfortable. Light voices and laughter came from the group up ahead. I cracked a smile as I watched up ahead, then lost it due to my thoughts. I turned back to dad. "Dad," I said, as I slightly turned back to look at him. Dad lowered his head towards my shoulder. "What?" he asked, ready for a conversation. I studied the trees to the left. "Are we going to get attacked today?" I asked, knowing if I didn't ask the question would bother me later. Dad stayed silent like he had to think of how he was going to reply. "I have no clue, Harp. You never know when someone will attack, which is why I wanted you to have your knife on you. Gotta always be prepared cause you never know," he said, as I looked up ahead of us. "But," he said, pulling my attention back to him. "You know I'll protect you, even if you can't protect yourself. Alright?" he asked, as I nodded. "Alright," I said, as I sat back and enjoyed the ride.