The Daughter Of Hideyoshi

Chapter 19

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.