Ch2 - Blood Seeker

A gentle heart searches.

"Today, we shall be playing without older students.

Half the class will seek, the other half will hide.
At the chime, everyone will return and switch roles."

The children were all sitting, a habit they'd acquired over the last two weeks.

Just as well, they were tired from the intense physical training regimen.

"Your teacher decided whom would be in each group.

Since I cannot expect you to physically bring those you find here...

Instead those who seek will have their hands sprayed.

You must touch those who find.

Each seeker will have a different color, also chosen by your teacher.

Now, I'll call out the first team of seekers..."

The game master, as the children had taken to calling him, looked at his clip board.

"Alright, if I call your name go stand by the door.

Once I'm finished the rest may go to hide, while the seekers' hands are sprayed."

The children nodded, as a silent understand.

"Good, I need... Jershan, Krista, Dyrhan, Oddmond, Damiaan, Trisha, James, Okatawa, Davorin, and Ter-kata."

Half the class got up, and moved to the door, including the purple neko.

The other children waited barely a moment, before scattering to hide.

This game was becoming second nature, even if they still weren't very good.

The game master came over, he had a bottle, with a dial on top.

"Hands out."

The seekers put their hands out, palms up.

"Good." He looked at his clipboard, and switched the dial.

He began spraying each child's hands, greens, blues, blacks, whites.

The purple neko's hands were sprayed in a rather obvious purple.

"You may 'tag' other students only once, but you are encouraged to find every student.

We'll wait just a moment more..."

The seekers were already trying to strain to see down corridors.

"Do remember, there are only ten students to find.
If! You manage to find them all, you may return here and wait.

Finding someone twice, does NOT earn bonus points."

The seekers nodded understanding.

"Good..." He checked his watch, "Alright, go find them."

He rang a small chime, the one they'd quickly learned meant the seekers were seeking.

The seekers ran quickly, as they searched.

The purple neko went a little down one corridor, before walking.

He focused, listening.

All he could here was his own heartbeat.

He took a few deep breaths, to calm his heart.

He heard another heartbeat, not far.

He walked, focusing on it.

He looked up to the right, and swore he could see the person's heart beating in their chest.

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

He climbed up, quietly, the hider had not seen him.

He jumped, and managed to hit their back with his hand.

The hider was startled, and fell to the ground.

The other boy got up, "How did you?"

The neko looked to him, and chuckled.

The fall would give him away to others, so the boy ran away to find a new hiding spot.

The neko boy then focused again, and heard another.

He sprinted down the corridor, and paused to focus.

He continued this, overjoyed that the seeking technique was working.

Each night, he had been laying awake, listening to their heartbeats.

He was beginning to memorize heartbeats.

He'd occasionally tracked another seeker.

But that didn't discourage him.

He was the smallest child in the class.

A fact others mocked him for, but he was able to reach the best hiding spots.

He wondered if they'd play this game in future years.

It would certainly get harder, as they all got bigger.

They'd also be more adept at hiding, and seeking.

The neko climbed up another wall, he'd gotten rather good at this.

The physical training helped for sure.

He struggled to hang on, as he was hanging upside down.

But there was a hole in the ceiling, and that's where the last heartbeat was.

He used his little cat like claws to hold on, before bracing against the hole.

He shimmied up a little, before reaching out.

He could nearly reach, he was getting a little bit of cloth.

He shimmied up more, before grabbing the hider's leg.

Suddenly he saw the entire outline of the hider.
Yet it moved, and was red, both dark and light red.

It startled the neko, he released the other boy's leg, and slid down out.

Hitting the ground roughly.

He got up, and rubbed his butt before walking towards the starting point.

Before he arrived the bell chimed, stating the game was over.

He sprinted to the entrance.

The seekers arrived first, and the game master pointed to a small sink for them to wash their hands.

The hiders arrived to, marked with hand prints of various colors.

"Sir, the stain isn't coming off." a larger boy stated.

"That's true, and it wont.
You just wont be able to mark other students anymore.

It'll fad in a couple days.

Now stop hogging the sink."

The larger boy moved, and let the other seekers wash their hands.

Later all the children were sitting, in what amounted to a classroom.

Their clothes were stained a rainbow of colors.

Standing in front of them was an adult male.

Their main teacher, he had plain brown hair.

His eyes a simple hazel.

The only demonic feature to him, was his aura.

It was intimidating, to say the least.

The class had seen even older students, those ready to graduate, give him a wide space.

Something about him was terrifying.

"Based on, Mr. Hernzing's notes...

And the state of your clothes...

My assumptions were accurate."

He paused and sighed, shaking his head.

"All of you are awful at hiding.

Each of you were found by at least half of the seekers."

One boy raised his hand.

"What?" the teacher asked.
"Is it possible that... we're just really good at seeking?"

The teacher stared at him, "If you weren't all easily found by every other class, then it might."

The boy lowered his head.

"Class leader, get up here."

The purple neko scrambled up, and hurried over.

The teacher looked at the neko boy.

"Do remember that you're only class leader, because you haven't annoyed me enough to fire you."

The neko boy nodded.

He'd been picked at random, from what he could tell, by the game master.

He was surprised he'd been allowed to be class leader for two weeks.

He never spoke, and he was the smallest.

His classmates didn't respect him, not they respected any other students.

"Now, class.

Be aware that the person with the most seeker points, and least tags...

Was your class leader.

He managed to find all targets, and was only found by two seekers.

Tomorrow instead of actually playing a game after dinner...

You will all be practicing and working on proper ways to hide.

You will do this until he believes you have all improved.

Then you will play against the older class again.

If I do not see a strong improvement, you will all be punished."

The children all nodded.

"Now go to sleep." the teacher said, walking out.

The children hurried into the sleeping quarters.

Most made it to their bed and just passed out.

None bothering to get under the covers.

It was summer, much to hot for covers.

They were being exhausted each day.

Likely as a way to assimilate them into the assassin culture.

They were to tired to question their teachings.
The only question was...

Did it get easier over time?

Or did they simply adjust?

Author's Note

I was inspired by a review of the first chapter to go ahead and write the 2nd chapter.
As a note, some of the things in this and future chapters are sort of based off a personal experience. Those who've had the experience may recognize it.