Chapter One - The Rogue Swordsman

Ten Years Later

Japan

"So… tell me how we found ourselves here."

"Simply put… curiosity."

"I'm not sure if I'm comforted by that."

A trio found themselves amongst the crowd in a small field. All had formed a circle and were looking in at the two people standing in the circle. Both were currently preparing for their duel, their respective swords out and ready for blood. Most of those in the audience were locals, but there were only a few who were from out of the country, including the trio talking to each other.

The three were all in the military currently in civilian clothing; one man and two women. The man was a very muscular African American who stood at six foot three and wore a red beret, a black tank top shirt, and green pants. Both of his arms were fully fitted with cybernetic technology. One woman stood at five foot nine with shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a green jacket over a tight gray mid-drift shirt that showed off her well-toned abs, and black leather pants. The other woman stood at five foot five with pin straight dark brown hair, which fell to the middle of her back, and blue eyes. She wore a black jacket over a tight white shirt along with blue, gray, and black fatigue pants.

"You two need to relax," the male said to them.

"Jax, we happened to simply be walking by when this started," said the blond haired woman. "I don't think this is really any of our business."

"I'm with Sonya," said the brunette.

Jax sighed. "You too, Alex? I swear, if we weren't off duty right now, I would have questioned your insubordination."

Sonya playfully jabbed her shoulder at her superior. "No you wouldn't."

Jax grinned. "You're lucky that you're a good soldier."

Alex folded her arms in front of her and feigned hurt. "Well, I hope that applies to me as well."

"Of course," Sonya said with a smile. "You wouldn't have been in the military for as long as you have otherwise."

Their conversation was cut off the moment the weapons for the two swordsmen clashed. Of course, this got the crowd around them going and began cheering and yelling out.

It was almost hard not to notice the one dressed in black and red, especially considering the red blindfold over his eyes. Despite the blindfold, he seemed to have no problem walking around and defending himself from his opponents attacks.

Jax tilted his head in interest. "Hmm, what's with the blindfold?"

"A better way to challenge himself?" Sonya guessed.

"Maybe. You know… we do need some free agents for the Outerworld Investigation Agency. Maybe if the blindfold guy wins, we can recruit him."

"We'll see."

"I didn't realize we were recruiting today," Alex pointed out.

"Better than missing a good opportunity," said Sonya.

"Then again, it is a bit early to do that since we're still building the OIA portal."

"True," said the man. "But I'm thinking the sooner we recruit, the better prepared we'll be when the time comes to travel through the portal."

"Good point."

The brunette turned her attention back to the fight in front of her. The two fighters in the circle were currently in a lock, using their respective swords to lean in against one another while trying to overpower the other. Alex found herself tilting her heard slightly to the side while her eyes gazed at the blindfolded man in the fight.

'It could be because he's possibly blind,' the woman thought. 'If that's the case, he must have very good senses in order to participate in these fights.'

The blindfolded man suddenly pulled back before he began to slash his sword rapidly at his opponent, who was forced to back away without being hit.

Jax let out a short whistle. "Man, he's good."

The opponent then attempted to jump forward, but unfortunately for him, it had left him open. The blindfolded warrior immediately stepped aside while swinging his sword sideways and through the opponent's gut. Immediately, the opponent's top half slipped off his hip and both halves had fallen to the ground. Blood pooled onto the ground as his life drained from him. For a moment, no one said anything as the blindfolded man stood straight and placed his sword back in the scabbard behind his back.

"Well, that's a bloody way to end the fight," Alex muttered to herself.

Jax nodded. "If anyone can fight with a blindfold over their eyes like that and win, they definitely have what it takes to be an agent for the OIA."

"Just remember, he has to pass a few tests before he could start serving," said Sonya.

"That's if he accepts the offer," Alex reminded them.

"Well, let's go find our answer right now."

Jax then noticed the mess left behind by the fallen opponent. "Just… watch your step."

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

"Sorry, we don't mean to bother," said the male agent. "The three of us here are with Special Forces."

"Special Forces?" asked the swordsman with suspicion his voice. "What do you want with me?"

"We were watching the fight and were very impressed with your skills. My name is Lieutenant Sonya Blade. This is Lieutenant Alex Walker and our CO, Major Jax Briggs."

The man nodded. "Kenshi."

"Nice to meet you, Kenshi," Jax said. "Anyway, Special Forces is always looking out for talent and you definitely have talent."

"We want you in as a free agent," said Sonya. "A free agent is someone who serves under Special Forces but are not restricted under the usual rules and regulations. They also can leave the agency at any time without consequences. Right now we are developing the Outerworld Investigation Agency. We have two others involved in the project; Agent Cyrax and Agent Hsu Hao who is part of the Chinese Secret Military. We're building a portal, which will help us access to every realm outside of our own."

The last sentence caught Kenshi's attention. 'A portal with access to every inter-realm?' he thought. 'Maybe I can find Shang that way.' He made a decision then.

"I'll aid you," Kenshi replied with a nod.. "Where is your base?"

"In the US on Long Island," replied Jax. "We will be leaving in a few days."

Kenshi nodded. "Okay. In that case, where do you want me to meet you?"

"We're staying at an international base in Kyoto," Sonya informed him. "We'll make sure you get clearance. We would like for you to come by soon so that we can perform some tests. That way, we can officially declare you fit for duty."

"Not that you need it, but, you know… regulations," Jax said with a grin.

"In that case, I'll come back within the next twenty-four hours."

Jax nodded. "We'll see you then."

From there, Kenshi was able to see two of them takin their leave, but a third stayed behind. He tilted his head in her direction. "Lieutenant Walker?"

Alex looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Is there something you need?"

Alex suddenly cleared her throat, feeling a little embarrassed suddenly. "Sorry, I couldn't help but notice your blindfold."

"It's not for show if that's what you're thinking," Kenshi said a little coolly. "I've been wearing this ever since I went blind."

Alex frowned. "Sorry. I had a feeling you were, but I wasn't sure…"

Kenshi seemed to relax a little. "It's fine. It happened over a decade ago."

Alex nodded. "If anything, with someone with… well, not being able to see, I must admit that you are a very talented swordsman."

Kenshi nodded. "Thank you."

Alex quietly sighed. "Okay. Well, in that case, we'll see you tomorrow."

From there, she turned around and began to head in the direction Jax and Sonya were going. She found herself turning back once and saw him leaving in another direction. She wasn't sure what to think of him yet, only that she was sure that he was going to be a great asset to Special Forces.