Legacy of the Chosen One pt 1

Chapter 2

The flight from Denver to Tokyo was uneventful. The plane even touched down ahead of schedule. Mat collected his bag and de-planed. Mat entered the terminal and sat down to look at the instructions Sensei Kim had given him. "Hmmm..." he said, "It says that I need to just get a taxi and give the driver this map. That sounds simple enough." With that, he put the instructions and map in his back pocket and headed off to customs.

Mat's trip though customs went quickly since he had all of his paperwork well prepared and did not have much money to change over. He headed towards the airport exit to hail a cab. Just before he got to the exit he heard a voice behind him. "Sumimasen!" The male voice said flatly. Mat turned to face the voice. He saw two Japanese men dressed in black suits and sunglasses. The two men were larger than Mat's friend Dave. Mat also noticed one of the men had a sigh that said, "Kim-sensei no seito". Mat's knowledge of the Japanese language was good enough that he knew that the sign said. "Kim-Sensei's student".

Before Mat could say anything, the man holding the sign spoke to him in English. "Welcome to Japan. You are the American fighting student, yes?" Obviously uncomfortable not speaking his native language.

"Yes," Mat said, "My name is Mat." He bowed. "I wasn't aware that people would be waiting for me here." Traces of skepticism in his voice.

"Well," the man not holding the sign began, his English being much better than his companion's, "It was decided that you should be picked up from the airport by people that can be trusted. We are such people. Not just anybody can see the location of the shrine. Besides, your presence..."

"We should go." The sign guy said, interrupting his companion.

The two suited men led Mat to their waiting car. It was a black, four-door town car. One of the men opened the rear, passenger side door. Before entering, Mat spoke, "I didn't catch your names."

"Our names are of no importance." The man holding the door replied. "You probably won't see us after today."

The three men had been on the road only a short five minutes, but already uneasiness could be sensed inside the vehicle. There was no conversation at all. "I wonder who these guys are." Mat thought to himself, "'Our names are of no importance.'!? Since when?" Mat then looked back and forth between the two men in front of him. "Neither of them is talking. They aren't even talking to each other. Maybe it is a cultural thing." Mat then looked down at his watch. He then noticed that the compass on his watch was facing west. Alarm bells were going off inside his head. "Didn't the map say that the shrine was almost due north of the airport? We've been out of the city for a mile or so now. What's going on here?"

"Is this the right way to the dojo?" Mat asked, aloud this time.

The two men in the front seat looked briefly at each other. "How do you know how to get there?" The driver said in an angry tone.

"Stop the car Akira!" The man in the passenger seat said.

"Akira huh, nice name." Mat said. He reaction was a little cocky with the knowledge that he was right in his assumption that the situation was definitely wrong.

"You fool!" Akira shouted towards his companion, "Now he knows my name." The three men in the car were jerked forward slightly by the stopping of the car at the side of the road. It was a mountain road, and they had stopped on a curve. The edge of the road was bordered by a metal guard rail designed to stop cars from falling down the embankment. The bottom of which was a good 100 feet down and covered with trees.

"What does it matter?" The other one said as he turned to look at Mat. "He'll be dead soon anyway." Upon hearing this, Mat opened the rear passenger side door and bolted out of the car. Akira was quick to follow. He was out of the car jumped over the hood with one leap and stopped Mat in his tracks. Akira grabbed him by the neck, "You think your so tough don't you 'gaijin'" Akira screamed using the Japanese word for 'foreigner'. "We will show you here and now that you are insignificant. You are unnecessary because we have already found the one that we are looking for."

As Akira uttered the last word, Mat's eyes darted toward him and he stared at Akira for a split second. Mat's arms flashed inward and upward, breaking Akira's hold on him. As Akira dove out to regain his hold on the American, his face was met with a kick. Akira rocked back, but then fell forward and grabbed onto Mat's ankles. As Mat was about to shake his aggressor free, Akira's partner opened the passenger door, slamming into Mat with force. The jolt did free him from Akira's grip, but sent him down to one knee.

Mat struggled to regain his footing, knowing that the partner was close. He managed a defense against the slow punches that were now assaulting him. It was becoming clear that these two were not well trained in the martial arts, but relied on their power. More concerned with finding an escape than with defeating the opponent in front of him, Mat's mind was scrambling for anything that might help him. Everything then went black. Akira had hit Mat in the back of the head with something other than a fist.

Akira was now standing over the unconscious gaijin. He was now brandishing a tire iron, and muttering incoherently. He tightened his grip on the tire iron. "You...hit...me!" He growled has he continued to wring his hands around the implement.

"Settle down Akira." The other man said in Japanese, motioning for his angry partner to drop the weapon. "We haven't reached the designated spot yet. We can't kill him till we get there."

"Stupid foreigner!" Akira stammered, "BAKA GAIJIN!"

The enraged Akira starting beating the arms, legs, and body of the unconscious American. Several shots to the ribs and shoulders followed. "Yammete! Akira, YAMMETE" The other man pleaded. "Owarimasu." He then pointed to the edge of the road. "Throw him over. Thanks to the fresh falling snow, nobody will find the body for weeks."

"He is still alive, Yamamoto." Akira stated, He was out of breath, but slightly calmer. "I can hear him struggling to breathe."

"Not for long." Yamamoto said as he dragged Mat's beaten body to the top of the guard rail and kicked him over the side. "It may have been a change of plans, but the deed is done. The fall down this hill will finish him."

"The Master should be very pleased that we got rid of the American obstacle." Akira said when both men were back inside the car.

"You idiot!" Yamamoto exclaimed, "If the Master finds out that we had to change to plans that much, he will have our hides. At least he's dead. If we failed to kill him, who knows what would have happened."

"Why did you make me stop?" Akira asked, "I could have killed him right there and we would have been absolutely sure of his death. There is too much risk involved."

"Trust me Akira," Yamamoto explained, "he is taken care of. The Master can be sure of that. You know the Master hated even the idea that a non-Asian could be the chosen one. It has never, and will never be the case. Their souls are too weak. He was also too suspicious. Unlike the other one, whom is quite impressionable. If we want to help the Master achieve his ultimate goal then we do as he asks, and how he asks. You also forget that the last thing that we need is for one of us to lose total control. We can be no good to the Master if we cannot return ourselves to these forms. We must stay as we are mentally and physically. We would not even be accepted back home, if we can even get back there, much less fit in here well enough to do what the Master requires of us."

"Your right Yamamoto." Akira responded, now much calmer. "We were given these powers for a reason. The time to use them should be obvious."