6.

Watcher

Matt didn't have much time to worry about what Miyagi might have heard or what he was going to see, since he was facing what was obviously a dangerous immortal headhunter.

Damien Slade jumped to his feet and produced a pirate cutlass from under his long coat. That's when Matthias placed the name Damian Slade.

A little over two hundred years earlier there was a pirate captain by that name. he had disappeared overboard somewhere in the Caribbean during a violent storm that destroyed his boat.

Slade charged, swinging his sword. Matt ducked and rolled out of the way.

"So that's what happened to you Captain Slade," Said Matthias, "You became immortal the night of the storm!"

"Yes!" cried Slade, "and I shall be the one!"

Slade attacked again. Matthias grabbed a thick pole and used it to block a blow from the Cutlass. Slade kicked him in the chest and sent him flying backwards to land on a small pile of debris.

Matthias rolled off the debris pile just in time to dodge another blow from the Slade that was meant to take his head off.

Just my luck, I left my sword inside! thought Matthias. He ducked under Slade's blade and jammed a side kick into Slade's knee. There was a sickening crack as the knee broke. Slade howled in pain and dropped to the ground, but Matthias knew that with an immortal's healing abilities that wouldn't slow him down long.

Diving back through the hole in the dojo wall, he grabbed his sword and pulled it out of the scabbard.

He stepped out through the hole and raised his sword. Slade's leg was already nearly healed. He forced himself up on it and went on the attack again. This time, however, Matthias was ready for his aggressive style. and he deftly parried and dodged the attacks.

Slade swung his sword up over his head to bring it down in an overhand strike. Matthias dropped to one knee and made a sharp thrust forward jamming his blade through Slade's chest and out his back.

Slade gasped in pain and dropped to his knees. Matthias was on his feet in an instant and his sword flashed downward but stopped in mid-swing when he heard the sound of approaching sirens. Slade struggled to his feet and staggered off into the night.

"Another time, Wanderer!" he growled before disappearing into the night.

"I'm sorry," said Miyagi, "I did not know what was going on, so I called the police when I saw that man attack you."

"It's all right," said Matthias hiding his sword under a bonsai table, "I understand."

"I'll them that a prowler broke into my home and that you fought with him, and he fled." Said Miyagi.

"Thank you, Miyagi sensei," said Matthias with a respectful bow.

Present day:

Matthias was suddenly jarred out of his memories when he was hit by the buzzing.

"Matt," asked Daniel, when he and Chozen noticed that Matthias seemed to have zoned out slightly, "is something wrong?"

Matthias opened his mouth to answer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice outside.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," the voice said, "His name's Matt Carter."

Relief washed over Matt.

"Not a thing," smiled Matt. He walked out into the training yard to find Annie standing there.

Miguel and Several of the other boys were trying to talk her into joining the dojo. Sam was standing there with her arms folded across her chest. She looked anything but happy.

"Annie what are you doing here?" asked Matt surprised, "Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"Hey, Matt," she smiled, she walked up to him and held out his antique pocket watch.

"The last time I saw you, you forgot this," she said, "I knew you came this way. so, I wanted to return it to you."

The boys' eyes widened, and they all looked at Matt and the impish brunette with expressions that were half curious and half amused.

Matt rolled his eyes. He knew what they were thinking.

"Oh, get your brains out of the gutter!" he snapped.

Just then, as the sound of a motorcycle was heard turning onto the street, Annie and Matt were both hit by the buzzing. The motorcycle paused outside the gate and there was thump on the gate, then, the motorcycle roared off down the road.

"Have the students stay here, please," said Matt to a puzzled Daniel.

Matthias and Annie hurried toward the gate in the wooden fence. They opened it and stepped out closing the gate behind them. Annie drew her sword, a katana, and looked up and down the street.

"Whoever it was, they're gone," she said.

"Yeah, but they left a calling card," said Matt pointing to the outside of the wooden gate. There was an antique dagger pinning a note to the door.

The note read:

You and I have unfinished business.

Matt recognized the old-style handwriting.

"Slade," he growled.

"As In Damien Slade?" asked Annie.

Matt nodded. Pulling the dagger out and taking the note down.

"It looks like he finally found me again."

"Is everything alright?" asked Daniel as he and Chozen came through the gate.

"Yeah," said Matt quickly, "Some melodramatic nutcase pinned a note to your gate with a dagger."

"What note," asked Daniel.

"Something about 'unfinished business'." Replied Matthias

"Sounds like the Cobra Kai are trying to play mind games." Said Daniel, "What do you think Chozen?"

When Chozen didn't respond, Daniel turned and found him staring wide-eyed at something.

"Where did you get that?!" he said to Annie pointing at her hand.

Annie looked down and she and Matthias both cringed when they realized she still had her sword in her hand. She was so focused on the note Matt found that she forgot to put it away.

"I-I carry it for protection," she said trying to play it off and put it back under her jacket.

Chozen grabbed her wristed to stop her.

"That's the missing Miyagi family Sword!" said Chozen, "Now I ask you again, where did you get it?!"

"From me." Said Matthias causing Daniel and Chozen to look at him.

"Impossible," said Chozen, "This sword has been missing for more than hundred years!"

Matthias sighed.

"If you will all come back inside, I'll explain everything," he said.

Across town in smoky rat-hole of a bar on a back street, Damien Slade sat in a booth in the back corner of the room carving a skull and crossbones into the tabletop with a dagger identical to the one he left in the gate at that karate dojo. He knew he couldn't make a move on Matthias with that many witnesses, that's why he only left a note.

It was also why he sat here growing more frustrated by the minute.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across his table. He looked up and his mood worsened when he saw it wasn't the waitress with his drink.

"Who are you and what do you want?!" he snapped stabbing the dagger into the table.

"My name's Terry Silver," said the man, "and word on the street is you want Matt Carter as much as I do!"

To Be Continued….