The Martial Unity

" Dad?? " asked Hiro 

" Hey Chief, so you do remember me " said the figure as it closed the distance between him and Hiro.

Richard was a resilient army war veteran standing at an imposing 6 feet 4 inches tall. Despite the physical toll of his military service, where he lost a leg, his spirit remained unbroken. He lost his parents at an young age and grew up with his uncle who was also in the US military. During the aftermath of the Vietnamese war, his uncle succumbed to his disease which he caught in the forests of The Ho Chi Minh Trail. Motivated by his courageous efforts in the war, Richard joined the army. He wore a red and black striped kimono. His body was covered in scars with a slash on his right cheek, left shoulder and nape of the neck. 

" How you doin Chum " said Richard

" Dad... " said Hiro as he rushed at him.

Richard caught him and hugged him, showering him with affection. 

" Where....why you left us all " said Hiro as he started crying

Richard remained silent. 

" You still haven't learnt anything have you Hiro? Isn't Hiroshi taking care of you ? You both are same " said another figure.

The figure also closed the distance between it and Hiro. As the brightness of the fire revealed the face of the figure, Hiro stood still in shock.

" You Idiot, look at you all messy and when was the last time you took a shower? I bet your big brother is also doing the same stuff like you " said Arisu 

" Mom... MOM !!! " shouted Hiro 

" Hiro....brother Hiro... " said another figure 

Hiro turned around and stood still. He fell to his knees and started sobbing.

" Did you win ? " said the figure.

Same as Arisu and Richard, the figure also covered the distance between it and Hiro. 

Niko walked towards Hiro and looked at his face. 

" Niko.... " murmured Hiro 

" Did you win ? " asked Niko 

Hiro remained silent for few minutes.

" We will go for now but remember you need to win for us " said Niko as she took a few steps back and disappeared in the darkness. 

" Do it Chief..you can do this " said Richard as he also took a few steps back. 

Hiro tried to run towards Niko but she was nowhere to be found. Hiro turned around and saw that Richard also disappeared in darkness. However to Hiro's surprise Arisu remained still.

" You are gonna leave me too ain't you mom, after all I am failure ain't I " said Hiro 

" Save me Hiro, the world needs you. Hiroshi needs you, I need you " said Arisu as she also disappeared. 

Hiro started crying. He slammed the ground with his fists multiple times. He stood up and tried to run around, looking for exits. However he kept on running and running into deep thick fog. Hiro closed his eyes and started running like a wild bull. After running for a few minutes, Hiro tripped and fell.

" Ooowww wtf was that " said Hiro as he looked around

Hiro saw that the dark pitch blackness was illuminated by sunlight. He looked around and found himself in middle of a forest. The ground was covered in grass and twigs with flowers in certain greener parts of the grass. The trees were so high that it appeared as if they were about to touch the sky. Cold and soothing breeze of air gushed around the jungle. Birds were chirping, crickets were playing and butterflies were mating. Hiro was mesmerized by the view. Hiro looked around and saw a big Banyan tree at a distance. He slowly and steadily walked towards the tree. While Hiro was walking, he heard multiple animals running through the forest. Some stalking him while others following him. All of them were going in the same direction. After some walking, Hiro arrived at the foot of the Banyan tree. He looked around and saw a sage meditating behind the tree. His eyes were closed while his dreadlocks were thicker than the banyan tree roots. His body was covered with butterflies and leaves of the tree. Many animals were residing near the sage. Deer and Tiger who often are the prey and the predator in the forest were sleeping peacefully near the sage. Monkeys were sitting with the sages while the birds were chirping in a melodious symphony. 

" Beautiful isn't it " said Okami 

" You...here? " asked Hiro 

" You left me there all alone " said Hiro

" I did left you there intentionally however when I left " said Okami 

" When you left what? What ? " asked Hiro 

The ground started to shake as if there was an earthquake. All the animals opened their eyes and stalked Hiro. One end of the Kusari-gama rushed at Hiro, running in between the trees and hooking itself to Hiro's waist. 

" What the fuck " said Hiro as the hook grabbed him and slowly started dragged him inside the thick spooky forest behind Hiro.

" So we finally met " said the Sage as he stood up as the butterflies flew away.

" Who are you...what is going on " asked Hiro as he tried to grip his foot onto the ground resisting the force of the Kusari-gama.

" I am Sharabha " said the Sage.