On the Path of Fate: Hiro’s Journey

Hiro finally recognized the man that was approaching him.

The long black hair and beard were a match for the memory in his mind. He was certain he had seen this man before, but it had been over a year.

"Hiro, is that you?" the man asked.

"Yes, my lord," Hiro replied as he bowed deeply.

The man looked puzzled. "Don't call me that," he said as he waved his hand dismissively. "We are equals here."

"But I remember you saving me from those men when I was homeless," Hiro insisted. "I also remember you gave me your katana so I could defend myself."

"That's what I'm talking about," the man said with a smile. "So many people think they are better than others because of their rank or position. In truth, we are all equal."

Hiro immediately realized where this conversation was headed and he felt foolish for having brought it up himself. The man was obviously not going to acknowledge their previous encounter, much less the favor he did for Hiro by giving him his sword. That would have been too much to expect from someone like this man - someone who lived such a humble life in the woods with his dog.

There was something else that had been bothering Hiro ever since he saw the man approach him, but he was too shy to ask about it at first. He thought about it for a few minutes until he finally found the courage to speak up: "Excuse me sir, but may I pet your dog?"

"Of course!" the man replied happily as he approached his dog and patted him on the head as well. "His name is Akira," he explained while looking down at the animal fondly.

Hiro reached down to pet Akira's head and almost jumped back in surprise when Akira snapped at him viciously just before their hands could touch each other's fur. As soon as Akira saw that Hiro hadn't moved away from him, however, Akira calmed down and resumed his peaceful demeanor once again.

This event left Hiro feeling confused and even a little bit angry at this dog for being so rude towards him despite how well-behaved the dog was normally. He decided not to say anything about it though, because deep inside he knew why this dog acted like that: because in some ways they were very similar - both of them loved their master and neither of them liked sharing him with anyone else... especially not some filthy gaijin!