And here's where how Lazarus lost his arm.

Chapter 7: The Truth Comes Out

Lazarus looked really scared that Musaki saw him with only one arm and when he took a glance at the empty one, all he could do is stand there, fearing that he'd freak out. Musaki stared at him directly and he didn't know what words to say about this and Lazarus said, "What are you doing here?"

"I actually came over to find if you were in the bathroom or not." Musaki replied, still shocked.

Lazarus gulped hard and he slowly lowered his head down, feeling ashamed of the fact that he saw who he really was; a young Siberian Husky with only one arm. He then asked, "I guess you're gonna call me a one-armed freak, huh?"

Musaki took a look at him and he lifted his chin up and replied, "No. Why would I call you something like that?"

"It's a...long story."

Musaki puts his hand on Lazarus' good shoulder and he said, "Let's talk on the Peach Tree. Everyone's on break anyway."

At the Sacred Peach Tree

Lazarus had his prostectic arm back on and he was definitely worried to tell Musaki about why he only has one arm and Musaki just couldn't believe that he has one student he trained has prostectic limbs. He turned to the young Husky and asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you have one arm?"

"Just the past week...I didn't know how to tell you. I never wanted to until I was sure if I could tell anyone here that I don't know that I'm actually an amputee." Lazarus replied.

Musaki had no clue that Lazarus kept this from him since last week and he just found out about it right now and asked, "So...where's your other arm?"

"It's been amputated almost 5 years ago." Lazarus added.

"5 years? Why?" asked Musaki, shocked.

Lazarus lets out a nervous sigh as he figured that Musaki would want to know how he got his arm amputated and it would mean he would have to reopen that memory he wanted to supress for years and he said, "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Lazarus, you can tell me anything. I know I'm a master to you, but I can also be your friend." Musaki added.

He knew there was no turning back on this and he already trusted Musaki enough with all the training he did with him that he would be willing to open up about his story.

"Okay, it happened about 5 years ago when I was seven years old. One day, I wandered around some parts of the Valley of Peace for a few minutes and I came across a forest and I guess in some ways...I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I soon realized that I was actually near a jagged cliff. I tried to get back to my family, but I fell down on the ground as the boulders started dropping down and as I laid there, one rock was coming into me and I tried to get away from it, but it landed on my arm instead. It like barely missed me and I couldn't move at all because my arm was pinned there and you don't what it's like to feel the pain under my arm. My family eventually found me and they could see that I'm stuck. There were many attempts to get this off of me, but it failed miserably. And my dad's only option to get myself unstuck...was to have my arm cut off. I was really scared of losing my arm and the fact that it should be cut off was like the worst thing I had to experience...but we had no choice. So my dad sawed off my own arm and I was released from that rock, leaving my own arm under the rock. After that, I had to be taken to a hospital and got examined and after an hour or so...the doctors told my family that I had to adjust being with one arm. It was like the hardest thing we had to go through, but I was really lucky to be alive because I could've let that rock kill me. Like a few months after the accident, my parents gave me a prostectic arm to replace my old arm and it took some getting used to...until I was faced with some harsh reaction from kids that saw my one arm calling me a 'one-armed freak' and that I couldn't do anything two-armed people can do. I was very frustrated and angry at myself, saying why did I let this happen to me? Like what did I do to deserve it? I was only 7 at the time, but you don't realize how much it hurts, not just physically but emotionally. So I kept my glove under my prostectic arm since then because I was too scared to let anyone see it and think that I can't do anything with just one arm. Even when I try something new, it becomes a bigger challenge for me because I had to deal with a lot." Lazarus explains.

Musaki stared at him wide-eyed after hearing Lazarus' story and how he got through it all with just one arm and he was extremely amazed that he would come to kung-fu summer camp with his one arm and he said, "Wow...you know, I can't imagine what my life would be if I lost my arm."

"That's because you're lucky you have two arms. I had to lose mine when I was 7." Lazarus said.

Musaki looked at him in the eye and asked, "What kinds of things you had to deal with?"

Lazarus lets out a deep exhale and replied, "Rejection, losing my self-confidence, self-worth, blaming myself and people thinking that because I have one arm, I can't do anything."

Musaki looks at Lazarus and he said, "I totally commend you for coming to this summer camp to prove that you can do kung-fu with one arm."

"I didn't even want to come at first because I was too scared of being rejected by your peers. But my grandfather was the only one that encouraged me to do this and he was actually the one to help me gain some self-confidence to show that I can do anything with one arm...although I still doubt myself even after I succeeded." Lazarus added.

"And here you are now...the second week and you've gone through with flying colors. I still believe that you can do anything despite have a prostectic arm. You've proved that you couldn't let a disability get in the way of doing what you want to do. I think kung-fu needs people like you." Musaki said, feeling awe-inspired.

Lazarus was surprised that Musaki completely accepted him and is cool with the fact that he has one arm and isn't quick to judgment. He looks at him and said, "Thanks, but I'm still scared to let anyone else know. The only person that knows is Kenji because he has prostectic legs. He and I can relate because we've grown up together here in the Valley of Peace, even though he originally came from Japan when he was a pup."

Musaki lets out a huge sigh as he contemplated this, although he finds it very hard to keep this out of the Five, Po and Shifu because they have no idea that both of them are amputees. He looks at Lazarus and he said, "They gotta know sometime. Why would you wanna keep this to yourself?"

"Because if they knew, I'd be kicked out. I was thinking about telling them on the final week of this camp. That way I'll have gotten to know them better." Lazarus answered.

"Laz...if you tell them about it on the last week, they would completely freak out anyway because you kept it to yourself."

"Yeah, I know. But what am I gonna do?"

Musaki thought about this for a minute and then he said, "Okay, how's this? You tell them about your prostectic limbs before this camp is over, but you have to face with whatever throws at you. We all have obstacles in our lives, but you just have to stay strong and rise up from whatever comes your way and just stay strong."

Lazarus could understand what Musaki was saying and he lets out a chuckle and said, "I think I picked a good choice on who I'm training with one-on-one."

That touched Musaki's heart to hear him say that and he said, "And you're a cool student that I'm happy to train with."

Lazarus gets himself up and puts his glove back on and Musaki had an idea and said, "Hey, how about you do your moves without your glove? The only person that can see your prostectic arm is me and around everyone else, you can still wear your glove. Sound like a good deal?"

"Sounds great." Lazarus said, with a smile.

Lazarus feels like he not only found a master in Musaki, but also a good friend...that he can confide in and trust him with everything. Sure, it'll be a shock for everyone when they eventually find out, but Lazarus will stay strong throughout this process.

Thanks to Joe Po Navark for helping me out with this! Sorry if I left ya hanging on the last chapter because of a little vacation, but I'm back now. Any thoughts about Lazarus' story about how he lost his arm and that he's attending a kung-fu summer camp? Remarkable, I know. There's more coming up, so stay tuned!