Bayani Unmasked: A HENERAL LUNA & GOYO: Ang Batang Heneral One-shot collection

24. Acceptance || #GoyoAngstStories

Two weeks later, the events that happened at Tirad Pass still haunted everyone. All the way from history until the present. For too many, Tirad Pass cost them a young soldier and a hero. For Vicente, however, it had cost him not only a general or a friend; but also a brother.

* * *

Vicente was staggering as he trailed the already familiar treck up. It had been cloudy like last time, but it was still undeniably hot; even though he was absentmindedly walking the long road.

Two weeks and his heart couldn't still bear to accept it.

After everything that happened on that fateful day, when he had declared himself to be 'unfit to serve' and was asked to come along with the women and children to surrender to the Americans already to be spared from escaping, all the while that the men were back on the running... Vicente still hoped that it was all just a dream that he would wish to finally wake up from.

But the presence of the empty shells of stray bullets on the dusty soil as he made the trail, and the mark of dry blood here and there, he knew that he was the dream when the rest of the world moved on with reality. The truth hit him hard much more when he came on the spot of where it had just been sand and rocks to mark the unnamed grave.

He stopped, looking down at the spot of where he had buried his general. His best friend. His brother.

He sighed heavily and crouched right in front of the grave. His elbows onto his knees, he looked far ahead as if that will stop the building tears on his eyes.

Vicente remembered their promise to each other. That they'll be celebrating their birthdays with extravagance and flamboyance right after the battle. That they would return to Bulacan together and celebrate Christmas. But who would have thought that he would be celebrating his birthday this way?

"Goyong..." his voice hitched with just that faint call. A sob was threatening to overpower the words he wanted to say. He sighed heavily for another time. "Sinong mag-aakala na hahantong sa ganito ang lahat? Ang bilis ng panahon... dalawang linggo na pero di ko pa rin matanggap ang katotohanan. Alam ko naman na hindi ko pa rin lubos maisip kung bakit."

He sniffed. He roughly and rushly brushed the tears from his eyes as if to stop them from falling.

"Ang dami kong tanong kung bakit..." He bit his lower lip for a second. "Kung bakit naman kasi kailangan maging ganito. Maari naman pala tayong sumuko ng mapayapa sa mga Amerikano. Eh di sana di ka namatay." He hissed. "Eh di sana wala tayo rito ngayon. Na hindi ko pinipilit ang sarili kong tanggapin na wala ka na."

The soft and white fluff of clouds shyly hid the sun, but there wasn't any indication that it was to rain.

And yet, Vicente would wish otherwise. At least, he can make himself believe that the wet on his cheeks were because of the rain and not of his own tears. He gulped in hard. "Tangina naman, oh. Kaarawan ko pa ngayon, hindi ba? Pero pinapaiyak mo ako." He sniffed, closing his eyes as he lowered and shook his head. "Gago... grabe ka naman magpaalala."

Ang tanga mo naman, Enteng, he almost laughed at such a thought. On how his thinking seemed to mirror how would Goyo react if he was right in front of him right now.

"Sabi mo pa naman, sabay na natin ipagdiwang ang kaarawan ko at yung sa iyo. Dahil sabi mo... panigurado tapos na ang labanan sa panahon na iyon," he mumbled before pressing his hands against his eyes. His breathing hitched and his entire frame trembled as he tried to ease himself. "Putangina, Goyong, di mo sinabi na matatapos pala ang labanan dahil hahantong sa ganito ang lahat."

Vicente remembered that time in Dagupan when Goyo screamed that he was to die, and all he had said was to chide. Who would have thought that it would all be some sort of premonition?

"Di ko nga alam kung paano ko haharapin si Julian eh. Nakakahiya na buhay ako... samantalang ipinangako ko na proprotektahan kita." He already fell on his knees, crouching doesn't support much of his weight and his grief. Through gritted teeth, he added, "Tangina... di ko man nagawang panindigan ang pangako ko bilang kanang kamay mo." He punched the ground underneath him in despair. "Baka mas maigi pa na namatay na lang rin ako."

Yes, perhaps it had been better. But what good would it be if he was to be with his general until death?

"Goyong, patawarin mo ako. Napakawala kong kwenta. Wala akong nagawa noong namatay ka. Di naman kasi dapat maging ganito." His hands grasped for the dirt. Sand entering through fingernails that had been filled with filth and blood the last time he had been here to see his general's dead body and be forced to bury him. "Bakit kasi..." He sniffed, shaking his head another time. "Una si kuya; ngayon naman ikaw. Bakit kasi kailangan maging ganito?"

He sat back, drawing his legs close to his chest. His elbows on his knees as he kept a hand pressed against his eyes. He hated crying the most; even though he was alone. It made him feel much worse.

"Bakit ganito? Diyos ko, bakit?!" He pressed his other palm against his eye. Tears pouring out of his eyes, just as the blood on his wounded knuckles started to trickle. "Ang sakit... Ang sakit-sakit. Maligayang kaarawan sa akin, ano? Tangina..."

A few seconds later, he heard the flutter of wings and claws screeched against the stones. Vicente looked up, pulling his hand away from his tear-stricken face and stared at the bird—the eagle—that stood right there, watching him curiously with those predatory eyes. And for some reasons, the supposed-to-be vicious bird only stayed there, waiting.

Goyong? He wondered as he slowly pulled himself to reach out a hand to where the eagle was, but the bird suddenly screeched and flapped its wings, leaving him right away as it flew low in circles.

Vicente remembered that until the end of Goyo's life, the latter had lived the life of being an eagle. And truly, he slowly accepted it that his friend was now one with the clouds.

He smiled bitterly as he looked up at the sky wherein the clouds were starting to partway again to show the golden rays of the sun and the eagle still on its flight, and hear the whisper of a familiar voice be carried by the wind. He bit his lower lip for a second before saying, "Maraming salamat din sa lahat, Heneral."

The eagle screeched another time as if it responded back at him, made another round, and finally flew a much higher altitude and headed somewhere else until light shone much greatly and Vicente could no longer point out where it was.

Oo, hanggang dumating ang araw na iyon... Magkikita ulit tayo. Pero sa ngayon...

Paalam, Goyong.

* * *

A/N: Follow me on twitter @23meraki for more updates. ;)

A/N: See "DEAD RECKONING", a Goyo x Reader story.

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