There was no doubt about it. The voice came like a whisper, but I could still feel it clearly, the warmth of familiarity mixed with that tiny hint of coldness. After all these years it had changed a little, but something about it stayed the same.
I left the men at their table and turned slowly, my movements stiff and robotic. Then I finally saw him. He had changed, taller now, with some added weight but the stern look was still there, the one that cut straight into your soul. There was no mistake. It was Pacho.
"Pacho," the word slipped out of my mouth.
"Big bro," he said back. His nose and ears were red from the cold, and I could see the longing in his eyes, like we were still connected.
What happened next came fast, and my body couldn't keep up. Pacho stood up from the bench and jumped into a tight hug. I held us steady so we wouldn't fall—he was heavier than I remembered.
For a while we just stood there, arms wrapped around each other, tears running down our faces. Then a girl came over with a tray of food, dishes lined up perfectly, much better than what I had ordered. It was clearly Pacho's meal. She set it on his table, bowed to us, and left.
We let go of each other at the same time. Pacho looked at me with red eyes.
"You're alive," he said, voice full of feeling as he grabbed my arm hard, like he needed to make sure I wasn't a dream.
"I'm alive," I said back, not knowing what else to say.
He noticed the girl leaving out of the corner of his eye, then saw his order on the table. He quickly waved her back.
"Bring the same thing I ordered for him too."
"Yes, sir," she said, bowed, and left.
We sat down across from each other. The steam from the bean soup and rice rose up as Pacho smiled. Honestly, it was the first time I'd ever seen him this happy, like he was a completely different person.
"I'm so happy to see you, big brother Tatsuya."
"Yeah. Me too. You've grown so much I can hardly recognize you."
"I could say the same about you. The long hair, the hakama, the katana at your side…" He glanced over. "You look different—like a real samurai."
"And you look… rich." At first I didn't notice because everyone in the village looked well-off, but thinking about it, this wasn't the Pacho I knew years ago. His hair was neatly trimmed, his skin clean, his clothes straight and proper.
"What happened? Did you win the lottery or something?" I asked, half joking.
A short silence followed. His smile slowly faded as he looked down at the rice in front of him.
"Everyone thought you were dead," Pacho said quietly.
"Mmm. That makes sense. I was banished into the forest. Even I thought I might die. But here I am." I chuckled to try and lighten the mood, but it didn't work.
"After you left, everything changed. Everyone. People got tired, hungry, and scared. No one dared do anything, knowing they could end up like you." He paused.
"Pachi and I did what we could. We started doing labor work. The pay wasn't much compared to stealing, but it was better than nothing." He gave a dry chuckle and sniffed..
"At some point we too became tired, and we decided to let it all go."
"Let it go?"
"Yes. Pachi and I, along with some other boys. We decided to run—run away from the village—"
"You did what?!"
"We just—I'm sorry Big bro"
"Fuck! No, I'm the one who should apologize."
I shouldn't have snapped at him like that. He was no different from me, nobody to look after us—so he did what he had to do. Even if running into the forest was the most reckless choice possible, it was better than staying and doing nothing. I lashed out because I knew exactly how dangerous it was. I had barely survived thanks to my skills. And yet here he was, alive.
"How did it happen with the forest?" I asked.
"It was two weeks after you left. Pachi and I, plus some other kids, decided to leave. We managed to slip past the walls and gates. When we entered the forest, we…"
Pacho stopped. His eyebrows drew together, and he rubbed his forehead gently, as though a headache had suddenly hit him.
"I can't remember exactly what happened, but I woke up near this village—alone. No sign of Pachi or the others. I spent days wandering, looking for them, but found nobody. That's when I met Lord Ikemoto. He's a good man. He took me in and taught me everything I know today. You need to meet him."
"Sure. I will."
It had to be the fog. Its side effect was to scramble the mind, leave people disoriented and useless. Maybe that's how they all got scattered, wandering like empty shells until they stumbled out. But there was also the possibility some never made it, still lost in there even now. The thought sent a chill through me.
The girl returned with my meal. It was far better than the plain rice I'd had before.
"Let's eat now, big bro. We've got more catching up to do." Pacho's smile came back, brighter than before. Honestly, I liked seeing him this way, happier. "Don't worry about the cost. It's on me. If you want extras, just order."
At this point I was convinced, either Pacho had won the lottery, or this Lord Ikemoto he kept mentioning was one hell of a wealthy man.