The Waning (GojoHime) - Part 2

The Strongest Duo, Part V

Beginning of the Year 2006

The air was crisp, and the night wrapped its silence around them like a smothering blanket.

Gojo squinted at the steep ascent. "Right..." he murmured skeptically. The snow-covered path glimmered faintly, winding its way upwards into inky darkness.

"Let's go," Geto clapped his hands, the sound echoing eerily from the surrounding trees and rocks. The snow crunched beneath his elegant shoes as he tottered forward.

"Right," Gojo repeated to himself and followed after the shadowy figure of his friend. A few lonely snowflakes danced in the faint moonlight around him, making it look like ethereal spirits vying for his attention.

The terrain beneath their feet shifted from solid ground to uneven rocks and patches of snow. Their muscles strained with every step as the incline became steeper and the air grew thinner, making them labor for breath. The temperature dropped further as they slowly gained height. Sweat glistened on their foreheads, freezing momentarily in the chilly air. Their suit jackets were lousy shields against the frigid wind that swept down from up above, but Gojo failed miserably at adjusting his Infinity to keep it out.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Geto muttered as he slipped once more on a patch of ice, his shaky breath visible in the frigid air.

Gojo pulled a suffering face, "I distinctly remember you saying something about wanting a 'legendary' start to the year. I shouldn't have let you drink so much of that bubbly stuff."

Geto rolled his eyes and guffawed, "Yeah, maybe I said legendary, but I sure didn't mean risking frostbite. You're such an idiot!"

"Why am I the idiot?" Gojo bristled, "You're the one with the wacko ideas!"

"Oh, suuuuuure," Geto murmured, his breath forming frosty clouds in the cold air. "Your nickname is literally 'the Idiot' and you want to lecture me?"

Miffed, Gojo clamped his mouth shut. All his ideas were great and everyone knew that! Shadows danced in the moonlight, creating illusions of lurking creatures behind the rocks. Gojo was convinced he saw the silhouette of a snow monster at one point, but Geto dismissed it as a trick of the mind and laughed meanly at Gojo because he believed in something as silly as snow monsters, which, according to Geto, did NOT exist, of course they didn't.

Okay, this trail was officially a never-ending torture, a constant upward spiral of hell. Hours melted away as they trudged through muck and snow, legs growing so weary and feet so cold he wanted to curl up and cry.

"Are we there yet?" Geto groaned.

"No?" Gojo whined. "Of course not! We're going to die!"

When the first rays of the sun painted the horizon with hues of pink and orange, they finally reached the summit, panting and shivering violently. The world below was still shrouded in darkness, lights from distant towns and cities twinkled like scattered stars. But in the east, the sun emerged triumphantly, casting its golden glow over the horizon. The sky transformed into a canvas of vibrant colors as the distant clouds caught fire with the radiance of the awakening day.

At that moment, when the world seemed to hold its breath, as if paying homage to the first sunrise of the new year, Gojo felt an overpowering sense of humbleness. This, Gojo knew with certainty, was what inspired poetry in men.

The moon glitters like pure snow

The plum flowers are like shining stars.

Ah! The golden mirror is turning in the sky.

In the garden the sound of a jade bell is heard.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't such a dumb idea," Geto admitted, his breath forming little clouds in the frigid air. "Happy new year, man!"

"Yeah, told you so," Gojo said haughtily. "All my ideas are great."

"Make a new year's wish," Geto nudged him in the rips. "It's what normal people do at hatsuhinode. If you really wish for it hard, it will come to pass."

It was easy to formulate a wish, Gojo didn't have to think for a second. I wish to never be lonely again in my life. He wished for it extra hard.

"I bet it was about Utahime," Geto teased him with a broad grin, nudging him some more, "let me guess, about finally getting to see her breasts?"

"Shut up," Gojo felt his face heat up. Yes, he'd like to see Utahime's breasts, but now he felt embarrassed about the emotional nature of his true wish.

"And you?" He snapped. "That Shoko will never again receive a lighter from another man?

"No," Geto's eyes flashed angrily. "I wished that you and me would always remain friends."

The awkward silence that followed his outbreak was disrupted by a buzzing sound.

"Your phone's ringing," Geto casually mentioned.

True enough, Gojo retrieved it from his pocket, his fingers feeling numb. Yaga was on the line.

"Yes, Sensei," Gojo responded, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Where the heck are you?" Yaga shouted. "We have a situation downtown, we need you here ASAP!"

"On Mount Fuji," Gojo truthfully replied.

"Don't mess with me!" Yaga screamed so loudly that Gojo had to move the phone away from his ear. "Get here NOW!"

"There's a situation downtown," Gojo informed Geto after stowing the phone back into his pocket. "Yaga wants us back ASAP."

"Ha!" Geto exclaimed, laughing and pointing at Tokyo in the distance.

"I never thought about what happens after you reach the top of a mountain," Gojo admitted.

"You've gotta walk down the mountain," Geto shrugged, "unless you have me."

He summoned a massive, majestic winged curse with iridescent feathers, a truly breathtaking sight. The creature hovered above them, creating a strong gust of wind. Geto made an inviting gesture with his hand. "After you, my friend."

Grinning, Gojo hopped onto the creature's back, and with a powerful beat of its wings, they soared from the snowy summit, descending from the lofty heights of Mount Fuji back to Tokyo.

"Of course, we'll always remain friends," he told Geto, but it was possible his friend didn't hear him over the rush of wind in their ears.