Where Our Blue Meets - Gojo Satoru x OC

Chapter 9

- "Are you sure it's this way?"

- "For the 13th time, yes. I'm sure." 

The two had been sent on a mission in the Yamanashi prefecture. Apparently, someone had reported some suspicious activity which could have been the sign of a higher grade curse, and Yaga had thought this to be the perfect opportunity for the duo to work together. 

It was their first mission together in a decade, a fact that neither of them openly acknowledged, although they were both fully aware of it. Despite the distance that had grown between them, they moved in sync, their years of training guiding their every step, as if they had done this their entire life. 

The forest grew darker as they delved deeper inside. The place they were headed to was not so easily accessible, and they had soon traded the car for their legs. Gojo was the one leading the way, as he was more familiar with the surroundings, and Eliana was not far behind, her senses were on high alert. They didn't know what they could potentially run into here, so she took all the precautions, while Gojo was... Well, as cocky and self-assured as ever. 

- "Hey, Eli," the blue eyed man began tentatively, breaking the silence that had settled between them. 

- "Hm?" the girl hummed back, her attention fully on the task at hand.

- "Do you ever think about...you know, how things ended?" He asked, hesitantly. 

Eliana paused mid-step, her eyebrows frowned. How things ended? Even though she knew that he was talking about their friendship, the choice of words sounded like he was talking about an ex or something. 

She sighed loudly. She knew she wouldn't be able to escape it, though now wasn't exactly the time to dwell on the past. They had a job to do. 

- "We're on a mission, Gojo", she sighed, slowly turning to face him. 

- "I know, look I- Gosh..." Gojo began, his words trailing off as he struggled to find the right thing to say.

Eliana placed a gentle hand on his arm. 

- "We'll talk about it later, okay? Right now, let's stay focused on the task at hand." 

- "But at least tell me I'm not the only one who regrets how things happened the way it did," he pleaded as the girl had started walking again. "I mean... how we just... lost contact after that day you left without saying goodbye." 

Eliana's jaw's tightened as Gojo's words sank in. She turned around, visibly confused. 

- "I waited for you, Gojo," she stated firmly, her tone tinged with an edge of frustration. "In front of your door. I told you I was leaving. You're the one who didn't bother to come out and say goodbye."

Gojo avoided her gaze, his eyes fixated on the ground with a mixture of hurt and longing, while Eliana stood there, arms crossed. She had spent years replaying that moment in her head, wondering if things could have been different if he had just come out of that room. Maybe they would have stayed in touch. And after the two years of her planned mission would have passed, maybe she would have taken a different decision. 

Maybe she would have come back to Japan. 

Obviously, she also knew that it wouldn't have solved all their problems. Their friendship had not been the same for a while, at the time she left. But at least, it would have showed something. 

It would have showed that he still cared. Somewhat. 

He was about to say something, but she did not want to talk about this here. This entire story... it brought back way too many memories. And not necessarily good ones. And on the lookout for curses, the last thing they needed was some bad energy. 

- "It's in the past now anyways, she said, cutting the discussion short. We have a mission to focus on."

Gojo nodded, his shoulders slumped in resignation, a flicker of disappointment flashing across his features before he masked it with a forced neutrality. 

- "Right. Let's focus on the mission then," he agreed, pushing aside the weight of their unresolved past for now.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of their shared history pressing down on them like a heavy burden. Even though she knew they would eventually have to confront each other regarding their past, Eliana was still upset the man would bring it up like that, on a mission. Indeed, his words had cut deeper than she cared to admit. Especially, he made her seem like it was her fault they left off things like that, and never talked again, while she very clearly stoop in front of room for several minutes before leaving, and he was the one who didn't show up. Not the contrary. 

But Eliana knew that the problem was way bigger than a simple goodbye. No, their bond had been shattered for a long time before that. Actually, it all started with Geto's betrayal, and even though neither would admit it, their friendship really took a turn on that specific day. After that, it was never the same. Her departure was just an excuse to really put an end to their friendship, but the wounds ran way deeper. They were both hurt. And lost. Their best friend had betrayed what they always had stood for, and they didn't know how to handle the situation. 

Especially they were just so young. Too young. They didn't know how to handle it, and their friendship was the one to take the hit. 

- "We should keep moving," she finally said, knowing they would eventually need to have this conversation at one point. 

Gojo nodded in agreement, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned to lead the way once more.