Haunting Echoes of the Past

GOODBYE

Gojo thought about it for a whole week. Would he really provoke something good on Geto? He being present would not worsen his condition? Had Geto really thought of him that way? Did he long for him as much as he longed for him? Gojo was afraid of the answers to the questions on his mind. He told Okkotsu about it, he was the closest thing to a friend after Geto.

"You know professor, I've been around for a while now. I know you are more sensible than you look. I'm afraid that if you lose this opportunity, then it would be too late for you. It was all thanks to the professor that I was able to say goodbye to my first love." He continued, "Professor, I don't think you've ever told me something wrong, but if I think you've ever been wrong about something it is that love is not a curse."

Gojo let out a small laugh, his student was lecturing him. Who would've thought? After all, he was right. This was Gojo's last chance, this would be the last time he would see him. He'll tell him how much he loved him over the years, how he had always wanted to travel around the world just to find him, how badly he wanted to spend the rest of his days with him. It had always been like this...

Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru. Suguru.

"Took you long enough, huh?" It was Shoko Ieiri. What was she doing here? Did she keep contact with Geto after high school? Did they ever talk to each other? Gojo thought.

He made a small bow and looked her in the eye. They didn't say it, but they were glad to see each other around. If Geto had one more person in his life who cared about him, the guilt on Gojo would be less. It would be better for Gojo if he were not so important in Geto's life.

"He's there." said the woman with blonde hair, not even greeting Gojo.

Before entering the hospital room, two girls approached Gojo as Ieri and Geto's wife were leaving. They were twins, of the same height, one of them had blond hair and the other brown, they didn't look much like Geto, but they did look like the woman. However, the peculiar way they had of talking was very similar to him.

"Greetings...," said the blonde-haired girl. She was probably the more outgoing of the two, the other girl looked very shy and weak, just like Suguru, he thought. "My name is Nanako, this is my sister Mimiko."

"Hi...," said Mimiko.

"Papa told us about you, in secret. He didn't know if he was going to see you again. So, he wanted you to have this. Mama doesn't know so please keep it a secret, we want to fulfill Papa's wish." Nanako spoke in a very mature manner as she handed a letter with her two hands to Gojo. Then she bowed and left.

The girl, Mimiko, stared at him for a little while, then finally said "Papa really loved you."

Why was she talking in the past tense? Suguru was still in that room, why were they saying goodbye to him already? Wasn't it worth believing that he could still fight? He was still young, his life couldn't end so quickly, thought Gojo.

Until he saw him. Purely skin and bones. He looked so white, almost like an angel. Gojo barely recognized him. He slowly approached him, unable to believe it was him. His hands trembled, he touched his thin black hair and brought his face close to Geto.

"Ah..." Gojo sighed in frustration. "Suguru, I'm here."

Gojo smiled widely, stopping his tears from falling. He wanted to appear strong in front of him.

"I think this belongs to you." he said as he pulled out a small box from his pants, inside was the ring that belonged to Geto. He put the ring on his finger and slowly kissed his hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready to say goodbye. I guess I never thought this moment would come. I never had the courage to believe that you would be with me all your life, but I assumed that you would always be there, somewhere in the world. I don't know what happened to your life during the time we didn't see each other, I don't know how you were as a husband or a father, I don't even know what you did these last years."

Gojo's mind was filled with the memories of his youth, of every morning he walked by Geto's side, of the times he kissed him, of the times they made love, of all the times he played with his hair and watched him laugh.

But his mind also darkened as he remembered all the time they had wasted being apart, he recalled the times he cried alone, and how much he hurt Geto in the past.

"But it was as if you were always with me, at least in my mind. I could never stop loving you, I could never love anyone but you. In my heart there has only been Suguru Geto, there is no place for anyone else and there never will be. If fate gives us a chance, please let's try again. I will love you the right way, I will dedicate my whole life to you. My body and blood will be yours alone. Promise me that I will see you again, Suguru."

Gojo could no longer hold back his tears and they all fell. The only things that could be heard in that room were Gojo's sobs and the heart monitor attached to Geto. It took a few minutes before he stopped crying and got his breathing under control.

"Satoru..." said a weak voice, weak enough to be ignored by everyone else, but it was a voice only directed at Gojo. He was able to hear it.

Gojo was startled, it was Geto. He almost died of pure delight, he approached his face, wanting to kiss him but he stopped half through. Although Geto's eyes were still closed, a slight hint of a smile came across his face. Gojo was glad, he knew he was there, that he had come to see him.

"Suguru...I love y-"

beeep.

The world stopped for Geto, but also for Gojo.

The doctors and nurses arrived in the room as quickly as the machine stopped responding, trying to save Geto. They surrounded his hospital bed and Gojo could not get close to him. Two people grabbed him by the arms and pulled him out of the room, then closed the door. They were pulling him away from Geto, his body was no longer within his reach.

The cries and screams of the other people reached him, he felt like everything was spinning. The beep repeated in his head over and over again, almost like a nightmare. Was it really the end?