Kodoku

Chapter 27

Gojo groaned as he came out of the worst of his withdrawal symptoms, his body aching, his head pounding like someone was driving nails through his skull. Sweat clung to his skin, dampening the sheets beneath him as he tried to get some semblance of composure. He could feel the shakes in his hands, though they had lessened since the night before. His vision swam as he sat up, trying to steady his breathing.

The room was dimly lit, the musty motel scent still lingering in the air. The silence between him and Sarah had become more comfortable, though it was occasionally punctuated by his heavy sighs or groans of pain. He was trying to get clean again—really trying this time—but it was hell. Pure hell.

He heard the sound of something shifting beside him and glanced over to see Sarah, a skeleton carrying her over to the edge of the bed. She had summoned one of her bone constructs to assist her, the darkly lit figure setting her down gently before disappearing back into nothingness. She held his phone in one hand, a bottle of water in the other.

She extended both to him with a soft look. “Here,” she said quietly.

Gojo managed a small, grateful smile as he took the phone and the bottle. “Thanks,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, wincing at the lingering pain in his temples. He opened the bottle, taking a long drink to soothe his parched throat before pressing the phone to his ear and answering the call.

“Yeah?” His voice was hoarse, but he managed to sound somewhat coherent.

“Hey,” Geto’s voice came through the speaker, sounding casual but with an underlying edge, “How are you holding up?”

Gojo leaned his head back, his eyes closing as the pounding in his head intensified. “Like complete shit,” he admitted with a humorless laugh, “Feels like someone took a sledgehammer to my skull.”

Geto chuckled softly, though there was no real amusement behind it, “So, you’re trying to get clean again, huh?”

“Yeah,” Gojo groaned, “Trying… for real this time.”

There was a brief pause on the other end before Geto cleared his throat. “Well, I won’t keep you long then," he said softly, "Just wanted to ask—have you seen Nanami recently?”

Gojo’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall, vague memories flashing in his mind of a conversation he’d had with Nanami before everything went to hell. He couldn’t quite piece it together, though, not in his current state. “No, I haven’t seen him,” Gojo replied after a moment, “Not recently, at least.”

Another silence followed before Geto asked, “You’re with Sarah, right?”

Gojo glanced over at her, still sitting on the edge of the bed. “Yeah,” he confirmed, “I am.”

Geto’s voice was calm, but there was a tension beneath his words. “Good. I want to talk to both of you. Think you can come back to Yaga’s HQ? There’s some stuff we need to discuss, moving forward.”

Gojo sighed, his mind spinning as he considered it. He felt like absolute shit, but they couldn’t hide in this dingy motel forever. Besides, they’d already talked about getting the other sorcerers on their side and helping them out of the city. Getting Geto’s help with that would make things easier.

“We’ll be there,” Gojo finally agreed, though his voice was strained, “But I need to talk to Sarah first.”

“That’s fine,” Geto said, his voice softening a little, “Take your time.”

With that, the call ended, and Gojo dropped his phone onto the bed beside him, rubbing his temples with a heavy sigh. His headache had worsened, and he could feel the tension building in his shoulders, but he needed to keep it together, just for a little longer.