Don't Let Go, I Need You

~6~

I was forcibly taken by Gojo to go on his business trip to Kyoto because he didn't want to meet the higher ups there. I had no reason to even be there, but he claimed that this was a bonding experience between uncle and niece. We weren't related at all, but he loved calling me his niece. Nonetheless, I had some type of fun out of this business trip of his. We went sightseeing, ate food from the food stands, and window shopping. We took lots of pictures to show off to Megumi, or that's what Gojo wanted to do—showcase how fun it is to hangout with Gojo, and Megumi was missing out.

I sat outside on the bench, waiting for Gojo to head out of his meeting. I refused to go inside because it's not meant for me, it's his damn job he needed to take seriously. Sighing, I pulled out my phone to waste time.

Ring ring!

The social media app I was on was overridden by Megumi's caller ID displaying. My phone rang in my hands, and I quickly accepted the call, not thinking too much about this upcoming conversation. I put the phone to my ear. "Hello, there Megumi! Did you miss me that much to call me?" I playfully teased to irk his soul. It's going to be nice to hear his voice again.

"Hey, and no." His blunt words stabbed my chest. He could've at least pretended to miss me or something. Megumi's always so cold and unfazed by everything.

Perhaps he did miss me, but he's just denying it right now because I'm on the line. Megumi doesn't know how to have fun without me. Life would be boring if me and him never met. "Aw, you keep disappointing me with your answers... So why'd you call? You never call me unless it's an emergency." Megumi was more of a texter guy. I was both a texter and a caller.

The next words which came out of his mouth left my whole body shaken at loss and confusion. "Kana... Itadori is dead." It's like a sledgehammer punched a hole in my chest, replacing my heart with the empty space. My knees buckled against my will, and I dropped to the ground feeling in a daze. What in the world happened to Itadori? His life was cut too short for his bright and bubbly personality. I know he's not strong in producing cursed energy but he had potential. Maybe if I was there, I could've prevented it. Although I didn't know Itadori for long, a companion was a companion; there's no way I couldn't feel any remorse for a friend who passed away so suddenly.

Thump!

"I'll give you time to—"

My heart ached as I chewed my lips. "Did he die with no regrets?" As sorcerers, we're not supposed to carry regret in our body; however, we're humans who will have quick regrets at the end of our life. Being a sorcerer was just a job, being human was the way of living.

Megumi paused whether it's for him to collect his emotions and thoughts, or for me to be prepared to hear his answer. "...yes," his voice vibrated in anguish. He didn't release it all out, but I know he didn't want to show me his emotional side. Megumi didn't even want me to see him when his sister got cursed and forced into a coma.

Megumi told me what exactly happened. My chest never felt so heavy and empty. Itadori died as a hero for his friends. I want to be happy that he didn't die with no regrets, but nonetheless, he was still very young. A life as a sorcerer is short lived. It made me wonder when my life was ending?

After the call ended, Gojo finally came out of his meeting. "Yo! It's time to—"

I stared at him with my gloomy face and told him the terrible news. "Itadori's dead... Let's not idle in Kyoto anymore. Let's go home," Gojo promised to explore more of Kyoto with me, but this wasn't the case to do that since we had bigger issues to deal with.

Gojo's lips tightened as his fists clenched. "I've been pulling strings to keep Yuji alive, and now he's dead..." He cursed under his breath. "Come on, let's not waste time... I need to know why Ijichi would send my students off on a dangerous mission!" Gojo really cared for us, but doesn't he realize that he gives me and Megumi his missions too? Sometimes they're dangerous, but I won't say anything since I don't want to add gasoline to his raging soul.