Chapter Text
Epilogue:
The year was 2006 when two teenagers in love, in the midst of a catastrophic mission, confessed their love to each other one night in Okinawa.
In March 2008, right after their graduation, those same teenagers said goodbye.
Years went by, and in 2017, on a sunny afternoon in Tokyo, fate crossed their paths once again.
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March, 2008
There was little time left before Shoko Ieiri, Suguru Geto, and Satoru Gojo finished their last school year at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Spring was beginning, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
The days were no longer cold, the afternoon sun was warm, and the three students enjoyed their last days with excitement for what the future would bring.
Or at least, two of them did.
The other, however, was engulfed in a chaos of fears and worries while pretending everything was fine.
"Suguruuuu! You've been so pensive lately, what's wrong?" Gojo asked him.
"Nothing... It's just that going back to live with my parents after all these years here... I feel like it's going to be weird."
"Huh? That's what's got you worried? Just move out on your own." Shoko said.
"It's not that easy, Shoko. My parents are... complicated," he said, glancing to the side while nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
"How bad can it be, Suguru? You're exaggerating. Move in with me and problem solved," Gojo told him, winking.
"Ugh, don't start flirting in front of me, you're making me nauseous!" Shoko joked.
"Shut up, you're just jealous because you're the only one who is still single," Gojo shot back.
"Hey, that was a low blow," Shoko replied.
They all laughed, and the topic was forgotten.
They kept talking about everyday things afterward.
Night fell, and it was usual for Geto to spend some time in his boyfriend's room before heading back to his own.
Though sometimes he wouldn't come back at all.
That night, they were playing video games when suddenly Gojo asked:
"Suguru, are you really that worried about your parents?"
Geto let out a sigh.
" Yeah... It's not just about living with them again, though. You know they would never accept us."
"Then there's no need to tell them either."
"It's not that simple," Geto said, lowering his gaze, feeling a deep ache in his chest.
"Yes, it is. You're just overthinking it. You'll see, everything's going to be fine. As long as we're together, everything will always be fine,"
Gojo said, forcing him to look him in the eyes and smiling that smile that made Geto forget everything. That smile that was just for him.
Geto smiled and kissed him. A tender kiss, full of all the love he felt for him.
But his smile, although sincere, hid something. Something he didn't share that night.
The night went on like any other.
Gojo didn't ask more, and Geto didn't mention it again...
Until a few days later, exactly two days after their graduation, the day they had to leave their dorms at the school, Gojo woke up to find an envelope on his desk.
"Satoru," was handwritten at the top.
He recognized the handwriting immediately: it was Geto's.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise, took the paper inside and sank onto his bed as he opened it.
As his eyes moved along the lines, his expression slowly changed.
First confusion.
Then pain.
Then anger.
He read the letter over and over, trying to understand what was happening.
The letter read:
Satoru,
I don't really know how to start this.
I guess there's no good way to say what I'm about to say, so I'll just do it as best I can.
The time we spent together was the happiest time of my life.
You made me laugh in my darkest moments.
You helped me through my hardest times, and I will never forget that.
Loving you was the easiest and hardest thing I've ever experienced.
But I can't keep doing this. I'm sorry, I really am.
I don't have the courage to face my parents, I'm just not ready, and I don't want to drag you into this because you deserve better.
There's a part of me that's always afraid: afraid of being found out, afraid of not being able to live this relationship the way it should be lived, freely
.I wish I were strong enough to face the consequences, but today I can't, I simply can't.
I want you to move forward, to be happy, and someday, I hope you can forgive me.
I'm sorry for not staying. Sorry for not being enough.
And sorry I couldn't look you in the eye when saying goodbye."
I love you,
Suguru.
The letter trembled in his hands, and although he didn't cry, something inside him broke.
What hurt and angered him most wasn't the decision itself, but the fact that Geto hadn't told him this face to face.
"What the fuck is this?" he shouted, crumpling the letter and punching the wall hard, not caring if anyone heard.
Shoko, who had been on her way to get him so they could leave together, heard the noise and opened the door, alarmed and worried.
"What happened, Gojo? What was that? Are you okay?"
"Damn son of a..." he said, running his hand over his face in desperation.
"Hey, Gojo, calm down, please. What happened?" Shoko asked, carefully approaching her friend, who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"Geto left me," he said after a few seconds, his breathing was heavy, as if he had just finished a marathon.
"What? How?"
"He left me, just like that. He wrote a fucking letter, left it on my desk, and left. Just like that."
Shoko was stunned by the news.
If Gojo didn't understand anything, Shoko understood even less.
But she tried her best to calm her friend, who was in a state of shock and rage that was hard to explain.
Now was not the time for questions.
"Okay, first, try to calm down, Gojo. Breathe. I know it's hard, and I don't understand it either, but in this state, you won't fix anything."
"No, I can't calm down, Shoko. I just can't," he said, trembling as he searched for his phone and dialed Geto's number.
The phone didn't even ring. The automatic voicemail told him the number no longer existed.
His heart pounded harder, his vision blurred, his hands trembled. His chest ached.
Reality hit him hard.
He wasn't going to see Geto again.
The greatest adventure of his life was coming to an end just as it was beginning.
Gojo's already pale face turned even paler, matching the color of his hair.
His eyes filled with tears, as if he was starting to understand that what was happening was real.
At that moment, Shoko hugged him tightly, and her friend could no longer hold back the tears.
"Why? Why, Shoko? Why?" he asked, sobbing uncontrollably on his friend's shoulder.
Shoko, also in tears, said:
"I don't know, I don't understand either... but I'm here for whatever you need. Always."
Shoko, who never imagined seeing Satoru Gojo cry, let alone like this, felt her own heart breaking too.
Seeing her friend so vulnerable was a sight she never wanted to witness again.
In her eyes, Gojo was untouchable, the strongest, most egocentric, and self-assured person she'd ever known.
But there he was now, completely unrecognizable, crying like a child on her shoulder.
Shoko stayed with Gojo until he completely calmed down.
She accompanied him to his new home and stayed with him all night, keeping him company.
For some reason, she was afraid to leave him alone.
"Thank you, Shoko, really. I owe you one," he said when they finally said goodbye.
"You don't owe me a thing.. If you need to talk or anything, you know where to find me."
Days went by, and the pain Gojo felt turned more and more into anger and rage.
He couldn't understand how Geto had been able to leave him with just a letter.
Had he meant so little to him?
Not a goodbye, not a conversation where they could find the best solution together. Nothing.
Just a letter and an unimaginable void.
April 2008 – Shinjuku
A few days had passed since the day Geto decided to leave everything behind.
It was a cold spring night in Tokyo, the shops were already closed, and hardly anyone was walking through the illuminated streets.
Shoko was smoking alone on the streets of Shinjuku when suddenly her gaze crossed paths with a familiar silhouette.
It was Geto