12. Megumi, was I a bad father?
"Megumi-chan!" Was I a bad father figure to you?"- Gojo asked at length while he held that cell phone
"Gojo sensei... Is he drunk?" Do you have an overdose of sugar?" Asked Megumi who was already an adult
He was more sleepy than anything while trying to see the time on the clock
"And why that stupid question at this time of the morning?" He asked about that speaker on his cell pone
Gojo sobbed too much
"It's just... Something very crazy and funny happened to me today Megumi chan!" Satoru explained scratching him head
"Gojo sensei... You always say that funny or crazy things happen to you... like you found a new flavor of ice cream... or a strange trinket shop... or" Megumi said with annoyance and sleep
His eyes were closing again
"But today was extremely different!" Gojo said very excited.
"Sensei... you always say the same thing..." Megumi was about to fall asleep again.
So Gojo blurted out, "I just found out I have a son!"
Megumi nearly jumped out of her bed upon hearing that.
-THAN?! A MINI YOU?! OH NO THAT IS BAD AND VERY CRAZY!— Megumi said so astonished that even sleep left him in an instant.
And so the sorcerer began to tell everything that happened to him that day
Gojo began telling everything that happened in his own way
He said that his plan seemed to have failed to convince Mamoru Iori, but that he would not give up easily.
That sanctuary was to be his pass back into the world of Sorcerers.
"I told you, sensei... no one wants to return to the world of sorcery anymore, or rather... no one wants to work with you anymore." Megumi commented, rubbing his eyes, sleep was returning to him.
"But I won't give up yet!, There must be a way to go back to my glory days!, In addition, curses continue to exist throughout Japan and the world! Even if they are to a lesser extent, this work will never end!" - said Gojo still energy
Megumi sighed in resignation, but kept listening to that idiot.
"As Megumi-chan told you! And that's when I met my son!" He seemed eager to tell that gossip.
And so, Gojo began to tell him everything that happened to him that day with Yoshio
"Seriously, Megumi!, Your little brother is a very smart boy! He convinced me to go buy him toys and sweets with a simple sentence "The shops outside the temple are supposed to belong to the same sanctuary, technically we are still inside the sanctuary" - he remembered what told him said his son
"Can you believe it? I fell for his words! In short, that child is from the Gojo clan"— he was excited about that
"Sensei... that boy" —Megumi started yawning "He's not my little brother..." —he yawned again
But Gojo was very impatient to tell Megumi everything.
That he didn't even care that he was still sitting on the floor of his messy room
"Even Yoshio is a boy as handsome as me and he inherited the color of my eyes and even seems to possess the power similar of six eyes... I can't believe it!" Gojo said with a big smile describing his blood.
"I can't believe that you're a father either..." Megumi said with a sigh.
Megumi listened to all this sleepily
He struggled not to fall asleep and more than Gojo did not go directly to the point and only gave more and more thoughts to the matter
Also, he seemed to change his mood every time he told the details
From surprise he changed to annoyance and from annoyance to sadness and from sadness to fury... that man was a sea of emotions
"And that's why Utahime and I argue!" Can you believe it? I hide for six years from my son! Seriously, that family is crazy...— Gojo sounded annoyed as he saw all his candy on the ground
He was regretting throwing that tantrum with his food.
Meanwhile, Megumi was still struggling to stay awake on the edge of the bed.
The poor man nodded and tried to stay awake holding that cell phone... but it was useless and much less listening to that idiot
"Am I not fit to be a father?" Is that why Utahime didn't reveal it to me at the time? — Gojo spoke as the victim
"She said … she didn't tell me "because she saw me with another woman"... well, maybe I went out with other women after I slept with her. But that wasn't a reason to hide all this from me!"— Gojo kept talking and talking as he paced back and forth
He stepped on the broken glass with his infinity and that noise was heard through that cell phone
Megumi just nodded when she heard that creak
I can even take it from her tomorrow if I want! What do you think Megumi? What if I took Yoshio with me to Tokyo?— Gojo commented in a tone of fury that even made Megumi jump when hearing his annoyed voice.
Megumi brought his hands to his face, he sighed fighting against sleep, but it was useless, he was about to fall asleep sitting like that
"Megumi!" What did I do to deserve this?!" Gojo yelled through that cell phone and again made Megumi jump in fear as she fell asleep.
Almost an hour later...
06:00 a.m.
"And that's why Megumi Chan marked you. Was I a bad father figure for you and for Tsukimi chan? Was I a bad father?" - Asked Gojo looking at a picture of Yoshio
Gojo at that time seemed calmer
Perhaps he just needed to vent since he is a man who talks too much
Megumi snorted through that cell phone... he was in a bad mood from lack of sleep.
"Well... Do you want to hear the truth, Gojo sensei?" Megumi questioned, fed up with all that talk.
"Yes! I want the whole truth! Because that will depend on my decision! What if I've always been a good father and Utahime is just denying me my right to be! If so, today I take my son from you!" Gojo replied taking another photo of the ground
That was a photo of Yoshio as a baby... it really hurt that he hadn't been with him at that stage.
Megumi took a deep breath and then said without further ado, "Gojo sensei, you were not a good father."
"OH..." Gojo's breath stopped when he heard that.
He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown at him.
"Perhaps after all... I'm not cut out for that..." Gojo said in a low voice, he was discouraged when he heard those words from his pupil.
If that whole day had been chaotic, hearing that ended up destroying him
Through that horn there was an awkward silence
Megumi felt sorry for his tutor and at the same time he felt sorry for that boy who sympathized with him in a certain way without even knowing him.
If everything Gojo said was true, it seemed to be a drama read in one of his least favorite books.
"Gojo sensei..." Megumi said quietly.
"So... maybe I should just get out of my son's life again..." Gojo said softly.
Gojo was beginning to believe that the universe, or whatever it was that controlled that world, was playing a terrible game on him.
Megumi quickly remembered Tsumiki.
—In a situation like this, she would say something different and would try to "encourage" him... she is better at this than me— he thought
The idea of him "cheering up" or giving Gojo "words of encouragement" struck him as crazy.
Perhaps the dream was already affecting him but he felt a bit of empathy and he didn't want to leave his sensei in that state either.
And less because in some strange way, Megumi felt identified with that situation.
Megumi broke the silence.
"But still..." he scratched his head and continued speaking
"You did everything possible so that both me and Tsumiki chan did not lack anything and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts..." — he said looking at a photo of his sister that he had on a shelf
In that photo, she looked very happy leading a normal life next to her brother.
"Perhaps you weren't the best father figure in the world but you tried to be... you were like our father when we needed him most." Megumi sighed heavily.
Gojo was still listening in silence... he felt a strange feeling when hearing what even his tears overflowed a little
A slight smile spread across his face and he was grateful that Megumi didn't see it that way.
—Although you were always late for school meetings or sometimes you didn't go because of work... in the end you were always there for both of us, you educated us and helped us from time to time with homework, you gave us a roof over which we could call home... he fed us... and maybe that and that he took us to the parks that Tsumiki liked so much is the only thing that gives him some extra points in this "being a good father"- Megumi commented
Gojo smiled a little to hear that
"So how many points do I have in being a father?" the albino questioned.
"Maybe a few mmm." Megumi scratched his head. "About 20 out of 100."
"Tsk! Why so few?" Gojo claim for that answer
"Because we have to admit it, Gojo sensei..." Megumi kept talking as she remembered her childhood.
"You committed one or another negligence..." He sounded annoyed
—Like the times you almost hit me in the head for piggybacking me on your shoulders or like when you made me run after you too much when you stole my bike or when you sent me on missions when I was still very little or when you gave me a bad haircut or all the times you threw a tantrum or..".— Megumi said listing all that
He remembered all the sorrows he spent with that adult
"Hehe, but that's how you learned to be a strong sorcerer and by the way you have good reflexes Megumi, not all that was "reckless" they had a good intention behind it"— Gojo commented laughing a little at those memories
Then he remembered Yoshio and how they had fun in those places
"Yoshio liked that I carried him on my shoulders like a little horse..." he said in a low voice for such a memory
"Tsk!" Megumi clucked his tongue in embarrassment at having that conversation.
"What I'm trying to say is that... You were the tutor... rather, you were the father we needed at that time, you did what you could and that doesn't make you a bad father" Megumi commented sincerely
"I can say that I saw in you that partean figure that I needed when my real father abandoned me as a child..."— He sigh a little when saying that
Gojo kept a moment of silence, those words made him have a momentary peace and more when remembering everything he did for some children who were not of his own blood
"I guess I did everything I could to be a good father after all" Gojo commented taking that album from the floor
But Megumi kept talking on that cell phone. "It would be a bad father for you to abandon your son now that you know of his existence..."
He sympathized in that sense with Yoshio
"So, after everything I've told you, Megumi, should I fight for my son?" I mean, should I take it away from Utahime? All night I've had this dilemma in my head" - asked Gojo very seriously as he looked at the scattered photos
"That's not what I mean!" Megumi said quickly.
That caused him a conflict but he did not want that little boy to live the same as him.
"What I mean is that if my six-year-old self saw that my father had returned or, in this case, met him for the first time... I "would have" liked living with him and that by the way that he know me better..."— Megumi explained.
"I would like my "father" to know my tastes in books or what my favorite foods are or that at least he had taken the time to be with me in later years" — there was resentment in those words
Gojo sighed to hear that
"But it's not fair, Megumi. Utahime hid it from me for almost six years! I have every right to also claim my son! She snatched the first six years of my son's life from me!" - answered this furious for that horn
But quickly Megumi spoke up as well—"Yes, I know, he has every right to be furious and he has every right to fight for him but it wouldn't be good for his son either..."—
"Yoshio! My son's name is Yoshio... I don't even know why Utahime gave him that name!"— Gojo commented somewhat annoyed
"💢As I was saying...! Megumi intervened again, who sounded annoyed by that empty head
"But it wouldn't be good for Yoshio not to be with his mother either..." That hurt Megumi...
Not remembering anything about his biological mother was painful
"No child deserves to be separated or lose their mother!... It is so painful and unforgivable in these cases that if you separate Yoshio from Utahime he will suffer a lot... as much as I suffered for not knowing who he was my mother" He said that sadly
They both kept a few seconds of silence.
Gojo at that time also remembered the words of Umeko San
"The only thing I ask of you as a mother is that you don't take Yoshio away from my daughter"
Everyone emphasized that detail
Megumi decided to break that awkward silence again.
"You know sensei... I would have liked my mother to be with me always..." he answered very seriously
"Yes, but!" Gojo was interrupted by his pupil
"I understand that Utahime sensei had his reasons and I understand that he did it to protect his son both from the high command and from you, if she hadn't done it, surely Yoshio wouldn't even have been born..."— that answer made Gojo keep complete silence
It seems that that was the most obvious answer to all that
"If the big shots had known in life of the existence of that being... the most likely thing is that Utahime would also have died along with my son... "— he said to himself mentally
That struck a blow to the heart...
Gojo took another photo from the ground, it was one of Utahime being pregnant... seeing her like this filled him with life
Megumi continued speaking—"Also let's be honest sensei... It's not like you have the "best attitudes" or "were the best role model" with your way of being so impulsive or that you always do things very your way"
"What are you trying to say, Megumi?" Gojo was confused by that.
Megumi snorted through that cell phone
"What I'm trying to say is that Utahime sensei only wanted the best for her son... how any mother would." He sounded serious
It's not that Megumi was on that woman's side or that she wanted to go against Gojo.
He simply saw for the good of that child he did not know... perhaps it was his empathy that made him speak
"And maybe she didn't want Yoshio to see that you were a womanizer or I don't know, she simply wanted to prevent you from giving her pure ice creams for breakfast or that when you cut her hair you didn't leave him bald. raised Yoshio since he was a baby, it is most likely that you would have committed some imprudence like sending him to exterminate curses or whatever!" — Megumi commented trying to make him see reason
Gojo felt as if his brain was going to go wrong and click with that
Megumi continued. "Besides, you must accept it, your son is better off not entering the world of Sorcerers!"
"But Yoshio likes sugar!" And he also liked to see how I exterminated that curse in front of his eyes!" Gojo commented almost in a plea
"Sensei... Is your an idiot or what?" Her son leads a normal life... Don't put him in this damn world of sorcery, it will only make him suffer and Utahime with him" — Megumi almost hit his head from the despair of talking to that man
Gojo growled through that cell phone
That got him thinking... maybe Megumi was right.
And after another awkward silence, Gojo spoke
"So Megumi chan... What's the best thing to do with this situation?" Gojo asked, giving up
"Why really, I want to fight for my son and claim him as mine...I want to spend more time with him."
Megumi rubbed his septum. "First...don't do one of your satoruidioteses...so don't be so impulsive."
Gojo pursed his lips at that.
"The second and the most important thing you should do is go talk to Utahime sensei CALMLY" —He highlighted that word
"Try to reach an agreement where you define what to do with your son, I don't know, talk about what days Yoshio can stay with you or what days you could go see him... The important thing is that he feels that he has a family or that at least he feels loved by his two parents... besides, it would be good if you knew him better" — he said still with his hand on his septum
"But I feel like I already know everything about him!" Gojo commented quickly.
"Really? So tell me what is him favorite food? Does he like sports or literature? What is his favorite flavor of ice cream? Is he allergic to something? What was his first word? How much weight at birth? Does he have any birthmarks? Does he prefer dogs or cats?— Megumi began to bombard Gojo with these and more questions.
Gojo breathed heavily through that phone while making a face... it was true, a single day was not enough to know everything about his son
"I get it! I must know my son well before making a decision!"— Gojo said a little annoyed
Megumi sighed and looked at the time— "You and Utahime sensei just try to settle this matter like the "two adults" you are supposed to be for the sake of that child"—
Gojo sighed, "Okay! I have no other choice "- he said quietly.
Megumi only prayed to heaven that this would be solved for the good of that child
"Maybe that child deserves a father and a mother who love him and take care of him even if they are no longer together... and I hope that you two can do that"— commented that adult
"By the way, Megumi..." Gojo began to ask, scratching his head "Are you sure you don't want to be a sorcerer again?"
" For the love of God! No and don't try it sensei, don't try to put that child in that damn world!" said the annoyed
Gojo pursed his lips at that refusal, no one wanted to work with him anymore... or so it seemed
07:00 a.m.
After that conversation, Gojo fell sound asleep on the floor.
While poor Megumi couldn't sleep anymore and thus awake he had to go to work
It seems that dreams are sometimes premonitory
Gojo dreamed of playing with Yoshio and incidentally saw Utahime by his side... they were like "a family"
Maybe he longed for that family he barely knew existed.
But there was also something in that dream... a shadow that stalked his son closely.
A sorcerer? A curse? A person? Whatever it was, that cursed energy was very heavy and dangerous
"Dad!" Yoshio yelled desperately.
Something was taking his son
And when Gojo was going to get closer to save Yoshio
A loud knock woke him up.