24. Missions are not amusements parks
"Yoshio... He's not...here"
Ijichi's voice was forceful and cold.
Gojo felt his soul almost leave his body upon hearing that.
For the first time, Gojo felt like dying and if he didn't find his son soon, Utahime was sure to kill him at last.
A few hours ago...
Sunday
Gojo's plan was very simple for that day
He would take Yoshio to Tokyo Tower before returning him to Kyoto with Utahime before 7 pm as agreed.
So that day they had gotten up early and in a very good mood
"After finishing your breakfast, we'll go to the Tokyo tower as I promised, so you wear comfortable clothes" Gojo commented, serving his son some scrambled eggs.
He was taking that paternity thing seriously and more so with a child who ate too much like him
"Yeh! At last I will know that place!" Yoshio said very excited
It seemed that everything was going to be great... that is until work called the phone
Gojo's cell phone began to ring insistently.
"Hello, here's the strongest sorcerer!" Gojo replied winking at his son.
That boy just laughed at that gesture while he took more food to his mouth
"Satoru dear, it's good that you answer" it was Reiko who was calling him
"Reiko, beautiful, tell me, What do you need me for on my day off?" Gojo asked very curious.
That albino got up from the table and went to the living room to answer that call from his "ally"
Yoshio grimaced hearing his father talk like that to a woman other than his mother.
So he broke the "privacy" rule again and went into the living room to spy on his father.
"Who the hell is Reiko?" Could she be daddy's "girlfriend"?" Yoshio wondered mentally as he slipped into the living room
"If something very important happens honey" Reiko said smiling from the other side of the speaker
A few days were enough for those two to talk to each other very affectionately
Lately they were blatantly flirting, especially Satoru
"What's wrong dear?" What do you need my services for?" Gojo asked with a big smile.
"I'll get to the point, there is a special category curse in one of the busiest spaces in Tokyo, more specifically in a somewhat old building near Harajuku and we wanted you to eliminate it once and for all since it is "causing" us certain problems at the momento"— Reiko explained as she played with a strand of her hair
Gojo on the other side of the speaker scratched his head while looking out the window, that made his plans with his son fall apart
"Oh, I see! But does it really have to be on my day off? I'm really busy this day" answered Gojo looking slightly at the kitchen
"I'm sorry love, but it's something we really need you to eliminate before it ends another life, I wish it were another way, but you know a deal is a deal, work is work..." Reiko commented
"mmmm" Gojo didn't like that idea
"It's in your best interest to do this mission honey, there is a shrine here in Tokyo that is interested in your work and they were the ones who asked you to do this mission" Reiko said trying to sound convincing
"Really? Which shrine are we talking about?" Gojo asked curiously.
"The Buddhist temple Sensō-ji dear" Reiko answered with joy
A chuckle went through Gojo since that was an important temple on his list.
"Perfect, then I'll try to accomplish that mission soon because I have a very important commitment later" Gojo answered with too much joy.
"I'm glad to hear that dear, I'll send you the details right away and maybe I can even pay you with an extra..." Reiko said coquettishly.
That sounded tempting
"We will discuss the details in a while dear, for now I must go to exterminate that curse" Gojo replied mischievously
"Perfect, you're the best for a reason... muack" that kiss was heard through that speaker
Gojo smiled at that as he hung up that call
Yoshio managed to hear a little of that, so he quickly got out of the couch
"Aren't we going to the Tokyo tower anymore?!" He ask annoyed
Gojo was a little surprised to see his son get out of that couch
"So, what were you listening, huh? Didn't your mother tell you that it's rude to listen to other people's talk?" Gojo asked.
Yoshio at that moment was making a face just like his mother with his hands on his hips
"Yes, she has scolded me for that, but she has told me that it is much worse to break a promise like not going to the Tokyo tower" he answered very annoyed
"You really do look like Utahime when she's upset," Gojo said smiling cutely.
"Saturron, aren't we going to go to the Tokyo tower anymore? Yes or no?" asked Yoshio
Yoshio was disappointed in his father.
"We'll do better" Gojo said stroking his son's hair.
"What's better than going to Tokyo tower?" Yoshio commented with his arms crossed.
"We're going to exterminate a curse!" Gojo reply with a big smile.
"But mom doesn't want me to do any of that!" Yoshio said with a big scowl.
"But your mother doesn't have to know, does she?" Gojo put his index finger to his lips as a sign of keeping a secret.
Yoshio smiled at such detail
That might be a good idea... right?
Past noon
Gojo at the last minute accepted that mission they had given him
So father and son were on their way to that mission
Ijichi was driving while saying the details of the mission
"According to the report sent by Reiko san" the assistant spoke looking at the GPS
"Our mission is within one of the most important places in Tokyo, we must eliminate a curse that they have called a special category, which runs throughout the complex feeding on some people and animals"
"For me, it doesn't seem to fall into a special category, those characteristics have always been something common in curses that live in places of the underworld" Gojo said playing a little with Yoshio
"Underworld?" Yoshio questioned confused.
"The market we are going to was also known in the world of sorcerer as a place of exchange, there were some " sorcerer " who offered their jobs to people who are not like us" Gojo adjusted his black bandage on his face while explaining
"Furthermore, markets are also places where negative energy accumulates unconsciously, hence some of them have "urban legends" or "yokais" Gojo smile at his son
Yoshio raised an eyebrow seeing his father with that thing on his face
"Old man... what the hell do you have on your face?" Can you even see with that thing in your eyes? Is it a mask?" Yoshio questioned waving his little hand in front of his father
Gojo laughed a little
"This is part of the uniform" he said, raising his black bandage for a moment.
"And of course I can see with this!" Since the eyes of the Gojo clan are so special, we can see the cursed energy even with our eyes closed... that's why we must take care of our enemies" He raise my eyebrows
"I thought it would be something like a "super hero" type mask" Yoshio answered with a pout
"The word "hero" often doesn't fit with being a sorcerer, but that doesn't stop you from helping people, especially the weakest" his father replied with a smile
Yoshio didn't like that answer, his pout persisted.
That gesture was very tender on the part of that little boy, that made his father mess up his hair a little
Gojo took out his round sunglasses that he always carried with him.
"Speaking of the Gojo clan, I think it's time for you to have these" Satoru hand Yoshio those glasses, who opened his blue eyes wide in surprise
His father drew a big smile on his face, since those glasses reminded him of Yaga since he had acquired a taste for that accessory.
"Your sunglasses?" Yoshio was surprised by that gift
"That's right, since you're an official member of the Gojo clan you'll need them, and you'll also be able to hide your flashy "gift" a Little" commented his father proud of that
"That and because curses don't like to be looked at directly, that's why many sorcerers cover their eyes" Ijichi commented looking at them through the rearview mirror
"Ijichi, don't ruin this father-son moment or I'll hit you" replied the albino, giving him an intimidating look.
That assistant better shut his mouth as he continued driving
"But... my last name is Iori, I don't have the last name Gojo" Yoshio commented, tilting his head a little.
"Don't worry about that"— his father waved his hands in a simple manner and then said proudly— "You're a Gojo and consider yourself one"— he crooned his fingers.
"We'll talk to your mother later about "fixing" your last name" Gojo released happily.
Ijichi sighed
"I think that's a bad idea..." he mused slightly.
Gojo heard that comment, so Gojo kicked hard against his seat, which made Ijichi freak out and almost hit his face on the car's steering wheel.
Ijichi screeched in fright, then gritted his teeth and adjusted his glasses which had slipped off his septum.
He was beginning to regret continuing to work for him.
Yoshio put on the glasses his father gave him and sure enough, he could still see with them
"How many fingers do I have here?" asked his father amused to see his mini copy with that accessory
"Three" Yoshio answered with a big smile.
"Perfect and…" Gojo reached behind his son's head and held up two fingers.
"Let's put you to the test... And now?" Gojo asked curiously.
Yoshio pursed his lips a little, he was still very inexperienced in using said power that tired him too quickly.
"Five?" He answered with doubt.
Gojo made the classic wrong answer noise in TV games.
"Error❌... there were two of them, but don't worry, dwarf" —He caressed either his cheek— "With practice you will be able to control your power very soon." —
Yoshio smiled a little and shrugged.
"Oh! We have arrived!" Gojo was moved to see that part of the city, full of people who had entered
After 01:00 pm
Those three men entered that complex
Yoshio was wearing the hood of his white sweatshirt, which had the logo of his favorite cartoon on the back and by the way he was wearing his new and inherited dark glasses
That boy seemed to be very happy, you could even hear him humming something and that caught his father's attention
"Huh?" What do you hum? And why do you have the hood of your sweatshirt on? It's getting too hot" — questioned his father looking at him curiously as he walked by his side
"I hum the song of my favorite cartoon la la la" that little boy had a nice intonation, he inherited that from his mother
"And the hood is to go unnoticed. Did you say it? That ugly thing on your face is part of your uniform and also so they don't see your eyes, so I thought I also needed a costume for this misión" — said that little boy laughing a little
His father smiled at his son's ingenuity, worthy of a descendant of Sugawara no Michizane.
"Even if you're discreet... it would be a bad idea for someone to discover you" commented Ijichi who was at his side
"Why four eyes?" Yoshio questioned curious.
"Because…"— when Ijichi was going to explain why
The piercing scream of a woman and the next thing that happened puzzled those three
"Ichirou!"
That woman ran to Yoshio, took him in her arms and rudely took off that hood and sunglasses.
"Ichirou!"
She repeated that name, her face was emaciated by the pain that only a mother experiences
Yoshio screamed in fright as that woman held him tightly by the shoulders
"You're not Ichiro!" said that woman with too many tears in her eyes
"Ma'am, are you alright?" Ijichi was nervous.
"Leave my son!" Gojo quickly grabbed Yoshio by the shoulder and pulled him away from that woman, covering him behind his back.
Yoshio of fright clung to his father
"I'm sorry..." that woman began sobbing bitterly.
"I thought it was my son!" — Her voice was heartbreaking —"I can't find my son! I do not know where is he! He just got lost! Someone took him! —She look at Yoshio with great sadness.
"He was wearing the same sweatshirt as this little boy, he's almost his height, except that my Ichiro has blonde hair and his eyes are a little violet. Please! Help me find it! Haven't you seen it? It's him!" —She took out his cell phone and showed a picture of that boy
That woman was very desperate and that gave Yoshio great sorrow, since it reminded him of his mother the day he left the sanctuary
"I'm sorry, but we haven't seen anyone with these characteristics" Gojo said nonchalantly.
Those words made Yoshio look at him surprised by how coldly his father addressed that woman.
"Excuse me but... Have I notified the police yet?" Ijichi questioned approaching the woman, who burst into tears more.
"They say they're very busy with something more important that just happened!" The woman let out in desperation. "Please!" Help me!"
Ijichi turned to see Gojo, he had the last decision
The sorcerer's face had a small grimace analyzing that
"I'm sorry Lady ... but we're in a hurry, the best thing you can do is keep insisting to the police that I helped you" said the albino, standing firm.
Gojo took a few steps back holding his son by the shoulder —"Excuse me…"—
That woman began to cry more and looked at Yoshio with deep sadness.
"Ichiro!" That woman shouted, addressing other people who were passing by.
"Excuse me, have you seen this child?!" said that woman desperately.
Yoshio looked at his father and pulled a bit of his pants
"Dad! We must help her!" Yoshio said standing in front of his father
Gojo lifted his blindfold to look him straight in the eye.
His little one also did the same with his dark glasses
"We must help her!"
"Do not" Gojo let out a bit annoyed
"Hey? But you are the strongest sorcerer! We must help her dad!-"Yoshio said trying to convince her father with puppy dog eyes
"Yoshio, we're in a hurry and besides, this matter is none of our business."
"But sorcerers are also heroes!" That little boy released in a plea
"As I told you Yoshio, the word hero sometimes does not enter our vocabulary."
"Besides" Ijichi began to intervene. —"The woman did not have cursed energy and did not seem to be a sorcerer either, we do NOT get involved in "common" matters, we intervene with matters that have to do with cursed energy and curses"— he adjusted his glasses
"For that reason, this problem is none of our business, it's the security people's business" Gojo said firmly.
"Perhaps she is not a sorcerer!" But... but I feel that this child is the same as me, this child has cursed energy. I can feel it!"— Yoshio begged, taking his father's hand.
Gojo was silent, he was in a dilemma...
He look at a digital clock that they had in that corridor, it would be almost two in the afternoon and time was also running out for those three
"Do you want to go to Tokyo tower yes or no?" Gojo crossed his arms
Yoshio sighed and made a big face of dissatisfaction "Yes" he let out
"Then come on, put on your hood and goggles, we must prevent someone from seeing you."
His father sidestepped him, the poor boy sighed in dismay.
"Go!".
Ijichi held out his hand so that he wouldn't run away, that little sigh and reluctantly took the assistant's hand
The three men arrived where they had been summoned, it was a part that was protected by some security people
They had taken out half of the passers-by and visitors saying that they had captured a suspect of wanting to commit a poison gas attack and that they were looking for said devices inside the restricted area.
"What the hell is that?"
Yoshio asked surprised to see a kind of black veil in front of them
"A screen?" Ijichi questioned.
"Oh they're a little late!" a male voice alerted them.
At that moment, Ijichi tried to hide Yoshio behind him and Gojo.
"Yooo! How about Jiro! My motto is better late than never" Gojo let out with a big smile
"If a legend like you says it, it must be true" said that young man with a big smile.
Ijichi cleared his throat.
"What is the current situation?"
Jiro sighed and shrugged.
"Well... currently inside this veil is the curse that we want you to remove, however, some civilians were also trapped and we suspect that there are also some sorcerers inside, we don't know exactly what they came for" he approached said barrier
"It seems that this veil allows people with cursed energy to enter, but once inside it doesn't allow them to be located easily, besides, it seems that only civilians can get out of it... we believe that some sorcerer who is inside put it and step that aroused the fury of the curse" — Jiro showed that his hand could pass through that barrier easily
"Interesting, so my mission is just to remove that curse, right?" Gojo questioned.
"That's how it is! Try not to get involved with the others in there, just remove the curse Oh! And one more thing!..."— Jiro hesitated for a moment.
From a serious face I change to a relaxed face
"In there is something that my family has been "looking for" for a while, so don't worry if you see my brother out there, you just focus on eliminating the target, understood?"
"Something you're looking for?" Ijichi questioned, adjusting his glasses. "What specifically are you looking for?"
Jiro hesitated again "That's confidential"
Ijichi found that statement a bit strange, that mission seemed to be very strange from the beginning
"OKAY! Then it will be an easy task to end that curse" Gojo crooked his fingers
At that moment, Jiro's golden eyes noticed Yoshio who was hiding behind Gojo.
"Who is the boy?" He ask curious
Yoshio felt a strange energy coming from that adult, who quickly continued to hide behind his father and kept silent.
"Oh he's...!" It's …"— Ijichi blurted out nervously, he looked at Gojo hoping he didn't screw up
"He's a little apprentice, don't pay too much attention to him, he's a friend's son" Gojo said with a big smile.
Jiro raised an eyebrow and crouched down slightly.
"I see... I guess it's good that I learn how to be a sorcerer from a very young age. What's your name?... I feel a peculiar cursed energy coming out of you..."
The golden eyes of that guy gave Yoshio a bad feeling, even though that guy looked weak... something about him scared him.
"He's..." Gojo was interrupted as a call came into Jiro's phone.
"Oh this is something urgent!" Well, I don't take away your time any more" He walked away answering that call
Gojo breathed a sigh of relief as did Ijichi.
"Coming! Let's get this over with and get out of here!" Gojo said taking his son's hand.
Yoshio looked once more at Jiro before submerging himself in that black veil and managed to hear something strange.
"What? How did that child escape? Damn! Use your necromancer to find him, we must take him to safety, otherwise Reiko will kill us!"— Jiro sounded very worried
But those words were fleeting since Yoshio felt a very heavy energy within that veil that made him forget them.
"Wow! What is this?" He pushed up those sunglasses at how gray the place looked.
"This is a screen, they are generally used to hide from the "common" world the activities and techniques carried out by sorcerers in a certain place, so in this way the civilians will not be witnesses of the curses or of our existence"— Ijichi answered as a good tutor
"Wow!" Yoshio let out in surprise.
Gojo tried to take his hand out to check if what Jiro said was true and indeed, the barrier rejected him
"Well Yoshio" —He turned to his son with a big smile—"I want you to behave, understand?" Do not go away from me! We will quickly finish this mission to go to the Tokyo tower, okay?"
Yoshio made a big yes with his head.
"OK"
Ijichi looked at his cell phone, there was no signal as Jiro had said
"Good! walking! Let's have some fun"— Gojo smiled taking his son's hand
It seemed as if they were both in an amusement park, as they were having fun with everything they saw
Even Gojo carried his son on his shoulders several times as they continued to search for the curse.
They were wandering for a while around that area, but it began to make him very strange that they did not see civilians or the other people that Jiro named appeared.
"Could the curse have already eaten them?" Gojo commented, analyzing what his eyes could see.
"Gojo san... this is very strange" Ijichi commented looking everywhere
"Too much, several cursed energies are felt at the same time and in all directions"— Gojo commented while concentrating on some footprints that were evidence of traces of cursed energy
"You're right, you can feel a presence very close but you can't see anything... besides, the phones don't work in here" the assistant commented.
"Hmmm?" Where is the damn curse?"
Gojo began to concentrate on that, while Yoshio looked at some establishments and hummed a little
Something caught the attention of that little boy and it was a sob that came from the corridor
"Hum?" He tilted his head to the side as he peered into that spot.
When he was going to take another step, Ijichi pulled him
"Where do you think you're going, youngling?"
Yoshio screamed a little "Four eyes you scare me!"
"You mustn't walk away from us!" Ijichi commented annoyed
"I wasn't walking away... it's just that"— Yoshio looked towards the corridor —"I heard a cry coming from there"— he pointed to the corridor
Gojo looked out to see if what his son said was true.
"I don't see or hear anything.
"Could it be the curse? Could it be that it's the "yokai" type that scares people"—Ijichi questioned
"Come, this way and don't get separated," Gojo commented, putting his hands behind his neck and also humming a bit as he walked down that corridor.
"But I heard something..." the boy commented in a low voice.
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him as he was made to see someone run down that hallway
"Yoshio, go!" Gojo ordered making his son run after him
The minutes passed and finally, after going beyond the barrier they were able to find that curse
"Fuck! How it sucks..." Yoshio said wrinkling his nose.
At that moment, Ijichi stopped Yoshio from seeing that awful scene.
"Wow, a necromancer curse" Gojo said with a big grin.
That twisted curse was about to eat two people who were unconscious on the ground
One was a middle-aged man and the other person was a woman who was against the wall
They both appeared to be civilians
Gojo snapped his fingers
"Well, it's time we got this over with."
"Yoshio pays attention" commented his father, very proud of what he was going to do.
"You'd better stay behind me, this could be very dangerou," Ijichi commented, looking at Yoshio for the last time.
But at that moment the boy's concentration was diverted, again he heard a sob, but now accompanied by the cry of a small
Looking to the right, down the hall he saw a blond boy running at full speed as if escaping from something.
While his father exterminated that thing, Yoshio slipped away to where he had seen that boy without Ijichi noticing, since he was busy trying to find out what the hell was wrong with his cell phone.
Well they say that things happen in an oversight
Yoshio turned to the left, then to the right and followed his instinct since that place seemed like a labyrinth
"Hey Kid!"
Yoshio shouted running a little more when seeing someone his height running around
And after hearing a few more steps, it was there that he found that blond boy with the same sweatshirt as him, cornered against the wall
"Help!"
Shouted that little boy, who was crying inconsolably since a curse was approaching him
And when she was going to jump to attack him, something fell on that curse on her head
"Hey! Ugly thing over here!" Yoshio yelled as he threw another can of soda at her
"Kid Run!"— Yoshio ordered that little boy while the curse went towards him to distract him
And so it was, the blonde got up and ran down the hall while Yoshio tried to lose that curse
Yoshio remembered a bit of what he learned from Megumi, so he put it into practice
"This is an ugly thing!"— He stuck out my tongue as he entered a local
That curse followed him to that place, where Yoshio managed to escape from there and closed that door as best he could
And when he was running in the other direction from which he had come, he bumped into that blond boy from the front, causing both of them to fall on their backs and with a strong blow to the forehead.
"Ouch! Watch where you're going!" Yoshio said with too much annoyance
"I'm... I'm sorry!" that boy sobbed at the top of his lungs.
Yoshio got up "You're the lost boy right?"
That boy kept crying
"I was not…" — he wiped his snot — "lost, actually"— he cried — "I was escaping... from... from... some... some men captured me"— he wiped his nose with his arm
Yoshio held out his hand and as he tried to help him up, this boy gave him a slight shock.
That blue-eyed little boy felt a slight electric shock pass through his hand.
"Ouch!" —He let go of the boy's hand, very surprised. — "What the hell was that?"
"I'm... I'm sorry!" —the blond whimpered again— "These download... downloads... it only... happens to me with certain people... people who are..."— the boy sobbed too much.
Yoshio finished that sentence
That boy made a yes with his head
"Well, it looks like you have a lot of damned energy like me" Yoshio said with a smile. "Are you the son of a sorcerer? Or are you just cursed? —
"The First …"— The boy sob — "my grandfather is a sorcerer just like my dad. Are you… are you also cursed?"— that blonde wiped his tears
"Also hehe, a pleasure I'm Gojo Yoshio" Yoshio introduced himself again shaking hands
"Mi... Minamoto Ichiro"— the boy released, covering his little hand with the sleeve of his sweatshirt so as not to give Yoshio any more shocks.
That would be the beginning of a great friendship... a new one and only in this life was about to be born
"And who were you running from?" asked Yoshio curious
"I ran from it! — Ichiro screamed scared to see a tall man who appeared out of nowhere
The children tried to escape, but in front of them another man appeared
Yoshio felt desperate, since those two were sorcerers and too much cursed energy came out of them
they were in danger
Both children tried to escape, but it was useless as those two covered their mouths once they were held in their arms.
Although Yoshio tried to bite his captor, he was knocked out with a blow to the back of the head.
In the struggle, Yoshio dropped his father's glasses, which were completely crushed.
"This child has too much damned and heavy energy" said one of the captors. "What do we do with him?"
"We have to take him away, maybe we can ask for a reward for this or maybe our client will also be interested since he has very striking eyes" said his partner opening slightly Yoshio's unconscious eye
They both felt a chill when doing that
"Was it my imagination or does this brat's gaze resemble Gojo Satoru's?" commented one of the captors.
"It must be your imagination!" That sorcerer has no offspring! Now walking, we must take them to the warehouse!" said that man carrying Yoshio
What were those two planning with those children?
It was too late when Ijichi and Gojo realized that Yoshio had disappeared.
They had found his trampled sunglasses and Ijichi noticed a trace of cursed energy coming from a sorcerer.
Gojo felt his soul leave his body
"Who the hell took my son?"
Notes:
Sorry for being away for a while, but I'm back with this chapter
I hope you liked it
As historical data because I like to put things of that style in my fics
The Minamoto clan was important during the time Sugawara no Michizane was alive
So, for those two to meet is a good thing for this story.
Perhaps in the next chapter we will discover what Yoshio's power is about, I will only say that it has a lot to do with his ancestor Sugawara
Soon we will be back with Utahime, I just want to capture what will make Gojo change his mind so that he no longer wants to take Yoshio to Tokyo again and the one who tries to be a better father and a better partner for Uta
We read soon