𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬

┌──── ∘°❉°∘ ────┐

𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬

└──── °∘❉∘° ────┘

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--MISA STOOD IN SHOKO'S OFFICE, HER ARMS CROSSED AS SHE WATCHED THE HEALER WORK HER MAGIC. Toge lay on the cot, his throat carefully tended to, while Noritoshi was next in line, leaning against the wall with a faint grimace. The air was thick with tension, the weight of the recent battle hanging over them.

The door suddenly swung open, and in came Panda, casually waltzing in with two familiar figures draped over his broad shoulders. Misa's expression dropped instantly, her worry spiking as she recognized who they were.

"Panda? Are they okay?" she asked, her voice sharp with concern as she stood upright, her gaze locking onto Megumi and Maki.

Panda gently set them down on separate cots, brushing off his hands as if this was just another day for him. "They'll live," he said simply. "But they're pretty banged up."

Maki winced as she adjusted herself on the cot, but it was Megumi's reaction that was the loudest. He let out an irritated huff, brushing Panda off as he tried to sit up straighter. "I didn't need to be carried," he muttered, glaring at the large bear-like sorcerer.

"You were bleeding and barely conscious," Panda retorted matter-of-factly. "I'm not gonna let you drag yourself here. You're welcome, by the way."

Megumi groaned, clearly more annoyed at himself than anyone else. He glanced at Misa, catching the worried look on her face, and sighed. "We fought the cursed spirit," he began, his tone clipped. "It was tough, stronger than we expected. Maki and I managed to hold our ground for a while, but it landed a hit on both of us. That's when Todo and Yuji stepped in."

"Yuji?" Misa repeated, her concern deepening. She stepped closer, her brows furrowing. "He's fighting it now?"

"Yeah," Megumi confirmed, his jaw tightening. "Todo's with him. They'll handle it. Yuji's gotten a lot stronger."

Misa crossed her arms, glancing out the window as if she could see the battlefield from there. "Still," she murmured, "fighting a spirit that left you two like this isn't exactly comforting."

Maki, despite her injuries, smirked faintly from her cot. "Relax, Misa. Yuji's got that idiot Todo backing him up. Those two together are practically a walking demolition crew."

Misa didn't reply immediately, her gaze still fixed on the distance. Finally, she let out a soft sigh, her worry still evident. "He'd better. I'm not dragging him back here next."

Her words earned a small chuckle from Panda, but Megumi didn't miss the tension in her voice. He leaned back against the cot, wincing slightly but choosing not to say anything. For now, all they could do was wait.

The tension in the room began to ease as Shoko finished tending to Toge and moved on to Noritoshi. The second-year groaned softly as she examined his injuries, muttering something about needing more rest. Meanwhile, Misa turned back to the others, trying to distract herself from her worry about Yuji.

"So," Misa began, glancing at Megumi, "you're telling me that Mr. Stoic here got carried in like a sack of potatoes?"

Megumi's scowl deepened instantly. "I wasn't a sack of potatoes. I was perfectly capable of walking."

Panda snorted. "You passed out halfway here. I had to grab you before you face-planted into the dirt."

Maki chuckled from her cot, wincing slightly as she adjusted her position. "I'd pay to see that. Did someone get a picture?"

"I don't think we should encourage them," Megumi muttered, glaring at Misa and Panda. "Besides, if anyone looked ridiculous, it was Maki. She was yelling at Panda the whole way."

"Because he was swinging me around like a duffel bag!" Maki shot back, narrowing her eyes at Panda. "You're supposed to carry people gently."

Panda raised his hands in mock defense. "I saved your life, and this is the thanks I get?"

"You didn't have to swing me over a tree branch to 'readjust,'" Maki grumbled.

Misa snickered, leaning against the wall. "Sounds like quite the rescue mission. Panda, next time you should add some flair. Maybe spin them around or do a dramatic entrance."

Panda grinned. "Noted. I'll work on my technique."

"Please don't," Megumi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Shoko glanced up from where she was patching up Noritoshi, her expression deadpan. "If I have to deal with any more dramatic injuries caused by your flair, Panda, I'm sending you the bill."

"Oh, come on," Panda replied, grinning. "You love the excitement, Shoko-sensei."

Shoko raised an eyebrow. "Excitement is not what I'd call carrying in two unconscious students while another one cracks jokes."

"Hey, I'm just lightening the mood," Misa said with a playful grin, raising her hands. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Yeah, thanks for all the emotional support," Megumi deadpanned.

"Anytime," Misa shot back, smirking. "You're lucky I didn't start cheering for Panda while he carried you."

Maki let out a short laugh, her smirk growing. "Now that would've been worth it."

Shoko sighed, stepping back after finishing with Noritoshi. "You're all a bunch of comedians, aren't you?"

"We cope with humor," Misa said dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "It's how we survive."

"Maybe you could cope by sitting still and letting me work," Shoko replied dryly, motioning for Maki to stop squirming. "You're next."

As Maki begrudgingly sat still for Shoko to examine her, Panda leaned against the wall with a wide grin. "So, what's the over-under on Yuji and Todo causing a complete disaster out there?"

"Pretty high," Megumi said without missing a beat.

"Eh," Misa added, smirking. "At least if they wreck something, they'll take the curse down with it."

"Let's hope so," Shoko muttered, shaking her head. "I'm not in the mood to stitch up more chaos victims tonight."

"Let's hope so," Shoko muttered, shaking her head. "I'm not in the mood to stitch up more chaos victims tonight."

Panda leaned against the wall, his grin softening as he glanced at Misa. "Oh, by the way, Gojo-sensei took the veil down. He's already out there. If I know him, he's probably laughing while cleaning up whatever's left of that cursed spirit."

Misa's eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, she just stared at Panda. "He took the veil down?" she repeated, her voice cautious, as though she was afraid to let herself believe it.

"Yup," Panda said confidently, nodding. "That means whatever's going on out there is either handled or about to be handled. You know Gojo—he's not exactly the type to let anything slip past him."

Misa exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxing as the weight that had been pressing down on her began to ease. Her worry for Yuji had been like a storm cloud hovering over her head, and now, knowing Gojo was involved, that cloud started to dissipate.

"Yuji's probably fine, then," she murmured, mostly to herself. The tightness in her chest loosened a little, though her heart still felt heavy with the thought of him fighting something that had already injured Megumi and Maki. She leaned back against the wall, her gaze shifting to the floor as her mind raced.

"You okay?" Panda asked gently, his tone a little softer than usual.

Misa blinked, realizing everyone was looking at her now. "Yeah," she said, nodding quickly. "I mean... it's just, with everything that's happened, it's hard not to think the worst sometimes. Yuji just got back, you know? I don't want to lose him again."

The room fell quiet for a moment, the gravity of her words sinking in. Even Maki, who usually had a sarcastic remark ready, stayed silent, her gaze flicking briefly toward Megumi and then back to Misa.

Panda broke the silence with his usual upbeat tone. "Hey, don't sweat it. Yuji's a tough kid, and with Todo and Gojo out there, nothing's taking him down."

Misa let out a small laugh, the sound tinged with a mix of relief and lingering worry. "Yeah, you're right. If anyone can turn a complete disaster into a win, it's Yuji."

Shoko glanced up from tending to Maki, her voice dry but reassuring. "Trust me, if Gojo's on the scene, your biggest worry will be him breaking something expensive."

Misa smiled faintly, the tension in her posture easing further.

The group nodded in quiet agreement, and for the first time since the fight began, Misa allowed herself to relax. She could still feel a faint thread of worry tugging at her, but it wasn't as suffocating anymore. Yuji was out there, and as much as she hated admitting it, Gojo was probably right. Everything was under control—or as close to it as things ever got in their world.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚