𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝

┌──── ∘°❉°∘ ────┐

𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝

└──── °∘❉∘° ────┘

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--MISA'S BREATH WAS STEADY, BUT HER PULSE BETRAYED HER NERVES, thundering in her chest. The cursed energy in the air was thick and suffocating, wrapping around her like a vice. This wasn't like any grade 2 or grade 1 curse she'd fought before—it was special-grade, and it didn't bother hiding its intent to kill. She rolled her shoulders back, holding her stance firm, her fingers twitching as she prepared to summon her frost dominion at a moment's notice.

"I told them this was stupid," she muttered under her breath, lips curling into a grimace. Her mind flashed back to her warnings to the group about how reckless this mission was turning out to be. But there was no turning back now.

A sudden chill ran down her spine as the first movement occurred. White masks materialized from thin air, floating and spinning lazily above her, each one marked with exaggerated, sinister smiles. And then, like a match striking in the dark, a hauntingly high-pitched children's laughter echoed around her. The sound didn't belong in this world; it was wrong, unnatural.

"Creepy much?" Misa quipped, though her voice wavered slightly. Her hands instinctively formed her starting technique stance. "You guys are really trying too hard with the whole 'nightmare' vibe."

The masks descended in a blur, faster than she'd anticipated. Misa sidestepped the first one with a quick pivot, summoning her Frost Dominion. A biting chill rippled through the air as she twisted her wrist, icy mist swirling around her like a winter storm. She flung her hand outward, and jagged shards of cursed-energy-infused ice materialized mid-air, striking the nearest mask with precision. The impact shattered it instantly, sending shards of frozen cursed energy scattering like fragments of glass, glittering in the frigid air.

The laughter didn't stop. If anything, it grew louder. More masks surged at her, moving erratically, their cursed energy crackling.

"Alright, you little creeps, just shut the hell up already!" she shouted with frustration.

Misa moved like a force of nature, her every twist and dodge sharp and calculated. Her Frost Dominion surged around her, filling the air with icy mist that crackled with cursed energy. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a wave of razor-sharp ice shards, sending one mask flying back into the wall. It hit with a deafening thud and shattered into frozen fragments that scattered across the ground.

One by one, she struck them down, her movements fluid and precise, her senses heightened to a razor's edge. Each attack was a seamless blend of technique and raw confidence. As the last mask fell, the eerie, childlike laughter grew louder, echoing around her in an unsettling chorus.

She straightened, her breathing steady, her expression calm but laced with an edge of annoyance. Around her, shards of frozen masks littered the floor, glinting like jagged crystals in the pale light.

Misa smirked, her cocky side surfacing as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Is that all you've got?" she muttered, her tone daring whatever was behind the laughter to show itself.

But just as the words left her mouth, she felt it. A shift in the cursed energy—a heavier, darker presence bearing down on her like a shadow. Before she could react, something massive and cold wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

"What the—?!"

Her words were cut short as her arms were pinned tightly to her sides. She twisted her head to look down and saw a hulking cursed spirit holding her upside-down, its grotesque face split into a toothy grin. Its claws dug into her sides, not enough to break skin but enough to make her squirm.

"Let go of me, you oversized roach!" Misa yelled, thrashing against its grip. "What, couldn't handle me on your own, so you brought in the big guns?"

The cursed spirit didn't respond, but three smaller mushroom-shaped curses appeared at its feet. They looked almost comical, with stubby legs and crooked smiles, but their shrill, mocking laughter grated on her nerves.

"Of course. Mushrooms. Why not? I get the fungal brigade as backup," she groaned, still twisting in the spirit's grip.

The mushrooms began hopping around, their laughter escalating as if they were enjoying her predicament.

"Stop laughing, you stupid fungi!" Misa barked, her voice dripping with annoyance. She glared at the spirit holding her. "And you! Ever heard of personal space? Or are you just too dumb to figure that out?"

Her thrashing only made the laughter grow louder. Her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. She hated being stuck like this, and she hated the idea of those mushrooms mocking her even more.

"Just wait," she growled through gritted teeth. "When I get out of this, you're all toast. I'll make sautéed mushrooms out of you three, and as for you, big guy? Hope you're ready to lose that smug grin."

Her mind raced as she tried to figure out her next move, her cursed energy simmering beneath the surface. She wasn't out yet, not by a long shot.

The cursed spirit hoisted Misa higher, its grotesque, slimy grin widening as it opened its maw. Rows of jagged teeth gleamed faintly, a putrid stench wafting out that hit her like a brick wall. She scrunched her nose in revulsion and attempted to ignore the pain in her body from it squeezing her body.

"Seriously?" she groaned, rolling her eyes even as she struggled against its grip. "Do curses not brush their teeth? That breath could kill without cursed energy!"

The curse growled in response, its hot, foul breath hitting her face as its mouth stretched wider. Misa instinctively braced herself, but before the spirit could make its move, a blur shot past her. She barely had time to register the frog Shikigami's massive tongue as it wrapped around her midsection and yanked her away.

"What the fuck?!" she yelped, her world spinning as the Shikigami pulled her clear of the curse's grip just in time.

A barrage of nails fired through the air, slamming into the cursed spirit with loud cracks. Nobara stood a few paces away, hammer in hand, her expression fierce as she taunted the creature.

"Don't just stand there, ugly!" Nobara shouted, sending another nail flying. "Come get some!"

At the same time, Megumi's snake Shikigami slithered in from the shadows, its massive coils wrapping around the curse's torso. The creature roared in frustration, clawing at the snake as it tightened its grip.

Meanwhile, Misa found herself deposited not-so-gently into the frog Shikigami's wide, slimy mouth. She let out a choked gasp, gagging as the rancid smell hit her full force.

"Oh my God, this is absolutely horrendous!" she shouted, flailing as she tried to push herself out. "It smells like something died in here!"

"Well that's too damn bad!" Megumi snapped back, his voice sharp with focus as he directed his Shikigami to continue the attack. "Do you want to get eaten or not?"

"I don't know, Megumi, maybe I'd prefer the curse's mouth to this nightmare!" she shot back, glaring at him as she made a dramatic show of covering her nose.

Nobara barked out a laugh between her attacks, glancing over her shoulder. "Misa, you're literally being saved right now! Maybe say thanks before criticizing the frog's hygiene?"

Misa let out a dramatic groan, slumping back against the squishy walls of the Shikigami's mouth. "Thanks, frog. But seriously, mouthwash exists!"

Megumi rolled his eyes but didn't respond, too busy coordinating his Shikigami. "We're pulling back!" he called to Nobara, his tone commanding. "Misa, stay put! Nobara, cover us!"

"Got it!" Nobara replied, sending another nail flying with a loud crack as the cursed spirit roared in pain.

The frog Shikigami leaped back, carrying Misa away as Megumi and Nobara retreated alongside it. Misa twisted inside the frog's mouth, craning her neck to look around. "Wait! Where's Itadori?" she shouted, panic creeping into her voice.

"He's fine!" Megumi called back, though his tone betrayed his uncertainty.

"We left him with the big one inside!" Nobara added, a faint edge to her voice.

"You what?!" Misa's voice rose as she struggled against the frog's squishy hold. "We can't just leave him!"

"No one's leaving anyone!" Megumi snapped, his frustration mounting. "You too are going back to the car!"

The group finally burst out into the open air, the cursed energy fading slightly as they reached the edge of the veil. Ijichi's car came into view, and Rina immediately began squirming more violently.

"Oh no," she said, her voice laced with defiance. "I am not getting in that car!"

The frog Shikigami deposited her unceremoniously onto the ground, and she shot up to her feet, glaring at Megumi. "I'm not leaving without Yuji!"

Nobara grabbed her arm before she could make a run for it. "Stop it, Rina! You're not helping!"

"Let me go, Nobara!" Misa protested, struggling against her hold. "We can't just sit around while he's fighting—what if—what if he—" Her voice cracked slightly, the weight of the situation finally breaking through her bravado.

"Misa," Nobara said firmly, her grip tightening. "Yuji's strong. He's going to be fine. But we can't help him if we're dead. Get in the car."

"I don't care! I'm not—"

"Get in the car!" Megumi shouted, his patience snapping.

Misa froze, glaring at him. With a frustrated groan, she stomped toward the car and threw herself into the back seat, crossing her arms and glaring out the window.

As Ijichi started the engine, Misa kicked the back of the driver's seat. "This is so stupid! We should be helping him!"

"Would you calm down?" Nobara said, sliding in next to her.

"I won't calm down!" Misa snapped, her voice cracking. "I'm worried, okay? Are you happy now?!"

Nobara softened slightly, exchanging a glance with Ijichi in the front seat.

Misa's tantrum continued, though quieter now, as the car sped away from the veil. Her anger masked the gnawing pit of worry in her stomach, but she couldn't stop herself from glancing back toward the cursed building, hoping against hope that Yuji would come running out any second.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚