In one of the busiest residential districts of Tokyo, a black sedan pulls to a stop. The squeal of its brakes is the only sound in the dark early silence of pre-dawn. The doors swing open and three figures step out at the curb of a major leasing property.

Right away, Itadori's nerves are being tested.

"Try not to fall behind too far, okay?" Yuta advises.

With an annoyed grunt, the lagging sorcerer glares up angrily through his brows at his senior teammate. Yuta isn't trying to be a pest, in fact he's being lenient by allowing Yuji to trail at the end of their group rather than in the center. Inumaki on the other hand held an unusually icy regard to their newest addition, casting routine glances behind him to catch unnerving stares from Sukuna.

Sensing the tension among his team, Yuta tries his best not to let his own anxieties show, offering secretive soft expressions to Toge as they approach their destination. He's fishing hard for any kind of smile today and being met with only a distracted grimace in return.

"So what happened here?" Yuji asks.

Checking the address on his phone again, Yuta gestures to a towering building across the street. "There've been reports of people vanishing from these apartments. Just pets were reported missing at first, all of the ones on the ground floor. Not long after that, the second and third floor reported the same losses shortly before tenants began vanishing without a trace too. Dozens of them. Management just evacuated the rest of the building a few hours ago."

"Empty is better," Yuji comments in a dark voice. Fewer bystanders would allow them to work without fearing for any more unnecessary casualties.

As they cross to the other side, Yuta makes the appropriate hand signals to drop a veil for protection. A swirling cloud of energy settles between the apartment complex and the surrounding businesses to obscure them from view, turning the already pre-dawn sky a murky gray. Passers-by should be none the wiser to their presence now.

Yuta pulls out more paperwork he'd been handed by Masamichi. "The map shows there are two entrances: the main one here and an emergency fire escape on the side. I'll lake that one and meet you both on the fourth floor where the last disturbance was reported. The doors should have been left unlocked so we can comb through for the Curse and come at it from both sides."

Inumaki purses his lips slightly, casting a side glance Yuji's way before signing with his hands, touching his two index fingers together. Why not together?

Yuta tucks the paperwork under his arm, signing back: We can corner it and hit it with cursed speech from two sides. Easier work.

With another tight frown, Toge replies with a strong point at Yuta's chest. You two go together.

Yuji shoves his fists into his pockets, pretending not to notice the obvious conversation happening before him with resentment growing by the second. It's not the first time he's seen Inumaki sign to communicate, but Yuta is the only one who knows enough to actually have full conversations with him. They're a close couple so of course they have better methods of talking. But why couldn't it include him? They're on the same mission after all. What could be so important that they felt the need to keep him out of it?

Relax, he tells himself. It's not like they're talking about him.

"Hehe.. Oh, but they are. Would you like to know what they're saying?" Sukuna crows internally.

"Can you really understand them?"

"Of course I can. All human communications are simple child's play for Curses to comprehend. We'll outlive every language but our own once you're all dead."

Rude, but fair enough. "Huh… Okay. What are they saying?"

His Curse casts his gaze to the sorcerers' hands, giving a pause before responding. "The mute wants to pawn you off on the dead-eyed one, who is insisting against it. Seems like neither of them wants your company. How sad... Even your own comrades are sick of you. Ha-ha ha!"

Yuji grits his teeth angrily. Sukuna was probably lying to him, though it was a creative lie if so. The rift between him and his teammates has only grown each day. It's noticeable when each room goes silent the moment he enters.

None the wiser to the eavesdropping, Yuta gives his boyfriend one last concerned frown, tapping four fingers from his chest to shoulder. Is everything okay with you? You seen nervous.

Inumaki only shakes his head and raises a balled fist above his ear, opening his fingers flippantly. The sign for "forget it." His growing discomfort being alone with Itadori will have to take a back seat. His job requires all of his attention.

Over Yuta's shoulder, a shadow in one of the apartment windows catches Inumaki's eye.

"Tuna! Tuna!" he hisses in a low whisper while pointing excitedly.

His teammates look up, following his gaze. From up above, a dark outline of something can be seen staring out at them from a window of the fourth floor, lingering momentarily before withdrawing back out of sight with unnatural speed. All without even disturbing the blinds.

"Shit," Yuji swears.

Whatever is up there, it definitely knows they're here now.

…

It's unnaturally quiet inside the building. The type of quiet that only occurs when no people are mulling about their lives. Only the hum of an outdated air conditioning unit droning overhead accompanies them as their footsteps echo in the stairwell.

Even knowing that the units have all been deserted voluntarily doesn't alleviate the crushing silence of each floor they passed. Yuji is certain that it isn't just the gravity of this mission keeping their lips sealed either. He's taken note of Inumaki's suspicious glances all morning ever since he was added to this new team. Inumaki was the last one he expected this treatment from. As someone who was often left on the outside of social circles due to his speech limitations, Toge was usually quite considerate of others in the same situation. Yuji must have seriously messed up if Inumaki is giving him the silent treatment. What if accepting Sukuna into his body again was a total mistake after all?

Angrily he shakes his head. A little too late for regrets now. Isn't it, asshole?

Once reaching the door, Inumaki takes a precursory glance through the small glass window of the door. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. He can even see the marked sign pointing to the fire exit where Yuta will be entering at any minute.

"Mustard leaf…"

Yuji keeps his voice just as quiet. "You wanna go first? Are you sure?"

The other sorcerer nods, readying his hand to twist open the knob. "Salmon."

"Okay. I've got your back."

There's no sense of cursed energy as the two exit the stairwell, stepping lightly across white linoleum tile stretching endlessly ahead. The red fire escape sign is now a bare dot diminishing in the distance.

Huh? That's odd… Is the building bigger on the inside somehow?

"Fuck," Yuji swears.

"Bonito flakes…"

Both realize the danger they're in much too late. The domain of the Curse is already open and they walked right into it.

"Jeez… Looks like this thing decided to hide." Yuji heaves a pre-exhausted sigh, scanning the now hundred or so rooms lining the hallway.

Inumaki only clenches his jaw tightly, giving a curt nod in agreement. This is going to take much longer than they assumed.

…

On the final platform of the fire escape staircase, Yuta is already typing in the code given to him to disarm the security system. As the latch clicks he pushes the door open slowly and enters the building.

Easy now… he reminds himself.

Other than the buzzing of noisy fluorescent lighting, everything is silent as he enters. His fingers muffle the click of the latch as it slips back into place and he starts toward the hallway, expecting to see Yuji and Inumaki at the end. Instead as he rounds the corner, Yuta's jaw fairly drops at the sight of the apartment unit doors stretching on eternally.

Well, fuck…

His teammates must be at the opposite end, feeling the same disbelief. Things couldn't be off to a worse start.

Don't think like that. Your teammates need you. Stay focussed.

Furrowing his brow with resolution, Yuta enters the first apartment on his left. There's clear signs someone left in a hurry, but he expected to find this. Closets and drawers are pulled open, clothes strewn on the floor and multiple lights left on… but nothing else of interest is here.

The next few apartments are in nearly identical states of disorder, varying only in the furnishings and personal belongings left behind by tenants rushed out before dawn. So he checks the next unit.

And the next one after that. And the next one. And the next…

"Fuck! This is going to take forever."

Fighting against his growing pessimism, Yuta moves faster, making a rhythm of each apartment survey to get through them quickly. Enter each room, scan for energy, leave the door open when it's been cleared. If it's hiding that should mean that it's a weaker level curse, right? That would explain why it preyed upon the tenants' pets first. If it wanted to eat humans without being bothered, it would have to be sneaky. It's definitely skilled at remaining hidden. There aren't even any energy traces to follow, and the repetitive designs of each apartment is making it hard to tell the rooms apart.

Curiously, Yuta picks up a small hand mirror from the floor, frowning at his stressed reflection in the cracked glass. The cold silver handle in his fingers feels real to him, but a domain could just as easily simulate these same sensations if the Curse who created it is accustomed to humans. If this is all an illusion, they're dealing with something intelligent and that worries him greatly.

Stepping back into the hallway, Yuta readies himself to enter the next apartment when an oddly familiar smell reaches him.

"Is that… rice?"

Cautiously he twists the handle of the next apartment, finding it to be unlocked just like the rest of the units he's already checked. This one however is noticeably tidier upon entering. The lights have all been left on. Someone must have decided against the order to vacate the premises and stayed behind.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Yuta switches his grip to cautiously palm his katana. He can't be too careful.

The smell of rice grows stronger. He can clearly hear the sound of someone humming in the kitchen. It's a woman with long hair standing with her back to him. She reaches repeatedly into a rice pot for carefully measured handfuls, forming individual balls and denting the middles to fill them. She seems to be completely indifferent to Yuta's intrusion or perhaps she didn't hear him come in.

"Uh, H-hello?" he calls again awkwardly.

"Welcome home, dear."

Her voice is so melodious and sweet that it catches him off guard. She sounds as if she's been expecting him for hours.

"Ah- I'm not.. I mean– Sorry, but you shouldn't be here right now, Miss. Didn't you get the order to leave?" he stammers.

She only laughs in amusement, looking over her shoulder to meet his gaze.

"'Miss?' What's up with you today, you weirdo?"

He takes in her face, and immediately Yuta's heart staggers. He gasps in recognition.

"R..Rika?! What.. What are you doing here?! How?!"

She smiles again, tilting her head in a playful manner. "Were you expecting someone else, silly?"

He can't answer, his heart is slamming against his eardrums. He's panting and his hands are trembling. This doesn't make any sense! But it's her. The same eyes and smile, even the tiny birthmark in her chin. She looks… older. Maybe even the same age as him now, but she looks exactly the way he always imagined she would if her life hadn't been cut so drastically short.

"Rika.. What on earth are you doing here?" Yuta demands.

She scoffs and shakes her head as she crosses the room, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist before reaching up to brush his cheek in a smooth motion. He allows her to do so, the warmth of the touch eliciting a soft, involuntary noise from him.

"Darling… We live here. Don't you remember?" she whispers.

Yuta whimpers as her hand caresses his face. Her smile does the rest, so welcoming that it melts away the last of his reservations. In an instant, all of the burdens he's carried for years since he last saw her roll away in heavy waves of sweet relief. His eyes burn with tears.

Yeah. He remembers now.

They moved in together after graduating college and finally getting married. This is his apartment. Their home. It was close enough to the law firm where he took his internship that he could ride the bus. She insisted on having a nicer apartment to make each day worth coming home to.

"I.. guess.. I must have had a long day. I-I forgot," Yuta laughs weakly.

His wife smiles lovingly up at him, pulling him closer to brush her lips against his.

"Don't worry, honey. You're home now."

…

On the other end of the fourth floor, the monotony of clearing each residence is becoming infuriating for Inumaki and Yuji as they scout through countless empty rooms. The glow of the entrance sign has long since disappeared behind them.

It feels like they've been up here for over an hour. How many units have they checked? Fifty? Sixty? Maybe more? Too many for the width of the building they saw from the outside to accommodate, that's for sure.

Yuji clenches his jaw and tries not to let his frustration show, but this is insanity! How much longer are they going to be trapped here?

"I'm beginning to think that this thing killed us when we got here. Maybe we're just stuck in the lamest version of purgatory imaginable," he mumbles with irritation.

Surprisingly Inumaki musters up a weak laugh at the idea as they re-enter the never ending hallway, casting a baleful glance at the rows of endless doors. Hopefully Yuta is having better luck than they are, but what if he's caught up in the same repetitive cycle too?

"On to the next one?" Yuji inquires, waiting for his teammate before they enter the next unit.

The door creaks open and they're shocked to find this apartment in a much worse state than the rest they've cleared. An enormous bookcase lies face down with its contents strewn across the floor. A door from one of the bedrooms has been torn from its hinges and tossed into the kitchen. Something also ripped into the walls and sofa cushions leaving white, chalky dust and yellow foam stuffing everywhere. Bits of broken glass and drywall crunch underfoot as Yuji and Inumaki take a few tentative steps into the living room, already sensing the crackling traces of cursed energy pulsing throughout the space around them. Clearly all hell had broken loose in this apartment.

"Tuna mayo," Inumaki hisses with caution.

"Yeah, I feel it too."

A sound causes both sorcerers to suddenly jerk their heads toward a nearby closet. It's still closed but the tiniest squeak of a floorboard creaks again from behind the door, barely loud enough to hear.

What was that? A footstep? Inumaki unzips his collar, readying a cursed speech command for whatever may be lurking inside. He can immobilize it long enough for them to land the first blow. At his partner's signal, Yuji takes leaping strides to reach the closet faster than whatever is inside can come out. He grabs the knob and swings the door wide open–

"Get away from me, you monster!"

FWWWPPP! FWWWPPP!

Yuji ducks just in time, narrowly avoiding being clobbered upside the head with an iron fire poker as it whips back and forth. The girl holding the weapon has her eyes clenched tightly shut and is swinging blindly with all of her might.

"Whoa! Take it easy! We're not monsters!" he cries out, holding both hands up in a helpless gesture in front of him.

Whoever she is, she looks young, maybe fifteen or sixteen. The school uniform she's wearing is from one of the private schools nearby judging by the crest on the lapel. Her short dark braids switch back and forth upon her shoulders as she nervously glances at the strangers standing in her home.

"Pl-please… D-don't hurt me," she stammers. Her trembling voice is full of terror.

The two sorcerers share a bewildered look. This poor girl must have spent the entire night huddled in this cramped little space.

Softening his voice, Yuji tries to give her a reassuring smile. "Hey.. It's alright, we won't hurt you. I'm Yuji Itadori and this is Toge Inumaki. We were hired to get rid of the thing that's been screwing things up around here. We didn't know anyone was still inside. What's your name?"

"M-my n-n-name is A-mi. Ami Motosuwa," she shivers in place, overcome by relief at having finally been found. Dropping the fire poker loudly to the floor, she grips her hands together in front of her as if trying to hold her heart from leaping out of her chest.

"We were told everyone who lives here left the building already. What are you still doing here?" Yuji asks.

Ami wipes her eyes, sniffling out another hysterical sob. She swallows hard before speaking again with large hopeful eyes. "I was hiding from that creature. I could hear it tearing everything up, b-but it never found me."

Her expression switches to one of sudden concern and she gasps. "My dad! D-did you find anybody else?"

Yuji's throat tightens. If there was anyone else here… their odds weren't good.

"Not yet. You're the first we've rescued. Who else was here with you?"

"Just my dad… and … and his girlfriend…" her voice trails off as she looks around the room, taking in the horrible state of things for the first time.

"Oh, my God," she chokes.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll find them too." Yuji slowly extends his hand, trying to get her to trust him. Fortunately she does accept his offer, taking hold of him while trembling like a leaf in a storm. He looks to Inumaki with a grim expression, silently asking what the hell to do next. They can't exactly leave her behind.

"Mustard leaf," Inumaki concedes with a nod before turning around to resume his search of the apartment for clues.

Ami stares in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Yuji offers another comforting smile. "It means you're safe with us, alright?"

"Oh… O-okay," she agrees in a small voice, clinging to his arm tighter as they exit her destroyed home.

Yuji ignores the vice-like pinch fingers squeezing his arm, reminding himself she's probably been through hell. His own heart is still racing. Finding an unharmed survivor like this feels like it could be a good omen, but he still has to ask her painful questions.

"Do you… know where your dad might be?"

The girl only shakes her head, looking more worried. "Not really… He wasn't around when I woke up yesterday. I thought maybe he just went to work early, but then he didn't come home last night. I kept asking that woman where he was, but she just kept just saying he'd be back soon."

Yuji cocks his head. "What woman? Do you mean his girlfriend?"

"I guess so. She's just some lady he brought home recently. She was here when I came back from school one day and hasn't left since then." Ami makes a disgusted face, as if remembering something awful.

"H-he calls her my mother's name."

"Oh? And that's odd because?"

"Because my mother died when I was a baby! I've never even seen pictures of her. My dad won't put them up because he says they make him too sad."

Right away, Yuji regrets prying. "Ah, I'm sorry… Is there anything else weird about her that you can remember? About the woman your dad brought home, I mean."

Ami shakes her head. "She's a total stranger to both of us, and he moved her in without even asking me first. I hate her! She wouldn't even help me look for my dog Shiro when he went missing."

Tears build up again before spilling over her cheeks. Her left hand fidgets with something between her fingers. The movement sparks a sudden burst of energy that Yuji swears he can almost smell with intensity.

"Hey… What have you got there?" He points with interest.

She looks a little embarrassed at first, but slowly opens her hand. "I.. I found it. It felt.. I dunno.. special?"

His eyes go wide when he sees what she's holding. It's a feather, black from spine to tip and sparkling with a strange shimmer. Being held in her tight grip all night should have left it crumpled and broken, yet it retains its shape perfectly somehow. Of course Yuji recognizes your energy pattern right away, deliberately blocking Inumaki's possible view. He swallows hard before closing his hands around her fingers.

"I think you're right, it is special. You should definitely hold onto it and never show it to anybody. Ever."

The direness of his tone shocks Ami. She fumbles for a pocket on her school uniform and finds none. Instead she decides to tuck the feather beneath the neckline of her shirt and into her brassiere for safekeeping. Her cheeks turn pink the moment she realizes she's done this directly in front of a boy she doesn't know.

After joining the two in the hallway, Inumaki tries to get a text message through to Yuta only to find his cell signal to be blocked. Of course. Any interference like a cursed domain usually does this. He probably shouldn't risk giving away their position and try shouting out loud for him either. For all he knew this curse had a clear view of them. Why is it staying hidden?

They've been distracted for long enough. It's going to be even harder now with a girl to look out for. Inumaki heads to the door right next to Ami's apartment, finding it to be decorated with a single cheap holiday wreath made from silk leaves in festive fall colors despite the season being over. The handle is locked.

"Tuna…"

Yuji is just as surprised. "None of the other doors were locked. What gives?"

"Mrs Himura lives here," Ami offers timidly. "She invites me over sometimes to watch television after school. She's really nice."

Yuji winces. "Yeah. We really can't afford to waste any more time. Sorry."

CRUUNNCH!

His heel smashes into the door beneath the latch, kicking it clear through the wooden frame and through the other side. Ami gasps in shock at the force as the door creaks open noisily.

"Wait out there. You may not wanna see," he warns her and enters with caution behind Inumaki.

There is one major difference he notices right away: the place is spotless. Nothing out of place, no clothes on the floor, doors or drawers left open. Mrs Himura could be one of those people that always keeps things tidy, even when in a rush. Maybe the old lady just forgot to leave her door unlocked and was safely evacuated?

Yuji can't help but feel like he's missing something here. He scans through the unit one last time, but the bedrooms all look perfectly normal to him. Coming back to the living room, he spies a purse sitting on the kitchen table. It feels wrong to snoop through something as personal as this, but he reminds himself that this is official business and takes a look inside, seeing her wallet, a cell phone and–

A set of house keys... But then how could the old lady have locked the door behind her?

"Mustard leaf?" Inumaki wonders out loud.

Yuji rubs his chin in frustration. Mrs Himura was most likely taken by something that doesn't need to break any locks to get in. It could have easily started eating tenants one by one the moment it got inside, but it kept a low profile to prevent raising a panic for some reason. He can only grunt with frustration.

"Honestly I have no idea what kind of Curse would do this. This thing is sneaky. We need to find Yuta. I thought we would have run into him by now..."

…

After showering and changing clothes, Yuta collapses onto the couch with a loud groan, feeling the exhaustion of his workday hitting him all at once. With his eyes closed, he leans his head back and inhales the wonderful smell of Rika's cooking. Judging by the sizzling sound and the savory aroma in the air she must be making musubi tonight. Yuta smiles. He's actually starving despite having started his day with that enormous omelet for breakfast.

Omelet?

His forehead scrunches in confusion. Is that what he had for breakfast? But…Why does he remember it being dark when he was cooking?

But Rika always makes his breakfast. Did she make him one in the middle of the night? No, he would have never asked her to do that. Why is he thinking about omelets right now? His thoughts are muddled, looping over like reruns again and again.

Shaking his head he picks up the remote, deciding to lose himself in a little television instead. When he clicks through the channels, he frowns when strange mixes of shapes and colors appear on the screen instead of any clear visuals. That's weird. Is the cable out or something? The sounds coming through are muted and distant, like they were recorded underwater.

"Rika? What's up with the TV? Did something happen to it while I was at work?"

"It's been working fine all day for me," she calls back.

"Huh. Weird," he mutters, resuming clicking through the stations. A few stations do come in a little bit clearer than others, but the images still don't make much sense. It's like impressions of people without them being fully rendered. Everyone just looks like a cloudy fog of shapes babbling to one another incoherently.

"Dinner is served!" Rika announces proudly as she sets a plate of seaweed wrapped musubi on the coffee table.

"Looks good. Thank you for cooking," Yuta smiles as he begins to dig in, taking huge hungry bites in between chewing.

He must be starving. Each one of these feels like it barely has any taste. Or maybe he's just eating them too fast to enjoy them fully.

"Jeez. I guess I'll go make my own then?" Rika laughs with more surprise than offense

"Oh! I..Sorry I guess.. I wasn't really thinking," Yuta manages to apologize as he swallows the last piece loudly. "My bad.. That was really rude of me."

Rika only laughs and shakes her head with a roll of her eyes. "It's fine. I have enough to make more."

"Thanks! You're the best!" he calls after her.

"Yeah, that's what you tell me," she laughs.

Returning his attention to the television, he gets up and decides to take a look behind the set to check the connection. What he finds only perplexes him further. The entire set is empty. No components, wiring or cable connections… Just an empty black box.

With an odd tingle creeping up his spine, he gets an odd urge to check his cell phone in his pocket. Reaching slowly, he taps the screen.

The wallpaper on his phone screen is a selfie of his face, but it isn't Rika in the photo beside him. Instead his arm is wrapped around the shoulders of another boy. Yuta's face flushes red as his ears start to burn. What does this mean? Who is that? He looks so familiar but Yuta can't remember taking this picture, though judging by the way his arm is stretching toward the camera in a "selfie" angle, he must have.

His breathing becomes ragged, only allowing out small panting gasps as his fingers graze something else in the same pocket. A sharp jagged edge with a smooth handle. Slowly he pulls out the broken mirror he'd picked up earlier and stares into the fractured reflections. He angles it over his shoulder, peering cautiously at the woman standing in the kitchen. Only the side of her profile is visible as she stands at the oven. Yuta drops his phone to the floor to cover his mouth when he sees a featureless face in the reflection. No eyes. No nose. No mouth. Just smooth humanoid skin.

"Is everything alright, honey?"

"F-fine! Just dropped… the remote!"

"You're such a clutz," it giggles.

It spoke to him without a mouth, somehow forming Rika's soft, playful tones effortlessly. The sound calms Yuta like a shot of morphine, attempting to dull his worries. That must be how it lured him in, using his wife's voice to trick him. He has to rescue her wherever she is. This thing isn't taking her place if he can help it.

It doesn't even know my name. It's using endearments to speak to me. What the hell is it? Where's Rika?! Yuta is panicking internally, trying to think of any excuse to step outside again to call the police.

Maybe to let the dog out? Do they even have a dog? He can't remember, but there aren't any pet dishes or toys anywhere to be seen, so probably not. To get a newspaper maybe? If the cable is out, he would need some way to check the news, right? But is that something he would normally do? For some reason he can't recall any of his hobbies. What does he do when he isn't on a mission?

Mission? Why did I think that? What sort of mission would I have at a law firm?

He stoops to pick up his phone from the floor, his fingers trembling as he stares hard at the boy on the screen. Who is he? His silvery white hair is so breath-taking, nearly as much as his vibrant eye color. But why would Yuta have this picture when he's married? Is he being unfaithful?

No way! he thinks angrily. He loves her too much to do that.

Besides, he can't be unfaithful to her. She's dead.

Huh?! His stomach lurches violently. No, she isn't dead! That thing in the kitchen just has her hidden away somewhere, but another part of him feels that isn't the right explanation either. Sweat forms at Yuta's brow as the tremble in his hands spreads throughout his body.

Rika…. Rika!

She died.. He saw it. She was crushed right in front of his very eyes when they were children. How can he remember her dying if they're married? How much of this is an illusion?

Something else in the image on his phone screen grabs his attention: his engagement ring on a long silver chain around his neck, the same way he always wears it. Even now he feels it when he reaches up with trembling fingers. Something within him screams to put it on in this instant to break out of this fantasy.

It isn't Rika, he tells himself again. It's not her! This isn't real!

A heavy touch on his shoulder freezes his hand in place.

"Darling…. What are you doing?" that Thing asks with a curious but suspicious edge.

Rika's voice is still coming from the kitchen but the grip constricts him tighter, winding down his arm to force his fingers away from his ring. It locks firmly around his waist and descends to his legs. Yuta's eyes widen in terror when he looks down to find a thick moving mass of dark hair now holding him in place.

"Y..You're not Rika!" he shouts.

His mouth opens to scream again, but the energy he felt only moments ago evaporates with another tight embrace around his body. With nowhere else to go, his unspoken cries for help echo within his mind helplessly. The last thing he hears is the scraping of his shoes as he's dragged across the floor followed by the sound of wood splintering.

CRRASSSHH!

The door crumples beneath the force of Itadori's kick. In the absolute silence of the Curse's domain, their teammate's cries rang out clearly enough to follow until they found the only other apartment with a locked door.

"YUTAA!"

A cry of shock escapes Inumaki faster than he can muster his cursed technique. He scrambles to grab onto Yuta's body, pulling with all of his might against the hair but it only squeezes tighter. The strands cut through Yuta's uniform until blood seeps through white fabric. Inumaki's eyes dart around for the source of the hair to aim an attack, but the Curse has retreated into one of the bedrooms leaving a trail of its hair behind, pulled taught as it works to secure its prey.

Yuji decides to charge whatever is behind that mass of hair head on. Stomping down on the snaking mass with his shoes slows the Curse's efforts to carry its prey for only a moment, but it's enough for the young sorcerer to aim a charged punch downward to sever the strands with a flash of his energy. The bright red light of his technique illuminates the room momentarily for him to see the figure standing before him. In that fraction of a second, his heart skips several beats and his eyes tear up with painful recognition. Your name fumbles from him in the barest whispers doubtful and confused.

Why would you be here of all places? This can't be real. The Curse is tricking him somehow! You would never do something like this… But that thing is wearing your face as its own.

It's your voice he hears calling to him, sending more tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Please don't be angry with me," the Curse says quietly. Your lips form a beguiling little smile that pierces right through Yuji's defenses.

His fists lower themselves automatically. He whispers your name again and the Curse twists your lips into a smile, switching to a casual tone to speak with this new human. "I've missed you so much…"

Those words are nearly enough to topple him to his knees on the spot. He sobs loudly, aching to pick you up in his arms and hold onto you as tight as he can.

"Don't move!"

Thankfully in that same moment, Inumaki collected his wits enough to follow behind his teammate, catching both Itadori and the Curse within the bounds of his technique and temporarily freezing the severed hair in place as it was beginning to drag Yuta's body into the bedroom. Inumaki prepares to aim directly for the Curse– until he's close enough to see its face. When he sees it's you, every command refuses to form in his mouth. No different than his teammate who fell victim to the same trick, he can't seem to find the will to muster an attack.

Explode! He thinks in desperation, but his tongue won't obey. Crush! But no! He doesn't mean it! He doesn't want to see that happen to you.

The Curse smiles again, looking directly into his panicking eyes as it realizes this new human is affected by the same face. There's a tugging sensation as the hair winds around Inumaki's ankles and claiming hold of both legs, yet all he can do is make small squawking sounds of terror as the entity's grip tightens its clutches. He's helpless against this enemy.

Speak, you idiot! Say something or it's going to kill you both!

With the increasing constriction of air from their lungs, any hope of Inumaki using his technique is dwindling fast. His voice is a hoarse wheeze as he gasps for breath, struggling to grab at the stranglehold around his neck only to find his arms bound tightly at his sides. He let his guard down too easily, and in doing so had doomed everyone.

"Aahhh!"

Ami! Recklessly ignoring all warnings given to her, she entered the apartment and tried to untangle the strangling lengths of hair cutting into Yuta's neck. When they began crawling up her own arms, the sensation of living tendrils squirming on her skin sent her into a frenzy.

"Get off me!" She screams again as the hair seeks out her vital points in their thirst for blood. An explosion of vibrant red cursed energy sparks from Ami's chest the moment they try to penetrate through her uniform.

ZAAPP! The hairs shrivel back, crumbling away into ash as, successfully freeing Yuta's airway from their grip.

"AAUUUUGGGHHH!"

The Curse bellows in stunned agony. When the jolt of cursed energy reaches its body, the features of its false face are lost entirely. The mask of your face is disfigured and stretched until the lower jaw distends horrifically, revealing rows of hundreds of long, curved needle-like teeth. With a cry of absolute rage at being revealed, the Curse lunges at the two sorcerers. Itadori can only brace himself, eyes burning with tears of regret that he'd been so careless. He barely turns his head, struggling to take in a breath as he meets Inumaki's gaze, who also shares the same despair in his eyes. The hair has crawled up to cover his mouth, effectively gagging him.

I'm sorry, Toge. This was all my fault.

The doorway behind them explodes into a hurricane of wooden splinters. A thick tangible darkness bleeds in, sucking the air from the room as a more powerful presence makes itself known. Two very large, pale hands reach through, wrapping protectively around to shield both boys from the debris. The piercing screech of a distorted female voice screams aloud, forcing the Curse back by the sheer force alone and sinking its body deep into the drywall. Every window in the room shatters at once.

"Get away from Yuta's friends!"

With a tearing motion, the enormous clawed hands rip away the hair from Yuji and Inumaki's bodies. The two collapse to their knees with flashing spots dancing before their eyes as they choke and gasp for breath. They're alive but that was way too close. Yuji fights back the urge to throw up and staggers to his feet, quickly helping his teammate to do the same.

"Toge! You good?"

"M..Mustard leaf, " Inumaki grunts with a wincing touch to his chest as he pulls away the rest of the thinning hair from his uniform. His ribs and throat are bruised for sure, but he's okay. Wearily he tips his head back to gape at the towering form of Rika, so relieved that such a formidable special grade is on their side.

And there, standing beneath her writhing coiled lower half in the remnants of where the door frame used to be, is Yuta Okkotsu. His eyes are darkened in a mask of deep-rooted hatred. The first rays of the rising sun shine in through the broken windows, glistening on the silver ring around his finger as he rips away the remaining hair clinging around his throat.

"You thought you could use Rika's face to trick me?! How dare you?!"

The creature only hisses in retort, its tendrils already seeking an exit through one of the windows by smashing through. Changing its shape entirely, it morphs until all human features of its body are lost and only hair remains, slinking speedily through the open window. As if it would be so easy to escape.

Yuta scarcely turns his head, whispering to his beloved Curse the words she longs to hear: "Go get it, Rika."

She practically squeals with glee at the command, both hands outstretched as her form flies across the room.

"You can't run away from me-e!"

Rika shrieks again as her monstrous fists swing forward, gripping the creature and yanking it back inside. The offending Curse resists the motion, scrabbling at the window with its partially manifested hands made of writhing black hair, but it's no match for the brute strength of this new opponent. Rika senses Yuta's disdain for this creature growing with each passing second. It wanted to hurt Yuta and his friends! Yes, a foul evil thing like this must be destroyed. Tear it to pieces!

"Heeheehee! Rip rip, rip rip!" She laughs with joy as her claws shred the Curse into fine bits only to have them resurge immediately. This time the hairs come together to form a spearhead, plunging directly into the center of Rika's neck.

"RRAAAAUUGGHHH!"

Hearing her in pain only fuels Yuta's rage further. After securing one final appraisal of his comrades' state, he steps past them, focusing his cursed energy until black markings of cursed speech appear upon either side of his mouth.

"DIE."

The Curse's false face flashes repeatedly, switching between the identities it collected over the eons as it disintegrates.

In the silence that follows, the sorcerers take a final moment to count themselves incredibly lucky. It doesn't feel very victorious. This was a group failure collectively and all three of them should be dead. Yuta shamefully hides his tears behind his palms, refusing to face his comrades.

"Yutaa…"

Raising his head, he's met with the sight of Rika's cursed form, so gentle somehow in its lack of features. With only her ever-present smile, she regards him tenderly, brushing his hair back from his eyes.

"You did great, Rika. Th-thank you.. f-for always being there for me," he sobs as his tears begin to multiply.

The strong arms of his Curse embrace him tightly. Their time together is dwindling. He can only summon her back for a few minutes at a time since her spirit moved on. It was such a cruel trick that he thought she was really here with him somehow. Although his psyche knew better all along, Yuta's throat tightens painfully as he feels he's losing her all over again.

"Don't cry, Yuta. I'll always love you, She reminds him softly as her body begins to fade away.

He's trying hard to hold back, but the tears won't stop coming.

"I know… I love you too, Rika. Thank you."

…

With the Curse exorcised, the veil surrounding the building is finally released. Four figures make their way out the main entrance and into the morning light. After an emergency response team is called to pick up Ami, the three sorcerers can finally take a real moment to rest.

Yuji takes it upon himself to check up on Yuta. Whatever that Curse had put into Yuta's head really messed him up. It took him several minutes just to compose himself. Now he's sitting in the passenger seat filling out forms to finish the mission log for their leaders to receive. None of them will be the wiser to the torment each of them endured so long as the mission was a success in their books. Yuta's eyes are still red from crying.

Trying to sound casual, Yuji shuffles his feet through the gravel as he leans against the side panel of the car.

"So… What was that thing we were fighting back there?" he asks, unsure if he wants to hear the answer.

"Kuwazu nyōbo," Yuta responds in a low voice.

Yuji's face scrunches in puzzlement. "Kuwazu…what?"

"It means 'woman with a small appetite.' It's a misnomer name for the type of curse it was. They gain entrance to a human domicile by tricking someone, changing their appearance to look like a loved one to lower their guard and gain trust. Then they devour the human's friends and neighbors all while the first human only sees the one they love and typically defends them from all suspicion."

"Oh…That's pretty depraved." Yuji mutters. "So the one who lets the Curse in is also used as a defense too."

Yuta nods, heaving a sigh and putting down his pen to rub his eyes again.

"They can sense heartache. They feed off of it too so they mainly prey upon the emotionally vulnerable. This could have happened to any of the best trained sorcerers. We were fortunate."

He gives a textbook answer in an attempt to hide his trauma. They came way too close to being killed by that thing. If it hadn't been for Ami's efforts to rescue Yuta, things could have gone far worse. It's impossible for Yuta not to blame himself. What if they hadn't found that girl in their search? They'd all be dead and another team would have been sent to recover their bodies and try their hand at fighting the kuwazu nyōbo.

Yuji is also trying hard to shake away the horrific image of the Curse using your appearance to trick him. It picked its way into his brain in a split second. The trembling in his hands hadn't stopped even by the time they made it outside again. He looks over to where Ami is sitting on a nearby curb, recognizing the blank and vacant expression on her face all too well.

He walks over, sitting beside her and keeping his voice low. She doesn't look like she's in the best place mentally. He can't really blame her.

"Hey, Ami? You really saved all of us back there. I just wanna say I'm glad you didn't listen to us and wait in the hall while we all got eaten. Thank you for what you did to help Yuta."

"My dad is dead isn't he?" She refuses to look up from the pavement. Her tone is so hollow and cold that Yuji winces painfully.

"I'm so sorry. The Curse must have gotten him before anyone else knew it was here."

"But that's what he deserved, right? He let that thing in… and it killed so many people. All because of him thinking she looked like Mom–"

She sobs, her voice breaking as the disparity of her new reality slowly begins to set in. "Oh God.. They're both gone! What should I do? I don't have grandparents or cousins. My parents didn't have brothers or sisters. I just have nobody now."

"I know I'm just someone you met, but you can stay in contact with me if you want to. I think I could put in a good word for you if you ever wanted to try enrolling at Jujutsu Tech. You could see that Curse on your own, and you weren't afraid to help someone in need even though it was dangerous. The world needs more people like that."

She sits quietly sniffling, shrugging her shoulders in an embarrassed motion. Yuji covers her trembling hand with one of his, remembering every one of his own losses.

"It's gonna be okay. We have to keep believing it. Somehow... It will all be okay one day."

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To be Continued...