"We can't do that again," Noriko sighed meeting the red eyes of the woman that sat across from her. The hooded figure nodded, her gentle eyes moving to the Shogi board between them as she made her next move. "Or we'll be collared - plus I look like a fool, not being able to resist comments like that."

Shikishi nodded, staring down at the board intently. Noriko was within the paper shrine of her Domain, lazing around with Shikishi and playing games. Gojo would be back soon, and she didn't particularly care for anyone to see her face after such an... outburst. She was embarrassed to say the least... and ever since then, her classmates had been quiet with her - well, Fushiguro normally was. It was Nobara she was worried about.

She kept opening her domain to better be able to concentrate her energy - but she could feel her progress slow. She was still too slow: too weak: too little control over her energy. She'd never had help... not like Fushiguro or even Kugisaki - she didn't understand how to efficiently condense it and use it.

Her Domain was torn into. It rumbled slightly, but the tear was instantly closed behind whoever entered. The thunder crackled, and the trespasser could taste a metallic static on his tongue. Satoru Gojo made his way through the uncomfortably white domain, moving to where he believed he'd find Noriko. He stopped at the sliding shoji doors, pausing to sense the energy behind the door. It was a mess - this heavy metallic energy and the usual static of Noriko's. She'd been different since awakening Shikishi - but he supposed that was what usually happened when you were adjusting to whole a new entity inside of yourself. It wasn't like Sukuna: he was locked away. Shikishi and Noriko were too intertwined to separate - and his theory was that they had been from the moment Noriko was born.

"Morning!" He cheered, sliding open the doors. It was the first time he'd seen Shikishi since then and he was surprised to find the two girls pouring over a game. It was Shogi by the looks of it, and he got the inkling Noriko was winning by the frustrated look on Shikishi's face. The plastic bag crinkled in his hand. "Your control over the Domain seems to have improved, how long can you hold it open for now?"

"Three hours," the First Year shrugged, not bothering to look up as she clicked some pieces across the board and then leant back - after sending her counterpart a smug smile. "Shikishi helps with it."

The priestess stared down at the board before lightly shaking it, mixing up the pieces, and giving a silent huff. Gojo knelt down on the tatami next to them, rummaging through the convenience store bag he'd brought with him. He supplied some snacks, watching in curiosity as Noriko unwrapped a bun and tore it in half. She offered the other half to Shikishi, who took it gingerly and began to eat. He'd never seen a cursed spirit (that was his best guess for now) eat before.

"I think I'm aware of what happened to you... for this to end up the way it did," he gestured between them, digging into his own food. "When you were born, you weren't meant to make it - so Shikishi's energy poured into you to strengthen you. You're half-what-would-be-Noriko and half-Shikishi, which is why your energy is so heavily intertwined. There are some records to suggest it's happened before."

(He left out the part where Noritoshi Kamo had been involved in the other 'happenings'. He couldn't help wonder if there was any correlation).

"Mmm... I figured that," Noriko mused, wiping the crumbs off her hands on her skirt. "So... how do we combine, like fully? Being half-and-half is starting to get irritating."

"Uh, you want to do that?"

"Of course, and I have a month to do it."

"To be honest with you, I have no idea. It never occurred to me you'd want to," he shot her a childish grin, noting Shikishi's movements as she began to fold some paper left on the low table into flowers. She didn't speak. "But I can, however, help you control your individual energy better, Noriko. I think that might help with the 'combining', or at least put you two on equal footing. The way things are going, Shikishi's energy is going to suffocate yours and it's not going to end well."

"Oh, well... that should be good enough." Noriko checked her phone, flicking through a few things before dropping it back into her schoolbag. "My control's been all over the place since our brush with Sukuna."

"Yes... I heard what you did to Mai Zenin," he chuckled. Of course, he'd have to lecture her for appearance's sake. But wasn't that too good at teaching the Kyoto principal a lesson? He couldn't image how furious he would be at hearing that one of his older students was completely demolished by a First Year - especially one they'd rejected. He had an inkling to what was being planned around the Goodwill Event, and Noriko was making herself the perfect guard dog for his students. No one would want to even go near her after the state Mai Zenin was left in. "My only complaint is that you gave in to your emotions too much - Nobara hasn't been able to look you in the eye since."

"Sensei, I think you're doing this wrong - aren't you meant to lecture me a bit more?" Gojo smirked.

"And yell at my cute student? I can't bring myself to do that," he grinned and Noriko's eyebrow twitched. "Besides, it worked out in my favour."

Shikishi gave him a quizzical glance, shaking her head at him before returning to her origami.

"You can take down your Domain now," he announced, getting up, "I've got something for you to practice."

The paper shrine began to deconstruct around them and the white abyss began to melt into a single point beneath their feet. The bright sun shone down on the two sorcerers as they found themselves back on the dusty training grounds. Gojo began to rummage through the bag again, pulling out a stack of paper and some biros. He held them out to her and she took it tentatively.

"You've been using Shikishi's brush your entire life. You've been relying on your ability to draw on her energy to facilitate your technique. Your own energy has gone almost unused and therefore it's being suffocated by Shikishi's," he explained, glancing over his shoulder to scan the compound. "Her energy is heavy, while yours remains fairly light and superficial. I think the more you get used to using yours will help even out the difference between them, and might help you to develop your technique."

"With biro?" Noriko scrunched up her nose. She hated the stiffness of the ink and the lack of expression in the strokes it produced.

"It was all I could find," he shrugged. "You're going to try and pull off your technique without Shikishi's brush - that way you won't be influenced by her energy. Maybe once your energies are equal, you can start using the brush again - but since you've been using it for years, I'm not sure how long it'll take to catch up. Plus with the smaller nib, you get thinner lines and therefore more control should be needed."

There was a pause.

"Ah! I see what you mean! Sensei, this might be this most useful thing anyone's ever told me to do," he blinked at her enthusiastic grin. He guess he had been a little neglectful of actually teaching his students. "I'll start once I get back to my room."

Noriko span on her heel, rushing off back to the dorms. She shouted a brief 'thank you' but other than that she was gone, slipping between the buildings and racing back to her room. He couldn't help chuckle as he watched her go.

Rounding a corner, Noriko paused in the shadows of a building. Her blood was cold and she felt the muscles in her neck tense.

She didn't want to let herself believe she'd sense Yuji's energy under the thick mask of Gojo's - it was the grief, she reasoned to herself. She didn't want him to be dead, so she was hallucinating. Either way, she shook her head and continued back to the dorm with a heavy step.

With a careful hand, she slid open the door to the dorms, lightening her step. She didn't particularly want to run into her classmates. Her worries didn't actualize as she entered her room without an issue. It was dim - she didn't bother turning the lights on or off anymore - and her floor was scattered with books, which she ignored as she slumped down at her desk.

Staring down at the paper in front of her, a cool resolution formed in her chest as she picked up the biro, taking a deep breath.

Noriko began to sketch.