[ ELEVEN ]

"Hey, Oboro!" The young girl opened her eyes, rubbing them wearily. A pair of amber orbs stared back at her excitedly. "What should we do today?!" Takumi practically yelled in her face, still on top of her. Oboro blinked slowly, looking to her immediate right where his tatami mat usually was -the futon there was completely askew, the sheets strewn everywhere. "Ooh, let's eat first," Takumi continued happily, pulling her out of the comforts of her own blankets and leading her towards the screen door, "If we go into the kitchen now, we'll be able to take whatever we want!" He hummed to himself happily as he threw open the door.

Oboro yawned loudly, hugging herself as she shivered in the winter's morning air, "What time is it, Takumi?" She whined, missing the comforts of her makeshift bed already, "Let's go back and sleep a bit more." They had stayed up late last night, and she was hoping to sleep in until at least noon today.

Takumi pouted, grabbing her hands in his own insistently, "We can take a nap later. Come on, you like wagashi, right?" He grinned as the younger girl's eyes lit up at the term, "We'll get some, I promise!" He said earnestly. Oboro sighed, allowing herself to be led outside reluctantly. She had a soft spot for sweets and confectionery, although it wasn't like she would have let Takumi go by himself anyway.

The two ran stealthily with bare feet through the mostly empty corridors of the grand palace, giggling to themselves as they snuck past maids with piles of laundry or the guards who paced around occasionally. It was still early enough for the morning fog to provide them with some sort of concealment lest their laughter alerted others of their presence.

It hadn't taken long for them to reach their destination -in the past few years they'd known each other, they had frequently made early morning visits to the kitchen, sometimes even later when the cooks were awake to coo at and coddle them. Not that they really minded, they always left with a full bellies and more than enough to stash in Takumi's room for a late-night snack either way. Oboro had a feeling that Takumi preferred to go earlier when it was empty, however. Something about the thrill of sneaking around made it all the more funner for the two.

Takumi climbed on the kamado as soon as he entered, using the height advantage to rifle through the cupboards. He muttered to himself as he kept his hands busy, Oboro taking a seat at the table instead and laying her cheek on the surface as she tried to rest her eyes. Despite having lived in the palace for many years so far, she still felt a bit awkward sometimes. She didn't like to mess around when the adults weren't there to watch over her.

"Oh, here it is!" Oboro looked up as Takumi jumped off with a clatter, presenting her with a sweet manju in his hands, "Eat up." Oboro's mouth watered as she stared at the circular treat, but she shook her head nonetheless.

"What about you then? We should split it." She insisted, looking around for something to cut it with.

"Don't be silly, I know how much you like these. I'll find something else." Takumi said cheerfully, grabbing her hand to place the dessert in before jumping on the stove again to look for something else. "Besides, we can always come in and have the cook make some more later." Oboro smiled at him gratefully, taking a hearty bite and melting at the sweetness of it. When she was younger and lived with her parents, they hadn't had much sugary foods to spare. While great with their hands at tailoring, cooking wasn't their specialty and they hardly ate anything that was fancy or particularly difficult to make. Mostly food that had been made with the vegetables they grew in their own backyard.

Oboro sat in the wooden chair happily, kicking her feet back and forth while she ate as she watched Takumi shove various food items into a small bag he had found. He was probably going to be staying up that night -he always took an unusually large amount with him when he was preparing to. Oboro wondered what the occasion was as she chewed slowly, glancing outside and looking at the beautiful frost that had accumulated over the past few weeks. She couldn't believe another year had passed by so quickly -time seemed to speed up whenever she was with Takumi. It was December already, and next month they would be -

Oboro coughed loudly as she realized what day it was. Takumi turned around in surprise, immediately asking her if she was alright. Oboro nodded quickly, silently berating herself for forgetting about Takumi's birthday. She had to get him a gift, but it couldn't be just anything -it had to be special, hand made. Something that was one-of-a-kind. He had been so wonderful to her in the past few years, making her feel just at home in the huge palace where everything was so unfamiliar. It was the least she could do in return for him.

Shoving the rest of the manju in her mouth, Oboro stood up, mind set on only one task now. "T-Takumi, I forgot something important! Let's meet up later, okay?" The boy looked at her in confusion, stopping his pilfering briefly.

"O-oh, really?" He looked a bit disappointed, but brightened up as he saw how hurried the girl looked, "Hurry up then, we'll meet in my room!" Oboro nodded, bidding him farewell and tearing out of the kitchen in pursuit of some very specific materials.

There weren't many things that Oboro was extremely confident in, but her sewing skills was one of them. Both of her parents were excellent tailors, passing down all their knowledge and skills onto her as she grew older. She wished they could see her now, with the first thing she had ever made. Oboro held up the crimson ribbon to the light as she inspected it carefully. It was simple, yes, but well-made and sturdy. She was quite proud; every bit of it had been handwoven by herself.

She still remembered the first day she met Takumi, and his gift to her. She hadn't been able to repay him yet, not in the last year or the one before -but now, she finally would. Oboro didn't know if he still remembered that he had given her his hairband, but she hoped he did, and even if he didn't she didn't mind. She was just content knowing that she'd be able to give him something so personal.

The young girl let out a little shriek as she heard the screen door open, hastily whipping the ribbon behind her with both hands. She looked up at the newcomer innocently, smiling as she saw that it was only Takumi, looking slightly out of breath and lugging around a large sack behind him triumphantly.
"Sorry I'm late!" The boy said, plopping down beside her. "I got a ton of goodies -lots of sweets, I just know you'll love them!" He paused, glancing at her suspiciously, "So, what were you up to?"

"Aaah..." Oboro wracked her mind for an excuse, feeling slightly embarrassed about her gift now that he was actually in front of her. What if he hated it? What if he laughed at her? Maybe it wasn't as great as she had thought...It did look a bit simple, after all. Perhaps it was too girly as well.

Takumi peered at her worriedly as she pondered to herself, looking greatly conflicted. He swiftly turned to look behind her back, eyes lighting up as he pulled the ribbon out of her loosened grip. " Wow, what is this?" He asked, eyes widened. "Did you find this? What's it made of? It feels incredibly soft!"

"T-that is...I made that...for you..." Oboro said shyly, blushing furiously. "I remember you gave me yours when we first met, and I know it's been a long time, but you're my best friend and I wanted to make you something special...because it's your birthday..." She trailed off, burying her face into her collar. Her face was probably so red people would have mistaken her for the back of Hinoka's head.

Takumi laughed, giving her big hug, "Thanks so much Oboro, you're the best!" He exclaimed, making the girl even more embarrassed. "I love it, you're my best friend too! And this is the greatest gift ever!" He pulled away, undoing his messy bun and sticking his tongue out in concentration as he tied his hair with the crimson ribbon. Oboro looked at him in amazement as she saw his hairstyle transform into a long pony tail with loose strands at the top. His hair had grown out quite a bit since he was younger, but he looked so different now.

"Here, I'll do yours too." Takumi said, getting up behind her to undo her bun as well. Oboro had worn hers the same way since the day she had first met him. It was one of the things that reminded her how much she cherished their friendship they had. "Your hair's kind of like mine, so we'll still match this way." He said happily, combing through her hair gently to pull it into a ponytail like his own. "There you go." He handed her a mirror, watching her excitedly as she observed her new look with wide eyes.

Her hair did match Takumi's almost exactly, even down to the loose strands at the top. She liked it a lot -she made up her mind on the spot to not change it, not ever. Well, unless Takumi did. She liked matching him. They were friends, after all.

"I love it, thank you." She whispered.

Takumi smiled, holding her hand tightly, "We'll be best friends forever, okay?"