Let's play the name guessing game...!

[ FOURTEEN/FIFTEEN ]

"Alright, let's stop for today." Oboro frowned as her companion spoke, reluctantly lowering her naginata. It was beginning to get dark already, sure; but that was no excuse to cut training short.

"How about another round?" The lancer asked, swinging the tip of her weapon's blade so that it pointed towards a certain brown haired samurai. The older boy sighed, pushing it away forcefully.

"Nah, I'm tired. Besides, we've gotten in more than enough practice already."

Oboro smirked, putting her naginata down as she turned away, stretching her arms leisurely, "Aah, I guess that's expected of Takumi-sama's lesser retainer. Don't worry, I don't blame you for not being able to keep up with me." She grinned to herself, ignoring the sounds of protests behind her as she hurried to find her lord.

Time seemed to go by quickly whenever she sparred -though it was only in these moments she wouldn't be able to keep tabs on Takumi, it was satisfying knowing that she was getting stronger. Oboro mentally counted her victories against Hinata as her feet took her swiftly towards her destination; by the time she arrived in front of Takumi's room, she had determined that she had won more battles against Hinata for the week, at least. Perhaps she would treat herself to something special -like that floral roll of fabric she had seen while passing by the market the other day.

Oboro knocked urgently at the door as she awaited for her lord to answer. Though she knew it was more than safe inside the castle, she still worried something bad could have happened to Takumi if she weren't there to watch over him. She let out a small sigh of relief as she heard his voice call for her to let herself in.

The navy-haired girl stepped in carefully, still feeling waves of bittersweet nostalgia as she made her way to the center of the room, glancing around as though half expecting to see some of the figures or weapons they had played with together as children. She quickly shook her head as she dispersed of those thoughts, however -they had both grown up, and Oboro still wasn't sure whether Takumi had remembered her. She was a bit happy he still wore the ribbon she had given him, though.

"Finished training for today?" The white-haired prince asked her, eyes glued to the desk full of paperwork in front of him. Oboro couldn't possibly have guessed what it was for, but the source was most likely Ryouma. The eldest Hoshidan brother had been helping Mikoto run their country for a while now, splitting up work amongst all of them, even Sakura, who more or less didn't like the idea of being left out.

"Yep!" Oboro said cheerfully, eyes scanning over her lord to check for any signs of hunger or weariness. "Do you need any help?" She asked, walking forward hesitantly.

"No, that's fine." Takumi replied with a sigh, rubbing his eyes as he continued scrawling at the paper in front of him, "Though I have to say...I'm surprised Hinata trained with you this long today."

Oboro grinned, shaking her head, "Nah, today's session was shorter than usual." Half an hour shorter, actually. But they had started later, which was unusual...though nearly everyone in the army knew how lazy Hinata could be at times, despite being a more than capable retainer. It had taken Oboro many glares to convince the samurai to fight with her today. "Have you eaten yet?" She continued, hoping there was at least something she could do to help. Otherwise, she'd have to leave again.

Takumi opened his mouth to politely decline, before stopping himself mid-action upon seeing the hopeful look on his retainer's face, "Actually, I could use some food." He said reluctantly with a small laugh, "Anything from the kitchen would be great."

"Right away, Takumi-sama!" Oboro said happily, rushing out without another word. She knew exactly what she could get him -no, what she would make him. Oboro spent a lot of time around the other workers, especially at night when she couldn't sleep; she did anything from helping them cook to cleaning and taking inventory. Because of this, she frequently conversed with them, hearing little tidbits of gossip and whatnot. But more importantly, she knew what Takumi's favorite food was.

"Why if it isn't Oboro! How good it is to see you." Oboro opened the kitchen door to be greeted by a friendly cook, Katsuragi, one she had known back when she and Takumi would steal snacks together. "What's the occasion today?"

"Nothing much, I'm going to whip something up for Takumi-sama." Oboro said confidently, undoing her hair from its usual high ponytail to something that was lower and looser now that she was done training.

"You're so sweet." The cook continued, grabbing a container of some sort of condiment from the cupboard before sprinkling it into the saucepan. "That boy's a fool for not appreciating you more." She said with a huff, moving the pan back and forth as it became engulfed in a blazing flame.

Oboro laughed humorously, gathering various ingredients as she prepared her station across from the older woman's, "Takumi-sama's plenty nice to me, auntie." She said happily, running over to the water pump to fill a pot of water. The cook had remembered Oboro as a child, and was more than surprised when she heard that Takumi didn't. Nevertheless, Katsuragi was always kind to Oboro, who rather enjoyed her company on her days off.

"Oh, that reminds me -how's your latest project going?"

Oboro beamed as she cut into a block of tofu, happy that she had asked, "It's going very well!" She started excitedly, "I finally the perfect fabric for the obi -I finished the collar last night, so that's the only part left." Whenever she had the spare time, Oboro made kimonos and other various articles of clothing. While she usually kept a few of her favorites, she also made them for the other workers.

"You have a natural talent for tailoring, girl." Katsuragi said, patting her head as she reached over her to grab another spice from the cupboard on her side, "And cooking as well." She added as she took a whiff of what Oboro had been preparing, "Whoever marries you will be a lucky man."
Oboro chuckled as she tossed dried seaweed into the boiling pot. "You are too silly, auntie." However, even as she said those words, she felt a tinge of regret deep inside her -she didn't think she would ever be able to marry. "Here, have a taste." She quickly said, spooning a bit of her soup for the cook. "How is it?"
Katsuragi's eyes lit up as she drank it, giving her an enthusiastic nod, "That's the one. It's perfect."

"Great! I'm going to take it to Takumi-sama then." Oboro grabbed the largest bowl she could find, using the ladle to put in a generous serving before carrying it on a tray and walking carefully towards her destination.

Balancing the dish on one hand, she knocked at the prince's door somewhat impatiently, mentally berating herself for worrying that he could be abducted -she had to rid herself of those thoughts, but after she'd heard what happened to his older sister...anything was possible. Those Nohrians were unforgiveable, after all.

"Come in!" Takumi called from inside, sounding far more muffled than he did a moment again. Oboro stifled a grin as she stepped in to be greeted by more mounds of paperwork -Ryouma had definitely stopped by while she was gone to drop of more work. It looked as though her prince would not be getting much sleep tonight.

Oboro held the bowl carefully as she waited for Takumi to hastily clear away a space, before setting it down in front of him somewhat proudly. She couldn't help but stare at him as he spooned through the substance, eyes lighting up as he saw what it was.

"This is miso soup, isn't it?!" He exclaimed with childish excitement, paperwork forgotten for the moment. The lancer nodded eagerly as she held the serving plate against her chest. "This is really good," Takumi continued, spooning the soup with an alarming speed into his mouth, "I mean really good. Give Katsuragi my thanks, alright?"

"A-ah...I'll be sure to do that." Oboro said, biting her lip. It would probably be better for both of them if that's what he thought -she didn't want him to get any ideas about how she felt about him lest it strain their relationship, but she couldn't help the bitter taste that rose to her mouth.

Oboro was so absorbed in her thoughts and disappointment she hadn't even noticed Takumi pause in his eating to get up and rummage through a drawer located behind him. She only snapped back to reality as she found him in front of her, hastily bandaging a burn she hadn't even noticed on her finger.

"You made that, didn't you." Takumi said, giving her a small smile. "Thank you for your troubles, and be a bit more careful next time, alright?" Oboro nodded mutely, a combination of shock and happiness keeping her mouth shut. "You should get some rest now," The prince said, returning to his desk, "And don't tell Katsuragi this, but you're a better cook than her." He mumbled under his breath, but loudly enough for Oboro to beam with pride.

Without even thinking twice, she obeyed her orders and left the room, though not quite ready to retire for the night yet. She followed her feet back into the kitchen, where she gave Katsuragi a broad smile when the older woman welcomed her in.

The cook pointed at the pot full of leftover miso soup eagerly, "Do you mind if I take some to Yuugiri? She just got back with the expedition team and told that she was positively dying of hunger." Oboro happily consented -she had briefly seen the golden kite warrior tending to her pheonix in the inner palace gardens on her way back; and despite never having spoken to the woman before, she knew her quite well. They both had the same unique shade of hair color, after all.
Katsuragi, despite being Yuugiri's older sister, did not share the trait and instead had the darkest black hair that shone blue prettily underneath the moonlight. They had grown up inside the palace together, both as good friends of Mikoto's; Katsuragi was older and as gentle as their ruler, choosing to serve her through cooking and working without having to participate in the war. Yuugiri, on the other hand, was hot-headed and always eager to pick a fight.

Despite the many scars that peppered the woman's body due to such silly and petty altercations, Yuugiri always kept her face clean and flawless, priding herself in being both beautiful and strong for their queen. Katsuragi had once told Oboro that their parents had always chided Yuugiri for not being more feminine despite her beauty, and the younger sister enjoyed frustrating the two by continuing to battle while maintaining her physical appearance.

Oboro stared back down at the pot that was still nearly half full as the cook ran out with a hearty bowl. It would definitely be a waste to dump it all -having come from a family that wasn't particularly wealthy, she wouldn't allow herself to simply throw away something perfectly edible as the soup she had made. However, Oboro didn't have any friends in the army other than perhaps Hinata, and it would be awkward for her to just randomly offer it to any of the soldiers.
She sighed as she rested on her elbows, waiting for the cook to return so that she could ask the older woman to offer it to the others. Oboro stared at the pot with narrowed eyes, as though willing it to disappear along with her problems. She concentrated so hard on her meaningless task that she jumped as the screen door suddenly slid open with a loud smack, revealing a disheveled looking dark flier.

"'Suragi~" The girl yelled, eyes scanning the room. She smiled as she spotted the lancer, abandoning her weapon to the floor as she took a seat beside her. "Hey Obo!" She practically yelled, holding her face in her hands as she stared deeply at the younger girl quite unnervingly.

Oboro gave her a hesitant smile that probably looked more like a grimace -she knew who this person was, but they hadn't ever had a real conversation before. Sendai was one of the older teens who got to fight in the army, and also happened to be one of the more popular girls amongst the other soldiers. She was friendly, strong, pretty, and kind -even older women looked up to her; Frankly, Oboro was a bit surprised she even knew her name.

"Can I help you?" She asked nervously, too worried to even look away. She was suspicious, alright. However, Sendai simply smiled brightly, grasping her hands tightly.

"I just got back from recon with Yuugiri -night recon, it's really the best!" She exclaimed, eyes practically shooting with stars. "Oh it's the greatest, riding on my dark pegasus, hidden amongst the night skies...what could possibly be better?" She practically swooned, holding a hand to her forehead dramatically. "That's right!" Sendai suddenly exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table, "I was putting my pegasus in the stables when I was lured here by this promising smell." She said excitedly now that she remembered the task at hand, looking side to side eagerly. "Whatever it is, I want some!"

"Oh...oh! Of course!" Oboro said as realization dawned upon her. Perhaps if Sendai liked the soup, she would take it to the other soldiers instead. "Help yourself." She said, pointing to the pot. The dark haired girl gave a loud squeal before she ran over to the pot, clapping her hands childishly.

Oboro bit back a smile -she had expected the girl to be a little more composed, from all the stories she had heard about her. However, the rumors did say that she always had an incredible amount of energy at night.

"Hey, you know who would love this?" Sendai said, dipping the ladle in the pot for another drink, "My cousin; he loves anything healthy and delicious -which this is both, by the way." She laughed, sitting beside Oboro again. "Ooh I should tell you about my cousin. That pretty-boy pegasus rider. 'Baki."

"Baki?" Oboro repeated, not recognizing the name.

Sendai nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I call him 'Baki, cause he was really clumsy when we were children -he begged me to let him ride on my pegasus once, so I let him -and you know what happened," Sendai looked downwards a bit sheepishly, "My pegasus kicked him right off and he hurt his arm...'baki', like that..." She trailed off, looking into the distance as her face grew serious, "He hasn't been the same since...we don't really talk anymore."

Oboro shifted awkwardly, not sure what to say in the situation, "I'm...sorry to hear that..." She mumbled, patting her stiffly on the back.

Sendai smiled back at her, "You're a really good person." She declared, tucking the pot underneath her arm. "I'm taking this to him then! Maybe I'll get the courage to actually have a conversation with him this time, haha." She used her free hand to pick up her lance on the floor, tucking it into a strap around her waist before turning around one last time, "When you get older...when you're...like me." She paused as she struggled with her words, looking upwards at the sky as searching for an answer, "Don't be so hesitant like me. If you have something to say to someone, just say it!" Sendai declared, before tearing off into the darkness.

Oboro hadn't spoken to her again after that night, and after a few months, neither had the rest of the army been able to.

It's really late so I get kind of ramble-y at the end...
this is partially build-up for what happens later.

Also ty for all the reviews / follows and whatnot !