It was generally said that you could tell how close someone was to Orimoto Izumi by what kind of gifts you got her whenever a gift-giving occasion arose. Her parents, who knew her reasonably well, bought her things such as clothes and books and other items that a girl of her age would like, and she enjoyed them. The friends she'd made at school piled her with gifts such as music and whatever the latest fashionable accessories were. Izumi smiled and thanked them politely, and if there was a hint of amusement at how little they really did know her, that was all right, because most of them didn't notice it anyway.

But there was one group of people that always gave her gifts that somehow seemed to speak to her very soul, in a way that no one else could manage, even if they got something similar to it. No one really knew how these six people had come to know each other, and they never said anything really about how it had happened. If someone paid attention at the right moment, they could've heard murmurs of such things as 'Spirits' and 'the Digital World' and even stranger words that might've been names, such as 'Bokomon' or 'Neemon'. None of it made any sense to anyone but Takuya, Izumi, Junpei, Kouji, Kouichi, and Tomoki.

Which was just the way the six former Chosen Children wanted it to be, of course. As much as they cared for the friends and family they had made in the years since their adventure, those several months had wound them together so tightly that nothing could ever break or even bend it. When one has spent even the smallest amount of time fighting for one's life beside someone else, that makes a difference.

What her friends got her were gifts that related to the wind and to some of the minor adventures they'd had along the road. Everyone had a good laugh on her fourteenth birthday when Tomoki had given her a diet book that had written on the inside In case you get involved in any more eating contests. For that same birthday, Junpei had given her a big book full of photos of faraway places, and a promise that he'd help her see them all someday if she wanted to. He'd gotten a kiss on the cheek back in thanks, and had walked on air for the next two weeks.

"So, what are you going to get her this year?" Kouichi asked his twin as the two of them walked through the mall. He'd already picked up his present for their blonde friend, a pretty little butterfly hairpin that he thought bore a remarkable resemblance to Fairymon.

"I don't know." Kouji shrugged briefly. He did put some care into what he bought for his friends, but he really didn't know what he was going to get her this time. Like everyone else, what he picked up tended to reflect their experiences in the Digital World, but his imagination had run dry at the moment.

It had to be something good. He wouldn't ever get less than his best for any of his friends. There were two problems with that. The first was that finding the best could be more than a little difficult most of the time. The second was that even when he found it, sometimes the best was a little out of his price range. The time he'd found the perfect painting for Takuya came to mind. It had been gorgeous, with beautiful fire-themed imagery, and he couldn't have afforded it if he'd sold a lung to science.

Kouichi shook his head a little. "It's going to have to be soon. Her birthday's tomorrow."

"I know. I've got a calendar, too, remember?" Kouji's lips twitched slightly in a smile. Izumi had made certain to give them all calendars at the start of the year, with everyone's birthday and important dates already marked on it. No one had any excuses for forgetting with her around. Not that they would have in the first place. Excuses didn't really go over that well with her.

He glanced around a little, hoping that something would catch his eye. It wasn't really that he couldn't find anything. He saw lots of things to buy that would be pretty and would fit Izumi and even make most girls happy. But they didn't scream Izumi to him, not the way a gift had to for him to buy it for one of the others. Not like the very shirt that Kouichi was wearing right now, completely black save for a pattern of stars on it. If someone looked at it in the right way, the pattern resembled some of those that they'd seen in the Digital World. That was what they'd all agreed on, though no one could figure out how or why.

There was a set of earrings in an inexpensive store. She liked earrings, since getting her ears pierced the previous summer. He wandered over to take a look, and did see a lovely set that came so very close to calling him. He held them in his hand, thinking of if he could see her with these in her ears.

"Is that going to be it?" Kouichi bent over to see what he was looking at, and from the slightly disapproving tone in his voice, Kouji had his answer.

"No." He hung them back up on the rack and looked around some more. One set of earrings did appeal to him, for someone else, and the twins walked out a few minutes later after he bought it. He was certain that his step mom would enjoy wearing these pretty little earrings. They would match the necklace his dad had gotten her for her own birthday just right.

But that still didn't leave him something to find for Izumi, and he was getting annoyed by it. He didn't like spending time in the mall at the best of times. Kouji liked the peace and quiet much more than he liked all the bustling around that the mall boasted. Just being around all of these people made his flesh crawl. He wasn't anti-social; he just was very particular about who he was social with.

Three stores later, he was on the verge of picking up those earrings anyway, just for a lack of anything else to get her. He hadn't ever had this much trouble before, and it was driving him insane.

"Hey, what about that?" Kouichi pointed across to a store they hadn't been in yet, and Kouji followed his gaze. It was a clothing store, with a display of jackets being the most visible at the moment. Something about that clicked in his mind, and he started over there as quickly as he could. "Kouji?"

"I think this is it," he said, glancing back for a moment to make certain his twin was keeping up with him. Kouichi caught up a few seconds later and looked at where Kouji had stopped.

"Are you sure?" Kouichi wondered. Jackets? He honestly hadn't expected Kouji to head this way. It had just been a random pointing. But if he really did find something, who was he to argue?

Kouji nodded slightly as he checked through the offerings, then pulled one out. It was a light shade of purple, very similar to what Izumi had worn back in the day, and had a fake fur hood and fake fur trimmings on the sleeves. "This is it." There was no arguing with his tone, and the smile that flickered briefly across his face was quite pleased, especially when he checked the price tag and found it within the limits he'd set for himself.

This really was it, and Kouji was very pleased with Kouichi for pointing the store out to him. He was so pleased, in fact, that when they passed a photo booth, he suggested that they get a few pictures taken together. Kouichi knew just how much his twin disliked picture taking in general, so it had to be a considerable sacrifice to get the two of them in there, virtually entwined around one another as they tried to get to where pictures could be comfortably taken.

When they were done, Kouji stuffed the pictures into a pocket and the two of them headed out of the store. After all of that, he felt just generous enough to buy a drink and share it with Kouichi as well. It wasn't as if they could avoid one another's germs, after all.

It was good to have the gift taken care of at last, he thought as they headed out of the mall and to the bus stop. Now all he had to do was just make it through the party that Izumi's parents were going to throw her for her birthday. There was always some girl who wanted to dance with him or have cake with him or do something with him, and they never could get the idea that he wasn't interested.

Just as he'd imagined, or feared, there was yet another girl who hadn't quite gotten the clue that his interest did not lay in her or anywhere near her. He couldn't even remember this one's name. Not that he remembered any of their names. They were just friends of Izumi's from her school. For that matter, he was hard-pressed to remember the names of the girls inhis class. He didn't think he should be expected to remember other students that he didn't even attend school with as well.

As was usual, everyone gave Izumi their gifts, and she was properly grateful and happy for them all. Certain other gifts, as always, got more than just a polite thank you. Takuya's gift of a fan got him a grin and a quick hug. Tomoki delivered a set of coupons to Izumi's top ten favorite restaurants, which got him a smack on the head and a laugh. Junpei got a kiss on both cheeks for the handmade drawing of Fairymon and Shutumon, with Izumi in between the both of them. Kouji was certain that he'd be floating for a month this time. Kouichi delivered the hairpin and got a laugh and a thanks for it. Then it was finally Kouji's turn.

"Here." He pushed the package over to her, and Izumi quickly dived into it, tearing into the wrapping. In moments, the jacket was exposed, and she squealed happily at the sight of it.

"It's beautiful!" She pulled it on and zipped it up, tugging the hood over her blonde head. It fit just the way it was supposed to, and she ran a hand over the trimmings happily. "Thanks, Kouji! Thanks a lot!"

Kouji shrugged some as she started to clear the destroying wrappings from the table. "I thought it fit you," was all that he would say about it. The rest of the Chosen looked as if it were all they could do not to start laughing, while her other friends just plain looked confused.

"What's so great about a jacket?" one of them asked, confusion written large across her face. "I mean, yeah, it's a nice jacket, but…" She shut up as Kouji turned a frosty glare towards her.

"What's so great about it is that I'm not going to need to borrow his anymore!" Izumi chirped as she took the jacket off. Junpei choked off a laugh at that.

"And that one looks better on you than his did anyway," he said, smiling a little. Izumi glanced up at him and smiled a little softly, sending a quick rush of red across his face. Kouji all but rolled his eyes at that. Those two were so obvious sometimes.

He settled back into the chair and reached for some cake now that the presents were done and he didn't have to worry about getting crumbs on something. It was good to have this whole mess over with for another year.

Then he remembered.

Tomoki's birthday was coming up the next month.

Great. Here they went again.