Of Birthdays and Siblings

Icy Fun

Sunlight began to filter through the doorway of the house indicating it was somewhere between nine and ten o'clock in the morning. As Toshiro found himself bidding the female farewell, he found his stomach grumbling and his cheeks flushing up as the sound echoed through the room. The sound of cloth ruffling was heard and his uncle tossed a bag at his head. "Have some granola for breakfast."

The small boy opened the bag and began to munch on the food. Swallowing the dry cereal, he pulled his hood back on and followed his uncle out of the room, promising the old woman that he would come and visit if possible. He walked past the strange female and paid her no attention and instead focused on his uncle.

He suddenly felt his hood yanked down as he put the last of the cereal into his mouth. He then felt something cold going down his back and realized that someone had dumped snow down the back of his clothing. The cereal in Toshiro's mouth spluttered out and his cheeks flushed up from embarrassment again and he turned to glare at the person.

"What was that for?"

Gabrielli blinked a couple of times. Her two hands suddenly reached out to pinch his flushed up cheeks. Her eyes were wide and there was a strange mirth in them. She pulled on his cheeks while he continued to frown at her, not sure where she was going to go with this behavior of hers. And then she spoke up. "You are so cute."

Toshiro reached up with his hands to try and pull her hands away. "Excuse me?"

"Your hair is white like the snow. Our eyes are so bright and like these gems. And your skin is like a china doll. Actually, you look like a little doll." The female stated as she continued to pull on his cheeks in order to make the flush up more."

"She thinks I look like a doll? Doesn't she understand that I am male and a warrior? That's worse then being called a child." Toshiro glared at her, only to have his uncle come over and rescue him by pulling the female's hands away from his mouth. He let out a sigh of relief and felt his hood pulled back on. He glanced down at his feet, trying to make his cheeks not flush up from the fact the comment honestly did embarrass him.

"At least she can't see your face now." His dragon stated. The boy found the words distant and wished even more that Hyorinmaru was near him rather then being kept away.

"I know that I can communicate with you just as well when you aren't around me, but not having you physically near me is like talking to you over a soul phone."

"You are a very amusing child."

Toshiro let out a sigh, knowing full well that Hyorinmaru was one of the few people who was allowed to call him a child as the dragon represented someone who was far, far older then him despite the fact the dragon had been born with his soul. It was almost as if the dragon was a reincarnation of another person's zampaktuo.

The boy paused, allowing Gabrielli to crash into the back of him. The entire palace had been made of ice and he had just been told by the old woman that he looked like his grandmother. "Was she the person I inherited you from?"

A sudden snow ball broke him from his trance and knocked his hood slightly off. He found himself turning to look at Gabrielli in confusion again. The female was sitcking her tounge out at him and pulling down on one of her eyelids. He blinked a couple of times. "How exactly am I supposed to respond to your immature behavior?"

The female blinked a couple of times and gave him a look that indicated it was her turn to be confused. "Most kids would have responded with throwing snowballs back."

"Am I supposed to do that?" Toshiro continued to frown at her, only to see her sigh and watch as she made another snowball and this time lobbed it right at his face. He found himself suddenly falling backwards, his hood coming all the way off and his breath catching as he landed unceremoniously on his bottom. He could feel a gagging sound coming out of his throat.

"Just to let you know, I'm going to keep lobbing snowballs until we get into a snow fight." The female stated. "A kid that doesn't know how to..."

However, Toshiro found his temper flaring and he found himself balling up a ball of snow and lobbing it right back at her face. "I am not a little kid!"

"You look a lot younger then my brother. Your shorter then Lady Bambietta as well, so you must be physically a few years younger then her..."

The small white haired youth found his throat catching before he reached down and lobbed another one at the female. "She had to go and point out the fact I am a few inches shorter then my twin sister. She just had to."

"Well, she probably doesn't realize that the two of you are siblings and even if she did she wouldn't know that you weren't a younger one."

"Shut up Hyorinmaru!" Toshiro continued to lob the snowballs at the female. "I thought we were supposed to come out here to do some practical things to help the village."

"Well, the village children seem to be enjoying themselves." The comment from the dragon caused Toshiro to glance around and see that the children had in fact started in on the snow fight as well. There didn't seem to be any apparent side as they would throw snowballs at him as much as they did at Gabrielli. Laughter was coming from the children and he had to honestly admit to himself that he was enjoying himself.

He was suddenly distracted by the back of his hood being grabbed and he almost toppled off his feet again. Turning around he saw his uncle, who didn't have a very pleased look on his face. Toshiro found himself swallowing. He saw a few other members hurrying forward, casting a few wary glances his way.

"Gabrielli... be more responsible."

"I always play with the children." The female grumbled. "His highness has never had a problem with that before."

"Honestly, keep your hood up. You could get sick if you aren't careful." His uncle grumbled. "Anyways, it is time we be heading back."

There came a dismayed sound from the children and they bid them goodbye, many of them asking his highness to come back. As they were walking back towards the palace, Toshiro found himself looking back towards his uncle. The man spoke up again. "Did you have fun today? Would it be possible that you would like to come again."

Toshiro nodded his head. "I thought I was in trouble."