Of Birthdays and Siblings

Dancing Glass

As Toshiro stepped out from behind the screen, he found himself freezing upon hearing the familiar voice of the Gibarelli's younger brother. "It isn't that hard to check to see if..."

The small male found himself staring the other right in the eye and could see the look of shock on the others face as well. His dragon laughed in the back of his head. "You should see the look on your face."

It was then that Gabrielli pushed her brother out of the room. "This is one room you shouldn't follow me into, so get out."

The next thing he knew Gabrielli was staring at him. "I look so stupid."

"Isn't he pretty."

"Yup... very stupid."

"I'll just let your uncle know where the two of you are."

The door clicked shut and Toshiro found himself swallowing as an awkward silence filled the room. He suddenly felt Bambietta tugging him over to the vanity and sitting him down in front. Toshiro looked in the mirror, frowning as he did so. "Seriously though. Why couldn't I have been born a girl? Things wouldn't be so awkward between us and we'd have a relationship more like the Kurosaki twins."

"Shush now. You are just fine the way you are."

Bambietta suddenly leaned in close so that their cheeks were touching, her arms wrapping around his neck. "You are pretty."

"Could you stop calling me that?" Toshiro spoke up.

"You don't like me calling you pretty?" His sister pulled away, a rather shocked look on her face.

"No."

"Then I'll call you cute."

"No."

"Handsome?" Toshiro's eyes suddenly went wide and he felt his cheeks flushing up. He could also see in the mirror that he was blushing, something that was rather unbecoming in his opinion for a male. "Well, no protest from that."

Her hands reached up and touched his hair and he found himself suddenly flinching. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to prettify your hair."

"What? No!" Toshiro tried to sit up, only to catch the rather angry look his sister gave him and feel her forcing him to sit back down. He glanced at the vanity. "Seriously... she said she wasn't going to call me pretty and she did it again. Doesn't she get the fact that isn't something you're supposed to call a guy."

Bambietta's fingers brushed through her hair and a smile was on her face and then a frown. Toshiro let out a deep sigh. "What ever is the matter?"

"Your hair... it is so soft. It's soft like your skin. You really are like a toy doll." The female continued to stare at his hair as she ran her fingers through the short tresses.

"You do realize that you've not been complimenting me but insulting me?" The boy let out a deep sigh. "I mean, I know these are things that are ideal for a female, but I am not a female. I am a male."

His sister suddenly frowned, before holding her arm up and squeezing a muscle experimentally. "How come your more like a girl and I'm more like a boy?"

Toshiro found himself blinking a couple of times. "I hadn't thought about that before, but she is right." Letting out a deep sigh he glanced at the table. "You were raised by uncle and grandfather while I was raised by a kind lady I've always called granny. I guess we picked up traits from them because they were our role models when were younger."

Her head suddenly leaned on top of his head. "So, we basically balance each other out despite being the opposite sex."

Two bright teal eyes blinked a couple of times again. "Yeah... but I'm thinking along the lines that neither one of us likes the fact that we have traits that are favored in the sex that is opposite of what we are." Toshiro then paused. "Wait a second... you aren't that much muscle in your arms. What masculine traits do you have other then your personality."

The female leaned forward. "I am lacking in the chest area."

Toshiro felt the corner of his mouth suddenly twitch and he found himself suddenly blurting something out as the door opened again. "Being flat chested is better."

"No it isn't! Give me one reason why me being flat chested is better then actually having a chest."

"It means that I'm more comfortable with you hugging me from behind." The answer came. A coughing sound came from the door and Toshiro turned his head in surprise. "U... uncle!"

"I was told not to get angry at you two by a certain someone. Exactly what are you two up to?" The man let out a sigh before walking over to the two.

"We're playing dress up and I'm just about to do his hair." Bambietta opened something and grabbed comb and stuck it in Toshiro's hair at the wrong position.

"It was this, or have her stretch out my clothing." Toshiro grumbled. He felt his eye twitch and his small hand quickly remove the comb and reposition it so that it was pulling his hair back like it would if he was going to preform a traditional dance.

The small female leaned in close. "I don't know... you aren't just good at this, but you really seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Toshiro..." The small male glanced up to see his uncle was frowning at him, as if something was bothering him. "Where did you learn to dress in a kimono and these other things."

"My fukutaicho, Matsumoto Rangiku." Toshiro stated, blinking a couple of times. He saw the sudden anger in his face.

"It's almost lunch time and we'll be eating with his majesty. Go and get ready Bambietta. Your brother needs to get changed."

His sister rushed then out of the room and Toshiro watched as his uncle turned his back on him. The tone in the man's voice was different then it had been before. As the man walked to the door, he suddenly found himself sputtering. "Wait!"

His uncle paused and didn't bother looking back over his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it."

"No, I think you've misunderstood something. I don't dress like this because I enjoy dressing like a girl. I was taught to dress this way because I was learning traditional dance and it doesn't matter if you are male or female, everyone wears the appropriate... well." Toshiro noticed the look his uncle was giving him and glanced at the floor and muttered under his breath. "Though I admit that a wearing a dress is more like the standard uniform."

A loud sigh was heard and Toshiro felt the comb removed, though a few strands had already managed to fall astray due to how short his hair was and how quickly he had put it up. He then felt his uncle hug him. "Believe it or not, I heard the last thing you said. I don't care if you dress like a girl or not. Don't worry about what I was talking about because it hasn't crossed your mind."

A hand ruffled his hair and Toshiro felt the hand ruffle his hair carefully. He narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry about what? And why is he hugging me like this?" Toshiro suddenly pushed away. "I need to change. And I'm not..."

"Just be yourself."

Toshiro closed his eyes rather quickly. "But who am I?