This is Week 3: Challenge 1 ~ The theme is "Christmas in July".

Summary: Bambietta gets it through her head that they need to make up for lost time. It's not just Christmas she wants to celebrate either.
Notes:Another story where Bambietta and Toshiro are twins. I just so happen to like her picking on him. Lilotto is his cousin.

Christmas in July

The small taicho sat at his desk working on his paperwork, not noticing someone sneak into the room to position themselves at the back side of the desk. Slowly they rose up so their face came over the edge of the desk, watching him carefully. Toshiro kept working away at his paperwork, oblivious to the fact someone was watching him. The figure finally crossed their arms across the top of the desk and leaned in. "How many Christmas' have we missed?"

Toshiro looked up. "I don't celebrate Christmas. It's also the summer, so why are you even bringing this up?"

"Well... I was thinking something along the lines of how we've never really gotten to do anything major with each other and there is no major holidays until Christmas. There is our birthday..."

"I don't even celebrate that."

"Why not?"

The small taicho paused, thinking about how he should word that one. "How would you feel if you didn't know if your birthday was your real birthday."

"Is that why you don't celebrate Christmas."

"Yes. Well, kind of. Why celebrate something that is supposed to be about family when you don't know who you're family is."

"I guess this year you don't have an excuse to celebrate as you know it is your real birthday and you know who your real family is." The girl continued to lean on the edge of the desk.

"Yes... but why should I be thinking about this all the way in summer?"

"Would it be possible for you to make it snow for one day?"

Toshiro looked up at his twin. "What ever for?"

"I would like to celebrate our birthday and Christmas now to make up for all of the time we missed together."

The boy looked up at the girl, watching as she stood up and held her hands behind her back. The look on her face said she really wanted to do this. He stood up, his face dropping to the table. "I need to go do something."

"What about making it snow?"

"I'm not going to inconvenience people simply because you want to play in the snow. That's not fair to them. Also, don't follow me."

Bambietta's eye's narrowed at him. "Telling me that makes me want to follow you, you know."

"Not if I tell you I'll explain to you what I'm doing later, but that I can't take the time to do so now. It's important that I explain it later." He slipped out of the door without saying another word.

The female let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Come on. I know our family is messed up, but that doesn't mean you need to reject us like this. Particularly me."

M

Toshiro moved about without anyone noticing him. He slipped into a toy store and began to look around. Nothing though seemed right to him. A young voice spoke behind him. "Nii-sama?"

The young taicho turned to look over his shoulder, his eye's wide as he continued to frown. "Lamperd."

"You can call me Lilly-chan. What are you doing in a toy shop?"

"Basterbine said she wanted to celebrate Christmas now to make up for all the Christmases and birthdays the two of us missed." Toshiro went back to looking around the shop, frowning as he did so.

"I don't get it."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you didn't like us."

Toshiro's eye's widened and he turned around. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"You ignore us and avoid us. You don't bother to socialize with us. Candy and the others think the same, but Bambietta doesn't want to give up on you."

A frown spread across his face as his bright teal eyes narrowed. "First off, I've never exactly gotten the idea that I'm welcome by any of you and the fact you say you've given up doesn't help that feeling. Second, you say I don't bother to socialize with you guys. Thing is, I don't socialize with people."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"You mean because of all that stuffy paperwork Bambietta complains about?"

"No... not because of work. I just can't socialize with people." Toshiro watched the small female glared at him, causing him to look away. "I just don't know how to interact with people, so I avoid social contact all together. So please... don't push the subject."

"So you mean we just had to force you to join in?"

"That's not what I said!" The boy frowned at her. "Plus, right now I am busy."

He turned back to look at the items. "I could help you know."

Toshiro blinked a couple of times. He quickly stood up then bowed all the way to the waist. "Please. I don't know what to get her."

M

Bambietta had given up on the idea. The cookies she had made, or had attempted to make sat on the tenth division kitchen counter. A knock came on the door frame. "My subordinates said I could find you here Basterbine."

The girl spun around, glaring at him. "Seriously! We're twins! You don't have to call me by my last name."

Toshiro glanced away, pulling the wrapped package closer to his chest. Lilly slipped into the room, pausing at the mess. "I told you not to make sweets without me. You're just not any good."

"You were with him?" Bambietta's tone tightened. "Why are you hanging out with her instead of me? What have I done to make you hate me so much?"

The boy glanced at the ground, his voice almost inaudible to her. "We just ran into each other and she helped me with something important."

The girl turned and looked at the wall, her face going to rest in her hands as she leaned on her counter. "Yeah, well... what ever. My idea was a disaster anyways. I couldn't make cookies and you're obviously not into the idea."

A package was suddenly set to the side in a section that wasn't messed up. "Just clean up the mess you made and open that when you're done. But not before. I don't want to have to clean it up myself. Bambietta found herself looking at the package for a few minutes, only to be interrupted from her train of thought by her twin. "Please... if you want to do something for me, don't make me have to clean up this mess you made."

The girl frowned before going about cleaning up the mess. She almost knocked the package over, her ability to clean being almost non-existent. Toshiro though grabbed the package in a defensive manner as if he didn't want it to break. When she finished she held out her hands for the package. She took it, taking in the fact the present was carefully wrapped in Christmas paper.

Upon unwrapping it, she saw a beautiful china doll in a beautiful dress along with beautiful hair. She cradled the doll in her arms. "By having her help you out, you mean having her help you pick out something for me?"

Toshiro simply glanced away, his cheeks flushing up. Lilly though beamed at her cousin. "If you don't like it, I'll take it."

"So you decided to pick out something you liked." Bambietta pulled the doll closer. "It's the thought that counts."

"So in other words you don't like it, but at least like the fact I did something." The female looked up to see him looking at her, a rather desperate look on his face.

She felt her throat swallow before glancing at the ground. "No... I like it. The doll's not really for playing with anyways, so I can put it on my book shelf."

"What kind..." Toshiro's words stopped short upon realizing he was speaking to her. He turned then and headed towards the door. "I have to go."

Bambietta took a deep breath. "At least I know he doesn't hate me."