Chapter 30: The Storm of Siblings

An electric jolt stunned Hibari's body as she fell out the side of the wall. Bouncing off of something fluffy before rolling back into the grass, bending her neck and scraping her legs and back on the debris of shattered bricks. Next thing she knew, her muscles crying and she was face down in the dirt, just outside the Gokudō building. Forcing herself to her knees, she saw her rabbit, Ninto, who had summoned his golden cloud to prevent Hibari's head from hitting the bulk of the debris.

Rubbing the back of her neck, she called the fluffy, pink, buck-toothed rabbit over, where his cartoony looking eyes met her cheek as she nuzzled him. "Thanks, Ninto." But no shorter than Ninto hopped into her arms, did he leap behind Hibari away from a bolt of blue electricity which shot from the settling dust cloud.

The silhouette of Hibari's brother emerged, a brief spark emitting from his hands to his hair. "Well look at you. You always wanted a rabbit, Hibari. He's dorkier than I expected. But a perfect fit for you, I'd say."

"Why, little brother?" Hibari felt a stinging sadness in her eyes as she looked Suraku in the face. "What will you get out of fighting me?"

"Defeating you will be a milestone in my path to become one of the strongest shinobi ever." Suraku began pacing. "After I accomplish that and Gokudo takes control of all Kobe, I'll take down the entire Nobugawa family, one by one. If I can't have Kagan, I'll defeat Kagan."

Hibari gasped. "You can't! They're still your family too!"

"They're all dead to me. You're all dead to me! And I to all of you!" Suraku growled.

"No! You're not! Stop this, Suraku!" Hibari's eyes shook somberly.

"You're gonna have to use your power to stop me, sister. But know that I am NOT the kid you once knew! I will not go down without a fight!"

Hibari's face dropped, her eyes closing with a frown. Oh, Suraku. I guess there's no way out of this. Still, I'm a Hanzo shinobi on a mission. If anything, I can at least lead him away from the others. Hibari opened her eyes, mustering any resolve she could. Hibari performed a backwards flip onto her little golden cloud with Ninto. "Alright, Suraku. You wanna fight me? Then catch me!" Hibari then looked up towards the broken wall, as Yagyu called out to her. "I'm fine, Yagyu! Worry about yourself and Compa! Let's go, Ninto!"

As Hibari dashed off on her cloud, Suraku grabbed his skateboard. "So, now you're running away?! I won't ALLOW IT, SISTER!" pulling his pair of green goggles over his eyes, jolts of electricity scampered across his body as he sped off after her.

Hibari held onto the front of the cloud, Ninto's head sticking out of it as his little hands controlled the levers which jutted out of the front of the cloud. "Slow down, Ninto! We want him to follow, not lose hi-… EEP!" Ninto's eyes bulged pupil-less as a bolt of blue lightning shot by Hibari and Ninto's head. Hibari looked back as the small, blue-haired shinobi began gaining on them. "AH! Speed up, Ninto, speed up!"

Ninto pulled back on one lever, pushing forward with another, making the cloud whip around a street corner and down a back-alley way, twisting and curving around narrow building passages to the point where Hibari yelped, nearly falling off. Hibari felt herself gripping the cloud with all her might, in the same manner in which her lungs felt gripped by a lack of air, making her hyperventilate.

As Ninto whipped around the corner, the burst of wind created sent an umbrella table and it's chairs upward, forcing a nearby car to stop as the two tails of electricity dash around the corner and onto a long, coastal town street. Suraku continued to hurl bolts of lightning at the cloud, forcing Hibari and Ninto to zigzag down the street as he struck mailboxes and street posts.

Up a dirt path and through the trail of a park, Hibari looked back with shock as Suraku continued trailing her. "How is he so fast?! No one's ever been able to keep up with Ninto like this!" Hibari and Suraku dashed by a group of people in a park opening, leaping over a fountain and almost hitting a couple in the park.

But as Hibari gave a polite 'excuse me', Suraku shouted, "Outta my way, chumps!" The two continued rushing through, going off the main path and into a thick forest. As Ninto zig-zagged through thick woods, a flying piece of bark hit Hibari in the back of the head, leaving a welt. More bark flew off the trees from Suraku's bolts of lightning.

All across the island of Awaji, the twin trails of electricity could be seen like a couple of raging fireflies, dashing around in haphazard patterns of gold and cyan. Through forests, canyons, villages both modern and traditional, the chase continued. Hibari patted Ninto's head as she felt his panting. "You'll be alright, Ninto. Just hang in there a little more. We need to wear him down."

Suraku then dashed over a hill, skateboarding downward into the canyon after Hibari. "Why… won't you USE YOUR POWER!?" With a yell, Suraku leapt off his skateboard, grabbing onto the edge of the cloud, and setting them all off balance. Hibari, Ninto, and Suraku were all sent rolling in the dirt until they reached the bottom of the hill.

Hibari's neck strained, her mouth eating dirt as she rolled several times before landing on her face. Spitting and wincing in pain, she forced herself on her knees, crawling over to Ninto, who then hopped over to her. "Hehe. I'm glad you're okay." Hibari smiled, petting Ninto and tightening his loose bandana.

The sky then turned a dark array of bloody hues, Hibari realizing that a shinobi kekkai had been set up. Suraku walked forward, each hate-fueled step complimented only by his voice. "Now I've got you where I want you. And I won't run away. Not anymore."

"Suraku… please. I never got the chance to see you once more before they thought you… and now I…" Hibari's lips trembled as she bit them, a watery essence rising to the surface of her eyes. "How can I fight my own little brother?!"

"Because if you don't, I'll make you regret it." Suraku then took a battle stance, with a glare in his eyes Hibari had never seen before from the small boy who was once ridiculed for his pranks and love of technology. But Hibari also sensed a slight agitated fear resonating off her little brother, which dissipated as he yelled as much as his 14-year-old self could. Suraku lunged for her, the taser end of his phone lit up.

Hibari went on the defensive, dodging Suraku's relentless attacks with the help of Ninto, who would try to parry Suraku back when he could. Despite her resistance to electricity, Hibari found herself getting zapped time and time again, the pain of the shocks reflected in her brother's anger-filled eyes, causing Hibari's heart to ache.

When she finally threw a hesitant punch, Suraku grabbed her arm, holding it back tightly. Hibari's eyes met Suraku's, who's angry glare then followed a painful shock to Hibari's side as he jammed his phone taser in, tearing off the ends of her shirt. "You could have gotten me there, Hibari! Why don't you fight!?"

Another cry of pain echoed from Hibari as Suraku began to electrify her again. Ninto ran forward, leaping upon Suraku's arm and yanking him off balance until Suraku kicked him off, Ninto then vanishing in a puff of golden smoke. Hibari gasped, seeing her rabbit vanish.

"Tch. Spirit animals. Who needs them when you got the power that runs the world?" Suraku held up his phone.

"The Suraku I knew always wanted a kitty though, didn't he?" Hibari said, watching Suraku bite his lips, looking away briefly before glaring back at her.

"The Suraku you knew is dead!" Suraku shot a lightning bolt from his hand before rushing at her again, Hibari once more going on the defensive as he swung rapidly with an acrobatic display of electric kicks and taser strikes. While Hibari threw a couple kicks and punches, she largely remained on the defensive, shaken with between defending herself and striking the sibling she once considered the only one who understood her. "I've prepared long and hard for this encounter! I know what Kagan is capable of, so why won't you USE IT!?" Suraku yelled.

"Because I don't wanna fight you, Suraku!" Hibari then performed a sweeping kick, tripping Suraku up before she leapt backwards. "And even if I did, I haven't mastered it yet."

A swift front-flip into the air and Suraku was back on his feet, his eyes widened in surprise, "What?! W-… Why haven't you!?"

"You know I never wanted to inherit it in the first place. And I know what it's like to be under the influence of-…"

"You've… been under the influence?" Suraku raised an eyebrow. "Damn, and I thought I was a rebel."

"Wha!? NO, you didn't let me finish!" Hibari protested.

"I've had some before, but it tasted so bitter that I spit it out immediately all over Murasame." Suraku giggled.

"Suraku! You're not of age yet!"

"Well neither are you!"

"Okay, well I MAY have had one sip of osake once, but it was an accident! I thought it was strawberry juice!" Hibari's eyes squinted into an X as she shouted.

"HA! So, you are guilty!" Suraku stuck his tongue out at her.

"Just… stop it! We're getting off topic!" Hibari let out a brief sigh before looking her brother's direction. "I know what it's like to be manipulated. So how could I bring myself to use such an ability? Especially against friends and family."

Hibari watched as Suraku's head and tone dropped. "So… you don't even try to master it? Our family inheritance… Our great ancestral power… And you… don't use it!?" Suraku's hand clenched into a shaking fist. "You took the very thing from me that would have made me a proper shinobi… AND YOU DON'T EVEN TRY TO USE IT!?"

At this, Suraku lunged at her like a wild animal, swinging and kicking even more wildly than before. Hibari once more went on the defensive, finding it not only difficult for an opening, but also painful restraints holding her back from striking at someone she once would let her true feelings out to after a hard day of training. Someone she'd console in when they wanted to complain about their siblings or the way things were going in Japan, someone who she'd play with on everything from dolls to casual video games, someone she'd comfort week by week when the rest of the family would subtly shame him.

Each painful strike from Suraku tore at her both her outfit and her heart, as though exposing her tenderness to a harsh reality. With more wild and uncoordinated attacks, Suraku's rage thundered towards her, as she tried her best to defend. "ALL I EVER WANTED WAS TO NOT BE WORTHLESS IN THEIR EYES! I had one chance… and it was TAKEN FROM ME! Tell me, WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU, HIBARI!? Tell me why! TELL MEEEE!" Faking Hibari out with a kick, he then shoved her with electric-induced hands, sending her rolling several times on the ground.

With short sparks zapping off of Hibari's body, she was left in little more than her undies as only shreds of her sleeve, neck, and socks remained. Hibari rose to her knees, seeing an electrified Suraku now panting heavily. "You don't know… how awful I felt… when I got the Kagan in my eyes, Suraku. It felt wrong when they all began to praise me for gaining something they all worked so hard for. I am sure that some of them felt jealousy, but they just never said anything. I wish just one of them had."

"Well, I'm saying something now, aren't I?" Suraku continued to pant.

"Oh, Suraku. I never wanted to take Kagan from you. Nor did I mean to stop talking to you." Hibari's eyes leaked from the trembling ocean of her heart.

"Then WHY DID YOU!?" Suraku yelled.

"Because… I had to stop doing everything I loved. I stopped sleeping in, baking, doing volleyball with Maori or playing tag with the twins or even spending time with my favorite little brother. You were one of the only people I could relate to, and every time you gave me a dirty glare when I'd say hello in the halls as we passed, I never understood why until now. The pressures of studying and training almost made me run away at one point. It was stressful becoming a proper shinobi. I wanted to die."

"You see why I joined the Gokudō? Because nobody else in this damn country wants to change anything but them. Even if it wasn't your fault that you got the Kagan while I was left to rot, there's nothing that can be done now… but the sweet release of death." Suraku began to take a few steps forward, when Hibari leapt to her feet, crying.

"NO! Come back, Suraku! Come back to your sister!" Hibari's voiced cracked through her tears.

"And go back to a life where my talents are not only scorned and shamed, but also useless as a shinobi!? The Suraku you knew is dead forever!" Suraku shouted.

Hibari's shook, her saddened eyes igniting with an enraged and persistent fire. "Then I will bring him back to life. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Apart from her undies, the rest of Hibari's outfit seemed to burst, as a flickering bright light adorned her hands and feet, and a glowing energy resonated off her entire body.

"Frantic, huh? So, you got some tricks up your sleeve. Let's do this… Hibari. Secret Ninja Art, Sonic Volt!" Suraku's body lit up with electricity as he dashed all over the place in a rapid, zigzag pattern. After he had finished, he looked around quickly, noticing Hibari had vanished.

A yell from behind a dirt mound and Hibari tackled Suraku to the ground, sending the two rolling. As they both rolled, Suraku kicked Hibari off. But he barely got to his feet when Hibari lunged at him again, forcing him to put his arms up in defense.

The two siblings began sparring, trading blow for blow. But Hibari's unorthodox variant of Taijutsu threw him off guard. This silly, childish-looking fighting style caused Suraku's ego to boil, making him more frustrated with every punch and kick Hibari threw at him. "Rrrr STOP THROWING SUCH STUPID PUNCHES!" Suraku yelled.

Suraku yelped, his arm felt as though it was being yanked out as Hibari flipped him over on her back, piledriving his head into the ground. Suraku watched as his sister turned around with a yell, partially landing on him with such impact that his orange jacket was completely shredded off along with the ends of his black t-shirt underneath.

Panting, Suraku slowly stood up. "So… you do have some fight in you."

Hibari cupped her hands to the side of her mouth, "NINTOOO!" as the rabbit reappeared on it's cloud, Hibari's face was serious and full of vigor. "Let's get ready for our Secret Ninja Art, Ninto."

"Oh no, you don't!" Suraku grabbed his skateboard, gritting his teeth. Don't make me laugh, sister. I know a basic level Ninpo from an advanced one.

"Ninto, VROOM!"

"Thunder CHAAAARGE!" Suraku and Hibari rushed headfirst towards each other. But as Suraku braced himself putting all the energy he had into his Second Ninja Art, the unexpected happened as Hibari and Ninto suddenly turned upward, dodging Suraku's Thunder Charge before making a quick turnaround to hit him from the side. By the time Suraku turned his head to follow Hibari, she was right in his face.

Skateboard and goggles went flying as Suraku was thrown onto the ground, golden sparks jolting off his body, preventing him from moving as Hibari jumped on him. "Come back, come back, come back! Come back, come back, come back, come back, come back!" with each tear-filled cry of desperation, she slapped a paralyzed, drooling Suraku across the face.

Suraku winced, his lips trying to open as he began to stutter. "N… N-n… NOOOOO!" In a desperate attempt, he headbutted Hibari off.

"Owiiee… That hurt! Bad little brother!" Hibari puffed her cheeks angrily.

"You started it, stupid head Hibari!" Suraku pouted, rubbing his head.

"Did not, Suraku otaku!"

"Did too, bunny brain!"

Hibari and Suraku screamed, both lunging for each other, their hands locking against one another as sparks of electricity flew off the two like an unstable power plant. Angry tears leaked from the electrified siblings' eyes, each glaring into the other's, not wanting to give in. Ninto covered his eyes at the blinding and wild sparks of cyan and gold that clashed together, creating a storm of conflicted and confused feelings that had built-up to the point of eruption.

Suraku and Hibari groaned and growled, each trying to push the other back, the ends of Suraku's shirt and pants beginning to rip, showing his smooth, skinny arms and legs, and developing torso. Slowly, Suraku began feeling himself being pushed back as his lungs pounded for air. NO! My power! But why!? I can't possibly end here! The voltage and physical force put out from Suraku slowly began to dwindle. His sister leaning into him as he held his ground.

An explosive electric blast blinded Suraku as an overcharge of sudden electricity sent him flying backwards ripping apart his baggy jeans into tattered shorts. All that remained of his t-shirt was a left sleeve that connected across the chest and down the right side of his midriff. Suraku struggled to his knees, only to fall back down on the ground.

As Hibari called out his name, Suraku slowly pushed himself onto one knee. "I… can't give up. I've… come too far… to quit now. I'll never go back, Hibari. I can't. I've nothing left in this world to go back to." Suraku got up, a desperate glare billowing from him. "I have to go down this path if I ever want to live it down. And I will keep fighting. Even after every bone in my body breaks!"

Hibari looked down, eyes sadly closed as Ninto then jumped up on her shoulders. "Suraku… I can't let you hurt our family. Even yourself. Secret Ninja Art: Butt Go Boom."

Suraku let out a 'huh' of disbelief when fear began to rise within him, as so did his sister begin rising larger and larger until she was almost 3 stories high. Suraku began screaming and running, staggering from the shaking ground of Hibari's now giant stomps. A short hop from her and Suraku saw the shadow of his sister's booty like an incoming asteroid. A scream followed as Suraku was squashed by the glutenous mounds of Hibari.

"What'd ya have to go and do that for!?" Suraku yelped, his little arms and head wiggling from underneath, Ninto, hopping down from Hibari's shoulder, chuckling. "What are you lookin' at, funny bunny?!"

A deep rumbling could be heard, Hibari's eyes growing wide. "Uh oh."

But as Ninto tilted his head in confusion, Suraku's angry, pupil-less eyes and sharp teeth grew as he said. "Don't you dare!"

"Ninto, get out of the way!" Hibari said, before a massive rumbling echoed through the entire kekkai, Hibari's flatulence creating an explosion from reacting with Ninto's cloud. The result ended with a vanishing Ninto, a deflating Hibari, and Suraku, who launched high into the air as his remaining shoes and clothes completely tore, leaving only him only in short boxers as he yelled out in anguish.

As Suraku hit the ground, Hibari slowly walked up to her brother. Trembling, he grabbed onto her foot, sobbing softly. Hibari sat down on her knees, her arms reaching around Suraku. Very weakly, he slowly tried to swat her away, bawling incoherently like a child. Hibari made out the words "I hate you" as a half-hearted fist slowly attempted to throw another punch.

Gently grabbing his fist, Hibari pulled Suraku into a hug, holding her against his chest the way she used to all that time ago when he'd console in her. Even as the kekkai dissipated, she held onto him long after his sobs and weak squirming had calmed down.
After a while, Hibari looked down to see if he had passed out, "Suraku?" with no reply from her little brother, she felt his arms raise slowly and softly, hugging her back. "Surakuuu!" Hibari's eyes trembled in a pained and triumphant joy, hugging him back as he nestled his head against her stomach. As the water streamed from her own eyes, she ran her fingers through his hair with a smile on her face.

Her brother too weak to do anything but nudge, Hibari turned Suraku's head over on her lap, looking down into his face. "You're not worthless, Suraku. I never thought you were. And you've only gotten stronger and smarter. Everyone would be proud. Even your Gokudō friends. In fact, I bet they already are. You're a proper shinobi in my eyes."

Suraku then weakly began to lift one hand, "Hi… ba… ri… Sis… ter." Gently grabbing his hand she smiled.

"Don't worry, little brother. Big sister is here." Hibari then watched a short smile form on Suraku's lips. As he closed his eyes, passing out in the arms of his sister, she continued to snuggle him from behind in silence. For as right now, it was all that mattered to her.