Siblings Of Ice Chapter 6

A Family Divided
With a roar, Vegeta swiped his hand across and struck Toboe off of Toushiro! The boy rolled across the dirt before finally coming to a stop. The saiyan then glanced down at his young friend. Toushiro was picking himself up after the roughhousing he got from Toboe.
Vegeta: “Toushiro?! Are you-”
Toushiro: “It’s my fault! This is all my fault! I was responsible for them and look what I’ve done! It’s because of me that Toboe’s this way! And now he’s dragging Malana with him! This is all my faul-”
Smack! Vegeta punched Toushiro in the jaw, holding back nearly all of his strength!
Vegeta: “Get a hold of yourself, Toushiro!-”
Toushiro: “-Ow.-”
Vegeta: “-What happened is not your fault, none of it is! You said it yourself, you went to get medicine for your parents and you had an unfortunate accident in the lake! You tried to do the right thing! Toboe is the one at fault here, not you! He should’ve been the one looking after Malana and he let her die! He’s blaming you for things that aren’t your fault and are actually his! So get your butt up and stop him!”
Toushiro: “But h-”
Vegeta: “But-but-but-but, HUSH! Yes he’s your brother, and yes you were suppose to care for him and your sister... But you also have the duty of setting them straight when they get out of hand! So get up and do what any big brother would do when one of his little siblings are doing something they shouldn’t or I’ll hit you again!-And don’t think I won’t!”
Toushiro stared into the saiyan’s strong eyes. He was right. Toboe was blaming things that are his fault on Toushiro. And it was an unfortunate accident!
Vegeta: “Back to normal?”
Toushiro: “*Cough* Yeah, I think so.”
Vegeta: “Good. Now then...”
Vegeta turned his gaze over at Toboe. The boy was getting to his feet and he was obviously angry.
Toboe: “I’ve had enough of this! I’m ending this!”
The boy’s power began to rise.
Vegeta: “Kid’s got a lot of power for being so young.”
Toushiro: “There’s something more. There’s something else going on here. He’s never been that strong, hell I used to beat him in wrestling games all the time!”
Vegeta: “I hate to tell you this, but you’re right.”
Toushiro: “Huh?”
Vegeta: “I’m sensing another energy source within him, and it’s not Malana’s. Someone, or something, is helping him. And I’m willing to bet that it’s doing more than lending him strength.”
Toushiro: “You mean he’s being possessed? But by what?”
Vegeta: “If I’m not mistaken there are some hollows that can possess other souls and even enhance strong emotions like hate or fear. I’ll bet that’s what’s going on with Toboe.”
Toushiro glanced at his brother as the boy’s anger continued to grow. Everything was true. There was a dark presence behind Toboe and it was giving him strength. With the power of ice and sand, Toboe created a mass of icicles before aiming them at not just Toushiro and Vegeta, but their friends too!
Toboe: “This time, I win, Toushiro!”
There was too much rage, too much hate. There was only one way to stop Toboe now. Toushiro had to fight him.
Toushiro: “I guess it’s time I gave a little tough love.”
Toushiro drew his sword in preparation of a fight.
Toushiro: “Stand back, Vegeta. ... This is something I have to do alone...”
Without a word the great prince backed up, leaving Toushiro there to stand up to his brother alone. As an older brother himself, he understood.
Toushiro: “Whenever you’re ready, Toboe.”
Toboe: “RAGH! DIE, TOUSHIRO!”
The first wave of icicles came hurling towards him. Toushiro stood his ground and-
Toushiro: “Reign Over The Frosted Heavens- Hyorinmaru!”
An ice dragon went fly towards the icicles. Upon contact the smaller weaker icicles crumbled and broke against the dragon. Toboe was enraged.
Toboe: “I won’t lose to you!”
Toushiro: “Toboe, this isn’t you. You’re being controlled.”
Toboe: “Shut up!”
Another wave of icicles came, and again were dispatched.
Toushiro: “I know you’re stronger than this, Toboe! Remember?! No matter how many times you failed you never gave up!”
Toboe: “You always teased me!”
Toushiro: “I was trying to push you, to give you a drive to keep going! I knew that if you kept trying you’d succeed!”
Toboe paused for a moment.
Toushiro: “I’m sorry that I teased and made fun of you every time, that was wrong of me- I realize that.”
Toboe started having trouble maintaining his anger.
Toboe: “Yeah well... You... You left us! You never came back!”
Another wave and another dispatch.
Toushiro: “I got turned around and I fell into a frozen lake! I couldn’t get out in time!”
Toboe: “You didn’t try hard enough!”
Toushiro: “I did try! I fought my hardest to get out! I fought with everything I had and my exhaustion was the end of me! And you wanna know why I fought so hard?!”
Toboe: “Why?!”
Toushiro: “To get back to you and Malana!”
Toboe was thrown off by the statement.
Toboe: “Y... You what?...”
Toushiro: “Even if I had gotten the medicine, there was no guarantee that our parents would’ve recovered. I was prepared to look after you two anyway. I fought to get back to the both of you.”
Toboe looked at the ground, his eyes full of shock and confusion.
Toushiro: “You can fight this, Toboe. I know you can.”
Everyone watched in silence. Could Toushiro get through to him? Just like that-
Hollow: “Don’t listen to him!”
The hollow appeared from behind Toboe.
Hollow: “He’s just trying to trick you, child. Remember how painful it was to sit there and wait as you and your sister slowly starved to death in that freezing house, all because your Big Brother failed to do his job.”
Toushiro: “Toboe, please. I know you can fight him off. I know because... You’re my little brother.”
Hollow: “He’s trying to deceive you, my dear child. Who was it that heard your pleas for help? Who came to you when you needed strength?”
Toboe: “Shut up!”
A wave of power surged from Toboe! He was trying to dispel the hollow!
Toboe: “I trust Toushiro more than I trust a dirty stinkin’ freak like you!”
Hollow: “No! What’s happening?! Where’d this power come from?!”
Toboe: “Toushiro! Now!”
Toushiro was ready. There was only one way to defeat the hollow. But sadly it meant...
Toushiro: “Here I come...”
With one final leap, Toushiro hurled himself at Toboe and the hollow with his sword!
Hollow: “No, no!”
Slash. It was over.
Hollow: “Nooooo!”
The hollow vanished, leaving Toboe behind. But...
Toboe: “Toushiro...”
Toushiro: “Toboe... You did great!... I’m so proud...”
Toboe: “Heh.”
And then the boy started to fade away. He faintly had enough time to say “I’m sorry” before he was gone. Silence reigned as many felt sorry for the young captain. Toboe may have caused some trouble, but he was Toushiro’s little brother. Toushiro just dropped his sword onto the ground. It may have been a happy ending for the others, but not for him. He had found the most precious thing he could have ever been given... And now he had lost them both. Vegeta could tell he was in pain, even without seeing his face as he slowly walked up to him.
Vegeta: “Toushiro, I-”
Vegeta stopped when he saw a mass of swirling black sand appear just to their left. Toushiro looked up at the sand, wondering what Toboe was up to. The black sand disappeared, revealing Malana as it vanished.
Toushiro: “Malana!”
Toushiro ran over to his little sister’s body and picked her up. He checked for any signs that she was ok. Everyone could see the panic in Toushiro’s eyes. He had lost his little brother... He didn’t want to lose his little sister too.
Toushiro: “Come on, Malana... Say something! ... ... Anything... It’s me... Toushiro...”
And Toushiro started to sob heavily when Malana didn’t respond. The young captain buried his face into his sister’s chest and weeped heavily. Very few of the others had the strength to look at the mourning captain. They all just looked at the ground in sadness as Toushiro’s pain tore into them. For the few that could look at him, they were just barely doing that. Not even Vegeta could do anything to help Toushiro right now and could only sit a few feet behind him. He felt Toushiro’s pain and mourning eat at him like nothing he’s ever experienced. It was almost too painful even for him. But just when it seemed official, over his mourning, Toushiro thought he heard a faint voice say his name. And then... He heard it again!
“Tou...shi...ro...”
Toushiro looked up. That defiantly was her voice!
Toushiro: “Malana?...”
And then all at once, Toushiro felt joy returning to him when his baby sister opened her eyes and looked at him.
Toushiro: “Malana...”
Malana: “Big Brother Toushiro... Is it really you?”
Toushiro: “YES! Yes-It’s me, Malana!”
Vegeta: “Hey! She’s alright!”
The whole sky erupted with the sounds of cheers! But Toushiro paid no attention to that. He only held his sister closer to him, as if he was afraid she’d be taken away again. One final tear ran down his cheek, one that was made of relief and joy. Toushiro suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Vegeta.
Vegeta: “Come on... We should get her to Unohana.”