Brothers of Thunder

A Hopeful and Reluctant Send Off

Kaigaku awoke suddenly. Quietly, he grabbed his practice katana and crept out the building to find what alerted him. Someone was out here. He could feel it.

"What is happening this late?" he wondered as he glanced around. Light on his feet, he barely made a sound. His breath created clouds of fog revealed by the light of the moon.

As he made his way into the training grounds, he heard the sound of rustling fabric. Quickly, he hid behind a peach tree at the edge. He readied to draw his sword.

The rustling stopped.

"Aniki?" his brother's voice floated across the clearing.

Kaigaku lowered his hand from his blade's handle. Slowly, he emerged from the tree line. He sighed.

"Zen, what's going on? Why are you up right now?" He added with a gesture to their surroundings, "And out here no less."

Zenitsu let his form slump. He stared exhaustedly at the ground.

"Don't tell Gramps... please? You weren't supposed to know..." he spoke in a hushed voice, his heavy breaths cut harshly into his sentences.

"Wait,"the older boy cut in. "This is why you've been so tired everyday?!"

His mind remembered many days in the past month. Zenitsu had been struggling more and more with his training. All the while the boy grew more and more frustrated with himself and pushed himself to the brink of passing out. Too often had he been finding him collapsed in his bed right after training for the day. Even their master had been worrying for his student's condition and considered lightening the load. Zenitsu insisted he was fine and continued.

His little brother nodded with a wince. "I have to... catch up..."

The boy's legs finally gave out beneath him. Kaigaku raced forward as he fell, catching him and holding him secure.

"Why?" Kaigaku searched his mind for an answer. "Why would you do this to yourself? Catch up with what? With me..."

"I'm going to final selection in a month. Master told me I was almost ready, but that was at the start of the year! How long has this been going on?" he thought in a panic.

He cradled his brother in his arms and walked to the house. "We're gonna get you to bed. Yeah?"

"No! I gotta keep-" Zenitsu squirmed in his older brother's arms. Apparently, his legs disagreed with this course of action because...

"AGH!" The blond hissed as his knees flared up in pain. He let himself flop back with his arms over his head. "Fine. Alright! I'm going to do this tomorrow though..."

"Zen, you need rest." Kaigaku scolded lightly as he carried him to his room. "Not taking breaks from training is just as bad as not training at all."

"I have been taking breaks..." Zenitsu pouted from his upside-down position with his arms crossed.

The raven haired teen rolled his eyes. "Well clearly not enough. You've been worrying me and Gramps sick this whole time!"

He tucked his little brother under the sheets and blankets then sat at the foot of the bed.

"I-I just..." Zenitsu growled in frustration, feeling an annoying lump grow in his throat. "I feel like I'm getting nowhere! Like I'm not getting any better at all! I just want to live up to what you and Gramps see in me, but I..."

Tears leaked from his eyes.

"I'm trying so hard... I wan't to be that person... so bad... I'm trying, but I'm still stuck being completely useless! I'm sick and tired of it! It hurts..." he sobbed.

Kaigaku pulled his brother into his arms again. He combed his fingers through his hair in a soothing rhythm.

"You are not useless, you hear me?" He swallowed down the lump building in his own throat. How could his little brother think so lowly of himself? "You're not. You never were and you never will be. Don't ever give up on yourself. It will hurt sometimes, but please know... me and Gramps will always be proud of you. Always."

***
Kaigaku could feel his brother's eyes on him. The boy watched him in silence as he prepared himself for the journey to mount fujikasane.

The raven-haired teen sighed.

"Are you alright, Zen?" he asked gently as he tucked a pair of onigiri away.

The blond merely nodded. His brows furrowed in a distraught manner said otherwise.

Noticing this, Kaigaku frowned. He posed another question.

"Do you trust me?"

Zenitsu startled at the query. He replied earnestly, "Yes. Of course."

Kaigaku gazed intently into his brother's eyes hoping to achieve understanding. "I will be fine. Don't worry."

The younger boy glanced away as he clenched a fist. "If I had trained harder... I would be able to help you-"

"Zen..." his aniki interrupted with a slight scolding tone. He placed his hands on his shoulders. "Don't do that to yourself. You are right where you should be right now. Train well and get stronger, but remember to take care of yourself too. I won't be here to make sure you don't fall apart. Listen to grandpa, alright?"

Zenitsu nodded again and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "I promise, Aniki."

Kaigaku chuckled and tousled his hair playfully. "Good. I should get going now."

As if on cue, Jigoro hobbled into the room to send him off.

"Ah. I'm right on time then." The old man patted his back. "I wish you luck in battle... and remember what I told you. You're a protector, Kaigaku."

"Yes, master." Kaigaku bowed respectfully and turned to leave. "Ow!"

Kuwajima put his walking stick back down with a small clack.

"Aren't you forgetting something, son?" he asked with a toothy grin. He spread his arms wide.

Rubbing his aching head, Kaigaku realized with a laugh what the man was asking. He embraced his grandfather with a smile of his own.

"Come back safe, Kaigaku," Jigoro told him softly.

"I will." The teen waved to his family as he exited the house. "I will see you in a week!"