Hello! I'm so excited to get this rolling. Hajime is my ideal big brother. Here's some sibling love to start your day or end your day or help your day along.

As mentioned before, both twins have their issues with their family. Sadao, though, just feels like a black sheep. Satoshi is the one that resents the family and Hajime is trying to correct that.

Reminder: Hajime is thirteen, Sadao and Satoshi are nine, Ayaki is seven, and Tetsuya is almost four.


Deliverance

Chapter Twelve


"Why can't we come with you, Aniki?"

He knew Ayaki was disappointed, if not a bit scared. It would be the first time the family was separated for longer than a few hours. He'd be gone almost two months. Longer, depending on how long he lasts and how long the Exams itself last. He knew teams from all over the world would be entering and the more teams, the longer it'd take to sort through and weed out the weaker ones.

He would be with his teammates, his sensei, and he had an ANBU Guard (he still didn't know if the Guard was to keep him safe, or the other's safe from him). He knew that if he passed the written phase, his mother would be joining him in Suna as well. His father and siblings, though, had to stay in Konoha.

He turned to face his little sister, somewhat surprised to see all his siblings by the door. Tetsuya was half-hidden behind Ayaki, a sad look present on his usually sweet-and-inviting-looking face. The twins were stationed behind their youngest sibling, Satoshi looking irritated and Sadao looking defeated.

He sighed and waved them into his room, sitting on his bed and allowing Tetsuya to crawl into his lap. The boy craved physical interaction and was never seen without Ayaki, himself, or one of their parents. Hajime soothed his hand over his littlest brother's back and smiled at him in hopes of lifting his spirit. It didn't work, unsurprisingly.

"I'm going to Suna, in the Wind." He re-explained. "I'm partaking in the Chunin Exams and hopefully I'll come back an entire rank higher." He turned to look at Ayaki, who was sitting next to him. "I know it's unfair, but the Hokage wants to keep us safe. So I'll be going alone and you'll be staying here."

"Not safe with-without my Ani-ki." Tetsuya whispered sadly, reduced to panic and tears. "Aniki protect-protects Kazoku."

Hajime signed and nodded. "Hai, I do protect our family. But so do Chichi and Haha, ne? And want about your Ani and Nini? Don't you trust them to protect Kazoku when I am not here to do so?" He offered.

Tetsuya frowned. "Nini do-do not like Yaya-chan." He sniffled. "Yaya-chan needs Aniki."

Satoshi had the audacity to at least flinch. Tetsuya was timid, they knew, but the boy was just as smart as the rest of them. They were idiots to believe he wouldn't catch on to the animosity their brother felt for him.

Ayaki, always the one to diffuse a situation between her brothers, looked at Tetsuya. "But Yaya-chan can trust his Ane, hai? Ane will protect you when Aniki is gone."

Tetsuya gave it thought, then nodded excitedly. "Hai! Ane can."

"Good," Ayaki jumped off his bed and held her arms out for the toddler. "Let's help Haha finish making Aniki's rations for the trip, okay?" He thanked Kami daily for his sister's ability to read people and situations. She just knew he would want to speak to Satoshi without innocent ears listening in.

Tetsuya let their sister pluck him out of Hajime's lap without fuss and carry him out the room, sliding the door shut behind her. Hajime took a deep breath and stood, walking to his brothers. Sadao moved out of the way and watched with uncertainty.

"I thought I told you to fix it, Satoshi?" He frowned in disappointment, his arms crossed over his chest. He should've been finishing up packing because they were leaving before sunrise tomorrow morning and he needed his rest. But he'd forego sleeping for his siblings. Always.

Satoshi winced but stood up straight. "I tried, Hajime. It's hard."

"What's hard is not adoring him. You're just being a brat. What is it? That he has Byakugan? That he's the youngest? Why do you dislike our brother so much?"

"It's not fair!" He growled suddenly. "Ayaki was supposed to be the last one. We were supposed to be four. We were fine. Chichi was healing, Haha was happy, and we were fine. Then he comes and it's happening all over again. We're on edge, we don't know what to do. Those eyes of his are tearing us apart."

Hajime sighed and shook his head, laying a hand on Satoshi's head and making the boy stop his rant. "You don't get it do you, brother? Tetsuya is an innocent. He's nothing more than our father was when all this began almost thirty years ago. He didn't ask for his eyes, or his hair, or his stutter, or his clumsy-ness. He didn't ask to be brought into this world. What he did ask for, though, was a brother that loved him unconditionally despite his faults. Instead, though, he has to hide behind me and Ayaki whenever you're in the same room in fear of you lashing out against him for breathing.

"There is no reason to be mad at Tetsuya. If you think you should be angry at anyone, it should be Haha and Chichi for having him. Especially Haha, since she's the one that forgot to take her pill." He rolled his eyes at Satoshi's scandalized look. "Exactly. It'd be ridiculous to be angry at them for something they technically can't control. Now, Tetsuya is still young. You can fix this before he grows up resenting you back. We are family, we protect each other.

"Do you really want our brother thinking you'd stand by and let someone harm, maybe kill him? Simply because you dislike him?"