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Please note that this work will obviously depict emotional and physical abuse, as well as spoilers for the recent chapters. Rated M to be safe.
For that, Niji was the second son as he was deemed as the most resentful of the four boys.
Jealousy and wrath were buried deep in the second son's chest, boiling like magma. It never rested and slept, it was not the kind of feeling that could be cooled down with sleep and comforting words. Instead, it threatened to blow up and destroy everything Niji felt rage over. Because Niji was drowning in his burning enviousness. The average son stuck between a daydreamer like Yonji that couldn't think for himself and yet received praise nonetheless and the perfect brother Ichiji that never failed to accomplish his tasks with precision and effectiveness. Niji didn't have that. He didn't have Yonji's tardiness to learn and Ichiji's quick thinking to stand out and receive approval. He only had his anger building up each day, even though he tried to conceal it behind a serious look to show his devotion.
Because Niji was with no doubt the most passionate about everything he did. He took pride in each lesson he mastered, each mission he completed. He could never get enough of this feeling of being useful, bringing power and glory to their namesake. He was giving shape to his country and family's future. He was going to be one of the pillars of the Vinsmoke dynasty, without being in the shadows of his brothers.
… Which is why, as much as he resented his brothers in a way the middle child of a set of siblings did, he despised Sanji the most. Sanji wasn't the perfect child, nor the late one, in fact he was like him. Average. Nothing special. Except that Sanji helped Yonji and didn't try to surpass his two other brothers. He never tried to improve and that was what irritated Niji. He didn't even make any effort to meet their father's expectations and his hesitation to learn the list of different effective poisons, his inability to fully master sharpshooting and swordsmanship, the glint in his eyes that just screamed that he didn't want to kill... It annoyed him. Sanji didn't do anything the right way and he wasn't punished enough for it and it just wasn't fair.
Niji was quiet during their lessons, eyeing his brother looking down with shame and disgust at each reproach, a look that made Niji clench his fists. He watched him straighten himself and his stance under Ichiji's attentive gaze and help Yonji with small details that he shouldn't be helped with. Then the incident with the kitchen and the cook whose name he forgot right away happened. Their father's words stayed and played over and over in his head. Everything became clear. Sanji wasn't one of them. He was a traitor. So just like Father asked, he would make him understand.
Shortly after the said incident, Father declared that they were ready to show him their fighting skills. Thus, once a week, a new lesson began. They would battle each of their brothers one by one in a large cold room made of gray stones while Father and Reiju watched, the latter with a slight sweet smile that never seemed to go away. Fighting Yonji and Ichiji angered him even more, because if the first was not much of a challenge, the second was unbeatable, a mix of deceitful tactics and perfect mastering of the arms. He needed something else, he needed to win. So when the time to face Sanji came, he would chuckle at the sight of his frail brother on the verge of tears, but still trying to hide it because he knew what was coming. It was the moment Niji waited for during the whole week and he was not going to miss his fun.
"Let's have fun, little brother."
There was something laughable in Sanji trying to seem tough, holding back and hiding his fear. Niji thrived on this sense of power, knowing that he was the cause. He would let him attack first because Sanji was as furious as he was. He was starting to fear them and hate them at the same time, Sanji was starting to fight back and Niji had never seen something that hilarious in his attempts to defend himself. But Niji couldn't care less. Sanji wasn't one of them, he was weak, he wasn't worthy. Those were Father's words.
He felt relief at each punch, kick, slice he gave. He felt good.
But there was even more fun in trying and experimenting things he was taught during their lessons. They had lessons for everything, from stealth to light persuasion to torture. He knew everything effective to get information as fast as possible and he knew how to make it longer and make people scream in agony. He never went that far, but testing his new knife with carving a small cut somewhere on his little brother's pale skin where Reiju would not see it, mocking his vain attempts to punch him away, sometimes cornering him in his room during the night… It was fun. As simple as that. (He didn't understand why Reiju seemed to disapprove of this. She would always barge in and order him to go away and yet, she never helped their brother and would laugh with them at his lack of strength, rejecting his begging to just help him, why did I do wrong, just why.) (Niji never dared confront his sister.)
So when Sanji disappeared one day, he laughed like he never had because did he really expect to survive? He was nothing without them, a worthless boy that no one would ever want. He laughed and he cried too, like a child throwing a tantrum upon discovering that his favorite toy was gone. Learning of him being alive and back among them was welcomed with both joy and disappointment. The news of his arrival in Germa Kingdom had reached him during his mission with Ichiji and he didn't waste time for their reunion. He didn't waste time starting a fight either.
"Did you miss me, little bro?"
Sanji had gotten stronger, not even he could deny it. But strong was not only physical, it concerned also the mind. It was time to test that.
"You haven't changed, Niji. Still the same petty child that grew into a real fine psychopath. You're pathetic," Sanji spat, glaring right at him and standing tall and strong despite the newly forming bruises his brother had just given him. That was new. Niji frowned, clearly displeased. In a second, he sent Sanji back towards the wall at full speed, the sound of his bones cracking sounding like a symphony to his ears.
"Who do you think you are? You think you can just come back and insult us like that?! It's time you learn, brother." Fury was blinding him, he could only see Sanji among the dust from the impact on the wall, like a target. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hurt. Sanji had found everything despite his disobedience, he had found companions and a reason to live and fight and move forward without them and it wasn't fair. Sanji had everything, Niji was still the small jealous boy that he was more than a decade ago. Niji was still living in his worst brother's shadow, the bad one, the one that everyone should forget about according to him.
Perhaps he looked down on him because they more similar than they would ever admit. Their passion, both the good and the bad that came out of it were the same, except that Sanji didn't use it right, he preferred to chase after myths and dreams. Pitiful.
(There was a little voice inside him that whispered to his heart sometimes. "I would like to a family that loves me for who I am too. The strength to stand up and do what I want. A dream.")
"Let's have fun, little brother." The words echoed around them like a dreadful reminder. Sanji's blue eyes shivered with panic and horror, suddenly remembering every agonizing moment he spent with his brother at once. Seemed like the child he once was had not disappeared after all, just like him.
Oh, he would show him. He would destroy him. He would pay, because Sanji had everything Niji wanted.
Not exactly happy with this one, it actually became way darker (?) than I intended it to be, whoops my bad. Turns out speculating about characters and a past you know not much about is quite hard haha. Well, pretty much of the Vinsmoke are quite messed up in their heads, there's no doubt about that but I wanted to give Niji the feeling of someone insane. Or something like that. Then again, it's only speculations, I'm sure Oda doesn't have that in mind!
Thanks to the nice anon that reviewed! I don't think Sanji has that kind of relationship with his siblings either haha, but it's fun to imagine the details of his childhood while we don't know much about it.
