I'm so sorry that it's been so long. Especially since I left you on that cliffhanger. :/ Sorry about that. But, here is chapter 3! I hope you enjoy! Just saying, BTW, I have a lot on my plate, so all of my stories may not update as quickly as you like. Sorry.

Chapter 3

"Hiro, look whose here to see you."

Great, Hiro thought, another visit from Aunt Cass. Hiro couldn't bring himself to admit he liked the visits from Aunt Cass, he just knew she was wasting his time. The only person that would bring him out of this state was Tadashi, and he was dead.

"Hiro?"

Huh, that voice didn't sound like Aunt Cass. Hiro turned to the doorway, expecting to see his aunt and that annoying nurse that is always trying to make him eat, yet even though those are the two people he saw, they were not alone.

His mind was playing tricks on him. It had to be. Was he hallucinating? Probably was. Because there was no way, no absolute possible way that this was possible.

Tadashi was standing in the doorway.

Tadashi was taller. Much, much taller. He was most defiantly over six feet tall and his muscles had made a more noticeable appearance. This wasn't right. Whenever Hiro had hallucinations about Tadashi, he looked just as he did before he left; before he died.

But, this Tadashi had a sharper jaw line and broader shoulders and tanner skin. This Tadashi was different from the Tadashi Hiro had hallucinations about. This couldn't be right.

Hiro blinked.

He blinked again.

But, Tadashi was still in the doorway, a merry smile on his face and concern in his eyes. What was going on?

Hiro suddenly became aware of the fact that he was shaking uncontrollably. His entire body was trembling, and he could barely process what in the world was going on.

"Tadashi?" He whispered. No, no, no, this couldn't be right. Tadashi is dead. Tadashi is dead. Shut up, Hiro, he's never coming back, Tadashi is dead!

Yet, his dead brother smiled. "Hey there, otouto."

His voce had gotten deeper. Holy cow, this was his brother. His brother was alive. Here he was! In the flesh! He was alive, Tadashi was alive! He was here! He just called him otouto, how was this possible? So, of course, Hiro did what he had wanted to do in a long time.

He started to cry.

His body shook even more as sob after sob racked his small frame. It was all too much to handle. His brother was alive. No, he was dead. Then, why was he standing right here?

Hiro closed his eyes and grabbed fist fulls of his black hair. Was this all a dream? The pain from his scalp was very real, but when he looked up his brother was still here. Hior closed his eyes, pulling harder.

He felt the bed dip beneath him, and strong, warm, familiar hands wrapped around his wrists and gently eased his hands out of his hair. Before he could respond, he was lifted up and placed on someone's lap.

Hiro looked up at the smiling face of Tadashi's greeted him. His warm and weathered hand cupped Hiro's cheek and his calloused thumb ran oh so gently across his cheekbone.

"Hey there, baby brother." His older brother whispered. Hiro answered back with a sob. "Sh." Tadashi hummed, tucking Hiro's head underneath his chin. He gently rocked the smaller one, murmuring words of comfort.

"You left." Hiro sobbed. "They said you were dead. You left me. Why did you leave me?"

"Shh," Tadashi said, his throat sounding as if it was closing up, "I'm here, little one. I"m here, and I'll never leave again. Ok?"

A firm, yet comforting kiss was planted on his forehead. Tadashi hummed an old Japanese lullaby as he gently rocked his little brother.

"I'm here." He kept repeating. "I'm here. I'm safe. You're safe. Everything's fine. I love you."

Hiro just kept crying. After months and months of sadness and despair, isolation and depression, his brother was here. His solution to all of his problems were here.

Hiro kept crying, the salt from his tears running down onto his chapped and cracked lips, his tiny frame shaking uncontrollably, and his eyes screwed tightly as he allowed himself to be rocked by his older brother.

"I"m here, Hiro." Tasshi whispered into Hiro's ear. Said boy looked up into his older brother, who looked so different from the older brother that was supposedly dead.

"Hiro." Tadashi whispered. "How did you get in here?"

Hiro's mouth was dry, and before he could even register the question, the nurse standing in the doorway spoke up. "Tadashi, if you could come out in the hall for a few minutes? We have some things to discuss."

"NO!' Hiro screamed, clutching weakly to his older brother. "Please, don't take him away from me, not again! Please, I"ll do anything!" Hiro started to sob again, the bones in his chest showing clearly as each shaky breath was taken.

"Hey, hey." Tadashi whispered, running his hands through Hiro's black mob, "Don't get upset. I'm never going to leave you. Ever. Ok?"

Hiro whimpered slightly.

Tadashi's facial expression signified that his heart was breaking. "Come here, little brother. We have cuddles we need to catch up on." Tadashi kidded lightly. Yet, Hiro practically clawed deeper into Tadashi's lap, grasping the material of his jacket and burying his face into his shoulder. Tadashi placed a hand on Hiro's upper thigh and another across his shoulders. Hiro felt Tadashi nuzzle his face into his mob of hair. He heard the older male take a deep breath and intake the other boys scent.

The smaller male just dug his face deeper into Tadashi's shoulder.

"I'm here." Tadashi murmured. Hiro whimpered, intaking Tadashi's scent. It was comforting, and the smaller boy relaxed slightly.

"Yeesh, bonehead," Tadashi said, pulling away and cupping Hiro's thin face with his larger hands. "When was the last time you ate something?"

Hiro just shrugged and casted his gaze downward. Tadashi pressed a firm kiss to his forehead and let Hiro bury his face into his shoulder.

"I've never seen you so clingy." Tadashi said with a light chuckle. The much larger male started stroking the jet black locks. At the sound of a gasp, Hiro looked up at his brother. In his hand, was a clump of jet black hair and horror painted on Tadashi's face.

"Wh- Hiro? You're losing hair?!"

The older boy turned to the nurse at the doorway. "Why is he losing his hair?"

The nurse walked into Hiro's room, her lips pressed into a thin line. "We haven't been able to get him to eat much. He's losing hair because of malnutrition. He's lost 37 pounds since he's been with us. We tried to force feed him in the beginning, but he's a stubborn one. He always finds a way to get rid of it. The doctor just say that he's given up hope. He's basically starving himself."

Hiro didn't want to hear what he had been doing for the past months. He just rested his head in the crook of Tadashi neck and closed his eyes. Hiro felt Tadashi's arms tighten around his body.

"He's lost all touch with reality. He sometimes has hallucinations."

"Of?" Tadashi asked.

"Mostly of you."

Tadashi's eyebrows shot forward on his head. "Me?"

The nurse nodded. "It is his brain's coping mechanism to deal with the emotional pain."

"Oh, Hiro." Tadashi whispered into his ear. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Now that your here." The nurse said, "I was hoping I could get a good look at him." Hiro let out a small growl and burrowed deeper into Tadashi's neck. "Just a small one." The nurse added.

"Hiro." Tadashi said in a warning tone. "Let her look at you."

Hiro pulled away and stared into the eyes of his older sibling. He stuck out his bottom lip. "But-"

"No." He said, sternly. "I want her to take a look at you. Do as I say."

Hiro made a face like he had just bitten into a sour lemon. He casted his gaze downward. "Hey." Tadashi's hand snaked up and grasped his chin gently, forcing him to look him in the eye. "I'll be with you the whole time, ok? I'm not leaving you, bud."

Hiro took a deep breath. "Ok."

The nurse looked at Tadashi in amazement. "Wow." She whispered, her brows raising on her forehead.

"Please just check him out." Tadashi said, still pressing Hiro's body against his own.

The nurse cleared her throat. "Alright. Hiro, stand for me, sweetie."

Wild brown eyes filled with fear as he looked over at his brother. Tadashi nodded and stood up, helping his younger sibling in the process. "This'll be quick and easy, bud. I promise."

Hiro nodded. "Could you take his hospital gown off." The nurse said, grabbing a clipboard and clicking a pen. Hiro whimpered slightly. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

"Bud, come on. You can do this." Tadashi reassured. The older boy gently coaxed his younger sibling out of the hospital gown, throwing the garmet on the bed behind him.

Hiro crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze casted downwards.

Hiro looked liked a walking skeleton. His ribs shown completely through his now pale skin, each one a reminder to Tadashi of what he had done. Hiro's collarbone stuck out, the bumpy bone easily detectable. The joints in his knees and elbows could be seen, and his hipbones stuck out like two Himalayan mountains on a plain. Tadashi traced Hiro's spine with his eyes, as the whole bone was extremely noticeable. Tadashi tried to swallow the bile that had started to rise in his throat. His brother looked like those girls in pictures of anorexia victims.

Hiro heard soft cries from the back of the room. He had almost forgot about Aunt Cass.

Hiro still had underwear on, yet he still felt complete exposed.

He shivered, yet it wasn't because of the cold.

"Alright." The nurse took a deep breath. Hiro slightly jumped as he felt cold, gloved hands on his shoulder blades. He closed his eyes and bite his bottom lip as the hands traveled all the way down his back and to his sides. He was told to turn around as the gloved hands traveled towards his front middle section.

The hands traveled around his chest and ribs and then went to his stick legs. He endured it as the hands traveled around every inch of his body. His wrist was grabbed as the nurse checked his pulse.

"40." She muttered. "That's...that's really bad, Hiro. You have to let us help you, sweetheart. We can't help you get better if you don't let us. Ok, honey?"

Hiro stared down at the ground and just nodded.

"Can I go home?" He mumbled. Man, it had been a long time since he had really used his voice.

"What was that?" The nurse asked.

"Can I go home?" He asked a little louder.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aunt Cass break out into a big smile.

The nurse pursed her lips. "Not yet, Hiro."

He looked up at the nurse, brows drawn. "Why not? Tadashi's home, and I-"

"We need to make sure that you don't try to commit suicide again."

A choking sound came from Tadashi. "Wait...Again?"

"Please." Hiro closed his eyes. "I just want to go home. I don't-"

"Hiro, if all goes well, the earliest that you can exit the hospital is in the next two weeks."

Something in Hiro broke. Two weeks? "Why can't I just go home now? Please, I-"

"Hiro." Tadashi voice was stern as he approached his soon-to-be-histerical little brother. "It's only two weeks. And I'll never leave your side. Ok?"

Hiro crossed his arms over his chest. A quiet 'ok' came from his mouth. After helping Hiro back into his hospital gown, Tadashi sat down on the squeaky, and extremely uncomfortable bed. Laid against the headboard and patted the spot next to him. Hiro, without hesitation, scrambled over to his older brother and cuddled up to his side. He rested his head onto Tadashi shoulder and curled his body along his side. Tadashi chuckled slightly as he wrapped his strong arms around the much smaller body.

Hiro's older brother gently kissed his hair and whispered, "Get some sleep, knucklehead. You've got a lot of healing to do."

For the first time in a year, Hiro smiled. It was a tiny smile, one might not even quality it as a smile, but a quick twitch of the lips in a pleasant way. Yet, still, Hiro showed some form of emotion.

And that was good enough for Tadashi.

The broken boy fell asleep with a slight smile on his face, curled next to a guilty brother who blamed himself for breaking the boy in the first place.

Like I said before, very sorry for the wait. I hoped you liked the chapter.

I KNOW SOME OF THIS IS VERY UNLIKELY SUCH AS THE METNAL HOSPITAL'S BEHAVIOR. BUT I NEEDED TADASHI TO COME HOME TO A VERY BROKEN HIRO AND COULDN'T HAVE THE OUTSIDE OF HIM A-OK AND THE INSIDE NOT. EVERYTHING HAD TO BE BROKEN, OK? EVERYTHING!

Whoops, got a little carry away. Please review.

~TheOneWithTheScar