[Hello, everyone! In order to make this Author's notice a little more interesting, I'm also adding a one-shot from earlier that I wrote...

But, essentially, the purpose of this chapter is to let you know that the sequel has been posted. Have fun reading! The title is 'Put On Your War Paint', and it is the conclusion to the Scorched AU.

So, here's the one shot, and it does take place in this universe, although it has almost nothing to do with the actual plot. Have fun reading!]

Tadashi was grinning as he practically spun around the kitchen, singing at the top of his lungs-a pastime that he had grown accustomed to when no one was home. Currently, he had a particular song by Katy Perry stuck inside his head, and while he would never sing it in front of everyone(for he was a man, and men do not sing such things, or at all, in public, and certainly not at the top of their lungs), the cafe was empty.

Aunt Cass had asked him to do the dishes while she was grocery shopping, and while he was eager to do so, the silence had become almost unbearable-thus the singing. Hiro was at school, and would be home in about half an hour, which was precisely how long it took him to walk home. He always missed the bus, and while Tadashi usually volunteered to pick his brother up on his moped, for the past few weeks, the younger Hamada had insisted on walking home.

Not that he was uneasy-Who are you kidding, of course you're uneasy, he's an eleven year old wandering San Fransokyo on his own-but he was always eager for the moment his brother walked through the door, safe and most certainly not dead.

Not that he worried about that, anyways.

As the scrub brush went over a particularly annoying patch of what looked like caramel, Tadashi finally gave into the impulse to be as ridiculous as he possibly could, raising the brush to his mouth and singing into it like a microphone, twirling as he sang the chorus at the top of his lungs.

"I've got the eye of the tiger! A fighter! Dancing through the fire, 'cause... I... um..."

Tadashi trailed off, eyes suddenly growing wide as his gaze landed on the form of his little brother, standing beside the stairs, mouth open as if to say something. It slowly closed again, too awestruck at his brother's complete and utter ridiculousness to comment.

"...Hiro, I can explain."

"You are the biggest nerd I have ever met." Hiro was forcing back laughter, obviously unsuccessfully as tears of mirth threatened to stream down his cheeks. "The. Biggest. Nerd."

"I thought you weren't going to be home until..."

"I caught the bus for once," Hiro choked out, hands flying to his mouth.

"Would have been nice to know," Tadashi grumbled, giving his brother a look that could have drilled holes in his head, and finally it was too much.

Hiro burst out laughing, doubled over as he absolutely cracked up. And the utter nonsense of the situation was such that it eventually infected the older brother, and Tadashi joined him on the floor, laughing his head off.

"Don't... Don't tell Aunt Cass," Tadashi wheezed.

"I-I'll do my best."

Finally, after several seconds of trying-and failing-to catch their breaths, the brothers got up off the floor, Hiro retreating to their bedroom as Tadashi finished the dishes in silence.

Tadashi quietly walked up the stairs, only for the door to swing open before he could touch the doorknob.

"Why didn't you tell me you could sing?" Hiro's voice was almost cross, a single eyebrow raised as he put one hand on the doorframe.

"I didn't think I could."

"That's complete crap, and you know it."

Tadashi felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. "Then why were you laughing?"

This time, Hiro had to smile. "Because that has to be one of my least favorite songs of all time, and I was just thinking that I never wanted to hear it again. That, and you were singing it quite loudly."

"Maybe I should sing more often," Tadashi teased, ruffling his brother's hair as he walked into their room. In response, Hiro only rolled his eyes and walked over to his desk, fingertips barely grazing Megabot's hard casing.

"Don't get carried away. You're not a Disney Princess."

"Aren't I, though?" Tadashi cleared his throat, then put his hands on Hiro's shoulders as he stepped behind him.

"...Do you want to build a robot?"

"Don't you dare," Hiro warned, seeing exactly where this was going.

"Come on, let's go and play...

I know you say that 'playing's' such a bore

You won't do it anymore,

'Cause you're too old today!"

Hiro leaned back in his chair, looking at his older brother with something between amusement and irritation, and finally sighed and turned around. Tadashi didn't take notice of this however, caught up as he was in his lyrics.

"You know you're my best brother-

Even if you're my only one

And the logic behind that sucks!"

Hiro finally let himself laugh, remembering the conversation they had had only a few days ago regarding that term- 'You're my favorite brother!'

"Do you want to build a robot?

It doesn't have to be a robot."

"Okay, okay, stop," Hiro finally said, laughing. "I'll build a robot or something."

"Good," Tadashi replied smugly, satisfied with the response. "If singing is what it takes for you to show me some affection, I will gladly do so."

Hiro was asleep on his desk. Again.

In the meantime, Tadashi was sitting on the couch, watching in concern as Hiro let out a long, drawn out snore.

That can't be a comfortable position.

Hiro had been up all night working on his Microbots, tweaking them and perfecting them until he was almost satisfied with the results. There was the issue of Microbots conducting electricity too well for his liking, but that was an issue that he swore he would resolve after five minutes of rest.

It had been two hours since then, and Hiro was sleeping like a baby. Well, no. If he were sleeping like a baby, he would be kicking and screaming as any mother will confirm.

He was sleeping like a rock, and in an extremely odd position.

Having had enough, the elder Hamada stood up, striding across the room to shake his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, otouto. You can't sleep like that."

Hiro stirred briefly, then let out a soft moan. "...Five more minutes, Dashi..."

"You can sleep upstairs."

"Don't want to."

"I'll sing."

"Don't you dare," Hiro replied sleepily, eyes still squeezed shut.

In response, Tadashi only cleared his throat.

"Do you want to build a robot?"

Hiro's eyes snapped open.

"Or hang out in the expo hall?

I think some company is overdue,

I've started talking to

The plaster on the walls," Tadashi sang quietly, wincing at the memory of cursing said plaster as he banged his toe against a wall that he had somehow missed. Hiro forced himself to sit up, giving his brother a glare as he motioned for him to stop.

However, Tadashi had gotten started, and would not be stopped.

"It gets a little boring, just watching you sleep,

And watching the hours tick by..."

"Dude. You've been watching me sleep?"

"Only for a few minutes."

"That's creepy."

"Oh, go get in bed, genius."

Tadashi let his legs-or rather, leg-swing back and forth as he sat in the tree. The cherry blossoms had long since faded and fallen, having become nothing but mushy, wet petals on the asphalt not two yards away from the tree.

Much farther away, several rows of gravestones sat in their orderly lines, as if mocking the tree for it's impermanence. Life lasted for but a moment. Death was forever.

In one of the closer rows sat the single empty grave, the one that contained the ashes of a building and not a body, and signified the death of a man who sat in the nearby tree.

Standing in front of said grave, a lone figure stood, ignoring the rain trickling from his sodden hair down the nape of his neck to his back. He was clutching a plain black hat with the San Fransokyo Ninjas symbol, saltwater mingling with the raindrops on his cheeks.

There, Hiro Hamada stood in front of his brother's grave

And it broke Tadashi's heart to see him like that.

I'm sorry.

I wish I could come home, I really do.

But you don't want me like this. I'm not the same person who ran into the fire. I...

I'm sorry, Hiro.

"...Hiro... I'm sorry... I know you're hurting."

The figure was kneeling now, fingertips running over the smooth stone that should have been several feet above his own head, that could have been above his own head had Callaghan not dumped him on the side of the road by the nearest hospital.

That headstone would be the only thing that Hiro would be able to talk to, and it would never be able to replace the head of black hair that he so loved to mess up, and laugh in it's owners face as he struggled to put it back in place. It would never be able to replace the sympathetic brown eyes that looked into his own, silently telling him that all would be okay, to please, please not cry.

"I wish I could tell you where I've been.

I need you to have courage-and I know you're trying to...

I wish I could be there for you..."

Tadashi remembered watching through the cameras in their room, watching the footage of his brother and best friend refusing to speak to anyone, even Aunt Cass, and the floodgates opened for the older brother as well.

"Please... let them in..."

Tadashi was sobbing now, drawing his legs closer to himself as he cried, hugging himself as he did so.

"I wanted to protect you... And now look at you

Hurt by my own mistakes..."

Tadashi almost couldn't finish it. It hurt too much, but he remembered how the song went, and forced himself to choke out the last line before breaking down again.

"...Do you want to build a robot?"

[Once again, I remind you that the sequel is up. It's called 'Put On Your War Paint'.

I hope you have enjoyed reading, and I will see you in the net story!

Oblivious Out! *throws self out of frame*]