"Welcome to nerd school….nerd." Tadashi gave a congratulatory smile to the fourteen year old he was now attending college with.

Hiro quietly laughed through his nose, shaking his head at Tadashi. I guess I had that one coming, he thought to himself. He had finally made it. Against all the odds, he had made it. But he knew without Tadashi... he would've been long gone.

"Hey, I uh...I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you…so…" He lowered his eyes hesitantly. "...Y'know…" He knew his brother could tell why he was saying this. It wasn't a memory easily brought up. "...Thanks for not giving up on me."

After the unexpected thank you, Tadashi gave nothing but a warm, understanding smile in return. Hiro didn't often say things like that, but Tadashi wasn't about to question it. He had always been there for Hiro, especially in his darkest times, when even Hiro had given up on himself. He couldn't live with himself if anything happened; his brother was worth way too much to him. And now, perhaps Hiro was finally starting to see that himself.

It seemed like all that needed to be said was out and done. He was about to tell Hiro it was time to head over to the cafe, when a sudden loud noise was heard in the distance. The sound of people screaming came next.

Tadashi wasn't even thinking anymore. His previously content grin was gone. Little did Hiro know that was the last time he would ever see such a smile. Tadashi took off hurriedly to the source of the noise, Hiro closely behind him. The siblings came face to face with the institute, engulfed in flames. At first, all the two could do was watch as the building continued to breathe smoke from the windows and doors. Tadashi was first to snap out of it, rushing towards the building, against the disagreeing crowd. Hiro unquestioningly followed suit. A staff member that was almost about to fall over was luckily caught by Tadashi's embrace.

"Are you okay?!" He inquired over the noise, helping her to regain her balance.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay, but Professor Callaghan's still in there!" She answered, pointing towards the building, already resuming her path away from danger. For a split second, Tadashi watched the somewhat familiar figure leave before snapping himself back into focus. He made a beeline for the entrance of the flaming building, barely even considering what he was about to do. The only thing pulling him back was Hiro, who was now holding on to his life-long friend's arm for, well, life.

"TADASHI, NO!" He cried out desperately. Hiro cocked his head in a way that almost made it seem like he was saying, 'Come on, don't do this, lets get out of here'. He wasn't usually the one to be pulling the other out of danger. What was he supposed to do?

Tadashi paused in his steps, realizing what could happen if he went in there. He could run into the building risking life and limb to save his professor, or, he could safely walk away with Hiro and hope for the best.

Callaghan… you've done so much for me… I'd never forgive myself if I didn't do anything to help you.

The memory of his parents in the back of his mind, he turned around and faced Hiro's concerned, wild eyes. If just one bystander had stepped in to help, their parents could have still been with them today. If no one stepped in to help right now, that could be the same fate for his professor. His widened brown eyes, uncertain frown, and pulsing neck muscles were, for once, not hiding how intensely afraid he felt.

"Callaghan's in there," Tadashi emphasized, out of breath. "Someone has to help," he affirmed, not quite sure to whom he was addressing that to. Before Hiro could protest, Tadashi released himself from his beloved sibling's grip and raced towards the stairs.

Hiro watched in panic as Tadashi took leaps of fate up the steps until he had disappeared into the scorching flames.

What can I do? What am I supposed to do?

He looked to the ground, noticing Tadashi's hat had fallen. He quickly reached down to grab it, taking a second to look over the gold and crimson "SF" stitching in the middle. Everything was happening in such a blur.

I have to go find him...I can't lose him like this…

And so without thinking, Hiro rushed for the stairs too.

Black umbrellas were in full bloom, the heavy clouds blocking the warm, amber-tinted sunbeams and reserving them for a new flower roughly plucked from its home below. The only sounds were a mixture of sniffles and pattering rain. The rainfall would usually be described as a light, pleasant shower. However, today, it only added to the melancholy mood that existed for a now non-existent brother.

The only direct relative left on the earth could barely stand underneath the weight of all that had happened, combined with the rain that only added a cold, prickly feeling to his already numb body. He walked under the large tent that was protecting his brother from the rain and up to the open casket. He tried his best to hold back tears as he stared down at his lifeless sibling. I can't do this. This shouldn't be happening. Why you? Of all the people in the world, you deserved to die the least. It should have been me...

He forced himself to turn around so he could deliver his eulogy to the bouquet of black gathered for the deceased guest of honor. All the guests stared at him, giving their patient attention.

He cleared his throat, now fully aware of the growing lump starting to form. His lips begin to tremble as he tried to open his mouth, breath hitching as he started to get light-headed. Heavy clouds peeked between the guests and the canopy. They shared the same color of the smoke on that unspeakable night. He started stuttering garbled words. Mud smudged on his black, polished shoes from unnoticed rocking back and forth between his toes and heels. The mourning sibling attempted to restart his speech, but he was so choked up between his tears and disbelief that he temporarily lost his voice. A small squeak then escaped from his twitching lips. Pressing them together, he began to form tears in his usually big, bright eyes, much against his wishes. Hands had squeezed into tight fists. He turned his face away and closed his eyes. How was he supposed to do this? A gradually deepening frown appeared, unhelpfully quivering in an attempt to resist showing his emotions.

He crumpled down onto the soggy grass, his hands covering his face in a poor attempt to still keep his emotions under control. It had no effect as he let out a most heartbreaking whimper that turned into more and more sobbing. He timidly tried to gasp as inaudibly as possible for air, irrationally hoping that maybe if he was quiet no one would mind. It was the opposite of his intent to be even half this dramatic in front of everyone, but everything was just too much for him. He didn't know what to do except just sit there and struggle to not cry anymore.

Finally, Aunt Cass quietly came over to help him back to his seat. She assisted him to his feet and attempted to pull him away from everyone's direct view. The two began to walk back when he released himself from her caring hands. He couldn't just leave without saying anything for his brother, his oldest friend. His best friend. His home. The most important person in the world to him. But here he was, already walking back to his seat. And he couldn't even get one sentence from his eulogy out. So, he blurted out the only thing that was running through his head ever since he had attempted to speak. "It's all my-hy fault!" his voice cracking through his usually grounded tone. Aunt Cass stared in a stunned silence. "It's all my fault. It's my fault we stayed late, it's my fault he came in after me, it's my fault he tried to save me!" He paused to catch his breath. "It's my fault Hiro died."

Somehow, the atmosphere seemed to return to an even stiller silence than it had before, except for the steady rain and distant thunder that somehow seemed to accompany and comfort his grieving soul. He turned and moved with slow, reverent steps back towards the casket. "I-I'm sorry," he said ever so faintly, somehow hoping his brother could still hear him, before kneeling onto the now familiar ground. Arms that wanted to wrap his brother in a tight embrace and somehow make everything okay instead met the smooth casket sides with his fingers lightly on the edge, wishing they could be closer to Hiro. Tadashi's sullen eyes faced the soggy grass, only raising to peek inside the casket as he let out a whimper that only he could hear. It was then that a loud, shaking crack of thunder sounded across the sky, startling everyone present. Even more so for Tadashi, the effect of the thunder causing a bone-shaking chill to crawl up his spine.

Tadashi!

The echoes of one last word from a voice he would never hear again poured into his mind until he couldn't remember anything else.

"Tadashi!"

The loud, crackling sounds of a dangerous fire start to play in harmony with a loud voice that cracked as it repeating only one name, the owner of that voice showing no concern for the danger he was in.

"TadASHI!"

Tadashi looked around frantically for his brother that was going to be so grounded for a month when they got home. Smoke and the tears they were causing inconveniently blurred his vision. Unpleasant hacking and coughing was coming from the same place as Hiro's voice. He had to get his little brother out. Now.

"TADA-SHI, CO-HOME BA-ack!"

He wasn't sure whether to be comforted or even more worried that Hiro's voice seemed closer and further from the exit.

"TAD-HA-HSHIII!"

Tadashi snapped around to finally see Hiro's alarmed eyes and ash-filled hair. And suddenly he wasn't so sure Hiro would be making it back home for his punishment.

The deafening whump from a falling support beam that shook the ground beneath Tadashi's feet, the traumatizingly disturbing, crackling "crrrruuunch" that couldn't possibly have been from it, the blood-curdling scream that was the last thing to ever come out of the poor child's mouth. Watching the last of the light leaving Hiro's once terrified, now empty eyes. A familiar San Fransokyo cap falling out of Hiro's limp hand. Extreme light-headedness and shaking and heart-pounding as Tadashi rapidly bolted over faster than he ever had before to Hiro's lifeless side.

That one last 'Tadashi' meant so much more than just his name. It was a plea filled to the brim with fear, hope, an utterly desperate need for Tadashi to come back and leave the fire unscathed and reunited with his brother. It was all the things Hiro was afraid to say packed into one word of complete dread and panic. It was Hiro expecting Tadashi to save the day and just make everything okay like he had always done. And Tadashi had failed to live up to that only one time. One time. And it had made all the difference.