AN: This chapter marks the third year of this story. I created this little bit of angst for those who voted for more Big Hero 6 on my poll and as a little celebration. Thanks again to everyone who stuck with me for so long!

After Stories:

Part 1 – The Supernatural Hunter

It was a day Hiro never thought would come. How could he have predicted it with how different this world was from his own? There was no apocalypse. Strangers weren't gathering together to survive. It was peaceful. There was no clue that something like this would happen, especially not by noticing a strange group of shadows scurrying in the shady area of downtown.

By all means, Hiro had assumed this would be a normal mission, but when he and Tadashi followed the suspicious figures, quietly landing on a nearby rooftop, the prodigy was surprised. Two figures were closing in on a third. From one of the figures, there was a short haired brunet, but there was also a familiar length of brown hair, trying to be straight but coming off as unruly because of the fight. Hiro narrowed his eyes at the man, trying to get facial features, but the battle wouldn't let the fascinating figure stand still for long.

The battle.

It struck Hiro as…odd.

The person the two figures were fighting seemed abnormal. Humans couldn't be strong enough to throw people into a large metal dumpster that was likely filled with garbage and move it…right?

"Dean!" the longer haired man cried. It was then that the abnormally strong man grabbed him and started whispering something Tadashi and Hiro couldn't hear.

The hero brothers looked to each other and nodded before they jumped and the elder sibling launched himself towards the assailant with a chokehold on his opponent. The strong mystery man's eyes widened at the ball of fire coming his way and had to let go of the long-haired man to dodge. Both of them grunted as they hit the pavement and Sunfire circled around and landed between the two opponents. Black Iris landed next to his partner and turned to the two brunets.

It was then that Hiro saw the face in the fiery light.

And his whole world completely flipped.

The long, shaggy haired brunet whose kind and strong eyes made the prodigy feel assured.

It was his Sam…

Okay, maybe not, given how Sam was reacting to the heroes' appearance, eyes wild as he tried to discern between friend and foe. The unrecognition broke Hiro's heart and his shoulders sagged. It hurt. Deeply. He should have discouraged his hope. This was another world. Things that he once considered his were no longer. Sam would not recognize him because this was their first meeting.

Well, he may as well make a good impression.

An angry growl turned Hiro's attention to the overly strong man. The indigo hero shifted his weight and the microbots surrounded him, giving him the look of a shadow lord and bringing concerned faces to Sam and his friend.

"I got this. Take care of those two." Hiro told Tadashi nonchalantly and took a defending stance, ready for any possible hostile movement stance. The violet hero turned off his flames and made his way over to the dumpster guy, Dean, checking him for injuries.

And with that, strong guy lunged at Hiro, yelling his battle cry and his hands clenched into fists, aiming to punch the boy that was getting in his way. Hiro sidestepped and tilted his head daringly. Strong man clenched his teeth and tried again. Same result. That made him angrier. With all the attention on Black Iris, Sunfire could take care of the other two while the technopath just had to dodge the idiot.

Hiro was rather unimpressed with strong man. He may have power, but his technique was terrible. As a martial artist, Hiro was appalled. 'Too predictable. Too little thought. Not smooth at all. So slow. So clumsy.' the prodigy criticized with each attempt. He was basically playing at this point and his opponent seemed to sense it, starting to become worried and panicked. He backed away, panting. Hiro hadn't even broken a sweat and it surprised everyone who didn't know him.

"That all?" Hiro taunted. He smirked when his opponent backed away. Strong man turned and started to run away. At this, Sam looked panicked and Dean stood up.

"No!"

"Don't let him get away!"

Hiro and Tadashi looked confused. They stopped the fight. As far as they knew, it was mission accomplished. But if Hiro knew Sam, the man had the righteous heart of a policeman and the hero complex of a martyr. Maybe strong man was more trouble than he seemed. Breaking through the confusion, Hiro launched the microbots towards the coward. Strong man sensed them coming, eyes widening when he turned to look, and ducked. Next, the black microbots tried to grab his legs. He jumped.

"What is this guy?!" he yelled despairingly. Hiro didn't like what he was implying, feeling annoyed and insulted. In response, the microbots became more persistent, attempting to catch the runaway anyway they could. Jaw tight and eyes full of fear, strong man was suddenly much more agile as he desperately and barely maneuvered away from the dark shadows that aimed to claim him. "Fallen angel?! Demon?! Witch?! Shadow lord?! What?! AHHHH!"

Suddenly, the microbots started to tower over and engulf him. Strong man started to struggle, his super strength allowing him to put up a good fight. Hiro groaned in pain and focused to control his catch, putting a hand on his head. The man's super strength was getting through the robots, making it difficult for Hiro to retain control. Tadashi and Sam approached the technopath in concern. Dean rushed to the struggling shadows.

Before he could get there, however, strong man managed to break his arm free and used his strength to break out, punching and ripping his way out of the microbots' hold. Hiro screamed, gripping his hair tighter at the spark of pain. Tadashi rushed to grab him before he could fall. Free, strong man dashed out of view with terrified whimpers.

"Hey!" Dean shouted and ran after him.

"Dean!" Sam ran after him. Hiro's eyes widened and his gaze rushed to find the long-haired brunet.

"Ah! No, wai-!" the indigo hero called, but could no longer see Sam. There was only shadows and distant echoes moving into silence. Hiro's shoulders sagged dejectedly. "They're gone…" The indigo hero lowered his eyes sadly.

"You okay?"

Hiro turned to Tadashi's concerned and confused look, and shook his head slowly. "It's nothing…"

The elder brother didn't seem convinced. 'Oldest line in the book,' he seemed to say. Hiro sighed and looked to where Sam had previously been kneeling. He had hoped the older man and his friend would have stayed, talked to him, told him what was going on. But, he supposed, becoming friends again was not in this timeline's agenda. Sam's destiny was probably to meet some other person, maybe someone from a less complicated and more fathomable background.

Hiro and Tadashi left the scene.

Part 2 – The Brave Trainer

The next day, after a search for those mystery men, Hiro, Baymax, Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Fred were surprised to hear an explosion downtown. They rushed to the scene and assessed the damage. The fire of the antique store had spread to the adjacent shops. People were running around in a panic. Some were trying to get close for a picture or video. Authorities were trying to get the situation under control, sealing off the area and attending to the fire and injured.

Honey Lemon and Fred immediately went to the firefighters. After a short conversation, the blue hero was rushing inside the flames, jumping through the top floor window, while the orange heroine joined the firefighters, throwing foamy and icy chem orbs left and right. Satisfied that that part of the emergency was under control, Hiro, Baymax and Wasabi went to the police. The one that approached them seemed happy to see them.

"What happened?" Hiro asked with deep concern.

"We have yet to determine a cause, but I assume gas leak."

"Not terrorism?" Wasabi asked worriedly. In response, the man shook his head.

"It doesn't make sense to attack such a small store." the policeman started, pointing at the destroyed antique shop. "Also, I think jumping to that conclusion every single time this happens is not very healthy, for your mental state or the people around you." He looked at the growing crowd worriedly.

"Is there anything we can do, officer?" Baymax asked, always aiming to be useful. "I am programmed with various health protocols." The policeman looked around in contemplation.

"The paramedics already have the severely injured, but I think some people got separated from their loved ones in the initial panic." He pointed to a ten-year-old next to another officer, who was trying to keep the civilians from getting to close to the burning building while keeping an eye on his charge. They were clearly short of help at the moment. "We found that kid when we first got here, but we don't have anyone to go with him to look for his guardians because of traffic jams. There are likely others like him, maybe even other injured citizens. We got the perimeter more or less under control, but your assistance with the civilians would be invaluable."

The green, red and indigo heroes nodded. The officer gave them a grateful smile and returned to his post. Hiro turned to his friends.

"Baymax, you take care of the injured. Prioritize kids. Wasabi, can you spread the word about free treatment?"

Wasabi nodded in acknowledgement. "I take it you're going to work on reuniting?"

"Yeah. But it would be great if the lost could come to one location, so Baymax, you're basically base camp. If you find anyone who is lost, keep them close and get their names. I'll go looking out on my own after I take care of that kid." Hiro concluded, pointing to the ten-year-old.

Wasabi took a deep breath and looked at the large crowd. "Well, better get started."

And with that, they took on their roles.

Hiro walked over to the younger child and the officer. Some of the crowd parted for him while others went up to his face and asked for/demanded help. He directed those people to Wasabi and Baymax, silently pitying his teammates for their workload. He slowly reached his goal and the policeman, recognizing the San Fransokyo hero, gave him a nod. Hiro nodded back and regarded the ten-year-old.

The younger boy's clothes were murky with dust and debris, blue vest, jeans and white shirt ripped. His black hair was spiky, but a dirty spiky that wanted a shower to regain its original order. He was trembling. The indigo hero put his gloved hand on the other's shoulder, trying to bring a sense of comfort. His eyes widened at the worried black eyes that turned to look at him.

Ash.

This world's Ash.

"Hey." Hiro started, giving the younger boy as sincere a smile as he could. "You're the one that's lost, right?" The black-haired civilian nodded sadly.

"Grandpa, Mom and I are on vacation. The blast knocked me away and I don't know what happened to them."

Hiro hummed. "What's your name?"

"Ash." Hiro shivered, but held back a reaction.

"Ah. Well, Ash," Hiro summoned his microbots and they lifted Ash into a wobbly seat, rocking him around without dropping him. Though shocked at first, the playfulness eventually made him smile. Hiro beamed more brightly this time. "I am Black Iris of San Fransokyo's Big Hero 7, and I will help you find your family." Ash nodded, eager and determined to find his mother and grandfather.

Hiro had the microbots lift them high over the large crowd. The younger clung more strongly to the microbots, not wanting to fall. The hero chuckled a little. As if Hiro was going to let that happen. He would never let his assistan…charge get hurt. Hiro shook his head. 'Get it together! You moved on, didn't you?!' Ash gave Hiro a confused look and the hero flexed his hand back and forth dismissively.

"It's nothing."

'These feelings mean nothing here…'

Ash shrugged and went back to looking for his family, turning his head constantly, looking over person to person. He frowned as he still couldn't find them. Hiro frowned at his struggle, watching as the younger searched more desperately. When the spacetime traveler sensed that selfish hope that Ash wouldn't find them for a while longer, he squashed it down immediately. Seriously, how could he even think that?

"Can't see them?" Hiro asked, trying to focus.

"No." Ash answered with a dejected sigh.

Hiro tilted his head sympathetically and then turned to the crowd. "Anyone recognize him?!" The hero yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing to the younger boy beside him. Ash flinched at the volume. A chorus of 'no' was the response and Hiro yelled his thanks. "I guess they got lost in the panic…"

"Can we look around?"

Hiro nodded and had the microbots lift them higher, reaching the buildings' rooftops. Ash was amazed at their height, eyes wide as he stared down at the river of people. They were so small. The black robots started carrying them from building to building, catching the attention of the people below. A few moments passed as Ash eagerly looked for a sign of his family. Though it was a difficult game of 'Where's Waldo,' Ash eventually felt hope when he saw two people, one with a white lab coat, struggling to move through the crowd. Ash stood up with excitement.

"Over there! That must be them!"

The hero nodded and lowered them to the direction Ash was pointing, warning him to not move so much. The microbots stuck to the wall like a spider as they moved the riders towards the intended people. Ash only got more excited as they got closer, recognition and relief all over his face. Hiro clenched his fists. He was reluctant to let Ash go. But Hiro knew showing too much fascination would be suspicious. A stranger and a younger child, that's a danger anyone looked out for. And as a hero, it would give Ash unwanted attention. He didn't want that for Ash. Hiro let out a silent deep breath. If Ash wanted to be friends with Hiro, it would have to be his own choice.

"It's them!" Ash cried out for joy, grabbing Hiro's arm and shaking him, urging the hero to go faster before waving his hand energetically. "Mom!"

"Ash!" the mother and grandfather cried together. The distraught woman reached out to him and the ten-year-old did the same. Before Hiro would even land, Ash jumped towards his family, the hero instinctively reaching his arm out to catch him. Ash landed with a slight stumble and rushed to hug them with joyful sobs and smiles.

Hiro put his hand down and remained seated on the microbots, reluctantly watching Ash leave him. The family waved at him in thanks and Hiro waved back with a strained smile. Hiro vaguely heard the word ice cream, Ash looking really excited at the idea. Together, they left the hero alone, disappearing into the crowd. Hiro frowned and his hand folded into a gloomy deflation. His arm fell to his side as he stood, a small part of him wanting to follow, hoping Ash would come, or at least look, back. The microbots trembled as nothing happened.

Shaking his head after a moment, Hiro turned away and returned to the team.

If it was their fate to be friends again, it would be.

Part 3 – The Enigmatic Monk

"Alright, I'm on hero duty soon, so I'm gonna leave now." Gogo said, grabbing her laptop and stuffing it into her backpack before making her way out of the school lab. "See you later."

"Have fun!" Hiro called as his friend disappeared behind the doors.

Alone, Hiro turned back to his laptop, continuing the course assignment. After a minute, though, he groaned, ceasing his typing. It was simple. It was dull. He could do this in his sleep, if only he really could. That could be an experiment for his technopath abilities. He should try that sometime. Stretching in his seat, he tried to get back into a productive mindset.

Of course, it didn't work. Neither did music or running a video in the background. It would seem Gogo's dedication and no-nonsense attitude was all that kept Hiro's racing mind on track.

Now with no way to stay focused, Hiro's mind wandered to the topic he had tried to avoid for the past three days. He saw Sam. He saw Ash. But both of them left as soon as they appeared. Both of them left to their own lives. They left Hiro to his own life, a life without them. While it was wonderful to see them again, Hiro would have loved it if their lives could intersect again.

Suddenly, Hiro started to wonder about Aang and Bruce, the two friends he had not yet met in this parallel universe. He hoped he would see them again, even if, in the end, they too would leave him. It would make him so happy, just to see them alive. He had no idea what Bruce would be doing, but he hoped Aang was with those precious friends he would joke and reminisce so longingly about.

When the Buddhist and the prodigy weren't busy attending their responsibilities or pulling pranks, they would talk about friendship and the people they looked up to, missing old companionships together. Those moments strengthened their bond and it was easy to make each other smile. All five of them were a family, but Aang and Hiro were basically brothers, almost twins with how in sync they were, even if Aang's spirituality would be considered contradictory to Hiro's technological genius.

But things were different in this universe.

And it was unlikely Aang would come to San Fransokyo when he was content in China.

There was little chance he would see him again.

Hiro sighed.

"I wish you were here, Aang. You always had a way of making the bleak seem far away."

Part 4 – The Dark Hero

Two days later, Hiro had taken a seat in front of the TV, a bowl of cereal in his hand and a remote in the other. His thumb hit the 'on' button and the screen revealed the weather channel. Immediately, Hiro saw the cloudy symbols all over the screen. It would be cloudy during the day, but there was a risk of rain during the night. Hiro grumbled a little. He would be on patrol duty tonight and the idea of working the rain was hardly desirable. 'Well, there's no helping it. It's my job.'

Deciding to change the subject, Hiro changed the channel. However, he wasn't in the mood for a lot of the shows, and so he found himself changing the channel every few seconds while he took bites of his cereal, which was quickly losing its integrity and becoming disgustingly soggy. It seemed breakfast was doomed to be terrible today, or at the very least awfully mundane. Today just wasn't Hiro's day.

The news seemed to be the only interesting channel this mundane morning. Giving up, Hiro leaned back in his seat and hurried through his bowl of milk and wheat paste, absentmindedly wondering why he picked this junk and then remembering that he couldn't find anything better. When the screen revealed the name Bruce Wayne, Hiro felt his intrigue grow, and when Bruce Wayne's face was revealed, Hiro spat out the food in his mouth.

[Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises]

Attention completely on the news, he listened and read.

[CEO, Bruce Wayne, of Wayne Enterprises, new tech!]

"Wayne Enterprises is going to release a new line of electronics, ranging from environmentally friendly phones to laptops in one week. In addition, he is coming to San Fransokyo to meet with Alaster Krei to discuss buying Krei Industries in hopes of combining forces for the future progress of technology-"

Hiro blinked his eyes wide and his mouth went slack. He had heard of Wayne Industries, but he never knew what the CEO looked like, much less the first name. He wished he had learned about it earlier. He jumped out of his seat and ran to his computer upstairs. With a quick type in the Google search bar, he looked up Bruce Wayne and his eyes raced over all the results he received.

Bruce Wayne

CEO of Wayne Enterprises

Richest man in the world

Wait.

Playboy?

His Bruce?

…Nah.

That last part made Hiro doubt this was the Bruce he knew. The very image of Bruce the playboy was so far from the edge of sanity that Hiro couldn't help but scoff, crossing his arms and closing his eyes with an amused smirk. The technopath couldn't remember a time where Bruce was flirting with another person. It was unfathomable. The brooding man never seemed to stop working. When he wasn't, he was with the team or checking on Hiro's tech progress or patting Hiro's head. There was no way this 'Bruce Wayne' was his Bruce…but the face and figure made it hard for the young time-traveler to let go of his suspicion.

Hiro opened his eyes, a more solemn expression of his face.

'Where am I supposed to go with this…?'

"You all what?" Hiro was shocked, looking at Fred, Gogo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Tadashi incredulously. The group seemed quite happy and it was making the unbelievable thing they just said credible. It was unnerving the younger Hamada. The time-traveler was glad he was sitting, otherwise he would be struggling to stand.

"Bruce Wayne is staying at my house!" Fred exclaimed excitedly.

"He's also interested in our tech." Gogo said nonchalantly and popped her gum. "Wants my maglev disks for his Technology Department."

"Same with my lasers!"

Honey Lemon lifted her hand. "And wants me as an intern for one of his biotech scientists!"

"Medical for me." Tadashi smiled.

"And get this!" Fred started jumping around. "He's asked the four of them to meet him tomorrow!"

The news was amazing. Wayne Enterprises was big, if the 'richest man in the world' was any indication. And now Bruce Wayne was promising the important people in his life a bright future. This changed everything…A strange, conflicting possessiveness started to take over him. A part of him felt like Bruce Wayne was trying to steal his friends and family while another part of him was upset his possible Bruce was more interested in his friends than him. On the other hand…

Hiro was pouting, a pang of jealousy in his heart. "And he's not inviting me?"

Some of his friends seemed a little proud, mockingly proud, but Tadashi was seemingly apologetic. "W-Well, you haven't been making any big projects since you came here-"

"Because I was busy building stuff for you guys." Hiro's pouted more strongly.

"And we appreciate it! But keep in mind, the microbots that caught Krei's attention was from Hiro and right now, you're…Hiroshi." Tadashi looked like he had tasted something really sour. "I still can't say that name with confidence."

Hiro was still pouting. "So, you guys are just going to leave me in the dust?" Suddenly, everyone looked uncertain. Hiro waited for their response, but they remained silent, contemplating. Perhaps they hadn't thought of it, but as the seconds ticked by, the prodigy had no choice but to take the silence as a yes. "…Unbelievable, I hate you all."

In the dark night of the lovely and peaceful city, Hiro and Baymax were alone on patrol duty. The two heroes were on top of the tallest building of San Fransokyo, feeling the harsh winds and listening to the city's sounds. Baymax was scanning for signs of bodily harm, ready to act at a sign of serious danger and distress. Meanwhile, Hiro was still pouting from earlier, brooding a little too.

Everyone else was busy with their own things. Gogo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Tadashi were busy getting their presentations and tech together so they were prepared for meeting with Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, Fred, Heathcliff and Stan were preparing their home for Wayne Enterprises' CEO, who was due to arrive around midnight.

As a brother and friend, Hiro wasn't going to make too much of a fuss over the situation, but he was…intrigued that someone had taken notice of the people closest to him all at once. However, the situation was as interesting as it was suspicious. A part of Hiro worried that someone had discovered the team's secret identities. Wasabi's lasers, Gogo's disks, Honey Lemon's chemistry, and Tadashi's healthcare robot were the most obvious of Big Hero 7's creations (apparently, the microbots didn't count since 'Hiro' was dead). If one could look passed the mind-blowing mechanics of Hiro's tech upgrades and understand his friends and brother's research, there was a chance someone with enough intuition could make the connection. 'Then again…' Hiro reasoned, 'You'd have to be pretty smart to understand the science.' Hiro's emotions seesawed between worry and confidence for his team, grumbling things to himself and listing reasons for both sides.

Then he remembered Bruce.

Bruce was perceptive. He was considered the best detective in Hiro's timeline, and was an incredible leader. The man was smart, and quite frankly, the only person Aang and Hiro couldn't prank. He was serious, always working and unnaturally observant. Sometimes, Hiro was worried the man would collapse, but through some unknown power, the older man never did. Bruce was the person Hiro respected and admired the most.

Hiro didn't know anything about what Bruce Wayne was like, aside from what the internet told him, none of which gave any indication that Wayne was his Bruce. But he couldn't deny that Wayne and Bruce looked like the same person. He couldn't deny that this man was smart enough to try and recruit the smartest people in SFIT. Maybe Wayne was as good a judge of character as Bruce was…

The Big Hero 7 member shook his head. He shouldn't get his hopes up. This timeline is different and as an outsider, Hiro shouldn't seek for things he used to know. He would help people, but that would be it. He would not distort much more to his liking. He would ignore the small voice telling him he could be a little selfish. Besides, Sam and Ash didn't stay, why would Bruce? Hiro stood up and turned to Baymax.

"I'm going to do some ground work."

"I will alert you if I sense trouble."

With a nod, Hiro had the microbots bring him down the building, slithering around the structure like a spiral staircase, a swirling dark shadow of justice in the bright night. Adjusting his visor, the technopath scanned below him, impassive about his decent. Low enough, he stretched the microbots' reach to the next building, then the next, then the next, bridging himself from one spot to the next. Shady people scrambled when they heard the familiar clicks of microbots and hid from Hiro's presence. The prodigy would linger sometimes just to tease them with their own fear before moving on to the next street.

It was peaceful, not quite the distraction Hiro had been hoping for, but he supposed the lack of trouble could be considered a good thing. However, the technopath was itching for something to happen. He wanted to think about anything other than what was happening in his life. A part of him hoped one of those gang members would be bold enough to try and attack him as he taunted them with his presence…Nothing.

Groaning as memories and thoughts were becoming more and more difficult to ignore, Hiro started aiming for the market. Maybe the bustling of many people shopping late would be enough. There were a lot of people and any one of them might want to steal in the chaos. It would be a nice puzzle of 'Where's Waldo?'

"Hiro." Baymax called over the communicator.

'Oh.'

"What's up?" Hiro responded, stopping in his tracks.

"I am sensing alarming distress and adrenaline at the downtown bank. One of the people inside is bleeding heavily in his left shoulder and right leg. Evidence implies a robbery."

Hiro turned in the bank's direction, and rushed the microbots. "I'll head over there now!"

"Shall I meet you there?"

Hiro contemplated for a second. It was only the two of them… "No, just call the police and make sure an ambulance is on scene. I want you to be ready if something else happens tonight."

"…I shall be backup then."

"Thanks, Buddy."

Beating the robbers had been easy enough. Their bullets did little to his microbots and they failed to escape the tiny machines' grasp once trapped. Black Iris had expertly protected the hostages and stopped the criminals. Crisis averted, he was thanked and he watched as the police and paramedics checked over the civilians. The indigo hero was naturally interrogated for his point of view. He happily did so, his microbots re-enacting the little fight.

But once his account of events was taken, Hiro sensed something. Actually, it was someone. Looking through the crowd, he found none that sparked his interest or made the gut feeling enflame. But the person Hiro's hero intuition was sensing was not amongst the people. They were in the shadows. The hero's eyes narrowed at the suspicious actions as he looked into the darker alleys, barely touched by lights.

The shadow barely moved. Hiro almost missed it, but he could pinpoint it thanks to the intense and analytical gaze. The hero's spine shivered as he felt the shadow smirk at being noticed. Hiro had no idea if it was impressed or just mocking him, but the action irked him. Leaving the light and the crowd, Black Iris moved towards the shadow, who immediately started to leave. Eyes narrowed, he ran to catch up.

Hiro did his best to keep up, his microbots following behind him. He was surprised by the agility and reflexes this person possessed. The shadow seemed be able to squeeze into the narrowest of openings in the maze of buildings. But Hiro persisted, sometimes needing to use his microbots to carry him if he failed to jump over a fence. Whenever this person was under light, Hiro could catch a glimpse of a black cape, but it disappeared before he could determine more. At some point, the chase started to become exhausting.

Not that his efforts really seemed to matter. In the end, Hiro lost track of the shadow. He couldn't see them anymore once he turned a corner. The hero let go of a lot of the adrenaline, panting, but he was still tense. Something didn't feel right.

"Your stamina and tracking could use some training."

Hiro's eyes widened at the voice. It was familiar, the deep serious baritone sending shivers down his spine. It made Hiro hopeful. But while the voice was serious, there was no underlying warmth. There was only ice. The sound was all business with no relationship, no recognition. Hiro turned to look behind him and the shadow stepped forward, entering the light of the street lamp.

Suddenly, Hiro knew who he was dealing with. There was a vigilante taking down criminal rings in a city called Gotham, the most crime ridden city in the country. He united with many other heroes and formed a League. He was considered the greatest detective in the world and could even hold his ground against people who would be considered stronger than him. It was Batman.

Hiro's mind whirled in a frenzy. The voice that reminded him of Bruce was coming from Batman. Wayne reminded him of Bruce as well, and he was supposed to be in San Fransokyo today. Bruce was an amazing detective and so was Batman…Suddenly, his mind started connecting dots that he had earlier refused to engage. Bruce was Wayne. Bruce was Batman. Bruce Wayne, billionaire, 'playboy,' and the person Hiro admired the most, was Batman. When Hiro's mind settled, things starting to make sense. He started to wonder how he should handle this, and his first instinct was to be playful.

"Regardless, I like your work." Batman continued. "It's flexible and efficient. Strange, considering how young you clearly are."

Hiro put his arms behind him, standing confidently and smiling with cheekiness. "What can I say, I'm a genius."

Batman raised a brow. "Maybe, but it was pretty amateur of you to follow a stranger into an alleyway without telling your friend."

"Thanks for the criticism." Hiro said exasperatedly, bordering sarcasm. "Anything else?"

"You have experience. More than just a few months…"

That caught Hiro's attention. 'Bruce always was observant. Let's see how diligent he can be.'

"What are thinking about, Mister Detective?" Hiro asked slyly.

Batman narrowed his eyes analytically. "…Your experience suggests at least a year, but I did my research and you did not appear until a few months ago in your fights with Seishin and in SFIT."

Hiro stiffened. "So you…"

"Hiroshi Hamada, twin brother to Tadashi Hamada. However, there are no in-depth records of you, only enough to trick the college. I can only assume Hiroshi Hamada is a false identity. Rather clumsy of you to not create a complete cover."

"I never thought someone would look too deeply into my alter ego. How did you know to look there?" Hiro asked worriedly.

"The technology the Big Hero 7 team follows the research of Tadashi Hamada, Gogo Tamago, Wasabi and Honey Lemon, each of whom go to the same school and work in the same lab. But there was recently a new addition to the group, and so I looked into you too."

Hiro pouted.

"So who are you?"

"I don't mean any harm, if that is what you are implying." Black Iris replied, readopting the cunning smirk. Batman was good, and it amused Hiro to watch him try and figure him out.

"A lot of evidence suggests so, including what I saw tonight. But there is clearly an amount of hero training you've gone through without any sign that you did. There's also…" Batman stepped up to the indigo hero, but the smaller male did not move, standing tall in the intimidating man's presence. The dark knight noted this, but said nothing as he removed Black Iris' mask, revealing the bright chocolate orbs underneath that glistened in the lamp light. The smirk was teasing, but the gaze was seemed to be telling an unknown story. Batman narrowed his eyes at the enigma before him. "You look like an older version of Hiro Hamada."

Hiro was a little surprised at that. Only his close friends and family were able to immediately make the distinction. Those that had infrequently seen his younger self usually couldn't make the distinction. They would get an odd feeling, but unable to really question it. After all, he was a taller, more than a child could grow in only a few months, and his hair was longer, sometimes covering his eyes. Also, his past self never wore animal hoodies and glasses.

"You're not a time-traveler. If the younger self is dead, an older self is impossible." Batman continued.

The prodigy tilted his head. "So, what's the consensus?"

Batman stared at him, suddenly recalculating based on the little hero's reactions. "Faulty clone, spacetime travel or maybe both."

Hiro hummed, staring at Bruce with unimpressed boredom. "Clone? Really? I can't imagine people would be interested in having a bunch of adorable smart-mouths running around bot-fighting and dragging everyone into their problems."

"It happens."

"You must have a fun life." Hiro said with a hint of disbelief, bringing a finger to his chin in fake contemplation. "Oh! Think I'll drag the world into chaos with my undeniably good looks?! Or what if-!"

As Hiro started bouncing around and playfully letting out sarcastic possibility after sarcastic possibility, Batman stared at him. He was still trying to figure the child out. As he did, the likelihood of being a clone started to decrease, not that it was very high to begin with. From personal experience, this boy was too…erratic to make a good tool out of. Maybe a villain could emotionally manipulate the kid, but as a rather resourceful genius, he could reverse whatever control, scientific or otherwise, an organization could come up with. The older Hamada brother had potential to try and clone a dead brother out of despair, but that wouldn't explain why Hiro was older. Obsessive anguish would desperately aim to make things how they use to be. It also didn't explain why Tadashi and his friends seemed perplexed at Black Iris in the Yokai mission. Spacetime travel was sounding more and more likely, despite how unbelievable the theory was. But he had dealt with time-travel and parallel universes before. Granted, this is first time it didn't come with a bit of fighting, just a strange and abnormally smart teenager that was reminding him of his…partners.

…He better stop the kid's rant.

"Or maybe I'm-"

Batman held his hand up in quiet request. Hiro immediately closed his mouth with a wide smile, looking at the dark knight expectantly. The caped crusader noted the strangeness of how the boy was almost instinctively responding to him…like he knew him enough to know his habits. So that must mean…

"I'm pretty sure you jumped parallel universes, and time-traveled. You come from a world where Hiro Hamada lives. But…"

The indigo hero's smile became sly. "But?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "You…know me from that world."

Hiro loved this man so much. His teasing smirk turned into a grateful yet sad smile. "I know Bruce. Not Wayne though. Not Batman. There weren't a lot of people in that world liked to talk about they once were. You were one of them…"

Batman lowered his head, contemplating. The younger male tilted his head with a frown, waiting for the response. He wasn't entirely sure how Bruce would react. He was unpredictable in that way. But Hiro knew it would be from a place of logic. That was fair. But there was this sense of…emotion as well. What Batman was thinking about was out of Hiro's reach.

"What exactly was our relationship?" the caped crusader asked after a while. The question caught Hiro off guard. He had expected a demand for secrecy. Nevertheless, he would indulge the dark knight.

Hiro hummed and walked closer to the dark knight with every word. "You were the boss. I was the genius. You asked me to make you something. I would do it. You protected me. I wanted to protect you."

They looked at each other through masked eyes. Hiro was sure his feelings would reach him regardless. He was sure Bruce sensed his sorrow, his conflicts, his admiration, his longing. They stared at each other for a long time, silent in the darkness of the narrow path, their only light being the distant moon or the cozy dim late-night city lights. Hiro searched for something, anything from Bruce. But as a moment passed and he found nothing, Hiro broke eye contact and sagged his shoulders disappointingly. He supposed this was still very suspicious for Batman. This was simply how parallel world jumping was. He was simply lucky to still have his friends and family of the past. He should be satisfied with just them.

Hiro turned and closed his fists to restrain himself, readying to leave, crawl into a hole and cry.

A familiar hand grabbed his wrist and held him back.

The prodigy looked back questioningly, tilting his head. That look the caped crusader was giving him made Hiro assume he wanted more answers. Strangely, Hiro found he could not control the words.

"My brother died. I became a hero to find out who killed him. I saved the city. Just as my world was starting to feel normal again, some jerk tried to control time and wanted my help. I refused. He kept testing it anyway…" Hiro started tearing up. The weight of everything that had happened to him in the other world was coming back to him. "So many died. My family. My friends. It was so lonely." His voice struggled to have neutrality, choking up. "And he was still after me, but I made new friends. I met you. All of you protected me from him. But I…"

He couldn't go any further and became a sobbing mess. Through it all, Batman watched him silently and biting his lower lip. He seemed to be struggling with words as well. But the dark knight kept his grip on the younger hero, waiting for him to calm himself. It took longer than Hiro wanted to speak again.

"I'm here. It's peaceful. I have my brother and my old friends back! I'm happy! Argh, I tried to move on. I should be moving on! I should be satisfied, but I still miss all of you so much!"

Hiro tried to rub the tears off his face, but the drops were escaping to fast that they still rivered down his cheeks despite his attempts. His voice let out a sound of sad frustration and a whimper.

Batman simply watched. The dark knight had dealt with the tears of his partners for years. Yet here, he wasn't entirely sure what to say, given the boy's situation, but he felt he should do something. Looking at the sobbing boy once more, Batman considered how he should handle this. Black Iris, or Hiro, was as emotional as he was smart, even if he was generally calm or sarcastic. Perhaps a little intellectual distraction was in order. The kids were always amazed when he explained things.

"You know, I can tell a lot from just a costume and names, especially of the one who picked and created them." Hiro looked at Bruce in confusion. He knew this strategy. The older man seemed to know the strangest things, and to calm Hiro down, he would provide the genius with information that would have otherwise been ignored. Wanting to calm down, he listened to the warm baritone voice. "Every colour is associated with certain psychological characteristics. You picked red for Baymax, thus you see him as a source of passion and love. Honey Lemon is orange, hence enthusiasm and creativity. Gogo, yellow, joy and intellect. Wasabi, green, and so harmony. Fred, blue, and though this colour has many meanings, judging by his personality, I assume faith and loyalty. Tadashi, violet, is a calming, devoted presence. For you, indigo is a colour of deep sincerity. From this, I can deduce that you are sincere, powerful and dignified. Of all of Big Hero 7, you are the most honest, no matter how hard you try to hide things, which is good for me because you seem to have all the answers."

"So you did figure out who they were…" Hiro muttered, wiping the stopping tears, and looked Batman in the eye again. "That wasn't what I was thinking when I picked those colours…"

"People usually don't, but how you present yourself is usually an unconscious decision. It shows who you want to be, sometimes how you see others."

Hiro sniffed and Bruce's hold loosened on his arm. He didn't remove it though, letting the touch remain. The longer this moment lasts, the more Hiro could delay the inevitable departing. That made the pain his heart become icy and he shook slightly. Batman narrowed his eyes at the college prodigy. He hadn't intended to open a wound, to make a scar bleed once more. Going back to his previous strategy, Batman aimed to calm this confused child who came from a world that was so wrong.

"Black irises are oxymorons." Batman started, catching Hiro's attention with new facts. "Irises can generally be associated with the rainbow because of its variety of colours, but the black irises are unfathomable, strange, mysterious. But you also like the dark blue, and so the conflicts within yourself deepens and you struggle to understand."

"I didn't take you as someone who talked so much." Hiro joked in his observation, confused. Bruce was usually more to the point. What was he trying to make Hiro think about? "What are you trying to say?"

The dark knight was silent for a moment, analyzing Hiro once more before trying to think of how to speak his thoughts. "…Your feelings aren't supposed to make sense, even you seem to understand that. There is no true guideline for them. You can't help how you feel. And your situation is hardly conventional." Bruce slowly brought Hiro to his chest, putting comforting arms on the boy's back. "You don't need to let this world run its course while you sit on the sidelines. I think whatever you wish to do should be your decision."

If you want me to stay by your side, I will.

Hiro smiled, full of appreciation for this amazing person, feeling a little more complete, and leaned deeper into the taller man. "Please…"

Part 5 – The Joyful Prodigy

The next day, Hiro was humming in delight as he looked over the city with the rest of his team. He wasn't really paying attention though. He was still giddy about what happened with Bruce. They were colleagues…Granted, that wasn't quite the friendship level he was familiar with, but it was enough. Now he just wanted to make things for Batman, his mind racing over the batty possibilities.

"Well, you've brightened up. What happened?" Tadashi asked with a surprised face.

"Huh?" Hiro turned away from the city lights below to his team, snapping out of his thoughts about making Bruce a better utility belt. His brother and friends were looking at him with curious faces. The indigo hero blushed a little at the attention. "W-What do you mean?"

"You've been gloomy since those three guys in the downtown alley."

Hiro tilted his head with a frown. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you guys."

"We're always worried about you." they said together in a deadpan tone. Hiro pouted at them.

"I don't like what that tone is implying so I'm just going to ignore you."

Hiro looked back at the city in childish annoyance. He sensed his team moving closer to appease him, but he held himself back from forgiving him too quickly. Baymax was behind him, as encouraged by Honey Lemon and Fred. The orange and blue heroes stood beside the indigo, causing him to look at each of them, raising a brow at the intrusion of his personal space and noticing Wasabi was beside Honey Lemon and Gogo beside Fred. Suddenly, arms wrapped around him from behind. Looking up, Hiro's eyes met Tadashi's. Together, arms connecting, they had a giant group hug. Hiro felt his previous anger being squeezed out of him and replaced with love. Hiro sighed. 'I can't be mad at these guys.'

Tadashi smirked. "…So?"

Hiro hummed, rolling his eyes and twirling a small communicator in his hands. And then he laughed with a wide smile. "I'm happier than ever."

Author's Note: I know Batman is DC and Big Hero 6 is Marvel, but of my favourite heroes (Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange and Deadpool), Batman was the only one that fit this world. Maybe Deadpool would have made the cut, but then I would have to deal with a little voice telling me 'this is wrong' all throughout the writing experience. Batman has a way with kids that Deadpool doesn't. Besides, who says DC and Marvel have to be so far apart! Fanfiction is where the impossible is possible!