From the Ashes

"Hey, Tadashi, you wanna see something really cool?"

That text, lead to him walking through the main building of Tadashi Industries beside Hiro, the younger man talking up a storm the entire time. For a moment, Tadashi swore the energetic man next to him was 14 years old again from how ecstatic he was.

"Picture this, performing surgery perfectly, without having to lift a finger at all." Hiro held up his hands as if he were a surgeon himself about to walk into an OR. "Only having to stand like this the whole time. Only having to think about what you're gonna do."

Tadashi nodded, his curiosity growing.

"That does sound pretty cool. But how do I get that?"

"Oooh I am so happy you asked. So, we have Baymax, for all of your healthcare needs, as a personal healthcare companion, we got Skymax, revolutionized now, for not just carrying armor, but for carrying supplies to medics during crisis' and even Kokoro, was revolutionized to have variants, specializing in both security AND as paramedics." Hiro continued on.

"And Megabot?" Tadashi sneered, elbowing him.

"We do not speak of Demon Spawn." Hiro rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses. "And of course, our prosthetics department." His gaze softened as he looked to Tadashi. "Inspired by of course…"

"Me… It really was a huge honor, Hiro."

"And it just gets better. So, you're always trying and testing out techniques on 3D printed parts and stuff right?"

"Course." Tadashi smiled. "Best way to get your technique perfect so you never risk harming your actual patient."

"Well, good. Cause, we got one for ya."

Now Tadashi was even more curious as Hiro lead him into one of the lab rooms… as a very familiar setting appeared before Tadashi.

A fully equipped operating theater, with a realistic 3D print out of a human on the operating table.

Hiro grinned, crossing his arms.

Tadashi looked around before going up to the table. He glanced back at his brother.

"So, what am I testing?"

"Well… You gotta first promise not to get mad alright?"

"I'm listening."

Tadashi was amused as Hiro hurried about the room, grabbing something off of a tray before wheeling a cart over with a few bins attached to it.

Tadashi raised an eyebrow, lifting the lid off one of the bins.

Inside, were tiny, black…

"Microbots?"

"Refined microbots. Notice, even smaller than the original." Hiro pulled out of his pocket, a replicate of the original design and holding up a handful of the new design. Almost the same, except even tinier. "This is just one variant… Tadashi, if I keep developing them, then it's possible to even operate on a cellular level! Repair nerve damage, inside the actual nerve. Brain tumors, not a fear anymore!" He continued on. "Flawless operations on babies with no harm because of being too tiny, even debriding burns with less stress on the patient!"

Tadashi was blown away at what he was hearing. He looked at the microbots again, lifting a handful up to his eyes.

"Hiro this is… This is unbelievable!" He grinned, pride in his eyes as he looked up to his brother. "You seriously never stop being incredible."

Hiro bowed his head a bit, a grin on his face.

"You inspired it."

"Hiro…"

"C'mon, I wanna see you tear this thing to pieces."

"Unwind it?"

"NO!" Hiro laughed, handing him the headband before getting out of his way, turning a camera on. "Alright, this is Hiro Hamada with Dr. Tadashi Hamada to test out the microbots 2.0. The test patient has a brain tumor on the brain stem about to sever it."

"Wow, I feel so loved." Tadashi remarked dryly. "Give me something super difficult."

Hiro smiled mischievously.

"If you can think it, the microbots can do it."

Tadashi slipped the headband on as the bots lifted up out of the container.

"Beginning the procedure."

He looked down at the patient before him, imagining a real living person, the structure of their brain.

Within a few minutes, after a minor opening into the skull, he was using the microbots with relative ease.

"Also, with tumors, even the tiniest error can cause death if their in a bad spot, right?"

"Yes. Especially when dealing with the stem of the brain."

Tadashi fell quiet, his focus going into overdrive.

He never imagined Hiro would go back to developing the microbots of all things, especially after what had happened… but he was proud of him for eventually going back to the concept, recreating them, to heal… to help others versus what Callaghan had used them for.

It took about one hour for the small piece of plastic, acting as a tumor was dropped into a tray, Tadashi taking off the headband after the microbots were returned to their container.

He was panting a bit but he was wearing a grin.

"I declare this… a success. Need to practice more but that's more on me than the bots. They're incredible."

Hiro turned the camera off, going over to him, holding out a fist bump.

Tadashi grinned as they went through their whole handshake.

"FWOOSH!"

They soon left the lab, Hiro still talking up a storm about the numerous uses he pictured for the device in question. Tadashi was content to listen, making note himself, how revolutionary they really were.

"To think, I thought construction and stuff before. Man, if I had thought about this before…"

"You had to have a jumping point." Tadashi squeezed his shoulder. "I am so proud of you. Like you wouldn't believe."

Hiro smiled, nudging him a little.

"Nii-san…"

"Yeah?"

Hiro brought an arm around him.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

It took time, to further develop, but in a few short months, from that initial test… the microbots were being used in the hospital Tadashi worked for.

He was proud, to use them in his practice, using the robots for their new purpose. To heal and treat others. It was like using magic, with a wave of a hand, or a simple thought, life was preserved.

Healed.

oooooo

"What's the condition of the patient?!"

This was a nightmare.

Running alongside a stretcher, containing the battered body, of one of San Fransokyo's heroes.

The battered body of Hiro Hamada.

"He was shot in the spine. He's lost a lot of blood and there may be spinal damage."

Tadashi swore a little under his breath, reaching over and taking Hiro's hand. For a brief moment, the man on the stretcher was a child once more.

Hiro was in and out of consciousness, trying to shake off the oxygen mask over his mouth.

"Hey, hey don't fight that, you need it." Tadashi squeezed his hand. "Hiro, you're gonna be fine. I promise."

Hiro's gaze flickered to Tadashi before his eyes closed.

"I'll save you, no matter what." He looked to the other doctors. "Take him to the OR, now! I'll lead!"

He looked down at Hiro one more time.

"Tell them they better have my microbots ready too."

I swear, I'm not letting you get paralyzed from this.

He lost track of time from there. Hiro was in critical condition and all he could think about was how to treat him. To get him back on his feet.

This nearly broke his back. He'll need to stay in a wheelchair while it fully heals but…

Soon as the bullet was out, Tadashi switched to using the microbots. He couldn't help but note the irony.

Hiro never imagined that the robots he created would one day save his life, but that night… that's exactly what they did. Took the battered body of their creator and repaired it to as well as it could be.

Tadashi the entire time, kept his mind clear and focused, until finally…

"Operation complete… Take the patient to ICU."

I promise, you're gonna be fine.

oooooo

Hiro sighed in relief, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

The hospital garden, wasn't the one in his backyard, but he would take what he could get.

Least for now.

He could hardly wait to get home and get back to work. Standing on his own two feet.

Sure, therapy had been a little rough but he really had gotten lucky.

And now… no more H-1. I left that behind me.

"Hiro?"

He glanced to the side as Tadashi waved to him, joining him where he was.

There was some concern in his eyes, but most of all… relief, that Hiro was, for the most part, back to his old self. He would still need to rest a bit longer post discharge but he would be fine.

"How ya feeling?"

"Great, actually. Not sore, it doesn't hurt to sit up or bend." Hiro grinned. "Ya did perfect."

Tadashi sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness… Though in all honesty, it was like you saved yourself. It was your microbots that repaired your back-"

"Stop."

"H-Huh?"

Hiro's gaze was serious as he squeezed Tadashi's arm.

"You, it was all YOU. You inspired me back then to make the first generation of microbots, then to become a hero, then to work so hard… Tadashi, through and through it was YOU!"

Tadashi was stunned.

Hiro gave him a grin, playfully punching his arm.

"Give yourself credit. You're an amazing doctor and I wouldn't have expected anyone to be able to handle that… or to get me back up to speed. It wasn't just surgery, it was the therapy too… Encouraging me." Hiro frowned a little. "Wish I could've done more for you when you were dealing with it."

Tadashi shook his head, gesturing to the transmitter clipped behind his ear.

"You did plenty Hiro."

"... We just need to give each other credit, don't we?" Hiro chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah." Tadashi sighed in relief, bringing an arm around him. "Just no more heart attacks, okay?"

"Promise." Hiro smiled, side hugging him.

Tadashi smiled, looking up at the sunset that was starting to fall over the hospital grounds.

I was meant to die in fire and pain… Instead, I defied that.

I defied every single expectation, ever since.

My career… My family…

I was never supposed to have any of that.

I guess that's what happens when you rise from the ashes.

The End