[Wotcher, everybody! Nice to see you all again. I am so excited to share my(admittedly hastily written and edited) work with you! Also, I finally figured out the line partition thing(being as awkward and confused as I am), so this should be a little more easy to read than my last one! I hope you enjoy!]

Deep Breath

The first time the Hamada brothers met was in a dimly lit room in San Fransokyo General Hospital. It wasn't an especially pleasant day out, and inside wasn't much better. The hustle and bustle of doctors and nurses mingled with screams were the only soundtrack to the day.

Tadashi's mother had fallen back into unconsciousness, exhaustion taking over, and thus she was incapable of holding her second son.

His father hadn't made it yet, as it had been a rigorous birth, so that little Hiro was born before he made it to the hospital. He was completely alone. Well... Almost.

The doctor wasn't entirely sure what else to do, so he called the six—almost seven—year old boy into the hospital room.

"Come meet your little brother, son."

Tadashi had been waiting for this for months. He had spent a long time as an only child, and while it was fun being your parent's center of attention, it was remarkably lonely. When he had heard that he would be an older brother, he could barely hold in his excitement. He managed to tell everyone at school, everyone he met at the store with his mother, that he was going to make sure he was the best older brother in the world.

Even so, after all of the preparation, Tadashi wasn't entirely sure what to expect when he was handed the small bundle. Crying? Perhaps flailing?

But there was only silence, and the blanket-wrapped child was still. Even at six, he knew that this wasn't normal. He pushed the blanket away from his brother face, watching his chest, then spoke up worriedly.

"Why isn't he breathing?"

Such a simple question, but a much needed one. Truth be told, the doctor hadn't actually noticed, being so focused on the unconscious mother. But as he heard the question, he snapped to attention, confused and panicking. He was sure that the child had been breathing before, but...

He rushed to the young boy's side, and lifted the baby out of his arms, frantically checking for a heartbeat. Tadashi followed him into the room, too focused on his brother to notice the blood. The doctor quickly moved aside the tools on the small counter by the bed, and with one hand, picked up the phone, frantically calling for help. In the meantime, the stricken six year old moved to the doctor's side to look at his still brother. Despite the traumatic experience, he was eerily calm, not even crying.

"Hiro? Come on, Hiro, you have to breathe, for me."

"Breathe."

Hiro took a deep breath.

Aunt Cass hadn't known of Hiro's allergy when she took the boys in. In all fairness, though, neither had they.

Tadashi had been quiet for a while now, but it could only have been expected—he had been very withdrawn after his parent's deaths, barely even speaking to Aunt Cass. He had spent the majority of his breath trying to sooth his little brother when he called out for their mother in the middle of the night.

Of course, Hiro was still the bright little bundle of energy he had always been, being only three and incapable of understanding that his parents weren't going to pick him up from his aunt Cassie's again.

The day had been carefully planned out. Nothing too fancy, just a little outing.

They were to walk to a park close by, and play on the playground for an hour or two, and then have a quick lunch before going to the movies. Nothing too fancy, nothing too boring. It should have been perfect.

Anticipating the large amounts of popcorn that would likely be consumed at the movies, Aunt Cass had decided to make lunch as simple as could be expected—peanut butter sandwiches, slathered in far too much grape jelly, and a bag of carrot sticks. Easy, and generally a favorite among kids.

I may not have picked up any parenting books, Cass thought fondly as she watched the two boys sitting by the nearest tree on her favorite picnic blanket, but I think I've got this down.

And she did, for the most part.

She remained firm in that knowledge, proud, until Hiro started coughing.

"Aunt Cass? I don't... I don't feel so good..." His voice was in the beginnings of a slur—even more so than you would expect from a three year old who had only begun speaking coherently within the last year. Slightly disappointed at the sudden turn of events, she felt her heart sink and sighed. She went to go pack up her picnic blanket in order to take them home, and then... she noticed the red welts beginning to form around his mouth.

"H-Hiro? Are you- Are you okay, honey?"

She glanced quickly at the sandwich she had packed—the one he had just set down—and silently swore to herself. Of course. I should have asked about allergies beforehand... Please don't be serious!

Tadashi's eyes were growing wide as it became evident that his brother was having trouble breathing. "Aunt Cass, I think we need to take Hiro to a hospital..."

"I agree, honey. Come on, we need to get in the car, right now."

They didn't even make it to the car before Aunt Cass was forced to pick the three-year old up, he was shaking so badly.

"Alright. Change of plan. Tadashi, my phone is in my purse. Could you hand it to me? I need to call an ambulance."

Roughly half an hour later, Tadashi was pacing the waiting room, silently cursing the stars for this, so soon after his parents' passing.

Everything seems to be going wrong. Why didn't I know this sooner?! It's my fault, all my fault...

"Tadashi, honey?"

The ten year old looked up to see his worried aunt gazing back at him.

"He's going to be fine, Tadashi."

"No, Aunt Cass, he isn't. This is... This is all my fault." This said, he sniffled and began to cry.

Stricken by the complete and utter hopelessness and seriousness behind this statement, she quickly got up and strode across the room to gather the child in her arms.

"Oh, Tadashi... No, this isn't your fault. I should have asked about allergies before I packed lunch. I've only had you for a few days, and one of you is already in the hospital." Cass held him by his shoulders, pulling away a little to look at him. "If anything, darling, this is my fault."

"If it makes you feel any better, Aunt Cassie, I didn't know either."

Cass smiled soothingly, hugging him again briefly before the door opened.

"I'm looking for the Hamadas?"

Cass quickly stood up straight, letting go of the sobbing ten year old. "Yes, that's us. Is he...?"

The nurse smiled grimly, his eyes not betraying any emotion whatsoever. "You'd better come see for yourself."

Being only ten years old, Tadashi almost had in order to run to keep up with his long-legged aunt. He wouldn't have minded it if he were sprinting, however, his mind wasn't on his pace.

Will he be awake? Please, Hiro, please be alright...

When they finally arrived at his room, Tadashi didn't wait for the nurse to open the door. He burst in himself, greeted by the sight of his three year old brother hooked up to several machines, one monitoring his heart rate, another feeding him oxygen.

"Hiro..."

Time seemed to slow for a couple seconds as the frightened child took in everything—including his brother's lowered breathing rate.

"Hiro?" he crept to his brother's side, taking Hiro's hand in his own.

"Hiro, please, Otouto. Are you...? Hiro, please. Just breathe."

After a few more seconds of silence, Hiro took a deep breath.

Hiro had never been especially popular at school.

He wasn't exactly bullied so much as excluded. Of course, every so often, there had been a few jerks who would try to shove him into a locker, but his brother had taught him defensive tactics, being the way he was and anticipating problems before they arose. Dealing with them had not been that big of an issue. He hadn't even needed to report them—although he had anyways, just to show them that he wasn't anyone to mess around with.

The message had gotten across pretty quickly.

But this approach had cost him—not in a physical or financial sense, but due to the fact that he had gained the reputation of being a 'tattletale', he was generally avoided. He walked home alone, he went to class alone, and lunch was a solitary affair, sitting at a small table by himself, his books spread out across the finished plywood.

No one wants to sit with the tattletale—even if he is grades ahead of where he should be. Most people would find him a valuable resource for homework help, or maybe even just tutoring, but being notorious for not sucking it up and dealing with it(which wasn't entirely fair, but what could you do?), no one wanted to take the chance. Even if he was graduating middle school three years early.

For most people, this would be an incredible accomplishment, and it was. But it would have been far more enjoyable if he had had someone to share this with, and accomplishments aren't things to be kept to yourself.

So now, at only eleven, Hiro stood in front of his brother's high school, accompanied for the first time since first grade.

"You feeling okay, Otouto?"

Shaken out of his melancholy silence, Hiro glanced up at his older brother, who was looking at him concernedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just... I'm a little worried."

Tadashi chuckled. "About what? You're going to do great. Ten bucks says you graduate with me."

"Fifteen. I know I am, Nii-chan. That's not what worries me, though."

The teen raised an eyebrow, confused. "Then what is it?"

"I just..." Hiro felt his breath catching, and he looked directly ahead to keep his brother from seeing. "What if they don't like me?"

"What's not to like?" Tadashi questioned, gently nudging his brother with his elbow. "Besides, I know the people here. They're nice, you'll love it here."

"That's what you said about the last school, 'Dashi."

They had almost reached the doors when Tadashi stopped, and turned to face him. "And I was wrong. I'm sorry about that, Hiro, but it's going to be different this time."

"How can you know that?" Hiro asked quietly, glancing up.

His brother grinned. "Because I'm going to be here with you." Seeing that he still wasn't convinced, Tadashi knelt down next to him.

"Come on, Otouto. It's going to be just fine. I felt the same way when I first walked through these doors."

"No way. You're too composed."

"I was! I was terrified. I thought I was going to lose it," the junior chuckled. "And then I found out that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. You want to know a trick to it, though?"

Hiro looked directly at him, starting to calm down a little. "Okay."

"Just breathe, that's all there is to it. Remember to keep breathing, and if you feel a little overwhelmed, just take a deep breath. Got it?"

Hiro nodded slowly. "...Got it."

Tadashi smiled, and stood up straight. He led Hiro to the main entrance, and opened up the heavy door, gesturing for him to walk through.

"Just remember to breathe."

Okay, Nii-chan.

Hiro took a deep breath, and walked through the doors.

"Come on, Hiro, you're being asked to be the valedictorian! You're not going to get this chance again."

"Tadashi, I'm thirteen. I don't know anything about speeches. What do you expect?"

"You're missing an important point, Hiro. You're also graduating at thirteen. I think someone who manages to cruise through life as you do can manage a simple speech."

The child genius rolled his eyes. "But maybe that's the point. Maybe I don't want to manage a simple speech. I don't cruise through life, either. I've had to work to get where I am, and for once, I'd like a break."

Tadashi let out a small chuckle. "Hiro, you barely have to work for anything, and you know it."

"Point taken, Tadashi, but I still don't want to do the speech."

Tadashi groaned. "Listen, Otouto. You're going to look back on this one day, and wish that you had done the valedictorian speech. I know you think it's stupid, and pointless, and that you deserve a break. And I agree," the teenager said thoughtfully. His younger brother looked up, confused, and Tadashi plowed on. "But you're missing something important here."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, a curious expression making an appearance. "Oh? And what is that?"

"I owe you fifteen dollars after the ceremony," he started, "and I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to get an awesome video of my little brother making a fool of himself on stage in revenge."

Hiro gasped in mock surprise. "You'd try to manipulate your thirteen year old little brother into humiliating himself in public? Just because of a little bet we made three years ago?"

Tadashi laughed. "You do that well enough on your own, little brother."

"I'm no good at public speaking. If it's so important to you, why don't you do it?" Hiro asked indignantly.

Tadashi looked at him for a couple of moments, then sighed. "I agree, you're no good at public speaking. Maybe I should do the speech."

"Thank you, Nii-chan."

"Or maybe I should get you some public speaking lessons," Tadashi mused, then winced as the small high school graduate stomped on his foot in frustration.

Hiro walked up onto the stage, doing his very best not to trip over his graduation gown. It had taken a very long time, but after Tadashi had taken his screwdrivers until he gave out, he had eventually consented to give the valedictorian speech.

He was regretting it already.

He finally made it to the microphone stand—which had been hastily adjusted to accommodate his... vertical disability, as he preferred to call it. The 'second S word', as it was referred to at the Lucky Cat Cafe, was strictly forbidden, but it didn't stop him from being called short outside of the house.

Nervously, he felt himself shrink away from the audio device, beginning to panic.

I can't do this. I'm going to fall off the stage or something equally as dumb.

A wave caught his attention, and he frantically caught onto the form of his older brother, trying to catch his attention. He was mouthing something, and it took only a few seconds for him to make it out.

Breathe.

Taking a few seconds to calm himself down, Hiro took a deep breath.

Hiro knelt at the edge of the botfighting ring, Megabot in hand. He wasn't kidding this time when he had said that it was his first botfight. Of course, he had been through several practice sessions on his own, honing his obliteration skills, but as of yet, he hadn't been up against any actual opponents. Unless, of course, you counted a garbage can in the back alley.

He had settled for an opponent more the size of a beginner. His ego had demanded that he go for the biggest guy in the room, but eventually, his common sense(which sounded irritatingly similar to Tadashi) won, and he started from the bottom. Of course, had he been paying the appropriate attention to his common sense, he wouldn't be in the warehouse in the first place, but he had never really paid attention when Tadashi told him not to do something anyways.

He waited as his opponent, another teenager(obviously older, however), confidently produced his bot—a clunky machine that looked more pot than art.

The second the match started and the PotBot sparked to life, Hiro knew that he'd win this match without a hitch.

The matches flew by in a whir, bot after bot turning from heaps of barely put-together junk to heaps of not put-together junk.

As Hiro leaped from match to match, he began to notice the bots were beginning to resemble actual machines instead of parts put together by a six year old.

That is, a normal six-year old.

Hiro had made better bots before he even turned five.

Eventually, he reached the best botfighter in the room—the man he had originally targeted—with a bright smile on his face. He couldn't...no, he could believe his luck.

Tadashi had been right, he tended to cruise through life, and these botfights were no exception. Hiro finally stopped, patiently watching his target from the shadows until he finished the current match.

His previous opponents had been comparably lacking in any skill and finesse whatsoever, preferring to run in blindly, flailing their saws or whatever else it was that they had attached to their appendages. This man wasn't much different, the only noticeable difference being that he was more confident and had more spikes on the saws.

The man grinned, taking the money from the pot, and called out to the crowd. "Who's next?"

Hiro felt a smirk cross his face, disappearing and being replaced by a (faked) vulnerable and hesitant expression as he stepped forward.

"M-may I try?"

The usual response followed—a round of laughter, several dismissals, only to be silenced as he produced a sizable amount of cash. Finally, Hiro was ushered to the edge of the ring, where he sat, cross-legged, pulling Megabot out of his pocket and setting it on the floor.

The man glowered at him meaningfully, flicking a switch as his robot sparked to life. He cracked his neck, and smirked as the announcer announced the beginning of the match.

Breathe.

Just before he completely demolished his unfortunate opponent's bot, Hiro took a deep breath.

Nervous, Hiro stiffened as he heard his name called. Instinctively, he looked to his older brother.

Tadashi smiled a little. "You'll be fine, Otouto. You've been working for this."

"I know, but..."

"Hey. It's just public speaking. You've done this before."

Hiro let out a shaky breath, forcing a smile to cross his face—a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yes, but I've never had my entire future placed on my shoulders like this."

"Don't think about it like that. Just... imagine you're showing it to me."

Hiro shook his head, letting out a small, forced chuckle. "That won't work, Nii-chan. I've already showed it to you."

Tadashi let out a long breath of exasperation. "Well, then use that big brain of yours and imagine that you haven't."

Hiro's name was called once more, and, forcing himself not to look too scared, he stepped onto the stage. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his steps were shaky. When he finally reached the microphone, it took a couple seconds for him to realize that it was way too high for him, and there was no way that he would be able to speak into it.

The next few seconds were spent lowering the microphone, and he took a step forward.

"I... I'm HiII-" he winced as the speakers squealed, and took an involuntary step away. In that step, his composure snapped.

What if I do something wrong? What if Professor Callaghan isn't impressed? What if...

"Hiro."

He turned his head, pushing his panic back for a couple seconds to glance at his brother, who was doing his best to communicate something to him via lip reading.

Breathe.

Hiro closed his eyes, feeling the fear rise up inside, him, and, forcing himself to remember, took several seconds to steady his heart rate, and took a step forward.

Before introducing himself, Hiro took a deep breath.

"You did it!"

Tadashi watched his younger brother with pride as his friends carried him out on their shoulders. It was almost too much. Hiro had seemed so terrified before giving his presentation, but Tadashi had been, if anything, even more so.

What if he trips up? What if Professor Callaghan doesn't notice? What if he passes out or something dumb? He would never forgive himself for that. I knew I should have given him some public speaking ...

Then, in the midst of his panic, he saw how scared Hiro was, and he forced his fear down for a few moments to communicate to Hiro that he had to breathe. Hiro didn't seem to notice for a couple seconds.

Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath... and nailed it.

And Tadashi couldn't be prouder. He took a few rushed steps forward to help his little brother off of Wasabi's shoulders, then grinned, almost swelling with relief.
"Hey guys, we'll meet up with you at the cafe."

"Don't stay too long!"

Wordlessly, Tadashi gestured to the stone wall beside the convention hall. Understanding, Hiro followed him, leaning against the 'second S word' structure.

"Let me guess," Hiro began, chuckling. "You want to tell me how proud you are that I'm finally using my big brain for something other than botfighting?"

"No, no," Tadashi said, smiling, deciding to crack a joke to ease the tension. "I just wanted to let you know that your fly was down the entire time."

"Ha, ha," Hiro replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and shifting just enough to face him. There were a few seconds of amused silence, during which Hiro had the good sense to glance down.

"What?! Why didn't you say something?!"

Tadashi almost choked on his laughter—he hadn't actually been aware of this small wardrobe malfunction(otherwise he would have made a point to let him know beforehand), and he most certainly hadn't expected his little 'joke' to actually result in his little brother turning scarlet.

Of course, Hiro didn't realize this, and so (not)lightly punched him in the shoulder.

Forcing back his laughter and settling for an amused grin, he glanced sideways at his flushed companion.

"Welcome to Nerd School, Otouto."

The crimson slowly began to disappear as a shaky smile of relief and euphoria crossed Hiro's face. "Thanks."

In that moment, the sirens began to go off. Due to fourteen years as Hiro's older brother, Tadashi had remarkably quick reflexes as well as a sort of sixth sense for danger, and it was drawing him towards the convention center.

Hiro was, to say it frankly, short. He knew this. Everyone knew this. He just didn't like to have it pointed out.

That said, being a former botfighter(and thus spending more time than he should have running from hustled gangsters), he had no trouble keeping up with his older brother as they ran for the Convention Center. He didn't know what to expect, maybe a robot gone haywire, or a chemical fog, but what he hadn't expected(which was surprising, as he was generally known for expecting the unexpected) was the entire Convention Center engulfed in flames.

It seemed almost impossible that such a large fire could have been started in a matter of a few minutes. Already, he could see the supports beginning to crumble as the flames grew higher. People were fleeing the building in masses, terrified and coughing. Faltering only for a second, he hastily caught up to his older brother, who was helping a young woman off of the ground several feet from the main entrance.

"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked worriedly. "Is everyone out?"

"I...I'm fine-" The woman coughed for several seconds, and after regaining her breath, managed to stammer: "But Professor Callaghan is still in there!"

The college student looked at the building, and in that second, Hiro knew exactly what Tadashi was about to do. Before he could speak up, though, his Nii-chan carefully helped the woman away from the fire, and ran towards the building.

No.

"Tadashi, no!" Hiro barely managed to grab his brother's arm before he could run headfirst into the flames. His eyes grew wide with unspoken terror. Please, you can't-

Tadashi turned to look at his younger brother, and forcing himself not to look at him for any longer, replied simply "Someone's got to help," before he could change his mind.

With that, he tore away from his little brother, who was only able to stand there numbly as he ran into the flames. Shaking off his confusion, Hiro began to run after him...

And was thrown back onto the ground from the explosion.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Every time, every plea that his brother had made for him to calm down had always been preceded by the same moments, the same sick feeling that he had to force down to comply. The same heartbeat. The fear was rising up in his chest, making him want to double over and just give up. But always, he had kept it holed up inside. For his Nii-chan.

It had been easy at the time. Just hold on just a little longer, look at your brother. He's gone through worse. You've gone through worse.

It's going to be fine! You can do this, please. Focus on your heartbeat.

"Come on, Hiro."

Do not think about the explosion. Do not think about the fire.

"Please, Hiro, just..."

Do not think about the future. Do not think about the school. Do not think about... Do no think about...

"You'll do just fine. All you have to do..."

He isn't coming back. He ran into that fire, and the building exploded, and he isn't coming back.

"Otouto, you don't have to worry. Just..."

I can't.

Please, Tadashi, I'm sorry.

I...

"Hiro."

Focus on your heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

Heart. Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

"Breathe, Hiro."

...I'm sorry.

...I'm so sorry, Tadashi. I can't do it without you. I can't breathe... The smoke... why does it hurt so much?! Where are you?!

"Please, Hiro, for me."

"Breathe."

...I can't.

It had only been a little while since the fire. The wounds that Hiro was sporting on his arms from the explosion were still fresh, still painful.

The wounds that Hiro had in his heart were even more so.

It had happened too quickly. He hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye when Tadashi was alive, expecting him to be back in a few seconds.

Then, suddenly, he was being expected to stand at a graveside. He wasn't saying goodbye to his brother's remains, just an urn of the building's ashes. They had never even found a body.

It had been relatively short, thank God. Hiro had managed to keep everything shoved into a deep, dark closet inside until he could get home. Aunt Cass had catered. It could have been nice, really, if it weren't for one simple thing missing.

"Hiro, honey, would you like to come join us?"

"Actually, Aunt Cass, I'm feeling really tired. Can I go upstairs?"

After coming home, he hadn't even been able to look at anyone. It was too crowded, too suffocating. Not that he had cared too much about that, but it was the seemingly simple apathy that some of them had.

"He was an amazing friend."

"He could have changed the world."

"He was a genius, he could have done so much more."

As if the only worth Tadashi had was what he did, could have done.

They didn't really care. Sure, they felt sad for the lost potential. Of course they missed him, but they would move on. Life always moves on after death. It has to. They'd find someone else to fill that void. They had several friends, they would find solace.

But Hiro only had one older brother.

"He isn't really gone, you know. He's still here, as long as we remember him."

It was easy to say that. It was so, so easy to try and comfort a damaged soul by simply denying that the damage had ever happened. Especially if that damaged soul was a child.

But Hiro wasn't as gullible as everyone thought. No, Tadashi wasn't here. He knew that. The first time his family was cut in half, he was too young to understand. He had still kept his bright and energetic demeanor. Just so long as Nii-chan was there to keep him company, he didn't have to worry about anything. Besides, Aunt Cass was fun.

This was no longer the case.

Cass had been quiet ever since the fire. Sometimes, in the rare occasion that he'd come downstairs to grab a glass of water, or to take an Advil for a headache, he'd hear her standing at the cash register, her bright smile on for the public. But anyone who knew her had enough sense to see how hollow she felt inside.

I know better than to blame myself, he'd think as soon as he came back upstairs.

I couldn't have stopped him. I couldn't have saved him. Could I? Perhaps, though, if...

Lying was always something that he had been very skilled at. Originally, it had been to keep Cass' worry from following him every time he went out. Botfighting wasn't exactly something most aunts would approve of.

But now, that skill was directed at little white lies to keep everyone from trying to help.

"I'm fine."

"Yes, I've eaten."

"No, I didn't have any nightmares. Why do you ask?"

"Honey, we're worried about you."

Hiro was jolted from his thoughts by his aunt's voice at the door. Aunt Cass sounded concerned, but the hollow feeling was still there. It was only a matter of time before she gave in again.

"You don't have to be."

"Your friends are waiting for you downstairs."

They were never my friends. I was included, yes, and the affection was there, but they were never mine. They are... They were... Tadashi's friends. I don't have friends.

"I'm feeling kind of tired right now. Would you mind if I stayed in?"

There was silence, and when Cass finally replied, her voice was a little shaky. "O-Okay, Hiro. Just remember that we're here for you."

"I know, Aunt Cass," Hiro replied numbly. "I'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay, honey."

What neither of them said, though, was that he most definitely would not talk about it later. It was the same conversation, over and over.

They both knew that the excuses would wear out sooner or later, but for the time being, what they needed—well, what Cass needed, at any rate, although they didn't say it—was time.

Hiro shakily stood up, pushing away from his desk, to go and look in the mirror. He was wearing his best blazer, something that Cass had chosen while he was, for once, asleep. He hadn't bothered to even run a comb through his hair, knowing that the wind outside would just make it worse than it had been in the first place, and opted to keep it a tangled wreck. It wasn't as if he was going to be attending the small gathering afterwards, anyways.

He could hear the hushed voices of Tadashi's friends just downstairs, asking whether Cass needed anything, offering their condolences, and trying to stay professional, but every so often, he was certain that he heard Wasabi break down. They stayed the longest, helping to clean up afterwards, while Hiro remained upstairs, isolated.

Hiro's eyes had barely flickered to the empty bed on the other side of the room, but it was enough. He took a few shaky breaths, closed his eyes, and moved to go and slide the rice-paper partition to block it from his view.

It was hard enough without the sight, what with the pressure behind his eyes where his brother's face should have been.

It was too difficult to have to see the empty room every day. It only made the absence even more solid and painful than it was already.

You need to go and talk to them. The nagging voice—the one that used to sound just like his older brother until he was violently ripped out—had been more persistent lately, insisting that he go talk about it, that he speak to Aunt Cass, his friends, anyone about it.

Sighing, Hiro sat down on the floor next to the partition, and held his head in his hands.

Why bother? They're almost done, anyways.

You could join them. You still have a while before they leave.

But what would be the point? I don't want to see them.

You do, though. You're just afraid that you'll break down again.

Indignant, Hiro forced himself to get up from his place on the floor—how he had gotten there was a mystery to him—and walked to the door with a new resolve.

I'm not afraid of breaking down. I'm braver than that. Besides, I've had experience with that. Tadashi always said that I just have to remember to...

To...

"Breathe, Hiro."

And the resolve vanished. Along with it went his composure as he slid down the wall next to the door, silent tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry, Nii-chan. I can't. I can't breathe without you."

It had been five months since the funeral. It had been roughly three to four months since Hiro's last breakdown, when he saw his brother for the last time on Baymax's screen.

Callaghan had been put in jail a while ago, and an energetic and very pleased Hiro was engaging in one of his new hobbies—walking.

Not just walking around the block every so often, or strolling to the store to pick up groceries for Aunt Cass(which happened more and more often now that he had turned fifteen), but on days like this, with the rain rolling in and the smell of dust in the air, he would spend hours simply walking down the streets of San Fransokyo, visiting his old haunts.

I used to botfight there, once. Tadashi figured out where I was hiding, though, so I had to find a new spot. He still found me. Probably due to the trackers that he thought I didn't know about.

He let out a soft chuckle, and ran a fingertip along a gash in the brick wall. Those were the times. Less world-saving, more getting in trouble.

You've been getting so responsible lately, Hiro. It's sickening.

As funny as it was, though, it was the truth. He hadn't gambled on a botfight for... was it a year now? Anyhow, he'd had a few close calls after Tadashi had passed, but he'd been clean since then. A small part of his brain found it revolting, but for the most part, he found something akin to happiness while donning his armor.

He was still in the process of completely fixing Baymax—the chip had sustained minor damage while flying out of the portal, which resulted in a few mis-diagnoses, which had caused a panic...Especially when Baymax misinformed GoGo that she was a mother.

They had all laughed afterwards, but the furious look that she would give when you brought it up now was enough to burn a hole in your head. The topic was now forbidden.
At least, when she was around.

Anyways, he had spent much of his time perfecting the chip that Tadashi had placed in the balloon-esque man, and, occasionally, like his late brother, he'd find himself thinking that this was going to help a lot of people.

Which was bound to be true, of course, given his track record.

At last, Hiro reached his final destination—San Fransokyo General Hospital, where it had all begun. Smiling, he stepped through the doors, as he had done so many times before in the passing months. He walked up several flights of stairs, then self-consciously stood as straight and tall as he could when he reached the reception desk on the fifth floor.

"Hello, Nancy," he said with a kind smile.

"Well, if it isn't Hiro. How are you doing?" the receptionist replied with equal warmth and familiarity.

"I'm doing great. It's alright if I go see Abigail, right?"

"Of course. I'll just let her know that you're coming."

As the receptionist left her post for a few seconds, to inform the younger Callaghan, Hiro strode to one of the chairs opposite the desk, and picked up a magazine. He winced a little when he read a headline about the town's newest superheroes, and quietly set it down again. While he enjoyed being in the spotlight every so often, too much publicity was never a good thing—especially when you don't want your aunt discovering about your heroic activities.

"She's ready to see you."

Hiro glanced up at the nurse, and smiled again. "Thanks." He eased out of the chair, wincing again at the magazine cover, and slowly followed the signs until he reached room 394.

He went to open the door, and was halfway through, stepping into the room when-

"Hiro!"

He quickly turned to see Nancy running down the hallway, stumbling over her own feet.

"Hiro, I'm sorry," she gasped, her hand on her chest as her breath caught up with her. "I forgot to tell you—Abigail's been moved to another room. It entirely slipped my mind."

Sheepishly, Hiro forced himself not to laugh, and went to close the door, when he managed to get a glance at the sleeping patient and froze.

"They had to move a coma patient in here, and she volunteered to move to a different ward. I was going to tell you, but..."

Is that...?

"Hiro? What is it?"

The college student didn't respond for a couple seconds, then muttered something incomprehensible and carefully sat down at the patient's side.

"...Do you know him? He was brought in some five or six months ago," Nancy explained, a curious expression flitting across her face. "He's been treated for burns, but he was recently thought to be well enough to be moved. We don't know who he is."

"...Tadashi?"

Nancy fell silent as she watched him move his hand to clutch the patient's, and a light dawned in her mind. Being familiar with Hiro's late... or perhaps not... brother, she took a step back, watching as the fifteen-year old focused on the man's chest.

...He's...

Tadashi is here.

Hiro, focus on your heartbeat.

Please, Tadashi, please.

For me.

...Nii-chan.

...Breathe.

In a few weeks, the young man would awaken to find a tearful college student and marshmallow robot standing over him, with several people standing outside, waiting for news.

Perhaps he would promise that he'd never leave his otouto alone ever again, and perhaps they'd go home to a certain cafe on a street-corner in downtown San Fransokyo.

But for the time being, he wasn't able to do any of that. He wasn't able to reply to him with his signature lopsided grin, or squeeze his hand in return, but what he did was enough to assure his younger brother for the moment that, in time, he would.

Just before Hiro burst into tears, Tadashi took a deep breath.

[And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review or something so that I know what I need to work on! Ciao!]