Disclaimer: All characters of Heroes and the dialogue from episodes belong exclusively to Trim Kring and its creators and NBC. I'm not making any money off of this at all.
Summary: Hiro is the latest addition to the Sullivan carnival, but what happens when Hiro discovers his past nemesis is also a family member. . .and remembers nothing about him.
Note: This takes place before the episode "Shadowboxing" and almost immediately after "Once Upon a Time in Texas," and it contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the latter episode. If you haven't seen that episode yet, you might want to first, or you'll probably be lost. Since this was written prior to the airing of "Shadowboxing", this piece will obviously become AU real fast (readers will already have to do some light mental gymnastics if they want to squeeze this into canon). I'm hoping to expand this idea into a series, but right now, this can remain a stand alone. Enjoy.
Once Upon a Time in Queens
Hiro Nakamura blinked groggily at the sunlight that filtered into the darkness. He pushed himself up from the cot he had been laying in and held his throbbing head in his hands. The sounds of rides and laughter of a carnival were muted outside. Hiro fell back on the cot with a groan. So it wasn't all a dream after all. It was all painfully real.
There was a knock on a door. Hiro sat up and tried to smooth out the wrinkles that had formed on the clothes he had slept in. He opened the door and almost slammed it back closed. Only years of training by his parents on the importance of manners kept Hiro in check as the Butterfly Man stepped inside the trailer.
"Morning, Hiro. Sleep well?" Hiro refused to answer. There was only so much courtesy he could show a villain in one day, and it was already used up." I just wanted to stop by to check on you. . .see how you were doing."
"How do you think I feel?" Hiro said bitterly. The carney sighed and ran his fingers through his scalp.
"You're still angry. That's understandable. I would be too if I was in your shoes. Well, I won't disturb you too much longer, but Hiro, . . . you can't hide in here forever," the man chided him as if Hiro were a young child.
"A hero doesn't hide from anyone! Especially not you!" Hiro stuck out his chin in defiance before turning to leave the trailer.
"I know nothing I say will change your opinion of me, but I just wanted to thank you, Hiro." The evil Butterfly Man gently put a hand on Hiro's shoulder.
"Don't thank me yet." Hiro said as he jerked away from the man "I'm not doing anything as a favor for you."
"I understand, Hiro, but I still want to thank you. I still have need of your talents very soon, but in the meantime, why not rest? Come. Join us for breakfast."
"I'm not hungry." Hiro said stubbornly. The carney shrugged.
"Well, you can sit here and sulk if you wish, but you won't save your Charlie by starving yourself to death. You need to keep up your strength. . .especially in your condition," he said tapping at his head, reminding Hiro of the deadly tumor growing there. As much as Hiro hated the man, hated him for manipulating him, lying to him, and kidnaping Charlie, the Butterfly Man had a point. Hiro's stomach growled in agreement. How annoying.
"Very well," Hiro relented, still angry and untrusting. Hiro resisted the urge to punch the man in the face when he clapped Hiro on the back like they were old pals.
"Thatta boy. You're in luck. I think we're having blueberry waffles this morning." The carney stood up and walked toward a group of trailers.
Hiro dragged his feet, trying to put as much distance between himself and the evil Butterfly Man as possible. The tables were crowded with all sorts of people, chairs and benches. Hiro sat himself in the farthest available seat on one of the benches, and he took the nearest plate.
"Excuse me, you mind scooting over a little?" Hiro made some room on the bench and nearly jumped out of his own skin when he saw who sat next to him.
Sylar
The Brain Man
No. . .It couldn't be. . .not him! Anyone but him! He was dead! Hiro had watched his corpse burn to ashes on a pyre. How could he still be alive?!
"Mmm, this smells good." Sylar took a deep inhale, grabbed a plate and helped himself to a generous portion of waffles. He eagerly cut into one and began chewing. He swallowed and then turned his head to the man sitting on his left. "Could you pass the syrup?"
Hiro's eyes were glued to his lap, hoping to avoid making eye contact with the killer. He blindly reached out to grope for the syrup container on the table.
"Nevermind," Sylar scowled as he saw Hiro kept missing the jar he wasn't even looking at. Sylar leaned over to grab the dispenser, and a blur snatched the syrup jar off the table.
"Gotta be quicker than that!" A beared carney snickered. Hiro flinched at what he was sure was going to be a quick bloodbath.
"I was reaching for that. There was another jar right next to you." Sylar pointed out, with some annoyance.
"Well, I'm using this one. You can have it when I'm done." The carney smiled nastily. Sylar's eyes narrowed. He flicked his fingers, and the jar flew out of the other man's hands and into Sylar's own.
"You're done." Sylar smirked and began pouring.
"You did that on purpose, you bastard! And is that my hat you're wearing?" The man in a flash reached across the table to snatch off the porkpie hat Sylar had been wearing right off his head.
"Oh grow up, Edgar," A blond tattooed woman chastised as she gave herself a helping. "I got you that hat for your birthday three years ago and you never wore it once." She grabbed the hat out of Edgar's grasp and handed it back to Sylar.
"Thank you, Lydia." He put it back on and directed a smug smile at Edgar, who just muttered angrily to himself as he stabbed at the sausages on his plate. "So. . .you new here?" Sylar asked between a mouthful of waffle. "I know I haven't been here long, but I don't think I've even seen you anywhere in the carnival before."
Hiro nonchalantly turned his head away as he tried to think of an excuse-any excuse- to leave before he was recognized. Why on earth did Sylar feel the urge to make small talk?
"He's helping Samuel with a secret project." Lydia volunteered. Sylar seemed intrigued and turned towards Hiro, hoping the man would offer some details.
"Really? Sounds mysterious. What is it exactly that you do?"
"What part of 'secret' did you not understand?" Lydia teased as she playfully pulled Sylar's hat over his eyes.
"Can't a guy be curious?" Sylar smiled as he readjusted his cap. "Well, can I at least know your name, or is that classified information, too?"
"Hiro," he said and instantly wished he hadn't as Sylar's head snapped up at the sound of the name.
"Hiro. . ."Sylar let the name roll out, analyzing it. "I think I knew someone named Hiro. The name certainly rings a bell."
"Yes,. . . well,. . . it is a very popular name nowadays," Hiro lied as he stood to get up, leaving his plate untouched as he walked away. Sylar watched the man leave in haste. What a weird fellow. Then again, most people who ended up at Samuel's carnival tended to be. Sylar shrugged to himself and continued eating his breakfast.
***
Hiro walked carefully to the back of the trailers. Somehow he doubted Sylar would still be hanging around there all this time, but Hiro had to make sure. He still berated himself for his cowardice earlier that morning and even more so when he had traveled back to Texas. He should have ignored the Butterfly Man's warnings about the need to preserve history; Hiro should have rid the world of Sylar when he had the chance, back when the killer was still relatively weak and vulnerable. Even in Hiro's debilitated condition, Hiro still had the upper hand. Now it looked like Sylar's dream of becoming immortal had truly been granted. Perhaps that was Hiro's doing as well. Had his prophesy of the man's future death convinced the Sylar of the past to look for a different power? One that not only made him near impossible to kill, but also one that would guarantee Sylar would never die?
Well, Sylar was here now, clearly feigning friendship with these people, biding his time until he could feast on the multiple abilities that were laid out before him. As much as Hiro despised the Butterfly Man, the people who the carney surrounded himself with were innocent. They didn't deserve to be butchered as they would be by the Brain Man.
As distasteful and horrible taking any life was, Hiro knew we was going to have to make the same decision yet again. To protect these people from Sylar's wrath, his time Hiro would not fail to end Sylar once and for all. But the main questioned still remained. . .how could Hiro defeat a man who seemed to have gained the ability to rise from the dead?!
Perhaps he could think of a solution after he put some food in his belly. He was starving and his stomach was violently protesting his early departure that morning. The tables appeared deserted now, but maybe there were some leftovers stored somewhere.
"Kitchen is closed. If you were hungry you should have stayed for breakfast." Hiro felt the blood drain from his face at the sound of the chilling voice behind him.
"S-sorry to disturb you. I won't trouble you anymore, I'll just be on my way and-" He tried to leave only to have Sylar move to stand between Hiro and his escape, blocking him off from the only exit.
"Hey, what's your hurry? You've refused to look at anyone this morning. You come here and then try to leave the minute I show up. I don't know what it's like where you used to live, but frankly, I find that incredibly rude." Sylar's frowned angrily down at Hiro, but upon seeing the shorter man's obvious terror, his face softened. "Is something wrong?" Sylar stared at Hiro questioningly.
Hiro wished he hadn't spent so much energy last night. He still hadn't fully recovered and was in no shape to defend himself. If only he wasn't so exhausted. . .if only he didn't have such a splitting migraine, or just had some more control over his power. . .Hiro could have froze time just long enough to escape. . .or dump Sylar's frozen body into the nearest lake. Instead Hiro tried to stall for time, hoping the killer would let him go on his way.
"N-no, nonono. . .nothing's wrong," Hiro stuttered, trying to make a hasty retreat. There was a quizzical expression on Sylar's face.
"Do. . .Do I know you? You look. . .familiar. . .I feel like we met before. . ."
"You must be thinking of someone else," Hiro insisted. Sylar shook his head.
"No, I remember now. We met at a diner. . .you called me something, what was it. . .? Flying Man?" Hiro paused, confused. Why would Sylar think he was the Flying Man?
"Flying Man? No, Nathan Petrelli is Flying Man. He's a very important politician. A senator."
Sylar furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of that name. Nathan Petrelli. . .yes that name certainly rang true in Sylar's head. It felt right. . .but Samuel told him that the memories he was experiencing weren't his. They were the memories of different person. . .someone else's life. Sylar shook his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry. . .I just keep having these memories. Memories that aren't mine. It's hard sometimes to tell which are mine and which aren't. I still have trouble sorting them out."
Hiro studied Sylar. Something wasn't right. The old Sylar wouldn't have hesitated in at least trying to steal Hiro's power, especially when he was obviously defenseless against the psychopath. This Sylar wasn't acting anything like the power hungry maniac who hunted innocent people and slaughtered them like animals. He was acting more like. . .like the sad lost man Hiro had watched through a window years ago. Could Sylar have decided to change his ways after all? But it still didn't explain why he wasn't dead. . .or why Sylar didn't seem to remember anything about Hiro.
"What happened to you?" Hiro asked warily. Sylar shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. I don't remember much of anything to tell you the truth. Samuel just found me running one night. He brought me here and made me a member of his family.
"Samuel?" Hiro quirked his head in confusion.
"Yeah, . . you know. . .the guy you were just with the other night. He runs everything here."
"Butterfly Man." Hiro scowled at the mention of the man who betrayed him.
"Excuse me?" Sylar was clearly unfamiliar with Hiro's nickname for the carnival's ringleader.
"Samuel. He is a very bad man! He doesn't care for anyone but himself! He lies and tricks people for his own ends." Judging by the face Sylar made, Hiro could tell the man didn't believe him.
"How can you say that? He saved my life. He's helping all these people. He's helping me. He's going to help me heal. . .make me become a better person."
"Better person?" Hiro couldn't believe that Samuel would want to having anything to do with helping people, at least not without some kind of ulterior motive.
"You may not believe it, but. . .I've done a lot of horrible things. . .monstrous things."
"I can believe it." Hiro muttered ironically to himself, not particularly caring if Sylar overheard him.
"I still have trouble believing it myself. I feel like. . .like I'm a stranger in my own body sometimes. Like when I remember the people I've killed, I'm actually watching someone else commit those crimes. That I'm not really this demon everyone tells me I am. Sounds crazy, I know."
"You wish forgiveness," Hiro realized with surprise.
"Yes. Very much. That's what Samuel and his family are giving me here. He knows who I was and has taken me in anyway. He's giving me another chance. . . redemption. . . acceptance."
"Samuel can't offer you what you want. Not without a price."
"I'm willing to pay any price. It's the least I can do after I-. . ." Sylar couldn't even muster the strength to finish the nauseating thought.
Hiro let the weight behind those words sink in. The Brain Man that Hiro had fought had murdered to collect abilities so he could become strong and powerful. . . feared and respected. Sylar was dangerous to be sure, but surprisingly simple to understand.
Samuel, however, was a whole different animal all together. Hiro could not be sure what his motives were, if he had any; Hiro only knew that Samuel was willing to do anything for his own gains, whatever they were. Samuel would lie, cheat, kidnap, destroy lives, perhaps even kill, or send others to do his bidding. He already seemed to be amassing an army of gifted people who were already following him, and now, it seemed, he had added Sylar to his vast collection: A Sylar who was willing to do anything the evil Butterfly Man wished. That could only spell doom and disaster for the world.
"You don't need Samuel's forgiveness to find redemption. You can choose to stop being the Brain Man anytime you want." Sylar chuckled at Hiro's statement. Not exactly the reaction Hiro was expecting.
"Brain Man? Butterfly Man? Flying Man? Do you give everyone you meet a personalized moniker, or is that honor reserved for only a select few?"
Hiro blushed.
"Never mind that. The point is that you can be a good man if you want. No one else, not even Samuel, can make that choice for you. It is your path and yours alone. You just have to decide whether you want to walk it. "
"You sound like a fortune cookie," Sylar said smirking.
"Trust me. I know what I'm talking about," Hiro insisted.
"How do you know?"
"Because. . .I have seen you try before."
"You have? When? How?" All those questions spilled out rapidly.
Hiro wondered if he would be violating some kind of time-travel rule by telling the amnesiac Brain Man how they first met. Well, he had already defied the laws of space and time before, on numerous occasions. Perhaps. . .perhaps if Hiro could make this new, seemingly reformed Sylar trust him. . .maybe he'd be willing to help Hiro deal with Samuel. . . maybe even help him rescue Charlie. He had to try.
Besides, the longer Sylar stayed here, the higher the chances that Samuel would ask his new family member to wreak some sort of havoc and destruction on the unsuspecting population. Why else would anyone want Sylar hanging around them, knowing how dangerous he was?
Hiro took a deep breath.
"Years ago. . .when I watched you visit your mother." Hiro remembered his younger self watching through that window of an apartment in Queens. Sylar had been a younger man at the time, too, decked in a sweater, tie and glasses which only helped to make him look the part of a confused little boy wanting comfort and reassurance from his mother. "You were afraid that you would blow up an entire city. You didn't want that to happen. You wanted forgiveness then. To be told that you didn't have to do bad things."
"I'm guessing it didn't end well," Sylar spoke softly. Hiro shook his head.
"No,. . . no it didn't." Hiro recalled the knot that twisted in his stomach that night as he had watched Gabriel bang on his mother's door . . .begging, pleading, and at one point even crying for his mother for her acceptance, love and forgiveness. It reminded Hiro how his own father had treated him similarly, though not nearly so cruelly. Parents had an uncanny talent for making their children feel incredibly insignificant when they failed to live up to expectations. His younger self had felt a strange empathy for Gabriel's plight that night.
"The police. . .they told me I killed her. My own mother. . ." Sylar sank to the ground in shame.
"I'm sorry. I know it does not erase the pain of losing a mother, . . .but from what I saw. . .you didn't kill her on purpose. You both were fighting, and she pulled out some scissors. It was an accident. A horrible accident, yes, but still. . .an accident."
"You're right. It doesn't erase the pain. Not by a long shot," Sylar said bitterly.
"But the fact that you tried. It shows you have the will. You have a power, one that you didn't steal or kill for, and you did good things with it. . .Can still do."
"What do you mean?" Sylar finally looked up at Hiro.
"You fix things! I've seen it! You know how things work and can fix them if they are broken." Hiro sank down to kneel next to the other man. "My love, Charlie. . .she was dying . . .she had a blood clot in her brain that ruptured. You used your power to remove it. You saved her life! So you see, you can use your powers for good! You can be a hero instead of a villain!" Hiro clapped Sylar's shoulder. Sylar took the offered hand, grateful for the confidence in him. His fingers brushed Hiro's sleeve.
*
Flash
Hiro was pinned to a bus, dangling several feet off the ground. A dark man in a black baseball cap and black coat glared up at him.
"You?! Who are you? I was just in a diner and then. . .what did you do to me? What do you want?!"
"You said you could fix things. I need you to fix Charlie. You told her you understand how to fix things that are broken. . .she's dying."
The dark man snorted.
"You're dying first!"
Flash
"I have something you want," Hiro taunted the man as he followed Hiro into an alley
"Yeah! Your power!" The man in the black coat snarled. The world froze and Hiro ran behind him. A wall of posters slashed into pieces. "How are you able to do that?"
"I am the master of time and space. But right now, I'm freezing time."
"Well, that must get tiring. I can do this all day. Can you?" Another time freeze and shift. The man in the black hat turned around once more.
"If you kill me, you'll never learn what I know about the future. . .your future. . .your life. . .and death. . .I will tell you everything I know, if you will help me save Charlie."
"You're dying too, aren't you." It was a statement not a question. The man in black examined Hiro, who was panting in exhaustion."A tumor huh?"
Flash
They were in a storage room. . .alone. The man walked around Hiro and Charlie, studying them intently.
"You might want to stay still for this." He lifted his hand.
A scared looking red-headed girl spoke in Japanese. Hiro held the girl's head still as the man operated. There was a click of something snapping in Charlie's head, and a drop of blood ran down her eye. The two lovers hugged, clutching each other as if afraid that if they ever let go, they would never see each other again.
Flash
"Yes. . .I will tell you how you die." Hiro began sadly, the dark man watched him intently, hungry for the knowledge he was about to receive. "You die alone. I'm sorry."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The man whispered threateningly, clearly expecting something more valuable than a vague prophesy.
"It means that you will collect a lot of powers. You'll kill many people. You'll become strong. . .the strongest of them all, but in the end, it won't make any difference. We all gather to stop you, you alone. No one will mourn your death. No one will shed a tear. No one." The man's face faltered with every sentence Hiro spoke
*
Sylar gasped for a breath, his chest aching as if he had been held underwater for too long a time. A strong hand slapped Sylar's back several times, attempting to ease his coughing fit.
All those images. . .they were memories. . .though he wasn't sure who they belonged to since they were all so unfamiliar to him. They had erupted into his brain so quickly, like a film on fast forward, yet Sylar knew everything that was said and done as if he had witnessed them all personally. He recognized Hiro, wearing the same clothes in the memories as he had on now. The dark man in the black hat and coat. . .that man was Sylar himself.
". . .I think I remember that. . .yeah, I recall seeing that. Strange. . .I wonder why I didn't remember that until now. I was still a murderer back then. . .You are a time traveler! I remember you now!" Sylar's initial excitement quickly faded. "You told me I was going to die. . .alone . . .unmourned. . ."
"Yes, well, about that. . .the thing is you see-"
"Is it still true?" Sylar interrupted, fear and dread for an inevitable future creeping into his voice. "Am I? Does that mean I'm going to turn back into a monster?!"
"As far as I knew, when I said that, I thought you were already dead. I watched as your body was burned."
"Then you're from the future? Is there any way I can change what will happen? Please tell me!" Sylar, still sitting desperately grabbed at Hiro's shirt, willing the man to assure him that his future wasn't set in stone.
"No, no I'm not from the future. I'm from this time. I don't know why you're not dead unless. . .unless somehow I changed the future when I traveled back to tell you that. That's the only logical explanation."
Sylar finally let go.
"I hope you're right. I don't like the idea of dying. . .like that." The two were silent for a moment. Sylar must have been eager to change the topic, as he began bring up Samuel again. "So, time-travel, huh? You must be the one Samuel's been talking about."
"He told you about me?"
"Not really. He talks about stuff to Lydia when he thinks no one else is around. He's been talking to her about getting a replacement time traveler for a while now."
"I am not a replacement anything!" Hiro insisted angrily, repulsed at the idea that Samuel might try to keep him here indefinitely. "I'm not staying here! I am just here until I can get Charlie back!"
"Why? What happened to her?"
"Samuel. He took her away from me. Trapped her somewhere in time, and he refuses to let her go unless I use my powers to help him fix his mistakes."
"Samuel would never do that. He cares about his family."
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a member of your 'family'."
"But why would he risk endangering you like that? He has to know that you're killing yourself every time you travel through time."
"How do you kn- oh right," Hiro nodded, almost forgetting about the man's ability to see how everything worked just by looking at them. Sylar continued staring at him.
"Maybe, . . .maybe I can help. . ." Sylar stood up and pushed Hiro down to his knees. He began circling Hiro, constantly watching him, his eyes trained on the crown of Hiro's head.
Sylar continued circling him for nearly twenty minutes. Hiro's knees were past the point of aching, and he was rapidly losing feeling in both of his legs. But the way Sylar was studying him, like some sort of predator trying to figure out the best angle to take down a gazelle, was what was really unnerving Hiro.
"Look, you don't have to help, . . .really! I'm fine, I just-" Hiro started to get up wobbly, only to have Sylar push him roughly back into place. Sylar pursed his lips in frustration.
"Hmm, I know exactly what's going on in that brain of yours. The question is. . .what's the best strategy to pursue?" Sylar walked behind him and grabbed Hiro's head in his hands. He held Hiro still with his superior strength, running his fingers through the man's hair, pondering.
"There are so many ways to attack this . . .most of them probably lethal. That's not good. And those that aren't invasive are not nearly as effective." Sylar moved to the front and crouched down. His eyes looked at Hiro, traveling up from his eyes to his forehead.
"Hmm. . . this is going to be trickier than I thought." Suddenly, Sylar's eyes snapped open as if in an epiphany.
"I think I got it. Now just hold still. . ."Sylar stood up and pointed his index finger at Hiro. Instinctually, Hiro fell back and scrambled away, hoisting himself up shakily onto his feet. "I said 'hold still'!"
An invisible force shoved Hiro back into a kneeling position. He couldn't move a muscle. . .not even to blink. He couldn't even access his power unless Sylar allowed him to. Hiro just knelt there terrified. When did the Brain Man get that power?! Apparently, Sylar was unsure how he was controlling Hiro as well, since he looked rather confused at Hiro's sudden obedience.
"Oookaaay, that's. . .better? I guess. . ." Sylar continued to raise his finger, and Hiro felt an icy tickle inside his head, as if a billion tiny dry tentacles were squirming around in his brain. . .searching. . .probing. . .There was then a sharp pain of needles piercing what felt like it had to be each individual brain cell. If Hiro had control over his vocal chords, he would have screamed.
This was the end, Hiro thought to himself in horror. He had let himself be too careless, too overconfident from his encounter outwitting the Sylar of the past. He had let his guard down and let Sylar blind side him. He should have known better. Sylar lusted after powers like an addict, and he probably had been coveting Hiro's power ever since their encounter in Texas. Sylar had just been waiting for an opportunity and had lured Hiro in with his entire "I wish redemption" act. Now Hiro would be joining the countless other victims Sylar had cut open, and Hiro's tremendous power would be added to Sylar's ample growing collection.
The torture continued what felt like eternity before Sylar finally spoke up.
"That should just about do it." Sylar dropped his hand, and wiped away at a light sweat that had started breaking out across his forehead. Hiro gasped as the invisible strings over his body were cut. He grabbed at his own head, almost positive that he had to be bleeding profusely from somewhere, but there was no sign of incision anywhere, though his head throbbed like he was suffering a major migraine.
"How did you-?"
"I altered the structure of the tumor cells. They are now incapable of reproducing and will stop growing. . .I also sent instructions to your brain to kill it off afterward. The tumor should be completely gone within a few hours."
"So it's really true? I'm cured?"
"Better than that." Sylar grinned, obviously very proud of himself. "While I was in there, I took the liberty of tweaking some things. Just a little." He held his thumb and index finger a centimeter apart.
"I altered some DNA strands so now your brain won't start amassing anymore tumors when you use your powers. You can travel as much as you like without having to worry about anything like that happening ever again." Hiro matched Sylar's grin.
/That's amazing! Wonderful!/ Hiro shouted in Japanese. At Sylar's confusion, Hiro quickly switched back to English. "See? I told you, you could do good things!"
Sylar smiled even wider, showing teeth.
"I know. And now, with your help, I can do even more." Sylar eyed Hiro hungrily, and Hiro's smile quickly dropped.
"W-w-what do you mean?"
"I mean you can send me back in time. I could keep myself from become a murderer. I could make it so all those people never have to die. I could save all of them!"
"I'm sorry. . . I can't do that," Hiro apologized.
"Why not? I removed your brain tumor, I think I'm owed at least one favor!" Sylar insisted, a hint of temper showing.
"It's not that simple. Time travel is a very delicate thing. You never know what things will change, what will not, and what will destroy history."
"Well, you're the expert on this. You can come with me. . .help me fix everything," Sylar began grasping for anything to get Hiro to change his mind. He couldn't allow such a rare opportunity to escape him when it presented itself, and he refused to let the idea go.
"You don't understand," Hiro insisted. "History must be preserved. If not, then the entire timeline could be destroyed." Sylar stepped back, a slow burning anger building up at Hiro's stubborn refusal
"History. What's so great about this present anyway?! Who cares if we make a different timeline? You said it yourself, you travel back and forth all the time to try and change things. Why is this present so precious? We could make a better future. One where no one has to die because of me. Hell, what's the point of even having such a power if you're afraid to use it?!"
"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no." Hiro said firmly. Sylar's face darkened.
"I see now. You're allowed to go back and muck around with the future and past as much as you please, even run all of Samuel's time errands, but you won't let me try to erase any of my own mistakes? Tell me if I'm missing anything. Is it because of what I am? What I did? Am I so damned for all my crimes that I don't even deserve a chance to make everything right?
"That's not true!" Hiro could let this man who had done so much for him believe that he was incapable of changing.
"Then what?!" Sylar whirled around Hiro furiously. "Why are you refusing to do this?! There are dozens of innocent people dead because of me! We could save them all if you'd just let me! Would you rather leave them dead?"
"It's. . .complicated." It was the only explanation Hiro could think of. It obviously wasn't enough.
"You know what? Forget I said anything. In fact, forget we even had this conversation. Enjoy your new lease on life." Sylar turned and stormed off. Hiro watched him leave.
Had he done the right thing in the end? A part of Hiro said it was necessary, that the timeline needed to be preserved. Another part also asked "why? Sylar was right after all; Hiro had tried to change the future numerous times. Sometimes for the greater good . . . like when he tried to stop the bomb from destroying New York. Other times for less selfless reasons.
What would the world be like if Sylar had never come to be? Gabriel Gray might still be a humble unknown watchmaker in Queens, . .dozens of innocent lives would be saved. . .Peter Petrelli wouldn't have exploded. Perhaps the world really would be better off never knowing Sylar. Hiro certainly used to think the same thing many times.
Maybe Hiro really was a selfish man, as Charlie had once accused him of being. After all, if it were not for Sylar, Hiro would never have been sent on his quest to save the cheerleader. . . and Hiro never would have met Charlie. . .never would have fallen in love with her. . . and certainly wouldn't be in this predicament of being forced to help Samuel. Hiro would probably still be stuck working back in his cubicle in Japan. And Charlie. . .she would be dead, killed by the ruptured aneurysm in her brain.
There were a lot of unanswered questions he had to think about.
This is my first Heroes fanfic, so please be gentle. That doesn't mean I don't want criticism, just no pointless flaming, please. Reviews are always welcomed!