sunset in bubble hill
Big Hero 6 owned by Disney and Marvel
An alternate reality by Chocochino
The author does not take any commercial profit from this story
Japanese translation in ending notes.
Headcanon: Tadashi didn't like the name 'Hiro", although his sister insisted to call her like that, so he called her "Chi" or "Chihiro" in his mind-which means, his dream.
1.0
Tadashi dreamed of a top of a hill.
A hill where the green grass carpet covered the soil of life, an ever-blooming cherry-blossom tree stood tall on the peak dancing some waltz with the smooth breeze, and soap bubbles replaced the stars in the sweet orange late-afternoon clear sky.
He noticed the violet clouds refracted by elephant-shaped bubbles.
Not long after that, a little girl ran towards him; she looked a lot like him, mostly in the eyes and nose and lips and cheeks and everything; she was the preschool girl version of him.
"Nii-chan!" she exclaimed from far, running towards him happily.
Tadashi felt extremely happy.
The morning later, Mama's water broke and they rushed to the hospital, a yellowish-yet healthy fighter named Chihiro opened her eyes for the first time and Tadashi promised he would always protect her.
2.0
Chihiro Hamada loves to chase bubbles.
Tadashi would shoot out some from his plastic bubble gun, and the little baby who just recently learn to walk would stepped out her little baby legs and stomp the floor, tumbled, rose again and walked until her little baby fingers can popped out those bubbles. Tadashi asked Mama, who was a pioneer in medical engineering, if babies need band-aids for their bruises but Mama said babies heal very fast and so does Chihiro who strove to learn to walk.
In the bubble hill, his little sister would sit on Tadashi's lap after a short sunset walking. She would poke the duck-shaped ones while Tadashi searched for the fish to come out.
"Nii-chan," Chihiro looked up, "I'm happy."
He ruffles her messy black hair, "Me too."
3.0
Honestly, Tadashi liked his sister's name. Chihiro. Chihiro. Chihiro. Because Chihiro's imagination and innovation were indeed thousands fathom deep that nobody can get bored talking about upgrading robots with her. He couldn't get bored of her.
But Chihiro was scared, Chihiro's hair had been cut down short like boys because someone ruined its softness and messiness, Chihiro have now developed a certain fear over make-ups because someone ruined her pretty innocent face. The only thing Tadashi did to calm her down was to give her a new name.
He cut down the "Chi" from the "Hiro".
He made a "hero" by removing the "thousand".
And now, he was the only one left to save the precious "Chi" in his dreams.
"Chi," he called her at the hill.
"Yeah, Nii-chan?" she smiled brighter than the refracted sunlight on soap bubbles.
Even in the real world, she stopped calling him that; Hiro used the word "Aniki" that sounded more masculine but lacked of affection.
"Nothing," he said.
Chihiro in his dream crawled towards him and laid her head on his lap-he stroked the smooth shoulder-length black locks in a rhythm. Ichi, ni, san, shi. Ichi, ni, san, shi.
"Chi," he repeated the name that left out in the middle of bubble hill. "Chi."
4.0
"Nii-chan," Chihiro asked while Tadashi was stroking her hair below the cherry-blossom tree.
"Yes, Chi?"
"Do you think I will ever find love?"
Tadashi scrunched his eyebrows. "You had already, bonehead. I love you. Aunt Cass loves you."
"I mean somebody who loves me. Loves me... romantically... for who I am. Someone who I can be myself to, annoying and sarcastic and messy Chihiro, and yet they still loves me until forever."
Chihiro is twelve, now. She reached her puberty, her first period began this very morning, and of course her little junior in high school would talk about this stuff.
"You will," Tadashi tried to reassure her. "I believe you will find your Mr. Perfect soon."
"But I have nothing to attract boys!" she exclaimed. "I'm not beautiful, I'm too genius to befriend with, I'm sarcastic and shy and flat-chested and weak in sports, I have a certain phobia over long hairs and make-ups and-and-"
"And?"
"-I'm not lovable."
Tadashi kept stroking her hair in concern.
"I'm not like you. You're great looking, you brought our robotics club towards it's golden days, you're brilliant enough to be mentored by Robert Callaghan, you're sweet and nice and polite and hardworking and you're a boyfriend goal for goodness sake. Even if you're a girl, I can never be you."
Usually, it's Tadashi who had issues with self-esteem, mostly with a sister as genius as Chihiro. But in this hill, sometimes Chihiro would talk all out about her insecurities and Tadashi would try to listen and encourage her to be proud of herself.
"Hey, I stick with you even though you think you're not lovable. I love you."
"You're my brother," Chihiro finally sat up with a frown. "You are obliged to love me."
He pulled her head towards his shoulder. "Do you know why I haven't got any girlfriend until now? Because if life is a canvas and people you met are the paint, then your soulmate is the most beautiful color ever, but the lack of soulmate wouldn't make your life less colorful."
"You think it worked to me." Chihro scowled a bit, but finally traced a slight smile.
The cherry-blossom petals fell down.
"At least you would still have me," Tadashi closed his eyes to enjoy the breeze. "I'm not giving up on you, now or never."
5.0
There are days when Tadashi woke up at the hill to watch Chihiro dancing with the bubbles.
And it hurts, because since that conversation he had always kept being reminded that he is his mere older brother. Nothing more. He can never be The Someone Chihiro seeks in her life because their relationship would never be more than just siblings.
He could say every day that he loves her so much, but he couldn't say that he loves her romantically like how Chihiro wanted.
"Chi", he whispered painfully.
Of all people in the world, why did it have to be her?
On these days, she didn't even run to meet him.
6.0
The graduation day is the last day for Chihiro attending school and got bullied in school.
He saw her getting up to be beaten again, and getting up again and beaten again and finally he decided to come and finished the business.
"It's not her fault," he stated. And every single girls ran away.
"I think I can never use my karate against locker doors," Chihiro smiled bitterly.
"You've kept up a good fight," he ruffled her hair. "Let's go home and fix you up, then we can enjoy Aunt Cass chicken wings-"
"-that will totally melt your mouth." Chihiro giggled. "Let's go home."
At the hill when the clock rang eleven times, he decided to put his right hand over Chihiro's right shoulder and watch the bubbles together.
"I think I love you because you've always keep up a good fight," he finally cracked the silence. "You've been a fighter since you're just an unborn baby, and I've might told you a million times but you do fight to be born alive, to see the world and me, and I can't feel less grateful for everything you have fight for the world."
"And then?" Chihiro looked up to him, and he stared at those chocolate eyes.
"You make me realize that this world is worth to fight and protect for, that everyone could be the hero for this world, and I will also fight to protect you until the very end because you meant the world to me."
He didn't expect Chihiro to literally fight for herself in illegal bot fights.
7.0
It wasn't only Chihiro who pulled an all-nighter to prepare the SFIT showcase, Tadashi had to accompany her too. They were quickly fell asleep on the roads towards the exhibition hall.
At the hill, Chihiro was smiling widely from ear-to-ear. "Thank you, Nii-chan."
Turned out his sister was not only a natural in robotics science, but also in applying make-ups (after being pushed by Honey Lemon to dressed properly to get the scholarship, bless her). She looked very beautiful in the bubbly sunset.
"Thank you for what?" he replied the smile.
"Thank you for not giving up on me," she reached out her palms, her slender fingers fitted perfectly on his hands. "Thank you to encourage me, to pick me up after every bot fights, to straighten up my way after I was getting lost. You are the light that allowed me to walk to my future, and you always stick to me no matter what happens."
Tadashi felt like he was going to burst from happiness. Could he? "I should be the one who are grateful to have you by my side."
"No, I am," Chihiro lifted their intertwined hands. "Together, we can change the whole universe. I love you, Nii-chan. I love you so much."
The ride stopped before he could say anything.
8.1
The fire was bright and yellow and red and orange, and Professor Callaghan had left him alone along with his sister's hoards of microbots towards the outside's safety.
His head was hit by a beam that might fell down because of the explosion earlier, so biggest probability he was suffering from concussion, didn't even bother to think if it's heavy or light.
Because right now, the fire was dancing like the cherry-blossom tree swayed by the breeze and the color tinted his vision like the sunset sky, embers crackled like popping bubbles. The heat burned and he was finally able to say his answer.
"Daisuki yo, Chi."
He didn't even dare to say aishiteru because even though he wanted her that bad, they would never be together, nee?
/ BAD END ACHIEVED /
8.2
Tadashi remembered an explosion in the exhibition hall and him crying his sister's name but why did he feel like choking now?
The bubble filled up the sunset sky today, as if it tried to replace the rain that never exist.
"Nii-chan," Chihiro smiled sadly.
"Chi?" He asked with some traces of worry, because why did his now-college girl looked sad and a little bit... transparent?
"Sorry I can't change the universe with you anymore."
Then he remembered.
Because when you promised to protect someone until the end, you will be there to watch their end.
9.0
Reality is a horrible place.
Being a fan of magical girl series made you learn how it feels to find your soulmate-and how painful it is to lose them forever. Tadashi sure this was what Usagi feels when Mamoru died; it was as if you are permanently disabled with a monochrome sight and deafness.
It was even harder to erase the sadness in Chihiro's smile, no matter how much bubbles they popped together. Yes, he could hug her. Yes, he could ruffle her hair. Yes, he could spend some time with her. The dreams are a lot nicer than reality that Tadashi begged to fall into eternal sleep.
But no, Chihiro was also exist at the hill to remind him how important waking up is.
"I'm not your reality, Nii-chan," her eyes were getting wet. No, Tadashi really hates it when Chihiro cried.
He cupped her face and trace it frantically. "I don't want to let you go, Chi."
"And so are you for me."
She removed his hands from her face and held it tight. "This hill had been our place to meet and to talk anything we couldn't in real life, and I really love everything about it. But families need to make speeches at funeral and somebody need to carry on the memories, right?"
Reality is too harsh.
"Ikanakucha, Nii-chan. So do you."
Chihiro was the reason why he fight for the world he live in. With Chihiro's departure... what is his reason now?
"Ikanaide," his tears spilled for the first time at the hill. "Chi."
10.0
Someone used Chihiro's microbots (her last invention ever, her magnum opus) for evil matter and Tadashi had to stop them.
"I will honor you in the best way possible, Chi," he told her while popping fish-shaped bubbles. "He would receive his punishment to steal and stain your own work."
"But how do you even do that, Nii-chan?" Chihiro laughs. "You know nearly nothing about fights except for using magic sticks! And tiaras! Or soul gem!"
"Hey, the idea of using soul gem is completely great, you know!" he tried to defend his position. "Plus, it added up the despair in Madoka!"
"Yeah, and if you ever become a Puella Magi now, you won't have a soul gem-it's a grief seed!"
Realizing something, Chihiro's laugh gradually stopped. "Sorry, Nii-chan, I didn't mean it."
"No, you're right," Tadashi smiled gloomily. "I've been moping too much, even though I still living my life as normal as possible. I've been closely like a Baymax. A robot."
The black-haired girl squeeze her fingers onto her brother's palm. "I'll never leave you alone, you know."
"I know."
"I meant it. Last time I checked, there are some design for battle-ready Baymax in my journal."
Tadashi's eyes looked like it was going to pop out anytime soon.
"Wait a minute. Did you say I can look at your journal? Like, truly look?!"
Chihiro wanted to give him more than a nod, but a surprised Tadashi talked like a train.
"And how dare you to turn Baymax into a fighting robot! For goodness sake, Chi, he's a healthcare companion!"
"Technically, Nii-chan, it's you who is going to turn him into a fighter."
"I've told you that you're a fighter, but I can't believe this is your legacy to your unfortunate Nii-chan."
"At least I still tried to help you in my death."
"Unbelievable. My sub-consciousness can't be this good to recreate you in my dreams."
"Love you too."
11.0
Sometimes, Tadashi forgot that he build a healthcare companion to cope with any pain he felt-no matter if he originally create it to protect his sister in her bot fights.
He also forgot that Baymax was built with self-learning AI, and his suggestion for his patients should have helped them to recover.
But mostly, he forgot that he had such great friends (Chihiro's great friends too, she told him in the night before the showcase) who were more than willing to help him unmasked the Youkai.
Chihiro's journal had helped him a lot, too. She had drawn sketches for everybody to fight, including the complicated design for Honey's purse and how to upgrade GoGo's wheels to the fastest velocity possible (she finally got her perfect recipe for speed). Except for Tadashi himself, who decided to go with katana and some karate moves he mastered.
Tadashi still forgot one more important thing, though: sleep.
When he finally perceived the truth behind the kabuki mask, he exploded.
"Baymax," he spoke numbly, "destroy."
Tadashi was close from being a murderer.
Tadashi was dissapointing.
If it wasn't because of Baymax and his friends and the lullaby they sang, Tadashi might never recover from his pain.
/ "Hi, my name is Hiro Hamada and this is the first test of my robotics project." /
Tadashi savor her voice, the sweet voice he had never heard anymore in reality.
/ "While Baymax is here with me and Aniki left me in his lab to catch up with some tools for me and him, I decided to test my neuro-cranial transmitter before showing off to my brocon Tada-nii. Hope Baymax didn't mind recording all of this, right? After all, Aniki did the same!" /
Tadashi needed eighty four trials before Baymax worked correctly. Chihiro only needed seven in two hours.
"This is why you need to sleep, baka Nii-chan," Chihiro scolded him at the hill.
Tadashi could only hugged her as tight as possible, inhaled the refreshing lemon scent beneath her locks, touched the softness of her skin before reality woke him up again from the relaxing atmosphere.
12.0
It is finished.
Callaghan had been arrested, Abigail had been saved, Krei was unharmed although not his building, his friends and him had officialy safe the town from the troublemaking teleportation portal. Baymax might have been lost in the technicolor world to save him, but everything is going to be okay.
Of course it is going to be okay, because when Baymax said his farewell, all that he can see was Chihiro's gentle smile and the glint in her eyes screaming we can rebuild this, or even upgrade it more than we thought at the first design, because we are more than capable to change the universe!
"Thank you, Chi," he told her after catching his breath. They had been racing from the top of the hill to the cherry-blossom tree-being the older guy, Tadashi won. "For everything."
"Anytime, Nii-chan."
The twilight was beautiful, the bubbles were growing into brand new shapes, and everything is okay for now.
Tadashi and Chihiro Hamada were cuddling on the green grass carpet, showered by flower petals, and the 21-year-old man never felt more in love than this time.
13.0
One night when Big Hero 6 was jumping into action, the crime was happened at a park.
It was sunset in a certain park with cherry-blossom trees and hilly ground, little children were playing with soap bubbles and the sun was sinking down to the horizon.
And Tadashi remembered, this was the place where his family had a picnic, exactly a day before Chihiro was born.
Exactly fifteen years later, he came again, frozen in the moment before reality pulled him from reminiscence.
14.0
Aunt Cass keep asking whether Tadashi really wanted to celebrate Chihiro's birthday on his own, and he had repeatedly answered with various methods to say yes.
"I'll be fine," he said. "Just give me a donut and gummy bears, I'll have a party for myself."
Tadashi did, though. He put some gummy bears on the top of the chocolate doughnut and enjoying the time of his life in the park he had found yesterday. It felt like his dream and reality were merging as one.
The SFIT graduate student opened the last pages of Chihiro Hamada's journal. There are some final sketches of what her microbots can do and-wait a minute, is that prosthetic limbs?
"Chi," he shook his head in awe, "Unbelievable."
At the very end of the book, he found his photo on the last page, along with some doodles and encouraging words. There are also an ikebana of cherry-blossom petals-probably the one he tucked on her ear when they went to hanami in a park (not this one) two years ago.
Me + Tada-nii = UNIVERSE CHANGED!
You can DO it TOGETHER with Tada-nii
Look from a new angle!
He also spotted some pink heart doodle on the background of his photo. Is he that inspiring to Chihiro?
In between the pages, an envelope was slipped and fall onto his lap. He decided to open it very carefully and read it.
14.1
Dear Tada-nii,
By the time you read this letter, I might not around you. It might be the end of the world, I might sick and too weak to get up from the bed, I might be dead... (-.-v) but whatever the reason is, you wouldn't be able to read this if I'm around because I won't let you!
Let's get to the point.
Sometimes I'm afraid I can't told you what I feel, Tada-nii.
I mean, yes we bonded occasionally, though not often because of your college business :( We spent a lot of time together, I slept on your bed in every nightmare, and we told each other "I love you"s once in a week. Life is great, Tada-nii, and I'm glad because you're always there for me ^_^ Still, there are things I can never told you directly because I'm too shy to say it /
Tada-nii, thank you.
Thank you to be my Nii-chan.
Thank you to catch me whenever I got into trouble after bot-fights.
Thank you to encourage me with any ways possible.
Thank you to not give up on me.
Thank you to correct my ways if I'm wrong.
Thank you to mentor me.
Thank you to keep up with me and my big brain.
Thank you to push me to be an inventor.
Thank you for the gummy bears.
Thank you to let me sleep with you in nightmares.
Thank you for the hugs, the hair-ruffling, the tickle war, anything I need whenever I feel down.
Thank you to be my dad, my teacher, my companion, my helper, my sitter, my driver, my savior, my hero, my brother, and anything else I cannot even write anymore.
I might not be the best thing you ever wanted in the world but for me you're the best.
And I know now the reason why I love you.
I love you because you are always there for me. From the beginning of my birth, Papa and Mama's death, my first day at school, my first invention, special celebration ... you never missed the moments in my life and I'm glad I spent them with you.
You make me believe that it will always be like this.
And I know, no matter how far I go, no matter how high I fly, you will always be there for me, a place for me to say tadaima and for you to say okaeri, because sometimes all I need is a rest from the ever-moving world in high speed, from my ever-flowing thoughts, from the ever-mocking outside world. You calm me down and refresh my energy, and I don't want things to work any differently than this.
So, thank you, Nii-chan,
"and I love you so much."
14.2
Chihiro Hamada smiled brightly against the sunset bubble sky.
"Happy birthday, Chi," he pulled the gummy bear pack from his pocket (hey, since when he can do this?) and handed it over to his little sister. Immediately, Chihiro finished up anything that left.
"Oh God, this is the best birthday present you ever gave to me," Chihiro took a deep breath of satisfaction.
"What? A half-eaten pack of gummy bears?"
"No, you come with gummy bears after reading the letter."
"You're fifteen now," Tadashi smiled tenderly. His little sister grew up-still a year before he let her have a boyfriend, but it didn't matter.
"I'm eternally fourteen, now, Nii-chan. Don't forget."
"Whatever, birthday girl."
She rested her head on her brother's broad chest. "Nii-chan, sorry that I died."
"It's okay, Chi," Tadashi ruffled her hair as usual. "And you don't have to worry about me now. I still can't forget you, I'm still a little bit afraid of big fire and explosion, I'm still scarred and will always be. But I'm living my life now; I'm a hero, just like the way you want it."
"Don't put yourself in any mortal danger, Nii-chan," she mumbled.
"Since when you become the mother hen, Chi?"
"Oh, shut up."
They enjoy the everlasting silence and bubbles in the air, the journal and gummy bears were left on the ground.
"I think it's time for us to say goodbye."
No way.
What does she mean? Goodbye? But how?
Without him realizing it, they were standing up and walking to the top of the hill. Chihiro gave him the tightest hug she ever gave, and it was truly warm.
"Ikanakucha, Nii-chan," she told her once again.
"Ikanaide, Chi," he answered with the same plea. "I still wanted to see you in my dreams."
"You're moving on, and you are doing it very well. I love you, Nii-chan, and to love is to let go, nante nai?"
Tadashi gulped. Maybe this is the time. Inevitably, siblings have to part ways and moving on.
Right?
Slowly but surely, Chihiro freed herself from the hug and started to dissolve. It was as if she was fragments of pixelated 3D image that glowed brightly against the afternoon orange.
"I love you."
Tadashi managed to kiss the little sister's forehead before telling her his own farewell. "I love you too, more than anyone could imagine."
Maybe, contrary to Chihiro's opinion, not everything can be talked out loud in this hill. Not Tadashi's true feeling towards Chihiro. Not Tadashi's desire to capture those small lips and claim it his own, but it didn't matter for now on.
"Sayonara," he finally said.
"Mata ashita," she grinned.
"Daisuki," they shouted at the same time.
And they laughed.
And they parted ways with laughter and smile and although there might be nightmares about burned building and booming things, there are a lot of nice things to remember and warm feelings to brushed off the loneliness ahead.
Tadashi looked at Chihiro's fragments until they were swallowed by the bubble cloud and thought, aishiteru.
15.0
Tadashi Hamada never went to the hill in his dreams anymore, until the very end.
/ GOOD END ACHIEVED /
Japanese translation:
Nii-chan/Aniki: older brother (most boys used Aniki than Nii-chan)
Chihiro (千尋): thousand fathom (the "Chi" [千] means a thousand)
Ichi, ni, san, shi: one, two, three, four
Daisuki: I really like you (the same level as familial and dating couple's 'i love you's)
Aishiteru: I love you (the same level as married couple's 'i love you, because this indicates a very serious relationship until the very end)
Nee: a particle, like "eh" or something like that; in this context, it means "right?"
Ikanakucha: I have to go
Ikanaide: Don't go/don't leave me
Brocon: stands for "brother complex"
Baka: stupid
Ikebana: the art of flower arranging; like drying flower, but still preserve the color
Hanami: the activity to watch cherry-blossom petals
Nante nai?: isn't it?/right?
Sayonara: goodbye
Mata ashita: see you tomorrow
A/N: This fic is a part of my series in AO3 ["she was fourteen, my genius little sister" by leevee, id: 188123], so I'll explain some gist of it quick.
In 1.0, Chihiro was suffering from rhesus disease, which is very dangerous to unborn baby. Fortunately, she survived.
In 3.0, Tadashi called her "Hiro" to boost her mood after get bullied. Eventually, Chihiro preffered to be called like that, much to Tadashi's dislike. She also stopped calling him "Nii-chan" and revert to "Aniki", sometimes teased him by calling him "Tada-nii" (because it reminded her of the hilarious Tadakuni in Daily Lives of High School Boys).
In my headcanon, Tadashi loves magical girls series (mostly Sailor Moon and Madoka), while Chihiro is a fan of superhero series.