"NO! TADASHI! COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!"
"TADASHI!"
Tadashi's eyes snapped open at the sound of his brother's voice. He sat up, looking at his surroundings.
"Hiro?" he called out, seeing no sign of his brother.
Where am I? Last I remember I was…
I was…
A gasp escaped the young man's mouth as he sprung to his feet.
The Professor!
He scanned his surroundings again… seeing no sign of a fire… or anything for that matter. The large room he was in was empty as they could get… and it looked like nothing had happened at all...
Did I pass out…? I swear I remember I was running in to get Professor Callaghan then…
then…
BOOOOM!
"TADASHI!"
Tadashi felt pain go through him as he fell back.
"Ack!"
He curled up a little, holding his stomach, writhing a little before the pain finally stopped. He let out a semi-sigh of relief as it passed… but now fear was coming over as confusion took hold of his mind.
"W-What happened to me…? What's going on?"
"Made quite the exit didn't you Mr. Hamada?"
His head shot up as he saw a young woman standing before him who had long black hair and deep blue eyes. Her clothes weren't exactly anything he had seen before. They were various shades of a deep blue and had gold gear patterns on them.
Tadashi sat up, backing away a little.
"Who the heck are you? … and how do you know my name?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He had never seen this woman once in his life and she knew his last name.
The woman chuckled. "Calm down, I'm in no way here to hurt you. I am Naomi Miyamato, and as for how how I know your name… it's just a gift of mine."
Tadashi still kept his distance, getting in a bit of defensive stance.
"Okay… What do you want?"
"To help you."
"Help me with what?"
Naomi crossed her arms.
"It still hasn't hit you yet has it?"
"What hasn't hit me yet? I don't like vagueness, just be straight with me will ya?"
"Alright you asked for it… You're dead."
Tadashi's eyes went wide.
"... Y… You're joking… right?" He gave a nervous laugh. "I… I'm not…"
Naomi's serious look didn't falter, but he could see sympathy in them.
"You're not joking… I…"
"Look at yourself for a moment. Notice something different?"
Tadashi did as told and there was something different. He wasn't in his usual clothes. He was in a set of white clothes and had no shoes to speak of.
"I sure hope you weren't dressed like that when running into a fire."
"No…" Tadashi brought a hand to his head. "Oh… Oh gosh…"
Naomi offered a hand to him.
"I know it's a shock… every last spirit has a hard time accepting the fact that they're no longer alive… but that's why I'm here. I want to help you."
Tadashi took her hand, a skeptical look in his eyes as she helped him stand.
"Help me how? If there's any help I would want right now it would be being brought back from the dead which I doubt you can do."
"Oh that's way out of my league… but I can give a new lease on life… just in a different way."
"Different how?"
Naomi stood back a little. She held out her hand, a golden gear appearing in it.
"I'm what they call a Corpse Whisperer. I go around helping spirits who are in distress or are a little stuck as it were on Earth. The other job I have is making contracts with certain spirits to allow them to become what is known as a Remembered."
"A Remembered?"
"Yes… a guardian of sorts. Under the contract a spirit receives a new body that will allow them to interact with others but in a new way. They'll have powers, and they can see and protect the ones they love… but only three are allowed to know that they are here. Anything over and the contract ends immediately. This is only if more than three people by name know that someone is back. Other than that, if the contract is kept perfectly, it will end once the Remembered feels they have fulfilled their purpose and that's what I am offering to you."
"I-I see…"
"What's with that look?"
Tadashi gave her a wary look. "Well… Usually with contracts and the supernatural it usually ends pretty badly… Come on you haven't seen those shows or read those kinds of books?"
Naomi shook her head. "I know what you're talking but this is nothing like that… The reason this whole system exists is so that spirits don't have to suffer because they feel they left something undone or are not satisfied with how their life ended…" Naomi looked into his eyes… as if she were reading him. "You are a good example of that… something woke you up… a voice."
Tadashi lowered his gaze sighing. "... My little brother… He was screaming…. Calling me…"
"Yes… wanting you to not go in but you did… you left an impact on everyone that night… you have no idea what has happened while you've been asleep."
"What's happened? I mean… It's only been ten minutes-"
Naomi gave a look that said otherwise.
"... How… Long?" He asked giving her a pleading look.
"Tadashi… it's been two years since that fire broke out."
"WHAT!?"
"Look around you, if the fire had only happened say a day ago there would still be ashes left or damaged walls. This place looks good as new."
Tadashi gave her a look. "What'd I say about vagueness? Either way… Yeah you got a point…" He ran a hand through his hair groaning in frustration. "I am an IDIOT!"
Naomi walked up to him giving him a hard slap across the face.
"No going there, got it?"
He gave her a stunned look rubbing his cheek. He nodded quickly. I think she hits harder than some of the punks Hiro used to run from-... Hiro….
"Now that I've stated pretty much all of the circumstances as it stands… you have two choices… go to heaven now… or make a contract with me and become a Remembered."
Tadashi thought it over again, looking at the ground for a moment before looking to her.
"No draw backs... at all? That's rather generous."
Naomi crossed her arms, shaking her head.
"We do this for your benefit to be honest… and yes, no draw backs as long as you follow the contract."
"Promise?"
"I promise on my Corpse Whisperer's honor you'll be able to do more if you make this contract… You'll be able to protect him… and be there for him… You miss your brother… don't you?"
"... More than anything else in the world… I've been asleep for two years… I need to see him again… See if he's okay."
"Just know when you make this contract you need to get your powers reigned in before you can see him… and baby steps, you don't want to scare him."
"Right…"
"So… Do we have a deal?"
Naomi presented the glowing golden gear again. He stared at in deep thought before taking it into his hands.
"Yes."
"Then it is done… take hold of your new power and let your afterlife… begin."
Power surged through him, the white clothes he had on faded into the ones he remembered wearing the night he died, the gear in his hands becoming a baseball cap on his head. He stumbled back a little once everything was done.
"There… much better." Naomi smiled. "Don't lose that hat… or rather the gear. That's what is keeping you here on Earth. Lose it or break it you're going upstairs."
Tadashi nodded. "Noted." He took it off for a moment looking at it. "... Looks just like the one my brother got me…"
"Anchor Gears tend to take the form of objects you might've held dear to you in your life or something you wore a lot."
"Yeah makes sense… This thing never left my head if I could avoid it… And now it never will." He placed it back on, giving a determined look. "I'll do all I can to protect my family… Hiro… Aunt Cass… Those two mean everything to me…"
"I wish you luck in your tasks… be sure to get some of those powers reigned in before you do meet with them again… baby steps."
Tadashi nodded. "Will do… Thanks again."
"Anytime… now… go."
With one last nod, Tadashi headed out of the building, determination set in his eyes.
Got a whole lot of learning ahead of me… But it'll be all worth it.
I'm coming home Hiro.