Summary: A prequel One-shot to my BH6 story, Brothers Through It All. The time Tadashi and Hiro first arrived to the city of San Fransokyo. Protective/BigBrother!Tadashi and Technopath!Hiro

Rated: T (For very mild language)

P.O.V: General

Beta: Self-Beta'd… So any mistakes that you may find are my own ^_^; I ask for your forgiveness in advance.

Disclaimer: C'mon… If I owned even one of them, do you guys think I'd be here writing fanfics about 'em? -_- So, no… I don't own any of them. But I dream I do though.

A.N: Like the summary says, this is a One-Shot for my other story 'Brothers Through It All' If you haven't read it yet then I strongly recommend you read that first before you read this one to fully understand and enjoy it. This is just something I came up when I woke up this morning. It's basically a tangential backstory for the Hamada bros. NOT SLASH! Just brotherly love and fluff.

ENJOY!

KuroTsume Brothers

"See, I told you coming to San Fransokyo wasn't a bad idea." Tadashi said, coughing at the dust that flew into his face as he opened the main door to the long since abandoned apartment building that they had found a couple of hours ago. "It's a nice break from New Beijing, isn't it?"

"Sure. Whatever you say…" Hiro sighed distractedly as he followed his brother into their new home. What was this now, home no.133? Honestly, he had lost count. Hiro hated moving from place to place like this all the time; but he tried his best not to let it show. His brother was only trying to keep them safe after all. But still, Hiro couldn't help but feel a little sad. He wished he could be like the other kids. He wished he could go to school. He wished his parents were still alive but most of all he wished he didn't have to be such a burden to his big brother. If it weren't for him Tadashi would be living the life he deserves right now.

It's my fault that we're forced to live this way… If anyone should be complaining, it should be Tadashi, not him.

Not once had his brother ever complained or whined. His big brother deserved better than to be stuck taking care of his whiny butt all the damn time. Tadashi had always been there for him and was by his side whenever he needed him; and sometimes even when he didn't need him. Tadashi was with him through it all. No one asked him to do this but he did it anyway. So Hiro decided he would suck it up and go with whatever his brother said without question. And he tried his damn hardest not to look sad about it.

Hiro grunted as his foot caught something; nearly tripping him and almost making him drop the big box that he was carrying. A cardboard box, which contained all his past and current inventions along with some rusty tools that needed to be replaced freaking centuries ago. Speaking of replacement, he needed new shoes too. His sneakers were almost completely worn out. They might as well have been a hundred years old. He sighed quietly and set the box down by the door next to their backpacks. He needed to find a new hiding spot for his box of bots. He lazily turned around to face the living room.

Hiro looked around; making a great effort to erase the scowl from his face. He could tell that this place was a dump even without the lights. Well, in all honesty, he doubted the place would look any better even with the lights on; in fact, it would most definitely make the place look worse.

Tadashi was by the window, wiping away the opaque greasy glass to see what the view of the street and other buildings was like from the inside. His muscles flexed as he tries to open the said window which was apparently struck to the sill from the lack of use.

It was sort of a perimeter check that his brother always did. Entry routes, exit routes, escape routes. No doubt he had mapped them all out in his head. They had checked the general area first and came to the conclusion that it was well and truly a secluded district without any dangerous gang members using it as their base. Which made it the perfect hiding spot for the brothers who were on the run from all kinds of people. Even if they were found, there were too many empty buildings around them for their pursuers to pin point their exact location, plus, it would give them the time they'll need to escape.

"Ugh, nasty." Hiro scrunched up his face in disgust as he picked up a dirty rag from the floor with the tips of his fingers and threw it away. "Home sweet home." He snorts.

"It's better than nothing."

"I know…"

Tadashi looked around once more; hands on his hips. "It definitely needs some sprucing but-"

"Some? How about a lot." Hiro scoffs, mirroring his brother's actions with his arms crossed.

"Alright, alright. A lot. But we'll make it work, right? We've lived in worse."

"That's true."

"And besides, this place isn't too shabby. It's a totally liveable place, its got good ventilation, its miles away from anyone, and loads of hiding spots. It's perfect." Tadashi smiled at the cool breeze that brushed past his face into the apartment when he had finally gotten the window open a few minutes ago.

"Perfect would be an exaggeration, Tadashi."

"… Touché… But you gotta admit that it's better than the last few places we've called home."

Home… Did they even know the meaning of the word anymore?

"I guess so."

"And look, it even has a mattress and everything." Tadashi gestured to the grey bed and couch in room.

"Yeah… A filthy mattress." God knows what's been on it. Yuck!

"We'll just flip it over and make the most of it. It's better than sleeping on the cold floor." or the streets, "Where the zombie rats can get you!" Tadashi said in a playful tone, suddenly leaping towards his brother and attacking him with his tickly fingers.

"Tadashi! Hahaha! S-stop! Stop! That t-tickles!" Hiro giggled, laughed and squirmed but Tadashi's tickle attack was too strong. "Ta- haha- das-s-shi! Quit it!"

Tadashi laughed too. Hearing his brother's uncontrollable yet adorable laugh made him so happy. The cute gap in his teeth made Hiro look even more adorable. Times like this made him remember that life wasn't so bad after all. And that no matter how bad things got. This? This warm happy feeling right here? These were the little moments he lived for and cherished. It reminded him that some things were worth sacrificing for.

That his brother was worth sacrificing for.

When he finally stopped his attack to let his brother breathe, Hiro scrambled away from him as fast as he could and stuck out his tongue childishly. "You'll pay for that."

"We'll see." Tadashi smirked. Once, long ago, Tadashi had ended up with a broken nose because of his tickle attack; he'd learned to be extra careful from then on.

"I'm serious. Next time I'll get you for sure!"

"Will that be before or after the zombie rats get you?"

"Tadashi!" Hiro huffed, completely unamused. Just like the roaches, he hated rodents as well; especially the dead ones that they would find sometimes when they moved from house to house.

"Kidding! I'm kidding. I won't let them get you, I promise." I won't let anyone get you, little brother. I'll protect you with my life. Tadashi walks to the centre of the room and looks up at the ceiling. "Hey look, a bulb. Think you can get it to work, Mr. Technopath."

"Of course I can!" Hiro sounded insulted. With a pout, he too walked closer to the bulb and focused on it; knitting his eye brows close to each other and scrunching his eyes to mere slits in concentration.

Maybe asking Hiro to do this now was a bad idea. Tadashi mentally kicked himself for opening his mouth in the first place. His little brother was already pretty exhausted from all that travel and running around the city. So he tried to get Hiro to back down from using his powers as subtly as he could. Which turned out to be not so subtle after all.

"But you know, if you're feeling tired or don't feel up to it, we could always try tomorrow. I mean, what's the hurry. There's no need to exert yourse-"

"Tadashi! Quit distracting me!" Hiro scolded and diverted his attention back to the bulb. It glowed and dimmed and glowed once more before dimming again; flickering to life only to give in to the darkness once more. A bead of sweat travelled down Hiro's forehead. He tried his hardest to get the thing to light but it was no use. It just wasn't working so he finally gave up with a defeated sigh. His shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, otouto. Like I said, we can try to light it again tomorrow. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. We'll start practicing first thing in the morning. How does that sound?" Tadashi said with an encouraging smile and ruffled Hiro's already messy raven hair.

That at least earned him a small smile from his little brother; with a childish eye roll of course and was soon followed by a yawn. "You look beat. Why don't you get some rest, kiddo."

"Yeah…" Hiro agreed; making his way over to the musty bed. He was too tired and worn out to care about the mouldy smell that lingered around them. He felt both physically and mentally exhausted. When was the last time he slept properly? All Hiro wanted to do now was lie down but his brother stopped him just as he was about to climb onto the mattress.

"Hiro, hang on a sec." Tadashi said as he made his way over to his bag, skipping over some nameless obstacles along the way. He unzipped it and pulled out a neatly folded blanket. He went back to the bed and helped Hiro flip the thing over and then laid the blanket on top of it. "This'll have to do for now. Oh, watch out for those springs… We'll clean this place up a bit more tomorrow." They were low on cash as well so he'll have to do some shoplifting and pickpocketing later. "You'll see… this place'll be as good as new."

"Highly doubt it." Hiro mutters as he climbs onto the bed and snuggles himself up in the warm cosiness the blanket provided. Tadashi smiled down at his baby brother lovingly. He seemed so young and tiny; all wrapped up in a blue bundle. He removed his black jacket and neatly folded it and placed it under his brother's head. The latter mumbled a small 'thank you' and snuggled deeper into the blanket and nuzzled his nose into Tadashi's jacket.

Once Tadashi was sure Hiro was asleep, he crossed the room and walked into the bathroom; taking his backpack with him. The first thing he noticed was that this was one of the cleanest bathrooms he'd ever seen in a long time. Of course, it needed some disinfecting but Tadashi would take care of that soon. He went over to the sink and turned the tap and was pleased to see water flowing freely from it. One of the hardest things when moving into an abandoned building was trying to find one with a working water system. He let the brown water run for a while. He waited till it turned reasonably clear before turning it off. He then pulled out a yellow plastic bag from his backpack and knelt down near the cabinets under sink and made sure he hid the enclosed object safely inside before sealing the doors shut. That thing was going to come in handy one day.

After Tadashi was sure the object was safely locked away he picked himself up and entered the living room. He spared a glance at the sleeping form of his brother as he walked into the kitchen. It was in a similar state as the rest of the house. He opened and closed the shelves; nothing in them but cobwebs and more dust. He swiped a finger over the kitchen slab and blew away the little dust mites out of habit. Looking at the granite slab gave Tadashi an idea for an emergency escape route if they ever needed one.

Tadashi blew out an insufferable sigh. They had a lot of work ahead of them. But all further inspections and preparations will have to wait until tomorrow. He was beat too and his body ached for some rest. Just when he was about to turn around and head back to the main room, he heard Hiro give out a high pitched shriek. He hadn't even made it half way to the door's threshold when a blur of messy hair caught his eye before wrapping its arms around his waist.

"Tadashi!"

"Hiro! Are you okay?! What happened?" Tadashi asked worriedly; trying to loosen his brother's iron-grip from around him.

Hiro clung to Tadashi's black jacket with one hand and pointed at the messy bed with the other. Tadashi craned his neck and fixed his eyes on the mattress and immediately spotted what the problem was. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

There on the mattress was a small cockroach; skittering near the headboard before disappearing somewhere behind it.

"It's just an insect, Hiro." Tadashi said, leading his brother back into the main room. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Hiro's irrational fear of those creepy little monsters was admittedly his fault. When they were younger and back when their parents were still alive Hiro had just been a little baby and a very curious one at that. He stuck whatever he could get his tiny little hands on into his mouth. And even though their parents loved them unconditionally, they always were far too busy to actually spend time with either of their sons.

Tadashi had been a very responsible and a bright boy for his age. That was something he prided himself with. So, inevitably, Tadashi was left babysitting his younger sibling. Once when little Tadashi wasn't paying attention Hiro nearly ate a cockroach and the older brother freaked. So to prevent something like that from ever happening again Tadashi had told scary stories to Hiro about how cockroaches burrowed inside a person's ear and laid eggs and how once there were enough inside you, you would turn into a creepy crawly yourself.

He had never meant to take it that far. He just wanted to scare Hiro into not eating any more bugs. He assumed once Hiro grew older that he would grow out of it. But apparently that never happened. Hiro was just too terrified of the fugly creatures.

"KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!" Hiro frantically yelled as he pushed Tadashi towards the mattress. The scene was quite comedic for the latter. Nonetheless, as commanded by his younger brother, Tadashi went over to the bed and searched for the insect but it was nowhere to be found.

"It's long gone now." Tadashi said, putting the mattress back in its place. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"On that thing?" Hiro looked at his older brother like he had lost his mind. "No way. I'm sleeping on the couch."

Tadashi chuckled. "Are you sure? The couch's gonna be less comfy."

"I'm not going anywhere near that bed until that six legged abomination is dead."

"I'm serious, you knucklehead. It's gone. You can take the bed, I'll take the couch."

"Nah uh." Hiro shook his head stubbornly and went over to sleep on the couch. He used his brother's jacket as a makeshift blanket and wrapped it around himself and closed his eyes; all while questioning the useless existence of said creature.

Tadashi shook his head at his brother's antics. "Suit yourself. Here, at least take this." He said as he went over to the bed and began pulling the blanket away but stopped when he heard his brother mutter.

"Keep it."

"You could catch a cold if you-"

"Tadashi, have you seen that bed? You need it more."

"Well okay, if you're sure you'll be okay without it."

"It's not a heart Tadashi. I'll live without it. Now quit bugging me and go to sleep."

Tadashi chuckled lightly; making his way to the bed and re-arranging the blanket and laid down on top of it. There was no point in arguing with his stubborn brother now. Even if he were to drop the blanket on Hiro, the little bonehead would probably just throw it back. He felt touched at the subtle gestures his brother made. Under all that twelve year old pride and smartass comments Tadashi knew his brother cared about him just as deeply as he cared for him.

The older Hamada brother drifts into the calm realm of sleep with that thought in mind and a smile on his face.

Hours past midnight-

Something wasn't right…

Tadashi blinked his eyes open. Years of protecting his brother and being on the run had taught him how to sleep with one eye open. He could feel when something was off and his Hiro-radar was going haywire in his brain at the moment. He got up on his elbows and looked towards the couch first and sure enough, there his little brother was, twisting and turning; almost thrashing around. Tadashi's jacket was left forgotten on the floor.

Hiro was having a nightmare.

He hasn't had one of those in years…

Tadashi was at his side in an instant. He held the little boy's shoulder and shook him gently, keeping his voice as soft as possible, careful not to startle him awake. "Hiro…? Hiro, wake up."

But the sleeping raven haired boy didn't wake. He was sweating profusely, his eyes moved rapidly under his eyelids and he was making the most heart-breaking mewing sounds. Tadashi began to worry. He had always been able to wake Hiro up before. Sometimes his brother would settle down by just a touch or just having Tadashi close to him. But it wasn't working this time.

"C'mon lil' bro, wakey wakey."

Still nothing. Tadashi was becoming more frantic. The bulb in the room started to glow. It was getting brighter and brighter by the second. Hiro's inventions that were still kept near the door began to vibrate harshly; metal clattering against each other. If Hiro didn't wake up soon things were going to get bad.

"You gotta wake up Hiro, it's just a dream." Tadashi shook his brother in panic. "Dammit Hiro, wake up!"

Tadashi flinches as the bulb explodes and gives his brother one last harsh shake. "HIRO! WAKE UP!"

"Tadashi!" Hiro's eyes snap open and he bolts upright screaming his brother's name; startling the latter a little. His eyes were glassy and his shallow laboured breathing came out sounding more like pained pants. All the activities in the room died down and only the brothers' breathing could be heard. One quiet and one raspy.

"Hiro…"

The moment he hears Tadashi's soft concerned voice Hiro launches himself at his brother without thinking. He wraps his skinny arms around Tadashi's neck and buries his face into the older sibling's chest. This shocked Tadashi. It's been years since his brother behaved this way. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged his brother like this. He slowly hugs Hiro back. He grips his shivering brother's neck gingerly and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"There, there… It's okay. Everything's fine now." Tadashi comforted. "Calm down, bud. You're okay."

"Dashi…" came a stifled sob; barely above a whisper.

"Shh… I gotcha, kiddo. I'm here now." Tadashi could feel his brother's tears soaking his white shirt. He continued soothing the poor kid, rubbing circles on his back and telling him that everything was okay and that it was just a dream. Sure, Hiro has had plenty of nightmares before but never one that was as bad this. Not since the death of their parents.

They sat like that for a long time and Tadashi could feel his brother finally settling down. What could have Hiro spooked this much? He decided to try and get him to talk about it. He gently pulled Hiro's arms from around his neck and re-positioned himself so he could see the kid's face more clearly. He still kept a strong but gentle grip on the little guy's shoulders and managed a small smile. "Nightmare, huh?"

A hesitant nod.

"Rats or roaches?" Tadashi asked with a bigger smile but his attempt to lighten up the mood was in vain. It usually earned him a punch or an eye roll from his brother but this time Hiro did neither. If anything he seemed to only deflate more. "Wanna talk about it?"

Hiro shakes his head. He lifts his eyes from under his sweaty bangs to look at his big brother and asks in a tiny quite voice. "Can I sleep with you?"

There's a short pause. "Of course you can, Hiro. Just promise me you won't elbow me in the face this time." Tadashi chuckles but then presses his lips to a thin line when he didn't get the desired reaction from the kid. Hiro still hadn't even cracked a smile. He tilts his head slightly towards his brother. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He got a small nod in response. "Alright then, come on." Tadashi softy sighs and leads him to the bed. Hiro would tell him when he was ready. He didn't want to force him to do something he didn't want to do.

They both lay down on the mattress; Hiro snuggled up close against his brother's side; tiny fingers curled tightly around the soft white fabric. Tadashi stared up at the cracked damp ceiling. One arm wrapped protectively around Hiro's thin frame while the other rested under his head. He was lost deep in thought about Hiro's well-being. His brother still remained tense in his arm. He knew Hiro was still awake. His brother wasn't sleeping and so neither would he.

I wonder what he dreamt about… What could have scared him this much?

Both of them lay there silently; only the lone cricking sounds of crickets to keep them company. Maybe it was a few minutes later or maybe it had been hours when a tiny voice finally spoke in a barely audible whisper.

"You died…"

It was so low and hushed that Tadashi almost missed it- almost. He remained silent. But he squeezed his brother's shoulder. Silently telling him that he was awake and paying attention.

Hiro felt the assuring squeeze. His brother wanted him to continue. If he didn't talk about it now then Hiro doubted he would ever get the courage to. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "In the dream… You died. There was a fire and you… you ran into the burning building to save someone but… you never came back. I waited and waited but you never came back. I searched everywhere for you but you were just… Gone." I was so scared, Tadashi…I was terrified.

"I'm right here, see?" Another gentle squeeze. "It was just a bad dream, kiddo."

"But it felt so real."

"Bad dreams always do…"

"You left me…" All alone…

"Hey, hey… I'm right here, Hiro. It was just a nightmare. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Have I ever broken a promise before?"

"No…"

"Good. And don't forget it." Tadashi said softly. "You're my little brother. No matter what I will never leave you."

"Okay…"

Despite his brother's reassuring words, Hiro felt tears accumulate in his eyes once more. It was just a dream but still. Tadashi had abandoned him for some stranger. Sure, his brother acted cold and hostile towards anybody and everybody except Hiro but he knew that deep down his brother was the kindest most caring person ever. The health care robot Tadashi had designed in his notebook was proof enough. Given an opportunity Tadashi would want nothing more than to make the world a better place and help as many people as he could. His brother had a big heart. The biggest. And the only thing denying him from being who he really wanted to be was Hiro. He felt the guilt crushing down on him. It was too much… Tadashi deserved better!

"I'm sorry…"

It came out of nowhere catching Tadashi off guard. "Sorry? For what?"

Hiro shifted beside his brother. Big glassy doe eyes looked up at him. "For everything."

"Hiro, what are you talking about?"

"I-if it wasn't for me… You wouldn't have to... to take care of me all the time. You could go to school and have friends. You wouldn't have to stay in dumps like this. You could have a life."

"Wait, hold on… Hiro…Where is all this coming from?"

"If I wasn't born… mom and dad would still be alive."

Tadashi sat up so fast that it startled Hiro; nearly making him tumble off the bed. "Don't say that!" He yelled in sudden anger. How could his brother say stuff like that? How could he even think something like that? Looking at Hiro's frightening expression made him calm down a little. He breathed a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back at his brother. He lowered his voice and spoke slowly. "We talked about this." Tadashi said with a stern expression. "What happened to mom and dad was not your fault."

"It is my fault. It's because of my stupid power that they… that they-"

"Stop it, Hiro." Tadashi scolded. His voice sounded harsher than intended making Hiro shrink back even more.

He couldn't help it, he was just so mad at his little brother. Did he not understand how much he meant to him? Did Tadashi's love mean that little to him that he wished himself to never be born? The day Hiro was born was the single most happiest day of his life. Hiro meant everything to him and hearing his brother say such terrible things angered him. "Listen to me and listen carefully, okay? Mom and dad did what they did to protect us. You were just three years old and it wasn't your fault. It had nothing to do with you or your powers, alright?"

His little brother didn't look convinced. "Hiro, please. Believe me when I say it wasn't your fault. Sometimes… Sometimes bad things just happen. All we can do is accept it and move on."

"But-"

"No. No more buts, alright? Hiro please, stop blaming yourself." Tadashi begged.

To be honest, he didn't know the real cause of their parents' death either. All he knew was that they died protecting him and Hiro. He knew it wasn't an accident. They had died under suspicious circumstances and their deaths were covered up too. But by whom? He didn't know. He was just a little kid and Hiro was just a baby. They were just scared little children. How could it possibly be Hiro's fault? They had only found out about his strange yet powerful gifts when Hiro turned five.

All Tadashi knew for sure is that it wasn't Hiro's fault. In fact, it was the only thing he was damn sure about.

Hiro didn't say anything. He only bowed his head and hid his eyes so Tadashi decided to take a different approach.

"Fine. Let me ask you this, if I was the one who had these powers, would you blame me? Would you think it was my fault?"

Hiro's head snapped up and he looked at this brother with wide eyes; almost horrified by the question. "No! Never!"

"Then why would you think like that about yourself? Why would you think I would think that?"

"It's not the same…"

"Of course it is. Hiro, mom and dad loved us. They did everything they did to protect us. They did it out of love and of their own free will. You were just a baby. It wasn't your fault and I don't blame you and I never will. You're the best thing that's happened to me, kiddo." Tadashi reached out and pulled Hiro into another hug.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

Hiro let out a shaky breath and nodded against his brother's chest. After pulling away Tadashi lifted Hiro's face up by his chin and thumbed a tear away. "So we good?"

Hiro smiled through his tears and nodded. He rubbed away the rest of his tears with the back of his hand. He jumped of the bed and went to pick up Tadashi's jacket from the floor. He half turned not sure whether to sleep on the couch or go back to the mattress. He glanced at Tadashi as the older boy nudged his head as if to say 'Come on up here, knucklehead.'

Hiro beamed internally and jumped back onto the bed. He hugged the jacket and snuggling as close as possible, his back against his brother's side, without making it too obvious. What happened tonight was enough embarrassment to last a life time. Tadashi better not speak of this again.

But Hiro felt relieved. He felt as though a huge mountain of elephants had been lifted off of his shoulders. His heart didn't ache anymore. Or at least, it hurt a lot less now. Tadashi wasn't going to leave him anytime soon. Tadashi loved him! Hearing his big brother say those things to him was all he needed to hear. And for the first time, he truly started to believe it. He felt better now and his mind was finally at peace; allowing sleep to slowly claim him.

Hiro had nearly drifted off to sleep when he heard Tadashi whisper… He did not know if it was a dream or if his brother actually spoke but a smile appeared on his face nonetheless.

"I love you, Hiro. It's you and me against the world, little brother."

After all… They were brothers through it all.

YAY! That's it for this story. Hope you guys liked it. If you did please Review and let me know. I might even turn this into a Two-Shot on request. LOVE YOU GUYS!

Until Next Time!
*Fist Bump*
Ba-la-la-lala