The air was too heavy. It choked him with every breath.

There was heat, too much heat…

And there was crying. Screaming.

Tadashi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes looking around him. There was fire around the car, there was fire creeping closer into the car.

He was upside down however, still stuck in his seat as he struggled. "C'mon…." He coughed on the smoke before glancing to where the screaming was coming from.

And felt his heart stop.

His little brothers. His three year old little brothers were still stuck in their carseats, in the same predicament Tadashi was. Hiro was trying to reach the release to get free while Hideki was crying out for their mother.

Tadashi looked to where his parents were supposed to be wondering why they weren't doing anything to help. To at least get the twins out. Tadashi wouldn't mind waiting, he was the oldest his job was to look after the little ones.

He wished he hadn't.

He saw blood… He saw what looked like his parents but also didn't look like them.

At that moment his seat belt came loose as he fell to what was now the floor as he leaned up working at the clasps.

"Dash-nii...Dashi!" Hiro whimpered clinging to Tadashi as he was freed. Hideki doing the same as both twins coughed on the smoke.

"Shh…" Tadashi whispered. "It'll be okay… It'll be okay…" He looked around the fire was creeping closer.

Nine years old, he was nine years old and had to make this judgement call.

Stay and burn with his brothers, or fight to survive.

He held the twins close before kicking at the door's window, until he felt the glass start to shift. "Just… A little…"

CRACK!

He flinched ignoring the cuts on his legs as he squirmed out before reaching in managing to get both twins.

Run, run, RUN!

Tadashi looked back. "... Sorry Kaa-san… Tou-san… I gotta do my job…" He coughed before hurrying off for the nearest area that wasn't engulfed in smoke.

Most nine year olds couldn't handle this, alone let alone with carrying two children younger than himself. But Tadashi was running on adrenaline, pure adrenaline not noticing how beaten up he was in comparison to the youngests.

All that mattered was getting them away from it. Getting to a safe spot.

He heard something ignite as he tossed the twins to the ground trying not to feel guilty as they cried out before covering them.

BOOOM!

His hearing left him momentarily… The last thing he saw was two… Or was there four? Little twins looking up at him scared.

THUD!

oooooooooo

That's how rescue workers found them, not too long after. Tadashi unconscious part of his head bloody from where it was struck, the twins screaming his name as they were covered with his body.

Tadashi awoke with a splitting headache and even though it hurt… It all hurt, as he realized that everything was different now. That there was no more mom and dad, that they were the last of the Hamada children…

There was only one concern however… If his parents were gone then did that also mean….

"Hiro…. Deki?" He asked looking to his aunt who was sitting with him through her tears.

She took his hand. "Their safe… Their… They're both safe… Tadashi… Why did you cover them?" She asked, although Cass knew there was likely a cause. She still wondered what possessed her nephew to take such risks. She was glad… But she was curious.

Tadashi gave a tired smile.

"I'm the older brother. I'd do it all over again for them…"

Little did he know that years later he would do it again…