Chapter Summary: Tadashi and Baymax returned home, and the inventor broods over his grief while the robot tries to console him.

Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6 and its characters.

Tadashi ran and ran, carrying the red charging station under one arm while he pulled Baymax along forcefully. The two didn't stop running until they came to a safer part of the alleyway where they can see a lively street full of people up ahead. Tadashi even recognized the location where he parked his moped nearby. The robotics student let go of Baymax and dropped the red suitcase on the ground. He then leaned against the cement wall of the alley, panting and gasping for air.

"Th-that was close," he breathed. He was sweating bullets and he could feel every hair on the back of his neck standing. "I don't think that guy's coming after us... That gave me a heart attack."

At this, Baymax waddled over to Tadashi, his deflated balloon skin on both arms were hanging from the skeletal structure of his body. "My hands are equipped with defibrillators," he said as he rubbed his hands together and held them up to Tadashi's chest, ready to shock his heart into normal rhythm. "Clear."

"Whoa, Baymax-stop! It's just an expression!" Tadashi protested.

He felt a sharp pain in his right hand and looked down saw it being completely covered in blood. He remembered he cut the same hand from using a broken window glass.

Baymax scanned Tadashi's bleeding hand and began to show pictures of the wound on the video screen on his chest.

"You received a few lacerations on your palm and fingers," Baymax tells him. "While the injury isn't severe, it must be treated immediately before it worsens. I suggest applying presure to stop the bleeding."

"Oh, that's right," Tadashi nodded.

He checked his pockets again and was disappointed to find no handkerchief to wrap around his hand. He's starting to feel a little lightheaded; whether from his hand losing blood or from running too hard, he couldn't decide.

He then saw Baymax walking to his suitcase to take out a gauze and bandages from one of the small drawers. The robot waddled back to his creator and gently took Tadashi's hands. He then used his finger to spray warm, soap water on the skin, washing away the blood.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly.

"I am treating your wound," Baymax replied as he cleaned the wound. "I shall now apply ointment to reduce the chance of infection-"

"I know that, but you're in no condition help me right now," Tadashi protested. "Look at your arms! You need to be fixed first!"

"You are my patient, Tadashi. Your health is my only concern."

Tadashi sighed but he smiled up at his robot. "Alright, you're the nurse, big guy."

He watched as Baymax carefully pressed a gauze against the large cut and then wrapped the bandages around the hand with expert ease. He could feel his heart swelling with pride; just seeing his caregiver robot doing his job just like he was programmed to made Tadashi happy that he invented something that would help so many people. It took Tadashi forever to perfect Baymax, he had to go through eighty-three tests of painful trials and errors until he got Baymax to work properly on the eighty-fourth test. He remembered showing off his robot to Hiro and the two brothers discussed, in their "nerd talk", over Baymax's built and design.

Hiro would have an easier time building Baymax though, he thought. He probably wouldn't have slaved months and suffered eighty-four tests to get him to work too. A big brain in a small head, and what does he do? Put his time making robots fight. Knucklehead...

Just thinking of his brother again made his heart began to ache. Then he remembered the masked man with the microbots.

"I have finished treating your wound," Baymax said cheerfully. Then he holds up a sugar-free lollipop in front of his creator. "Here, have a lollipop."

Tadashi took the lollipop but he didn't unwrap it. He sadly stared at it before before pocketing it away. "We can't stand around much longer. We have to go to the police and tell them about what we saw at the warehouse."

He was about to turn to leave when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw Baymax's body slouching over. An image of a battery began appeared on his chest and it's blinking red.

"Looow baaatterrrry..." Baymax slurred.

"Whoa, Baymax!" Tadashi ran and held him up the best he can. "Now where's your charging station...?"

He saw the red suitcase. Tadashi left his robot and saw the charger is low on battery as well. "Unbelievable!" He sighed with frustration. "This should have enough energy that would last a few days, a week maybe! I'm pretty sure this was plugged to the outlet the night before. Why didn't I check this earlier-"

"I will scan diagnosis now! Healthcare complete!" Baymax shouted, swaying wildly back and forth. He's now acting like a drunk person. This is the first time Tadashi has seen something like this and he felt so awkward that this is happening right now.

Tadashi quickly grabbed his robot before he falls over. Looks like going to the police won't be happening after all. "Okay, you've taken care of me. Now let's take you home so I can take care of you."

Baymax suddenly shout, "I am companion! Your personal Baymax healthcare!"

It took Tadashi the rest of the afternoon to return home. He had to buy some rope from a store to tie Baymax down on the seat of the moped to make sure he doesn't fall off in his "drunken" state. Tadashi knew it would be too risky to drive the moped through the busy street so he just walks it on the sidewalks, while Baymax's half-deflated body leaned against his head and shoulder. He avoid getting eye-contact from curious passerbys though he could feel his face burning like fire.

He struggled to drag his moped with Baymax and the charging station sitting on it through the city until he saw the Lucky Cat cafe in sight. He went around the back where the garage is and plugged the red suitcase into an outlet. He untied Baymax and gently helped him step down from the ride. Baymax began rustling Tadashi's hair affectionately.

"You are so fluffy. Fluffy Tadashiii..." Baymax mumbled. He then attempted to cuddle with his creator while he continued babbling. "I will scan you on the scale offended to lollipop. How would you rate your care? Hello, I am robot!"

Tadashi couldn't help but laugh but he guided Baymax into his charger. "One foot in front of the other, buddy. C'mon, you're almost there."

With Baymax finally in place, Tadashi left the garage so he could pick up the materials to patch up Baymax's arms. He entered his home through the back door and quietly hurried up the stairs without alerting his aunt. As he stepped into the room, his chest momentarily squeezed in pain when he saw Hiro's bed and desk still empty and lonely. He ignored it and grabbed the toolkit under his own bed. He was halfway down the stairs when Aunt Cass saw him.

"Tadashi!" she gasped. "Where did you go? You weren't in your room when I checked up on you earlier."

Tadashi stopped and tried to sound casual. "Oh, I was in the garage all afternoon. Working on a new invention."

Cass touched his face tenderly, her expression full of concern. "Honey, you scared me. I understand you're still hurt, but if you're going to go somewhere, please tell me first."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Aunt Cass," Tadashi said in a low voice though he avoided her gaze.

"So what's this new invention you've been working on?" Cass asked curiously. A small smile on her lips. "Is it for your school?"

"Um, p-pretty much," Tadashi nodded quickly as he moved around her. "It's very important! So, I'm going to be very busy."

Cass tried to stop him before he reached the door. "Ooh, can I bring you anything for dinner-"

But he was already gone. Aunt Cass sighed before going back to work. "At least he's out of his room. I guess that's a good thing," she mumbled.

Tadashi fixed up the tattered vinyl with special thread as Baymax slowly powered back up in his charging station. He had done this plenty of times before when Baymax's balloon skin accidentally popped and broke apart during his tests.

"There, good as new!" Tadashi grinned.

Baymax's internal motors re-inflated his arms until they were back to normal size and filled with air. "Thank you, Tadashi. I appreciated your help."

"I gotta keep you in top shape, buddy," the inventor said. "Can't have a caregiver companion falling apart."

He began to press some numbers in his cellphone, and waited for someone to pick up.

"San Fransokyo Police Department," a tired voice said. "This is desk sergeant Officer Gerson. How can I help you?"

Tadashi became quiet for a moment. What should he tell the policeman; that he and a robot came to a warehouse, found his brother's stolen invention, and then ambushed by a masked man? While it did really happened, it now sounded ridiculous. But Tadashi poured out his words the best he can without stopping. After ten minutes has passed, the policeman finally replied.

"Alright, let me get this straight," Officer Gerson began slowly. "A man in Kabuki mask attacked you with an army or miniature flying robots which originally belong to your dead brother?"

"Microbots," Tadashi corrected him as he wandered around the garage. Baymax watched him after stepping out of his charging station. "They were stolen and being produced. The man was controlling them telepathically with a neurocranial transmitter."

"Look, young man, I'm not a science whiz here so I need you to explain to me on simple terms," the officer said in an unimpressed tone. "So, Mr. Kabuki was using ESP to attack you and your robot?"

Tadashi rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. "Yes. In a way."

There was silence on the other end.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Tadashi Hamada. Look, it's not important right now. There's someone out there who got my brother's invention and tried to kill-"

"I've heard of you. And your brother. You two were in jail on the night we rounded up some people at that illegal botfighting ring. Look, I feel sorry for what happened to your brother. He seems like a nice kid... You don't sound like a guy who would make prank calls to the police-"

"WHAT?!" Tadashi cried.

The officer continued, "-Mr. Hamada, calling the police isn't going to help you deal with your loss."

Well, if you and the other cops were there earlier on the night the fire broke at the showcase, you would have find out clues who started it! Tadashi wanted to scream at him. Instead, he hung up his cellphone and set it down sharply on the table.

He then fell back onto the comfortable couch in the corner. He was so tired and confused now. Who was that masked man and why was he building Hiro's microbots? And what was he planning to do with them? Then he remembered the mysterious papers on the wall: the words "Project Silent Sparrow" and the strange symbol of a bird. What are they and what do they mean?

"This doesn't make any sense," he said out loud while staring at the ceiling. "Hiro... what would you do when your stuff gets stolen? Probably, tell our parents about it." He snorted. Then a horrible feeling begin to sink in. "... What would Mom and Dad say?"

He remembered on the day Hiro was born, his parents made him give them his promise.

"Starting today, you're his big brother, Tadashi," his mom said with a huge smile. "That means you'll have to make sure he doesn't get hurt when we're not around.

"It's a big a responsibility. Think you can handle it?" his dad inquired, placing a hand on the little five-year-old's shoulder.

"Yup! I'll be the best big brother to Hiro!" Tadashi nodded while staring happily at his newborn brother.

"I failed them," Tadashi whispered in horror. Despair filled his chest and he curled up into the couch. "I shouldn't have left Hiro that night. And now he's lost... How can I even face Mom and Dad when I finally see them again? I'm... I'm the worst brother ever."

"Tadashi," Baymax said softly. He sensed his creator's distress and drop in mood levels. "What do you mean by 'Hiro is lost'? Should we find him?"

Tadashi looked at his robot before rolling around, facing his back towards him. "We can't find him, Baymax. He's dead," he answered in a hollow voice. "Along with Professor Callaghan. There was a fire, and... I didn't save him."

He thought of his parents once more. This isn't the first time he felt guilty for allowing his family to die...

On the morning of their deaths, Tadashi didn't want to ride with them in their car since he preferred to take the school bus. His parents wanted to take him to school, but he was throwing a fit.

"I'm a big boy! I wanna ride the bus with my classmates!" he cried.

"Awww, let him take the bus, Maemi," Aunt Cass said as she played with three-year-old Hiro on the mat. "I took the train when I was young too and I was safe."

"Oh, I guess so," Tadashi's mother sighed. Then she leaned down and give her elder son a peck on the cheek. "You'll behave in school, right?"

"He'll be fine," the father said. "Anyway, we have enough time to get to the meeting early."

"Make sure Hiro gets his nap," Maemi reminds her sister-in-law before walking out the door with her husband. "Let's go, Tom."

"Love you, Momma," Tadashi waved her goodbye before picking up his lunch bag.

"We'll pick you up after school, okay? See you soon~"

Had he known about the traffic accident, Tadashi would have taken a ride with his parents and they would have drove to school in a different street instead. He felt terribly guilty for acting on his selfish needs that he should have done something to prevent their deaths. He made a promise that he would never put his own desires over his family ever again. Yet, he had done it again in the form of putting his own life at risk to save someone else and leaving his brother behind. The very person he had sworn to take care and protect.

He heard Baymax waddling closer to him. "Hiro was in good health. With a proper diet and exercise, he should have lived a long life."

"Yeah, he should have," Tadashi said, feeling fresh tears forming in his eyes. "People keep saying he's not really gone as long as we remember him... but I don't buy it."

Baymax seemed confused. "Why is that?"

"Because it still hurts."

"I see no evidence of physical injury."

"It's a different kind pain, Baymax."

Baymax was silent for a while. He then begun, "... On the scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Stop that!" Tadashi angrily sat up in a shot. "Why do you keep hovering me around like that?"

"You are my patient, Tadashi. I want to help you," the robot stated.

"You can't heal this one, buddy. I don't need your help!"

"I was programmed to aid the sick and suffering-"

"Go away, Baymax!"

Tadashi panted heavily before walking away from his robot to stand in a different corner of the garage to avoid him. Baymax couldn't accept that answer. He is determined to help his patient in anyway possible, especially if his patient happens to be his creator. He turned to one of the computers and began to access information with the touch of his hand. Tadashi finally turned around after drying his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked watching images of websites and pages quickly flashing on Baymax's chest.

"I am downloading a database on personal loss," Baymax replied. "Database downloaded. Treatments include contact with friends and loved ones. I am contacting them down now."

"Wait, what?" Tadashi saw four pictures of his friends from college appeared on Baymax's chest. He ran forward and tried to wipe them away. "No, no no-I don't want to see anybody!"

"Your friends have been contacted."

Tadashi groaned and slapped his face. "Unbelievable. You are so stubborn..."

Tadashi realized how independent Baymax is slowly getting; few times he disobeyed against Tadashi's orders and acted on his own will. The robotics student wondered if he created his invention to become too intelligent. Suddenly, Baymax reached out and gave him a big hug.

"Other treatments include compassion and physical reassurance," Baymax said. He then patted Tadashi's back. "You will be alright."

"I... am I really going to be...?" Tadashi tried to speak but he couldn't finish. The hug brought a great warmth all over his body and it seemed to remove a huge burden off from his chest. He found himself hugging his robot in return.

Baymax eventually breaks off the hug and looks at his creator with a seemingly kind gesture. "I am sorry about the fire. Hiro was a good boy, I miss him."

"Me too, big guy. And no need to be sorry, it was an accident," Tadashi said. Then something snapped in his mind. The wheels in his head started turning and then all the pieces fell together. "Unless... it wasn't."

He quickly takes out the petri dish containing the lone microbot and stared at it. Then he remembered the words of the mysterious woman from the warehouse.

"I'm surprised you managed to make this many in such a short time. That Hamada boy only made two trashcans worth of them in three weeks. I got to give him credit for making these microbots sophisticated, but it doesn't take much for a genius such as yourself to figure out how to produce more of them, huh?"

"The man in the Kabuki mask stole Hiro's microbots. And then he started the fire to cover his tracks..." Tadashi said slowly. Anger and hate began to invade his heart like a dark cloud and he found his hands shaking. "He's the one responsible for Hiro's death... We have to find him and stop him!"

Tadashi now knew what he must do. Since the police won't help him catch the masked man, he will have to do it himself. He will catch the man and bring him to justice, and then Hiro will rest in peace.

"Will apprehending the man in the mask improve your emotional state?" Baymax asked.

Tadashi nodded. "Absolutely."

"Then I wish to be of assistance to you. Wherever you go, I will follow you."

"Baymax, you're a nurse, not a fighter-"

Tadashi stopped and began to think. He stepped back and began to picture Baymax wearing armor that resembled Hiro's fighting robot Megabot. He had to admit, Baymax did pulled him out of trouble a couple of times but his current body is too fragile and isn't built for battle. Tadashi felt that he's going to against his original intent for a caregiver companion bot and uprade it into something more. But if it would bring honor to Hiro's memory, then he will throw away whatever morals if he has to.

"On a second thought... it looks like I'm going to need your help after all," Tadashi said with conviction.

Leave some reviews~