Another update yay! This is an idea that kinda just popped into my head (while I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean but shhhh...)

Hiro could remember it all. The smells, the sounds, everything that happened that night.

"Hiro, don't come out until I tell you to, okay?"

"But, Dashi," he cried, grabbing on to his brother's sleeves, "they're still out there!"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"But-"

His brother climbed out the hatch that they had hidden in with a quick reassuring "I'll be back." Shivering, Hiro curled up into a ball, hiding himself behind a barrel of potatoes.

He hated pirates.

They took his parents, they took his home, and that night, they took his brother.

It had been almost ten years since his parents fell victim to a merciless band of pirates. They had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were wealthy merchants that were on the way home from a particularly successful trade, wanting nothing more than to see their beloved sons again. However, that night, their carriage was attacked and Hiro never saw them again.

It was almost seven years since he last saw his brother. After his parents died, they were sent to a different village to live with their aunt. She lived by a port, owning a small café for passing sailors and travelers. That night, Aunt Cass had traveled to a nearby city to restock her kitchen. It had just been Hiro and his brother. It wasn't anything new; they had watched the home alone plenty of times. But that night, something was different.

It was late at night. Hiro had long since gone to bed. However, a little past midnight, he woke up to the smell of smoke.

And the sound of screaming.

Panicked, he bolted out of bed to shake awake his brother. He was already up, immediately rushing into action. Grabbing Hiro's hand, he ushered him downstairs, past the living room and past the kitchen. Opening the latch to the underground pantry, his brother pushed Hiro in, quickly closing the latch behind him. Just as the wooden latch closed, Hiro heard the wood of their front door break down. Loud and drunken roars erupted from behind the latch, running through the house. The thieves were no doubt pillaging their Aunt's priceless antiques, final gifts from their parents.

His brother had pressed himself close to Hiro, gently reassuring the younger, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. Hiro squeaked in fear when he heard the drunken laughter got closer to their hiding place. His brother pressed one hand over his mouth, the other pressed against his own lips as a gesture for Hiro to stay quiet. Tears were streaming down Hiro's face, terror filling his body. Deep tremors shook his small frame as he struggled to keep his sobs quiet.

"Do ya 'ear that?" somebody drunkenly slurred. "I thought I 'eard a baby."

"Ya 'earing things, ol' man," somebody else laughed loudly. "'Tis probably jus'a mouse."

The pillagers laughed loudly and walked out of the kitchen. Hiro let out a sigh of relief when his brother dropped his hand. Then, he told him he would check outside to see if it was safe to leave.

And that was the last time Hiro ever saw his brother.

Aunt Cass found Hiro in the pantry the next day. He had fallen asleep in his uncomfortable position, still squeezing himself behind the barrel. He was shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw his aunt's worried gaze shift to relief as she enveloped him in a deep hug. Sobs shook her body when she realized her baby boy was alright.

Or at least, one of them.

When he finally left the pantry, he was shocked to see the state of his home. Plates and tableware laid shattered on the floor. The chairs and table were all tipped over, thrown across the room carelessly. Aunt Cass covered his eyes and led him out of the house. He could still smell the smoke.

And that was when Aunt Cass told him that Tadashi was gone.

"Hiro, when will you stop staring out to the sea like that?"

Hiro Hamada rolled his eyes from his hidden perch by the dock. A large wooden beam that stretched across the roof of his aunt's café. His small size ensured that nobody could see him as they walked down the street. The only person that knew of his hiding spot was…

"What do you want, Max?"

Max Bay, the child of a long-term resident of his town, was his best friend. He had been the first person that befriended Hiro after Tadashi disappeared. Of course, the albino child was a topic of scorn by the nosy higher-class citizens of their small town. His pale physique and white hair was a common dinner conversation between those gossiping old ladies.

"Looking out like that won't get rid of your problem, you know," Max sniffed. "You won't be able to learn to swim unless you actually go out there."

"Sh-shut up!" Hiro stuttered, face glowing red. It was no secret that Hiro didn't know how to swim. His hatred for pirates made him fear the waters. He never wanted anything to do with that treacherous liquid. "I don't want to learn now to swim!"

"Are you thinking of… him again," Max asked quietly. The tall and rather large albino child tilted his chin up and said, "You really need to let it go, Hiro. All this moping isn't good for you."

"They never found a body, he could still be out there," Hiro urged. "Maybe those bandits took him as a slave, o-or he was seen by them and forced to run away, or-"

"Hiro, stop," his friend said forcefully. "It's been seven years."

"I know, I know," the fourteen-year-old grumbled. "I just… need to know…what really happened…"

Max shot Hiro a sympathetic glance. Hoping to distract his distraught friend, he said, "Hey, I don't get some of the questions they gave us in class. Can you explain it to me?"

"… Sure," Hiro sighed, climbing down from his perch. It was also no secret that Hiro was smart. Smarter than your everyday kid. He spent all his free time reading books from the small library nestled between the grocers and the butcher. At the rate he was reading, he would most likely finish all the books before he turned sixteen.

"Thanks," Max said gratefully, helping his smaller friend down. "I don't know how you can figure all this stuff out, you must be a real genius."

"Seven years of knowing me and you still say that," Hiro scoffed, brushing off dust from his ragged pants when his feet made contact with the dirt floor. "Come on, let's get this done with."

"Thanks, buddy, you really helped me this time!" Max laughed loudly, thudding Hiro's back happily.

Hiro jerked forward with each hit, mentally noting to tell Max to watch his strength (again), he coughed, "Glad to help."

After waving goodbye to his friend, he opened the door to his home, calling out, "Aunt Cass, I'm home!"

His aunt's slender figure was facing a customer, but she whipped around immediately when she heard her nephew walk in. "We-welcome home, dear!" she stuttered. "I'll be right with you, okay, Hon?"

"Is that your youngest nephew?" and unfamiliar voice chuckled from behind her.

Aunt Cass turned quickly and glared at her "customer." At this point, Hiro was pretty sure she knew him. "He has nothing to do with this," she snapped. This was the first time Hiro ever heard her so mad. Not even when he dropped her most prized teapot. "Now you and your crew need to leave our town before the navy gets called in."

"Look, ma'am, I'm just looking for some information," the guest chuckled. He had dark skin was dressed in some rather high quality clothes. He smiled kindly at Hiro. "He's grown, hasn't he?"

"That's none of your concern," Cass replied tersely, wrapping her arms around her nephew protectively. "Hiro, go to your room for a bit, will you?" she asked gently, pushing him towards the stairs.

Nodding slowly, he couldn't take his eyes off the strange man. He smiled at Hiro, waving goodbye. Hiro bristled. That wave felt more mocking than polite.

Climbing the stairs halfway, he turned the corner and sat on the stairs, listening in to the conversation. His aunt was too wrapped up with the stranger's presence that she didn't bother checking to see if Hiro had actually gone. "Like I said," she hissed through gritted teeth, "you and the rest of your stinking pirate gang can go."

Hiro stiffened. Pirates? Fear and hatred coursed through his body. He balled up his fists, willing himself to sit still.

"Come on, Cass, don't be like that," the stranger said soothingly. "My dad said you used to be really close with pirates. I just need a bit of information, that's all."

"I used to," she replied coldly, "until you attacked my home and destroyed my family."

The stranger didn't reply. "They didn't know," he finally said quietly.

"Well, it's too late for that," Cass hissed. Storming to the door, she opened it and said, "I used to give pirates the information they needed for quests. And you repay me by killing my brother and sister and taking my oldest nephew."

"We didn't mean to-"

"Get out," Cass said coldly. "Leave. Now!"

The stranger stood and walked to the door. He turned and looked at Cass. Cass crossed her arms, blocking entrance into her home with her body. The stranger's eyes flicked up, briefly making eye contact with Hiro. The stranger smiled, put on his hat, then turned and left.

Cass slammed the door shut, sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Hiro could see tears forming in her eyes as she turned and hurried to the kitchen.

Hiro carefully crept up the rest of the stairs and entered his room, his mind in turmoil. Pirates. Aunt Cass. Information. Attack.

Tadashi.

A mad idea formed in his head. Maybe, he thought, if I could somehow get on that pirate ship… maybe I can find some information about Tadashi!

It was a crazy idea, really. There was no way it could possibly work. But from the window, Hiro could see the ocean and the dock. He could see one ship that didn't belong, one ship that didn't match the rest of the navy ships.

That's where I'll find my answers, Hiro decided. That's where I can finally get more information on Tadashi.

Digging through his half of the room, he found his burlap bag and began filling it with things that he may need, extra clothes, books to read, et cetera… He shot a quick glance at the untouched corner of his room, the only clean side to the small space he occupied.

Tadashi's side.

Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "He's not dead," he recited out loud. "They never found a body. He's not dead."

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Hiro quickly covered his bag with a small quilt. Jumping onto his bed, he grabbed several books, flipped them all open to random pages, and set it up to look like he had been reading them all at once. Of course, he had done this before. Successfully.

"Hiro?" His aunt called through the door. "I'm coming in, okay?"

"Yeah, come in, Aunt Cass," Hiro called back.

The door opened slowly. His aunt walked in, smiling and holding a small plate of food. "How was your day, sweetie?" she asked, setting the food down on the only available space on his table.

Hiro shrugged. "Fine," he replied nonchalantly. "Hung out with Max, went to the library… they have some new books. I was gonna check them out, but I finished them in a few hours."

Aunt Cass chuckled. "That's my brilliant little man," she crooned, stroking her hand aimlessly through his bird nest of hair.

"It was some new stuff," he said excitedly, "something about the theory of evolution."

"Oh really?" Cass laughed. "Do you believe it?"

Another shrug. "He made some good arguments," Hiro admitted.

They sat in silence, Hiro flipping through books he had read already and Cass absentmindedly working out the knots in her nephew's messy hair. "Look," she sighed after a bit. "I'm sorry about what you saw back then with…"

"That pirate?" Hiro said casually. Or at least, as casual as he could fake it. His grip on his book tightened, and he began to shake, in fury and rage.

"Yes, him," Cass sighed. "I didn't think they would come back, especially after they-"

"Took Tadashi?" Hiro finished for her.

"Yes, that," Cass replied tensely.

"It's fine," Hiro shrugged. "As long as they stay away, I'm fine."

"Right… Honey," Cass looked at him worriedly. "Please promise me that you won't go looking for trouble."

"Wh-what do you mean,"Hiro stuttered. He didn't expect her to see through him that quickly. Or that easily.

"Please," Aunt Cass scoffed. "I've known you since the day you were born and raised you for ten years. I know when you get crazy ideas in your head."

"Well, don't worry," Hiro lied. "I'm not planning anything stupid. Promise."

Guilt welled up inside him when his aunt beamed at him.

It was past midnight. Hiro was wide awake, staring blankly at his dark ceiling. As much as he didn't want his aunt to worry, he also needed closure on what really happened to his brother seven years ago. Sighing, he reached under his bed and pulled out his bag. Grabbing his shoes to slip on later, he tiptoed down the stairs, making sure to avoid that one creaky step, third step on the second flight. Going into the kitchen to grab some rations before setting out, he was surprised when he saw food set on the table already. Neatly packed loaves of bread, cheese and apples sat there, waiting for him to take. A folded piece of paper rested in front of the food. Reaching over, Hiro opened the note and read:

Hiro,

Knowing you, you probably aren't going to listen and you're going to sneak on to the pirate ship tonight. As much as I disagree with what you're doing, I can't stop you from finding out the truth.

Just remember that I love you, and I will always have my doors open for you and your brother. Find him and tell him to come home. To our family.

Love,

Aunt Cass

A lump formed in Hiro's throat. Obviously, his lie hadn't slipped by his aunt. Whispering a grateful "thank you," he swiped the food into his bag and walked to the door. Sending one last mournful glance at his home, he smiled as all the old memories came back to him. The stain on the rug when Tadashi spilled the tea he was carrying, the burn in the floorboard when Hiro accidentally dropped a candle (thankfully, Aunt Cass put it out before their house burned down), the one mismatched pillow from the furniture set (since Hiro threw up on the original pillow when he was sick one night)… All those memories made Hiro second-guess his decision.

Just for a second.

Sighing one last time, he slipped on his shoes, opened the door and slipped into the night.

"Hiro, wait!"

Stiffening, Hiro looked over his shoulder cautiously. Max was waddling over to him, panting as though he had ran for miles, when it was only a few yards. "You weren't gonna leave without saying goodbye, were you?" he huffed, bending over to catch his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Hiro hissed. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

Max ignored him and worked on slowing down his breathing. "I saw that nicely dressed guy leave your house," he told Hiro (for what reason, he couldn't fathom). "Dad told me pirates would dress nice to trick people, and I knew you were gonna go after them." He gave Hiro a worried look. "Are you seriously going?"

"… Yeah," Hiro sighed after a bit. "I'm sorry, Max, I just really need to know what happened. I can't keep living as though those nights never happened."

"B-but you can't even swim!" Max fretted. "What are you gonna do if they throw you overboard for stowing away? On a pirate ship?"

"I'll think of something," Hiro waved away his friend's worry. "I don't expect you to approve of what I'm doing, Max, but can you at least trust me to get things done? I promise I'll come back. Safe. With Tadashi."

"What if you don't!" Max fussed. "What if they kill you right there, no questions asked?"

"Then, I'll fight," Hiro replied firmly. "I'm not giving up until I find out what happened to Tadashi."

Max stared at his friend as though he had sprout antlers. Finally, he sighed and said, "I really don't like this," he worried, "but it's your choice. But, just promise me." Max grabbed Hiro's hand and looked at him solemnly. "Promise me you'll come back. Safe. Alive."

"Promise," Hiro nodded, smiling gently at his friend. Max nodded back and smiled sadly. Letting go of Hiro's hand, he waved as his friend walked away towards the dock. Hiro stopped, and before he left, called back, "You know, for someone who can't figure out simple math, you sure put together the pieces for that pirate at my place really quickly."

Hiro silently crept through the dock, looking for that one ship he had seen from his window. The only boat with a black flag. It hadn't been the grandest boat. Heck, it looked like it was going to fall apart anytime. But that flag was the give away. The only thing that showed it was a pirate ship.

Hiding in the shadows, he flinched when he heard the wooden dock creak. Muffled footsteps made their way towards his position. Somebody was coming.

Without thinking, he quickly climbed on board of the closest ship, pulling up the latch and quickly climbing in. Hearing the footsteps disappear, he let out a breath of relief.

Until he heard movement above him.

Holding his breath, he slowly shuffled over to the corner, pulling a barrel in front of him (he was getting a strange sense of dejavu…). He clenched his eyes shut, hoping that whoever was up there wouldn't cast off just yet.

"When are we leaving?" a bored female voice asked. "Wasabi said the info with Cass was a bust, she won't say anything."

"Just a little longer," an elder man's voice chuckled. "Captain's still roaming around out there. Don't know what he sees in this town."

"He said it was something about his childhood," the female voice drawled. "Which is why we have to come back and visit this dump every year."

"Now, now Gogo," the man said sternly. "Our Captain is a great man and we will treat the things he loves with respect." Gogo snorted.

"Hey, Cap's back!" an excited, younger male voice called out. "We can cast off now!"

Captain? Despite his fears, he felt excitement course through his veins. By some lucky chance, he had found the pirate ship! Now he just had to wait for them all to fall asleep and he would look around. Sneak into the captain's office and see if he could find any old entries of slave trade. And once he found information on his brother, he would steal (no, stealing is what a pirate does… how about, temporarily borrow?) a lifeboat and row back to another town.

This was going to be easy.

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