"You have to go to school today for the full day, okay? Himitsu?"
"I guess, Leiko..." Mumbled Himi, her dark eyes dulled. She didn't want to go back in there to face Nirva. She didn't want to feel so... humiliated.
"It doesn't matter what they say." Her older sister said, brushing through her short hair. Himitsu said nothing before she took a big bite of sugary cereal, staring at another news report.
"Why are you so obsessed with them?" GoGo asked cautiously from behind the kitchen counter to Himitsu's left. She watched herself on the television screen, in her black and yellow speed suit as she tried to rescue people from the burning building. Himi shrugged, looking up at her sister. "It's all bad news..."
The younger girl furrowed her brow and shook her head. She took off her glasses, using her tunic dress to clean them off, "They're trying to save people! I wish... I wish I could do something like that."
GoGo grabbed her jacket, putting it on slowly as she stared at the dirt of the small kitchen floor. That was what she was terrified most of. It would be a long while before she could let her sister in on the secret. She already discovered about Tadashi. She grabbed the remote off the table to click off the t.v. and threw Himi her helmet. "Let's go."
Himitsu stared at the safety gear in her lap, questioning why GoGo was so defensive. She mumbled as she pulled the strap of her messenger bag over her head and headed for the door. "Whatever."
The ride to the high school was long and torturous; she didn't know how things would go. Who would be there. What they would say, even if it didn't matter, would still linger in her mind. She tried to keep her breathing even as she walked the halls from class to class.
So far so good.
"Would you, lookie here."
The voice sent chills down Himi's spine, freezing her to her core. She could hear footsteps approaching from behind her and the presence she's dreaded getting closer and closer. "If it isn't the Tanaka's family fool."
"Didn't we tell you to stay away?"
Himitsu found herself frozen to the spot, her breathing becoming shallow as if she could stop breathing all together. She could feel Nirva's breathe on her neck, sending chills of fear down her back. "Lots of guts you have coming here. Don't think you'll have your friends to save you next time."
Himitsu felt her body shaking with nerves, watching Nirva strut away; her two bodyguards at her sides. She's the devil, she thought, clutching her books close to her body. She made her way to class, hoping to not run into her for the rest of the day. Relief washed over her when the bell rang and she didn't see a head full of blonde hair anywhere.
She opted to skip lunch when it came around, heading to read in the library. She took a seat by the window to peer out of every now and then. She watched cars fly by and people walk around. And then something caught her eye, a flicker of black against the blue sky.
Then by a building and into the alley. She took off her glasses to rub at her sleepy eyes. She laughed at herself, "What even, Himi?"
She missed the other flickers of black as she stared down at her book without interest. Her mind wandered around until it reached her favorite subject. The Big Hero Six.
Her mind immediately went to the other day; she wondered what would've have happened if the two hadn't of come. She could've been hurt or killed. She wondered if she would ever run into them again... or who was under those masks.
She mechanically slid out of her seat and grabbed her things as the bell rang. She missed the flicker of black watching her walk away from the window. Himitsu was too caught up in her thoughts to notice she was about to run right into-
Her books clattered to the floor as she met dark, storm-blue eyes. It felt like she was looking at Death itself. "I-I'm so sorry."
"I told you... you should watch it, dog." Nirva took a step closer to Himi, grabbing a strand of blue hair, "You're so mindless. Nothing like your sister."
Himitsu felt her body curl inward, wishing to suction itself out of existence like a black hole. Everyone seemed to know about Leiko. Nirva's eyes traveled down to one of the scattered papers, plucking it from the ground. "What are you in? Kindergarten? Is GoGo going to help you with these? How pathetic."
She crumpled the piece of homework and tossed it down at her feet. It was a few moments before Himitsu found the will to even move. The bell rang for class to begin while she gathered her things off the floor, gritting her teeth together.
I can't do this.
She snatched the crumpled piece of paper from the ground and stood, ready to run out of the building and as far away from San Fransokyo as possible. She didn't care if GoGo got mad at her. "Why me?" She wanted to scream as she flung her bag over her shoulder, avoiding the office on her way out. This time she didn't text her sister, she didn't say a word. She stood out on the street, looking at the vast expanse of city before her. With no clue to where she was headed, she began to walk, kicking along pebbles and cans. This time no one chased after her.
She didn't pay much attention to the variety people around her and the noise. She was in her own thoughts, still wondering why things had to be the way they were. The thought of Tadashi, the older brother she always wanted, lingered by in her mind. She stopped walking and looked up. Lucky Cat Café.
She peered inside to see a head of black hair sitting at one of the tables. Aunt Cass was running around with a pitcher. She felt her heart squeeze, like it was trying to hug itself as she imagined Tadashi's voice the moment she stepped in. "Hey, Squid kid."
But when she stepped in his voice didn't carry to her, instead it was her own spilling into the air. "Hey, Hiro."
Hiro turned to look at her in surprise, his cheeks full of food. "Heffo!"
She giggled at the likeliness he had to a chipmunk in that moment and Aunt Cass swatting him gently. He shot her a look and swallowed his food down, observing her. "What are you doing out of school?"
Himi kicked the ground, feeling like a stupid child. He was only a year older than her, in college,and here she was... only a freshman in high school. She looked down at her feet, trying to think of what to say without alarming Cass and being sent back to school. Hiro furrowed his brow.
"Is something wrong?"
When she looked up at him, standing now with concern written on his face, she nodded without a thought. It was the same look Tadashi would have on his face when she would fall, inevitably hurting herself, and cry until someone came to help her. He looked around and grabbed her hand,dragging her up to his room. She vaguely remembered it from her childhood. But that had been years ago.
Her red-brown eyes looked around with curiosity. Hiro had let go of her hand and was tinkering with something across the room. "Before Tadashi... passed away-" he said the sentence carefully, whincing a little himself. "He was working on a medical bot. And surprisingly, it works..."
"But where is it?" Himitsu looked around, eager to see something Tadashi had made with his own two hands. Hiro rubbed the back of his neck slowly, averting his eyes. He was thinking as he spoke, "Well... The original got... lost. But I managed to save the programming chip and made a new one."
Himi sighed, unable to help the slight disappointment. It wasn't quite Tadashi's and yet, it was. Hiro grabbed a piece of paper. "Can I see your hand?"
Himi looked at him caustiously, slowly going to give him her hand. Her brows furrowed as he placed the paper on her palm then raised when she realized what he was doing. But too late, the sting was already there and she cried out, raising her hand to her mouth. There was a beep from a cube on a further wall of the room and the sound of air filling something. Then a gentle, robotic voice. "Hello, Hiro. I heard an "ouch", indicating someone is hurt. Are you in need of assistance?"
Himi turned around to find a giant, marshmallow-like robot towering above them. It was made up of many ovals and circles making it look comforting and friendly. It's face was two black circles connected by a single black line. It's attention was on Hiro, who shook his head and gestured towards Himitsu with the cut in her mouth. It turned it's head examining her and before she had any time to process anything it was saying her hand was in front of her being tended to. Hiro spoke to her with a small smile, "Neat isn't it? It's name is Baymax."
Himitsu nodded, staring in awe. They really are geniuses. He took on after Tadashi... She thought back to the other day as she had looked around her in amazement from the AstroProjector's illusion of the whole universe around her. It took her a moment to register what Baymax was saying about symptoms that his radar had picked up, her mind going into immediate panic. She took a step towards the robot, like it was a real human she could stop. She didn't want Hiro to know, she didn't want him to worry, or worse, tell GoGo. "That's enough! I'm okay!"
Hiro stared at her for a moment, the uncertainty written on his face. His eyes darted off to the side as he slipped into thought. Himi frozen to the spot with a trembling body. Her life was something she kept closed in a box at the very back of the closet. Something she didn't want to look at, because it wasn't meant to be in the light. He spoke slowly, quietly, "It's okay... because Tadashi is here."
Himitsu's eyebrows furrowed in question and her arms lowered slowly. She shook her head. "What?"
"Tadashi is here." Baymax repeating as Hiro stood beside her, taking her hand with a small squeeze; her heart mimicked the motion. A light lit up on Baymax's stomach, forming a screen. Her ears caught the sound of his voice and her ready-to-cry eyes focused in on his face. Tadashi's warm eyes looking into the camera; into her.
She watched him for what seemed days. Her mind unable to handle what information it was being fed by her eyes. Himitsu felt her lips curl into a smile at his joy as Baymax functioned right, at long last. Then he was gone and she was staring at a big white cloud. A moment of silence found its way between the three.
Himitsu looked at Hiro, his eyes were almost the same shade of brown with a different light. Her smile returned as she launched herself at Hiro into a hug, stunning him. She was overwhelmed with a small joy that she hadn't felt for a long time. One that up until then, she hadn't really realized she missed.
"Thank you."
•••
Sorry this chapter was kinda lame :c I'll try to make up for it. I swear!
But hey ITS ALMOST TO 1K READS ON WP. I'm excited as heck 3 Thanks for reading, I'll update ASAP. Stay Sweet!
-DMA
