Chapter 7: Not On My Watch
The day in San Fransokyo was a normal one. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and over all, it was going to be a great day.
"How could you go in there without us!?"
Gogo flicked Hiro's ear. "Ow."
"We specifically told you not to go in there without us, and what do you do? You go anyway!"
Tadashi was standing there with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, nodding at everything that Gogo was saying. "I had to, or they wouldn't have given me the hat otherwise!"
"Why do you care so much about that stupid hat?!"
"You know why!"
"Still, it's no reason to go getting yourself killed!"
"I didn't get myself killed, I'm right here, aren't I?!"
"Ugh, you are such a bonehead!"
"Maybe I am, but I at least got the hat back!"
Gogo sighed and took a second to calm down. "Hiro, promise us that you will never do something like this again."
Hiro figured that this was a one time thing, so he would lose nothing in promising. "Okay, I promise that I won't do anything like that without you again."
Gogo nodded. "Good, and you had better mean it."
Hiro nodded. "Yes, I do."
Gogo sighed again and then wrapped his arms around him. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."
The rest of the team joined in the hug, including Tadashi. The hug eventually broke and they all resumed their natural order. "It was just so strange though."
Gogo raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well, I walked down the hallway and I saw some bot fighters that I had fought before walking over to me. I think they might have been coming over to beat me up, but they didn't. They just stopped cold in their tracks for some reason."
Tadashi recalled the events of that day. He remembered how he glared at the bot fighters and they immediately stood down. "When I went to talk to those guys, I think they might have been about to beat me up, but they didn't either. They suddenly looked afraid and the guy in the middle just gave me the hat."
Tadashi took a second to think about all this. He pretty much scared everyone who threatened to hurt his little brother, but how could he scare them off unless...unless they could see him. There had to be a logical explanation for this. He figured he would need to read the book some more.
"Alright, well, let's not think about it right now." Gogo suggested.
Hiro nodded. "Alright, well, see you guys later."
And with that, Hiro was off, with none other than his ghost of an older brother following.
Later, back at the café, Hiro and Tadashi were upstairs in their room. Tadashi was reading the ghost book that he had found the day before and already he had read so many interesting things about being a ghost. For example, some ghost classifications. Since he was a ghost who protected someone, he was under the class of Guardian. He read that when a Guardian was really determined to protect someone that they loved, then the possibilities of protection were endless.
That explains how they were able to see him the other day. It also explains the orange glow and how Hiro was able to feel Tadashi's touch. He figured that he had just figured out where guardian angels came from. If so, then he was determined to become Hiro's guardian angel and protect him at all costs. And speaking of Hiro.
Tadashi looked over at the other side of the room to find Hiro looking out the window. Tadashi raised an eyebrow and walked over to his baby brother. "What's wrong, Otouto?" He asked, even though he knew he couldn't hear him.
Hiro sighed. "I still haven't made enough money to help Aunt Cass. I guess I could go bot fighting again tonight, to help earn a little extra money."
Tadashi's eyes widened. "I'm not going through that again. Hiro, I know you can't hear me, but if Guardian protection is limitless like the book says, then I will protect you by not letting you go."
Hiro sighed. "There won't be a bot fight till tonight, so I guess I should get some rest before then."
Hiro half-heartedly made his way over to his bed and laid down. Tadashi sighed. "Hiro, I love you, which is exactly why I can't let you go."
Hiro was already asleep so he couldn't have heard him. Tadashi sighed again, then kissed Hiro on his forehead. "Good night knucklehead. I'll see you when you wake up."
Tadashi stood and sighed. He was walking over to his bed, ready to keep reading that book. "Come...sleep with me...Tadashi."
The older Hamada's ears perked up at this. He looked back over at his sleeping brother, who seemed giddy all of a sudden. "Come Tadashi...come sleep with me."
Tadashi smiled. "If you say so."
Tadashi walked back over and carefully got into the bed without waking Hiro up. He pulled him in tight and Hiro smiled in his sleep. "I love you, Tadashi." Hiro whispered.
The older Hamada smiled. "I love you too Hiro, and I promise that I'll protect you."
Hiro fully drifted off to sleep and Tadashi whispered.
"Always."
The night after, Hiro had already signed up for a bot fight and was getting ready to go. He took the lucky hat, his Megabot and controller and was up in his room getting ready. Tadashi, of course, didn't approve and was determined not to let him go tonight.
"Alright, let's see. I've got Megabot, the controller, the lucky hat, some money, and now I'm set."
Tadashi stood his ground in front of the doorway. "No Hiro, you're not."
Hiro stood and started walking out the door, but once he tried he quickly found that he couldn't. Some invisible force was preventing him from leaving. Still, Hiro kept on trying to get out and ended up getting through. Hiro silently walked down the stairs, careful not to wake up his aunt.
Tadashi followed, still not willing to let him go. Hiro made it down to the second floor. "Hiro, get back here, I forbid you from going anywhere." He kept on walking without hearing a single word he had said. Hiro eventually made it down to the café and was about to walk out the door.
"Hiro, don't." Tadashi warned him.
Hiro used his key to open the front door. As soon as it opened, Hiro was walking out, and Tadashi couldn't let it happen. "Hiro, no!"
Tadashi rushed over and put a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from leaving. Hiro's eyes widened at the touch and it wasn't until that moment that Tadashi remembered that he could feel his touch.
Hiro turned and saw nobody behind him, but he could definitely feel the pressure of a hand on his shoulder. Tadashi removed his hand in fear of frightening Hiro more.
Hiro shook it off first and quickly headed out the door. Tadashi recovered a few seconds later and followed Hiro out the door, determined to protect his baby brother at all costs.
