Time seemed to slow down for Elsa as Yama and his goons gawked at Tadashi and Hiro flying over their heads on a scooter. Instinct screamed at her that this was her chance to catch them unaware—with a wave of her hand and a bright flash of light, a glittering wall of ice surrounded Yama and his men, trapping them neatly within.

A few heartbeats passed before she blinked in mild disbelief. I…did it? she wondered, looking down at her hands as surprised cries and fists thumping against the ice wall reached her ears. But she didn't have long to savor her success—the sound of wailing sirens and shouted orders soon pierced the air, causing her to scramble behind a dumpster to hide. She barely made it out of sight when a policeman came running into the scene. Elsa held her breath when she peeked out, certain that if she did, they'd find and arrest her.

"Whoa, guys, get a load of this!" The police officer tipped his hat back as he beheld the ice wall. "Must be ten feet high!"

Two more officers joined him. "What are you babbling about now, Gryz—holy mother of Megazon, what the heck is that?" one exclaimed, her jaw dropping open in awe.

"Hell if I know, Carlisle, but it sounds like there are people in there," the first one on the scene observed. He cocked an ear against the surface of the wall. "Seems Yama and his pals are inside."

"Well, we can't just leave them there, can we? I'll have the fire department get Yama out."

Now what? Elsa thought, dismayed. There were now five officers roaming around the area, possibly looking for additional suspects to apprehend. What if she got caught? I was running away from Yama! she'd protest, but even she admitted that she looked highly suspicious, disheveled and hiding behind a dumpster.

She wrinkled her nose. Now that the excitement was winding down, she became gradually aware of the stench wafting from the dumpster and the grit on her palms. Ha. I really do have a thing against dirt, Elsa mused absently as she wiped her damp palms on her jeans, trying to figure out how to sneak past the policemen who were scattered and scurrying all over the place. Some of them gawked at the ice wall she had erected. Casting her gaze about, she spotted a hole in the chain link fence behind her. There has to be a…yes!

She glanced back to make sure she wouldn't be seen, then crawled through the hole to make her escape, not daring to look back. Keeping a brisk pace, Elsa made her way through the winding alleys and backstreets, her pulse pounding in her ears—were those eyes tracking her every move? Don't be ridiculous, she chided herself, suppressing a shudder. Now was not the time to lose control.

Please don't tell me I'm lost, she prayed as she rounded yet another dark corner. Please tell me—oh, finally!

There was a light at the end of the alley, and Elsa hoped it led out toward a street—one that was safe, that is. Running toward the light, she heaved a sigh of relief when it did reveal a street, one that she and Tadashi had stopped by earlier—there was that waiting shed where Tadashi had seen those teenagers that tipped them off.

She plopped on the bench and rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension, wishing a cab would pass by soon. She couldn't wait to go home and wash off today's grime, to soak her anxieties away in a tub of warm, sudsy, rose-scented water. I should probably text Tadashi to let him know I'm okay, she realized. I hope he's okay, too. Please let him be okay.

Or maybe not, she amended a few minutes later when she heard faint cries of "help" from a distance. Guess I'm still in the seedy area of the city. She had an iPhone, which would surely attract the attention of would-be thieves.

The minutes that ticked by felt like hours as Elsa waited for a bus or taxi to stop by. She didn't dare let her guard down, keeping her eyes peeled for anything. Her hackles rose when a lime green hatchback slowed down and stopped in front of her. Tensing, she made a move to bolt, but halted when she heard a familiar voice.

"Elsa?"

"Wasabi!"

"Come on, get in," he beckoned at her with his head. "This place isn't safe."

She slid inside the vehicle, slumping against the backrest. "Thanks."

"No problem," he responded, starting to drive. "So what happened? Where's Tadashi?" he asked, frowning. "What happened to you? You're a mess! Are you okay? Do you want to get checked at a hospital first?"

Elsa held up a wan hand at his rapid-fire questioning. "Which one do you want me to answer first?"

"Just—well, fine, are you okay?"

"I am, I'm just a little dirty, that's all. Had to hide behind a dumpster."

"Why? What happened?"

And so Elsa told him about how they found Hiro and got chased by Yama and his thugs, leaving out the part where she trapped them with her ice so Tadashi could make his getaway. "I wasn't sure what happened because I was so focused on hiding while they were distracted—Tadashi had jumped over them using his scooter so I was able to hide behind a dumpster," she explained, hoping Wasabi wouldn't notice she was lying through her teeth. "Next thing I know, there was a flash of light and Yama and his men were trapped in ice."

"Wait, what? Ice?" Wasabi echoed, raising a doubtful eyebrow. "Like, they're frozen in ice? That's…"

Elsa nodded, keeping her expression neutral and avoiding his inquiring gaze. "Unbelievable, I know," she said. "No, they weren't frozen, but it looked like a wall of ice surrounded them. Then the police arrived, but by then I was able to sneak away. I don't know what happened to Tadashi," she forestalled him. "I'm hoping you know."

"No," Wasabi sighed after a pause—Elsa was much aware he dropped the subject of how she got away from Yama and his thugs. "I was on my way home since Fred and I didn't find Hiro. But I think Tadashi should be fine—you did say the police came, right?"

"Mmm." Today's events were starting to catch up with her, exhaustion making her lids droop. She shook her head to snap herself awake, noticing how Wasabi eyed her with concern.

"You're almost home," he said to reassure her. "Just a few more minutes."

"Thank you, Wasabi."

True to his word, her apartment block soon came to view. "If you need anything, call or text me, okay?" Wasabi peered at her from the driver's seat as she got out.

"I will. But please text me if you hear anything from Tadashi? I'm worried about him."

"Yep. But text him too, I'm sure he's just as worried about you."

"Alright." Satisfied, Wasabi nodded and drove off, leaving Elsa to stare at the taillights of his car receding into the darkness. She reached into her purse and took out her phone, sending a message to Tadashi that she was home safe and sound.

I hope you're okay, Tadashi. Please.


Hiro waved at Tadashi with a sheepish grin as soon as the cell door slid shut with a loud clang. His brother glared back at him, along with Yama and a couple of others who recognized him. He gulped—maybe he should lay low for a while, or at least go on botfights in Central. At least he'll be safe there even if the winnings weren't as big.

Well, I'm not going anywhere, he thought, stretching out to lie down on the concrete slab he sat on, crossing his arms behind his head. Might as well make myself more comfortable. Hiro closed his eyes and let his mind go blank, trying to block everything out. I wonder how Elsa is doing, he suddenly thought, remembering how worried Tadashi was over leaving her behind—must be the reason why Tadashi looked extra angry over this latest stunt he pulled. Sighing, Hiro rolled over on his side to face the wall, as if it would help him avoid Tadashi's scrutiny—the guy was about fifteen feet away but he could feel him staring daggers at his back.

Yeah, well, it's not my fault she let herself get dragged into this mess, he tried to convince himself. She didn't have to go with Tadashi, but she did, so that didn't leave too much room on the scooter, right?

Right.

Oh, who was he kidding? Hiro knew he could be a selfish brat SOMETIMES, but that didn't mean he didn't have a heart—of course he felt guilty over the fiasco he caused, but not guilty enough that he'd stop botfighting altogether. But still, he couldn't help but worry over Elsa. Hope she's okay, he thought. And perhaps for his sake as well, because if anything happened to her, Tadashi would be absolutely pissed at him.

He sighed.

Nice going, genius.

What is it about Elsa that got Tadashi moronically mooning over her? Almost every word out of him was Elsa this or that. Hiro supposed it was because she was smart and beautiful, but there has to be more to her than that. He thought about that one time Tadashi had brought her over for dinner some months ago—sure, she was nice, but there seemed to be a wall around her, as if she didn't want to let people in.

Hiro recognized that in her because he was like that, too. Anyone who had been bullied would. Was she ever bullied, like him?

Maybe she was, he speculated. Probably why Tadashi likes her. He's always had a protective streak a mile wide.

Hiro thought about the other girls Tadashi had dated, Denise and Celina. Both had been nice, pretty, and smart, but for some reason things didn't work out. He had overheard Tadashi and Aunt Cass talking about Elsa a couple of weeks before, while sneaking back into his room, fresh from another botfight victory.

"I love her, Aunt Cass," Tadashi confessed in a hushed voice. "She makes me want to be there for her always. I want to be the one to make her smile because she's been through so much—I don't know her whole story yet, but for some reason she keeps away from her sister. Her parents also died in a plane crash just before school started."

"Oh, no." Aunt Cass's voice was full of sympathy. "That poor girl."

Tadashi sighed. "I know. On the surface, she's managing pretty well—she's in the running for honors and Callaghan likes her. You know how hard-nosed he can be." There was a pause—Hiro wanted to move on, but this was rather juicy stuff.

"She's strong to hold herself together like that, but if it keeps up, she might break. Am I making any sense?"

"You've always wanted to help people, Tadashi. But is that the entire reason why you love her, Tadashi? Because she's…well, from the sound of it, she seems broken." The older woman's voice was full of concern. "Hear me out, please—I was just wondering how you two would turn out later on, you know? Do both of you have similar interests at least? Listen, I want you to have a healthy, balanced relationship with someone, and I'm not sure if you're going to have that with her."

"Aunt Cass…"

"She's nice, Tadashi, I can see that, but I'm having a hard time reading her."

"So, you don't like her, then?" Tadashi said, a sharp edge in his voice. "Aunt Cass, you only met her once, when I brought her home for dinner. Sure, she's not the most outgoing person, and besides, we're only friends—still are, by the way, so she wasn't out to impress you. I pretty much dragged her here for dinner. She hadn't wanted to come at first."

Thing is, she was different when she addressed his brother. He had watched her surreptitiously and noted that the smiles she directed toward Aunt Cass were small and polite, but the ones she gave Tadashi were a little bigger and warmer. Then again, Tadashi had that effect toward people, which was probably why he had a lot of friends and girls kept chasing after him. It was bothersome to see them hanging out at the café asking for him, but hey, at least they brought business.

And so in true annoying little brother fashion, he referred to her as Tadashi's girlfriend, which predictably cued a round of sputtered denials ('we're just friends') and furious blushing.

He forcibly focused his thoughts toward another direction—Tadashi had been alternately snappish and mopey this week. Did Elsa dump him? Probably, but if she did, she wouldn't have accompanied Tadashi to look for him, would she?

Wonder what happened between those two?

Well, today had been a really long and exciting day, and he had thought too much about his brother's love life too much already. Though the concrete slab was uncomfortable, Hiro felt his eyes drooping shut as exhaustion slowly set in, making the sounds of the busy police station fade away.


Tadashi found himself doing cash register duty on Saturday morning as punishment for last night's shenanigans. At least he was better off compared to Hiro, who was stuck with washing the dishes for the entire day. He snickered—served the little jerk right for illegal botfighting and getting them in trouble with the police.

He had practically lunged for his phone the moment he got out of jail. There were a couple of messages from his friends, but he ignored them and went straight to Elsa's. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he read her message.

Just wanted to tell you I'm fine and back at my apartment. Where are you? Call me.

He had done so but he didn't tell her he was in jail. "Good to know you're okay."

"Hiro's okay too, isn't he?"

"Yeah. I'm going to kick his ass when we get home, though."

"Tadashi!" But he could hear the smile behind her censure.

"It's what older brothers do to stupid younger brothers. I promise I wouldn't be too hard on him."

Elsa gave a quiet chuckle. "I'm sure you wouldn't. You're a good brother, Tadashi."

He sighed but let himself bask in the warm glow of her compliment. "What am I going to do with him, Elsa? GPS trackers sewn into his hoodie didn't work," he said after a second.

Elsa didn't respond. "Hello?" he asked.

"Sorry. I was just thinking that maybe you shouldn't say no, you shouldn't do this, you know? Hiro strikes me as someone who needs focus. That was the case with Anna—the more I said no, the more she'd do it, but once I found something for her to do instead that she liked, she'd be really focused on it."

"Huh."

Before she could elaborate further, their conversation had been interrupted by Hiro pushing him out toward the exit, where Aunt Cass waited for them and promptly dressed them down. "I had to close up early because of you two felons—on beat poetry night!" she ranted as she got a doughnut from the pastry display case when they arrived home. "Stress eating—because of you. Come on, Mochi." The fat calico cat followed his owner, who stalked toward the living room to watch TV and calm down. "This is really good!" she exclaimed around a mouthful, the sound of her voice receding as she left.

Now that he knew Elsa was home safe and sound, Tadashi resolved to do something about his brother's addiction to botfighting once and for all. Sewing GPS trackers didn't do the trick, but what if…

He asked Charlie, one of the baristas, to cover for him then informed Aunt Cass of his plan, obtaining her approval. "Let's hope that works this time," she sighed, pursing her lips in irritation. "Do I know anything about children? No! Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably! Where was I going with this? I had a point," she muttered to herself as she tied an apron around her waist.

Hiro wasn't in the kitchen doing dishes. Tadashi frowned. "Don't tell me he snuck out again," he grumbled, dashing toward the stairs leading to their room. He found Hiro at his computer, who spun around to face him and hide his screen. "You're going botfighting, aren't you?" Tadashi accused.

Hiro shrugged unrepentantly. "There's a fight across town, if I book I can still make it," he replied breezily as he strode past. Tadashi yanked him back.

"When are you going to start doing something with that big brain of yours?" he asked, exasperated, tapping at Hiro's forehead. His brother batted his hand away with a scowl.

"What, so I can go to college like you? So people can tell me stuff I already know?"

Tadashi stared at Hiro, who stood before him with a defiant look in his eye. "Unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. "Oh, what will Mom and Dad say?" he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I don't know, they're gone. They died when I was three, remember?" Hiro replied, turning away from him.

How can he forget? His father's last words to him were to take care of Hiro. Making up his mind, he tossed his extra helmet toward Hiro. "Hey. I'll take you."

"Really?"

Tadashi shook his head, hoping he wasn't laying it on thick. "I can't stop you from going, but I'm not going to let you go on your own."

"Sweet."

Revving his scooter, he hoped what he had in mind would curb his brother's propensity for trouble.


"Stupid bug, where the hell are you? I swear, once I find you, I'll crush you to smithereens," Elsa muttered darkly in Norwegian, her voice muffled behind steepled fingers. She had been at it since 7AM. Despite her exhaustion from last night's adventure, she woke up at her usual time of 6AM and decided to head to the Ishioka Lab—affectionately known as the Nerd Lab by the students—to work on Baymax's program. The robot is mostly functional and can be used in emergency situations, but its functionalities that required a deft and gentle touch still needed a lot of tweaking. If she didn't find that bug, the robot might end up doing more harm than good.

Elsa frowned when she remembered how it easily crushed a steel pipe in its fist. "Well…he can lift a thousand pounds," Tadashi had remarked, plucking the mangled piece of metal from the robot's loosened grip and rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's not good news for the patient's bones, you know," she chided him dryly.

"Well, that's what I've got you for, partner." He clapped a friendly hand on her shoulder and beamed a sunny grin down at her. "You'll figure it out."

"Slave driver," she groused, but she couldn't help grinning back. His hand had squeezed her shoulder encouragingly as his warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners.

The memory made her shoulder twitch violently, as if to shrug it off.

"Whoa, okay! I won't bother you!" a voice behind her suddenly exclaimed, startling her out of her thoughts. She felt a bit of frost escape from her fingertips as she grabbed the edge of her desk in surprise.

"What the—" she sputtered, whirling around. The forehead of whoever was behind her met hers with a great crack. "Ow!"

Elsa saw stars before she hunched over, clutching her forehead. A couple of small beeps and a quiet whirring sound followed soon after. "Dow, I'b fide, check Elsa out first," she heard Tadashi say. The next thing she knew, someone was gently prodding her to straighten up.

"Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said 'ow'."

"Dis isd exactly how I wadted to show you Baybax, Hiro." Opening her eyes, Elsa saw Tadashi a few feet away from her, rubbing his nose ruefully. "Sorry if I scared you, Elsa."

"Oh, no, it's okay, really," she waved him off. Hopefully he didn't see the small burst of power that escaped from her, but it was a good thing that the thin film of frost had already melted away from the desk's surface.

"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" Baymax asked.

Knowing that the robot wouldn't let up because of its programming, Elsa submitted to its ministrations, letting it place a cooling gel patch over the affected area. It then moved on to check on Tadashi and did the same thing to him. Once Baymax was done, Hiro began inspecting and poking at Baymax, commenting and asking some questions. He mumbled something she didn't quite catch.

"Carbon fiber." Tadashi corrected, glancing at her with a bit of concern before walking over to Hiro.

"Right. Even lighter. Killer actuators, where did you get those?"

"I machined them right here, in-house." She didn't miss the pride in his voice. Of course he should be—despite the bugs (which she really should get rid of), Baymax was a marvel. The robot was well-equipped for any type of emergency and programmed with thousands of medical procedures.

Elsa watched the brothers fussing over Baymax and leaned back against her chair with a slight smile, the bump on her forehead forgotten. But another pain started blooming in her chest—with a bit of imagination, Tadashi, Hiro, and Baymax morphed into two little girls—one blonde and the other redheaded—and a snowman.

She kept smiling. As always, conceal, don't feel, don't let it show.

"He's gonna help a lot of people."

Of that she had no doubt. It was one of the things that had attracted her toward him, his willingness and belief that he could do something. And because of that, she was starting to hope that maybe, just maybe, she was not beyond help.

"Are you satisfied with your care?" Baymax asked.

"Yeah, I'm satisfied with my care," Tadashi confirmed. "Elsa?"

She was in the middle of repeating what he said when a knock on the door sounded.

"Did you burn the midnight oil, Mr. Hamada, Ms. Arendahl?" Professor Callaghan poked his head in from the doorway, grinning. Baymax, having received Elsa's directive to deactivate, shuffled over to its case and folded itself back in.

"Oh, good morning, professor. No, I came in early this morning," Elsa replied, nodding at the older man.

"Just came in to show my brother Baymax, sir." Tadashi proceeded to introduce Hiro to Callaghan. Soon, the boy came to realize who he was speaking with, making his eyes go round with wonder. "Callaghan? As in Callaghan's Laws of Robotics?"

Seeing that she was not needed in the conversation, Elsa went back to work, banishing the memory of herself and Anna building a snowman. Stop dredging up those memories, they won't do you any good, she commanded herself. Clenching her jaw and taking a deep breath, she focused on the computer screen before her and soon found herself deep into the program once more, muttering under her breath over how uncooperative it was being.

"Hey." A hand landed on her shoulder, startling her once more. "Ah, sorry. I really should stop doing that," Tadashi remarked, abashed.

"Yeah, you know how jumpy I get when I've had my coffee," Elsa dismissed, waving a hand. "What do you want?" She had not intended to sound standoffish, but caffeine, memories of the past, and turbulent feelings for her project partner left her jittery and brusque. Maybe it was better that way, though—after all, she had resolved to distance herself from him.

"I just…wanted to make sure you're okay. That was a pretty hard hit you took." He peered down at her with concern.

"No harder than yours," she countered, resisting the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. "Nothing's broken, I hope?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He scrunched his nose to demonstrate. "See? Oh yeah, thanks for telling me about Anna—you know, what you did when she wasn't following you. I think it's working on Hiro."

"Great."

Silence.

Tadashi cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I…look, I think we need to talk, there are so many things I want to ask you, but if I don't get Hiro now he might drive Callaghan crazy. So please, don't push me away, okay? Whatever it is that I've done, I want to make right."

It was as if her past and present were melding together. The very thing she wanted to get away from—earnest eyes and pleading voice—caught up with her once more. Why did she hurt the people she loved this way? First Anna, and now, Tadashi.

They don't deserve this from me. I don't deserve them.

"Elsa?" his soft, cajoling voice reached her ears. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

She shook her head sharply, causing pain to lance through her head. "It's nothing. Listen, you—"

"Tadashi!" Hiro burst into the lab, which made Tadashi step back away from him. "I have to get in here. If I don't get in here, I'm going to lose my mind. How do I get in?" He didn't seem to have noticed the tension between his brother and Elsa at first, looking up at Tadashi expectantly, until he gradually became aware.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, his eyes darting from Tadashi to Elsa.

"No," Tadashi replied, acknowledging Hiro with a glance. "C'mon, let's go home and I'll explain how you'll get in here." He herded Hiro out of the lab, casting a backward look at her over his shoulder before he closed the door behind him. The sound reverberated throughout the room, reminding her of the many times she had done the same thing to shut Anna out.

Elsa dashed toward the door and locked it with trembling hands. She rested her forehead against the cool, metallic surface, gulping lungfuls of air to stem the frost that threatened to escape. But it was to no avail—the effort to hold her powers back was too much. Spent, she turned and leaned her back against the door and slid down to sit, drawing her knees up against her chest. The telltale sound of crackling ice seemed too loud in the silence.

I shouldn't have left home. I shouldn't have gone here. I should have just…just…

Just what?

She didn't know how to escape this—whatever this is, she couldn't even find the words to describe it.

But she did let her tears fall down her face. It was the only thing she could do freely for now.


Note: Because it is BH6's anniversary today, I'm updating One Year! Good thing too, I only learned about it today so I hustled to have this installment completed, with forty minutes to spare (my body clock currently on US EST time, so it still counts even though it's 12:20 PM here in the Philippines). Also, constructive criticism would be much appreciated. I'm not sure about the ending, so I went with that, but…yeah.