He had been so tiny. He'd been born premature— nearly seven whole weeks earlier than his due date. Cass remembered that as soon as the delivery had been pulled off – the very second that the procedure had ended – the doctors had immediately taken him out of the room. His mother hadn't even been able to hold him, or even catch a glimpse of her new baby. But the doctors had been adamant on the need to whisk him away. He had been barely wavering over four pounds. …He had been so tiny. And they had taken him to the NICU and kept him there for what seemed like months upon months, though surely it couldn't have been that long.

Cass had remained faithful at her sister's bedside— she had had absolutely no other priority back then than to remain by her sibling's side. And, whether or not it was on purpose, the woman had committed nearly every single thing that had occurred to her memory. How her sister had fretted day in and day out, asking the doctors how her son was doing and what was happening to him when he was so far away from her. How Cass had routinely admonished her sister's husband for his constant worrying. She remembered very clearly pulling him aside and smacking the top of his head a little sternly. "Stop it!" she had snapped. "Can't you see you're the one that needs to be calm right now!?" Playfully of course, though in truth, she had only been half-joking.

And Tadashi. Oh, man, did the toddler turn into such a monster. She remembered that she could hardly even recognize the dutiful little boy when they were clustered inside of that room together. He was absolutely impatient in every sense of the word. He was so impatient, that Cass often had to take him back home when he was proving himself too intrusive to his poor mother. Routinely demanding things like: "Where's my little brother?" and grumbling out: "You told me I'd have a baby brother by now." He was very insistent.

She remembered clearly one specific night. Tadashi had been getting tired, having come to the hospital directly after school. It was going on eleven at night, and the young boy was drifting off to sleep in the armchair at his mother's bedside. By that night, Cass' sister was up and walking again. And thank goodness, because you know what they had needed back then? A worrying, fretful mother that could pace now. So, knowing that more people inside of the room was probably just making her get even more worked up, Cass had decided that she could take Tadashi home. Get him in the bath, maybe whip him up a snack, and then tuck him into bed.

The parents were grateful for her help. And, assuring them that she would be back tomorrow, Cass had scooped Tadashi up and carried him to the car. But she remembered her sullen disappointment that the little boy hadn't remained asleep— as soon as she had pulled out of the parking lot, he was up and talking. His face had been pulled down into a frown, and when he spoke, Cass remembered how his voice seemed so deflated. "Mom said that I would be able to hold him," he had whined, kicking and swinging his legs. "I wanna hold him."

Cass had grinned. She'd turned and offered him a small smile. She remembered thinking how cute his frustration was. "You'll be able to hold him soon," she had assured him sweetly. "I think your little brother was just as excited to see you! He's here much earlier than he's supposed to. He's very teeny, so the doctors have to keep him inside of the hospital to keep tabs on him."

"Can't he just come out already?" he'd complained. "It's been forever."

"It's only been about a week," she'd pointed out, trying to be as gentle as she could. But she had known it was hard. It was hard on everyone, and although Tadashi could sometimes be very mature for his age, Cass had realized that he would be the last person to deal well with such a thing as this. So, naturally, she had tried to make light of it all. "Think of it this way: while you wait for your little brother, you can think up all of the fun things you could do with him, you know? You could have a mile-long list by the time you get to hold him. You could…well, you could color together. Or nap together. You could play tag when he's big enough to walk. You could eat cookies together and watch TV together and you could even worry your mother together— I know how much you love to do that." The last one had been meant as a joke, but Tadashi either didn't find it funny, or he just wasn't listening.

He had drooped down in the seat, hanging off of it as he was nearly laying down. And his puckered expression had remained as he'd mumbled: "But it's no fun now. How long is he supposed to stay inside of there? It's no fun."

Cass had offered him yet another smile. "I know, champ. But your little brother's just very little right now. The doctors don't want him to get sick or anything, so he's gotta stay put, you know? Don't worry…I'm sure that he'll get out soon."

Tadashi had sighed. And two full minutes had passed before he spoke again. "…Yeah, but when?"

He had always been such a worrier around that time. Tadashi had been almost as upset about the situation as his mother had been. Of course, at the time, it was silly. Hiro was just a premature baby; hundreds of babies were born like that a year, and all it meant was that they had to spend a few weeks inside of a NICU being taken care of. There wasn't much to worry about. You just had to wonder when they decided he would be fine enough to be brought back and held. And when he did eventually be brought back, he was already perfect; there wasn't a single flaw.

Hiro looked like his mother. And already, he'd had a mop of dark hair on his head. Tadashi had been enthralled, and, with the help of his father, he had finally gotten to hold his new baby sibling. And, grinning a mile a minute, the little kid had routinely called out in a series of joyful shouts: "He looks like me! He looks like me!" Cass hadn't been able to see the resemblance— she just saw her sister in the curves of the new baby's face. But she had reveled in the happiness that the family had at last. After what seemed like forever, things had finally settled down. And, after holding and cooing over the new addition to the family, she had eventually taken her leave back to the restaurant, promising to visit soon after she collected herself back at home.

She had been thinking about that a lot recently. The night in the car, the situation in general. When you spent all your time sitting at the bedside of someone who refused to talk to you, you were left to wallow in your own mind; and there was only certain things she could think of without it becoming too painful to bear. But even this was a little disheartening, she realized sadly. She bit down on her lower lip and sighed, turning over and looking at Hiro with a small wince. His back was still to her. After she had told him repeatedly that there was no way that he wasn't going to another hospital, her nephew was even more uninclined to look at her. He wasn't even making a sound— the only noise at all was the steady beat of his heart monitor.

Somehow she couldn't get Tadashi's voice out of her mind. It had come out of sheer frustration and impatience back then, considering that he was so on-edge. But suddenly, it seemed much more heart-wrenching. She longed to reach over and stroke down the mess that Hiro's hair had turned into, but she knew that if she even tried such a thing, Hiro could start spitting all over again. So, biting down on her lower lip, she curbed herself enough to keep still. She only looked on with a small frown, eventually unable to do even that as instead she looked down at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap.

Yeah…but when?

When, indeed…

She didn't look up, subdued as she twiddled her thumbs in silence for a while. After a moment, she spoke up, her voice the smallest of whispers, as if she was almost too afraid to speak at all in the first place. "…I just want you to be happy…" she murmured, her voice crumbling on her. She didn't look up at Hiro to see whether or not he was listening— he probably wasn't. She just shook her head and closed her eyes. "And maybe one day…when you arehappy again…you can look back and…maybe realize that this was what was needed the most." Silence met her words, and, more out of desperation than anything, she added: "I know you miss Tadashi very much, Hiro," she could see her nephew curl up at her words, "but…I just don't want to lose you too." She had to stop and take a few breaths to make sure that she could actually speak correctly. "Because I love you, honey. And despite everything, I know you love me."

Hiro didn't reply.

Cass looked up, her heart aching as she could feel her lower lip begin to tremble. "…Hiro?" she asked, her hands clenching together so tightly that her knuckles were bleached white. Still nothing. And, taking in a deep breath, she found herself scooting forward a little bit in her chair. "Hiro?" She reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with a sense of apprehension. "…You love me right?" Hiro turned and shrugged the blanket up so that it passed over his head. Cass sighed shakily, hunching down and pressing her hands up to her forehead.

When was the last time that Hiro had said that he loved her? Why hadn't she paid more attention then? Savored the phrase? Why had she thought that it was so trivial before? She had taken advantage of it, and now she was left absolutely achingto hear it again. She shut her eyes, flinching. "Please tell me you love me," she all but pleaded. How long would Hiro be gone? Days a time? Months? How long would she be forced to go to without seeing her beloved nephew? She wouldn't hear his voice…she wouldn't be able to wrap her arms around him and hold him close? Couldn't she hear him say it once? Just one last time before he was ripped from her?

The answer was obvious, it seemed.

As obvious as the silence that greeted her.

Until: "Aunt Cass…"

At first, she was hopeful enough to believe the best. She sat up at once, her eyes lighting up for the briefest of moments as she looked up. But she didn't see Hiro looking over at her— she saw Gogo. The slightly shorter girl seemed a little awkward over what she had walked in on, and, self-consciously, Cass wondered how much she had heard. Trying to dismiss the idea by telling herself that it didn't really matter very much by this point, Cass straightened, sniffing and forcing herself to become collected once more. "Gogo," she said, offering the girl a worn smile. "I'm sorry— I should have come to get you." Fred had left the room just about fifteen or twenty minutes ago. After the fight with Hiro, going to get the others one by one as well had sipped her mind. "I'm very sorry, I wasn't…uhm…I wasn't thinking."

Gogo shook her head. "No, it's fine. I got it." She looked over to where Hiro was laying, but the blanket was still pulled up over his head. He could have fallen back asleep by now for all she knew. So she took in a deep breath, figuring that there wasn't much point in keeping many things back anymore. "Uh…we just realized that we left Tadashi's hat back at your house. We were in such a rush this morning I guess we forgot to remember to grab it on the way out." Cass was confused for a heartbeat before she remembered, stiffening with a small jolt. That was right— she hadn't even looked inside of the bag that had been given to her yet.

"Oh…" She glanced over at Hiro, a frown crossing over her face a little uncertainly.

"We just decided to go back and get it really quick," Gogo said quickly, glancing over her shoulder. "The others wanted to go too…I was just going to come in and tell you where we were going in case you came back out and got confused…" The girl turned and glanced over at Hiro, her eyes seeming a little shadowed whenever they settled back down onto the boy. She tried to tear her gaze away, but she found averting her eyes more difficult than it normally was. Awkwardly, she looked down at the ground and cleared her throat. "So uh…is that okay?"

"Sure, of course." She answered this quickly, but after a moment she paused, blinking. Gogo started to leave and she reached out to try and stop her. "Gogo, wait!" The girl reacted quickly, immediately whirling back with a slightly alarmed expression. "Is Fred going with you?" Gogo nodded. Darn. The guardian felt bad, yet she couldn't hold back a twinge of frustration, turning and looking over towards the clock. It was getting close to time. She started to say something, but paused, grimacing and taking what she was going to say back. She couldn't complain— not when Fred was doing something as amazing as this. He was planning everything, and on top of that, he was payingfor it all at the same time. She couldn't throw a fit now; that would be selfish.

So she sighed instead and plastered yet another smile on her face. "When you come back, could you ask him to come in here, then? He still has to get back to me about the whole…thing with where Hiro is going to go. They're going to want the answer by the time you all get back probably."

Gogo seemed surprised by this. She blinked and tilted her head to the side. "You mean he hasn't talked to you about it yet? At all?" she demanded.

Cass shook her head.

Gogo was still for a few moments more. She seemed lost in thought. But then she recovered, grinning and offering a small, suddenly-cheery nod to the woman. "Right then!" she assured. "We'll be quick! And I'll make sure that he comes right back herewhen we get back!"

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It was a peaceful car ride. Wasabi was driving, so the car 'wasn't allowed' to be toonoisy, but they were entertained regardless. Honey Lemon mumbled softly along to a few songs that came on the radio. Fred played the alphabet game with himself in the short drive it took to get back to the café. Gogo was quiet, but Gogo was usually quiet. There wasn't much thought about it at all— during the drive, at least.

Wasabi knew where the key was— they had locked the building on the way out this morning so they were forced to unlock it this time around in turn. And they all filed into the bakery for the second time that day; though now that the sun was up more, the place seemed a little more homely. Less depressing, to be frank. But the eatery was still empty— the sight of all the abandoned chairs and the lack of activity inside of the once-bustling place was a little bit of a downer. It was a reminder of what had happened and what was still happening.

Walking inside, the others immediately turned to go upstairs. They didn't know exactly where Tadashi's hat would be, but they had agreed on the way out of the hospital that it probably had to be somewhere upstairs. Probably more in Hiro's room to be exact. But Fred hung back for a few minutes, staying down on the first floor as he hesitated. He stared around him— at the empty place and all it entailed. His expression was sober, and, looking deeper, it was also very, very guilty. He looked down, studying his feet as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

What was he supposed to do now? His only option was to shove Hiro into some kind of mental ward and hope for the best. Hope that what he knew for certainwouldn't come around to be. He knew that the boy would kick and scream, and that he wouldn't try to get better at all. So what was the point? But at the same time, he had nothing else he could possibly do. Go and tell Aunt Cass that he was sorry? That he couldn't do what he had promised to and that she was on her own? He reached up with a small sigh, rubbing his forehead with a deep grimace. This whole thing was so impossible

"Fred." The boy jolted at the sound of his name, turning around with a jerk of surprise. Honey Lemon had doubled back after noticing the boy's absence. The girl's expression seemed heavy and sorrowful, and when Fred turned around and she saw the strain in her friend's face, she tilted her head to the side, trying to offer him a smile. But it didn't come out as reassuring at all; it was a sadder sort of look than anything else. "C'mon," she invited, gesturing him forward with her hand. When Fred didn't move, only staring at her blankly, her eyes softened. "It's okay," she said, her voice dropping into a small whisper now as she glanced up the stairs. "…Fred, it'll be okay. You know? It'll all work out somehow."

For a second, Fred was debating just ignoring her. How could things just sort themselves out in the end? So far, things weren't really falling into place around here. They'd stopped doing that ever since the night of the Showcase. But before he could land a sharp retort her way, he was able to cut himself off. He shouldn't lash out at her— she was just trying to make him feel better, like Honey Lemon always did with everyone. Throwing it back into her face would just be mean or cruel. He had to keep his head on his shoulders; otherwise he had no idea where he would be.

So he recovered and returned her smile. He turned and walked towards her, following her up the steps as she went back up to join the others. Gogo eyed them as the pair scaled their way up to the second floor, but she didn't say anything outright. Instead she just cleared her throat, looking around her at the kitchen and the living room. "We didn't find it up here," she said, Wasabi coming out of Cass' room empty-handed. "It must be up in Hiro's room like we thought."

There was something odd about her voice— it was clipped and a little shorter than it usually was. Uncomfortable, Honey Lemon started to wring her hands together in front of her. True that Gogo was never really a ray of sunshine, but something seemed wrong. So she took the initiative first. "Alright then!" she said cheerily, wearing a slightly nervous grin. "We can go and check it out." Gogo turned and started to say something, but Honey Lemon was already turning, grabbing Fred's wrist and dragging him up the steps. The teenager yelped at the tug, but he went along regardless.

The two stumbled upstairs, and once they reached the landing, Honey Lemon took her hands back, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself with a small sigh. Fred eyed her, raising his eyebrows in a stunned expression. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Honey Lemon started to answer, but Gogo cut her off. Her and Wasabi had fled up the steps closely after her and Fred, and the blonde felt a stroke of frustration. Gogo turned and looked at her friend skeptically, and the girl responded by holding back a sigh. Something about the black-haired girl was off-putting. And her uneasy feeling was proven correct as the girl spoke up in a colder voice than normal. "Yeah, Honey," she said, her eyes narrowing somewhat. She stopped in the entrance of the room, and Wasabi did the same after a beat of hesitance. Though he looked a little confused by the way that the two girls were looking at each other. "What was that all about?" Her voice was a little bit angrier than was probably necessary.

Honey Lemon blinked, drawing herself up. "I wasn't— I didn't—"

Fred fluffed up defensively. "Lay off of her Gogo," he said. "Geez. Who peed in your cheerios this morning?"

Wasabi blinked, looking perturbed. But Gogo immediately exploded in anger. "Oh!" she exclaimed, turning over to Fred with a sudden scowl. "Don't even pretend like this is uncalled for!" Fred blinked, but didn't say anything, only staring at her shoving his hands into his pockets again. "You two have been acting weird all day! You come into here this morning looking like you haven't slept at all, and you two were togetherlet me add! Why? What's making you act weird? And every time I ask you where Hiro's going, either you don't answer or you find a way around things!"

Fred still didn't say anything. Honey Lemon looked dejectedly over to the side. This only seemed to get Gogo to be even angrier, though. She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression becoming completely enraged. "Are you guys serious? You won't even look at me now? C'mon!" Wasabi was floored; he hadn't thought much of anything at all. But now he suddenly seemed to side with Gogo, staring over at Honey and Fred with sudden apprehension as well as anger. "You guys are hiding something and you have been since this morning!" Gogo snapped.

"We're not hidinganything," Fred tried, though his voice was less than sure of itself.

"Mhm," Gogo hummed. "So where is Hiro going, Fred?" Her voice turned scathing with this.

Honey Lemon turned away fully at the question. Fred just stared.

Absolute silence met the girl's words.

She growled, narrowing her eyes into furious slits. "You're kidding me, right?"

Honey Lemon winced. "Gogo…"

"No, don't you 'Gogo' me!" her friend lashed back hotly. "Are you guys serious!? Do you have any idea what timeit is!? They want an answer by noon! And you don't have anything?! What have you been doing!? You've had hours to start working!" Growing frantic now and reaching up to dig her fingernails into her skull, she took a few more paces into the room. Wasabi didn't follow, but he did watch with a shell-shocked expression as it all continued to play out. "I can't believe you, Fred! You promised Cass that she didn't have to worry about a single thing! She's counting on you to decide what to do from this point on!"

This caused a similar feeling of anger to stir inside of Fred. He reacted at once, locking his jaw back as he met Gogo's glower with one of his own. "Right, Gogo, because I totally don't know that!" he shouted, Honey Lemon flinching and taking a small step back from the pair. "You think that you know every little thing that's happening? I've been tryingto sort things out! What, you think I've just been sitting around? Dude, I've been working my butt of trying to reach my dad!"

"But if it hasn't been working, why have you been focusing on that?" Gogo demanded, still refusing to back away from her sharp tone. "Have you been looking for anything else rather than—"

"Gogo, I've been doing everything I can!" Fred objected. "But I don't have a lot of wriggle room here, you know? I found this one place, but I can't get it to work without my dad signing off on it, and I can't get ahold of him to do that. So there's not much else we can do. Hiro's made it super clear that he doesn't want to go to another hospital, so I don't want to—"

"I don't think Hiro is really in charge of where he wants to go," Gogo growled. "If it was up to him he'd probably disappear off the face of the planet, which is what he was trying to do as of yesterday morning. And you're hesitating on what to do because he might not like it? Newsflash, genius: I don't think that part should really matter."

Honey Lemon flared up with this. "Now hang on a second, Gogo! We realize that Hiro is in a bad place right now, but we care about him and what he thinks at the same time, you know? I know thatI don't want to stick him someplace he would hate! And Fred thinks the same, which is why we're in this situation." Realizing that Wasabi was staring over to her at this point, the blonde turned, looking desperate. "You get what we mean, don't you, Wasabi?" she asked. "We're Hiro's friends! Have you guys forgotten that? We know we have to send him somewhere, but that doesn't mean we have to toss everything else out the window. I couldn't live with myself if we just shipped him off…"

Wasabi seemed torn. "But…Honey Lemon…Fred…there's really no other option…"

Honey Lemon only seemed saddened. "And that makes it right?" she asked softly.

But Gogo didn't seem swayed. "It makes it impossible to avoid."

"But—"

"Look," Wasabi said, cutting through Fred's objection quickly. "I get where you guys are coming from, I really do. And I agree; the thought of forcing Hiro to go anywhere he doesn't want to isn't what I want to do at all. But when it gets as late as this and you don't have any other thing to fall back on, it kind of is the only thing you can do." Honey and Fred turned, exchanging sorrowful looks at the fact. But Wasabi just shook his head. "Gogo's right— Hiro's not in his right mind anyway. The only thing that's certain right now is that he needs help. The help of a doctor or something; it's been shown that nothing else short of that can make a difference. Cass tried to fix Hiro without medical help and look are where we are now."

Honey Lemon reached up and rubbed her forehead with a grimace. She was adopting a splitting headache the longer this went on. And her chest felt like it was weighing a million pounds. She could hardly put up a fight with any of the arguments that her friends were pulling, and yet she couldn't help but struggle to maintain her footing. Fred seemed to think the same, shaking his head. "I don't want to send him where he won't try to get better."

Gogo twitched. "And I don't want to look at how upset Aunt Cass is after all of this! I don't want to walk up and down the hallways of a hospital! I don't want to sit around an intensive care waiting room for hours on end just waiting for news that will never come! I don't want to look at Hiro the way he is now! And I don't want Tadashi to be at a cemetery rather than two doors down from me at the lab!" The other three were shocked, their eyes wide and hollow at her shout. Gogo sighed slowly through her mouth, closing her eyes and ducking down to draw a hand through her hair. She seemed too wrapped up for a moment to speak, but eventually she managed to clear her throat. And when she recovered, the girl shook her head listlessly. She took in a slow breath, and then looked back up at Fred with a hard stare. "…We don't always get what we want, Fred."

"We haven't in the past so we should just keep the streak going?" he asked scathingly.

Wasabi grimaced. "Fred, really…we get it. It's just…there aren't any other things we can do."

Honey Lemon was at her wit's end. She sighed deeply, looking pained. But she fell silent.

Fred was still resisting though. "If we could just get a couple more hours, we could maybe find a place that doesn't suck— one that he could—"

"Fred! You don't havetime!" Wasabi snapped. "The doctors need to know by—"

"I knowwhat the doctors need!" Fred interrupted, his voice suddenly raising into a frustrated snap. His face was slightly pinched in anger, and he was now fully glaring at the two that were standing across from him. It was never like Fred to even get irritated— it was even more unlike him to raise to such levels of anger as to scream. And the fact registered for Wasabi as he straightened, looking shocked. "I knowwhat the doctors need and I am verywell aware of when they need it! So if you could just stop reminding me of it, since I've been thinking about it ever since eight last night!"

Gogo's hands balled into fists. Unlike the others, she was not subdued by the idea of Fred yelling. In fact; it only escalated her. The girl took a few steps forward, her eyes narrowed into burning slits as she got closer. "If you would just do what's best for Hiro—"

Fred snapped at this point. "I amtrying to do what's best for Hiro!" he screamed.

And then Gogo snapped.

The teenager's arm cocked back, and before Fred could even realize what was happening or even try to get out of the way, she was reacting on an impulse. She threw her fist forward, hitting Fred directly in the face over his right eye. It was a deadly punch— one that felt painful even to those who weren't even touched. Honey Lemon yelped, jumping backwards as she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes flying wide. Even Wasabi jerked backwards in a wince. Gogo dropped her arm once she made the blow. Her face fell somewhat, but as she watched Fred stumble backwards, her eyes still retained their degree of fury.

Fred came close to keeling over. He was forced to stagger backwards, the back of his knees ramming into Hiro's bed with a small thud. He hunched forward, pressing his hands immediately to his eye, which was already watering over and throbbing in pain. Honey Lemon dashed over, reaching out to try and help prop him up. Seeing the girl's concern, Gogo's face fell even more. She drooped, deflating and taking a small step backwards as Fred cursed loudly. "Argh…! What the— Ow!"

Wasabi started forward now, looking concerned now. "Gogo, you shouldn't have done that."

She let out a puff of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding back. She wilted, her hands going up to press tightly to either side of her head. "…Oh my—" She flinched, suddenly remembering herself. "Fred, I-I'm sorry. I…I really shouldn't have…" She started to walk forward, looking disheartened. Fred shot her a glare from where he was bent at the waist, and Gogo jerked backwards. And quickly, she tried to figure out how she could possibly recover from pulling such a stunt like that.

Honey Lemon looked up as well, her eyes narrowing to shoot Gogo her own glower. But as she straightened, helping Fred to regain his balance, she suddenly stopped. The blonde went absolutely rigid with shock, and her eyes flew wide with alarm and confusion. She looked like she had suddenly caught sight of a ghost. It was a sudden change from her angry demeanor, and Gogo felt unnerved at the shift. Quickly, she reacted before she could think, whirling around to follow her friend's gaze.

And what she saw might as well have been a ghost.

Because…what she was looking at…certainly seemed…just as impossible.

It was…a robot.

Hisrobot.

Tadashi's.

Gogo remembered the many long nights that Tadashi had spent holed up in his designated room, slaving over his creation. She remembered the hours that Tadashi had talked about his project— about his robot that would someday come to help each and every person in the world. He talked about his project almost as much as he talked about his little brother. Almost.It had been his second-biggest pride and joy. But Gogo had been under the impression that it had been deactivated after the fire. She hadn't realized that it had been brought back here at all. That it was in the corner of his room and had been in the corner of his room this entire time.

She didn't realize that there would come another time when she found herself staring straight at Baymax.

He looked exactly like she remembered him. Just as soft and plushy as the day that Tadashi had introduced him to the group. He was stowed away at the corner of Tadashi's bed, having inflated from his charging station. The entire group had turned by this point to look; and each one of them shared that same befuddled look with the person standing next to them. And the look remained as, carefully and methodically, the robot on the other side of the room began to pick its way over to them.

It was very slow in moving. Every slight obstacle that stood in its way, it had to process and worm technically through it. The robot shuffled around the bed's perimeter and took care in sidling through the gap created in between the wall and the shielding screen. Its steps were small and shuffling like a baby penguin. All in all, it took about a full minute for it to make its way over to where the group was clustered at the foot of Hiro's bed.

Nobody spoke or moved at all. They just watched as the robot came to a stop in front of them. And as he did, the animatronic gave one, slow blink. It raised its right arm and moved its hand in a small motion that resembled a wave. And, in a soothing voice, it started to speak. "Hello," it greeted almost warmly. "I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare companion."

Still nobody spoke for a moment.

Wasabi did let out a small mumble, stunned. "…No way…"

Honey Lemon, taking advantage now that she wasn't the first to pipe up, looked from Fred to Baymax, alarmed. "I didn't know he was still…you know…"

Baymax, either completely ignoring their outbursts or simply unable to hear them, blinked once more and tilted his head to the side. "I heard a sound of distress," he stated neatly. "…What seems to be the trouble?"

This time nobody did reply. At all. They only stared.

And slowly, one by one, they all looked back at one another. Landing on the same idea.

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Fred took the initiative. As soon as Wasabi had parked the car outside, Fred had jumped out and headed quickly up to Hiro's room. Well— started to, anyway. When he got up to the ICU waiting room and asked to be buzzed in, he had been kindly informed that while they had gone back to the café, Hiro had been moved down to a lesser hallway. Not lesser as in less-cared-for, but lesser as in he wasn't needed to be watched as closely as he had been in the other section of the building.

So Fred had retraced his steps and mapped his route out to the other side of the hospital. He had texted Honey Lemon on the way to the new room as well, to save her and Wasabi the trouble of winding their way back like he had been forced to. Room 301 was where Hiro was being kept now, and, quickening his pace after taking a few wrong turns, Fred reached the boy's new room without toomuch delay. And, knocking on the door, he was called inside at once.

There was still a Sitter— this time she was located in the closest right corner. Fred nearly ran right into her upon his entrance. But he was more focused on the other people inside of the room as it was in the first place. The room was much smaller compared to the ICU one— it was probably next to half its area. Cass was sitting in an armchair beside the only window, though the shades were drawn just like they had been before. And she brightened significantly when she realized that it was Fred who was walking in over the threshold.

Triumphantly, Fred showed off what he was holding in his hand: Tadashi's old hat. It had taken a while to find, but they had. And the relief and gratefulness that was on Cass' face was certainly a sight to see. "Behold!" he exclaimed. "One super-duper hat up for delivery, huh?" It was now that he turned to look over at Hiro. And with what he saw, he was almost kind of pleased.

He guessed that once kids were taken out from the ICU and down to this floor, they could change out from those scrubs into their own clothes. Hiro was outfitted in some of the clothes that Fred remembered tossing into that bag. He was wearing jeans and a white tee-shirt, his same-old jacket pulled over it snugly. Hiro's knees were pulled up to his chest as he laid on his side, and he was looking up and over at the television that was mounted on the opposite wall. He looked like he still had a lot of nausea, but if he was here, then it must mean that the doctors were certain that his heart was steady enough to keep going without running into any problems.

But at the mention of a hat, the boy did perk slightly. Hiro turned, looking over and blinking as he realized what Fred was clenching in his hand. And as the boy's attention was won, the older teenage leaned over, handing the hat out and watching as the younger snatched it away immediately. He was surprised at the rather harsh grab, but he was even more surprised as Hiro offered a small: "Thank you." It was nothing more than a grumble at the most, but it was more than he had been expecting when it came to the kid— it was probably more than anybody would anticipate so far, if he was being honest.

"No prob, man," Fred assured. Then, trying to see whether or not he could wriggle something more out of Hiro, he turned in a small circle, surveying the new room with pursed lips. "Hey, this place is pretty cool, huh?" he prompted, Hiro reaching up and tugging the hat down over his head. He didn't reply. But Fred wasn't all that put-out. "I mean, it's a little bit smaller than your other one, but you've got a TV in here! And you've got actual walls— that's pretty cool, right? No more glass stuff; you've got your privacy now."

Hiro didn't reply, only reverting back to staring at the television. Some movie was on, but Fred had to wonder if Hiro was even concentrating on the plotline at all. He held back a small sigh, clasping his hands a little awkwardly behind his back. "So um…Aunt Cass?" he asked after a second, turning to look at her a little apprehensively. "I guess you'd want to talk about…?"

"Oh! Yes, yeah we need to get that ironed out," she said quickly, immediately latching onto the opportunity with a glance at the clock. She stood up from her chair and started to head out the door— Fred noticed that she didn't even try to say goodbye to Hiro. A good bet probably, considering the mention of something like this going on seemed to rub Hiro the wrong way even more. Trying to ignore the fact, the teenager just turned and followed Cass out. At their leave, the Sitter put their book down, sitting up a bit straighter in their chair as they turned to focus their attention onto Hiro instead.

And, knowing that he was under supervision, the two stepped out into the hall. Cass spoke first, looking frazzled and high-strung. "I'm sorry for being so pushy, Fred," she apologized at the forefront. "I'm just so concerned with how all of this is going to play out." She paused for a moment, biting down on her lower lip before clearing her throat. "So…did you— did you find somewhere? Did you land on something?"

Fred grinned widely. "Yup! I did!"

A vast amount of relief flooded into Aunt Cass' eyes at the answer. A beam split across her face, and Fred's smile only grew wider at the sight. It was nice to see her happy again; during these last few weeks he was starting to forget what it looked like on her face. Though his own smile seemed to waver slightly as questions began to file out of her mouth. "That's great, Fred! Oh my goodness; I can't thank you enough for this! Oh, what's its name!? Is it a good place? Are there a lot of other kids there? What's its success rate? Do you think he'll like it? How much does it cost?"

Fred took care in replying. He hesitated a moment, collecting his thoughts. But then he recovered and offered her a thumbs-up. "It's a great place! It's um…it's called Second Nature. It's like this backpacking thing— kids camp and stuff and have fun. I'm not sure how much Hiro likes camping, but I just didn't want to send him to some other hospital. I tried to find something that he would enjoy, right?" Cass gushed at this, and Fred went on, feeling a little bad but knowing that all of this would be for the best…hopefully. "I think it's got a really good rep and stuff. And it takes in a lot of people. And – for you – it won't cost a single thing!"

Cass seemed shocked at the fact. Quickly, she shook her head. "No, Fred, I want to—"

"Oh look, the others are here!" Fred cut in, catching sight of his friends coming down the hall. The pair looked relieved to have been able to find them correctly.

Cass glanced over her shoulder at this, and a frown came over her face. "…Where's Gogo?"

"Gogo?" Fred echoed. But then he realized what she meant, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh! No, she uhm…she stayed behind at your house. She's organizing all of the…all of the info that the place needs. You know, like arranging the travel and stuff. With the…with the car and the plane, and—"

Aunt Cass frowned, worry flashing over her face. "Plane?" she repeated, suddenly looking disheartened. "You mean…it's really that far away? I won't be able to…see him?"

Fred blinked, looking hurt. He opened his mouth to reply, but Honey Lemon and Wasabi reached them before he could. And now that they had a plan in mind – not the best in history's records, but keep in mind that it wasa plan, after all – Honey Lemon had recovered from her dip in mood. Now she was like she always was— all smiles as she dashed over to wrap Cass in a tight embrace. "Did he tell you?" she cheered, sounding ecstatic. "Did he tell you that we've got a place now? It's going to be great!"

Aunt Cass smiled, oblivious. Wasabi turned and eyed the girl warningly, though.

Fred gave a small cough. "We've just got to settle a few more things. But, uh…when do all the doctors want to kick him out of here?"

The woman seemed thoughtful. "I'm not sure. The sooner the better, probably. I suppose it just matters when you can arrange everything…" Wasabi and Honey Lemon exchanged a glance. That would be more of a question for Gogo. They weren't sure themselves on how soon things could be arranged. They just knew the basic outline; it was all they could learn in such a short time as what they had. "I guess any time would be good. He was moved down here while you all were gone, so he doesn't need to be watched as closely anymore. All that's bothering him now is his head and his stomach, but it's been like that since yesterday, so…" She paused, then titled her head to the side. "What time canhe leave?"

Fred looked over at the other two. …Did he even know the answer to that question?

Wasabi shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Gogo's kind of handling that part…"

Honey Lemon interjected quickly, in a rush to help. "Tomorrow morning. At eight." She sounded so sure of herself that Fred wondered whether or not they really had planned that far and he'd just forgotten. But he could tell by the look on Wasabi's face that they probably hadn't. Regardless, he nodded once, catching the notion that Cass was slightly pleased with the reply. Shipping him off tonight was probably too soon for her. She would want time with her nephew, however much he probably didn't share the same desire.

But there was one more thing that Fred had to cover. "Aunt Cass? There's one more thing…" She turned to look at him, seeming grateful for all he had done, yet he noticed how nervous she was by the tone of his voice. And truly, she probably should have been more nervous by this point. But she had no idea that she was being fed lies. Fred was just glad that the hospital wasn't demanding any kind of documentation— they were just asking for details and the spoken assurance that Hiro was going somewhere. And he wasgoing somewhere— that wasn't the part that was up for debate. It was just left to be questioned whether or not it was exactlyto somewhere like Second Nature…

"You can't be there with him. At the airport, I mean," he explained slowly, watching as Cass' expression wilted slightly. "It's part of the company's policy…they want to space the kid away from their parent as soon as they can. It's like…some part of their therapy. To make them realize what's going on a bit faster, you know? We were planning on taking him though, if that's okay with you. We'll make sure that he's all settled and stuff and won't run away or anything. But when we get there, there should be people waiting for him that'll actually like get on the plane with him. It's just…you'll probably need to say goodbye from the hospital."

Cass seemed slightly distressed. "You mean…I can't get on the plane with him? A-And then just ride back here? Why not?" Not waiting for an answer, which Fred had actually been prepared to give, for once, she went on, stumbling a little bit over her words. She shook her head, trying to shrug it off with a small exhale. "No— no, I shouldn't…I shouldn't try and complain. No, you've done a lot. And it means so much that you would work so hard as to try and find a place where Hiro would have fun too." Fred shuffled his feet a little bit, barely stifling an apprehensive clear of his throat. "No; t-that'll be fine. I'll just tell Hiro and let him know what's going to…" She trailed off, looking preoccupied for a moment. The teenagers exchanged uncomfortable looks, but remained silent.

Eventually the woman roused, forcing her back to straighten as she turned back to the trio. "Can you tell me more about it?" she asked.

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"Hiro?" Cass didn't dare to raise her voice up to anything more than a whisper. Though it was more for her sake than anyone else's. She wasn't even thinking of not waking up anyone else in the rooms around them— she was just trained on one thing: and that was making sure that her voice didn't break on her unexpectedly. It was 7:45 in the morning, and though she had woken up at four and had found herself unable to turn back over, she had given Hiro as much time to sleep as she could. After all, if he was going somewhere that would require backpacking and trekking like Fred had told her it would, her little boy would need as much energy as he could. And energy left over for whatever else was expected of him.

She had been given the run-down by the kids. It was a little weird that she was the one who knew the least about what was being handled. But she had anticipated such a thing, and she was more than alright with the idea. Fred had reassured her many a time that where Hiro was going was best for him. He had assured her that it wouldn't cost a thing and it was certainly the greatest way that they could go in such a short amount of time. She had searched the organization online and had been thrilled at what she had seen. All the different groups they had and what they were about, and, most importantly, all the pictures of the smiling children. She had wondered to herself whether or not this could be it— that maybe, two or three months from now, Hiro could be on the webpage as well, grinning a toothy smile and offering the camera a thumbs-up.

Because so far, he was the opposite. Cass, enthralled and excited and so, so relieved over how things were going, had tried to show him the website and get him the react in a similar manner. After all, he knew now that he wasn't going to another hospital. But the boy had just taken one look at the thing and merely turned away. He didn't seem interested at all with the prospect of going out and working on himself while also learning things like how to build fires or shelters. If Cass had heard him right, she had thought that the boy had mumbled something about how he lived in a city and how pointless something like that was.

But she tried to tell herself that she had heard him wrong.

The guardian reached down, giving Hiro's shoulder another light shake. "Hiro, baby; it's time to get up."

Hiro grumbled, grimacing as he tried to shrug her off. But she only repeated the small jarring motion, sighing gently. "Honey, it's time. You need to get ready, okay? The kids will be here soon to take you. And then you'll be heading for Second Nature, right?" Hiro still didn't move, so Cass withdrew, offering the Sitter a small, frazzled smile as she passed her. The girl offered a sympathetic grin in reply. Stooping down, Cass rummaged through the bag and brought out an outfit for her nephew— some jeans and a random tee-shirt. He would probably plan to wear his same jacket as well today.

"C'mon," she encouraged gently, handing him the clothes. "Get dressed."

Hiro's eyes opened, and surprisingly, he looked very much awake. …How long had he been pretending to be asleep? Cass seemed slightly surprised by the fact, and she started to ask aloud, but Hiro spoke before her. His blankets were drawn up to his nose, and Cass was unable to see his mouth move. She wasn't able to see that cute little gap in his teeth that she loved to make fun of. "…Please don't do this," Hiro mumbled, his own voice the smallest of whispers. Cass sobered at the last plea. And, sensing the idea, Hiro tried it again. "Please? I wanna stay with you. …Aunt Cass, Christmas Eve is tomorrow."

It killed her. But it was too late. It had been too late for quite some time. So she shook her head, leaving the clothes on his bedside and taking a step backwards. "I know," she said plainly, not even trying to disguise the sadness in her voice this time around. "And there's nothing I would want more in the world to spend Christmas with you; you know that." Hiro sat up in his bed, looking disgruntled and angry at being ignored for a second time around. He looked down with distaste at the clothes, and didn't make a move to reach out for it.

"This is stupid," he growled, the Sitter watching the scene with a small wince. Locking his jaw back and completely ignoring the girl, he looked at Aunt Cass with a scowl. "How long am I even going to be gone? Am I going to miss New Year's? Valentine's Day? Easter? My birthday?"

Cass turned around, managing to meet his stare as levelly as she could. "You didn't seem to care about missing those holidays two days ago," she stated in a clear manner. Hiro's face fell somewhat, and after managing to hold her gaze for a moment or so, he couldn't anymore as he just looked away. And, gathering the clothes, he started to change into the fresh outfit in a tempered silence. Cass looked on sorrowfully for a moment before turning away and looking out the window.

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Walking was harder than it should have been. After lying in bed for nearly three days straight, Hiro's legs were weak and felt like jelly. He felt like he would trip every other step, and after walking down about three hallways, the boy realized in shock that he was nearly out of breath. He didn't need crutches for his leg now, he was just fitted into a boot; and though he didn't have to have crutches anymore, the boot certainly didn't make walking any easier. It made walking even more awkward for him, if such a thing was possible. He was holding his duffle bag in his right hand, and he tried his best not to show much the effort of dragging it along was taxing him. Cass seemed to notice the degree of difficulty as she shortened her stride so that her nephew could keep up— an idea that irritated him and he did his best to ignore.

Instead, he looked down at his left arm, scowling at the bands that were locked around his wrist. They had both been mandatory, but Hiro was aching to just rip them off as fast as he could. One was white and covered in dark, fine print. Things like his name and what hospital he was at…stupid things like that. The other was smooth— dyed completely a dark red. Not for the first time, he gave an irritated grumble, looking off to the side with a glower. "I hate these stupid bands."

Cass glanced over at him with a blink. She looked down at his wrist and gave a small, sad sigh. "I'm sure that you can take them off once you leave," she assured. "But so far, the white one says who you are. And the red one—"

"I getwhat the stupid red one means," Hiro grumbled. It was his – best pun ever coming up right here – 'red' flag. To tell people why he was here if he ever found himself roaming the corridors alone. Well— it would tell people that he shouldn't be roaming the halls alone. That he was a danger to himself and should be taken back immediately before any sort of harm could come to him or something like that. All in all, it was just as ridiculous as his other bracelet. He hadn't been alone at all since he'd gotten to this stupid place. Why bother giving him bands if he couldn't even blink without someone breathing creepily down his neck?

They came to a stop near the exit of the building. Other people were clustered there as well. Families and other patients that were waiting to be seen or, probably like Cass and Hiro, were waiting for a ride to take them back home. It was kind of funny how you couldn't really tell by looking around. They all just looked the same. Sitting around. Waiting for something other than what was in front of them now. Because that seemed to be what everyone was doing now.

Hiro's legs were starting to tremble and shake, so he turned and sat down in the chair nearest to him. Cass followed suit after a beat of hesitation. They had gotten down earlier than they expected, so there was some waiting to be done. Reaching up and tugging Tadashi's hat down a little bit snugger on his head, Hiro stared straight forward blankly. He spaced out for minutes— there was some kind of movie playing on a television at the front of the room, but he wasn't paying enough attention. He thought of getting out his phone and distracting him that way, when he remembered himself and the fact that his mobile was shattered into a bunch of different pieces right now. Probably in a landfill or shoved into a sewer.

Hm.

Maybe he should have thought that one through a little bit more.

A sudden noise dragged Hiro's attention to the side. It was a melody that at first, seemed unimportant. Until he realized that it kept repeating the same few lines over and over again, and that it was super annoying. He turned, his face pulling down into an irritated glower as he searched for the source of the cadence. And when he did, he blinked, his expression drooping a little bit.

It was a toddler. She couldn't have been more than three at the very most. She was hobbling around on unsteady legs, pushing a plastic shopping cart along and letting out a small giggle every once and a while. She was wearing bright yellow leggings and a pink-and-purple-polka-dotted shirt. Her shoes lit up every time they hit the ground, and in her cart in the front pocket was a princess doll. It was the source of the few short lines of song, and every time it came to an end of the irritating tune, the little girl jerked forward and pressed the toy's hand again. That must have been the trigger for the song, because the doll always started singing again right after the touch.

'Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky. Let it go! Let it go! You'll never see me cry!'

Over and over the little toy sang, and Hiro watched with shock as the little toddler waddled her way towards him. Because he was slightly caught off-guard, and not by the toy and the immensely-idiotic tune. It was the girl herself that surprised him. It wasn't because of her mismatching clothes, and it wasn't because of the fact that she was walking pretty good for a youngster. It was because of what she was there for. What was obvious.

The little girl had cancer. Her head was completely void of any type of hair at all. She was skinny as a rail, and her eyes were slightly sunken back into her head. But despite the harrowing details of her appearance, the girl was giggling every other step, a wide grin spread over her pale face. Pressing the toy's hand over and over, she seemed to be having the time of her life in the waiting room of a hospital. Or at least she was having quite a bit of fun. Her father was lagging behind her, his hands in his pockets as he watched the little girl with a fond expression.

And as they got closer, the girl's attention veered towards Hiro. She grinned, turning and stumbling over his way. The boy went rigid, blinking rapidly as he sat up more. He tried to signal to the toddler to stop, but she certainly didn't. She only stopped when she was close enough to him, giving another light giggle as she turned down to bring out her princess doll. And, extending it over to the teenager, she gave a light chirp. "Elsa!" It was a single word— nothing more. But it seemed, to her, to be of vast importance. From where she was sitting, Cass was watching every second, looking a cross between pained and happy. Likewise, the father was watching closely as well, seeming pleased with every movement his daughter made.

Hiro offered her an awkward smile. "Uh…yeah," he mumbled, unsure of how to reply. "She's the…that new one…right?"

As if to answer, the little girl looked down, pressing on the toy's hand. She started up another round. 'Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky! Let it go! Let it go! You'll never see me cry!'This evoked yet another round of giggles from the small child, and Hiro smiled a bit more at the reaction. "Elsa! Elsa!" she cheered, waving the thing wildly in front of the teen's nose. Unsure, he wondered whether or not she wanted him to take it— is that why she was sticking it in his face? Hesitantly, he started to reach out, the sleeve of his jacket riding up a little bit with the motion. His bracelets were exposed; the red one flashed as if there was a spotlight on it.

The little girl didn't notice it; she probably didn't even care in the first place. Why would she? With the way she was treating that doll, it seemed like the world could explode and she would still be satisfied as long as that song would still play. But the father noticed it in a snap. And he couldn't have been a rookie with this place— not with what his three-year-old was going through. His eyes drilled into the band, and the smile on his face disappeared immediately as recognition flashed through his gaze. And at once, a sour look crawled over his features. In the back of his eyes, there was no mistaking the certain degree of anger and even disgust that started to rise there.

Hiro stopped mid-reach, blatantly aware of the reaction. Cass stilled as well, looking saddened by the change. The girl reached over and pressed the princess' hand for the millionth time, but she didn't have time to give out yet another giggle. Before she could, her father reached down, grabbing gentle hold of her shoulders as he started to steer her away. His expression resembled the way somebody would look if they had smelled something particularly foul, and his movements were rushed as he shooed his fragile daughter along. He had leaned down and he was mumbling a few words down her, but his words were much too soft to be heard and made sense of.

Hiro straightened, looking perplexed. He glanced down at his wrist, as if trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. His arm was still reaching out to take hold of the little girl's doll. He glanced over to the side, looking at Aunt Cass questioningly. His aunt only held his gaze for the briefest of moments. But this time, she was the one unable to hold his gaze. And she looked away quickly.

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Once Aunt Cass got the text from Fred, they got up and went outside. Hiro immediately grimaced, nearly blinded by the light that slammed into his eyeballs. He much rather preferred the dimness of the hospital room; now with all this snow everywhere – and it was everywhere– the light was thrown back at him and amplified, even. He screwed his eyes up against it, slipping on the sidewalk with every step. His legs were already screwed up enough; add ice to the mix and it was a mess. But at least the boot on his bad foot didn't slide as much. Even still, he was grateful that they stopped as soon as they got to the curb.

He put his bag down, reaching up and rubbing his arms for warmth as they waited for the car to be brought around. Cass shifted, looking uncomfortable. Her breath fogged out in front of her, and she was suddenly wondering if she should have given Hiro a better coat to wear. The woman turned, glancing down at her nephew. She felt her heart tug a little bit at the expression on his face— anger, irritation, sorrow…he looked like he was an entirely different person than he used to be. Would she ever see him that way again?

"Hiro," she said softly, breaking the silence in between them. Her nephew didn't reply, only looking down and scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe. She sighed, frowning. Off to the side, she could see Fred's car coming up the parking lot— the teenager had told her what the vehicle looked like. Her stomach dropped at the sight, and as the car crawled closer, her hands balled into fists at her sides. She had known it was coming, but now it was here. And it slammed into her fifty times more painful than it had been up until this point. Hiro was leaving. He was leaving and he would be gone for months at the least. She wouldn't be able to hug him or kiss him or tell him she loved him. He would be miles away.

"Hiro." She turned, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to turn around this time. He was jarred, stumbling with a grimace as he was forced to right himself. His stare was irritated as he collected himself, but Cass tried to ignore it as best she could. She crouched down on her toes, making herself as eye-level with her nephew as she could. "Hiro, honey, I know this is hard. Or at least…if it isn't hard for you, then it is for me. And I want you to realize that, alright?" Hiro just stared at her blandly. "I know that you don't like me very much right now; I understand. I hate it, and it hurts me so much to come to terms with something like that…but I understand why you might.

"It doesn't make it right. It doesn't make any of this right. But I want you to know that doing this is something that hurts me very much. I don't want to miss you; I want to be with you, honey, and I want to watch you grow and learn and change the world just like I know you can. But that's just the thing…I can't do that— unless I send you away now. Maybe if I send you away…maybe if I don't see you for just this short while…then I can see you for the rest of your life. Being happy." She sniffed, not realizing she was crying until she could feel stares from other people burning into her back.

Hiro just stared at her.

She shook her head, as if to clear it. "…I love you," she said, in a very final tone of voice. "And I hope that you get better sweetie, I do. I believe you can; now you just need to do the same." The car parked itself a few feet away from them, and through her blurry eyes, Cass could see that Fred was in the passenger seat, looking at her expectantly. This was when she had to leave. She gave a small nod, sighed, and looked back at her nephew. At the boy she loved just as fiercely as if he was her own son. "I'll see you soon; I know I will. And maybe when you get back we can start over. And be happy." Hiro blinked, watching as his guardian reached up to quickly rub at her eyes. "And I'll wait for you and I'll miss you every day. And I'll love you despite everything, okay?"

Hiro just stared.

She nodded once, having expected the silence. Though she was screaming on the inside, begging her nephew to say at least one last thing to her. But she restrained herself. By now, it was too late. She could only hope that by the time she saw her nephew, she could see his grin. She could only hope that by the next time she heard his voice, she could hear happiness vibrating in every syllable. She could only hope that the next time she came into contact with Hiro, she would be her Hiro once more. "Last hug," she whispered, her voice slightly fractured and frayed in some places. She leaned over and pulled her nephew close, shutting her eyes tightly. His arms were limp at his sides— he did not return the embrace. But such a fact only made her hold tighter to her child.

Fred got out of the car and weaved around to open the door for Hiro. He kept his distance, but it was very clear that he was waiting. Cass leaned forward, pressing a tender kiss to Hiro's forehead. And then she pulled away, hugging herself tightly, and not for the cold. Her face was smeared in tears, and her eyes were red and puffy. Hiro stayed put where he was for a few moments, just looking at her with a rather blank expression, his duffle bag clenched in his right hand. They were silent. Just staring. For Aunt Cass, there was nothing more to be said. Perhaps for Hiro, there was almost too much.

The small boy turned after a moment and headed for Fred's car. Cass watched him, and with every step, her heart tore. With every step, she was reminded of better times. That step was the time he had brought his compass he had made all by himself to show-and-tell during fifth grade. That step was when he had gone to the bay with Aunt Cass and they had thrown stones into the water. That step was when he had blushed upon Cass asking him why he was staring at that girl at the mall. Those steps were every time that he had told her 'I love you.'

She could not associate a happy memory with the final step it took to get him into the car.

It was merely what it already was.

It was the step that represented all of this mess.

It was the step that officially took him away from her.

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A/N: Thank you very much for all your reviews! I much more prefer writing when I get feedback! :) I think I'm going to wait until I get at least ten reviews as a standard before updating from this point on. I know it might be annoying, and I apologize, but I really work better this way I think. Plus, when it gets to being summer, I typically update things that get the most feedback so…

Anyway, starting next chapter things will pick up! I hope you all are very excited! Or at least as excited as I am! Sorry for the little tease of Baymax; but trust me, you'll get a fill of him starting next installment! Please tell me what you think! And thank you again for reading! ^.^

Update: The first two reviews I got for this story were a little confused. Sorrowfully they were from guests so I can't PM them and answer! But I'll clear it up a little bit here. And you're supposed to be a touch confused with this one. The kids have a plan, and they know where Hiro is going, but it's not what they've told Aunt Cass. Second Nature didn't work before, but they're merely using it as an excuse. You'll find out their plan in the next chapter if you haven't guessed it already. And the red band on Hiro's wrist marks him a suicidal patient. That way if he's wandering around the halls, people are made aware that he shouldn't be because he is a risk to himself.

Any other questions should be voiced- I'd be happy to answer. But know that this chapter was supposed to leave you a touch confused and wondering what will happen next :)