Fox-Face and Flames

Final Encounter: Hamada (浜田)

They could still hear the whirring shrill cry of police sirens long after they had left the vicinity of the hospital. And they could still see the flashes of red, blue, and black from the rooftop on which they perched several miles away from the scene.

"They're still doing the do, huh." Taka said, unimpressed, as he teetered dangerously on the edge of the building. "Y'know, I think that I've always secretly wanted to be some kind of cop or something — like a secret covert cop. Like Batman, not Sasori. Sasori has some screws loose and—

"You're going to fall." Tadashi called to him despite the fact that he too was at the edge of the building. He sat with his legs loosely dangling over the thing and his hands gripping the thing's edges for support. "And, while Hebi is fast with her wires, gravity is much much faster — trust me."

"Look at you," Usagi teased from beside him as he raised a brow, "being all sciencey. Gonna get a patent for something with that?"

"If I could," Tadashi responded slyly, a hint of what Usagi could only assume was Kitsune (or maybe it really was just Tadashi) shining through, "I'd get one for common sense and I'd donate it to Taka."

"Taka." Taka repeated his name suddenly with a frown as he peeled back from the edge. "That sounds way too much like 'Tako' like what the fuck. Usually main characters get really cool sounding names that sound nothing like other people's names."

"Are you sayin' you're a main character, Takabaka?" Neko asked amused as she leaned against the frame of one of the rails that lined the roof. "Sounds like Takoyaki talk to me."

Silence fell at the mention of the name.

The wind lapped against the side of the building and creeped along the building's grooves. A howling, wailing sound resonated.

"This sucks." Hebi grimaced, cross-armed. "How come even though we won, it feels like we're the losers or something?"

"Probably," Ookami responded thickly from her corner of the rooftop, "because we've lost more than we've gained."

Another lull of silence.

In the quietness, Tadashi suddenly found himself reminiscing about the past, about things he had said, things he had done; and he turned to Ookami with a slight smile and said:

"I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong. Losing and gaining are just intangible concepts after all… but, try looking at it from a different angle."

Ookami eyed him with an air of uncertainty.

In turn, he jerked his head towards the city below. Towards the flashing lights of red and blue. Towards — he thought for a brief and painful moment — home.

"Right now — right down there — everything CASCO has done is being exposed. The people that they've hurt, that they've killed, that they've experimented on — all of that is being laid out right in the open. A woman is getting justice for her sister. Present trials and possible future trials are being torn down. The people who 'disappeared' and the people who 'died' aren't just 'unfortunate accidents' or 'unsolvable mysteries' anymore. They're people."

Tadashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What I'm trying to say is… that we've done good. Even if you consider this win small compared to everything else, it still is a win. Besides, now that this is done and over with… "

There was a pause in which all of those on the roof studied the quietly speaking man with expressions ranging from uncertainty to curiosity, from amusement to confusion.

"... you all can get back to what you had before all of… this."

Ookami threw her head back and barked out a laugh. It was so abrupt and sudden that she even looked rather surprised by the sound. However, she soon smoothed out her features and fixed on him a gaze that resembled motherly concern.

"You know well that we can't do that." She said. "Once the news circulates — of course, I'll acknowledge the fact that maybe we'll be temporarily praised as tragic heroes — but you know how people are. They love finding people to hate; and, needless to say, we've done plenty of things to garner hate. If it's not hate… then it's that." She paused, walked over to where the man sat, and blinked down at him with a frown. "At best, we'll be institutionalized. You left your family because you knew this fact… Don't tell me that you've forgotten again."

The final statement was said in a serious tone despite the oddity of it.

"No," Tadashi waved her off, "if anything, I'm doing some remembering right now."

"Then why would you even suggest what you said before?" Ookami shook her head incredulously, before her eyes narrowed. "That's incredibly insensitive and illogical of you." She paused, looking as if she wanted to continue on the train of thought, before she sighed. "At this point, I'm not sure whether that's like you or not like you."

Hebi prepared to hop to Tadashi's defense but stopped herself for a reason she didn't quite understand. It was probably because of that. That had been plaguing her mind for a while now. How sad Tadashi had looked when he had left Hiro's side, that is.

"From my point of view," Tadashi raised an eyebrow back at her, "it's neither, because—"

"I will do the explaining, my dear friend!"

The sudden and oddly voiced phrase was spoken by the man who had just appeared out from the doors that lead to the stairwell of the building. A strange man. A man who was adorned with both a lab coat and a trench coat.

"Sasori, how nice of you to finally drop in." Usagi grinned with slight amusement at the man's eccentric entrance.

In turn, Sasori turned to him with a slightly gaping expression, before he shook his head and brushed back his hair. Adjusting the hat that rested ever present on his head and scratching his chin he said, "And it was then that the man realized that his deduction was accurate. The rabbit man had been alive all along!"

Usagi laughed a laugh torn between amusement and befuddlement. Hebi scowled brightly, while Neko rolled her eyes and clasped her hands behind the base of her neck.

"Alright, Sasori," Ookami waved him off dismissively, "so, seeing that you're here, I assume that everything went well?"

"More than well!" The man exclaimed, spinning in a round circle and gesturing wildly to nothing once more. He paused then and pointed to the flashing lights of the city below. "Those lights you see there are the result of the combination of the duo detective skills of Sasori and Maeko Rice!"

"Alright, buddy." Tadashi smiled lightly as he approached the man from behind and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's get on track."

Sasori cleared his throat and nodded once, twice, thrice. "Of course, of course, my Kitsune friend. And the track states this — information on all of CASCO's diabolical misdeeds has been released. Sora Keiji is being held in the iron grasps of justice and awaits trial for his nefarious deeds. Maeko and I have just returned from a very lengthy interview — well, we have actually temporarily escaped. The police are currently on search for us, but that is fine!"

Tadashi's brow twitched slightly and his expression took on something akin to 'Kitsune-like'. His grip on Sasori's shoulder tightened, but the man did not notice this.

"Wow." Hebi responded bitingly with a slight roll of her eyes. "Thanks for telling us everything we know already."

"Sasori," Ookami sighed, tapping her upper arm with something akin to impatience, "get to the point." She side-glanced at Tadashi with a frown. "What is this about our families? Are they going to be reimbursed for what happened to us by CASCO?" Her eyes narrowed. "They're not going to be dragged into any of this, are they?"

"No, nothing like that." Sasori waved her off. "But if you count them now knowing about the fact that you are alive, then yes. Yes, they are involved now."

There was a pause as the two final phrases sank into the thin atmosphere. The phrases were so strange and so sudden that none could comprehend them fully for the first couple of seconds. After these seconds passed, however, the reaction sparked into heated shouts.

"What?" Usagi snapped, a rare expression of anger taking over his usually amicable face. "What did you just say?"

In an instant, Ookami was at Tadashi's side. In the next instant, her fists had curled around the scruffs of his black coat. She glared up at him as she lifted him high and pulled him close. He, in turn, gazed down at her with coolness.

"Explain, Kitsune." She hissed.

"I made Maeko promise to look into and contact your families, while she was deciphering the trial information," was his response.

"Dude," Taka shook his head, "not cool. Not cool at all. Like, we can't see 'em 'cause of what we did and that was shitty enough, but now they know that we're alive too? That's like the biggest 'fuck you' in the universe!"

Hebi was tempted to point out the fact that neither she nor Taka recalled their family members, but the atmosphere was so thin that she felt like she was walking on tightrope just by being there. That and the fact that she found that she could not justify Tadashi's actions caused her to remain moodily silent.

At this point, Usagi was practically fuming. "God damnit, Tadashi!" He balled his hands up into fists, before he closed his eyes and sighed out steadily. "Why in the world would you do this…?"

"Several of them are on their way right now, actually," Sasori interjected helpfully. "When I contacted them to inform them of your states, a majority of them jumped at the opportunity to see you here as soon as possible! Of course, a majority of them did not believe me at all at first, but once I told them of my certifications and of your traits — and after a multitude of re-calls — they accepted the truth." His statement helpfully added fuel to the fire.

There was another strained pause.

"Kitsune!" Ookami seethed with so much rage that her eyes began to prick with tears. "You, bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I also asked Maeko," Tadashi continued calmly, "to delete all information regarding all of you in CASCO's databases."

Ookami paused in confusion and her grip on the man's clothing slackened. Usagi,who also looked as if he was about to tear across the rooftop and throw Tadashi right off of the building, recoiled and did a double-take. Taka simply shook his head in confusion and let loose a string of nonsensical words, while Hebi's furrowed brows raised in surprise. Neko, on the other hand, looked more amused than anything else. Their actions earned a short and abrupt burst of laughter from the Hamada; and he wiped a tear away from his eye, before he elaborated—

"There is now no longer any proof that any of you were involved with CASCO or the Doubutsu Trials." He smoothed out his shirt and side-glanced at those on the rooftop calmly, before he continued with a slight smile, "I know that we were looking for some kind of glorified justice where we made the world realize what CASCO did to us, but I thought that revenge would be decent for all of you even if your involvement isn't known to the universe."

"You…" Ookami drew out slowly, unsure of how to respond.

"You can call it 'running away' if you want," Tadashi shrugged, "and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't look like that, but it's only running away if you do it yourself. And I'm the one — no, Maeko had more of a hand in it than I did — who did the running away for you."

Ookami grabbed the scruff of Kitsune's shirt again and studied him — really looked at him. She shook her head and asked more to herself than anybody else, "Who are you?"

Tadashi simply smiled a smile that did not match his eyes. "Tadashi Hamada, of course."

Her grip on his scruff tightened; and she seemed to finally be able to find a way to respond coherently to these sudden developments. Shaking her head incredulously, she pulled him in close and prepared to speak when a voice cut through and above her own—

"Mommy?"

Ookami breathed in deeply; and her eyes widened, but they would not leave Tadashi's face. Tadashi's dark eyes would not leave the woman's face either. Everyone else on the rooftop, however, had their gazes trained on the two figures who stood in the doorway of the entrance to the roof.

A girl — she was no older than five of six — and a young man (hand-in-hand) stood frozen beneath the archway. Their eyes were trained on Ookami's form.

"You…" Ookami whispered with narrowing eyes that were just about to pool over with tears. "Selfish…"

"Sarah?" — it was the man who spoke this time in a soft, hesitant voice — "Is it… Is it really you?"

"Holy shit." Taka muttered, despite himself. His gaze flickered bath and forth from the two pairs standing on opposite sides of the roof. "Holy… shit."

"Do you think you can just…" Ookami murmured, pulling the man even closer to her and refusing to acknowledge the newcomers. "... pretend that this is okay?"

Tadashi didn't respond and kept on his unreadable expression. He then slowly, carefully, meaningfully shifted his gaze from the woman's face and towards the duo who still stood beneath the doorway. Unable to stop herself, Ookami followed his eyes with her own until she locked gazes with the young man and then the little girl.

The girl's brown eyes widened as their gazes met and her lips trembled just as Tadashi's lips had trembled hours earlier. "M-Mommy…"

And just like that, Ookami was lost. Her fingertips unlatched from the man's shirt; and she turned towards the doorway and towards the light seeping from it. Her face was fully unmasked from the darkness; and the girl could now fully register her face.

"Mommy…"

The confirmation was whispered, and the girl staggered forward. Ookami, unable to hold back any longer, staggered forward as well. That single word, that single phrase — it was unbelievable that that was all it took for her to lose herself. A single word that she had been longing to be called ever since—

"M-Mommy!"

And Ookami rushed forward, knelt down, and spread her arms wide. The girl rushed into those open arms which then enclosed tightly around her. She buried herself in the woman's chest, while the woman buried her face into the girl's chestnut hair. Ookami breathed in her scent and tightened her grasp and swallowed a sob.

"Yeah, it's me, honey." She whispered, running her fingers through the girl's hair. "It's mommy…"

The young man who was still rooted in front of the doorway unrooted himself from where he stood and dashed forward. He skidded to a stop where Ookami and the young girl sat huddled on the floor; and then he too sank down beside them and wrapped both of them in a hug that seemed big enough to embrace the world. A second later, he too was sobbing and was repeatedly murmuring a single word over and over again — "Sarah".

Tadashi observed them with a thin smile, while the others gazed at them with expressions ranging from surprise to confusion. As the former continued to gaze at the trio, however, he felt something begin tug at both his heart and his mind. Regret and a memory. The memory was first of his parents welcoming him home after his first day of school ("Welcome home!"); the memory that followed was of his first Christmas with Hiro and Aunt Cass — the first Christmas without his parents. And he began to recall how Aunt Cass had embraced them in such a similar fashion.

I guess I used Aunt Cass's hug as the framework for Baymax's hugs… She always had the best hugs, didn't she?

Tadashi shook his head.

No, I can't waver now. Don't be pathetic. You've already made up your…

"Holy shit." Taka repeated, taking a step backwards and averting his eyes from the scene. He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes and sniffled and then coughed. "Just… holy shit, man."

Hebi simply bit her lower lip nervously and rubbed her arms unconsciously — because of the cold or because she felt as if she was about to lose something? She didn't know which.

It was then that the young man who was embracing both Ookami and the little girl looked up and registered the surrounding group. Tightening his grip on both the woman and the girl ever so slightly, he frowned at them all. Before he could say anything, however, Ookami — no, Sarah — raised her hand and cupped his cheek.

"Don't do anything stupid, Tom." She whispered in such a soft voice that for a moment she did not seem like Ookami at all. "They're acquaintances… friends."

Sarah untangled herself from both the girl and the man and came to a stand. She pulled the girl close to her and wrapped her in her arm while she reached out and held the young man's hand. She then looked from Taka to Neko to Hebi (who bit her lip and stared and the younger girl) to Saru to Usagi and then finally to Tadashi. She blinked at him once and then dipped her head ever so slightly.

Her actions caused Tadashi to start slightly, but he kept his expression even.

"Mommy…" The girl sniffled, tugging on Sarah's arm. "I… I want to go home…"

Something once again twinged painfully in Tadashi's chest.

Sarah glanced down at the girl before she brushed away the strands of hair veiling her face. She frowned for a moment; and Tadashi could literally hear what she was thinking —

— 'After everything that's happened — after everything that I've done to get to this point — is it really alright if I…?'

"Mommy?"

And that was all it took. Just that single phrase. A couple of months earlier and Tadashi would have thought that such a thing was pathetic.

'Nii-san?'

Tadashi shook his head roughly and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright, honey, let's go home…"

Sweeping the young girl up in her arms, Ookami allowed the confused young man Tom to guide her to the exit of the rooftop. The others stared after her with varying expressions; and she glanced over her shoulder to look at them, at the people who had gone through the very same thing as her, at the people who lost with her, at the people whom she now viewed as her friends — no, her family…? How ridiculously sentimental.

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but then she closed them and simply smiled. A moment later, she disappeared down the staircase and left heavy silence in her wake.

"O...Ookami?" Hebi whispered in confusion as she took a step forward and peered into the darkness of the doorway; she bit her lip and shook her head. There was a look of utter hurt and betrayal on her face. "She…?"

Taka sniffled loudly and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. Saru and Neko, on the other hand, both wore unreadable expressions.

Usagi sighed and ruffled his hair, before he barked out a laugh. "Not even a goodbye, huh?"

"Goodbyes are meaningless," Tadashi replied evenly, brushing off his shirt once more and falling into place beside the man, "if you know you're going to see a person again."

"And yet you said goodbye to that Hiro kid. Your brother, right? Your friends?" Usagi questioned, his eyes lingering on the doorway as if he was anticipating someone else's appearance; he tapped his foot impatiently — no, nervously. "Are you just saying something hypocritical again or did you not…" His eyes narrowed and then widened as some sort of realization dawned on him. "You…?"

Tadashi smiled thinly. "I can tell that you're literally bursting with excitement. Your son, right?"

"Kitsune." Usagi whispered, turning to the young man and peering into his face. "You did not do what I think you did." He paused, placing a hand on the Hamada's shoulder and squeezing. "Tada—"

"Dad?"

Usagi was so close that Tadashi could see the man's pupil's dilate. So close that he could see the man's brows raise and his eyes widen and his lips twitch ever so slightly. Once again Tadashi allowed his gaze to shift from Usagi's face to the doorway. Usagi followed his gaze just as Ookami had.

It was a trick that he'd learned from his childhood days; and it was a trick that Hiro himself had picked up. A dirty trick.

"Dad…"

The young man who now stood beneath the doorway whispered such a thing in a breathless voice. It was quite evident that he'd been running.

Tadashi studied the panting young man as did Usagi. And the former came to notice the similarities the young man had to the latter, while the latter acknowledged the similarities the young man had to the former. But Usagi was so overcome by seeing a face he had longed to see for months that he was not able to ponder any further on the matter.

"He does look like he has a good baseball arm," Tadashi mused, before he patted the man on the shoulder. "Make haste."

Usagi did not move. The young man at the doorway did not move either.

"Don't worry." The Hamada continued. "I didn't do what you think I did so don't worry about me. Enjoy yourself, old man."

And that was all it took.

And Hiro said I was bad at lying.

Usagi briskly walked forward, grabbed the frozen young man, and pulled him into a hold that was so tight that if circumstances had been different Tadashi would have assumed the Rabbit was trying to choke the man. But the circumstances were not different, and the frozen young man melted in Usagi's arms.

"...d-dad."

It was a quiet whisper, a quiet whimper.

And for a moment, Tadashi found himself thinking of his own father. He wondered briefly if he would react in the same way as the young man if his own father miraculously came back from the dead. Something in his chest once again twinged painfully.

"I'm so, so sorry, Blake." Usagi whispered in a husky voice that seemed to be several steps short from quavering.

"I…" The young man, Blake, swallowed as he buried himself into Usagi's shoulder. "I… When I got the phone call… I didn't believe… I thought it was just some sick, twisted joke… but I didn't want to not believe that there was some way… I told myself I'd let go but I couldn't stop myself — Oh god! Dad—"

And for a moment, Tadashi saw in Blake's place Hiro's shaking form.

Did he look like this when he realized I was Kitsune…? Ah, I can't remember…

The Hamada then came to register Blake's wrought expression. There were so many creases, so many folds, so many emotions twisted onto one tear-soaked face.

I don't think I can ever forgive myself if that was the face that he made at me.

But didn't he make a face just like that before you entered the fire? Before you told him 'goodbye'?

Stop. You can't waver now.

— "I… I… missed you so, so, so much."

Didn't Hiro and Aunt Cass — no, everyone — say the same thing to me when I came back?

'Welcome back from the dead, Hamada boy,' Gogo had said evenly as she punched him lightly in the arm.

'I got you a thing!' Honey Lemon had shouted, gently placing the thing in the man's hands. 'I wanted to pay you back for the phone case you gave me a while ago. I thought 'why not get him a fox-themed keychain'?!'

'Dude,' Fred had grinned, handing him a stack of papers, 'you're the secretary for the comic club, remember? And the work has been seriously piling up. I've been trying to get Taka to — oh, wait, nevermind. I said 'Taco' not 'Taka'. Who is this Taka person? Who knows? Certainly not the Fred.'

'I helped organize your desk back at the lab,' Wasabi had told him as they were making their way to the institute. 'I gotta say, man. You really need to learn how to color code.'

'Tadashi,' Baymax had said in its usual mechanical tone as it helped him out from his bed, 'you must take care to exercise your joints and muscles. You programmed me to guide health developments to help prevent weakened immune systems by advising against unhealthy behaviors.'

'I made your favorite dish!' Aunt Cass had sung to him as she placed a platter of the golden delight in front of him. 'Much better than that hospital mush, if I say so myself!'

'Tadashi…' Hiro had murmured on the first night after he had awakened from the coma. "I mi…"

'Yeah?' Tadashi had questioned, inclining his head. He had stared at Hiro then and was unable to discern the strange look of maturity that flickered across the younger's expression.

'I'm just glad you're still a nerd.' Hiro had finally scoffed after the pause of silence. 'You'll make me look better in front of anyone else without even trying.'

Those were the words that Hiro had said that night, but Tadashi knew now the truth hidden behind those words. No, he had known the truth behind those words ever since Hiro had covered them up with his usual arrogance. Those three words—

— 'I missed you.'

Stop. You can't think about that now. Kitsune, you've made your decision. The right one. The logical one.

'I miss you.'

"STOP!"

Tadashi was shaken out of his thoughts and back into reality by the shrill shout. He blanched as he registered that Hebi was now grasping Usagi's free arm with both of her hands. The man at this point was halfway through the doorway with Blake on one side of him and Hebi on the other.

What in the world?

"Dad?" Blake whispered in confusion. "Who is she? Who are these people?"

"Hebi." Tadashi said coolly as he quickly made his way over to the struggling trio. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and sighed quietly. "You need to let him go, Hebi."

"No!" Hebi snapped back at him so harshly, so angrily that he almost recoiled (she had never shouted at him before). She didn't allow her gaze to become pried away from Usagi's form by Tadashi's voice. Instead, her gaze on the man became even more focused. "You can't go, Usagi! Ookami already left! S-She's gone! That's enough leaving for today! If you leave then everyone else will leave too! T-That's so…" Her voice broke painfully. "... so cliche… !"

I really did a selfish thing, didn't I? Tadashi realized, before his gaze softened and his grip on Hebi's shoulder tightened ever so slightly; he murmured, "Hebi—"

"Listen, little snake." Usagi sighed with a grin as he knelt down beside the fuming girl. "I have a family to return to just as much as you have a family to return to it. This opportunity… after everything that's happened… it's like godsend."

Hebi shook her head furiously and held onto Usagi even tighter. "No. No. We just got you back. You can't leave."

Once again, despite the increasing hysteria of the situation, Tadashi found his mind wandering to Hiro.

His precious otouto had reacted this same way… hadn't he? Back when they had fallen several floors after Tako had revealed himself as the traitor? Back when he as Kitsune had finally accepted the role of Hiro's older brother, Tadashi Hamada?

'You can't die! You can't give up now! Not when you're you again!'

The memory came in such vivid waves that for a moment Tadashi almost lost himself.

"And I don't need some crappy family that I don't even remember!" Hebi hissed viciously. "All I need are you guys! You guys are my family!"

And the admission was finally released leaving Hebi wide-eyed, breathless. Her entire body seemed to tremble; and Tadashi was made to recall the time when he had first encountered the young girl. Back during the trials.

The weak, trembling girl.

No, not weak.

Hebi definitely was not weak.

He couldn't dare betray her and to think of her as weak especially after she had managed to bring back a fraction of 'Tadashi' during the days of the trial.

"Listen, Hebi…"

— It was Neko who spoke now. She had unlatched herself from her from where she had been standing from the corner of the building and was now standing beside Tadashi with hands on hips. There was a smile that did not match her eyes plastered onto her face; and it was evident that something other than the situation at hand was troubling her, but she nonetheless maintained the facade—

"You said we're family, right?"

"I said it…" Hebi stammered with a slowly reddening face. "But that doesn't mean that I mean it. I mean it's so cliche…"

Neko brushed her off with a laugh."Ya gotta understand that it's not being together all the time that makes you a family."

Yeah, Tadashi found himself thinking despite himself, but it would be nice if… he stopped the thought before it reached completion.

"Ya gotta let your old man here to get his feet back in the ground." Neko continued, ignoring Usagi's comment of 'What's with calling me an 'old man'?'. "I know it may seem sudden but ya can't just make someone who needs to go stay, doll. That'd be selfish, and that ain't love."

Hebi would still not let go and instead gave the very confused Blake a biting look. He shifted nervously under her gaze and kept glancing at Usagi for assistance. But Usagi's eyes were glued onto Hebi's face.

"Always so selfish," Usagi grinned, reaching over and ruffling the girl's hair.

And for some reason Tadashi thought the man was speaking to him instead of Hebi.

"It's not like this is the end." Usagi continued, pulling away. "So need for dramatics."

Hebi looked as if she were prepared to say something more; but before she could do so, Tadashi forcefully turned her around and pulled her into a hug. She struggled for a minute, before the Hamada's hold tightened; and she, fisting the creases of his shirt in her hands, bitterly relaxed.

Tadashi, feeling a strange and warm wetness begin to leak into his shirt, blinked down at her and then blinked up at Usagi. A quick jerk of his head towards the door signaling that if any time was a perfect time to go, it was now. Usagi nodded back in turn and then looked from the Hamada to Hebi to Neko to Sasori and finally to Taka who was still sniffling rather loudly and looking away. Words began to form on his lips, but after a minute of pondering, he turned his head and tightened his hold on Blake and said,

"See you later."

And then he was gone.

Hebi pulled away from Tadashi's hold and glared up at him through a haze of tears. Tadashi, familiar with receiving such glares, simply wiped the tears away from the girl's eyes and sighed,

"That's such a hateful look for such a little girl."

The remark caused Hebi to glare even more; but then she reached a point where she found that she could no longer glare and she buried herself in the man's hold. Tadashi sighed again before he patted the girl on the head.

"You're such a crybaby like Hiro."

Neko observed him with a suspecting gaze but did move to speak.

"Oh god. Oh shit."

Taka broke the silence and blubbered such things as he rubbed his eyes and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

"This is too much man. Too many feels."

Tadashi raised his bowed head up and peered at Taka's face. Hebi pulled away from Tadashi's chest and gazed at Taka with a contempt expression. The only hint of the fact that she had been crying was the slight redness around her eyes.

"Ew." Hebi stuck her tongue out at Taka's tear-soaked face and averted her gaze. "You look you need like ten-thousand tissues."

"D… Dude, y-you can't blame me." Taka stuttered, turning his back to them all; he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes and grumbled. "This shit is almost like Titanic-level feels, like I feel like I'm letting Jack go even though I said 'I won't let you go!' And shit man, there was enough space on that door thing for the both of them."

"Aw, Takabaka," Neko grinned as she approached the young man and wrapped an arm around his neck, "look at you, bein' all cute and emotional."

"Do you not have a soul, woman?" Taka snapped back at her a bit defensively as he turned on his heels. He paused, pointing at Tadashi and then at Sasori. "I know that Kitsune here doesn't do feelings 'cause he's got that whole 'I'm a super angsty anti-hero thing going on'—"

Tadashi's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly but his expression revealed nothing.

"— and Sasori is just plain weird." Taka continued, not noticing Sasori's slight recoil; he pointed to Neko with an air of accusation. "But you should be doing something like 'Oh, this is so touching. It touches me right in my feline heart!'."

Neko cackled and pulled Taka closer to her. "Aw, Takabaka, ya feelin' shy or somethin'?" She paused, her smile fading; and she glanced up at Tadashi with somewhat narrowed eyes. "And the only reason I ain't bawling my eyes out is because something smells fishy here…"

Tadashi stared back at her evenly.

"I'm not feeling shy. I'm just feeling feelings." Taka huffed, putting his sunglasses back on.

"Aw," Neko cooed again playfully, "who knows, Takabaka, the next people up those stairs might just be your guys."

The statement made Taka jump and Hebi tense.

"Oh, hell no." Taka shook his head and wiped his face on his sleeve. "I am not letting you all see me all emotional and sobbing — like that shit is embarrassing."

"Would you like me to point out that we've already seen you emotional and sobbing?" Tadashi questioned, amused.

Taka opened his mouth and then closed it. He then unravelled himself from Neko's neckhold and paced towards towards the stairway exit. Grumbling to himself as usual, he began to step over the threshold when Hebi suddenly ripped herself away from Tadashi's side and dashed to his side instead. She grabbed Taka's wrist tightly, almost desperately, and peered into the man's shaded face.

"W-Where are you going?"

"Hebi…" Neko sighed in exasperation. The amusement had died away from her eyes; and all that was left in her expression was exhaustion.

Taka blinked down at Hebi's contempt expression and mumbled several incomprehensible words, before he finally cleared his throat and said,"You gotta understand, Hebi. I can't let you all see a cool guy like me balancing on the tightrope between angsty Batman-ness and Superman-level angstiness — like it'll ruin my image. And that's more of Kitsune's thing."

Tadashi's eyebrow twitched again.

"So I was going to meet whoever my folks are downstairs." Taka continued, before he grimaced and averted his gaze. "I'll be less of a mess that way. I…" His voice broke suddenly, and he sniffled. "If you guys are there when my old folks are there… I… I don't think I'd have the resolve to go with them. I'm not strong like Ookami and Usagi, and I don't really remember what I had before all this either, dude, like shit man."

Tadashi felt something in his chest crumple.

"You guys are my fam." Taka continued, unable to stop himself. He turned his head and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose but found that they were no longer useful in covering up his tears. "B… But those people — they're my fam too, and I don't remember them but shit. Shit, I want to go home — like I am so one-hundred percent done with this anti-hero, stabby, stabby, stab business… I… I just want to…"

… go home.

Stop.

And Tadashi suddenly found himself standing beside Taka and embracing the man tightly. The man was several inches shorter than him and was taken by surprise as he suddenly found his face buried in the Hamada's shoulder.

"There's nothing shameful about having feelings." Tadashi murmured to both himself and Taka.

"No shame about wanting to go home either." Neko added quietly.

"W-Woah… dude." Taka stuttered. "What's with all the mushi-gushiness. You were supposed to be the angsty one in our group."

"And you were supposed to be the shameless happy-go-lucky one." Tadashi noted, pulling away from the man. "But here we are."

Taka wiped away the tears that stained his face and grumbled to himself again. "Well… I still want to be alone, yo. Like, it's weird having spectators."

"Right, right." Tadashi laughed.

Taka paused at the sound and eyed him strangely, before he allowed his gaze to fall onto Hebi's form. The girl had averted her gaze and was now standing with her hands balled into fists. Her expression, although sour, was one of bitter acceptance.

"Dude, Hebi." Taka raised a brow. "Do you wanna hug?"

"No!" Hebi snapped indignantly, crossly. "The only hugs I need are from Tadashi." But the way she said it did not sound very convincing.

"Alright then." Taka shrugged before he eyed Neko and Sasori questioningly. While Sasori simply raised his hand and shook his head and said something along the lines of 'Hugs may very well be the bane of all evil(?)', Neko dashed over and wrapped Taka in her arms with a mischievous grin.

"I'll miss ya, Takabaka."

"Right back at you, Nekogeko."

"... making nicknames is my thing, doll."

"Right."

And now Taka was once again stepping over the threshold of the doorway exit. His foot was just about to alight on the first step downwards when all of a sudden, he was pulled backwards once more. This time he was pulled backwards into a tight, vice-like hug.

Hebi.

He was soon released; and he was left with the strangest sensation of melancholy as he watched Hebi saunter back to Tadashi's side. He opened his mouth to say something just as Ookami and Usagi had done before him, before he decided better and closed his mouth. Instead of speaking, he simply turned his head, gave a small wave, and descended the stairwell.

The four remaining on the building's roof watched as his back began to slowly disappear in the darkness.

Hebi bit her lip and averted her gaze again, before suddenly—

— BANG! BAng! Thump!

The four started at the sound and prepared to dash down the stairs to come to Taka's aid when a grumbling echo drifted up from the groaning staircase—

"I'm good. I'm good. These stairs are out to get me though like who the hell puts a 'Watch out. Don't trip' sign right in front of the stairs like this is some secret assassination shit."

Tadashi and Neko sighed in unison. Sasori, on the other hand, mumbled something about his theory of 'stairs secretly being government-trained assassins' being correct; while Hebi mumbled to herself and hid her face.

The Hamada blinked down at the mumbling girl, before he smiled gently and placed his hand on top of her head.

"Talking to yourself isn't really a sign of good mental condition."

Hebi jumped at his voice and turned towards him. She was biting her lower trembling lip; and Tadashi knew that she was doing this in order to try and hide the fact that she was once again on the verge of tears. Hiro had always done this kind of thing, so Tadashi had grown accustomed to picking it out.

"I…" She mumbled, grumbled. "You're going back to Hiro and the others, right?"

Tadashi felt his heart skip a beat with the asked question, but he smiled and nodded nonetheless.

"That's right, Hebi. And you are going to go back to what you had before this too—"

"But what if I don't want to?!" Hebi snapped, pulling back from him. "You can't just decide for everybody like that!" She bit her tongue; and her eyes widened as if she realized she had said something unforgivable; but then she shook her head and stomped her foot indignantly. "I… I always say you're right, but this time what you're doing is…"

Selfish?

Probably.

"You shouldn't be surprised." Tadashi sighed, before he smiled apologetically. "I've always had a selfish streak. Sorry."

"Sorry?" Hebi repeated, shaking her head; before she bit her lip and whispered, "Let me… Let me stay with you and Hiro and the others."

"Hebi." Tadashi frowned.

"I don't need some family that I don't even remember anymore." Hebi continued, reaching up and grabbing onto Tadashi's sleeve. "There's no way that I'm just going to go back to them and everything is going to miraculously be okay. No, that's just way too cliched. I… I want to go with you."

With softening eyes, Tadashi bent down so that he was level with the girl and gazed at her steadily. She returned his gaze with determination. This determination, however, quickly morphed into an indignant wince as the Hamada flicked her in the forehead.

"Ow, Kitsune!" She winced, rubbing her head and frowning at him with an expression of betrayal.

"You already know what it's like to live with me." Tadashi said, placing a hand on the girl's head. "But you don't know — well, you don't remember — what it's like to live with your real family. You've got to go for these new opportunities and experiences, Hebi—"

"But you…" Hebi swallowed. "You and everyone else are my real family!"

"You know what I mean, Hebi." The Hamada murmured with slightly furrowed brows; and his expression suddenly became Kitsune-like . "If you go with me, you have to be sure that you won't regret it later. Regrets are the ugliest things in the world."

"There's no way that I would regret," Hebi huffed, "spending the rest of my life with my dear Ta—"

But Tadashi's gaze was no longer glued to her face. No, it was now glued to something behind her. Something in the direction of the stairway exit. Something that stood in the doorway of the exit. No, not something. Two people. Two lone figures hand-in-hand — eyes-glued to Hebi's rigid form.

"No." Hebi bit her lip angrily and shook her head; and she gripped Tadashi's sleeve tightly. "I'm not going to look. I don't care."

"Sasha…?"

One of the figures whispered the word out with a quiet gasp.

Hebi shook her head, and her grip on the Hamada's sleeve tightened. "No… What… What if they hurt me, Tadashi? What if they're just like… him?"

And Tadashi found himself staring at the small, whimpering girl whom he had encountered during the trials. The one who clung to that abusive trash of a man like he was her only lifeline. And, once again, something in his chest crumpled.

He put his other free hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Running his fingers through her hair and feeling her warmth seep into his body, he whispered to her in a quiet voice as he observed the man and the woman who stood trembling by the door:

"Hebi, turn around and look at them, and tell me if those people look like they want to hurt you."

He slowly released her then and pulled back. Her eyes widened at this gesture; and she began to reach for him again when the word was once again repeated—

"Sasha…?"

A pleading, quiet, begging voice. A voice that Hebi could no longer resist. And she did not. Following the instinctual need to respond to such a word — to such a tone — Hebi turned and faced the two figures who stood idle by the door.

A mousy woman with an aged face that was lined with wrinkles from too much worry. A plump man who looked as if his entire being was about to give out then and there. Although the two were vastly different in appearance, they suddenly came to share a slew of similarities as they laid eyes on the girl. Expressions of recognition, and then of disbelief, and then of such overwhelming joy that Tadashi once again felt something in his chest twinge uncomfortably.

"Sasha."

Hebi stood frozen and wide-eyed.

Tadashi frowned slightly at this and pushed the girl forward. One step was all it took. One step, and she found herself suddenly embraced in two pairs of warm and shaking arms. Yes, they were shaking arms; but they were also very firm. Firm and warm; and oh god, Hebi realized that she actually preferred such an embrace to Tadashi's own because such an embrace felt so much more familiar and…

No, no, no.

The tears that spilled from her eyes would not stop; and she lost herself in the holds of the man and of woman.

"I think it'll be best if you take her now," Neko said quietly, before she gave a half-hearted grin. "Doll's had a hard day… A hard year."

It was the mousy woman who responded to the woman's drawl; and she blinked up at her pensively, distrustingly. Her gaze then shifted between Sasori and then Tadashi. She frowned. "Who are you people?"

"Check the news in a couple, doll." Neko winked at her, before she nodded at Hebi — no, Sasha. "Or you could wait till she's ready to tell you herself. I don't think it'll be good if you hear it from us. But basically, we've been watchin' out for the doll."

The woman said nothing in response and merely pulled the whimpering Hebi closer to her. Protective fierceness radiated from her body and, for a moment, Tadashi found himself thinking of Aunt Cass.

He had encountered her in the cafe before he recovered his memories, hadn't he?

Yes, it was still a blur, but that definitely did happen.

And as he began to recall that encounter at the cafe, he also began to recall how she had acted when he had returned. How her eccentric strictness and careful kindness remained a constant. How she had gingerly plucked this glass shards out from his hand on the day he first came across Maeko. How she did not restrain him from doing the things he wanted to do.

There was really no way to describe Aunt Cass. She was just… 'Aunt Cass'. Her kindness, her care, her understanding. She had always just been…. 'There'. Ever present. To this day, he had never had the opportunity to repay—

Stop.

Tadashi returned his attention outwards to the scene — to the mousy woman.

After exchanging some words and looks with the burly man, the woman helped hoist the now dazed Hebi onto the man's back. The girl mumbled something, shifted her head. It was evident that she wanted to say something — to address Sasori, Tadashi, and Neko — but the exhaustion from the day had reached its pinnacle, and a strange sensation of relief and contentedness had suddenly taken over her. So, in the end, she could do nothing but gently rest her head on the man's — no, her father's — firm back and close her eyes.

The trio descended the stairwell without even looking back. With a strange mixture of envy and contentedness, the remaining three stared after them. They continued to stare at the doorway long after the family had disappeared into it. They continued to stare despite the heavy silence that seemed to weigh down on them. Staring at that entrypoint — no, that exitpoint — was much more important than conversing at the moment.

Who would appear next?

Who would leave next?

Only one knew the answer to that question

"And then there were three." Tadashi said good-naturedly, turning to the face the other two. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't feeling pathetically sentimental at the moment."

Sasori laughed mirthlessly, while Neko stared at him steadily. The woman's gaze was so intense, so sharp, so predatory that for a moment Tadashi thought he was standing back in those white hallways once more.

"Neko." Tadashi frowned, approaching her. "Are you alright?"

The woman's gaze darkened further."You can't fool me, Kit; and you definitely can't distract me with cute little heartwarming reunions.

Tadashi's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned in response; and then his gaze darkened. "I don't enjoy senseless accusations."

"Tadashi." Neko sighed with an air finality. "Stop it." She took a step closer to him so now they were only half an arm's length apart; and she leaned in close and pierced him with her sharp gaze. "Stop it, and look me in the eye, and tell me that tonight you're going home to Hiro — to your family."

Tadashi opened his mouth and sent her the most indifferent gaze he could muster; but his words caught in his throat, and his gaze would not harden. He closed his mouth and averted his gaze.

"Talk about one hell of a detective." Sasori muttered, evidently not reading the sudden heaviness of the atmosphere. "Have you ever thought of working in an investigatory firm with Maeko and I? I mean, I proposed the idea to Maeko earlier tonight actually, but—"

"Shut up, Sasori." Neko and Tadashi snapped in unison.

Neko then took another step towards Tadashi and shook her head incredulously. "You told Maeko not to delete your information from CASCO's servers."

Tadashi held his ground. "Yes, I did." He subconsciously clenched and unclenched his fists. "You know as well as I do — and I'm sure after everything settles down, Ookami and Usagi will realize it too — that someone needs to act as living proof — as a witness — to everything CASCO has done." He shook his head. "The databases are proof, but there's needs to be more supporting evidence. It's the logical thin—"

"Logical?" Neko laughed a short, clipped laugh; before she stalked off to the edge of the building and ran her fingers through her hair. "Are you trying to channel Kitsune now, Tadashi Hamada?"

"I am Kitsune," Tadashi replied with narrowed eyes, "just as much as I am Tadashi Hamada."

"Of course!" Neko scoffed. "You're both, right? No wonder. No wonder you're doing such a selfless, selfish, stupid thing."

Selfish.

That keyword stood out to him.

Strange. Although people had always considered him as Kitsune to be selfish, he was always called selfless as Tadashi.

"You know that someone has to step up, Neko." Tadashi replied evenly, not allowing his voice to waver. He paused, gesturing to himself. "And I'm a college student attending one of the best universities in the countries — that fact alone will make people more sympathetic and accepting to me, and the things that I've done."

The unforgivable things.

"What?" Neko raised an angry brow, as she crossed her arms with a grimace. "Are you tryin' ta fluff up your own ego now, Kit?"

"No." Tadashi shook his head incredulously. "I'm just saying that of all the people in our group, I'm probably the one who'll be punished the least if I go out there and speak the truth. There's Hebi, but she's… She's just a kid." His voice almost cracked, but he maintained his composure. He too crossed his arms and closed himself off. "Like I said, it's the most logical route."

"Yeah?" Neko scoffed. "And what about Hiro? Your aunt? Your friends?"

There. There was the thing that Tadashi had avoided thinking about all day.

And his heart twisted in unbearable angles as he finally allowed his mind to drift towards them.

No. Stop. Don't waver.

"They can manage without me." Tadashi answered her evenly as he tried his best to channel everything that made him Kitsune. He shook his head and stepped forward. "I know what you're thinking, but you need to trust me. Someone needs to—"

"Someone needs to help?" Neko finished his sentence for him, before she threw her head up in the air and laughed loudly. "And who are you helping exactly?"

Tadashi blinked at her strangely. "Every person who's been affected by this!"

"And how are you helping your family and friends by doing this?" Neko snapped back at him. "How the hell are you helping Hiro?"

Again, his heart ached.

And he could not help but picture Hiro's frowning — no, sobbing, tear-stained, whimpering — face. Oh god, all he'd been doing recently was making Hiro cry.

When he'd run into the building during the fire, Hiro had cried.

When he'd been revealed to Hiro on that day at the police station, Hiro had cried.

When he'd taunted Hiro on that rooftop on that cloudy afternoon, Hiro had cried.

When he'd whispered to Hiro as they lay among the rubble that he wanted to die, Hiro had cried.

When he'd laid motionless on that hospital bed, Hiro had cried.

Had… Had Hiro cried when they had parted ways earlier today?

Tadashi found that he could not recall. He could not recall the last time he made Hiro cry. And a sudden realization came over him:

I'm a useless older brother.

Again, the stabbing sensation weighed down on his chest.

I'm a useless older brother, so the least I can do is be a decent human being.

"I... I don't know." Tadashi found himself saying as he shook his head. "But I know that doing this is the right thing. All the people that have been doing the trials since we broke out — someone needs to hel—"

"Don't even try that with me." Neko hissed, before she shook her head. "In the end — geeze, you might not even realize it but — Kit, what you're choosing do right now… You've gotta realize… you're doing it more for yourself than anyone else, aren't you?"

Tadashi froze at her words.

Selfish.

The word had been swimming around in his head all night.

Selfish.

Selfish.

Selfish.

Selfish.

Because in reality, he still was ashamed and afraid and disgusted with himself. And even though he knew fully well that Aunt Cass, Hiro, and the others would accept him no matter what, he could not help but picture their averted gazes, their sympathetic looks, their hesitant expressions. He was a murderer after all. And, in all honesty, the reason he'd been so willing to give himself up so easily was because — despite everything he had said and come to terms with — truthfully he was—

"You're running away, Kit."

And suddenly, a thin sliver of silver sliced through the cold night air and hurtled its way towards Tadashi's neck.

The day was torn between remaining nighttime and reaching for morning when Hiro finally returned to the Lucky Cat Cafe.

Aunt Cass was waiting for him at the front of the Cafe; her eyes were half-lidded, but her expression was creased with emotion. When she registered the ding-ding of the doorbell attached to the entrance, she leapt to her feet and rushed over to him. He was, at this point in time, free from his usual purple armor; so she easily embraced him in a tight and warm hug.

The other members of the Big Hero Six that filtered into the cafe gazed at the two Hamadas were varying expressions. Baymax, who was not able to portray any expressions on its white face, padded forward and wrapped its warm arms around the two forms.

Aunt Cass laughed a bit at the gesture and allowed herself to be pulled into the warmth; she paused, however, halfway through her hug when she realized that there was something missing from the picturesque moment. And she began to pull away from her nephew's hold in order to search for her other nephew, but Hiro's grip on her tightened; and she felt her heart shatter into pieces.

No. Not again—

However, Hiro then said calmly,

"He's coming home, Aunt Cass. I promise."

The words were said so firmly, so certainly, that Cassandra Hamada knew that those words were certainly the truth. In turn, she sighed a bit in exasperation and pulled him closer to her, saying, "Good, because you two knuckleheads have a lot of explaining to do."

She untangled herself then and brushed her hands onto her pants leggings. She gestured widely into the cafe — to the table in the corner that was set with food.

"I thought you'd all be hungry after all that super-heroing stuff you've been doing so—"

Fred whooped and charged for the table. A disgruntled Wasabi and a hesitant Honey Lemon followed him. Gogo lingered by the side of the two Hamadas as did Baymax. And because they lingered, they did not miss how Cass gently rubbed Hiro's arm and whispered quietly to him:

"I'm staying up and waiting for him with you, honey."

Tadashi instinctively reached for his holstered blade and whipped it out in a great arc. The ring of metal against metal whined loudly as the hurtling object of silver was deflected. The silver sliver rebounded and whipped out into the night where it was swallowed whole by the darkness.

The Hamada barely had enough time to lower his weapon before he was once again met with a sliver of silver. This time the color was guided by a sturdy hand that was coupled by a pair of furious eyes. Grunting, he quickly lifted his blade up again to parry the blow.

Silver slid against silver.

Sparks flew and lit up the cold night.

And with the brief light, Tadashi was able to register Neko's expression. Such a sad, twisted expression — it surprised him; and he mistakenly lowered his guard. In that brief opening, the woman lunged forward and cracked her forehead against the Hamada's own forehead.

Tadashi stumbled backwards at the dizzying pain. Blindly, he raised his blade — ready to defend himself. The thing reflected his opponent's expression; and once Tadashi himself registered the expression, he found himself lowering his weapon.

"You're a selfish idiot, Kit." Neko murmured, fists balled, as she closed the distance in between them. "A selfish idiot!" She grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him close. "You're leaving your family and friends behind for some silly ideal of yours?"

"It's not some silly ideal!" Tadashi snapped back at her despite himself; he gripped her hands that were holding his shirt. "Someone needs to—"

"Say that one more time and I will smack you senseless!" Neko muttered darkly. "Someone needs to help? Yeah. Someone needs to stand by and help Hiro and your family — your real family — get through this mess! But here you are deciding things on your own because you are one selfish bastard!"

Tadashi opened his mouth, but he was cut off before words could even form.

"Look me in the eye, Kit." Neko said steadily. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you are not going to regret this selfish decision of yours. That you don't want to go home to Hiro, your aunt, your friends."

And Tadashi met her glowering, intense gaze that seemed to radiate out in the darkness; and he found that he could not respond.

Pathetic.

She loosened her grip as she registered his furrowed brows and his lips that were pulled into a firm line.

"I do." Tadashi muttered quietly in defeat. "I do want… I want to go home. I want to go home, to see Aunt Cass and Hiro again, to hang out with everyone at SFIT, to pretend that none of this ever happened — but I-I can't."

"Don't bullshit with me." Neko smiled thinly. "Of course you can. Call it running away — that's what you called it, didn't you? — but… What was it you used to always say? Opinions and ideas or whatever are just—"

"— intangible ideals anyways." Tadashi murmured. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair and did his best to hide his expression of shame. "But… what's done is done."

Neko bit her lip at the phrase and allowed her hands to release the young man. "Kit…"

"What done is done. I agree with that statement."

— the phrase was said by a voice that was unfamiliar to Neko but familiar to Tadashi and Sasori. And the phrase was followed by clipped footsteps.

Neko, Sasori, and Tadashi turned their heads just as a figure dressed in pure navy stepped out from the threshold of the exit and onto the cement of the rooftop. A short crop of black hair and long lashes that sprout from pale, heavy lids—

— Maeko Rice, looking as calm and indifferent as ever, now stood before them. Her dark gaze was focused solely on Tadashi and Tadashi only.

"By Zeus!" Sasori exclaimed in an exaggerated form a surprise. "How in the world did you find us?!"

"It was not hard." Maeko replied without sparing him a glance.

"So this is the Maeko Rice I've been hearing about…" Neko mused with raised brows. "What a cutie." But her comment went unnoticed.

"Tadashi Hamada — or should I say Kitsune, the one who killed my sister."

— Maeko, saying such a thing, took several careful steps forward—

"When you requested that I keep your information in the databases, I will admit that I felt some satisfaction. Although I said that I knew you were not entirely to blame for the occurrences regarding my sister's death, I could not help but hold a grudge."

Tadashi gazed at her evenly with an expression that could be deciphered as acceptance or understanding. Registering such an expression, Maeko came to a stop several feet away from him and continued to speak.

"I am not one easily swayed emotionally. However, once I saw the video recordings regarding Trial 5b of the Doubutsu Project, I could not help but feel my buried hatred for you increase."

Tadashi's expression changed ever so slightly at the statement. Amusement? Acceptance? Understanding? Hurt? It was hard to tell what the change was.

Neko, on the other hand, visibly frowned at the woman's words; but she did not move to speak.

"And I thought to myself — how could someone be so shameless as to ask me to help them destroy the life my sister used her own life to save?"

Tadashi tensed at the accusation; and a feeling of utter shame bubbled up inside of his chest.

She's…

She's right. I didn't even stop to think… No… I knew but I…

He lowered his gaze and observed the cracks lining the rooftop floor.

Maya… you must be so disappointed in me.

"So I decided. I will not let you waste the life that my sister used hers to save."

The Hamada frowned in slight confusion at the statement; and he blinked up to meet Maeko's even gaze. But the person he saw giving him such a gaze was not Maeko — rather, it was Maya. As pretty and small as always.

"I did not follow through with your request, Tadashi Hamada." Maeko continued, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Your life is my sister's life. And I will not allow it to be wasted."

Tadashi blinked again; and the illusion of Maya was broken.

"You…" He tried carefully, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. "My files — you didn't…?"

"I deleted all files regarding Tadashi Hamada, test subject: Kitsune, from CASCO's databases." Maeko nodded. "The world now only knows you as Tadashi Hamada."

And as that phrase was spoken, the remnants of the mask that Tadashi had been discretely wearing over his face ever since the night began — no, he'd been wearing such a thing way before this night, hadn't he? — crumbled away; and his knees gave in. If it were not for the fact that Neko swooped in and acted as his crutch, he would have collapsed then and there.

"Woah now, Kit." Neko grinned amused as he peered into the young man's face. "Cat got your tongue?"

"That doesn't even make sense." Tadashi found himself chuckling weakly. Shaking his head, he looked up at Maeko whose expression was distant as always; and then he bit his lip and ran his free hand over his face. "Maeko… I… thank you…" He shook his heavy head again. "I was about to make a—"

"Mistake?" Maeko finished for him; and her lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. "At least you have admitted it."

Tadashi smiled weakly; but then a sudden realization occurred to him, and his frown returned, and his eyes narrowed. Looking somewhat frustrated, he bit his lip. "Still… CASCO… someone needs to go in and—"

"I'll do it." Neko sighed with nonchalance.

Tadashi froze at her statement; and he untangled himself from her form, before he gazed at her incredulously.

"Neko, n—"

"I'm not like the rest of you." Neko grinned a cheshire cat's grin that seemed to match the amusement in her eyes. She paused and stretched her arms out and tilted her head to the side. It almost looked as if she were embracing the night. "I honestly don't got a family or anything to return to; and no, I'm not bein' all — what did Taka call it? — angsty like you used to be. I'm bein' honest."

Tadashi shook his head and reached out for her. "Neko—"

"It's Fumiko actually." She continued. "Fumiko Honda, estranged daughter of the Honda family and a useless older sister." She paused, turning to him and gesturing widely. "The only person in my old life that considered me family was my precious little sister, and I've been tryin' to fool myself into thinkin' that she's still alive after that accident — which I'll admit now is completely my fault." She nodded in Sasori's direction. "Just ask Sasori over there. No one from my family answered when you called, right? And those that picked up didn't care?"

Sasori opened his mouth to speak loudly but then simply shook his head with crossed arms.

"Neko…" Tadashi shook his head. "Fumiko, look. There has to be another way. We just haven't thought of it yet. If you… If people find out that you—"

"That I'm a murderer?" Neko continued to grin; and then she shrugged. "It's not a lie. And I don't really care for what they think nor what they do."

"But I do." Tadashi stated, resisting the urge to shout; he reached for her again, but she pulled back. "I can't let you just throw away your future."

"And you think that I was going to let you throw away your future? And why are we talkin' about throwing away futures? Dramatic as always, Kit." Neko raised a brow, before she laughed again; and her gaze softened to melancholy. "Just let me help out the people that I consider my family, alright, Kit?" She cocked her head; and her eyes glowed with frightening determination. "And do me a favor and go home. Do it for me. No… for Hiro."

Tadashi opened his mouth to protest; but as soon as his brother's name rang out in the air, he found that his words became once again stuck in his throat. And the Hamada found himself wondering—

Is it selfish of me to let her do this and finally, finally go… home?

The very word made his heart ache.

Or is it selfish of me to not stop her from doing this because I …?

And he came to a final realization.

Maeko, who had been observing the scene quietly, re-entered the conversation at this moment. She did not clear her throat nor tap her foot to gain the attention of those around her; no, she simply paced right up to Neko and gazed at her evenly.

"You're certain of your decision?" She asked.

"Yeah," Neko grinned back, before she sighed and tapped her chin lightly, "but I just realized that my file is probably deleted now, right? That's gonna be a problem."

"No." Maeko shook her head in response; she then withdrew a slender device from her pocket. A flash drive. "I predicted something similar to this would happen, so I transferred the 5b trial information."

"My, quite the smart cat." Neko laughed. "Shouldn't be surprised given the city we're in."

"Fumiko." Tadashi murmured, clenching his fists and glaring holes into the floor. "I... "

"You're still here, Kit?" Neko asked with a raised brow; she waved him off. "Ya better skedaddle home before Hiro and your aunt give ya a beatin—"

But before she could even finish the word, she was cut off as she was pulled into a tight embrace. It was warm, comforting, familiar; and she melted in it. Reaching upwards, she returned the embrace and let out a quiet sigh.

"You're not a useless older sister, Fumiko." Tadashi whispered, pulling her even closer. "I think you're an amazing older sister."

Neko's eyes widened; and she could not help but allow a small tremble to shake through her body as the statement was said. Lowering her head and blinking rapidly, she laughed one last time:

"And you don't want to prove yourself to be a useless older brother, do ya, Kit? So go home already."

Their embrace loosened ever so slightly.

"Fumiko Honda… thank you."

"Pft! Enough flattery, Tadashi Hamada. Till next time."

And the embrace ended.

Beams of light were just beginning to pierce through the sky when the door to the Lucky Cat Cafe creaked open.

A gentle hand reached up to the bell that hung above the door and silenced the ring of the bell before the thing even had an opportunity to chime. Steady footsteps that were so quiet that their existence was questionable followed this action. These footsteps were slow — almost hesitant; and the owner of them drifted around the open space almost as if he was lost.

He walked over to the cash register and the wooden counter that manned the front of the cafe and ran his fingers along the rubber buttons and the cracks in the woodwork. Smiling fondly and recalling distant memories, he breathed in the familiar warm and milky scent of coffee beans.

He walked forward.

He strolled past the tables that he recalled scrubbing clean the previous night, past the chairs that he had stacked nearly, and past the hanging overhead menu that he had memorized fully when he was twelve. He drifted past all of these things and hesitantly crossed over the threshold that divided the cafe and 'home'.

"About time, nii-san."

He froze wide-eyed as he observed the figures awaiting him there.

"Welcome home."

And he trembled ever so slightly at the sight of them all,

"Sorry for being so late… but…"

He breathed in deeply and smiled.

"I…"

His voice broke, but he continued speaking anyways.

"... I'm home."

END

Epilogue : May We Meet Again

...

Recording 032116

"Well, here's another entry for the books. Come on, 'Dashi. We're recording now!"

"Alright, alright, one second - okay. Hello, Tadashi Hamada here."

"You know you don't have to say that with every single entry. Makes you seem kind of egotistical."

"Very ironic coming from you. Besides, what if the other records are lost or something? I'm just putting precaution on the precaution."

A sigh.

"Besides, Hiro... do we need to do this every single day?"

"I am not going to sit down and spend five hours explaining your life story to you if you lose your memories again."

"Okay that was only once -"

"Twice."

"Alright. Point taken."

"Thought so. Anything you want to add to the entry?"

"Other than my little brother here is a knucklehead?"

A scuffle.

"Hey, that hurts!"

The scuffle stops.

"Well, anyways... I guess the sun's been nice the past few days."

"Lame."

Another scuffle.

"Well... we're visiting Maya's grave today... and Fumiko too."

A/N: And here we are. The final chapter! But wait! There's an epilogue so it's technically not over yet! So no goodbyes just yet! Anyways, very dialogue heavy OTL.

Spring break is finally here, so the final epilogue chapter were probably be out soon! Although I probably should study for the exams that are coming up right after break... Oh welll... That's a problem for future me!

Anyways, thanks to all those who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed!

Review Replies:

Unstoppable Cyborg: Thanks! I got an A! /winkwonk.

Comickatsu: Aw, no bby! Don't cry! /showers you with tissues. I'm sorry bby. I'm glad you enjoy Tadakitsu though! Sorry for the late update OTL.

Artemis173: I see what you mean but... the law is not a friendly thing xD. Pleading insanity doesn't lead to a very happy ending exactly. Plus, I kinda wanted to flush out all the characters a bit more so part of it was due to my guilty pleasure OTL.

WyldClaw: Thanks man

thegirlnoonesees:Yup, endings really do suck... but this isn't ending just yet!

Producciones Escudo: Thanks xD!

A Sky Bison: No, don't die! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous update! You're too kind o u o. Really, I'm blushing!

Guest: Thanks... I guess xD

teengens: Sh, no bby, I'm sorry. Don't cry bby. Yes! Huzzah! Tako is dead! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry for the pain OTL. Here is chapter 25 for my poor bby!

Chara: I've never played undertale but I know who all the characters are xD. Flowey sounds like an asshole. Thanks for the compliments!

Fujhi poudes-Escapa non: Yup, Usagi is one lucky rabbit. Pretty sure 'lucky rabbit' is a saying somewhere or something. Anyways. Glad you enjoyed the Tadakitsu thing! I threw in some slight Sasori/Tadashi interactions in this chapter just for you /winkwonk. And you'll see how Tadashi and the Animals move on in the future in the next chapter!

THEFIREKING: thanks, bae!

Unknown: I changed it to M rating before a while ago but then I got a couple of PMs saying they couldn't find the fic with in the M tag so I changed it back. If it really bothers you, I could try to switch it back to M rating.

Alexis Nite: Yup, Freddy. And /winkwonk is just like... /winkwink... Y'know, winking but spelled funny xD