Gray skies overhead added to the weariness and gloom of that dawn. As a gentle breeze wafted by, birds called out their morning songs. None of those down below had the heart to hear them.
Diana, Jordan, Fred, Honey Lemon, and Aunt Cass had had the whole evening to grieve for the loss of their friend. And though they sat silent, teary-eyed, none of them had grieved as much as Vanellope. She sat alone in her little niches away from all other eyes and silently mourned for Ralph, sometimes crying, other times rocking on her haunches and quietly looking out over the nearby sea. She was a wreck.
Hiro hadn't found the courage to talk to her. He was unsure he knew how she felt on such a level and was afraid he may spark something he didn't want to. Since he knew he couldn't relate, he sat next to the recovering Tadashi, waiting for him to wake up.
Lolling his head, Tadashi slowly blinked his eyes open. Hiro, who had changed back into his regular clothes, hugged his knees to his chest, staring back down at him. Tadashi sat up from his bed of grass. "Hiro?"
Hiro sighed. "How are you feeling?"
"A little groggy. Slight headache, but I'm fine." Tadashi patted the grass next to him. Obligingly, Hiro scooted over. "Ralph?" Tadashi asked.
Hiro nodded.
Tadashi nodded with him and pursed his lips. "How are you taking it?"
Hiro shrugged half-heartedly. "I dunno," he let out a breath. "I just can't believe he was gone so fast." He looked down. "I didn't know him as much as Vanellope…but he was still a friend. And…now he's gone. And he's gone because of me."
"Hey." Tadashi grabbed Hiro's shoulder. "Don't say that! He's not gone because of you or Vanellope!" He sighed, "Besides. This was all my fault, right?"
"Oh, is this a blame game now?" Hiro rebutted.
"Hiro, remember, you didn't trust Ishioka in the first place, but I did. We did rock paper scissors, and I won. You said that the fate of our team would be in my hands, and I agreed. Ralph's death is on me."
Hiro blinked and decided to change the subject. "How's your head?"
Tadashi gingerly touched the bandage on his forehead and shrugged. "It's still there. A little bloody, but headwounds always are."
"Last night… when your head got hurt…I—"
"Stop," Tadashi cut him off firmly and rubbed his back. "Just stop. Let's not talk about last night."
Hiro said nothing, but instead felt Tadashi's hand rub his back with a calm rhythm. It released some of the tension in his chest. But he suddenly felt useless and stupidly idle. He quickly stood. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"
Tadashi shook his head and patted the Hiro's spot again. "Come sit."
Hiro shook his head and shrugged, looking away. "Nah."
"As your big brother and the man of the family, I'm telling you to sit down."
Hiro slowly lowered himself back into his spot. "I'm fine, really."
"You need to stop blaming yourself for everything. Ralph's death, Abigail's death, Vanellope's pain, my head, everything."
"And what? Dump it all on you? Because you were the one who trusted Ishioka in the first place?"
"You made me responsible for the fate of our friends who went in there. It was my idea in the first place to trust Ishioka, so I'll have to deal with the consequences of it."
Hiro said nothing. The consequences played over in his head. Bullet after bullet ripping through Ralph's body, blood dripping. And then he had collapsed…the door after him. He rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I don't like thinking about it, but I can't get it out of my head. I keep telling myself that it was nobody's fault he died, but then I'm like, 'there's got to be somebody to blame for something like that.' And then the first person I think of is me."
"Hiro, stop. You think Vanellope and I don't feel the same way as you? She probably even more so. He was her best friend. How would you feel to lose your best friend?"
"Last night, I thought I did," Hiro snapped. "When you shielded me and Vanellope from that bullet…I…thought you were gone." His voice tried to stay angry and snappish, but his tone betrayed him.
Eyes widening in realization, Tadashi turned to look down at Hiro. For years, he knew that he was the closest person in the world that Hiro knew. But as his 'nagging, annoying, bossy' big brother, hearing the words—not even straight from his lips, just implied—sparked an ache in his chest. He pulled Hiro into a side hug and rubbed his back some more.
( 0—0 )
There were few thoughts running through Vanellope's head, other than the fact that her best buddie was dead. She knew she'd had her break down last night, but sometimes, she couldn't grasp the thought. He'd never give her a piggy-back ride again. He'd never give her a top shelf. He wouldn't grow old. He wouldn't get married and she wouldn't be able to play with his kids. He wouldn't be able to see the end of the Cybugs, and he'd never be able to smile. He'd never cry, yell, laugh, joke, nothing. He was dead. Imagining a future without Ralph was nigh impossible. She couldn't do it. He was so deeply ensconced into her life that there was a giant gap where he was supposed to be. One too big to fill. Her fingers gently rubbed the pink ribbon of Ralph's bake-clay medallion. She read the glittery words to herself over and over. To stink brain…you're my hero. She felt tears well in her eyes.
A distant bird cry filled the air. She looked up after her many hours of staring at the medallion to see the creature. A small pigeon cocked its head at her and gently cooed. She gazed back at it, waiting for it to fly away. It didn't. Instead, it fluttered off its tree branch and settled itself near her perch on a rock. It waddled closer, cocking its head and warbling.
"You're pretty lucky," she said absentmindedly to it, tucking the medallion into her hoodie pocket. "Your life's pretty simple. Not much to it, huh?"
The pigeon looked at her and cooed.
"That's the dumbest thing I've seen you do."
Vanellope jumped and gasped, whirling around.
Sour Bill trundled up to her and shoed the bird away. It only squawked at him at first, but then finally flew away. "The bird can't understand you."
"Idiot, I know that!" Vanellope snapped at the thing as it came and sat beside her. "I have a brain, you know." She hit him over the head the way she'd seen Abigail do. She drew her legs closer to herself. "What are you, anyway?" she asked.
"I'm the Self-efficient Orderly Utility Robot," Sour Bill sniffed proudly. "But Abigail called me 'Bill.' Then she stared to call me Sour Bill," he grumbled.
"I can see why." Vanellope licked her teeth, now annoyed that her private moment had been rudely interrupted.
"The others are worried about you back there." Sour Bill jerked a thumb behind him. "You've been up here for a while."
Vanellope looked back over the horizon. "I don't want to be down there," she said, her lip trembling. Slowly, she glanced back at their camp, small from her view on top one of the humongous rocks lying around the island. She was glad for the trees bending over her. "If you want to bring a message back to them, tell them I want to be alone. Maybe you can do one useful thing."
Sour Bill, unfazed by her harsh comment, wiggled his toes with a sigh. "Ah, oh well. Your big friend's gone. What a shame."
Suddenly, he let out a loud scream as Vanellope slapped him over the edge of the rock. The robot only managed to snag his foot on a tree branch to stop him from tumbling down to the ground below. Vanellope stood up and glowered down at him. Sour Bill's moans led into sobs. "I'm sorry!" he cried pitifully. "I didn't mean to make you mad! I was just trying to be nice! I don't know why I was trying to be nice, anyway. I've tried being nice before. It was horrible."
Vanellope scrunched up her face, fed up with this little ball of bile. She let out a frustrated cry before sitting down again, tossing her head disdainfully. "You just hang there, for all I care," she spat, trying to hide tears of anger.
Sour Bill sighed. "For someone so young, you seem awfully bitter."
Vanellope cocked her head and glanced at him sideways. "Look who's talking. At least my name doesn't begin with 'sour.' Did your creators make you this grumpy?"
"I don't know. It's hard to think when you're dangling ten feet off the ground." Sour Bill shot a worried look beneath him.
"Mm. I can imagine."
Sour Bill glared up at her. "Is that all you're going to say?"
With a skyward glance, Vanellope knelt down and pulled Sour Bill's branch backward until it doubled over her rock. Sour Bill dropped from the branch just a second before Vanellope let it go, threatening to slap him far into the trees. "I was half hoping you'd let go too late and…" Vanellope mimed Sour Bill flying past her head.
Sour Bill planted his little hands on where his hips were supposed to be. "I thought you'd at least be a rather pleasant girl, but I suppose not! If you will excuse me—unless you don't know what that word means—I will be going." With that, the little robot waddled away grumpily.
Vanellope watch him go. "Sayonara, sucker—" She stopped before realizing that that was something Ralph would've said. She grew nostalgic over his memory and turned once more to the horizon. She could see the hills where the grass and sand bled into each other until beach became forest. Beyond those hills were the sea. Somewhere. She felt a breeze waft through her hair. A small gust of sand billowed near the hills. The cloud floated higher into the breeze. For some reason, it was cutting straight through the direction of the wind. Was the wind wrong? Vanellope quickly licked her finger and stuck it in the air. No. It wasn't. The trees were swaying in the right direction. What was making that dust. She leaned out farther over the rock, peering into the distance. Finally, a small speck of yellow appeared, leading the fumes of sand. Whatever it was, it was moving fast. Very fast.
Eyes widening, Vanellope turned down the rock, jumped from it to the ground, and raced back to camp. Heart beating in her chest, she tripped over shrubbery. She just picked herself back and ran harder. "GUYS!" she yelled. "GUUUYS!" As she rocketed into their small valley, the others looked at her, bewildered. Baymax looked up from his work, Hiro and Tadashi turned around, and everyone else waited for an explanation.
"I suppose now, you're going to give me an apology," Sour Bill snapped.
"Vanellope! Girl, calm down!" Diana held out her arms. "What is it?"
"Guys, she's coming!" Vanellope panted.
"Who?"
"SHE'S COMING!" Vanellope yelled. "She's coming fast!"
"Who?" Diana said firmly.
Vanellope took in a gulp of air. "GoGo."
A sudden tension filled their small camp as they all rose to their feet in alarm. Diana straightened with a look of aggravation, but not surprise. "Alright guys!" she called. Everyone stopped to hear her. "GoGo's coming and my guess is she's not happy. And when she's not happy, she gets violent, so prepare for the worst. Get the guns and ammo and stand at the top of the camp rise! Move! Go!" She waved them on. "Vanellope!" The girl looked up just as Di placed something in her hand. "This contains all the data and info we gathered at Ishioka's. Don't let GoGo have it. Keep it in your sock, 'kay?"
Vanellope nodded.
Di clasped her shoulder. "Then let's get moving.
( 0—0 )
Vanellope let out a breath, rifle in hand. With Honey, Fred, and Cass behind, her friends had lined up on the high rim of their valley, while GoGo, Wasabi, Calhoun, Andy, Francis, Taffyta, and Cadence were lined with a 40-foot gap between them. Her sister supported a sleek, yellow bike by her side. Vanellope had seen that bike before. Just rarely.
"So who's the leader?" GoGo called over, cupping her hand to her mouth.
Diana opened her mouth to speak when Hiro stepped forward. "That would be me," he called back, oblivious to Tadashi's nervous body language.
"Is Vanellope safe?" GoGo called.
"She is."
There was silence for a few seconds. "You got what you left for?"
"We did."
"So you're ready to come home?"
Hiro nodded. "Yeah."
GoGo regarded him. "I see all your guns."
"And we see yours," Hiro replied.
GoGo nodded. "It's more than clear that we don't trust each other. If we want to negotiate, both of us are going to have to drop the firearms."
Hiro looked at all of them before nodding. "We will if you do. Since you've been the one to make the hostile moves, it's only fair you start first."
GoGo lowered an arm. The others by her side laid their guns on the ground and took a step back. Hiro nodded, and their team grudgingly did the same. GoGo nodded in satisfaction. "With the weapons out of the way, let's talk face to face."
"In the middle," Hiro clarified.
GoGo held out her arms obligingly. "In the middle," she agreed and started to walk forward as Hiro cast a glance back at the others.
Diana gave him a sideways glance. "Watch your back. Don't trust her."
"Hiro, let me do it," Tadashi protested.
"No." Hiro shook his head.
"Hiro, listen to your brother," Cass argued.
"I brought us all out here. I'm the leader, so…I'll deal with the consequences." With that, he turned and walked out to meet GoGo.
Tadashi sucked in a nervous breath, hearing his own words. "Oh my gosh," he breathed softly. "He's doing it."
When Hiro and GoGo had met in the middle, they stood for a while. Vanellope could hear their murmuring voices drift over the gap. Hiro crossed his arms and GoGo's voice raised. After that, her tone dropped, and they sounded more like they were chatting. The conversation went on for a little while. Raising an eyebrow, Vanellope glanced over at Diana. "Do you think it's going okay?"
Diana let out a grunt and crossed her arms. "I can't hear what they're saying," she muttered.
Suddenly, there was a sharp, echoing cry of pain as Hiro's arm was twisted behind his back, landing him face-first on the ground. GoGo crouched on top of him and pulled out a small pistol from inside her jacket, holding it to Hiro's head.
"HIRO!" Tadashi yelled.
"Alright, LISTEN UP!" GoGo roared from where she was. "IF YOU WANT THE BOY BACK WITHOUT A HOLE IN HIS HEAD, COME UP HERE ON YOUR KNEES WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!"
"Don't do it!" Hiro called, resisting before GoGo twisted his arm farther.
"Tadashi—!" Cass tried to grab his arm, but Tadashi was already walking forward with his hands on his head. When he stopped in front of GoGo, he quickly kneeled.
"Tadashi, you idiot, don't!" Hiro protested.
One by one, all of Hiro's team was finally kneeling with their hands high. Vanellope finally slid into position and raised her arms, the last one. Her heart sank.
GoGo smiled. "That's it."
"Nobody move!" Calhoun and Andy shouted as they raised their guns. Without a word, Wasabi raised his gun slowly and joined them, herding them all back to their camp. When GoGo nodded, her team came down and held their hands behind their backs, tying them with cords. Francis gently took Vanellope's hands. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Not her," GoGo said. "Leave her be, Francis."
Francis ducked his head and quickly started to tie up Fred.
"I have some concerns," Baymax observed GoGo's team.
GoGo pulled out Baymax's red box before grabbing Hiro's elbow and pulling him up. She held her gun to his head. "Step into the box, robot."
Baymax evaluated the situation. "I do not wish for anyone to be hurt." He blinked. "Please do not hurt Hiro and I will step into my charger."
"There we go." GoGo grinned. "Nice and quiet like," she said as the robot stepped into his box and deflated, the lid closing over his head.
Calhoun bound Diana's hands and pulled her roughly straight. Diana grit her teeth. "You don't know what you're dealing with," she seethed. "This is your mistake." Calhoun ground her fist into Diana's back. With a cry of pain, Diana fell silent.
Jordan smoldered as Wasabi tied up his hands. "You touch her again—"
"Boy, quiet," Diana cut him off.
GoGo walked down into the camp and took Vanellope by the shoulder. "Come on," she muttered, driving Vanellope with her to the far corner of their camp. "You have got some serious issues." GoGo tightened her grip.
"Let go of me," Vanellope muttered, seething with the pain in her shoulder.
"You don't tell me what to do." GoGo roughly slung Vanellope in front of her. "So. How did it go? Did you save humanity? Found information to defeat the Cybugs?"
Vanellope nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. I mean, we haven't saved humanity yet, but you know what I mean."
Straightening, GoGo let out a breath. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "I see." She nodded. "Where is it?"
"I'm not telling you, you creep!" Vanellope spat.
"You all are coming back with me." GoGo ignored her comment. "And I'll find your info, wherever it is."
"You don't even know what you're looking for. And what would you do with it, anyway?"
"You are coming back with me, and I will get you to break by whatever means necessary. And don't even think—!" GoGo stopped. "Wait. Where's Ralph?" she asked quickly.
Vanellope remained silent. Drawing in a slow breath, she looked down. "He's dead. He died saving Hiro and me."
An empty silence resonated between the sisters as GoGo stared. She shook her head. "He…he what?"
"I said he's dead," Vanellope spat and sniffed. "He was shot last night."
GoGo turned and let out a growl, taking in a deep breath before facing Vanellope. "You see?" She held out an arm. "You see what he's done? Hiro is drawing you into these dangers! Vanellope! Where are your eyes?! He dragged you all on this escapade and he's getting you killed! He's so blind with ambition that he can't see what he's led you guys into!"
Vanellope looked away. "He didn't want anyone to get hurt."
"Oh. Oh, I'm sure he never intended to get everybody hurt, but he doesn't care enough to look behind him and see that you all are dying—"
"It's not HIS fault that Ralph died!" Vanellope yelled. "It was Ralph's own choice! He was the one who made the decision! DON'T accuse Hiro for things he didn't do!"
"I am so ANGRY at you for feebly following this guy into a death trap that I don't even know what to do with you!" GoGo yelled. "Ralph's death was in vain!"
Vanellope shook her head. "We did what we came out here to do, me and Hiro aren't dead, we got the info. Ralph's death was not in vain. I don't see why you are mad."
A wicked grin crept onto GoGo's lips. "Fine." She straightened and marched Vanellope back to the camp. Standing around her tied up friends, Andy, Wasabi, and Calhoun turned when they saw her. GoGo stopped. "Alright. Francis, Andy, start setting up camp. We're gonna stay with our friends here tonight. Taffyta, Cadence, start unloading the jeep. Calhoun, Wasabi, watch the others." Then she turned to Sour Bill. "What's that?"
The voice inside Vanellope head that told her she didn't like Sour Bill was silenced as she defensively scooped up the robot. "He's…something we picked up along the way. He's not dangerous. Just let me keep him."
"What about Vanellope?" Calhoun asked.
GoGo looked down at her sister. "She can wander around. She's not going anywhere and she can't do any damage. Just…you know. Keep an eye on her." With that, GoGo let Vanellope go.
Vanellope stumbled forward a few feet, rubbing her shoulder, ignoring the way Sour Bill's feet and hands squirmed. Turning to watch GoGo supervise Andy and Francis setting up camp, she let out a breath and looked back at her friends. Aunt Cass, tied up, huddled against her nephews, looked around worriedly.
Poor sweet Aunt Cass. Why was she even tied up? She hadn't done anything. Vanellope blinked. Quickly, she ran over to Cadence and Taffyta. "Guys," she said under her breath.
Taffyta turned and sniffed. "We're not supposed to talk to you. You know, you should be over there." Taffyta pointed at her friends. "With your little chums."
"What is it?" Cadence asked.
Vanellope let out a breath. "You know the choker knives?" she hissed.
"Say what? I didn't catch it," Taffyta said quickly.
Cadence gave her a glare. "I thought you didn't want to be talking to her."
Realizing her point, Taffyta picked herself up and left. "You can unload by yourself, then," she called over her shoulder.
Cadence sighed and shook her head. "What about the choker knives?"
"I need one."
"For what?"
"Eeeeeh, can't tell you that."
"And why not?"
Vanellope let out a breath. "If GoGo asks questions, I want you to say that you don't know anything honestly."
Cadence nodded. "They're in the bag over there."
"And turn around, so you can say you saw nothing, too."
Cadence couldn't help but smile. "At least you haven't changed."
( 0—0 )
By dusk, GoGo's tents had been set up, and Vanellope's friends had been herded into their own huddle. Hiro shivered, casting a glance to Baymax's red box in the corner, wistful for his friend's heating mode. "I'm sorry, guys," he apologized with a remorseful breath. "It's my fault we're here. I…I wasn't on my guard when I was negotiating…"
"It's okay, Hiro," Honey assured. "We're human. We don't hate you, okay?"
Hiro sighed, unconvinced. "I was being a jerk. She was getting to my head again. I go to meet her head on, and then I get suckered with a gun to my head."
"GoGo's unpredictable, as well as nifty. She'll find some way to get you like that," Diana mumbled.
"How did she find us?" Fred wondered aloud. "It's like she has intuitive mind powers that track us down."
"Did she find a boat? I wonder," Jordan griped.
"She did," Francis answered from his perch on a rock nearby, watching them. "Parked it near the island and covered it with branches."
"No kidding!" Jordan exclaimed. "Rowboat?" he asked sarcastically.
"Nah. Ship."
"Seriously."
"Okay, motor."
"How can you joke at a time like this?" Honey Lemon reprimanded the boys. "I don't understand you two."
"It keeps your mind off the bad things," Francis offered.
Aunt Cass squirmed in her position.
"You okay? You've been moving around this whole time," Vanellope asked, deciding to stay with her friends.
Cass only shook her head and groaned. "It's just…that…that thing you gave me. It's so uncomfortable. I feel like I'm going to poke myself."
"From experience, you only poke yourself if you move around too much," Di chuckled dryly.
"Wasabi's coming," Honey Lemon said hurriedly.
The group fell silent as the man towered over them. "Hiro?" he asked.
Hiro sighed. "You found him."
"GoGo wants to see you."
Fred pursed his lips. "That doesn't sound good. Is everything okay, dude?"
Wasabi only shook his head, grabbing Hiro by the elbow and helping the boy to his feet. Tadashi watched him go silently. Wasabi gently escorted Hiro to the large tent, which glowed with light in the dimming sky. "She seems to be in a fairly pleasant mood, but watch your step. She could get angry."
"Thanks," Hiro said before entering the tent.
GoGo turned as he entered. "Ah, and there he is. The rat." She smiled.
Hiro returned it. "I've been called worse things, you know."
GoGo laughed. "Yeah. But you're not worth my time to find a better insult." She nodded. "Cut his binds."
Wasabi quickly untied the cord around Hiro's wrists and nudged him forward. Hiro rubbed his hands, flexing his arms before standing in front of GoGo. "Wanted to see me?" he gulped, trying to keep his cool.
GoGo shrugged off her jacket and threw it aside. "So I can make myself feel better. After all the misery you've caused me, and trouble, and anger, and all those other negative emotions we feel, you're gonna get what's due you." She turned. "Wasabi. Watch the door. Don't let anyone in."
As Wasabi slowly left the tent, Hiro watched him go. "Wait, what's go—"
Before he could finish his sentence, GoGo's fist hit him hard in the cheek. He yelled and stumbled back, feeling his face grow warm and wet. A rough hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him to his knees. A shoe booted him in the face and more blood flowed. Hiro screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU—!?"
GoGo kicked him in the stomach. Hiro let out a gut-wrenching cry mixed with a moan as he fell to the floor, clutching his middle. He breathed heavily, pain flaring in his chest with every breath he took. GoGo stood over him, watching him tremble. "How is that? Too much?" she asked.
With all the defiance he could muster, Hiro snarled. "Bring it on."
"Ah good." GoGo took a few steps back. "'Cuz this is only a taste of what you're gonna get."
( 0—0 )
"Hiro!" Aunt Cass gasped. "That's Hiro! What is she doing to him?!"
Francis turned his head toward the tent, where horrific cries and sopping coughs erupted. He winced and stood up. "Wasabi! What is she doing in there!"
Wasabi stopped him from entering, placing a hand on the boy's chest. "You don't want to go in there," he said quickly.
Francis fell back onto his rock. "What? Why?"
Cadence and Taffyta scrambled out of the back of the jeep. "Who is that?" Cadence asked quickly.
"He sounds like he's dying," Taffyta whimpered.
"Girls, you get back in that car," Wasabi said sternly.
"Not until you tell—"
"Get back in the car!" Wasabi repeated.
Cadence quickly crawled into the car with Taffyta scurrying on her heels.
Tadashi stood. "Wasabi, move."
The man took a breath. "Tadashi, don't—"
Tadashi didn't wait and pushed past him, bursting into the tent.
With Andy and Calhoun watching on, GoGo viciously kicked a body on the floor that was nigh unrecognizable due to the masses of blood. With each kick, the figure let out a terrifying cry that raised the hair on Tadashi's neck. He knew that cry. He'd know it anywhere. Hiro was curled up in a ball, arms clenched over his head as GoGo kicked on and on. His black hair was everywhere and his face was smeared in dark red.
Wasabi burst into the tent and grabbed Tadashi, trying to force him out of the tent. "Tadashi! Move!"
"NO! NO! HIRO!" Tadashi fought Wasabi, though his arms were still tied.
Splatters of red dotted GoGo's clothes, but she couldn't see past her own fury. Her leg moved on its own, and she didn't care. She wanted to see Hiro writhe. How many times she had seen this in dreams. Now her dreams were reality. She felt an arm on her shoulder and whirled around to see Calhoun. "GoGo, that's enough. Look at him," she protested.
GoGo shook her arm off. "Not yet." She kicked again, Hiro cries becoming weaker and weaker until they were no more that gurgling moans. He didn't try to fight or shield himself. He lay, limp, victim to GoGo's brutal onslaught, and oblivious to Tadashi sobbing protests in the background.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" he screamed. "STOPPIT! DON'T! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
Calhoun finally grabbed GoGo's shoulders and pulled her back. "GOGO! Stop! That's enough!"
Breathing heavily, GoGo looked down at her work. She shrugged Calhoun's arms off again and straightened. "I hope you die," she said down to the bloody mass, which only moaned and curled up tighter.
Seeing that GoGo was done, Wasabi cut through Tadashi's bound with his knife and let him go. Tadashi flew past him to his brother's side and gently turned him over into his lap. "HIRO! Hiro! Hiro. Hey. Hey, Hiro, look at me." Hiro whimpered and flinched in pain as Tadashi caressed his bloody face.
"T…T-Ta…Tadashi?" Hiro wheezed.
"It's okay," Tadashi shushed him quickly. "I'm right here. Save your strength, okay?" He straightened again. "I need help! I need Baymax! And Honey! Get them in here!"
Without seeing if GoGo approved, Wasabi fled the tent and returned with Honey, who held Baymax's red box in her arms. She gasped when she saw them, running to their side. "Oh my gosh! Hiro! Hiro!" she sobbed, holding a hand to her mouth. With nothing else said, the three worked quickly.
With Baymax activated, they carefully treated Hiro's wounds and wiped the blood away. Most of it was the blood from his headwounds. The rest were major bruises to his chest and gut.
"Is…i-i-is it…bad?" Hiro asked as Baymax wrapped his legs with gauze wrap from the compartment in his foot. Honey Lemon looked to Tadashi to answer.
He brushed Hiro's hair out of his face, wiping it with a cloth. "Hiro…just save your strength," he said and shot him a sad smile. It was hard to smile about anything right now. Except for the fact that Hiro wasn't dead. Yet, anyways.
GoGo pulled Honey Lemon away and shoved Baymax off. "Alright. You guys are done."
"GoGo!" Honey Lemon scolded. "We're not done yet!"
"You're lucky you got to treat him at all! Now get out!"
"We're not leaving, GoGo!" Honey said defiantly, her blonde hair messy and in her face. "Not until Hiro's treated!"
GoGo muttered darkly and wrenched the girl aside. "GeddOUT!"
Honey Lemon shrieked as she stumbled to the tent entrance. Baymax held up a hand. "If Hiro is not given the proper treatment, he could lose large, unhealthy amounts of blood. Stopping us in the middle of our work is not recommended—"
GoGo shoved him back. "Shut it. Your turn, Hamada, out." She reached to grab Tadashi's shoulder, but he turned and hit her hand away, staring up at her with a glare. "Don't…touch him, or I'll kill you." He stood up slowly, holding Hiro in his arms. "I'm going."
Joining Honey and Baymax, they stepped outside the tent, and Andy, Wasabi, GoGo, and Calhoun followed. The others gasped when they saw Hiro. "HIRO!" Aunt Cass called out, agonized at the sight of her nephew in such a state. "Tadashi?"
"He's alive," Tadashi called over quietly. "He's alive."
"Tie them up," GoGo ordered.
The group was forced to their feet and marched out away from their camp. Taffyta stood by an arc of tall poles in the ground. She struck a pose. "All done, GoGo! Right when you asked! And I came up with the design myself."
Cadence sighed reluctantly.
GoGo looked it over. "Why is one pole in the middle?" She pointed to a lone pole inside and close to the center pole of the arc.
"Oh, that one. Hah, that one's for Hiro," she smirked. "So he's in the middle of the arc and they can't…ah, you know."
GoGo nodded. "Okay, thanks. Now move." She shoved Taffyta out of the way and held out long coils of cord. "Okay. Let's move. Get them tied up before nightfall."
Wasabi gingerly reached for Hiro, but Tadashi recoiled. "No."
Wasabi bit his lip. "I'll be careful with him. I promise."
Tadashi searched the man's face, before deciding he was sincere. "Please. Don't be rough with him," he asked.
Wasabi nodded before gently setting Hiro on the ground in front of the middle pole. "Hand's behind your back, Hiro."
With a moan, Hiro stuck his bloody wrists behind him, and let Wasabi tie them around the pole. "Wasabi…" he started. "Could I have a drink of water?"
Wasabi nodded and left for a canteen, but GoGo stopped him, stepping in front of him. "Get back to work," she demanded.
Wasabi ducked and returned to Hiro. "Sorry. Sit up on your legs, so they're tucked under—yeah. Like that." Wasabi then bound Hiro's legs behind the pole and stood up. "I'm sorry. For all of this."
Hiro lolled his head to look up at Wasabi, but said nothing. His look pained Wasabi and heaped so much guilt onto his shoulders that he quickly left. Cadence, sobbing buried her head in Francis's shoulder, and he hugged her close.
"Not her," GoGo started.
Calhoun looked up, gripping Diana by the elbow. "GoGo—"
"I said not her," GoGo repeated. "She's coming back with me and my sister, so don't tie her up. Keep her with Vanellope.
With a grunt, Calhoun released Diana, who shot a look at GoGo before running to Vanellope's side, hugging the girl's shoulders.
"What about me, GoGo?" Jordan asked as Andy tied his hands.
"You were just another shooter," GoGo replied.
Jordan wore an offended look. "Well then," he sniffed and looked away. "I appear to be worthless, eh?"
When the group was finally tied up, Tadashi and Hiro ended up back to back, and none of the others could see him. Vanellope finally emerged from the gloom behind the crowd and looked her friends over. Aunt Cass looked up at her and nodded. "We don't hold this against you, sweetie."
Vanellope nodded and sniffed, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry." Then she turned and ran.
( 0—0 )
That morning, GoGo's group tore down camp and packed. The others, who had spent the night outside, could only watch as GoGo forced Diana and Vanellope into the car. When everything was ready to go, GoGo stuck the key into the ignition and the car rumbled to life. Tadashi let out a breath, preparing himself to watch their last bit of hope drive off. To his surprise, the trunk window slowly creaked open and Diana poked her head out, holding a finger to her lips. Heart pounding, Tadashi watched as she carefully dropped two canteens of water, a packet of food, a cruiser, two guns, and a knife from the trunk. "Jordan," she hissed.
Jordan looked up to see her. He raised his eyebrows.
"Stay strong," she whispered. "All of you." Once again, she pressed a finger to her lips and closed the trunk window just as the jeep sped off, leaving dusty billows of sand. The items she had left behind were not imaginary. They were still there when the dust cleared.
Maybe there was a sliver of hope left.
I seem to be making yall wait a lot, lately. My apologies.
I saw the review posted by xPrettyLittleThing, btw
I was truly ecstatic to hear that you've been binging my fic for the past several days! Your comment was BRIMMING with words a writer loves to hear. But it also broke my heart when you asked me to continue. Why?
I was actually planning to drop this fic. My life is becoming busier with commissions, school, and social life. In an effort to free up more time to pursue my personal activities (including several original stories (with original characters (ooooh exciting))), I cut fanfics from my plate. I've been falling out of love with BH6 (mostly thanks to the series) and I was falling out of tune with the characters in my story. I was gonna let this fic rest on the last chapter, with an 'author's note' explain [basically all of this that I'm telling you right now] and to at least tell you what I had in mind for the ending.
However, the word you used: begging. I've never had anyone beg me for anything, really. I've never found someone so truly excited about my story to beg me to continue (I ever lost three out of my four proof readers). It really hit something in my heart, not to be sappy.
I'm extremely close to the end of the entire story. However, whether or not I will reach it, I cannot tell you. Your comment really makes me want to finish, though. And so, I leave you with this: I will try whenever I can find time to complete Hiro's Duty. It may takes months, maybe even a year (or years, :[ oof I hope not), but I will try.
Thank you for telling me your thoughts. I may have abandoned this fic if you hadn't told me. Also, thank you to all my other readers, silent or not. Every review I've received is a positive one, and it makes me really happy. Thanks for sticking with me. Until the next update!
~ kiwii-chan
