A Tail of Two Brothers Chapter 36
I do not own Big Hero 6 or any of its characters
Part three of a trio of new chapters!
Tadashi held his brother and he allowed himself to cry a little as well. He didn't care if the enemy saw him like this, he deserved this. After all this the only thing he wanted was to hold his little brother. He knew that if Hiro was in his arms then he would be safe. He finally had Hiro back and that's all that matter to him at the moment… and he was determined to never let it happen again.
He then slowly let go of Hiro in order to get a better look at him. It took a lot not for him to not cry even harder. He could see that there were some small scratches and cuts on his arms and face, he also felt very light and fragile. He couldn't believe that a week here did this to him, but he had to remind himself that Hiro wouldn't be like this for long. Their aunt and him would make sure that he got the appropriate nutrient and care he needed. They did so before, they could do it again. He put his hands on Hiro's face and removed his visor. He then placed a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead; he then bumped his forehead against his.
"I knew you could do it," Tadashi whispered. "I knew you would make it."
Hiro gave his older brother a big smile, Tadashi smiled back. He had missed the cute gap between Hiro's teeth. He missed little moments like this, but now he could have them back. But that was when Tadashi remembered the situation he was in. He turned to the knocked down man and woman. He quickly moved Hiro behind his back and prepared to fight them. He had to remember not to kill them though, as much as he would have liked to he couldn't. He knew that the rest of the families deserved justice for their loved ones too.
Krei and Ryoko picked themselves off the ground and they groaned a little as they did so. Krei looked furious over losing his hostage, he quickly picked up the machete he dropped and positioned it right in front of him. Ryoko saw his defense and she ran behind him, at this point she was in fear for her safety.
Hiro clutched tightly onto his brother as he stood behind him. Once he saw the machete in Krei's hands he panicked, he remembered the dark secret of the Krei family. He remembered when Krei told him about what his grandfather had done to his brother's parents. And that was when he realized that Tadashi didn't know that. Tadashi didn't even realize that his parents' murderer was standing right in front of him. Well maybe he wasn't the actual murderer but he was related to the murderer, his blood ran through his veins.
"Dashi," Hiro addressed.
"Not now Hiro," Tadashi responded in a gentle tone.
He wasn't trying to ignore his brother but he needed to stay focus on the people in front of him. But Hiro didn't give up as his grip on Tadashi tightened.
"Dashi!" Hiro exclaimed. "That man! He- his- he…"
Tadashi heard his brother stutter over his words and he gave Hiro a quick puzzled look.
"What?" Tadashi asked. "Hiro what are you saying? What about that man?"
Tears welled up in Hiro's big brown eyes, he struggled to say what he was about to say. He didn't know how to say it, there was no right way to do it. But Tadashi had to know, he had a right to. His older brother and aunt went years without knowing who took away their loved ones. But now they had a chance to find out. Hiro had to do this, it was better than he hear it from him than that man.
"H-he…" Hiro stuttered.
Hiro gulped and hesitated but he finally shouted it.
"Dashi, his grandfather killed your parents!"
Suddenly it felt like the whole world stopped. Everything stopped. Time stopped. Tadashi thought that his heart stopped for a moment as well. Cold sweat broke on his forehead and Hiro saw the look on his face. It was indescribable, Tadashi's face was frozen. It was like he didn't know how to react or what to say. But despite that Hiro knew what was going on, Tadashi was so mad that he wasn't even speaking or reacting. He had seen that face before; it was one his father used to make whenever he lost some money or when there wasn't another bottle for him to drink. And that was when the rage started. He wondered how Tadashi's rage looked like. A part of him was sacred to find out. Unlike his father, Tadashi wasn't human and he could use foxfire.
That was when Tadashi slowly turned his attention back to the man and the woman. Finally his expression changed and it was one filled with hatred and anger. All of it was directed toward Krei.
"What?" Tadashi questioned. "This man?"
Tadashi felt Hiro bury his face into his leg and he felt him nod his head. Anger didn't even been to describe what he was feeling right now. He was absolutely livid! His vision had become red and his feral instincts were taking over. He could feel his body starting to change and he tried to prevent himself from fully transforming. He didn't want to scare Hiro; this was a side of him that he had never seen before. But Krei's voice only made the negative feelings worse.
"You…" Tadashi growled. "Your grandfather?"
Despite the situation they were in Krei gave Tadashi a proud smile, it was one filled with malice. He simply gave a nod of his head as he pointed the machete at them.
"Yes I'm afraid so," Krei stated. "My dear grandfather came across your parents in the forest. They were in their full kitsune forms, my grandfather had never seen anything like them before. And so, he decided that they would make great trophies for his collection. In fact their pelts are right here in this office, allow me to show you what's left of your parents."
With that Krei pressed the button on his desk again and the painting removed itself to reveal the glass case filled with the two kitsunes pelts. Tadashi's eyes widen over how they had been hanged as if they were nothing. He knew that it was their pelts; he recognized their colors and their hidden scents. Despite being death and despite being hidden for so long, the pelts still had his parents' scents. Even in death it seems like this parents couldn't rest and it was all because of these people. Tadashi felt his heart and his spirit burn with rage.
Tadashi's hands were now clenched into fists and his teeth become more fang-like then before. His eyes were now red as well. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. After his parents deaths his aunt and him searched all over, trying to find the killer but their attempts didn't bear fruit. No one witnessed the crime and it was an isolated location. In order words, there was nothing to tie anyone to the terrible deed. And thus, his aunt and him buried their loved ones… what was left of them at least. The pain lingered for a long time, and what made it worse was that they never got justice. But now to hear that the person's descendent was standing right in front of him, he couldn't believe it. But at the same time he shouldn't be surprised. His parents were the reason why this man had such knowledge and an interest in their kind.
Krei's grandfather killed his parents.
And now Krei, the man's grandson, kidnapped his brother.
He couldn't believe that one man's family could cause him and his family so much pain. Well no more, Tadashi's foxfire burned brightly and powerfully. He was ready to maim Krei in the same way his grandfather had done to his parents. He jumped in the air and aimed his attack was Krei. Ryoko screamed once again while Hiro gasped, and Krei and Tadashi lunged toward each other. Both parties managed to dodge each other but not without leaving their marks. Krei landed on one side while Tadashi landed on the other. Tadashi winced as he felt a stabbing pain through his arm; he could see that there was a deep gash now there. The machete cut through his armor and managed to get him, blood poured a little from the wound but Tadashi didn't pay any attention to it as he turned his attention back to Krei. He smirked a little as he saw that Krei didn't escape his attack unharmed either.
A part of the man's suit had actually been burned off. It burned away the clothes and managed to hit his skin. Krei winched and groaned in pain as he felt the first degree burn on his side. He managed to stand up on his feet and he once again aimed the machete at Tadashi. Tadashi could see that his attack left more an impact than he thought. Because he could see that his attack burned through the floor itself. Wood was searing and smoke was emitting from the opening. Ryoko was trembling at the sight of it while Hiro stood in awe over it. He could see and sense that there was a change in Tadashi's power. He wondered what had happened to Tadashi to cause such a change.
Tadashi shouldn't have been surprised that his power escalated to that extreme. He gained another tail not too long ago; as a result his power had increased as well as his other abilities. His new tail was probably the cause of his controllable anger as well. That was when he readied another attack for his brother's kidnapper. Krei was ready as well.
Hiro was about to watch another attack happen when he saw something peculiar out of the corner of his eye. He saw Ryoko pick up a small statue from Krei's desk, it looked heavy and strong. And she was about to hit his brother with it! His eyes narrowed at the woman and he quickly sprinted to her. Once he was close he pushed her and managed to knock her off her feet. He was surprised by his strength; he didn't think he had any at his point. The people here had deprived him of proper nutrients and natural sleep, so he was no surprise that he was weak but apparently he wasn't weak enough to not stop Ryoko.
Ryoko let out a groan as she felt Hiro knock himself into her and she dropped the statue as a result. She was planning on hitting the kitsune and hoping that maybe it was distract him long enough for Krei to kill him. But her plan had been foiled by her own son. The boy made it clear that his loyalty was to the kitsune that took him. She glared at the boy as he landed on her, she even raised her hand to slap him. Hiro saw this and his mind flashbacked to the times where the woman used to strike him, he remembered how he used to cry afterward and hold his Bear Bear as he did so. But this time was different, the woman was not his mother anymore and Tadashi was his older brother. His brother had protected him before, now it was his turn to protect him.
Ryoko's hand was about to hit him when he managed to grab onto it and he could see that this was the same hand he bit before. The mark was still there. Well he was about to leave another mark. He held onto the hand and bit down with brute force. The attack made Ryoko scream out in pain and she felt her son's teeth sink into the flesh of her arm once again. She started to hit Hiro on the head in the hopes of making him let go but Hiro maintained his grip and he held onto her skin. Blood started to gush out of the wound.
Tadashi was swinging at the mastermind using his foxfire flame when he heard the scream; he quickly turned around and saw Ryoko hitting his brother. But he also saw that Hiro had her in a tight grip using his teeth. A part of him was proud of his brother for taking a stand against the woman but the other part of him knew that he had to get him away from the woman. He was about to run over to Hiro and Ryoko when Krei angled the machete at him. He got distracted and he feared that he was about to pay for it.
Hiro saw his brother struggling against Krei; he saw that his brother had gotten distracted because of him. He had to do something or else his brother was going to get hurt. Hiro saw the statue only a few feet away from him. Ryoko was too busy hitting him to notice him reaching for it. After several seconds he finally touched it and managed to grab it. That was when he finally let go of Ryoko only for him to raise the small statue over her. He then brought it down and hit her hard on her head. The woman let out a small grunt as her head came in contact with the blunt object but she soon passed out from the pain. She was now unconscious with a bleeding spot on her forehead along with a bleeding hand. Hiro panted a little and he massaged away the pain emitting from his face and head. He then turned to see how his brother was doing.
Tadashi saw that Hiro managed to get himself out of the trouble he was in, he also saw that he shouldn't be having any problems with the woman now that she was unconscious. So he focused all of his attention on Krei as he dodged the attack and managed to kick the man on the burn he gave him. Krei winced at the pain as he stumbled backward; there was pure rage in his eyes as he stared at Tadashi. He was getting frustrated with him at this point. Why couldn't he just die already? He readied the machete again.
"You will die!" Krei exclaimed. "You will die by the same blade that killed and skinned your parents!"
Tadashi's eyes widen once he heard that, he looked at the weapon in Krei's hands. He couldn't believe that his parents' murder weapon had been in the monster's possession all this time. It angered him to know that there was another trophy for the Krei family… but now he planned to put an end to it by any means necessary. He knew that there was only one way to make Krei defenseless. He saw the next attack coming to him, only this time he just stood there and prepared himself for the blow.
Hiro's heart skipped a beat as he saw the blade going to his beloved older brother. Tears welled up in his eyes over the thought of losing him. They had come too far for this to happen. He stood up on his feet and stumbled to Tadashi. He reached for his brother but he wasn't quick enough to stop him or push him out of the way. He screamed as the blade hit its mark and as blood was spilt.
However, it wasn't as it seemed to be. Blood had been spilt and it was Tadashi's blood but Krei didn't win. The machete pierced Tadashi's hand but he had a proud smile on his face as it did so. His hand tightened around the blade and he pulled it to him, Krei followed as a result. Tadashi's face came close to Krei's and he continued to smile.
"I don't think so," Tadashi calmly stated.
With that he grabbed Krei had the neck and forced him to the ground, his hand was still impaled by the blade but he ignored it. He actually managed to grab the machete and throw it to the side. He finally had Krei right where he wanted him. He was disarmed and he was defenseless. And for the first time since he had met him, the man had a look of genuine fear and horror on his face as Tadashi stood on top of him. Alistair Krei finally understood what he had put his victims through; the same could be said of his grandfather's victims. Tadashi wasn't just doing this for himself; he was doing this for all of the people who suffered under Krei and his bloodline. He aimed his fist high above him head, the blood from his wound poured down his arm as he did so. But he didn't care, nothing mattered right now expect for this. He even forgot that he wasn't supposed to kill anyone. Fire engulfed his fist as he prepared to bring it down on Krei.
"You've tormented the kitsune kind for the last time Krei!" Tadashi exclaimed. "You will pay for that with your life!"
Krei was too stunned to move, fear set in and prevented him from doing anything. Sweat broke out on his face and he felt a cold feeling sweep over him. He couldn't believe that all of his years of work and resources had led him to this. He was going to die at the hands of this kitsune. It was so surreal; his grandfather had killed this boy's parents. And now he was going to be killed by their son! The blood drained from his face as he saw the fiery fist.
Hiro saw the horror occurring right in front of him, he saw the look on Tadashi's face and he knew that he meant to kill the man. He wasn't playing around. Never in his life had he seen Tadashi like this, even though he had only known him for a short while he knew that this wasn't like Tadashi. Tadashi Hamada was the kindest and gentlest soul he had ever laid eyes on, he helped others and he made sure to put them before himself. This wasn't his brother and he knew that Tadashi was about to make the greatest mistake of his life.
"Dashi no!" Hiro cried.
The small boy ran to his older brother and wrapped his arms around his raised arm. He didn't even care that blood was staining his hands and body. Hiro couldn't let this happen. He didn't like Krei and he most certainly wanted to see him suffer… but not like this. This wasn't the right way to do it.
Tadashi felt the small force hit his arm and he turned to see that his younger brother had attached himself to his arm. He looked surprised though.
"Hiro let go, this has to be done," Tadashi stated.
"No!" Hiro responded.
Tadashi lowered his arm a little but he didn't put it down completely. He had to reason with his younger brother.
"Hiro, this man deserves to die… he has caused so much pain. Not just to my family but to you as well," Tadashi added. "Why are you protecting him?"
Despite that Hiro still held onto him and he shook his head.
"I'm not protecting him!" Hiro exclaimed. "I hate him! I hate him and his associates! They hurt me and my friends… and I know that his family hurt you too but this isn't the right way to do get revenge!"
Tadashi was about to argue with him but Hiro beat him to it.
"You're right he deserves pain and he deserves a lot of bad things and I will never forgive him for what he's done. But that doesn't mean that you can do this," Hiro stated. "If you do this you'll be no better than him and that's not the Dashi I know. The Dashi I know is kind and gentle and he always wants to help others. That's the reason I'm here."
Tadashi listened to his younger brother's pleas and slowly the flame in his hand decreased but it was still there. Hiro continued with his speech.
"If it wasn't for Dashi I would have been alone and I probably would have died alone too. But you saved me and you gave me joy and happiness… but most importantly you gave me a family. That's more than I could ever ask for," Hiro said. "And now I don't want to see you throw away of that good will because of this man. He's not worth it, and I know you're parents feel the same way too."
Tadashi felt a pang in his heart once Hiro said that. As much as he wanted to see Krei suffer and die for his actions, a deep part of him knew that this was wrong. He shouldn't do this, he knew that. Tadashi finally lowered his arm and Hiro's grip on it loosened a little. The flame in his hand finally disappeared as well. Hiro looked Tadashi right in the eye with tears streaming down his face.
"Please Dashi, don't do it. Let's get out of here… and go home," Hiro cried. "I want to go home with you."
Tadashi saw the genuine look in Hiro's eyes and he couldn't deny him. He wanted to go home too, with Hiro of course. He wanted them to go home to their aunt and Mochi and make up for lost time. He remembered that's what he came here to do. And now he could do it. Tadashi placed a hand on Hiro's head and caressed it. He brought Hiro close to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Hiro was surprised by the sudden action but he quickly snapped out of it. He wrapped his arms around his brother and smiled over the fact that he convinced not to kill Krei.
"Thank you Hiro," Tadashi whispered. "You saved me from a terrible fate."
Hiro continued to smile and he held out his fist. Tadashi saw the action and smiled; he brought up his own fist and bumped it. They then made an explosion sound. The Hamada brothers were finally back together and they planned to stay that way forever.
That was when they heard the sound of footsteps make their way to them, Tadashi held Hiro close as he thought that there were more enemies approaching but thankfully they were familiar faces. Fred, Go Go, Honey and Wasabi all stood before them and the children were surrounding them as well. Smiles were on their faces and they stood proud and tall.
"I see you handled the mastermind of this whole operation," Go Go stated as she pointed to Krei.
"Way to go dude!" Fred cheered.
Tadashi chuckled a little and he petted Hiro.
"I couldn't have done it without this little bonehead though," Tadashi stated.
Hiro smiled.
"Nerd!" Hiro replied.
Tadashi gave his little brother a playful glare and brought him into another tight hug.
"Hiro I am not a nerd!" Tadashi argued.
Hiro chuckled and he wrapped his arms around his older brother. That was when they remembered that Krei was still below them and that Tadashi was still bleeding.
"Whoops, forgot about this," Tadashi said.
"Come on, we'll get these two criminals in their cages while you clean up," Wasabi said.
"Leave it to us," Honey added. "Oh but Hiro come here real quick."
Hiro did as he was told and made his way to the tall girl; she then pulled out a pair of keys and started to mess with the collar around Hiro's neck. After a few seconds of tinkering the collar finally snapped off. Hiro let out a gasp of relief as he finally felt the weight come off his neck. He rubbed it a little too; it felt so good to be free.
"There you go sweetie," Honey cooed. "You're not a guinea pig anymore."
Hiro nodded and that was when he was tackled by his friends, Dionne and Jasper had smiles on their faces as they embraced their friend.
"Hiro!" they cheered.
"You guys are okay!" Hiro responded.
"And we're free!" Dionne added.
"We can finally go home!" Jasper stated.
The three friends enjoyed each other's company as they continued to hold onto each other. They laughed over the fact that they had managed to survive it all and what's more, they won. They were alive and they were finally safe. They could go home together and be with their families once more. Tadashi finally got off Krei and let Fred and Wasabi handle him while Go Go and Honey handled Ryoko. They then exited through the elevator and went back into the room where the cages were. Tadashi and Hiro were greeted by the sight of many people inside cages or stuck together with foam. Either way, they weren't going anywhere. The gang put the last two prisoners together in one cage and locked it.
"Don't worry we took care of the other people here," Go Go stated. "No one's going to harm anyone anymore."
"And we already called the society to come meet us here," Wasabi added. "All's good to go."
Tadashi gave a nod of approval and he used his suit to patch up his arm and hand. It would do for now until he got to an actual doctor. That was when the heard the sounds of the kitsunes as they made their way in their own vans and trucks.
Within minutes the facility was raided by the kitsune society, they made sure to take the prisoners and they took whatever evidence there was of them being there. They took surveillance videos, computers, papers, blood samples and other testing equipment that had been collected during the children's stay there. They wanted to be sure that no one knew anything about what occurred here and who was involved. As they did so the children and the rescuers stepped outside, they were greeted by the sight of snow falling.
Hiro saw the snowflakes falling from the sky and he held his palm out. He felt the small drops freeze on his hand before melting into water. He hadn't felt or been outside for a while now and he has missed the sensations of nature. He missed it all and he was determined to never lose it again. He smiled and he jumped for joy. That was when he saw that there was a bus parked before them, it looked like the one they had used for their field trip and that was when he saw the bus driver. It was the same bus driver to took him and his friends to the pottery store, Hiro was happy to see that she was okay.
"Hello children," she greeted.
They all waved back to her and they smiled.
"Hop on, we're taking you all back to your families," she added.
The children didn't need to be told anything else as they marched into the bus, the gang of friends and temporary superheroes followed them. Once everyone had a seat the bus took off, Tadashi and Hiro sat together. The two brothers enjoyed each other's company as the bus took them back home. Hiro leaned against his brother and he heard the soothing sounds of his heartbeat. Tadashi caressed his younger brother's hair and he placed a gentle kiss on the top.
"We're going home Hiro," Tadashi whispered.
"Forever?" Hiro asked.
"Forever," Tadashi confirmed.
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