A beam of blinding, pale green shot up towards the pink, sunrise sky, flickering with electric static. Turning her head to see, Aunt Cass gazed up at it as it pierced the sky. Her breath caught in her throat. Kneeling by the box of scrap material she was supposed to bring to the medical tent, she placed a hand on her chest. Is that…from Hiro…?

"Ms. Cass? Ms. Cass!" a voice called. Panting, an older teenage girl came running over, blonde hair swaying with her jog. She stopped when she saw Cass staring at the sky. Following her gaze, she saw the beam. "W…i-is that the beacon?!"

Cass gulped. "Is it?"

"That's gotta be it!" the girl exclaimed, kneeling by Cass and the box. "Did that kid do it? Did he actually do it?!"

Cass looked over at the girl. "He's my nephew," she breathed.

The girl stopped. "H—…he is?" A green earring dangled from her left lobe. Drawing in a breath, she looked away. "Oh…" She looked back to the beam. "He's out there…isn't he?"

Aunt Cass felt her breath shudder in her throat as she rubbed the black band on her wrist. "Oh my gosh…do you think he's okay?"

Glancing at her nervously, the girl reached over towards the stack of crates behind the medical tent and picked up another box. "I…I don't know," she admitted. "I…I hope…he is." Standing up, she hefted the box in her arms. "Um…come on…let's take this back. They need us in there."

Snapping herself back to her task, Cass picked up her box and joined the girl. Oh my gosh, that's Hiro…

The girl joined her as they walked back to the tent. "Hey…I'm sure your nephew—H-Haro? Hira? That his name? He'll be okay."

Holding the box tighter, Cass looked down. "Dear God, I hope so."

( 0—0 )

No.

He could feel his body surge forward, fueled by that familiar, older-brother instinct, but a body grabbed him by the waist and blocked his way.

"TADASHI, NO!" Vanellope pleaded, fighting to keep him back. She tightened her grip on her own wrist, locking her arms around him and pushing against him. "NO!"

"Get OFF!" Tadashi yelled, trying to wrench her arms off him.

"STOPPIT! STOPPIT!" she shrieked, tears streaming from her eyes. "STOP!"

"HIRO!"

Vanellope bit her lip until she felt the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. "NOT YOU, TOO!"

Tadashi froze. The scene continued to play before him, refusing to pause for his madly frightened mind, and he couldn't do anything about. They just ran him over—! "Oh my God…!" he breathed. "Oh my God…!"

"Please!" Vanellope continued, choking on her breath as she buried her face into Tadashi's chest. She felt something deep in her gut surge up through her. There was a sickness that she felt to the core. She knew Tadashi felt it, too.

A tight, trembling grip took her by the shoulders and pulled her apart. Vanellope sucked in a shaky breath, expecting to be pushed aside, but instead, Tadashi's arm closed in around her and held her close. The two sank to their knees.

Tadashi's throat was clenched so tight that he felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't even see Hiro anymore. It was just a mound of clawing, screeching Cybugs with any flashes of green light that managed to break through.

He needed to run. He needed to move. MOVE! He screamed at himself, but his body refused to obey him. The horror was building inside of him the longer he watched, the longer he let the reality sink in. He could do nothing to help his brother.

It was the worst thing he had ever felt in his life.

Cybugs continued to clamber onto the growing heap. Every second, a Cybug's eyes would flicker and die, and the lifeless robot would topple over off the pile and clatter to the ground, knocking another Cybug off with it.

Vanellope brought her head to peek out from beneath Tadashi's arms, and her own eyes were glued to the writhing mass of Cybugs as well. The things didn't care about the two of them at all. The only desire that drove the Cybugs was to get at that shred, that glimmer of the beacon. Its flickers breaking through the metal legs and fangs became scarcer and scarcer as the Cybugs continued to claw at it.

But it was working. The Cybugs, they were dying. Faster…! Faster! Vanellope urged in her head, clenching her teeth. Just end! And yet, she was afraid of what she would see underneath the pile of robots once they were all shut down. That thought scared her more than the Cybugs themselves.

Now, the shrinking, sliding mound was mostly comprised of deactivated Cybugs, maws frozen in silent screeches and wings bent and shattered from the violence of their brethren. Through her eyes sparkling with tears, she could now only make out two, determined Cybugs struggle to claw through the wreckage at the green glow of the beacon. Then, with a sputter and a dying whine, one Cybug's eyes faded and it fell from the mound. Shortly after, the second followed.

After that, there was silence, and the heap of metal and glass went still. A trail of smoke rose from the heap.

Vanellope's breath caught in her throat as she stared, eyes wide. She waited for more movement, one last Cybug to emerge, still defiant against the beacon's signal. But there was none. The girl's chest clenched as her heartbeat quickened.

Slowly, the arms around her let go, hands slipping off her shoulders as Tadashi stood up. He weakly grabbed the pistol from his belt and made his way towards the heap. His trembling gait became a panicked stride.

From where she was, Vanellope watched while Tadashi held out the pistol as he approached, looking around for any remaining signs of artificial life. When there was none, he tucked the pistol back into its holster and began frantically pulled aside hot, acid-dripping Cybugs. "HIRO!" he called. "HIRO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

He tried to peer in between the tangled mass of legs and twisted metal, but the pink and orange sky wasn't light enough for him to see anything more than the green glow deep inside. Tadashi continued to pull aside Cybugs, using his boot and a hearty kick to loosen lodged limbs. Grabbing a wing, he started to tug. He looked down to see Vanellope lending a trembling hand, cheeks still shining wet. With strained grunts, the two worked together to dig their way into the mound. With each robot tossed aside, the green glow of the beacon got brighter and nearer. Soon, it was shooting up in the sky, unbroken.

"Vanellope, one more," Tadashi called, waving her over.

Black hair falling out of her ponytail, Vanellope wearily swiped some hair out of her face, positioning herself next to Tadashi. Together, they gave one last heave and shoved the Cybug out of the way.

Underneath the pinchers and legs, a crumpled body lay, stained with burns and wounds that seeped a deep red. Splotches and puddles of crimson mingled with dust around it. In the figure's raw, trembling hand was a scuffed beacon, still ejecting its beam.

"H…! Oh, God," Tadashi breathed as he fell to his knees, rolling Hiro into his arms. The boy let out a faint moan as a cough barely puffed past his bleeding lips.

Vanellope looked down in shock and horror. A hot, writhing feeling seeped into her gut, making her dizzy and nauseous. In an effort to keep herself from blacking out, she dropped to her knees, a hand on the ground to steady herself. She felt helpless, just looking at Hiro. Her mouth opened to call his name, but what good would that do? She only panted, trying to suppress a whimper.

With no hesitation, Tadashi hefted Hiro, slinging his brother's limp body over his shoulder. Holding Hiro's legs and one of his arms across his chest, Tadashi puffed and stood. "We need Felix," he managed to squeeze out as he started taking even, steady steps away from the wreckage heap.

Vanellope pushed herself up to follow him. The beacon in Hiro's hand slipped out of his weak fingers and tumbled to the ground. It let out a small, high-pitched whir before its lights went out and the green light blinked into nonexistence. The girl picked it up quickly before jogging after Tadashi with a small hope that she could be of any use.

( 0—0 )

"FELIX!"

In the midst of groaning, tired, and sweaty people, the doctor turned his head toward the open flap of the medical tent. Standing on his stool, he could see above the silhouettes of people's heads and shoulders. From the golden morning light and the pink sky, shadows were cast across the ground as Vanellope walked in, trailed by Tadashi holding Hiro. "Vanellope? Tadashi? What is it?" asked Felix quickly yet quietly with an exhausted hop off his stool to meet them.

"It's Hiro. He needs help," Vanellope explained.

Felix looked up with wide eyes to see Hiro draped over his brother's shoulder, saliva and blood dripping from his open mouth with a small moan. "Oh…oh my land," he murmured. "I-I-I-I don't have room for him in here. I-It's full. Uh, here, come outside." Grabbing a blanket, Felix led them out the back flap and into the shadow of the tent. He spread the blanket on the ground. "Set him down here, I'll get my tools. Start undressing him where necessary."

As carefully as he could, Tadashi slid Hiro off his shoulder and tugged his leather jacket off. Then, he ripped through the shreds that remained of Hiro's tank top and pulled those off as well.

Vanellope sat down beside Hiro. After looking at his face, she quickly turned away, feeling the tears that had welled in her eyes fall down her cheeks. Just the sight of him made her feel awful. What could she do? Was there anything? No, there wasn't. There was nothing she could do to help him. All she could do was sit there and watch. At the thought, she started to cry. The last thing anybody needed was to worry over her crying. The panic made her cry even more.

Felix returned from the tent with Honey Lemon, who held a small box of supplies. She gasped when she saw them. "H…! Hiro! Tadashi?!"

"He's alive, he's alive!" Tadashi reassured quickly, holding out a hand. "He's breathing! But he needs help fast."

As Honey bent down and looked Hiro over, Felix pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "Honey, do we have water and isopropyl?"

"We…we don't have water, but we have a little bit of alcohol. It may not be enough," she added uncertainly.

"Doesn't matter. We'll use what we have."

"Where's Baymax?" Tadashi asked.

"This tent filled up. People started going to other tents, so we let Baymax help out there," Honey explained. "If we need to, I can fetch him."

"Vanellope?"
The girl turned to see who had called her name. Her brown eyes widened. "G…GoGo?"

Out of breath, sweat and grime smearing her face, GoGo stood nearby, looking her way. Slowly, she started toward her little sister.

Vanellope stumbled to her, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks. She fell against GoGo and held onto her tightly for support, her chest and throat painfully aching. Through her sobs, she tried to breathe and found herself gasping to do so.

It wasn't like her to act so close to GoGo, especially in front of anyone else. She knew her sister thought it ruined her 'leader' image. But she didn't care if her sister thought she was being clingy or sappy. All she wanted was someone to hold and hold her back.

Gentle, warm arms wrapped around the crying girl. Slowly, the embrace tightened until the sisters held onto each other in equal strength. Vanellope found the unexpected kindness made her cry even more. She didn't dare look up to see GoGo's face. The embrace itself was all she could ask for in that moment.

Over Vanellope's shoulder, GoGo watched Felix treating Hiro. She gulped. "I saw the Cybugs," she said breathlessly to Tadashi. "The beacon…" She quickly nodded. "It worked." She looked back to Hiro. "Is he…?"

Tadashi swiped the back of his hand against his forehead, smearing sweat and grime across it. "He's…" He struggled to find words.

"He's lost a lot of blood, and he's covered in burns," Felix answered, not stopping in his work. He held out a hand, and Honey, who had just returned, handed a bottle and a rag to him. He wet the rag in the solution from the bottle, applying it to Hiro's wounds. The boy's body flinched in pain as he seethed and let out a feverish moan. "The gauze?"

"Here." Honey handed him the rolls of wrap.

"What can I do?" asked Tadashi earnestly. "Anything."

"Find some clean clothes, a space for him to lie down, and something to use for a splint. He has a broken leg, I think." Felix gently pressed down on Hiro's calf, making the boy gasp. "Yep, it's broken."

Without hesitation, Tadashi got up and jogged into the maze of tents.

Vanellope watched him go. "Is he—going to die?" she asked the doctor through stuffy sniffs. "Be honest with me, please…"

Felix let out a breath. "Shucks, Vanellope, I don't know," he admitted. "If I work fast, I may be able to save him. But I can't promise you anything."

GoGo nodded. "Do everything you can for him," she added.

"Vanellope," Honey started. "Maybe it would be best if you went somewhere else while we worked," she suggested gently.

With a weary sniff, Vanellope allowed GoGo to guide her away from Hiro and into the medical tent. Through the silhouettes of the injured and resting, the morning sunlight shone through the opening flap. It created blinding sparkles in Vanellope's tears so that she had to squint. GoGo found a spot on the ground near the wall and let Vanellope down, sitting next to her. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

"…N—no," the girl sniffed, tucking her hands still clenching the beacon into her lap. "N-not really."

Through disheveled, purple bangs, GoGo watched her little sister shake and curl her fingers around the beacon. She let out a breath and wrapped an arm around her, opening her mouth to speak. But she wasn't quite sure what to say. She had been so busy being a leader that she didn't remember how to be a big sister. Hesitating, she just rubbed Vanellope's shoulder. "You know…I was wrong about him," she said, just loud enough to be heard over the droning hubbub. Earning a look from Vanellope, GoGo looked away. "He…wasn't that much of a little snot. He was just doing right by him. And…well, I guess that's all you can ever ask of anyone."

Vanellope sucked in a breath. "You always used to hate him."

GoGo raised her eyebrows with a puff. "Well…yeah." She nodded at the beacon in Vanellope's hands. "But he did good today. Nobody can deny that. Most of us probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

Vanellope felt her face grow hot again as tears started to well anew. "He's my friend!" she sobbed. "I don't want him to die…!"

GoGo's only response was a squeeze on the arm.

"P-please help!" a voice cried. The sisters turned their heads to see a boy supporting Diana's limping body. "P-please help, someone? She's hurt," he tried again.

"Here," GoGo said, standing up quickly. "Felix is occupied with another patient. Bring her over here." She waved a hand for the two to follow her. Through sniffs and tears, Vanellope got up and grabbed a nearby towel, spreading it out where they had been sitting. The boy came and laid Diana on it.

The woman let out a groan as her back hit the ground. "Easy, bud," she wheezed. "Who's got Felix busy?"

"He's trying to save Hiro," Vanellope answered in a stuffy voice.

"H-Hiro? So that was the beacon we all saw?" She let out a dry laugh. "I knew he could pull it off."

"Lie still," GoGo instructed. "Where are you hurt?"

"Took a bullet to the ankle," Diana answered, gesturing to her twisted foot. "I think I may have a dislocated shoulder, or something. Got rammed by a—…" She seethed her teeth as GoGo applied pressure to her chest. "…Got rammed by a big sucker."

"Yeah, it's dislocated. I'm gonna need you to sit up so I can set it. Hey, you, kid. What's your name?"

"R-Rei," the boy stuttered.

"Find me some gauze."

"We're about out of gauze," Vanellope interjected. "But there's some cloth or something that we can rip into strips out the back. Follow me, I'll help."

As Vanellope led the boy away, GoGo turned back to Diana, using her thumbs to feel around her shoulder joint. "Have you heard from Gakuto or Tauni?"

"Gakuto and his squad were about four miles from here when the Cybugs were called. He said he'd be heading this way. Last I heard from Tauni…" Diana seethed her teeth and shook her head. "It was early on in the fighting, but she was stranded by Cybugs near the bank. I haven't heard from her since." She winced and flinched as GoGo pressed on her shoulder. "Ah—there it is."

"How do you want me to do this? Want a countdown or no?"

"Nah. Take me by surprise."

GoGo placed her hands in position, thinking of a question to ask. "If you had died out there, did you settle your regrets? Say any last words?"

"Geez, sorry I didn't die. Sounds like you wanted me to. But yeah. I did. Better safe than sorry. And you?"

"Nothing to settle. I've got no regrets."

"Ack, we both know that's a lie, GoGo. You've got plenty of regrets, just like the rest of us.

"Name one."

"Misjudging Hiro. Gabby, maybe, I don't know. Maybe that was before you started to soften up. Or maybe you'd forgotten. It was a time ago, anyways."

GoGo made no comment and lowered her gaze. "I didn't forget."

"Oh. That's—that's nice to know."

"You still angry at me? For dragging her out?"

Diana pursed her lips. "If I were still angry, I probably woulda left the Blacks by now, if I'm being real. Just hurt and confused. Well, no, not confused. Disappointed. Cuz you kept saying it…" She let out a breath, straining. "It was cuz she was a threat, but…whatever. You have a sister, too, so I'm sure you'd know what it'd feel like to lose her like that if you empathize a little bit—!" Di opened her mouth to let out a strangled gasp of pain as her shoulder was forcefully snapped back into its socket. After the sudden flare of pain, her body started to relax. Panting, she slumped, clenching her fists. "God…!" she hissed before letting out a forced chuckle. "Oof."

GoGo crouched next to her, looking out over the crowd for Vanellope and Rei to return.

Diana shrugged and rubbed her shoulder. "Honestly, if you just admit that dragging people out was wrong and petty thing to do, and that you won't do it again, that'd be good enough for me."

"I did it to keep this gang strong."

"But it was only a sign of weakness."

A moment of tense silence passed between the two before GoGo let out a long breath through the nose. She wiped some of her sweat-dampened bangs out of her eyes before looking away. "It was a weak thing to do," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

Diana only nodded. "That's all I need." She joined GoGo in scanning the room. "Have you seen Jordan here? Around? Or anything? Have you heard from him?"

"I haven't. Some of the others might've. Honey would know."

"Where is she?"

"With Felix and Hiro."

Followed by Rei, Vanellope weaved her way through the crowd to the two of them, her arms holding a bag filled with ripped strips of cloth. "Here, we've shred some of it. If you need more, we can do that for you," she said as Rei hefted some extra blankets.

"Vanellope, have you seen Jordan around here?" Di asked.

The girl straightened with a nervous expression on her face. "I…I saw him over there while we were going out back," she explained. "Um…he's not in good shape…"

"Can I see him?" Diana asked. "Point him out for me?"

Vanellope pointed across the space. "That…that table over there."

Diana got onto her knees, straightening to see over the various heads in her way. Her expression froze when her eyes locked on the body laid across a table. "…Vanellope, help me up—" she instructed, reaching out an arm, which Vanellope slung across her shoulder.

"Hey! Hey wait! Your foot!" GoGo called, but Diana was already squeezing past people, limping with Vanellope as a support to the table. Grumbling, GoGo picked up the shreds that Vanellope had dropped and went after them, Rei on her heels.

Diana was set onto the edge of the table where Jordan lay, asleep. The boy's face and hair shone with sweat, and his chest rose and fell steadily, but his right knee was swaddled in a messy, shabby bundle of cloth. Everything below the knee was gone. Diana let out a faint breath and reached out to brush some of the boy's bangs out of his face. "Jordan…" As her dark eyes started to water, she choked on her own breath and held a hand to her mouth. "Is he going to make it?" her voice cracked.

"I, I-I don't know, but I think he will…" Vanellope offered. She looked at Jordan's leg before quickly looking away, trying not to cry again.

GoGo came up to the table, surveying Jordan. "It doesn't look too infected. If it's just his leg…I think he'll make it."

Diana swiped at her eyes, nodding in relief. "Thank God."

GoGo bent down with Rei and started to take Diana's boot off, wrapping her ankle with the shreds that the boy supplied her with.

As Diana struggled to reign in her sobs, Jordan stirred, head lolling with a gentle groan. His eyes flickered open to look up at her, slowly adjusting. "…Di…?"

Diana stroked his hair and leaned down a little closer. "I'm here, Jordan, I'm here. I'm here," she repeated quietly.

Weakly, Jordan reached out and Diana squeezed his hand. "I'm I…? I'm I gonna be okay…?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you'll be okay, bud."

( 0—0 )

Wiping the sweat and dried grime off his hands, Tadashi sat down on the bench next to his aunt, whose face had been frozen in a look of solemn, quiet anxiety. Just looking at her expression, he knew exactly how she felt. He felt it himself. Letting out a puff, he tossed the bloody rag he had been using to clean his hands into the fire in front of them. "Have you eaten anything?" he asked her.

Cass shook her head and hugged her elbows, staring into the fire. "You know I can't eat. I can't even stress eat."

"Eating is crucial to gaining nutrients that maintain strength," Baymax stated from behind them, holding up a finger and toddling closer to the two. "If you are feeling weak, it would be wise to eat."

Cass only ignored the robot.

It was the quietest it had been in the camp for a while. All the wounded that had been found had been treated to the best of their ability, and those who had died were being burned or buried outside camp. He had been busy making rounds with Baymax to treat patients for the last five days. It kept his mind off Hiro, who hadn't yet woken up. He sighed, looking into the fire. "I haven't eaten myself," he admitted.

"How are the others?" asked Cass. "Your friends?"

"Fred is fine. He stayed back at camp during the fighting. Di, Vanellope, and Francis are all fine. Cadence has a broken rib, but she's recovering. Francis is staying with her. And Jordan…" Tadashi rubbed his temples. "…Jordan is gonna live. But Felix hasn't worked out anything as far as prosthetics yet. For the leg. I'm thinking I can figure out something."

Cass closed her eyes with a pained moan at the thought. "But thank God he'll be okay."

"Yeah."

"…And Hiro?"

He bit his lip, giving a small shake of his head. "Nothing new," he answered quietly. He knew he had to check in on Hiro before he could call his rounds over. To an extent, he wanted to know if Hiro had made any recovery, but at the same time, every time he entered Hiro's secluded tent and saw that nothing had changed, he only felt a rising anticipation and anxiety. Would anything ever change? What if he was in a coma? The thought became scarier the more he thought about it.

Cass clasped her hands. "Tadashi—"

He stood up. "I'm gonna finish my rounds," he decided with a gulp as he turned. "Come on, Baymax."

The white robot waddled in his wake. "Are we going to check on Hiro?"

"Yeah." He journeyed silently through the camp, weaving through groups of people huddled around fires for warmth, the recovering wounded, and the weary fighters who could now only rest. A few looked up at him as he passed before returning to their hollow state. It was a state that came after battle. After death and injury. And after loss. Looking into the sullen eyes around him felt like looking at a reflection of himself.

The maze and mess of tents, camp chairs, and cots gave way to a single tent, isolated from the rest. A cardboard sign planted on a chair called out in big, sloppy, words written with a dying sharpie:

DO NOT DISTRUB!

The handwriting looked like Fred's. He passed it and entered the tent, pushing the flap away and ducking his head. Baymax squeezed himself in after him. It was dark inside the tent. He couldn't see much, but he knew there wasn't much to see anyways. Regardless, he reached up and turned on the electric lantern that hung from the ceiling, shedding a dim, white light on a cot to the side.

On the cot, a limp figure lay swaddled in bandages and blankets, chest rising and falling slightly in a barely audible, labored breathing. A mop of matted, ragged black hair rest on the pillow, turned away from him.

The elder Hamada brother ran his fingers through his hair dried with sweat and crouched by the cot, looking Hiro over. Nothing seemed to have changed since noon. After nothing had been happening for several days, he couldn't help but wonder if Hiro had awoken sometime when he hadn't been around. He hoped so, just so that he could awaken. But he also hoped not, because he may have needed something that he hadn't been there to provide.

He placed a hand on the mop of hair and tousled it lightly. "Hey there, nerd," he said quietly. "You're making Aunt Cass worried. Can't even stress eat, if you can believe it. You'd better wake up soon or she'll come to her senses and eat the camp out of food. You know how she is." He got no response.

"Scanning," Baymax announced, looking Hiro over from head to toe. "Vital signs are stable. Nothing has changed since his last checkup."

"Yeah, I know buddy," Tadashi sighed, annoyed that he had to be reminded again. "I know." He sat himself down on the ground, resting an elbow on the edge of the cot.

The lens in Baymax's eyes contracted as he scanned Tadashi. "You are stressed."

"…I know."

"You are worried about Hiro's recovery. Allow me to help alleviate your stress." Already knowing what the robot was going to do, Tadashi let the pillow-like arms engulf him in a squishy hug. "Hiro will be alright. There, there," the robot said, giving the man two pats on the head.

Tadashi leaned against the robot, letting it support him and his aching back for a moment. "Thanks, bud."

Tadashi and Baymax waited in the stuffy tent for a while, saying nothing and only watching Hiro for any signs of waking. An hour gave them nothing to show. He was sick of it. Of the waiting. Of the anxiety. Something happen already. Anything to get out of this nail-biting monotony. Dang it, Hiro, wake up already. He wanted to rub a firm knuckle into his little brother's skull, but he knew that wouldn't do any good.

Feeling his hands itch, idle at his sides, Tadashi stood up. "Come on, Baymax. Nothing's changed. Let's let him rest." Almost as if reading Tadashi and knowing that he didn't want to talk, Baymax straightened, and the two headed toward the exit. Tadashi paused with a chuckle. "Uh, here, why don't you go first?" he offered, holding back a tent flap.

The robot had just pulled his wide body through the gap when something stirred on the cot. Tadashi snapped his head back towards his brother, looking for movement with widened eyes.

The form of his brother shifted slightly, and his head lolled.

"Hiro?" Tadashi started, falling back to his knees beside the cot.

A small breath escaped Hiro's lips as his tired eyelids fluttered in a weak attempt to open. "Mm…"

The anxiety that had been wound tightly in his chest felt like it had suddenly exploded and released its grip on his lungs. Tadashi let out a breath, and then a laugh. He laughed again before reaching over to turn Hiro over so that he would face him. "Hey? Hey, Hiro? You awake?"

Hiro's eyes opened into a slit barely wide enough to look up at Tadashi. His brother let out a heavy breath. "Tadashi…?" he mumbled groggily.

Tadashi laughed again. "God, you're awake! You're—!" He ruffled Hiro's hair and leaned down to hug him, breathless in excitement. "You're awake!"

"Welcome back, Hiro," Baymax greeted, also leaning over the brothers.

Hiro smiled and reached out to limply give Baymax a fist bump. "Hey, buddy."

"You took your dang time waking up, bro!"

"How…long have…I been out…?"

"You have been unconscious for five days, two hours, and forty-three minutes," Baymax answered. "You are still weak. I would recommend that you rest before attempting to consume food."

Hiro groaned and closed his eyes. "Whatever you say." He paused, as if realizing something. "Tadashi…the beacon…did it…? Did it work?"

"Yeah." Tadashi gave him hearty nods and squeezed his shoulder. "It worked. You did good."

"The Cybugs?"

"Deactivated. All of them."

Hiro let his head fall back on to the pillow. "Thank God…"

"Baymax, go get Aunt Cass!"

Before Baymax could comply, the three could already hear a frantic voice approaching. "Tadashi? Tadashi? I heard you talking over here. You okay? Hiro—is Hiro alright?" Aunt Cass ducked into the tent and laid eyes on the scene. Her brown eyes popped out of her skull and her mouth gaped open. "H-Hiro!" she breathed. "HIRO!" In a shriek of relief and happiness, Aunt Cass fell to her knees next to Tadashi and hugged her nephew. "Oh my God, you felon! You had me so worried! I-I-I didn't know what would—…" She collapsed in a breath. "I'm so glad you're awake." Her hushed voice cracked, on the verge of tears.

Hiro tried to make himself comfortable in Cass' arms. "C'mon, Aunt Cass…don't cry."

"I can't help it!" she protested.

Tadashi laughed at her, his own eyes shining, and leaned down to hug the both of them. Baymax folded his arms around the three as well.

Hiro only let out a breath and let them hold him close. "I kept my promise…didn't I…?"