And finally, the end. Thanks to everyone who stuck it out this long! The Hamada bros and I have undying gratitude for you. I hope y'all loved this story and I'm so sad it's over!

Silvie-thanks so so much for always reviewing, as an infj it really helps me to hear positive comments, cause i don't do well with criticism. So i'm really glad you always have something nice to say about my attempts at fanfics. Thanks so much!

Until next time-

buda luda luda luda la (said as bh6 handshake) XD

The funeral passes in a blur of grief, sobbing, talks, musical numbers, and Teddy's earsplitting wails. My nephew is a loud child.

It finally rains today, which makes the funeral sadder, but at least it's raining at all. It hasn't rained in months.

I sit at the graves after the funeral is over. There are too many—Aunt Cass, GoGo, Wasabi, my parents, and my sisters—one who died at her birth a year before I was born, and one who my mom was pregnant with when she died. None of these people should be dead.

Obake's grave is set far apart from the others, with only his name carved into it. He doesn't deserve a grave. It's all his fault that Aunt Cass, GoGo, and Wasabi are dead.

Not all his fault.

It's mine too.

one month later

I cling to Aunt Cass's gravestone, in one of my grieving episodes, sobbing and asking God why any of the people I loved had to die. It isn't fair. Life isn't fair. Death isn't fair. Why does anyone have to go?

The freezing rain pours down and I shiver. But I don't care. My friends and family are colder.

After at least two hours, I finally wipe my eyes and stand up. My legs can barely support me, though, and I'm shivering so violently the world appears to be shaking. I'm seriously freezing, almost dangerously so. I have to get home, or I'll die of hypothermia—from simply sitting by a grave.

I force myself to my feet and limp through the cemetery. Passing through the foreboding iron gate, I look back at the graves one last time and then start up the sidewalk.

When I finally get back to the café, I drag myself up the stairs and into my bed, curling up under the covers in the fetal position.

I fall asleep almost immediately. I'm probably passed out for around three hours, but it feels like two minutes when Tadashi starts shaking my shoulder.

"Hiro, wake up! Something's wrong!"

I sit up, rubbing my eyes. "Wha…what's happening?"

"An earthquake's coming—really bad—they said on the news—where's the energy amplifier?!"

I bolt upright, leaping out of bed. "It's still in the warehouse! Honey said last time—the reaction could become self-sustaining! I don't know why it's taken so long, but it's about to set off—" I swallow. "The second Great Catastrophe."

We only started rebuilding three weeks ago—how can an earthquake be happening now? Now, when we've finally started to put our lives back together?

Dashi grabs all the clothes and photo albums and food he can, shoving them into bags. I take spare parts and tools and anything else that seems important. Then Honey, Teddy, Tadashi, and I run out of the café and jump into the truck, and Dashi speeds down the freeway, trying desperately to get out of the city. Baymax flies behind us with his armor on.

We're just passing the warehouse where we left the amplifier when the ground starts shaking.

It's not too bad at first, but then it progresses from shaking to rippling. The ground is literally rippling. Our truck is moving back and forth on the ground. Teddy is crying, but I can barely hear him over the rumbling of the earthquake.

"Everyone out!" Dashi screams, flinging open the door. "Run!"

I throw open my door and sprint away from the truck, knowing that we have to get as far away from the warehouse as possible or we'll all be killed. I don't know how much damage this will cause, but it's not going to be good.

My asthma starts to get to me after only twenty seconds and I slow down, trying to breathe. But I can't, I have to keep running—

Suddenly, the ground beneath me gives a mighty rumble and opens.

I scream as I plummet into the crack, along with chunks of asphalt from the road above. After what seems like forever but is really about two seconds, I hit the bottom of the crevice so hard that stars burst into being in my vision. Pain shoots through my whole body, but I barely register it before the debris crashes down too.

The light from above disappears.

The ground slams back together.

The world goes black.

I can't breathe.

All I can see is darkness, nothing else. Dirt fills my nose, mouth, and eyes, and I'm pinned under a lot of dirt, as well as small rocks and asphalt.

I struggle furiously, knowing I have to free myself or I will die down here. Finally, I break free of the earth, coughing violently and gasping for air.

When I finally expel all the dirt from my system, I collapse on the bottom of the crevice, still panting and trying to see if I'm hurt too badly to climb out of here. I definitely passed out, but I think it was only for about thirty seconds or so, because the ground is still shaking. There's a cut on my forehead where a rock hit me—probably the one that knocked me out. It's bleeding a little, but not enough to need stitches.

I try to stand, using the side of the crevice for support, and a jolt of pain shoots through my hip. It's bruised pretty badly, as is just about the whole rest of my body. And I might have twisted an ankle, but that'll only slow me down a little bit.

I get shakily to my feet, bracing myself against the wall. This crevice is only like three feet wide and at least fifteen feet deep. I don't know how I'm going to climb out of here, but I have to try. There's a tiny chink of light at the top of the crack, probably only a foot wide or less. So there is a way out, but we'll have to see if I can a) get up to it, b) fit through it. This'll be fun.

Bracing my feet against the sides of the crevice, I start to climb. My hip protests, jolts of pain shooting through it. My head doesn't like it either. But I fight through the pain, knowing that I have to climb out of here. The ground is still shaking, so this could close up at any time and smash me between the walls.

I poke my head out of the crack and look around. I see no signs of life, which probably isn't good. I pull myself up slightly more, getting hung up about halfway through—dang it. I've filled out a little since we've been able to get food, but it's not a good thing in this situation.

I squirm furiously and manage to squeeze through the opening, rolling onto my back and gasping for air. Not thirty seconds later, the ground gives another huge rumble and the crevice slams shut. I stare at it with wide eyes. If I'd been in there, I would have died.

The earth starts another round of shaking, and I roll back onto my stomach, covering my head. I hear the warehouse collapsing several hundred feet away, and people screaming. I curl into a ball, trying to shield my head and neck. The shaking reaches a level where it feels like the earth has been thrown through space, and I try not to scream.

Suddenly, strong arms grab me and lift me up into the air. I yelp in surprise and look up to see Baymax, unscathed.

"I will scan you now," he declares. "Scan complete. You have suffered several small abrasions. These injuries will heal easily with treatment."

"Thanks, Baymax," I murmur. "Where's Dashi and Honey and Teddy?"

"I have located them. We can fly to them now—"

"Yes yes do that," I say in a rush. "Let's hurry."

We do hurry. A few minutes later, I look down and see Dashi and Honey running through the streets with Teddy, either oblivious to the fact that I'm not with them anymore or more concerned about getting Teddy to safety.

Baymax swoops down and lands in front of them. Tadashi lets out a yelp and skids to a halt.

"Get on!" I yell. "Hurry!"

"Hiro, what happened? We couldn't find you, we thought you'd gotten away—"

"Just get on!"

They both start to climb on, but suddenly, the building next to us—the bank—just crumbles. I scream as Baymax shoves me to the ground and throws himself on top of me, probably bruising my back and/or ribs but at least shielding me from the collapsing building. I feel a hot wind sweep over me, then it passes and Baymax releases me.

I raise my head, coughing. Baymax gently scoops me up, his scanner whirring. "Hiro, I am happy to report that you have sustained no further injuries. I will scan Tadashi and Honey Lemon now, as well as their son."

The scanner whirs again. Baymax blinks and says, "Tadashi has several lacerations in various areas, but none of them are life-threatening. He will be alright. Hiro, you must climb onto my back so that I can dig Tadashi out of the rubble. I will help you."

Baymax grabs me by the scruff—I yelp indignantly—and places me on his back, then digs through the wreckage of the bank until he pulls Dashi out, who is bleeding and covered in dust but seems okay.

"Are you okay, Hiro?" he gasps. "I can't believe this is happening!"

"Me neither," I whisper. "We have to get that energy amplifier and destroy it."

Tadashi nods. "Baymax, can you take us there?"

Baymax looks up from unearthing Honey and Teddy. "I can. Tadashi, your wife has several small abrasions but is not badly injured. Your son only has a scratch on his cheek but is still bawling his eyes out." He pats Teddy on the head. "You will be alright."

Teddy is not impressed and cries louder.

Baymax flies us to the warehouse, touches down, and begins to dig through the wreckage, searching for the amplifier. Dashi and I start doing the same.

Finally, I catch a glimpse of purple light and thrust my hand into the rubble, yanking out the energy amplifier. I let out a yelp as it burns my hand and drop it.

"Baymax!" I shout over the rumbling of the ground. "Get the amplifier!"

Baymax nods and reaches into the wreckage, pulling out the energy amplifier.

"All right, Baymax," I say slowly, wanting to make sure he understands my directions perfectly. "I need you to put that amplifier on something hard and punch it until there's no way it can be put back together."

"I advise you move away," Baymax says. "We do not know how this may react to my punching it."

Tadashi, Honey, and I back away. Dashi pulls me into a hug and I bury my face in his chest, hoping against hope that this will work.

I hear Baymax slam his fist into the amplifier.

A loud crunch.

And the shaking stops.

I raise my head, blinking the dust out of my eyes. "Is it over?"

"It is over," Baymax declares. "We have saved the city." He picks up the broken pieces of the energy amplifier and holds them out to me. "Would you like to keep them?"

"No," I say firmly. "Let's throw them in the bay or something."

Baymax flies us over the ocean, and I drop the pieces of my failed invention into the water one by one, several hundred feet apart.

Now no one will ever make such a stupid mistake again.

When we get back to the café, I collapse onto my bed, exhausted. The earthquake, miraculously, didn't destroy many buildings in San Fransokyo and didn't kill anyone. A few people were injured, but not badly, and we were most of the casualty count.

I put a hand over my eyes, blocking out the light. Dashi comes in and sits on the bed next to me.

"Hiro," he begins. "I want you to know that I'm proud of you. You did everything you could to save our city—and now look at us. Obake is dead, the energy amplifier is gone, and we're rebuilding the city. We're rebuilding our lives. And it's all because of you."

"Thanks," I mumble. "But we wouldn't have had to do any of this if it wasn't for my energy amplifier."

"You were trying to change the world, Hiro. And you did. I promise you, there is no one who could have pulled this off better than you did. You're everyone's hero today."

Dashi puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a one-sided hug. "Do you believe me?"

I smile up at him. "Yeah. But…what about Aunt Cass? And GoGo? And Wasabi? They're all dead and it's my fault."

Dashi looks me in the eyes. "None of this was your fault. You did the best you could considering the circumstances, and a lot of people survived because of you. So stop beating yourself up."

"Okay, I guess. But it's still going to hurt every day."

"I know it will. But you can rest knowing that they're up in heaven waiting for you. We'll meet again one day." He stands up and walks over to the window. "Come here. I want to show you something."

I walk over to the window, confused. Tadashi climbs out, then holds out a hand and helps me through. We sit down on the roof, and Dashi points at the sky. "They're watching over us. Forever, Hiro."

I look up at the sky, and immediately I know that we'll be able to put our lives back together, that the ones I loved are not lost, that everything is going to be okay one day.

Because I can finally see the stars.