Two months later, Easter was fast approaching. Hiro and Karmi were in constant contact and talked whenever they could, but schoolwork had intensified for both of them as deadlines were coming thick and fast. The only time off they would get next was the Easter holidays. So naturally, they were missing each other like crazy. This was probably the toughest period they had faced yet. From Karmi's perspective, all she could think about was Valentine's day. A rather bittersweet day for her. It was one of the best days of her life, no question about it. Yet the droid attack had played on her mind everyday since. She still felt bad about it. Hiro assured her that all is forgotten and even apologised himself on numerous occasions for getting mad at her. Karmi appreciated it, but still wanted to get involved in the action deep down. Although, the more rational part of her mind was trying to tell herself that it really wasn't a good idea after last time. And Olivia's last words to her on the night kept ringing through her head:
"If you can't get past the whole hero thing and can't stop worrying about Hiro, then your relationship is never going to work. Trust me. I worried non-stop about Freddie for the first few months we dated and we had argument after argument about it. It's not easy, but you've got to learn to let go and accept that you can't stop them being heroes."
Karmi didn't want to hear that, but she was completely right. She had to learn how to adapt to being the girlfriend of a superhero. And after her near-death experience, she played it back in mind everyday and decided it was probably best to listen to Hiro and stay safe. And whoever this Eliminator was, it was something that absolutely terrified her. But like Olivia, she did like being with a superhero. Hiro was special to her even if he wasn't one. She just wished it didn't have to be so frighteningly real. Plus her parents weren't entirely happy about her last two trips to San Fran, especially after hearing about the recent attacks. She practically had to beg them to let her go this time. After a lot of persuasion, Karmi was packing her bags one night while talking to Hiro.
'So, no one won the competition to decide what we're doing for our next date…' said Karmi.
'Oh, yeah! You know I was gonna win anyway, but what do you want to do, babe?' Karmi scoffed.
'Oh please! I beg to differ!' They both laughed and Hiro looked at her admiringly, waiting for her answer. 'But I do appreciate you giving me the choice… maybe we could do something fun like…'
'Bowling? Cinema? Crazy golf?' suggested Hiro.
'Hmm, I do like the sound of Crazy golf. Nice and competitive and I know I could wipe the floor with you at it!' Hiro burst out laughing.
'No way, babe. Not gonna happen. I've been with the guys a few times before and I always win.'
'Well I'll just have to humble you then. I've been a few times before as well, you know.' Karmi winked at him.
'Alright! We'll see who humbles who!'
Karmi just rolled her eyes as she packed the last thing in her suitcase and zipped it up.
'Well, I'm all set for tomorrow now. You know it's been way too long since we last saw each other…'
'Yeah… It's been hard being apart from you for so long… But we made it through and I feel like that says a lot about us.'
'Aw, I know exactly what you mean. This was never going to be easy, but we've made it work, haven't we?'
'Well, you do drive me mad sometimes!' joked Hiro.
'Hey! You're lucky I'm still 90 miles away, otherwise I'd slap you right now!' Hiro chuckled.
'Haha. Yeah, you would. But you can't!' Karmi tutted playfully.
'You just wait until tomorrow!'
'Ooh, I'm so scared!' They both laughed.
'I really should be going now. Can't wait to see your stupid face tomorrow.' Hiro shook his head.
'You mean handsome face, surely!'
'Oh shut up, doofus!' Hiro kept his mouth shut and made a funny face.
'Well, I'm gonna go now. See you tomorrow, handsome.' Karmi was about to end the call but then Hiro spoke.
'Hey, Karmi. I really did miss you… a lot.' Karmi stared at the screen for a few seconds.
'I- I missed you too.' It was silent again and then Karmi smiled. Beep beep. The call ended.
'Love you,' whispered Hiro to himself.
The next day, Karmi arrived early in the afternoon, but Hiro was nowhere to be found. Karmi scratched her head and tried to spot him in the crowds. Karmi frowned.
'Where's my doofus,' she mumbled to herself.
'Right here, dweeb!' said a familiar voice from behind her, but deeper than usual.
Hiro sniggered and grabbed her by the waist and turned her around. Karmi squealed, not expecting to be surprised like that.
'Hiro! You scared the living daylights out of me!'
'Sorry, babe. Thought I'd surprise you this time. I couldn't resist.' He grinned cheekily. Karmi shook her head and gave him a sarcastic look.
'Well, you better come and give me a kiss to make up for it!' Hiro gave Karmi a smug expression.
'Your wish is my command, babe.'
Hiro leant towards her and Karmi leant towards him too. She found herself tip-toeing to reach his lips and didn't even realise she was doing it at first. Now that wasn't right, was it? Wasn't she always taller than Hiro? She could barely process it now though, as their lips met for the first time in two heart-wrenching months and her brain turned to mush. They both moaned into each other's mouths hungrily and then Karmi was back on her feet.
'God, that felt good,' said Karmi breathlessly.
'Oh, you're telling me!' said Hiro with a boyish grin.
'But, hang on. When did you get so tall?!' Hiro laughed with a sense of self-satisfaction.
'Umm, puberty?' Karmi's eyebrow rose in arousement.
'Well, your voice is deeper too. You're definitely going through some… changes.'
'Well, I'm glad you noticed! I think I'm even starting to grow some facial hair. Better late than never, eh?'
'Hmm, I suppose so.'
Karmi wasn't going to admit so easily that she was 10x more attracted to Hiro after learning of these new developments. She always found him attractive, even when she sort of hated him. But he was definitely growing up now and turning into a fine young man. Karmi could even see a change in maturity from Hiro and that just added to the list of things she desired about him. It was a similar feeling from Hiro's side of things, as he too was noticing little changes in Karmi. Or maybe these things were already there, because he was just starting to appreciate certain parts of her that he hadn't even acknowledged before. Ever since she had worn those dresses that showed off her luscious figure, his eyes were trailing to places they had never set sights on before. Hiro still didn't fully understand these new feelings and thoughts, but he figured he could explore them with Karmi over time. For now, he was just enjoying having Karmi back and subtly checked her out as they walked out of the station hand and hand.
The crazy golf course wasn't too far from the station as it was in the centre of town, with all the other major attractions of San Fransokyo. Walking down the street this time felt a lot more natural and they felt even more like a couple now. They even saw a few people they knew again, but no one batted an eyelid this time. They really were boyfriend and girlfriend, even if it was long distance. It was still a very strong relationship and despite the hiccups, it was actually working. Karmi held onto Hiro's arm as they strolled through the town centre and towards the golf course. This was officially their second date and the first where it was just the two of them, so it certainly felt special. They walked into the golf course and checked in at the front desk. As they headed to the golf clubs, they saw a very familiar face choosing a putting club.
'Professor Granville! Fancy seeing you here!' exclaimed Karmi.
Granville turned sharply on her toes. She was wearing a golfing hat.
'Ah, Miss Khan! Nice to see you again! It's been a while hasn't it? How are you getting on at your new school?'
'It has been a while, yeah. I'm doing okay. Got loads of final deadlines coming up, so it's a really important year for me. But I'm just enjoying the time off now.' Granville nodded.
'So I see...' Granville noticed them holding hands and smirked a little. 'I heard you and Mr. Hamada had… shall we say… made developments in your relationship. I can't say I'm surprised. You two used to argue like an old married couple!' Granville chuckled a little.
'But how did you know, professor?' asked Hiro.
'Oh, don't you know by now that nothing gets past me, Mr. Hamada?' Hiro laughed.
'Yeah, I should have known!' Hiro rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Seeing Granville outside of school was always a little scary.
'So, how are you two getting on then?'
'Pretty good! We're actually here on a date, so I'm just going to enjoy all the time I can get with Hiro before I head back home… And truth be told, I actually really miss San Fran and SFIT.'
'Well, I must say SFIT misses you too, Karmi. As do I. You'll always be welcome back anytime. Maybe you could even come and give a talk to our first years next time you're here?'
'Yeah, of course! I'd love that!' Granville smiled.
'Excellent. Well, I wish you the best of luck with everything. It really is a shame you had to move. Now! I'm off to play some golf! I'll see you later, Miss Khan. And I'll see you next term, Mr. Hamada.' Granville tipped her hat at them and headed off.
They said goodbye to her. Hiro looked at Karmi and took a sigh of relief.
'Well, I was not expecting that at all!'
'Haha, me either! But it just made me think about something…'
'Oh. What's that, babe?'
'If you never came to SFIT and Granville didn't introduce us all that time ago, we might never have met.'
'Huh. That's true, yeah! Going to SFIT really was the best decision I ever made!'
'What would you do without me.' Hiro lowered himself down a little to kiss Karmi. Her lips curled into a smile.
'Still finding it hard to believe you're taller than me now.'
'Haha! Well you better get used to it!' Hiro winked. 'Now, come on! Let's play!'
They picked their golf clubs and balls and headed over to the first part of the course. The first hole was very simple and straightforward. Hiro let Karmi go first.
'Ladies first, of course. But try not to mess it up!' teased Hiro.
Karmi rolled her eyes at him. She took her time and surveyed the area and the distance between the starting point and the hole. Then when she was satisfied, she bent over to place the golf ball on the tee. Hiro rather naughtily tilted his head and caught an eyeful of her bum. He seemed to like what he saw and bit his lip lustfully. Then Karmi stood upright and quickly turned around. Hiro's eyes shifted up to her face and he gave her one of his trademark goofy grins. He may have grown up a lot lately, but he was still the same old Hiro.
'Hey! What are you looking at? Are you trying to put me off, doofus?!'
'Oh, no no! Not at all! Go on. Take your time, babe.'
'Hmmm…'
Karmi turned back round and poised herself carefully over the golf ball and then swung the club back. She hit it fairly hard. It picked up speed in air as it travelled further towards the hole, until gravity brought it back down. It landed inches away from it. Karmi looked back at Hiro and gave him a smug look.
'Huh, what do you know? Nearly a hole in one!'
'Hmm, well we've just started! Don't get too cocky!' Karmi imitated Hiro in a funny voice. Hiro just smiled and noted the move down on the scorecard.
'My turn,' said Hiro.
He whacked the ball just as hard as Karmi. It knocked her ball away from the hole and now Hiro's ball was closer to the hole. Hiro stuck his tongue out cheekily.
'Sorry, babe.'
'Oh, you so did that on purpose!'
'Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. Either way, that's the game!'
The competitiveness was really building up now, as it became a race of who could take the lead with the least amount of shots. Karmi took her second shot and rather remarkably got it in from the distance. Then Hiro lightly tapped his ball in. They'd both only used two moves. But now the course was getting harder, as they moved on to play against obstacles and tackle trickier angles. There were 16 holes to play, so by the time they reached the last one, the sun was beginning to set in hues of red and purple. They paused and watched it together for a second, before returning to the action.
'Okay! Last one, babe. And this one decides it! Good luck!'
Karmi stepped up to take her shot. Hiro watched from afar and took a moment of reflection. The competitiveness was rife and coming to an explosive final battle, but like in the arcade last year, he realised he didn't actually care who won. He was just incredibly happy to be with the girl he always wanted. Dare he even say the girl he loved? He wasn't entirely sure as he'd never been in love, but one thing was for sure. He was falling for her. And hard. Hiro was in his own romanticised world, when suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned just as Karmi took the shot. Another familiar face was waiting for him.
'Oh! Hi, Megan! Long time no see!'
'Hi, Hiro! I was just playing some golf with my friend and spotted you over here and thought I'd come say hi. And yeah, it has been a long time…'
'Yeah, sorry. Things have been a bit crazy for me the last six months or so.'
'No worries, I understand. It's just nice to see you again. I missed you…'
'Well, it's nice to see you too.' Hiro smiled awkwardly. He wasn't sure what to say.
'You've definitely changed a bit though. But you look good. Really good.'
'Oh, er… Thanks.' Hiro definitely wasn't expecting her to say that. Then Karmi came over with a confused expression on her face, with a hint of annoyance. Who was this random girl talking to her man?
'Who are you talking to, Hiro?' she snapped.
'Oh, um. This is Megan. She's Chief Cruz's daughter. We used to hang out sometimes. She just wanted to catch up with me.'
'Huh,' was all Karmi said.
She didn't say another word. She just folded her arms and stared at her. Megan was a fairly pretty girl, so Karmi felt a little threatened. Especially as she already knew Hiro and seemed to have some kind of history with him. Hiro could see the tension brewing and could sense Karmi's discomfort. Megan could sense the hostility too, so thought she should break the ice.
'Soooo… Who's your friend here then, Hiro?' asked Megan.
'Well, she's actually my girl-'
Before Hiro could finish, a loud scream was heard from the other side of the town centre. He looked over at Karmi and gave her a loving look.
'Sorry, I've gotta go.'
Karmi was about to stop him and put a hand on his shoulder, but quickly remembered what happened last time. So instead, she simply just nodded. Hiro ran off and she sighed.
'Be careful!' she shouted.
'I will! No need to worry!'
Hiro gave her a thumbs up and disappeared into a corner behind a windmill, to get suited up. Karmi turned back to Megan and was about to quiz her more on how she knew Hiro, but she was running after Hiro. Karmi was shocked. Was there more than meets the eye here?
Seconds later, Hiro emerged from behind the windmill in his special armoured suit. He assumed it was the droids again and thought he needed extra protection just to be safe. And he was right, as the droids infiltrated the golf course and shot laser beams everywhere. Everyone screamed and ran. Karmi and Megan took cover. Hiro looked around in bewilderment. He was on his own. He quickly snapped out of it and put on a brave face and took them on. He was holding his own quite well for a while, as he used device after device to shut the droids down. Everyone cheered for him. But then one droid knocked him down to the ground and pointed its gun at him. Hiro froze. Karmi was screaming at him to move in the distance.
'Hi- I mean Captain Cutie! Move!' she shouted.
But Hiro couldn't in pure fear. The suit would be able to take most of the impact of the gun, but how long he didn't know. Thankfully, help had arrived as the droid fell to the ground. Hiro quickly moved backwards. He looked up and saw Baymax flying towards him.
'Hiro. Are you okay? Have you sustained any damage?' He scanned him quickly and saw he was fine.
'No. I'm all good, buddy. I'm just really happy to see you. Now, let's take care of this.'
'Okay, I am ready.'
Hiro smiled and climbed onto Baymax and then they both attacked together. The rest of the team arrived shortly after. This time, the droids were a little stronger and harder to beat. Baymax even needed to go into overdrive mode to take out a big wave of them. Big Hero 6 were still well equipped to beat them and eventually got the upper hand. It was a good thing Hiro had kept up with the droids and kept upgrading the suits and devices they used. Otherwise, he wasn't sure they would have made it out alive this time. Once the last droid fell to pieces, everyone clapped and cheered for the heroes. Everyone was okay, but unfortunately it was at the expense of the town centre, which was left in a heap of rubble. Someone had a hell of a job on their hands. Then all of a sudden, Hiro heard Megan scream, 'Help me!' Not quite all the droids were defeated it seemed.
'I've got this, guys,' he said as he rushed off to the source of the scream, down an alleyway.
When he turned the corner, he saw Megan being held hostage by a droid.
'You will come with me, or the girl will die,' it said ruthlessly without mercy.
'Okay, just let her go. And then I'll come quietly.'
Hiro put his hands up to indicate his surrender. The droid processed this and its mechanisms ticked eerily. It then calculated that it had won and chucked Megan to the floor. But it had made a grave error and didn't account for human ingenuity. As soon as it let her go, Hiro quickly whipped out an electromagnetic bomb and threw it at the droid. It latched itself onto the droid's head and beeped rapidly. Hiro quickly grabbed Megan and pushed her against the wall, to shield her against the explosion. As the smoke cleared, Hiro could see that they were safe now. He removed his helmet and made sure Megan was okay. Of course, Megan already knew Hiro's secret and they weren't out in the open, so he felt comfortable taking it off. Megan looked at him starry eyed and suddenly broke down in tears. She wrapped her arms around Hiro. He awkwardly comforted her and tapped her back.
'Hey, hey. It's all over now. You're safe now.' Megan sniffled and hugged him tighter.
Back in the town centre, Karmi was getting restless waiting for Hiro and feared the worst. She ran towards the alleyway. The rest of the guys followed her, to make sure everything was okay. Meanwhile, Megan had finally pulled herself away from Hiro after a very long hug. Hiro had his arms on hers as he made sure his friend was okay.
'Yeah, I think I'm okay now. I was just so scared. But I'm okay now you're here…'
Hiro smiled and was about to give some more words of comfort, when Megan unexpectedly took him off guard and kissed him. Hiro immediately pulled back and pushed her away.
'Woah, woah! What are you doing?! I have a girlfriend!'
'Oh, I'm sorry. I just- I-'
Megan stumbled over her words, but then stopped trying to speak as she noticed they had company. Hiro caught on to it and turned around. And there was his girlfriend. She stared at him wide eyed and open mouthed. The rest of the guys arrived at the scene, unbeknownst to what was happening.
'Karmi-' began Hiro.
'I- I saw everything,' said Karmi, trying to choke back tears.
'Babe… Wait! No! She kissed me! I-' Hiro panicked.
'Save it.' Karmi pushed past Honey Lemon and Gogo and ran away, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
