A/B; Back to Rena's pov (kinda), the next few chapters will be alternating between her and Hiro so hopefully it's clear enough which part is who. Anyways.

Rena took one look at her brother lying in the pitiful hospital bed and felt as though she had been winded. This was way, way worse than she'd imagined. He looked like a broken, sad old rag doll. Most of the skin she could see was covered in bandages, his hair was considerably shorter than it had been before the fire, and her blood ran cold at the idea of his hair being burnt away like that. His face was not bandaged but he looked as though he had been badly sunburnt, his face was a brilliant shade of red and the skin was peeling grossly. She took a step towards him gingerly, as though approaching a very dangerous animal. He was hooked up to 100 different machines, tubes going into him in more places then she had ever imagined. The slow, monotonous beep of his heartbeat on the monitor was the only thing that indicated that he was even alive. She wanted to turn and run away, the sight of her brother lying there was enough to sap every ounce of bravery out of her bearing. It was something so terrible that she could not tear her eyes away. She slowly edged closer, eyes focusing on the slow, subtle rise and fall of his chest. She sunk down to her knees as she approached the bed and gently brushed his cheek. Tiny flakes of skin showered down and she snatched her hand away quickly, not wanting to break him anymore. She moved her hand slowly up to his hair, running it through her fingers, as gently as she possibly could. Tears were running freely down her face but she neither noticed or cared. Her fingers moved down and touched the tube entering his nose. She hated it, never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine a tube breathing for him. Tadashi, the strongest, bravest person she knew, lying there looking so pathetic that it made her weep. In that moment, he didn't even look peaceful. He looked damaged beyond repair. It killed her that she couldn't fix it. Fix him. But he wasn't a machine. He wasn't something that could just be taken apart, broken parts replaced and fixed. He was Tadashi, no matter how damaged he was. She straightened up, sniffing. Sinking down into a hard plastic chair, she buried her face into her hands. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She deliberately fixed her eyes on a ceiling tile above her, determined not to look at the space where his right leg should be. She heard Hiro crying, and couldn't even muster the strength to go to him. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, determined to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. She breathed out slowly before wiping her eyes with her hoodie sleeves. She looked blearily over at her youngest brother, he was knelt in the same position she just was, whispering to Tadashi. She tuned him out, knowing that whatever he was saying, he did not want her eavesdropping. She took Tadashi's bandaged hand in her own.

'Look.' She whispered quietly, holding up her own bandaged arm, 'twins!' She paused slightly before continuing. 'Please wake up Dash. We're all here, rooting for you. I love you more than anything, so don't leave us hanging for too long, alright?'

About an hour later, her phone was buzzing with a call from Honey Lemon. She gladly took the excuse to leave the room and went into the corridor, leaning against the wall as she clicked the small green icon displayed on her phone screen.

'Hey Honey.'

'Hey Squish, we've just pulled into the hospital. Any chance you could tell us whereabouts Tadashi's room is?'

Rena's heart missed a beat. They didn't know, she completely forgot to tell them. What sort of an awful friend just forgets to tell people something like that?

'...Squish? You there?'

'Yeah, yeah sorry. I, uh, need to tell you guys something first. I'll come meet you outside.'

'Oh, okay. See you in a minute.' Honey ended the call sounding anxious. Rena couldn't blame her.

Her friends stood looking at her expectantly, waiting for the news she was so scared to give to them. She had stalled as long as possible, taking time with the hugs and quick catch ups, pretending that everything was absolutely fine. For once, she cursed the fact that they were all geniuses as they had caught on surprisingly quickly. They were now all looking at her somewhat impatiently. She took a deep breath before launching into speech.

'When he ran into the fire like an idiot, he had only managed to get to the entrance hall before the building exploded. He would've gotten out, but a large beam had fallen and crushed the lower part of his body, which is why it took so long to pull him out.' Honey and Wasabi gasped, hands over their mouths in shock. Gogo had paled dramatically and even Fred had been horrified into silence. Rena was surprised with the fake tone of confidence that she showcased as she continued. 'They took him to the hospital and examined him, the results showing that he had suffered extreme nerve damage in his right leg due to the angle that the beam had fallen at. He-' her voice shook suddenly and she could feel tears in her eyes again. Damnit. She'd come so close. Honey placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she continued in a voice significantly more shaken than before. 'He's in a medically induced coma. They don't know how long it will be before he wakes up. And they amputated his leg.' She said this in a garbled rush, before bursting into tears. To everyone's surprise, it was Gogo that had pulled her into a hug first. Rena hugged her back tightly, and was soon joined by the rest of the gang. When she stopped crying, she pulled away and noticed tell-tale signs of tears in Gogo's eyes. Honey was still weeping openly, and Wasabi was patting her back, tears making tracks down his own face. Fred's eyes weren't dry either. They stood outside for a few minutes more, not saying anything but just basking in the company of one another. After was felt like an age, Rena broke the silence by suggesting that they go up to Tadashi's room. They all nodded grimly, and followed down the corridor and up in the lift. No one said a word until she had her hand on the door handle.

'I'll warn you now, he doesn't look good. So uh, yeah. I get it if you don't wanna go in.' No one said anything to respond to this, so she took this as a signal to push the door open. No one said a word as they filed into the dingy room, stunned into silence. Aunt Cass jumped up and edged out of the way so they could get closer, but Hiro remained exactly where he was, curled into a small plastic chair, hand dangling off the edge and still holding Tadashi's hand. Rena doubted that he had even noticed that they had entered. She turned away, not wanting to see her friends cry over her brother again.

A few hours had passed before a doctor had come in, gently insisting that they leave and that visiting times were over. Hiro seemed to be the only person reluctant to leave, not wanting to leave Tadashi's side again. Rena felt the opposite, not wanting to stay around him for much longer. They managed to prise him away from Tadashi after much struggle. He crossed his arms sulkily and did not say a word to any of their friends as they said their farewells. Aunt Cass draped an arm over his shoulder and they walked back to the car together. Aunt Cass insisted that she drove, and Rena did not argue. She stretched out in the back seat comfortably, Hiro in the front. It was clear that Aunt Cass was trying to act as though nothing had even happened, and Rena was grateful for the attempted stab at normality.

'So... I was thinking that tonight we could have a movie night! What do you say? I can swing by the store on the way home and grab some popcorn.'

'Sure.' Said Rena enthusiastically, 'I don't see why not.'

Hiro scoffed at the suggestion and Cass deflated slightly. Rena felt a surge of anger aimed towards her younger brother. Why couldn't he just be nice? No one was forcing him to do anything, it was just a suggestion to take his mind off of things! She quickly changed the subject before she lashed out at him.

'Are you opening the cafe again tomorrow?'

'I don't want to, but I'm gonna have to. Those medical bills won't pay for themselves.' Cass replied, chewing her lip nervously.

'I'm sure Tadashi would understand.' Rena said gently, 'I'll help out, seeing as he isn't here.'

'Are you sure? I'm sure we'll be fine on our own, although I do have a new one in tomorrow..'

'Yeah, I'm sure.'

'Thank you sweetie.'

Rena noticed that Hiro had stayed quiet during this interaction, and wondered if he was going to say anything snarky. Thankfully, he did not. He just sat there and stared out the window moodily. He still hadn't said a word by the time they'd pulled up to the cafe, instead racing straight upstairs to his bedroom. Rena followed her Aunt back into the cafe and watched as she pulled a tray of doughnuts out from the display.

'Want one?' She shook her head and Cass shrugged before shoving one into her mouth. Rena walked over to her Aunt and sat on the counter, legs swinging gently.

'Are you alright?' Cass had put the doughnut down and sank down next to her. Extending her arm outwards, she sidled over to her niece and Rena lent into her, suddenly realising how tired she was.

'Yeah, I think so. Seeing him for the first time was a shock to the system, but yeah.'

Cass bit her lip, seemingly lost in thought. 'He's gonna pull through. He has to.'

'Yeah. Course he will. His stubborn ass isn't leaving Hiro just yet.'

Cass laughed gently. 'True. Tadashi without Hiro is like bread without butter.'

Rena nodded in agreement, not showing how that stung slightly. A few minutes passed before Cass dropped another bombshell. 'Callaghan died. His vigil is tomorrow.'

'Oh.' She had expected it, but that didn't stop the news feeling like a slap to the face. She was never as close to Callaghan as Tadashi was, he was obsessed with the guy. Still though, school wouldn't feel the same without him. Cass gave her a squeeze and they sat there in silence.

Rena pulled up outside the SFIT exhibition hall on Tadashi's moped. There was no need for the car, Hiro flat out refused to go and Cass was tied down to the cafe. She sat in the car park for a second, every bone in her body screamed at her to bolt. But she couldn't. She wasn't here for herself, not really. She was here for Tadashi, he would be gutted to have missed it and the least she could do was say goodbye for him. She had to force one foot in front of the other, the urge to run away from the scene growing stronger the closer she got to the burnt hall. Taking in a sharp breath, she neared the bushes in which her and Hiro had huddled, hacking their lungs up. Her eyes stung and she swiped at them, annoyed. She tore her eyes away from the bushes and quietly joined the back of the tiny crowd that had gathered around the foot of the steps. No one seemed to have noticed that she'd arrived, and she was thankful because that way no one could see her trembling. The night was warm and peaceful, the small lights from the candles flickered in the early evening darkness. Small murmurings of the students gathered carried across the air, and she could hear the faint sounds of the river running behind them. A few people were sniffling, but apart from that the atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant, much like the man they were mourning. Under any other circumstance, Rena would have enjoyed it immensely. Candles were being passed around, and she took one from a woman with a kind face. It was strange, but she felt at peace there, candle in hand. She didn't know what she was so worried about.

As the time went on, speeches were made and plenty of tears were shed. Rena felt connected to all these people around her, despite not knowing who they were and whether or not she even knew them to begin with. It occurred to her at one point that she should make a speech - Tadashi would have wanted her to. No, would want her to. He was still alive, Callaghan wasn't. Her brain was slowing down, from the lack of sleep or something else she didn't know. She stepped forward as a girl she recognised from her advanced chemistry class finished her speech to a round of quiet applause. She looked at the small crowd and was met with many reassuring smiles. Her heart wasn't pounding as much as she'd expected, and she straightened up as she began her speech. She hadn't prepared for it, but somehow knew exactly what she wanted to say without even thinking about it.

'My name is Rena Hamada, and I am a student here at SFIT. I was taught by Professor Callaghan my first 2 years of being here, and I enjoyed every minute of his lessons. He was captivating, kind, and had a way about him that made you believe you could achieve anything. I will always remember him as a person who always saw the best in others, who wouldn't give up on anyone, despite what may happen. However, I'm mainly here in behalf of my brother Tadashi. He was injured in the fire, and cannot be here today. He ran in to try and save Professor Callaghan, which just goes to show how special Robert Callaghan truly was. He was a true inspiration to Tadashi, and he wouldn't be where he was today without the aid of Callaghan. Us SFIT students will go on to change the world, and we will do this because of Professor Callaghan. He changed lives, and he will live on in everything we do. Everything we invent, every decision we make, and every step we take from here on out. Thank you, Professor Callaghan. We owe you a lot.'

She wanted to say more, but knew she didn't need to. She stepped down to a gentle scattering of applause, and was quickly replaced with a girl bearing a guitar. She began singing gently, and it was a few seconds before someone joined in. It was infectious, soon everyone was humming or singing along gently to the words of the song. Wonderwall. If you knew Callaghan, you knew Oasis was his favourite. Rena felt as though nothing could ruin the atmosphere they'd created. That was, until she saw Alistair Krei at the side of the crowd. She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms, annoyed. What the hell was he doing here? Callaghan and Krei despised one another.

When the song had finished, Krei practically shoved the poor guitar girl aside. He opened his stupid mouth and started speaking, but Rena wasn't listening to a word he was saying. She was angry, and thoroughly confused. She stared at him coldly until he'd finished his extremely short speech. Krei's beady eyes scanned the crowd and landed on her, and he strode towards her confidently.

'Why hello! Rowan was it?' He boomed at her.

'No.' She said icily through gritted teeth. 'Rena.'

'Ah yes that's right, Rain. Of course.' He took a hold of her elbow and she snatched it away. His eyes narrowed and his voice was considerably less warm when he spoke next. 'Let's walk shall we?'

She would've said no, but everyone was staring at them and she didn't want to look rude in front of all these people. Besides, she was itching to see what Krei wanted anyway. She nodded curtly, and followed him down the path to the bridge. He stopped, staring out at the water and she peered at him suspiciously.

'You know... it's pretty rude to just drag someone away from a vigil and not say why.'

'Patience is a virtue. I'm happy to see you again, things were a little, ah, awkward last time we met, wouldn't you say?'

'You mean when you tried to steal my little brother's invention? Yeah I'd say so.'

'How close was your brother Zero to Professor Callaghan?'

'Zero? You mean HIRO? I mean, they weren't particularly close, they'd only met twice.'

'Hmm interesting. How is your brother? Still inventing?'

'Uhh not at the minute, he's preoccupied. And he- wait a minute. What do you really want?'

Krei looked at her greedily. 'Is he still working on the microbots? I will reconsider my offer to him, I am willing to pay a lot of money for them, especially if he has developed them further.'

'They were destroyed in the fire.' She responded flatly, and Krei deflated dramatically. 'And there's no 'reconsidering' - he refused your offer. And I'm glad he did, I'm glad my brother isn't being represented by a greedy, self-obsessed idiot.' With that, she turned on her heel and flounced away, resisiting the strong urge to spit at him.

'I'm not self-obsessed!' He called after her, 'it's business my dear! You're too young to understand!'

The days slowly melted into weeks, before Rena knew it, it had been 3 weeks since the fire and she had still not been able to face visiting Tadashi. The very thought made her head spin and stomach feel queasy. Instead, she opted to make herself seem as busy as possible so that she wouldn't have time to visit him - whether that was working in the cafe tirelessly, upgrading Baymax for Tadashi or simply sleeping away her feelings. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't rid herself of the burning guilt that she faced for not seeing her older brother. She hated herself for it, knowing full well that if the tables were turned he'd be visiting her everyday. But she simply could not bring herself to see his missing leg and burnt skin again. Not yet, anyway. She only saw Hiro at mealtimes, but she didn't fail to notice the way his eyes had slowly began to look more dead and how he barely said two words to anyone anymore. But whenever she tried to talk to him, he would quite literally run away from her. The only time he was ever away from the hospital was when he was forced out, and she knew that he would live there if he could. Aunt Cass had remained as warm, familiar and loving as ever and she could not be more grateful to her. She was the glue holding their little family together, even though Rena could hear her sobbing late at night when she thought her niece and nephew were asleep. She didn't sleep much nowadays, fearing the monsters that emerged when she did. Instead, she would lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, brain moving at 100 miles an hour. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop it.

Dinner that night was a somber occasion. They were having chicken and rice, and no one really said anything as they ate. Usually, they would sit around their small table and talk about anything and everything, things such as how their days were and what happened at school and in the cafe, what they were working on - everything. Since the fire though, their normal routine had halted, and dinner was one of the things that had changed the most. Rena gently placed her fork down next to her plate and turned to her brother.

'So... hows Tadashi?'

For a second she didn't think he'd heard her, it was a few seconds before he mumbled 'The same.'

'Ah.. okay.'

The rest of the meal continued in silence. It was Hiro's turn to do the dishes, and when he went into the kitchen Rena followed him. She looked at him as he ran the water into the bowl, she was still holding her own plate and he hadn't offered to take it off her. She couldn't help but feel as though he was avoiding her eyes.

'You know, I was thinking that tomorrow we could do something together. It's been so long since we've hung out properly, maybe we could go to the movies, or that new science exhibit at the museum, what do you say?' She looked at him hopefully, but to her surprise, when he turned to face her his eyes were full of fury. 'Hiro, are you alright? I-'

'Go to the movies? Go to the movies? Are you alright in the head? Tadashi is lying in a hospital bed, and you want me to go to the MOVIES?' His voice shook and she stared at him in disbelief. 'I have been there, every single day. Everyday I've sat by his bedside, waiting for him to wake up, being there for him. AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?' He was shouting now. 'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, EH BIG SIS? YOU'VE BEEN HERE! YOU HAVEN'T VISITED HIM IN WEEKS! DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT HIM? HOW COULD YOU NOT EVEN GO AND VISIT HIM? HOW COULD YOU BE THAT INCONSIDERATE, THAT CRUEL? YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT IF YOU WERE LYING THERE, HE WOULD BE THERE EVERYDAY, BY YOUR BEDSIDE! ACTUALLY I WISH IT WERE YOU LYING THERE INSTEAD OF HIM!'

The plate Rena was holding slipped out of her grip and smashed on the floor. She hadn't even realised, she stared at Hiro in disbelief and he clapped his hand over his mouth, eyes wide.

'How could you?' She whispered angrily.

'I didn't mean it, I-' Hiro stammered.

Tears pricking in her eyes, she turned and left the room, not wanting to hear another word that he had to say. She grabbed her helmet from its hook in the hallway and the keys to Tadashi's moped. Slamming the door shut, she rammed the helmet onto her head and shoved the keys hard into the moped parked outside. She set off down the street, trying to get away from the cafe so her Aunt and brother wouldn't see her cry.