A/N: I changed the summary and title of the story, hope it's alright and it didn't confuse anyone haha.

Hiro's eyes slid open the next morning. He groaned into his pillow, head pounding. He sat up blearily and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He eyes moved automatically towards Tadashi's side of the room, as though he was expecting him to emerge from behind the screen that separated their two halves of the room. He shook his head resolutely and pulled on a t-shirt that was lying on the floor. He continued to get dressed quickly and silently, before slinging Tadashi's hat atop his mop of messy hair and heading downstairs.

'Morning.' Cass greeted him with uncharacteristic coolness, and he didn't blame her. After his sister had run out last night, he had been shouted at for a very long time. The mere memory of the incident was enough to make him burn with shame. He didn't know what had gotten into him. Truth be told, he rather fancied a day out somewhere that wasn't his brother's bedside. But he'd never admit that, he needed to be by Tadashi's side when he woke up, leaving him was not an option that he would ever allow himself to take.

'Morning Aunt Cass.' He sat down at the table as she placed a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of him. 'Thanks.' He picked up his fork and began to attack his food when he realised that his sister wasn't there. Every morning, she would sit opposite him, feet on the table and loudly read the newspaper to Aunt Cass. It annoyed him a lot, but he never said anything. Now that she wasn't there, the atmosphere was off-kilter.

'Where is Rena?' He asked inquisitively, trying to keep his voice casual to disguise the fact he was terrified his sister would never want to speak to him again.

'I don't know.' Aunt Cass said thickly, she sounded as though she'd been crying.

'What?' He said dumbly, 'what do you mean?'

'I mean I don't know where she is Hiro!' Cass snapped. Hiro flinched, but she didn't seem to notice. 'If you hadn't have gone round saying all those AWFUL things to her then maybe you'd know where she is! I suggest you go looking for her, and you can apologise for what you said. Then maybe, we can have a somewhat normal breakfast!'

He stood up, suddenly no longer hungry. He strode towards Cass and flung his arms around her, suffocating her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed back. Hiro didn't let go - he could feel her hot tears dripping onto his head.

'I'm sorry.' He whimpered into her chest.

Half an hour later, Hiro jumped out of the bus that had just pulled up outside the hospital. He exhaled slowly and jammed his hands deep into his hoodie pockets, bending his head down low. He watched his trainers as he began the familiar walk to Tadashi's room. Finally, he reached his brother's small room and opened the door. He looked up at last and fell backwards, crashing into the wall behind him.

'I-... how.. what?!' He spluttered.

Rena was stood on a chair, adjusting fairy lights that she'd placed above his bed. She freezed, her good hand poised in the air.

'Hi.' She said flatly.

Hiro gaped at the room. She'd taken Tadashi's posters and stuck them to the bare walls, fairy lights were hanging from the ceiling in more places than just above his bed. On his bedside table, there was a fat stack of Tadashi's favourite books and three framed photos - one of the three Hamada siblings with their parents, looking a hell of a lot younger, the selfie Honey had taken right before his showcase and a photo of Aunt Cass with her arms around Hiro and Rena, taken about a year ago in one of the city's parks. As well as this, Tadashi's battered old guitar was leaning in the corner of the room. The room felt more like Tadashi now, not at all the clinical hell-hole he'd been stewing in for the past 3 weeks. Why hadn't he thought to do this earlier? Rena stepped down from the chair, determinedly avoiding his gaze, as though afraid that he would shout at her again. Hiro was flooded with shame again as he looked at her.

'I'll take it down if you hate it.' She said, incorrectly interpreting his almost tearful gaze. 'I just wanted it to feel more like home for him.'

'It's great. It- it's perfect. He'll love it.' He shuffled his feet awkwardly. 'Listen, I'm sorry. I genuinely don't know what came over me. I guess being here all the time kinda sucks the life out of you a bit. I didn't mean it, and I hope you can forgive me for what I said. I miss you, we haven't really been around one another in weeks and I guess I was feeling a bit...haywire.' His mumbled apology came out in a rush, he was so desperate to say it to her.

Rena didn't say a word and slilently slunk down into a chair, hands over her face. She emerged after a minute or two and looked at Hiro - in the eyes this time.

'I was scared, I am scared. Seeing Tadashi like this literally makes my stomach turn. I never in a million years imagined him to be so weak and helpless, because it's Tadashi. He's always been there, and I guess seeing him there really made me realise that he's not unbreakable, he's as fragile as the rest of us. As weird as that sounds, I just wasn't ready to face it. I wasn't ready to face the fact that I may suddenly become the oldest, that he would leave us like that. I couldn't do it, couldn't face it. I know, it's pathetic, it's weak and there's no excuse. I love him, and I should be there for him. ESPECIALLY when he's this weak and vulnerable.' She looked up at Hiro, eyes sparkling with tears. 'I understand your anger, I do. It was unfair of me to leave you to do this by yourself. And you were right, Tadashi would never do the same.' She sniffed sadly, 'guess I'm just not cut out for being the eldest, eh?' She buried her face in her hands once more and cried. Hiro blanched and pulled up a chair, slinging his arm around her like she had done for him so many times before.

'No, it doesn't make you weak. I know what you mean, and I get it. I really do. But you're a great sister and a great person Rena, and Tadashi would be proud of you. You've helped Aunt Cass run the cafe, which is a hell of a lot more than what I've been doing. And it's okay, because Tadashi is going to wake up and life will go back to normal, it may take a while but it will happen.' He wasn't doing much, merely repeating the empty words that she had given him herself all those weeks ago. Eventually she emerged, wiping her eyes on her right sleeve. He rested his head on her shoulder, and took a hold of her hand as they watched the steady rise and fall of their older brothers chest, silently praying to a God neither of them believed in.

'Ew, this has not been tuned in ages.' Hiro looked over to where Rena was sitting, cross-legged in the corner of the room. She was holding Tadashi's guitar and wincing at the horrible sound it made when she strummed it. She twiddled with the tuners, tuning the guitar by ear. He watched her with interest.

'I didn't know you played the guitar.'

'Eh, I can't play it that well. I picked it up when he first got this one.'

'He hasn't played in ages - I forgot he had it.'

'Yeah I know, but he's just been busy I guess. Ah! There we are.' She strummed it again and nodded in satisfaction. 'it's not perfect, but oh well.' She began playing, and it took a second for Hiro's ears to register the song.

'Ed Sheeran? Seriously?' He grinned at her.

'Hey, Ed Sheeran had some bangers back in the day! Plus, it's one of the only songs I can play.'

She began singing softly.

White lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men.

Hiro was surprised - she was actually quite good. He hesitated, then joined in quietly.

And they say
She's in the class A Team
She's stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to her

'Cause she's just under the upper-hand
And goes mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
'Cause in a pipe, she'll fly to the motherland
And sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
Angels to fly
Angels to fly, mm

Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed and dry throat
Call girl, no phone

They say
She's in the class A Team
She's stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us

'Cause she's just under the upper-hand
And goes mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
'Cause in the pipe, she'll fly to the motherland
And sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
Angels to fly

Now an angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eyes and hoping for a better life
This time, now we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line
Just straight down the line, oh, mm

Now they say
She's in the class A Team
She's stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us

When we're all under the upper-hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And we don't want to go outside tonight
'Cause in the pipe we'll fly to the motherland
And sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
Angels to fly
Angels to fly
Fly, fly
Angels to fly, to fly, to fly
Angels to die

They finished softly together. Their voices blended weirdly well together. Rena gently put the guitar on the floor and smiled up at him on his chair.

'Dad's favourite song. I remember when it'd come on the radio and we'd all dance around the kitchen. He would pick you up and spin you around, and you'd laugh your head off. Of course, we didn't really understand what the song was about back then, Tadashi and I. We'd just enjoy dancing with them - even to a song as depressing and slow as that.'

Hiro blinked. 'You've never told me that.'

'Yeah it was something I kinda forgot about.' She shrugged and stood up, stretching. Hiro watched her eyes wander over to Tadashi's sleeping form and watch him for a second before she settled down in a chair on the opposite side of the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. 'He looks better.'

Hiro nodded, 'yeah I guess.' His face was no longer as burnt, just tanned. Most of the bandages had come off, leaving the healed skin looking new, if not slightly more red. But the space where his leg should be remained as sickeningly empty as ever. He swallowed thickly and tore his eyes away. They both remained silent for a few minutes, stewing in their own thoughts. Eventually, Rena stood up and pulled her long hair into a rough ponytail. She extended a hand towards Hiro, beckoning him over to where she stood by the door.

'Come on, let's get out of here.' Hiro hesitated and she quickly added 'not for long, I promise. Just a couple of hours, let's escape the city. It's claustrophobic and I hate it, I want to just get out for a few hours and I know you do too. Please?'

He sighed heavily, 'okay.'

Rena's face split into a wide grin as she pulled him to his feet. She rustled around in the box that she had put all Tadashi's possessions in and pulled out his helmet, tossing it to him. She tucked her own helmet under her arm and he followed her out of the room.

'We're going on the moped? Okay, first of all, how do you drive that with one arm? And secondly, how did you manage to get that massive box of crap over here?'

'Sheer determination and talent.' She said as they got into the lift. 'Oh yeah, and a massive pile of bungee cords.' When she said this, she pulled out a huge tangle of them from her pocket. Hiro shook his head in disbelief. They were nearing the reception when she muttered 'swipe a sharpie for me. We'll bring it back and I only have one arm at the minute.'

'What? No?'

'Fine I'll do it myself!' She thrust her helmet into Hiro's arm and nonchalantly sauntered over to the main desk. Quick as a flash, she'd reached over to the pot of pens and grabbed a couple of permanent markers. She turned back to Hiro and stuck her tongue out, and he ran to catch up with her, shaking his head in disbelief.

'You gonna tell me what just possessed you to turn into a thief?'

'I could, but it's more fun to make you guess.'

He rolled his eyes at her. Honestly.

'Why are we here then? This looks so boring!'

They'd pulled over to a tiny car park, the only other people there were a couple in their sixties, walking a yapping dog down a gravel path. He jumped off the moped and handed his helmet to his sister, who locked it in the tiny trunk on the back of the vehicle. They were surrounded by green hills and countryside, and Hiro took a second to appreciate how clean and crisp the air was as he took a big gulp.

'Thought we'd go for a walk.'

'A walk? Are you actually kidding me? That's so boring!' He groaned, kicking a stone on the ground.

Rena rolled her eyes at him. 'You are such a baby. I promise it'll be good, okay?' She set off walking down a a trail, heading in the opposite direction to the older couple. Hiro followed somewhat reluctantly. They walked down a rough stone path, heading downhill. Hiro was in awe of the surroundings, appreciating the views of the large rolling hills around him. The weather was warm and Hiro pulled off his hoodie and tied it securely around his waist. They walked on for a while, until he could see a lake looming into view.

'Wow.' It wasn't at all like the sea that surrounded San Fransokyo, which was brown and grimy. The water was a cool blue colour, and sparkled in the sunlight. It looked a hell of a lot more refreshing than the water he'd been used to splashing in when he was younger, and his sweating face ached to plunge into its depths. The surface was so still that it looked like glass. He picked up his pace as they edged nearer to the lake. They reached the bottom of the hill and Rena kicked off her shoes as she settled down on the grass by the water's edge. Hiro copied, sitting cross-legged beside her.

'This is a lake nicked 'the lake of prayers' or 'the lake of wishes' by the locals.'

'Why?'

Rena pointed towards the edge of the lake and Hiro'e eyes followed. 'Go into the lake and pick out a handful of stones.'

He didn't need telling twice, he scrambled to his feet and ran to the water. He dipped his foot in carefully, but the water was cool enough to wade into, so he did. He carefully edged further into the lake, slipping and sliding on the stones beneath him. When he was about knee deep and the water was beginning to touch his shorts, he scooped up an armful of stones and held them close to his chest. He went back to his sister's side and dropped them by her feet. She picked one up and closely examined it.

'Look.' She said, holding it out to him. He took it from her outstretched arm and noticed that there was words scribbled onto the smooth surface.

I wish for my Dad to beat his cancer. - Graham.

He picked up another one.

Sally, I really hope that you pass your driving test this week. I believe in you.

'Oh.' He breathed out softly. All the rocks were like that, inscribed with various messages. They ranged from things such as wishing for someone to pass their maths test to hoping for recovery from all kinds of illnesses. For the next half an hour, they poured over the rocks that had been thrown into the lake, reading the messages that had been written on them. When they'd finished their third pile of stones, Rena tapped his elbow and handed him a red sharpie.

'It's an old folk tale, if you write something onto a rock and throw it into a lake, your wish will be answered. People have been coming here for decades to get their wishes granted.'

'How did you find out about this place?'

She shrugged, 'Honey told me about it. I've been a couple of times, not to throw the rocks in but just to chill. But I thought we could do one each for Tadashi, what do you think?'

Hiro nodded feverishly. He stood, and Rena stuck her arm out. He pulled her up and she dusted herself off.

'Right. Now to get a stone.' She said, looking around. It didn't take them very long to find two fairly big stones. They sat back on the grass with their stones and Hiro chewed the end of his pen thoughtfully. Huh, he had no idea what to write. He looked out over the water, completely stumped. He had a lot of words, but couldn't get any out and onto the stone. Rena was bent over her stone, scribbling words that he could not see for her hair was hanging in front of her, making a curtain between them. He exhaled slowly and wrote the first thing he thought of.

Tadashi. I love you, please wake up soon. We need you to boss us around. Nothing is the same without you. Please.

He stroked the stone's surface, before standing up and hurling it into the lake as hard as he could. It met the middle with a loud splash, sending ripples across the smooth surface of the water. It wasn't exactly poetry, but it was enough. Rena stood and threw hers in after his, it didn't reach quite as far as his did though. She didn't ask what he had written, and he didn't ask her. Some things didn't need to be said aloud.

He edged over to his sister and she put an arm around him as they stared out over the water. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight. Yeah, he liked it here. It was peaceful, the complete opposite to the noise and chaos of the city. It was this moment that he truly knew, in his heart, that it was going to he alright.