Big Hero 6: The Art Theives

Chapter 2: City Tour

I wake up the next morning, get out of bed, take a quick shower, wrap my hair in a towel, and throw on my usual outfit. When I head downstairs, I find my mom and dad waiting for me.

My mother throws me a smile, and I smile back. "Ohayo, Mama and Papa," I say cheerfully, plopping down at the breakfast table.

"Good morning," my mother says, as I pour myself a glass of juice. "Are you going to the cafe again today, or do you plan on taking a trip downtown?"

I take a long sip of my drink before answering. "Yeah," I say, "that nice boy I saw yesterday is going to show me around the city, if that's okay with you."

"Sure," my mother says, nodding. "Just don't stay out too late, remember you still need to sign up for school and finish furnishing your room."

I nod, slip on my shoes, and pull on my hat. "See you later!" I call over my shoulder, opening the door, and after waving one final time to my parents, I head out.

As soon as I reach the cafe, I see Cass standing, holding a tray in one hand and an oven mitt in the other. "Ah, good morning, Sakura," she says pleasantly, sticking the sheet of raw cookie dough into the oven, wiping her hands on her apron, and making her way over to the counter. "The boys should be down soon. Go ahead, take a seat."

I smile, nod, and sit down to wait. While I wait for Tadashi, Cass hands me a muffin, which I begin to eat after thanking her.

"So, are you going to see the rest of the city today?" Cass asks.

I nod happily, mouth full of muffin. "Yeah," I say, "I can't wait. It looks so big already! I bet there are a lot of shops."

Tadashi heads down the stairs just then, into the cafe. "Good morning, Aunt Cass!" he says, waving a hand at his aunt, and then, his gaze shifts to me. "Oh, Sakura, you're already here," he says. "That's great! You ready to go on the tour?"

"Yes," I say, heat rising into my cheeks. "I can't wait."

Aunt Cass laughs softly and waves her hand at us as we head for the door. "You kids be safe," says Cass, "and have fun!"

"We will!" Tadashi and I say, and we head out.

"Do you have a car, Tadashi?" I ask. "Or are we going to walk?"

"No car," says Tadashi, smiling. "A moped."

He approaches and hops on to said moped and holds his hand back out to me. I take his hand, and he pulls me on the moped behind him. He reaches down, taking two helmets, one of which he hands to me. He settles the other atop his own head.

"So," he says, once we both have our helmets buckled, "are you ready for the grand tour?"

I nod, excited, and he starts up his moped and whizzes down the road. I'm instantly shocked by just how big everything looks, from the tall towers to ginormous skyscrapers. I gasp, surveying it all, taking it in. Wind rushes in my face, and I keep my arms locked around Tadashi's waist to keep from flying backwards off the fast-moving moped.

"Wow!" I say, shouting to get my voice over the wind. "This place is great"

He looks at me over his shoulder with a smile, and I fight down my blush. We continue down the road for a little while longer before Tadashi brings the moped to a stop. We both hop off, and I continue to stare in awe at the big city before me.

"The city is so much bigger than I ever knew," I say. From here, it's like I can see all of San Fransokyo, and it's incredible.

Tadashi nods, and we set off, walking, down the street. As we go, Tadashi points things out to me, announcing what everything is like he's a game show host, and I listen intently, occasionally pointing out things myself while asking what each thing is.

I point to something peculiar and ask, "What's that one? With the dragon gate?"

He follows my pointing finger and nods. "That's Chinatown," he answers. "You want to go look around? They've got the best ramen shops in the city, and it's almost lunch time anyway."

"Sure," I agree, and we head underneath the Dragon Gate, into Chinatown.

As soon as we head in, I have a very familiar feeling, almost like I've been here before, even though I know I haven't. "This place is just like back home," I say, after a moment, when I realize what Chinatown reminds me of. "Well, it's a little different, but still, nearly the same."

"Where did you live before you moved here?" Tadashi asks.

"Japan," I say.

He nods, and at the same time, his stomach grumbles. I toss him a knowing look, and we search for the nearest ramen shops. Once we find one, we head inside, sit down, and wait to be served.

"So," I say, setting aside my menu once I know what I want, "do you go to school here?"

Tadashi nods, eyes still moving over the list of different meals to choose from. "Yeah," he said, "my brother and I both go to San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, and we're in the robot program."

"Wow, that sounds really cool," I say. "I bet it's fun to work with so many robots."

He nods. We order our food, and it gets to us surprisingly quickly. I take my chopsticks and try a bite. "This is great," I say, smiling.

Tadashi smiles back. While we eat, we talk lightly about different schools and other landmarks in San Fransokyo, and when the waiter comes with our check, Tadashi pays for both his meal, and my meal.

"You didn't have to do that," I tell him.

He only grins. "My treat," he says. "After all, I'm the one giving you the tour, right?"

I sigh, but nod. "Alright."

We head out after that, walking through Chinatown back to where Tadashi parked his moped. As we pass a small shop, I notice a set of cute flower hair clips displayed in the window.

Tadashi notices me looking and raises a finger to point. "Those sure are pretty," he says. "Do you like them? I'll get them for you if you want."

The jewels on the clips sparkle in the sunlight, and on the end of the clips there are pale blue ribbons with little sliver bells. They really are beautiful.

"Are you sure?" I ask, somewhat nervously. "I mean, you already bought my lunch..."

Tadashi shakes his head and heads inside the shop, returning moments later with the jeweled hair clips in hand. He hands them to me and, before I can find the words to properly thank him, says, "Ready to head back to the cafe?"

I nod, dumbfounded by his kindness, and we continue down the street.

...

Tadashi pulls up in front of the cafe on his moped, and as soon as he cuts the engine, he helps me off and we head towards the doors of the cafe.

"So, how do you like the city so far, Sakura?" Tadashi asks.

"I like it," I say, smiling.

We head inside the cafe. Tadashi's little brother, Hiro, is sitting at a nearby table. "Hey, you guys," he says. "How was it?"

We sit down with him at the table and tell him everything. Afterwards, I look out the window; the sun is already setting.

"Oh, I have to get home," I say, standing and making for the door. "See you later!" I call back to Hiro and Tadashi, waving, and I head out.

...

Hiro looks at Tadashi, noticing his blush, and smirks. "Do you have a crush on Sakura?" he asks in a very knowing voice.

Tadashi whirls around to stare at his little brother, and Hiro shrugs. "They just moved here," Hiro says, "so I wouldn't rush it if I were you."

"It isn't a crush," says Tadashi. "It's just nice to hang out with someone different once in a while. It's a nice change. It's not a crush." He ruffles his brother's hair, and Hiro scowled.

"Don't mess with my hair!" Hiro protests.

...

I head through my front door, flower clips in hand. My mother, wiping down the dining room table, raises her head and smiles warmly at me.

"How was the tour?" she asks.

"Very fun," I reply.

I head up to my room, fingering one of the flower clips, listening to the tiny bell tingle.

"Maybe it's a good thing we moved here," I say to myself, and I smile. "I'm starting to feel at home now."