A/N: Okay, things get a little tricky here, but you're smart so you'll catch on.

thoughts in reality

dreamland perspective

[thoughts in dreamland]

[CHAPTER 1]

Hiro coughed weakly and trembled as he fell his body ache with all kinds of strain. Blinking slowly, he lifted his eyes to find more darkness. His leg was pinned under something incredibly heavy, which was painful. Water dripped every few seconds on his head.

"T-Tadashi?" He called anxiously before coughing through the dust. This couldn't be good for his lungs. "Where are you?" He silently reached his hand out and felt cold concrete, crumbling rubble, and metal.

The science hall was on fire...

Confused, Hiro withdrew his hand, instead clutching his chest. He couldn't sit up without damaging his leg more, though it seemed he could turn to lay on his back comfortably. He did so, but he didn't feel calmer.

Tadashi came in...

There was something wrong with the air in here. He was getting light-headed, and his muscles felt weak. It took a moment for him to come up with a conclusion for his observations. This space was lacking in oxygen...

I used the microbots to save him, then what happened?

Surely, it wouldn't run out of oxygen anytime soon... There was a place where water was dripping through, so there had to be cracks where fresh air could get through. Although, the amount of air that came in was the problem. He could be breathing more in than the cracks could replenish.

The neural transmitter isn't here, either.

If he forced himself to sleep most of the time, his breathing and heart rate could slow enough to maintain the oxygen until help arrived. Whenever he was awake, he could drink the water that dropped from above, assuming that it continued to drip long enough for the rescue team to find him. And he had eaten enough carbs that his body could maintain him without doing any physical activity for a while.

How long does that give me?

Hiro gulped and forced his tears away. He could last a while, weeks at least, maybe even a month or so. He could get out of this. He just had to stay calm. He just had to avoid really thinking about it. And, looks like his plan was already being set into motion; he felt tired even now.

They will come for me.

The boy let his eyelids droop, and drifted into the realm of sleep.

-{[(•)]}-

Hiro suddenly remembered that he left his neural transmitter back in the science hall... Meh, it probably wasn't that important. Who could actually look at that and know what it does and how to use it? It was highly unlikely that anyone would take it anyway. This was San Fransokyo, for Pete's sake!

Surrounded by offers of congratulations and spicy chicken wings, Tadashi mentioned talking to him privately. The two brothers quickly told Aunt Cass where they were going and headed off to the bridge.

[The bridge...? Why was that important?]

Hiro anxiously rambled about Tadashi giving him some silly "I'm proud of you" speech- it would be just like him! Instead, the eldest Hamada just teasingly informed him that he'd had his fly down the entire show. Embarrassed, Hiro fixed the problem.

Rumbles shook the ground not a moment later, and screams filled the air. The brothers started and whipped around.

[The science hall!]

Tadashi took off in the direction of the rapidly spreading fire, Hiro tailing closely at his heels. A woman quickly informed them that the professor was still inside. Ever the hero, Tadashi turned to run up the steps.

[No! That's dangerous!]

Hiro pleadingly tried to stop him. Angered, the older brother shook off his little sibling and hurried into the burning building. Mere moments after he entered, another explosion shook the entire building. The force of it even knocked the thirteen year old back, who was still staring shell-shocked at where his brother had disappeared.