...Well, I have no excuses, am I?
Other than the fact that I have a really long writer's block, which made me felt quite uninspired to continue this story for a while.
I'm really sorry for the 2 year long wait, but rest assured, I'm NOT giving up on this story. I WILL finish this story, that I'm promising you!
And now, enjoy the chapter!
If it was an ordinary day for Hiro Hamada, then it was a rather hectic day for his big brother Tadashi Hamada.
The older Hamada was a busy person when it comes to college. But today, he was even busier than usual. He had been asked to help some of his fellow students during his break, making him miss his lunch time. So his friends Honey, Go Go, Wasabi, and Fred had to have their lunch without him.
But now that all of those tasks were taken care of, he can finally go home. But before he did, he wanted to make sure that his baby brother is okay. So he pulled out the GPS tracker that he had been using to keep tabs on Hiro to find out his current whereabouts. Tadashi stared at the dot on the tracker. As he expected, the dot was located on the alleys, much to his concern (and annoyance). He let out a sigh.
Now, he was glad that ever since Hiro had been accepted in SFIT, his interest in bot fighting started to wane. But to his dismay, Hiro still sneak out to bot fight, though it wasn't as often as before he became a college student.
Tadashi kept staring at the dot, which now started to move. It moved from the alleys to the main streets, crossing roads, and to their home the Lucky Cat Café, much to his confusion and relief.
Looks like I can go home without having to go through the trouble this time, he still, did he actually get away this time? Or he didn't go bot fighting at all? he wondered. He hoped the answer would be the latter.
He was about to ride on his moped when suddenly he heard his four best friends calling out to him.
"Tadashi!" Go Go, Wasabi, Honey, and Fred were calling at the same time.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Tadashi greeted them.
"We were just wondering if you would like to join us for a movie? You know, the cinema was re-releasing an old superhero movie last week and we want to watch it this Friday." Honey explained.
"Yeah! It's about some dude named Peter Parker who got bitten by a spider and then he got spider-like super powers! How cool is that?" Fred added.
"But which one that got re-released, 'Spider-Man' or 'The Amazing Spider-Man'?" Tadashi asked.
"The 2012 one. The one that was a reboot of the 2002-2007 Spider-Man trilogy franchise, so it's 'The Amazing Spider-Man'. So what do you say?" Wasabi offered.
"Sure, I'd love to. I'll tell Hiro about it when I get home," Tadashi answered.
"Don't forget," Go Go chimed in as she popped her gum.
Tadashi smiled at that. "I won't," he told his friends.
With that, the five parted ways. Tadashi got on his moped and start driving down the street, all the way to his home.
He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Hiro managed to make it home safely. Sure, it wasn't the first time his little brother got away, but it still worried the older Hamada nonetheless, considering the chances Hiro got home safely without any injuries and bruises at all was very unlikely. And often Tadashi had to reach his baby brother first before he could get hurt further.
Tadashi did not know how Hiro did it, nor was he sure about it. But one thing is certain: he had to go back home as soon as possible.
Finally, the Lucky Cat Café was in sight. Tadashi sped up his moped and parked it when he reached his destination. He entered the café and some of the regular customers immediately greeted him.
"Hello, Tadashi!" they all said.
"Hello," Tadashi said back with a smile on his face.
"So how was your day?" one customer asked the older Hamada.
"Good," he replied.
He was about to go upstairs when he heard some of the customers chatting about something that caught his attention.
"I never knew Hiro had a girl friend around his age."
"That girl Hiro brought in this afternoon? Oh, she was so lovely!"
"Yes, she was such a sweetheart!"
"Just like an angel!"
"Although she dressed rather oddly. Who could have still dressed like that in the twenty-first century?"
"And the way she talked. Perhaps she was raised to speak in a polite manner?"
"Not to mention the way she acted. It's like she came from the old times."
"Also, she was hopeless with technology. When I was texting my friend, she approached me and asked 'What is that strange ornament you're holding?'. I was like, 'Seriously?'"
The customers kept chatting about "the girl Hiro brought in", much to the older Hamada's curiosity. Hiro has a friend outside my group? Tadashi wondered.
What is she like? How did Hiro meet her? How long had they known each other? The questions kept ringing in Tadashi's mind.
He couldn't hold his curiosity any longer. "Um, excuse me, but I heard you said something about Hiro brought a girl home?" he asked.
"Oh yes! Tadashi, you're not going to believe what happened today!" a customer exclaimed to him in excitement.
"Did it has something to do with this girl Hiro brought?" he asked them.
"Yes! Please tell him!"
"Tell him! Tell him the whole thing! Tell him everything!"
Soon, the entire customers broke into a loud chatter, some of them were still a mix between pleasant compliments and behind-the-back-talks regarding the mysterious girl that is supposedly Hiro's friend. The mixed chat made Tadashi felt both happy that his little brother's new friend must be a good person and confused that she didn't know what a cell phone is. But the older Hamada tried to think positively. The chatter continued until one customer decided to tell Tadashi.
"Okay, so this afternoon, Hiro returned here with a girl. She was...well...looked out of place."
Tadashi remembered how one of the customers mentioned that Hiro's new friend was wearing a costume and how she was completely unfamiliar with the concept of technology and modern age so he decided to get to the point.
"What's her name?"
The customers fell into silence at that. They exchanged glances to each other.
"Well, I think it's better if you ask her yourself."
"You wouldn't believe us if we tell you."
They insisted that Tadashi meet her by himself. He agreed, wanting to talk to Hiro about this new girl friend of his the moment he heard the customers talking about her.
With that, he went upstairs, eager to get answers from Hiro and see his little brother's new friend for himself.
And there Hiro was, laying on the couch watching TV while munching some gummy bears. Tadashi saw Aunt Cass in the kitchen, making chicken wings. And next to her was a girl he never saw before, helping Aunt Cass preparing dinner by making mashed potatoes. Just like what the customers said, she really looked out of place. That must be her, Tadashi thought to himself. He announced his presence, "I'm home."
Hiro, Aunt Cass, and the girl turned their heads to face Tadashi.
"Welcome home sweetie," Aunt Cass greeted her eldest nephew.
"'Sup bro," Hiro greeted as well.
The girl approached Tadashi, "Hello, you must be Tadashi," she greeted him before she curtseyed, "I'm Snow White."
Tadashi was dumbfounded.
"Uh..."
Before he could form a sentence to reply, he was pulled by both Hiro and Aunt Cass. "Snow White sweetie, would you excuse us for a moment? I need to have a word with my nephews," Aunt Cass stated.
As soon as Snow White nodded, Aunt Cass motioned her two nephews to follow her to her bedroom. Once they were inside, Tadashi asked, "Was she serious?"
"That's what we're going to find out," Aunt Cass replied.
"Me and Aunt Cass were unsure how to respond either," Hiro added.
So that's why they went silent. They thought that I wouldn't believe them if they told me. No wonder they insisted me to see her for myself, Tadashi thought, realizing the sudden change of the customers' behavior earlier. Then he remembered how they kept referred Snow White as "Hiro's girl friend", so he immediately went to the subject.
"Hiro, how did you met her?"
"Well, I originally want to go bot fighting-"
Tadashi glared at Hiro.
"I said originally," Hiro stated.
Tadashi's glare died down, though he still stares at Hiro, expecting his little brother to answer.
"But then I heard a scream from one of the alleys. I checked it out and I found her being surrounded by Yama's henchmen. I shouted at them and they looked at me. And...well, you know what happened."
Tadashi went into papa wolf mode in an instant. "You okay?", he asked, frantic.
Hiro replied, "Yeah."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Then what were you thinking?! Knucklehead!"
Tadashi flicked Hiro's forehead. "Ow! Dude!", Hiro shouted.
"That's what you get for putting yourself in danger!", Tadashi shouted back.
"I couldn't just leave her alone! You're the one who taught me to help others!"
"You could have just shouted for help!"
The sentence escaping from Tadashi's mouth left Hiro stunned, his eyes widen with hurt. He should've known. It always came down to the fact how small he is.
"It's because I'm not strong enough, isn't it? I'm too weak to handle a bunch of big, tough, strong bot fighters, I'm too young to take care of myself, I'm too small to fight against a group of grown men." Hiro stated matter-of-factly, his tone bitter.
Tadashi's expression softens. "Oh Hiro, I'm sorry. I never meant to say that you're weak. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just I don't trust what's happening to you when I'm not there to help you. I don't want anything bad happen to you." He then pulled his baby brother in a tight hug.
Hiro wraps his arms around Tadashi, returning the hug. "I know."
"Well, now that's settled, let's talk about our guest," Aunt Cass said.
The two brothers nodded in agreement.
"Okay, so she claims to be Snow White, of all things. Actually, it's rather ridiculous, don't you think?" Tadashi spoke first.
"Yeah, who would claim themselves to be fictional characters? Though, I think she seems genuine," Hiro added, feeling unsure.
Tadashi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Hiro explained the princess' mannerism that he witnessed, from her speech, to her actions. He also explained how she had no concept of street crossing and its safety and how lucky were they that the lights were green when they crossed the street .
"Well, that's certainly something," Tadashi commented.
"Yeah..." Hiro trailed off.
"What about animals?" Aunt Cass asked.
"Huh?" Both Hiro and Tadashi exclaimed.
"Well, in fairy tales, generally the princess character is portrayed as having the ability to talk to animals, right? As in, she can understand them." Aunt Cass explained.
"That doesn't prove anything," Tadashi argued. "For all we know, she could be someone who is trained to understand animals very well," he continued. "But then again, I don't know anyone in San Fransokyo who can talk to animals."
Hiro looked thoughtful for a moment before the realization hit him.
"Hey, remember when Fred told us about a new student in SFIT who invented a helmet that can visualize memories? What if we borrow the helmet and use it on her to see if she's telling the truth or not?" he explained, grinning.
Tadashi's eyes widened. "That's it! Hiro you're a genius!" he exclaimed. He wrapped his arm around his little brother's neck to give him a noogie. Hiro laughed and flailed his arms trying to get Tadashi to stop, which he eventually did.
"Now, shall we go back to our guest? I'm certain she must have been waiting for us," Aunt Cass stated.
Hiro and Tadashi nodded. "Sure Aunt Cass," they said in unison.
With that, the three exited the bedroom and made their way to the table where Snow White finished preparing dinner.
"Did you continue making dinner while you were waiting for us?" Aunt Cass asked.
"Yes, I was hoping you wouldn't mind," the princess replied, looking slightly nervous.
"Oh, not at all, I thank you for finishing the work while I and my nephews were talking," the older woman reassured her, smiling.
The four sat on their dining chairs. Aunt Cass put two hot wings on each plate, two scoops of mashed potatoes, a few spoonfuls of mixed vegetables and a dose of gravy.
"So Tadashi, how was your day?" Aunt Cass asked, starting a conversation.
"Good, but I was really busy today. I have to skip lunch since many students and lecturers asked me to help them," Tadashi replied.
"Ha! That's our big nerd," Hiro commented with a huge grin on his face.
"That's giant nerd for you," Tadashi retorted, lightly smacking Hiro's head.
As the brothers continue their banter and Aunt Cass scolds them, Snow White couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of her. It had been a really long time since she saw a family having good times together. And it had been a really long time since she had her own portion of meal all to herself. She wished this moment could last forever.
She felt nostalgic, reminiscing how her father used to take her out to see their people once in a while and interacted with them. Or she and her father would visit the village just to see what festivities hosted by one of the villagers. Sometimes she and her father would give unneeded things to the village people, knowing that they need them more. And how their eyes would lit up and thanked her father with genuine gratefulness. Those were moments the princess truly cherished, especially when she got to see the children. There's just something about them that warmed her heart. Maybe it's because of their innocence. Or maybe it's because they saw the world the same way she does – idealistic, peaceful, prosperous. Pure bliss.
Another memory came into Snow White's mind, this time about how she used to be able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner like every other people would. She could eat all the strawberries and cream as much as she wants. Sometimes when her father was in a great mood, he would allow her to request three kinds of desserts being made by the castle cook. And if there were any leftovers, the castle staff and servants could have them either for themselves or to share with their families. After all, a sweet sensation in someone's taste bud is one of the things that can bring a smile to most people's face.
Then her father met a woman during one of his journeys. Her name is Grimhilde. They fell for each other and eventually they married. The princess was happy to have a new mother. So did Grimhilde. She was truly happy and loved Snow White from the bottom of her heart. The three of them became the perfect and loving family.
But then, Snow White's father died in an accident. The death of her beloved father and king to the people left them with deep sorrow. But her stepmother was the one who took her husband's death the hardest. And it affected their mother-daughter relationship. Slowly Grimhilde grew cold and distant. She preferred to be completely alone rather than having her stepdaughter for company. Everyday she would look upon obsessively at her own reflection on the enormous oval-shaped mirror with serpentine designs that was a wedding gift from her late husband's triplet cousins.
Then there's the fact that she started to force her stepdaughter to do all of the servants' work: from cooking to cleaning to washing to sewing and so on. Snow White didn't mind those. In fact, she liked the feeling of being productive rather than doing nothing at all. But it did saddened her that her stepmother never wanted her to eat together like they used to when her father was alive. Worse, her stepmother never allowed her to rest. Worst of all, she could no longer have her own food whenever she pleases. Now she was only allowed to eat scraps from others who didn't finish their meal.
A single tear fell from her eyes without her notice, soon followed by another, and eventually, the princess cried in complete silence.
"...ite? Snow White? Are you alright?"
Aunt Cass' voice snapped through Snow White's trance, bringing her back to the present.
"Are you alright?" Aunt Cass repeated her question.
Snow White saw the older woman and her two nephews were staring at her, concerned.
"You were crying," Hiro stated.
"Was the wings too spicy?" Tadashi asked.
"She hasn't even touch her food bro," Hiro pointed out.
"Whoops, sorry about that," Tadashi chuckled.
Not wanting to troubling them, Snow White immediately wiped her tears. "I'm fine, I was just...lost in thought," she said.
Hiro hesitated for a moment before he decided to comfort the girl. "Listen, uh..." the prodigy started, unsure what to say. "If there's anything that bothers you, you know you can talk to us. My aunt, Baymax, our friends, my brother, or me," he continued, before mentally slapping himself. Gah! What was I saying?! I must've sounded so stupid! I absolutely know nothing when it comes to these sappy stuff! Hiro thought to himself.
Snow White looked at the boy with a grateful smile. "Thank you, I feel quite better now," she responded.
Hiro smiled back at her before he remembered that she has no place to stay. "Um, Aunt Cass? Is it okay if she stays in here?" the younger Hamada asked.
Aunt Cass pondered for a moment before she approved Hiro's request. "Sure, but she gets to sleep in you boys' bedroom," she looked at both of her nephews expectantly.
"What? But-" Hiro started to protest.
"Yeah, sure, she can sleep in our room," Tadashi agreed, cutting Hiro off.
Hiro glared at his brother, who just smirked at him.
Sensing Hiro's reluctance, Snow White spoke up. "Miss Cass, I appreciate the offer, but where would your nephews sleep?" she asked, hoping the woman would change her mind. But no such luck. The woman just dismissed the girl's concern. "Oh, it's easy. They can sleep on the couch," Aunt Cass pointed her finger at the sofa. Snow White followed her gaze to the direction of the woman's finger. The princess gave the older woman a questioning look. "That doesn't look like it can be used to sleep for two people," she stated. Aunt Cass walked over to the sofa, flip the seats, and soon enough, the seats extended into a bed.
"Oh!" Snow White exclaimed in astonishment.
"See? Now, let's finish dinner before it gets cold and stiff."
The four resumed their remaining dinner while continuing the conversation about Tadashi and Hiro's college activities.
"I can't believe you agreed with Aunt Cass for her to sleep in our room!" Hiro exclaimed, feeling annoyed.
"Well, she's our guest. And since we have no guest bedrooms, it's only fair that we, as goodhosts, provided her our room. Besides, you were the one who asked Aunt Cass if she could stay," Tadashi pointed out, smiling at his brother.
Hiro huffed. As generous as he is, hestillwants to sleep on his own bed.
"And you know, it's been a while since we get to sleep on the couch together like this. We can watch any movie while we eat popcorns, or we can plugged in the console and play some games," Tadashi added, hoping the things he listed would appeal Hiro.
Hiro felt the corner of his lips turning upward, smiling fondly at the memories of moments he and his brother used to do together when they were younger, one of them being sleeping together on the couch in the living room, cuddling with each other.
"Yeah, I guess so..." Hiro trailed off.
"What do you say bro?" Tadashi offered his hand, grinning.
Hiro momentarily looked at his big brother, who simply looked back at him. The prodigy didn't miss the small glint of hope in Tadashi's eyes. Hiro gave in, accepting the older Hamada's hand.
"So, anything you want to watch? Or play?" Tadashi asked, eager to spend some time with his baby brother.
"Hmm, I want to-wait, don't we have to wake up early tomorrow? You know we have that big presentation for Professor Callaghan's class," Hiro reminded his big brother.
"Oh, right..." Tadashi agreed, feeling slightly disappointed. Well, there's always next time, he mused.
The brothers just sat next to each other, both went silent for a few moments before Hiro spoke, "Tadashi?"
"Hm?"
"Have I ever told you how I got into bot fighting?"
"I don't think you have. Speaking of which, how?"
"It all started ever since you enrolled in SFIT. You became busy with your assignments, projects, exams. You barely have time for me or Aunt Cass. And, well, I guess I kinda felt lonely and bored without you in the house so often. So I started to find things to do to get rid of my boredom, and eventually, I found the thrill and excitement of bot fighting. And then you found out, we got into fights, but you always saved me even though you don't have to. I'm really sorry for all of the trouble I've caused you," Hiro looked pleadingly at Tadashi.
Tadashi wrapped an arm around Hiro's neck and gently squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Hey, it's okay. You'll always be my top priority. And I'll always love you no matter what, and don't you forget that Hiro Hamada," Tadashi stated firmly. He added, "And now you're a student at nerd school, so we can spend more time together." Tadashi grinned, to which Hiro grinned back.
They sat in another silence before Tadashi spoke, "Hiro?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think of her?"
"Who?"
"Your new friend."
"Oh, well, she's good so far. But to be honest, I feel strangely comfortable around her, even though we've just met today. There's something about her that tells me that I can trust her. It's like I met an old friend for the first time. Weird huh?"
"Yeah..."
"Say, I think we should take her to SFIT with us tomorrow morning."
"Why?"
"The helmet...?"
"Oh yeah. By the way, the gang invited us to watch 'The Amazing Spider-Man' this Friday. Interested?"
"Really? Cool, I'm looking forward to it!"
"Okay, I'll let them know tomorrow. Night Hiro."
"Night Tadashi."
Snow White sat on bed, her mind replaying the events that she experienced today. From her brief encounter with the Prince toher near-death experience at the hands of Humbert to the scary trees in the woods to the men who wanted to harmher to Hiro rescuing her to meeting his aunt and older brother to enjoying her first supper since the death of her father.
Everything happened so fast.
I wonder what's the Prince doing right now? Is he currently searching for me? Will he find me in this strange new world?Will we meet again? Reunited and then go to his castle where we'll live together forever? The princess kept wondering about the Prince and their future together.
Oh, what about Humbert? Is he safe? Was stepmother threatening him? Oh please be careful.
Oh stepmother. What did I ever do to her that made her hate me so much? I just wish things could have gone better for us.
Snow White remains seated on bed, thinking about the people from her own place. Now she thinks of the new people she met in San Fransokyo.
Hiro, I'm truly happy I get to meet him. He's a true friend. He has been so very kind to me and even going as far as allowing me to ate a donut for free. Somehow I'm looking forward what tomorrow will bring for me. For some reason, the princess felt her heart would burst with happiness at the thought of spending more time with the prodigy.
Miss Cass is a wonderful aunt for Hiro and Tadashi. It must have been tough to raise her two nephews alone, but she raised them well. She is a great mother figure for both of them.
Tadashi must be a good person, I'm certain he cares a lot about Hiro. They're lucky to have each other.
Snow White felt a pang of loneliness at the last thought. It reminded her about the fact that she's an only child. While being an only child has its perks, she couldn't help but feel...well, alone.
She remembered during one of the visits to the village with her father, she watched a group of siblings play together, laughing, joking. Everyone was so carefree. While she just watched them in silence with a sense of longing.
So she clasped her hands together, and starts praying.
"Dear Lord in Heaven, bless the two brothers and their aunt who had been so very kind to me. Please give them the strength to face tomorrow and may I return to my world soon. Amen." Then, as if she's forgetting something, she immediately prayed again, "Oh yes, and please give me a sister or a brother."
With that, she smiled and closed her eyes, drifting off to the land of dreams where she dreams of love, beauty, blissful worlds and happily-ever-afters.
Notes:
I know this is old news, but Big Hero 6 is getting a TV series! *squealing in delight*
That way, I can get to know more about our favorite child prodigy and his healthcare robot companion, along with his 4 friends and his aunt, and the new characters! I'm SO looking forward for Fall 2017 to come!
Also, I actually had been considering to re-write this story from scratch, since I felt that I wrote Hiro somewhat OOC. What do you guys think?
English isn't my first language, so feel free to point out any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and typos that I may accidentally made. I would really appreciate it! Thank you!