SO SORRY YOU GUYS

I got a new laptop but stupidly forgot to backup my stories TvT

I actually had a bunch of chapters for this one and Other Worlds ready then lost ALL OF IT in one night

BUT IT'S OK, I MANAGED TO RECOVER/REMEMBER ENOUGH STUFF TO UPDATE

All the other stories will be updated soon as well~

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Chapter 7: Bad Luck

"Hey, weird kid."

Hiro didn't have to look up to see who it was. Chewing on his bland lunch, he mumbled, "Hey, Vanellope."

It had been a full week since he started school. Thankfully, the sniggers and derisive laughs died down eventually, but Hiro was still "the new kid." Most of the kids at this school went to middle school together. All of them were friends already. Hiro could recognize a few kids that were in his other classes, but at most they were acquaintances. His only real "friend" was Vanellope.

Said friend plopped down across from him, pulling out her own lunch. Hiro came to realize that most of the people at the school avoided her. Probably to hide from Taffyta's wrath, Hiro really didn't know.

"So how was your first week?" Vanellope mumbled through her sandwich. "Make any other weirdo friends to join our loner table?"

"Not really," Hiro shrugged. "There are these twins in my history class who are pretty weird, but they kinda just hang around each other."

"The Pines?" Vanellop swallowed. "Oh, you don't wanna mess with them."

"Why, what's wrong with them, they seem nice."

"They are," she started carefully, "but they kinda only keep to themselves. I heard they have this weirdo uncle they go visit every summer and a buncha weird stuff goes down if you mess with either of 'em."

"Understandable," Hiro waved off her concerns. "I mean they are twins. They've been together since forever."

"Well, if you wanna risk it, ask them to hang out," Vanellope shrugged. "But they probably won't wanna. Like I said, they kinda just keep to themselves." She dug through her backpack and pulled out a wrinkly paper. Hiro could see red marks scattered across the sheet. "Can you help me with this problem? I can't figure out what I did wrong, man…"

After school ended, Hiro and Vanellope sat under the shade of a tree by the entrance, waiting for their guardians to pick them up. They chatted occasionally about how their day was, laughing at inside jokes. Hiro was slightly surprised about how natural it had all felt, like he was just a normal kid. It felt… nice.

His phone vibrated, prompting him to glance down. "Great," he muttered, scowling at the screen. It was a text from Tadashi.

Hey bud, sorry, some stuff came up. Trouble at the lab. Might take a while. Walk home if you don't wanna wait there for hours. Sorry! I'll bring back some food with the gang later.

"This is great," Hiro sighed, standing up. "Sorry, Vanellope, I'm walking back today. Tadashi's gonna be late."

"No problem," Vanellope shrugged. "Ralph is here anyways. See you tomorrow, nerd!"

Waving goodbye, Hiro shouldered his backpack and walked toward the main gate. His home wasn't far from school, only a few blocks down. Tadashi only insisted on driving him as a safety hazard ("What if you get attacked, or kidnapped!"). Of course, in emergency situations, Tadashi would be fine with him walking back alone. He just had to make sure there was enough sunlight out, and always had to have his phone ready.

Personally, Hiro liked walking home. It was relaxing. He could forget everything and think on his own. He could look around and observe the neighborhood however he liked to. The walk also gave him a twenty to thirty minute window where Peniel couldn't intrude in his thoughts. Sure, driving had a window too, but it wasn't as long.

Speaking of which, Peniel had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole day. Usually she was nonstop yammering the whole day, mostly about pointless stuff that ended up giving Hiro a headache. Today, she didn't even pop up. Not even once.

Hiro sighed and crossed the street, making sure to check both ways first. He passed the grocers at the corner, waving at the old man that was sweeping out in the front. So far, Hiro's had to walk back home three times, and every time he walked down that particular block, the old man was always there. The grocer smiled and waved back. He was nice, in the quiet elderly way. One time he had offered Hiro some snacks, which Hiro had to politely decline. After all, Tadashi would be furious if he ruined his appetite.

After he passed the grocer, he looked over and smiled at the café that was a few doors down. It was a peaceful little café, very quaint. It looked like a place a guy would take a girl on a date if he wanted it to be private. Whenever Hiro walked by, there would be a few people there, mostly college students freeloading off the free wifi and low priced drinks and snacks. It kind of reminded him of his aunt's old café, which always made him a little sad. He had to remind himself to bring Tadashi and the gang over some day, for the memories. He also wanted to use it as an excuse to move on. Of course, he hadn't been conscious when his aunt took her final breaths, and never really got over it. Maybe if he went to a similar café, or actually went back to his old home, he could find some closure. However, since the old home burned down and was still in disarray, going back wasn't really an option.

After passing a few more small restaurants, Hiro gripped the straps of his backpack tighter. He was passing the shady area of town. The area that he and Tadashi jokingly called "the Dark Side." Luckily, there were usually no people around, but graffiti and vulgar drawings littered the brick walls. It was like walking from Happyville straight into the back alley of New Yosaka. He had heard that there were plenty of illegal botfights that took place in the shadows at night. It was a goal of his to go to one of these fights, maybe even fight in some, but he knew Tadashi would have a fit.

Just as he passed a particularly dark alley, a rustle caught his attention. Freezing like a deer caught in headlights, he slowly turned his head to look over. Unsurprisingly, the shadows covered up everything. All he could see was shadowed figures in the gloom.

Swallowing nervously, he clenched the phone in his pocket tightly. Don't do it, a little voice in his head (that wasn't Peniel) hissed. This is how idiots in horror movies die, they check out the noise. Don't go towards the noise!

Hiro knew the voice was right, but curiosity got the best of him. Pulling out his phone (unsure of why, he couldn't really use it as a weapon), he slowly crept into the dark alley. Hiding behind the large dumpster, he gradually moved his head out, trying to peer behind it. He saw nothing. Again, no surpise.

Reaching over next to him, he cautiously grabbed a pole that was propped against the wall. It was a mop. Not exactly the most terrifying weapon, but it would have to do. Carefully, he snuck out from his hiding spot, mop clenched and ready to hit someone, or something.

Everything was still dark, and he could see nothing. He wasn't sure if his fear driven mind was imagining it or not, but he swore he saw a pair of beady dark eyes glaring at him through the shadows. Hurriedly grabbing his phone, he turned it on, hoping the light of his screen would light a way through the dark.

What he saw was surprising to say the least.

For one part, he was right about seeing eyes. But they weren't glaring at him. They were staring at him, lifeless. Dead.

The body of a young woman, her dried blood encrusted around multiple stab wounds, laid among the trash bags scattered through the alley.

Hiro stumbled back, dropping his mop in surprise. Shakily dialing the number into his phone, he swallowed, unable to look away from the dead gaze of this unfortunate woman.

"San Fransokyo Police Department."

Hiro swallowed dryly once again, before hoarsely whispering, "You need to come quick. I just found a dead body."

Seeing the flashing red and blue lights of police sirens again was oddly nostalgic to him. Only this time, it wasn't raining. That made it slightly better, but only slightly.

At some point, someone had draped a blanket over his shoulders. He was still numb from shock and really didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that he was sitting in the back of an ambulance, the sky was bright and blue, the lights of the sirens were flashing wildly, caution tapes roped off the alleyway, people were starting to crowd around, hoping to get a view of what was going on, and a body.

The body.

It wasn't the blood that scared him. It wasn't the nasty looking stab wounds, or the fact that it had been in the middle of a dark alleyway.

It was her eyes.

The hopelessness in those pools was so deep you could drown in them.

A shudder went through his frame, the first movement he had done since the police arrived. A good twenty minutes ago.

Several policemen were going through the alleyway, looking for evidence, collecting testimonies. One kind lady had sympathetically tried to comfort him, then asked for his fingerprints to eliminate him as a suspect. Hiro remembered nodding numbly, still not able to process what he had just seen. Now that he thought about it, she was probably the one that covered him with the blanket. And why they would think a ten-year-old kid was capable of a murder so cruel was also befuddling.

A distant car door slammed shut followed by indignant yells. Hiro was still dazed, not really processing what was happening. Looking up, he was slightly surprised to see Tadashi in the crowd.

Angrily waving his uninjured arms and pointing at Hiro's direction.

The noises and actions around him slowly started matching up again. The obnoxious blaring of the police sirens rang through his numb head. The muttering wave of the crowd behind the caution tape seemed to be amplified, mixing in with the chaotic cacophony in his mind. Tadashi was screaming something that distinctly sounded like, "Listen, that's my brother!"

Apparently, Tadashi was actually really convincing, as he was suddenly weaving under the yellow tape and running over to Hiro's side. How a one-armed nerd with a gray cardigan could be threatening boggled Hiro.

"Hey," Tadashi jogged over to Hiro, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. He squatted down to get eye to eye with his little brother, carefully scanning his blank face. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah," Hiro said flatly, staring blankly back at his guardian. "Can we go home?"

Tadashi looked back unsurely, biting his lip nervously. "I'm not sure, bud," he muttered, looking back at the police officers that he had been arguing with him. "They might have a few more small questions they need you to answer… but as soon as they're done, we'll go."

Hiro sighed, letting his shoulders droop. After almost half an hour of not moving, his stiff muscles screamed in protest. All he really wanted to do was go home and sleep.

"Mr. Hamada?" a gruff voice growled. Both brothers looked up. "Some questions," the policeman grunted.

The officer looked almost bored as he yawned and scratched his elbow. He chewed on the end of his pen and looked down at his notes. "Says here you found the body?"

"That's right," Tadashi said protectively, "and he's probably really tired, and I'd appreciate it if-"

"Who're you?" the officer sneered, looking at Tadashi suspiciously.

"His brother," Tadashi said back coolly. "And I would like to take him home to rest please."

The officer still looked suspicious for some reason. He squinted at Tadashi's injured arm. "What happened to your arm, kid?"

Tadashi winced and turned his body slightly, hiding both Hiro and his arm. "A small accident at my school. Now if you don't mind, I'm taking my brother home."

"Don't leave town," the officer replied haughtily. If Tadashi weren't the kind-hearted person he was (and if he didn't have his injury) then he would've punched the guy in the face. Tadashi quickly ushered Hiro under the caution tape. Ignoring the shouts and curious inquiries from the crowd that had gathered, the brothers piled into the truck. Starting the car quickly, Tadashi drove away, not giving the paparazzi behind him a second glance.

"So," Tadashi started conversationally. The brothers were stuck in traffic, no doubt because of the police that was blocking off part of the street a few blocks behind them. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Hiro replied flatly. Honestly, he didn't know how to feel. Logic dictated that he should be horrified and disgusted at what he saw. Common sense dictated that he should be freaking out and hyperventilating, screaming and crying his eyes out. Research dictated he should be shocked and experiencing posttraumatic stress.

And yet, he felt nothing. He felt absolutely unaffected, as if nothing had happened. He felt… blank.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tadashi asked gently. "If not me, then maybe a-"

"I'm not going in to a psychiatrist, Tadashi," Hiro snapped a little too harshly.

The rest of the ride home was in silence.

"Hungry for anything, bud?" Tadashi asked when they got home. He walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to see what they could eat. "We've got leftover pizza from last night, or we could make spaghetti again…"

"Not hungry," Hiro sighed, already making his way to the stairs. "Just tired. I'm gonna go take a nap." Before Tadashi could reply, Hiro was already walking away. Tadashi heard the door click. Sighing, the older Hamada collapsed onto the couch, running his hand across his face. Today had to have been one of the longest days in existence.

First, he had to rush to his school after dropping Hiro off. He and Wasabi had finished their project already, but they were supposed to present it to Professor Callaghan that morning. Tadashi had burst through the door seconds before class started. He apologized profusely about making Wasabi test run the project without him, but his friend waved off his apologies and said it was fine.

At lunch, he was supposed to meet with some business CEO's to discuss the possibility of patenting Baymax. If they accepted his deal, Tadashi would no doubt become a very rich man. Every household would have their very own Baymax. There was no way anything could go wrong. That is, until he realized he left Baymax charging at home. Speeding home and grabbing the red case, he was pretty sure he would have gotten another ticket if that camping cop had been there again. Bursting into his office a few minutes before he was supposed to meet the CEO's, including the well-known Alistair Krei, Professor Callaghan had to inform him that something came up and their meeting was cancelled for some future date that would be told to him some other time. Translation: he might not even get to see them in the next year unless some time cleared up in their schedules.

Then, just as he was leaving to go pick up Hiro, he accidentally knocked over Gogo's giant cart full of discarded wheels, sending them rolling around the lab. The gang had to sacrifice going home early to pick them all up again. Gogo, unfortunately, was not as forgiving. She yelled at Tadashi for a good ten minutes before finally letting him go home. He had already texted Hiro that he was going to be late (while Fred was chasing after the runaway wheels a few minutes after he had knocked them over).

As he walked out of the lab and made his way to the truck, his phone rang. Not recognizing the number, he answered and politely said, "Tadashi Hamada speaking."

"Mr. Hamada? This is Detective Kyle Terry with SFPD. This is regarding an issue with your younger brother, Hiro…"

Then he was in the truck, rushing over to the location Detective Terry had told him about over the phone. Hiro had found a dead body? Of all the rotten luck the kid could have, why did he have to be that unlucky and stumble upon a dead body? Screeching to a halt, he pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered, ignoring the yells of protest. It was extremely out of his character, but he didn't care. He needed to see it with his own eyes.

They first thing he saw was Hiro. The kid was sitting in the back of the ambulance, staring blankly in front of him. No matter how much Tadashi waved his arm, he never blinked.

He managed to push his way to the front, and after arguing with the officer on scene, ducked under the caution tape and ran to his brother's side. After managing to convince the police to let them go (they were suspicious of him of all people, as if he would kill somebody!), Tadashi ushered Hiro into the truck and drove away.

He was shocked out of his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate. Answering without looking at the number, he tiredly said, "Tadashi Hamada speaking."

"Hamada?" Gogo said. "We heard on the news. How's the little guy doing?"

"Fine," Tadashi sighed. "Actually… honestly, I don't know. He won't talk to me, he won't even look at me…"

There was some scuffling on the opposite line, then a different voice said, "Maybe if you give him some time, let him have his personal space."

"I'll try, Honey," Tadashi laughed lightly. "But then again, figuring out this bonehead has never been easy."

"Tell him to cheer up!" a voice that sounded like Fred yelled from the background. "And that we'll be here if he needs anything!"

"Idiot, you can't just say 'cheer up' to someone who saw a dead body," Gogo hissed.

"Well, what else do you say?"

"I don't know, but not 'cheer up,' you bubble brained-"

"Okay, guys, I'll tell him you all said hi," Tadashi laughed. "He said he's taking a nap now, so I'll tell him as soon as he wakes up."

"Thanks." The phone was passed to Wasabi. "You get some rest too, okay? Don't strain yourself with that arm of yours."

"Got it," Tadashi stood and stretched his arm up, using his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear. "I'm gonna take a small nap, too, then. Call you guys later?"

"We'll call you," Gogo snorted. "Out for pizza later?"

"We'll see," Tadashi chuckled. "Later."

Hanging up, he made his way upstairs, following Hiro's last steps. Opening the door slowly, he peeked in to see if Hiro was actually asleep. The rising and falling of the lump in his bed and the soft snores said yes.

Quietly, Tadashi tiptoed to his side of the room, gently shutting the door behind him. Stretching out in the bed, he sighed and closed his eyes. It had been a seriously long day.

"Stop!" Hiro growled, waving his arms to dissipate the image in front of him. "I already saw it once, I don't need to see this again!"

"But this is the first time I've seen a dead body," Peniel whined. She waved her hand and made another mirage of the dead woman shimmered into view. "Why can't I look at it a little more?"

"Because it's disturbing and gross, and it's annoying!" Hiro hissed, turning his back to the girl and the dead woman. "Why are you so fascinated with this, anyways?"

"I'm just a girl in your head," Peniel whispered. "We both don't know where I came from, or why I'm even here. These small things just… kinda put that into perspective, ya know?"

"This isn't exactly a small thing," Hiro replied blankly. "And it's not exactly common to see a dead body."

"So why didn't you freak out?" Peniel questioned. "If it's not common, then why didn't you break down, or… go into shock, like how normal people would?"

"Well, I'm not exactly normal, seeing as I can control technology with my mind," Hiro snorted.

"Mhm," Peniel scoffed. "You know what I think?"

"Hm?"

"I think you are scared," she accused. "I think you're just acting tough, cuz you don't want anyone to worry."

"Well, you might be right."

Peniel gawked at Hiro. "This is the first time you've actually agreed to something I've had to say."

Hiro shrugged. "We might not agree with everything, but there's no point hiding it. Sure, I'll admit that I'm scared. And sure, I'll admit that it's cuz I don't want everyone fussing over me."

"… But?"

"… But I can't tell you everything," Hiro concluded. "There are some things I'd rather keep to myself."

Peniel sniffed and crossed her arms. "I guess I can accept that," she finally sighed. She smirked and gloated, "I'll find out eventually, you know."

"No doubt you will," he murmured as she disappeared and he felt the familiar sensation of waking up.

Hiro woke up in a much greater mood than he was in when he fell asleep. He practically had to push Tadashi out of bed to get him to wake up. His older brother was dead to the world once he was asleep. After a very surprised Tadashi was finally awake (and not on the floor), he blurrily staggered to the door, mumbling something about pizza.

As they waited for the rest of the gang to come over with the promised boxes of pizza, Tadashi yawned and asked, "Feel like talking yet?"

Hiro shrugged, murmuring, "Not really." He pretended not to notice Tadashi slump down in disappointment. "Not yet," he corrected. "But I'll be sure to tell you first thing when I'm ready."

"Better than nothing, I suppose," Tadashi sighed. He grinned and gently knocked Hiro's head. "Just don't keep everything buried in that big brain of yours, alright? If you keep too much you'll explode."

"Thanks, doc, I'll keep that in mind," Hiro scoffed, getting up to answer the door. He could hear Fred crowing over the pizza from outside already.

"I can tell you one thing," Tadashi snickered, getting up as well to set the table. "You're gonna be the most popular kid in school tomorrow."

Again, sorry for all the delays with updates, I'm gonna MAKE SURE TO BACKUP MY CHAPTERS THIS TIME

You guys know what to do *even after all this time oops*