A/N: Ughh this one was hard to write. I wanted to make sure it was perfect since it's all the backstory and stuffs. I was looking forward to this one cause it's from Tadashi's perspective. :3
I hope it's not too confusing. If you've seen the anime then you know how this part jumps around a lot and it's pretty vague on a lot of details. This definitely tested my writing abilities and I hope I did it justice. .
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Hero 6 or Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Chapter 10
The Hamada brothers had always been geniuses, everyone knew it. And although this gave their aunt much grief it didn't stop her from loving them any less.
Boredom came easily to the two brothers and while Tadashi had grown out of it, Hiro had not. It was for this reason that Tadashi developed and planted a tracking device on his younger brother's (who had a tendency to sneak out because of said boredom) clothes.
It was because of this tracking device that Tadashi found out something about his brother he almost wished he hadn't.
That his younger brother was spending his evenings hunting witches with his best friend Honey Lemon.
Naturally, Tadashi was not pleased. He even tried to get Hiro to stop and when that wouldn't work he settled for joining them as a bystander. Hiro scoffed at that. After all, how could Tadashi protect him? Hiro was invincible.
Two weeks later and that thing showed up. Tadashi would later learn it was called Walpurgisnacht.
It was big, easily towering over much of the city. Tadashi wondered how his brother and Honey Lemon could fight it. It seemed hopeless.
And then Honey Lemon died and Tadashi knew.
He knew for sure it was hopeless.
That's why he tried to stop him.
"You can't fight that thing! You'll die…Hiro please lets just-"
"I have to Tadashi. If I don't, who will?"
He smiled then. A sad smile that felt like a farewell and he was gone. Tadashi watched him fight a losing battle.
"Hiro…why…?" Tadashi sobbed as he cradled the broken and frail body of his younger brother. Walpugisnacht was still destroying the city but Tadashi didn't care.
"Kyubey…you asked me once…if I wanted to become a witch hunter too." Tadashi addressed the small creature watching him intently. "The answer is yes. I want to become like Hiro and this time, I want the power to redo everything. I want the power to protect Hiro."
Tadashi woke up suddenly. He wondered briefly if it had all been some horrible dream but he knew it couldn't have been. It was too real.
But he had a chance to fix it. Excitement flooded through him.
He got up out of bed and walked over to his brothers' side of the room. Hiro was still sleeping, snoring loudly with his limbs splayed out in all directions.
Tadashi hugged him roughly, effectively cutting Hiro's sleep short.
"Tadashi wha-" Hiro sputtered out, still half asleep.
Tadashi mumbled something into Hiro's shoulder that sounded vaguely like 'shut up'.
Suddenly, Tadashi pulled away from Hiro and held him at arm's length. Hiro was a little uncomfortable with how intently Tadashi was staring at him but before he could say anything Tadashi spoke.
"I know what you do at night. I know you're a witch hunter and I'm one too."
Hiro's eyes widened. "You-what? How did you-"
"Never mind that. I want to join you two."
"Uhh….kay?"
"So, what is your ability then?" Hiro asked. He was still a little unsure about having his older brother tag along with him and Honey Lemon. The three of them had chosen to meet at Honey Lemon's house.
"Umm…I'm actually not sure. I have this though." Tadashi held out his arm, activating the power of his soul gem like he had seen Hiro and Honey Lemon do so many times before. A silver shield like object appeared attached to his arm.
"You don't know…?" Honey Lemon asked, her head tilting to one side. She was a little more excited to have someone help out her and Hiro and Tadashi seemed nice.
Tadashi rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. "Yeah…should I try it out?"
"It's not going to explode is it? Because that would be really bad…" Honey Lemon said while backing up slightly and eyeing Tadashi's weapon with a wary expression.
"I don't think so…?"
"Let's go outside just in case." Hiro suggested.
Tadashi's weapon, it turned out, could manipulate time.
"Whoa…that's a really powerful ability. It'll be hard to fight with though…" Honey Lemon said in awe.
"That's fine. I can practice. I'll need a weapon though…"
Hiro gave Tadashi a look bordering on maniacal. Tadashi wasn't sure he liked that look.
"How is it you know how to do this…?" Tadashi asked Hiro, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that. He had just watched him put together a bomb in their garage.
Hiro shrugged. "You're always busy with college stuff now…I get bored."
Tadashi wasn't sure he liked that answer but decided not to press the issue.
"Okay so with this you should be good. Just gotta have good aim is all. All those baseball practices aunt Cass made us go to should come in handy now right?" Hiro playfully jabbed Tadashi in the stomach with his elbow. He looked happier that Tadashi had ever seen him and Tadashi couldn't help but return Hiro's grin with one of his own.
Tonight, they were going to fight Tadashi's first witch.
And Tadashi would make sure that nothing took away Hiro's happiness.
Two weeks had passed. Two very long weeks until finally the day Tadashi had been dreading came.
Walpurgisnacht towered over the city once more but they won.
Honey Lemon had been lost in the fight but they won.
Tadashi had succeeded in saving his brother. Hiro would be saddened by Honey Lemon's death sure but he was alive at least. And for that Tadashi was grateful.
But then, Hiro fell to the ground.
"Whats wrong?!" Tadashi quickly rushed to his side, hoping that he was only distraught over losing his friend. Hoping that he wasn't hurt.
"I'm sorry Tadashi…I think I overdid it a little bit…" Hiro turned and smiled at his brother, he was crying.
And then Tadashi noticed his soul gem. It was pitch black.
"Hiro…It's going to be okay, we can fix-"
Hiro's soul gem burst then and Tadashi was thrown back. He watched as his younger brother turned into a witch and without even thinking about it Tadashi activated his weapon.
He would do it over again.
And this time he wouldn't fail.
Tadashi once again woke up with a jolt. His mind was still disturbed from what he had seen previously.
Hiro had turned into a witch and their soul gems were ticking time bombs.
He understood it all so clearly now and he had to warn them as soon as he could.
But it would not be so simple.
"I don't know Tadashi…why would Kyubey lie to us like that? He hasn't given us any reason not to trust him." Wasabi said. He, Honey Lemon, Gogo, Hiro, and Tadashi were having a meeting. "Besides, what proof do you have?"
Tadashi ducked his head. "I don't have any…but I know what I saw. Please, you have to believe me!"
Silence passed over the group. Tadashi looked to Hiro for support but Hiro just looked conflicted.
No one was going to believe him. Tadashi was on his own.
"Look dude, I know you mean well and all. I mean you seem nice, even though we haven't known each other for long but…it's just kind of far-fetched ya know?" Gogo said.
"Right, right…forget I said anything."
"Tadashi-"
"It's okay Hiro, just forget I said anything."
Gogo spoke up then, she was never a fan of awkward silences. "Okay so, on another note we need to talk tactics. Tadashi, I get that your brother is…weirdly good at building bombs but it's kinda making me nervous ya know? Could you maybe use something that doesn't….I don't know, have a chance to blow me up as well?"
"Yeah…I'll think of something."
This was the dumbest idea he had ever had.
Granted, it was Hiro's (of course) but still.
After their meeting Hiro pulled Tadashi aside and told him his plan: steal weapons from the police station.
The worst part was how Hiro made it sound like it was no big deal.
Under normal circumstances Tadashi would have said hell no but these were not normal circumstances and Hiro's life was at stake.
Tadashi just kept reminding himself of that as he froze time and raided the police station armory.
That night was supposed to be spent hunting another witch, as usual. What none of them expecting was for that witch to be one of their own.
Tadashi saved them all from Honey Lemon's witch form. He didn't want to do it but Hiro had frozen up because he couldn't fight his best friend.
"What was that…?" Wasabi asked after the world had turned normal once more. "She just…she turned into one of those things…"
"I don't know man but freaking out is not going to-" Gogo didn't get to finish that sentence before Wasabi stabbed her soul gem, effectively killing Gogo.
Tadashi immediately placed himself in front of Hiro as Wasabi turned his attention to them. "She was going to…we're all going to become like that…I can't allow that I'm sorry…"
Wasabi was becoming hysterical and Tadashi knew there was no reasoning with him. He would make it quick.
A single shot rang out as Wasabi slumped backwards, a bullet hole in his forehead. Taking Wasabi's soul gem out of his grasp Tadashi then stomped on it. It shattered and Tadashi watched as the light left his former friends eyes.
Tadashi wondered how messed up he had to be to not feel any sympathy or hesitation. He only knew it was what he had to do in order to save his brother.
A sob from behind him broke him out of his thoughts and he quickly kneeled down at Hiro's side.
"They're all dead…Tadashi…what do we do now…?" Hiro whispered softly.
Tadashi grasped Hiro by the shoulders and forced him to look into his eyes. "Listen to me, we're going to be just fine okay? I'll never let anything happen to you. We can do this. Together."
And Hiro almost believed him.
"We did it." Hiro breathed out. His and Tadashi's bodies had been badly damaged in the fight with Walpurgisnacht. But the two of them had beaten her and Hiro was alive. That was all that mattered to Tadashi.
"Yeah…I think…my soul gem's in pretty bad shape though…" Tadashi said in between pants.
"Hehe…mine too…"
"You got any grief seeds?"
"Nope." Hiro actually laughed at that even though the situation was far from humorous.
"I see…it's okay though…I'm fine with this…turning into a witch doesn't sound so bad like this…at least we're together right…?" Tadashi closed his eyes and smiled. Yes, being a witch didn't sound so bad so long as Hiro was with him.
A clink sounded next to Tadashi and his eyes shot open to investigate. Hiro was smiling at him. A sad smile that didn't reach his eyes and in his hand was a grief seed placed onto Tadashi's soul gem.
"Sorry…I guess I lied huh?"
Tadashi's eyes widened, Hiro had saved him but at the cost of his own life.
"No, Hiro! Why? Why would you do that?!"
"Because I want you to live Tadashi…promise me…promise me that next time…you'll prevent me from becoming like this…from becoming a witch hunter…"
"I will! I promise you I will!"
Hiro smiled at that and Tadashi knew he didn't have much longer before he would become a witch.
Tadashi couldn't stand to see his brother turn into one of those things. He averted his gaze as he activated his weapon to go back in time.
Tadashi woke up calmly in comparison to what he was used to.
Hiro was still sleeping and Tadashi sighed in relief. He had time.
Meticulously, he began packing essentials that he needed. To do what he was planning he couldn't stay at his house anymore.
Tadashi had a mission: he would prevent his brother from becoming a witch-hunter and he would find and kill all the witches. He would kill every last one so his brother wouldn't have to fight anymore.
Walpurgisnacht appeared again and up until now Tadashi had succeeded in preventing Hiro from forming a contract with Kyubey.
But Tadashi wasn't doing so well. He was losing the battle but he knew he had to keep going.
An attack flung Tadashi through a building and momentarily dazed him. He looked towards his brother, his reason for fighting, for strength.
Tadashi's eyes widened at what he saw. Hiro was with Kyubey and it was clear, his brother was about to make a contract.
Tadashi screamed Hiro's name, anything to make him stop. But he was too late. Hiro transformed in a dazzling display of purple light.
Hiro, now clad in purple armor, turned his attention to Walpurgisnacht. He raised his weapon, an intricately detailed bow, and fired taking out Walpurgisnacht in one hit.
Hiro turned to look at Tadashi then, a smile on his face.
And Tadashi knew then that Hiro had expended too much magical energy with that attack.
He watched as his brother turned into a witch far bigger than Walpurgisnacht.
"I didn't think it would turn out this way. He may destroy the world in the near future. Well, it doesn't matter to me so long as we meet our quota." Kyubey said to Tadashi as the two of them watched Hiro's witch form rain down destruction on the world.
Tadashi said nothing and kept his face blank as he turned to walk away.
"Hey where are you going? Aren't you going to fight him?
"My fight is elsewhere." Tadashi said, still walking away. The shield on his arm made a clinking sound as the gears within turned.
He would go back and do it over. Again and again no matter how long or how many times it took.
He would keep doing it over, reliving this nightmare, all for Hiro's sake.
No longer would he trust anyone. He did not need them to understand his reasons or his methods.
All he knew was that Hiro was the only thing that mattered and he would not stop until he was safe.