**A.N.: IT'S BACK! Having finished finals, I was so excited to pick this up again, and here we are, the penultimate chapter of this arc! Thank you to those who stuck with me, and welcome to those who perhaps just came across this. Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer.**

The stinging in his hands receded quickly, but Kyouji kept moving, the actions of disappearing into a crowd instinctual at this point. He knew the worst thing to do when trying to escape notice would be to run, but it was difficult to keep an even pace when his mind was screaming at him to hide. He had to get out of there, before Hiro…

Before he what?

He paused for a split second, just long enough for someone to bump into him from behind and shoot him a dirty look for not being more aware of his surroundings. He avoided their gaze, turning a corner down another street jam-packed with people. Downtown San Fransokyo at this time of day was the perfect place to get lost in a crowd; no one would look twice at another person with their hood up and hands shoved deep into their pockets. It was almost too easy.

Leaning against a half-wall near the train stop, Kyouji attempted to calm his still-racing heart with a series of measured breaths. Despite having resisted the urge to run, he felt like he'd performed nothing short of a marathon. Adrenalin rushed through his veins, causing his hands to tremble where they remained tightly clenched, hidden in the fabric of his jacket.

Pressure lay thick at the back of his throat and refused to abate as he attempted to form his scattered thoughts into options, questions whirring through his mind. What all had Hiro seen, and of that, what had he been able to understand? After leaving the way he had, Kyouji knew he couldn't just go back, at least not without facing questions he couldn't answer, but did he need to hide? Had he somehow managed to be quick enough?

Kyouji sighed, dropping to the bench across from the tracks with a dull 'thunk'. He didn't have time nor the energy to deal with this. Was it too much to ask for something to go right? At least for a little while? Wrapped up in his thoughts, Kyouji didn't even notice someone approach, a habit that had cost him before.

"Didn't figure ya for a moper."

Kyouji startled, eyes snapping to Himitsu as he took a seat next to him. "I'm not- how- what are you-" Kyouji stumbled over his words as too many thoughts attempted to form at once.

Himitsu laughed, waving a hand to cut off his fractured speech. "Would ya believe meetin' up's a coincidence?"

"No." Kyouji nearly went to cross his arms, before aborting the movement, catching himself at the last moment to keep his hands hidden. The gesture did not go unnoticed, unfortunately.

"Hmm." Himitsu frowned, glancing over Kyouji and seeing the still fading panic in his eyes and in the tense way he held himself. "So, what happened?"

"I…" Kyouji hesitated, before setting his jaw and staring at the concrete in front of him. He had to remember who he was talking to. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Sure. Not what I asked, though."

"And you just have to know everything." Kyouji muttered, scuffing his shoe against the ground. A dumb move if he wanted them to last, but with his failing luck, they'd be around longer than he would.

"It'd be helpful, yeah." Himitsu leaned back against the bench, crossing his arms. "Can't do much if ya don't tell-"

"I told you, it's nothing." Kyouji went to push his hair out of his face in agitation, not realizing his mistake until Himitsu had a grip on his wrist. "Hey!"

"Nothin', huh?" Himitsu turned Kyouji's palm towards himself, taking in the small, bright green scales that spanned his hand and spread up his fingers. He barely had time to register the scales moving, lifting from where the skin would be into an array of raised spikes, when Kyouji yanked his hand from his grasp.

"Can you not?" Something frighteningly near a snarl contorted Kyouji's face as he shoved his hand back in his pocket, looking frantically around for anyone who might have seen.

Thankfully, there weren't too many people there, as the next train was not due to take passengers for a while. There were only a couple bystanders, but they were far off and preoccupied, a map spread wide in front of them as they argued, the words unintelligible from this distance.

"Wouldn't've if you'd just said somethin'." Himitsu shrugged, unrepentant. "Could just guess 'til you react, but that'd waste both o' our time. Out with it."

Kyouji huffed, watching the others hurry out, having made up their minds, leaving the two alone in the station. He might as well say something, since Himitsu'd pester him until he did anyway.

"Burned myself on accident, Hiro may or may not have seen them, and I booked it out of there. At best he thinks I'm weird. At worst…" Kyouji trailed off, not certain which version of 'worst' he wished to detail, he shook his head, deciding it didn't matter. "Whatever. Anyway, can't stay there with my hands like this…"

Himitsu hummed in agreement, remaining silent for a moment. "Well, maybe this'll make things easier. There're better ways to do what ya need to, ya know."

Kyouji's irritation flared, his shoulders tensing at Himitsu's easy words. As if he could have done better. "Shut up."

"Excuse me?" Himitsu raised his eyebrows challengingly.

Kyouji glanced away, biting his tongue to keep himself from digging his grave any deeper. He damped his frustration with the reminder that Himitsu was someone he didn't want to get on the bad side of, and possibly the only person willing and able to help him. Or at least he had been…

"Just…" Kyouji paused, but it wasn't like Himitsu could really help with this, and he needed room to think. "Go away."

Himitsu's brow creased, but he stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, ya know how to reach me if anythin'..." He trailed off, looking around the bench and frowning at Kyouji. "You missin' something?"

Confusion swept over Kyouji's face before his eyes widened in realization. He'd forgotten his backpack. "Shit."

"Don't suppose ya kept your phone in there?"

"No, I-" Kyouji checked his pants pockets, pulling out his phone, the small box, and the final syringe. "I've still got these, just…" Nothing else.

Himitsu watched as Kyouji shoved the items into his jacket pockets and leaned back against the bench, shoulders slumped. His blank stare was unnerving, and Himitsu shifted his stance to no reaction. He frowned, tilting his head as he took in Kyouji's defeated posture. That wouldn't do.

"Well, go get it back." Himitsu crossed his arms impatiently. "That's what yer good at, innit?"

Kyouji looked up at that, but Himitsu kept talking.

"An' I don't mean ya have to waltz back in there, but you know the place, when it closes, and where yer stuff is… 'less someone moved it." Himitsu paused, before pressing on. "Not like yer bag's gonna scream or fight back, and no one'll care or even notice it's gone, with luck."

"I don't have a whole lot of that." Kyouji stood, regardless. At least now he had something of a plan… that he really should have thought of himself. But his mind was still muddled, and trying to process everything that had happened was like trying to navigate through fog, with no clear direction.

"But you do have plenty of skill," Himitsu shrugged. "Whenever ya feel like actually usin' it."

Kyouji's gaze skittered away, and he fiddled with the box in his pocket. That was… complicated. But he'd focus on one thing at a time, starting with getting his bag back. There wasn't an easy norm to fall back into anymore, no schedule to follow, and once again his only guideline was 'hurry up.' It didn't feel as comforting as it should have.

Rolling up his left sleeve, Kyouji worked at the knot in the crook of his elbow to release the bandages. His sleeve would have to suffice to hide his arm; his hands needed it more. He could feel the itch of loose scales as the bandages brushed against them. They were almost ready to shed, some having apparently fallen away already, but speeding along the process was never a good idea.

Kyouji huffed as the knot proved difficult to untangle, especially with the dulled sensation at his scale coated fingertips. It'd been a while since he'd done anything to his hands, and the difference in touch was foreign.

"You just wear those 'round fer stuff like this?" Himitsu watched as Kyouji struggled with the fabric.

"Not quite." Kyouji finally felt the knot loosen and began to unwrap his arm, winding the cloth around his hand as detached scales dropped to the concrete below.

"Wait, hey, are ya really gonna do that here?" Himitsu's bewilderment turned to curiosity when a few solid scales fell away with the flakes, which Kyouji kicked to the train track grit with distaste.

"No one's around," Kyouji tugged his sleeve down with more force than necessary once the last bit of bandage was freed from his wrist. "And you sure didn't care if anyone saw before."

He considered the strip of fabric, deciding it would have to be enough, if he could just find some way to split it. Even so, the fingers were going to be a pain to conceal.

"Wait, were ya actually hurt?" Himitsu gestured at his arm. "Or was it like with yer hands just to hide it?"

"Hmm." Kyouji would keep that to himself. "Do you have anything sharp?"

Himitsu frowned. "I do, but those," he pointed to the bandages, "better not be what yer stickin' with. Gloves'd be better."

"Because I have those right now." Kyouji responded sarcastically as he held out his hand to receive the switchblade, which was handed over with mild hesitation. It split the fabric easier than Kyouji expected, and he returned it with a raised eyebrow.

"No point if it ain't sharp." Himitsu smirked. "Ya know I could just grab some ya some gloves fro-"

"I can get them myself." Kyouji finished with one hand and struggled to get it to tie properly. He couldn't do much about the fingers without tying them together, but if he kept his hand in a fist most of the time it shouldn't be noticeable.

Himitsu stepped forward. "It'd be easier if you'd just let me-"

"I'm fine." Kyouji finally tightened it with his teeth, he could do this himself.

The lights began to flash at the end of the station to signal the next train, and Himitsu rolled his eyes, moving to speed along the process for the second hand. He wrapped it quickly while Kyouji glowered at him with his arm still outstretched.

Kyouji had barely tucked his hands in his pockets when the train car pulled to a stop and people bustled out, hurrying in all directions. None were interested in lingering, nor did they spare a passing glance for the two men standing there. Backing towards the bench, Kyouji sat so that the press of people wasn't quite so overwhelming, waiting for the swarm of bodies to dissipate.

Moments later, when the stop was almost empty again, Himitsu rejoined him on the bench. He had a ball of fabric in his hands, which unfolded to plain black gloves. He held them out as a peace offering for ignoring him about the bandages a moment ago.

"Someone'd stuffed 'em in their bag's side pocket, they'll assume they fell out."

Kyouji nearly rejected them before he remembered that not only would it be a bad idea to anger Himitsu, but it would also be easier not to have to track down some himself. He slipped the gloves on over the bandages, clenching and unclenching his fists to get them to settle correctly. They'd do.

Suspicion clouded Kyouji's mind as he tried to fathom why Himitsu was deciding to be… nice, he supposed would be the right term. Not that outright cruelty was his norm, but… everything usually came with a price. The mental tally of what would surely need to be repaid eventually was beginning to become difficult to keep track of, and Kyouji cringed at the thought.

The task that loomed ahead of him, far removed from the initial whim of sore loser who didn't know how to let get of a grudge, had to go well, or… that was it.

Game Over.

The café was different at night, the windows of each floor darkened and reflecting only the streetlights. Twelve hours difference transformed the previously busy streets to silent stretches of road, interrupted only by the rare car. As Kyouji approached the shop again, he walked alone on the sidewalk, and despite knowledge to the contrary, it felt as if there weren't another person for miles.

A small flash of orange light down the street turned into a stray cat as it neared Kyouji. He startled when the cat brushed past before he shook his head and scanned for any other nearby life. Spotting none, Kyouji sighed, wondering when he'd gotten so jumpy about this. The café was only a few steps further; he needed to get out of that mindset.

The front door was glass, and Jadoku knew it wouldn't be difficult to aim for the weaker parts near the frame and break in, but he'd rather go entirely unnoticed. He remembered with a grimace that even if he got the door unlocked silently, there were bells on the other side that would go off if he opened it. They were loud enough to alert the presence of a customer to someone in the backroom of the café on a busy day, and to set them off at night would be something to avoid if at all possible.

Jadoku checked his pockets as if looking for keys, just in case someone was watching, before shrugging and making his way around the side of the building. He recalled seeing a door at the base of the stairs when he'd been sent to get Hiro, and it had been styled a way only a door connected to the outside would be. If he remembered correctly, it would be right around… here.

Concrete steps lead to the door he was looking for. Once Jadoku was close enough, a glance along the door frame told him the deadbolt was thrown. Though there was a way to unlock it from the outside, it'd make it a bit trickier to open than the latch on the glass door up front. Before anything else, though, there was something to always check first. People weren't always that careful, and it'd make things easier if perhaps…

Adjusting his gloves where they'd slid up against his bandages, Jadoku glanced around, looking for anything that might conceal what he was looking for. He decided the rim of the door might be wide enough, so he reached up to brush his hand over it. Jadoku encountered something solid, knocking it off the sill above the door and barely managed to catch the key before it clattered against the steps.

Hopefully they haven't changed the locks since they left this here.

Jadoku looked carefully past the door for any signs of life in this part of the house. When he was sure there were none, he eased the key into the lock and it turned with the quiet click of the deadbolt being pulled back into the door.

Tucking the key into his pocket, Jadoku eased the door open, wary of possible hinge squeaks. Once he'd slipped in and the door was again shut behind him, he quietly padded into the café area, looking around the supply room for his bag. He hadn't been careful about where he'd put it, and in the dark, the black fabric would blend into the shadows. Too bad his eyes didn't work like that.

A bright orange and red light in his peripheral vision had Jadoku freezing, stilling his breathing to absolute silence. The light was too low to the ground to be a person, and Jadoku scrambled to remember if the Hamadas had a pet, and more importantly, what kind.

A loud meow reminiscent of an alley cat begging for food made it clear what was in front of him. Jadoku frowned at it, but wasn't foolish enough to try and hush it. He'd have to ignore it for now and hope it didn't like to bite. Another loud yowl had Jadoku wondering if they'd miss the cat too terribly if it suddenly went missing.

Just as Jadoku spotted a dark lump that was quite likely what he'd come for, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and grumbling that grew steadily louder. Glancing back, white light flooded his vision, and it took him a moment to realize it wasn't an actual light, but a heat signature. The kid's heat signature.

By the time the house light at the bottom of the stairs flicked on, Jadoku had moved further into the café, keeping to the shadows.

"Mochi?" Tadashi yawned and leaned against the railing. "Mochi, come on, we fed you."

When the cat turned to him and let out another nerve-grating meow, Tadashi sighed, moving to pick her up.

Jadoku crouched near the machines in the main part of the café, watching what was happening through the wall. Only Tadashi's signature was bright enough to see, but it was enough. One hand in his pocket, Jadoku turned the small box over in thought. He was right there. It would almost be too easy, provided the kid didn't get a chance to scream.

"Hiro's gonna kill you if you keep waking him up." Tadashi scolded.

The first part of the kid's statement had set Jadoku's heart to his throat, before he realized he was still talking to the cat. If he was going to do something, he needed to do it soon.

But he hesitated.

Jadoku's mind raced to come up with every possible scenario in which something could go wrong. Even though instinct told him he could, his mind was dead-set on finding reasons not to, reasons it would be a bad idea.

"Huh. I thought Hiro was supposed to lock this."

The distant sound of the deadbolt switching shut told Jadoku that Tadashi was at the door.

He didn't move.

The house light was turned off, and Jadoku watched the tiny pinprick of white light until it vanished, Tadashi now safely back upstairs.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Jadoku stood from where he'd been crouching. He moved quietly back into the supply room, and coming from this direction, it was much easier to find and grab his bag from where he'd tossed it earlier.

This was fine.

No one had expected him to bring in the kid tonight, and it would have gone horribly if he'd tried. The cat alone could cause issues, even if the kid hadn't. It was fine.

Slipping the bag onto his back, Jadoku quietly made his way to the door, slipping out again and relocking it behind him. He stood for a moment on the doorstep, palming the key before pocketing it. He might need it again, and they wouldn't notice it was gone.

Kyouji sighed, letting the tension drain out of him as he walked away from the café. Now he just needed to focus on finding somewhere to sleep.

"Teddy, I'm telling you, you were half asleep, you're probably remembering wrong."

Hiro moved about the café, seriously considering just closing up now that Ara had finished her morning shift. There was still no sign of Kyouji, so he'd have to do this himself. Even Wasabi wouldn't be able to come in until late afternoon, if at all with tests just around the corner. Hiro could claim something about holiday hours if he had to, but he didn't know if he really wanted to...

"No, you forgot to lock the door." Tadashi frowned, crossing his arms. "You aren't sleeping enough, and you forgot."

"I'll sleep when things settle down." Hiro wiped off a table, attempting to keep clean seating available for incoming customers.

He just had to keep this under control, as well as work the register. And make sure food was ready when it needed to be. And also clean the dishes (though Tadashi was trying to help with that, the hot water not affecting him, either.) And work with one less machine, since the possessed one decided it just didn't want to do anything today. And-

Hiro took a deep breath to help settle his thoughts, before realizing that he had to control the out breath to make sure not to accidentally spew fire. Not only bad for business, but Tadashi didn't need to know yet. One crazy thing at a time.

"Just have to make it to Saturday," Hiro muttered under his breath.

Tadashi followed after him as he made his way back to the counter. "It's only Tuesday, Hiro."

"I know," Hiro answered tiredly, popping the lid on a drink, as he called the number. He glanced at the clock, mentally pleading with the hands to move faster, but to no avail. "You and Honey Lemon were going to do more tests today, right? Or was that Wednesday?"

"No, it's today." Tadashi pulled himself up to hang by his arms from the counter, letting his legs swing before dropping back down. He felt restless, like he could take twenty laps around the café and have energy to spare.

"Right, okay, I wasn't imagining things." Hiro glanced over when Tadashi pulled himself up again, brow creasing in thought. "Are you getting taller?"

"Very funny, knucklehead." Tadashi once again dropped down, folding his arms and looking up at his brother.

"No, really." Hiro looked at him closely. "Now this is going to bother me…"

Tadashi laughed. "Even if I am, it's called growing, Hiro. Most people spread it out a bit more than you did."

"Hilarious." Hiro turned back to address a customer as politely as he could manage, before taking a scrap of paper out of his small notebook and scribbling on it, passing it down to his brother. "Go stick this on the door, would you?"

Hiro was closing the shop at 1:30 and no one could stop him. It was his café for now, and if someone didn't like it, they could wait for Aunt Cass to come back. Her recovery was going far better than any doctor could have anticipated, to their awe and suspicion. With the development of his own abilities, Hiro was beginning to question the wisdom of having used Tadashi's so openly. If this caused problems, being a beneficial thing, what could result from accidentally setting something ablaze…

Tadashi came bounding back, beaming up at him and practically shaking with excess energy. Hiro grew more tired just watching him. He shook his head, pulling out his phone to see if Honey Lemon was available soon. After the time it took to fill another order, she responded that she would be, but she wanted to stop by a bookstore on the way over. It wasn't too far away, and it gave Hiro an idea.

"Hey, Teddy." Hiro grabbed his brother's attention. "How about you burn off some of that energy by going to meet up with Honey Lemon?" He nearly laughed at his own phrasing.

…he was more tired than he thought.

Tadashi shrugged. Maybe it would help to get out and walk around. "Where?"

"Hold up." Hiro checked his phone again. "She says she'll meet at that little corner bookstore off 8th. You know where it is?"

"Yeah, just past the river, right?" Tadashi shrugged on another jacket, ready to try and rid himself of the antsy feeling.

"Can hardly be called a river right now, but yeah that." Hiro nodded, grabbing another damp washcloth to clean tables with. "Take your phone with you."

Tadashi checked his pockets, having momentarily forgotten he owned one. Even in the past he hadn't used it a ton, and now Baymax made a much nicer communication option. "Well… it's out of battery."

"Don't you charge it?" Hiro scolded. "Whatever, I'm sure Honey has a charger. I'll have her text me when you get there."

Tadashi nodded hurriedly, practically bolting out the door, wondering if he could run the whole way.

He could not.

Previous stamina aside, Tadashi hadn't accounted for the fact that every step of his former self now took at least two or three steps to cover the same distance. Pausing to catch his breath, Tadashi unzipped one of the jackets, tugging the inner one back from where the bunched up hood was pressed to his neck. It was odd that he felt warm, and fear crept into his gut before he realized the patch on his back still emitted a steady cooling sensation, one he'd almost grown accustomed to.

Taking up a far more regular stride, Tadashi started counting streets, grinning when he got to the stone bridge. The store would be just around the corner, and he'd have made it in record time.

It was chance really, that Tadashi even spotted him.

He would have been completely out of sight coming from this direction unless one was looking. Curled up so that his back rested against the stone pillar that started the bridge, one leg swinging over the space that led down to what was left of the river, Kyouji hadn't even noticed Tadashi yet. His gaze was fixed past his leg, interrupted only when he pulled his phone from his pocket for a moment, smiling at the screen in a way that wasn't quite… right. A dark bag lay on the concrete beside his perch, and Tadashi's mind couldn't quite piece together what was wrong about that.

It didn't matter, he'd found him. Hiro'd been upset earlier, and while some bits of Hiro's story of what happened didn't make sense, he knew he hadn't been able to contact Kyouji after it happened. Maybe he could convince him it was okay, it was just a mistake, after all. He could come back.

Tadashi walked over, looking up at him. "Kyouji?"

Kyouji startled out of his daze, glancing down at Tadashi as if trying to figure out if he was real. After a moment, he swung his leg back over the side of the ledge, dropping down to the bridge to stand in front of the kid. He stared down at him in confusion before speaking.

"What are you doing out here?"

**A.N.: Now, I wonder what's going to happen? My goal is to get the next chapter out by new year's day, so you won't have to wait terribly long. I realized earlier that it's been over a year since I started working on this project, which is the longest I've ever dedicated to a creative project of any kind. And it's not even close to being totally finished.

Anyway, reviews are cherished and responded to, so feel free to do so. Happy Holidays!

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