Till I'm Gone

Sora Matasuki

Chapter Seventeen

Warning for Tadashi's mouth in the final scene, and onesided!Fredashi

"Tadashi, what were you thinking?! Skipping school while I'm off at the cafe under a surprise inspection by the REHS?!" Aunt Cass sighed wearily, trembling fingers fumbling with the task of opening the bag of vending machine cookies. "Honestly, Tadashi! I expect more from you!"

Tadashi winced and looked down.

The bag opened noisily. "I would have let you stay another day if you hadn't skipped without telling me, sweetheart." Aunt Cass said, voice slightly muffled by the cookies in her mouth.

Tadashi couldn't meet her eyes. "Sorry, Aunt Cass…"

"Do you know how long I've been eating since I got the call saying that you'd skipped not only once - but twice?! Do you?!"

The sixteen year old opened his mouth but nothing could escape his lips in the face of her disapproval.

"I've been stress eating for - five days! Because of you boys! You both are going to make me gain ten pounds!" she shook the bag at him for emphasis, cheeks slightly rounded with all the cookies inside.

"I'm sorry…" Tadashi whispered, looking at his feet. "I just… I couldn't… I couldn't bear the thought of not knowing if he was okay or not… If he…" he broke off, choking slightly on a quiet sob.

Aunt Cass' angry facade broke as she pulled her considerably taller nephew down and into a hug. He crumpled into her arms and she held him as the tears fell again, soaking her blue sweater.

"Tadashi… I know it's hard. And I know that you feel that if you leave, he'll just disappear on you. Believe me, I know. But we haven't lost him yet, and we won't lose him now. The doctors will make sure of it." she murmured, gently combing his short black hair with her hand in a soothing repetition before pulling away slightly so she could lock green eyes with his teary dark brown. "Will you please go to school, so you can at least collect your homework for both of you?"

Tadashi wilted. "But…" he sighed, closing his mouth with a resigned grimace. Aunt Cass chuckled, acknowledging that her nephew had conceded to her plan at last.

"Go on, Tadashi. You're missing enough class as it is." she scolded gently. Tadashi sent her a wounded look up slowly complied, pulling away from her embrace fully.

Aunt Cass felt her heart melt, the cracks in her chest making the warmth sting slightly. She had almost lost one of her boys… She wasn't going to take either one of them for granted. "Oh… Last hug!" she sighed, pulling him back towards her and throwing her arms around him. Tadashi's strength wrapped around her as dropped a kiss on her head, being tall enough to do so.

Her boys were growing so fast… Aunt Cass reflected wryly. One minute they were a pair of tiny limbs and scrawny faces begging for donuts before dinner and then the next she had blinked and Tadashi had flowered into a gangly teenager with big ears that looked awkward on his face and Hiro was losing his chub, but only slightly. She had blinked again and Tadashi was suddenly so tall and broad shouldered and Hiro's voice was starting to fluctuate. The quick changes made her dizzy and she was beginning to feel her age catching up to her.

"You drive safely, Tadashi." she instructed, voice still soft from reflection and the overwhelming sense of love that filled her bosom.

"I will." came the subdued answer as her eldest hugged her a little tighter, "I love you, Aunt Cass."

Aunt Cass would never get tired of hearing those three words from her nephews. To think that she could have never heard them from her youngest again… it made her shudder. "I love you too - now get!" she lightly hit his shoulder and made a shooing motion with her hands. "You have school to go to!"

"Yes Aunt Cass…" Tadashi said, truly resigned to defeat.

Aunt Cass watched him slowly make his way down the hall with a sad smile, hand over her heart as it ached at the sight. Oh her boys… so wounded from life… She turned towards the door that held her youngest as soon as her eldest had gone around the corner and was out of sight.

The weary cafe owner walked quietly over and pulled up a seat by his bedside. She'd already had the cafe closed for a few hours, the rest of the day wouldn't hurt. Her boys needed her here.

She watched the rise and fall of her youngest's chest, his youthful face smoothed out by sleep and she felt the tears that she'd been keeping suppressed for five days finally come as her eyes stung.

"Oh baby…" she whispered, brushing back his bangs from his closed eyes, drying tears dusting his eyelashes. "We nearly lost you. Please don't make us a family of two… I couldn't bear it if I had to put another casket in the g-grou-nd…" she cut herself off as the dam broke. Cass buried her face in her hands and started to sob.

Hiro's chest rose and fell in needed slumber.

The sounds of students talking floated up from the gates and drifted over to reach Tadashi's ears from his spot of leaning against the car. It was passing period then; he'd made it just in time for second period. The sixteen year old took in a deep breath of the warming morning air and willed himself to take a step forward.

His feet remained firmly rooted where they were. Tadashi wanted to throw himself back into the driver's seat and speed all the way to the hospital where he could hug his little brother tight. And yet… The teen was torn between pleasing Aunt Cass and following the instinct to cling to his baby brother.

One one hand, if he stayed, there would be no reason for Aunt Cass or Hiro to be mad at him for going back on his promise (and though he wasn't so worried about their Aunt, he shuddered at the horrific thought of upsetting his dearest brother).

On the other, Tadashi really, really wanted to be able to have that reassurance that he wasn't alone; that he wasn't the only Hamada left. He let his head fall back onto the car with a sigh.

"Come on, stupid… it's just school. A school that convinced your brother to attempt suicide, but hey, that's no big deal…"

And suddenly, Tadashi was pissed off. Very, very pissed off. The noise of his fellow students chatting morphed from mere background noise to an annoying roar. The sixteen year old narrowed his eyes at his school and felt a scowl start to grow on his face.

A memory stirred from the depths of his mind, howling like a fierce gale tunneling its way through a valley.

"Let's take him swimming, guys."

Tadashi closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had promised Hiro that he would make the ones responsible pay. And this was one promise that he wasn't going to back out of. He would bring those who had driven his little brother to depression to justice, even if he had to knock a few heads together to get it.

Looked like he was staying then.

Taking another deep breath, Tadashi stepped away from the car. His long legs ate up the distance between him and the school until he stood at the gates. Instead of heading straight inside, though, the teen turned and walked towards the attendance office. He had missed a period, after all…

The door opened easily and Tadashi slipped into the office. A secretary looked up. "Can I help you?" she questioned.

Tadashi grimaced, hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah… yeah… Hi. Uh, I need to sign in, cause I'm late and everything…" he trailed off with an exhalation of breath. Man, this is so awkward… There were two reasons he never skipped periods. This was one of them. (Disappointing Aunt Cass was the other but shhh! No one was supposed to know that!)

The secretary raised an eyebrow at the obviously nervous teen. "Alright…" she replied slowly, "Name and reason for being late?" She turned to the computer expectantly, waiting to input the information.

Tadashi sighed heavily, gut clenching at the mere thought of the reason why he had made the decisions he had in the past five days. "Tadashi Hamada. Hospital, for a family emergency." he said shortly through clenched teeth. He wanted to get this done and over with so he could get on with his day and return to Hiro.

The secretary's eyes grew wide as her ears informed her brain on just who she was checking into school. "T-Tadashi H-Hamada? Our Science S-Star? Why are -"

Tadashi never hated his bullheaded interest in the sciences more than he did right then. "Look, Lady. Just - just check me in, okay? I've been chased away from the side of a depressed little brother who tried to commit suicide five days ago. I'd prefer to go about my day and pick up any assignments we've missed and probably will miss for the foreseeable future. So if you could be so kind as to check me in so I can go?"

The look of startled pity did not help his already frayed temper. It took only a minute for the slip of paper to print and be handed to him, but to Tadashi, it felt like an age had passed from the click of the mouse to the start up of the tiny little printer.

"Thanks." He said to the woman gruffly. He knew he was being uncharacteristically rude but at this point, Tadashi really just didn't care. The bell rang just as he exited the office, pass in hand. A dark, forbidding scowl was on his face, and it appeared as though it would take a miracle to get it off again. That miracle came in the form of a beanie wearing geek who was too absorbed in his comic to really pay attention to where he was going.

-But it was a trap! Her teammates had betrayed her! Midnight Disco was alone in the fight against her arch nemesis - the Grave Dr. Don Rule! Alone, Midnight Disco was at a loss for how to escape, but escape she must! For if Dr. Don Rule succeeded in his plans, the whole world would be under his mind control and darkness would overtake the hearts of mankind, outlawing all that was good and kind in the world - including love!

Struggling under the weight of despair, the superhero attempted to look for a solution. Eyes wide under her mask, her heart palpitating in her throat, she saw her way out! It was -

Fred Lee's nose was squashed against a suddenly hard comic book, and he fell back with a startled yelp of "Holy Megazon!"

The introduction of his butt to Mr. Ground was harsh and very, very painful.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was walking, are you alright?"A warm voice reached the comic geek's ears, and wincing slightly, Fred looked up to see Perfection in human form. A strong jaw, warm brown eyes beautifully shaped by a dual heritage, and mmmm… look at those broad shoulders…

Fred blinked, finding that the guy he'd crashed into was waving a hand in front of his face, concern deeply entrenched in the other's expression. Belatedly, Fred realized that he had been staring at the angel in a green jacket and shook his head to clear it.

"I'm okay." he assured the fellow teen he'd bumped into. C'mon Fred, knock it off, your bisexual is showing! he scolded himself. You can't oogle hot guys - especially when you crash into one of the most delectable of samples - NO! Bad Fred! Bad! He's probably got a girlfriend anyways. I mean, with features like those who wouldn't want a piece of that?

Back in the reality outside of Fred's rather gooey thoughts, the subject of the comic book enthusiast's mental compliments gave him an incredulous look and put out a hand to help Fred up. "If you say so. Anyways… I gotta go, I'm late and I need to pick up assignments from… Mrs. Peru."

Fred's eyes lit up as he got to his feet. "No way! This is like predestination! I'm headed that way too! Can I join you in your stroll towards her class?" Please say yes, please say yes, you're too beautiful for me to let go…

The other teen looked rather perplexed at his speaking mannerisms, but that was fine and dandy in Fred's book. The tall Japanese-American gave a shrug with those broad shoulders of his. "Eh, why not? I hardly know where any of my classrooms are anyways." he said wryly. " Haven't been able to find them since I've been absent since the beginning of this term."

Fred was curious, but the dark look in the other's eyes made him decide not to press the issue. Whatever the reason, it was pretty obvious that it was personal and Fred didn't want to make the guy he'd just met angry. That would be like, totally not cool.

They walked in the direction of Mrs. Peru's class in a silence that wasn't quite comfortable, but wasn't awkward, either. It just… was. Fred actually enjoyed it. It wasn't every day that he actually had someone just willing to be by him now that his creeper of a cousin had chased away any chance at having friends. Maybe he could actually win this guy over…

Fred's expression turned into one of both great wistfulness and self depreciation. Nah… this guy would never give him a second glance. He was lucky that the other was even letting him walk with him, what with all the nasty rumors that had been spread around and treated as truth by the school population in his cousin's mad attempt of destroying any self esteem he had left.

...it was kinda working. If this kid didn't know… was completely oblivious to the rumors… then just maybe he had a chance at giving his phedophilic cousin his favorite finger, just by living the way he wanted to. Fred shivered, mind unconsciously brushing over a memory he kept down under lock and key. It made him sick to his stomach.

"Hey, is this it?" Fred's companion asked, breaking Fred out of his musings with a jerk. The comic book enthusiast looked at the numbers and nodded. "Yeah. We're just in time too."

The second bell rang and Fred let out a sigh, squaring his shoulders. Great, time to face the music. It was a pity, because Creative Writing should have been one of his favorite classes, but because of the people in there… it wasn't.

Fred opened the door and beckoned his tentatively termed friend into the classroom with a flamboyant bow that nearly knocked off his beanie due to the laws of gravity still applying. The teen chuckled and then took in a deep breath, making Fred wonder if they sharing the experience of having an anxious feeling creating an upset stomach like he certainly was.

Then Fred's companion visibly took ahold of himself and entered the room, with Fred close behind. Fred's blue eyes scanned the room and minutely relaxed when he found that no familiar blond head was seen bent over a desk. He was safe for a moment, then…

"Tadashi! And Freddie, oh little cousin of mine, I haven't seen you since, what… three summers ago?" that familiar drawl made Fred flinch as his stomach dropped. His cousin's voice might have been laced with sugary sweetness, but the teen knew the truth.

So much for hoping that his cousin had disappeared and just dropped dead in a ditch… Fred stiffened completely as an arm was casually draped over his shoulders and hooked slightly around his neck, an unwelcome weight on his left side.

But Fred's heart settled as a much more uncomfortable weight in his stomach as it plummeted from his ribcage as it dropped out of his ribcage and into his stomach. His blue eyes grew wide as he stared at the tall broad shouldered Japanese-American that he'd walked with and he felt his breath catch in his throat, because this kid…. this beautiful angel that had let him - an unworthy and quite frankly strange mortal - walk in his divine footsteps… this model of humanity made perfect… was his phedophilic cousin's best friend?

Fred wanted to curl up into a ball and rip out his long blond hair. This wasn't fair! How could someone of such… such… nobility be friends with a guy who - Fred shuddered, swallowing thickly as the dark memory surged up from behind it's padlocked prison to slam at the steel door.

Fred's angel (Tadashi, his name was Tadashi! The guy HE'D been mooning over just because he could) turned around, confused for only a second as his beautiful brown eyes lit up at the sight of his cousin (please, no… a little voice cried, sounding so young and absolutely terrified).

"Hey Thomas! Oh, hey… you're Thomas' cousin? Freddie, right?"

Fred wished for a superpower that could melt him into the floor and never return him to solid form ever again. "It's Fred, actually…." he said quietly.

Tadashi blinked, before a sheepish smile spread across his face. "Sorry, Fred. Wow! All that time walking, and we totally forgot to introduce each other!" he laughed, rubbing his neck with his hand.

Fred smiled, but it turned out to be more of a grimace as Thomas seemed to lean a little too much on his younger cousin. Tadashi's sheepish emotions sluggishly stirred into a mild form of worry.

But before Tadashi could ask if everything was alright, Fred elbowed his cousin sharply in the ribcage with a hissed "I thought I told you that I hated people touching me!"

Thomas let out a pained wheeze and backed away far enough to be out of Fred's range. "I think three years managed to erase that memory, Freddie."

The two cousins glared at each other and Tadashi frowned, something niggling at the back of his mind. Before he could fully expound on the thought, a woman with dark, reddish brown hair called the class to attention. Roll call began as students scrambled to find their seats.

As luck would have it, Tadashi had been placed in between both Fred and Thomas. Mrs. Peru gave him a strange look, a well known hilarity and a reason why so many students were excited to be in her class. It was obvious she wasn't expecting anyone to fill the gap.

Tadashi weakly waved the pass in the air and stretched forth his long arm so she didn't have to go too far, then sat back with a wince as her face contorted into one of sympathy. It didn't make him angry, though, there was something in her eyes that made it seem like she wasn't looking down on him. Maybe it was because she didn't know what family emergency it had been but still, that sympathy that told of a kindred spirit took his breath away.

Mrs. Peru nodded solemnly at him and he nodded back, just as solem. "It's good to have you in class, Mr. Hamada."

Tadashi's throat closed in on him and he coughed slightly before whispering a quiet "Thanks".

"Alright! Time for Good News Minute! Anyone want to share?" Mrs. Peru called, and a sudden flurry of hands raising made her snort. "Well it must have been a good two days!"

She called on a bespectacled girl that Tadashi hardly recognized. "U-Um… I'm glad Tadashi's back." she nearly whispered. Tadashi winced, mind flashing back to red flashing in the night and his blood soaked hands. He ached, suddenly and desperately finding the need to hold his little brother close and listen to his heartbeat, just to reassure himself that Hiro hadn't dropped dead when he wasn't looking. But Hiro was at the hospital, sleeping in the care of Aunt Cass, and Tadashi was at school.

Tadashi wasn't glad he was back.

There was a sudden chorus of agreements from the class and Tadashi flinched back as some of the guys (Thomas included) slapped him on the back, cheering. Once, Tadashi would have smiled and laughed at all the affection but now it took all his strength to not jerk away. How many of these guys knew of the videos, how many had said hurtful things to his little brother, in person or behind a blocked out name and face? Tadashi couldn't trust any of them. Not anymore.

A hesitant hand gently brushed against Tadashi's shoulder and the sixteen year old jerked and glanced over at Thomas' younger cousin who was staring at him with concerned blue eyes.

"You okay?" Fred whispered as another student announced that they too were glad for Tadashi's return to the school.

Tadashi shook his head and breathed slowly through his nose. "Not really, but I will be." Eventually.

Fred nodded but his eyes remained solemn. "Okay… I'm here if you need anything, just to let you know." he told his neighbor in a serious whisper so quiet that Tadashi had to lean in to hear it.

"Thanks Fred, it means alot to me." Tadashi said just as quietly, sensing Fred's wish to remain near silent.

Suddenly, Thomas surged upwards, "Mrs. Peru, can I go to the bathroom, it's an emergency." the seventeen year old senior said with a face contorted into a grimace. Tadashi heard Fred snort under his breath and felt his own eyebrow raise. So soon into the beginning of class? Really?

Mrs. Peru pursed her lips into a pouting frown as she examined the trouble making teen, but just from his entire body language, it looked like he truly and honestly needed to use the restroom. And so she let him go. He never returned to class. Mrs. Peru should have known better, but alas, it was not to be that day.

Tadashi stormed down the halls like an avenging angel. Fred ran to catch up with him, his breath coming in short gasps.

"Tadashi! Tadashi... wait!" he called, struggling in the crowd that followed in the tall teen's wake. "Tadashi!"

But Tadashi didn't stop, and so Fred had to run and dodge those who were also following their Science Star to whoever had pissed him off this time. The halls were silent, a strange, scary thing for Fred as the halls were never silent in a crowd. Something had set Tadashi off right as they were walking to the lunchroom, and now, Fred was here and chasing after a boy he'd only known for about an hour and thirty minutes.

The sea of faces followed like a swarm, silent and breathless, and Fred cursed the fact that Tadashi was so far into a headspace that his voice couldn't even be heard, even with the silence!

Suddenly, the crowd stopped moving, and Fred nearly crashed into someone's back due to the flow coming to an end. Now, the teen really had to push and shove. He scowled darkly and started using his sharp bony elbows to make Fred-shaped room in the crowd. "Tadashi!" he called as a sudden rising cheer sent chills up his spine. "Tadashi!"

What was going on! Fred finally managed to squeeze himself to the front of the crowd and froze as he found himself at the edge of a great circle.

Tadashi had a freshman pinned to one of the lockers, arm digging into the teen's throat. Fred flinched back as memories black as deepest night rammed into the doors guarding him from a full on panic attack. No, no, no, no, no, no! he thought frantically. From what he'd seen in Creative Writing, this wasn't the normal Tadashi.

This Tadashi scared him, while the normal Tadashi made him feel… well… safe was the only word he could think of that would accurately sum up the boy he had only known for a short while.

The freshman was sobbing and gasping for air. Fred glanced over at Tadashi's face and flinched again. It was completely distorted by hate and anger.

Suddenly, Fred felt a calmness rush over him. He had to get the normal Tadashi back. This Tadashi didn't belong here. It would destroy the true Tadashi inside if he wasn't snapped out of it now.

Fred took a steadying breath and tentatively stepped forwards.

So this was the one who had caused his little brother so much pain. Tadashi stared down at the wheezing and crying worm as he pressed his arm into his windpipe. It was the only thing keeping him pinned and off the ground.

"You nearly killed my little brother." Tadashi informed the worm, digging his arm into trembling flesh a little harder as the fury swelled in his chest like a bellow stoking a forge.

"H-Hammada d-don't!" the insect pleaded through choking gasps, the tears making its eyes grow red and puffy.

Tadashi pulled the worm closer, fisting his hand into its collar and pulling it up higher so it could stare into his eyes. "Do I look merciful to you?" he questioned coldly. The worm shook its head frantically, tears still leaking out of it's puffy eyes. Tadashi continued, "I nearly lost the only link to my old family because of you and your little maggot cronies."

Suddenly he slammed the little worm back into the lockers, making it's head slam into the hollow structures with a cry and a clang of bone meeting metal. "The only reason you aren't lying at my feet and dead, is because my little brother still breathes, maggot." Tadashi breathed into the maggot worm's ear.

It began to sob harder. Tadashi didn't care for it's signs of weakness. It deserved to be scared. It deserved to feel the pain his little brother went through. It deserved none of his mercy. He would make the little maggot wish it had died at his hand.

Tadashi pulled back a fist and the maggot whimpered, closing its eyes. But the blow never came.

"TADASHI! STOP!"

Thin hands grasped at Tadashi's upraised fist and tugged, then tugged harder as the sixteen year old resisted. The maggot fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Tadashi, I know you're in there but you've got to stop this! He's not worth it!"

"Like hell he isn't!" Tadashi snarled, batting at the hands that held him back. "He deserves to go rot in the pits of Hell! He's the one responsible for my brother being in the hospital, too depressed to even accept the idea of living in this miserable hellhole! And I can't blame him when we have bastards like these maggots swarming the halls of what's supposed to be a safe campus! A place where we can all learn together in peace!" Tadashi let loose a hysterical, angry laugh. "What a riot! A safe campus? Really? It's bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit! My little brother was drugged up to the gills in a hospital bed for two days straight, just so he wouldn't jump out the fucking window!"

Tadashi tried to kick at the worm, but the hands dragged him back and out of range. "It's all his fault!" Tadashi screamed, the tears suddenly falling when they had refused to do so before. "It's all his fault that our family is scrambling to pick up the pieces! We nearly became two instead of three and I would be the only Hamada left! Did you want that, you little bastard, did you want his blood on your hands!?"

"It's not our fault that he's such a frickin' brain! I mean, come on, that kid obviously thought he was hot stuff, to come to a high school when he should have just stayed home until he was ready! Hiro's the one at fault!" a kid shouted from out of Tadashi's vision and the arms around his middle tightened as he fought to become upright again.

"Tadashi, no!" another voice yelled, and suddenly, long hair was tickling his neck as he was engulfed in a hug. "No matter how angry you are, it's not worth it! You'll get suspended and where will that get you? Look at it from a different angle, there's always another way!"

Tadashi took in a deep, shuddering breath, about to continue fighting when the words pierced his heart, which had hardened with anger. Another angle? the teen thought dimly, growing limp as he stared at the teen who lay before him, gasping for breath and clutching at his abused throat.

A protector is one who guards all, Tadashi. I know you have a warrior's spirit, but use that spirit to the benefit of all who come under your watch. Do not act out of anger, but out of compassion. When spurned, offer a hand of kindness. In return, you will receive something better than anything anger can afford, for anger brings with it enemies too hard to defeat.

Tadashi bowed his head, the tears falling hot and fast as his father's words came to him. He had failed. Like always. But still… there was a better way, one that would not have to deal with violence.

"Let me go, Fred." Tadashi whispered, eyes slowly clearing of tears. Fred flinched and clung tighter to him.

"Are you going to go berserk again? Cause, I-I mean… that was scary as hell, man…" Fred finally admitted.

Tadashi let out a huff and patted Fred on the hand. "I won't, I promise."

And so, with due cause for hesitation, Fred let go of Tadashi and allowed him to get to his feet.

The crowd was silent as they watched their emotionally wrecked Science Star stand up from where he had been dragged away, and held their breaths. What would Hamada do next?

Tadashi approached the trembling freshman, who was curled up in a ball, and stopped a few paces away before he crouched down. "Andrews. You better thank Fred, he saved your life." the teen said coldly. "But you haven't escaped jail and aren't allowed to run around with a new twenty in your pocket, because you know what? I'm going to sue the pants off you. You nearly killed my brother by attempting to drown him in toilet water. And I'm pretty sure there's plenty of other bits of evidence that you've carelessly tossed away. I promise you this, Andrews, I will find them and I will crush you with them."

Tadashi stood up, and turned to walk away.

"Tadashi, look out!" Fred's cry of warning and the crowd's dismayed yells were the only warnings that the teen needed before he was spinning around and the pocket knife in Andrew's hand went flying. The freshman clutched at his stinging hand with a yowl before he lunged at Tadashi, who still had his leg outstretched.

But Tadashi was as fluid as a snake and darted around as Andrews overshot and merely stuck out his other foot to trip the kid. The kid fell with a harsh thud, and Tadashi had him pinned.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Tadashi warned, a dark smile on his lips. "You just messed up in front of the whole school board." he tsked. "Bringing a knife onto school grounds, such a shame… to nearly stab another student with it as well… well… that's grounds for expulsion too. So, I'd just make it easier on yourself and give in."

Andrews slumped to the floor and cursed.

Tadashi looked up and saw Fred give him a tiny nod before the crowd suddenly surged around them and the teachers were yelling at the students to back up and get away. They had this covered.

The boy smirked to himself. Revenge, no matter what form, was rather sweet.

AN: *falls over* 500+ reviews! Good word! Thank you everyone! Also, I AM SO SORRY FOR THE EIGH DAY HAITUS! The muses and many other contributing factors held me at bay. I even had to write out an argument between me and Tadashi (and it wasn't pretty believe me), just to get him to cooperate in leaving Hiro with Aunt Cass! Also, BIG THANK YOU TO MELANIE-MARCH AS ALWAYS (AND ALSO CURSE YOU BECAUSE YOU DRAGGED ME ONTO THE SHIP SSR FREDASHI KICKING AND SCREAMING SO I HOPE YOURE HAPPY WITH THIS FLUFF THATS BORDERLINE GEN MEL, I REALLY DO)~! (Also go check out her new to be soon posted Fredashi fic A Cage of Fire. It's based in the same universe/similar universe as Till I'm Gone so beware minor slight-ish spoilers because we like to share ideas... It tends to leak into our writing... The prologue gave me chills because OMC THOMAS YOU CREEPER.) also, while I kinda ship Fredashi, things will remain Gen as this story is about Hiro and Tadashi's relationship, not Fred and Tadashi. At most that will happen is Fred's commentary on how handsom Tadashi is. Tadashi is NOT interested in any relationship in this story. Basically this story features onesided!Fredashi on Fred's part.

ANYWAYS! Onto thanks! BIIIIIG thank you go to my many reviewers! Although a deviation from normal, I am currently typing this on my iPhone and have no way of actually listing recent reviewers in my thankyous so even though you don't see your username, please know that I treasure every single one of your reviews! I love love LOVE them! *hugs every single one you and hands out tissues and cookies*

ALSO! I have finals coming up this week so I'm pretty jam packed. I don't know when I'll have time to update next.

anyways, it's really late here. It's time for Sora to hit the hay. goodnight eveuone!