A/N: So for the last chapter I received an overwhelming amount of reviews. Like seriously! I think I almost had a heart attack when I saw the stats. I can't thank you guys enough. You readers are beyond awesome and I hope you know that! The amount of followers and favorites is just as mind boggling. I thought for sure everyone was going to bail before we ever got to the reunion.
With this chapter we are finishing up the "reunion arc" with a special appearance from our favorite aunt. About a hundred and fifty words or so were cut from this chapter but it was mainly comedy. I might post it later along with a few other bits that I deleted from the story later on as an "extra" chapter. This was also the part that I considered pulling a Winter Soldier joke but I thought that was just a bit too cruel so I opted against it. We're going to have a bit of a lull in the plot next week. Lots and lots of sweetness though so I think that makes up for it.
Thanks again for your readership. It's you guys that really keeps a writer writing!
"Ay dios mio!"
"Tada… Tadashi?" Hiro Hamada choked out.
It was almost unfathomable for him, how when Vera said the name Tadashi Hamada, he felt nothing whatsoever. Yet when the seventeen year old kid who he'd never met or even interacted with called him Tadashi, there was something that pulled at the deepest and darkest most parts of his mind. Maybe it was the way Hiro said it, said 'Tadashi.' He sounded so broken and small. The voice so incredibly tiny, like that of a child and not a nearly grown teenager.
No, that wasn't it. There was something else to it. Then he recognized the feeling. It was the same feeling he'd had when he'd rescued Vera from Hydra almost a year ago. It was the feeling that he should be living up to some sort of expectation that he hadn't ever realized he'd had for himself. This feeling made his heart ache and his head pound. Looking at Hiro Hamada was even worse. It was almost like Hiro Hamada was the expectation he was trying to live up to in human form. The kid was nearly as tall as he was but the way tears ran down his face and he shook his head made him look tiny. Currently the boy looked like he was fighting a painful, long dragged out, losing battle with himself to not rush at him. He couldn't bear to look at Hiro any longer. He turned to look at Vera instead. "Who's Tadashi?" he asked her, his voice almost pleading with her to make the situation he was suddenly in comprehensible again.
Someone let out a stifled sob. He wasn't sure who. He couldn't bring himself to look. Vera stepped forward and took the framed picture from his hands gently. She held it up to him. "You're Tadashi. That's your name Chiune. Your real name." she told him very carefully, very clearly.
Chiune, the name he'd gone by for a year had always felt dry and brittle on his tongue. To this day, he'd had a hard time associating that name with himself. The voice he spoke to himself with inside his head rarely called him Chiune. Tadashi, though, Tadashi Hamada, there was something so poignant to that name that it overwhelmed him when Hiro Hamada said it. When Hiro Hamada looked at him.
"No," he said suddenly, "This is impossible. There's no way that I'm this person. It would be too easy!"
"What the hell are you talking about Tadashi!" snapped Hiro Hamada angrily as he stomped his foot on the ground. He jumped at the sudden ferocity of the statement. When he turned to look, he felt the color drain out of his face. There were tears streaming down Hiro's face as well as everyone else's'. Hiro swallowed a sob and glared straight at him, "Quit screwing around nii-chan."
Nii-chan. That was what he'd always secretly hoped Vera would call him. Was this kid the reason why? Had Hiro Hamada called him nii-chan once upon a time ago? No. It was too easy. A person didn't just come out on a mission to find a Superhero team and wind up finding his long lost family. It just didn't happen. Not after so many years of wondering and not knowing. Not after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top computer analyst had spent months scouring every inch of the virtual world for him. "Look at him." Vera whispered quietly, taking him by the hand and giving him a squeeze.
She turned him to face Hiro, standing him square in front of the kid. They stared at one another. Nerves rolled through him as he watched Hiro cry unabashedly. "He looks like you." Vera pointed out.
Something in him broke. He couldn't deny it. Even under all his horrible burns and scars, he couldn't deny it. Hiro Hamada looked like him. He could swear up and down that to be certain that they'd have to wait for DNA tests to come back and he could even bring up the fact that those tests weren't beyond error. However, what he couldn't dismiss was the fact that Hiro Hamada looked almost exactly like him. "I'm… I'm Tadashi Hamada." he whispered to himself in shock.
Hiro lost his battle with himself and threw himself forward. Chi… Tadashi couldn't even brace for the solid impact. He stood there in shock as Hiro sobbed into the front of his stolen military jacket. "I missed you so, so, so much." Hiro cried.
Hiro's fingers dug into the coat just as tightly as Vera could grip in her worst moments. He found himself thinking about the way Abigail and Dr. Callaghan had clung to each other in her apartment before something had set Callaghan off. It felt like exactly the same thing, as though Hiro were afraid he was going to disappear again. That was all the thought he was able to give to the matter because a split second later four other bodies piled on top of him. He rocked backwards, taken off balance for more than a moment before he managed to get his feet underneath himself. Suddenly everyone around him was crying.
"I'm going to kill you," hissed the girl in yellow armor as her body shook against his, "You are a dead man Hamada. I'm going to kill you."
"Don't you ever do this to us again, ever!" the big guy told him, adding a bone crushing hug to the mix. "Never do that again."
"I'm going to kill you. I'm so going to kill you." the girl in yellow repeated.
"Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos, santificado sea tu Nombre…" the chemist heroine chanted. Her arms were wrapped so tightly around his neck that he was certain he was turning blue in the face. Seriously, he felt as though she were trying her best to strangle him. The rest of the chemist heroine's words were drowned out by the loud wails of Fred the kaiju hero.
"I'm going to kill you." repeated the girl in yellow.
Once his brain registered all this, he realized he had no idea what to do. He panicked. "V... Vera," he called uncertainly, looking over at the girl he'd lived with and treated like a sister the past year for some much needed guidance.
Vera was standing off to the side, out of his reach. "You dolt," she mouthed as she pantomimed wrapping her arms around an invisible person in front of her.
Very slowly, he brought his arms up and around the closest body to him, Hiro Hamada's. "I'm sorry," he whispered into the side of the kid head. And God above, he really was sorry for all the pain that he had unwittingly caused in the past three years. He buried his face in Hiro's hair.
He wasn't sure how long they all stayed together in that tight little huddle, clinging to one another, but it a sudden movement all the tenderness was gone. Hiro forced himself away from his chest with a hard shove, pushing everyone else off as well. Chi… Tadashi stumbled backwards again and might have fallen over if not for the fact that Hiro wasn't still latched on to his sleeves. The look on the kid's face was the first thing that tipped him off to the fact that he was in for it. The next was the hard punch that landed squarely on his shoulder. "Ow!" he yelped, drawing backwards, "What was that for?"
"Where have you been for the last three years Tadashi?" demanded Hiro. Hiro stabbed his finger into Chi… Tadashi's chest forcefully enough to be felt through the stolen fatigues. We thought you were dead! Do you know what that did to us? What it did to me?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he said quickly holding up his hands placatingly.
"Dude, we watched them lower your casket into the ground." the big guy added in a deadpan voice.
"Watched them throw dirt over it and everything." Fred the kaiju hero put in.
"Sorry is not going to cut it." the girl in the yellow armor told him fiercely.
"Tonto," agreed the chemist heroine giving a nod of support. Oh boy! He really needed to figure out what their names were. However as he looked between their livid faces he didn't think that particular moment would be a good time to ask for them. It seemed a bit insensitive. Especially when he considered the fact that he'd been dead to them for three years and now was all of a sudden not dead.
"For the last year he's been living with me in New York City and working as an expert consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the field of robotics. Before that, he was held prisoner by Hydra. The same guys that just tried to kidnap you all." Vera came to his defense quickly and jumping in with the much needed explanation. God bless Vera. Let someone make her a saint or something because right here, right now, she deserved it as for some reason he found himself having a hard time forming the words he wanted to say into sentences.
Hiro gave him a hurt look that felt like a stab to the gut. "Why didn't you come home after you got away?"
"I…" he started but the words froze up in his throat. Vera's hand closed around his, squeezing it supportively.
"He didn't remember where home was." Vera answered for him gently. She motioned to the red charging port that was still on Hiro's back. "You work on a personal healthcare companion bot. Are you familiar with retrograde amnesia?"
Hiro took a giant step back. The way his eyes widened made his chest constrict. The chemist heroine wrapped her arms around Hiro's shoulders comfortingly. Everyone was staring at him in shock. "No! I just thought… I didn't… I thought maybe that… You don't remember any of us do you? That's why you keep looking at us with that stupid confused look isn't it? You don't remember me." Hiro's voice trailed away as more tears started to well up in his eyes.
He couldn't answer that. He physically found his tongue feeling like lead. "Which isn't to say that he won't eventually remember." Vera insisted comfortingly. They were words for Hiro and his friends just as much as they were words directly for him. "He just needs some help and some support. Something that I'm sure you and your friends can give him."
For a long agonizing moment, no one said anything. "Names would be a good place to start… for all of us I think." suggested Vera.
Hiro's eyes flashed with determination, not much differently than the way Vera's did at times. There was something desperate behind the determination though. "I'm Hiro, your brother. You were, are, my best friend."
"Wasabi," the big guy said as he stuck out his hand. He took it tentatively and shook it lightly.
"Name's GoGo." the girl in the yellow armor told him as her hand took Wasabi's place. Actually the girl physically manhandled Wasabi out of the way.
The chemist heroine jumped forward and planted a kiss on both of his cheeks rather than shaking his hand. "I'm Honey Lemon. You're definitely going to get your memories back. I'm sure of it." she said as he tried very hard not to blush profusely. He also noticed that Honey Lemon hadn't so much as flinched when her lips had brushed over his scarred cheek.
"Fred or..."
"Fredzilla," he finished as he took Fred's outstretched hand, or rather suit arm. Fred gave him a goofy grin as he continued to pump his arm up and down. "I gotcha."
"Yeah, I kinda do all the nicknames." Fred told him proudly. Fred kind of seemed like the kind of person that would give everyone strange pseudonyms.
He smiled, "Somehow I don't doubt that. Nice to meet you all… again."
Wow, okay, this was beyond weird. He felt weird.
"I feel compelled to point out that we are still standing in front of a stolen burning car. Perhaps we can continue this conversation while we walk so that we don't get caught here by the police. It would be more than a little awkward." Vera said as she cleared her throat pointedly.
"She's right. We need to get moving." GoGo said as she looked back at the burning van. "We blew right past some cops on our way through here. I'm surprised they haven't come investigating yet."
"Maybe we got lucky and Williams and his cronies weren't able to get away from the cops. That would be a rather useful detour for them to take. I can almost guarantee you that they'll be on their way." Vera said. She turned to Hiro, who was still hovering close to his arm. "You said something about your Aunt's cafe? How far is it?"
"About five blocks that way," Hiro informed her as he pointed down the narrow side street.
"Excellent." Vera sighed in relief. She looked at Chi… Tadashi. "Get rid of those clothes and let's get out of here."
"Way ahead of you!" he mumbled in relief. Already he was pulling off the military fatigues and throwing them at the burning van. It was incredibly satisfying to watch the polyester shrivel up and twist in the extreme heat. He slipped his messenger bag over his shoulder as he shoved his Yankees ball cap back on to his head, pulling it down in an unconscious move to try and put some his scars in the shadows. That's when he happened to catch Hiro's eye. Hiro was staring at him unblinkingly, staring straight at his scars. Nervously, he fiddled with the collar on his blazer. "What?" he asked, knowing full well what 'it' was that Hiro was staring at.
Hiro opened his mouth and looked like he so desperately wanted to say something. However, he snapped his mouth shut again and just launched himself at Chi... Tadashi's neck once more. His Yankees hat went sideways, once more allowing the scars on his face to be in the dim light. "You're a traitor for wearing that Yanks hat." Hiro muttered in his ear. "I'll make sure we get your Ninjas hat back on your head and then we're burning that abomination."
He allowed himself to laugh. He knew that was what Hiro had wanted to say in the first place. Not by a long shot and he was pretty certain that both of them realized that. He felt grateful though that Hiro had decided against it. "Come on you two." Wasabi said with a grin as he threw his arm around Chi... Tadashi's shoulders, "You guys will have plenty of time to catch up. Let's get a move on before GoGo and Vera have coronaries."
"Right," both he and Hiro said at the same exact time. They looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. He couldn't help but notice that Hiro wore the same exact smile that he did. Hiro once more detached himself from his neck but didn't let go of his arm. It was clear that he still wasn't convinced that he wasn't going to disappear again. He gave Hiro's arm a squeeze. It was the least he could do anyways. Then he turned towards Vera.
Currently she was picking a pace, dancing on her road blackened toes as she went, a little ways off to his left. Yeah, that definitely seemed safe. "Hey, imouto, what do you think you're doing?" he called to her.
She shot him an agitated look. "Trying to get to this cafe where I'm hoping I can get a good strong cup of coffee." she told him matter of factly.
"You aren't walking there on your own." he snorted as he disengaged himself from Hiro and Wasabi before starting for Vera's side. She half skipped, half limped over a rough piece of asphalt. Vera gave him a snort.
"Oh? How am I going to get there then? Fly?" That's when she saw the look he was giving her. Her face grew hard and she frowned. She raised a finger threateningly. "Don't you dare."
Too late though. He'd already made the lunge away from Hiro for Vera. Vera tried to duck out of the way but with her being barefoot, she was also worrying about where she put her feet. He used his advantage and grabbed on to her forearms. Vera shouted in protest as everyone around them burst out laughing. He didn't give her a chance to do much more than shout because as soon as he had her by the arms he'd twisted her around so that she was draped across his back with her legs dangling limply. "Put me down," she whined in a very undignified manner as she kneed him in the back lightly. "Come on, I just fled SFIT and Hydra with no shoes. I think I can make it a few measly blocks to a cafe."
"Imouto, I see it one of two ways," he told her lazily with a glint in his eyes that was mischievous. "You can either hang up there like a sack of rice or you can put your legs around my waist and get a free piggy back ride."
Vera grumbled something unintelligible about a "brother complex" into the back of his blazer but brought her legs around his waist. As he readjusted his grip to carry her by the legs she looked over at Hiro with what he didn't even have to guess was a sour look. "Has he always been like this?" she asked Hiro.
"You're lucky you're right side up and not staring at the ground with your knees hooked over his shoulders." Hiro told her dryly. Chi... Tadashi tried to hide the wince on his face when he saw the look Hiro was giving Vera. It was downright chilly.
"Oh good, I'm not special then. That makes me feel better." Vera replied. He wasn't sure if she was just ignoring the icy look Hiro was giving her or if she didn't notice it. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck as they all fanned out in a line and started down the street.
"Besides, wouldn't want to aggravate your ankle any further?" Hiro told her sounding somewhat snippy.
"Um, Vera..." he started to ask her about it. However, before he got the sentence fully out, he had an elbow between his shoulder blades and digging in painfully.
"Don't worry about it." she said dismissively. She pulled her lips closer to his ears and whispered to him, "Ask him something nitwit."
"So this cafe... your aunt owns it?" he asked, trying to be conversational.
"Our Aunt owns it." Hiro corrected him stiffly. He was still giving Vera a cold glare as they walked. GoGo seemed to notice it too because she reached for Hiro's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. It suddenly occurred to him what was going on. He might not remember Hiro, or any of these people really, but he could recognize jealousy. Yeah, not the best way to rekindle his brotherly bonds with his long lost younger brother.
"Our aunt." he repeated as he bumped Hiro's shoulder with his elbow. Hiro broke away from glaring at Vera to look at him quizzically. He shot Hiro a weak grin. Nervously, he wondered if touching Hiro had been the wrong decision. Maybe he wasn't touchy-feely in his affection. Slowly, but surely, Hiro's icy front started to melt until he returned the smile with one of his own. Hiro slipped closer to him. They were walking almost elbow to elbow. Then the pleasant grin cracked into something that was dangerously impish.
"Wait until Aunt Cass finds out you're alive. Your ass is so grounded." Hiro snickered.
He raised his eyebrow at Hiro. "I'm in my twenties. How can I get grounded?"
"Ten bucks says Hamada is grounded for a month." GoGo wagered as she popped a gum bubble with a smirk. She shot him a look that was scary and sort of said 'I will take delight in any trouble you get in after what you put us through.' Or so he assumed.
''I say a month and a half," Fred countered. Oh gee, these were supposed to be his best friends? They seemed a bit sadistic.
"What are you guys talking about? Tadashi's not going to get grounded." Wasabi challenged.
"Thank you!" he said, relieved that someone else clearly agreed he was beyond the age limit of being grounded.
"Aunt Cass will be too busy crying that she'll forget to ground him." tacked on Wasabi. He whipped around to glare at him. Seriously? Did no one think that he was actually an adult?
"Should I be afraid of Aunt Cass?" he asked only half joking.
Hiro laughed a little under his breath. "Nah, Aunt Cass is cool. She's, like, the greatest guardian ever. She's totally cool with us being Superheroes and everything."
GoGo let out a huge snort of derision. Hiro smiled sheepishly and amended, "Well for the most part anyways. So long as we're careful and don't put ourselves in unnecessary risk."
"Your definition of careful is incredibly lax, Hiro." muttered Wasabi. He also added something that Chi… Tadashi couldn't quite make out fully. Something about cars and going off the sides of bridges. Hiro shrugged it off though.
"She's really proud of everything we've done. She always has been whether it's Superhero business or school stuff. She still keeps your Presidential scholarship award and high school diploma hanging in the cafe." Hiro explained.
He wondered about his parents. Where were they? Something heavy settled into the pit of his stomach. If his parents had been in the picture then Hiro would've mentioned them first. Not only that but his parents also would have surely had all his mementos tucked away at their home. For some awful reason he couldn't place he got the feeling that something terrible had happened to their parents. However, the tightness that wound its way around his heart and the fact that Hiro seemed quite excited to talk about the happy things in their life made him hold his tongue.
"She also makes the best bagels in town." Honey Lemon chipped in which effectively snapped him from his trail of thought. He still wanted to know about his parents and why this Aunt Cass was apparently their guardian but there was probably plenty of time to broach that subject.
From that point on, the conversation flowed naturally and easily. They walked and Hiro chattered aimlessly in a rush that he had a bit of trouble keeping up with. It wasn't the fact that Hiro talked fast but rather the amount of information he shared. It was overwhelming and it sent his head spinning. It was mostly stories, anecdotes of things that he and Hiro had done together when they were younger. The rest of Big Hero 6 chimed in frequently as well and added their own stories to the mix. Several of them had him laughing. He could see why he had been friends with them all.
Their easy, joking nature and clear camaraderie was something he enjoyed wholeheartedly. That and the way they seemed to always be shooting Hiro furtive glances just to make sure he was alright. Even if he had no memories of these people, the way they looked after Hiro was beyond words of appreciation. If he had to guess Honey Lemon, Fred, GoGo, and Wasabi had filled the void he'd left in Hiro's heart three years ago. He had a lot of making up to do.
Vera for the most part didn't say anything. In fact, she was so quiet that had he not been carrying her he might have forgotten that she was there. He thought she'd fallen asleep even at one point but he quickly realized that was not the case as she grumbled a protest when he shifted his hands into a bit of different grip after feeling his fingers fall asleep. It surprised him that she wasn't making any comments. Not even one particular story that featured him being thrown in a jail cell with a bunch of pissed off bot fighters elicited a sarcastic comment from Vera about him having a criminal record. That was something that should've given her quite a bit of material since she'd deemed fit to tease him about going to a bot fight on the flight to San Fransokyo.
Suddenly Hiro picked up his pace as they rounded a corner. He was still talking a mile a minute about some sort of invention the pair had once worked but it was obvious that he was desperately trying not to reach over, grab his arm, and drag him across the street towards a massive three story Victorian Queen Anne house on the corner. "Home sweet home," Hiro told him, flashing a grin at him. "Come on!"
Hiro charged across the street with a few of the others in tow, yelling something about how he couldn't wait to see the look on their Aunt's face when she saw him. That didn't sound nerve wracking and intimidating at all. "Are you alright Tadashi?" Honey Lemon asked kindly.
He looked over at her. There must have been something in his face because Honey Lemon smiled reassuringly at him before patting his arm. "It's a lot to take in I know but all of us are beyond ecstatic to have you here with us." she told him soothingly.
"They've really missed you." Vera finally broke her silence from his back. She squeezed his shoulders tightly with her forearms in an awkward kind of hug.
"More than you can even imagine." Honey Lemon affirmed. She gave his arm a squeeze and another reassuring smile.
"I think if I remembered… I would've missed you guys too." he said quietly apologetically.
"It will take time is all." Vera promised. "Now let's get across the street so you can put me down. I can't feel my legs anymore."
He choked back a laugh but Honey Lemon openly giggled. Just be a bit of a snot, he threw Vera a bit higher on his back so that her body jostled against his. She reached over and flicked his ear in irritation. "Vamos, you two." Honey Lemon said to the pair as she started across the street after her friends.
He faltered a moment. He could feel Vera's eyes on him, watching him carefully. However, before she could ask him if he was okay he started for the Queen Anne house on the other side of the street. "Let's go meet my Aunt." he told her with a smile.
There was a beautiful hand painted sign on the door that identified the first floor of the house as the Lucky Cat Cafe. Though it was dark inside the dining room, it looked cozy and hospitable. Hiro had lead the others around the corner to the side entrance. "Okay, here's what we're going to do," Hiro said as he waved his hand through the air as he opened the door to the cafe. "We'll all go upstairs, Aunt Cass will probably be in the family room watching some cheesy B list horror flick. Tadashi will stay in the kitchen. I'll tell her that we have something to show her. We drag her into the kitchen where you'll be standing there. She'll be so surprised. Honey Lemon you'll film the entire thing on your phone so we can have it for later."
"I'm no expert on this sort of thing but if I've been dead for three years then maybe surprising her wouldn't be the best idea." he pointed out skeptically.
"It'll be fine." Hiro waved his hand dismissively.
"Totally going to be awesome." agreed Fred as he ducked into the cafe's industrial kitchen.
"Yeah, kinda have to agree with Tadashi. There's gotta be a better way to do this." Wasabi pointed out as he followed Fred into the kitchen.
"We'll probably wake the neighbors up and get the police called on us." GoGo added.
"Maybe we can just, y'know, break it to her gently." suggested Honey Lemon.
"Trust me guys," insisted Hiro as he ushered Chi… Tadashi and Vera into the cafe. At the first sight of linoleum, Vera broke herself out of his grip and slid off his back to stand on her own feet. She straightened her slacks and suit jacket out as Hiro closed and locked the door after them.
"There's got to be a better way to do this though." he said emphatically. He looked at Vera. However, Vera merely shrugged her shoulders and offered no help in the matter whatsoever. Instead he looked to Fred, Honey Lemon, GoGo, and Wasabi. "Really, there has to be a better way."
Hiro was literally bouncing. "If you've got any of your world famous ideas Hamada go for it." GoGo said gesturing towards Hiro.
"Come on, come on!" Hiro urged as he waved them towards a flight of stairs. Obviously, he was not going to have any time to think of any supposedly 'world famous' ideas before Hiro gave their Aunt the shock of her life.
"I hope Aunt Cass doesn't have a heart condition or something." he mumbled to himself as he followed everyone up the stairs. Vera followed after him, clearly not wanting to be in the way.
"Hey! Aunt Cass!" Hiro yelled as he headed up the stairs.
"Sweetie, you're home already?" came a feminine voice from close to the top of the stairs. Wasabi stopped suddenly and Chi… Tadashi collided into his back. As he rubbed his nose, he craned around to look around Wasabi. Hiro was standing at the top of the stairs waving his hand frantically back at them. Apparently Aunt Cass was not watching some cheesy B list horror movie but was actually in the kitchen.
"What do you mean home already?" Hiro asked lightly.
"Well what with the break in at Fox Labs and all, I just thought you and the gang would all be over there helping out. Did you guys already deal with it or something?" questioned Aunt Cass.
"What break in?" Hiro said in confusion.
"There was a break in at Fox Labs. It's all over the news." Aunt Cass repeated.
"What?" gasped every member of Big Hero 6.
"Fox Labs…" whispered Vera from behind him. A bell of recognition rang through his mind. He knew that place. Well, he knew of that place anyways.
"Fox Labs is a huge chemical research lab." he explained quickly to Vera.
"One of the largest in the country." Honey Lemon added as she sprinted up the stairs, eagerly wanting to find out more information. A break in right at one of the biggest chemical research labs right around the same time that Hydra was busy chasing them through SFIT and the streets of San Fransokyo? Something heavy settled into the pit of his stomach. He cast a glance back at Vera. Judging by the look on her face, she'd come to the same realization as well. She jerked her chin up towards the top of the stairs in a silent 'go, go, move!'
"Wow! You guys mean to tell me that I actually know something in the seedy underbelly world of San Fransokyo before you do? I'm in shock!" Aunt Cass teased.
"What was stolen?" GoGo asked hurriedly. He reached the top of the stairs. The brightly painted kitchen of the living quarters wasn't the most spacious thing but there was enough counter space and a breakfast bar with stools. The small dining room table had various papers and other odds and ends piled on top of it. There was a fat tabby cat lying on one of the chairs at the table.
"I don't know. I guess some chemicals and stuff seeing as how it's a chemical lab. Seriously? You guys aren't investigating this? I thought you guys would be all over this." Aunt Cass replied as she waved her coffee cup around in the air. The confusion was evident in her voice. The uncertain answer greatly worried him. With an masked Supervillain as well as an evil secret organization running loose in the city, he really didn't want to hear 'I don't know' in reference to stolen chemicals. Who knew what someone had planned for that stuff. Then he got his first real look at Aunt Cass.
Whatever had just been freaking him out a moment ago, disappeared in a snap.
A vague, foggy memory eeked through the back of his mind. It was more sensation than anything actually. He remembered a stark white room that made the walls too bright to look at directly. There were stiff backed chairs that were impossible to get comfortable in. He could hear the even breathing of someone smaller beside him. That smaller someone had cried himself to sleep. No real indication as to how he knew that. He just did. However, the most poignant feeling was the horrible, sharp feeling in his chest as though someone had just cut his heart out and then salted the wound. It was so unbearable that he thought he might breakdown. He desperately wanted to break down but yet he couldn't. He was the older brother. He had to stay strong. Someone had to stay strong for Hiro.
Then there was another sensation. One final feeling that permeated his brain from the darkest regions. A warm touch on shoulder, feather light and hesitant, that drew his attention to the woman sitting beside him with his younger brother in her arms. Her eyes weren't as green as Vera's but they were tinged with red and tears that made them stand out. Her touch became firm and comforting. "Tadashi…" she said with a smile that bore no happiness in it, "It's alright to cry sweetheart. You can cry."
And cried he had. For some reason, he vividly remembered burying his head in Aunt Cass's chest and sobbing like a baby.
The sound of shattering plaster brought him back to reality with a heavy crash. The coffee cup Aunt Cass had been holding was now in pieces on the ground with still steaming liquid pooling around her feet. "Ta... Tadashi." she stammered with wide and unbelieving eyes. She stepped forward, reaching her hand out hesitantly.
He stepped forward past Honey Lemon and GoGo. Past Fred and Wasabi. Past Hiro. He took her hand gently and squeezed it with all the reassurance he could muster. "Hey Aunt Cass… tadaima." Tadashi whispered back.
Sneak Peek at Next Week's Chapter:
"Lifetime"
"We're still a step behind even though we got to Big Hero 6 before Hydra?" Vera muttered under her breath.
X X X
"Patients with retrograde amnesia oftentimes do not lose the fundamentals of who they are. Personality remains mostly intact while the ability to recall memories from before the trauma are impaired." Baymax informed them.
"Baymax, when do you think Tadashi will get his memories back?" Hiro asked.
Thank you again for all your reviews, favorites, and follows!
Tony18: Writing Chiune/Tadashi as an action hero is my favorite thing ever because he's not exactly the stereotypical Harrison Ford type of action hero. I wouldn't say he's a reluctant hero since we see him in the movie jump into action when there is a real need. He's more of an unwitting action hero type I think in the sense that he doesn't go looking for the opportunity but if something happens he'll do his best to help. Though I feel obligated to point out that it was Vera who shot out the tires. Poor Chiune/Tadashi didn't even realize he had a loaded gun strapped to his back. As far as Vera ending her life to keep herself out of Hydra's hands, I'm honestly not sure. It's an interesting thing to think about. I can definitely see her doing something that would force Hydra to kill her though (a sort of suicide by enemy kind of deal) maybe as a last ditch attempt but her taking her own life I'm not sure.
Butterscotch 12: Thank you so much for all your awesome compliments! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Honestly, I just love writing and sharing it with other people. That's one of the greatest things about fanfiction.
arashikageriverflower: I update every Saturday! Glad you're enjoying the story.
aki: Interesting that you should say something about Fred's dad possibly working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as an adviser. In an early idea for the story I had the group all going to Fred's house instead of the cafe to regroup after the reunion and to plan the next move. I had an idea that Vera would see the picture of Fred's dad and be utterly dumbfounded and commenting on how his dad was legendary in the "business" if you catch my drift and that he paved the way for a lot of Superheroes/metahumans. Alas, I scrapped the idea because it didn't really work best structurally for the story.
Sabeloid: Thanks for bearing with me for this part. It took awhile to get to but I think it was all worth it.
Falcrow-42: Yep the cat is out of the bag and Chiune/Tadashi has finally found everyone again.
SanFransokyo Oncer: Thanks for sticking with me until this part. The wait was long, I know. As far as Aunt Cass's stress eating habits, I chose not to put them in. This was mainly because in the movies it was played for laughs and I wanted the reunion to be serious. I truly love Aunt Cass as a character though and I think she gets overlooked sometimes in favor of other characters.
Espe Kuroba: I'm so happy that you thought it was all worth the wait. I seriously thought a lot of people would jump ship before this. As far as the car chase scene, I felt like I had a lot to live up to because the car chase scene in the movie is so epic itself. When it comes to Chiune/Tadashi's memory loss, I'm went with retrograde amnesia. Baymax will talk a little bit about it in the next chapter. Hopefully this chapter answered some questions about remembering.
Masking What Remains: Thanks so much! Glad that you stuck around. Hope you thought it was worth the wait!
UntitledJoy: You're right, this is a major loop for Hiro. I don't really show it in the story, partly because there wasn't time and partly because I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I imagine there's going to have to be a lot of healing for a lot of people. Family therapy might be in order.
SanctuaryInMusic: Hiro definitely got the shock of his life, as did Chiune/Tadashi and everyone else involved. Glad you've enjoyed the story thus far!
Ember Neutron: No, no fainting Wasabi and no stress eating Aunt Cass. It would be funny but I didn't think it fit the tone of the story. Not saying that if Wasabi happened to be the first to lay eyes on him and be alone that there wouldn't be some drop to the floor moments though ;-)
DaydreamDepartment: Honestly, I think my favorite moment to write was Aunt Cass's reaction and the way that she takes it. She didn't lose a nephew the day of the fire. She lost her son. On top of that, depending on what headcanons you accept, there are even more ways this could be tragic for her. I could probably write an entire essay on why I was absolutely wrecked for Aunt Cass during the movie. I wanted to make that initial sight of Chiune/Tadashi very, very sweet.
Lei' Raeyna: Sorry, for cutting things off. The chapter would have been over 10,000 words had I kept going. Hope the conclusion to the reunion arc lived up to your expectations.
sarafine-ecleips: Yes, it finally happened. It took some time to get here but our boys are back together.
lilnightmare17: The plot thickens... or at least the emotional baggage does.
yangires: Glad you liked the car chase scene. You're right, those are a doozy to write. I think it's mainly because it is such a visual thing. That and I had big shoes to fill because the original car chase scene in the movie was so well done.
bukalay: Hiro would definitely trust anything in his brother's care. It all goes back to the bond that the pair share. I think there's some sort of rulebook the pair had for each other and one of those rules said something about always showing the other what they were working on.
APTX4869-Kaito: Alas! I cannot marry you for I sit alone in my tower with my laptop crafting stories. Lol. I am by no means a perfect human being too (full disclosure) :)