Chapter 12 (Hiro's POV)

"The infection was…acute."

"Wow, what a plot twist…" I mumbled as I listened to Baymax recount his day working in the infirmary. Admittedly it didn't pair all that well with the greasy bag of chips I was trying to eat. But honestly, things had been so crazy lately it was good to spend time with him no matter what he talked about.

He tilted his head, seeming to analyze me. "Hiro, it seems your wrist is mostly healed. How does it feel?"

"These days, not bad." I'd gotten the cast off a while back, but it had still been sore for a while. I guessed my fistfight in Good Luck Alley hadn't been exactly what the doctor had ordered.

"Apart from your old injury, you seem to be in…good spirits. I am glad."

In his own way, I knew he meant he'd been worried about me. I figured a lot of people had been. Things had been quiet lately, and it gave me plenty of time to think…

"I guess I am, all things considered, Buddy. Maybe all I needed was a little time to remember that I'm not in this by myself…?"

Baymax just blinked at me for a few seconds before he reached in his own awkward way to hug me. "It is true, you are not," he said as he squeezed me tighter.

Smiling I hugged him back. Some part of me still felt like a kid, like we were both exactly the same. Well, Baymax was more or less the same. I figured he would be even when my hair started to go grey. Most of all, I was just glad I hadn't lost him… Things could have really gotten out of hand with that last battle with Enkei.

It was that same old fear of loss, but this time I didn't let it steal the moment from me. Instead, I savored it.

When we broke apart I tossed my snack bag in the trash and headed out. All my classes were over, and it was finally time to head out. We made our way through one of the many courtyards that were littered with students and teachers alike. I wished I was heading home for a nice quiet evening, but Krei had given us another "mission."

Apparently, his brain chips had just passed their certification and were ready to be released to the public. To celebrate he had to throw a massive party, and guess who was supposed to make sure everything was secure? When it came to Krei sometimes I wanted to tell him I'd retired, but as always duty called.

I wasn't sure what worried me more, a villain actually trying to steal them, or everything going to plan and half of San Fransokyo ending up with brain chips? Granted, Krei wasn't the mastermind behind the tech, which was at least a little comforting. Still, I didn't know anything about the inventor and that worried me all the same.

"Hey, Hiro!" Looking up, I noticed Fred running toward us at full tilt. If it had been anyone else I would have expected an emergency, but with Fred, it could have been as simple as a Yaki Taco sale.

"Yeah, what's up?"

He took a second to catch his breath, then smiled as always. "Probably a new exciting story arch, that's what's up!"

I chuckled. "You're excited about tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, but I have to admit, two formal parties in how many chapters? The trope is gonna get stale at this rate."

I sighed. "Don't worry, with Krei involved I'm sure it's gonna get interesting."

"You're telling me, how sci-fi cool is a brain chip? I would have signed up for one myself, but there's no way Gogo would let me."

I smirked. "Take it from me, Fred, do whatever she says and your life will be a lot easier."

"While we're on that subject…" he said a little awkwardly. "Can we talk? I mean do you have a second…?"

"Sure, just let me sit down first, my feet are tired of being stood on." He followed me over to a bench in SFIT's courtyard.

Loosening my tie, I gave him my full attention. "So what's going on?"

He folded his arms, frowning in a very "unFred" way. It was never like him to look very serious, but that's what he seemed all of a sudden, or at least a little bit.

"It might surprise you," he began ominously. "But comic books, while great for most life lessons, are pretty lame at offering relationship advice."

I almost choked. "Yeah…shocking."

"I know, but it's actually true!" He frowned again. "Or to be more specific Gogo doesn't fit any of the typical literary stereotypes."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course, that's one of the things that makes her so amazing! But…it also means I don't have any tactical edge. Know what I mean?"

I shook my head in playful pity. "So you're still in that innocent stage where you think you can understand women? I almost envy you…"

Fred smiled, the joke not lost on him. "Well, people aren't all that hard to understand, Hiro. Everybody follows a pattern more or less."

I just nodded along, kinda surprised Fred was this insightful. But he was a people person, so I guess it made sense that he'd thought about human nature a lot.

"It's just…" he admitted. "Gogo's pattern is harder to figure out than most. Most girls like flowers, right, but I get the feeling buying her a gold-plated nunchaku would go over a lot better. But at the same time, gifts can only do so much right? It's not like I can make her like me even with a thousand gold-plated nunchakus!"

I blinked, trying to stay focused, even though I was dying to ask if he was seriously considering buying her that. But with Fred and Gogo, I knew better than to ask, so I tried to focus on the main point.

"Fred, the thing about women is…nothing you consciously try to do is gonna make a difference. They either like you for you, or they don't. Really that goes for any relationship. At the end of the day, it's all about," I inwardly cringed at how cheesy this sounded. "Communication and letting them know you care."

He listened closely. "So…no nunchaku?"

I sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, I think Gogo would love that, but it's not the point." I looked at him frankly. "If she didn't already like you, Fred, she would have punched you in the face by now, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, definitely." He had no idea how much I could relate to that with Karmi, except I'd have been tased instead. It was both a painful and hilarious thought. What was our deal with dangerous women…?

"It's just…" he whispered honestly. "I don't understand why she likes me."

It was rare to see Fred both so serious and so vulnerable, but I knew exactly what to say.

"Then why don't you ask her?"

He seemed to consider the question carefully before that same old smile returned to his face. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do! Thanks, Hiro!"

Before I could even say "you're welcome" he was gone, sprinting away from campus. If I was honest, I would have loved to hear how that conversation went. Even if the answer was as simple as: "You're an idiot, but you're my idiot."

I doubted she'd tell him the real truth, but I thought it might at least be a start. Smiling, I felt strangely empowered. "You know," I teased Baymax. "Karmi's right, this shipping thing is oddly entertaining."

I wasn't sure he really got the appeal, but he tried. "Human relationships can be both complex and… fascinating."

The night came faster than I wanted, which meant we were again on guard duty for Krei.

"You know," Fred went on from the balcony overlooking the event we were all stationed at. "I assumed Krei was actually inviting us to the party. You know, where we could at least sample those little cocktail weenies. But we're just supposed to sit up here and watch other people eat?"

"Considering we're waiting for some possible psychopath to attack, you shouldn't be worried about eating," Gogo replied, as we all lurked in the shadows just out of sight. "Besides…" she mumbled. "One less reason to have to wear formal is a plus for me."

"You happened to look lovely in formal wear!" Fred shot back.

I saw a hint of a smile appear on her face. "Well, you look a little better in a suit than Kaiju cosplay yourself."

"And that," Fred teased. "Is what we call a left-handed compliment."

"If you ask me," Wasabi added honestly. "I like it better up here, less crowds."

"At least we'll be ready if anything happens," I commented before turning to Honey Lemon. "While we wait, does anyone know anything about the inventor of this brain tech? I really need something to reassure me this is a good idea."

"I wanted to know too, so I did a little digging," Honey Lemon reassured. "Her name is Makoto Watashi, a very accomplished neuroscientist according to her record. I'd never personally heard of her, but everything in her records checks out."

I sighed. "Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better. The thought of Krei messing with people's brains is horrifying."

"Tell me about it…" Gogo mumbled. "He needs someone to fix his own first."

"That's a little rude, isn't it, Gogo?" Honey Lemon cheerfully tried to correct her with a smile.

"Maybe, but it's also true."

I smirked. None of us could argue with that, so the conversation died down a bit.

After another hour of watching the social elite mingle, I was starting to get more than a little bored. But I'd learned the hard way to watch what you wish for, so I tried not to complain. But after a while, my mind started to wander. Karmi was working another late night at Viro Tech. But the thought of her mumbling greetings to Peti dishes brought a smile to my face. Finding said Petri dishes in the fridge at home was a little harder to get used to, but she always assured me they weren't dangerous strains. Or at least I hoped they weren't when I found them next to the milk I poured over my cereal every morning…

The idle thought and light conversation went on for another 30 minutes or so before the night got a sudden jolt of activity. Out of nowhere, an explosion rang out from somewhere downtown.

"What the heck was that?" Gogo said, taking an offensive stance.

"I don't know," I added. "But it could be a diversion. We need to split up, Gogo, Fred, stay here and make sure nothing happens at the party. The rest of us, let's go see what's going on downtown!"

"Call us if you need backup!" Gogo called after us, as the three of us took off with Baymax.

"Hiro," he said as we neared the source of the smoke. "I believe a bank is being robbed."

"How classic," I sighed as we dove toward the fray.

It was strange, the bank had been closed for hours, and no one was around. What crook wouldn't take a sneaky subtle approach? Why blow the side of the wall out? Either we were dealing with an amateur or someone who didn't feel the need to be subtle. Or it really was meant to be a diversion…

Whatever the case, I wasn't going to wait around and ask questions. We landed and headed straight for the smoldering hole in the wall. But before we could set foot inside, a familiar face appeared from it, an evil grin on her face.

"Hello again…"

"Enkei," I whispered in disgust.

I knew I shouldn't be surprised, a part of me still felt it like a sucker punch.

"Where's Callaghan!" I shouted as I took up an offensive stance.

She smiled again. "You'll find he's very…close."

Then she lunged forward toward Honey Lemon and Wasabi. The sound of their moves and counter moves against her shattered the otherwise still night as they spilled out into the street. I turned to help them, but something seemed to fix me in place. From the smoky gloom of the bank, another figure approached. This one felt like a demon arising from that same old nightmare…

"Y-Yokai…" I stammered as I felt my clenched fists shake.

Reaching carefully, he removed the soulless mask to reveal the same warm eyes I'd first met at SFIT all those years ago. Only now…they were laced with some sort of grief and acceptance like I'd never known.

"Hiro…"

"Professor…"

He smiled weakly. "I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances again… Really, I am. I…"

"W-Why…" I whispered. "Why…are you doing this…?"

He frowned, and the pain on his face seemed actually sincere. "It's too late for me, Hiro… It has been ever since the day Tadashi died. Can't you see that?"

"I-It's not too late! Can doing this…can this really make it better!? You're happy to just give up on everything you've worked for!"

"Hiro… My own daughter won't even look at me. For what reason should I keep fighting? Keep living this lie? Just as surely as neither of us can undo the past, I can't change the monster I've become!" His voice shook with a mixture of grief and rage.

"You're not a monster!" I shouted back as I took a step closer to him. "You can put a stop to this! Please…please…"

He reached out and grabbed me by the shoulders looking fiercely into my eyes. "Stop it!" he shouted before his voice softened. "Stop believing in ideals that are worthless…" Then he shoved me away as his voice broke. "I've n-never been the man you wanted me to be…"

I felt sick to my stomach as tears made my vision swim. I had to stop him, for everyone, for Tadashi… But…I couldn't make my legs move.

"Hiro!" I heard Honey Lemon and Wasabi, but it felt like it was from so great a distance I…couldn't reach them.

"Hiro." Even Baymax felt a thousand miles away.

Because like never before, I felt completely alone. Like the reality was finally landing squarely on my shoulders.

"Tadashi…" I whispered into the night.

He was gone...

Finally, every part of me seemed to understand that.