Control Alt Delete (A BH6 crossover)

Chapter Forty One: Figuring things out.

You are lost. You are in pain.

The entity had told him that in a dream, using the voice of Baymax. And it was true. He'd wanted to deny it at the time, but it was true. He was lost. He was still lost. And he was in pain. "Why, Tadashi? Why? Why does it hurt so much?"

For the briefest of moments, Hiro thought he saw his brother standing over him. But it couldn't be real. It had to be part of the dream he was experiencing as he tried to figure things out. There was no other explanation. Tadashi didn't know about this location. He never had, despite all the older Hamada's attempts to find his brother when he was younger; Tadashi had never found this place. But there he was, bending over him.

You've helped out a lot of people, you know. You're a hero, and I couldn't be any prouder. But I have to tell you something. The entity promised to help you with something if you helped them. Don't ask them to bring me back, okay?

Hiro remembered those words. He'd heard them while in another dream, sitting somewhere with Tadashi. And he remembered his response just as clearly as if it were happening all over again.

What?! Why not! All I ever wanted was to have you back! Don't take that chance away from me!

Once more, Hiro felt his brother's hands settle on his shoulders. Hey, I already told you. I'll always be right here. Hiro felt Tadashi's hand touch him just above his heart, just like he had that one time. Isn't that enough?

The boy shook his head, tears leaking from his eyes. "It's never enough," he sobbed. "I miss you so much. I don't ever want to lose you again."

"Even at the expense of what you have now?"

Hiro looked up at that comment. "What do you mean?"

Tadashi removed his hands and cupped his neck as he sighed. "You can't have it both ways, you know. Someone I once met told me that some events are set in time, that stopping them would unravel the fabric of time itself. They're set for a reason. My death is one of those times."

"No!" Hiro protested, throwing himself at his brother's chest. "No!"

"Hey," Tadashi soothed. "It's okay. Just think about it for a moment. If I don't die, would you be who you are now? Wouldn't that change things?"

Sniffling, Hiro had to nod.

"Don't be sad," Tadashi continued. "You'll get through this, one day at a time. I know you will. You're strong. Just remember that everything I did, I did for you. Make that count. Don't dwell on the past."

Don't dwell on the past. The realization hit Hiro like a ton of bricks. That's what he'd been doing, dwelling on the past, wishing to change things that shouldn't be changed. Tadashi had been right. If Tadashi hadn't died, where would Hiro be? Right where he found himself now.

Thinking about it, the gang had only helped him with his microbots this time around because they'd felt bad for him. And probably because Tadashi had asked them to help out. He'd done a pretty good job of acting like a techno-snob when it came to being introduced in this timeline. And Hiro's attempts to get them interested in being superheroes had been an epic fail. They just weren't interested and nothing he could do would change that. Because Tadashi was alive. They had no rallying cause. Why had he not seen it before?

He'd forgotten about more than just Abigail Callaghan, though she was decidedly a major person to remember. Saving her had been a turning point for him. But she was not the first person all these events had saved. They had saved him.