Taken

In the man's arms was a smaller person, and all Tadashi could see was a mop of black hair and a pair of converse but it was enough to make his heart drop and his face pale.

Hiro.

The man was holding his little brother bridal style, approaching the flames slowly but surely. After Tadashi finally took in the situation, he was sprinting as fast as he could to save Hiro from the fire.

"Hey-STOP!"

The figure turned, and Tadashi's eyes widened at the mask on the man's face. It was white, with yellow, beady eyes and black streaks. He never got the chance to go rushing toward them because, in a split second, the building was exploding.

. . .

Tadashi slowly opened his eyes to face the evening sky.

The stars were out, though for some reason he couldn't see them very well. He could, however, hear his heart beating loudly in his chest, along with a distant ringing noise. He squinted his eyes as sparks began flying in the air, and for a moment he thought he was dreaming. With pain and confusion, he finally found the courage to stand up, only just then realizing he was laying on the ground. When he was able to see more clearly, he collapsed back on his forearms, his breaths escalating at the sight before him.

The showcase building was destroyed. Large flames danced in the evening breeze, only furthering the building's demise. Memories came flooding back of how Tadashi had gotten there, and his eyes were suddenly fixated on the steps leading up to the crumbling building. His heart skipped a beat at the sight.

On the steps lay his baby brother. He was unconscious, with blood gushing from his head. His jacket was seared at the arm, and his leg was bleeding profusely. The man that had carried Hiro up those steps was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh...oh, my god...Hiro! H-Hiro!"

Tadashi bolted up from the ground and sprinted across the pavement toward Hiro, scanning him over in horror. He looked smaller, and vulnerable. Tadashi had had nightmares about this. About his little brother being bloody or hurt beyond belief, and all the older Hamada could do was stare with wide eyes at the person that mattered most to him in the world struggling to breath. He looked sadly at the boy's face, which was smeared with blood and covered in smoke, and suddenly a newfound determination rose within him.

Without a second thought, Tadashi was scooping him up and running as far from the burning building as possible. As he ran, several ambulances came speeding toward the building, and Tadashi let out a shaky breath as paramedics jumped from the vehicles.

"Help! Please, help my brother!"

One of the paramedics came racing toward the two, taking Hiro from Tadashi's arms and running back to the vehicle as he spoke into his walkie talkie.

"I've got an injured minor on sight, he's got a head injury and possible internal injuries. I need a trauma room ready at San Fransokyo Hospital. We're on route."

"W-wait..." Tadashi pleaded, trying his best to get into the vehicle with them but he wasn't fast enough. He fell to his knees, watching as the ambulance sped out of the parking lot. All he could do was stare, until...

"-adashi! Tadashi!"

Tadashi looked up to see his aunt's wide, terrified eyes staring at him, her trembling hands cupping his face.

"Tadashi, are you okay? Where's your brother? Where is Hiro?"

Tadashi shook his head, unable to process what had happened.

"He's...he's hurt, we need to go to him. He's hurt."

"What?!"

"Come on, we have to go!"