A younger Hamada brother fanfic of the two playing the classic game known as hide-n-seek. Things seem to go well until Hiro can't find Tadashi.
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"FOUND YA!" Tadashi yelled pointing at Hiro.
The boys were playing their fourth round of hide-n-seek when Tadashi spotted Hiro hiding behind the TV on the second floor of the building. He had been hiding there for the last ten minutes, but he was finally found. Tadashi startled him, but needless to say he was happy to be found; the space was getting a little crowded. Even for an almost four year old boy.
"Aw man!" Hiro exclaimed.
"Hey, don't feel bad, that was your best hiding spot yet!" Tadashi always made the effort to encourage Hiro while playing games so he'd enjoy himself more even if he lost. There is no winner in hide-n-seek when playing with one other person, but Tadashi hated seeing people when they felt down.
"Okay, now I wanna find you!" Hiro said whilst jumping up and down.
Tadashi couldn't help, but to giggle at his brothers' hyper attitude. "Okay, but this the last round of the night. We gotta go to bed soon unless Aunt Cass needs us to do something, alright?"
Hiro nodded excitedly. He didn't care if it was the last round or not; he wanted to play and wanted to find Tadashi quickly. To Hiro, whoever couldn't be found longer was the winner of the game. Tadashi has a slight disadvantage with Hiro being a lot smaller than him, but that never stopped either of them from having a good time.
The brothers had their own rules to the game. Wherever one brother hid during the last round they had to count the next round so it wouldn't be so obvious. That happened a couple times before with both of them being guilty of it, so they decided to set that as a rule. Also, there was no hiding in the cafe. That was actually Aunt Cass's rule, but the brothers didn't mind that rule anyway.
Hiro went back to his hiding spot facing the wall and starting counting until he got to ten.
"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" He shouted.
Hiro looked at his surroundings. He knew he didn't hear footsteps go up or down stairs so he figured Tadashi had to be hiding on the same floor. As Hiro started running around the room, he laughed thinking he already knew where Tadashi was. He ran into the kitchen believing he was hiding under the counter on the other side.
When he peeked around the corner, Tadashi wasn't there.
Oookay, he's not here. Where is he? Hiro thought. He shrugged it off and went looking elsewhere. The kitchen was far too easy of a spot for Tadashi to hide anyway.
Hiro rushed over to the dining room table.
He looked under the table and under each chair. Tadashi wasn't there.
Hiro stood tall and blew his messy hair out of his face. Tadashi must have a good hiding spot this time...
Hiro was always known to have a low amount of patience. When he couldn't find Tadashi right away, he became instantly frustrated, but it didn't stop him from being determined enough to find him.
The younger Hamada continued searching all around the second floor. Tadashi wasn't hiding behind a chair. He wasn't hiding behind the giant vase near the staircase. He wasn't hiding behind the pillows on the window sill between staircases or any other window sill for that matter. He wasn't hiding next to the drawer.
Where could he be? Hiro asked himself. Could he be in our room?
And so Hiro ran upstairs to the room he shared with his brother. There was so many places that he could have been. Hiro figured that Tadashi would be more comfortable hiding on his own side of the room, so he wandered over there first. Another rule for this game was that either side of their room was available for each other to use or look for. If they made a mess, however, they would have to pick back up after themselves before hunting some more.
Hiro lifted Tadashi's bed sheets to peek under his bed. He wasn't there. He looked under his desk. Not there. He looked on the other side of his book shelve. Not there.
Hiro gave up on Tadashi's side of the room and went on his own side. Tadashi wasn't under his bed nor desk. He also wasn't anywhere to be found in the bathroom.
It seemed like every corner he turned, Hiro peeked at just the slightest hope that Tadashi would be there. But he wasn't.
Hiro only had one more option in mind; to go downstairs to Aunt Cass's room (which was also partly the supply room). Hiro looked under her bed. Not there. He looked in the closet, behind another chair, around the supply shelf behind a drawer.
Tadashi was nowhere to be found yet, and Hiro started to panic. His heart was racing and he was breathing heavily at the thought of never finding his brother.Maybe I missed him the first time I was upstairs, Hiro thought as he raced back up the stairs. He looked in all the possible spots that he thought Tadashi could be hiding in including spots he had already looked for him before. Still nowhere to be found.
It had been twenty minutes, and Hiro still hadn't found Tadashi.
At this point, he didn't even want to search anymore. All he wanted was to see Tadashi again. He ran back up to their room looking under their beds again, but more frantically this time around.
"Tadashi?" He called out. Hiro felt his heart sink and race again at the same time. He turned his head left and right hoping he'd catch the sight of Tadashi, but he still didn't see him hiding anywhere. "Tadashi?" He asked again.
Hiro was far beyond worried. He usually was able to find Tadashi by now, but this time he didn't have much luck.
He rapidly ran down the stairs to the second floor again searching the room with his eyes. I've looked everywhere! Hiro thought. Where's Tadashi? I want to find him! Where is he?
"TADASHI!" He yelled. Tears started to form in the boy's big brown eyes as he ran around the room hoping Tadashi would magically appear. "TADASHI WHERE ARE YOU?"
He ran back over to the space between the staircases and searched the room with his eyes once more. Tears were falling down his face, hitting the floor with the quietest tap. Hiro's legs started to become weak and he fell to the ground sobbing out loud.
"DA-AH-AH-SIIIIII" Hiro cried out still sobbing violently. "DA-HA-HA-HA-SHIIIII"
The door from the bottom floor opened fast and up the stairs came Aunt Cass. Up the stairwell she saw Hiro having a fit. She automatically snapped into her concerned guardian mode and rushed right over to Hiro. She scooped her nephew up into her arms, holding him. She quietly shushed into his ear and patted his back hoping to calm him down.
"Hiro, what is it? Aunt Cass asked with her soft voice.
More tears fell as Hiro thought about how Tadashi was still missing. "I can't find Tadashi..." Hiro said with his voice all croaky.
Aunt Cass knew the boys were playing their game, so she wasn't worried that Tadashi had run off on them or was outside doing something for her. However, she was concerned that Hiro was having a hard time finding him. Although it wasn't fair to Tadashi since he had a good hiding spot, she knew she had to put this game to an end."
"Tadashi, I don't know where you're hiding, but wherever you are, come out now!" Aunt Cass demanded.
In about two seconds, Tadashi emerged from under a couch on the second floor. He was sore from being under there so long, but didn't mind being out. After standing up, he saw Hiro in Aunt Cass's arms. Hiro's face went from sad to the biggest smile he ever saw. Hiro became fidgety in his aunt's arms and began to reach out for his brother.
"DASHI!" He yelled. Aunt Cass placed him back down on the floor and and rushed right over to Tadashi. He practically jumped into his arms, almost knocking him over in the process, but Tadashi was just as happy to hug him back. "You were under that couch the whole time?" Hiro asked.
"Yup. You must have passed me at least four times. I thought for sure you were going to find me. Why did you get so scared?"
"I couldn't find you! I didn't think I ever would..."
"Tadashi, why didn't you come out of your hiding spot when Hiro started crying?" Aunt Cass asked during the brotherly moment.
Tadashi's heart began to race. "I don't know...I thought he was just messing around or something. I had a good hiding spot too..."
"Well, no more hiding in that spot next time you play this game. That goes for you too, Hiro. You're lucky I just closed the cafe when I heard Hiro crying. Now up to bed you two. I'll tuck you in in a few minutes."
Tadashi went to walk upstairs, but Hiro wouldn't let go of his leg. "Uhhh...Hiro. Could you let go of me?"
"No! I want Dashi!" Hiro said as he wrapped his arms around both of Tadashi's legs.
Tadashi smiled at Hiro's caring nature towards him. He knew Hiro was still happy to see him, but he didn't know how much Hiro wanted to keep him in sight.
But they had to go upstairs, so Tadashi decided to give Hiro a piggyback ride up. Although Hiro didn't weigh much, it was still a lot for Tadashi to handle while going upstairs.
"Okay, Hiro," Tadashi started off. "Lets get into our pajamas and go to bed. I'll be right on my side of the room."
The older Hamada had no problem speed dressing into his pajamas, but when he turned around, he saw Hiro struggling to get his top on. Tadashi laughed at Hiro's attempt to properly put it on.
"Here, let me help," Tadashi offered, pulling down the top, perfectly fitting Hiro. Hiro had no issues getting to bottoms on himself, but the top was something he still had yet to master. Hiro thanked his brother with another hug around his legs.
Tadashi laughed. "Alright, Hiro. Come on, get in your bed."
"Noooo," he whined. "I want Dasssshhhi."
Hiro was still clinging to Tadashi. What am I going to do? Tadashi thought. He never had to deal with Hiro wanting to stay so close to him before. It didn't make any sense to him. Tadashi goes to school for hours five days a week. Hiro always greets him with a hug when he gets home, but he's never this clingy. Him being hidden to long must have really gotten to Hiro.
"Okay, tell you what. Since it's not a school night and I was so hard to find, I'll let stay in my bed tonight. But don't take all the sheets like last time."
Hiro let go of his legs and bounced up and down. "OKAY!" He yelled running over to Tadashi's side of the room. Tadashi walked his way over to his side of the room, undoing his bed. Hiro couldn't wait to jump in and there he sat up waiting for Tadashi to climb in too. As he got in his bed, Aunt Cass walked into their room, seeing the two in the same bed.
"Tadashi, why is Hiro in your bed?" Aunt Cass asked irritated.
"I just felt so bad about Hiro being scared that he couldn't find me. Can't he stay here for tonight?"
Aunt Cass sighed. She loved seeing her nephews get along. "Alright, but only because it's not a school night." She walked over the two planting a kiss on both of their foreheads. "Don't keep each other up too late okay?"
"Promise," Tadashi said.
"Well good night you two, I'll be downstairs if you need me," she said as she turned off all the lights in their room. After she left, Tadashi turned to face Hiro. He knew he needed to talk to him.
"Hiro?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry you got scared when you couldn't find me, but why did you?"
Hiro didn't know how to answer at first. "...I just was. I can find you right away, but when I didn't I was scared I never would."
"But..you knew I was hiding somewhere in the house right?"
Hiro nodded. "Mmmhmmm..."
"Then there was nothing to be scared of."
"I was just scared that I'd never see you again....like mommy and daddy."
Tadashi sat up, but his heart sank down. The brothers had recently lost their parents a few months ago, but it still affected the brothers a lot.
"Hiro, we talked about this. Mommy and daddy...they're dead. They're not coming back. I miss them too ya know. But the thing is...we will always remember them, and that's the way we'll never truly lose them. You get it?"
Hiro nodded again. "I know...I don't wanna lose you too..."
"Oh, Hiro...you don't have to worry about that at all. I'm never gonna leave you."
Hiro yawned. "Promise?"
"Promise."
About 10 years later...
Hiro walked over to Tadashi's side of the room gripping onto his brother's signature hat. Hiro dropped it onto his bed. He breathed in with a sarcastic laugh, yet no smile was on his face.
"Tadashi..." Hiro said aloud, but quietly. "I may have been young, but I still remember that day. I couldn't find you for my life and the longer I spent trying to, the more I panicked that I never would. I should've known that you were hiding somewhere, but I was too scared and naive that I let it get the best of me. The sad part is, I bet if I were to look under that couch for you right now...you wouldn't be there. If I looked for you anywhere, you would be nowhere to be found...
...you're gone. You promised you wouldn't leave..."
Hiro felt to the ground in between frames of both side of the room curled up into a fetal position. He began sobbing to himself, much like he did all those years ago when he couldn't find Tadashi.
Tadashi, you promised.....
....please come back...
...I miss you and I wish you were only hiding.......