Chapter Text
There was something wrong.
Hiro knew that.
He could hear worried voices- see, through hazy, dim eyes, the colors his friends wore.
Yellow. Green. Blue. Pink. Red. Even purple, somehow.
But there was someone missing.
It hurt to think. It hurt to move. It hurt to be alive. But… that feeling wouldn't go away.
Maybe they know. He thought, struggling to tune his ears to their words. "...she hasn't come…"
Everything was fading in and out, as if coming down a long tunnel. Who is she?
"...what did she…"
"...ink Karmi said… Amara…"
Karmi. Memories came flooding back. She ran back in. Now he remembered- torrents of painful and sweet and terrible memories, crashing over him. Nothing made sense. She's still in there. Then he was rising, stumbling, calling. Everything was spinning. He went forward. Cold metal arms pulled him back. A mechanized voice sounded above him. Everything hurt. He couldn't breathe. Barely speak. Confused. Hurt. Scared.
She was still in there.
A light came from out of nowhere, blinding him.
A familiar boom-whoosh.
Nothing made sense.
She's still in there.
A voice screamed her name, hoarse and throat-wrenching and utterly destroyed. Heartbroken. That was his voice.
That didn't make sense either.
Sirens sounded from somewhere behind them.
She was still in there.
Everything spun.
Something hard hit his chest, face, legs.
Darkness.
—-
"...on, wake up…"
"...been over a week…"
Who is that? Hiro wanted to slide back into sleep. Unconsciousness. The darkness that had been his best friend. It was so much more comfortable there than here, in this in-between space. He could feel the pain seeping in even as he lay there, suspended between consciousness and sleep. Waking up would be torture. Pain. Confusion. So why would he leave?
"Hiro… please…"
He knew that voice.
"You have to wake up…"
Why was her voice so sad?
"Please… it's been a week! The doctors…"
Already Hiro was exhausted from the mere effort of listening. But that woman sounded so desperate, tired, like she'd been crying for days…
How could he not listen to her?
Maybe he could at least move? It took him a moment to realize a hand was in his. With that new level of awareness came pain- a stabbing ache in his chest that never seemed to fade. He groaned, suddenly aware of how raw his throat was.
"Hiro?" Now the voice was full of hope. Good. He concentrated his energy, managing to give the woman's small hand a squeeze. He heard the voice again- "Oh, wow. He's awake! He's waking up!" Hiro smiled internally. "No- wait. The doctors said to let him sleep." He could feel breath on his cheek now, maybe the woman had leaned forward. "You rest, Hiro."
That sounded good. "I'll be here when you wake up, OK? I'm not leaving. Just let yourself recover."
He was curious. But at the same time…
Darkness pulled on him, covering him and keeping his eyes as heavy as lead. The pain began to slip away, followed by the sensation of her clammy hand on his. Sounds faded.
Back to nothingness.
—-
The next time Hiro awoke, it was easier. He was still exhausted, but aware enough to crack open his eyes and glance around. Confusion met him. Where was he? White ceiling, cold light shining down, white bed with rails- his eyes followed a small tube sticking out of his arm. There was another one, too- this one was attached to his nose, trailing down to a small machine at the end of the bed. It hummed when he breathed.
Oh. He was in a hospital. To his left was a side table with a pair of glasses, two phones, a glass of water on it. A plain white wall met his eyes. Rotating his head was difficult- it felt heavy and awkward, but he managed. There was a little padded oak chair, too. With someone sitting on it-
Aunt Cass. She was deep into an old paperback book, probably some trashy romance. Maybe he could get her attention, let her know he was OK. His throat still felt sore, but he managed. "Hey…"
She started, head shooting up as her eyes locked on his. "Hiro!" Then she was kneeling at his bedside, one hand slipping into his. "You're awake! Really awake this time!" A nod, a weak smile. "Hey, Aunt Cass." She wanted to give him a huge hug, never let him go- but her adorable little teen was attached to so many wires… probably not a good idea. Her hands shot out and then back to her sides. "H-how do you feel?"
" 'M… fine…"
Aunt Cass blew an incredulous chuckle. "I don't believe that. How do you really feel?"
A groan was her response. "Tired…" She nodded. "That makes more sense. Do… do you remember what happened?" His glazed eyes closed, thick brows furrowing against his still unnaturally pale skin. She wanted to soak in every little detail about this moment- he was awake. "Kind of… Amara… and you…"
"And Karmi. She saved your life, Hiro." The teen heard her tone soften, eyes following suit. She knew something.
There was an explosion.
The memory came back to him in a flash and suddenly he was completely aware. "Where is she? Is she OK?"
"She's in the room down the hall. She's…"
That hesitation.
Hiro burst up, suddenly bent on one thing- finding Karmi. Everything was spinning. Something pulled his arm, liquid trickling down. Aunt Cass leapt forward to stop him. He tore away, rushing for the door, crashing into it, collapsing in the tiled hallway. Something hit the wall in the room. His oxygen mask fell away. He picked himself back up, forcing himself forward painfully. His chest felt like it was going to explode.
He had to see her. That's all he knew.
That's all that mattered.
I can't lose her too.
The first room was empty.
The second room- not her. He moved on, leaning heavily against the wall.
The third room was the same. Not her. His breath wasn't coming right anymore- something felt torn inside his chest. Sucking in oxygen was almost impossible.
The fourth room held nothing either.
He kept on, agony exploding like a star in his lungs.
The world tilted.
The seventh room.
A flash of brown skin.
He rushed inside, surprising two doctors. He couldn't hear anything over his ragged, desperate gasps. The pounding of blood in his ears. Couldn't see anything but a still, small form swathed in white sheets on the other side of the room. Brown skin. Brown, long, beautiful hair.
Still.
Silent.
Scarred.
With this knowledge, his legs would no longer hold him. White floors flashed in front of his eyes. Someone- his aunt- caught him before he fully faceplanted, the doctors rushing around him. Suffocating him. His breath was ragged, inconsistent, utterly painful. But he had to know.
"W-what…"
"Shh, Hiro." His aunt's comforting voice only angered him. "Is… she…" Those two words seemed to take all the air out of his lungs. The world closed around him; black spots filled his vision. "She's burnt pretty bad, Hiro." He focused on his aunt's voice, clinging to it like a lifeline as the world warped around him. "She'll recover, but… it might leave a scar."
Relief flooded him. He didn't care about that. She would stay alive. She wasn't going to meet the same fate as his parents. As his brother.
Who cared what she looked like?
Hiro's last conscious thought was the awareness of his aunt's tight hold around him.
A/N: I... this wasn't supposed to go this way. It was supposed to have a happy ending. But ya know it's fine. I do angst best.
Also, really sorry about the late upload, I haven't been feeling the best as of late. Plus a lot of family emergencies... I won't go into details, but if you're a praying person I would appreciate the prayers.
God Bless.
New A/N: Yeah, so. Get used to it, mini me. Angst. Family issues. Just live ur life anyway bebe, stop letting other people affect you so much. Life is so much easier that way. Also ur ALLOWED TO DO THINGS BADLY--
Cough. Anyways. This was lowkey a joy to reread and although my personal opinion is that I write a lot better now, I'm still really proud of tiny me so leave a kudos for her, huh? Love you guys! God bless!
-Grace