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Hiro found irony in the situation.

He didn't really know why. He didn't know why he could feel or think anything in the first place. His best friend, his mentor, and his favorite study buddy was dead. Not only that, but he had asked another close friend of his to cut him open and save his life.

Now he was in real medical care, being rushed on a gurney inside of an emergency room. The paramedic listed his symptoms vaguely in the background of chaos, and Tadashi was hovering over him all the way, sprinting along with the doctors to a trauma room.

"Please," he heard Tadashi say. "You have to help him-he's all we've got. Please."

"Sir, we're going to have to-"

"No! No, not yet."

"Push ten of epi!"

Hiro's mind fogged up just slightly as a breathing mask was wrapped on his face, and his ability to hear was slowly beginning to fade. Tadashi had been forced to the side, but he was still in the trauma room watching through terrified eyes. The doctors worked frantically to assess Hiro's injuries and Hiro was slightly nervous that they would freak at his surgical suture.

They lifted his shirt, making the others gasp loudly. One of the doctors examined more closely.

"Jesus. Who the hell did this terrible stitching job?"

"That's not important. What's important is that it's either a basic stitch...or it's a surgical suture."

"You mean someone cut this boy open? He's only a kid..."

"Let's get to work, then!"

Hiro felt a terrible pain in his chest and lost all ability to think anything from the unimaginable agony. He faded away too quickly and his heart monitor beeped rapidly beside him. Tadashi hugged himself in anxiety as he watched the scene unfold while one of the doctors beside him pulled out a stethoscope and placed it on his chest, listening closely.

"His left lung has collapsed! We need to get him to an O.R. right now! Macie, prep O.R. one and let a nurse know we're on our way!"

"And someone get this man out of here! He can't be here to see this."

"Wait, please! Don't take him away-what if I don't see him again?"

"We'll try our best-now step out of the way."

And just like that, Tadashi watched in quick, heavy breaths as they rushed his brother to an O.R., taking in as much of him as he could before the swinging doors slammed right in his horrified face.

Tadashi trudged back to the emergency waiting room where he met his friends, Wasabi, Fred, Honey Lemon, and...

Oh. Nevermind.

"What's the word?" Wasabi asked frantically. "Where is he now?"

"He's, uhm...he was rushed up to surgery before I could get all of the information. His left lung collapsed and they dropped everything. Rushed him to an operating room. That's all I know."

Honey Lemon touched her chest, specifically where her heart was, feeling the ache of the terrible news. She couldn't lose another friend, not when a person she considered a sister had ceased to exist only hours before.

"Don't worry, Tadashi," Fred chimed in with a smile. "Hiro is such a strong person, and we all know it. He'll persevere. Yeah?"

Tadashi nodded, collapsing into a chair and letting out a large puff of air. It was still all sinking in for him, and the image of Gogo's bloody, beaten body replayed in his mind every second like a broken record. He missed her so dearly, and his chest was aching as if she were torturing him herself.

All they could do now was wait for however long it took, and they were more than willing.

"Ten blade."

The surgeon mad the first incision into Hiro's chest, working with fast, steady hands to fix his collapsed lung. She didn't know what had happened to this boy, but she knew she would have to call social services and find out why his brother hadn't been there to stop this from happening.

Further along in the surgery, about forty-five minutes later, they decided to move on to the stomach where the previous "surgery" had happened. They made some disturbing discoveries, but somehow they looked as if they may have done some good. There was one suture near the liver that was preventing an internal bleed, and another doing the same thing. The doctors raised eyebrows about it nonetheless.

Aunt Cass arrived after they waited for three hours in the hospital. She was shaking and asking several questions.

"What happened to Hiro? Why weren't you guys answering my phone calls? What were you saying about the house? Are you guys all right? And, hey, where's Gogo? Is she back at the house? Did she leave New York?"

They all looked down in sorrow until Honey Lemon let out a heart-wrenching cry, burying her face in her trembling hands.

"Oh, god...is Hiro...?"

"No, he's in surgery," Tadashi whispered. "I'm...We're waiting for an update."

"So, then, where's Gogo?"

Tadashi explained that when they arrived at the house, strange things started happening. She didn't understand. He continued, saying that the strange things lead to much more disturbing things and that one by one they were disappearing.

Of course, this still didn't make sense to her whatsoever.

It was going to be a long day.

They had finished his surgery, and Hiro was in a recovery room to be analyzed further. The surgeon that had operated on the teen, Doctor Bradley, approached the worrisome family in the waiting room, still in her surgery gown and cap. The brother saw her walking toward them and stood up in a heartbeat, followed by the others.

"The surgery was a fairly complicated procedure," she began, looking over her clipboard. "We found some troubling things that we'll need to question you about. Just to avoid social services for the time being."

"'For the time being?'" Aunt Cass asked, clutching her chest in worry.

"The sooner one of you comes with me and explains to me what exactly happened to that poor kid, the better your chances are of avoiding social services altogether. So, who wants to come with me? He's only seventeen, so he's got good chances."

"Wasabi, come with me," Tadashi said. "You were the one that actually...you know."

Wasabi nodded, though there was no hiding the stress in his casualty. They followed the woman into an office down the hallway and they sat in the two chairs in front of her desk. She let out a deep breath, collapsed into her chair, and leaned forward, glancing between the men.

"So, let's get started. Tell me how he got hurt this way."

Tadashi blanked and suddenly realized the mistake he'd made in following her in here. He didn't have a story to tell, or at least one she would believe. He simply stared dumbly at her, the gears in his mind desperately attempting to shift and come up with something, anything.

"We were at a rented townhouse last night," Wasabi said, and Tadashi physically tensed when he began to speak. "We, uhm...we were just hanging out at first when Hiro said he was going to run across the street to grab a snack at the local convenient store."

"And that's something you let him do often?" The doctor asked, a notebook in hand. "Does he usually go by himself to run errands?"

"Well, again, we don't live here, but Hiro can drive and take care of himself. I believe that's safe to say."

"Of course. Continue."

"It started to rain very hard while he was out, but when he returned, he had slipped on the steps up to the townhouse. Tadashi and I were none the wiser. We didn't hear him or see him."

"Oh, yes," she said, clicking her pen absentmindedly. "That was a terrible storm last night."

Wasabi froze, realizing that he hadn't known the forecast last night due to his presence in the abyss. He was lucky, to say the least.

"Our electricity had gone out at this point," Tadashi began contributing to this concoction of a story that Wasabi was attempting, and he started to see how it could potentially end. He felt guilty for some reason, like he was disgracing Hiro's story and Gogo's fate, but they had to keep social services away. "Our phones couldn't charge, so we had no way to contact Hiro or any type of authority. I had stepped outside later when I saw him. It was terrible. He'd hit his head and concussed, as I'm sure you saw. He also seemed to had seriously hurt his stomach, and Wasabi and I both feared a possibility of internal bleeding."

"You boys sure know your stuff. Hiro is very lucky to have had you on the scene."

"Yes. Very Lucky," Tadashi said under his breath. The truth of the matter was that he hadn't been able to reach his brother in time no matter how hard he'd tried and he still couldn't forgive himself for that but there were more important things in the forefront of his mind at the moment.

"Tadashi and I immediately dragged him inside with the help of our friends and used the little resources we had to call 911, but it was no use. The phone lines were dead. So, Hiro woke up. He was tired and in pain but he's been studying medicine in college and he had an idea."

"He's in college? Shouldn't he just be a senior in high school?"

"He graduated when he was thirteen," Tadashi said.

"That's amazing. He wants to be a doctor?"

"We'll see," Tadashi replied. "He's seemed to take an interest in several things, but he's still figuring himself out. That's why I was personally devastated when I realized the extent of his injuries. I didn't want him to be so hurt to the point he would be throwing away everything he was. He's an inventor, and he was nearly dead today as well."

"I see," she murmured. "Continue. What was his idea?"

"We tried talking him out of it, but we realized he didn't have that kind of time," Wasabi said. "He insisted that we perform a surgery in the house. Tadashi had a medical kit that he takes with him everywhere, and it had all of the necessary equipment to get the job done. I ended up being the one to perform it, and Hiro talked me through it. I had to admit, under all of the pressure and intensity of the situation, I was impressed by his perseverance."

The surgeon's jaw had dropped at this point, completely baffled by the information she was just given.

"You...you performed those sutures that were preventing the bleeding?"

"Yes, ma'am," Wasabi replied sheepishly, sinking deep into his chair. She could easily scold him for his stupidity, tell him how he almost murdered Hiro, reprimand him for his thoughtless actions, but instead...

"You saved his life. He saved his life. How did he know what...?"

"That, I will never know myself."

"And where were you?" she asked Tadashi. "From what I've picked up on you, you would've been the first to shoot the idea down."

"I, myself, insisted that it wasn't an option and proceeded to run to stores across the street, begging for help and asking for a phone. The power was out in these stores as well, but it picked up quickly after. We were up and running, the ambulance was on its way, so all I had to do then was go and check on my brother. That's when I saw what happened. The blood, the stitches, everything. It was terrible, but I think it's what ended up saving his life. Wasabi saved my baby brother, and I'll always be grateful for that."

Wasabi smiled to himself, looking down at his hands in satisfaction. He'd saved someone's life, and Tadashi hadn't been as mad at him as he initially thought. He just wished Gogo were here to celebrate with him, even if she wouldn't have been as jazzed about it as he was.

"Well, I have everything I need. You boys were incredibly brave today, and I'll be sure to tell social services that this was all in good hands. Well done."

Tadashi and Wasabi shook her hand, thanked her and left the room. She had given them his room number, suggesting they visit only a few at a time to ease his aching head. They got to Hiro's room, standing in front of the door and hesitating to enter.

"I should probably go in first," Tadashi said. "He'll want to see me, and I need to see him. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course," Wasabi nodded. "I'll go tell the others where his room is. You go ahead and go in."

"Wasabi?" Tadashi stopped him just before he was turning to leave. Wasabi quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"I need to do something."

"Okay."

Tadashi pulled his fist back and punched Wasabi square in the face, causing Wasabi to double back in shock and cup his nose. He shot wide eyes up at his friend, the friend that was known to never in a million years inflict pain on another human being.

"You punched me," Wasabi stated, his brown eyes searching for an answer.

"That's for cutting my brother open," Tadashi said before pulling Wasabi into a tight hug. "And so is this."

Wasabi stiffened, slowly wrapping his arms around the man and slowly understanding the situation's significance. This was all happening for a reason, even if it was a reason he didn't understand or want to happen. Gogo shouldn't have been killed. They shouldn't have gone to New York. Hiro shouldn't be in a hospital. But here they were.

"I'm gonna go see a nurse now," Wasabi said, pulling out of the hug and waving slowly at Tadashi as he left. Tadashi waved back, looking back at the hospital door in dread. He clicked the doorknob open, walking in and taking in the figure in the bed.

He was beaten but he was no longer as bloody as he had been in the abyss he was held captive in. He was pale and he was very much asleep, so Tadashi simply sat beside his brother and took hold of his hand. He would be here whenever he woke up no matter what.

The room was painted orange and it had purple trimming with random photos of valleys and forests, perhaps to calm trauma patients at the sight. The only lighting in the room was a small lamp next to the sink and a pumpkin candle on Hiro's bedside. Pumpkin was Hiro's favorite. So was purple.

Just as he thought this, his brother's eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room in curiosity. Tadashi tightened his grip on the teenager's hand so to ensure his presence. Hiro slightly jumped at the action, licking suddenly dry lips and closing his eyes.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" Hiro asked. "I was really tortured by paranormal beings and cut open by one of my best friends, wasn't I? Gogo is really gone?"

"It was all real," Tadashi replied, heartbroken. "Yeah, bro. That all happened. And I'm so sorry it did. I'm the one that picked the townhouse, I'm-"

"Don't," Hiro cut him off, attempting to raise his arm only to realize that it was in a sling. He raised an eyebrow, not remembering breaking his arm.

"You fell this morning after everything happened. You broke your collarbone."

"I see," Hiro sniffled, grabbing a fistful of his blanket with his remaining hand. "Tadashi, listen. An accident as large as this...there could never be a single person behind it. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't."

"I hurt you," Tadashi said, devastated. "I hurt everyone."

"But you didn't. You were doing something kind for all of us. You did a good thing. It just ended up turning into something deadly, and that's not your fault."

"I'm sorry I let you go," Tadashi continued. "I'm sorry I let you get dragged up the attic steps. I'm sorry the witches chose you and not me. I'm sorry."

"Okay," Hiro said. Tadashi knew his words hadn't gotten to his little brother. He was stubborn, and that would never change. "That doesn't change how I feel about all of this. Not everything is your fault. You always think it is, but it isn't. Give yourself a single minute of innocence. I think you'll like how it feels."

Tadashi let his words seep into his mind, and he took them to heart. He was right. There was no way he could have possibly known that his brother would be hurt so badly or that Gogo would be killed or that Honey Lemon and the others would vanish one by one.

This wasn't your fault. This wasn't your fault.

He let out a deep breath, taking Hiro's hand once more and looking deeply into his eyes.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for everything you did. Thank you for pulling me out of the couch, thank you for running after Honey Lemon, thank you for protecting Fred in that basement, thank you for warning me when I first saw you, thank you for telling Wasabi to cut you open, and thank you for not dying. You had been working in the background to save us all, the whole time, and I didn't even realize it. So thank you. You're such a caring person, and mom and dad would be proud."

Hiro smiled softly, allowing a small tear to make its way down his face.

"I would do anything for my family. I learned that from you."

Hiro had fallen asleep after hours of visitation from Aunt Cass, Tadashi, and his friends. They mourned Gogo and suffered through an unimaginable grief, but at least they were together for it. They would defend her legacy and keep her memory alive.

Tadashi insisted that Wasabi, Fred, and Honey Lemon take the next flight home. Hiro wouldn't be released until the next day, and he didn't want to ask any more of his friends. Of course, they refused. They booked a hotel room and went to rest, and Aunt Cass called someone to deliver their things from the townhouse to the hotel. But no matter what, they insisted that they were leaving New York together.

For an odd reason, Hiro stopped making eye contact with his family after an hour of being with them. Tadashi figured that it was his medicine, but every time Hiro glanced at the far corner, he physically chilled and turned away with a wince. Tadashi saw nothing in the corner and wondered what he was missing.

Not only that, but Hiro's eyes had lost the glow that had initially been there when he woke up to Tadashi. There was a terrifying factor to the look that Tadashi couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Visiting hours are over," a nurse informed the group, making them all sigh in defeat.

"We'll be back before you know it, sport," Aunt Cass smirked, rounding the bed and kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, little dude. Persevere! We'll be right across the street at the hotel."

"Bye, Hiro! We love you, and we're glad you're okay!"

Hiro waved, still lost without his smile and usual light to his personality. Tadashi frowned, being the last one to leave the room. He cleared his throat.

"Hiro, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out. Loosen up, yeah? You seem tense."

Hiro tried to speak, but he physically couldn't build up the courage. He wanted to beg Tadashi to come back and tell him what was wrong, but he felt a strain around his entire body that he couldn't resist. He couldn't fight the bile rising in him.

The door clicked shut. The room darkened. His candle blew out. A cold atmosphere dropped into the room. Hiro sat up straight, looking directly at the corner he'd been staring at for over an hour.

One of the witches from the house was standing there, staring at him.

Hiro swallowed, trying not to accept what he'd been seeing but there was no hiding his terror. He had to face his demons, even if he knew exactly how it would end.

"You're here for me, aren't you?"

The witch didn't move. She didn't flinch. He knew she'd heard him, but she didn't communicate like a real person. She responded in her own ways.

"You're here to take me, right? To be one of them?"

The witch shifted this time. Hiro sat up straighter, a realization he'd been hoping was true dawned upon him. Maybe something good would come out of this after all, even if it devastated those around them.

"You never killed Gogo, did you? It was all a set-up. You were always going to take me, the whole time. Gogo's alive. You're bringing her back. And you knew exactly how to deceive everyone around me to make it work. You perfected every detail, and now you're here to finish the job. You're taking me to be with you for eternity."

The witch didn't move. She didn't flinch. She stood her ground, staring deep into Hiro's terrified eyes before lunging at him, screaming in the action. Everything in Hiro's world, his memories, his family, his brother, they all flashed into his vision before he felt a sharp pain...

And it all went away.

Tadashi had received a phone call from the hospital. It was emergent. They rushed to the building and were told that Hiro was gone but in his place was Gogo. This startled everyone to an entirely different level and a worrisome Tadashi searched every inch of the hospital for Hiro.

They hadn't found a single trace of him.

They ended up reporting the incident to the police immediately, where he was then pronounced a missing person. This terrified Tadashi to no end, seeing as they were in New York City and didn't know the city as well as they knew San Fransokyo. Because Hiro was so young, the police decided to take action as soon as possible, questioning his family, his friends, and every doctor, nurse, and surgeon that was on Hiro's file, including the paramedics and the trauma department.

None of them could provide any decent information on his sudden disappearance and not a single person had any idea who the woman in his place was.

Of course, the team was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of Gogo, even if she was confused and drowsy. Tadashi, feeling beyond guilty, hadn't even acknowledged her presence. The minute he heard about Hiro being gone, it was the only thing he could focus on. Aunt Cass felt the same, though she at least gave Gogo a warm and gentle embrace.

Tadashi could only hug himself and try to calm his beating heart, unable to shake away the terrible feeling in his gut.

Eventually, Gogo was well enough to speak and she told her friends the horrible truth.

The witch hadn't killed her like they all thought. It was all a set-up. She had been taken to a basement and held there with no food and no water for two days until one of the witches released her and took her through the real world. Hiro hadn't been able to see her, but he saw the witch standing in his hospital room.

The witch was silent, but Hiro knew why she had come. She came to take him away and never to return. She came to turn him into something inhumane and non-existent.

She came to rip him away from everything he knew.

Tadashi let out a gut-wrenching sob as Gogo continued her story. It was all true; Hiro was gone and there was nothing on earth that would be able to bring him back. He was lost in the wind, as insignificant as a firefly.

He had ceased to exist.

tsukinoshijima sorry lol but tadashi ended up punching wasabi :)

so this is gonna be a shock but this is actually the end of the story. if i get enough reviews i might do a sequel but honestly this story wasn't as succesful as i'd hoped with reviews, follows and favorites. i'll probably do a sequel if this chapter gets enough attention but if not, it's a cliff hanger for all :( anyways, i hope you've all enjoyed this one. i put as much effort into it as i could considering im at for for ten hours a day with rehearsal for drill team and im never on my computer. you've all been understanding when it comes to my lack of presence and i appreciate that. please follow, favorite, and review so that i can continue tinkering with this plot. (also just wondering if anyone else is as excited as i am for the big her 6 tv series coming next month holy shit)