A/N : Big thanks again to tykimikkity for inspiring me and giving me permission to write this second story based on hers 'Fox-Face & Flames' s/10853393/1/Fox-face-Flames.

The main idea of this chapter (or, the whole story) is based on my imagination from chapter 21 of 'Fox-Face & Flames' by tykimikitty - the part when Kitsune asked Tadashi to switch place with him and 'Brothers Through it All' by JackFrostnDean - where Tadashi turned into Kitsune in order to save Hiro. Since then, I am crazy about badass protective Kitsune.

English is not my main language and I apologise for some grammar mistakes and my writing style is not nearly as beautiful as tyki's. This story was supposed to be a oneshot, but since it was too long, I split it into 5 parts.

Disclaimer : I do not own Big Hero 6. A brief appearance of some OCs (Tako, Hebi/Sasha Peters and Usagi/Thomas Rhine) and also mention of names ; Neko/Fumiko, Taka, Maya, Sierra, Knives, Kai and Chocho belong to tykimikkity

PROLOGUE (Recaps)

It had been a year passed since Hiro thought that he had lost his brother to a fire.

Who would have thought that a year ago, Tadashi — along with many innocent people who had near death experiences — would get stolen and involved in human experiments called 'Project Doubutsu', funded by a multiconglomerat corporation known as CASCO, whose purpose was to develop an antidote for a renowned doctor, whose only son had an unknown serious disease.

Unfortunately, Tadashi lost his memory as he first woke up in the facility owned by CASCO. And to make things worse, he with fellow human experiments were forced to experience emotional and psychological traumas that soon changed him into a cold-hearted person — someone known as Kitsune — who had no qualms about killing other members of the Doubutsu experiments in order to survive the Doubutsu trials that had been set up like a battle royale. And before the perfect formula for the antidote was perfected, Kitsune and other successful experiments had escaped and hid their faces behind masks that represented their given respectives animal names. They teamed up and had one goal in common : to find and take revenge on the head of CASCO — the brains behind Project Doubutsu that was responsible for their misery.

Being called Kitsune, Tadashi wore a fox mask.

Luckily, Hiro and his friends encountered Kitsune and his teammates, yet their reunion was joyless because their amnesiac Tadashi had turned into someone different from the kind and loving Tadashi they used to know and it just became worse when Kitsune tried to get rid of them all — the friends and the brother he couldn't remember. Both teams fought, but eventually, the Big Hero 6 decided to help Kitsune and his teammates to bring CASCO down.

Many battles and incidents occured during their investigation, started with one of Kitsune's teammates — nicknamed Tako — was revealed to be a traitor. Then, Hiro accidently stabbed Kitsune, which caused the latter to regain his memory back as Tadashi but lost his memory as Kitsune after he woke up from his coma. Tadashi returned to his normal life for a few weeks without memory of Project Doubutsu at all, until the head of CASCO turned his attention to Hiro and had Tako kidnap the boy. Fortunatelly, Tadashi remembered again his Kitsune's life and merged with him so he could retrieve Hiro from the enemy's grasp.

At the end, Big Hero 6 managed to lead CASCO to its downfall. All its human experiments went back to their real family to continue their normal life.

However, not everything was able to stay the same like how it used to be.

It was true that Tadashi had regained all his memory back completely, but Kitsune still remained as his negative emotion — his alter ego. While Tadashi was a friendly, caring and selfless person ; Kitsune was heartless, unfriendly, selfish and had murdered a lot people. But now, with Kitsune's negative emotions being under control, Tadashi made atone for what he had done in the past by putting Kitsune's fighting skill in a good use by being a hero known as Silver Samurai and assisted Big Hero 6 protect San Fransokyo.

Until now, Hiro and the others still could see Kitsune in Tadashi, but they learned to live with it. One thing that Tadashi didn't expect was that someday, he would have to let Kitsune take his place again.

A Big Hero 6 Fanfiction

Fox's Humanity

By : M4dG4rl

Based on 'Fox-Face & Flames' by tykimikkity

Dedicated to my friend, HiroAngelLight, who's also fan of that fanfic

Fox's Humanity

1. Re-emergence

This was just an ordinary day in San Fransokyo for Big Hero 6 and Silver Samurai. And by ordinary day, it meant Big Hero 6 and Silver Samurai were fighting some bandits who committed crimes in their city. This time, their enemies were heavily armed bank robbers who had left the crime scene few minutes ago before the heroes arrived. Luckily, Baymax scanned the whole area, found the location of where the robbers were hiding and carried the heroes there — in an old abandoned warehouse somewhere in the city.

And here they were ; six heroes plus one robot, fighting against twelve bandits wielding firearms.

More than once, Tadashi almost finished off them all with a swing of his katana. More than once, he managed to snatch their pistols and had a chance to shoot them in the heads. But every time he had a chance to do so, his friends always stopped him. They were heroes with morals, not murderers. And Baymax — amidst this chaos — gave advice calmly that violence didn't solve anything.

Being too preoccupied with their own battle, they didn't realize the danger that lurked their youngest member.

BANG! A shot had just been fired.

"Ouch!" followed by a cry of a boy who was being the shooting target.

Hiro fell to his knees, covering his injured shoulder. A stream of red was trickling out from a crack in his purple armor. He hissed in pain.

"Hiro!"

In panic; Tadashi, Honey Lemon, Gogo, Fred and Wasabi left their battle immediately and rushed forwards in an attempt to Hiro's aid. When they were just about to reach the boy, the robbers' boss — the one who shot Hiro — yanked him by the waist and hoisted the boy to his feet ; he removed Hiro's helmet and pressed the nozzle of his gun into the boy's temple.

"Stay back!" the boss shouted, eyes glaring sharply at the heroes. "Or I'll blast his head!"

By perforce, the five heroes (even the other bandits) froze in their respective spots with many expressions mixed into one on their faces; panic, afraid and worried. They raised their hands in surrender ; Hiro was really this close to his death.

But for Tadashi, there was one more emotion bubbling up inside his mind that even himself wasn't aware of ; hatred. Hatred towards the one who just hurted his brother and threated to kill Hiro right under his nose. His gaze met his brother's. It was clearly visible that Hiro was trying to look tough in vain because everyone there could see ; the boy was trembling in fear though he didn't scream for help.

Baymax waddled towards the kid in need of rescue.

The boss shot a piercing gaze at the heroes with his eyes that sent a threat. "Deactivate him!" he demanded without loosening his gun.

Hiro whimpered in pain. To Tadashi and his friends, that was the most painful sound they had ever heard and they felt their heart ached, like something sharp was stabbing their chests repeatedly. To all of them, Hiro was more than just a comrade. He was their little brother. And at this moment, their little brother needed their help.

"Stop crying, You Brat!" A harsh blow was delivered to the back of Hiro's head. The boy screamed even louder.

Right at this moment, the older Hamada wanted nothing but to lunge forwards and kill the boss without mercy and brought Hiro somewhere safe away from this dangerous place.

But, would he allow himself to take someone's life in order to save another life? Kitsune would agree about this, but Tadashi would try to save a life without involving murder.

"I said deactivate him!" Everyone seemed to be still in a state of shock that they didn't notice that Baymax was still waddling towards Hiro to tend the latter's wound.

The second shot was fired as a warning. This time, Hiro's right leg was the target. The boy's cry was getting louder. In fact, he hadn't stopped crying since the first bullet hit his shoulder.

Honey Lemon screamed, covering her mouth in horror. Fred and Wasabi exclaimed 'No!' in unison. They stumbled forward but as they saw those finger moving towards the trigger again, they paused and slowly took a step backwards.

"You monster!" Gogo roared with a face like a thunder. She was so ready to throw her sharp disk at the bandit in front of her but seeing how the bandit could pull the trigger anytime he wanted, she canceled her intention.

Tadashi's knees began to shake beneath him. "Please," he begged without himself realizing it, carefully and frighteningly. "Let him go. Just … take me instead."

His plea fell on deaf ears.

Baymax was getting closer to Hiro.

"Stay away!" the third shot was fired, the bullet hit Hiro's left upper arm, followed by heartrending yowl from the boy and a sound of high-pitched scream from Wasabi.

The boss' message was clear.

"No!" Tadashi shrieked fratically. "Stop it! Please ... we ... we'll leave immediately, just —!" His shaking knees finally gave way, he nearly wailed. "—let my brother go! Please … he's just ... he's just a kid!"

"Well, deactivate your robot!"

"Baymax!" Tadashi called his robot quickly without looking at his creation, almost yelling in panic. "Stop!"

The robot in red armor turned his head to Tadashi. If he was a human, he would stare at his creator with a confused face. "Tadashi, Hiro's injuries requires immediate care. I suggest — "

Damnit, Baymax. Just obey me and stop! "I am satisfied with my care!"

The robot's eyes began flickering dimly before they formed into a thin line across its white face. His body was not moving anymore. He was shut down.

The big brother returned to gaze at his younger brother, eyes burning hole into the boss. If it was his life on the line, Tadashi would've struggled and fought furiously. But it was not his. Hiro's life was being at stake here. Right now, the only thing he could do was listen and do whatever the boss ordered them to do. One wrong movement and Hiro would —

"Drop your weapons!"

— they dropped their respective weapons and armors without resistance; Fred removed his monster suit, not taking their eyes off of the boss' fingers on the pistol.

The boss glanced at his subordinates and ordered, "Tie them," then turned his attention back to the teens, "and don't you dare fight back!"

The heroes turned their heads to Hiro ; the boy lowered his head, his shoulder shook with sobs. Tears of pain rolled down his cheek and dripped down the floor, mixing with a small crimson puddle below his feet. It hurted them to see the poor boy in such a state. That's when they realized that Hiro, however, was just a small kid. A small kid whose life depended on their cooperative action.

The next thing the teen geniuses of San Fransokyo did was comply. They didn't do anything when they were forced to sit on their knees. They didn't do anything when their hands were tied up behind their back with duct tape. They didn't do anything when another duct tape blindfolded their eyes. They didn't do anything when their weapons and armors were collected by the robbers. They didn't do anything when the boss' subordinates smacked them in their unprotected heads with what they presumed Gogo's heavy disk that caused them to fall down with a sensation of nausea and dizziness. They didn't do anything when the robbers gathered their booty and escaped.

They didn't do anything when the bandits took Hiro away. They didn't do anything when the boss said he would kill Hiro here and now if they tried to pursue them.

What they only did was listen to Hiro's pitiful sobs, calling for help but they only laid there on the floor with their throbbing headaches. Their thoughts slightly muddled.

'H-Hiro ...'

How would they call themselves heroes when they couldn't save a child in need of their help?

Behind the duct tape that blindfolded him, Tadashi could feel tears welled up in his eyes. Eyes that cried for his pain and his failure.

This is your fault

He let those bandits go. He let them take Hiro away from him. From them.

You're too weak. Weak people irritate me.

Hiro's heartbreaking cry still echoed in his mind, but the useless older brother did nothing. His head was pounding caused by the concussion.

You were supposed to kill them.

Hiro was in the grasp of a criminal gang, injured and defenseless ; without his brother, without Baymax, without his friends. Who knew what they would do to his brother? They could just kill him anytime. Or worse …

Your morals caused this. You were not supposed to listen to them. They're just complications.

All Tadashi did was listen and obey the boss and let the latter took Hiro.

You're pathetic!

That was when Tadashi realized that the uncontrollable inner voice in his mind didn't belong to him.

Kistune was talking to him, messing with his head again. Fight, fight, fight ...

Yes, fight. Let me fight for you again. Let me fix your mistake.

Mistake?

Yes, this was his fault. He was supposed to shoot them all when he had the chance to do so. He was supposed to just slash them when he had the chance.

No, that's not right. This happened because of —

— Morals?

Screw it! Your morals only weakened you.

Tadashi shook his head and felt like someone was playing drum inside his skull. His mind was muzzy.

If you don't want to have something to be taken from you, you are going to take things from other people.

And suddenly, an image of Hiro whimpering and forcefully being taken away from him playing in his head.

Hiro … I need to save Hiro … right now.

Tadashi Hamada... become me again …

Let me take your place ...

Few minutes later after the robbers had already left, Fred managed to shout 'Ow', reactivating Baymax and asking the robot to untie them and give them aspirins to relieve their headaches.

But Tadashi had already fainted ; he was not able to hear anything — anything beside Kitsune's whispers.

Switch places with me ...

…

This was not the first time he was brought to this place. A place whom Tadashi believed was not a real world, but not a dreamland either. This was a place where 'the other him' talked.

Someone stood in front of him. He looked similar to him in appearance. It was like Tadashi was staring at his own doppelganger. Only, his twin covered his face with a Japanese fox mask — a mask Tadashi used to wear when he was still called Kitsune. A katana was strapped behind this fox-faced form's back.

"Do you need me to step in again for you, Tadashi?"

His twin reached a hand to Tadashi, as if asking the latter to take his hand.

And Tadashi — without a doubt — accepting that proffered hand. Then, his body shattered like a broken glass. But the fox-faced's one didn't.

…

"Look!" Fred exclaimed in relief. "He's awake."

The man started to come to his consciousness. He fluttered his eyes open and groaned, still feeling dizzy.

Honey Lemon patted his cheek softly. "Tadashi … you're okay?"

As his eyes were completely open, he found himself laying on a dirty floor, in the same place where they lost Hiro, with worried faces of his friends hovering above him. White bandages wrapping around their heads.

Gogo pulled his upper arm hastily. "Get up, Hamada," she said as if there was not much time left. "Hiro needs us and you spent half an hour passing out all of a sudden?"

Suddenly, the arm she was pulling twisted her wrist and shoved her roughly. Gogo was jerked backwards. Her friends gasped, confused. Fred helped Gogo stand up.

The man who was called Hamada sat up as he rubbed his temple. It looked like he didn't care that he just pushed his friend.

"Tadashi?" Honey Lemon touched his shoulder carefully. "You're okay?"

But the man flung her hand away. "Don't touch me," he said instantly. He hated to be considered weak.

His voice sounded different. It was still Tadashi's voice, but at the same time, it was not. Cold, anger, disgust.

"You okay, Man?" Wasabi asked in concern. "You had us worried."

The man stared at his friends. For the first time since he returned to his consciousness, his friends stared back at him in the eyes. And that's when they found something different in him. Something that wasn't supposed to be in Tadashi.

His face was lack of emotions. His gaze was cold and apathetic. His eyes emitted something that showed no mercy to anyone — eyes that didn't belong to Tadashi's.

The man straightened up. He looked around and found his katana laying next to where Baymax was standing. Without glancing more at his friends, he made his way to his weapon and picked it up, staring at it and pondering ;

It was a mechanical sword that Hiro designed for him. A weapon that sent shock to human's nervous system. It couldn't cut or kill people. Maybe that's why his weapon was the only weapon the robbers didn't steal ; they might thought it was a toy, but still —

— he strapped his useless and pathetic sword back behind his back.

Baymax scanned his creator without anyone asking him.

The man's eyes caught a sight of an object near his feet — a small purple helmet. He grabbed it and caressed it gently with his thumb. An inaudible mumble escaped his lips.

'Those bastards must pay'

"Tadashi, I am concerned," Baymax said in his robotic voice. "You are experiencing anger and —"

Baymax couldn't finish reporting his diagnostic as his creator's hand punched his chest lightly. Then, his access port opened, exposing two chip cards ; one was green and the other one was red.

His friends watched the man unplug the green one and shove it into his pocket. The access port closed, leaving Baymax only with his battle card. The robot's eyes began to glow red.

Fred laughed awkwardly. "T-tadashi? My man?" he asked in concern. "What are you doing?"

The man climbed onto Baymax's back, ignoring Fred's question. "Find Hiro!"

While Baymax was locating where Hiro was, Gogo used that chance to ask the same question.

"What are you doing, Hamada?" she asked, annoyed. Everyone knew that if Gogo called Tadashi by his last name, then it meant she was not in a good mood with him.

"I am going to save Hiro." The man finally deigned to answer his friend's question after Baymax confirmed where Hiro was held hostage.

His friends exchanged glances, knitting their eyebrows. Why did Tadashi act as if he wouldn't involve them in this rescue mission?

"We're coming with you." Honey Lemon asked worriedly. "Right?"

A loud and sneering laugh echoed throughout the room from the man as the answer. A mockery? From Tadashi? There was an aura of confidence and intimidation radiating from him as he gave Honey Lemon a once over.

"You and your morals will only be complications in this mission."

What?

Gogo glowered. She grabbed the man's shoulder roughly. "What are you thinking?!" she snarled. "You unplugged Baymax's healthcare programming chip and then you plan to search for Hiro without taking us with you?! Are you crazy or —"

Her nagging stopped as suddenly — in a flash — the man pulled out his katana and aimed the tip of it right at Gogo's nose. It happened so fast. Gogo gulped, carefully taking a step backward. She searched the man's face — Tadashi's face — and the realization soon dawned upon her.

This was not Tadashi.

Not Tadashi's dark eyes stared back at her in disgust. "I hate complications. And complication like you should stay back." Then, after inserting his katana back to its place, he ordered his robot who no longer had memory of being a robot nurse. "Fly!"

A pair of mechanical wings popped out from Bayma's back. Activating his rocket feet, he flied up, transpiercing the roof of the old warehouse and soaring up the sky.

The remaining four heroes was left with many unanswered questions in their heads.

"Do you guys think what I am thinking?" Wasabi asked with his mouth agape.

"I hope it's not like what you're thinking?" Honey Lemon replied with a worried face.

Gogo crossed her arms. "Yes," she pursed her lips with an unamused face. They had an idea what was going on. "Hate to break this to you, but it looks like Tadashi has just returned to be Kitsune again."

Fred chuckled excitedly, thrilled. "Wow! Our anti hero character is back to save his brother, Guys!" He received glares from his friends. "Yeah, it's scary — but, how cool!"

.

~0~0~0~

.

Imagine a man — who had no second thought of killing — possessing a powerful giant robot fighter whose punch could destroy a brick wall into pieces and you wouldn't expect a good news.

Well, not a good news for the robbers who was being the target of this man and his robot. Especially the robbers who took someone precious to the said man. They had been relaxing on their old dusty couch when the front door to the abandoned multi-storey building they were occupying was destroyed by Baymax's rocket fist.

Not Tadashi — no, Kitsune got into the room among the rubbles and particle of dust. There were about ten people in the presence of him, including the boss — his main target. The other two bandits and Hiro were not with them.

In a quick and fluid movement, Kitsune pulled out his katana and charged into the room to strike. He moved very fast, fighting like a demon ; punching, kicking, slashing, gripping his opponents' necks before slamming them into the wall hard. He didn't care whether they were badly injured or not. He had showed mercy on them once and in result, Hiro had to pay the price.

His eyes met his target's. The boss was barely conscious with many bruises and cuts on his face. Kitsune grabbed a fistful of hair and leaned his face closer to the boss', giving him a dirty look.

His target looked pathetic. And Kitsune always hated pathetic people. Pathetic people only irritated him. How much he wanted to finish off this man who had enraged him — the one who hurted Hiro.

Disgusting.

Such people was supposed to be eliminated. They were criminals. They were pests. They were trash. They were complications.

He snatched a pistol from the boss' holster in the waist and pointing it square at his target's head.

"You seem to like shooting people, am I right?" Kitsune dug the nose of the gun deeper into the boss' skull. The bandit whimpered. Kitsune tugged his hair backwards so the boss' eyes could met his.

A pair of emotionless eyes met a pair of pleading eyes that asked for mercy.

Pathetic.

"Guess what? I do too. And since you already had your turn," his fingers were slowly moving towards the trigger. "Now, it's my turn."

Fingers were ready to pull the trigger and —

— suddenly he remembered what he came here for.

"Hiro," he whispered to himself in realization. That boy was still in danger. That boy was waiting for him. That boy needed him. "Where is he?" he demanded. There was a venom in his voice.

The boss' eyes half opened, looking at the cold and murderous eyes in front of him. His body went limp like he was about to faint. Kitsune shook his body roughly.

"Answer me! Where. Is. That. Kid?!"

His target coughed up blood, struggling to speak. "Up-upstair."

Kitsune turned to his robot and called, "Baymax!" he glanced at the nine fallen bandits, motioning Baymax to look at them. "Destroy."

The boss barely understood what would happen to his subordinates. What he knew next was that his body was dragged upstairs by the hair and they stopped in front of a door to a room where he kept the youngest member of the Big Hero 6.

Kitsune kicked the door open and threw the boss inside across the room. The latter's body hit the floor hard, not moving anymore ; either he died or just went unconscious. Kitsune scanned the whole room and found the one he was looking for.

There was Hiro, tied up in the corner of the room with two bandits who were tasked to watch over him.

Sensing being in danger, the remaining bandits fired at the intruder.

Kitsune dodged. Raising the pistol he snatched from the bandits' boss earlier, he pulled the trigger twice.

BANG! BANG!

Two gunshots. Two targets.

The bandits collapsed with bullet-sized wounds in each of their chests.

Ignoring his pain, Hiro watched all of it in horror. There was no way his brother would put down another life so easily. But, there had not been a drop of hesitation in his brother's movements ; each inclination of his body had been made with deliberateness.

Did his brother just really ... kill them?

Footsteps was heard approaching him. The boy in purple armor looked up and found his brother crouched down in front of him, untying him.

The older Hamada cupped the younger one's jaw and inspected his injuries. Hiro's shoulder, upper arm and leg were still bleeding ; the boy looked strengthless and helpless. In other word ; pathetic.

Such a view usually would annoy Kitsune. But somehow, the man only looked at his brother in indifference.

Hiro studied his brother's face. And then it hit the younger Hamada.

He had known that his brother had made peace with his dark past — with Kitsune. He had seen how his brother was when the latter still lost his memory and called himself Kitsune — his brother used to emit a dark aura around him with his emotionless expression and apathy in his eyes. And now, right at this moment, Hiro found his brother wearing the same mask again.

"Can you walk?"

Hiro didn't answer. But then he heard his brother curse under his breath and felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his small body ; one under his knees and the other one supporting his back. He was lifted up and carried downstairs.

The holds around him felt so gentle and familiar, just like how Tadashi used to hold him. There's a slight hope that his brother was not —

All hopes were shattering into pieces as they reached downstairs.

There was Baymax waiting for them with rubbles and several motionless prostrate bodies sprawling around him.

'W-what happened? Who did thi —'

Baymax's red-glowing eyes captured his attention ; the boy soon knew the answer and he hated it.

Kitsune positioned himself on Baymax's back with Hiro still cradled protectively on his lap. "Fly!"

Baymax obeyed and flied up, across the bright blue sky of San Fransokyo. Hiro tried hard to keep fixing his gaze on his brother's face, hoping the latter's expression would change back into expressions that Tadashi always wore.

But nothing had changed.

"Ta-tada —" Hiro started, drawing attention from his brother to look at him.

Apathetic dark eyes met him. That's certainly not like his brother. That's certainly —

"— not Tadashi?"

A brief silence followed for a few seconds before an answer was uttered from his older brother. "I am Tadashi." His tone was not convincing.

The embrace around Hiro tightened. The wind blew through their hairs during their flight. Sighing tiredly, Hiro buried his face into his brother's shoulder. "Have I ever told you that you've been a better liar before?" he mumbled in a tone of disappointment.

There was a chuckle. "I'd be lying if I said I was good at lying."

The adolescent didn't respond, letting himself rest in his brother's arms.

Kitsune glanced down at the young boy's sleeping form. It would be a lie if he said he didn't detect a discontent in the kid's tone.