Title: A Snitch in Time
Fan dom: Heroes
Rating: K Plus
Couples: None
Characters: Hiro and Nathan
Notes and Spoilers: Volume 1: Chapter 23: "How to Stop an Exploding Man", plus inspiration from promotional comericals for Volume 2. Also takes background from Volume 1: Chapter 20: "Five Years Gone", Graphic Novel Chapter 30 "String Theory", Graphic Novel Chapters 31 and 32 "Walls: Part 1 & 2"
Part 1Hiro materialized in the street. It was the same place he left. It seemed so long ago. He believed he was able to manage the time traveling fairly well. At the very least it seemed to be the 21st century, if not definitely the late 20th, but he couldn't be sure, just not yet. But he knew one thing, it was definitely not November anymore. There wasn't many plants to make a comparison, but if he could manage a guess, it was late Winter or early Spring, not late fall.
He smiled. A time for new beginning. He wrapped his arms around himself in order to gather some heat, as his right hand massaged his left forearm, as his left hand did the same for his right.
He was alone, and wasn't even sure he should be in the quiet Kirby plaza in the middle of the night. Though the simple fact that the buildings seemed to be in one piece; it gave him some, hope–some happiness. He supposed his power brought him here just so he would know that New York was safe that all those people didn't die.
Hiro took a deep breath, preparing himself to teleport again, to ready himself to go anywhere but here when he heard a slight crackling sound, perhaps he wasn't as alone as he thought. Perhaps it was a cat, or a chipmunk, or even a homeless man who couldn't find a place to sleep?
"Hiro?" a familiar voice called.
Hiro turned around and saw a familiar face. He had longer hair, and his face seemed older. How many years did he leap? Though at second glance, he noticed that the face was not exactly older but emotionally drained. Something bad happened.
Hiro wasn't sure he should greet the man like this, yet since he figured they were alone he took the chance.
"Flying Man?"
Nathan turned to Hiro and looked at him with wide eyes and just stared for a moment before he turned away.
"Nathan?" Hiro said instead, in a quiet voice, just above a whisper.
"The bomb," he continued. "It didn't..."
Nathan said nothing. He turned his back and just stared at the new parking meter, the one that the city replaced. By the naked eye it didn't seem any different. It was the same color as the others, except for the edge; it was slightly more shiny than the others. He didn't know how he could have noticed, it happened very fast, the events of that night. Claire jumped out the window, went down the stairs and then out the doors, the bloody glass next to his shoes.
"Where's Peter?" Hiro asked.
Hiro remembered too well, the pure panic that engulfed him when Peter asked him to kill him. He was frozen. He came to kill Sylar not Peter. And Hiro stabbed him. But before he could blink he was sent to Japan. But New York didn't blow up.
Nathan turned around and looked at Hiro.
"I...I helped."
Hiro started to smile. "Because you're Flying Man."
Nathan glared at Hiro.
"I saved the world. But for what? What's life without..."
Hiro's breath got caught in his throat. He didn't like this Nathan. He felt hopeless and distraught. Not much different as the day they ran into each other at Mr. Isaac's loft.
"What happened to Peter?" Hiro asked again, this time in a softer tone, but he also gently grabbed Nathan's forearm to make sure he heard him.
"He told me he would survive. No matter what happened...I couldn't let Claire do it. She is just a kid."
"The cheerleader?"
"My daughter." Nathan whispered. "Where have you been?"
Hiro lowered his head, obviously Nathan needed to change the subject and he respected that.
"Japan."
"Back to the Future?" Nathan asked.
Hiro shook his head. "No. The past."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Nathan asked.
Hiro nodded. "Hai."
And that is when Nathan got glimmer of hope on his face.
"You can fix it..."
Hiro waved his hands in the air.
"No."
Nathan looked up at Hiro with eyes that wanted to scream "why?" But when he saw the look on Hiro's face he felt conflicted.
"What would you do if it was someone you loved?" Nathan asked. "What if it was your friend Ando?"
Hiro bowed his head. "It was. That is what started this mess in the first place."
"And then you understand why I want to you to try?"
"Of course. But.."
But he cut off, not able to find a reason he felt he could tell Nathan. Of course there was some. Time rifts, time paradoxes. All the things he did in Japan, all the help he did for Kensei, could have been erased. Not to mention the damage that might have been done for him messing with time. In a way, Hiro was quite surprised the time had not already collapsed on itself. If something was going to happen, it was going to happen. Though he didn't dare say this to Nathan.
Hiro was about open his mouth to say something when a thought came to him. Something that happened five years in the future.
"What happened to Peter?" he asked for the third time.
Nathan closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to explain again. Not any clearer. Not at all.
"Are you sure he is gone?" Hiro said. "Perhaps he is just lost."
"Lost?" Nathan said. "Like invisible?"
That happened before.
Hiro shook his head. "Like trapped."
Nathan looked at Hiro again, but his time with hope.
End of Part 1
Author Note: Anded a second part to this little miniseries.