Obake Itoko Chapter 1: Save Your Generation, a big hero 6 fanfic

*deep inhale*

Okay, so I have spent the past several months writing nonstop BH6 fanfiction, ever since watching most of Season One—I say most because I unfortunately and against my better judgment fallen irreparably hard for the main villain of the season, Obake, despite repeatedly telling myself not to get attached. As you can guess, I do not listen to myself.

As such, most if not all of my BH6 fanfictions have involved changing the dynamic or playing with AUs—this one randomly hit me on the head, that of a Lilo and Stitch flavored AU in which young-punk Obake is the same time as Hiro and friends. Hopefully this will help fill the void of Obake-centric fics (seriously, there's less than a dozen here guys) and eventually help me to work up enough nerve to watch the Season One finale—I'm not ready to have my heart broken again, guys. ;^;/

So this will be crossposted to AO3 because they allow for illustrations over there, and I really do plan to do as many illustrations as I can. :D And a big hearty reference to Meet The Robinsons here in the first chapter as well.

Updates will be spotty until September, only because I'm finishing up my Ph.D.—work before pleasure, guys. T-T But I'm so close….

Also: itoko is, to my understanding, the Japanese word for cousin. If I'm wrong, please let me know. :)

There were a number of things Hiro Hamada did not need, in the wake of Tadashi's death.

Too much time to himself was one—with the explosion on SFIT property, the school was closed and wouldn't open until next semester, after the summer break. Even if he wanted to go to school now, he couldn't.

Too much emptiness was another—the bedroom he had shared with Tadashi practically echoed now, and he hated to look at the one section of the room, steadily gathering dust.

And now this other snag.

Aunt Cass had, a while back, volunteered for an adoption program designed to streamline the adoption process—the Cornelius Robinson Initiative, he remembered vaguely—the reasoning being that it was a good thing to do and would help someone that needed the help. Tadashi and Hiro had spent many a night discussing what it would be like, having a brother or a sister, which one of them would be the cool brother (they both were assured that the other would not be), and then arguing about whether or not it would be a cousin, since Aunt Cass was—well, their aunt. Months had gone by without a response, so they had thought nothing of it after a while. After all, they had other things that had preoccupied their focus.

And now, a month after Tadashi was gone, she had been contacted and informed she was next on the list.

Hiro had exactly no enthusiasm for this. This felt too much like replacing Tadashi, even if it had been plotted out over a year in advance. He wanted to resist this on principle, to go back to sulking in his room.

Mostly because it was too bright out, when it really should have been permanently gloomy ever since Tadashi was gone.

"Okay," Aunt Cass sighed after almost an hour's worth of driving throughout hilly San Fransokyo. "I know you're not excited about this…and really there should have been…." She shook her head, continued. "Just—try to keep an open mind, okay?"

Hiro sighed, staring out the window he was leaning against—it wouldn't be fair, he decided. It also wasn't fair, but…he supposed he could try, for Aunt Cass. He nodded, finally, causing her to smile in the rearview mirror at him.

Here was hoping it wouldn't suck.

Aunt Cass had concerns, not the least because of how Hiro might take it.

But Hiro was at least trying to be fair, trying to put on a smile as they went in. Within a few minutes, Cass and the adoption lady at the welcome counter had gone over the niceties and the basics and were now moving on to the nitty-gritty. That is, trying to describe the sort of personality they thought would fit in their home.

Cass mostly wondered how she could describe Tadashi without tipping Hiro off—or at least, the basic points of Tadashi that had best kept Hiro out of trouble.

"We want someone…responsible, mature…grounded," she said, straining for proper adjectives—someone who won't die flitted through her mind, but fortunately she caught it before it left her mouth. "Someone reliable, someone…sturdy."

"Like a robot," Hiro piped up suddenly.

Cass had to take a moment, turned and crouched, hands on Hiro's shoulders. "Hiro, our electricity bill is high enough, a robot will make that worse, we are getting a kid." She popped back up, hoping her smile wasn't strained.

The adoption lady smiled, looked at Hiro, lifted the little flap in the counter that would let them go back. "Would you like to go back there and introduce yourself? We still have a little more paperwork to sort out."

Hiro looked at Cass. "Is this where I find out you sold me to the adoption company?"

"Hiro!" Cass hissed, appalled. She shot an apologetic look to the adoption lady, who shrugged, keeping her expression professional.

Cass redirected her attention to Hiro. "You're not staying, you're just going back there and chatting, see if there's anyone back there you want to come home with us, okay? Okay," she said quietly, giving him a thumbs-up. "Now go on, pick someone out."

Hiro sighed, went back behind the counter and down the hall. She couldn't help but fret a little as she watched him go.

Here was hoping.

Hiro glanced behind as he went, having only been half-joking about being left here—right now he felt empty enough that one more blow wouldn't surprise him, he thought.

He reached the double doors at the end of the hall, nudged one open—shoved it open a bit further and peered in. "Hello?"

Well…it was a large room, nice, posh—probably not the actual orphanage, just a place where kids came for a bit while meeting with families. But then again, maybe it was—he had heard that the head of Robinson Industries had been adopted as well—maybe this was why he was putting in the extra mile here, what with the fireplaces (that currently had no fire), ornate pillars, and plush furniture.

There was also no one in here.

Hiro frowned, stepped in, glancing around…was everyone hiding or something? "Hello?" he tried again—went further in as he continued to receive no answer. "Is anyone in here?"

He was busy with a laptop he had reappropriated when the sound of someone calling out interrupted his flow. Glance up with irritation—he thought he had chased everyone else out. Idiot children.

No—whoever this was, he was new—scrawny, gangly, would be over a head shorter than he if he were standing, messy black hair, currently looking around in confusion. Trajectory suggested he had come from the doors leading to the counter.

Which might mean….

He made his decision—snap his laptop shut and make himself known.

Hiro was just getting ready to try the other door to see if the kids who were supposed to be here were elsewhere when a snap made him jump—spin around—

Blink in surprise at the sight of a kid stepping out from behind some furniture.

"Where did you come from?" he had to ask, looking the other boy up and down—army-fatigue-colored backpack, gray hoodie, dark pants with the cuffs turned up; gangly and skinny like him, but he looked to be at least a head taller. Hiro really couldn't tell if he were older or not—he didn't look like he had any baby fat on his face like Hiro did, not with those sallow cheeks. Very punk though, with a couple of earrings (clip-on, by the looks of them) and his hair trimmed short on the sides, top long and combed down over—Hiro couldn't help but wince at the bandages on the left side of his face, fully covering the eye and most of that side.

"Uh, h-hi," Hiro tried, waving a little—he wasn't sure if it was makeup or what it was, but the dark around the other kid's visible eye gave him an intense look, even if he was currently smiling. "I'm…Hiro. H-Hiro Hamada. Ah…w-who are you?"

There was something a little off about the way the kid smiled at him.

"Obake."

They had just finally finished going over all the forms, the adoption lady sorting them while they sat in a couple of the chairs in the lobby. At least it wasn't as extensive as when she had signed up for the program, Cass reflected—what she had had to fill out was draining enough.

"Oh yes," the adoption lady was currently assuring Cass, nodding. "All our children are adoptable."

"Oh good," Cass sighed, glancing at the hall—one more sip of tea and she'd be going back there to see how Hiro was doing—

Was surprised to see him coming out already, hand clasping the hand of a taller skinnier kid, leading him over to her.

Was even more surprised by the adoption lady's gasp and then yell. "EXCEPT THAT ONE!"

"Wait, hold up, what?" Cass asked, jumping to her feet as the adoption lady dragged the boy away from Hiro—she winced at the sight of his face. "Who is this? Is he okay?"

"I don't know—John Doe, came in this morning—he was in an explosion about a month ago."

Cass had her hands on Hiro's shoulders, could practically feel his eyes widen. "You were in—" she looked down to see Hiro beaming up at her. "I like him—I say him."

Cass looked at the adoption lady, who looked down at the boy, who looked up at her with an entirely done expression, even if it was only through one eye.

"Are you sure?" Cass asked, gesturing between them. "Are you both sure? Because you know, once we sign the papers, that's it, he's family."

Hiro was smiling—the first genuine smile she had seen on him in weeks. "Yeah, he's good—I can tell."

Cass shrugged at the adoption lady, who looked equally baffled.

A few minutes later, they were on opposite sides of the counter again, addressing more paperwork.

"So what's his name?" Cass asked. The adoption lady shrugged—ah, right, John Doe.

"Obake," Hiro supplied, the boy in question standing behind and to his left.

Cass made a face at him—seriously? Ghost?

"He said his name's Obake," Hiro told her, shoulders twitching a little in a shrug.

"He doesn't talk, dear," the adoption lady said.

"He said his name's Obake," Hiro insisted.

Cass looked at the adoption lady, shrugged, wrote Obake Hamada on the form.

"Welcome to the family, Obake," Cass told him, smiling.

Hiro and the boy both beamed at her.

Well, here was hoping.