Disclaimer: Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation.

Disclaimer #2: I hope you brought tissues, because it's going to be a very emotional one below.

Chapter 7 – Character (Finale)

Inside the giant conference room, there was quiet.

Silence.

Darkness.

But just as quickly, the lights began to flicker on.

Systems started booting up.

And the two eyes of Basemax lit up the main screen.

"Recognized. BH6-01, Hiro Hamada."

The far door whooshed open, and one by one, the victorious team of Big Hero 6 filed into the secret base. Hiro, Baymax, Go Go, Honey Lemon, Fred, and Wasabi. They were all dragging their feet as they made their way to their chairs around the conference table.

Hiro slowly took off his helmet and set it on the table, rubbing his face. Baymax's eyes were flashing, signifying his low battery power. Wasabi's head went down, barely able to keep it up. Both of the girls were yawning and stretching their arms. Even Fred, usually annoying everyone with boundless energy, was struggling to come up with anything to break the monotony.

The team had won their battle against Trina, and in turn with the police, who now saw them as the good guys and not fugitives. They had exposed their identities to Chief Cruz after saving Megan from the clutches of Obake's daughter. They had stopped her from continuing Obake's plan to destroy the city with the thermal reactors. And even with the help of the Buddy Guardians fixing the city (their programming overridden by copies of Tadashi's healthcare chip), they had spent the better part of the night overseeing that process.

And now they were done.

In more ways than one.

"I want to sleep forever."

"You can't, Hiro," Go Go removed her own helmet, shaking her bangs out of her face. "It's my turn to do that. I call dibs."

Honey Lemon slapped her glasses on, her hair a mess. "I'm so tired. I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight."

"So will I...as long as we have a pile of earplugs back at the apartment."

"Greetings, friends!"

Mini-Max flew into the room, somehow still filled up with battery power. He stopped on the end of the table, jolting Wasabi out of his slumber. "We are victorious against evil-doers everywhere! We should celebrate our justice brigade with a justice parade!"

"Or I'll take a grenade, and shove it in your-"

"Go Go!" Fred shouted, slapping his hands on the table. "Whatever word you're about to say, it doesn't rhyme with 'parade'!"

Wasabi had both of his gauntlets off, wringing his wrists. "Yeah...that's what you have a problem with."

Roddy chose that opportunity to walk into the room. He was clapping his hands together as he looked over the group. "Alright, guys! I got MegaMax parked and deactivated in the spot you requested. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"No. We're good." Hiro turned his head so that his cheek was flat against the table. "Thanks, Roddy. For everything."

"Not a problem, kiddo. I tell you what..." The mechanic walked over to him, putting a hand on his head. "You kids sure are something else. Saving the city more times than I can count. The old man would be so proud of you if he knew everything you've done."

He didn't respond, but he smiled anyway. Roddy tossed the keys to MegaMax onto the counter and headed over to the door. "I'm out! Let me know what you want to do with the basketball court next week!"

As he left, Go Go shot a glare at Fred, who saw it and immediately brought his arms up in defense. "Hey, we need the relaxation. Don't blame me."

"If you thought about it, you could just have him put massage chairs in here."

"Oh wow, that's an even better idea." Fred turned his head to shout at Roddy...

"Recognized."

The group looked at each other, confused.

"BH6-07."

Wasabi's eyes widened as the large tube of water near the back started swirling inside, letting them know that something was arriving from the ocean.

"Aspen Matthews."

Or in this case...someone.

A body came shooting up from the bottom, almost colliding with the ceiling of the tube. Said body was wearing the clothes that she had been gifted from the team when she left long ago: her blue, long-sleeved jacket zipped up to her neck, her white scarf flowing from beneath the hood over her head. Her black leggings looked slightly metallic on first glance, as well as the knee-high boots on her feet. As the water drained out, the glow in her eyes dimmed down until they returned to her bright blue color, the medallion on her necklace landing right above her chest.

She didn't even wait for all of the water to exit; the door flew open and cascaded a fair amount of seawater onto the floor. However, that looked like the farthest thing from her mind, judging from her almost frantic look.

"Wasabi."

Hiro watched as his classmate got up from his chair to greet her, but he barely got one step forward before Aspen leapt onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Drops of water went flying all over the table and the others, but the sight of their friend more than made up for that.

"Just know..." Aspen whispered, her head nuzzled into Wasabi's neck. "Just know that I'm not hugging just Wasabi because I don't care about anyone else. It's because I only have two arms. I will be getting to everyone momentarily."

The boy genius laughed as he sat up in his seat. "Hey, Aspen."

The marine biologist's hood fell off, exposing her bluish-black hair. Still clinging to Wasabi, she glanced at everyone else. "Are you guys OK? I was going to surprise everyone by getting here early for your graduation and I saw the thermal coils above the city and I...I was so worried about you."

"We're fine. Just tired, really." Honey Lemon stifled another yawn.

She finally unhinged her arms from around Wasabi's neck, walking over to Fred and giving him a hug. "Before I got here, there were a bunch of fires near the waterfront. I think some of those robot remains combusted from their engines overexerting. Nobody was injured, though."

"Really?" Hiro turned to Basemax, who brought up a city map. "There weren't any alerts when we were doing clean-up earlier."

"Well..." Aspen poked the tips of her pointer fingers together, looking down and blushing. "I may have...helped put out a few of the fires."

Go Go smirked at her. "May?"

"Yeah, a bunch of waves came from the ocean and doused all of the flames. Must've been some meteorological anomaly. So weird, right?"

Honey Lemon took the hug from her, getting the jist of it. "Thanks for the save, Aspen."

"No problem. I figured it was the least I could do, since it looked like you guys were busy."

"Wait, you saw us? And you don't have to-"

Aspen hugged her anyway, cutting the Korean off. "Only Baymax flying, but I figured the rest of you were close by."

"I probably wouldn't have remembered seeing you even if we had crossed paths," Hiro muttered. "I don't even know what time it is. Everything's just a blur at this point."

He felt her hand on his cheek as she caressed her head into her chest. He had to admit it felt really nice; hopefully he wouldn't notice his blush.

"You guys are amazing. I don't know how you do it. Disaster after disaster, you always seem to come through. I don't care that the police think you're criminals; I know that you're the best friends anyone could ask for."

"We are no longer criminals, according to Chief Cruz," Baymax said. "We have been redeemed in his optical sensors."

"Yes, for we are the ones that stare in the face of evil and say 'Not today!'" Mini-Max added, a triumphant fist in the air. "Or any day! Your villainy will be rescheduled permanently!"

"That's good, Baymax. And..." Aspen looked over the robot perched on Baymax's shoulder. "Smaller...Baymax."

"Well, I know what you're really here for!" Somehow Fred had found some energy again as he poked the table with a claw. "Something you've always wanted!"

"Fred, I'm hurt." Aspen covered her heart with her hand. "You think I would come all this way just because of some trivial thing instead of my friends' well-being? What on Earth could it Oh my God I have a chair!"

Aspen's seat had hovered to right behind her, throwing her off of her train of thought. She grabbed it with both hands and clung to it tightly. "This is amazing! It's so...chair-y."

"Your behavior is becoming un-chair-able."

"Go Go, did you just make a pun?" Fred wiped a fake tear away, sniffling. "You've grown up so fast."

"Oh, shut it."

In the five seconds for that aside to take place, Aspen was already rotating in her chair on her knees, her smile not wavering. Hiro couldn't help but copy her expression. After everything that had happened, it was nice to break the seriousness with some silliness.

"Alright, I'm going to call my first order of business as an official member of this team."

"Aspen, that's not really how this works..."

She held a hand in the air, not waiting for the rest of Honey Lemon's direction. "One. The tube that leads into the base isn't marked. So, someone may have swam up the tube directly next to it, going to a dead end and staring in a hole in the wall that they thought was the retinal scanner. You should do something about that. Like...paint it or something."

"We'll get right on that," Hiro smirked. "Just as I sleep for about twenty hours."

"Oh yeah, I'm probably keeping you guys. We can figure all of that out after the graduation tomorrow!" Aspen stood up from her chair. "Let's all go get some shut-eye. Wasabi, where's your car parked at so I can call shotgun?"

The other five glanced at each other, having completely forgotten what had transpired earlier in the night.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Wasabi's motor vehicle is currently underwater."

Aspen creaked her head around to Wasabi. "Huh?"

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his head. "It was a whole thing. Long story short, we drove to this sinking cargo boat and it was a trap, and the police sort of threw it into the bay." Trying to break the awkward silence that was radiating from her, he quickly pointed in her direction. "But hey! Before we leave to go to SFIT, you think you can get it out for me?"

She stared at him.

"You know, because you have the...powers."

Some more.

"...Please?"

Go Go took in a breath through her teeth. "Oh boy. I am so glad I'm here for this."

"Hey! I'm trying to ask nicely here. I know that-"

"Wasabi."

He turned to see Aspen right next to him. Somehow she had traversed the few steps over to him silently, so much so that Hiro hadn't even noticed. But that was the least of what his brain was thinking about.

"Sweetie."

The girl put a hand on his still armored chest.

"You...do think of me as more than just 'that girl with the powers', right?"

Even Baymax was slowly staring to back away toward the door.

"Because I would hate to think you thought otherwise."

"No, of...of course I don't think that!" Wasabi stammered. "You're the greatest, Aspen. I'm glad that you were able to come early. We can even go get food later, if you want."

The air pressure suddenly returned to its normal density, and the girl's smile came back. "OK!"

Fred's coughing fit sure sounded like she said the word "Whipped!" underneath her breath.

"And I'll get your car tomorrow."

"You will?"

"Yes. I will. Promise."

Wasabi sighed, relieved.

"But..." Aspen slowly traced his heart with her finger, her voice lowering to a seductive level. "You have to make it up to me tonight."

"Ooookayyy. On that note, I'm calling a Driver XL." Go Go pulled her phone out, shaking her head in amusement. "Everyone get changed. We got a long day ahead tomorrow."

Some people's day was longer than others.

Hiro had woken up in the middle of the night several times, going over his speech again and again. He knew it was good, and he knew that it would make everyone proud, but that didn't stop him from reading every single word until he could almost recite it from heart.

Even now, as he was sitting in his chair nervously, the words on the paper were still on his mind, as if it wasn't sitting in the pocket of his shirt. All of his friends were sitting next to him in their caps and gowns (sans Fred), and Aunt Cass was on the very end, already starting to tear up. He didn't know where everyone else was, but he couldn't think about that right now.

Professor Granville was up at the podium, having just handed off the last degree to the appropriate student. She nodded to her fellow teachers and stepped forward, tapping the microphone slightly.

"Congratulations to all of our graduates. Your hard work and dedication will not be forgotten, and we all are excited to see what you will achieve in the future."

There was a fair amount of clapping, including from the gang. But his hands were shaking so bad that he couldn't join in.

Because he knew what was coming next.

"Before the school year started," Granville started, her hand gripping the podium, "We at SFIT lost a tremendously talented and wonderful student. One that may of you knew personally, and it is a loss that is still felt to this day. I of course...am speaking of Tadashi Hamada."

Hiro stared into the ground.

"He was strong. Loyal to his friends. Charming, intelligent, kind. All of the qualities that not only make someone a great scholar, but also a great person."

He almost had her words memorized as well. Granville had shown him the speech that she was planning on saying, just so that they wouldn't overlap anything. It was a nice gesture, but that didn't make his brain feel any better.

"I never had the pleasure of knowing Tadashi personally, but one does not have to know him directly to know the kind of impact he had on us. He made us better teachers. He made us better people. And it is a reminder..."

Hiro finally looked up. He saw Granville let out a breath and wipe a tear away.

"It is a harsh reminder that life can be cruel. Tadashi's life was cut far too short. He still had so much to offer this world. So as my final advice to you, graduates, I will tell you this."

The dean's eyes looked directly to his left, undoubtedly at his aunt.

"Appreciate and strengthen the personal connections you have molded in your years here. Do not be afraid to fall back on them. Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to us, to guide us, to show us the way. The world is an ever-changing place, but the one thing that will never change...are the people that will stick by you through anything."

The clapping crescendo as she finished. Hiro halfheartedly did so as well, fully aware of Wasabi's hand rubbing his back.

Granville pulled another roll of parchment out from underneath her platform. "The San Fransokyo Institute of Technology has previously honored Tadashi Hamada with the opening of the Tadashi Hamada Hall, the same hall that we stand in front of now. On this day, we bestow upon him an honorary degree in Robotics Engineering, so that he may graduate alongside his fellow classmates."

Hiro leaned up in his chair. It was almost time. Wasabi patted his back and put his hand back into his lap.

"And here to accept on his behalf, and also to say a few words, is Tadashi's younger brother. Ladies and gentlemen...Mr. Hiro Hamada."

He was surprisingly calm as he got up from his chair, staring straight ahead as he made his way up to the stage amongst the cheering. He took the few steps up to the platform and walked to Granville, who stepped back slightly and nodded to him.

"The floor is yours, Mr. Hamada."

Granville took her seat with the other teachers as Hiro walked to the podium, pulling his speech out of his pocket. He didn't want to test to see if he did have his speech memorized. Having it out would give his hands something to do.

It became abundantly clear that everyone's attention was now on him. That was to be expected, with the speech and all. He just hadn't realized how nervous he would actually be.

"Uh...hello."

His index finger accidentally touched the microphone, causing some slight reverb. Pushing his uneasiness aside, he found his space on the paper.

"My name is Hiro Hamada."

He looked back at the giant portrait of his brother and motioning to it.

"Uh...Tadashi Hamada was my brother. And I'm...here to accept his degree on his behalf."

Great. She had already said that. Off to a good start.

Hiro looked down at his paper. Hopefully, the words he wrote would make up for that beginning. "I used to think that having a legacy just meant that people remembered you."

He couldn't help but look back up at the crowd. Right in the front were his friends, all staring up at him. Aunt Cass's eyes were drenched with tears, but she wiped them away and smiled at her nephew.

"But now, I realize it's more than that."

Honey Lemon put a hand on Fred's shoulder, her eyes threatening to leak as well.

"It's when the things that are important to you live on in the people who loved you. And what was...most important to my big brother was helping others."

His eyes drifted over to the set of bleachers, the ones that housed the graduates' families. In the very top row in the middle were his three newest friends. The girl in the middle was crying her eyes out, an impressive amount of tissues piling high on her short blue dress. The guy to her right was continuously handing new ones off to her, the white stripe in his hair seemingly shining even brighter in the sun. The girl on her left was staring straight at him, the toothy grin calming his nerves a bit.

Aspen, Robbie, and Doreen. Collectively, the weirdest group of people he had ever met. But now...they had joined the pantheon of his friends. It felt like he had known everyone all of their lives.

He saw Doreen bring her hand down on the seat to her left. It was empty, and it was almost like she was leaving it for someone...

Hiro's eyes blinked rapidly. No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about her. He wouldn't be able to get through the rest of his speech if he let his brain continue that train of thought. Mentally pushing it to the back of his mind, he went on, his voice almost cracking.

"He believed that there's good in this world and that it's...worth fighting for."

He thought of Chief Cruz. Of Megan. Of Globby. Of everyone that had helped them during their tenure as superheroes.

"And he knew that everyone was capable of being someone's hero."

He thought of the fire that claimed his brother's life.

"And the last words Tadashi said to me were...'Someone has to help'."

Hiro took another glance at the giant portrait behind him. If he was here, Tadashi would probably make fun of him for being so dramatic. It made him feel a bit better in that regard.

"Even though he's gone, Tadashi is still helping me every day."

The corners of his mouth turned up.

"Tadashi wants us all to help. And I'm...going to try. And...uh..." He shrugged his arms forward, gesturing to the crowd. "I hope you'll join me. Thank you."

The crowd stood up and started cheering as Hiro took the degree from Granville's outstretched hand. Overcome with emotion, he hugged her around the waist for a brief moment, which she reciprocated.

Hiro took the steps down, holding the degree high above his head. But waiting for him in the middle of the procession was the one person that he hadn't seen yet. The one that started this whole adventure.

And the one that he had been wanting to hug ever since he got up on stage.

"Hiro..."

Baymax was standing right there, staring at him with open eyes. Granted, they were always open, but it didn't make the moment any less sentimental.

"That was an excellent tribute."

It turned out that he wasn't done with the hugging.

Hiro took two steps and wrapped his arms around his friend as the rest of the class cheered, throwing their hats in the air in celebration.

He thought that had been it. That the speech was going to be the end of his day, for better or for worse.

Turns out that it was just the beginning.

Hiro was now with his aunt, walking among the congregation of graduates and their family members. Many of them (all of which Hiro had never interacted with in his brief time at SFIT) had wandered up to his aunt, shaking her hand and offering their congratulations and condolences. Unlike the funeral a year ago, the exchanges this year were much more animated and celebratory. Aunt Cass took everything in stride though, grasping their hands and grinning at them.

"Hiro!"

The voice was deafening even among the crowd, and as it parted like the Red Sea, the duo of the marine biologist and the wildlife volunteer came barreling up to him, bringing the boy genius into their arms. On any other day, it would have been too much. But now, Hiro needed it more than ever.

"You were so great up there, Hiro." Doreen's cheek was smushed right up against his own, Aspen's on the other side. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Their proximity was causing his whole body to heat up.

"You wanna leave some of the ladies for the rest of us, Hiro?" Robbie walked up next, stuffing a spare tissue pack in his jacket. "You're getting all of the attention-OW!"

The cause of his pain was made immediately clear as Go Go stepped out from behind him, her knuckles a little bit redder. "Leave him alone, Robbie."

"But this is how I deal with sad situations." He snaked an arm around the Korean's shoulders. "Through bad humor and a standoff-ish attitude."

"Yes. I know."

The rest of the group followed behind them, and Aunt Cass was quick to ensnare them all in a giant hug. "I am so proud of you guys. So much has happened in the past year, and I don't know..." She wiped her face in Wasabi's chest. "I don't know if I would have been able to get through it if it hadn't been for you. So, thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

"You're very welcome, Aunt Cass," Honey Lemon whispered. "That's exactly what we were going to say about you."

"Aww, you're too kind. I just run a little cafe and try to raise a rambunctious fourteen-year-old. I do what I can. But today's not about me." She unlatched herself from the gang and put her hand on Hiro's head. "Today's about you guys! And Hiro, of course." She ruffled up his hair a little bit. "You did such a great job, sweetie."

"Yeah, it was very moving," Robbie added. "The girls were crying next to me the entire time."

"Oh, come on." Go Go hipchecked him lightly, smiling. "You were crying, too. I saw it."

"No, I wasn't! I was just in Aspen's splash zone..."

"Quite a group you have here, Mr. Hamada."

Granville, still in her robes, took the opportunity to walk up to them, taking in everyone in the small crowd. "I imagine that the car ride home is going to be interesting."

"Don't worry about that, Professor G!" Fred said. "I have already called shotgun."

"Mr. Frederickson, I am aware of the rules, and I do not believe anyone's car is in sight. So your ploy to take the front seat will have to wait." Smirking, she turned her attention to Aunt Cass, taking her hand and shaking it. "Thank you for being here, Ms. Hamada. I know it must be very difficult on a day like today, but I can see where Mr. Hamada gets all of his tenacity from."

"Thank you so much, Grace."

The dean looked over the rest of the group. "Ms. Tanaka, Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Calloway. It had been an honor and a privilege to teach each and every one of you. Whatever you need in the future I will be more than willing to provide. A recommendation, information, anything at all. Please do not hesitate to ask...although I am certain I will be seeing you around soon enough."

"I'm sure we'll take you up on that offer, Professor," Wasabi said.

Granville spied the blue-haired girl next to him. "Ms. Matthews, I hope that everything is going well for you. How is that secret project coming along?"

"Still a secret," Aspen grinned. "Still a project. That's about as much as I can say."

"Fair enough." She next turned to Doreen. "It is lovely to see you out and about, Ms. Green. I was beginning to wonder if you ever left your place of employment."

"Wait." Hiro pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "How do you know Doreen?"

"I have visited the Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Refuge many a time, both as a patron and a member of this institute." Granville nodded to the girl. "It is funded exclusively on charitable donations, which SFIT has provided many over the years. How are your squirrels doing these days, Ms. Green?"

"Just released two back into the wild this week." She blew on her fingers in a mock showing of superiority. "Don't want to brag, but that's the fifteenth one this month. I feel like I'm going to repopulate San Fransokyo all by myself."

"And I'm sure the ecosystem will be very appreciative of you."

Granville eyed the last new member, who nervously recoiled from her. "Um...hello."

"Now, I do not believe that we have met." She glanced up at the boy's hair. "But judging by your...expressive hairstyle, I am going to take a wild guess and assume that you are an acquaintance of Ms. Tanaka's."

"I am." He glanced down at an evilly-grinning Go Go. "An acquaintance. Of hers."

"Hey, you actually pronounced it right this time."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, in any regard," Granville said, shaking his hand. "Now, I must be off. I need to fulfill my quota of embarrassing students, and I am nearly there. Thank you very much again, everyone. Have a wonderful rest of your evening."

The dean took two steps away from them, and suddenly stopped.

"Oh. And Mr. Reyes..."

Robbie did a double take at her.

"Do tell your grandfather that I should be visiting his shop at some point next week. I'll need to restock on tulips for my garden."

The smirk didn't waver as Granville walked off, leaving Robbie in a state of mass confusion and surprise. "I...thought she said she's never met me."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't know of you. But I wouldn't worry too much about that," Honey Lemon said, watching her disappear in the crowd. "She has a weird way of knowing a lot of information about people."

"So like Go Go, then?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Hiro." Baymax raised a finger as he towered over everyone else. "You have not eaten in ten hours and fifteen minutes. An unbalanced eating schedule can lead to problems with your digestion."

Honey Lemon looked at her phone. "Oh yeah! I've completely forgotten the time. We should probably get going."

"There is only one place that everyone will be going."

Everyone turned to Aunt Cass.

"And that will be to the cafe. We're going to have a celebratory spaghetti dinner, and I'm not going to take no for an answer from any of you."

"Yay! Free food!" Fred dashed off, already in the process of probably calling shotgun.

"Well, you guys have fun." Robbie smoothed out his jacket as he zipped it up. "I gotta get back home. I have to work early in the morning, so-"

"I don't think you understand, Robbie."

Aunt Cass was right up in his face, the smile still genuine, but the glare in her eyes hinting at bodily harm.

"You are included in the everyone."

"Oh." He slicked back his hair, his cheeks going a little pink. "Well, in that case, I suppose I could stay."

"Very good." Aunt Cass grabbed his arm and started to lead him away. "Plus, I have so many questions about you and Go Go. Where did you two meet? How long have you known each other? Is that real leather?"

Go Go's head was in her hand, her face now starting to go crimson. Hiro couldn't help but laugh. "Shoe's on the other foot, isn't it?"

The Korean glared at him, not responding.

"That was a very eloquent speech you had today, Hiro. I thought it would be appropriate to call and congratulate you."

"I appreciate that. I was very nervous."

"I suppose I would have been as well. I do not speak well in front of others."

Hiro hit the landing of the second floor, the phone held out in front of him. On the screen was a girl with the same messy black hair as his, but the spider hairclip was on the left side of her head as always. It was a little longer than what he had seen the last time they spoke, which probably contributed to it being even more unkempt than his.

"Peni, you're in school now. You're going to probably be doing that a lot."

"I am only taking one college preparation class now, and its population is small. I will not be going to proper classes until the fall." Peni tapped the pencil on her desk.

"Nervous?"

"A bit. But my friends have been supportive."

"You'll have to introduce me to these new friends of yours at some point," Hiro said to his cousin. "They sound like good people."

"They are, but they are also very much a handful."

Hiro heard laughter coming from downstairs, and a sudden exclamation from one of the girls that he couldn't decipher. "I should probably let you go. Dinner's going to be ready in a little bit."

"Yes, it is late for me. Aunt May will be coming up any moment to tell me to go to sleep."Peni glanced at the door over her shoulder. "Did you receive the second batch of candy that she sent you?"

"Yes, and I hid it somewhere where Aunt Cass can't find it."

"Aunt May did say her sister was never any good at hide-and-seek. Some things must not change into adulthood."

Hiro was just about to hit the red button on his phone when Peni spoke up again.

"Hiro..."

"Hmm?"

She nervously looked away for a second.

"Tadashi would have been very proud of you. I know that may not seem much coming from someone like myself, but...I wanted to tell you that."

Hiro's eyes started to water. "Thanks, Peni. That does mean a lot."

A sudden vibration came through his phone. It was probably someone downstairs texting him, telling him that dinner was ready. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Good night, Peni."

"Have a good night, Hiro."

He ended the call and immediately brought up his Messages. It turned out it wasn't from anyone downstairs…

OK, I have to make this quick. My dad went out for a food run.

It was from the girl being imprisoned in her own home.

I still can't believe after everything that happened, Dad still grounded me. No internet, and no phone! For two WEEKS! What am I suppose to do, just lie here and do nothing?

Hiro chuckled as Megan's words continued to pile in. He had hoped that Chief Cruz would go a little easy on her after the events of that night, but it appeared that even he had underestimated his stubbornness.

His thumbs flew across the keyboard. I think that's the intention, yes.

Ugh. Don't take his side.

He took the next step, going down to the bottom floor. No doubt someone would be sending a search part if he was any later.

OMG he's already back! Anyway, I saw your speech. They broadcast it on the school website. You were SOOO good! I know it's a touchy subject, but if anyone could have done it, it would have been you.

Hiro smiled back, but he didn't even get a chance to respond before the next message came in.

OK for real he's coming in! I don't want to get grounded for anything else! I'll see if Dad can drive me to Joe's one day and we can have lunch or something. GTG Bye!

He had turned around on Megan. At the beginning, it seemed like she was trying to change Hiro into something he wasn't. But now that they had gotten to know each other, it turned out that wasn't the case. Megan was just a girl looking for a friend...and she ended up getting so much more than that.

Hiro's eyes wandered down to the message below hers...and his foot stopped halfway down to the next step.

He had sent her a message almost two weeks ago, telling her that he was going to be speaking at graduation and wondering if she was going to come. That message still had the word "Delivered" underneath it, but there was no indication she had read it. She knew from the very last time they spoke that her grandparents' Internet was getting worse, and she had warned him that there may be a period of time where they wouldn't be able to talk. It made him wonder even more how she was able to log onto her fanfiction profile all those weeks ago.

It was almost a month to the day when he last saw her face. What he would give to see it again, especially today…

Hiro sighed, tucking the phone into his pocket. He had to get himself ready for being in front of people again. It wouldn't look good for everyone to see he had been crying.

As soon as he walked into the sales floor of the Cafe, he could tell he had already missed a lot. The entire gang, plus Aspen, Robbie, and Doreen, were huddled around the makeshift dinner table, plates and cutlery in front of them. Aunt Cass was probably putting finishing touches on dinner.

But everyone's focus was not on him. It was on someone's drink.

"But what are they, though?"

"Aspen, it's boba tea." Honey Lemon pointed to the balls of tapioca in the bottom of the container. "You can eat the spheres on the bottom."

"I've never seen this before." Aspen's eyes lit up as she tried to fish one of the balls out with her straw. "This is blowing my mind." As Hiro took his seat next to Go Go, she waved her hand out to him. "Hiro! Have you had this before?"

"I live here. I've taste-tested everything my aunt makes."

"Lucky." She had succeeded in skewering one with her straw and put it in her mouth. "This is sooo good! Can I have this every day?"

"Yeah, just what you need in your life," Go Go muttered as she sipped her water. "More sugar."

"Aspen, it's been a staple here for a while," Doreen chimed in. "Where have you been living, under a rock?"

The marine biologist dug into her pocket, searching for something. "Hold on, I'll give you an answer in a second." Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a stray piece of paper and put it up to her face. After a moment, she lowered it to uncover her mouth. "No! I have not been living under a rock!"

Hiro had recognized the paper instantly. After all, he had been the one to give it to her. Granted, a physical copy of a cheat sheet letting her know who knew their superhero secret and who didn't was probably a bad idea in retrospect, but he figured it was the best thing at the time.

"I have been living in many places around the world, and they did not have this in any of them!"

...Too bad she wasn't really selling the bit all that well.

Thankfully, she was saved by the arrival of Aunt Cass from the kitchen, who was carrying a very large lidded pot. She placed it carefully in the center of their table. "Now, this is very hot. I also maybe added some extra spicy sauce to it, so that Robbie can enjoy himself."

Robbie only stared at the food, his mouth starting to water.

"Looks like he's already enjoying himself right now," Wasabi quipped.

"Well, before we get to that..." Aunt Cass took her seat. "Honey Lemon, do you want to do the honors?"

The Latina nodded as she extended her hand out for Aunt Cass. Hiro took her other hand and motioned for Go Go to take his.

It was a tradition that they started the last time they were all together for dinner: the Latina would say Grace and everyone would bow their heads in thoughtful prayer. The caveat was that she did it entirely in Spanish, and she would say it so fast that Hiro wouldn't be able to understand it. Not that he thought she was saying anything malicious, but Urdu was complicated enough to learn. He could only imagine what it would be like for Honey Lemon to teach him Spanish.

Hiro opened one eye and slowly peeked around the table. Everyone had joined hands and was looking down at the table: Aunt Cass to his immediately left, and then Go Go, Robbie, Aspen, Wasabi, Doreen, Fred, and then Honey Lemon to his right. His extended family.

No.

His real family.

Hiro sniffed, trying to hold back his emotions. He wished Tadashi could have been sitting there along with them...

"Amén."

Grace was done as everyone unclasped their hands. Hiro realized too late that he hadn't done a very good job at holding things in; his cheeks were stained with moisture.

"You OK, Hiro?"

And it turns out they had noticed.

He wiped his face with his forearm, not looking directly at Aunt Cass. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Go Go looked over at Fred. "Remind me that we have to get the Bad Liars' Club cards made tomorrow."

"Yup, note already made," the comic buff replied, poking at his phone.

"No, it's just..." Hiro finished wiping his eyes. "Tadashi would have enjoyed this a lot. Having everyone here and just loving every minute of it. Not having to worry about college anymore. Going out and making a difference."

You could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone stared at Hiro.

"Sorry. I just killed the mood, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't." Cass patted his back, her own eyes starting to well up again. "It's been a long day today. Tadashi would be very proud of you." She grabbed her cup with trembling fingers. "Why don't we do a toast? For Tadashi."

The rest of the group grabbed their drinks, ready to bring them up.

"Would anyone like to say a few words?"

Hiro didn't really know what else there was to say. He had gone over everything his brother was in his head. At the funereal. At his speech. His friends had exhaustively recalled what he meant to them. His teachers. Everyone. What else could there be?

"I'll do it."

The girl sitting next to him wheeled around to face him. "Robbie, you don't have to-"

"Tadashi Hamada," he continued, cutting her off. "What to say? I heard through hushed conversations and legends passed through generations that he was a man of the people. He was also a man of great accomplishments. I heard that he climbed Mount Fujitney in a day...and then when people didn't believe him, he climbed it again for the heck of it."

Honey Lemon started giggling uncontrollably. Go Go's head was shaking, but the smile was growing.

"He was also a simple man. He enjoyed the finer things in life. Getting his hands dirty. Reciting poetry in front of a crowd without getting embarrassed. Something that everyone strived to do in their lifetime."

Now everyone was laughing and smiling. The mood ten seconds ago had been somber and full of sadness. Now, it was the complete opposite. Robbie let the laughter die down back to silence, and then grinned himself.

"Nah. I don't know how much of that is true. Or if any of it is true. I...I didn't know him at all. But I felt like I knew him. And that's because of you guys. The way you spoke of him, Hiro, was very eloquent. And I would like to think..."

Robbie shook his head as tears were now staring to fall on his face.

"See, this is why I shouldn't be allowed to say things like this. I look like a mess."

"You're good." Go Go grabbed his hand in very un-Go Go-like manner. "Take your time."

He took a deep breath in and wiped his cheek with his thumb.

"...I would like to think that we would have been friends."

Robbie shuffled in his seat as he tapped his drink on the table. "I know what it's like to lose family. To lose someone you care about. To have someone there and then suddenly they're gone. But I know that he's looking down on you and he sees how much everyone loves him. And I hope that...I can learn about the actual Tadashi a little bit more through you guys."

He held up his glass in front of him. "To Tadashi."

Everyone else's drink clanged together in the middle.

"To Tadashi."

Doreen got up from her chair and came over to Robbie, giving him a hug. "I didn't know you were such a big softie, Hot Hands."

"I'm not." He didn't put up a fight as her arms went around his neck. "And don't call me Hot Hands."

"OK. I'm sure Go Go has a pet name for you, anyway."

"You stop this," the Korean retorted, although her smile didn't match up to her tone.

"Yeah, you're good, man." Wasabi nodded to him. "That was very well said."

"Thanks."

Fred started rubbing his hands together, his attention now back on the pot of noodles in front of him. "Now we can focus on feeding ourselves. Dig in, everyone!"

Aunt Cass's tongs came out of nowhere and slapped his hand away. "Fred, we're not savages here. I'll give everyone their food. Just be patient." She took the lid off of the pot, steam bellowing up in the air. "Now, who wants the first serving?"

Everyone's hand went up.

"OK, I feel like this went wrong immediately."

A soft knock came from the door, and Aunt Cass turned her head to see who it was. Hiro did as well, but he couldn't make out who it was. "I made it quite clear on the door that we would be closed today. I wonder who it is?" Sighing, she handed her tongs off to Honey Lemon. "Go ahead and get started, guys. I'll see who it is."

The Latina started filling up everyone's plates, and as soon as she had gotten hers, Aspen had put a big forkful in her mouth. Almost instantaneously, she waved her hand over her mouth. "Oh my goodness, this is hot!"

"Spicy hot, or 'I didn't wait long enough for it to cool down' hot?"

"Both!"

Go Go shook her head at the marine biologist and looked over at Wasabi. "You two are literally perfect for each other."

Honey Lemon, ignoring her roommate's astute observation, go to the last plate. "How much do you want, Hiro?"

Silence.

"Hiro?"

He had been lost in his own mind for the entire time. He had been busy thinking about everything that had happened over the past year. Tadashi, his friends, school.

Her.

"You OK, Hiro?"

"...I wish she was here."

He hadn't meant to say that out loud. He had meant to keep it inside, say he was fine, deal with the joke of Go Go wanting to increase the font size on the Bad Liars' business cards, and move on.

But that didn't happen.

"Hiro, I'm sure she saw your speech. It was broadcast directly on SFIT's website. There's no way she would have missed it."

"You don't know that, Wasabi."

His friend didn't have a response to that, so Doreen spoke up. "Hiro, I know you haven't spoken to her in a while, but that doesn't mean she's not thinking about you. She's...probably dreaming about you right now."

Hiro slouched down in his chair.

"And I can kidnap her still," a voice to his left said. "That's still an option."

"Aspen!"

"What? I didn't say it was the only option."

He truly appreciated everyone's words, but his demeanor was now tanking once again. First, it had been his brother. But now, it was the girl that he...cared about? Had gotten to know?

Had cuddled together through the night? Had wondered when she would return?

"I wish I could see her again. Even if it's just for a second."

He heard the front door creak shut, but didn't look up.

"I miss her a lot."

Everyone at the table was silent. They probably didn't know what to say.

"I-"

"Hiro."

His name came out of Aunt Cass's mouth. It wasn't somber like he was expecting it to be. It was...excited?

"...I think you need to turn around."

The boy genius finally looked up at the faces of his friends. Every single one of them was not paying him any mind. Instead, they were staring at the door, varying levels of surprise in their eyes.

"Hiro..."

He heard a voice that was distinctly not his aunt's. And it wasn't anyone's at the table. It was-

No. It couldn't be.

Hiro finally turned around in his chair...and his heart stopped.

The girl standing next to Aunt Cass had her purse slung underneath her arm, a key in her hand. It was the spare key that was given to her by his aunt when she had stayed over. He didn't know that she had kept it after all of this time.

"Hey."

Her hair was just as shiny as it ever was, long and traveling down to her waist. The turtleneck sweater went down to her waist, the orange skirt and black leggings completing her outfit.

"That was some speech you gave today," she said, her voice shaking. "Tadashi would've liked it."

Hiro got up from his chair and slowly walked over to the new arrival. Aunt Cass backed off a few steps, already aware of what was about to happen.

It was her.

Standing in front of him.

In this plane of existence.

It was impossible. She was suppose to be overseas. But how-

"Are you going to say anything, Genius Boy? Or are you just going to stare at me all night long?"

Hiro shook his head. His mind was short-circuiting. He had to get it together.

"This isn't real," he whispered. "You can't be real." He pointed a finger at the girl. "You're a hologram or something. Baymax made you, didn't he?"

"You put Baymax upstairs to charge twenty minutes ago, Hiro," Wasabi reminded him.

"OK. Or a clone. You must be a clone."

"Oh, so he can say the C-word, but I can't?"

The distinct thump of Honey Lemon's arm hitting Fred's went into his ears, but he didn't register it.

"Say something. Say something about me that only the real one would know."

The girl pinched her nose, clearly agitated. "Listen, Genius Boy. Even if I was a clone, which I'm not, a perfect clone would retain all of the memories and abilities of the original being. So you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if the person was doing their job correctly."

Hiro blinked.

"That good enough for you?"

That was it. He had heard enough. It was her.

"...Karmi."

He lost control of himself. He took two giant steps forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her as close to him as possible. He felt her arms squeeze his neck, the tears now starting to flow down his shoulder.

"Hiro."

He didn't care about the dinner now. Or his emotions. Or anything, really. The only thing he wanted right now was to stand there and hug the girl until he physically couldn't anymore.

Karmi was back.

And that was all that mattered.

If Hiro had turned around at that moment, he would have seen Doreen smiling uncontrollably, Honey Lemon cleaning the tears off of her glasses, and Aspen bawling yet again, rubbing her eyes into Robbie's jacket. But not even he was going to say anything at this point.

"Hey, guys," Karmi mumbled. "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up with a bunch of things. Plus, traffic was killer."

A few giggles came from the table. Aunt Cass took the opportunity to give her a half-hug, bending down to their side. "It's fine, sweetie. I'm glad that you could make it."

The two finally separated, giving Hiro an opportunity to look Karmi over again. She noticed it, though, and raised her eyebrow at him. "What? Do I look different?"

"No. Not at all. I just..."

Hiro stared directly into her eyes.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Karmi replied, her hand on his shoulder. "I...missed you guys, as well," she added, looking at the table of people. "Not to leave you guys out."

"It's fine, Karmi. We all know your boy is at the top of the totem pole."

Her cheeks flushed, and Hiro laughed at her, the first real laugh in a long time. Aunt Cass stood back up and walked over to the table. "Well, don't just stand there all night. Are you hungry?"

"I am." Karmi tucked some stray bangs behind her ear. "But...are you sure there's room for one more? I don't want to intrude on this little story of yours."

She felt his hand snake into hers, grasping it tightly. She looked up to see Hiro was looking at her with all of the emotion he could muster.

"Karmi..."

He took a step and almost didn't feel his foot connect to the ground. His heart was so very light now as he led her over to the table.

"There's always room for you."

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The original plan was something very different. It was going to have Karmi stay overseas a while longer while Robbie's and the sixth member's story got played out, and then she would come back temporarily to work with Hiro on something, leading up to the giant Hiro/Karmi story that I've been planning.

But I couldn't do that.

I can't keep these two apart any longer.

This will undoubtedly complicate things a little bit, but I honestly don't care. Karmi's two second cameo at the end of "Legacies" was enough to give me hope that we're going to be seeing a lot more of her in Season 3.

And holy cow, I cannot wait for that.

As always, a big thank you to everyone who commented, liked, left a kudos, or just read this set of stories. The Continuity series has been some of my favorite things to write, and they've also been some of my most successful stories. And that's all thanks to you. I'm sure I'll be doing something along the same lines when Season 3 comes around, but I'm not sure if it will keep the same name. We'll see.

As per usual, you're probably wondering what's going to be happening next. I may have a one-shot in the works for Hiro and Karmi, but the next big multichaptered story won't be on either of them. It'll be about our favorite biker boy, Mr. Roberto Reyes. It's about time we get him into the Big Hero 6 fold.

Let's just hope that he doesn't crash and burn before he gets there.

Highway to Hell will be coming out in a couple of weeks, and I hope to join you there. In the meantime, read and review, if you like.

Until next time, everyone.