Big Hero 6 x My Neighbor Totoro

Chapter 2

After Mei and I got this Hiro dude to look at the world a bit like we did, we decided to take things slowly. If we showed him too much at once, it wouldn't be any fun, after all.
We went downstairs for lunch, but I forgot that we had played with the black soots. Which meant, Hiro was the only one covered with black marks that resembled charcoal residue.
Oops.
"What did you do to Hiro up in the attic?!" my dad shouted.
I flinched, and Hiro noticed.
"Uh, they didn't do anything. I accidentally um.. fell down and got all dusty."
My dad calmed down.
"Well, if that's it... Wash your hands at least before lunch, and you can take a bath after you digest."
Hiro nodded.
Our lunch consisted of katsudon (pork fried in breadcrumbs and egg over rice), miso soup, and salad.
"Itadakimasu!" We all dug in.
My dad grinned. "How is it, Hiro? You better eat a lot in my house, you look like a stick! Satsuki probably weighs more than you do!" He laughed loudly.
I groaned. "Seriously, Dad?"
Mei giggled, and Hiro cracked a half smile.
He was actually eating a lot. Hiro shoveled in the katsu, downed the miso soup, and.. casually avoided the salad.
I snorted. "You're even more of a picky eater than Mei is. A 4 year old!"
My dad nudged me. "Hey, Satsuki, be polite. Hiro's a guest."
I tilted my head.
"Isn't that why he should be eating everything?"
Hiro cautiously poked his lettuce, swished it around in the dressing, and stuck it in his mouth while pouting.
Whaddya know, a 13-year old genius is more of a kid than I am.

After lunch, Hiro went back to his room to play with his robots or whatever again.
Mei and I peeked in to see what he was so excited about all of the time.
Hiro looked up at us.
"What do you want?"
I shrugged.
"Do I have to want something? Can't I just come in here because I feel like it?"
Hiro paused. "I guess..."
He put on a metal headband contraption that went across his forehead.
I sat down immediately.
"Are you going to read my mind or something? I didn't know robots could do that."
Mei sat down next.
"Read my mind too! What am I thinking?"
I pressed two fingers on each hand onto my temples.
"I am sending my brainwaves.. Did you receive them yet?"
Mei imitated me.
"Sending.. brainwaves,"
Hiro stared intently at me.
"Hmm.. your brain.. is full of... cockroaches and caterpillars."
I was enraged. "What?!"
Hiro doubled over in laughter. "You really think a piece of metal could read your mind? You're too funny!"
I stood up. "Mei, let's go to a place where people don't play dumb jokes.."
Hiro grabbed my hand.
"Wait. I'll be serious and show you what it really does."
I turned back around and sat down skeptically.
"Play one more joke and I'll seriously kick you, please keep that in mind."
Hiro nodded. "Yeah, yeah, okay."
He grabbed a pile of other metal pieces and put them in front of him.
"Watch this."
Suddenly the pile of metal pieces rose and turned into the Statue of Liberty. Then a perfect portrait of Mei.
Mei clapped.
"That's amashing!"
"Ama-ZING," I corrected her. But the little metal pieces were actually quite fascinating. "So what is it? Magnets or something?"
Hiro tapped the device on his head.
"These metal pieces are actually mind controlled. They can make any shape you imagine. I call them Microbots."
I gasped.
"That's awesome! You invented that?"
I slapped him on the back and grinned.
"What's this, robots are more interesting than I thought. And you actually are pretty smart."
Mei emphasized my point by nodding vigorously.
Hiro shook his head, smiling a little.
"You haven't seen anything yet! Here we go!"
The little metallic robots shape shifted into buildings, animals, and trains.
"I would actually buy those if I could," I remarked.
Hiro laughed and thanked me.
I smiled. "Hey, I was pretty wary of you at first, but you're not as bad as I thought you would be. After we've showed each other part of our own world, I think I might be able to start to understand you, even if only a little bit. After all, you're a crazy mad robot scientist city boy who doesn't eat lettuce properly. You're going to be a hard shell to crack open."
Hiro swiveled around his body to look up at me. "And what about you? A sassy country kid who can see things that no one else can, because they don't believe in those things."
I thought about it for a moment.
"Well, either way, what we believe in, are both a bit like magic, don't you think?"
What in the world. The last thing I would've expected is to get along with this parasite within the span of less than a day.
Well, that's not exactly a bad thing.