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If he’s honest, Hub doesn’t remember much of his life before death.
Granted, his death as a human was very short—not long enough to really, truly live. No, the earliest memory he has is waking up in a SciLab computer; Dr. Hikari—his father—looking the newborn Navi over with tears pouring down his cheeks.
At this time, he does not understand the tears as his programming is still so young. Basic knowledge and reasoning haven’t fully processed yet. Naturally, he asks the good doctor why he cries.
“I’m just so happy you’re alive, Hub!”
That name is like a trigger. Soon, he remembers.
His birth name is Hub Hikari. Sometime after his birth, he was diagnosed with a rare heart disease. There is no known cure and any surgery to prolong the inevitable was out of the question as he was too young to undergo it. He would not live to see his second year of life. He was (is still) a twin. His father is a scientist and programmer with SciLab, having spent most of his research on finding ways to make NetNavis more human.
Hub Hikari is the first successful attempt, having his DNA and soul placed into a NetNavi as a means of giving him a second chance at life. His new name is christened “MegaMan”—a name Hub finds very fitting. It is a strong name; a name that shows he has a lot of power. It makes him feel invincible, like nothing could harm him in any way.
Not even illness…
He accepts these facts as they are. He’s no longer human…but he’s not completely computer either. He has thoughts, feelings, fears, and emotions more complex than any computer can process.
Human imperfections notwithstanding, he’s still too rough in design to be a completed Navi, so he spends the first few years of his new life confined in his father’s lab as the man perfected his data.
His only relief from monotony and boredom is seeing his twin brother.
He doesn’t really understand the logic behind hiding his true identity from Lan. The way his father explains it, if he is to become Lan’s NetNavi there’s a possibility the boy would refuse to use MegaMan under the belief that he would hurt his older brother in battle. Lan often rambles about how he is going to be the best NetBattler in the world, and it wouldn’t do if he became too scared to allow his Navi to bust viruses.
So his identity remains a secret, and after long days of testing his abilities and making sure the human DNA wouldn’t cause bugs or glitches in his system, he spends time with his future operative—his little brother.
“You’re gonna be so cool when Dad finishes programming you!” Lan, a kindergartener at this time, says enthusiastically as he watches MegaMan on his father’s computer monitor.
“You think so?” MegaMan asks, finding amusement in Lan’s behavior.
“Definitely! Dex keeps talking about how he’s gonna have the most strongest Navi when he grows up, but he’s wrong. You’re gonna be the strongest, MegaMan! I’ll make sure of it!”
Despite the warmth he feels in his chest (a chest without a beating heart, as his illness destroyed that long ago), Hub finds it odd to be speaking to his brother this way. The way his dad designed his Navi appearance makes him slightly older than what he should have been. Hub supposes this might have been what he would look like as a pre-teen had he lived long enough. Perhaps Dad’s logic is that it would be best to match MegaMan’s appearance closer to his brother’s age when he finally obtains the completed PET. How much longer that would be, he can’t say. He hopes soon though…
“Soon” does come and Lan is 8 years old when his father presents him a new PET—the perfected MegaMan.EXE housed safely inside of it. The boys are thrilled to finally be meeting outside of a laboratory and are as close as they have been during the early stages of MegaMan’s development. As close as twin brothers should be, MegaMan muses to himself.
“Finally! I can’t wait to get you on the net and start busting viruses! Don’t worry MegaMan, I’m gonna be the best NetOp ever and we’ll have so much fun together!” the child cries in glee.
MegaMan can’t contain his joy either, “Yeah! We’re going to be together forever, Lan. Count on it!”
Lan doesn’t understand why his mother cries, nor does he understand why she explains that they are happy tears.
Hub knows. Hub always knows…
Sometimes Hub wonders how Lan would react if he ever finds out who he is.
Would he be upset? Angry? Betrayed?
Would his father’s fears come true and Lan would give up NetBattling because of a fear he would harm his brother? Would he get a new Navi?
He confides in his father all of these concerns during maintenance days. Lan would be busy somewhere else in the lab, not paying attention to the technical stuff, so he would not be privy to Dr. Hikari and Hub’s talks.
His father’s response to his fears is to just smile.
“Lan may be unpredictable at times, but he would never abandon you, Hub. You have nothing to worry about.”
MegaMan supposes he is right. After all, despite their petty squabbling and fights, Lan and he are as thick as thieves. They have each other’s backs. No matter what, they would stand by each other. They always will.
Though he still wonders about Lan’s potential reaction to MegaMan’s true identity. It feels wrong to keep something as crucial as this a secret.
It’s not like Lan isn’t aware that Hub once existed either…
“I had a brother you know. A twin.” A 10-year-old Lan informs MegaMan.
Dr. Hikari had promised to take Lan for ice cream after he finishes working for the day, so the two are waiting at his desk. Lan spends a few precious minutes just staring at the framed picture their dad kept on his desk. It shows him, their mom, and Lan and Hub as babies.
Before the frequent visits to the hospital…
Before the Hikaris knew how serious Hub’s condition was…
Before his heart ultimately stopped beating…
“Yeah, I know.” MegaMan replies. He weighs his words, trying not to give anything away. Of course he would know about Lan’s late brother. He had spent his early life as a Navi in this same facility. He would stare at this picture as much as Lan does when he’s here.
“Sometimes I wonder what he would have been like…” despite his cheerful and brash behavior, it isn’t unusual for Lan to speak somberly during these moments. Only MegaMan has the privilege to see this side of his operator.
He tries to lighten the mood, “He probably would have been as big of a troublemaker as you.”
Lan pouts. “Hey, I don’t get into trouble! At least, not on purpose…” he mutters that last part. MegaMan laughs.
“Twins are usually mischievous, aren’t they? I bet you two would have had fun together.”
Now Lan is grinning, “Yeah, we totally would have! Mom told me we were so identical, she had to part our hair different when it started growing so she could tell us apart. If Hub was here we probably would have pulled all kinds of pranks on Mayl and Dex!”
Lan’s laughter makes MegaMan smile, but there is a pit forming inside of him.
“If Hub was here.”
Hub is here.
He wants to tell him.
He wants to scream it.
He wants Lan to know that Hub never left, he was just reborn. He may be different, he may not exactly be the deceased twin but he is Hub all the same.
Every time he feels these emotions, he has to stop himself from blurting the truth. Dad keeps saying the timing isn’t right. He has to be patient. Lan will find out in due time…
Until then, this is enough.
“You know,” MegaMan is brought back to reality when he hears Lan speak up, “part of me feels bad. I’ve heard stories that when your twin dies you get this empty or missing feeling. But…I don’t feel that way. Is there something wrong with me?”
MegaMan immediately jumps to reply, “Of course there isn’t anything wrong with you! Sometimes people feel differently about these things. And Hub died before you could really know him, right?”
He feels like he’s floundering but he wants Lan to feel better. MegaMan has an idea for why Lan feels that way but he can’t say it. Not now…
Lan mulls over MegaMan’s words and then gives a small smile, “Yeah, you’re probably right. But I think I know why I don’t feel like I lost Hub.”
“You do?” MegaMan asks, confused.
“Yeah,” now Lan grins at the Navi. “It’s because I have you!”
MegaMan tries to process what this sentence means. Did Lan somehow find out? Did he figure it out on his own? How—?
“I’ve known you all my life,” his twin continues, “and we do everything together. We have fun kicking virus butt, you nag me about waking up, you help me with my homework, and you encourage me even when everyone else says I’ll fail. You’re always there for me, standing by my side. When I think about what Hub would be like, I immediately think of you! So maybe that’s why I don’t feel like I lost someone because you’re here instead. You’re my brother, MegaMan.”
It’s not the realization MegaMan thought it would be, but nonetheless Lan has the right idea. Hub is touched. He may not be outside in the real world with Lan but he is there all the same. Even if cyberspace and a PET screen separates them, nothing will keep him from taking care of his little brother. And that makes everything worth it.
“You’re my brother too, Lan.”
He has been given this new chance at life. He has a second chance to be with his brother.
He will not let it be taken from him again.
“MegaMan! MegaMan!”
He hears the desperate cries of his name but he can’t move. That blast from MagicMan really did a number on him. MegaMan isn’t sure if he will scrape by this time…
Is this it? Is he going to die again?
No…
No, he can’t!
He’s just now really starting to live. He and Lan are going to school together. They are making new friends and exploring the net. They take down viruses and help around the neighborhood. They’re having fun… Being kids.
Being together.
True, the two have been getting over their heads with taking on the likes of the WWW, but he doesn’t care if he is honest. The NetCrimes are getting too serious, and the moment they targeted their house and put Mom in danger…well, it’s become personal.
Lan has such a strong sense of justice. When he tells his Navi with finality that he is going to take on the WWW, well, who is he to say no? It is the right thing to do.
And now here he is, on the ground, feeling his particles become in disarray, threatening to break up completely in deletion.
This really is it, huh? Finally having that second chance at life only for some old guy with a superiority complex and his team of goons take it all away? Is his father’s hard work to bring back his dead child all for nothing?
No. No, please…
Let him stay.
Let him keep this second chance, he begs whoever is listening.
Let him stay with Lan.
Please, let him stay with his brother a while longer!
…
“HUB!”
His eyes open.
Just like the first time he had been called that name, something triggers inside of him and he feels rejuvenated. He always knew he wasn’t complete (his father confirms that early into the programming and development stages); that there’s a part of him that was too dangerous to keep lest it also put Lan in danger due to being born from the same egg in their mother’s womb. But now he feels that missing piece inside of him, that piece that makes him feel more alive…more human.
More like Hub Hikari.
“Hub! It’s you!”
He looks skyward to see the face of his twin. A happy, relieved smile glowing on his young face as he calls out to him. Wait a minute…did Lan just…?
“Lan? You called me Hub…?”
He knows?
Lan knows who he is now?
“Hub, I told Lan everything. We used Hub.bat to bring you back.”
Dad…
So the secret is finally out.
Thank goodness! He didn’t know how much longer he could take keeping his identity a secret.
“Lan, I’m sorry for not telling you the truth earlier.” He apologizes. Even if on the surface Lan appears to be fine with the secrecy, that didn’t necessarily mean everything is forgiven. It’s a lot to unpack when you find out your long dead sibling was reborn and programmed as your NetNavi.
His twin sniffs, wiping away any stray tears that had released from his eyes, “Hub, I’m sorry for ordering you around all these years…”
Hub can’t help but lightly laugh at this response. Of all the ways to react to something as big as this…of course Lan would zero in on something as miniscule as being bossy toward his own Navi.
It may not be the best time to have this heart to heart (they have a world to save, after all) but Hub does not care. He is finally getting things off his chest, telling his brother how much he regrets not being with him in the real world, being so happy to see Lan grow and become who he is now. There would be no more secrets between them. They could finally work together in full sync (in more ways than one considering what Hub.bat could do).
“How do I operate you now?” Lan then asks him, voice slightly on edge. Hub knows why. Things are different now that he has found out his true identity. Lan may be committed to saving the world but this isn’t just a computer program he could use to do his bidding, this is his twin brother.
“Just be yourself!” he replies, doing his job as the older brother by reassuring the younger, “And I’ll be myself, MegaMan!”
That’s right. Despite having Hub’s soul and his DNA flowing through him, he is still MegaMan, the Ultimate Navi. It’s his job to bust viruses and defeat rogue Navis operated by evil people. With Lan by his side, he knows they could take on every obstacle thrown their way.
They can do this!
“Right… Okay, let’s go MegaMan!”
They can save the world!
“Right on!”
Together…
Life returns to normal soon after the defeat of the LifeVirus.
Lan is considered a hero among his circle of friends but soon the hype calms down and the general routine sets back in. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, eats the curry Mom cooks, and busts viruses on the net with MegaMan.
Everything is the same.
And yet it isn’t.
There is a noticeable difference among the Hikari household. While MegaMan has always been a part of the family, he feels that subtle shift that tells him he truly is regarded as the other son. Dad and Mom don’t have to cover up his identity anymore from his brother, and he can tell a weight lifts from their shoulders now that they can stop pretending he was just another NetNavi.
As for Lan…
“Hey Hub?” MegaMan shifts his focus to Lan who lies in bed, not quite ready to fall asleep just yet.
Usually he would scold the boy for staying up late, but MegaMan softens up when he notices the slight distress on Lan’s face. He patiently smiles at his brother through the computer monitor.
A couple of weeks has passed since his identity had been revealed and Lan seems to be saying his real name more often than not—possibly trying and get used to it, he muses, but he knows another reason for the boy’s new habit.
“You can keep calling me MegaMan, Lan. I don’t mind.”
“I know you don’t.” Lan says, rolling over to get a better view of his brother. The forlorn expression on his face intensifies as he admits, “But I feel so bad. I feel like I should have known it was you. After all these years…”
Now MegaMan frowns. Reflexively, he moves to reassure his brother, “Don’t beat yourself up over that. How could you have possibly known?”
Lan raises himself up in bed, “We’re twins! Shouldn’t we have, like, some kind of twin mind meld thing or something? And I always knew you were familiar somehow, but I just thought it was because I’ve always known you. I would watch Dad program you, and it’d be natural to get used to seeing you and getting to know you. I don’t know, I just… Hub, I’m sorry! I should have—”
“Stop apologizing.” MegaMan says firmly. He sympathizes with Lan’s emotions—heck, he can even feel them thanks to their synchronization from Hub.bat—but he will not allow him to wallow in them. It isn’t worth it. “I don’t know why you’re the one who feels bad anyway… I’m the one who kept the truth from you.”
Despite feeling closer to Lan than he has in years, he still has that one regret. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get over the guilt of lying. It makes MegaMan feel worse knowing Lan continues to beat himself up over something that isn’t his fault.
“But Dad told you to do that. He was just trying not to complicate things for you…” Lan says, raising himself up as he holds his pillow tight against him.
The Navi sighs. He supposes this argument will continue to go around in circles if he doesn’t drop it. It wouldn’t be good if he allows Lan to lose too much sleep. “Well, what’s done is done. You know now and that’s all that matters. If you still feel bad then you can always make it up to me.”
This catches the younger twin’s attention, “Make it up to you? How?”
MegaMan’s mouth turns back into a mischievous smile as he replies, “By waking up tomorrow morning when I call your name the first time!”
It takes a beat for Lan to register what MegaMan says before he dramatically groans and flops back down onto his bed, “Argh, are you for real?! Geez, some things never change!”
MegaMan laughs. Lan waking up early is always a struggle but it’s also something he fondly looks forward to.
“In all seriousness, Lan, don’t worry any more about that nonsense. Just go to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. We’ll both have plenty of time to make up for our mistakes to each other.”
“Yeah…you’re right.” Lan says, and MegaMan can tell that his emotions are more at ease. Good, he’s glad they can put this behind them.
He watches Lan shift into a more comfortable position before turning to his brother one last time. Shyly, he asks the Navi, “You’ll be there when I wake up tomorrow, right?”
Hub nods, unsure where this line of questioning is going. “Of course.”
“And you’ll be with me at school…”
“Just like always.”
Seriously, what is Lan’s deal? He should know MegaMan isn’t going anywhere any time soon. So why…?
Another shift, another pause, and then, “Hey, Hub…?”
“Yes, Lan?”
“Can you promise me something?”
“Anything, Lan.”
Lan takes a deep breath.
“Promise me you’ll stay by my side forever. Can you do that?”
MegaMan blinks, processing the request. Soon the reason for Lan’s constant questions clicks and he can’t help but smile warmly at his brother.
Like Hub, Lan wouldn’t trade his brother for anything. It’s them against the world. Even if everyone turns their back on them, at least they have each other. It is a bond neither want to give up, and the fact they are brothers intensifies that feeling of never wanting the other to leave their side.
It is a feeling Hub is familiar with, as he felt it the first time he laid eyes on his brother through a computer screen.
“I promise you Lan, I’ll always be by your side. Forever and ever. No matter what, I’ll stand by you.”
The grin on his twin’s face is worth more than any rare battlechip in Higsby’s shop.
“Thank you. The same goes for me, too. I’ll stand by you, Hub, no matter what!”
Hub nods.
“I know you will.”
The entire Undernet could break loose any minute now and it won’t matter to him.
Because he has his brother by his side.
As a loud yawn breaks through, he watches Lan snuggle deeper into his covers.
“Goodnight, Hub.”
“Goodnight, Lan.”
He won’t worry about the future. Because no matter what life throws at him, he’ll be okay. Because he has Lan.
And together, nothing can stop them.