Tanaka Kazuhiro - my first and still my favorite...

Kazuhiro is a relatively normal 16 year old boy with an extraordinary mind. He had a difficult childhood with many hardships. Both of his parents died in an accident when he was only four. He remembers nothing about them. The only family member he had left was his brother Tadashi, who was almost four years older. The two of them were put into foster houses, where they were neglected and separated from each other.

For seven years, they lived apart, seeing each other only occasionally at school. During this time, Hiro's only consolation and companions were his books. He only knew his foster caregivers as Ojiisan and Obaasan (Grandfather and Grandmother), though they did not treat him kindly and only took him in for the money. Tadashi's custodians were much worse, though he never spoke of them to Hiro. Tadashi sneaked out of the house whenever he could. He grew lean as he matured, and he never seemed to have enough to eat. He did tell Hiro that he was rarely able to sleep.

One night, Tadashi came to Hiro's window. He had come many times before so they could talk, but this night was different. Hiro learned, to his shock, that Tadashi had finally run away from his foster house, and that he now wanted to take Hiro away too, so they could live as a family together for the first time in seven years. It did not take much persuasion.

Hiro and Tadashi lived on the streets for nearly two years. In the summers, they were able to live in the country, which was an idyllic time for Hiro, who had never been outside of the city. They slept outdoors in the sweet warm weather, and were able to work on farms as day laborers to earn their food. But the winters were a different story. Hiro did not realize at the time how Tadashi earned the money to keep them alive. He knew only that Tadashi would go off alone at night and come back in the morning, broken and silent. Tadashi would return to wherever they happened to be sheltering, and lie with his back to Hiro, closing himself off like a tortoise in its shell. Tadashi would never speak of it, just as he never spoke of their parents' death, or of his time in his foster house. Hiro, confused and sad, would curl up against Tadashi's back and go to sleep next to him, wishing that he could do something, anything... to take that haunted look out of his brother's eyes. Though Tadashi was the only person Hiro had in the world, Hiro realized that he barely knew his brother at all.

Finally, after a bitter cold night, Tadashi did not come back. It was the longest night of Hiro's life. At the end of the next day, he remembered a promise he had made to his brother, that if he was ever left alone, he would go to a shelter and turn himself in to caregivers. Somehow, he knew that only death would have kept Tadashi from coming back to him -- and so he kept his promise to his brother and turned himself in. He remained at the shelter for a few years... until it was time for him to come home to me. As Hiro once said to me, "It doesn't matter if it's a house, a room, a closet or even a dresser drawer. If you're loved, you can live just about anywhere."

Tanaka Kazuhiro, nicknamed Hiro (SD13 Link standard, 2005)

Hair: default (Volks W-55 Classic Gold)

Eyes: Volks HG green gray 16mm

Age: 17

Blood Type: O

Interests: military history, martial arts, acting, soccer, anime

Born in: Nagoya, Japan

More about Hiro: He's tone deaf, but he doesn't believe it when you tell him. Despite his difficult early life, he has an incredible sense of humor. He is very clever and enjoys nothing more than a battle of wits with a worthy foe. He hates wearing shoes, and he enjoys wearing Japanese style garments for the "freedom." *he smiles as he tells me this*