Two days after the overdose
Honey Lemon and the others were more than disappointed. They had waited all night for Hiro to come to the shop but he never showed. The shop owner told them again and again that he had come the last few nights and that there was nothing else to tell them.
They had now come together at a coffee shop near the gas station and were sitting on the curb as they discussed what to do next. There must have been something they could do, they thought. If Hiro had walked here to buy candy, then Obake's new lair must have been walking distance. And still, no matter how or where they tried to scan for Hiro and Baymax they couldn't get a single trace.
"I'll head up the mountain and check the area." Go Go eventually suggested when their conversation started circling. "I'm the fastest, so I can cover most ground."
Wasabi agreed and pulled out his phone to get a better view of a map. Just when he started explaining what they should do next Fred suddenly raised his hand and gestured for him to be quiet. He seemed very serious all of a sudden and looked at something to their side. When Honey Lemon followed his gaze she froze when she noticed the familiar face of Momokase.
They all got up, ready to fight and to finally get some information out of her, but instead the woman gestured for them to follow her and then disappeared into the woods on the side of the road.
"This has got to be a trap." Wasabi said, his eyes glued to where the woman had disappeared. "She can't seriously think that we'll fall for this."
"Maybe it's not." Honey Lemon said quickly before Go Go and Fred could add anything. "I mean … what if she wants to talk? We could finally get some info about Hiro."
"It's a trap." Go Go replied coldly. "Just ignore her and let's get on with looking. We shouldn't waste any more time." Wasabi agreed and was just about to turn his back when Fred suddenly chimed in and said: "I agree with Honey. What if it's not a trap and we're letting go the best chance we have of finally getting some info about Hiro?"
Everyone looked at him in surprise. No-one had expected Fred to ever speak so seriously and not crack some silly joke. The way he was staring over to there Momokase had disappeared tore Honey Lemon's heart apart – Fred and Hiro had been close ever since they had formed their group, she figured that it must have been devastating for him, not knowing where his best friend was and what had happened to him.
Honey Lemon glanced over at the other two and their eyes met. She could tell that they all thought the same thing and that they knew that they couldn't let this chance pass. And so they decided to only send Honey Lemon and Fred in to speak to Momokase. Wasabi and Go Go were the strongest out of the four of them and it would be crucial to have them as a back up, in case this really did turn out to be a trap.
When Honey Lemon and Fred followed Momokase into the woods she could feel her heart hammer inside her chest. She felt more nervous than ever before and noticed that Fred seemed the same way. She was glad, knowing that her two other friends were out there, looking after them and making sure that they were going to be safe.
"Where are the other two?"
She looked up when she heard Momokase's voice behind her. Apparently she had hidden and waited for them to show before revealing herself. Honey Lemon immediately noticed that something was off – the woman wasn't wearing her mask, nor was she wearing her hair down like she usually was. Instead she had her hair tied in a bun and the blue streaks that had been there before were starting to grow out, her roots now showing.
"Just say what you want." Fred said, apparently not aware of the way the woman had changed. "We're not here to play games." Honey Lemon was surprised at her friend's tough demeanor. Usually Fred wasn't the type of person who could go through a single conversation without cracking jokes and making people laugh, but now he was so determined and seemed angry. He was like a completely different person.
Momokase apparently thought the same and crossed her arms in front of her chest. For a moment they all just looked at each other, tension rising before she admitted: "I need your help."
Honey Lemon thought for sure that she had misheard. "Our help?" she repeated and looked at the woman closely. "What for?"
Momokase sighed and needed a moment to respond. She was so different than the last time they had seen her, Honey Lemon thought. Something horrible must have happened. "The kid," she eventually started speaking again, "he needs to be taken home. He can't stay with Obake any longer."
"Where is he?" Fred asked immediately and took a step closer. "Is Hiro in danger!? I swear, if you did anything to him I'll-"
"Fred." Honey Lemon interrupted and grabbed her friend's wrist. "Let her speak."
Momokase raised her brows but showed no intentions of getting ready to fight. Her graphene blades were still safely stored in her belt. She seemed to wait a moment for Fred to calm down before speaking up again. "Hiro's fine, don't worry."
"Thank god …" Honey Lemon mumbled before she could stop herself. Tears came up in her eyes and she couldn't stop them from dripping down her cheeks just a second later. She felt so relieved, almost like she was going to fly. Although she had tried so hard to tell herself that Hiro was alive, all sorts of horrible thoughts had made their way into her heart and made her doubt. The thought of her friend and her ex-boyfriend's little brother dead would have been too much for her. If this had turned out to be true, she wouldn't have known how to cope.
"But he can't remember anything." Momokase went on explaining. "I know it sounds crazy, but Obake's wiped his memories clean. There's nothing he remembers apart from what Obake's told him."
Honey Lemon furrowed her brow in confusion. "But that's impossible." She said. "No-one can wipe memories."
"Look," the woman rolled her eyes, "I don't know what to tell you. I'm not a scientist. All I know is that he does not remember anything apart from what Obake's been telling him. He didn't remember me, Obake, the others … he can't even remember his aunt or brother."
Honey Lemon froze and she noticed Fred reacting the same way. Her grip on Fred's wrist tightened at the woman's words.
"He's been brainwashed. He thinks that there's been an accident that caused his memory loss and that Obake is his only family. I've been trying to trigger the memory sparks, but-"
"What are memory sparks?" Fred interrupted. "Like a car?"
"I think she means that she's been trying to get Hiro to remember …" Honey Lemon explained in a quiet voice. When Momokase nodded she felt thankful towards the woman in front of her.
"He's been getting triggered by names, materials, sounds … just anything that has some connection to his life. Ah," she suddenly pulled out a small green object from her pocket and showed them, "like this. I think this belonged to his brother."
Honey Lemon's heart dropped as she saw the chip Tadashi had built so long ago. She took it carefully when Momokase handed it to her and held it close. "So … Baymax is …?"
"Obake took that thing apart." Momokase said simply and sighed. "He used the robot to bring Hiro to the lair and then took it apart for parts. There's still the skeleton and the white material, but other than that …" when tears dwelled in Honey Lemon's eyes Fred put an arm around her. "I'm sorry. There was nothing I could have done."
"No, it's not that." She said and wiped the tears away quickly. "Hiro's brother … my boyfriend built him. So it meant a lot to all of us …"
"And Hiro didn't care?" Fred asked, his brow furrowed. His arm was still around Honey Lemon. "He must have tried to stop Obake. Why would he-"
"You're not listening." Momokase said. "He doesn't know what your robot friend is or … was. He can't remember you either. He truly believes every word Obake says." Fred got more and more emotional with every word that left the woman's mouth. Honey Lemon could tell by the way his round eyes misted. "But there has been an incident when-" Momokase went on but was interrupted.
"What incident?"
Honey Lemon and Fred twitched in surprise when Go Go and Wasabi entered the space. They must have decided to join as this was most definitely not a trap. "What happened?" Wasabi repeated and put a hand on Fred's shoulder. Although their bond had not always been the closest, Honey Lemon knew that they were close friends at heart.
"I've been with the kid for most days since he came." Momokase went on, not fazed in the slightest. "About a week ago I overheard Obake and the kid arguing. He had that chip and admitted to Obake that the name triggered him. He didn't want to tell him where he'd heard the name and-"
"And what?" Go Go interrupted. Her teeth were gritted and fists clenched. "What did the bastard do to Hiro?"
Honey Lemon shot Go Go a look. She had never heard her friend cursed like that and it surprised her. This was the first time she saw her friend this angry.
Momokase needed a moment to respond, apparently what she was going to say was hard for her. They could all tell that the woman really cared about their friend. "He's been injected with the memory wipe again and since then the memory sparks and triggers have disappeared. He hasn't been triggered by anything and with the overdose I think he'll-"
"Overdose!?" Honey Lemon shrieked. "What overdose!?"
When Momokase explained how Hiro must have accidentally overdosed just the day before yesterday all of them tensed. Although it was a relief to hear that he would live and recover fully they were getting anxious to finally get him out of there. Wasabi was the first to speak up after the initial shock. "So how much longer do we have to get his memories back?"
They looked at their former enemy, knowing that they'd have to work together to get their friend back home. The way she looked back at them made them realize that she thought the same thing. There was this mutual understanding among them and no-one needed to say it outloud to know that they were now all in the same boat.
"We don't have much longer." Momokase eventually admitted. "He hasn't really recovered yet from the overdose so I don't know how much more he's forgotten. I think it would be best if we got him out within the next couple days. And I have an idea how to go about it."
When Hiro woke up he found himself back in his room. He was covered with two thick blankets and his head was resting on his pillow, which he usually kept on the floor to read. He noticed that the sun had already set and that his room was dark except for the lamp on his nightstand. When he turned his head to look for the light source he found himself looking at a man, fast asleep in a chair next to his bed.
By now he knew that this man was Robert Callaghan, a close friend of Obake, and he knew that Callaghan was a warmhearted person. He smiled a bit at the man and turned to lay on his side, but couldn't. He pulled a bit on what was holding his arm back and winced in pain. His left wrist was tied to the bedframe with something that resembled a belt and there was a needle stuck in the crook of his elbow. As his eyes followed the tube stuck in his skin he saw a bag with liquid and wondered what it was for. He felt a bit shaken, but not particularly ill. And so he just carefully pulled the tube and needle out with his right hand and quickly applied pressure to the tiny wound. He didn't need any medicine, he thought as he sat up.
There was a sound coming from his right side and when he turned to look at it he furrowed his brow. Next to Callaghan there was a machine that he couldn't quite classify. When his eyes followed the cables coming from the screen he noticed them going right under his blankets, his shirts and to his chest. He wondered why he'd need a heart rate monitor when he was feeling fine.
The beeping got a bit louder as his heart rate sped up. He watched the lines going up and down more quickly and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. The last thing he remembered was working on his robot that was supposed to help him keep everything organized. Then everything was just bits and pieces of dreams of his teacher, Momokase and their new home. His dreams had finally turned to normal ones, he couldn't remember dreaming of his fictional older brother except for that one time.
"You're awake."
Hiro twitched in surprised as his attention was pulled away from the heart rate monitor. Callaghan had woken and was looking at him with a soft smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine …" Hiro replied softly and looked at the man. He seemed so worried that it confused him. "What happened?"
Callaghan stayed quiet for a moment, apparently thinking about what to say. He seemed sad, Hiro thought. "You just fell ill, my boy." The man eventually replied. "Nothing too serious. But you should rest more." He must have noticed that Hiro wasn't really buying his response, but the man didn't give in. "It's the middle of the night, everyone else is sleeping. Like you should be."
"I'm fine." Hiro repeated with a pout. "I don't feel ill."
"That's good." Callaghan admitted and got up. When he noticed that Hiro had removed the needle and IV he walked around the bed and gently grabbed the boy's wrist. "But you still need this. Just trust me on this and relax." Hiro lay back down, not really feeling like discussing. He let Callaghan gently tie his wrist back down and watched him administer the IV once more.
"Why are you tying my wrist?" he asked the man. "It's weird."
"Just so that, when you sleep and move, you don't accidentally pull out the needle." Callaghan explained. Hiro winced as he felt the prick of the needle. "It's just to make sure you're feeling better again as soon as possible. Don't worry."
Hiro pouted again but didn't respond. He had to admit that he did feel tired. Not ill, just tired. Although he didn't really buy the man's story, he didn't feel like discussing it. Somehow all his energy seemed drained and gone.
"There you go." Callaghan finished the IV and sat back down again next to Hiro's bed. He placed his hand on the boy's forehead and seemed relieved when there was no fever. Hiro watched him lean back in his chair and said: "You don't have to stay, I'm fine."
"It's nothing, don't worry." The man said. "I just want to make sure you're alright."
Hiro furrowed his brow a bit and told the man again that he was feeling fine. He actually would have liked some time to himself and to relax, but the man didn't budge. There didn't seem any way he would leave the boy alone and so Hiro eventually decided to give up.
For a while there was silence between the two of them. Hiro was just looking out the window into the darkness of the outside. Although he felt fine physically, he had to admit that his mind felt tired. His head felt strange, like something had happened and he just didn't know what. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he just knew that something was not quite right. When he tried to remember the last couple days, the last week, he just couldn't. There were only bits and pieces here and there that stood out to him, but nothing really stuck. He couldn't really grasp anything, couldn't really picture anything. Had he always been like this, he wondered.
"Hiro," Callaghan spoke up again suddenly, "I just wanted to say … I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Hiro repeated and looked at the man in confusion. "What for?"
The man sighed and didn't really seem to know what to say. His hands were folded in his lap and gaze directed down. "Just …" the man seemed to wrestle with his words. "I just wanted to tell you that. Don't worry about it."
Hiro was more than just a little confused. He looked at the man and was trying to make sense of his apology. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of anything that the man would have to apologize for. In fact, he had only seen the man a couple times on the screens in Obake's room and once when they moved into this place. There had been too little interactions between the two of them.
Hiro was just about to speak up again when he noticed the door being opened. Obake entered the room, his slick hair a bit messier than usually and a cup of tea in his hand. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants. Obake noticed the strange atmosphere in the room immediately and came over.
"Hiro, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Hiro replied with a smile upon seeing the man. He felt more comfortable now that he was here. "Just … a bit sleepy."
"I can imagine." Obake said softly and looked down at Callaghan. When he put his hand on Callaghan's shoulder, the man stood rather quickly. "Rest now, Robert." Obake said and handed him the cup. "I'll stay with Hiro." Upon hearing that, Hiro couldn't help but smile. His interaction with Callaghan just now had been a bit awkward, so he was glad to hear that the man was leaving. Hiro tried to build eye contact with Callaghan as he left the room, but he didn't respond at all. Instead the man closed the door behind himself. Obake now sat on the chair next to Hiro's bed. He seemed like he had just gotten out of bed.
"You don't have to stay up." Hiro said as soon as the man had sat down. "I'm fine, really."
"I know." He replied simply and chuckled a bit. "But I'm staying because I want to."
Hiro pouted a bit and gave up right away. The short discussion with Callaghan hadn't gotten him anywhere, so this was not going to get him anywhere either. He knew by now that, if Obake didn't want to tell him something, then he wasn't going to, no matter what he did.
The silence that spread between them was a little uncomfortable and Hiro was thankful when Obake spoke up: "What are you thinking about?"
Hiro thought about it for a moment before replying: "To be honest … nothing." When he noticed the strange look Obake gave him he added: "I don't know why, but I just feel a bit … foggy? Is that the right word?"
"What do you mean?" Obake questioned and leaned forward. Hiro noticed the worried expression on his face and quickly reassured him that he was fine.
"I-I don't know how to explain. I just … can't really remember anyting and … I feel like I just don't really care anymore … I mean, about what happened, my past …." He glanced at the IV in his left arm. "It's … confusing …"
The man didn't respond and just looked at him. Hiro felt like he may have said something wrong. The expression on the man's face told him that he was very concerned upon hearing his words. And so Hiro once again said that he was fine, but the man showed no reaction to his reassurance. Indstead he put a hand on Hiro's shoulder and, in a soft voice, said: "It's gonna be okay. You'll feel better soon."
Hiro nodded and smiled a bit. He didn't really believe that he was going to feel much better soon, the fogginess had been there for too long now. But he just decided to let it go. It wasn't really worth the trouble, he thought. And so he just lay down more comfortably and pulled the covers up to his chin.
"I think I'm gonna go back to sleep." Hiro mumbled and closed his eyes. He tried to get onto his side but was held back by the belt around his wrist.
"Sleep well, my boy." Obake said and ran a hand through Hiro's hair. "I'll be right here if you need anything."
Hiro smiled a bit upon hearing those words and, before he knew it, he fell back asleep.
His dream was nothing like the ones he had had before. Instead of the stranger face of his dream brother Hiro saw no-one. In his dreams he was all alone. He often found himself in the middle of a large street with high and tall buildings on either side of him. There were signs with advertisements, a large statue of a cook next to what seemed like a restaurant. The lights shone brightly in the dark night and sometimes he thought he could hear the sounds of a train whistle. He wasn't too sure about that though. High above him he saw fans, tied to the ground and, far off in the distance, there was the red bridge.
For about a week now he's been dreaming about the bridge every single night. It stood tall and beautiful in the bay of the city, connecting the two sides. Whenever he looked at the monument he felt drawn to it, just like he had been when he had first seen it back when they left their old home. And so his feet carried him towards the bridge without him having to think about it.
The sound of his steps echoed throughout the empty streets, an eerie atmosphere hanging about. Hiro didn't really bother to look at all the empty houses, shops, restaurant and café's that he passed. No matter where he had looked the past few dreams, he never saw anyone. Despite the shining lights and the train sounds he heard from time to time he really was … all alone. And somehow, that was okay. He didn't really care anymore.
The lab accident had completely wiped his mind. Although he had heard all the stories from Obake about his life before the accident, about what had happened and why things were the way they were … his memory had not come back. The man had promised him that he would get better, but he didn't. No memories came back, the memory sparks were getting weaker every day and he just felt incomplete. Hiro had hoped so hard that the reality he lived in was the dream and that him being in the city, even if he was all alone, was true. Staying in his room every single day was slowly driving him crazy, even though it had been only two weeks. He felt so drawn to the outside and to the city that it was getting harder and harder to stay put and follow his teacher's orders.
He remembered the three nights he had actually managed to sneak out and couldn't help but to smile a little. There had been a hole in the fence of his tiny yard that he had been able to squeeze through. And so he had gone to the little suburban shops to at least get a little of change … and some candy, of course. There had been some money in Callaghan's old room that he was staying in and although he felt a bit uncomfortable with taking it, he figured that the man must have forgotten that it had ever been there. The rush of adrenaline when he left made him shiver and he thought himself lucky that at least this memory was still there.
When he reached the site of the bridge he sighed when he saw the mist on the other side. He came here every night in his dream and wanted to cross to the other side. Something over there was calling him, but he couldn't see it, couldn't get to it. The other side of the bridge was shrouded in bright, white mist that made it impossible to see what was on the other side. The mist was thick and seemed unpassable.
"Hiro?"
He sighed as he heard the all too familiar voice on the other side of the bridge. It was the man's voice calling him again. He didn't know who it was nor did could he see anyone the voice belonged to, but he could definitely hear it. The voice had been getting stronger each night he'd come here. It called him, asked him to come over and to pass the mist to 'the other side'. But he couldn't.
When Hiro tried to set foot on the bridge the ground beneath his feet gave way and disappeared like it did every night. He quickly held onto the railing to not fall. The mist on the other side seemed to sparkle in the moonlight, taunting him that he couldn't reach it despite him trying so hard.
"Hiro?" the voice called again. "Are you there?"
"Of course I am!" Hiro said, the words coming out much louder and much more annoyed than he had planned. He was getting more and more frustrated each and every night. "Where else would I be …" he mumbled under his breath and gripped onto the railing of the bridge tightly.
"Can you come over here?" the voice asked, just like it did every night. "I've got something to show you."
"No." Hiro replied simply. His heart was aching. "I can't. The bridge won't let me."
"What do you mean?"
"The bridge." Hiro repeated through his gritted teeth. "It won't let me pass!"
The voice remained quiet for a moment and if Hiro hadn't know any better he would have thought that the person was thinking about what to say next. He continued holding onto the railing of the bridge and tried once more to set foot on it. But, as before, the ground gave way and revealed the river beneath, making it impossible for him to pass.
"See?" Hiro called out. "I'll fall."
"Then you should use that big brain of yours." The voice said with a low chuckle. "Just think your way out."
"What?" Hiro asked in confusion. He wasn't sure how he'd ever be able to think himself out of a situation like this one. "There's no way." He continued as he glanced down at the river beneath his feet. "I can't think my way out of this …"
The voice remained silent again for a moment. As Hiro waited for the man to respond, he noticed the wind getting stronger. Hie hair was being blown out of his face and he felt himself being pushed to the side of the railing. He had to hold on tighter.
"I'm not giving up on you." The voice said eventually. "You don't understand this yet," the wind blew stronger with each word, "but a lot of people are waiting for you."
Hiro winced as the wind blew so hard that he could barely hold on anymore. Despite the roaring sound of wind in his ears, the voice reached him and sounded so crystal clear, as if the man was right by his side. The words felt oddly familiar, but he didn't care. This was just a dream. There was no-one waiting for him.
"You're lying." Hiro mumbled and carefully lowered himself down onto the ground to stay safe from the gusts of wind that were threatening to lift him over the railing. "I don't have anyone waiting for me."
The voice chuckled a bit and asked: "Is that what he told you?"
"Yes. There's no-one." Hiro responded immediately, his eyes squeezed shut. He didn't want to look at the mist anymore, didn't want to be here anymore. He just wanted this all to be over with and to be back in his room. This dream was more uncomfortable than the ones before, this was more real than the ones he had dreamt before. And he didn't like it.
"Hiro," the wind picked up more and Hiro had to hug the railing in order to stay where he was, "there are so many people who love and miss you. He's lying to you. You just can't remember."
"Shut up." Hiro mumbled. "You're lying."
"I'm not, I'm-"
"Yes! You are!" he shouted before he could stop himself. His heart was aching so badly that it hurt. He didn't understand anything that was happening, didn't know what all of this meant or what was going on here. He just knew that this was all too much, too confusing and too strange. Why was this happening when he had finally accepted what had happened? When he had finally given up the memory sparks and everything else?
"I don't even know who you are!" Hiro cried, tears dwelling in his eyes. His breathing got flatter as the wind grew colder and pulled at him harder. He felt his grip on the railing slipping. "You just come and try to tell me that everyone's lying to me!" he continued screaming, desperately trying to hold on. "You think you know everything, but you don't! You don't know me!"
"Hiro." The voice said softly. It sounded so close, like he was standing right next to him, whispering in his ear. "I do know you. I've known you since you were born."
"Liar!" Hiro shouted. "My family abandoned me!"
"No, we didn't." the voice reassured him. "Mom and Dad never would have abandoned you. They loved you more than life itself."
"Then where are they!?" the tears were running down his cheeks now. He couldn't control his emotions anymore. Something about this voice was making him so incredibly emotional, was making him lose control. He sobbed as he asked again "If they loved me that much … t-then where are they?"
Suddenly he missed his parents, whom he had never really met, so much that it physically hurt him. His heart was beating so hard, it was like it was trying to jump out of his chest. His whole body was shaking and he eventually let go of the railing. But, somehow, the wind didn't pick him up like he'd expected it to. Instead the wind suddenly grew weaker. The roaring sounds of gust dying down slowly. Hiro cried heavily at the railing, big tears dripping down his cheeks and down onto his clothes. He couldn't explain why he felt this way all of a sudden. Just hearing the voice, thinking of the parents he must have had … it was all too much all of a sudden.
"Mom and Dad loved you so much …" the voice said softly. Hiro could hear the shakiness he felt inside of him in the man's voice. "And I love you, too."
Hiro shook his head, not wanting to hear any of this. This was all a lie, he knew it was. Obake had told him that there no-one who loved him. There was no-one besides him to care for Hiro. No-one else who'd want him.
"Hiro?" the voice called again, the wind dying down even further as Hiro cried. "Do you know who I am?" when he just shook his head the voice sighed and said: "My name is-"
Hiro gasped as he suddenly woke. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stared up at the face of Momokase. She seemed bewildered as she looked down at him, panting and crying in his sleep.
"Are you okay?" she asked and put a hand on his forehead. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Hiro didn't understand what was happening, he just knew that this was all too much. He pushed her away and tried to sit up only to be held back by his left wrist being tied down. Without thinking about it he ripped the belt off of him. Momokase grabbed him by his shoulders and held him steady. "Calm down." She said sternly and gently shook him when he didn't react. "It's okay. It was just a dream."
Hiro stared at her, not really understanding what she was saying. He heard her words, but they didn't really reach him. He had to fight to finally regain his senses, but when he heard another voice, the voice of a stranger, he felt like he finally felt himself pulled back into reality.
"It's okay, Hiro … we're here now."
He blinked in confusion and slowly looked from Momokase to the side where he saw another woman. She was tall and had long, blonde hair. Her green eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him. Although it was dark in his room Hiro noticed the green chip he had taken from the metal skeleton in their old home in her hand. He wondered who she was when she continued speaking.
"My name is Honey Lemon … do you remember me?"
*
