Once the mutants came back to their camp, there was a lot of tension in the air. Not only did they lose Vlad, but the news that they have traumatized little Esai left them feeling guilty. And this is especially bad...for Mr. Sawyer.
In one of the rooms, Mr. Sawyer and Katja were arguing with one another over what happened.
"I can't believe you, George!" Katja said. Mr. Sawyer glared at her with indifference.
"What? It's done with. There's nothing more we can do!" he said. Katja shook her head.
"It doesn't matter! Now, with the entire neighborhood having woken up to see our little fight, it's gonna make our mission THAT much more difficult! Plus, with potential eyewitnesses, our cover is practically blown!" she shouted.
"It's not my fault that Big Hero 6 and Suritu decided to show up! It was supposed to be quick, and all they're doing is making things difficult!" Mr. Sawyer replied.
"And why didn't you simply kill them when you had the chance beforehand...wait a minute," Katja replied as she remembered the video that Mr. Sawyer pointed out. Then, she remembered how Esai was holding onto Honey Lemon, and how she would cry out in concern whenever he and her mothers are hurt. "Was that video even true?" she asked. Mr. Sawyer perked his head up in confusion.
"What?" he asked. Katja narrowed her eyes.
"I said: was that video even true? If they really did hate him enough to attack him and Suritu, then why did the tall girl hug kick you back and shout in concern when Vlad was taking the other mother and Esai? If they hate him that much, then why would she act so worried?"
"Woah there. She was acting! You did the same before!" Mr. Sawyer said as she stood up.
"I know. That's how I can tell apart who's acting it up and who's acting genuine...That girl...she has genuine reactions. I can't speak for the others, but I can tell that SHE cares!" she said. Mr. Sawyer looked at her, stunned by her insightfulness. "You LIED to all of us about them! Now, the boy is traumatized for the rest of his life!" she scolded.
"W-Well, Scarlet can just erase-" Mr. Sawyer began.
"SHUT UP!" Katja boomed, silencing Mr. Sawyer. The two stared at one another in silence. Katja then sighed.
"We're pulling back. The mission is aborted." she said. Mr. Sawyer widened his eyes in shock.
"K-Katja? Y-You can-" he began.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear a peep out of you!" she said before she turned around and she began to pack her stuff up. Mr. Sawyer gritted his teeth, paranoid of what to do. Then, an idea came into his mind. He frowned at this, but he gulped.
"If it's for the good of the mission, then so be it..." he thought to himself. He then took in a deep breath and looked at her.
"Katja...what are you doing with that knife?" he asked, pretending to be shocked. Katja looked at him and raised her brow.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked. Mr. Sawyer stood up and pointed at her.
"Katja! Katja, don't put that knife close to your throat! What are you doing?!" he asked, getting closer.
"George? What's gotten into you?!" Katja asked.
"What are you talking about?! You're the one wanting to commit suicide just because you failed the mission!" Mr. Sawyer shouted, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"What the hell?! George, what's wrong with you!?" asked Katja, not paying attention to his moving his hand to his back.
Outside, Scarlet and Petunia were walking down the hall, the latter wanting to comfort the former after what happened.
"Don't worry, Scarlet. Besides, can't you just erase the memories of the boy?" she asked. Scarlet nodded.
"Yes...but it doesn't mean I'LL forget. Eventually, Esai's probably gonna get curious, and he'll find out on his own. He's a smart boy." she said.
"Katja, stop!" the two women then perked their heads up to the room where Katja and Mr. Sawyer are staying. Scarlet and Petunia looked at one another in confusion.
"Get away from me!" Katja ordered.
"No!" Mr. Sawyer shouted before there was a sound of something being cut, followed by a gurgling sound. Scarlet and Petunia gasped at this and they rushed towards the door.
"Mr. Sawyer! Katja, what's going on!" called Petunia as she tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Petunia? J-Just stay out! You don't want to see this!" Mr. Sawyer called out. Petunia stepped back as she gritted her teeth in horror. Scarlet, anxious as well, got herself ready to telepathically force the door off its hinges when there was a thud inside the room. Everyone froze, not making any noises for a long while. Then, the door opened, and out stepped a sorrowful Mr. Sawyer, with droplets on blood on his face. Scarlet and Petunia looked on in horror.
Later on, everyone gathered around to hear the devastating news: Katja has killed herself, and it was all because she couldn't bear living with a traumatized child.
"It's such a shame that we have lost two valuable people on this night. Vlad wanted to be a musician, the best one there is thanks to his role models, Beethoven and Mozart. And Katja; she wanted to be a thoughtful, caring mother to the boy like she had been for Suirtu. She wanted to teach him all the values of life without the risk of corruption from the humans...A moment of silence for our two family members lost to the flow of time!" Mr. Sawyer announced before he placed his heart on his chest. Everyone did the same as they stood rigid, no one letting out a peep as they paid respect for the fallen. However, due to Vlad being incinerated, only Katja's body was available, and she was lying on a table, covered up and ready to be cremated.
The cremation took place, and everyone looked on with shame. Scarlet gulped, and Quicksilver gently grabbed her hands. The two looked at one another, and they gently leaned against one another for comfort.
Mr. Sawyer, meanwhile, looked at the cremating remains of his wife, and he gulped in guilt. It was very hard for him to do this. However, he wasn't gonna allow her to get in the way of his plans. He sighed to himself and shook his head again.
"I'm sorry, Katja..." he said before he turned around to look at the other mutants.
"My friends...we have failed to bring our boy back home with us last time. However, this does not mean we will stop. The boy is too valuable to be left in the streets. Therefore, when we are much better prepared, we will try again. Understood?" he instructed. The others nodded, although they were not as enthusiastic as they were before.
Scarlet looked at Mr. Sawyer, and she frowned. Unlike before, she felt like something wasn't right with Mr. Sawyer. He DID save her from the torture back at the Gene-Sys labs. However...a small part of her is beginning to doubt his desire. Ever since she found out what he did, something is telling her that Mr. Sawyer might be up to something sinister. But she wasn't gonna tell anyone about her thoughts, for there's a chance they'll turn on her. There is only one other person that knows him more than anyone else, and when she can, she must find her...
Meanwhile, things are even worse for poor Esai...
Ever since his house collapsed, he fainted due to his brain not being able to handle to trauma that happened the night before. The gang took him to the hospital to check for any internal injuries from the blast, as well as possibly clearing out his lungs from smoke inhalation after the house collapsed. Thankfully, the tests have shown that there are no signs of excessive carbon monoxide, and the lungs appeared clean as well. So physically, he was fine.
The same could not be said, sadly, for his emotional state.
That morning, Esai was sitting by himself, looking at his bed with an unreadable expression. He sniffed to himself, not touching any of the food that was given to him. How could he eat? He lost his parents in one night, and it was all his fault!
As he pondered such thoughts, the door opened, and in stepped his doctor. He was a mix of African American and Cuban descent with a tall build, calming expression, and and overall approachable aura surrounding him. The doctor's name tag shows that his name is "Fidel Gothwood."
"Morning, Esai." he said as he entered the room. Esai looked at him and said nothing. Doctor Gothwood sighed at this lack of response, but he knew it was to be expected. "Just came by to tell you that...your older sister and her friends are here, and they want to see you." he offered. Esai perked his head up and gave a slight nod with a low humming sound.
"Pardon?" he asked, not hearing.
"I said it's okay." he mumbled. Doctor Gothwood nodded before he opened the door and spoke to someone outside. Immediately, Honey, Hiro, Fred, Wasabi, and Gogo stepped inside and looked at him. Esai looked at them and gave a somewhat broken smile. This made Honey nearly break down into tears.
"Oh, baby!" she said as she approached him, pulling him into a hug. Esai, this time, didn't hold back any more tears, and he just sobbed into Honey's arm.
"Mamma...meemaa...they're gone, Lucy!" he wept. Honey nodded as she gently rubbed his back.
"I know, sweetie. I know." she went, but Esai shook his head.
"I saw momma's body...that man just...he just tossed it down like it was nothing! And th-then meemaa...*pants* And those monsters...they took them away! They almost got me! They..." Esai explained, but his voice was breaking, and the tears were running like waterworks. Honey gritted her teeth as she held in sobs of her own, each of the boy's words clawing at her heart like a beast.
"I know, baby. I'm so sorry. I know." she cooed as she kissed him in the forehead. Esai couldn't take it anymore, and he just held onto her, the two of them sobbing to one another. Hiro and the others looked on with sympathy. Then,
"I-It's all my fault." Esai whimpered. Honey and the other widened their eyes at this and the former pulled away and made him look at her.
"No. It's not! Don't EVER say that again!" she scolded. Esai, however, shook his head with a sniffle.
"It's true. Gogo was right! I-If I hadn't been in your home for the p-past eight years, momma and m-meemaa would still be alive! You would still have a home to go to, and...and you would still be happy. But they're not...and like those scientists at G-Gene-Sys...it's all because of me..." he whimpered, wiping his nose with his wrists. Honey shook her head, as she tightened her grip on the boy's shoulders.
"No! No, stop! None of this is your fault! It was THEIR choice to get you! They could've stayed out of it, but they chose not to! It was THEIR decision to come to get you! It was THEIR DECISION TO KILL OUR MOTHERS AND DESTROY OUR HOME!" she shouted before Wasabi approached and grabbed her left shoulder.
"Luciana, stop shouting!" he ordered. Honey looked at him, panting from all the shouting, and glared at him. "You're scaring him. Relax!" he said, pointing to the boy. Honey looked at the boy, and she saw the boy covering his face, whimpering in fright. Honey frowned, sighed, and she gently pulled him into a hug.
"I'm so sorry, Esai. I just...don't blame yourself. I can't bear it." she whispered, burying her face in his hair. Esai whimpered as he relaxed into her grasp, sniffling. The room became silent, with the only audible sound being the two Flores breathing in and out after all the crying they did. The others lowered their heads in respect for their friend, while Gogo frowned, not only of sympathy for the two but also of shame. She then looked at Esai, seeing the broken boy, still hugging onto his older sister like his life depended on it, before sighing, shaking her head.
"I'm so sorry, kid." she thought to herself.
Before long Doctor Gothwood cleared his throat.
"Um...excuse me, you two?" he asked, and the others turned to him. "I uh, apologize for having to interrupt this moment...but we need to discuss what to do with Esai." he explained. Honey nodded as she gently pulled back.
"So...what happens now?" asked Fred.
"Well, we've gotta find a place for the little guy to stay at. There's no way he's heading back to his old home." Wasabi, not noticing a small flinch from Esai upon mentioning his old home. Fred gasped and raised his hands up!
"Oooh, oooh! He can stay with me! My mansion is big and has a lot of toys and comic books needed to keep him distracted!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Woah there, um...sir. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we need to make sure that the boy has other family members." Doctor Gothwood explained. Fred pouted at this. Then, Wasabi piped up.
"What about Honey Lemon's place?" he asked. Honey widened her eyes and shook her head.
"We can't!" she exclaimed. Esai perked his head up with a frown.
"Y-You don't want me to stay with you?" he asked, a bit frightened. Honey shook her head upon realizing what this meant.
"NO, no! I...I mean of course, I want you to stay with me! Believe me, if I could, I would be the first person to take you in. It's just that...well, my place is not the best for you." she said. Esai, feeling the urge to cry again, gulped as he raised his brows.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Honey sighed, but then, Gogo stepped in.
"She's staying at MY apartment. It's big enough to house only the both of us. Besides, we live in a very dangerous neighborhood. It's NO place for kids like you." she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. Esai frowned at this and looked at the others, who nodded.
"She's telling the truth, Esai." Wasabi pointed out. Hiro nodded.
"Yep. Gives ME the creeps, sometimes." he said. Fred nodded as well.
"I vouch for her." he said, pointing to Gogo. Esai then frowned, and Honey rubbed his shoulder with her right arm in comfort. The doctor pondered for a moment.
"How about any relatives? Grandparents, uncles, aunts?" he asked. Honey gritted her teeth.
"My grandparents are too old to care for them, most of the other uncles and aunts had their hands full with kids and jobs of their own, and the only other relative that could take care of him, Uncle Joe, is constantly travelling." she explained with a frown.
"Oh...oh dear." he muttered. Esai gulped at this.
"So...I'm homeless?" he whimpered. Honey bit at her lower lip in guilt.
"I'm afraid so, baby. Mi pobre niño..." she cooed softly, wiping away his tears. Esai whimpered at this. Then, Hiro stepped forward.
"He can stay with me!" he announced. The others turned, startled by the outburst. Hiro cleared his throat and shook his head. "Sorry. It's just that...well, my apartment is the perfect temporary home for him. It's not too big, but not too small. Plus, there is an extra guest room for Esai to sleep in." he explained. Honey and Esai looked at him, and then at each other. Esai bit at his lips, unsure.
"Please, little guy. My aunt Cass is a sweet lady. I'm sure she'll understand once I explain it to her. But you've got to at least try and give us a chance." pleaded Hiro, clasping his hands together. Esai gulped, still pondering on what to do. Honey then squeezed his shoulders together.
"It's up to you, dear." she assured, with a smile.
"But what about you? Are you gonna be okay without me?" he asked, concerned. Honey giggled softly.
"Oh, Esai. I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. Don't worry. Right now, this is about you." she replied with an assuring smile. Esai still remained unsure.
"Really?" he asked. Honey nodded.
"Of course. There's no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. I've done it before, remember?" she asked, winking.
"But I just don't want you to be alone!" Esai blurted out, perhaps louder than intended. Everyone was taken aback by the outburst. Even Esai himself was taken aback by it. He pouted in guilt.
"I, I'm so sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean to sho-" he began, but Honey hushed him gently.
"It's okay, Esai. Believe me, I understand how you feel. It's okay..." she cooed softly with an understanding smile. "But I won't be alone. I have my other friends to keep an eye on me. And I promise, I WILL do my best to visit you as often as I can...which, given how often we visited Hiro's place, it shouldn't be that difficult." she then added with a smile and a wink, before gently poking him in the nose. Esai gave a small, watery smile at this and giggled softly, before looking at Hiro.
"O...kay. I can stay with you, Hiro. If you're okay with that." he answered. Hiro sighed in relief with a grin.
"Oh, thank goodness. Don't worry, kid. You won't regret this!" he said. Esai nodded as he looked down.
"I hope not." he replied. At this point, Doctor Gothwood nodded.
"That's great news. Now, all we've got to do now is get in contact with your legal guardian, young man...uh, what's your name again?" he asked.
"Hiro. Hiro Hamada. And I'll call her if that's what you want." Hiro replied with a nod.
"Alright, that works as well! Now, as much as I'd love to stay here, I've got another patient to check on. You all okay to be by yourselves?" he asked. Honey and the others nodded. Then, Doctor Gothwood dismissed himself, leaving them by themselves.
Honey turned to look at Hiro and approached him, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you so much, Hiro! I owe you my everything!" she whimpered in delight. Hiro hugged her back, although the hug from her was kind of crushing him.
"Sure, no problem!" he said, patting her back with a slightly forced grin. He then noticed Esai looking at him with curiosity.
"Hiro...why did you agree to take me with you?" he asked. Hiro smiled sympathetically as Honey lets go of him before he approached him.
"Esai, I know what it's like to lose someone you loved to the flames. Remember Tadashi Hamada?" he asked. Esai pondered for a moment before nodding, remembering the various times Honey wept for him, and during their first visit to SFIT when Baymax was finally brought down.
"Yeah. Did he die in a similar way?" he asked. Hiro nodded as he sat on the bed next to him.
"Yep. A man named Robert Callaghan set the SFIT exhibition on fire to cover up his tracks. Tadashi went inside to save him, not knowing that Callaghan had stolen my microbots to save himself. He didn't know that Tadashi went inside, and when the building exploded..." he stopped for a moment, trying to hold himself together. Esai soon managed to put the piece together.
"So...that's why you guys formed Big Hero 6? To chase him down?" he asked. Hiro nodded.
"Yeah. We didn't know it was Callaghan at first. We thought it was Alister Krei, founder and CEO of Krei Tech. Then...after some bickering and regretful actions, we managed to apprehend him. Tadashi has been avenged, and here we are, helping others in honor of him." he said, a regretful look appearing on his face before a warm smile took its place. Esai listened in and became awe-inspired by this.
"He sounds like a nice man." he said. Hiro nodded.
"FAR nicer than you can possibly imagine. He would give up his whole arm just to make sure I don't have a scratch on me. Hehe...if he were here right now, you two would probably get along nicely." he replied as his eyes wandered, smiling at the happy memories between him and Tadashi. Esai nodded in understanding.
"Yeah. In a way...he kind of reminds me of Lucy." he said. Honey and the others widened their eyes, while Hiro just nodded. Then, he grabbed the little boy's hands gently.
"I can see why..." he mumbled. Esai and Hiro smiled at each other before the latter sighed. "Alright. Now, let me just call my aunt and get her over here." he said as he fished out his phone and began to type up the number. Esai nodded in understanding as he then looked at the others. Honey smiled and walked towards him, cupping his hands. The two siblings smiled, while Esai wiped his nose. Honey responded by pulling out a tissue and ordering him to blow on it, which he did. Then, he realized something.
"Hey...where are Suritu and Baymax?" he asked. Everyone except for Hiro, who was still calling his aunt and therefore, not paying too much attention, perked their heads up.
"Yeah. Where is she? I haven't seen her since last night." Wasabi shrugged.
"She could've teleported. If she could remain this long without getting detected during her murder spree a while back, then I'm pretty sure she can teleport before the building exploded." Gogo reasoned.
"And as for Baymax; he's back at Hiro's place, charging his juices." Fred said with a smile. The rest nodded in agreement, but Esai simply looked down in concern.
"I hope Suritu's okay..." he said. Honey patted him in the back.
"She'll be okay. You BOTH will be okay." she assured. Esai said nothing, but he scooted closer to Honey, who responded by tightening her hold on him affectionately.
Meanwhile, outside the hospital room, Suritu was hanging onto a pole hanging on the wall, listening in. She smiled and then looked at her regular arm. Last night, she was caught completely off-guard by the explosion, leaving her severely wounded from the blast and unable to stick around, forcing her to teleport away from the battlefield. However, thanks to her mutant genes, she has regenerated most of the damage caused to her skin.
In fact, the few remaining scars on her left arm have almost disappeared, with only a few charred remains still visible. She sighed in relief, before looking at the direction of the window.
"Don't worry, guys. I'll help you all make Yutashi feel safe." she whispered to them, even though she knows they can't hear her. With a satisfied smile, she soon lets go and teleports away, leaving them alone for the time being...
AN: Hey, everyone! superkoola here!
Another chapter of this story out of the way, and I will say; I cried a little upon writing up the scene with Honey and Esai meeting each other. The music that I had playing, "Run Away" from the Lion King (1994) Complete Score certainly helped create the mood.
Also yeah, I know I uploaded a previous chapter only ten days prior, but I had this one planned out, so I thought I'd upload it sooner than later!
Well...this time I don't have much else to say about how I wrote this chapter, so I'll just say:
That's all for now! Hope you enjoy it, please be respectful if you disagree, stick around for more, and I hope you all have a safe summer!