Chapter 54, everybody! Here's hoping I can brute-force this online I didn't miss the 90s when it came to if it's summer you can kiss getting online goodbye.

Moving on…OG!Obake isn't very pleased with how everything is going, let's be real. At least Momakase is helpful? Also TT!Obake isn't pleased with this either he really wanted that lair flattened. Fred and Tadashi are referencing Lilo and Stitch and Spider-Man, by the way, and Obake quotes the first Pirates of the Caribbean film by accident. In other news, Baymax is forever scolding my sleep habits and honestly I don't remember if I wrote him talking about recommended hours of sleep at night but generally that's how it ends up. Tateru is from Temtem and I will forever recommend that game over Pokémon at this point at least Temtem actually runs (looking at you, ScarVi).

Juxshoa, thanks for the review! Well since Honey Lemon refers to Fred as Freddie I knew who you were talking about. X'D And yes! Good for Fred! :D

Big Hero 6 © 2014 Disney

Well that could have gone better.

Huff at the newscast before tucking his phone into an inside vest pocket—well, he couldn't say the loss of High Voltage bothered him too terribly. Now it was simply the question of whether or not his lair had made it through that robot fight. He had most of the important stuff with him, but that still left the machines in his lair and—

"Hey you!"

Glance at that bark, arch an eyebrow at a cop pointing at him, keeping one hand on his piece. "Yes you—stay where you are, keep your hands where I can see them."

So he knew he hadn't done anything that could be traced back to him. "Why?"

"Just do it—hands against the wall there—yeah I'm going to need backup," he started to say into his radio—

Blink as the officer ended up flat on the ground. "Did they move Sacramento?"

"Oh hush the words you're looking for are thank you," Momakase said, straightening up. "I noticed you got the dance duo to handle it."

"Handle it is being generous. And I don't think they'll be coming back after this."

"I bet that breaks your heart."

"You have better uses for your energies besides petty sarcasm," he said.

"I most certainly do not," she said, looking him up and down. "Moving, are we?"

"Not quite—I didn't see the point in staying where a robot could step on me." Nod down the street, where the kaiju robot was swimming away now. "Now we get to see what the damage is."

"So this should be fun."

He was going to chalk that one up to sarcasm as well, considering his lair was partially flooded when they got back—hissing water and catawampus lighting suggested that while it hadn't been directly stepped on, it had been shaken up a bit. Was definitely going to have to step this up and reinforce it all if he expected to survive his upcoming plans.

"I don't suppose you need a place to stay," she offered, looking the trashed lair over as he pulled his phone back out.

"Can't say I'm staying here at the moment," he said, picking at his phone. Looked up at the sound of buzzing as the drones and microbots started sweeping through. "But this should be a temporary problem at best."

"Hmm," she noised—flicked at his shoulder. "Come on—I'll be nice and let you stay at my place in the meantime."

"Excuse me?"

"Unless you'd rather pay for a Motel Six—I might even be nice and throw in a free meal."

"Poisoned sushi, I presume?" he asked, arching an eyebrow—her offering this seemed out of character. "Revenge for hiring High Voltage, perhaps?"

"Now see, that didn't occur to me until you brought it up—now I might have to do that."

Huff, considering this. Undeniably, he was in need of a place to stay, but putting himself in her debt and at her mercy wasn't the sort of thing he was wont to do. At this point the Motel Six sounded like the better option.

And yet there was the issue of that policeman…why would he want him? Nothing he could think of would trace back to him—

That little brat. Dollars to donuts he had decided to change tacks and sic the cops on him.

And if memory served….

"Your place in Good Luck Alley, I presume?" he asked her.

"Can't say it's not serviceable," she said, leaning against the railing. "And I'm sure you'd like the neighborhood."

He would—perfect for this particular scheme, plenty of supplies and unsavory schemes nearby….

And close to that little café he was betting that brat made his base in.

"Well since you're offering," he said finally, looking back at her. "Lead the way."

So that could have gone better.

"I can't believe you're actually disappointed that the robots didn't rampage longer," Wasabi said as the girls got in his car.

"It was interesting," Obake said, wondering if maybe the Steamer robot had at least fallen on his old base—it wasn't like he was asking for a whole lot, really. "And you three are leaving because?"

"Because I know I have to remove Gogo from the situation before she goes to jail."

"I am so wringing that idiot's neck when I see him again," Gogo huffed.

"And it doesn't seem fair to take two trips," Honey Lemon said, putting her hands on Gogo's shoulders like she thought she could prevent that particular murder—especially when Fred was waltzing up with a bundle and looking like he should be floating a couple inches off the ground.

"Hey my dudes—hey hey wait OW what was that for!?"

"What was that for FRED you were FIGHTING. A SUPERVILLAIN," Gogo said, flailing when Wasabi wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her back. "Wasabi put me down before I murder you too."

"Uh, HELP!" Wasabi hollered.

"Oi wait no," Tadashi yelped, running over. "No killing, bad Gogo, not out front Aunt Cass frowns on killing people where customers can see."

"Do it around back so you can toss him in the dumpster when you're done," Obake said.

"NO bad Obake don't make me put you in the time-out corner with Gogo."

"ExCUSE me?" they both demanded.

"At least I got your attention," Tadashi said primly, helping Fred up. "Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?"

"Nah man I'm cool—OW! DUDE!" Fred barked, ducking the next several dope slaps whapping against his head and shoulders.

"Good you IDIOT I'm gonna let Gogo kill you if you do that again."

"You'll let me?" Gogo asked.

"My dudes you all keep glossing over the epicness that was a giant robot battle between good and evil and if you keep hitting me I'm taking this back," Fred said, indicating the bundle. Tadashi took it, handed it off to Hiro, resumed the ineffectual slapping. "Dude, not cool."

"We were all really worried about you, Freddie," Honey Lemon said. "That was really dangerous, what you did."

"But awesome," Fred insisted.

"But dangerous," Wasabi said. "Fred you could have been killed."

"Hey so could a lot of other people—the kaiju could take that guy, and it was better than just sitting around twiddling our thumbs," Fred countered, gesturing. "What's that Tadashi's always saying? Someone has to help?"

Tadashi made a face at that. "I hate it when you use my wording against me."

"My dude it's like your very own with great power comes great responsibility line. Plus, we finally have a use for the kaiju beyond coolness factor."

"You still could have died," Wasabi said.

"You still could die," Gogo threatened, still trying to struggle free.

"I could die right now, Gogo threats notwithstanding—if I'm going to go out, I want to go out with style," Fred insisted. "Also if we're done yelling at me can we talk about High Voltage deciding to go on a redemption arc me personally I'm really happy for them."

"I mean I am too but still," Honey Lemon said, wincing.

By this time Obake had had enough, went inside to sit at one of the tables, slouching down to bury his head in his arms. If he was dead, would he even be able to tell? It'd be nice if he got a little mental ping saying hey good news he's dead you can live in peace now…unless him dying sent him back in time to try and undo what had been done and ow trying to figure out Fred's time-travel logic hurt….

"Are you okay?" Cass asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You want to try eating something?"

"No," he muttered. Didn't really matter which question that was in answer to at this point.

Heard her sit down next to him, chair scraping slightly as she tugged it over. "Listen. That guy is not coming back, okay? Possible not-legal means notwithstanding, I asked Diego to look into it. Pretty sure he's willing to punch the guy out if he sees him."

Lift his head slightly, blinking blearily at her—did he hear that correctly? She had put a bolo out on him? He referred to himself as ghost for a reason!

"So I can't tell if that's a genuine laugh or if you're just cracked," she observed as he buried his head in his arms again.

"Cracked," he muttered. "Most definitely cracked."

She made a pensive noise at that. "Well…maybe you need more sleep. Hiro, help drag him up there?"

"Sleep isn't going to help me."

"Young adults require: eight to ten hours of sleep per night in order to function properly," Baymax said—which, honestly, was enough to get him up and following Hiro—did not want to be near that robot—

Despite being thrilled to death at it bringing him the boy—yessir, he was right, reprogramming the robot was the smart move, the boy had never suspected until it was too late—

Trying to impress upon him the beauty of what he was doing, taking him to a holding cell to cool his heels for a while—he'd change his mind eventually, he was sure, but in the meantime he needed him out from underfoot while he worked. Turn to face him once they were in front of the cell, amused at his mutinous expression—

"Hey, Obake, hello…."

Blink, force himself back to the present to realize he was in the boys' room, Hiro still holding his wrist and with an amused expression on his face.

"So yeah Aunt Cass is right you need sleep," he declared.

"I can sleep when I'm dead," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and ignoring the way that statement made his stomach lurch—whether or not he was actually dead at this point and just living out some weird punishment was up in the air, honestly. Was expecting a comment of yeah you're weird, looked at Hiro when that comment didn't come to see his expression. "Don't get worked up about me." I don't deserve it.

"Uh, no, sorry, too late," Hiro said. "Anyway." Point something out. "What do you think?"

He had to blink a few times to register the change in the room, process it…finally turned and headed for the stairs. "Nope, I'm sleeping on the couch again."

"No you're not," Hiro said, tugging him forward. Debated on breaking free, didn't really think he had the energy to. "This way you don't have to sleep in the big kaiju—cool, right? We got Fred to find it."

It was something akin to a half-open tent set up over the head of his pallet, done in the style of the Kentucky Kaiju's head and looking like it was ready to chomp down on whoever decided to take a nap in it. Seeing as how he wasn't eight years old….

"This is ridiculous," he muttered.

"Only because you're being a grump about it," Hiro said, nudging him. "Try it out."

"Must I?" he demanded wearily; sighed at Hiro's pouty face. "Fine, fine, if it gets you to stop with the ridiculous expressions."

"Yes!" Hiro cheered, bouncing around the room as Obake laid down in his pallet, arching an eyebrow at the interior of the tent. Seeing as how Tadashi was still busy with his friends downstairs and he suspected that this was the bundle Fred had brought, that meant the pictures, stars and shark stickers were Hiro's additions. Look over when a stuffed animal was tossed at him, Hiro joining it moments later. "Well?" he demanded.

"These stars aren't going to spell out nerd, are they?"

"They might," Hiro said, hands laced, smiling. "Also, I'll be nice and let you borrow Tateru for a while, they're good security."

If he had to guess, Hiro meant the stuffed animal between them. "And you're doing all this why?"

"No offense, but you get a little grouchy when you're tired." Scowl. "And you've been tired like, all the time. Seriously, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you." I tried telling you, you didn't believe me.

"No, you won't tell me—there's a difference."

"And what if I do tell you?" he asked. "What if I tell you the whole unbelievable thing? You wouldn't believe the truth, even if I told it to you."

"So you're Captain Jack Sparrow now?"

Oi another movie quote. "If I say yes, do you drop the subject?"

Silence, and he could feel that fissure between them widening—what point was there in saving the city if he lost Hiro anyway? What point was there in himself surviving this if he lost the grand prize no matter what?

"It's a long, depressing story," he said finally—maybe if he tossed out some crumbs Hiro would fill in the gaps with a story to satisfy himself. Glance over the stuffed animal to see Hiro looking away, pouting; rest his head back down and look over the different pictures. "I do appreciate this, Hiro, thank you."

No answer, just that painful silence, and the realization that even if he did save the city, he had lost Hiro.

It was what he deserved, honestly.

"And…know that I'm sorry," he added, despite knowing what little good it would do. "For everything." Both done and undone, for giving him his childhood back but taking away his destiny, for plying himself as a potential cohort only to be unable to commit, leaving the boy with a broken experience. Congratulations, Obake, you ruined the boy more thoroughly than you ever could have hoped. Now what was your next trick going to be?

Stare at the pictures, group photos and photos obviously snuck in when its subjects weren't aware, of him surrounded by people he had grown to care for and who had made the mistake of caring for him. Like they could be a shield of positivity between him and the reality he was staring down. No…no instead it just made it that much more pointed how much he had destroyed and ruined everything. Unless he was very lucky (and he doubted it) these people would all be dead soon.

And it was all his fault.

Tadashi snuck up a little later, looked in on Obake, looked at Hiro and gave him a couple thumbs up. Hiro smiled back, hoping it wasn't as weak and watery as it felt. Look back at Obake as Tadashi went to bed—curled up around the stuffed Tateru, blankets on him from Aunt Cass, had been sleeping solidly for several hours now. Despite his protests, this was helping.

So why wasn't Hiro feeling any better about this?...

It was Obake's aura—there was a deep lingering depression, almost, so tangible he could almost touch it, some overwhelming terror that made him bite and snap and snarl at anyone around him. And no matter what, Hiro couldn't get to the bottom of it.

Well, but for that nutty thing he had said before. The city is going to be destroyed. I died five months ago. You deserve better. The despair. The nightmares. The perpetual feeling of being haunted. The sleepless nights. The not eating. If he didn't do something, he'd wake up one morning and Obake would just be gone.

Hands bunched his covers as he frowned—but what could he do? How could he change this, make it better? It seemed too big a job for one genius.

Deep breath…exhale, eyes closed. He'd figure something out. If he had to go to Good Luck Alley to scrounge the funds and supplies, he would. There had to be a way to hunt down whatever was causing this and stop it.

Someone had to help.