Check 6 - The love of a family is life's biggest blessing.

Hiro finished drying his hands before exiting the bathroom. Despite using it as an excuse to leave the room, he'd decided it best to make use of the facilities. Now he walked down the hall, Baymax trailing behind him once more. He paused by a window overlooking the back section of the mansion, more on the east side than centered.

An almost explosion of energy came out of nowhere as a flash of light lit up a small section of the property. Compressed air caused the trees nearby to sway as if caught in a small hurricane. But the energy that pushed out from that explosion of whatever washed over Hiro like a tidal wave that no one else was likely to feel.

The teen staggered back, pressing one hand to his right temple. Baymax was there to steady him. While the robot had not exactly felt the release of energy, he had been able to detect it with his scanner. The intensity behind it was unmistakable. "On a scale from one to ten," Baymax began but stopped at a gesture from Hiro.

Hiro closed his eyes and reached out with all his being, trying to follow the flow of energy he'd just felt. It was too fast for him. If he'd not been caught off guard, maybe he'd have had a better chance, but such had not been the case. Instead, he felt an intense humming practically under his feet. Except it wasn't coming from the floor, but from a place much lower down in the earth.

Before he could contemplate too much on it, or mentally look deeper, the Kambe butler appeared. "Ah, there you are," he said. "Please follow me back to the sitting room," he invited.

It was obvious that someone had sent the butler to look for him, though Hiro wasn't sure who. Aunt Cass? Maybe. With a sigh, he decided it best to do as he'd been asked and followed the much older man back to where his aunt and Suzue were chatting about pastries and coffee.

….

Daisuke re-entered the smaller room to see Suzue and Cass talking in earnest. Hiro and Baymax had moved off to one side, the teen munching on what looked like a cookie. He looked at his watch, realizing it was getting closer to lunch time, his own stomach reminding him that breakfast had been a while ago, not to mention small.

He glanced towards his butler, one brow raised in question. In response, he got a nod. Correctly taking it as confirmation that all was ready at the original venue, he stepped into Suzue's line of sight, clearing his throat. "I apologize for taking so long."

Before he could get any further in his apology, Cass was protesting the need for one. "It's fine! I'm just glad we had a chance to chat." She gave Suzue a conspiratorial smile. Okay, maybe not conspiratorial, but certainly a friendly one that might indicate secrets best left untouched.

"I see," Daisuke said, not sure how else to respond. "Then, if you are ready, I believe everything is ready for us back at the villa."

Hiro was the first to stand, brushing crumbs from his hands. It stood to reason the youth was hungry, considering the energy he'd used to consume the snack. Thankfully, once they arrived at the more traditional mansion, they would be able to take their time. With the black market dealers taken care of, at least for the time being, there wasn't much else pressing going on.

Rather than make them all walk the distance back, something they'd do later in the evening, Daisuke decided it best to drive over. After only a moment of confusion, mostly because Baymax wasn't sure how to fit in the vehicle provided, Daisuke took the initiative and started the engine.

It was no secret that the master of the house liked to drive his cars. So, while Cass sat up front with him, out of deference to her relationship as his aunt, Suzue and Hiro sat in the back, with Baymax deflated between them. The momentary thought of putting the robot in the trunk had crossed Daisuke's mind but he'd just as quickly discarded it, knowing what it meant to the teen. That and the lack of actual trunk space. There were, after all, a few gadgets hidden in the back best left alone around civilians.

After a relatively short drive, with Daisuke driving perhaps a bit faster than was absolutely necessary, they pulled up at the Japanese villa and parked. Ever mindful of his manners, Daisuke helped his aunt out of the car, opening the door for Suzue and the others.

Somehow, the butler had beaten them to the building and was waiting on the outer walkway surrounding the structure. He'd probably used one of the many paths reserved for the caretakers of the property, while Daisuke had used the main roads.

This part of the house was not the same as where his grandmother used to make tea, but it was similar. Out of respect, he removed his shoes before stepping up onto the porch, leaving them on a carved stone step. The others followed his example, stepping onto tatami mats inside the open room in front of them.

A low, traditional table was waiting for them inside, with food already placed down the center for what appeared to be a family-style meal. A cabinet at the end of the room stood open, displaying both Tadashi and Sayuri's pictures, with burning sticks of incense.

Even though there were no cards indicating where everyone should sit, they all stood in front of a section of the table as if there were, Daisuke at the traditional spot of the head of house. "Please be seated," he invited as he sat on the provided cushion, folding his legs underneath him. "I asked the chef to prepare the foods you indicated were Tadashi's favorite, as well as those of my mother."

The others sat, taking in the offerings before them. There was a nice mix of more traditional Japanese foods and fusion ones. While Tadashi had grown up, for the most part, in the States, he'd apparently acquired a taste for more Asian cuisine mixed with standard American fare. After Katou's family specials, this was nothing too out of the ordinary for Daisuke.

Offering a quick thanks for the meal, everyone began to eat. It was a bit odd to share serving vessels, passing things around, but it was a small price to pay for the gradual conversation that built up as a result. Perhaps he should employ this more casual method more often, Daisuke thought. He'd used it many times when working with Katou but had never thought to employ it at home, until now.

Being one of the older people present at the meal, Cass sat across from Daisuke, on the side of the table facing the open doorway leading outside. Suzue sat next to her, Hiro next to Daisuke, while Baymax stood near the entrance, just off Hiro's location so that he was looking towards the table. He still wasn't used to sitting on the other side. His grandmother was usually the one sitting with her back facing the solid wall. He'd never really had to question it before, either.

"Where's your friend, Katou, wasn't it?" Cass inquired, not seeing the detective inspector from earlier. She leaned forward a bit as if to see past the open area but sat back upon realizing there wasn't even a place setting put out for him.

Daisuke set down his cup, having just taken a sip. "Katou had to take care of something back at the precinct," he fabricated. "He'll rejoin us later." Much later, he amended in his thoughts, pending on what arrangements HEUSC had made for his return.

The woman seemed to accept that explanation and conversation continued, mostly about the weather. Well, it could have been about the weather. He wasn't paying much attention to what Suzue and Cass were talking about. It seemed a continuation of their indoor conversation so he chose to pay it no mind. Suzue would bring it up later if something important came up. In the meantime, that left him to eat in silence or to engage Hiro in conversation.

A glance to his left indicated that Hiro was in the middle of chewing something that looked like it might be a rice ball. That or it was kind of sandwich made from rice compressed into a similar shape, some kind of filling outside the usual inside. With fusion food, you never knew. Whatever it was, it seemed to require the use of hands over chopsticks.

Thoughts of their last real conversation gave Daisuke pause as he almost said something but stopped himself. It was safe to say he'd pissed the teen off the night before. And they hadn't exactly had a chance to clear the air since then. Of course, part of that was his own fault. He'd kept himself busy with preparations and catching a few bad guys. But he had taken the teen's warning to not mention money to their respective aunt to heart. Apparently these two were unlikely to be bought, at least not with money.

If only Katou were there! Daisuke thought to himself. The man knew how to handle younger individuals. And was apparently quite good with it. The incident of the lost dog being one example. There were many others. Was it because of Haru's innate kindness? Maybe. Or maybe he was just used to dealing with all ages because of his job.

"Um…" This was so awkward! He resisted the urge to squirm a little. What was it about this teen that made it so hard to talk to him? As far as he could tell, the kid was just the ordinary, run of the mill adolescent, an adult in miniature. And yet, there had been those strange hints to something more behind the occasional glance in his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, what was up with them? How on earth were they able to occasionally turn that gold color, and why?

Hiro looked up from his plate, putting down the pseudo sandwich he'd been eating. More than used to Aunt Cass's conversations with others about the culinary world, and more "girly" stuff, he had easily tuned it out. Unless his name was called, he usually was able to just let her conversations flow around him, unless he knew she was addressing him without using his name. It was almost like a dance.

Oh crap, Daisuke said to himself. Now he's staring at me. What do I do? He cleared his throat. "I want to apologize for last night," he said in what he hoped was a quiet enough volume that it wouldn't alert Suzue or Cass to his words.

The teen rubbed at his nose before leaning back, using his hands as ballast so as not to fall over backwards. "I should probably apologize too," he said. "I allowed my temper to get the better of me. I should have realized you were just testing the waters, seeing where the boundaries lie. I get it. It's hard to know who to trust when you have so much to lose."

Daisuke's brows rose, his eyes going wide at that. Of all the things the teen could have said, that was not what he'd expected at all. "I see."

But the teen didn't just stop there, which would have been fine. It already gave Daisuke more than enough to think about.

"One of my friends, Fred Whitmore, also comes from a wealthy family. Though, to be fair, none of us realized it until he took us to his house for the first time." He laughed a little at the recollection. "I remember GoGo's comment like she'd just said. "I thought you lived under a bridge," she'd told him. And, to be honest, I kinda thought he did too."

This was definitely not what Daisuke had envisioned for conversation at this point in the game. He had no reply to this, or even any idea of what to say in response for that matter.

Hiro shrugged. "And, after we found out, it didn't really matter how much money he had. Fred was just Fred, one of the gang. It didn't matter how much or how little money he had. All that mattered was that we were friends."

"A novel idea, that," Daisuke said, a slow smile now on his face. Either Hiro was really just that accepting, or it was something else he couldn't explain. Technically speaking, once they'd gotten past the awkward differences of how they handled things, he and Katou had become at least work friends. He wasn't entirely sure how he defined that relationship, though there was a decided divide in status no matter how he looked at it. And a lot of it had to do with Daisuke.

"Tadashi never cared about it either," Hiro continued, looking reminiscently thoughtful. His expression was a mix of nostalgic and sad. "He probably knew about Fred's wealth before any of us the rest of us did. And it never bothered him. I guess that was just the kind of guy he was. Your circumstances didn't really matter so long as you were a good person. Well, maybe that's too simple. I guess he was just a good guy all around."

Now they were getting somewhere. There wasn't a whole lot about Tadashi that wasn't just records with no real insight to the person they represented. Like Daisuke with his mother, there were now only memories to really define the person that was. "Why don't you tell me more about Tadashi?" he suggested.

Daisuke noticed Baymax take a slight waddle forward, almost as if he wasn't sure if he needed to support his charge or not. That spoke volumes. All Daisuke's digging had only uncovered the basics of what had happened to the older Hamada. Police reports, obituaries. The fact that a fire was involved, that the young adult had basically sacrificed his life to try and save someone, spoke volumes about the man he had been. The fact that later reports said he'd been murdered for the sake of his professor stealing various projects made it all the more tragic. He found he could almost relate. Almost.

The expression on Hiro's face definitely fell more with that, possibly recalling the incident Daisuke had just been thinking about. "Tadashi… Tadashi was the best big brother and father figure one could ask for. He was there for me when no one else could understand what I was going through. If it weren't for him, I'd never have survived high school."

If memory served, the two Hamadas had attended the same high school simultaneously, despite their age difference. And comments from the night before sustained what he was saying now. Again, it was sort of something they had in common. But it wasn't really where he wanted the conversation to go.

"Was it Tadashi that encouraged you to apply to the university?"

A brief flash of gold filled Hiro's eyes, almost too quickly to notice, but Daisuke saw it out of the corner of his eye, now looking down at his plate. He'd thought it best to start eating again, especially since his stomach threatened to announce how little was actually in it. Apparently Hiro's had as well because he took a hearty bite of his food.

Wiping his mouth on the provided napkin, Hiro chewed and swallowed. "Yeah. Remember the whole bot fighting thing? How he tricked me into meeting Robert Callaghan?"

Daisuke acknowledged that he recalled something about that from previous conversations.

"After realizing there was more to everything, thanks to Tadashi's intervention, I found myself getting excited about something more than just a quick thrill. He encouraged to me create a project to present at the student showcase as a way to get in. Even when I hit a few brick walls, he kept encouraging me to keep trying, to find a new perspective, see things differently. I don't know if I'd even have come up with the idea for my micro bots if it hadn't been for him."

There was no doubt that Hiro was smart. A teen coming up with the idea of micro bots was certainly not common. And while Suzue was great at coming up with new devices for him to use in his fight against crime, he doubted her skills would have been so honed at such a young age. Not to disparage his female cousin. The woman was decidedly intelligent, but Hiro appeared to be on a whole different level.

Daisuke took a careful glance at the teen, gauging his current emotional status. It was hard to tell, Hiro looking somehow far away, his eyes a bit vague. They weren't exactly glazed over, but it was obvious he was thinking more in the past than the present.

Hiro swallowed hard, his face downcast. "The night of the showcase, everything went well. I rode on a wave of euphoria unlike any I'd felt bot fighting after my presentation. Afterwards, Tadashi took me aside to let me know how proud of me he was. And that's when the fire alarm went off."

An almost imperceptible tightening of muscles happened in Hiro's body. If Daisuke hadn't been paying attention, he'd probably not have noticed it. Not unlike his own childhood trauma, this was something the teen hadn't completely gotten over yet, if he ever would. How to did one get over something like that?

Breath catching just a bit, Hiro continued, almost as if in a trance. "He didn't even give it a second though, didn't run. Instead, he rushed to help make sure everyone got out safely. And when he heard Professor Callaghan was still inside, he made to go in after him. I tried to hold him back, begged him not to go, but he said someone had to help and broke free from my grasp."

Flames seemed to reflect in Hiro's eyes as he recalled the incident, an almost reflection of the soul playing out in front Daisuke's view. He found he couldn't move due to the intensity of the emotion he saw there.

"It took me a few seconds to process what he'd done," Hiro admitted. "And then the blind panic kicked in. the building was completely engulfed in flames. There was no way anyone could still be alive in there, and yet Tadashi went in anyway, just in case. And then something inside exploded."

"Who's that?"

Cass seemed to jump, breaking Daisuke's concentration and he blinked and turned to look behind him.

Daisuke had no more than a second to dive over the table, pushing Cass to the ground as a flash of silver flew through the air, just brushing past them. Whatever it was, it made its way into the wall behind them. Unfortunately, his actions completely overturned the table, breaking the legs on the far side from his original position, sending it into Suzue, who went down.

"HEUSC!"

The AI butler didn't seem to need any further instructions before deploying drones to the area, tracking the rapid retreat of whoever had fired the dart in their direction. How the intruder had made it past all the security was beyond Daisuke but he'd worry about that later.

Hiro seemed to come out of whatever trance he'd been in, realizing what had just happened. "Aunt Cass!" He leapt over the fallen table, somehow clearing it, seemingly without effort.

For her part, Cass looked a bit like a fish out of water, the air having been knocked from her lungs. It took her a moment as Daisuke rolled off her. But Daisuke didn't have to time to wait and see if she was okay. Suzue, or one of the staff, would surely see to that. He had other priorities as he got to his feet, wildly looking around.

At this point, there was no way he'd catch up to whoever the person was crashing through his property. He'd leave that to the drones. Instead, he focused in on the slight glint in the wall where the dart had embedded itself. Not pausing to think about possible repercussions, he tried to pinch the needle's visible end, only getting a puncture for his efforts. He'd have to find some tweezers or pliers to get it out. Subconsciously, he sucked on the wounded finger before turning back to his guests.

With Hiro's help, Cass was now in a sitting position, Baymax bending over her. "I will scan you now. Scan complete. You appear to have sustained no injuries. However, you may experience sore muscles and emotional disturbances."

That was putting it mildly, Daisuke thought as he pushed his hair back into place."Update me," he demanded, his hand now at his earring.

"I am sorry," HEUSC said in his ear. "I appear to have lost the shooter."

Suzue glanced up at him from her position on the floor. Though she hadn't been injured, shock showed on her face. "How is that possible?"

"I cannot answer that."

Anger ran through Daisuke as he clenched his fist. Part of him wanted to run after whoever had disrupted their afternoon, but he knew duty dictated he stay with his guests. "Call the police and inform them of what just happened."

By this time, Baymax had helped Suzue to her feet, having scanned her for injuries as well. There were none to report, but both of their outfits were now stained with food. Daisuke supposed his clothes were also so soiled but didn't care. He thanked his lucky stars his sudden action hadn't knocked over the in-house shrine with its burning incense. They didn't need a fire on top of everything else. While Hiro was now acting more his usual self, he somehow doubted adding fire to the mix would be helpful at all.

"Compile all video surveillance," Daisuke instructed his AI butler. "I'll want a detailed analysis of events."

He didn't wait for confirmation before going to help Cass up onto rather shaky feet. "Are you all right?" he asked, despite having heard Baymax assure them she wasn't seriously hurt. Physical injuries weren't the same as mental ones, as he was well aware.

Cass nodded. It wasn't the first time she'd encountered some crazy situation, but it was likely her timely calling out that had saved either her or Daisuke's life. It was hard to decide who the actual target was. They had both been sitting in the line of sight for the dart still stuck in the wall.

The butler appeared in the room as if called, which he'd technically been. His initial reaction had been to try and secure the immediate grounds, which he'd done to the best of his ability. "Master Daisuke, we should move you and your guests back to the main manor," he suggested.

Perhaps thinking it was a suggestion was being generous. It was more a reminder of what he should be doing at the moment and Daisuke knew it. "Let's go," he said, taking Cass by the elbow. With his other hand, he brushed off any loose food still on his clothes, noting Suzue doing the same. Hiro had somehow managed to keep his clothes from getting dirty.

Showing a bit more tactical training than might have been necessary, Daisuke led the small party back to his car. He even went so far as to quickly inspect it before ushering them inside. Once they were all in, he peeled out on squealing tires.