Check 22 - Mistakes are the portals of discovery.

Daisuke realized he had made a fatal error the moment Hiro flew across the room. If it hadn't been for Baymax, the teen would have either slammed into the railing or flown over it, dropping to the hard ground below. As things stood, the force pushed both him and the robot back into the railing, Baymax's soft vinyl cushioning the teen.

The closest thing Daisuke had seen to anything resembling what had happened was from a movie he'd happened to see during university. He hadn't wanted to attend, but his dorm mates hadn't taken no for an answer. But, unlike in the movie, Hiro didn't convulse. He just lay there, limp.

"Hiro Hamada's heart has stopped," HEUSC announced, causing sounds of alarm to escape both Katou and Suzue's mouths.

Daisuke turned to look at Cass, who also lay limp, just in the chair she'd been sitting in. The slight rise and fall of her chest told him she was alive. "And what about Cass?" he asked, sounding a bit more frantic than he usually allowed.

"Miss Hamada has returned to normal, resting rhythms," HEUSC replied.

That out of the way, Daisuke strode towards Hiro and Baymax, the whole inquisition having only taken moments. Before he could reach the teen, however, Baymax had set Hiro on the ground and was leaning over him. "What are you doing?"

Baymax rubbed his hands together, which were now glowing. "In the event of cardiac arrest, my hands are equipped with a defibrillator." He placed his hands in the appropriate locations on Hiro's chest. "Clear."

A jolt of electricity, enough to cause Hiro's body to jump slightly entered the teen's heart. A second administration was required before he gasped, lungs expanding, pulse returning. Despite this, he remained unconscious, though Daisuke couldn't say he was surprised. "What happened?"

Sure his patient was back to at least alive status, and with nothing else to really do at the moment, Baymax looked up into Daisuke's face, noting his elevated blood pressure and pulse. "I do not know," he confessed. "There appeared to be an overload of energy that Hiro was unable to handle."

Katou had recovered enough from his shock to join them. "Understatement of the year. Kambe! What were you thinking! If it weren't for the fact I'd already decked you once in the last twenty-four hours, I'd do it again!" He grabbed Daisuke's shirt, attempting to pull him either upward or towards himself.

For his part, Daisuke looked away. "I had no idea that would happen. Now would you please let go?"

The cop gave him one last shake before releasing his grip. "What if Baymax hadn't been here?"

A slow sigh escaped Daisuke's lips as he looked at the unconscious teen. "I don't know." It wasn't because he didn't know CPR, or that he didn't have an AED handy. Even Suzue had the necessary training. It was more the realization that, without the trusty healthcare bot, Hiro would not have survived at all.

Rather than wait for anything else Katou might say, Daisuke bent to scoop Hiro up off the floor. He was reminded of just how fragile the teen really was, bits of the memories he'd shared with him flashing behind his eyes. He turned towards the monitors. "Suzue, take care of Cass."

Suzue's expression went from aghast to all business. "Of course, Master Daisuke. Leave her to me." She stood from her chair, approaching the unconscious proprietress, checking vitals despite HEUSC's report.

In the meantime, Daisuke headed towards elevator the area, Baymax trailing behind him. Realizing he was going to leave the room, Katou jumped to follow. "Where are you going?"

"To the other room," Daisuke replied in a quiet voice. He kept going, not waiting to see what they would do.

…..

The holding cell hadn't changed much since that morning, other than someone tidying it up and folding the futons so they now sat stacked against one windowed wall. Since the door hadn't been closed after they'd all gone up to breakfast, Daisuke didn't have to worry about how he was going to open it. Instead, he only had to turn slightly to make sure Hiro's limp form didn't bump into the entryway.

With purpose, he walked over to the now made up bed and set the teen down on its surface, far enough on that he was in the middle. He then pulled up the chair Katou had used earlier, noticing that Baymax had stationed himself near the foot of the bed.

Letting out a sigh, Daisuke leaned back, mussing up his hair. As far as he could tell, Hiro was now just unconscious, but that didn't mean there wasn't any lasting damage. He still looked more than a little worse for wear, the bruise on his face having purpled nicely. The older man touched the bruise on his own face with two fingers before dropping his hand back by his side.

"Your hormone levels are low," Baymax observed. "This indicates you are worried." He waddled the few paces forward to stand closer to the sitting man. "Do not be alarmed. Hiro will be all right."

A faint smile traced Daisuke's lip. "You really do take good care of him, don't you? Just how much do you know about what all he's been through?"

Head tilted to one side, the robot appeared to contemplate his question. "I am aware of many things Hiro has experienced," he stated, which wasn't exactly the answer Daisuke was looking for, but he supposed it was all he could expect from an artificial intelligence. "You seem troubled. How can I help?"

Daisuke gave a single, humorless huff, but the pseudo smile remained. He chose to lean forward, head now in his hands, elbows on his knees. "I messed up," he admitted. "If I had known this would have happened, I'd have found another way."

"There was no other way," Baymax countered, causing him to look up. "Even Hiro understood this."

A more bemused smile lifted the corners of his mouth as Daisuke thought on that. "He really does love her, doesn't? And would probably do anything for her. Makes me feel a bit like a heel for exploiting that, even if unintentionally."

Baymax straightened. "You are not the first to question your impact on Hiro," he informed. "Tadashi also worried about this."

It took him a second to remember who Tadashi was. "The older brother," he said to himself. For the briefest of moments, he wondered what it might have been like to have a sibling. Would things have turned out differently? Probably not, though he wouldn't have had to bear the burden of his loss alone all those years, so maybe.

"Your creator was a wise man." Daisuke straightened up, glancing over at Hiro. "Any idea how long he'll remain unconscious? You seem unusually attuned to him and his needs."

Almost as if the praise was somehow felt, Baymax colored around his face, something Daisuke wasn't aware he could do. Was the robot blushing? "Tadashi created me. However, Hiro has added his own programming to improve my abilities." He turned to look at his number one patient. "I believe he will sleep for a while. If there is something you need to do, it should be fine."

Daisuke's mouth twisted a bit as he thought about that. There were a lot of things he could probably be doing at the moment, but part of him thought about leaving it to the others. They hadn't gotten to view the connections to that woman that had triggered Cass, and that was a decided priority. The fact that she'd had such a negative reaction had to mean something.

And then there was the possibility that Thomas Matheson might still be in the picture. Why else would his subconscious dredge up that name? It couldn't be coincident. And then there was Hiro.

Touching his earring, Daisuke straightened. "Suzue, have you situated my aunt?"

"Yes, Master Daisuke," Suzue's voice came over the link. "I've moved her to her room. Mr. Katou checked the area to make sure no one was inside beforehand, and that nothing was out of place."

Nodding, even though she couldn't see it, the Kambe leader stood. "Good. Have Katou watch her room to make sure she's not disturbed. He can use Hiro's room, if he wants. Just have him leave the door between open. That way he'll be out of sight but right there in case someone tries anything. I need you to do some research for me."

"You can count on me."

That finished, Daisuke switched tactics. "HEUSC, compile all data on the woman in question, including all known relations, contacts, and activity. I want to know all her movements for the last two weeks."

"Consider it done."

….

One moment Cass was looking at the images on the screen, the next she felt like her whole world was going to shatter as one image burned a hole into her brain. She knew she'd seen the modified version of that woman before, and the thought jarred her so badly her mind wanted to shut down.

Then a jolt of something filled her. Clouds began to form, taking on more substance, morphing into walls and ceilings, all half shrouded in a mist of darkness. It almost reminded her of the older monster movies that weren't released in color. It also reminded her of somewhere she'd been recently but she didn't want to think about that.

There was a strange scent on the air, one she could almost see, like a trail of steam or vapor. It was almost metallic. Despite part of her saying she needed to use caution, she found herself following the faint trail, wondering if this was somehow what Hiro saw when he looked at the auras of others, following their trails in his mental wanderings. Except she couldn't focus on that thought for long.

Voices seemed to whisper, but in a way she couldn't even begin to fathom what they were saying. It was more like a breeze trying to imitate words, only in gibberish. Some even seemed to be laughing at her. The voices became harsher, disjointed almost, as if from ravenous animals with sharp claws, trying to catch her with them.

Breath coming more quickly now, Cass felt the need to run. Something was coming up behind her as she went down what appeared to be a never-ending corridor. The trappings were all traditional Japanese, not unlike one of the movies she and Suzue had watched only the other day. She tried to look behind her, but it was as if a cloud of darkness followed, just a meter or so behind. And there was a sound as if something was trying to suck her into some massive monster mouth. She ran faster.

It was going to catch up with her, devour her, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell. Heart pounding, she pushed forward, still following the trail of whatever scent it was that had first caught her attention. It was the only way forward. There was no going back.

Panting, Cass had to pull back abruptly as the hallway opened up on what should have been a porch, except there was nothing beyond it, just a pit of darkness, splattered with what looked like blood. Harsh laughter came from behind her, deep and menacing. She turned, hands up to ward off whatever it was.

In her fear, she took a step backwards, towards the abyss that should have led into a courtyard but didn't. Then next thing she knew, she was falling.

….

Suzue pushed back a strand of hair that refused to stay behind her ear. She'd asked the kitchen to send her something light for lunch, since she'd been at this for a few hours now. At first, she thought Daisuke would ask her to look into the person of interest that had caused Cass's strong reaction, but she was wrong.

Feeling there was some connection to previously reported events; Daisuke had assigned her the task of researching anything and everything she could find on Haruto and Nozomi Hamada, including any affiliations, enemies, and their death. If it was indeed a murder, as suspected, the Kambe head of house obvious felt a need to find out. Perhaps it would give his aunt some needed closure. And, by extension, help him feel that he'd fulfilled some filial duty.

There was, of course, the decided possibility that this was all somehow related, as had been expressed before. Why else would memories of that crash surface? She got the impression that it didn't happen often, though couldn't be sure. However you looked at it, though, it was worth looking into.

Glancing over to the far left, she noticed the security feed to the basement holding cell, where Daisuke had decided to take up temporary residence. Hiro was still out for the count on the bed, which might be a major part of his decision to stay there, the vinyl robot standing guard over the foot of the bed. Meanwhile, Daisuke sat at the table, hands and fingers manipulating things she couldn't see.

Daisuke was wearing his enhanced glasses that allowed him to connect directly with HEUSC in a virtual manner. She resisted the urge to laugh a little. If she hadn't realized what he was doing, she might have thought he was randomly picking at things in the air. It did look more than a little odd and she couldn't help but wonder just how silly it looked to his coworkers in the third division when he utilized the technology.

Something flashed on the main screen and she returned her attention to it. It had taken some digging, but HEUSC had finally found it, a non-redacted autopsy and toxicology report on the man who had supposedly driven the car that had killed the Hamadas. She worked her lips into some odd angles as she chewed on them from the inside, reading through the information. This was definitely something her cousin would want to know.

...

The sound of groaning came from the bed in the holding cell as Hiro clawed his way back to consciousness. Hearing it, Daisuke paused what he was doing, saving his place before taking off the glasses and setting them on the table without closing them.

"Hiro is waking up," Baymax announced, unnecessarily. He shuffled forward a bit, monitoring things, ready should he be needed.

Not bothering to wait and see what would happen, Daisuke got up and strode over to the bed, taking up the previously abandoned chair next to the head of the mattress. He turned it so he could more fully face the occupant lying there, leaning forward as he waited to see what would happen. Would it be like the day before when Baymax had called him in to help the teen? Or would there be other side effects he couldn't yet fathom?

There was no roundabout way of saying he was in unfamiliar territory. Having never met anyone like his younger cousin before, he couldn't help but feel totally out of his element. And, despite doing some basic research on what to expect from a recovering cardiac arrest, he wasn't sure how helpful that information might be. Nothing about Hiro Hamada was typical, let alone 'normal'.

Recalling his own experience with waking earlier, Daisuke ordered the lights dimmed, just in case of any photo sensitivities. He had a few theories about how things worked with the teen and his abilities but wasn't sure how they'd pan out just yet. But, after looking up how his own recovery should have gone after the belladonna poisoning, he had a few thoughts that explained why Hiro had also opted for the rice porridge that morning.

Slowly, the teen opened his eyes, wincing slightly, lying still, almost as if he were afraid to try and move. He blinked a few times, inhaled a bit deeper than before, and released his breath in one, long, slow exhalation. He glanced ahead of himself as much as not moving allowed, probably noticing the rounded head of his robot first, since Daisuke was technically sitting off to one side. "Hey Baymax. I think I overdid it again."

The robot shuffled a bit closer, realizing, perhaps, that Daisuke wasn't going to immediately do anything, waiting to see how things played out. He then leaned forward a bit in a manner not unlike how Suzue occasionally did when Daisuke wasn't quite feeling well. "On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

Hiro's face scrunched up a bit, taking on a thoughtful expression as he apparently evaluated himself. "Not sure I have a number for that," he admitted. "Could definitely be worse. Just working myself up to actually trying to move a little."

"This is an understandable reaction," Baymax observed. "Your blood sugar levels are low, as are your energy readings. Would you like a lollipop?"

Perhaps that was the robot's polite way of saying Hiro should eat something, Daisuke thought. It was certainly a good way to give him a quick boost of energy, though it probably wouldn't last long.

Hiro closed his eyes, swallowing hard, looking a little ill if Daisuke was being honest. "No. Not right now. I need a minute or three to recalibrate first. Definitely not the funnest way I've ever died, though definitely not the worst."

Wait. Daisuke found his body tense at that. "What do you mean not the worst?" He couldn't help but look at Hiro with a mix of potential horror and curiosity. Just what all had happened to this kid?

The teen turned his head towards the older man. "Oh, hey. Thought that was you." He gave a funny smile that ended in a grimace. "And um… yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, not my first death by electricity, technically. I've honestly lost track of how many different times and ways."

"I see." Except that he really didn't and the idea that Hiro had somehow died more than once, let alone multiple time was more than a little disconcerting. The question was, should he press the issue, knowing the teen was in a potentially vulnerable state?

A humorless laugh escaped Hiro's lips as he attempted to sit up. Realizing he needed some help, Daisuke moved in to assist. "Yeah, definitely not my favorite way to go, but definitely better than most."

Considering the fact that Hiro was no longer quite human, Daisuke supposed the multiple deaths claim was more probable than if some random person told him something similar. If he hadn't seen the two memories Hiro had shared with him, he might have thought the shock had done some brain damage. As things stood, he still wasn't sure it hadn't.

Now more or less sitting upright, with Daisuke's supporting arm behind his back, the older man could feel just how hard the teen was struggling to get everything under control. It made sense. Whether or not this was part of his re-calibration process, or just his body saying it had had enough was up in the air. If it were any normal adult, the body probably would have given out long before now, leaving the individual in a comatose state. The fact that Hiro was awake and more or less coherent was a miracle.

It was, perhaps, the worst moment for Daisuke's stomach to complain that it was empty. His eyes widened a bit at the betrayal, though it wasn't all that surprising if he really stopped to think about it. He'd become so absorbed in his research that he hadn't bothered to think about the time. A quick glanced at his watch told him it was now afternoon.

"Maybe you should think about something to eat," Hiro stated, now looking as deadpan as the situation would allow. "Sounds like you could use it."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at him, wondering. Was he trying to be amusing? Or was it an actual observation? "I was just thinking about having some lunch prepared," he stated, somehow feeling a bit like a child who'd been scolded.

The look Hiro gave him said he didn't quite believe that. He closed his eyes again, narrowing his brows. "Oh, boy. Here we go."

Before Daisuke could ask what he meant by that, Hiro's body tensed, back pressing against his supporting arm as he heard the teen's teeth clack together. His head shot back, much as it had before he'd flow across the room and into Baymax only hours earlier. What could only be called a ripple of some sort seemed to pass through him, making his entire body twitch, toes included. Baymax had thought to remove his footwear earlier or Daisuke wouldn't have seen Hiro's toes curl.

The next second, Hiro sort of slumped a bit forward, now breathing hard, arms having gone automatically up to his chest. "Definitely felt that one," he grunted between panting breaths.

"What just happened?" Daisuke asked, now looking directly at Baymax. Surely that wasn't normal.

Baymax seemed to contemplate both males for a moment, evaluating things. "Hiro has successfully re-calibrated his neurological systems."

Daisuke felt like his own neurological systems needed a re-calibration after that announcement, though definitely not in the same manner as what Hiro's had apparently undergone. His brain seemed to have had a 404 error code and was unable to process what had just happened. "What?" The question came out before he'd even thought to ask it.

Fabric rustled as Hiro somehow managed to turn himself to face the edge of the bed, disengaging Daisuke's supporting arm. He leaned forward, elbows on knees as he brought his breathing under control. "Yep, definitely over did it this time," he stated before looking up at Daisuke through his mess of hair. "Hey, you okay?"

"Daisuke appears to be in shock," Baymax observed.

It was a fair observation, Daisuke's subconscious noted as it struggled to reboot his conscious thought. It took a moment, his body almost frozen in the pose it had been only a moment ago, arm still outstretched as if supporting Hiro from behind. He slowly lowered his arm, leaning back so he wasn't quite so close to the teen.

Another humorless laugh escaped Hiro's lips. "You get used to it after a while," he stated. "I'm just glad this time around didn't come with the same confusion most do."

That brought up Daisuke's attention in a hurry. "Explain."

Hiro glanced towards Baymax, a sheepish look on his face. He shrugged awkwardly, looking decidedly better than he had earlier. The bruises were still there. He was still pale, but he didn't look quite like death warmed over. "You remember how I showed you that entity called the Makt?"

Daisuke nodded, not sure where this was going. Judging from the memory alone, this entity, or collective whatever, was exactly what he'd been told it was: living energy. But he wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. Or what it might all entail.

"So," Hiro gave that characteristic reaction to someone who was only relaying information reluctantly because they didn't see much choice in the matter. "When I returned the Makt to the Void, they gave me a sort of 'get out of death free' card." He quickly waved his hands, warding off any questions Daisuke might fire at him. "That's not to say it's made me immune to death or anything. It's more that I was given the opportunity to have a do-over."

Putting a hand to his forehead, Daisuke couldn't help but feel that headache from earlier returning. "I'm not sure I understand,' he admitted.

Hiro rubbed at one eyebrow, showing more range of motion than he had the day before, which Daisuke thought an improvement. "I was given the opportunity to try and fix something from my past. And, at the time, all I wanted was to save Tadashi."

It felt like a jolt of electricity had struck him as Daisuke's mind contemplated the idea, or tried to. If he had been given the opportunity to go back and change one thing, to perhaps prevent his mother's murder, what would he have done?

"Being led by emotions, and partly because I got shot and bled out in a botched rescue mission, I somehow triggered that 'get out of death free' card and found myself reliving parts of my life with just enough time to try and prevent that fire," Hiro continued. "But no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't do it. And every time I failed, I died."

Daisuke somehow thought this wasn't a rhetorical, near death experience the teen had experienced. The mind did strange things when the body was in peril. He could actually find himself believing that Hiro had done exactly what he'd just declared, reliving parts of his life over and over again, only to fail and be sent back to try again. He wasn't sure why he found it so much easier to believe than he might have earlier. But then some pretty strange things had happened so maybe he was just that more open to the idea than he might have been previously.

Hiro ran a hand through his hair, chuckling softly. "Don't ask me how many times I failed. I have no idea. I just know, eventually, it led to the realization that some things shouldn't be changed. That, by changing them, you change what you become in the future. As stubborn as I can be, it took me a long time to come to that conclusion. So, when I say this wasn't my worst death, I wasn't joking."

Just as Daisuke was thinking about what he wanted to say in reply to that, Baymax perked up, turning towards the door. "Someone is approaching," he announced. A moment later, one of the staff appeared around the corner, heading towards the cell with a tray in hand. Upon reaching the enclosure, he stopped, waiting patiently for someone to open the door.

More than a little confused, Daisuke stood and walked over. He pressed his hand against the identification pad, opening the door. "Yes?"

The man with the tray bowed slightly. "Lady Suzue requested I bring something for you and your guest to eat."

For the briefest of moments, Daisuke thought of contacting her via his earring link to verify this but chose to wait. He stepped to one side so the man could enter, watching as he placed the covered tray on the table before bowing and leaving the room. He pressed his hand against the mechanism again, shutting the door.

"Baymax," Daisuke said, now looking at the vinyl marshmallow. "A favor. Can you scan the contents of this try for any known toxins?" It was better to be safe than sorry.

The robot shuffled to turn towards the table, his head moving slightly up and down as he did as requested. "I do not detect any toxins," he reported. "The contents should be safe to consume."

Hearing that, Daisuke removed the cover, releasing a waft of aromatic steam. Perhaps Suzue had realized the thin porridge from earlier wasn't enough and had asked the chef to provide something with more sustenance. Or maybe the chef had decided that on his own. Either way, Daisuke wasn't going to fault the choice of what might be called more common food, katsudon, though he couldn't help but feel a sense of irony either.

Back in university, any fellow Japanese students had felt it a necessity to order the dish prior to exams, since it had a similar sound to the Japanese word for the basic equivalent of success. He was also aware of the idea that it was a popular trope in police dramas, thanks to Katou's preference for them. Supposedly eating the dish during an interrogation made the suspect more likely to tell the truth, something Daisuke doubted. He couldn't help but wonder if the thought of either had influenced the choice and then decided it didn't matter as he heard Hiro hesitantly get to his feet.

"That smells really good," the teen declared as he slowly made his way over.

Daisuke thought about offering his assistance but held back. Instead, he positioned a second chair; the one Hiro had used the night before, though he didn't know that. "Sounds like your appetite has returned."

Hiro stumbled a little and Daisuke almost reached out but didn't. "The smell was more than enough," he stated, pausing to regain any lost balance before continuing on to the chair Daisuke held for him. He sat, looking a bit bemused as the older man pushed the chair a bit closer to the table before walking around and sitting down across from him.

There were two pairs of chopsticks, one next to each serving of the dish. Hiro picked his up first, using them to separate the slices of fried, breaded pork so any sauce could better seep down into the rice and egg beneath it. Daisuke absently picked up his pair almost as if his mind wasn't really taking in what he was doing.

"I don't suppose you were able to see any of Aunt Cass's memories, or what caused her to react as she did?" Daisuke wasn't sure if he expected an answer to that or not. The two hadn't exactly been connected long before the teen had been thrown back, but it would be helpful if he had.

A sort of shudder filled Hiro's frame. "Not exactly." He put his chopsticks down, not having eaten a single bite yet. "It was more a feeling than seeing anything. Whatever it was, it was bad, really bad."

Daisuke glanced over towards Baymax, wondering if he would say anything, but the robot remained silent. The memory alone of what the teen had felt seemed to make him more pale and he almost regretted asking. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea."

Hiro shrugged. "Neither did I. It was like being sucked into an abyss. To be honest, I'm not even sure if she remembers the actual event that caused it. Seemed to me like it's repressed, something she found so shocking, so traumatic, her mind buried it as deeply as it could."

The look on Hiro's face told the older man he'd had some experience with those kinds of memories before, from his end, not necessarily ones he'd seen from others. Just what had she seen that would cause her mind to rebel so thoroughly? It definitely warranted further investigation, but he would have to tread carefully.

Based off his research while Hiro had slept, he'd learned that the woman who had triggered the reaction had worked on the estate for around fifteen or so years, taking over after her mother had retired. Her mother most closely resembled what Cass had described, though the only images they seemed to have of her were from the last ten years. Using HEUSC to de-age the mother had solved that problem, but there were still some differences.

If memory served, this was the first time Cass had been back to Japan since moving to the States as a teen. If the memory associated with that woman involved her time in Japan, it had to have been over thirty years ago, long before he'd been born. The chances of there being any kind of records on Cass going back that far where slim, but not zero. He'd have to look into it later.

Baymax leaned towards Hiro in an inquiring manner. "Do you feel nauseous? Scans indicate this is a possibility."

Daisuke looked up, noting the green tint to Hiro's face had returned. Apparently inquiring about the experience hadn't been a good idea. It must be worse than he'd thought, that or it had triggered a memory for the teen that was less than pleasant.

"I don't feel so good," Hiro admitted. "I think I should lie down." He stood, pushing the chair away from the table with more force than seemed possible, given the circumstances. He made it about three steps before his body gave out on him and he went down before even Baymax could move to catch him.