Nobody drives you crazy like family (BH6 Aftermath Sequel)

by Marie Thompson

When the Hamadas get an invitation to visit the Kambe family, who they are related to through Cass, they decide to head to Japan. Awkward at first, Daisuke Kambe and the Hamadas start to bond when the party is attacked by enemies unknown. Not knowing who is the actual target is bad enough, but Daisuke begins uncover things about Hiro the teen would rather others not find out about.

40. Check 39 - The rainbow hides inside the

Check 39 - The rainbow hides inside the storm

Cass woke to the sound of Hiro groaning in his sleep. Without her phone, she wasn't sure what the time was, but it was still dark out so she figured it wasn't really morning yet. As a precaution, she'd left the door between her and her nephew's room open before going to bed. Now she was glad she had as she made her way to the next room.

"Hiro?" she called as she entered her nephew's bedroom. It had been a while since she'd last noticed him having any kind of bad dreams, but she thought this might be one. She approached the bed, noticing Baymax standing on the other side, belly glowing faintly to provide some light.

On the bed, Hiro had curled up on his side in a fetal position. His muscles were tense, a grimace on his face. She reached out a hesitant hand to touch him, glancing briefly up at Baymax in case it was better she refrained. Getting no warning, she lightly touched Hiro's cheek. His skin was a little too warm to the touch.

Cass looked back up at the robot. "Baymax, how long has he been like this?"

The robot tilted to one side, blinking hyper spectral eyes. "Hiro has had a lower body temperature since just after the initial earthquake. However, it has fluctuated off and on since then," he stated. "This is likely due to his body focusing on recovery after reaching its limit. It is also possible Hiro is experiencing a migraine. The symptoms should rectify themselves with rest and proper nutrition."

"So not another infection?" She couldn't help but feel worried after everything that had happened. Usually such temperature changes heralded Hiro getting sick.

Now standing up straight, Baymax seemed to nod. "Hiro is not currently fighting an infection."

Cass contemplated her nephew with a sense of relief. He seemed to have quieted down after she entered the room, which was nice. But she still wanted to know why he had groaned in his sleep. Possibly from migraine pain? Or was it from some dream? She knew he had vivid dreams often, but she couldn't forget hearing that he'd experienced night terrors in a previous timeline. She could only hope that wasn't what was going on now, though she somehow doubted it since he'd calmed down. That and Baymax hadn't mentioned the possibility.

Now sitting on the edge of the bed, she let her shoulders slump. "I don't understand why he's had so many incidents since coming here," she admitted. "I don't think he's ever had this many at one time before."

"I do not know," Baymax said, his tone somehow sounding downcast. "I am unable to explain this change in frequency. Perhaps it is because of the circumstances outside of what you are both used to."

That thought caused Cass to straighten, because it was true. The majority of the times anything happened like this, it usually seemed to happen when they were outside their usual element. Well, she couldn't keep him from living his life, but she definitely wished she had a way of helping him through this. She released a deep sigh. "Oh, Loki. Where are you when we both need you?"

…..

Dark clouds had moved in overnight, bringing heavy rain and thunder. The thunderous sound woke Daisuke from a sound sleep, prompting him to look out the windows as rain slid down the various panes of colored glass. "A typhoon?" he wondered, not recalling any such weather mentioned in the forecast. Well, meteorologists weren't always right, though chances were good it was more of a spring storm than anything else, otherwise the wind would be howling.

Since he was awake, he decided he might as well get up and so he decided to dress. The weather would complicate things in the security end, making the use of drones difficult if not impossible. Perhaps he should consider extending the building lock down, which would, of course, keep Hoshino on property. He doubted the Division One detective would be happy about that, but he had his guests' safety to consider.

Putting on his watch, Daisuke double-checked to make sure he had his earring in place, along with his smart glasses in pocket. One never knew when one might need them. With shoes on, he made his way into the hallway, headed towards the guest rooms. "HEUSC, what are the current locations of all our guests?"

"Mr. Hoshino and Mr. Katou have yet to leave their rooms," the AI responded. "Hiro Hamada has also not yet left his room. Ms. Hamada is in the kitchen with Lady Suzue."

Hearing that, Daisuke diverted towards the elevator, wondering what his aunt was up to. Chances were good she'd decided to get an early start on breakfast. It was still relatively early, all things considered. Perhaps the storm had woken her as well. It was good Suzue was with her though, since Hiro's prediction prompted the notion that should she be attacked, it would likely be when she was alone.

The elevator carried him down to the ground floor and he exited the car to the smell of something sweet baking. He paused, not sure what the scent reminded him off, but it teased at his senses like a warm hug. He dispelled whatever enchantment of memory it was trying to evoke and continued on to the kitchen.

Suzue was leaning against the prep table while Cass carried a baking pan of some kind to the table. He thought it was a muffin tin but couldn't be sure. He wasn't all that familiar with what tools and the like were kept there. Perhaps seeing him, or maybe sensing his presence, Suzue turned towards the door, straightening. "Master Daisuke! Good morning."

Muffin tin now safely on a wooden board to insulate it against spreading too much heat, Cass turned to greet her older nephew. "I hope you don't mind but I got an early start on breakfast." She glanced at the staff table, where she had assembled a collection of fruit. "Besides, these will go bad soon if they're not used."

Her reminder that their food supplies might be dwindling in the fresh produce department was not unwarranted. There were likely plenty of the more shelf-stable foods available, but, without those that spoiled more quickly, they didn't sound as appealing. Someone would have to either put in a food order for delivery or go to a store soon. Having only experienced shopping in person once or twice in his life, Daisuke wasn't sure how to go about that but decided to hold off on that until later.

"I don't mind," he replied to Cass's apology. "I gather the storm woke you, too."

Cass popped the muffins from the tin. She'd made do with some makeshift liners using parchment paper since she hadn't seen any of the muffin cups she was used to using back in San Fransokyo. They looked more gourmet that way, which wasn't a bad thing. And it gave the baked goods a bit more of a lip to safely remove them from the pan. "I actually was awake before that started," she confessed.

A quick glance at his phone told Daisuke the rain hadn't been falling for too long, no more than an hour. He gave Suzue a look, not sure why she was up either, but glad for it. Perhaps HEUSC had alerted her to Cass's activities. "I see."

Smiling almost fondly, Cass finished placing the last muffin on a cooling rack. "Hiro woke me in the middle of the night," she said. "I heard him groaning from my room and went to check in on him and just couldn't go back to sleep."

"I hope he's all right," Daisuke said in concern. They didn't need any more complications. At least not before the day really got started. There were far too many already that he wanted to work through before anything else happened.

The oven timer went off and Cass moved to the second oven to remove a tray of what looked to be cookies. She slid the pan on top of the now empty muffin tin to save space. It, too, had a layer of parchment paper for ease of removing the baked goods. She quickly returned to the oven to turn it off before rejoining the others.

Now leaning against the table, Cass forced herself to relax, her muscles having tensed a bit at the question. "He's fine, for the most part. Baymax thinks he's probably suffering from a migraine. And I know when he wakes he'll need help. The last time he pushed himself too far, it took a day or two for him to recover enough to get back to basics. He didn't have enough energy to even feed himself for the first half day."

The news was more than a little concerning and Daisuke couldn't help but show it on his face, no matter how much he tried to hide it. There were so many questions that needed answers, but he couldn't blame the teen if he was indeed in such a state. He didn't know anyone who could handle what he'd been through, let alone survive it.

Cass began removing the cookies from the baking sheet, placing them next to the muffins. "That's why I decided to get an early start on breakfast," she continued. "Hiro really likes my muffins, but they'd be difficult for him to manage right now so I made breakfast cookies too."

"Breakfast cookies?" Daisuke moved further into the room to look at the creation, not sure what to make of them.

Laughing a little, Cass held one up for Daisuke to try. "Suzue watched me make them so she could tell you what all went into them. But they're basically like energy bombs. Hopefully they'll help Hiro recover faster."

Daisuke took the offered cookie between two fingers, not at all sure what to make of it. From the onset, he thought he saw bits of rolled oats. The color was a bit darker than normal for a traditional cookie, and the texture somewhat softer than he'd expected. Almost gingerly, he took a tentative bite, eyes widening in surprise. "It's tasty," he said before taking another bite.

"I used molasses as a natural sweetener, but also packed it full of other nutrients," Cass said proudly. "If it weren't for Hiro's allergy to peanuts, I'd have added some of those too, but it's not a good idea to push his limits any further."

Still munching on the breakfast cookie, Daisuke nodded. He'd known about the allergy and had asked the kitchen staff to accommodate for it prior to the Hamadas arriving. While the allergy was reported as mild, it never did anyone good to test that. He'd seen a few university students react to an allergen and it had not been fun.

Debating on whether or not she should give the cookies a try or not, Suzue put her hands behind her back to resist temptation. When Cass offered her one and she couldn't help but take it, a bit hesitant but still willing. Her eyes also lit up at the taste. "These are delicious!"

Cass beamed. "Whenever Hiro has early morning classes, I make sure to send a few of these to school with him. I know if I don't he might forget to eat until lunch time." Baymax was also usually pretty good at making sure he ate them in-between classes, which gave her less reason to worry. All the same, she knew he still probably didn't eat enough for the higher than usual metabolism he had.

"I don't know if you wanted to eat now or not," Cass said as she plated the cookies and muffins, "but there's also that banana bread we made yesterday, if you want to give it a try." She carried the loaded plate over to the staff table, placing it among the various bowls and dishes of fruits she'd prepared earlier. She'd left a small stack of plates off to one side, grabbing one to make a plate for Hiro.

Suzue took another plate and helped herself to the various offerings before sitting down. "Thank you for this meal," she said before partaking of the bounty. She'd been up a bit earlier than she usually was, running a full diagnostics on HEUSC, when she noticed Cass on one of the security monitors as she left her room. She'd had to leave the computer program running to make sure the café owner wasn't left alone, as per Daisuke's previous instructions.

When Cass didn't immediately sit down to join her, she couldn't help but look up. Daisuke had also started to fill a plate with various fruit and a muffin, though he had yet to sit down. "Aren't you joining us?"

The café owner had filled a glass with orange juice and added a straw she'd found, along with some ice. "I was going to take this up to Hiro first," she confessed. "I don't know if he's awake yet, but Baymax can help, or call for help, if needed."

Realizing what she intended, Daisuke found a tray for her, temporarily abandoning his plate. "Allow me," he said. "You've been quite productive and deserve a bit of a break. Why don't you take the opportunity to relax a little and eat? I'll make sure Hiro has what he needs."

Cass blinked a bit in surprise at this. She definitely hadn't expected Daisuke to be so accommodating. "If you're sure," she hesitated.

….

Hoshino straightened his suit coat as he prepared to exit the bedroom. His borrowed pajamas lay folded on the bed, which he'd done his best to make as well. Knowing the usual staff wasn't on hand, he'd done his best to not add to the Kambes' burden. Despite that, he hoped there was some kind of breakfast he could have before heading out. The rain alone was enough to present a difficult day that didn't need complications from not eating a morning meal.

Slipping into the hallway, the last thing Ryo thought to see was Daisuke coming down the hall, tray in hand. He paused, hand on the door knob, not sure what to think. When Daisuke didn't seem to notice him, but, instead, turned towards a different door and went into the room beyond, he couldn't help but feel curious. It was doubtful that was really Kambe's room. The chances of that were slim to none, if he knew anything about the layout of larger houses. Knowing that, he couldn't help but feel curious and went over to investigate.

For whatever reason, probably because his hands had been full, Daisuke hadn't closed the door all the way, leaving a slit. Knowing he was being more than a little nosy, Hoshino pressed his eye up to the gap and looked in. He saw a bedroom not unlike the one he'd used the night before, except it was possibly a bit larger, with an extra door on one side.

Daisuke approached the bed, placing the tray on the bedside table. If he squinted a bit, he could see various bits of furniture that looked out of place against the wall, including a suitcase. There was also that inflatable marshmallow of a robot standing near the bed, which Daisuke addressed in hushed tones before turning his attention to the mass of bedding on one side of the bed.

There was one arm partially visible in the nest of bedding, Hoshino decided. It was hard to tell in the low light. Daisuke hadn't turned on the overhead light and the rain outside didn't allow much ambient light in either. He saw Daisuke bend slightly towards the bundle as if checking on the person under the covers before straightening and turning towards the door.

"I know you're there," Daisuke spoke, just loud enough that Hoshino could hear him, though not at full volume. "You might as well come in."

Feeling a bit chagrined, Hoshino pushed the door open and entered the room. Unlike in the bedroom he'd stayed in, there was no table side lamp. He wasn't sure the reason behind that but couldn't help but notice the difference. And most of the other furniture he'd seen did look more like someone had pushed it against the wall than was likely it had been done on purpose, making him wonder what had done it. There were a few cracks in the mirrored closet door as well, now that he thought about it.

Hoshino moved further into the room, realizing it was Hiro he'd seen on the bed. The teen appeared to be tangled in the mass of blankets, his messy hair barely visible over the lump that was likely his torso covered by the comforter. "What are you doing in here?"

Daisuke sort of smirked as he took a step away from the bed. "I should think that obvious," he stated. "I'm bringing Hiro some breakfast." He gave a brief nod at the tray he'd left on the bedside table.

"I kind of figured that would be something his aunt would do," Hoshino said before remembering that the Hamadas were related to his host. He wasn't sure how the man viewed his guests, but he apparently had some attachment to the teen genius, lending some credibility to the rumor of his being the heir apparent.

Since Hiro was still out for the count, Daisuke motioned Hoshino away from the bed. "I left Cass with Suzue in the kitchen," he stated. "After she was up with him for half the night, I thought she might want a break."

Surprise registered on Hoshino's face at this. "I know they said he'd worn himself out but I didn't think it was serious enough to warrant someone watching over him. If that was the case, why didn't you send for a doctor or have him taken to the hospital?"

Baymax shuffled towards them. "Hiro does not require medical attention at this time," he said in half the usual volume. "Aunt Cass was unable to sleep due to yesterday's stress."

"So," Daisuke continued for the robot, "it wasn't that Hiro needed someone to watch him but Cass needed something to do. As his legal guardian, I'm sure she felt a desire to be close to him after everything that's happened."

Hoshino blinked a few times, glancing back at the sleeping teen. "I suppose that makes sense. But are you sure it's not from any kind of complications after being knocked around a bit? I'm having a hard time believing he didn't get hurt when he somehow rendered you unconscious the other day."

Guiding his guest towards the door, Daisuke didn't quite touch him but left no room for doubt as to his intentions. "A few bumps and bruises. Nothing major. Truth be told, he's probably still recovering from the slight fever he had earlier, a result from traveling in a foreign country."

When put that way, it did make sense, though Hoshino couldn't help but feel there was more to it than that. The teen had acted like someone had literally drained the energy from him. And while a slight fever could put someone out for a day or two, he doubted it was enough to cause the absolute lethargy he'd seen. Either Hiro's condition was worse than they were letting on or there was something else going on.

Now back in the hallway, Daisuke firmly shut the door behind them. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," he admitted to Hoshino. "In light of the heavy rain outside, I'm not able to deploy the usual outdoor security measures. As such, I'm keeping the house under lock down. It might be wise for you to inform your division chief, as well as anyone else who might need to know, that you'll be staying here for another day."

Hoshino's eyes went wide at that. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I can't risk letting anyone in or out of the mansion until I can implement ground security at the same level as before," Daisuke responded. "I'm sure you, of all people, can understand the critical nature of our situation."

"When put that way," Hoshino sighed, "how can I argue?" It made sense, even if he didn't like it. Until they knew who was behind all this, and caught that Mio Kimura, it was probably the best course of action. That and it would give him the opportunity to observe the other parties involved. Perhaps he could uncover something that would help in figuring out the culprit behind all this, and whether or not it was connected to anything from the Hamadas' pasts. There were plenty of other First Division detectives working the case that he wasn't necessarily needed outside the manor for now.

Daisuke headed down the hall; pausing at another door just one down from the one Hoshino had originally come out of. "I'll be right back." He opened the door and entered the room after knocking softly on the large panel.

Now what? Hoshino wondered. Just which other guest was in that room? He doubted it was Suzue, since she probably lived on property, which left Katou. His guess was proven correct a few minutes later when both Daisuke and Katou exited the room, Katou leaning lightly against Daisuke, looking a bit like he might pass out.

"You could have called me," Daisuke was admonishing his partner as he let the door close behind the both of them. "I would have been more than happy to send someone to help you."

Katou almost coughed as the two paused, Daisuke looking back at Hoshino as if to say he should follow them. "I didn't want to be a bother."

Practically rolling his eyes, something Hoshino could see from his position off to one side, Daisuke slowed his pace a bit. "You are currently a guest in my home," he admonished. "And while you may be helping out with the overall investigation, that doesn't change the fact that you are still under my jurisdiction, so stop being stubborn."

"Says the most stubborn one of all," Katou muttered under his breath as they waited for the elevator. "I'm just a little stiff this morning." The truth of the matter was that he'd likely not have made it out of the room without help. He'd done his best to get dressed for the day, changing into a clean shirt and woefully tossing the ripped one from the night before into the trash. The truth of the matter was that, with his ribs aching like someone had slammed a hammer into them most of the night, he hadn't gotten anywhere near enough sleep. It didn't help that the rest of hi had stiffened up like a board.

Not having seen this side of his former work partner before, Hoshino couldn't help but be surprised. He wisely refrained from making any comments as they entered the elevator and rode it down to the first floor. There, he noticed Daisuke wasn't as up to par as he'd tried pretending. His face looked a bit red from helping keep Katou from falling over, reinforcing the idea that the man also sported unseen injuries.

Inserting himself between Daisuke and Katou, Hoshino offered to let his former partner lean on him as they made their way to the kitchen. Despite the three inch difference between the two, he somehow managed, allowing Daisuke the break he likely needed. The two were so much alike it was almost laughable.

As they entered the kitchen, Daisuke requested an ice pack for the ailing detective. When Katou tried to protest, he shut him down with a look. "Just go sit at the table," he said, sounding a bit more impatient than he probably intended.

Cass quickly went to find something that could be used as an ice pack while Suzue pulled out a chair for Katou. The older woman returned with some ice wrapped in a towel shortly after Haru managed to situate himself in the chair.

With everyone but Hiro now in the kitchen, Daisuke decided it was a good idea to sit down with the others and eat. "I checked the weather," he stated, "and it looks like the rain isn't expected to let up until later tonight."

Hoshino pulled out his phone to verify this claim. He also took the opportunity to send a text to his division chief explaining the situation. He noticed Katou downing some pills out of the corner of his eye, wondering if he'd talked to his director as well. He dismissed the thought a moment later. It wasn't any of his business, after all. "I hope you have something figured out for the day," he said instead, addressing Daisuke.

Wiping some crumbs off his hands, Daisuke took the opportunity to sip some orange juice. It was freshly squeezed, which he appreciated. There was a decided difference in taste. "I was thinking of doing some research," he stated. "In light of current conditions, I thought it best to try and keep things as low maintenance as possible."

That was all fine and dandy, but Hoshino wasn't exactly sure what he could do while they did whatever research. He was aware of the AI HEUSC but had never worked with it and wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to do so either. If he'd thought to bring his work laptop with him, it would be a different matter entirely, but he hadn't. He didn't even have a change of clothes for the next day.

"I was hoping you'd be of some assistance," Daisuke continued, looking pointedly at the Division One detective. "With Katou's injury, he'll need to take things easy. That and I'm sure we can discuss other matters you might have on your mind."

Daisuke's offer wasn't exactly what he'd expected but he wasn't about to turn it down. "Fine by me," he said as he took a second muffin. They were quite tasty, even with the bits of fruit inside, something he wasn't exactly used to. Then again, he wasn't used to muffins in general. It must be an American thing, he supposed.

Katou reached for a banana. Thanks to the Kambe budget, there were plenty of other fruits on the table as well, but he wasn't as sure of them as he was the ones more familiar to him. "Did you need my help with that?" So long as he wasn't required to do any heavy lifting, he felt sure he could handle things. He doubted Daisuke would ask him to do anything that would cause further injury.

"We still need to go through those files you brought," Daisuke said with a bit of a down turned expression. "Though I'm not sure how helpful they'll be to the current investigation."

Cass looked over at that. "Files?" She hadn't been there when the men had brought them in so it was understandable she was confused.

Katou wiped his lips. "Just some files I brought from the office," he answered. "I was supposed to go through them earlier but one thing led to another."

The proprietress looked mollified by this answer as she bit into a breakfast cookie. She didn't miss Suzue looking over at her cousin with a look she couldn't quite read, though she might call it nervous. "I suppose I can keep an eye on Hiro then." Her shoulders slumped just a little. She hadn't forgotten her promise to talk to Daisuke about the Amesbury murder, but wasn't looking forward to it.

"I'm sure we can find something more enjoyable to do," Suzue interjected. "We never did finish watching those Kaiju movies. Perhaps we could do that while Hiro sleeps. He was still asleep, right?" She glanced at Daisuke.

Kambe nodded as he chewed, then swallowed. "Yes. I'm sure Baymax will alert someone if Hiro wakes and needs something. In the meantime, I want to go over any security footage from last night, just in case."

Realizing the head of the house was finished eating, Hoshino almost stood but sat back down. Apparently they weren't standing on ceremony, which was just fine with him. "I'll help Katou when he's ready," he decided.

Daisuke gave a nod as he headed towards the exit. "I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me."

Now minus one Kambe, Suzue wasn't sure what to do. "I suppose I should wait and help clean up the kitchen," she thought out loud. She'd had more than ample chance to eat before the boys had shown up. In an effort to get ahead of things, she went to fill the sink with soapy water, just like she'd seen Cass do only the day before.

In answer to her question, he took up the now loaded tray. "I am. And don't worry about cleaning up. We'll figure something out later." That said, he headed out of the kitchen, leaving a speechless Cass and Suzue behind.