Check 46 - Plans are nothing. Planning is everything

As soon as the Division One detective left the kitchen, Daisuke turned to face Hiro. "I didn't want to bring this up with Hoshino in the room, but I have to ask. Earlier, when Suzue contacted me about a potential intruder, it seemed you had a good idea what that might have been about. But, when you mentally looked around, you didn't mention anything out of the ordinary."

Hiro paused on his way to the dish cabinet. Leave it to Daisuke to notice something small like that. Well, it was better it be him than Hoshino, though he felt certain the other detective wasn't going to just leave well enough alone. He might use alternative ways of getting the info he wanted, but he probably wouldn't just drop it. "I did."

While waiting for the teen to decide to answer in more than a two-word sentence, Daisuke transferred the wok to a cooling board he had placed on the staff table. This week had been, by far, the least formal since university. His head was still whirling with all that had happened, even if he didn't want to show it.

Dishes now in hand, Hiro made his way back to the table, careful not to drop any of the ceramic. The earthquake had diminished their supply a little, but there still seemed to be plenty. He just didn't want to help decrease that further. He set the dishes down with a sigh. "The energy wasn't all that strong," he admitted. "But I got the sense that Aunt Cass had a visitor."

"A visitor?" Daisuke wasn't sure what to make of that announcement, his muscles temporarily tightening at the possibility of there being a malicious intent behind whoever it was. But he just as quickly relaxed, mostly due to the fact that Hiro didn't seem concerned by what he'd said. That and his diaphragm didn't care for the exercise. Thankfully, he'd already put the wok down, placing the dish towel he'd used to protect his hands against the heat off to one side.

Now setting out the dishes at each chair, Hiro sort of skirted around Daisuke, mostly because he hadn't moved after putting the food on the table. "I didn't want to mention it because it would only bring up more questions," he admitted. "But I'm pretty sure Cass got a momentary visit from Loki."

This time Daisuke did stiffen up and didn't immediately relax. He might know as much about the Asgardian as others, but what he did know was not considered good. He couldn't help but wonder, once again, what kind of relationship Hiro and Cass had with the man, and whether or not it had anything to do with subterfuge or similar on the God of Mischief's part. Despite the somewhat accepting comments from his relations, he couldn't help but feel that Loki might have duped them.

Hiro shrugged, not missing Daisuke's reaction. "I know. I know. God of Mischief bad. Blah. Blah. Blah. Tony Stark felt the same way, until I accidentally sent him against the wall." He looked a bit chagrined at that. "Definitely not what I'd had in mind at the time, but he was being really annoying and wouldn't listen."

"Imagine that," Daisuke said in a dry tone. Tony Stark did have a reputation of having a huge ego and not necessarily listening to others. The man often thought he was right, even if he wasn't always right. He supposed it was the curse of a genius, which he occasionally fell into as well. "Wait. You sent him flying?"

This time Hiro couldn't help but smile at the recollection. "We were at Stark's Los Angeles home and Loki was masquerading as my bodyguard. Since he'd use his magic to transform his appearance, Stark didn't find out until we'd already sort of moved in for the duration. He just happened to come home when Loki wasn't in bodyguard form and about went ballistic. I was in what I guess could be called 'god mode' at the time and sort of blasted him with a lot of energy that sent him flying against the far wall. Needless to say, it shocked the crap out of him. He looked like a fish out of water."

Daisuke's eyes widened considerably at that. "I see." He wasn't sure what else he should say about that. The idea that Hiro was capable of that wasn't even the strangest part of the whole conversation. Especially not after the other day when he'd witnessed whatever energy the teen had somehow amassed, sending everything in his room against the wall like some kind of explosion had occurred. He supposed, in a way, it had. But to imagine Hiro having enough control to focus it on one person was more than a little nerve-wracking. He'd definitely have to make sure not to make Hiro angry.

Maybe that was part of what his possessed self was talking about, Daisuke mused, now looking thoughtful. "You must help stop certain events from happening," Hiro had said. "If you do not, the consequences will be grave." Perhaps that had something to do with it? Sending one person flying likely didn't take the same kind of energy that making a whole room fly apart did, and if Hiro's energy levels had amassed to that extent, anything overly upsetting might literally create a path of destruction.

Daisuke checked his thoughts, reining them in a little. Hiro had mentioned how something had intervened, so it was possible the power they'd all felt from that incident hadn't even been his. If he looked at it from that perspective, it made things less worrisome. All the same, the fact that Hiro had somehow managed to flick a man twice his size like an insect, presumably, was more than a little intimidating. Whatever had happened to this teen to make him the way he was had to have been massive. It was a wonder he hadn't exploded.

It helped that Hiro hadn't sounded like he'd enjoyed seeing Tony Stark in the compromising situation he'd basically put him in. He had stated events as fact, with no emotion. Daisuke could appreciate that. "I'm sure Mr. Stark didn't appreciate being lied to about that. Though I'm sure there's much more to the story."

This time Hiro gave an almost nervous laugh. He was about to explain further when they heard voices out in the hallway, mainly those of Katou and Hoshino. Hiro straightened the last place setting before heading to his desired chair. Baymax, during all this time, had remained observant near the table since his services hadn't been needed.

A moment later, Katou and Hoshino entered the room. They were closely followed by Cass and Suzue. Katou did look a bit groggy but everyone else seemed more than awake. Suzue had a tablet under one arm, which she set on the table next to her once she sat down.

"Not sure what that's supposed to be," Cass spoke as she, too, took her seat, "but it smells pretty good."

Behind her, Daisuke gave a bit of a scowl, which he smoothed over just as quickly. So what if he wasn't that great of a cook? He'd done his best, and she'd at least said it smelled edible, which was a plus.

Hoshino sighed as he took a chair. "It's supposed to be fried rice," he admitted. "But I had to let Daisuke take over when I cut my hand." He held up his bandaged hand as evidence. "He actually did the majority of the work."

Eyes now a bit wide, Cass's mouth formed an "oh" as she glanced over at her older nephew. "Well, I'm sure it tastes better than it looks. But I hope your hand isn't too badly injured."

"Nah," Hoshino replied. "Nothing major."

Daisuke and Hiro exchanged glances, which Katou sort of joined in on, having heard the story from Hoshino prior to coming down for dinner. Well, if he wasn't going to mention it, then they weren't either. "I appreciate that," Daisuke said as politely as he could as he also sat down, having waited for everyone else to do so before he did.

After the customary invocation of thanks, Daisuke did the honors of serving up his culinary creation. If the eggs were a bit overcooked, and the chicken a little tough, no one said anything. Not having actually cooked something on the stove before, they all considered themselves lucky it hadn't caught fire.

"This is really good," Cass complimented when she tried her portion. She supported those words with her actions, eating enthusiastically, an action that relieved various minds for different reasons. Apparently she'd sufficiently recovered from earlier to regain any lost appetite.

Daisuke smiled, looking mildly pleased with himself, previous comments about the overall appearance of the meal forgotten. Perhaps it was a bit on the child-like side of him to feel pleased that the woman he'd accepted as his aunt had approved of his cooking. Or maybe he just needed that small sense of accomplishment amid everything that had happened. Either way, he was not going to waste the warm feeling it gave him.

As the meal progressed, talk turned to the mundane, though Hoshino was required to regale them with the tale of how he'd managed to slice his hand open for those who hadn't been there. The resulting medical treatment was then discussed and eventually approved by the others, much to Hoshino's embarrassment.

Noticing that several at the table were reaching the point of being done, Cass decided it was time to bring up something she'd mulled over after waking from her nap. She looked directly at the head of house, "I don't mean to malign how you've handled things, but it might be a good idea to consider changing things up a bit."

"Explain," he requested, not sure where she was going with this.

Cass took in a deep breath, fortifying herself. "I know you've had nothing but our best interest at heart, trying to keep us all safe, but it doesn't seem to have done much to actually end things. As much as I prefer to go the safe route, sometimes it's better to tempt fate and hope for the best."

Not sure if she was saying what he thought she was, Daisuke patted his lips with his napkin before setting it down so as to give her his full attention. "Am I correct in believing you're saying it might be time to go on the offensive?"

This turn of conversation caused more than one head to turn towards the two eldest people in the room, both of whom sat across from each other. "Where is this coming from?" Katou wondered out loud.

Shrugging, Cass put her chopsticks down. "If Hiro has taught me anything in the time I've been his legal guardian, it's that sometimes you have to take risks before you can get any rewards. Trying to lock us up and away from danger hasn't done anything but make us all stir crazy and perhaps a bit more paranoid than is necessary. Don't you think it's time we invited the fight to us so we can get this done and over with? I know I don't want to live life constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if whoever is behind this is right behind me. I'd rather confront it and get it over with."

Daisuke couldn't help but blink a few times as he digested the idea. He had to admit she made a good point. Had he allowed his fear of losing the family he'd just found to cloud his judgment? And just when had he fully accepted them as family? Perhaps that point didn't really matter. What really mattered was that Cass was right. Trying to play defense hadn't netted them much success, other than gathering the pieces of the puzzle together, many of which were still missing and would likely continue to stay missing for a long time, if they were ever found at all.

"The thought does have merit," Hoshino spoke up. "Though I'm not sure how we should go about that if you do decide on it."

Suzue eyed everyone at the table, slowly chewing her food. She swallowed. "Are you saying you plan on staying even if Master Daisuke lifts the lock down?"

Now leaning back in his chair, Daisuke contemplated the possibilities such an action might initiate. He also wanted to know if Hoshino planned on sticking around or not. He had no idea what his division chief might have said on the matter, but somehow thought the man might want to see things through.

"I'm staying," Hoshino confirmed. "Though I might run home for a change of clothes."

Katou put both hands on the table, looking around with a bit of a shocked expression. "Wait, are we actually contemplating doing this? Just how would we even go about it?"

Smiling, Daisuke couldn't help but feel amused. "Simple. I tell the staff they're welcome to come back starting tomorrow morning. That gives us the rest of tonight to make any plans.

"Don't tell me you're actually contemplating going along with this?" Katou asked with a bit of heat. He glanced over at Suzue and Hiro as if to get support from them. Either way, he wasn't going to be in on much of the action and he knew it. But that didn't mean he couldn't advocate for some sanity.

Daisuke's smile grew bigger as he shrugged. "Why not? As Cass has pointed out, being on the defensive hasn't given us a lot of results as far as catching whoever is behind this. A wise person once said, 'sometimes you have to dangle your feet in the water in order to catch the sharks'."

"That's insane." Katou pouted. There was no other way of putting it. But he also knew the others were right about this. That didn't mean he had to like it. But he wouldn't forget everything that had already happened either. "Fine. If we're going to do this, we need to go in as prepared as possible." There was a fine line between courage and stupidity. He could only hope this was on the side of courage and not the other way around.

Hiro didn't comment but sort of looked around as if trying to read everyone's minds. It wasn't that he disagreed with his aunt, because he didn't. But he also didn't relish the thought that he might lose his aunt if something didn't change the outcome. He just had no idea what led up to the event he'd seen, or how to alter it. Well, some things just had to happen in the moment, he supposed. And Aunt Cass was right.

They couldn't keep going on like this. It would be no different than him repeating his timeline over and over, trying to save Tadashi and knowing he was going to fail. That was no way to live. It had taken him more timelines than he could count to finally get the sense knocked into him that Tadashi had to die. He'd hated it, but there it was. If they were going to get to the bottom of things, something had to change. Either way, this would end soon.

"If we do this," Daisuke said slowly, looking around to gauge everyone's reactions, "then I suggest recalling the staff, as I mentioned, for the morning. Once the rain stops, I can deploy the drones again. In the meantime, we can ask the MPD to keep a constant patrol around the area for anything suspicious."

Reminded that it was still raining outside, Suzue couldn't help but fidget. Without the rain, she hadn't felt as cooped up. With it, well, Cass was right about people going stir crazy. She definitely wanted to be out and about. "Should we still plan on staying on the grounds until it's all over?" she wondered out loud.

Hoshino dished up another helping of the stir fried rice. "I'd strongly recommend it," he said. "That way we can keep things contained. I'm not sure what all this plan of yours entails, but I'm sure it would be better to keep the risks as low as possible. Best to not get the rest of the public involved."

"My thoughts exactly," Daisuke agreed. "We'll obviously have to find a way to make sure our primaries are safe." He pressed his fingers together as he looked between Cass and Hiro. They had yet to agree which of the two was the main target. Though, with Hiro's premonition, he felt fairly confident in declaring it likely to be Cass. However, with Katou in no condition for combat, he was out as a bodyguard.

Cass mulled all this over, trying to figure out how to best work things. She knew Hiro would see her as the primary target. And she couldn't fault him for that. Daisuke would likely see her that way as well. "If I'm going to be shot, maybe there's some kind of bullet proof vest I could wear?"

The Division One detective couldn't help but look puzzled at that. "Shot? I know it's a possibility, but you make it sound almost like a certainty."

Freezing with her hand halfway to her chopsticks, Cass mentally kicked herself. Hoshino didn't really know about Hiro's ability to see into the future, unless he'd somehow equated his ability to predict the earthquake as such. As far as she knew, that wasn't the case.

"A possibility we'd discussed earlier," Daisuke said smoothly, straightening in his seat. "Can we at least agree that both Hamadas are the likely targets? Though I would hazard that Cass is probably the main one simply because of the dart incident." If Cass wasn't going to bring up Hiro's premonition, he wasn't either.

Hoshino sighed. "I suppose, when you put it that way, it makes sense. But we should prepare for the possibility that you are also a target." He stared intently at the head of the Kambe family. "I'm not entirely willing to disregard the rumors of an heir apparent as potential motive. If people don't like the idea of Hiro being the heir, they might not like the idea of you naming him as such either."

Daisuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, knowing he could take care of himself. "Fine. I'll be sure to take precautionary measures on my end, but I am still treating my aunt and cousin as the main targets. That being said, how can we best protect you?" He gave the Hamadas an intense look.

It was no secret, at least to the Kambes, that Hiro had his hero gear upstairs. It would be a bit obvious but would be more protection than just his regular clothes. He had no idea what all the armor was capable of, or if Hiro was even willing to use it in front of Hoshino. As for a bullet-proof vest, there were articles of clothing that could be modified for Cass's use that would look like everyday clothing, even if it wasn't her style. They wouldn't protect her from a headshot, but the prediction didn't call for one either.

"Might I suggest Mr. Katou monitor things from the usual place?" Suzue spoke up. "It's not that I don't think you're capable," she apologized to the man in question, "but, with your injury, it might be best to stay out of the line of fire. I can stay with you as support, since that will allow me to deploy any defensive measures more quickly."

Reminded of his ribs, which, thankfully, didn't hurt as much as they had earlier, Katou only nodded. "I'm okay with that if Kambe is."

At Hoshino's confused look, Daisuke nodded. "Suzue usually acts as support behind the scenes. It's probably best to not overcomplicate things by changing them up."

Since it appeared that was the only explanation he was going to get, Hoshino had to acknowledge it. "Probably wise. But what about tomorrow?" He wasn't anxious to put people in danger if it could be helped. "I can head back to the precinct and pick up a few bullet proof vests."

"Not necessary," Daisuke interjected with force. "We have a few on hand that will be more than sufficient.

Remembering the incident with the cargo ship, Hoshino couldn't help but think of the weird spray-on suit Daisuke had donned prior to driving his car off the pier. Was that what he was talking about? Maybe. He had no idea how something like that worked, or how well, but it didn't seem like he had much of a say in the matter.

"We'll go through the motions as we'd originally planned to do earlier in the week," Daisuke continued. "Since my aunt was able to extend their stay, we have time to put an end to this once and for all. Hopefully it will happen in the next twenty-four hours, but only time will tell. In the meantime, it's best to get back to basics and go from there. There are plenty of things to do on the grounds in the meantime."

His tone gave a sense of finality to the plan he'd just outlined, even if it was lacking in details. While it was never a bad idea to plan for multiple possibilities, Hoshino knew it was impossible to plan for everything. Sometimes keeping it simple was the best course of action. "I'd still like to take those files back to the precinct before tomorrow," he spoke up. "If I can get the rest of the investigation team on them, they might find something useful." He had him there and he knew Daisuke knew it.

The older man nodded. "Very well. If you'll excuse me, there are some things I need to prepare for tomorrow," Daisuke said as he stood from the table. He almost forgot to take his dishes to the sink, but thought better of it a moment later. It wouldn't do to make too much work for his aunt and cousin, assuming they would be the ones to tidy up after the meal. He wasn't sure how helpful Hiro would be on that end though.

Daisuke paused on his way out of the kitchen. "Oh, Aunt Cass, if possible, I'd like to have a word with you before the end of the night."

After he left, Hoshino looked thoughtful as he ate the rest of his food. The others didn't seem all that talkative either. But then the man decided he needed some clarification. "Did he agree that I can leave tonight or do I have to wait until tomorrow?"