The Heart of a Hamada

Disclaimer: BH6 is not mine. Kind of a bummer.

Chapter 2: From the beginning

Despite the earlier peace with her nephew she had managed to achieve, Cass just could not extend that peacefulness into her sleep schedule. Her eyes still burned due to the saline of her tears which made attempting the REM cycle really rather uncomfortable. She groaned in frustration as she tossed around on her bed, huffing several strands of light chestnut hair out of her eyes. Her bed felt too hard, her limbs surprisingly felt too long and she felt way too hot. That last part made her frown a bit for San Fransokyo had been rather cool with its weather as they headed toward autumn. And she wasnot going through the change—she was still much too young for that, thank you.

Sighing gustily, Cass heaved herself up from her bed and slipped out into the hallway, adjusting the dimmer so she would have a lighted path, but wouldn't be blinded by it. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it with water. In the back of her mind, she recalled her sister teasingly suggesting that the younger Barnes girl drink warm milk even though it just wasn't something either sibling could do despite suffering from insomnia. There was a ghost of heartache as she thought of her late sister, but that's all it was, gradually softening in pain as the years passed. Cass downed the water, grimly wondering how long it would take for the searing pain of Tadashi's death to subside for her, never mind the boy sleeping upstairs.

That was the thing about grief, it wasn't ever simple. Rather, it was like an ocean instead of a steady stream. There were moments of "low tide"; of calm and ease, the thought of moving on with life wasn't so bad and it was okay to not resent the sun for shining brightly. But then high tide could roll in out of nowhere and punch one in the heart with the reality that their loved one is gone and there's nothing they could do about it. Despite her deep love for Tadashi for he had been dear to Cass's life for all twenty years that she'd known him, she was determined to stay in the "low tide" because she was tired damn it. Physically exhausted and emotionally exhausted. Frankly, she was just so done with being sad. That in of itself seemed like a lot of work and she already had enough on her plate.

Blowing out another sigh, Cass slumped into one of the chairs at the small table and stretched her limbs. She eyed the fridge, but was too lazy to partake in "stress eating", mentally filing away the location for the chocolate chip muffin she knew was stowed away behind the metal door, saving it for when she actually counted those morning hours. If it was three AM, that was the middle of the night and nothing was going to budge Cassandra Barnes from that position. She yawned and closed her eyes only to find much to her annoyance that once again they still burned and watered and sleep just wasn't achievable yet. Briefly she wondered if she could sneak up to the attic and ask Baymax for something to aid her but then chuckled quietly as she shook her head. There was little doubt that Cass would instead receive a lecture on the health hazards of taking medication for assistance with sleep.

She stood with her glass in hand, meaning to go get another drink of water, wincing as the chair scraped loudly across the linoleum floor. She held her breath for a beat, hoping that Hiro was still asleep. She inched toward the sink when a voice called out.

"Aunt Cass?"

Cass bit back a shriek and clenched the glass so tightly that if she didn't know it to be thick, she would have feared it could have shattered in her grip. Turning, she saw Hiro standing there, large brown eyes watching her with a look of both curiosity and concern. She easily managed a warm smile. "Can't sleep, sweetie?"

Hiro returned the smile, albeit a bit sheepishly and shrugged. "I'm too keyed up for some reason and kinda thirsty." He eyed the glass in her hand. "I'm guessing that's why you're up too?"

"For the most part," his aunt agreed as she moved toward the sink, her heart rate slowing. She grabbed another glass and filled both of them up, handing one to Hiro. "And ridiculously hot for some reason."

"Well, it could be because you're—" Hiro began.

Cassandra levelled him with a small glare. "Don't you dare."

He held up his hands in a sign of peace. "I was going to ask if you're feverish. Y'know, if you don't get enough sleep your body's immune system starts to deteriorate leaving you susceptible to sicknesses and diseases." He tilted his head up toward the stairs, "d'you want me to go get Baymax and have him scan you?"

Cass smiled softly and shook her head. She took her seat at the table again, drinking some of the water. "Just let him rest in his charger. That's where he is, right?"

"Yeah," a silence fell as Hiro played with the rim of his still full glass while Cass watched him, doing her own scan and making certain that he was starting to take care of himself. Idly she wondered if it was necessary to ask Baymax to keep a closer eye on him. There was little doubt that Tadashi wouldn't have programmed such a function within his creation's parameters.

Eventually Hiro took a seat across from his aunt still playing with the glass. It seemed he wasn't just quite ready to return to his room. He had shared it with his brother and Cass was amazed that he slept in there without too much of a problem. Her heart then clenched in sadness as she imagined the little boy in front of her curled up on his big brother's bed, perhaps clenching that black baseball hat as he fervently wished for his brother to come back. Perhaps she wasn't wrong. After all, that thought was a near mental image of what she herself had done when Elizabeth died. She took a long drink of her water, forcing away that infernal lump in her throat.

She started when Hiro finally spoke. "What were my parents like?"

Cass raised a brow at that, slowly placing her glass on the table. "Why're you suddenly thinking about them, Hiro?"

Her nephew shrugged before finally taking a sip from his own glass of water. "I just wanted to fill the silence. To talk about anything and they're what came to mind." He looked up at her. "Are you comfortable talking about them?"

She grinned. "Of course, I am. We'll have to start somewhat at the beginning. You don't need to know of every detail of my sister's life before she met your father." She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, thoughtful. "Well, I guess we can start with the basics. Your mother's name is Elizabeth, her maiden name is Barnes. Our parents were so busy with their jobs and societal standing that it was often up to us to look after one another."

That and they're some of the most racist bastards I've ever known, Cass kept that view to herself, not wanting her nephew to look too deeply into the relationship he had with his grandparents. Or lack thereof. Tadashi knew, however. He'd known as soon as he learned what racism was, which if Cass was not mistaken, it was when the boy had been eight.

"There's a five year difference between the two of us, her being the older one; and her eyes were lighter than mine, closer to turquoise than my forest green. Come to think of it, there was a time when Lizzie resented the way I looked."

Hiro frowned at this, "she did? Why?"

"Well, believe it or not, it had to do with our ancestry."

Now her nephew was confused. "Our…ancestry? I don't follow, Aunt Cass."

"Patience," Cassandra replied. "I'm getting to that. See, on your maternal side you're actually descended from Great Scottian. Scottian royal lines to be exact." She rolled her eyes. "We once found an old tapestry depicting the royal family we're connected to. And I guess I somewhat resembled the queen. Though I have no idea what my sister was complaining about! She shared traits with the princess! Right down to the tenacity we heard of in legends of the great 'bear princess'." Cass paused and looked pointedly at Hiro. "It seems like you've inherited that tenacity too, young man."

Hiro did his best to look innocent. "I have no idea what you mean, Aunt Cass."

She mirrored his innocent gaze, head tilted. "Is that so, Mister Bot-fighter?"

"Hey, that's Mister Ex-Bot Fighter," Hiro retorted. "I'm a college man, now. Totally mature, bot fighting's part of a past life."

"Uh-huh."

Hiro laughed, a blush crawling across his face. "Anyway…anything more on my parents?"

Cass shrugged. "Might as well fast forward to the good stuff. Your parents met when they were sixteen and I was eleven. They were in physics together and were eventual lab partners. I remember your mom coming home and constantly gushing over how dreamy and smart Tomeo Hamada was. And to my eleven year old mind who didn't really see the point in dating just yet, your father unfortunately did prove to be intelligent and not all that unappealing to the eye. He was very kind too, although it took months for me to really believe in his kindness; I was convinced he was only playing nice with me because he was dating my older sister.

Four months into their relationship I was proven wrong when I saw Tomeo volunteering at a youth center. I was able to see just how genuine he was around other kids; he was seen as their big brother." Cass smirked and looked at Hiro with an amused twinkle in her eye.

"There were around fifty kids, mind you, and it seemed like he had a connection with every single one of them. When I apologized to him for being so judgmental, he was so happy and sheepish kinda like those 'aw shucks' types you get in anime. It turned out that he was an only child who just wanted to be like an older figure sibling to others; I guess in a way he latched onto me since I'd be around my sister consistently due to the fact that the couple usually met up at my childhood house and Elizabeth would be charged with watching over me more often than not."

Hiro's eyes were wide as he easily imagined his father as the way Aunt Cass described him. Sheepish and caring and highly intelligent. His father sounded an awful lot like Tadashi, just like Aunt Cass had said. Though to be fair, while Tadashi was known for being modest when necessary, Hiro couldn't honestly remember a time when his older brother could be described as "sheepish".

Shaking his head lightly to move past the thoughts, Hiro took a sip of water and asked his aunt, "and my mom? What were she and her…tenacity like when she wasn't being annoyed by the fact that you apparently look like an ancestral queen?"

Cass smiled, her eyes taking on a wistful quality to them as she let the memories of her beloved older sister wash over her. "We may not have always gotten along—though I guess that's typical of any familial relationship—but despite our flaws, at the end of it, she was my big sister. My hero."

Hiro subconsciously leaned closer, wanting to hear more of the other parent whose presence was elusive within his own memory. "When I was seventeen and it was time for my senior prom, your parents were actually chaperones at that dance. Elizabeth was vehement about being there; not simply to watch me at my prom, but to watch out for me at my prom. Y'see, I was more of the outgoing and trusting sibling and occasionally I made friends with the wrong types of people." She quirked an eyebrow as she looked at her nephew meaningfully. "Do remember that while I am the more going one, I still stand by the fact that your mother was the more tenacious one. She was stubborn as all get out and then some."

"I remember coming down the stairs all glammed up in my dress, make-up, done up hair and those evil, evil things called stilettos. Elizabeth loaned them to me and I figured for one night, I could endure them. By the way, how on Earth does Honey lemon manage to wear heels all of the time let alone in a lab? And that girl does not walk, she either glides or flutters. She's got more sunshine in her than anyone I've ever met." When Hiro shrugged while laughing a bit, Cass continued, inwardly beaming at the young boy's laughter.

"I had been concentrating on making it down the stairs in one piece and when I looked up expecting to see my date, I saw your parents wearing formal attire like I was. Tadeo had an embarrassed grin on his face and my big sister wearing a bright yet tight smile that screamed 'I am doing this for you because I love you and you will accept it.' I was mortified. I was seventeen! I didn't need my big sister to babysit me anymore and besides! And this is a fun fact, I was a brown belt at the time, I could've handled myself!"

She was about to go on when Hiro interrupted her. "W-wait, hold on, y-you're a brown belt?!"

"Actually I graduated to a black belt when I was in college, sweetie," Cass replied.

Hiro slumped in his seat, eyes widening to the point of fine china status. "Unbelievable. Did…did Tadashi ever know? Why didn't I ever know?"

Cass shrugged, annoyingly nonplussed according to her nephew's mental grumbles. "There was no reason for me to demonstrate my techniques and skill." A beat. "At least not in front of you." She takes a sip from her water, desperately wanting to hold onto her façade of calm when all she really wants to do is burst into peals of laughter at the incredulous look on Hiro's face.

"Wh-what?! Aw, c'mon! You gotta tell me more!" Hiro pleaded. "I mean, I always figured you were kickass in some way, I just didn't know."

She held up her hand while holding back the giggles. "That's a story for another time, kiddo. Right now I think I was explaining how your mother's tenacity and my disastrous prom night went hand in hand."

Hiro let out a loud, dramatic sigh, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling. "Fine. Leave me in suspense then."

Cass grinned. "Consider it a test of patience. One of which, you are failing at the moment. Now, I left off with being mortified at seeing your parents all ready to chaperone my prom, right?" As the young teen nodded half-heartedly, she continued. "Well, as much as my sister was adamant about chaperoning the night, I was equally passionate about her not being there." It was easy to recall the loud "conversation" the two sisters had about the younger Barnes's prom night. "I even tried getting your father on my side, but it turned out that despite being a devoted and loving girlfriend; Elizabeth had some blackmail on Tomeo that I'm sorry to say, I don't remember what it was.

Any case, I had lost the battle and when my date finally arrived, I had barely given him enough time to slip the corsage on my wrist before heading into the limo. At the very least, your parents merely followed us in Tadeo's jeep, though I suspect that's because he had half-dragged Lizzie toward the vehicle instead of allowing her to slip into our ride."

Cass laughed, "I remember feeling snarky because the night had actually gone pretty smoothly for the first two hours. I wanted to march up to Lizzie to tell her to go home, but—" Cassandra sighed, blowing hair out of her eyes. "That's when things took a sour turn. Now, I know I said I was brown belt then and that part was true. However, if you're an inebriated brown belt…well, it just doesn't matter how skilled you are. All that goes out the window."

Hiro was alarmed. "Inebriated? You don't mean…?"

She nodded once, firmly. "Someone thought it'd make the prom livelier if they spiked the punch. And my prom date whom I thought was a decent, trustworthy guy decided to take advantage of my…loosened state, shall we say. I've got to admit, the finer details of that moment are as fuzzy for me now as they were then, but I do remember Tomeo telling me a few days later, that he and Elizabeth had seen what was going on. Apparently my date was getting a little too 'friendly' with our distance while dancing for their comfort as well as mine."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Guess I did fight back. Or at least attempted to. Your dad then told me that though he had started to head over in an effort to come to my defense, he only got a few steps ahead before your mother held him back and then proceeded to demonstrate to my date just what it meant to be the older sister of Cassandra Barnes and to never ever forget it." Cass's grin returned. "I heard she knocked out one of his front teeth."

"No way," Hiro breathed, mirroring his aunt's smile with a small one of his own.

"That's what Tadeo said," she confirmed.

"Wh-what? Dad said that?" Hiro couldn't believe it. "You mean he didn't stop her?"

"Remember what I told you," Cass replied. "Your mother, my sister was very tenacious and if someone she cared about was in trouble, very fast. Tomeo didn't stand much of a chance in the way of stopping her."

The young boy in front of her leaned back and gave a slight laugh. "My mom was cool, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was. But that doesn't mean that violence solves everything. Keep that in mind, Hiro."

He nodded and then sobered up. "I wish I could remember her. Her and my dad."

Cassandra's heart ached. "I wish you could too, sweetie." She reached out and took her nephew's hand. "But just because they're not here and they're not prominent in your mind; doesn't mean that deep down in your heart, they're not there either. Because they are. And they live on in photos, on videos, in me. As Tadashi lives on in you."

Hiro kept his eyes on the table. "Right," his voice was emotionless.

Seeking to distract him, Cass offered, "want to hear more on your parents?"

A thirty second silence stretched into centuries at a deafening pace before Hiro finally mumbled, "I guess."

"Hmm," Cass looked thoughtful. "Where to begin…well, they attended the same university in New Taiork. Your mother majored in microbiological engineering and your father majored in computer software development. They both graduated top of the class. As a matter of fact, your mother was valedictorian and if I'm not mistaken, your father was salutatorian. Your mother worked in a company that was looking to develop electrochemical energy conversion and your dad actually worked for SFIT as a professor at first and then got a position at D. Ward Industries."

Hiro had already perked up at this point. "Really? That's one of Krei Tech's biggest competitors."

"Yep. He was a senior technician and software developer if I'm not mistaken," Cass glanced up at the window, catching the stars beginning to fade from their dark background into a smoky pearl grey. The clock read five forty-five AM. The café would be opening in less than two hours and they both needed their sleep. Though, if anything, Hiro looked more awake and alert than before. Well, in any case, she needed sleep.

Deciding to speed things up, Cass went on. "They got engaged in college, I think they were already that far in their relationship the night of my terrible, terrible prom. Two years after college came their wedding; another two after that Tadashi was born." She winced. "I'm sorry to say, but I missed your brother's birth; I had been studying in Belgiance for culinary arts.

Funny thing though, Lizzie wasn't really even mad that I missed the birth, after all, she had Tomeo, our parents (which still sometimes shocked Cass), her in-laws and friends for support. Nah, she was just mad that her little sister was overseas. It didn't matter too much that she was now a wife and new mother, Lizzie still felt like she had to take care of me too, despite knowing I was capable of handling myself."

She swallowed the lump returning to her throat and twitched her nose against the sudden rise of tears. Wow, she really wasn't expecting the pain and grief of losing her sister to slam into her so suddenly. Well, okay, it had been known to do that before, but not when she was in front of her nephews, not since Tadashi had caught her having an emotional breakdown ten years ago.

Like she said, she was so over being sad.

Hiro winced as he watched his aunt's mouth twist, her green-eyed gaze dropping to the table as she did everything in her power not to completely lose it. His mom sounded amazing and Cass got to live the years with her that Hiro had been denied, not to mention his father sounded like a great man whose spirit seemed to have lived on in Tadashi. Now the three of them had been lost to Hiro and Cass and it was up to them to keep them alive in other ways no matter how much the former wanted his brother to just be there in the flesh, heart beating and lungs breathing.

Now Cassandra had one fist formed and was breathing in through her teeth in an attempt to get her hitching breath under control. It was something that Hiro himself had done many times recently, so tired of succumbing to tears. He hurried out of his seat and over to his aunt's side, giving her a tight hug. "It's okay, Aunt Cass. You can cry. No judging here."

Cass laughed weakly as she leaned into Hiro's embrace, tears streaming down her cheeks as soon as permission had been given. She started to wipe them away. "I'm just…I'm just so afraid, y'know? It's been ten years since my sister's been gone. Ten years. A full decade. Yet it's like I just saw her yesterday because those memories are so strong. I…" her voice cracked. "I don't want them to fade."

Hiro bit his lip. Truth be told, he was terrified of losing his memories of his brother as well. He needed to commit Tadashi to his memory now more than ever. He was about to fish for comforting words to offer his aunt when she spoke again. "But that's our job, isn't it? To make sure that they don't fade. Like I said a few moments ago, I've got memories of your parents in pictures, in videos…in my mind. And I've got to make certain that they're strong. But, I am human…we get older, kid. Soon, it's gonna up to you to keep the family memories alive when I start to become unable to."

And just like that, Hiro finds himself not necessarily wanting to think about the future. Not when Aunt Cass is all that he has left of his family. He hugs her tighter for a few seconds before slipping into his natural façade of teenage bravado. "Psh, Aunt Cass, you're not gonna need to worry about that. I'm a genius, remember? I'll find a cure for Alzheimer's o-or a way to make you immortal. You'll be good. No memories of yours will fade."

Cass merely laughs and decides to indulge in his bravado. "And what about if you make me an android or something? Could I last longer that way?"

"Probably," her nephew replied as he turned his gaze to the ceiling as he worked out mental calculations and their plausible outcomes.

"I'm not sure if I really want to become an android, kid!" Cass laughed. Before she could go on, a third voice joined their conversation.

"Hiro?"

The pair jumped before looking up to see Baymax standing on the landing near the kitchen. "Is it just me, or do you feel like we've been busted for something?" Cass asked out of the side of her mouth.

"Oh yeah," Hiro breathed as he nodded, eyes wide.

"It is now six-fifteen in the morning," the healthcare companion stated, obviously not aware of their murmurings. "You should have been in bed seven to eight hours ago." He then turned his gaze over to Cass and blinked his optic lenses at her while soundlessly scanning her. "The same goes for you, Cassandra. Without the proper amount of sleep your bodies require, neither one of you will be fully functional which can be hazardous to your own health as well as those around you."

Cass attempted to wave him off, "I've pulled all-nighters before, Baymax. I'm pretty sure I can do it again. I'll just crash from the eventual burn out once I close the café."

"That is not advisable," Baymax replied. "Sleep is required not only for your body to function at full capacity but as well as your mind. It is best that you do not open your café today or at least do it at a later time."

Cass sighed, dropping her head into her hands and rubbed her temples as she thought. She really needed more help around the place and truth be told, Hiro was just too busy to be of much assistance and she highly doubted that Baymax was programmed to manage a small restaurant. Besides, now that the robot had said something, Cass was finally noticing that her body was demanding to sleep. She caved.

"All right," she began. "I guess we won't suffer if I close the shop for one day, maybe I can even do just a dinner rush." She glanced over to Hiro. "What about you, little man? I highly doubt your professors would appreciate you dozing off in class, though it's not like students don't do that."

Hiro laughed with a sheepish quality in the sound as he shifted from one foot to the other. "Yeah…I should probably get some sleep. I have a lot of ground to cover…I-I mean, work to do." He grinned tightly at his aunt who looked at him askance for a moment before standing up.

She wrapped him in an embrace. "Last hug," she said before releasing him. She gently patted the robot on the arm before slipping upstairs. At least now she was so overtired that she knew her sleep would be dreamless.

Cass could only hope the same for Hiro.

First I just wanted to say to all those whom have reviewed, favorite or followed this story thus far, thank you. I didn't know if anyone would like it as was half-expecting not to get a single review. Really glad I was wrong.

I know I could've gone into more detail with the past but I wasn't sure how to transition from conversation to flashback smoothly. I do have a plan to accommodate this chapter and flesh it out a little more. I'm going to make…well, I'm not sure if it's a spin-off or a companion, but a one-shot detailing as much as I can from Cass and Elizabeth's childhood to adulthood and going into the first year or so of Cass raising Hiro and Tadashi in her sister and brother-in-law's stead. Tadashi will be alive for the entirety of his part…I don't think I'm necessarily going to head into movie canon for this.

Okay, headcannon time! The whole Great Scottian descendent thing—well, first things first…are we mashing up names of countries all over the world for this universe or just San Fransokyo? Any case, Great Scottian= Great Britain and Scotland. I know Scotland is part of Britain, in case it's not obvious, I'm not all that clever with names. Now to the ancestry bit! I saw Big Hero 6 for the second time and I thought Aunt Cass's design reminded me a bit of Queen Elinor from Brave and decided to go with it. It's similarity in facial structure because Cass's hair is lighter and the Queen's eyes are brown, not green. If you don't see the resemblance, that's cool.

Also, I feel like Aunt Cass could totally kick ass if need be. Who's to say she's a damsel-in-distress, hm?

Another thing mentioning her parents being racist. I could be wrong on this but I don't think everyone living in San Fransokyo has Japanese blood in them. That being said, it could be that Cass's parents didn't approve of her sister marrying a Japanese man as Hiro and Tadashi are half-Japanese, half-American. And who's to say that the grandparents have to be dead in order for Cass to be the sole caretaker? Maybe there's another reason. But if more of the cast does have Japanese blood in them, I'm sorry I glossed over that fact and I'll correct it. Just point it out nicely, please.

Oh and a heads up, the next chapter lines up with a crucial scene in the movie and it's going to pre-dominantly be Hiro and Baymax. I'm not entirely sure if Cass will make an appearance, but she definitely will in the fourth one.