A Puzzle of Missing Pieces
Side Piece: Yesterday
©/By: Kenjaje
E/R: Tsuki Akurei
Chapter 1: Morrow
Stitch's ears twitched in the warm sunlight; his mind stirred. He opened his eyes. "When did I fall asleep?" He rubbed at the sand in his eyes and yawned; he looked around the sunlit room. Lilo's bed was empty. He turned his head from it. The place was clean—too clean. "Maybe it was Pleakly," he thought. Finally he turned to Angel's bed. She slept soundly with her hands under her pillow and her chin nuzzling the blankets that covered her.
He climbed out of his bed and slowly made his way to her bed's side. His feet stepped softly on the carpet; they were warmed as he passed into a square of sunlight. His toes popped once or twice on his way, and once he finally reached bedside, his ankle cracked the loudest. He gazed at Angel for a few moments, watching her peaceful slumber. She moved, her feet shifting underneath the covers, and pulled her right hand out from under the pillow. Her face was lost in dreams, and donned a slumbering frown.
He placed his hands on the side of her bed, and guided his lips to her cheek. He kissed her for a second's length, and moved back. Her eye twitched, and her nose wiggled and sniffed. Her mouth parted, and her head turned up just a little bit. She gazed in Stitch's direction, but had to block the light from behind her in order to actually see him. He smiled back at her.
"Good morning, Angel," he said. Angel smiled shyly; she knew what the shivers in her stomach and the tingling on her cheek meant.
"Good morning," she replied, leaning on her left arm. Stitch blinked.
"Say…again?"
"Good morning, Stitch," she repeated confusedly. "What is wrong?"
"Why Angel speak…?" Stitch tiled his head, dropping an ear.
"Why miga speak English?" Stitch nodded his head, "Ju naga remember? Miga wanted learn so Lilo understand miga better." She smiled and sat up, her legs dangling over the side of the bed. "Miga breath bad?"
"Naga," He replied, hopping onto the bed next to her, "When Angel decide?"
"Miga start yesterday, remember?" She put a hand on his. "Then why…not kiss miga…" Stitch blinked; he didn't understand what she was saying.
"Gabaju ikasha?" Angel blushed; Stitch blinked.
"Yesterday," she looked at him and said, "ju kiss miga hand…today, cheek…" she looked straight ahead, "Tomorrow…" her words trailed, she looked down with a blush and gently kicked her feet. After a pause, Stitch repeated,
"Tomorrow…gaba?" Another second's-length pause, and then Angel looked back at him and shrugged.
"Naga tukka," she said hastily, "Gabaju breakfast?" She said, hopping off the bed.
"What Stitch breakfast?" Stitch repeated, translating her words literally.
"Naga, gabaju…kashta?"
"What Stitch want?" She nodded. "Naga nota…Actually, Stitch want see Lilo." Angel tilted her head.
"Gabisha; misses Lilo already?"
"Miss? Why Stitch miss?" He asked. Angel smiled at him.
"Stitch naga stand Lilo go camp?" She cooed, leaning against the bed on her elbows, looking up at him.
"Camp?"
"Ih, Lilo go on camp for dances class. Called…field trip?" Angel asked herself, "Ih, field-trip." She said assuredly. "Lilo leaves yesterday. Stitch very forgetful." Stitch shook his head.
"Naga," Stitch said, "Lilo here, Jumba ship," he pointed outside. "Lilo naga able go, Lilo hurt." Angel tilted her head again. "What Angel pull? Is naga joke, oketaka. Stitch remember yesterday," he said, hopping off the bed. "Stitch…hurt Lilo," he recalled somberly, "and when all get back, Jumba shoot Zeus…but Stitch get in way—" His ears pulsed. "Ih, and Stitch stop! Stitch hurt hand, rukasa!" He displayed his right hand to Angel.
"Hand fine," she said, glancing over it. Stitch blinked, and looked down at it. He curled his fingers together, bawling a fist, and extended them out again. His palm was fine—but in his mind he could see the charred skin. His hand couldn't heal that fast—he could swear he was telling the truth. He looked around, and spotted the toy chest. "Stitch?" He ran to the toy chest and opened it up. Shuffling through the toys, throwing them all around, he finally found a baseball. "Hey! I just cleaned this room yesterday!" She said, reverting back to her own tongue. Stitch pointed at the ball, grunting, trying to get her to understand. "Oh, miga understand; toss to miga." Stitch smiled eagerly and gently tossed it to her. She held it in her hand, tossing it up and catching it. "Ju want play 'catch'." She said; Stitch blinked.
"Huh?"
"Catch!" Angel lobbed the ball at him; Stitch saw a flash of light as the ball collided with his head.
"Ow! Gabaju tukka!" He said, rubbing his head; the ball rolled to the side. He picked it up again and held it up in his left hand, pointing at it. "Ball plasma," he said, and held up his right hand. He emulated the action of his hand grabbing the plasma ball, using sound-effects. "Ih?" Angel looked at him for a second, and then something clicked in her expression.
"Oh, miga understand; toss to miga." Stitch smiled eagerly and gently tossed it to her. She held it in her hand, tossing it up and catching it. "Ju want play 'catch'." She said; Stitch blinked.
"Huh?"
"Catch!" Angel lobbed the ball at him; Stitch saw a flash of light as the ball collided with his head.
"Ow! Gabaju…" Stitch froze in his words—a sudden case of déjà vu hit him as he rubbed his head and watched the ball roll to the side, "tukka?" He finished his words. He picked up the ball, and stared at it for a second. "Did that just happen…twice?"
"Stitch oketaka?" Angel asked, walking over to him. She took his hand and ripped the ball from his focus; he turned toward her. She stared into his eyes with a kind expression.
"Angel crazy," he said. "Lilo in Jumba ship." Angel wrinkled her forehead.
"Ju cute when wake miga with kiss, now jusa just mean." Stitch sighed.
"Oketaka, miga soka," he said, and took her hand. "Come, Stitch show. Lilo not leave yesterday, Lilo on Jumba ship."
"Stitch, miga tells you, Lilo camp. Miga naga lies." She countered his grip. "Maybe jusa just hungry, ih?" Stitch looked down at his stomach. It started to rumble.
"Ih…" he admitted.
"Sees? Miga make ju breakfast…then go to Jumba ship. Miga show ju Lilo not there." Stitch reluctantly agreed. "Follows!" She exclaimed, and ran to the elevator. It started to go down, and he pounced through the hole and landed on the platform just as she slipped out of the opening. He chased after her. The hall was empty as he ran.
"Wow, she's fast today," he thought, as he turned left down the stairs. He hovered over the corners of the steps as he ran, trying to glimpse her running into the kitchen—but he didn't see anything. "Is she already there?" He hopped over the railing near the bottom and ran into the kitchen—empty. "Huh?"
"Look out!" Stitch turned—Angel slammed into him. "Soka…" she said, looking down at him. The sun in the window blared in his eyes, once they regained focus, and he saw her get up and extend a hand to help him. He took it with his right—and snapped it back. "Gaba wrong?" She asked. he looked at his palm.
"Nagato," he said, and got up himself. She dropped her hand almost disappointedly.
"You win," She said, looking down and to the side. "Soka bumps." She said.
"Isa oketaka," he replied. "Stitch thought Angel first though…" She shook her head.
"Ju much fastest. Miga naga chance."
"But…Angel went first," he said. Angel shook her head.
"Naga, ju iba." She retorted. "Ju win, miga makeses breakfast. Sits," she said, pointing to the table. Stitch shook his head.
"Angel not have make breakfast, Stitch make."
"Naga," She said, walking to the cabinet to pull out some peanut butter. "Dealing wases, loser makeses breakfast."
"Stitch naga care," he said, grabbing at the jar of peanut butter, labeled Fij. Something in the back of his mind was trying to get his attention, but he ignored it. "Stitch make!" He said, pulling the jar toward him.
"Miga!" She said, pulling it back. The glared at each other for a moment.
"Stitch!" He pulled
"Miga!" She pulled back.
"Stitch!"
"Miga!" They both pulled.
"Sti-tch!" He said, clamping his claws around the jar.
"Mi-ga!" She tried to pull it away.
"Sti—" A loud crack hit their ears; both of them flew back in opposite directions. Stitch fell onto his back, his fraction of the jar flying from his hand toward the window; it shattered. Angel slammed against the cabinet, breaking the door in half and wrecking everything inside; her fraction of the jar flipped backward and landed on her face. Stitch recoiled quickly, tending to Angel first. As he approached her, she pulled the broken jar off. Peanut butter covered her face, and a little bit of it dripped from her nose. "Soka…" He said sadly, and offered a hand to help her up. She clasped the sides of the cabinet, and pulled herself out. Stitch timidly backed away as she emerged. She walked to the sink and turned the water on. He followed, sort of scared she was angry.
In silence she washed her face off; Stitch glanced at the window. Nani would be furious when she found out about it. That made him uneasy too. Angel shut the water off; Stitch turned his head, and saw small cuts on her face. His eyes pulsed, and he looked at the jar on the ground. Light glinted off the serrated edges. She looked at him silently.
"Miga oketaka," she said rather quietly. Stitch clenched his teeth and wiped a large drop of blood from a deep cut. It smeared across the tips of her pink fur.
"Stitch…get towel…and band-aid." He said with a growl in his under-tone. Before she could stop him, he turned and dashed into the living room and up the stairs. In the bathroom, Stitch looked around—but there were no towels. He went to the closet, which had a note hanging on the handle. "Washing towels –Pleakly" Stitch let go of the note and went to the mirror, opening to the cabinet behind. He looked over the contents on the little shelves, and found the box of band-aids. He pulled it out and opened it up, and reached inside—nothing. He flipped it over in his hand and shook it, trying to jar loose one at the bottom. After that failed, he looked inside—empty. He tossed it away and glanced in the cabinet again, but couldn't find another box. He sighed in frustration and shut the mirror.
Grumpily, he made his way down the hall, down the stairs and into the living room. He paused, a little afraid to go back where Angel was. "She's really angry at me…" He thought. Finally, he mustered up the courage, and ran into the kitchen—empty. "Huh?"
"Look out!" Stitch turned—Angel slammed into him. "Soka…" she said, looking down at him. The sun in the window blared in his eyes, once they regained focus, and he saw her get up and extend a hand to help him. He took it with his right—and snapped it back. "Gaba wrong?" She asked. He looked at his palm.
"Nagato," he said, and got up himself. She dropped her hand almost disappointedly. His eyes pulsed, and his focused snapped to Angel. She looked back, her sorrowful face gazing at him. Something was wrong. He blinked, and finally realized—her cuts were gone. He looked to the window—it was whole.
"You win," She said, looking down and to the side. "Soka bumps."
"Angel already—" He looked back at the window, and then back at her. "Angel oketaka?"
"Ih," She replied with a smile, "Miga fine, naga worrieses." She turned toward the cabinet. "Dealings is dealings; loser makeses breakfast, miga losts." Stitch watched as she opened the cabinet—the door wasn't broken. She pulled out the jar of Fij, and opened it up. As she went to get a knife, she pointed to the table, "Sits," she said. Stitch heeded.
"How…window…?" He started to ask.
"Gaba?" She asked him. He shook his head.
"Naga tukka…" He replied. His head started to buzz. What was going on?
"Ju naga looks so good," She said, walking to the table and petting his head. "Ju fine yesterday, now sick?" Stitch shook his head. "Here," she said, handing him a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. He blinked—he didn't even see her get the jelly out. He looked at the counter; it was bare. "Eats," she said, catching his attention again. He looked at her, and then at the sandwich.
"Angel not eat?" He said, noting only one sandwich.
"Miga naga onubro." She replied. Stitch took the sandwich and tore it in half. He wolfed down one half and gave the other to Angel. She looked at him, and started to say something, but then closed her lips and took the morsel. She ate it almost as fast as he did—two bites to his one.
"Oketaka," he said, turning toward the door. "Stitch eat, now Stitch go Jumba ship."
"Miga tells you, Lilo camp," She replied. "But…if needs to, comes." She said, walking to the door. Stitch hopped out of his chair and followed her. They made their way down the quick trail to Jumba's ship. As they approached, Angel moved to the side and let Stitch open the hatch to get in. She followed his lead as he walked up the ramp. He turned to the right, and opened the door. She followed. He went into the cramped hallway, and turned to the left. Two doors were juxtaposed at the back of the hall. Above the one on the left was the number one, and on the right the number two. Stitch went to the second door, on the opposite side. Angel stopped in front of the door.
"Lilo in here," he said.
"That's the medical bay," Angel commented. "Why do you think she's—"
"Taka!" He exclaimed, and opened the door.
