Sidekick.
- Hey, Gantu, wanna sandwich? I'm making some, - said 625, stretching lazily to the nearest pile of ingredients and taking out a baguette.
- You're always making some. As long as you can't do anything else, - grumbled Gantu, but then asked hopefully, - would you make some egg salad?
- Well, I thought about making it for ya... - drawled 625, waving a handful of cheese in Gantu's direction, - but now I think you're too mean for a sandwich.
He giggled at the joke, showing the giant alien a tip of his tongue. Gantu snarled, turning away (and probably pretending) to work with their busted communications.
- Why can't you be like 626, you useless piece of fat, - murmured the former officer. A sandwich in 625's hand stopped halfway to his mouth.
- There are... lots of reasons for that! - said 625 unsurely. He laid his sandwich he didn't even taste aside and tried to take defense; - maybe I just don't want to! Why should I even try to be like him for someone like you?
- O-oh, our little tough guy is envy, huh? - grinned Gantu, leaving his work to see 625's reaction. The experiment angrily crossed his arms on his chest.
- Oh, please! It's just you and your endless whining!
- Oh yeah? And I think that's you and your endless laziness! - Gantu spitted, throwing a mocking gaze on the sandwich mess around, - I'd better stick with 626 then you!
- No, I'd better stick with 626! He's so much better than everyone else on this sticking planet, including you, fish face! - The experiment fiercely stampted his foot on the floor and walked towards the ship's exit. Gantu watched him, a little startled by a sudden outburst of emotions from a usually emotionless sarcastic creature.
- Fine! – For no reason yelled 625 from outside the ship, showing Gantu that he really is going away, heading into unknown direction. A couple of angry "Fine!"s sounded from the forest again, quieter and quieter, before it felt completely silent.
Gantu sighed heavily, falling in his chair and burying face in his hands. Why an ordinarily quarrel, that became usual for the two of them, had so easily kicked 625 off his place? Maybe Gantu pushed him too hard?
- Damn it, - murmured the ex-capitan, - fine. Fine...
He decided to go back to work to distract himself. 'Who needs that lazy experiment anyway? Those sandwiches of his are not even egg salad...' - thought Gantu, crouching under the command desk to repair the system.
In about a couple of kilometers away 625 was thinking the same thoughts: 'Who needs that lazy fat 'Gantu' anyway? He doesn't even like my egg salad...'. He walked away from the ship, angrily kicking leaves and grass that lay innocently in his way. His rage lasted only for first five hundred meters, though, and after several more minutes of walking he could feel only weariness and breathlessness.
- 626... - He sighed aloud, rubbing his face with one hand. 625 could tell he's already grew tired of thinking about him.
However, though 625 was wondering in no exact direction, he end up near the house of that earth girl Lilo. He wanted to turn away and go somewhere else (that's a pretty big island after all!), but instead sat and lay his hand in his palms. It was a good sunny day, and all the houses inhabitants were outside, doing their daily stuff. Three-legged alien ('I believe his name was Pleakley; pffft, what a lame name') that wore a colorful orange dress not every earth woman would put on, was cooing gently over a giant creature 625 considered as his creator, Jumba Jookiba, who was murmuring something in answer, uselessly trying to move one-eyed one away. The earth girl and 626 were playing. 626 mimicked shooting, barking something sharp, and Lilo was giving him commands, pointing her fingers in random directions. 625 watched his fellow number gracefully jump on one of houses walls, creep up and down on it using all sixth, then jump back and 'shoot' right into his direction. The older experiment froze, though he was already still and even breathless, so carefully he watched Stitch. 626 narrowed his eyes. And roared. Little earth girl immediately run to her alien. Though 625 didn't use his multiply talents on purpose, he had quiet acute hearing none the less, so he lifted one ear at the sound of Stitch's voice.
- Gantu's kiba!
- What? That sandwich maker guy? Why is he here?
- Naga ba.
- Maybe there's an experiment around. Or Gantu.
- Cousin? Hmm... Naga. Aka chooka goobaja?
- Yes, go check it out. I'll tell Jumba.
Girl poked her finger in 625's already-not-so-secret watch point and ran to the other side of the yard.
When 625 saw Stitch climbing up to him, his heart involuntarily skipped a bit. He had an urge to disappear, somehow escape their meeting, but his legs froze to the ground.
- H-hello there! - smiled 625, wiggling his fingers in a greeting gesture. 626 hissed at him, showing white sharp teeth in between his lips:
- Gaba a shooja?
- I... was just having a walk, - shrugged the yellow experiment nervously.
- Naga Gantu? - Stitch poked 625 in his chest. The other one sharply exhaled at the move.
- I'm alone, that piece of blubber is on the ship, - snorted the sandwich maker, - doing his stupid stuff.
Stitch's fiercely lifted spinal offshoots lay down under the fur as he gave 625 a puzzled look.
- Ashi sala a Gantu?
- We had a quarrel, okay? He was babbling crap about something very important to me! He just can't get it that I have pride too! And important things to care about. Except sandwiches. Well, anyway..., - 625 waved his hand in a gesture of confusion, sighing. 626 tapped on his chin with his claw, thinking.
- Emba chua? To Gantu? - asked Stitch, pointing at his genetic predecessor with two right hands.
625 looked at him, absolutely surprised. He never thought he would deserve an advice from 626 himself.
- You mean I should talk with him about it?
- Ich, ich! Stitch knows fight with... friends. Bad feeling, here, - he touched his own chest with one hand and pointed at 625's with another, - Talk, - said 626 in English. 625 was always amazed by Stitch speaking. Gantu said he hated 'that annoying squeaking voice as if somebody's jumping on his stomach'. But 625 liked it - well, secretly, of course. He nodded at the other alien.
- Maybe I should. And, em… thanks. For advise, you know. I didn't expect that from you, - 625 hesitantly held out his arm to 626. Stitch shuddered, preparing for a fight, but then, seeing that the yellow experiment doesn't want (and probably can't) do him any harm, stood still, allowing the sandwich maker to give his shoulder a small pet.
- Hey, and… do you like… - Before 625 could finish the sentence or do anything else, Stitch was already gone to his little girl, - … sandwiches. Oh, okay.
625 sat on the ground and looked at his hand that had just touched 626' s fur. The experiment closed his eyes and rubbed his own shoulder with that hand, comparing the sensation and noticing with a strange kind of delight (?) that their fur are quiet alike.
The strange little ohana down near the house was reunited, and Stitch was trying to explain to Lilo what had just happened.
- Cousin achi baba baahet jiha!
Lilo raised her brow (625 couldn't actually see that, but he guessed it would be a pretty human-like reaction).
- You mean that sandwich guy had a quarrel with Gantu and is upset?
- Ich.
The girl 'hmmm'ed and thoughtfully scratched her chin.
- Well, I guess he just needed an advice. Even the bad guys sometimes need advices, - she shrugged at last. 626 mimicked her, shrugging as well.
625 sighed, for perhaps a hundredth time this day.
'Sometimes I really wish I could be on that girl's place', - he said more to himself then to someone else (as long as there was really no one besides him). He couldn't see, but Stitch's ear twitched at the sound of his voice.
- 625... Strange, - said 626 to Lilo, grabbing her by her dress.
- Well, of course he is. A normal person wouldn't survive with the Big Dummy. It's like adaptation! - Lilo smiled. Stitch threw a puzzled look at her, but she only laughed and waved her hand to the house.
- Come on, Pleakley said dinner is ready!
A/N: Well, in this chapter I tried to show 625's feelings (sympathy? passion? love?) to one other character we all know without telling it straight. Did I succeeded? Now I'm making the second chapter. Will it be interesting for you to read continuation of this story? R&R, for talking is love and fun!