Another Time, Another Place
"Stitch! Keep up or you'll get lost!"
He just couldn't help himself though. He had only been living on Earth for a few months now, but everything was still new to him, and being as curious as he was he had to see everything. Walking on all fours like a typical Earth canine he did his best to keep an eye on the group as they walked through the marketplace. But every once in a while someone or something captured his attention long enough for him to begin falling behind again.
Yuuna's father had been doing so well at work lately that he was able to send some extra money to her and her grandmother, Obaa. Together, Yuuna, Obaa, Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch had decided to use the money to take a cruise to the Hawaiian islands; today the family was going to visit Kauai. While they were there they happened to come across the small village community of Kokaua Town and decided to stop for lunch. However they found it to be so quaint and charming that they had to stay longer to explore.
The island, Stitch discovered, was a lot like Izayoi back home so it was easy for him to adjust. Both places were small island communities with warm tropical climates, both offered exotic delicacies and best of all hospitable people. The only differences were the sights, sounds, smells and cultures.
Stitch sniffed the air and scrambled frantically to a food vendor selling Hawaiian treats. A lady standing in front of the shop smiled at him as he approached thinking he was just a normal dog begging for food. She took one of the small cups of fresh pineapple slices off of her tray and held it out to him. Stitch stood up on his hind legs and grabbed the food from the lady, surprising her. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole, then grabbed the entire tray and gulped its contents down as well.
"More, please!" He said as he handed the empty tray back to her but the poor lady just screamed and ran away down the street. Stitch just stood there puzzling as he watched her go.
The pleasant smell of meat being cooked found its way to Stitch's nose next. Following the scent Stitch found himself in a small covered picnic area where there was a large pig roasting over an open fire in the center. The picnic benches surrounding the area were filled with hungry people waiting to be fed.
A table filled with hors d'oeuvres sitting near the fire pit caught Stitch's attention.
"Oooooo-OOOOOOOO!"
Hopping up onto the table Stitch began to help himself to the various plates of meats, desserts, fruits and vegetables, enjoying all of the flavors as they spilled down his throat.
"Bad dog!!! Get off of there!!" Stitch suddenly felt himself being struck by a broom. He turned his head to see a large Hawaiian man getting ready to hit him again as two more men charged him. Deciding he had worn out his welcome Stitch dropped the food he was holding and split, the three men behind him yelling curses at him as he disappeared.
Stitch reached the edge of the village before he decided he was safe. Sitting with his back against a building he began to wonder why some of the people here were so angry. He would have never been treated the way he just was back in his own home town and he began to wish he was home. Home.
Suddenly an unnerving feeling crept over him; during his little fiasco in the village Stitch had completely forgotten about his family. By now they could be on the other side of town or, worse yet, they could have already left town without him. Yuuna had to repeatedly remind him to keep up with them so he wouldn't get lost, and because he had chosen to ignore her he was now scared and alone.
He stood and perked his ears up, hoping to at least hear a familiar voice. He turned his head in another direction and waited but still nothing.
"I'm lost!!" He cried.
He heard children's voices in one direction and turned his head in time to see five girls emerge from behind a building, the one leading them was wearing a red dress with white flowers. His heart leapt with joy, maybe Yuuna had separated from the family and had gone off to look for him.
He began to trot happily toward the girls but stopped in his tracks when he heard yelling. He realized that the four girls were actually picking on the one girl he thought was his friend, and that the girl leading the other three, a red headed girl with big glasses, was instigating the fight.
He saw the girl in the red dress turn around and yell an insult right into the face of the red headed girl who then responded by pushing her backward and into a puddle of mud. The four other girls began laughing as they walked away, calling the girl who fell into the mud "Weird-lo", or something like that.
When he was sure they were gone Stitch began to run toward the girl once again, believing it was Yuuna the four strangers were bullying.
The girl in the mud sighed and sat upright, wiping the mud out from her eyes by the time Stitch arrived.
"Yuuna Okitaka?" He called out to her. The girl jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and turned around to face him. That was when he got his first real good look at her and saw that this was not his Yuuna; This girl was much shorter, was Hawaiian and she had long black hair. The girl sniffled a little bit as she stared at him with her large chocolate-brown eyes.
"H-hi, boy!" The girl called out nervously as she stood up. Stitch had no idea what he should do.
As she stepped out of the puddle onto the grass right next to him he began to take a few steps backward, ready to flee if this encounter should turn out bad. She seemed to sense his uneasiness.
"It's ok, boy, I wont hurt you. My name's Lilo. Do you have a name?"
Stitch eyeballed Lilo again before deciding that she wasn't a threat. He stood up again on his hind legs and smiled at her.
"Watashi Stitch!" He replied. She raised an eyebrow at him before he remembered that they didn't speak Japanese on this island. "I mean, my name… Stitch."
"Aloha, Stitch!" Lilo said and smiled back at him. This time it was Stitch's turn to give her a confused look.
"…That means 'hello' and 'good-bye' here." She informed him. "So, Stitch, where are you from?"
He thought about telling her everything, that he was an illegal genetic experiment from outer space who crash landed here on Earth while escaping his evil genius creator, but stopped himself knowing she would never believe him.
"Izayoi, small island off Okinawa, Japan." He finally responded.
"So… can all dogs where you're from talk like you can." Lilo asked him.
"Naga! Stitch special. Stitch one of a kind." He answered proudly.
"I see." She replied. "So how did you get here? Did you come here with your Ohana?"
"Ih, but Stitch got separated. Ohana lost." He said sadly.
"I can help you find them if you'd like." Lilo offered. "But first, have you ever been to a hula before, Stitch?"
"Gaba hula? Is that like Karate?" Stitch inquired.
Lilo chuckled. "No, hula is a dance that we do here in Hawaii. It's like telling a story using your body."
To demonstrate Lilo began doing a hula for him. Stitch was in awe of the graceful movements of Lilo's body.
"Wow, Lilo good!" Stitch exclaimed, clapping his paws.
"Thanks." Lilo said while bowing. "I've been taking hula lessons since I was really young. My mother took hula before I was born and I want to be just like her.."
"Lilo and mom do hula together?" Stitch asked.
Lilo's face suddenly dropped and she closed her eyes. She hung her head as a teardrop fell from her eye.
"I don't have a mom… or a dad anymore." Lilo started in a solumn voice. "They died in a car accident when I was really young, I hardly even remember them anymore. The only thing I have to remember them by is an old picture." Lilo sat down on the grass and hugged her knees to her chest.
"I live with my older sister in my family's old house. She tries to take care of me the best she can, but truthfully, we just barely get by. She works all the time and I'm mostly all by myself. I take hula classes to be with other people my age and to remember my mom."
"Where Lilo's friends?" Stitch asked.
"I don't have any. I try to play with Myrtle and her friends, but they're always mean to me. They think I'm weird and they call me 'Weird-lo' and push me in the mud." Lilo said pointing to her muddy muumuu. "The only real friends I've got are a fish named Pudge and my doll, Scrump."
Stitch stood there waiting for her to continue, but Lilo began sniffling and sobbing. He walked up to her to gently put his paw on her shoulder in comfort, but she shrugged it off and turned her back to him. He hated to see humans cry and desperately wanted to do something to help her.
He began to analyze the short time he's spent on Earth, and the friends and families he's met. He also thought about Yuuna, and his first impressions he had about her after their first meeting.
Yuuna was head strong, stubborn and very independent. She was a person who was never afraid to speak her mind and stand up for the people she loved. She stood up to Koji and his gang many times and helped their friend Kijimuna fight a bully Yokai back home. She and Obaa welcomed Jumba, Pleakley and himself into their family, and he loved her dearly. But… was that truly where he belonged? Was he really supposed to land here?
For the first time in his life he began to question the hand fate had dealt him. Even though he had just met this young girl he felt a connection to her. This girl was so sad and fragile, he wanted to take her under his wing, as he had Yuuna, and protect her. Part of him wanted to stay here, but, he had met Yuuna first and had already told her he would protect her. She could get along just fine without him, right?
No, he finally decided, but he would do the next best thing. He walked around Lilo, knelt down and gently lifted her chin with one on his fingers. She stopped crying and looked up at him.
"Ichariba Choode." He told her warmly.
Lilo wiped the tears out of her eyes with her arm and gave him a confused look. "What?" She asked.
"Ichariba Choode." Stitch repeated. "Back home it means 'when we meet, we become family'. Lilo Stitch's family now."
Lilo was at a loss for words. At first she could only stare at him but then a wide genuinely sincere smile spread across her face. She got up off the ground and hugged him so tightly Stitch thought the very life was going to be squeezed right out of him.
"Mahalo." Lilo told him softly as they continued to hug.
"Lilo! There you are, finally!" A voice called out behind them. Stitch looked up to see a very beautiful adult female wearing a pink shirt with a heart on it, blue cut off shorts and flip flops hovering over them.
"You know your hula recital is going to start soon, and why is your dress all muddy? Were you playing with Myrtle again? Come on, let's go get changed." The older woman grabbed Lilo's hand as her eyes fixed onto Stitch.
"Lilo, you lolo, you know what I've told you about being around stray dogs." She continued to ramble on as they walked. "They're dirty, unsafe, and they probably have germs or rabies."
Lilo turned around and gave him a small wave as they disappeared down the street.
"You're welcome." Stitch said aloud as he stood alone. He turned around to leave himself when he saw a familiar figure running up to him.
"Oh, thank God you're safe, do you have any idea how worried you had all of us?" Yuuna asked him angrily. "We lost precious time sightseeing just so we could try to find you, baka Stitch! Well now that I've found you let's go try to find the others."
Yuuna grabbed his paw as they took off in the opposite direction Lilo left in. Stitch glanced over his shoulder and smiled one last time as he heard beeping sounds. He extended his lower appendage and saw the numbers change on his good deeds counter watch Jumba had given him. Another job well done.
End
Ok, so this was my first fic based off of the new Stitch! series now showing in Japan. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope you get a chance to catch an episode of this excellent new show soon, if you haven't already. Its quite different from what you're used to seeing, but as a wise old baboon from the house of mouse once said, "Change is good!"