I do not own Lilo and Stitch. Zee and Kyle Ripper are my OCs.
Finder
It was around midnight when Lilo awoke with another headache. She rubbed her temple gingerly and moaned softly.
"Lilo okay?" Stitch whispered, peering at his best friend with concern.
"I'm fine. I'm just going to get a cool cloth for my head," Lilo assured him. "I'll be back soon."
"Okay." Stitch curled under his covers and drifted back to sleep.
Lilo climbed out of bed and went down to the main floor. She was about to head for the hall closet when a soft voice called her name from the living room. Lilo went across the hall and peeked around the doorframe. "Pleakley?"
"I thought it was you." Pleakley pushed the pause button on the remote. "Does your head hurt?"
"Yeah," Lilo admitted. "I was just about to get a cold cloth for my head."
"How about an ice pack instead?"
"I don't think we have any."
"Then we'll be creative." Pleakley got up from the couch and ushered Lilo into the kitchen. He opened the freezer and found a plastic tray full of ice cubes. "We got the ice, now we just need a bag."
Lilo opened a few drawers before coming across the one that contained a box of plastic baggies. "Found the bag!"
"Perfect. Put them together and voila!" Pleakley poured some ice into the baggie and handed it to Lilo. "You now have an ice pack."
Lilo pressed it against her temple and sighed with relief. "That feels much better. Thanks, Pleakley."
"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find out if Annie and Robert are going to get back together or spend the rest of their lives miserable without each other."
"Can I watch the rest of the movie with you?" Lilo asked hopefully.
Pleakley smiled and ruffled her hair. "Nice try. But you're grounded, missy. That means no television. Now off to bed with you. Little girls need their rest."
"Alright," Lilo sighed. "Good night, Pleakley." She gave him a hug and returned to her dome. She snuggled back under the covers and pressed the make-shift ice pack to her head. The pain subsided, and she fell back asleep.
...
The following morning found the Grand Councilwoman in a video conference with Cobra Bubbles. The leader of the galaxy tapped her long fingers against the silver control board. "Are you certain that this is not just the ramblings of an unstable mind?"
"I can assure you that this man is completely stable. He clearly said he saw a mermaid in the oceans of Kauai. Right after he suddenly crashed into Lilo and Stitch," Cobra stated. "I found this to be suspicious and thought you would want to hear about it."
The Grand Councilwoman narrowed her black eyes. "I am glad you did so. It is obvious that 000 is already causing chaos by injuring innocent locals."
"You believe 000 caused Kyle Ripper to lose control of his surf board?"
"Most definitely. She must be apprehended before she can cause any more damage. Do we know what form she is in?"
"Negative. Our witness did not get a clear view of her face." Cobra removed his shades and frowned in thought. "I will continue to investigate and I shall keep a close eye on the Pelekai family."
The Grand Councilwoman softened her expression. "How is Lilo doing?"
"She's fine. She received a rough bash to the side of her head, but she'll recover quickly."
"That's good to hear.000 will certainly pay for that poor girl's injury. I will send over Captain Gantu to assist you. I believe the island knows him as a Samoan?"
"That is correct. I will contact you if anything else comes up," Cobra assured her. "Good day."
The Grand Councilwoman clicked the holographic screen off and pushed the green button on the side of the control panel. "Captain Gantu, report to my chambers immediately."
In mere seconds Gantu was there, hunched over in the Grand Councilwoman's chambers with his hand raised in salute. "Yes ma'am?"
"You are to depart for Kauai immediately to assist Cobra Bubbles in discovering the location of 000," the Grand Councilwoman instructed. "She is indeed on the island, and I want you to keep watch on Lilo and Stitch. You know how stubborn they can be and 000 has already injured Lilo."
Gantu's eyes widened. "What?"
"She's fine, but it could have been a lot worse. 000 even had the audacity to save Lilo and Stitch before disappearing."
"She's toying with us," Gantu growled. "She must know that Lilo is close to you."
"It's a possibility," the Grand Councilwoman agreed. "That's why I'd like you to keep an eye on Lilo and Stitch while you are on Kauai. The last thing we need is for them to go looking for 000 by themselves."
"I will make sure nothing happens to them," Gantu said determinedly. After the Leroy battle, Lilo had taken his change of heart very seriously and told him he was now a part of her beloved 'ohana. Since then, Gantu had grown very fond of the little Hawaiian girl, and even her trog wasn't as bad as he once believed him to be.
The Grand Councilwoman smiled slightly at his determination. "I believe you. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, your highness." Gantu departed from her chambers, wanting to waste no time in getting to Earth.
...
Unaware of the accumulating difficulties she would soon face, Zee was pacing the attic, the dust tickling her nose. She sneezed for what had to be the tenth time that morning. "I can't take this anymore," she moaned.
She rubbed her red nose and yanked the attic window open. The fresh air came as a wonderful relief. She slid down the drain pipe and landed neatly on the ground. Taking a long breath, Zee sighed happily. No more dust.
Now what can I do? Lilo and Stitch are grounded for a month, and it wouldn't be wise to sneak in while Lilo's sister is all riled up.
Zee hummed in thought, wondering how she could waste the day away.
I suppose I could see if that surfer guy is at the beach. I would feel a lot better if I knew exactly how much he had seen.
Mind made up, Zee headed for the beach. If Surf Boy happened to know more than he should, then it wouldn't be her fault if something unexpected happened to him.
...
Lilo stared out the window, arms hanging limply over the side of her bed. She and Stitch had done everything they could possibly think of to amuse themselves, and they had run out of ideas by late morning. They had made a fort out of the pillows with Stitch pretending to be a dragon guarding the castle. Lilo had re-read all of her voo-doo books and had given Scrump the surgery that she needed. Now the two were bored out of their minds.
"Do you think Zee will come down?" Lilo asked.
Stitch shook his head. "Cousin left. Stitch saw her through window."
Lilo frowned with concern. "I hope she'll be okay. I mean, I know that the Grand Councilwoman and Cobra don't know what form she's in, but I'm still worried."
"She'll be fine," Stitch assured her. "Wanna play cards?"
"You always win!" Lilo protested. "It's no fun when you're always winning."
Just when she thought she would die of boredom, Nani called up to them through the elevator chute. "Lilo! Stitch! Someone's here to see you!"
Lilo perked up. "It must be an important someone if Nani's letting us visit when we're grounded." A horrible thought suddenly struck her. "What if it's the Grand Councilwoman?" As nice as it would be to see her, it wouldn't be nice for Zee. "C'mon Stitch!" She grabbed Stitch by the paw and dragged him into the elevator. They arrived at the main floor and the two raced towards the front door-only to run into Reuben.
"Oof!" Reuben toppled backwards and rubbed his head. He raised an eyebrow. "Fast kid, aren't you? Granted, all that experimenting hunting probably helped."
"Cousin!" Stitch exclaimed and pulled Reuben up from the floor. Reuben grinned and fist-bumped Stitch.
"Long time no see, cuz."
Lilo beamed and hugged Reuben happily. "Aloha! What are you doing here?"
Reuben smiled in amusement and hugged the girl back. "Gantu had to come here for business and I decided to tag along. Visit my cousins and all that."
Lilo tilted her head, a feeling of dread rising in her stomach. "What business is Gantu on?"
"He's helping Cobra search for 000."
"She's on the island?" Lilo tried to sound more surprised and less panicked.
Reuben frowned, realizing he said too much. "I'm not positive. It's probably just a recon of the area. Now-"He gently brushed Lilo's hair aside and studied the white bandage wrapped around her wound. "I hear you got into a little accident."
Lilo bit her lip. "Well, I went surfing without an adult and another guy crashed into me and Stitch. I guess I banged my head off of something. But I'm okay though!"
Reuben shook his head, an affectionate smile playing across his lips. "What are we going to do with you?"
"I ask myself that question every day," Nani sighed and leaned against the doorframe. Lilo rolled her eyes and quickly changed the topic.
"So, where is Gantu?"
"At the beach, I think."
Lilo turned hopefully to Nani. "Can I please go say hi? Please?"
Nani frowned in uncertainty. "I don't know. You are grounded for a month."
Lilo got down on her knees and latched herself onto her older sister's leg. "Oh please? I promise I won't surf again without you or David! In fact, I won't surf for a whole month!"
Nani considered this. "Alright. I'll let you off grounding if you promise not to surf or free dive for a month. Deal?"
"Deal!" Lilo cried happily. She ran out the front door, dragging Reuben and Stitch behind her.
...
Zee walked along the shoreline, the water lapping against her toes. She pushed her shades over her eyes and scanned the crowded beach. She couldn't see Surf Boy anywhere.
Her attention drifted to the waves. She spotted the familiar sandy hair out in the distance. She was certain that was who she was looking for.
How am I supposed to get him over here? Zee thought. It would be odd for her to call him over, considering he didn't even know her. And there was no way she was surfing again.
Looks like some shape-shifting is in order.
Zee continued her walk until she came upon a deserted section of the beach. She waded into the water until it was up to her stomach. She closed her eyes and waited until she had transformed into a dolphin. Chattering in satisfaction, Zee swam over to where Kyle was and positioned herself under his board. She flicked her tail gently and Kyle flew off his board, splashing into the water. She popped up and took hold of his board and swam away, leaving behind a bewildered and slightly terrified surfer.
Zee swam back to the secluded spot and transformed back into her human form. She tossed the board among the rocks and walked back to the busy part of the beach, where she was certain the teen would emerge. Okay, that was bit cruel, but the look on his face was pretty funny.
...
Kyle climbed onto shore his expression one of disbelief. "A dolphin ate my board," he said to himself, wondering why these weird things were happening to him of all people.
"That sucks," a voice behind him said.
He jumped in surprise, and whirled around. He stared at a little girl with a sympathetic stare. "Hey, you're one of the kids that I crashed into, right?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to say thanks for saving my life." Zee smiled. "I really appreciate it."
"Actually, it was a mermaid who saved you."
Her shades covered her expression, so Kyle wasn't sure if the kid thought he was crazy or not. "Really? What did the mermaid look like?"
"I didn't get a clear view," he sighed. "But wouldn't it be cool? Mermaids in Kauai. That would bring tourists in like crazy!"
"I guess it would," Zee agreed. "Listen, I have to go. I convinced my mom to stop here so I could see if you were around so I could thank you. I'll see you around."
Kyle waved. "There's really nothing to thank me for, but you're welcome." He watched the girl head for the parking lot. "Nice kid."
...
Zee smiled in relief as she walked through the parking lot. Surf Boy didn't know anything. That was a load off her-
Oh no.
Zee widened her green eyes as she stared at the twenty-foot tall Captain Gantu. He was dressed in a yellow Hawaiian shirt, blue shorts and was wearing shades as well. What was he doing here?
The Grand Councilwoman must have sent him.
Terrific. Now she had to avoid the Captain as well as the ex-CIA agent. Why couldn't they just give up already?
She was about to turn around when she noticed a strange creature that Gantu was talking to. It looked like an anteater, with a really long nose. It had to be an experiment, but which one was it?
Wait-long nose? That was the main feature of Experiment 428. But wasn't he built to-?
She gave a squeak of fright as the Captain showed the experiment a picture of her in her alien form. 428 sniffed it- and looked in her direction.
Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no.
She turned on her heel and raced into the crowd of people milling about. She walked quickly towards the forest that was on the opposite side of the beach. As she frantically pushed her way through the people, she looked back and saw 428 sniffing the ground and following her trail with Gantu following behind the experiment. He was walking quickly and talking into a space phone. Lilo and Stitch (who had just arrived for who knows why) stood at the edge of the parking lot, staring open mouthed at her with panic flashing across their faces.
Oh, blitznak.
