I'm sorry I couldn't update on Sunday. My family and I went to a familiar trip and I kept away from the computer for two days or more. However, I could update today. For all those who are wondering if Lilo's gonna die, she's not, but she's gonna be hurt badly, so if you're sensitive to the bloody scenes... nah, I'm kidding. It's not that bloody, after all. Hope you like it!!!!!!

WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?

Chapter 13

The unexpected happens

-Let me go, you bad clone!!!

Lilo tried to get those arms to untie from her shoulders, but he was stronger than her. The clone enjoyed seeing Lilo's efforts to get free from his arms and smirked whenever she tried to twist under him.

-I'm serious!!! If you don't let me go, Stitch is gonna…!!!

Lilo gasped when she saw Krista bending down to Stitch's body. She forgot the clone smirking at her, she forgot she was far away from Earth, she forgot she was kidnapped… now Stitch knew that Krista was alive, and that scared her… now she had surely lost all her hopes to win Stitch's heart, maybe for ever… her heart shrank at the sight of Krista bent down next to Stitch… she forced her eyes to try to see Stitch, but she couldn't see very well Stitch… the only thing she could see from him was his feet. She felt scared more than ever on her life, because she knew of the love Stitch had felt for Krista, and maybe still feel. She was so worried about all that that she didn't realized of somebody approaching them, she just heard a loud noise and realized that she was free from the clone's arms. She whirled her head to see who had freed her.

-Jumba? But how could you…?

-Ha!!! If Little Girl is wondering how Jumba could free you from that clone, then you must know that I was prepared —he said as he showed a great pan on his hand —some of the things Pleackley brought are really useful. And here's something really useful evil genius brought for you —he said as he took out a little blue bottle. Lilo recognized it quickly: it was her formula to change her form.

-But why did you bring it here? —Lilo asked as she took the bottle from Jumba's hand.

-First, Jumba thought Little Girl might need it to defend herself, and second because Jumba has seen that 620 isn't dead as everybody thought, and you might want to turn into experiment to win 626's heart.

Lilo thought about what Jumba said for a moment, but she just dropped her head as she started to talk:

-No, Jumba… I will use the formula just to protect myself, but I can't stop what Stitch feels about Krista… it's his choice if he wants to stay with her and love her again. Besides, I never had the time I would have like to have befriending Stitch as Lani, so there's no reason to think he will choose Lani. That's my experiment name, in case I didn't tell you. I'm sure he still loves her… just look over there —she said as she pointed to the place Krista was with Stitch. Krista was already on Stitch's arms and he was hugging her back. Lilo's eyes filled with sadness tears and her vision became blurry.

-But you love 626, right? Then why are you letting him go? —Jumba asked confused as he saw how Lilo's eyes were getting wet.

-Because of the same you just said —Lilo lift her eyes to stare at Jumba's —I'm letting him go because I love him, because when you love someone you have to let that person go and be happy, even if that means you don't see him again. I know I'll see him again because we live on the same house, but I'll never have again the chance of think of him as more than a friend. At least he'll be happy with Krista. I think I'm hurting myself thinking about all that, so I'll better go and help everybody else fighting.

Lilo ran away to anywhere else. She tried to hold the tears, but some of them were already running down her cheeks. If she had stayed some seconds more there, and if her vision hadn't became blurry she would have seen that Stitch's face was troubled and confused, and he was trying to pull Krista away, instead of hugging her back, as Lilo had thought. His head couldn't get that she was alive, and he was really confused. Some days ago he had thought that Lilo was now his love, his boojibu… but then Krista appears from nowhere on his life, and he didn't know what to do.

-Krista, but meega… meega thought Krista was dead —he uttered as he pulled Krista away from him —where was Krista all those years?

Stitch couldn't hear any reply from Krista, because just after he pulled Krista away, a strong force sent him flying and crash against a wall. He moaned when he felt his head and back aching, and saw Leroy preparing to charge against him again. He stood up quickly and began preparing himself for the attack he was about to receive. Leroy tried to assault him just like a bull, but Stitch's fist was ready and sent Leroy slipping across the floor rapidly, and he crashed against a computer.

While Stitch was trying to fight Leroy, everyone of the Ohana had someone to fight with, because at least each one of them had a clone to fight against. Nani and Victoria were helping each other as fighting with some guns Jumba had given them, while Pleackley was team-working with Jumba, Pleackley with a huge pan and Jumba with a gun.

Nani was really impressed with the skill Victoria had to aim with the guns and wondered how a little girl could aim so well:

-Wow, Victoria, I didn't know that you could aim like that. Where did you learn to do that?

Victoria just smiled as she shot against a Leroy approaching her by her back. The Leroy got stuck to the wall with a sticky, blue-ish substance (the same Link uses on his episode to link the persons).

-Ask Lilo. Playing "Wasp Mummies 5" has helped Lilo and me to improve our aiming skill. Those mummies moved really quickly —she said as she shot against another Leroy. Nani tried to aim like that to the clones, but her aiming wasn't as good as Victoria's, and her shot ended always on some wall or computer, nearly hitting some member of the family.

-I think you better start to play some videogames, Nani —Victoria said as she saw how Nani's shot tossed away the pan Pleackley had on his hand.

-Hey, be careful, Nani!!! Do you know how hard is going to be to take out that… evil substance from my pan??? —Pleackley compelled as he frowned. He didn't remember the name Jumba used for the substance, and that annoyed him a bit.

-Do not be worrying, walking noodle Pleackley —Jumba said as he approached to the sticky pan —I have some samples of mud right here —he said as he took out from his coat a test tube with the mud inside of it. He poured all the mud on the pan and after some seconds it was totally free from the glue.

-Now, can you give me the honor of…?

-Of course, walking noodle —said Jumba as he pointed to the pan.

-Oh, well, this pan is really heavy… you could at least have handled it to me so I hadn't to pick it up from the floor —Pleackley compelled —I'll go to the mall next week to buy some new pan that might be less heavy than this one.

That pan was one of those old pans that are really heavy, and Pleackley could barely handle with it. As he bent down to pick up the pan, a Leroy approached Pleackley by the back and prepared his paws to give a really good hit, but suddenly Pleackley lifted the pan with so much force that it made him to fall backwards with it on his hands. The pan hit the Leroy's head, and a loud clang was heard on the room. The Leroy just uttered some non-sense words and passed out.

-So, are you thinking the same about the primitive kitchen devise? —Jumba asked as he pointed to the fallen Leroy. Pleackley stared at him startled.

-Well, I didn't know my own power. I'm becoming stronger!!! I love this pan!!! —he said as he kissed repeatedly the pan, while Jumba just stared at him, wondering why he had befriended with that being.

-Hey, we have defeated all the Leroys!!! —cried Victoria as she pointed to the defeated experiments.

-Yeah!!! That's so good!!! Now let's take Lilo and go home!!! —cried Nani as she crashed her hand against Victoria's. Maybe what she had felt about something wrong was just fear.

-Don't cry out victory yet!!! You haven't defeated my original Leroy!!! —Hamsterviel yelled as he pointed to the two fighting shapes on the darkness.

That was true. All the other Leroys were lying on the floor unconscious or were glued to the walls with the sticky glue, but there was still one left.

Stitch was trying really hardly to defeat Leroy, but his revenge desire was making him stronger than what Stitch could stand. It was more difficult to avoid his punches with every second that passed, and he could hardly hit him. Leroy smirked whenever he punched Stitch, making him to feel more eager to get his revenge, to kill him on that way…

Everybody had silenced just to watch the two fighters. No one could do anything; the ones who had guns couldn't use them because they didn't want to hurt Stitch more than what Leroy had already hurt him. Stitch still had forces, but they were decreasing rapidly with each punch and each kick; he had never confronted a rage such like Leroy's; not even 627 had hit him like that. Unlike to him, Leroy forces seemed to increase with every punch and kick he gave Stitch. Although he was feeling weaker as the time passed, Stitch decided not to give up because of his family, and especially because of Lilo, and now… because of Krista.

Stitch jumped to his feet and hurled against Leroy; after some seconds, they were rolling on the floor, trying to punch each other… for some minutes, Leroy seemed to be the one who was winning, but other times, Stitch was the one who seemed to be getting the victory. One of those times Stitch remained upon Leroy, he prepared his fist to punch Leroy on his face, but he didn't notice Leroy's legs lifting under his stomach.

The next Stitch felt was a stinging pain on his stomach and saw for some seconds that the ceiling was under him and the floor above his head, and before he even could reach the floor, he felt another hit on his head and was sent flying until his head crashed against the ceiling. He tried weakly to take a hold of the ceiling with his claws, but his arms were getting too tired and he fell to the floor, along with a huge piece of steel from the ceiling.

Leroy smirked as he approached to the heaps of steel and wires. He was sure that 626 would resist just two hits before falling defeated on the floor, choking with his own blood… well, maybe he wasn't hurt like that… not yet. He started tossing away some of the fallen plaques, searching for 626. Everybody feared the worst about Stitch, because no motion could be noticed under the plaques. Suddenly, when Leroy lifted one of those plaques, a blue blur rushed against Leroy, making him fall to the floor.

Everybody let out a sigh of relief when they saw Stitch coming out from the steel heaps, but the tension came back as they observed them intensifying the fight they had started. Stitch was punching Leroy on his face with all the forces he had, and it seemed to be working for some seconds, but suddenly Leroy twisted under Stitch and knocked him down.

He grabbed one piece of steel from the heap Stitch had left there and approached Stitch menacingly. Stitch had just got to his feet when the huge plaque hit him and crashed against a computer. The glass pieces flew away from the computer while Stitch fell to a keyboard under the computer, tearing it to pieces as well. Some of the wires of the computer had gone out of the computer, making Stitch to get entangled with them, unable to move away from there.

Leroy dropped his steel plaque and grabbed a sharp girder from the same steel heap. Stitch had remained motionless; he hadn't even opened his eyes and he wasn't moving. Leroy approached more and more with the girder and lifted it above Stitch to give a last hit.

Jumba tried to run to help Stitch, but the clone Pleackley had hit had woken up and stopped him. He grabbed some wires and tied all the family, leaving them unable to do something too.

Stitch managed to open his eyes and saw Leroy lifting the girder above his head and made a last attempt to stop him; he pulled out his extra arms and burst the wires away. He stood up quickly and moved away just before Leroy hit the place where he had been some seconds ago. Leroy tried to take out his girder from the broken keyboard, but when the girder was out, Stitch had already hurled himself against Leroy with his fist prepared and sent him flying away until he crashed against the remains of a keyboard.

Leroy stood up quickly and hurled against Stitch too. Now he didn't try to hit him; instead he bit him on his neck. Stitch let out a loud scream of pain as he felt the sharp razor teeth sticking into his fur and then into his skin. He tried to take Leroy away from his neck, but Leroy wasn't willing to let out that part. Stitch thought rapidly on something that could help him to get rid of those teeth on his neck, but it was hard to think about anything while having sharp teeth piercing the skin under your neck.

Stitch flung himself against the floor, thinking that maybe that would make Leroy to loose his bite from his neck, but Leroy moved away when he crashed against the floor, still keeping his piercing fangs on the neck of his foe. When Stitch reached the floor, he just managed to get Leroy upon him, freezing him completely and leaving him more defenseless since they started fighting. Whenever Stitch remained motionless, Leroy's teeth pierced deeper through his neck, but if he moved trying to get away from Leroy, he just kept holding his bite there.

Everybody, except Hamsterviel of course, were staring horrified how a little stream of magenta blood started flowing from Stitch's neck, staining his ocean fur and making a little puddle on the floor. Stitch's breathing became hard; every breath meant a sting of pain on his chest and lungs, and he had already lost all the forces he had. Now he was sure that Leroy would increase the pressure on his jaw until he reached the greatest vein on the body of any living being: his jugular. Stitch had seen the blobs of blood on the ground and had convinced himself that he had not too long until he left. Leroy was a lot stronger than him, and he had no hopes: his family would see him dying right there.

After several painful seconds, Leroy finally released Stitch's neck from his razor teeth. A big smirk drew on his face, showing his magenta bloodstained teeth. Stitch was lying on the floor panting for oxygen; miraculously, Leroy hadn't reached his jugular, apparently intentionally. The oxygen started flowing back to his lungs, and now there was no pain whenever he breathed, although the blood was still flowing from his neck. He tried to get to his feet, but his limbs were too weak to make any motion, and he remained laying on the floor.

Leroy was staring at Stitch with pure loathe on his eyes. He would have desired to have increased the pressure on his neck to kill him on that way, but the worst part was still coming… at least for Stitch. His ultimate sorrow was still coming. He hadn't seen a certain person by anywhere, but he knew how to make her go out from her hiding place. He took out a gun from nowhere and aimed at a defenseless Stitch and just waited…

-NO!!!!!!!

A red blur rushed across the room and hit Leroy, making him to knock down onto the ground. He growled and got to his feet, looking for that insolent girl who had dared to treat him like that. To his surprise, there wasn't the weak, little Earth girl he had been expecting for; instead there was a beautiful red female experiment with a flower design on her chest. She was already knelt next to Stitch, staring scared at the blood poodle. She hadn't ever seen Stitch's blood, and the only fact that there were not drops, but blobs of it was more than worrying.

Stitch opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but he could realize that he wasn't alone and looked for the one who was next to him. He saw a deep red shape and tried to focus his vision.

-Lani? —he whispered when he could recognize that shape —Gaba you doing here?

-Don't worry, Stitch. I'm gonna take you home… you'll be okay, I promise.

Stitch stared into her eyes. There was a loving glance that only Lilo used when she was trying to calm him down whenever he was sad or angry, and for some seconds he imagined that Lilo was the one who was beside him. Lani/Lilo smiled at him as she scratched softly his ears and caressed his cheek lovingly, looking at him with deep love, all the contrary to Leroy's hateful glance. Stitch smiled obliviously at her too and purred slightly at her touch. He could close his eyes and imagine that there was Lilo beside him instead of Lani. She stood up and helped him to get to his feet. Stitch's forces were coming back, and now he could at least keep on his feet.

Leroy stared at them with a hatred glance and approached the red experiment. He grabbed her by her arm carelessly, taking her away from Stitch:

-Hey, what do you think you're doing, huh? —Lani compelled, but Leroy didn't take any care about her words and carried her to a near wall.

-Lani!!! Goobaja Lani, Leroy!!!! —Stitch shouted as he growled. He started to move his feet towards the two experiments, but Hamsterviel voice stopped him:

-Well, seems like this weakling wants a bit more of suffering. Leroy, can you give him what he wants???

Leroy just growled as he tied Lani's hands with some handcuffs. Stitch hadn't noticed it, but Krista was there too, as well with the handcuffs tying her hands. As Leroy tied both of them, two hideous guns went out from the ceiling and aimed at both of them. Stitch stared at them worried, not knowing what Hamsterviel wanted. Something inside of him told him that something was going to end on a bad, a really bad way.

-Now, as you can see, 626, these two guns are aiming just to your two little friends. I'll have some mercy for you. Only one of those guns is going to shoot plasma, and the other is going to do nothing. As I know, no one of your girlfriends is bullet-proof or fire-proof, so the result will be catastrophic on one of them. You'll decide who's going to be saved: your former girlfriend, or your "new" friend. You have only ten seconds to decide —Hamsterviel pointed to the two girls and smiled to himself. His plan was going out perfectly by now.

Stitch tried to run towards the two girls, but his legs were just getting right from his former weakness, letting him to do nothing but just walk slow and painfully. He noticed how every time the girls moved, the cannon of the guns followed their moves. There was no escape.

-Five… —the computer beeped slowly.

-Oh, I was wrong… you had only five seconds —Hamsterviel smirked as he observed Stitch's efforts to get to his friends.

-Four…

Stitch glanced to the computer counter. The number three was twinkling weakly, and he intensified his efforts.

-Three…

Lilo was staring at Stitch. He wouldn't get there in time. For first time on her life, his best friend might not be there in time for her, and no one could save her. She was totally alone… alone.

-Two…

Krista was staring worriedly at Stitch too. He had understood their fate… one of the two girls was going to be hurt, maybe even to death.

-One…

The guns' cannons started to shine with a red light as they lifted. Krista and Lilo stared at each other worriedly while some tears started to trail down their cheeks.

-Aloha, Lilo.

-Aloha, Krista.

After the two girls said their farewells, they closed their eyes, waiting for the last shot.

-Activating the guns… now — the computer beeped tonelessly.

Stitch's eyes widened with worry and sorrow. Now he had understood what Leroy and Hamsterviel had meant when they said they wanted him to suffer. They had hurt him, but now they were going to kill one of the two girls he loved the most. He had barely met Lani, but somehow he felt he had known her from all his life. He saw how the guns lifted and understood… he wouldn't get there in time.

A bright light went out from one of the guns and a plasma shot followed the light, approaching rapidly to the blue furred experiment.

-NO!!!!!!!!!

The shot didn't reach its objective. The bright green light crashed against another thing. A dense smoke filled the room. There was some kind of smell inundating the room, something that smelt of something burned.

Everybody coughed as the smoke filled the room. The ones who were tied with the wires didn't know what had happened. Jumba, Victoria and Pleackley knew who Lani was, but though Nani didn't know, she was worried too.

The smoke dissipated slowly. The soft lights of the ship revealed a shape of someone lying on the floor motionlessly. Stitch's eyes widened and his jaw dropped almost to the floor when he recognized the red shape:

-Lani!!!

He didn't take care about the pain stinging on his neck, or the weakness on his legs and arms. He rushed to her side and knelt next to her. The memories of his dream inundated him again. Lani was lying on the floor, surrounded by a little puddle of her own blood. Stitch focused his vision on the blood and felt his own blood getting frozen… the blood was a crimson color, just like humans…

He took her on his arms. The blood was flowing plentifully from the right side of Lani. She had a huge gash crossing her right side to her chest. Her beautiful white fur was stained with the reddish liquid. It had no sense for Stitch: everything was happening so fast that he wondered if he wasn't having another horrible nightmare. His question was replied quickly. As he held the little weak female, her fur started to disappear, and her long, black antennas cut up to large, silky hairs. Stitch stared startled at all this transformation. Finally, the red experiment disappeared, leaving instead on his arms a little, weak girl with a huge gash on her side. The blood was covering almost all his red muumuu, staining with red the white leaves on it. The blue female was staring at the scene respectfully at certain distance, with some tears on her eyes.

-Lilo??? What happened? —he asked, oblivious about his perfect English. He only cared about Lilo now… he feared the worse about her, and did want to believe it was just a horrible nightmare, but everything was too real just to avoid it…

Lilo coughed out some of blood. She tasted that metallic flavor on her tongue and passed her hands through her mouth, finding it covered completely by blood. She opened her eyes wide at the sight of her own blood, but suddenly a keen pain stung her on her right side.

-Stitch… coughs

The tears started inundating Stitch's eyes. "Please, make her be okay" he prayed as he lifted slightly his eyes to the ceiling.

-Lilo, you are bleeding…

Lilo passed her hand through Stitch's neck, getting bloodstained with the magenta liquid.

-You're bleeding too. Don't worry about me… I'm coughs… I'm okay —she said as she showed him the magenta blood.

-Naga, Lilo. What did you do?

Lilo turned aside her head, but Stitch took her by her chin and made her to look at his eyes. Lilo stared at him and after some seconds she broke down on the tears.

-I jumped to deflect away the shot from Krista… coughs Stitch, I know you love her, and I know it would be painful for you to lose her again… I didn't want you to go through that pain again coughs… Please, I want you to understand me… I didn't want you to suffer on that way again. I could…coughs feel your pain whenever you cried over her… now, you've found her coughs… I feel the forces going away from my body… I have not too long, I can feel it… please, make me a favor coughs… I did this because I want you to be happy… Please, don't disappoint me… be coughs… be happy… with her.

Stitch shook his head as the tears flowed from his eyes. Lilo lifted her hand and took his hand weakly, interlacing her fingers with his. With a last effort, she lifted her head and brought her lips to his. Stitch didn't know what to feel, what to think… he felt this was going to be the only time he could kiss Lilo. He could just feel a deep sadness, but even though he kissed her back. Lilo tried weakly to bring her arms around his neck. Stitch, realizing of this, leaned over her not to make her to force her body more than now. Her lips were brushing against his softly. Stitch desired the moment to never end, and as he thought it he tightened his arms around her back, intensifying the kiss. After some minutes, the kiss came to its end. They pulled away slowly, not wanting to let go each other's lips, but their lungs were stinging for oxygen. Finally, Stitch pulled Lilo away softly, taking care about her wound. Lilo opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him by last time.

-I love you, Stitch. I always did.

Her hand loosened inside Stitch's as she closed her eyes. Stitch could feel clearly a painful crack on his chest, like if something inside of him had broken to tears.

-No, Lilo… please, don't leave me… no…. NO!!!!!!!!!

He shook the girl by her shoulders, like wanting to wake her up, but Lilo didn't open her eyes.

Krista was now beside the family, and she had freed them from the wires surrounding them. Jumba ran to Stitch's side and knelt next to Stitch.

-Little girl isn't dead, 626, so don't be worrying… but we have to hurry up if we want to keep her alive. I still have your fusion chamber on the ship; that will keep her alive while we arrive to Earth.

Jumba tried to lift Lilo on his massive hands, but Stitch stopped him and he lifted her on his own arms. Jumba didn't say anything. Now he knew Stitch's true feelings about Lilo. Everybody saw how they kissed, and now everybody knew about their feelings about each other. Maybe the problems about the species stuff would come later, because now everybody was worried about Lilo, even Nani didn't take care about the kiss when she saw that her little sister was badly hurt.

As everybody was moving to the ship, Hamsterviel was laughing hysterically, more than evilly:

-Finally, I have got rid from that weak, annoying Earth girl!!!!!!

Stitch growled as he heard Hamsterviel's voice, and as he still held Lilo on his arms, he turned to stare at Hamsterviel with scorn. He took one of the guns with the sticky substance and turned to aim at Hamsterviel:

-DON'T YOU DARE TO TALK ABOUT LILO LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!! —he yelled as he made the shot. Hamsterviel was sent flying to a near wall and he stayed there, stuck with the glue.

Leroy didn't know what to think. He had never seen somebody sacrificing him/herself because loved someone else, and he couldn't understand either what love was. He had now a crush on Krista, that was right, but that wasn't true love. He was so thoughtful that he didn't realize that he had been left alone with Hamsterviel.

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The old chamber was working again, but instead Stitch's body, there was lying Lilo. Her face had a peaceful expression and her limbs were motionless. She seemed just like if she were asleep, but everybody knew she wasn't.

Stitch went out from the restroom, after cleaning his wounds. He didn't really care, but Jumba had told him what could happen to him if he didn't clean that wound, and after all he had to obey his creator.

He approached to the fusion chamber to see his angel. Her hair had a light green shine, due to the soft green light that the chamber irradiated. She seemed just like if she were asleep, so peacefully sleeping…

He felt a knot on his throat and knew that the tears were about to go out. He placed his hands gently on the glass, wishing he could hug Lilo.

-You told me once that your family never gets left behind —he whispered —please, you're my family. Without you, I'm nothing but only Stitch. Please, don't leave me behind… I haven't forgotten you. Please, make an effort to keep yourself alive. I will be waiting for you. You told me too that love is more powerful than death… if that helps I want you to know that I love you too... I hope my love can keep you alive… I know, I cried over Krista when I thought she was dead, but I'm sure I would die if you do… please, I need you… da boojibu.

The tears were flowing from his eyes and falling on the crystal of the chamber. However, Lilo didn't move. She remained sleeping peacefully there, not knowing how much suffering her near death was provoking. After some minutes of standing there, Stitch felt his eyes were getting tired, and his eyelids were getting heavy. He didn't go to sleep on some comfortable seat, just like everybody. He grabbed an old, dusty blanket and dropped on the floor, next to the fusion chamber.

"I love you too. Please, be okay" he thought before he faded away.

Well, the next chapter will be the last one. I hope all of you have enjoyed my story till now. On the next chapter, I'll make a little summary of my next story. I have not too long by now, so I'll just tell that maybe I'll have time to submit untill the next Wednesday.