Episode 21: If I Can Dream
I
The drums marked the song's end. Lilo made sure her left arm was raised high enough.
Moses chimed in with the usual notes. Apparently, Victoria had missed a step during the second verse. Lilo hadn't noticed. She wondered if Stitch and Angel gave their band the same kinds of notes.
As she got her bag, a melody wiggled its way into her brain and wandered towards her voice. It wasn't unwelcome; it was as if it had kept the key.
"There must be lights burning brighter somewhere,
"Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue,
"If I can dream of a better land,
"Where all my brothers walk hand in hand,
"Tell me why, oh why, oh why-"
"Hey, practice is over, Weirdlo!"
Lilo looked up to find a certain pair of brown eyes glaring at her from behind an ample set of glasses.
Mertle raised an eyebrow, then redirected her glare at her troupe, who were in the middle of their own conversation behind her. They suddenly paused to support Mertle with a disjointed, half-hearted trio of yeahs. Mertle put on a smug grin regardless.
Beside Mertle, her dog, Gigi, who seemed to be more white fur than flesh and bone, sat patiently. Of course, Lilo knew that she wasn't really a dog. After all, who else but a superpowered alien Experiment could have the patience to put up with Mertle 24/7?
"I'm not practicing," Lilo said. "Just having fun."
With that, she went on her way, running a hand through Gigi's cloud-like furas she went. Glancing back, she found Mertle with a glaring, wide-eyed expression that wouldn't have looked out-of-place on a horror movie monster.
Outside, Lilo waved goodbye to Victoria and the other students. Some walked in groups while others hopped into the back seats of cars. Lilo, however, had one quick stop to make before she went home.
She hurried back inside the school, going up a flight of stairs hidden behind the stage. The sound of music and the smell of chocolate became ever more potent as she neared the door at the top. She knocked seven times, imitating the opening of the King's Hound Dog.
"Come in," a voice laughed from inside.
Lilo opened the door, entering a storage closet that doubled nicely as a one-room apartment. Brooms, mops, and wet floor signs mingled with an inflatable mattress, an old record player, and an electric oven. They all surrounded, as if in admiration, two Experiments in white aprons.
The record player guided their slow, embracing dance.
"And I want you to be my acrobat,
"I want you to be my lover,
"Oh, there were others,
"Who would treat you cruel,
"But oh, Jeannie,
"I will always be your fool."
"Howzit, cousins?" Lilo said. "Ooh, something smells yummy."
"Hey, Lilo," Elastico and Felix chirped as the latter dipped his partner.
"Just put brownies on," Felix said.
Elastico stretched an arm out towards Lilo. She took it and was treated to a few twirls before being pulled into a hug between her two cousins.
"All done movin' in, El?" Lilo said once she'd been lifted onto Felix and Elastico's shoulders.
"Ih," Elastico said. "Just gotta find spot for steady rings, then can practice with Felix."
"You're gonna try some acrobatics, Felix?" Lilo asked.
"Ih," he said, scratching behind one floppy ear. "Try."
"I think you'll do great. So, ya ready to go?"
Felix's eyes went as wide as black holes. "Right. EARWAX isa today."
"Actually, Pleakley decided to change the name," Lilo said. "The old one stood for Evil Attitude Remodification and Wayward Anger Extraction, but that doesn't work since everyone who goes is good now. Now it's called Caring and Compassionate Consolation for Cousins Experiencing Crises, or..." She made a sound like she was brewing up the galaxy's largest loogie.
"Good idea," Elastico said. "Sound much better."
"Meega forgot," Felix said. His trunk wavered in front of his face as if trying to mask his embarrassment.
"Had whole day with El planned."
"That's okay," Lilo said. "It's only an hour… Actually, you know what? It's fine if you just wanna skip today to help El get used to his new home."
Felix looked down. One of his toe-claws had taken a particular interest in a thin gap between two floorboards.
"Meega wanna see cousins...But naga wanna leave El."
"Can meega come too, Lilo?" Elastico asked.
"Of course," she said. "Anyone's welcome."
"But brownies," Felix said, turning to the oven. The smell was irresistible.
"Gotta come out in thirty-five minutes."
"Oh, yeah," Lilo said. "Not a great idea to leave that alone...I can still hear Nani yelling after the first time Stitch tried making a cake. He got Fahrenheit confused with Rankine."
Felix blew a lofty breath while Elastico clasped his mouth in shock.
"Well..." Elastico said. "Only one hour, booj."
"Youga be okitaka?" Felix asked.
"Ih. Youga?"
"...Ih."
"You guys sure?" Lilo asked. Sitting on their shoulders only made her feel even more as though she were a wedge driven between them. For some reason beyond her, the stony face of Cobra Bubbles flickered in her mind.
"Ih," Felix said. "Should see cousins. And El..." He took Elastico's hands in his. "This your home."
He was met with a kiss on his cheek.
"Have fun," Elastico said. "Just one hour, then home for brownies and practice."
They shared a hug, then shifted Lilo so that she was only on Felix's shoulders.
"Wait five minutes before icing," Felix said as he backed towards the door, keeping hold of Elastico's hand.
"Send some aloha to Houdini," Elastico said, letting Felix hold on until his arm's length ran out.
"I will," Felix said. "Booj..." He added with gentle strictness when he and Lilo were at the door and still had Elastico's hand.
"Soka." Elastico's elongated arm snapped back to him like a winding roll of measuring tape. He finished the motion by blowing Felix a kiss. Felix caught it and tucked it into his heart.
Lilo glanced back as she ducked under the doorframe. Elastico was standing on the tips of his toes, preparing to dance again as the music continued.
"Wait five minutes..."
"Stepped into my life from a bad dream,
"Making the life that I had seem,
"Suddenly shiny and new."
With that, Lilo and Felix were on their way. As Lilo kept hold of the fins on Felix's head, she thought about reminding him that it would only be one hour.
Instead, she just listened to the music fading behind them.
"Oh, Jeannie,
"I'm so in love with you."
II
Lilo remembered her living room feeling so empty for ages. There always seemed to be too many seats, especially after...
It was much better when those seats were filled with cousins. They made a welcoming circle: Slushy leaning on the armchair that Drowsy had sunk into, Sparky and Spooky sandwiching Reuben on the couch, Felix and Houdini sharing the beanbag, and Lilo between Jumba and Pleakley on the window bench. They all had a perfect view of the centering rug, the stage for Leroy's ukulele performance.
"There's nothing you can do that can't be done,
"Nothing you can sing that can't be sung,
"Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game,
"It's easy."
He hadn't quite mastered the shifts between chords yet, but his singing more than made up for it. Everyone found themselves joining in, as though their voices were acting of their own accord, eager to harmonize with Leroy.
"Nothing you can make that can't be made,
"No one you can save that can't be saved,
"Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time,
"It's easy."
Everyone was smiling. For a while, it seemed they'd forgotten about the abandoned university on Quelte Quan. Even Lilo found herself almost forgetting the song she'd remembered earlier.
Almost.
"All you need is love,
"All you need is love,
"All you need is love, love,
"Love is all you need."
Leroy was rewarded with a round of applause. He gave thanks with a bow that stopped short at a nod.
"Thank you very much for that, Leroy," Pleakley said as he stood up. "It's wonderful to see you so inspired by Earth's musical insects."
Leroy looked as if he were about to correct Pleakley, then simply shrugged and shook his head.
"Okay, cousins," Pleakley addressed the group. "That's our time for today. Thanks for coming, hope to see you again next week. Make sure everyone gets a hug before you go."
"And don't forget..." Lilo added.
Everyone chimed in, "ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."
Lilo went around the room, ensuring all of her cousins got a good, long hug. She checked off every point of her criteria for a perfect hug; arms all the way around, lifting them off their feet, and holding on for at least ten seconds. Every cousin got the same, even Slushy, despite how bitingly cold he was to touch.
"But I know your heart's warm," Lilo reassured him, earning a smile and a free ice cream sandwich the next time she visited Shave Ice.
But, of course, that wasn't the point.
Lilo felt equally warm watching Jumba hug each of his Experiments. He'd built every single one of them to be indestructible, but he held them in his immense arms as if they were made of glass.
Lilo's last hug was with Leroy.
"You're getting a lot better," she said.
"At the singing or the ukulele?" He asked.
"Those, too."
She felt him squeeze even tighter.
Lilo knew how strong the Experiments were. Whenever she shared a hug with any of them, she had a split-second flinch where she was afraid she'd accidentally be crushed.
But she knew they'd never let that happen.
Somehow, Leroy's squeezing brought that song back into Lilo's mind.
"There must be peace and understanding sometime,
"Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt and fear..."
"Well..." Leroy said when they finally parted. "Stitch and Angel are great teachers."
"Oh, that reminds me," Lilo said. "Have you decided?"
"Decided..?" Leroy said, tilting his head. "Oh!"
III
"Step right up! Step right up! Sign up now for a spot in the X-Tra-Ordinary X-Periments on their exhilarating world tour!"
"Mr. Slick," Jason said, "We're supposed to be holding the auditions, not performing them."
"Well, ya gotta set a bar for 'em, right?" Slick said as he hopped down from the table.
"That's some bar, then."
A plethora of cousins mingled around two tables set up outside Found Beach Services & Detective Agency. Lilo and Leroy stood at the divide between the grass and the sand, watching the merry gathering.
"What do you think?" Lilo asked. "Do you wanna go touring with Stitch and Angel's band?"
They looked at one table run by Jason and Slick. They accepted Clip and Hammerface's signatures before sliding them into an envelope as they hugged. The couple then rushed to a nearby palm tree, where Stitch and Angel led Flute, Sample, Belle, Heat, and Kixx in a Hawaiian rendition of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
"Uncle Jason says we can go to all kinds of places since we have Jumba's ship," Lilo said. "Japan, China, Mexico, Britain. No big stadiums, though, at least not yet. It'll take a while, but it'll be fun."
Leroy scratched beneath his chin.
"Or..." Lilo continued, "do you wanna go boating with Yin and Yang?"
Across from Jason and Slick's table, Yin and Yang ran a sign-up station of their own. At least, Yang ran it. Yin was sitting on the sand beside the table, listening to a CD and headphones with Drowsy. They both looked like they might drift off to sleep at any moment. Yang rolled his eyes at them as he turned back to an eagerly-signing Sparky.
"It'll be a shorter trip," Lilo said, "if that sounds better to you."
Leroy scratched behind his ear.
"But it's also okay if you want to stay here," Lilo said. "Danny, Chops, and Victoria will be here, too, and a few others."
"I don't know," Leroy said. "I'd miss you if I stayed here...But the idea of going away feels...Weird..."
Lilo stroked the end of his ear. It felt soft and springy, like a thin paperback book wrapped in a rug.
"I'm sorry. I thought some trips might help everyone relax after everything that's happened. You're still getting used to your new home. It's not fair to give you a choice like this so soon."
"It's okay," Leroy said. "I'll make up my mind. After all, the tour's not just for relaxing, right?"
Lilo's eyes wandered into the distance. The rolling waves faded into the blinks of a pair of black eyes. They seemed too clear for eyes that Lilo hadn't seen in ages.
She blinked, and the eyes left the glistening shore, revealing a certain cousin in a grey fedora carrying a large bag over his shoulder.
"Hey, there's Finder." Lilo took off to catch up with the detective, with Leroy following close behind.
Finder walked with his long nose close to the sand. With a triumphant "a-ha," he reached into the sand and pulled out a plastic wallet. He dropped it into his bag over his shoulder, then resumed his hunt.
"Hey, Finder," Lilo said.
Finder turned around, returning the greeting with a tip of his hat. He looked like he belonged on a film noir poster, at least until he had to catch his footing when a thin, sweeping wave nearly tripped him up.
"Last sweep before tour," he said.
"So you're coming?" Lilo asked.
"Ih. Meega should. Hate when cousins lost." His gaze wandered down the beach towards his lonely shack.
"Gonna miss Lost-and-Found, though. And Bonnie and Clyde... But they will hold down fort for meega. Isa okitaka."
"Yeah." Lilo pulled Finder into a hug. "Thank you...It'll mean a lot to him, too."
"Meega know," Finder said.
"Lilo?" Leroy said. "...Is Flute going on the tour?"
"Yeah, she is," Lilo said as the hug dispersed.
"Well, the thing is, even though I have all this now..." He looked down at his own body. "I could still copy my cousins' powers if I really, really wanted to. Or if any of you needed me to. So..." His nose stretched out from his face until it had the same length and conical shape as Finder's.
The detective grinned. "Shouldn't lie, cousin."
Leroy tilted his head in confusion, although, at a glance, it seemed like his new nose was dragging his head down.
"He hasn't seen that one yet," Lilo said.
"Oh," Finder said. "Well, taka, cousin Leroy." He shook Leroy's hand. "Isa super helpful. Gonna go tell Bonnie and Clyde."
He hurried back to his shack, skipping over another sweeping wave as he went.
Lilo and Leroy followed shortly after, heading for Jason and Slick's table.
"Mahalo and thank ya kindly," Slick said as Leroy signed his name.
"And for only an extra ten dollars, we'll throw in this set of translation dictionaries, including French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin-"
"You're not supposed to sell things to the band members," Jason said.
"Hey, if he wants a dictionary, who am I to deny him?"
"I'll pass for now, thanks," Leroy said.
"You're absolutely sure about this, Leroy?" Lilo asked as they joined the other members around Stitch and Angel. They were midway through Go Your Own Way.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
Lilo shrugged. "It's a big decision. I just hope you pick what'll make you happy."
"Thanks..."
Leroy's gaze wandered into the assortment of musical Experiments. They wandered around one another as though they were lost, but they glowed as they played, sang, and danced.
Lilo caught sight of Flute's purple eyes as she improvised remarkably with her namesake instrument. Her claws hovered above her flute in a gentle wave.
Watching Flute play always felt so soothingly new, like hearing a baby laugh. It always surprised Lilo since Flute's eyes seemed so old.
"You know what I think?" Leroy said as he waved back. He turned to Lilo and sang softly to the same melody he'd played during the meeting.
"There's nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be."
Lilo grinned. She thought it was perfect.
They sat down among the other band members. Leroy found himself a comfortable seat on Flute's shoulders. Flute's playing was unperturbed by her passenger. In fact, she seemed even more energized, improvising longer, more winding stretches of notes as her claws danced on her flute.
Lilo danced with Belle and Sample as Stitch and Angel struck up with Songbird. However, the melody and lyrics were faint in her ears. Something in her mind was playing louder.
"If I can dream of a warmer sun,
"Where hope keeps shining on everyone,
"Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear?"
IV
Lilo was only halfway through her to-do list for Victoria, Daniel, and Chopsuey when Jumba's laptop started buzzing.
It was one of the few things he hadn't destroyed weeks ago, and yet he simply left it on Lilo's desk in the garage. It had since received much more attention from Lilo, who found it an invaluable resource for taking notes on all of her cousins' powers and needs. She had become so used to flipping it open that she thought nothing of answering its anxious buzzing.
She felt much more upon recognizing the face awaiting her on the screen. It was a familiar face, and while not the cruelest face Lilo had ever seen, it was far from being the kindest.
It was friendly in a manner that Lilo thought was similar to police officers. Both were often jovial, but not unconditionally.
The black eyes were surrounded by lines, patterning the face with a fleshy web. Lilo thought of Mrs. Hasagawa and her persistent forgetfulness. The face on the screen seemed twice as old, but those eyes remembered every second.
Even through a computer, Lilo felt the same twisting knot in her gut as when she first saw that face on the beach so long ago. But she didn't let it show on her face. It didn't matter how stern, old, or alien the Grand Councilwoman was; she was as much a cousin as anyone else.
"Aloha," the Grand Councilwoman said. The word seemed ill-suited to her slow, deep voice. Lilo felt every letter.
"Is that correct?"
"Yeah," Lilo said. "You can use it to say goodbye, too."
"I thought as much. Thank you for confirming it."
"You're welcome."
"I hope all is well with you and your ohana."
"It is." Lilo felt the knot in her gut twist even further. She knew the Grand Councilwoman didn't just call people to talk story, but she couldn't question her. Whenever the words almost reached her lips, they slipped and fell back down.
"We're going on a tour soon. We'll be able to look for Experiments who landed outside of Hawaii, and Stitch's cousins can catch their breath after all the craziness with Hamsterviel."
"Indeed. My thanks again for your ohana's efforts in that regard. I'm sure you're all as relieved as us, if not more so."
"Thank Leroy. We couldn't have done it without him."
The Grand Councilwoman smiled and nodded, but her eyes darkened. She may have suddenly become aware of the strangeness of her small talk and decided to pave over it as swiftly as possible.
"Your answering is a happy coincidence. I was only contacting Jumba to relay an offer to you. Since you are here, I may ask you outright."
Lilo nodded, waiting to hear more.
"Your work with Jumba's Experiments... Stitch's cousins... Is truly remarkable, especially for a human of your age. You are brimming with potential, and already you have realized so much of it. I believe your unique perspective could offer much to the Galactic Federation. Likewise, there is much that we could off you."
"So...Is this a job offer?"
"Not an immediate one. There would be training prerequisites you would first have to fulfill. Additionally, it is illegal for the Federation to hire anyone below their home planet's minimum age of employment... And, most importantly, you are entitled to savoring your childhood, despite everything you've had to endure."
"That's nice of you. So what would I have to do?"
"There are beings throughout the galaxy who need guidance just as the Experiments did. You would be tasked primarily with diplomatic missions, helping us in negotiations so the inhabitants of every world may have homes as safe and loving as yours."
"Could my cousins come too?"
"Of course. I would never wish to drive you apart. They will be able to take the same training as you if they so choose."
"Okay..."
"There is no need to make a decision right now, but I hope you will consider it."
"I will."
"Thank you. Then I shall say aloha."
"Aloha."
The Grand Councilwoman blinked away, leaving only Lilo's reflection on a black screen.
Lilo stared at herself for a short while, then tried to return to her work. She reviewed her list...
-Spend some time with Ace, but don't give away his secret identity.
-Visit Elastico and Felix, make sure their move is going well.
-CCCCXC meetings are every Monday and Thursday at 4.
-Remember
She couldn't remember what she wanted Victoria, Chopsuey, and Daniel to remember. No matter how hard she tried, she only found herself more drawn to the Cousins album, placed neatly upright between her two boxes of Goodness Level Charts.
She opened it from the middle. It seemed to know just which cousin she wanted to see.
The Coconut Queen Festival parade was one of Lilo's strangest memories. It wasn't due to the parade itself. She remembered it fondly, especially all the fun she and her cousins had building their Wasp Mummy float. She had plenty of photos from that day in other albums, but this was the one she found herself coming back to most. It had been the last day she'd seen that golden fur, those centipede-black arms, and those black eyes. Looking at the photo assured her that she wouldn't forget them. However, it knotted her stomach even worse than the Grand Councilwoman could. It reminded her just how little she'd ever seen of Checkers.
She felt two furry hands resting on top of her head.
"Hey, Stitch," she said, still focused on Checkers.
"Hey-hey-hey," Stitch said. "Can I handstand on your head?"
"Sure."
"Naga may I. Can I."
"Oh. Probably. Hey, your English is getting better."
"Ih. Taka."
"You got everyone you want for the band?"
"Want cousins who want to come. Want cousins do what make them happy."
"Me too...Were you going to do that handstand?"
"Ih. Doing it now."
"Really? It doesn't feel like it."
"See?" A set of blue toe-claws wiggled at the top edge of Lilo's vision.
"Huh. Cool."
Stitch flipped into Lilo's lap. He slotted snugly into Lilo's arms.
"Oh..." His ears dropped when he spotted the picture in the album. "Hope we can find Checkers."
"I hope so, too," Lilo said.
She hugged Stitch close with one arm and scratched behind his ear with the other. As she felt his purrs rumbling against her cheek, she thought he had grown a little. It was only slightly, maybe less than an inch, but he had definitely grown.
"The Grand Councilwoman called," she said.
"Oh?"
"She said we could get a job with her when we're bigger, helping other planets and stuff."
"Bootifa. Gonna be fun."
Lilo didn't respond. She knew what she wanted to ask Stitch, but she couldn't find the right words. She wished she had somebody who could write her the perfect words. Like the King did.
"I think Checkers wanted time alone," Stitch said. "Remember I say want cousins do what make them happy?"
"Yeah."
"Think some cousins need time. Was different for so many. Angie, Danny, Chop, Flutey, Reubs, Leroy..."
"They weren't as easy to turn from bad to good as you or Sparky or Clip or most of the first cousins we found."
Stitch wiggled until his cheek could rest on Lilo's. It felt like lying on a heated pillow.
"Don't think they were bad," he said. "Do bad things, yes. But I remember being 626... Remember feeling so sad, and when I broke stuff or was mean... I forgot about feeling sad."
"Do you still feel sad?" Lilo asked.
"Sometimes, just a little... But with cousins, with Angie, Nani, Dave, and Lilo, feel happy. Feel good... Ih. Feel good."
"...You guys make me happy, too."
"That make us all happy... And Checkers will be happy when he is ready. Will be hard for some cousins, but we can always help. Sometimes a lot, sometimes only a little, but we can always help."
They were quiet for a while. Lilo enjoyed Stitch's fluffy fur as he enjoyed her gentle scratching behind his ear. Lilo could sit with him, listen to music with him, or play Wasp-Mummies and Werewolves with him forever. The best part was that no matter what she wanted to do, whenever she wanted to do it, Stitch wanted the same. He was her mirror.
"And what if we can't?" She asked.
"Then..." Stitch said. "Maybe Angie can. Or Leroy. Or Sparky."
"Or Slushy."
"Or Ace."
"Or Victoria and Snooty."
"Cousins will help. Help Checkers and help us."
Lilo shut her eyes, feeling like she could drift to sleep right there. Her memories flickered in her mind's eye like a film on an old projector. She could still see Stitch's first toothy, snarling "hi," and feel his first hug. He was a very different creature now, but his hugs never changed.
Neither had the song in Lilo's head. It fit her memory too well, as though it had been playing in the pound that very day.
"We're lost in a cloud,
"With too much rain,
"We're trapped in a world,
"That's troubled with pain,
"But as long as a man,
"Has the strength to dream,
"He can redeem his soul and fly."
V
Lilo felt like she'd time traveled. She could've sworn that her ohana had only just sat down for their weekly monster movie. Looking around the dark living room, she found it glowing various shades of flickering blue cast from the television. A digital clock on the lampstand displayed a piercing red 9:37. The numbers seemed to scream at Lilo.
Stitch, Angel, David, Pleakley, and Jumba were gone. Lilo knew they were only upstairs in their beds, no doubt drained by the evening's monochrome monstrosity. Nani was beside her on the couch, the only other survivor.
For a moment, Lilo could imagine that it was only her and Nani at all. The others upstairs weren't there at all, nor had they ever been. Finder, Bonnie, and Clyde weren't in their shack on the beach, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone lost. Elastico and Felix weren't in the Halau Hula's attic, finding newer and newer things to try together. Gigi wasn't staying ever-vigilant at Mertle's ever-oblivious side. Leroy wasn't anywhere he was meant to be. They'd all been in Lilo's head. They were only drawings in her notebook, toys she'd made to keep Scrump company, and daydreams that helped her forget the world for a little while.
That was all they ever should've been. Surely nothing so wonderful could ever be real. Certainly not for her. And yet, it was only in her imagination.
No. Not her imagination, but her memories.
And, as always, there was that song.
"Nani?" Lilo said.
"Yeah?" Nani's response was muddled in a canceled snore.
"Do you still remember mom and dad?"
Nani didn't answer straight away, but her hand came to rest on Lilo's shoulder. Her fingers traced thin lengths of her hair.
"Every day," Nani said. "Were you thinking about them?"
"I was today," Lilo said. "I had this song stuck in my head all day. It was one mom really liked...It was weird; I haven't heard it in ages, but now I keep thinking about it."
"Sometimes that happens," Nani said. "The other day, I couldn't stop humming A Little Less Conversation. It drove David nuts."
"It wasn't just that. When I remembered it, I... I couldn't remember the last time I thought about mom and dad."
She waited for Nani to reply, but it seemed that she was waiting for her to say more.
"I can remember loads of times when I did think about them; I just can't remember the last time. And thinking about them now... Feels different than it used to. A lot different. I just..." She suddenly felt tears on her cheeks. They were already halfway down, as if they'd been placed there while she wasn't looking.
"Am I forgetting them?"
Lilo found herself in Nani's arms. She couldn't tell if she'd climbed in or if Nani had picked her up.
"You're not forgetting them," Nani said. "You're just changing. Our whole ohana's changing every day, but that doesn't mean that we'll forget who we used to be or the people we can't see anymore."
"I remember what it used to feel like," Lilo said. "I cried a lot...Sometimes I could hear you crying when I was in my room."
"I don't think either of us could go one day without crying."
"I just... When I think about them, I feel like crying, but it doesn't feel like it used to."
"And that's okay. You have this huge, wonderful ohana now. You have Stitch and Angel and Victoria and all of your new cousins. There's so much more to think about, to be happy about... Whenever I remember those first few months, how hard they were... I didn't think we'd ever get where we are now."
For a second, Lilo felt as if she weren't with Nani, but with someone who looked and felt very much like her. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, grateful that she could still remember what she felt like.
"And Lilo..." Nani whispered. "They'd want you to be happy... That's why they've sent us so many gifts."
Lilo felt more tears fall from her eyes, but she didn't feel sad. She wondered if she could give one tear for each of her parents' gifts.
"Hey," Nani said. "I think I know what song you meant. One sec..."
She got up and went to the opposite lampstand, where they kept their record player and a basket of albums. She put one on, then rejoined Lilo as the song finally left her head.
"Deep in my heart, there's a trembling question,
"Still, I am sure that the answer gonna come somehow,
"Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle."
Nani was back on the couch, and Lilo was back in her arms. They may never have gotten up. Lilo imagined her sister putting the record on with telekinesis.
"This was mom's favorite," Nani said. "I never got that into it. I was more into the ones like Jailhouse Rock or Heartbreak Hotel... Maybe I just wasn't ready for it."
"And while I can think, while I can talk,
"While I can stand, while I can walk
"While I can dream..."
"Nani..." Lilo said.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad they sent you, too."
Nani said nothing, but Lilo felt her embrace tighten. She heard a sob but couldn't tell who had made it.
"Please let my dream come true,
Right now,
Let it come true,
Right now!"