Angel sat on the couch, tears streaming in a constant flow down her cheeks, matting up her fluffy fuchsia fur. Even through the window and thick walls, Kolie could hear the cries of her mother.
On the phone was Nani, talking to the manager of the city pound.
"I've told you a million times, dumbass! She's small, skinny, and indigo! SMALL, SKINNY, AND INDIGO!!! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?!"
Pleakley stood by Nani, biting his imaginary fingernails.
Kolie got closer to the window, peering around the corner to see her father pacing the floor; she could have sworn she saw tears coming from his eyes.
Lilo sat on the couch and hugged Angel, who was sobbing harder than before.
"My baby...she's gone, I just know she is..." Angel kept her paws over her face, not even noticing Lilo had her arm around her.
Lilo wiped the tears from her eyes and tried hard to comfort Angel without sobbing as well.
Jumba stood at the other side of the livingroom, looking hopelessly out the window.
By this time, tears overflowed the brims of Kolie's eyelids. The warm tears rolled down her cheeks, and dropped silently to the porch.
Kolie didn't know how much more she could take; she knew she would be missed, but not this much. She took a deep breath and bursted through the front door.
Angel's sobbing, Nani's yelling, and Stitch's meaningless rambling stopped abruptly; all eyes got wide and focused on Kolie.
Angel smiled and began to cry harder, and made a be-line towards Kolie. She wrapped her arms around her, and hit her with such force she knocked her down.
"Kolie, my baby!" She kissed her on the cheek and hugged her so hard, it took the breath from her.
Everyone ran to Kolie and hugged her.
"Where the Hell have you been?!" Stitch asked between hugging and kissing his daughter.
"Dad, it's such a long story," Kolie smiled, glad to be home. Suddenly, she remembered Kaipo. She pushed everyone off of her and walked to the door. She saw Kaipo standing there, staring at his feet. He looked up, smiled, and waved.
"I guess I'll be seeing you later...I need to get home, myself..."
Kolie grabbed his paw before he walked off and drug him beside her.
"Mom, Dad, I would like you to give Kaipo a chance. He is the reason I've survived the past few days."
"He's also the reason you ran away in the first place!" yelled Stitch angrily.
Kolie nodded and rolled her eyes.
"I know, but that's not the only reason. I ran away because you were judging him; he's not a bad guy just because his father is. Please give him a chance. I...I love him."
Everyone's eyes got wide.
"What?" Angel and Stitch said in unison.
"Yes. I love him, and he loves me. What is the difference between him and me? What's the difference between you and his dad? There is none. Don't you see? Your judgements have turned you against someone you don't even know." Kolie had many reasons to convince her parents that Kaipo was good.
Stitch sighed and walked toward Kaipo. He held out his paw, and Kaipo took it, shaking it in truce.
Kolie grinned from ear to ear, happy that her family had finally accepted Kaipo.
***
Kolie told her family about staying on the beach and meeting a ghost, and how Kaipo had been attacked by someone, or something.
"We've been wondering for a while what, or who, attacked him," stated Kolie.
Stitch thought for a minute, then said, "I know! We caught an experiment the other day, experiment 267, also known as 'Slasher.' She's got really long claws and likes to slash things, particularly males. I guess you could say she's sexist. Anyway, I bet that's what happened. She probably threw a coconut at him and slashed him up. The bruises are probably where he was struggling to get away from her."
"Ohh..." Kolie and Kaipo said in unison.
"Well, as Angel and I were going to say, um..." Stitch stuttered, not being able to say the words of apology.
"We're terribly sorry we accused you of being evil and pulling our daughter into a trap," Angel said for Stitch.
"Yeah...heh...what she said."
"That's okay, I understand..." Kaipo said, but was interrupted by his father, 625, charging through the door.
"Kaipo! I figured you'd be over here. You had me worried sick, mister! Get your keister up and come home with me. You got some explaining to do!" 625 walked over to his son and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him off the couch.
Kolie got up and ran in front of the door.
"You can't go."
625 looked ill and his eyes were tired, as if he hadn't gotten any sleep in a few days.
"And why is that, little missy?" 625 put a hand on his hip.
"Because...uh...because I love him. That's why."
625 rolled his eyes.
"Yeah? Well, so do I, and he belongs at home." 625 tried to push past Kolie, but she wouldn't budge.
"He can live with us, right Dad?" Kolie looked over at Stitch, who had a befuddled look on his face.
"Oh, please," stated 625 with frustration. "Just let me by and I'll get him out of your way." He tried once more to get past Kolie, but she still wasn't going to move.
"Kolie, what are you doing?" whispered Kaipo over his dad's shoulder.
"Saving you," she stated coolly.
625 was beginning to get angry.
"What, are you going to fight me for him?"
Kolie smiled deviously, and replied, "If that's what I gotta do."
"Psh, you couldn't beat me if you tried. I have all the powers of your dad, you know."
Kolie rolled her eyes and mimicked 625.
"Well, so do I! Only I'm stronger...I can lift i5,000/i times my weight iand/i I can swim!" Kolie got in 625's face. "Bring it on, ichubby/i."
That was all it took to light 625's fuse.
"THAT'S IT! NOBODY CALLS ME CHUBBY! If I win, which I will, I'm taking my son home! And if YOU win, he can live here with you. Besides, I see no use in fighting a KID..."
"Whatever," remarked Kolie. And with that, she picked up 625 and threw him out the door.
625 landed on the beach, face first in the sand, saying, "Aye aye, mon capitan..."
***
"You did it! Are you serious about me living here? And what did you mean by, 'saving me?'" Kaipo asked.
"You're dad was going to dehydrate you when he got you home. I read his mind...that's a power I just discovered I had," Kolie explained. "And yes, you've got a ireal/i ohana, now." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome to the family, Kaipo."
THE END
On the phone was Nani, talking to the manager of the city pound.
"I've told you a million times, dumbass! She's small, skinny, and indigo! SMALL, SKINNY, AND INDIGO!!! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?!"
Pleakley stood by Nani, biting his imaginary fingernails.
Kolie got closer to the window, peering around the corner to see her father pacing the floor; she could have sworn she saw tears coming from his eyes.
Lilo sat on the couch and hugged Angel, who was sobbing harder than before.
"My baby...she's gone, I just know she is..." Angel kept her paws over her face, not even noticing Lilo had her arm around her.
Lilo wiped the tears from her eyes and tried hard to comfort Angel without sobbing as well.
Jumba stood at the other side of the livingroom, looking hopelessly out the window.
By this time, tears overflowed the brims of Kolie's eyelids. The warm tears rolled down her cheeks, and dropped silently to the porch.
Kolie didn't know how much more she could take; she knew she would be missed, but not this much. She took a deep breath and bursted through the front door.
Angel's sobbing, Nani's yelling, and Stitch's meaningless rambling stopped abruptly; all eyes got wide and focused on Kolie.
Angel smiled and began to cry harder, and made a be-line towards Kolie. She wrapped her arms around her, and hit her with such force she knocked her down.
"Kolie, my baby!" She kissed her on the cheek and hugged her so hard, it took the breath from her.
Everyone ran to Kolie and hugged her.
"Where the Hell have you been?!" Stitch asked between hugging and kissing his daughter.
"Dad, it's such a long story," Kolie smiled, glad to be home. Suddenly, she remembered Kaipo. She pushed everyone off of her and walked to the door. She saw Kaipo standing there, staring at his feet. He looked up, smiled, and waved.
"I guess I'll be seeing you later...I need to get home, myself..."
Kolie grabbed his paw before he walked off and drug him beside her.
"Mom, Dad, I would like you to give Kaipo a chance. He is the reason I've survived the past few days."
"He's also the reason you ran away in the first place!" yelled Stitch angrily.
Kolie nodded and rolled her eyes.
"I know, but that's not the only reason. I ran away because you were judging him; he's not a bad guy just because his father is. Please give him a chance. I...I love him."
Everyone's eyes got wide.
"What?" Angel and Stitch said in unison.
"Yes. I love him, and he loves me. What is the difference between him and me? What's the difference between you and his dad? There is none. Don't you see? Your judgements have turned you against someone you don't even know." Kolie had many reasons to convince her parents that Kaipo was good.
Stitch sighed and walked toward Kaipo. He held out his paw, and Kaipo took it, shaking it in truce.
Kolie grinned from ear to ear, happy that her family had finally accepted Kaipo.
***
Kolie told her family about staying on the beach and meeting a ghost, and how Kaipo had been attacked by someone, or something.
"We've been wondering for a while what, or who, attacked him," stated Kolie.
Stitch thought for a minute, then said, "I know! We caught an experiment the other day, experiment 267, also known as 'Slasher.' She's got really long claws and likes to slash things, particularly males. I guess you could say she's sexist. Anyway, I bet that's what happened. She probably threw a coconut at him and slashed him up. The bruises are probably where he was struggling to get away from her."
"Ohh..." Kolie and Kaipo said in unison.
"Well, as Angel and I were going to say, um..." Stitch stuttered, not being able to say the words of apology.
"We're terribly sorry we accused you of being evil and pulling our daughter into a trap," Angel said for Stitch.
"Yeah...heh...what she said."
"That's okay, I understand..." Kaipo said, but was interrupted by his father, 625, charging through the door.
"Kaipo! I figured you'd be over here. You had me worried sick, mister! Get your keister up and come home with me. You got some explaining to do!" 625 walked over to his son and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him off the couch.
Kolie got up and ran in front of the door.
"You can't go."
625 looked ill and his eyes were tired, as if he hadn't gotten any sleep in a few days.
"And why is that, little missy?" 625 put a hand on his hip.
"Because...uh...because I love him. That's why."
625 rolled his eyes.
"Yeah? Well, so do I, and he belongs at home." 625 tried to push past Kolie, but she wouldn't budge.
"He can live with us, right Dad?" Kolie looked over at Stitch, who had a befuddled look on his face.
"Oh, please," stated 625 with frustration. "Just let me by and I'll get him out of your way." He tried once more to get past Kolie, but she still wasn't going to move.
"Kolie, what are you doing?" whispered Kaipo over his dad's shoulder.
"Saving you," she stated coolly.
625 was beginning to get angry.
"What, are you going to fight me for him?"
Kolie smiled deviously, and replied, "If that's what I gotta do."
"Psh, you couldn't beat me if you tried. I have all the powers of your dad, you know."
Kolie rolled her eyes and mimicked 625.
"Well, so do I! Only I'm stronger...I can lift i5,000/i times my weight iand/i I can swim!" Kolie got in 625's face. "Bring it on, ichubby/i."
That was all it took to light 625's fuse.
"THAT'S IT! NOBODY CALLS ME CHUBBY! If I win, which I will, I'm taking my son home! And if YOU win, he can live here with you. Besides, I see no use in fighting a KID..."
"Whatever," remarked Kolie. And with that, she picked up 625 and threw him out the door.
625 landed on the beach, face first in the sand, saying, "Aye aye, mon capitan..."
***
"You did it! Are you serious about me living here? And what did you mean by, 'saving me?'" Kaipo asked.
"You're dad was going to dehydrate you when he got you home. I read his mind...that's a power I just discovered I had," Kolie explained. "And yes, you've got a ireal/i ohana, now." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome to the family, Kaipo."
THE END