Fantasia Crisis

By Lord Akiyama

Inspired by "Crisis on Infinite Earths" by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

Chapter Thirteen

---

"The master wanted me to give you guys this," the apprentice said, revealing to them a device that looked similar to that used for they were originally transporting from one world to another. The difference is that it has a screen that is blinking yellow. "Whenever you are close to one of the others, a red dot will appear depending upon which angle you are coming from."

"I'm assuming the device is the yellow dot," Amelia said. "The closer the red dot gets to the yellow dot, the closer we are to one of the others."

"Would have been useful when you sent out Simba," Robin said.

"The master conjured the devices," Mickey said. "He was far too weak to conjure up even one when we sent Simba off. You can at least rest assure that all of you scattered on the land you left have been collected."

"How long until we reach the next land?" Ariel asked.

"Another night at most," Amelia said. "This is provided we do not run into foul winds."

"The land you are aiming for has two of the others," the apprentice said. "Robin and Amelia were easily released from the lock because Maleficent could not guarantee hold on everyone even at full concentration."

"How many can she hold under such guarantee?" Simba asked.

"Five," Mickey replied. "None of them are on the land you're sailing toward."

"Makes the job a little easier," Robin said. "Then again, the two we're going after are still under lock regardless."

"That's right," the apprentice said. "It's only when you reach the next land where the remaining five are does releasing them from her lock get very tricky."

"Are we still on our own in releasing them?" Ariel asked.

"I'm afraid so," Mickey said. "The master and I are looking to gather a collective known as the sages. I am one of the nine, so it makes the job a little easier. The nine of us will be gathered in the hopes of fixing the alterations that resulted from the balance disruption. We cannot recreate the worlds that collided into one. Instead, we will reshape the world so that it would fit the needs of all."

"What about my world?" Amelia asked.

"The master said that you would be comforted to know that you live in a whole different space all together, Amelia," the apprentice said. "Technically, you live too far into the future to be affected at all by the events that have taken place."

"The rest of us, on the other hand, have family scattered about who have been altered greatly I bet," Robin sighed. "Guess you are lucky, Amelia."

"That still doesn't comfort me the slightest bit," she said.

"I think the only thing we should be comforted with is finding the others and perhaps our families," Simba said. "And I really would like seeing my family right now, if you don't mind." The others could clearly tell that he was beginning to be irritated without having his family.

"You will see your family again, Simba," Mickey said. "If not now, then hopefully when Chernabog is defeated and all is fixed and restored. If it should bring you even the smallest of comfort, your friend Rafiki is one of the nine."

---

"Looks like its opening its eyes," one of the voices said.

"About time," a second voice said. "I'm getting tired of having to watch over this thing when there are better things to do."

"Oh, you're such the busy canine," the first voice said. "You're just as busy as I am, which is lost with no real direction as to where we should be going or where to find our friends."

"Oh will you stop fussing," the second voice said. "If you ask me, married life must have made you so uptight. You need to chill and relax. Especially now that thing is awake."

His eyes began to see clearly. He moaned from the pain and slowly looked up to see two dogs looking down upon him. One was gray and had a red collar. The other was white and brown with a red scarf around the next. No doubt they were the voices who spoke. Upon seeing them, he quickly pushed himself back until he was up against a wall. He began to whimper, unsure of how to hide himself.

"Whoa, take it easy," the second dog with the red scarf said. "We don't make that bad of an impression, do we? Well, I'm sure he does. After all, he is his name. A Tramp."

"Oh, and Dodger is a better name?" the first dog said, glaring at the other. "It makes it sound like you want to dodge everything in life and care for nothing and no one but yourself."

"I'm a caring person," Dodger said. "I have friends. I even have a friend in a cat. With orange fur, you'd think he'd grow up to be a tiger. Or a lion."

"Yadda yadda yadda," Tramp said. "I'd love to hear some more of those wonderful stories you have about how you got that precious lost kitten a home, but we have better things to do. Such as attend to..."

The two dogs look up to see the creature they saw awaken disappear. "Way to go, Tramp," Dodger said.

"Geez, I'm surprised any one can stand you at all," Tramp said, shaking his head.

He ran as far away from the dogs as possible, caring less about where he was going. He turned to see a little frog on the road and nearly screamed. He ran in another direction, hoping to escape the frog. With each sudden new thing that appeared, he ran in another direction. He was breathing heavily and was more than willing to screaming his lungs out in fear that the next thing that happens will surely be his end.

Rain began to fall heavily and it was getting harder to see. This scared him even more, for the darkness could conjure anything and he would not be able to see it until the very last second. His case proven when he slammed into something and fell to the ground. He shook himself and looked up, quickly backing away at the same time.

"What the devil do we have here?" the voice above said. He could vaguely see a human figure wearing a hat and an overcoat staring down at him. "Well, you my friend have got to be the ugliest koala I have ever seen. But then again, it's not every day you see one as blue as you. Heck, you could even pass as a dog if people were stupid enough." The human began to laugh a little and step closer. "Oh, don't you worry. Percival C. McLeach will take real good care of you." He began to laugh again as he bent down.

He screamed as the human who called himself McLeach reached for him. He quickly turned and started running for his life, jumping through various openings in buildings and boxes. He didn't care where he was going or who could possibly be up ahead, he just wanted to get away from that man. The further he is from the man, the better.

"Nani!" a voice cried. He stopped in his tracks and raised an ear. "Stitch!" It was the sound of a little girl. Somehow, the voice was vaguely familiar. He began to slowly walk in the direction of the voice. Moments later, he spied a little girl looking about her, covered in damp and dirty rags.

One look at her and he began to feel things. Memories. He began to remember begin imprisoned. He remembered an great escape. He remembered crashing on a planet. He remembered seeing her. He remembered that one word.

"Ohana..." he whispered. "Ohana... Ohana... family... Ohana... nobody... nobody gets... left... behind... Ohana means... family... nobody gets left behind... Ohana means family... nobody gets left behind..." He stepped forward a little, his eyes wide open. And then a smile began to form on his face and started to laugh. "LILO!"

"Stitch?" the girl said, turning to the direction of the voice. She say him beginning to run toward her. A smile grew on her face. "STITCH!" He jumped on to her, embracing her as the two fell to the ground laughing. "Stitch, it really is you!"

"Lilo!" Stitch cried through his laughter.

Their laughter died down when the ground began to rumble. They slowly stood up when they saw a gigantic vehicle, in the shape of a monster, approaching. Inside, Stitch recognized the driver to be that man who called himself McLeach. "Well, well, well," the man said. "Now ain't this a cute little sight. Sorry girlie, but finder's keepers. That thing is mine!"

---

"Glad to know the weather isn't affecting this device," Amelia said, looking upon the device that has been place upon her wrist. "Looks like one of our own is within our distance and is on the move."

"I can barely see anything around here," Ariel said. "It's all too dark."

"That's why you have me around," Robin said. "Is the red dot moving at a specific direction?"

"No," Amelia answered. "The dot is moving about in various directions, though I am certain the main path is heading west. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm smelling something foul in the air and there's black smoke on the move," Robin said. "I think we better get moving fast because--" A child's scream was heard in the distance, loud enough for all four to hear.

"Doesn't sound like one of our own," Simba said.

"Stitch, help me!" the cry sounded.

"But that name I recognize," Simba said. "Come on, we got to help him!"

---

"Let me go!" Lilo scream. She began to growl as though she were an animal as McLeach threw her into the passenger seat of the vehicle.

"You just keep quiet little girl," he sneered. "If you do as I say, I won't lock you up like I'm going to do with your ugly little friend."

"I'm cute and fluffy!" Stitch yelled as head peered in from above the window on the driver's side. McLeach almost screamed as Stitch jumped onto his face and began biting. The two fought endlessly, causing McLeach to knock around various objects with his arms and legs. Suddenly, the vehicle made a violent turn and it soon turned over.

The vehicle did not stop along as Lilo discovered, shaking her head from when it tipped over. She gasped as she saw the slope the vehicle would slide down upon, eventually falling off a cliff. She quickly looked around from something to climb on, using the wheel for leverage. She pulled herself out through the open window when a hand grabbed on to her leg.

"You're not going anywhere, little girl," McLeach growled. He was going to say more when Stitch jumped on the back of his head and resumed his biting habit. This time, McLeach came prepared and whacked Stitch off of him. Lilo gasped in horror as she watched the man climb out of the window. "I don't mind having you as a stuffed trophy," he laughed as he pointed his gun at the nearly unconscious Stitch.

A roar was heard and Simba jumped on McLeach, biting down on his shoulder. McLeach screamed in sheer terror as he dropped his gun. Lilo dropped her jaw in disbelief over what she was seeing when a ragged clothed man dropped next to her and scooped her into his arms. "We're here to help you kid," he winked before leaping off the sliding vehicle.

Stitch shook his head and saw Simba leaping off McLeach before jumping off the vehicle. He quickly picked up the dropped gun and swung it at the man's face. McLeach grunted as he fell through the open window. Stitch laughed as he threw the gun to one side and jumped off the vehicle the other side. "Bye!" he yelled.

McLeach could do nothing but scream as the vehicle slid off the cliff. His screaming continued until the vehicle slammed onto the water, creating a loud crash that all could hear. The vehicle slowly began to sink into the water with no sign of McLeach escaping. Soon, the water swallowed the entire vehicle and the bubbles stopped floating to the surface. All that remained was a hat that floated upon the water.

"Stupid-head!" Stitch said, rolling on his back and laughing.

---

"Wow, I can't believe I'm on a pirate ship," Lilo said, looking around the deck happily.

"Well, we're kind of 'borrowing' the ship," Amelia laughed.

"So Stitch is one of you guys?" Lilo asked. "Twelve people who are saving the world?"

"That's right," Ariel said. "We still have seven others to look for and one them is on this land."

"Wow," Lilo said. "That means I get to stay on the ship, right?"

"I don't see a reason why not," Simba said. "Some of us are looking for our friends and families, too. We miss them so much and would like to be with them for as long as possible."

"We'd all love to have you on this ship, Lilo," Ariel said gleefully. "And you're just as cute as Stitch." Lilo and Stitch laughed the thought of being as equally cute.

"I guess there's no problem in keeping her on the ship," Robin shrugged with a grin. "Just so long as the two of you don't bother the crew."

"By the way," Ariel said, "Stitch keeps mentioning this word, 'Ohana.' What does that mean?"

"Oh, that's a saying we have back in Hawaii," Lilo said.

"Ohana..." Stitch said before Lilo could open her mouth again. "Ohana means, family... family means, nobody gets left behind..."

The others looked at Stitch and then at one another. They smiled together as they heard what it meant. "Ohana means, family..." Simba repeated. "I like that."

to be continued...