Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo & Stitch" or any of the characters therein, with the exception of Leera, Le'Kruune and Taisiya.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
TEARS FOR TAISIYA
The interior of Le'Kruune's private suite was swathed in shadows. All the lights were dimmed, and a chill gust of air greeted the grand councilwoman the moment the door opened for her. She stepped inside cautiously, a faint anxiety growing inside her as she glanced about the room. From out of nowhere, something seemed to be whispering a warning to her, and she took heed, guarding herself against some unnamable dread. Aside from her own shallow breathing, it was silent. Where was Le'Kruune? As if in answer to her unasked question, the door to his sleeping quarters opened, and Le'Kruune descended in a flowing crimson robe. His face was unreadable as he turned his one good eye on her. For a long moment, the two stood staring at each other, before Le'Kruune lifted up a long, taloned finger and beckoned her forward. The grand councilwoman hesitated, then approached him.
"ZaiLeia."
Le'kruune's voice was distant and toneless. His eye broke from hers and cast dejectedly to the floor. He sighed; a deep, heart-wrenching sigh that caught ZaiLeia off-guard. She studied him curiously, but did not speak. When he looked up at her again, she was startled to see the distinct glimmer of a tear in his eye.
"Come."
He turned slowly and glanced back at her, an indication for her to follow. She did, albeit reluctantly, though something told her that this was very important. The two walked into his bedroom, and almost instantly ZaiLeia spotted the little human girl tucked under the covers in the middle of his king-sized bed. Lilo! What in the cosmos was she doing in here?! The same horrifying thought that would surely have crossed Pleakley's mind upon seeing her rose up in ZaiLeia's own mind for a moment. But when she saw the look of genuine concern on Le'Kruune's scarred face as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to the little girl, she knew there was no need to worry about any ill intentions on his part. ZaiLeia herself leaned over the bed to get a good look at the sleeping Lilo. When she looked up at Le'Kruune, she mirrored his concern.
"What's the matter with her?" she asked in a whisper. "Is she okay?"
Le'Kruune looked sadly at the little girl, shaking his head.
"That's why I called for you. She needs you."
ZaiLeia looked at him questioningly.
"Me? Why does she need me?"
"She's been asking for you, Zai. There's nothing I can do for her. But you can."
The grand councilwoman was confused. "Why would she ask for me, Horsthar? How can I help her?"
The look Le'Kruune gave her just then was beseeching; desperate. On the verge of tears. "Because you're her mother, Zai."
She stared at him in disbelief. "What?!!"
"She's sick, Zai. She needs you. Take care of her."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "This isn't my daughter!"
Le'Kruune sighed irritably, lowering the covers and lifting the unconscious youngling to his chest. "Dammit, Zai, don't play games with me. Taisiya is very ill. Can't you see that?"
Stunned by the mentioning of that name, the grand councilwoman stood staring at him for a moment before sitting down on the bed opposite him. She couldn't believe this. Even though the past two days had shown her firsthand that Le'Kruune was going insane, she still could not believe this. Taking a deep breath, she put a hand to Lilo's forehead. It was warm to the touch; warmer than she believed it should be, though she knew very little about her species.
"I can see she's not well," she admitted. "But what I don't see is how you -" she looked up at Le'Kruune again and stopped. The corners of his mouth were down-turned and twitching, and his brow was knitted with worry. There was no mistaking the pained look on his disfigured face. ZaiLeia's own face fell at the sight. He really and truly believed that Lilo was their daughter. And he cared. He cared about her. No. More than that. He loved her. This was not so surprising, however. In spite of his infamy as a heartless, murderous demon, he had always loved their daughter. Of the dozens of children he had undoubtedly sired, Taisiya had been his favorite, his pride, and quite possibly the only child he would admit to having any genetic relationship with. Now, seeing the pain and compassion so evident on his face, ZaiLeia could not help but sympathize with him. He had been a pretty good father, she had to admit, but that could not change what had happened twenty years earlier.
"Here," ZaiLeia said, holding her arms out. "Give her to me."
Le'Kruune obliged, handing the snoring bundle over to her. The grand councilwoman looked her over silently. Lilo was pale. Dark circles were forming under her eyes, and her breathing was shallow and slightly labored. Aside from her forehead, which was hot with fever, her skin was cool and clammy. Her mouth hung open a little, and a thin trail of drool traced from the corner of it down to her neck.
"She appears to be in shock," she told him. "This environment is completely different from what she is used to. And I wouldn't doubt that there are a number of alien bacteria aboard this ship that are only aggravating her condition. What may be harmless to us could be lethal to her. The best thing you can do for her is to return her to her home planet immediately."
The look Le'Kruune gave her just then was one of utter disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about? You speak of her as though she was some kind of alien!"
ZaiLeia sighed irritably. "That's because she is some kind of alien."
"Well, that's a fine way to talk about your daughter, Zai!"
"For the last time, Horsthar, this is not our daughter! This is a human child from the planet Earth. You abducted her along with Agent Pleakley. You're going insane. Your molecular map is breaking down. If you were in your right mind, you would see clearly that this child doesn't even look anything like us!"
Le'Kruune just stared at her. "I think it's obvious what the problem is here," he said very quietly, and in a tone that chilled. He stood up, pointing a finger at the grand councilwoman. "You've lost it, Zai. You've lost it. You've finally snapped. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to take care of Taisiya. Being with you is probably what's made her sick in the first place. You!" He snorted. "Trying to be her father as well as her mother! You never were the maternal type. But this is too extreme. You sit there and you dare to deny your daughter, even while you're holding her in your arms! Here, give her back to me. I'm keeping her. She's not safe with you anymore. She'll end up dead in your care."
At these words, something twanged painfully inside them both, though only ZaiLeia recognized the feeling for what it was. Le'Kruune leaned toward her with his arms outstretched, ready to take the child from her. She pulled away from him then, and her eyes narrowed to slits. A burning magma of pain and rage was welling up inside her, but she did not fight to keep it pent up any longer. "This isn't Taisiya, you idiot! This is an alien!"
Le'Kruune glared at her in disbelief. His arms dropped to his sides. "Don't say that, Zai. You're hurting her. How can you talk about your own daughter like - "
"Dammit, Horsthar! This is NOT Taisiya! Taisiya is dead! She died twenty years ago! She caught the txacchioblerrus virus and died at the age of nine!"
"But -"
"She's dead! DEAD! Do you hear me?! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! Gone! Forever! Dead! SHE - IS - DEAD!!!"
The word echoed hideously into the heavy silence that followed. Le'Kruune stared unseeing at ZaiLeia, his eye glazing over as realization dawned in his ravaged mind. She was huffing, a pained look on her face as she glared back at him, willing him to understand. After what seemed like an eternity, he came out of himself. He glanced down at Lilo, then up at the woman holding her, his expression a mixture of awe and horror. ZaiLeia said nothing. Slowly, she laid the little girl down on the bed, then looked back up at Le'Kruune. The instant their eyes met, it happened. Something sparked between them. Love. A mutual love, consummated in the form of that gift that they had given to each other. Their daughter. Taisiya. In spite of all the years of open hatred toward one another, that one most precious treasure that they had once shared could never be denied. And that was more than enough to send them both sobbing into each other's arms.