Promise

By: Kenjaje

Chapter 8: Rage Once More

The rain had cleared up when Stitch arrived at the spire. His mind was clouded with many thoughts. He walked toward the ledge of the cave that was just before the spire, and shook his head to clear his mind. "It was for the better, Lilo will understand...I hope..." He took a deep breath and headed forward into 625's trap.

However, Stitch had an advantage, he knew exactly where 625 would be, except this time Lilo wouldn't be with him. He walked out into the sun, and leapt over onto the spire. In the middle of a large canyon, walls surrounding all sides, the spire was small and lower then the top of the canyon, but it was wide and tall enough to be well above the ground. Stitch glanced around, the air smelled damp and musty, clouding 625's scent. The ship was exactly where it should be, right on the edge of the spire. The first time they had come, they thought this was a ship Angel had used to arrive at the spire, but now Stitch would not be so easily deceived.

"Angel..." Stitch said with a menacing and slightly quavering voice. "Angel..." Stitch crept around the spire, knowing 625 was waiting to ambush him. Before, 625 was hanging from a ledge that went over the side of the spire slightly. 625 then hoisted himself up and kicked Stitch on the rise. Stitch quietly crept over to that exact spot and prepared for 625 to leap up.

"I'm afraid Angel will not be seeing you." Echoed a voice from far off. Stitch jumped instantly and turned around to where the voice was coming from. Off in the distance, on the risen wall that encircled the spire, 625 stood with his hands on his hips, and a smirk on his face. His body was reformed; his stomach now thin and his stomata type now resembled that of a mesomorph. His usual big and goofy teeth, appeared to have been sharpened into fangs, and his eyes were now narrow and sharp.

"625..." Stitch growled, "Stitch wondered when 625 would show up..." 625 raised his eyebrow.

"How did you know-"he cut himself off. "I'm amazed at your stupidity cousin; you sound as though you came here knowing I would show up, and yet you came anyway."

"Ju naga achie-baba!" Stitch hissed, pointing a claw at 625. The experiment gave out a satanic laugh, deep and rolling, completely different from his usual voice. "Naga tarakaba!" Stitch shouted with annoyance.

"You seem eager, but tell me, where is your-"

"Stitch!" Lilo cried off in the cave, interrupting 625.

"Ah, there she is..." He smiled as he jumped off from the wall swiftly, and landed right in front of the cave. Stitch ran to attack, but 625 was too quick; clasping Lilo just as she came through the mouth of the cave, 625 took hold of her shoulder and pulled her off to the adjacent side of the spire. Stitch stood and bared his teeth.

"Wha-what's going on?" Lilo panted with utter amazement, one moment she had been running after Stitch, the next she was grasped by the shoulder. Her eyes saw nothing but a flash of light, as a blood rush raced through her neck. The light faded, and she looked at her seizer. "62...5?" He laughed lowly.

"Too easy!" He cried with delight, "I haven't even broken a sweat and already I'm winning." Stitch growled and jetted toward 625.

"Let Lilo go!" He demanded with loath as he bared his claws to rip 625, but he was stopped by a net that enveloped him from the blaster 625 had pulled out and shot in the blink of an eye. Stitch tumbled for a distance, and landed a few feet from the edge of the spire.

"You're not 625!" Lilo shouted. "625 wouldn't do something like that!"

"Lilo," Stitch cried from the net, his head sticking out, "is 625, from future!"

"Perhaps I should explain." Snarled 625.

"What is there to explain?" Lilo said casually. 625 growled and lifted her at head height.

"Why Stitch must be destroyed." Lilo looked at him, cocking her head in confusion.

"What?" She yelled, "You're crazy, Stitch didn't do anything worth being destroyed over!"

"Stitch killed Angel!" 625 shouted over her. Lilo looked at 625 with wide eyes, her attention was completely taken by him. "I am 625, but I am from the future, to exact revenge against Stitch for killing Angel."

"What do you mean?" Lilo asked, her voice low and frightened.

"You remember the fight with Achie-baba Kino, don't you?" He asked her, she nodded her head. "During that fight Stitch was up against an impossible enemy. At first I thought he would win eventually, knowing Dr. Hamsterveils history with his attempts at getting Stitch, but during this fight I really thought he would lose. But the real story happened before the fight. Angel and I were supposed to lure Stitch into the hangar, and there, Achie-baba Kino would do the rest, but things changed. Angel had found out that Dr. Hamsterveils plan was to have Angel in the claws of Achie-baba Kino, to make Stitch suffer by seeing his love being tortured and in pain." Lilo gazed into 625's eyes, listening to every word of his story.

"However, Angel's happening on Hamsterveils true plan made no difference; he still sent Angel down to entice Stitch's love and cause him suffering. But what Hamsterveil hadn't counted on was that he was torturing my love as well, and more so I couldn't do anything about it!" He snapped at Lilo, she jerked as his fangs came inches from her eyes.

"When Angel was being tortured by that beast," he continued, "I wanted to do anything in my power to stop him, but Gantu had a blaster pointed right at me if I did anything suspicious. Then Angel was thrown to the ground, and you were her replacement, which I enjoy reliving in my mind very much now." He paused to recall Lilo in Achie-baba Kino's hands.

"It was then, that Stitch flew off the deep end; he became angry, enraged, so much so that he couldn't control it at first. The wave of hatred was almost too much for him; I could feel it inside of him. I thought for sure he would go into a mad rage, but instead he surprised me by controlling his loathsome and directing it full-force at Achie-baba Kino, sending the dragon to his end." Lilo grimaced when 625 mentioned of Stitch's rage. That was most horrid part of the whole incident; the Stitch she knew had changed, and she thought it might have been permanent

"But that's not the end of it," 625 went on, Stitch began to move around inside the net, to try and break it while he rambled the story he had already heard. "Hamsterveil decided to do the drastic thing and blow up the hangar. I raced to where Angel was, but Gantu picked me up before I even turned around, and carried me out of the hangar into his ship before the whole place exploded." He looked down as he continued. "Then, later, I went back to the hangar and saw only blood on the floor where Angel had laid. In time I was able to contact Stitch and hear the story of what happened."

"So you know then, that there's nothing Stitch could've done." Lilo told him as he paused. The net around Stitch was now getting looser.

"No, I know Angel was inside that hangar when it erupted, there's now way she could've gotten out in her condition, he could've looked around sooner, but instead he stayed with you and saved you, because of you Angel was left behind and killed in the fire. Stitch's actions killed Angel, and now I've come to get Stitch."

"You're such a coward!" Lilo screamed as Stitch broke out of the net and bolted toward 625 with sheer adrenalin. 625 saw Stitch beyond Lilo and lowered her into his arm, his forearm pressed up against her neck, putting pressure on her passage. Stitch halted in his pace, his eyes bore through 625.

"And in order to get rid of you, I'll do what it takes," He said to Stitch, "Even if I have to kill!" He shouted with emphasis, as he pressed hard onto Lilo's trachea, she gasped painfully, and her eyes opened wide with horror at 625's words, her body trembled with fear. 625 took the blaster in his right hand and pointed it at Stitch. "That look in your eye..." He spoke, "That same look..." Stitch's heart pounded, a familiar fire began to boil within him. "I can feel it...you're getting angry..."

"No...Stitch..." Came the weak cry of Lilo, Stitch looked at her as a tear fell down her cheek and onto 625's arm. "Please...don't..." Stitch began to struggle, growling and barking lowly, but trying as hard as he could not become angry.

"Yes...that's it...come at me with the same anger that drove you to defeat Achie-baba Kino." 625 taunted. "Show me!" Stitch ran full force at 625, extending all his arms and quills in mid leap. 625 dodged Stitch's attack and threw Lilo in his way. Stitch tried to stop, but it was to no use, his extended claws cut into Lilo's skin, making her howl with pain. Blood reached the ground as they both hit the floor.

"No..." Stitch said low, his rage mostly subsiding. 625 laughed satanically once more; he enjoyed watching Stitch suffer, and savoring the look on his face, trying to imagine the feeling that came his expression of torment at what he had just done to his best friend.

"Stitch..." Lilo sputtered.

"Don't talk." He managed to speak.

"Stitch listen...do you remember the promise you made to me...back in the hospital?"

"Eh. Eh." He said, in an effort to stop her wounds from bleeding, grasping them tightly with his hands.

"Forget about it...you have to change like you did before...it's the only way to stop 625..." Stitch looked deeply into Lilo's eyes. "It's ok...I'll try...not to be scared..." He continued to stare, not able to make a decision, a clap of thunder came from the sky above as the storm started up again. "Do it...it's the only way...forget the promise..." Stitch blinked, his rage was trying to heat up inside of him, but he was deeply trying to suppress it. Something told Stitch not to do what Lilo said, something that he remembered in the back of his mind allowed him to think clearly. The pendant around his neck gleamed off of Lilo's eyes as a lightning bolt flashed off in the distance. He clasped the pendant in his hand, the rage inside almost seizing control.

"It's green..." Came Lilo's voice, as he remembered the day she gave him the pendant, "For hope, and promise." The rage built completely up inside of him now, and the apex of his focus was reached once again. His mind grew calm, but alert; his breathing slowed, but became more controlled; his muscles relaxed, but remained strong; his eyes loosened, but remained fixated; his face scowled lightly, but remained stern and concentrative. Lilo stared back at him with fear; he let go of her sides, and wrapped his arms around her. She hesitantly gripped him back with her right arm, her left still unable to move from the deep wound. Stitch sensed the erratic fear in her pulse, and responded to calm her down.

"Do not worry..." He spoke kindly to her, his voice soft and reassuring. "Stitch not angry this time." He crossed his neck with hers and embraced tightly for a long moment, then receded to look back into her eyes. "Lilo ok?" He asked, referring to her wounds. She nodded with a slight groan, her mouth remained opened now in wonder if Stitch was as he was when fighting Achie-baba Kino, or if this was a different Stitch all together. "Good." He said quietly, setting her down. She shifted around to her side to watch. Stitch walked calmly up to 625, and stopped a yard in front of him.

"I guess it was a good idea not to attack you while over there, you seem to be much more willing to fight now." Stitch stared at 625, not saying anything. "Hmph, very well then, should I take the first move or would you like to start this fight?" Again Stitch said nothing, but moved into a defensive stance. "Very well then," 625 said, closing his eyes and cracking his neck and knuckles as he readied to assault Stitch straightly, "I suppose I'll have at it then, are you ready-" His words stopped as Stitch silently and swiftly charged toward 625, striking him initiatively in the face with a solid punch, sending him flying to the side near the edge of the spire.

625 let out a cry as he rebounded from the blow and shot back at Stitch. The confident blue experiment didn't move at all; a full force punch was about to be delivered by 625; as hard, if not harder, then Stitch's hit just prior. However, 625 was thrown to the other direction as Stitch caught the attack, and seemed to control 625's motion to the other side of the spire, sending him once again to rebound. This time 625 assaulted with a flying sidekick. Stitch proved the attack unqualified for his skill, he jumped upon 625 in mid air and took him down while flipping him over so that he hit the ground first.

625 stood up shakily, catching his breath. Stitch stared lazily at him, mocking him. Stitch's body language spoke to him, telling him that he was no match for Stitch. His eyes narrowed, and his pupils fixated wholly on Stitch. His sharpened teeth gritted against his lower lip, severing the skin and cutting it slightly. He launched again at Stitch, this time heading straight for his arm with a severing bite.

Stitch let his arm out as bait however, and as soon as 625 attached himself, Stitch spun him around, jumped up, and slammed him down hard against the surface of the spire. 625 let go immediately on impact, stunned for a moment or so. Stitch did nothing during this time; he let his arm bleed and waited for 625 to attack him again.

625 did just that, charging toward Stitch he went for the wounded arm hoping to constrict him down to the ground with pain. Gripping his hand around Stitch's left arm, his thumb dug into the deep cut that was made from his teeth, and his left hand came up to punch Stitch in the face. Once again he proved no match for Stitch; raising his hand Stitch caught the oncoming blow and twisted it out and around 625, making him face the other direction. He then moved his left hand toward 625's thumb, forcing 625's grip off of his wrist, and after that, Stitch had him completely under his control as he did his own wrist maneuver and caused 625 to hurl to the ground with a nearly broken hand.

625 had other ideas however, he took the blaster that was on his person and shot Stitch square in the right shoulder, but Stitch only leg go softly, without a flinch. 625 assaulted him once again, trying to lead him to the cryogenic transport ship, the same way Stitch had been tricked last time, except now he was under full concentration. He planned to throw 625 inside and be rid of him forever, so he let 625 pound him until they were close enough. Stitch's body bled from head to foot as 625 clawed and ripped his fur away, Lilo strained to see behind 625, and was drawn back by the horrid beating Stitch was giving himself.

"Stitch, stop!" She cried as he gripped 625's wrist, but at the sound of her voice he suddenly came to; as if being in a trance or possessed, his mind suddenly fuzzed and he was stupefied. Unfortunately his catatonia was all 625 needed to thrust Stitch into the transport ship, trapping him once again. "No!" Lilo cried, realizing what happened, as the ship slowly and steadily took off.