OKAY! Sorry I haven't updated... I've just been on one of my lazy kicks lately. But, anyway, before the chapter I would like to say some things to a couple of the reviewers, if you're still reading this:
To Dove the Unoriginal: Thank you for laying it all out like that. Your review was really helpful---believe me, it was. And as for my fan characters' "overall shape", as you put it, yes Kasey and Susan's "overall shapes" are pretty much that of Stitch and the other experiments. I didn't make it otherwise and I don't plan to change that because I'm pretty satisfied with the way they look. As for Jade... well, I never really gave her much of a design. I should really do that... anyway, yes Kasey and Susan ARE self-insertions. Kasey is my alter ego... (I have MANY of them) and Susan... well, in real life, I really DO have a cousin named Susan, and the Susan in this story is based off of her. With that being said, thanks for taking out your time to review my story like you did.
To Ri2: All I can say about the Stitch and Susan thing is.... don't worry about it. Susan may be in love with Stitch but I can honestly say Stitch doesn't fall in love with Susan, and I don't know if I'll make it that way.
With all that out of the way, here is the second chapter.
Chap. 2: The First Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kasey stirred, her mind slowly whirring back into consciousness. She felt her body lift itself up, then she felt her head slam against something. Her eyes flew open, and she looked across the room, then up, at what had hit her, or rather, what she had hit. It was a steel table, but it was covered in age-old dust, like it hadn't been used for a while. She groaned, rubbing the sore spot on her head. She blinked twice, trying to recall last night's events. Then she remembered.
She, a genetic experiment created by Dr. Jade Starkey, had crash-landed on Earth along with Susan, another experiment. She sighed, trying not to recall the painful memory of Jade Starkey's death. She drummed her claws on the steel flooring, remembering that she now helped assist a gigantic alien named Gantu. She rubbed her eyes and laid back, wondering if Susan was up yet, where she was, and if she was thinking the same about her.
She was sprawled out like that for a while, clicking her tongue, staring at the ceiling, thinking of, well, nothing much, really. She then realized she was hungry. Dr. Jade usually brought her breakfast as soon as she woke up(although Susan preferred to help herself), but it was clear that that wasn't going to happen this morning. She yawned, not really enthusiastic about getting breakfast herself, as she really didn't want to leave her "bed" even though it was made up of only a blanket and a pillow on the steel floor, and wasn't that comfortable. But she knew she shouldn't expect anyone to serve her, so she reluctantly got up.
As she walked into the hall, she felt cold air wash itself upon her fur, ruffling it slightly. The floor didn't help, either, being just as freezing below her padded feet. She began to wonder if she would ever get used to living here, and if she would ever find out what happened to Susan. But, she couldn't see into the future, so she figured those things shouldn't be thought of now. She paced across the floor quickly, wondering where food was kept in this place. She realized she had never really explored this place, and wondered if getting lost was possible.
She stopped in place, sniffing the air. She pivoted, and quickly started toward the smell... the smell of fresh toast. It took her a while, but she finally got into the room that was giving off the appealing aroma. Strangely, no one was in the room, but food was! Her toenails clicked the floor as she ran over to a table covered with bread and sandwich fillings. Her eyes darted toward a toaster, two slices of toasted bread peeking out of it.
Should she? Obviously, this was someone else's breakfast. But if she left, she would probably find nothing else, or get lost, whatever came first. And she was hungry, and looking at all that food didn't help her to resist... well, it WAS a lot of food... surely if she just took some, the owner of the food wouldn't mind?
Tempted, she cautiously walked over to the toaster, looking around to make sure no one was watching. Then, she drew her paw forward, and gripped one of the slices of toast. She took it out, and smiled to herself. Well, she had left the other piece of toast, so she figured one would not be missed too much. She examined the table, then found what she wanted. A butter dish. She gingerly lifted up the covering, but was disappointed to find it empty. Sighing, she covered it back up and took a bite out of the plain toasted bread. Well, it was better than nothing.
"Hey!" A voice made Kasey jump. She turned around nervously, and innocently swallowed the bite of toast. She immediately recognized the voice, and her sight confirmed she was right.
It was 625. Holding a stick of butter. This immediately made Kasey feel hot with embarrassment. "Oh---I suppose you're wondering why I took without asking..."
"Listen, if you want to steal breakfast, next time pick a new victim, okay, Orphan Girl? That toast wasn't supposed to be for you." He walked over to the table, unwrapped the stick of butter, and put it in the butter dish.
Kasey felt insulted. "I wasn't stealing. I just don't know where to get food around here. And, hey! Be grateful. I only harmlessly took one slice of toast. I even left one for you!" She pointed her paw to the other slice of toast still in the toaster.
625 took the toast out, and spread the butter onto it. Kasey watched, waiting for a reply, one paw on her hip, moving up and down as if dancing, but by the expression on her face she was hardly enjoying herself. 625 shot her an annoyed glance. "Do you HAVE to do that?! It's annoying! Don't you have a glass of orange juice to snatch or something?!"
Kasey snorted. "I told you---I don't steal! I just wanted something to eat!" She finished off her piece of toast, now grinning slightly.
A reply came this time, although it was not a very nice one. "Well, I'm sorry, but if you want to eat around here, you're going to have to drop the damsel in distress act."
"I am not a damsel in distress, and if I was, it would be because of all the distress you people are putting on me!" Satisfied with her remark, Kasey quickly grabbed the buttered toast right out of 625's paw before he could eat any of it. Kasey grinned triumphantly, biting into the toast and walking quickly out of the room before any more could be said.
As soon as she made it back to her "bedroom", she sighed, swallowing the last of her toast. Strangely, she was beginning to feel a bit better. Was she... dare she say, having fun? Without Dr. Jade Starkey or Susan there? Yet... it was exciting. Something actually warmed her in that cold ship... she didn't know what it was, but her mind vaguely told her that... maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
~~
Susan sat outside the front door of the Pelekai's, playing with a stick. She snapped it in two, then threw the pieces on the ground, watching as the smaller piece rolled out a little further. She realized how much her and that stick were alike. She, too, felt like she had been snapped in half. She liked it here, yet she would never feel rested until she knew where Kasey was and if she was all right. And also, there was the fact that Susan was feeling strongly for Stitch, yet she knew he must already be in love. She felt torn, broken like a twig. She did not know what she should do.
"Are you depressed? You didn't have breakfast, and you were acting all mopey." Susan didn't even turn to look. She knew it was Lilo behind her. "You know, if you're depressed, I know of a good therapy."
"As if that would help." Susan mumbled. "I just wonder where Kasey is..." Susan figured she shouldn't bring up the fact that she had a thing for Stitch. She didn't want Lilo to confirm her suspicions and say he already had a love.
"You mean that other experiment you told us about?" Lilo guessed. "I bet we'll be able to find her!"
"How do you know?" Susan wanted to know.
"I'll just go get Stitch! We're expert experiment trackers! And since you know what she looks like, we will find her in no time!" Lilo rushed back into the house to fetch Stitch.
Susan hoped the little girl was right. And maybe, just maybe, if her and Stitch worked together like that, maybe he'd forget about who he was in love with and turn his sights to Susan instead. She hoped.
When the three of them were riding in that low, red vehicle, Susan felt herself bob up and down as she tried to get used to it. Lilo noticed her "pain". "You'll get used to it after a while, you just have to go with the flow. Right, Stitch?"
"Ih!" Stitch agreed. But now he looked at Susan, which made her face grow hot. As they sped over a hill, despite her gloom, Susan felt herself call out with the others excitedly. "Whooo!" Her mouth curled into a grin, showing off sparkling white rows of teeth. This was fun. Susan was always a daredevil---she could never have this kind of fun with Kasey around. Suddenly, the vehicle screeched to a stop, jogging Susan's memory into the fact that they had a "mission"---finding Kasey---not having a joy ride, even though that kind of fun appealed to Susan.
"This is it," Lilo announced, "Gantu's ship!"
Susan studied the large ship's crash site carefully. "You really think she's---in there?"
"Well, we didn't see her around. I have a feeling that Gantu took her!" Lilo said in an angry voice. Stitch growled in agreement.
Susan started to look a bit worried. "Who is this Gantu anyway? Someone bad?"
"Yes, very bad most of the time!" Lilo exclaimed, holding out her hands like a monster. Then she let them drop at her sides. "But he has a good side. He's just stubborn. I think his parents forgot his birthday once or something..."
Susan smiled, admiring the creativeness of this child's mind. She followed them as they all got out, and started towards the ship.
~~
"Hey---I could've sworn there was a soda left..." Gantu looked in the refrigerator, scratching his head. Then he shut it and headed into another room where Kasey and 625 were seated on a sofa, watching something on TV. 625 was eating sandwiches. Typical. But Kasey... was drinking a soda! "Hey! Is that my soda?"
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't." Kasey and 625 both gave Gantu a taunting smile when Kasey said this. She drank some more of the soda, obviously in bliss.
"Why you---! Eh! Ugh---!" Gantu exclaimed.
625 chuckled. "What's the matter, Fish Lips? Can't think of a good comeback?"
Kasey snorted. "Like he actually could." They both burst into laughter, and Gantu looked like he was about to blow up.
"You took my last soda!" Gantu growled. "Why do the both of you have to make it your sheer pleasure to torture me?!"
Kasey put out her lower lip, pouting. "Aw, it's because we love you!" The sound of their laughter made it perfectly clear she wasn't being sincere---obviously. Gantu didn't say any more, but stormed out of the room.
625 smirked at Kasey. He nodded his approval. "Not bad, Girly---not bad at all."
Kasey smiled, showing the tips of her two front teeth. She drank the last bit of soda and the two went back to watching TV.
~~
Lilo, Stitch, and Susan scampered across the ship's flooring, having found their way in. Susan barely managed to lift up one of her small ears, listening for something---anything. "Are you sure she's here? I don't hear anything."
As soon as she said this, Stitch quickly ran off somewhere. Before Susan could ask, Lilo said proudly, "Stitch has very advanced hearing."
Saying Susan was impressed was an understatement. She smiled, feeling different, much different than she had in years, and said, "Let's go after him."
However, before Lilo could answer Susan was after Stitch at a speed that could rival his, quickly catching up to him. Lilo raced desperately after them. "Hey---wait for me!"
And they were getting closer and closer to finding Kasey by the minute. In fact, they were so close, that she could hear them. She looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, and who was making it.
"Did you hear something?" She asked 625.
625 didn't look away from the TV. "What?"
Kasey sighed. "Nevermind." Maybe it had just been her imagination. Although her imagination usually wasn't that noisy.
"Not you again!" Gantu's voice boomed from down the hall. Which startled Kasey.
625 noticed, and finally took his eyes away from the TV. "Oh, don't worry about that;you will get used to it. He always gets like that around noon."
Kasey stared at him with an upraised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. That's when Stitch, Susan, and Lilo ran into the room, with Gantu following them. Now Kasey REALLY looked confused... but happy. Susan had found her! Well, now she knew she was all right.
"Susan!" Kasey exclaimed at the same moment Susan exclaimed "Kasey!" The two ran to each other and hugged, which was usually a rare sight concerning them.
625 looked at them awkwardly. "Um, I hate to interrupt this sappy sugar fest, but what in the name of sandwiches is going on?"
"Well, this is Susan, an experiment also created by Dr. Jade. She crash landed here too. So, where have you been staying, Sue?" Kasey smiled.
"You KNOW I don't like to be called that!" Susan complained. "I've been staying with Lilo and Stitch. And we've come to take you back with us."
Lilo smiled. "Nani wasn't too happy with letting Susan stay, but I'm sure if I do a lot of kicking and screaming and yelling, she'll let you stay, too."
Kasey looked embarrassed. "No, that's okay. I want to stay here. So you don't have to bother with the trouble of getting me to stay with you."
Susan and Lilo looked at each other. "Maybe she forgot to take her medicine." Lilo suggested.
"Or maybe she was brainwashed!" Susan pivoted, facing Gantu, pointing a finger accusingly at him. "You did this to her, didn't you?! You're going down, buddy!" Susan charged towards Gantu, and began to punch his feet.
But Gantu kept staring at Susan with googly eyes. "You're the most lovely experiment I've ever seen... you can take your good-for-nothing friend and you can stay instead."
"Hey! You'd better not accept that offer, Sue!" Kasey yelped.
"Eeeww!" Susan backed away. "There's no way I'll do that!" Then she looked to Kasey. "Come on! Hurry! We can help you escape!"
"Escape? Why would I want to escape?" Kasey looked at Susan as if that were the craziest thing in the world.
Susan raised a brow, looking around. "Because you're being held captive here by a giant fish and a sandwich-loving idiot?"
"Hey!" 625 complained. "I don't call you names! Though give me time."
Susan looked confused. "Hey, waitaminute! How come you aren't all googly-eyed over me too?"
"If you expect everyone to drool over you, you're going to get no where in life, Shorty." 625 put together another sandwich.
Kasey waited for Susan to blow up. She, Kasey, had ridiculed Susan enough over her short height for her to get annoyed at it. And as she expected, a comeback came. "Well, you aren't going to get anywhere in your life either, if all you do is sit on your bum and make sandwiches!"
"'Bum'? What kind of language do you speak, anyway?" 625 snickered.
"That's weird..." Susan whispered under her breath to herself. Her charms didn't work on 625, either. Was he perhaps in love, too? Well, there was only one way to find out. "Hey, are you crushing on anybody?"
625 almost choked on his sandwich. "What?! I'm not interested in girls. I'd have to check every day if I was all in one piece."
Susan thought this over. Were her charms irrelevant on males who weren't interested? No. Dr. Jade had specifically designed her to attract all males except those in love. So, if 625 wasn't attracted to her... then he must be in love. But he didn't seem to want to admit it. Why? Who was he in love with?
"So, you'd rather stay here with Gantu, and be a part of his evil plans, than come back with us where you can be a part of our ohana?" Lilo asked Kasey, a bit confused and hurt.
"Evil plans? That guy wouldn't know of an evil plan if it bit him on the nose." Kasey snorted. "And even if he did, I would not be a part of them. I just want to stay here, because, you know... it's something new."
Hmmm. Susan thought of those things more, then began to place the pieces together. 625 wasn't attracted to her, so he must be in love with someone else. And Kasey did not want to leave, when Susan could see no real reason why she would want to stay. As the picture seemed to get clearer to her, she wondered... was it possible? Nah. It couldn't be---could it? Was---?
But she had to find out. "Kasey! I need to talk to you for a minute."
Kasey raised her eyebrows. "O-kay."
"Maybe she wants to ask you for hair tips or something." 625 suggested.
Susan was insulted. "And what's wrong with my hair?" No male had ever, EVER treated her like that before.
"I don't know, that clump of hair on your head bugs me. It makes me want to get a pair of scissors and chop it off." 625 admitted.
Kasey knew Susan was getting angry, and that her fuse was already lit and about to make her go off, so Kasey pulled her way into the hallway where no one could hear what they were saying.
"Okay, now what is it, Munchkin Girl?" Kasey asked.
"I told you not to make fun of my height! I rather like being short." Susan pouted.
Just then, Gantu started to make his way towards them, never taking his eyes off of Susan. "Just one little date?"
Susan rolled her eyes. "I'll handle this." She stepped in front of Gantu. "Listen, Chub Head. I seriously do not, never desire to, and never, EVER, EVER will want to be your girlfriend. So back off!"
Gantu walked away, rather sullenly. Kasey giggled. "So, what is it you want to tell me?"
"Well, it's more like ask you. Why do you want to stay here, anyway? I can't think of any real reason." Susan put her paws on her hips, waiting for an answer.
Kasey looked nervous, and her eyes quickly skimmed the halls. "I... I just thought it would be neat living without you, Sue."
Susan sighed. "Cut the crud, Missy. I know there has to be a reason why you're staying here... I mean, an ACTUAL reason."
"Like what? You think you're so smart." Kasey sighed.
"Maybe I am, if I'm right. Are you..." Susan lowered her voice, looking around. "...in love?"
Kasey looked surprised, and took a step back. "What?! What makes you think that?! I am NOT in love with Gantu, if that's what you're thinking!"
Susan shook her head. "No. Ew. Even you wouldn't be weird enough to fall in love with the giant tuna guy. So let me finish. I also could not figure out why my charms didn't work on 625. Then you said you didn't want to leave. Then I began to place everything together."
Kasey's eyes got wide. "No, wait---you don't think me and him are---in love or something?"
"It makes a lot of sense, and clears a lot of things up. For one thing, if you two are in love, it explains why my charms did not work on 625, and it also explains why you want to stay here. 625 isn't attracted by me because he's already in love with you, and you don't want to leave because you want to be near him, because you're in love with him! That's why!" Susan explained.
Kasey swallowed. "N-no! I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not crushing on 625!"
Susan nodded. "Uh huh. Stop denying it, already. You're not good at denying things. I can see it in your eyes. You think he's cute, don't you?" Susan went over and glanced into the other room. "He's kinda' cute. But not as cute as---oh, nevermind."
"I'm not denying anything! I'm not interested in him! I don't think he's cute! And don't look at him like that!" Kasey yelped.
Susan chuckled. "If you aren't interested in him, then why don't you want me to look at him? And don't worry about it. I'm not interested in him. He's cute, but his sarcasm gets to me. And I can't really stand lazy guys besides. So he's all your's."
Kasey pouted. "What makes you think I want him for myself, anyway? And I think you're in love, too. You keep looking at that blue, fluffy experiment guy all goofy-like."
"Okay. So I am in love with Stitch. But at least I admit it. You won't admit you're in love with 625 when it's so obvious. You look at him like you just seen an angel descend from heaven, which couldn't be further from the truth." Susan exclaimed.
"Right! Because he's not my crush." Kasey insisted.
"Okay. Fine. You keep on saying that. But I think you're his crush." Susan smirked.
"Really?" Kasey's eyes suddenly brightened.
"Yes. He seems to look at you in the same way. But also like you, he'd probably never admit it. Which is sad, because you'd make a cute couple." Susan smiled, then walked away grinning.
Kasey put her finger to her mouth. Was it true? Was 625 crushing on her? For some reason that made her feel different, and she quite liked it. But the real question was... was she crushing on 625?
THE END
~~~~~~~~
To be continued
To Dove the Unoriginal: Thank you for laying it all out like that. Your review was really helpful---believe me, it was. And as for my fan characters' "overall shape", as you put it, yes Kasey and Susan's "overall shapes" are pretty much that of Stitch and the other experiments. I didn't make it otherwise and I don't plan to change that because I'm pretty satisfied with the way they look. As for Jade... well, I never really gave her much of a design. I should really do that... anyway, yes Kasey and Susan ARE self-insertions. Kasey is my alter ego... (I have MANY of them) and Susan... well, in real life, I really DO have a cousin named Susan, and the Susan in this story is based off of her. With that being said, thanks for taking out your time to review my story like you did.
To Ri2: All I can say about the Stitch and Susan thing is.... don't worry about it. Susan may be in love with Stitch but I can honestly say Stitch doesn't fall in love with Susan, and I don't know if I'll make it that way.
With all that out of the way, here is the second chapter.
Chap. 2: The First Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kasey stirred, her mind slowly whirring back into consciousness. She felt her body lift itself up, then she felt her head slam against something. Her eyes flew open, and she looked across the room, then up, at what had hit her, or rather, what she had hit. It was a steel table, but it was covered in age-old dust, like it hadn't been used for a while. She groaned, rubbing the sore spot on her head. She blinked twice, trying to recall last night's events. Then she remembered.
She, a genetic experiment created by Dr. Jade Starkey, had crash-landed on Earth along with Susan, another experiment. She sighed, trying not to recall the painful memory of Jade Starkey's death. She drummed her claws on the steel flooring, remembering that she now helped assist a gigantic alien named Gantu. She rubbed her eyes and laid back, wondering if Susan was up yet, where she was, and if she was thinking the same about her.
She was sprawled out like that for a while, clicking her tongue, staring at the ceiling, thinking of, well, nothing much, really. She then realized she was hungry. Dr. Jade usually brought her breakfast as soon as she woke up(although Susan preferred to help herself), but it was clear that that wasn't going to happen this morning. She yawned, not really enthusiastic about getting breakfast herself, as she really didn't want to leave her "bed" even though it was made up of only a blanket and a pillow on the steel floor, and wasn't that comfortable. But she knew she shouldn't expect anyone to serve her, so she reluctantly got up.
As she walked into the hall, she felt cold air wash itself upon her fur, ruffling it slightly. The floor didn't help, either, being just as freezing below her padded feet. She began to wonder if she would ever get used to living here, and if she would ever find out what happened to Susan. But, she couldn't see into the future, so she figured those things shouldn't be thought of now. She paced across the floor quickly, wondering where food was kept in this place. She realized she had never really explored this place, and wondered if getting lost was possible.
She stopped in place, sniffing the air. She pivoted, and quickly started toward the smell... the smell of fresh toast. It took her a while, but she finally got into the room that was giving off the appealing aroma. Strangely, no one was in the room, but food was! Her toenails clicked the floor as she ran over to a table covered with bread and sandwich fillings. Her eyes darted toward a toaster, two slices of toasted bread peeking out of it.
Should she? Obviously, this was someone else's breakfast. But if she left, she would probably find nothing else, or get lost, whatever came first. And she was hungry, and looking at all that food didn't help her to resist... well, it WAS a lot of food... surely if she just took some, the owner of the food wouldn't mind?
Tempted, she cautiously walked over to the toaster, looking around to make sure no one was watching. Then, she drew her paw forward, and gripped one of the slices of toast. She took it out, and smiled to herself. Well, she had left the other piece of toast, so she figured one would not be missed too much. She examined the table, then found what she wanted. A butter dish. She gingerly lifted up the covering, but was disappointed to find it empty. Sighing, she covered it back up and took a bite out of the plain toasted bread. Well, it was better than nothing.
"Hey!" A voice made Kasey jump. She turned around nervously, and innocently swallowed the bite of toast. She immediately recognized the voice, and her sight confirmed she was right.
It was 625. Holding a stick of butter. This immediately made Kasey feel hot with embarrassment. "Oh---I suppose you're wondering why I took without asking..."
"Listen, if you want to steal breakfast, next time pick a new victim, okay, Orphan Girl? That toast wasn't supposed to be for you." He walked over to the table, unwrapped the stick of butter, and put it in the butter dish.
Kasey felt insulted. "I wasn't stealing. I just don't know where to get food around here. And, hey! Be grateful. I only harmlessly took one slice of toast. I even left one for you!" She pointed her paw to the other slice of toast still in the toaster.
625 took the toast out, and spread the butter onto it. Kasey watched, waiting for a reply, one paw on her hip, moving up and down as if dancing, but by the expression on her face she was hardly enjoying herself. 625 shot her an annoyed glance. "Do you HAVE to do that?! It's annoying! Don't you have a glass of orange juice to snatch or something?!"
Kasey snorted. "I told you---I don't steal! I just wanted something to eat!" She finished off her piece of toast, now grinning slightly.
A reply came this time, although it was not a very nice one. "Well, I'm sorry, but if you want to eat around here, you're going to have to drop the damsel in distress act."
"I am not a damsel in distress, and if I was, it would be because of all the distress you people are putting on me!" Satisfied with her remark, Kasey quickly grabbed the buttered toast right out of 625's paw before he could eat any of it. Kasey grinned triumphantly, biting into the toast and walking quickly out of the room before any more could be said.
As soon as she made it back to her "bedroom", she sighed, swallowing the last of her toast. Strangely, she was beginning to feel a bit better. Was she... dare she say, having fun? Without Dr. Jade Starkey or Susan there? Yet... it was exciting. Something actually warmed her in that cold ship... she didn't know what it was, but her mind vaguely told her that... maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
~~
Susan sat outside the front door of the Pelekai's, playing with a stick. She snapped it in two, then threw the pieces on the ground, watching as the smaller piece rolled out a little further. She realized how much her and that stick were alike. She, too, felt like she had been snapped in half. She liked it here, yet she would never feel rested until she knew where Kasey was and if she was all right. And also, there was the fact that Susan was feeling strongly for Stitch, yet she knew he must already be in love. She felt torn, broken like a twig. She did not know what she should do.
"Are you depressed? You didn't have breakfast, and you were acting all mopey." Susan didn't even turn to look. She knew it was Lilo behind her. "You know, if you're depressed, I know of a good therapy."
"As if that would help." Susan mumbled. "I just wonder where Kasey is..." Susan figured she shouldn't bring up the fact that she had a thing for Stitch. She didn't want Lilo to confirm her suspicions and say he already had a love.
"You mean that other experiment you told us about?" Lilo guessed. "I bet we'll be able to find her!"
"How do you know?" Susan wanted to know.
"I'll just go get Stitch! We're expert experiment trackers! And since you know what she looks like, we will find her in no time!" Lilo rushed back into the house to fetch Stitch.
Susan hoped the little girl was right. And maybe, just maybe, if her and Stitch worked together like that, maybe he'd forget about who he was in love with and turn his sights to Susan instead. She hoped.
When the three of them were riding in that low, red vehicle, Susan felt herself bob up and down as she tried to get used to it. Lilo noticed her "pain". "You'll get used to it after a while, you just have to go with the flow. Right, Stitch?"
"Ih!" Stitch agreed. But now he looked at Susan, which made her face grow hot. As they sped over a hill, despite her gloom, Susan felt herself call out with the others excitedly. "Whooo!" Her mouth curled into a grin, showing off sparkling white rows of teeth. This was fun. Susan was always a daredevil---she could never have this kind of fun with Kasey around. Suddenly, the vehicle screeched to a stop, jogging Susan's memory into the fact that they had a "mission"---finding Kasey---not having a joy ride, even though that kind of fun appealed to Susan.
"This is it," Lilo announced, "Gantu's ship!"
Susan studied the large ship's crash site carefully. "You really think she's---in there?"
"Well, we didn't see her around. I have a feeling that Gantu took her!" Lilo said in an angry voice. Stitch growled in agreement.
Susan started to look a bit worried. "Who is this Gantu anyway? Someone bad?"
"Yes, very bad most of the time!" Lilo exclaimed, holding out her hands like a monster. Then she let them drop at her sides. "But he has a good side. He's just stubborn. I think his parents forgot his birthday once or something..."
Susan smiled, admiring the creativeness of this child's mind. She followed them as they all got out, and started towards the ship.
~~
"Hey---I could've sworn there was a soda left..." Gantu looked in the refrigerator, scratching his head. Then he shut it and headed into another room where Kasey and 625 were seated on a sofa, watching something on TV. 625 was eating sandwiches. Typical. But Kasey... was drinking a soda! "Hey! Is that my soda?"
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't." Kasey and 625 both gave Gantu a taunting smile when Kasey said this. She drank some more of the soda, obviously in bliss.
"Why you---! Eh! Ugh---!" Gantu exclaimed.
625 chuckled. "What's the matter, Fish Lips? Can't think of a good comeback?"
Kasey snorted. "Like he actually could." They both burst into laughter, and Gantu looked like he was about to blow up.
"You took my last soda!" Gantu growled. "Why do the both of you have to make it your sheer pleasure to torture me?!"
Kasey put out her lower lip, pouting. "Aw, it's because we love you!" The sound of their laughter made it perfectly clear she wasn't being sincere---obviously. Gantu didn't say any more, but stormed out of the room.
625 smirked at Kasey. He nodded his approval. "Not bad, Girly---not bad at all."
Kasey smiled, showing the tips of her two front teeth. She drank the last bit of soda and the two went back to watching TV.
~~
Lilo, Stitch, and Susan scampered across the ship's flooring, having found their way in. Susan barely managed to lift up one of her small ears, listening for something---anything. "Are you sure she's here? I don't hear anything."
As soon as she said this, Stitch quickly ran off somewhere. Before Susan could ask, Lilo said proudly, "Stitch has very advanced hearing."
Saying Susan was impressed was an understatement. She smiled, feeling different, much different than she had in years, and said, "Let's go after him."
However, before Lilo could answer Susan was after Stitch at a speed that could rival his, quickly catching up to him. Lilo raced desperately after them. "Hey---wait for me!"
And they were getting closer and closer to finding Kasey by the minute. In fact, they were so close, that she could hear them. She looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, and who was making it.
"Did you hear something?" She asked 625.
625 didn't look away from the TV. "What?"
Kasey sighed. "Nevermind." Maybe it had just been her imagination. Although her imagination usually wasn't that noisy.
"Not you again!" Gantu's voice boomed from down the hall. Which startled Kasey.
625 noticed, and finally took his eyes away from the TV. "Oh, don't worry about that;you will get used to it. He always gets like that around noon."
Kasey stared at him with an upraised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. That's when Stitch, Susan, and Lilo ran into the room, with Gantu following them. Now Kasey REALLY looked confused... but happy. Susan had found her! Well, now she knew she was all right.
"Susan!" Kasey exclaimed at the same moment Susan exclaimed "Kasey!" The two ran to each other and hugged, which was usually a rare sight concerning them.
625 looked at them awkwardly. "Um, I hate to interrupt this sappy sugar fest, but what in the name of sandwiches is going on?"
"Well, this is Susan, an experiment also created by Dr. Jade. She crash landed here too. So, where have you been staying, Sue?" Kasey smiled.
"You KNOW I don't like to be called that!" Susan complained. "I've been staying with Lilo and Stitch. And we've come to take you back with us."
Lilo smiled. "Nani wasn't too happy with letting Susan stay, but I'm sure if I do a lot of kicking and screaming and yelling, she'll let you stay, too."
Kasey looked embarrassed. "No, that's okay. I want to stay here. So you don't have to bother with the trouble of getting me to stay with you."
Susan and Lilo looked at each other. "Maybe she forgot to take her medicine." Lilo suggested.
"Or maybe she was brainwashed!" Susan pivoted, facing Gantu, pointing a finger accusingly at him. "You did this to her, didn't you?! You're going down, buddy!" Susan charged towards Gantu, and began to punch his feet.
But Gantu kept staring at Susan with googly eyes. "You're the most lovely experiment I've ever seen... you can take your good-for-nothing friend and you can stay instead."
"Hey! You'd better not accept that offer, Sue!" Kasey yelped.
"Eeeww!" Susan backed away. "There's no way I'll do that!" Then she looked to Kasey. "Come on! Hurry! We can help you escape!"
"Escape? Why would I want to escape?" Kasey looked at Susan as if that were the craziest thing in the world.
Susan raised a brow, looking around. "Because you're being held captive here by a giant fish and a sandwich-loving idiot?"
"Hey!" 625 complained. "I don't call you names! Though give me time."
Susan looked confused. "Hey, waitaminute! How come you aren't all googly-eyed over me too?"
"If you expect everyone to drool over you, you're going to get no where in life, Shorty." 625 put together another sandwich.
Kasey waited for Susan to blow up. She, Kasey, had ridiculed Susan enough over her short height for her to get annoyed at it. And as she expected, a comeback came. "Well, you aren't going to get anywhere in your life either, if all you do is sit on your bum and make sandwiches!"
"'Bum'? What kind of language do you speak, anyway?" 625 snickered.
"That's weird..." Susan whispered under her breath to herself. Her charms didn't work on 625, either. Was he perhaps in love, too? Well, there was only one way to find out. "Hey, are you crushing on anybody?"
625 almost choked on his sandwich. "What?! I'm not interested in girls. I'd have to check every day if I was all in one piece."
Susan thought this over. Were her charms irrelevant on males who weren't interested? No. Dr. Jade had specifically designed her to attract all males except those in love. So, if 625 wasn't attracted to her... then he must be in love. But he didn't seem to want to admit it. Why? Who was he in love with?
"So, you'd rather stay here with Gantu, and be a part of his evil plans, than come back with us where you can be a part of our ohana?" Lilo asked Kasey, a bit confused and hurt.
"Evil plans? That guy wouldn't know of an evil plan if it bit him on the nose." Kasey snorted. "And even if he did, I would not be a part of them. I just want to stay here, because, you know... it's something new."
Hmmm. Susan thought of those things more, then began to place the pieces together. 625 wasn't attracted to her, so he must be in love with someone else. And Kasey did not want to leave, when Susan could see no real reason why she would want to stay. As the picture seemed to get clearer to her, she wondered... was it possible? Nah. It couldn't be---could it? Was---?
But she had to find out. "Kasey! I need to talk to you for a minute."
Kasey raised her eyebrows. "O-kay."
"Maybe she wants to ask you for hair tips or something." 625 suggested.
Susan was insulted. "And what's wrong with my hair?" No male had ever, EVER treated her like that before.
"I don't know, that clump of hair on your head bugs me. It makes me want to get a pair of scissors and chop it off." 625 admitted.
Kasey knew Susan was getting angry, and that her fuse was already lit and about to make her go off, so Kasey pulled her way into the hallway where no one could hear what they were saying.
"Okay, now what is it, Munchkin Girl?" Kasey asked.
"I told you not to make fun of my height! I rather like being short." Susan pouted.
Just then, Gantu started to make his way towards them, never taking his eyes off of Susan. "Just one little date?"
Susan rolled her eyes. "I'll handle this." She stepped in front of Gantu. "Listen, Chub Head. I seriously do not, never desire to, and never, EVER, EVER will want to be your girlfriend. So back off!"
Gantu walked away, rather sullenly. Kasey giggled. "So, what is it you want to tell me?"
"Well, it's more like ask you. Why do you want to stay here, anyway? I can't think of any real reason." Susan put her paws on her hips, waiting for an answer.
Kasey looked nervous, and her eyes quickly skimmed the halls. "I... I just thought it would be neat living without you, Sue."
Susan sighed. "Cut the crud, Missy. I know there has to be a reason why you're staying here... I mean, an ACTUAL reason."
"Like what? You think you're so smart." Kasey sighed.
"Maybe I am, if I'm right. Are you..." Susan lowered her voice, looking around. "...in love?"
Kasey looked surprised, and took a step back. "What?! What makes you think that?! I am NOT in love with Gantu, if that's what you're thinking!"
Susan shook her head. "No. Ew. Even you wouldn't be weird enough to fall in love with the giant tuna guy. So let me finish. I also could not figure out why my charms didn't work on 625. Then you said you didn't want to leave. Then I began to place everything together."
Kasey's eyes got wide. "No, wait---you don't think me and him are---in love or something?"
"It makes a lot of sense, and clears a lot of things up. For one thing, if you two are in love, it explains why my charms did not work on 625, and it also explains why you want to stay here. 625 isn't attracted by me because he's already in love with you, and you don't want to leave because you want to be near him, because you're in love with him! That's why!" Susan explained.
Kasey swallowed. "N-no! I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not crushing on 625!"
Susan nodded. "Uh huh. Stop denying it, already. You're not good at denying things. I can see it in your eyes. You think he's cute, don't you?" Susan went over and glanced into the other room. "He's kinda' cute. But not as cute as---oh, nevermind."
"I'm not denying anything! I'm not interested in him! I don't think he's cute! And don't look at him like that!" Kasey yelped.
Susan chuckled. "If you aren't interested in him, then why don't you want me to look at him? And don't worry about it. I'm not interested in him. He's cute, but his sarcasm gets to me. And I can't really stand lazy guys besides. So he's all your's."
Kasey pouted. "What makes you think I want him for myself, anyway? And I think you're in love, too. You keep looking at that blue, fluffy experiment guy all goofy-like."
"Okay. So I am in love with Stitch. But at least I admit it. You won't admit you're in love with 625 when it's so obvious. You look at him like you just seen an angel descend from heaven, which couldn't be further from the truth." Susan exclaimed.
"Right! Because he's not my crush." Kasey insisted.
"Okay. Fine. You keep on saying that. But I think you're his crush." Susan smirked.
"Really?" Kasey's eyes suddenly brightened.
"Yes. He seems to look at you in the same way. But also like you, he'd probably never admit it. Which is sad, because you'd make a cute couple." Susan smiled, then walked away grinning.
Kasey put her finger to her mouth. Was it true? Was 625 crushing on her? For some reason that made her feel different, and she quite liked it. But the real question was... was she crushing on 625?
THE END
~~~~~~~~
To be continued