Protection

C/By Kenjaje

Chapter 8: Heavy Rains

Rain thundered against the ground as loud as the clouds thundered in the sky. Powerful winds blew against the truck's door as Nani drove hastily home. The windshield was a blur of sheeted rain and black swishes as the wipers crisscrossed in effort to smear away the constant water, but it didn't help much.

"Watch out!" She heard a person yell as she saw headlights in front of her. She realized she was on the wrong side of the road and she swerved right just barely dodging the oncoming car. The driver yelled and swore at her as he passed, shaking his fist out the window.

"Sheesh, he could use a few manners. I wish I had one of those blasters so I could teach him a lesson." Nani grumbled, as she stepped down on the pedal. "How on earth did this happen...it was clear as crystal just this morning." She whispered, trying to see the road ahead.

"Stitch slipping! Stitch slipping!" Lilo shouted, her hands sliding through Stitch's sleek fur.

"Hang on Stitch!" Came his reply over the loud roar of thunder and howl of wind. Stitch's lips began to flap in the gale uncontrollably, he felt his fur being strewn in all directions, his ears flailed violently, and the rain that shot him in the face forced him to close his eyes reflexively.

"Stitch...can't...." Stitch felt Lilo let go of his shoulders as another more powerful gust soared past them, carrying small leaves and twigs along with it.

"Stitch!" Stitch cried, letting go of the tree with on hand and trying to use it to catch Lilo. He was successful, however the tree was now too slippery for him to have any hold, and with another forceful push of wind, they both plundered to the ground nearly seven feet below. Stitch hit the ground headfirst but rolled, landing flat on a rock that hit his back hard, but the pain went away almost immediately. "Stitch, are you ok?" He called.

"Stitch fine..." Came her reply. But it was contradicting; she was in pain. Stitch found the source of her whisper, and saw her wincing as she held her hand by the wrist, a spec of blood on her palm.

"C'mon," Stitch said loudly, the wind distorting his volume. He helped Lilo to her feet and shielded her from the wind; debris pounded against his back. "Let's get somewhere safe."

"Oga-shuvuta." Lilo pointed to a large rock. Stitch nodded, and let go of Lilo as she brushed him off. "Legata." She said quickly, almost inaudibly, as she ran to the large stone. It was tall and hooked, the perfect buffer from the debris, and maybe the rain. Stitch followed in toe, and soon they were under the shelter.

"We've got to find Zeus, he's causing all of this." Stitch said, out of breath.

"Eh, but...where to start?" A lightning flash came from the distance; the storm seemed to sound more severe by the second.

"Maybe he's in the most severe part of the storm. But," a look concern crossed Stitch's face, "finding him will be easy, the problem is..." Stitch paused. "I don't think I'll be able to fight him as you." Lilo looked blankly for a second, trying to figure out what Stitch had said, and then smiled.

"Isa Oketaka, Lilo. Stitch sure Lilo do fine." She smiled.

"But, what if you get hurt or something? I mean, what if you get into some kind of danger and I'm not able to-"

"Come on." Lilo shouted, ignoring Stitch's concern. She grabbed him by the arm, and led him out from behind the rock into the storm, which now seemed desperate to send them into the air.

"But Stitch, we're dealing with water..."

"Lilo! Lilo!" Nani screamed over the thunderclaps as she entered the home. "Lilo are you home?"

"Little girl went out earlier," came Jumba's voice from upstairs inside his room, "should be back later." He heard Nani's footsteps as she bolted up the stairs, and he turned before she even got to his room, expecting her.

"What do you mean she's out? You let her go out in this weather?"

"Well, not being exactly. You see, not five minutes ago it was only foggy out and little girl went to go find experiment 599-"

"She's out finding an experiment?" Nani snapped.

"Yes, 599. Which, by the way, is the cause of this storm." Nani's eyes blinked a second as a look of confusion crossed her face. Jumba sighed. "Little girl and 626 went out to find 599. My experiment is causing the storm which we are in now, and is quite possibly where little girl and 626 are caught in as well."

"Get in the truck, we're going after them." Nani ordered.

"Why? Is just little earth storm..."

"This 'little earth storm' could get my sister hurt, or worse. We have to find her before this entire island is covered."

"Hm...could be dangerous for 626 also. Very well, be getting my rain jacket.

"Whoa!" Lilo shouted, as she slipped on the ground.

"Gotcha." Stitch said, catching her before she fell. "Be careful, it's slippery."

"Naga chuta." She grumbled as she kicked off her sandals. "There. Legata." Stitch followed Lilo as she led the way—though to where Stitch wasn't sure. In actuality he figured she was just wandering, hoping to find Zeus somewhere, either in the sky or on the ground. Stitch took advantage of his vision enhancing eyes to scope the clouds for anything that looked out of the ordinary, but found nothing.

"I don't see anything, do yo-," A staccato of lightning flashes and thunderbolts dominated the sky, as Stitch tumbled to a sit behind Lilo's abrupt stop. A lightning bolt had landed not five feet in front of them, and a wave of static electricity sparkled over Stitch's fur. Stitch staggered to his feet, mud and slime clung to his fur like glue, but he wasn't concerned with the filth from the ground.

He noticed a shadow inside a small cloud of fog in front of him. Lilo stood rigid, her feet dug into the ground as Stitch used her body to take a fighting stance, ready to pounce on the figure before them.

"It's Zeus." Stitch said, recognizing the figure. The very same one he had run into an hour or so ago, that scared him slightly, and seemed to survey him during their last encounter. He was tall and slender; his eyes were white along with the fog surrounding him, which clouded his body. If he had fur, if he had any density, you wouldn't be able to tell. It almost appeared as though he was the cloud. "Stand back Stitch, I'll take care of him."

"...Suga." Lilo nodded, striding her feet back and taking refuge behind Stitch.

"Zeus, stop doing this; stop the storm now!" Stitch demanded aggressively. Zeus did nothing, but merely kept a nonchalant pose against the constant flicker of light behind him. "If you don't stop this storm now, I'm going to have to force you!" Stitch threatened. Zeus replied by popping his knuckles. Stitch took a step back, not wanting to fight.

"Ju catchuga." Lilo whispered, putting a hand on Stitch's shoulder. Stitch stared back a second, and smiled, then focused his gaze upon Zeus. Verbally, he warned the rogue experiment that he was going to have to force him, and after a moments pause, he leapt toward the clouded Zeus.

Bearing his claws and teeth Stitch hurled himself toward Zeus, not intending to hurt the experiment at all, but merely attempting to look threatening. Perhaps the experiment would get cold feet and back out of the fight. "I can do this..." Stitch thought, "Stitch is the strongest experiment there is, the only thing is...I'm borrowing his body. If he can do it, maybe I can too."

The fogged experiment neither flinched nor made a move as Stitch neared closer and closer in his arc. Time seemed to slow, beads of sweat formed, but were disguised by the dropping of the rain. He neared the end of his assault, his claws inches away from Zeus' figure. And in half a second, his claws retracted, and he grabbed onto Zeus' wrist.

Zeus said nothing as Stitch retracted his claws and gripped onto his wrist, but swiftly as Stitch had made contact, he twirled around with the force of the blowing winds around him, and hurled Stitch back in the direction he came. Lilo quickly dove to catch him before he fell hard onto the ground.

"Ju takishta! Miaga nolegweesta!" The eyes of Zeus narrowed as Lilo shouted. Apparently she had pushed Zeus' buttons and flared his temper. He held up his clouded hands, and a static wave surrounded him. Lilo froze with fear for a second, remembering what lightning felt like when Hamsterveil had used the fail saves in the robots to try and electrocute him. She felt something like that was about to happen again, and so she grabbed Stitch, who was just now starting to get out of his daze, and ran into the concealment and sanctity of the trees, which turned out not to be such a safe haven after all.

Over her shoulder Lilo saw a stream of lightning hit the branch of a tree, and catch it on fire. She dove to the ground, the branch barely missing both of them, and quickly she scrambled to her feet, only to be stopped in her tracks by another flaming branch that fell in her path. One more to their side, and in seconds, a circle of flames surrounded them. Lilo looked over to where Zeus was, but he was gone.