Love and Burden
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 7
*********
Auron wondered what his hosts would think if they caught him using the phone without permission...twice. Honestly, he didn't think that they'd restrict him, but he was afraid to ask.
The buttons clicked quietly as he punched in the last few numbers. With the receiver to his ear, he listened as the prompting beeps began to sound. He heard the click of the phone being answered at the other end-
"Auron?"
Like lightning, Auron slammed the receiver back down as he heard Peka from behind him.
He spun around in horror...but was surprised to see that she was smiling.
"Oojeh camesata?", she asked.
It took Auron a second to realize that she was speaking Turian; asking if he had been using the phone.
"Yeah...", he confessed.
"I'm sorry."
Peka continued to smile and stepped towards him.
"Do you still remember how to speak Turian?", she asked him offhandedly.
Auron nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Let's hear it", she urged him.
Auron was in wonder why in the world he was supposed to be demonstrating [and why there was no further comment about the phone.
"Um...", he began thoughtfully.
"Naka mana-quiesta ool camesata [I'm sorry for using the phone]."
Peka's soft smile continued to show as she motioned for him to walk with her.
"Don't worry about it", she told him [still in Turian].
"Where are Aron and Garon?"
"Upstairs", Auron answered [also in Turian].
"They're brushing their teeth."
"They're brushing their teeth?", Peka exclaimed in surprise.
"How'd you get them to do that?"
Auron smiled weakly as they continue to walk along.
"Did you know that they're Michael Jackson fans?", he asked.
"Sorry if I manipulated them, but I said that Michael Jackson's voice was horrible until he began brushing his teeth."
Peka laughed at Auron's words.
"That's good", he commented.
"Owen just tells them that if they don't brush their teeth, they'll fall out and they'll only be able to eat apple sauce for the rest of their lives."
"That's even better", Auron replied with a laugh.
"Owen's a great father, huh?"
Peka nodded honestly.
"I know it's not what he was cut out to be", she said.
"But he loves those two more than anything else."
"Yeah", Auron agreed.
"They are pretty lovable."
"Only when they're not at eachother's throats", Peka said warningly.
"I'm glad of how close they are, but they can get into some tooth-and-nail fights at times."
"That's a sign of brotherly love", Auron corrected humorously.
"It's just their sign of substituting a hug and a kiss."
"I guess so", Peka agreed.
A second of silence followed...
"Uh, Peka?", Auron asked.
"Why're we walking in circles around the hallways and the kitchen?"
"Oh...no reason", Peka lied, cringing at the idea of what she would eventually have to confront him with.
"I'm just bored."
"Speaking of bored...", Auron opened, with the tense air of approaching a sensitive subject.
"Last night...did I do something wrong?"
Peka continued to pace with Auron, but she had come to an emotional standstill.
She did not yet want to reveal that her break of mind had been triggered by her sudden remembrance of him, but felt a strange obligation to satisfy his question; he was truly worried about her.
"No, it's not your fault", she assured him.
"I'm well...I guess I've just been going through a difficult phase in my life."
This was the first thing that popped into her mind.
"...Do you want to talk about it?", Auron offered helpfully.
"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to, but, well..."
"Why am I feeling this open to him?", Peka asked herself.
She had just realized that she was about to reveal to him a mix of emotions that she had tried to keep secret from everybody else.
"Well...", she began, still asking herself why she was saying.
"I...well...it's Owen."
"What about him?", Auron asked caringly.
"Well...", Peka said slowly ["Why am I doing this?"].
"It...it feels like he's been ignoring me."
She swallowed heavily, before continuing.
"I mean, I know that Owen's not really the romantic type, but things used to be a lot better between us than they are now."
"You mean you two arguing?", Auron asked.
"No", Peka said.
"See...even after Aron and Garon were born, the love we had was still young. Throughout the day, we'd hug or kiss, sometimes even both when nobody was watching. Every night, when we were in bed, we'd cuddle up and fall asleep together...but it's like that's coming apart now."
Through her intimidating feeling of stupidity, she continued.
"Now, he won't even turn in my direction when we're in bed...he spends more and more time getting sick on his food and in front of the television. It feels like we're drifting apart, and he's not even aware of it."
Auron tried to sound helpful [although he too felt stupid in this matter] and pursued.
"Well...have you tried anything to get him back?", he asked.
Peka nodded.
"I've tried whatever I can", she said sadly.
Then ["Why am I telling him this?!?], she added;
"I've even considered renting some dirty movies to...well, you know...to 'turn him on'..."
Then she shook her head.
"It's not sex that I want", she said honestly.
"I just want him to recognize me again. I want him to love me again."
Auron felt bad about not being able to find a way he felt could help her. He had secretly prided himself on being able to handle these things well, but 'these things' had not yet included how to bring a couple back together.
Peka felt bad herself; she felt as if she was burdening Auron with her own problems. It made her feel selfish, but the next words that came out of her mouth were a full-blown request.
"Could you talk to him?"
Both of them were blown back by this question that they both halted in their steps for a moment.
"M-me?", Auron said in near-disbelief.
"You want me to talk to Owen?.........are you serious?"
"I'm afraid to say anything", Peka said quietly as they began to pace again.
"And you're a guy, too, so I thought that..."
Her voice trailed off.
Auron continued to feel dumbfounded. His first idea was that the whole thing was ludicrous. Surely Owen wouldn't listen to him: a total stranger.
But then...he looked over, and saw the look of deepening sadness and embarrassment in her eyes as she awaited a rejection.
Auron swallowed heavily.
"....Sure", he said after a while.
Peka looked up in surprise at Auron.
"Really?", she asked.
"You'll do it?"
"I will", Auron said with a nod.
"I'm not sure what I can say, but..."
"Oh, Auron!", Peka exclaimed happily, stopping the walk to hug the Experiment around the neck.
"Thank you so much!"
Auron stood there, absorbing the embrace, not knowing what to do. Personally, he considered this show of gratitude to be a bit drastic...but then again, he wasn't about to be rude and push her away.
"Alright then...", he said as nicely as he could, patting Peka gently on the back.
She let go of him, and her bright smile of thankfulness continued...until her face suddenly fell dramatically.
"Peka?", Auron asked in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
Peka lowered her head towards the floor dully and slowly.
"Uh...there's something I have to tell you, Auron", she said quietly.
"What is it?", Auron asked.
Peka looked back up, and there was the tiniest trace of fear in her eyes.
"I brought you here for a reason", she confessed.
Auron looked around, and noticed that they were in front of the living room door.
"Please let us explain", Peka requested almost pleadingly.
"We know you'll be shocked, but please let us talk first, alright?"
"What's this all about?", Auron asked somewhat tensely.
"What's going on, Peka?"
"Please...", she begged one more time, and pushed open the door to the living room.
And inside, sitting and standing as planned, were Stitch, Twyla, Owen, and Jumba Jookiba.
***
All eyes were on Auron. He blinked casually, as if accepting a simple trick of the light.
He blinked again, this time more intently; he couldn't be seeing what he was seeing.
Then, as he slowly realized that what he was seeing wasn't as illusion, he began to step backwards, ever so slowly, as if an extremely large animal were sighting him.
"Please, Auron!", Peka begged once more, attempting to put her hand on his shoulder.
"Everything that happened, we can explain it!"
"What's going on?", Auron hissed to her quietly.
"What the Hell is happening?"
"Auron, we can explain everything!", Peka pleaded continuously.
"If you'll just let us-"
"No!", Auron exclaimed, swatting her hand away.
"You-! You all...tricked me! You're working with him!"
Peka shook her head desperately, and Stitch in the living room came forward, hoping to help the situation.
"Auron", he began quickly and carefully.
"Jumba's not the bad guy! We can clear up the whole story-"
"SHUT UP!", Auron shouted again.
Anybody looking at him would see a paranoid creature, confused, shocked, and outraged. It was an emotion not often seen in him; his entire universe had been turned upside-down in a few simple seconds, in which he had been exposed to the fact that not only his much-hated creator was alive, but ever so close to him.
And the idea that those who he had thought to be his friends were now defending Jumba was truly un-nerving.
And as Stitch came closer, it made Auron feel like a cornered animal.
When Stitch reached out to him, perhaps to calm him, he hit it away.
When Stitch tried again, he punched him in the face.
Stitch, unsuspecting of the blow, fell back onto his behind with a grunt.
Everybody in the living room stood up alertly.
Peka moved towards Auron, and he looked at her as if she was up next for a smack in the face.
It was unsure who made the next move, but whoever it was, the next second, Stitch and Auron were fighting.
*********
It was now much later. The sky had turned dark and starry; perfect for viewing.
It was being viewed by a certain individual, who sat atop the roof of the Pelekai household.
Auron stared up into the infinite universe in a way he had never done before. He wondered what else he didn't know, what else had gone unchecked, and who else was who.
The fight between him and Stitch had been a short one. Stitch was stronger than he was, and he had not been in a focused state of mind.
He wasn't sure how the fight was broken up, but he had been shedding tears of exasperation after the punches had stopped.
Auron reflected upon how strange it was to have these mood swings: first he was scared and paranoid, next he was in the will to fight, next he was having a nervous breakdown, and finally he sucked up the tears and went into a kind of mental cocoon.
He had listened to Jumba. The two of them were granted serenity and they sat behind a closed door.
Jumba had spoken for a long time, gibbering and stuttering. What he had said made sense in a way that Auron didn't want to accept, and he felt an emotion of sudden humility that he had not felt before.
Yes, he had listened to Jumba, but he had listened without accepting. His ears had taken in his creator's voice, but he wasn't sure if the words had made it to his brain.
He had simply walked out the door and into a world of his own once it seemed as if Jumba was finished...when he had said;
"I don't know if you can ever forgive me...I don't dezerve forgiveness. But I vant you to know, as my child, zhat I am forever grieved and remorseful for vhat I did to you."
Something inside Auron's mind growled angrily as he remembered this.
"I'm not your child", it snarled.
"You created me, but I'm not your child. You gave me life, but I'm not you child. You made me what I am, but I'm not you child. You tortured and tried to kill me, so I can't be you fucking child."
Auron did not forgive Jumba, and he couldn't care less about his apology. Jumba was still the evil he had grown up with, and something like that was not easily brushed aside. It became his pact never to forgive Jumba, no matter what.
But the others...
***
Just then, Auron turned to the sound of the hatch-door opening. Light from inside of the house spilled into the nightly darkness, and Peka climbed into view.
"Hey...", she greeted quietly, with a neutral expression on her face.
Auron slowly raised his hand in return.
Peka stepped onto the orange-colored tiles of the roof and closed the hatch behind her.
"Aren't you cold up here?", she asked.
He shook his head and raised his head to the stars once again.
Peka quietly crawled over to Auron and sat down next to him. She looked at him briefly, saw that their eyes would not meet, and directed her attention to the skies herself.
"Pretty night, huh?", she commented.
Auron nodded again.
"Pretty...yeah."
Peka leaned towards him.
"I'm sorry about...well, you know what", she apologized.
"This morning", Auron stated, filling in the blank.
"Yes...", Peka said slowly, feeling that even this plan to simply talk to Auron turned out bad.
Auron sighed heavily.
"Are you going back down?", he asked quietly.
"Yeah...", Peka answered.
"Eventually."
"Could you please tell Stitch that I'm sorry for starting the fight?", Auron requested, somewhat sadly.
Peka nodded.
"Sure", she agreed before replying;
"But I don't think that's necessary. We all know how you must've been feeling...Stitch even wanted me to apologize to you."
Auron lowered his head to his feet miserably.
"It's all my fault", he said gloomily.
"I shouldn't have gone all crazy just because..."
Peka noticed how he stopped when he said this. She knew that he didn't see Jumba in the same innocent light that she did, and she didn't blame him...but she still wanted to try to get him to understand.
"Did you listen to what Jumba said?", she asked cautiously; venturing out on a dangerous subject.
Auron looked back up at the sky and nodded curtly.
"Yes."
Peka sighed under her breath. Auron didn't want to want to talk about...but she persisted.
"Jumba's...not that bad, you know...", she said, and knowing immediately that her statement had been weak and meaningless.
Auron continued to stare towards the Heavens, as if he had not heard her.
"I mean, you heard what he said", she continued.
"He was under threat, y'know..all of the Experiments were under threat."
Still no reaction from Auron. Only his laid-back ears flowing slightly in a passing breeze.
"He isn't a bad guy...really", she pressed on, before hitting a final stroke:
"...I mean, you're still alive, right?"
At these words, Auron's head snapped in Peka's direction to face her. His expression was almost livid.
"I'm ALIVE?!", he fumed.
"You think his actions can be justified by the fact that he let me live? By the fact that I got away before he shot me?! I don't think you have any idea what Hell he put me through, every single day he had me! How can you sit there like that and have sympathy for somebody, for something like that!?!"
His wave of outrage had been short. Auron turned his head back straight with an angry expression on his face and clenched his fists as he supported himself.
Peka lowered her head quietly. She knew that she had been wrong in the way she had spoken to him, and she felt that she deserved his outburst. She didn't know what was going to happen, and decided silently to handle the situation delicately.
***
Auron sat in his position of anger for several minutes, and Peka didn't move. It wasn't that she was afraid to, but the possibility that she hurt Auron even more.
After what seemed like forever, he finally turned his head to face her, looking remorseful.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you", he apologized honestly.
"...I'm sorry I was inconsiderate of your feelings", Peka replied with the same serenity.
Auron sighed heavily once again and looked at the tiles.
"I can't forget what Jumba did to me", he said quietly.
"And I can't forget either."
Peka nodded in understandment.
"I believe that what he did was for the well-being for the other Experiments", Auron continued.
"He must've loved them all very much to hate me equally as much. But what he put me through will make me hate him for the rest of my life. I can't forgive him."
Peka nodded sadly.
"I don't blame you, Auron", she told him, and they entered another period of silence.
It was broken a few minutes later by Auron, who turned to ask Peka;
"How're Aron and Garon?"
"Aron and Garon?", Peka repeated.
"Their fine...they didn't hear what went on. But they're concerned about you."
"I was afraid they might've heard", Auron admitted.
"I didn't want them to see me fighting."
He breathed twice, before looking back up at Peka.
"Could you please get me my guitar?", he asked her.
Peka was a bit surprised by this request.
"Your guitar?", she asked.
"I don't want to be lazy", Auron explained.
"But I don't really want to face everybody downstairs yet."
After a second, Peka nodded with a small smile, and she crawled back over to the hatch and disappeared from sight.
***
Reason to loathe,
Choose your future bold
Don't do it, you know you know you're
***
Peka returned a minute later, carefully holding the red-bodied instrument under one arm.
"I'm back", she announced as she shut the hatch behind her carefully.
Auron admired her respect for his possession as she cradled it over to him with extreme care.
"Thanks", he thanked her as she handed it to him with both hands.
"What did you want it for?", she asked him curiously.
"To play it, you fool", Auron thought to himself as he carefully rested its base on the inside of his hip.
He decided for replying in a nicer way.
"When I get upset", he began, tuning the wheels at the head.
"I can sometimes calm down if I just sit down and think up a song."
"You write songs?", Peka asked with interest.
"I don't write them", Auron said with a small grin of pride.
"I memorize the ones that are worth memorizing."
"Stitch does that too", Peka commented.
"Y'know, with his ukulele. But he doesn't sing."
Auron nodded and continued to fine-tune his guitar.
"Have you thought up many songs?", Peka continued, feeling that she was back on his good side.
"A few", Auron answered.
"But please don't ask me to sing now...I just wanna string it a bit."
"Alright", Auron allowed, feeling even prouder of himself.
"I won't play loud...just a bit."
He clicked a small push-switch on the back of the guitar to activate the built-in amplifier, sat a moment and thought, and them strung his claws across the chords.
To Peka, the sound was surprising. It wasn't the hard-rock she had expected...but a lonely, calling throb that echoed far no matter how low it was played. Immediately her mind flew to a scene in the movie 'The Crow'; when he had sat on rooftop and played in sorrow.
That was what Auron's music sounded like.
It was addictive in a reverend way: she wanted to hear more, but not because it was a catchy tune. The sound verberating from the depths of the guitar was awe-inspiring, and it told a story that only those who truly listened would understand.
Auron was in a world of his own as he did this. His eyes were closed, and not even looking at his fingers as they traced the outline of the rock- melody. His breathing seemed to flow with the emotional dins of his prized guitar, as did his heart, pulse, and mind. It was his element: to play this instrument as he wanted. It was his own time, and his own art gave him a silent, untold joy.
***
Held by the code,
Do what you are told
The icon of dominance
***
Time didn't matter when Auron played; it was only when he had strung the final cord that Peka realized she was walking a dream world.
She snapped awake, but the look of amazed admirement still showed on her face.
"Wow...", she commented as Auron laid the guitar down on his lap.
"That's really good!"
Auron smiled and hid a small blush.
"Thank you. Thanks for listening."
Peka smiled back at him peacefully.
"You really are a talent", she complimented.
Peka looked back up at the stars, and a thousand thoughts of the universe rushed into her mind. This time, however, she was able to sweep them away effortlessly.
"I gotta go back downstairs", she said, getting to her feet carefully.
"I gotta tuck Aron and Garon in."
"Tell them 'good-night' from me, okay?", Auron asked her.
"Sure", she agreed, opening the hatch once again.
"Are you coming down any time soon?"
"Eventually", Auron replied.
"I just...I just wanna watch the stars a bit."
"Okay", Peka said with a nod.
"Good-night, Auron", she added, descending down.
"Good-night, Peka", Auron replied with a smile as the hatch cut the light away.
He looked back up at the star-filled sky, feeling a mix of emotions as he began deciphering constellations, planets, and nebulas.
He wondered what was going to happen to him now. What fate had in store for him. Many times, Auron had accepted fate into his life, but there were several exceptions to be made.
Auron wondered if he had changed fate by escaping Jumba back on Turo. Had he changed fate when he was hit by Riley's car, and they came together? What about the time that he had saved Riley and his sister from the Predator? What about when he left Riley's house?
Auron continued to wonder. Perhaps it was fate that he had these ideas about changing fate. Many times, he had also predicted a Grand Plan to be taking place for him. He hated the thought of his life being decided for him, but he wasn't sure that was the case.
Often, he had tried to decipher fate to see the future. Many times it had been purely practical, but at the moment, he searched for a pattern among the stars that might give him an answer.
In many ways, he was confused about the position he was in. With Jumba being here, him befriending Peka, and everything else. His life had taken so many unexpected turns that he often longed to know what would happen next before somebody gave it to him.
"Maybe that's just the way things are supposed to be", he thought to himself.
"Maybe nobody is supposed to know until it happens."
It was a strange thought, and he felt ready to accept it.
Until...
***
Suddenly, the sky above him broke. Auron sat straight up as he noticed the disturbance in the Heavens.
It was a completely cloudless night, and the universe seemed infinite. However, there was something very noticeable in all the infinity moving towards him.
He stood up and strained his eyes. At first, he suspected it to be a meteor. But as it came closer, and his advanced vision began to take effect, he realized that it was no meteor; it was a spaceship.
Trailing green exhaust smoke that boomed up from behind like an ineffective parachute, the craft plummeted nozzle-down towards the Earth, at an angle that wouldn't lead too far away from where he was right now.
It was coming closer and closer at a fast rate. Auron noticed that a wall- like humming was pressing down on him as the sound of the crashing ship swooned past its source.
"Oh God!", Auron muttered as the ship broke through a low cloud and continued in direction of the jungle.
He ran to the top of the observatory and stood up for a better view. The small vessel was now completely noticeable to all eyes.
A brief shriek of the engine sounded as the craft moved nearer and nearer to ground, until it disappeared into the tall trees of the jungle.
Auron felt the house shake below him as the impacting crash sent a tremor through the ground. The ship had landed [in other words, it hadn't exploded], and as now resting in the jungle. Alone.
"I call it!", Auron thought to himself, and jumped down from the roof of the house to investigate the site.
*********
[A/N: okay, here's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. This marks the beginning of the major plot of the story...fasten your seat belts!
DanMat6288- all of my [and Took's] characters are not based on the TV show ['Lilo & Stitch: the Series], or the second movie ['Stitch! The Movie']. Don't expect to be seeing Gantu or Hamsterviel; they're not in my plot.
VOI99- don't worry; this won't turn into a love-triangle...but there's gonna be some love involved. The info on the Pred is yet to be released...
most extreame priness- I know which characters I'm using, and which story I'm writing. I'm not getting anything mixed up.
I'm sorry if it seems like I skipped over some parts; I wanted to get this chapter done. Hope I did good...
Also, I'm a bit concerned about not using all of the characters as much as I should. I mean, there's barely been anything from Nani or Lilo...gimme your ideas, okay?
See ya!]
[PS: the lyrics belong to Lordi...but I don't know the name of the song]
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 7
*********
Auron wondered what his hosts would think if they caught him using the phone without permission...twice. Honestly, he didn't think that they'd restrict him, but he was afraid to ask.
The buttons clicked quietly as he punched in the last few numbers. With the receiver to his ear, he listened as the prompting beeps began to sound. He heard the click of the phone being answered at the other end-
"Auron?"
Like lightning, Auron slammed the receiver back down as he heard Peka from behind him.
He spun around in horror...but was surprised to see that she was smiling.
"Oojeh camesata?", she asked.
It took Auron a second to realize that she was speaking Turian; asking if he had been using the phone.
"Yeah...", he confessed.
"I'm sorry."
Peka continued to smile and stepped towards him.
"Do you still remember how to speak Turian?", she asked him offhandedly.
Auron nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Let's hear it", she urged him.
Auron was in wonder why in the world he was supposed to be demonstrating [and why there was no further comment about the phone.
"Um...", he began thoughtfully.
"Naka mana-quiesta ool camesata [I'm sorry for using the phone]."
Peka's soft smile continued to show as she motioned for him to walk with her.
"Don't worry about it", she told him [still in Turian].
"Where are Aron and Garon?"
"Upstairs", Auron answered [also in Turian].
"They're brushing their teeth."
"They're brushing their teeth?", Peka exclaimed in surprise.
"How'd you get them to do that?"
Auron smiled weakly as they continue to walk along.
"Did you know that they're Michael Jackson fans?", he asked.
"Sorry if I manipulated them, but I said that Michael Jackson's voice was horrible until he began brushing his teeth."
Peka laughed at Auron's words.
"That's good", he commented.
"Owen just tells them that if they don't brush their teeth, they'll fall out and they'll only be able to eat apple sauce for the rest of their lives."
"That's even better", Auron replied with a laugh.
"Owen's a great father, huh?"
Peka nodded honestly.
"I know it's not what he was cut out to be", she said.
"But he loves those two more than anything else."
"Yeah", Auron agreed.
"They are pretty lovable."
"Only when they're not at eachother's throats", Peka said warningly.
"I'm glad of how close they are, but they can get into some tooth-and-nail fights at times."
"That's a sign of brotherly love", Auron corrected humorously.
"It's just their sign of substituting a hug and a kiss."
"I guess so", Peka agreed.
A second of silence followed...
"Uh, Peka?", Auron asked.
"Why're we walking in circles around the hallways and the kitchen?"
"Oh...no reason", Peka lied, cringing at the idea of what she would eventually have to confront him with.
"I'm just bored."
"Speaking of bored...", Auron opened, with the tense air of approaching a sensitive subject.
"Last night...did I do something wrong?"
Peka continued to pace with Auron, but she had come to an emotional standstill.
She did not yet want to reveal that her break of mind had been triggered by her sudden remembrance of him, but felt a strange obligation to satisfy his question; he was truly worried about her.
"No, it's not your fault", she assured him.
"I'm well...I guess I've just been going through a difficult phase in my life."
This was the first thing that popped into her mind.
"...Do you want to talk about it?", Auron offered helpfully.
"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to, but, well..."
"Why am I feeling this open to him?", Peka asked herself.
She had just realized that she was about to reveal to him a mix of emotions that she had tried to keep secret from everybody else.
"Well...", she began, still asking herself why she was saying.
"I...well...it's Owen."
"What about him?", Auron asked caringly.
"Well...", Peka said slowly ["Why am I doing this?"].
"It...it feels like he's been ignoring me."
She swallowed heavily, before continuing.
"I mean, I know that Owen's not really the romantic type, but things used to be a lot better between us than they are now."
"You mean you two arguing?", Auron asked.
"No", Peka said.
"See...even after Aron and Garon were born, the love we had was still young. Throughout the day, we'd hug or kiss, sometimes even both when nobody was watching. Every night, when we were in bed, we'd cuddle up and fall asleep together...but it's like that's coming apart now."
Through her intimidating feeling of stupidity, she continued.
"Now, he won't even turn in my direction when we're in bed...he spends more and more time getting sick on his food and in front of the television. It feels like we're drifting apart, and he's not even aware of it."
Auron tried to sound helpful [although he too felt stupid in this matter] and pursued.
"Well...have you tried anything to get him back?", he asked.
Peka nodded.
"I've tried whatever I can", she said sadly.
Then ["Why am I telling him this?!?], she added;
"I've even considered renting some dirty movies to...well, you know...to 'turn him on'..."
Then she shook her head.
"It's not sex that I want", she said honestly.
"I just want him to recognize me again. I want him to love me again."
Auron felt bad about not being able to find a way he felt could help her. He had secretly prided himself on being able to handle these things well, but 'these things' had not yet included how to bring a couple back together.
Peka felt bad herself; she felt as if she was burdening Auron with her own problems. It made her feel selfish, but the next words that came out of her mouth were a full-blown request.
"Could you talk to him?"
Both of them were blown back by this question that they both halted in their steps for a moment.
"M-me?", Auron said in near-disbelief.
"You want me to talk to Owen?.........are you serious?"
"I'm afraid to say anything", Peka said quietly as they began to pace again.
"And you're a guy, too, so I thought that..."
Her voice trailed off.
Auron continued to feel dumbfounded. His first idea was that the whole thing was ludicrous. Surely Owen wouldn't listen to him: a total stranger.
But then...he looked over, and saw the look of deepening sadness and embarrassment in her eyes as she awaited a rejection.
Auron swallowed heavily.
"....Sure", he said after a while.
Peka looked up in surprise at Auron.
"Really?", she asked.
"You'll do it?"
"I will", Auron said with a nod.
"I'm not sure what I can say, but..."
"Oh, Auron!", Peka exclaimed happily, stopping the walk to hug the Experiment around the neck.
"Thank you so much!"
Auron stood there, absorbing the embrace, not knowing what to do. Personally, he considered this show of gratitude to be a bit drastic...but then again, he wasn't about to be rude and push her away.
"Alright then...", he said as nicely as he could, patting Peka gently on the back.
She let go of him, and her bright smile of thankfulness continued...until her face suddenly fell dramatically.
"Peka?", Auron asked in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
Peka lowered her head towards the floor dully and slowly.
"Uh...there's something I have to tell you, Auron", she said quietly.
"What is it?", Auron asked.
Peka looked back up, and there was the tiniest trace of fear in her eyes.
"I brought you here for a reason", she confessed.
Auron looked around, and noticed that they were in front of the living room door.
"Please let us explain", Peka requested almost pleadingly.
"We know you'll be shocked, but please let us talk first, alright?"
"What's this all about?", Auron asked somewhat tensely.
"What's going on, Peka?"
"Please...", she begged one more time, and pushed open the door to the living room.
And inside, sitting and standing as planned, were Stitch, Twyla, Owen, and Jumba Jookiba.
***
All eyes were on Auron. He blinked casually, as if accepting a simple trick of the light.
He blinked again, this time more intently; he couldn't be seeing what he was seeing.
Then, as he slowly realized that what he was seeing wasn't as illusion, he began to step backwards, ever so slowly, as if an extremely large animal were sighting him.
"Please, Auron!", Peka begged once more, attempting to put her hand on his shoulder.
"Everything that happened, we can explain it!"
"What's going on?", Auron hissed to her quietly.
"What the Hell is happening?"
"Auron, we can explain everything!", Peka pleaded continuously.
"If you'll just let us-"
"No!", Auron exclaimed, swatting her hand away.
"You-! You all...tricked me! You're working with him!"
Peka shook her head desperately, and Stitch in the living room came forward, hoping to help the situation.
"Auron", he began quickly and carefully.
"Jumba's not the bad guy! We can clear up the whole story-"
"SHUT UP!", Auron shouted again.
Anybody looking at him would see a paranoid creature, confused, shocked, and outraged. It was an emotion not often seen in him; his entire universe had been turned upside-down in a few simple seconds, in which he had been exposed to the fact that not only his much-hated creator was alive, but ever so close to him.
And the idea that those who he had thought to be his friends were now defending Jumba was truly un-nerving.
And as Stitch came closer, it made Auron feel like a cornered animal.
When Stitch reached out to him, perhaps to calm him, he hit it away.
When Stitch tried again, he punched him in the face.
Stitch, unsuspecting of the blow, fell back onto his behind with a grunt.
Everybody in the living room stood up alertly.
Peka moved towards Auron, and he looked at her as if she was up next for a smack in the face.
It was unsure who made the next move, but whoever it was, the next second, Stitch and Auron were fighting.
*********
It was now much later. The sky had turned dark and starry; perfect for viewing.
It was being viewed by a certain individual, who sat atop the roof of the Pelekai household.
Auron stared up into the infinite universe in a way he had never done before. He wondered what else he didn't know, what else had gone unchecked, and who else was who.
The fight between him and Stitch had been a short one. Stitch was stronger than he was, and he had not been in a focused state of mind.
He wasn't sure how the fight was broken up, but he had been shedding tears of exasperation after the punches had stopped.
Auron reflected upon how strange it was to have these mood swings: first he was scared and paranoid, next he was in the will to fight, next he was having a nervous breakdown, and finally he sucked up the tears and went into a kind of mental cocoon.
He had listened to Jumba. The two of them were granted serenity and they sat behind a closed door.
Jumba had spoken for a long time, gibbering and stuttering. What he had said made sense in a way that Auron didn't want to accept, and he felt an emotion of sudden humility that he had not felt before.
Yes, he had listened to Jumba, but he had listened without accepting. His ears had taken in his creator's voice, but he wasn't sure if the words had made it to his brain.
He had simply walked out the door and into a world of his own once it seemed as if Jumba was finished...when he had said;
"I don't know if you can ever forgive me...I don't dezerve forgiveness. But I vant you to know, as my child, zhat I am forever grieved and remorseful for vhat I did to you."
Something inside Auron's mind growled angrily as he remembered this.
"I'm not your child", it snarled.
"You created me, but I'm not your child. You gave me life, but I'm not you child. You made me what I am, but I'm not you child. You tortured and tried to kill me, so I can't be you fucking child."
Auron did not forgive Jumba, and he couldn't care less about his apology. Jumba was still the evil he had grown up with, and something like that was not easily brushed aside. It became his pact never to forgive Jumba, no matter what.
But the others...
***
Just then, Auron turned to the sound of the hatch-door opening. Light from inside of the house spilled into the nightly darkness, and Peka climbed into view.
"Hey...", she greeted quietly, with a neutral expression on her face.
Auron slowly raised his hand in return.
Peka stepped onto the orange-colored tiles of the roof and closed the hatch behind her.
"Aren't you cold up here?", she asked.
He shook his head and raised his head to the stars once again.
Peka quietly crawled over to Auron and sat down next to him. She looked at him briefly, saw that their eyes would not meet, and directed her attention to the skies herself.
"Pretty night, huh?", she commented.
Auron nodded again.
"Pretty...yeah."
Peka leaned towards him.
"I'm sorry about...well, you know what", she apologized.
"This morning", Auron stated, filling in the blank.
"Yes...", Peka said slowly, feeling that even this plan to simply talk to Auron turned out bad.
Auron sighed heavily.
"Are you going back down?", he asked quietly.
"Yeah...", Peka answered.
"Eventually."
"Could you please tell Stitch that I'm sorry for starting the fight?", Auron requested, somewhat sadly.
Peka nodded.
"Sure", she agreed before replying;
"But I don't think that's necessary. We all know how you must've been feeling...Stitch even wanted me to apologize to you."
Auron lowered his head to his feet miserably.
"It's all my fault", he said gloomily.
"I shouldn't have gone all crazy just because..."
Peka noticed how he stopped when he said this. She knew that he didn't see Jumba in the same innocent light that she did, and she didn't blame him...but she still wanted to try to get him to understand.
"Did you listen to what Jumba said?", she asked cautiously; venturing out on a dangerous subject.
Auron looked back up at the sky and nodded curtly.
"Yes."
Peka sighed under her breath. Auron didn't want to want to talk about...but she persisted.
"Jumba's...not that bad, you know...", she said, and knowing immediately that her statement had been weak and meaningless.
Auron continued to stare towards the Heavens, as if he had not heard her.
"I mean, you heard what he said", she continued.
"He was under threat, y'know..all of the Experiments were under threat."
Still no reaction from Auron. Only his laid-back ears flowing slightly in a passing breeze.
"He isn't a bad guy...really", she pressed on, before hitting a final stroke:
"...I mean, you're still alive, right?"
At these words, Auron's head snapped in Peka's direction to face her. His expression was almost livid.
"I'm ALIVE?!", he fumed.
"You think his actions can be justified by the fact that he let me live? By the fact that I got away before he shot me?! I don't think you have any idea what Hell he put me through, every single day he had me! How can you sit there like that and have sympathy for somebody, for something like that!?!"
His wave of outrage had been short. Auron turned his head back straight with an angry expression on his face and clenched his fists as he supported himself.
Peka lowered her head quietly. She knew that she had been wrong in the way she had spoken to him, and she felt that she deserved his outburst. She didn't know what was going to happen, and decided silently to handle the situation delicately.
***
Auron sat in his position of anger for several minutes, and Peka didn't move. It wasn't that she was afraid to, but the possibility that she hurt Auron even more.
After what seemed like forever, he finally turned his head to face her, looking remorseful.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you", he apologized honestly.
"...I'm sorry I was inconsiderate of your feelings", Peka replied with the same serenity.
Auron sighed heavily once again and looked at the tiles.
"I can't forget what Jumba did to me", he said quietly.
"And I can't forget either."
Peka nodded in understandment.
"I believe that what he did was for the well-being for the other Experiments", Auron continued.
"He must've loved them all very much to hate me equally as much. But what he put me through will make me hate him for the rest of my life. I can't forgive him."
Peka nodded sadly.
"I don't blame you, Auron", she told him, and they entered another period of silence.
It was broken a few minutes later by Auron, who turned to ask Peka;
"How're Aron and Garon?"
"Aron and Garon?", Peka repeated.
"Their fine...they didn't hear what went on. But they're concerned about you."
"I was afraid they might've heard", Auron admitted.
"I didn't want them to see me fighting."
He breathed twice, before looking back up at Peka.
"Could you please get me my guitar?", he asked her.
Peka was a bit surprised by this request.
"Your guitar?", she asked.
"I don't want to be lazy", Auron explained.
"But I don't really want to face everybody downstairs yet."
After a second, Peka nodded with a small smile, and she crawled back over to the hatch and disappeared from sight.
***
Reason to loathe,
Choose your future bold
Don't do it, you know you know you're
***
Peka returned a minute later, carefully holding the red-bodied instrument under one arm.
"I'm back", she announced as she shut the hatch behind her carefully.
Auron admired her respect for his possession as she cradled it over to him with extreme care.
"Thanks", he thanked her as she handed it to him with both hands.
"What did you want it for?", she asked him curiously.
"To play it, you fool", Auron thought to himself as he carefully rested its base on the inside of his hip.
He decided for replying in a nicer way.
"When I get upset", he began, tuning the wheels at the head.
"I can sometimes calm down if I just sit down and think up a song."
"You write songs?", Peka asked with interest.
"I don't write them", Auron said with a small grin of pride.
"I memorize the ones that are worth memorizing."
"Stitch does that too", Peka commented.
"Y'know, with his ukulele. But he doesn't sing."
Auron nodded and continued to fine-tune his guitar.
"Have you thought up many songs?", Peka continued, feeling that she was back on his good side.
"A few", Auron answered.
"But please don't ask me to sing now...I just wanna string it a bit."
"Alright", Auron allowed, feeling even prouder of himself.
"I won't play loud...just a bit."
He clicked a small push-switch on the back of the guitar to activate the built-in amplifier, sat a moment and thought, and them strung his claws across the chords.
To Peka, the sound was surprising. It wasn't the hard-rock she had expected...but a lonely, calling throb that echoed far no matter how low it was played. Immediately her mind flew to a scene in the movie 'The Crow'; when he had sat on rooftop and played in sorrow.
That was what Auron's music sounded like.
It was addictive in a reverend way: she wanted to hear more, but not because it was a catchy tune. The sound verberating from the depths of the guitar was awe-inspiring, and it told a story that only those who truly listened would understand.
Auron was in a world of his own as he did this. His eyes were closed, and not even looking at his fingers as they traced the outline of the rock- melody. His breathing seemed to flow with the emotional dins of his prized guitar, as did his heart, pulse, and mind. It was his element: to play this instrument as he wanted. It was his own time, and his own art gave him a silent, untold joy.
***
Held by the code,
Do what you are told
The icon of dominance
***
Time didn't matter when Auron played; it was only when he had strung the final cord that Peka realized she was walking a dream world.
She snapped awake, but the look of amazed admirement still showed on her face.
"Wow...", she commented as Auron laid the guitar down on his lap.
"That's really good!"
Auron smiled and hid a small blush.
"Thank you. Thanks for listening."
Peka smiled back at him peacefully.
"You really are a talent", she complimented.
Peka looked back up at the stars, and a thousand thoughts of the universe rushed into her mind. This time, however, she was able to sweep them away effortlessly.
"I gotta go back downstairs", she said, getting to her feet carefully.
"I gotta tuck Aron and Garon in."
"Tell them 'good-night' from me, okay?", Auron asked her.
"Sure", she agreed, opening the hatch once again.
"Are you coming down any time soon?"
"Eventually", Auron replied.
"I just...I just wanna watch the stars a bit."
"Okay", Peka said with a nod.
"Good-night, Auron", she added, descending down.
"Good-night, Peka", Auron replied with a smile as the hatch cut the light away.
He looked back up at the star-filled sky, feeling a mix of emotions as he began deciphering constellations, planets, and nebulas.
He wondered what was going to happen to him now. What fate had in store for him. Many times, Auron had accepted fate into his life, but there were several exceptions to be made.
Auron wondered if he had changed fate by escaping Jumba back on Turo. Had he changed fate when he was hit by Riley's car, and they came together? What about the time that he had saved Riley and his sister from the Predator? What about when he left Riley's house?
Auron continued to wonder. Perhaps it was fate that he had these ideas about changing fate. Many times, he had also predicted a Grand Plan to be taking place for him. He hated the thought of his life being decided for him, but he wasn't sure that was the case.
Often, he had tried to decipher fate to see the future. Many times it had been purely practical, but at the moment, he searched for a pattern among the stars that might give him an answer.
In many ways, he was confused about the position he was in. With Jumba being here, him befriending Peka, and everything else. His life had taken so many unexpected turns that he often longed to know what would happen next before somebody gave it to him.
"Maybe that's just the way things are supposed to be", he thought to himself.
"Maybe nobody is supposed to know until it happens."
It was a strange thought, and he felt ready to accept it.
Until...
***
Suddenly, the sky above him broke. Auron sat straight up as he noticed the disturbance in the Heavens.
It was a completely cloudless night, and the universe seemed infinite. However, there was something very noticeable in all the infinity moving towards him.
He stood up and strained his eyes. At first, he suspected it to be a meteor. But as it came closer, and his advanced vision began to take effect, he realized that it was no meteor; it was a spaceship.
Trailing green exhaust smoke that boomed up from behind like an ineffective parachute, the craft plummeted nozzle-down towards the Earth, at an angle that wouldn't lead too far away from where he was right now.
It was coming closer and closer at a fast rate. Auron noticed that a wall- like humming was pressing down on him as the sound of the crashing ship swooned past its source.
"Oh God!", Auron muttered as the ship broke through a low cloud and continued in direction of the jungle.
He ran to the top of the observatory and stood up for a better view. The small vessel was now completely noticeable to all eyes.
A brief shriek of the engine sounded as the craft moved nearer and nearer to ground, until it disappeared into the tall trees of the jungle.
Auron felt the house shake below him as the impacting crash sent a tremor through the ground. The ship had landed [in other words, it hadn't exploded], and as now resting in the jungle. Alone.
"I call it!", Auron thought to himself, and jumped down from the roof of the house to investigate the site.
*********
[A/N: okay, here's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. This marks the beginning of the major plot of the story...fasten your seat belts!
DanMat6288- all of my [and Took's] characters are not based on the TV show ['Lilo & Stitch: the Series], or the second movie ['Stitch! The Movie']. Don't expect to be seeing Gantu or Hamsterviel; they're not in my plot.
VOI99- don't worry; this won't turn into a love-triangle...but there's gonna be some love involved. The info on the Pred is yet to be released...
most extreame priness- I know which characters I'm using, and which story I'm writing. I'm not getting anything mixed up.
I'm sorry if it seems like I skipped over some parts; I wanted to get this chapter done. Hope I did good...
Also, I'm a bit concerned about not using all of the characters as much as I should. I mean, there's barely been anything from Nani or Lilo...gimme your ideas, okay?
See ya!]
[PS: the lyrics belong to Lordi...but I don't know the name of the song]