Love and Burden
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 12
***
Reihana was too emotionally exhausted to stay awake. She now lay curled up on the couch, alone in the living room, while the others discussed the situation for the second time, this time in the kitchen [namely, the other Experiments, with the exception of Aron and Garon].
Peka and Owen sat on the table, while Stitch and Twyla sat in chairs, and Auron sat on a stool on the floor. The five of them sipped at non- decaffeinated coffee [Stitch's own mix], silent in a moment of thoughtfulness.
Jumba had told them about 471's past. They sat contemplating about the newly-discovered Experiment, unsure what to do or say.
They had no idea how to interact with somebody whose love had just been murdered...it was a situation they were not familiar with.
But finally, it was Owen who broke the silence.
"So...", he began offhandedly.
"What now?"
Peka sighed heavily and pushed her mug away.
"Should we talk to her about it?", Stitch suggested.
"No", Peka answered immediately, but not impolitely.
"Why not?", Owen asked, who was sitting next to her.
"I know her", Peka answered, sliding her mug along the table between her hands.
"She's always a bit solitary...I think it's best if she handles this situation alone...if she wants to."
Silently, everybody agreed, and another period of quiet sipping began.
Auron was looking into the depths of his coffee intently.
He was wondering if Jumba's translation of Reihana's story was true...he was hoping it wasn't.
Somebody was chasing her, as well as the other Experiments...somebody who was ruthless in murder and as quiet as a shadow...an unseen wraith.
Why did that remind him so much of the Predator?
The thought of seeing another one of the foul species shook a shiver up his spine with a great deal of shock. He almost dropped his coffee mug.
The other Experiments looked up (actually, down) at him.
"You okay?", Stitch asked.
"Yeah", Auron said, gripping his mug tighter in his hands.
"Just...just a bit tired."
"We should all get some sleep", Twyla declared.
"At least, I don't think I should be staying up this long anymore, what with the baby and all..."
"Speaking of babies", Peka added in.
"Owen shouldn't be staying up late at all; you get all whiny the next day."
Owen faked a laugh sarcastically, and made to stand up. As he did, he accidentally knocked over his coffee cup, and it fell with a noise and began layering the table with coffee.
"O-WEN!", everybody complained, rising up before the decaf could spill onto them.
"Sorry!", the clumsy Experiment apologized hurriedly.
"I'll just - I'll just clean this up now..."
"That's okay", Auron offered, standing up himself.
"Y'all can go to bed. I'm not really tired anyway."
"You'd do that?", Owen asked, smiling gratefully.
"Thanks!"
While the others gave him looks of disapproval ("You know that's your mess"), Auron nodded with a small smile.
"No problem."
Quietly, Stitch, Owen, Peka, and Twyla moved out of the kitchen as Auron grabbed a towel. He jumped onto the chair and began wiping the still- spreading borders of the coffee spill before they could drip from the table.
"Auron?"
Auron looked up from his work: Stitch had poked his head back into the kitchen.
"Hey", he said.
"I never really got a chance to apologize."
"Apologize?", Auron repeated.
"For what?"
"Well...I shouldn't have gotten into the fight with you earlier today."
"You mean yesterday; it turned midnight half an hour ago."
Stitch looked on with some confusion. Auron broke up the feeling with another smile.
"No, I know what you mean", he said.
"You don't have to apologize, I was the one who flipped out."
"You were in a bad condition", Stitch pointed out.
"I shouldn't even have started it."
"Let's just say that we shouldn't have fought at all", Auron implied.
"Alright", Stitch agreed.
"Well...good-night."
He turned to leave, but then Auron remembered his promise to Peka for a love potion and called out;
"Stitch, how do you turn somebody on?"
Too late, he realized his poor choice of words, and was now faced by Stitch with a very queer look.
"......What?"
Auron stood there with his mouth open. He wasn't sure if it was his place to speak about Peka and Owen's problems to anybody else, so his mind raced to make up something else.
"I...uh...I meant...how do you turn the TV on?"
Stitch stared on.
"Huh?"
"Yeah!", Auron lied on.
"I was wondering how you switch it on; I couldn't figure it out. Is that a new model or something?"
"....You just press the 'power' button", Stitch answered.
"It's that big red one on the control panel...y'know?"
"Oh, so that's how it works!", Auron said in fake surprise.
"There was something I wanted to watch...but I just remembered that 471- that Reihana's in there, so I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow...wait, that's when we're clearing out the wreckage site, right?"
Stitch knew that there was something out of the ordinary going on, but he had just realized that he was too tired to care.
"Uh, yeah", he said eventually.
"You might wanna get some sleep; it's gonna be hard work."
"Okay!", Auron agreed in a voice that was still far from believable.
"I will!...you wanna get some sleep too?"
"...Sure", Stitch said.
"......Well, good night, then."
"Good night!"
Stitch threw one more 'trying-to-be-nice' look at Auron (who smiled back widely) before leaving, shaking his head.
Once he was sure that Stitch was gone, Auron slapped himself in the face.
A while later, after the mess was cleaned, Auron emerged from the kitchen, shutting the light off behind him.
The entire house was dark now, only visible in dark-blue moonlight.
He headed into the living room. His pack rested in the recliner, where he had left it. Fumbling with it in the darkness, a slight commotion from behind him spun him around in surprise.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw (and remembered) that Reihana was asleep on the sofa.
This brought forth question of where he was now going to sleep for he night (or what was left of it).
But now, his gaze fell back upon 471.
He looked at her, and felt a sorrowful pity towards her.
He couldn't begin to think of the pain she must've gone through in the short past. She had lost a loved one...something that Auron dreaded ever happening. What pain was she still going through now, after the trauma?
Auron felt like reaching out and stroking her, like she was a small child...but she wasn't, and he decided against it.
Shouldering his backpack, he made to leave.
"Please don't go."
He jumped in surprise once again, and spun around.
471 wasn't sitting up, but her eyes were open. She looked at Auron, with a sort of longing that Auron couldn't understand.
"Huh?"
"Please...don't go", Reihana repeated.
"This is a new planet and a new place for me...I don't want to be alone."
"Oh...", Auron said quietly, with understanding.
"That's fine, I can stay."
He walked back over to the chair and dropped his pack again.
"Thank you", 471 said to him.
"No problem", Auron said.
"Do you want something to eat."
"No."
"Something to drink?"
"No, thank you..."
"Alright."
Auron sat down across from her, keeping his expression pleasant.
"You wanna talk about something?", he suggested.
Reihana didn't say anything.
"Can't sleep?", Auron struck up.
471 shook her head.
"The night is already over where I come from....on Turo."
"Kind of a jet-lag, huh?", Auron asked.
"I guess so...", Reihana answered.
"You'll get used to it", Auron said helpfully.
"I did."
"How long have you been here?", Reihana asked.
Auron leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure", he answered.
"About ten months, I think...nine, at least."
"Do you like it here better than Turo?", Reihana inquired.
Auron shrugged his shoulders and answered;
"I guess so...I mean, I never really saw much of Turo, that is."
"Oh...", Reihana said, with the air that she remembered something.
"You're...you're Experiment 541, right?"
Auron smiled.
"So you've heard of me", he said, with some pride in his voice.
"Yeah, that's me."
"I met you before, remember?", Reihana asked.
Auron looked at her quizzically.
"What, you mean in Jumba's lab?", he asked.
"No, I was isolated-"
"I did meet you", 471 insisted.
"Don't you remember? Jumba let me into his lab once, and when he went out of the room, we talk for a second...it wasn't much of a conversation, though."
Auron continued to stare at her...he didn't see how this could be possible...then again...
"Come to think of it", he said.
"I don't really remember much of the lab...just how I escaped, and that's it."
"We talked more than once, but Jumba kept you isolated from all the others. He said you were dangerous..."
She exhaled.
"But he's explained everything now...you know, he's really sorry about what he did to you..."
Auron said nothing to this.
Reihana must've realized that she had touched on something sensitive, and quickly turned quiet. Instead, she made onto a new subject.
"What did you did do when you came to this planet?", she asked.
"It's a long story", Auron replied.
"Very complicated...but I found my own family."
"...Why aren't you with them now?"
Rei thought that she must've asked something else that was out of line, but Auron answered after some thought (he wasn't sure he should mention the Pred to her yet).
"Some problems came up", he said honestly.
"And I had to go away for a while."
"You mean...you had problems with eachother?", Rei ventured.
"No", Auron replied.
"On the contrary, I miss them very much...it's been a long time since I've seen them."
"How long has it been?"
"...About six months."
He lowered his head, and Rei realized that she had once again brought forth something unpleasant.
"I'm...I'm sorry if I'm out of line", she apologized.
"No", Auron said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand vigorously.
"In fact, it might be good that I've stayed away for a while...or else, how would've I met the guys here?"
********* The conversation remained quiet and obsolete. Reihana did her best to stay away from no-touch subjects, but Auron saw into her natural curiousness...it could only mean that she was getting better.
Auron accidentally broke the conversation when he offered to get something to drink. When he returned, cups in hand, 471 was asleep again.
He stood over her once again. He knew her condition was improving, and he had definitely made a friend...but the feeling that he had felt back when he had found her returned to him.
It made him feel uncomfortable and warm. Sweat came to his brow, and his palms became moist. He noticed again how nice she looked, and felt another need to touch her.
But he ran, and spent the night in the kitchen.
******************
[A/N: thank you so much for bearing with me. It took half an eternity to get this chapter done, and it was because of pure laziness. Please forgive me.
First of all, if you're confused about Reihana claiming to have met Auron before, go read the updated 'Until the End' by Took Baggins.
Okay: questions-to-be-answered;
VOID99- Is Nago dead? We'll see...(thanks for the compliments!)
PurpleJoy6- have faith in me! I can't tear love apart! Just wait!
most extreame priness- that was Auron's description from Aron and Garon's POV. Auron looks a lot like Stitch (minus the slits in the ears), and has green eyes (throw in the scars he sustained in 'Before Perfection'.
Okay, I hope the next chapter will be up sooner. Until then, see ya!]
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 12
***
Reihana was too emotionally exhausted to stay awake. She now lay curled up on the couch, alone in the living room, while the others discussed the situation for the second time, this time in the kitchen [namely, the other Experiments, with the exception of Aron and Garon].
Peka and Owen sat on the table, while Stitch and Twyla sat in chairs, and Auron sat on a stool on the floor. The five of them sipped at non- decaffeinated coffee [Stitch's own mix], silent in a moment of thoughtfulness.
Jumba had told them about 471's past. They sat contemplating about the newly-discovered Experiment, unsure what to do or say.
They had no idea how to interact with somebody whose love had just been murdered...it was a situation they were not familiar with.
But finally, it was Owen who broke the silence.
"So...", he began offhandedly.
"What now?"
Peka sighed heavily and pushed her mug away.
"Should we talk to her about it?", Stitch suggested.
"No", Peka answered immediately, but not impolitely.
"Why not?", Owen asked, who was sitting next to her.
"I know her", Peka answered, sliding her mug along the table between her hands.
"She's always a bit solitary...I think it's best if she handles this situation alone...if she wants to."
Silently, everybody agreed, and another period of quiet sipping began.
Auron was looking into the depths of his coffee intently.
He was wondering if Jumba's translation of Reihana's story was true...he was hoping it wasn't.
Somebody was chasing her, as well as the other Experiments...somebody who was ruthless in murder and as quiet as a shadow...an unseen wraith.
Why did that remind him so much of the Predator?
The thought of seeing another one of the foul species shook a shiver up his spine with a great deal of shock. He almost dropped his coffee mug.
The other Experiments looked up (actually, down) at him.
"You okay?", Stitch asked.
"Yeah", Auron said, gripping his mug tighter in his hands.
"Just...just a bit tired."
"We should all get some sleep", Twyla declared.
"At least, I don't think I should be staying up this long anymore, what with the baby and all..."
"Speaking of babies", Peka added in.
"Owen shouldn't be staying up late at all; you get all whiny the next day."
Owen faked a laugh sarcastically, and made to stand up. As he did, he accidentally knocked over his coffee cup, and it fell with a noise and began layering the table with coffee.
"O-WEN!", everybody complained, rising up before the decaf could spill onto them.
"Sorry!", the clumsy Experiment apologized hurriedly.
"I'll just - I'll just clean this up now..."
"That's okay", Auron offered, standing up himself.
"Y'all can go to bed. I'm not really tired anyway."
"You'd do that?", Owen asked, smiling gratefully.
"Thanks!"
While the others gave him looks of disapproval ("You know that's your mess"), Auron nodded with a small smile.
"No problem."
Quietly, Stitch, Owen, Peka, and Twyla moved out of the kitchen as Auron grabbed a towel. He jumped onto the chair and began wiping the still- spreading borders of the coffee spill before they could drip from the table.
"Auron?"
Auron looked up from his work: Stitch had poked his head back into the kitchen.
"Hey", he said.
"I never really got a chance to apologize."
"Apologize?", Auron repeated.
"For what?"
"Well...I shouldn't have gotten into the fight with you earlier today."
"You mean yesterday; it turned midnight half an hour ago."
Stitch looked on with some confusion. Auron broke up the feeling with another smile.
"No, I know what you mean", he said.
"You don't have to apologize, I was the one who flipped out."
"You were in a bad condition", Stitch pointed out.
"I shouldn't even have started it."
"Let's just say that we shouldn't have fought at all", Auron implied.
"Alright", Stitch agreed.
"Well...good-night."
He turned to leave, but then Auron remembered his promise to Peka for a love potion and called out;
"Stitch, how do you turn somebody on?"
Too late, he realized his poor choice of words, and was now faced by Stitch with a very queer look.
"......What?"
Auron stood there with his mouth open. He wasn't sure if it was his place to speak about Peka and Owen's problems to anybody else, so his mind raced to make up something else.
"I...uh...I meant...how do you turn the TV on?"
Stitch stared on.
"Huh?"
"Yeah!", Auron lied on.
"I was wondering how you switch it on; I couldn't figure it out. Is that a new model or something?"
"....You just press the 'power' button", Stitch answered.
"It's that big red one on the control panel...y'know?"
"Oh, so that's how it works!", Auron said in fake surprise.
"There was something I wanted to watch...but I just remembered that 471- that Reihana's in there, so I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow...wait, that's when we're clearing out the wreckage site, right?"
Stitch knew that there was something out of the ordinary going on, but he had just realized that he was too tired to care.
"Uh, yeah", he said eventually.
"You might wanna get some sleep; it's gonna be hard work."
"Okay!", Auron agreed in a voice that was still far from believable.
"I will!...you wanna get some sleep too?"
"...Sure", Stitch said.
"......Well, good night, then."
"Good night!"
Stitch threw one more 'trying-to-be-nice' look at Auron (who smiled back widely) before leaving, shaking his head.
Once he was sure that Stitch was gone, Auron slapped himself in the face.
A while later, after the mess was cleaned, Auron emerged from the kitchen, shutting the light off behind him.
The entire house was dark now, only visible in dark-blue moonlight.
He headed into the living room. His pack rested in the recliner, where he had left it. Fumbling with it in the darkness, a slight commotion from behind him spun him around in surprise.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw (and remembered) that Reihana was asleep on the sofa.
This brought forth question of where he was now going to sleep for he night (or what was left of it).
But now, his gaze fell back upon 471.
He looked at her, and felt a sorrowful pity towards her.
He couldn't begin to think of the pain she must've gone through in the short past. She had lost a loved one...something that Auron dreaded ever happening. What pain was she still going through now, after the trauma?
Auron felt like reaching out and stroking her, like she was a small child...but she wasn't, and he decided against it.
Shouldering his backpack, he made to leave.
"Please don't go."
He jumped in surprise once again, and spun around.
471 wasn't sitting up, but her eyes were open. She looked at Auron, with a sort of longing that Auron couldn't understand.
"Huh?"
"Please...don't go", Reihana repeated.
"This is a new planet and a new place for me...I don't want to be alone."
"Oh...", Auron said quietly, with understanding.
"That's fine, I can stay."
He walked back over to the chair and dropped his pack again.
"Thank you", 471 said to him.
"No problem", Auron said.
"Do you want something to eat."
"No."
"Something to drink?"
"No, thank you..."
"Alright."
Auron sat down across from her, keeping his expression pleasant.
"You wanna talk about something?", he suggested.
Reihana didn't say anything.
"Can't sleep?", Auron struck up.
471 shook her head.
"The night is already over where I come from....on Turo."
"Kind of a jet-lag, huh?", Auron asked.
"I guess so...", Reihana answered.
"You'll get used to it", Auron said helpfully.
"I did."
"How long have you been here?", Reihana asked.
Auron leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure", he answered.
"About ten months, I think...nine, at least."
"Do you like it here better than Turo?", Reihana inquired.
Auron shrugged his shoulders and answered;
"I guess so...I mean, I never really saw much of Turo, that is."
"Oh...", Reihana said, with the air that she remembered something.
"You're...you're Experiment 541, right?"
Auron smiled.
"So you've heard of me", he said, with some pride in his voice.
"Yeah, that's me."
"I met you before, remember?", Reihana asked.
Auron looked at her quizzically.
"What, you mean in Jumba's lab?", he asked.
"No, I was isolated-"
"I did meet you", 471 insisted.
"Don't you remember? Jumba let me into his lab once, and when he went out of the room, we talk for a second...it wasn't much of a conversation, though."
Auron continued to stare at her...he didn't see how this could be possible...then again...
"Come to think of it", he said.
"I don't really remember much of the lab...just how I escaped, and that's it."
"We talked more than once, but Jumba kept you isolated from all the others. He said you were dangerous..."
She exhaled.
"But he's explained everything now...you know, he's really sorry about what he did to you..."
Auron said nothing to this.
Reihana must've realized that she had touched on something sensitive, and quickly turned quiet. Instead, she made onto a new subject.
"What did you did do when you came to this planet?", she asked.
"It's a long story", Auron replied.
"Very complicated...but I found my own family."
"...Why aren't you with them now?"
Rei thought that she must've asked something else that was out of line, but Auron answered after some thought (he wasn't sure he should mention the Pred to her yet).
"Some problems came up", he said honestly.
"And I had to go away for a while."
"You mean...you had problems with eachother?", Rei ventured.
"No", Auron replied.
"On the contrary, I miss them very much...it's been a long time since I've seen them."
"How long has it been?"
"...About six months."
He lowered his head, and Rei realized that she had once again brought forth something unpleasant.
"I'm...I'm sorry if I'm out of line", she apologized.
"No", Auron said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand vigorously.
"In fact, it might be good that I've stayed away for a while...or else, how would've I met the guys here?"
********* The conversation remained quiet and obsolete. Reihana did her best to stay away from no-touch subjects, but Auron saw into her natural curiousness...it could only mean that she was getting better.
Auron accidentally broke the conversation when he offered to get something to drink. When he returned, cups in hand, 471 was asleep again.
He stood over her once again. He knew her condition was improving, and he had definitely made a friend...but the feeling that he had felt back when he had found her returned to him.
It made him feel uncomfortable and warm. Sweat came to his brow, and his palms became moist. He noticed again how nice she looked, and felt another need to touch her.
But he ran, and spent the night in the kitchen.
******************
[A/N: thank you so much for bearing with me. It took half an eternity to get this chapter done, and it was because of pure laziness. Please forgive me.
First of all, if you're confused about Reihana claiming to have met Auron before, go read the updated 'Until the End' by Took Baggins.
Okay: questions-to-be-answered;
VOID99- Is Nago dead? We'll see...(thanks for the compliments!)
PurpleJoy6- have faith in me! I can't tear love apart! Just wait!
most extreame priness- that was Auron's description from Aron and Garon's POV. Auron looks a lot like Stitch (minus the slits in the ears), and has green eyes (throw in the scars he sustained in 'Before Perfection'.
Okay, I hope the next chapter will be up sooner. Until then, see ya!]