(A/N: hello to everybody who's reading this. I hope I haven't kept y'all waiting too long with this chappie…guilty laugh
Welcome to the 22nd chapter of Love and Burden. After I have posted this chapter, I will go on official hiatus with this story to concern myself with other fics. No, this is not the ending of this fic, and I will finish it…someday, when I'm completed with my other projects. I hope the length of this chapter somewhat makes up for my long absence, and I further hope that you will enjoy reading this chapter, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please meet me at the end for another Author's Note. Until then, enjoy)
Love and Burden
by The Great Red Dragon
Chapter 22
It was a few days after the incident where Reihana had fallen into the water. For the following days, she had been increasingly quieter than before and had kept as close to Jumba as she could. She barely spoke at all and ate even less, no matter how much the others would urge her – she went on claiming that she wasn't hungry. Her alibi wasn't believable, though; she was undoubtedly getting skinnier, and looking even sicklier than ever. If Jumba didn't occasionally make her eat something of small portion, Aron and Garon suspected that she would disappear into thin air.
However, she wasn't the only one feeling sad after-effects about what had happened at the beach: Auron had become so repressed and disconnected from everybody else that Nani would come back from work at night and ask if he was still staying with them, or if he had already left. Auron would most likely be on top of the roof with his guitar, but he never seemed to play it. Everybody inside of the house would wonder what amount of sadness could influence his disciplined isolation…but the most obvious explanation was that he was too ashamed to face Reihana.
Only once during the night did Peka catch him: on her way to the bathroom, she found Auron standing by the telephone. Before she could ask, he explained quietly;
"I used the phone…sorry."
Peka did her best to try and get Auron to join the family again – Rei was suffering too, she pointed out, and maybe Rei would be more at ease if she noticed Auron recovering from the situation, too.
But Auron only shook his head and asked how Reihana was, and how the rest of the Ohana was, and if maybe he could eat just a little something from the kitchen; he hadn't eaten in some time.
Eventually, Auron left for the roof again, even though Peka offered him the couch (Reihana didn't want to sleep alone in the living room, so now she rested on a mattress in Twyla and Stitch's room). She watched him go sadly, and forgot all about using the bathroom.
Only a day after that, Jumba seemingly had enough of Reihana's sadness, and he called Nani to him for backup. Together, they gathered all of the Experiments into the living room, including Auron and Aron and Garon, and more or less ordered that all of them would spend a day outside on the coming weekend. They would take Lilo and the red pulley-wagon for Twyla and find some way to amuse themselves for the majority of the day. The reason, they claimed, was because everybody in the house was becoming far too mellow, and the place was starting to feel like a mortuary…besides, Nani claimed that she had some serious house-cleaning to get done and would enjoy a little privacy.
The Experiments agreed peacefully, some of them even happily. Auron and Rei agreed without a struggle, looking very neutral about the plan.
What Nani and Jumba didn't say, of course, was the obvious: they wanted Reihana and Auron's mood to improve; it was true that they were by now starting to affect the rest of the household with their unhappiness (for the first time in anybody's memory, Pleakley came into the kitchen wearing a plain black dress; he said he was feeling very down about himself).
So the day eventually came, and after breakfast, all of the Experiments (and Lilo) exited the house and gathered in the driveway. Stitch pulled forth the wagon, lined and mattressed with pillows, and helped Twyla climb and settle herself into it.
They all began on their way, with Aron and Garon leading the way, often being called back by their mother. They marched clear through town, knowing only their orders that didn't allow them to show their face back at the house until the afternoon.
They would've kept on going for a long time, if the twins had not pointed out a local (and, thankfully, empty) playground, and had immediately begged to go on it.
Agreeing, they settled themselves into the place, and Aron and Garon began jumping and climbing all over thick, wooden play-structures and swings and teeter-totters. The rest of the group watched them play…and then…they actually started to have fun, too.
Auron got involved when Garon pulled on his arm and asked him to play with them, and Owen followed shortly (feeling left out). Lilo asked Stitch if they could play, too, and he turned to Twyla. She gave him a nod, and his child-like side emerged with a whoop of joy as he began jumping around with the others, Lilo right behind him.
Peka, Twyla, and Reihana sat near the edge of the perimeter, watching the fun and gossiping while they were at it. Twyla and Peka talked non-stop between the three of them, often asking Reihana a question or her opinion, which she'd then reply to shortly and quietly. It seemed strange to her…it felt as if her sadness wanted to stay intact, but the will to just be happy again was overpowering.
As she finally began to succumb to the fun of the moment, she too realized that the day really was turning out to be a nice one.
While the Experiments and Lilo were out enjoying themselves across town, a soft, dull roar sounded as a jet-black motorcycle, decorated with several stickers, rolled its way up the hill towards the Pelekai household. The rider passed the shack-house that stood only a few hundred feet from the house's perimeter, and he wondered if someone lived there.
He pulled soundly to a stop in front of the stairs that led up to the front door and set down both feet to balance his bike. He flicked up the smoked visor of his black helmet and peered up to the house from behind clear biker-goggles, admiring the house's exotic structure; the observatory that stood atop the roof was amazing.
The rider de-egnitioned his bike and tripped down the kickstand; the motorcycle's growling died peacefully. The rider stepped off of his vehicle and pulled the helmet and goggles off of his head: Riley Kivanna set these onto the seat of his Triumph model motorcycle and looked back up at the house.
He had relied heavily on random bits of information obtained through phone calls with Auron to find this place - the house, at its exact location. Unbeknownst to his Auron, ever since he (Auron) had told him that he was staying put for a while in house full of other aliens, Riley had kept a pencil and a pad of paper at hand whenever the phone rang, and had gathered together all the information he could that Auron has absentmindedly mentioned during their few conversations (which island he was on, the name of the town, etc.). Riley did this consistently; whenever he could. Although Riley had often told himself that it was simply for his own reassurance that he knew where Auron was, he had always had the desire - the desire that eventually caused him to abandon his house, jump on his new motorcycle, and make a journey that lasted overnight. Quite simply, it was the ever-growing desire to finally see his friend again.
He didn't call it reckless at all…after all, he had hired a likeable sitter for his young sister Rebecca, and with Lara being occupied with a new part-time job, he saw no reason to leave the scene in Mana for a while to go see someone he hadn't seen in six months.
Of course, there had been some shrewdness involved: he had told Rebecca and Lara that he was investigating a new pair of panniers for his motorcycle that he had seen in an ad on eBay. But now, as he stood in front of what he was sure was his destination, any and all guilty feelings were brushed aside in the near-assurance that he'd be seeing be seeing Auron again.
Of course, there would be confusion and embarrassment if he were to knock on the door and it were to simply be the home of a perfectly normal Hawaiian family, who'd slam the door in his face or phone the sanitarium if he began talking about blue aliens and of the sort.
Riley stepped onto the first step of the ladder-porch and silently reviewed his facts of Auron's whereabouts: on the island of Kauai, by the beach, close to Haena, house number so-and-so…
He looked up as he climbed higher; even the house's address-number was correct. This had to be the place! Carefully, he made his way up the last steps in front of him, and stood on the long, narrow porch that went from one end of the house to the other. He noticed that next to the front door, there stood some plastic toys and a tricycle, tossed about.
"…Well, Auron had mentioned some little ones…little alien-children…"
He found the thought to be somewhat funny; he imagined a smaller Auron in diapers, waving a rattle.
In his amused moment, he reached out and rang the doorbell. A second later, he wished he hadn't – why so suddenly?
Somewhere upstairs he heard somebody moving about…only now did he notice the sound of a vacuum cleaner at work. Had he come at a bad time? – during house-cleaning?
Maybe he should go back…he was starting to feel nervous about the situation. Maybe Auron wasn't even there.
Now, the vacuum cleaner had stopped…Riley heard footsteps coming towards the front door.
…He realized that trying to run away now would be childish. He decided to stay and try work things out, even if Auron wasn't here, and his entire trip would've been for nothing; he'd work it out with the people and try to get away without any complaint charges being brought against him (he smiled to himself again).
The footsteps came closer and became louder. Riley quickly brushed loose strands of his long, brown hair out of his face; after only one night without a shower, he was hoping that he wasn't looking too scruffy. The footsteps finally came as close as they could, and Riley heard the click as the lock was turned from inside. The door was pulled open, and Riley found himself looking at a very attractive, young Hawaiian woman.
She was only a small bit shorter than himself, and her skin was considerably darker than his own. She had typical Hawaiian characteristics about her – a large nose, dark hair…
She was very beautiful, even without make-up…but she held a certain roughness about her that suggested a couple of thorns hidden inside a jar of honey. These thorns were now immediately visible: she was wearing a tank top that probably wouldn't ever be worn in public, and faded, rusty jeans, with her hair pulled back into a tight bun.
She still looked pretty – but then again, Riley wasn't really interested in looking at women; he was here for a certain blue alien.
The woman looked three things: surprised at his presence, embarrassed about being seen like this, and suspicious about his appearance.
He didn't blame her – a biker-outfit was a bit unceremonious, to say the least.
He smiled his best, and pleasantly said to her;
"Hello".
"…Hello", he woman replied, sounding a bit confused.
"…Can I help you with something?"
"Uh…yes, please", Riley replied, doing his best to not appear threatening or suspicious; he kept his voice low, and tried not to stare at the woman.
"I…I believe that…uh…a friend of mine might be staying here…at your house…?"
He was so hoping for some sign of recognition – perhaps a look of understanding, a exclaimed "Oh!", or a look of relief and a "Thank God you're here – that little freak blasts the whole house full of that horrible rock music! – that's why I'm working right now; it was starting to peel the wallpaper off of the walls!"
But…there came only a stare of further unflinching confusion; "Is this guy crazy?"
"…I'm sorry; I don't know what you're talking about", she replied, shaking her head slightly.
Riley immediately grew desperate;
"Please-!...he's about three-and-a-half feet tall, has blue fur, green eyes, and carries a red backpack!...if you've seen him, you'd remember him!"
He knew how this must sound: ludicrous and crazy. If the woman really didn't know what he was talking about, she'd surely think him a lunatic, with him raving about small, blue aliens. She'd definitely call the police or someone who'd come and lock him up – it was hard enough to convince people that you weren't crazy if you rode a motorcycle, even without testimony against you that suggested an absentminded brain.
Riley was expecting the worst when the woman's face widened; he expected the door to be closed on him.
But…instead, she placed a hand softly to her mouth and sounded a quiet;
"Oh…"
She released her hand from her mouth and surveyed him with an eye more serious than before.
"You…you really know him?", she asked Riley, whose chest seemed to explode with the joy of renewed hope.
"Yes!", he exclaimed.
"Yes! His name is Auron and he plays the guitar!"
The woman nodded slowly, seriously;
"Yes, yes…he does…"
This was it! Riley knew it! Happiness went wild inside of him.
"Where is he? Can I see him? How is he?...please tell me!"
"…Can I ask what your name is?", the woman asked in return.
"Riley Kivanna!", Riley answered, still very happy.
The woman's face, still serious, slowly began to change, and she smiled at him, pleasantly and understandingly.
"Yes, yes", he said, her voice noticeably brighter.
"He talks about you."
"H-He does?", Riley repeated, the smile on his face uncontrollable.
"Where – how…how is he? Can I see him?"
"Well, he's not here right now", the woman answered.
"Wh-what?", Riley asked in surprise.
"Where is he-?"
"Okay, okay…why don't you come inside, first and I'll tell you about everything?", the woman suggested.
"I can get you something to drink, if you'd like."
"Oh…please!", Riley replied with a smile, although he was entirely uninterested in a drink; he only wanted to know where Auron was.
The woman smiled at him again, and he was grateful for it. She stepped aside so he could enter through the doorway.
"Come on in", she said to him.
"By the way, I'm Nani."
"Nani!", Riley exclaimed enthusiastically, shaking her hand with both of his own.
"Very nice to meet you, Nani!"
In the kitchen, Nani took two glasses and filled them with pineapple juice, which the refrigerator seemed to hold an abundance of. She added some chopped ice, and, for festive purposes, inserted a little twirly-umbrella into each glass. She turned away from the counter and walked over to the table where Riley sat, still in his bike boots. He smiled gratefully and held out his hand as Nani handed him the cool drink, now complete with a straw.
"Thank you", he said softly, and wasted no time before taking a long sip.
"I've been riding my motorcycle for about three hours…you've saved my life with this."
"No problem", Nani replied, taking a seat across from him.
"Three hours? That must've been one heck of a journey."
Riley nodded and sipped at his drink again.
"Not just today…I had to take a cruise ship over to this island; it was an overnight ride."
"Really?", Nani asked with interest.
"Wow…did you take the motorcycle onto the ship, too?"
"Yeah; I would've preferred taking my car, but only bikes were allowed on the ferry", Riley answered.
"I've only had my bike for about two months, now…I actually bought it for coming here."
"To my place?'
"No…I'd thought about looking for, or…coming after Auron for some time…and I thought that a motorcycle would be convenient."
After saying this, Riley squeezed his glass in his hand and residled himself in his chair. He looked very impatient.
"…Please, Nani", he asked, nearly begging.
"Where's Auron? I haven't seen him for half a year, and I really…please tell me what's going on."
Nani looked into her glass thoughtfully. She knew that there was no simple way to tell the entire story in a way that'd be quick enough for her tense visitor, and getting the entire tale over would take more than a moment. She searched for her words briefly before looking back up at Riley, who sat looking jittery.
"…We have…a very extensive family, here", she began.
"I would think that it'd be harder for you to believe if you hadn't…had your own experiences, and seen for yourself…but…to tell you straight…I live here with my little sister, and nine aliens…your friend not included."
Riley seemed to stiffen a bit, and the look on his face showed some disbelief. It was true that Auron had kept him briefly informed about the place that he was staying at, but to hear it now, and to try to believe that he was now sitting in a place that housed nine other extraterrestrials was a bit overwhelming…if not slightly hard to believe.
"…Where are they all?", he asked quietly.
Nani smiled and pointed a finger up at the ceiling.
"Listen", she instructed.
Riley strained his ears…sure enough, there seemed to be some commotion going on upstairs, and much moving about between two voices.
"…Is that…are they…?"
Nani nodded with a small smile.
"Jumba and Pleakley", she stated.
"You caught us at a bit of an awkward time…we were doing some house-cleaning while the others were away."
"…Others?"
"Yeah – Owen, Twyla, Peka, Reihana, Stitch, and Owen's and Peka's kids, Aron and Garon. Stitch has been with us the longest…but they're all about Auron's shape, if you understand what I mean."
"…Auron's shape?"
"Short, big-eared, and fluffy."
"Oh, I see…is Auron with them?"
"Yes…you wouldn't believe how much the kids love him."
Riley was unable to suppress a smile and he finished his drink quickly.
"I can imagine that", he replied, and Nani smiled.
She slid her chair back and stood up, and motioned for him to do so, too.
"Well, come on – let's go introduce you to the family."
"What?!", Riley choked, almost dropping his glass before staring awestruck at Nani.
"Me?...meet other aliens?"
Nani looked slightly disdained;
"Don't think of them as 'aliens'…they're part of the family, not monsters from outer space."
Riley closed his mouth quickly and looked down, ashamed.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to say…"
"It's alright", Nani replied quickly, waving a hand.
"I know you didn't mean it like that. I know it sounds kinda crazy – the thought of living together with individuals from beyond our reach…but we're family, and we love eachother…as corny as that may sound."
"No, no – not at all!", Riley objected.
"I mean…I know what you mean…Auron's part of my family and my best friend, no matter what other people may say."
At this, Nani's face glowed with admiration, and she smiled genuinely.
"That's exactly what I mean…you're a remarkable person, you know that?"
Riley wasn't sure what to make of this compliment, so he smiled simply and looked humbled…and tried to hide a small blush.
Not sure on how to thank Nani for the nice words, so instead he responded with a question;
"Uh, what…who were the…two guys upstairs?"
"Jumba and Pleakley?", Nani answered.
"Yeah, they're both alright…Pleakley's a bit strange, but it's nothing to worry about. Jumba might seem overwhelming at first, but he's no worry – don't jump, okay?"
Riley followed Nani, but he fell silent at her words. He hadn't realized it before, but Nani surely was talking about the Jumba Jookiba that Auron had so darkly described many times before. He remembered that Auron had said that Jumba was indeed living at this house, but he hadn't said much about it, and now, neither did Riley. He allowed himself to be lead up the stairs quietly, while quickly pondering what he'd be able to do or say when confronted with this character…although, when he figured that Auron had been able to strike a neutrality with him, he resolved to try and do the same, even if he turned out to be despicable (although he doubted that extent; a woman like Nani wouldn't tolerate despicable characters under her roof).
"Whoa…big house", he commented, trying to remake the conversation as they finished climbing the first staircase.
"Oh, tell me about it", Nani replied with a playful groan.
"It's nice from the outside, but you'll break your back trying to clean it."
Riley laughed appreciatively, and followed Nani up a second flight of stairs. Unlike the last one, which had led into a perfectly normal second-story of the house, this one led the pair of them to a short, narrow corridor that was barely twelve feet long. It was dark, in comparison to the well-lit second story, but a light shone out of the crack of an open door at the end of the run. Faint music became louder as they approached, and Riley noticed at once a high-pitched voice singing along with the song. Nani rolled her eyes at this.
"Pleakley", she announced pre-emptively.
"I think he takes even more getting used to…don't worry about the dress either, okay?"
Riley had no idea what she meant by this, but he prepared himself for the unbelievable as he followed Nani, who, upon reaching the door, pushed it open. She stepped inside, and Riley peeked around the corner before following her inside.
The room they stepped into was a large, circular space with a curved, sloping ceiling. A window at normal level lay at the far end of the room, while a small ring of smaller moon-letting outrages circled near the top of the sloping dome. Riley believed that this room looked even larger from the inside than it did outside – the floor space must've measured almost sixty feet across in any direction, and several metal shelves lined with boxes adorned the curving walls, and a wooden table covered with gizmos and gadgets lay to the left-most space of the circumference. Opposite of it, on the far right, there stood a dated-looking television set on a trolley. A computer stood close to the window.
In the center of this large room, spinning around and dancing while Cyndi Lauper played on a nearby stereo, was a pasty-yellowed-skinned creature who, much to Riley's surprise, was wearing an orange, white-flowered dress…which, surprisingly, suited and fit him very well. He couldn't help but grin slightly as he watched ("So that's what she meant with the dress").
This strange character, who moved with surprising precision and rhythm on three floppy legs, danced with a mop and lip-synched to the lyrics of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', without seemingly any awareness that he had just been walked in on by Nani and a total stranger. A single, large eyelid in his face surprised Riley further, but he started to get used to seeing this new alien figure by the time that he realized that he had two tongues in his mouth. To be honest, his dancing (although uncoordinated) wasn't too bad either (if it wasn't his dancing that Riley admired, it was his courage – it'd been a long time since he himself had let himself go loose like that).
Nani cleared her throat audibly to announce their presence, but 'Pleakley' kept on dancing. She tried again, but Pleakley simply dipped and swerved as he ad-libbed the song in a high voice.
"Pleakley!", Nani called out eventually, causing the one-eyed dancer to lose his balance and stumble clumsily over his multiple feet.
He looked up, bewildered and blushing, stammering apologies.
"Sorry!", he yelped, straightening his dress hurriedly.
"It was just – this song came on, and I really couldn't resist, so I just…"
His voice trailed off suddenly as he caught sight of Riley, standing next to Nani in leather pants and bike boots. At once, his blush disappeared and he turned pale, his mouth halfway-open as he stared in a mixture of horror and confusion at this biker-clad stranger.
"Oh…hello!", he cried, too conspicuously to not be noticed.
"I see you've brought…a friend, Nani!...I was still cleaning…"
His eye flashed from Nani to the nearby desk, where Riley noticed there lay a blonde wig – surely Pleakley's disguise in covering up that strange antennae-like protrusion on top of his head.
Before he could further panic, however, Nani stepped forward.
"Don't worry, Pleakley", she said with some exasperation.
"He knows – he's a friend."
"A friend? Oh, that's relieving!", Pleakley exclaimed, with some fearful sarcasm.
"You're bringing friends into the house, just like that, and telling them about…what did you tell him? Oh, don't you know this is going to be trouble?"
"Cool it, Pleakley", Nani sighed, rolling her eyes.
"He's Auron's friend…you remember Auron talking about him, don't you?"
Pleakley stiffened, but not in fear – merely in surprise and realization. He regained some of his complexion, and gave a short laugh as he looked from Riley to Nani, and Riley hoped it was a laugh of reprieve.
"Oh…I understand", he said, with respite evident in his voice.
"That's a relief!...so it's okay, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess so", Nani said as she shook her head.
"Pleakley, meet Riley - Riley, meet Pleakley."
Riley took a tentative step forward, but eased up as Pleakley stretched out his three-fingered hand without hesitation; for Riley to be a friend of Auron's must have set Pleakley at ease.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kivanna!", Pleakley exclaimed brightly as he shook vigorously.
"I'm thrilled to meet you – Auron's told us so much about you!"
Riley figured that was how Pleakley knew his last name. He couldn't help but show an unfeigned smile at Pleakley's cheerful courteousness, and he shook back heartily. In his hand, Pleakley's appendage felt warm and boneless, like a three-fingered rubber glove that had been filled with fresh wax…but he didn't let this bother or deter him.
"Pleased to meet you, too", he responded, still smiling.
"Auron's mentioned you, too."
"He did?", Pleakley asked, seemingly honored by this.
"Well, you know, he always was my favorite – seven little monsters running around, and he's the only one who hasn't dropped something on my head!...well, him and the new one…what was her name, Nani?"
"I'll introduce you to the rest of our Ohana later, Riley", Nani said with a smile, obviously pleased at how well Riley and Pleakley had hit off.
"Right after you meet Jumba, we can… – where'd he go, Pleakley?"
"Oh, he just went to use the bathroom, he said", Pleakley replied, before adding;
"But I think he just wanted to get away from my music…oh, here he comes now!"
They all perked their ears intently, and sure enough, were all quick to pick up the soft, distant, and repeating thuds of heavy footsteps. Riley figured that Jumba was definitely as large as everybody was saying he was, but judging by the intended softness of the repetitive tremors, he (Jumba) was making an attempt to tread as softly as he could – Riley hated to think of what it might sound like if a creature this size would actually run through the house.
The footsteps neared: they plodded a bit around on the lower story, climbed the stairs, and made their way across the narrow corridor, which Riley was sure must've been too small to accommodate a creature large enough to make such impactful footsteps. The door opened, and Riley had to fight not to widen his eyes to a rude extent – this character did indeed seem 'too big'.
Before him stood Jumba, whom Auron had described so many times, so hatefully. There were the four slanted eyes, the gigantic, noticeable molars, and the three pitiful strands of hair on his head. His complexion was tan enough around his large, doughy face, but he was otherwise surrounded by a purplish tinge. He seemed almost as wide as he was tall, relying on the fact that his skin looked to be filled with whale blubber instead of fat. All of his limbs (and torso and head, too, for that matter) were thick and pudgy, although Riley didn't doubt that there was some definite power inside of those arms.
Was this really the demon that Auron had cursed about innumerable times before?
"I see you have finally turned off awful, annoying music – has your stereo system been taken away?"
Jumba stepped into the room and looked up. He wore large, khaki shorts and a wide, striped t-shirt, while his face adopted an immediate expression of surprise, as Pleakley's had. He looked at Riley with confusion, then to Nani, then to Pleakley, and back to Riley – what could this strange character be doing here? Jumba looked as if he were trying to decipher the situation, and after a short silence, opened his mouth and said, tentatively;
"…Pondorian space pirate?"
Nani snorted, Pleakley rolled his eye, and Riley looked down at his leather pants and bike boots; did he really look that bad?
"Jumba", Nani began, adopting a more serious tone.
"This is Riley – Auron's friend."
Riley could've sworn that as Nani announced him, a hint of fear flashed across the giant Jumba's face, as if he expected Riley to cue to this and attack him. Given the look on Pleakley and Nani's faces, they thought this as well, and obviously considered it quite ludicrous…but did they see it the way Riley figured it? Did Jumba? He probably did – the best friend of a creature who hated him? Surely Auron would've described to Riley the months of systematic, torturous training and attempted murder. As his best friend, surely Riley would now hate Jumba as much as Auron did.
Was this on the doctor's mind?
Whatever was, Jumba succeeded in pushing the wary expression off of his face, and replaced it with a shaky smile.
"…Pleased to be meeting you", he said in his strong accent, and extended a hand the size of a large frying pan.
Riley nodded, but showed only a hint of a grim smile and extended his hand as well. It was tiny compared to Jumba, whose large paw closed around Riley's hand, and Riley noted how warm and doughy it felt. They shook very briefly, and when their hands parted, they only stood and stared at eachother in hard, painful silence.
Nani obviously noted the growing tension in the room, and quickly stepped forward, taking Riley by the arm.
"O-kay", she said hurriedly.
"Umm…Jumba, you and Pleakley finish up here, and I'll go show Riley around a bit more, okay?"
She left without another word, pulling Riley out the door behind her. When they heard their footsteps moving down the stairs, Pleakley turned to Jumba and asked;
"Now what was all of that about?"
Time passed, and eventually, the house got cleaner. Riley shed his boots and helped Nani around the house, refusing to sit still while she worked. Nani was a bit embarrassed about having her guest work, but was more than relieved when he put his strong body to use ("I swear, I don't know how I would've gotten those boxes into the basement without you"). Riley was as efficient of a worker as anybody could hope, and worked without complaint – the only deter from the ongoing, friendly conversation was his occasional "Are they gonna be back soon?" Nani told him she did not know; she had sent them away with the simple instruction to pass time. Riley worried if something may have happened to them, if they had perhaps been caught by the police, but Nani only laughed and assured him that it would take more than the police to restrain, much less capture six grown Experiments. This seemed to set Riley at some ease, but he threw himself into the extensive housework even more to further occupy himself. The fear of having come all this way for nothing, and the fear that Auron may not be here crept up inside of him again, but he tried to make Nani's word divine law: "They'll be back, don't worry…"
Finally, after the hours had dwindled to mere twilight, Nani took a round-inspection and determined the house to be spotless. Riley grinned as he wiped his sweaty brow – he didn't want to admit it, but cleaning this huge house from top to bottom had been more work than setting up the ring for an EWF promotion. Nani offered him the bathroom, and he accepted graciously. After washing his body and making sure the smell of sweat was off of him, he was met by Nani who offered him another cold drink on the porch, where they could wait for the Experiments. Riley allowed her to head him outside, and sipped at a Hawaiian ice tea while Nani made conversation.
"Thanks again; you're a lifesaver for showing up like you did", she told him, now wearing a clean tank top and jeans, and having abandoned the bandana.
Riley nodded with a smile, but didn't respond. Within these hours spent in the Pelekai household, he had learned more than he could have imagined about the phenomenon of other extraterrestrials on the planet. He had made up the mattresses on which several of the Experiments slept, and smelled the scent of aliens other than Auron. He had made up the couch on which Auron supposedly slept, and was joyous to recognize his scent on the cushions. He had picked up the toys with which the Experiment pups played with, and straightened the video closet, which held many children's cassettes.
The presence of them was everywhere – in the bedrooms, in the bathroom (which contained many toothbrushes), and in the kitchen, where an entire shelf, Nani said, had been devoted solely to a certain Experiment called Owen. He had discovered an entire collection of Elvis Presley's albums in record-form, next to and old turntable in the living room, and was told that the majority of the family were big Elvis fans. A nearby ukulele had brought a smile to his face (he admired people who played instruments), and was amazed when told that it belonged to an Experiment named Stitch.
It was now that he went over these events, while standing against the porch rail with Nani, sipping iced tea, and watching a beautiful twilight sunset. It would've been enough for him to muse about these things for hours, but the adrenaline of knowing that, supposedly soon, Auron would return kept him going. By now, however, some of his excitement had dwindled to a containable level. Not to say he was no longer anxious and excited, but after hearing so many assurances and 'in a while' phrases from Nani, he had stopped jumping at small sounds and stopped hoping to see Auron appear out of thin air. To be honest, it was nice to take a moment to relax with a cold drink. Nani's presence was comforting, as well – it didn't matter that he had lost some confidence in her words saying that the Experiments would return soon; she was a very nice person who he could easily trust.
Besides that, he thought she looked very sexy.
Pleakley stepped onto the porch, and he approached them as they turned their heads towards him. The one-eyed alien looked a bit surprised and taken aback that Riley had undone his hair, and that it now hung like a mane on his shoulders. Thankfully, this effect didn't seem to last too long, and he looked happy once more.
"Still no sign of them?", he asked, referring to the Experiments.
"Nope", Nani replied, shaking her head.
"Although it honestly can't be too long by now; they wouldn't stay out after sunset."
"Well, say 'hello' from me, would you?", Pleakley asked as he yawned and stretched.
"I'm beat – I might go to bed early."
He winked at Riley, and, in a motion that would make Riley feel just a bit shaken, motioned towards the shack-house down the road, where the windows were lightless.
"Good thing you showed up", the invertebrate said to him, moving towards the stairs.
"You wouldn't, by chance, be planning on staying for long, would you?"
"Uh…I wouldn't know", Riley answered with an honest shrug.
"I mean…maybe, if Auron…and, of course, if it's alright with Nani…"
He looked towards Nani, and she smiled at him.
"You'd be welcome to", she said.
"There's always room for someone else."
"Well, that's just great", Pleakley perked, and clapped his hands together; he looked genuinely happy at Nani's words.
"But I'm off to bed now. See you all tomorrow."
And with another admiring glance and a wink at Riley, he descended the two levels of stairs and made out across the dirt road, towards the shack-house. Nani and Riley watched him reach it and enter. The windows were lit, and Pleakley's odd silhouette moved across a single pane before the light was extinguished again.
Nani turned towards Riley, and her face looked both pained and embarrassed at the same time.
"Sorry about that", she apologized, glancing back towards the shack-house.
"Pleakley's very…eccentric. I hope he didn't discomfort you."
"Discomfort me?", Riley asked, surprised.
"No, he didn't…why would he? He seems like a very nice guy. Besides, the dress looks good on him."
Nani looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decipher whether he was being sarcastic, whether he was lying out of respect, or whether he was actually being honest. Eventually, she appeared to grasp that he hadn't been exaggerating or untruthful, and she smiled a small grin.
"…No wonder he seems to like you", she said.
Riley nodded with a smile of his own, and it somehow seemed as if the topic was unanimously closed.
They both turned back towards the horizon, and the slowly-setting sun looked back at them with its never-blinking, golden-orange eye. They said nothing, and only watched the sun and the declining road that lead away from the house. Riley figured that if the Experiments were to be home before the sun went down, they'd have to hurry to beat the darkness. He noticed how the light was deadening; the glare coming off of the handlebars of his motorcycle was becoming fainter.
What might Auron say when he found out that he had a motorcycle?
Riley began tapping his foot; the anxiety of seeing Auron again returned every time he thought of him.
Nani noticed this, and quickly realized what was up.
"You okay?", she asked, and Riley nodded.
Nani looked back at the setting sun and checked the watch on her wrist – it was getting late.
"To be honest with you…", she began slowly.
"I'm actually getting a bit worried. They've never stayed out this late before."
Riley's head turned towards her in alarm, his hair billowing around in the motion.
"Do you think something happened to them?", he asked, his voice outspokenly fearful.
"No, no, no", Nani replied with a small laugh, obviously a bit surprised at his immediate jolt.
"No, we shouldn't assume that. They're probably just having a bit too much fun. But they better make it fast, now – it's almost past Lilo's bedtime."
Riley's head lowered slightly with momentary assurance…then, he looked back up at his hostess. He had heard 'Lilo' being mentioned before, and was sure he had peaked into the room of a small girl whilst cleaning.
"…Lilo?", he repeated timidly, looking for clarification.
"My little sister", Nani explained, and there was deep affection in her voice when she added;
"She's as much of a monster as the rest of them."
Riley smiled and set down his now-empty glass and leaned upon the railing with his left elbow, so he could face Nani.
"I have a little sister, too", he commented.
"Two, actually, although the older one's actually the greater monster - Lara's seventeen, and Rebecca, my little one, is six."
"Oh! She's Lilo's age", Nani replied, before retorting with a question of her own.
"Uh…how are you, Riley?"
"I turned twenty this year", the biker answered.
"Only a few months ago, actually…one of the few times that Auron actually phoned me; he wanted to wish me a happy birthday by voice…"
Riley trailed off. He had brought up Auron again, but, Nani noticed, had not proceeded with the expected anxiousness like before. On the contrary, he looked very sad as he recollected this memory. Nani lowered her head slightly.
"Did he…did you two ever write to eachother while you were apart?", Nani asked gently, hoping not to further an unpleasant mood for Riley.
Riley looked up at her and raised his head. He nodded.
"Yeah…well, he sent letters at least once a month", he answered.
"Of course, they were all one-way, so I couldn't write back to him. Heck, by the time they would arrived, he probably would've already moved on. We'd catch up as much as we could during phone calls. He'd always call at night, and Rebecca would be really upset if she found out that she had missed a call from him."
He balanced the side of his face in his palm and looked sadly out at the sun.
"I really miss him…I wish he'd finally get here…"
Watching him like this, Nani felt a drop in her own heart. She now felt that she had grasped his sadness, and finally realized the cause for his ecstaticness whenever Auron's name or his return was mentioned – Riley loved Auron. He loved him possibly more than Nani would admit for the individual Experiments she lived with. Auron was part of Riley's family, and the depth of Riley's sorrow was explained by the devotion he carried for his departed friend. He hadn't seen his face in over six months, and by understanding just how much he loved this creature was the only way to decipher his deep level of sadness. He jumped at his name, and was so eager and ready for the arrival of his presence.
Nani knew that she hadn't really helped things by repeatedly saying that Auron would be back soon; it had raised his hopes to this point, where he simply remained sad and expectant. She felt very guilty about what she had unwittingly done.
Nani reached over to him, and very gently, she touched his shoulder, and Riley looked up at her in surprise. She smiled at him, and noticed that his muscles were evident even at the lightest touch, even through his t-shirt.
"Hey…it's okay", she told him with a soft smile.
"They'll be back soon, I promise…and if not, I'll get in my car and look for them; when I catch them, you better believe I'm gonna give it to them."
Riley laughed out loud, as if he were willing to jump out of his sadness for any reason.
"I'll get on my bike and help you", he said with a smile.
"If I see Auron, I'll run him over…I'll hug the Hell out of him afterwards, but I'm gonna run him over for making me wait so long."
They laughed together, both of them more than glad that the sad state had been broken. Riley glanced back towards the sunset, and Nani smiled as she continued to look at him. She was really beginning to notice his handsomeness.
"Y'know…", she said to him.
"You can stay here as long as you want to. I mean, if you want to get back to your family soon, that's fine, but if you'd like, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like…who knows, maybe we could all go to the beach…"
But Riley wasn't paying attention to her. He was staring intently and transfixed ahead at the horizon. Nani looked, too, and she noticed, as he did, the approaching line of small figures, all of them blackened by their silhouettes against the setting sun.
Auron walked at the right end of the horizontal line they had created. To his left, Garon clutched his hand, and next to him stood his brother. Following him was Peka and Owen, next to whom stood Stitch and Lilo; Stitch was pulling (and constantly check back at) Twyla in the wagon. Reihana was the left-handed caboose of the line, and she was merely watching the conversation as they neared their home. The subject seemed to be music, and, as she had no knowledge on music from Earth or human artists, she simply nodded when somebody turned to her for a point, and looked back and talked to Twyla when Stitch was conversing with someone else.
At this time, Auron was turning his head away and sighing. He, by no means, thought Stitch to be an incompetent or a dummy when it came to good music, but trying to get a point across Elvis Presley was impossible with him. Auron didn't yet think this an argument (in oppose to a simple conversation), but he was afraid that they were treading dangerously near the border into hostility.
Twyla motioned for Rei to come closer to her, and whispered into her ear;
"Men and their guitars…"
Garon skipped along next to Auron, happy to support him in any point he could, while Aron walked somewhat remoted from his brother, only listening. Peka stepped in to quell the air whenever it seemed on the brink of getting violent, and Owen attempted to make points of his own that never seemed to get over. Lilo, like Rei, felt that the conversation had gotten too deep for her, and she tensed whenever it got stressive.
Stitch and Auron were in a stubborn debate on who had scored the higher ratings on the musical charts – Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson. With Stitch in full favor of Elvis, he remained immovable in his position, and debated that Elvis had been the first real rock star of all time, and that among all of his super-successful hits, it was impossible that he had not achieved the highest level of atonement in the musical world. Auron agreed halfways, but went on to point out the same about Michael Jackson, and the fact that Michael Jackson had achieved awards that weren't even existent in Elvis' time. This point was well-taken as well, but Stitch objected that it was unfair for Auron to bring out album awards, because "a vinyl record isn't the equivalent of a tape or a CD…at least not at that time".
"But even now", Auron went on.
"His albums aren't beating Michael's. They never did."
"They're re-releases; Elvis' albums released today don't count", Stitch insisted.
"And besides, back when the king was still around, distribution and global recognition of music wasn't as great as it is today."
"Still", Auron insisted, almost squeezing Garon's hand in frustration.
"You equivlate and do the math on it, and it still doesn't add up! Michael Jackson's done better than Elvis – period!"
"We're not talking about who's done better – we're talking about who hit higher on the charts!"
"That's what I've been saying – and Michael definitely hit higher!"
This was definitely a point for Stitch to start going scarlet, but Twyla tugged at the pulley of the wagon to direct his attention towards her.
"Don't", she pleaded.
"Dos it really matter? They're both good artists; why not let it be?"
Stitch was about to sputter and fume at the understatement of the word 'good', but was diverted in his attention by Peka when she called out;
"Hey…who's that?"
They all looked ahead, towards the house. It was clearly visible from here, and it was evident to what Peka had exclaimed about - two figures were standing on the porch overlooking the dirt road, and they were both humanoid. One of them was Nani for sure, but the second figure seemed a mystery.
"Is that David?", Garon ask, ceasing his skipping as he squinted towards their home.
"No; David's hair isn't that long", Twyla pointed out.
"His hair's almost as long as Nani's."
"Maybe Nani got a new boyfriend?", Aron speculated.
"I think she would've told us; she wouldn't let a stranger into the house without swearing him to secrecy", his mother answered.
Reihana, who was staring as intently at the new figure as everybody else, turned her head and leaned back behind the line to look at Auron.
"Auron…do you know who he is?"
But Auron didn't answer. He wasn't simply staring at the stranger they approached – he was transfixed. His eyes were wide and full of shock, as if he had seen a ghost or a miracle at work. His mouth fell open, and he took no hint when Garon shook his hand worriedly.
"No way…", he said dreamily.
"No…it can't be…can't be here…no damn way…"
"Auron, what's wrong?", Garon asked concern evident in his eyes and voice.
"Who is that?...who's motorcycle is that?"
But Auron wasn't listening. Very slowly, his mouth was spreading and curving into a wide smile as his eyes stayed large. A strange, disbelieving laugh escaped his lips, and he whispered a name under his lips.
"…What?", Peka asked in confusion; by now, Auron had taken everyone's attention.
"Do you know who that is?", Lilo asked.
"Is he planning on staying long?", Owen wanted to know.
Auron had let go of Garon's hand. He was walking slowly forwards, while the other Experiments and Lilo had come to a halt. Their eyes switched between him and the strange person on the porch, all of the totally confused.
After a few steps, Auron stopped. He blinked his eyes defiantly, as if wanting to rid himself of a hair that had flown into his eye. He mouthed something under his breath, and looked down at the ground. When he looked back up, the figure was still standing there. The wind was blowing against Auron's face…and he detected a familiar scent. His face split back into a smile, and he gave an ecstatic yip and broke out into a run towards the house, his words no longer silent or incoherent;
"RILEY! RILEY!"
"Auron!", Riley yelled back, his mouth having assumed an unbreakable smile, as well.
Before Nani could say anything, he tore from the porch to the stairs, jumping down them in threes at a time. He looked up at the small, blue figure racing towards him – how fast he was covering the hundred or so feet that separated the two of them. Riley had never known him to move so fast, whether in battle or in any other event or activity. He would go as far as to wonder how it was possible for him to move this fast, but not at this moment – he was ecstatic, as all of the built-up tension came pouring out of him. He wasn't sure if there were tears in his eyes or not, but he didn't really care – Auron was so, so close to him…
At the mark of fifteen feet, Auron left his feet and leapt right at Riley, would had barely reached the bottom of the stairs. Tears trailed his path as he flew, and when he finally made the forceful contact, Riley was thrown backwards into a reverse-somersault…but when they came to a halt at the base of the stairs, with Riley sitting spread-legged in the dust, he and Auron had embraced so tightly, it almost looked painful. Auron's face was buried so deeply into Riley's shoulder that he couldn't breathe, but he didn't care. Without his knowing, his second set of arms had emerged and were now hugging Riley as well. Auron's entire body clung to Riley's chest as if his survival depended on it, and was furthermore held in place by Riley's strong arms, wrapped almost vice-like around all of the blue Experiment that he could manage. There was now no need to debate whether or not there were tears in his eyes – he was sobbing openly into Auron's soft fur, his eyes shut tight and venting with tears. The two of them shook and sobbed together, Riley softly repeating over and over;
"Auron…Auron…"
Auron managed to raise his head a bit off of Riley's shoulder, but immediately broke into a fit of crying of his own, and pushed his face against Riley's neck. He squeezed him as hard as he lovingly could, without trying to keep his own body from shivering.
"R-R-R-R-Riley…", he cried in a breaking voice, lifting his head only enough to free his mouth.
"I am…s-s-so sorry…I…I love y-y-y-you…"
Riley nodded into Auron's neck, his own eyes still shut tightly. His fingers ran over the fur of Auron's back, and he felt the familiar, unexposed skin underneath. He smelled his scent once more, felt his breath, and felt his familiar touch: everything he hadn't forgotten about him in those six months.
"S'okay…its okay…", he whispered in a squeak.
"It's okay…it's all okay now…"
He raised his head from Auron's back, and the Experiment did the same. They looked at eachother with teary, flickering eyes, and raised their hands to run over eachother's faces.
"R-Riley…", Auron said quietly, a small smile showing on his quivering lips as he ran his hand through Riley's long hair.
"…You've changed…"
"You haven't…", Riley sobbed, the same smile on is face as he stared deeply into Auron's deep-green eyes and petted his face.
"Do…do I at least look good?..."
"Oh yeah", Auron said, his voice breaking as he laughed.
"Awesome…beautiful…just like Sabbath…"
They embraced again tightly, and both of them rested their heads on eachother's shoulders. Their fast breathing and sobbing had died down a bit, and they enjoyed the familiar feel of the other's body.
Here he was – the same face, the same body, the same smell, the same eyes, and the same voice…they had finally found eachother again: their best friend in the entire universe.
"Riley…I'm so sorry…", Auron said quietly.
"I never wanted to leave. I-I didn't know…I…I thought…I thought…"
"Shhh…", Riley cooed to him softly, rubbing his back softly, and a smile slowly etched its way across his tear-surged face.
"It's okay…I've found you, and now you're safe…and so am I."
Auron nodded into his shoulder, and kissed Riley's neck softly.
"Yeah…you too."
"The sun is sleeping quietly, once upon a century
Wistful oceans, calm and red; ardent caresses laid to rest"
-Nightwish, Sleeping Sun
(A/N: finally…after five months, I've at last managed to procure the chapter of Love and Burden that will mark my official peace to the story, until I write for it again.
I hope everybody who has taken the time to read has enjoyed this chapter; it is officially my longest one (by a count of words) for any story I have ever written…and to say that I am not a bit proud would be a lie.
My farewell from this story will most likely be a quiet one, and that is how I wish it – perhaps I will return at a time when, by some miracle, raised interest has returned to my stories. I pray this chapter will go without any controversy or the upsetting of certain people.
Oh, but why am I being so morbid? I'm actually quite happy that this chapter is finally complete. I'll be working on other stories while I hit hiatus on this one, but I'll always remember and keep in the mind the things I want to do or the places I want to go with this story…for I believe it really is special.
Disclaimer: I do not own eBay, the Triumph model of motorcycles, Cyndi Lauper or her song 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', or Black Sabbath…obviously, if I owned any of them, I'd be a heck of a lot richer.
Until my next chapter, I wish you all farewell – may we prosper in the temporary absence of Love and Burden.
Bye!)