Everyone's Ohana
Part I
A Lilo & Stitch Fanfic
By Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins
Rating: PG13Disclaimer: Lilo and Stitch and all subsequent characters are owned and copyrighted by Disney Studios. I have made no money off of this or any of my other fanfics… pity!
Summary: Lilo and Gantu must work together to escape capture, if only they can cooperate long enough without getting on each others nerves.
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Gantu had his gun out and surveyed the situation carefully. He was in a sour mood. His wrist was still hurting after getting severely wrenched during a failed attempt at retrieving experiment number 3. Or, more accurately, it had happened after that miserable trog and its human companion had tripped him up during a chase. He'd gone over the edge of a cliff and had landed wrong. It was simply amazing that he hadn't broken anything. He also had acquired a limp, which was slowly getting better, but it still slowed him down.
His luck lately had been nothing but bad. His life was nothing but a series of failures. It was difficult to not let that drag him down into a mire of depression. Well, he would get depressed and often, it just took a lot of effort to not let it totally run his life. Some days, though, it just wasn't worth fighting against, like today.
It wasn't like he was getting paid to risk his neck. It wasn't like he was in it for making the crusty backwater planet Earth a better place, he was of a mind that no amount of meddling, short of gassing the whole planet would accomplish that. So why? He sat down heavily on a bare rock and stared up at the starry sky. Why was he taking guff from something that looked like a giant space cat would have hacked it up in a hairball?
He didn't know. Really, he didn't. Some sleepless nights as he would lay in his berth, he'd wonder. But it wasn't as if he could just leave if he wanted to. He was stuck there. He didn't know of anyone who'd be willing to risk their status to pick him up. He'd been shunned after losing his Captaincy. He was detested after signing up with Dr. Hamsterviel.
Gantu didn't understand why. After all, he was just trying to do his job. Why was HE seen as the bad guy? He'd never been one of the bad guys. That was why he'd gone after all the abominations. They were the bad guys, he was the good guy. All that somehow changed when he wasn't looking--- now he was just seen as the Big Dummy. He hated that most of all. It stung what was left of his pride and helped spur him on to the next nearly assured failure.
Now he sat there on a rock in that heavily wooded tropical island and seriously considered just turning back. He'd never given up before. It just wasn't part of his make up to just let something go. It had been what had gotten him this far. But now--- now he just had to wonder if he really cared anymore.
He stared at the sky, searching for his homeworld star, knowing he was in the wrong quadrant to even see it. He doubted he'd ever see it again, not that there was anyone living there that would be worth the trip. He had nothing and knew it.
A rustling in the brush brought his attention back. He gripped his gun, ignoring the pain in his wrist, and aimed in the direction automatically. His hand shook slightly with the strain from the injury, but he didn't lower his pistol. Gantu slowly stood, his sight now limited to what was at the end of his gun. He squeezed the trigger slightly and his heart sped up from the sudden exposure to adrenaline.
Something moved out from behind one bush and skittered over to another. But he had been watching and during that split second recognized just what had moved past him. He doubted that the girl had even known he was there, she'd seemed so intent on what was ahead of her.
If she was here, then the trog couldn't be far behind. Gantu reholstered his gun, figuring he'd need both hands free to get through the heavy undergrowth to follow.
Maybe it was habit. He didn't know, but whatever it was, he followed after, taking care to not make too much noise as he passed through the forest. He'd been huge all his life, so he had lots of practice. Gantu was actually really good at not being noticed when he didn't want to be. Which was a good thing on a planet where there was no other way for him to blend into the population.
But, unfortunately, in dealing with the six hundred and twenty-six abominations, size was necessary to intimidate. Hasn't worked, as of yet, but he always hoped it would eventually.
Gantu followed the young child easily. She made more noise then he did, even though he could tell she was trying not to. He smiled grimly. To think this diminutive youth had thwarted his efforts time and time again. She wasn't even a super genius--- of course, she had the assistance of experiment 6-2-6 and Jumba. All he had was 6-2-5 and all 6-2-5 ever contributed to the cause was sandwiches. Because of the yellow vermin, he'd sworn off baloney forever. Some days, it felt like everything smelt of baloney. Then he'd just leave the ship on some false errand just to try to get that scent out of his nose.
It looked like she was heading towards an old lava tube and still no sign of the abomination. But Gantu couldn't worry about that at the moment. He knew 6-2-6 was near. Where there was one, there was the other. It was just an axiom that he took to heart. Also made his job a lot easier.
So he skulked after her, wondering what she was doing out there. He wasn't sure which of the experiments were loose out in the area. But who cared? Gantu still dogged the human with ease.
It was dark out, but even darker inside the lava tube with the lack of starlight and moonlight to show the way.
Gantu was certain after much observation that she was indeed by herself. Whatever happened to adult supervision, anyway? And where was that disgusting vermin that was always with her? He shrugged. Who the frell cared? As long as he succeeded, then nothing really mattered.
He followed her. It was easy. She was just a child, after all.
It wasn't long, though, when he heard a shout of surprise. Cautious, he continued after. He drew his weapon. Gantu itched to have his gun in hand, but he was in close quarters. Who knew who else was in there.
Gantu felt the floor give way. He was cut off in mid yelp as part of his breath was taken from him due to the fall.
Shakey, gasping, Gantu tried to stand, but then sagged back into collapse. A cloud of black ash drew in a coughing fit. When his night vision cleared, he could see his hand barely in front of his face. His wrist could have been better.
He heard another's coughing. The girl. He froze. She was in there with him. Great. Just great.
"Stitch?" The familiar high pitched question grated on his nerves.
"Not here." Gantu found himself answering.
There was a momentary silence.
"You better get out of here." He heard her warn.
Gantu wanted to laugh. A five year old warning him off--- however, this was the very five year old who'd warded him from countless experiments time and time again.
"I dare say you're quite the one to talk." Gantu said. "Where's you're back up?"
More silence, as if she was trying to come up with something to say, then, "He's not here."
"Truth. That must be a mouthful to swallow." Gantu said feeling superior at the moment for some reason, even though he was in the same fix.
"Why were you following me?"
Resourceful little girl. "It's within my interests to follow you. Where you go, experiments follow."
"Not this time."
"Sorry, not buying that one. You, up at this hour, alone--- spells experiment." Gantu said.
"Didn't you hear me? Not this time!"
She sounded adamant, which Gantu didn't trust one bit, "You and that TROG are up to something and I want to know what!"
"NO!" She renounced.
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care what you do or don't believe." Lilo stated firmly.
Gantu sighed. This was getting no where. But at least his eyes were slowly getting adjusted to the lack of light. He could barely make out the miniscule adversary that stood before him. With ease he could squash her. But he didn't. He was the good guy, he kept telling himself. He was the good guy.
"You wouldn't be here without a reason." Gantu said almost to himself. "And not without--- him."
"Stitch isn't here." She repeated.
But it fell on deaf ears. "As if you'd go anywhere without that trog!"
"Stitch isn't a trog---, um, whatever that is." Lilo said.
"Vermin! You know what that is, don't you?"
Lilo nodded, then realized it was rather dark and he probably couldn't see. "Yeah."
"And I'm the exterminator." Gantu replied as if that was all the logic that mattered.
"No, you're the Big Dummy!" Lilo said defiantly.
Gantu grit his teeth. "I am not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Look! It's just you and me here. And you are going to tell me what you are doing here!" Gantu nearly shouted.
"Do you have cotton in your ears? I said no!"
"I don't have ears!" Gantu growled back.
"That's right, 'cause you're a big dumb fish!"
"I'm not a fish!" Gantu shouted at her.
"But you ARE a Big Dummy!"
"I'm NOT A BIG DUMMY!"
"You followed me here where there's no experiment to be found." Lilo said too smugly for Gantu's taste. "Sounds dummy-like to me."
He balled his fists up, trembling with the effort not to lash out. "Infuriating child!"
"I'm not a child!" Lilo said.
"How old are you?"
"Um, nine."
"Child."
"Well, when you get the government involved, then yeah, I guess I'm considered a child."
Gantu exhaled in satisfaction. "See?"
"I don't see anything. It's dark!"
Gantu sighed. Spoken like a true child. "So, here we are."
"Yeah."
"Now, why are we here?"
"I'm not telling you." Lilo said and from her tone Gantu knew he would get nothing valuable out of her.
"Then how about we sit and wait here until we find out why?" Gantu said reasonably, knowing he had all the time in the world for whatever it was.
To be continued---
