I would appreciate it if people would refrain from flaming my about my pairings throughout this story. If you ant to criticise anything else, that's brilliant, and if you want to praise it, that's even better. I just won't care if I get flamed for my couples. Thanks for listening.

Oh, and check out my profile for all of my fanart regarding this. There's some stuff there you should check out.

Chapter 4: Found

At the edge of the forest 623 paused and looked ahead. It was now well into the night, and before her stretched Lilo's Ohana's home. She gulped nervously and prepared herself for what she was about to do, still clutching her tiny cousin which she held behind her back.

Inside the house it was time for Lilo to go to bed. Nani was going to tell Lilo to go and get into her pyjamas when a voice called,

'626! Little girl! Larger girl!' Jumba yelled from the back of the house. Lilo happily scooted off to see him and Nani followed, finding Stitch already at Jumba's side when they arrived.

'What is it, Jumba?' asked Lilo. 'What's with all the yelling?'

'Look outside!' explained the large alien. 'I see 623 in bushes!'

4 heads appeared at the window as they all gazed out. Sure enough, 623 was visible, standing at the back of their yard between the hammock supporting trees.

'What is it doing?' questioned Nani. 'Is it coming back?'

They observed for a few more seconds. 623 was moving about, but not coming any closer to the house.

'I am not sure what 623 is doing,' Jumba said, perplexed. 'Perhaps someone should go and ask what is the matter.'

Everybody looked at Stitch.

'Huh…? Gaba? …Meega?!'

'It'll be okay, Stitch…' Lilo tried to comfort him. 'Just ask her what's going on or something. Ask her why she ran away.'

Putting on a vulnerable look, Stitch headed for the back door. They turned to the window again to watch his ascent up the path.

'I do not understand!' Jumba sounded angry at something that he was unable to comprehend. 'If 623 did not escape to wreak havoc on island, then why did she go?'

Outside Stitch climbed up the steps, ready for the confrontation. From inside everyone watched curiously. 623 heard someone approaching and stiffened, but her large ears analysed the footfalls and immediately reassured her that 626 was coming to see her. She had been planning to sneak into the house, but an improvisation would work just as well.

Stitch finally reached her and stopped to assess the situation. The two of them faced each other, neither saying a word. He could see two hands tucked behind her back while the other two arms were out in the open, and her small horns were glinting pearly white in the moonlight.

'Um… hello,' he said at last.

'Hello,' she repeated, walking over to him. They both smiled as they realised the resemblance to their first meeting. There was a pause.

Stitch didn't know what to do now. His thoughts were all jumbled and he tried to order them up to find something to say, but before he could do anything she acted. In a burst of quick thinking she rushed forward and caught him in a hug. Four arms were fastened securely around his neck. Before Stitch even had time to think, he felt a tiny pinprick pierce his back.

'Ow!' was his first reaction, and he reached back to rub the spot. The girl had withdrawn and stood next to him, experiment 323 – Hunkahunka – still clutched in her paws. She waited with her upper paws pressed together expectantly while the purple bird was still held captive in her lower appendages.

623 watched Stitch closely. It had all taken place in just a few seconds, and for quite a while now she had not taken a breath. She just stood for a few more agonising moments and looked for the first sign that it had worked.

Stitch lifted his head and glared. 'What did you do that for?!' he asked angrily in alien. 623's face fell as she realised.

'I am sorry, 623,' a voice came out of the darkness. Jumba, Nani and Lilo were standing at the top of the path, coming out from behind the foliage. They had seen the whole thing. Jumba continued, 'I am afraid 323's power does not work on other experiments.'

623's ears drooped right down and her face fell into her paws. 'I am proud though,' Jumba said, in an effort to cheer her up. 'You have shown much creativity.'

623 turned and tried to run, but smacked into glass and fell over. Jumba had put an open experiment container over her. She released Hunkahunka from her grasp and put all her hands against the pane while the bird hovered over her head, flitting about in the container.

'You will not be getting away again, 623,' Jumba warned. He closed the container and all 6 went back into the house.

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623 opened her eyes drowsily the next morning, having slept on the bottom of the glass pod. In a rush she remembered everything that had happened last night and groaned in despair, then noticed that Lilo was tapping on the container. The little girl opened up the end and the brown experiment slowly walked out.

'Okay,' began Lilo, 'I'm not sure exactly what's been going on. But why don't we just forget about it and start over?'

'Oh no, no!' 623 moaned. 'I can't believe this has gone so wrong!'

Lilo was a little surprised at her sudden gain of speech but tried to continue. 'What do you mean?'

Oh, don't you see?' she replied. 'I was trying so hard to be good… but I broke our promise and went to get that bird. And it didn't even work… I can't ever face Stitch again!' Her face was suddenly seized with concern. 'Stitch! Where is he?'

'Just calm down. Stitch is out right now. You don't have to worry about him. Why don't you come with me, and we'll go see Jumba?'

'Naga… just leave me here…'

'Are you sure? Are you… hungry?' she asked in an inviting voice.

623 considered it. 'Do you have more pineapples?' she asked tentatively.

'Sure. In the kitchen.'

623 scampered off to look for food and Lilo went back to consult Jumba, who was looking up information in his bedroom.

She sighed as she entered. 'I don't think she wants to talk about it.'

'Am not surprised!' laughed Jumba. 'Ooh heh heh… was very embarrassing…'

'I don't understand!' cried Lilo. 'Stitch and me both thought that she was nearly good, but then she went and ran away! What's going on?'

Jumba put down his work and faced her. 'Experiment 623 ran away to be retrieving experiment 323, a feat of which I am very proud. I imagine that Doctor Hamsterviel will have been most protective of experiments he has.'

They both looked in the corner of the room, where 323 was perched in an old bird cage Nani had dug out of the attic.

'But… why did 623 use Hunkahunka on Stitch? And why didn't it work?'

'Do you not remember? 323's power of inducing love sickness does not work on other experiments. They are all immune, for preventing confusion.'

'Oh, and another thing, 623 can talk in English now! What happened? Stitch has been on Earth for years and he still doesn't know much English.'

'626 is made for thinking like supercomputer. Imagine his brain like crammed full of information. 623's mind is more… empty. She had more room for filling with Earth dialect, so she can be learning things in very short time, compared to him.'

Lilo turned to leave, satisfied for the moment, but came back with another question.

'Jumba, how come you don't make many girl experiments?'

'Ach, what is with all the explaining? You know, nearly all species in entire galaxy are divided into two genders. I make most experiments equivalent of "male" because it made them more suited to their task. Many experiments are made for destruction, like 626, and males tend to be more aggressive and easily provoked. Experiments which are exception, like 624, for example, is female because was only way to reach pitch high enough to produce behaviour modification waves of sound. Evil-making song depends entirely on the right melody.'

'Right…' Lilo said, not understanding much of it. 'So what about 623?'

'Ah yes, was tricky genius work. 623 must make full use of female hormones in order to enable wide mood swings to allow quick access to her biggest strength. Makes her angry in big hurry. But now I am thinking, since 623 has not blown anything up in a while… maybe little girl is right. She is turning good. Rescuing of 323 displays use of own mind and imagination. You must be getting close.'

Feeling hopeful, Lilo went to find the rogue experiment.

623 stayed with them for the next few days. Nothing was destroyed and nothing was burned, and she seemed to mostly be concentrating on Stitch. She now avoided him at all costs, ran if he came into the room, and never looked at him during mealtimes. Lilo was convinced that the experiment was now good enough, and mainly worked on thinking of and researching names, but she could find nothing suitable. She was also completely at a loss as to where the experiment should go, but decided to do that later. After using Jumba's computer to look up a few possible name sources she walked triumphantly into the living room where she hoped Stitch would be.

'Hey Stitch! I've got another one! What do you think of – "El Diablo"?' she finished in a dramatic whisper, but there was no reply. Looking around she saw that the room was deserted.

'Stitch!' she cried, wondering where her friend had gone. '623?' she tried, but neither one came.

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Somewhere near the beach, 623 sat facing the ocean and watched the small waves lap against the shore. The water still scared her, so she sat not on the sand but just outside the forest on a patch of grass, but the sight of the cool, clear water calmed her and helped her think.

The sun had already set and the night air cooled around her as she sat in silent thought. She was sure that even Lilo would not be able to think of a place where she could belong. Surely the little Earth girl couldn't understand the feeling of being an experiment; the cold, hard loneliness, the depressing sensation and recollection of being completely alien – not native to any world in the entire galaxy. Created she had been, so homeless she would remain.

But then again, there were other experiments. They understood too – they were her… what was the word? Ohana? Yes, they would know how she felt. They were like her.

She slumped down as she remembered Stitch. He had his own family… he had found a place. He could even disguise himself enough to pass for an Earth form. She looked distantly at her own four paws and two feet and twitched her antennae and back spines. Her home couldn't be here if she couldn't even try hard enough to fit in.

She stared out at the sea again. The Earth's sea… there probably wasn't anything like it in the entire universe. So many forces acted on it, and it had to obey them all. How funny, she thought, that Stitch's true place was here, by all this water.

A shadow of reason passed over her thoughts. What exactly would make her happy? Well, a place. Just the knowledge that somewhere in all the infinite galaxies a place existed where she would actually fit. But that couldn't be. Nowhere, on any world, could an illegal genetically designed alien mutation like her find peace.

A crackle of twigs alerted her to someone else's presence. There was no need to turn around; she already knew who it would be. She turned her head away as Stitch approached.

'I thought I'd come and find you. You've been avoiding me,' he said as he sat down on the grass too.

She said nothing, but visibly quivered a tiny bit.

'What's wrong? We never had this much trouble with any other cousins.'

He could see that her face was scrunched up and she was biting her lip. He was about to ask again when she blurted out:

'I'm so soka, Stitch! I never meant for this to happen!'

She let out a sob. Stitch felt like he should comfort her, but had no idea how.

'I don't know what's happening. Every time I'm around you, something happens. I can't think properly. I went all that way to get Hunkahunka… because I just wanted you to like me.'

She peered at him sideways with big, black eyes. 'I don't know what kept coming over me, but suddenly I had already gone and I couldn't get out of it. I didn't want to trick you,' she said brokenly.

Stitch wrung his paws worriedly and she just bent down her head and closed her eyes. He extruded his extra limbs, spikes and antennae and proceeded to fidget with both pairs of hands. They sat in an awkward silence, neither wanting to say a word, while above the first stars of the night lit up.

'You… uh… never told me the rest of your story,' she whispered hopefully.

'I think you can guess how it ends,' he smiled. 'I saved Lilo. The Grand Councilwoman changed my sentence to allow me to spend my life exile here. Then we rebuilt the house and I began my happy life with my family.'

For a few moments her gold-ringed eyes gazed at him with gratitude, then she looked away.

'I thought of a name for you,' he suddenly said. 'That is, if you want it.'

'Really? What is it?' She asked expectantly. He leaned over and whispered into her ear. Immediately her face lit up and she laughed, her large ears straight upwards in happiness.

'I love it!' she exclaimed. 'It's absolutely perfect.' They both giggled and then sighed.

'Well, Stitch,' she smiled, 'I'm glad we're okay. Achi-baba?' she asked, extending a paw for him to shake.

'Naga,' he replied, sounding surprised. Her heart fluttered at his unexpected response.

'Buchibu!' He cried happily, jumping up in realisation. She was completely taken aback.

'Oh, Stitch… really?' All her hopes suddenly skyrocketed and she stood up next to him.

'Ih!' he yelled, rushing to give her a lick on the cheek. The sudden discovery of his emotions surprised both of them. She licked him too, right on his nose, and they embraced in an eight-armed hug. 623 knew then what would make her happy. She was happy being with Stitch. He was her home, and that was all she needed. She seemed to overflow with joy and squeezed him ever tighter, and he squeezed back. Suddenly something bright interrupted them and they reluctantly pulled apart.

'What's… going on?' she asked, trying to shield herself from the light which filled her eyes. Then they looked at each other and realised – the light was coming from them!

On Stitch's head the tips of his antennae were glowing brilliantly. They gave off a bright, fierce blue light. On 623, the small bulbs on the end of her antennae gleamed too. They gave off an inspiring and heart-warming yellow light.

'Oooooooooh…' breathed Stitch. 'Eegalagoo…'

'Oongatay…' she cooed in agreement.

As if of one mind they tipped their heads sideways towards each other. Stitch wound his blue light tipped antennae around the nearest of hers and his light mingled with her golden one. The two colours together doubled the beauty of the awe-inspiring sight.

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'…And she wasn't there either, and I can't find them anywhere!' Lilo finished explaining. She was talking to Jumba, back in her old bedroom again. Jumba thought for a moment, but there was a knock on the bedroom door. Lilo opened it.

'Stitch! You're back! …What's wrong?'

Lilo opened the door wider and Stitch walked in, his extended antennae still blazing with light.

'Aaah! 626, how did this happen?!' Jumba wailed.

'What's the matter?' Lilo asked, concerned. 'What's wrong with Stitch?'

'Absolutely nothing! That is the problem! You see, I give almost all experiments antennae for two reasons. For 626 they just receive and transmit microwaves, but they have special, back-up function. If one of my experiments ever becomes utterly and completely good, they light up like Earth Christmas tree.'

'But… Stitch was already good.' Lilo protested.

'Yes, but this is absolute and permanent state of goodness! Once experiment has achieved this, they can never be turned bad ever again! Evil genius experiment is no longer evil.'

'Well… that's a good thing,' she said optimistically. 'How did this happen?'

'If I am remembering correctly, ultimate state of goodness is brought on only by corresponding wave of ultimately good emotions,' Jumba explained. 'But where could such good feelings have come from?'

The door creaked open a little more and 623 entered, going to stand at Stitch's side. Her own antennae still glowed too.

'Ah! I see,' Jumba grinned knowingly. '626's good emotions have overpowered his bad through the greatest power of all: love.'

'Love?!' Lilo gaped. 'Then… Stitch and 623… are…'

'Ih!' Stitch answered for them.

Lilo seemed to be having trouble taking it all in. 'So… will those lights stay on forever?'

'Er… no. This is first time I am actually seeing this feature working, but I am sure they will go out soon enough. Still, does not change fact that 626 and 623 can never be turned to evil. Not even with Hamsterviel's reverse personality polarity machine. In fact, it was the reverse of this feature which I used in 627 to make it so that he could never be turned to good.'

'Well,' smiled Lilo, 'looks like our good feelings about you were right.'

'Yes,' agreed Jumba. 'Is true, you are finally turned to good, 623.'

She grinned, showing her two large fangs. 'My name,' she smirked with happiness and pride, 'is Demon.'