Friendship

C/By: Kenjaje

Edited/Revised by: raVen

(Phase also craeted by raVen)

Chapter 4: CTF

"Am guessing all went well?" Jumba asked rhetorically as Lilo and Phase came into the kitchen through the door.

"Yeah, but sorry we were gone for so long." Lilo apologized without sarcasm.

"Gone long? You've only been gone a few seconds…literally." Angel told her.

"But that took a couple minutes…" Lilo retorted. "A few seconds ago we had only just stepped into the Tetra-space Tear."

"It may have taken you a minute or two to step into Tetra-space," Jumba came in, "but to us it was only a few seconds."

"Lilo, you remember how everything but you and me started to fade so you could see through it?" Phase asked. Lilo nodded her head. "At that point, time in normal space basically stopped. It may seem like it took a long time, but in normal space it only takes a billionth of a second."

"Couldn't have been saying it better myself." Jumba said snapping his fingers. "Well, now that we have demonstrated 600's power, and everyone is understanding how it works, I must be going to find my invention in which Pleakley has mistakenly put away as trash." Jumba ended with a scoff.

"Why not let us help you look for it?" Angel offered. Jumba put up his hands and shook his head.

"Is no need. Besides, I have plenty of other inventions to take to convention. And plus, you are needing to help 626 and little girl find 600's One, True Place." He smiled widely as he turned and stepped up the stairs.

"I guess we could…" Lilo murmured while Jumba left the kitchen. "But why not have Phase stay for a little while before we do that? After all, she makes us a group of four, so we can play games in teams against each other."

"Jugaba!" Stitch said with agreement, but then thought for a second. "But…games Stitch and Lilo play too hard for more than two." He commented.

"Well, that's no problem. We don't have to play any of our old games…there's some I know of that we can all play."

"Like what?" Asked Angel.

"Like…uh…." Lilo put a hand to her chin, coming up with a few ideas. "Well, if no one's at the boxing ring we could go there…but I'm not good at it. Or we can play 2-on-2 at the courts. Or maybe even…Capture The Flag?" All cousins raised their eyebrows.

"Gaba?" Came Stitch's voice, unfamiliar with the game name.

"Capture The Flag—it's a great game! We split into teams of two," she explained, gesturing her words, "and one team has a flag. The other team's goal is to get the flag and take it back to their base before they get tagged by the team that guards the flag."

"That game sounds like fun." Came Phase.

"Eh." Agreed Stitch and Angel.

"All right, let's play then. Who'll the teams be?" The cousins pointed at each other, Stitch to Angel, Angel to Phase, and Phase to Stitch, making a complete circle. Lilo rolled her eyes. "Well…we have to be on teams of two…and I don't think I can take on all of you with your powers. Why don't you be on my team Phase?"

"Oketaka." She agreed, stepping onto her side past an invisible dividing line.

"What'll the flag be?" Angel asked.

"I'll get a washcloth from the bathroom for us to use."

"And where will the bases be?" Came Phase. Lilo thought for a second.

"Well, we can play outside right out back. I think we should have the house be the base for the flag-capturing team, and the flag itself, I think, should be hidden by the flag-guarding team, so that the other team has to find it."

"Oketaka." Stitch said. "Stitch and Angel guard flag first."

"And me and Phase will capture it." Lilo finished, a bit competitively.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Angel said with realization. "She can teleport! You have an unfair advantage."

"I won't teleport." Phase said promisingly. "Besides, that would make it rather easy…" She continued, a little arrogantly.

"Well…all right. But if you do, you're automatically disqualified."

"Oketaka." She agreed.

"Right. I'll get the flag, and we'll take a couple communicators so we can start at an even time!" Lilo yelled back, as she was already running up the stairs.

Angel closed the communicator after letting Lilo know they were ready. Soon they would be out of the house and skulking through the dense woods, where they had decided the flag was to be hidden for their games. She glanced around, and smiled as Stitch emerged from the brush.

"Find a good hiding spot for it?"

"Eh, very good." Stitch replied. Angel kept her smile, and walked over to him, crouching to hide.

"It'll be a while before they get here—provided Phase keeps her word."

"Phase will." Stitch said, sitting down on the grass. Angel turned to sit next to him.

"You know…I think there's a reason Lilo chose Phase to be on her team." Angel said with coo. Stitch blinked a couple times, realizing what Angel was getting at.

"Maybe." He commented, stifling a nervous laugh as Angel put her hand on his.

"Well, even if she didn't plan on it…its nice having these little moments." Angel leaned on his shoulder and started stroking his arm. There were a long three moments without talk; Angel thought quietly about the earlier morning, about the scan Jumba had performed. "Are you feeling ok?" She asked to him with concern, breaking the silence.

"Oketaka…gaba?"

"I mean from this morning…you're not feeling ill or anything?"

"Oh." He said slowly, now realizing what she was referring to. "Naga. Stitch feel fine." He replied cheerfully, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Why? Angel worried?"

"Of course I am." She replied. Stitch seemed to tilt his ears. "You can't blame me though; I didn't know until just now. I had no idea you had a shock when we met Gantu, let alone the one before that." She paused, relaxing a little bit. "Why do you think Gantu is the cause of them?" She asked. Stitch's mind clicked from her question; he hadn't given that thought yet.

"Not sure exactly, but…" He trailed. Angel looked up at him.

"But what?" She asked, eager to know what was on his mind.

"There something Jumba doesn't know…about second shock." He replied. Angel could sense the reluctance in his voice; it reminded of her of when she was talking with Nani the night before in the dark kitchen. She was reluctant to tell Lilo's older sister her thoughts. Stitch was being the same way, and Angel felt a sense of curiosity, along with a bit of respect, in a sense. She really wanted to know what was on Stitch's mind, but didn't want to force it out of him if he didn't want to tell her.

"But he doesn't have to…" She thought with a grin. "Well…you don't have to tell me what that 'something' is…but can you still tell me what you think caused the shocks?" She asked sweetly, applying the technique Nani had used on her. He looked up.

"Angel remembers robots?" He asked quickly. Angel's ears twitched with surprise.

"What about them? They're not in you anymore—what do they have to do with this?" She asked with a little uneasiness in her voice.

"Naga nota. But, Stitch remembers saying something during that time, while robots took Stitch over. And when Phase told Stitch what happened when Stitch woke up in Gantu's ship, Phase said Stitch said something."

"And that 'something' was what you had said before…when you were being taken over by the robots? And that's what didn't tell Jumba about, right?" Angel asked, piecing it together.

"Eh." He replied.

"…But, that still doesn't explain why Gantu causes these reactions."

"Stitch can't explain that…Stitch can't really remember much that happened while Stitch was being controlled."

"…I'm sorry. He should have never done that to you—him or Hamsterveil." Angel apologized, hugging him.

"Isa oketaka." Stitch said, hugging back. "Stitch just doesn't understand why Hamsterveil did take Stitch."

"I wish I could tell you. But…maybe it has something to do with that project he kept mentioning…" Angel said, trailing. Stitch's ears perked.

"Project?" He asked. "Ibashta?"

"I'm not sure exactly what it is…he never talked about it much. All I can say is that it had something to do with…Achie-baba Kino. But," she looked up at him, "you took care of that thing. After all…it was only an android." Stitch shifted, to look at Angel's eyes.

"Angel…" He began. "Stitch been meaning to ask something."

"I've been meaning to ask something too…but you first." She said, a bit startled by his change in attitude. He suddenly seemed worried, almost frightened. Angel wondered if it was because she mentioned Achie-baba Kino.

"Why did Hamsterveil create Achie-baba Kino?" She was right.

"That was one thing he made sure not to tell me." She replied immediately. "But I overheard him and Gantu talking. They said they made it to combat the other cou-"

"We got the flag! We got the flag!" Came Lilo's voice, scaring Angel to her feet, and poised in a fighting stance. "Can't catch us! We're almost home free!" They heard her voice come from in the forest, heading toward the house. Angel's shoulders relaxed, and she dropped her stance, her breathing returning to normal.

"We'll let them win this one." She said, brushing off the slight embarrassment of being so startled.

"Naga!" Stitch said competitively. "Stitch and Angel can't lose, c'mon!"