Author's note: I apologize about this, these next two chapters are meant to be as one, but the site will not allow me to post them as one chapter. Again, I apologize, together, the chapters would be called, A Test of the Heart.

Serenity's Test of the Heart.

Serenity opened the door. The corridor ahead was divided in two, with one hallway leading one way, and another going the opposite direction, both running parallel to the other. Stitch and Serenity stepped forward, staring down each of the empty hallways. Serenity looked at Stitch, who shrugged, "I don't know, what do you think?"

Serenity looked down the hallways, "I think we should stick together."

Suddenly a voice came over the intercom, "Oh no, that would forfeit the challenge!"

The voice belonged to Chaos. Stitch stepped forward, "What do you mean?"

Chaos spoke, "I'm surprised you managed to defeat Hades, an experiment after my own heart...ah well. The less rulers, the more I can rule. Ah, but on to the business at hand. Stitch, you are to travel down the right corridor, Serenity, you shall face the left. What you find at the end of those corridors, will challenge your very soul and heart, and bring your worst fears and memories to life. Hahaha, I'm sure you'll have fun, but should either of you attempt to help the other, I will kill Lilo and Komalla, is that clear?"

Serenity shouted at the intercom, "DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON HIM!"

Stitch did the same, "IF I FIND ONE SCRATCH ON HER—."

Chaos interrupted, "Ah ah! Tsk tsk! You should get moving, and remember, no aid, should you wish to sacrifice your loved ones."

The intercom cut off. Stitch and Serenity were silent for a moment, then Stitch lost it. He slammed his fist into the wall, creating a large dent in the steel, "DAMMIT!"

Stitch kept his hand pinned on the wall, he stood there, anger in his eyes. He felt helpless, helpless that he couldn't get to her fast enough. Serenity stared at the steel floor, then turned to Stitch, "We should get moving."

Stitch nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Serenity stared at him a moment longer, and softly said, "You gonna be okay?"

Stitch took his hand out of the wall, and shook his head, saying, "Without her, I won't be."

Without another word, Stitch turned down the right hallway, and began walking down into the darkness. Serenity watched him a moment, sadness filling her eyes. She looked down her hallway, thinking of Lilo and Stitch, of her best friend Komalla, and a memory of an old best friend, one that was taken from her, long ago...

Serenity began walking down her own hallway, her footsteps echoing in the emptiness, a reminder that Stitch was not there. She kept her gaze fixed ahead, walking on with a solid feeling that she could overcome whatever was at the end of the hall.

The hallway stretched forward, yet Serenity kept walking, farther and farther into the darkness. After what seemed like ten minutes, the hallway abruptly ended. Serenity slowed, and coming to a stop, stared at the object blocking her path.

What she saw puzzled her. It seemed to be a large wall of water, trapped in a large steel circle. It was large enough that Serenity would be forced to travel through the water wall. Serenity stepped forward, and stared at it. It rippled in the holder, calmly continuing on it's way, awaiting someone to step within it's clutches. Serenity watched it for a moment, then understood this to be the next challenge.

"It's a portal of sorts," she said.

Serenity took a step forward to the portal, and she inspected it. She ran her claw along the steel ring, gazed into the rippling portal, then she noticed the area behind it. Serenity saw it was the end of the hallways, where another door waited for her. She looked at the ring, and understood, 'To get there, I guess I have to pass through this...'

Serenity slowly reached to the portal, and carefully put her hand through it. It felt cold, like ice water was poured over her hand. She glanced to see if her hand was on the other side, she couldn't see it, so she assumed that her hand had been transported somewhere. Serenity gazed at the portal, the ripples were not affected, even when she put her hand in the portal. Serenity looked to the other side, she closed her eyes, and taking a deep breath, walked into the portal...

Serenity felt like she was rushed to a far off place, and when she opened her eyes, the sight of blinding white marble appeared before her. Serenity stared at the new room before her. It appeared to be a short room, all the walls were white marble. The walls all connected on three sides, all running into the ceiling, yet on the side in front of Serenity, it broke, and a break in the wall showed another wall on the other side. Serenity walked forward, and peered around the corner, to see two hallways running to her left and right. Serenity gazed down one path, to see other openings in the walls.

"It's a maze," she said quietly to herself. She glanced up at the area where the walls met the ceiling, 'Guess I can't cheat,' she thought grimly.

A loud grinding began radiating from behind Serenity, and she turned to find from where the noise originated from. When Serenity turned around, she found that the room behind her had become much smaller. Serenity was perplexed for a moment, then the grinding sound came again, and Serenity was surprised to see the far wall moving towards her, this time however, it was not stopping.

Serenity quickly turned, and chose the left handed path, and she ran. She ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding. She came across her first side path, and chose it. She turned down the path, and forced herself to run faster, the grinding noise growing louder and louder behind her. Her ears began to ring as she forced herself to run, trying desperately to escape the oncoming wall. She turned down hallway after hallway, running onwards, trying to find the exit to the maze.

Serenity turned to the right, and ran as hard as she could down the path. Yet, the path turned abruptly, and she was faced with a dead end. Serenity did not take time to consider, she ran forward, and punched the wall as hard as she could. Yet the wall mold itself around her arm, like a marshmallow, and Serenity began to frantically pull her arm out. The grinding noise was getting closer, growing louder and louder with each second, still Serenity struggled to free her arm, trying her blades, energy shots, anything, all to no avail.

The grinding sound grew loudly, and Serenity watched as the wall to her right melded with the oncoming force, and began to come closer. Serenity began to panic, jerking her arm with all of her might. The wall got closer, and began to overtake her, yet it did not crush her, it began to absorb her, for the walls seemed to be made of a putty substance. Serenity tried desperately to free herself, and when she saw the wall get closer, when it began to overtake her face, she screamed, and a feeling of ice cold water swept over her...

Serenity blinked her eyes, above her was a bright light. She tried to move her arms towards it, to cover her eyes, yet she found that she could not move her arms. Serenity jerked her arms, but found them bound. She raised her head, to see that metal bracers held her arms to a table. Serenity calmed herself, and thought for a moment, and the realization struck...she was back on Ganymede...

Serenity began to frantically lash around, trying to break the bonds that held her, yet she found that they would not give way. She caught sight of a table full of macabre operating devices, located close to the table that she occupied. That sight only increased her terror, for she remembered awful stories about experiments that were taken to rooms like this one, rooms where the screams could be heard through all of the facility.

Voices could be heard, and Serenity turned her head to see who was talking.

A group of scientists were conferring in one corner of the room. Serenity noticed that the room seemed to have no walls, that there was only darkness, that spread on forever. One of the scientists turned, Serenity couldn't make out his face, for it was covered with a mouth cover, and he wore large goggles. All of the scientists turned, and faced her, and she couldn't tell any of them apart, but she did notice that all of them were human.

One of the scientists ventured forward, and leaned his face close to Serenity's. A chuckling sound could be heard from behind his mask, and he said, "Ah yes, experiment 6-6-7. I'm sorry to inform you that you have been scheduled for deconstruction, yes, bit of a bad wake up call, eh?"

The scientists began to laugh maniacally, Serenity's eyes widened in terror, and she spoke, "Your-your going to take me apart?"

The lead scientist turned to her, and said, "Indeed, you see, we have no need for failed experiments."

One of the scientist walked to the utensil table, and picked up what appeared to be a mini chainsaw. He ripped the cord back, and it began to churn and rumble. The scientist began walking towards the table, the chainsaw rumbling dangerously. Serenity began to panic, and thrashed around on the table. The lead scientist chuckled, and said, "For failing the halting of the black virus, you are scheduled to deconstruction, by Lord Chaos's Orders..."

The chainsaw whirred, and Serenity screamed, and the feeling of cold water rushed over her...

Serenity opened her eyes, and faced a house. It was a normal house, normal yard with a quaint swing set in the yard. A flower garden was planted along the front porch, and bushes lined the exterior of the house. It was a normal house, it belonged to a normal family, which had a very normal teenage daughter. The daughter had a large collection of dolls, she also had two pets. One was a small experiment named Gigi, the other, was a beautifully white experiment, that had the look of another child's pet, by the name of Stitch. The white experiment, was called Kanowu, the Hawaiian name for snow, though, now she went by a different name...

Serenity stared at the house, her heart began to race, and her eyes began to water. She stared at the house, a house she had known for a long time, a house she wish she could forget. It was in this house that she had been given shelter, this house that she had found love and her first friend, it was in this house that Lilo would find her, one year later...

The front door opened, and a red haired teenager stepped out, and called, "Kanowu! Kanowu where are you?"

Mertle Edmonds, the red haired teenager. She was a beautiful girl, her hair the color of fire, her face soft and sweet, and her disposition as fiery as her hair. Yet, she was kind, she had grown out of the brat phase long ago, and now was close friends with Lilo. Mertle looked around, and spotted Serenity, and she smiled sweetly at the sign of her experiment friend.

"There you are Kanowu, come inside! Dinner is ready!"

Serenity didn't move, she didn't want this day to continue, she wanted it to end right now, to go away and never bother her again. Yet she stood there, and nothing changed, the cold feeling did not rush over her, she was not put back in the Devil's Sanctum, she still stood in the front yard, watching Mertle Edmonds, her old best friend, call her in to eat dinner. Serenity remembered this day, she remembered how it would go, remember how it would end.

'No,' Serenity thought to herself, 'perhaps I can change this day, perhaps the outcome will be different.'

Serenity looked to Mertle, and smiled saying, "Coming Mertle!"

Mertle smiled sweetly at Serenity, and disappeared back inside the house. Serenity smiled, and took a step forward, to continue inside the house. She walked up the porch, and into the house. The inside was also nothing out of the ordinary, everything was quaint, no odd paintings or queer statues, just a normal house. Serenity went to the kitchen, and found the family sitting around the table. Serenity walked to her normal place at the table.

Dinner began as normal, the family quietly said grace, and the meal began. The meal was turkey and salad, nothing more, just a quiet meal. The meal had barely began, when the doorbell rang. Serenity nearly jumped off her chair, for she knew who it would be at the door. Serenity got up, and walked out of the kitchen, turning and said, "I'll get it!"

Serenity turned, and her mood went back to being serious. She walked to the door, her heart racing, she extended one of her blades, preparing to meet him at the door. She stopped in front of the doorway, prepared to face the worst. Serenity steeled herself, and flung open the door, and leaped to face–

Nothing, there was no one outside, just the wind blowing in the wind chimes, making a ghostly melody. Serenity looked around, checking every corner, inspecting everything, yet there was no one. There was a tingling in the back of her head, and a voice of blackness, a voice of pain spoke to her, "For your transgressions, you will suffer..."

There was a scream from the kitchen. Serenity turned and sprinted to the kitchen, she reached the door, and burst in, to find Chaos, holding Mrs. Edmonds aloft, and in one of his tentacles, he held Mertle. Serenity noticed Gigi being sucked into the darkness, and disappear forever. Serenity glared at Chaos, "Let them go!"

Chaos did not speak, and he flung Mertle and her mother to opposite ends of the kitchen. Then, in a taunting voice, he spoke, "Did you think you could change anything? Did you think that was how the portal works? Hmph, you don't understand, you never did, and you never will."

Serenity prepared herself, she extended her blades, getting ready, "I came here to escape from you...why did you do this?"

Chaos laughed, a grating sound that hurt the ears, and said, "You refused me, you turned down my offer to rule them all. Tell me why Serenity, why didn't you join me, and conquer the experiments with me?"

Serenity shook her head, "It was a fool's ambition, it was a dark ambition. I would never be part of something so evil..."

Chaos extended his dark blades, and laughed, "Well then, we should end this painful memory of yours, do you remember how it ends?"

Serenity put herself in a fighters stance, "Yes, but this time, I will win."

Chaos wasted no time, and he launched himself at Serenity. They met, and began to battle inside the house. The battle was furious, Serenity blocking his blows as best she could, and retaliating whenever she found an opening, yet Chaos seemed to always have the upper hand, to always be faster, and stronger. They battled in all the rooms, Chaos and Serenity, battling, leaving disarray behind them. In the cramped quarters, they left claw marks on the walls, scorch marks were left from their blades, and the furniture was destroyed in their wrath. The normal house was turned to chaos, as the two experiments battled.

Chaos finally knocked Serenity to the ground in the living room. And laughed as he said, "This is where it happened, do you remember?"

Serenity did remember, and she saw Chaos raise his blade. Serenity turned, to see Mertle awakening from the blow. Mertle saw what was happening, and rose and ran to Serenity. Serenity shouted, "No! Mertle, Stay BACK!"

Mertle payed her no heed, and placed herself between Chaos's dark blade and her beloved Kanowu. The blade fell, and pierced Mertle's heart, crimson stained her white shirt. Serenity watched, tears in her eyes, as Mertle said the same thing she did the first time this had happened, "I...love...you Kanowu..."

Mertle fell, and Chaos quickly took the darkness around her, and Mertle was gone. Chaos laughed, and said, "Just like old times, eh?"

Serenity felt hot tears run down her cheeks, she looked at her brother, looked at the monster that had destroyed everything. She cried, and spoke quietly through the tears, "I...hate you..."

Chaos laughed, his maniacal laughter spread, it seemed to echo, the house, the setting grew fuzzy, and a feeling of ice cold water, washed over Serenity...

Serenity found herself on the other side of the portal, staring at the next door. Serenity stood there for a long time, alone, thinking about her last challenge. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she began to cry. Serenity sat down by the ring, and softly crying, waited for Stitch to meet her...