A/N Thanks to the TWO people that reviewed, but this chapter is sooo much better then they last one… enjoy
"Aha!" Jumba cried out in triumph, smashing his cards down on the table, "Royal flushingks! I vin, I vin!"
"You're cheating! How can you win seven straight times, without cheating!" Pleakley accused, arms flaring in the air wildly.
Jumba chuckled as he pulled the red, white and blue chips to his obviously massive pile, "You are forgettingk, my one-eyed friend, that Jumba ees beingk very much a true genius!" He laughed loudly again.
"Naga!" Stitch threw his cards on the kitchen tabletop and folded his arms poutingly.
"I agree with you Stitch," Nani said, placing her cards on the table next to his, "I'd better quit, too, I'm already doing Jumba's chores for the next two weeks."
Lilo looked down at her cards, completely confused, "But, but, I thought I-" she shook her head and also put her cards down on the table. "Never mind, c'mon Stitch, The Vampire that Ate Manhattan is on." She got up from the table and pushed in her chair.
Stitch stood up, "Oooo!" He clapped his hands together happily. He jumped off the chair and followed her into the living room.
David laughed as he, too, stood up from the table. "Oh, dose two. One minute deys are more upset den a lon'ly palm tree, den day are de happiest creatures in all of Kawai." He bent down and started clearing off the table's dirty dishes.
"Oh, David, you don't have to-" Nani started.
"It's okay Nani, I wan to help. Besides, it looks like your going to be doin' a lot of dis for a while," He leaned down and kissed her cheek before bringing the dishes to the sink to clean.
She blushed as her hand touched the place where she was kissed, "Are you sure?"
He nodded happily as she balanced the dishes in his hands.
"Okay, well, meet me in the living room when you're done. I think we both have a date with a certain couch," She winked at him and strutted into the living room.
"Oh, boy, I'd better hurry up den," He grinned as he scrubbed the dishes.
Jumba sighed sadly and started to put the colored chips back into the box. He gathered all the cards and put them into the deck. He then stood up, pushed in his chair, and started off to his bedroom.
Pleakley frowned at Jumba as he lumbered up the stairs. He stood up and walked over to wear David was cleaning the dishes.
"David?" Pleakley started.
"Yeah, Broduh?" He responded happily.
"Do you notice that there is, I don't know, something wrong with Jumba?"
David turned off the faucet and started to dry the dishes, "No, well, maybe a little. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I don't know, it's just that he's been a little less, how do you say, evil lately," Pleakley played with his fingers nervously.
"Less evil? How so?"
"First of all, he hasn't said anything degrading to me in weeks. Aaaaand, he hasn't been playing around in his lab in a while either," His single eye was trying to read David's face.
David placed the last dish on the drying rack and then wiped his hands clean with a dishrag, "Dat is strange, but I dunno what to tell ya. Maybe he jus' down in da dumps, ya know? I bet you feel that way sometimes, too, huh? Everybody does."
Pleakley nodded in agreement, "Yes, but I've never seen him like this before, you know?"
"Give him time and space, Broduh, he'll snap outta it soona den you tink. C'mon, les' go see how dat vampire is doin', hmm?"
Pleakley looked up at him and gave him a meager smile, "Yes, thank you, David, I think I will. And thank you for letting me communicate with you, also."
"Always here to help a friend out," He slapped him hard on the back, forcing him to lunge forward, and they both went into the living room.
UpstairsJumba walked into his room and closed the door behind him. He went over to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer and got out a large nightshirt. He took off his clothes and replaced them with the single nightshirt.
He turned off he lights and walked over to the windowsill and opened the window. He breathed in the fresh Hawaiian air and sighed it out. He sat down on the ledge.
"Vhat ees beingk wrongk with me?" He asked the winds as they gently caressed his face.
He knew that he had been depressed lately, but he didn't exactly know why. He knew it had something to do with being home sick. He'd been homesick before, but it wasn't as bad as this. He had been living on Earth for at least five years after he had lived on Turo for fifteen.
But when he was living on Turo, he wasn't very homesick; he was mad at his planet for banishing him because of his work. He was madder, though, at his wife for wanting to divorce him. But, the feeling was mutual, he never loved he and she never loved him. It was an arranged marriage, one his and her parents picked for them, but he was an angry man when he went to Turo.
But, after many years, his anger diffused and now he was left with certain loneliness that only returning home could help you overcome.
The moon shown brightly above him, it was completely blood red and gave an eerie shadow over the trees behind the house. The many stars in the night sky helped him see as he walked over to his and Pleakley's bunk.
He struggled as he lifted his large body on the top, as was custom every night. He suddenly heard a burst of laughter emit from downstairs.
Pleakley said something loudly and Jumba heard him walking up the stairs, "Yes, well, I'm not really into surfing at 5:30 in the morning, then, am I? Okay, well, good night."
Jumba quickly shut his eyes as Pleakley opened the bedroom door. Pleakley glanced up at the still Jumba who was breathing rhythmatically on the top bunk. He quietly shut the door behind him and walked over to his bed, he softly asked, "Jumba?"
Jumba grunted as if to alert Pleakley that he was asleep. Pleakley sighed as he climbed under the sheets and started to drift away.
Jumba lay still for a few moments, making sure that Pleakley wasn't wide-awake. He shifted his weight and looked down at his one-eyed friend. Pleakley was out, fully in a deep sleep. Satisfied, Jumba rolled over in his bed, closing his eyes and hoping he'd feel better in the morning.
His eyes opened suddenly, the dream he was in suddenly stopped and he had woken up. He groaned as he looked over at the clock, 3:34, it blinked cruelly at him, taunting him because it knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.
He gagged slightly; the inside of his mouth was completely dry. Begrudgingly, he threw off his warm covers and gingerly got out of bed, careful not to wake Pleakley. He opened the door and closed it.
He managed to quietly make it down the stairs without making a sound. Almost tiptoeing, he went into the kitchen and got out a glass from the cupboard. Opening the refrigerator, he took out a carton of orange juice, (which was the only drinkable Earth food he enjoyed) and proceeded to fill up the glass.
Jumba took a large gulp before deciding to go into the living room with it. He stopped, however, in front of the front door and after changing his mind, he opened it and stepped onto the front porch.
He drank some more of the juice as he looked up at the stars. He squinted his four eyes, "Now, where is Quetle Quan?" He asked of the skies.
"Ahh," He looked toward the east and found it. He gazed at it for a short time, recalling memories.
He looked at it more closely, putting down the glass of juice next to him on the porch. The small white spot that was his planet seemed to get bigger and bigger right before his eyes, "What ees…?" His voice trailed off, his eyes growing with shock as something very large was coming towards him from the sky.
"Aiiiiee!" He yelled. As he moved backwards he tripped and landed on top of the orange juice glass, smashing it and the broken shards punctured the purple flesh on his arm.
He barely noticed the blood trickle down his large forearm as he stood up. The object was very large, he determined, and was emitting red and gold flames. He was wrong in thinking that it was falling on him however. His four eyes followed it as it headed towards the western part of the island.
Sparks erupted from it as it fell into a large thicket of trees. He squinted his eyes, determining it was at least 10-11 miles away from the house. He got nervous, thinking it was an experiment.
"Oho boy," Jumba said in surprise as black smoke rose above the trees.
Back Upstairs
Quickly, he ran through the house and up the stairs into their room. He slammed open the door, "Pleakley!" he yelled to him, turning on the light as he ran over to his dresser.
Pleakley said something Jumba couldn't make out as he put on his bounty hunter outfit that he hadn't worn in years.
"Pleakley! Wake up!" This ees beingk very large emergency!" He looked over at him.
"Oh, no, Mother," he said groggily, "You know I don't like butterscotch on my pants. Goodness, I only like beef stew…"
Jumba looked at him strangely, but ran over to him and started shaking him, "Waking up now!"
Pleakley's eye opened, "What? What is GOING ON HERE?" He screamed at Jumba, "Why are you shaking me?" He asked in low whisper.
"Get dressed," Jumba stopped, " There ees beingk big problem."
Pleakley stared at Jumba quietly as the car rumbled along the empty dirt road. Jumba had such determination in his eyes; his back was hunched over as her had 100 concentration to his driving.
"Jumba?" Pleakley asked.
"What? What ees eet?" Jumba replied impatiently, eyes still focused on the road.
"You haven't said a word to me. Where exactly are we going?"
Jumba paused for a moment, then turned to face Pleakley, "Somethingk fell from sky, I am havingk large assumption eet ees experiment," He said truthfully.
"A monster!" Pleakley exclaimed, wide-eyed and fearful, "You got me out of my NICE WARM BED for one of your MONSTERS!" he scolded.
"Mmm, pretty much."
"Humph," Pleakley snorted and folded his arms into his chest, "Well, don't expect me to do it again!"
"Will you be shushingk now? I am trying to be findingk of were eet had fallen." Jumba faced the road again as the headlights scanned the darkness.
"Well, ex-cus, me for wanting to know where we're going! How much farther any-"
Jumba cut him off by hitting the breaks, making them both lunge forward.
"Oww!" Pleakley cried out, sitting back up, "You mister, are very lucky that I put on my SEATBELT!" He rubbed his head.
"Jumba," Pleakley glared at him angrily. "Why'd we stop?"
But Jumba ignored him. Instead, his eyes were wide and transfixed on what was preoccupying the space in front of the car.
"Now what are you looking at?" But Pleakley turned his head and gasped at the sight before him.
"Oho boy, "Jumba finally said
The object that they had assumed to be a runaway experiment was actually a small ship. It was completely in shambles, the entire ship was engulfed in flames, and all the parts that weren't on fir were smashed. The entire area surrounding the small craft was flattened out from where it crashed as it finally stopped.
Pleakley gawked at it for a while, but Jumba suddenly realized something, "Pleakley!" he yelled to him before jumping out of the vehicle.
He came out of his trance, "Huh?"
"Hurringk up! There could be beingk peoples inside of fired up ship!" He ran towards the flaming machine.
"Oh, right," Pleakley followed suit by running after him.
Jumba kicked open the side door, and ran inside. He suddenly inhaled a large amount of smoke, he gagged and raised him arm to cover his nose and mouth.
"Hello!" He yelled, trying to search through all the smoke and the flames.
"Gah! Ees there anyone beingk here?" He yelled again as he choked.
He continued walking until he was in what he realized, the cargo area, and "Hello?" He asked again, as he saw that there was more damage done to the back then to the front.
"Jumba!" He heard Pleakley's voice crying for him, "I found someone!"
Upon hearing that he cried out, "Where are you!"
"Uh, I think we're in the cockpit! But hurry! I think there's a gas leak!"
Jumba ran to wear he presumed was the front, "Pleakley?"
Thee was slight coughing, then, "Right here, Jumba."
Jumba looked down at a crouching Pleakley, "I-I think she's still alive. But we have to get out of here, and fast."
The girl in question was unconscious in Pleakley's arms. Her skin was a pale blue, and she had long black hair that came to a V on her forehead. Her arms and a part of her face were badly burned and her leg was resting at an awkward position on the floor.
"Her leg ees broken, and her skin is badly burned, we half to hurry," He bent down and picked her up, leaving her head against he chest and her entire body lay limply in his large arms.
He sprinted out with Pleakley running behind him. They ran to the jeep and Jumba gently put her in the back seat, he turned to Pleakley, "Stay in back and watch her," Pleakley nodded his head and went into the back.
Jumba jumped over the car door and jammed the key into the ignition. It started and he backed it up and a fast rate.
Suddenly, because of the gas leak, the entire ship exploded, sending pieces of metal to be fired at them.
Jumba turned his head around as he sped up the car when it was still backing up. "Protect her!" He roared back as the incoming metal narrowly missed the car.
He went into forward and sped away. After a few miles, Pleakley realized something.
"Uh, Jumba?"
"What?"
"Uh, we missed the house, where are we going?"
There was a pause and then….
"My ship."
A/N Hey guys, thanks for reading… but it would be superlicious if you would review…. ;)