To say that six-two-six had conflicted feelings at the situation would be an understatement. Was fate so desperate to make him remember his past? A little voice inside his head, constantly speaking to him, reminding him of what was once his home. Deja vu. That's what it was. He could have sworn he had seen and done all of this before. His vision of the young girl before him quickly switching to one he tried oh so hard to forget. Now forced to the front of his mind in a way he was quickly growing to hate. How could he let himself be persuaded so easily? It was not like him at all. He should have left her the first moment he got.
I don't have a home.
But how could he? When those words resinated so strongly within him. A sentiment he felt all too familiar with for well over a decade. A sentence he told himself. Over, and over, and over, and over again while looking in the mirror. Forcing him into his current state.
He shook his head. Trying to wipe the visions from his mind.
"Focus," he told himself. "You have a mission. Get it done and then leave. Same as always."
But this wasn't the same as always. Not by a long shot. Not when the young girl grabs his hand, and starts leading him down the long winding road.
"C'mon," Lilac said with a large smile. "I bet they're this way."
"What makes you think that?" six-two-six asked, trying his best not to be lead around like a lost puppy.
"This way goes into town..." She paused for a moment, but never let go or stopped pulling. "At least I think it does."
Six-two-six couldn't help but laugh. Something he hadn't done in some time.
"Okay, okay," he said while pulling out his tracking device. "Let's actually find out before we get lost." The small device beeped. And Lilac stared at it in fascination. She had never seen a device like it before. And six-two-six truly wondered if it was it a good decision to let her stick around. "Well, it looks like you're right."
"I knew it!" She was absolutely beaming.
"But let's stick to the forest."
Now it was his turn to lead. And when Lilac eventually struggled too much with the rough terrain, it was six-two-six's job to help her. So young and delicate. Being out on her own at such a young age. It was not a life she should be living. But he wouldn't say a word. Questions bring about more questions. And he got the feeling that he wouldn't be able ignore hers. No matter how hard he might try.
Eventually they made they're way deeper into town. Not any more busy or bustling than the place six-two-six had found Lilac initially. But the buildings were more crowded. If Tarnet set something on fire here, it would likely be catastrophic. Jumping from building to building, even making it's way to the forest. And now he was presented with a new problem. The tracking device was definitely leading him inwards. Away from the safety of the mighty trees.
"Should probably wait until nightfall," six-two-six said, stopping Lilac from just walking out into the open.
"You don't want to be seen do you?" she asked. Her brow furrowed before quickly going back to her usual smile. "It'll be okay. Trust me."
Something about the way she spoke. Or maybe it was the way she held onto his hand. Bringing back old feelings he was struggling to fight. But he did. He did trust her. Against his better judgment. And she was right. No one seemed to pay him any mind. At least not more than a fleeting glance. He was basically on the same level of thought as Lilac. And in a way that made him even more confused. But also more concerned. If they didn't care about him, then what about Tarnet? Would they just let someone like him walk by without a second thought?
He pushed that thought out of his mind. All it meant was that he could more easily locate the criminal. At least that's what he was supposed to be doing. Tracking might not be the exact words for what was happening.
Being led by a little girl around a town, one who is so easily distracted that he needed to stop her from getting hurt on more than one occasion, wasn't exactly the most efficient form of tracking. It was endearing though. And he wasn't going to focus on those quick visions of someone else. It would be for the best. It was very clear very quickly that they likely were not to find the target today though. As Lilac would constantly be chasing after small animals or trying to get some food. The latter six-two-six was a little more lenient on. He himself was pretty hungry at this point. So he resigned himself. They had a lead on his location. That was good enough. And the day had already been long. For the both of them.
So while holding what looked like a burger of some sort he sat with Lilac in a park, watching the sun set over the ocean horizon.
"People here really don't care I'm around," he said.
"Told you," Lilac responded before taking another bite of her food. "No one likes to get involved. Keeps to themselves. It can be lonely."
Six-two-six knew about lonely. "Is there a reason?"
"Um..." Lilac thought hard. She had been told many times by her parents but it never really made sense to her. "We're part of the planet. I think."
"You think?"
"That's what I was told. As long as we're alive the planet is alive. If we're not then..."
"So everyone keeps to themselves as much as they can."
"My dad always said-" Lilac put on an old and gruffy voice "-if you keep to yourself you can't get hurt. That's how it is and it's for the best."
Six-two-six could understand that. That's how he had had been living his life. Don't get close to things. Keep to yourself. If you're isolated. You can't be hurt.
"So where is your dad now?" six-two-six asked after a few moments passed.
"At the house still," she said. "I ran away. I couldn't take it anymore. I've never even seen the town. This is my first time."
Angel and Reuben sat together in the ships galley. Still worried over whether or not their captain was okay. Rules were rules however. So instead they sit, untouched food between them, and warm drinks to try and calm themselves. Tensions have been growing higher and higher. And both of them knew that if something didn't happen soon then there was going to be a break. What kind and who with or between they were unsure. But something was going to give. And it likely would not end well.
"Sometimes," Angel began, looking off at something on the other side of the room, "sometimes I think about leaving."
"What?" Reuben laughed. "Just jump ship and fly off somewhere?" Angel just nodded, still not looking towards him. "You'd actually leave, Stitch? Leave your boojiboo behind?" There was just a silence. One that passed for an uncomfortable amount of time. "You are still together right?"
"Yes," she said after a moment. "At least I think so?"
Reuben took a sip of his drink. He didn't really know what to say.
"You were right. What you said earlier." She grabbed her own drink, downing the entire glass before setting it back down. "It does feel like I've lost him. I don't even remember the last time he held me. How much longer can this go on?"
"So you want to just leave," he said. He nodded his head in understanding.
It would be a lie if he said he didn't at least once think the same thing. How much of their lives could they be expected to fly around the galaxy as Stitch continues his grieving rampage? If he wanted to be alone so bad they might as well let him. He felt unwelcome on more than one occasion. Who would blame him for wanting to leave? No one. That's what he thought.
"'Ohana," Angel said. She finally looked Reuben dead in the eye.
"What?"
It had been so long since he heard that word. It almost sounded foreign to him. Coming out from a time so far gone that he wasn't sure it was even a part of his life anymore. No. It was a part of him. Just a different him. Not the person he was now but the one he was before. When everyone was happy. Together. An actual family. Whatever they were now definitely wasn't that. And hearing that word was a slap to the face.
"'Ohana means 'family.' 'Family' means nobody gets left behind," Angel said while finally taking a small bite of food. "There's no way I could just leave him. I love him. I just want him back."
"Well it also means nobody gets forgotten," Reuben said with disdain. "So maybe you need to be saying that to him."
"Do you really think he's forgotten her?"
Another long silence.
"He could never forget her," she continued. "That's why he's out here. He can't forget and it's killing him."
"There's always tomorrow," Lilac said. She was trying to be reassuring but felt that it wasn't helping. "I'm sure you'll find who you're looking for then."
"Yeah," six-two-six said while moving some of the forest plants to the side.
He secretly hoped that they didn't find Tarnet. Not because he was enjoying his time. No. Because it would be dangerous for Lilac. His true goal was just to get a location on the target. There was no way he could actually engage with her in tow. He wasn't going to put someone else in danger. Not someone so young. Not someone so much like...
"Wow."
The young girl was completely blown away. Six-two-six finally moved enough brush for her to step through and see the magnificent ship. Once magnificent ship. It was basically unsalvagable after it's crash. But thankfully the fire didn't spread and it would make a decent shelter for them. It only took a moment before Lilac was running all over the place exploring. Words of warning fell on deaf ears as she started looking through the rubble.
"You're really not from around here are you?" she asked in awe. "Where did you come from?"
"No where," six-two-six said in response.
"You don't have a home?"
Six-two-six kept silently working on making the the wreckage livable. It shouldn't take too long. The living quarters in the ship was mostly safe. And he had no problem with giving up his bed for her. It wouldn't be the first time he slept on the floor or under the stars. And it certainly wouldn't be the last.
So preoccupied in his work, he almost didn't hear her call out.
"What's this box?" she said, making six-two-six's ears twitch.
Within a moment he was at her side. Before heading out in search of Tarnet he looked everywhere for it. A small box, no bigger than a shoe box. Painted blue and decorated with felt fish and seashells. It was a miracle it didn't burn up in the crash. And at the sight of it, brought tears to six-two-six's eyes. If there was one good thing that came from all this, it was that the box made it out completely in tact.
So caught up in his joy he didn't notice Lilac sitting down and opening it up. She started rummaging through the few contents, grabbing a single photograph and pulling it out. On it was the blue companion she had met earlier that day, and a young girl with tan skin, long black hair, and a red dress. The two were smiling, sitting on a sandy beach. Similar but not quite like the one they could see from town.
"Who is this?"
Six-two-six froze at the sight of her. Memories flashed in his head. Ones he tried so hard to push back. Kept locked away in a single box he took everywhere with him. He quickly snatched the photo and the box out of Lilac's hands.
"Don't touch that. Don't ever touch that!" he nearly screamed at her.
Lilac paled and cowered back. The look on six-two-six's face terrified her. She had never been yelled at before. Especially not like this. And it took everything in her to not run away. As quickly as the anger took over, it vanished. Leaving behind a scared six-two-six. Scared of what he so quickly became.
"I-I'm sorry," he said. He quickly put the photo back in the box. "This is... special to me. I shouldn't have yelled." He backed away slowly, trying to make himself smaller. "Thank you for finding it."
"You're welcome," she said. But her voice was quiet and as small as he was trying to make himself. Still distant and scared. "I'm sorry."
"No." He started walking towards the ship. "I shouldn't have yelled." He pulled back the door, motioning for her to go inside. "There's a bed inside you can sleep on. It should also stay warm enough in there."
It took a while before she was comfortable with moving. Despite the outburst though she didn't want to leave. So she made her way towards the ship. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do so. But as she walked passed she quickly hugged him. His body tensed, taking some time before he finally relaxed. A show of affection he so desperately craved. As much as anyone would crave a drink of water on a hot day. He had made himself touch starved over the years. Not that Angel hadn't tried to be there for him. A pain completely self inflicted.
I deserved it. He thought to himself.
Before Lilac finally pulled away to get some much needed rest she heard a small whisper.
"My name is 'six-two-six.'"
And she smiled.
"I'm 'Lilac.'"
