Chapter 13: Stitch Vs. The SBS Crew -or- Graazi and Nala

KAUAI, HAWAII

Kauai was the coldest it's ever been that night.

From the Pelekai house explosion that happened earlier, it seemed the whole island started a search for Lilo -excluding the confused tourists and the animals. Shops closed early, shouts could be heard from everywhere. All except for the one shout they were looking for, which was nowhere near where they searched. This was the most alarm the island had ever seen, a tsunami of turmoil in a way. The blaring sirens in the town was evidence, still everyone turned up with no one.

No one took this as hard as Nani, who was in the police department in a full panic. She'd explained Lilo's behavior before she disappeared. All that managed to accomplish was prove how odd Nani sounded, so of course the police had trouble believing her. It was understandable, it didn't make Nani feel any better but it was understandable. There wasn't much the police could do, which is why this wasn't something they could do. It brought in Lani to do what she had to.

"Nani?" Lani walked up to her and David at the police department.

"Yes?" Nani looked up. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Everywhere, actually," Lani told her. "There's something you need to know. Would you follow me outside please? This isn't the best place to talk."

"Is this about Lilo?" Nani had to ask.

"Much more than you realize," Lani nodded.

"Go with her," David stood. "I'll go help the searches."

"Mahalo plenty," Nani thanked him.

Nani followed Lani outside, angry once she caught sight of Mr. Bubbles. He stood up once he saw her, here under Lani's request. Nani was still upset about their earlier disagreement, the slap mark from the older Pelekai sister was the proof.

"I deserved that," Mr. Bubbles rubbed his cheek.

"I don't think you do," Lani got in between them. "It's partly my fault this happened."

"How could this be your fault?" Nani asked her.

"I asked Cobra to get Lilo," Lani rubbed her arm.

"You what?" Nani glared at her.

"It was to save everyone," Lani explained. "We were going to bring her back, honest. We just needed her help in stopping an invasion."

"Has everyone gone lolo?" Nani sighed. "What invasion?"

"You know how you've had doubts that Stitch was a dog?" Lani earned a nod. "Good news, you were right."

"Khalifaud isa alien," Angel stepped in from the bushes.

Some take the news of aliens well, by that I mean they don't pass out instantly. Nani didn't take it well. Another understandable concept, a creepy one at that. With her out cold, Lani was going to have to think of something else. Lani went into the police department and took paper and a pen. She went back to Nani, Angel helping hide her in the forest while Mr. Bubbles followed. They laid her against a tree, allowing Lani to begin the note for her.

"Nani," Lani wrote. "You passed out after we told you the news, I'm sure you remember what. We've left you with a blaster, it might be handy for you later. I'm sure Lilo is in the volcano somewhere, it's the only place no one has looked. Meet us there...I'd say by the time your done reading this. P.S. Point and shoot. We don't want you to miss your shot."

"Mr. Bubbles, we need you stationed in the forest," Lani ordered him. "If the robots start acting out, call me."

"How can I do that?" Mr. Bubbles asked.

"Easy, I reprogrammed your new radio," Lani told him. "By the way, don't push the red button. Just, don't. Angel, you and I are going to go find Lilo and 626."

"Oketaka," Angel nodded.

"I hope you find them before something happens," Mr. Bubbles ran to his car.

"If only I was that lucky," Lani laughed to herself.

In the soft morning light, 626 slowly awakened. He gripped his head as everything he remembered came crashing back to him. Jumba managed to catch him off guard, soon sending the experiment on course with a volcano crater. 626 escaped his trap, however the drop into the volcano had been enough to make him pass out. Now here he was, alive and in the most beautiful part of the island he's seen. When he tried to get up, he found that a lone hand held him to the floor. Turning his head up and around, 626 caught sight of a sleeping Lilo.

She held on to him tight, as if he'd disappear if she let him go. While looking closer, 626 saw that she'd been crying. Tear stains were left on her cheeks, her face contorted in a fearful expression. It took 626 merely a second to figure out all he needed, she had been the one to save him. Lilo must have somehow found and rescued him by herself, since they were the only two in the clearing besides Pudge. Lilo was the only explanation for him being alive. After he destroyed her house, he was confused why she did it.

626 didn't understand why anyone would want to help him, Lilo, Lani, 624. They were always doing something to keep him from getting caught, risking themselves for whatever stupid mistake he caused. It just didn't make any...O'hana. O'hana! That was their reason, they thought of him as part of their family. 626 obviously wasn't forgotten since they always protected him, he also wasn't left behind since Lilo had saved his life. Whether he fully knew it or not, he'd been their O'hana since the moment he landed.

So now it was time for him to show them he knew it.

High into the clouds, 626 could faintly see an evil looking spaceship land going to land a ways off from him and Lilo. The ship had broken off three of its cruisers, which scanned around his area. Once the scanners landed on 626, he knew what was happening. The cruisers returned to the ship, leaving 626 to wait alone in the uneasy silence of the forest. Pudge even swam away, letting 626 know that this wasn't going to end well. When they saw Lilo, who knows what they'd think. 626 wiggled out of her grasp to stand upright in front of his gang.

After a few minutes, Lani and Angel could be heard calling for 626 and Lilo from behind. 626 turned his attention to them as they came into the oasis. He figured they must have been looking for him all this time, which he guessed was a while when the sun was high up.

"Khalifaud, where isa yuuga?!" Angel called to him.

"Goocha, graazi here!" 626 signaled them over. "Shh!"

Lani and Angel came into the resting spot, revealed to have found them. 626 was worried for them, they didn't seem to notice the crew was close. 626 tried to wave them to get down, neither of them getting the hint.

"What's wrong?" Lani asked him.

"Yuuga hide," 626 hushed them. "Take Lilo before..."

A rustling came from the bushes, a signal that they needed to go. At the very least, Lani and Lilo needed to hide. The SBS crew were more likely to not take so kindly to them, not that they were ever friendly to anyone. Angel and 626 hid the girls with leaves, only causing Lilo to wake up in shock. Surprise hit the three SBS crew members too, seeing the experiments with the humans. 621 and 627 were making their way to capture Lilo and Lani, which was expected from them.

Lani jumped to rip a branch from the tree, twirling it to make the hostile experiments back away. The message wasn't received, 621 and 627 ran to take them both down. Lani whacked them away, only making them madder. 627 broke the stick while trying to reach a screaming Lilo, his mistake gave Lani another weapon to use. The problem was Ramthar had enough and kicked Lani's defense tools away, so she backed away with Lilo. 626 and Angel were going to stop this, if not for a plasma blast knocking 621 and 627 away.

Lilo and Lani looked behind them, seeing Nani holding a plasma blaster with the most horrified expression on her face. Lani was smiling, the up side being that Nani believed her. 627 was the first to recover from the blow to the stomach, beginning his chase on Nani down the volcano. Angel followed after the red experiment, she was intended on stopping him from hurting her. 621 shook his head and stood up feeling woozy, soon putting his pain aside to capture the remaining humans. Lilo and Lani backed away, surprised when 626 pounced and growled at 621.

With 621 immobilized, Ramthar sneaked up on the girls. He placed them each in a containment pod, making sure they couldn't escape. 621 pushed off 626, who glared at both him and Ramthar.

"Aggaba!" 626 screamed to them.

"Run Stitch!" Lilo told him. "Save yourself!"

626 closed his eyes to ignore her, he wasn't going to run this time. Lilo was shocked to see 626 release his sub-set of arms, his antennae and his back spikes. The surprise died, allowing him to get a few words out.

"Ohufi Ramthar, Hakkiah," 626 waved to them.

"You're one of them?" Lilo asked calmly.

"Ih," 626's expression was unreadable.

"626, we're lucky we found you on this planet," Ramthar sighed in relief.

"We went nearly halfway across this world just to find you," 621 explained. "We got your message, captain. We're ready to invade."

"What?!" Lilo, Lani and 626 screamed.

"Meega naga send injibay," 626 told them. "Meega said naga ikata. We leave. Tele sharov! Kavi! We going! Now!"

"But, you can't leave," Lilo said to him.

"And why not?" Ramthar knelt down in front of her.

"Stitch is my pet," Lilo caused the aliens -except for 626- to laugh.

"Really?" Ramthar held his smile. "It looks like you've lost your edge 'Stitch'. You and 624."

"You leave Angel out of this," Lani punched the glass of the containment pod.

"Angel?" 621 walked up to her. "I can assure you, 624 is no angel."

At first, he would've been right. 624 started off as harsh as they come, tougher still since she had to keep up with 626's gang. Though she took on her new title as Angel when she saw the better in helping others, like Lani had shown her how good she could be if she tried. Lilo did the same for 626, though he was still fighting with himself on it. Both the girls wanted to tell the aliens what they did, though it wouldn't get them free any faster. 626 saw their worry, knowing that he should help them get out as fast as they could.

"Naga yadelep meega or Tele sharov," 626 growled at his crew. "The saaris isa nothing but necessary conveniences."

"Oh yeah?" Ramthar and 621 nodded to each other.

"Prove it," 621 challenged him.

626 thought for a moment, there had to be something he could do to...626 caught sight of what Ramthar and 621 had noticed, the collar. 626 was at a crossroad of what to do, both choices could lead either way at this point. He could refuse, which would most likely cause an mutiny by his group and an invasion. Or he could go along with it, to lead them away from Earth but leaving Lilo. 626 sent a sad look to the girls, both were curious what he was going to do. 626 narrowed his eyes at Lilo, trying to fake anger.

"Soka, Lilo," 626 thought to her.

626 didn't drop his faked glare at Lilo, not even when he ripped to collar off his neck. Casting it aside as nothing, Lilo felt hurt beyond all measure. 626 notice Lani gave him a nod, she knew his choice was for the best. As for 621 and Ramthar, his gesture was convincing enough.

"What should we do with them?" 621 put Lani on defense the way he smiled.

"We may as well let them go," Ramthar laughed madly. "They are just 'necessary conveniences' after all. What can they do?"

Lilo ran into the forest -with tears in her eye that 626 did see fall-, making him feel horrible. He didn't show it to his crew, though his sadness was caught by Lani. As Angel came back while dragging 627 with slight scorch marks, Lani reached into her pocket and pulled out a yellow triangle. She pressed the center, allowing 626's spacesuit and blasters to spew out. Lani tossed the contents to 626 thinking he'd catch them, the experiment just let them land next to the broken collar. None of them knew what he was thinking, 626's only thought was loss of a family.

"Ahem, 626," Lani spoke calmly. "It looks like you'll be on your way now. Try not to cause too much chaos out there. You my have Ang-624, but I won't be around to bail you out."

"Or meega," Angel stood by her side. "Meega staying."

"I knew it," Ramthar smirked cruelly. "You've gone soft 624."

"Angel!" the pink experiment growled at him.

"Good luck," 626 nodded his head at her choice to stay. "Goobaja!"

Ramthar and 621 followed their leader back to the SBS. 627 stayed with Angel, trying to stay with the only one who was nice to him. Angel wouldn't have it, she want 627 to have all the fun he wanted.

"Go Kavi," Angel pet him on the head. "Isa oketaka. Go shiralli Khalifaud. Smish?"

"Evil," 627 whimpered with a nod of his head.

627 ran to the crew, the four of them disappearing into the trees. Lani noticed a hurt look on Angel, one that was like 626's lost expression. Lani stayed quiet -unsure of what to say to her-, so 624 asked her a question.

"Doing butifa make yuuga feel butifa, graazi?" Angel looked sad for once.

"Right," Lani assured her.

"Then why meega feel..."

"Sometimes it takes a while for it to set in," Lani told her. "Being good is harder to do than some people think."

"Butifa," Angel repeated almost as a thought. "Naga! The zaghdads!"

"Let's find Lilo," Lani began their run through the rest of the volcano's forest area.

Lani had a thought about this place, a thought she wanted to remember for a while. One day, that thought may come in handy. For now, her focus was put on finding Lilo to stop the robots. Leaving the oasis, Lilo was walking all by herself. Lani couldn't help but notice how sadness was effecting everyone today, she hoped she didn't feel that way. Both she and Angel carefully ran down the volcano to catch up with her, doing that they saw she had been bathed in tears that fell to the rocks.

"I don't wanna talk to you," Lilo glared at Lani. "You lied to me."

"I...I know," Lani hung her head in shame. "It just...This whole thing, it's a mess."

"You knew about Stitch, didn't you?" Lilo questioned harshly.

"Ih," Angel spoke for her.

"And you're one of them too, Angel?" Lilo couldn't believe they lied to her.

"Ih," Angel admitted. "Naga gaba yuuga think."

"It doesn't matter," Lilo gave up. "Stitch is gone. No more aliens."

"Saari, Khalifaud naga shol asahiah yuuga," Angel told her sternly. "Yuuga family."

"He didn't think so," Lilo started to walk away. "He wanted to leave."

"You really don't get it," Lani shook her head. "Don't you realize what was going to happen? They were going to kill you." Those words seemed to make Lilo stop. "626 saved your life."

A/N: This one was more of an emotional climax than anything, but I still count it as one. Nani was the cavalry here because having her sit around and cry about Lilo would've been too depressing to write. Plus, how often do we get to see her do something cool when it involves aliens? Now all that's left to do is take care of the robots and get another SBS fight in there then I can get back to the actual movie. So you may have to wait a chapter for Gantu to arrive, I have a plan for him.

Disclaimer: I own the more elaborate version of this Chris Sander/Disney script, along with Lani and 628 who's waiting in the car -I mean SBS. Don't know why I said car.

Next Time: As robots invade, what choices will 626 make for safety and destruction?