Disclaimer: I do NOT own Lilo and Stitch or their characters. I only own story, plot, and now four experiments: Drea, Slyther, Master and my version of experiment 628.
Lilo groaned in pain as she sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. When she removed her knuckles from her face, she was surprised to see a white sky above her and snow beneath her feet. The sun's rays stabbed her brown eyes, but she didn't feel that usual sting. She didn't even feel heat from the sun. She only felt numb. She heard a moan from beside her and turned her head to the source of the noise. It was Stitch sleeping beside her with his arm around her waist. Funny thing is, she didn't feel the arm on her waist. In fact, his arm was on the snow instead of on her. Lilo tilted her head to the side, wondering where they were and what happened.
She went to go wake him up, but he beat her to it. His limbs stretched and his ebony black eyes opened. He inhaled deeply and sat up beside Lilo, smiling at her. He then noticed their world was different. Instead of feeling a comfortable warm bed with sheets covering his body, he felt exposed and, similar to Lilo, numb. His eyes squinted in mystification as he observed the white scenery that surrounded all of them. He turned to the girl beside him with the same confusion as him on her face.
"Where are we?" Stitch asked.
Lilo shook her head. "I don't know, but I think the biggest question is. What happened and why are we here?"
Stitch buried his face in his hands. "I don't remember a thing except for a black experiment. That's all I can remember."
Lilo nodded. "That's all I can remember too."
"Let's see if we can find anybody. Maybe they can tell us where we are." Stitch replied and stood, dusting the snow from his fur.
Lilo scrambled ungracefully beside him, combing her fingers through her raven hair to rid the snow from her hair. When she finished, she went to grasp Stitch's hand, but instead of grabbing his hand, her hand shot straight through his. They both widened their eyes in wonder. Their hands swiftly tried to touch each other's, but the results were the same. They couldn't even feel the other's touch. They felt the same, dull, numbness.
"Okay. So we can't hold each other's hand." Stitch drawled. Blitznac.
"I don't understand! What is going on here!" Lilo cried. Why is this happening? As they stared at each other in bewilderment, Lilo noticed he didn't respond to her thought. Although there wouldn't be much of a response, he still would've said something. Stitch? Hello? Respond to me. Oh wonderful! We don't have the Seloverena Blessing anymore. What on Earth is going on here!
Before the two could speak, a woman's voice floated through the air. A voice that Lilo patently recognized. She closed her eyes as the lyrics played through her ears, humming to the song. 'When storm clouds roll, and I feel blue, your song comes drifting over the cradle.' Stitch heard it too and lifted his ears to listen more intently. Though he remembered the song, he failed to notice the singer's voice.
Lilo stood, her mouth formed in an o shape as she listened to the lyrics. "Mom." She murmured lowly, which was almost inaudible in Stitch's ears. Lilo tore off to the source of her mother's voice, jumping over rocks, logs, or any obstacles that stood in her way.
Stitch ran after her, dodging the obstacles as well. He caught up to Lilo and the two ran side by side together. Suddenly, the scenery changed for them. The soft snow gradually grew rougher under their feet and the white slowly began to change to a tan color. The white sky above them grew a darker shade of black. Lilo halted in her steps as their surroundings fully changed. The ground was all dirt and the sky wore a black coat with a blanket of stars to illuminate the dreary night. In front of them was their home. They smiled and ran up the drive, thrilled to see their family again. Lilo knocked on the door, but her fist went through.
Stitch walked up to the door, his transparent body sliding through the wood easily. Lilo followed suit, but with a mystified expression on her features. They found Nani and David on the couch watching TV. Lilo noticed her sister's usual chocolate brown orbs were now red and glistening from tears. David had his muscular arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders, his face resembling to that of sorrow as well.
Lilo was about to acknowledge their presence until a startling opening of the door caused her to turn around. Stitch spun on his heels too, his mouth opened ajar at the sight in front of him. It was Jumba who's clothes looked dirty and disheveled. His face tired and struck with grief. He had small tears trailing down his puffy cheeks and bowed his head as he approached the couple on the couch. Nani leaned forward intently as David did the same.
"How are they?" Nani interrogated.
Jumba heaved a heavy sigh. "Still have not been responding to Jumba's treatments."
Nani began crying again, which astonished Lilo greatly. It had been a long time since she saw her sister weeping so openly. "They've been in a coma for two months David. What if they never wake up?"
"Don't say that Nani." David scolded gently even though he was starting to lose hope as well. "They'll pull through."
"What are you guys talking about?" Lilo questioned, but it was as though she never said it. No one responded to her or even noticed her standing there with Stitch at her side. She felt as though she were a ghost.
Wait. Ghost? Lilo thought to herself as she looked back. I couldn't touch Stitch, I felt numb, I was able to slide through a door. She gasped, capturing Stitch's attention. "We're ghosts." She muttered to him.
Stitch shook his head. "But then wouldn't we remembered how we died?"
Lilo was about to say something until her mother's voice seeped into her mind again. Without answering Stitch, she swiveled and sprinted past the door and into the nightly grounds. Stitch followed her as they listened to the song and the voice, determining the song was coming from Jumba's ship.
The two ran through it, pausing in their steps as the voice grew louder. They walked to the source of the noise, which came from behind the door a few feet in front of them. Their bodies seeped through the door and stood inside a room where Lilo remembered Jumba gave her powers. She shivered as she observed the room, remembering the horrid pain she had to go through in order to get stronger and more prevailing.
She heard Stitch whispering to her since she couldn't feel his touch. She turned to his voice and he tilted his head to two of the gurneys. They walked up to the gurneys and got the shock of their lives at what they saw. They saw themselves. Both of them had a huge gash on their stomach and chest, which were stitched to stop the bleeding. Their eyes closed in what seemed to be a fitful slumber, but instead a nightmare. Her hair tangled and coated with dried blood and his fur dirty with his and his lover's blood. Their hands tightly grasped each other's as they slept. A machine beeping beside their beds ever so slowly, as though they would die very soon.
A woman walked through the door from the adjoining room, adverting their attention from their bodies to her. Lilo gasped while Stitch's mind reeled. He remembered he saw her once before, but he couldn't fathom who she is. Lilo seemed to though. She dashed to the woman with tears in her eyes, but she ran straight through the woman. Stitch raced to her side to be sure she wasn't hurt, which she wasn't. She was sad though that she didn't feel the woman's embrace.
The woman bent down next to Lilo, wishing she could cradle the young girl in her arms. "Lilo sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm dead. You can't touch me."
Lilo began to sob. "Oh mom, I've missed you and Dad so much."
She smiled sadly. "I know baby. We've missed you too."
The girl and her mom stared at each other with tears in their eyes. The silence grew around them and stitch felt it was needed to break the ice. "What are we doing here Mrs. Pelekai?"
The woman looked up at Stitch and smiled fondly at him. "You must be that boy who stole my daughter's heart." Stitch blushed as Lilo came to his side with a bright smile. "I've been watching the two of you. I'm thankful you entered my daughter's life Stitch. I'm glad you showed her how to love again and loved her like I wanted to as a parent but couldn't."
"I love your daughter Mrs. Pelekai, and I'm devoted to her forever." Stitch declared and reached over to grasp her hand, forgetting that they couldn't. It reminded him of his earlier question. "What are we doing here Mrs. Pelekai?"
"Do you not remember what happened?" She asked.
"I remember an experiment who was a demon. I can't remember his name though." Stitch responded.
"His name is Master. He wanted you to work for him along with his lackeys, Drea and Slyther. However, since you were very much fond of my daughter, he gave you a conundrum. Either you kill Lilo and join them, or they kill her and you will be forced to join them." Mrs. Pelekai replied. "You put it off and stayed by Lilo's side as often as you could. You two fell in love and other romances grew such as Angel and Slyther and Reuben and Drea. You two ignored Master's warnings while preparing for the battle. When it came, he stabbed both of you with a dagger." She explained.
This significant piece of information triggered both of their memories. Stitch remembered Master almost finishing him off while he was in a state of weakness until Lilo rescued him. He remembered when a surge of pain engulfed both of their bodies as Master poured his anger into her soul. He remembered stabbing the experiment in the back and the experiment stood with such hate in his eyes while coughing up blood. He remembered the unbearable pain and the feel of the dagger piercing his stomach as Master plunged it into his being. Lilo remembered trying to race to Stitch's side until Master caught her and furiously punctured her chest with the same dagger that still had Stitch's fresh blood. She remembered landing next to him and dying next to him.
Lilo gasped. "We're dead?"
Mrs. Pelekai shook her head. "No dear, just in a coma. You have been for all of two months."
"What about everyone else?" Lilo asked immediately. "Are they okay?"
Mrs. Pelekai nodded. "You always had such a soft spot for strange creatures. Yes, they are fine, in fact, they are moving on with their lives. Angel and Slyther married and they have a beautiful little girl named Mira. Drea and Reuben are engaged and Drea's pregnant with a little boy that they're going to name Connor. They will marry either after you two wake up, or die."
Stitch and Lilo beamed, happy for their experiment friends. Lilo sighed. "I wish we had the chance to meet Mira and Connor."
Stitch nodded and folded his ears behind his back. Mrs. Pelekai grinned wider and knelt down in front of her daughter and Stitch. "You can."
Lilo raised her head. "What?"
Tears formed in the woman's eyes, but her smile stayed the same. "You're not dead yet Lilo, and neither are you Stitch. You're just in a coma. You may return to the living."
"But Master stabbed us severely. Wouldn't we have died?" Lilo asked.
"Normally yes, but fortunately Jumbo or whatever his name is, saved both you and Stitch in time. It's your choice. You can come with me and we shall live in the afterlife, or you can return back to your family. You decide." Mrs. Pelekai said, staring at her daughter.
Lilo stared at her mother, transfixed by her long white gown and her pair of wings. She remembered when she was a little girl and her mom used to sing to her, read her bedtime stories, and tell her over and over again that she loved her. Even now, Lilo would give anything to have her mom back. Though Stitch turned her life around, he still failed to patch up the hole in her heart that formed after the night of her parent's deaths. She still missed her mom and dad with all her soul.
Stitch turned to Lilo to see her debating over her choice. If he had a heart, it would've shattered at the expression on Lilo's face. She was thinking of reuniting with her parents and stay in the afterlife with them. He wanted to return to his family to meet Angel's daughter and watch Connor come into the world. However, he would never return without his love by his side. If she was to stay, he will stay as well, no matter how much he wanted to return to life. It tore him apart that he would have to give up being with the people who he loved and who loved him back, for a girl he loved more than anything.
"You choose Lilo." Stitch muttered to her. "Life or death?"
Lilo's eyes adverted from her mom to Stitch. She remembered their short lives together. The exhilarating adventures they shared and enemies they conquered. The fear that they might lose a fatal battle and tremendous relief when they do win. She remembered his touch on all the lonely nights and his kisses during the days. She remembered their first kiss, the night in the dome when she spilled her feelings to him, their first date, everything. If they continue their lives in death, there would be a chance they would never get to love each other that way. If they went back to Earth, they would be free to love each other in any way and her family, her dear ohana, would be there supporting them all the way and share the love, laughter, tears, everything with them.
Tears gathered in Lilo's eyes and trickled down her glistening cheeks. She looked up at her mom, despair weighing on her shoulders that if she went back to the living, she would have to give up living life with her mom. She wet her parched lips with her tongue, tasting the salty tears on the corners.
"Mom." She whispered, bringing her hands to her face to wipe away the tears. "I love you so much and I've always missed you. I always will, but," She turned her head to Stitch. "I have a family on Earth that wants me back and a lover I want to spend everyday of my life with. I choose going back."
Stitch smiled at her, wishing he could take her into his arms to comfort her. He knew it must've been hard for her to say that. She had given up eternal happiness with her mom for his own happiness to return to the living and pick up from where they left off. He turned to the woman, who looked as though she were going to break down in huge sobs. Lilo walked up to her mom, falling down beside her.
Mrs. Pelekai looked into her daughter's brown eyes and cracked a small smile. "I guess I'll have to let go of my baby girl. I can't believe you fell in love at such a young age. However, I can see that Stitch will carry on from where your dad and I left off. He's all you'll ever need." She sniffed, staring at her daughter. "Well then, climb on those gurneys and return to your bodies."
"Mom, will you tell Dad that I love him and I miss him?" Lilo asked. "And tell him that no matter what happens, I'll always be his little girl?"
Her mom nodded. "He loves you too sweetie. As do I."
"I love you too Mom." She whimpered. "Goodbye."
The woman nodded. "Goodbye baby."
Stitch and Lilo hopped onto the gurneys, facing their respective bodies. Lilo turned to give her mom one last look. The woman smiled and pointed her index finger to her eye, crossed her arms on her chest, and pointed at Lilo. Lilo smiled and copied her mother's movements except she spread her arms out in the end. Mrs. Pelekai laughed through her tears as she nodded her daughter to go.
Lilo laid down on her body, sinking inside the hollow being. Stitch did the same and unknowingly smiled when he felt Lilo's hand in his. Lilo felt him unconsciously stroking her hand with his thumb and squeezed his in response. Mrs. Pelekai walked up to them, tracing foreign designs on their forehead and stepped away. Her figure vanished just as Stitch and Lilo fell into a contented sleep.
When they woke up, the first thing they saw was each other smiling. Stitch released her hand to crush her body to his, ignoring the pain in his chest and stomach from his actions. Lilo disregarded it as well, her arms clinching around his neck. Stitch pulled away slightly, leaning forward to kiss the happy tears on her face. She met his lips with hers and they laid back down, relishing in their moment together.
They pulled away after what seemed like hours, but in reality a couple of minutes. They stared into each other's eyes lovingly, smiles adorning their faces. Stitch stroked her soft hair while she caressed his ears.
"We're back." She replied with a smile.
Stitch nodded. "Now we can live our lives without fear. Finally, we can spend the rest our lives together, just the way we dreamed."
She sighed blissfully and cuddled into his chest. Stitch tightened his grip around her, kissing her hair. They separated at the noise of a plate shattering on the ground. They looked up to see Jumba standing there petrified while Pleakley had his mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"T-T-They're a-a-li-live!"He shouted.
"Little Girl! 626!" Jumba boomed with elation as he dashed to the gurneys and picked up both of them, swinging them around.
Lilo and Stitch moaned in pain as he practically crushed their bodies. He didn't stop until Lilo began wheezing and Stitch looked as though he might vomit the next second. He immediately put them down, fervently asking them if they were okay. Without hearing a response from them, he shouted at Pleakley to tell the others and the one eyed alien complied straight away.
Ten minutes later, the ship was packed with three humans, six experiments, and three aliens. Angel and Drea chatted with Lilo, telling her how much they missed her and Stitch and everything that happened. Reuben and Slyther engaged Stitch in a furious conversation, spilling everything to him. Stitch and Lilo absorbed the information, smiling the whole time. Gantu explained to them how he was still alive, that he had only passed out and the grand council woman's police were able to find him just in time before anything serious could happen.
Lilo noticed the silver ring on Angel's finger, symbolizing that she belonged to Slyther and the bright yellow ring on Drea, which pointed out she was Reuben's fiancé. She smiled as she felt Drea's baby, Connor kick from inside Drea's gut and cooed when she and Stitch held baby Mira in their arms.
"She's so beautiful." Lilo whispered, nuzzling the baby experiment's nose with hers. "Just like her mommy. Has your figure, your V crest, antennas, everything. Well, except for the fur and eye color. I'm guessing she got that from her daddy."
Slyther nodded, kissing his daughter's forehead. "She'll be a daddy's little girl. Won't you Mira?"
Lilo and Stitch smiled at each other knowingly. They were just about to give the other a quick peck until Nani fell next to Lilo's side with David beside her. She enveloped Lilo in her arms, her tears pouring from her eyes. "I was so scared."
"Everything's okay now Nani." Lilo whispered, her tears raining down as well.
That night, Lilo and Stitch stayed up in their beds, laughing and talking about what was to come in their future. After a bit, Lilo grew tired and nestled herself into his chest. Stitch smiled, kissing her goodnight before falling asleep in her arms. They both slept with smiles on their faces that Master was no longer a threat and their love will continue until their rightful deaths.
No one who's even more obsessive than Master and more sinister will never erase their love. Each other is all they need and no one, not even Master's ghost, could take that away from them. As the moon began to dip, Lilo and Stitch slept peacefully; living in dreams of their future that was sure to come.
Note: Finally it is finished! Wow, 37 chapters. I had never, never, NEVER thought it would be possible for me and getting over 200 reviews literally took my breath away. I had never thought I would achieve anything like this. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Alright yes this may be the end to this story, but it's not the end of me.
STORY ALERT! (I love doing that. )
Life After Death (Thanks again for the title Avatarjk137!)- When Lilo is murdered, Stitch, her boyfriend, goes insane. However, as time goes on, he finds a new love and is just learning to let go. He meets this mysterious experiment who acts so much like Lilo, could it be possible this experiment is Lilo?
Yes, it will be a Lilo/Stitch pairing except, it's experiment Lilo/Stitch pairing. I know I said I don't really care too much for that pairing, but this idea popped into my head and I haven't been able to get rid of it since.