Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo and Stitch.

Soul of the Night

By

Twilightborn 1983

Chapter 4: Dreams and Last Days

Lilo walked through the dark, damp corridor. It seemed like she had been walking forever, and yet she did not feel tired. She came across a large stone archway with a stone door, covered in symbols that Lilo did not recognize. The door began to open slowly, creaking loudly. Beyond the archway was a massive chamber, the stone gray walls covered in carvings of all different shapes and sizes. Some were pictures of different things, others were like writing, and some resembled nothing Lilo had ever encountered. The one thing all the carvings shared was the fact that they were all filled with glowing red gems. Most of the room was taken up by a large mist-covered pool filled with dark colored water. In the center was a tall statue of a beautiful woman holding a circular disk outstretched. The disk had a black surface and was covered with gems of all colors and sizes. It sort of resembled a piece of the night sky, with a pearl moon and small stars of various gem types. The disk began to give off a misty black glow and Lilo felt herself drawn to the water's edge. As she approached the edge, she gazed down to see herself in the water. Her face was clearly visible, even though the water was almost opaque. She felt afraid, and yet her feet drew her into the water. Even though she feared what might wait for her in the black pool, she felt compelled to enter. As she waded into the water, a feeling of something trying to surround her, something almost intangleable, fell over her. Even the part of her that was yet to be immersed in the dark water felt covered. This scared her more, it was as if the mist around her was alive, and it was trying to absorb her. And yet she continued toward the statue, toward the glowing disk. She could not stop herself, her body refused to do anything but walk forward and look upon the disk. She was almost to the statue, when the bottom dropped out on her. She was drug down into the depths by an unseen hand. She tried to scream, but her mouth was held shut by another invisible hand. She continued to sink, struggling. Suddenly, she stopped. She continued to struggle, until she was able to open her mouth. But to add her shock, there was no water, she breathed in air. But she still felt suspended in liquid, or was it? She couldn't tell anything about her surroundings. It was it pitch black. Was she dead? No, she could still breathe, and she felt normal.

"Where am I?" she thought as she remained motionless. Other than to breathe, she couldn't move, something held her in place. She tried in vain to move, but to no avail. Then she felt it. The overwhelming pleasure of being fed on. Only it was more intense than ever. She became almost mindless, she was unable to form even the simplest of thoughts. The sensation enthralled her, it was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced. Energy coursed through her veins, driving her mad. She was all but sure she would lose her mind. And unlike before, it showed no signs of stopping, it was actually getting more powerful. As Lilo finally got accustomed to the feeling coursing through her body and soul, she was able to think again. "What is happening to me?"

It is pure emotion, caused by the collision of lifeforce and moonfire. It creates a feeling of either pure ecstasy for those deserving, or sheer pain for those who must be punished. As for what is happening to you, are you not enjoying it?

"Yes...more than anything." Lilo said, still unable to control herself, still in the thrall of the pure emotion. The feeling continued to shoot through her, but only for a moment longer. The surge stopped, and Lilo was able to move. Although the surges had stopped, the feeling lingered.

How does it feel, now that moonfire forever flows in you? The power it gives you, it is intoxicating, yes?

"What power? And what is moonfire?" Lilo asked. She then realized that she no longer floated, but instead stood on solid ground. It was still pitch black, though, so she stood still, not knowing where, if anywhere else, was solid.

You will know soon enough the power you possess, as well as what you are. As for moonfire, it is a piece of the infinite heavens, a gift of the Dark Lady. It flows through you now, and it has changed you.

"Okay, now I'm officially weirded out. Where am I? And who are you?"

You are in but a dream, the places you have seen, what you have experienced, are but allusions to what now fills you. The statue is of the Night Goddess, and the pool is moonfire. You have inhaled it, and it has become a part of you.

"Okay, but who are you, and where are you? I can't see anything."

Because there is nothing to see. You are surrounded by nothing, the void. It is here you will come face to face with your destiny. Me.

Lilo heard footsteps from behind her. She turned to see a form in the darkness. As it came closer, she could make it out. It was a girl, that looked a lot like herself, but with long white hair that fell past her waist and covered part of her face. The girl opened her eyes, and Lilo let out a gasp. Her eyes were red. Not glowing red, but her eye color. "Who are you? And why are you my destiny?"

The girl smiled softly, but did not speak. As she walked closer, the similarities between her and Lilo were becoming more striking, until Lilo finally realized.

"You're me." Lilo managed to stutter out.

The girl's smile became wider as she closed the distance. She did not move her lips, but spoke to Lilo in her mind.

I am what you will be.

The girl then touched Lilo, and she felt herself getting weak, her vision dimming. She felt the pain of fangs entering her neck, and then nothing.

When she came to, she found herself in front of the pool. "What happened? Where am I?" she said as she stood up. She looked around for any sign of the mysterious girl. Or, herself. It was all extremely confusing to her. Then her gaze fell on the pool, and her reflection. On her flowing white hair and striking red eyes.

Then she woke up.

She heard someone calling her, but she ignored it. Her mind was focused on the dream she had just had. She realized then that she had pulled the covers over herself during the night. She opened her eyes and quickly checked her hair. Still black. "Whew, it was just a dream."

She would have thought about it more, but that same someone who called her then pulled the covers from her bed. Normally this wouldn't have done anything but annoy her, but there was a problem: the sun was shining on her, and she was changing into a vampire. She felt like she had been doused in steaming hot water, and she screamed. This scared the hell out of Pleakly, causing him to fall backwards. Lilo quickly grabbed the sheets and covered herself. Pleakly stood up and looked at her. "Lilo, what's wrong with you? You sounded like I was trying to kill you!"

"No, I thought you were Cobra. I thought he was taking me away." Lilo said, making up a quick lie. "Now go away. I'm still tired." she added, quite angrily.

Pleakly's face became sad. He walked over to Lilo and tried to pull the sheets, but Lilo held on tight. "Lilo, it's okay. I'm sure Cobra won't let anything bad happen to you."

"He can't control the courts. They will hand me off to the first bastard who pretends to care." Lilo said, still in slight pain from the sun.

"Cobra explained everything to me. You don't have to worry about a thing. He said that the courts have tight procedures, and carefully screen each applicant. They won't even allow someone with so much as an assault charge near you." Pleakly said, trying to cheer the girl up.

"Yeah, well I don't believe him. Besides, some bad people don't have criminal records. They commit their crimes in private." Lilo replied as she held the covers tight.

"He's downstairs. He wants to speak with you. He says he isn't going to take you away until after your sister's funeral." Pleakly said in a comforting tone.

"I don't want to speak with him. I don't want to be a foster child, and I don't care what the courts decide. I want to choose my own fate!" And I've chosen it. I think. After Nani's funeral, I won't even be here anymore. My sire will have come for me.

"Well, I'll tell him you are still tired and upset. Meanwhile, you get some rest." Pleakly said as he got up. "Anything you need?"

"Yeah, close the blinds please."

When Lilo awoke again, night had fallen. She felt better now, actually somewhat energetic. She walked to the lift and went downstairs. She wandered around the house until she saw Jumba. "Ah, little girl is finally being awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better. A lot better, but where is everyone else?" Lilo asked the 4-eyed alien.

"Pleakly is helping prepare bigger girl's funeral, and 626 left some hours ago. Probably with 624."

That was all Lilo needed to know. Angel and Stitch always went to the same place to talk about things, a cliff overlooking the ocean. After thanking Jumba for the info, she ran to the cliff she knew Stitch would be at. He was there alright. There he sat, crying on Angel's shoulder. "Why can't I go with Lilo? It's not fair. I hate Cobra. I hate bad men. I hate my life!"

"There, there. It's ok. Lilo will be going where she is safe. We've finished catching the last of the experiments, so that's taken care of. And Lilo's a sweet girl, I'm sure a nice family will fall in love with her and adopt her, and she'll have a family again." Angel said, trying to calm Stitch. She knew how he felt about Lilo. He cared more about Lilo than anyone, even herself. She had at one time thought she would be excited by this, Lilo would be out of the picture, but now she didn't like it so much. It didn't help that she had started to develop feelings for Kixx. But she wouldn't break that news to Stitch yet, she was sure it would kill him.

Then both of them hear someone come up from behind them, and turned to see Lilo. "Lilo, you're awake." Stitch said as he got up.

"Yeah, I got up and came to find you. I saw you crying. I wish I didn't have to go either." Lilo said as she hugged Stitch. The two then just sat down and cried together.

Meanwhile, on another part of the island, a certain 600-year old vampire was getting his ear chewed off. "Sonya, you have had 3 wards, and you never made this big a deal before… Yes I know this is my first ward, and you want everything perfect for her… No I don't know her size... Fine ask Trevor then, I suppose that program of his can do that… No I will not call him by that foolish nickname… Why does it have to be goth clothing? Don't you think she would be more comfortable in her normal clothes? Fine, I suppose it wouldn't look right… I am not showing her off to the Council, she is a child, not a trophy… No I don't think Ganz cares that I took a ward, other vampires do it all the time…yes I know I'm supposedly his favorite... Damn it Sonya! Just let me handle this, I am 300 years your senior… Fine, I'm sorry, it's just you've called me 10 times in the last 4 hours, and it's getting annoying. Alright, goodnight Sonya."

Adamar sighed as he closed his cell phone. "As bad as she is right now, you'd think that it was her ward too!" He and Sonya had been together ever since she left her sire 270 years ago. They were about as close as two vampires ever got, close enough they even sometimes did what Harlan called "An attempt of futility". Of course, vampires could not bear children; something that Adamar was sure upset Sonya to this very day. Often when he and Sonya went out hunting, she would watch couples with their children, a somewhat envious look in her eyes. I guess this was as close as she was ever going to get to being a mother, her other 3 wards were adults, people she had taken pity upon or she thought were too something to die. But now that he had a ward, and a child ward at that, she could live out her dreams of being a 'mommy'. He figured the moment he got Lilo home; Sonya would be waiting to baby her. And that was exactly what Adamar didn't need. He wanted Lilo to become a rational and independent vampire like himself, so he would need to be able to tell her 'no' without Sonya going behind his back and telling her 'yes'. She would need to understand her place in the world, and what was expected of her, and he was going to teach her just that.

As Adamar rose from his bed to go and check on Lilo, his phone rang again. Damnit Sonya let me do this by myself! He checked the id, and to his relief, it was the Council, not Sonya. He answered the phone while quickly stepping into the bathroom. "Good evening elders, how may I be of service?"

"Good evening Adamar, I called to get a status report on your assignment." a husky voice said over the earpiece.

"Lord Ganz, it is good to hear from you. As for my assignment, I have gathered enough information to realize that they pose no threat on their own or by other's hands." Adamar said calmly over the phone.

"And this reason is?" came another voice, this one sharp and defiantly female. It was Nina, the most pessimistic of the three elders, and at least 500-years older than himself.

"These creatures are somewhat independent, and more importantly, seem to enjoy doing good things for the people of this island, as my footage will show you."

"We have reviewed this footage, and I for one agree with you, these creatures do seem quite tame, contrary to the reports garnered saying otherwise." came the voice of Urza, the most well-learned of the three elders, if not always the wisest. "But what we have not been able to determine is why, well up until now. Is it true to say that these creatures owe their new purpose to the actions of a small girl?"

Adamar had hoped the Council would not learn about Lilo. Of course the Council would have wanted to turn her; such an amazing child should not be lost to the world, even if the outcome would change her outlook on life quite a bit. But now none of that mattered, since she was now his ward, so he answered the question. "Yes elder. I figured the cause did not matter; it was the outcome that was important."

"Adamar, such a child should not be hidden from the eyes of the Council!" Nina said, somewhat upset that Adamar had the audacity to hide the girl. "Such a child is indeed a refreshing sight, unjudgmental and brave. A finer ward candidate I have not seen in years."

"Indeed, what she has accomplished in the span of her short life is nothing short of miraculous. Why have you not told us of her before?" Urza added.

Before Adamar had a chance to answer, his sire came to his aid. "Fellow elders, did you stop to consider whether or not the child would be able to handle the transformation into one of our own? I am certain Adamar has. Hunting those you once considered your own kind is quite a burden, especially for one so young."

Adamar looked down at his watch, and knew he needed to check on his new ward. "Thank you elder, but I must asked to be dismissed. I have a few more things to tend to before I return, but I promise a full report on my arrival."

"Yes of course, but I expect you to not only bring your report with you when you come. I also wish for you to bring my new granddaughter with you, I do wish to see her up close." Ganz said quite jovially. Then the line disconnected.

Adamar put his hand on his forehead in annoyance."Of course, if Sonya found out, of course she would tell Ganz. No reason to keep my business to herself. She's probably told everyone she could think of." he muttered with sarcasm. He put away his cell phone and proceeded to leave the hotel.

Lilo and Stitch opened the door to the house to be greeted by Cobra. He took off his shades and stared down at the girl. "You are not to leave this house without an escort again, understand?"

Lilo and Stitch gulped. "Why, I just went to the cliff to find Stitch. I came back."

"You are too great a flight risk. You are not to leave this house unless Jumba or Pleakly accompanies you, or I will take you into custody this very moment." Cobra said sternly.

Normally Lilo would have backed down, but she wasn't sure if it was the fact that Cobra was going to take her away from everything she held dear, or if it was her semi-vampiric blood, but she decided that she wasn't going to be threatened. "Right and where would I run to? I have no way off this island, so I'm not going anywhere. Besides, why the hell do you care? You are just sending me to a total stranger, one who might neglect or molest me!"

Cobra was taken aback by Lilo's outburst. He knew she was upset, but he could tell something was defiantly wrong. But he was not about to be yelled at by an 8-year old. "You fail to realize the position you are currently in. You are now without a guardian, and remain here under my good graces alone. Keep up this attitude and I might change my mind about your remaining here for your sister's funeral."

Lilo took Cobra seriously, but she just got angrier. Fortunately, Pleakly had heard the screaming and had finally arrived to calm the girl down. "Lilo, are you okay, I was worried about you! Where were you young lady? We thought you had run away again."

"I just went to find Stitch was all, but Cobra's acting like I'm under house arrest!" Lilo said as she turned to Pleakly, still extremely irritated.

"Are far as you are concerned, you are. You are not to leave this house without a trustworthy adult, or I might just put you in juvenile hall." Cobra said, his voice tense.

"Now there is no need for that! Lilo's been through a lot and now you're threatening to arrest her? Come on Lilo, let's go get you some dinner; that is if Mr. Bubbles doesn't mind you leaving for ten minutes." Pleakly said as he turned his gaze to Cobra.

To say that Cobra was furious was just about the truth. Then he saw the picture of Lilo's family hanging on the wall, and realized that he was being the bad guy. Lilo was scared, scared that she would never see her family and friends again, scared of what might happen to her if she landed in a bad foster home. It could happen, except for the fact he would be checking EVERY day, and at odd hours, just to make sure she was unhurt. But at the same time, he could sense something was very wrong with Lilo, she just seemed different. More than she was upset, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He thought about it a minute, and then chalked it up to a possible early puberty.

He watched as Pleakly, Lilo, Stitch, and Jumba drove away. Then he heard another sound, like fast footsteps. He turned to the source of the sound, and saw nothing. He wasn't stupid though, he knew he had heard something, but he had other matters on his mind at the moment: finding someone to adopt Lilo. Remembering someone who might just be a fit for Lilo, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, I need to ask something, Mr. Harper."

It was about midnight when the four returned. They had decided to catch a late movie after dinner, and everyone was now ready for bed, everyone except Lilo that is. She was still wired when they got in the house. "Hey Stitch, wanna play some video games?" she said as she turned on the TV.

"Stitch tired." Stitch said as he headed upstairs.

"Yeah Lilo, we all need to get to bed, tomorrow is the viewing service." Pleakly said as he followed Stitch.

"But I'm not tired yet. I wanna stay up. You guys go to bed, I'll be really quiet." Lilo said as she sat down on the couch and started flipping channels.

"Little girl has days and nights mixed up. Needs to be trying to get some sleep." Jumba said as he headed for bed.

"I'm alright, I'll go to bed in an hour, promise!" Lilo said as she flipped to the horror channel.

"Fine, one hour, then off to bed." Pleakly said as he went into his room.

What started as one hour became four, as Lilo sat up and watched four hours of cartoons, since the horror channel had a vampire movie on, and after experiencing the real thing (as well as becoming it), it seemed really cheesy. She looked at the clock and decided that it was time for bed. She went upstairs and got on the lift. She was about to lay down when she noticed that the window was open, and more importantly, uncovered. She got up and shut the window and covered it with a blind. "There, better." she said as she laid down. She closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Lilo awoke and turned to see the window wide open. She jerked back the covers in reflex, but then she realized that she had felt no pain. She slowly pulled off the covers, only to discover the sky was overcast. "Good, no sun."

"Why that good, Lilo?" Stitch said, surprising her.

"Um…I was being sarcastic, duh. I mean it's a cloudy day, and I feel bad enough already." Lilo said, thinking up a quick excuse. She seemed to have to do that a lot lately.

"Oh ok." Stitch said as he put on a bow-tie.

"Why are you putting on a tie? Nani's wake isn't till 6.

"It's 4:30." Stitch said as he finished tying his tie.

"4:30! Why did you let me sleep in Stitch?" Lilo said as she shot out of bed.

"Lilo was tired. Didn't go to bed until 4. Stitch let Lilo sleep."

"Thank you Stitch, but how come Pleakly didn't try and wake me up?" Lilo said as she grabbed her dress clothes and ran to the lift.

"Pleakly at funeral parlor. Making sure everything is ready." Stitch said as he got on the lift with her.

"And Jumba?"

"Jumba sleep all day too. Snuck out to work on project all night." Stitch replied as they got off the lift.

"Well that figures. I guess I'll go take a shower then."

After taking a shower and changing clothes, Lilo went into the kitchen to fix a sandwich. She heard honking outside. She went outside to see Pleakly. He looked depressed. But he had been at the funeral parlor all day, planning a family member's funeral. "Everyone ready? Hey, where is Jumba?"

"Still inside, getting dressed." Lilo said as she finished her sandwich.

"What! We have to hurry and get to the funeral home. We need to be there to greet everyone, it's proper etiquette."

"I'd be in a bigger hurry if it wasn't MY sister we were burying." Lilo said as she teared up.

"Now don't cry Lilo. It's gonna be okay, I promise." Pleakly said as he put his arm around her.

"No it's not, Nani is gone. She's gone and I won't ever be able to see her again." Lilo cried.

"You get to see her today, and tomorrow. To say good-bye." Pleakly said, trying his hardest to comfort her.

"She's dead! Her body is all I will see, and I don't think I'll be able to take it!" Lilo said as she fell to the ground in tears.

Pleakly knew Lilo was in no condition to go to the wake, so he figured it best if she didn't go. She could come to the funeral tomorrow. "Listen Lilo. I will call the funeral parlor, and tell them we can't make it. That you need consoling. Ok?"

"Thank you Pleakly." Lilo said as the two walked back into the house, followed by Stitch. She knew that tomorrow, many things would change. First she would say her final goodbye to her sister.

Then, at sunset, she would say goodbye to her humanity.

End Chapter 4

Next Chapter

Funeral and First Blood