Geez, it's been a while since I updated :(
I've been flat out getting stuff ready for TAFE...
I hope I get time to update more often...
Chapter 22: A Surprise at The Funeral
Jumba
I stood, frozen to the spot, unable to believe what I'd just saw.
My creation. My beloved creation had just fallen to his death in an attempt to defend us from Leroy.
A strange hollow feeling had filled me. It was something that I'd never felt before, but I felt like a part of me had been ripped out, and now the emptiness was eating away at me.
I felt completely hollow.
As my mouth hung open in shock, I felt something wet slowly running down my cheek. I blinked and gently touched my face. When I pulled my hand back, my fingers were wet, and I realised what the wetness was.
Tears.
I was crying. The Evil Genius Jumba Jookiba was crying!
I looked down as I heard a sob, and I saw that Lilo was hugging Stitch as she cried into his fur. The sight of her tears staining his fur made my eyes well up, and as I bent down towards her, Pleakley put a hand on my arm. "Jumba..."
My eyes met his single one.
"Rhanee..." he looked over his shoulder
My eyes landed on the yellow experiment, and my heart twanged painfully.
Her small frame shook with silent sobs as she stared at the mouth of the volcano, a horrified expression on her face. Tears flowed down her cheeks, leaving dark trails on her yellow fur.
I bent down on one knee. "399..." my voice sounded choked as I spoke.
She looked at me, and I opened my arms. "Am so sorry..." I knew my words wouldn't bring Cosmo back, but I didn't know what else to say, and I wrapped my arms around my experiment's tiny frame as she ran forward and hugged me, burying her face into my lab coat.
I could feel her body shaking as she cried, and it ripped at my heart. "Am so, so sorry, 399..."
Out of my smaller set of eyes, I saw her screw her face up. "Meega ta Buchee-Bu. Meega ta Cosmo!"
I sniffed. "Am knowing you loved him." I stroked her fur gently. "And I know he loved you too...
Rhanee looked at me, still crying. "I wish I could have heard him say it. I wish...I wish I could tell him!" She buried her face into my chest again.
I held back tears. "Do you want to know a secret?"
She looked at me.
"631 told me to never tell anyone...but I think you should know."
I watched as she wiped her eyes before continuing.
"A few days before the Valentines Dance, 631 came to lab asking for advice. He wanted to know how..." I swallowed. "How one is telling another how they are feeling about them. He was being extremely fond of you. At first he was thinking it was his programming malfunctioning, because he was dreaming of you, but then was telling me that he thought it was something else, and he was right. It was love. 631 had learnt to love another. And that other was being you."
Rhanee's eyes widened, and despite the tears, she smiled and hugged me tighter.
For a split second, I thought I'd done the wrong thing, and I panicked. "399, I'm –"
"Thank you, Jumba." She whispered. "Thank you for telling me." She looked up at me and gently licked my cheek, and I wrapped my arms around her again, not even trying to hold my tears back.
I opened my eyes as I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Pleakley stood beside me with Gravey. "We have to tell Nani..."
Sadly, I nodded, wishing that none of this had ever happened. I wish I'd never created Leroy! But I couldn't change any of it now...
What was done, was done.
Sighing, I let Rhanee go and climbed to my feet. "Everyone back to house. Bigger Girl needs to know what has happened..."
I watched as our little Rescue Team started to make their way towards the path, before following them. As I followed, I picked Rhanee up in my large arms and hugged her to my chest where she cried silently..
---
I stood at the front of the lounge room, my eyes resting on a photo that I'd found of Cosmo which Pleakley had framed.
Next to it was a small book of photographs that we'd all managed to contribute to. As a member of the Ohana had been lost, we'd thought he still deserved a funeral...even though we wasn't 'attending' it.
As I felt a tug on my coat, I looked down to see Rhanee holding a piece of paper, and I bent down to her height.
"I want to put this with the other photos..." she said quietly, and handed it to me before making her way to the couch.
Curious, I unfolded the paper to find that it was a photo of Cosmo dripping wet with a towel round his waist. A tiny smile spread across my face, and I slipped it in the book with the other pictures.
Clearing my throat, I climbed to my feet. "Am just wanting to say a few words..."I paused, trying to find the right words to use." Experiment 631, or Cosmo, was being a dear member of this Ohana. He was always there to state his opinion, even though it was rarely being wanted. Despite being created to annoy people, there was being a lovable, funny, and quirky side to him." I paused, wiping tears away with the back of my hand. "He was always being there to try and help, and sometimes gave out the rare hug here and there. He was a dearly loved member of this Ohana...And am proud to have created him. He truly was a Good Experiment."
On the couch, Nani tried comforting a sobbing Lilo, Stitch and Rhanee, and Pleakley scooped up a crying Gravey, who was hugging a pillow.
More tears ran down my cheeks as I saw this, and I swallowed my sobs back and reached for the record played. I knew that this song would make everybody cry even more, but it was a request that was to be played in honour of Cosmo.
Sniffing, I slipped the record into place, and waited for the music to play...
I close both locks below the window
I close both blinds and turn away
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple
Sometimes goodbye's the only way
And the sun will set for you
The sun will set for you
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
And the sun will set for you
I moved to the couch where Pleakley was crying quietly and put an arm around him, pulling him close to me and stroking Gravey's fur with my other hand.
Pink cards and flowers on your window
Your friends all plead for you to stay
Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple
Sometimes goodbye's the only way
As I glanced over at Rhanee, I wished I could bring Cosmo back. I knew how much he meant to her. To all of us.
I started off hating him, but now...I would give anything to have him back. My mind ran back over memories of my creation.
Him cable tying my lab coats together....my Magnet Reverse backfiring and resulting in him and Rhanee being stuck together...the Valentines Day Dance...How he always protected Rhanee from Angel...His annoying little comments...
More tears fell from my eyes... Going over his comments made me remember his cheeky, sarcastic little voice.
"And da sun will set for ya."
I frowned. I was even starting to hear his voice mixed in with the song
"And da shadow of da day
Will embrace da world in grey
And da sun will set for ya..."
I looked down at Pleakley. "Am missing 631 so much, Jumba is hearing his voice.
Pleakley looked up, listening. "I hear it too..." he muttered, before wiping his eye.
I looked over at Rhanee. She was clinging to Nani's waist, crying into her shirt whilst Nani was stroking her head softly. "Am unsure how long she will be like this..." I muttered. "Am not knowing if she will ever fully recover from her loss."
My ears twitched as I heard the front door slowly creak open, but I ignored it. I didn't really care who it was. All I cared about right now was my creation, and wondering how we would all adjust to having lost a loved one.
Something tapped my arm, but I screwed my eyes shut and looked away.
"...Jumba..."
I shook my head. "Is being bad time. Am sorry, but am asking you to leave..."
"Why is everyone cryin? And why are dere (there) photos of me on da table??"
I ignored the voice, and it was silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly. something wet was shoved into my ear. I leapt up off the couch, nearly sending Pleakley flying.
I scratched at my ear. "WE HAVE JUST LOST SOEONE VEY DEAR TO US, AND---" my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Cosmo!?!?"
The green experiment stared up at me. "Uhhh...yeah..."
"Cosmo?"
"Cousin?"
Lilo, Rhanee and Stitch spun around at hearing Cosmo's name, and the sudden change in my tone of voice, and they ran forward, their tears of sadness turning into laughter and tears of happiness.
I watched as Cosmo was bowled over by Stitch and Lilo, who wrapped their arms around him in a 'Death Hug', and he gritted his teeth in pain.
"Ahh! Wait, stop! I tink my arms broken!"
Lilo and Stitch quickly let him go, and stepped back. "Sorry!"
"Nah, don't worry..." Cosmo held his right arm close to his body, and my mouth dropped open as my eyes scanned him over.
His stomach and chest was covered in scratch marks, and there was a deep bite mark on his left shoulder. His right ear had been shredded, and was now lowered. A set of scratch marks covered the left side of his face, and his fur was stained with his blue blood.
He looked up at me. "I, uh, don't wanna rush ya, but I tink I need medical attention..." he chuckled, then winced before making his way towards Rhanee.
The yellow experiment was grinning widely, and when Cosmo held his good arm out for a hug, she gently wrapped her arms around his middle.
"I thought you were dead." She said, nuzzling him.
"So did I...until I landed on dat ledge.' Cosmo hugged Rhanee close to him, purring quietly.
I waited for a few minutes before speaking. "Ok 631. You are having multiple injuries." I gently picked him up. "Is time for Jumba to be fixing you up. Can be talking to Ohana after you are tended to."
I headed towards the door, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw my creation wave to Rhanee., and I smiled when she waved back.
This was one of those chapters where I just couldn't find the right words to describe things.
YAY!! COSMO LIVES!!!
AND Leroy is NOT dead. I would NEVER kill off a Disney character!!