The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days
By: Kioko the pirate
Chapter 5: Fighters Resolve
After a few minutes Kioko and Stitch had finished their chore, but were then faced with a more daunting task. Each now headed off to try and convince each other's partners that fighting wasn't necessary, and that all of them could be happy if they would only forgo their desires for battle. Both knew that, because of their partners' stubbornness, it would not be an easy task. Both knew that it might even be impossible. Despite this, Stitch managed to carry himself with a sense of confidence as he walked into the living room.
Angel was still sitting silently on the window seat, staring out into the tranquil night. In that moment, Stitch's image of her changed. For just a moment he no longer saw her as his powerful rival or an opponent, but as an experiment who was in the same boat as he. Without even needing to ask he knew that she, like him, would much rather stay on Earth with her partner. He only hoped that he would be able to convince her to try and make that desire a reality. If they finished the tournament, and went back to the lab, the chances of them ever getting to see their partners again would be slim to none. Their only hope was to prolong the tournament as long they could, and deal with whatever attempts Jumba made to bring them back as they appeared.
Stitch's focus snapped back to what needed to be done. He had to convince her that there was no need for them to finish the tournament. Hopefully, she wouldn't be as stubborn as Lilo. Without a word Stitch leapt up onto the window seat and sat down next to Angel. The pink experiment just continued to stare out the window.
"So… what are you doing in here all by yourself?" asked Stitch, unsure of how exactly to start the conversation.
"Nothing much, just looking at the stars." said Angel with a very relaxed tone and a small smile on her face.
"I see. So uh, did you like the dinner?"
"Oh definitely," Angel said as she rubbed her belly, "Nani's pork roast was a whole lot better then the stuff we've been eating this past year. I really liked that pineapple glaze she had on there."
"Yeah me too, apparently it's a family recipe she got from their grandmother."
Angel gave an understanding nod causing the conversation to immediately drop off. Stitch scratched his head as he tried to think of what to say next, he didn't want to come right out and start talking about delaying the tournament, because he didn't want her getting worked up. Angel watched with a raised brow as Stitch tried to find some way to start the conversation again. She couldn't help but chuckle at his lack of grace.
"What did you want to talk about, Stitch?" asked Angel as she turned to face him.
"What do you mean?" blurted Stitch, caught off guard by the female's question.
"Come on, I know you didn't come in here just to chit chat. Now what's on your mind?"
"Well… it's just that… Kioko asked me to talk to you."
"Talk to me about what?"
Stitch gulped and then gave a sigh. "He asked me to talk to you about the tournament."
"He did, did he?"
Stitch gave a quick nod. "He wanted me to try and talk to you into…"
"…Into holding off on the final battle for awhile, right?" said Angel, interrupting Stitch mid sentence.
Stitch's eyes widened with surprise, if she already knew what Kioko wanted; perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to get her to wait. "That's exactly it, but how'd you know?"
"How'd I know," asked Angel, sounding a bit insulted, "he's my partner for crying out loud! We've learned to read what the other is thinking and feeling. It's how we became so formidable in battle, and how I knew he was faking his enthusiasm for our battle."
Stitch's heart lit up with hope and his expression clearly showed it. "Well if you know how he feels than you must not want to fight either? I mean as close you two are you couldn't possibly want to enter into a fight that will only separate you."
Angel fell silent for a moment as her ears dropped to her shoulders and she turned to look back out the window. Stitch's hope suddenly began to shrink; he didn't like the solemn expression that adorned Angel's face. Then came the words that he had been dreading from the start.
"No, we're going to fight." The words carried with them a feeling of hostility, as if Angel was angry with herself for saying them.
"But why," exclaimed Stitch; growing frustrated by how hard it was to change the female mind, "don't you want to stay here on Earth with him?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why do you insist on fighting? It makes absolutely no sense! If not fighting is your only way of staying here then don't fight!"
"I know it doesn't make any sense, Stitch!" shouted Angel as she whipped back toward Stitch, "And believe me, if I thought abstaining from the fight would let me stay here, I would have sealed my book away somewhere where no one could ever find it, along time ago! But you and I both know that it would be pointless! Jumba would just send experiments down to get us."
"There are ways around that though. We could spare occasionally to make him think we're still fighting and as strong as we are I'm sure we could take on anyone he could send."
Angel gave a sigh and turned away once more. "You just don't get it," she laughed, "there's nothing we can do. We knew from the start that we'd have to go back to the lab eventually, it's too late to change the rules."
Stitch found himself in another bind, as much as he wanted to convince her otherwise, he knew that what she said was true. Even their best efforts to try and prolong the tournament would only do just that, prolong it. One way or another they would be forced back. But Stitch wasn't about to give up, if prolonging the fight was all he could do, then he was going to do everything he could to do it.
"So what if it's impossible for us to stay here forever? Don't you want to at least try to gain as much time as possible?" said Stitch as he reached forward and put his paw on Angel's shoulder.
Angel turned her head and looked at him with eyes filled with sorrow. "I wouldn't be able to take it," She said, her voice quivering as she held back tears, "I couldn't enjoy being here if I had to constantly worry about keeping myself here. As much as I hate it, I'd rather go back sooner than have to live with that fear."
Stitch once again found himself looking upon a part of his rival's inner self that he had only glimpsed once before back on the "World 1". It still amazed him that a strong experiment like her could have such a delicate core. Yet, even though tears slowly filled her eyes, he could see that he had failed to change her mind.
"I'm sorry, Stitch, but I can't bare the thought of staying a minute longer than I have to." Angel said with a sniffle.
Stitch's head fell in defeat, he had failed to prolong the tournament. But as he stared down at the cushion, he suddenly felt Angel move. Before he could say anything, she threw his arm over her shoulders and pressed up against him. Her eyes still wet with tears, she snuggled as close to him as possible and turned to stare back out the window. A confused expression sat on Stitch's face as he now looked down on the top of her head. But after a moment his surprise subsided and he tightened his am around her.
"I hate this tournament," she suddenly blurted as she wiped her tears away, "and every god damn thing about it."
"Me too." agreed Stitch as he looked out the window to the stars.
While Stitch tried to comfort his rival, his rival's partner was about to try his hand at changing the fate of their two groups. Beneath his confident smirk, Kioko, like Stitch, had no idea how he was going to try and change Lilo's mind. However, unlike his furry counterpart, he knew exactly how he was going to approach the subject. He was not one to dance around a subject, especially when it had to do with someone he cared about. The boy made his way upstairs and, after a short search, found Lilo putting clothes away in her room. She didn't notice him as he walked in and leaned against the doorway. He remained silent for a moment longer as he readied himself to confront of the girl. Finally, with a deep sigh he made his move.
"You know you never cease to amaze me." blurted Kioko.
The unsuspecting girl yelped and dropped the bundle of socks she had in her hand. "My god, Kioko, you scared the crap out of me!" exclaimed Lilo as she held her hand over her heart.
"Sorry." laughed Kioko.
"God, if I were an old woman, you would have probably killed me." said Lilo as she picked the socks up off the floor.
"Oh stop overreacting."
Lilo glared at the boy for a second and then returned to putting away clothes. "So, what is it about me that amazes you?"
"It's your eagerness," said Kioko as he tucked his hands in his pockets, "I've never known a girl that was always so willing or eager to go to battle as you are. Especially when the battle will inevitably lead you to lose your best friend."
"Things aren't always as they seem." The girl said with a solemn tone.
"Don't I know it," smiled Kioko, "So why continue acting this way? What's the point of feigning enthusiasm?"
"It's complicated."
"Well I like complicated, it keeps things interesting."
"Yeah, well I don't find it so 'interesting'." snapped Lilo as she turned and threw a shirt into her drawer. "I hate pretending to be excited, I mean what kind of sick freak would be excited about their best friend leaving forever?"
"Well why are you pretending," said Kioko, raising his voice to match Lilo's, "if you don't like it, do something about it!"
"Like what," replied Lilo as she turned to face the boy, her face turning red, "what am I supposed to do? Just break my promise to Stitch and not fight? I couldn't do that to him, not after all we've been through."
"And what if all Stitch wanted now was to stay here with you?" asked Kioko, lowering his voice back down to a calmer level.
Lilo gave a sigh as she turned back toward her laundry. "You talked to Stitch, didn't you?"
Kioko gave a nod. "Yeah, I did, and I want to know why you think it's crazy that he'd want to give up his dream, just so he can stay on Earth?"
"Why wouldn't I think it's crazy," asked Lilo as she began pulling bras and other unmentionables out of the laundry basket and putting them away, forcing Kioko to look away coyly, "when he came here, all he planned to do was to fight and become champion, nothing more. As far as I know that's all him and the other experiments were made for. So I know that deep down he doesn't want to stay here."
"I don't know, it seemed to me like he really does want to stay here."
"No, he's just trying to make me feel better. He doesn't want me to know that he's anxious for this tournament to end."
"It sounds to me like you're in denial." Kioko said with a sigh.
"Denial?" exclaimed Lilo once again looking over at the boy, "I am not in denial!"
"Oh come on," said Kioko as he looked back at the girl, "admit it, you're so afraid of Stitch leaving that you've come up with this absurd idea that you're powerless to do anything. Believe me, I could tell that Stitch was more than serious about staying here. So please, for yours and his sake, snap out of this ridiculous delusion and hold off on this fight!"
"I can't!" Lilo suddenly shouted, catching Kioko off guard.
The young girl seemed to stumble backwards onto the bed, where her hands immediately covered her face. Kioko could hear sobs beginning to escape the girl's lips, while her body began to tremble slightly. After several moments Lilo lowered her hands down onto her knees, exposing the small streams of tears that ran down her face.
"I can't just put my plans on hold like that!" said Lilo with a sniffle.
"Your plans?" asked Kioko as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to her.
"That's right, my plans," Lilo wiped her face clean of tears an then continued with a solemn voice, "my plans to make Stitch champion. You see when he asked me to be his partner I realized that I had a chance to be truly helpful to someone, and that's something I've wanted for many years. Ever since our parents died in a car accident."
"I see, I was wondering why they weren't around." said Kioko as he glanced out into the hallway.
"When we got to the hospital and saw them both laying there bloodied and unconscious, I felt so helpless. When they finally died that feeling remained. I felt responsible for their deaths, even though I know there was nothing I could have done. But, when it comes to this tournament I'm far from helpless!" said Lilo with growing conviction in her voice.
Kioko was once again taken by surprise as Lilo shot to her feet and turned to face him. "I have the strength, skill, and determination needed to make Stitch the champion! So there is nothing you can say that will keep me from fighting!"
"Doesn't the fact that Stitch wants to stay here with you change your mind at all?"
Lilo became silent for a moment as she rubbed her forehead with her hands. "I know he wants to stay here, but that's only because of me."
"Well obviously." remarked Kioko.
"But if he were to stay here, essentially, I would be responsible for him failing to become champion," Lilo turned and walked over to her desk, where the blue book sat atop a stack of magazines and ran her fingers over it's rough cover, "and I just couldn't take that. I mean, I would love to have Stitch stay here, but I wouldn't be able to look at him without thinking of the sacrifice he made just because of me. I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing that I'm responsible for killing someone's dream."
Just like Stitch, Kioko then realized that he had failed. Kioko couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward the girl's dilemma. Like him, she only wanted a second chance. For that reason, he could not bring himself to try and change her wishes.
"I understand." sighed Kioko as he got to his feet and walked toward the door.
"I'm sorry, Kioko," blurted Lilo as she looked over at the boy, "the fact that you wanted to postpone the fight, means that you wanted Angel to stay around, right?"
Kioko paused in the doorway, standing as still as a statue and just as silent. "It's fine," Kioko finally said as she looked back over his shoulder at the girl, "I understand how you feel. But know this: If you want me to fight, don't expect me to hold back. You want to make Stitch champion in order to prove to yourself that you can help someone who you truly care about, well the same goes for me."
Without another word Kioko turned and walked down the hallway. A day that had started with so much hope now left four hearts in tatters. The battle that Kioko and Stitch had feared now loomed on the horizon, twisting both their stomachs into knots. They were now out of options; their partners had their hearts set on fighting for reasons they could not surrender. Their chances of future happiness sat solely in the hands of fate, which was a less than heartening thought.
The two defeated partners met up as Kioko made his way down the stairs. They came to a stop right next to each other, keeping their eyes straight ahead. "Well… any luck?" asked Stitch, even though he could tell by the man's demeanor that that the answer was not what he wanted to hear.
"Not at all," replied Kioko with a grave tone, "what about you?"
"Nope, there wasn't anything I could've said to change her mind."
"The same goes for me."
"So now what?" asked Stitch as he put one paw on the back of his head.
Kioko was quiet for a moment, giving a deep sigh through his nose. "We have to fight, there is no other choice. Despite how we may feel, we are bound to our partners by obligation, if it is their wish to fight, we must honor that wish."
"Right… so what should I tell Lilo?"
"In three days you should be back to your full strength, at that time we will meet up at your training hill. Then we will find out just who is the strongest."
Stitch gave a sigh of his own and slowly nodded. Then, the two men went their separate ways, returning to their partners, determined to spend their last remaining days enjoying their company. Fortunately for them, fate also had a sense of mercy. Though they only had three days, time seemed to slow down. Each day felt like it went on and on, much to the pleasure of the experiments and their partners. One would never have guessed by watching them that a monumental battle laid just ahead. Lilo and Stitch spent their days running around the beach and in town, while their nights were filled by late night movies and giant bowls of popcorn.
Kioko and Angel's final nights, while a little more subdued, were just as enjoyable. They decided to treat the days as if nothing were going to change. They trained and exercised early in the day, relaxed with some cool drinks in the afternoon, and then, come nightfall, stretched out on the couch. Adding to the sense of normalcy the two even got into a few squabbles here and there. Those few days did a lot of good for all of them, they allowed them a break from the dread and sorrow that filled their minds. While they all wished it could last forever, there was no escaping their destinies.
Their final day together, the day that the tournament would end, soon arrived. The lively and upbeat atmosphere, that had dominated the previous days, vanished without a trace. It was replaced by a somber feeling that would have suffocated them all, if it hadn't been for the few fleeting moments where victory seemed to out weigh their pains. Since no specific time had been indicated by either party as to when the battle would take place, both sides took their time preparing. Both stretched and went through some last minute practices, but more importantly, they readied themselves to say goodbye.
Finally, the moment had arrived. Shortly after three o' clock Kioko, Angel, Lilo, and Stitch all stepped into the clearing. Like old, western gunslingers the two pairs took a few steps toward one another and then faced each other down. Like the calm before a storm the air was as still as stone, and just as cool. For some time all four remained quiet, all unable to find the right words to say. For nearly two years they had awaited that final day, and as it at last came upon them, it seemed as though the days had flown by.
Just then, a small chuckle broke the silence. "So this is it then," said Angel, "our final battle."
"Yep, it's hard to believe that we both made it this far." replied Stitch, finding it easier to talk with the curtain of silence lifted.
"Speak for yourself, I never doubted that I'd make it to the end."
"Now, are you guys positive that we're the last people in this tournament?" blurted Lilo as she casually looked around the field.
"We're positive." Kioko said with a small laugh.
"So why did you want to have our fight here?" asked Lilo, even though she was sure that she already knew the answer.
"Why do you think? This is the place that we had our first, and only real battle, so it seemed fitting that we have our last here as well."
"That's what I thought."
"Things are going to be a lot different from back then, this time we'll be the winners!" boasted Stitch as he pointed a clawed finger at Angel, who only tilted her head and smiled.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Stitch," said Angel as she pointed back at her blue rival, "you may have gotten stronger, but so have we."
"You can't intimidate me this time, Angel, not after the way you snuggled with me the other night! I've seen through that tough outer shell of yours and you know what I saw? A soft, pink marshmallow!"
Angel's eyes widened as her face turned a deep red. "That was a one time thing, a brief moment of weakness! Nothing more!"
"Sure it was." said Stitch with a mischievous grin.
Angel clenched her teeth and balled her fists. "Why you little…" she growled.
"Save it for the battle, you two!" Kioko shouted. "Now, there are a few things I want to make clear. Though this may be the final battle, and the title of 'champion' may be on the line, we are not enemies. This is a fight to see who is the strongest, not who can spill the most blood, so we will all refrain from using spells that could endanger each other's lives. Next, we will all refrain from attacking one another's spell caster directly. Lilo and I aren't as durable as you two experiment's are after all. Finally, we shall all be respectful, no matter who wins or loses. Do you all agree?"
"Yes." said Lilo, Stitch, and Angel in unison.
The battlefield once again fell silent. This time the breeze began to drift across the scarred landscape, causing the trees to sway like eager spectators in an arena. One could almost hear the anxiously beating hearts of the four warriors as they faced of for the last time. Just then, as another wave of air swept across the field, Stitch and Angel took a few steps away from their partners, smiles crossing both of their faces. Their ears fluttered in the wind, mimicking the motion of the trees, yet despite their peaceful manner, a powerful tension began to build between them. The triggers of battle were slowly drawn back until, finally, they exploded.
In the blink of an eye both Stitch and Angel vanished into thin air. Unseen by their human partners, the two came together at the crest of the hill and then passed by one another, as if neither knew the other existed. But just as it seemed like the two of them would not throw a single punch, both slid to a stop, turned, and then, with smiles still on their faces, brought their fists together. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the island as the two powerful experiments vanished into a cloud of dust. The final battle to become champion had begun.
Well that's the end of this chapter! At long last the final battle of the "Tejina Chronicles" has begun. Who shall be the winner? So far I have two more chapters planned for this story and then an epilogue. Please review.