The Tejina Chronicles: Final Days
By: Kioko the pirate
Chapter 8: A New Beginning
Though the scars of the final battle remained fresh in the soil of the island and in the hearts of its victims, if one were to glance into the home of former combatant, Victoria, they would think the tournament had long since ended. While Lilo and Kioko were left to struggle with returning their lives to normal, Victoria had already managed to move on. The tournament no longer weighed on her thoughts; dreams of her battles had become less frequent and more vague, and the memories grew more and more distant. However, there were some memories that refused to die. They were the memories of that childish little bat, Snooty.
As the redhead sat at her computer, mindlessly browsing the Internet, she couldn't help but look over at a green photo album that sat, half covered in school papers, at one corner of her desk. She stared at the book for a moment with a smirk across her face and then reached forward and picked up the book, allowing the numerous papers to fall to the floor. Scooting back from the desk she placed the book on her lap and ran her hand over the cover. Her delicate fingers traced over her and Snooty's names, written across the cover in glue and glitter. A smile stretched across the girls face as she opened the album to the first page. Victoria instantly found herself looking down on some of her and Snooty's earliest moments together. Training, spontaneous moments, and even some family reactions to meeting the alien for the first time graced each page.
Each photo seemed to pop off the page, playing in her head like a wonderful slideshow. But suddenly, the show ended as she turned to the first blank page, only half way through the album. Once again, Victoria was reminded of the abrupt end to their time together. Her smile fell into a frown as she flipped through the empty pages, thinking of all the memories they could have shared. For a moment she just stared at the pages, a growing frustration building inside her. But just then, she slammed the album shut and tossed it onto the desk.
"Oh stop it," Victoria shouted at herself as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms angrily across her chest, "Come on, this is ridiculous. There's no point in getting upset, you knew it would be like this from the beginning. He's an alien, he can't stay here it would be… unnatural."
"He's better off with his own kind. I mean, even with me here he'd start to feel lonely. I know if the situation were reversed I'd start to miss being around other people."
"Victoria," her mothers voice suddenly exclaimed through her bedroom door, "did you remember to get the trash out?"
"Yeah, Mom!"
"What about the dishes?" her mom continued.
"Got them all cleaned and put away." replied Victoria.
"Ok, thank you."
Victoria leaned forward, placed her elbow on her desk, and rested her chin in her hand. "I wouldn't miss chores though. That's for sure."
The girl paused and looked back down at the album, her free hand moved onto the cover, ready to open it once more. But it didn't, it simply rested where it lay. "I do wish I could see him again, maybe just one more time. It would be nice just to see how he's doing. I'd even settle for a letter."
Victoria laughed at the thought and stood up from the desk. She locked her door, pulled down the blinds, and changed into her pajamas before finally sitting back down in her chair. She scooted the chair over to the window, opened the blinds, leaned back, and placed her feet up on the sill. She folded her hands over her stomach and stared up into the night sky.
"I hope you're doing well, Snooty. Wherever you maybe right now. You better not be causing any mischief, because I will come up there," smiled Victoria as she pointed up to a random star, "I'm not afraid to ground you, Mister."
"Just so you know, I'm doing fine. So you don't need to worry about me," Her eyes began to grow watery, "My grades are good, I got a raise at work, oh, and I even got a car! Can you believe it? It's a real beauty… you should really see it… one day."
Victoria chuckled as she wiped a tear from her eye. "How lame is this? I'm crying over nothing. When did I become so sensitive?"
The red head stood up from the chair and reached to pull down the blinds again, but she stopped and stared up into the sky one more time. "I miss you, Snooty. I miss you more than you could ever know. I just hope that one day we can see each other again."
Victoria's jaw quivered as she tried to continue, but no words would come. So with a sniffle she pulled down the blinds and crawled beneath her covers. But while she tried, in vain, to smother the painful feelings she had brought upon herself, she was unaware of how fortunate she was. Even though her heart ached, she was able to laugh, to find happiness in her life. That was a luxury that Kioko did not share.
The pain that Victoria felt was a far cry from what raged within the young man's mind. No one could imagine what went through his head as he sat hunched over his kitchen table, staring blankly as if his soul had been ripped from him. An empty glass was gripped in one hand while the other held his forehead. In front of him was a half empty bottle of whiskey and a small pistol, with a single bullet loaded in the chamber. The rest of the house was dark, the light from above the table was all that kept the suffocating bleakness at bay. But it could not touch the hopelessness that ravaged every passing moment.
His eyes drifted over to the bottle, the light gave its rough surface a glisten like some fine jewel, casting a small, half colored rainbow out the other side. The contents of the bottle had done little more than the light had to ease his suffering. Yet he continued to drink, each time hoping that the next glass would help him forget. Before long, two more glasses were filled and emptied, but the memories remained. He felt like he was watching a compilation of his greatest failures as his mind flashed between his and Angel's final moments together and the last words spoken between him and Michelle. To make things even better, the promises he made to each of them sang out over and over again, like some hellish choir. Mocking him, taunting him, they took on his father's voice, forcing him to pour another glass.
He couldn't even bring himself to think that his life was crumbling around him; after all, you can't call a shattered mirror cracked. The last piece of his life tumbled to the ground as the last piece of the spell book turned to ash. There was nothing left, he had lost his second chance, and though Angel had tried to convince him otherwise, he couldn't see it any other way. Thanks to him she had lost the tournament, there was no reason for her to be so kind, he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it.
Kioko tipped the bottle into the glass one more time, but only a single drop fell. Without a change in expression, he flung the empty bottle against the wall, picked up the glass, and raised it to his lips. He tipped his head back as he tried desperately to get every last drop, but he only managed to get a nose-full of ice. With a sigh, he slammed the glass down onto the table and started to rub his bloodshot eyes. After a moment he dropped his head down onto the table and stretched his arms out in front of him. The cool tabletop felt refreshing but something else quickly grabbed his attention. He raised his head up to see his right hand resting atop the pistol. He ran his fingers down the length of the weapon, carefully feeling each indentation in the metal.
What is there to do when every option has been exhausted? What happens when one's purpose ends long before they do? What reason is there to live when all chances for happiness are gone? There simply is no reason for one to put them selves through a lifetime of misery needlessly. To do so is a crime against life itself. Kioko's fingers wrapped themselves around the handle of the gun, squeezing it tight, as if it would leap from his hand. He had sworn on his life that he would make her champion and she wasn't. The tournament was over and she was still just a loser. Half of the bargain was lost, but he wasn't about to let the other slip by.
Kioko sat up in the chair and looked down at the gun in his hand. His whole body trembled as a cold chill slithered down his spine. His knuckles grew white as he gripped the gun harder, trying to stop his shaking. A fear began to grow deep in his mind, preventing him from putting his finger on the trigger. But the voices of failure quickly wiped it away. He had to pay the toll for what he had done. Because of him a dream was crushed, such a sin could not go unpunished. With a single pull of the trigger he would show the universe, show Angel, that he was willing to claim responsibility. He would show them that he was more than willing to pay the price. Kioko placed his finger on the trigger and slowly began to raise the pistol when, suddenly, a meteor, engulfed in purple flames, slammed into the forest a short distance away with a thunderous explosion. The impact was so great that it shook every inch of Kioko's home and so deafening that he did not hear the gunshot. Only after the shaking had calmed did he notice the searing pain in his shoulder.
The boy looked down to see blood pouring from a large hole in his shoulder; the explosion had caused him to pull the trigger early. He had failed once again. All of a sudden, anger replaced despair and in the blink of an eye, blame fell from Kioko's shoulders and onto the nameless force that had foiled him. With short, sharp breaths Kioko threw the gun to the side, got to his feet and stormed off toward the front door. The effects of the booze suddenly kicked into high gear, causing the young man to bounce off of walls and stumble over his own feet as he went. By some small miracle he managed to find the doorknob and fling open the door. The cool night air rushed over him like a refreshing stream, yet at the same time mixed with his drunken stupor and increasing blood loss to nearly knock him over. Regaining his balance he stepped out onto the patio and looked deep into the forest. A flickering, purple light silhouetted the towering palms and a column of bluish-grey smoke rose up into the sky, fading and hiding the stars.
Kioko's mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. It was as if the cogs in his head were filled with sand. There was only one thing he knew of that burned with such a light, but there was no way it could be possible. The boy sneered as the purple glow relit the flames in his heart. He turned and moved to go back inside and finish what he had started, but before he could, a rustling sound caught his ear. Kioko looked over his shoulder toward the dense underbrush and through his fuzzy vision saw a small figure climb out into the open. He turned back around to face the figure, blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to bring the image into sharper focus. But the figure remained fuzzy, until suddenly it vanished entirely.
Before Kioko knew what happened he was struck in the chest and knocked back against the doorframe. Wincing from the jolt to his shoulder he slid down to the ground and looked to see what had hit him. His tired eyes grew wide and his heart felt as though it was clenched in a vice as he saw a mass of pink fur holding tight onto his chest. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was impossible; it had to be a trick of his exhausted mind. But as the pink creature looked up at him with black, teary eyes, the feeling of her tiny paws gripping his shirt became real.
"I'm back," Angel smiled, her lower jaw quivering slightly.
Kioko opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but no words came forward. Fortunately, the pink experiment did not wait for him to say anything. She let go of Kioko's chest, immediately moved upward, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I was so scared that I wouldn't see you again, but now I'm the one who has been given a second chance," she continued as she rubbed her cheek against his, "I never want to leave your side, not for anyone or anything!"
Kioko could only lie there, struggling to grasp what was going on. He couldn't figure out how he should feel. The obvious answer would be overpowering joy, but he still half expected to wake up elsewhere. He raised a shaking hand and moved to place it on her back, however, he paused just short, fearing that there would nothing there.
"I'm here to stay, Kioko," said Angel as she pulled away from her embrace, tears running down her cheeks, "I'm here to…" the experiment stopped as she suddenly noticed her partner wincing in pain.
She looked over to her right paw, where a wet feeling had begun to seep into her fur. The female experiment removed her paw from his shoulder and let out a sharp gasp as she found it covered in blood.
"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she started to investigate the wound, "Why the hell are you bleeding? And have you…"Angel sniffed the air, "have you been drinking? Kioko, what the hell is…"
Angel was once again stopped mid sentence as Kioko's hand came down on the back of her head and pulled her in close. Her eyes widened as she felt her lips press against his. It lasted for only a moment, but the sensation lingered as the boy's arms wrapped themselves around her small body and his face became buried in her neck. The realization of what had transpired after she had left brought a new wave of exultant tears to her eyes. Once more she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself as close as she could. The true depth of their bond was all too clear.
In that same instant, miles away, another earth-shattering explosion shook Victoria awake and threw her from her bed. The young girl landed on her back with her legs sticking up toward the ceiling, her sheets half covering her.
"What… the hell… was that?" she exclaimed, her heart pounding away in her chest.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, Victoria rolled over and got her feet on the floor. She gave a moan as she stood up holding her lower back. But the throbbing in her spine quickly vanished as curiosity got the better of her. Victoria walked over to the window and rolled up the blinds. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the houses were dark and the street was painted by the orange glow of the street lamps. There was absolutely no sign of what ever had viciously knocked her from her dreams. She scratched her head as she looked around as far as she could without opening the window. But with no sign of anything to keep her interest, her curiosity died as quickly as it had come. So, after a final survey of the street, Victoria pulled down the blinds and turned to go back to bed.
"That was weird," she said to herself while putting her blankets back on the bed, "I could have sworn something exploded outside. Maybe it was just in my head, one of those tricks of the mind I've heard people talk about."
The red head began to laugh a little. "That would mean I threw myself out of bed. My brain was trying to beat me up!" she exclaimed in quiet, amused revelation.
"Then again," she continued, "What if it wasn't a dream?"
The young girl decided to look and see if any other member of her family had been awakened by the blast. She walked over to her door and, as quietly as she could, opened it. Poking her head out of the doorway, Victoria looked toward each end of the hallway. There were no lights coming out from underneath any other doors, so it seemed safe to assume that her parents hadn't woken up. To make sure though, she put her hand to her ear and listened for their voices. There was nothing but silence. Perplexed, Victoria let out a long sigh through her nose and pulled back into her room.
"I guess that settles it then. If there had really been an explosion or something, Mom would be running around the house in a panic. Looks like it was all just in my head. God, wait till Lilo hears about this, she'll get a good laugh out of it."
Finally, dismissing the incident as a freak physiological glitch, Victoria got back into bed and wiggled her way under the blankets. Just then, another loud noise jolted her to her feet. It sounded like something large had smacked into her window. Her heart began to pound in her chest once again, this time out of fear instead of confusion. There was no denying that the noise had been real, but she was hesitant to investigate. Her rationality had disappeared, she could only picture opening the blinds and seeing a monster or a man with an axe staring in at her. Her mind fought with this nightmare scenario as she stood staring intently at the plain white blinds. After a moment her rationality regained control and curiosity drove her forward.
Still nervous about what she might see, she grabbed the pull-string and yanked it down as if she were tearing off a Band-Aid. With a loud clatter the blinds shot to the ceiling and revealed… nothing, nothing but nighttime. Victoria couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, especially after the spectacle that her mind had prepared her for. The red head put her face closer to the window and surveyed the street just as she had done earlier, but there was still nothing different. Her perturbed breath fogged the glass and clouded her view. She wiped it away a few times and then decided it would easier just to open the window. Just like the blinds she threw up the window and jutted her head out into the cool air. She looked in nearly every direction but she still couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, a small groan caught her ear.
"Help me," moaned a young voice from below.
She looked down to see Snooty lying on his back in the flowerbed; a small bit of blood running from his nose. A light, far more brilliant than any star in the sky erupted in her eyes. The corners of her mouth rose up into sharp peaks, displacing the red specks on her cheeks.
"I forgot about the window." The purple bat said with a smile.
With a girlish squeal Victoria leapt from the window, not caring about the mud below. She splashed down into the wet soil and immediately dropped to her knees. In the blink of an eye she scooped the experiment up like a greedy pirate grabbing for his gold. Before Snooty knew it, he was being crushed in the girl's ecstatic grasp.
"My god, Snooty, I can't believe it! You came back!" Victoria cheered as she lifted him into the air.
"Of course I did, silly. I couldn't just leave you to deal with Myrtle by yourself the rest of your life."
The two broke out into a fit of laughter that, surprisingly, didn't wake the neighbors. After a few moments their laughing settled and they were left just staring at one another, broad smiles on their faces. Victoria finally brought the bat in for a, gentler, hug.
"I've missed you so much," she said softly, "I never really forgave myself for losing you like I did. We've missed out on so much time we could have shared."
Snooty wrapped his wings around the girl and nuzzled her cheek. "That's all in the past now, it no longer matters. We have all the time in the world now to share because I'm back for good. "
Victoria sniffled. "Really?"
The bat gave a quick nod. "Really."
"Awesome." Victoria said casually, trying as hard as she could to control her real excitement.
The two friends began to rock back and forth in the muck, the rest of the world faded into the background. All was silent save for the sound of their breathing until suddenly, a loud bang broke them from their bliss. They looked up to see that the window had fallen shut.
"Crap." sighed Victoria.
"I hate windows." added Snooty.
The veil of sorrow that had fallen over the tranquil island of Kauai had begun to lift. Hearts broken by senseless battle and unforgiving distance merged once more. Feelings of guilt and regret were obliterated under the light of a hopeful future. But there remained one heart untouched by the merciful light. Only a short distance away, Lilo remained imprisoned by the chains of loss. No matter how hard she tried to view things in a positive manner the fact remained that Stitch… was gone.
It was so strange having a normal life again; the things usually taken for granted took on an almost fanciful feeling. With the stress of battle gone, Lilo quickly realized just how much of her life had been consumed by the tournament. The usual teenage problems paled in comparison to what she had gone through. Life seemed so mundane. As she walked into her bedroom, hair still wet from a hot shower, dressed in pajamas, her mind buzzed over what she would do the next day. It was going on Saturday, so there was no school, she didn't have any homework, as far as she knew, and she had no chores. Already the boredom was setting in, squeezing the world around her until it was skin-tight.
Without even thinking to finish drying her hair, Lilo fell backwards onto her bed. A heavy sigh left her to sink down into the plush comforter. Her eyes lingered at the ceiling for a moment before settling down onto the pineapple crate that had served as her partner's bed. She stared at the unkempt pile of blankets and pillows that still filled the crate with a look of guilt, draped over her face like an ugly mask. After a moment the sensation grew too intense and so she flipped over onto her other side. She then stared into the pictures taped along the wall, like an unfinished collage. Her fists, held close, tightened as she found herself staring at a picture of her and Stitch.
The two of them were striking unnecessarily dramatic battle poses, with Lilo holding the book wide open, pointing courageously off into the unseen like a mighty general, and with Stitch at her side, claws and fangs bared, ready to strike. No matter where she looked, something always reminded her of him. With a frustrated growl she rolled onto her back and once more stared up at the ceiling.
"What did I do," Lilo groaned as she held her hands over her face, "Why didn't I listen? He said he wanted to stay, but no, I just had to go and make him fight. Sure he won, but that doesn't matter, he's still gone. I'm such an idiot!"
Lilo pulled her hands away from her face and rested them beside her. "He's probably just cussing me out right now. Yeah, just sitting up in that lab tearing me a new one. I deserve it though; I was so narrow-minded that I selfishly forced him to do something he didn't want to do just so I could feel better about myself."
Just then, a terrifying realization settled onto the girl's thoughts. "Oh my god, it wasn't just the final battle, it was the whole damn tournament! The whole time I was using him as a way to boost my ego! I'm evil," she yelled as she returned her hands to her face, "I'm evil and I'm sick! I only wonder what kind of horrendous punishment the fates have in store for me?"
In a flash, Lilo threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "Fates above, I now await your swift retribution!" Lilo proclaimed as she raised her hands to the ceiling.
The young Hawaiian girl stood motionless for several moments, with her hands outstretched, anxiously waiting for some form of punishment to strike her down. Nothing appeared to be happening until the lamp on her nightstand began to flicker and then died. Lilo lowered her hands and stared at the lamp disappointedly.
"Was that it," she asked with one brow raised, "is that all I get? Come on, people, at the very least I deserve a stubbed toe! I'll take the flu, bad credit, a parking ticket, just give me something!" Lilo stopped and waited for another minute, but nothing else happened. "Ok fine, you know what, I'm canceling my subscription to your newsletter! I don't need you!"
Lilo whipped around and walked over to the window. She dropped to her knees and rested her elbows on the windowsill. Feeling exhausted from her yelling she started to take deep breaths as she stared out into the darkened forest. With a little push she opened the window and took in the cool, refreshing smell of the island. Her mind quickly settled, but her heart remained in turmoil. She placed her chin in her palm and looked up at the tops of the mountains, drawing the boundary between Heaven and Earth.
"I'm so sorry, Stitch," she whispered as her eyes became wet, "you deserved so much more than me. You deserved someone who wouldn't use you as an aid to their pathetic concerns. Hopefully, in your next tournament, you'll find someone better. Hopefully, you'll forget about what I did to you."
Tears finally found their way out and soon drew dark streaks down Lilo's cheeks. The thought of Stitch forgetting about her practically flipped her stomach upside down. She would love it if he could forget about what she did to him, yet at the same time; the thought of him forgetting her was frightening.
"Maybe this is my punishment, I'll just feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out for the rest of my life. That'd be fair enough. But I hope you know that if I could, I'd go back and change all of it. I'd probably go back and beat some sense into myself. You're doing this for him, you idiot, not for yourself. Yeah, that's what I'd do. Maybe then things could be different, maybe you'd still be around."
Lilo turned around, dropped to the floor, and leaned back against the windowsill. "I know it'd be pointless, but I wish you were here," Lilo said looking back at Stitch's bed, "so I could tell you just how sorry I was. Even if you didn't accept my apology, at least I'd be able to see you again."
With a small sniffle Lilo wiped the tears from her face and wiped them on her pajama leg. All of a sudden, as her hand rose up for another wipe, a loud roar cut through the night, shaking the entire house. The young girl then noticed an eerie green light gradually filling her room. She turned to look out the window and was greeted by the sight of a large, green fireball falling from the sky. She followed the object as it fell in front of the mountains and then crashed into the forest not far from her window. Lilo had to look away as the impact sent a strong gust of air right at her. The moment the wind disappeared she looked toward where the object had hit. Off in the distance she could see smoke rising into the air, accompanied by the flickering green light.
She didn't know why, but from out of nowhere she got a burning feeling deep in her gut that told her, commanded her to run. Without a second thought she heeded the feeling's orders and bolted from her room and down the stairs. She raced down the hall and skidded around the corner into the living room. Though her shoes sat right beside the front door they may as well have been invisible as Lilo threw open the door and continued out into the night. She practically leapt to the bottom of the front steps before making her way toward the forest. Even as her bare feet grew cold and damp she didn't lose her pace. She used her arms like machetes to knock down the foliage that got in her way. She moved like a woman possessed and yet she still didn't know what it was that possessed her. All she knew was that she needed to get there fast.
After running for what seemed to have been a hundred miles, she began to see the green glow through the trees. The air grew warmer as she approached the site and the burning sensation turned to a knot in her stomach. With a few last swipes of her arms Lilo finally stepped out into the clearing, freshly made by the object. Before her was a crater about the size of a large truck and just as deep. Green flames snapped into the air as if orchestrating the many smaller fires that dotted the area. Lilo couldn't take her eyes off of the flames as she started circling the crater. She half expected something to emerge from that fiery hell, but as she stared she could see nothing but flames. The knot in her stomach untied itself and the cost of her night run quickly caught up. The young girl stopped underneath a tree to catch her breath, the burden of disappointment weighed on her shoulders once more. In fact, she was so distracted by what she had hoped to find that she didn't notice a small, blue head with long ears drop down from the branches behind her.
"Figures, the one time I actually hope for something weird to happen a regular, boring, old meteor falls from the sky. Now you're just being mean," said Lilo to the invisible fates as she looked up to the stars, "even for you!" she added before turning an about-face and storming off.
However, she didn't get far, for immediately after turning around her head smacked into something hard. Stunned, Lilo stumbled back and fell on her butt.
"Ow, what the hell," Lilo snapped as she rubbed her forehead, "What did I just…"
Lilo froze mid sentence as he looked to see what she had hit. Just like Kioko, her mind stuttered as she saw Stitch sitting on the ground in front of her, rubbing his own forehead.
"Geez, I thought I had a hard head, but yours is like steel." Stitch groaned as he looked at the bewildered girl.
"Stitch… Stitch is… is that really you?" Lilo managed to say though she could feel the gears of rationality grinding in her skull.
"It isn't the Easter bunny." the blue experiment said with a smile.
The young girl stayed locked in position, her body waiting for her mind to find itself. But as she gazed into the two black orbs that gazed back, the gears began to turn and rationality was thrown out the window. She scrambled over to her partner on her hands and knees and pulled him onto her lap in a deep embrace. Stitch purred as he felt her warmth sink into his body; he was in his own little heaven. Lilo cracked a smile of her own as she felt his fur in her fingers. It felt like she was feeling it for the first time in years. But as she stuck her nose against his head and took a whiff of his slightly musky scent she was reminded of her guilt. To Stitch's surprise and dismay the young girl dumped him from her lap and backed away.
"God, you're being rough tonight aren't you?" Stitch said as he pushed himself up.
"Why would you let me do that?" Lilo asked solemnly with her head hung low.
"What?" Stitch replied, tilting his head to the side.
"Why would you let me hug you like that after what I did? Why would you come back here?" repeated Lilo with a shout.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Lilo's head dropped back down. "I made you fight when you didn't want to; I used you as a way to make me feel better about myself; so why aren't you mad at me?"
Stitch's ears drooped down to his shoulders. "Because it was me that led you to do all those things," Lilo raised her head, "I kept talking about how much I wanted to win the tournament and so you drove yourself to do just that. It's because of the fact that I asked you to be my partner that you were given an opportunity to feel better about yourself. I can tell you're beating yourself up over these things, but you shouldn't be. I was the catalyst for all of them; you're not to blame."
With a small smirk on his face Stitch walked over to Lilo and placed a gentle paw on her shoulder. "Besides, it all turned out for the better in the end. I managed to talk Jumba into giving me a permanent Hawaiian vacation. Now I just have to figure where I'm going to stay." said Stitch with a sly grin on his face.
With one last tear, Lilo's grave expression surrendered to a joyous smile. As that last tear fell to the ground, Lilo leaned forward and closed her arms tight around the tiny, blue alien. Stitch purred in delight and hugged her back, just as tight. At long last the veil of sorrow completely lifted from the island, leaving behind not a shred. Friends, brought together by the most extraordinary of circumstances, were free to live how they wished. The petty desires of a fruitless battle settled into the dust of the past, leaving nothing but a brilliant future ahead.
That's it, that's the end of the last real chapter to this story and to the entire "Tejina" series! All that's left is the epilogue. So I'll save my final words till then.