Stitch was gone the next morning. Not that Leroy minded, it was just on his mind; he knew Stitch had things to do. Spending time by himself made him wonder when he'd be able to move in with him. He wouldn't ask for much, he didn't want a bed, he could share one with Stitch; he just wanted a place to belong, but he'd settle for meeting his family.

Afternoon came, evident by the crowd gathering at the beach. Watching people play, laugh, and eat their ice cream from a distance made Leroy wish Stitch were there, but he knew it wouldn't be long 'til they'd be together once more.

A familiar person arrived at the beach, she held a recognizable face, he'd seen her leaving Stitch's house once before. It was Lilo, and shortly after realizing it, Stitch appeared and rushed to her. They grabbed their surfboards and went out into the ocean to ride some waves. Leroy felt anger towards them, at Stitch for ditching and not asking him to join them, and at Lilo for existing, but he soon remembered that Lilo was the reason Stitch became who he was right now. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't even be there. He felt bad for even thinking badly about them.

They were playing in the sand now. He thought about making his presence known, but his nerves got the best of him. He wanted to make a good impression, but he was afraid of making a fool of himself in front of her. It didn't take him long to realize that if Stitch loved him and she was his best friend, they'd get along and just fine. This built up his confidence to introduce himself. However, just before he stepped out of his hiding place he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Stitch?" it called out. It was definitely a female's voice, but it wasn't Lilo's. The sound of a smile and approaching footsteps followed.

"Coming buchi bu!"

Leroy's heart skipped a beat. There was no way Stitch could've seen him where he stood. Paying close attention to what he did next, he saw him hug the pink experiment.

"Angel, come look at what we made." Lilo called to her. She went over, Stitch followed.

'Angel?' Leroy stood there, puzzled. He heard Stitch mention her last night. Confused at the contradictions of Stitch's words and actions, he thought, 'Didn't he say she rejected him after she got what she wanted? That she was only using him? That they were over?'

Trying to make sense of it he asked himself, 'Did they say this could never happen? That we could never be? Are you telling me you listened?'

"Stitch?" he whispered with disappointment. He looked down at the ground and realized Stitch was trying to make a fool out of him. Angered, Leroy destroyed a nearby store, created a scene, and ran away.

It was getting closer to dusk and everyone started to leave the beach. On his way back home, Stitch saw the destruction made to the store and immediately knew who the culprit was, but not the motive. He wondered if Jumba was right in saying that Leroy was an unfixable experiment.

Risking the possibility of being seen, Leroy went back to his house, fully aware that if Stitch went out looking for him, that would be the first place he'd look. A risk he was willing to take to go back for Ogo. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he hid above the trees, making sure he didn't make a sound.

"Leroy?" he asked, desperately looking around for him. "Stitch can explain."

Watching from above the trees, Leroy saw the real Stitch for the first time. A lying, self-centered, and selfish wretch who would destroy the world for his own happiness. It was then that he realized there was nothing stopping him from leaving that unbearable place, a place full of memories of love and betrayal.

"Soka." Stitch said. Not knowing if Leroy was hiding, if he'd left, or wasn't there at all. He disappeared, going to look for Leroy somewhere else, leaving Leroy alone once again.

Leroy had been running for two hours straight and stopped only after realizing he'd been going in circles and there was no way off the island. It was then that he realized he was alone.

He found some fresh water in a nearby pond. He stared at his reflection and sighed. He felt like a failure. He looked at his claws, they were as sharp as they were in love. We made the sun shine, he thought.

He came to the conclusion that hate was not strong enough to destroy what they had.

"I can see a new beginning rise behind the sun, but we can never catch up to it as fast as we run."
- MM

Author's Note: How many times do they actually listen when they say they can explain? None. *Sigh*
I feel like I'm not doing this story justice with my frail vocabulary, so the next chapter will be the grand finale.
Disagree? Think it should be longer? Think I sound like a salesman? Tell me about it in the review section.
As always, don't forget to review. It might help shift how the story ends.